first day

it was a good first day. the opening ceremony where all the students laugh at--no, no, i mean--greet the foreign teachers was postponed due to rain. that means i got up at 7 for nothing. ahhh well. but my 3 classes that i've had of 17 are good. they seemed interested, motivated, and engaged. the difference between engaged and interested, you ask? i answer, poetic license is everything. they seemed to understand well what i was saying, and were impressed when i said i was trying to learn chinese. a few asked questions of a political nature, such as "how do you feel about the institution of education in china?" I think mostly they were wondering how much homework americans had to do. I also skirted issues of taiwan, one child policy, and whether american women or chinese women were more attractive (both, of course). they asked about food and basketball (Steve Nash asked who my favorite player was), and rubbed it in my face that USA had lost in the FIBA. I then rubbed it their face that I hate basketball. stupid ankle. all in all it was a productive day, and i think i'm getting the hang of this stuff. 1 week down, many more to go.