Police Station Success!

I made it out of the police station this morning after 45 minutes of the police officer looking at me and talking in Chinese and me just looking back gesturing that I had no clue I understood what she was saying. I came in prepared with a note written by my friend Joyce in Chinese saying what I needed and how to get in touch with my landlady. At one point, "No hablo espanol" escaped my mouth! The police officer would just stare at me and my lease for awhile, then go help someone else, and then sigh when she saw me still there. I think she was hoping I would grow weary and leave, but I wasn't going anywhere, because that piece of paper is the last thing I need to see more of China! Now, it seems a bit hysterical, but when I was there in it, it wasn't too funny!

I taught a VIP student who will be going to the Princeton campus this summer for a special music and science camp. He had his own Visa meet this morning with the US Embassy. I asked him about the questions he was asked and he honestly told me that he didn't really remember because his interviewer was really pretty. Fair enough. He wasn't too into working on his writing or grammar today, so we close read a few Selena Gomez song lyrics, his favorite pop artist. Seriously!

I subbed in again for James's small star classes that he just inherited from Nick. In the middle of the summer, a bunch of parents decided that they didn't want me teaching their kids because they could get a male American teacher. I had to teach that special class tonight. The thing was though, the students were happy to see me and we had a really great class. It was really healing for me to have that moment with them before they left. I know I am a much better small star teacher than I was at the beginning, but it was nice to see it really was about the parents and not about my rapport with the students. It felt like a gift.