Well! Job prospects have gone from chocolates to boiled lollies!
- Dalian is no longer available, as the powers-to-be in Dalian decided that they would recruit from within the city.
- Tongji's sister university (LaTrobe University) has decided to introduce a brand new program next semester, accompanied by their own teachers from LaTrobe.
- The Hangzhou position has now been filled.
To top it all off, when I called about my previous Wuhan job the reply was "oh, if only you had called a week earlier!". To add insult to injury the (presumably) new teacher has just posted a notice on an internet ESL Teachers Board asking "Hi there! I have been offered an ESL post at Wuhan University of Science and Technology. Any possitive or negative please, how do they treat ESL teachers and how is the accomodation?" - take a look at this English teacher's spelling of 'positive' and 'accommodation'!
So, it's back to job applications: I've submitted some half a dozen in the last week - this Friday I'm going for an interview at a university in Suzhou.
As it turned out I went to Suzhou last Friday, during the Dragon Boat Festival holidays, via the relatively fast D train - not as fast as the MagLev, as it cruised at a mere 160kph. Fortunately, one of my Tongji students (Iris) comes from Suzhou so she invited me to meet her family. It was a great experience: we had lunch, visited the Lingering Gardens, walked down the very ancient street/canal area (referred to as Little Venice) and saw the locals in the marketplace (refer photos).
As that day was her birthday, the evening meal was a real feast for her family and friends. Her uncle, the host, who was partial to a drop of German dark beer, opened many 5-litre tinnies. It's customary in China, during a meal, to have numerous toasts with the various guests: initially I was responding with "cheers" and "good health", but as the night wore on and the beer kept flowing at the adults' table, I unfortunately introduced them to "bottoms up" - well, they took to that idea very quickly and a skulling competition ensued. When that wasn't enough, the heavy stuff was brought out: as I couldn't read the label I don't know what it was but it looked and tasted a bit like vodka; however, what I could read on the label was "53% proof"! Fortunately, I was driven home to Shanghai that night.
The semester is quickly coming to an end and both teachers and students are preparing for final exams. As for my next assignment and location - who knows!
Until next time... this is your about-to-be UnShanghaied Renzo
Photos
Lingering Gardens in Suzhou
"Little Venice"
Iris' birthday party
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