I just got off the phone with my interviewer in China.
She was supposed to call last night but had been out of town and didn't get back until today. So I had all of last night to be nervous. Tonight I was just ready to get it over with. It was a pretty significant interview, with some tough questions. I was actually a little surprised at how tough. But I think I handled myself well and after allowing me to ask some questions in return, I was told that the request for my Chinese work permit and visa would be put through as soon as they get my physical results (which unfortunately are delayed until next week).
I was pleased to learn that there will be another American at the school with me, and we will share an apartment on campus, with my own room, thankfully. I will be assigned to a high school in Shaoyang, a city of about 7 million people in Hunan Province. I'm told it's not as flashy or modern as Shanghai or Beijing, but I think I could be OK with that.
My duties will consist of teaching 16-18 classes of 45 minutes each a week, or roughly 12-13 1/2 hours of work per week. My pay isn't especially high, but it's much higher than the average Chinese salary and with the cost of living being so low, and my housing being provided, I should be able to get by quite nicely.
So yeah guys... this is really happening. I have so many things I need to do before I leave, I don't know where to start. I have to do a presentation for my TESL Certification this week, which the Chinese government requires of all foreign teachers. I'm required to do a 30 minute lesson on a topic which would help a Chinese person travel in the United States. How to order in an American restaurant was suggested to me by my Chinese teacher. I'm getting some help from teacher friends in coming up with a lesson plan. "Keep it simple" seems to be the consensus.
Also of interest this week, I got my Chinese. I am now Xiao Haiying 肖海朠.
The character for "Xiao" means "to be like or similar too" but it is also the same sound as the
word for laughter or joke, which I liked because of my sense of humor. "Hai" means "Ocean" which I
picked because I grew up at the beach and I love the water, and "Ying" here means "the color of the
moon" (i.e. Silver). I like the color silver and I like the moon, and I couldn't decide which word to use. I
found that character and thought I combined both words perfectly. It was hard picking a new name for
myself, especially one that I'm probably going to be using pretty extensively. This isn't just for pretend or
for use in a class!
*sigh* What a week.
