belated teacher's day, and morning and afternoon exercises

first off, i'd like to say that i'm no longer the only teacher that didn't get a teachers day present. i mean, i'm the last, but i can deal with that. while i was writing on the board, one of my classes slipped a piece of lined paper onto my podium. on it said, "four days ago was teacher's day. happy teachers day! from 10b." so while my colleagues got multiple cards, a tea jug, and other fine things, i thought i got a half-assed piece of lined paper. as i left, though, my kids ran up and gave me this neat clay mug. it has a little compartment on the inside so you can put your tea leaves in (almost all the tea is loose here) and they won't get in your mouth. it's wicked cool. made me feel kinda bad for my mean thoughts during the lesson.

one thing that i'm getting used to here is hearing music clips
blasted at all hours of the day across from my window in my apartment there is the primary school of Chengdu Foreign Language School. in between classes, they blast the opening bars of the william tell overture. in the morning, before school, they'll often. play nice classical music, that flows in my window and serenades me in my bed. it reminds me of my mother waking me up with her practicing the piano. at about 10 in the morning though, those speakers are turned into a PA system, and the whole school practices counting, or marching, or something. all brightly dressed, they'll stand in rows, and count up to eight, sometimes in groups, sometimes all together, always very loudly. do not try to sleep in on a weekday.

the high school has the same thing. they stand in line and do exercises, but it does not seem to be with the same reckless abandon as the primary schoolers. they look like bored teenagers who have been requested at a line dancing ceremony in the middle of the day...which...i guess...they are. i don't know what the speaker says to the high schoolers, but i'm very interested to find out. come on chinese, come on!