Just wrapping up

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Gao Jing is gone. She got a job teaching at a middle school near her home town. She left this morning. As such She will not be able to go to Shanghai to see me off. I am still expecting He Zhi Qing to be able to go. She is here studying as I write this. She is preparing for her entrance exam to the Graduate school in Shanghai and has nowhere, heated, to study.

I can not help but feel that the lack of comfort reduces their marks for the winter tests. It is known that if a student fails the entrance exam in the winter they will do better in the spring. It seems that someone would realize what is happening and heat the room that they take the exam in.

But, then, they really do feel that heat is bad in the winter. I go past apartments when it is below freezing and the windows and doors are open. Some students came over two days ago and noticed that my apartment was warm and immediately set to opening the doors and were going for the windows when I stopped them... “But, it is not safe to have your doors cosed when your flat is warm.” This comes from having heat that is provided by burning a chunk of coal in the middle of the room.

I was up in my classroom over the weekend removing my posters ( I had stuff all over the walls emphasizing that it was an English classroom). Most of them were free from the EPA and the Maryland department of tourism. Gao Jing took the Cursive guide. The cursive went over well and I had other students (students who were not in my classes) asking what time I did the cursive modules so that they could sit in on them. Those of you who have ever seen my cursive probably find this one a bit funny.

He Zhi Qing took the “gifts of the Romans” poster. She just liked the way it looked. Another student took the work map provided by National Geographic and the World Heritage Foundation.

What was left was taken to the office. I have no idea what they will do with them, I expect them to put them up in the office seeing as they do not have assigned classrooms. That was an oddity that the foreign teachers requested.

They also sent a student to came and pick up the English language books that I am leaving behind. The books that are currently in circulation should end up in the main library. That is what I told the students that have them to do with them.

We packed up the things that were in, and around, my desk and carried them back to my flat. Many, like the gifts, I will send back to the states.

Dez is also leaving (well, as I write this, he has already left). We were asked to attend a hastily assembled English club meeting to say good bye. It surprised both of us how many students were there.