Christmas is almost over. In fact there are only two hours left. I am very ready for this holiday weekend to be over.
On Friday (23rd), I awoke late and felt surprisingly good considering my birthday shenanigans. I wrote the previous blog entry and then Jerry and Cindy invited me to lunch...at McDonald's. Not Jerry's cup of tea (no rice!) but Cindy seemed to enjoy it. We chatted about the upcoming Christmas dinner the following night. I realized I needed to leave as I was hoping to crank out an apple pie before the Dipont Christmas dinner.
So naturally at 4:50pm, I found myself shaving while increasing the temperature on the pie while putting on clothes tying a long tie (somewhat successfully), removed the almost done pie, and was out the door, running to McDonald's. I arrived at 5:10, but the tie seemed to make up a bit for my lateness. Perhaps I was a bit too dressed up, but it was Christmas Dinner. Traffic was awful and the Chinese driver blamed me for those ten minutes. Whatever. We arrived to a fancy schmancy buffet, which was decent but not my favorite. It was very loud and crowded (like China usually is) and the food wasn't wonderful...though they did have real ice cream. Win.
The highlight of the evening was coming home on the bus riding next to two of Steve's three kids: Emma, Arwin, and Adam. Emma seemed to know it all; though I was able to convince Adam to fear the Chengdu Shark, you know the one that doesn't need water to survive? The kids were charming and it made the whole night feel more like Chirstmas, which at the time was good, but as I write this not-so-good.
I returned home and started making snickerdoodles. I was able to make 7 at a time, baking for 20 minutes. Then I made chocolate vegan cake, a recipe learned from my housemate Briar in New Zealand. After which I decided I needed to make banana bread/cake. And all of a sudden, it was 3am! But Christmas had to happen (I need to find a different word right now for that holiday).
So the-holiday-that-must-not-be-named-eve, found me up and rolling! Cynthia was out gathering supplies with a heavy heart...the-holiday-that-must-not-be-named abroad is difficult to say the least. But when I returned from Walmart with more supplies, she had already cranked out lasagna cheese sauce and lasagna meat sauce! My apartment smelled like Chri---the-holiday-that-must-not-be-named. Throughout the day, Jerry and Cindy came over to help and we cranked out pork roast, roast chicken, lasagna, baked veggies, mashed potatoes, decorated the cake, and heaps of purchased rolls. We took one short noodle-break but all realized we'd been on our feet for hours, especially Cynthia; the holiday-that-must-not-be-named trooper!
Oh and that chicken? Well, thank goodness I worked on a farm! It came with feet, head, and all organs intact. I remember Rob, my farmer-boss, teaching me that some organs must not be cut open, so I did my best and carefully knife out the innards, removed the feet, and the neck and head. One of those moments that made me really thankful for this past summer.
Lynette, Maggie, Androgeny, Elliot, Victor (Elliot's roommate), Mark, Charles, Steve, Adam, Arwin, Emma, Laurrr, Hans, Jerry, Cindy, Katy (another teacher at different Dipont center), Cynthia, and I enjoyed a very nice spread of food. Tom and his family stopped by to say hello with their daughter, home from US college for the holidays. Our friends were very impressed with our cooking. I spent the night babysitting the kids, taking pictures, fussing over food, and finally relaxing. It was so nice of Jerry and Cindy to provide the space. Even better--they gave Cynthia and I each a gift--which meant I had something to open on the-holiday-that-must-not-be-named.
As the evening progressed and the kids left, the mulled wine and Tibetan wine started flowing. Finally it was 12:01am and people began leaving. Which let me open up my gift! There was no way I was going to be able to open the gift alone in my apartment on the holiday-that-must-not-be-named. I opened the beautifully wrapped packaging and found a red/black scarf; the first scarf I've owned in years and the first that I will wear. I was thrilled...not by the scarf, but by the kindness of Jerry and Cindy.
Cynthia and I departed from August and ended up meeting Lynette out on the town. I wore my Santa hat and probably should not have gone--I really wasn't in the mood; but the thought of being all alone on the eve or early morning of...well, you know...was just not appealing. Once inside the club (where the staff all had on Santa hats), the music got to me and I started busting moves, attracting watchers as I'm a rather tall white kid in China who dances like no one is watching.
Finally I arrived home after making plans via text to skype the family.
I awoke maybe four hours later at 9am to Skype on the holiday-that-must-not-be-named. It was nice being able to feel like a part of it, even 10,000 miles away. I went back to bed afterwards and woke up determined to get out of my place. Jerry and Cindy invited me for lunch and we grabbed Cynthia and had Chinese on Christmas (I said it, err wrote it)...which made me feel Jewish. Afterwards Cynthia and I departed for town. Christmas in China means sales and I needed some warmer gear to survive in Chengdu. I found some wool socks, extra pair of sweat pants, a jumper, and a down-coat (or at least it feels like feathers inside). We ate a strange Christmas (I said it again!) dinner and then found a grocery store Cynthia had been wanting to go to. Finally we cabbed back and parted ways.
It was a good day. Christmas Eve (this is progress!) was great too. But, then I facetimed my parents and all of my hard work this weekend to distract myself feel through. They were on their way to church and I asked to see the tree. Santa came for me and left an iTunes gift card and I saw the tree and felt feelings welling up. Thankfully, my parents had to go. And then it happened. The damn broke and I sat in my apartment alone on Christmas crying. No, it wasn't about the tree or the presents, it was about my presence or lack there of. Even if I skype in for Chirstmas day tomorrow morning, I'm still not there. Christmas is the best family time; everyone is in a good mood and it's just, well, merry. So I let myself shed those feelings, which I no longer needed to hold onto (with only hours remaining of Christmas day).
The crying made me wonder about all those adventure people, you know, the ones who go off and come back with those amazing tales? Do they cry on Christmas and just leave that part out? Or do they just emotionally distance themselves from friends and family? Or are they running away from friends and family? I want to adventure, but I think, well I know now, that I want to be home for Christmas. I want to be home when the family's gathered. And more than that: if those adventurers don't cry on Christmas, than I don't want to be an adventurer. How could one not miss one's family? How could one not miss one's friends? How could one not cry like a blubbering idiot on Christmas? (And why is our generation so obsessed with ourselves that we blubber like idiots on public spaces like blogs? -- which makes me laugh now as I edit)
I like feeling. And for me, when I have these moments...well after I've calmed down, I feel good. Okay so I'm not fully there yet tonight, but I'm headed that direction. When I left NZ I cried like a baby, and I realized how important that experience was to me. Today I truly learned something I've suspected for much of my life: I love my family so much. Like beyond words. They've loved me since before I could talk and even continued loving me after I could!
Being away in New Zealand was for a semester and thus didn't generate this feelings--as I was home for the holidays. This adventure in China is truly an adventure, which is proving to be very difficult today. But, here comes that mostly unwavering positivity: I still think it's for my best. I firmly believe that leaving people and experiences, can remove the clutter in your mind and help you focus on what's really important. And today, it's family. And tomorrow, it's family. And for every other day of my life, it's family. My family is so important to me, which is a statement people always say, but I really mean it--like through tears mean it--and that's gotta mean something! Not that I have an idea of what's it's like to not have a family, but this one Christmas without has proved to be a powerful one in firming and, perhaps, solidifying my beliefs on the topic of family and leaves me feeling very lucky to have had a life where I have been able to celebrate with the same people every year.
And even if I'm still upset now, I know that tomorrow will be better and I'll always remember this Christmas as the one that filled me with the most love for my family.
And that's a pretty huge gift.
As for the blue Christmas, Chengdu saw the sun today. Guess I'm not the only one seeing the light.
Merry Christmas!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Happiness is...
I feel much better health-wise, China-wise, and even Christmas-wise. Which is just awesome. This week was nice, quite slow due to not much teaching. Classes were canceled on Friday and on Tuesday, no one was teaching Senior 3.
On Tuesday, the foreign AP teachers were invited to lunch with the Chinese principal: the head of the whole 6,000+ student school. Lunch was extravagant: lamb, best cuts of pig, whole shrimp, frozen fish bits served with a giant rose-colored piece of ice, turtle (with shell), frog soup, small potatoes, strange fruits, and more. Needless to say, many of us finished lunch still a bit hungry. I did try the turtle and yes, it was good--but not something I'd ever order myself. Though I would order frog; it's good and frogs aren't turtles. The frozen fish slices were thin and covered in "Chinese-wasabi" of many different colors and it was too spicy and strange for me to eat. The highlight of the lunch was the pandas. The principal gave each of us a plush panda and cub. Needless to say, I have slept much better this week :)
On Wednesday, I finally gave out my make-up midterm, which means I now have 25 midterms to grade. But I feel better getting many students caught up. Though we're very behind. We've covered 5 chapters out of 14 and only 200 out of 700 pages in the text. Part of this is the two weeks (one due to me sick the other the students gone) I didn’t teach and part of it is I started Oct 8, not in August. But the exam is in May and we have three weeks off for Chinese New Year, so it's gonna be tight. I'll have to learn how and where to make curriculum cuts.
Yesterday, after teaching a class full of videos (Ames Room, Phi Phenomenon with Christmas lights synced to music, and more), I returned home and quickly ate my favorite noodles, bought some party food/drink, and then friends arrived: my lunar bday! It was a wonderful evening. Lynette, Androgeny, Elliot, and Maggie (Chinese university students) surprised me with a cake, Cynthia surprised me with a NZ themed gift, and I invited my computer guy (and his wife) and the August staff. Even more to my surprise, Neil (the computer guy), and his wife, Brandy, showed up bearing traditional rice wine (strong strong stuff). Neil has helped me with my Internet twice and speaks a bit of English. He has mentioned he wants to practice his English and hang out, but I was still surprised he came. His wife teaches Japanese at Chengwai, my school, and was a lot of fun. Then another knock at the door produced the August crew: Jerry, Laurrr, and Cindy sans Hans. They brought me a fruit basket! I repeatedly (and perhaps drunkenly) said throughout the night, "This is the happiest I have been in China". After Neil and Brandy heard that I sing, Jerry and I made-up a song about Lunar birthdays and friends; maybe not our best impromptu, but it a lot of fun.
Then, I learned that it was Hans's lunar birthday (a far bigger deal than mine) and we took the whole party to August, bringing cake for him! He was surprised and delighted! We hung out there for the rest of the night--the idea of going downtown not very appealing. The whole night I was happy.
Some of my thoughts in China are about the big China adventure and how to be more adventurous. My ideas of this always revolve around going somewhere else and climbing mountains. Taking beautiful pictures is one of my favorite things to do--especially when it requires being in beautiful places. I told a friend this summer that without photography I'm not sure I'd ever want to leave a summit--it's hard to leave natural beauty. And I still have many many places that I want to see in China and in the world and marvel at all the beauty. And when I have free time and chose to just stay in Chengdu and relax, sometimes I beat myself up a little for not pushing the envelope and getting out there and adventuring. BUT, for the first time, I'm starting to see life a little differently. Part of the adventure has always been meeting new people, but maybe I get so caught up in looking for beauty that, well, I miss what's here. So there's a shift in the adventure: from finding beautiful landscapes and scenery to finding beautiful experiences. Of course the real goal would be to stop needing to actively search and, instead, see what beauty there already is.
Last night was beautiful: I was surrounded by people who I care about. I felt so fortunate that I am here in China and more fortunate that these people I've met are here in China. Friendships are just as beautiful as the most breath-taking summits.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Chinese Flu
I got sick. I haven't been sick in awhile and I kinda failed at being sick--because I went to work the day after having a fever, thinking I was better. I forgot my chord to show the powerpoint, was a bit irritable, and ended up staying home the rest of the week. But when I felt no better I headed to the hospital on Friday.
Chinese hospitals are more like health clinics. After being worried every time a student has e-mailed me headed to the hospital, I know understand that hospitals are where you go for everything. Simon, one of the Chinese staff from work, picked me up with a hired driver. We made it to the hospital where it was a mere 5 yuan to get a ticket to to see a Dr. She was nice, and diagnosed me almost instantly with Chinese flu (or that was the translation Simon provided). I was not very sure what they thought I had, but I found myself paying for a 17 yuan blood test, getting the test done, and eventually bringing the results back down to the doctor, who was eating her lunch. She smiled, so maybe blood work is good? I'm not sure still. She prescribed three mystery medications; one to take tomorrow; one to take three times a day and one to take today--as an infusion.
But before the infusion, I needed to eat something, so Simon and I left and found some bread, which was about all my appetite could hold. We returned to the infusion people and they got the needle in my left hand. All was well until I felt a very strange sensation which Simon realized was probably because the fluid was going into my hand, but maybe not my veins. There was a rather large bump on my hand. I could only laugh. Because when you don't understand something you can fear it or you can laugh. Needless to say, I laugh a lot in China. They switched the needle to my other hand and after 2 hours, I was free to go.
We took a taxi back and Cynthia popped over and made me a delicious chicken broth and rice soup. Sarah offered to make rice porridge. Jerry, Cindy, Hans and Laurrr (the August crew) came over that night for a ten-minute visit to make sure I was alive. Mark, the principal, brought over his homemade chicken soup the next day and by Saturday evening I was finally starting to feel a bit better.
When I get sick, I always get super-stressed, which never ever ever makes me feel better. Thanks to Mark's decision that I was not to come to school, I was able to take time off and start feeling better. And thanks to the offers of food and care, I felt much of the stress melt away. Though I am now behind in my teaching plan...but so what. I've been behind the whole year starting in October and that hasn't stopped me yet. Besides, I'm a 1st year teacher...I need to learn to give myself some credit for getting through the 5 chapters I've gotten through!
This week, though not what I was hoping for, was maybe what I needed: to be still, to watch too many movies, too feel cared for and loved by new friends, and just relax. This is a stressful life, but that was part of the appeal. If I can survive this year, just think of how much stronger I'll be? Think of how much more I'll be able to cope with! Or so I tell myself, buddy-boo, when things feel like they are starting to spiral out of control (which is only because I pretend to have some silly sense of control in this new and foreign environment that I rarely understand).
Now...what am I doing on my break? It's still weeks away, but Chinese New Year means the great migration as sons and daughters trek to their home times for Dragon Year festivities and thus plane and bus tickets will be scarce.
Chinese hospitals are more like health clinics. After being worried every time a student has e-mailed me headed to the hospital, I know understand that hospitals are where you go for everything. Simon, one of the Chinese staff from work, picked me up with a hired driver. We made it to the hospital where it was a mere 5 yuan to get a ticket to to see a Dr. She was nice, and diagnosed me almost instantly with Chinese flu (or that was the translation Simon provided). I was not very sure what they thought I had, but I found myself paying for a 17 yuan blood test, getting the test done, and eventually bringing the results back down to the doctor, who was eating her lunch. She smiled, so maybe blood work is good? I'm not sure still. She prescribed three mystery medications; one to take tomorrow; one to take three times a day and one to take today--as an infusion.
But before the infusion, I needed to eat something, so Simon and I left and found some bread, which was about all my appetite could hold. We returned to the infusion people and they got the needle in my left hand. All was well until I felt a very strange sensation which Simon realized was probably because the fluid was going into my hand, but maybe not my veins. There was a rather large bump on my hand. I could only laugh. Because when you don't understand something you can fear it or you can laugh. Needless to say, I laugh a lot in China. They switched the needle to my other hand and after 2 hours, I was free to go.
We took a taxi back and Cynthia popped over and made me a delicious chicken broth and rice soup. Sarah offered to make rice porridge. Jerry, Cindy, Hans and Laurrr (the August crew) came over that night for a ten-minute visit to make sure I was alive. Mark, the principal, brought over his homemade chicken soup the next day and by Saturday evening I was finally starting to feel a bit better.
When I get sick, I always get super-stressed, which never ever ever makes me feel better. Thanks to Mark's decision that I was not to come to school, I was able to take time off and start feeling better. And thanks to the offers of food and care, I felt much of the stress melt away. Though I am now behind in my teaching plan...but so what. I've been behind the whole year starting in October and that hasn't stopped me yet. Besides, I'm a 1st year teacher...I need to learn to give myself some credit for getting through the 5 chapters I've gotten through!
This week, though not what I was hoping for, was maybe what I needed: to be still, to watch too many movies, too feel cared for and loved by new friends, and just relax. This is a stressful life, but that was part of the appeal. If I can survive this year, just think of how much stronger I'll be? Think of how much more I'll be able to cope with! Or so I tell myself, buddy-boo, when things feel like they are starting to spiral out of control (which is only because I pretend to have some silly sense of control in this new and foreign environment that I rarely understand).
Now...what am I doing on my break? It's still weeks away, but Chinese New Year means the great migration as sons and daughters trek to their home times for Dragon Year festivities and thus plane and bus tickets will be scarce.
Friday, December 9, 2011
August in December
Hello. It's been far too long. I've learned a lot in these past weeks.
#1. Thanksgiving can happen in China
Thanks to everyone's efforts, I found delicious food twice with good company. I successfully Skype-d my family, and everything seemed grand. Oh, and I saw the pandas. The Chengdu Research Breeding Pandas and they pose for pictures, or so it seems. The weekend and the self-reflection that followed gave me a lot to be thankful for....and then the week that followed was just shit.
#2. Adults can act like colleges students.
Maybe I was naive to think that everyone older than me is wiser than me. And no, I'm not saying I'm wiser than them, but last week was difficult at work. Things do seem better now and I think most of the problems stemmed from outside stressors on everyone. But, some things happened that made my think--haha, what else is new. And I started realizing that maybe, just maybe, I've pretty much grown into the person I'm going to be for the rest of my life. Someone open to a life out loud. Sure, unexpected life events could alter me, but my core, the part that I call me, seems pretty whole. And you know what? I'm really starting to like that person--I've never spent so much time alone. This makes me even more thankful for having the family and friends that I have; and of course, the teachers! My colleagues are for the most part, wonderful, they just all have the same quarks that I recognize in my much friends. Guess those quarks, and my own, may also stay with us.
#3. Maggots suck.
Not for the faint of heart. Poor Cynthia has a few creatures coming into her place (same building as me) and after two weeks of fighting, she is moving. Still in my area, which is exciting to hear. I feel bad for be as she is quite phobic of the maggots. Then again, I don't know anyone who enjoys the company of a maggot. She's been so stressed mainly due to the language barrier. And I understand. It's really frustrating when one can't communicate to someone else. She can move Sunday, so hopefully all will be better.
#4. China lacks insulation.
Something I thought when I got here, but just like NZ, China lacks insulation. Which I now know as it's a bit chilly out and inside. I have heat pumps in three rooms; and a gas burner and toaster oven in the kitchen. Thank goodness I'm from Chicago(land). It won't get below freezing, but heating here is terribly inefficient. And has a side effect of MOLD, which I just discovered and irradiated this morning. I rarely use my heat though as it's costly and hey, why use the extra energy.
#5. My body can handle hotpot.
Chengdu is famous for its hotpot. Imagine a big bowl set in the middle of a table, with a burner underneath. Now fill that bowl in your mind with water. Add many red hot Chengdu peppers; then add in Chendgu peppercorns, you know, the kind that numb your mouth because they contain opioids. Now, get a small bowl and fill it a quarter of the way with oil. Add copious amounts of salt and MSG (both better than none) and some garlic and chives. Then panic as you realize how many peppers are floating. And that's a hotpot.
So there I was last Saturday night with Jerry, a new friend and his friends (all Chinese, all speaking Chinese) around two hotpots. Waitresses would bring us sticks of food ranging from quail eggs, squid, chicken, to strange vegetables, tofu, and more. Someone would put them in the hotpot and then we'd chat (or more listen if you happen to have a very limited knowledge of Chinese). Then someone would remember the food and sticks upon sticks of food would be removed. Using chopsticks, I removed the food from the stick into the oil bowl and then into the mouth. I was worried, like usual, about eating hot food, but guess what? It was delicious. I mean, really good. I wasn't sure exactly what I was eating (which I'm almost use to by now) and it was all pretty good. And not too spicy, though I probably blew my nose maybe 100 times. Needless to say, I left feeling very clear headed.
I asked them if they eat it often. They don't--it causes acne. Which of course makes sense as there's oil in the hotpot and a BOWL OF OIL where you dip it in. But it was good and I was so very proud of my stomach and taste buds; they're finally starting to give in!
#6. August is good.
Jerry, my new friend (gosh it feels like kindergarten to say that: "Hey mom, this is Jerry! We color together, he's cool") But he is cool. He runs August, a coffee shop that opened in...wait for it...August! They actually serve real coffee, really slow, but hey it's China and coffeehouses aren't big here. Tom showed me the place a while ago, but I'm finally getting out more.
Jerry is very sweet as are his girlfriend, partner, and partner's girlfriend. On Monday of this week, I hung out at August for a few hours learning some Chinese from the four of them. Last Saturday I went with Cindy and Jerry to hotpot, which was followed by truth or dare in a Sichuan tea house, where they serve Jasmine tea -- the only thing I've ever been allergic too.
But I digress, August is cozy. The people are nice and this weekend I might try to help Jerry figure out August's future; it's not doing to well business-wise...because it's coffee! We'll see!
#7. Biking is good.
I have a bike now. It's red. Jerry just lent me a helmet, which after raises the seat (by buying a longer seat stem) and adding a new lock makes my bike ride-able. Riding it this week to work is a rush. But so far, no accidents, just got stuck once in the middle of the road with a bus plowing at me, but I evaded well. I'll be safer now that I've learned green traffic lights can sometimes go straight to red (there is no yellow, the green just blinks, but at this particular intersection it blinks only twice).
#8 Chinese is hard.
But harder still is the discipline to practice.
#9 Teaching.
I've learned heaps, but will save it for an entry of it's own. I did survive my first principal review though. Not bad, for not teaching training to speak of!
I've almost finished decorating my apartment and making it feel like home. As I've been here 9 weeks now, I feel I need to finish this weekend. I bought spare sheets for my extra bed as I had some guests, Daniel and Sarah after a rockin' night out in Chengdu. Daniel and Sarah teach here as well; both from the UK. Daniel works in our school sometimes, which is how we met. So I'm trying to finish setting-up and need to start thinking about my three weeks off and how/where I'm going to spend them. I hear it's pretty miserable here in Chengdu weather-wise.
Also on my wish-list is re-caulking my kitchen. I bought the caulk today (or really adhesive--no caulk gun required) and a razor blade. Gosh I came home and you would've thought I was a kid on Christmas. Immediate I ran for the kitchen (like 2 feet from the door) and tested out the razor blade and started removing some old caulk before realizing I had to finish lesson plans. The goal of this little project is to stop water from dripping down the back wall of the kitchen and making my humid apartment wetter. Clearly I'm excited. Clearly it's bed time.
#1. Thanksgiving can happen in China
Thanks to everyone's efforts, I found delicious food twice with good company. I successfully Skype-d my family, and everything seemed grand. Oh, and I saw the pandas. The Chengdu Research Breeding Pandas and they pose for pictures, or so it seems. The weekend and the self-reflection that followed gave me a lot to be thankful for....and then the week that followed was just shit.
#2. Adults can act like colleges students.
Maybe I was naive to think that everyone older than me is wiser than me. And no, I'm not saying I'm wiser than them, but last week was difficult at work. Things do seem better now and I think most of the problems stemmed from outside stressors on everyone. But, some things happened that made my think--haha, what else is new. And I started realizing that maybe, just maybe, I've pretty much grown into the person I'm going to be for the rest of my life. Someone open to a life out loud. Sure, unexpected life events could alter me, but my core, the part that I call me, seems pretty whole. And you know what? I'm really starting to like that person--I've never spent so much time alone. This makes me even more thankful for having the family and friends that I have; and of course, the teachers! My colleagues are for the most part, wonderful, they just all have the same quarks that I recognize in my much friends. Guess those quarks, and my own, may also stay with us.
#3. Maggots suck.
Not for the faint of heart. Poor Cynthia has a few creatures coming into her place (same building as me) and after two weeks of fighting, she is moving. Still in my area, which is exciting to hear. I feel bad for be as she is quite phobic of the maggots. Then again, I don't know anyone who enjoys the company of a maggot. She's been so stressed mainly due to the language barrier. And I understand. It's really frustrating when one can't communicate to someone else. She can move Sunday, so hopefully all will be better.
#4. China lacks insulation.
Something I thought when I got here, but just like NZ, China lacks insulation. Which I now know as it's a bit chilly out and inside. I have heat pumps in three rooms; and a gas burner and toaster oven in the kitchen. Thank goodness I'm from Chicago(land). It won't get below freezing, but heating here is terribly inefficient. And has a side effect of MOLD, which I just discovered and irradiated this morning. I rarely use my heat though as it's costly and hey, why use the extra energy.
#5. My body can handle hotpot.
Chengdu is famous for its hotpot. Imagine a big bowl set in the middle of a table, with a burner underneath. Now fill that bowl in your mind with water. Add many red hot Chengdu peppers; then add in Chendgu peppercorns, you know, the kind that numb your mouth because they contain opioids. Now, get a small bowl and fill it a quarter of the way with oil. Add copious amounts of salt and MSG (both better than none) and some garlic and chives. Then panic as you realize how many peppers are floating. And that's a hotpot.
So there I was last Saturday night with Jerry, a new friend and his friends (all Chinese, all speaking Chinese) around two hotpots. Waitresses would bring us sticks of food ranging from quail eggs, squid, chicken, to strange vegetables, tofu, and more. Someone would put them in the hotpot and then we'd chat (or more listen if you happen to have a very limited knowledge of Chinese). Then someone would remember the food and sticks upon sticks of food would be removed. Using chopsticks, I removed the food from the stick into the oil bowl and then into the mouth. I was worried, like usual, about eating hot food, but guess what? It was delicious. I mean, really good. I wasn't sure exactly what I was eating (which I'm almost use to by now) and it was all pretty good. And not too spicy, though I probably blew my nose maybe 100 times. Needless to say, I left feeling very clear headed.
I asked them if they eat it often. They don't--it causes acne. Which of course makes sense as there's oil in the hotpot and a BOWL OF OIL where you dip it in. But it was good and I was so very proud of my stomach and taste buds; they're finally starting to give in!
#6. August is good.
Jerry, my new friend (gosh it feels like kindergarten to say that: "Hey mom, this is Jerry! We color together, he's cool") But he is cool. He runs August, a coffee shop that opened in...wait for it...August! They actually serve real coffee, really slow, but hey it's China and coffeehouses aren't big here. Tom showed me the place a while ago, but I'm finally getting out more.
Jerry is very sweet as are his girlfriend, partner, and partner's girlfriend. On Monday of this week, I hung out at August for a few hours learning some Chinese from the four of them. Last Saturday I went with Cindy and Jerry to hotpot, which was followed by truth or dare in a Sichuan tea house, where they serve Jasmine tea -- the only thing I've ever been allergic too.
But I digress, August is cozy. The people are nice and this weekend I might try to help Jerry figure out August's future; it's not doing to well business-wise...because it's coffee! We'll see!
#7. Biking is good.
I have a bike now. It's red. Jerry just lent me a helmet, which after raises the seat (by buying a longer seat stem) and adding a new lock makes my bike ride-able. Riding it this week to work is a rush. But so far, no accidents, just got stuck once in the middle of the road with a bus plowing at me, but I evaded well. I'll be safer now that I've learned green traffic lights can sometimes go straight to red (there is no yellow, the green just blinks, but at this particular intersection it blinks only twice).
#8 Chinese is hard.
But harder still is the discipline to practice.
#9 Teaching.
I've learned heaps, but will save it for an entry of it's own. I did survive my first principal review though. Not bad, for not teaching training to speak of!
I've almost finished decorating my apartment and making it feel like home. As I've been here 9 weeks now, I feel I need to finish this weekend. I bought spare sheets for my extra bed as I had some guests, Daniel and Sarah after a rockin' night out in Chengdu. Daniel and Sarah teach here as well; both from the UK. Daniel works in our school sometimes, which is how we met. So I'm trying to finish setting-up and need to start thinking about my three weeks off and how/where I'm going to spend them. I hear it's pretty miserable here in Chengdu weather-wise.
Also on my wish-list is re-caulking my kitchen. I bought the caulk today (or really adhesive--no caulk gun required) and a razor blade. Gosh I came home and you would've thought I was a kid on Christmas. Immediate I ran for the kitchen (like 2 feet from the door) and tested out the razor blade and started removing some old caulk before realizing I had to finish lesson plans. The goal of this little project is to stop water from dripping down the back wall of the kitchen and making my humid apartment wetter. Clearly I'm excited. Clearly it's bed time.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
On Teaching
The students sit apart in rows. An 8-page; two-sides per page midterm is on each of their desks. Sure only 17 of the enrolled 31 are here (though keep in mind the peek attendance is only 24), but they are here. A few of them looked worried during the beginning. So, I went over and told them each to relax; the psychology student that I am.
But here’s the good news. They’re trying. Even the kid that never participates or even cares, wrote down answers. And this is a good feeling: watching them try. Every now and then a head pops up with concern. The eyes roll around the room and then---a slight smile! The head almost nods before returning to look at the test.
And that’s the moment that I smile. I smile because I taught them that. I taught them this knowledge that their being tested on. We’ve gone over psychology’s history, approaches, research methods, the brain, the nervous system, the endocrine system, neurotransmitters, nature v. nurture, evolutionary psychology, and more! And this is that moment where I realize that SOME of what I said has been absorbed. They’ve learned! Which makes me a teacher!
Even if none of them pass, what is right on the paper is still new information for them. Thus, in a small way, I have succeeded…because their pencils and pens are still moving. The exam is 61 questions plus an essay on nature and nurture. They’ve been given 90 minutes and a whole lot of encouragement. Now the ball is in their court, though my paternal instinct is still in the room. I want to rush to their side and explain the right answer---but I can’t. They’re on their own now.
Weird that teaching and parenting have much in common; weirder that I think that without any parenting experience. But I teach these kids and then I let them go out on their own. Hoping and praying that they’ll do well, that I did my job right and they’ve done theirs. Teaching takes a lot of trust; I’m sure parenting takes even more. But I care for these kids and I want them all to pass—to all succeed.
And that’s my favorite part of teaching psychology; even if the fail the exam, hopefully some of the more important points I’ll make this year (don’t mess with psychoactive drugs, don’t forget to sleep, don’t forget to relax and breathe, etc.) will be remembered. Then I can be okay with this experience, then I can now that I’ve done some good.
And Today, Mark, the principal, wants to know about next year! Could I really do this next year? Would I want to? I keeping saying I’ll head home and then go off somewhere else. Will I? I have this feeling that I’m kinda good at this, even without any training whatsoever—minus being in school for almost all my life.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Johnny's Easy 36-step Pumpkin Pie
You will need:
sugar, salt, spices, eggs, pumpkin, spices, evaporated milk, shortening, milk, SPICES, water, patience, support of a friend, pandas, wax paper, skinny-fondant rolling pin, mother, e-mail, grocery store, yoga mat, Family Guy, spring-form pan, toaster oven, a sense of humor, a sense of hope, determination, anger management, spices, time, to be in China, and a therapist on call.
Step 1. E-mail mom to obtain recipie
Step 2. Realize that you forgot to e-mail for crust
Step 3. Spend 30mins google searching "Cross-the-bowl strokes" "boiling water" and "shortening" and other phrases you can pull out of your sleep brain
Step 4. Find potential crust recipe
Step 5. Realize that you're out of flour
Step 6. Return with flour, and a yoga-mat.
Step 7. Procrastinate making the crust (seriously?)
Step 8. In a much-to-small bowl, combine boiling water, shortening, and a tablespoon of strange vacuum-sealed milk; make sure to spill much of the contents on the counter
Step 9. Add 2 cups of partially-maybe-kinda sifted flour; make sure to cover previous spill with layer of flour.
Step 10. Chill the dough while watching Family Guy.
Step 11. In that same too-small bowl, combine very coarsely grained sugar (as it was the most identifiable as sugar) with salt, and vast amounts of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and additional pumpkin pie spice.
Step 12. Beat two impossible to crack Chinese eggs and stir in the spice mixture and pumpkin
Step 13. Gradually add evaporated milk, but not all of the can because it's too big. But first forget it's too big, and then suddenly remember before it's too late. This will make your pie experience more exciting.
Step 14. Roll out hopefully chilled dough with a tiny fondant-sized rolling pin. Roll it out very very very wide as the pumpkin pie dish is a spring form pan on wax paper.
Step 15. Somehow perform an amazing feat of flawlessly putting the crust into the pan
Step 16. patch up all the holes in the crust with reserved dough.
Step 17. Continue to patch up more holes as fears that it will never be able to served start flooding your mind.
Step 18. Pour pumpkin pie mixture into crust.
Step 19. Put pie into toaster oven, slightly pre-heated.
Step 20. Turn down toaster oven temperature after ten minutes.
Step 21. Notice steam/smoke from excess oil dripping from greasing the pan.
Step 22. FREAK OUT!
Step 23. Be reminded from a friend that it's just a pie and calm down...
Step 24 ...but only on the surface; remain anxious insdie for the next 2 hours as the pie slowly cooks
Step 25. turn on the top of the oven to "de-jellyfy" the top.
Step 26. TURN OFF THE TOP; the pie is souffle-ing!
Step 27. Leave kitchen and swear at the pie
Step 28. Return to kitchen and apologize to the pie
Step 29. Start decorating apartment to get mind off pie.
Step 30. Forget about pie
Step 31. Remember the pie, run into kitchen, and insert knife into pie.
Step 32. Contemplate worshiping the toaster oven as the knife comes out clean
Step 33. Safely remove the pie
Step 34. Try to explain to said friend that you didn't overreact at all during the past 4 hours.
Step 35. Bring pie to Thanksgiving potluck the next day and return with half of the pie! Consider anger management for rage that NO ONE seemed as excited about the pie, but instead remember that there is now more pie for you.
Step 36. Enjoy delicious pumpkin pie!
Please note: making this pie without a toaster oven outside of China will not properly generate all of the necessary emotions required to fully enjoy eating the pie.
sugar, salt, spices, eggs, pumpkin, spices, evaporated milk, shortening, milk, SPICES, water, patience, support of a friend, pandas, wax paper, skinny-fondant rolling pin, mother, e-mail, grocery store, yoga mat, Family Guy, spring-form pan, toaster oven, a sense of humor, a sense of hope, determination, anger management, spices, time, to be in China, and a therapist on call.
Step 1. E-mail mom to obtain recipie
Step 2. Realize that you forgot to e-mail for crust
Step 3. Spend 30mins google searching "Cross-the-bowl strokes" "boiling water" and "shortening" and other phrases you can pull out of your sleep brain
Step 4. Find potential crust recipe
Step 5. Realize that you're out of flour
Step 6. Return with flour, and a yoga-mat.
Step 7. Procrastinate making the crust (seriously?)
Step 8. In a much-to-small bowl, combine boiling water, shortening, and a tablespoon of strange vacuum-sealed milk; make sure to spill much of the contents on the counter
Step 9. Add 2 cups of partially-maybe-kinda sifted flour; make sure to cover previous spill with layer of flour.
Step 10. Chill the dough while watching Family Guy.
Step 11. In that same too-small bowl, combine very coarsely grained sugar (as it was the most identifiable as sugar) with salt, and vast amounts of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and additional pumpkin pie spice.
Step 12. Beat two impossible to crack Chinese eggs and stir in the spice mixture and pumpkin
Step 13. Gradually add evaporated milk, but not all of the can because it's too big. But first forget it's too big, and then suddenly remember before it's too late. This will make your pie experience more exciting.
Step 14. Roll out hopefully chilled dough with a tiny fondant-sized rolling pin. Roll it out very very very wide as the pumpkin pie dish is a spring form pan on wax paper.
Step 15. Somehow perform an amazing feat of flawlessly putting the crust into the pan
Step 16. patch up all the holes in the crust with reserved dough.
Step 17. Continue to patch up more holes as fears that it will never be able to served start flooding your mind.
Step 18. Pour pumpkin pie mixture into crust.
Step 19. Put pie into toaster oven, slightly pre-heated.
Step 20. Turn down toaster oven temperature after ten minutes.
Step 21. Notice steam/smoke from excess oil dripping from greasing the pan.
Step 22. FREAK OUT!
Step 23. Be reminded from a friend that it's just a pie and calm down...
Step 24 ...but only on the surface; remain anxious insdie for the next 2 hours as the pie slowly cooks
Step 25. turn on the top of the oven to "de-jellyfy" the top.
Step 26. TURN OFF THE TOP; the pie is souffle-ing!
Step 27. Leave kitchen and swear at the pie
Step 28. Return to kitchen and apologize to the pie
Step 29. Start decorating apartment to get mind off pie.
Step 30. Forget about pie
Step 31. Remember the pie, run into kitchen, and insert knife into pie.
Step 32. Contemplate worshiping the toaster oven as the knife comes out clean
Step 33. Safely remove the pie
Step 34. Try to explain to said friend that you didn't overreact at all during the past 4 hours.
Step 35. Bring pie to Thanksgiving potluck the next day and return with half of the pie! Consider anger management for rage that NO ONE seemed as excited about the pie, but instead remember that there is now more pie for you.
Step 36. Enjoy delicious pumpkin pie!
Please note: making this pie without a toaster oven outside of China will not properly generate all of the necessary emotions required to fully enjoy eating the pie.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Double Feature!
So this is a second post as I'm trying this new blog approach, by topic versus by day. Let's face it, everyday of my life in China is not worth sharing and I feel silly blogging about it. But some things stick out, like a taxi ride I had.
I was carrying a boxing bag (don't ask, please, I'm not sure why I bought it either) that I picked up from another foreigner--a nice Lebanese guy who works for an oil company and may be leaving Chengdu, but will probably be back. He's a funny guy, bought a treadmill and bought "How I Met Your Mother" to start an exercise routine. But he's in better shape than me, so he's doing something right.-- So there I am, lugging a large red bag and it's stand. I can actually feel my shoulder muscles, a muscle I rarely, if ever, can feel. I can't find a cab, the guy is gone, so I keep walking a couple meters, drop everything, rest, and repeat. Stupidity has never felt so cruel.
And then there's a man in front of a hotel. We get into a gesture conversation:
"Look how stupid I am lugging all this crap" (I gesture)
"Haha, yes, you are silly. Is that for boxing?" (he gestures)
"Yes, yes it is." (I gesture)
Pause...
"It's really heavy, I can't find a cab?" (I try to gesture)
"Follow me" (he gestures)
And this is why you're kids should (or you) should take acting classes. Cause someday, they might be in China! "Oh, but my kids won't ever me in China" you say. Well, talk to my parents. They're just as surprised as I am.
So he leads me just to the curb where a taxi driver has seemingly refused to take another passenger. And then there's the moment of truth.
"Where are you going?" (the driver asks, in Chinese, translation is simply guessed)
"International Community" (in Chinese!!!) "The street name?" ( I add in Chinese)
Get in (he gestures)
"Really?" (in English)
I thank the other man, and put all my stuff in the back. So I sit in the front.
"Hello" I say (Chinese)
He smiles.
I gesture about the stuff and carrying it all...it's hard work.
He smiles.
"Foreigner" I say in a mocking tone of myself gesturing to the bag.
His eyes light up! He laughs!
"What's your name?" (Chinese)
He responds by pointing to his name on the dash...it's in Chinese.
"Uh...."
He goes through the three characters with me.
"Where are you from?" he asks in Chinese.
"....."
"Where are you from" (English)
"USA"
"U...S...A..."
"Yes" (in Chinese) "Where are YOU from" (I ask in English)
He gestures he won't tell, probably because I won't know. Which is probably true.
Then he goes on and on in Chinese about something and says foreigner a bunch of times and then says Zhonghai international community a bunch of times.
Oh, he wants me to say it?
"Zhonghai international community" (in Chinese I say)
He repeats as before.
I repeat as before.
"Correct" He says (in Chinese)
Then we go over the street name; this guy is giving me a Chinese pronunciation lesson. I make a mental note that the Chinese like when foreigners use self-deprecating humor. Perhaps a way in in future situations.
This was the LONGEST conversation I've been able to keep in Chinese/bits of English. Then he pulls out his phone and calls a friend. Something about driving this foreigner to Zhonghai, which is far. Maybe he's complaining? He sees a young boy in a car next to us and comments in Chinese. I gesture/ask if he has a son. He does. So he calls his wife and I can hear the son in the background. Apparently EVERYONE must know that there's a young foreigner in his car trying to speak Chinese. The wife laughs, the son laughs, I laugh. I laugh, though, for my safety. He's driving sooo fast and we keep almost hitting other cars. You know those movie scenes where two big bussed are merging towards itself and the hero/heroine is flooring it between them in a small car? Yeah we were that small car.
I gesture a steering wheel and say:
"Very good" (in Chinese)
"NOOOOO!" (in English)
Yep, he's a Dad. At least he knows, he drives dangerously. But we arrive safely to Zhonghai. I am grateful because he actually took me seriously. Sometimes when I try to speak Chinese (and I don't know hardly any) I just get disinterest. So it was nice finally be heard AND understood.
Makes me want to spend my free time learning more; but Thanksgiving is this week. I'm attending two and I'm baking something every night. Already have two loaves of pumpkin bread; one a whole lot more whole than the other. I will learn how to beat this toaster oven. And I will hopefully learn more Chinese...just, not now. There's baking to be done. This is serious business you know.
I was carrying a boxing bag (don't ask, please, I'm not sure why I bought it either) that I picked up from another foreigner--a nice Lebanese guy who works for an oil company and may be leaving Chengdu, but will probably be back. He's a funny guy, bought a treadmill and bought "How I Met Your Mother" to start an exercise routine. But he's in better shape than me, so he's doing something right.-- So there I am, lugging a large red bag and it's stand. I can actually feel my shoulder muscles, a muscle I rarely, if ever, can feel. I can't find a cab, the guy is gone, so I keep walking a couple meters, drop everything, rest, and repeat. Stupidity has never felt so cruel.
And then there's a man in front of a hotel. We get into a gesture conversation:
"Look how stupid I am lugging all this crap" (I gesture)
"Haha, yes, you are silly. Is that for boxing?" (he gestures)
"Yes, yes it is." (I gesture)
Pause...
"It's really heavy, I can't find a cab?" (I try to gesture)
"Follow me" (he gestures)
And this is why you're kids should (or you) should take acting classes. Cause someday, they might be in China! "Oh, but my kids won't ever me in China" you say. Well, talk to my parents. They're just as surprised as I am.
So he leads me just to the curb where a taxi driver has seemingly refused to take another passenger. And then there's the moment of truth.
"Where are you going?" (the driver asks, in Chinese, translation is simply guessed)
"International Community" (in Chinese!!!) "The street name?" ( I add in Chinese)
Get in (he gestures)
"Really?" (in English)
I thank the other man, and put all my stuff in the back. So I sit in the front.
"Hello" I say (Chinese)
He smiles.
I gesture about the stuff and carrying it all...it's hard work.
He smiles.
"Foreigner" I say in a mocking tone of myself gesturing to the bag.
His eyes light up! He laughs!
"What's your name?" (Chinese)
He responds by pointing to his name on the dash...it's in Chinese.
"Uh...."
He goes through the three characters with me.
"Where are you from?" he asks in Chinese.
"....."
"Where are you from" (English)
"USA"
"U...S...A..."
"Yes" (in Chinese) "Where are YOU from" (I ask in English)
He gestures he won't tell, probably because I won't know. Which is probably true.
Then he goes on and on in Chinese about something and says foreigner a bunch of times and then says Zhonghai international community a bunch of times.
Oh, he wants me to say it?
"Zhonghai international community" (in Chinese I say)
He repeats as before.
I repeat as before.
"Correct" He says (in Chinese)
Then we go over the street name; this guy is giving me a Chinese pronunciation lesson. I make a mental note that the Chinese like when foreigners use self-deprecating humor. Perhaps a way in in future situations.
This was the LONGEST conversation I've been able to keep in Chinese/bits of English. Then he pulls out his phone and calls a friend. Something about driving this foreigner to Zhonghai, which is far. Maybe he's complaining? He sees a young boy in a car next to us and comments in Chinese. I gesture/ask if he has a son. He does. So he calls his wife and I can hear the son in the background. Apparently EVERYONE must know that there's a young foreigner in his car trying to speak Chinese. The wife laughs, the son laughs, I laugh. I laugh, though, for my safety. He's driving sooo fast and we keep almost hitting other cars. You know those movie scenes where two big bussed are merging towards itself and the hero/heroine is flooring it between them in a small car? Yeah we were that small car.
I gesture a steering wheel and say:
"Very good" (in Chinese)
"NOOOOO!" (in English)
Yep, he's a Dad. At least he knows, he drives dangerously. But we arrive safely to Zhonghai. I am grateful because he actually took me seriously. Sometimes when I try to speak Chinese (and I don't know hardly any) I just get disinterest. So it was nice finally be heard AND understood.
Makes me want to spend my free time learning more; but Thanksgiving is this week. I'm attending two and I'm baking something every night. Already have two loaves of pumpkin bread; one a whole lot more whole than the other. I will learn how to beat this toaster oven. And I will hopefully learn more Chinese...just, not now. There's baking to be done. This is serious business you know.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Rockstar
China, you're crafty.
Whenever I loose faith in you as I watch people not help in accidents (due to some strange laws) or as I get yelled at on a bus for loosing my footing (because 200+ people shouldn't be on a bus), you send someone to make me laugh and feel like a rock star/movie star.
Today, as I was getting my brand-new (soon-to-be-stolen) bicycle assembled after having a hectic day teaching, two Chinese university students came up to me:
"You are so smart"
"Smart? Why do you think I'm smart? I just bought a brand-new bicycle, that's not smart"
They laugh, then:
"No, I mean, you are so handsome!"
"Oh..."
They giggle and walk-away looking back every ten seconds or so.
This whole interaction is starting to feel normal AND I'm proud to say, I'm never expecting them to say handsome. That's right, I get told on a weekly basis by some girl or guy on the street that I am handsome (or I hear someway say the foreigner is cute in Chinese) and I still get awkward every-single-time! Which is far better than the alternative of becoming vain about it. But damn, it's not so bad getting a self-esteem boost by random strangers. China is...very blunt. I have a feeling if they thought I wasn't handsome, I'd know that too. In the US, if you think a stranger's cute, you don't generally comment to them; you may tell your friend after you pass. In China, they tell you! At first I thought maybe they want something from me, but no, they just want to tell you what they think--then they leave. Maybe if they knew more English they'd stay, but I think it's really just part of the culture--or at least part of the culture towards foreigners. They're aren't many foreigners my age here; so my youth is a rarity.
When Cynthia and I were exploring a Tibetan neighborhood and an old Chinese neighborhood, I posed for several pictures; Cynthia often declined. I must be in like 200 pictures now. My students have some of me; people on the street; and people from my brief travels. And yet, when I want to take a picture of a man dressed in Tibetan robes, I get awkward? But often the Chinese will shy away from the camera...not fair!
Also: whenever they say, "you are so handsome", it always seems to come out: "you are...SOHANDSOME" So handsome being a bit louder, very fast, and all one word. Which never ever fails to make me blush. Stop it China, you're too kind. You're pretty fly yourself.
Whenever I loose faith in you as I watch people not help in accidents (due to some strange laws) or as I get yelled at on a bus for loosing my footing (because 200+ people shouldn't be on a bus), you send someone to make me laugh and feel like a rock star/movie star.
Today, as I was getting my brand-new (soon-to-be-stolen) bicycle assembled after having a hectic day teaching, two Chinese university students came up to me:
"You are so smart"
"Smart? Why do you think I'm smart? I just bought a brand-new bicycle, that's not smart"
They laugh, then:
"No, I mean, you are so handsome!"
"Oh..."
They giggle and walk-away looking back every ten seconds or so.
This whole interaction is starting to feel normal AND I'm proud to say, I'm never expecting them to say handsome. That's right, I get told on a weekly basis by some girl or guy on the street that I am handsome (or I hear someway say the foreigner is cute in Chinese) and I still get awkward every-single-time! Which is far better than the alternative of becoming vain about it. But damn, it's not so bad getting a self-esteem boost by random strangers. China is...very blunt. I have a feeling if they thought I wasn't handsome, I'd know that too. In the US, if you think a stranger's cute, you don't generally comment to them; you may tell your friend after you pass. In China, they tell you! At first I thought maybe they want something from me, but no, they just want to tell you what they think--then they leave. Maybe if they knew more English they'd stay, but I think it's really just part of the culture--or at least part of the culture towards foreigners. They're aren't many foreigners my age here; so my youth is a rarity.
When Cynthia and I were exploring a Tibetan neighborhood and an old Chinese neighborhood, I posed for several pictures; Cynthia often declined. I must be in like 200 pictures now. My students have some of me; people on the street; and people from my brief travels. And yet, when I want to take a picture of a man dressed in Tibetan robes, I get awkward? But often the Chinese will shy away from the camera...not fair!
Also: whenever they say, "you are so handsome", it always seems to come out: "you are...SOHANDSOME" So handsome being a bit louder, very fast, and all one word. Which never ever fails to make me blush. Stop it China, you're too kind. You're pretty fly yourself.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Oh...I'm staying in China
So I've accepted I'm in China, but now I'm struggling to understand that I'm staying here for a bit. I've never been out of the US for Halloween before and it came and passed without me really thinking about it much. But now Thanksgiving is approaching. Thanks to Marissa, I have been away from my family on Thanksgiving once before and survived, but I still had a proper Thanksgiving dinner. Mark is organizing Thanksgiving; and thanks to my Mom, I now have heaps of pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice! So there will be pumpkin pie (even if I have to go to war against my toaster oven) and pumpkin bread.
And then there's Christmas. Which I was reminded of while listening to Christmas music on repeat in IKEA of all places!
I've NEVER missed Christmas. I've NEVER not woken up in my bed in my room in my parent's house. I've been sick on Christmas, yes, but never so so far away. It feels weird too, that my dog won't be celebrating Christmas with us either. As she lived to be 15, I don't really remember Christmas without her. So between the two of us, we've changed the holiday for our family. And THAT is what feels weird and a bit unfair for them. Today I was daydreaming of somehow showing up on Christmas day to a very surprised brother and parents. But that really isn't possible. I've seen Trains, Planes, and Automobiles and China to Chicago just seems like it would be a three-part epic; maybe even with alternate endings. Christmas is a Sunday, and I'll be teaching that Monday. Because somehow...I'm a grown-up? Okay I'm laughing too, don't worry...I'm still Johnny; just stuck-in-China Johnny.
It's just weird, you know? Knowing that I chose this. And don't get me wrong, I do want to be here...but maybe, oh I don't know, maybe I didn't really think it through. A year is a long time. And then I think, how did people do this before the Internet? Like when our parents generation backpacked through Europe. Man, they couldn't even post pictures or blog! And then I start feeling okay, even almost normal. I'll be there for Thanksgiving. I mean I won't lie, I wish Steve Jobs had finished the "sending food" ap. I mean this was Roald Dahl's work: Willy Wonka could transfer chocolate! But I suppose the side effects of eating computer generated food might put a strain on this already strained stomach. And I'll be home for Christmas, though I won't be able to smell the tree. But I'll be there. As long as there's wi-fi at the relatives house, I may even sing for Santa. I'll get to see my cousin's new baby. I'll get to wish my parents and brother Merry Christmas face-to-face and that, that is what I want for Christmas. In fact, while I'm at this trying-to-make-life-better-quest, being physically away from my family and friends, may actually bring me closer. It sure brings a lot of clarity and forgiveness. Forgiveness for old grudges, and more so, forgiveness for the self. Of all those silly things I've done without thinking..."Like China?" you ask. "No, China doesn't count. I did think--for a week!" And yes, I do see your point. :)
Technology can feel so cold sometimes, but it can also provide such warmth. Now I can't wait for Christmas. It will be different, but I think it may just be the most meaningful one yet. And perhaps, that's what I need this year in my life: more meaning.
Is that why I'm in China? Gosh, who knows!!!
And then there's Christmas. Which I was reminded of while listening to Christmas music on repeat in IKEA of all places!
I've NEVER missed Christmas. I've NEVER not woken up in my bed in my room in my parent's house. I've been sick on Christmas, yes, but never so so far away. It feels weird too, that my dog won't be celebrating Christmas with us either. As she lived to be 15, I don't really remember Christmas without her. So between the two of us, we've changed the holiday for our family. And THAT is what feels weird and a bit unfair for them. Today I was daydreaming of somehow showing up on Christmas day to a very surprised brother and parents. But that really isn't possible. I've seen Trains, Planes, and Automobiles and China to Chicago just seems like it would be a three-part epic; maybe even with alternate endings. Christmas is a Sunday, and I'll be teaching that Monday. Because somehow...I'm a grown-up? Okay I'm laughing too, don't worry...I'm still Johnny; just stuck-in-China Johnny.
It's just weird, you know? Knowing that I chose this. And don't get me wrong, I do want to be here...but maybe, oh I don't know, maybe I didn't really think it through. A year is a long time. And then I think, how did people do this before the Internet? Like when our parents generation backpacked through Europe. Man, they couldn't even post pictures or blog! And then I start feeling okay, even almost normal. I'll be there for Thanksgiving. I mean I won't lie, I wish Steve Jobs had finished the "sending food" ap. I mean this was Roald Dahl's work: Willy Wonka could transfer chocolate! But I suppose the side effects of eating computer generated food might put a strain on this already strained stomach. And I'll be home for Christmas, though I won't be able to smell the tree. But I'll be there. As long as there's wi-fi at the relatives house, I may even sing for Santa. I'll get to see my cousin's new baby. I'll get to wish my parents and brother Merry Christmas face-to-face and that, that is what I want for Christmas. In fact, while I'm at this trying-to-make-life-better-quest, being physically away from my family and friends, may actually bring me closer. It sure brings a lot of clarity and forgiveness. Forgiveness for old grudges, and more so, forgiveness for the self. Of all those silly things I've done without thinking..."Like China?" you ask. "No, China doesn't count. I did think--for a week!" And yes, I do see your point. :)
Technology can feel so cold sometimes, but it can also provide such warmth. Now I can't wait for Christmas. It will be different, but I think it may just be the most meaningful one yet. And perhaps, that's what I need this year in my life: more meaning.
Is that why I'm in China? Gosh, who knows!!!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Running For Buses
Running for Buses. If I write a script, this would be the title for this experience (an indie film, of course). Because even in the US when you run for a bus, you feel silly (a common feeling for me in China). Everyone on the bus is watching you wondering if you'll make it and then you might or you might not. Well in China, except for maybe two exceptions, I've never made it. Even if I get there before the bus leaves, often the driver just looks at me and shakes his head. Usually though the driver sees me running, and then leaves. "It's not rude, it's just the culture," I tell myself over and over.
The alternate title is "Boxing For Buses". This refers to when I am at the station waiting (not running) for a bus calmly with grannies, babies, children, and adults. As soon as the bus pulls up, calm fades. It becomes a mad rush for the bus. Elbows out. Eyes full of determination. If a young Chinese man boxes out grandma, so be it. If grandma boxes out a five-year-old, so be it! What really gets me is this behavior happens at the FIRST STOP, when the bus is empty! But the prize seats are the ones in the back as if one sits in the front, one will probably have to relinquish the fought-over seat for a senior citizen or mother-and-child. So it matters, oh does it matter!
So this morning, when I ran to a bus and failed to get on board, I calmly waited with the others. When the bus showed up everyone started forming the queue, which in China is just a mass of people competing for the starting point. And there I was, the laowai (foreigner), being the gentle giant and being boxed out by grandma. I need to learn to be more aggressive, though keep in mind this isn't aggressive, this is just the way things are here. But usually, I don't want those seats as much as the others and fall to the end of the line. Only a couple times have I had to box out. And then I'm left feeling like I overacted. Maybe I'll learn.
Quick overview of LAST week:
SUNDAY
--woke up not feeling sore at all, which was confusing. Shopped and wasted most of the day. Spent far too long watching youtube trailers. Then watched audition tapes. Then suddenly I was reading/performing monologues in my apartment alone, excited that I could generate watery eyes for sad moments. THEN, an existential crisis about life and China and what's I'm doing here. Then determination that I should move to LA this week and just leave. Then face-timing with surprised parents and calming down. Resolving thought: I want to go act and will, just not now. The desire is so big it'll eat me up if go and fail! Need to learn more from life!
MONDAY
--Worked at Dipont
--showed NY Times Magazine article that Dad sent to office. Generated great discussions with Lily, I'm better understanding my role here and the pressures. Lily said no grades are ever changed her, which means some parents pull their kids and use different college services.
TUESDAY
--3 new kids showed up to my class. They act like it's a joke and they may be trouble for me.
-- Confronted my class about plagiarism/academic dishonesty. Tears were shed, not my best moment. But all three kids suspected, admitted truth about getting outside help on a personal essay. The kicker was that it wasn't a hard assignment. But still, anger = never ever again in class. Not fun, lesson learned.
--Felt like a (college) counselor. Broke one of the Senior 1 classes into small groups to discuss passions, interested, and a light dash of college. The kids are only 15! Good conversations were generated, which gave me insight and some points to raise to parents on Friday.
WEDNESDAY
--Spent the class day talking about plagiarism, overreactions, and gave an apology. Two of the suspected students apologized for their dramatic behavior. Class feels better, we discussed their essays and the need to eliminate "fluff".
-purchased Necessary Roughness from a cart. Watched three episodes with Cynthia. The show is about a cognitive behavioral psychologist getting a new job with a NYC sport team. Makes me want to be a sport psychologist...now.
THURSDAY
--GREAT CLASS. Best day of teaching to date. We started discussing the nervous system. Covered neuron structure (soma, dendrite, axon, myelin sheath, axon terminal buttons), and neurotransmitters. Suddenly the kids were interested as I related Black Widow venom to ACh (thanks Professor Bean); MSG to glutamate, and salmon to serotonin. It was fun! The power point was good and worked! Students even asked questions!
--Hung out with Sarah and her mother for dinner.
FRIDAY
--It would've been another great class, but I was almost late and my computer wouldn't connect in the room for the powerpoint. But we finished the chapter and the students seem to get it
--Parent meetings! I talked after Mr. Wang and Mark, to all Senior 2 parents and all Senior 1 parents. I covered that preparing for college is stressful. I had the parents raise their hand if they went to college (most did) and then those parents who studied in the US to raise their hands (no hands). My message was one of support. We all support your kids, we ask that you do the same. If we all work together, your child will end up at a school he or she likes and you'll get the postcard home, thanking you for support. I said the second half of that only to the Senior 1 parents and received applause. Obviously, I made up the whole speech while speaking, but both went well. Again, thank you acting classes.
--Pizza! Instead of going out for pizza, Cynthia and I put our heads together and ended up with homemade pizza. Delicious! After that, we found the energy and went out. On the way downtown, our cab ran out of battery and died. So Cynthia and I pushed the cab from the middle of the road to the side and grabbed another. The 1st cab driver ran to us and told the 2nd driver where we wanted to go and was very thankful to the laowai. We met up with Steve, met Michael and Mary. And boy, do these study abroad kids go hard.
SATURDAY
--woke up around 1:30pm and my first thought: "Did my high school teachers go out like this?"
--went to IKEA which was strangely uncrowded (still busy) for a Saturday and blasting American Christmas music. I must have heard Rudolph at least twenty times, but I acquired baking tins! Pumpkin pie is now a go. I decided against the fake X-mas tree...it's November!
SUNDAY
--Made it to the big market at the North Railway Station where I should have brought my camera. Full of people, food, clothes, decor, and more! Purchased a cheap rug and some holographic pictures.
MONDAY
--swear I'll keep up better with this blog, and maybe try not so much in the future to focus on a list of what I did (see above) but more feelings/thoughts about what I'm doing. More like the beginning of the entry. But that will take blog discipline and more frequent posting.
--STEVE. New Physics teacher supposed to be at my place now, but isn't. Something about baggage expense and not having enough cash. He's coming from Singapore and staying with me for a night? Maybe more? Not sure. We'll see if he gets here, but my whole place is clean with anticipation.
Maybe I'll have better bus luck home. Always a battle. Battle for Buses? We'll see...
The alternate title is "Boxing For Buses". This refers to when I am at the station waiting (not running) for a bus calmly with grannies, babies, children, and adults. As soon as the bus pulls up, calm fades. It becomes a mad rush for the bus. Elbows out. Eyes full of determination. If a young Chinese man boxes out grandma, so be it. If grandma boxes out a five-year-old, so be it! What really gets me is this behavior happens at the FIRST STOP, when the bus is empty! But the prize seats are the ones in the back as if one sits in the front, one will probably have to relinquish the fought-over seat for a senior citizen or mother-and-child. So it matters, oh does it matter!
So this morning, when I ran to a bus and failed to get on board, I calmly waited with the others. When the bus showed up everyone started forming the queue, which in China is just a mass of people competing for the starting point. And there I was, the laowai (foreigner), being the gentle giant and being boxed out by grandma. I need to learn to be more aggressive, though keep in mind this isn't aggressive, this is just the way things are here. But usually, I don't want those seats as much as the others and fall to the end of the line. Only a couple times have I had to box out. And then I'm left feeling like I overacted. Maybe I'll learn.
Quick overview of LAST week:
SUNDAY
--woke up not feeling sore at all, which was confusing. Shopped and wasted most of the day. Spent far too long watching youtube trailers. Then watched audition tapes. Then suddenly I was reading/performing monologues in my apartment alone, excited that I could generate watery eyes for sad moments. THEN, an existential crisis about life and China and what's I'm doing here. Then determination that I should move to LA this week and just leave. Then face-timing with surprised parents and calming down. Resolving thought: I want to go act and will, just not now. The desire is so big it'll eat me up if go and fail! Need to learn more from life!
MONDAY
--Worked at Dipont
--showed NY Times Magazine article that Dad sent to office. Generated great discussions with Lily, I'm better understanding my role here and the pressures. Lily said no grades are ever changed her, which means some parents pull their kids and use different college services.
TUESDAY
--3 new kids showed up to my class. They act like it's a joke and they may be trouble for me.
-- Confronted my class about plagiarism/academic dishonesty. Tears were shed, not my best moment. But all three kids suspected, admitted truth about getting outside help on a personal essay. The kicker was that it wasn't a hard assignment. But still, anger = never ever again in class. Not fun, lesson learned.
--Felt like a (college) counselor. Broke one of the Senior 1 classes into small groups to discuss passions, interested, and a light dash of college. The kids are only 15! Good conversations were generated, which gave me insight and some points to raise to parents on Friday.
WEDNESDAY
--Spent the class day talking about plagiarism, overreactions, and gave an apology. Two of the suspected students apologized for their dramatic behavior. Class feels better, we discussed their essays and the need to eliminate "fluff".
-purchased Necessary Roughness from a cart. Watched three episodes with Cynthia. The show is about a cognitive behavioral psychologist getting a new job with a NYC sport team. Makes me want to be a sport psychologist...now.
THURSDAY
--GREAT CLASS. Best day of teaching to date. We started discussing the nervous system. Covered neuron structure (soma, dendrite, axon, myelin sheath, axon terminal buttons), and neurotransmitters. Suddenly the kids were interested as I related Black Widow venom to ACh (thanks Professor Bean); MSG to glutamate, and salmon to serotonin. It was fun! The power point was good and worked! Students even asked questions!
--Hung out with Sarah and her mother for dinner.
FRIDAY
--It would've been another great class, but I was almost late and my computer wouldn't connect in the room for the powerpoint. But we finished the chapter and the students seem to get it
--Parent meetings! I talked after Mr. Wang and Mark, to all Senior 2 parents and all Senior 1 parents. I covered that preparing for college is stressful. I had the parents raise their hand if they went to college (most did) and then those parents who studied in the US to raise their hands (no hands). My message was one of support. We all support your kids, we ask that you do the same. If we all work together, your child will end up at a school he or she likes and you'll get the postcard home, thanking you for support. I said the second half of that only to the Senior 1 parents and received applause. Obviously, I made up the whole speech while speaking, but both went well. Again, thank you acting classes.
--Pizza! Instead of going out for pizza, Cynthia and I put our heads together and ended up with homemade pizza. Delicious! After that, we found the energy and went out. On the way downtown, our cab ran out of battery and died. So Cynthia and I pushed the cab from the middle of the road to the side and grabbed another. The 1st cab driver ran to us and told the 2nd driver where we wanted to go and was very thankful to the laowai. We met up with Steve, met Michael and Mary. And boy, do these study abroad kids go hard.
SATURDAY
--woke up around 1:30pm and my first thought: "Did my high school teachers go out like this?"
--went to IKEA which was strangely uncrowded (still busy) for a Saturday and blasting American Christmas music. I must have heard Rudolph at least twenty times, but I acquired baking tins! Pumpkin pie is now a go. I decided against the fake X-mas tree...it's November!
SUNDAY
--Made it to the big market at the North Railway Station where I should have brought my camera. Full of people, food, clothes, decor, and more! Purchased a cheap rug and some holographic pictures.
MONDAY
--swear I'll keep up better with this blog, and maybe try not so much in the future to focus on a list of what I did (see above) but more feelings/thoughts about what I'm doing. More like the beginning of the entry. But that will take blog discipline and more frequent posting.
--STEVE. New Physics teacher supposed to be at my place now, but isn't. Something about baggage expense and not having enough cash. He's coming from Singapore and staying with me for a night? Maybe more? Not sure. We'll see if he gets here, but my whole place is clean with anticipation.
Maybe I'll have better bus luck home. Always a battle. Battle for Buses? We'll see...
Emei Shan
So Florence + The Machine have a new album. And it’s awesome. You should probably be listening to it. Now.
Also, one of my dear cousins just had a baby! A healthy baby girl, though my Internet is not working currently, which is frustrating because I’d like to know more!
Anyways, to continue where I left off…
I awoke Thursday early to an annoying cell phone alarm. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Nah, I’m not going mental, I’m just talking to my past self who packed a tramping bag like a mad man only a few hours prior. I didn’t feel great, so I lay in bed…thinking; something I do far too much for my own good. I wanted to climb Emei Shan, but it was supposed to rain, I knew I didn’t know much Chinese, I knew I was going alone, and I was stuck. I was stuck in the bed for about forty minutes. Suddenly going to Emei Shan felt like a big life decision. If I went, I would be trying to find that person in me who fearlessly jumped from a plane and hitchhiked. If I slept in, I would be a teacher exhausted by his new circumstances and probably waste the day and post-pone the difficult work of rebuilding the self that needs to be done.
Well, I procrastinate enough about teaching. So I jumped out of bed, took a shower to wake up, ate a very quick breakfast, and walked to the bus stop. The bag was heavy, too heavy, but I was on an adventure and so excited about it that I fell asleep on the bus. I was exhausted; I had dragged my sleepy tired body out of bed, put on a huge pack, and laced big boots around my feet. The mind wanted to go, the body wanted the mind to go…alone.
After what felt like forever, I ended up at the long-distance bus stop. I went up to the counter and was able to get a ticket to Emei Shan. The only time on the ticket was 16:45! But something told me not to worry, so I went into the station found the gate and waited, until a Chinese woman asked me where I was headed (in English) and it turned out there was one seat on a bus boarding at that moment! (Apparently you buy a seat for the day and just need to get on a bus when you feel like it). It worked wonderfully, language barrier passed, right?
WRONG! 2 hours later found me over-thinking as people kept getting of the bus. I thought the bus went to one station! What was this? So I did what foreigners do, I stumbled like a mad man from the back seat of the bus to the front, tripping over people, to try and pronounce Emei Shan to a bus driver who gave me the stiff arm. I thought it was only 1.5 hours away, and too much time had gone by, and I was tired, and blah blah blah, you get it!
And then a magical thing happened; we pulled into a station and the bus stopped. And the station said Emei, the town where I wanted to go. Suddenly I was overjoyed. It was now around 1:00, much later than I had planned on arriving and the joy faded. Crap---still need to get to the mountain. A man outside the bus asked me “Emei Shan? 30! 30! 30!” I politely declined, got out the Rough Guide and then realized I didn’t want to deal with two more buses, 30 yuan sounded so much easier. So I got into a strange man’s van and another man jumped in and we set of for the town at the base of the mountain.
We pulled into an alleyway between two buildings. Apparently we were there. I didn’t see a mountain. This was SO much easier when I could communicate! I asked him/gestured to him: Which way for Emei? He pointed. I walked. I asked another guy, who pointed the other way. Seeing as the other way seemed to lead to a waterfall and an entrance, I picked the second guy’s advice. Thank you good instincts! So I found my mountain. And then proceeded to spend 20 mins trying to find a bathroom as the signs kept pointing in different directions!
Finally I found it, and changed out my sweats into some hiking pants; performing an incredible circus-balancing act over a hole-toilet without touching sock to foul floor while changing! Johnny: 1; Hole-in-floor: 0. Great success. Finally I was ready to begin hiking around 1:40 or so.
I took a picture of the map, instead of buying a map, and had one in the guidebook (that happened to be a bit lacking of information as it turned out). So then I needed to find the trail. After only ten minutes, I picked a path that led me face-to-face with a Taoist temple. Yeah that’s cool and all, but it was almost 2pm and I wanted to find a place to stay on the Mt. Sorry Taoism, I’ll learn about you later. Felt bad to rush but I still wasn’t sure where I was going or where I was even trying to get to? After ten minutes of walking, I looked exasperated to a woman and then gestured stairs and she pointed the way I was walking! So I kept walking. And then…I saw the bridge.
The bridge was a humble bridge full of color from dozens of prayer flags. Instantly, I woke up all over again. This time I wanted to go on an adventure: mind and body. Two more bridges followed. Then after some flights of stairs, I came to my first temple. Incense burned at the entrance. It felt calm. Then I noticed the entrance fee. Sure it was only 6, which is less than a US dollar, but an admission fee for a Buddhist temple feels wrong. Asking for donations feels different.
So I took my moment of pause and caught up with a girl who I had greeted while going up the steps. She seemed lost, I was lost, and she was an Aussie! Meet Jess, the 22-year-old who also teaches in Chengdu; vivid blue eyes, large frame glasses, and a warm smile. She was energetic about life, though a tad ill-prepared: left her big bag at the hostel (my back was jealous), though she carried a large water bottle, a camera on her wrist, and a large bag of potato chips. Together we caught a ride to the next temple (being ferried over a muddy road due to construction). So we started climbing to the next one.
Jess greeted everyone we passed with a warm “ni hao”. Though Jess could actually say much more. She’s only been here a month longer than me! She dropped out of university as she wasn’t enjoying it and is now on an internship teaching in China after spending a year saving funds. To say her company was pleasant would be an understatement. I think I was also in shock about finding a same-age, likeminded person. We reached the temple and Jess got us into a conversation with a young French boy and his sister and mother. They’ve lived all over and as I watched Jess, I was reminded of stories told about my Nana, whose socializing skills were legendary. I’ve inherited much of them it seems, but Jess was right up there with my Nans.
Jess was willing to keep climbing with me, even though she had her bag in a hotel at the bottom, meaning she was going to need to return to the bottom. The task of getting to the next landmark, a palace, involved many many many stairs. Stairs would become the norm for the next two days. If 10 feet is a story (or there abouts), and I was planning on ascending 8,000ft then that’s about, 800 flights of stairs. Granted the stairs changed; sometimes steep, sometime big ones that slowly ascended. And then of course, my favorite, descending hundreds of feet via stairs while trying to go up the mountain!
We finally found the palace. No entrance fee so we walked in and had some quiet time. I saw an accommodation sign, but wanted to get farther on my first night. Jess was still willing to keep going, but was not in the rush I felt I was in. Then, after continuing a ways, we met Sherry and Carol. Both Chinese and both 23; together they could understand us! They were hiking all the way to the top and I wanted to join their party. They were headed for the temple I was trying to maybe get to that night and Jess had no choice but to continue as we had started descending. Jess very much wanted to stay at a temple, but having booked the room wasn’t sure she would. Noticing how much she enjoyed the girls’ company I encouraged her to come with us.
We talked about various things. Carol taught me the words for many things, of which I remember little. Eventually evening came, and we reached a bus stop where Jess could catch a bus back. But we pressed on through village over a lake, crossed some neat bridges (all not photographed due to lack of light), and eventually to the temple. A lady who wanted us to stay at her house agreed to show us to the temple. Sherry and Carol wanted to stay with her, while Jess and I decided to stay at the temple. We parted ways but exchanged numbers.
The monks (or staff, not so sure) prepared us some dinner for additional funds, but the lodging was 30 per person. I had read about mats on floors and cold, damp rooms and had brought my sleeping bag, sleeping bag mat, and sleeping bag sheet along with warm clothes, gloves, hat, etc. It sounded like we were going to sleep in separate quarters as well. But we were escorted to a room with two beds that even seemed clean.
Jess had no supplies so I offered her my sleeping bag and I used my sheet with two comforters; not too trusting about Chinese beds: I wonder why? Jess and I talked parents, siblings, US politics, life, etc. She was relived to hear that I had similar concerns over the US. We talked about the culture of fear that seems to often control a lot of our governments: US and Aussie. And finally, it was bedtime.
After hiking Abel Tasman with friends in NZ where we’d hike until dark, I insisted with Jess that we wouldn’t go to bed at 8! We had to stay up until at least 10, otherwise after a few days I knew I’d be exhausted from all the sleep; trust me, it happens.
We awoke late. Or later than anticipated. After a small breakfast of a banana and some wheat crackers, we found Carol and Sherry at the temple. I braved the temple bathroom (hole-in-the-ground) and we continued on our way.
Jess had to leave out party, so Carol, Sherry, and I set our sights up…on plenty of stairs. Big stairs, fat stairs, small stairs, skinny stairs; I’m gonna climb some stairs! And climb we did. The first temple we paused at was home to Garfield! An orange rather chubby cat warmly greeted us; its behavior far more dog-like than cat-like. Carol’s heart was moved, which is an easy feat if you’re a cute hungry animal, and she generously shared some of her rations. Of course, then a cleaner came by and scooped up the rations. Even on the way up Emei Shan, everything is still cleaned! In fact, we passed many leaf-cleaners, raking all the stairs.
We passed stall after stall selling beads and food, though eventually they thinned out between temples. We broke for a bit of lunch: some PB&J, Carol’s generous rations, an apple, and some water. We stopped by a woman’s home/store. Two cats, a mother and kitten, shared in our lunch; especially Carol’s!
After many more hours of stairs, we bumped into two guys. One I dubbed the red-musician as he wore a red fedora and just looked like a musician. The other was dubbed musician’s friend; creativity was not very high. They joined our party though they knew no English, so I had a bit of fun attempting to communicate.
Eventually we came across monkey-row. After seeing signs for hours, and passing through a temple with monkey statues, we finally found our monkeys! Warned that they are aggressive thieves, we used our sticks to scare them from our path…while other visitors feed them. I must have seen a hundred signs about not feeding the monkeys, but maybe in Chinese they say the opposite? They were very clever—opening up water bottles and other goodies—though it was also a bit sad seeing how they were treated.
We pressed onward with dusk falling and came to our stopping point: a home/hotel across from a temple. They were the same price as the temple (unless you were a pilgrim…though it was a bit vague as to how one would prove he or she was a pilgrim…hoping there’s not a membership card). We ate, talked, and feel asleep on heated blankets; though I was wide-awake most of the night: too warm to sleep, even if the air in the room was freezing.
6:00AM came too soon, as it often does, and we continued in darkness to the top. First it seemed that we might catch the fabled sunrise, which lights up and over the famed sea of clouds. Then as we climbed higher, the cloud around us became even thicker. Sure enough, at the top it was rainy, cloudy, and light; we’d missed the sunrise through the haze. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or my diet, but I did not feel good. I wanted to go down. Now.
Instead, I visited the temple; the goal of all those stairs. I offered up a pear-thing that I brought from Chengdu and sat to meditate. A man at a desk murmured something. Carol told me I couldn’t sit, I had to kneel. WHAT? Is this not a Buddhist temple? Can’t I meditate? Apparently Chinese Buddhism is a bit different than Tibetan. So I kneeled. But I wasn’t about to pray to a gold statue. So I meditated. Another love and kindness meditation; at 10,000 plus feet. After, my mood pulled a 180-turn and suddenly, even the rainy clouds were good.
I read that a path/railway led to the final summit, but it was closed due to weather/season. So we descended. Everyone seemed bummed, but I felt at peace. Then, only after twenty minutes, I looked up and saw…could it be? Blue sky. Just a small patch. I called out to the others. After starring at the sky waiting and wondering, a couple more patches tore from the overcast sky. We turned and climbed again.
This time, the rain had stopped and then…we could see! Not much, as the sea of clouds was thick under us, but we could see the sea of clouds! The gold of the golden summit glowed. It was beautiful. My attitude soared even higher. After we’d taken in all we could, and I’d tried to take pictures with a Kodak camera that just really doesn’t suit me, we headed back, but not before I had posed with several people for pictures.
Going down was difficult. The steps are smaller than my big boots and the legs were sore. Of course the steps were also slippery. I wiped out only once, on flat stone luckily, but I was glad to finally reach the final bus stop (1.5 hours or so from the top.) We took a car down, instead of a bus. No, not a taxi, a car. He drove us all the way down the steep, narrow, switchback road, and, of course, passed other cars on the way!
After almost two hours we were back in Emei town eating noodles on the street before saying goodbye to the boys and busing back to Chengdu. Carol, Sherry, and I admired the small farms, rice paddies, and tea steps on the way back. Back at the bus station, I said goodbye to Carol and Sherry and thanked them for all their help. And then, like any American, I found pizza hut!
Eventually I made it back to my place. The adventure was just what I needed. Post the adventure; I’m better at waking up and thinking “I’m in China.” And that morning smile usually lasts until bedtime; very similar to my NZ experience. Minus the whole job thing.
(Chinese Buddhism has been capitalized; which makes sense with the large atheist population. Tourists are more common than pilgrims. Still, the Chinese have done a good job of preserving their past; even if they fix it up a bit to make it more attractive.)
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Canned Pumpkin
Tuesday found me wanting to go to USC because I sat in on Megan's, from USC, pitch to the Senior 1s and a couple Senior 2s. I learned all about USC and by the end, was sold...then I realized I've already gone to college! Weird to be back in that audience. I was a bit embarrassed that no one in the audience seemed to have a dream or a goal in life when asked to share. Guess that's what I'll work on during my Tuesday evening college talks: goals and dreams (besides making money).
So, the Senior 3 students were gone this past week as the other students had midterms. Which meant, I was freeeeeeeeee! For whatever reason Mark didn't schedule me to proctor. Cynthia and I discussed maybe climbing the other peak at Qingcheng Shan or maybe seeing the Panda center (where something like 30% of the world's Panda's live!) on Wednesday (and she was off for the day).
But on Wednesday, at 7am, when we said we'd do something, we both slept in! So eventually we dragged ourselves out and about! I spent the morning researching Emei Shan and other adventure ideas for my next few days of no-teaching. Though staying in Chengdu also sounded nice: relaxing, learning more bus routes, and planning classes.
Cynthia and I bussed #30 to Tianfu Square and we walked to the bus station for long distance buses. There was a big picture sign of all the places to go (which reminded me of Dr. Suess's Oh, The Places You'll Go; which reminded me I am in China, such a cool place to go!). Cynthia thought we could just hop on a bus and go anywhere, but without cameras and my desire to investigate some things in Chengdu, I declined. I want to be that impulsive, but I liked to have a tiny bit of supplies when being that impulsive!
We walked down one of the main drags and ended up at Bookworm; a foreign library/coffee shop/restaurant. It was cozy, they had pumpkin pie on their menu, and free Chengdu maps in English/Chinese! I grabbed a couple for me and other teachers and Cythina and I ordered a bit of food. Her hummus appetizer left much to be desired: flavor. I had a tomato, pesto, mozzarella sandwich on focaccia. The pesto was decent, the mozzarella was actually real, but the focaccia was more like white bread, no good crunch. But the fries (chips) served were delicious! We discussed careers as food writers, but realize we'll eat what we ordered unless it's really really really bad.
Then Cynthia showed me Sabrina's Country Store, which is a foreign import store. There I found allspice, cloves, nutmeg (all ground), wax paper, cocoa powder, crisco baking sticks (pie crust), and CANNED PUMPKIN! Sure it was all a bit too expensive, but what's a guy to do? Thanksgiving is coming fast and I refuse to not eat pumpkin pie. All that's left is an oven-proof pie plate and evaporated milk and I'm good to go! (For whatever reason the pie plate I purchased, had a booklet that said in English that it can't go into a pre-heated oven. Which I found after removing all labels and washing it. What a silly piece of glass!!!) Making a pumpkin pie in an electric oven will be interesting, but hopefully will be successful!
Also, if I failed to mention, I already possess heaps of cinnamon. In fact I have a flour jar and I have a cinnamon jar...what else would I need? And today, I was given a small PUMPKIN PIE by the Korean woman who runs a small shop that has butter and cheese and real milk close to where I live! I bought frozen bagels the first time from her. She's pretty fly!
After Sabrina's, Cynthia and I stopped for a 'bathroom stop' at Shamrock, the Irish Bar (every city has an Irish bar, even in China??). Of course bathroom stop is Kiwi for mojitos (though it was probably my idea)! But it was five o'clock, so it was fully justified. We resumed our quest for food sources and stopped at Auchon, a French store that boasts a large international section and also sells decently prices liquor. I grabbed a couple things including some Capt. Morgan Rum. (My dear cousin Xanna once mentioned something about one our ancestors being a pirate of sorts. Never fully explored, it has still heavily influenced by drink of choice. That and Pirates of the Caribbean...oh media, you powerful force! Part of me also thinks that this movie actually started the news media's obsession over pirates. --Ever the psychology major/over-thinker.)
Finally we found ourselves home and combined forces to make pasta with tomato sauce and heat up (toast!) breaded fish...that still had scales on it...underneath the breading...and was very old and smelly and NOT eaten. Lynette joined us for a brief visit.
I had talked about maybe going to Emei Shan the next day and Cynthia was encouraging me the whole day. I hemmed and hawed. I wasn't feeling my best, having a case of the stomach abroad! (Dun dun Dunnnn!) And then I, while talking to Cynthia, I realized: I've jumped out of a plane. Actually, I hitchhiked with a friend to a hostel, found it, and then the next day jumped out of a plane and hitched back. What happened to all that confidence to travel? I'll tell you: language barrier! Consciously I'm not scarred of it, but I think it was the source of the hemming and hawing. In New Zealand, I could hitchhike alone and feel secure, because of the same language. Here in China, I am apprehensive to get on a bus out of Chengdu! A bus which has a destination and a plan makes me apprehensive all because I can't speak. Sure I can say a little and gesture a lot, but it's all so new.
Cynthia left late and around twelve I had decided to go. I needed to do this for myself. I needed to pull myself out of this helplessness feeling and go have an adventure: it's like the cure for the common case of anxiety. So there I was at 12:30AM frantically putting supplies on my table, making sandwiches, and gathering warm clothes. Finally I relaxed into sleep around 1:30, though I still wasn't sure if I would go. All depended on how I felt in five and half hours (to be continued).
Pumpkin, cinnamon, cocoa powder, Italian herbs, and more are very much helping this place feel homey. I hope to stick to mostly Chinese food and really live like they do, but it's nice to feel I have a home base stocked with pasta sauce! Now to work on that teaching!
So, the Senior 3 students were gone this past week as the other students had midterms. Which meant, I was freeeeeeeeee! For whatever reason Mark didn't schedule me to proctor. Cynthia and I discussed maybe climbing the other peak at Qingcheng Shan or maybe seeing the Panda center (where something like 30% of the world's Panda's live!) on Wednesday (and she was off for the day).
But on Wednesday, at 7am, when we said we'd do something, we both slept in! So eventually we dragged ourselves out and about! I spent the morning researching Emei Shan and other adventure ideas for my next few days of no-teaching. Though staying in Chengdu also sounded nice: relaxing, learning more bus routes, and planning classes.
Cynthia and I bussed #30 to Tianfu Square and we walked to the bus station for long distance buses. There was a big picture sign of all the places to go (which reminded me of Dr. Suess's Oh, The Places You'll Go; which reminded me I am in China, such a cool place to go!). Cynthia thought we could just hop on a bus and go anywhere, but without cameras and my desire to investigate some things in Chengdu, I declined. I want to be that impulsive, but I liked to have a tiny bit of supplies when being that impulsive!
We walked down one of the main drags and ended up at Bookworm; a foreign library/coffee shop/restaurant. It was cozy, they had pumpkin pie on their menu, and free Chengdu maps in English/Chinese! I grabbed a couple for me and other teachers and Cythina and I ordered a bit of food. Her hummus appetizer left much to be desired: flavor. I had a tomato, pesto, mozzarella sandwich on focaccia. The pesto was decent, the mozzarella was actually real, but the focaccia was more like white bread, no good crunch. But the fries (chips) served were delicious! We discussed careers as food writers, but realize we'll eat what we ordered unless it's really really really bad.
Then Cynthia showed me Sabrina's Country Store, which is a foreign import store. There I found allspice, cloves, nutmeg (all ground), wax paper, cocoa powder, crisco baking sticks (pie crust), and CANNED PUMPKIN! Sure it was all a bit too expensive, but what's a guy to do? Thanksgiving is coming fast and I refuse to not eat pumpkin pie. All that's left is an oven-proof pie plate and evaporated milk and I'm good to go! (For whatever reason the pie plate I purchased, had a booklet that said in English that it can't go into a pre-heated oven. Which I found after removing all labels and washing it. What a silly piece of glass!!!) Making a pumpkin pie in an electric oven will be interesting, but hopefully will be successful!
Also, if I failed to mention, I already possess heaps of cinnamon. In fact I have a flour jar and I have a cinnamon jar...what else would I need? And today, I was given a small PUMPKIN PIE by the Korean woman who runs a small shop that has butter and cheese and real milk close to where I live! I bought frozen bagels the first time from her. She's pretty fly!
After Sabrina's, Cynthia and I stopped for a 'bathroom stop' at Shamrock, the Irish Bar (every city has an Irish bar, even in China??). Of course bathroom stop is Kiwi for mojitos (though it was probably my idea)! But it was five o'clock, so it was fully justified. We resumed our quest for food sources and stopped at Auchon, a French store that boasts a large international section and also sells decently prices liquor. I grabbed a couple things including some Capt. Morgan Rum. (My dear cousin Xanna once mentioned something about one our ancestors being a pirate of sorts. Never fully explored, it has still heavily influenced by drink of choice. That and Pirates of the Caribbean...oh media, you powerful force! Part of me also thinks that this movie actually started the news media's obsession over pirates. --Ever the psychology major/over-thinker.)
Finally we found ourselves home and combined forces to make pasta with tomato sauce and heat up (toast!) breaded fish...that still had scales on it...underneath the breading...and was very old and smelly and NOT eaten. Lynette joined us for a brief visit.
I had talked about maybe going to Emei Shan the next day and Cynthia was encouraging me the whole day. I hemmed and hawed. I wasn't feeling my best, having a case of the stomach abroad! (Dun dun Dunnnn!) And then I, while talking to Cynthia, I realized: I've jumped out of a plane. Actually, I hitchhiked with a friend to a hostel, found it, and then the next day jumped out of a plane and hitched back. What happened to all that confidence to travel? I'll tell you: language barrier! Consciously I'm not scarred of it, but I think it was the source of the hemming and hawing. In New Zealand, I could hitchhike alone and feel secure, because of the same language. Here in China, I am apprehensive to get on a bus out of Chengdu! A bus which has a destination and a plan makes me apprehensive all because I can't speak. Sure I can say a little and gesture a lot, but it's all so new.
Cynthia left late and around twelve I had decided to go. I needed to do this for myself. I needed to pull myself out of this helplessness feeling and go have an adventure: it's like the cure for the common case of anxiety. So there I was at 12:30AM frantically putting supplies on my table, making sandwiches, and gathering warm clothes. Finally I relaxed into sleep around 1:30, though I still wasn't sure if I would go. All depended on how I felt in five and half hours (to be continued).
Pumpkin, cinnamon, cocoa powder, Italian herbs, and more are very much helping this place feel homey. I hope to stick to mostly Chinese food and really live like they do, but it's nice to feel I have a home base stocked with pasta sauce! Now to work on that teaching!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Happy Halloween, Happy 1st month in China!
It's Monday. It's Halloween. Happy Halloween! And I'm at work. Though there is midnight blue evidence on each finger that perhaps I'm not a grown up, even if I wore a northface fleece, over a button-down shirt, with slacks as I spent almost two hours commuting to work. I now work at Dipont's office on Mondays to help the college counselors.
Last Monday I came in for what I thought would be a meeting and ended up leading a workshop with the counselors. Apparently an assistant does more than assist at Dipont. This is the part of the job I was actually hired for. I had about 2 mins to prepare at my second desk in a cubicle on the 21st floor of downtown Chengdu. All of a sudden I was whisked away to a meeting room and 10 people filed in. I sat at the front table and they all sat opposite me, just like school. And that was the "oh" moment. The, "oh, I'm like leading this." The, "oh, I'm actually like leading this." The, "oh, thank goodness I took all those acting classes as I suppress my real facial expression about 'oh I'm leading this' thought". But seriously, everyone should take improv classes, especially if you ever plan on going to a liberal arts college, majoring in psychology, graduating and going to a farm, and then take a job in China. Okay, so maybe a small percentage of people should, but it is helpful. Being able to lead discussions on anything and being able to think quickly and creatively are skills I somehow possess, probably from improv. Funnily enough last week after the meeting when I was unsure of what I was suppose to do, I picked up a Forbes on graduate programs and found business acting is not only a class, but gaining in popularity.
Which is really funny to me as Occupy movements are spreading worldwide. Not that business acting is all about lying, but I mean...I bet there's a correlation in there somewhere! (and maybe causation, though correlation is NOT causation, as my students hopefully know by now.) So US citizens are standing up about corruption, but students in universities today will be learning those acting skills to get to the top (Which might mean corruption!). Perhaps we need to occupy schools? I dunno, it's very difficult to make corruption illegal, especially when corruption (in the form of lobbyists) bank-rolls our government. In fact it's not really corruption in that sense, just people who've made money spending their money to make more money. So maybe Occupy is also trying to make greed illegal? It's confusing. Which is why I'm not sure where I stand on the Occupy movement. I like the idea, but I am also aware they're costing city's millions in extra police salaries, etc., which leaves less, potentially un-corrupt money to be used for schools or something. Just my thoughts all the way from China.
It's November tomorrow, I left the US October 1st...time is flying! This last week did too. Let's look at the highlights of a foolish Foreign in China.
Friday
-not filling 120 mins of class well
-learning that on Friday the period after lunch starts 50mins earlier than expected (but only being 10 minutes late)
-relaxing and watching "Take me home tonight" finally; been on my movie-bucket list for a while.
Saturday
-making it to Metro with Mark and his wife via cab. Bought barilla pasta (because it brings people insieme, or together, as their ad campaign says) and sauce from the imported section. Best buy of the day: CINNAMON! For anyone that knows me, I have an obsession with cinnamon. But really, what's french toast, banana bread, pumpkin pie, oatmeal, pumpkin bread, snicker-doodles, spice cake, and more without cinnamon? Nothing I say, nothing! Maple syrup was found but probably wasn't real as it was too cheap. Should have brought maple sugar/syrup from the farm!
-Hung out with Maggie & Lynette to get tea and eventually out on the town with Maggie and Elliot exploring pubs, street food, and well-light bridges.
Sunday
-Carrefour trip: another grocery store that also has some imported food. Better produce than walmart, though I ended up with almost none as I forgot to weigh it. So silly! They loose money! I would go weigh in then, but oh well. I'll learn, but I did end up with more spices!
-Watched "Bridesmaids", really because Cynthia had it (purchased from a movie market cart) and also because Hannah Jo, great friend I met in NZ, had a facebook status about it. It had it's moments and was entertaining. Class prep just didn't feel appealing.
Monday
-Getting my way through my 1st college counselor meeting and spent a lot longer at Dipont then anticipated.
-Driven home by marketing director who speaks a bit of English and it took 1.5 hours in gridlock rush-hour traffic
-Watched "Bad Teacher" to see what behaviors to avoid: no sexy car-washes, no drugs, no seducing, no drugging of test officials, and no stealing tests answers. Of course, I didn't do my lesson plans and was instead watching another movie! What can I say? I like films...a lot, maybe even enough to try and go be in them.
Tuesday
-Successfully filling up 80mins of lecture with discussion on psychology perspectives with the winning team's reward being candy and everyone else being awarded cheaper candy. Their discussions were good!
-Grabbed Charles's motor-scooter and Simon drove me to a bakery to order a cake.
-had dinner with Sarah and her mother in their home; finally learned yes and no in Chinese
-successfully used improv skills again with Mark running College Counseling 101 workshop with senior 1 and senior 2 students
-didn't watch a movie
Wednesday
-Plowed through more of Chapter 2: research methods (my least favorite chapter)
-hooked up power point in class with new VGA cable!
-Brought leftovers and ate them for lunch, finally giving myself much more time to work!
-played piano at school!
-judged with Mark and a Chinese teacher, Senior 1 performances of words such as trust, compassion, cooperation, etc. Highly entertaining.
-watched family guy, on television screen thanks to that VGA cable
Thursday
-sneaked in the ordered cake on Tuesday cake successfully
-surprised a overwhelmed-with-tears Sarah on her bday with a card from the teachers and cake
-invited to dinner at Sarah's after she came back from her lunch and told her mom what I had organized
-difficult class; students didn't want to learn
-Magic, one of the students, left with many of the boys and returned after class break for my second period with McDondalds and Cake for his 18th bday. Warm smell of fast food prompted me to speed through lecture to the students' delight.
-dinner at Sarah's
-learned that it will be the year of the dragon on Jan 22nd, my zodiac sign. Apparently supposed to wear red underwear and socks on that day. Even though I'm 1989, I am considered a dragon as the the Chinese new year is based on the moon calendar. In 1989, Feb 6th started the year of the snake, so if you have a feb/jan bday and care about your zodiac you should check when the new year started as it is different every year; a difference not reflected in Western Chinese restaurant place-mats.
Friday
-woke up to BLUE BLUE SKY! Like Midwest blue!
-went over everything we did on Thursday in class just to make sure they got it; they did!
-had make-up test for 5 kids who missed first quiz
-submitted progress reports
-ironed out details with Eugenia about Saturday
Saturday
Eugenia and I woke up early met at McDonalds for coffee and bussed to Xi po (She-poo), where we successfully bought train tickets to 青城山 (Qingcheng Shan) which I can now read. The train goes 195km/hr and the smooth ride passed through the outskirts of Chengdu. I saw some farms on the way! The forecast was for blue, but it was overcast as usual. At our destination, 40 mins and 10 yuan down the track (end of the line), I was sure something was wrong. "But Eugenia, I don't see any mountains?" Then I looked out my window, "oh, my bad, loooook!"
The mountains were shrouded in mist, but slightly visible from the station. Daniel, a young 20-something who works as an English teacher somewhere at my school, and his girlfriend Sarah, both from the UK, saw us and joined our party as we were all headed for Qingcheng Shan (shan = 山, means mountain). They had met some Chinese on the train and we ended up all together on the same bus after picking between the two peaks, one Taoist, one Buddhist. We picked the less trafficked Buddhist one (Qingcheng Houshan) and I was camera ready for my first Buddhist temple climb! (Of course, I currently can't get ANY of my pictures from my camera onto my new computer and I am horribly worried that the memory card was somehow corrupted; as is Sarah who wants her bday pics!)
The bus took us up hairpin turns through small villages and along cliffs to a bigger village high in the mountains. From here we paid 20 yuan for entrance to the village at the base of the climb to the White Cloud temple. Daniel, Sarah, and their new Chinese friends wanted a long lunch, while Eugenia and I had brought food. They sat down, we explored the village a bit, and then returned to the rest of the party. The village was Chinese. I know, I know, I'm in China, but this felt more authentic. Chinese architecture, Chinese laundry, Chinese gutters, small town bliss. Actually, probably just a tourist trap, but there was a temple in the town that did give it some authenticity.
Anxious to go, Eugenia and I found the trail and began our ascent. Climbing in China is very very different for one main reason: stairs. The whole climb is a pathway with stairs. Thousands of stairs. Steeply pitched in places, flatter in others. I know I can climb mountains, but the idea of climbing stairs was not as appealing. There's less control of one's step-size. But somehow, it was not too bad. Maybe because I had the mentality that I was climbing, and not going to work as I do when climbing 5 flights of stairs and feeling out-of-shape.
The Chinese climbers were wearing footwear that ranged from sneakers to stilettos, no joke. As we climbed we passed at least two villages to my surprise. How do they eat? What do the do? No roads, but electricity and apparently internet and satellite TV were observed. Villagers were sometimes friendly and warm food and bottled water was available the whole way up (perhaps what those villages do!). Such a different hiking experience than upstate NY or New Zealand.
After hours of steps and stairs, we made it to a section that clued us in that we were close: statues of Buddhist figures. Between the statues, and the music being played from the last town echoing across, Eugenia and I found ourselves in our adventure film complete with score. One of the songs was a Beatles song, instrumental, slowed-down, and unrecognizable to me, but not to Eugenia. We came up steep muddy stairs and found a cave or arch with hundreds of carved Buddhas in it. And then we passed through a man-made archway, greeted a larger Buddha statue, and came up the final stairs to the Temple of White Clouds.
No pictures allowed inside, usual practice. Trinkets for sale, incense sticks for sell. But I suppose they have no other income, but it was a bit disheartening to see Buddhism and capitalism so close. I placed my offering of Koala bear yummies on one of the temple tables, and if you know me, that is a bit of a sacrifice. But if you know me, then you'll find no surprise that I brought a second one to eat! I purchased some Buddhist wrist beads and decided to have them blessed from the head monk. Afterwards, as we were waiting for Daniel, Sarah, and more, I decided to meditate. Just a simple love and kindness meditation where all of you were thought of! Saying it felt great would be a understatement:
There I was, some 1,000 plus meters up, in a Buddhist temple in China, meditating. I don't think it gets better, especially because I've felt much calmer since, so more of longer-lasting effect. Of course, I'm bummed about the pictures, but maybe they'll work, maybe they won't, fussing won't change the outcome (acceptance). Daniel and Sarah made it to the top. And then we realized we needed to book it down, which meant cable cars! I had wanted to descend naturally, but as we didn't know when buses stopped, I couldn't chance it. We paid too much yuan for a chairlift and then, somehow, got the workers to re-open the cable car which had been closed for an hour. But we made a bus and it was surprisingly nice to get the aerial views from both rides. Of course, maybe everything was nice after meditating at the temple. :)
The experience was wonderful. It was the small adventure I had been craving since working here and it was the most interesting beginning to Halloween night out in Chengdu. From Buddhist temples to Panda Club, dressed as a rockstar (what else is new); a bit of a large transition. But there we were, all quite drunk and quite content with life. It was a fun night, we bumped into Steve, who Cynthia and met weeks prior at Carol's (another foreign bar). Saturday was just good. Oh so good.
Sunday
-successfully waking up!
-getting to Metro by bus alone!
-obtaining Metro card
-buying TOASTER OVEN and pie dish; Thanksgiving, get ready to happen in China! however, I was now in possession of a rather large box. I got on the first bus alright and escaped the rain (which was a bit scary...the sky turned dark amberish and then rain...so overcast just means cloudy; yellow overcast means rain? It was very dark for 2pm). But the second bus, #30/54, is always crowded and I couldn't fit on any of them with the box. All the taxis that were free, weren't! They were all done with their shift or something. I felt stranded and it was raining! So I got a three-wheel, the illegal motorized three-wheel taxi. I said where I wanted to go and he understood (I mean I was speaking Chinese, but pronunciation is difficult!), I then realized I had to barter. I don't know my numbers well, but offered 30 yuan (high, but I just wanted to get home) and he said 20 yuan was fine! I was suprsised at his honesty and hoped in. Foreigners don't usually ride three-wheels, due to language skill and the bumpy ride. And boy was it bumpy! But I got home, faster than bus or taxi as he zoomed through traffic at the speed of peril (or fun). I paid him 30, usually people never accept tips, but he was gracious as was I, my box had gotten quite wet while waiting in the rain, so it was just good to get a ride home.
But before I could set up the toaster oven, I was headed out with Cynthia to the school for Halloween. The Senior 1 and Senior 2 students were all in costume, as was I. Just like before at the club, student after student wanted a picture with me. I've joked to Eugenia and Cynthia that it's Hollywood training. I'm usually patient, but after 5 or so pictures in a row halfway through the evening, I was not as cooperative, because I was supposed to be watching the room! Many of the students said, "oh, Mr. Woj. You are cool." Maybe this means they'll listen more about college than this past Tuesday, hopefully!
And so now I'm at work, eating lunch that one of the other workers pro-actively arrange for me. Apparently there's a student coming soon who wants to go to Vassar. Which means I should probably go check
China is growing on me. All for now.
Last Monday I came in for what I thought would be a meeting and ended up leading a workshop with the counselors. Apparently an assistant does more than assist at Dipont. This is the part of the job I was actually hired for. I had about 2 mins to prepare at my second desk in a cubicle on the 21st floor of downtown Chengdu. All of a sudden I was whisked away to a meeting room and 10 people filed in. I sat at the front table and they all sat opposite me, just like school. And that was the "oh" moment. The, "oh, I'm like leading this." The, "oh, I'm actually like leading this." The, "oh, thank goodness I took all those acting classes as I suppress my real facial expression about 'oh I'm leading this' thought". But seriously, everyone should take improv classes, especially if you ever plan on going to a liberal arts college, majoring in psychology, graduating and going to a farm, and then take a job in China. Okay, so maybe a small percentage of people should, but it is helpful. Being able to lead discussions on anything and being able to think quickly and creatively are skills I somehow possess, probably from improv. Funnily enough last week after the meeting when I was unsure of what I was suppose to do, I picked up a Forbes on graduate programs and found business acting is not only a class, but gaining in popularity.
Which is really funny to me as Occupy movements are spreading worldwide. Not that business acting is all about lying, but I mean...I bet there's a correlation in there somewhere! (and maybe causation, though correlation is NOT causation, as my students hopefully know by now.) So US citizens are standing up about corruption, but students in universities today will be learning those acting skills to get to the top (Which might mean corruption!). Perhaps we need to occupy schools? I dunno, it's very difficult to make corruption illegal, especially when corruption (in the form of lobbyists) bank-rolls our government. In fact it's not really corruption in that sense, just people who've made money spending their money to make more money. So maybe Occupy is also trying to make greed illegal? It's confusing. Which is why I'm not sure where I stand on the Occupy movement. I like the idea, but I am also aware they're costing city's millions in extra police salaries, etc., which leaves less, potentially un-corrupt money to be used for schools or something. Just my thoughts all the way from China.
It's November tomorrow, I left the US October 1st...time is flying! This last week did too. Let's look at the highlights of a foolish Foreign in China.
Friday
-not filling 120 mins of class well
-learning that on Friday the period after lunch starts 50mins earlier than expected (but only being 10 minutes late)
-relaxing and watching "Take me home tonight" finally; been on my movie-bucket list for a while.
Saturday
-making it to Metro with Mark and his wife via cab. Bought barilla pasta (because it brings people insieme, or together, as their ad campaign says) and sauce from the imported section. Best buy of the day: CINNAMON! For anyone that knows me, I have an obsession with cinnamon. But really, what's french toast, banana bread, pumpkin pie, oatmeal, pumpkin bread, snicker-doodles, spice cake, and more without cinnamon? Nothing I say, nothing! Maple syrup was found but probably wasn't real as it was too cheap. Should have brought maple sugar/syrup from the farm!
-Hung out with Maggie & Lynette to get tea and eventually out on the town with Maggie and Elliot exploring pubs, street food, and well-light bridges.
Sunday
-Carrefour trip: another grocery store that also has some imported food. Better produce than walmart, though I ended up with almost none as I forgot to weigh it. So silly! They loose money! I would go weigh in then, but oh well. I'll learn, but I did end up with more spices!
-Watched "Bridesmaids", really because Cynthia had it (purchased from a movie market cart) and also because Hannah Jo, great friend I met in NZ, had a facebook status about it. It had it's moments and was entertaining. Class prep just didn't feel appealing.
Monday
-Getting my way through my 1st college counselor meeting and spent a lot longer at Dipont then anticipated.
-Driven home by marketing director who speaks a bit of English and it took 1.5 hours in gridlock rush-hour traffic
-Watched "Bad Teacher" to see what behaviors to avoid: no sexy car-washes, no drugs, no seducing, no drugging of test officials, and no stealing tests answers. Of course, I didn't do my lesson plans and was instead watching another movie! What can I say? I like films...a lot, maybe even enough to try and go be in them.
Tuesday
-Successfully filling up 80mins of lecture with discussion on psychology perspectives with the winning team's reward being candy and everyone else being awarded cheaper candy. Their discussions were good!
-Grabbed Charles's motor-scooter and Simon drove me to a bakery to order a cake.
-had dinner with Sarah and her mother in their home; finally learned yes and no in Chinese
-successfully used improv skills again with Mark running College Counseling 101 workshop with senior 1 and senior 2 students
-didn't watch a movie
Wednesday
-Plowed through more of Chapter 2: research methods (my least favorite chapter)
-hooked up power point in class with new VGA cable!
-Brought leftovers and ate them for lunch, finally giving myself much more time to work!
-played piano at school!
-judged with Mark and a Chinese teacher, Senior 1 performances of words such as trust, compassion, cooperation, etc. Highly entertaining.
-watched family guy, on television screen thanks to that VGA cable
Thursday
-sneaked in the ordered cake on Tuesday cake successfully
-surprised a overwhelmed-with-tears Sarah on her bday with a card from the teachers and cake
-invited to dinner at Sarah's after she came back from her lunch and told her mom what I had organized
-difficult class; students didn't want to learn
-Magic, one of the students, left with many of the boys and returned after class break for my second period with McDondalds and Cake for his 18th bday. Warm smell of fast food prompted me to speed through lecture to the students' delight.
-dinner at Sarah's
-learned that it will be the year of the dragon on Jan 22nd, my zodiac sign. Apparently supposed to wear red underwear and socks on that day. Even though I'm 1989, I am considered a dragon as the the Chinese new year is based on the moon calendar. In 1989, Feb 6th started the year of the snake, so if you have a feb/jan bday and care about your zodiac you should check when the new year started as it is different every year; a difference not reflected in Western Chinese restaurant place-mats.
Friday
-woke up to BLUE BLUE SKY! Like Midwest blue!
-went over everything we did on Thursday in class just to make sure they got it; they did!
-had make-up test for 5 kids who missed first quiz
-submitted progress reports
-ironed out details with Eugenia about Saturday
Saturday
Eugenia and I woke up early met at McDonalds for coffee and bussed to Xi po (She-poo), where we successfully bought train tickets to 青城山 (Qingcheng Shan) which I can now read. The train goes 195km/hr and the smooth ride passed through the outskirts of Chengdu. I saw some farms on the way! The forecast was for blue, but it was overcast as usual. At our destination, 40 mins and 10 yuan down the track (end of the line), I was sure something was wrong. "But Eugenia, I don't see any mountains?" Then I looked out my window, "oh, my bad, loooook!"
The mountains were shrouded in mist, but slightly visible from the station. Daniel, a young 20-something who works as an English teacher somewhere at my school, and his girlfriend Sarah, both from the UK, saw us and joined our party as we were all headed for Qingcheng Shan (shan = 山, means mountain). They had met some Chinese on the train and we ended up all together on the same bus after picking between the two peaks, one Taoist, one Buddhist. We picked the less trafficked Buddhist one (Qingcheng Houshan) and I was camera ready for my first Buddhist temple climb! (Of course, I currently can't get ANY of my pictures from my camera onto my new computer and I am horribly worried that the memory card was somehow corrupted; as is Sarah who wants her bday pics!)
The bus took us up hairpin turns through small villages and along cliffs to a bigger village high in the mountains. From here we paid 20 yuan for entrance to the village at the base of the climb to the White Cloud temple. Daniel, Sarah, and their new Chinese friends wanted a long lunch, while Eugenia and I had brought food. They sat down, we explored the village a bit, and then returned to the rest of the party. The village was Chinese. I know, I know, I'm in China, but this felt more authentic. Chinese architecture, Chinese laundry, Chinese gutters, small town bliss. Actually, probably just a tourist trap, but there was a temple in the town that did give it some authenticity.
Anxious to go, Eugenia and I found the trail and began our ascent. Climbing in China is very very different for one main reason: stairs. The whole climb is a pathway with stairs. Thousands of stairs. Steeply pitched in places, flatter in others. I know I can climb mountains, but the idea of climbing stairs was not as appealing. There's less control of one's step-size. But somehow, it was not too bad. Maybe because I had the mentality that I was climbing, and not going to work as I do when climbing 5 flights of stairs and feeling out-of-shape.
The Chinese climbers were wearing footwear that ranged from sneakers to stilettos, no joke. As we climbed we passed at least two villages to my surprise. How do they eat? What do the do? No roads, but electricity and apparently internet and satellite TV were observed. Villagers were sometimes friendly and warm food and bottled water was available the whole way up (perhaps what those villages do!). Such a different hiking experience than upstate NY or New Zealand.
After hours of steps and stairs, we made it to a section that clued us in that we were close: statues of Buddhist figures. Between the statues, and the music being played from the last town echoing across, Eugenia and I found ourselves in our adventure film complete with score. One of the songs was a Beatles song, instrumental, slowed-down, and unrecognizable to me, but not to Eugenia. We came up steep muddy stairs and found a cave or arch with hundreds of carved Buddhas in it. And then we passed through a man-made archway, greeted a larger Buddha statue, and came up the final stairs to the Temple of White Clouds.
No pictures allowed inside, usual practice. Trinkets for sale, incense sticks for sell. But I suppose they have no other income, but it was a bit disheartening to see Buddhism and capitalism so close. I placed my offering of Koala bear yummies on one of the temple tables, and if you know me, that is a bit of a sacrifice. But if you know me, then you'll find no surprise that I brought a second one to eat! I purchased some Buddhist wrist beads and decided to have them blessed from the head monk. Afterwards, as we were waiting for Daniel, Sarah, and more, I decided to meditate. Just a simple love and kindness meditation where all of you were thought of! Saying it felt great would be a understatement:
There I was, some 1,000 plus meters up, in a Buddhist temple in China, meditating. I don't think it gets better, especially because I've felt much calmer since, so more of longer-lasting effect. Of course, I'm bummed about the pictures, but maybe they'll work, maybe they won't, fussing won't change the outcome (acceptance). Daniel and Sarah made it to the top. And then we realized we needed to book it down, which meant cable cars! I had wanted to descend naturally, but as we didn't know when buses stopped, I couldn't chance it. We paid too much yuan for a chairlift and then, somehow, got the workers to re-open the cable car which had been closed for an hour. But we made a bus and it was surprisingly nice to get the aerial views from both rides. Of course, maybe everything was nice after meditating at the temple. :)
The experience was wonderful. It was the small adventure I had been craving since working here and it was the most interesting beginning to Halloween night out in Chengdu. From Buddhist temples to Panda Club, dressed as a rockstar (what else is new); a bit of a large transition. But there we were, all quite drunk and quite content with life. It was a fun night, we bumped into Steve, who Cynthia and met weeks prior at Carol's (another foreign bar). Saturday was just good. Oh so good.
Sunday
-successfully waking up!
-getting to Metro by bus alone!
-obtaining Metro card
-buying TOASTER OVEN and pie dish; Thanksgiving, get ready to happen in China! however, I was now in possession of a rather large box. I got on the first bus alright and escaped the rain (which was a bit scary...the sky turned dark amberish and then rain...so overcast just means cloudy; yellow overcast means rain? It was very dark for 2pm). But the second bus, #30/54, is always crowded and I couldn't fit on any of them with the box. All the taxis that were free, weren't! They were all done with their shift or something. I felt stranded and it was raining! So I got a three-wheel, the illegal motorized three-wheel taxi. I said where I wanted to go and he understood (I mean I was speaking Chinese, but pronunciation is difficult!), I then realized I had to barter. I don't know my numbers well, but offered 30 yuan (high, but I just wanted to get home) and he said 20 yuan was fine! I was suprsised at his honesty and hoped in. Foreigners don't usually ride three-wheels, due to language skill and the bumpy ride. And boy was it bumpy! But I got home, faster than bus or taxi as he zoomed through traffic at the speed of peril (or fun). I paid him 30, usually people never accept tips, but he was gracious as was I, my box had gotten quite wet while waiting in the rain, so it was just good to get a ride home.
But before I could set up the toaster oven, I was headed out with Cynthia to the school for Halloween. The Senior 1 and Senior 2 students were all in costume, as was I. Just like before at the club, student after student wanted a picture with me. I've joked to Eugenia and Cynthia that it's Hollywood training. I'm usually patient, but after 5 or so pictures in a row halfway through the evening, I was not as cooperative, because I was supposed to be watching the room! Many of the students said, "oh, Mr. Woj. You are cool." Maybe this means they'll listen more about college than this past Tuesday, hopefully!
And so now I'm at work, eating lunch that one of the other workers pro-actively arrange for me. Apparently there's a student coming soon who wants to go to Vassar. Which means I should probably go check
China is growing on me. All for now.
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