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
No comments:
Post a Comment