Mid-Autumn Festival

We have a long weekend this weekend today b/c of Mid-Autumn Festival. It is kind of like our Thanksgiving back home. The end of the harvest season is celebrated. Celebrations are plentiful and the Chinese typically celebrate by eating these things called mooncakes . I have been warned about these things-but i received two very nice packages of mooncakes from a couple of my students. We sent one box home with one of our ayi's and the other one is at school. I will have to try at least one to say that i have tried one. I guess you bite into them and you never know what you are biting into!
You can definitely tell it is the end of harvest season around here. Our school is on the outskirts of the city--and their are many cornfields on the north and west sides. The corn is combined and then dumped on the side of the road in piles (literally the sides-so cars have to go around!). The Chinese People from the local villages husk the corn and then flatten it out to dry. In a few days they will take all the kernals off and let the kernals dry on th pavement. Quite interesting. I took quite a few pictures on my way to the volleyball game today.....i will post them tomorrow. Riley took the camera with him tonight to wheelchair rugby. Quite a site seeing cars going in both directions trying to drive around the corn and then bikes and people going around it as well......may be a dangerous few days/weeks riding to and from school? we will see.
We won both volleyball games today......i love the girls. Pretty low pressure and commitment compared to coaching in the states. The girls are great though! We practice mon and fri for 2 hours and wed for an hour. it is only for an hour b/c all teachers HAVE TO Attend a weekly staff meeting. Our games are Mon Fri (which means we don't practice) and a few saturdays. In 3 weekends we fly to Hong Kong for the China Cup...should be fun. it is a fri-sun trip and it actually falls the same week as our 8th grade overnight camping trip to the Great Wall. So i will be gone from Thurs-Sun.....Daddy Day-Care will be in full swing! But after that i only have one more week and i am done. in hindsite probablynot the smartest thing coaching the first season here with so much other stuff goin on being new and everything.....but i am enjoying it.
Many of you have asked about our students...i will have to put pictures on of my class. Kids from all around the world. I have 4 different classes of about 22 students-i would say about 60% are "American" meaning their call the USA home. Very few of them are the caucasian american like us-so you may not thing they are american at first glance. Quite a few South Koreans....many of which are the VERY bright students in my classes. Many of my students spent the summer with a math tutor. Quite a lot of pressure to perform well in Math classes. 8th grade here is quite the place at the beginning of the year when the students are placed in 8th grade math or Algebra....We actually didn't know who was in our classes until the night before school started! Usually it works out that there are 4 algebra classes and 4 math8 classes, but this year there are 3 algebra classes and 5 math 8 classses. so i am teachng 3 math 8 classes and 1 algebra class. My algebra class has quite a range of ability within it....honestly some of these kids probably would do better on some tests than me!
Our school has quite a lot of turnover b/c many of the kids' parents jobs require them to move every few years. There are quite a few of my kids that have been in Beijing for quite some time though. It is so interesting hearing their stories----as well as the teacher's stories. It just amazes me to hear where everyone has been and where they all call home.
But anyway----this is turning into a novel. i just had some time so i thought i would write a little about our experience.
Riley is at wheelchair rugby tonight and i get to go to a game tomorrow and then to a spa! I can't wait-i guess the place we are going gives you the royal treatment!
we hope you are all happy and healthy!
love
Laurie & Family