1 year… That is how long I have been
living in China. It is kind of amazing really. Part of me feels like
time has flown, but another part of me feels like it has been 6
months, and another feels like the full year. Take that as you will.
I really don’t know what to say. I do
enjoy living here for the most part.
The food is good and diverse. Don’t
get me wrong, I love Korean food. It is yummy, but it can get
repetitive, and the lack of options of other ethnic foods really got
to me. Shanghai not only has Chinese food (that in and of itself
means nothing… as if I said American food), but readily available
and easily accessible food from all over the world. A bit like NYC,
but not to that level yet. Just wandering the streets you can find
restaurants from all over the world. Korea had a neighborhood for all
things not Korean, but Shanghai has expat neighborhoods all over, and
just different types of food all over. Part of it has to do with what
I mentioned earlier. What is Chinese food. Yes, in the USA there is
the westernized idea of Chinese food (though most of it is based on
Cantonese food). As I have been told, there are 9 distinct regions of
Chinese food, and each of those regions has their own flavors,
spices, and signature dishes. Then from there, they have unique side
dishes. But then each region also imports dishes from other regions
and customizes them… so there is diversity.
I think this diversity is why it is
much easier to find foreign food, and actually very good foreign food
in Shanghai. They are used to different flavors and different ideas
of food. So adding different ethnic foods to the mix isn’t that
odd. Korea, as it is so small and isolated, does not have that chance
for the same diversity. Yes, Busan has different specialties then
Seoul, and even their own styles, but really, it is not that much
different. For example OKC is about 200 miles from Dallas, and Seoul
is about 200 miles from Busan. Yes, there is a little variation
between foods from OK and TX, but not that much. China and the USA
are the same size. Think of the US, and how different regions are
well known for different food. Same in China. So in Shanghai, they
appreciate the uniqueness of different foods, and as such, different
foods are available all over.
Work is good. Not great, but good. I
often find myself comparing it to Korea. I feel Korea overworked the
students and put too much pressure on the kids, but I feel my school
does too little. In Korea, the kindy kids came every day and learned
for many hours and had homework. Here, they come 1.5 hours a week and
have optional homework (tracing letters). The local Chinese teachers
ask me how do Chinese students English compare to Korea, and I just
say that Koreans are so much better, but they spend so much more time
learning it. 1.5 hours a week is not enough. I am (on and off) trying
to learn Chinese. I know for a fact 1.5 hours 1 day a week is not
enough. Part of me is frustrated because I want the results I had in
Korea, but on the other hand, I am happy that the children here have
more of a chance to be children. Also, only having the kids for 1.5
hours a week, I do not feel I have the same relationship with the
kids that I did in Korea. I felt really connected to a lot of my kids
in Korea that I just do not feel with the kids I have now. I also
teach many more kids now which doesn’t help.
I recently took a trip back to Korea
for my former students graduation. It was amazing. Just seeing how
much the kids have grown and how much they learnt. I really feel
vested in those kids and I care what happens to them. Here in SH, I
do like my kids a lot, but I just do not feel that same connection to
them. After one year of teaching them here, it is about the same as 2
months teaching in Korea. But spread that out and you can see why it
is hard to have that relationship. I would love to see these kids
more often, but that's just not how it is done here. One of the
teachers at ECC said he never saw the kids as happy as they were when
I first went into the classroom. Its true, they lit up and all of
them rushed to me. It was a great feeling. As much as ECC could
stress me out, I do miss it and the kids. While I do see my kids here
improve... it is just different. I really felt like a part of my
kids in Korea, but not so much here. I do have my favorites of
course. But even that level is different than it was in Korea. I am
not sure, but when one of my favorites leaves, its more of an oh
well, I'll miss them. The kids in Korea, I still care about how they
are doing even though I have not taught them for a year.
The job though is not hard. It is easy.
I mean it is a lot more physical as we sing and dance and play games
a lot. But there is much less material and much lower goals that in
Korea, so it can be less stressful. But then again, some of the kindy
kids only go to school for my 1.5 hours and mommy and daddy don’t
discipline, so my class can be hellish. That can be stressful. I
often wish we did more and had more resources, materials, and better
goals for the students. We can set higher goals in the classroom, but
sometimes that is looked down upon. Status quo, and nothing more
seems to be one of the ideas.
My biggest problem and biggest
complaint by far are my days off. I have Thursday and Friday off.
Really its not that bad. But all…ALL of my other friends do not
have Thursday and Friday off. Very few people do. It is standard for
English teacher to have Monday and Tuesday off. 90% of my friends do.
After that, it is Tuesday and Wednesday 10% of my friends do. So they
have had get togethers, and gone of trips, or hung out on those days.
There are different groups that organize events on Sat and Sun or Mon
and Tues. None of which I get to do. I have not found any group that
does Thurs and Fri. This by far is my biggest complaint about being
here. I even asked if I could change days off… Well, my campus has
no extra classrooms, so I am out of luck. I have pretty much
accepted that as my fate for this year. It sucks, but what can you
do. So I really don’t let it get me too down. But next year when it
is time to renegotiate if I will continue working, that maybe one of
my stipulations. Granted, I am sure most of my friends may be gone
(turnover of ESL teachers), but at least then I will be on a schedule
with almost all others so I will have an opportunity to do more and
meet more people.
China is different. Its not as bad as
western media makes them out to be, but still being here, you can
feel and sense the difference. Everything from the elementary school
kids all walking with their red scarves (signifying basically future
communist) to the state run media, you can always tell there is
something that is not as open as what I was brought up in. There is a
sense of unquestioning loyalty and inability to question authority.
The teacher is always right, and you cannot second guess them. If
your teacher tells you their opinion, it automatically becomes yours.
You do not question what you are told. While Korea had the deep
respect for their elders, here, it seems to take it a step above
that. But it is really hard to quantify the difference.
Pollution is another thing that is bad
there. Not as bad as I thought it would be, but it is still something
to be concerned about. They say on the worst days, it is about equal
to smoking 1 pack of cigarettes a day. In Shanghai there are not many
of those really bad days. I still have a mask that I wear when the
AQI is bad, and also have an air filter in my apartment. Both are
cheap, so why put yourself in any harms way. Its one of those things
that you just have to accept. China is actually making huge strides
in lowering the amount of pollution it creates. You also have to
realize, that we (Americans) are a huge cause of this pollution. We
want cheap stuff. China makes the cheap stuff. Its cheap from China
because currently they have fewer environmental laws.
There are always some common
complaints/observances of China. Myself and most foreigners will say
these things. Spitting and anywhere being a toilet. Most other things
we easily get accustomed to... but these two are different. First
off the spitting. Hawking a loogie and spitting are rampant. Heck,
snot rockets are a daily occurrence too. Literally, there is not a
day that goes by without seeing and hearing a person hawk a loogie
or spitting or snot rocketing (close one nostril with you hand and
blow the snot out of the other nostril). I know in the west, we hawk
loogies and spit sometimes... but we try to show some sort of
manners. Here not so much.
For the toilet being everywhere. Well
it is as I say. All times of the day I see guys and boys peeing
everywhere (at least 1 per day). For girls It is different. Most
women are hard to find peeing in public... but there are tale tell
signs. An unsupervised kid running in circles or a stroller with no
attendant (Most of the times you see this near high grass or plants
and you can see mom or grandma popping a squat). Kids will and are
let go anywhere. I have seen too many guardians (mostly grandparents
but often parents) pull down their kids pants and hold them over a
trash can to use the toilet (boys and girls). The same holds true at
our campus. I have seen kids held up over a trashcan far too many
times or a bottle held up so the kid can pee into it in the hallway
too many times.
I appreciate that using the toilet is
not sexualized as it is in the states... nor is gender. If a kid is
brought up knowing there is a difference that is great. Knowing the
plumbing is different I really think helps. Also not thinking of a
rogue penis or vulva doing its function is 'wrong' is great for kids
here. But for sanitary reasons. There is a reason not everything and
not everywhere is a toilet. While the toilets we have at school are
gender specific... it is common for a boy to be using the toilet in
the girls room.... and a girl to be using the boys. That is all good
and well... but when I see a kid using a bottle in the hall or a
trashcan pee... well that is where I draw my limit.
Also the along with the bathroom
talk... It is amazing that many kids are unable to go themselves.
Kids will either go in the toilet with guardian and guardian pulls
down the pants... or if too crowded they get pulled down in the hall
by the bathroom. When the kids is done, the come out an guardian
pulls up pants. Same with wiping. Our youngest kids, I get... some
are 3 years old (western). But I have seen some early elementary
school need help too. I of course looked into it since I am not a
parent.. and most resources say that most kids can do it
independently between the age of 3 and 4 (though some parents check
to make sure they did good till 4.5 or 5). It says that almost all
kids should be able to do it by the time they are in kindergarten.
Well, not so here. I will continue this thought.
It is very weird here. The perceived
inability of some. While in Korea some kids were picky eaters and
needed to be coaxed to eat lunch... here it is different. We only
have the kids for 1.5 hours and still parents and grandparents feel
the need to feed the kids during our break. When I say feed I
literally mean feed. Guardian will hand feed these kids.... literally
putting a grape on a toothpick and putting it into the kids mouth. I
am not talking about just 3 year olds... but up until 7 and 8 (and
beyond). All the kid has to do is open their mouth and food goes in.
A lot of it comes from the one child policy in China... Grandparents
and parents get one one kid so you needed to spoil them. But because
of that... you have kids that literally need someone to do everything
for them. There is a line I know.... But getting kids to do things on
their own is a big part of learning. …
I have been taking Chinese classes but
I have not been taking them seriously. I want to learn but I do not
want to put in the effort, as I am not sure if it is worth the
effort. I am going to keep on taking my classes and maybe try a
little more to learn some.
I just moved to a new apartment. I
really liked my old apartment, but the landlord decided to sell it.
So I moved to a new apartment closer to where I work. Its not bad,
and it is in a much more Chinese feeling neighborhood, so I am
excited. It is also close to a foreigner neighborhood. But hopefully
in the compound I will be able to practice my Chinese with some
residents that live here. It would be fun to just sit out and play
'Go' with some old Chinese person. The biggest problem with the
apartment. Construction. They are building a new building next to the
apartment so it can be noisy early in the morning. I am sure that is
why this apartment was so cheap. I am not sure how much longer the
construction will last. But I figure that if it is loud for a couple
of months... oh well, I will be saving money. And When I lived in
Brooklyn the same thing happened. Such is the life of living in a big
city.
I want to find some talent. I know I
have said that before. I just don't know what kind of talent I want.
I say talent... but I mean more of a hobby or something to learn. I
have a lot of free time, and I would love to fill it doing something
productive instead of watching reruns of 'The West Wing' though it is
an amazing show. I bought a used flute awhile ago cause I thought
learning jazz flute would be fun (anchorman anyone?) but I brought it
to school and one of my students that actually plays flute pretty
much said it was crap and broken. I would like to play the sax, but
they are loud and expensive. Actually with any music... even bass
(which I would like to pick up again), my finger on my right hand
(that clicks when I move it) just really doesn't let me. I should
see if a doctor here can fix it.
I have also joined a gym by my new
apartment. I know I have joined gyms in the past and really never
took them seriously because I do not like working out. But this gym
has a pool. Swimming is the only exercise that I really enjoy. Is
like working out... but fun. Not saying I will get in shape by
swimming... but I am sure it will make me a little healthier and I am
okay with that.
I am also going to learn to cook. This
apartment has a legitimate kitchen. Small, but an actual kitchen. My
last apartment had a half kitchen... this is a real one... with
space. I love eating but cooking never made much sense to me. You
spend so much time doing it... to to stuff my gullet. If I was
cooking for more than me... I understand. But why would I want to
spend 30 minutes making something that I will eat in 5. Its hard to
justify it in my mind. But maybe I can learn to make a few dishes
that will last me for several days. I also plan on buying a new
grill. I bought a charcoal one at my last apartment.... but it was a
hassle. There is a beautiful portable propane grill at a foreign
market that I am really thinking about getting. Meat over fire is
really the only thing I know how to cook.
Oh... my surgery. Yes. I had to have
surgery over here. After I got back from Thailand my rear started to
hurt and I felt sick. It was persistent. Well, after some googling I
thought that maybe I had a prolapsed hemorrhoid So I went to a
hospital. Nope. Not a hemorrhoid It was a perianal abscess. Doctor
recommended immediate surgery. I said no. I went to work the next
day and left early. I went to a different hospital that was supposed
to be covered under my insurance (though it tuned out not to be). The
doctor did surgery that day. Under no anesthesia. The most painful
thing I have experienced. I spoke to another doctor and he said that
a foreign doctor would have given a local anesthetic... but this was
Chinese style. Other than the pain from surgery I felt relief. I went
back only to find out that I needed actual surgery with a hospital
stay and all of that. I did that, and they put half of my body under.
It was so weird being paralyzed from the chest down. And the surgery
was okay... but so weird being conscious as they worked on me. The
worst was when they cauterized my ass and I could smell the burning
flesh.
It was interesting. I think 'Scrubs'
really helped me out. I know that so many people are self conscious
and grossed out and embarrassed in a hospital situation. But I had
no problem baring it all to whomever was around. Same with all of the
other things that had to be done to me in the general region. Some
things were pretty gross... but doctors and nurses see hundreds of
people and have to do those procedures to many people... so might as
well make it easy for them by not making It a big deal. The only
really funny part was when they tried to hook me up to the EKG for my
heart rate. I do not think the tech had ever seen or worked on
someone as hairy as me. So it was hard for me to keep a straight face
and not laugh as she tried to hook me up.
I finished my one picture a day video.
I finished it on January 1st. But of course I did not post
it. But I am posting the you tube links here. So click on the
embedded link 1 second per picture or 2 seconds per picture.
I have so many pictures to share too.
Everything form my end of time in Korea till my current time in
China. Literally thousands of pictures. I will eventually try to go
though a put together a small album. But really, my photo a day
really captured a lot.
I know of course there is much more to
say... but one of the reasons I never post is that when I start
writing something... I decide there is more to say, so I never post
what I was going to say. This condensed version is only a single snapshot of life. So many things not said. Pretty much only things that were on my mind as I type. I know I did not even get into living in the political state of China... but that may be for a later time.
So far in China, I have seen a lot,
done a lot, ate a lot, and expereinced a lot. I really enjoy my life
here, so I'll be here for at least one more year. But after that...
who knows.
Video
