Hey fam,
sorry for not connecting with you guys for awhile -- things exploded and got way busy this past week due to a few things. Teaching is still proving to be a handful, though I am learning how to plan my lessons faster and to make things run smoother.
Next week is a big event for Sias: Culture Week. The foreign teachers are basically in charge of the program: booths and activities from different cultures during the day every day next week, and a dance/drama performance every night. Believe it or not, I am performing in three different dances -- slumdog millionaire, an English country dance (like from Pride and Prejudice), and a Korean pop dance. Two of the dances sounded like they'd be easy enough when I signed up, and they're not so bad. One (Korean), I totally did not know what I was getting into. Another teacher asked me to join the dance cause she needed people, and I said yes without really knowing what it was. Perhaps you can find the video we're mimicking (albeit much simplified and G-rated) on youtube: look for a song by "the wonder girls." The chorus goes something like "I don't want nobody but you..."
So this past weekend I had quite a few dance practices in the midst of my lesson planning. And I also am in charge of finding a Viking drinking song to teach for the Norwegian booth (don't ask me how I ended up with that either).
I also signed up a long time ago to play basketball for the female foreign faculty (we will play the chinese female faculty), and now in the midst of my culture week busyness I find I have a game tonight and a game tomorrow. I'm told the Chinese rules will be different from what I'm used to, that I'll be a big enough help if I can just run back and forth across the court, and that our opponents have a tendency to use hugs as a defensive strategy. I'm also told that we will play in the school stadium, and that students will sit in the stands to watch.
I hope this e-mail gives you some idea of the sort of things I find myself doing in China that I would never do in the States...
I got a little sick this past weekend, I think partly from lack of sleep -- cough, congestion, and a little fever. Marmee, I'm glad you bought me that Aleve-D because it really made me feel better today.
I love you all and hope to talk to someone on Skype soon to find out how things are going for everyone over there!
Annie
