Hey Hey and a Big G'Day toya,

Boom, Boom, Boom finally out of my room.
Now I’m Back on the Bike, I’ll be feeling alright.
Boom, Boom, Boom finally out of my room.
Gonna be out and about like…um….

Ok then, I think we’ll stop this right about now!

Finally, spring has decided to wake up and drag its sorry butt out of bed and this morning I woke to find that spring really had sprung and that it was twenty four degrees which beats yesterday when I was still clad in my thin thermals with my heater on! Since leaving Macau and returning to the mainland I have seriously only seen the sun about four times and even then it was through icy eyes. When I moved to Shangrao city last September I remember reading that this part of Jiangxi Province is one of the wettest areas in China but until now I really never gave it much of a second thought.

For the past nearing month and a half it has been raining constantly.
I’m serious, almost twenty four hours a day.

This was fine for the first few weeks whilst I devoured all the books and DVD’s I purchased in Hong Kong, Macau and Shenzhen but upon their endings I have seriously been living on threads and due to the constant rain I really haven’t had much of an entertaining time entering the new term. My Grade 1’s have turned into little Sybil’s, one class they are found screaming, racing around the classroom and not listening to a single thing I say and the next lesson they simply turn into Tiny Silent Devils and sit there half asleep and totally unresponsive.

If you add that to the extreme insanity and/or silence the damp freezing cold weather, cabin fever and mist coming from each of their cold souls via their mouths then you have a Chinese version of The Exorcist.

Each class I have seriously waited for a Priest and green vomit, I didn’t’ need the speaking in tongues as I already had that. It became so bad and affected me so much (no doubt due to cabin fever) that last weekend found me with packed bags ready to purchase a ticket to Shenzhen to be with JiangNi. Thankfully after a well needed phone call from my boss and best friend in China (Owen Buckland) who reminded me of what 'little' is actually expected of me teaching Grade 1, I sat for a time and I finally woke up to my selfishness and the thought of leaving all of my other students fuelled my fire to get back at it.  

I simply try too hard and expect too much.
 
This is a personal 'thing' I am finding difficult to overcome as I simply want to teach them far to much and if I don't, I worry that I'm failing as their teacher. But they are what they are, simple little dudes and what it is about is 'interaction' with a foreigner more than the 'teaching & seeing results' than I am used to.

I simply need to personally let go and just have more fun drawing and rolling a dice. 

This term I am now blessed with teaching a new Grade 6 class who are thankfully getting into each lesson and we really are having a great time together. I love teaching Grade 6 but 'usually’ only for the first term and half of the school year. Here in China no one fails and by half way through the second term most of the more 'loud' Grade 6 students wake up to this and simply stop bothering with English classes. They become ‘Too Cool for School’ kind of thing and make it so difficult for the rest of the class who remain interested in learning.

But for me with Grade 6, to have had a term and a half of fun it is more than worth it.
As for my only Grade 3 Class, well they are still outstanding and my absolute favourites.

They continue with their fighting to answer and some continue to break into tears if I don’t acknowledge their raised hand and willingness to answer any question no matter how simple it is. I’ve never seen anything like it but as a teacher it really is the most rewarding experience. As for my Grade 2’s, well they are now strangely the most balanced classes I have, there is no real noise, no tears and not much more of anything but learning. They have matured enough to simply kick back and accept what I deal them, play games and are usually happy with the results.

As for the rest of what’s been happening over the last month and a half?

Not much really due to the weather but there has been some fun found in there whilst dodging the rain drops and the continuous low growling thunder. American Travis has decided he wants to put on a monthly cook up and movie night and I must say the first of which was a complete hit which found us (the Chinese English Teachers, Travis and myself ) watching Zombie movies for the evening.

Thankfully Travis decided not to purchase and wok up sheep brains for main course!

I’ve also hit the cinema several times to catch up on several of the 3D movies on offer and to also help me overcome my cabin fever. Also four out of seven evenings most weeks have found me walking to and from the city which is a delightful four hour adventure which takes me along the river and through the Twin Pagoda Park but due to standing all day teaching along with the rain and wet shoes I have literally shed most of the skin from both feet.

Thankfully though Spring has Sprung and now maybe it will save my feet

The school has put on a handful of some of the most amazingly delicious big dinners to welcome in the new term along with Chinese Festivals such as Women’s Day. Being Jiangxi Cuisine (so close to fiery Hunan Province), even though it has been freezing cold outside, those of use clicking our chopsticks together inside have usually ended up in a Chilli Sweat Fest even without a heater on.

Other than that, not much more really.

I’m now into my 7^th year here in China, my Chinese continues to suck but happily the adventure that that I love so much (the one of not actually knowing what is going on around me) is still like it was five years ago. I prefer the daily adventure of continuing to figure things out over that of another boring day of knowing!

So take the photographs and still frames in your mind.
For what it’s worth it’s been worth the ride.
I’m having the time of my life!

Beers N Noodles toya…..shane

PS: Oh yeah, Shangrao has grown up and gone all Mc Donald’s on me.
PSS: We have also found the Games Arcade…oh yeah!
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The soundtrack to this entry was by LOVE
The album was ‘Comes In Colours’
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