It's still July

July has been a long month, and slow. Every time I think August should be here by now, I check my calender and it's still July. But we're getting there. July is a 5 week month which is why it's taking so long to finish, but it also means higher fees which is good for me but bad for them (the people who have to pay me fees for teaching their little kiddies). I like the end of the month. Fees are due to me, so I feel rich(er) and of course it brings me closer to our trip back home. I'm finishing up one of my English classes at night this month and the other finishes next month. The first class got too small and the second class are just so not into learning English, I feel like I'm wasting my time. So I'll have my nights back again, to do with what, I don't know, but dinner will be more relaxed when I'm finished teaching there.

My new student is coming along, slowly. At the moment we're doing simple things together, playing with puzzles, playdough and games.Today I had him without anyone else present for the first time (that's always a little scary, you never know whether they will throw a huge tantrum or not). His older brother has been tagging along so that he could translate for me and his parents were hoping his English would improve. However, he's proving to be more of a hindrance than anything because he goes through my toy collection asking his brother if he wants to do this or that and thoroughly distracting him. More annoying is the fact that he doesn't appear to hear me when I ask him to stop. It's made me wonder if the hyperactivity doesn't run in the family. But today I started a book for my student, to keep track of what we do. I will put photos and drawings with it to make it relevant and interesting to him. He was interested in the text of today's entry and let me read it to him (he doesn't so much as go near other books) and took notice of my small, immature drawings of the toys he had played with which was a nice surprise. At this time, his brother had actually left to go to another tuition class and Jia Jin was much more responsive. I will ask his mother to let the brother stay at home from now on. If they want to improve his English and behaviour, they can book separate sessions for him and pay me for it.


After doing so well, Feng Ying is now officially 'all over the place'! She's refusing to speak as well as she was, is not concentrating, is not tracing well and is spending more time in her own world where she babbles and laughs and is oblivious to everything else. Unfortunately, that's often the case with these kids - 2 steps forward, 3 back, 1 forward, another forward, 2 back and 1 forward. There's nothing for it but to just keep trying and in some instances, to start again. She should pick up again, and go forward more quickly than before because she's done it all. It's not that she can't do her work, it's her autism stopping her - she's retreating into her own world away from my demands so my job now is to make my world look more exciting than hers so that she wants to come out and play again, so to speak.

Son is also a bit of a worry. Now he's been taken in by the magical world. He's continually in a world of magic which means spells, disappearing and using magic to enter rooms. he spins around as he walks and talks to himself alot. I know it's only a phase, but it's a weird one. He still obsessed with the Wiggles and guitars. When he was about 2 he was obsessed with golf - everything was a golf club, including my aunty's walking stick. My son's latest ambition is to sell fish and chips during the day and be a magician at night! It was difficult to keep a straight face when he announced this one.

Anway, it's all quiet and calm at the moment. There are only 4 months to go before ... I don't have to tell you do I? Exams and holidays are coming up again. Did my first bout of exercise tonight in what has been way too long. I swam and did some other weighty exercises in the pool until two middle-aged chinese guys turned up and started spitting up after every lap. God, they can't keep it to themselves, it's disgusting, so I got out and went home. The pool was lovely though, I was the only one there (for a while), breaking the glassy blue water. I love the look of a pool with a glassy surface, it's just so inviting and beautiful.

On Facebook I found a group of former students and staff from my old primary school where I was a teacher for 4 years. It's a great school and looks like it still is. Those kids I taught are now coming up to 20 - there are pics of them drinking beer and smiling, with girlfriends in tow. I can still remember them as cheeky, shy, amazing, cute little 6 year olds. Now they are adults and I still feel the same as I did then. Bizarre. I think Face book is good for doing things like this and keeping up with family but I don't really like it otherwise. Hmmm..

So tired, I think I'll go to bed. 'night.