Bumming it

One week past, and I have (sort of) been using my freedom from class wisely. I bought about 6 or 7 books on my iPad my first night of freedom - I decided to focus my reading on fictional dystopian societies - inspired by my love of the Hunger Games series (you really have to), with a couple randos thrown in because, hey, they were free.

I'm finishing up my fourth book, although I have to say I have been spending a lot of time catching up on my favorite TV shows too (Criminal Minds, how MUCH you have to teach me), and my hope that I would spend most of my time studying has prettttyy much remained that - a hope. Both Fabi and I though are trying to motivate ourselves to review practice so that we are ready when a new semester starts on Tuesday - I'm hoping that the mutual guilt trip we experienced talking about studying tonight (while eating at CPK), will force us to be good students tomorrow. Eh.....

I have been spending a little time on my guitar, determined to get my skills up to Kylie-Hughes-level (you're welcome) so that when I get back to the states, we can sing/play together, instead of me singing backup and awkwardly rocking back and forth during performances. I might still do that. 

Anyways, this was the first time I had to pick out the strings myself at the music store, and with sales people that didn't speak any English, I had to guess my way to the right set of strings. Still not sure if I got the right ones. I also strung my guitar myself for the first time, and continue to be terrified that a misplaced string will pop and strike me blind in one eye. It's not an unfounded fear, since I found out that I actually didn't really string it right. 

The only other thing I've been doing this week is teaching. I was at the English school I teach at all weekend, because they were holding "demo" classes all day long - a way for kids and parents to try out the classes to see if they want to enroll. I am one of only two Westerners who teaches there, so I taught more demo classes than any other teacher just so the school could show they had a white person on their staff. For some reason, Niels, the other Western teacher, who is a very good and experienced teacher, did not have to get there in the  morning, like me, or teach as many classes as me. They probably figured me for a sucker. 

I have to teach an art class this Thursday, strangely enough, at a Chinese elementary. Apparently they are making paper lions, and I have to tell them what a lion is, and what the "culture" of the lion is, whatever that means. You imported me to talk about big cats? Really?

I'm doing it though, because it pays, and so far I haven't started to get paid by the school, since I haven't started teaching my own classes yet.

I got an offer to be a rich Chinese guy's wife - just publicly - in return for getting my whole life paid for, and that is sounding preeeetttty sweet right about now. Besides the getting married to a chinese guy thing.

Friday: Forgot to add, when driving to CPK I saw a chinese woman pushing around a sleeping white baby in a stroller, and for some reason she decided to come up to me. I smiled at her, and she started poking at the baby - I thought to wake him up to say hi to me. Then she started tugging on his arms and legs and putting her hand behind his head to make him sit up - when he CLEARLY did not want to be woken up.....he kept trying to go back to sleep and this woman kept yanking at him and poking him to wake him up. Apparently her employer had just gotten in from France and didn't want her baby to be jetlagged? The chinese lady told me her employer didn't want him to sleep, but I seriously doubt she wanted her kid man-handled while being pushed around in the stroller to keep him awake. A traffic officer came over to watch and was putting in, 'Shui jiao le! Shui jiao le', which basically means, let him sleep! I finally got away from the kid after I picked Fabi up, and we felt so bad! Chinese ayis can take things so literally.