Once again, screwed by BOND.
I got up and got ready for class. It was still abit sticky, but outside, no one had an umbrella. Thats a good sign. No rain. I get to the #1 Middle School to meet Jolene. We have to take a bus to Guzhen this time. And I am being forced to pay. Great. What a crappy way to start the day off. I arrived at the school after a bus ride and a motorbike ride. For 10 minutes, Jolene could not locate the correct room that I would teach in. Once she did, it was locked and it took 15 minutes to find the key and unlock it. All the kids were waiting out in the hallway. A few just stood in front of me staring. "Is there something wrong with your eyes, kid?" Thankfully they didnt start poking me like I have had in the past.
I found out in the first few minutes that Lynn has once again given me wrong information. "The kids had class with Mountain last week. They are on Book 2 and you can start on Unit 2. I get to class and attempt a quick reveiw of Unit 1. The kids only know a few body parts and that's it. Nothing dealing with "Touch your toes" or "touch the rabbits ears" . Fan-fucking-tastic. So, my whole lesson plan was screwed. The children could barely even respond to, "Hello, How are you." How they hell are they on Book 2 Unit 2? I am sick of this. Of course, when I do talk to Lynn, she will just brush it off. I want to punch these people. Jolene didn't really offer me any help. None of the kids would respond to what I was doing. There were a couple kids that were good but the rest of them didn't want to be there. I wanna want to do illegal things to the Bond staff. They helped make this class a horrible experience for me and the children. I had to revert to speaking a bit of chinese in this class to get them to do things. I haven't had to speak it outside of the youngins kindergarten class.
After about 15 minutes of having the lites turned out and making the kids put their heads on their desks for being insolent, i played a game with them that started to get a rise out of them. FInally the three 40 minute classes were over. Ugh. And of course, it was pouring rain outside now. This is the school where Ash teaches and he was teaching at the time. He drove me and Jolene to the bus stop after class on his brand new scooter. He bought it and he doesn't even have a license for it. Oh well. I guess white folk be safe here. The chinese authorities are too afraid to try and speak to a gweilo and lose face than actually enforce the law around here.
I get back to the house and go to sleep. I have class again at 3pm. So I get there on time and Daisy and her mom are already in the classroom. Once I show up, Violet shows up afterward. I guess the rain is keeping Jack and Peter away. So I go thru a quick reveiw with the two of them. They were learning alot and remembered alot. I was very impressed. I was having them do body parts, one would ask, "What do you have?" point to a body part and the other would respond, "I have...." It was good. But they found it tough. Especially elbow. I had reverted to putting points on the board and they were both neck and neck. We had about 1 minute left and we were about to break when I said, "Ok, last one." Daisy got it right and Violet didn't get it right so I gave Daisy a point. I turned around and Violet's water works were going off at full blast. She was crying heavily, breathing heavily, and trying to wipe the tears out. Wholly Crap! I have never received this type of response to the point system. She is sensitive so I had to take care of her. And of course, when I needed help from the Bond staff, my assistant was no where to be found. MFs. During the break, after I calmed Daisy down, I headed to the bakery and bought some cookies, enuff for all of us. That got them excited. The second lesson I had them asking each other, "May I please have..." "Which do you want?" "I want...." Next week I may introduce buying things. I was very impressed.
After class I ran into KFC to grab some quick food. Phil, a new foreign teacher was in there and I sat with him. He is from London and trained with Toby there. I'm sorry fella. Anywho. We chatted a bit and I told him that the actual teaching of students isn't all that bad and this town can be enjoyable, but what you will learn to hate and what will piss you off and turn you off in this place is BOND and they will help ruin whats left of your hopes for China...whats leftover from the people in any sort of business or government position doing that. He said that he is getting a strong negative vibe about BOND. Yup. Thats them. He is stuck in the small closet room in Bill's apartment. Bill is the 60+ year old Australian that keeps coming back here despite his hatred towards BOND. I dont understand that. If you leave, stay gone from them. He's a glutton for punishment. I also warned Phil about Bill's tendency for over-exaggeration and high stress desires. He said he kind of got that impression. I told him to get Bond to let him move into the Big House since we have had a spare room ever since I came in.
I had to run because I had to catch the shuttle bus to the ferry port at 615pm. Yumi and I got to HK no problem and the hotel, King's Hotel, was gorgeous. Its got this Art Deco feel to it and its great cheap. I want to come back here again.