well that was easy

This is the outside hallway leading into the classroom.


One week down - five to go. All things considering, it was a relatively painless experience. Here are the stats:
Business Research Methods (graduate class) - Wed. 3:45 to 6:00; 25 students to be graded, 25 students just there to listen (more on that in a minute)

Principles of Marketing (undergraduates, 2nd year) - Thursday 8:20 to 11:00, 46 students


That's it!! So much better than the 150 they kept telling me about. So this is how it went.


I showed up for the first class (the graduate class) not knowing how many students would be there. They still didn't have exact numbers. Kids just kept coming into the class and I was beginning to rethink the assignment I had for them. The teacher assigned to me, Susan, and I finally got around to deciding that about half didn't want to be graded but wanted to listen to business in English. Fine by me - less papers to mark!


But here's the strange thing. The graduate class normally starts at 4:00 until 5:30 with one break and then a 5:30 they all go for supper, then come back at 6:15 and finish the class until 7:15. Not on my watch kids. What the hell am I supposed to do in their sub-zero classroom for 45 minutes while they have supper? so we did a little re-arranging of the Nanjing University schedule to meet my needs. hehehe. Seriously though. It takes me 20 minutes to walk to class from my apartment, the cafeteria food is poo (it really is) and the class has NO HEAT! None. My hands were ice after two hours. It is primitive. So I wasn't about to hang around. Here's a couple shots of the room:





What you can't see is the ripped curtains, peeling paint and mold.
And here's the ever so posh teacher's lounge.


I am pretty sure they understand about a quarter of what I am saying, which stand to reason. The undergrads understand a bit more. But you end up becoming a live thesaurus. At one point I was talking about Tim Hortons and then realized they probably didn't know what a donut was. I'm having to find new words for things like "market diversification" or "strategy". It is exhausting. But boy will I kick some serious butt in Scrabble when I come home.


The bonus is it takes WAY longer to get through the material I prepared so I definitely have enough things to talk about in my 5 weeks. That's a huge relief.


So my weekend has started. I've decided Friday is cleaning day. Perhaps I can keep the layer of grime to a minimum that way.

This weekend we are planning a trip into Nanjing to explore. There is a big museum and a lake with islands that you can walk to by bridge. I hope to find some postcards too.

We did another shopping trip to a different grocery store in town called Carrefore. It's a french store with some international products. And I found another tank of toads and slimy turtles. Seriously people? Can we not find other meat products? And they aren't cheap compared to other protein sources like chicken or lentils. toads?? I don't get it. If that shows up on the lazy susan when we have our last meal with the big wigs I believe I will have to leave the room. blech! That word was made for this moment. I hope to get some more exciting pictures this weekend.


As an added bonus to my week, I met an American teacher on the bus who told me how to get around the government blocked websites That is the best piece of information so far. I'm back in business. No  government is going to tell me what I can and cannot read.