Multi-Tasking

Hello again! I am 2 classes away from ending my week. Today my morning classes went a lot better than classes yesterday. The most complicated thing today will be assigning roles for the Chinese version of Romeo and Juliet.

Anyhow, I was thinking about going back to the 8 AM - 5 PM world last night and my diminishing work ethic. Man, I never, ever thought that I would be complaining about working 10 1/2 hours a week and how my re-adjustment period will be a bigger shock than any culture shock I may have experienced in China.

When I got back from Indonesia it was strange to come back after only a short amount of time - everyone spoke so fast, I could drink the water from the faucet and, well, toilet paper! I just wonder what it will be like now. I mean, going to Beijing will help ease me back into a faster pace, but, well, my English is bad! I don't really use contractions when speaking anymore and I find myself speaking in the wrong tense a lot of the time because the majority of my kids have not learned anything about past or future yet.

Man, I am going to be annoying when I get back! Can you imagine me at an interview speaking China slow, over explaining everything, not using any contractions, using the simplest English possible and only using the present tense? God, I'm annoying myself just thinking about it.

But not all work skills have been lost. I was quite capable at multi-tasking in my working career. That, I can still do. I can explain lyrics to an English song, while proof reading a paper, while telling a kid not to steal my coffee, while holding paper things my kids made for me in a way so they know I treasure them, while giving a certain look to a group so they know that I am watching what they are doing, while using the blackboard to write/draw English definitions to Chinese words, while acknowledging every "teacher, me" I hear and giving adequate praise/expression/whatever, while breaking up the occasional fight, while eating the cookie that is being shoved in my face. So, not quite the same as working on several computer documents, answering the ever ringing phone, chipping away at all of the paperwork on my desk, reviewing slides, running into that meeting on time, researching whatever and arranging a last minute lunch/dinner. But close, right?

I guess there is some hope for me when I get back to the States.

Boo-ya.