Intro: Well spring term has officially begun and I can see the end barreling nearer. We only have a 12 week semester before exams, so everything is busy already
Teaching in the Spring: Restarting school after a 6 week break in March is strange. I have essentially become Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The students know the rules, and when they break them I am so much stricter. At the same time, if the class behaves, I play more games and adjust the activities to match the class's preferences much faster.
We recently had a lesson on modal verbs, and so I broke out the game Simon Says. I owe Mr. Morgan an apology for all those years I bemoaned his sadistic glee at a Spring Day game of MR. Morgan Says. Being Simon is the greatest feeling in the world. The kids had never played before and loved it. Every class begs to play it now. It is so fun, works so well, and actually is very helpful for the kids learning Must vs. Mustn't, all around a win win!
Unfortunately, I can't just play Simon Says all day, and because of the shortened term I am already trying to write the final exam. But, my class schedule has changed three times in two weeks, and the entire structure of the school day has changed from last semester, and the semester structure is also weird, so planning in advance is virtually impossible. Alas, we persist.
Tian Jin This weekend, I hopped a train to Tian Jin to see the TianJin Eye. Essentially, they have a giant ferris wheel on a bridge crossing a river. The weekend was incredible and I am in love with that city. Less than an hour from Beijing, TianJin was historically considered Beijing's Port city, and it has a miniature version of the Shanghai Bund. Lots of the classical architecture from different European settlements still exists, and the German brewing culture still permeates areas of the city. But, it also felt like a young art city. It was full of cafes and art students wearing those weirdly fashionable outfits that you only see outside arts universities. The city clearly has a premier arts institute, but that energy also permeates the streets.
photos from the China House or Porcelain House
Additionally, the river cutting through the area provided a vibrant source of energy and culture in a massive public space. There are wide walkways along essentially the whole river, and people engaging in activity along the whole thing. On Saturday, I went to the famous Chinese Porcelain house in the morning, and then took a long walk along the water. On the walk, I was handed a tennis ball and racket while under a bridge, played soccer with a group of old men, passed a volleyball with a young boy, watched a bunch of elders have a diving competition into the river, saw many Jianzi (hockey sack kind of) circles, and watched a few riverside impromptu concerts. In the evening the waterline lit up with music and dancing, and the buildings had the (now)standard Chinese neon light shows going.
Riverfront Activities
Tian Jin Eye Night and Day
Also! They had a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant and an amazing western-style cafe with pesto pasta and real lemonade that was to die for. All in all, I had an amazingly chill weekend exploring the parts of the city I wanted to explore but mostly just doing a typical Tian Jin weekend!
Spring is Here Finally! Spring is finally here and the weather is lovely. The flowers are blooming and everyone seems to be outside all the time! As I plan my travel for the rest of the term, weather and spring opportunities will absolutely be key!
