Surreal

Yesterdays lecture turned out boring, but all for the best.

Afterward I ran into a doctor I met a few weeks ago, before Yellow Mountain. We chatted and she introduced me to a classmate of hers who I got into conversation with. We talked for a while and it eventually came out that she was going to start a job teaching English that night to 100 Chinese college students, and was feeling a bit lost as to what the hell to do with them, and rightfully so. So, I along with my friend from OCOM, Rik, volunteered our services and asked if we could come along to watch and help out if needed. She said that would be fine and to meet back in about an hour.

So the adventure began....

We ended up driving out, via hard-to-hail taxicab, an hour outside Nanjing to this huge university in the middle of nowhere. Literally--we're driving and driving and nothing and nothing and nothing and then BAM!--Huge buildings and university complex. I guess this is one way to make sure everyone studies.
Being that hailing the cab took about 30 minutes, we were a bit late. We got out of the cab and were immeadiatly shuttled off to a classroom by a gaggle of the professor's best students.

Walking into the classroom was like nothing else I have ever experienced, and maybe ever will.

The brightest lights, and row upon row upon row of students (100 of them) sitting attentively at their desks began clapping and cheering and taking photos when the three of us walked into the classroom. We were instant celebrities, and the smiles and enthusiasm continued for two short hours. We played some games, and went through basic words and sentences like: Can you help me find the bus station?
We went around with maps to have small conversations and ask the students to find the bus station. All conversations were peppered with "Teacher, can I take your photo?" "Teacher, we think you are so beautiful" "Teacher, where are you from"...on and on and on.

Some of them spoke very fluently, and other students couldn't understand a word of what I was saying. Though they were in college, they all seemed incredibly young and giggled madly when we taught them the word "bikini".
At the break, everyone came up and wanted their photo with me--I'm probably all over China's myspace and facebook, and at the end everyone wanted me to sign their lesson book, or photo ID, or something.

It was weird, really really weird, and incredibly rewarding, and while I don't think Korea will be quite the same I can't wait to start.

Oh! I forgot to blog about it..I got the job I wanted! Or, rather, we--Timber and I--got the jobs we wanted! We both start in Daegu, South Korea at Ding Ding Dang on November 17th. I mailed my contract off yesterday.
Now that it's all official, and especially after last night, I can't wait to start my time there. It should be lots of fun, a great adventure and good break/planning time for me before I move somewhere else in the U.S.

...and now to post a poem.