The Sports Meeting

So, I have had the privelege to view a sports meeting for the first time today. It was so nice to have classes canceled so my students could play sports. I now know how all my teachers felt when classes were canceled or I missed class because of sports. But unlike them, I don't feel bad. I enjoyed my day off.

I didn't watch much of the sports meeting today because of everything that I had to to. I will say that the opening ceremonies were akin to the Olympic Opening Ceremonies. (At least, that is what they were shooting for. It didn't exactly remind me of the olympics.) I watched a few of the students run. It was quite humorous. These students just get out there and compete in Track & Field Events with only a months training. It isn't like these events are what the students live for. The way it works over here is interesting. It is the equivalent of me asking you to just go teach Chinese to someone. You, like the students, would just go do it as if you had always taught Chinese. My point is that technique and skill is certainly missing from this Sports Meeting. These kids will start a 400 or 800 at a dead spring without thinking that, "Shoot, when I turn the first corner I will want to puke my guts out AND I HAVE 2 LAPS LEFT!" It is quite interesting. I WAS telling everyone that the high jump is humorous because they kind of hurdle the high jump. Well, it turns out that only the students I was watching practice a few weeks ago were doing that. Today, they tried to at least mimic normal form. The students have 2 more days of this. Pray for them.

Here is a pic of 2 of my French students. Felix is in the middle. We are good friends. David is on the right. We are still getting to know each other. I teach them English but they are French Majors. Why can't America make us learn more than one language? I am jealous of them.

Oh you may have noticed that I am missing my beard. I had to shave it off because I plugged my beard trimmer into the electric socket here and fried it. Apparently, 120V appliances do not work here in China in a 220V environment. Plus, check out my hair cut. It was done by a Chinese person. Not bad, eh?