Goodbye to Studenthood

As there are currently only three weeks left in my program, I am starting to realize that a lot of my ready-made excuses will be losing their appropriateness pretty quickly.  After five years and two degrees I am losing my “Well, I am a student” response! 

Here are a few things I might be frowned upon for doing:

• Taking my laundry home to my mom, because the one in my apartment charges $2.50.  
• Eating expired yogurt.  Doesn’t yogurt come bad? Why waste something so delicious?  They have got to start making those variety packs smaller.
• Not grocery shopping until all that is left in the cupboards is rice and clam chowder.
• Taking multi-hour afternoon naps.  Apparently this doesn’t work well with having a full time job.
• Eating snacks before going to a restaurant so I am not tempted to order too much expensive food.  Ok, so maybe this has been tacky to do all along.
• Stocking up on food by raiding the cupboards of my family.
• Scamming the car insurance company by claiming my parent’s address as my permanent residence to save on ridiculous Vancouver prices.  
• Mentioning pretentious readings in casual conversations.  Just because I have been inundated with it all day long, it doesn’t mean anyone else wants to talk about Huxley’s take on modern religion.
• Testing how far my car can drive without gas in it.

Ok, so it is not likely I will stop doing all these things.  That laundry is not getting any cheaper!  I will miss being a student though, as much as I complain about it.  University has been the most glorious time.  Where else can you soak up a good lecture on Canadian history in the morning, leisurely do readings in the afternoon after your nap, maybe work a few hours at a part-time job, and hang out with your equally slacking friends all evening.  I spent my morning of classes today discussing literature and then making a video.  Tough job, eh?  Working people do not enjoy this luxury!  As excited as I am to be teaching this fall, I am not wishing away my last few weeks of being a student.

Enjoy it fellow B.Ed’ers.  We will be the teachers soon enough.  Personally, I am gonna go make myself a good student dinner of scrambled eggs and toast, and see what kind of deals I can get before my student card expires!

Adventures of: an all male class

One of the challenges that I will have while living and teaching in China, is that the school I will be teaching at is divided by gender.  I will have classes of all boys!  Originally I did not want to be placed at the Dalian school, so that I could have co-ed classroom.  (Dalian is the only Maple Leaf school that is divided.)  However, I decided I would rather be placed at school with people that I know, than isolated in Central China with my blissfully co-ed students.  I decide I would take some segregation to gain some known company.  Until I got my course load, I had assumed that I would be placed on the girls campus.  I don’t think I even considered that I would end up with the boys!  You know what they say about those who assume...  Now, don’t get me wrong, I love teaching boys, I just don’t know how I feel about teaching ONLY boys!  How can I get a group of all boys excited about English, stoked about literature, and participating in Drama?  How different will the dynamic of my classroom be without girls? 

But truly, I have been blessed with an incredible course load, and I am thrilled to get started regardless of what my class is going to look like.  Bring on the segregation!  Any tips for an all male classroom?

On another note, it is almost time for the final Harry Potter movie.  This year I am going to the Thursday, Midnight showing! Why not go all out for the end of an era?  When are YOU going?

Why, Hello.

Welcome to my blog, and my very first blog post!  I am starting this blog to document my move to China, and my travels around Asia.  I will be living in the city of Dalian, China for the next year (or two...or until I tire of it!) teaching English and a wee bit of Drama.  I wanted a space to share my adventures with my family and friends, and China is not very Facebook friendly!  So, if you are interested in hearing about my upcoming trip please start reading!  I'll do my best to post a few times a week; I will update write about traveling, teaching and training.  I will also probably post some things I just think are awesome, or worth thinking about.  

I will be in Canada for the next six weeks, finishing up my Education degree and getting ready to go.  Then I will be leaving Vancouver behind and flying away!  I am so excited to be starting this adventure, and I can’t believe it is almost here.  I know this year is going to be an exceptional challenge, but I am looking forward to growing throughout it.  I hope you enjoy reading about my first year abroad.

Cheers,

B.