3/4/07

Updates: Silvia is not working for the Korean Kindergarden and is instead working for this local school called Great English and is teaching fourth graders part time. She's going to do tutoring work for the rest of her weekly hours. I've been hired with two tutoring companies and have possible high school teaching, but it's not final yet. I tried out for Silvia's school, but I was told that I needed to be more animated to teach 10 year olds, which I assumed meant that they were not interested in me, but I was called in yesterday for "recruiting," which I was paid for.

Okay, so recruiting is apparently when parents rush to sign their kids up for extra English classes at various schools. All the private schools are sitting behind are huddled in the main lobby of a primary school and kids and parents visit the booths. Its a ZOO, and I was led in there with no clue of what I was supposed to be doing. Turns out I was already doing it; I was this gigantic, pale big nosed foreigner in a room with only Chinese. I was expected to really just talk to this kids and try to get them to sign up for Great English, and the kids were adorable. I met a cute, tiny five year old girl dressed all in red who, went I asked how old she was, blurted out "My English name is Lilly"almost on cue. I also met a few little boys named "Bob" and another little girl named "Mickey" who was also wearing a Mickey Mouse jacket just to drive it home more. It was actually a lot of fun, but odd and completely confusing. (But I got paid for it!) In the meanwhile, I have no idea if I'm even hired with Great English.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

hola! just read your blog, and had lunch with your brother at school at the breezeway cafe. i'm off today and pretty much until the 10th of april when we start on this new show. i've been busy as hell unpacking and arranging things at erika's, it looks like less of a disaster than it did 3 days ago, so that's some progress. i've been a little sad the last few days, i feel really like, lost in me. i think this is the same feeling you had right before you decided to leave for china. i signed a lease at erika's until august 31st, and i'm thinking of just taking this summer for art and selling all my shit then maybe joining you in china. don't get your hopes up, but i need to rid myself of all this anger and angst and melancholy. sometimes i just start crying in the middle of the day,and at night before i fall asleep. i love work and i'm hanging out a lot with friends and chad and cata, but i don't know what i provide for the people that i love. i feel like my life is turning more and more catastrophic sometimes and i'm just there watching it slip into decadence. i miss you and i love you. call me whenever, even if it's late at night here :) ARiel

Anonymous said...

How do you write a comment on an old friends blog when you haven't spoken in ten years? I find myself writing and erasing my sentences.

Do you remember when we use to make tents in the living room using bed sheets and cushions from the couch? How about feasting on fast food while watching some campy movie or cult classic on TV? I remember when your mom created a wooden race car with me to race at a boy scouts event... I was disqualified because we glued a penny to the front end to make it move faster. So many memories come to mind from our past and it amazes me that we didn't stay in touch.

Your mom called us this week and told my mom that Chad is a new Dad, making you a new uncle... Congratulations! She also mentioned that you are living in Beijing. Of course, I read your blog as well and can see that you are having an amazing time. You graduated with a degree in English, am I correct? Do you find teaching children to speak a foreign language difficult? I can only imagine that it is.

I'm hoping that you respond to my comment with an update on your life. It should be easy, you only need to focus on the past ten years.

Do you know who I am yet? Well, if you haven't figured it out yet, it's me Vic. We practically grew up together. In fact, I remember spending most weekends hanging out with you and Chad. I hope that jogs your memory.

If you decide to respond, my email is VictorDiazHerman@aol.com.

I'll be visiting you blog regularly now for updates on your adventures.

A blast from your past,
Vic