Can’t believe two weeks of teaching are already finished. For me, the initial euphoria of arrival has died down and I’ve settled into a fairly regular routine. That isn’t to say that something doesn’t surprise me every day.

One interesting discovery from the past week:

One of our lessons this week dealt with teen cellphone use. In our precept discussion, we talked about ending a relationship via text message (anything regarding relationships is an interesting topic for the students). It turns out that breaking up via text message is actually the preferred method in China, because it avoids awkwardness/embarrassment for both sides.

This week I also become quite fond of “cold jokes.” This is a popular kind of joke in China that is funny because it’s not funny. Here’s one I heard from a student: “why did the rabbit hop twice on its left foot and once on its right foot?” Answer: “that’s just the way it is.”

Eliot and I have taken it upon ourselves to continuously make up new ones.

Just this afternoon a handful of students took me and two other teachers to 新吉大, the newer college campus in Jishou. We ate lunch on campus and had a great time exploring with the students. They never run out of energy and are always inviting us to go to new places. It’s awesome.