It's Not That I Don't Love You, I'm Just Really Lazy

I think the title says it all. I've been meaning to write another blog- honestly. But I just haven't had anything particularly interesting to write about. I mean, one or two things will pop up, and I think, 'By golly, I need to put that in the blog!'. But a one sentence blog isn't going to appease anybody. So I store up all these little things and finally, after a week (or two) have enough to say. Things have been going well- still teaching 6 days a week, still taking Chinese lessons, still going to the gym. Wow, that reads like a thesis statement and a decent M.O.D. Yay AP English!

Teaching- They've finally given me what appears to be my permanent schedule. The best thing about it is that my weekends have been reduced to 9-5:30 on Saturdays, and just 1-2:30 on Sundays, which allows for some semblance of a normal social life. However, I know new classes will start on Sundays, and they'll be given to me, so I'll enjoy this schedule while I have the chance. At this point I have classes I love, classes that annoy me, and one class I hate.

Oh, the class I hate. It's about 15 7-year olds. This was my second week teaching them, and they didn't get any better. They're all naughty- they like to poke at me when my back is turned and stick out their tongues rather than repeat vocab words. But we use a star system in Sunflower- good behavior earns stars, bad behavior makes them disappear. If they earn a certain number over the weeks, they get something stupid, like a Snoopy eraser. But they, especially the younger kids, go nuts for these stars. So with the naughty class, I just keep taking them away, which keeps them somewhat under control. But I have one kid- he just pushes me to the breaking point. Let's call him Billy-Bob, because he's fat and has the nastiest black teeth I've ever seen.

-A quick side note: In China, there doesn't really seem to be the same emphasis on 'Special Ed' or learning disabilities in schools. So every kids is placed in the classes, which means we occasionally get kids like Billy-Bob, who clearly need Ritalin or one of those leashes you strap your kids to.-

So Billy-Bob can't sit still. He's out of his seat every 5 seconds. Or under it. Or on top of it. Or chewing on it. He punches me in the stomach, he bugs the little girls, and on top of it all, he can't pronounce a word to save his life. He seems to have some ability to memorize the vocab, but can't say it. So on Saturday, we were playing a game that the kids love, called 'Wolf Wolf, What Time is It?', where I stand on one side of the classroom with my face to the wall and call out times, and they take steps forward, until I run around and chase them. Well, this was the first time this class has played this game, and they were loving it. But while I was standing with my back to the class, Billy-Bob runs up and pushes me into the wall. I had it with him. Both the TA and I grabbed him, and sat him down, and yelled "[Billy-Bob], no! Sit down!". And that was it. Not too bad, right? Well, during the break, Billy-Bob's mom comes in and tells the TA she and I are too mean to him. We need to exercise patience, and be his friend. I laughed. BB is a perfect example of the 'Little Emperor'. He's spoiled rotten. He probably weighs like 100lbs, and his mom still carries him. I just find it funny because I never thought I'd get complaints for being too strict! Generally, Chinese parents expect and encourage it!

It's not all bad though, as I said before, I have classes/ kids I just adore! I've also gotten to name some more. Dad- you'll be happy to know, I named one Jeff! I'll name them for all of you over time, I'm sure! Oh yeah, did I mention that no one here can pronounce my name? It's just so strange, coming from a country where it's super common. I notice it most often in the spelling- Richel or Rechal.

Chinese lessons are going well, although I need to devote more time for studying in between lessons. But I'm at the point where I ask everyone I know for help- the TAs at school, my trainer, Chinese friends, etc. Oh yes- I made some Chinese friends! The first night I went out with them, they took me for hot pot- which is where they bring a big ying-yang shaped bowl to the table filled with hot "soup"- one mild, one incredibly spicy. Then you mark down on a piece of paper what meats and veggies you want, and they bring them out to you. You put them in the pot, and eat up. It was very good, and Amy and Margaret were great company.

It was at that meal that I ate pig's brain. Yes. The brain of a pig. And yes, it looks like a brain. And has the texture of what you'd imagine a brain to taste like. I had a few bites and politely tried to hide it in my bowl. I went out with Margaret again tonight, and had a fantastic Chinese meal, free from all known strange animals.

Still going to the gym. Trainer is still adorable- except that this morning he made me climb up the stairs at the building next door. All 20 stories. On the upside, he did it with me- which I choose to believe is because he wanted to rather than didn't trust the lazy Mei Guo Ren (American) to not walk up like 6 stories, sit down and have a nice 20 minute nap. But I'm still motivated to go tomorrow, despite that, so all a good sign.

So I think that does it for me. Fairly busy week ahead- going to do some more site seeing during my day off tomorrow, and then teaching the rest of the week. Thinking of you all!

XOXO,

RDG

Your Chinese for the day: 瑞吉儿- Rui Ji Er, My Chinese name :)

Sister Act 2- Back in the Habit

Well, hello there. Please sit down, and I will tell you a tale of intrigue and suspense. Ok, not really at all. I'm back in my normal routine of teaching. The holiday went through last Friday, when I returned in full force to the classroom. Friday and Saturday were fairly easy days, just 2 hours each, and then Sunday was another 9am-8pm day. As far as those go, it wasn't so bad.

See, this is why I don't post often- my life can be pretty boring! After sitting around the last few days of my time-off, I decided to get off my lazy butt and join a gym. The combination of the e-bike and access to Western food is not good for the gut. So I picked the only gym I know about, since I can see it from my apartment. It's called Powerhouse, which they tell me is an American brand, but I've never heard of it. But anyway, very nice facility, would be considered high-end even by American standards. My first two sessions I got to work with a personal trainer. His name is Xiong, and he speaks English fairly well. I mean, he has no problems with words like biceps, forearm, and nutrition, but we spent a good five minutes going over the pronunciation of the word "towel".. The first two sessions went so well I decided to hire him a couple times a week. I help him with his English, and he helps me with my Chinese, so it's kind of a win-win. But I've committed to going 5 days a week, since Mon-Fri I work so little. So fingers crossed I'll stick with it, but so far I actually look forward to going (and not entirely just because Xiong is so completely adorable).

What else? I finally got paid today! Which is important for several reasons, the first being the most obvious- I haven't been paid since I left the Embassy at the end of June. The less obvious reason is that I now how enough cash to open a Chinese bank account, which is important because I need to be able to pay my bills, since one of these days I am going to wake up to no electricity and/or water. It's also fun to be handed a wad of 100rmb bills rather than a paycheck. Makes me feel like a gangster.

Wow, I'm actually struggling to think of something to write, and as witnessed by my ramblings belows, that's not usual. So it's probably best to do what I sometimes do- just jot down little musings and thoughts on China. You people like bullet points, don't you?

• Today I saw an armored car picking up cash from a bank. With 8 soldiers holding guns in a ready-to-fire stance. No joke.
• The stores are filled with long-johns, and it's still like 70 degrees outside. But to be fair, it's already pretty chilly riding around on the bike. So I bought a pair when I was at Walmart. Just the first of many, I'm sure.
• One of my students got so excited in class the other day when we were jumping around shouting and acting out words that he punched me in the mouth while chanting "hope hope hope" over again.
• I can no longer wear dresses/skirts to school. Kids are perverts.
• I had some more pointless words to teach at the same school that force me to teach "mete" and "dene". This time we had "tun", which is an antiquated British measurement of liquid volume, especially wine casks. Essential to know, right?
• But on the positive side, one word I had this week was "cute", which was an excuse for me to poke each kid in the cheek while reciting the word. They are so freaking cute.
• I got to name my first student this week. I was caught off-guard and named him Simon, since he had glasses and spiky hair and looks like Simon from Alvin and the Chipmunks.

And that's really all I've got. But, as always, I am happy and safe, so I guess that's all that matters. Will be back soon, hopefully with more exciting things to pass along.

XOXO,

RDG

Your Chinese of the day:

Wo chang lai darao ni, hen gup yi bu qu: I am sorry to trouble you so often

(OK, I have Chinese tutor in like 10 minutes, so I just flipped through my book and picked this out. Should come in handy, though!)

Holiday Season in China

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! This is the week of holidays here in China. Thursday was National Day, which celebrates the anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (60th). The streets are decorated with these incredible flower statues (see pictures below), and lots of red and gold lanterns and banners. Saturday was the Mid-Autumn Festival. I don't really know what it is, but it has something to do with the moon, which is full right now. The Chinese people freaking love the moon. And mooncakes. Which I don't care for.

But yes, vacation. It started Thursday, and continues until next Friday, when classes begin again in full force. So far, I've been making good use of my time off. Wednesday and Saturday I ventured into another Chinese nightclub, which I've written about before. It is just such a strange environment. The music is loud and the ambiance decadent, like in a Western night club. But there is no dance floor, just dozens of little tables people claim and stand next to. People just kind of dance where they are or climb up on a speaker. But in general, it's a place to be seen ordering an expensive bottle of whiskey rather than showing off your dance moves. Thursday I was feeling a bit under the weather, so aside from Chinese tutor, I took it easy. Friday I was feeling a lot better, so I joined my friend Christina and two other Irish women, Mary and Grainne, and Mary's two young children to take a tour of the Suzhou silk factory. Suzhou is famous for its silk, and unlike most of the tourist attractions in Suzhou, this one is free. Well, relatively. They give you a tour, showing you how silk is made, and then take you to the very big store, where you drop your money. Some of the stuff was gorgeous, but having very little need for a handmade silk duvet cover, I went the cheap road and bought a scarf, because I'm already getting a bit chilly riding around on the bike, and it's still like 70 degrees out.

Walking around with Mary's two adorable blond hair, blue eyed children was a very different experience. I get occasional stares, but, as my Chinese tutor pointed out, aside from the fact that my eyes are pretty deep-set and light in color, I have a lot of similar features to a Chinese person (skin, hair color, and height, for example). This, of course, is debatable, but beside the point. Everyone came up to stare at these poor kids. They poke at them and follow Mary around. The 1 year old doesn't seem to notice, but the 2 year old hates it, and I feel for her. How Mary maintains her composure with people constantly poking and prodding her kids, I don't know. But I sure do admire her for keeping her cool.

After the factory we met up with Grainne's husband and a new friend of hers, a lovely Israeli woman who just moved from Beijing with her husband. We had a delicious Chinese meal by my apartment. I've been eating a lot of Western food recently, and I forget how good Chinese food can be. It is especially good when you go with a big group, since the food is meant to be ordered together and shared. That way, there are lots of good things to try.

Saturday I treated myself to a manicure at a Singaporean spa. I also found the best/most dangerous place ever next door to it. It is the mecca of imported food. I walked in, and it looked tiny, and pretty unassuming. When I noticed a sign for the deli, I headed downstairs (deli meat is a rarity here). And bam- it was like I was in an American supermarket. OK, not huge, but the stuff they had was like being at home. Way better than the place I wrote about last week. Also far more expensive. So I won't be shopping there normally, but it was nice to know if I am ever craving Doritos or Spaghetti Os, they are just up the street.

Sunday I spent some time riding my bike around the area, just enjoying the incredibly beautiful weather. I went out to Times Square, the big outdoor mall, just to walk around.

Today (Monday), I ventured out to the new shopping center near the Walmart. This place was massive- like if you took 2 Mongtomery malls and stacked them on top of each other. Many of the stores have yet to open, but they had a wide-variety of familiar stores- Sephora, Lenscrafters and H&M, for example. I went into H&M, and was happy to see they stocked some Western sizes. I bought a couple of turtlenecks and some gloves, in preparation for the winter.

I've also been watching a lot of movies and TV shows on DVD. And as I've already whined to some of you, I have occasionally picked up English movies only to come home and find that they've been dubbed in Japanese. With Chinese subtitles. It's annoying, but it's what I get for paying $1.50 for DVDs of movies that aren't out yet at home.

Movie recommendation time! I watched a movie called "The Boat that Rocked", a British movie that is being released soon in the US under the name "Pirate Radio". Excellent music, at least in the version I watched, which was, of course, dubbed in Japanese with English subtitles. But I thought it was hilarious, and the best movie I've watched out here.

What else? Oh, I got my bike fixed! It appears that the steering column had been broken. We're not sure how it happened, but theories include poor craftsmanship, a bad pothole, or that someone had attempted to steal it. Whatever the case, I kept putting off getting it fixed because it is still under warranty, and I was having trouble dealing with the shop I was supposed to take it to- they were rude to my tutor, who was my translator. So I decided to go for convienence over money, and it ended up being a wise move. I took it to a shop about 500 feet from my apartment, shook the bike to show him the problem, he pointed to his watch to indicate I should come back in a hour, I did, it was done, and he charged me 25rmb. That's like $5. Good as new.

And that is that, my friends. Below are some pictures I took while cruising around SIP. I may head to a garden this week, so I'm sure I will have more photos to add shortly.

China 5

XOXO,

RDG

Your Chinese for the Day:

Wo yao liang ga de shi er ga= I want two of the 12th one (How I ordered my lunch off the picture menu today. Shut up, this was a big deal for me!)