Roly-poly pandas - it has been a really long time since I have seen something so overwhelmingly cute. I know that pandas aren't really helping with their own survival (don't really like to reproduce, when they give birth they don't know what to do and often kill the baby, only will eat 20 kinds of bamboo out of China's 300 varieties, etc.) but you can't help just being completely enamored with the big black and white evolutionary challenged buffoons when you see them in person.
Matt and I went to the panda research center in Chengdu and were really impressed with the nice facility they had there for the animals - as Chinese zoos are utterly depressing. They had really nice and spacious habitats with lots of places for them to play, climb and hide (if they wanted to). All along the paths there are signs with information about the pandas as well as warnings not to feed/taunt the bears or to make loud noises. Also, the caretakers seemed to really care about the animals which was a nice change from the staff at other zoos that I have been to in Asia.
So, our tour group was walking along one of the paths and came across a panda munching on a huge mound of bamboo - cameras whipped out to capture one of the two things that pandas like to do - eating. We watched it tear into the bamboo for a little bit and laughed at the other one in the same habitat - the other panda was sleeping, face down. No, really face down. It looked like that it tripped, landed on its face and just decided to stay like that for a little nap. Okay, so onward down the path to see some more of these charismatic animals!
Because we went in the morning around feeding time, they were a little more active than usual when they are doing their other favorite activity - sleeping. We all gathered around the panda nursery and instantly became smitten with a little 5 month old baby trying to sit up - after quite a struggle, the little one flopped over front ways and put its head down because that particular activity took a lot of energy! After it rested for a little bit, it tried to get back into its enclosure (from the viewing area) by sticking its head through the bars and trying to wiggle through. Part way through he decided that wasn't a good idea and backed out, flipped on its back and then again struggled to sit up. Ahhh the difficulties of being mostly fur and fat!
Then onto panda kindergarten! More feasting going on - two pandas were having a little picnic. Then, the most active captive animals I have ever seen - one panda climbed a tree while one, then two pandas tried to pull it down - very amusing. Then some chasing around and then one of the most hilarious panda moments - panda brawl! Leeeet's get ready to rumble! Two pandas started to play/fight with each other. I don't even know how to describe it - they were biting faces, pushing, one pushed the other into a somersault roll. Right after the somersault, the instigator started to push and roll (with his head) the other panda down to the edge of the enclosure where there is a hill and ends with the trench. Then, at the climax of the struggle, the panda slides down the side of the hill and lands in the trench while his chubby friend runs back to the tree.
Oh my god! Sooo hilarious! I was able to shoot a video clip during the brawl, but can't post it, so if you would like to see it, please let me know and I will try to email it! Or, if any of you techies out there know how I can post it, let me know!
After spend some quality time at the kindergarten, we went of to look at some more feasting pandas (in the background we could still see them fighting) and watch the playful red pandas. The red pandas were very active, chasing each other around the enclosure and eating guess what? Yup. Bamboo.
The tour ended at the gift shop (like so many Chinese tours do) where they also were playing a video about the center and the animals there. It was very interesting - they had some footage of pandas giving birth. Really quite strange. The mother doesn't always know what is happening and then, all of a sudden a little reddish-pinkish thing squirts out of her onto the ground. It is squirming and screaming. The new mother doesn't know what that thing is that just squirted out of her and is a little afraid of it and walks away. She later comes back and starts to sniff it and bat it around the birthing cage. Sometimes if they give birth to twins, they don't know what to do with two, so they kill one of them. The keeper runs in while the mother is on the other side of the cage and quickly picks up the shrieking baby. Hmmm...endangered because of why?
Oh, there was also a little museum on the grounds, it wasn't very good or interesting, but we did manage to get great joy out of an especially bad diorama depicting a pre-historic scene with a hominid family, elephants, tigers, leopards, sabertooth tiger, tusked pig (I think) all interacting with each other. Off to the side, eating, was a pair of pandas completely uninvolved with the rest of the scene. Also, we got a kick out of a very scientifically developed pie chart of the panda's daily life schedule in the wild. About half was devoted to sleeping, the other to eating then a little red sliver was devoted to "play time". Ahhh...good times!
After, we got to thinking that it was kind of funny that this strange animal is like the national animal of China - one of the nation's symbols. An animal who, over the ages has evolved into a completely non-self sustaining animal, who needs intervention to ward off extinction. Hmmm....
On the bus ride home we also got to speaking with another couple from the states over here teaching English. They were telling us about all of the good places to go to get Western food and other goods. We must have seemed pretty pathetic to the other tourists on the bus (the non-resident kind) - "oh, my god, they're in China and want nothing but tacos." But, hey, at that particular moment, I would have sold my everlasting soul for a good Mexican meal dripping with cheese (and a Dr. Pepper to boot).
Monday, January 23, 2006
The Cure for Those Guyuan Blues - Leaving!
Greetings from Chengdu! So far it has been a really great city - just getting a good "vibe" from this place! We left Guyuan Sunday morning on an all day train ride to Chengdu! The Guyuan train station was probably the least crowded train station I have ever been to! Including Matt and myself, there were only 20 people at the station.
Anyhow, the trip was long, but not too bad. We had some really annoying cabin mates. Cell phones are the creation of the devil. Honestly, every time we tried to get a little shut-eye some one would A) Make a call B) Answer a call and talk really really loud C) Tinker with the cell phone and not turn off the beep beep beepiness or D) use the cell phone as a flashlight. So, at 2 AM the Chinese were screaming into phones, screaming at each other and sitting on our beds and/or on us - I was on the top tier of our bunks (three up) so, it was quite an intentional doing to climb the ladder and sit on my feet, but they managed to get it done.
We arrived at the Chengdu station earlier than expected (4:30 AM) and decided that we should try to get our tickets for Kunming as we would be traveling during the Spring Festival rush (Chinese New Year). We found that there was a special ticket window for Foreigners and Chinese dignitaries, but eventually pieced together that the window would not open for a couple of hours (the guards at the train station were at least very helpful and friendly, especially at 4:30 in the morning). So, we decided to head to Sam's Guesthouse to see if we could get a room.
Eventually, we made it there - and were ripped off by our taxi driver - extra fast meter. We knocked on the door for the Guesthouse, and there was no answer. So, we decided to wait for a little while. After about an hour a bleary-eyed man came staggering out, rubbing his eyes and arranged our room for us. We were really pleasantly surprised when we got to our room - the bathroom had a pedestal toilet, there was a nice shower, living room and separate bedroom with a heater. Probably the best room that I have ever gotten for about $12.50 USD a night.
Anyhow, we decided to take a nap as our Chinese bunk mates made sure that we were not able to get any sleep. A little later we went to Sam's travel service to see if they could help us arrange train tickets (rather than deal with the hassle at the train station). In a pinch they found out what was available and when, they also checked on flight for us. For just a little more, they found out that we could fly to Kunming and the flight would take just over an hour - SOLD! Hmmm...let's see...about a day on a train or just over an hour for not too much more $$$. WWJD? I'd say he would fly, baby, fly! So, after the transportation was done we discussed with them the real important stuff. Getting out to see the pandas! We arranged a tour to go out and see one of the panda research centers in Sichuan. I will write about the pandas in a separate post later.
The city is really cool! We walked around the city a little bit - tried to go to the Provincial Museum, but, sadly, it is now a parking lot. We also went to one of the pet market areas. It was a little sad, but a couple of places had chinchillas, which made me miss the girls. Anyhow, I was talking to one of the little chins and it responded to me and came up to the side of the cage and poked its little nose at me. A Chinese man saw this and pushed me out of the way and started to whistle at it loudly, poke at it and bang on the cage. Freaked the poor thing out! Animals in China are not always treated very kindly.
We also went to the Wuhou Temple - it was interesting, but the Chinese do have a certain passion for large, painted, plaster statues. According to Matt and the Lonely Planet travel bible, this temple was originally for the Minister of War, Zhuge Liang. But even though the temple is for the minister, the main attraction would be the shrine and tomb of Liu Bei, who was the emperor of the Shu Kingdom and was known for his generous heart. There was a pretty garden area that would have been really pretty to see in the summer, but in the winter it was not too inspiring. I don't know a lot about the Three Kingdoms story, but Matt was really excited to be there. Oh, also, my (at times) juvenile sense of humor was peaked with a sign pointing me in the direction of the "Tingli Pavilion".
The next day we went out to see the University Museum. We thought that we would be able to find it rather easily, but for some reason, we just couldn't do it. We asked and were pointed in the right direction many times, but, dammit, we just couldn't find it. So, about to give up, we decided to walk around one of the sides of the building where the museum was supposed to be and where we had been standing in front of for about 20 minutes, and, dammit, it was right there.
The museum was really interesting and well done - they obviously had some money to spend. It was pretty empty there, one other couple (both whiteys) was there, so the guards were following them around. We realized that we weren't being followed because they probably thought that I was Chinese. The most entertaining thing though was when we exited a gallery one of the guards was tap dancing in the hallway - really going all out with the tapping and arm flailing. He didn't realize that we were watching him. His fellow guard was laughing and started to laugh a little harder when he realized that we were amused with the show. With a quick nod of the head, the dancing guard was quickly made aware that we were watching and immediately stopped and turned around and gave quite and embarrassed smile. Shortly after that we left the museum, but as we were walking down the stairs, we distinctly heard a tap-tap-tapping sound coming from where we just were with the guards.
After, we checked out the Wenshu Temple - a monastery that dates back to the Tang. What was interesting about this temple was that it still houses a population of monks and nuns. On the temple grounds, there was also a large teahouse - one of Chengdu's biggest. Now, what I pictured a teahouse to be, especially when located on the grounds of a Buddhist monastery, was quite different than what we experienced. Apparently it is quite the place to be for entertainment, gossip and the sort for people a couple of generations older than me. It was quite boisterous with excited stories and jokes, not exactly a serene time to sip tea and reflect or read a book.
On Thursday we went out to Leshan (just south of Chengdu) to see the largest Buddha in the world. So, we went there and, well, it was big. We got just what we expected and were looking for, a gi-normous Buddha. In our short time there, we did manage to get taken for a ride by a rickshaw driver - meaning that we rode in his rickshaw and he ripped us off. He charged us 50 kuai for a ride from the wharf to the base of the Buddha park. We thought that he was going to bike us around the park area - it would have been a fair deal then.
One of the best things about Chengdu was the food - both Chinese and Western. Admittedly, I did not fully partake in a lot of the spicy Sichuan cuisine, aside from some spicy sweet potato noodles and tofu, but I did get to delight in baked macaroni and cheese, potato chowder, four cheese gnocchi, chimichangas, queso and chips, fried ice cream and Dr. Pepper! We also found a place near the guesthouse that served up a nice steamer basket of the kind of dumplings that we were so fond of in Nanjing, but can't get in Guyuan. So, if you are even stuck in Chengdu and get a bit of a western itch, I strongly recommend visiting Grandma's Kitchen and Peter's Southwestern Grill on Kehua Lu - both provided us with a very delightful dining experience and western toilets. Of course if many of you are in China, you would not be looking for all things western, right?
Unfortunately, I got a cold while we were there. It was in my chest, so I was worried about it as my breathing was getting labored. Matt and I went to the doctor (at the international hospital - wanted someone who could speak English) and she wanted to admit me in the hospital for 5 days for IV medicine and injections. Bleck! I told her that I could not be here for that long because I had to go to Kunming. She off-handedly told me that I would have to discuss that with the doctor in the hospital (I guess she was only for out-patient consultation or something). I had told her that I had something similar in the US and they were able to treat me as an out-patient with a nebulizer treatment, prednisone shot and a Z- pack of antibiotics. She didn't seemed to impressed with my self-diagnosis and treatment plan. I went back out and talked with the admitting nurse. Then, I found out the cost for treatment - at least 3,000 RMB, yea, right! So, we spoke to the nurse, told her that I did not want to stay at the hospital. Eventually, I went back to the doctor, and things quickly devolved from there. To sum up - I was frustrated and mad, she got defensive, I told her that there was no way that I was going to get injections in China, she angrily jotted down a note that I was refusing medical treatment, I angrily signed it. I wound up with a steroid inhaler, expectorant, antibiotics, bronchial dilator and anti-allergy pills. That cost about 200 RMB. Quite a savings, but cost quite a bit patience and expended a lot of energy.
So, the rest of my time in Chengdu was spent in my room at Sam's Guesthouse watching CCTV 9 - the English station (which, the programming, I must add, is not meant to be watched for 12 hours straight). Matt was able to go to a cooking class, see the big statue of Mao and look around one of the nearby parks. Anyhow the big news while we were there were the first direct across the channel flights from Taiwan to the mainland - errr "motherland" as it was referred to. They had live coverage of the planes taking off and landing and had hourly updates about the plane's flight progress. Lots of interviews of passengers saying how nice and convenient it was to be able to fly direct without stopping over in Hong Kong. Eva Airlines even "Hello Kittied" a special plane for the special flights. What a snooze! After awhile the slant seemed to be more of a political perspective about Taiwan and China and how much more convenient it would be for all of these people and businesses if Taiwan would come back to the motherland.
Anyhow, Chengdu is definitely one of my favorite cities here so far, the pandas were definitely worth the trip for me! Oh, also, Matt had a "small world moment" we ran into a girl from Alaska who was visiting some friends in China. We got to talking and found out that her mother's family all were from Mt. Carroll, IL (small midwestern town)! Chicago and burbs would be one thing, but Mt. Carroll, what are the odds of that? By flying to Kunming, we got to shave a day off of our "time on train" column on our IT. I was unable to access my blog while travelling - the site was blocked, so all of my tenses and what not will be all screwed up as I add to things that I wrote while on the trip. I will be posting quite a bit over the next few days, so, check back!
Anyhow, the trip was long, but not too bad. We had some really annoying cabin mates. Cell phones are the creation of the devil. Honestly, every time we tried to get a little shut-eye some one would A) Make a call B) Answer a call and talk really really loud C) Tinker with the cell phone and not turn off the beep beep beepiness or D) use the cell phone as a flashlight. So, at 2 AM the Chinese were screaming into phones, screaming at each other and sitting on our beds and/or on us - I was on the top tier of our bunks (three up) so, it was quite an intentional doing to climb the ladder and sit on my feet, but they managed to get it done.
We arrived at the Chengdu station earlier than expected (4:30 AM) and decided that we should try to get our tickets for Kunming as we would be traveling during the Spring Festival rush (Chinese New Year). We found that there was a special ticket window for Foreigners and Chinese dignitaries, but eventually pieced together that the window would not open for a couple of hours (the guards at the train station were at least very helpful and friendly, especially at 4:30 in the morning). So, we decided to head to Sam's Guesthouse to see if we could get a room.
Eventually, we made it there - and were ripped off by our taxi driver - extra fast meter. We knocked on the door for the Guesthouse, and there was no answer. So, we decided to wait for a little while. After about an hour a bleary-eyed man came staggering out, rubbing his eyes and arranged our room for us. We were really pleasantly surprised when we got to our room - the bathroom had a pedestal toilet, there was a nice shower, living room and separate bedroom with a heater. Probably the best room that I have ever gotten for about $12.50 USD a night.
Anyhow, we decided to take a nap as our Chinese bunk mates made sure that we were not able to get any sleep. A little later we went to Sam's travel service to see if they could help us arrange train tickets (rather than deal with the hassle at the train station). In a pinch they found out what was available and when, they also checked on flight for us. For just a little more, they found out that we could fly to Kunming and the flight would take just over an hour - SOLD! Hmmm...let's see...about a day on a train or just over an hour for not too much more $$$. WWJD? I'd say he would fly, baby, fly! So, after the transportation was done we discussed with them the real important stuff. Getting out to see the pandas! We arranged a tour to go out and see one of the panda research centers in Sichuan. I will write about the pandas in a separate post later.
The city is really cool! We walked around the city a little bit - tried to go to the Provincial Museum, but, sadly, it is now a parking lot. We also went to one of the pet market areas. It was a little sad, but a couple of places had chinchillas, which made me miss the girls. Anyhow, I was talking to one of the little chins and it responded to me and came up to the side of the cage and poked its little nose at me. A Chinese man saw this and pushed me out of the way and started to whistle at it loudly, poke at it and bang on the cage. Freaked the poor thing out! Animals in China are not always treated very kindly.
We also went to the Wuhou Temple - it was interesting, but the Chinese do have a certain passion for large, painted, plaster statues. According to Matt and the Lonely Planet travel bible, this temple was originally for the Minister of War, Zhuge Liang. But even though the temple is for the minister, the main attraction would be the shrine and tomb of Liu Bei, who was the emperor of the Shu Kingdom and was known for his generous heart. There was a pretty garden area that would have been really pretty to see in the summer, but in the winter it was not too inspiring. I don't know a lot about the Three Kingdoms story, but Matt was really excited to be there. Oh, also, my (at times) juvenile sense of humor was peaked with a sign pointing me in the direction of the "Tingli Pavilion".
The next day we went out to see the University Museum. We thought that we would be able to find it rather easily, but for some reason, we just couldn't do it. We asked and were pointed in the right direction many times, but, dammit, we just couldn't find it. So, about to give up, we decided to walk around one of the sides of the building where the museum was supposed to be and where we had been standing in front of for about 20 minutes, and, dammit, it was right there.
The museum was really interesting and well done - they obviously had some money to spend. It was pretty empty there, one other couple (both whiteys) was there, so the guards were following them around. We realized that we weren't being followed because they probably thought that I was Chinese. The most entertaining thing though was when we exited a gallery one of the guards was tap dancing in the hallway - really going all out with the tapping and arm flailing. He didn't realize that we were watching him. His fellow guard was laughing and started to laugh a little harder when he realized that we were amused with the show. With a quick nod of the head, the dancing guard was quickly made aware that we were watching and immediately stopped and turned around and gave quite and embarrassed smile. Shortly after that we left the museum, but as we were walking down the stairs, we distinctly heard a tap-tap-tapping sound coming from where we just were with the guards.
After, we checked out the Wenshu Temple - a monastery that dates back to the Tang. What was interesting about this temple was that it still houses a population of monks and nuns. On the temple grounds, there was also a large teahouse - one of Chengdu's biggest. Now, what I pictured a teahouse to be, especially when located on the grounds of a Buddhist monastery, was quite different than what we experienced. Apparently it is quite the place to be for entertainment, gossip and the sort for people a couple of generations older than me. It was quite boisterous with excited stories and jokes, not exactly a serene time to sip tea and reflect or read a book.
On Thursday we went out to Leshan (just south of Chengdu) to see the largest Buddha in the world. So, we went there and, well, it was big. We got just what we expected and were looking for, a gi-normous Buddha. In our short time there, we did manage to get taken for a ride by a rickshaw driver - meaning that we rode in his rickshaw and he ripped us off. He charged us 50 kuai for a ride from the wharf to the base of the Buddha park. We thought that he was going to bike us around the park area - it would have been a fair deal then.
One of the best things about Chengdu was the food - both Chinese and Western. Admittedly, I did not fully partake in a lot of the spicy Sichuan cuisine, aside from some spicy sweet potato noodles and tofu, but I did get to delight in baked macaroni and cheese, potato chowder, four cheese gnocchi, chimichangas, queso and chips, fried ice cream and Dr. Pepper! We also found a place near the guesthouse that served up a nice steamer basket of the kind of dumplings that we were so fond of in Nanjing, but can't get in Guyuan. So, if you are even stuck in Chengdu and get a bit of a western itch, I strongly recommend visiting Grandma's Kitchen and Peter's Southwestern Grill on Kehua Lu - both provided us with a very delightful dining experience and western toilets. Of course if many of you are in China, you would not be looking for all things western, right?
Unfortunately, I got a cold while we were there. It was in my chest, so I was worried about it as my breathing was getting labored. Matt and I went to the doctor (at the international hospital - wanted someone who could speak English) and she wanted to admit me in the hospital for 5 days for IV medicine and injections. Bleck! I told her that I could not be here for that long because I had to go to Kunming. She off-handedly told me that I would have to discuss that with the doctor in the hospital (I guess she was only for out-patient consultation or something). I had told her that I had something similar in the US and they were able to treat me as an out-patient with a nebulizer treatment, prednisone shot and a Z- pack of antibiotics. She didn't seemed to impressed with my self-diagnosis and treatment plan. I went back out and talked with the admitting nurse. Then, I found out the cost for treatment - at least 3,000 RMB, yea, right! So, we spoke to the nurse, told her that I did not want to stay at the hospital. Eventually, I went back to the doctor, and things quickly devolved from there. To sum up - I was frustrated and mad, she got defensive, I told her that there was no way that I was going to get injections in China, she angrily jotted down a note that I was refusing medical treatment, I angrily signed it. I wound up with a steroid inhaler, expectorant, antibiotics, bronchial dilator and anti-allergy pills. That cost about 200 RMB. Quite a savings, but cost quite a bit patience and expended a lot of energy.
So, the rest of my time in Chengdu was spent in my room at Sam's Guesthouse watching CCTV 9 - the English station (which, the programming, I must add, is not meant to be watched for 12 hours straight). Matt was able to go to a cooking class, see the big statue of Mao and look around one of the nearby parks. Anyhow the big news while we were there were the first direct across the channel flights from Taiwan to the mainland - errr "motherland" as it was referred to. They had live coverage of the planes taking off and landing and had hourly updates about the plane's flight progress. Lots of interviews of passengers saying how nice and convenient it was to be able to fly direct without stopping over in Hong Kong. Eva Airlines even "Hello Kittied" a special plane for the special flights. What a snooze! After awhile the slant seemed to be more of a political perspective about Taiwan and China and how much more convenient it would be for all of these people and businesses if Taiwan would come back to the motherland.
Anyhow, Chengdu is definitely one of my favorite cities here so far, the pandas were definitely worth the trip for me! Oh, also, Matt had a "small world moment" we ran into a girl from Alaska who was visiting some friends in China. We got to talking and found out that her mother's family all were from Mt. Carroll, IL (small midwestern town)! Chicago and burbs would be one thing, but Mt. Carroll, what are the odds of that? By flying to Kunming, we got to shave a day off of our "time on train" column on our IT. I was unable to access my blog while travelling - the site was blocked, so all of my tenses and what not will be all screwed up as I add to things that I wrote while on the trip. I will be posting quite a bit over the next few days, so, check back!
Saturday, January 14, 2006
The Significance of Peanuts
Hopefully the next time that I post, it will be from an internet cafe in Chengdu. We're still in Guyuan, but more on our travel plans in a bit.
On Wednesday, Matt and I went to a wedding for one of the Senior School English teachers Matt works with. It was quite interesting to watch. First, we wondered what was going to happen because it was all taking place on a Wednesday afternoon (at noon). We met some of the other English teachers and took a car out to a new restaurant/hotel in town (it officially opened a little earlier in the week).
We went to one of the little banquet rooms and sat there with a few of the English teachers and had some snacks. Eventually, we were told that it was time to go to the ceremony. So, we walked up to the next floor of the building to a larger room where there was a stage at the head of the room and a bunch of chairs and sofas set up, lining the sides.
The couple walked into an instrumental version on "Here Comes the Bride" and went up onto the little stage with the MC for the ceremony. The MC was one of the English teachers from the Senior School. The bride was wearing a white wedding dress - Western looking, and the groom was wearing a suit. While they walked down the aisle, one of the guests sprayed them with that squirt string stuff and threw a bunch of confetti at them.
On the stage, the MC was apparently telling some really funny stories about the couple as the guests were laughing quite a lot and the couple looked a little embarrassed at times. The bride had to climb a chair and untie two little corsages that were pinned up high on the wall. Everyone seemed to get a kick out of watching them try to get them (the couple is rather short). After that there was some more talking, more silly string squirting and a lot more laughing.
Then there was a presentation of their new ID's (?), marriage books (?) - I don't know what they were, but the couple each got a new little red book with their picture in it. Then some firecrackers were lit - we were able to enjoy the cracking noise both from the live action fireworks outside as well as the pre-recorded sound of them being fired off from inside. Then the couple was presented with Chinese silk by members of their families - the people would come up and wrap the couple with the fabric.
After that, the parents of the couple came up and the bride fed each of them a small candy before both of them bowed three times to their parents. We were told afterward that it isn't traditional for the bride's parents to come to the wedding, just the groom's. Then, all of a sudden everyone just got up and started to walk out - bride and groom lost in the crowd.
We were then escorted to a banquet room with all of the school administration folks (I would have preferred to sit with the English teachers as they can communicate with us) and had a lunch. The fathers of the bride and groom came around and poured baijou for all of the guests - two shots of the nasty stuff for each guest (two is supposed to be lucky). For me, they made an exception and I got cola - our waiban told me that while pouring the cola, the man told her that he was really nervous and was sweating because he had never poured cola before (he was from the country side). Then the bride and groom came and did the same with all of the guests.
Our waiban said that their wedding was not very traditional, that there were many modern elements to the ceremony. She also told us about how the bride's parents are not usually present, about some of the meanings of the ceremony, and that drinking two shots of the alcohol is lucky. Also, told us about how it is customary for the bride to change clothing three times during the day. Ms. Wang also told us that it was traditional at weddings to serve the guests peanuts because they represent the womb and two children. So, eating peanuts is to symbolize blessing the union with many children. But because of the one child policy, she said now the meaning is meaningless. This then launched a bit of a discussion about the one child policy - which I'm sure was interesting, but we couldn't understand.
We found out that people who are Han (largest ethnic group in China) are only allowed to have one child. But, if you live in the country side and are Han, you are allowed 2 or 3 children (to help with the work on the farm). If you are an ethnic minority you can have 3 or 4 children. If a Han marries a non-Han, they can have 2 children. If a Han has more than one child, they will have to pay a large fine to the government.
Shortly before 2 PM the headmaster did a finishing toast and we all left because everyone had to return to work. So, from start to finish, the whole shebang took about 2 hours - very short by Chinese banquet and American wedding standards. But, hey, we're not complaining.
Anyhow, we feel very fortunate to be included in the celebration for one of the teachers we work with. It was definitely an interesting event to witness and be a part of. The hotel manager even managed to take a picture of Matt to hang on the wall - "Look, the foreigner likes to eat here!"
So, we have officially started our winter vacation! Still in Guyuan, but we are looking to leave for Chengdu on Sunday. We are a little delayed as we didn't realize that the train tickets would be so scarce - each train station is allotted a certain number of seats on a train, because our train station is so small, for the train that we need to go to Chengdu, they are only allotted 3 seats. Arrrgh! The ticketing lady was not helpful at all, we wound up going to our waiban and she hooked us up for Sunday!
Anyhow, the trip out to Chengdu will be about a full day on the train, but once there, we are hoping to get in some panda goodness and spicy food - pandas are sooo cute, but, how are they not extinct yet? Seriously? I have been reading about them, and they are just not fit for this world. Also, Matt wants to challenge his taste buds to some of the spicy Sichuan cuisine as nothing that he has had in Asian so far has been that spicy. While in Sichuan we also hope to get out to Leshan to see the giant Buddha.
After Sichuan, we hop another train for another full day ride out to Kunming in Yunnan Province. Here, our volunteer organization, VIA will have a conference. We will spend the Chinese New Year here (they call it "Spring Festival"), so that will be very interesting to experience. After the conference, we hope to travel around that province a little bit, go to Dali and what not. Then, off on another train (yes, another full day train trip) to Chongqing. In Chongqing, we are looking to take a boat trip down the Yangtze river to see the Three Gorges dam area. That will be a little cold, but, hey, we've got that hearty Mid-Western blood! Then, back to Guyuan via Xi'an (if time, we might chill there for a few days and get our fill of pizza) to finish up the rest of the year.
Anyhow, that's what we have planned in our heads as what we want to do, but, being that we can't make any reservations for anything here, plans can quickly change. So, no new pictures until mid-February, but hopefully I will be able to post a little along the way!
On Wednesday, Matt and I went to a wedding for one of the Senior School English teachers Matt works with. It was quite interesting to watch. First, we wondered what was going to happen because it was all taking place on a Wednesday afternoon (at noon). We met some of the other English teachers and took a car out to a new restaurant/hotel in town (it officially opened a little earlier in the week).
We went to one of the little banquet rooms and sat there with a few of the English teachers and had some snacks. Eventually, we were told that it was time to go to the ceremony. So, we walked up to the next floor of the building to a larger room where there was a stage at the head of the room and a bunch of chairs and sofas set up, lining the sides.
The couple walked into an instrumental version on "Here Comes the Bride" and went up onto the little stage with the MC for the ceremony. The MC was one of the English teachers from the Senior School. The bride was wearing a white wedding dress - Western looking, and the groom was wearing a suit. While they walked down the aisle, one of the guests sprayed them with that squirt string stuff and threw a bunch of confetti at them.
On the stage, the MC was apparently telling some really funny stories about the couple as the guests were laughing quite a lot and the couple looked a little embarrassed at times. The bride had to climb a chair and untie two little corsages that were pinned up high on the wall. Everyone seemed to get a kick out of watching them try to get them (the couple is rather short). After that there was some more talking, more silly string squirting and a lot more laughing.
Then there was a presentation of their new ID's (?), marriage books (?) - I don't know what they were, but the couple each got a new little red book with their picture in it. Then some firecrackers were lit - we were able to enjoy the cracking noise both from the live action fireworks outside as well as the pre-recorded sound of them being fired off from inside. Then the couple was presented with Chinese silk by members of their families - the people would come up and wrap the couple with the fabric.
After that, the parents of the couple came up and the bride fed each of them a small candy before both of them bowed three times to their parents. We were told afterward that it isn't traditional for the bride's parents to come to the wedding, just the groom's. Then, all of a sudden everyone just got up and started to walk out - bride and groom lost in the crowd.
We were then escorted to a banquet room with all of the school administration folks (I would have preferred to sit with the English teachers as they can communicate with us) and had a lunch. The fathers of the bride and groom came around and poured baijou for all of the guests - two shots of the nasty stuff for each guest (two is supposed to be lucky). For me, they made an exception and I got cola - our waiban told me that while pouring the cola, the man told her that he was really nervous and was sweating because he had never poured cola before (he was from the country side). Then the bride and groom came and did the same with all of the guests.
Our waiban said that their wedding was not very traditional, that there were many modern elements to the ceremony. She also told us about how the bride's parents are not usually present, about some of the meanings of the ceremony, and that drinking two shots of the alcohol is lucky. Also, told us about how it is customary for the bride to change clothing three times during the day. Ms. Wang also told us that it was traditional at weddings to serve the guests peanuts because they represent the womb and two children. So, eating peanuts is to symbolize blessing the union with many children. But because of the one child policy, she said now the meaning is meaningless. This then launched a bit of a discussion about the one child policy - which I'm sure was interesting, but we couldn't understand.
We found out that people who are Han (largest ethnic group in China) are only allowed to have one child. But, if you live in the country side and are Han, you are allowed 2 or 3 children (to help with the work on the farm). If you are an ethnic minority you can have 3 or 4 children. If a Han marries a non-Han, they can have 2 children. If a Han has more than one child, they will have to pay a large fine to the government.
Shortly before 2 PM the headmaster did a finishing toast and we all left because everyone had to return to work. So, from start to finish, the whole shebang took about 2 hours - very short by Chinese banquet and American wedding standards. But, hey, we're not complaining.
Anyhow, we feel very fortunate to be included in the celebration for one of the teachers we work with. It was definitely an interesting event to witness and be a part of. The hotel manager even managed to take a picture of Matt to hang on the wall - "Look, the foreigner likes to eat here!"
So, we have officially started our winter vacation! Still in Guyuan, but we are looking to leave for Chengdu on Sunday. We are a little delayed as we didn't realize that the train tickets would be so scarce - each train station is allotted a certain number of seats on a train, because our train station is so small, for the train that we need to go to Chengdu, they are only allotted 3 seats. Arrrgh! The ticketing lady was not helpful at all, we wound up going to our waiban and she hooked us up for Sunday!
Anyhow, the trip out to Chengdu will be about a full day on the train, but once there, we are hoping to get in some panda goodness and spicy food - pandas are sooo cute, but, how are they not extinct yet? Seriously? I have been reading about them, and they are just not fit for this world. Also, Matt wants to challenge his taste buds to some of the spicy Sichuan cuisine as nothing that he has had in Asian so far has been that spicy. While in Sichuan we also hope to get out to Leshan to see the giant Buddha.
After Sichuan, we hop another train for another full day ride out to Kunming in Yunnan Province. Here, our volunteer organization, VIA will have a conference. We will spend the Chinese New Year here (they call it "Spring Festival"), so that will be very interesting to experience. After the conference, we hope to travel around that province a little bit, go to Dali and what not. Then, off on another train (yes, another full day train trip) to Chongqing. In Chongqing, we are looking to take a boat trip down the Yangtze river to see the Three Gorges dam area. That will be a little cold, but, hey, we've got that hearty Mid-Western blood! Then, back to Guyuan via Xi'an (if time, we might chill there for a few days and get our fill of pizza) to finish up the rest of the year.
Anyhow, that's what we have planned in our heads as what we want to do, but, being that we can't make any reservations for anything here, plans can quickly change. So, no new pictures until mid-February, but hopefully I will be able to post a little along the way!
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Big Scary Metal Monster with Sharp Pointy Teeth
So, I wanted to tell you a little about one of the things I enjoy doing here in Guyuan, but first, do you remember when you were little how scary the escalator was? Everyone knew about "that kid" who got his/her shoelaces caught in the teeth of the escalator. And admit it or not, after knowing about that unfortunate kid, you ALWAYS checked the status of your laces - even going out of your way to tuck them inside your shoes before boarding the great metal monster.
Well, escalators are rather new technology here in Guyuan - only two places in town have them, the underground grocery store and the new mall (the one that had the protest). One of the things that I like to do is watch people use them. It can be quite entertaining!
When the mall first opened an older lady and her daughter were standing in front of the great moving staircase. The lady was working up the nerve to jump on. She would advance and retreat, advance and retreat. Finally, laughing, she waved it off and decided to use the stairs.
I never thought about using the device - just hop on and enjoy the ride! I don't really think twice before stepping on. But, being that they have never been used here until now, people just don't always know what to do.
At the grocery store about 2 weeks ago, I watched a man unsuccessfully try to go up the wrong side - 4 times. He finally stopped and watched someone else use the up escalator. Then stood at the bottom, timed it, misstepped it once, waited some more, misstepped again, and finally carefully jumped onto one of the stairs. Success! But, he panicked at the top (that darn monster) and tripped and stumbled off.
Watching women with groceries and little kids use it is always interesting. The kids seem to conquer the fear of the monster faster than their parents - so kids are running all over the place, mom is juggling groceries and trying to time hopping on and making sure the kids don't get gobbled up by the monster. One mom made her kids wait for her at the bottom of the escalator, first she brought up the groceries and then brought up each one of her kids separately.
Of course little kids and escalators are the same every where you go. Once the fear of the monster is gone, they love to tear up and down the escalators going against the designated direction. One little kid was worried about me getting on the new-fangled device and insisted on holding my hand on my ride down and scolded me for not hanging onto the railing. This is the first time that I have ever had a finger waved at me by a 6 year old.
Most recently, I earned me some serious elevator cred. with the youngsters by nonchalantly stepping on the escalator and walking up and getting off without a second thought. When I got off they were pointing at me and ahhhing. Then one of the kids tried to get on the device like I just had done and, I'm afraid to say, bit it on the step down.
Oh well, so I guess when our foreign exotic appeal wears off on the folks here Matt and I can dazzle the crowd with our mad escalator skills.
Well, escalators are rather new technology here in Guyuan - only two places in town have them, the underground grocery store and the new mall (the one that had the protest). One of the things that I like to do is watch people use them. It can be quite entertaining!
When the mall first opened an older lady and her daughter were standing in front of the great moving staircase. The lady was working up the nerve to jump on. She would advance and retreat, advance and retreat. Finally, laughing, she waved it off and decided to use the stairs.
I never thought about using the device - just hop on and enjoy the ride! I don't really think twice before stepping on. But, being that they have never been used here until now, people just don't always know what to do.
At the grocery store about 2 weeks ago, I watched a man unsuccessfully try to go up the wrong side - 4 times. He finally stopped and watched someone else use the up escalator. Then stood at the bottom, timed it, misstepped it once, waited some more, misstepped again, and finally carefully jumped onto one of the stairs. Success! But, he panicked at the top (that darn monster) and tripped and stumbled off.
Watching women with groceries and little kids use it is always interesting. The kids seem to conquer the fear of the monster faster than their parents - so kids are running all over the place, mom is juggling groceries and trying to time hopping on and making sure the kids don't get gobbled up by the monster. One mom made her kids wait for her at the bottom of the escalator, first she brought up the groceries and then brought up each one of her kids separately.
Of course little kids and escalators are the same every where you go. Once the fear of the monster is gone, they love to tear up and down the escalators going against the designated direction. One little kid was worried about me getting on the new-fangled device and insisted on holding my hand on my ride down and scolded me for not hanging onto the railing. This is the first time that I have ever had a finger waved at me by a 6 year old.
Most recently, I earned me some serious elevator cred. with the youngsters by nonchalantly stepping on the escalator and walking up and getting off without a second thought. When I got off they were pointing at me and ahhhing. Then one of the kids tried to get on the device like I just had done and, I'm afraid to say, bit it on the step down.
Oh well, so I guess when our foreign exotic appeal wears off on the folks here Matt and I can dazzle the crowd with our mad escalator skills.
Friday, January 06, 2006
Snow Therapy
Hello and Happy New Year!
Unfortunately, Matt was sick for his birthday, therefore sick for New Year's, and remains sick as I write this (he is down hacking it up on the sofa).
New Year's was definitely different than how we celebrate in the US. For us, it started with about 20 student parties. All of the senior classes throw a party and many of the teachers visit the parties for the classes they teach. For us, that meant visiting about 20 parties and singing at each and every one! Needless to say, Matt's voice was pretty much shot after that.
The next day we went to dinner with the English department from the senior school (only 3 hours this time!) We were able to escape without any of the post dinner activities - dancing and karaoke - because of Matt's cold. But, of course, we were not able to escape the dinner without a nice, healthy serving of Chinese guilt for sitting out the night time festivities.
The next evening we were supposed to go to a dinner for all of the junior teachers, but I called and cancelled - I just couldn't bear to spend several hours cornered by math teacher. Again, we were able to escape the dinner, but not the guilt trip.
One of the things that is really difficult to get used to is how everything is done at the last minute. The big final exam for the term is supposed to be next week, but no one can tell me what the schedule will be, if I will be having my classes and, if so, which ones and on what days. Frustrating.
One of the other things that has been getting on my nerves is the relentless commentary on my clothing. This has been going on ever since I had that cold. Every day I get an average of 12 comments about the thickness of my clothing, how my coat isn’t made of cotton, therefore it isn’t warm, blah, blah, BLAH! Very tiring - just think about it, about 12 comments a day. Sometimes more, sometimes less, but an average of 12 a day. Okay, now think of all those comments going on for a couple of weeks AND take into consideration that I am only at the main school building (where my office is) for about 1.75 hours a day - in class for about 1.5 hours of that, so about 12 comments a day in about 15 minutes - irritating and exhausting.
So. Today. After the 14th comment about my attire, I decided that I needed to chill with some of my kids. I dropped in on some of my Jr. 2’s during their open period and we played around a little bit. Then, I decided to head back home - I wound up cutting through the campus to avoid the slippery sidewalk. Some of my Jr. 1’s were playing outside - then it happened. I got hit. In the shoulder. With, yes, a snowball. It was an “accident” and the boys looked genuinely worried about it - even scared. Everything just stopped. Apologies started to pour out. My reaction? Why, to scoop up some snow and return fire! So, as suddenly as the mood turned to worry from the “misfire” we were laughing and running around chucking snow at each other.
Some of the other teachers gathered around and were watching this unusual sight - one of the adult teachers, running around with the kids throwing snow. I don’t think they really knew what to make of it. I tried to get them to join in on the fun - no luck. I didn’t really expect them to anyhow. Oh well, their loss!
The bell rang, I said goodbye to the kids gave them hugs and started my way home - very cold, very wet, but very happy.
Unfortunately, Matt was sick for his birthday, therefore sick for New Year's, and remains sick as I write this (he is down hacking it up on the sofa).
New Year's was definitely different than how we celebrate in the US. For us, it started with about 20 student parties. All of the senior classes throw a party and many of the teachers visit the parties for the classes they teach. For us, that meant visiting about 20 parties and singing at each and every one! Needless to say, Matt's voice was pretty much shot after that.
The next day we went to dinner with the English department from the senior school (only 3 hours this time!) We were able to escape without any of the post dinner activities - dancing and karaoke - because of Matt's cold. But, of course, we were not able to escape the dinner without a nice, healthy serving of Chinese guilt for sitting out the night time festivities.
The next evening we were supposed to go to a dinner for all of the junior teachers, but I called and cancelled - I just couldn't bear to spend several hours cornered by math teacher. Again, we were able to escape the dinner, but not the guilt trip.
One of the things that is really difficult to get used to is how everything is done at the last minute. The big final exam for the term is supposed to be next week, but no one can tell me what the schedule will be, if I will be having my classes and, if so, which ones and on what days. Frustrating.
One of the other things that has been getting on my nerves is the relentless commentary on my clothing. This has been going on ever since I had that cold. Every day I get an average of 12 comments about the thickness of my clothing, how my coat isn’t made of cotton, therefore it isn’t warm, blah, blah, BLAH! Very tiring - just think about it, about 12 comments a day. Sometimes more, sometimes less, but an average of 12 a day. Okay, now think of all those comments going on for a couple of weeks AND take into consideration that I am only at the main school building (where my office is) for about 1.75 hours a day - in class for about 1.5 hours of that, so about 12 comments a day in about 15 minutes - irritating and exhausting.
So. Today. After the 14th comment about my attire, I decided that I needed to chill with some of my kids. I dropped in on some of my Jr. 2’s during their open period and we played around a little bit. Then, I decided to head back home - I wound up cutting through the campus to avoid the slippery sidewalk. Some of my Jr. 1’s were playing outside - then it happened. I got hit. In the shoulder. With, yes, a snowball. It was an “accident” and the boys looked genuinely worried about it - even scared. Everything just stopped. Apologies started to pour out. My reaction? Why, to scoop up some snow and return fire! So, as suddenly as the mood turned to worry from the “misfire” we were laughing and running around chucking snow at each other.
Some of the other teachers gathered around and were watching this unusual sight - one of the adult teachers, running around with the kids throwing snow. I don’t think they really knew what to make of it. I tried to get them to join in on the fun - no luck. I didn’t really expect them to anyhow. Oh well, their loss!
The bell rang, I said goodbye to the kids gave them hugs and started my way home - very cold, very wet, but very happy.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Guyuan Carol (Since it's Christmas)
To the tune of "Silver Bells":
Spit stained sidewalks, frozen pee spot
garbage strewn here and there.
Those are the sights of my city.
Constant honking, non-stop hawking
people pushing past me
and on every street corner we hear,
White man there, stop and stare
Point as he walks on right by you.
Stand and gawk, point and talk,
and laugh as he passes you by!
Come to dinner
must come to dinner
'Cause it has been arranged
I did not bother to ask you before now
Hear the phone ring
what a bad thing
and we cringe at the sound
We unplug and pretend to be gone
Bu Zhongguo ren, ta shi Hanguo ren (not Chinese, she is Korean)
is what I hear when I go by
She should know, how to shuo (speak)
'cause she looks like Chinese.
Spit stained sidewalks, frozen pee spot
garbage strewn here and there.
Those are the sights of my city.
Constant honking, non-stop hawking
people pushing past me
and on every street corner we hear,
White man there, stop and stare
Point as he walks on right by you.
Stand and gawk, point and talk,
and laugh as he passes you by!
Come to dinner
must come to dinner
'Cause it has been arranged
I did not bother to ask you before now
Hear the phone ring
what a bad thing
and we cringe at the sound
We unplug and pretend to be gone
Bu Zhongguo ren, ta shi Hanguo ren (not Chinese, she is Korean)
is what I hear when I go by
She should know, how to shuo (speak)
'cause she looks like Chinese.
Monday, December 26, 2005
Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice...
...that's what little BOYS are made of? Just kidding. Sort of. I just had my first experience with a "teacher crush" outing. But, more on that later.
I know that my posts have not been the most upbeat lately. The frustrating stuff usually inspires me to write more than the other. Also, right now we seem to have an over abundance of the blood boiling sort of material.
I just wanted to write about some of my students. I really love them. Honestly, I work with some really sweet kids. Over the holidays, they have been really sweet with holiday wishes and little gifts that magically appear on my desk or on the podium before class. I never know who they are from, but my older kids present the gift as a present from the class.
One of my students asked me what kind of present I liked the best. Thinking that they wanted to buy me something, I told him that I liked drawings the best (I don't want them to spend money on me). So, the next time I had class, I walked into the classroom to find the podium piled high with wonderful drawings, paintings, and cuttings that the kids made for me! I love them and they are more valuable to me than anything they could ever buy. I almost cried. Seriously, so sweet. My kids make me smile and laugh on a near daily basis. I am very thankful for that.
I have mentioned this before, but I am really surprised that my little boys are so enthusiastic about English class. I was expecting the girls to be more in to it. Many of the girls are very good and do everything well in class, but if I'm giving points for sheer enthusiasm, the boys definitely win the prize.
In many of my classes ALL of the boys want to speak at every group sharing opportunity. They are always the first to volunteer for anything. If I finish taking volunteers and don't wind up calling on some of the boys, they get very sad and protest with a very heartfelt, "Oh, laoshi! Why no me?" I correct them. Hands go back up with a corrected, "Oh teacher Molly, why not me?"
They are also just hams! They are pretty fearless about making mistakes. Usually when they flub up, they laugh, make me laugh and wind up hugging each other. After class, both the boys and girls all come up to the podium and we try to talk in Chinglish to the best of our abilities. Usually one of the kids will tell me that they like that I smile and laugh in class and that that makes them happy.
In November, one of my Junior 2 classes invited me to go to a soccer game - their class was playing against another class. Members of the soccer team prepared an invitation to present to me in front of the class - I couldn't say no. So everyone cheered.
On the day of the match, the class was waiting for me in the hallway for me to get out of my class and we all walked down to the field together. All 50 of them wanted to hold my hand on the way down, it was kinda of funny. I cheered for both sides, as they were both my classes. They even coordinated cheers in English just for me! At the double whistle blow, the class that I came with won! They were so excited!
Fast forward to last week. I had that class on Wednesday. We were doing a unit on what you wanted to be when you grew up. One of my SFS's said that he wanted to be a soccer player. So, I asked him (at the end of class) if he was on the soccer team. He very proudly said yes. Then I asked if he was #9 (I was very impressed with #9 at the soccer game) because he was about the same size. He beamed while turning a very bright red. As soon as he was a nice shade of scarlet, the taunts of, "Laoshi, he LOVES you!" started to pour out as well as similar sentiments in Chinese. I think that they managed embarrass him quite well. Hopefully, this won't make him shy in class as he is one of my best students.
Anyhow, this is not to say that I don't have some truly outstanding girls. I have a really sweet group of girls who I just want to hug whenever I see them. They give me little "love" notes or folded stars after class and really like to try to speak to me in English. They greet me in Korean (I taught them a little, as that I all I know) and we sometimes hang out together in the garden at their long mid-morning break. They are really interested in learning about me, the US and anything I want to share with them. We have a lot of fun trying to figure out what we are saying to each other. My girl groups are really thoughtful and are very helpful in the classroom when the boys are being naughty - they are the enforcers.
So, I know that this post is a little random. But hey, just recording thoughts as they come to me!
I know that my posts have not been the most upbeat lately. The frustrating stuff usually inspires me to write more than the other. Also, right now we seem to have an over abundance of the blood boiling sort of material.
I just wanted to write about some of my students. I really love them. Honestly, I work with some really sweet kids. Over the holidays, they have been really sweet with holiday wishes and little gifts that magically appear on my desk or on the podium before class. I never know who they are from, but my older kids present the gift as a present from the class.
One of my students asked me what kind of present I liked the best. Thinking that they wanted to buy me something, I told him that I liked drawings the best (I don't want them to spend money on me). So, the next time I had class, I walked into the classroom to find the podium piled high with wonderful drawings, paintings, and cuttings that the kids made for me! I love them and they are more valuable to me than anything they could ever buy. I almost cried. Seriously, so sweet. My kids make me smile and laugh on a near daily basis. I am very thankful for that.
I have mentioned this before, but I am really surprised that my little boys are so enthusiastic about English class. I was expecting the girls to be more in to it. Many of the girls are very good and do everything well in class, but if I'm giving points for sheer enthusiasm, the boys definitely win the prize.
In many of my classes ALL of the boys want to speak at every group sharing opportunity. They are always the first to volunteer for anything. If I finish taking volunteers and don't wind up calling on some of the boys, they get very sad and protest with a very heartfelt, "Oh, laoshi! Why no me?" I correct them. Hands go back up with a corrected, "Oh teacher Molly, why not me?"
They are also just hams! They are pretty fearless about making mistakes. Usually when they flub up, they laugh, make me laugh and wind up hugging each other. After class, both the boys and girls all come up to the podium and we try to talk in Chinglish to the best of our abilities. Usually one of the kids will tell me that they like that I smile and laugh in class and that that makes them happy.
In November, one of my Junior 2 classes invited me to go to a soccer game - their class was playing against another class. Members of the soccer team prepared an invitation to present to me in front of the class - I couldn't say no. So everyone cheered.
On the day of the match, the class was waiting for me in the hallway for me to get out of my class and we all walked down to the field together. All 50 of them wanted to hold my hand on the way down, it was kinda of funny. I cheered for both sides, as they were both my classes. They even coordinated cheers in English just for me! At the double whistle blow, the class that I came with won! They were so excited!
Fast forward to last week. I had that class on Wednesday. We were doing a unit on what you wanted to be when you grew up. One of my SFS's said that he wanted to be a soccer player. So, I asked him (at the end of class) if he was on the soccer team. He very proudly said yes. Then I asked if he was #9 (I was very impressed with #9 at the soccer game) because he was about the same size. He beamed while turning a very bright red. As soon as he was a nice shade of scarlet, the taunts of, "Laoshi, he LOVES you!" started to pour out as well as similar sentiments in Chinese. I think that they managed embarrass him quite well. Hopefully, this won't make him shy in class as he is one of my best students.
Anyhow, this is not to say that I don't have some truly outstanding girls. I have a really sweet group of girls who I just want to hug whenever I see them. They give me little "love" notes or folded stars after class and really like to try to speak to me in English. They greet me in Korean (I taught them a little, as that I all I know) and we sometimes hang out together in the garden at their long mid-morning break. They are really interested in learning about me, the US and anything I want to share with them. We have a lot of fun trying to figure out what we are saying to each other. My girl groups are really thoughtful and are very helpful in the classroom when the boys are being naughty - they are the enforcers.
So, I know that this post is a little random. But hey, just recording thoughts as they come to me!
How Guyuan Stole Christmas
Happy Holidays!
I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday! Not much holiday celebration here, but Santa is quite the rock star in Guyuan. For our Christmas Eve feast Matt and I had ramen and for Christmas Day - yup, Dico's. I have a feeling that we will be quite busy for New Year's as the invitations are starting to pile up.
The school did have a party that we were "invited" to go to - meaning, we were told that we were required to go and prepare a performance. We were led to believe that it was a small get together with the English department, but, as with much here, that wasn't quite the entire truth. They told us that to get us to say "yes", but then we found out that really it was really in the auditorium in front of a crowd of about 600 teachers, students and administrators. Small get together is was not.
So, we were getting all sorts of pressure to perform a Christmas carol and make a speech about how much we adore the school. I really didn't want to, especially since I was still not feeling very well (and have not forgiven them for the sick visit episode). So, I decided that this is when I would make my stand and resist like nothing else. Stone wall. Yup. That's me. I said that I would say a few words after they fessed up that they wanted to give us Christmas gifts. But sing? Nope. Nada. No way. No how. I put my foot down in a bad way. I know that I was a little harsh, but they really do not give you a graceful way out of anything, so you just have to be blunt (rude). Long story short, I told them that I found it very humiliating to but put on display like they wanted me to be and that there was no way that I would do it. So, what happened after that? They turned to Matt and said, "so you will sing then". Ahhhhhh!!! Then told me that I would go up on stage and sway with them as they sing. How lame is that? Honestly. Sway? I said told them that I will get on the stage once to give my remarks, and that would be all. No swaying, no tricking me into singing. Period.
So, Matt agreed to sing a short song - We Wish You a Merry Christmas, with some of the teachers in his department. As the days to the dreaded event ticked down, both of our attitudes became more and more foul. If only you could hear some of the things we were saying to our light fixtures (I don't dare to have a written record of our comments). Then, poof! Matt got my cold. And, poof! His voice was gone.
That Friday, my English department had a dinner that I was told that I must attend because the head master wanted to present something to Matt and me. I told the head of my department that I was still not well and that Matt had just come down with my cold and is not well. She told us that "it doesn't matter" and that we are to meet them at 6:00 PM to go to dinner. I said that we really can't be out late as we are both sick. She told me that it should only take about an hour or so.
So, we go to the dinner (really not happy about it) and sit around and look at the food. No one is really speaking in English and Matt and I are too tired and sick to really even want to speak to each other, much less eat. We are hopeful to make our exit as the hour rounds, but, shit - the headmaster shows up and the dice shakers come out. We sit there for the next three hours coughing and sneezing - miserable. But, they really don't care about how we are feeling as long as they get their way. They wanted us to be there no matter how horrible we were feeling. There wasn't even any recognition that we may want to go home to rest. Three hours later we were permitted to go home.
Saturday afternoon we get a call from our waiban - she's coming over in 10 minutes (at least she called first so we have time to get out of our pajamas). She comes over and tells us that there is a lunch on Sunday that we must go to. Why? Because some teacher in the history department, who we have never met, just published a book in English, that we have never read. She told us that we were on the itinerary to make a speech about how good the book is. Great. There goes our weekend, consumed by school events. No consideration for our schedule or that it is our holiday (this is another example of why I feel that they think they own us). If we were homesick, this would be just horrible to go through. Anyhow, we stressed that this is a major holiday time in the US when people get together with family and since we were not at home this year, our families would be calling on Sunday. This didn't really phase her - she continued as if we hadn't even said anything and told us that it should take about 1 hour (which means 3 hours at minimum). We pressed on with our protest. She left with us not at all pleased, but, hey, she was getting her way - we were going to their event for an hour. We did make a very blunt point to her about telling us about things ahead of time. Otherwise we cannot guarantee that we would be able to accommodate them.
So, back to Matt's voice, or lack thereof. When he brought this problem to our waiban she said that "it doesn't matter". Which has come to mean, it doesn't matter that you are sick, you will do it any way. So, Matt, with a fever and no voice, was forced up onto the stage and was told to lip sync the words. Good idea in theory. The chorus was made up of Chinese women, all with very high singing voices. So, Matt lip syncing to their voices...? So, my waiban got a program to show us when we will need to be on stage. She noticed that my name was "accidentally" printed on the program to sing. Whoops! I did the good ol' Chinese, "it doesn't matter, I will just stay here and watch."
So, how did the performance go? Let's just say that it was a thoroughly humiliating experience for my poor husband. They all pointed and laughed as if they has never seen anything so funny. I think that I am pretty safe in saying that there will be NO more performances from their monkeys - errr - foreign teachers.
Later that night, after the performance, we got a call. Our waiban. She told us that they cancelled the lunch on Sunday. So, just because we didn't want to go, they cancelled it. They planned an entire event that depended on us being there to endorse something that we have never read without even asking us if we could come. Whew! Sometimes it feels to me that they think that they own us. I don't like it. They are very friendly, but their hospitality is just overwhelming! I have told the light fixtures my thoughts on that many times.
Quite a therapeutic hobby, actually. Y'know, talking to the light fixtures. Because if someone is listening, well, shame, shame, you shouldn't be spying in the first place and if there are no monitoring devices, I am just venting to an inanimate object - no harm, no foul.
I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday! Not much holiday celebration here, but Santa is quite the rock star in Guyuan. For our Christmas Eve feast Matt and I had ramen and for Christmas Day - yup, Dico's. I have a feeling that we will be quite busy for New Year's as the invitations are starting to pile up.
The school did have a party that we were "invited" to go to - meaning, we were told that we were required to go and prepare a performance. We were led to believe that it was a small get together with the English department, but, as with much here, that wasn't quite the entire truth. They told us that to get us to say "yes", but then we found out that really it was really in the auditorium in front of a crowd of about 600 teachers, students and administrators. Small get together is was not.
So, we were getting all sorts of pressure to perform a Christmas carol and make a speech about how much we adore the school. I really didn't want to, especially since I was still not feeling very well (and have not forgiven them for the sick visit episode). So, I decided that this is when I would make my stand and resist like nothing else. Stone wall. Yup. That's me. I said that I would say a few words after they fessed up that they wanted to give us Christmas gifts. But sing? Nope. Nada. No way. No how. I put my foot down in a bad way. I know that I was a little harsh, but they really do not give you a graceful way out of anything, so you just have to be blunt (rude). Long story short, I told them that I found it very humiliating to but put on display like they wanted me to be and that there was no way that I would do it. So, what happened after that? They turned to Matt and said, "so you will sing then". Ahhhhhh!!! Then told me that I would go up on stage and sway with them as they sing. How lame is that? Honestly. Sway? I said told them that I will get on the stage once to give my remarks, and that would be all. No swaying, no tricking me into singing. Period.
So, Matt agreed to sing a short song - We Wish You a Merry Christmas, with some of the teachers in his department. As the days to the dreaded event ticked down, both of our attitudes became more and more foul. If only you could hear some of the things we were saying to our light fixtures (I don't dare to have a written record of our comments). Then, poof! Matt got my cold. And, poof! His voice was gone.
That Friday, my English department had a dinner that I was told that I must attend because the head master wanted to present something to Matt and me. I told the head of my department that I was still not well and that Matt had just come down with my cold and is not well. She told us that "it doesn't matter" and that we are to meet them at 6:00 PM to go to dinner. I said that we really can't be out late as we are both sick. She told me that it should only take about an hour or so.
So, we go to the dinner (really not happy about it) and sit around and look at the food. No one is really speaking in English and Matt and I are too tired and sick to really even want to speak to each other, much less eat. We are hopeful to make our exit as the hour rounds, but, shit - the headmaster shows up and the dice shakers come out. We sit there for the next three hours coughing and sneezing - miserable. But, they really don't care about how we are feeling as long as they get their way. They wanted us to be there no matter how horrible we were feeling. There wasn't even any recognition that we may want to go home to rest. Three hours later we were permitted to go home.
Saturday afternoon we get a call from our waiban - she's coming over in 10 minutes (at least she called first so we have time to get out of our pajamas). She comes over and tells us that there is a lunch on Sunday that we must go to. Why? Because some teacher in the history department, who we have never met, just published a book in English, that we have never read. She told us that we were on the itinerary to make a speech about how good the book is. Great. There goes our weekend, consumed by school events. No consideration for our schedule or that it is our holiday (this is another example of why I feel that they think they own us). If we were homesick, this would be just horrible to go through. Anyhow, we stressed that this is a major holiday time in the US when people get together with family and since we were not at home this year, our families would be calling on Sunday. This didn't really phase her - she continued as if we hadn't even said anything and told us that it should take about 1 hour (which means 3 hours at minimum). We pressed on with our protest. She left with us not at all pleased, but, hey, she was getting her way - we were going to their event for an hour. We did make a very blunt point to her about telling us about things ahead of time. Otherwise we cannot guarantee that we would be able to accommodate them.
So, back to Matt's voice, or lack thereof. When he brought this problem to our waiban she said that "it doesn't matter". Which has come to mean, it doesn't matter that you are sick, you will do it any way. So, Matt, with a fever and no voice, was forced up onto the stage and was told to lip sync the words. Good idea in theory. The chorus was made up of Chinese women, all with very high singing voices. So, Matt lip syncing to their voices...? So, my waiban got a program to show us when we will need to be on stage. She noticed that my name was "accidentally" printed on the program to sing. Whoops! I did the good ol' Chinese, "it doesn't matter, I will just stay here and watch."
So, how did the performance go? Let's just say that it was a thoroughly humiliating experience for my poor husband. They all pointed and laughed as if they has never seen anything so funny. I think that I am pretty safe in saying that there will be NO more performances from their monkeys - errr - foreign teachers.
Later that night, after the performance, we got a call. Our waiban. She told us that they cancelled the lunch on Sunday. So, just because we didn't want to go, they cancelled it. They planned an entire event that depended on us being there to endorse something that we have never read without even asking us if we could come. Whew! Sometimes it feels to me that they think that they own us. I don't like it. They are very friendly, but their hospitality is just overwhelming! I have told the light fixtures my thoughts on that many times.
Quite a therapeutic hobby, actually. Y'know, talking to the light fixtures. Because if someone is listening, well, shame, shame, you shouldn't be spying in the first place and if there are no monitoring devices, I am just venting to an inanimate object - no harm, no foul.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
I Need 100 cc's of Tolerance, Stat!
So, I have a cold. Nothing too bad, but enough to keep me out of classes for a couple of days as it is very difficult to direct a group of 11 years olds without a loud voice and when one is coughing every 3 seconds. I called my waiban and told her that I had a cold and that I should probably stay home the next day to recover. Easy right? No problem, right? WRONG!
The response I got was definitely not expected or wanted - they kind of freaked out about it. Normally, when I was feeling under the weather in the States I could just call in to my employer and let them know not to expect me that day and my boss would say something like, "Thanks for letting me know, hope you feel better soon." Not at all like what I just experienced here.
I want to interject here that there is no good way to flat out say "no" in Chinese. You can negate a positive like: correct/not correct, want/don't want, etc. But no word that simply means "NO". Anyhow, back to the story.
So, you're sick - nothing too extreme, coughing, sneezing, congestion, general discomfort - you all know what you would be doing to treat this kind of cold. Rest, liquids, maybe some cold medicine, solitary confinement, etc. So, you get into your pajamas - the ultra comfortable lounging pair (the pair that only ever sees the interior of your home), your favorite blanket and pillow, something to drink, box of tissues and remote. Voila! You're set to tackle this thing! When you are in this state the last thing that you want is visitors, much less the entire English department knocking on your door!
Matt went to our tutoring session that afternoon and our tutor was late so he sat in the office and was reviewing his Chinese. Our waiban came in and said hello and told him that she was going to go and see how I was doing. Not thinking too much of that Matt suggested that she call first because I was probably sleeping. Then our waiban went into the other room of the office and was talking to all of the other teachers in there - they all get ready to go out with her. Seeing this, Matt told her that she definitely should call to tell me that they were coming over. He tried to run interference - "she is sick, I don't think that she is up for visitors" and "it is not necessary for all of you to go" and variations of those statements. One of the teachers caught on and said to all of them that since I was not feeling well, that visitors may not be such a good idea. That idea was so quickly ignored that it was as if no one had even suggested something.
Nope, they were determined to come and see me, sick. Matt did stress the importance of calling me, seeing what was taking form in front of him. So she called. She called what would be one pissed off sick person.
The call:
Waiban: Hello Molly! We are coming over now to see you.
Me: Oh, (pause) I just have a cold. It is not necessary.
Waiban: Is necessary, we will be over soon.
Me: No, it really isn't necessary, I am sick, I do not want...
Waiban: 10 minutes, we will be there in 10 minutes.
Me: No, I just have a cold, it is not necessary…
Waiban: Is very necessary, is necessary, is necessary. 10 minutes, goodbye!
Insert - loud ranting, swearing and coughing here.
So, I am madly trying to find something to wear that isn’t my pajamas and pick up a little bit. Matt comes home and tells me that “they” are on their way over. He also fills me in on the “they” part of the mix. We try to pick up a little bit (we weren’t expecting company) and I go back upstairs.
Knock, knock, knock - “Hello? We’re here!” I am still upstairs trying to bring my anger down to a simmer so I can at least pretend to appreciate their concern. Our waiban yells up the stairs - “Molly, it is not necessary for you to come down”. Okay, fine, but then WHY ARE YOU ALL HERE! I just want to be left alone. So they are all chatting downstairs - one of the teachers is telling Matt that he should bring me to the hospital. Matt is disagreeing and the conversation keeps going round and round and round, until finally Matt hollers up the stairs, “Hey Molly, do you want to go to the hospital?” Upstairs, I’m thinking, what??? I YELL back down a very resolute “NO!!!”
Soon, our waiban, announces that she is coming upstairs to see me. So, not able to stop her now, she is in my room, looking at me. The first thing that she says to me is how she is very sorry about me getting so gravely sick. Gravely sick? I have a head and chest cold that we wouldn’t even blink at in the States. I told her that it was not serious, that it was just a cold. She then continues to tell me that I should be warmer because of my very serious illness. Serious illness? I have a cold, just a cold. I try to impress on her that it was just a cold, I have had them before, it was bound to happen working with 800 children a week, etc. She then starts to tuck me in - with all of the blankets that we have! Yes, my waiban, my kind of “boss”, is tucking in a 29 year old adult! She then tells me all of the things that I can eat and cannot eat and inspects my medication - I just wanted them to go, so I started to make up treatments for the various things on my nightstand. She feels my head and tells me that I feel quite hot - well, why would that be? The 7 blankets on top of me? My blistering rage? Then she starts to force the idea of bringing the doctor to my home to give me a check-up. For the love of God! I just have a freaking cold! I adamantly refuse. Then she says as she is getting up to leave, if you are not better by tomorrow, we will have the doctor come over and give you an injection. An injection?! No way. So, losing all appreciative pretense, I respond with a resounding “No, I will refuse any type of injection.” Geez, I have been sick for a day and you want me to go to the hospital and get injections? No way.
Matt leaves with our waiban to go to the pharmacy. She again tries to push the idea of getting an injection. Matt tells her that he is certain that I would not want that. But, no matter, she keeps on with it. They get some medication and she starts interrogating him what he is going to feed me. Let’s just say that they agreed to disagree on much of the food, medication and treatment for me, with a simple cold. Finally, Matt heads home with the medication, with our waiban making me chicken soup because Matt is incapable, and with the parting comment that if I am not feeling better by tomorrow, she will call and set up for a doctor to come to give me an injection.
What happened to get a lot of rest and drink plenty of fluids?
She did mention to Matt that this is Chinese custom - to visit someone when they are sick. As it seems to me, it is really to ignore what the sick person wants, irritate her, and do what you want to do anyway. I know that the intention is to be thoughtful and concerned, but oh-wowie, this is just too much, especially for a cranky sicky.
So, all of this drama over a little cold. It made think, what would they do if there was an actual emergency? They kinda freaked out with my cold, so what if I got the paralysis again? What if I had an asthma attack? Well, I guess that we will never know as Matt and I will be working no matter how sick, no matter what the problem is from now on just to avoid this kind of attention. My goodness, it truly feels like they think that we are totally incapable of anything. We ask a question about food and the attitude is that the foreigners aren’t able to feed themselves. We want to go on vacation, but we have to call and “check-in” everyday. I get a cold and you would think, by the response, that I was on my death bed. I keep on telling myself that they are just concerned for our well-being and they have good intentions. But in this particular case, the road to my personal hell is certainly paved with their good intentions. I just want to sleep, drink plenty of fluids and be left alone to be sick.
I hope that an apple day will keep everyone away from here on out.
The response I got was definitely not expected or wanted - they kind of freaked out about it. Normally, when I was feeling under the weather in the States I could just call in to my employer and let them know not to expect me that day and my boss would say something like, "Thanks for letting me know, hope you feel better soon." Not at all like what I just experienced here.
I want to interject here that there is no good way to flat out say "no" in Chinese. You can negate a positive like: correct/not correct, want/don't want, etc. But no word that simply means "NO". Anyhow, back to the story.
So, you're sick - nothing too extreme, coughing, sneezing, congestion, general discomfort - you all know what you would be doing to treat this kind of cold. Rest, liquids, maybe some cold medicine, solitary confinement, etc. So, you get into your pajamas - the ultra comfortable lounging pair (the pair that only ever sees the interior of your home), your favorite blanket and pillow, something to drink, box of tissues and remote. Voila! You're set to tackle this thing! When you are in this state the last thing that you want is visitors, much less the entire English department knocking on your door!
Matt went to our tutoring session that afternoon and our tutor was late so he sat in the office and was reviewing his Chinese. Our waiban came in and said hello and told him that she was going to go and see how I was doing. Not thinking too much of that Matt suggested that she call first because I was probably sleeping. Then our waiban went into the other room of the office and was talking to all of the other teachers in there - they all get ready to go out with her. Seeing this, Matt told her that she definitely should call to tell me that they were coming over. He tried to run interference - "she is sick, I don't think that she is up for visitors" and "it is not necessary for all of you to go" and variations of those statements. One of the teachers caught on and said to all of them that since I was not feeling well, that visitors may not be such a good idea. That idea was so quickly ignored that it was as if no one had even suggested something.
Nope, they were determined to come and see me, sick. Matt did stress the importance of calling me, seeing what was taking form in front of him. So she called. She called what would be one pissed off sick person.
The call:
Waiban: Hello Molly! We are coming over now to see you.
Me: Oh, (pause) I just have a cold. It is not necessary.
Waiban: Is necessary, we will be over soon.
Me: No, it really isn't necessary, I am sick, I do not want...
Waiban: 10 minutes, we will be there in 10 minutes.
Me: No, I just have a cold, it is not necessary…
Waiban: Is very necessary, is necessary, is necessary. 10 minutes, goodbye!
Insert - loud ranting, swearing and coughing here.
So, I am madly trying to find something to wear that isn’t my pajamas and pick up a little bit. Matt comes home and tells me that “they” are on their way over. He also fills me in on the “they” part of the mix. We try to pick up a little bit (we weren’t expecting company) and I go back upstairs.
Knock, knock, knock - “Hello? We’re here!” I am still upstairs trying to bring my anger down to a simmer so I can at least pretend to appreciate their concern. Our waiban yells up the stairs - “Molly, it is not necessary for you to come down”. Okay, fine, but then WHY ARE YOU ALL HERE! I just want to be left alone. So they are all chatting downstairs - one of the teachers is telling Matt that he should bring me to the hospital. Matt is disagreeing and the conversation keeps going round and round and round, until finally Matt hollers up the stairs, “Hey Molly, do you want to go to the hospital?” Upstairs, I’m thinking, what??? I YELL back down a very resolute “NO!!!”
Soon, our waiban, announces that she is coming upstairs to see me. So, not able to stop her now, she is in my room, looking at me. The first thing that she says to me is how she is very sorry about me getting so gravely sick. Gravely sick? I have a head and chest cold that we wouldn’t even blink at in the States. I told her that it was not serious, that it was just a cold. She then continues to tell me that I should be warmer because of my very serious illness. Serious illness? I have a cold, just a cold. I try to impress on her that it was just a cold, I have had them before, it was bound to happen working with 800 children a week, etc. She then starts to tuck me in - with all of the blankets that we have! Yes, my waiban, my kind of “boss”, is tucking in a 29 year old adult! She then tells me all of the things that I can eat and cannot eat and inspects my medication - I just wanted them to go, so I started to make up treatments for the various things on my nightstand. She feels my head and tells me that I feel quite hot - well, why would that be? The 7 blankets on top of me? My blistering rage? Then she starts to force the idea of bringing the doctor to my home to give me a check-up. For the love of God! I just have a freaking cold! I adamantly refuse. Then she says as she is getting up to leave, if you are not better by tomorrow, we will have the doctor come over and give you an injection. An injection?! No way. So, losing all appreciative pretense, I respond with a resounding “No, I will refuse any type of injection.” Geez, I have been sick for a day and you want me to go to the hospital and get injections? No way.
Matt leaves with our waiban to go to the pharmacy. She again tries to push the idea of getting an injection. Matt tells her that he is certain that I would not want that. But, no matter, she keeps on with it. They get some medication and she starts interrogating him what he is going to feed me. Let’s just say that they agreed to disagree on much of the food, medication and treatment for me, with a simple cold. Finally, Matt heads home with the medication, with our waiban making me chicken soup because Matt is incapable, and with the parting comment that if I am not feeling better by tomorrow, she will call and set up for a doctor to come to give me an injection.
What happened to get a lot of rest and drink plenty of fluids?
She did mention to Matt that this is Chinese custom - to visit someone when they are sick. As it seems to me, it is really to ignore what the sick person wants, irritate her, and do what you want to do anyway. I know that the intention is to be thoughtful and concerned, but oh-wowie, this is just too much, especially for a cranky sicky.
So, all of this drama over a little cold. It made think, what would they do if there was an actual emergency? They kinda freaked out with my cold, so what if I got the paralysis again? What if I had an asthma attack? Well, I guess that we will never know as Matt and I will be working no matter how sick, no matter what the problem is from now on just to avoid this kind of attention. My goodness, it truly feels like they think that we are totally incapable of anything. We ask a question about food and the attitude is that the foreigners aren’t able to feed themselves. We want to go on vacation, but we have to call and “check-in” everyday. I get a cold and you would think, by the response, that I was on my death bed. I keep on telling myself that they are just concerned for our well-being and they have good intentions. But in this particular case, the road to my personal hell is certainly paved with their good intentions. I just want to sleep, drink plenty of fluids and be left alone to be sick.
I hope that an apple day will keep everyone away from here on out.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Bugs and Baijiu
Just got back from lunch. Today we were able to lock China out at 1:30 PM!
We went out to pay our phone bill today on the way we saw a sample table on the corner. They were handing out free samples of baijiu (hard rice liquor) out on the corner!
Anyhow, Matt and I are throwing down 50/50 odds that our apartment is bugged. So, we have been spending our free time talking to the light fixtures.
We went out to pay our phone bill today on the way we saw a sample table on the corner. They were handing out free samples of baijiu (hard rice liquor) out on the corner!
Anyhow, Matt and I are throwing down 50/50 odds that our apartment is bugged. So, we have been spending our free time talking to the light fixtures.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
ATTENTION: Cootie Shot Shortage
The big medical talk around here is about the bird flu and whether or not one should get a flu shot and whether or not one should try to get some Tamiflu pills. I'm not saying that the concern is misplaced, but my question is what happened to all of the cootie shots? Seriously. The fear of possible "cootie" infection is the #1 concern of my students and, from what I have seen, young adults as well. What happened - Government seizure? Stockpiling?
Do you remember in elementary school giving/receiving "cootie shots"? Usually a pinch or punch before and/or after coming into contact with an icky boy or girl? The need for such an immunization usually wore off around Jr. High or Middle School - sometimes a little sooner. Not in China. There is a noticeable lack of proper "cootie" immunization and a very noticeable fear of said "cootie" infection.
In all of my classes it is nearly impossible to get girls and boys to talk to each other. When I make them pair up boy-girl, they HATE it - they just sit there looking surly trying their absolute hardest not to touch or look at each other. When I put them into groups of four the two girls will work together and the two boys will work together. But heaven forbid they interact with each other!
I had my class line up according to birthday - the boys and girls could not even handle standing next to each other - I saw the most disgusted expressions on faces that day. Usually, what winds up happening is a boy will "do" something to a girl and the girl will hit the boy, hard. Boy will then tattle on the girl or start crying. Then, I have to separate them and try to tell the girl not to hit and try to get the boy to stop crying.
At the senior school, Matt was invited to go to an English corner that the student union arranged for the kids in senior 1. He was trying to get the kids to just talk to each other (which can be very difficult), but noticed that the girls would not talk with the boys and vice versa. So he decided to play match maker and began to pair them up. Girls were pulling on friends shouting a desperate "Nooooooooo", boys were running away and hiding - mayhem, but funny.
However, when they do talk to each other it isn't always very successful either. Matt had an English corner for his students in senior 3 and was again having difficulty getting them to talk to each other (they address everything to the teacher, not to their classmates). They asked Matt what his favorite movie was and Teacher Perz said, "you should be asking each other! You, ask her what her favorite movie is..." etc. So, one of the boys asked a girl what her favorite movie is and she replied that it was Braveheart. The boy then said in a very interrogative manner "So, you love Mel Gibson, is he your perfect man?" The girl meekly replied, "No..." boy interrupts with a snide, "Mel Gibson is to rude? So, you prefer gentlemen?" That was when Matt intervened and told the girl to ask what the boy's favorite movie was - his favorite movie was Finding Nemo?! Favorite character? Nemo - nope. Sea Turtle - nope. It was Nemo's father! The girl seemed a little shell shocked at the end of the class.
Last Monday, we were invited to dinner and then to a new bar/night club with our waiban and one of her classmates. The tables were starting to fill up with couples and groups of friends. It took a while for the dance floor to warm up but soon, it was pumping with people all bumping and grinding. But something seemed a little "off". On closer inspection, it was only men on the dance floor dancing. When a woman would go out on the floor she was completely ignored. When the groups/couples went to dance they would enter as a group/couple but then quickly separate so only the men were together and the same with the women. Are they gay, you may ask? As far as we are able to tell, there really is no gay scene in small, po-dunk Guyuan. The man who invited us out did not ask me to dance or his friend (our female waiban) he held out his hand to Matt to came and shake with him on the dance floor. That was kind of funny to watch too. So, to describe the scene in front of us, it was like a MTV production with all of the colored lights and flashing strobe, people crowding the floor - all doing that very intimate, close dance. But only with members of the same sex.
So, from what I have observed here in Guyuan, the fear of possible cootie contamination lasts well into the 20s. Although I abhor the thought of hitting my students, maybe a good cootie shot here and there would do some good :-)
Do you remember in elementary school giving/receiving "cootie shots"? Usually a pinch or punch before and/or after coming into contact with an icky boy or girl? The need for such an immunization usually wore off around Jr. High or Middle School - sometimes a little sooner. Not in China. There is a noticeable lack of proper "cootie" immunization and a very noticeable fear of said "cootie" infection.
In all of my classes it is nearly impossible to get girls and boys to talk to each other. When I make them pair up boy-girl, they HATE it - they just sit there looking surly trying their absolute hardest not to touch or look at each other. When I put them into groups of four the two girls will work together and the two boys will work together. But heaven forbid they interact with each other!
I had my class line up according to birthday - the boys and girls could not even handle standing next to each other - I saw the most disgusted expressions on faces that day. Usually, what winds up happening is a boy will "do" something to a girl and the girl will hit the boy, hard. Boy will then tattle on the girl or start crying. Then, I have to separate them and try to tell the girl not to hit and try to get the boy to stop crying.
At the senior school, Matt was invited to go to an English corner that the student union arranged for the kids in senior 1. He was trying to get the kids to just talk to each other (which can be very difficult), but noticed that the girls would not talk with the boys and vice versa. So he decided to play match maker and began to pair them up. Girls were pulling on friends shouting a desperate "Nooooooooo", boys were running away and hiding - mayhem, but funny.
However, when they do talk to each other it isn't always very successful either. Matt had an English corner for his students in senior 3 and was again having difficulty getting them to talk to each other (they address everything to the teacher, not to their classmates). They asked Matt what his favorite movie was and Teacher Perz said, "you should be asking each other! You, ask her what her favorite movie is..." etc. So, one of the boys asked a girl what her favorite movie is and she replied that it was Braveheart. The boy then said in a very interrogative manner "So, you love Mel Gibson, is he your perfect man?" The girl meekly replied, "No..." boy interrupts with a snide, "Mel Gibson is to rude? So, you prefer gentlemen?" That was when Matt intervened and told the girl to ask what the boy's favorite movie was - his favorite movie was Finding Nemo?! Favorite character? Nemo - nope. Sea Turtle - nope. It was Nemo's father! The girl seemed a little shell shocked at the end of the class.
Last Monday, we were invited to dinner and then to a new bar/night club with our waiban and one of her classmates. The tables were starting to fill up with couples and groups of friends. It took a while for the dance floor to warm up but soon, it was pumping with people all bumping and grinding. But something seemed a little "off". On closer inspection, it was only men on the dance floor dancing. When a woman would go out on the floor she was completely ignored. When the groups/couples went to dance they would enter as a group/couple but then quickly separate so only the men were together and the same with the women. Are they gay, you may ask? As far as we are able to tell, there really is no gay scene in small, po-dunk Guyuan. The man who invited us out did not ask me to dance or his friend (our female waiban) he held out his hand to Matt to came and shake with him on the dance floor. That was kind of funny to watch too. So, to describe the scene in front of us, it was like a MTV production with all of the colored lights and flashing strobe, people crowding the floor - all doing that very intimate, close dance. But only with members of the same sex.
So, from what I have observed here in Guyuan, the fear of possible cootie contamination lasts well into the 20s. Although I abhor the thought of hitting my students, maybe a good cootie shot here and there would do some good :-)
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Daily Cravings - Food and Feelings
My food diary - definitely not that dieting kind of diary!
November 30, 2005 - Today I miss cheese. Ahhhh, cheese! I have to go 8 hours to get that delightful milk product. It's not that Chinese food is bad, in fact, it is quite good. But there is not the "food genre" variety here that I became used to in the States.
December 5, 2005 - Today we finished up a bag of Doritos that my dear friend, Deborah sent us. We delighted in the nacho cheeziness, but were sad when they were gone.
December 6, 2005 - Nothing like mac and cheese! mmm-mmm-mmm! We didn't feel like going out today so we made one of the precious boxes of mac and cheese from Matt's mom. Matt also polished off some frozen dumplings and a whole bag of pickled, sweet garlic (probably over 12 heads of garlic).
December 7, 2005 - This morning our room smelled like garlic.
December 29, 2005 - Thank you all for your generous cheese-food contributions! I just took an online survey about couscous, so, of course, that got me hungry for a big steaming plate of parmesan cheese couscous. Mmmmm... For the past couple of days I have really wanted baked beans and tomato soup. I am in the land of empty carbs, but no, I want different kinds of empty carbs. Geez, what a picky palette!
January 5, 2006! - Happy New Year! I just wanted to let you know that right now, I totally appreciate global corporations - well, at least some of them (still have problems with many - see "The Corporation" documentary). Our local underground market just started to carry the Lays Potato Chip "international" line. All kinds of funky flavors - green tea, lemon, beef curry, seafood grill, cucumber, etc. BUT the most important flavor (and the most unpopular here in Guyuan): swiss cheese! Don't get me wrong, the Pringles were doing the trick, but, yes, variety is the spice of life. I bought 8 bags. I guess that I can up my daily potato count to about 5 spuds a day.
January 8, 2006 - Yesterday Matt and I decided to treat ourselves, no, not to Dico's, we broke open two boxes of our Jambalaya. Cajun goodness! Today, I read an email from my mom. One of her friends gave her some Chex Mix. Yup, that's what I want. Chex Mix, pre-bagged or homemade - I'm not picky. We don't cook a lot at home (because we are lazy), but we have found that "hot pot at home" is pretty nice. So, about once a week we try to have that at home. Not any cheaper than going to a hot pot place, but at least we can eat in.
November 30, 2005 - Today I miss cheese. Ahhhh, cheese! I have to go 8 hours to get that delightful milk product. It's not that Chinese food is bad, in fact, it is quite good. But there is not the "food genre" variety here that I became used to in the States.
December 5, 2005 - Today we finished up a bag of Doritos that my dear friend, Deborah sent us. We delighted in the nacho cheeziness, but were sad when they were gone.
December 6, 2005 - Nothing like mac and cheese! mmm-mmm-mmm! We didn't feel like going out today so we made one of the precious boxes of mac and cheese from Matt's mom. Matt also polished off some frozen dumplings and a whole bag of pickled, sweet garlic (probably over 12 heads of garlic).
December 7, 2005 - This morning our room smelled like garlic.
December 29, 2005 - Thank you all for your generous cheese-food contributions! I just took an online survey about couscous, so, of course, that got me hungry for a big steaming plate of parmesan cheese couscous. Mmmmm... For the past couple of days I have really wanted baked beans and tomato soup. I am in the land of empty carbs, but no, I want different kinds of empty carbs. Geez, what a picky palette!
January 5, 2006! - Happy New Year! I just wanted to let you know that right now, I totally appreciate global corporations - well, at least some of them (still have problems with many - see "The Corporation" documentary). Our local underground market just started to carry the Lays Potato Chip "international" line. All kinds of funky flavors - green tea, lemon, beef curry, seafood grill, cucumber, etc. BUT the most important flavor (and the most unpopular here in Guyuan): swiss cheese! Don't get me wrong, the Pringles were doing the trick, but, yes, variety is the spice of life. I bought 8 bags. I guess that I can up my daily potato count to about 5 spuds a day.
January 8, 2006 - Yesterday Matt and I decided to treat ourselves, no, not to Dico's, we broke open two boxes of our Jambalaya. Cajun goodness! Today, I read an email from my mom. One of her friends gave her some Chex Mix. Yup, that's what I want. Chex Mix, pre-bagged or homemade - I'm not picky. We don't cook a lot at home (because we are lazy), but we have found that "hot pot at home" is pretty nice. So, about once a week we try to have that at home. Not any cheaper than going to a hot pot place, but at least we can eat in.
Wood + Tape = Stunned
I was going to post this yesterday, but I was just to upset to write about it.
Okay, so the school discipline policy is really confusing me. I was told that I can't do anything that would physically, emotionally or mentally hurt a student. I guess that "physically" part means something more like permanent disability or something.
Tuesdays are really good days for me. ALL of the classes I have are very well behaved and, well, the kids are just really good and I enjoy being with them. Honestly, the two Jr. 1 sections and my Jr. 3 section are my SFCs (Secret Favorite Classes) with many of my SFSs (Secret Favorite Students).
Mid-morning, before the 4th period class, the entire school does these eye exercises (to promote healthy eyes). I usually go down to the classroom and wait in the hall a little bit and talk to some of the other teachers while the students do these exercises. On that particular morning I "met" the head teacher of the class that I had just taught.
The class that I had just taught has always been one of the best - best in English, participation, listening, comprehension and behavior. Maybe now I know why. I walked down the hall and started talking with another teacher, but was suddenly very distracted.
I stopped talking mid-sentence and gaped at what was happening in front of me.
The head teacher for that class had four of my sweet little boys in the hallway and was hitting them across the face and forehead with a wooden stick wrapped in tape. Not a little slap - he did a wind up and a full swing at their faces.
Four of the sweetest little boys that I have, had bright red marks all over their faces and were just standing there trying to be stoic while being hit; silent tears sneaking out and streaking down their cheeks.
I just about died.
10 minutes before, they - we were all laughing and smiling as we played an English game. One of the little boys (one of my SFSs) ran up after class and gave me a big smile and hug and said, "I love you teacher Molly!" Now he was being hit with a stick wrapped in tape (the tape makes it sting more) and crying while rubbing his bright red cheeks.
The teacher that I had been talking to looked over as if nothing was going on and very nonchalantly said, "they were very naughty".
It seems like this is fairly common at the school, as none of the other teachers are remotely phased by it, but I don't ever want to be desensitized to that sight.
I just don't get it - I can't put them in the corner or send them out into the hallway, but I can wield a stick. Never.
Okay, so the school discipline policy is really confusing me. I was told that I can't do anything that would physically, emotionally or mentally hurt a student. I guess that "physically" part means something more like permanent disability or something.
Tuesdays are really good days for me. ALL of the classes I have are very well behaved and, well, the kids are just really good and I enjoy being with them. Honestly, the two Jr. 1 sections and my Jr. 3 section are my SFCs (Secret Favorite Classes) with many of my SFSs (Secret Favorite Students).
Mid-morning, before the 4th period class, the entire school does these eye exercises (to promote healthy eyes). I usually go down to the classroom and wait in the hall a little bit and talk to some of the other teachers while the students do these exercises. On that particular morning I "met" the head teacher of the class that I had just taught.
The class that I had just taught has always been one of the best - best in English, participation, listening, comprehension and behavior. Maybe now I know why. I walked down the hall and started talking with another teacher, but was suddenly very distracted.
I stopped talking mid-sentence and gaped at what was happening in front of me.
The head teacher for that class had four of my sweet little boys in the hallway and was hitting them across the face and forehead with a wooden stick wrapped in tape. Not a little slap - he did a wind up and a full swing at their faces.
Four of the sweetest little boys that I have, had bright red marks all over their faces and were just standing there trying to be stoic while being hit; silent tears sneaking out and streaking down their cheeks.
I just about died.
10 minutes before, they - we were all laughing and smiling as we played an English game. One of the little boys (one of my SFSs) ran up after class and gave me a big smile and hug and said, "I love you teacher Molly!" Now he was being hit with a stick wrapped in tape (the tape makes it sting more) and crying while rubbing his bright red cheeks.
The teacher that I had been talking to looked over as if nothing was going on and very nonchalantly said, "they were very naughty".
It seems like this is fairly common at the school, as none of the other teachers are remotely phased by it, but I don't ever want to be desensitized to that sight.
I just don't get it - I can't put them in the corner or send them out into the hallway, but I can wield a stick. Never.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
The Power of "0"
I appreciate all of the advice (and articles!) on disciplining my little demon children. I read ALL that was sent my way. So, thank you!
This is what I did last week - I did not grade them. On the attendance sheet there is a spot to grade the class. The teachers told me that I should never give a class anything lower than an "A". But, I just could not force myself to do that after another truly frustrating class.
Sooo...
I wrote comments instead on the class' performance on the front side AND the back side of the paper. All of the kids gathered around the podium and "oohed" and "ohhhed" with every new line I wrote. They knew they were in trouble. I wrote more than I needed to since I had the audience and I wanted to reinforce how disappointed I was with the class. Basically, I gave them a "0" for the day.
Fast forward to this Monday.
The kids were great! They were quiet when I told them to (and I only had to ask once) and participated very well - it was a great class. At the end when I had to grade them, they all crowded the podium and shouted their appeals - "We very good, teacher" and "We good, quiet today, teacher".
So, I think that I have found something that will work okay for the time being, but I am always interested in finding more ways to get the evil out.
This is what I did last week - I did not grade them. On the attendance sheet there is a spot to grade the class. The teachers told me that I should never give a class anything lower than an "A". But, I just could not force myself to do that after another truly frustrating class.
Sooo...
I wrote comments instead on the class' performance on the front side AND the back side of the paper. All of the kids gathered around the podium and "oohed" and "ohhhed" with every new line I wrote. They knew they were in trouble. I wrote more than I needed to since I had the audience and I wanted to reinforce how disappointed I was with the class. Basically, I gave them a "0" for the day.
Fast forward to this Monday.
The kids were great! They were quiet when I told them to (and I only had to ask once) and participated very well - it was a great class. At the end when I had to grade them, they all crowded the podium and shouted their appeals - "We very good, teacher" and "We good, quiet today, teacher".
So, I think that I have found something that will work okay for the time being, but I am always interested in finding more ways to get the evil out.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Peek-A-Boo!
Here is another bathroom post just for Jerry!
I know that there have been more than a couple of posts involving the bathroom or going to the bathroom, but hey, a lot seems to happen there and during those moments of emergency bathroom clarity!
The idea of privacy is a lot different here - like, there is no sense of it. A couple of weeks ago, when we were going to make the trip to Xumi Shan, I thought that I should probably go visit the W.C. before the car trip out there because, well, who knows what the facilities would be like out there (I have seen many disgusting squatters in my day)!
So, I went into the school where Matt's office is located to use the squatters because they are usually pretty clean. I had forgotten how, um, "open" it was in there. There are little stalls with half partitions, no doors, no curtain, not even a full partition. You back into one of the little stalls and squat - booty facing the flusher, face towards the aisle.
Well, I thought that, yes, this IS something that I can do! So I walked in, backed into a stall and dropped trow. The women next to me then peeked around the partition to chat and to check out what/how I was doing. Ohmygod! What ARE you doing lady? It is one thing to recognize that there is no privacy and just go on about one's business with great efficiency and not bother the other people. It is quite another thing to take advantage of the situation and check out other people at one of the more private of moments.
She finished up, and left. Whew! I can finally go (pee shy). Nope - Ohmygod! What ARE you doing lady (again)? She decided to come back, but this time she brought friends to check out what I was doing. So, not just peeking around the partition, but standing over me, in front of me and also staring over the partition all trying to witness me going to the bathroom.
I really didn't have much of a choice - I did have to go.
So....
They all clapped and one of the women handed me some tissues while laughing. I honestly have never held an audience captive quite like that before.
Thank God I didn't miss.
I know that there have been more than a couple of posts involving the bathroom or going to the bathroom, but hey, a lot seems to happen there and during those moments of emergency bathroom clarity!
The idea of privacy is a lot different here - like, there is no sense of it. A couple of weeks ago, when we were going to make the trip to Xumi Shan, I thought that I should probably go visit the W.C. before the car trip out there because, well, who knows what the facilities would be like out there (I have seen many disgusting squatters in my day)!
So, I went into the school where Matt's office is located to use the squatters because they are usually pretty clean. I had forgotten how, um, "open" it was in there. There are little stalls with half partitions, no doors, no curtain, not even a full partition. You back into one of the little stalls and squat - booty facing the flusher, face towards the aisle.
Well, I thought that, yes, this IS something that I can do! So I walked in, backed into a stall and dropped trow. The women next to me then peeked around the partition to chat and to check out what/how I was doing. Ohmygod! What ARE you doing lady? It is one thing to recognize that there is no privacy and just go on about one's business with great efficiency and not bother the other people. It is quite another thing to take advantage of the situation and check out other people at one of the more private of moments.
She finished up, and left. Whew! I can finally go (pee shy). Nope - Ohmygod! What ARE you doing lady (again)? She decided to come back, but this time she brought friends to check out what I was doing. So, not just peeking around the partition, but standing over me, in front of me and also staring over the partition all trying to witness me going to the bathroom.
I really didn't have much of a choice - I did have to go.
So....
They all clapped and one of the women handed me some tissues while laughing. I honestly have never held an audience captive quite like that before.
Thank God I didn't miss.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Monday Demons
Have you ever just not liked about 50 eleven year olds all at one time? No really, think about it - I'll give you time.
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So, as you might have guessed, classes this morning did not go that well. The ratio of devil children to normal/good children in my Monday morning classes is about 10:1. So, out of the 100 kids I see in the morning about 10 of them are good. With the 90 (or so) other children, I feel like I should draw a pentagram on the floor and send them back to their maker.
Honestly.
The vast majority of my kids are very sweet, friendly and will work hard in my classes. But there is just something about my Monday morning classes (let's throw in half of Thursday too) that just makes me want to wear all black and conjure the evil beast that created them.
One of the problems is that there is no way for me to discipline the bad students. Why? Well, we were told that none of the teachers discipline their students. There is no "D.R." that I can send them to and I can't send them in the hall or anything like that. Nose again the blackboard - nope, corner - nada, anything that would embarrass them - bu hao.
We were told that we can't do anything that would physically, mental or emotionally make the child feel bad about his or her self. If the child does the teacher is held responsible. If the child kills his or her self then the headmaster is fired. So, others are held responsible for how the child acts. Kind of feels like blackmail to me.
The only tools I have are to tell the class to "be quiet" (how often did you pay attention to that in school?) and make a symbol with my hands that looks like "T" which means stop. Yeah right.
So, I am appealing to all of you out there, any ideas to help exorcise my Monday demons?
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So, as you might have guessed, classes this morning did not go that well. The ratio of devil children to normal/good children in my Monday morning classes is about 10:1. So, out of the 100 kids I see in the morning about 10 of them are good. With the 90 (or so) other children, I feel like I should draw a pentagram on the floor and send them back to their maker.
Honestly.
The vast majority of my kids are very sweet, friendly and will work hard in my classes. But there is just something about my Monday morning classes (let's throw in half of Thursday too) that just makes me want to wear all black and conjure the evil beast that created them.
One of the problems is that there is no way for me to discipline the bad students. Why? Well, we were told that none of the teachers discipline their students. There is no "D.R." that I can send them to and I can't send them in the hall or anything like that. Nose again the blackboard - nope, corner - nada, anything that would embarrass them - bu hao.
We were told that we can't do anything that would physically, mental or emotionally make the child feel bad about his or her self. If the child does the teacher is held responsible. If the child kills his or her self then the headmaster is fired. So, others are held responsible for how the child acts. Kind of feels like blackmail to me.
The only tools I have are to tell the class to "be quiet" (how often did you pay attention to that in school?) and make a symbol with my hands that looks like "T" which means stop. Yeah right.
So, I am appealing to all of you out there, any ideas to help exorcise my Monday demons?
Hope
So, I just bought a belt at the local grocery store. It's pretty ugly. As of this week, "hope" will no longer be the only thing holding my pants up (especially since it was starting to wear a little thin).
I got it for the English - it cracked me up in the store. Here is what my belt says:
The first line:
let's spend thenight together ruby tcesday play with fiee satisfaction COME ON i wannabe your man TELL ME Bill Wynans in anothreb lanoitsall over now Let's
The next line:
paint it! black THE TOUGOGUYS get off of hy colud iustwannamakelovetoyou the TOUGO Guys no expectations Pain
The last line:
beartof stone andhew loog old ham the lanternby the tougo guys eave you seen tournd ther! Bady! Standing in the seadgwi no mabk away bear
Ahhh...what sweet poetry! "Standing in the seagwi no mabk away bear" - simply beautiful! It just brings a tear to my eye.
Anyhow, I will post more later, but until then, "Beartof stone and hew loog old ham".
I got it for the English - it cracked me up in the store. Here is what my belt says:
The first line:
let's spend thenight together ruby tcesday play with fiee satisfaction COME ON i wannabe your man TELL ME Bill Wynans in anothreb lanoitsall over now Let's
The next line:
paint it! black THE TOUGOGUYS get off of hy colud iustwannamakelovetoyou the TOUGO Guys no expectations Pain
The last line:
beartof stone andhew loog old ham the lanternby the tougo guys eave you seen tournd ther! Bady! Standing in the seadgwi no mabk away bear
Ahhh...what sweet poetry! "Standing in the seagwi no mabk away bear" - simply beautiful! It just brings a tear to my eye.
Anyhow, I will post more later, but until then, "Beartof stone and hew loog old ham".
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Where have all the Chinese Gone?
Remember that "cowboy" song in the '90s by Paula Cole?ANYway....
Last week we got a pleasant surprise - both of our schools have exams at the end of the month. Why is this a good thing, you may ask? Because Matt and I don't give exams! So, we get the three testing days off (yes, they have tests all day for three days)! Unexpected five day weekend - Whoo Hoo!
We first thought that we were going to try to go to Lanzhou. But when we went to buy train tickets, they did not have any more available. Since it was an overnight train we didn't want to risk it by just buying a ticket that will get us on the train but no seat/bed AND we didn't want to lose a day by waiting until the next day SOOO...
Hello Yinchuan!
The last time we were in Yinchuan, it was more of a hectic visit and we were not able to really see anything or enjoy the city. So, we wanted to give the good ol' provincial capitol another shot. We boarded the bus in the afternoon and began the bumpy trip up to the city.
The bus let us off at the same hotel that we had stayed at before - The Gulou Hotel. It's a pretty comfortable place, clean and has most excellent showers! The first night there we had a quest - to find the pizza restaurant that we saw when we were hoofing it around the city last time. The problem was that we just couldn't remember what direction it was from the pedestrian mall. So we started to walk - past the chicken burgers at Dico's, past the mashed potatoes at KFC - we got to the corner and Matt looked right, I left and whaaa (that angel appearing sound effect) - the glowing neon sign of Napoli's was shining bright in the night sky.
We entered the restaurant and were quickly greeted by the super friendly staff. We paid for the meal up front and were a little confused as to what we were supposed to do next. We wanted pizza. We were seated at a table and we were trying to figure out how to order when we saw what we were supposed to do. Help ourselves! There was a buffet of pizza and other food that we could indulge in.
Now, I don't know if you in the States can fully appreciate this, but at the fast food restaurants that we have been to here, they clear your tray for you as soon as you finish eating. They will sometimes bring you your food. The wait staff does everything for the customer - even pour your soda from the bottle and wait to refill it when your glass is only a quarter full. So, to finally get to heap whatever you want on our plate was kind of a treat for us.
Load 'em up!
I ate like a true pig.
No, really. I kid you not.
I piled up my plate, sat down, face down close to the food and inhaled. Pizza - more importantly cheese! Breaded onion rings! french fries with real ketchup! salad (I haven't had a real salad since I left the states)! soda! pasta! minestrone soup! AND real, freshly ground espresso!
Ahhh...after 3 plates of food (I'm sure that we disgusted the wait staff with our gluttony). We were finished and needed to beach ourselves on our beds at the hotel. So, we waddled back and shut ourselves in for the rest of the evening (we watched a truly terrible movie about Korean marathon runners in LA).
The next day we went out to see some of the sights in Yinchuan. The drum tower was right across the street from our hotel (so we saw that), we walked down to the Yuhuang Ge (Yuhuang Pavilion) but it is currently under renovation, so we couldn't go in or really see it as it was covered up by scaffolding. We found the foreign language book store and picked up some teaching materials and other books there. Then we headed toward the Regional Museum and Xi Ta (Xi Pagoda).
On the way to the museum and pagoda, we decided to stop so Matt could get his hair cut. He didn't want to get it done in Guyuan because of the attention it would attract so Yinchuan was his opportunity. They took Matt up to wash his hair, while he was upstairs, the head stylist made his entrance. He whisked off his jacket and his assistant caught it. She then ran over to a silver box and unlocked it and presented him with his tools. He dramatically unrolled the bundle and whipped out his scissors.
Matt's hair cutting team all stood around the stylist and watched as he went to work on Matt's noggin. After an HOUR, he was finished and they washed Matt's hair again and then he styled it - soon to be covered by a baseball cap.
So, finally, on to the museum and pagoda. Luckily the grounds were really close from the salon (just about across the street). We paid our admission and entered the park. Eerie. We were the only ones there. No one but Matt and I (and the workers). They would unlock all of the halls just for us. We climbed up to the top of the pagoda alone. No crowds, no pushing. Strange.
When we were finished we caught a cab to the Hai Bao Ta (North Pagoda). Same thing happened. We paid our admission, went inside and we were once again alone. Alone in China?! We really, truly had the whole place to ourselves. We walked up the stairs to the top of the pagoda - no crowds. Unobstructed pictures, weird.
Mid-afternoon we decided to try to arrange a tour out to see Xixia Wangling (Mausoleums of the Western Xia). The agency we found had no English tours, so they offered to help us rent a car and driver. So, off we went! After a little bit our driver pointed out a sign for a tour we could go to sometime - to see the areas and sets that Zhang Yi Mou (Johnny Mo - for you film buffs) uses in his movies. Then he pointed at the fields - dotted across the landscape were these mudbrick piles. Beautiful!
We got to the site and were put on a golf cart that would take us out there. First, they stopped at the museum. The museum was okay and had signs in English so Matt and I were able to get something out of the exhibits, but the tour was all in Chinese. So, we finished up early and ditched the tour group. We then went to the "art exhibit". When we entered we both groaned, more bad dioramas - we just want to see the mounds! We asked around and were eventually pointed in the right direction.
We dashed out of the "art exhibit", past the stele garden and focused on getting to the mounds while the light was still good. They built a walk way up to the biggest of the mounds. Gigantic. As we walked up to the mound, Chinese fighter planes were flying in formation right above us. The contrast between the earth-colored mound and the cloudless blue sky was quite striking. We walked...ran up to the mound and stood in it's shadow, mouths open in awe and excitement. The landscape was beautiful! The Helan Shan mountain range was the backdrop to these amazing tumuli. The sun was beginning to set and we had to hurry back to meet our driver. So we said a quick goodbye and walked back to the cart.
That evening we decided to try to find a dumpling place for dinner. In the front window of the restaurant they had a bunch of people sitting at a table making dumplings as fast as possible. We stopped to watch for a little bit and, whoops, production stopped. All of the dumpling makers were watching Matt. We went inside and ordered our jin (weight measurement) of dumplings. On the way out, Matt caused another slow down in production, because, well, he's white after all.
The next morning was a bit of a kicker - etiquette is quite different here - we woke up to people yelling in the hall right in front of our door. Seriously, yelling just for the sake of yelling - there were no discernible words in what we heard. After the yelling, someone just decided to try to barge into our room and sell us water. Hey, why not? After all it's my fault because I forgot to put out the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door knob - by all means just unlock the door and come on in!
We decided to take it easy - we went DVD shopping, grocery shopping (found peanut butter), and had lunch at...Napoli's! So, nice and overly full, we boarded our bus and headed back to Guyuan.
Lovin' till it Hurts
Just a quickie -
I was thinking about an incident with my kids from the other day that was pretty funny.
I share my office with the other junior English teachers. Between classes the kids have about 10 minutes to unwind from the previous lesson. Usually, they go to the offices to ask questions or get additional help. The English teachers are all very good, but are really strict with the kids - many a time I have seen a little kid reduced to tears by one of them. They speak really quite briskly and sternly with the little ones.
So, yesterday, one of the teachers was kinda "Chinese" yelling at one of the kids and whipping her paper with a metal pointer. The girl was getting really upset. Meanwhile the line of students at that teacher's desk was getting really long. Suddenly, the teacher bellowed out for all of the kids to wait in the hall and she would call them in when she was ready. So all of the kids moved.
The children I teach are all very sweet and friendly. From the doorway there was a group of 6 boys that were waving to me (I had just seen them I little earlier in the day), smiling and mouthing "Hello, Ms. Molly/Brown". Whenever one of the Chinese teachers would look over they would duck out of sight. Then they would slowly creep back and do it again.
This went on for a couple of minutes and I was getting a kick out of them. The next time I looked over at them all six of the boys started to hug each other and were giggling. The longer I looked, the more intense the hugging and giggling became. Then the coordination problem - they attempted a big group hug while trying to wave to me at the same time and they all fell down!
The English teachers yelled a little at them for creating such a ruckus and they all scampered off to class. As soon as they left and the office door was closed, all of the teachers just cracked up and couldn't stop laughing.
I was thinking about an incident with my kids from the other day that was pretty funny.
I share my office with the other junior English teachers. Between classes the kids have about 10 minutes to unwind from the previous lesson. Usually, they go to the offices to ask questions or get additional help. The English teachers are all very good, but are really strict with the kids - many a time I have seen a little kid reduced to tears by one of them. They speak really quite briskly and sternly with the little ones.
So, yesterday, one of the teachers was kinda "Chinese" yelling at one of the kids and whipping her paper with a metal pointer. The girl was getting really upset. Meanwhile the line of students at that teacher's desk was getting really long. Suddenly, the teacher bellowed out for all of the kids to wait in the hall and she would call them in when she was ready. So all of the kids moved.
The children I teach are all very sweet and friendly. From the doorway there was a group of 6 boys that were waving to me (I had just seen them I little earlier in the day), smiling and mouthing "Hello, Ms. Molly/Brown". Whenever one of the Chinese teachers would look over they would duck out of sight. Then they would slowly creep back and do it again.
This went on for a couple of minutes and I was getting a kick out of them. The next time I looked over at them all six of the boys started to hug each other and were giggling. The longer I looked, the more intense the hugging and giggling became. Then the coordination problem - they attempted a big group hug while trying to wave to me at the same time and they all fell down!
The English teachers yelled a little at them for creating such a ruckus and they all scampered off to class. As soon as they left and the office door was closed, all of the teachers just cracked up and couldn't stop laughing.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Perspective: Coping with Chinese Hospitality
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change....
So, things have been going pretty well here in Guyuan. Matt and I are getting familiar with the city and have found our favorite eating places and have even picked up a few friends (even if we really can't talk to them).
Life here is generally pretty pleasant. We have a great apartment and the weather isn't too bad yet. I have not been the victim of stray mucus since that one sticky incident. Things are going rather well.
EXCEPT for the whole coping with Chinese hospitality thing.
Courage to change the things I can...
Case 1: Molly's 29th Birthday -
I know that they were trying to make it a really special event (and I can recognize the thoughtfulness) but really, a five and a half hour dinner? AND drinking games for the majority of that time when the guest of honor is a non-drinker. But I have already ranted about this so I won't go into it again.
Case 2: Come Meet My Friend -
So, things have been going pretty well here in Guyuan. Matt and I are getting familiar with the city and have found our favorite eating places and have even picked up a few friends (even if we really can't talk to them).
Life here is generally pretty pleasant. We have a great apartment and the weather isn't too bad yet. I have not been the victim of stray mucus since that one sticky incident. Things are going rather well.
EXCEPT for the whole coping with Chinese hospitality thing.
Courage to change the things I can...
Case 1: Molly's 29th Birthday -
I know that they were trying to make it a really special event (and I can recognize the thoughtfulness) but really, a five and a half hour dinner? AND drinking games for the majority of that time when the guest of honor is a non-drinker. But I have already ranted about this so I won't go into it again.
Case 2: Come Meet My Friend -
Matt and I have decided that he is just not allowed out by himself anymore because something always happens.
Matt went to go pay our phone bill so it wouldn't get shut off (in hindsight that might not have been such a bad thing). On his way back he ran into one of the senior English teachers that he works with. The English teacher said that his friend really wanted to meet Matt and if he would be willing to go to his office. Matt agreed and they went to the traffic bureau.
There, he met with the #2 guy in charge of traffic - yes, the #2 guy in charge of traffic (hmmm...there are like 400 cars in the city)! So, they sat around there for a bit (Matt truly just sitting as they were not really speaking to him and just speaking to each other in Chinese). Finally, the moment of awe, in walks the #1 guy in charge of traffic (herein called #1TG)!
What winds up happening is I get a call (phone = trouble), it's Matt saying that the #1 guy in charge of traffic has invited us to dinner. I think it's a joke - I mean, #1TG, come on! Nope, serious, they will pick me up at the apartment. I wait. wait. wait. wait. still waiting. Phone rings - I am to meet them at the restaurant now - the English teacher says I can just hop in a cab - yeah, sure - me no speaky Chinese. So I walk to the traffic guy's dinner.
So, we're at the restaurant, I don't want beer. I want a soda. Ahhh, nice refreshing soda. I tell the English teacher that is what I want. He orders and tells me that I will be drinking fruit beer. I don't want nasty fruit beer (tastes like carbonated funk - stained band-aids), I want a Coke. No luck.
One hour...
The dice come out for drinking games.
Two hours...
Three hours...
We try to leave and were told that we can't and that it should only take us 5 minutes to prepare our lessons (we tried to use our classes as the out).
Four hours...
We really want to leave and are told to wait 20 more minutes.
Four and a half hours and we were finally permitted to go home.
The best part of the dinner was that the host, the #1TG wasn't even there for the majority of the time for his dinner!
Case 3: I want to INVITE you to dinner - Our 1st wedding anniversary -
This year we decided that we were going to celebrate our wedding anniversary early - as we were planning on being gone to Liupan Shan on the day of. So, we planned on making our precious boxes of jambalaya and red beans and rice (because we got engaged in New Orleans). But we had discovered that our phone line was not working. So we went down to China Telcom to get it worked out.
As soon as the phone was fixed and I was finishing up the anniversary feast, we get a call. Guess who? Yup, English teacher. He was calling to invite us to a dinner for one of his students. Matt told him, very nicely, that we could not because it was our anniversary and we had plans. Then English teach said, but you must, it has already been arranged. I will call you at 5:00 PM and will meet you at the gate of your apartment. Great.
So, we wait. wait. wait.
At 6:00 PM he decides to call us and say that he will be waiting for us at the gate in 5 minutes. So, we get there and wait. wait. wait. Finally, he shows up. We go to the restaurant (the same one we had just been to for the other marathon dinner). We find out that neither of us actually have this student, and really, it was more of a, "Look how important I am, I can get the foreigners to come" type of thing.
One hour...
Dice come out, drinking games commence. I get fruit beer.
Two hours...
I wave down a waitress and order a Coke directly from her. English teacher gives me a look. The children of the hosts come to say hello to their teachers. I find out that I have their son in my junior 3 special class.
Three hours...
We speak English with their kids. Matt begins the exit strategy (it is our anniversary, we must get home so I can surprise my wife).
Three and a half hours...
The dinner is far from over, but we are able to leave because, well, IT IS our wedding anniversary.
There is just something about being invited to something and being told that we have to do it.
Case 4: The Kidnapping -
Matt had been talking to the English teacher (before the traffic cop dinner) about going to Liupan Shan sometime over the weekend. We left the Saturday night dinner with the English teacher saying that he would call us about the mountain any time he felt like it.
So, around 9:50 AM he calls. Wakes us up. Tells us that we will meet him at our gate in 5 minutes. Matt says that we will need at least 15 min. English teachers says 5 min, Matt says 15 min., English teacher says okay 5 min. and hangs up.
We get ready as fast as we can and go out to the gate where we wait. wait. wait. wait. Finally, a police car pulls up to the curb and he tells us to hop in. So, off we go to the mountain, or so we think.
We pull into a driveway - perhaps picking up some other people. Nope! We get out of the car and walk into #1TG's home. There was some food out for us. We thought, okay, so a little quick nosh and then off to the mountain. Wrong! Just when I was about to pull off a piece of bread a group of about 12 kids file in. They are here to practice their English - for the next FOUR hours!
I mean, really, how much can the average adult really find to talk about with a 12-14 year old? Much less for FOUR hours and in a language that the kid is learning? I honestly wanted to poke my eyes out.
Lunch.
Finally, at 2:00 PM we leave for the mountain. Liupan Shan was really beautiful and everything, but I just am not sure that it was worth enduring the four hours of tween (y'know, not quite teen, but in-between) and teen chat at #1TG's house. We spent about 2 hours getting there and coming back.
Sensing a dinner, Matt and I decided to try to get an exit plan started in the car. So we chat about a phone call that I am expecting from my parents in the US (trying the family angle). We ask how long it will take to get back and say to them that "that will work out really well because my parents will be calling at 7 PM". Then, right after English teacher has that morsel of information I heard him talking with #1TG about going to dinner. What is wrong with this guy!
We notice that we didn't take the turn that we would need to get home. Instead, we pull into a restaurant. We say that we don't think that we will have time because I have to get home for the phone call. Blank stares. They do rush through dinner, but we don't get home until after 7 PM - too late for my fake phone call. English teacher knew this and was noticeably absent from the car that took us home (as he lives just down the alley from us).
If they would just ask us, things would generally be okay and we would be willing to spend 4 hours with kids, etc. But the demanding, the disregard for our personal plans and the bamboozling just doesn't put us in the most cooperative mood (to put it nicely).
...and the wisdom to know the difference.
So the phone can ring...there will just be no answer.
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