Week 3:  University Life

I'm settling in with my classes and love being back in the classroom teaching.  My students are wonderful and I find them very energizing.  They are starting to be more interactive in class discussions and are very bright and eager to learn.  My two sections of writing I also see for Lexicology so I feel the most connected to these students.  They wrote about their names and how they got their name, what their name means etc.  Their essays were so interesting and full of emotion. I could feel the great respect and love they have for their families and the importance of their name.  It's rare to have 2 students with the same given name because each is unique and full of meaning and best wishes from their parents.  Most of my students use an "English" name in class and some are very interesting ... "R, Cabbage, Echo, Lavender, Ice Ring, Chitty, Lazy, QQ, KaKa..."  They often choose a name from a movie or book they have read or an English word they think would be fun.  For example, R chose his name because he thought it would stand out and it would be easy for everyone to remember.  He has a great sense of humor and is fun in class so "R" actually suites him quite well.

Students have very similar interests to US college students but some of them have class 7 days a week.  I work with a couple of bilingual classes and most of them are majoring in English and Russian.  Most of my students do not have a drivers license, they all live on campus, most have a girlfriend or boyfriend, most like movies and music, social networks, video games, and basketball.  None of my students have ever had a job.  They find it interesting that many US students have had jobs since high school.

The campus has a lot of trees and I walk down several streets that are lined on both sides with trees.  Our class building is for "International Studies" and includes the English department and a new American Exchange Program.  From my apartment to class is about a 30 minute brisk walk ... refreshing except in the pouring rain.  I need rain boots but my feet are too big :-)  I may have to buy a pair of boy's rain boots to keep my feet dry and warm.   So far I've just worn sandals but today my  feet got cold so I need a plan B.

It's been mostly beautiful weather with the evenings cooling down and I get a nice breeze through my windows.  The elementary school next door has also begun so it's fun to hear the chatter of kids and I keep hearing the same songs over and over.  I don't know the words but I can definitely sing the melody :-)  Some other teachers came to my house this morning for breakfast and then we walked over to the park.  As usual, the park was full of activity.  Tonight I am meeting some other BYU teachers for dinner and then we have a church activity and a District Conference.  It's fun getting together with the other Americans in our group and compare our experiences.   I hope you are all off to a great start of a new school year.  I think of you often.

 

Laundry Day in the Dorm

Classroom

 

Children at the Park ... Parents often want you to take their picture.

Freshman Military Training in the Park

He loved an audience

Friends at Xingqinggong Park