Teaching, Singing, Climbing

Model school starts tomorrow!! My class has fifteen students: nine boys and six girls. I've been told that this is pretty unusual for English classes in China and that at my final site my classes will have about 90% female students. Since all of my students are recent high school graduates, the first week I'm doing "College Life" and basically pretending that they've all moved to America to attend college. We'll have different activities designed around this, such as doing housing interviews (What type of roommate do you want? Do you want to live on-campus or off?) and selecting majors and classes. I think this will be a pretty comfortable theme for them and get them talking.

Any suggestions for second and third week themes? Please?

As a break from regular language class on Friday, all of our laoshis (teachers) got together and taught us how to sing a traditional Tibetan folk song called Kangding Qingge. Tibetan folk music is my new favorite thing. :)

Our laoshis in action

To recover from our week of lesson-planning and intense Chinese study, yesterday two other volunteers and I went to a rock-climbing bar downtown where you can simultaneously drink and climb a rockwall (sans-harness). I know it sounds like a bad idea, but believe me, it was awesome. Plus, we got to meet the #1 rock climber in China who just happened to be there practicing.

Climbing in khakis like a pro

#1 Rock Climber in China and his devoted fans

That's all for now, dear friends! Write me!