The Low Down

So what exactly is going on in Yibin?  Quite a lot actually, but I'll spare you the details.  For one, I'm now in my last semester and due to arrive back in the US of A in late July.  And although I have loved my experiences here, I think I'm ready to return.  In terms of what I will do, well I guess that is still the 1 million dollar question.  But I do have a plan, albeit a rough one.  Grad school is part of that plan, though it will be part-time and likely in something like Public Management, and applications have been sent in for various jobs in D.C.  And alongside all that will be my continuing goal of becoming a Foreign Service Officer (FSO), a dream slowly but surely becoming a reality.  Already I have passed the State department Chinese language assessment (yay!), and I have had the chance to get great advice from current FSOs and others, like me, who are still in the trial phase.

On the China front things have been going smoothly.  Teaching has gotten loads easier due to all the help and tips from our PC community.  And since my students have pretty good English I spend most of the time getting them to practice using it (a surprisingly rare practice here).  We do games, critical thinking activities and yes, on occasion random cross-cultural activities like song and dance.  Last week my students went crazy when I taught them the Macarena, proving once more that the most cliche activities in the U.S. can be golden teaching material here in China.  

I've also started a cooking club for students to come cook at my apartment.  The students get the chance to practice English and I get to learn how to make Sichuan dishes, so its a great trade off.  And several times a week I will teach younger kids from around the city.  Its a great feeling as most of them have never had the chance to meet a foreigner and are grateful for the chance to improve their English at such a young age (usually 4-10 ! yrs old).  Also, they are extremely funny so I don't mind the extra workload.

Other developments since my last entry?  Well Spring is finally here so I can finally feel my ligaments again and my father will be visiting in just 2 weeks!  In addition, I recently participated in a marathon (though only part)  in Chongqing, a major metropolitan city not far from my site. We even made it on the news while saying "we love Chongqing" for some city ads!

http://www.cqna.com.cn/na_content/2012-03/17/content_2104151.htm

 And Katie and I are still going strong!