This is me preforming 天黑黑. I got Third place in the contest. I am still having trouble with my voice so please forgive me it sounds bad. The contest was a lot of fun. The video was shot by Crystal, a fellow USAC student.
Friday, December 26, 2014
Chengdu - Singing Contest Video
This is me preforming 天黑黑. I got Third place in the contest. I am still having trouble with my voice so please forgive me it sounds bad. The contest was a lot of fun. The video was shot by Crystal, a fellow USAC student.
Chengdu Week 18 - China Christmas
Dec. 23-25, 2014
The lead up into Christmas was unspectacular. I have work on the 23rd, so that is what I did. I gave my little students their stockings which was a lot of fun. They looked really excited to get a gift for Christmas. China is a Secular nation so there are no religious holidays off. This means that everyone is used to working on Christmas. Thus I have class on Thursday night, so I will be working on Christmas. Christmas eve was actually quite nice. Wednesdays are my day off from work, so Jesse and I made a quick Trust Mart run for kitchen essentials in the morning. The rest of the day was spent on the couch not having to do anything. It was magical not having to do anything. It actually felt like a normal Christmas Eve. We watched TV for far too long, but it was far more relaxing than anything I had done in a long time. We were supposed to have Mexican food for dinner but Cassidy and Brennan came back way late so that was postponed. I also managed to get my entire Science class planned out and sent off. Lots of projects for all ages!!
Christmas morning began with cooking breakfast. Jesse and I had bought the fixings for eggs and toast. After some deliberation over what we were going to put into the eggs for flavor we had Sichuan style (spicy as we can make it). Toast was made in our toaster oven, though we didn’t have the usually fixings, thus it was settled on for peanut butter and honey. Breakfast was amazing, tasted a little bit like home. The afternoon was spent lounging but eventually I got myself up and off to work. I had to leave extra early as to not catch rush hour. When I arrived I received a gift from the staff: a lovely white scarf. I tried it on, it’s definitely warm. It looks maybe a little sill yon me, but it’s the thought that counts in my opinion. Work itself was a bit difficult to start, the children have a problematic dynamic that was allowed to fester under the last teacher. Now I am charged with breaking really poor habits, we’ll see how it goes. The Christmas half of the class was a lot more fun. I had them make stockings, which was surprisingly a lot of effort on their part. But we managed and I was able to leave. I had dinner alone which was kinda a bummer. I was back late and the others had left to go out drinking with a friend who was leaving the next morning. Oh well I just listen to music an enjoyed the tacos. Overall certainly not the best Christmas I have ever had, but such is life. I think it will help me appreciate the ones I have with my family more.
Dec. 26, 2014
My morning began with a phone call from Jesse asking to be let in. The gates closed fairly early in the evening so all of my roommates were forced to spend one last night in the dorms. I felt mild smugness at being in my very comfortable bed. To was the first day I only ate food only cooked at home (finally a functioning kitchen). Breakfast was eggs and bread again, we are experimenting with flavoring the eggs. Breakfast was good none the less. I actually didn’t have work today which was mildly magical. I made it up to my dorm to start the cleaning process. I have until the 30th to get myself together and clean it. I’ve started hopefully I will be able to finish before the weekend is over. Qiyi came by and gave me a mug for Christmas, it was super sweet of her. After lunch Jesse and I popped out to Trust Mart again. It was a misty day today, just wet and cold. We got food for dinner, I decide I would making dinner with Jesse acting as kitchen wench. I made breaded chicken, with vegetables all over noodles. It was pretty tasty, I need to get the proportions right but it is a work in progress. The breaded chicken I think was the best part. The Weekend is beginning and I am not really sure where the week went, soon New Years will be here. I think it’s going to be a good year.
The lead up into Christmas was unspectacular. I have work on the 23rd, so that is what I did. I gave my little students their stockings which was a lot of fun. They looked really excited to get a gift for Christmas. China is a Secular nation so there are no religious holidays off. This means that everyone is used to working on Christmas. Thus I have class on Thursday night, so I will be working on Christmas. Christmas eve was actually quite nice. Wednesdays are my day off from work, so Jesse and I made a quick Trust Mart run for kitchen essentials in the morning. The rest of the day was spent on the couch not having to do anything. It was magical not having to do anything. It actually felt like a normal Christmas Eve. We watched TV for far too long, but it was far more relaxing than anything I had done in a long time. We were supposed to have Mexican food for dinner but Cassidy and Brennan came back way late so that was postponed. I also managed to get my entire Science class planned out and sent off. Lots of projects for all ages!!
Christmas morning began with cooking breakfast. Jesse and I had bought the fixings for eggs and toast. After some deliberation over what we were going to put into the eggs for flavor we had Sichuan style (spicy as we can make it). Toast was made in our toaster oven, though we didn’t have the usually fixings, thus it was settled on for peanut butter and honey. Breakfast was amazing, tasted a little bit like home. The afternoon was spent lounging but eventually I got myself up and off to work. I had to leave extra early as to not catch rush hour. When I arrived I received a gift from the staff: a lovely white scarf. I tried it on, it’s definitely warm. It looks maybe a little sill yon me, but it’s the thought that counts in my opinion. Work itself was a bit difficult to start, the children have a problematic dynamic that was allowed to fester under the last teacher. Now I am charged with breaking really poor habits, we’ll see how it goes. The Christmas half of the class was a lot more fun. I had them make stockings, which was surprisingly a lot of effort on their part. But we managed and I was able to leave. I had dinner alone which was kinda a bummer. I was back late and the others had left to go out drinking with a friend who was leaving the next morning. Oh well I just listen to music an enjoyed the tacos. Overall certainly not the best Christmas I have ever had, but such is life. I think it will help me appreciate the ones I have with my family more.
Dec. 26, 2014
My morning began with a phone call from Jesse asking to be let in. The gates closed fairly early in the evening so all of my roommates were forced to spend one last night in the dorms. I felt mild smugness at being in my very comfortable bed. To was the first day I only ate food only cooked at home (finally a functioning kitchen). Breakfast was eggs and bread again, we are experimenting with flavoring the eggs. Breakfast was good none the less. I actually didn’t have work today which was mildly magical. I made it up to my dorm to start the cleaning process. I have until the 30th to get myself together and clean it. I’ve started hopefully I will be able to finish before the weekend is over. Qiyi came by and gave me a mug for Christmas, it was super sweet of her. After lunch Jesse and I popped out to Trust Mart again. It was a misty day today, just wet and cold. We got food for dinner, I decide I would making dinner with Jesse acting as kitchen wench. I made breaded chicken, with vegetables all over noodles. It was pretty tasty, I need to get the proportions right but it is a work in progress. The breaded chicken I think was the best part. The Weekend is beginning and I am not really sure where the week went, soon New Years will be here. I think it’s going to be a good year.
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| Sorry I couldn't get it to rotate! |
Monday, December 22, 2014
Chengdu Week 17 - Moved In
Dec. 20-22, 2014
No individual blogs for these days, I have had too much to do. So essentially I am totally moved into the new apartment. I did a ton of work the last couple of days. So much so that I managed to make myself sick with exhaustion. I forgot how much working double takes out of person. I was walking in haze and at one point had to turn down a few offers for work. I just needed to sleep. I did manage to get my room totally set up. I am extremely pleased about that. The public areas are not yet totally set up but I don’t really mind. I am just happy to have a functioning room. The first night spent here was extremely cold because no one had figured out the heating system. I would like to report that it everything is well and I slept wonderfully. I think I scared everyone with how much I was trying to pack into a day, but in the end it turned out for the best. Living with everyone so far has been awesome. I am buying gifts for everyone at the apartment. I have a few people outside the apartment with whom I will be exchanging gifts. All and all life is pretty darn awesome. Now if only my voice would return to me for use. Please enjoy the pictures of the new apartment!
No individual blogs for these days, I have had too much to do. So essentially I am totally moved into the new apartment. I did a ton of work the last couple of days. So much so that I managed to make myself sick with exhaustion. I forgot how much working double takes out of person. I was walking in haze and at one point had to turn down a few offers for work. I just needed to sleep. I did manage to get my room totally set up. I am extremely pleased about that. The public areas are not yet totally set up but I don’t really mind. I am just happy to have a functioning room. The first night spent here was extremely cold because no one had figured out the heating system. I would like to report that it everything is well and I slept wonderfully. I think I scared everyone with how much I was trying to pack into a day, but in the end it turned out for the best. Living with everyone so far has been awesome. I am buying gifts for everyone at the apartment. I have a few people outside the apartment with whom I will be exchanging gifts. All and all life is pretty darn awesome. Now if only my voice would return to me for use. Please enjoy the pictures of the new apartment!Friday, December 19, 2014
Chengdu Week 16 - Moving and Work....
Dec. 17, 2014
Today was an impromptu adventure day. First I slept in, which was mildly magical, the puttered around generally being lazy. After I actually got my act together enough that I could be seen outside I went with Jesse to Trustmart. First we did some inspection of items we would need for the new apartment. For example I need a blanket and a table to act as a desk. It looks like all together is roughly 400RMB. A bit out a down payment, but I need to keep warm during the winter and have a place to work when the semester starts up again. The second reason for going to Trustmart is I am making stockings for the class that I teach on the regular. My little guys have been so good for me, I wanted to make them all little stockings for Christmas. I will hand them out at the end of class this Saturday (or maybe Tuesday since it’s right before Christmas). I think it will be all so very cute.
The next part of the adventurous day involved walking around Chengdu. Essentially I needed to send some postcards and Jesse had nothing to do. We walked over down by Panda Post. It took in total maybe three or four hours. It was a good walk though, it felt nice to go have a wander. So Jesse and I can say that our day was an active one even though we probably did very little. I have started packing for the move, just little things. The issue isn’t getting everything tightly packed, it’s more just bringing everything together so that it is easy to transport. This weekend is the big move so we shall see how it goes. The two big things I have are the mattress pad and my chair. Otherwise it’s clothes and nicknacks that I am moving. Tomorrow is an early day going with Qiyi (I found I was spelling her name wrong) to see a shopkeeper about a coat.
Dec. 18, 2014
My day was veritably insane, in a good way. So first thing I went out with Qiyi early to go look at coats that could made into my size. I really can’t fit into Chinese coats they aren’t made Jenn-shaped. Getting one made was a tad to expensive right now, or really ever it was almost 125 USD. I am really glad I didn’t decide to splurge on myself. After I got back Cassidy and Brennan grabbed me and explained that renting practices are a little bit different in China. Apparently we will pay multiple rent’s month at a time. Our landlord wanted 3500 RMB from each of us (3 months rent plus a down deposit of one month rent). Naturally none of us had that kind of money that day or really access to it in the next couple hours. We were able to get it down to two months rent making our first payment 2625 each. So that was a fun scramble, getting all the money together for our first down deposit. It was a silly amount of money I had in my purse. Everything is done in cash here, so I just handed her a wad of 100 RMB bills. We now have a key and the moving in process will begin shortly. I hope to be totally moved in by Monday, as long as internet is working. I kinda spaced on pictures I will have them up later, maybe a before and after situation.
I also had work today, which was interesting. I had my older kids again, I think I am used to dealing with little guys. Little guys are easy to please, these older students I think got away with more. So now it is a matter of retraining them in how to act in my classroom. It also doesn’t help that my TA Vivien can not speak English efficiently enough to have proper communication. I have yet to find a rhythm for my class but not to worry we will find it soon. I just need them working together instead of against each other. I made it home by nine but I am exhausted. I am going to falling into bed soon. Good night, tomorrow we begin moving.
Dec. 19, 2014
The day started with trip to Trust Mart. I needed to buy a comforter for my bed (the school provided one in the dorms) and a little table that will act as my desk. We were up early enough that most of the other shops weren’t really open. It’s kind of interesting watching people set up for the day. The trip went well enough everything was retrieved in a timely fashion. Jesse was able to haul the table up our four flights of stairs. He has been a big help in getting heavy things moved. After that point I kinda felt the urge to just go for it a move in all the way. However, there is a weird situation with the beds, so until that is sorted out moving in totally will have to wait. Essentially the issue is we have one too many bed frames, because when Cassidy and Brennan bought their bed it came with a bed frame and every bed room in the apartment has a bed frame. It’s a little bit of a problem one that will hopefully be resolved. I backed up everything on my shelves in a single duffel bag and a brown paper bag. I realize how little I actually have here, I just haven’t felt the need to collect things.
After our morning of moving it was off to work for the afternoon and evening. Jesse had been called in for a training and I am covering for Brent. He is off traveling for the next two weeks and I essentially have all but one of his classes. This is awesome for me because my hours have doubled. It will help make up the money that I needed to spend for rent earlier this week. I tutored a little girl, I was impressed with her English, I suspect she has an English speaker for a parent. If the child has an English speaking parent they are usually better at learning the language. Then it was a bit of a waiting game for me, I was too meet Cassidy and go introduce her to Cindy and Dolly. Cassidy needs the money more than I do, so I am giving her my tutoring job. This allows me more time to work in a place that most certainly gives me more money per hour. Also Cassidy prefers the one on one tutoring. I am finding that classroom settings work better for me. I took one last round of things to the apartment after work even though it was late. Cassidy and Brennan are night owls, they eat way too late for me. I stuck around to be social and play a game of chess with Jesse. Now I am going to bed, work starts at 9 am tomorrow.
Today was an impromptu adventure day. First I slept in, which was mildly magical, the puttered around generally being lazy. After I actually got my act together enough that I could be seen outside I went with Jesse to Trustmart. First we did some inspection of items we would need for the new apartment. For example I need a blanket and a table to act as a desk. It looks like all together is roughly 400RMB. A bit out a down payment, but I need to keep warm during the winter and have a place to work when the semester starts up again. The second reason for going to Trustmart is I am making stockings for the class that I teach on the regular. My little guys have been so good for me, I wanted to make them all little stockings for Christmas. I will hand them out at the end of class this Saturday (or maybe Tuesday since it’s right before Christmas). I think it will be all so very cute.
The next part of the adventurous day involved walking around Chengdu. Essentially I needed to send some postcards and Jesse had nothing to do. We walked over down by Panda Post. It took in total maybe three or four hours. It was a good walk though, it felt nice to go have a wander. So Jesse and I can say that our day was an active one even though we probably did very little. I have started packing for the move, just little things. The issue isn’t getting everything tightly packed, it’s more just bringing everything together so that it is easy to transport. This weekend is the big move so we shall see how it goes. The two big things I have are the mattress pad and my chair. Otherwise it’s clothes and nicknacks that I am moving. Tomorrow is an early day going with Qiyi (I found I was spelling her name wrong) to see a shopkeeper about a coat.
Dec. 18, 2014
My day was veritably insane, in a good way. So first thing I went out with Qiyi early to go look at coats that could made into my size. I really can’t fit into Chinese coats they aren’t made Jenn-shaped. Getting one made was a tad to expensive right now, or really ever it was almost 125 USD. I am really glad I didn’t decide to splurge on myself. After I got back Cassidy and Brennan grabbed me and explained that renting practices are a little bit different in China. Apparently we will pay multiple rent’s month at a time. Our landlord wanted 3500 RMB from each of us (3 months rent plus a down deposit of one month rent). Naturally none of us had that kind of money that day or really access to it in the next couple hours. We were able to get it down to two months rent making our first payment 2625 each. So that was a fun scramble, getting all the money together for our first down deposit. It was a silly amount of money I had in my purse. Everything is done in cash here, so I just handed her a wad of 100 RMB bills. We now have a key and the moving in process will begin shortly. I hope to be totally moved in by Monday, as long as internet is working. I kinda spaced on pictures I will have them up later, maybe a before and after situation.
I also had work today, which was interesting. I had my older kids again, I think I am used to dealing with little guys. Little guys are easy to please, these older students I think got away with more. So now it is a matter of retraining them in how to act in my classroom. It also doesn’t help that my TA Vivien can not speak English efficiently enough to have proper communication. I have yet to find a rhythm for my class but not to worry we will find it soon. I just need them working together instead of against each other. I made it home by nine but I am exhausted. I am going to falling into bed soon. Good night, tomorrow we begin moving.
Dec. 19, 2014
The day started with trip to Trust Mart. I needed to buy a comforter for my bed (the school provided one in the dorms) and a little table that will act as my desk. We were up early enough that most of the other shops weren’t really open. It’s kind of interesting watching people set up for the day. The trip went well enough everything was retrieved in a timely fashion. Jesse was able to haul the table up our four flights of stairs. He has been a big help in getting heavy things moved. After that point I kinda felt the urge to just go for it a move in all the way. However, there is a weird situation with the beds, so until that is sorted out moving in totally will have to wait. Essentially the issue is we have one too many bed frames, because when Cassidy and Brennan bought their bed it came with a bed frame and every bed room in the apartment has a bed frame. It’s a little bit of a problem one that will hopefully be resolved. I backed up everything on my shelves in a single duffel bag and a brown paper bag. I realize how little I actually have here, I just haven’t felt the need to collect things.
After our morning of moving it was off to work for the afternoon and evening. Jesse had been called in for a training and I am covering for Brent. He is off traveling for the next two weeks and I essentially have all but one of his classes. This is awesome for me because my hours have doubled. It will help make up the money that I needed to spend for rent earlier this week. I tutored a little girl, I was impressed with her English, I suspect she has an English speaker for a parent. If the child has an English speaking parent they are usually better at learning the language. Then it was a bit of a waiting game for me, I was too meet Cassidy and go introduce her to Cindy and Dolly. Cassidy needs the money more than I do, so I am giving her my tutoring job. This allows me more time to work in a place that most certainly gives me more money per hour. Also Cassidy prefers the one on one tutoring. I am finding that classroom settings work better for me. I took one last round of things to the apartment after work even though it was late. Cassidy and Brennan are night owls, they eat way too late for me. I stuck around to be social and play a game of chess with Jesse. Now I am going to bed, work starts at 9 am tomorrow.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Chengdu Week 16 - Some changes and a Contest
Dec 13/14, 2014
The start of break ended up being mostly working days. It was really strange to not have homework to contemplate or attempt. I am going to try to keep up with my studies over the five week break, hopefully it will work out. My Chinese friends have offered their Chinese as a way to help me study. We’ll see if it works out. I hope to clean my room up, it is currently covered in papers, as my room always is come the end of the school year. It’s time to drop off books and put things away. This weekend was also a weekend of goodbyes. Almost all the people who are staying for a semester have left. Hugging, long goodbyes, and a veritable garage sale of people’s rooms. I have acquired a few new items, most of which are cleaning supplies I regularly borrowed anyway. I have also acquired nice pillows and another set of sheets and towels. All in all a good haul. It trips me out a little to be think about when I will leave. People acquired so much in the three months they were here. I will be here for 11 months, I wonder what packing up my life will be like. Overall work was fun, I have been given a Sunday morning class. They are mildly more advanced than my regular kids, as they can read. I need to get the dynamic of the class down, so it’ll be some floundering on my part. Hopefully we’ll be able to settle down and have a good time. Otherwise not much to report on the break front. I am hoping to do some exploring of Chengdu, just to break up the lazing around my room feel.
Dec. 15, 2014
First Monday without class. I intended to clean my room and that most certainly didn’t happen. I instead just tidied up and rearranged a few things but overall it was a pretty lax day. I probably drank more coffee than I should have but oh well what can you do about that? I went to work around 1:30ish. I feel really bad for my tutee, she is in tutoring because her mother wants her to perfect in English, even though she has been learning it all her life. Her English for an 11 year old living in China is pretty impressive. She is starting in on the Harry Potter books in English which should give you an idea where her level is at. Her mother has demanded homework from our sessions so I decided to use the book. Every new word we find I help her define it then she will go home and write up a sentence for each word. Since often the words she doesn’t recognize are fairly complex verbs it should help her improve her vocabulary. Jesse and I walked back and stopped in to get dinner before going all the way back to the dorms. Tomorrow is the singing contest. I am singing a Chinese song, we’ll see how it goes. I practiced a bit, but I am still really nervous. We’ll see how tomorrow turns out.
Dec. 16, 2014
Today started with rehearsal for the singing contest. It was essentially chaos, because no one really knew what was going on. But we managed to struggle through it together (as is the Chinese way). Ashley and Jackie would be preforming as well. Originally they thought they were competing but it turned out that they were just fillers because Ashley was spinning her color guard flags and Jackie was singing an English song. I sang 天黑黑, which is popular, sad, slow song. Ballads are kinda a thing in China, so that’s what I sang. I needed the words because I only had about 16 days to learn a song that even Chinese people said was fairly hard. Unfortunately the microphone cut out a few times while I was singing. I also got really nervous for no reason, I just wanted to do well I think. I ended up with Third place over all and I am very pleased with that. I will try to get my performance up somewhere, but it may be a while before that is possible. It was fun day definitely something different from the usual experience. I had to miss work for the contest, but I will make up for it this week. I am covering for one of my coworkers, so yay for extra money.
So something interesting has happened. Brennan and Cassidy are looking to move out of the dorms into an apartment. They found one that is actually on campus and very nice. However, it was a little too big and a little to expensive. So they asked Jesse and I to occupy the rooms instead. The rent split between the four of us is 875 RMB a month. In the dorms I am paying 1500 RMB a month (I just payed it all up front). So over all it will be cheaper and we will be getting out of the dorm bubble. It’s been really fun living in the dorms but I think I am ready to get out of the English bubble that is the foreigners’ dorms. Internet should also improve significantly making it possible for me to commune more regularly with the outside world. I think this will be an interesting adventure between all of us. I will be moving over the next few weeks. I will keep you updated!!
The start of break ended up being mostly working days. It was really strange to not have homework to contemplate or attempt. I am going to try to keep up with my studies over the five week break, hopefully it will work out. My Chinese friends have offered their Chinese as a way to help me study. We’ll see if it works out. I hope to clean my room up, it is currently covered in papers, as my room always is come the end of the school year. It’s time to drop off books and put things away. This weekend was also a weekend of goodbyes. Almost all the people who are staying for a semester have left. Hugging, long goodbyes, and a veritable garage sale of people’s rooms. I have acquired a few new items, most of which are cleaning supplies I regularly borrowed anyway. I have also acquired nice pillows and another set of sheets and towels. All in all a good haul. It trips me out a little to be think about when I will leave. People acquired so much in the three months they were here. I will be here for 11 months, I wonder what packing up my life will be like. Overall work was fun, I have been given a Sunday morning class. They are mildly more advanced than my regular kids, as they can read. I need to get the dynamic of the class down, so it’ll be some floundering on my part. Hopefully we’ll be able to settle down and have a good time. Otherwise not much to report on the break front. I am hoping to do some exploring of Chengdu, just to break up the lazing around my room feel.
Dec. 15, 2014
First Monday without class. I intended to clean my room and that most certainly didn’t happen. I instead just tidied up and rearranged a few things but overall it was a pretty lax day. I probably drank more coffee than I should have but oh well what can you do about that? I went to work around 1:30ish. I feel really bad for my tutee, she is in tutoring because her mother wants her to perfect in English, even though she has been learning it all her life. Her English for an 11 year old living in China is pretty impressive. She is starting in on the Harry Potter books in English which should give you an idea where her level is at. Her mother has demanded homework from our sessions so I decided to use the book. Every new word we find I help her define it then she will go home and write up a sentence for each word. Since often the words she doesn’t recognize are fairly complex verbs it should help her improve her vocabulary. Jesse and I walked back and stopped in to get dinner before going all the way back to the dorms. Tomorrow is the singing contest. I am singing a Chinese song, we’ll see how it goes. I practiced a bit, but I am still really nervous. We’ll see how tomorrow turns out.
Dec. 16, 2014
Today started with rehearsal for the singing contest. It was essentially chaos, because no one really knew what was going on. But we managed to struggle through it together (as is the Chinese way). Ashley and Jackie would be preforming as well. Originally they thought they were competing but it turned out that they were just fillers because Ashley was spinning her color guard flags and Jackie was singing an English song. I sang 天黑黑, which is popular, sad, slow song. Ballads are kinda a thing in China, so that’s what I sang. I needed the words because I only had about 16 days to learn a song that even Chinese people said was fairly hard. Unfortunately the microphone cut out a few times while I was singing. I also got really nervous for no reason, I just wanted to do well I think. I ended up with Third place over all and I am very pleased with that. I will try to get my performance up somewhere, but it may be a while before that is possible. It was fun day definitely something different from the usual experience. I had to miss work for the contest, but I will make up for it this week. I am covering for one of my coworkers, so yay for extra money.
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| Greeters for the Contest |
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| Ashley preforming |
So something interesting has happened. Brennan and Cassidy are looking to move out of the dorms into an apartment. They found one that is actually on campus and very nice. However, it was a little too big and a little to expensive. So they asked Jesse and I to occupy the rooms instead. The rent split between the four of us is 875 RMB a month. In the dorms I am paying 1500 RMB a month (I just payed it all up front). So over all it will be cheaper and we will be getting out of the dorm bubble. It’s been really fun living in the dorms but I think I am ready to get out of the English bubble that is the foreigners’ dorms. Internet should also improve significantly making it possible for me to commune more regularly with the outside world. I think this will be an interesting adventure between all of us. I will be moving over the next few weeks. I will keep you updated!!
Friday, December 12, 2014
Chengdu Week 15 - Goodbye Dinner
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| Emma!! |
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| The usual dinner crew |
Last final today in Calligraphy, not that I really had strong feelings about the class. I did however get my scroll and as soon as I find a place to hang it I will get a picture of my calligraphy. Pretty much the day was spent milling around and helping people get ready to leave. The dorms became a veritable garage sale. I now have a proper mattress for hardly any money. I am really pleased abut it, I think I will sleep well tonight. My sleeping pad has been converted into a window seat, perhaps it shall become my place of study? I might sell it to some horrified soul when they arrive in China. The big event of the day was the goodbye dinner. Everyone including USAC teachers and staff went. It was held at the hotel where we did our orientation. I really do like it when things go back to the start. So we ate, joked, and laughed. I got pictures with some people. It just trips me out that most of these people I will probably not see again for a long time. I’ve spent the better part of the year with them and soon they will be friends of WeChat. I finally got a picture of Yin laoshi, you can finally gaze upon the wonder that is my Chinese teacher. Overall it was a good night. Corey leaves early in the morning, so he will be stopping by for one last hug and a send off. Break has officially begun.
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| Dinner Devastation! |
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| Yin Laoshi!! |
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Chengdu Week 15 - Finals Week
Dec. 7, 2014
Most of the day was spent doing nothing other than homework. I did however adventure to the outside world to get some ingredients for the grill night. Corey is leaving in a week and so he wanted to have one last hurrah with the grill he had bought. So we got meat and spices and went nuts. It was good fun and ultimately very rewarding. The food was amazing and spicy. I think everyone who chipped in thought it was pretty fantastic. Jesse and I managed to avoid clean up and watched Memento. The movie was a good way to end the night. Tomorrow is the last real class of Chinese for the semester, as the Tuesday class will be mostly review. I have finished my paper for History so now it is a game of study. Last week of the semester, here we go!
Dec. 8, 2014
Class was interesting, we talked about the geography of China. There are some interesting stereotypes about each region, not so dissimilar to America. After was lunch and then homework. I need to get everything done before work today. Normally I would have a tutoring session, but that was cancelled. Instead I took over for another teacher, who is in Shanghai taking the LSAT. It was interesting teaching a class that was older. For one they could read, something I was most definitely not used to. My kids have to have pictures and prompting still, of course they are only 5. Also these students had more forceful personalities, one student’s whole life goal was to disrupt the class. I feel like I shut him down pretty quickly, often times Chinese kids don’t experience the same level of discipline (or it’s a different form) that I am used to in the United States. But despite all that, I think it went really well. I also picked up a bunch of extra hours with Brent, who is adventuring out to Vietnam right before Christmas. So hopefully this month I will have lots of working hours, which means lots of money for gifts. I have a few ideas about gifts for the people staying in the dorms. After work I rode the bus home, in which I was informed that Corey had decided not to do hotpot, and I didn’t know the restaurant we were going to. So instead I got take out from my usual noodle place. It’s kinda fun when the waiters all know your order and are happy to see you. Dinner and shower complete it is bed time, last dictation tomorrow!
Dec. 9, 2014
Last Chinese class of the semester and it went so slow. I think everyone is on edge just waiting for the classes to let out. Those going home are ready to go, and those who are staying have plans for break. So class ended and it was off to lunch, cafeteria food for the win. We ran into Lynn, and found out someone in his dorm had been diagnosed with TB, which means he had to go get checked out. He was clear of the disease, but still that is really interesting that things like that are still very much a threat.Work was interesting. I went very early as Raphi had a interview and didn’t know exactly where it was. I got pancakes that actually were pretty darn close to real pancakes. They were reasonably priced for Western food as well. Class itself was interesting, the parents of the kids came and sat in for the first half. According the Lilly, all the parents have seen an extreme improvement in their child’s English. They are happy to keep me as a teacher, something I am very pleased about. It is finally cold here in Chengdu, not the bitter cold of Nevada but wet and chilly. I am not used to this kind of cold, we’ll see if I can adapt to it. I don’t need a heater or anything at night so I think I will be ok, it’s probably not going to get any colder. Tomorrow is my free day though hopefully it will be for studying. Test on Thursday for the win!
Dec. 10, 2014
Today was a crappy day. I found out that the university will not fund me next semester. So how I am going to pay for my time in China I do not yet know. I shall figure it out though, not to worry. Hopefully everyone whom I sent emails to has read them I should be getting responses within the next couple of days. Unfortunately the terrible morning coated the rest of the day, it was difficult to do more than study. I also realize what a joke the education system is, but that is a discussion I don’t really need to have. I will be remaining in China and I am now more determined than ever to come back here for a little while. It’s kinda sad when a foreign culture makes far more sense than the one you grew up in. China is by no means perfect but I can at least understand more motivations than the ones in America. Tomorrow I have my final exam but I am not sure how I will do considering how I can’t really think about anything else other than the problem at hand, even though the solution is easy enough. Never the less I shall do my best on the upcoming final.
Dec 11, 2014
Chinese final is done! Classes are all but over and we are hurdling towards break. Time certainly flies, but I think it was a good run. Having finished the test I did also have history. To be totally honest it was pretty difficult to sit through. Papers were already turned in, and the lecture as usual didn’t yield but in the way of actual historical discussion. That is alright. I think next semester I am just going to sit in on the class when I can, instead of paying for it. Since the University isn’t funding me next semester I will only be taking 12 credits, the bare minimum, which should bring down the cost of the tuition at least a little bit. It’s kind crappy to think about but this is how I have to do things for now. Next semester I will be focused on language only, which is what I came to China for in the first place. Break essentially starts tomorrow, we will be having a goodbye dinner as well. Overall I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks, I wonder what this time will bring those of us staying behind. I will start saying goodbye tomorrow, I am honestly fairly sad about it, I will miss those I have come to call friends. Everyone in the program at least on some level I got to know, and I genuinely liked everyone. Traveling together really bonds people, I hope we will be able to stay in touch.
Most of the day was spent doing nothing other than homework. I did however adventure to the outside world to get some ingredients for the grill night. Corey is leaving in a week and so he wanted to have one last hurrah with the grill he had bought. So we got meat and spices and went nuts. It was good fun and ultimately very rewarding. The food was amazing and spicy. I think everyone who chipped in thought it was pretty fantastic. Jesse and I managed to avoid clean up and watched Memento. The movie was a good way to end the night. Tomorrow is the last real class of Chinese for the semester, as the Tuesday class will be mostly review. I have finished my paper for History so now it is a game of study. Last week of the semester, here we go!
Dec. 8, 2014
Class was interesting, we talked about the geography of China. There are some interesting stereotypes about each region, not so dissimilar to America. After was lunch and then homework. I need to get everything done before work today. Normally I would have a tutoring session, but that was cancelled. Instead I took over for another teacher, who is in Shanghai taking the LSAT. It was interesting teaching a class that was older. For one they could read, something I was most definitely not used to. My kids have to have pictures and prompting still, of course they are only 5. Also these students had more forceful personalities, one student’s whole life goal was to disrupt the class. I feel like I shut him down pretty quickly, often times Chinese kids don’t experience the same level of discipline (or it’s a different form) that I am used to in the United States. But despite all that, I think it went really well. I also picked up a bunch of extra hours with Brent, who is adventuring out to Vietnam right before Christmas. So hopefully this month I will have lots of working hours, which means lots of money for gifts. I have a few ideas about gifts for the people staying in the dorms. After work I rode the bus home, in which I was informed that Corey had decided not to do hotpot, and I didn’t know the restaurant we were going to. So instead I got take out from my usual noodle place. It’s kinda fun when the waiters all know your order and are happy to see you. Dinner and shower complete it is bed time, last dictation tomorrow!
Dec. 9, 2014
Last Chinese class of the semester and it went so slow. I think everyone is on edge just waiting for the classes to let out. Those going home are ready to go, and those who are staying have plans for break. So class ended and it was off to lunch, cafeteria food for the win. We ran into Lynn, and found out someone in his dorm had been diagnosed with TB, which means he had to go get checked out. He was clear of the disease, but still that is really interesting that things like that are still very much a threat.Work was interesting. I went very early as Raphi had a interview and didn’t know exactly where it was. I got pancakes that actually were pretty darn close to real pancakes. They were reasonably priced for Western food as well. Class itself was interesting, the parents of the kids came and sat in for the first half. According the Lilly, all the parents have seen an extreme improvement in their child’s English. They are happy to keep me as a teacher, something I am very pleased about. It is finally cold here in Chengdu, not the bitter cold of Nevada but wet and chilly. I am not used to this kind of cold, we’ll see if I can adapt to it. I don’t need a heater or anything at night so I think I will be ok, it’s probably not going to get any colder. Tomorrow is my free day though hopefully it will be for studying. Test on Thursday for the win!
Dec. 10, 2014
Today was a crappy day. I found out that the university will not fund me next semester. So how I am going to pay for my time in China I do not yet know. I shall figure it out though, not to worry. Hopefully everyone whom I sent emails to has read them I should be getting responses within the next couple of days. Unfortunately the terrible morning coated the rest of the day, it was difficult to do more than study. I also realize what a joke the education system is, but that is a discussion I don’t really need to have. I will be remaining in China and I am now more determined than ever to come back here for a little while. It’s kinda sad when a foreign culture makes far more sense than the one you grew up in. China is by no means perfect but I can at least understand more motivations than the ones in America. Tomorrow I have my final exam but I am not sure how I will do considering how I can’t really think about anything else other than the problem at hand, even though the solution is easy enough. Never the less I shall do my best on the upcoming final.
Dec 11, 2014
Chinese final is done! Classes are all but over and we are hurdling towards break. Time certainly flies, but I think it was a good run. Having finished the test I did also have history. To be totally honest it was pretty difficult to sit through. Papers were already turned in, and the lecture as usual didn’t yield but in the way of actual historical discussion. That is alright. I think next semester I am just going to sit in on the class when I can, instead of paying for it. Since the University isn’t funding me next semester I will only be taking 12 credits, the bare minimum, which should bring down the cost of the tuition at least a little bit. It’s kind crappy to think about but this is how I have to do things for now. Next semester I will be focused on language only, which is what I came to China for in the first place. Break essentially starts tomorrow, we will be having a goodbye dinner as well. Overall I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks, I wonder what this time will bring those of us staying behind. I will start saying goodbye tomorrow, I am honestly fairly sad about it, I will miss those I have come to call friends. Everyone in the program at least on some level I got to know, and I genuinely liked everyone. Traveling together really bonds people, I hope we will be able to stay in touch.
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Week 14 - Time for some Change
Dec. 2, 2014
Weather is turning grey again, it makes everyone who is just a little bit sick give up the fight. Several people are fighting off the worst lingering colds, I think that was one my problems, as of right now my nose and voice are clear again, we’ll see how long it lasts. After class it was mostly getting homework done and passing some time by watching I Claudius. Then is was off to work, I arrived early as usual but things were a bit more hectic. The school is having trouble with finding teachers, I think it may have to do with the new visa policies implemented in China, the wording is really intense. I was nervous about finding work but there are a few exceptions and as long as I don’t work over eight hours I am actually fine, I think many students don’t know this. Class was way more fun, all the kids were in a significantly better mood. The words though are little bit strange. Many of the food items we are discussing (Butter, cheese, etc) are not common foods, so the kids are learning these sounds but they have no idea how they taste. So I think we will be making sandwiches using the words. That way the kids can associate a taste with the word. The time out chair was implemented, but wow Chinese people have trouble punishing kids. Larkin straight up kicked one of the other students and I had to argue with my TA about putting him in time out. And then she only kept him there for maybe a minute. I am not heavy handed in anyway, but we said we had a rule, we need to stick with it for the kids to understand we mean business. Cultural differences for the win. After class I headed home and pretty much curled up into bed where I am now. Free day tomorrow, yay!
Dec. 3/4, 2014
Not much going on right now other than getting ready for finals. I have a paper I need to finishing editing, I spent most of my Wednesday doing it. I have decided for next semester I will be doing only Chinese language classes. I have enjoyed the extra curricular things but I really need to get my Chinese at a higher level and I feel this plus a few other interacts will assist me in doing so. A week from today I will have my final, and tomorrow I am getting my calligraphy printed on special paper. I am actually beginning to feel excitement for the month of freedom, though I think a lot of it will be spent working. Making money is good too, I actually worked out doing the special winter classes as the Science teacher. I think we are going to hit the major schools of science and do something fun. I haven’t decided what yet, but Youtube is an amazing place to find said things. Sorry the last blogs have been short, life here is both hectic and slow; most nights I crawl into bed long before I remember to write a blog. I think once the semester finishes out I’ll be better about giving more detailed updates. For now just stick with me, we shall all get through this wintery time together. Good night for now!
Dec. 5, 2014
Today was a bit of a difficult day. Again the source is not China but my home university. One of my advisers wants a full detailed explanation from me personally about my plans for graduation (though he failed to specify the classes he wish to understand). Without it he refuses to sign the document that will release my financial aid. I answered his email as quickly as I was able to be but who knows when I will receive a response. There really isn’t any reason for this appeal to be dragging on as long as it has. Honestly the more and more this goes on the less I want to return to the University of Nevada, or even the States. I just want to stay and study in China and not get lost in an administration. But we shall see what happens. At worst I am forced to take out loans like a normal student would have to. Not a pleasant thought, but what can be done in the face of such complex absurdity? After dealing with the fiasco I went and finished my calligraphy project. I think I did rather well. I look forward to seeing it printed up as a wall scroll. Everyone was super nervous about it, it kinda of made me laugh, art does strange things to people.
Jesse got back from work and we head off to Raffles City. It was decided that tonight was a Subway night. This was my first sandwich I have had since coming to China. I am not ashamed to say I almost cried a little bit, I need some comfort food after the day I had. We wandered around Treat for a while then headed home. It was movies and good riotous laughter for the rest of the night. I hope tomorrow isn’t too rough but we shall see. I am supposed to meet a friend of Cindy’s and possibly gain a new student. If that is the case then I am going to have to have an uncomfortable conversation about raising the price of my tutoring. So much fun, I wish the semester would just end already the suspense is killing me.
Nov. 6, 2014
So today I went to a friend of Mabel’s house for the morning tutoring session. Cindy has a friend named Dolly and today I tutored them both. It was…ok at best. At worst it was more work than it should have been with not enough pay. I already give Mabel a fairly discounted price when it comes to tutoring. Mabel however, has been asking more and more of me lately. I very seriously considering quitting the job and turning it over to Cassidy(she is searching for more tutoring jobs). I will soon be gaining hours at my work place which has significantly better pay, and it work that I enjoy. Tutoring is fun, but it’s nearly impossible to structure it and Mabel has some very strange expectations for her daughter of four years old. I am unsure about how to go about quitting without totally throwing Cindy for a loop. I like Cindy but not her mother.
I did manage to escape the house fairly quickly after lunch and headed back to the dorms. Unfortunately there was no time for a nap. Jesse and I walked to work, which takes about 45 minutes. It’s actually an interesting walk through the city. When I do it alone, I will snap pictures of it. Teaching was pretty fantastic today. The kids were on top of their words and we made sandwiches. I was more satisfied with the class than tutoring by far. I am really beginning to get attached to my students and running the classroom is really an excellent team effort. When I get frustrated I have other people to rely on. I am also going to be taking the winter science class, which will be nice because there is a break during Chinese New Year but I will still have two weeks of work.Jesse and I stopped in Sichuan alley for food before heading back to the dorms to finish some TV shows. He and I are both wiped out and ready for sleep, no alarms for tomorrow! Yay!
Weather is turning grey again, it makes everyone who is just a little bit sick give up the fight. Several people are fighting off the worst lingering colds, I think that was one my problems, as of right now my nose and voice are clear again, we’ll see how long it lasts. After class it was mostly getting homework done and passing some time by watching I Claudius. Then is was off to work, I arrived early as usual but things were a bit more hectic. The school is having trouble with finding teachers, I think it may have to do with the new visa policies implemented in China, the wording is really intense. I was nervous about finding work but there are a few exceptions and as long as I don’t work over eight hours I am actually fine, I think many students don’t know this. Class was way more fun, all the kids were in a significantly better mood. The words though are little bit strange. Many of the food items we are discussing (Butter, cheese, etc) are not common foods, so the kids are learning these sounds but they have no idea how they taste. So I think we will be making sandwiches using the words. That way the kids can associate a taste with the word. The time out chair was implemented, but wow Chinese people have trouble punishing kids. Larkin straight up kicked one of the other students and I had to argue with my TA about putting him in time out. And then she only kept him there for maybe a minute. I am not heavy handed in anyway, but we said we had a rule, we need to stick with it for the kids to understand we mean business. Cultural differences for the win. After class I headed home and pretty much curled up into bed where I am now. Free day tomorrow, yay!
Dec. 3/4, 2014
Not much going on right now other than getting ready for finals. I have a paper I need to finishing editing, I spent most of my Wednesday doing it. I have decided for next semester I will be doing only Chinese language classes. I have enjoyed the extra curricular things but I really need to get my Chinese at a higher level and I feel this plus a few other interacts will assist me in doing so. A week from today I will have my final, and tomorrow I am getting my calligraphy printed on special paper. I am actually beginning to feel excitement for the month of freedom, though I think a lot of it will be spent working. Making money is good too, I actually worked out doing the special winter classes as the Science teacher. I think we are going to hit the major schools of science and do something fun. I haven’t decided what yet, but Youtube is an amazing place to find said things. Sorry the last blogs have been short, life here is both hectic and slow; most nights I crawl into bed long before I remember to write a blog. I think once the semester finishes out I’ll be better about giving more detailed updates. For now just stick with me, we shall all get through this wintery time together. Good night for now!
Dec. 5, 2014
Today was a bit of a difficult day. Again the source is not China but my home university. One of my advisers wants a full detailed explanation from me personally about my plans for graduation (though he failed to specify the classes he wish to understand). Without it he refuses to sign the document that will release my financial aid. I answered his email as quickly as I was able to be but who knows when I will receive a response. There really isn’t any reason for this appeal to be dragging on as long as it has. Honestly the more and more this goes on the less I want to return to the University of Nevada, or even the States. I just want to stay and study in China and not get lost in an administration. But we shall see what happens. At worst I am forced to take out loans like a normal student would have to. Not a pleasant thought, but what can be done in the face of such complex absurdity? After dealing with the fiasco I went and finished my calligraphy project. I think I did rather well. I look forward to seeing it printed up as a wall scroll. Everyone was super nervous about it, it kinda of made me laugh, art does strange things to people.
Jesse got back from work and we head off to Raffles City. It was decided that tonight was a Subway night. This was my first sandwich I have had since coming to China. I am not ashamed to say I almost cried a little bit, I need some comfort food after the day I had. We wandered around Treat for a while then headed home. It was movies and good riotous laughter for the rest of the night. I hope tomorrow isn’t too rough but we shall see. I am supposed to meet a friend of Cindy’s and possibly gain a new student. If that is the case then I am going to have to have an uncomfortable conversation about raising the price of my tutoring. So much fun, I wish the semester would just end already the suspense is killing me.
 |
| This was amazing! |
Nov. 6, 2014
So today I went to a friend of Mabel’s house for the morning tutoring session. Cindy has a friend named Dolly and today I tutored them both. It was…ok at best. At worst it was more work than it should have been with not enough pay. I already give Mabel a fairly discounted price when it comes to tutoring. Mabel however, has been asking more and more of me lately. I very seriously considering quitting the job and turning it over to Cassidy(she is searching for more tutoring jobs). I will soon be gaining hours at my work place which has significantly better pay, and it work that I enjoy. Tutoring is fun, but it’s nearly impossible to structure it and Mabel has some very strange expectations for her daughter of four years old. I am unsure about how to go about quitting without totally throwing Cindy for a loop. I like Cindy but not her mother.
I did manage to escape the house fairly quickly after lunch and headed back to the dorms. Unfortunately there was no time for a nap. Jesse and I walked to work, which takes about 45 minutes. It’s actually an interesting walk through the city. When I do it alone, I will snap pictures of it. Teaching was pretty fantastic today. The kids were on top of their words and we made sandwiches. I was more satisfied with the class than tutoring by far. I am really beginning to get attached to my students and running the classroom is really an excellent team effort. When I get frustrated I have other people to rely on. I am also going to be taking the winter science class, which will be nice because there is a break during Chinese New Year but I will still have two weeks of work.Jesse and I stopped in Sichuan alley for food before heading back to the dorms to finish some TV shows. He and I are both wiped out and ready for sleep, no alarms for tomorrow! Yay!
Monday, December 1, 2014
Chengdu Week 13/14 - End of the Semester Lazy blog
Nov. 28, 2014
Didn’t sleep last night, people came back really late from the Thanksgiving party and we ended up hanging out late into the night. Then in the morning I was chatted with people on Skype. It was really fun to talk to people I haven’t seen in a really long time. I miss my family particularly at this time of the year. I had good chats with everyone and quickly enough the morning was gone. I then got on the calligraphy homework that I had been neglecting all week. Calligraphy class was extremely relaxing, we are starting our final project. It will be a famous poem about spring. They are going to print our calligraphy up on a wall scroll to hang up, I am actually excited about it, I will practice the poem all week and hopefully it will come out well. After class it was mostly getting food and hanging out. I have discovered the joy that is I Claudius, so I will be watching that for a few nights. Otherwise I want to go to bed early and catch up on the sleep I missed last night.
Nov. 29, 2014
I didn’t have to go to morning tutoring which was nice. I was able to sleep in and have a lazy morning. I did some calligraphy practice, I will attempt to do that everyday so that I can have a nice final project. Jesse and I decided to walk to work since we really didn’t have anything else occurring. The walk was nice, but the last few days it’s been sunny so the air quality is really obvious. I am currently without a working voice and I think it has to do with the pollution. Classes weren’t too bad, we made it through alright. Sometimes the kids are having their own internal issues and they come out in class. Lily and I survived to the other side. Then I was off with JD for her birthday dinner. It was a lot of fun, I really enjoy talking to the lovely JD. Eating Western food in China always feels like cheating though. Also it’s a mild disappointment, she wanted Western food so it worked out. We still managed to catch the end of the rush hour bus riders so we both squashed on the bus. Then it was back for a night of random chats and movies.I need to get started on the homework that was assigned but I really have no motivation. I can feel the end of the year creeping up, people are beginning to talk about getting home for Christmas. I wonder what my Christmas will be like? Something to consider, but for now I am off to bed.
Nov. 30/Dec. 1, 2014
Sunday was a lazy about day nothing really to report on. Today was a bit more fun. We are entering the last stages of the semester, we only have two more lessons in the book, which equates to about four days in class. It’s crazy to think about where the semester has gone. It’s also December first, another crazy fact, people who are leaving for the semester are starting to pack up and count down. I remember being them after three months of study, when the end was in sight I remember getting really excited and then really sad. Everyone is in the excited stage right now. I usually have work today but our tutoring session was cancelled last minute so I still got paid for half the time. I find that policy really convenient considering everyone commutes to work. I then adventured with Jesse, just milling about the area before heading to Trust Mart for some lemon and honey. It was an easy day, lots of walking around and avoiding homework waiting for us back in the dorms. there is a bit of a snafu with our history paper in that no one went to class last week for Thanksgiving and the people who went didn’t ask about when the paper is due. So I am trying to get a hold of the teacher, we’ll see where that leads. Work tomorrow, hopefully better than Saturday.
Didn’t sleep last night, people came back really late from the Thanksgiving party and we ended up hanging out late into the night. Then in the morning I was chatted with people on Skype. It was really fun to talk to people I haven’t seen in a really long time. I miss my family particularly at this time of the year. I had good chats with everyone and quickly enough the morning was gone. I then got on the calligraphy homework that I had been neglecting all week. Calligraphy class was extremely relaxing, we are starting our final project. It will be a famous poem about spring. They are going to print our calligraphy up on a wall scroll to hang up, I am actually excited about it, I will practice the poem all week and hopefully it will come out well. After class it was mostly getting food and hanging out. I have discovered the joy that is I Claudius, so I will be watching that for a few nights. Otherwise I want to go to bed early and catch up on the sleep I missed last night.
Nov. 29, 2014
I didn’t have to go to morning tutoring which was nice. I was able to sleep in and have a lazy morning. I did some calligraphy practice, I will attempt to do that everyday so that I can have a nice final project. Jesse and I decided to walk to work since we really didn’t have anything else occurring. The walk was nice, but the last few days it’s been sunny so the air quality is really obvious. I am currently without a working voice and I think it has to do with the pollution. Classes weren’t too bad, we made it through alright. Sometimes the kids are having their own internal issues and they come out in class. Lily and I survived to the other side. Then I was off with JD for her birthday dinner. It was a lot of fun, I really enjoy talking to the lovely JD. Eating Western food in China always feels like cheating though. Also it’s a mild disappointment, she wanted Western food so it worked out. We still managed to catch the end of the rush hour bus riders so we both squashed on the bus. Then it was back for a night of random chats and movies.I need to get started on the homework that was assigned but I really have no motivation. I can feel the end of the year creeping up, people are beginning to talk about getting home for Christmas. I wonder what my Christmas will be like? Something to consider, but for now I am off to bed.
 |
| Pet Rooster tied to a try outside a shop in the middle of Chengdu |
Nov. 30/Dec. 1, 2014
Sunday was a lazy about day nothing really to report on. Today was a bit more fun. We are entering the last stages of the semester, we only have two more lessons in the book, which equates to about four days in class. It’s crazy to think about where the semester has gone. It’s also December first, another crazy fact, people who are leaving for the semester are starting to pack up and count down. I remember being them after three months of study, when the end was in sight I remember getting really excited and then really sad. Everyone is in the excited stage right now. I usually have work today but our tutoring session was cancelled last minute so I still got paid for half the time. I find that policy really convenient considering everyone commutes to work. I then adventured with Jesse, just milling about the area before heading to Trust Mart for some lemon and honey. It was an easy day, lots of walking around and avoiding homework waiting for us back in the dorms. there is a bit of a snafu with our history paper in that no one went to class last week for Thanksgiving and the people who went didn’t ask about when the paper is due. So I am trying to get a hold of the teacher, we’ll see where that leads. Work tomorrow, hopefully better than Saturday.
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Chengdu Week 13 - Thanksgiving Special Update
Nov. 26, 2014
Free day today! Which means most of the morning was spent lounging about. I had a tok with Jesse and we both decided that getting a cheap smart phone would be beneficial. almost everyone in China has a Wechat meaning as long as we have internet we will be able to communicate with pretty much everyone. So I dropped a little bit of money on a new phone, it was still less than 100 USD. Both Jesse and I made plans with Weiwei to go after classes let out, to China Unicom, one of the providers that allows for foreigners to get a phone with just a passport. Then for me it was off with Jackie for shoe shopping. She and I have been planning this kind of outing for a while but it has either fallen through or we just forget in the moment when we should ask the other. I ended up having a great time, I don’t know Jackie super well, but it was nice to be hanging out with some slightly different. She is also a yearlong so I will be seeing her all next semester too.
I ended up finding a cute pair of shoes that will go with the slightly dressier outfit I have. I need to wear them around though so that the first time I need to wear them they don’t destroy my feet. Jesse’s class let out and we snuck down into the office to find Weiwei. She walked us over to a fairly familiar area over by the Trustmart. Then it was a matter of figuring out which plan we wanted. It took a while because all the middle ground options we wanted were unavailable. But we finally found a phone for 50 kuai a month that has both data and minutes. It was a old situation. I have to change my number again, but as long as everyone has my we chat it should be good. After all of that I met up with Chiyi for a little bit of Chinese help. I was apparently much more tired that I had thought, I was completely failing at Chinese, it was magical. But Chiyi managed to get my through it. I am excited for tomorrow, which will be a USAC Thanksgiving, I am cooking so we shall see how this goes!
Nov. 27, 2014
Happy Thanksgiving! So the day started out fairly normal, it was just going to class. Though a good portion of class was spent talking about our plans for the meal that evening. Not really surprising I think people were extremely excited to had our party. I headed out with a small groups to the apartments after classes let out. I had volunteered myself as a cook for our Thanksgiving feast. The turkey would have to be bought from an outside source but everything else was to be made or bought. So after a few stops at the stores, I had enough potatoes to feed a small army. I miss a decent potato peeler because I spent most of my time just peeling them. I literally bled for those potatoes. It took nearly an hour and a half. Then I had to cook them in three batches due to limited size of our pots. The potatoes alone took three hours from start to finish. Then it was on to the pasta salad that I made up out of thin air. I just wanted to add something that no one else was bringing, it turned out to be really tasty if the empty pot at the end of the night was anything to judge.
Thanksgiving was essentially amazing. I have really been missing my family, since this time is year is when I am almost always guaranteed to see them. But I have a China family too and they made everything worth wild. Our Thanksgiving dinner was whatever we had, from Turkey to rabbit and throw in some vegetables and other food no one knows the English name for (or if there is even an English name). It amazing because everyone came together and just enjoyed being with one another. I managed to get some pictures of the night, I hope it captures the merriment and profound belonging. Happy Thanksgiving, please tell everyone how much you appreciate them. I am thankful for the family at home who have supported me in this endeavor to China. For my friends, who even with an ocean between us remind me everyday why they are awesome. Thank you, I love you all. Now it is time to turkey coma, see you on the other side!
Free day today! Which means most of the morning was spent lounging about. I had a tok with Jesse and we both decided that getting a cheap smart phone would be beneficial. almost everyone in China has a Wechat meaning as long as we have internet we will be able to communicate with pretty much everyone. So I dropped a little bit of money on a new phone, it was still less than 100 USD. Both Jesse and I made plans with Weiwei to go after classes let out, to China Unicom, one of the providers that allows for foreigners to get a phone with just a passport. Then for me it was off with Jackie for shoe shopping. She and I have been planning this kind of outing for a while but it has either fallen through or we just forget in the moment when we should ask the other. I ended up having a great time, I don’t know Jackie super well, but it was nice to be hanging out with some slightly different. She is also a yearlong so I will be seeing her all next semester too.
I ended up finding a cute pair of shoes that will go with the slightly dressier outfit I have. I need to wear them around though so that the first time I need to wear them they don’t destroy my feet. Jesse’s class let out and we snuck down into the office to find Weiwei. She walked us over to a fairly familiar area over by the Trustmart. Then it was a matter of figuring out which plan we wanted. It took a while because all the middle ground options we wanted were unavailable. But we finally found a phone for 50 kuai a month that has both data and minutes. It was a old situation. I have to change my number again, but as long as everyone has my we chat it should be good. After all of that I met up with Chiyi for a little bit of Chinese help. I was apparently much more tired that I had thought, I was completely failing at Chinese, it was magical. But Chiyi managed to get my through it. I am excited for tomorrow, which will be a USAC Thanksgiving, I am cooking so we shall see how this goes!
Nov. 27, 2014
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| Corey, Jesse, and Sam |
Happy Thanksgiving! So the day started out fairly normal, it was just going to class. Though a good portion of class was spent talking about our plans for the meal that evening. Not really surprising I think people were extremely excited to had our party. I headed out with a small groups to the apartments after classes let out. I had volunteered myself as a cook for our Thanksgiving feast. The turkey would have to be bought from an outside source but everything else was to be made or bought. So after a few stops at the stores, I had enough potatoes to feed a small army. I miss a decent potato peeler because I spent most of my time just peeling them. I literally bled for those potatoes. It took nearly an hour and a half. Then I had to cook them in three batches due to limited size of our pots. The potatoes alone took three hours from start to finish. Then it was on to the pasta salad that I made up out of thin air. I just wanted to add something that no one else was bringing, it turned out to be really tasty if the empty pot at the end of the night was anything to judge.  |
| Chinese potato masher, the Harbin beer bottle |
Thanksgiving was essentially amazing. I have really been missing my family, since this time is year is when I am almost always guaranteed to see them. But I have a China family too and they made everything worth wild. Our Thanksgiving dinner was whatever we had, from Turkey to rabbit and throw in some vegetables and other food no one knows the English name for (or if there is even an English name). It amazing because everyone came together and just enjoyed being with one another. I managed to get some pictures of the night, I hope it captures the merriment and profound belonging. Happy Thanksgiving, please tell everyone how much you appreciate them. I am thankful for the family at home who have supported me in this endeavor to China. For my friends, who even with an ocean between us remind me everyday why they are awesome. Thank you, I love you all. Now it is time to turkey coma, see you on the other side! |
| Fellow cook Jackie |
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| Round Two |
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| Also Rana's birthday so candles! |
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Chengdu Week 13 - Life goes along
Nov. 23, 2014
Lazy sundays are a very nice thing. I managed to sleep in until 8:30 before people were pounding on my door, demanding their coffee. (And by people, I mean Jesse and Raphi, my fellow caffeinated addicts) Then it was homework really fast, but the workbooks are strutted in a way that as long as I took notes in class I can muddle through. After lunch Jesse taught me and Raphi how to play Chinese Chess, it’s way shorter and slightly more strategic than Western Chess. I am very bad at it but it was fun none the less. The rest of the evening was spent lazing about and general resting. It’s nice having a quiet day after such a long Saturday. Classes tomorrow, hopefully I will be able to Chinese better than last week.
Nov. 24, 2014
My room smells like coffee in the mornings now, people will come by just to smell my room. I should get a sign that says Coffee Shop. Class went better than expected. I was able to actually figure out the words and get sentences put together in a timely fashion. Then after lunch it was off to work. I am beginning to tutor and older student. It took me all of five minutes to realize that her English is not bad. Instead she;’s pretending it’s bad because it gets the attention of her other, who also works at the english school. She probably also was teased for having good English in school, many of the students react that way when someone is able to speak English to foreigners. As soon as I got her talking about the environment and Harry Potter, we were on the same footing. It was really fun getting to talk to an 11 year old, who had a more grasp of the language. I love the little ones but saying the sentence pattern over and over again gets old quickly. She just needs confidence and someone who isn’t demanding she speak English all the time. So over all I think the situation went well. After work it was food then a couple of rounds of Chinese Chess. While Raphi and Jesse played I did my homework. We devolved into catch with the football before watching some shows. TV helps keep our sanity and stay mildly connected with the outside world (Specifically American Pop Culture).
Nov. 25, 2014
I am pretty sure I got 100 percent on my quiz. It’s a nice feeling, especially after the last one. Class went well for me, Jackie and I made plans for going shoe shopping. She has a few stores scope out, we’ll see what we come away with tomorrow. The rest of today was essentially an adventure between Jesse and I. We went to the Muslim restaurant for food, and then half the dorm showed up. The place is really popular with the foreigners, I think the shop owner gets confused about why we all keep coming. Then it was back to the room for a quick nap, that I would be prepared for the amount of playing I would be doing with the kids. Jesse was invited to have a job interview with the school I work at. He’s been wanting a job for a while and there is an opening, as Chuck is leaving. So Jesse will be taking over some classes, which is fun. I also spoke to Wang laoshi about her daughter, whom I am tutoring. I think the girl is just trying to create her own space in the world but doesn’t know how to do it. I am getting the impression that they would prefer that I mentor her more than tutor her in English. That works for me, I feel like Chloe and I are fairly similar in wants and needs in life.
Class itself went really well. The kids were on the ball with their vocal and willing to participate in all the games. Sometimes I have to coax them into playing or one kid is just running around not paying attention. Even during break they stayed the classroom, preferring to play with me then head out. After class though, I was talking to another co-worker, Mark, when Tiger came up to me and gave me a small packet of cookies. Mark said “In China, love is food.” Which is true culturally, but it’s awesome that after such a short time together the kids and I are able to sure food and have a good time learning English. After class it was back to the dorms for general shenanigans. Tomorrow is my free day I look forward to taking a rest. Also fun note I think I am doing a singing competition in Chinese, so that will be fun. More information as I get it.
Lazy sundays are a very nice thing. I managed to sleep in until 8:30 before people were pounding on my door, demanding their coffee. (And by people, I mean Jesse and Raphi, my fellow caffeinated addicts) Then it was homework really fast, but the workbooks are strutted in a way that as long as I took notes in class I can muddle through. After lunch Jesse taught me and Raphi how to play Chinese Chess, it’s way shorter and slightly more strategic than Western Chess. I am very bad at it but it was fun none the less. The rest of the evening was spent lazing about and general resting. It’s nice having a quiet day after such a long Saturday. Classes tomorrow, hopefully I will be able to Chinese better than last week.
Nov. 24, 2014
My room smells like coffee in the mornings now, people will come by just to smell my room. I should get a sign that says Coffee Shop. Class went better than expected. I was able to actually figure out the words and get sentences put together in a timely fashion. Then after lunch it was off to work. I am beginning to tutor and older student. It took me all of five minutes to realize that her English is not bad. Instead she;’s pretending it’s bad because it gets the attention of her other, who also works at the english school. She probably also was teased for having good English in school, many of the students react that way when someone is able to speak English to foreigners. As soon as I got her talking about the environment and Harry Potter, we were on the same footing. It was really fun getting to talk to an 11 year old, who had a more grasp of the language. I love the little ones but saying the sentence pattern over and over again gets old quickly. She just needs confidence and someone who isn’t demanding she speak English all the time. So over all I think the situation went well. After work it was food then a couple of rounds of Chinese Chess. While Raphi and Jesse played I did my homework. We devolved into catch with the football before watching some shows. TV helps keep our sanity and stay mildly connected with the outside world (Specifically American Pop Culture).
Nov. 25, 2014
I am pretty sure I got 100 percent on my quiz. It’s a nice feeling, especially after the last one. Class went well for me, Jackie and I made plans for going shoe shopping. She has a few stores scope out, we’ll see what we come away with tomorrow. The rest of today was essentially an adventure between Jesse and I. We went to the Muslim restaurant for food, and then half the dorm showed up. The place is really popular with the foreigners, I think the shop owner gets confused about why we all keep coming. Then it was back to the room for a quick nap, that I would be prepared for the amount of playing I would be doing with the kids. Jesse was invited to have a job interview with the school I work at. He’s been wanting a job for a while and there is an opening, as Chuck is leaving. So Jesse will be taking over some classes, which is fun. I also spoke to Wang laoshi about her daughter, whom I am tutoring. I think the girl is just trying to create her own space in the world but doesn’t know how to do it. I am getting the impression that they would prefer that I mentor her more than tutor her in English. That works for me, I feel like Chloe and I are fairly similar in wants and needs in life.
Class itself went really well. The kids were on the ball with their vocal and willing to participate in all the games. Sometimes I have to coax them into playing or one kid is just running around not paying attention. Even during break they stayed the classroom, preferring to play with me then head out. After class though, I was talking to another co-worker, Mark, when Tiger came up to me and gave me a small packet of cookies. Mark said “In China, love is food.” Which is true culturally, but it’s awesome that after such a short time together the kids and I are able to sure food and have a good time learning English. After class it was back to the dorms for general shenanigans. Tomorrow is my free day I look forward to taking a rest. Also fun note I think I am doing a singing competition in Chinese, so that will be fun. More information as I get it.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Chengdu Week 12 - End of Week
Nov. 19, 2014So I left fairly early with Cassidy to go to the Global Center, which is essentially just a giant mall in a cool building. She and I both had hopes that we could buy some clothes. It was actually a good hour bus then train ride to the center, it’s pretty far out of Chengdu. The building itself is very interesting looking, and walking in side is overwhelming just a little bit. This mall has the world’s largest indoor water park (I think so anyway, correct me if I am wrong.). Essentially Cassidy and I spent the day shopping and chatting about life. Cassidy discovered the wonder that is Uniqlo, a Japanese brand store. She was able to get a bunch of clothing. Unfortunately my bust is way to much for China to handle, so even with my weight loss I still can’t buy anything in China, but I will survive. I’ll just wear my baggy clothing or if I get really desperate just order online. It was really fun, and we made it back around 3 pm.
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| Four stories up looking straight down |
After our adventures in the Global Center, I had to scramble a little bit with homework. I have a history presentation tomorrow and I needed to actually write up the physical powerpoint as well as my own notes. Then I got my Xian journal together, essentially I used my blog, which is one of the reasons I keep a blog. Then it was time for Chinese memorization, I have 26 characters to learn for the dictation tomorrow. At some point Chiyi popped over to practice English. Her test for English qualification is in a few weeks and she is really beginning to study hard. We talked about good study habits and also how to use the USAC students as a resource. After that it was actually surprisingly late, so here I am in bed. Tomorrow should hopefully be an interesting day.
Nov. 20, 2014
Chinese was not on today. I spent most of class struggling through. It happens, just gotta roll with it I will figure it out. History didn’t do much to improve my faith in classes. I had my presentation, which went well I think. I discussed the connection with Tang dynasty’s rise into the Golden age and Wuzetian’s role in getting to that point (If you have some time look up Empress Wu, she’s awesome). It was a pretty standard presentation and Xiao laoshi didn’t do much except repeat things I said in agreement. I consider it a win. Class finally ended and I spent the rest of the evening with Jesse and Corey watching movies. I did somehow manage to lose my room key (Probably when we went to dinner), so it was 100 RMB to get a new one. I hope I can find the old one and get the money back. Overall it was a meh sort of day.
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| Behold our mighty addiction!! |
Nov. 21, 2014
I spent a good portion of the morning milling about. There wasn’t really anything to do except some quick calligraphy homework. Otherwise is was computer time. Today we discovered that our calligraphy teacher was ill and would need a substitute for the rest of the semester. Yen Laoshi took over for the class. It was actually quiet relaxing, we just wrote characters until we felt like finishing. I enjoyed the time to sort of free hand. Then it was back up into the dorms, for cooking. I helped Corey cook some Chicken for our dining pleasure, though dinner was far later than I expected. I also somewhere in-between manage to have an allergic reaction to something. Thus Benadryl started flowing through my veins, making me into a zombie. I really hate having to take it but I didn’t want to itch any longer. Having allergies in China makes life a little bit difficult, because I’m not always sure what caused the reaction in the first place. Tomorrow is my long work day. We shall see where it leads, hopefully it won’t be too difficult.
Nov. 22, 2014
Saturdays are unfortunately long days. I went early in the morning to Starbucks, to meet Cindy and Mabel. Cindy was in full form today, but she was actually speaking more English. Meeting in the coffee shop is really difficult because at some level we need to be respectful to the other patrons. Cindy is at the age where she doesn’t want to sit still, so book work is essentially out of the question, no matter how much her mother would love for us to sit for a two hours. She continues to ask about my own kindergarten experience, but it’s really not the same thing as we are in a tutoring session. That and any games played were always in groups. I was treated to lunch, then it was back to the dorms for a quick nap. I actually did get enough sleep in-between, and was up and ready to go when it was time to leave.
Saturdays are generally like any other other day, in terms of traffic, but for some reason it took the bus nearly 20 minutes from the time I arrived at the bus stop. Then it was extremely crowded, which is unusual for the time of day. Once I arrived at work, albeit late, there were no students. We thought for a moment that we weren’t going to have anyone, when three students showed up ten minutes late. Class in small numbers is a little bit difficult to get the energy up. Lily and I managed, and at the end we colored turkeys. It’s funny that they talk about Thanksgiving but most kids have never eaten turkey, or if they have it wasn’t a particularly special occasion. As Thanksgiving closes in, I realize I am missing my family. This is the time when I get ready to see everyone and this year it won’t be that way. The USAC students are planning on having a Thanksgiving at the apartments, so hopefully that will help with the longing I think everyone has for home. Only three weeks left of the semester, and I have been in China for three months. I wonder where the time went?
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Chengdu Week 12 - A normal week? Maybe?
Nov. 16, 2014
Today involved homework, study, and meeting with friends. I got my homework done in the morning, Chinese during coffee is always a good thing. Jesse and I have purchased a new kind of coffee from Ikea, it’s better than what we had from Starbucks, a significantly less. I miss my Bibo’s and Trader Joe’s coffee. After homework I met up with Meiling, she and I chatted and I gave her, her souvenir from Xian. Then it was out to the market with Jesse and Corey. Jesse’s watch had an unfortunate incident in which someone accidentally through it away. So Jesse went to an open market and bought a knock off Omega watch. It’s fun wandering around the market, but they always jack up the prices for us foreigners. It’s fun to hear Jesse and Corey attempt to barter. Corey has trouble bartering because he always converts into USD, but both Jesse and I are like “But the Chinese people only pay 100 kuai (another word for money)!” It’s an on going struggle. The rest of the day was a quiet affair, just studying and hanging out. I can’t believe that classes are more than a 2/3rd’s over. This time next month I will be out of classes, and starting into my winter break. So much Chinese and so little time.
Nov. 17, 2014
Today was filled with mild excitement. Classes were normal, Chinese class is getting easier and easier which I feel could be a good or bad thing, for now let’s operate under the assumption that’s it’s a good thing. I managed to get through the homework fast enough, but then I discovered that my power cord had finally kicked up it’s heels and died. I found this out as I had plugged in my computer to recharge the almost dead battery. With serious gerry-rigging, I was able to keep my computer alive long enough to transfer my blog, China pictures, and music into storage devices. It was a stressful hour or so. Poor Jesse got yelled at more than once out of panic for information about what was happening. Thankfully he and I had already set something up in which I am buying his second computer from him. Our plan was just moved forward by a week or so. So it all worked out, mom is meant to transfer the money so it shall all be kosher soon. I went to visit Chiyi and got some help with my presentation for tomorrow’s class. After all the worry it was smooth sailing. Raphi, Corey, Jesse, and I went to dinner and we consumed way too much Gengpaoji. Overall, a good day.
Nov. 18, 2014
Today was more lively. In class usually our breaks are increments of ten. Usually we have two ten minute breaks or one long 20 minute break. But today Laoshi gave us a 15 minute break, which we all mucked up. Everyone was late by five minutes. Laoshi said that unless we sang her a song she wouldn’t let us have another break. We decided on I’m a little tea pot and went for it. Her reaction was the best, “You all sound nice (said in Chinese), ok, forgiven.” She made this hand motion along with forgiven that just made us all laugh, probably harder than was necessary. At the end of class Laoshi said that we could go back to writing sentences, instead of the paragraphs we’ve started doing for the new words. Her reason was that our paragraphs weren’t good and that maybe it was too hard for us. Now what she meant to say is that we didn’t have enough understanding of Chinese written language to properly connect the sentences in a coherent paragraph. We all knew that but we pretended to be hurt. She kept trying to correct herself, but she was only making it worse. Yin Laoshi finally caught on and she announced “If you are hurt I claim cultural differences, now go away!” Everyone laughed and said our goodbyes. It was quite fun.
Lunch ended up being with three Korean people, Nina, Crystal and Nick. We all ate lunch and chatted the whole time. It was actually quite fun. Nick lived in Florida for two years so his English was pretty good. I really like making international friends. After lunch I went to meet up with Meiling, she and I were having one final meeting before the dubbing contest. We would be doing a scene from Coraline. A bunch of Chinese student learning english were hosting the contest. It was actually quite fun. There were a bunch of other USAC students assisting their friends as well. I had to leave pretty quickly after that as I had work.
Work was interesting, I think I will begin some tutoring hours which is good because that means more money in my pocket. Also tutoring is something I am far more familiar with, so I think I will be able to do it well. Class was going about how it usually does when the lights suddenly cut out. At first I thought it was just the classroom but it turned out to be the whole area. Even the apartment lights were out, which naturally lead to mass chaos as the kids began to run around in the dark. We were able to get everyone shipped off to their parents and groups of teachers (myself included) walked students out with flashlights. Thanks Grandma, the flashlight came in handy! Then I headed home and essentially crawled into bed, where I am right now. Time for sleep, tomorrow I traverse to the global center.
Today involved homework, study, and meeting with friends. I got my homework done in the morning, Chinese during coffee is always a good thing. Jesse and I have purchased a new kind of coffee from Ikea, it’s better than what we had from Starbucks, a significantly less. I miss my Bibo’s and Trader Joe’s coffee. After homework I met up with Meiling, she and I chatted and I gave her, her souvenir from Xian. Then it was out to the market with Jesse and Corey. Jesse’s watch had an unfortunate incident in which someone accidentally through it away. So Jesse went to an open market and bought a knock off Omega watch. It’s fun wandering around the market, but they always jack up the prices for us foreigners. It’s fun to hear Jesse and Corey attempt to barter. Corey has trouble bartering because he always converts into USD, but both Jesse and I are like “But the Chinese people only pay 100 kuai (another word for money)!” It’s an on going struggle. The rest of the day was a quiet affair, just studying and hanging out. I can’t believe that classes are more than a 2/3rd’s over. This time next month I will be out of classes, and starting into my winter break. So much Chinese and so little time.
Nov. 17, 2014
Today was filled with mild excitement. Classes were normal, Chinese class is getting easier and easier which I feel could be a good or bad thing, for now let’s operate under the assumption that’s it’s a good thing. I managed to get through the homework fast enough, but then I discovered that my power cord had finally kicked up it’s heels and died. I found this out as I had plugged in my computer to recharge the almost dead battery. With serious gerry-rigging, I was able to keep my computer alive long enough to transfer my blog, China pictures, and music into storage devices. It was a stressful hour or so. Poor Jesse got yelled at more than once out of panic for information about what was happening. Thankfully he and I had already set something up in which I am buying his second computer from him. Our plan was just moved forward by a week or so. So it all worked out, mom is meant to transfer the money so it shall all be kosher soon. I went to visit Chiyi and got some help with my presentation for tomorrow’s class. After all the worry it was smooth sailing. Raphi, Corey, Jesse, and I went to dinner and we consumed way too much Gengpaoji. Overall, a good day.
Nov. 18, 2014
Today was more lively. In class usually our breaks are increments of ten. Usually we have two ten minute breaks or one long 20 minute break. But today Laoshi gave us a 15 minute break, which we all mucked up. Everyone was late by five minutes. Laoshi said that unless we sang her a song she wouldn’t let us have another break. We decided on I’m a little tea pot and went for it. Her reaction was the best, “You all sound nice (said in Chinese), ok, forgiven.” She made this hand motion along with forgiven that just made us all laugh, probably harder than was necessary. At the end of class Laoshi said that we could go back to writing sentences, instead of the paragraphs we’ve started doing for the new words. Her reason was that our paragraphs weren’t good and that maybe it was too hard for us. Now what she meant to say is that we didn’t have enough understanding of Chinese written language to properly connect the sentences in a coherent paragraph. We all knew that but we pretended to be hurt. She kept trying to correct herself, but she was only making it worse. Yin Laoshi finally caught on and she announced “If you are hurt I claim cultural differences, now go away!” Everyone laughed and said our goodbyes. It was quite fun.
Lunch ended up being with three Korean people, Nina, Crystal and Nick. We all ate lunch and chatted the whole time. It was actually quite fun. Nick lived in Florida for two years so his English was pretty good. I really like making international friends. After lunch I went to meet up with Meiling, she and I were having one final meeting before the dubbing contest. We would be doing a scene from Coraline. A bunch of Chinese student learning english were hosting the contest. It was actually quite fun. There were a bunch of other USAC students assisting their friends as well. I had to leave pretty quickly after that as I had work.
Work was interesting, I think I will begin some tutoring hours which is good because that means more money in my pocket. Also tutoring is something I am far more familiar with, so I think I will be able to do it well. Class was going about how it usually does when the lights suddenly cut out. At first I thought it was just the classroom but it turned out to be the whole area. Even the apartment lights were out, which naturally lead to mass chaos as the kids began to run around in the dark. We were able to get everyone shipped off to their parents and groups of teachers (myself included) walked students out with flashlights. Thanks Grandma, the flashlight came in handy! Then I headed home and essentially crawled into bed, where I am right now. Time for sleep, tomorrow I traverse to the global center.
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Chengdu Week 11 - Ending
Nov. 13, 2014
Class was in a different classroom, due to ours not being unlocked. Things don’t always go smoothly. Lunch was with Andrew and it was actually pretty filling, I was in the mood for a family style meal. I also ate pretty much the entire plate of chicken. The restaurant we went to has the best gengpaoji (kung pow chicken) I’ve had in Sichuan. History class is beginning to turn into a joke, not because our teacher is unable to teach, but more along the lines she isn’t used to teaching students who actually know a thing or two about Chinese history. She always treats us like we have no idea and often misunderstands what we say and misconstrues it into something that fits her image of what she understands Americans to be. For example, I made the comment that one of the temples in Xian reminded me of my time in Japan. This is because the simple, elegant temples in the Tang dynasty were exported to Japan and Japan continued that very specific tradition into modern times. However, Laoshi took that to mean that I thought Japan had influenced Chinese architecture. It was weird because she was seemed really pleased I had made this grievous error and announced it to the class today. I interrupted her and told her no that’s not at all what I meant, it made class mildly strained until break. Then after break she once again talked about the possibility of curses and Fengshui being admissible reasons for things happening. Which is fine, but that’s not historically admissible in academia. The class will be over soon and I will take her class next semester for audit instead of credit which will keep it interesting without needing to write a paper.
After class there was another odd moment. A woman was wandering around, standing in people’s doorways but not saying anything. I tried to speak with her but she went too fast. I got Cassid to help me understand, we’ve had people in our dorm looking for someone. It turned out however, she was a migrant worker looking for money. She vented to Cassidy and I. We later found out she was likely trying to get into people’s rooms to steal things to sell. It was a weird moment. But we got through it together. Then it was sword fighting in the hallway (Jesse misses fencing) and dinner. We watched Princess Mononoke and holy crap my Japanese is getting bad. I don’t use it so I guess it’s getting lost. It also doesn’t help that when I look a characters the Chinese reading pops up instead. Such is the nature of learning languages and not using them. Tomorrow will be interesting, I am going with a few dorm mates to a grand opening for Wentao.
Nov. 14, 2014
Today was a little bit different. The USAC students had been invited to an elementary school for an International Art exhibition (It was actually a field day for an elementary school but it had a really official sounding title). Myself, Sean, Eric and Ashley (or Meifeng) waited for nearly 45 minutes for the car that was meant to pick us up. Apparently it had gone to Sichuan University instead of our university. We almost didn’t make it due to traffic and having to juggle between Wentao’s calls, as she tried to figure out what was going on. So we finally arrive just in time for the opening ceremonies. Alright, let me explain this job. The four of us were there essentially to make the school look more diverse. That they actually had access to foreigners ,who spoke English. We got up on stage waved some flags, the got off. We then waved another round of flags and we were done. This was only done for the pictures, so that school could post them on the website and attract more students. Then the children dispersed for games.
All of us opted to stay for the games. It was fun playing with the children, I think they liked having other people besides their teachers. After the games we were taken inside and we watched some traditional Chinese entertainment, string and giant top tricks. It was actually very interesting, I really enjoyed it. Then there was a brief magic show, which was specifically designed for kids. It was all good fun. Lunch went swiftly enough, I chatted with a few of the actually teachers at the school. Apparently it’s a very very rich school. Then I had to go back to school, I had calligraphy at two. Calligraph was quite fun, it was a smaller group, people opted out of going. I feel like I actually did well in the class, even though my talent for calligraphy is minimal.
Corey made dinner for all of us, chicken breast sandwiches.They were quite tasty, I did dishes instead of paying which was really nice of the man. Jesse, Corey and I then recluses into the room and watched two movies. It was nice just chilling after such a long day. Tomorrow will also be long, I have to tutor Cindy and go work at YMCC. Hopefully it won’t be too bad.
Nov. 15, 2014
My Saturday was a day of work. First, I went with Cindy for her two hour English lesson. That was actually quite fun, games of hide and seek and long with combing my hair made the time fly by. Then it was back to the dorms for some food and a nap. I left the dorms again for work at YMCC. Today wasn’t as fun, it was a review day and so everything we did went really quickly. That left myself and Lily struggling to come up with relevant games for the kids to play to pass the time. We managed through it though, but I was happy for the day to be over. It was payday, which always blows my mind a little bit. The spending power of the RMB is actually quite high, particularly for essentials such as food. So as long as I work and don’t go crazy with spending money, I will not need to pull money out of my account in the US. Yay for not returning as a broke student. I went to dinner with Corey and Jesse and then it was back to the dorms for some movies. We somehow have gotten into the habit of winding down the night with movies and I really like the tradition. Tomorrow is the start of new week, let’s see what goes on.
Class was in a different classroom, due to ours not being unlocked. Things don’t always go smoothly. Lunch was with Andrew and it was actually pretty filling, I was in the mood for a family style meal. I also ate pretty much the entire plate of chicken. The restaurant we went to has the best gengpaoji (kung pow chicken) I’ve had in Sichuan. History class is beginning to turn into a joke, not because our teacher is unable to teach, but more along the lines she isn’t used to teaching students who actually know a thing or two about Chinese history. She always treats us like we have no idea and often misunderstands what we say and misconstrues it into something that fits her image of what she understands Americans to be. For example, I made the comment that one of the temples in Xian reminded me of my time in Japan. This is because the simple, elegant temples in the Tang dynasty were exported to Japan and Japan continued that very specific tradition into modern times. However, Laoshi took that to mean that I thought Japan had influenced Chinese architecture. It was weird because she was seemed really pleased I had made this grievous error and announced it to the class today. I interrupted her and told her no that’s not at all what I meant, it made class mildly strained until break. Then after break she once again talked about the possibility of curses and Fengshui being admissible reasons for things happening. Which is fine, but that’s not historically admissible in academia. The class will be over soon and I will take her class next semester for audit instead of credit which will keep it interesting without needing to write a paper.
After class there was another odd moment. A woman was wandering around, standing in people’s doorways but not saying anything. I tried to speak with her but she went too fast. I got Cassid to help me understand, we’ve had people in our dorm looking for someone. It turned out however, she was a migrant worker looking for money. She vented to Cassidy and I. We later found out she was likely trying to get into people’s rooms to steal things to sell. It was a weird moment. But we got through it together. Then it was sword fighting in the hallway (Jesse misses fencing) and dinner. We watched Princess Mononoke and holy crap my Japanese is getting bad. I don’t use it so I guess it’s getting lost. It also doesn’t help that when I look a characters the Chinese reading pops up instead. Such is the nature of learning languages and not using them. Tomorrow will be interesting, I am going with a few dorm mates to a grand opening for Wentao.
Nov. 14, 2014
Today was a little bit different. The USAC students had been invited to an elementary school for an International Art exhibition (It was actually a field day for an elementary school but it had a really official sounding title). Myself, Sean, Eric and Ashley (or Meifeng) waited for nearly 45 minutes for the car that was meant to pick us up. Apparently it had gone to Sichuan University instead of our university. We almost didn’t make it due to traffic and having to juggle between Wentao’s calls, as she tried to figure out what was going on. So we finally arrive just in time for the opening ceremonies. Alright, let me explain this job. The four of us were there essentially to make the school look more diverse. That they actually had access to foreigners ,who spoke English. We got up on stage waved some flags, the got off. We then waved another round of flags and we were done. This was only done for the pictures, so that school could post them on the website and attract more students. Then the children dispersed for games.
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| Erik as a computer |
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| Sean High-fiving the Children |
All of us opted to stay for the games. It was fun playing with the children, I think they liked having other people besides their teachers. After the games we were taken inside and we watched some traditional Chinese entertainment, string and giant top tricks. It was actually very interesting, I really enjoyed it. Then there was a brief magic show, which was specifically designed for kids. It was all good fun. Lunch went swiftly enough, I chatted with a few of the actually teachers at the school. Apparently it’s a very very rich school. Then I had to go back to school, I had calligraphy at two. Calligraph was quite fun, it was a smaller group, people opted out of going. I feel like I actually did well in the class, even though my talent for calligraphy is minimal.
Corey made dinner for all of us, chicken breast sandwiches.They were quite tasty, I did dishes instead of paying which was really nice of the man. Jesse, Corey and I then recluses into the room and watched two movies. It was nice just chilling after such a long day. Tomorrow will also be long, I have to tutor Cindy and go work at YMCC. Hopefully it won’t be too bad.
Nov. 15, 2014
My Saturday was a day of work. First, I went with Cindy for her two hour English lesson. That was actually quite fun, games of hide and seek and long with combing my hair made the time fly by. Then it was back to the dorms for some food and a nap. I left the dorms again for work at YMCC. Today wasn’t as fun, it was a review day and so everything we did went really quickly. That left myself and Lily struggling to come up with relevant games for the kids to play to pass the time. We managed through it though, but I was happy for the day to be over. It was payday, which always blows my mind a little bit. The spending power of the RMB is actually quite high, particularly for essentials such as food. So as long as I work and don’t go crazy with spending money, I will not need to pull money out of my account in the US. Yay for not returning as a broke student. I went to dinner with Corey and Jesse and then it was back to the dorms for some movies. We somehow have gotten into the habit of winding down the night with movies and I really like the tradition. Tomorrow is the start of new week, let’s see what goes on.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Chengdu Week 11 - Homecoming
Nov. 9, 2014Jesse, Corey and I got up early and headed to the city wall, built in the Ming Dynasty. Sundays are always very busy so went as soon as the wall opened, and rented bikes. On a bike you can ride all the way around the inner city of Xian. The experience was epic. You are given a little rickety bike with no gears or air in the tires and you just go. It was a cool morning and the pollution was strong, still it was an epic time. We took about 40 minutes to ride around the wall. Then Jesse and I wandered off to get some souvenirs from Xian from the calligraphy street we had found earlier. I ended up with a gorgeous wall scroll painting of mountains. Then it was back to the hotel for a final pack. We got onto the train at 1pm and we were on it until 5am the next day. This time it was a little bit different. It was way dirtier and the people were less friendly, though that may have to do with the length of time they had spent on the train already. It was ok as far as trips go, I managed to sleep quite a bit more. Getting back to the university the first thing in order was a shower and then back into my bed. It was amazing to have room to spread out. Overall I think it was a very fun and interesting trip.
Nov. 10, 2014
I drifted somewhere between sleep and awaking for a few hours after arriving home from the train station. I eventually made the decision to get up and have a cup of coffee instead of throwing off my entire sleeping schedule. I milled about my room getting homework and various housekeeping chores done. I had to run down to the store for some essentials (read: toilet paper). I went out to the Trust Mart for the other things I needed. Interestingly enough deodorant isn’t really a thing here. Which make it a rather expensive purchase, of course expensive in my mind is really only a few dollars in American currency. I also got my first package from home!! It arrived probably while I was away in Xian. Thanks Mom, everything inside will be put to good use. I went back to the dorms and finished the rest of my homework. I also spent a good while chatting with my friend Meiling in Chinese. I am getting excited that I am able to hold coherent conversations in Chinese. Today was slow because, holy crap travel takes a lot of out of person. Something about being in a confined space in particular wears me down. So a day of recovery and tomorrow there is class. There will be one another person in my class, the rest of the people will be becoming back from their extended vacation.
Nov. 11, 2014
Class today only had three students. It made for a very slow class, but we all managed to struggle through it together. A good portion of the class was talking about the Xian trip in Chinese. Which was exciting because I was able to do it in a way that was more meaningful than the food was tasty. After class it was laundry and house keeping chores. Around three everyone who went to Huashan arrived home. Then I spent an hour or so talking with Cassidy and looking at pictures. I thin I am going to attempt to go in the off season so that there is less people. We shall see, what happens. work today was interesting. One of my kids got so excited he bit me on the arm. I had picked him up and spun him around and I guess he couldn’t contain all that excitement in his little 6 year old body. I was so surprised that it didn’t hurt, the bite has already faded. My TA Lily, of course, marched him out to his mother and explained what happened. The mom apologized to me and then smacked the little boy. All the parents around us nodded their approval of this reaction and I was mildly horrified. People are certainly more physical with their kids here, and my cultural upbringing has taught me that is wrong. It was an interesting experience, but I think I can say I am a true teacher now. The bus was more crowded than usual, I don’t really know why. I am home now and tomorrow is a free day, so homework and hopefully a little exploration. Good night!
Nov. 12, 2014
Free day today, which involved panicking about homework, lunch, and then discovering my Chinese isn’t terrible. Overall a pretty standard day, but I had an interesting moment while walking down the Tibetan street on my way to dinner. Walking down that street there is a police car or military personal patrolling, guns poised and ready to be used. The people who own the shops and who walk around there are clearly not Chinese in heritage. They have their own culture, language, and even mannerisms are distinct, differences even a foreigner can notice within a few moments after stepping onto the street. I wonder what it’s like to be that way, an island in a country that is distinctly different than your own, and yet the China is their country. Many Tibetans in the Chengdu have learned Chinese (Sichuan dialect or Mandarin) out of necessity. Tibetan identity gets twisted up in Chinese and Western rhetoric, but I wonder what they have to say about themselves. I have my opinions, but I am beginning to think that a person from Tibet might not agree with everything I have to say. They exist in a complex system and have managed to take their culture and export it in a way that allows for it’s preservation. Just a passing thought I’ve had the last few times I’ve been down Tibetan street.
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