The Importance of Totem Poles

So I know I've been terrible at updating, but I have an excuse. It's been an incredibly busy week (or 2). Busy, but successful. I finished up my TEFL course- and passed!

My exam was in two parts- Last Friday and Monday. That Saturday and Sunday I observed classes at my new place of employment. All day long. But it was a lot of fun- the kids have a lot of energy and there is a good mix of ages so it doesn't get boring. I taught my first 4 classes at the nursery my company outsources to on Friday, and it was a lot of fun. The classes there are short- only 30 minutes, so there isn't much time to do anything other than give them kids a few vocab words and have them shout the words at you. But seriously- Chinese kids are so beyond adorable, there isn't even a word to describe them. I spent this weekend observing again. Although I'm itching to get out and teach, I was happy they decided to give me a little more time to get comfortable. This company really seems to have their act together, and they're all as nice as can be.

Last Monday I got a bit of bad news. The owner of the awesome apartment I was going to rent got an offer to sell her place, and because we had no contract, went for it. I can't blame her- it was an awesome place. But with the help of Michael and Xian, I found a place I like ALMOST as much. The location is actually much better, but the place just isn't quite as nice. But I know I'll be happy here. I'll make sure to post pictures. I found the place at 6pm on Tuesday, and moved in at 9am on Wednesday, with the help of my friends Jonathan, Michael and Xian. They also helped me set up Internet and took me to buy the most important thing I'll ever buy in my life: An e-bike.

Yes, I am now the proud owner of an electric bike. It's basically a scooter or a moped. The batteries weigh a ton, take ages to charge, and it only works for like an hour at a time. But it's the best way to get around Suzhou. Although I bought it on Wednesday, today was the first time I took it out on the road. OK, actually, Jonathan did like 90% of the driving, but it was good to practice, and we drove around the lake and discovered some fantastic and beautiful spots. Having the bike will allow me all sorts of freedoms- it's hard to just get out an explore the area if you can only walk, and unless you speak Chinese, a taxi is only going to get you to the address you request. Because my weekends are so full at work, I less than 6 hours total between Monday and Friday, so I'll have plenty of time to do some more exploring. Plus, it's bound to be stolen soon, so I should enjoy it while I can.

So more about the classes. As I said, the kids are really cute. At the language center, where I'll work on the weekends, the kids range in age between 3-15. They spend a lot of time reviewing previously learned material, and I'm constantly wowed by their ability to retain information. Chinese children learn from a young age in school to memorize, memorize, memorize. So when they're given, say, a list of 25 foods in English, they'll come in to class with the list memorized in order. No questions asked, it's just how they work. But some of the vocabulary the book gives them is kind of strange. One class I observed was learning vocab from a unit on Alaska- and one of the vocab words was "totem pole". Think about it. Is this a word you'd really need to know to have a working knowledge of the English language? I couldn't get over it, and I wasn't the only one- the teacher cut it from the lesson. But who knows, maybe 20 years from now, one of these kids will be hired by an American company and be sent to work in Alaska, and they'll be humiliated when they have to ask their guide what the tall carved poles are.

Because yet again I just have a list of random things to talk about, I'll give you some more things I've learned:

1. Buying $2 Chinese wine is not the same as buying 2 Buck Chuck.

2. It's probably a good idea to check and see if your neighbor has an incredibly strong unprotected wireless network BEFORE you drop 1000 yuan on a year's worth of Internet service.

3. It's quite a bummer to discover your brand new bike is too big to fit in the elevator, so every day you have to lug two incredibly heavy batteries to your apartment to charge.

4. I've watched two full seasons of How I Met Your Mother in like 4 days. Just wanted to brag.

5. Best English name encountered in a Chinese class so far: Mysnoopy. Runners Up: Bobo and Kslow.

6. Chinese people love Crocs. Love them. Everyone wears them- young, old, dress up, dress down. If I had, hypothetically speaking, given in and bought a pair of orange ones, would you still be my friend?

7. Side note: Crocs are the only shoes in my size that I've found so far.

8. A Walmart the size of an airport hanger, complete with H&M, Zara and Next is opening up down the street at the end of the month. It's all the Chinese people can talk about. Or me, for the matter. Walmart!!

9. A box of cereal cost me more than a train ticket to Shanghai.

10. I decided not to pay for TV in my new apartment, because I'd rather buy DVDs pay for satellite TV, and the basic Chinese TV only has one channel. I watched it a few times in my hotel, and it was always the same. News followed by a tourism "documentary". My favorite? The story of the world's biggest jade Buddha statue, located somewhere in Northern China. Check it out. It's in the Guinness Book of World Records. Not under "World's Largest Jade Sculpture". Just "World's Largest Jade Buddha Sculpture." If someone knows where the largest is, please let me know. I'm dying to find out.

OK, pretty lame list, I know. But it's late and I'm tired, and I'm not stopping to take a nap in the middle of this entry (although, truthfully, I did stop to go out to dinner for a friend's birthday). But now that I'm settled and have a more regular schedule, I will have more time to update. And pictures this week, I PROMISE.

Zai Jian,
Rachel

Your Chinese for the Day: Sui Hui Lu (It's the name of my new street :) )