3 October 2015

Gentlefolk,

We are already in the 4th week of the new semester, and it's time I put pen to paper again.

This post is about my teaching schedule, and also features recent photos taken since the beginning of this semester.

Last week Vera & I did a short visit to Zoucheng, the home town of Mencius.  I'll do a separate post on that trip,

Teaching schedule

This semester I have 7 classes a week, as follows:

Mondays: 8 - 9.50am; International Trade classes 1403 + 1404; Oral English
Tuesdays: 2 - 3.50pm; English Major class 1502; Oral
Wednesdays:  7 - 8.50pm; Non Major class 283; Western Culture
Thursdays: 8 - 9.50am; EM1503; Oral.
                   7 - 8.50pm; NM284; Oral
Fridays: 7 - 8.50pm; NM145; Oral
Saturdays: 4.10 - 6pm; Double Major class 1401; Western Culture

The Wednesday night Culture class is being videoed for the University's new MOOC collection.

So, five Oral English classes and 2 Western Culture classes a week = 14 teaching hours. Pretty cruisy. But of course there is always lesson-preparation, which probably takes another 10 hours a week.

I have 3 night classes, 7 - 8.50pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  These are tough as the students are usually tired after a long day of lectures (I well remember fighting losing battles to stay awake during night lectures at the ANU back in the 1960s). I see the night lectures as a challenge - to keep the students interested and participating and awake!

Actually, for the first 3 weeks of this semester I had an additional 3 Oral classes a week, for a special training group from China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). That course has now finished.

Salary 

(Note: I use US$ in this blog, as the A$ has been so volatile)

The university has increased our salaries from this semester (first increase in at least 6 years).  We now get a base salary of $475 a month (up from $320) plus $9.50 for every teaching hour (up from $8).  So my 14 hours per week (56 hours per month) will pay me $532 per month, giving a total monthly salary of just over $1000.

I will have to pay some income tax, but should clear about $880 per month.

At the end of each academic year I also get an allowance of $1,250 towards overseas travel.

We certainly won't get rich on $220 per week, but our great little on-campus apartment is free, and my salary easily covers our day-to-day living costs (we have to dip into savings for our travel back to Australia twice a year).

Here are some recent photos:

In early September Qingdao hosted the Asian Rugby Sevens championship. Teams from Japan, Malaysia, UAE, etc; both men and women teams.  Never thought I'd see rugby played in China, but since Rugby 7s will be included in the Rio Olympics next year China has become interested.

Part of the (small) crowd watching the Rugby 7s championship,

I taught Oral English to the CNOOC trainees for three weeks in September. A fine group of young adults.  They had a busy schedule: 8 hours a day of English, Monday to Saturday for 12 weeks; I got involved at the end.  English names: Tony; Qi; Alex; Feddy; Mason; Charlie; Jeff; Lily; Jim; Danny; James; Neil; Mark; Will; Snake; Tom; Jerry; Kevin; Carl; Andy; William; Allen.

All foreign teachers are allocated a "Liaison Teacher" by the English Faculty to help us with any issues related to teaching.  My Liaison Teacher this semester is Zhang Qi (Carol).  She is super-helpful, friendly and efficient.  She married Dr Zhang Yong and we were invited to the wedding banquet at the Howard Johnson Hotel across from the North Gate of the campus, a grand affair.

I had the honour of proposing a toast to the newly-weds.

From left: Luan Zhu (a colleague of Carol's); newly-weds Zhang Yong and Zhang Qi; Vera and me.

All Freshmen students (over 4,000 in our university) do 17 days of military training when they first start College.  We attended the parade at the end of the training, always an impressive occasion held in front of the university's top leaders.

The Honour Guard got tangled up in the flag! But he didn't miss a beat.

Some of the students marching in the parade.

A close-up of some of the Freshmen students participating in the parade.

The girls looked good in their red berets.

These students demonstrated their unarmed-combat skills (here wielding knives).

Photo from our balcony, looking south-east across Tang Dao Wan Bay.  

Same photo as above, but using the zoom to highlight Ling Shan Dao Island in the distance.

This photo was taken three days ago.  It is full moon (a Super-moon this month) with very big ('king') tides.  This is low tide - most unusual to see to the water so low, and so much of the bottom of the Bay exposed.

This photo taken at same time as above - very low tide.  You could easily walk out to Cow Island in the middle of the bay.

Vera and I with Little Eddie in Hong Kong, early September 2015. He is 18 months old and very cute.

A Wallabies supporter!!  Hope we beat England tonight; fingers crossed.

Andrew stretching before going for a run - Little Eddie helping.

Caroline's furniture website is up-and-running (www.reddie.co) but only for deliveries in Hong Kong at this stage.  She is exhibiting some of her furniture in a special promotional area in Hong Kong.

More Reddie furniture on display.

Paul Milton with his three grand-kids, Eddie, Bea and Miles.  They were all in Bali in early September to celebrate Paul's 70th birthday.

...

That's all for this post.

As mentioned, I'll do a separate post describing our visit to Zoucheng last week.

Best wishes, keep well and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn
Saturday 3 October 2015

3 September 2015

Gentlefolk

My apologies, this post is out-of-sequence.  I've just found some photos of the Graduation ceremonies which took place in early July and wanted to include them.

Although we have been at UPC for some years, this was the first time Vera and I attended graduation ceremonies.  We knew some of the graduating students, so decided to go along to see how it all went.

The main ceremony for all graduating students (about 5,000 both undergraduate and post-graduate) took place in the university's impressive gymnasium.  Graduating students wore different coloured T-shirts, depending on their College (eg Petroleum Engineering, or Geology, or Business, etc).

The key-note speech was given by the University's President, Professor Shan Hong Hong.  We heard on the grapevine that the leaders will all be replaced in the next semester, so this would be her 'last hurrah'.

Over following days, students in each College received their actual degrees from the President.  She must have been absolutely exhausted by the end of that week!

Vera and I were glad we attended the graduation ceremonies.  Everything went like clock-work. This was a big event in the lives of these students - the culmination of 4 years of hard study. It was interesting, and a privilege, so see them grow in maturity and knowledge over that time.

They were now going on to the next stage of their lives, finding jobs and settling into working life, but they will always remember (cherish?) the time they spent at UPC.

The university's gymnasium, an iconic structure, where the main graduation  ceremony took place.

Over 5,000 graduating students almost filled the gymnasium. They wore different coloured T-shirts depending on their College.

Another view of the graduating students.  There was an area for 'visitors' where Vera and I sat.  There were perhaps 200 people in that section, presumably parents of graduating students.  Actually, we were surprised more parents or relatives weren't present - but students come from far afield and this was not a public holiday so parents may have found it difficult to get away.  

Faces of the future leaders of China.

The International Trade majors wore yellow T-shirts, part of the College of Business and Administration.  

These were the International Trade students who were in my classes.  

Suddenly a group of students burst into song, led by this 'conductor' (perhaps a teacher?).  It added to the festive atmosphere.

Shan Hong Hong's image appeared on big screens around the gymnasium during her speech.

Following the main ceremony, there were special individual ceremonies for each College, at which the students were presented with their degree, by the President, and photos taken.

The following photos are of some of the International Trade students I taught.

Jelena getting her degree certificate.  She was a lively and friendly girl.

This girl made a speech on behalf of her College.  She must have been one of the top students to be chosen for such an honour.  It's a pity I couldn't understand what she was saying, but she certainly looked smart, pretty, and 'with it'!

Lots of photos after the degree ceremony.

Some of the International Trade students who had been in my classes.

Two of students we got to know well:  Yu Ya Qi (Romulus) graduated last year but came down for his girlfriend's graduation, Li Zhi Wei (Lena).   Lena did a double degree, Law and English.

We hosted lunch for some of the top students from my Western Culture classes DM1301 and DM1302. Bright kids. 

Same group as above. From left: Liu Si Yi (Charles' girlfriend from Chongqing, she attends university in Shanghai); Yu Zhi Chao Charles (Safety Engineering, from Qingdao City); Vera; Alex; Shen Qi Qing Rita (Oil storage & transportation, from Zhejiang); Chen Zhi Peng Oliver (Chemical Engineering, from Zhejiang Province);  Pan Yu Summer (Applied chemistry); Jiang Lin John (Environmental engineering, from Anhui); Ou Yang Qian Ocean (Environmental engineering, from Guangdong).

...

That's it for this post.

I have now caught up - so much easier to do that here in Hong Kong than in China.  Still, we are looking forward to returning to the campus this afternoon.  Teaching starts on Monday, so it will be "all systems go", another semester, new classes, new students.  All good.

Best wishes, keep well and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn
Thursday 3 September 2015

3 September 2015

Gentlefolk,

We are in Hong Kong, on our way back to Qingdao for the start of the new semester (teachings starts on Monday 7 September).

Herewith some photos of our time in Australia (except Brisbane - see previous blog post) and Hong Kong.

One of the Indonesian girls, Vonny, celebrated her birthday with a fancy-dress party.

Dinner with old friends Tomoko & John Scott and Sharon & Ian Loiterton

Caught up with Maria-Helena and Paul Nicoll who were back from Brazil.

Lunch with Kaye and Patrick O'Hara at the National Library.  Patrick told us about his plan to ride (bicycle) from Canberra to Melbourne. 

I celebrated my 69th birthday while in Canberra.  The photo shows Britt and Pierre's kids Lani and Tui, and of course Vera.

Angie invited me to attend the Model United Nations (MUNA) for High School students organised by Rotary. It was held in the House of Reps chamber in Old Parliament House (which I used to frequent many years ago).  A very high standard of debate by these impressive youngsters. 

Getting a few pointers from Joseph Saputra.  He only took up table tennis a couple of years ago, and has become very proficient in a short time. 

In Sydney we stayed with friends Niniek and Paul Milton.  It was 17 August - Indonesia's National Day - so Niniek organised a big lunch to celebrate

Great opportunity to eat delicious Indonesian food!

A selected few males were invited to the lunch: Michael Kramer; Eddie Hidayat (Vera worked with him in Jakarta 40 years ago); Paul Milton; and myself.

We popped in to see Irene and Dennis Smith in Tweed Heads. 

Hong Kong

With Eddie in one of the wonderful old trams in Hong Kong.

Vera feeding Eddie in Andrew & Caroline's apartment in Hong Kong.  They live in a great locations, on the border of Happy Valley and Causeway Bay.

Andrew & Caroline discussing her new furniture website www.reddie.co 

We took a taxi out to Lantau Island.  Impressive bridges.

The beach at Pui O, Lantau Island

Lunch at Maverick's Bar, Pui O Beach.  Very laid-back.  Later took a ferry back to  Central from Mui Wu.  

Well, that brings us up-to-date.

My next post will, internet-gods willing, be from the university in Qingdao.


Best wishes, keep well and keep smiling

Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn
Thursday, 3 September 2015 (still in HK, just before our departure for Qingdao)