Ocean of Morality
  • Blog
  • Family
  • Relatives
  • Countries
  • Gallery
  • Guestbook
  • JD's Blog

Putting theory into Teaching Practice

28/2/2011

1 Comment

 
Picture
Yesterday saw the Lattitude volunteers doing their Teaching Practice. The first half of the training course leads up to this, with practical sessions on Lesson Planning, Games, Using Visual Aids, Speaking,  Presentation, etc. And they did really well. The regular teachers - whose classes they took over for an hour - had nothing but praise for the trainees: well-prepared, confident and full of great ideas. We still have three days of training to go, covering Songs, Correcting Mistakes, Listening, and Reading as well as some "background" subjects such as Chinese Culture, Extra-Curricular Activities and Living and Working in China.

1 Comment

The deep end

26/2/2011

0 Comments

 
Picture
After surviving a nasty sickness bug (a third of our trainees were in their hotel rooms vomitting, at one point!), we were back to full numbers today, and tomorrow sees them doing their Teaching Practice at our school. The Chinese language course is proving popular, too. The photo shows the beginner students on a field trip. Having learned how to ask for things in the classroom, we take them to a shop and let them try for real! The shopkeepers have seen it all before and try their best to understand the mangled requests!

0 Comments

Training

24/2/2011

1 Comment

 
Picture
The Lattitude training course I'm running these days is going well. I have this afternoon off, while they go sightseeing at the Golden Temple. It's a welcome break for me as the other two teachers who were doing some of the training with me have both had to pull out. Plus, I'm trying to fit in my normal school classes with kids at the same time, as far as possible. It helps that this intake are a particularly punctual, lively and thoughtful bunch. I do enjoy training (even more than teaching, and there is a difference!). There's still ¾ of the course to go, but so far, so good!

1 Comment

Unlucky for some

22/2/2011

1 Comment

 
Picture
With the number of volunteers from Britain, Australia and Canada on the latest Lattitude training numbering 13, we should have expected some bad luck. So it was that I waited for 2 hours at the airport yesterday and a further 2 hours at the hotel for the first volunteer to arrive, only to find out later that he had been detained in Beijing. The customs officers thought the bicycle pump he was carrying in hand luggage looked suspiciously like a pipe bomb! He missed his connection to Kunming and finally arrived 7 hours late! The remaining 12 volunteers arrived this afternoon, a mere 2 hours late. They seem a great bunch - lively despite their looong journeys here! The course starts tomorrow.

1 Comment

Now you see him...

21/2/2011

1 Comment

 
Picture
Seen this Chinese artist before? Probably not, as Liu Bolin's work involves him standing in front of something and then being painted exactly the same as the background, so that you can barely see him! Can you spot him in the four pictures above? Pretty cool, eh?
1 Comment

Win-ternet

20/2/2011

0 Comments

 
Picture
After a mediocre season, it was exciting to see my favourite team Everton beat Chelsea in the FA Cup yesterday evening (my time). I say "see", but it consisted of watching text updates every minute online! Still, we came from behind with a last second goal to equalise, and then came from behind in the penalty shoot-out too, to win. Still quite exciting!

0 Comments

A bit fishy

19/2/2011

0 Comments

 
Picture
The highlight (for me) of the always-dull Spring Festival Gala Show on Chinese New Year's Eve - the most watched annual TV show in the world - was a Chinese magician who made six goldfish swim in synchronised patterns. But there's been a bit of controversy since, with animal rights groups assuming he must have force-fed the fish with magnets and controlled them from underneath. The magician has hit back, saying that any magnets in the fish would have simply pulled them all together into a big fishy ball (I'd pay to see that)! Well, however he did it, it's rare to see a unique magic trick these days, so good on him for thinking it up. And if you're going to abuse animals for entertainment, he chose the right country to debut his performance!

0 Comments

Stop wining

17/2/2011

1 Comment

 
Picture
Spotted in a shop recently: Are they going for "WINE" or "MINERAL"?

1 Comment

Flat tyre en route to the flat, tired

15/2/2011

 
Picture
There were a few hiccups in yesterday's Valentine's Day, including a flat tyre (and the discovery that Jiajia's car didn't have a spare wheel in the boot). After some shopping for food and treats though, we did manage to rustle up a rather tasty "Chicken & Broccoli Bake" based on a recipe my Mum sent out a while ago [see photo]. My holiday comes to an end today, with the first classes of the new term starting this evening.

Meet and meat

14/2/2011

 
Picture
The new term started yesterday with a whole school meeting [see photo, left]. I had to do a little talk about the upcoming Lattitude training course. It was also announced that I have been "promoted", with a new job title of "Director of Studies". It doesn't mean any different or extra work really, but I can now tell the administration staff what to do instead of just asking! Power!! Afterwards, we all went to a posh Muslim restaurant [see photo, right]. Having lamb for a change was a real treat.

Halo halo!

13/2/2011

0 Comments

 
Picture
Seen in a shoe shop window. I'm sure the Chinese makes more sense.
0 Comments

Scrabble rabble

12/2/2011

1 Comment

 
Picture
I had a fun time this evening, visiting the house of Peter and Monique [left in photo], teachers at my school, for a Scrabble evening with half a dozen other of their other foreign friends (from Germany, Israel, Britain, America, Holland and Australia!). As someone who doesn't often mix with foreigners in Kunming (apart from work colleagues) it was refreshing to meet some new folk. Modesty forbids me commenting on who won all the games!

1 Comment

Glasses and classes

11/2/2011

 
Picture
I took possession of a new pair of glasses today. Quite a different design for me to get used to, but Jiajia assures me they are fashionable. They are lightweight, which helps a lot, though the arms curving up, away from the ears, at the back instead of tucking behind the ears, will take some getting used to! They were  a rather expensive early Valentines gift from Jiajia. I think I'd better upgrade my soft toy gift!

A busy month starts next week with catch-up classes, Lattitude training and my parents visiting. I'll need a clear vision for that lot!

Lifts, lamb chops and cheesecake

10/2/2011

1 Comment

 
Picture
Ava and I got an invite to Robert and Rachel's (my bosses) new house today, where Rob's British parents are also visiting at the moment. And what a mansion it is, freshly decorated and occupying no fewer than SIX floors! It even has a private, internal lift! The picture shows the view from the second floor balcony, overlooking the enormous first floor living room [Ava left, Rob's Mum, right]. Four en suite bedrooms above and a roof conservatory above that! Rachel cooked a lovely lamb chop meal followed by a scrummy cheesecake.  The Brits then chatted so fast in English, poor Ava got a real taste of what she's in for when she visits the UK later in the year!

1 Comment

Faikea

9/2/2011

 
Picture
Jiajia and I spent an hour today (it seemed longer) at Kunming's fake Ikea store! We were looking for wardrobes for when I move into Ava's flat later in the year. Ava was very methodical - measuring the height, width and depth of all the likely contenders and ensuring the colour schemes coordinated well. My role was just to open the doors and check the storage space! Prices were at western levels but the quality seemed quite good and they deliver and fit them. So now we're saving our pennies!

Outlandish signs

8/2/2011

0 Comments

 
Picture
No travel in China would be complete without a selection of Chinglish. Top left, clockwise: I love the "R" overload in the DRIRING sign, and the flower garden was certainly fun! Not sure what an AUESTER is? And the last one is so tantalisingly close to being correct!
0 Comments

Hitching and hitches

7/2/2011

0 Comments

 
Picture
A three hour bus journey yesterday saw Ava and I travel from JiangCheng to Simao. After a night there, we met up with our friend Catherine and her family, to hitch a lift back with them to Kunming. The usual 5–6 hour drive turned out to a nine hour marathon, due various hitches including heavy Spring Festival traffic and half a dozen crashes to negotiate. Still, Kunming is warmer than when we left, and we feel refreshed and ready for a busy 2–3 weeks ahead.

0 Comments

Paw taste

6/2/2011

1 Comment

 
Picture
JiangCheng hasn't changed a lot since I left four years ago. There are a few swanky new Supermarkets in town, but you can still find traditional horn and paw medicine on the streets [see photo]. There are traffic lights at the main intersections now, but the tractors ignore them.
Picture
The sports centre has been upgraded, though the men still prefer playing "tuolou" - throwing large spinning tops to hit others' tops out of a central circle. The river has a nice new walkway beside it now, lit by fairy lights.

Picture
The biggest change perhaps is the huge development to the east of the town. A new expressway is being built through JiangCheng which will eventually reach Vietnam. Shops and houses are therefore being thrown up to accommodate the expected flood of Vietnamese tourists. All the shops now sport new signs in Chinese, English and Vietnamese. JiangCheng may not be the sleepy remote town I recall for much longer. Retaining any sort of character will be a difficult balancing act [see photo!]. 

1 Comment

Cat bee turtley edible, can it?

5/2/2011

1 Comment

 
Picture
Thankfully, JiangCheng's one remaining English teacher(!), Ruth, has been really hospitable and insisted that Ava and I join in all her family meals (being Spring Festival, nearly all the restaurants are closed and there's only so long you can survive on instant noodles and fruit!). Ruth's daughter was a toddler when I was living here, and now is a cute and confident young lady [see photo]. Our meals with Ruth's family have been "interesting" to say the least. Bee larvae [top left], wild cat [bottom left] and, as yet uncooked, turtle!

Picture
1 Comment

Bus-ted

4/2/2011

0 Comments

 
Picture
Ava and I endured an 8-hour bus ride today from JingHong to JiangCheng. I last did the same trip with my parents, four years ago. The road seems less bumpy now, but we didn't get there any quicker. I used to live and work in JiangCheng, training local English teachers with VSO. I was hoping to meet up with some of them but, on arrival and after a dozen phonecalls, it seems only one teacher is in town. The rest are back in their hometowns celebrating Spring Festival with their families. And I've learned my best friend there is now serving a ten year prison sentence! Oh my! 

Picture
0 Comments

Rabbiting on

3/2/2011

0 Comments

 
Picture
Last night was Chinese New Year. Cathy (my Chinese teacher) kindly invited me to spend it with her family, which was a lot of fun. The food on offer was a veritable feast and everyone got very full, very quickly. Cathy's uncle also got very drunk, very quickly! After the table was cleared, the mahjong and card games started, with the Chinese TV Special rabbiting on in the background. 

Picture
The fireworks and firecrackers in the city built in intensity as midnight approached. Cathy's young cousins got in the mood by letting off fireworks and I got to wave a sparkler! Cathy's parents' house is in a built up area, and the noise from the firecrackers echoed to deafening proportions as we entered the Year of the Rabbit.

Picture
Ava and I had a lay in today, after a late night getting back to the hotel yesterday. We managed to get bus tickets for tomorrow's onward journey, and then  heard that my good friend Nita, and her friend Shasha, were soon arriving in Jinghong. We met up with them for another Dai meal in the evening, along with Ava's ex-classmate, Lao Bie. I fear all this Dai food is ruining my recent months of hard work at the gym!

0 Comments

Gone by car to Ganlanba

2/2/2011

0 Comments

 
Picture
Ava's friend Catherine and her family joined us in JingHong late last night and we set off today to GanLanBa, a group of three Dai minority villages about 45 mins drive away. The last time I was here was four years ago when my parents were visiting me. They visit me again next month, too!

Picture
Dai architecture is particularly famous for strange roofs and the peacock  decorations on their houses. We enjoyed a selection of Dai dishes in a traditional Dai house before exploring the villages some more and then heading back to Jinghong.

0 Comments

Plants dance?

1/2/2011

1 Comment

 
Picture
Cathy's Mum drove us to MengLun's excellent Botanical Gardens today. It's the largest in China (indeed, Southeast Asia, they claim) and has an amazing collection of trees, flowers, etc divided into various areas, including an enormous tropical rainforest.
 
Picture
The highlight for me was the "Unusual Plants" section! As well as some very strange looking exhibits, there was mimosa which moves when you touch it and, new to me, a plant which (apparently) dances when you sing. Cathy sang a song to the plant to demonstrate [see photo]. Gasps from the Chinese onlookers and raised eye‐brows from the foreigners who suspected that a small puff of breath might accomplish the same feat! Still, it was fun to watch Cathy go hoarse trying to persuade us otherwise!

I also really enjoyed the wildlife there - quite a change from the norm in China where animals are generally caged, tethered or eaten!

Picture
1 Comment
    paul hider

    Author

    Paul Hider started this blog to share his rather odd life living in China for over 20 years. Since returning to the UK in 2024, the blog now records his more "normal" lifestyle!

    Past blog entries

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009

    Tags

    All
    April Fool
    Art Club
    Badminton
    Basketball
    Beijing
    Bike
    Birthday
    Blog
    CAL
    Car
    Car Boot Sale
    Cataract
    Cemetery
    China
    Chinglish
    Chippenham
    ChongQing
    Christmas
    Competition
    Construction
    Cooking
    Cop15
    Countryside
    COVID
    Dali
    Dancing Lady
    Dave & Esme
    Den
    Dentist
    Diabetes
    Disaster
    Diving
    DnD
    Dorta
    Druncle
    Earthquake
    Ebike
    Education
    Everton
    Exams
    Exercise
    Family
    Film
    Fish
    Fishing
    Flashback
    Food
    Forest
    Fossils
    Friends
    Furniture
    Gabriel Mews
    Games
    Garden
    Gary Numan
    Geese
    Gerry Anderson
    Grand Tour
    Gym
    Halloween
    Hamsters
    Handyman
    Health
    Heijing
    Holiday
    Home
    Home Schooling
    Homework
    IELTS
    IKEA
    Illusion
    ILM5
    JD
    Jiajia
    Kindergarten
    Krista And Stuart
    Kunming
    Language
    Laos
    Lattitude
    Leaf
    Lego
    Lexulous
    London
    Ma
    Malaysia
    Mandarin
    Merton
    Mind-gap
    Minority
    Molly
    Mountain
    Movie
    Museum
    Nancy & Family
    Nanny
    Neighbourhood
    New Flat
    Olympics
    Outing
    Painting
    Parents
    Park
    Park Run
    Party
    Paul & Crystal
    Pets
    Photographs
    Podcast
    Police
    Pregnancy
    Primary School
    Private Tuition
    Random Travel
    Relatives
    Renovation
    R.I.P.
    R.S.L.
    Running
    Schools
    Schoolswork
    Sci-fi
    Sheldon
    Shenzhen
    Shopping
    Ski
    Sport
    Spring Festival
    Sri Lanka
    Swimming
    Temple
    TESOL
    Thailand
    Theme Park
    Traffic
    Training
    Transport
    Travel
    Tutoring
    TV
    Typewriters
    UFO
    UK
    UK Move
    UK Return
    University
    Vietnam
    Violence
    Visit
    VSO
    Water
    Weather
    Wedding
    Wildlife
    Wiltshire
    Work
    World Cup
    Xi'An
    Xishuangbanna
    YUFE
    Yunnan
    Zoo
    Zoom

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.