School started and Slow Down!!!

Well, school has started again. All of the students are back and the shops along the street are open again. Of course, the renovations that are currently underway along the street are not finished so it is even more haphazard chaos than it was last year and the traffic is back up to school year intensities and the street is still torn up as the city continues with its beautification project.

Much to my surprise, I have been assigned freshman English, Oral English. One good thing about this class is that it has a book. The bad thing is that not all of my students will be English majors. This means that the level of both competency and expectations will be reduced from last year.

That means that I will be spending a lot less time in class preparation than I spent last year as I do not need to completely develop every bit of activity that occurs in the classroom. The book is a book of stock dialogues. This will be easy for the students as the Chinese students are the best in the world. Their entire educational system is built around memorizing and repeating exactly; unfortunately, understanding what was memorized is not necessary to do well.

I am not actually in class yet as the freshman will not arrive on campus for two more weeks. As with last year, the freshman do not start at the same time as the other students; however, I am officially "on the clock."

After the students arrive they will then begin their military training. When that is completed they will begin class. This means that I have about another month before I start

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I just got the strangest message from Gao Jing. Technically, Gao Jing is not one of my students, at this point, she is now a junior and is not in any of my classes. For that matter, the way her schedule currently looks, she has no foreign teacher this year at all.

Telling about this message requires a bit of background. After Zeneta returned I stopped going on the evening fitness rides with the group because she wants to be eating dinner right when they want to be out riding.

I want to be out riding because it is important to remain active for reasons of fitness, and, I enjoy it. So, I have been going alone. I also make my loop in the opposite direction as the bike club rides. There are three reasons for this. First, it just feels like a better direction to start in from where I am living. Second, it gets the big hills out near the beginning and feels more fun. Third, because it is the opposite direction as the club rides I have a chance of seeing some of them as I am on my ride.

This evening I passed about two small packs of people from the club as I was riding and I stopped by the shop, in order to have a small repair made. My dork disk had broken. They just removed it, which was fine with me. In addition they talked to me about an upcoming backpacking trip.

Then, about nine thirty tonight I got a message from Gao Jing. The messages are text messages which accounts for much of the strange grammar. Gao Jing told me, "I just received a call from Mr. Qi (the bicycle shop owner) he asked me to tell you that you ride too fast and it is too dangerous. They are worried about very much. So please slow down and release their worry when you go riding with them next time. He also told me that the camping time hasn't been fixed."

Of course I ride fast! If I wanted to ride slow I'd… well, I'd ride slow! I also do not want them to feel like I am holding them up, and I am not riding in front (for one thing, I seldom know the way to where we are going). I am about third in the pack. I replied to Gao Jing, "What! I am not in front! I am trying to keep up with them so they won't feel that I am slowing them down."

Gao Jing's reply was, "But I do not know why he called me and just told me that especially."

Well, the reason that he called Jing was, of course, my number, that he has, is her number. We can only just barely understand each other in person; so, for him to call me directly would be a waste of time. I think that it just sunk in to him that I am out "riding by myself." They do tend to ride, and do pretty much everything, in groups. I think while I was having the repair done he looked at my trip time and distance on the bike computer and realized my route (keep in mind, in China, the word privacy has only negative connotations). It is also probable that some of the club members called him (where I saw the club members, the last couple of days, have been fast stretches).

I am not upset; in fact I find it somewhat funny. At least, when the head of the local bicycle racing club calls to tell me to slow down, that I am too reckless, I am secure that the city racing club stickers on my bike are earned.