Today I was on the street dialing a number on my phone, and a man walked up to me and asked if I was recharging minutes. Before I knew it I had given him my phone number and email, and he was talking about taking me to the hot springs at GuanZiLing.
Eventually I told him I had to study, and we began to walk toward my apartment. He told me he would accompany me upstairs to see where I live.
We talked about his family and about what I was doing in Taiwan. We talked about my education and his work. He inquired about my future. Still, after a year and a half, this kind of behavior, this immediate familiarity, surprises me and I force casualness.
After half an hour, the nice man left. I offered to show him downstairs, but he politely declined.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Sleeping and Eating
I finished teaching a week-long, three-and-a-half-hours-per-day, one-credit conversation course at a local university today. There were 23 students, 20 of whom were girls. Two of those girls were named Sleeping and Eating and they were friends.
The first day I had prepared some watered-down newspaper articles to read, as well as several discussion questions. After walking into the classroom and saying "Hello, how are you?" to several students, only to receive a blank stare, it became apparent that lesson plan was not going to work. I threw the stack of papers to the side, rolled up my sleeves, and started writing food vocabulary on the board. By the end of the day everyone could say how they liked their eggs cooked, and describe the taste of fresh organic vegetables.
The following days were a mix of other elementary subjects: shopping, relationships, music and movies... Today, the last day, I played two songs that I really enjoy a lot. After discussing the lyrics and listening a couple times, I inquired about their feelings. The reviews were mixed. Nobody directly said they liked the songs, and one student, when I asked if anyone hated the songs, raised her hand.
I think one group of four girls managed to not learn much of anything the entire week, but even they wanted to take their picture with me at the end of class today. After thirty some odd pictures with all the students, I explained I needed to go.
I have to teach the same class to different students next week. I won't bother with the newspapers this time, and will ask some Taiwanese friends what music would be more acceptable. I will miss Sleeping and Eating, though.
The first day I had prepared some watered-down newspaper articles to read, as well as several discussion questions. After walking into the classroom and saying "Hello, how are you?" to several students, only to receive a blank stare, it became apparent that lesson plan was not going to work. I threw the stack of papers to the side, rolled up my sleeves, and started writing food vocabulary on the board. By the end of the day everyone could say how they liked their eggs cooked, and describe the taste of fresh organic vegetables.
The following days were a mix of other elementary subjects: shopping, relationships, music and movies... Today, the last day, I played two songs that I really enjoy a lot. After discussing the lyrics and listening a couple times, I inquired about their feelings. The reviews were mixed. Nobody directly said they liked the songs, and one student, when I asked if anyone hated the songs, raised her hand.
I think one group of four girls managed to not learn much of anything the entire week, but even they wanted to take their picture with me at the end of class today. After thirty some odd pictures with all the students, I explained I needed to go.
I have to teach the same class to different students next week. I won't bother with the newspapers this time, and will ask some Taiwanese friends what music would be more acceptable. I will miss Sleeping and Eating, though.
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