they call me Teacher.

Saturday and Sunday were, without a doubt, the most intense and draining and overwhelming days of my life. Well, of the last few years, at least.
We've pretty much been thrown in at the deep end. The training we were promised this week hasn't happened; apparently we'll go to Erdos next week for it. So: last weekend it was sink or swim. Here's your schedule, there's a book, and oh, your class starts in five minutes.
We each have between six and eight hours of classes each day on Saturday and Sunday. I'm teaching kids as young as four and adults in their twenties, with mostly 8-12-year-olds in between. The kids are pretty entertaining; either incredibly hyperactive and eager to learn, or shy and withdrawn. The parents that follow them to their classroom doors often don't speak any English at all. God knows what they think of these great clumsy waiguorens that lead their children in rounds of Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.
Anyway, I survived the weekend. I was almost catatonic with fear on Saturday morning; I didn't feel ready at all. But, apart from one painfully slow and awkward class in which the Chinese teacher pretty much ignored me (they're supposed to be available to help with translation and instruction), the weekend went ... okay. Sure, there were a few crap moments, but there were lots of good moments as well. Seeing the kids smiling and laughing is a fantastic feeling, even if it meant leaping around the classroom like a kangaroo on crack cocaine.

Outside of school has been no less hectic. We've undertaken the very serious task of sampling as many restaurants and bars as our wallets can handle; in most cases, more than our brain cells can handle. Yesterday was a very slow day... we'd had dinner the night before at a sushi restaurant (where the sake was as excellent as the sashimi and shrimp) and then headed out to a few clubs. Many beers and vodkas and rounds of drinking games later, it was 2.30am and we were chewing our way through McDonald's burgers. Yes, Katie ate McDonalds. And it was disgusting. How does anybody stomach it??

Otherwise, we've been touring Hohhot on foot, exploring the endless streets and cafes and vast, opulent shopping malls. There's always something to eat, something to drink, something to point at and exclaim, "What the hell is THAT?" (shrink-wrapped chicken's feet, deep-fried pig's head, moisturiser called 'Snake Oil Sod').

I still have so much to think about, write about; I'm only just getting a handle on everything that's happened in the last few weeks. Like, going through a bunch of medical tests in a Chinese hospital (required for the medical certificate), our 'welcome party' banquet with all the teaching staff, my getting run over by a motorbike, buying hair straighteners for the equivalent of $NZ5.00, eating at street stalls, drinking baijiu (Chinese rice alcohol), trying to order non-meat dishes at restaurants with our very limited vocabulary...

I guess I'll have to cover each experience when time (and motivation) allows. For my own record, at least; I'm not bothered if nobody reads this.

My first one-on-one lesson tomorrow morning. A clear head required.