School life...

In terms of daily life, things are pretty settled here in Danfeng but the school situation isn't quite as straight forward. The staff are friendly (in a smile -at-me-as-they-pass way) and the management seems happy to trust that I know what I'm doing and leave me to it, but I'm finding that (like teachers everywhere) there's a lot of complaining from the general staff that they're too busy for new things and that the things I'm suggesting won't work. It's a bit depressing, especially since I'm following VSO's 'go slow' approach and the things I'm suggesting aren't really going to take any time or effort on the part of the teachers - that's supposed to come later!!
My daily routine is -
6.50 - get up and get ready for work
7.45 - meet my translator outside my building and do the 5/10 minute walk to work together
( I love the walk as I like watching the stall holders setting up their vegetable/plastic container/cloth stalls on rickety tables and those with permanent shops sweeping down the pavement outside with bunches of twigs. I also love watching the old folk exercising in the newly built town square. It's always a kind of slow Tai Chi movement but some days they use fans, some days bits of red material and some days giant fans. So cool!)
8.00 - weave my way through a playground of 3000 students all simultaneously doing morning exercises to instructions through a loud speaker (check out 'my videos' section of my blog to watch the exercises)
11.30 - home for lunch and the toilet (as I try my hardest not to use the female staff toilets. It's not just the stink and filth but that there are no cubicles, just a row of pits where everyone can watch everyone else and from which female students are not banned - on one horrific day, I went to the toilet and just as I crouched down between 2 other female staff, half a dozen 14 year olds came in and of course just stood and stared at me. Still gives me the shudders!)
1.45 - meet Zhao Man (my translator) outside the building again and walk back to work
2.00 - back in the office
5.10 - the day is finished for me - but not for the kids. They're back at 6.30 and study till 8.40. They also start way before me and have to be at school for 6.30. Luckily, VSO specifies that volunteers follow a reasonable Western working week!
I know I haven't said anything about WHAT I'm actually doing at work yet but no need to rush - I can keep that for another post...