Bob Dylan!

hello fellow wei guo rens!
thought I'd write a quick blog before bed.

Time is moving quickly now. The weeks seem to pass faster than the beginning of the year. I can't believe i've been here 8 months already. All the day to day things aren't as exciting and new anymore as i'm just so used to being here. This is part of the reason why my blog has been lacking lately, I just don't see that many things anymore that really shock me. Besides the concert I went to on the weekend the most exciting thing to happen around here has been the Starbucks and Walmart opening up the street. Finally civilization around my area! (as much as I HATE those two companies.) Other than that I've mostly gotten used to the crazyness of China and most things come with a "well that's not surprising."

Some things still really bug me often though. I was up most of the night the other night thinking of ways to help some of my students situations. I'm sick of coming to class with another one of my top students with black eyes, fat lips or bruises on their faces. Back home a teacher has the power of calling child services or even talking to the parent directly. Unfortunately for me here I have neither and I really feel helpless sometimes. What really bothers me is it's usually my top students, the ones that get almost 100% on everything, actively participate in class and come up to talk to me all the time. I don't understand how their parents are so hard on them? One would wonder though, if their grades are so high because they are terrified to bring home anything sub par. Fear may be raising their grades, but at what cost? I remember teaching a class about fears awhile ago and a majority of them feared their fathers above everything. Are these the goals of a "family oriented" culture such as the Chinese? Who knows. But that's just the thing. That's the culture here and as many things as I could think of doing, I really can't change the situation. What I can try to do is give the kids a teacher or parent-like figure who teaches them with compassion and friendship. When they make mistakes on tests or in class I personally sit beside them and talk nicely to them and offer any help I can. I try to make my classes fun. Something that's a nice relief from the long 8 hours of school they have a day. This is something a teacher can always control. But I still sometimes wish I could help them out more. If anyone has any ideas feel free to suggest them.

On a happier note on the weekend I went with a bunch of other teachers to Shanghai to see Bob Dylan. I really had a great weekend. The concert itself was pretty historic. It was Bob Dylans first time playing in China in his entire career. What was really hilarious was watching chinese peoples reaction to this crazy, slurring man on stage. They probably heard some big western artist was coming to town and bought tickets. If anyone has been to a Bob Dylan concert in the last 10 years you know what i'm talking about. It really isn't 1960's Bob, that most people know. Alot of the songs you won't realize are actually ones you know until a few minutes in. He doesn't "sing" anymore in any sense of the word. More of a growl or just talking most of the time. Chinese people thought he was out of his mind. I thought it was fantastic. It was really a treat to see Bob Dylan, probably the most influential songwriter in history, right in front of you. And I can say I saw him in China.

The students have had exams all week so it's been kind of laid back for me. I find myself with a lot of free time here. A few weeks ago I spent most of that time doing nothing. I've now watched just about every movie i've ever wanted to see. But now I've decided to use all this free time wisely to improve on some things as well as get in better shape. I started making my bed and keeping my apartment more clean, I started running for the first time in my life, I quit smoking, I'm doing an hour of chinese every second night now and slowly, very slowly getting back into my songwriting. I also cut all my hair off, this city is going to get VERY hot soon and the shag wasn't going to cut it. My students barely recognized me when I walked in the classroom on Monday. They called me Corey 2.0.
All in all, things are going well over here, despite me having to miss both an election AND playoffs this year. I'm not in the mood for a Stephen Harper rant right now and I won't even mention the Leafs. And no matter how much I'm still enjoying it here I still miss home and everyone there everyday. I'm really excited to come home in a few months. But soon i must make the big decision as to wether I will come back and do a second year here.
But that is for another blog.

miss you all,
Corey