My ticket is purchased and my tourist visa is official! I'm off August 21st! I sure hope I get there with no hassle... I'll be applying for a work visa as soon as I arrive in China. My adrenaline is racing. I'm super excited but feeling a bit unprepared because I still have so many loose ends to tie here in Toronto. I know everything will be perfect and just as it should be yet I can't help to feel a little anxious at this moment. I'm smiling like after a great night of debaucherous lovin' every time I think of what may or may not be coming into my path. 'Eeeeeeee'!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Going Abroad!
So, after much correspondence with several different schools across China I've settled with a private school located in Huizhou City called Thames school of languages which is in Guangdong Province, China. I'm just going over the last of the paper work with the principal over the next few days to seal the deal.
The school is founded by a British woman - she's quite lovely over the phone and has a killer accent to boot! I will be teaching 3-4 classes per day, 5 consecutive days a week. Each of my classes has 6-8 students in them at the primary level. The school's emphasis is on motivating students and making learning English an enjoyable experience. Thames adopts a task based approach that concentrates on communication and cooperative learning styles. I will be provided with full training for the first couple of weeks. The school is fully equipped with modern materials and resources. I'm going to have to wear a school t-shirt on a daily basis which I'm not so enthusiastic about, but I guess you can't have it all! Many of the students have been going to the school for several years and speak a high-intermediate/advance level of English. We also will have 2 hours per week of English corner where we will have the opportunity to do more creative activities with the students such as arts and crafts, visits to local places of interest, drama, cooking etc... and y'all know I'll some how incorporate photography in there! Thames also will provide me with 2 hours a week of Chinese immersion which I'm quite excited about.
Huizhou is a small city with a population of just under 3 million. Huizhou is a 2 hour bus ride from 2 larger cities in China, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Also just 3 hours south of Huizhou is Hong Kong. I've been told that the city itself is growing quite rapidly and it's becoming increasingly easy to find everything from the western culture - even cheese! Despite this, it's also managed to retain a lot of it's traditional Chinese culture which I know I will most definetly appreciate. There are several peaceful and attractive lakes within walking distance of the school. The school is located opposite a river and there are plenty of parks around. The school organizes fairly regular day trips to nearby mountains and during the summer to the beaches. There is also a really beautiful Taoist temple close to Thames and countless tea houses. Apparently the tailor is also well worth a visit for custom made clothes... I'll eventually be looking into that also.
I'm planning to arrive in Huizhou City around August 23rd/24th and I start work on August 27th.
The school is founded by a British woman - she's quite lovely over the phone and has a killer accent to boot! I will be teaching 3-4 classes per day, 5 consecutive days a week. Each of my classes has 6-8 students in them at the primary level. The school's emphasis is on motivating students and making learning English an enjoyable experience. Thames adopts a task based approach that concentrates on communication and cooperative learning styles. I will be provided with full training for the first couple of weeks. The school is fully equipped with modern materials and resources. I'm going to have to wear a school t-shirt on a daily basis which I'm not so enthusiastic about, but I guess you can't have it all! Many of the students have been going to the school for several years and speak a high-intermediate/advance level of English. We also will have 2 hours per week of English corner where we will have the opportunity to do more creative activities with the students such as arts and crafts, visits to local places of interest, drama, cooking etc... and y'all know I'll some how incorporate photography in there! Thames also will provide me with 2 hours a week of Chinese immersion which I'm quite excited about.
Huizhou is a small city with a population of just under 3 million. Huizhou is a 2 hour bus ride from 2 larger cities in China, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Also just 3 hours south of Huizhou is Hong Kong. I've been told that the city itself is growing quite rapidly and it's becoming increasingly easy to find everything from the western culture - even cheese! Despite this, it's also managed to retain a lot of it's traditional Chinese culture which I know I will most definetly appreciate. There are several peaceful and attractive lakes within walking distance of the school. The school is located opposite a river and there are plenty of parks around. The school organizes fairly regular day trips to nearby mountains and during the summer to the beaches. There is also a really beautiful Taoist temple close to Thames and countless tea houses. Apparently the tailor is also well worth a visit for custom made clothes... I'll eventually be looking into that also.
I'm planning to arrive in Huizhou City around August 23rd/24th and I start work on August 27th.
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