Summer school is over!

It has been over a month since I last had an entry. There is much to report. First, I am happy that I decided to quit my job at Hampton Inn. It would have been extremely difficult to work and take classes this summer. I would have been a meglamaniac! Second, MAIS friends and classes. I have made so many new friends. It is great to find people with similar outlooks on life or who have the same drive to explore the world. It is the second day of not having classes and I already miss my MAIS friends. So many personalities in the program. I will not lie, there were days I wanted to get my laser gun out and zap some people to oblivion.

Jenny and I after our going away dinner

It was an intense six weeks.  Chinese culture class was interesting because there was so much that I did not know before the class, but overall its structure was quite boring. Research class sent me through the roof. The stress from this class was annoying, but I learned new things. I think this was an invaluable class since I learned various methods of research and writing that I will have to incorporate into my thesis paper. Chinese Business seemed less about China and more about international business with a sprinkling of China topics. This class was by for the most annoying. I am not sure if it was due to the fact that it was at the end of the summer courses or if I simply hated doing debates every other day. Now I am in my first week of summer vacation.

Ellyse, Jenny, and I at Plush Lounge Karaoke

I have three weeks before I leave for Shanghai 上海. I am excited, scared, nervous, sad, but overall enthusiastic. I can only imagine what experiences I will have during my time in China 中国. The next few weeks I will be tying up loose ends. I have already handled my car insurance, car registration, plane ticket, and to a lesser extent my cell phone. I do not have many bills, so this will be a benefit for me as I will not have to constantly look at my credit card statement to see if anything has been charged. I still need to get my visa and visit the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles, but I first must wait for the paperwork to arrive from my employer. It is supposed to arrive anytime this week.

After karaoke

While waiting I intend to work on my lesson plans. I will be teaching Asian Geography, European Geography, ESL Writing, Music, Personal Development, Test Preparation, and Spanish. I have a very large spread, which is why I want to prepare now rather than later. Fortunately, my geography classes will be B-level, which means the students have a high-beginner to intermediate level of English. I will also have a coworker who will be teaching the A-level equivalent. We will be able to help out one another. Test Prep and Personal Development are more or less the same class. The difference is one is 11th grade and the other is 12th grade. With the older students I will focus more on college prep (requirements, exams, essays, etc.). Once the 12th graders have filed all of their college applications I look forward to going over resumes, interview skills, public speaking, and debate. I am not too sure what is going on with music. For those who know me well, music is a very important aspect of life to me. I have not played my trumpet in awhile, but it is still very deeply rooted in my heart. I was told that I have to teach the students a song to sing. I have no idea what I will do with this, but I am sure it will come to me in time. Spanish was my elective course and I figured it would be something simple for me to teach.

Sorry for the length of this post. I realize it is quite long, but I did not have the chance to write about these various topics as they occurred over the last month and a half. More to come!