OK, I will admit I wrote like nearly all of this blog a few weeks ago, but for some reason I can't remember, I delayed posting it. And forgot about it. But here it is, now up to date!
TIC is my new favorite phrase. I was at the Western market a few weeks ago at the check-out, when Christmas music came on the speakers. The English woman in front of me turns around, sighs, and says, "Christmas music in May. TIC." "TIC?" I asked. "This is China." And that basically sums up everything. Now every time I have a question about why people do things the way they do here, I just remind myself: TIC.
Not a lot new to report- work and gym as usual. I've tried some new things over the past few weeks. The first was spinning- which I was nervous to do, but ended up loving. All the instructions were in Chinese, of course, but Mike and Sharrif came with me, so we coped together. But it was a good workout and I look forward to doing to more regularly. I can see why people say it's addictive.
I've also started playing badminton. Of course it's quite popular here, so I figured I might as well get in on the fun, although the last time I played it was during PE freshman year of high school. So far, I'm not to bad. And it's surprisingly physical, especially when you have to keep dodging the birdies your roommate keeps aiming for your nose, or when your friend decides that any shot less that 10 feet above your head is unacceptable. The first time I played, my arm ached for days. But I am really enjoying it- despite the fact that the hot weather makes playing in an un-air-conditioned gym really, really unpleasant.
Last month I noticed that the nursery schools that I teach at suddenly had a sharp increase in security. We're talking full-time cops, barbed wire, security cameras, security badges, 2-3 levels of gates to enter the property. It took me a while to discover the connection, but the increased security is a result of the multiple shootings recently at nursery schools across China. So the schools that can afford it are increasing security ten-fold. It's refreshing to see how quickly the Chinese react to a problem- I have to imagine that if this happened in the West, measures would be taken, but not so rapidly. However, I almost laughed at the sheer stupidity when the construction worker was out on the playground, putting together a tall security fence with sharp spears on the end, welding without any sort of eye protection on. With children no more than 10 feet around him, also not protecting their eyes. They'll be safe from intruders, but blind.
Classes are all going well, not much to report. I took my private student, Ting Ting, who is 14, out to dinner at a Western restaurant by her home, because I want to introduce her to the lifestyle (she hopes to study abroad). We were accompanied by her mother, who speaks only a little English, and Danny. The dinner went well, although Ting Ting was pretty overwhelmed being around all the foreigners, and was frustrated about the prospect of using a fork and knife (which she solved by just ordering pizza). When we ordered drinks, Ting Ting's mom told Danny she wanted to try a foreign beer, so she settled on Corona. Danny and I got them as well, and Ting Ting's mother asked her if she wanted one. She said no, but as she was eating she choked and grabbed her mother's beer and took a sip. She said she liked the taste, so her mother ordered her one. So I sat at the table with my 14 year old student while the two of us sipped Corona. A little surreal, but TIC.
My older students, the 4 wealthy men, are a little more trying. Since the only topic that can hold their interest is sex, I have resorted to planning my lessons around that. One week we did Yo Mama jokes, which they liked, but were overwhelmed by the vocabulary. Also did jokes- one they got two versions of the limerick "There once was a man from Nantucket..." both the clean and dirty versions. Didn't work so well, but it did encourage them to tell me dirty jokes that forced them to translate from Chinese to English, so not a total bust. In our last class I taught them to play Texas Hold'em Poker- they were very interested in the vocabulary. We also played "Bullshit", which I haven't played since summer camp, but they really liked lying to one another.
So what else to add? Two weeks ago Sunflower held a team-building day in the botanical gardens on the outskirts of SIP. We played laser tag modeled after the video game Counter Strike, where I was killed within about 5 minutes by my boss George. It was a long day, filled with various team building exercising, like building a catapult to launch water balloons or bouncing a ball on a drum held up by ropes. It was fun but incredibly hot- I had a nice farmer's tan by the end. The biggest benefit? The company that hosted spoke no English, so we missed the lectures on communication and team work, and didn't bother having our Chinese coworkers translate :).
Last week several of my friends and I went to an indoor ski slope in Shanghai. I've never skied in June before, so it was pretty cool. For about $30 you get to ski for the entire day, plus they give you a snow suit and all the ski equipment. The slope was a bit short to be exciting, but the experience was great, and next time I go I think I'll try snowboarding.
So that's really about it for me. Summer classes begin next month, and rumor has it we'll be working 7 days a week, but I'm not certain yet. I'm not thrilled but to be honest, Suzhou summers are so miserably hot that it's not like I'd be outside much anyway. I'm for sure staying for the foreseeable future, but I'm in the process of evaluating exactly what I want to do after my contract ends in August. I will keep you all updated.
Oh yeah, and my Kindle broke :(. In the middle of a book, no less! But I can get a fake one here, so that's the plan. The Kindle that was saved in Hong Kong couldn't survive having a wood stand dropped on it.
Hope all is well with everyone, and as always, I miss you all so much!
A few pictures I stole from my friends:
XOXO,
RDG
Your Chinese of the Day: ta ma de - (the Chinese version the the insult "your mom...", but it translates to "his mom's...")
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