Banquets and class

I had my smallest class today. It had 16 girls, not one single boy. I’ve noticed there are a few who are a little bit more arrogant in showing off their English skills. I try not to let them take over because some of the students can barely speak and understand English and I’m pretty sure they feel crappy about their skills as it is without the more advanced students showing off. One girl named herself Jane, after Jane Eyre. What the hell? I haven’t even read that. Oh well, they don’t have to know that. At the end of class, I was surprised to find that one of my students wants to learn Spanish. Actually, I was excited. After class, I went to the supermarket and bought “Volver.” I saw it there before but was apprehensive because I wasn’t sure it would be good quality or not. Plus, I wanted it in Spanish, not dubbed over. I can’t wait to watch my Spanish movie in China!! I’m so weird.

Just yesterday I was at a banquet with all the other foreign teachers from Hebei Normal (all the campuses). I met a woman who is from Spain who speaks French, Catalan, English, Spanish (duh), and some Chinese. She is an interesting lady. I also met a teacher who married here. He is an old white man married to one of his former students, as in a 18-19 year old Chinese girl. Perverted? I think so. I don’t understand how her family would have allowed her to marry him. There are a lot of older, perverted men here. It’s creepy as hell. I also met this really nice Korean gal Song Joo. She is also studying Chinese, but she teaches Korean here. After the banquet yesterday, we went to the barbecue place outside our side gate. As everyone was getting drunker and drunker (including me), she suggested I go “over there” with her, pointing to near our gate. I thought we were leaving; it was getting a bit late. I had to teach an 8 am class. It turns out she wanted to buy barbecued squid on skewers. She bought each of us one stick with squid tentacles dangling from it. I was thinking, oh crap, I’m pretty sure not everyone will want to eat this. How do I tell her not to buy so much? Even more, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to eat it. It was dangly and it had tentacles. Caroline came over to see what we were doing and declared her love for squid, so thank god for that. We went back to the table and gave everyone the squid, even Hugh tried it, which was surprising. It actually isn’t that bad. The smaller ones taste like barbecued chicken. I would have felt terrible if I hadn’t tried it. Plus I was not so sober, so it became more okay. After we left, she came down to my room and gave me and Richard moon cakes. She’s so nice!