Teaching

I've taught my first lessons yesterday, rather successfully I'd say, given that I'm trying to teach them a language they don't know by using that same language. The students are pretty advanced actually. They've had loads of coaching and teaching from Chinese instructors before they encounter the 'western teachers'. Thankfully, this ensures that when we're put in the same room together we have some means of communicating (besides hand gestures and slapstick humor). Really, we just want them to speak and practice English (which will involve struggle and occasional failure) because trial and error may be the best way to improve. However, a large part of Chinese culture is 'saving face'. Unlike in America where we have TV shows like 'Candid Camera' and 'Fear Factor' where people will happily make fools of themselves, nobody in China wants to look foolish no matter what. This means if they aren't sure of themselves in English, if their grammar isn't perfect or if their pronunciation is wrong, then they just won't speak. As I said earlier our goal is to create dialogue and facilitate conversations in English, but it's made a thousand times harder when the students just want to 'save face' and say nothing. It'll take time, but I'll learn the tools of the trade and become a master teacher.

Speaking of becoming a master, I've bought a book on Chinese characters and am going to make an effort to improve my Mandarin. The main encouragement is I'm tired of going to restaurants where I have to point at all my food...

Pictures!

I promised you pictures and I delivered!! What you see to the left is the view from my hotel balcony. The bottom part are what I affectionately refer to as 'the slums'. Its a place I'd avoid at night. Not that I have any hard facts, its just clearly not a place where westerners go much, let alone alone at night. Its fascinating to walk though during the day, very busy with little noodle houses being run out of peoples own kitchen. One room apartments with just a kitchen and a bed in it. Its poor, but people seem to make do as best they can. I can't say if there is high crime there, it looks very settled and peaceful. Beyond that you can see the buildings by the river and eventually the East Side (the business side). Its just loads of sky scrappers full of businessmen that stretches on and on. You can see a pretty good mix of China in this photo, the two worlds within Shanghai itself (three if you count the foreigner taking the photo).

This second photo is from the temple I mentioned in my last post. People would bow with incense to the 4 directions and then place the remaining incense in that box in the middle to burn off. You'll notice neither of these pictures is sunny. It hasn't been sunny really, and I don't expect it to be any time soon. It's constantly a little bit cloudy, a perpetual state of overcast, a consequence of the smog and pollution.

I think I've found a place to live now. I'll be able to move out of my apartment, but the problem is that I am supposed to be out of my apartment by Jan 2, but can't move in until Jan 13. I'll figure it out (maybe stay in a hostel). But the funny thing about it is the guy I'm renting from (or taking the place of) is not only American, but from my home town and our parents are friends and I graduated high school with his brother! Its a small world sometimes.

I don't have much to say about Christmas. I went to a marathon 2 1/2 hour long church service all in Chinese (there was thankfully a lot of singing and pageantry). I was a little bit harder to enjoy because I spent a lot of time someone would try to pick my pocket in the crowded church on Christmas, so that was a big Christmas downer [ so was being away from my family ]. To be honest I'm glad Christmas is over and I'm just excited to pick up my new suit next week.

MEAT!

I was going to title this "I got culture like yogurt" but decided to save that for another day. I've had more cultural experiences in the past 24 hours than you can shake a stick at. I've finally worked out how long I need to be at work each day, so that gives me more time to explore. Now I know I promised not to give a blow by blow of my daily occurrences (its.... well just not that interesting if I tell you I slept in and skipped breakfast today.... see boring), but I have to tell you about EVERYTHING from the past 24 hours.

Starting when I left work in search of a messenger bag. I was told to wander behind the building with the UFO perched on top (no, I'm not kidding, those were direct instructions). Eventually I found the giant knockoff market. Think of 4 stories of little shops full of knock off merchandise and people asking you if you want to buy a watch... or something. This was going to be my first attempt at bartering in Shanghai when I wandered into a luggage store with some DIESEL bags on the wall (I don't particularly care for the brand, it's just their knockoff bags are everywhere here, so they must be cheap. I asked the man how much for one and he told me 250 RMB (about 35 bucks). I started to walk away and he quickly revised his total to 30 RMB (about $4). I RULE at bargaining (for now).

After wandering down a never ending street of lights and shopping (seriously, neon lights everywhere like Times Square and it never ever ends... ever), the company was treating to dinner! After a brief subway ride we surfaced in an area of the city I'd never seen or believe existed before. Kind of like taking the T from downtown to Harvard Square, but instead its a magical world of bright flashy lights. We had Brazilian BBQ, but the only thing true about the name was.... there was meat involved; lots and lots of meat. Sure it started innocently enough with beef, pork, chicken and more beef. Then things turned for the unique with squid, octopus and eel. From there it got downright weird with chicken hearts, tongue and the thing. What I mean by that is there was something served which the chinese teachers told us was fish, that had the worst hard rubbery consistency (more like a tire than a sneaker) and tasted gross (sorry I don't have a better description than gross, I try not to think about it). In short, there was too much meat (yes, I said it, and I stand by it) and not enough for vegetarians (I hope we didn't have any - although they did pass around cantaloupe and watermelon wedges for desert at the end). Naturally the only way for this to end was to go Karaoke with our Chinese co-workers. It was about what you'd expect so I won't expand on it, but all I have to say is that the Chinese LOVE Karaoke!

This morning I was prepared to put my bargaining skills to the test again - I was going to the fabric market next to my hotel to buy a suit. I wandered around and found the ideal fabric (black with lil' white pinstripes) and hesitantly asked for the price. Here is where I went wrong see, because I thought I'd hem and haw and work the price down maybe to 600 RMB, when she threw out 500RMB/suit. I totally forgot to bargain and just said YES! I did work on bargaining for 2 shirts - which I'm excited about (i even get to choose the cuff type, the collar type, the fit, everything!). I pick them up in 1 week, I'll let you know how it goes.

The rest of today has been spent wandering around the city. I went to lunch at this lil restaurant in the middle of a very chinese neighborhood (like, foreigners don't go there). I couldn't have ordered very well on my own - I don't know how to say 'noodles' (something my Mandarin teacher in Boston skipped for some reason, as noodles are everywhere here). Anyway, a very nice girl who spoke English helped me order noodles with beef and a coke. Cost me a buck and a half for the lot of it (i still can't get used to it). Well, the traditional way for it to come is with the noodles in the bowl of soup and the beef with onions and peppers in a separate bowl which you mix into the soup. I didn't know that.... so when it came i kind of picked at them both without eating for a while until someone at my table (you all mix it up at the tables here) told me to mix them. It was delicious... but i still have splatter problems with the noodles.

Oh yeah then I saw this beautiful temple where they burned incense and bowed to the 4 corners of the earth in front of an ornate continually burning pyre. Culture.

Aimless

My boss is on vacation. I have a substitute boss who is training me, but everyone is very busy and has too much to do. As a result, I kind of get to set my own schedual (or at least I have). I actually have to get up and be at breakfast by 9 (or else I don't get any... they pack it away and give appologetic faces if you walk in at 930 - as I discovered). But then I stroll into work around 11. I'll watch a class or two and then I'm kind of free for the rest of the afternoon. It makes it a little difficult if there are social activities at my office in the evening (as I will not be arround unless I come back), but I'm managing.

Yesterday I tried walking home to my hotel, only to fail miserably and need to grab a taxi home. I did get to try out a little chinese resturant I'd been eyeing for a few days. Its always packed when I pass it on the bus, so i was very excited when I stumled across it (at dinner time!). I had no idea what to order (much less how). I ended up pointing at the very large picture of dumplings above the menue (because some of my students had told me it was good luck to eat dumplings on the shortest night of the year. Something about they are hearty and will keep your heart warm all year, which given the alternative I'm all for). Yes the dumplings were delicious but perhaps the best part about it all was the chopstick dispenser!!! Like the straw dispenser at McDonald's, you push on the little bar and a chopstick falls out, then you push it again for the second!!! I can't explain how delighted this made me and I struggled to take only my 1 pair (and not steal a second). I do want nice chopsticks and these were very sturdy, utilitarian and wooden (not porcelin or fake ivory). The trip to Shanghai is worth it for this alone...

In the meantime I'm still appartment hunting and trying to scrounge together something to do for Christmas. I'm not looking forward to spending it alone, but I'll make do somehow. Hopefully I'll find some mates to go celibrate with.

It is after all a Communist country

Well, its official. I don't think I will ever be able to see my blog while I'm here in China. If the colors look bad (china red for christmas) or the pictures have bad layouts (I know there aren't any yet, hold your horses), its not my fault - I blame the PRC (but in a very nice please don't deport met yet kind of way). Blogs are potential hotspots for anti communist activity (just like wikipedia), so us under the PRC aren't allowed to view them. Ah well, I'll blindly continue to type away then.

First of all let me say that speaking to the students at our holiday party was really inspiring. They were intelligent and eager to learn and could hold up their end of the conversation just fine. The topics of conversation did turn to the upcoming US presidential election, and i explained the 2 parties and the 2 sets of elections. Perhaps I shouldn't be discussing politics with the students (in fact it says not to in our handbook) but they started it...

So far I've been pretty much aimlessly drifting around each day, waiting to be told what to do (if and when I show up to work). They could use a more structured orientation program (it doesn't help my boss just peaced out for 2 weeks). But I've got time, sort of. I don't teach until January and I have until January 2nd to find an apartment. Wish me happy hunting.

I have seen a few select parts of the city. Its kind of hard to tour when you don't know what to see and you don't speak the language. Fortunately EF set me up on a half day sigh seeing tour this morning. There were highlights (like a beautiful Chinese garden with pagoda's, ponds and koy fish) and there were lowlights (like the 40 minutes in a pearl shop - kind of like the pit stops EF takes, but WAY worse).

On the side, when you go to China they warn you about all the con artists who will try to part you and your money. There are the young art students trying to bring you to their gallery, only to pressure you into buying bad overpriced art (or worse). They also warn you about the people who will ask to practice English with you and invite you to a tea house, only to have the tea house be CRAZY expensive and you loose your shirt paying for it. Well let me tell you ITS ALL TRUE! I walked down the main shopping drag for tourists (think downtown crossing mixed with harvard square) and was approached 3 times with EXACTLY those scams. I was polite this time, but I don't think I'll make it 1 year of scam artists trying to pray on me before I become less cordial.

I'm going out for a co-workers birthday tonight (who I just met today). I'll be sure to raise my glass to you Big Brother, for keeping all of us here in the Middle Country save from any anti-communist nonsense.

GREETINGS FROM SHANGHAI

TOUCHDOWN IN SHANGHAI!
I have finally arrived in China.

So it took longer than I expected, but I'm here. The past 3 weeks have been a whirlwind, and frankly, they have been a blast. I must have gained 20 pounds wining and dining, catching up and saying goodbye. I would say I squandered my last chances for a home cooked meal, but frankly, everything I did was terrific. I highly recommend telling people your leaving the country so they go nuts and throw massive celebrations in your honor.

Oh yes, and then I recommend actually leaving the country. I'm going to miss home, I miss it already. It didn't hit me until 1pm on the day I left Boston (7pm flight to Chicago) but I'm really going to miss being home, and the 3 week celebration of awesomeness didn't make leaving any easier. So I'm going to keep a stiff upper lip during hard times and remember I'm on an adventure.

The truth is i don't know what i'm doing here. I don't know why I chose Shanghai other than it would have me. But now were together and will be come very close over the next year. I know I could have chosen a less western city (heck, my first meal over here was KFC, I kid you not it was). But right now i'm feeling this is as out there as I can stomach.

To be honest, I'm probably still jet lagged and cranky, but when you arrive at a city renowned for pollution and smog, and when you show up the visibility is like, half a mile due to fog - you totally freak out a little bit. The weathers better today, but this is no ivory city, let just say the railing of my balcony in my hotel room fails the white glove test.

Oh yes, thats right, I have a balcony on the 16th floor of my hotel overlooking the city. Well, overlooking part of it, or at least the part that hasn't disappeared in to the distant smog. My hotel room is small, with a friggen plank for a bed, but for now its home. I had breakfast at the hotel, and thankfully they have a proper western breakfast with bacon and eggs (although they are hard boiled eggs soaked in tea... i didn't ask, but they weren't bad). I'll get more adventurous with the food, don't you wait, but at 7 am on my first day, i just wasn't feeling mystery broth.

I showed up to my new job in the EF MEGACENTER, which at least has a cool name. I mean, if you have to work somewhere where the architecture is straight from IKEA (pictures will follow) you might as well have a sweet name. I'll be teaching adults (as I thought). Also, as a bonus, tonight is a bit of a holiday party. Not quite what EF Boston's holiday party, but a party none the less. I'll get to meet my new co-workers and share a drink and frankly, I'm going to enjoy it. But before I do I need to get a nap..... stupid jetlag