I taught my first full week of classes. I have five groups of students, only one of which I see every day, and another one I only have twice a week. The rest I see four times a week. In total I’m teaching nineteen 40-minute classes. I’m teaching three subjects: Reading & Writing, Listening & Speaking, and Western Cultures.
There are eight class periods per day, with the first class beginning at 7:45 am and the last class ending at 5:10 pm. Lunch is from 12:10 to 2:45. Most people take a nap after they’ve eaten lunch. Even the teachers who don’t live on campus have an apartment in the building next to mine, where they go to take a nap during the lunch break.
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I finally made it to the neighborhood grocery store. My coworker T showed me the way yesterday. It’s not too far, but it’s a good walk. It’s right past the little mountain peak (where there’s a park). I didn’t get too much, but got a few things to get me through another weekend: tea, oatmeal, eggs, and a small pan to cook in. A huge family sized wok came with the apartment, but I doubt I’ll be using it much. Just like the big grocery store at the mall, this one also has a section with household goods, like a Walmart.
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Last night there was a welcome dinner for the new teachers. The other new teacher is J from Canada. It was held at a new themed restaurant Mongolia Camp. It was definitely interesting! We had mutton, spicy noodles, some green veggies that I don’t know the name of, and rice. There was also a potent alcoholic beverage that several people tried, but I chose not to after seeing their faces.
#robinSTL #bloggingabroad
