China: Exit the Dragon

"Welcome splendid Forbidden City! After come enjoy our dainty snacks. Or it may become sinister."

Slightly threatening advert for a cafe


CHINA: EXIT THE DRAGON

Well, I've finally finished teaching now. I may have been doing it for only a few weeks, but as I didn't have weekends off, and had a long working day with only one class, I have had well over a hundred hours in the classroom. One hundred hours is more than many classes in the UK get in a year with a given teacher, so I feel I know my pupils pretty well.

The kids gave the premiere of their play (written entirely by them, and directed by me) which they decided to call "People and Animals are Good Friends". I thought their script was great - really inventive. Two students go to the zoo, and meet all the animals there who they befriend. The best line comes from the tiger:

"I'm a tiger. Ra!. I eat all kinds of animals ... but only because I am very hungry, and I only eat very little ones. And normally I am kind and nice to all animals"

The logic does become a little contorted at times as they try to show their central premise that all animals are good. It ended with the tiger's birthday party, and all the pupils sang happy birthday, while the tiger growled in time to the music.

They performed their play in front of the school, and then I was presented with an award for being the best teacher as they said I was "simultaneously the strictest and kindest" teacher. Really not sure how to take that, particularly given I've done little with the school authorities but argue with them.

When I said goodbye to the kids, most of them were more than happy to go back to their holidays. But I was surprised how upset a few of them got when they said bye to me. I guess they are only eleven, and it must be a big change for them.

All the best,

Michael

PS Am slightly worried about tomorrow. School took us out to dinner at a very exclusive restaurant with a high party official, among others. The high official took an interest in what we were doing, and has asked to have our passports shown to the police tomorrow 'for our protection'. Given that we are technically working illegally - the school told us to get tourist visas not working visas - I'm a little concerned.

PPS Malcolm asks: "Is there a prologue to the play: 'We Chinese love all animals, especially endangered species whose body parts we normally use as aphrodisiacs'?"