The floors in this country are very slippery. I mean polished to a super-fine sheen slippery. Coated with a thin layer of water in the middle of the day because there is no concern for students' tripping slippery. No conception of sand in the outdoor paint slippery. Slippery.
I find myself sliding along our school corridors all the time. My Dansko clogs are no match for the floor. I can slide down the hall like a professional skater. I thought it was just me, and then I looked around. I noticed that all the teachers slide down the halls. Then I realized that everyone, students and teacher, taking a running slide in the first-floor foyer. It's a wide-open space (opening into a row of glass doors followed by rather unforgiving pavement and some stairs) of super-slippery floor. It's toot tempting. A nice running start... and sliiiiiiiiiiiide to the doors.
The thing is, it's not just the school. The subway floors are exactly the same, except, well, it's a subway platform. I'm not too worried about going over the edge into an oncoming train, but I am worried about tripping down the stairs and taking the mass of humanity out like a bowling ball crashing into the pins. Imagine what it's like when it rains.
The life and trials of a (proper) high school social studies (and English) teacher in Beijing.
Popular Posts
-
Last night, I decided to attend my first Burns' Supper. For those of you who don't know, a Burns' Supper is a celebration of the...
-
Two years ago, when I flew to Beijing, I was scared. I was heading off into the Great Unknown, Alone, and it was intimidating, to say the le...
-
Welcome back to Blogger, Loyal Readers. After my dalliance with other blog sites, I'm back to the old stand-by. Why? You wonder. Wel...
-
As our bus neared the entrance to the "Diversifolious Poplar Forest, I noticed a disturbing trend along the highway: scores of Chinese ...
-
I walked away from the dermatologist with ointments and creams and medicine: I refuse the IV antibiotics crap. I keep with my nice, easy, on...
-
I decided to take myself out for a nice dinner. Here is the review. The restaurant wants to be fancy. It wants it desperately. I am shown to...
-
Three years ago, I embarked on this grand adventure. Bla bla bla, you've heard it all before. Also, three years ago, for my Spring Festi...
-
This thought was flitting around my mind as I sat, sick, uncomfortable, with a tinge of very real fear, on the boat back to Bali. My thought...
-
Today, for the first time ever in my life, I went snorkeling. What? I hear you cry. But you have been all over the world! You have been to t...
-
I am staying on East Railay, which is lovely but overlooks a mangrove swamp. While I'm all for biodiversity and crap like that, I'm ...
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment