QQuotes

I broke down and got the Chinese instant message software, QQ, so that I could communicate with my students should they need help. Freshman are not allowed to have laptops, so the majority of my 300-odd students rarely use email. However, QQ is also on cell phones, so it enables them to contact me, and I don't have to give out my telephone number!

Usually when I go on, I go invisible so that I don't actually have to chat with my students, especially if I'm busy. But today I was feeling bad about my low ratio of time visible on QQ versus time spent on my laptop. I don't have office hours, so I need to make myself available more, even if it's just for casual conversation.

I should go on more, because then I'll get more gems like this:

On my attendance sheet, Emerson's physical attribute (I have to write a little note about each student, or I won't be able to recognize them) is listed as "big hair." He's one of my more outgoing students, and I love that he isn't afraid to type in big pink font!

The emoticons and random squiggles seem to be a major part of every Chinese internet user's vocabulary. Mostly Kim and I complain about them, but they also allow us to have excellent conversations like this:

 Oh no...soon I will be the one greeting my students with a grinning animated emoticon, not the other way around....