1. 9/12/16
a. Wake up early to visit
Xin’s old schools. School visit!
b. Arrive just in time for
a class at Xin’s old middle school. Greeted incredibly enthusiastically by the
students. Even though they’re at one of the wealthiest schools in one of the
biggest cities in China, they don’t see many foreigners. It’s an English class.
First I get to watch the teacher correcting HW, very by-the-exercise book,
interesting. Then Xin and I get called up to the front, to introduce ourselves
and talk about American culture! I’m loving it. All these younger kids, so
excited, asking lots of questions. Free question session at the end is a bit
weird though! Several girls ask questions like, I can’t edit out the weirdness,
“How do I get the phone number of a guy in America? (at least that girl had
actually met a cute guy on a foreign exchange program), “What do you prefer,
sexy or cute?” and the related “What body shape do you like?” Jeez. Didn’t know
how to answer those. To #2 I was like “what about intelligent? Interesting?
Trustworthy?” To #1 I was like, “can’t help you, only had 1 girlfriend” which
got a good laugh.
c. At the end took a group
picture, hope to post that soon. Super awesome.
d. Then Xin’s teacher gave
us a tour. Highlight of that was the cafeteria, which had so many different
kinds of high-class foods. Super wealthy school, Xin got in cuz he had
excellent grades. The school, we learned, is half public half private. We got
to eat in the teacher’s cafeteria, which was a crazy buffet. Many thanks to
Xin’s teacher for a great tour!
e. Awesome underground
sports courts.
f. Elementary school!
g. Went through multiple
classrooms with Xin’s elementary teacher Lucy, introducing myself, having the
classroom try out basic English phrases on me. Everyone was so excited! In the
last classroom I went to, youngest grade, kids crowded around me, saying
“Hello” and “How are you” and wanting my signature (?!) on their English
notebooks. I got to “teach” them the days of the week (<Repeat after me>
Monday! <Class> Monday!). Weird thing, at beginning of class, students
came up and recited passages in English, then the teacher asked me to “judge”
them, give them a number from 90 to 100. Dodged that one long enough for other
students to weigh in, then I picked the highest of their values.
h. After the class,
students ushered me out, asking questions, following me as I walked away. My 5
minutes in the sun! :D
i. School visit was crazy
fun! I even asked about being an English teacher. Pay isn’t very good but
there’s lots of positions available if you know rudimentary Chinese and have
perfect native English. @OlderSister: Something to consider, as an alternative
to homelessness :D
j. Visited Xin’s dad at the
school where he worked, then:
k. Haircut with Xin! Got a
haircut for the tip on a haircut in the US--$2. The guy does a really good job,
even washes my hair, twice, and I feel really bad not giving him more, but you
can’t tip in China L
l. Water park adventure
after dinner! Basically we try to go to a water park, can’t get my Uber to work
(don’t want to use Xin’s uber cuz it’s hooked to his dad’s credit card), and
after a determined Leroy sprint to the light rail station, hauling across town,
getting a taxi, finally get to the water park and it’s closed. But then as
we’re driving back Xin points out Chongqing University and we stop the cab and
take a look. Xin immediately meets a computer science student, Jong Jo, who
gives us a tour of the whole campus(!) Ends up with me getting into a game of
3-on-3 hoops with Jong at the central lit hoops courts, which are teeming with
people at 9:30 at night. So much fun! Xin buys me water while I’m playing,
perhaps the most in-the-moment appreciated kind gesture I’ve received out of
all the kind gestures from everyone this trip J.
m. Dripping sweat, take
taxi all the way home for $7, shower, pack, and retire.
n. Leaving CQ early in the
morning tomorrow! This concludes these Leroy Chronicles.
