One week until VACATION!!!
A week today I leave Shanghai at 5:05 pm (that's 3 am, Central and 2 am Mountain and 1 am Pacific!) ... then I arrive at Chicago at 4:04 pm ... I got my first dose of English last weekend so I am now ready for all of youse English only speakers!!!
We performed a skit last night for the New Year's Festival - the students put on a HUGE production and so the foreign english teachers did a Chinese Language learning skit. We had three of our Chinese colleagues (English teachers) play the part of the teachers and we played the part of the "not so bright and tough to teach" students of the Chinese language. We did an awesome job (though I must admit, I had nothing to do with the planning or organization - a hat tip here to my colleagues, especially Susan - the one who moved out of the hotel - she dreamed the skit and was the coordinator). Always fun for the Chinese students to see their teachers up on stage having fun and participating in the New Year's festivities! - None of us are actors but the students did an awesome job and I/we were lucky enough to be a part of the show!
Skiing still looks so totally awesome at 104" that I am having a tough time cooling my jets!!! (LOL)
In my classes, we worked through the Foreign Exchange problems with the Philippine Peso and now the U.S. dollar/Yuan and examples from the book. I am very interested that the Chinese government has REQUIRED the banks to hold required reserves in U.S. dollars!!! Requiring the banks to take a loss on holding currency!?!? Weird - and the dollar/yuan continues the depreciation/appreciation, respectively! (Follow the links to the China Economic Review articles or go to my website.) I am just about to start the Banking Industry part of the class so "Ben Speaks!" is a big deal, as I tell my students JUST IN TIME FOR MY CLASS - "they" always do things just when I need them to ... so that I can teach current topics in my classes!!! Thank you "they"!!!
FYI - it only takes 7.25 yuan to buy a dollar now! .7% appreciation since the beginning of the year! Yet the article above said the Chinese central bank wanted the banks to hold required reserves in US dollars to SLOW appreciation!!! What would the yuan appreciate to WITHOUT the banks holding dollars?!?
OK - enough "wonkishness" for today!! I still have to post yesterday's wonkish post to finish that wouldn't work!
We performed a skit last night for the New Year's Festival - the students put on a HUGE production and so the foreign english teachers did a Chinese Language learning skit. We had three of our Chinese colleagues (English teachers) play the part of the teachers and we played the part of the "not so bright and tough to teach" students of the Chinese language. We did an awesome job (though I must admit, I had nothing to do with the planning or organization - a hat tip here to my colleagues, especially Susan - the one who moved out of the hotel - she dreamed the skit and was the coordinator). Always fun for the Chinese students to see their teachers up on stage having fun and participating in the New Year's festivities! - None of us are actors but the students did an awesome job and I/we were lucky enough to be a part of the show!
Skiing still looks so totally awesome at 104" that I am having a tough time cooling my jets!!! (LOL)
In my classes, we worked through the Foreign Exchange problems with the Philippine Peso and now the U.S. dollar/Yuan and examples from the book. I am very interested that the Chinese government has REQUIRED the banks to hold required reserves in U.S. dollars!!! Requiring the banks to take a loss on holding currency!?!? Weird - and the dollar/yuan continues the depreciation/appreciation, respectively! (Follow the links to the China Economic Review articles or go to my website.) I am just about to start the Banking Industry part of the class so "Ben Speaks!" is a big deal, as I tell my students JUST IN TIME FOR MY CLASS - "they" always do things just when I need them to ... so that I can teach current topics in my classes!!! Thank you "they"!!!
FYI - it only takes 7.25 yuan to buy a dollar now! .7% appreciation since the beginning of the year! Yet the article above said the Chinese central bank wanted the banks to hold required reserves in US dollars to SLOW appreciation!!! What would the yuan appreciate to WITHOUT the banks holding dollars?!?
OK - enough "wonkishness" for today!! I still have to post yesterday's wonkish post to finish that wouldn't work!
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