Rain in Shanghai

There is quite a fabulous thunderstorm going on right now. I wrote a poem about it.

Rain in Shanghai

Shimmering puddles ripple with rain and wind, collected on the pale pink-orange tile of my balcony
Thunder like a protest, a crackling, growling, drum beat. Persistent hum, rising and falling.
The dark rain curtain makes all things beyond my window a gray-green blur, the sky melting to the earth, each drop heavy with cloud.
Rain like static, car horns buzz and adult voices, small and far away, sound like children.
Quieter, quieter, the curtain pulls back into the sky and the world comes into focus.
The storm leaves and I am left with the glorious stink of a city made damp.

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This building is so quiet, it’s starting to make me nervous. The only people I’ve seen inside of it are myself, Amy, and the two logistics guys who turned on the electricity and marked down the water levels. That’s it. No one else going in or out. I heard some noises that sounded like renovations, like a wall being knocked down, but quietly. When I walked around the school, I saw the back of the building I’m in (the side with balconies) and I saw a bunch with clothes hanging up and satellite dishes and such, so there must be people in here. The other foreign teachers must be in this building. I’m sitting in my living room with the door to the hallway open with the hopes that someone will walk by. It’s also giving me a nice cross breeze into my apartment.

Pete and Stu made me a little nervous yesterday about two topics: my students and the weather. First of all, apparently Shanghai has two seasons: Summer and Winter. Summer is awful and hot and humid and gross and lasts until NOVEMBER. Then winter is cold and wet, but rarely snows. *sigh* Well, I did pick this job because of the type of school I would be working at, not the location. And I think I can handle one year without my favorite two seasons. I should have packed more sleeveless shirts…

When it comes to teaching, Pete said in his experience you can’t give the students choices or creative projects. Stu recommended that I was tough right from the start. These are exactly the things I didn’t want. Pete did admit that I am teaching at a different style of school then he did. I hope the IB mentality is similar here to my high school.

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I got internet in my apartment now! Yay! I made up this new blog site and now I just need to spread the word that people should look here and not at my LJ. I'm still bummed about not being able to read other people's entries, but at least I have the ability to post.