Oh, what a night.

Oh man, another day completed. Phew. Crazy kids. All in all though, today actually went pretty well. I made a kid cry for losing, got another kid punished which resulted in him crying, and almost smacked a few kids which would have undoubtedly made them cry. That’s all true, but it was still a decent day. Go figure. That’s just typical classroom stuff, nothing absurd. Look on the plus side, no one got beat in any of my classes today. Way to go, kids. In all of my classes, the kids pretty much sit in a semi-circle. In dealing with the problem kids, I simply moved their chairs in front of everybody. This also put them closer to me.  This isn’t a definite solution because the kids still act up. It definitely scales it down a bit too. I can pay better attention to them and end their acting up sooner. I usually give them a stern face, demonstrate sitting properly once so they know what I mean, and then just continuously nag on them throughout the class. As for games, most of the kids that were annoying me did not get to participate. Instead, they got some one on one time with me to review the cards. It’s a work in progress.

Good news! The alien robot driver learned a new command. He says, “Ni hao” back to me now and attempts some sort of grumble when I thank him. Why the sudden change? I’m guessing his programmers on the mother ship instructed him that it was impolite to not respond back when someone says hello.  He’s making progress. Still completely emotionless. Whenever we pass a good looking girl, I’ll usually notice and maybe even turn around in the seat if it’s worth my time. The driver? Doesn’t even blink. Male drivers in America will usually notice and check their mirrors if possible. I’m stereotyping, but it’s true. Guilty. Not a guy I’d like to cross paths with while driving, though. He doesn’t wait for anybody. If there’s any waiting for more than a half second, he beeps the horn. You move out of the way for him, and that’s that. Move or die. I have no doubts that he’s capable of killing if need be. In the week’s time that I’ve driven with him, I’ve almost witnessed at least a hundred deaths. Fricken crazy.

Speaking of interesting characters, I completely forgot to talk about this guy that my hotel roommate and I met in our search for the Silk Market. What a weird man. Creeper for sure. He approached us looking for a place called, Texas Tom’s. I had no idea where it was, and I’m pretty sure it’s called Texas Tim’s or something like that. Regardless, I didn’t know. Usually this would quite possibly end the conversation. Not the case. This guy just keeps going on about the weirdest things. We lost him, and then ran into him again a few minutes later. He was also a teacher, or claimed to be, and kept asking if our job was hiring for the weekends. No one ever game him an answer to that. At some point, he tells us about this bar that he repeatedly said we just need to check out. “It’s got the best looking girls around. Now, I’m married to a Chinese girl. She’s the traditional type, ya know? I can pretty much get what I want, when I want. So I wasn’t interested in the girls. I just wanted to network and meet some people, ya know?” Meanwhile, he’s telling us that drinks cost about 80 rmb each. Ya, I’m gonna head right over there. Sarcasm. He told us that he ended up buying a girl a drink, and that it was a mistake because if you do that, they think they’re your girlfriend. Remember though, he wasn’t interested. He’s married. Come on. Later in the conversation, he said for the price of a couple drinks there, you could buy yourself some time with a girl and get more for your money. Weirdo only knew this because he asked a girl one time. But wait! He wasn’t interested in the girl, just interested in ‘commodities’. Ya, sure you were pal. It was ridiculously hard to get out of a conversation with this guy. What a relief when we finally did. Oh yeah, he was from Minnesota or Michigan if that makes a difference. I can’t remember. Doesn’t matter. He’s out there.

As for the new roommate, she’s got an interesting surprise waiting at the door when she gets home. Yup, I had enough. I packed up all her stuff, fit in all back in her suitcases, and moved it in front of the door. If there wasn’t room, I threw it in bags and placed it nearby. I think she’ll get the message. She’ll probably just smile, though. Seriously? I wouldn’t do that (well maybe if the situation called for it). I’m joking. That’s just what I’d like to do. Due to the interesting night I got to experience with her, I simply left her a note that read as follows:

‘Jamie, rather than having an awkward face to face conversation, I figured a note would suffice. Here are some things to consider when living with others. 

 1. We don’t all wake up at the same time. Please remember that when you’re up, others are sleeping. Most mornings, you open and close (slam) your door and the bathroom door 15-20 times. Please try to be quieter.

2. Some things should be kept private. I’m no stranger to relationships, but have some self-respect. The walls are thin, and all rooms are close. Sorry to be blunt, but I don’t want to know your personal business. Keep it private, not public.

3. The bathroom is shared. We go to bed at different times. That’s fine, but be considerate about time spent in the bathroom. Also, the bathroom shouldn’t be used for anything sexual. Remember – shared – sanitation.

I’m sorry about getting personal, but you obviously weren’t concerned. I’m not the only one that shares some of these concerns. Happy to talk about anything if need be.’

I’m sure she’s going to love that. And bam, she just walked into her room now. Awkkkkwarrrddd (not for me). It had to be done. I tried to be as polite as possible. There are a couple of things I would have liked to include, but chose not to. I figure end it early or continue to deal with it.

I’ll keep ya posted on how that goes.

-Jeff