Teachers have come back!

So, the teacher that I met this first week of being in China, Daniel is back. It was a little surreal meeting him again. He was really tired, having flown in last night, but I remember thinking that I hadn't seen him in a while. It certainly made sense to see him, as I had seen him in China and have my memories of what he is like as a person, or his impressions on me, in China. Still, it was kinda strange.

What would I tell him, if I were his student? I'm not, but still... Well, I can order things on my own now. I prefer groups to go out still, but when needed I can go order my own food. I'm comfortable eating stall food, and probably should- it's not as much food but I find I'm full anyway. I'm getting around the city via bus- still like being with people. The people, group security is a tough thing to crack. But it will crack. The more I go out on my own, the more I feel comfy in leaving the group to do my own thing.

My Chinese is... still basic, but at least I can speak what I know with confidence. I can hear and tell when I'm getting ripped off, I can understand numbers and money, and I can say whether or not I want something spicy. I can mime things and I can point to things and say "this!", and I can read whether or not I'm getting chicken or peppers or eggplant. My favorite dish is one that sounds familiar "Meat and potatoes". I can at least say that in its entirety. That sounds good, actually, I might have some of that tomorrow. So I'm definitely learning.

I'll talk about the teaching tomorrow. The ESL teacher wants to see how we teach and if we do it effectively, or I dunno. She wants to talk to us about our teachings.

I can say I do like teaching, at least right now, but I don't feel like a real teacher. I feel like a tutor. And most foreign teachers here are unlike the Chinese ones, in which we are closer friends with our students.