2 Weeks in!

Helloooo!

I've probably told u about most of this but thought it could be another one to send to grandma!


2 weeks in!

Just finished 2 weeks of teaching, can't believe how quick it's gone by!  I feel like I've been here forever though, it's funny how quickly you adjust.

I'm really enjoying the job, I think the kids are really starting to like me too. It was teachers day on Tuesday and I got lots of cards, all written out to carrot!  Carrot is apparently my name haha strange I thought cause I've defo heard them all say carol.   I went into the class one day and two of the kids were hanging off each arm, like they do and they started to pretend to eat me! And then Rita (my favourite) said 'carol in China is carrot' so I googled it annnd no its not, so I asked someone, apparently all carols in china get called carrot haha so there u go my new nickname and i thought cags was bad!

Also I spoke to the girls that work at the kindergarten and they hate it, apparently there's like 30 3 yr olds in each class and they all just sit and cry, it was so bad the teacher even ended up in tears on her first day! So I think I had a lucky escape! They don't have the office supplies i have either, one girl is thinking about buying her own printer!

Kung fu time!
So I've just arrived at school, my 3rd day there and I get comfy at my desk after trekking down the five flights of stairs from my fat and then up four to my office, in jeans and 100 degree heat. 

The bell goes (or rather this funky little Chinese song) and I go to class, it's break time for them but they like us to be around to speak English with them.  
Everyone starts to pile into the corridor and line up, Chinese teacher Amy tells me it's Kung fu time! I'd heard this happened but didn't know when, where or how haha she tells the kids to follow me to the hall (I have no idea where the hall is) but I found it as all the other grade 2 classes were headed that way too. 

All the English teachers line up at the front, kids behind and then Chinese teachers behind the kids.  There's lots of shouting from the p.e teacher and the kids line up like soldiers.  

Music starts, I turn around and there's three kids on the stage, they break into Kung fu and we have to follow, at first it was nice and slow but then it got faster! it was hilarious, none of the new English teachers had a clue what was happening, and we were busting all kinds of shapes, I bet the kids and Chinese teachers were laughing their heads off! Why else put us at the front haha we do the same routine 3 times then stop, thank god I thought but no it's not over. 

Whistles are blowing now and the kids start shouting at me to run and again Amy tells them to follow me (u know the one who knows what shes doing!) so I run, we did 7 laps around the hall, I was dripping!

I got told we do it twice a week but noooo we do it ever morning haha I quite enjoy it now though, apart from the sweating!

I'm getting used to the school meals now, had tofu one day which is good and bone free!
I seem to be so hungry all the time so I have no choice but to eat it haha I stay away from the meat though, just drain the sauce off and mix it into the rice with the veg. Got given a fish head yesterday, apparently it means the chef likes me (I'm not so sure!)  i even gobble the noodles down at breakfast too, otherwise I'm starving by 10.  U can't judge Chinese food on the canteen grub though, if u think about what the ones we had used to be like, they were just as bland.

Been out a couple of weekends now, found a place called seven, which has western music and is open late so we all just go for food somewhere then go there for drinking.  The meals we have had have been sooo cheap and really good, 2 drinks and a meal is around £6 each! Good news too, The Beast  (the first western bar we went to when we first arrived) is reopening next week! So pizza all round!

I joined the gym last week, it has an amazing pool.  It's all low lighting and relaxing music so can't wait to get back into my swimming.  It was a right carry on with the language barrier, we had a right laugh/nightmare trying to explain what we wanted.  As we were told by one of the other teachers that we could have a trial session before we signed up. At one point we had an army of people around us trying to understand what we were saying! Also being the dopy mare that i am i ended up putting my stuff in the wrong locker and couldn't get my stuff out. I was left stood in the hallway in my cozzie and swim cap soaking wet, they had no idea what I was doing, it took about 15minutes before the penny dropped and they helped me out!

I'll leave it there for now, they'll not be this long every time don't worry haha off out for the teachers dinner tonight, all the teachers from the school are going. It's at some fancy sea food restaurant so looking forward to it!

Bye bye for now!!

Love Carrot

    Xxx