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| Shanghai skyline |
You know that rushing feeling you get when it starts to dawn on you just how unprepared and unqualified you are? That raging gush of “hooo-ly shit I am in way over my head”? Three undergraduate students were just recruited as full-time teachers for the children of some Chinese millionaires who are leaving to study at Canadian private schools next year. These three undergrads were not given a structure/curriculum and told to “develop it as you go”. Teaching lessons, assigning projects, developing/administering/marking tests and evaluations, etc. They are also essentially residence dons for the kids, as they live in the same apartment and are expected to both enforce rules and encourage community. The three of us deeply reacted with “I am in no way qualified for this!”
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| Fahim and I working with a student |
Yet we are handling it surprisingly well…
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| Fahim and the side of Melissa's head. |
In other news, Shanghai is basically an abundance of people, buildings, “things”, and a tiny bit of air squeezed in between the dust particles.
A plus side to that whole air quality thing, if you ignore how horribly detrimental it is to our environment, the smog can create a gorgeous “smoky” ambiance in some photos. Not to mention that “morning glow” it creates. If you pretend it’s natural, it’s actually quite lovely.
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| Like the buildings so tall they magically disappear into the smog |
Here are some pics of our week:
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| This is a dating site. Parents come to this park with their child's name and information on an umbrella, planning to match them with someone else's kid. |
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| All the prospective mummies and daddies |
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| Cute alleyways with laundry hanging overhead. The back of Melissa's head beside a smiling Fahim - this will be a recurring theme. |
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| A book vending machine!! I swear, China's way ahead of us |
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| Some communists outside the birthplace of China's Communist Party. |
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| Funky money I'm slowly getting used to |
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| The largest Starbucks in the world (and a lineup over two hours) |
Also, our ayi is the sweetest human being (and her food is delicious). It’s the most satisfying feeling to awkwardly squeak out a “xie-xie” (thank-you) and watch Ayi grin ecstatically/enthusiastically at my lame-ass attempt at Mandarin.
Planned future posts:
- Five Shanghai Breakfasts with Ayi
- A Definitive Ranking of Shanghai’s Chip Flavours
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