Back to School

     The 5th-floor windows in the art classroom I was in today looked out toward Nanshan Mountain, the prettiest view I've ever had from a school building.  If you had been outside looking into this classroom, the view would have been pretty good, too.  Like yesterday, the students were good-natured as they went about their classwork.  The math classes in the morning were working on a slope assignment,  and the art classes in the afternoon were working on self portrait drawings or colorful abstract designs.  It was a relief to see some normal middle school shenanigans today:  a girl arriving 15 minutes late with a vague excuse, another girl sneaking nibbles from a chocolate bar, some flirting, a little poking with a ruler, a few tears over some girl vs. girl drama, and a little too much talking sometimes.  But nothing serious.  I had fun circulating and helping kids with their work.
     At the end of the day, one of the office workers brought up a slip that would allow me to collect my pay  for subbing yesterday and today.  Subs can collect their pay every Friday in the school's business office, although it's not called "pay".  Substitute teachers at this international school officially volunteer their time and are given an honorarium, paid in cash, in U.S. dollars.  (There's the cash economy again.)   The honorarium is about 2/3 of what a sub would earn in Minneapolis/St. Paul.
     The honorarium is a handy way for the school to get around the work permit issue.  It's a very long, complicated process getting a permit to work in China.  If you want to work here, you have to prove that you are doing a job that no Chinese person could do.  Terry is still working on getting his permit, and his business visa suffices in the meantime. He's been told that China is second only to the U.S. as far as difficulty getting a permit to work in the country.