On April 25th 00:00, I formally accepted an employment opportunity in China. My formal title will be Teaching Assistant for Institute of Digital Design, and I will be responsible for assisting in the instruction of 3D modelling and rigging. The CEO of the school came to pitch us this opportunity about three weeks ago, then interviewed us the following week, and then offered me the job a day later based on my demo reel (the time stamp on the letter was just shortly after 6pm on the last day of class on the 18th).

My contract is, for the moment, from June 1st to November 30th. Air fare, VISA, basic communications, and rent are all taken care of by the school. I also get a "salary" on top of what I mentioned. If I like the job, and if IDD likes what I do, I have the option of extending my stay. I am seriously considering doing this for a few years if nothing goes wrong and if nothing more worthwhile comes my way during this time. I seem to do well in school environments. I seem to be comfortable in them (except my time in U of T). I have a hard time leaving. If you know me from any school environment except U of T, you know that I'm rarely seen leaving the building (but I do, just not many people seem to be around when I do). Let's face it, I'm not a good person and I'm socially inept but I don't think I'm lying or boasting when I say that I'm really good at being a good student.

A bit of an aside... but the location puts me close to Japan, and I will most likely be able to visit my relatives for the first time in 12 years. Perhaps it will also put me closer to the Japanese industry which I hope to invade when the time is right.

The CEO pitched a nice package to us and made it seem like a vacation but I am prepared to work my ass off and do my duty as one who teaches. Though this place is run by western people, I am expecting a vast difference from what I have been accustomed to here. I've seen documentaries on Chinese students and their level of competition. They are conditioned from before entering school to be the best at everything at whatever cost. They are only-children entrusted (and burdened?) with lots of pressure from parents to succeed, and accustomed to being evaluated by numbers and stats (at least, up to the end of highschool). I can identify with the only-child part and being concerned with numbers and stats (there was a time when I thought marks were everything) but I don't think I can ever say that I've had as much pressure from my parents like I've seen in some of these documentaries. The mentality there is different. Student-teacher relationship is different. I probably need to use honorifics with workers and address students by last name. I can not say for sure but my guess is that the "feel" will be like the Japanese system which seems like the in-between of North American and hard core Chinese system. But all in all, this is just a hypothesis. I would really enjoy being proved wrong, either negative or positive.

It's funny.... 5 years ago when I was a bit fanatical about martial arts, I watched this movie called Iron and Silk, was moved by it, and then read the original book it was based upon by Mark Salzman. It's an autobiographical tale about the author and how he goes to China to teach English for a year in '84. One day he finds himself wandering around the university grounds in Changsha in Hunan Province and discovers a gymnasium run by the Chinese government. Inside were students, all practicing wushu under the direction of Pan Qing Fu - a world renowned master (he resides now in Kitchener, ON). Salzman, who had some experience with wushu while in the US does everything possible to convince Pan Sifu to take him as a student, failing many times at first but winning in the end for his persistence and stubbornness. The first lesson Salzman is taught, is "how to look". The relationship develops into an interesting exchange of knowledge between the two, ending with Pan Sifu being able to speak English, and Salzman mastering the long handle broadsword form. Upon reading this I had this desire for some time to actually go to China to have a similar experience.... and now I find myself having that chance. It's my hope as one of my karate teachers puts it, to "find my own Iron and Silk story". I know, I don't expect an encounter with a "Pai Mei-esque figure" or something but it would be nice to meet someone who I can exchange extensive knowledge with.

I still don't know exactly when I'm leaving but it's most likely in the vicinity of a week before Jun 1st. I have no idea how often I may be online though I assume not much will change since I AM teaching at a 3D animation school but one never knows. I actually wouldn't mind so much being cut off entirely except for e-mail function.... It would prevent me from being distracted so often by things like Deviant Art, Facebook, and Wikipedia.... I need to be more disciplined.... Knowing me, force feeding it down my throat by having a monk armed with a broadsword monitoring me 24/7 is probably the only way to acquiring it now....

I am including a complete review of everything I learned from Herr Mark Schmidt as part of preparations before leaving. I'm really grateful to him for putting so many resources on the network at school. Most of all, I am grateful for his infinite patience and willingness to help, not only towards me but towards everyone else he has come across. Patience is something I lack since childhood but I feel that I have gained a little bit more through this short time. Also I don't think I would have developed the same amount of curiosity and interest towards the 3D genre without him because in truth, my heart will always belong to 2D. I actually want do boards but knew that I could not possibly earn bread with it right out of school. So I said what can I do? What do I like? What do I know? And what Herr Schmidt taught me this year gave me the answers. He really made the technical side of Maya interesting for me. He's like... Herr John Flagg of 3D - well-read and possessor of crazy amount of knowledge about everything and anything. I missed Herr Flagg and his crazy scripts this year. I hope I can work with these two again.... the only two people I've met since high school who knew extensively about the genius that was Glenn Gould.... Dankeschön meinen Herrn und aufwiedersehen.