We host our game! We do!

I am eating salty chicken with an Estonian named Sander, who is twenty two, wide-eyed and enjoys sci-fi novels. Along with us, is a nineteen year old from Germany named Tammo, who just finished the highest level of education you can get in Germany. They have come to Wenchang through an international volunteer organization for a life of minimal sleeping quarters, star-type attention from the locals and a bit of teaching now and then. My students are earnest but about half the class cannot even stumble through the right words to express what they are thinking. They all want to know my history, as I am an anomoly amongst the other foreign teachers- I'm different but not different enough as far as my physical traits.
As I walk up the street from shopping to our school, Anne sees me and jokes, "I thought I saw a breath of Greenwich village in our little Wenchang." Meanwhile Joanne comments, "We thought maybe it was a local Chinese that just dressed really different."
I keep my spirits high watching old episodes of "Freaks and Geeks" and cooking delicious meals. I had my students over for the first time, and we discussed how they could improve their English. I suggest that writing down the words they look up in the dictionary would help them to remember them and reading out loud from their textbooks so they can get used to speaking the language. There is also English Corners which the English Club hosts every Thursday night. They also want Tammo, Sander and I to be judges for new members to their club. How will we judge good English? The boys suggest going in drunk and deciding from there.
The new volunteers from Eastern Europe often call me up to grab beers and find some diversion. They are disgruntled by the lack of partymongers and good music being played. Sander and Tammo want to go to dance clubs and find people who like to drink. Last night we went to play pool at a nearby billiards. The only game we could play was one called "Last man standing," dividing the 15 balls equally, 1-5, 6-10, 11-15 and attempting to knock off all balls but your own. In between swears and sips of lager, we missed some and hit some. Needless to say, the German reigned victorious. At least on that night.
Occasionally I go out on bike rides when I can find one to borrow. Last time, Sam and I got stuck in the mud. I took advantage of this mishap to do a photo-shoot as Sam was still in her nice clothes for work later. After washing our shoes and bikes at the of taps of a construction sites, we visit the campus of a deaf and blind school. There she and her boyfriend had their first bonding experience, planting new trees after knowing eachother for just a few days. I love this tree which reminds me of an elephant.