Hornitos Plata Tequila TV Commercial, 'Any' Believe me just ANY is a very bad idea

The City of Handan, China Is An Interesting Historical Place

Handan, China is an incredibly historical city. Handan dates back many thousands of years ago. Handan was the capital of the Zhao Kingdom during the Warring Period. Handan has a very rich cultural history. It is famous for Chinese idioms, legends and folk arts such as Buddhist temple music. Shang Gu Wu dance with fans and drums is also a very popular art form in Handan. In nearby Yongnian County there is an original form of Tai Chi called Yongnian Tai Chi. There a few other interesting spots in Handan. Wahuang Palace this is the enshrinement for the Goddess of Sky-Patching according to Chinese legend. I did not see this place of interest but I sure wish that I did. Jingniang Lake also known as the pearl of the Taihang Mountains. Now I did visit this place and it is gorgeous. Handan also has some wonderful foods. One being donkey meat sausage tried it and I liked it. Congtai wine is also very delicious and famous in Handan. Handan is easy to get to by train from Beijing Xi railway station. 

我喜欢 I like it. Chinese Language Lesson NICE GLASSES!

我不知道 I Don't Know! Chinese Language Lesson

你叫什么名字？What's Your Name? In Chinese. Let's Learn A New Language

kankan 看看

kankan 看看 How to say "looking" in Chinese

Having Fun Speaking Japanese Wearing A Crazy Hat

ESL Lesson Months Of The Year And Chinese Months Of The Year

CRH380A Shanghai CRH Bullet Train shanghai railway station hongqiao chin...

Enthusiasm and Happiness Works Best For Chinese Students

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My experience in China with teaching the kids was like this the more enthusiasm and happiness you can bring the more fun and interactive your class is going to be. Making the class a little action packed always makes an impact on the children. Below is one of my fun classes in China these were little ones too ages 7 years and younger. Always contact me about teaching in China or if you would like to be a link on my blog tanukichamptranslation@gmail.com

Michael Jackson, Basketball and Teaching ESL in China

Michael Jackson and basketball were incredible friendship builders with my students in China. I think making friends with your students is so important. Let them know they can go to you for help. The teacher is not their enemy but their friend and can really help them with their English.  Some of my best students were my basketball friends. Reason why is because they would want to have conversation outside of the classroom. How good is that they are doing homework and they don't even know it. Talk about starting a conversation just mention you like Michael Jackson and you will start a firestorm of a conversation. The students will start dancing and saying their favorite songs "Beat It" "Bad" and so on. Michael Jackson was truly internationally known and still is loved. I was in remote parts of China and I could hear a Michael Jackson song. I think these two simple things really helped my students and they were not just my students they became my friends. If you want information on teaching jobs in China contact me at tanukichamptranslation@gmail.com or just some information on China.
Thanks for reading my blog.

Having Fun Teaching Chinese Numbers 1 to 10

English and Japanese Days of the week

The Jackson 5 - ABC I always felt this would be a good ESL song.

Kids Of Yongnian County

Some photos of wonderful kindergarten children in Yongnian County, China. Contact me at tanukichamptranslation@gmail.com for information on teaching jobs in China.

China typhoon Fotan Town

Taking A Sleeper Bus In China

A sleeper bus is a wonderful way to travel in China. It is a good alternative to a train or by plane. The sleeper bus is less expensive than the high speed trains in China but they are faster than the slow trains in China. These buses are extremely convenient by travelling at night you sleep in your bunk and when you wake up in the morning you are at your destination. The beds are not that comfortable for a tall person but it is not too bad. The nicer buses will have some television and provide you with a bottle of water. These bus stations are usually located next to the railway stations in China so central location and good transfer point if needed. I feel this is a great way to really experience China. If you would like to be a favorite link on my blog or if you would like information on teaching English in China contact me at tanukichamptranslation@gmail.com Here are some links for bus travel. 
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/hongkong/transportation/bus.htm  http://www.chinabusguide.com/  

Teaching ESL In China

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Teaching ESL in China can be so exciting and rewarding. When first arriving as a foreign teacher you will be very busy. If you are working for a private school you probably start teaching the next day after you arrive. If you are working for a public school usually they will give a few days for an adjustment period. In my case I was working for a private training center and I taught the next day. The first day in China you will also have to register with the local police department as being a new resident. You also will be required to get a new cell phone in the first few days after you arrive. Cell phones in China are relatively inexpensive so do not be worried. Expect to be exceptionally busy for the first week. You probably will have a lot of extracurricular activities to attend along with many classes to teach. Generally Chinese schools really want to entertain foreign teachers their first week. The classes will be very large I have taught classes with as many as 70 students in the class. You primarily will be an oral English teacher meaning a lot of repetition and therefore you are going to be using your voice a lot so be prepared. I definitely recommend getting a water bottle for classes.  You also will have competent assistants to help you with translation.The housing should be very nice actually you will be pleasantly surprised I know that I was. My apartment was a three bedroom and I was the only one living there. There also will be many people LOVING to say hello to you. I just call it the random hello they really want to try their English with you. So if you want to try something different and really experience another culture be a ESL teacher in China. 

Teaching ESL In China

https://www.facebook.com/aaron.pierson.73  http://tanukichamptranslation.net/
I decided today to write about how to become a teacher in China.  A native English speaking teacher is in very high demand in China so the amount job offers thrown at you can become overwhelming. First step that I did was actually become a ESL teacher. I took a 120 hour TEFL course and got a certification as a TEFL instructor. I felt this was very important especially to get an idea on how to design lesson plans and curriculum. Once I got the certification I started shopping around where I would like to teach. I decided upon China it seemed very interesting to me. I started to research on the internet and I found Dave's ESL Cafe which posts many English teaching jobs from around the world. There is another really good website for teaching jobs and that is Seriousteachers.com between these two you will find a job. I think it is also important to speak to someone who has either taught in China before or is teaching there when you plan to go there. This is to give you a good idea what to expect before going there.

After you find a teaching job you are interested in make sure to go over all the details carefully. Location of housing in proximity to where you are teaching is very important. Go over the housing very carefully and request to see pictures of the apartment. I was very lucky in Handan my apartment was very comfortable. My location was also very good one of my school's was only a 12 minute walk. Whatever your needs you may have go over them with your school so that they may accomodate you. If they cannot then I do not recommend going to that school. There are so many schools in China looking for native English speakers that you should be able to get just ABOUT everything you need. I know it sounds too good but it is true. Next blog I will go over what to expect when you go to China. If you would like to be a link on my blog or if you would like information on teaching jobs in China contact me at tanukichamptranslation@gmail.com

Chengmenshihuo Yangjichiyu or Gates of Fire Adverse Impacts to Fish

Chengmenshihuo Yangjichiyu in English is Gates of Fire Adverse Impacts to Fish. This is an ancient Chinese idiom. I found this idiom from my friend Helen but finding a good English translation was a little challenging but anyway here we go. The Chinese idioms and proverbs are always so thought provoking to me. Evidently this idiom dates back to the Ming dynasty or Song Dynasty and the English translation is not so known but I am going to give it go anyway. Here is here one translation. Calamity makes disaster. The gate near the moat is on fire then everyone runs to the moat and takes water out of the moat to put the fire out. The water runs out and all the fish die. My interpretation of this idiom is cause and effect. A fire broke out then the innocent fish died. Something bad happened then innocent suffered from the bad happening. I think this is a correct interpretation of this idiom. A modern day example of this idiom could be like this a house burned down next door to a house that was for sale. The house could not be sold because no one wanted live next door to a burned down house. This is definitely a thought provoking Chinese idiom. If you would like to be a favorite link or if you would like information on teaching English in China contact me at tanukichamptranslation@gmail.com

Interesting Things In China

These are just few things I experienced while traveling some through China. 

I think the first video is a funeral procession and the other video is a day after  a typhoon hit in an area that I was visiting in China. If you want to be a link on my blog or you would like information on teaching jobs in China contact me at tanukichamptranslation@gmail.com

Nice Things in Handan

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I was always so fortunate with the nice people that I knew in Handan. One day I was at a little store next to the training center just buying a few items. I was buying a bottle of beer and some chips when from behind someone's hand appeared and took my groceries. I thought "what is happening?" then I looked back and it was one of my student's mother's buying my beer and chips. She just scooped them up  and paid for them and gave them back to me smiled and walked away. I was amazed at this kindness but I guess for them it was just natural. One day on a day off that I had I got a phone call from one of my favorite students, Adam. He ask me "teacher can I come over and play?" I of course told him yes. He came over with his mother it was so great. Adam wanted to introduce me to his mother. We sat in my living room and talked about Adam's studies. I said Adam was a great student in which he was. I actually still talk with Adam on QQ every week. Then Adam's mom asked me "did you eat yet?" Can we take you out for dinner? I said yes you can!! I would really like that. They decided on a famous Beijing Duck restaurant in Handan. I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant because this place was phenomenal. They made a reservation for a private room and it was very nice. The duck was so delicious I will never forget this meal. There are some wonderful restaurants in Handan. I was too lucky to have such thoughtful and kindly students.

Shopping in Handan, China

My first salary arrived and it was time for some shopping. I will never forget some of incredible bargains that I got in Handan. I usually shopped in WalMart since that was the only store that I was really familiar with and the closest to my apartment. There were imported items also at WalMart another reason to shop there. I liked shopping for eggs in China because it was so different than America. In China I picked my own eggs from these baskets that the store put out. The eggs were obviously fresh right from the farm since some of them still had feathers on them. WOW! The eggs also were a little larger than eggs in America. And what a deal  to me only 90 cents for 10 eggs. I also loved beer prices in China. I could get large 24oz bottles of beer for 50 cents. Now that is the biggest bargain of them all. A beer that I drank besides Tsingtao was Snow Beer a nice choice try it sometime. Bread in China was also interesting it was baked fresh in the store and it was only 50 cents a loaf. Coffee was always instant for me in China since regular ground coffee was so expensive since most of it is imported. There is some coffee grown on Hainan Island in China which is very good but it to so expensive. Hey Nescafe is not so bad once you get used to it. If you are a coffee lover though Hainan coffee is a must try it is delicious! Produce was always so inexpensive in China too most items were under 90 cents for a pound. I maybe a little biased but the best instant cup ramen in the world is in China. As you can tell I did not cook much while I was in China hahaha!

Chinese Kids Love Sports

Contact me here for information on English teaching jobs in China and about being a link on my blog contact me at tanukichamptranslation@gmail.com  
I always loved teaching the kids and watching their reaction when I would tell them how much I loved sports. I would tell them I loved to run, play basketball, baseball and football. I would say "raise your hand if you like sports."  After that more than 90 percent of the class would raise their hand.  Their smiles would be so big and their excitement just amazing. Then I would ask them "what sports do you like?" Their responses were always a great variety. I like badminton. I like soccer. I like jumping rope. I like ping pong. I was always intrigued by their enthusiasm about the sports they liked. I tried playing their favorite sports like badminton and ping pong and I would always lose to  the older students. Actually the little ones were funner to play with cause they would always tried so hard. Sports can bring everyone together.

That Little boy in Handan

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I really do not know what I would have done if that little boy had not of helped me that night. I was late anyway for my classes that night and I missed two of them. I was able to teach my last class but I think without his help I am sure I would have missed all my classes and that would have been a big deal to the school. I think about my time being a ESL instructor in China and how rewarding it was. I will always be very thankful for all my experiences I had as a foreign teacher there. I know sometimes it is not easy being a teacher in China I had to adjust to a lot of changes and the culture is so different. Many people go to China to teach but it does not seem to agree with them. They wind up leaving quickly because they cannot adjust to the lifestyle and the culture. I myself found the culture and the people there fascinating. I think it is so interesting that Chinese people are so interested in learning English and they want to know so much about Western culture. Here is a tidbit of information the Mandarin word for America is Meiguo which means Beautiful Kingdom or country. 
I thought that was so cool well there is a little Chinese lesson for you if you did 
not know already. Have a wonderful day. If you would like to be a link on my 
blog or you would like information on teaching English in China contact me 
at tanukichamptranslation@gmail.com

First Snowstorm in Handan

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I got up early this morning since I was going to #2 kindergarten which was a 50 minute bus ride and I had to be there by 9am. When I stepped out the door everything seemed just fine a little cooler than usual nothing that made me suspect there would be snow that day. I also did not have any television at this time.  That really would not have mattered being that I do not speak or understand Chinese how will I understand the weather forecast. So basically I was going into the day blind. The morning classes at the kindergarten went very well and I went home for my lunch break without any glitches. 

I caught the #20 bus back to the kindergarten and again the weather looked okay maybe a few clouds but nothing substantial. I went to my first class and in the middle of the class one student yells out in his best English "IT'S SNOWING!" My first thought was this could be a situation for me being that I still had 2 hours of teaching left. I finished teaching 2 hours later and the snow was not relenting and it was getting very deep on the ground. I get to the bus stop and begin my wait for the bus. Usually I waited about 10 minutes and the bus would come. Well not today of course because of the snow the bus was very late and I waited longer than an hour in the snow and without gloves STUPID ME! From here the fun begins. The bus of course is packed because it is so late and it is going very SLOW. I get on and I cannot even see outside to know which stop to get off at. This is a bad situation for me because I don't speak Chinese therefore I cannot ask what stop is next? or what stop is this? Luckily for me some little boy saw the frustration on my face and he asked me in ENGLISH "Can I help you?" I was so relieved this little boy was going to save me from a big problem. I told the little boy where I needed to get off at and he told me "I am getting off very close to there I can help you." Such a helpful little boy and with a smile of course. If you want to be a link on my blog or if you would like information on teaching jobs in China contact me at tanukichamptranslation@gmail.com