Dies ist eine Mail,die ich an meine TTC Kollegen geschickt habe und ich dachte, ich stelle die auch auf den Blog, denn es dürfte ja auch für euch eventuell interessant sein. Mehr infos und geschichten über meinen Mongolia Trip in der Goldenweek folgen bald. Jetzt erstmal viel Spaß hiermit:
I'm in Shantan for 3 weeks now and so far I'd say: I love it! My live changed so much by quitting in Shenyang! Let me tell you about my new life today:
I'm working at the Yongjia Foreign Language Experimental Primary School, sounds like something great and special, but its a normal and lovely primary in this Town. I'm teaching 3rd and 4th grade, 16 lessons a week with 35 minutes each lesson. My classes are loud and full of live, but that's fine over here. On my first day I was told, that I shouldn't mind about the noise too much, because the Chinese teachers themselves are not able to control the classes sometimes. :)They basically don't give a shit of what I'm teaching, as long as I'm there. I started teaching the songs from the book in grade 4 and the teachers love me for doing it (and I'm glad that I don't have to find topics anymore). And all I thought in grade 3 so far is „How are you? I'm happy/sad/scared/tired/..“ including a lot of games ;)
In the first week my students were going mental, screaming and running around the class because they where really excited! But by now I found out how to control them and I'm fine: S-T-I-C-K-E-R-S!!! Seriously, they do everything just to get a tiny apple sticker! You can forget about the entire TEFL-course, all you need is stickers and they will learn and listen and repeat! :)The school is a 15 minutes walk from where Suzy and I live. Tuesday to Thursday I can get up at 9.00 to be in class at 5 to 10. Between lessons and during the 2 hours lunch break we are always at home, it's pretty chilled!
The supporter from our school, Leo, is a nice guy. On Monday we've been playing Highjack with him and another teacher in our flat until 1 a.m. in the morning! He seems to have read the contract and doesn't want us to work to hard or spent to much time at the school. He asked me whether I want to have an office, but recommended me just always to go home! :) (I don't have an office now)
In our school there is one more Foreign Teacher, he's called Larry and we're living together with him. It's nice guy from Cameroon and speaks Chinese and shows us around a lot. He has lived here for 2 years now and knows all the good places to go and he invites us all the time. Since I arrived we went out for maybe 7 times now and I didn't spent a single yuan on beer or other drinks in a bar, it's crazy! :) The three of us do everything together. We go shopping and clubbing, we cook and we drink (a lot).
As I said before, the town we live in is called Shantan. It is a typical Chinese City and we are definitely the only foreigners here. You can reach any important spot in the Town within a 20 minutes walk or a short 3 yuan Riksha ride. All around the town there are mountains that I really love. You basically always the the green hills and mountains in the background where ever you go, it's very beautiful! 
There is not extremely much to do in this town (compared with Shenyang) but enough to nit get bored: There is several places to play pool, a few really nice parks, I go to Teakwondo three times a week, you can go shopping or often we are just going to the market place and cook a big dinner and watch a movie.Within a 30 minutes bus ride you reach the ferry that brings you to downtown Wenzhou in a view minutes. Wenzhou is a enormous city of about 7,5 million people (Google said) that got nearly everything you can think of. In the 'European City' you buy cheese and bread , in the Bob Marley they play Reggy and at Cowboy Eric's Pub a French Guy plays the drums very well. :)
To sum up: I like it over here and I'm glad to be here.
Xxxxx
Sandra
