English Parties are Back Again!

The semester is in full swing now--and I am back to hosting English parties with my students.  I was thinking, before I got my schedule for the semester, that I should have three returning classes (who I had over last fall), and probably just one new class, so just three parties for this semester!  Plus maybe one for a student club that I've gotten involved with a bit (SIFE).  

Micah and I were talking the other day that there are two things you should never say in China, and yet we do all the time:  "Surely not!" and "You would think..."  

So, first of all, for some scheduling reasons (although I'm not sure what, because as far as I can see, the classes do not conflict with either their or our schedules), they swapped one of my writing classes for Micah's writing class.  He already knew my students (1106) because he has had them for oral English, but I hadn't had his (1105) class before.  I had met a few of them when I dropped in on some of his gatherings last semester.  So, there's one new class.  Then, I have two oral English classes to replace the Mythology class I taught last semester (which I enjoyed, but is only a fall class).  

So...three classes of students to have over, and the oral English classes are bigger, about thirty students instead of twenty-one or twenty-two.  Sooo...probably eleven or twelve parties, just like last semester.  So much for my Friday nights...but I enjoy getting to know my students, and we usually have a good time.  I shouldn't complain, it's actually a step up from my ordinary Friday nights, which are usually spent on Pinterest. :)  

The first group of the semester was a group of girls from 1105, plus a guy somebody brought along.  In the picture, they are, from left to right, Vera, Carol, Anne, Paula, Aries (we did have a conversation about the fact that this is the male god of war, and not particularly a nice god, either, but she isn't too concerned, really), Kissy (sigh...), Isabelle, and the guy, whose name I can't remember at the moment.  Jesse?  Jay, maybe?  

We ate snacks, talked, and then I taught them to play Uno.  Most of my students really enjoy it, and it's a game that even beginners can do well at.  For example, I lost the first game, even though I was teaching it.  When playing games here, they all have the idea that the loser should be "punished" in some way--usually along the lines of "the loser should sing a song!" or "the loser has to do the Gangnam style dance!"  Anyways, I lost, but while I was dithering about what in the world I was supposed to sing, Micah broke out in Johnny Cash's "Walk the Line", so I hummed along to a couple of lines and said that counted.