A Week in the Life

8:30 Wake up, eat a pear and piece of walnut-date bread
10:00 Go to Starbucks to tutor Anna (an 11 year old girl)
11:00-12:00 Study Chinese at Starbucks
12:00 Meet my foreign friend Bart for lunch at the hole-in-the wall dumpling shop. Eat huntun fen (noodle soup with small meat wontons and baby pok-choy, 5 yuan)
12:45 Arrive at work
1:00-2:00 Teach a class
2:00-3:00 Prepare for children’s class
3:00-4:00 Teach a class
4:00-4:30 Finish preparing for children’s class
4:30-5:30 Teach children’s class
5:30-6:00 Prepare for next class
6:00-7:00 Teach a class
7:10 Meet Bart outside my school and walk to Club Europe for Easter dinner with Daniel (German), Shirley (Chinese, Daniel‘s girlfriend), Lucy (Chinese), and Deter (German); (150 yuan).
10:30 Get home
11:00 Go to bed

7:45 Wake up
8:20 Catch the bus (2 buses: 1.2 yuan), eat an apple and drink orange juice on the way
8:50 Arrive at school, buy a small loaf of date bread from the street vendor (2 yuan)
8:55-10:35 Chinese reading class
10:35-11:00 Sit in Chinese speaking class so the school can get photos of (non-Asian) foreigners to put on their website and newspaper.
11:10 Catch the bus back to the center of the city (2 buses: 1.2 yuan)
11:45-12:45 Shower, eat some mangos and baked noodle snack
12:45 Arrive at work
1:00-2:00 Teach class
2:00-3:00 Prepare for English Corner, buy a blueberry and red bean pastry from the bakery (3 yuan)
3:00-4:00 English Corner
4:00-5:00 Teach class
5:00-7:00 Chat with students, study Chinese, order sweet-and-sour pork to be delivered to the school for dinner (15 yuan)
7:00-8:00 English Corner
8:00-9:00 Teach class
9:00-10:30 Wash clothes in my bathtub, study Chinese
10:30 Go to bed

6:30 Wake up
7:20 Buy a small muffins at the bakery (2.5 yuan) then catch the bus (1.2 yuan)
8:00-9:40 Listening class
9:50 Catch the bus (1.2 yuan), eat an apple on the way back
10:30 Call home
11:00 Shower
11:30 Walk to have lunch with Aaron at his restaurant
12:45 Arrive at work
1:00-2:00 Teach a class
2:00-2:30 Clean my room
2:30-4:00 Study Chinese
4:00 Start preparing for English Corner about the Beatles
5:30 Order wontons to be delivered at the school (6 yuan)
6:00-7:00 Chat with students and finish preparing for English Corner
7:00-8:00 English Corner about the Beatles, sing some songs
8:00-9:00 Teach a class
9:00 Go to convenience store next to the hotel for some bananas, apples, and snacks
9:30-12:30 Watch The Riches
12:45 Go to sleep

7:45 Wake up
8:20 Catch the bus (1.2 yuan), eat a banana and drink orange juice on the bus
9:55-10:35 Chinese reading class
10:45 Catch the bus back home (1.2 yuan)
11:15 Call Tom
12:00 Meet Bart for lunch at wonton shop (6 yuan)
2:00-3:30 Take the bus to a park in the new district in the north part of town
3:30-4:30 Hang out at a coffee shop by the park (25 yuan)
4:30 Take the bus back home
5:00 Get an ice-cream cone from McDonalds (2.5 yuan)
5:00-5:30 Text messages with people, clean up my room
5:30 Meet Aaron outside my hotel to go to dinner and a massage with Julia
9:00 Leave massage parlor early for meeting with Steven about acting gig (taxis: 18 yuan)
10:00-12:00 Study Chinese
12:15 Go to bed

7:45 Wake up
8:30 Catch the bus to school (1.2 yuan), eat a banana and drink orange juice on the way
8:55-12:15 Chinese writing class then listening class
12:20 Catch the bus (1.2 yuan)
12:45 Meet Shirley outside my hotel for lunch
1:00 Lunch at 7+7 (Shirley’s treat)
2:00-4:00 Walk to Lu Qiao to go shopping. Buy a necklace, eyeshadow, and dress (175 yuan)
4:00-5:15 Walk to Starbucks and have coffee, (my treat 50 yuan)
5:15 Walk back home, relax in my room, get things ready to go to the gym
6:15 Walk to the gym
6:30-7:30 Work-out with Ali and Sally
7:45-9:00 Dinner with Ali and Sally at Brazillian BBQ
9:10 Walk home, clean my room and get ready for bed
9:45-11:00 Study Chinese
11:00 Go to sleep

7:45 Wake up
8:30 Catch the bus (1.2 yuan), eat a banana on the way
8:55-10:40 Chinese reading class
10:45 Catch the bus (1.2 yuan)
11:10 Get off the bus and buy some bread at a small bakery (3 yuan), walk to the big pharmacy to buy some sinus medicine for Ali and Sally
11:15 Meet Sally at Starbucks for an English lesson
12:20 Get dumplings for lunch (3 yuan)
12:45 Arrive at work
1:00-2:00 Teach class
2:00-3:00 Prepare for English Corner today and tomorrow
3:00-4:00 English Corner
4:00-5:45 Chat with students
6:00-6:30 Dinner at KFC (17 yuan)
6:30-7:00 Prepare for evening classes
7:00-8:00 Teach class
8:00-9:00 Teach class
9:15 Write e-mails
9:45-10:45 Call my family and friends
11:00-1:00 Watch The Riches
1:00 Go to sleep


9:00 Wake up
10:00-11:00 Tutor Anna at Starbucks
11:15-12:15 Walk to the gym and work out
12:15-12:45 Malatang and fried bread for lunch (7.5 yuan)
12:45 Arrive at work
1:00-2:00 Teach class
2:00-3:00 Chat with students and teachers
3:00-4:00 English Corner
4:00-5:30 Chat with students and teachers
5:30-6:00 Buy a snack at the bakery (2.5 yuan) and study Chinese
6:00-7:00 Teach class
7:15 Walk to Nan Dajie to meet advertising company
7:30-9:15 Korean BBQ with advertising company and solar water heater company
9:15-10:45 Sit at coffee shop and have dessert and talk business with advertising company
11:00 Return home and get ready for bed
11:30-12:15 Call Tom
12:15-12:45 Make a resume suitable for acting jobs and e-mail out
1:00 Go to sleep