Confusion

Confusion reigns. I went to the university where I will be teaching, Sichuan Normal University, in order to get some clarification on my schedule and to make sure that they understood that I would not be arriving for two weeks. This fact still seemed to be news to some of the people I talked to, although I gather they informed my class when they showed up that I would not be there for two weeks. I imagine the students were delighted, although the people I talked to seem decidedly less so and still seem genuinely puzzled that I wouldn't be there and uncertain of the exact time I would start teaching.

To make matters worse, there is another American teacher there, a non-Peace Corps person, who is teaching four sections of the same class as I am, British and American culture. We were given the textbook today. Indeed, she taught two classes today--without the text book. Indeed, she thought she was teaching a class in American culture and was suprised to learn that, no, she was teaching a class in British and American culture. She seemed to know as much about British culture as I do. I think everything I know about British culture came from Monty Python's Flying Circus. But it is unclear to what extent we need to stick to the textook. It is also unclear to what extent we need to coordinate our classes. Indeed, the only thing that is clear is that there is much that is unclear. But at least I was given the times for four of my classes. I will be teaching Monday 2-3: 35; Tuesday 2-3:35; Wednesday 8-9:35 and 2-3:35. I will certainly be given more classes. But it was unclear exactly what or how many those would be.

We were told to be prepared for chaos, and our brief stint teaching model school at the campus where the classes were ultimately cancelled and just the last two months in China I think prepared us for this.