Teaching English in China is an experience I will never forget, and I will always appreciate the opportunity given to me by Gallop International English School. No matter what factor leads to a decision to teach in China I think most can agree that it will be nothing like what you have done before in your life. The Chinese Culture is vast and changing; to live in a city where old customs are met daily with modern advances is a true treasure. One of my favorite things about being in Xi’an is the history and ancient connections. Taking a taxi out for dinner you are almost guaranteed to pass a structure that out dates those of most developed countries around the world.
One thing to always remember when coming to China and especially Xian is that it is indeed still a developing nation. There will be large differences between what you thought you were coming to and what it actually turns out to be, even if you have studied the language and culture. But even though those differences are sometimes hard to deal with it is something that will make you experience abroad that much more valuable.
Teaching is to date my favorite job I have ever held. Most of the students are eager to learn and understand certain levels of discipline. Education is at the forefront of this nation and so it is a job that is highly respected. Being accepted into the community as a teacher has been an honor and a pleasure. However, there are times where the job will be overwhelming, stressful and tiring. The demanding hours and energy that goes into preparation and delivery of a class can be trying, especially for an individual who is experiencing any form of culture shock, be it mild or severe. Like any job the good comes with the bad but for me the good by far outnumbered the bad.
I will think back often on the time that I spent in China. The friends that I made are different than any I have had in the past, and have uniquely opened my eyes. The children have become my little friends and their smiles always brought laughter to my lips and at times tears to my eyes. My ability to break through a barrier and master basics of such a complex language is something that has given me a sense of accomplishment that will be hard to beat in my jobs to come. For those of you to follow, be patient, be forgiving, be kind, travel and most of all enjoy the experience that you are bound to have in this community and in this country. Good Luck!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
FAME!
Lady Gaga is not just a pop culture sensation she is a recently minted pop culture institution. She is stomping out the competition one outrageous outfit at a time, not to mention her slew of singles permanently pinned to music’s hottest lists across the globe. It was only a matter of time before her influence spread to the always flattering but even more profitable art of imitation.
House of GAGA is a performance group from Australian that specializes in bringing you the “Gaga experience.” The group is led by Zoe, the bottle blonde who with astonishing clarity vocalizes all of the pop divas songs. She gets major clout for not only sporting the wacky wigs, costumes and accessories but actually singing the songs and not opting for the easier lip-sinking option popular with many imitation acts. She is spritely and engaging and a good option when the real thing isn’t available, she’s like Gaga’s Coke Zero same taste but a little less satisfying than the full flavored original.
The four banging backup dancers provide a nice distraction with energetic dance routines allowing for their leading lady to make all those necessary costume changes. True to form for any Gaga experience the costumes were somehow simultaneously over-the-top and barely there. A gasp from the audience accompanied the beginning of one provocative dance routine when the male dancers took the stage in nude tights and jock straps and nothing else. The choreography was fast, fluent and sexual charged much like the music itself.
Overall it was an extremely entertaining experience the set list was played out in a short sweaty hour, leaving those gathered on the floor wanted just a little more bang for their buck- or in this specific case more Gaga for the 100+ RMB they threw down for the occasion. The DJ that led the night played hits like he was mixing straight from the iTunes top singles list, but never-the-less there were bodies moving all around guided by Gaga’s famous first words JUST DANCE. In this day and age as OMG is being replaced in certain circles with Oh My Lady Gaga, these Aussie hot bodies are not the only group out there trying to fill those diamond studded platform stilettos of the global pop icon. Even though their tour is a success on a minor scale, there is still no one out there that can touch the one and only Fame Monster, Lady Gaga!
House of GAGA is a performance group from Australian that specializes in bringing you the “Gaga experience.” The group is led by Zoe, the bottle blonde who with astonishing clarity vocalizes all of the pop divas songs. She gets major clout for not only sporting the wacky wigs, costumes and accessories but actually singing the songs and not opting for the easier lip-sinking option popular with many imitation acts. She is spritely and engaging and a good option when the real thing isn’t available, she’s like Gaga’s Coke Zero same taste but a little less satisfying than the full flavored original.
The four banging backup dancers provide a nice distraction with energetic dance routines allowing for their leading lady to make all those necessary costume changes. True to form for any Gaga experience the costumes were somehow simultaneously over-the-top and barely there. A gasp from the audience accompanied the beginning of one provocative dance routine when the male dancers took the stage in nude tights and jock straps and nothing else. The choreography was fast, fluent and sexual charged much like the music itself.
Overall it was an extremely entertaining experience the set list was played out in a short sweaty hour, leaving those gathered on the floor wanted just a little more bang for their buck- or in this specific case more Gaga for the 100+ RMB they threw down for the occasion. The DJ that led the night played hits like he was mixing straight from the iTunes top singles list, but never-the-less there were bodies moving all around guided by Gaga’s famous first words JUST DANCE. In this day and age as OMG is being replaced in certain circles with Oh My Lady Gaga, these Aussie hot bodies are not the only group out there trying to fill those diamond studded platform stilettos of the global pop icon. Even though their tour is a success on a minor scale, there is still no one out there that can touch the one and only Fame Monster, Lady Gaga!
The Library Project
Making a Difference, One Book at a Time
On a raining Xi’an afternoon a cool damp breeze blows through the open windows of the Library Project’s 16th floor office. Over looking the south side of the wall the view is arguably one of the best in the city. But it is what goes on inside the office walls, away from the windows, that is the true treasure.
The name, The Library Project, opens up a brief glimpse into this charity’s purpose, simply donating books and libraries to under funded schools and orphanages throughout the developing world. That is all that is needed to be said to understand what this company strives to do, but it is the wheres, the whys and the hows that really help step this organization out in front of others.
When asked what you would do with $500 most people wouldn’t think too big. Buy an iphone, take a mini-vacation, or treat yourself to a really nice dinner, but when Tom Stader looked at his $500 he saw an opportunity to give, an opportunity to change lives, he saw something beyond the color of money.
The original idea for The LP came from a philanthropic project that Tom and friends came up with when working in the marketing department of Aston English. Asking people to donate money for books had a very successful first time run, and it didn’t really stop. People kept hearing about the project and donating money to a paypal account that had been set up for the cause. It was then that Tom realized that there might indeed be something to this, he also realized that he needed to make sure these donated funds made their way to libraries in need.
It wasn’t always as cut and dry as give me your money and a child gets a book, there were some financial struggles along the way, as is the case with most charities. A non-profit company like The LP will have to find a way to stay afloat while making sure that the money donated is allocated efficiently and effectively. Overhead costs are kept low to make sure that the primary percentage of income is going directly out the door in the form of bookshelves and books.
But stay afloat they have, having grown from a tiny one project idea to the massive giving network that it is today. There is no end in sight, there are always places to go and children in need and that is what motivates this team to find more alleyways of opportunity, what motivates them to make a difference “One Book at a Time.”
The whole operation has been successfully growing in the last few years since its 2006 Xi’an inception. With an office donated from Aston English, The LP set up shop and hit the ground running. Since that day they have donated over 250 libraries in 19 provinces throughout China. One outstanding characteristic of this company that adds to its success is the preparation and follow through that goes into each and every library.
The contents donated to these rural schools, orphanages and communities are far more than book laden bookshelves. This company goes beyond the books, they go with the books into the classrooms and offer the teachers support. You can give a child a book but teaching that child to appreciate that book is just as valuable. Books are tools for education and giving a teacher a tool but not explaining how to use the tool to the best of its ability would be a waste of time and effort. That is why The LP goes a step further.
The Library Project conducts a comprehensive Librarian Training Course for the teachers and administration of every rural elementary school and orphanage. This course goes over how to check books in and out to students, how to use the children's books in a classroom setting and how to get the students involved in the maintenance of their library.
There are 50,000 children of China who benefit, on a daily basis, from the hundreds of libraries and the 150,000 plus donated Chinese language books and that is a direct result of the hard work and dedication of the four member Xian team Jenny Wang, Country Director; Belinda Yu, Logistics & Purchasing Manager; Nichole He, Project Manager; Jocelyn Jia, Volunteer Coordinator.
However it is the donors and the volunteers that keep the company able to brighten the lives of these children. Whether it is a contributing company or an individual donor each effort of giving is greeted with graciousness and a vow, a promise that every donation no matter how small will go directly to this admirable cause.
As for volunteers it is best said by County Director Jenny Wang, "Our volunteers play an important role in introducing the students to their new library. Games are played, songs are sung, and of course books are read. It is a very positive experience for everyone involved.”
This is a charity that speaks to the heart of a society; it seeks to build a stronger future by inspiring the imaginations of children today. Mark Twain once said if you want your children to be intelligent read them fairytales, if you want them to be more intelligent read them more fairytales. His meaning is simple and it is one that is similarly grasped by Tom Stader and The Library Project team.
“Libraries put children in the driver’s seat of their education,” says Stader “Library books are different from textbooks. Kids may be inspired by the teachers in lessons and then explore their interests further in a library. With a library their imagination gets involved.”
Education is change, and The Library Project is creating change in the simplest way possible, by giving children the resources to learn and grow. To succeed, they need support. If you are interested in donating or finding out about other ways of becoming involved, please visit their Web site at www.library-project.org or contact Tom Stader at tom@library-project.org. The Web site contains a wealth of information about each of the libraries donated in China to date as well as prospects for future libraries.
On a raining Xi’an afternoon a cool damp breeze blows through the open windows of the Library Project’s 16th floor office. Over looking the south side of the wall the view is arguably one of the best in the city. But it is what goes on inside the office walls, away from the windows, that is the true treasure.
The name, The Library Project, opens up a brief glimpse into this charity’s purpose, simply donating books and libraries to under funded schools and orphanages throughout the developing world. That is all that is needed to be said to understand what this company strives to do, but it is the wheres, the whys and the hows that really help step this organization out in front of others.
When asked what you would do with $500 most people wouldn’t think too big. Buy an iphone, take a mini-vacation, or treat yourself to a really nice dinner, but when Tom Stader looked at his $500 he saw an opportunity to give, an opportunity to change lives, he saw something beyond the color of money.
The original idea for The LP came from a philanthropic project that Tom and friends came up with when working in the marketing department of Aston English. Asking people to donate money for books had a very successful first time run, and it didn’t really stop. People kept hearing about the project and donating money to a paypal account that had been set up for the cause. It was then that Tom realized that there might indeed be something to this, he also realized that he needed to make sure these donated funds made their way to libraries in need.
It wasn’t always as cut and dry as give me your money and a child gets a book, there were some financial struggles along the way, as is the case with most charities. A non-profit company like The LP will have to find a way to stay afloat while making sure that the money donated is allocated efficiently and effectively. Overhead costs are kept low to make sure that the primary percentage of income is going directly out the door in the form of bookshelves and books.
But stay afloat they have, having grown from a tiny one project idea to the massive giving network that it is today. There is no end in sight, there are always places to go and children in need and that is what motivates this team to find more alleyways of opportunity, what motivates them to make a difference “One Book at a Time.”
The whole operation has been successfully growing in the last few years since its 2006 Xi’an inception. With an office donated from Aston English, The LP set up shop and hit the ground running. Since that day they have donated over 250 libraries in 19 provinces throughout China. One outstanding characteristic of this company that adds to its success is the preparation and follow through that goes into each and every library.
The contents donated to these rural schools, orphanages and communities are far more than book laden bookshelves. This company goes beyond the books, they go with the books into the classrooms and offer the teachers support. You can give a child a book but teaching that child to appreciate that book is just as valuable. Books are tools for education and giving a teacher a tool but not explaining how to use the tool to the best of its ability would be a waste of time and effort. That is why The LP goes a step further.
The Library Project conducts a comprehensive Librarian Training Course for the teachers and administration of every rural elementary school and orphanage. This course goes over how to check books in and out to students, how to use the children's books in a classroom setting and how to get the students involved in the maintenance of their library.
There are 50,000 children of China who benefit, on a daily basis, from the hundreds of libraries and the 150,000 plus donated Chinese language books and that is a direct result of the hard work and dedication of the four member Xian team Jenny Wang, Country Director; Belinda Yu, Logistics & Purchasing Manager; Nichole He, Project Manager; Jocelyn Jia, Volunteer Coordinator.
However it is the donors and the volunteers that keep the company able to brighten the lives of these children. Whether it is a contributing company or an individual donor each effort of giving is greeted with graciousness and a vow, a promise that every donation no matter how small will go directly to this admirable cause.
As for volunteers it is best said by County Director Jenny Wang, "Our volunteers play an important role in introducing the students to their new library. Games are played, songs are sung, and of course books are read. It is a very positive experience for everyone involved.”
This is a charity that speaks to the heart of a society; it seeks to build a stronger future by inspiring the imaginations of children today. Mark Twain once said if you want your children to be intelligent read them fairytales, if you want them to be more intelligent read them more fairytales. His meaning is simple and it is one that is similarly grasped by Tom Stader and The Library Project team.
“Libraries put children in the driver’s seat of their education,” says Stader “Library books are different from textbooks. Kids may be inspired by the teachers in lessons and then explore their interests further in a library. With a library their imagination gets involved.”
Education is change, and The Library Project is creating change in the simplest way possible, by giving children the resources to learn and grow. To succeed, they need support. If you are interested in donating or finding out about other ways of becoming involved, please visit their Web site at www.library-project.org or contact Tom Stader at tom@library-project.org. The Web site contains a wealth of information about each of the libraries donated in China to date as well as prospects for future libraries.
LeShan, Mount Emei and its Giant Buddha
The warm air in the Sichuan city of LeShan meets a cool breeze emanating from Mount Emei which aids to the historic mountain’s calming nature. Known throughout China and the world as the location of the largest carved stone Buddha, Mount Emei has become one of the leading tourism destinations in the province.
As you ascend the stairs leading to the Buddha’s head you are guided by character carvings of ancient script. The path is speckled with cut out cool caves adorned by other prominent Buddhist figures. The area is surrounded by plush greenery that gives the air a sweet rich fragrance. The pleasant temperature is owed to the fact that the mountain over looks the peaceful waters of the Min River.
The river’s water was not always peaceful and vessel friendly. In 713 AD a Buddhist monk named Haithong began carving the idyllic figure into the mountain’s face in hopes to calm the tides of the river below easing the burden on shipping boats that must pass. When funding was threatened the pious monk gouged out his eyes and with pure dedication to his cause continued work until his death. The project was not completed until a jiedushi, or regional military governor, decided to sponsor the project. The Buddha’s construction was completed in 803, and because so much of the mountain had been carved away into the water below that the tides were changed and the blind monk’s vision became a reality as the area was transformed into an ideal passage way for ships.
Today hordes of people from all around the world come to visit the World Heritage Site. It is one sight that really is more amazing when the whole scale can be taken in by the naked eye. Only by standing on the mountains ledge near the Buddha’s hundred plus carved head buns can the grandeur be fully realized. Then scale down the mountain side on a narrow pathway of stone steps where each turn offers a new view of the peaceful giant. Standing at the base by one of the gargantuan feet it is almost impossible to see the top area of the head that you have just climbed down from. Other popular options are tour boats that offer an offshore view of the Buddha and the mountain that hugs his shoulders like a protecting shawl.
With a renewed vow from the government this mountain and its precious treasures will be restored and protected. Pollution and area elements have started to degrade the natural beauty of the statue but ultimately do little to take away from the mystique. As you trail out of the area the scenic path of jungle like foliage will leave you feeling as if you walked into and out of a story book where gardens are secret and inviting, rivers whisper of a turbulent past and mountains have faces that tell stories of those that came before.
As you ascend the stairs leading to the Buddha’s head you are guided by character carvings of ancient script. The path is speckled with cut out cool caves adorned by other prominent Buddhist figures. The area is surrounded by plush greenery that gives the air a sweet rich fragrance. The pleasant temperature is owed to the fact that the mountain over looks the peaceful waters of the Min River.
The river’s water was not always peaceful and vessel friendly. In 713 AD a Buddhist monk named Haithong began carving the idyllic figure into the mountain’s face in hopes to calm the tides of the river below easing the burden on shipping boats that must pass. When funding was threatened the pious monk gouged out his eyes and with pure dedication to his cause continued work until his death. The project was not completed until a jiedushi, or regional military governor, decided to sponsor the project. The Buddha’s construction was completed in 803, and because so much of the mountain had been carved away into the water below that the tides were changed and the blind monk’s vision became a reality as the area was transformed into an ideal passage way for ships.
Today hordes of people from all around the world come to visit the World Heritage Site. It is one sight that really is more amazing when the whole scale can be taken in by the naked eye. Only by standing on the mountains ledge near the Buddha’s hundred plus carved head buns can the grandeur be fully realized. Then scale down the mountain side on a narrow pathway of stone steps where each turn offers a new view of the peaceful giant. Standing at the base by one of the gargantuan feet it is almost impossible to see the top area of the head that you have just climbed down from. Other popular options are tour boats that offer an offshore view of the Buddha and the mountain that hugs his shoulders like a protecting shawl.
With a renewed vow from the government this mountain and its precious treasures will be restored and protected. Pollution and area elements have started to degrade the natural beauty of the statue but ultimately do little to take away from the mystique. As you trail out of the area the scenic path of jungle like foliage will leave you feeling as if you walked into and out of a story book where gardens are secret and inviting, rivers whisper of a turbulent past and mountains have faces that tell stories of those that came before.
Panda Pride
We all know that China is a prideful country. They showed the world exactly how important national face is when they put on a spectacular show at the 2008 Olympics. There is one thing that China holds so dear to her heart that it has become the face of a nation, pandas.
Pandas are a slow and deliberate creatures and arguable one of the cutest animals to grace the planet. Pandas are seen as lazy bears that wake early in the morning to eat then snooze the rest of the day away under the cool shade of their bamboo leaves and trees. What you might not know, though, is that the reason pandas are lazy is the same reason why they have been skirting the extinction lists, they have no stomachs. Their lack of stomach is only one of the unique characteristics that make these animals so fascinating.
Chengdu is an incredible city that anyone would benefit from visiting, but the Panda Research Base is most likely the main attraction to the Sichuan city. To visit the pandas you must think like a panda. They wake up early in the morning to eat and that is the most, and only, time they are active during the day so to see them you will need to get there around 8am. However, it is worth the early wake up call.
Strolling down the path is like walking through a cut out version of natural China, giving the nature reserve an appropriate title. It is a tremendously funded research facility that specializes in breeding and caring for the country’s treasure. There are three different age ranges for the pandas, baby, teen and adult who can only live to the young age of about 26 years old. With the naturally lazy demeanor pandas are easy targets in the wild for predators, which is one main reason why it is important to create a great safe environment for them to thrive and flourish.
One of the most enjoyable parts of the tour is watching the young pandas wrestle and play after their morning meal of bamboo leaves and shoots. They tug on each others ears push and flounder over each other in a slow and deliberate manner. Watching their chubby fluffy figures pandering around with their brothers and sisters is a delight for all those that gather around to watch. Ooohs and awwws from the crowds can only begin to express the joy that can be gained from watching these precious animals enjoy their daily routines. Overall the Panda Reserve is a wonderful facility that has done an amazing job capturing and preserving the pleasure of the pandas, giving the world an opportunity to share in China’s pride.
Pandas are a slow and deliberate creatures and arguable one of the cutest animals to grace the planet. Pandas are seen as lazy bears that wake early in the morning to eat then snooze the rest of the day away under the cool shade of their bamboo leaves and trees. What you might not know, though, is that the reason pandas are lazy is the same reason why they have been skirting the extinction lists, they have no stomachs. Their lack of stomach is only one of the unique characteristics that make these animals so fascinating.
Chengdu is an incredible city that anyone would benefit from visiting, but the Panda Research Base is most likely the main attraction to the Sichuan city. To visit the pandas you must think like a panda. They wake up early in the morning to eat and that is the most, and only, time they are active during the day so to see them you will need to get there around 8am. However, it is worth the early wake up call.
Strolling down the path is like walking through a cut out version of natural China, giving the nature reserve an appropriate title. It is a tremendously funded research facility that specializes in breeding and caring for the country’s treasure. There are three different age ranges for the pandas, baby, teen and adult who can only live to the young age of about 26 years old. With the naturally lazy demeanor pandas are easy targets in the wild for predators, which is one main reason why it is important to create a great safe environment for them to thrive and flourish.
One of the most enjoyable parts of the tour is watching the young pandas wrestle and play after their morning meal of bamboo leaves and shoots. They tug on each others ears push and flounder over each other in a slow and deliberate manner. Watching their chubby fluffy figures pandering around with their brothers and sisters is a delight for all those that gather around to watch. Ooohs and awwws from the crowds can only begin to express the joy that can be gained from watching these precious animals enjoy their daily routines. Overall the Panda Reserve is a wonderful facility that has done an amazing job capturing and preserving the pleasure of the pandas, giving the world an opportunity to share in China’s pride.
Movie Date
Usually when the word movie is used in conjunction with Xiao Zhai the image of hole in the wall DVD stores pops into mind. At six yuan a pop it isn’t a surprise that my movie collection is now over flowing with old favorites, new releases and several series of TV shows. However when I headed out to Xiao Zhai this time it wasn’t to buy a movie, it was to go see one.
One of my favorite things to do, especially on a warm night, is go see a movie. I love the smell of popcorn and the oversized preview posters on the walls. Something that was a bimonthly habit for me in the states has almost become non-existent here in China. Of course there is the issue of most of the movies being in Chinese with no English subtitles, but every now and again a big release shows up and bingo we have ourselves and English speaking movie date-night.
And by big release I mean it needs to be big. I have seen three movies in the past nine months and they were all of the “Epic Blockbuster” variety, 2012, Avatar and Iron Man 2. Although I would normally mix it up with a romantic comedy or a good thriller my lack of Chinese keeps me limited to the Western imports. Being the only native English speaker in the theater at times is apparent when you alone laugh a subtle joke or snippy sarcasm. Overall it is just nice to relax in the cool theater and enjoy some adrenaline pumping action entertainment, and the excited exit talk after the movie when you pour onto the street armed with opinions and enthusiasm. You and your friends rapidly firing away rounds of likes and dislikes, plot analysis or special effect praise.
Now that summer is approaching and the heat index is on the fast track to hella-hot I will make more of a habit out of movie date-night. I plan to take in some of those Chinese movies even though it will be two hours of “ting bu dong.” I love the excitement of watching something you have never seen, something you might love or absolutely abhor, but no matter what it is a good way to get out of the street heat. It can be cheap and easy too. The tickets can range anywhere from 25 to 70 yuan depending on the time of day or day of the week, for IM2 my friend was able to pre-purchase the tickets from a news stand saving a good 50 yuan on the ticket price. I know many theaters do half-off nights and couples day as well as always giving student discounts with valid ID. If you are looking for something fun, a night out with some friends or a couple of hours of nice casual hand-holding with your boy friend or girl friend I would say head out to one of the many cinemas all around the city for a big hit, the always entertaining movie date-night.
SMB
One of my favorite things to do, especially on a warm night, is go see a movie. I love the smell of popcorn and the oversized preview posters on the walls. Something that was a bimonthly habit for me in the states has almost become non-existent here in China. Of course there is the issue of most of the movies being in Chinese with no English subtitles, but every now and again a big release shows up and bingo we have ourselves and English speaking movie date-night.
And by big release I mean it needs to be big. I have seen three movies in the past nine months and they were all of the “Epic Blockbuster” variety, 2012, Avatar and Iron Man 2. Although I would normally mix it up with a romantic comedy or a good thriller my lack of Chinese keeps me limited to the Western imports. Being the only native English speaker in the theater at times is apparent when you alone laugh a subtle joke or snippy sarcasm. Overall it is just nice to relax in the cool theater and enjoy some adrenaline pumping action entertainment, and the excited exit talk after the movie when you pour onto the street armed with opinions and enthusiasm. You and your friends rapidly firing away rounds of likes and dislikes, plot analysis or special effect praise.
Now that summer is approaching and the heat index is on the fast track to hella-hot I will make more of a habit out of movie date-night. I plan to take in some of those Chinese movies even though it will be two hours of “ting bu dong.” I love the excitement of watching something you have never seen, something you might love or absolutely abhor, but no matter what it is a good way to get out of the street heat. It can be cheap and easy too. The tickets can range anywhere from 25 to 70 yuan depending on the time of day or day of the week, for IM2 my friend was able to pre-purchase the tickets from a news stand saving a good 50 yuan on the ticket price. I know many theaters do half-off nights and couples day as well as always giving student discounts with valid ID. If you are looking for something fun, a night out with some friends or a couple of hours of nice casual hand-holding with your boy friend or girl friend I would say head out to one of the many cinemas all around the city for a big hit, the always entertaining movie date-night.
SMB
Korean Delight
Out of all the wonderful restaurants in this city it is a bit of a surprise to keep hearing about one place, again and again. “Have you been to that Korean restaurant…?” my friends would ask, each time I replied “No, not yet” I made another personal vow to go there, and I must say I am glad I did.
Han Yang Restaurant is near the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in the south side of the city. From first sight the place is charming; it has a simple patio space in the front with tables pleasantly placed under a canopy of umbrellas and brush. Greeted quickly by a young lady in colorful Korean dress we were seated near the wrought-iron gate that gives a bit of separation from the busy bar street. The menu has a wide range of the usual Asian dishes such as grilled cabbage and sliced potatoes which we happily ordered.
Standing in tradition with Korean barbeque they have an open flame grill on the patio that stayed busy as patrons all around us ordered up many of the different meat offerings available. Lamb, chicken, beef and pork in different spices and sizes are paired with a long list of fried and grilled vegetables and tofu. The spicy bulgogi beef dish is a popular choice as is the kimchi soup, a serving of which is regarded by my friend as the “best hangover dish out there.”
Before the food arrives each table is given 4 or 5 cold dishes to snack on, there were pickled cucumbers and soft potato squares as well as simple tofu. The tea is a steady flow from the moment you are seated and it is has a rich flavor that complements the food. There are several incense spirals around that give the outdoor seating an even more relaxed feel as we sipped our cold 10 kuai beers and enjoyed the view of the Pagoda. As I got up to use the restroom my friend told me to enjoy and I quickly grasped her meaning, the bathroom is lovely. This is a small part of this restaurant but shows the attention to detail that went into its making. To make the experience enjoyable from the moment you walk through the little white gate till you waddle away with a belly full of food is clearly this restaurants goal, and a successful one at that. Han Yang Restaurant is a delight and now I must ask you “Have you been to that Korean restaurant yet?
SMB
Han Yang Restaurant is near the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in the south side of the city. From first sight the place is charming; it has a simple patio space in the front with tables pleasantly placed under a canopy of umbrellas and brush. Greeted quickly by a young lady in colorful Korean dress we were seated near the wrought-iron gate that gives a bit of separation from the busy bar street. The menu has a wide range of the usual Asian dishes such as grilled cabbage and sliced potatoes which we happily ordered.
Standing in tradition with Korean barbeque they have an open flame grill on the patio that stayed busy as patrons all around us ordered up many of the different meat offerings available. Lamb, chicken, beef and pork in different spices and sizes are paired with a long list of fried and grilled vegetables and tofu. The spicy bulgogi beef dish is a popular choice as is the kimchi soup, a serving of which is regarded by my friend as the “best hangover dish out there.”
Before the food arrives each table is given 4 or 5 cold dishes to snack on, there were pickled cucumbers and soft potato squares as well as simple tofu. The tea is a steady flow from the moment you are seated and it is has a rich flavor that complements the food. There are several incense spirals around that give the outdoor seating an even more relaxed feel as we sipped our cold 10 kuai beers and enjoyed the view of the Pagoda. As I got up to use the restroom my friend told me to enjoy and I quickly grasped her meaning, the bathroom is lovely. This is a small part of this restaurant but shows the attention to detail that went into its making. To make the experience enjoyable from the moment you walk through the little white gate till you waddle away with a belly full of food is clearly this restaurants goal, and a successful one at that. Han Yang Restaurant is a delight and now I must ask you “Have you been to that Korean restaurant yet?
SMB
Shaanxi Spoken English Contest
On August 1 Gallop International English School will host the final round of the 2nd Annual Shaanxi Province Spoken English Network Contest. To take place at a hotel located in the eastern part of the city the whole day event will be packed with the finalists who have successfully advanced through the other several rounds of competition.
Round one began in May as kindergarten students across the province were video recorded giving speeches, singing songs or doing chats. These videos were judged and a hundred plus of the best were offered entry to the next round. As the kindergarten students were having their online competition primary and middle school students were busy preparing themselves for their first encounter with judges that took place that same month.
Huanghe Experiment Primary School was the location of the first round for these older kids. For two days Chinese teachers and judges viewed thousands of children’s prepared introductions and monologues, all varying in degrees of difficulty. Depending on the education level the students would then be asked to describe a picture or tell a story using four given words. Subsequently the best students where given certificates and either excused from the competition or offered advancement to the semi-final round.
Many of the students attend English training institutions such as Gallop International. These students work with foreign, native English speaking teachers and their abilities in the competition are noticeably higher and more proficient. Before the semi-finals on July 17 and 18 many of the students attended trainings offered by Gallop to prepare them for the competition. They not only gave the students a better understanding of what the competition would demand of them but the preperation gave them more confidence.
The semi-finals were held for 2 days in the Gallop office in the Tian Cia building on Jin Hua Bei Lu. Hundreds of nervous students and their proud parents lined the hallways of the school. Chinese judges were accompanied by foreign representatives of the school. The 12 foreigners are a mixture of American, British and Irish nationalities and were there to lend their native tongues to the competition. They asked questions of the kindergarteners, had primary students describe pictures and asked the middle school students to creatively construct four words into a story.
Overall they will be asked to help critic the videos of the contestants after the results are tallied when the semi-final winners begin to prepare for the grand finale on August 1. there will be a whole host of winners on the day in August, no one child with walk away with the prize, but the top of the top will have a chance to go to Beijing for the China National Spoken English Competition as representatives of Shaanxi Province. An honor many of the children dream of for themselves, their families and schools.
To view the contestants from this year and see footage from last years contest please visit http://www.ccgjyyds.com/
Round one began in May as kindergarten students across the province were video recorded giving speeches, singing songs or doing chats. These videos were judged and a hundred plus of the best were offered entry to the next round. As the kindergarten students were having their online competition primary and middle school students were busy preparing themselves for their first encounter with judges that took place that same month.
Huanghe Experiment Primary School was the location of the first round for these older kids. For two days Chinese teachers and judges viewed thousands of children’s prepared introductions and monologues, all varying in degrees of difficulty. Depending on the education level the students would then be asked to describe a picture or tell a story using four given words. Subsequently the best students where given certificates and either excused from the competition or offered advancement to the semi-final round.
Many of the students attend English training institutions such as Gallop International. These students work with foreign, native English speaking teachers and their abilities in the competition are noticeably higher and more proficient. Before the semi-finals on July 17 and 18 many of the students attended trainings offered by Gallop to prepare them for the competition. They not only gave the students a better understanding of what the competition would demand of them but the preperation gave them more confidence.
The semi-finals were held for 2 days in the Gallop office in the Tian Cia building on Jin Hua Bei Lu. Hundreds of nervous students and their proud parents lined the hallways of the school. Chinese judges were accompanied by foreign representatives of the school. The 12 foreigners are a mixture of American, British and Irish nationalities and were there to lend their native tongues to the competition. They asked questions of the kindergarteners, had primary students describe pictures and asked the middle school students to creatively construct four words into a story.
Overall they will be asked to help critic the videos of the contestants after the results are tallied when the semi-final winners begin to prepare for the grand finale on August 1. there will be a whole host of winners on the day in August, no one child with walk away with the prize, but the top of the top will have a chance to go to Beijing for the China National Spoken English Competition as representatives of Shaanxi Province. An honor many of the children dream of for themselves, their families and schools.
To view the contestants from this year and see footage from last years contest please visit http://www.ccgjyyds.com/
Monday, June 7, 2010
What am I doing with my life?
Well I am 28 years-old and I have been in Xi’an, Shaanxi, China for a little over 9 months now! It is strange to think about that I am ¾ of the way finished with my contract, it is completely believable though because never in my life has time gone by so quickly. It was a blink ago that I was sitting in my living room being amazed by the barrage of fireworks from Spring Festival, or that November night that I looked out of my window and saw that in just a few short hours a blanket of white powdery snow had covered the ground below.
It has been a life altering 9 months. People ask me what it was like when I first arrived in China and I tell them all the same thing, I don’t know, I can’t remember. The first month is a complete blur, a sort of cultural and life withdrawal. I remember being confused and a bit scared, not scared in a safety kind of way but in a completely helpless way. Not being able to navigate the community around me was distressing. Separation from everything and everyone that I knew and loved, all I was accustomed to was gone. I didn’t leave the most stable and healthy life in Columbia so there was a bit of emotional recovery needed, an overall self-rehabilitation, and that first month was the thick of it.
I remember climbing Huashan in October, and after that everything comes into focus. I remember sitting at Oscar’s on a Thursday night and listening to Ryan sing familiar songs while young handsome Marcello strummed the acoustic guitar. Helping Pierre hang curtains in the bar so that when the temperature dropped the tiny space would retain some heat. On cold winter nights sipping and staining my teeth with the smooth red wine, laughing with new found friends and walking to the main street to hail a cab. I remember having to show the cab driver my address on my cell phone because I didn’t know enough Chinese to get myself home.
Now the weather has warmed, so much so that my friends from England are near their personal boiling points on a daily basis. For me it is much like home, except that Xi’an has a wonderful breeze that trolls through the city which I hope last through August.
August. How strange that seems, August, two hard hot months away. It is the month where everything will change again. How it will change is still somewhat of an unknown. I have options, which is always nice, but which way to go which alley to walk down which door to choose? I have been offered a job in Shanghai. I would still be teaching the young enthusiastic children that have been such a monumentally wonderful part of the past 9 months. I would get paid a better salary that I am now and would be in a city that sounds fast-paced and fascinating. I would have mornings off to write and study, I could take the GRE and hopeful head back to school in fall 2011. A plan that sounds ideal, but a bit unnerving. Moving to another city after Xi’an has finally become familiar. Learning a different language, again, because each province has its own dialect and the mandarin is twisted and turned. My simple knowledge would become almost useless in the busy streets of Shanghai. However, it is a city more apt and accustomed to foreigners. It would be easier than Xi’an, less staring and there spitting is not allowed. One Chinese habit I will be glad to part from.
That is what I would do if I stayed in China. It is a path that I can visualize. I know the job and I would have a track, a goal and a purpose. But if I choose that path I might not be able to come home to visit in August, I would have to stay here to make the visa process easier. That would push my trip to the states back to October or maybe even Christmas or February. Something that I could ultimately be OK with but not necessarily an idea I am happy about. I miss the faces and the streets of my home town.
There is a part of me that wants to say no to the job offer in Shanghai. I could get on a plane in August and fly home, welcomed by those whom I have missed. That is all that I can see of that choice though, the visual ends there. I don’t have the opportunities in the states that I do in China. I am inherently employable here because I was born in America and English is my native language. It would take much more than that to land a job back home. I don’t have a home to go back to, and the process of seeking a job and an apartment seems daunting and expensive. Oddly enough staying in this foreign land is the easy thing to do.
So here I am. Changed is the girl who got on a plane and flew to China. Ready to make the next leap, but wanting to be fully prepared and aware of the ground that I will land on. The next couple of months will be sweaty and hard but I will welcome the cool breeze of autumn wherever I may be when it blows past!
It has been a life altering 9 months. People ask me what it was like when I first arrived in China and I tell them all the same thing, I don’t know, I can’t remember. The first month is a complete blur, a sort of cultural and life withdrawal. I remember being confused and a bit scared, not scared in a safety kind of way but in a completely helpless way. Not being able to navigate the community around me was distressing. Separation from everything and everyone that I knew and loved, all I was accustomed to was gone. I didn’t leave the most stable and healthy life in Columbia so there was a bit of emotional recovery needed, an overall self-rehabilitation, and that first month was the thick of it.
I remember climbing Huashan in October, and after that everything comes into focus. I remember sitting at Oscar’s on a Thursday night and listening to Ryan sing familiar songs while young handsome Marcello strummed the acoustic guitar. Helping Pierre hang curtains in the bar so that when the temperature dropped the tiny space would retain some heat. On cold winter nights sipping and staining my teeth with the smooth red wine, laughing with new found friends and walking to the main street to hail a cab. I remember having to show the cab driver my address on my cell phone because I didn’t know enough Chinese to get myself home.
Now the weather has warmed, so much so that my friends from England are near their personal boiling points on a daily basis. For me it is much like home, except that Xi’an has a wonderful breeze that trolls through the city which I hope last through August.
August. How strange that seems, August, two hard hot months away. It is the month where everything will change again. How it will change is still somewhat of an unknown. I have options, which is always nice, but which way to go which alley to walk down which door to choose? I have been offered a job in Shanghai. I would still be teaching the young enthusiastic children that have been such a monumentally wonderful part of the past 9 months. I would get paid a better salary that I am now and would be in a city that sounds fast-paced and fascinating. I would have mornings off to write and study, I could take the GRE and hopeful head back to school in fall 2011. A plan that sounds ideal, but a bit unnerving. Moving to another city after Xi’an has finally become familiar. Learning a different language, again, because each province has its own dialect and the mandarin is twisted and turned. My simple knowledge would become almost useless in the busy streets of Shanghai. However, it is a city more apt and accustomed to foreigners. It would be easier than Xi’an, less staring and there spitting is not allowed. One Chinese habit I will be glad to part from.
That is what I would do if I stayed in China. It is a path that I can visualize. I know the job and I would have a track, a goal and a purpose. But if I choose that path I might not be able to come home to visit in August, I would have to stay here to make the visa process easier. That would push my trip to the states back to October or maybe even Christmas or February. Something that I could ultimately be OK with but not necessarily an idea I am happy about. I miss the faces and the streets of my home town.
There is a part of me that wants to say no to the job offer in Shanghai. I could get on a plane in August and fly home, welcomed by those whom I have missed. That is all that I can see of that choice though, the visual ends there. I don’t have the opportunities in the states that I do in China. I am inherently employable here because I was born in America and English is my native language. It would take much more than that to land a job back home. I don’t have a home to go back to, and the process of seeking a job and an apartment seems daunting and expensive. Oddly enough staying in this foreign land is the easy thing to do.
So here I am. Changed is the girl who got on a plane and flew to China. Ready to make the next leap, but wanting to be fully prepared and aware of the ground that I will land on. The next couple of months will be sweaty and hard but I will welcome the cool breeze of autumn wherever I may be when it blows past!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Eye on China: Terrorism in the School Yard
“I have no hatred for the students I stabbed. I chose them only because they were weak and vulnerable. I wanted to have a big influence on the public.” This statement was taken from the confession of Zheng Minsheng, 42, a former community clinic doctor who on March 23 stabbed to death 8 primary school children in Nanping, Fujian province. Zheng was executed a month later and, although not the first, his brutal attack has tragically become a bloody catalyst, sparking a string of copycat crimes across the country.
Zheng’s statement seems to pinpoint the two main contributing factors to these crimes, power and societal revenge. Although the maniacal intentions of men who murder children can never be fully realized by a public, some underlining consistencies can and should be used as a method of prevention. Professor Zhu Li of Nanjing University’s School of Social and Behavioral Sciences commented that “Some adults will target weak children instead of people more powerful than themselves as a way to vent frustration.”
In a recent study conducted by the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center 17.5 percent of people in China suffer from some sort of mental illness; that percentage significantly increases when you look at individuals over the age of 40. All of the school attacks have been perpetrated by men in their mid to late 40s. A deficiency of treatment facilities as well as a general lack of knowledge surrounding these disorders can lead to community devastation, like attacks against defenseless children.
No matter in what country, the death of a child is felt in the heart of a community. It is a striking blow that could cripple any family, especially in China where most families are only legally allowed to have one child. The increased protection of children across the nation will be no minor task for the Chinese Government. The extra security measures will also have to be put in place by schools, and parents. Information should be available for those parents and teachers who, on a daily basis, place their trust inside the walls of a school. What measures are being taken to protect the schools? What is the procedure if something should happen? These are just 2 of the many questions that should be demanded an answer of. One question that should be in the mind of everyone is what is the likelihood of future attacks?
In the past several decades China has seen an incomparable amount of change; a once isolated society has been catapulted into the forefront of a global community. A rift between the classes grows bigger each year, the wealth of a nation lining the pockets of a small percentage, while the poor become more and more marginalized. At a stoplight on a busy street a sleek black Mercedes Benz waits for the light to change as a man peddling a 3 wheeler box car hollers out for your spare, unwanted goods. The division of a society, thrust together. China is rising with the tides of change, but the streets are lined with the many treading water just to stay afloat.
This is a situation that has become a fatal one. The stresses and failures of this society have led to a string of unimaginable brutality, acts of terrorism against a nation. These men preyed on innocent children in school, a place that should be, in some manner of speaking, a sanctuary. Education is a right these children deserve and to make learning institutions places of fear will have a negative and regressionary effect on society.
Too many precious lives have been lost; too many parents will no longer hold the hand, see the smile or hear the laugh of their child, but there is hope. Hope that this tragic string of attacks will stop, hope that more can be done in the form of prevention and protection, hope that a nation can recognize a growing dissention and address the need for more support on every level. To look into the eyes of children as they learn is to see the hope of a nation, everything that can be done to protect them, and that hope, is not enough if even one more life is lost in this cycle of cruelty.
Zheng’s statement seems to pinpoint the two main contributing factors to these crimes, power and societal revenge. Although the maniacal intentions of men who murder children can never be fully realized by a public, some underlining consistencies can and should be used as a method of prevention. Professor Zhu Li of Nanjing University’s School of Social and Behavioral Sciences commented that “Some adults will target weak children instead of people more powerful than themselves as a way to vent frustration.”
In a recent study conducted by the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center 17.5 percent of people in China suffer from some sort of mental illness; that percentage significantly increases when you look at individuals over the age of 40. All of the school attacks have been perpetrated by men in their mid to late 40s. A deficiency of treatment facilities as well as a general lack of knowledge surrounding these disorders can lead to community devastation, like attacks against defenseless children.
No matter in what country, the death of a child is felt in the heart of a community. It is a striking blow that could cripple any family, especially in China where most families are only legally allowed to have one child. The increased protection of children across the nation will be no minor task for the Chinese Government. The extra security measures will also have to be put in place by schools, and parents. Information should be available for those parents and teachers who, on a daily basis, place their trust inside the walls of a school. What measures are being taken to protect the schools? What is the procedure if something should happen? These are just 2 of the many questions that should be demanded an answer of. One question that should be in the mind of everyone is what is the likelihood of future attacks?
In the past several decades China has seen an incomparable amount of change; a once isolated society has been catapulted into the forefront of a global community. A rift between the classes grows bigger each year, the wealth of a nation lining the pockets of a small percentage, while the poor become more and more marginalized. At a stoplight on a busy street a sleek black Mercedes Benz waits for the light to change as a man peddling a 3 wheeler box car hollers out for your spare, unwanted goods. The division of a society, thrust together. China is rising with the tides of change, but the streets are lined with the many treading water just to stay afloat.
This is a situation that has become a fatal one. The stresses and failures of this society have led to a string of unimaginable brutality, acts of terrorism against a nation. These men preyed on innocent children in school, a place that should be, in some manner of speaking, a sanctuary. Education is a right these children deserve and to make learning institutions places of fear will have a negative and regressionary effect on society.
Too many precious lives have been lost; too many parents will no longer hold the hand, see the smile or hear the laugh of their child, but there is hope. Hope that this tragic string of attacks will stop, hope that more can be done in the form of prevention and protection, hope that a nation can recognize a growing dissention and address the need for more support on every level. To look into the eyes of children as they learn is to see the hope of a nation, everything that can be done to protect them, and that hope, is not enough if even one more life is lost in this cycle of cruelty.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Run this Town
(This is what I do. Work out and write stuff)
I have been a gym enthusiast since my sophomore year in college when a night of drinking and dancing couldn’t abate the pressures of collegiate course load. That was 5 years ago. I still find the aerobic workout to be one of the best ways to deal with the accumulating stress of the real world. So after I moved to China in August it wasn’t long before I hunted down a gym nearby. I looked into a couple of places and settled on one that I believe offered the best price for their services. Surmount Fitness Club, 10th floor of the Parkson Plaza on Jin Hua Nan Lu, -AKA the East Side Wal-Mart shopping Center.
The space encompasses 2 levels of classrooms and fitness machines. On the top floor is the standard weight room with a variety of equipment from free weights to muscle isolation machines and two pool tables for your entertainment. The lower level cardio floor has a plethora of ellipticals and treadmills as well as a half-court indoor basketball cage and a ping pong table. Also your choice of exercise classes are varied, as they offer the basics like yoga, step and cycling but for the adventurous sportier they also have ballet, belly dancing and hip hop. I imagine there may be a bit of trouble with the language barrier but joining in could be an hour of great fun!
For the first time in my life I have taken the next step in fitness and hired a personal trainer. The services are pretty pricy, a 100 yuan a lesson, but the one on one work out routines have become a source of fun and my primary hobby. Plus it has given me a chance to expand my knowledge of the language and a great method to practice my listening and speaking skills. I urge you to remember that like any other business these are sales people as well as trainers so don’t let them talk you into buying services you don’t need.
The main difference I noticed about working out in Xian as compared to somewhere in the US is modesty in the locker room, or lack there of. When you walk into the locker rooms you will notice that there are naked people everywhere, the showers have no doors and towels are used as a method to dry and not a method to conceal nakedness. It was a bit off-putting at first but I have adjusted to it and have perfected the downward gaze so as to keep my eyes from taking in more than I think my year-long contract paid for.
Overall when I work out at Surmount I am able to zone out and let my mind wander to the beat of my ipod, a nice escape from the day. So if you are looking for a way to get your sweat on I would suggest Surmount Fitness Club, either on Jin Hua Lu or out in Gao Xin. They offer a range of contracts, but at less than 900 yuan the 12 month contract seems the most reasonable and realistic. Feel free to stop by and have a tour, they have English speaking representatives to help you out.
I have been a gym enthusiast since my sophomore year in college when a night of drinking and dancing couldn’t abate the pressures of collegiate course load. That was 5 years ago. I still find the aerobic workout to be one of the best ways to deal with the accumulating stress of the real world. So after I moved to China in August it wasn’t long before I hunted down a gym nearby. I looked into a couple of places and settled on one that I believe offered the best price for their services. Surmount Fitness Club, 10th floor of the Parkson Plaza on Jin Hua Nan Lu, -AKA the East Side Wal-Mart shopping Center.
The space encompasses 2 levels of classrooms and fitness machines. On the top floor is the standard weight room with a variety of equipment from free weights to muscle isolation machines and two pool tables for your entertainment. The lower level cardio floor has a plethora of ellipticals and treadmills as well as a half-court indoor basketball cage and a ping pong table. Also your choice of exercise classes are varied, as they offer the basics like yoga, step and cycling but for the adventurous sportier they also have ballet, belly dancing and hip hop. I imagine there may be a bit of trouble with the language barrier but joining in could be an hour of great fun!
For the first time in my life I have taken the next step in fitness and hired a personal trainer. The services are pretty pricy, a 100 yuan a lesson, but the one on one work out routines have become a source of fun and my primary hobby. Plus it has given me a chance to expand my knowledge of the language and a great method to practice my listening and speaking skills. I urge you to remember that like any other business these are sales people as well as trainers so don’t let them talk you into buying services you don’t need.
The main difference I noticed about working out in Xian as compared to somewhere in the US is modesty in the locker room, or lack there of. When you walk into the locker rooms you will notice that there are naked people everywhere, the showers have no doors and towels are used as a method to dry and not a method to conceal nakedness. It was a bit off-putting at first but I have adjusted to it and have perfected the downward gaze so as to keep my eyes from taking in more than I think my year-long contract paid for.
Overall when I work out at Surmount I am able to zone out and let my mind wander to the beat of my ipod, a nice escape from the day. So if you are looking for a way to get your sweat on I would suggest Surmount Fitness Club, either on Jin Hua Lu or out in Gao Xin. They offer a range of contracts, but at less than 900 yuan the 12 month contract seems the most reasonable and realistic. Feel free to stop by and have a tour, they have English speaking representatives to help you out.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Eye on China
(Written for the May issue of China Grooves)
As the sun rose on Wednesday April 14 the people in China started their day as if any other day, but tragically it was a day that would not end as simply as it began. An earthquake, rating a brutal 7.1 on the rector scale, tore its way through China’s largest areal province, Qinghai. Tales of death and destruction quickly spread throughout the nation and across the world. In the second major earthquake in as many years China’s rescue services were mobilized within hours and more than 10,000 uniformed troops had deployed. Their primary objective in the delicate hours that followed was to use every measure to locate and liberate quake survivors.
Even as workers plowed through rubble and debris, many using their bare hands, the death toll climbed higher, reaching over 2000 lives lost. Since that first day an upwards of 15,000 workers were on scene and more than 17,000 victims had been pulled from the wreckage. By the following Monday attention was turned from rescue to restore. In a speech designed to console and uplift, President Hu Jintao vowed to rebuild and reconstruct the devastated area; making the need to rebuild schools a primary focus. In a freshly constructed tent classroom for orphaned primary and middle school students President Hu stood at a chalk board and wrote his defining message “There will be new schools, there will be new homes!”
The lives of those who survived have been changed forever, and they must now begin the painstaking process of moving forward. But as these villagers look toward what their lives will be like in the aftermath of destruction, medical workers are grounded in the moment keeping a close eye a potentially fatal situation. The area surrounding the quake has become a breading ground for the pneumonic plague. The plague is passed to humans from marmots, a type of ground squirrel common in the area. Once the infection reaches humans it can become devastatingly viral as it is an airborne disease. With the widespread destruction it would be easy to come in contact with the animal, so rescue workers have been urgently warned and the condition is under the careful watch by the assembled health professionals.
Even with the supplies, rescue workers and volunteers the regions climate is working against all efforts. With temperatures near or below freezing the victims must battle frostbite as well as fight off potential infections. Millions of yuan has been donated to help relief efforts and the teams of uniformed support as well as civilian volunteers will add the defining touches that keep the devastation from spiraling even further out of control.
While the medical teams and government officials work to help restore health and safety to the region, another type of uniformed support has made its way into the reconnaissance mission. Throngs of Tibetan monks have migrated from the surrounding areas not only to pray and present salvage to those living but to help shoulder the burden that has befallen the area. 1200 monks from a nearby Sichuan school have no income but paid 500 yuan each out of their pockets to volunteer. They are performing traditional burial rites twice a day in order to help the families of the victims find solace in their suffering. In a striking scene the maroon robed monks sat on the remnants of a playground, singing sutra prayers for earthquake victims. Their mournful voices mixed with the sounds of the children reciting their first lessons in their makeshift classrooms are a chorus that echoes the struggle of a region. It is the soundtrack of sadness and initial destruction but the ultimate hope of renaissance and rebirth as this prosperous country once again must mend a bruised and broken community.
As the sun rose on Wednesday April 14 the people in China started their day as if any other day, but tragically it was a day that would not end as simply as it began. An earthquake, rating a brutal 7.1 on the rector scale, tore its way through China’s largest areal province, Qinghai. Tales of death and destruction quickly spread throughout the nation and across the world. In the second major earthquake in as many years China’s rescue services were mobilized within hours and more than 10,000 uniformed troops had deployed. Their primary objective in the delicate hours that followed was to use every measure to locate and liberate quake survivors.
Even as workers plowed through rubble and debris, many using their bare hands, the death toll climbed higher, reaching over 2000 lives lost. Since that first day an upwards of 15,000 workers were on scene and more than 17,000 victims had been pulled from the wreckage. By the following Monday attention was turned from rescue to restore. In a speech designed to console and uplift, President Hu Jintao vowed to rebuild and reconstruct the devastated area; making the need to rebuild schools a primary focus. In a freshly constructed tent classroom for orphaned primary and middle school students President Hu stood at a chalk board and wrote his defining message “There will be new schools, there will be new homes!”
The lives of those who survived have been changed forever, and they must now begin the painstaking process of moving forward. But as these villagers look toward what their lives will be like in the aftermath of destruction, medical workers are grounded in the moment keeping a close eye a potentially fatal situation. The area surrounding the quake has become a breading ground for the pneumonic plague. The plague is passed to humans from marmots, a type of ground squirrel common in the area. Once the infection reaches humans it can become devastatingly viral as it is an airborne disease. With the widespread destruction it would be easy to come in contact with the animal, so rescue workers have been urgently warned and the condition is under the careful watch by the assembled health professionals.
Even with the supplies, rescue workers and volunteers the regions climate is working against all efforts. With temperatures near or below freezing the victims must battle frostbite as well as fight off potential infections. Millions of yuan has been donated to help relief efforts and the teams of uniformed support as well as civilian volunteers will add the defining touches that keep the devastation from spiraling even further out of control.
While the medical teams and government officials work to help restore health and safety to the region, another type of uniformed support has made its way into the reconnaissance mission. Throngs of Tibetan monks have migrated from the surrounding areas not only to pray and present salvage to those living but to help shoulder the burden that has befallen the area. 1200 monks from a nearby Sichuan school have no income but paid 500 yuan each out of their pockets to volunteer. They are performing traditional burial rites twice a day in order to help the families of the victims find solace in their suffering. In a striking scene the maroon robed monks sat on the remnants of a playground, singing sutra prayers for earthquake victims. Their mournful voices mixed with the sounds of the children reciting their first lessons in their makeshift classrooms are a chorus that echoes the struggle of a region. It is the soundtrack of sadness and initial destruction but the ultimate hope of renaissance and rebirth as this prosperous country once again must mend a bruised and broken community.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Road House
(Written for China Grooves Expat Magazine)
In China the economy is on a steady incline, and so are the number of cars and drivers on the road. Recently my good friend Jackie Gong began taking her driver’s training courses here in Xi’an. I sat down with Jackie to find out what it was like for a Chinese person to get their license. I also wanted to know what the process would be for a foreigner living in the city.
Sumner: How old do you have to be to get a driver's license in China?
Jackie: We can get a driver’s license between 18 and 70 years-old.
S: Where do you go to take the test?
J: Department of Motor Vehicles
S: Sounds familiar!
S: Do you have to take driver’s training before the real road test?
J: Yes, we do. Usually the driving lessons we take help us practice and get ready for the real test.
S: Do you have to pass a written exam before you can take the driving test?
J: Yes! We can only take the road test if we pass a computer exam.
S: How many questions on the computer exam?
J: There are 1500 questions in total, but 100 questions are randomly picked out, we must get 90+ questions correct to pass.
S: What is the process to sign up for lessons?
J: First, we need to go to the Department of Transportation Management to sign up and get fingerprinted. Second, according to the rules of the Traffic Control Department of the Public Security Organ, we need a health examination, with particular interest on out eyes. Third, if our eyesight qualifies, then we can go to the driving schools to apply for the tests, then school will help arrange all the tests. Finally, if we pass all the tests we’ll be given the qualified driver’s license.
S: If you pass one time, do you have to go back in a few years and take the test again?
J: Yes, the driver’s license is required to be rechecked every 6 years.
S: If you are a foreigner how would you get a Chinese driver's license?
J: If you have a driver’s license from your country, then to drive in China, you only need to take and pass the computer exam. Then you take your passport and a copy, your residency visa, your foreign driver’s license and a couple of one-inch photos to the Department of Motor Vehicles and apply for a Chinese driver’s license. (Translator suggested)
S: Is there a Web site that we can look up?
J: http://www.jxedt.com/ it is all in Chinese but in general, it is a very useful Web site.
S: Thanks Jackie, Good luck with your test!
So if you are brave enough to get behind the wheel on the busy Xi’an streets grab a translator and head down to one of the many DMV locations listed below. Make sure you have all your papers in order and a driver’s license from your home country, and sign up for the test. Remember that every city has their own traffic rules and regulations so make sure you are in the know! Buckle up and best of luck!
1、The East Department of Motor Vehicles
Tel: (029)83222318
Address: 西安市长路东路82号 ( No.82, Chang Le Dong Lu, Xi'an )
2、The West Department of Motor Vehicles
Tel: (029)82378301
Address: 西安市三桥西部车城院内 ( Xi Bu Che Cheng, San Qiao, Xi'an )
3、The South Department of Motor Vehicles
Tel: (029)88239551
Address: 西安市电子城东仪路19号 ( No.19, Dong Yi Lu, Dian Zi Cheng, Xi'an )
4、The North Department of Motor Vehicles
Tel: (029)86280195
Address: 西安市北二环伊势威车城院内 ( Yi Shi Wei Che Cheng, Bei Er Huan, Xi'an )
In China the economy is on a steady incline, and so are the number of cars and drivers on the road. Recently my good friend Jackie Gong began taking her driver’s training courses here in Xi’an. I sat down with Jackie to find out what it was like for a Chinese person to get their license. I also wanted to know what the process would be for a foreigner living in the city.
Sumner: How old do you have to be to get a driver's license in China?
Jackie: We can get a driver’s license between 18 and 70 years-old.
S: Where do you go to take the test?
J: Department of Motor Vehicles
S: Sounds familiar!
S: Do you have to take driver’s training before the real road test?
J: Yes, we do. Usually the driving lessons we take help us practice and get ready for the real test.
S: Do you have to pass a written exam before you can take the driving test?
J: Yes! We can only take the road test if we pass a computer exam.
S: How many questions on the computer exam?
J: There are 1500 questions in total, but 100 questions are randomly picked out, we must get 90+ questions correct to pass.
S: What is the process to sign up for lessons?
J: First, we need to go to the Department of Transportation Management to sign up and get fingerprinted. Second, according to the rules of the Traffic Control Department of the Public Security Organ, we need a health examination, with particular interest on out eyes. Third, if our eyesight qualifies, then we can go to the driving schools to apply for the tests, then school will help arrange all the tests. Finally, if we pass all the tests we’ll be given the qualified driver’s license.
S: If you pass one time, do you have to go back in a few years and take the test again?
J: Yes, the driver’s license is required to be rechecked every 6 years.
S: If you are a foreigner how would you get a Chinese driver's license?
J: If you have a driver’s license from your country, then to drive in China, you only need to take and pass the computer exam. Then you take your passport and a copy, your residency visa, your foreign driver’s license and a couple of one-inch photos to the Department of Motor Vehicles and apply for a Chinese driver’s license. (Translator suggested)
S: Is there a Web site that we can look up?
J: http://www.jxedt.com/ it is all in Chinese but in general, it is a very useful Web site.
S: Thanks Jackie, Good luck with your test!
So if you are brave enough to get behind the wheel on the busy Xi’an streets grab a translator and head down to one of the many DMV locations listed below. Make sure you have all your papers in order and a driver’s license from your home country, and sign up for the test. Remember that every city has their own traffic rules and regulations so make sure you are in the know! Buckle up and best of luck!
1、The East Department of Motor Vehicles
Tel: (029)83222318
Address: 西安市长路东路82号 ( No.82, Chang Le Dong Lu, Xi'an )
2、The West Department of Motor Vehicles
Tel: (029)82378301
Address: 西安市三桥西部车城院内 ( Xi Bu Che Cheng, San Qiao, Xi'an )
3、The South Department of Motor Vehicles
Tel: (029)88239551
Address: 西安市电子城东仪路19号 ( No.19, Dong Yi Lu, Dian Zi Cheng, Xi'an )
4、The North Department of Motor Vehicles
Tel: (029)86280195
Address: 西安市北二环伊势威车城院内 ( Yi Shi Wei Che Cheng, Bei Er Huan, Xi'an )
Sunday, February 21, 2010
My Baggage and Me!
Sometimes at the end of the week, I like to lie on my bed and stare at the ceiling. I put one of my low-key music mixes on and just drift away in thought. I let my mind wander to all corners of my brain. I relax and let my body react naturally, sometimes I laugh and smile other times I cringe or grimace but I just relish in all the moments that happened, or the ones still to come.
Reflection is one of the processes I use to keep myself on track. It is the way I parent myself and I have been doing it for years now. I love to be alone with my thoughts, my emotions at ease. It is like a stretch after a long work out, you twist and turn and flex your body to keep the muscles from stiffening, and reflection to me is mentally stretching. I have witnessed and chosen and listened and tasted and absorbed so much each new hour of each new day, if I don’t take the time to sort it all out my mind would slow and tighten and forget.
I let down my boundaries and allow myself recognize the mistakes and missteps I have made and I try to use that as a guide for where I will go; a map for my journeys in the next week or the next year or for the rest of my life. It is through this retrospection that I am able to truly learn from all the experiences of my life. What have I done, where have I been, how did that effect or affect me? What does that point me towards, or is there anywhere I no longer want to go? These questions are about locations may they be physical, psychological or physiological in nature.
I like to question my emotional and mental response in differing situations or in similar situations where my reactions were varied. The whys and hows that help me understand the way in which my mind thinks and works. I realize that sometimes I have more control over my reactions than at other times. There are variables that make this so, and discovering them can help me recognize my body. I never want to have full control because I enjoy surprising myself, but as I grow older I am more aware of the need for self control. That my temperament needs to adjust with time and experience for it is a necessity to fully prepare myself for the next path I walk down I need to take everything I have gained and learned and use it as an advantage, not as a hindrance.
Baggage can be great, especially if it carries the tools you need to make the best of what’s to come!
Reflection is one of the processes I use to keep myself on track. It is the way I parent myself and I have been doing it for years now. I love to be alone with my thoughts, my emotions at ease. It is like a stretch after a long work out, you twist and turn and flex your body to keep the muscles from stiffening, and reflection to me is mentally stretching. I have witnessed and chosen and listened and tasted and absorbed so much each new hour of each new day, if I don’t take the time to sort it all out my mind would slow and tighten and forget.
I let down my boundaries and allow myself recognize the mistakes and missteps I have made and I try to use that as a guide for where I will go; a map for my journeys in the next week or the next year or for the rest of my life. It is through this retrospection that I am able to truly learn from all the experiences of my life. What have I done, where have I been, how did that effect or affect me? What does that point me towards, or is there anywhere I no longer want to go? These questions are about locations may they be physical, psychological or physiological in nature.
I like to question my emotional and mental response in differing situations or in similar situations where my reactions were varied. The whys and hows that help me understand the way in which my mind thinks and works. I realize that sometimes I have more control over my reactions than at other times. There are variables that make this so, and discovering them can help me recognize my body. I never want to have full control because I enjoy surprising myself, but as I grow older I am more aware of the need for self control. That my temperament needs to adjust with time and experience for it is a necessity to fully prepare myself for the next path I walk down I need to take everything I have gained and learned and use it as an advantage, not as a hindrance.
Baggage can be great, especially if it carries the tools you need to make the best of what’s to come!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Chinese Night Lights
Insert late night club scene. One of my absolute favorite things to do in Xi’an is to get a group together and go to one of the many many dance clubs that are scattered around within the city walls. Ever since I can remember I have enjoyed dancing. I love the club atmosphere, loud music pounding in your chest, lights moving with the beat casting you in and out of darkness. I love the energy of a crowded dance floor. The clubs in Columbia have always left a bit to be desired. The ones that were actually designed for the clubbing dancing scene never lasted long, they would phase in and out of popularity, usually with the changing of the seasons. Summertime rolls around a new dance club pops up, by September the crowds have put away their dancing shoes like they put away their summer shorts. Not here, here is what I have always wanted my scene to be.
DJs with actual turn tables grace large stages. Girls adorned in sequined dresses take the podiums in every corner and grind to a choreographed routine. Tables are packed with guys and gals bopping to the beat. This is where the gender differences seem to be checked at the door. Everyone is smoking, everyone is drinking whiskey. Each table has a server, 100RMB notes are handed over in a clump and in return a bottle of whiskey is bought. The mixer can range from sports drink to bottled tea. It is mixed in a large pitcher with ice and then poured into a carafe. Drinks are then distributed into glorified shot glasses, which noticeably helps the liquor go down quicker.
Glancing around the room it would seem that everyone is subtly dancing and using strange little hand motions, then it becomes clear that there is a motive to these little motions, drinking games. There are containers of dice being rolled, clapping and signs being thrown from corner to corner. Each game a variation on the last and each group, each circle of friends has a tailor-made version. The games are done in tune to the music, most of them relying on the down beat of each song bounding out of the speakers. The games do their trick, the more you play the more you drink the harder it becomes to play the more you drink and the cycle is in full swing.
It is odd to think that a break from the table is actually needed and the dance floor becomes a good place to regroup. Most of the tables are tall with one or two stools, making it easy to stand. It also helps accommodate the number of people that can pack themselves into these highly popular locals. Making it to the dance floor is much like winding your way through a labyrinth of smoke signals and staring eyes. Once there, on the floor, arms spin hands clap legs bend and hair bounces. Each song blends seamlessly as does the ever changing partner in front of, behind or all around.
Leaving this pounding place, once entered, isn’t even considered until the bottles are all dry, and the yearning for food from the corner stand replaces the pull of the dance floor. Piling out onto the taxi lined street, buying kabobs of lamb and other meat, raised voices carrying us off home to sleep.
Staring out of the taxi window a contented little giggle breaks my smile, for I am forever in love with China at night.
DJs with actual turn tables grace large stages. Girls adorned in sequined dresses take the podiums in every corner and grind to a choreographed routine. Tables are packed with guys and gals bopping to the beat. This is where the gender differences seem to be checked at the door. Everyone is smoking, everyone is drinking whiskey. Each table has a server, 100RMB notes are handed over in a clump and in return a bottle of whiskey is bought. The mixer can range from sports drink to bottled tea. It is mixed in a large pitcher with ice and then poured into a carafe. Drinks are then distributed into glorified shot glasses, which noticeably helps the liquor go down quicker.
Glancing around the room it would seem that everyone is subtly dancing and using strange little hand motions, then it becomes clear that there is a motive to these little motions, drinking games. There are containers of dice being rolled, clapping and signs being thrown from corner to corner. Each game a variation on the last and each group, each circle of friends has a tailor-made version. The games are done in tune to the music, most of them relying on the down beat of each song bounding out of the speakers. The games do their trick, the more you play the more you drink the harder it becomes to play the more you drink and the cycle is in full swing.
It is odd to think that a break from the table is actually needed and the dance floor becomes a good place to regroup. Most of the tables are tall with one or two stools, making it easy to stand. It also helps accommodate the number of people that can pack themselves into these highly popular locals. Making it to the dance floor is much like winding your way through a labyrinth of smoke signals and staring eyes. Once there, on the floor, arms spin hands clap legs bend and hair bounces. Each song blends seamlessly as does the ever changing partner in front of, behind or all around.
Leaving this pounding place, once entered, isn’t even considered until the bottles are all dry, and the yearning for food from the corner stand replaces the pull of the dance floor. Piling out onto the taxi lined street, buying kabobs of lamb and other meat, raised voices carrying us off home to sleep.
Staring out of the taxi window a contented little giggle breaks my smile, for I am forever in love with China at night.
Tarnished
So I totally Febrezed my hair this morning. For those of you who know me well, you know this is not the first time this has happened, and I am afraid it will not be the last, especially living in China. They smoke everywhere in China. In the year before I left to come to China, Columbia had begun to ban smoking all over. Now I will own up to it I have a weakness for smoking particularly when I drink, but I prefer to sit in a restaurant or bar that is smoke free.
For a long time in America smoking has been banned in elevators, office building, hospitals and all those “common sense” type places. Well that is unfortunately not the case in Xi’an. Of course I cannot speak for all of China because I have only ever been in this one city, but it seems to be a very cultural thing. All men seem to smoke whereas women, especially older women, don’t.
To me smoking tarnishes an environment. I don’t mind it in bars because, well let’s be honest tarnishing is a main factor in why we go to bars, we don’t go there to be calm and stay clean. But smoke in my home bothers me. I don’t like walking out of a shower into a room that smells of smoke. I don’t like walking out of a classroom full of 8 year-old students into the smell of dad’s huddled around an ashtray. I will get off of an elevator if someone gets on with a cigarette; but I must say the most disturbing of all is the hospital. Whether it is a clinic or a multi-functioning medical facility there is smoking; smoking in the waiting area, smoking in the cafeteria and smoking in the rooms. Doctors and patients alike smokey smoke smoking.
The whole separation of smoking by gender is fascinating. At home it is young girls who start the most and keep smoking. Everywhere you go girls are smoking, tell a girl something is an appetite suppressant and watch them flock to it in hordes; but not in China. None of the girls I teach with smoke, most of the women I see in restaurants aren’t smoking, asking upon the notion I found out that women who smoke are kind of seen as “bad girls,” rebels if you will. I find this fact appalling and amazing all in one.
For a long time in America smoking has been banned in elevators, office building, hospitals and all those “common sense” type places. Well that is unfortunately not the case in Xi’an. Of course I cannot speak for all of China because I have only ever been in this one city, but it seems to be a very cultural thing. All men seem to smoke whereas women, especially older women, don’t.
To me smoking tarnishes an environment. I don’t mind it in bars because, well let’s be honest tarnishing is a main factor in why we go to bars, we don’t go there to be calm and stay clean. But smoke in my home bothers me. I don’t like walking out of a shower into a room that smells of smoke. I don’t like walking out of a classroom full of 8 year-old students into the smell of dad’s huddled around an ashtray. I will get off of an elevator if someone gets on with a cigarette; but I must say the most disturbing of all is the hospital. Whether it is a clinic or a multi-functioning medical facility there is smoking; smoking in the waiting area, smoking in the cafeteria and smoking in the rooms. Doctors and patients alike smokey smoke smoking.
The whole separation of smoking by gender is fascinating. At home it is young girls who start the most and keep smoking. Everywhere you go girls are smoking, tell a girl something is an appetite suppressant and watch them flock to it in hordes; but not in China. None of the girls I teach with smoke, most of the women I see in restaurants aren’t smoking, asking upon the notion I found out that women who smoke are kind of seen as “bad girls,” rebels if you will. I find this fact appalling and amazing all in one.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
The Battle's Won
My ears have a slight constant hum, reminiscent vibrations from last night’s festivities, a night where the sky seemed to rain sparks and fire. Exploding candles and rockets bounced off the courtyard walls, tiny hands stuck out into the cold from sliding windows holding glowing sticks of wonder as the energy throughout the town seemed to run through your body with each blast, each breath, each bang. I felt an entire country watching with me as I marveled in the fireworks display. Although an outsider, an observer, I was a part of the glowing night. A lazy day on my couch turned into a blood boiling night of intensity, just by being here; it is as if I drank the spirit of celebration, with each explosion my heart pounded harder and my body warmed and my dizzied head tried to steady itself, in vain.
Of course like all matter of drinkable spirits comes the inevitable crash and burn. Today although not having consumed any tangible alcohol I feel as if I spent the night pounding shots and dancing to the vibrating speakers from the disco’s walls. The discarded paper shells littering the ground outside are comparable to empty beer bottles that cover the living room floor after a late night of drinking, the smell of sulfur in the air is like the stale dry aroma of an empty bar after a night of merriment. I feel as if I have walked through a battle field the morning after, where bright light and sound had fought to triumph over the dark and silent night.
All over the country today those families that burned and cheered through the night will join together to feast. Generations will gather around a table, in a kitchen or in a living room. They will enjoy the warmth that family brings on this cold Sunday. I imagine televisions across the nation will be tuned to that classic tale of the Monkey King.
Not having a family home to go to I find comfort in the home I have created for myself in this foreign country. Glad to have been welcomed into the night’s festivities I feel a slight emptiness today. No where to go, no one to see. My kitchen will not be filled with the busied hands nor will my living room fill with sweet and savory aromas; my walls will not hear stories or laughter, we will stare at each other blankly but contented.
The cold snowy streets are lined with hollow empty stores. Where there are usually kind inquisitive faces standing at doors or sitting in shops, there are now unreceptive gates of locked metal. There is peacefulness in a city of constant commotion. There are fewer buses and taxis bounding around. The souls out on the streets today are hurried on towards their destinations, their warm gatherings.
I appreciate the gatherings behind the doors and the windows. I look at the buildings and am comforted by the families participating in the tradition. There are not many days where the billions of people in this country can all be counted on to think or do the same as their neighbors, except for today. From the warm southern country to the frozen northern towns the Chinese are all united on this day. In the west today will be Valentine’s Day, an overtly commercialized day for expressions of love. In the east today is truly a day for love and togetherness, appreciation and gratitude for today is February 14 New Years Day.
Of course like all matter of drinkable spirits comes the inevitable crash and burn. Today although not having consumed any tangible alcohol I feel as if I spent the night pounding shots and dancing to the vibrating speakers from the disco’s walls. The discarded paper shells littering the ground outside are comparable to empty beer bottles that cover the living room floor after a late night of drinking, the smell of sulfur in the air is like the stale dry aroma of an empty bar after a night of merriment. I feel as if I have walked through a battle field the morning after, where bright light and sound had fought to triumph over the dark and silent night.
All over the country today those families that burned and cheered through the night will join together to feast. Generations will gather around a table, in a kitchen or in a living room. They will enjoy the warmth that family brings on this cold Sunday. I imagine televisions across the nation will be tuned to that classic tale of the Monkey King.
Not having a family home to go to I find comfort in the home I have created for myself in this foreign country. Glad to have been welcomed into the night’s festivities I feel a slight emptiness today. No where to go, no one to see. My kitchen will not be filled with the busied hands nor will my living room fill with sweet and savory aromas; my walls will not hear stories or laughter, we will stare at each other blankly but contented.
The cold snowy streets are lined with hollow empty stores. Where there are usually kind inquisitive faces standing at doors or sitting in shops, there are now unreceptive gates of locked metal. There is peacefulness in a city of constant commotion. There are fewer buses and taxis bounding around. The souls out on the streets today are hurried on towards their destinations, their warm gatherings.
I appreciate the gatherings behind the doors and the windows. I look at the buildings and am comforted by the families participating in the tradition. There are not many days where the billions of people in this country can all be counted on to think or do the same as their neighbors, except for today. From the warm southern country to the frozen northern towns the Chinese are all united on this day. In the west today will be Valentine’s Day, an overtly commercialized day for expressions of love. In the east today is truly a day for love and togetherness, appreciation and gratitude for today is February 14 New Years Day.
OSCAR'S
“Illusion is the first of all pleasures.” Oscar Wilde
As the smoke from my clove cigarette curls in the glow of my computer screen I contemplate the pleasures that illusion gives. Sitting at OSCAR’S, the self-proclaimed “Ex-pat bar” barely big enough to be your best friend’s living room, it occurs that the pleasure this bar gives me is primarily the comfort from the harsh streets of the city. The low lamped lighting and close comfortable chairs invites exciting conversation, an opening to talk of the times and get away from the structure of daily living. To entertain company in your own living room requires attention and detail, the replenishing of drinks and the cleaning of ash trays but there is much to be said for the relaxed environment a familiar couch can provide. All that comes naturally at Oscar’s named for the famed author and poet Oscar Wilde. An eccentric in his own right Wilde was a man who travelled in his life and through his writing. For the foreigners who live in Xi’an we are travelers and seekers, whether we seek thrills, adventure, experience or simple employment we have all found ourselves in this new society. Joined together by our language and natural differences, where we were once similar and familiar we are now strange and interesting. Oscar’s is a place to join together over a glass of imported liquor or beer, take a moment to forget our surroundings and enjoy the placid ease that comes with being amongst friends. Whether you want to make use of the free wireless Internet or bring your guitar for a spontaneous jam you are welcomed, wanted and encouraged to share. Stop by, bring a friend or come alone. Spark a conversation or sit in silent contemplation. Know that it is a place where you can dress up dress down or dress out. When you slide open the door it is a place for you, the illusion is yours to create, each and every time.
As the smoke from my clove cigarette curls in the glow of my computer screen I contemplate the pleasures that illusion gives. Sitting at OSCAR’S, the self-proclaimed “Ex-pat bar” barely big enough to be your best friend’s living room, it occurs that the pleasure this bar gives me is primarily the comfort from the harsh streets of the city. The low lamped lighting and close comfortable chairs invites exciting conversation, an opening to talk of the times and get away from the structure of daily living. To entertain company in your own living room requires attention and detail, the replenishing of drinks and the cleaning of ash trays but there is much to be said for the relaxed environment a familiar couch can provide. All that comes naturally at Oscar’s named for the famed author and poet Oscar Wilde. An eccentric in his own right Wilde was a man who travelled in his life and through his writing. For the foreigners who live in Xi’an we are travelers and seekers, whether we seek thrills, adventure, experience or simple employment we have all found ourselves in this new society. Joined together by our language and natural differences, where we were once similar and familiar we are now strange and interesting. Oscar’s is a place to join together over a glass of imported liquor or beer, take a moment to forget our surroundings and enjoy the placid ease that comes with being amongst friends. Whether you want to make use of the free wireless Internet or bring your guitar for a spontaneous jam you are welcomed, wanted and encouraged to share. Stop by, bring a friend or come alone. Spark a conversation or sit in silent contemplation. Know that it is a place where you can dress up dress down or dress out. When you slide open the door it is a place for you, the illusion is yours to create, each and every time.
Generally Speaking
Hello friends, family and general loved ones. I haven’t written you since I first arrived in China and thought I might take this opportunity to do so. Today is Wednesday, my day off, and I am a little under-the-weather so I am under pile of blankets sipping some tea. Oddly enough in a country overflowing with tea I am not drinking Chinese tea, although I have had a plethora and it is great, I am drinking Yorkshire tea. Or I am “having a brew” as my roommate Lindsay would say.
I thank my lucky stars on a regular basis for Lindsay; this experience could have been a disaster had I not landed a roommate that I get along with so well. She is from Manchester, England which proves for interesting discussions of “what do you call this?” “We call it a …” the differences are sometimes hilarious. I am surrounded by British folks and I am slowly becoming the only American left in my program.
In total we have Vincent from Holland by way of New Zealand, Chris from London, Robert from Coventry, England, Laurence from Liverpool and Mike from some other place in England. The Americans are/were Dwayne from Reno; he learned how to speak Chinese in the military then decided to come to China and try to make use of that knowledge. Sarah from Texas was my other roommate but she didn’t last a week. Then this today we lost Nick from New York, he flew out early this morning. Dwayne hates the program and will probably leave within the next couple of months….then I will be the only American still going.
There is a thriving group of foreigners here though. There is an expat bar not far from here that we go to often. It was started by my now friend Pierre from New York. He is here on a Fulbright Scholarship studying famine relief. He figured he needed a side project so he opened Oscar’s (named for Oscar Wilde). It is a tiny hole in a wall, almost literally, that feels like walking into someone’s living room. It is cozy and inviting, we recently put curtains over the door so that people couldn’t look in. As you might think, a bunch of foreigners sitting around drinking and listening to funny music is quite a sight so people will stop and stare through the glass door, think viewing tank at the Zoo.
It is a nice break from the sometimes overwhelming city. I have made a few friends who are all here for different reasons, either to study or teach or on research grants. I find myself being more fascinated by the foreigners who come to China, and their reasons, than I am at times with China. Recently I was asked to provide training for all of the Chinese teachers (CT) that work with us at my school. They wanted me to talk for an hour and a half about how to improve the relationship between the CT and the foreign teachers (FT). Being a new teacher I took this as a compliment but also as an opportunity to really explain some of the issues that we have when teaching in this program.
I started my training by asking the group, about 30 teachers, “how many of you have ever been outside of China?” One person raised his hand; he had been to Australia for a week. Other than that not a single person has set foot out of their own country. I was able to use that to explain to them that all of the foreigners that work here have done just that, left home. We have all left everything behind, our friends and family our familiarity our entire support system. China is a very isolating place at times and I wanted them to understand that once we get here the school, Gallop, in essence becomes our support system. For example, I talked about how difficult it is sometimes to eat on my days off because I can’t just walk into a restaurant and ask from a menu, of course that is getting easier but at first there are many times where I felt completely overwhelmed and helpless. Trying to explain culture-shock is difficult because it is a very personal thing, and is entirely subjective.
Having been here for a little over 2 months I have started to get used to a lot of stuff. The staring isn’t as bothersome and I am able to ignore. I have started interacting with more people, my vocabulary is extremely minimal but I am taking a 2 hour class each week plus I have a tutor every other week for 2 hours. I have a friend who will text me Chinese characters to show cab drivers when I need to go somewhere. The bus system is very handy but crowded and potentially risky.
As for the job, there are some really great parts about it and like any job there are some really bad parts. I think a lot of the disagreement with the Americans comes from the fact that from the very first day we arrive we realize that a lot of the things we were told are in fact not true or misstatements. Our teaching schedule is grueling. I will give you an overview of my classes.
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in the morning I teach at Huanghe Primary School. I teach grade 3 from 8:25 to 12:15. I absolutely adore the kids I have in those classes. There are approximately 40 kids in each class and I teach 3 classes. On Tuesday afternoons I go to Jiaoda Primary school where I teach first grade from 2:15 to 4:15 (it takes about 45 minutes to get to this school). This school has about 50 students in each class. On Friday afternoons I go to a Kindergarten around the corner where I teach 7 classes back to back with about 30 kids in each class. The kids in all of these schools are adorable but the size of the classes, the time spent and energy exuded to teach is exhausting to say the least. On Saturdays and Sundays we are required to be at our school Gallop from 9 am to 7 pm. On each day I teach 4 hour long classes and spend the rest of my time there for lesson planning. The classes at Gallop are better because they are smaller which gives you an opportunity to get to know you students and the games and songs are a lot more fun.
I think the main let down from our busy schedule, besides the overall exhaustion, is that we have very little time to go anywhere or do anything. All the teachers have Monday off, which is nice but the day is usually used to catch up on sleep, laundry or grocery shopping. We all get another day off per week but it varies, mine is Wednesdays but Lindsay has Thursday off, that sort of thing. The past couple of weeks I have been better about making myself get out of the apartment and go see and/or do stuff in the city. There are markets to go to and I have my tutoring on Wednesdays so that gets me out of the house; my first month I was spending the whole day in bed, and reasonably so.
They said that we will get used to the schedule, and I am sure we will. I really enjoy the job and so I don’t mind it too much. It is straining though. The weather here is freezing and our heat doesn’t get cut on till mid month so needless to say I am sick. I have pretty much lost my voice and have a cold, but I am bombarded regularly with Chinese teas that will help cure all, or so I am told! I think winter will be hard but, it is like that most places, the cold makes everything just a little bit more difficult.
I know we get some time off in February for Spring Festival, so I am hoping to do some traveling then. Other than that we get 2 weeks off in the summer and I am thinking of doing a Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand trip. As for now I am just taking it one day at a time and truly appreciating and enjoying the experience. Being away from home has been difficult in some ways but really great for me. It is really nice to get away from everything you know and to test yourself. I have now been in China for 2 months and that is a strange and wonderful fact.
There are things that I miss so much, but that will make my return to them all the more pleasurable. Just know that I am here and I am working hard and I am appreciating every ounce of effort I pour into this job and experience.
All my love from the middle country!
I thank my lucky stars on a regular basis for Lindsay; this experience could have been a disaster had I not landed a roommate that I get along with so well. She is from Manchester, England which proves for interesting discussions of “what do you call this?” “We call it a …” the differences are sometimes hilarious. I am surrounded by British folks and I am slowly becoming the only American left in my program.
In total we have Vincent from Holland by way of New Zealand, Chris from London, Robert from Coventry, England, Laurence from Liverpool and Mike from some other place in England. The Americans are/were Dwayne from Reno; he learned how to speak Chinese in the military then decided to come to China and try to make use of that knowledge. Sarah from Texas was my other roommate but she didn’t last a week. Then this today we lost Nick from New York, he flew out early this morning. Dwayne hates the program and will probably leave within the next couple of months….then I will be the only American still going.
There is a thriving group of foreigners here though. There is an expat bar not far from here that we go to often. It was started by my now friend Pierre from New York. He is here on a Fulbright Scholarship studying famine relief. He figured he needed a side project so he opened Oscar’s (named for Oscar Wilde). It is a tiny hole in a wall, almost literally, that feels like walking into someone’s living room. It is cozy and inviting, we recently put curtains over the door so that people couldn’t look in. As you might think, a bunch of foreigners sitting around drinking and listening to funny music is quite a sight so people will stop and stare through the glass door, think viewing tank at the Zoo.
It is a nice break from the sometimes overwhelming city. I have made a few friends who are all here for different reasons, either to study or teach or on research grants. I find myself being more fascinated by the foreigners who come to China, and their reasons, than I am at times with China. Recently I was asked to provide training for all of the Chinese teachers (CT) that work with us at my school. They wanted me to talk for an hour and a half about how to improve the relationship between the CT and the foreign teachers (FT). Being a new teacher I took this as a compliment but also as an opportunity to really explain some of the issues that we have when teaching in this program.
I started my training by asking the group, about 30 teachers, “how many of you have ever been outside of China?” One person raised his hand; he had been to Australia for a week. Other than that not a single person has set foot out of their own country. I was able to use that to explain to them that all of the foreigners that work here have done just that, left home. We have all left everything behind, our friends and family our familiarity our entire support system. China is a very isolating place at times and I wanted them to understand that once we get here the school, Gallop, in essence becomes our support system. For example, I talked about how difficult it is sometimes to eat on my days off because I can’t just walk into a restaurant and ask from a menu, of course that is getting easier but at first there are many times where I felt completely overwhelmed and helpless. Trying to explain culture-shock is difficult because it is a very personal thing, and is entirely subjective.
Having been here for a little over 2 months I have started to get used to a lot of stuff. The staring isn’t as bothersome and I am able to ignore. I have started interacting with more people, my vocabulary is extremely minimal but I am taking a 2 hour class each week plus I have a tutor every other week for 2 hours. I have a friend who will text me Chinese characters to show cab drivers when I need to go somewhere. The bus system is very handy but crowded and potentially risky.
As for the job, there are some really great parts about it and like any job there are some really bad parts. I think a lot of the disagreement with the Americans comes from the fact that from the very first day we arrive we realize that a lot of the things we were told are in fact not true or misstatements. Our teaching schedule is grueling. I will give you an overview of my classes.
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in the morning I teach at Huanghe Primary School. I teach grade 3 from 8:25 to 12:15. I absolutely adore the kids I have in those classes. There are approximately 40 kids in each class and I teach 3 classes. On Tuesday afternoons I go to Jiaoda Primary school where I teach first grade from 2:15 to 4:15 (it takes about 45 minutes to get to this school). This school has about 50 students in each class. On Friday afternoons I go to a Kindergarten around the corner where I teach 7 classes back to back with about 30 kids in each class. The kids in all of these schools are adorable but the size of the classes, the time spent and energy exuded to teach is exhausting to say the least. On Saturdays and Sundays we are required to be at our school Gallop from 9 am to 7 pm. On each day I teach 4 hour long classes and spend the rest of my time there for lesson planning. The classes at Gallop are better because they are smaller which gives you an opportunity to get to know you students and the games and songs are a lot more fun.
I think the main let down from our busy schedule, besides the overall exhaustion, is that we have very little time to go anywhere or do anything. All the teachers have Monday off, which is nice but the day is usually used to catch up on sleep, laundry or grocery shopping. We all get another day off per week but it varies, mine is Wednesdays but Lindsay has Thursday off, that sort of thing. The past couple of weeks I have been better about making myself get out of the apartment and go see and/or do stuff in the city. There are markets to go to and I have my tutoring on Wednesdays so that gets me out of the house; my first month I was spending the whole day in bed, and reasonably so.
They said that we will get used to the schedule, and I am sure we will. I really enjoy the job and so I don’t mind it too much. It is straining though. The weather here is freezing and our heat doesn’t get cut on till mid month so needless to say I am sick. I have pretty much lost my voice and have a cold, but I am bombarded regularly with Chinese teas that will help cure all, or so I am told! I think winter will be hard but, it is like that most places, the cold makes everything just a little bit more difficult.
I know we get some time off in February for Spring Festival, so I am hoping to do some traveling then. Other than that we get 2 weeks off in the summer and I am thinking of doing a Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand trip. As for now I am just taking it one day at a time and truly appreciating and enjoying the experience. Being away from home has been difficult in some ways but really great for me. It is really nice to get away from everything you know and to test yourself. I have now been in China for 2 months and that is a strange and wonderful fact.
There are things that I miss so much, but that will make my return to them all the more pleasurable. Just know that I am here and I am working hard and I am appreciating every ounce of effort I pour into this job and experience.
All my love from the middle country!
Anecdote
China is a country that makes absolutely no sense, and therefore everything that takes place within it makes no sense. You know when you get on the plane that you are headed to a country where you do not speak the language and their language isn't even written with letters, so you have to realize that there is going to be an overwhelming mix of isolation and miscommunication. Luckily with an English speaking program most people around you speak English, and you will end up with a roommate that speaks English. So you accept that you won't be lacking someone to connect with or bond over this exciting adventure. However, the isolation is a major part of the transition that you not only have to recognize but overcome.
Not wanting to leave your apartment because you know that outside the door, on the street you will not be able to ask for what you need, won't be able to tell someone what you feel. The smallest detail like buying a bottle of water becomes an epic game of charades, a game that will consume a large part of your life for at least the next month while you wait, hoping one day to find that the mumblings and sounds around you have worked themselves out to become something comprehensible.
In the beginning your mind hears noises and grunts and sounds so different than what you are used to hearing as common speech that it is impossible to distinguish one from another. So the busying street becomes an overwhelming cacophony of horn honking, bus squealing and indistinguishable conversation. But you make yourself walk out of the door, look people in the eye and use your dramatic hand gestures to get what you need or explain what you want. Each moment becoming a little bit easier than the last, each step more casually enthusiastic.
China is a country of people who are very proud and very settled, they have no desire to reach out and experience other places in life, and they don't have the inherent desire for travel or global knowledge. Their life cycle ends, most likely, where it began, same province, same city. Tourist cites around the city are flocked with Chinese people who have travelled from one part of the country to another. That is the extent of their interest. Of course this is the rule, there are exceptions, but in general the Chinese are happy here, they are not worried about over there. Knowing this as a fundamental fact of the Chinese mindset helps you when you are a foreigner living here. Because they have no desire to go see your country, they never quite understand why you have a desire to see theirs.
In the beginning of the process of moving to China it is explained that you must expect a great deal of attention to be paid to you, at all times. You can try to accept that concept before you set foot in the middle country, but you will never truly be prepared. Being a foreigner in this country makes one able to relate, on a certain level, with the famous people who are always noticed, watched and studied. It is exhilarating at times to feel the interested eyes of those around you, taking notice in the little nuances of your life. It is easy to see how many people could fall in love with this feeling, of feeling different, important and interesting. Many people leave their home countries where they are just like the person that stands next to them, maybe always wishing they were a bit changed or stood out a little more. Then they come to China and that exotic difference is instantly granted, and one can feel that they have become a little bit better of a person, naturally, organically.
The burden of a country’s interest can weigh heavily at times on the back of these foreigners. At first the interest is exciting and welcomed, eventually though you can start to distinguish between the many different attitudes with which you are being watched. There are the ones who will stop you and ask for a picture with you, a nice person who helps you pick the best laundry detergent out of a whole aisle of confusing labels, but there are others who are not so interested in seeing you walking through their streets. In general the feeling is pleasant and respectful, but there are many who stare at you with disgust, disdain or complete abhorrence of your penetration into their world.
A country known throughout history as being xenophobic, still has an under tow of people who think that you should stay on your side of the line and leave their country out of your thoughts. There are the young kids who don't feel this way but can look at you and laugh in a way that will make you feel like a kid standing in a school yard exposed with someone throwing sand in your face.
These nasty laughs and disregard are the exception to the rule. A rule that will become blazingly apparent the longer you are in this energetic country. People here want to help you; they want you to know that they are glad you are here. Your interest swells their national breast with the pride that they have always known but are glad to have a reminder that comes in the form of a young American walking through their streets and coexisting with their ways.
Not wanting to leave your apartment because you know that outside the door, on the street you will not be able to ask for what you need, won't be able to tell someone what you feel. The smallest detail like buying a bottle of water becomes an epic game of charades, a game that will consume a large part of your life for at least the next month while you wait, hoping one day to find that the mumblings and sounds around you have worked themselves out to become something comprehensible.
In the beginning your mind hears noises and grunts and sounds so different than what you are used to hearing as common speech that it is impossible to distinguish one from another. So the busying street becomes an overwhelming cacophony of horn honking, bus squealing and indistinguishable conversation. But you make yourself walk out of the door, look people in the eye and use your dramatic hand gestures to get what you need or explain what you want. Each moment becoming a little bit easier than the last, each step more casually enthusiastic.
China is a country of people who are very proud and very settled, they have no desire to reach out and experience other places in life, and they don't have the inherent desire for travel or global knowledge. Their life cycle ends, most likely, where it began, same province, same city. Tourist cites around the city are flocked with Chinese people who have travelled from one part of the country to another. That is the extent of their interest. Of course this is the rule, there are exceptions, but in general the Chinese are happy here, they are not worried about over there. Knowing this as a fundamental fact of the Chinese mindset helps you when you are a foreigner living here. Because they have no desire to go see your country, they never quite understand why you have a desire to see theirs.
In the beginning of the process of moving to China it is explained that you must expect a great deal of attention to be paid to you, at all times. You can try to accept that concept before you set foot in the middle country, but you will never truly be prepared. Being a foreigner in this country makes one able to relate, on a certain level, with the famous people who are always noticed, watched and studied. It is exhilarating at times to feel the interested eyes of those around you, taking notice in the little nuances of your life. It is easy to see how many people could fall in love with this feeling, of feeling different, important and interesting. Many people leave their home countries where they are just like the person that stands next to them, maybe always wishing they were a bit changed or stood out a little more. Then they come to China and that exotic difference is instantly granted, and one can feel that they have become a little bit better of a person, naturally, organically.
The burden of a country’s interest can weigh heavily at times on the back of these foreigners. At first the interest is exciting and welcomed, eventually though you can start to distinguish between the many different attitudes with which you are being watched. There are the ones who will stop you and ask for a picture with you, a nice person who helps you pick the best laundry detergent out of a whole aisle of confusing labels, but there are others who are not so interested in seeing you walking through their streets. In general the feeling is pleasant and respectful, but there are many who stare at you with disgust, disdain or complete abhorrence of your penetration into their world.
A country known throughout history as being xenophobic, still has an under tow of people who think that you should stay on your side of the line and leave their country out of your thoughts. There are the young kids who don't feel this way but can look at you and laugh in a way that will make you feel like a kid standing in a school yard exposed with someone throwing sand in your face.
These nasty laughs and disregard are the exception to the rule. A rule that will become blazingly apparent the longer you are in this energetic country. People here want to help you; they want you to know that they are glad you are here. Your interest swells their national breast with the pride that they have always known but are glad to have a reminder that comes in the form of a young American walking through their streets and coexisting with their ways.
The Pulp
Balancing on the precipice of change.
Teetering on the brink of gratified destruction;
Taking them down.
The fear and enthusiasm, paralyzed and exhilarating,
Forcefully, categorically forward.
Knowing, trusting to step, gracefully, assuredly.
A sturdy base to stand on; cultivated.
Kneaded, nourished with breadth
On the verge, the breakdown, standing, staring,
Stand and stare, unmovable.
The energy the spirit propelling forward,
Kept moving, not stopping.
Gone.
The peaceful quiet awoken.
A tumbling mass, exuberance, electric pulse, the pulp.
A body tired but yearning, a beating, prove and withstand, a chance.
Push, pull, set, test…limitless.
A mind, relieved, unquestioned, constant.
Wandering singularly without reproach; unchained…
Grow, learn, blossom.
A heart poised, ready, unheeding, at home to thrive,
The pulse the prance, a beat of the drum.
Pounds alone, for everyone, masterful, palpable,
A new little tune, rhythms and groove.
Corners to turn, new corners, sights and faces…
Unexplored, unquestioned, conquerable.
Teetering on the brink of gratified destruction;
Taking them down.
The fear and enthusiasm, paralyzed and exhilarating,
Forcefully, categorically forward.
Knowing, trusting to step, gracefully, assuredly.
A sturdy base to stand on; cultivated.
Kneaded, nourished with breadth
On the verge, the breakdown, standing, staring,
Stand and stare, unmovable.
The energy the spirit propelling forward,
Kept moving, not stopping.
Gone.
The peaceful quiet awoken.
A tumbling mass, exuberance, electric pulse, the pulp.
A body tired but yearning, a beating, prove and withstand, a chance.
Push, pull, set, test…limitless.
A mind, relieved, unquestioned, constant.
Wandering singularly without reproach; unchained…
Grow, learn, blossom.
A heart poised, ready, unheeding, at home to thrive,
The pulse the prance, a beat of the drum.
Pounds alone, for everyone, masterful, palpable,
A new little tune, rhythms and groove.
Corners to turn, new corners, sights and faces…
Unexplored, unquestioned, conquerable.
It Only Rains in September, Maybe
Standing on the corner of a busy Chinese street, I wait for a break in the traffic before crossing. My pink and purple portable umbrella hangs high above my head. It was a going away gift from home, and in my single month in Xi’an I have used it often. Standing on the corner, umbrella in hand, I curse the tiny triangular patch of breathable fabric on the toe of my tennis shoes. With each splash from the street, or drop from the sky I can feel the dampening of my cotton socks, and in that moment I remember that cotton is never a good idea in the rain.
Everything is harder when it rains. You start your morning to the sounds of the wet air urging you to stay in bed, cuddled under your blanket, head tucked tightly in your pillow’s crease; however, you must rise and persevere through the damp day. It seems that leaving the home always happens a little later as if your subconscious is slowing you down, delaying the muddy trek. Umbrella in hand, hood up or poncho on you go out, pant legs rolled or tucked safely away from the sodden ground. Head plastered down to aid in navigation around muddy puddles, for on dry days the dirty spots are easily avoided but today, on a rainy day, the muck and wet blend making it nearly impossible to skirt the grime.
All that being said your struggles, which come from that rain soaked day, are brilliantly rewarded; the day after the rain came. You awaken to find the sun peering through your window inviting you out on a new day. Your step is a little lighter as you prance through your morning rituals. The umbrella burden no longer needed, you step out into the daylight finding a surprising treat for your senses. Unlike the usual gray foggy cloud that greets you each morning, you see an astonishing glassy blue sky. White, a color forsaken by these dirty streets, swims through the sky as fluffy clouds riding the breeze. The morning’s gratitude is in this day, the sun is bright and elated to be out and shining for you. If you listen for a moment, past the city sounds, you can imagine the song birds singing, welcoming the clean breath of air that has floated in from some unknown village.
As if stolen from my hometown, that plush southern city with green leaves, blue skies and a sweet breeze, I take to the streets on this day breathing deeply, thankfully. Keeping my head up and my eyes wandering through to catch a glimpse of some other person who recognizes what a gift the rain has given us. A warm clear day that coils its way down to a crisply charmed night, I glance up at the rare stars poking there heads out to walk me home. I offer up a wish on their guiding light and welcome sleep so I may dream of more sunshine before tomorrow’s cloudy smoky day.
Everything is harder when it rains. You start your morning to the sounds of the wet air urging you to stay in bed, cuddled under your blanket, head tucked tightly in your pillow’s crease; however, you must rise and persevere through the damp day. It seems that leaving the home always happens a little later as if your subconscious is slowing you down, delaying the muddy trek. Umbrella in hand, hood up or poncho on you go out, pant legs rolled or tucked safely away from the sodden ground. Head plastered down to aid in navigation around muddy puddles, for on dry days the dirty spots are easily avoided but today, on a rainy day, the muck and wet blend making it nearly impossible to skirt the grime.
All that being said your struggles, which come from that rain soaked day, are brilliantly rewarded; the day after the rain came. You awaken to find the sun peering through your window inviting you out on a new day. Your step is a little lighter as you prance through your morning rituals. The umbrella burden no longer needed, you step out into the daylight finding a surprising treat for your senses. Unlike the usual gray foggy cloud that greets you each morning, you see an astonishing glassy blue sky. White, a color forsaken by these dirty streets, swims through the sky as fluffy clouds riding the breeze. The morning’s gratitude is in this day, the sun is bright and elated to be out and shining for you. If you listen for a moment, past the city sounds, you can imagine the song birds singing, welcoming the clean breath of air that has floated in from some unknown village.
As if stolen from my hometown, that plush southern city with green leaves, blue skies and a sweet breeze, I take to the streets on this day breathing deeply, thankfully. Keeping my head up and my eyes wandering through to catch a glimpse of some other person who recognizes what a gift the rain has given us. A warm clear day that coils its way down to a crisply charmed night, I glance up at the rare stars poking there heads out to walk me home. I offer up a wish on their guiding light and welcome sleep so I may dream of more sunshine before tomorrow’s cloudy smoky day.
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