21st Jan


Song I'm singing:
'Perfect Day' by Lou Reed


Checklist:
Gone to a local pharmacy
Bought some food to take away in a scary/nice 'restaurant'


I wait in the long queue to send my letters to England. The guard pushes me along, so I'm behind the next customers. He tries to get a whole counter opened for me "No. No, it's okay" Women behind their counter are calling their friends. They come out from the back, to just stand and look at me. I don't think they get many Westerners in the post office! This was also proven when she didn't quite get my letters. I just kept pointing to where I had written, UK. She got out some stamps and showed me the 'okay' sign. I left, hoping there were going to the right place!


"Lucky break" Blank faces. "Firstly you have a dream. Not a dream as when you sleep but a dream like a aim, a goal in life. My dream was to go to Africa. A year later I then found a charity who accepted me and I had a lucky break, I was going to Africa. What dreams do you have in life? Maybe to have a family? Or to go to Australia? So you might enter a draw and win a trip to Australia, you have a lucky break." Smiles and nods. "Do you have a dream in life?" I ask Maggie "Yes. So many. Big question. Erm to have a family"
This was my first adult class. We drove across town to a food factory. Shoes were exchanged for slippers and we made our way up stairs. I was supposed to be observing, but not everyone had arrived, so the three who had arrived were all put into one class with Felix, Beth and me. Beth started reading the text book about new words such as 'Mystery. Disaster. Lucky Break' From here, conversations were flowing. And somehow we got onto marriage and how it differs in different countries. 3D and 4D TV (you can watch 4D TV in Songjiang, at a theme park. The chair moves, you can smell what you see! I'll have to check it out!) About females now being breadwinners in England, to Prince Charles having an affair. I really did enjoy it.
The three women were around 25-30 years old, working at the factory for a few years and attended these classes once a week during their break at work. It was great being able to talk about issues in life with people who were so interested. They just wanted to know, know and know more. Absorbing it all. "So they marry when they're 14. Really?" asked Eva. "Yes, in some communities such as the travelling community, they marry very young and in Turkey you marry around the same age but your husband is maybe 10-20 years older"
It seems to be that you go by the outline of the book but have conversations. It's a great way to broaden their language and knowledge. So in Business English what I'll be teaching, one topic is reserving a room in a hotel. We could pretend to have a conversation in the reception but the topic could go onto different hotels across the world, how expensive they can be etc. I think I'll take pleasure in going there.


We'd missed lunch at school, drive through KFC it was. "What meat is this?" "Dog" Ha! Dry humour of Felix's? Hope so! It was a wrap with spicy sauce, lettuce, tomatoes and what seemed to be beef, it was like Mexican really. Best KFC I'd ever had anyway.
Lessons started at 3:30pm with the young ones and finishing at 7:10pm with the older children. I'm enjoying teaching the older children at the moment, maybe it might change but I like the interaction, how I can be creative with my games, as they'll understand (that's proven when the TA has hardly said a word) I like that! We can have banter, jokes, they get it.
The lesson started with two lines for Chinese whispers and the front person had to spell the word on the blackboard. 'Whisper, whisper, s-c-h-o-o-l' They loved it. Next was looking at new unit in the text book; Hair styles, hair colour and eye colour. And picture number looked exactly like me: It then made explaining hair styles, colour, eye colour a lot easier. It went down really well, they picked it up very fast. The mini game for this topic was 'crossing the river' on the blackboard. Answer correctly roll the dice, you move along however many. First team across gets 5 points.
15 minutes left and so we moved onto the main game, Building Blocks. "Correct answer, you put two blocks on top. The biggest tower at the end gets an extra 10 points. But if your tower falls over, 2 points to the other team and you start again. Thumbs up, yes? Or thumbs down, no?" Thumbs were up and no translation needed, result! And so onto reviewing questions. "Last night, so yesterday. Last night for my dinner I ate noodles. I ate noodles for my dinner. What did you eat for your dinner? Hands up" As they towers grew taller, the quieter the children got, scared any movement would knock them down, it was tense! I tiptoed around the room and whispered, playing along too "Okay, so I like to read. I like to read and eat lots. What do you like to do?" I put on a squeaky voice "Teacher I like to go to the toilet" Laughter and blushing "Haa, noo? So you say I like to dance or I like to read, yes" Gasps as one of the towers blocks fall down. It was such a great lesson, the game went down a storm. It had been a great day. Nothing special really happened, but something clearly had. I was just so happy.


I looked at my watch, 10 minutes to get to the pharmacy. I double back on myself, "Hey!" I shout to this man trying to push his car into the drive. I whip out my African muscles and help push the car, surprisingly light; He thanks me, once rolling down the hill. 'Ahh, good deed of the day' I smile to myself.
"Do you speak English?" I say in Mandarin "Small English" Luckily I had one of the teachers write in Chinese that I had a sore throat, that it felt swollen. She produced some tablets, "4" her friend shakes her head "No! 3" I may have the tablets but how to read Chinese. Do I take 3 or 4 and how often? I'll have to wait to ask Felix tomorrow. For now, I've swallowed two safe tablets of Paracetamol.


I really didn't want boxed noodles again but something hearty. I saw pictures of dishes on the wall of a restaurant, 'that'll be my safest beat' I was so very wrong!
"Do you speak English?" I say in Mandarin. I show actions for take away "I want food to go. Food in box to go home" The guy drags on his cigarette and drinks from his tumbler of vodka. 'Oh great, what have I done?' About to leave, a lady speaks in broken English. I explain I want rice and vegetables. She understands the rice but I had to select the vegetables from the menu. Unfortunately vegetables weren't on the picture menu and so I selected something in Chinese writing.
I sat down and waited, as this lady translated many question from, the only way I can put it, tipsy greasy men. 'What's your name? He likes you. Where are you from? Do you have snow in England' I started feeling less and less uncomfortable, answering all these questions, it was really quite funny. If only I could of videoed it. Was pretty hilarious actually!! This red head, sat amongst the smoke and smells of Chinese men, in a dingy restaurant (can you call it that?) waiting for something, whatever it might be to take home to eat. Finally it's served and they gave me some free fried things. "You come again. Thank you. You come back yes? We like you. Thank you" And actually I strangely I liked the whole set up and drunk men too.
I'll learn rice, broccoli etc in Chinese, so at least it'll be easier for next time, in case my helper isn't there!
I open up my goodies. Plain rice; Tasty. Vegetables; Are they? Looks like pieces of Spam and is that a ear?! Chunks of ginger, slices of mushroom, onion, green pepper and the rest I don't know. Fried things; Taste like the smell of old oil.
I nibble on the 'Spam' eat the pepper with some rice, nibble on the ends of the other vegetables, nope not quite liking my pick of the menu! I finish the rice, actually quite full and the rest goes down the toilet.


The moon was so beautiful tonight. Bright orange and full in the night sky.
This has been one of the best days for me, not just best days in Songjiang but best days in my life list of best days :)
I can't put it down to just one thing. Everything I've done today, everyone I have met have been pure and simply brilliant!!


Sadly I now have a splitting headache, my throat aches and my stomach worryingly grumbles; Was it the 'spam' thing? Only the morning will tell…
Two cups of tea and I'm ready for bed. Up early ready to start school at 8am. Saturday and Sunday are long days! Hopefully I'll feel better when the alarm rings.


:) Emma x x x