Wander Life

The Goodbye Week

Well, it doesn't take more than a glance around my apartment to see that the end is near: the walls are bare, the bags are out and piles are being formed.  The possessions that I've managed to accumulate in the past year and a half are going through a sort of judgment day (with each having to be declared as either "keep," "give away," or "toss"), and my home is officially being deconstructed.  No turning back now, ay?   

All in all, though, it's been an ok past few days...considering that it's "Goodbye Week."  This is generally my least favorite part of having a wander life - I just don't like leaving.  But I'm thankful that amidst the packing, I've gotten to spend some good last moments with friends, students and co-workers. 

Mostly, the week has consisted of lots of farewell meals and picture sessions with various classes and students.  Plus, we moved N & K's stuff to their new apartment across town on Wednesday.  Basically, we're getting it done.... 

And I guess this might be my last post from over here (on Sunday, I fly to Beijing.  Then to Hong Kong.  Spend a couple days there then fly to LA.  Then, after a five-hour layover and whatever-hour jet lag, I arrive in Portland on July 3rd).  I feel like there's something profound I should say, but...considering my tired state, I think profound is out of the question - how about we just shoot for lucid?  Maybe when I get back to the States, I'll have some time for reflection, but for now, I'll just stick with the "goodbye" theme and leave you with this random sign picture that makes me smile every time we drive by it.  Gotta love Abunderwear.  : ) 

See ya Stateside....         

The Beginning of the End

I've never been the super emotional type...and I'm not going to start now.  : )  But I think it's worth mentioning that today begins our final week here.  N & K will be leaving on Saturday, and I leave the following day - a week from today.  None of us are returning to the school where we currently are (though N & K will be back in this same city at another school), so...this is kind of it.

The week will be filled with packing and farewell meals and all of that, but this morning we partook in our usual Sunday morning routine: K & I ran and then the three of us listened to a podcast as we had our coffee, Korean orange juice and Betty Crocker muffin loaves.  As you can see in the picture, K was less than enthusiastic when I pointed out that it was our last Sunday here.  : )  Of course, it'll be great to see everyone back home, too, but...the goodbyes are just a bit rough.

And that's what the next few days hold for us.  Sigh.

Pomp and...Let's Get Outta Here?

Sometimes as foreigners, we are required to "be a face" at banquets, competitions, official ceremonies and the like.  Today was just such an occasion.  Our provincial government was giving some "foreign expert" awards - a pretty big deal, really.  So, in customary Chinese pomp and circumstance, foreigners are brought in from all over the province, and we get ourselves situated for what will surely be hours of speeches and, possibly, performances...followed by some sort of meal. 

We met in a government building auditorium of sorts, and the proceedings began about 9am.  Now, normally, I do not enjoy such events.  People talk, people translate, we clap at appropriate times.  There aren't too many variables to this formula.  And today was no different...except in its brevity. 

I seriously couldn't believe it.  I hadn't even begun to mentally check out, yet, when, suddenly, it was over.  10am!  There was a speech, followed by awards, followed by two more speeches.  No meal, no singing, no toasting, nothing.  Quite possibly the best ceremony I've been to.  : )

Anyway, I thought I'd have more of a story (a painful story of me sitting miserably at this formal function), but, alas, it ended up not being much.  And I don't even know what the moral of the story is.  I guess I just feel lucky.  : )  A group of the Indian students from our school went, too, so here's a picture of them and of the awards....

Jiaozi 101

There are some things that a foreigner learns pretty quickly regarding Chinese food: you learn how to use chopsticks, you learn to share plates "family-style," and you learn about jiaozi. 

When teaching a unit on ethnic foods, I always got the same response from students as to what is considered the "staples" of Chinese cuisine: rice, noodles, dumplings....  Now, I don't know what poor foreigner got stuck with the job of translating the word "jiaozi," but whoever it was obviously decided it was a lost cause and just threw out the first word that came to mind: dumpling.  I don't know about you, but when I think of dumplings, I think of chicken and dumplings - pretty much just a dough ball.  Jiaozi, on the other hand, is much more closely related to a ravioli (which, curiously enough, we don't seem to feel the need to translate into "stuffed noodle," but...whatever).   

Anyway, regardless of the semantics, the point is that the jiaozi/dumpling is a big deal.  It's eaten on festival days (like today, which is the "Dragon Boat Festival") and on the first day of winter (during which time you're supposed to eat it to keep your ears warm...or something like that - that one may have gotten lost in translation) and basically just any other time of the year.  And in typical Chinese good-host fashion, as a foreigner you will inevitably find yourself invited to many a jiaozi-making party.  And such was the case today for me....

I had my final meeting with one of my classes this morning, and after passing back papers and grades and saying my farewells, a group of eight girls invited me (along with K) to their dorm room.  While there, the need for a jiaozi-making party somehow became evident, and by the time K and I left the dormitory, it had been determined that the girls would be coming to my apartment in a couple hours for just such a party.

The eight of them (plus one of their friends) and me (joined by N & K for a while) made for a cozy kitchen, but it was, of course, a blast.  Here are a few pictures:            

Raining mud...and bikes and pizza and reunions and fathers and zen hands!

Today, it rained.  Considering I live in an arid desert area, that actually is big news.  Plus, I just like the rain - makes me think of my Pacific Northwest days (and my Florida summers, too, I guess). 

Anyway, it was a good day.  N was out of town giving a lecture (to about 500 high schoolers, which, of course, he rocked), so K and I biked to the other side of the city to meet our friends and have a barbeque (which nobody specifically mentioned was for Father's Day, but now that I think about it, I suppose it kind of was). 

After the festivities (eating, mostly...with a side of whiffle ball), it began to rain more earnestly...and more dirtily (which I know isn't really a word, but...I'm an English teacher and can pretty much make up stuff if I want to).  I guess the whole "raining mud" thing could have to do with the fact that being in said desert area means there's a bunch of sand floating around in the air.  Or maybe it's something about pollution.  Or something about the government seeding the clouds.  Whatever it is, we were pretty drenched - and filthy - by the time we got home.  Which, in my opinion, is a good day.  : )

We then went to pizza.  Again.  But this was in celebration of a friend's birthday, so I still don't feel that we can be judged for going there.  Plus, it's a friend's business, and we're showing support.  Trust me, there really is no pizza addiction going on.  Honest....  Oh, and the place has a sign now, so yay for that.

So, other than rain-biking and pizza-eating, not too much new.  I got an invitation for my 10-year high-school reunion this summer, so that's something, I guess.  I still feel young at heart, anyway.  : )  And tomorrow's Father's Day, so "happy F's D!" to all those dads out there (but mostly to my dad because, well, he's my dad and it's my blog...and he's pretty great).  : )

Oh, and one more thing: everyone should check out my teammates' recent post about body language.  There's a new hand gesture to indicate "that's finished," and we're hoping it catches on.  It's already all the rage in China.  Or, at least, in Ningxia.  Ok, maybe just among us three foreigner teachers, but still...it's pretty classic.  I like to refer to it as "the finished zen hands" pose.  And this is how we entertain ourselves....  : )

So, happy Father's Day...and stay zenny!         

       

Embrace the Randomness

Well, finals have begun, and it's another week. So...time to share a few random pictures.  (I don't know how those exactly correlate, but in my mind they do, so just go with me here.)

First off, the big news of the day is that our city's taxis are, apparently, changing colors.  Actually, the current taxis are staying the same (red with grey stripe), but we've begun to notice that the new ones are now blue (with a yellow stripe!).  I'm not sure how we'll handle this new stimulus, but thus far we've greeted it with a game simular to slug-bug (though we're still kind of working on a name for it - we've toyed with the phrase "black and blue ya," with an accompanying punch...but perhaps a more appropriate name would be "hit Andrea," seeing as how I'm terrible at any game requiring speed and can forsee it inevitably digressing into me just being periodically thumped as I sit oblivious in a taxi....).

And let's see, other than the new taxi color, the week has seen some other excitement.  We had Thai food again last night and then played some games at the neighboring arcade.  N and I like shooting games (and, though she doesn't show it, I think K secretly enjoys cheering us on - I mean, come on!  We're shooting stuff!  What's not fun to watch about that?), but last night, N also exhibited some mad "Armadillo Racing" skills (as clearly illustrated in the picture).

Then today, we figured it was time for another dose of American  food (and please don't judge us - we really do eat, and love!, Chinese food...we just like to experiment with new stuff, too), so we headed over to the pizza place again, where we met our friends, the Melashas (aka M & T) and scarfed on cookies, breadsticks, pizza, calazones and, for me, a meatball sub.  Tasty.  In the cab ride home (during which time I received the aforementioned thumping), we got to rest our feet on these lovely floormats (see picture).  Oh, that beloved Snoobe - what a character!  : )

And lastly, to round out the randomness of the selection of pictures, here's one of K & I with some of my students.  We teach in lab coats 'cause we're at a medical college...where they know the danger that chalk poses to the health of one's clothes.  Safety first!  : )  This photo also reminds me of how much I have grown to enjoy teaching.  When I first started teaching (back in 2001), I really wasn't a big fan.  But now...I don't know - I guess I kinda like it.  I don't know if I'll ever end up doing it again or not after I'm done here in a few weeks, but...it's been a good ride.  Of course, it's much too late in the night and early in the month to talk about things I'm going to miss when I leave, but suffice it to say: I like my students.  Most of them, anyway.  : )

Thus ends the randomness for now.  Hope all of you embrace some this week, as well....      

The Pizza & Chillin' Weekend

Ok, first off, let me just say...yum.  On Friday night, one of our friends finished high school, so, to celebrate, we found the best pizza in Yinchuan.  (Well, maybe a tie for the best - K makes a pretty doggone good pizza, too - but this is the best non-homemade we've found).  A friend of some friends recently started this business, and, in full support of him (and pizza), we decided to check it out.  It's a tiny little shop (with three tables and 10 patrons, we were CRUNCHED), but...has a mighty big taste.

And yesterday, we basically just chilled with our friends, M & T.  Quite relaxing, actually.  K cut M's hair, and T helped N in the kitchen.  I, obviously, staved off worthlessness by taking pictures.  : )

       

Oh, and just because I have it, here's a picture that my dad sent from back home.  I mean, I love my city here in China, but...hard to find a place as beautiful as the Pacific Northwest.

What I'll Miss: Sounds

Well, I've held off on this post for as long as I could.  Maybe I thought that if I didn't say it, it would somehow make it less true.  But the truth of the matter is...I'm leaving. 

The arrival of June has marked my final month in China (for now, anyway).  Next week, we begin giving finals, and by the end of the month, the semester will be complete, and we (N, K and I) will be heading back to the States (each to our respective destinations).

Although the three of us had wanted to return to our positions here, our contracts ended after this term and, due to factors beyond our (or the school's) control, we're simply not able to.  And this is how it goes.  (sigh)

And so...in a few weeks, I'll find myself picking up roots once again and moving on to whatever's next.  You'd think I'd have it down by now, but, really, do you ever get used to moving?  Maybe some people like it - I mean, it has its element of excitement: moving on to something new and all that.  But I'd never say that it's easy.  In fact, I'd say that the more I do it, the harder it becomes - this has been my home since February 2006, and I'm going to miss it.

However, I've never found much use in moping, so instead, I figured I could just share a few things that I have come to equate with my life here, starting with sounds.  Here, then, without further ado are "the sounds l'll miss most:"

• The exercise music, national anthem and "1, 2, 3" count (in Chinese) coming from the elementary school behind my apartment complex.  It blares through the loud speaker, across the school's courtyard and up to my living room and bedroom windows promptly at 9:45am every morning.  Sometimes I count along - my Chinese may be terrible, but...at least I can count to three.  : )
• Our school's noon lunch bell.  We hear it when we're sitting in our office, and it makes me smile every time.  It's not really even a bell - it's actually like the kind of music that they'd play in a movie when a character has some sort of divine revelation or something.  The best way I can describe it is if you think of that Disney movie, The Sword and the Stone.  You know when the kid pulls the sword out and the light shines down?  That's the kind of music that heralds our lunch.  ...I'll never view the mid-day meal the same way again.
• Honking.  Ok...I might not really miss this one all that much, but, hey, compared to here, the streets back in the States are going to sound almost too eerily quiet.  And it's not just when you're on the street - I hear honking all the time.  In the classroom, in a restaurant, in my apartment...and my home isn't even that close to a road.  You kind of learn to tune it out, but if you really listen, you can hear the sound of people in motion at all times of the day everywhere you go.  And maybe, in a way, I really will miss that.
• Firecrackers.  When a holiday, store opening or wedding comes around, trust me - you'll know.  It sounds like a war zone...but happier. 
• The knife sharpener's yells from the courtyard.  When he's in the area, he lets you know.  Kind of like an ice cream truck, except with yelling instead of music.  The recycle-guy does it, too, and, in fact, it's a pretty common form of advertising.  When I lived in Tibet, the propane-tank-replacer truck would drive by every couple of days, and it really did play ice-cream-truck-type music.  I've grown accustomed to the shouting, though - there's kind of this "Hey, in case you were wondering, I'm working here!" feel about it.
• And, lastly, the sounds of the sports field below my bedroom window.  Sometimes it sounds like a cocktail party: just a general, indecipherable "wah wah wah wah" noise from students goofing around, using the exercise equipment (which then adds this high-pitched squeaking sound to the mix) or participating in their various P.E. classes (my favorite of which is their sword skills class).  When there's a football (aka "soccer") match going on, however, the noises becomes much more distinct, and I can follow along pretty well, gauging the game's progress by the whistles of the ref and the roar, or groans, from the crowd.  I figure these sounds are pretty universal - sports enthusiasts the world over speak the same language when it comes to outbursts of victory and defeat....

And, of course, there are more, but...I think this will have to suffice for now.  The next sound I want to hear is that of my oven - making me a sandwich!  : )