This blog entry has two meanings...the first is, of course one job would not be enough for me - I had to go out and get another job tutoring a Chinese student in Science and Math…in English! My school set me up with the opportunity and my student’s name is Ray. He will be leaving China to go to a high school in Vancouver, Canada in a month and my job is to teach him as much English as I can in the areas of Chemistry, Biology, Algebra, and Geometry.
It has been a greater challenge than I first expected...
I have no text books in English for reference so I am relying on the internet and my memory. I have had to clear away the cobwebs in my brain and have been re-living my days in high school and college. He is a very bright kid but it is still a great challenge. We have had to start right at the beginning with addition and subtraction, to squares and triangles, all the way to equations and theorems! And that is just math. In the area of science, I have started with atoms and molecules, then on to the equipment used in science experiments, and then on to compounds and molecular structures!
His family is wealthy. His father is in Real Estate and of course he chuckled when Ray told me he drives a BMW 745i, which is unheard of here in DanYang. They live in a nice house, which is also rare in this city for them to own real estate. Most people live in apartments. I am still shocked though because they have plenty of money but they do not heat their house! I have been there several times already and I can actually see my breath as I am teaching Ray. Sometimes I just don’t get the rationalization...Anyway, they are very nice and they really like me.
They pick me up each day at work around 4:30pm and I teach Ray for about an hour. After my lesson, we all sit down for dinner! This was the part I was nervous about. I have no idea each night what I might be fed!
This brings me to my second meaning of bringing home the bacon!
Our dinners usually consist of a bowl of rice for everyone and then several dishes that you serve yourself a few pieces from and place in your bowl of rice. We have said it before, but it is rude not to try everything that you are offered so now I am really on the hot seat and I do not have Sean to help bail me out.
The first night was harmless… mostly pork and vegetables. It was the second night that things started looking different. I took it like a champ and dug right in. I had eaten several bites from the two dishes on the table before I asked Ray what I was eating. He has a little computer that he can enter the Chinese word and it will tell him the English word. I eagerly awaited his answer and when he turned the screen for me to read it… all I could see was “intestines”! I had eaten a pig’s intestine!
As I tried not to look squeamish, I politely asked what the other dish contained. I soon found out that not only had I eaten the intestines but I had eaten the kidneys too! I put on my best poker face and continued eating as if I was not in complete shock. I even took a few more pieces just so that I did not offend them.
And to be honest… they both tasted really good. Ray's Mom is an excellent cook. I guess you would have to be for me to think that intestines or kidney tasted good. All of these exciting culinary experiences coming from a girl whose mother had a heck of a time getting her to eat her vegetables as a kid!
After dinner, his father insists on driving me home safely (that was a requirement from the school to ensure my safety) and delivers me right to my doorstep. Is has been a nice experience and I am getting to know a whole family… the grandmother was even at dinner the other night.
China continues to get more and more interesting every day. I can’t believe the experiences that I am having. I will blog again soon!!!!
2.27.2009
2.22.2009
We could have sang all night...
Just the other night, Sean and I were the guests of honor at a dinner at the best restaurant in DanYang. Both Principles and Vice-Principals of our schools attended along with our two hosts, Victor and Cynthia, and several other prestigious teachers from our Province. It was a very special night and although true to form here in China, we had very little notice and were told only two other people were coming, the evening ended up being a large affair filled with delicious dishes, lots of laughter, smoking, and many toasts with wine to our new friendships and good wishes for a Happy New Year.
Our hosts picked us up outside our apartment in a cold, drizzling rain and before we knew it we were walking upstairs into a beautifully decorated restaurant. By the time we entered our private dining room several dishes were already placed on the infamous glass “Lazy Susan” that sits in the center of the large round table. There was some sort of jellied cucumber, dried shrimps, Beijing duck, pork slices, and other dishes that we knew were appetizers.
Sean and I had brushed up on our Chinese culture with respect to the different customs and traditions to expect during our dinner, but we were both a bit nervous considering the importance of the guests at our table. We were soon put at ease by our hosts who translated for us (the other Principles and Vice-Principals did not speak English) and helped us with some particulars of the meal and the 'hot topics' in China did not come up; just friendly conversation about us and the country and the New Year, etc.
In China, no one can eat from a dish until the guest of honor takes some first. Sean and I were the guests of honor this evening so this made it very difficult to refuse any dish, even the ones that looked like some gelatinous glob of goo. We ended up whispering back and forth as to who would try what. Since all eyes were on us, it was hard to fake eating anything.
I was even goaded into trying what was referred to as "baby chicken" and that's exactly what it looked like. I later found out after many of them had a good laugh that it was pigeon. Too late, I already had eaten what I have previously referred to as a rat with wings (under my breath to Sean of course). I was assured that these were farm raised… as if that made any difference to me. Honestly though, it did taste like chicken. I even ate dried shrimps, shell and all (but minus the crunchy head). Sean liked them, but I prefer my shrimp plump, without the shell and with cocktail sauce! They did have pork steaks cooked especially for us which were much appreciated because they were very tasty.
Sean gagged quietly under his breath as he was prodded into eating his favorite – soft Tofu. Apparently there is both hard and soft in the big bowl, but he picked the soft. Neither of us likes Tofu but it was his turn to be adventurous and he ate it and did not spit it out.
Another thing about the Chinese meals, there are no napkins. You have no opportunity to spit something out politely, in fact if anything comes out of the mouth in China it goes back on the plate or if there is not room they simply spit it onto the table, or the floor.
We were just thankful when someone had a toast and we could wash our mouth with wine.
For a nice dinner like this, we had our choice of beverages: either warm corn juice or warm nut milk. And along with these everyone gets a glass of wine. The problem is, it is custom to only drink from your wine glass after you make a toast. So you can imagine how many toasts are happening every minute or so at a large Chinese dinner.
Now the Chinese love to toast! They will toast anything. And if they tap your glass with theirs or if they tap the table from across the room to you, that means that you must drink the entire contents of your glass and then show them that your glass is empty. As the wine went down easier and easier, our hosts and guests got louder and laughter and smiles filled up the room - along with thick clouds of smoke.
The more they eat and drink, the more the Chinese like to smoke. Everyone in the country smokes! I was offered at least four cigarettes during dinner and it’s nice of them because they want to give us anything they can as a token of friendship and cigs seem to work best. Cigarettes are a status symbol here and the price of a pack is always a source of pride for whoever is offering one of their tobacco treasures. As one of the Principles was bragging that his pack was the best in our province, and everyone agreed wholeheartedly, and that they cost 65 yuan a pack (most packs are 5 - 10 yuan), I couldn't help but be reminded of the government official that was just recently fired because he wore a watch that was too expensive and he walked around smoking cigarettes that cost 165 yuan a pack. That cigarette did taste good though!
We made our way through all the food and all the way to the fruit plate without insulting anybody or sending bones or food across the room so we felt the dinner was a wild success. We are also very thankful that they are obviously grateful to have us teaching at their schools.
The last thing to be served is usually fruit but they served us Chinese Porridge, called Congee, first. It is supposed to settle your stomach and help you to digest the food that you just ate. It is a thick milky-like soup with a substance in the middle which has the consistency of mashed potatoes. It is served warm. The smell alone will make you toss your cookies. I managed to take two spoonfuls but I saw Sean visibly wince and apparently he is irrevocably damaged by the experience. He swears if he ever smells that, or Tofu, again he will wretch violently.
Well now that we were giddy from drinking wine where do you think we went next??? Yes that is right… we went to sing Karaoke at the local KTV. Ok, not all of us went. It was our two hosts, Victor and Cynthia, our Vice-Principle, a Principles wife, and us. Sean and I had a previous experience walking into a KTV but it didn't provide much information.
A KTV looks like a nightclub from the outside so Sean and I decided to check one out during our first week in DanYang. As we walked in, several girls in cute little dresses greeted us with big smiles and fast Chinese. Unable to communicate our needs to just have a drink, we were refused entrance. It was after we got home and looked up on the internet what a KTV is that we discovered that it is where you sing Karaoke but they are usually filled with prostitutes that will come to your room and make your night a little more enjoyable. That explained a lot.
However, our night with our hosts did not involve any prostitutes, although they were definitely there, but we did sing Karaoke in our own little room with two professional microphones, a huge video screen the size of a wall, and a sound system that made our ears ring for hours. The video box was almost impossible to work so our hosts helped pick the songs.
I was shocked to see the Vice-Principle, Mr. Wong, stand up and belt out songs in English as well as Chinese. My host, Cynthia, had a lovely voice and had no problem singing all by herself. And then it was our turn. Now, many of you may not know but I LOVE karaoke but Sean and I have never sang together before, in fact, I don’t think that I have ever heard Sean sing…ever! Our first song was Endless Love… I know, cheesy, right? They loved it! Back and forth we went song after song. We sang Twist and Shout for them as we danced and they laughed hysterically and clapped till their hands hurt.
But it was Sean’s solo rendition of Desperado (that old Linda Ronstadt tune) that brought the house down. He sounded really great! We stayed for two hours and ended up having a wonderful time and were glad that after only eight weeks in China, we had finally found some Karaoke and learned more about eating in China.
Our hosts picked us up outside our apartment in a cold, drizzling rain and before we knew it we were walking upstairs into a beautifully decorated restaurant. By the time we entered our private dining room several dishes were already placed on the infamous glass “Lazy Susan” that sits in the center of the large round table. There was some sort of jellied cucumber, dried shrimps, Beijing duck, pork slices, and other dishes that we knew were appetizers.
Sean and I had brushed up on our Chinese culture with respect to the different customs and traditions to expect during our dinner, but we were both a bit nervous considering the importance of the guests at our table. We were soon put at ease by our hosts who translated for us (the other Principles and Vice-Principals did not speak English) and helped us with some particulars of the meal and the 'hot topics' in China did not come up; just friendly conversation about us and the country and the New Year, etc.
In China, no one can eat from a dish until the guest of honor takes some first. Sean and I were the guests of honor this evening so this made it very difficult to refuse any dish, even the ones that looked like some gelatinous glob of goo. We ended up whispering back and forth as to who would try what. Since all eyes were on us, it was hard to fake eating anything.
I was even goaded into trying what was referred to as "baby chicken" and that's exactly what it looked like. I later found out after many of them had a good laugh that it was pigeon. Too late, I already had eaten what I have previously referred to as a rat with wings (under my breath to Sean of course). I was assured that these were farm raised… as if that made any difference to me. Honestly though, it did taste like chicken. I even ate dried shrimps, shell and all (but minus the crunchy head). Sean liked them, but I prefer my shrimp plump, without the shell and with cocktail sauce! They did have pork steaks cooked especially for us which were much appreciated because they were very tasty.
Sean gagged quietly under his breath as he was prodded into eating his favorite – soft Tofu. Apparently there is both hard and soft in the big bowl, but he picked the soft. Neither of us likes Tofu but it was his turn to be adventurous and he ate it and did not spit it out.
Another thing about the Chinese meals, there are no napkins. You have no opportunity to spit something out politely, in fact if anything comes out of the mouth in China it goes back on the plate or if there is not room they simply spit it onto the table, or the floor.
We were just thankful when someone had a toast and we could wash our mouth with wine.
For a nice dinner like this, we had our choice of beverages: either warm corn juice or warm nut milk. And along with these everyone gets a glass of wine. The problem is, it is custom to only drink from your wine glass after you make a toast. So you can imagine how many toasts are happening every minute or so at a large Chinese dinner.
Now the Chinese love to toast! They will toast anything. And if they tap your glass with theirs or if they tap the table from across the room to you, that means that you must drink the entire contents of your glass and then show them that your glass is empty. As the wine went down easier and easier, our hosts and guests got louder and laughter and smiles filled up the room - along with thick clouds of smoke.
The more they eat and drink, the more the Chinese like to smoke. Everyone in the country smokes! I was offered at least four cigarettes during dinner and it’s nice of them because they want to give us anything they can as a token of friendship and cigs seem to work best. Cigarettes are a status symbol here and the price of a pack is always a source of pride for whoever is offering one of their tobacco treasures. As one of the Principles was bragging that his pack was the best in our province, and everyone agreed wholeheartedly, and that they cost 65 yuan a pack (most packs are 5 - 10 yuan), I couldn't help but be reminded of the government official that was just recently fired because he wore a watch that was too expensive and he walked around smoking cigarettes that cost 165 yuan a pack. That cigarette did taste good though!
We made our way through all the food and all the way to the fruit plate without insulting anybody or sending bones or food across the room so we felt the dinner was a wild success. We are also very thankful that they are obviously grateful to have us teaching at their schools.
The last thing to be served is usually fruit but they served us Chinese Porridge, called Congee, first. It is supposed to settle your stomach and help you to digest the food that you just ate. It is a thick milky-like soup with a substance in the middle which has the consistency of mashed potatoes. It is served warm. The smell alone will make you toss your cookies. I managed to take two spoonfuls but I saw Sean visibly wince and apparently he is irrevocably damaged by the experience. He swears if he ever smells that, or Tofu, again he will wretch violently.
Well now that we were giddy from drinking wine where do you think we went next??? Yes that is right… we went to sing Karaoke at the local KTV. Ok, not all of us went. It was our two hosts, Victor and Cynthia, our Vice-Principle, a Principles wife, and us. Sean and I had a previous experience walking into a KTV but it didn't provide much information.
A KTV looks like a nightclub from the outside so Sean and I decided to check one out during our first week in DanYang. As we walked in, several girls in cute little dresses greeted us with big smiles and fast Chinese. Unable to communicate our needs to just have a drink, we were refused entrance. It was after we got home and looked up on the internet what a KTV is that we discovered that it is where you sing Karaoke but they are usually filled with prostitutes that will come to your room and make your night a little more enjoyable. That explained a lot.
However, our night with our hosts did not involve any prostitutes, although they were definitely there, but we did sing Karaoke in our own little room with two professional microphones, a huge video screen the size of a wall, and a sound system that made our ears ring for hours. The video box was almost impossible to work so our hosts helped pick the songs.
I was shocked to see the Vice-Principle, Mr. Wong, stand up and belt out songs in English as well as Chinese. My host, Cynthia, had a lovely voice and had no problem singing all by herself. And then it was our turn. Now, many of you may not know but I LOVE karaoke but Sean and I have never sang together before, in fact, I don’t think that I have ever heard Sean sing…ever! Our first song was Endless Love… I know, cheesy, right? They loved it! Back and forth we went song after song. We sang Twist and Shout for them as we danced and they laughed hysterically and clapped till their hands hurt.
But it was Sean’s solo rendition of Desperado (that old Linda Ronstadt tune) that brought the house down. He sounded really great! We stayed for two hours and ended up having a wonderful time and were glad that after only eight weeks in China, we had finally found some Karaoke and learned more about eating in China.
2.21.2009
Naked in the streets in China...
"Ni Hau" Family and Friends!
We've received several emails over the last week asking if we are okay because we have not been communicating as often as usual. And, this being China(!), we are touched at your concern and want you all to know that things are going fantastic - much better than we ever expected over here in the Middle Kingdom. We are feeling better this week, although Jenn has a nasty cold now, but we are both over our food poisoning (we both lost some weight!) and we did bring a huge stock of medicines with us so we feel confident we can tackle just about anything medical-wise.
The school has been wonderful, albeit insanely slow compared to western expectations, but we now have our Foreign Expert Teaching Certificates and our passports now contain resident visas so we are here legally for the entire year. This is comforting.
Life these days consists of preparing for classes, traveling to and from classes, negotiating meals, and getting out into the city for shopping and to explore our new home. To get anywhere in this city of 3 million, and we have only seen a small section of our city, we are riding the bikes our school gave us. The weather has been cold (30 - 45), wet, foggy, with occasional sunshine in the afternoons. Our evenings are typically spent inside but we have pushed ourselves to get out and explore, shop, when we can - but it takes physical, intellectual, and emotional work to do even the smallest things here in China.
It's hard to describe what it's like to step outside into the China world (and it's not a negative thing) but it can be quite stressful because it is so challenging.
You know that dream everyone has where they are walking down the street and everyone is stopping and staring, pointing anxiously, giggling nervously and sometimes moving their children away from you? Cars honk, conversations stop, even stray dogs come out to sniff you as you walk by...suddenly you have become an alien...but why? How? Then you look down and realize that you are naked?!
THAT is what it is like to be a foreigner in China!
I have traveled around the world twice but have never experienced the effects of shock and awe I am having on my hosts here in DanYang, in fact all of China - everywhere we go. And it's not a bad feeling to constantly be the center of attention everywhere you go; what is stressful is that we can not share our appreciation or surprise or astonishment with our hosts because 1) we don't speak Mandarin at all yet, and 2) social customs do not allow it here...I can't laugh and pat a stranger on the shoulder or point to my Chicago University shirt and point to a home far away and make an airplane with my hands, or poke my finger playfully into the tummy of a little child who literally is frozen as solid as a statue while staring at my bald, white head. It's this inability to make these human connections with strangers that makes this type of complete immersion stressful.
But it is still very exciting and more enjoyable than we ever imagined.
When we smile everyone smiles back. When we spit a few words we do know we are greeted with laughter and smiles and the one or two English words they do know in return. And we are amazed everyday at how much we manage to get done simply from using physical gestures, facial expressions, and hand signals.
We operate everyday here on caveman communication but we are getting good at it.
And as a result, we are settling into our new lives. Our apartment is feeling more and more like home everyday. We have a luxurious kitchen by Chinese standards and we are slowly stocking it with foods (we have to bike to and from the markets so we can only carry so much at one time!). We have more than enough living space, really.
We have a dining room that we use for company and/or meals when we want to break out the China!:) We have a den which has a queen size bed instead of a sofa(!) and a television and although we do not have any channels yet (the cable box broke our first day), we do have another dvd player (the first one broke last night) and we figured out how to work it in Chinese (I used to write computer manuals and could not decipher it but Jenn is amazing when it comes to anything and everything engineering-related). Jenn's computer and desk are also in this room so we brainstorm in here too for class ideas. There is even a small balcony for some fresh air and in the summer we are looking forward to opening it up and catching some rays.
Our bedroom is cozy. It has bookshelves that we are using for closets and we found a nice, fluffy comforter for our bed (after two tries because the measurements are all in metric here) and an additional sleeping pad (half the thickness of a futon mattress) that makes the bed more comfortable. This room also has my computer and desk so I end up spending the occasional "just leave me alone for awhile" time in here. There is even a door separating the two but we have yet to close it...:)
We are so grateful we found this school and these jobs. The V.P. of my school, Victor, is our main contact and has handled everything from our visas to fixing the cable box to getting a good deal on badminton rackets (I'm playing every night now with the teachers). Jennifer's host, Cynthia, has been a fountain of information about all things Chinese like where can we get music our students like, what is a KTV bar?, and her English is excellent too so she is helping with the critical stuff like where Jenn can get her hair done in our city...:)
Overall, we are loving it here and trying everyday to be better English teachers for these students - they work hard and they deserve it! My school is starting an English Club for the top two students from each of the 16 classes and the kick-off ceremony is next week. Again, the television crew and newspaper journalists will be there, along with dignitaries from schools around the province and I (and Jenn too when she can) am expected to provide exciting English lessons for the club (an hour and a half) every week!
I better get going on my lesson plans - be back soon with more updates.
Love to you all!
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| How do you say hair stylist in Chinese? |
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| Laughing is the universal language! |
The school has been wonderful, albeit insanely slow compared to western expectations, but we now have our Foreign Expert Teaching Certificates and our passports now contain resident visas so we are here legally for the entire year. This is comforting.
Life these days consists of preparing for classes, traveling to and from classes, negotiating meals, and getting out into the city for shopping and to explore our new home. To get anywhere in this city of 3 million, and we have only seen a small section of our city, we are riding the bikes our school gave us. The weather has been cold (30 - 45), wet, foggy, with occasional sunshine in the afternoons. Our evenings are typically spent inside but we have pushed ourselves to get out and explore, shop, when we can - but it takes physical, intellectual, and emotional work to do even the smallest things here in China.
It's hard to describe what it's like to step outside into the China world (and it's not a negative thing) but it can be quite stressful because it is so challenging.
You know that dream everyone has where they are walking down the street and everyone is stopping and staring, pointing anxiously, giggling nervously and sometimes moving their children away from you? Cars honk, conversations stop, even stray dogs come out to sniff you as you walk by...suddenly you have become an alien...but why? How? Then you look down and realize that you are naked?!
THAT is what it is like to be a foreigner in China!
I have traveled around the world twice but have never experienced the effects of shock and awe I am having on my hosts here in DanYang, in fact all of China - everywhere we go. And it's not a bad feeling to constantly be the center of attention everywhere you go; what is stressful is that we can not share our appreciation or surprise or astonishment with our hosts because 1) we don't speak Mandarin at all yet, and 2) social customs do not allow it here...I can't laugh and pat a stranger on the shoulder or point to my Chicago University shirt and point to a home far away and make an airplane with my hands, or poke my finger playfully into the tummy of a little child who literally is frozen as solid as a statue while staring at my bald, white head. It's this inability to make these human connections with strangers that makes this type of complete immersion stressful.
But it is still very exciting and more enjoyable than we ever imagined.
When we smile everyone smiles back. When we spit a few words we do know we are greeted with laughter and smiles and the one or two English words they do know in return. And we are amazed everyday at how much we manage to get done simply from using physical gestures, facial expressions, and hand signals.
We operate everyday here on caveman communication but we are getting good at it.
And as a result, we are settling into our new lives. Our apartment is feeling more and more like home everyday. We have a luxurious kitchen by Chinese standards and we are slowly stocking it with foods (we have to bike to and from the markets so we can only carry so much at one time!). We have more than enough living space, really.
We have a dining room that we use for company and/or meals when we want to break out the China!:) We have a den which has a queen size bed instead of a sofa(!) and a television and although we do not have any channels yet (the cable box broke our first day), we do have another dvd player (the first one broke last night) and we figured out how to work it in Chinese (I used to write computer manuals and could not decipher it but Jenn is amazing when it comes to anything and everything engineering-related). Jenn's computer and desk are also in this room so we brainstorm in here too for class ideas. There is even a small balcony for some fresh air and in the summer we are looking forward to opening it up and catching some rays.
Our bedroom is cozy. It has bookshelves that we are using for closets and we found a nice, fluffy comforter for our bed (after two tries because the measurements are all in metric here) and an additional sleeping pad (half the thickness of a futon mattress) that makes the bed more comfortable. This room also has my computer and desk so I end up spending the occasional "just leave me alone for awhile" time in here. There is even a door separating the two but we have yet to close it...:)
We are so grateful we found this school and these jobs. The V.P. of my school, Victor, is our main contact and has handled everything from our visas to fixing the cable box to getting a good deal on badminton rackets (I'm playing every night now with the teachers). Jennifer's host, Cynthia, has been a fountain of information about all things Chinese like where can we get music our students like, what is a KTV bar?, and her English is excellent too so she is helping with the critical stuff like where Jenn can get her hair done in our city...:)
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I better get going on my lesson plans - be back soon with more updates.
Love to you all!
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