Quick summary: Leaving May 6th (time unknown, exact destination unknown). Gave 2wk notice at job (they let me go when I turned my notice in... no complaints). Gave 20 day notice at the apartment; Need to figure out what to bring on the trip, what to move into storage, and what to throw out, sell, or give away. Note to Self: Figure out how to post pics from camera onto net before leaving. Learn Chinese. Buy a carton or two of marlboros as gifts. Sell the POS's and the motorcycle, maybe the computer too. Figure out student loan and bank loan payment schedules. Hold the job placement in SD. Get everyones addresses to send postcards. Return Jackie Chan movies to Andy. Departure: I'm at the airport and in my pj's. I have a long flight and don't feel the need to dress up. I picked out a Mother's Day gift...a dream catcher native thing. I should have given it to her before I left.
The airport is a quiet, contemplative place this morning (8:15 am). I've been here for 30 mins. already and the plane doesn't leave until 9:48. I had to get here early, though, because if I miss these flights I'm screwed. I'm always nervous and on edge until I am actually in the airport waiting for the flight. I need to apologize to family and friends. Maybe I'm Bi-polar. I suddenly have the strongest feeling this plane will crash. It is a soothing feeling as if I am already resigned to my fate. Maybe I'm being paranoid. I hope so. Airborne: Didn't crash... travelling is like a good drug. But the high is so unpredictable; and the first bang -- the initial hurrah! -- wears off so fast. The rest of the trip is just chasing the dragon.I'm waiting in San Francisco for the Pacific flight to Shanghai. The bang has subsided, but I'm still riding high. I'm now on the plane, and it's about time for some time travel... when will I be in tommorow? My seating companions are a mixed lot... like chocolates in a box... but there is a feeling of unity because we are all in the same box traveling @ 30,000 ft above sea level @ 600 mph chasing the sun on the horizon.Nancy is on my right-- originally from Taiwan; living in Conneticut; now going to tour China for a 2nd time.(NOTE: Your bound to spit out some movie quotes after 15 hours of flying.eg: momma always said life is like a box o' chocolates)
Arrive Shanghai: Note: 13 hours ahead of Pacific time and 15 hours flying. Left San Fran Friday eve, so it it now Saturday eve. ---------------------------- When I first got here I missed my sign, so I thought noone was at the airport to meet me, but then I had some help from a lady I met on the plane. The help turned out to be useless though because when I borrowed her cell phone and called the "emergency number" no one was there. Everything worked out because I just randomly struck up a conversation with a girl (Kelly) who ended up being in the same program and was actually looking for me! It worked out.Kelly pointed me to Julie (UCE guide). At the He Bei Hotel.Gonna go take some pictures.Actually, Julia prefers that I don't walk around taking pics cause I might get lost...She's probably right, and it's now after midnight so I'm pretty tired anyway. Take some tomorrow. Zaijian for now...
Picture of Bike Highway
Teaching Time: 1st day teaching was o.k. got the intros out of the way. It felt good to speak to a class. They were very noisy & didn't pay attention, but that will change. The students are High Schoolers and rowdy as hell. Its been a emotional roller coaster ride because I was tossed into the classroom with no books or information or direction. They just said make the students speak english.2nd day of class- crashed and burned. Some students are very fluent in English. Others can barely speak it. I don't have any idea what I am doing. I don't have any books...any direction. What the hell am I supposed to do?Also, a mosquito bit my upper lip last night and so I woke-up with a huge lip today. I have two more classes today, and I am DREADING going to teach them. I need a P-A-L-N plan. ------------- O.K. I got a plan and stuck with it. I had everyone write about something...25 words each. Then I had them switch papers and read 'em aloud. Most did very well. Also, I went & bought some material for teaching.
Teaching Time: 1st day teaching was o.k. got the intros out of the way. It felt good to speak to a class. They were very noisy & didn't pay attention, but that will change. The students are High Schoolers and rowdy as hell. Its been a emotional roller coaster ride because I was tossed into the classroom with no books or information or direction. They just said make the students speak english.2nd day of class- crashed and burned. Some students are very fluent in English. Others can barely speak it. I don't have any idea what I am doing. I don't have any books...any direction. What the hell am I supposed to do?Also, a mosquito bit my upper lip last night and so I woke-up with a huge lip today. I have two more classes today, and I am DREADING going to teach them. I need a P-A-L-N plan. ------------- O.K. I got a plan and stuck with it. I had everyone write about something...25 words each. Then I had them switch papers and read 'em aloud. Most did very well. Also, I went & bought some material for teaching.
The crosswalk signs are funny- the little green guys dance more than walk as a signal. I need to take my camera next time I go shopping. Hmmm. On the roller coaster again. If I don't become an alcoholic from this teaching job, I will be very surprised! I'm about to go to bed; I'm optimistic about tomorrow. It seems that every night, no matter how good or bad I do, I feel more optimistic about the next day... like a feeling inside says, "I know you can do it, you've got it in ya - just do it!" Damn right! Just do it! Wherever I sit it feels like the other 'destinations', the other places of residence are the places visited, the trips...Met Dennis - the other American teacher here from Cincinnati (or was it Cleveland?) & Paul the Chinese English teacher. Anyway, when Dennis pauses in speech he says ah... instead of uhmmm... It's the same pause, but very distiguished. He seems to be contemplating instead of stuttering. I asked the students if I was a good teacher and one said so-so, which in Chinese means that I'm terrible... my only comfort is that they can't fire me. lol. Anyhow I've got a plan for tommorow.
Travel rule number flibbity-gibbity: When you really need something, it can't be found. I needed a pair of pants.I found over a dozen stores with T-shirts and shorts, and hats...and everything except pants! Well, not quite true. I found pants stores that only carried ladies pants! Three hours of searching and I came back with a house plant. It was ok, though. I found some other stores I will need later, though I probably won't be able to find them again. Everything in China says, "MADE IN CHINA" Course, so does everything in America. There is a MOMENTUM of progress here. PANTS! Finally got some pants and was talked into buying a shirt also. The great thing was, when I got back home I liked everything I had bought...even though I got robbed. I just don't have the patience for haggeling today. All the stores had women's merchandise most promenintly displayed, which says to me who does the shopping and controls the money.
There is something about China that really intrigues me... The unity of it I think.I've noticed that young children don't look at me like I'm different or new. Why?The adults look... not an uncomfortable stare...but just inquisitively. There is a feeling of acceptance here--not of someone deciding I am acceptable but just a feeling of...people just thinking: This is how things ARE. neither good nor bad... it just is. And it seems to apply to everything.
The Grubs and Bugs were so-so and I dropped the Grasshopper, but the Scorps were Delicious!!! Really!
Damn! Fastest goddamn mosquitos in the world live in Jiaxing, China. Crossbred with race horses I shouldn't wonder.There are two in the room. The first was smart but underestimated my willingness to slap myself in the face. The second is lightning quick but has a tendency to hang out on the white walls. His minutes are numbered.Found another - Where are they coming from! AHHHHHH! Holy Crap. His family is here for revenge...Day 2 of the assualt. They are little sleep terrorists. Every missed swat, every slow reaction, every one that survives my counter attack is one more that will mark my forehead, neck, or arm and keep me half-awake and itching tonight.
Resume Deco: I wish I had known I would need a resume here, I could have prepared.I could have combed my history and picked every morsel of semi-plausible teaching/english experience and molded it into a facade of believability. Now I am naked in my truth (not a good thing, especially in China) and naked in my lack of experience.I am an old western saloon without the faux second story, or the swinging doors for that matter. I'm an Art Deco hotel viewed from the inside, sitting on the toilet with the door closed. Make of it what you will... I guess I'm trying to say that it's still Art Deco, but its about perspective. I need to control the perspective.
Babyface: I went with Liberty(a teacher from the Phillipines) and a few of her University teacher friends (all foriegn) to a pub named "Babyface". Two of the foreign teachers were from the Seattle area... go figure... forgot their names... Anyhow... It was a lot of fun, tried to play a Chinese drinking game that used dice and had something to do with guessing numbers. I did very good while I was still sober and had beginners luck and thought I understood the game... but after a few shots of Chivas Regal the game (and the rest of the night) became I little confusing. Good Times. The bathroom was fairly nice, squat toilets but clean... I have begun to rate an establishment on the quality of its bathroom facilities. Some very sketchy looking restuarants and pubs have had quite good bathrooms (comparitively) while other very nice looking places have had... the kind of bathroom that makes you scared to wash your hands for fear of infection. Unfortunatly it has been my experience that, on average, most establishments have the later kind of toilet.
Resume Shortcut: Uhmmmm, yeah the resume. I shortcut the resume and emailed Jennifer in Australia and told her my teaching experience- None. She told me that the TAFE program needs a certified teacher so I would have to bemoving on. I was given the impression that I would be allowed to finish here as scheduled. So much for perspective. As far as my teaching is going, it is still up and down... I let them watch Spiderman2 the other day... killed 2 hours. Having to bribe them now - a point system for work done. 35 points gets them a DVD. I have plenty, they are all burned copy's of movies still in the theatres. The funny thing is that the quality was as good (even better) than the'real' DVDs I bought in the licensed stores. Paid 25RMB for the licensed ones and I pay 7RMB for the illegitamate children of Hollywood. V: I broke down and visited KFC where I met a girl named V. We walked around, had a good time and then we went back to my place. I told her I didn't want a relationship and she said the same for her. She spent the night and was off to work in the morning. The next night I take her out to dinner and she ends up spending the night- much to my dissapproval... sort of; I wanted her to spend the night but she can be quite loud... and there are highschoolers in the flat above. So I tell her it is better that after tonight we should just meet in hotels. She agrees. I check with a co-worker and was told no class for me the next day. Ah, a few days of rest and at a hotel. Well, the hotel was friggin' sweet... It had a bath-house in it and the deal was that you walked in gave up your clothes and possessions- took a wonderful bath in a public room full of naked Chinese men, then were provided some robes in which you wandered about the hotel - After the bath I met V in the lobby and went to see a performance... it wasn't spectacular but alot of fun. Then went to Dinner and then the room. The next day I check my email and find out that everyone at the school is looking for me! Apparently I did have class. Oh-well. I go back to school that night and take an extra class the next day to make up for the one I missed. The Chinese always sound like they are arguing... even when they are just having polite conversation. Its the infliction I think, Americans only use infliction when emotional. Of course, maybe they are arguing all the time and I just assume some of it is polite conversation.
V 2nd Week: Last weekend I took V to Hougzhou's West Lake. Well, more like she took me. Got a 4-star hotel reasonably close to the lake, but unfortuantly I got sick Friday Night(I think it was McD's) and it continued into Saturday... (Yep, my mother has ESP... she sent me an email "are you o.k. I dreamed you weren't o.k. Saturday night") But even though I was sick I managed to go to a Song Dynasty theme park where I paid an extravagant admission fee, then got my fortune told for another fee, skipped the fee for the goodluck ritual... (seems I was born under an unlucky star, but so was everyone else who were getting peddled a fortune telling... so I figure what the hell, somebody's got to have bad luck - I'll take one for the team)... got to see an excellent performance... and got to clang a big bell for a small fee. Oh yeah, shot a bow-arrow too. The fees totaled over $30 USD, which for China (and the quality of the park) is very high. The performance made it all worth while though. It was awesome! People twiriling in the air and acrobatics and stilts and I even saw one dancer fall down. It was like seeing a car crash at the races. I felt bad for her but I was excited to see it. So we get back Sunday and go to the SuperMarket and do some shopping. Apparently it is rude if the man dosn't push the cart. As is the custom of women all over the world she keeps getting mad at me and not telling me why. Back home i could of course guess why the girl was mad and then ackordingly justify, rationalize, flat out lie, or otherwise make up an excuse to clear me of any wrong doing... the problem here is that I guess wrong. I haven't a clue to the culture or the dating protocol of China. So I keep apologizing for things I did wrong that she didn't notice until I opened my big stupid mouth... And of course she will ask, "Is that how you treat women in America?" Me, "Uhmmm... No, I just Uh... Thought that was Chinese custom." or Me (depending on situation), "Uh... yeah... I mean... Uhmmmm... That is an American custom." Whew, that was close.
Yeah... I am getting tired of posting all these stories and experiences. The journal is starting to feel a little too much like work; Its lucky for you that I know a few people out there just might be reading this... and that gives me a sort of obligation to continue on. I don't have many new stories, just updates of the previous ones. O.K.... so, some classes have been added to my schedule - I am teaching English reading now. My class load is at 18 classes per week, which is about average for a foreign language teacher in China, the only problem is that I still don't know what I'm doing... good thing it is the last week of school.
XiTang & V's Performance I went to Xi Tang last week, it is a sort of Venice of the East (Although I feel that might be an overstatement, but as I have never been to Venice I must take the Chinese word for it). I had a good time and made some souvenir purchases and that sort of touristy stuff. The one thing that made my day was finding the basket of Lima (?) beans next to a pair of green shoes that were of the same color.
V was very confused at my excitement over such a trivial thing. Whatever... You decide if it is worthy of excitement... to be honest the whole 'Venice' atmosphere was a bit contrived and unauthentic. After Venice, V and I stayed in the Bath-house again and had a great time. She asked the manager of the hotel if she could go on stage and sing a song during the performance. She did great, as far as I could tell, I don't speak Chinese so I have no idea if she sang it correctly or not. Everyone in the audience used plastic hand-clappers (little plastic sticks with plastic hands on hinges that when swung would emit plastic clapping sounds)... to show enthusiasm for the performance and to ruin the show by drowning out any sound of talent. The management encouraged the use of the clappers (for all the acts, not just V's)... Do they need better acts or is it polite to show your laziness and pure, unadultered enthusiam with feeble flicks of the wrist? But, like I said, V was awesome... even if she didn't sing the song correctly (as she says), which she probably did, it takes a lot of nerve to go up on stage like that.
I returned to the school and got back to my regularly scheduled routine. A few days back in the groove I get an email that my father was in a car accident. I rush to a shop that specializes in international phone calls and I pile up a big stack of yuan not caring the cost, and showing the phone number I need to call. I get patched in to the hospital and connected to his room and the very first thing he says is, "Don't come back, I'm okay, I'll see you when you come back after the trip." He down plays the accident and my brothers confirm that he is in good condition, although it was a fairly serious accident. I am relieved but it isn't until I return that I see how lucky that sonuva was in his wreck and roll incident.
Last Day Ahhh, it is the last day of school. All this week I have been using the last week of school as an excuse to let the children run wild. And wild they ran. My lesson plans consisted of watching DVDs, having casual conversations with the more advanced students, playing card games, some more DVDs, some Playstation gaming,
Another difficult day at school (JiaXing China)
and giving away prizes and candy (gave one test but it wasn't mandatory and it wasn't graded): So today... DRUM ROLL... Potatoe chips - Soda - Cookies - Music - Movies - Card Games - And General Mischief. Hey, they're 16-17 yrs. old; they deserve to enjoy life a little. Besides, they have finals all this weekend and I'm sure they hate finals as much as I do, did, will (when I return to Uni.). Thats it. Over. Finished. Finito. It went great, I took pictures of the class and all the students and promised them I would email all the pics (gave them my email and if they show enough initiative to write its the least I can do). I can't post pics until I return... so y'all 'll jus havta wait fer a spell. I just got an offer to go to Tai 'an (Near Qufu in Shandong province). So, I will pack up my sh*t and go there Monday to teach for 1week. The reason I will only be teaching for 1week is that i have commitments elsewhere (Beijing); and the school only wants me for the simple fact that I can be added to their list of foreign faculty... It will make the school look better and hence attract more students. Private schools are businesses after all. I am sure that they won't expect too much of me- how much can I teach in a week? It takes that long to get to know the students.
Another difficult day at school (JiaXing China)YEAH: Arrived in Tai'an, but the school is actually in Xintai (2hr. drive). On the way to the school saw a just-happened accident between a large truck and a mini-car... needless to say the mini was demolished (and on fire), it was hardly recognizable as a car. It looked more like a barrel BBQ-er. Not sure about the people in the car, saw some people standing around but they could've been anyone. I am brought to a hotel and have a short rest before breakfast... At breakfast I seal my fate for the rest of my stay in Xintai. I ask for Sprite... puzzlement... "Soda, Pop?... like Coca-cola." Understanding alights upon their faces... Ahh, Cokecola (Yes, ahh, cokecola I think to myself... the corporate world language)... I resist, "No,no S-P-R-I-T-E" The disappointed look breaks my heart, I try to get up to show them but they refuse "PLEAS-sit". A minute later I see my interpreter returning with a Coke... I wave my hands as if waving off a jet about to crash on an aircraft carrier... (I REALLY, really just wanted a Sprite). The confused and embarresed look he gives me is too much, I smile in resignment "Coke-Cola" I say. But it dosn't end there, I try to strike up a conversation later (After politely sipping away my syrupy cola)... I look around the room "Karaoke?" I ask as I point to a stage that is probably used for that purpose. Again, their eyes light up... I stop them immediately, "No no no, not now... at night... we will drink beer at NIGHT and sing karaoke..." Confusement for a moment then understanding registers on their faces, my 'interpreter' rushes off and even before he returns with the beer, the karaoke speakers are blasting. And for the next 10 days I have nothing to drink except Coca-cola and beer, with an occasional water IV when I start looking dehydrated on the karaoke stage.
Camping After breakfast: At the school I am told that we will be going camping, so I should pack. It might be cold in the mountains they say... I think about back home, Yea it will be. So I pack about 10 times as much clothing, supplies, and 'necessities' as I need. The reason I didn't need any of these things is because 'camping' was for all of us to stay in a little village hotel (much to my dual happiness and dissapointment) that had an average temperature of 85f. Yea, cold. So I am at this little village with Ms. Jia, Mrs. Dei, Mr. Won, Mr. Xu, Mr. Xu (took me four days to realize they were both named Mr. Xu) and about 35 middle schoolers. We were there for 5 days so I will break down the stories... Going on a hike. A short jaunt into the hills and most of the kids became tired (city kids). I was like, "Hey, are we going there [I point to summit of hill 5miles away]" No. "Are we going there [I point to hill 3miles away]" No. "Where are we going?" they look at me sideways, "Here [they point to the ground]" Oh. Actually, it turned out to be a very good thing we were only hiking to "here" because the teachers were all city-folk themselves and had brought a severely insufficient supply of water (I had refused the offers of bringing coke, explaining that it wasn't good for hiking). So we find a stream and reload on the water, except myself; who was not so confident about what might be lying in the water upstream. We lounge in the stream and splash water and go exploring and do all the good things you do when enjoying the beauty of nature: And then we leave... and I carry my empty water bottle back with me... I even carry an extra one, not that it mattered. Sick Actual excerpt from my notebook; '(Add in Jim Carey- Ace Ventura "Finkle-Einhorn") Shit-Puke, puke-shit, shit-puke...this sucks. Everytime I puke I drink a swallow of water #1:to keep me hydrated #2:so I wouldn't have the dry heaves... again this f*ckin sucks... DO NOT DRINK THE WATER! I try & take an anti-diaherra pill but they never get a chance to dissolve. ' It was on a regular schedule. Every 40minutes I would shit and every 30minutes I would puke, so every two hours I was exploding... I won't be too graphic. Daily life at the camp The reason for the sickness was that we ran low on bottled water, so I drank the "boiled" water... more like "comfortably heated" water. Anyhow, it was a great time other than that little incident. I would get up in the morning, have a good breakfast, talk with the teachers and students, go on a walk or go swimming or just hang-out, have lunch, more of the same, do a 'lesson' which consisted of me talking (sometimes singing) to the students about random things, then have dinner and play cards with the students. The goat Saw a goat get slaughtered. I was still a little sick so I couldn't watch the whole thing. I was a little sad for the goat, but what really got my stomach was the idea of all that raw meat... But when I did eat it (about 2hrs. later) it was delicious... really, really, delicious. The spider Eating dinner in a gazebo surrounded by mosquito netting. And then... {Drum roll} The BIGGEST spider I have ever seen... ever... was hanging out, maybe only about 2feet behind and above me. I say, "Holy crapolla!" and everyone laughs and explains, "It can't get in here". I look and see a hole in the mosquito netting about 5inches in diameter just above my head. I judge that if the spider exhaled and walked in sideways it just might be able to squeeze in. I explain this to my host and am relieved to know that it's not poisonous... the relief fades as I realize it could eat me in a dozen easy bites without the use of any poison. The flood It rained. Heavily. Lightning, Thunder, and Flash Flood. In the morning of the last day the river was raging... and even though nobody could swim (except me, and not exceptionally well) that didn't stopsome of them from crossing the river. Getting back across was another story. Going back Going back to Xintai we got lost we got lost. I was in a mini-bus with a few other teachers and students and everyone had an oppinion about which direction to go. And every finger was pointing a different direction. The van kept breaking down and we would pull over every mile or so for the driver to get out, look at the engine, pretend to know what was wrong and then depart again until it started sputtering and coughing up a hill. I would bet one million Yuan that the only problem was that it needed a regular spark-plug & filter tune-up. The Chinese understanding of the enigmatic door/window latch, or the lack thereof 'nuff said. Back I am invited to dinner with the teachers and we all meet the VIP's of the school and the coalmine that is the lifeblood of the city. I am treated like a VIP and am offered alot of food & beer & I try a sip of wine that was more than a little reminiscent of grain alcohol. Also, I am offered first pick of a tasty looking dish. I pick a super hot pepper and pop it in my mouth before I have a chance to notice the look of amusement and amazement on everyones face. They all tell me not to eat it, to justspit it out, but I say, "Its not so hot". Of course I hadn't bitten into the seeds yet, and when I did I wished I had taken their advice. It was too late, I just chewed and cried silently and a few people noticed and made toasts of beer so I could wash down the inferno boiling in my mouth. They made alot of toasts that night. I had to stop drinking because I was still recovering from the sickness. I got fairly drunk fairly quickly... When I was the most drunk I got to meet the leader of the communist party for Xintai. He was polite but there was a tone of sarcasm to the comments he made... (or maybe I was paranoid- I was drunk by then according to the chopstick test)... But when he toasted to "international relations" there was something personal and sneering to it (again, maybe it was just me). I was not so impressed with him but the man that did impress me was Mr.Fu. He was The VIP or headmaster of the school or something like that. His posture was strong and even when he had drunk quite a bit and his face was quite red he had a very composed manner about him. Finished Dinner and went to the hotel...
Teaching Began teaching last yr. middle school students (same thing as freshman H.S. students)... all the schools here have 3yr. middle and 3yr. high. The students are very clever and although their English wasn't as good as the students in Jiaxing they are much better behaved and more eager to learn. The end... almost... I am supposed to go to Taishan (shan is mountain) on June 30th but I volunteered to teach at the school because I've had enough outdoor experiences when camping and all the faculty have been so nice to me. -Big thunderstorm again- So now it is July 1st and UCE tells me no-no don't come back to Shanghai like originally planned... go to Taiyuan in Shanxi province on the 3rd. So I ask the school to exchange the train tickets but there arn't any seats available on such short notice - so Yipiee, I get to take a nine hr. bus ride. Probably won't be so bad and I will get one day to see Taishan. Still haven't seen Shanghai. Didn't get to see Taishan- was told it was 'closed' because of the tigers. I think everyone either dosn't think I can take care of myself or they don't want a foreigner wandering around China without a guide... I could be a spy as one of the students pointed out in a composition about our camping trip. (We had visited an area next to a military base and he was having some middle schooler paranoia that often accompanies youthful imagination). I left for Taiyuan on the morning of the 3rd and when I arrived that evening I was welcomed and greeted nicely enough... But I still feel as though the teachers and faculty of Xintai were the kindess and most generous hosts I have met so far in China. It just seemed that they went the "extra kilometer" to make me feel important and cared for. I made at least one life-long friend their and I plan on returning before I leave China.
YEP: I am in Taiyuan and will meet the other teachers arriving from Shanghai tommorow (Theyyy get to take an aiiirplaaane, Personally I prefer trains anyway). I am getting a little worried because all my questions about the camp are answered with, 'You will see'. I am begining to feel like it might be some sort of Gestapo English Prison. My fears were not lessened when the teachers did arrive. Mostly because my other theory that, "'You will see' was just a ploy to keep from repeating the answers to all the questions" was dissproved when they answered all the other teachers questions in the same way. The teachers are decent enough but there were very few true travellers... most had been to other countries for a few days or a week or so, but very few gave the impression of having foreign survivor skills... i.e. being able to get a good haircut without knowing the language, knowing how to reason out prices when shopping, or being able to tell a taxi where your hotel is using only nods, smiles, pointing and grunts of affirmation.
The G.E.P. I am assigned two teachers who are nice enough, but we have nothing in common (One is an English/Polotics major who thinks Ronald Reagan was the greatest president the U.S. ever had) and the other is a Jack-Christian "Baptist" (although, to her credit, she has refrained from mentioning anything about the religion). We get along o.k., but in my oppinion some people can be too happy. You know what I'm talking about. The foreign... haha, I just called them foreign... The Americans... Have I been travelling so long that I have lost my nationality? I am not sure who I feel closer to, the Americans or the Chinese... They both do things that I consider 'rude' but I feel as though the Chinese are much more considerate of others, or at least try to acheive balance and harmony in their lives. Maybe not, but it shows how much I've adapted to the culture already. Uh, oh-yea, the G.E.P. In the G.E.P. classrooms there are two cameras in each corner behind the teacher (those little ones in the shaded bubble that are in convience stores), and they are pointed right at the teachers desk. O.K., truth be told, the school is nice and the other teachers are good to us. But there is a distance between us that I can't explain. Its as if they don't want to make friends with the 'foreign devils' and pollute Chinas culture with western ideas, or that we are just objects for the students to learn from, like some rented computers, or something like that... I said I can't explain it... Anyhow, the students are great and I think there has been more of a connection with them than with any of my other students. Of course, this could be because I teach 2 classes half-a-day each six days a week. I am a lazy bastard and getting up at 6:50 (ten minutes before we are scheduled to leave for school and twenty before the girls are ready to go) and then getting back to the hotel anywhere from 7:00 to 10:00 is just too much work to be doing for free. Yeah, you read that right... the G.E.P. dosn't pay us anything and dosn't cover any meals not assigned during school hours... The only thing that keeps me going are the students. Any teacher will tell you that when you connect with the students and they are really putting forth all their effort there is an obligation to the teacher to put forth all his/her effort. Been here for 2 weeks now and I am working too hard... I was spoiled by my first few weeks of getting paid for teaching. Now I work 3times as hard and don't get paid a dime. The students are flippin smart! Once you break down the 'teacher speaks-students listen' barrier you find that most of them speak much better English than you would ever imagine. First week we just talked and played some games and did exercises from the book. There were some activities after class... blah, blah, blah. Its too tiring to give a play-by-play... The coolest thing that has happened so far was the debate between my two classes. It got very heated at the end. The topics consisted of "China's dependence on foreign trade; more vs. less", "Factory regulation; more vs. less", "Love vs. to be loved; which is better" and, "Traditional culture vs. modern culture; which is better". I chose class E (my first class) as the winner because their teamwork and effort was much better, but class F spoke better English so it was a tough call. Both teams had excellent arguments and could have held their own in any high-school (probably jr. college too) in America.
Street Fight: XuGou is the actual name of the city I'm in... it is a suburb of Taiyuan. It is a gangsta town and I have seen more car accidents, street fights, and hoodlums cruising the street at night than I have in any other place in China... In the world in fact. Totals to date: 3truck roll-overs, 5general car accidents, 2bloody street fights, 1general street fight (over a car accident), and everyone out after 10pm is out to cause trouble. The street fights were not Kung Fu style, they were good old pick-up-a-chair-and-beat-a-guy street fights. I haven't been taking my camera with me lately, not because I'm afraid of theft but because I am tired of taking 'tourist' pictures. I don't think I would have taken many pics of the fights anyway cause, well, it just wouldn't have been a good idea. Anyhow, I don't feel like I'm in any danger... but there is definitely not the feeling of acceptance that I have felt in other parts of China.
Visa Problems: My Visa expires at the end of July... well technically the 3rd of August but I need to renew at least one week in advance. So I am told to mail it to Hangzhou and they will give me 1 more month. I said N. O., first I am not mailing my passport anywhere while I am in a foreign country, second my air ticket is for October 5th or 15th or something like that... so I need at least 3 more months. I have not recieved a reply back from UCE so I will contact the American branch and see if I can get something accomplished the long-way-round. I have also asked V to look into getting a renewal in Shanghai, but I would need to leave the school next week if that is the way it must be done. That will cause some problems, but it's not my fault... I need to have a valid Visa. Anyhow, I'm looking into all my options and I am confident I will find a solution.
A Solution: Got a Visa by agreeing to teach in Taiyuan for another month... The school I will be working for has some connections that UCE doesn't. I am confident that it will be a good school. I must admit that the summer camp, dispite all the problems and inconviences, is a place I will miss and a place I will always have fond memories of.
(Hi Everyone!!! I ate all the glue again... )
(Hi Everyone!!! I ate all the glue again... ) The End: At the end of the summer camp I went to Shanghai for 4 days and had an awesome time (Lots of stories, but what happens in Shanghai stays in Shanghai). I signed a contract acknowledging my completion of the UCE program and now I am back in Taiyuan and teaching (And getting paid for it). My contract with the school will be up on September 5th after which they have agreed to give me a tour of Beijing.
Changed Opinions: First I want to say that XuGou and QingXu turned out to be good little cities, and although there was a 'thug' atmosphere about both cities I still grew to like them immensely and ultimately I did feel the acceptance that personifies China. Second, the foreign teachers turned out to be really cool and the Reagan lover admitted ignorance, and said that she only thought Ronald was the best because thats what her conservative parents had told her. I was impressed at how open she was to new ideas... there is hope for America. Also, the Baptist turned out to be a fun loving gal who was not so conservative (in her actions) as I had originally thought. Last, but not least, V turned out to be extremely possessive and is on the verge of becoming classified as a stalker. She is trying to play head games with me and I feel as though I am being hunted down for marriage. Its as if the little bit of fooling around we did was a bear trap and she thinks I stuck my leg in. Which I didn't! And even if I had it wouldn't change anything because, from the very first night, we had agreed that it wasn't going to be serious between us. She is a fun girl and I hope we can remain friends, but I'm getting tired of dealing with her crap. So, todays lesson is; don't judge a book by its cover.
One More Month: This is my last month being a teacher, after this its all tourist stuff. The school has put me up in a nice apartment with a Canadian roommate who is a pretty cool dude. I teach 6 days a week with Mondays being my off day. I have been 'dating' a girl named E but she is also marriage minded and is way too traditional for me to really consider getting with. Much to my shame I have been leading her on quite a bit, but not really on purpose... She is cool to hang out with and so I keep 'hanging out' on dates. Today we went to the Taiyuan Zoo and saw people throw peanuts into a monkey cage that had no fewer than 8 'don't feed the monkey' signs hanging on it, we saw elephants turned into circus performers, and we saw a cage that had a lion and a german sheperd in it. The german sheperd seemed to be good friends with the lion and I don't think it was in any danger... unless the zoo-keepers decide to stop feeding the lion... So, I asked E if she was upset by the people throwing food and water (still in the bottle) to the monkeys when it was obvious that they weren't supposed to and she replied, "Why would I be, I'm not the care-taker, its not my responsibility". Yep, thats the kind of attitude we should all have... Anyhow, teaching is good and the students are really cool, most of them are 18-20 yrs. old and I have a few classes of 8-14 yr olds who I would gladly strangle if given the opportunity. Alright, More stories later...
End of the Month: Well, its about over... and to be honest I am a little tired of just having a job in one city in China while the whole country is just sitting around waiting for me to explore it. So, I haven't talked to E in almost 2weeks and I figure its for the best. Not really too much else to tell, these days are all the same... I get up 10 min. before class, ride Carls bike to the school, teach, eat, teach some more, drink & hangout or play the PS2, sleep, then repeat. The only deviations to this schedule have been when I did more drinking than sleeping and I would take a nap the next day or on my day off when I didn't have to teach. Oh, yeah, I did go to the international youth ping-pong tournament yesterday and it was kinda cool, but it got boring after 1/2 an hour. Zaijian until next month...
GoodBye: A dinner and a party was the way to go. I invited all the bilingual (Chinese) teachers and some friends to a very fancy restuarant called "Seaworld". It cost a pretty penny to host the dinner (a little over $100US) but it was worth it to feel like a king... We had fish skin Sushi, Big frog (or toad), some various fish, crayfish tails, lots of beer, Crocidile paw, and then fresh fruit and more beer for desert. It was Excellent. Afterward, most of us went back to my apartment to have some drinks (Vodka, Rum, Scotch Whiskey, Chinese Wine, More Beer) and say goodbyes... tried to give everyone presents but some people didn't show. The next morning I got up at the butt-crack of dawn and caught a bus to Beijing.
Beijing: So, I was supposed to get a tour of Beijing for two days as the bonus for completing my contract but they said, "Here's some money, have fun". Fine with me, except that the only one I knew in Beijing at the time was V. Yeah, great. But desperate times call for desperate measures, so I agree to meet her in Tianamen Square after my bus ride. She broke her cell phone the day before so I just tell her to wait until I get there, no matter how long. My "6"hr. bus ride turns out to be almost 9 and then my taxi rips me off by driving me all over hell and back and then dropping me off on the wrong side of The Square. And its a big square! F*ckin Taxi Drivers. Anyway, I am more than a little late, and tired, and hungover, and sweaty... and not in a very good mood by the time I meet V. She is patient with me (like a wolf waiting for its prey) and we go get a hotel room... I say, "Hey, we are just friends let me buy you a seperate room." She says, "We have different beds so don't worry." Makes sense. Nothing happens and the next day everything is cool. We decide to check out some touristy stuff and then later that night she hands me about $250US and says lets go drinking, I want you to spend my money... Hmmmm, moral delema... I don't spend even half the money but get completely wasted (she has 3 beers the whole night). So, you can guess the rest... I'm a man whore... So, of course she starts the boyfriend-girlfriend thing and keeps wanting to kiss me the next day. I have to refuse with tact because we are going to the Great Wall that day and I need a guide. Kind of killed the Great Wall experience, well, that and my mild hangover.
The food was good but the service was a little slow
The food was good but the service was a little slow Goodbye V: The day after the Great Wall (It really was great, but I plan on seeing it again before I leave to get the full effect), V and I tour around the city again and visit Beihai Park and then go to the train station. She acts sad, but she dosn't get crazy or cry or anything. I think she finally accepts the fact that irregardless of how drunk she gets me, and of the stupid things I do when I'm drunk, I will sober up and still feel the same way about her... Just Friends. Now, I know some of you girls reading this are thinking, "What an asshole... the Just Friends line". Eklektek is such a typical asshole man, never any thought about the womens feelings. Maybe, Maybe-Not. But I want to remind everyone that I never wanted to be more than friends and she knew it from the beginning. She took advantage of me and I am ashamed, I feel used, I have no self-respect, no dignity; Women are Pigs! Yeah, thats right, it goes both ways. So here I am, about to leave on my train to TaiShan, to actually climb it this time... I hope I see some tigers.
TaiShan: Sometimes I have really good travellers luck (and really bad internet luck, this is the third time I have written this). I arrived in TaiShan at 5:30 in the morning and caught a ride with a taxi tout who informed me that all the hotels were full except for one that he knows... Uh-huh, Sure... After a couple wrong turns and attempts at bait-and-switch with other hotels, I finally get him to take me to the hotel that I had asked for. It was full. I decide to walk around and look for one because I was tired of him telling me how impossible it would be to get a hotel. The next hotel I go to informs me that they are full too, but they give me directions to another that might have rooms... as I am walking there I realize that it is Saturday morning at one of the most popular tourist areas in China... Its going to be impossible to find a hotel. I look around for my taxi driver, but alas he has fled back to the train station in search of his next victim, that bloodsucker. So, I get to this nice hotel and as soon as I enter I know that even if they have rooms it will be beyond my budget... but it couldn't hurt to ask. Nope, all full they say, but maybe later after check-out time. Just then a guy checks out and they say O.K. we have a suite available for tonight only. Ha, a suite, is it the 200yuan room (cheapest one)? Nope, the 600 (most expensive). I can only spend 200, how about a discount? And, you know what? They gave it to me! Still a little beyond my budget, but good value for the money... Nicest room I've had so far. It has a view of TaiShan, its really spacious, all the outlets are 110 & 220, and it has a telephone next to the toilet so I don't miss any important calls! Now I have to figure out what to do tommorow night... hope my luck holds out.
Goodbye Luck: So I check-out on Sunday about 8:00 and start my hike (aprox.4 hr.) up TaiShan. I leave my baggage and all my personals in the care of the "lucky" hotel and march off with only a daypack. I get to the ticket booth (a mile from my hotel) and find out its almost twice as expensive without a student I.D. card... which happens to be at my hotel. I explain I don't have it with me and after a few hand-gestures and some Chinglish we manage to come to an understanding that if I return with the card I can get a refund for the difference... or at least that was my understanding.
The easy way up... if you're in the chair Beautiful hike, the trail was lined with marijuana plants, it really smelled nice. Good scenery too. Also, Monkey See, Monkey Dance For Money...
So, at the top I am expecting to have a difficult time getting a hotel. Nope, A guy offers me a room for 100! I jump on the chance... And its all downhill from there. {Except for the sunrise... It was the most beautiful sunrise I have seen in a long time, maybe The most beautiful I have ever seen. Of course its the only one I've seen in a long time, but still, it blew away the sunsets.} Ahhmm... back on subject. Goddamn crappy-ass, rat-infested, noisy, ugly, shitty-smelling, moldy, no-shower room that wasn't worth a trade for my sweaty underwear... (However, I was motivated to go see the sunrise in the morning). A frenchy I meet there pays half of what I pay for the room and even bargains his beers in half... I am ashamed of myself. I get ripped off continually for the remainder of my mountain stay. The word had got around that there was a dumb American on the mountain, so even when I tried to bargain, no one budged. I leave with my head hung low, and when I return to the same hotel at the base of the mountain (everything else was still booked), well, shit, they have 200yuan rooms, but guess what... No really, guess... Try again... O.K. o.k.... The room was exactly the same as the "600" room. Yeah, so, I wasn't lucky before, I just avoided being ripped off because I was cheap. I got mad, paid for two nights and hiked back to the ticket counter of TaiShan, which, despite the refund "understanding", hasselled me. I knew they would but that was the whole point. I got my refund in just over an hour... Most gratifying three and a half dollars I ever received.
The easy way up... if you're in the chair Beautiful hike, the trail was lined with marijuana plants, it really smelled nice. Good scenery too. Also, Monkey See, Monkey Dance For Money...
QingDao: This is it, two more weeks and I'm outta here. I am really sad to be leaving, but really glad to be getting back home. There are just some things I miss that I can't get here, i.e. Good Italian food, A motorcycle over 400cc, Real sandwiches, Crosswalks without adrenaline rushes, etc. So, I left TaiShan for XinTai (Where I had the 'camping' trip) to visit some friends. I was there for 2 days, not much to tell really, had some nice dinners, an afternoon hike, some nice Chinglish conversations. I left for Qingdao at 5:45am and in the wee hours of the morning managed to leave my MP3 player in the hotel. (I fell asleep listening to it and left it under the blankets) I didn't realize I lost it until about noon when I woke up on the bus. I had my friend check the hotel, but apparently the MP3 fairy had snuck in before they cleaned the room, for it seems I only left some empty bottles. So, I am in Qingdao (MP3less) and loving it. The weather is Londonish, you know... dreary, foggy, chilly, overall shitty... and its perfect because it seems to be keeping the crowds away from the beaches. Not that there arn't people, just not the roaming hordes I had expected. I have just been wandering around, drinking Tsingtao beer (of course), and people watching [Shandong animal by-products imp. & exp. corporation].
Q: How many Chinese does it take to hang a store sign? 
A: 12... and 1 ladder, 3 tables, and a chair.
Its raining now so I am at a net bar and thats about it... Oh, purchased the onward train ticket by myself, hope I got a good seat cause its a 20 hour ride.
At First Sight: I fell in Love today. I was going to the beach to do some drinking and relaxing and as I approach the boardwalk I see her standing there, looking at the ocean. I could only see her back, but I was attracted to her. I walk up onto the boardwalk and stand next to her... I steal a few glances in her direction and she is gorgeous... not just her face and body but her attitude. The way she moved and the way she stood, it was poetic. I don't say anything, just stand there next to her for a few minutes... then I decide to go down to the beach, rationalizing that she dosn't speak english anyway (I was spineless). As I go to leave, I look back at her and she looks at me and smiles... I smile back and it lasted for an eternity. She was the one. The smile ended and I'm on the beach. I sit there and I realize that I need to talk to her, I don't care if we don't speak the same language, our eyes can say enough. I look up at the pier and she is still standing there alone (sucking on a lollypop {I will have that image with me for the rest of my life}). I get my courage up, finish my drink, finish my smoke, and I look up and she is still there, glancing down at me. I faulter, what if she rejects me? What if she is waiting for her boyfriend? What if... etc. I sit down again and look up; she is still there. I smoke another cigarette. I need to talk to her. I put my sandals on and get up. I look back and she is gone! I spend the next two hours looking for her around the boardwalk and beach... I lost her. I missed my opportunity. I have met plenty of beautiful girls in China, but she was special. fcuk i.t and fingercroxx i.t 
Mid-Autumn Festival: I went back to the beach this morning... not to look for my lost love, but just to relax, unfortunately the sun was out and so were the crowds. I did my best to listen to the waves over the droning, repetitive loudspeakers of photographer salesmen and trinket hawkers {Not to mention the mild roar of all the Chinese tourists}. It is Mid-Autumn Festival today (Full Moon Festival) and that didn't help the crowds any... but at night it got rather quiet, except for the firecrackers. I walked around and looked for a bar, but to no avail. I still had a buzz from my beer-in-a-bag that I had earlier, so it wasn't a big deal. (Hmmm, sounds like I am turning into an alchiee). Anyway, I ended up walking and cabbing the whole damn city and all I found were some empty bars; no party spots. I end up back at the beach where the moon peaks out from the clouds and, well, it was really romantic... wish I had talked to that girl. So, I do some flirting with the hot college girls on the beach. Sort-of, I would smile and say hello, they would giggle and say hello... sometimes we would even exchange names! P.S. My friend E-mailed me and said that she went to the General Manager of the hotel and has recovered my MP3... Damn assertive of her... I owe her big.
Hangzhou: I am now in Hangzhou and will be going to HuangShan today. I only meant to spend one night here, but I met so many good people at the youth hostel where I was staying that I kept staying "one more night"... been here 4 nights so far. I also met a friend from the G.E.P. who lives here, and she invited me to a University to watch the military training that is manditory for beginning Uni. students. It was interesting, and afterward the students gave some performances in front of the school... Mostly karaoke, but some good Chinese Opera and dances too. Haven't done much of anything else, just been hanging out and relaxing.
Huangshan: SPECTACULAR! It was maybe the most amazing natural landscape that I have ever seen. I had meant to go to Huangshan city (Tunxi) but I missed my stop and ended up in a little town at the base of the mountain. I met a few Chinese tourists on the bus and we made friends and ended up walking through the mountains together... The first day was foggy with occasional sun breaks to reveal cliffs and crags and mountain peaks, and then the landscape would disappear into the fog again. The fog wasn't the regular type that would burn-off during the day, it was more of a living thing that just moved into the shade of a cliff until it was dense enough to swim to the next mountain shadow. We didn't do too much hiking, we just ended up at the hotel on top of the mountain... no rooms for me so we shared a dorm. Also met some girls that were in the dorm across the hall... I kinda had a thing for one of them, but I was too shy to start anything because I couldn't tell if she liked me (which usually is a negative sign). We stayed up(not too late) playing 'assassin' and drinking beer. The next morning I saw the sunrise and it was even better than Taishan. But a different feeling... more energetic (Taishan was solemn). The bridge of immortality and the path that led to the bridge was, by far, the best part of the all the hikes.
A stone pagoda near the bridge of immortality. It appeared to be built without mortar.Then we were off to see the other sights, and then down, down, down, back up, down some more, up, up, up, down, up... and continuing on until knees become rubbery, backpack metamophosis into a leaded weight, and the beautiful scenery begins to mock us and grin with malicious intent... and then we are at the bottom.
A stone pagoda near the bridge of immortality. It appeared to be built without mortar.Nanjing: After Huangshan I went to Nanjing (after a days rest) and then back to Taiyuan. There is nothing worth mentioning about the trip except that the Nanjing WWII memorial was gruesome and the Youth Hostel sucked. After 17 hours on the train I arrive in Taiyuan at 8pm. I have so much energy from sitting on the train for so long that I don't sleep that night... the next day/night I just hangout with friends (until 7am - nap until 11am) and then go to a movie theater (at 1pm)and then do some shopping (at 7pm). Then we (Karl the Candian and I) caught an overnight train to Beijing (at 10pm), and didn't sleep because it was National Day and the only seat available was the "hard seat" which was quite soft but rigid, and they don't turn off the lights, and people walk up and down the isle all night yelling "Maps of Beijing" or "Hotel" (in Chinese), and people walking to the W/C bump the seats... continually, and now we are in Beijing (at 8am) waiting to see if anyone will check-out of the youth hostel, because everything is booked (because of National Day)... and... Yawn... Nevermind, I'll just sleep on the couch in the lobby. Goodnight/morning.
Nevermind Sleep: Nobody checked out of the hostel, so we ended up going to another hostel a little after noon, and things seemed to be looking up. There were beds available and I had checked in and was starting to pay when the receptionist explained to Karl that they couldn't accept him because his Visa was expired (By 20 Days!). So, being the good friend that I am, I cancel my room and accompany Karl on a wild goose chase for the fabled 'One Day Visa Extension'. We ended up seeing a few Unicorns, a Pheonix, and a Sleeping Dragon... but alas the Visa Extension was too difficult a quest even for us mighty adventures. Part of the difficulty, indeed, THE difficulty was because of National Day. Finding a Visa Extension was impossible because finding a government office that was open (let alone just finding the damn thing) was impossible. We give up and I ended up checking into a hotel that only required one Visa {Well they asked for Karls but I explained 'Yi Ga' meaning 'only one'... and whether the clerk took that to mean only one person staying or only one Visa I am not sure} and so we got to sleep reasonably early... only two days late. Karl left for the airport the next morning at 10am and as far as I know only had to pay a fine for overstaying his Visa... and hopefully is now on his way to Canada and not in a detention center. Good Luck Karl. Also: Because of National Day EVERYTHING must be bargained for in Beijing... I had to talk down a haircut, which dosn't help my confidence in getting a quality job. Even the water I was trying to buy in the stores were doubled... I asked the price on a souvenir that should cost about 15Yuan and the salesman told me 150Yuan! I eventually got it down to 30 and gave up and bought it (cause I really liked it). I also needed some tripleA bats. for my MP3 and a cheap set of 4 should cost no more than 10 (and even thats on the pricey side)... I went to pay the photo store clerk and he says "no, no, thats 10 EACH!!!". I laugh so hard that I can barely here him yelling "Wait, Wait, 5, 5 each, wait..." as I walk out of the store.
Out of Yuan: I was going to a concert today but I found some nice knock-off rolexes and bought them instead... I thought I had more money stashed at the hostel but when I returned I found out that I was down to my last 100... I am tempted to spend it and just use my room deposit to get to the airport tommorow...
Charge It: Well, I was trying to avoid using my credit card this trip, but what the hell, I will only live once. I went to the 13 Club and it was good. Getting there was really difficult because even the taxi drivers that were 2 blocks from the place didn't know where it was... I eventually made one use his mobile to call the place and then drive me the 2 blocks that I could of walked if I only knew its location. Stayed there listening to kick-ass music until around 2am and then caught a taxi back... it was easier getting back. Anyway, waiting for breakfast and then I am outta here!
Home: Its nice to be back but, Holly Crap, so many responsibilities. I will probably be moving to San Diego in the next week or three so I have plenty to do. Couple more photos for the road;
Yes, Yes,... its a paddle boat with a bunny head. But nothin' makes you feel more macho than to overtake it on the bend with a paddle boat sportin' a swan head.
Thirsty? Paddle on up.
Under the bridge and around the corner is a sweet roller-coaster 
Sweet Roller-Coaster 
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