Nanchang (南昌) + 2 Weeks

Well, it has been about two weeks or so since I last updated and it is the first time in a long time that I actually have time to sit down and let everyone know what is going on. So what has been going on? Let me tell you.

Arrival

I arrived here in Nanchang about two weeks prior after an 11 hour train ride. It was much better than the 19 hour plane ride to Beijing by far since I can actually sleep on trains - due to the fact that you get a BED. The train ride was - for all intent and purposes - our first time to really get to know our F.A.O. (Foreign Affairs Officer). Our FAO's name is Billy. Billy has quite the sense of humor - one that can be both good and bad. Nevertheless, our train ride was very enjoyable and without incident.

Upon arriving in Nanchang, our team ate at a local dumpling place and then made our way to the dorms where we would be staying. I have to admit that the size of our dorms - or should I say apartments - surprised me. Each apartment has two rooms, a main living area (which couples as a living room and dining room), a bathroom, and a kitchen. Below are a few pictures to give you an idea of what I am talking about.

(This is the living room/dining area)


(Entertainment / Living Room)

(My room)

(My bed)

(The Kitchen)

Teaching

My first week was a mad rush of getting ready to teach for what we thought was 3 days. It is always interesting to see how well the theoretical works when put into practice. My lesson plans managed to do okay with my students, but it did become apparent that there was much I needed to address before writing anymore lesson plans for the following week. I should note that I am currently teaching 4 CLASSES with about 50 STUDENTS EACH. So all in all, I have about 200 or so students; however, attendance does seem to fluctuate and I will need to do something to account for that this upcoming week.

It is hard to know what exactly to teach, when teaching students English. I looked at the books that Billy (FAO) and felt that it was somewhat lacking. In addition, students are always seemingly all over the place in their language ability instead of all being on the same level. Three of my four classes seem to be on the same level in their English speaking ability, however, I do have one that is definitely sophomore level. Last week they pretty much became bored with the lesson plan that I had created and I had to revert to just talking in class. I am hoping that I can stay on top of that this upcoming week. We shall see.

Living in China

Living in China this time around has been very different from my last two experiences. I have felt little or no culture shock and I still wonder sometimes if it has really hit me that I will be here for another 8 months or so. Most of the time I am so preoccupied by hanging out with my other teammates that I don't really think I have time to consider where I am or what is happening. I would almost call my experiences so far like that of a little America in Nanchang. At the same time, I think this is what some of the people on my team really need since this is their first time to China. I remember my experiences the last two times and I definitely needed some breathing room from China and have little places to escape when the culture shock is too much.

In the same breathe, I am trying to be on my guard against culture shock factors that can play against me when I am living in another country. For example, I am hoping to make some friends here and hang out with them as often as time permits. I am also looking forward to our Chinese lessons and practicing more on my own as time goes by. I have also started making friends with some local side-street dealers that sell amazing Chinese food. Another thing that I want to do is to get a good feel for the bus system and the other local side-streets that sell food that you can bargain with dealers for.

I should mention that in writing this blog I have had the POWER GO OUT in my building at least 7 TIMES. So I am going to finish this with a couple pictures of my teammates and I and go.

(Jonathan and me at KTV or Karaoke)


(Left to Right: me, Joelle, Jonathan, Shannon, Laura, Jodi, Rachael)


(Laura, Shannon, and Jonathan)