Jan. 25, 2015
My last day of teaching regular classes was a bit of a struggle. All the kids knew it was the last day, so they didn’t really care if they did well or not. But together we made it through. Now I have until Wednesday off and then 10 straight days of class, which will be swiftly followed break. I can not wait for break, it’ll be nice to have some weekends and afternoons free. I worked just fine last semester but during the break I took on so many classes, I fear I burnt myself out a little bit. Returning home was easy enough, then it was nose to grindstone for several hours. Homework this semester has picked up a little bit, so that means more time devoted to it. My one reprieve from all this work is cooking. I can listen to an audiobooks and just decompress from the day. I am somehow extremely tired, I think the last couple of weeks are finally catching up to me. Early night tonight.
Jan. 26-27, 2015
Chinese class is really rough this week. Last week I was doing awesome, I was even able to improv some of the answers. But this week I feel like I am in the wrong track. I don’t know what it is about the travel chapters of the book but I have never done well on them. I will struggle through together. I think Laoshi thinks I am doing well despite my struggles in her class. I try to answer as many questions as I can, and speak. The biggest bummer about having such a large class is the weird Chinese competition. People can become highly competitive of their Chinese, and often compare themselves to others in their class. When the students then split off to practice speaking, they can become extremely petty. Correcting tones is not really something anyone but a native speaker can do, but people will do it in the middle of the sentence just to through you off. I had this problem last semester and with some of the new students of has made a second appearance (With the Old Guard though it’s chill). For me learning Chinese isn’t about what job I will get, it’s about a life skill one that I must have if I am to live in China. I will be the first to admit that my ability to speak is likely behind that of my peers. I studied for three months inTaiwan, left off for a year and now my study in Chengdu is at four months. I simply have not had time to practice, something I am trying to remedy to the best of my ability. I wish people could see their education as a path rather than a race. It would create a better learning environment for all of us.
Monday was Australia day, so Jesse and I went with Raphi for dinner. Brent, one of our co-workers, was in the USAC office talking with Wentao so he was also invited along. It was an interesting meal to say the least. Brent is experiencing China differently than anyone I know. Listen to him talk and voice his opinions is interesting, I enjoy the different perspective, though at times I find it hard to relate. The thing about living or studying in China is to recognize that your views and experiences are not truly shareable. Things that you find profound others might brush off as a common occurrence. People often talk about how their experience of China is the real experience and that not doing exactly what they did means that you didn’t actually see China. I call this the “My China” syndrome. China is China and people come to do different things, for different reasons; no matter the experience it will be life-changing. This blog in many ways is My China. I often voice my options and tell of my experiences, but show this to another person studying abroad and I suspect they would have much to criticize. I have fallen many time into the trap, so one of my strongest resolutions is to listen without judgment to others experiences in this fascinating country, I’ve found that I often pick up something that helps shape My China.
Jan. 28, 2015
Normally I would have conversation this morning, but I feel like I will drop the class. Though it is a practice in Chinese it is not the one I wanted. Being able to read Chinese has never been a issue, but speaking it spontaneously is still an uphill struggle. Conversation, due to the new teacher has become a exercise in reading and memorization, the two subjects I need the least amount of work on. However, Wentao needs to find out if I will get a W on my transcript. If I do I will take the class and just deal with it. If not then I will have Wednesdays and Fridays off. I may go to the Track 4 supplemental class if that is the case, which is on Friday mornings. It’s with the same teacher but the subject is grammar and vocabulary of my class, so a nice review. I’ll keep you updated when all that is decided.
Today was the first day of ten for my winter science class. It was controlled chaos (controlled, I use this term lightly). Apparently Chinese ideas of American science class is essentially activities class (with mildly science sounding themes). They think that Americans never sit down and listen to a lecture, though that was not expressed to me. I kinda had to figure things out as the class went on. Lily, my Ta, was a trooper she was able to think quickly and put together some activities for the kids to do. The theme of the first day was “What is Science?”. But none of the kids could sit still long enough to do the lesson, so we ended up doing a class of basic and acidic reactions. Purple cabbage juice changes colors when exposed to an acid or a base so we were able to get the kids impressed long enough (coloring is the most amazing thing ever). It was really frustrating today because there had been cultural misunderstanding. Also now that I know what I need to do it will be much easier to create lesson plans. Honestly I regret agreeing to do this class. At the best it’s magic show and the worst it’s an exercise in futility. Either way we will hopefully muddle though all of this. It is only ten days so if it totally flops it doesn’t really matter. Either way I will make it through but I need to learn to ask my American coworkers instead of listening to my Chinese bosses. There always seems to be weird miscommunication (cultural difference for the win).
Jan. 29, 2015
Class is going well, I am really pleased with how much I am able to understand. Even outside the classroom it’s like a hearing Chinese switch has turned on. I can understand everything pretty much going on around me, the next phase of my learning ability needs to be focused on is conversation. Though with the way everything turned out with conversation, I am a little bit worried how that is going to work. I wish I could do some kind of Chinese tutoring without worrying about getting poor teacher. Cassidy and Brennan tried a few things but al of them seemed to fall through. I will see what I can do but I think most of it will just be a matter of time. Which isn’t very helpful when you have to communicate complex ideas with simple words.
The second day of Science class went a little bit smoother than the first. The theme was plants, and though the weather was getting a tiny bit warmer it has gone back to winter. We, however, planted the seeds in a baggie. We’ll see if they grow or not. I doubt it, to honest, but it was something to do every day. Other wise the rest of the class was filled with coloring and games involving plants. The games were mostly guessing games with simple English. I wish I could test each kids English ability and explain that their language skills need to be certain level before entering my class. They simply can’t understand, even with the assistance of visual aid. These words are too specialized. My compromise for this is that I have the kids keep a little “science journal”. Something to show the parents at the end of the class, so they think their kids learned something. They probably won’t other than I am a a strange American in a white lab coat. Hopefully some of the more problematic children will leave the class on trips and things and then I won’t have to worry about it.
Jan. 30, 2015
No class today which allowed for a nice lie in. Though my version of a lie-in is until 8:30 am. My roommates are much better at the whole sleeping in thing, but oh well. Then it was a quiet morning of reading and generally getting things together for the next couple of days. Right now my life is class and work, which honestly isn’t the worst. I like that my classes aren’t super late at night like my regular schedule. I can come home from classes and still have plenty of time to study and get homework finished for the next day. The class today was on gravity and friction, the first part of class was explaining how gravity is the same for everything and explaining that friction means resistance. The kids are beginning to get the rhythm of the class so the first half was pretty smooth. The journals are also turning out quite nicely. The second part of the class was building a car that was balloon powered car. It was very difficult to get everyone doing the same thing. Chinese children have no sense of waiting. They want it and they want it now. I don’t think they understand the joy that is delayed gratification. It has become my goal to teach them this lesson. A few have caught on about it and are getting better. But most of them just get terribly confused as to why they must wait. The cars didn’t work as well as I wanted them to, but I think that had to do more with the quality of the balloons and wheels. But they got to take something home today to show the parents, which should be a plus.
Jan. 31, 2015
Winter class went well for the most part. The kids really like making crafts and things. So it is becoming easier to entertain them during the two hour class. We talked about clouds and tornados today. First I had them make cotton ball clouds and label them, not that they understood what was happening. Then we watched a movie on tornados and made a bottle tornado. That actually went over very well. The kids probably could have watched it for a half an hour and been happy. I did, however, have a crying kid. He got super focused on leaving class but he didn’t want to answer my question. Thus I made him wait before he could leave. This made him cry for some reason, so then the next half an hour was spent doing damage control. No one was really sure why he started crying, I think young kids just cry sometimes and there is nothing we can do about it. We made tornados together and then all was forgiven. I finally made it home, which I then had to leave again to go to Trust Mart. Tomorrow is sunday which means that shopping in real shopping centers is generally a bad idea. Then there was a small adventure to try a spicy mocha from Starbucks. Expensive and not all that tasty is all I have to say that drink, but it was fun to try something new. I managed to finish all the lesson plans so tomorrow all I need to do is Chinese homework.
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Week 22 - Buisness as Usual
Jan. 18, 2015
Class this morning went well. I had regular class for 40 minutes then a demo class for the science class I will be teaching that involved a giant mess. The kids mixed starch with Laundry detergent thus creating goo. Add some colors and ta-da instant kid enjoyment. And due to the use of soap instead of a water base everything came off rather easily. A success from what I understand, the kids apparently really enjoyed themselves. After work it was a bit of trial getting myself out of the house for a quick basic supply run and bubble tea. Jesse and I did manage it. Homework took a surprising amount of time. I had 30 characters to memorize for class the next day. I had already studied them some but to really get them I write them over and over while muttering under my breath. Like most people learning Chinese I look like crazy person muttering things and messing with tone, it can be rather amusing. Dinner involved a little bit of finagling due to the small kitchen. Cassidy needed to feed Brennan and herself, and I needed to make enough food for to have leftovers. Tuesdays are crazy busy days so I try on Sunday and Monday to make enough food that I won’t need to do anything except heat things up in a microwave. Everything fell into place in the end. We just finished cleaning up and now I need to get ready for bed, class tomorrow!
Jan. 19, 2015
Class went extremely well, though it was a bit strange to walk out without homework. I don’t know why but Yin Laoshi is lightening the load significantly, in my opinion. It might be because there are so many people in our class, harder to grade homework efficiently. But after class was over I was done for the day. I don’t have work on Mondays which is lovely, considering the madness that will be Tuesday. I managed in a run which was nice, though air quality is still sketchy. Then as an apartment we managed to all walk to Trust Mart together. I have finally purchased a coat that is thicker than my hoodie. It has a bunch of pockets and after having worn it all evening is quite warm. Overall, a good decision, though finding something that fit was a little bit difficult. My body type isn’t exactly typical for China, thus I went to the men’s section as sizes run larger there. Once home, I made up dinner. Our food has become much spicier as of late which is kinda awesome, our vegetable lady gave us some peppers and they make life great. Now I am off to bed early as I didn’t get too much sleep last night, hopefully the morning won’t come too quickly.
Jan. 20-21, 2015
Well the last two days have been a little strange. I am supposed to another demo for the winter science class, though I find it unlikely that more children will sign up. And to be honest that is not such a bad thing. It means I get nearly a six week break from working. I think Jesse and I are going to do some traveling in that time (weekend trips, climbing some mountains). The last regular day of school will be this Sunday, so I should know by then what’s going on. Class is going well and I find myself speaking Chinese more and more. I was able to improve a little in class to discuss my hometown and the changes there in. I’m not too sure about the once a week conversation class. I originally took it because the teacher last semester was incredibly difficult. But the teacher changed, and now she is far too nice. The class isn’t even real conversation either, it’s memorizing weird paragraphs and then showing off our memorization skills. The teacher didn’t even correct me when I said ‘light’ instead of ‘wait’ (first tone, third tone), how can I get better if she doesn’t tell me when I am wrong? So we will see if I keep this class or not. Mostly, right now, it’s a matter of setting up routine, and having a regular schedule. It should be interesting to see how this semester plays out considering how the start was so different.
Jan. 22-23, 2015
Life’s gotten pretty busy for some reason. I had to do a bunch of running around in between classes on Thursday. Then I came hoe and past out on the chair much to the surprise of everyone in the apartment. Then at work I needed to plan out a demo class for the science class. I am at the point where I think they should just cancel the class, then I can have a real full break. I doubt that will happen though, so oh well. It will be good money in the end. Enough to survive the break for sure. Friday was a conveniently lazy day, almost too lazy. With no class in the morning and nothing until the evening I spent most of the morning making lunch. I did however receive a care package from my father. In it was coffee, cookies and dark chocolate. It was a purely magical thing. The cookies brought both Cassidy and Brennan to almost tears. Thank you Dad! Normally Fridays are an off day for me from work, but this particular day they wanted me in to do another demonstration. This time with household items, the kids got to decide what got mixed with what. Mostly household items are made specifically so they don’t react with one another, but the kids loved it anyway. Overall it was a fun class, but I don’t know if the kids will sign up and give up two weeks of their winter break. Returning home, Jesse and I made a quick jaunt out to the noodle shop for dinner, then home for a movie. It’s now 10pm and I am off to sleep (woo college life on a Friday!). Good night!
Jan. 24, 2015
Today was surprisingly busy. I went on a run in the morning, the air is so nasty right now. I really fear for the effect on the people who have to breathe in it all their lives. There was also a quick run to Trust Mart for a new water bottle. My last one grew a pair of legs and wandered off. The longest part of the day was work. I will in fact have my science class, which means I need to start properly planning out each day. To be totally honest, I’m not really sure what we are going to do. I suspect some pretty intense usage of science videos, at least initially. I had a new student and a usual he couldn’t speak a word of English. I don’t know why they always put students like this in my class, my kids have been studying for over a year they can speak a little english as least. So class was a little bit difficult, but we managed through. They all the teachers and the TAs had to stay and make a video saying Happy Spring Festival. It took forever and got way out of hand. Two of the foreign teachers played a joke saying the could speak Swedish to say Happy New Year, but they sounded like the Swedish Chef. It was totally culturally insensitive, but inexplicably funny. I got to say Happy New Year in Japanese which was fun, if a little strange. Jesse and I had to run out because we just wanted Chinese food instead Western food. People got a bit mad that we left but the both of us were done with people. We returned home and now one more day of regular school.
Class this morning went well. I had regular class for 40 minutes then a demo class for the science class I will be teaching that involved a giant mess. The kids mixed starch with Laundry detergent thus creating goo. Add some colors and ta-da instant kid enjoyment. And due to the use of soap instead of a water base everything came off rather easily. A success from what I understand, the kids apparently really enjoyed themselves. After work it was a bit of trial getting myself out of the house for a quick basic supply run and bubble tea. Jesse and I did manage it. Homework took a surprising amount of time. I had 30 characters to memorize for class the next day. I had already studied them some but to really get them I write them over and over while muttering under my breath. Like most people learning Chinese I look like crazy person muttering things and messing with tone, it can be rather amusing. Dinner involved a little bit of finagling due to the small kitchen. Cassidy needed to feed Brennan and herself, and I needed to make enough food for to have leftovers. Tuesdays are crazy busy days so I try on Sunday and Monday to make enough food that I won’t need to do anything except heat things up in a microwave. Everything fell into place in the end. We just finished cleaning up and now I need to get ready for bed, class tomorrow!
Jan. 19, 2015
Class went extremely well, though it was a bit strange to walk out without homework. I don’t know why but Yin Laoshi is lightening the load significantly, in my opinion. It might be because there are so many people in our class, harder to grade homework efficiently. But after class was over I was done for the day. I don’t have work on Mondays which is lovely, considering the madness that will be Tuesday. I managed in a run which was nice, though air quality is still sketchy. Then as an apartment we managed to all walk to Trust Mart together. I have finally purchased a coat that is thicker than my hoodie. It has a bunch of pockets and after having worn it all evening is quite warm. Overall, a good decision, though finding something that fit was a little bit difficult. My body type isn’t exactly typical for China, thus I went to the men’s section as sizes run larger there. Once home, I made up dinner. Our food has become much spicier as of late which is kinda awesome, our vegetable lady gave us some peppers and they make life great. Now I am off to bed early as I didn’t get too much sleep last night, hopefully the morning won’t come too quickly.
Jan. 20-21, 2015
Well the last two days have been a little strange. I am supposed to another demo for the winter science class, though I find it unlikely that more children will sign up. And to be honest that is not such a bad thing. It means I get nearly a six week break from working. I think Jesse and I are going to do some traveling in that time (weekend trips, climbing some mountains). The last regular day of school will be this Sunday, so I should know by then what’s going on. Class is going well and I find myself speaking Chinese more and more. I was able to improve a little in class to discuss my hometown and the changes there in. I’m not too sure about the once a week conversation class. I originally took it because the teacher last semester was incredibly difficult. But the teacher changed, and now she is far too nice. The class isn’t even real conversation either, it’s memorizing weird paragraphs and then showing off our memorization skills. The teacher didn’t even correct me when I said ‘light’ instead of ‘wait’ (first tone, third tone), how can I get better if she doesn’t tell me when I am wrong? So we will see if I keep this class or not. Mostly, right now, it’s a matter of setting up routine, and having a regular schedule. It should be interesting to see how this semester plays out considering how the start was so different.
Jan. 22-23, 2015
Life’s gotten pretty busy for some reason. I had to do a bunch of running around in between classes on Thursday. Then I came hoe and past out on the chair much to the surprise of everyone in the apartment. Then at work I needed to plan out a demo class for the science class. I am at the point where I think they should just cancel the class, then I can have a real full break. I doubt that will happen though, so oh well. It will be good money in the end. Enough to survive the break for sure. Friday was a conveniently lazy day, almost too lazy. With no class in the morning and nothing until the evening I spent most of the morning making lunch. I did however receive a care package from my father. In it was coffee, cookies and dark chocolate. It was a purely magical thing. The cookies brought both Cassidy and Brennan to almost tears. Thank you Dad! Normally Fridays are an off day for me from work, but this particular day they wanted me in to do another demonstration. This time with household items, the kids got to decide what got mixed with what. Mostly household items are made specifically so they don’t react with one another, but the kids loved it anyway. Overall it was a fun class, but I don’t know if the kids will sign up and give up two weeks of their winter break. Returning home, Jesse and I made a quick jaunt out to the noodle shop for dinner, then home for a movie. It’s now 10pm and I am off to sleep (woo college life on a Friday!). Good night!
Jan. 24, 2015
Today was surprisingly busy. I went on a run in the morning, the air is so nasty right now. I really fear for the effect on the people who have to breathe in it all their lives. There was also a quick run to Trust Mart for a new water bottle. My last one grew a pair of legs and wandered off. The longest part of the day was work. I will in fact have my science class, which means I need to start properly planning out each day. To be totally honest, I’m not really sure what we are going to do. I suspect some pretty intense usage of science videos, at least initially. I had a new student and a usual he couldn’t speak a word of English. I don’t know why they always put students like this in my class, my kids have been studying for over a year they can speak a little english as least. So class was a little bit difficult, but we managed through. They all the teachers and the TAs had to stay and make a video saying Happy Spring Festival. It took forever and got way out of hand. Two of the foreign teachers played a joke saying the could speak Swedish to say Happy New Year, but they sounded like the Swedish Chef. It was totally culturally insensitive, but inexplicably funny. I got to say Happy New Year in Japanese which was fun, if a little strange. Jesse and I had to run out because we just wanted Chinese food instead Western food. People got a bit mad that we left but the both of us were done with people. We returned home and now one more day of regular school.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Week 21 - Pandas again!
Jan. 16-17, 2015
Friday was a regular no class or work day. I pretty much did nothing and went for a run. Saturday though, was awesome. So every semester USAC goes to the Panda Research Center, Jesse and I decided to go back. Our goal was not the Giant Pandas but the Red Pandas. Last time I barely got to see them as it was very crowded and I was exhausted (it was the first week in Chengdu after the Beijing tour). This time though, we split off from the group as soon as we were in the park. Once inside it was amazing, we got to see waaaaay more of the red pandas. We went in around feeding time, so many of them were on the ground. It was fun just wandering around and trying to spot them in the trees. The secret is to be quiet and in a small group, that way they don’t run away. I was pretty close to the red pandas, so mission accomplished on that front. Jesse and I did get to the Giant Panda enclosure areas as well. Coming in the winter was way better as there were significantly less people in the park. And also not being in the group was nice. So overall this was an awesome time to get pretty decent pictures. The pollution though made it difficult as it does weird things to the lighting and focus. I have some awesome videos as well, which I will try to upload while I go to work. They might appear in a special post.
After Pandas it was lunch, at the same restaurant that s around the corner from the University. This worked out great because Jesse and I were able to head straight home after lunch. The city tour is not something we really need to do again. Especially because traffic will be pretty bad when they come back. Overall it was a fun time. I am having a bit of trouble connecting with the new people, they are at the beginning to everything is fascinating while much of what they are discovering is common place for me. It also doesn’t help that I don’t go to bars, so the amount of social interaction between us is fairly limited outside of class. I can chat with them though so it counts for something, I am hoping if nothing else we can all be on friendly terms. Jesse and I both have work today in the early afternoon so we peaced out and head back to the apartment for a tick. Then it was off to work, something that neither Jesse and I really wanted to do. We managed through it in the end and the walk home felt like forever. Tomorrow I have work and my science demo class so that should be interesting. For now I just want to sleep.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Chengdu Week 21 - First week of Class in the Spring semster
Jan. 12, 2015
First day of class! I have the same teacher, the beautiful Yin Laoshi. Our class is huge, 17 students in total, I came in ten minutes early and every seat was taken. Crystal and I ended up sharing a desk because there simply wasn’t one. It’s sorta strange being surrounded by people that I don’t share fond memories with. The Beijing trip was such an intense bonding experience it was easy to talk to anyone. Now I know all the Old Guard and have hung out with two of the new people. At the same time it’s not having expectation, if I want I suppose I could carve out a new role in the group. To be honest though, I’m not sure how much I will see the new people outside of class. Not living in the dorms isolates my social interactions with the new USAC students. Many of the students didn’t go on the Hong Kong tour, so this day is their third or fourth in China. They have the glassy look in their eyes that we all had back in Beijing, this look can only be interpreted as “Where am I and why am I here?”. I hope they all adjust well here, I couldn’t imagine arriving in China and then going straight into classes. It was pretty funny when Yin Laoshi gave us our dictation words for Tuesday. Thirty words we would be tested in less than 24 hours, I think it surprised some people.
After language class I found out that I would not be going to tutor Chloe, which actually worked out because they forgot to inform everyone at orientation that History’s first meeting would be today and not the scheduled Tuesday. I will be honest I was not mentally prepared to deal with Xiao Laoshi. Both Jesse and I left that class totally wiped, we were maybe a bit manic. I also realize that some of the yearlong antics that seem totally normal to all of us look a bit strange to the new students, I got some strange looks in that class. We went to Trust Mart to pick up some bread and were kinda losing it about Tolkien Lore (That has been the theme for the last week or so, it really has gotten out of hand). The rest of the night was studying characters and watching Two Towers (not at the same time). It was kinda funny, Jesse and I are really dramatic when it comes to JRR Tolkien. We had a minor freak when it was ten at night at there was still two hours left of the extended edition so we turned it off and will save for after work tomorrow. Now it is time for bed! Good night!
Jan. 13, 2015
Class went smoothly for me, the pace is exactly what I remember. It’s interesting in the larger class to see where everyone is after two years of study, particularly since my study time has been in total 7 months. It’s such a big class though, which means that having a turn is less of a guaranteed thing and my speaking needs the most work, so I will be fighting often to practice. After class I went for a quick run, the air quality has been nasty. It was kinda funny, I ran (Pun!) into a bunch of people going to lunch and I waved but I’m not sure many of the new students recognized me with my pollution mask on. I am really pleased with the progress of my running, I am getting some of my old endurance back. Now if only all my clothes would stop being too big, that would be great. After the run and a quick shower, I cut up food for dinner. Jesse had to cook tonight because I always get back late from work on Tuesday. Work itself went ok, the kids were crazy, they only wanted to play. We managed to wrangle them with coloring. I think my Tuesdays from here on out will be pretty insane simply because of Chinese, History and work all being on the same day. I was lucky but I suspect I will be pretty tired. Tomorrow I have conversation, I wonder how it will be as a class.
Jan. 14, 2015
Conversation class was a bit of a disappointment. The level is supposed to be for track 2 and 3 (I am track 4) so the words and structures weren’t particularly mind blowing. But the teacher was way too nice. She didn’t correct tone or pronunciation when anyone talked. I am taking this class as an excuse to speak Chinese for three hours, so I think I will go in and ask her to be very strict with me. I want my Chinese to improve and I know she just wants us to like her, but I’d rather have bester Chinese than an easy Chinese teacher. Jesse and I have that class together and it was fun that way. Too many Tolkien jokes that no one else understood, but such is our existence right now. After class he and I went out to the bookstore. We actually bought really nice copies of The Hobbit in Chinese. It’s going to be difficult to read for sure, but it’s a story I know well so figuring things out will be less difficult (Transliterated names for the Win!) The rest of the day was spent just hanging out and doing homework. I don’t have work on Wednesdays, which is lovely for a middle of the week breather. The thing I really love is getting to cook and I do so often. It’s pretty awesome, and I would say the food I make is pretty good. Now tomorrow is regular Chinese class so I’m off to bed, good night!
Jan. 15, 2015
An exhausting day to say the least. First Chinese class wiped my brain. It’s not that I can’t understand but I have to focus and be very attentive, otherwise I will miss something and then be confused for a little while. Concentration for that long take quite a bit out of you. I supposed to run today, but the weather was bad. The air quality of late has been particularly nasty, even with the mask running in it isn’t fun. So instead Cassidy and I stayed in and chatted, something we haven’t done in a while. It was nice. then it was time for me to head off to work. Work as of late has gotten pretty chaotic. We are hurtling towards the end of the semester for the Chinese students and the Chinese teachers are running themselves ragged trying to get everything together. It feels a bit like Winter Break in the States. I am now officially writing all the lesson plans for Vivian’s class and class itself went very smoothly. The kids, generally speaking, participated and had a good time. That’s all I can really ask at this point. Once I got home though I was dead tired. Days when I have class and work will be rough. I am also still adjusting to the regular work load, hopefully a routine will emerge soon. Friday I have no classes or work, so it’ll be a good time to sleep. Currently finishing the Return of the King, then it’ll be on to the Hobbit movies!
First day of class! I have the same teacher, the beautiful Yin Laoshi. Our class is huge, 17 students in total, I came in ten minutes early and every seat was taken. Crystal and I ended up sharing a desk because there simply wasn’t one. It’s sorta strange being surrounded by people that I don’t share fond memories with. The Beijing trip was such an intense bonding experience it was easy to talk to anyone. Now I know all the Old Guard and have hung out with two of the new people. At the same time it’s not having expectation, if I want I suppose I could carve out a new role in the group. To be honest though, I’m not sure how much I will see the new people outside of class. Not living in the dorms isolates my social interactions with the new USAC students. Many of the students didn’t go on the Hong Kong tour, so this day is their third or fourth in China. They have the glassy look in their eyes that we all had back in Beijing, this look can only be interpreted as “Where am I and why am I here?”. I hope they all adjust well here, I couldn’t imagine arriving in China and then going straight into classes. It was pretty funny when Yin Laoshi gave us our dictation words for Tuesday. Thirty words we would be tested in less than 24 hours, I think it surprised some people.
After language class I found out that I would not be going to tutor Chloe, which actually worked out because they forgot to inform everyone at orientation that History’s first meeting would be today and not the scheduled Tuesday. I will be honest I was not mentally prepared to deal with Xiao Laoshi. Both Jesse and I left that class totally wiped, we were maybe a bit manic. I also realize that some of the yearlong antics that seem totally normal to all of us look a bit strange to the new students, I got some strange looks in that class. We went to Trust Mart to pick up some bread and were kinda losing it about Tolkien Lore (That has been the theme for the last week or so, it really has gotten out of hand). The rest of the night was studying characters and watching Two Towers (not at the same time). It was kinda funny, Jesse and I are really dramatic when it comes to JRR Tolkien. We had a minor freak when it was ten at night at there was still two hours left of the extended edition so we turned it off and will save for after work tomorrow. Now it is time for bed! Good night!
Jan. 13, 2015
Class went smoothly for me, the pace is exactly what I remember. It’s interesting in the larger class to see where everyone is after two years of study, particularly since my study time has been in total 7 months. It’s such a big class though, which means that having a turn is less of a guaranteed thing and my speaking needs the most work, so I will be fighting often to practice. After class I went for a quick run, the air quality has been nasty. It was kinda funny, I ran (Pun!) into a bunch of people going to lunch and I waved but I’m not sure many of the new students recognized me with my pollution mask on. I am really pleased with the progress of my running, I am getting some of my old endurance back. Now if only all my clothes would stop being too big, that would be great. After the run and a quick shower, I cut up food for dinner. Jesse had to cook tonight because I always get back late from work on Tuesday. Work itself went ok, the kids were crazy, they only wanted to play. We managed to wrangle them with coloring. I think my Tuesdays from here on out will be pretty insane simply because of Chinese, History and work all being on the same day. I was lucky but I suspect I will be pretty tired. Tomorrow I have conversation, I wonder how it will be as a class.
Jan. 14, 2015
Conversation class was a bit of a disappointment. The level is supposed to be for track 2 and 3 (I am track 4) so the words and structures weren’t particularly mind blowing. But the teacher was way too nice. She didn’t correct tone or pronunciation when anyone talked. I am taking this class as an excuse to speak Chinese for three hours, so I think I will go in and ask her to be very strict with me. I want my Chinese to improve and I know she just wants us to like her, but I’d rather have bester Chinese than an easy Chinese teacher. Jesse and I have that class together and it was fun that way. Too many Tolkien jokes that no one else understood, but such is our existence right now. After class he and I went out to the bookstore. We actually bought really nice copies of The Hobbit in Chinese. It’s going to be difficult to read for sure, but it’s a story I know well so figuring things out will be less difficult (Transliterated names for the Win!) The rest of the day was spent just hanging out and doing homework. I don’t have work on Wednesdays, which is lovely for a middle of the week breather. The thing I really love is getting to cook and I do so often. It’s pretty awesome, and I would say the food I make is pretty good. Now tomorrow is regular Chinese class so I’m off to bed, good night!
Jan. 15, 2015
An exhausting day to say the least. First Chinese class wiped my brain. It’s not that I can’t understand but I have to focus and be very attentive, otherwise I will miss something and then be confused for a little while. Concentration for that long take quite a bit out of you. I supposed to run today, but the weather was bad. The air quality of late has been particularly nasty, even with the mask running in it isn’t fun. So instead Cassidy and I stayed in and chatted, something we haven’t done in a while. It was nice. then it was time for me to head off to work. Work as of late has gotten pretty chaotic. We are hurtling towards the end of the semester for the Chinese students and the Chinese teachers are running themselves ragged trying to get everything together. It feels a bit like Winter Break in the States. I am now officially writing all the lesson plans for Vivian’s class and class itself went very smoothly. The kids, generally speaking, participated and had a good time. That’s all I can really ask at this point. Once I got home though I was dead tired. Days when I have class and work will be rough. I am also still adjusting to the regular work load, hopefully a routine will emerge soon. Friday I have no classes or work, so it’ll be a good time to sleep. Currently finishing the Return of the King, then it’ll be on to the Hobbit movies!
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Chengdu Week 20-21 - A New Semster Begins
Jan. 8-10, 2015
The days passed at the normal pace, meter with running and work. However, today we got our final influx of new students. They were in Hong Kong and have finally arrived in Chengdu, I think they may be in for a surprise. Also today we got out schedules for the coming semester and the schedule for the trips. Spring semester isn’t like Fall, there are a lot less weekend day trips. I think that Spring semester there is more travel around China in general thus making it much harder to plan large group trips in advance. This is my theory anyway. Class was a lot of fun this Saturday, we played with leaves. The kids really like to run around before class and during break. Some tree leaves had fallen and were in piles, I started through leaves and then it just went nuts. They had a really fun time, I think Lily got some pictures for the class. Hopefully I will get to see them. Jesse and I popped up into the dorms to see the new people. Not too many running around, I think most of them were at dinner. We said our hellos to the people who were there. We’ll see them on Monday if nothing else. This break hasn’t been the most restful, but it was a lot of fun. Since break started I have moved, worked and covered many shifts, experienced Christmas and Western New Years, and all of it in China. I thick it is safe to say that life here is pretty good. Bring on the new semester and new USAC people!
Jan. 11, 2015
Open class went well for my older students. The parents seemed to really like it and they all signed their kids up for my Winter class, so that’s cool. I think the winter class is either going to be awesome or terrible. We’ll see how that develops. After I returned home Jesse and I made an attempt to find Wentao at one of the many Peter’s in the city. At first Jesse and I found the wrong campus of Sichuan University and were about 2 or 3 miles in the wrong direction. Then it became an adventure to find the place. We were never lost, as we always knew where we were in orientation to home, but it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. We managed though and turned up surprisingly on time. New USAC people began arriving, it was fun meeting all of them, but I realized how odd we must have been sitting with the interns and Wentao. It was awesome though I met someone with whom I’d had classes with, Forrest. We had this moment of a running hug, that was pretty awesome. We then proceeded to walk her home and show her how to get to the University. I think this is going to be a fun semester.
The days passed at the normal pace, meter with running and work. However, today we got our final influx of new students. They were in Hong Kong and have finally arrived in Chengdu, I think they may be in for a surprise. Also today we got out schedules for the coming semester and the schedule for the trips. Spring semester isn’t like Fall, there are a lot less weekend day trips. I think that Spring semester there is more travel around China in general thus making it much harder to plan large group trips in advance. This is my theory anyway. Class was a lot of fun this Saturday, we played with leaves. The kids really like to run around before class and during break. Some tree leaves had fallen and were in piles, I started through leaves and then it just went nuts. They had a really fun time, I think Lily got some pictures for the class. Hopefully I will get to see them. Jesse and I popped up into the dorms to see the new people. Not too many running around, I think most of them were at dinner. We said our hellos to the people who were there. We’ll see them on Monday if nothing else. This break hasn’t been the most restful, but it was a lot of fun. Since break started I have moved, worked and covered many shifts, experienced Christmas and Western New Years, and all of it in China. I thick it is safe to say that life here is pretty good. Bring on the new semester and new USAC people!
Jan. 11, 2015
Open class went well for my older students. The parents seemed to really like it and they all signed their kids up for my Winter class, so that’s cool. I think the winter class is either going to be awesome or terrible. We’ll see how that develops. After I returned home Jesse and I made an attempt to find Wentao at one of the many Peter’s in the city. At first Jesse and I found the wrong campus of Sichuan University and were about 2 or 3 miles in the wrong direction. Then it became an adventure to find the place. We were never lost, as we always knew where we were in orientation to home, but it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. We managed though and turned up surprisingly on time. New USAC people began arriving, it was fun meeting all of them, but I realized how odd we must have been sitting with the interns and Wentao. It was awesome though I met someone with whom I’d had classes with, Forrest. We had this moment of a running hug, that was pretty awesome. We then proceeded to walk her home and show her how to get to the University. I think this is going to be a fun semester.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Chengdu Week 20 - Last Week of Break
Jan. 4-7, 2015
Cooking all of my meals is a fantastic thing. Jesse and I have a great system of cooking and washing. I cook, he washes, it’s marvelous. I have been having so much fun trying out different recipes, different ideas anything to not have to go out and buy dinner. I have also started my running routine again, and it is the best. I feel so much better being back into exercising. I am going to do to my best to keep it up during the semester, it should work out, I managed during classes in the USA. Living in the apartment is truly a wonderful thing. Though I could see it not being for everyone. The USAC bubble is important in China, when you arrive. Having staff on hand to help with any problems (I mean anything). Without them, I could see this experience really falling apart, or people ending up in bad situations. All of us are still very much in reach with the USAC field of influence, so while we are on our own this arrangement is the best.
Work has been trying the last couple of days. I am still covering for teachers who are gone. I had a really rough class on Monday. The kids were just an uncontrollable bunch, even going to far as to attempt to get into a physical fight. I am glad even my worst regular class is not so bad. I think I may be working a little bit too much, but at the same time there will be a lull come the end of February due to Chinese New Year. I don’t know, this all ends this week and classes start so now I have a better reason to refuse work spots. I am preparing to write letters to the students about their performance in class, it feels like a bit of a joke as the students and parents will not be able to read them. Oh well, whatever they want I suppose. Honestly everything right now is super routine, sorry for the slow updates. I hope that once everything gets started again there will be more to talk about. For now: 4 more days of break!
Cooking all of my meals is a fantastic thing. Jesse and I have a great system of cooking and washing. I cook, he washes, it’s marvelous. I have been having so much fun trying out different recipes, different ideas anything to not have to go out and buy dinner. I have also started my running routine again, and it is the best. I feel so much better being back into exercising. I am going to do to my best to keep it up during the semester, it should work out, I managed during classes in the USA. Living in the apartment is truly a wonderful thing. Though I could see it not being for everyone. The USAC bubble is important in China, when you arrive. Having staff on hand to help with any problems (I mean anything). Without them, I could see this experience really falling apart, or people ending up in bad situations. All of us are still very much in reach with the USAC field of influence, so while we are on our own this arrangement is the best.
Work has been trying the last couple of days. I am still covering for teachers who are gone. I had a really rough class on Monday. The kids were just an uncontrollable bunch, even going to far as to attempt to get into a physical fight. I am glad even my worst regular class is not so bad. I think I may be working a little bit too much, but at the same time there will be a lull come the end of February due to Chinese New Year. I don’t know, this all ends this week and classes start so now I have a better reason to refuse work spots. I am preparing to write letters to the students about their performance in class, it feels like a bit of a joke as the students and parents will not be able to read them. Oh well, whatever they want I suppose. Honestly everything right now is super routine, sorry for the slow updates. I hope that once everything gets started again there will be more to talk about. For now: 4 more days of break!
Friday, January 2, 2015
Chengdu Week 19 - New Years Day
Jan. 1, 2015
新年快乐! First day of 2015, and it was started off with an adventure. Cassidy and I met up with Qiyi at 10 in the morning. She took us to one of the hair salons close to the east gate. Cassidy and I both have been talking about getting our hair cut and we figured it would be a good way to ring in the new year. I had been debating a while whether or not I would do this, but a change will be good. It was a full experience, we had our hair washed, head, shoulders and neck massaged. Then the hair cut commenced. Both of us ended up with haircuts that we really like. After that Jesse and I went to a foreign bike shop to buy a pollution mask. It was a bit of an expensive purchase but the air quality is bad enough that I can justify this purchase. I also really want to start running again, but the pollution makes impossible. Every time I went for a run I would be down for a few days with a cough. Thus I now have an epic bane mask,and hopefully my lingering cough and running nose will finally clear up. So tomorrow I will begin a running routine and hopefully work my way back up to my old routines. On our way back we stopped at an open air market to pick up veggies for stir fry. Dinner was another success, having a functioning kitchen is amazing. First day of the year, pretty awesome!
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Chengdu Week 19 - End of 2014
Dec. 27-30, 2014
Finally settled into the apartment as much as we can be without living here for a long time. The New Year draws closer and I have been thinking about 2014. So much has changed for me, almost all of it for the better. I am now pretty sure China is where I want to be for a long time. I have learned that I love teaching children, and apparently also have a knack for it. Learning is something I want to encourage everyone to do, I want to help facilitate that at some level for the rest of my life. I can also speak and understand Chinese well enough that I can operate my life in Chengdu. Hopefully over the next several months my level will continue growing until I am confidant in my ability to speak no matter the situation. I will be apply for a Master’s Program in Chengdu, most likely at Sichuan University. In the next year I will also graduate from UNR, something I am desperate to do. The longer I am in the Higher Education system the more I realize it is broken. I am struck with a great deal of wanderlust in my life. I want to go out a see more of China, more of somewhere that isn’t my identified home. I can’t help but wonder if I will ever settle down, and even f I do where that place will be. The New Year is on it’s way, the year of the Sheep to be precise. I wonder what it will bring and what changes I will get to witness.
Dec. 31, 2014
Today started with a quick Skype call with my mother, which was nice as we have been unable to connect the last couple of weeks. After the call I met up with my friend Meiling. She is leaving tomorrow for her winter vacation and will not be back until the end of February, so we decided to have a morning out together. She took me to a lovely park that surrounds one of the many artificial lakes in Chengdu. What is cool is that once you are in the park they are designed to make you forget your are in a city of 14-16 million people. It was nice and quiet. We had a really cool encounter with a man who was practicing his Chinese opera. We stopped to listen then he decided to do something else, he started creating rhymes. He went through commenting on people passing by and it was pretty funny. Saying people were moving too fast, unable to hear his words. It was awesome, then he started to go faster. Meiling translated for me afterwords. He was criticizing governments, mine and Chinese. He apparently commented that Meiling and I were close friends, why couldn’t our governments do the same? Those sorts of things are what make Chengdu such an amazing city.
After that fun little adventure it was back to wandering around the park, it was quiet and lovely. We eventually ended up at the Sichuan Museum, which is a free local art museum. That was also pretty epic. Got to see some things from 200ish BCE and also some modern art. I really love wandering around museums and chatting with friends. After the museum adventure it was back to the apartment for lunch and a quick trip to Trust Mart. Jesse and I bought some things for dinner. Dinner tonight was marinated ginger chicken with onions, potatoes, bok choy, and rice. I would like to report that this was the tastiest meal we have made to date. We are still working on timing between different items, but overall delicious. The rest of the night was spent watching movies. Midnight came and went quietly. 恭贺新禧！Happy New Year!
Finally settled into the apartment as much as we can be without living here for a long time. The New Year draws closer and I have been thinking about 2014. So much has changed for me, almost all of it for the better. I am now pretty sure China is where I want to be for a long time. I have learned that I love teaching children, and apparently also have a knack for it. Learning is something I want to encourage everyone to do, I want to help facilitate that at some level for the rest of my life. I can also speak and understand Chinese well enough that I can operate my life in Chengdu. Hopefully over the next several months my level will continue growing until I am confidant in my ability to speak no matter the situation. I will be apply for a Master’s Program in Chengdu, most likely at Sichuan University. In the next year I will also graduate from UNR, something I am desperate to do. The longer I am in the Higher Education system the more I realize it is broken. I am struck with a great deal of wanderlust in my life. I want to go out a see more of China, more of somewhere that isn’t my identified home. I can’t help but wonder if I will ever settle down, and even f I do where that place will be. The New Year is on it’s way, the year of the Sheep to be precise. I wonder what it will bring and what changes I will get to witness.
Dec. 31, 2014
Today started with a quick Skype call with my mother, which was nice as we have been unable to connect the last couple of weeks. After the call I met up with my friend Meiling. She is leaving tomorrow for her winter vacation and will not be back until the end of February, so we decided to have a morning out together. She took me to a lovely park that surrounds one of the many artificial lakes in Chengdu. What is cool is that once you are in the park they are designed to make you forget your are in a city of 14-16 million people. It was nice and quiet. We had a really cool encounter with a man who was practicing his Chinese opera. We stopped to listen then he decided to do something else, he started creating rhymes. He went through commenting on people passing by and it was pretty funny. Saying people were moving too fast, unable to hear his words. It was awesome, then he started to go faster. Meiling translated for me afterwords. He was criticizing governments, mine and Chinese. He apparently commented that Meiling and I were close friends, why couldn’t our governments do the same? Those sorts of things are what make Chengdu such an amazing city.
After that fun little adventure it was back to wandering around the park, it was quiet and lovely. We eventually ended up at the Sichuan Museum, which is a free local art museum. That was also pretty epic. Got to see some things from 200ish BCE and also some modern art. I really love wandering around museums and chatting with friends. After the museum adventure it was back to the apartment for lunch and a quick trip to Trust Mart. Jesse and I bought some things for dinner. Dinner tonight was marinated ginger chicken with onions, potatoes, bok choy, and rice. I would like to report that this was the tastiest meal we have made to date. We are still working on timing between different items, but overall delicious. The rest of the night was spent watching movies. Midnight came and went quietly. 恭贺新禧！Happy New Year!
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