Wander Life

Getting organized

As for me, yeah, busy little beaver.  But, my house guest left last night about 8:30pm, so maybe now I'll start to get caught up a little more.  I had class at 8am this morning, and then I worked for a couple hours at cleaning up our office, which the school has designated for foreign teachers but no one really uses because it's away from the other Chinese English teachers (and, actually, in a building away from all the other staff except two Chinese teachers) and because it doesn't have a computer or phone line.  Everyone figures that they can prepare lessons better in their apartments because that's where our resources are (especially the Internet).  However, N and K and I have said that it would be nice to set up the office with some resources and English books and spend a little time having some office hours.  That way, if students and Chinese English teachers need to talk to us or want to come somewhere to use some English materials, they can. 

It was pretty much a mess - papers and ink bottles and whatnot scattered around, so I just kind of made stacks and piles.  Then N and K and I will go through it and try to set it up.  Figures that just as I finish up organizing my apartment, it's time to start another organizational undertaking, huh?  : )  But, I've kind of decided that one of my roles here might be to help get things ready for the next teacher and to help N and K get things set-up since they're planning on being here at least another two years (they're kind of thinking of going to language school up in Changchun after that...then maybe back here, even). 

So, anyway, that's the day thus far.  I have another class in about 45 minutes and then just one more class for the week (tomorrow, after I have my grad class - every other Thursday I have a class at 8am, but this is an off week).

So, that's what's going on.  Now that my apartment is looking pretty good (and besides the "setting up the office" project), I mostly have to organize my teaching materials - make rosters, plan some curriculum, set-up a grading scale, etc.  Since I hit the ground running and started teaching the day after I arrived, I've just been flying by the seat of my pants from week to week, which has been working but, obviously, isn't the best way to have meshing lessons.  Plus, it's probably not the best for a person's stress level.  : )

OK, so I better hop to it.  After I finish my projects, maybe I'll actually be able to check out the area more, take pics, spend time with people, etc.  And maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to catch up on my e-mailing some day.  : )

Bedroom with a View

 

Laundry Drying System

Hanging your clothes in your living room is so shabby chic.

Small world

I've already had my morning class, but I must admit - I'm pretty tired this morning.  Stayed up a bit late last night...but it was fun.  I guess birthdays only come once a year, so it's ok.  : )  As I already mentioned, N and K and I went to the International Hotel for dinner.  It was spendy for China ($10 a person), but it was a pretty doggone good buffet.  It was nice because it really did have food from all over the world - sushi, various Chinese dishes, European, miscellaneous "Western" dishes...even some sort of fish that was said to be Scandinavian (the menu called it "lumpfish," so perhaps they meant lutefisk?).  Anyway, there were two other "foreigners" in there - one looked to be something like slavic, but (and this is some sort of game that people kind of play here - "Guess where the foreigner is from"), we weren't exactly sure on the other guy.  I thought either American or Canadian or, possibly, British, but then we were wondering what he was doing there because business guys usually are in groups (either with a translator or with Chinese businessmen), and he was dining alone.  So, as we were standing at the dessert bar, I asked if he knew what some mysterious cake thing was (to see if he spoke English), and, though he didn't know the dish, I did find out that he was from Spokane.  So, that's kind of a small world.  There isn't a lot of foreign business up here, yet, but that's what he was here for - he's in the aluminum business.  So...there ya go.

After dinner, N and K taught me the card game "Dutch Blitz," and, though I'm not the best at speed games, it was fun. 

So, that's about it.  I have class again this afternoon, and then, tonight, we're teaching a cultural lecture.  Should be interesting.

Ok, I guess I'll drop you a few more pictures and then get to work on teaching stuff and my apartment - two never-ending jobs.  : )  Going on the four hours of sleep I had last night should make it all the more fun, too, huh?  : )

Here's the view from my sink to the dining room.

And the view out my door. Which is where I'll be heading shortly!

**click pictures for larger image**

Pictures!

Here are a few pictures of the apartment, like the view of my living room, and the view of my bedroom.

There's also one that I just took to show you the construction that they're doing on our apartments (actually, I have construction going on out all three of my windows, but this is from the kitchen window).   

They're putting in pipes for the gas, instead of the propane tanks that we now use.  It's pretty big news around here.  : )

   

where I am on my birthday

So far, the day has been a good one.  N and K, of course, wished me a happy birthday, as well as one of the Indian students (whom I've never met...but he called me and said that he had seen my file while he was in the foreign affairs office and saw that it was my birthday,  so that was nice). 

I had class for my two periods this morning then opted not for going to noodles for lunch (though N and K invited me) because I had some things I needed to work on.  I'm still definitely behind with just about everything, but it's coming along.  Our personnel advisor is coming this weekend and staying with me, so I really have to get my apartment in some sort of order by then.  I truly have been working on it in all my spare time, but between teaching, preparing for teaching and all the social obligations (which aren't bad since that's building relationships is one of the main reasons I'm here...but still, takes time), it's slow going.  But...I guess a little hard never hurts, ay?  : )

Anyway, after lunch, I had another two periods - this time with my graduate class that I see every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon - and that was really good.  Last class, I had taught them the Hippocratic Oath, and today we talked about difficult decisions, choices and situations...especially ones that they would (or do) face as doctors.  It's nice that they are adults because I don't have to be as careful as I had to be with minors, as far as discussions go.  We talked about some really tough stuff today (stuff stemming from the eight principles in the Hippocratic Oath and the value of life - babies, euthanasia vs. "pulling the plug," etc).  I don't really give my opinion (unless they ask what I personally think) - I just pose the questions, teach them some English words and phrases relating to it and share what the different sides of the debates are in the West - that's my job...but I love it.  : ) 

They are some really bright people, and it's amazing being able to help them communicate better what they think - they have a lot to say about China and its development and problems that it's facing.  Of course, I don't have all the answers, but I guess that's the point of discussions - we're kind of brainstorming and presenting things to each other.  It's a big responsibility for me, though, because they keep telling me, "America is a developed country, and China is a developing country..." and then they want to know what I think about certain issues and how China can develop - I really have to realize the impact of what I say.

Anyway, I best be off to dinner now.  Oh, I'll soon send a few pictures of my apartment.  As I said, it still has a ways to go (especially the guest room), but, anyway, you'll be able to see it.  Also, just as a fun fact - I got a hole in my trousers (my cords) fixed today at the tailor down the road, and it cost a total of one yuan - which is one-eighth of a dollar.  They did a really good job, too.

So that it's. Happy birthday to me.

Peanut butter and bread

The quest for peanut butter yesterday was a success.  It's not the same as Jiffy or anything, but it'll certainly do.  I also got all kinds of breads at the bakery and immediately tried them all.  : )  Some were pretty doggone good, even if they were kind of different (like the ones filled with bean paste or the ones with a yellowish garlic(?) glaze or the one with some sort of fig paste filling).  After my bread taste-testing, I went down the road for jiaoza (the steamed dumplings), and the young server guy there spoke pretty decent English (which is pretty unusual for people working in small restaurants and shops).  He had learned it at school, he said.  So, all in all, a successful evening. 

Now I have class at 8am this morning, so I better get ready.

Monday by the Sea

It seems like you've passed on the cold weather to over here - we also got snow today!  Just a light dusting on the ground, but still - it's been pretty nippy the last couple of days.  I still managed to go for a run this morning, though, so it's not unbearable.  I actually haven't even busted out the long johns, yet, so you know it can't be too bad.

Anyway, things are busy as ever for me but going well.  My schedule of 4 periods a day for 4 days is nice and balanced, and that also means that by now (Tuesday at 4:30pm), my week is half over.  I just got done with my grad class this afternoon, and we had a good discussion today: we talked about values, materialism, what is most important to you, etc.  Maybe on Thursday we'll discuss values for doctors and the Hippocratic oath (oh, how thankful I am for the Internet because it's not exactly like I would have had that memorized).  : )

I'm still pretty much in "catch up" mode, but I made a lot of headway this past weekend. Hopefully, this weekend, I'll be able to finish up getting my apartment squared away and writing out class rosters and all of that.  I don't like being behind on things, but so far, I've pretty much just been able to plan for the very next thing. Like for my grad class this afternoon, I was still finishing the lesson plan at lunch!  Yikes - that's cutting it a bit fine for my tastes.  Speaking of "cutting it fine," I can tell that being back in China is messing with my English again.  N, K and I often comment on how, especially after a class, we speak with much more enunciation, use smaller words, speak in choppier sentences and bust out British words and phrases out of nowhere.  I'm back to saying "football" for soccer, "holiday" for vacation, "trousers," "queue," "lovely," etc.  Ah well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.  : )

Ok, I'm off to the store to see if I can scrounge up something for dinner.  Maybe something from that amazing bakery will catch my eye.  I'm also on the look out for peanut butter, but that might be a bit optimistic.  One can always try, though.  I'll keep you posted....  : )

Reasons for being out of my apartment

I know I owe you guys some pictures, but I just haven't gotten settled at all, yet - keeping pretty busy with teaching.  Hopefully, I'll get caught up soon and will then finally get to check out the area a little and get my camera stuff set up and all.

I don't have much time to hang around in my apartment. Today I was out for a run.  Tomorrow, I have class from 8am - 9:30, and then I have to go into town to finish my physical.  The school wanted me to be checked out (probably especially after what happened with Kt's dad), so I went in yesterday morning and had x-rays and blood drawn and all that.  But the "heart-reading machine" was broken, so now I have to go back in tomorrow.  I think I'll pass, though.  : )  Yesterday, the doctor was pretty impressed with my eye sight - he thought I must have contacts in because I could read all the way down to the bottom line.  : ) 

My parents have tried calling, but it's hard to reach me. When I was in Tibet when I was pretty much guaranteed I'd be free every evening: here, N and K often call up to see if I want to go to dinner or come down and hang out or watch a movie or something.  It's definitely nice to have some people my age and from my same culture to talk with, but I've told them, too, that they don't need to worry about me being lonely - after Tibet, I feel like I have a pretty good handle on solitude.  : )

Anyway, so that's kind of what's going on these days: busy, busy.  Teaching is still going really well, though - my freshmen are a bit more shy than my grad students, and the classes are a lot bigger (my grad class is 21; my freshmen are around 42-44)...but they still seem like good students. 

I'm glad that I have the grad students twice a week, though (I only see each freshmen class once a week...and one class I only see every other week), because I think that's where we'll have the best discussions.  We've already had some really good ones.  They've asked some great questions, and today we talked about "beginnings," and I had them do some similes: "Beginnings are like..."  I was really impressed with what they came up with - one said that beginnings are like a creek - it starts with a small spring and goes into a huge ocean.  Pretty good for having to describe it in a foreign language, I'd say.

So, anyway, I better see what's going on for dinner - N, K and I had jiaoza (dumplings) for lunch, but who knows what will happen for dinner?  : ) 

Busy and more busy

It seems so much longer than just one week, doesn't it?  But it's been really good.  I need to write more about what's going on, but I think I'll do better at that once I get settled.  As of yet, I'm still riffling through piles just to find clothes to wear for the day.  It's completely opposite of when I went to Tibet - then, I had three weeks to settle in; now, I've had no time.  The only meals I've even been in my apartment for were two mornings for breakfast.  All the others, including breakfast, have been out or at someone else's apartment.  I'm getting to know a lot of people, though, so that's been really neat. 

Anyway, there is so much I could write about, but I just got back from a run with K and need to take a shower.  Hopefully, I can use the rest of the day to work on moving into my apartment.  And getting ready for class tomorrow.  I've had my post-graduate class twice already, and I love it.  Absolutely love it.  And that's pretty major for me, since I've never been one to really love teaching.  But it's just so different with people who are really eager to learn.  They ask great questions, and it's actually really humbling to think that these super bright doctors (I also have a medical lawyer in there, too) want me to teach them.  It's really an honor.  Tomorrow is my first day of freshmen, and everyone has warned me not to expect the same thing.  So, I'm warned.  : )  But I'm ready.