Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Update: It's been awhile.
I have transferred back to using my other blog and I am actually writing again. It's been awhile since I have been on here. Anyways, the link to my other blog is: Grace for a Wayward Heart.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Lessons Learned: Growing as a Teacher
It is currently my last week of teaching at Jiangxi Blue Sky University here in Nanchang; however, that doesn't really put it into perspective until you realize that tomorrow is my last day. I have come a far way from where I started at last fall, and I am thankful for that. I have to admit, though, that I feel I could make a lot more improvement as a teacher had I another year to make progress. It is hard to picture myself not being here with my students teaching and working on preparing better lessons, assessments, and rubrics.
Unique Opportunities Afforded Teaching English in China:
The opportunity afforded me here in China has been unique for several reasons I believe: First, I have been allowed to experience the ups and downs of teaching in an environment that forced me to deal with my successes and failures. Second, I was allowed to experiment in making and developing lesson plans that constantly challenged me to incorporate different learning styles as well as adjust to my students' needs. Third, I feel that I learned a great deal more about developing assessemnts and rubrics considering my knowledge was rather limited considering I have only taken 1 heavy duty education course before coming. Fourth, I have now taught in an environment in which addressing my students needs was difficult due to language and cultural barriers, but was stretched and learned alternative solutions in soliciting feedback and learning what worked better for them (when I could).
Finals Week: Expecting the Unexpected in China
Our finals week was both planned and unplanned this semester. It was planned in the sense that we had a syllabus and new tentatively when our school planned to hold finals for their students. The part that we forgot about - again - was that we live and work in China and "tentative" really doesn't mean anything. So as we progressed through May most of us anticipated being finished with classes and finals at the beginning of June, but that was not to be...Sitting together in Joelle's room about 2 weeks ago during our HOPE (a time that we spend the whole morning lifting up thoughts and reading the Word) our FAO Billy called and told us to begin giving finals the following week. Honestly, I was rather frustrated and had some choice thoughts in my head which I wanted to communicate with the administration at my school. That, and tell them how completely shortsighted their planning was...
I am glad to say that I never expressed those thoughts, except with my friends and fellow teacher here. Yet, it was a huge blow for many of us since we had built in time with which to say goodbye to our students and make some kind of transition. If you teach overseas, however, I am sure you will learn time and time again that flexibility is the key. Being able to roll-with-the-punches is paramount to being able to live and make difficult transistions as well as overcoming the barrage of challenges to everyday living that now have language and cultural meanings embedded into them that you can't even begin to understand. Nonetheless, we had a job to do regardless of how valid we perceived our grievances to be, and there are just some battles you aren't going to win - this was one of them.
So last week we overhauled our lesson plans and made adjustments to our finals that would fairly guage and acccess our students' progress. Or at least I thought so in the planning stage... I don't know about those of you that teach, but there is a seemingly large gap between theory and practice once application begins in the classroom. How does one account for all the vairous factors that affect implimentation? I have noticed lately that I constantly want to kick myself for not modeling my expectations better, especially when I see it reproduced by my students. I don't know about you, but I had a scary thought: "What does that mean for people parenting kids?" (I don't want to know right now...) At any rate, the point here is that it becomes only all to clear for a teacher in my position to see where bad modeling and poor directions are reflected in informal and formal assessments.
Unique Opportunities Afforded Teaching English in China:
The opportunity afforded me here in China has been unique for several reasons I believe: First, I have been allowed to experience the ups and downs of teaching in an environment that forced me to deal with my successes and failures. Second, I was allowed to experiment in making and developing lesson plans that constantly challenged me to incorporate different learning styles as well as adjust to my students' needs. Third, I feel that I learned a great deal more about developing assessemnts and rubrics considering my knowledge was rather limited considering I have only taken 1 heavy duty education course before coming. Fourth, I have now taught in an environment in which addressing my students needs was difficult due to language and cultural barriers, but was stretched and learned alternative solutions in soliciting feedback and learning what worked better for them (when I could).
Finals Week: Expecting the Unexpected in China
Our finals week was both planned and unplanned this semester. It was planned in the sense that we had a syllabus and new tentatively when our school planned to hold finals for their students. The part that we forgot about - again - was that we live and work in China and "tentative" really doesn't mean anything. So as we progressed through May most of us anticipated being finished with classes and finals at the beginning of June, but that was not to be...Sitting together in Joelle's room about 2 weeks ago during our HOPE (a time that we spend the whole morning lifting up thoughts and reading the Word) our FAO Billy called and told us to begin giving finals the following week. Honestly, I was rather frustrated and had some choice thoughts in my head which I wanted to communicate with the administration at my school. That, and tell them how completely shortsighted their planning was...
I am glad to say that I never expressed those thoughts, except with my friends and fellow teacher here. Yet, it was a huge blow for many of us since we had built in time with which to say goodbye to our students and make some kind of transition. If you teach overseas, however, I am sure you will learn time and time again that flexibility is the key. Being able to roll-with-the-punches is paramount to being able to live and make difficult transistions as well as overcoming the barrage of challenges to everyday living that now have language and cultural meanings embedded into them that you can't even begin to understand. Nonetheless, we had a job to do regardless of how valid we perceived our grievances to be, and there are just some battles you aren't going to win - this was one of them.
So last week we overhauled our lesson plans and made adjustments to our finals that would fairly guage and acccess our students' progress. Or at least I thought so in the planning stage... I don't know about those of you that teach, but there is a seemingly large gap between theory and practice once application begins in the classroom. How does one account for all the vairous factors that affect implimentation? I have noticed lately that I constantly want to kick myself for not modeling my expectations better, especially when I see it reproduced by my students. I don't know about you, but I had a scary thought: "What does that mean for people parenting kids?" (I don't want to know right now...) At any rate, the point here is that it becomes only all to clear for a teacher in my position to see where bad modeling and poor directions are reflected in informal and formal assessments.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
What Would Mr. Aaron Do?
So the other day I was talking to my student Echo who is one of my brighter and more diligent students, and actually seems interested in learning English (that actually doesn't happen too much). Anyways, she came up to me and asked me if I remembered helping her prepare for a presentation on the labor market and I said I did. From there, she went on to tell me that after she finished her presentation for Mr. Ern (who is one of the Filipino teachers here at Blue Sky) the other day he asked her what she would think if China lost the capability to fund their economy and stores and hospitals started closing down because of lack of funds, and everyone lost their job.
She told me frankly that she was shocked and didn't know what to say. So she thought "What would Mr. Aaron do or say?" So she said told me that she remembered how I say "So sad" (I admit that this is nearly Chinglish, but it makes my students laugh so I am okay with it), and decided that is what I would say in that situation. So she told Mr. Ern "It must be so sad...." I have no clue what Mr. Ern said, but if I was there I would have been laughing outloud. I half wonder if she said, "I think this is what Mr. Aaron would say."
So there you have it. I have successfully indoctrinated the students to mentally ask themselves, "What would Mr. Aaron do?" My job is done here...
She told me frankly that she was shocked and didn't know what to say. So she thought "What would Mr. Aaron do or say?" So she said told me that she remembered how I say "So sad" (I admit that this is nearly Chinglish, but it makes my students laugh so I am okay with it), and decided that is what I would say in that situation. So she told Mr. Ern "It must be so sad...." I have no clue what Mr. Ern said, but if I was there I would have been laughing outloud. I half wonder if she said, "I think this is what Mr. Aaron would say."
So there you have it. I have successfully indoctrinated the students to mentally ask themselves, "What would Mr. Aaron do?" My job is done here...
Saturday, April 25, 2009
饺子 (Jiaozi): Making Dumplings
So I had students over the other day for their English Project who decided that they were going to make jiaozi (饺子) for me. I was, of course, a big fan of this since I don't cook and I love eating homemade food.So my students Sarah and Atomic - I know it's an amazing name - came over around 3pm in the afternoon and we made our way over to the vegetable market. The vegetable market is about a 15 minute walk from my apartment and is an outdoor market where vendors can sell their goods. We spent about 40 minutes bargaining with the vendors, looking for the best carrots, pork (yep, they have meat too), cabbage, dough, and other goods before heading out and making our way back to my apartment.
Upon getting back to the apartment, it took us about 1 hour of prep work to get all the ingredients ready for making jiozi (dumplings). Once finished, we put all the ingredients (carrots, pork, cabbage(?), peanuts, etc..) into a bowl together to create the filling that goes inside dumplings. I can tell you that crushing peanuts with a small glass cup is not ideal, and that you should switch to using a sharp knife when possible. My student Atomic - who is from Xinjiang - was in charge of the whole dumpling making process, which was kind of interesting since her English is at a rather low level. On the other hand, my hopes in doing this project was that they might be encouraged to speak more English.
At any rate, once you have your dumpling filling you are pretty much ready to go. All you need now is the small round discs of dough that you can buy pre-made; which we did. I couldn't imagine trying to make those things by hand - it would take you forever! First, you take a round piece of dough and gently wipe water around the edges (so as to make it easier to push together once you've finished). Second, take a pair of chopsticks and and grab some vegetable/meat filling and fill your piece of dough so that there is just enough room to seal it. Third, pinch the two center pieces of your dough together so as to create a crescent-like shape. Fourth, once you have pinched the center pieces together, move to the ends - individually - and work your way back to the center so that the filling is securely sealed inside your dough. No step 5, you're done!
Okay, now that I feel like a dork for explaining that, I should mention that going through the process is entirely worth it since jiaozi tastes really good. There are actually many different kinds of jiaozi, but I am not going to get into that now...The girls actually made so many dumplings that there were well over 100 pieces of jiaozi. I couldn't have possible eaten that much, so the good Father saw it in his interest to send up Joelle, Val, Tanya, Merilee and others to help eat the dumplings with us. My roommate Jonathan and his student Jerry also made it back in time to help us eat some of them too. Come to think of it, despite there being around 10 of us eating those things, we never managed to eat of all of them...
And, I couldn't help but finish this blog off with with a picture that my student Sarah wanted to take of me and one of the 3 amigos. We are just holding the cutting board and pointing at it....it's pretty awesome...
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Going to the Hospital - China Style
Life In Nanchang: Why Visiting the Doctor in China Just Isn't the Same...So you might wonder what you are looking at off to the right, huh? Well, that is a x-ray of my chest after I spent 4 hours at the hospital the other week. It seems in the last couple of weeks my body has decided to feign breaking down and/or giving up on me - or at least not work properly.
I started doing push-ups after a very long break from working out about a month ago. After a week of doing these push-ups I noticed an increase in chest pain as well as a 'popping' sound. I thought I would just ignore it and that after awhile it would go away; however, as time passed the pain increased and so did the 'popping'.
So I decided that I needed to go see a doctor in the hopes of getting an x-ray. The only problem in China - most of the time - is that you want to see a doctor, you have to go see the doctor. The other difficulty about going to the hospital is that they are crowded - since they both act as clinics and full-fledged hospitals - and lines really don't apply to China. I was blessed enough to have Mr. Li (our school driver) and Amy (one of our Foreign Affair assistant) help me with filling out all the information, paying for all the medical fees, and going to the all the right places.
Inside a Chinese Hospital
The bottom floor of a Chinese hospital kind of looks like chaos. People are moving in all directions and there voices are fighting to make it over each other. Surrounding the outskirts of the main entryway are tons of booths where patients are making payments and discussing/arguing about prices (I can only guess). Once you manage to file your name with the clerks on the 1st floor you will get a card which with to give to nurses so that they can swipe it on their computers so as to ascertain your identity. However, to do so, you must proceed to the 2nd floor where you sit and stand with everybody else at your appropriate station.
After waiting awhile you will be permitted to go beyond a couple booths guarded by Chinese nurses. I should note that the one of the nurses guarding the entrance to the doctors in our department was pretty hardcore and didn't stand for any non-sense. Mr. Li tried persuading her to let us in earlier, but his attempts were to no avail. Once past the nurses you will enter a room with a Chinese doctor who is seated at a desk, a computer, and about 10 people fighting for their attention.
Yes, it's kind of like a competition. It's kind of an awkward situation to be in. Several things start to race through your head: #1: I don't speak the language good enough to be involved in this kind of competition. #2: My ailment doesn't really appear to be that bad compared to the other people in this room. #3: Why is the room so small? #4. How does the doctor keep their sanity fighting off patients all day?
Those were my first thoughts after about 3 minutes in the room. When I entered the room, I counted 14 people including myself in a 10 x 10 room. After about 30 minutes of waiting and competing with other patients - by that I mean Mr. Li - we were directed to go to another room to get our x-ray. Mr. Li was pretty much my go-to-man all the whole 4 hours I was there. For hours he competed constantly with other Chinese to get me through my EKG and Chest X-ray. Mr. Li is an awesome guy (picture on your left).Well after about 3 hours of running around, we finally made it back to our starting point, and were once again engaged in battling for position with the doctor. The added twist to this scenario was that SOS - one of my health care providers - wanted to talk to the doctor over the phone - my cell phone that is. So I call SOS - anxiously worrying that somehow we are going to be called any minute since there is really no way to tell. So I finally get the receptionist who connects me with her Chinese doctor in Beijing after about 5 minutes. Now I am just waiting for the Nanchang doctor...
So there we were, the three of us - me, the receptionist, and the Chinese doctor (who also speaks English) - chilling on the phone, waiting for our turn with the doctor in Nanchang, who is fighting-off 10 other patients simultaneously. At this point, I am quite uncomfortable so I tell Amy to to tell Mr. Li that we should have some added leverage in this competition since we now have a doctor on the phone from Beijing who has been waiting for 5 minutes. That apparently bought us the leverage we needed and I was finally able to hand over my phone and have the doctors from Nanchang and Beijing talk to each other about my medical condition. I mean, besides the fact that I couldn't understand a single thing that was being said, I felt pretty successful.
Plus, the good news was the my EKG and Chest X-Ray said that I hadn't broken my sternum. What better news could you want? And it only cost my $15 dollars. Yay!
So if you go to a Chinese hospital, be in for a surprise!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Teaching in Nanchang
So I was looking through my photos over the last month it would seem that I have a good assortment of random pictures of us just going through our everyday routines. And when I say routines, it would seem that for me that doesn't include pictures of me teaching, but rather hanging-out in the office, riding the bus, or posing for a random short in front of the building we teach in... At any rate, I hope you enjoy!
(Outside the J3 building we teach in)
(Sitting in the school bus on a ride home - I look really old)
(Group shot by Jodi - you can her blog out at 10 Months)
(Outside the J3 building we teach in)
(Sitting in the school bus on a ride home - I look really old)
(Group shot by Jodi - you can her blog out at 10 Months)
(Shannon & I: So sometimes I'm gangsta)
Lost in Translation: Where Did March Go?
Well, I feel like it has been such a long time since I have be able to sit down and write what has been going on in my life. This last month might have been one of the most intense months of my life since coming to China - to say the least. I feel like so much that could have been said or shared about this last month - in some ways - has been lost, and unfortunately might be something that I will never be able to truly articulate. Nonetheless, I would still like to pretend like I can fill you in on the ups and downs of living in the 'Chang.
______________________________________________________________
Big Decisions:
This last month felt like one of the longest months of my life. To start off with, March 15th was the date by which we had to make a decision as to whether or not we would stay with our organization. Honestly, I had thought that this decision would have come in a timely manner and with much more certainty as to what I should do. I was a silly person. January passed by, February went by with a flash, and all of a sudden it was March. I had thought that thinking about it and/or worrying about the decision would have only made things worse, but I failed to take into account that not engaging the subject at all might leave me with the inability to ask the appropriate questions and truly access my situation.
With a week left to go I began calling friends and trying to think the decision over; however, pulling a classic 'Aaron move' I decided to make a head strong decision without thinking through all the questions I might need to truly take into account for jumping with both feet in. Perhaps, it is due to my somewhat serious nature and willingness to jump into situations that I don't entirely know everything about. I guess it is good to be reminded that we all can use some accountability, and perhaps I need it more than I would like to admit at times.
At any rate, I have made the decision to go home after I finish up the school year here at Blue Sky University. I feel it is the right decision as of right now, but I cannot lie that I am torn for my love of teaching and living in China. I face a world of uncertainties in returning home that I don't have to always face here. I have been blessed to be given a reprieve from the challenges and traps that we all face when dealing with American culture. Yet, I know I have grown and been challenged in ways that I will not truly know the extent of until I return home, and interact with all of you I know. Plus, I know that our Father will challenge and continue to grow me back home.
______________________________________________________________
Spiritual Challenges: The 'Haze'
My second challenge - but greatest challenge - was finding myself again and focusing back in on what the Father might have me hear about what was going on in my life. I feel like halfway through the month of March I realized that I was out-of-touch with things, and everything just felt a little off. It's like when you keep on hearing yourself say things to questions about your 'Walk' with the Father, but neither hear from yourself any improvement and/or concern. After a couple weeks of this, '"red flags" started to go off for me - even I was a little encumbered and slow to react. It seems that my 'Walk' has been something of an all out fight, which I apparently wasn't fighting for. It's embarrassing to admit, but it's the truth.
I feel like I was taken without a clue having not had the spiritual armor and/or protection that we all talk about having and vigilantly guarding. Interestingly enough, I should mention that at this point I had begun memorizing Ephesians 6:10-18. Go figure, huh? Even now - just writing this out - I am realizing how much making forward progress is something that I have been fighting for, and not taking this knowledge seriously has seriously inhibited my ability to make progress with victory.
While coming out of the 'Haze' has been slow, I have been refocusing slowly but surely on His strength. I have realized how desperately I need to hear and read the Word everyday that I might be able to function effectively. I am hoping that this realization will continue to manifest itself in my life that I can see its fruits not only here and now, but when I come home.
______________________________________________________________
Teaching English: The Ups and Downs
So at the beginning of this semester I gave my students two oral projects: (1) Culture Project; (2) English Project. My hope in giving my students these two projects was multifaceted. First off, having students - especially Chinese students - do homework (I have found) is semi-unproductive and ineffective, especially when your main goal is to improve their oral English. Of course, one has to take into account that I teach at a private university, which is like the equivalent to teaching at a community college with equal or less motivation of some American students. Second, students simply don't turn it in and/or listen to instructions no matter how many different ways you explain it. Plus, there is the factor of time that it involves, but let us not go there. Thirdly, and a much more practical reason, I found that having students write and/or do homework was not accomplishing my real objective of them speaking in English.
So I made it easier on myself. I cut my student's homework assignments by over half - lessening their overall impact on my students grades - and gave them oral projects instead. The Culture Project requires my students to prepare cultural presentations (on Chinese culture) in pairs and present at the beginning of class every week. This effectively allowed students to have more speaking time and practice listening to their peers. Unfortunately, I didn't take into account - enough - the need for accountability and interaction from the audience in listening to a presentation by doing simple things such as: taking effective notes, asking questions, etc... On the other hand, when I wrote my rubric and grading structure, my hope was simply for them to get up and speak. So I guess I am kind of in a win - lose situation.
The English Project is slightly different. I gave my students this project due to their complaints that they couldn't find any "foreigners" to talk to. Perhaps, being slightly generous and seeing the benefits of spending more time and getting know my students better I offered myself to be their guinea pig. I told them that they had - between February and May - to do several random activities which required them to practice their English, including spending time with me. Thus, lately, I have become under the barrage of students asking me: "Mr. Aaron, do you have free time? I want to make an appointment with you?" So pretty much now, when I am not teaching or doing team activities, I am spending time with my students. It is both a blessing and a challenge for me since I am not entirely the person who is recharged by being around people all the time. Plus, the longer they hold out and wait till the last minute the more chaotic my schedule will become. Even meeting with them 4-5 at a time really doesn't seem to make a dent when there are somewhere around 180 of them and only 1 of me. So if you think about it 'lift me up' because I am definitely running a race here.
Recruiting Students
On a side note. My university is known for sending their students home to recruit other students half-way through the semester. It is really the most peculiar thing that I have ever heard of a university doing. However, there is an incentive for students to go since the university will give them money if they manage to get a student to come to our school. The disturbing part - I find - is that the headmasters earn just as much or more if they are able to encourage students to leave and return home to recruit students. For the teachers here, it is something that we really can't make sense of.
As of now, it looks like well over half of my students will start leaving beginning the last week of April and continue till May 1st, which is a national holiday for them. The figures I have been able to collect - in asking my students to let me know if they are leaving or not - shows me that out of a total 180+ students around 130 of them might be returning home with an unknown return date. My BE3+4 class might actually be leaving in full force too. So I might possible drop from 4 classes to 3 in May if these statistics hold true. My other classes which always hover near 50 students each will drop drastically, having only 20 students or less in each class.
______________________________________________________________
Big Decisions:
This last month felt like one of the longest months of my life. To start off with, March 15th was the date by which we had to make a decision as to whether or not we would stay with our organization. Honestly, I had thought that this decision would have come in a timely manner and with much more certainty as to what I should do. I was a silly person. January passed by, February went by with a flash, and all of a sudden it was March. I had thought that thinking about it and/or worrying about the decision would have only made things worse, but I failed to take into account that not engaging the subject at all might leave me with the inability to ask the appropriate questions and truly access my situation.
With a week left to go I began calling friends and trying to think the decision over; however, pulling a classic 'Aaron move' I decided to make a head strong decision without thinking through all the questions I might need to truly take into account for jumping with both feet in. Perhaps, it is due to my somewhat serious nature and willingness to jump into situations that I don't entirely know everything about. I guess it is good to be reminded that we all can use some accountability, and perhaps I need it more than I would like to admit at times.
At any rate, I have made the decision to go home after I finish up the school year here at Blue Sky University. I feel it is the right decision as of right now, but I cannot lie that I am torn for my love of teaching and living in China. I face a world of uncertainties in returning home that I don't have to always face here. I have been blessed to be given a reprieve from the challenges and traps that we all face when dealing with American culture. Yet, I know I have grown and been challenged in ways that I will not truly know the extent of until I return home, and interact with all of you I know. Plus, I know that our Father will challenge and continue to grow me back home.
______________________________________________________________
Spiritual Challenges: The 'Haze'
My second challenge - but greatest challenge - was finding myself again and focusing back in on what the Father might have me hear about what was going on in my life. I feel like halfway through the month of March I realized that I was out-of-touch with things, and everything just felt a little off. It's like when you keep on hearing yourself say things to questions about your 'Walk' with the Father, but neither hear from yourself any improvement and/or concern. After a couple weeks of this, '"red flags" started to go off for me - even I was a little encumbered and slow to react. It seems that my 'Walk' has been something of an all out fight, which I apparently wasn't fighting for. It's embarrassing to admit, but it's the truth.
I feel like I was taken without a clue having not had the spiritual armor and/or protection that we all talk about having and vigilantly guarding. Interestingly enough, I should mention that at this point I had begun memorizing Ephesians 6:10-18. Go figure, huh? Even now - just writing this out - I am realizing how much making forward progress is something that I have been fighting for, and not taking this knowledge seriously has seriously inhibited my ability to make progress with victory.
While coming out of the 'Haze' has been slow, I have been refocusing slowly but surely on His strength. I have realized how desperately I need to hear and read the Word everyday that I might be able to function effectively. I am hoping that this realization will continue to manifest itself in my life that I can see its fruits not only here and now, but when I come home.
______________________________________________________________
Teaching English: The Ups and Downs
So at the beginning of this semester I gave my students two oral projects: (1) Culture Project; (2) English Project. My hope in giving my students these two projects was multifaceted. First off, having students - especially Chinese students - do homework (I have found) is semi-unproductive and ineffective, especially when your main goal is to improve their oral English. Of course, one has to take into account that I teach at a private university, which is like the equivalent to teaching at a community college with equal or less motivation of some American students. Second, students simply don't turn it in and/or listen to instructions no matter how many different ways you explain it. Plus, there is the factor of time that it involves, but let us not go there. Thirdly, and a much more practical reason, I found that having students write and/or do homework was not accomplishing my real objective of them speaking in English.
So I made it easier on myself. I cut my student's homework assignments by over half - lessening their overall impact on my students grades - and gave them oral projects instead. The Culture Project requires my students to prepare cultural presentations (on Chinese culture) in pairs and present at the beginning of class every week. This effectively allowed students to have more speaking time and practice listening to their peers. Unfortunately, I didn't take into account - enough - the need for accountability and interaction from the audience in listening to a presentation by doing simple things such as: taking effective notes, asking questions, etc... On the other hand, when I wrote my rubric and grading structure, my hope was simply for them to get up and speak. So I guess I am kind of in a win - lose situation.
The English Project is slightly different. I gave my students this project due to their complaints that they couldn't find any "foreigners" to talk to. Perhaps, being slightly generous and seeing the benefits of spending more time and getting know my students better I offered myself to be their guinea pig. I told them that they had - between February and May - to do several random activities which required them to practice their English, including spending time with me. Thus, lately, I have become under the barrage of students asking me: "Mr. Aaron, do you have free time? I want to make an appointment with you?" So pretty much now, when I am not teaching or doing team activities, I am spending time with my students. It is both a blessing and a challenge for me since I am not entirely the person who is recharged by being around people all the time. Plus, the longer they hold out and wait till the last minute the more chaotic my schedule will become. Even meeting with them 4-5 at a time really doesn't seem to make a dent when there are somewhere around 180 of them and only 1 of me. So if you think about it 'lift me up' because I am definitely running a race here.
Recruiting Students
On a side note. My university is known for sending their students home to recruit other students half-way through the semester. It is really the most peculiar thing that I have ever heard of a university doing. However, there is an incentive for students to go since the university will give them money if they manage to get a student to come to our school. The disturbing part - I find - is that the headmasters earn just as much or more if they are able to encourage students to leave and return home to recruit students. For the teachers here, it is something that we really can't make sense of.
As of now, it looks like well over half of my students will start leaving beginning the last week of April and continue till May 1st, which is a national holiday for them. The figures I have been able to collect - in asking my students to let me know if they are leaving or not - shows me that out of a total 180+ students around 130 of them might be returning home with an unknown return date. My BE3+4 class might actually be leaving in full force too. So I might possible drop from 4 classes to 3 in May if these statistics hold true. My other classes which always hover near 50 students each will drop drastically, having only 20 students or less in each class.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Coffee Art: China & Thailand
I have been wanting to write again about coffee for some time now since it is a big part of my everyday life thanks to all of you back home! At the same time, I have some great pictures - one of them my friend Andrea has already displayed on her blog - of coffee that I have been drinking over the last few months and I thought I would share you some of the wonderful works of art that I have tasted.
So I must state that drinking coffee from China - and East Asia for that matter - is very different from what you might think of when drinking coffee back home. Having come from Washington - the land of Starbucks and numerous other small coffee chains - it hard not to come in with expectations of what coffee IS and what it ISN'T. Not to mention that I worked for Starbucks for a small amount of time.
At the same time, I have come to enjoy learning about how the Chinese view coffee and how they prepare it. Below are some pictures and descriptions of the coffee I have tasted thus far.
(Above: Cold Mocha & Irish Coffee)
(Mocha)
Strangely enough, this mocha did have steamed milk and a really fancy design on the top. On the downside, it was lacking any semblance of chocolate and tasted much more like a latte.
(Cappuccino)
So I must state that drinking coffee from China - and East Asia for that matter - is very different from what you might think of when drinking coffee back home. Having come from Washington - the land of Starbucks and numerous other small coffee chains - it hard not to come in with expectations of what coffee IS and what it ISN'T. Not to mention that I worked for Starbucks for a small amount of time.
At the same time, I have come to enjoy learning about how the Chinese view coffee and how they prepare it. Below are some pictures and descriptions of the coffee I have tasted thus far.
(Above: Cold Mocha & Irish Coffee)First off, a Mocha isn't always what you would necessarily think of if you ordered it in Nanchang. I am still not exactly sure what they do, but I think they use some spin-off of a French press method to make the coffee and then mix it with a milk-like substance (most likely rice milk). Afterward, they add cold water (?) and put whip cream (apparently homemade) on top.
The Irish Coffee is definitely an interesting drink to order. The waiter brings out a Bunsen burner along with the coffee and melts what would appear to be the Irish cream (?) powder into the coffee and lights the liquid on the top of the coffee on fire. So yeah, it's definitely worth ordering to watch, but not that tasty.
The Irish Coffee is definitely an interesting drink to order. The waiter brings out a Bunsen burner along with the coffee and melts what would appear to be the Irish cream (?) powder into the coffee and lights the liquid on the top of the coffee on fire. So yeah, it's definitely worth ordering to watch, but not that tasty.
(Mocha)Strangely enough, this mocha did have steamed milk and a really fancy design on the top. On the downside, it was lacking any semblance of chocolate and tasted much more like a latte.
(Cappuccino)Not really, but the place we go to thinks that they make cappuccinos. Actually, it is some form of coffee mixed with whip cream. The picture above is from the time we went to Dio and it happened to be Valentine's Day and they were making the cappuccinos with 'Love' written with cinnamon powder. It's kind of impressive really. I mean the 'o' in "Love" is even in the shape of the heart - who doesn't like that? : )
(Shannon holding a huge French fry next to a latte)
Since Shannon and I are the coffee junkies around here, we often end up hanging out a lot. This time we decided to order French fries - an odd match for drinking coffee in the morning to be sure - and one of the fries was a big as the latte, which was impressive since it was like 6 inches or so long. Plus, I just had to include because of Shannon's expression.
The latte - I should note - that you are looking at above is divided into two substances as you can already see. Oh yes, and that is a cold latte - whatever that means. The top part of the latte is coffee, while the bottom is most likely rice milk. It is topped off with whip cream, pieces of orange, and mint.
（Mocha in Thailand)
This is perhaps one of the coolest coffee designs I have ever seen. I mean, it's not every day you see a cat in your coffee. *smile*
Hope you enjoyed the pictures! Laters!
(Shannon holding a huge French fry next to a latte)Since Shannon and I are the coffee junkies around here, we often end up hanging out a lot. This time we decided to order French fries - an odd match for drinking coffee in the morning to be sure - and one of the fries was a big as the latte, which was impressive since it was like 6 inches or so long. Plus, I just had to include because of Shannon's expression.
The latte - I should note - that you are looking at above is divided into two substances as you can already see. Oh yes, and that is a cold latte - whatever that means. The top part of the latte is coffee, while the bottom is most likely rice milk. It is topped off with whip cream, pieces of orange, and mint.
（Mocha in Thailand)This is perhaps one of the coolest coffee designs I have ever seen. I mean, it's not every day you see a cat in your coffee. *smile*
Hope you enjoyed the pictures! Laters!
Breaking in Our Kitchen American Style
Well, the last two weeks or so have flown by and I must admit that hopes and plans of blogging have all been dashed until now.
Making Hamburgers: Chinese Style (sort of...)
The other week - I can't remember precisely now - my roommate and I decided to make hamburgers for our fellow coworkers who were mostly Chinese, but did include our amazing friend Takao (Japanese teacher) and Ern (Philippino), who is our fellow English teacher in arms. Making a hamburger is no easy thing though, and definitely takes some research - in food that is. *smile*
You see, China isn't really the bastion of hamburgers, let alone ample supplies of beef (牛肉). So finding ground beef actually DOES TAKE RESEARCH in that you have to find it. Once you do that, you are still left with the difficulty of locating something that resembles a bun and doesn't taste like most Chinese bread. Not that there is anything against Chinese bread, but the Chinese definitely like their bread a little sweeter than most Americans. Cultural Note: However, if you were to tell that to a Chinese person that they like sweet bread, they might not believe you, because according to all Chinese, they don't like "sweet foods". Continuing on, these are you two greatest obstacles to making a hamburger in China, and unfortunately, are quite substantial obstacles to overcome in the making of hamburgers. I mean, you just can't make a hamburger without beef and buns - come on.
So, needless to say, I managed to stumble upon ground beef while on a random trip to Walmart and promptly bought - unknowingly - 5.5 lbs of beef. For some reasons, I had the conversions all mixed up in my head and had thought I had bought about 2 lbs. Of course, that doesn't account for how I didn't figure out the weight difference between 2lbs and 5.5lbs when carrying it away. I also found ketchup, which I also picked up - plus it was really cheap. After showing Jonathan my amazing discovery, we made a trip to Metro (German equivalent of a Winco) later that week and found bun like bread, and also managed to find some seasoning for the patties.
Setting a date, we invited our friends over for hamburgers - a special treat for them since: (1) real American hamburgers don't exist, unless you count McDonalds - which I don't; and (2) many of them had never eaten a real hamburger. Our friend Henry Huang, showed up early as he was very eager to learn how to make American hamburgers and always seems genuinely excited to hangout with us. (Henry is about in his mid 40's and teaching advanced English) He helped us make the patties, put on the seasoning, and intently watched every movement that Jonathan did in making the hamburgers. It was actually quite entertaining to find some one so interested in making hamburgers. It would appear that most Chinese find making hamburgers a rather significant feat requiring some one without substantial knowledge in cooking. However, if I am invovled in such a cooking process we all know that that could never be true!
We completed the hamburgers just in time as the rest of our guests showed up. Our friend Ern didn't show up, but was replaced by a coworker of our friend Stephen named Lynn, and filled in quite well. The hambugers - surprisingly - tasted similar to something that we might eat back home off the grill, and were - all around - a success without guests who ate them with delight. Our small Japanese friend Takao managed to pack 2 significant size hamburgers away without difficulty faster than Jonathan or I could. I was actually kind of taken aback by how fast they disappeared, because I thought he had just eaten 1, but had managed to eat 2 by the time that I started my 2nd.
That weekend actually was the 1st time that Jonathan and I had ever cooked food in our apartment since we arrived here last September. I guess we broke our kitchen in with style though, as we made hamburgers 3 nights in a row completely wiping out all our precious ground beef for: (1) testing (Friday) - the night before we invited our Chinese friends; (2) dinner (Saturday) for our Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino colleagues; and lastly (3) team dinner (Sunday).
Making Hamburgers: Chinese Style (sort of...)
The other week - I can't remember precisely now - my roommate and I decided to make hamburgers for our fellow coworkers who were mostly Chinese, but did include our amazing friend Takao (Japanese teacher) and Ern (Philippino), who is our fellow English teacher in arms. Making a hamburger is no easy thing though, and definitely takes some research - in food that is. *smile*
You see, China isn't really the bastion of hamburgers, let alone ample supplies of beef (牛肉). So finding ground beef actually DOES TAKE RESEARCH in that you have to find it. Once you do that, you are still left with the difficulty of locating something that resembles a bun and doesn't taste like most Chinese bread. Not that there is anything against Chinese bread, but the Chinese definitely like their bread a little sweeter than most Americans. Cultural Note: However, if you were to tell that to a Chinese person that they like sweet bread, they might not believe you, because according to all Chinese, they don't like "sweet foods". Continuing on, these are you two greatest obstacles to making a hamburger in China, and unfortunately, are quite substantial obstacles to overcome in the making of hamburgers. I mean, you just can't make a hamburger without beef and buns - come on.
So, needless to say, I managed to stumble upon ground beef while on a random trip to Walmart and promptly bought - unknowingly - 5.5 lbs of beef. For some reasons, I had the conversions all mixed up in my head and had thought I had bought about 2 lbs. Of course, that doesn't account for how I didn't figure out the weight difference between 2lbs and 5.5lbs when carrying it away. I also found ketchup, which I also picked up - plus it was really cheap. After showing Jonathan my amazing discovery, we made a trip to Metro (German equivalent of a Winco) later that week and found bun like bread, and also managed to find some seasoning for the patties.
Setting a date, we invited our friends over for hamburgers - a special treat for them since: (1) real American hamburgers don't exist, unless you count McDonalds - which I don't; and (2) many of them had never eaten a real hamburger. Our friend Henry Huang, showed up early as he was very eager to learn how to make American hamburgers and always seems genuinely excited to hangout with us. (Henry is about in his mid 40's and teaching advanced English) He helped us make the patties, put on the seasoning, and intently watched every movement that Jonathan did in making the hamburgers. It was actually quite entertaining to find some one so interested in making hamburgers. It would appear that most Chinese find making hamburgers a rather significant feat requiring some one without substantial knowledge in cooking. However, if I am invovled in such a cooking process we all know that that could never be true!
We completed the hamburgers just in time as the rest of our guests showed up. Our friend Ern didn't show up, but was replaced by a coworker of our friend Stephen named Lynn, and filled in quite well. The hambugers - surprisingly - tasted similar to something that we might eat back home off the grill, and were - all around - a success without guests who ate them with delight. Our small Japanese friend Takao managed to pack 2 significant size hamburgers away without difficulty faster than Jonathan or I could. I was actually kind of taken aback by how fast they disappeared, because I thought he had just eaten 1, but had managed to eat 2 by the time that I started my 2nd.
That weekend actually was the 1st time that Jonathan and I had ever cooked food in our apartment since we arrived here last September. I guess we broke our kitchen in with style though, as we made hamburgers 3 nights in a row completely wiping out all our precious ground beef for: (1) testing (Friday) - the night before we invited our Chinese friends; (2) dinner (Saturday) for our Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino colleagues; and lastly (3) team dinner (Sunday).
Sunday, February 22, 2009
2 Truths About Teaching
In teaching over the last 5-6 months I have been reminded of how true the following is:
1. It is a blessing to teach: In teaching YOU are reminded that you ARE also THE STUDENT. Most days you walk away having learned so much more from teaching and your students that you half wonder who is really teaching who.
2. It is a privilege to teach: In teaching you realize that you have been given a position of authority (whatever the level) to be considered the expert on a subject. The thought of course is absurd, but there it is! For me, the fact that 200 people are willing to sit down and listen is to me is AMAZING. Nevertheless, I cannot escape the fact that teaching is at once both a tremendous blessing as well as a tremendous responsibility. I have not only been given responsibility of being an expert on a subject, but in some ways I have also been given responsibility for the shaping of young hearts and minds.
1. It is a blessing to teach: In teaching YOU are reminded that you ARE also THE STUDENT. Most days you walk away having learned so much more from teaching and your students that you half wonder who is really teaching who.
2. It is a privilege to teach: In teaching you realize that you have been given a position of authority (whatever the level) to be considered the expert on a subject. The thought of course is absurd, but there it is! For me, the fact that 200 people are willing to sit down and listen is to me is AMAZING. Nevertheless, I cannot escape the fact that teaching is at once both a tremendous blessing as well as a tremendous responsibility. I have not only been given responsibility of being an expert on a subject, but in some ways I have also been given responsibility for the shaping of young hearts and minds.
Why Shopping for External Hard Drives, Eating @ McDonalds, & Deodorant Will Never Be the Same
Over the last two weeks, I have been blessed to have 3 guys from one of my classes attach themselves to me and always want to hang-out. Their names are: Michael, Armstrong, and Will Lee. I must confess that my other relationships here have been difficult at best and draining the rest of the time. One can never determine what kind of people the Father will put before you, and I am learning to be thankful for the people and relationships that I am entrusted with and given. Nevertheless, these 3 guys have been refreshing to hang-out with and a joy to talk to!
Anyways, I have started eating dinner with them every Thursday and it is an opportunity for me to pour into them as well as learn more about them. This last Thursday they took my to their dorm room, and then to their classroom where they must study for 2 hours (7pm-9pm) before they are allowed to go back to their dorms for bed. I enjoyed the opportunity to spend time outside the classroom with them and to be allowed to see a glimpse into what their everyday living situations are.
(Jack, Armstrong, Will Lee, and Michael)
(Dorm room)
Anyways, I have started eating dinner with them every Thursday and it is an opportunity for me to pour into them as well as learn more about them. This last Thursday they took my to their dorm room, and then to their classroom where they must study for 2 hours (7pm-9pm) before they are allowed to go back to their dorms for bed. I enjoyed the opportunity to spend time outside the classroom with them and to be allowed to see a glimpse into what their everyday living situations are.
(Jack, Armstrong, Will Lee, and Michael)
(Dorm room)Chinese Dorm Rooms: An Education on Student's Living Environment
Chinese dorm rooms work a little bit differently from the ones you might come to have known back in the States. Each room holds 6 people (or more) and has what we like to call a shoilet (shower/toilet). Shoilets are a combination of a shower and toilet, with the shower not being separated from the rest of the bathroom and the floor acting as the drain. However, in this case - instead of a western toilet - the students have a squattie (hole in the ground).
From there - as you can see from the picture above - the students are sleep on bunkbeds lined up against the wall with their respective desks lined up on the opposing wall. I have no clue where they do their laundry, but like everyone else in China they hang it out their window and hope that it drys quickly. I should mention that on a windy day one often sees somebody's pants, underwear, and various other kinds of attire fly away and land some where in the middle of campus. My friends and I are blessed to have a covered patio from which to hang out laundry to dry.
Shopping for External Hard Drives
Yesterday, the Michael, Armstrong, and Will Lee volunteered to help Jonathan and I go shopping for external hard drives since my computer is currently trying to kill itself. I should make a short list for you of what is currently going wrong with computer.
1. Constant Blue Screen of Death
2. Computer won't turn on, fan runs really high, and there is beeping sounds.
3. Constant Freezing
4. CD-ROM works 10% of the time.
5. Headphone jack is broken
6. AC-Adapter likes to be finicky and not work, making my computer look like a light show as it goes from a dull to a bright screen rapidly.
At any rate, we ventured downtown and made our way to the Technology center next to Ba Yi Square where we go to buy movies, cds, and anything related to computers and cameras. Michael, Armstrong, and Will Lee debated with the sales people like champs cutting off 100 yuan ($15 dollars) from the original quoted price. We also managed to get a web camera in the deal as well, which is nice since it would be really cool to actually see other people when talking to them on skype. However, we will see if my computer holds out.
McDonald's: The Guys' 1st Hamburgers & The Art of Treating Chinese to Food
While shopping for the external hard drive I decided that we really needed to do something nice for these guys since they were freely giving such much of their day to helping us. You must understand that to go somewhere and accomplish an errand takes nearly 5 times as long as it may for you back home. Not speaking the language or having access to your own car really makes transportation and shopping a challenge. So I asked them if they prefered Western or Chinese food, but I got mixed messages as the Chinese are known for saying, "Whatever is fine". Sound kind of familiar to some poeple you know back home? LOL So I decided to ask them a pointed question: "Would you rather have hamburgers or Chinese food?" This was much more successful in that I found out that they had never had hamburgers, and so I told them that we would treat them to their 1st hamburgers.
I must make two clarifying points about this situation. First, whenever you are in China you better be very specific about who is treating who. If you aren't, you will almost never be able to pay for the meal - unless it is beyond their means - because you are foreigner and they are Chinese. What this means is that they are always the host and you are always the guest. So I made sure to make it very clear that Jonathan and I would be treating them to McDonald's and that they were not allowed to pay. I should note that the fear of them beating us to paying for the food is a little diminished since eating at McDonald's is expensive for most Chinese.
(Will Lee, Armstrong, Me, and Michael)
So we finally made it McDonald's, bought hamburgers, made it through the normal everyday awkward ordering situation that happens whenever we try to buy something we don't know the Chinese for, and sat down to eat. Michael, Armstrong, and Will Lee practically devoured their hamburgers - which were extra small looking since we are in China - and looked hungry still; it didn't help that all of them are from the Northern part of China since Northern Chinese are the same size as Americans and eat just as much. Nonetheless, I ran back downstairs and ordered another 5 hamburgers since Jonathan and I were also still hungry. This, of course, raised the eyebrows of the Chinese employees behind the counter as they are not use to Americans ordering. Furthermore, as far as the Chinese were concerned, 2 Americans had just downed a better part of 5 combo meals and were looking to finish off another 5 hamburgers.
The Power of Deodorant: "Mr. Aaron I want to Smell like You; I want to be cool like You."
As we were finishing the meal, Armstrong begin asking about deodorant again, but since the Chinese don't use deodorant he didn't know what to call it, and couldn't remember me telling him how to say it. He said, "Mr. Aaron I want to smell like you; I want to be cool like you." He had told me earlier in the day that I had a certain scent about me and wanted to know what it was. I think he even mentioned something silly like that the girls liked it and so he wanted to have some of whatever this "scent" was. Two things are funny about this situation: 1). The fact that I am having a conversation about deodorant, and that my students wants to smell like me; 2). My student thinks that I am the model to follow for what is COOL, and actually thinks that i am cool.
I told the guys, since they all chimed in about wanting some deodorant, that I would give them some when we got back to our apartment. Upon arriving, Jonathan reminded me that there were some extras in the desk where we kept random supplies. So I went over and found 3 - coincidentally - and gave them to the guys. They were pretty excited. I realized after giving them the deodorant that we would also have to give them instructions on how to use it - an odd thought all-together separate. I told them that they should double check to make sure that they weren't allergic and Jonathan pointed out that they could put some on their hand and if it didn't turn red after a day they could use it. I told Armstrong to only swipe his armpit twice lest he become overly enthusiastic about using the stuff and coat his entire body in it.
To finish the day I watched Sandlot and figured everything was just as it should be.
Chinese dorm rooms work a little bit differently from the ones you might come to have known back in the States. Each room holds 6 people (or more) and has what we like to call a shoilet (shower/toilet). Shoilets are a combination of a shower and toilet, with the shower not being separated from the rest of the bathroom and the floor acting as the drain. However, in this case - instead of a western toilet - the students have a squattie (hole in the ground).
From there - as you can see from the picture above - the students are sleep on bunkbeds lined up against the wall with their respective desks lined up on the opposing wall. I have no clue where they do their laundry, but like everyone else in China they hang it out their window and hope that it drys quickly. I should mention that on a windy day one often sees somebody's pants, underwear, and various other kinds of attire fly away and land some where in the middle of campus. My friends and I are blessed to have a covered patio from which to hang out laundry to dry.
Shopping for External Hard Drives
Yesterday, the Michael, Armstrong, and Will Lee volunteered to help Jonathan and I go shopping for external hard drives since my computer is currently trying to kill itself. I should make a short list for you of what is currently going wrong with computer.
1. Constant Blue Screen of Death
2. Computer won't turn on, fan runs really high, and there is beeping sounds.
3. Constant Freezing
4. CD-ROM works 10% of the time.
5. Headphone jack is broken
6. AC-Adapter likes to be finicky and not work, making my computer look like a light show as it goes from a dull to a bright screen rapidly.
At any rate, we ventured downtown and made our way to the Technology center next to Ba Yi Square where we go to buy movies, cds, and anything related to computers and cameras. Michael, Armstrong, and Will Lee debated with the sales people like champs cutting off 100 yuan ($15 dollars) from the original quoted price. We also managed to get a web camera in the deal as well, which is nice since it would be really cool to actually see other people when talking to them on skype. However, we will see if my computer holds out.
McDonald's: The Guys' 1st Hamburgers & The Art of Treating Chinese to Food
While shopping for the external hard drive I decided that we really needed to do something nice for these guys since they were freely giving such much of their day to helping us. You must understand that to go somewhere and accomplish an errand takes nearly 5 times as long as it may for you back home. Not speaking the language or having access to your own car really makes transportation and shopping a challenge. So I asked them if they prefered Western or Chinese food, but I got mixed messages as the Chinese are known for saying, "Whatever is fine". Sound kind of familiar to some poeple you know back home? LOL So I decided to ask them a pointed question: "Would you rather have hamburgers or Chinese food?" This was much more successful in that I found out that they had never had hamburgers, and so I told them that we would treat them to their 1st hamburgers.
I must make two clarifying points about this situation. First, whenever you are in China you better be very specific about who is treating who. If you aren't, you will almost never be able to pay for the meal - unless it is beyond their means - because you are foreigner and they are Chinese. What this means is that they are always the host and you are always the guest. So I made sure to make it very clear that Jonathan and I would be treating them to McDonald's and that they were not allowed to pay. I should note that the fear of them beating us to paying for the food is a little diminished since eating at McDonald's is expensive for most Chinese.
(Will Lee, Armstrong, Me, and Michael)So we finally made it McDonald's, bought hamburgers, made it through the normal everyday awkward ordering situation that happens whenever we try to buy something we don't know the Chinese for, and sat down to eat. Michael, Armstrong, and Will Lee practically devoured their hamburgers - which were extra small looking since we are in China - and looked hungry still; it didn't help that all of them are from the Northern part of China since Northern Chinese are the same size as Americans and eat just as much. Nonetheless, I ran back downstairs and ordered another 5 hamburgers since Jonathan and I were also still hungry. This, of course, raised the eyebrows of the Chinese employees behind the counter as they are not use to Americans ordering. Furthermore, as far as the Chinese were concerned, 2 Americans had just downed a better part of 5 combo meals and were looking to finish off another 5 hamburgers.
The Power of Deodorant: "Mr. Aaron I want to Smell like You; I want to be cool like You."
As we were finishing the meal, Armstrong begin asking about deodorant again, but since the Chinese don't use deodorant he didn't know what to call it, and couldn't remember me telling him how to say it. He said, "Mr. Aaron I want to smell like you; I want to be cool like you." He had told me earlier in the day that I had a certain scent about me and wanted to know what it was. I think he even mentioned something silly like that the girls liked it and so he wanted to have some of whatever this "scent" was. Two things are funny about this situation: 1). The fact that I am having a conversation about deodorant, and that my students wants to smell like me; 2). My student thinks that I am the model to follow for what is COOL, and actually thinks that i am cool.
I told the guys, since they all chimed in about wanting some deodorant, that I would give them some when we got back to our apartment. Upon arriving, Jonathan reminded me that there were some extras in the desk where we kept random supplies. So I went over and found 3 - coincidentally - and gave them to the guys. They were pretty excited. I realized after giving them the deodorant that we would also have to give them instructions on how to use it - an odd thought all-together separate. I told them that they should double check to make sure that they weren't allergic and Jonathan pointed out that they could put some on their hand and if it didn't turn red after a day they could use it. I told Armstrong to only swipe his armpit twice lest he become overly enthusiastic about using the stuff and coat his entire body in it.
To finish the day I watched Sandlot and figured everything was just as it should be.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Heading into the Unknown
The last week here in Nanchang has been one of ups and downs for me. The refining process is one that takes time and can catch us unawares at times. My life - where I will be living, what I will be doing, etc - is up for grabs as I don't really have an idea of what I will be doing the next school year. I think the hardest part about it is being patient and waiting on and listening for the Father's direction. A good friend of mine reminded me once that there isn't necessarily a wrong or right decision all the time. Furthermore, our Father looks to bless our decisions and the paths we choose as long as our eyes are focused on Him.
I feel I am growing here and must admit that I love my work. To treat all things equally though, I am learning how to balance how much one spends on work as I can be consumed by it. In listening to a talk that was challenging us (teachers) to let go of the things that we placed more importance on than our relationship with the Son, and I realized that one of those things for me was work. In acknowledging this over the break, I have been trying to make myself more available to my teammates as well as my students. I would say that any change of heart or ability to change things has come from our Father, not me.
I believe Proverbs 16:9 says, "A man makes plans in his heart, but the Father directs his steps."
I have been spending time lately memorizing verses from the Word in an effort to not lose focus, and realized while I was reading this that I need to memorize something that says, "Stop running, holding out, and trying to fight everything on your own. Come to me and I will comfort you in your time of need." I am sure something like this exists, but I can't help but admit that I often run, hold out, and try to do things on my own too often.
Changing gears (as a good friend of mine often says...)
I would appreciate all your thoughts for direction over the next month. As of right now, it is incredibly hard to know what is going to happen, but as I told many of you below is a list of my options thus far.
1. Stay on with the organization I am working with and pursue my Masters in TESOL, and possible relocate to Mongolia.
2. Stay in China and teach English.
3. Come home and pick a state to live in - Washington or California...
Thanks for all your thoughts!
I feel I am growing here and must admit that I love my work. To treat all things equally though, I am learning how to balance how much one spends on work as I can be consumed by it. In listening to a talk that was challenging us (teachers) to let go of the things that we placed more importance on than our relationship with the Son, and I realized that one of those things for me was work. In acknowledging this over the break, I have been trying to make myself more available to my teammates as well as my students. I would say that any change of heart or ability to change things has come from our Father, not me.
I believe Proverbs 16:9 says, "A man makes plans in his heart, but the Father directs his steps."
I have been spending time lately memorizing verses from the Word in an effort to not lose focus, and realized while I was reading this that I need to memorize something that says, "Stop running, holding out, and trying to fight everything on your own. Come to me and I will comfort you in your time of need." I am sure something like this exists, but I can't help but admit that I often run, hold out, and try to do things on my own too often.
Changing gears (as a good friend of mine often says...)
I would appreciate all your thoughts for direction over the next month. As of right now, it is incredibly hard to know what is going to happen, but as I told many of you below is a list of my options thus far.
1. Stay on with the organization I am working with and pursue my Masters in TESOL, and possible relocate to Mongolia.
2. Stay in China and teach English.
3. Come home and pick a state to live in - Washington or California...
Thanks for all your thoughts!
Friday, February 13, 2009
National Debut: A Very Unexpected & Awkward Situation
I have been waiting to write this post because I hadn't been able to get access to all the videos of our appearance on National television in China via CCTV until now.
I am not sure if you read my post In the Wake of Nanjing: Inbetween Places awhile back about news reporters and journalists coming to our apartment, but apparently our interviews and media coverage - which we thought just stayed in Nanchang - went national and was played all over China during the beginning of Spring Festival. I didn't really believe such a thing would happen; however, my first day teaching back at school revealed that exactly that had happened.
On my first day of class, all my students kept on telling me that they saw me on CCTV with excited voices and smiles on their faces. It was then that I believed it might be possible that our interviews might have gone further than Jiangxi. I probably should have seen this coming back in Chiang Mai, Thailand when Jodi brought pictures of us all over the front pages of the Nanchang daily news (below).
As you can see from the photo above, I am on the left with my team to the right. The funny thing is that I thought THAT was ridiculous and surely couldn't be surpassed by anything else that had happened. Well, that was until I saw the video below....
I am not sure if you read my post In the Wake of Nanjing: Inbetween Places awhile back about news reporters and journalists coming to our apartment, but apparently our interviews and media coverage - which we thought just stayed in Nanchang - went national and was played all over China during the beginning of Spring Festival. I didn't really believe such a thing would happen; however, my first day teaching back at school revealed that exactly that had happened.
On my first day of class, all my students kept on telling me that they saw me on CCTV with excited voices and smiles on their faces. It was then that I believed it might be possible that our interviews might have gone further than Jiangxi. I probably should have seen this coming back in Chiang Mai, Thailand when Jodi brought pictures of us all over the front pages of the Nanchang daily news (below).
As you can see from the photo above, I am on the left with my team to the right. The funny thing is that I thought THAT was ridiculous and surely couldn't be surpassed by anything else that had happened. Well, that was until I saw the video below....
The video begins by showing other foreigners in various places around China and then seems to do a special little feature on our team. Mind you, my guess is as good as yours since the entire clip is in Chinese. This brings me to the reason I labeled my blog National Debut: A Very Unexpected & Awkward Situation. It was at this point that CCTV decided that it would be a good idea to air the video of me speaking in Chinese, which - in my mind - shows me butchering the language. Notwithstanding the fact that I was reading pinyin off a piece of paper being held in front of the news reporter's face. Oh well.
Below is another video from a local news station in Jiangxi.
Below is another video from a local news station in Jiangxi.
I guess it just goes to show you that when living in China anything is possible, especially if you are a foreigner. Of course, our team has been laughing about this all week. Each day has been the same for them as me: Students coming up to you with faces bright and shining and saying "Teacher, I saw you on CCTV!".
Well, that's a wrap. All and more than you could have possibly thought would have happened to me in China.
Well, that's a wrap. All and more than you could have possibly thought would have happened to me in China.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Challenges: Unforeseen Problems
Yesterday was my first day of teaching after having not taught for over a month. It is kind of weird to step back into a role that you are quite familiar with, but also one you are consistently amazed that you are allowed to be - a teacher.
For me - I have to admit - there are some really high points and some really low points. One day, the class is highly interactive and the lesson plan is seemingly meeting all the objectives that you had set out to accomplish for the day. Yet, on the very next day, it seems that nothing is working and the students could absolutely care less. Then, on yet another day, you seemingly make endless mistakes both in spelling and giving information so that you feel very stupid by the time class finishes. I guess I had one of those kinds of days...
Today, I walked out of the class wondering "What were my expectations today?".
I have a student that will remain unnamed that - whether knowingly or unknowingly - knows how to consistently push all the wrong buttons with me. (We call them "extra grace required" students.) At any rate, I felt like I let that person get to me today and it was frustrating because I hadn't prepared or factored them into my teaching plan today, and it blindsided me. Worse off, it negatively impacted how the rest of my class went; something I don't want to repeat.
Well, enough of the gray dreary mood! I should share with you the 5 top things that my students did during the Spring Festival (I guess the closest equivalent would be Christmas...) I attached a link, albeit it is Wikipedia, if you want to learn more about Spring Festival.
1. Sleep
2. Watch Tv
3. Eat
4. Shopping
As you can see, my students are a lively bunch indeed! I told them that they should add sleeping as #5 so they can repeat the process. I was successful in managing to get them to laugh at that. I should note though that many of students do not have as many opportunities afforded them as I do, and going home is probably the best gift they could receive during the Spring Festival holiday.
For me - I have to admit - there are some really high points and some really low points. One day, the class is highly interactive and the lesson plan is seemingly meeting all the objectives that you had set out to accomplish for the day. Yet, on the very next day, it seems that nothing is working and the students could absolutely care less. Then, on yet another day, you seemingly make endless mistakes both in spelling and giving information so that you feel very stupid by the time class finishes. I guess I had one of those kinds of days...
Today, I walked out of the class wondering "What were my expectations today?".
I have a student that will remain unnamed that - whether knowingly or unknowingly - knows how to consistently push all the wrong buttons with me. (We call them "extra grace required" students.) At any rate, I felt like I let that person get to me today and it was frustrating because I hadn't prepared or factored them into my teaching plan today, and it blindsided me. Worse off, it negatively impacted how the rest of my class went; something I don't want to repeat.
Well, enough of the gray dreary mood! I should share with you the 5 top things that my students did during the Spring Festival (I guess the closest equivalent would be Christmas...) I attached a link, albeit it is Wikipedia, if you want to learn more about Spring Festival.
1. Sleep
2. Watch Tv
3. Eat
4. Shopping
As you can see, my students are a lively bunch indeed! I told them that they should add sleeping as #5 so they can repeat the process. I was successful in managing to get them to laugh at that. I should note though that many of students do not have as many opportunities afforded them as I do, and going home is probably the best gift they could receive during the Spring Festival holiday.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Growth: A Refining Process
From 28th of January to the 5th of February or organization held a conference in which English teachers from all over Asia met to talk about about everything from teaching methods to our Father.
Growth: A Refining Process
______________________________________________________________
Since arriving in Chiang Mai I have found myself processing and thinking about my last semester of teaching. Over the last week I have actually had time to think about my walk with our Father and how that has played out over the last 4 months both in teaching and team building. My time in Chiang Mai - while a time of rest - has been very challenging spiritually. I am continually confronted in areas that I need to grow in that simply just can not be ignored and/or put off.
Community
Working towards community on a team takes dedication, perseverance, and a willingness to be vulnerable. Community built among other individuals must be intentional. Beyond being intentional one must be willing to both assume a humble attitude and/or be humbled as well as know that you are going to have to go to your brother or sister and ask for forgiveness before you can approach the Father many times - especially when you don't want to. Interesting enough, I have come to realize that community is something we are called to rather than something that is optional.
The funny thing is that this isn't the first time I have learned this lesson; however, the weight and impact of its implications to my life right now are huge. It is frustrating - as I am sure you all know - to continually find yourself making the same mistakes. Unfortunately, it seems that the mistakes you continually make disguise themselves and/or transform their appearances just enough to blindside you each time. All that to say, is that I struggle with staying in community and allowing myself to be open with others so that trust can develop. I mean things like that are only small problems, right? Absolutely not. I should note that such problems can only be exacerbated when your relationships seem broken and beyond repair and you're not keeping up in the Word; it is then that the world can be a very bleak place.
It is, of course, at this point that I am reminded by what P said in Philippians 2:1-4
"If you have any encouragement from being united with our Father, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the S, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
Identity
Where we place our identity seems to be something that many of us tend to misplace way too often as well- or at least I do. I seemingly place my identity in many different places with one of them being work. For some unknown reason I like constantly being busy, overloaded with work, and being stressed out. It is at times a love/hate relationship, but in many ways it is my bread & butter - the natural way for me to go about life. Yet, when I was listening to the story of Peter being asked if he truly loved our Father 3 times I was caught offguard by the the wording of the question in John 21:15 where it says, "do you truly love me more than these?" A speaker at our conference over the last week noted that it is reasonable to suggest that Peter had given up and was returning to a life of fishing. It was at this point that I realized that I hold up an idealized work ethic/love for work that overshadows my relationship with my Father. It is kind of odd to come to a realization that you love work more than your Father at times.
Faithfulness
Good news, though, I AM REMINDED of His faithfulness and will be holding onto it as I enter this new season of challenges. I hope you will too.
Growth: A Refining Process
______________________________________________________________
Since arriving in Chiang Mai I have found myself processing and thinking about my last semester of teaching. Over the last week I have actually had time to think about my walk with our Father and how that has played out over the last 4 months both in teaching and team building. My time in Chiang Mai - while a time of rest - has been very challenging spiritually. I am continually confronted in areas that I need to grow in that simply just can not be ignored and/or put off.
Community
Working towards community on a team takes dedication, perseverance, and a willingness to be vulnerable. Community built among other individuals must be intentional. Beyond being intentional one must be willing to both assume a humble attitude and/or be humbled as well as know that you are going to have to go to your brother or sister and ask for forgiveness before you can approach the Father many times - especially when you don't want to. Interesting enough, I have come to realize that community is something we are called to rather than something that is optional.
The funny thing is that this isn't the first time I have learned this lesson; however, the weight and impact of its implications to my life right now are huge. It is frustrating - as I am sure you all know - to continually find yourself making the same mistakes. Unfortunately, it seems that the mistakes you continually make disguise themselves and/or transform their appearances just enough to blindside you each time. All that to say, is that I struggle with staying in community and allowing myself to be open with others so that trust can develop. I mean things like that are only small problems, right? Absolutely not. I should note that such problems can only be exacerbated when your relationships seem broken and beyond repair and you're not keeping up in the Word; it is then that the world can be a very bleak place.
It is, of course, at this point that I am reminded by what P said in Philippians 2:1-4
"If you have any encouragement from being united with our Father, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the S, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
Identity
Where we place our identity seems to be something that many of us tend to misplace way too often as well- or at least I do. I seemingly place my identity in many different places with one of them being work. For some unknown reason I like constantly being busy, overloaded with work, and being stressed out. It is at times a love/hate relationship, but in many ways it is my bread & butter - the natural way for me to go about life. Yet, when I was listening to the story of Peter being asked if he truly loved our Father 3 times I was caught offguard by the the wording of the question in John 21:15 where it says, "do you truly love me more than these?" A speaker at our conference over the last week noted that it is reasonable to suggest that Peter had given up and was returning to a life of fishing. It was at this point that I realized that I hold up an idealized work ethic/love for work that overshadows my relationship with my Father. It is kind of odd to come to a realization that you love work more than your Father at times.
Faithfulness
Good news, though, I AM REMINDED of His faithfulness and will be holding onto it as I enter this new season of challenges. I hope you will too.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Bangkok: Adventures of the Unkown
Below are my scattered thoughts about Bangkok and Thailand in general.
Bangkok
___________________________________________________________________
The first thing that I can probably tell you about Bangkok is that it is a big and bustling city with way too much activity going on. At the same time, it really doesn't compare with a city like Shanghai or Hong Kong in size or population, but it does offer everything - on a city and cultural level - that Thailand has to offer. I was blessed to have a friend - Meridith - pick me and Jonathan up from the airport and provide us with a place to stay our entire visit to Bangkok. It definitely saved us a lot of money. Plus, Meridith and the people at G.E.S gave us a lot of insight into the city and directed us where to go and not go.
Jonathan and I spent most of our 1st day just exploring and getting a feeling for Bangkok. We quickly came to the conclusion - or at least it appeared to us - that we were not the locals favorite kind of tourists since we don't like to: (1) take taxis, (2) tuk tuks, or (3) spend money. Everywhere we went we were constantly bombarded with requests and gesturing to take both taxis and tuk tuks. I imagine at this point that you are probably wondering "What is a tuk tuk?" so here is a picture. It is a 3 wheeled contraption that seats approximately 2 people and sounds like a motorcycle of some sorts. They are everywhere and if you ever plan on using one make sure to know the going rate as you will have to bargain with the driver.
I should also note at this point that if you ever decide to come to Bangkok that you really need to read up on all the local scams so that you don't get taken. It would probably be entirely beneficial to do some research on the Internet about what other people have done and learned. Also, f you unsure about what to do I am sure you could ask one of the thousands of other tourists clutching their Lonely Planet books. Otherwise, don't be afraid to come and visit this beautiful country.
People
The people are really nice and are - for the most part - genuinely interested in helping you get where you want to go and actually learning about who you are. I kind of begun to imagine it would be like visiting China if the Chinese actually had the same English speaking capability that the Thai had. Often when traveling through and/or exploring China, people try to talk to you and share about their lives and, in turn, try to learn about yours. However, the only draw back is that your ability to speak Chinese is on the same level as their ability to speak English.
Also, the way that the Thai people greet you as well as others is incredibly fascinating. It almost makes me feel like the way westerners greet each other has failed to take into account a sense of respect and consideration for each other. For the most part, every time you are greeted by a Thai person they put their hands together - as if they were praying - as a sign of reverence and tilt their heads toward when greeting/welcoming you.
On another important/interesting side note. The king holds a very important position and place in the Thai people's heart. Everywhere you go throughout Thailand you will begin to notice the pictures and images of the king whether it be a restaurant, school, mall, police station, government building, etc. So treat everything you say about the king with forethought and and tact.
Buddhism
I honestly don't really know much, but just from traveling around Bangkok and visiting all the temples (wats) one will quickly recognize the influence of Buddhism and the power that it has in this country. To be honest, the way that Thai people practice Buddhism makes the Chinese look like they are playing at it. There are little shrines erected everywhere you go with incense and food set before pictures. Plus, one can hardly ignore the temples and stature that they hold within the Thai society and the prominence that they hold within major cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
On some levels one might think that seeing places like Wat Pho, Wat Arun, and the Grand Palace might be on some peoples life checklists of things to do and/or really beautiful places. I will say that while they are beautiful and somewhat amazing on architectural level they carry a dark aura. Fortunately or unfortunately, I have seen my share of Buddhist, Taoist, and Tibetan Buddhist temples throughout China (and now Thailand) and the more I see of them the less I want to ever go to another one. Many might not consider me the most spiritual person, but when in and/or near these temples I find it unnerving. Take this for what it is worth, but I am limiting the days that I will enter let alone visit one of these places.
Culture Shock: Why are there so many White people?
An interesting phenomenon that I have noticed about myself since entering Thailand about a week ago has been the irritation that I have had with the amount of foreigners that inhabit or occupy space in this country. Call it bizarre, unheard of, or just plain weird, but everywhere I go I find myself wondering "Where did they come from?", "Why do they have to be here?", and "I just want to go back to China." I guess part of the reason that I like China is that you can escape from parts of Western culture. However, Thailand - unlike China - has a huge tourist industry and makes you feel like our culture has seemingly infiltrated the country making it feel like you are at home at times.
Don't get me wrong here. I am not denying my own culture or saying that I don't like where I am from. Rather, that after living abroad - even if it is only for 4 months - and not normally seeing other foreigners (other than Chinese) it is really weird. It is out of the common to see another foreigner in Nanchang and usually does not happen more than 1 or 2 times a month.
Food
Lastly, I must mention a very sad and unfortunate truth that I have learned since coming to Thailand. I had come with great hopes and dreams of eating amazing Phad Thai, but alas it has done anything but meet my expectations. Perhaps, my expectations and dreams were a little unreal, but I have tasted nothing like anything I had back home. I feel like such a foreigner for saying this, but I like the Phad Thai at home better.
On the other hand, all other Thai food has tasted great.
Bangkok
___________________________________________________________________
The first thing that I can probably tell you about Bangkok is that it is a big and bustling city with way too much activity going on. At the same time, it really doesn't compare with a city like Shanghai or Hong Kong in size or population, but it does offer everything - on a city and cultural level - that Thailand has to offer. I was blessed to have a friend - Meridith - pick me and Jonathan up from the airport and provide us with a place to stay our entire visit to Bangkok. It definitely saved us a lot of money. Plus, Meridith and the people at G.E.S gave us a lot of insight into the city and directed us where to go and not go.
Jonathan and I spent most of our 1st day just exploring and getting a feeling for Bangkok. We quickly came to the conclusion - or at least it appeared to us - that we were not the locals favorite kind of tourists since we don't like to: (1) take taxis, (2) tuk tuks, or (3) spend money. Everywhere we went we were constantly bombarded with requests and gesturing to take both taxis and tuk tuks. I imagine at this point that you are probably wondering "What is a tuk tuk?" so here is a picture. It is a 3 wheeled contraption that seats approximately 2 people and sounds like a motorcycle of some sorts. They are everywhere and if you ever plan on using one make sure to know the going rate as you will have to bargain with the driver.I should also note at this point that if you ever decide to come to Bangkok that you really need to read up on all the local scams so that you don't get taken. It would probably be entirely beneficial to do some research on the Internet about what other people have done and learned. Also, f you unsure about what to do I am sure you could ask one of the thousands of other tourists clutching their Lonely Planet books. Otherwise, don't be afraid to come and visit this beautiful country.
People
The people are really nice and are - for the most part - genuinely interested in helping you get where you want to go and actually learning about who you are. I kind of begun to imagine it would be like visiting China if the Chinese actually had the same English speaking capability that the Thai had. Often when traveling through and/or exploring China, people try to talk to you and share about their lives and, in turn, try to learn about yours. However, the only draw back is that your ability to speak Chinese is on the same level as their ability to speak English.
Also, the way that the Thai people greet you as well as others is incredibly fascinating. It almost makes me feel like the way westerners greet each other has failed to take into account a sense of respect and consideration for each other. For the most part, every time you are greeted by a Thai person they put their hands together - as if they were praying - as a sign of reverence and tilt their heads toward when greeting/welcoming you.
On another important/interesting side note. The king holds a very important position and place in the Thai people's heart. Everywhere you go throughout Thailand you will begin to notice the pictures and images of the king whether it be a restaurant, school, mall, police station, government building, etc. So treat everything you say about the king with forethought and and tact.
Buddhism
I honestly don't really know much, but just from traveling around Bangkok and visiting all the temples (wats) one will quickly recognize the influence of Buddhism and the power that it has in this country. To be honest, the way that Thai people practice Buddhism makes the Chinese look like they are playing at it. There are little shrines erected everywhere you go with incense and food set before pictures. Plus, one can hardly ignore the temples and stature that they hold within the Thai society and the prominence that they hold within major cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai.On some levels one might think that seeing places like Wat Pho, Wat Arun, and the Grand Palace might be on some peoples life checklists of things to do and/or really beautiful places. I will say that while they are beautiful and somewhat amazing on architectural level they carry a dark aura. Fortunately or unfortunately, I have seen my share of Buddhist, Taoist, and Tibetan Buddhist temples throughout China (and now Thailand) and the more I see of them the less I want to ever go to another one. Many might not consider me the most spiritual person, but when in and/or near these temples I find it unnerving. Take this for what it is worth, but I am limiting the days that I will enter let alone visit one of these places.
Culture Shock: Why are there so many White people?
An interesting phenomenon that I have noticed about myself since entering Thailand about a week ago has been the irritation that I have had with the amount of foreigners that inhabit or occupy space in this country. Call it bizarre, unheard of, or just plain weird, but everywhere I go I find myself wondering "Where did they come from?", "Why do they have to be here?", and "I just want to go back to China." I guess part of the reason that I like China is that you can escape from parts of Western culture. However, Thailand - unlike China - has a huge tourist industry and makes you feel like our culture has seemingly infiltrated the country making it feel like you are at home at times.Don't get me wrong here. I am not denying my own culture or saying that I don't like where I am from. Rather, that after living abroad - even if it is only for 4 months - and not normally seeing other foreigners (other than Chinese) it is really weird. It is out of the common to see another foreigner in Nanchang and usually does not happen more than 1 or 2 times a month.
Food
Lastly, I must mention a very sad and unfortunate truth that I have learned since coming to Thailand. I had come with great hopes and dreams of eating amazing Phad Thai, but alas it has done anything but meet my expectations. Perhaps, my expectations and dreams were a little unreal, but I have tasted nothing like anything I had back home. I feel like such a foreigner for saying this, but I like the Phad Thai at home better.
On the other hand, all other Thai food has tasted great.
Monday, January 26, 2009
In the Wake of Nanjing: Inbetween Places
Lily & Marie's Visit / Sick: Round 3
___________________________________________________________
Coming home from traveling around Xiamen and Nanjing meant a few things to me: (1) Resting, (2) doing preparation work for next semester, and (3) lastly preparing for Lily and Marie's visit from Changchun. As of yet - and I am in Thailand - only 1 of those objectives has been met; and even that one is debatable. The morning that they arrived I managed to oversleep as well as turn off my alarm. I woke up with about 10 minutes to be at the train station to pick them up from Beijing. I got dressed and rushed out the door. I sprinted down the road that leads to our front gate and managed to get a taxi to take me to the train station somehow. It really kind of seemed a miracle that he was able to understand my Chinese despite the fact that I was still waking up in addition to the fact that it was clearly to early for me to be saying things like train station (火车站） in a language that isn't my first, let alone a viable second.
Despite all my shortcomings, I made it to the train station well before the girls arrived and was able to pick them up and make it back safely to
my school without any hiccups. Once back we spent the day relaxing and roaming around Nanchang. Lily's visit was a pretty much relaxed and easy going visit which made it nice for me since Nanchang doesn't really have much to offer in the way of sight-seeing like every other place I've been to recently. We visited the park, went to the mall, and played cards.
There was one little difficulty that I ran into during their visit: I managed to get food poisoning for the 3rd time. No worries though I have this down to an art now. Honestly it's sad but I just go through the motions, ignore the pain and inability to eat, and continue on like nothing is really wrong. I wouldn't suggest doing this all the time since such illnesses drain you of most of your physical strength, which, coupled with your inability to eat, really makes you vulnerable to not getting better as quick as you would like. On a lighter note, food poisoning does help you lose weight : ) .
Chinese New Year Celebration: Everything you wouldn't expect
___________________________________________________________
So a day or so just Lily and Marie left our Foreign Affairs Assistant (FAO), Billy, informed us that school officials would be coming over on Saturday morning to make jiaozi (pot stickers) and help us in preparing to celebrate for the Chinese New Year, which as I write is today (January 26th). So the day came and all of us headed down to our teamleader's apartment to meet up the school officials. However, upon Billy's arrival there were no school officials, but rather news reporters and radio journalist.
Our team was caught off guard and tried to figure out how we could be sensitive to our Chinese guests/hosts. It is really quite awkward, though, when you are being forced to recite sentences in Chinese, make jiaozi, and smile the whole time. At points it was just funny because it was so bizarre socially, but other points you felt like your personal bubble was being violated (or at least that is the vibe I got from some of my friends). I mean, what do you do when 2 television news crews + 1 news radio journalist starts asking you questions and putting the spotlight on you?
The other tricky thing about this visit was that Billy wanted me to do interviews with all three of the news crews I mentioned above, in Chinese that is. To be honest, my Chinese is rather pathetic and is worse than a 1st year Spanish high school student back in the States. The only solution my new found friends with the television crew could figure out was to have me read pinyin off a paper right in front of their faces so it would look like I was talking with them. The whole situation seemed a little ridiculous to me and I was glad when it was over.
Wenzhou (温州）
___________________________________________________________
I made a trip to Wenzhou, Zhejiang last week to see some Chinese friends of mine. It was a last minute decision as I was unsure such a choice would be a smart one since I still had to fix my syllabus, write lesson plans, and start gearing up for school, but I decided that you don't get to go to Zhejiang everyday and that I should take up this opportunity, especially we had friends who were brothers and sisters and loved our Father.
We took a red-eye bus ride for 9 hours to Wenzhou. It was probably one of the coolest bus rides I have ever been on since all the bus had nothing but beds. Unfortunately for my friend Jonathan who is 6'3 all the beds were designed for people my size 5'4. Our friend and fellow teacher Jodi, on the other hand, fit much better than all of us as she is - of course - Chinese.
Our Chinese hosts were more than nice and practically stuffed us daily, making sure there was no possible way their foreign guests could ever have claimed to be hungry while staying at their houses. Of course, coming near the Chinese New Year could have played into how much we ate and why all the Chinese seemed so happy. We ate fresh seafood everyday and tried a lot of different foods that we had never thought one might eat - like duck tongue. It's not that bad actually; you just have to get over the fact that you are in fact eating it.
(A picture of the moutains we saw on our hike)
We also went hiking which was a nice retreat from the everyday crowed city life that the Chinese compete with daily. Joined by Amy, her family, and her friend Sisi (sp?) we hiked through a mountain next to her mom, which offered us a glimpse at the natural beauty that China has to offer. In addition, it was just nice to hang out with some of Chinese firiends and get to not only know them better, but learn about everyday family life in China. Looking back I would probably have to say that it was the highlight of my break. Living, eating, and hanging out with Chinese friends in their hometown is definitely a unique experience and one I will treasure.
There is so much more I could say, but I will stop here.
___________________________________________________________
Coming home from traveling around Xiamen and Nanjing meant a few things to me: (1) Resting, (2) doing preparation work for next semester, and (3) lastly preparing for Lily and Marie's visit from Changchun. As of yet - and I am in Thailand - only 1 of those objectives has been met; and even that one is debatable. The morning that they arrived I managed to oversleep as well as turn off my alarm. I woke up with about 10 minutes to be at the train station to pick them up from Beijing. I got dressed and rushed out the door. I sprinted down the road that leads to our front gate and managed to get a taxi to take me to the train station somehow. It really kind of seemed a miracle that he was able to understand my Chinese despite the fact that I was still waking up in addition to the fact that it was clearly to early for me to be saying things like train station (火车站） in a language that isn't my first, let alone a viable second.
Despite all my shortcomings, I made it to the train station well before the girls arrived and was able to pick them up and make it back safely to
my school without any hiccups. Once back we spent the day relaxing and roaming around Nanchang. Lily's visit was a pretty much relaxed and easy going visit which made it nice for me since Nanchang doesn't really have much to offer in the way of sight-seeing like every other place I've been to recently. We visited the park, went to the mall, and played cards.There was one little difficulty that I ran into during their visit: I managed to get food poisoning for the 3rd time. No worries though I have this down to an art now. Honestly it's sad but I just go through the motions, ignore the pain and inability to eat, and continue on like nothing is really wrong. I wouldn't suggest doing this all the time since such illnesses drain you of most of your physical strength, which, coupled with your inability to eat, really makes you vulnerable to not getting better as quick as you would like. On a lighter note, food poisoning does help you lose weight : ) .
Chinese New Year Celebration: Everything you wouldn't expect
___________________________________________________________
So a day or so just Lily and Marie left our Foreign Affairs Assistant (FAO), Billy, informed us that school officials would be coming over on Saturday morning to make jiaozi (pot stickers) and help us in preparing to celebrate for the Chinese New Year, which as I write is today (January 26th). So the day came and all of us headed down to our teamleader's apartment to meet up the school officials. However, upon Billy's arrival there were no school officials, but rather news reporters and radio journalist. Our team was caught off guard and tried to figure out how we could be sensitive to our Chinese guests/hosts. It is really quite awkward, though, when you are being forced to recite sentences in Chinese, make jiaozi, and smile the whole time. At points it was just funny because it was so bizarre socially, but other points you felt like your personal bubble was being violated (or at least that is the vibe I got from some of my friends). I mean, what do you do when 2 television news crews + 1 news radio journalist starts asking you questions and putting the spotlight on you?
The other tricky thing about this visit was that Billy wanted me to do interviews with all three of the news crews I mentioned above, in Chinese that is. To be honest, my Chinese is rather pathetic and is worse than a 1st year Spanish high school student back in the States. The only solution my new found friends with the television crew could figure out was to have me read pinyin off a paper right in front of their faces so it would look like I was talking with them. The whole situation seemed a little ridiculous to me and I was glad when it was over.Wenzhou (温州）
___________________________________________________________
I made a trip to Wenzhou, Zhejiang last week to see some Chinese friends of mine. It was a last minute decision as I was unsure such a choice would be a smart one since I still had to fix my syllabus, write lesson plans, and start gearing up for school, but I decided that you don't get to go to Zhejiang everyday and that I should take up this opportunity, especially we had friends who were brothers and sisters and loved our Father.
We took a red-eye bus ride for 9 hours to Wenzhou. It was probably one of the coolest bus rides I have ever been on since all the bus had nothing but beds. Unfortunately for my friend Jonathan who is 6'3 all the beds were designed for people my size 5'4. Our friend and fellow teacher Jodi, on the other hand, fit much better than all of us as she is - of course - Chinese.
Our Chinese hosts were more than nice and practically stuffed us daily, making sure there was no possible way their foreign guests could ever have claimed to be hungry while staying at their houses. Of course, coming near the Chinese New Year could have played into how much we ate and why all the Chinese seemed so happy. We ate fresh seafood everyday and tried a lot of different foods that we had never thought one might eat - like duck tongue. It's not that bad actually; you just have to get over the fact that you are in fact eating it.
(A picture of the moutains we saw on our hike)There is so much more I could say, but I will stop here.
Friday, January 16, 2009
南京, 江苏 (Nanjing, Jiangsu)
After flying into Nanjing I took the longest and most expensive taxi ride that I have ever taken in China. It cost Shannon, Jonathan, and me a total of 150 元 (about $22.00) to get a ride from the airport to our hostel. Good thing that we had contacts in the city, though, or it could have cost us a little more plus a ton of walking. We made it to our hostel safe and sound around lunch time with the help of our friend Andy C. unpacked so that we could settle in to our new surroundings.
The Jasmine Hostel
The Jasmine had a lot more character than I was expecting and it made our stay a pleasant one. The people were nice and helpful making it easy to communicate our needs with them, even if our Chinese was less than up to par. Plus, the hostel was right next to all the our friends in the city making our stay a convenient and blessed one, especially if we had any needs and/or questions about the city. I pretty much have to say that both the Merwin's and and the Cheely's were an incredible blessing with helping us and feeding us during our time in Nanjing.
I should also note that they had a Foosball table, which reminded me so much of when I was younger when my dad and I use to play for hours on end. I haven't completely lost my touch either as I soundly defeated most I played against (the exception was 2 against 1 [me]) Actually, it has been one of my dreams to enter one of the regional contests in the States with my dad to see how far we could get.
1st Day
Our first day was spent just relaxing as Shannon was recovering from being sick in Xiamen. Unfortunately, Shannon was sick for most of our trip making it difficult for her to do too much as she struggled with headaches, nauseousness, and stomach pain. Nonetheless, we spent our first day in true American style drinking coffee and eating pizza for dinner. I must confess that after 4 months of not seeing a Starbucks - or any other form of decent coffee store- that the Starbucks in Nanjing looked like an oasis in a desert. We spent a good portion of our first day just sitting in the Starbucks reading and relaxing. Albeit, we managed to find the one Starbucks in Nanjing to sit down and read in that made us feel like we were on showcase for all the Chinese of Nanjing to see. There is nothing like sitting down to read and glancing up to see people walking by pointing and staring at you. Of course, I usually just ignore such looks and/or comments in Chinese about foreigners, but it was difficult not to feel as if you were on display for the whole world to see. Being me, I relocated to a nice corner away from the huge glass windows acting as our display case.
Papa Johns was a nice find considering that most of the time all you see is Pizza Hut and McDonald's - two places I try never to go to even in the States. Jonathan was especially a big a fan and I thought it would be kind of cool to go to Papa Johns in China since I didn't even know that they had them here. The peculiar thing about pizza places in China is that they are the fanciest and almost nicest places around to go to. One wouldn't normally think that going out to Pizza Hut or Papa Johns would be really a big deal, but it's like walking into Olive Garden back home. Good news though, they provide free delivery and deliver it to via electric bike. I have to say that they are severely undercutting the costs of delivery drivers back home. I mean who would have thought delivery came via bikes anymore? By the way, you can have KFC delivered in the same fashion.
Presidential Palace & Fuzi Miao
After talking with our friend Andy on the second day, we set out to see the presidential palace where Sun Yatsen, Chiang Kaishek, and other important 20th century Chinese figures frequented from 1912-1948. The layout of the presidential palace is a rather impressive one as you can see from the picture to the left. Unfortunately, though, a model representation of the palace is about as good as you are going to get. We spent about 3 hours walking around looking and reading everything that was in English.
In that 3 hours of walking I quickly came to two conclusions that I will recommend to anybody else who thinks about visiting this historical city: (1) Don't go in the winter. Go in late Spring or early Summer so you aren't freezing to death. (2) 20 degree without any form of indoor heating is a killer if you are outside for long periods of time and not wearing lots of layers. In addition, if you are considering seeing Purple Mountain you should definitely make sure to wait until the weather is nice and clear so that you can have decent walking weather in which you will be out for hours. As you can probably tell, we didn't go to Purple Mountain as it was cloudy and seemingly colder each day we stayed. Finally, I should note that whenever traveling in China make sure to have the characters with you if you can't properly pronounce the pinyin or you could end up looking like this (forgive me Jonathan):
The picture above of us trying to figure out where the Confucius temple was; it actually eluded us for a day or so. Unfortunately, all our searching wasn't even worth it as it was possibly the worst historical place I visited while in Nanjing. Fuzi Miao is simply a huge tourist trap with the only redeeming values coming from the river and the architecture that surround it.
Zhonghuamen 中华门 (Nanjing City Gate)
In contrast, I would actually recommend going to visit Zhonghuamen as it is one of the most unique city gates that I have ever seen (Not that I am an expert in city gates or have seen many). The city wall that surrounds Nanjing city is - the Chinese claim - the largest in the world. It completely encircles most of Nanjing and has a river to act as a moat just outside its city walls. It also has some pretty cool sights and an okay little video that gives you an idea to how the huge gate was used if the city was under attack.
The rest of our trip was rather uneventful, which was a blessing since we had run into a few difficulties. I am sure I could include a few more paragraphs of monotonous details, but I don't want to bore you.
The Jasmine Hostel
The Jasmine had a lot more character than I was expecting and it made our stay a pleasant one. The people were nice and helpful making it easy to communicate our needs with them, even if our Chinese was less than up to par. Plus, the hostel was right next to all the our friends in the city making our stay a convenient and blessed one, especially if we had any needs and/or questions about the city. I pretty much have to say that both the Merwin's and and the Cheely's were an incredible blessing with helping us and feeding us during our time in Nanjing.
I should also note that they had a Foosball table, which reminded me so much of when I was younger when my dad and I use to play for hours on end. I haven't completely lost my touch either as I soundly defeated most I played against (the exception was 2 against 1 [me]) Actually, it has been one of my dreams to enter one of the regional contests in the States with my dad to see how far we could get.
1st Day
Our first day was spent just relaxing as Shannon was recovering from being sick in Xiamen. Unfortunately, Shannon was sick for most of our trip making it difficult for her to do too much as she struggled with headaches, nauseousness, and stomach pain. Nonetheless, we spent our first day in true American style drinking coffee and eating pizza for dinner. I must confess that after 4 months of not seeing a Starbucks - or any other form of decent coffee store- that the Starbucks in Nanjing looked like an oasis in a desert. We spent a good portion of our first day just sitting in the Starbucks reading and relaxing. Albeit, we managed to find the one Starbucks in Nanjing to sit down and read in that made us feel like we were on showcase for all the Chinese of Nanjing to see. There is nothing like sitting down to read and glancing up to see people walking by pointing and staring at you. Of course, I usually just ignore such looks and/or comments in Chinese about foreigners, but it was difficult not to feel as if you were on display for the whole world to see. Being me, I relocated to a nice corner away from the huge glass windows acting as our display case.
Papa Johns was a nice find considering that most of the time all you see is Pizza Hut and McDonald's - two places I try never to go to even in the States. Jonathan was especially a big a fan and I thought it would be kind of cool to go to Papa Johns in China since I didn't even know that they had them here. The peculiar thing about pizza places in China is that they are the fanciest and almost nicest places around to go to. One wouldn't normally think that going out to Pizza Hut or Papa Johns would be really a big deal, but it's like walking into Olive Garden back home. Good news though, they provide free delivery and deliver it to via electric bike. I have to say that they are severely undercutting the costs of delivery drivers back home. I mean who would have thought delivery came via bikes anymore? By the way, you can have KFC delivered in the same fashion.Presidential Palace & Fuzi Miao
After talking with our friend Andy on the second day, we set out to see the presidential palace where Sun Yatsen, Chiang Kaishek, and other important 20th century Chinese figures frequented from 1912-1948. The layout of the presidential palace is a rather impressive one as you can see from the picture to the left. Unfortunately, though, a model representation of the palace is about as good as you are going to get. We spent about 3 hours walking around looking and reading everything that was in English.In that 3 hours of walking I quickly came to two conclusions that I will recommend to anybody else who thinks about visiting this historical city: (1) Don't go in the winter. Go in late Spring or early Summer so you aren't freezing to death. (2) 20 degree without any form of indoor heating is a killer if you are outside for long periods of time and not wearing lots of layers. In addition, if you are considering seeing Purple Mountain you should definitely make sure to wait until the weather is nice and clear so that you can have decent walking weather in which you will be out for hours. As you can probably tell, we didn't go to Purple Mountain as it was cloudy and seemingly colder each day we stayed. Finally, I should note that whenever traveling in China make sure to have the characters with you if you can't properly pronounce the pinyin or you could end up looking like this (forgive me Jonathan):
The picture above of us trying to figure out where the Confucius temple was; it actually eluded us for a day or so. Unfortunately, all our searching wasn't even worth it as it was possibly the worst historical place I visited while in Nanjing. Fuzi Miao is simply a huge tourist trap with the only redeeming values coming from the river and the architecture that surround it.
Zhonghuamen 中华门 (Nanjing City Gate)
In contrast, I would actually recommend going to visit Zhonghuamen as it is one of the most unique city gates that I have ever seen (Not that I am an expert in city gates or have seen many). The city wall that surrounds Nanjing city is - the Chinese claim - the largest in the world. It completely encircles most of Nanjing and has a river to act as a moat just outside its city walls. It also has some pretty cool sights and an okay little video that gives you an idea to how the huge gate was used if the city was under attack.
The rest of our trip was rather uneventful, which was a blessing since we had run into a few difficulties. I am sure I could include a few more paragraphs of monotonous details, but I don't want to bore you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)