Yesterday was the second and final day of the 8th annual QESS Sports Day. It was another rockin' time at Tin Shui Wai stadium.
I ran hard yesterday. In fact, I haven't run that hard in 5 years. I competed in the 3000M, a student/teacher soccer match, and ran legs in 2 4x100M relays! Suffice to say, I'm a bit tired today - to the point where I can't walk properly because my calves have these deep cramps or bruises inside. Well, maybe this calf cramp stuff could've been avoided if I wore track shoes that fit for my 3000M race, but I was in a rush...
Speaking of which, I've never run the 3000M before. I'm not sure if I want to do it again after yesterday. The new student-teacher, Mr. Tse came in first at a blistering 10:40ish! He's a hardcore marathon runner, but still, I was amazed at the start of the race when he just ran off ahead of the pack! I came in a respectable second with a time of 11:32. Actually, a student almost beat me; we were running neck and neck for the first few laps and then he dropped off a bit. I ran alone, thinking I lost him, for the rest of the race until the final 100M straightaway when I heard the loud clomping footsteps of someone on a tear. It was him! He actually moved ahead of me with about 40M to go. I yelled fuck under my breath (or did I?) and told myself "hey, I gotta run faster!" So I tore up my calves sprinting to the finish line, outlasting him by 2 seconds. What a race it was!
I don't play soccer. I'm not good at it. However, the team needed me yesterday so I donned a jersey and headed onto the pitch. I think I played well given I just ran 3000M an hour earlier and I was now playing under the bloody midday heat. Hey, I only turned the ball over, like twice! There was actually one point where a teacher and I did a great give-and-go with the ball and I had a breakaway. It didn't last though, because I didn't know how to dribble the ball and lost control of it. Good experience though. The teachers team won, by the way ;)
By the time of the 4x100M relays, my legs were in so much pain. I had these painful blisters on both of my feet because of those darn track spikes I wore for the 3000M. My calves were also in pain because of that race and the soccer match. Still, competition is competition, so I ran those 2 100M legs and screwed my body up a bit more - or made my body tougher as I like to think of it ;)
Everyone had a great time at Sports Day. All the students worked very hard, not just on the field, but in the stands creating posters and signs and all kinds of goodies to inspire team spirit. The kids and staff were great. I'm quite happy to have been a part of this event.
On Monday, QESS had its 8th annual Sports Day. Its basically this Olympic style, 2-day long event where the kids compete in all the various track and field disciplines. Teamwork and cooperation are a real key to this event, and tend to supercede the individual accomplishments on the field. The 4 houses (N,S,E,W), that the school is divided into, had to work together to create banners and other props that would display their school spirit. The banners that each house created were amazingly colorful and cute. East house gave out monkey-faced fans as their props; each monkey face fan had a different expression on its face too! It was awesome to hear all the houses cheer on their respective teammates on the track. Good stuff.
I haven't run competitively since highschool. However, on Monday I took to the track once again to run my ass (and the rest of my body) into the ground. I don't belong to a house, so I wasn't scoring points for anyone. I was a freelance runner. I ran a 100 leg in a 4 x 100, a 400 leg in a 4 x 400, as well as the 110 shuttle hurdles. Holy Moly did my body ache after!
The relays were a bunch of fun, because it was me, Billy (the art teacher and librarian), Kit Man, Elaine in the 400, and Nelin in the 100 (all 3 are English teachers) who comprised this all-teacher relay team that went up against a bunch of the male students. Sure we came in last in both relays, but its the thought that counts right? I sure was winded after those races, I haven't pushed myself that hard in years.
The hurdle event was a joke. I haven't hurdled since senior year of highschool, yet I come in first place out of all the boys in the school? Well, my form was alright, and I think that was the difference maker in this race; all the other kids had no idea how to negotiate a hurdle other than to just "jump" over it. 4 years of "hurdling" over hurdles finally pays off! What also helped my cause was the hurdles were lower and closer together than the official American highschool measurements. That made for an all too easy, and fun experience! My fatigue was apparent though, because I wasn't able to 3-step the final hurdle, even though they were closer together. I was dead tired. My body still aches and tomorrow we are running again! I am definetly going to run the 3000 meters, and hopefully I will be able to win. However, Billy is a marathon runner, so he'll be quite a challenge. Maybe he can only run a particular speed over long distances, as opposed to running faster over a shorter distance - after all, 2 miles is a short ways to go for a marathon runner! Should be a good one tomorrow!
I'm dead tired. Today was the S1 Halloween performance. Weeks upon weeks of toil finally culminated in this fun and memorable experience. Rochelle and I MC'd this event and it was good fun, but at times was so mired in confusion I would almost lose my cool. Still, we both hung on out there and pulled off a great job to lead the show. The performances themselves varied, with some of the classes putting on spectacular, choreographed extravaganzas! Other groups were much less polished and disciplined and did not do too well on the stage. I think the type of students in each class, as well as the effort put in by the instructor made the difference; given Rochelle and I worked equally hard with all the classes.
The most exciting part of the event was probably the distribution of candy. These kids are crazy about candy and were whipped into a frenzy when we began distributing it. I kinda got into a frenzy myself, but restrained myself from gorging on the goodies. The announcing of the winners was also a big moment. Mr. Tsoi gave a talk about the good and bad of each performance. You could really tell the discipline and follow-the-rules slant this school prides itself on was evident in his talk. It was very exciting to hear him call out the winners and to see the kids come up and receive their certificates. Terrific stuff.
So the event is over and Sports Day (part 2) is tomorrow. I'm dead tired and still have Cantonese lessons to go to. Workout warriors never rest ;)
Gabe is going to begin teaching me Tai Chi in approximatley 5 minutes. Its the culmination of alot of miscommunication and haggling, but I'm thinking its going to be a very fruitful experience.
I've been trying to learn some type of martial art off and on for the better part of my entire life. The longest I've ever stuck with it is mebbe half a year. Since I'm in Hong Kong, there are alot of Chinese people here; some of whom, may know Kung Fu. I figured I'd be able to find someone to teach me.
Gabe is this 24 year-old white dude from Canada.
So wasn't what I was expecting, but he's legit. And why do I want to learn kung fu? I'm still a bit unsure, but I'm pretty sure its not to fulfill ethnic stereotypes.
Apple released its 10.3 Operating system yesterday. It looks really cool. Its a shame that I don't have the cash to buy it right now. However, I think I might have the cash to buy a pirate. I'm going to look around this week and hit the triad stores to see if I can scrounge up a copy of 10.3 somewhere. I think I might pick up a copy of MS Office as well. Its the one program that is missing from my powerbook.
Times up
The day has been moving quite well so far. I had, by far, the best day of Saturday teaching yet. These kids are super smart and very disciplined; it makes activities that much easier to execute.
There isn't much on tap today for me. I probably should look for a pair of rainbow suspenders and maybe hit the gym later. Rochelle and Rob made that list and I was the geek on it. Not much of a stretch for me, but I do need to get some rainbow suspenders! I'm also thinking about getting more than 1 pair of plastic framed glasses when I make a purchase next month. Apparently, retailers here offer deals on multiple frame purchases. I think it'd be cool to be able to sport around 2 different hot and sexy plastic frames on my face.
Last night Anson and I had a chat at Boss Sam's place. I think we both appreciate our abilities to talk frankly about matters with each other; its just nice to talk about things sometimes. I don't usually dare tell any of the other ELTAs about how I feel inside because they are too gossipy and into that highschool silliness. Eh well.
School's out. I sweated alot today. The mixture of Benzoyl Peroxide, Face lotion, and sweat created an unpleasant sight called my face. I ran all over the place trying to find toilet paper or paper towels. The students' restrooms contain neither T.P. or paper towels! There should be a sign out front that says "B.Y.O.T." or Bring your own tissues. I finally found some t.p. in the faculty bathroom and some random napkins in the stairwell. By the way, the napkins here purposely smell like menthol. Its strange. Rochelle didn't believe me when I said they make scented tissues here, but they do! Anyway, the t.p. and tissues stuck to my face and everyone had a good laugh at the clumps that got stuck on the sweat. It was funny.
I'm looking foward to resting up a bit this weekend. I'm going to go have a drink with Anson later tonight.
I have two notebook computers - my 12" powerbook I bought in the states, and this Dell notebook I got from my school. The Dell notebook runs Win 95 (only English Windows they had, but hey, its virus free!), has a P2 processer, 64MB RAM and a 2 Gig HD. I liken it to a morbidly obese person on life support; it breathes heavily, any slight movement might send it over the edge. My powerbook has been good to me in it has only crashed once since I brought it over. This Dell crashes so much I don't even use it anymore. I just bring my powerbook to work! The apple notebook has now convinced me of the quality of its engineering. It is a much more reliable, and capable machine. This Dell will crash if you open more than two aps at a time. It barely hangs on when opening multiple browser windows. Its insane!
I will say now that I love my powerbook. I have switched ;)
Um, I'm waiting to meet with a student, but I don't think she's going to show up.
School has been going well. So well, it seems like its consuming an obscene amount of my time. I spend alot of time here working with the kids. I already see that Rochelle and I are already making a difference in getting these kids to open up and speak their minds. I hope we can continue to make progress with their language abilities, as well as their development as young individuals.
The time thing is a bit troubling. I love this school and my work here. But because I spend so much time here among the kids, I'm often coming home very late, only to head straight to the gym and then to bed. I don't see or talk to my fellow ELTAs too often. I feel like they are growing together without me. I'm not sure if I need or even want that bond right now, since I already have strong bonds with my students and colleagues here at school; it'd be nice to strike a balance though.
Speaking of kids, that's another thing that has bothered me to no end. I'm only about 5 years older than most of my other colleagues, but I feel like I am a world apart. I think that's whats really causing this rift in my thinking - as well as their constant talk about how much they dislike what they are doing. I like teaching English at my school.
I re-broke my glasses two days ago. For about a year or so, one of the nose-pads on my glasses had been fused to the frame with crazy glue. Two days ago I tried to bend the frame a little to keep my glasses from sliding down my nose every two seconds, but I ended up just ripping off that nosepad.
I finally bought some crazy glue today, which offers a temporary solution. However, I've decided I need a longer temporary solution in a new "pair" of glasses. I did my research asap after the breaking incident (keeping my contacts in my eyes for 15 hours/day is killing them) and I am going to get a new pair of glasses closeby to where I live; Of course, I need to receive my paycheck first ;)
I think I'm going to get plastic frames. I haven't had plastic frames since Elementary school, because around that age I began associating plastic with dorkiness and geekdom. Who the heck wears plastic frames in America, anyway? Only those lacking the proper funds or fashion sense to know otherwise. However, here in Hong Kong everyone wears plastic frames, and they surprisingly look real good. I was actually quite inspired to go plastic because of one of my students. She wears these big, black, funky frames; I find her quite cute and attractive(for a 15 year old girl, that is.) I'm thinking its the glasses that give her that amazing look in my eyes, at least let's hope so!
Anyway, I'm probably going to get some dark colored plastic frames and be on my way to overcoming my past geekdom. The glasses are quite cheap here too. For having to get special lenses because I'm close to blind, the total cost will be under 1000HKD! Wowza!
Speaking of prior geekdom, for Halloween, some close colleagues of mine suggested I dress up as a geek - what, and I'm not one already!? Little do they know I used to wear huge ass plastic glasses, and sported a big bowl haircut. I also used to do math like a fiend and read books till my eyesight was shot. Ah, the glory days. Still, I think I will "over"dress for Halloween to overemphasise the inner geek, dork, and nerd inside of me - I need suspenders, a pocket protector, a calculator, and some tape to put on my glasses. It'll rule.
Rochelle and I have befriended this girl named Maggie in our school. She's the sweetest girl in the world, and she speaks excellent English to boot! She's made me a little string thing for my mobile phone and she just made me a cute blue bracelet. She's one of those kids you want to put in your pocket and take home with you. I don't know how her parents will feel about that, but we'll see!
The money debacle has been resolved. I phoned my mommy yesterday and she agreed to send me some US Dollars. After I am done in the library, I'm going to run over to the nearest Western Union agent location and get the payout. I hope this cash infusion will put to rest my fiscal woes. Yesterday, I asked/told one too many people about my financial quagmire and I am quite sure it is gossip fodder now. Hopefully, this bit of news will die a quick and quiet death as I will now procede to shut my mouth about this issue. Its over.
Last night, Joan and her boyfriend Ho, Theresa and I went to this Neway Karaoke center in TST. I haven't been to Karaoke since my last time in HK 2 years ago, so this was a great excercise for myself. The place was really crowded, but quite nice. They had this huge buffet dinner for people, so we gorged ourselves on food and managed to sing a bit in between. I managed to crank 2.5 songs out of my diminuitive lungs - Mrs. Robinson, American Pie, and Hey Jude. I quit halfway through American Pie because the lyrics and the melody weren't quite what I expected. In fact, all the Karaoke lyrics were a bit off the mark; you could tell some man in Asia with a spotty knowledge of English just listened to the music and tried to transcribe what he heard. It wasn't a hassle though since I knew the lyrics to the songs anyway.
So I realize that my singing ability has taken a slight turn downwards the past few years. I find it strange because I have actually played more guitar and sang with a greater frequency these past few years as well. I think its because my vocal range has shrank and I dont' get to exercise it much when I play because I usually just sing to accomodate my guitar, when it should be the other way around :P My melodies seem slightly off the mark, but good enough to still rock out to. I better keep practicing!
I don't have much to do today, except collect the cash. Tomorrow starts another long week of school, which I am very much looking foward to. My cantonese lessons (finally) start this coming week as well, so I have double to look foward to.
I am a slave to the wage rate. Without my wage, I am like a man without arms; I can do nothing but run around. People keep insisting that these Cantonese lessons are bit pricey to partake in, considering I could just walk around and learn the language. I understand where they are coming from, but they apparently have never learned a new language before. It is not like I am 10 years old again and my brain is this open sponge that words just fall into and become concrete. My brain has already reached its maximum mass and will now begin a long process of shrinkage. I feel that I need reptition to learn, especially for a tonal-based language like Cantonese. I also want to learn everything - all the words - not just the ones offered to me in daily conversation. Hence, I will continue to complain about money (and an empty stomach probably,) but I will be learning to speak a new language well. I think that's a fair trade ;)
Anyway, back to my poorness. I think I've riled some people up concerning my finances. People have also been telling me to seek an advance from my company for this month's wages. I tell them I don't want to because I'd prefer to use personal channels to secure a loan. Why do I want to do that? I have no clue. I thought I could just ask one person and they'd have this giant limitless piggybank I could just grab a loan out of. I realize now that this isn't the case. Rather, I have been asking a few too many people and I suspect have tipped people off to my fiscal dire straits. I am quite sure this will become gossip among my colleagues, which is something I have been trying to avoid. Oh well. If worse comes to worse, I will secure a loan from my company. I don't want to pester colleagues or add more fodder to the gossip channels.
Tonight I'm going to go sing Karaoke. It should be fun!
Last night, I got home at 10PM. It was the longest workday ever in my life. 15 hours of travel and work. Whee! I had a great time yesterday though. Some of my S1A kids were having a barbecue from 5-9 so I helped them out and gladly ate their food. They all had a good time, and I learned a bit more Cantonese, which I hope not to forget! These kids are the best, I will gladly work long-ass hours to help them out. I don't necessarily feel tired or burned our from all this work too; I figure that's why I always work out and follow a schedule - to toughen myself up to prevent burnout. I think some of my colleagues are already starting to be burned out by the grind. I hope to keep my fire burning bright the entire year I am here.
I left school at 4:45 today to arrive late to my meeting at North Point Methodist. Apparently, I didn't miss much ;) After a quick dinner at the hole-in-the-wall, I plopped myself down in my favorite corner of my favorite floor in the HK central library.
Due to my current fiscal crisis, I've had to cut back not only on circuses, but bread as well. I've become quite the regular at this restraunt I affectionately refer to as the "hole-in-the-wall restaurant." Its basically an 8x18 (which is probably generous) foot storefront nestled among all these Chinese herb shops near where I live. The best thing about it, and the reason why I go, is that they have cheap food. For only 8HKD ($1 US) you can get yourself a huge-ass bowl of wonton noodles with 3 wonton thrown in for fun. And for an extra $5 dollars you can get yourself a plate of whatever fresh vegetables they have in stock that day. So you get a hearty meal for 13HKD ($1.65 US) This deal can't be beat, hence my frequent visits to the place :) I'm still a bit afraid of becoming a "regular," ie. having to talk to them and them getting to know who I am, because I am a bit timid about my Cantonese around them. Speaking of which...
My cantonese lessons start next Wednseday. It should be a rocking good time. Even though I am in Hong Kong, I feel mildly timid about using my Cantonese. I'm pretty sure its not because I want it to be perfect, but maybe its that I've just gotten so used to speaking English (of all things!) here that its hard for me to break into my Cantonese unless I'm forced into it. Its kind of like what my students go through with their English, however they don't speak it because they feel it has to be perfect. Thus, they always shut up when I speak to them and they will never learn to speak English, let alone perfect English. I keep trying to tell them that in America, it doesn't matter how you speak as long as you speak something. I don't think the students here understand that. They have been indoctrinated too much, especially in Primary school, to speak the most perfect English possible, and since that is impossible, they choose to tune out English during their formative years until they reach a point in secondary school where they not only are afraid to speak because it won't be perfect, but they now lack the basic skills in which to speak the language. Its sad and it sucks. I'm trying my best to get them to open up, hopefully I'll get at least some to come through. Things look very promising so far.
Anyway, back to the hole in the wall place - since I am a quasi-regular, I've noticed other regulars as well. There is this one elderly man whom I see often at the joint. He is always either smoking or drinking beer. I'm pretty sure he has cancer. He obviously has no teeth left, probably from smoking all his life. His body looks quite frail and skinny underneath the baggy clothing he sports. It looks like his hair is falling out too. I find it a bit sad, and understandable why he is always in there drinking and smoking. I suppose he knows he's on the way out the door and plans on going out the way he came in, with vice. When I see him, I can't help but feel sorry for him, but I also can't stand that stench from his cigarrette. Oh well.
Now for the scary part. I witnessed two strange incidents today on the HK public transportation system. On my frantic rush back to North Point, I took the MTR from Sheung Wan to Fortress Hill. It was rush hour and the subways were crammed with people. While I was on the subway this guy, who either had to be a bit crazy, or a social scientist (or both!) began walking around and making wild gestures to nobody in particular. He was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt (tucked in) and looked a bit unkept. He would wave his arms around, kick his feet, bang on the doors, and just plain scare everybody around him to move somewhere else. He also liked getting in peoples faces too; I'd be scared too if he did that to me. This guy also had this peculiar habit of checking his pocket change. He then proceeded to put it on the floor and then pick it up again! By this time there was this huge void of space surrounding him and any other passenger. It was FUBABelief! Me, being the neurotic American, had infinite negative fantasies concerning him, foremost thinking there must be a f'n bomb on the MTR. WAAAAAHHHHH!!!
Luckily the train didn't explode, at least it didn't until the Fortress Hill MTR station. My second really creepy incident just happened as I was taking the tram over here. I got up to the second floor of the Tram, as I am apt to do, and there was an open seat near this middle age woman. I sat down next to her, unknownlingly subjecting myself to more fear and negative fantasies. She immediately banged her crossed leg on the rail and began mumbling to herself. I looked over and thought she was just talking into a headset device for her cellphone. She wasn't. She was just mumbling like a lunatic. I think she then made the sign of the Cross and her mumbling became faster, and angrier. She was speaking Cantonese, though I didn't quite grasp what she was saying. She then started doing the strange hand gestures thing, though waving was much more subdued than the subway dude. Who the fuck is she talking to!? AAHHH! And then, in probably the strangest moment in my life, she took a paper towel out of her bag, folded it up a bit, and then stood up, with her front facing the window and her back to the rest of the passengers, and she lifted her dress up a bit, did something with the paper towel and then threw it out the window! Holy Shit!!!
What in the world did she do to herself!? Did she just pee or something? Did she clean herself up or something? Did she just feel like wiping her vagina down or something? WTF!?
Well, I'll never know since I immediately fled to the bottom floor of the tram once she threw that paper towel out the window. I had had enough strange demon-possessed people around me for one day, week, month, forever, whatever. Do I have bad Karma today or something? Why do all the strange people seem to gravitate towards me? Can they read my mind and see into my fear and all my negative fantasies? ARGH, mental anguish.
Well, I'm typing this from my desk at QESS; My work schedule says I should have been released 2 hours ago and yet I wait on at QESS because I have been asked to reshoot an interview that I had a week ago. I am hardcore about this school. I love this school :)
However I am still paranoid about those two bones on my spinal column. I am frightened that they are causing me, or will cause me suffering that is not just confined to a metaphysical level.
Anyway, today's classes went very well, relatively speaking. My first group of S1's are angels. They are the best kids ever and probably the best class I teach. They are bright, active, and eager to learn. The second class I taught today were a bit more passive, and shy. They don't seem as eager to speak English as the former class. This second group of kids also has a problem child.
His name is Thomas and he has this hyperactivity disorder that prevents him from sitting still and being quiet. However, he is a very bright child. He is obscenely intelligent and probably speaks the best English in his class of 20 kids; he just can't sit still and not bother anyone. Oh, and for anyone keeping track, Thomas is not necessarily thin, but he's not obese. Maybe he is of average weight or slightly over.
Today there was a big incident in class. I was upset enough as it is because these kids didn't want to sing English or speak English, but rather wanted to listen to Cantonese songs. I let them know I was upset with them as well, but this is besides the point. Apparently Thomas took a one girl's stapler and put it on the teacher's desk. She started crying and I figured out what was wrong and gave her the stapler back. Later on, while Thomas was sitting down (at her desk?) she went up to him and violently pulled the chair out from underneath him. He fell on the floor. Thomas then got back up and threw the desk over. I was on the otherside of the room when this happened. I looked over and saw Rochelle over there with a bewildered look. I was bewildered as well. What the fuck just happened!?
So we were in this state of panic. I ran out and got a another teacher to intervene, who herself got another teacher to intervene. It was crazy. I had to work hard to explain that it wasn't just Thomas's fault. The girl, who was so quiet during class except to cry, just flipped the chair out from underneath him! How does that happen!? Anyway, when all was said and done, doesn't look like much harm was done. Everyone knows Thomas has a problem. What we didn't know is that maybe this girl has some deep-seeded problem with Thomas and his uncontrollable ways. After all, who cries after someone takes your stapler? Ok, maybe I would. I used to cry alot in elementary school. I was one of those emotional crybabies. Actually, I think I still am. I was pretty upset after this class and had to be told to calm down more than once after it was over. Its over now.
Yeah, school rules. After working back to back near 12-hour days, its good to leave school at 1:30 and be back in the warm confines of the HK Public Library by 3. I was talking to Rochelle earlier about this, but I don't seem to know what to do with myself with all this "free" time I have now. When you spend more than half your day hauling ass, you naturally just haul ass the few remaining hours you have left in the day. However, today was a relaxed day and now I'm at a loss for activity (except for this ;) Good thing I have some meetings later so I have some planned activites. I need structure.
Two days ago I got an hour-long massage which came just in the nick of time as I was coming off of a long-ass day at work. I've never had a massage before and after this, I'm willing to pay alot to get another! Shizzle, it was soooo nice; Everything in my body loosened up and I was off in la la land - so much in fact, I had to control myself from not drooling, farting, or getting aroused - It was too sweet. Unfortunately I left my membership card at the gym that night, which is the second time I've left something there. They luckily found my card yesterday so I don't have to pay the 100 dollar replacement fee like I did for the locker key. Oh yeah, the massage lady told me that two of the bones in my spine have problems. I never realized it, but two bones in my spine potrude out of my body right before the base of my neck. I never noticed it before, and now I am very paranoid about it. I've never felt pain in that area before, btu now I am quite paranoid that I might be feeling pain! I think I'll see a chiroprachter soon.
Anyway, might I add that these Fitness First gyms have the sweetest showers on the planet. They are individual, well-lit stalls that come with shampoo, conditioner and body gel. I may never take a shower in my flat again. I even got use to getting naked in the locker area! Holy Moly! I've always been a bit shy about this nekkid around other people business, but my inhibition has slowly been wearing down. All these middle age men walk around naked in the locker room area, some for reasons other than showering, and I figured I might as well get into the nekkid action myself. I don't think I am bold enough to stand naked in front of the mirror blowdrying my hair or stand naked by my locker talking to someone on the cellphone like some of the other guys, but who knows? Maybe you'll catch me blowdrying my hair, talking on the cellphone and standing in front of the mirror one of these days!
Tonight one of our program's mentors is throwing a party at her home on the Peak. I'm quite sure it'll be a posh affair, even though its billed as a barbecue. All of the Chatteris mentors are quite posh, they live either on the Peak itself or just below on the mid-levels; and they are all so nice. Hopefully if I ever attain a similar level of socio-economic positioning as they, I too can be just as down to Earth and (perhaps?) benevolent. But I need to find a job first ;) I think we'll be able to see the fireworks competition tonight from the Peak. Hopefully the rain will hold off and give us some clear skies tonight.
I'm still having trouble with the monies. I'm about secure a 500 dollar loan from Aaron since I officially am out of cash. Its not even the middle of the month yet! I'm just trying to get through this month w/o too much financial stress and then I'll be alright from a monetary standpoint since I'm in store for a huge check at the end of the month. I'll finally get my full salary plus travel expenses and the income from my Saturday teaching job. I'll be (relatively) rich! Hehe. Tightening the wallet has proven to be difficult here in HK since this is probably one of the most materialistic societies on the planet. I think it rivals, if not surpasses, American materialism. All there is to do here is consume and buy, there is not much of a Hong Kong identity otherwise. Eh well, I'm trying hard not to get devoured by it, but there is just so much stuff to buy!
There is this Harbour Fest that is happening in HK towards the end of the month. I really want to see the Twins, Santana, and Neil Young. However, I'm out of f'n cash! Eh well, I don't know if there is a lesson to be learned from this situation. I would prefer starving than not learning Cantonese. Its just unfortunate that these circumstances are all happening at the same time. Oh well!
Speaking of which, I've been to Mass 3 Sundaze in a row now! I don't think I've done that in a few years. I stopped going to Sunday Mass at Notre Dame, opting rather for the homely Monday night Mass. At home, I've fallen to slothful ways and stopped attending. Here, its one of the few things I do in the week that keeps me sane. Sure, I don't feel as if I'm being challenged as a Christian when I go (I might go to a Protestant Service one of these days just to mix things up) but the sanity of having Jesus Christ in my life is quite a comfort during hectic times.
I finished my second week of school yesterday. I don't really remember much other than that I worked very hard and had a good time. On Thursday, around 45 teachers from Guandong Province came to our school to see how cool our school is. 5 teachers dropped by my and Rochelle's lesson and we pulled off a great lesson; we had the kids sing Puff the Magic Dragon to prep them for the upcoming Halloween Performance. I heard the teachers were impressed and Rochelle and I were very happy over our performance. We later had lunch with the visiting teachers at the clubhouse. As always, there was alot of tasty food to gorge on and alot of things to chat about. I sat at a table of 4 which included myself, an art teacher, a chemistry teacher, and an English teacher who could speak English, Cantonese, and Mandarin. I was very impressed with her language abilities. Anyway, we chatted about alot of stuff, some of the usual (where to buy pirated stuff) and some of the more unusual.
The lovely lady at our table happened to be a communist party member! I was quite interested in this topic because I think it would be amusing if I became a party member myself. Apparently you don't really do anything as a party member, and there really aren't any perks anymore. Just saying "I am a Communist Party member" is about the only redeeming thing about becoming one. However, I was dissapointed to learn that I have to be a Chinese citizen to obtain membership - I'll get on that ASAP!
Our lunchtime conversations also covered Falun Gong. I was somewhat astonished to hear that the people at my table thought it really was this super-evil cult. I have studied Falun Gong from a political and historical perspective at University, and am now interested in actually practicing it. The people at my table were trying to convince me otherwise. I was told a story of one's friend who became a Falun Gong member and began hating her family and left them. I was EMPHATICALLYurged not to delve too deeply into this practice. I don't really know what to think about this now; I really don't know too much about what actually goes on in the group itself - I suppose I have to become one to find out. She actually had a friend become a cult member and it fucked her friend's life up. I dunno, I'm always quick to write off anything the Chinese government puts out on Falun Gong as stupid propaganda - but maybe they are right. I asked one of my Hong Kong friends about Falun Gong and she surprisingly said the same thing. Falun Gong is considered a bit dangerous, not for political reasons, but for the actual cult practices. I've decided to put my Falun Gong interest on hold as I need to find out more info on them.
Yesterday was another long day, but it went well. We had our first English Club meeting. It was a bit boring as we had to plan everything out for each meeting this year. I kinda let Rochelle do all the talking as I tried to pretend I was somewhere else ;)
Oh yeah, I started my second job today. I teach two one hour lessons at North Point Methodist to prep the P-6 kids for secondary school interviews. The lessons went well today. Only one or two incidents which required attention. These kids speak good English; I was amazed by their abilities. They speak better English than probably most of the Junior Forms in QESS.
I've just come back from my second 12+ hour workday. Yesterday and today I've left for work at 7:15AM only to return more than 12 hours later on both days. Yesterday we left QESS at 6 because of a school TV program that was taping Rochelle and I for their show. Today I stayed until 5:45 because I was coaching the S1A basketball team (we won!) Don't get me wrong, I love working at QESS and I would gladly stay as long as I can be productive; its just the long commutes and short nights that drain me. I can't ever relax at this point in my life. I'm always on the go. Yesterday was Chelsea's birthday, today is David Forbe's birthday. I've been lax on celebrating with the others because I am fatigued from getting home so late. I plan on going over to Victoria Park right now to wish him a happy birthday and then I'll go home and eat. I haven't eaten in over 7 hours. I'm hungry.
Actually, today Mr. Choi, who is this honorary executive at QESS, took Rochelle and I out for Dim Sum at this clubhouse. I was the most full since my arrival in HK. We gorged ourselves on tons of delicious Dim Sum food. We also had a chance to sit down in a formal dining setting; I haven't eaten at a formal restaurant yet during my stay in HK. It was a good experience.
Teaching has been a great experience as well. I'm finally getting to know the kids' names and they are building relationships with me as well. Teaching has been an awesome experience - I'm really building a knack for it. I now always eagerly anticipate going to school and teaching. Who would have thunk it? Only problem is the money situation - I can't go to the bank since I travel and I still don't have a PIN number. I have to borrow money just so I can travel to and from school! I think I might have found a steady second job on Saturday mornings. I'm keeping my fingers crossed ;)
Um... yeah so I am going to run out of money in approximately 10-14 days. I only have about 650 HK dollars left in my bank account. I burn through 45 HK dollars a day just to travel to and from work. So that is 225HK/week on travel alone. I have to eat as well so that will break me down at least 10/day if I choose to have one meal (the cheapest one possible) outside and cook one meal with the food I already have in my flat. Given that this scenario will happen everyday, I am doomed :( I've already been asking around to secure a loan from one of my colleagues; I don't want to ask for a cash advance from Chatteris and would rather secure financing from a friend.
So how did I get in this scenario? Well, first off we weren't given a full month's wages for September since we didn't work the entire month. Then I am putting 2100HK/month on my Cantonese lessons - Yes, I would prefer starving than not learning - and I already owed people 300 dollars from last week (I couldn't get access to the bank since I work until 6:30 and I haven't gotten my ATM PIN yet) for transport and food purchases. I blew 200 HK dollars in September as well! I'm sure this finances thing will work out in the end though, I hope!
I've been looking for English tutoring jobs on the side to help me raise some extra cash during my stay in HK. I've talked to alot of people and have received some good leads. I hope I can land at least one job and work a few extra hours/week. Tutors get paid some mad coin and I could use some right now.
I got into an argument with my Grandma yesterday. I need money for the TEFL course I'm going to take so I asked her for some cash and she said she didn't want me staying in HK to teach after my 9 month stint is up. She said this place isn't the most secure and reliable place in the world for job security and personal safety, which is strange since I think the exact same way about the situation in the US right now! I think there is another reason why my Grandma wants me to come back to America, but I won't disclose that right now. I did call my mom (not to ask her for money!) just to let her know I'm thinking about finding a permanent job here, at least for a few years. She was very supportive and I am quite glad that I at least have her blessing! Anyway, I'm still scrounging for money for this TEFL thing. I am thinking I'll have to dig into my savings and spring for it myself. Sometimes I gotta stand on two legs and be self-reliant instead of being a soft-rice eater.
I finished my first week teaching at Queen Elizabeth Secondary School. I think it generally went well; I've met so many cool people and I've gotten some invaluable experience in teaching. My kids have, for the most part, been very obedient, active, and eager to learn and participate. I had one or two "situations" in my lessons that had to be resolved, but other than that, everything has been running smoothly.
Yesterday I taught 2 classes of 20 kids each. My position is only supposed to handle, at most, 10 kids. However, Rochelle was getting her HK ID in the morning so I had to handle all 20 kids myself instead of splitting them up as we usually do. In the afternoon, when Rochelle arrived at the school, she wasn't feeling well and I offered to take the 20 kids again. Both lessons went extremely well (I'd rate them at 90-95%) and the kids were all into the lesson. The lesson was about body parts, and it involved playing Simon Says, brainstorming body parts, and then alot of monster drawing (and presenting) at the board. Terrific fun. This lesson is definitely a winner and I'll probably have to dig it out again because its too hot to hide away.
The success of my classes usually depends on the attitude and behavior of the class - I believe my lessons are solid in execution and planning. Lessons can work very well in one class and can bomb in another because of intangibles such as English ability and discipline problems among the students. On Thursday I taught a lesson that had gone very well when I taught it on Monday. The first Thursday class was very receptive to the lesson and it went well. I went into the second afternoon lesson fully confident of my abilities to pull a perfect 2 for 2 in lessons. However, that wasn't the case...
On Tuesday, I had a situation with Kid (Kit) and on Thursday I would have a situation with Thomas. These two kids were disruptive, but were so for different reasons. Kit seems to be timid with English and probably a bit scared of the whole thing which is why he is a bit rebellious. I actually did manage to get him to read in English yesterday because his friend seemed to be doing such a great job with his English reading - jealousy begets results eh? Anyway, Thomas has a hyperactivity disorder - which was pointed out to me on more than one occasion - and he has a problem sitting still, especially when games are played. Games will rile the shit out of him. Whoops. There was also an unfortunate gender imbalance in the classes Rochelle and I taught. When we split the 20 kids up into 2 groups of 10, the girls naturally gravitate towards each other and to Rochelle. She usually ends up with mostly girls, if not all the girls. Yesterday she had 12 girls (2 girls didn't want to join my group!) and I had 7 boys and 1 girl. All these boys, whom I was told don't have chemical imbalances but can act like they do, combined with Thomas the instigator made my lesson quite a miserable experience. I couldn't complete a single activity of my lesson because these kids couldn't sit down or shut up. Its not like they didn't speak English, because they did, but just all the young boys and one kid who can't sit down will incite the others not to sit down. I learned a particularly important lesson in that you can't sit the boys next to the chalkboard or else they'll just take the chalk and go to town on the board. Whoops. So I had to call the teacher a few times to get myself bailed out. I actually ran through my lesson fast, since I couldn't complete a task and had to keep moving on to a different one, and I needed the teacher to bail me out once again at the end since I was out of material and too despondent to come up with something on the fly. Ugh. I was a bit upset with myself after the lesson, but I'll do better next time. I'll be much more prepared to handle this situation and Rochelle and I will adjust our gender mixes to create more co-ed classes.
I also want to work more with Kit and Thomas because I know they can do well if they are comfortable enough. I know Kit is held back by some anxiety or something like that, and I'll just keep prompting him until he becomes comfortable. As for Thomas, I know he speaks EXCELLENT English, its just sad he has this problem where he becomes disruptive. He's a fun kid, he just needs his ritalin ;)
Anyway, today I'm just going to relax and not stress myself out over anything. I bought a pirated version of Pink Floyd's The Wall for $20 HK Dollars ($2.50 US!) yesterday. Its actually the Wall (on one disc) and then a bunch of Pink Floyd's greatest hits on the rest of disc one and then like 20 other Pink Floyd greatest hits on the second disc. This store only sold pirated CD's from China for like 12 to 20 HK dollars a pop. Amazing!