DoReMi

Being a foreign teacher, it is an unwritten rule that I'm a walking advertisement for the school. From time to time, I have to subject myself to complete and utter humiliation through "performances by the foreigner." Think of a freak show. Yup, that's what I do. On the 26th of June, my students I were tasked to sing "Do Re Mi" (Doe a deer a female deer. Ray, a drop of golden sun...) from "The Sound of Music" in front of a crowd that had gathered... I don't even know where that was. Anyway, here are the pictures to document our embarrassment.

My Adorable Kids

I know I'm not supposed to play favorites, but this is my favorite class. And because I know I'll miss them so much, I took these pics.

HSK Celebration

Because I passed the HSK, I decided to invite a few friends to dinner and celebrate. After dinner, we decided to go to a KTV. I don't know what exactly happened but I ended up not paying for anything.

Breakfast with Edward

Just before class, Edward and I looked for a place where we can have breakfast. We found a tiny place (just the space you need to put a table and some chairs and a small cooking area) inside a compound. We were so full for less than 5RMB.

fear of the unknown

Tomorrow is the last day of my contract. It also marks my 11th month in China. It's been barely a year but I feel so much older. I think I've grown up in more ways than I ever expected myself capable of.

In a week's time, I'll be on my way to yet another journey. There's a part of me that is deathly scared of going out there trying to find another job. I have no idea what I'll find

This is familiar. This is safe. This is comfortable. Yet I know that if I stay I'll forever be thinking of all the other places that I wasn't able to experience living in. I have to go. There is really no choice but to go.

HSK Result

The suspense is over. After almost two months of biting my nails, I finally got my result of the HSK. While I was searching for it on the net, I was silently praying, "Let me pass. Let me pass. Please let me pass". Nothing could be more humiliating than failing a test. Of course that's not true but that was what I was thinking while filling in the information form once I found the site. When I finally saw that I passed, my first thought was, "I only got Level 3?" Because I took the Elementary-Intermediate Exam, Level 3 is the lowest passing level. Level 3 is the highest in the Basic test. I looked at the breakdown of my grade:

Listening Comprehension 53
Grammar 46
Reading Comprehension 45
Cloze 39
Total Score 184

But what really makes me want to pull my hair is that Level 3 is from 152-188. I was this close, this close! to Level 4! Aaaaargh!

For more information on the grading system and the HSK
Elementary-Intermediate Exam, click here: http://www.hsk.org.cn/english/intro_hsk2.aspx

Of course people around me are comforting me by telling me that I already did well as I had only been in China for less than a year. But still! This close! *sniffles.

Conversation with Andy over the phone last night:
A: Hello?

JC: Hello.

A: Ni gang gang da dian hua ma? (Did you just call?)

JC: Shi. (Yes.)

A: Wo zai toilet. (I was in the toilet.)

JC: Oh. Ok. Wo zhi dao wo hanyu shuiping kaoshi de result le. (I already know my Chinese Proficiency Exam result.)

A: (said something that probably means "result")

JC: Wo passed. Dan shi bu gao. (I passed but not that high.)

A: (said something that means "passing is already good")

JC: (whined)

A: (said something more of the same thing.)

JC: (whined some more)

Conversation eventually turned to other things. Fortunately for him.

BTW, this is my first entry using my new toy. Just thought I'd mention that. And because my Windows and MSOffice are in English, I can no longer type Chinese characters. Can never have everything, can we?

Sweet Smell of Solitude

I moved again. Two weeks before my contract with the school ends, the landlord decides that he wants to live in his apartment. Again, I had to pack my things and scurry back where I started from: the old house. I must say I have become good at packing. I've gotten quite efficient. Less than a 24-hour notice and I was out of the house and settling into the old/new one. Not to mention that while I was packing, I was also following step by step instructions on copying and installing MSOffice from Sachin. And believe me, that was not easy.

Coming back to this house feels oddly like coming back home. I remember telling Lynn that it reminds me of being away on vacation for a few weeks and then finally getting home. The smell, the sound, the sight, everything just seems so familiar and well, homey. Even random voices from the street sound like something I didn't realize was missing until I heard them again. It's almost frightening, knowing that I'll be leaving in a few weeks.

Just as I'd always lived in this house alone (except for a few weeks when my little sister stayed with me to practice her English), I'm once again roommateless. Sigh of relief here. Much as I was entertained by F's company, nothing compares to waking up to my own mess and getting to use the bathroom (and computer!) whenever I want. This smell that I find so familiar might be the smell of solitude.

So now I'm ticking the days before the 26th. I'm giving myself a week or two after that to rest, meet up with friends that I might never see again, and psych myself up for another journey, both physically and figuratively. I can sense a nostalgic entry coming up very soon. Not yet though. In the meantime, I still have classes to teach.