CD30: Has It Really Been A Month Already?

A Collection of Mini Stories:

When we went to KTV with Ester, she got back past her curfew. Long story short, she got beat up by the acting "gate keepers" and when I tried to figure out what could be done to right this wrong, I was told that this type of thing was "normal" and Ester was told to not tell the foreigners things that would give them a bad impression of the school.

While running around the track, I was hit in the face with a soccer ball. I got a bloody nose, a bruised face, and a scab on my nose. Clyde laughed and no one else came to my rescue. Heaven forbid I be seriously injured here!

A drunken Grandfather kicked in my door then proceeded to hand me my "lost" keys that had been given to him about an hour before. He then returns to repair my lock and door frame which he broke. Yes, he ran and kicked my door ninja style. No, I don't think he had anything else to do either.

My refrigerator has been returned to me, but my computer is still not working. I am contemplating throwing it out the window.

Speaking of the window, a small-cat-sized rodent came in through my window by pushing the screen open and shoving its body through. It then proceeded to wake me up, scare the crap out of me, make me chase it around my apartment, make me scare it out from under my bed, climb up the window screen, sit on the top of the window frame, then exit just as swiftly as I am guessing it entered.

Our first rehearsal was Sunday. Good times. Everything else is staying under wraps until it actually happens. We did get tickets for the other foreign teachers so pictures of this event will be available. I also have to learn an song in Chinese by then. Wish me luck.

I have not been in possession of my passport for almost 2 weeks. When I asked Bob about this, he did not give me a clear answer as to when it would be returned. My Visa expired on the 22nd and I do not know if I have a new one yet. I do not know if I have a resident's permit that will allow me to stay here. I do not know when I will be getting my medical clearance forms either.

Next week there is no school. Bob told someone, who passed it down the grapevine, that we would have to make up the classes we miss that week on the Saturday before and the Saturday after the vacation. After much stress, confusion, and conflicting stories, I contacted the dean. She informed me that this was not the case, a holiday is a holiday. Thank goodness! We are hoping to travel but have not decided where we are going yet.

The dean has asked me to help her find a school in the US to attend this next fall as she plans on leaving Pingxiang College to get an advanced degree. I am not sure who else knows about this endeavor, but I was just happy I wasn't in trouble when she pulled me into her office.

Along with the BBC website, we do not have access to Wikipedia. This makes me incredibly sad, especially as a majority of my job is explaining things that happen in America to my students. I just want to know, "What did Wikipedia ever do to you China?!"

Tomorrow is Mid-Autumn Harvest Day and the celebrations seem endless. I have already been given 1 moon cake and I was told to expect many more. Moon cakes are a traditional treat for holidays and celebrations. We have also been invited to numerous parties, dinners, and events with no clear details for any of them other than they all start around 7pm.

I have booked my tickets to Egypt for Novemeber and will be having a short stay in Hong Kong before having another, even shorter, stay in Quatar. I have no idea where or what that is. It isn't Paris, but it was much cheaper, so I will make the most of it!

Today I talked about holidays with my students. They had no idea what St. Patrick's Day is. I plan to make this my singular mission while I am here.