The second week of school has just ended and TGIF...I guess. Last Saturday I spent the day chilling on the couch with Game of Thrones DVD's because I had a...cold?...flu?...Anyway, got well enough by Sunday that I was able to enjoy a beautiful trip to the Great Wall with friends. As you approach, the circus of stallkeepers starts, too. But the "ripoff" price for water at the Wall is STILL under $1, and everyone says, Oh, Canada, Friends!! It's cute. It was so surreal to be there. Never thought I would see it...and even walk on it...in my life. You just never know. It was way cooler than I thought it would be, actually.
School is amazing. It is hard. There is sooo much to do, but I feel renewed. I feel all the motivation and excitement of a first year teacher, but with the confidence and skills of a Ten Year Vet. ;) There is always more to learn, and with eager and insatiable students, I find myself working harder than I have for a while. Time spent on school work is a pleasure this year. It feels as fun as "playing school" did when I was little. I love fussing over my web sites and lesson plans like I have not for quite a time. The motivation the kids have is contagious and I have caught the BIBA bug. Honeymoon phase perhaps?
My Z visa and work permit can't be processed yet. My paperwork has been DENIED twice. Had to get a THIRD police check. It was empty just like the first two. No crimes. Sorry China. Now they are confused by the last names. Keebler on my university degrees and birth certificate. Sedman on other papers. Evans is mu husband and stepson. They are VERY unhappy with all these names. So I spent six hours working on renewing my tourist visa today. Colleagues had to cover classes for me and the others who had to go today. There is ONE visa office in Beijing for foreigners, for Chinese who need passports and visas, and after waiting three hours in line, right before my turn, the computers at the visa office went down. So not fun. But it is done. Whew.
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