Happenings as of Late

The results are in!  On Wednesday we all got told what schools we will teach at this year.  The decision making turned out to be quite a lengthy process.  We had to fill out a chart ranking all 16 schools (there are 10 single schools and 12 that are in pairs where the ETA goes to one of them for 3 days and the other for 2 days) from our first choice to our last choice.  And we had to fill out a little survey about how we’d like to get to school and our ability to ride a scooter and some other questions.  Then a committee looked at it and made the final decision for us. 

Instead of sending out an email or something of that nature beforehand to tell us our schools, they had all the ETAs and LETs (Local English Teachers) gather together on Wednesday and everyone had to introduce themselves and then they called us up to the front and announced our school and the LETs from that school came up and we had our pictures taken (but we weren’t told this all was going to happen).  I had naturally assumed this was all going to go in alphabetical order, but I was called up first and that’s when I realized they had given no directions on what to do so I started to go to the front but I didn’t see any LETs making their way there, so I hesitated and started back.  It was mostly just a lot of confusion, but eventually I found my way to the front and met my two LETs.  Yes, that’s right two.  I got placed at Shun An and Dong Xing elementary schools.  I honestly don’t remember much about the schools themselves, but both of the teachers seem very kind and like they will be easy to work with.

Here's the proof! 

Being placed at these schools also means that I will need to move to Luodong which is about 10 kilometers away from where I am now.  I am fine with living in that city itself, but I will definitely miss the roommates and neighbors I currently have!  I don’t know who my new ones will be yet, but I’m sure they will be fun too.

Anyway, finding out our school assignments was the main event of the week.  And from that day on, we have had training with our LETs and that continues for another week.  But outside of training I still managed to have some other kinds of fun.  For one thing I have to learn to ride a scooter (not that I’m considering that a whole lot of fun as of yet).  Whenever things like this happen I always hope that somehow I’ll just really take to it and be a natural, but that doesn’t usually happen and this case was no different.  So I practiced a little bit after our sessions, but this week I definitely need to do that more.  We can just say I'm not a natural and leave it at that.  Our incredibly kind director, Kelly, lets us practice on her scooter, which is extremely trusting of her.

Also, on Thursday night was the Ghost Festival or maybe it was a continuation of the Ghost Festival, I’m not completely sure of my facts, but from what I understand, ghost month starts with the Ghost Festival which means the gates of hell and graves and things are supposed to be opened to allow spirits and ghosts free entrance into our world.  Anyway, Thursday night there were lanterns that were going to be released onto the river (to help lead souls lost at sea back home) and other festivities.   We never really found out what time things actually started, I heard 10:30, 11, midnight and other times from various sources, and by the time we got there around 11:30, the lanterns had already been released but there was still plenty to see and we arrived just as the grand finale of fireworks was going off.  

Not exactly sure what this says but I was told by a local that I should take a picture of it so I obliged

There were tons of these lanterns all along the path.  The tiny ones in the background are the hanging ones.  Then there's also the remnants of a firework in the sky 

These hanging lanterns were around too, but they were blowing in the wind so I couldn't get a clear picture