China + Mongolia= Inner Mongolia, China
Sarah
So some people seem to be confused as to where I am haha. I am in Hohhot (or Huhhot, or Huhaote, etc..), which is the capital of the province of Inner Mongolia, China. It is definitely a Chinese city, but with lots of Mongolian influences. Most things around are written in Chinese, but there are Mongolian and English translations in some places ( the English is usually not correct!). You can tell the people walking around that are Mongolian, because they usually have longer hair and a less "city-like" appearance. Even the foods are different- while the Chinese eat lots of rice, the Mongolian are more about noodles (and onions-yuck!). Chinese food is about soups and such, while the Mongolians like to bake things into pancake-type breads. Both types are food are quite yummy though! From everything I have heard from native Chinese people, Hohhot is a very different city from the rest of China, and I am looking forward to experiencing more areas!

Language update: We had our first Chinese lesson at school today :-) So far, I can direct a taxi, ask how much something is and say "No, that's too expensive!".. More to come!
Labels: 0 comments | edit post
Random Chinese Fun Facts
Sarah
#1: Everyone in China wants to as white as possible.
After living in Florida, land of sun tans and beaches, this came as quite a shock to me! We have to be careful when we are buying body wash and lotion, because some have whitening elements in them. On any given day, sunny or rainy, it is normal to see men and women carrying around parasols (some are quite lacy) of all colors. And women wear these weird semi-sleeve things (think leg warmers, for arms) to try to ward off a little more sun. I saw a lady yesterday using some vegetables she had just purchased as a visor!

#2 Milk does not need to be refrigerated here.
Somehow, this is true. Milk is often sold in things that can most easily be described as cardboard bags. And they sell them right on the streets. Very strange.

#3 Fireworks are set off day and night.
I mean, come on China, how stereotypical can we get?! Just cause you invented gunpowder doesn't mean that at 2 am on a random day you need to set em off! Hearing random "pop pop pops" at all hours is quite normal here.

#4 Prepare for the stare.
Westerners get stared at. All the time. Everywhere. At the stop lights, people turn around on their bikes, and gawk. In the gym locker rooms, ladies will stand at watch you- while they are completely naked! At the supermarket, they follow you up and down every aisle. Yeah. It is quite awkward.
Labels: 0 comments | edit post
Life Club at EF
Sarah
Ok so on top of the classes and the VIPs, EF also offers something called Life Club for the adults (16 and up). Some Life Clubs are for students in the lower ability levels, some for higher. I get the privilege of teaching one that is for all adults, all levels. Joy.

So other than the extreme difficulty of creating a lesson that all levels of speakers can understand, Life Club is pretty cool. Below are the Life Clubs I have done so far, and ones I am planning on doing. Any ideas would be awesome!

-Play- Had the class put on a play called "The Tragical Tale of Melissa McHiney McNormous McWhale". It ended up being more for my entertainment than anything. Still attempting to upload the video of it.
-Cards- Taught the class to play Go Fish, Blackjack, Memory, Slapjack, and BS.
-Photo Scavenger Hunt- Sent the students out onto the streets of Hohhot to take pictures of random things, like a yellow car, a person selling watermelons, etc.
-This week: Puzzles- I will print of some of the pics they took last week, and they will glue them to cardboard and make puzzles of them.
-Next Week: Aerobics- Yup. Thats right. Jazzercise all the way baby.
0 comments | edit post
English First
Sarah
Ok so it's time to explain the company I work for..

It is called English First, EF for short. It is a franchised company, though you can work for the company and not for the franchises in some areas. I am one of 12 foreign teachers here, out of a staff of about 50 people (everyone else is Chinese). In the lower level classes, we have Chinese Teaching Assistants to help with understanding as well as classroom management.

The categories of students are as follows:
Small Stars: Ages 3-6
High Flyers: Ages 7-9
Trailblazers: Ages 10-14
Real English: Ages 15 and up

So far, I am teaching one SS class, and 3 HF classes. On top of the basic classes, we also offer one-on-one services we call VIPs. People pay for VIP lessons anywhere from 40 minutes once a week, to 2 hours 5 days a week- depending on how quickly they want to learn! There is also something called Life Club for adults, which I will explain in another post.

There is a set curriculum for the actual classes, though we can teach the information however we want. With the VIPs, there is no actual curriculum, and instead you focus on whatever that student is most interested in learning (most often studying for the IELTS*).

*IELTS: International English Language Testing System. This test is used by universities across the English speaking countries as a standard for admission for speakers of English as a second language. In America, the TOEFL is also accepted.

Labels: , 2 comments | edit post
Scooby, Nemo, and Wilma- An Ode to the English Names of Chinese Students
Sarah
So not only do many Chinese names sound similar and look similar, but often people have the exact same name. Thus, every student at our school has an English name. Some are given one by their parents (Like one boy whose mother called him Baby when he was younger, so now he goes by Bob because it sounds similar), some pick it for themselves (i.e. a girl named herself Sarah after reading The Little Princess- smart girl!), and some leave themselves at the mercy of the crazy foreign teachers at EF. Below are some such examples of names that are, well, different, here at EF...
Scooby Nemo (actually there are 2) Wilma (I think she picked this one)
Mirror Peter (for a girl) Candy
Sweety Berry (boy-not so much the name, more the spelling)
Apple Star (our handyman) Sea (cause she loves the sea)

And the list goes on and on. I've heard stories of teachers having a new class where no one has an English name, so they name them on a theme, such as great European writers, etc. Needless to say, whenever I come across someone who does not have an English name listed, I raise a little wish to the heavens that they do not already have one picked out so that I can pick one for them! It has not happened yet, but I am sure it will soon- I am going to attempt to repopulate the world with Ednas, Gertrudes, and Clives...
Labels: , 0 comments | edit post
Please Don't Tip the Waiters!
Sarah
That's right.. there is no tipping in China! Or at least, there isn't in Hohhot (the bigger cities are more westernized, so there might be there.. haven't been there yet, so I am not sure). This means no tips at the restaurants, bars, taxis, etc! Apparently, if you try to tip them, they will refuse it and it could turn into some huge ordeal. Now, many of you might be thinking, "Does this mean the service is slow and rude?" No, not necessarily. The service is about the same as any place in the US (other than those people who are realllly good). And if you need something from the waiter, and they aren't paying attention? Well, simply yell across the restaurant of course!
0 comments | edit post
Extreme Chinese Sports: Crossing the Road*
Sarah
So, in China, there are a lot of people. This means that there are not only a lot of cars, but a lot of bikes and a lot of people walking. Everywhere. All the time. Yes, there is a significant difference in number of pedestrians at 2 am and at 5 pm, but I have yet to experience the ghost town feel (I am told that comes when the snow does).

I live about a mile from the school. The walk is not bad, but biking is faster. Thus, I bike. I have, to date, had at least 5 near-death experiences because of other bikes (after only 1 week!)... ok, maybe they weren't near-death, but they were scary.. and the scariest part? That it was other two-wheeled, man powered, 20 pound simple machines that I had my brushes with. The cars? Don't worry about them, they will stop. People? Nahhh, run 'em over. Bikes? It is a game of chicken, to the death (or at least to the swerve out into traffic). People even ignore police cars and ambulances with their lights on- big American no-no!

So here are the rules of the road I have learned so far:
1) Only worry about what you see in front of you. If they are behind you, it is their job to worry about you.
2) Ignore the horns and bells, or better yet, use your own back at them.
3) Feel free to bike the wrong way down a one-way path..unless it's rush hour.. then people will
block your path as much as possible (especially if you are a westerner), and it is a better idea (and much faster ride) to switch to the correct side of the road.
4) Bike faster than the slowest person walking. Then, you will always make it to the other side of the road.
5) If you do bike or walk the wrong way down a road, get behind a Chinese person to do so. Then they get the nasty looks, and you get to get the way cleared for you.
6) With Chinese people, there are no rules. Good luck.

*This title comes from a conversation I was part of my first night here:
Rob: "How do you feel about extreme sports?"
Me: "Like what?" (Thinking skydiving, etc (which I LOVE))
Rob: "Crossing the road"
0 comments | edit post