This week was pretty tough and what with becoming recording artists and all we didn't get that much time off. We did manage to spend some time getting hold of some english language books that we gave as presents, Lust for Life for one of my students, A *shudder* justin beiber book for Cady, and the lastest Harry Potter for Rabbit, Wendy (now know as crazy) and Lyn, or possibly lin, or ling, but who has now asked to change her name to Y4! and shes not the crazy one!
Saturday morning I got up and went to my Chinese lesson early and spent 3 hours or so with Elaine trying to get some more chinese in and talking about England and life, she is great and we have fun in the lessons so it doesn't matter if half the time was us chatting in English!
Chris said in passing that a woman that works for the school was quite pretty so I am learning how to flirt with her on his behalf, how to say my friend thinks you are cute in chinese, hahaha.
After my lesson I met up with Chris and we went to get some food in the place over the road, unfortunately it was half past 12 by the time we arrived and so there was not much left, and some of what was tasted a bit dodgy. Learning no lessons at all from Chris's sickness last weekend we ate it anyway and felt a bit funny for a few hours afterwards, no lasting effects though this time, thank god!
Oceane, one of my students, texted me to ask if i wanted to see a show on Saturday evening, I accepted without really asking what it is and made plans to meet up later.
After eating we met Rabbit Crazy and Y4 outside the school and chatted for half an hour or so, it came up that we had a present for them and also that Rabbit was going to her drawing class in town. I managed to get us an invitation to see the studio she takes classes in for later that afternoon. I grabbed a quick nap and then Crazy and Y4 came to pick us up from our house. We gave them the Harry Potter book to much screaming and happiness which was cool.
We got a taxi together into town and went down a backstreet to a small art studio, opposite a massive internet cafe full of expensive computers with Chinese students playing online games, a massive market over here at the moment!
In the studio we saw Rabbit's paintings, of an Apple and a great picture of a man's face and then saw some of the other artists work, we also got our photo taken by the teacher, a photo of him with some foreigners will probably be up with all the others later on! Took a few pictures of their artwork in the studio too.
Crazy and Y4 then went to put their washing on and left us with rabbit, we walked around town a bit and looked in a few small shops while waiting for them, when they had finished it was time for us to go back to the school to meet Oceane to go to see a show at a nearby school to ours.
When we mentioned that we were going to see this show the the students we were with suddenly decided they wanted to go too and so we grabbed a taxi to the school, but not our school, directly to the school the show was in! I made some quick calls and managed to arrange to meet my students outside the other school. It turns out it was the school that the students who came to the show in our school last week came from, this school also doesn't have any foreign teachers!
As I was making my calls the girls decided to play a joke on me and ran off with Chris, I walked after them for a bit before meeting some other students and giving up the chase, they went for a meal and I waited talking with my students. After a while Oceane arrived with her friend tequila and I went in with them, Chris and the other students followed in afterwards and we all met inside.
It turns out that this school is a private school with a much higher fee (ours is £500 a term, a relative bargain) and this was very apparent in their stage and their setup, many more chairs and amazing big stage with big light rigs on three sides and a thousand or so chairs in front, most of these chairs were full of students but since we were only hoping to slip in unnoticed to this mother's day celebration and stand in secret at the back. Unfortunately a few students noticed us and so started taking subtle pictures on their phones, before long a student asked for a photo with me (Chris cleverly kept his head down) and then more students joined in with group photos and much laughing and before I knew what was happening I was surrounded by 30 or so students asking me questions, asking for my phone number, where I'm from etc etc etc. It was pretty funny though.
After a while Oceane rushed into the crowd and grabbed me and as I made my excuses to leave the told me that the leader of the school had found out that we were here and hiding at the back and had found us some seats. As Oceane took us more and more forward until we eventually arrived right at the front, apparently as soon as he found out about us he kicked 5 people out of their seats for us and our 'interpreters' (students). There was us and then right in front a table, and then the front of the stage, and behind us more than 1500 students, madness!
We watched the performances and they were very good, helped by the much more professional sound/lighting setup and the amazing wooden schooner backdrop. Frank, one of my students, was singing a song again and we watched that and were very impressed, and then some of my other students formed a girl group and all danced together doing some very exotic dance moves. There was also a good rendition of a Michael Jackson song and a kung fu dance acrobatics show in military fatigues, with students dancing to Living on a Prayer, the techno dance remix! Crazy!
In between every 5 or so acts there was a ceremony were 50 or so students lined up and were given an award and an envelope with some money in for the students, if students do bad they get fined, if they do well they are rewarded, but it is strange to see it all done in actual money, and so openly in front of the other students. As I was sat in the very front during these 5 minute presentations I amused myself by making eye contact with one or more students receiving an award just when they noticed foreigners and then trying to keep their attention and have some fun by making them laugh. I managed to make a few smile and one chuckle but then I found a short cute girl with a bob haircut and managed to make her continually laugh through the presentation, result!
As the evening drew into the night and with an early start the next morning we made our excuses around 11, but not before Chris got some good pictures!
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