Thought is might be interesting to explain how we teach to the different levels. Here is a basic lesson plan for one of my classes of 4-6 year olds (I’m assuming no EF competitors are going to take this and sell it..). This is an hour class, teaching animals.
1) Check attendance, homework, and sing the Hello Song:
“EF Small Star kids, hello everyone! We are here to learn and play, hello everyone!”
2) Show flashcards of animals, and elicit responses
3) Shouting match- show students card, team to say the word the loudest, quietest, happiest, saddest, weirdest, etc gets a point.
4) Freeze dance- play music, students dance around to music, when the music stops they shout the animal name and then pretend to be an animal.
5) Telephone- Whisper animal in one students ear, they whisper it to the next student, so on.. Last student picks the corresponding flashcard.
6) Limbo- hold a string across the room, students go under it. If they touch the string they have to say an animal.
7) Pass out HW, give good students smiley faces on their papers. Sing Goodbye song:
“Goodbye friends, goodbye friends, we’ll have fun another day. I’ll see you soon and we can play again, but for now I’m going home”.

I realized that most of my posts are about the differences between the Chinese and us, or about things that happen at school. Here is some things we do outside school.
During the non-busy times (Spring and Fall) we have two days off a week. This usually means that one day is spent in bed, nursing the effects of the local bar. The other day, though, we try to get out of the house and do things. If we want to go shopping, we have two main options. Wanda is a new shopping mall, complete with some western stores (albeit lesser known in America), an arcade, and a nice cinema that supplies us with our western movie fix when needed. The mall is also home to a great supermarket, so when we leave we are always laden with bags, even if we didn’t buy any clothes. The clothes are more expensive there, but better quality and more in the western fashion. Our other option is to go to Manda (the rhyming is completely coincidental) which is a huge market of all things clothes, accessories, and whatever your heart desires. Bargaining is expected, so I only go there when I have lots of energy. The problem with the clothes, though, is that they are in Chinese fashion, and some of them are reallllly strange. Women my age and older can regularly be seen walking around with shirts with bunnies or kitties on them, short shorts and 3 layers of leggings, and thigh high boots. I’ve chatted with some Chinese friends about this, but I don’t think I will ever truly understand. They like frilly and girly things because it makes them feel younger. Chinese women do not show their chests like we do. Shirts usually have high necks, and more commonly loose. However, they love to show their legs. They usually aren’t entirely bare, wearing leggings or tights, but they wear some booty shorts that would make a nun cry. I’ve seen women that are at least in their 50’s wear super short skirts, tights, and 4 inch heels-when it was snowing out! But I digress from my topic. Manda caters to these styles, so I rarely go there if I am looking for clothes, though I have found some amazing shoes and jewelry for dirt-cheap.
Another popular day-off trip spot is the DVD store. I’m sure I have written about it before, but this place is just heaven in Hohhot. Whenever a new teacher comes, one of the first places we take them is the DVD store, and we just watch ‘em go crazy. It is not rare for one of us to walk out with 10 DVDs or more. Additionally, they have an employee that speaks English, so if there is a movie we want that they don’t have, they can try to order it for us.
The Culture Market is another hot spot. I don’t know why it is called that, but it’s a great place to buy odds and ends. That’s where the boys stock up on their video games, and I have purchased random things from Christmas wrapping paper to flower seeds.
Recently, I spent a day off climbing a mountain. Hohhot is surrounded partly by a mountain range, which is accessible by a 45-minute bike ride out of the city. This journey takes you through some of the older areas of the city, which is quite the adventure in itself. To get up the mountain, we first must hide our bikes in a cemetery at the foot of one of the smaller mountains. This sounds morbid, yes, but cemeteries are quite different than here (I will do a separate post about them). We then begin the trek up to the top of the range. Now, two weeks ago was the first time I actually attempted to climb a mountain, so to me it was quite a feat. The trail we followed weaved over and around huge boulders, and right on the edge of steep drop-offs. The view from the top, though, was entirely worth all the aches and pains from the hike up. There’s nothing like sitting on top of a mountain and eating a mini cheesecake!
Other places we visit include some local parks, and of course a few restaurants that know what we are going to order the minute we walk in because we go there so much. Soon I will be venturing out to visit the museum and temples of the city, and will post information on those when I do. I am a little ashamed because I haven’t visited the main tourist attractions yet, and I have been here for 9 months, but hey, better late than never!

This isn’t the happiest topic out there, so I’ll make it short and efficient (I also think I have touched upon this before). China doesn’t have cemeteries dotting their cities like we do. The traditional method is to take the deceased outside the city, and bury them in any old plot of land. In some areas, where many people have been buried near each other, they (and I have no idea who “they” is) put up a fence to make the area more sacred. In this respect, it is a cemetery. However, anyone can access it easily enough, and through it can have access to the rest of the mountain. One of the more interesting things, though, is that in the mountains you come across holes that are, most likely, pre-dug graves (which is pretty morbid). According to some Chinese I spoken to, though, most people today opt to be cremated, so as not to waste any precious land or money.

Movies and TV shows are a very interesting part of the Chinese life. I’m dividing this into several sections because there are lots of things to explain.

Movies in the Cinema
There is no movie rating system in China, unlike the rigid G/PG/R system of America. The powers that be screen a movie, and if they think it is appropriate for the general masses to see, then it goes to the theaters. Only a certain number of foreign movies are allowed in a cinema per year. Sometimes, a movie will show in theaters for a week or two, and then be taken out for no apparent reason. When we have asked why this happens, a possible answer is that they realized it was really ok for everyone to watch, or that it wasn’t popular and they didn’t want to waste one of their few slots for foreign movies on it.

Movies on the Internet
We have been able to find tons of popular movies on Chinese websites like youku.com, which is just their version of youtube.com. Sometimes they have Chinese subtitles, which is great for showing kids in class, and sometimes they are cam copies with Arabic dubbing (haven’t figured why it’s in Arabic..). One of the most common issues when trying to find a video is that the title had been translated into crazy Chinglish. For example, the new version of The Karate Kid is on the Internet as “Kung Fu Dreams”. The titles of movies are translated into Chinese as best as possible, but when they translate them back to English it creates a new translation. We have found that the best way to find a movie online is to try to find the Chinese translation and look it up that way. When all else fails, we ask for help from a Chinese person!

TV Shows on the Internet
When I came to China, I was worried that I would be unable to watch my favorite TV shows. Turns out I had nothing to worry about. I have been able to find almost every episode of all the series I like to watch back online on one website or another. Usually I have to deal with Chinese subtitles blocking part of the scene, but I’ve gotten quite used to then. One particular website has people uploading the episodes of the series in order, soon after they show in the US. I am considering continuing to use said websites when I get back home to the States, I’m getting spoiled without having to wait for commercials!

Movies and TV Shows in the Stores
Here we come to the most interesting section of all (to me at least). Only a month or two after most movies come out in the States, we can buy decent, if not very nice BluRay versions of movies. Same with TV shows, as soon as the season is finished, it is for sale. There are two copies available of most movies, one being a cheaper decent copy, the second being an actual copy in a box like we purchase in America. But why pay 28 yuan for the box, when you can buy a good copy for 10 yuan? The we come to the whole legality thing. If you try to mail a DVD from China to the west, they will tell you no. If you try to carry a DVD onto a plane out of China, they will tell you no again. Originally, we thought this was because they were illegal copies. Recently, though, I learned the (most likely*) truth behind it. Distribution of movies in China is controlled by their Army. The Army buys the film distribution rights for China, and then sells them at cheap prices. You know when you watch a movie, and the Federal Warning says “This movie is for private viewing only”? Well the videos sold here are for “Viewing in China only” which is why they don’t want them sent out of the country, but also why they can sell movies on the side of the street without and repercussions. Now, does this mean I cannot take home the approximately 150 movies I have purchased since I have been here? Nope, just gotta put em in my checked baggage among my American bought movies, and I should be as good as gold.

*Why most likely: This reasoning has been researched by one of the teachers who has lived here for 4 years and is married to a Chinese woman. However, there is still a possibility of some error in translation.

The only thing people really have to worry about being stolen in Hohhot is bikes, phones, and iPods. Sure, every now and then other things get nicked, but these are the hot ticket items. I have been very lucky so far, I haven't lost a bike in 9 months (though to be honest, three month of that times was winter, and the bike never left my apartment!). One of our teachers has been here for 3 months, and is already on his 3rd bike.

Today I bring you an epic tale that was concluded only hours ago, and for once, it ended well for the bike owner.

Last night, we went out to dinner at a restaurant we go to quite often. When we arrived, there were two mopeds outside, so we added our 3 bicycles to the mix, and went inside to enjoy some scrumptious food. About an hour and a half later, we emerged to only 2 bicycles. Dan, the teacher whose bike was missing, was perfectly sure he had locked his bike, which means someone cut it, and then stole his bike. Rob had seen a suspicious man lurking around outside the restaurant when he came in, but had thought nothing of it at the time.

Cut to today, Rob and I biking around, enjoying the nice weather. I stopped to check out some shirts they were selling on the street. I turned around to tell Rob I wanted to look for a minute, but I saw him turning around on his bike and going the opposite way. Assuming he was distracted by something shiny, I went back to my looking. Less than two minutes later, Rob rode past me on his bike, toting another bike with him. He wasn't stopping so I jumped on my bike, and pedaled away with him, wondering if he decided to dabble in the criminal world for any great reason. but the bike he was leading home? The one that Dan had had stolen the night before! Here is what I missed apparently: He was riding along, and saw the man that he had noticed the night before outside the restaurant. Then he realized that the man was riding Dan's bike! He turned round and confronted the man, and for lack of a better way of saying it, stole the bike back. The man tried to argue but when he realized that 1) it was a Westerners bike he had stolen, and 2) he had been caught on the bike, he gave way and let Rob take it.

The real kicker to the story? The guy that stole the bike put new pedals and a new seat on the bike, and cleaned it up really nice. And, the place that we caught the guy with the bike was literally around the corner from the restaurant where it was nicked the night before. Moral of the story? If you steal a bike you should maybe keep it off the road till you can disguise it, and hope that the buddies of the person you stole it from don't see you around!

Today is my grandfather, Elliott Maguire’s 90th birthday, and to my deep regret, I am on the other side of the world from him, unable to help him celebrate it. This post is dedicated to him, and to all of my grandparents.
When I think back to happy times of my childhood, most of them surround times that my grandparents were a part of. Running barefoot through orange groves, and sitting in the bed of a pick-up truck, peeling tangerines. Sitting on the floor of the beach house living room, not on the couch because no wet bathing suits were allowed. Little bowls of Werthers Originals candy (just like in the commercials!), instant grits mixed with cheese slices, and cold Cokes in the fridge. And of course, all of the Gator games our family has attended throughout the years- had my grandfather never gone to UF, we wouldn’t be the fans we are today.
When we are young, we take our grandparents for granted. They are they there to give us presents and spoil us when our parents won’t. Trips to see them means vacation, but usually we would rather going to Disney World, so we squander these precious moments we are given. It is not until nature takes a hold that we begin to realize their mortality, and begin to comprehend the amount of time we have left with them. Before I was born, I had already lost 2 grandparents, and another one lost when I was young, and one of my great grievances of life is that I never got to know them.
With our grandparents, we are given a rare glimpse into a simpler time, into a different world. You can read all the history books you want, but no text compares to the first hand account that they can share with you. Sometimes we dismiss the older generations, citing the new ideas and technologies of the world- and this is where we err. Mankind is built on experiences, we would not be where we are today with those that come before us.
One thing we usually fail to recognize is our grandparent’s deep and undying love for us. To them, we are extensions of themselves, living on in a new and exciting world. Our grandparents only ever want the world for us, that we may have easy lives filled with happiness and love. It is only at the end of ones life that one realizes what is most important, and our grandparents try to convey it to us daily. To them, we have the world at our fingertips, and for their sake I believe we should be doing everything in our power to grasp it. Without our grandparents, we would not be here today, both in the physical sense and the motivational sense.
My grandfather, Elliott Leo Maguire, aka Poppy, is my hero. He has been a constant in my life, through the good times and the bad. He bravely served his country and then came home and built a family that today cherishes each other over all else. His house always meant family and happiness as I grew up. Around him is a tightly weaved web of support and love, and in my eyes as a child and even now, he holds it all together. Recently, my grandfather began to suffer the symptoms of Alzheimer’s Diseases, and day-by-day they become more apparent. I know that the day will soon come when my grandfather no longer recognizes me as his granddaughter, a relative, or even someone he knows. No matter when that day comes, though, I will continue to show him my love and adoration as long as he is with us. My Poppy means the world to me, and I can only hope that one day I have as much of an effect on my grandchildren as my grandparents have had on me.
To My Grandparents: You are my inspiration; I love you and thank you for all of the support you have given me through the years.
Elliott Maguire
Derry Williams
Vivian Maguire
Wayne Williams
Geraldine Maguire
Juanita Maguire

And also to those who looked over me and loved me as if I were their own grandchild:
Bob and Dot Maguire
Joan Lewis