Happy English, Happy Life

Firstly, apologies it’s been a while between blogs. Life is getting hectic now that the English festival has started!

English festival spans 4 weeks and it involves a lot of performances – including some from my classes. This means teaching the planned lessons and helping prepare their plays and songs. I’ve discovered that the children are very good at remembering words, even if they don’t know what they mean!

Getting funky with some fruity kids!

We had the opening ceremony on Monday and it was a less extreme version of the sports day. However this time, as we’re the English teachers, we had to get up and lead a performance. Needless to say I was less than thrilled about our mediocre singing. We made up some lyrics to the tune of the Addams Family (and thus, The Foreign Family). Thankfully our audience couldn’t really understand it! We also had to run through the audience when the Head of English said our name. It was a struggle to get through for all the children trying to high five us. I think it’s the closest I’ll be to feeling like a rockstar.

Then the most magical moment – we lead the whole school in the Agadoo! In all my years of attending parties and dancing to this song, I never thought I’d witness 1800 Chinese people dance to this song. It was made even better by some children dressed as fruit who joined us on stage (there may be a video - you'll have to wait!)

They also have a slogan and a 'rap'. 'Happy English, Happy Life' is what they sing back and forth to each other. I tried to do it with one of my students and kept getting it wrong (you'd think with only 4 words and it being in English it wouldn't be hard!)

Anyway, I expect the next four weeks to be stressful, tiring and awesome!

Freaky food

I like the food out here and generally I’ve been eating what we would consider ‘normal’ Chinese food. I have also frequented some of the western places like KFC/Burger King but only because they have pictures and its easy to order!

Pigs feet...

The canteen at the school has some interesting meals. As you can see I have been served some parts of the animals that we would never dream of consuming. But here in China, it’s all about not wasting any part of the animal.

I’ve also tried lobster and pigeon since being here. Not so strange but as I’d never had them I thought I should add them to the list of my experiences.

Bottom left is chicken kidney.

As weird as these foods are, I should add that none of these made me sick. That’s not to say that I haven’t eaten things that have caused some upset. Ironically, anytime I have been a little ill it’s been down to something so ordinary (like eggs!). It;s nothing to worry about, it hasn’t happened often and I kind of expected it out here! I also have very limited cooking facilities (a microwave and an electric hob) so haven’t been able to cook for myself. Kind of looking forward to making my own meals when I’m back home.

Lost in translation

No it is not.

I understand minions better.

Here in China, there’s an obsession with t-shirts that have English writing on them (and not just clothing). I just wish they would get someone to check them before printing. The strange translation is mostly down to the way the Chinese say things. We might say something like, ‘are you going to have lunch?’ but the way they say it translates as ‘you no eat?’. So it’s understandable there’s some confusion. I just find it highly amusing that there are some highly in appropriate words printed on their clothes.

And just a little self-humiliation, I tried to order duck pancakes at a food festival. I ended up with a whole duck. So I bought ice cream to make me feel better and I gave the duck to Daisy.

Food festival.

That’s all for this time. Six weeks today I’ll be heading off to Hong Kong,  six and a half I’ll be on a plane home. I’m excited to have some fun in HK and to go home, but I know I’m going to miss this place so much. So if I don’t post much over the next few weeks, it’s because I’m busy enjoying every last minute!

Hannah

Ps. This song follows me everywhere. I heard it in Harbin, I hear it in the local mall and every morning at the school. At first it was horrible. But now I kind of like it. So expect to be annoyed by it a lot when I return.