Three bad things that have happened to me today:
1. I am pretty sure I got on the bus today and gave the lady a 10 kuai bill and then she didn't give my my 9 kuai in change. I say pretty sure because I usually just hand over a 1 kuai bill so I'm not in the habit of getting change. I realized when I opened my wallet later that that was probably what happened. This happened to me one other time when I gave a 20 but the lady was honest enough to tap me on the back to give me my change.
2. I bought some rolls at the bakery and when I got home, took a few big bites out of one for lunch, then realized that there were little mold pockets all over them. Yuck. This also happened to me once when I bought a stick of frozen candied strawberries on a stick one night on the way home, ate almost the whole thing before I got to my apartment, then turned on the light and realized there was mold on the strawberries underneath the candied sugar.
3. As I was crossing the street from the bus stop to my apartment, I got sprayed in the face with dirty street water from a car.
Well, it's only 1:45 in the afternoon, so I'm sure the day will look up from here on out. It snowed this morning! A dense, wet snow that was a beautiful surprise. It just turned into slush on the ground, but we have to enjoy it because it's probably our last snow of the season!
***I don't usually have such a series of unfortunate events, but yesterday I had a few more to tack on at the end of the day. I was heading out the door to a friend's house for a "wine and cheese" party. I didn't want to give up my precious cheese, so I bought a bottle of Chinese wine to take. I had it in my shoulder bag and as I was walking out the door, I remembered that I needed to get one other thing. Since I don't usually carry glass bottles in my bag, I tossed it lightly on the floor. It broke, of course. I had to clean out the glass shards and the wine, but most importantly, I lost the wine. I decided this was my clue to not be stingy with my cheese, so I took some white cheddar that I bought in Harbin over the break. It turned out that mine was the only cheese there and it was appreciated.
Friday, March 30
Thursday, March 29
a Thursday
Today started with multiple hits of the snooze button before it was time to get serious, get up and get ready for Chinese from 8-10 (at my apartment, thankfully). Actually, it's English-Chinese exchange. I sat through most of the hour of English thinking how this is a bad idea and I need to swap this tutor for someone who I'll just pay to teach me instead. But, the Chinese hour made me change my mind, at least for another week. I'm probably in this relationship for a reason.
Then, I did two loads of laundry and chatted with my sister before taking off to run a few errands before class. I took some sweaters to get fixed, scarves to be cleaned, got copies of my apartment keys made for my new roommate, and picked up bread, peanut butter and jelly for my class. My sister had talked about burgers and mac and cheese which reminded me that I've been hungry for American food, so I got a burger and fries to go at burger place that's a sad knock off of a Korean chain. I had actually never ordered food there before and when I sat down in my office to eat it, I realized why nobody I know really goes there. It was okay, but not exactly what you could classify as good. In conversation class, we talked about recipes, food words and giving directions while making small pb&j sandwiches. They were happy.
After class, two students I didn't know came into the office asking me to give them a test so that they could pass the class they failed last semester because they stopped going to class. I had no idea what they were talking about, but after talking it over with one of the Chinese teachers, I understood my duty. I had to give them their final oral exam without knowing what class it was for, what they learned that semester, or what their original exam looked like. Right. Makes perfect sense. They can skip out on a whole semester of class and then take an exam from a clueless teacher to make up for it. Their English was good, so they passed. Ridiculous.
I went out to dinner with a fellow teacher who's been here for only about a month. She was gung ho about trying a new place as a sort of adventure, so we went to a dumpling restaurant down the street that we'd never been to. I asked for someone who spoke Korean or for a Korean menu, but neither were available. So, the waitress and I had a fun time. She suggested a few things and I took her up on them, not knowing much more than the category of food they were under. We got two plates of dumplings, one plate of sweet and sour pork with pineapples, and a pot of tea. The pork came because she said foreigners like it and one of the dumpling dishes was recommended because it's their specialty. I think I understood more than I expected to, but there were a few times that she went off on some explanation that I had no idea about. She came back periodically to make sure we enjoyed it and told us to come back because they have many more delicious dishes we should try.
Tonight holds some Korean study and hopefully an early bedtime!
Then, I did two loads of laundry and chatted with my sister before taking off to run a few errands before class. I took some sweaters to get fixed, scarves to be cleaned, got copies of my apartment keys made for my new roommate, and picked up bread, peanut butter and jelly for my class. My sister had talked about burgers and mac and cheese which reminded me that I've been hungry for American food, so I got a burger and fries to go at burger place that's a sad knock off of a Korean chain. I had actually never ordered food there before and when I sat down in my office to eat it, I realized why nobody I know really goes there. It was okay, but not exactly what you could classify as good. In conversation class, we talked about recipes, food words and giving directions while making small pb&j sandwiches. They were happy.
After class, two students I didn't know came into the office asking me to give them a test so that they could pass the class they failed last semester because they stopped going to class. I had no idea what they were talking about, but after talking it over with one of the Chinese teachers, I understood my duty. I had to give them their final oral exam without knowing what class it was for, what they learned that semester, or what their original exam looked like. Right. Makes perfect sense. They can skip out on a whole semester of class and then take an exam from a clueless teacher to make up for it. Their English was good, so they passed. Ridiculous.
I went out to dinner with a fellow teacher who's been here for only about a month. She was gung ho about trying a new place as a sort of adventure, so we went to a dumpling restaurant down the street that we'd never been to. I asked for someone who spoke Korean or for a Korean menu, but neither were available. So, the waitress and I had a fun time. She suggested a few things and I took her up on them, not knowing much more than the category of food they were under. We got two plates of dumplings, one plate of sweet and sour pork with pineapples, and a pot of tea. The pork came because she said foreigners like it and one of the dumpling dishes was recommended because it's their specialty. I think I understood more than I expected to, but there were a few times that she went off on some explanation that I had no idea about. She came back periodically to make sure we enjoyed it and told us to come back because they have many more delicious dishes we should try.
Tonight holds some Korean study and hopefully an early bedtime!
Monday, March 26
blogger block
Well, I'm back with a blog that I post just to ward off worried emails from certain relatives (except that I have emailed said relatives in the past week even though I didn't blog).
I am enjoying my culture class, but I still feel inadequate with it. I finally got the book, but it's super boring and I feel kinda sorry for making them read it, so I only assign really specific sections. I have two office hours a week that I encourage my students to come to and I've had two pairs of culture students come to two of those hours just to chat. That didn't happen so often at the uni I used to teach at, so I enjoyed it. It's gonna be hard to get to know those 47 students if they don't come by since we only see each other once a week.
My conversation students are so cute and eager. I finished interviewing them last week and realized how little they really speak and understand (especially the guys are struggling to understand in class) but they are still trying hard. I love teaching beginner conversation.
I've recently enjoyed some quality time hanging out with families. I'm so lucky to have relationships with families here that keep me from the one dimensional single life that I could get caught up in otherwise.
Hopefully I'll have a more creative and thoughtful post for you sometime soon.
I am enjoying my culture class, but I still feel inadequate with it. I finally got the book, but it's super boring and I feel kinda sorry for making them read it, so I only assign really specific sections. I have two office hours a week that I encourage my students to come to and I've had two pairs of culture students come to two of those hours just to chat. That didn't happen so often at the uni I used to teach at, so I enjoyed it. It's gonna be hard to get to know those 47 students if they don't come by since we only see each other once a week.
My conversation students are so cute and eager. I finished interviewing them last week and realized how little they really speak and understand (especially the guys are struggling to understand in class) but they are still trying hard. I love teaching beginner conversation.
I've recently enjoyed some quality time hanging out with families. I'm so lucky to have relationships with families here that keep me from the one dimensional single life that I could get caught up in otherwise.
Hopefully I'll have a more creative and thoughtful post for you sometime soon.
Sunday, March 18
the early to bed, curious, friendly Chinese
1. I didn't go to my neighbors' house last week, so I felt like I needed to go this week for sure. I had some stuff to do downtown this afternoon, then when I got back, I made some banana bread. I knocked on their door twice and they didn't answer. I came back over, wrote a note and put the bread in a bag to hang on their door, then I knocked on the door one more time. This time, the mom answered. All the lights were off and I immediately felt embarrassed. I asked if they were sleeping and she said yes, but invited me in anyway. I refused, of course, then came back and checked two different clocks to make sure it wasn't too late. It was only 7:15! Still, I am embarrassed that I knocked three times and got her out of bed.
2. Yesterday afternoon, I got on the bus and gave the money man one yuan. He held up two fingers and started saying something. My first thought was that he was trying to get me to pay two yuan instead of one, but I soon figured out that he was telling me it was the second time I had ridden his bus. Actually, I ride that bus a lot, but it must have been the second time with him taking money. Since it took me a while to get what he was saying (and he was saying it in quite a loud voice) the whole bus was staring at me. He continued to talk to me and we had the usual dialogue. (Are you Russian? Oh...American? How long have you been here? Oh, your Chinese is good. What do you do? A teacher? What do you teach?) He said some other things that I didn't understand (which proves that they are always overly generous in their compliments of my Chinese) and the whole time I was super self conscious because the whole bus was watching our conversation and when I didn't understand, one guy at the back started saying OKAY-EE! OKAY-EE! Either as encouragement, to show off his one word English, or to make fun of me. Not sure which one. I was so happy to get off that bus.
3. I went swimming at the newest pool in Yanji (at the uni I teach at now) last week. They have a woman in the locker room who keeps the floor dry and clean and does various other tasks, but generally just sits in the locker room. She kept her eye on me the whole time I was changing (there aren't stalls) and then when I came back in to shower after swimming, she came over and started talking to the lady showering next to me, all the while looking me over. I just tried to ignore them, but then she came over to talk to me. All she wanted to know was how tall I was. She guessed and was only one centimeter off!
4. I went to a St. Patrick's day party last night at the house of some American guys (I guess with Irish roots). A few hours into the party, there was a knock at the door and an old Chinese man comes in and sits down. The guys said that he got to know them as soon as they moved in and now he looks to see when their light is on. When it is, he comes over and just chats with them in Chinese. He was pretty excited to see an apartment full of people and he repeatedly invited us over to his house (the guys said they go over at least once a week). I am glad my neighbors are friendly, but I'm glad they're not that friendly; although that would be a great way to practice Chinese!
2. Yesterday afternoon, I got on the bus and gave the money man one yuan. He held up two fingers and started saying something. My first thought was that he was trying to get me to pay two yuan instead of one, but I soon figured out that he was telling me it was the second time I had ridden his bus. Actually, I ride that bus a lot, but it must have been the second time with him taking money. Since it took me a while to get what he was saying (and he was saying it in quite a loud voice) the whole bus was staring at me. He continued to talk to me and we had the usual dialogue. (Are you Russian? Oh...American? How long have you been here? Oh, your Chinese is good. What do you do? A teacher? What do you teach?) He said some other things that I didn't understand (which proves that they are always overly generous in their compliments of my Chinese) and the whole time I was super self conscious because the whole bus was watching our conversation and when I didn't understand, one guy at the back started saying OKAY-EE! OKAY-EE! Either as encouragement, to show off his one word English, or to make fun of me. Not sure which one. I was so happy to get off that bus.
3. I went swimming at the newest pool in Yanji (at the uni I teach at now) last week. They have a woman in the locker room who keeps the floor dry and clean and does various other tasks, but generally just sits in the locker room. She kept her eye on me the whole time I was changing (there aren't stalls) and then when I came back in to shower after swimming, she came over and started talking to the lady showering next to me, all the while looking me over. I just tried to ignore them, but then she came over to talk to me. All she wanted to know was how tall I was. She guessed and was only one centimeter off!
4. I went to a St. Patrick's day party last night at the house of some American guys (I guess with Irish roots). A few hours into the party, there was a knock at the door and an old Chinese man comes in and sits down. The guys said that he got to know them as soon as they moved in and now he looks to see when their light is on. When it is, he comes over and just chats with them in Chinese. He was pretty excited to see an apartment full of people and he repeatedly invited us over to his house (the guys said they go over at least once a week). I am glad my neighbors are friendly, but I'm glad they're not that friendly; although that would be a great way to practice Chinese!
Friday, March 16
homesick texan
Living in China has many perks. Many of my students ask me what I think about China, why I came, why I stay.... There are lots of reasons, of course, including the one big purpose for me being here. But inside that, there's the great opportunity for language learning, culture experience, the fun of figuring new things out and communicating with people, my friends here, cheap massages, opportunities to travel on breaks, teaching and building relationships with students and working with the people I teach with, and great, cheap food.
Then there's the times when you miss the people and things of home too, of course. I came across this blog recently: http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/. It's written by someone in New York, which strikes me as funny, since it's still in the States, but I guess those in New York still have some things to miss too. Anyway, the things she writes about are almost always things I identify closely with and miss too. Check it out. Good stories and good recipes.
Then there's the times when you miss the people and things of home too, of course. I came across this blog recently: http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/. It's written by someone in New York, which strikes me as funny, since it's still in the States, but I guess those in New York still have some things to miss too. Anyway, the things she writes about are almost always things I identify closely with and miss too. Check it out. Good stories and good recipes.
Wednesday, March 14
a great schedule
The weather is warming up again (the highs around 35 Fahrenheit) and the moonscape like snow piles on the side of the road are shrinking with the help of the sun and people still working to chip away at them. Two pictures as a farewell to the snow:
I've committed to going to the gym more and it feels really good to get back into a routine there. I also bought tickets to the swimming pool on campus, which is the newest one in the city (out of only three, one of which I think is permanently closed). I haven't been yet, but I'm gonna try to go tomorrow and try out the hand paddles I bought over the summer (and haven't used yet).
Today, I met with my Korean tutor for the first time. We have planned to meet just two hours a week, but this semester I am going to get my rear in gear and do serious studying on the off days so I can really make good use of those two hours. I started tonight by reviewing what we learned today and when I finish typing this, I'm going to "preview" (do we use that verb in English in this sense?) the stuff for our Friday meeting.
I also met a girl who's a friend of one of my American culture students who wants to do language exchange in Chinese/English. She wanted to meet as often as possible, but I said two hours (one hour English, one hour Chinese) is plenty for now. We'll see what happens. We're meeting for our first study session tomorrow at 8am!
What I need to make more time for is to keep up with the students I got to know at my old university. I made a trip up last week to meet a student for lunch and it was so good to see so many of my old students.
Two unedited pics of my apartment. It's a cozy little place and I'm really enjoying it. I took these last week. In the first one, you can see the red ottoman that doubles as a coffee/pile of stuff table and my nest on the floor where I work on the computer (until I get wireless) and study or lesson plan. I'm not so much of a sit at a table or desk person, but I use the couch when I'm reading.
On the windy walk up to YUST Sunday morning after the second snowstorm.
I've committed to going to the gym more and it feels really good to get back into a routine there. I also bought tickets to the swimming pool on campus, which is the newest one in the city (out of only three, one of which I think is permanently closed). I haven't been yet, but I'm gonna try to go tomorrow and try out the hand paddles I bought over the summer (and haven't used yet).
Today, I met with my Korean tutor for the first time. We have planned to meet just two hours a week, but this semester I am going to get my rear in gear and do serious studying on the off days so I can really make good use of those two hours. I started tonight by reviewing what we learned today and when I finish typing this, I'm going to "preview" (do we use that verb in English in this sense?) the stuff for our Friday meeting.
I also met a girl who's a friend of one of my American culture students who wants to do language exchange in Chinese/English. She wanted to meet as often as possible, but I said two hours (one hour English, one hour Chinese) is plenty for now. We'll see what happens. We're meeting for our first study session tomorrow at 8am!
What I need to make more time for is to keep up with the students I got to know at my old university. I made a trip up last week to meet a student for lunch and it was so good to see so many of my old students.
Two unedited pics of my apartment. It's a cozy little place and I'm really enjoying it. I took these last week. In the first one, you can see the red ottoman that doubles as a coffee/pile of stuff table and my nest on the floor where I work on the computer (until I get wireless) and study or lesson plan. I'm not so much of a sit at a table or desk person, but I use the couch when I'm reading.
Saturday, March 10
week in review
We had a pretty big snowstorm, like I wrote about, last Sunday/Monday. We got about a foot and a half of snow. It was still in huge mounds on the side of the main streets and not yet melted or cleared from the back streets on Friday, but things were melting in the sun. 
This was the scene from my window on either Wednesday or Thursday at the military base. They work with a wooden board that has ropes to be pulled by the guys in front while one guy stays at the back to push and steer. You can see at the top the perfectly formed banks of snow on the side of the road. After the roads and the area just around the statue were cleared, the guys set out to clear the area in front of the statue.
This morning, I felt sorry for those guys who worked so hard all week to clear it out, because it was all covered in snow again. I had plans to do a few errands and go to the gym today, but the only place I made it to was the nearby store to pick up some salad vegetables for dinner at my apartment with a friend tonight. Almost as soon as the snow finished falling the same crazy strong wind that blew all Monday and Tuesday started to blow again today. A good day to stay inside, skype with my family, finish a book and cook a friend dinner.
The 8th of March is International Womens' Day. This was my first time to really celebrate it. Our department threw us a dinner party at a hotel. These are some of the new teachers I work with in the English department. 
I love my plant porch! I know you could care less, but here they are anyhow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)