Chinese Visa

I had my visa picture (like a passport picture) taken yesterday and sent it to the school in Shanghai.  They are filing for me to come and will send me two documents I need (an Invitation Letter, and a Foreign Expert Confirmation Document).  Then I have to go in person to the Chinese Embassy in Chicago, a 4 hour drive away.  If I pay an extra fee I can get the visa processed in one day, so that I don't have to go back a second time.

Today is Christmas here, but the recruiters in China are working.  Several remembered it is Christmas and wished me Merry Christmas.  But there it is not a holiday.  While I have accepted a job that one recruiter arranged for me, the other recruiters have been friendly and I have corresponded a little with them.  One is in Shanghai and she has  invited me to go out to eat "hot pot," which she describes as a meal with several types of meat that is very spicy hot, when I get there.  It is famous, but I have not heard of it until now.  It 's nice to feel that I have some contacts with people in China before I go there.  I am not sure if they can give me much advice on things I might run into there.  The Education Directors and the teachers I will be working with are probably more of a resource for that.

There are some stories of bad recruiting agencies, that get paid by taking part of your salary, but I have apparently been contacted by a good one.  I did some research and didn't find any problem with them.

I will be working in a training center that has 7 native speaking English teachers and 9 Chinese English "tutors." The Education Director said they are like a family, and that they will help me find my way around.  I'm sure there still might be bumps in the road, but I was born and lived as a child in Peru, South America, and I know that the rest of the world isn't like the United States.  I lived in Europe for a year and was surprised that Europe is not as much like the United States as we might think.  There are differences in facilities and standards of living and expectations, besides all the language and cultural barriers.

I have been learning a few words in Chinese from a web site.  I know now to say "Hello," and "How are you?" "Thank you," and "Good bye."  And I have looked up information on the suburb of Shanghai I will be living and working in.  I was surprised to find an English language cultural and events site that obviously is written by English speakers and caters to an ex-pat community.  It looks expensive, and I don't want to get caught up in that too much.

I have 5 more weeks of my capstone projects for my Master's degree.  The school I am going to teaches with a combination of web delivered instruction and teacher lead instruction.  It is in line with my Masters in Teaching and Learning with Technology, though I will be mostly doing ILT (Instructor Lead Training).

Six more weeks before I go, and I need to work out what to do with my dog and my car, sort and pack my things, file my taxes for last year, and take care of other financial arrangements.  It seems like a long time until I go, and it seems like a short time to get all my stuff done.

Today has been a wonderful Christmas celebration with family.

God Bless,
Ann

Contract for Teaching in SongJiang, China

I'm in the process of signing a teaching contract with Web International English training Center in SongJiang, China.  It is a suburb of Shanghai, and the Education Director there says it is "in the country." The Training Center is in a shopping mall, so it isn't the kind of country we talk about here in the US.  Here in Stanton, MI, I am in the country and the nearest shopping mall is an hour and 15 minutes away.

I am excited about it.  I just printed the contract out this afternoon and signed and scanned it. But I can't send it back to China until Monday, because it is Saturday there now.  I want to get the ball rolling and start applying for my work visa and getting all my paperwork in order.  I finish my Masters of Teaching and Learning with Technology on February 10th, and my contract says I will start on February 20, 2014.

I will be teaching students 8 yrs to adult in an English training school.  The school age students will come after school, and the adults will come in after work.  So my hours are evenings and weekends.  The class sizes are small, and I look forward to teaching students that are motivated to learn English.  The school teaches with a combination of Web delivered training and live classes.

I am beginning to look up Chinese language information and geography so I will know something of where I am and how to communicate when I arrive.

I learned so much in my TEFL certification course and in substitute teaching this year.  I look forward to all the new experiences I will be having.  I want to re connect with people that I have moved away from here in the States and keep in contact with them while I am in China.  I want to ask for prayer that I will do a good job and be a light wherever I am.

God Bless,