Monday---first day of school

Today was our first day of school. It was so nerveracking. We walked into the school with Sammy at 7:30am, the start of their school day. I usually get up at that time! We walked into class, and were surprised and delighted to see that we were in the same class as last year, with the same students as last year. I think they were expecting us as they gave us presents and showered us with affection. For awhile they rearranged the desks for Laura and I to sit among them. The desks are tiny! I had trouble fitting my legs underneath, which was a problem as you had to stand up every time a teacher walked through the door. Sadly, teachers coming in happned frequently!! Ouch! We had classes for an hour or two, which was so hard first thing in the morning. I found that the maths was simple for me, but it should be as they are still in primary school. Athough the chinese have a reputation for being tiny, Laura and I did not feel as though we were complete giants against them, even though they are only 12 years old. A few girls were taller than me. I always thought that I was pretty tall...well that bubble is burst now, isn't it?!

Lunch with Shirley

Assembly was so different to what we view as assembly. There was two thousand kids standing in a tiny quadrangle not moving a muscle. Not even the little kids! It was very formal, with the kids saluting during the national anthem and then again as they raised the Chinese flag. Assembly went on for about half an hour, complete with a role play in English by some young children; "Excuse me, can you take my picture?" was the main theme. It was pretty cute. They are trying to get the children ready for the Olympics (144 days away).

Lunch with Shirley2

Classes are two worlds apart from what we're used to. You stand when you're spoken to, or when you have an answer to give. Classes are also silent, even though there is 40 students in each class. The resources that are in the classroom are basic; they still use balckboards with one at each end of the classroom, the most extensive equiment that they have is a projector, which they use to put their books underneath and project it onto the wall. The classroom was squashy and old fashioned. It realy makes you realise how lucky we are to live in Australia. Classes went on until 12:00, when it was lunchtime. Mum was working with the school supervisor, Shirley, who took us out for lunch. Mum read through Shirley's applications for a job (sshh it's a secret don't tell anyone) in the USA in English and corrected them. Mum told her that she was Christian, and Shirley called her 'an angel sent from God.' She took us to a restaurant around the corner where we ate 'hot pot' which was wear you cooked your own meat, mushrooms, lettuce, etc, in a pot of boiling water. It is a traditional meal which we hadn't tried before. It was pretty hard to eat as the meat was so thin that it slipped in between your chopsticks. We returned back to class where we had P.E. P.E was situated on the quadrangle, as there is no other open spaces in the small school. There were at least 7 other classes of 40 doing PE at the same time as us on the small area, so room was tight. Apparently, PE teachers are in short supply, as our PE teacher was alternating between two classes. We played basketball, which due to the space was just throwing the ball at the hoop, then moving to the end of the line.

Lunch with Shirley3

Afternoon also brought afternoon exercise, which was aerobics. They usually do this twice a day, but as assembly was today, they only need to do it once. There was five songs that we danced to, and it was amazing to see two thousand students dance in complete unison. Laura and I provided comic relief as we danced two steps behind everyone else. The last one and a half hours of school was dedicated to homework time. This is because many students cannot complete their homework at home due to the conditions. It's so sad to think of how they do it every day, but still remain joyful. School finished, and jumped into taxis to go home. Laura and I caught one by ourselves and reached the hotel first. We needed to be first, because Mum had run out of chinese money after shouting lunch. So I had to run upstairs to the safe - get more RMB and be back in time to meet Mum's taxi so that she could pay for the trip.