Big Damn Project

So I guess this is it. I’m officially laying down my cards in China and heading home. Or, I should say, I laid down my cards, and I’ve started traveling. I spent last night in Kowloon, in the New Garden Hostel, which is running a special it seems: less than $30 US for a single [...]

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“Someone, here in China, is counterfeiting one yuan notes and coins. That is to say, someone is counterfeiting coins worth 12 cents.” This was my away message for one night. And, indeed, someone here is counterfeiting one yuan notes and coins. Sometimes these fakes are great, and only someone in the know can tell, usually [...]

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I mentioned in my last post that the May Holiday was coming up. I’m sitting at the tail end of it now, just waiting for reality to come back and smack me in the fact. I think, in this case, reality is an overly excited 6th grader. I made it down to Hong Kong for [...]

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A week from today is the beginning of the May Day holiday, seven days of honoring the homeland and workers, and, if the kids are like me when I was a kid, playing lots of video games and sleeping in. Seven days, which is a great break for anyone, May Day is the closest thing [...]

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Forgive me, blog, but it has been over 10 days since my last post. I’ve suddenly found myself very busy, working five days a week again, up to five classes a day (on Friday, none the less). I started at my own school last week, and it’s been a tiring experience. I must confess, blog, [...]

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I think I’ve said this before, but the biggest problem with teaching kids in China is the structure of the school. Not the physical foundations of the schools, although sometimes they confuse me. No, I mean, the way the schools teach. It works like this: First, and most importantly, the schools teach to an exam, [...]

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