Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Why Hong Kong Is Awesome Part IV
Every once in a while, I wake up and thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ that I was born a white man in America. Our entire society is basically set up for me to succeed. I'm sorry for being so blunt, but I feel like it's pointless pretending that that it's not advantageous to be born a white male. I'm lucky. I'd love for this to be a post about how moving to Hong Kong has been a big wake up call, but I've got some bad news. Actually, it's great news! Hong Kong loves me! And by "me," I mean the guilo- the white ghost. The other day, some random ladies asked to take their picture with me:
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
End of Training
In case I didn't make it clear last month, I really enjoyed training (I know this post is a little late). I have some pictures of the kids I taught over in Kowloon Tong for our two week training period. They were great sports, what with coming in during the summer to have a bunch of knuckleheads "teach" them English. Anyway, photos!
The Secondary CNET team, doing some serious training.
Just goofin' around with the kids
The class, Michelle, and I after another great lesson
Me and da boiz
PM Amanda and some of the gurlz.
Gina!
Here's how our training was structured. In the morning, we learned about the "Smatteris Approach To Teaching." In the afternoon, we taught or co-taught two 45 minute lessons, with a 15-20 minute break in between. We were given "mingling tasks" to complete during the breaks. They included things like "do a magic trick and take a photo" and, "ask a student what they think about the leaders of China and god and the bible." I'm happy to report that I successfully completed each and every one of my mingling tasks, as documented by these candid photographs.
I've got your nose! (magic trick)
Dirty ears! (2nd magic trick)
Look at us actually playing sports!
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
The Secondary CNET team, doing some serious training.
Just goofin' around with the kids
The class, Michelle, and I after another great lesson
Me and da boiz
PM Amanda and some of the gurlz.
Gina!Here's how our training was structured. In the morning, we learned about the "Smatteris Approach To Teaching." In the afternoon, we taught or co-taught two 45 minute lessons, with a 15-20 minute break in between. We were given "mingling tasks" to complete during the breaks. They included things like "do a magic trick and take a photo" and, "ask a student what they think about the leaders of China and god and the bible." I'm happy to report that I successfully completed each and every one of my mingling tasks, as documented by these candid photographs.
I've got your nose! (magic trick)
Dirty ears! (2nd magic trick)
Look at us actually playing sports!Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Monday, September 28, 2009
Apartment Tour
As promised a long time ago, here's the tour of my new apartment.! Happy Yom Kippur!
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Transcript of a speech I just delivered to 1200 kids who don't speak English
Good morning. I’ve had the opportunity to meet many of you during my first week at LKPFS. I’ve talked to students about a lot of different things, but one thing that people keep saying to me is, “I want to improve my English.” I thought I’d use my time today to make some suggestions.
Firstly, please speak English as much as possible. Many of you come up and talk to me, but others only say “hello.” When I try to start a conversation, they giggle and run away. Why are you scared to talk to me? I don’t bite. In fact, I’ve only bitten three students before, but it was at a different school and they really deserved it.
But seriously, folks, you don’t have to worry about talking to me! I won’t laugh or judge you if you say something incorrectly. If everyone in this school spoke perfect English, then I wouldn’t be here. Speaking correct English is very difficult. It requires a lot of practice, even for me. For example, I practice English for about 17 hours every day. Since you are not as good at English as I am, you may need to practice more; at least double that amount. So please start practicing English for 34 hours every day. If this is impossible, then allow me to suggest an alternative.
Every Thursday in the ELC, starting today, I will hold a discussion group during lunchtime. Today’s topic will be “music.” I will share some songs that I like, and then we can talk about them. I’d also love to hear about songs that you like. The songs don’t have to be in English, but our discussion will be. So if you want to practice speaking, please come to the ELC during lunchtime today at 1 PM.
You should also try to find me, Lois, or any of the English teachers at least once a day and speak to us in English. Try taking 5 minutes while you eat lunch or after school and speak to your friends in English. The more you talk, the easier it will get and the better you will get.
Another way you can get better at English is to read in English. I’m not talking about only your exercise books. My friend Noa is from Israel and she was also trying to learn English. Do you know what she did? She bought an English copy of Twilight. Before she read Twilight, Noa and I almost never talked about vampires, mainly because she didn’t have the necessary vocabulary. Thanks to Twilight, now almost every conversation we have is about vampires. Actually, maybe I would have liked it more if she read a different book. Still, she knows many more words now, including “immortal,” “eternal,” and “Robert Pattison.” This is because reading is the best way to improve your vocabulary.
To help promote English reading, I’m going to have a reading group every Tuesday at lunch during the ELC. I’ll be finding fun stories and articles in English for us to read and talk about. If you love to read, please come to the ELC during lunch on Tuesdays. If you’d like me to suggest something for you to read outside of school, please come by the ELC and we’ll find a book that you’ll really like!
Now I have some good news—I won’t yell at you for watching TV—as long as it’s in English. I think that watching TV is a very helpful when it comes to learning English. It will improve your listening ability, expose you to new vocabulary, not to mention, it’s a lot of fun! Some people say that TV is mindless, but I believe that we are in a golden age of television. “Golden Age” means that I think that TV is better right now than it has ever been.
That is why every Monday during lunchtime, I’ll be showing a TV show in the ELC. We’re going to start with my favorite show, Seinfeld. It’s very funny and the stories are interesting. It’s about the lives of four friends who live in New York City.
As you know, not every day is exciting. Think about what you did yesterday. Was it exciting? Would it make a good movie? Probably not. What Seinfeld does so well is that it takes the little things in life that we might not notice and makes them very funny. For instance, one episode is about waiting to get a table at a restaurant. In another episode, one of the characters has to watch a dog for his friend and the dog won’t stop barking.
Some of you may know that I studied television production when I was at university. For those of you who didn’t know this, I studied television production when I was at university. This means that I am a TV expert. I have the best taste, so just trust me when I tell you that Seinfeld is a great show. Remember to come to the ELC on Monday during lunch to watch.
There are many other ways to improve your English, such as listening to English radio, that I didn’t even mention. Just remember: Since “English” is such a broad topic, there is always a way to make it fun and interesting. That means if you are not excited about anything I’ve talked about today, tell us what you’re interested in! How can we make English fun for you? If you enjoy speaking and practicing English, you will learn it much faster.
One last note: If you didn’t understand my speech, please ask someone to explain it to you, because it's important to you in particular. I hope to see many of you in the ELC both during lunch today for discussion, and also throughout the year. Thank you.
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Firstly, please speak English as much as possible. Many of you come up and talk to me, but others only say “hello.” When I try to start a conversation, they giggle and run away. Why are you scared to talk to me? I don’t bite. In fact, I’ve only bitten three students before, but it was at a different school and they really deserved it.
But seriously, folks, you don’t have to worry about talking to me! I won’t laugh or judge you if you say something incorrectly. If everyone in this school spoke perfect English, then I wouldn’t be here. Speaking correct English is very difficult. It requires a lot of practice, even for me. For example, I practice English for about 17 hours every day. Since you are not as good at English as I am, you may need to practice more; at least double that amount. So please start practicing English for 34 hours every day. If this is impossible, then allow me to suggest an alternative.
Every Thursday in the ELC, starting today, I will hold a discussion group during lunchtime. Today’s topic will be “music.” I will share some songs that I like, and then we can talk about them. I’d also love to hear about songs that you like. The songs don’t have to be in English, but our discussion will be. So if you want to practice speaking, please come to the ELC during lunchtime today at 1 PM.
You should also try to find me, Lois, or any of the English teachers at least once a day and speak to us in English. Try taking 5 minutes while you eat lunch or after school and speak to your friends in English. The more you talk, the easier it will get and the better you will get.
Another way you can get better at English is to read in English. I’m not talking about only your exercise books. My friend Noa is from Israel and she was also trying to learn English. Do you know what she did? She bought an English copy of Twilight. Before she read Twilight, Noa and I almost never talked about vampires, mainly because she didn’t have the necessary vocabulary. Thanks to Twilight, now almost every conversation we have is about vampires. Actually, maybe I would have liked it more if she read a different book. Still, she knows many more words now, including “immortal,” “eternal,” and “Robert Pattison.” This is because reading is the best way to improve your vocabulary.
To help promote English reading, I’m going to have a reading group every Tuesday at lunch during the ELC. I’ll be finding fun stories and articles in English for us to read and talk about. If you love to read, please come to the ELC during lunch on Tuesdays. If you’d like me to suggest something for you to read outside of school, please come by the ELC and we’ll find a book that you’ll really like!
Now I have some good news—I won’t yell at you for watching TV—as long as it’s in English. I think that watching TV is a very helpful when it comes to learning English. It will improve your listening ability, expose you to new vocabulary, not to mention, it’s a lot of fun! Some people say that TV is mindless, but I believe that we are in a golden age of television. “Golden Age” means that I think that TV is better right now than it has ever been.
That is why every Monday during lunchtime, I’ll be showing a TV show in the ELC. We’re going to start with my favorite show, Seinfeld. It’s very funny and the stories are interesting. It’s about the lives of four friends who live in New York City.
As you know, not every day is exciting. Think about what you did yesterday. Was it exciting? Would it make a good movie? Probably not. What Seinfeld does so well is that it takes the little things in life that we might not notice and makes them very funny. For instance, one episode is about waiting to get a table at a restaurant. In another episode, one of the characters has to watch a dog for his friend and the dog won’t stop barking.
Some of you may know that I studied television production when I was at university. For those of you who didn’t know this, I studied television production when I was at university. This means that I am a TV expert. I have the best taste, so just trust me when I tell you that Seinfeld is a great show. Remember to come to the ELC on Monday during lunch to watch.
There are many other ways to improve your English, such as listening to English radio, that I didn’t even mention. Just remember: Since “English” is such a broad topic, there is always a way to make it fun and interesting. That means if you are not excited about anything I’ve talked about today, tell us what you’re interested in! How can we make English fun for you? If you enjoy speaking and practicing English, you will learn it much faster.
One last note: If you didn’t understand my speech, please ask someone to explain it to you, because it's important to you in particular. I hope to see many of you in the ELC both during lunch today for discussion, and also throughout the year. Thank you.
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Monday, September 7, 2009
Where's My Food?
There are, it turns out, reasons that Hong Kong isn't always so awesome. In fact, there are plenty of reasons to get a little down; whether it's the humidity, the random acid attacks, or real estate agents. But nothing is as frustrating as the service in restaurants (for me at least- the people whose faces melted would probably go with the acid attacks).
Like any foreign country, Hong Kong etiquette is different from American etiquette. And by "different" I mean "stupid." In restaurants, this can translate into some interesting behavior. To illustrate, I thought I'd do a quick role play. I'll give myself a prompt, answer first as a typical American restaurant manager, then answer as a Hong Kong restaurant manager.
American Restaurant Manager (ARM): I'll list the food and drinks that we serve at the restaurant and nothing else. This seems like a stupid question.
Hong Kong Restaurant Manager (HKRM): I want as many people to come to my restaurant as possible, so I'll just put anything on there, including tons of foods that we don't make and an extensive drink list containing exotic items like "Sprite" that we'll never ever have in stock ever.
Like any foreign country, Hong Kong etiquette is different from American etiquette. And by "different" I mean "stupid." In restaurants, this can translate into some interesting behavior. To illustrate, I thought I'd do a quick role play. I'll give myself a prompt, answer first as a typical American restaurant manager, then answer as a Hong Kong restaurant manager.
The Menu
Your new restaurant is about to open, and it's time to finalize the menu. What should go on the menu?American Restaurant Manager (ARM): I'll list the food and drinks that we serve at the restaurant and nothing else. This seems like a stupid question.
Hong Kong Restaurant Manager (HKRM): I want as many people to come to my restaurant as possible, so I'll just put anything on there, including tons of foods that we don't make and an extensive drink list containing exotic items like "Sprite" that we'll never ever have in stock ever.
Ordering
A customer just ordered the Apple Curry Chicken, an item that's listed as one of the specials but in fact you've never even considered preparing. How do you keep your patron happy?
ARM: Well, this wouldn't happen because I wouldn't put that dish on the menu in the first place. On the occasion that we were out of an item, I'd inform the customer that we were out of that item, apologize, and suggest an alternative meal.
HKRM: Oooh this is bad. I didn't think anyone would order that. Hmmmm. Maybe if I just ignore him, he'll forget that he even ordered it. Yeah, that's the ticket! I should probably charge him for it anyway so he's not confused when the bill comes.
ARM: Well, this wouldn't happen because I wouldn't put that dish on the menu in the first place. On the occasion that we were out of an item, I'd inform the customer that we were out of that item, apologize, and suggest an alternative meal.
HKRM: Oooh this is bad. I didn't think anyone would order that. Hmmmm. Maybe if I just ignore him, he'll forget that he even ordered it. Yeah, that's the ticket! I should probably charge him for it anyway so he's not confused when the bill comes.
The Bill
Your party of six has just asked for the check. What do you do?
ARM: I give them the check.
HKRM: Well I don't want it to look like I really want them to leave, so I'll wait until they ask me again to make sure that they REALLY want to pay. At the same time, I don't trust that they won't just skip out on the bill, so I'll hover over them while they sort it out. If they're taking a long time, I'll clear my throat to let them know that I'm there. I hope they leave me a big tip.
It's been a really busy week, but hopefully I'll get the apartment tour up tomorrow. Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
ARM: I give them the check.
HKRM: Well I don't want it to look like I really want them to leave, so I'll wait until they ask me again to make sure that they REALLY want to pay. At the same time, I don't trust that they won't just skip out on the bill, so I'll hover over them while they sort it out. If they're taking a long time, I'll clear my throat to let them know that I'm there. I hope they leave me a big tip.
It's been a really busy week, but hopefully I'll get the apartment tour up tomorrow. Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Why Hong Kong Is Awesome Part III
There was this movie I wanted to see, District 9. It's playing in the theaters, but who wants to go all the way to a movie theater these days? Good thing there's a huge, completely out of control black market! I just walked around the corner to one of your typical street stand DVD stores. You know the ones- they're selling all of the latest titles! It's a shame bootlegging is illegal, or else I would have bought District 9, Funny People, I Love You Man, and Coraline for $50 HKD total (about $6.50 USD). Oh well.
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
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