CHINA 2008

Shanghai

2008-08-15T04:31:00.000-07:00

Staying up all night at a hotel in Shanghai... I'm hoping that I'll be able to sleep straight through my twelve-hour flight and avoid jet lag. Tomorrow I fly to Tokyo, then Detroit, then Columbus, so I'm in for some serious travel boredom. I hope I can buy an English book at the Tokyo airport... there were none here in China.
While waiting in the airport at Shanghai, a stranger asked me if he could practice his English. He was an English teacher at a middle school in a small town, so he had never spoken with a native speaker before. Then his friend asked me if she could take a photo with me. I don't know why that still surprises me... stangers are all the time asking me to take a photo with me here, like I'm some kind of novelty. (And I guess I am, eh?)
Anyway, good night, all. In less than 48 hours I'll be home eating tacos!!! HOORAY!

Buddhists and Basketball

2008-08-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

Went to a Buddhist temple today after lunch. It was really amazing. SO beautiful! I had no idea there were so many different Buddhas.
Tonight was the USA vs. China basketball game party...
Our own China vs. USA match - We may have lost in arm wrestling, but we won 101-70 in the basketball game!
Italian red meat flavored chips... hmm... what sort of meat?
I've started packing some things and realized that not everything is going to fit... especially the gigantic tea set from one of my students. I think it's too fragile to try to wrap separately, but the box is huge and heavy. So, I guess a photo will have to suffice. So long, tea set. So long, tennis shoes. So long, various toiletry items. Make room for the souvenirs!

Sunday morning

2008-08-09T17:54:00.000-07:00

Denny, one of the student helpers, gave me these earrings as a goodbye gift. :o)
Many of the teachers have already left for the airport. I'm one of the few who are spending a little more time in Wuhan before coming home. Last night, for one last meal together, we went to "Gianno's", the only pizza place in Wuhan other than Pizza Hut. :o)
This morning was my last meal provided by the program, so I get to go out and find my food for the next 5 days. Yay for adventures!
Since I'll be needing some snacks, I stopped by the IGA. (Yeah, that's right. They have an Independent Grocers of America in China... interesting, eh?) This is the sign they have above the escalator...
I bought some Lay's potato chips there, and the flavors are wild! They have shrimp flavor, chicken, cucumber, mango, and my favorite: blueberry!

Saying goodbyes

2008-08-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

Today there were two big ceremonies... the closing ceremony for the Summer Intensive English program, and the opening ceremony for the Olympics! In the closing ceremony, some of my students helped me demonstrate the Electric Slide.
We also had songs, poetry, speeches, and these students did their rendition of "The Brady Bumch". :o)
After the ceremony, the students all wanted to take lots and lots of photos and say their goodbyes. I got a little teary-eyed as it sank in that I'm heading home soon and might not see these students again. (Although if I have the chance to go again next year, I'm SO taking it!)

Tonight, we gathered around the TV and watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics until my eyes started drooping, so it was time to bed for me. (Before U.S. athletes came out... I just couldn't stay awake any longer!)
For the next week, I'll be staying in Wuhan and doing some exploring, shopping, and getting massages. :o) Then it's back to Ohio! Six more days!

Last class session

2008-08-07T21:42:00.001-07:00

Okay, whoever said cats aren't smart is about to be proved wrong...
I saw this little guy sleepin' on an icecream freezer yesterday on my way to class. Wish I could've joined him! It was a heat index of 115!

Today was my last day of classes, so I had a potluck party with my homeroom. They all got a little camera-happy...

Awww... I had a lot of fun with these guys and I'm really gonna miss them!

And now the COUNTDOWN begins! Eight days until I come home!

Campfire

2008-08-05T03:33:00.000-07:00

Went to "Campfire Club" last night, which some of the teachers put together to show the Chinese students what a campfire is like. However, since it's still really hot at night, we settled for a bucket with candles. There was still a pretty nice glow. :o)

We had ghost stories, chants, a harmonica solo, and I sang "Leavin' on a Jet Plane" with another teacher. We ended with everybody singing "Country Roads", and it was so beautiful to hear all those voices together.

Today in class, I learned an urban legend about KFC. My students asked me if it was true that KFC uses genetically altered chickens, because they heard that the chickens have six wings. (I guess that's how they can sell so many chicken wings??) Anyway, I made sure to tell the students that as far as I knew, KFC chickens were completely normal. :o)

Here's another bit of "Engrish" for you... all the other fruits were labeled normally. You know, like "apple" and "banana" and "mango". But this one, for some reason, had a new name...

Here's my last list of fun, creative names of my students. This week's my last week of teaching!

1) Zero

2) Scarlete

3) Indina

4) Truking

5) Wrong

6) Celery

7) King

2008-08-03T06:50:00.000-07:00

Ever tasted dragon fruit? I just had it for breakfast! One of my students gave me one, and it was delicious! Not too sweet, and very refreshing.
I was suprised that it was white inside, with tons of tiny seeds... a little like a kiwi. Mmmm!
For lunch, I took one of my students, Chen Ying Ying, to McDonald's, because she had never eaten there before. It's actually on the expensive side in China. :o) We each had a cheeseburger and shared the fries.
After McDonald's, I spent 3 hours with my students at KTV (karaoke). I heard so many sad love songs in Chinese, I don't think I'll ever need to hear another one. :o) It was incredibly fun. I made several special performances, including "Leaving on a Jet Plane", "I Will Survive", and "Jingle Bells", which my students chose as a joke.

One more great example of terrific Engrish. Some things are just lost in translation...

Making dumplings

2008-08-01T16:19:00.001-07:00

In China, it's fashionable to be pale. (Quite the opposite from the tanning salon on every corner in the U.S.) So when the girls are outside and it's sunny, they use a pretty decorative umbrella. I bought one for myself, even though I would love to be tan, because the shade actually helps in this crazy heat!

After class today, I bought a beautiful bouquet of flowers for one of my students and her family. She invited me to her home for dinner.

When I got there, two of her dad's friends were making dumplings, and they insisted that I try! I wasn't very good at it, but it was pretty amazing seeing how practiced they were.

Joy's father is a professor at the university where I'm teaching right now. He was a little to shy to use his English, but he understood everything I said. Her mother was very thin, but she ate more than any of us! :o)

Here's my very own dumpling that I made all by myself. I could tell because it wasn't as pretty as the others. :o)

I got to watch Joy's mother play Mah Jong with her friends before we left. It's much more complicated than the one-player computer game I'm obsessed with back home.

Loved this example of "Engrish"...

Ice cream

2008-07-31T08:17:00.000-07:00

Today during the mid-class break, I took my students to a nearby icecream vendor and bought them all a popsicle. I figured, my lesson topics are all about food, so it's only fair that I feed them after making them hungry. :o)
I got one for myself, too, and dripped some on my shirt. It's crazy... popsicles here start melting a lot faster, and I just can't keep up. I've probably dripped a little popsicle juice on myself every time I buy one here.
This weekend I went to a big super-mall and there was a Dairy Queen! I got an oreo blizzard, and there was a sign that said "served upside-down, or it's free." I have no idea why, unless it's to show that it's not melty? Who knows. But it was every bit as good as the ones in Ohio. :o)
Here's the super-mall in the distance. five floors of shops! WOW!
Tonight after watching "Hairspray" with a big group of students, I went to get a head massage at a hair salon. They wash your hair, massage awhile, then dry and style it. For 15 yuan, which is around 2 dollars. Too bad the styling doesn't last in the heat... the second I walk out the door, my hair is flat. :o)

Good night, all. I'm in need of every bit of sleep I can get!

Random Notes

2008-07-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, it takes three days longer to dry my clothes in my room than it does to dry them on the roof patio, but I just can't bring myself to dry my undies out where everyone can see them. :o)
We did another dance class today. Taught a few salsa moves and the students "oohed and aahed" over me moving my hips. I guess it's not done here much.
Here's my doctored up feet after the pretty new shoes fiasco. At least the Hello, Kitty bandaids make it a little more fashionable.
By the way, I love generic knock-offs here. Check out these "asidad" sandals from the night market. :o)
Here are some other creative names that I've come across in the past few weeks... how fun!
1) Open
2) Revere
3) Ardwy
4) Wiky
5) Essay
6) Oh Yeah! (exclamation point included)
7) Glacier
8) Bubble
9) Aragon
10) Bird
11) Flint
12) Hydrogen
13) Snow
14) Alf
15) Color

Opera Troubles

2008-07-27T03:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, not to brag, but I began the day looking really cute. I wore a dress and shrug that some of my students helped pick for me. However, a 20 minute walk to the Opera proved to be a bad choice... It was over 100 degrees out and really humid. Check out how my thin little cotton dress soaked up all my sweat and put it on display for the world. EW!!! Good thing the opera was air-conditioned. It gave me time to dry off.
The opera itself was really neat. I couldn't understand much of anything, but I guessed a little and made up the rest in my head.

This one was about a young maiden who fell in love and her suitor gave her a jade bracelet, which is the Chinese equivalent to an engagement ring.

I chose a ridiculously uncomfortable pair of shoes to wear, too, which was my second big mistake of the day. At first, they felt fine. Ten minutes down the road, I was getting blisters all over my feet. I think I might still bring them to the U.S., though, even after how they treated me. They're awfully cute, and I don't usually walk so much in Ohio.
Here's how I got home... wearing Deb's socks and carrying the wicked heels. People look at me a lot here, since there aren't a lot of Westerners and I'm so tall. But boy, you should've seen everyone stare at the crazy girl walking down the street in socks!
Don't worry... I avoided wet spots. I arrived home safe and sound. And now, it's time for a good night's sleep to prepare for another crazy week!

Hot, Hot, Hot

2008-07-26T08:21:00.000-07:00

Today was the first real scorcher we've had. It's been hot, but we've been lucky so far. It hasn't been unbearable. Today was my first three-shower day. I think I'm getting better at dealing with the heat, though, because last night I actually felt the need to turn my A/C down a notch in my bedroom... I felt a little chilly!

Okay, so here's the fan I've been searching my whole life in China for...

And here's the second place winner, which I also purchased...

Followed by the cheap little 25 cent paper one my students made me buy...

And lastly, this battery-operated little guy with propeller fan coming out of his head...

Yeah, he was a little over a dollar, and I just couldn't help myself. Can you blame me?

This morning we had a college fair for the Wuhan University students. Rick and I represented Ohio State and showed an admissions video and even yelled "O-H" and had the students yelling back "I-O"! They loved it.

Afterwards, I went out with some students (during the hottest part of day) and we ate "hotpot" at a really cool restaurant. I got to make a wish on a special little card and tie it to a wishing tree. :o)

After that, I met up with some ladies (and Pete) for Starbucks and a manicure. Pete had his big toes painted black with little "Hello Kitty" heads on them. Just for kicks.
Here are mine... Only 2 bucks! I think I'll have my toes and fingers done again before I head home to Ohio.
I saw this earlier today in the hotel... it's so funny to me that people will sleep in public here. I guess if you're tired, why deny yourself the pleasure?

Which leads me to say good night! It's definitely been a long day.

Time for bed

2008-07-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I got fitted for a qi pao, which is a traditional Chinese dress. I get to pick it up in a week.
Afterward, I shopped for four hours down streets with little booths and table peddlers, and only spent 15 bucks the whole time, but it was a blast! And I finally found my FAN!!!! Photo to follow in the next blog.
Good night, Wuhan. My feet are ready for bed!

Needing a nap...

2008-07-23T22:02:00.001-07:00

So, I guess my students are as tired as I am...
This is during the break. Don't worry, they don't sleep while I'm teaching. :o)

After class yesterday, I bought milk teas for all the students who went out to eat with me... two of us carried 12 milk teas!
My students taught me that where you hold your chopsticks reveals who you will marry. If you hold them low, like this, you will marry someone who lives very close to you.
If you hold them high, you will marry someone who lives far away.
They also complimented me on my mad chopsticks skills, which I cultivated in American Chinese restaurants. I've gotten much better in the past 2 weeks... it's all the practice picking up one kernel of corn at a time. :o)

Night on the town

2008-07-22T16:14:00.000-07:00

I asked my students to take me to lunch in the dining hall on campus yesterday. They thought I was crazy. They kept warning me on the way there that the food was not good. I assured them that it didn't matter - I wanted to experience a Chinese college cafeteria...
It was fun! And actually, I didn't think the food was so bad...
After the afternoon class, three girls took me to HuBuXiang, an area lined with street food vendors. They had me try green bean juice, fried tofu, fish soup with noodles, dumplings, and fried bread. (And all of it was delicious!)

After that, I bought them McDonald's icecream, since McDonald's is a little on the expensive side here, so they don't often treat themselves.
Then, they took me shopping for a dress to wear to the Beijing opera this weekend. The girls were determined to help me bargain, so they refused to pay the 198 the lady asked for and told me to start walking away. We were out the door when the woman called after us and I ended up spending only 50! (about 7 dollars!) Hooray for bargaining! :o)

2008-07-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

Well, another great day of classes came and went. I have new classes, since things rotated, so i have to get to know a whole new group of students. Here's another terrific "tea bags" commercial...
After class I taught dance club in an OUTRAGEOUSLY hot gym full of 200 students. We did the electric slide (line dance for all of you non-dancers) and the tango. I'm amazed I didn't lose my voice! It was so fun, and they were so excited!
After that I went to Starbucks to have a meeting with my theme team teachers, Becky and Charlotte. Guilty pleasure... I had a mango tea frozen frappuchino thing. MMM... I think it was more exciting to use a Western-style toilet and have paper towels and airconditioning, though.
Then I went with Becky to get a head massage before we went back to the hotel... 1/2 hour or hair-washin' and temple rubbin'... what a great way to get ready for bed!
Wish me luck... tomorrow afternoon I'm going out with students to try street foods... I'm a little nervous it'll be too spicy, but I'm sure whatever it is, it will be an adventure. :o)

Sightseeing

2008-07-19T04:50:00.000-07:00

Today, we went on a sightseeing tour of the city of Wuhan. They have a very famous building called "Yellow Crane Tower" and we got to explore it in the morning.
Pretty incredible view from the top...I also got to wander down a shopping street nearby, but sadly, I didn't find a fan. I've been looking for the perfect hand fan, and I just know there's one out there that's meant for me. I just haven't found it yet. And I refuse to settle, so I'm stuck sweating like a pig until it crosses my path. :o)Afterwards, we went to the Hubei Provincial Museum, and I saw many artifacts taken from the tomb of Marquis Yi, who was buried in 433 BC. The thing that struck me the most was that the Marquis had 21 coffins of concubines buried with him, all women between 25 and 30, which is my age. The guide said they were all poisoned and then their bodies were nailed to their coffins. It made me so sad to think of all those young women being sacrificed for one man's selfishness in thinking he could take his "property" with him into the afterlife. This is one of the concubine coffins...The most famous part of the museum are a set of 65 bronze bells which span almost 6 octaves. Everyone used to think China only had the pentatonic scale (5 notes), but now they know they used all 8. They were huge!!! We got to hear a concert played on a set of replicas. WOW!

Fun with Names

2008-07-17T21:51:00.000-07:00

I find it interesting that it's still common to see Chinese guys with long pinkie nails. This is a sign of wealth, since you can't do manual labor like that - it would break. But I've seen at least three or four in each class, so it must still hold meaning for these young men.
Also, many of my students were given English names by their teachers, so there are a lot of students named "Sharon" and "Charles", etc. But then you find the occasional creative student who chose their own name. For instance, I have a student who named himself "Sonic"... can we say 'video gamer'? :o)

Other interesting names I've come across in class:
1) Totti
2) Glad
3) Hensery
4) Bubble
5) Devil (probably another video gamer)
6) Handel (named after his fave German composer)
7) Sailing (because her last name means this in Chinese)
If I hear any other creative ones, I'll add to the list.
I fit right in here, don't I? Naming myself after a spice and all. :o)

Hello! My Name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

2008-07-17T05:54:00.000-07:00

Ni hao. 你好
I just had an incredible day.
In the morning, one of my students brought me "bean juice" to try... took me awhile to figure out it's soy milk with no sugar or flavoring. Also, my class held a meeting afterwards to decide where to take me to dinner. After ten minutes of listening to them argue for their choices in Chinese, I excused myself to catch the bus back to the hotel for lunch.
After class this afternoon, a group of 10 of my students took me and another teacher to a restaurant. They ordered about 14 different dishes for us to share.

I tried DUCK (鸭子), SEAWEED (海草), FROG (青蛙), and a FISH (鱼) with it's head still there.
The frog was actually way spicy, so I had to eat a whole bowl of rice to calm my tingling mouth.
The students were sweet, and it was SO fun. :o)

Rick taught the students how to make music with the rims of their glasses, so we had a symphony of wine glass whistlers and the waiters thought we were crazy!

Then we got back to campus just in time for "Movie Night". They were showing six different movies in diferent classrooms, and I got to watch "The Princess Bride" through the eyes of 50 people who had never seen it. I laughed out loud, and was terrified to the shrieking eels like I'd never seen them before. Also, I got to watch it with English subtitles, so I finally figured out some of the stuff Andre the Giant was saying that I could never make out. ;o)
Also got to see 300 Chinese students trying baseball for the first time on an Olypic sized field last night... what a sight!
Good night, Wuhan University. Good morning, Ohio.

commercials

2008-07-16T05:44:00.001-07:00

So, I had my classes today create TV commercials in small groups.
They had to come up with a new use for a food that I gave them.
This group decided that mustard could cure a cold.

The commercial was so cute! First, they tried magic, which sadly didn't work.

Next, they tried to give her a shot, which she was very much against.
Thankfully, the last team member came along with some mustard and it worked like a charm. :o)

This commercial was advertising "chocolate baths"... this guy is pushing away his girlfriend for the new girl who bathes in chocolate... what beautiful skin! :o)

Tea bags for puffy eyes... The slogan was "Tea bags for your eyes, tea bags for your eyes, tea bags for your eyes, YEAH!"

This is Shania, the one who asked for me to help her choose an English name.
Almost every time you ask a Chinese student to take a picture with you, they flash a peace sign. Not sure if they really mean "peace" or if it's just trendy.

Class is in session

2008-07-15T03:50:00.000-07:00

Feeling a little tall...

Ha, just kidding... it's a storage closet or something. Actually, I have a student who's way taller... Anyway, my classes are going well thus far. My students are very eager and creative. I showed them a video clip of the July 4th hotdog-eating contest in NY, and they thought it was hilarious and extremely strange. They also thought the menus I brought were very funny... I gave them each a menu from an American Chinese restaurant. They pointed out a lot of things that are not really Chinese, including "lemon chicken" and "orange beef"... they never use lemon or orange with meat here.

One student, Zhang Shan, wanted me to give her an English name. She told me she already had several names, but didn't like them because they were too common. I made a list and she chose my favorite - Shania, since it's pretty, and similar to her Chinese name.

Another student, Sunny, asked me to take a picture with her, and it turned into nine students in a row taking pictures with me. My smile was about to fall off by the end. Here are some of the photos... Look how cute!

My homeroom students are going to take me to a Chinese restaurant near campus on Thursday night. I'm a little nervous, since all of my meals so far have had many options, so I could skip what I didn't think I'd like. But since I'll be with students and not my fellow teachers, I might have to try something really spicy... or duck neck, since that's a popular Wuhan specialty. I guess I'll find out on Thursday how brave I am. :o)

More random adventures

2008-07-14T04:07:00.000-07:00

Funny things my Beijing tour guide said...

"Stay close together like sticky rice"

On the Silk Road: "The Chinese brought things like gunpowder and the compass to the West, and they brought us watermelon and pomegranites." (Hmm... who got the better end of THAT deal?) :o)

On the high number of bicycle thefts: "If you stand on the corner and yell, "Hey, that's my bike!", 9 out of 10 people will jump off and run away."

On summarizing Buddhism: "Life is suffering, and suffering is caused by desire. The way to end desire is to shave your head."

Riding in a rickshaw (now called a pedicab)

Trying on a jade bracelet at a Jade factory

I love the night life...

My own room in Wuhan!

And man, am I ever ready for bed after my first day of teaching. :o)

Beijing Trip

2008-07-13T22:10:00.001-07:00

These little guys guard your house. The more of them there are on your roof, the more important your house is. This is one of the Emperor's buildings in the Forbidden City.

Here's the Forbidden City inside.

There are probably three of four gates you have to go through before you reach

the inner inner part where the Emperor lived.

I'm with a few other teachers on the trip:

Becky, Becca, and Monica.

The Emperor's Summer Palace... we rode this boat across the lake.

This toilet got a rating of four stars...

I think it was a little overrated. :o)

One hour foot massages

in a back alley for 12 bucks

Other interesting experiences...

1) Greenbean popsicles

2) Peking duck

3) Toilets where you stand up and squat

4) Waiting on the bus for an hour while a dignitary from Mexico tours the Great Wall

5) Haggling for a painting... got him down to 5 from 60. :o) Daddy would be proud of me.

6) Not being allowed to throw my TP in the toilet... wow. That takes some getting used to.

7) 110 degree weather with high humidity

8) Spending the night in a sleeper car from Beijing to Wuhan

Also, I started teaching today, and my students are soooo cute!

Stay tuned for more adventures later!