November update from China!

Greetings from China!

Winter has definitely fallen on Beijing. Snow has fallen several times in the past two weeks and factor in the wind chill, its like I'm back in New Jersey, but instead of driving, I'm taking public transportation. Good thing I finally got me a warm winter jacket. That knock off North Face fleece wasn't quite doing the job.

So we are currently in the middle of the third session. Dorothy and I are co-teaching the highest level class and we have 38 students. At first, this class overall wasn't as astute as students from past sessions, but they are slowly, but surely coming out of their shells and we are getting to know better.

Before the third session began on November 9th, we had a week off. At the conclusion of the second session, we had a staff Halloween party (I was Superman). During the break, we stayed local in Beijing and went to the Beijing Zoo (you can't come to China and not see Panda bears). We also went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch (Dorothy is a big fan of the Hard Rock Cafe). However, in China you don't have to leave gratuity, but at the Hard Rock Cafe, they charged a 15% gratuity just like in the U.S. Its been over 3 months since I paid gratuity at a restaurant in the U.S., so this was not a good feeling! I tell ya, its gonna be a huge adjustment when I come home in July.

We also got to see the inside of the Bird's Nest stadium. One of my students from the second session invited me and Dorothy to go tour the inside of the Bird's Nest stadium because her brother is a police officer and was able to get us in. It was quite a sight to see the inside of the Bird's Nest. This place is huge as it holds over 100,000 people. I can only imagine what a spectacle it was with all those people there during the Olympics last summer.

I've added some new photos to my photo webpage which includes my class from the second session, the staff Halloween party, the interior of the Bird's Nest, the Beijing Zoo and the Hard Rock Cafe. Just click on the link to see the photos: http://july212000.shutterfly.com/2499?size=All&startIndex=0

Anyways I know its been a while since I sent my last update. During the session, classes have been keeping me busy, but I'll try to send updates and photos more often if my schedule allows.

As we approach Thanksgiving, please remember to eat a little extra turkey for me. Wow, I'm so gonna miss a traditional Thanksgiving dinner on November 26th. Hope you're all doing well back home. Take care, miss ya lots!


Timothy Wong