A Special Teachers' Training (5-31)

A highlight of this week was doing a special three-hour teachers’ training for rural English teachers who were here for a week of training. I’ve done these twice before, but the topic this time was spoken English, not teaching methods like I’ve done before. I was told that the teachers had requested spoken English practice. Kiki suggested that I invite some students to assist. After thinking about it, I decided to do that and invited the five girls who regularly come to Monday office hours and who have really bonded with me. It was a great idea. They were really excited to be asked, and having them was a real asset. Since each group of seven had an assistant, the teachers got to practice more, and the girls got to teach. And I got to watch everyone having a good time speaking English. 

Afterwards, I treated the girls to lunch, which we also enjoyed. So it was a fun event.

                                                                                                  

Last week there was another student show. This one was about “Our Dream” and was so important that it was held on two nights and students were required to attend. When I went to the new gymnasium on Wednesday evening, students were arriving with their stools and sitting in their class groups while attendance was taken prior to entering the gym. I went in with the first groups so I could get a good seat. (No front row seat this time.) My seat was perfect until the attendants sat in the open space right in front of me and some of the cameramen stood in the middle in front of us. But I could often see between people. The gym was filled solid with seated students. Tuesday I had walked past toward the end of the show and noticed that students in the back were standing on their stools to see. 

The show, as always, was enjoyable. One of my teacher-students was the piano accompanist for the final choral group, and he was happy that I had gone.

Boiled soybeans, one of my favorite snacks, are back. Two weeks ago I found some raw soybeans in a market, bought some, and boiled them myself. Disappointing, as they weren’t as tasty as the ones I buy from the old man and woman in the street market. I went there a couple times, but they either weren’t there or had only boiled peanuts, which I also buy from them. But I was really wanting soybeans. So I was very happy to see them this week. They boil them with ginger and a little chili pepper; so the flavor is delicious.

When I was out with Yang one day, there were women selling the fragrant flowers I remember from Thailand. Of course they reminded me of my Thai friends. When I explained that Thai women use a strand of hair to tie the flowers in their hair, Yang was adamant that Chinese women do not do that. They hang them on a button. Yang bought us each one.

The metro is coming to Wenjiang! That means that the street outside the front gate is blocked starting just past the school. And that means that the buses we use that used to stop at the front gate or across the street no longer stop there. I found where the bus to Chengdu stops about ten minutes farther down the road, but I haven’t yet found where the other bus I sometimes use stops now. Taxis no longer come here, as the road is closed. This is good for tuk-tuk drivers’ business, as they are the only transportation available from here now.

The Dragon Boat Festival is this weekend, which means that we have a three-day holiday—Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. The sticky rice and black bean treats for the holiday have been in the market this week. The first one I bought wasn’t very tasty. Diao Min told me that Chinese people put a little sugar on them. That made a huge difference.