Today was like a carnival, just like all the other days of this national holiday week. This morning our school driver picked our team up and a few other foreign teachers to see all the Nanchang "sights."
First we managed to get through downtown and parked near a temple. Several of the tree-lined streets surrounding the temple were like a make-shift festival. It reminded me of an old movie. Long streets were packed with vendors selling everything from fried squid on a stick to miniature bunnies in cages. Our team leader ended up with a gold fish. People were packed so tightly on the streets that I just focused on breathing. Men with microphones stood on little stages hawking their wares to little crowds gathered before them. Kids walked around with cotton candy and beggars sat in the middle of the river of people asking for change. The constant blaring microphones and music, in addition to thick smoke from the cooking food, and all the thousands of people, started to overwhelm me after the first hour. We just walked from one street to another without a destination in sight.
After that outing we headed to Nanchang's ritzy department store, "Rainbow." It is 8 stories tall and is filled with fancy clothes and very expensive shoes. A couple of girls on my team even ate cheescake there. We ate lunch there at a Chinese-style food court. I had spicy chicken on bones, green beans, and tomatoes with egg.
For the grand finale of the day they took us to the outskirts of town to Nanchang's ferris wheel. This is not an ordinary ferris wheel. This ferris wheel was the tallest in the world until last year. It puts the London Eye to shame. A few of my teammates and I paid the 50 yuan fare and rode on it for 45 minutes. It moved so slowly that a few times I thought for sure we were stuck. It was sort of crazy. We were all pretty fine and then one teammate basically started to hyperventilate because we were moving the car so much. Anyway, I tried not to freak out. We had a good view of the hazy Nanchang skyline, which is pretty impressive for this average sized inland city. We were also perched nearly above the big brown river. Countless barges the same color as the muddy river slowly moved along.
It was a pretty good day, but I think I'm ready for the holiday to be over. I don't feel productive at all, but still tired because we go on these wild excursions nearly every day. It has been great to see more of the city and the people. I would also like to see my students again!
Speaking of students, we met up with four Chinese students last night who are sisters in him. It was very nice getting to know them. We ate dinner, went to a karaoke place, and then taught them to play baseball at the old campus. We started playing baseball at about 8:30 p.m. It was so fun. We had a consistent crowd of about 50 students and the occasional police man watching. We managed to engage quite a few of them in the game. They thought it was extremely exciting and we had a great time. We played nearly until curfew under the Nanchang sky lit up with national day fireworks. It was a fitting end to the day.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Walmart and National Day
What happens when you go to the world's busiest Wal-mart on its busiest day of the year? I got to find out today.
Today happens to be October 1st, which is China's national day. It is a celebration of the founding of the communist People's Republic in 1949. So it's a big deal. Well, we also happen to be in the city where the whole communist revolution began.
This morning Joelle, Rachael, and I decided to head downtown to the main square to go to the Bai Yi Walmart which is the world's busiest. We didn't think many people would be there. Actually it was the day everyone wants to go to Walmart.
We walked outside the school gates and found a bus stop. We had to wait for several buses before one finally stopped to pick us up, because they were so full the doors couldn't even open. So on one bus Joelle and Rachael dashed for the back door and I lunged in through the front door. I rode the 20 minute ride with my back plastered to the door and with my face inches from the windshield. I could better see how close our bus was to running over people and cars.
A couple minutes into the ride the bus driver started talking to me and I couldn't understand him so the 10 people around him, who were all smashed together tried to help him out. The whole front of the bus was urgently telling me something in Chinese. Then they gave up because I couldn't figure it out. A few minutes later they all tried again and I felt really dumb. Finally some kid said in English, "Your friends did not put money in the box!" Ohhhh, okayyy. So I found some money and chucked it into the box next to the driver. Then everyone was happy again. Or as happy as they could be all tangled up together on the stuffy bus.
We jumped off the bus close to the square and were swept along with thousands of other people to the square. The square was filled with Chinese sitting or standing by the monuments and red banners. Little kids carried Chinese flags. I sort of felt like I was intruding on their holiday. They seem very proud of their country.
We tried in vain to find some lunch. All the restaurants and shops were overflowing and it was impossible to get anything to eat. So we followed the wave of people to Wal-mart on one side of the square. Wal-marts in China have several levels and you have to get on escalators. Rachael, Joelle, and I hung on to each other like a train and just let the crowd take us as mobs of people fed into the escalator line.
The Wal-mart itself was also packed. Picture the worst possible day at an American Wal-mart and multiply it by at least 30. I couldn't really see anything in the aisles so I ended up with a couple of random things like spaghetti sauce, banana bread, and a hair dryer. Random Chinese shoppers went out of their way to make sure I had the perfect hair dryer. They pointed to the best ones and demonstrated. I ended up with a little Panasonic one.
To check out, we had to choose from 40 checkout lines, each one with at least 15 or 20 people in them. We finally got out of there and decided to take a taxi back. We managed to chose the craziest driver in Nanchang.
We got back to campus in record time and were miraculously safe. He drove most of the time on the opposite side of the road at 90 km/hr and would just swerve back to the right side when there were 3 lanes of buses and trucks barreling toward us. People on bikes had to jump off to avoid getting hit by him. It was better not to watch.
Even though the outing was crazy, I'm so glad I got to experience it. This was Chinese culture at its greatest. This afternoon has been much slower. We are going to eat dinner with some Chinese students. I know this sounds rushed, but I better get going. Thanks for your thoughts!
Today happens to be October 1st, which is China's national day. It is a celebration of the founding of the communist People's Republic in 1949. So it's a big deal. Well, we also happen to be in the city where the whole communist revolution began.
This morning Joelle, Rachael, and I decided to head downtown to the main square to go to the Bai Yi Walmart which is the world's busiest. We didn't think many people would be there. Actually it was the day everyone wants to go to Walmart.
We walked outside the school gates and found a bus stop. We had to wait for several buses before one finally stopped to pick us up, because they were so full the doors couldn't even open. So on one bus Joelle and Rachael dashed for the back door and I lunged in through the front door. I rode the 20 minute ride with my back plastered to the door and with my face inches from the windshield. I could better see how close our bus was to running over people and cars.
A couple minutes into the ride the bus driver started talking to me and I couldn't understand him so the 10 people around him, who were all smashed together tried to help him out. The whole front of the bus was urgently telling me something in Chinese. Then they gave up because I couldn't figure it out. A few minutes later they all tried again and I felt really dumb. Finally some kid said in English, "Your friends did not put money in the box!" Ohhhh, okayyy. So I found some money and chucked it into the box next to the driver. Then everyone was happy again. Or as happy as they could be all tangled up together on the stuffy bus.
We jumped off the bus close to the square and were swept along with thousands of other people to the square. The square was filled with Chinese sitting or standing by the monuments and red banners. Little kids carried Chinese flags. I sort of felt like I was intruding on their holiday. They seem very proud of their country.
We tried in vain to find some lunch. All the restaurants and shops were overflowing and it was impossible to get anything to eat. So we followed the wave of people to Wal-mart on one side of the square. Wal-marts in China have several levels and you have to get on escalators. Rachael, Joelle, and I hung on to each other like a train and just let the crowd take us as mobs of people fed into the escalator line.
The Wal-mart itself was also packed. Picture the worst possible day at an American Wal-mart and multiply it by at least 30. I couldn't really see anything in the aisles so I ended up with a couple of random things like spaghetti sauce, banana bread, and a hair dryer. Random Chinese shoppers went out of their way to make sure I had the perfect hair dryer. They pointed to the best ones and demonstrated. I ended up with a little Panasonic one.
To check out, we had to choose from 40 checkout lines, each one with at least 15 or 20 people in them. We finally got out of there and decided to take a taxi back. We managed to chose the craziest driver in Nanchang.
We got back to campus in record time and were miraculously safe. He drove most of the time on the opposite side of the road at 90 km/hr and would just swerve back to the right side when there were 3 lanes of buses and trucks barreling toward us. People on bikes had to jump off to avoid getting hit by him. It was better not to watch.
Even though the outing was crazy, I'm so glad I got to experience it. This was Chinese culture at its greatest. This afternoon has been much slower. We are going to eat dinner with some Chinese students. I know this sounds rushed, but I better get going. Thanks for your thoughts!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Old campus happenings
There hasn't been much to report for the past couple of days. It is strange having a week-long holiday since we just got here. Tomorrow is national day and I'm starting to think it's like the 4th of July here. They shoot off fireworks every night like crazy and go travel all over the country to visit relatives.
Yesterday morning I went outside and ran around the school's track. It is difficult to exercise outside because everybody wants to join you. It was nice to run, especially because it was such a gorgeous day. Right when I stopped, students converged upon me peppering me with questions.
Last night we went out to eat for dinner as usual. We ate at a tiny dumpling store for about 1 yuan each (about 20 cents). Then the five of us girls gathered to watch a movie, which was a lot of fun.
This morning, Jodi, one of our teammates, had us work out with her to a Richard Simmons DVD. Sorry, Jodi, he's pretty creepy. Then a few of us went out the front gate in search of lunch and went to a new restaurant for us. There are so many tiny restaurants to pick from! We ended up eating some chicken, eggs with onion, and tofu.
When we were walking through the gate one of the big guards got up from his bench and grabbed my hand. He shook it very excitedly for a really long time while smiling and staring at me. I smiled back and had to pry my hand out of his vice grip. Then I had to go catch up with my friends and we continued on our way. There's always something unexpected and random that happens.
The rest of the day will probably be spent lesson planning and writing a syllabus. I'm really looking forward to getting to know my students better. The holiday is nice, but I'm sort of anxious to get back to work.
Yesterday morning I went outside and ran around the school's track. It is difficult to exercise outside because everybody wants to join you. It was nice to run, especially because it was such a gorgeous day. Right when I stopped, students converged upon me peppering me with questions.
Last night we went out to eat for dinner as usual. We ate at a tiny dumpling store for about 1 yuan each (about 20 cents). Then the five of us girls gathered to watch a movie, which was a lot of fun.
This morning, Jodi, one of our teammates, had us work out with her to a Richard Simmons DVD. Sorry, Jodi, he's pretty creepy. Then a few of us went out the front gate in search of lunch and went to a new restaurant for us. There are so many tiny restaurants to pick from! We ended up eating some chicken, eggs with onion, and tofu.
When we were walking through the gate one of the big guards got up from his bench and grabbed my hand. He shook it very excitedly for a really long time while smiling and staring at me. I smiled back and had to pry my hand out of his vice grip. Then I had to go catch up with my friends and we continued on our way. There's always something unexpected and random that happens.
The rest of the day will probably be spent lesson planning and writing a syllabus. I'm really looking forward to getting to know my students better. The holiday is nice, but I'm sort of anxious to get back to work.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Every nation
This Sunday morning we went to international "fellowship" in downtown. We met at a hotel. There were about 30 of us--Americans, Canadians, Australians, Indonesians, Koreans, and Germans. A couple of people played guitar and we sang for worship. Then one of the Americans gave a short message on Proverbs 22. It was as close as a service you could have in China, which was cool. The best part I think was the diversity in the room. It was neat to be part of a small fellowship with other brothers and sisters who reflect just even a small portion of all the nations and languages that will gather around his throne someday.
Afterwards about 20 of us went to eat Chinese food, of course, at a nearby restaurant. Then my team and another team walked to Bai Yi square in the center of downtown. I'm sure the square will be crazy in just a few short days for national day. We hopped on a crowded bus and rode on "Beijing Street" all the way to campus. Thankfully there were no incidents today.
All in all today has been uneventful, which is sort of a nice change. The only interesting food I ate today was dumplings with donkey meat. I'm going to spend some time reading right now. So this blog post isn't very exciting! Zai jian!
Afterwards about 20 of us went to eat Chinese food, of course, at a nearby restaurant. Then my team and another team walked to Bai Yi square in the center of downtown. I'm sure the square will be crazy in just a few short days for national day. We hopped on a crowded bus and rode on "Beijing Street" all the way to campus. Thankfully there were no incidents today.
All in all today has been uneventful, which is sort of a nice change. The only interesting food I ate today was dumplings with donkey meat. I'm going to spend some time reading right now. So this blog post isn't very exciting! Zai jian!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Crazier than a movie
Today has been a bizarre day so far. The weather is pretty cool and overcast, which is a very nice change. At 7:30 a.m. we headed into downtown to get our resident cards at the security bureau. That was pretty uneventful and actually only took an hour. Then our driver took us to the new campus for us to each teach a Saturday class.
We saw so many accidents on the 30 minute trip to the new campus. In China there are technically laws and rules of the road, but nobody follows them. Mopeds, vans, tractors, bicycles, cars, and huge trucks drive in every direction on all sides of the road. And they all barrel along the road at a million miles per hour. I've been so surprised that we had not seen an accident or been in an accident yet. But today we did and I feel so sad. There was an awful lot of traffic today because next week is the October holiday. Everybody has somewhere to go right now.
For one accident we saw, there was a commotion on the road in front of our van. Our driver slowed down to a stop and yelled out the window. Right next to our door was a moped accident. Two mopeds were smashed to pieces and a couple men had gathered around another lifeless man. We sat and watched as they tried to pick up the man in his crumpled blue suit. They couldn't lift him though and he kept falling back onto his briefcase. He was dead. And all the crazy traffic continued to drive around him.
That was the last thing I wanted or expected to see early on a Saturday morning. Our driver shook his head sadly for a moment and then we went on. I just stared at the road and started crying. I thought mostly of his family who probably loved him and depended on him and now he was gone.
So when we finally got to class, I wasn't in the best mood. I had a freshmen English class that I really enjoy, though. They are super good kids. I was in the middle of teaching my lesson, when "BAM!" A student flew through the door from the hallway and landed at my feet by the chalkboard-- he was also lifeless. I was in disbelief. What on earth??
My class also was in disbelief and just sat there in their seats. Two other students immediately rushed in from the hallway and peeled him off the floor. They were saying to me, "Sorry, sorry." I followed them out into the hallway as they tried to revive him. He finally came to and he staggered back into a different classroom. When I looked back again at my students they acted like nothing strange had happened. Maybe they didn't want that unconscious kid to lose face? I don't understand Chinese, so I have no clue what had happened to him. I've learned not to ask questions in China...
I actually have some free time right now so I'm not sure what to do with myself. I washed some laundry and hung it out to dry. My roommate, Rachael, and I just walked a mile around the school track right outside our apartment building. Everything we do outside is under the watchful and curious eyes of dozens of people, sometimes hundreds. Just walking around the track falls under that category. The track wasn't that crowded, but by the time we left there were students playing badminton and basketball on the track as we navigated around them. There were also some very fit Chinese men doing handstands and pushups. Well, now it is time to go find another meal.
We saw so many accidents on the 30 minute trip to the new campus. In China there are technically laws and rules of the road, but nobody follows them. Mopeds, vans, tractors, bicycles, cars, and huge trucks drive in every direction on all sides of the road. And they all barrel along the road at a million miles per hour. I've been so surprised that we had not seen an accident or been in an accident yet. But today we did and I feel so sad. There was an awful lot of traffic today because next week is the October holiday. Everybody has somewhere to go right now.
For one accident we saw, there was a commotion on the road in front of our van. Our driver slowed down to a stop and yelled out the window. Right next to our door was a moped accident. Two mopeds were smashed to pieces and a couple men had gathered around another lifeless man. We sat and watched as they tried to pick up the man in his crumpled blue suit. They couldn't lift him though and he kept falling back onto his briefcase. He was dead. And all the crazy traffic continued to drive around him.
That was the last thing I wanted or expected to see early on a Saturday morning. Our driver shook his head sadly for a moment and then we went on. I just stared at the road and started crying. I thought mostly of his family who probably loved him and depended on him and now he was gone.
So when we finally got to class, I wasn't in the best mood. I had a freshmen English class that I really enjoy, though. They are super good kids. I was in the middle of teaching my lesson, when "BAM!" A student flew through the door from the hallway and landed at my feet by the chalkboard-- he was also lifeless. I was in disbelief. What on earth??
My class also was in disbelief and just sat there in their seats. Two other students immediately rushed in from the hallway and peeled him off the floor. They were saying to me, "Sorry, sorry." I followed them out into the hallway as they tried to revive him. He finally came to and he staggered back into a different classroom. When I looked back again at my students they acted like nothing strange had happened. Maybe they didn't want that unconscious kid to lose face? I don't understand Chinese, so I have no clue what had happened to him. I've learned not to ask questions in China...
I actually have some free time right now so I'm not sure what to do with myself. I washed some laundry and hung it out to dry. My roommate, Rachael, and I just walked a mile around the school track right outside our apartment building. Everything we do outside is under the watchful and curious eyes of dozens of people, sometimes hundreds. Just walking around the track falls under that category. The track wasn't that crowded, but by the time we left there were students playing badminton and basketball on the track as we navigated around them. There were also some very fit Chinese men doing handstands and pushups. Well, now it is time to go find another meal.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Soups and Lemons
I realize it was only my third day of teaching. But today was pretty rough for me. I had my Business English class, which I hadn't met until today. Their English level is pretty low. There were 54 of them in my class in the morning and they acted like they were living in a zoo. I found myself getting very frustrated because they wouldn't pay attention and because it was so difficult to communicate with them. Then I went to the teacher's cafeteria for lunch and ended up with rice and peppers... I was pretty hungry the rest of the day.
After lunch I had "office hours" and then taught the exact same Business English class at 2:30. I had a pretty sad attitude. I didn't want to see them again so soon. My heel was also bleeding from my shoes and having to walk up and down 5 flights of stairs every second. I had to lift up my thoughts to the father a lot this afternoon. This time the class turned out really well. They were much more engaged and seemed more willing to learn.
I didn't have the honor of naming that class. That already had so-called English names. Here are a few more awesome names they had: Solo, Snowy, Wind, Orange, Apple, another Bird, Shmily, Cookie, Roll, Talent... and Soup!! So great!!
I also had the students describe themselves in small paragraphs. Here is a sample from one my students whom I will call "Jack:"
"Today is a cool day! I am interested in English very much. For the simple reason I'm interested in English is that I want to go to America. So I hoped to see our spoken English teacher as soon as possible. And today our spoken English class begins! My mood suddenly sees sunshine when I see our spoken English teacher. She's name is Laura from the state Kansas of America. And she looks very young, also beautiful beyond our imagination. Her hometown also looks very beautiful!"
That brightened my day!
My team and I waited around for our driver until 5 p.m. comparing stories like that. We were also freezing! Today was so windy and chilly. Yesterday it was 100 degrees and humid. Today it was about 60 degrees and breezy. I guess there is a typhoon hitting south of us. When our driver arrived, he took us back to the old campus where we had to engage in yet another English corner, which was unexpected. Agh, I'm so tired!
Tonight we wandered down some alleys and found some dinner and I finally got home again. Tomorrow we have to wake up early to get our resident cards and I get to teacher another class even though it is Saturday. Maybe everything will seem brighter after a good night's sleep!
After lunch I had "office hours" and then taught the exact same Business English class at 2:30. I had a pretty sad attitude. I didn't want to see them again so soon. My heel was also bleeding from my shoes and having to walk up and down 5 flights of stairs every second. I had to lift up my thoughts to the father a lot this afternoon. This time the class turned out really well. They were much more engaged and seemed more willing to learn.
I didn't have the honor of naming that class. That already had so-called English names. Here are a few more awesome names they had: Solo, Snowy, Wind, Orange, Apple, another Bird, Shmily, Cookie, Roll, Talent... and Soup!! So great!!
I also had the students describe themselves in small paragraphs. Here is a sample from one my students whom I will call "Jack:"
"Today is a cool day! I am interested in English very much. For the simple reason I'm interested in English is that I want to go to America. So I hoped to see our spoken English teacher as soon as possible. And today our spoken English class begins! My mood suddenly sees sunshine when I see our spoken English teacher. She's name is Laura from the state Kansas of America. And she looks very young, also beautiful beyond our imagination. Her hometown also looks very beautiful!"
That brightened my day!
My team and I waited around for our driver until 5 p.m. comparing stories like that. We were also freezing! Today was so windy and chilly. Yesterday it was 100 degrees and humid. Today it was about 60 degrees and breezy. I guess there is a typhoon hitting south of us. When our driver arrived, he took us back to the old campus where we had to engage in yet another English corner, which was unexpected. Agh, I'm so tired!
Tonight we wandered down some alleys and found some dinner and I finally got home again. Tomorrow we have to wake up early to get our resident cards and I get to teacher another class even though it is Saturday. Maybe everything will seem brighter after a good night's sleep!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Paparazzi
Here I am updating my blog once again. It was another crazy long day. I woke up at 6:30 and taught class at 8 a.m. The morning class was on the first floor of one of the buildings and the windows were wide open like usual. This morning there were people with pick axes and weed whackers working right outside the window, so I had to shout. I have helped most of my students find English names, but some already had some really awesome names: Lemon, T-Mac, Birds, Smile, Heaven, etc.
I had another new class this afternoon, so I got to meet students numbers 100-150. Tomorrow I have yet another class of 50 people to meet for the first time. The classes were pretty good. The students don't have very good English but they seem eager to learn and are respectful. When I was monitoring the room today as they worked on an assignment, I looked around the classroom at the brown streaked walls, concrete floors, the students bent over their papers, and the Chinese flag over the chalkboard. I felt very at peace and strangely like I was at home there.
After my afternoon class was finished at 4:30, several of my teammates and I trekked over to an open pavilion on campus to help conduct "English corner." It was an absolute mob scene. We could see literally hundreds of students standing expectantly for our arrival and they could see us coming. I felt like a celebrity. Actually more like an alien. The students immediately converged upon us. A group of 35 people circled around me peppering me with questions. My more exotic teammates, like the 6 foot tall guy was encircled by 50 eager male students. We stood in the hot sunshine without any air circulation answering questions and trying to conduct conversations. It was mostly a photo-taking opportunity for them. That lasted for 45 minutes.
We finally got back home and we went to a Muslim noodle shop out the back gate. The temperature outside was 90 and we were eating steaming noodles in a tiny steam-filled shop. There was a television and everyone in the shop was watching the live launching of some Chinese astronauts. The Chinese are rightfully very proud of their country.
Agh, I think that's all for today's update! Someday I'll try to steal some of my teammates' pictures to post. I will be teaching tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday. Then perhaps I will have a minute to rest. Thank you for your thoughts! I'm working on being a good teacher and loving my students well. I think it will become easier and more natural as time progresses.
I had another new class this afternoon, so I got to meet students numbers 100-150. Tomorrow I have yet another class of 50 people to meet for the first time. The classes were pretty good. The students don't have very good English but they seem eager to learn and are respectful. When I was monitoring the room today as they worked on an assignment, I looked around the classroom at the brown streaked walls, concrete floors, the students bent over their papers, and the Chinese flag over the chalkboard. I felt very at peace and strangely like I was at home there.
After my afternoon class was finished at 4:30, several of my teammates and I trekked over to an open pavilion on campus to help conduct "English corner." It was an absolute mob scene. We could see literally hundreds of students standing expectantly for our arrival and they could see us coming. I felt like a celebrity. Actually more like an alien. The students immediately converged upon us. A group of 35 people circled around me peppering me with questions. My more exotic teammates, like the 6 foot tall guy was encircled by 50 eager male students. We stood in the hot sunshine without any air circulation answering questions and trying to conduct conversations. It was mostly a photo-taking opportunity for them. That lasted for 45 minutes.
We finally got back home and we went to a Muslim noodle shop out the back gate. The temperature outside was 90 and we were eating steaming noodles in a tiny steam-filled shop. There was a television and everyone in the shop was watching the live launching of some Chinese astronauts. The Chinese are rightfully very proud of their country.
Agh, I think that's all for today's update! Someday I'll try to steal some of my teammates' pictures to post. I will be teaching tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday. Then perhaps I will have a minute to rest. Thank you for your thoughts! I'm working on being a good teacher and loving my students well. I think it will become easier and more natural as time progresses.
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