How on earth is it May already? So sorry I didn't get back to you guys earlier!
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| Kings Day with Lieke |
One thing that annoys me are is the frequent question from Chinese people, mostly strangers: "Oh, two girls.... You're still young, you're surely going to try for a boy now?"
Uhm.... NO!!!!! Not going to happen! I'm very happy with my two beautiful kids, thank you very much.
One cab driver was even more stupid; he has two boys (already a bit older) and he thought about trying for a girl (he didn't mind the one child policy fine). Then he told me he decided against it as having a girl would worry him too much. "If my boys go out to play and come back half an hour late I don't worry. If I imagine my girl coming back half an hour late I'd be worried sick." Mmmm...... I commented that this was not very fair but he was too caught up in cultural issues. I was happy to get out of his cab!
Lexie and Izzie are starting to play together a bit now. In this picture Lexie is protecting Izzie from a scary snake. Iz didn't get what was going on and started to cry.
In the next picture Lexie has created a bed for herself in the living room. She was super mad that it was nap time and made a big fuss before falling asleep, totally exhausted. It was time to go to the grandparents for dinner after a while, so Izzie and I tried to wake her up by playing the piano.
We played and played, even hammering the low notes (Izzie giggled her head off about those) but Lexie was KO. In the end we managed to wake her up by washing her face softly.
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| Trying to wake up sleeping beauty |
The inevitable has happened: I'm teaching English at Lexie's kindergarten. (It is her kindergarten: she runs it!) In order to do that I had to be hired by the company that the kindergarten has signed a contract with. I went in two weeks ago and told them that the principal wanted me for the job (an hour, or even two each week, ahem). After the interview I got called back: "congratulations, you've made it to the second interview". WTF, I said, in somewhat politer terms. I start next Monday so you'd better hurry up.
Some phone calls later I got called in to sign the contract.
On Monday, the first lesson, all I got was five pictures to fill half an hours class with. WTF yet again. I asked the company for the teaching materials when I signed the contract. Days passed and I got a schedule that was perfectly un-understandable and an email urging me to "be on time for each class". I got there at the arranged time which was 15 minutes before class.
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| Having fun at Hommy's |
Well, miss snooty other teacher arrived 3 minutes before class (she had another group), pushed the pics into my hands and dashed off. No music, no games..... The kindergarten teachers weren't happy either. After class we told the other teacher and the company that this sucks. She mumbled some further nonsense and ended in English (so the teachers couldn't listen in): "please be on time next class". Aaaaaaaaaaaah!!! How stupid can you be? I told the teachers and they were laughing too. I've taught 3 classes so far and from the 2nd one onwards it all went very well. One of the head teachers took Lexie into my class for a bit and I could see her thinking "what's going on here?". Hahaha, very cute :) I'm done teaching at 17.30 and Lexie eats dinner at 18.00. I get to take her home at 18.15 so that's nice.
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| Enjoying a riverside lolly |
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| Clarinet practice at AISG |
I did a few days of subbing at the American School and was lucky enough to have some time to practice in between lessons. So far I've subbed Music, English, Chinese, Social Studies, Spanish and Drama. For Music I did band, strings and choir.
It was fun to play and my embouchure miraculously survived the dress rehearsal and the concert.
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| With the (other) conductor and the director |
