four weeks left to go...

Sorry it has been so long since I updated my blog, we were so busy in Hong Kong last weekend and this week my laptop has died on me, so  I've had to use my tablet instead which is a bit slower than typing!

Anyway the last 2 weeks teaching have been good and I've taught them to read music and be able to compose pieces and write it all down. They've started listening to each other and working as a team and this week mastered how to cover up mistakes and have a good ending regardless of what has happened in the middle! This week we are going to start working on a piece for the final show (which I'm yet to write) and start morning it look like they are enjoying themselves. I need to come up with something dramatic as they are opening the Show!

I've been playing to piano for the singing lessons, mainly just right hand stuff, but in my free time I've been playing other stuff too. It's made me wonder if I should try and improve my piano playing when I get home. Maybe start work towards Grade 5. Give myself a challenge!

Hong Kong was definitely my favourite place to visit so far! So many people in such a small area, but at the same time such a beautiful place! Our hotel was in the middle of Kowloon and was surrounded by small restaurants and take aways... Yes they actually had a Chinese take away! During the days we explored Hong Kong island, visited a temple and had our fortunes read, went to a small antiques market and then up to the peak to look at the view. We got up to the top about 6pm and the view was spectacular! You could see the whole of the harbour and the batman building! (Where they filmed some of the new film) Also as it was approaching dash we saw Hong Kong at night with all the lights and that was incredible too!

The boys were in a skyscraper on Hong Kong Island and right next to the main club strip Lan Kwai Fong which we hit on Saturday night. I thought it might just be like going to town in the UK, but it was amazing. There were people from all over the world and most spoke English. We met some Australians, Americans, some girls from Singapore, a lovely girl from Glasgow and from all over the globe. The boys found some football stars and I went and found a pizza shop about 2am just like in England. I think that was what I liked most... how friendly everyone was, and how at home we felt after living in rural China for 4 weeks.

On the Sunday as we were all slightly tired / hungover We went to see Kowloon park and spent a couple of very hot hours cooling down in the outdoor pool! Never have I been in a swimming pool in the middle of a beautiful park with skyscrapers all around you! Such a strange place! I'd love to go back one day it's such an amazing country!

This weekend we haven't got any plans, just to chill out and recover! We're halfway through now and 4 weeks today is the final show! It's going so quickly, and although I can't wait to get home, I will definitely miss being here. Especially the company of the Chinese girls they are so funny and cute! I do hope one day gay get the opportunity to visit England.

Anyway - I'll do my best to update a little more often! 

Cathryn!

Week 2!

So this week wasn't as exhausting, and the kids were marginally better behaved. There's one group that sets out to wind us up though, and usually we all end up wanting to die in the car on the way home. 

This week, we've taught the kids 'In the Jungle (The lion sleeps tonight)' and the oldest 3 groups can sing it in 2 parts, a wym-ba-way and the descant line! After only 2 weeks on it, it sounded pretty impressive, especially as they all try so hard to get the English pronunciation right!

With the youngest two groups, we've taught them heads, shoulders, knees and toes, and the hokey kokey which always goes down well - and even their English is improving slightly picking up odd words that we say a lot and chanting them back at us! It's impossible to get angry because they just mimic everything you say which is very cute.

Almost all of the groups have mastered the basic steps of Caliph dancing and have learnt the start of one dance! It actually seemed like an impossible task at first especially with the boys, but now some of the boys are the best dancers!

As for my lessons, I've just been trying to give them a basic understanding of rhythm, dynamics, tempo, technique, balance and performance. Yesterday rather than sit them in a circle where I could all see them... I put them in the formation that they will be for the performance, and got different kids to lead the group. Amazingly - they listened to each other. kept a steady tempo when things started to speed up, and experimented using different techniques. So although sometimes the basic rhythm was a little shaky - their listening and teamwork skills have improved tremendously!

The one thing we have learnt over here is that none of the kids are very confident, and when you do pick someone to lead, or to demonstrate something or even just to sing the loudest they can - they are all too shy!

We've had a couple of meals out this week which were delicious, and last night we all had a full body massage with oils and hot stones. WOW! Although I couldn't understand a word the lady was saying to me - whatever she was doing felt amazing after a long week with screaming children!!

The weather has been fairly steady, averaging 37 ish during the days, and 33 at night. It's a little cooler this morning though as we had typhoon weather all last night and horrendous thunder and lightening. The lightening lit up the whole of my room room and the thunder sounded like several bombs being dropped! Hopefully it will be nice tomorrow as we were planning to go to the pool.

We have finally sorted out travel plans as well, choosing not to travel up to Beijing and instead fly home early and spend a weekend in Hong Kong, and another in Guangzhou - so yesterday I had a trip to some very fancy offices (just like those you see on american films with different lifts to different floors, marble corridors, awesome water features) in Guangzhou to change my flights - so we are now arriving home on the 4th September and flying via Doa, Qatar.

Also - because apparently it's difficult to find without a link - this is my Flickr page which I'm updating a little more regularly than my blog. A few snaps of the children, the places I've been, and our wonderful translators, Nikki, Rhyme and Pen! http://www.flickr.com/photos/98787505@N06/

Off out shopping today, so I'd best get up!

Zai Jian 再見再見

Sunday

So it's Sunday and I've officially made it through the week. Teaching is so difficult, major respect to all of my teachers... now I understand the sheer exhaustion when you get to the end of a week!

Our groups have been cut back to 4 now- and the oldest two groups being fantastic! They are so willing to learn- well behaved, happy, trying to learn some English - and really lovely groups to teach! Group B which is the second youngest are a little chaotic as there are so many of them... 37 in total! And the youngest are adorable! So difficult to teach but very cute!

They all love singing, and the drumming went down really well with the older ones :)

It's such a strange place China. The roads have no logical rules, everyone is so polite and helpful, and the food is incredible! I've not had the same thing twice yet, and my chopstick technique is definitely improving! I'm even getting slightly used to the heat- I now set my air-con to 26°C to keep cool!

One week down... Several more crazy weeks to go! As my blog is blocked and facebook too... I've set up a flickr account to share some photo's... If you go on flickr, and search my name or misscjrogers I should pop up :)

Anyway it's past my bedtime!

Night!

My blog is blocked in China!

Nothing could have prepared me for how strange this experience would be... 8am and it's 30°C! Bonkers!

When I got in last night I wrote this blog post, excited to tell you all how my first few hours had been... then find out blogger is blocked over here!  As is wordpress, blogspot, basically anything that gives you the means to express yourself.  So for now, Joe will be posting all my blogs (and hopefully not adding anything to them as I won't be able to see!).

The flight here was a lot better than expected. I managed to get a couple of hours sleep as well as 2 films and some Big Bang Theory. I think hospitals need to take note as the food was fantastic! It Was burning hot, healthy and there was a lot of options - and if they can pull it off in mid-air why can't a hospital with a Kitchen manage it! I didn't realise they'd just throw food at you (not literally of course) but even on the flight to Paris we were given snacks and complimentary drinks, Alcoholic or still! Then on board the long flight we had a choice of two menu's. The one I chose had Tomato, Mozzarella and Pesto pasta salad. followed by Mustard chicken with herb mash potato and carrots. And for dessert Camembert, apple, and lemon tart. There were also complimentary Ice creams t drinks through the flight :) Breakfast was a full continental... Salami, ham, cheese, bread, yoghurt etc...

As you can tell... I was pretty amazed! Mainly by how effortlessly everything was done and how much free stuff there was!

We arrived at Guangzhou about 5pm and arrived at our accomodation after a long wait through customs at 8pm. After a quick cool shower and dumping our stuff we went for dinner in town with the Company CEO, the Chinese manager and his family, as well as our translators and a few other Chinese people from the factory.


It's nothing like English Chinese (apart from its just as difficult to eat with Chopsticks and we don't get a choice over here!) - It's so tasty and there is so much choice. Basically everyone sits around a table with a section in the middle that spins... several different dishes are ordered and everyone tucks in. You each get a bowl, plate, small glass and a small pot (cup) for your tea. And befor the meal you rinse each item out with tea, which you also do between dishes!

Saturdays favourite food was some kind of beef Soy noodle dish. The noodles were thick and transparent like a jellyfish but they tasted gorgeous!

Over and out 

Cathryn

1 week to go!

So this time next week I'll be double checking all my packing before flying 13 hours to the other side of the world... It's finally hit me how massive this is!

l pick up my money today, the majority of my clothes are packed, along with suncream, insect repellant, toothpaste, toiletries.

All I need to do is put all my planning in order and make sure I've got all the resources!

I've started putting plans together for the final week travelling around Beijing and Hongkong-Youth hostels & trains & all the things I want to see!

I can't believe that it's only next week! ARGH!!!!

Cathryn

2 weeks to go...

So two weeks to this minute I will be on my way to the FiredUp Corporation offices for a press conference before flying that evening to Paris then Guangzhou! All the lessons are planned, equipment ordered, resources being collected as we speak and clothes ready to pack! 

It's started to hit me now that I'll be away from my nice comfy bed, nice cosy bedroom, and amazing boyfriend and family for 2 and a 1/2 months... and that's terrifying! 

We've come up with a Journey themed show based around 'Harmony' which includes Caliph dancing, bucket drumming, singing, homemade percussion instruments and props, and 150 non-english-speaking children! As well as hoping to teach individual flute, guitar and keyboard lessons and have each child record a CD of them playing!

No pressure what-so-ever!

Until I get there now, there isn't much to report - but I'm sure once the jet lag has worn off and the chaos has begun there will be a fair few more blog posts - more interesting than these!!

Cat

xXx

36 days to go!

So as you can see by the title, time is flying and it doesn't seem like yesterday that we had the initial meeting about China ... which was in February!

We've ordered all the equipment, flights are booked, I've had all my jabs, we've briefly met our translators via Skype, and it's all becoming a little too real now!

We are planning to teach dance, drumming, steel pans, singing, flute, guitar keyboard all together with some art and crafts, and whatever else they come up with! All for a final performance in the park in front of several thousand people! 

ARGH!

I've not learnt much more Mandarin - I've been too busy with deadlines and flute practise for recital and my Grade 8 in 2 weeks - but hopefully all will be well with the three girls from China who are going to help us out! They all play chinese flute which will be cool as I can learn another instrument, and bring something back with me! Also they're all into swimming so that will give us something fun to do in the evenings!

I'm starting to realise how long it is away from home, and how much I will miss everybody here, especially Joe... and I'm actually starting to look forward to the 10th of September when I will be home. Silly really as I haven't even gone yet!

The only things left to do is finalise lesson plans, set up international calls and pack!!

Where is time going?!


Cathryn :)

Procrastination is the thief of time!

So at the minute - there is ZERO to report on the China front, and I am purely writing this blog to get away from putting my Portfolio together!

It's deadline week, and after tomorrow I only have an exam and my end of year recital to get through, and in two weeks... I'm FREEEEEEEE! (Well till the end of September when I start third year!)

What's been on my mind this week?
Well, firstly the scary thought that this time next year I will have finished my degree, and be awaiting results to graduate! How crazy is that! Last time I checked, I was at school without a care in the world going to Germany, France, Malta, and just enjoying life... Now I have a job, 2/3 of a degree, enough money for a deposit on a house, and a teaching placement of a lifetime in China! It's scary how things change!

So I may have been unproductive on the China front, but on the life front, all is just peachy!

So I'll update again when I actually have something China like to report on!!

再见
(Goodbye!)

I'm Going to China!!!

So last month I applied for a teaching  placement for the summer - in China - and after a rather stressful interview and a long wait... I GOT IT!!! So just to keep you all up to date of my goings on, and what I'll be doing when I'm over there, (and more importantly how it's going while I'm there!) I've decided to start a blog!

I apologise now, because I've never written a blog and my English is rather terrible, but I'm going to give it my best shot!

Briefly what's happened so far, after the interview and finding out I was successful, I met up with the other two girls I'm going to be travelling with. Luckily for me they are both lovely and full of ideas and I think we shall get along really well! we each had to film a short clip to send to the Chinese kids we will be teaching so they can see who we are and hopefully get excited about the Summer School!

We fly out on the 5th July (87 days from now!!) for an 8 week Summer School, where we will teach music - and of course a little English - to 150 local children aged 8 - 16. TERRIFYING!

Anyway! I had the idea of teaching bucket drumming, which for those who don't know is drumming... on buckets! Well in fact it's buckets, dustbins, whatever we can get hold of, and today my book came with some ideas and resources for me to use... the only problem is, I can't play some of the things its telling me to teach! Going to need a bit of practicing and planning to get it up and running before we go! Hopefully I can combine this with some dancing which Robyn wants to do, and maybe some a cappella choral stuff too from Jaclynne! I'm very excited now - it's so cool!

My 'Teach Yourself Mandarin' Audio CD's came today - and a book which teaches you basic chinese characters... I can now introduce myself and say hello and goodbye, as well as write the characters for 1-10, and more importantly the character for a cup of tea! I must say whoever says English is the most difficult language to learn, they've obviously never tried Chinese Mandarin! The symbols are tricky to draw, let alone remember and there are so many different tones and vocal sounds you have to make! Good Job I like a Challenge really!

So until our next planning meeting, not a lot will be happening - but as soon as something does I'll be sure to update you all!

Over & Out (from England)

Cat xxx