Surprises

Today I was startled awake by music playing from the town square. Is it Tuesday? Do we have school? Is this the wake-up music? (Yes, we have wake-up music played over the loud speakers on school days.)

Nope, this is apparently just one of many ways to celebrate Midautumn Festival (中秋节 Zhong Qiu Jie). At first I just try to keep sleeping, but eventually I give up. I'm still a little groggy though, so I wake myself up by finishing the book I was reading last night. And then I decide it's time to prepare for tomorrow.

What are my class rules going to be? How will I explain them? What will I have students do to engage with and demonstrate understanding of these rules? What questions should I ask on my introductory survey? How do I say these things in Chinese? These questions have been swirling around my mind for the last couple of weeks, but now it's time to make some decisions.

I pull out my computer and notebook and settle myself to work in bed. I make a little bit of progress before I hear a knock on the door. Katherine opens it and it's another American fellow visiting town. So we sit and chat for a while. 

Then comes another knock. It's our principal and another local teacher. They've brought us moon cakes and a few other goodies (including a yummy orange cake made from buckwheat flour) to celebrate Midautumn Festival. After we thank them as best we can, Katherine asks what classes we'll be teaching tomorrow. The answer: none!

None? What's happening tomorrow? The students have activities. When will we start teaching? Thursday. Thursday??? Thursday.