Thanks. Giving.

I have now spent, the American Holiday,Thanksgiving in two different countries on two different continents. After a few weeks of routine Alex and I received a MUCH needed break in our trip to Hong Kong for Thanksgiving. We joked, since it is just the two of us in Jiangmen, that he misses guys and I miss girls. So we were ecstatic when we arrived at the stanley house, after getting a little lost and being two hours late, and found Tim and Wang Wei. It was as if we had never left. 

Thursday boasted one of the best Thanksgivings I have had yet. In the morning Geoff, Rachel and I went down to the beach. I swam in the South China Sea on Thanksgiving morning! We spent the day being lazy-- talking to other guests at the house while Mayra and some of the guys played American football. Then we all got ready and set of in a mini-bus to the Jockey club in Happy Valley Hong Kong. The dinner was amazing full of all different kinds of food--including turkey, smoked salmon, oysters, duck, fish, mac and cheese, ice cream etc. etc. It was heaven. Afterwards we set off to enjoy Lan Kwai Fong. Maybe, after three months of no hard liquor, a little too much fun--especially on ladies night. Not to mention it was also Rachel’s 23rd birthday. 

Friday morning was lazy. The morning spent at the beach. Then SHOPPING in Hong Kong where I found my beloved digestives that will always remind me of Ireland. Then on to H&M where I only had an hour to get my shopping fix in. I was successful with the help of my fellow Mary Knollers. Then, of course, on to a Variety Show put on by all of the Mary Knoll students in Hong Kong to raise money for Mary Knoll. The show was amazing complete with singing, dancing, skits, Kung Fu and Tae Kwon Do. It was hilarious. 

This time we stayed in talked, laughed and ate. For all too soon we were all leaving on Saturday. We said our goodbyes and started back to Jiangmen, but not before I could get my Starbucks fix. As I have told students the purpose of Thanksgiving is int he name. It is a holiday to Give Thanks. I am truly thankful for all of you in my life. Really I cannot tell you in words how much it means to me when I see you read my blog, or send me a quick hello in emails, Facebook or Skype. It has been wonderful and I know that without my friends and family I would not be able to have this great experience. I love all of you. 

Now. Hopefully. My next post will not be a month away. 

Same old. Same old.

Mundane. No, I do not like to admit it but sometimes I find myself in a rut. The explanation being I have now lived in China for three months and a state of “normalcy” has set in. I go to work, I eat, I nap, I go to restaurants, and the occasional outing to a park or shopping mall. I have a routine that is busy but not devoid of free time. I do not write as much as I should, which is evident in my sporadic blog posts, or even as much as I would like. It seems my perpetual procrastination has followed me from College. I have come to realize that not all of you know my schedule. 

Monday: I have class from 10am to 11:40am. At 2:30pm I meet with my “tutor” unfortunately I do not think he will really tutor me. I think he would rather improve his English. Then at 4:00pm I head over to Tim’s apartment, on the way I stop for some jiao zi to save for lunch the next day. Then Tim and I learn Cantonese cooking from Yin (a Chinese-English Teacher I have mentioned before). Finally, Jelly, yes Jelly, comes over for an hour of English. 

Tuesday: I have class at 8am(Sophomore Non-English Majors) and 10am (Freshmen English Majors). Then, I am sad and embarrassed to confess, Alex and I go for McDonald’s. What can I say it is much better in China than it is in the states and it is something different to eat. That is one thing I did not realize. The Chinese eat Chinese food and not much else. Of course they try other foods-- just as we do. However those “other foods” never become a regular like our Mexican food or Italian food does. 

Then, if it is not cancelled for lack of a practice space I go to a Jazz and Hip-Hop dance class from 2:30pm to 5pm. It is instructed by one of my friends Pinki who, I must say, should quit her Accounting Major and become a dancer/choreographer instead. Pinki and I usually go to Dinner after then my night is free. 

Oh, actually now I will meet with my new Chinese (Mandarin) tutor. Yes. It is three months in. I go on vacation in a month and I am just figuring this out now. 

Wednesday: I have class at 10am (Sophomore Non English Majors-- this is probably my most difficult class) and then 2:30pm (Sophomore English Majors). 

Thursday: I have two more classes one at 8am then another at 10am. Then it is, technically, my weekend. I usually go out with Yin or another friend. We walk around Jiangmen or go shopping. 

Friday: Is my one free day. Usually it fills up with errands, Skype dates or outings with Yin. But then us foreigners gather at Tim’s for Happy Hour where we have Pot Luck or go out to dinner. 

Saturday: A mostly free day. Except, in the morning, Alex and I help with the kids for two hours. (from 9am to 11:20) Oh, and now, at 3pm, I meet with my new Chinese tutor again.

Sunday: I have my last class of the week from 8:30am to 10:10. After this I usually got o my coffee house substitute TCBY. Grab a cup of Colombian coffee and a scoop of coffee ice cream. Hunker down and revise some writing or read. After this is planning for the next week. At 5pm Alex Tim and I have mass and go to dinner. 

Thus a week has passed and nothing is new. As I have told students, “same old, same old.” Yet, you never know, one day some students may just invite you to climb Guifeng mountain. The mountain you have waited for three months to climb and-- for lack of a better cliche, you just haven’t gotten around to climbing. So life is great here in little old Jiangmen. My home. 

Side Note: My black board handwriting looks better. And who knew a container of instant Folgers coffee could smell so good. Thanks Melissa and Stephanie!

18 hours at a Chinese Hot Spring. . . .

Two weeks ago I rescheduled my Thursday afternoon class so I could go to a Hot Spring in Zhongshan. I went with Yin, YIn’s father-in-law, a man who I have not had an actual conversation with--obviously because he does not know English, and his girlfriend. Apparently the two of them like the Hot Spring. . . .  a lot. I call Yin’s father-in-law Grandpa because, around me, he has never been referred to by any other name. But, frankly, he reminds me a little of Grandpa J. The four of us caught the city bus at 2:45pm and began our three hour journey for hot water, sleeping rooms, locker rooms, and unlimited food.

The journey included two points where we got off our bus and switched to a new one. We traversed busy streets to get to the new bus stop to be picked up. This included a turn in the wrong direction, cars dodged and many questions to passersby for help on where exactly the next bus would be. Needless to say I quickly learned each Chinese city can be new and just as confusing to the Chinese navigating it as it is to the western traveller. We were dropped off at the end of a dirt road. Fish farms lined either side and as we walked to the Hot Spring Resort. 

Once we waited for a few minutes. We had to wait because we could only be at the Hot Spring for a total of 18 hours. We arrived a little early to be able to insure three meals within those 18 hours. We waited so we would be able to enjoy dinner (that night), breakfast and lunch before we had to leave: by 1pm the next day. Minutes passed, the staff, complete with Hawaiian shirts and cowboy hats, gave each of us a bracelet-- to be worn at all times. It was the key to you locker too. 

Off to the locker rooms then straight to the chinese buffet. I was ecstatic to find unlimited coffee. It was a little too sweet but I will take what I can get. We stuffed ourselves full and then stuffed ourselves into our swimsuits (best idea of my life) to begin the Hot Spring extravaganza! The heat is unbearable at first. As you slide your body into the pool it becomes okay and then, eventually, relaxing. I was a little disappointed to find, instead of natural basins, different man-made pools the resort pumped hot spring water into. The pools were jacuzzi-like and lined with stones.  Patrons are not suppose to stay in any Hot Spring/Jacuzzi for more than 15 minutes and we did not. We basically tried every different pool except for the ones you have to pay extra for. For example, one pool housed a school of fish that would, after you step into the pool, swarm and nibble at your skin-- a form of acupuncture I was told. 

My favorite was the salt sauna. Yin and I took turns. I massaged her back then she did mine to exfoliate our skin. The salt seeped into our skin as if we were cured meat. The salt melted fast and our sweat dripped from our skin as if we were melting. We exited the sauna and jumped into another hot spring pool to rinse off our new skin. Smooth: like a baby. 

The sleep arrangements are a whole other story. Yin and I, after a midnight snack of cafe and bean paste filled rice balls, moseyed on over to the sleep room. One room. Full of about 50 chinese people all in there own reclining chairs. There were two left calling our names. Each reclining chair foldout into a bed. You are allotted one towel and one pillow. Everyone’s chairs come equipped with its own TV, headphones and moveable table. It was not that bad-- just a huge Chinese sleepover with about 48 other strangers. I was thankful for my ipod though. Public service announcement: snoring is common, no mater where you are.

After a night of great sleep, for me, and restless sleep for Yin (she did not have an ipod).  We finished our Hot spring day with breakfast. Then out to the hot spring pools and then back in for lunch and off we travelled back to Jiangmen. The ride back was less chaotic. Grandpa, Girlfriend and I even got a nap in and Yin gave me my first taste of Hershey’s chocolate in two months. I do not even like the stuff in America but was happy, so happy, to taste it in China

On a more recent note. . . . I had my first experience giving oral finals the first week back after the hot spring. I now know what my teachers went through. I think giving the Final is more exhausting than taking it. To follow it up our first week with a new group of students was this last week. This second group seemed less difficult than the first and perhaps it was because of confidence from my minute amount of experience.

Tidbits

It is so easy to fall into a routine no matter where you live. I still remember, as if it was last week, running out of my room into the living room where my college roommates were hanging out and writing papers. “I am going to China.” I told them. Some days, I find, I forget that this is China and then, suddenly, it will occur to me. . . . I AM IN CHINA.

Your feet will never be completely clean here. 

Motorbikes (Mopeds) are the popular mode of transportation here. In fact, I have seen whole families (the most a family of four) all on the same motorbike. The largest feat I have seen yet was three freshmen riding on one bicycle. 

It baffles me but the Chinese buy and sell MANY t-shirts with english phrases/words on them. MInd you, most Chinese do not know what the words mean or what they imply.   Also, sometimes, even the words do not make sense. The best t-shirts so far: “I am not easy but we can discuss it.” Wore by a fellow teacher’s student. One of my students even had a tee shirt on that said Vodka complete with a picture of a glass of vodka. 

Typhoon. Always Rainy in Guilin.

An American in China: the Chinese sleeper bus is one mode of transportation everyone should experience. . . . at least once. 

Alex and I set out on a vacation to Guilin this past week. We received the first through the seventh of October off for National Day. We decided to stay in Guilin from the 30th of September through the 6th of October. How were we to make this journey? Sleeper bus. A sleeper bus is a common mode of transportation here. Basically, it is a coach bus with three rows of bunch beds instead of seats. So you have to lay down most of your journey. With very little Chinese in our heads and survival chinese, written by William, in my notebook we set off on our journey. 

William, like the father figure he is to us followed us on to the bus to make sure we were settled in for our journey. We started to load the bus when Chinese was yelled at us from all angles. Apparently no shoes are allowed to be worn on the sleeper bus at any time. So, you must take off your shoes as you enter and place them in a plastic bag then, of course, put them back on before you exit the bus. Alex and I grabbed our top bunks by imitating monkeys to climb up. Or, should I say, I imitated a monkey as Alex is tall enough to lift himself in. (Riding on the top bunch can only be liked to an amusement park ride-- especially on the bumpy country roads) We said our goodbyes and thank yous to William and thought him gone when all of a sudden he rushed on to the bus to tell us the ride would not be 6 to 7 hours, like we were originally told, but 12 hours with no bathroom on the bus. 

Thus began our adventure. 

I should say the bus stopped promptly every two to three hours to allow us to walk around go to the bathroom and eat. This is where I found out one of my students was on the bus with me. I also mastered the squatters. A squatter is the Chinese toilet. Basically, a hole in the ground you squat over. In all honesty it is okay and makes sense if you think about it. But cleanliness in roadside squatters is not a priority thus creating a ripe smell. However this does not damper the animal life of China. In fact, as I “sat” down in my third squatter of the trip I was greeted by a small frog jumping at the chance to share my bathroom space with me. 

The trip was not too bad. We met a Senior student, Pinki, from Wuyi-- who I am sure I will become close friends with, watched some American and Chinese films(including two Jackie Chan movies), and I listened to some Mason Jennings while staring out my window and thinking to my self: you are in China, you are in China, you are in China and got some much needed sleep after my first month of teaching. 

Day one involved us getting to know the city of Guilin. Our first stop was the Price City Scenic area. Which, to be honest, was kind of pointless without English translations but I learned about the examinations Chinese scholars would take from Alex’s College Chinese history course. We also climbed our first peak/hill/mini mountain: Solitary Beauty Peak. These peaks are what Guilin, Yangshuo, XingPing are famous for and is said to be the most beautiful area of China. The peak boasted great views of the city. At the first look out I hit Alex and told him we were in CHINA to which he responded, “Why are you hitting me,” and, “we have been in China for a month now.” “I know,” I told him, “but, I think it just it me.” After that tourist stop we walked along the Li River where we found Bob Cafe. A little coffee shop/restaurant we frequented during our stay. We were stopped on the street by a salesman who promised us a the beauty of the Longji(Longxi) rice terraces. After a butt load of questions Alex and I agreed to the 180 yuan(our hostel provided the same trip for 400yuan). 

We met Pinki for dinner and enjoyed some shopping afterward. On the way back to the Hostel Alex and I stopped to watch the fireworks for National Day. The U.S. has nothing on China in terms of firework usage. 

Day two started off bumpy with an old couple refusing to get off the bus the the rice terraces. Alex and I were forced to get off instead while we were reassured another bus would be by in five minutes. After ten minutes our hostel ran out and told us to come back into wait since it would be more like 20 minutes. In this time our hostel expected us to pack up so they could move our rooms while we were gone. So probably an hour later than we had planned we set off to the rice terraces. 

On the bus we met two women, english teachers, from America who were in their second year of teaching in China. They shared our dislike for the old couple(this old couple’s defiance to not get off the bus caused the four of us to start our tours late). After we left the bus Yao women bombarded us with bracelets and scarfs reciting looka, looka and so beautiful. The Yao are a minority group in China. The women have famed long hair that they only cut once in their life (if I remember correctly, at the age of 18) and they have to wear their hair in one of three styles that indicate their relationship status. One for single, one for married, and one for widowed. To my knowledge the men have to display no such thing. As long as you ignore the major tourist attraction Longji has become you can imagine a beautiful and different way of life in China. Although us westerners, the two women we met, Alex and I, joked about the lifestyle no longer existing except for the tourist. Comments about hair weaves and modern clothing torn off to slip into the traditional dress before the tourists arrived were common fodder. 

The night included an “Irish” pub with pizza and beer: much need after a long day of being a tourist. 

Day three was a long day full of ups and downs. We met my students Blair and her friend Kellin (her spelling not mine) to travel to Yangshuo. We expected to rent some bikes and try to go hiking but, in my fear of missing out, Alex and I joined Blair and Kellin for a Li River “Bamboo” boat ride. The “Bamboo” is actually PVC pipe. I am glad we did it but it turned out to be a day of mostly traveling instead of exploring. 

We took the bus for an hour and a half to Yangshuo. Then we took a bus to Xing Ping for and hour then we took a rickshaw type go cart for thirty minutes to get to a boat. Our driver was the slowest on the river. He hit almost ever wave spraying Alex and I and ran into multiple boats. We were cold and wet but all I could do was laugh because what else could I do and if nothing else it is now a great story. The views, I do have to say, were amazing though. A lot of my students said Guilin is beautiful and the water is so clear but I, environmental me, could not help but think the water will not stay clear for long with all of these motorized “Bamboo” boats and tourists throwing their trash in the water. 

Our transportation back should have it’s own paragraph. . .  . or two, so here it is: 

China is overpopulated. When you visit a smaller town it only makes sense that catching a bus would become more difficult with a lot of waiting involved. When we got to Xing Ping a bus back to Yangshuo was loading. It was obvious we would not make it on to this bus but it seemed all of the people pushing to get on this bus would not make it on either. There were too many people and not enough boats. . . . or I mean, not enough seats. We watched a western couple make their own luck by opening a window in the back of the bus and climbing in. The girlfriend had a little more trouble than the boyfriend. A Chinese man was more than willing to help and proceeded to push her into the open window via her butt. This was all so hilarious until another bus rolled in and we realized we would have to do the same thing. 

The stampede began but this bus decided to make it a challenge and proceeded to turn itself around. The mob of us pressed against the door, thank God for Alex in this situation,only to side step a few more feet as the bus inched forward and refused to open its doors. Finally, it opened. It was as if the bus was submerged in the Li River and we were the water rushing though a broken window. Alex and I squeezed and elbowed our way on. I turned around to reach for Kellin’s hand and pulled her in. Blair eventually made it but had to stand while Alex, Kellin and I got seats. 

We separated from Blair and Kellin when we got back to Yangshuo--we had different ideas of how we wanted to spend the rest of our time. As Alex and I weaved through the crowded Yangshuo streets we, I, became thankful we did not stay in Yangshuo even if the backpacker/bars and promises of immense hiking called my name. We finally found a quiet coffee shop where I got my first mocha in a month. 

An hour later we joined the line, of a million Chinese people that wound around like a snake, to get back to Guilin. Dinner, fried rice, was in the Hostel this night as we did not get back until 11pm. 

Day four Alex and I decided to explore on our own, as it was probably best. We went to the Reed Flute Cave where the fake colored lighting and water pumped in to create “natural” pools could not detract from the beauty of the cave. I wanted to camp out there like the Goonies or the lost boys. It really made me feel like a kid when my Mom and Dad would take us to caves all over Indiana and South Dakota. 

The after was lazy with walking around the pagodas in the city. We found a steam bun man too. Naps were had back at the hostel and after we met Pinki, again, for dinner and shopped in an “Art Gallery.” I was suckered into buying two paintings. One will definitely be a Christmas present for Mom and Dad. The night was spent with two Americans in our Hostel, here teaching English, we talked and drank beer. It was really nice to share experiences in China with people who were our own age and people who knew what we were going through. We also talked about home and futures. The topics that are so interesting when first meeting someone. I was happy to hear that the things they knew about Minnesota were Brother Ali, Atmosphere, and Garrison Keillor. 

Day five was our last day in Guilin. We visited Elephant Trunk HIll and climbed some more. I love to climb. We indulged at Bob cafe; I had another mocha and Alex had a banana split. Dinner was at the Irish pub again(as Jiangmen does not have one) followed by packing for our 12 hour journey home. 

It was a great and much needed trip. Did I forget to mention it rained the whole time?

Yin. Yang.

In the third grade I had a Yin Yang pendant strung on a black cloth string around my neck. I wore that necklace everyday that year and never truly new what it meant. All I knew was black and white were opposites. 

I consider myself a person who believes; everything is interconnected while seemingly stands all alone. I look to themes within a culture to relate to or to enrich the knowledge I have gained from each place. Yin Yang has already come up  in common conversation while living in China. 

These two little half circles have turned into so much more than opposites. It is in China I have finally learned what the symbol truly means. The symbol displays opposites can only exist within the presence of the other. Opposites echo in life here. Man and woman,  poor and rich, elder and child, teacher and student, open-minded and close-minded. The list goes on. Differences are recognized but not dwelled upon. 

Many say the US breeds straight forward people--fast talking business men or “take no crap” bosses but what I have experienced, so far, in China is the chinese are much more straight forward. Actually, they are the most straight forward people I have ever met. They are also some of the kindest people I have ever met. 

Yin, the english name of a teacher I have met at Wuyi, has become a kind of mother figure to me. She is the most hilarious chinese woman I have met and the most blunt. We call each other friends but we seem more like family. At least, one day a week Yin and I go out around the town. Mainly we window shop and she introduces me to different foods but she has also showed me her hometown, right outside of Jiangmen’s city. 

She has told me some of her story of how she came to be where she is today. The late Tom Wilcox must be mentioned here because he was integral for Yin’s career as a Chinese English teacher. Without his influence, he helped her study abroad in New York, I am not sure I would have loved Jiangmen as much as I do. I feel as though she is my Tom Wilcox in China. Through this relationship I have seen the Yin Yang of the poor and rich.

Yin and her family are by no means rich but they do very well for themselves in China. However, this is not what Yin was always used to. I have mentioned that she showed me her hometown and the house where she grew up. When I climbed into her old home I was hit by how far she has come in life. The house had a, basically, dirt floor. When you enter you have the shower/bathroom on your left and the kitchen on your right. For this section there was no roof because this is also where the stairs were that led to the roof where, she told me, they would set out the rice. One more step over a threshold and you are in the living room. There were three bedrooms one to the left and two to the right. The third, yin said, was rented out when her family lived there. That was her life and now it has greatly improved because of the people she has met and drive she has within herself. Yin Yang. 

On our outing this past Sunday Yin and I went to the market and bought an abundance of fruit. It happened to be in an area where Yin used to live so naturally the woman selling us tangerines was someone she knew. Of course Yin could not remember her but the woman did and Jiangmen is a city of 4 million people! On greeting Yin the woman told her she has gained weight. Yin responded, “So have you.” “Yes,” said the woman, “you do not look very old though. . . . except for your gray hair.” This would be rude in America but in China it is a normal, perfectly acceptable line of questioning when saying hello to someone. 

People ask me, “Are you married?” “Do you have kids?” “Do you have a boyfriend?” What an American would wait to ask someone when they first meet them the Chinese would ask right after- how are you? However my friends here and almost everyone I meet wants to help me in any way they can. I know I know--”it is only because I am a westerner”-- but when I ask students what they like about Jiangmen, most, say that the people are so nice. 

A few weeks ago Alex Tim and I set out to find the elusive Red Garlic. A western restaurant where  we were told we could find the best pizza in Jiangmen. It was sprinkling-- as it has been on and off for a while now. So we walked outside the north gate from campus to catch a taxi. CRASH. The sound of metal and plastic colliding with pavement invaded my ears and I could barely comprehend what happened before I followed Tim over to the commotion. A woman had braked on her moped, caught some water underneath her tire and ended up sideways on the ground-- in the middle of, probably, the busiest street in Jiangmen. Tim went to her aid along with two other Chinese students. He had to rip her raincoat to free her from the bike. The Chinese wear poncho type raincoats that cover them and their entire moped in the rain. All I could do was stand around them and kept an eye out to make sure other drivers paid attention and went around us. 

Eventually the students moved her to the curb, her leg was hurt but no bleeding. Tim asked the security at the gate if they could call the police or someone to take her to the hospital but; the guard did not understand or did not want to call. We realized we did as much as we could do. So we left the woman with the two students and found a taxi. We passed the incident again, because the taxi had to circle back around, and viewed the student on the woman’s bike while the woman rode behind. He was a stranger and he did all of this for her. Yin Yang. 

Tidbits. 

The people of China are said to all look the same. To quote Chris Tucker in the movie Rush Hour, “All y'all’ look alike.” Yet, I have found some to remind me of family or friends back home. 

Yes. The form of potty training is a cut in the pants of your child’s clothing, then taking them to the side of the street and letting them “do their business” while you cradle them  between your legs (butt facing the pavement- a makeshift toilet). I did not notice this until I read John Murray's eloquent blog paragraph on the subject. Thanks John. 

One Saturday, while helping a Chinese teacher in her English classroom, I wrote gray on the board-- we were talking about colors. She promptly told me I spelt it wrong. So I switched to the British English spelling of grey and moved on. I have now realized the Chinese learn British English not American English. This was also the case when I described my “pet peeve” to my students: when people throw trash on the ground. They did not understand until I changed the word trash to rubbish. (I thought you would enjoy this one Katie Johnson.) Exit signs are also marked with “Way Out,” I now refer to the bathroom as the W.C., and I have also seen signs that say “Mind Your Head.”

I see footprints in the cement sidewalks and streets every where. Maybe this is because I look down a lot-- the ground (even paved) is very uneven here. But, I swear it is as if the Chinese want to do things their own way. They will not wait for the cement to dry. 

Take care. Save face.

Exactly a week ago today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, or the Moon Festival. It is a grand celebration, much like the American Thanksgiving, where families gather and have a dinner together. Followed by the lighting of lanterns and the eating of Mooncakes. It is a celebration of an old fable, complete with various versions. From what I can recall it is a story of two lovers separated because of a mistake the wife made. In the end the Husband, Houyi, lives on the Sun(yang) and Chang’e, the wife, lives on the moon. Houyi visits her once a year. Hence the moon is full, bright and beautiful on the day of the Mid-Autumn festival. 

For this foreign teacher the celebration meant memories with new friends and allowed three days off from teaching to do so. So it was set Sunday night Alex and I would be VIPs at a nationally televised concert by CCTV, this was the first time-ever-for it to be televised from Jiangmen, with major Chinese artists and dancers. Then, Monday night, the actual day of celebration, would be a smaller but more family/friends affair with our new friends Yin, William, June and their family as well as a few other foreigners. Alex and I would be picked up by William at 2:30 to help make sushi, pizza and dumplings and then the eating and merriment would commence. 

Saturday, sometime in the afternoon Alex and I received an invitation to go to the President’s house to celebrate the moon festival at 9pm on Sunday night. When I asked if that would be right after the CCTV event; I was told no the CCTV event will be on Monday night. . . . Thus begins my first major cultural lesson in China. 

It amazes me that it has already been a month here in China. I sometimes feel as if I am just getting to know the place. I guess I am in a way because every single day I learn something new wether it be a new part of the street or that the grocery store closer to my apartment, the one I have been avoiding, is actually cheaper than the one I have gone to. Yet sometimes, in certain hours of the day, I find myself jaded. At times I actually think the “American way” is the right way instead of just a different way. I find my self uncomfortable when int he attempt to embrace chinese culture. The double-booking of the Mid-Autumn Festival happens to be my first run in with this tension. 

After the awareness of our double booking I set out to clear things up right away. I made countless calls and finally got a hold of Yin-- my mother figure in Jiangmen and a great friend. She informed me that my decision to turn down the CCTV event to attend my pre-planned outing to her home was very American of me. She informed me of her gratitude in my aim to keep my commitment to her but the pointed out that it was not necessary. In China it is okay to cancel things last minute and it would really “save them some face”* if I said yes to the CCTV offer. 

I was defeated, to say the least, and frustrated at my stubbornness, yet happy I could go to this great opportunity. I hung up the phone and felt like the “Stupid American” when all I wanted was not to bail out on a friend. But the chinese do things differently and so do the french and so do the irish and so do the minnesotans. Sometimes I need to remind myself of this. In the end Alex and I went to both. At 2:30 we made it to Yin’s, made sushi, pizza and dumplings. We stuffed our faces, talked and laughed just in time to be picked up at 7pm and whisked away to the area where the CCTV extravaganza occurred outside. 

All in all a lesson was learned and I still got a great night out of it. So take care. Save Face*. No matter how chalked my teacher’s bag gets I need to remind myself: I always have something to learn.

*For those of you who do not know-- or in other words you are me before I came to China. “Save Face” means to allow someone their dignity or to not slight them in anyway. For example, in orientation we were instructed to never yell at or “single out” a student because this would embarrass them or make them lose face. 

Not Lost. Just in CHINA.

        If you are new to this blog: two years ago I set out on an adventure to study and live in Ireland. I left my readers, my family and a few friends--  out of the loop. From my last post in 2009 it appears as though I left for London and Paris and never returned. However, I returned from Ireland and continued on to graduate from University with a major in English and a minor in History. 

Now that we got that out of the way I am typing to you from my little desk in my quaint, rough, urban apartment in Jiangmen, China. Yes, CHINA. This is what I have decided to do with my life. . . . at least for a year, teach Oral English to a LOT of University sophomores. 

The journey here was long to say the least. My first week in China was spent in Hong Kong where I got to know other teachers from Mary Knoll while we all went through a somewhat tedious and sometimes helpful orientation. The air was clear(er)-- due to the Mary Knoll house’s location, the toilets western, the city crowded, and the signs--for the most part-- all translated into English. So, to say the least, Hong Kong is a VERY western city. 

After a two and a half hour ferry ride, where I slept in the hopes of not throwing up from motion sickness. My new friends Fr. Tim Kilkelly, Alex Griep and I arrived in Jiangmen! My new home for the next year. We arrived on Saturday August 27th, Sunday August 28th we had our Foreign Teachers’ meeting and stated teaching on Monday. So to say that I was a little overwhelmed would be an understatement. I hated it. It was too many new things coming at me at once. Then some thoughtful words from family and friends made me realize I want to be here. To be able to do this, teach in China, for a year is an opportunity that I cannot dismiss as “no big deal.” 

Now, on my fourth Saturday in China I can safely say I am falling in like, which will hopefully turn to love, with a new country, new culture and new people. Here are some of the things I have observed over the past few weeks. My students are, for the most part, eager to learn although they are extremely shy which is frustrating at times. The Chinese people I have met so far are very hospitable. However, burps and hocking loogies are not uncommon and are considered a natural cleansing. The ground is so uneven here that I always watch my step. Building will spit on you unknown liquid. . . . runoff from who knows where? At night, on campus, those things flying around are not birds they are bats. Bats in abundance. It is normal to be a part of another person’s conversation on the phone because the chinese literally yell at the person on the other side. Every time you cross the street you risk your life because the bikes/motor bikes/cars/buses will not stop for you. Friends are touchy-feely while boyfriends/girlfriends are not. And, umbrellas are used more often for sun than for rain. 

These are just a few things I have learned in three weeks and I know I will learn more everyday until the day I leave. I have settled now though and I meet new friends everyday so really China has been pretty good to me.