![\"Slicker-clad](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stevepeer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/04\/rainy-day-edit.jpg?w=1000\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
I was safe, or so I thought.<\/p>\n
I left the cafeteria bound for home, and dry shoes and socks. The staff gate locked, I cut thru the dormitory area and made for\u00a0another exit. From under my ragged, grey umbrella I spotted a class of Grade 1 boys in yellow and red rain slickers, marching in two rows to their naps.<\/p>\n
Damn<\/em>, I thought, much like a starlet, I hope I wasn\u2019t recognized.<\/em><\/p>\n I continued towards the gate, twenty yards away. The puddle-covered, white tile ground required some fancy foot work to stay upright and reasonably dry. I glanced to my left as I walked; the bushes had been recently pruned. Between two fine examples of manicured shrubbery stood Rick.<\/p>\n Rick, my tooth<\/p>\n less fan<\/p>\n He looked at me. I looked at him.<\/p>\n He smiled his toothless Grade 1 smile.<\/p>\n \u201cSi Di Fu,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cHello Rick.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSi Di Fu,\u201d he said, his voice stronger, his smile wider.<\/p>\n \u201cGoodbye Rick,\u201d I said and headed for the gate.<\/p>\n \u201cSI DI FU!\u201d he exclaimed.<\/p>\n Then, in Chinese<\/em>: Look! Look!<\/p>\n \u201cSi Di Fu!\u201d he called again, parroted by several of the Year 1 boys I had avoided.<\/p>\n \u201cSi Di Fu!\u201d I heard yelled again, from more of the group.<\/p>\n Within seconds it was a chant from 20+ Year 1 boys. My (incorrect) Chinese name echoed off the surrounded dormitories. I raised a hand and gave a half-hearted wave as I dodged a large puddle.<\/p>\n Then they stopped. A dorm mother must have put an end to it.<\/p>\n I know only five or six of that group, former students of mine. When I encounter them they inevitably have their entire class chant my name. I can\u2019t complain. It\u2019s a tremendous ego boost\u00a0until I\u00a0remember if a dog walked by they would be yelling, \u201cLook, a DOG!\u201d<\/p>\n Ahh, to be seven again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I thought I could escape my Chinese ESL students. I was wrong. Teaching English in China is sometimes difficult. I left, bound for home…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":50,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28,54,55,58,18,19],"tags":[123,125,939],"class_list":["post-3469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-china","category-school","category-shenzhen-china-travel","category-teaching-esl-teaching-overseas","category-teaching-overseas","category-travel","tag-esl-in-china","tag-esl-students","tag-teach-english-in-china"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"rick-small.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stevepeer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/04\/rick-small.jpg?w=1000\")
Damn<\/em>, I thought.<\/p>\n