As you may recall, whilst partaking of pizza in my search for Metro I met some foreigners. It seems there is a Canadian/International school called Maple Leaf somewhere in Wuhan, and they hire all kinds of Canadian people. Of course, the only two I met were Terran and Christy. But I am bolstered by the idea that I am not quite the only foreigner (besides Victor, my colleague) in this city.
What I haven’t disclosed to you is that Optic Valley was also full of foreigners. Well, not exactly FULL of foreigners, but there are more certainly foreigners running around in that corner of Wuhan than my corner. I have withheld that information from you for a reason, which I will soon divulge. But first, a little bit of background:
While living in America I worked what most people call the Swing shift – from 2:30 in the afternoon until 11:00 o’clock at night. This is a work schedule tailor-made for me, a night owl who likes to sleep in. And while I genuinely enjoyed spending time with my work mates and sometimes shared very deep conversations with several of them, the bottom line is we were work mates and after the clock struck that time they went their way and I went mine.
In essence this was not a bad arrangement. I, the painfully introverted one, had just enough contact with people during the week to carry me though the weekend and, come time to resume the work week I was again ready and eager to meet up with my crew. However, it niggled in the back of my mind that I essentially had no other life than work and solitary pursuits. Over time, that really started bothering me.
True enough I had friends outside of work. Wonderful, patient, understanding friends. But the stress and pressure and demands of my working life robbed me of any desire to be around friends during my free time. I needed both my days off just to regain my balance and recharge my batteries for the oncoming week’s demands. Bless my friends who are so understanding and for pretty much leaving me alone!
Alone. That is what I’ve been here. You see, I anticipated having fellow foreigner teachers and fellow English teachers here at the school to socialize a bit with. I was looking forward to occasionally inviting people over and playing Scrabble or other games, or going out for a meal, or having people to go sightseeing with. With the absence of intensity that my job in America brought, I felt I could handle a bit of socializing while still being my introverted self. And, if you remember from the Continuum III post a while back, that is one of the things I came here to find out: see if I was capable of being a bit social.
Instead, I’ve had a bevy of students with whom communication is sometimes a challenge. A point to contend with is that the students’ English is not at the level that one can have a solid, fulfilling conversation with. To say nothing about the fact that the students are about 25 years younger than I am and their focus and interests are decidedly different than mine, or of many grownups.
My other chance at socializing, besides my students or other teachers would be to learn Chinese really, REALLY quickly so that I could have conversation with Chinese people. Although it might have been possible, it hasn’t happened in the last 3 months I’ve been here.
I now see how it is possible for a person to go insane from lack of human contact and social interaction. Especially these past three months, when I’ve been essentially confined to my apartment unless I was fulfilling some school function. And even though I did venture out during this period and have been around people, there as been virtually no social contact.
If you’re interested in reading a case study of this topic written during the 1800’s, I urge you to read the essay titled The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman which beautifully illustrates the concept of insanity, brought on by isolation. You can simply google either the title or the author and it will pop right up for you to read.
At this point, I pay tribute to everyone who has been faithfully corresponding with me, to everyone who has downloaded Skype and chatted with me, to everyone who has been following this blog and letting me know how they feel about these adventures of mine. Please let me take a moment to thank you for staying in touch, for putting up with my long, rambling emails and for wading through my even longer blog posts. You have been a lifeline of sanity for me in a world otherwise devoid of social contact. This is said with no facetiousness whatsoever: I am perfectly sincere in thanking you for keeping me sane.
Now I can tell you why meeting foreigners at Optic Valley was such a milestone. First: I found out many of them feel just as disoriented and disconnected as I do. Second: all of us ‘expats’ need this social contact, no matter how comfortable we feel amongst Chinese people or with the Chinese language. Third: we share a sense of kinship that is difficult to explain to someone who has never felt so disconnected.
Enter Carrie Ann, a lovely woman from Canada who has been teaching in various foreign countries for the past 8 years. She is very blasé about things as she flits around from country to country, free as a bird. She is younger than I am with no thoughts of retirement being just over the horizon… unlike me.
And then there is Becky, whom I met very briefly on the way to Optic Valley. Becky has lived in Wuhan for 6 years and says she loves it here… conclusively proving that I must indeed be missing something about this city. She seems a bit more down to earth than Carrie Ann.We exchanged contact information just as my bus got to its stop so we didn’t get to talk very much, but I intend to call her next weekend to see if she is free to meet for a meal.
Finally there is Wilfred and his wife who are from the Ivory Coast in Africa. They are both polyglots, speaking English, French and Chinese. They are both students at the Hubei Province University. I have to confess that Wilfred makes me a bit uncomfortable; he seems a bit more forward than I’m prepared to deal with – and more than his wife seems to like him to be. However, with them I do have the chance to practice my French skills. We’ll have to see what happens.
Does meeting all of these expats mean my devotion to my friends in America will lessen? Not one bit! There will still be rich emails flowing back and forth, genuine sentiment included. There will still be a blog for me to write and for you to read. I just hope that soon, some of those blog entries might include something along the lines of “I just got back from dinner with…”.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
Flouted!
Up until now I had been a good University employee. Because of that rule that said women cannot go out unescorted at night, I either sat around and waited for an escort – at great personal expense, something I covered in previous entries. Or I stayed at home – also something I covered in previous entries.
This little rebellion of mine, the one that started on the day I planted myself in the mud in front of the whole neighborhood and then subsequently refused to participate in English Corner… this little rebellion of mine is not quite done, I fear.
As I look out my barred windows I see women walking on campus alone. Not many, I grant you but some. And I wonder: why am I staying at home night after night while it is OK for these women to walk around unescorted?
Probably because they are not contractually bound to a certain set of archaic rules.
But am I? Am I really? The idea is to be a good role model for the students; nothing says I have to stay at home all the time. And neither the campus nor the student body comprises the entire city of Wuhan. I can be out and about in the city and return after the students are safely tucked into their dorms. Sam even agreed to my suggestion about returning home after the students are in their dorm.
But what if I don’t want to stay out until after 11:00PM?
No, I’ve decided that it is perfectly OK for me to come home at 8 or 9PM. The buses stop running at 9PM, so, if necessary I can explain the situation to school officials… just before they fire me. It is worth a try, right?
Besides: if being a good role model means being an example of modern, progressive womanhood, then am I not setting a good example by being independent? That argument probably won’t fly if I’m ever called on the carpet about my being out after dark unescorted. I’ve decided to take my chances; I might never actually get called on the carpet about being out after dark alone.
Therefore, one breezy afternoon, I went out to Lu Xiang Square (pronounced Loo She-ang) just to have a look around. It is also known as Optic Valley for some reason I haven’t been able to find out. I had heard so much about it and wanted to see it for myself. As promised it was busy, thronging with people, full of things to see and do. Matter of fact, there is so much to see and do there that, by the time I was finished exploring a monstrously large mall and stepped outside again, night had fallen.
I was enchanted! There was a light show playing on one of the buildings. Another building, a geode with a plain glass facing by day turned into a giant television screen playing music videos at night. The square itself, a traffic circle with billowing tent awnings amidst landscaping floored me with its multicolored lights. And everywhere… EVERYWHERE there were people! This was Wuhan at night: something I had only glimpsed one time from a bus window, and guiltily at that. Now I was out, enjoying it.
I walked down a well-lit boulevard, taking in the night air and the scene, all while experiencing a sense of freedom I had not felt for months. The street vendors hawking their wares on the sidewalk impeded foot traffic, just as I remembered from previous night outings on prior visits to China. Artists put on their shows and people stopped to gape at them. Rare and exotic offerings from the various food stalls tempted my palate, but I was perfectly willing to stop short of sampling fried scorpions in order to find a nice restaurant to have a meal in.
Grandma’s Kitchen! Ah, now if that doesn’t sound like someplace you’d want to eat at on your first night of rule-breaking, I don’t know what would be. Drawn in by that irresistible name, I ate Western food for the first time since arriving here. Western food not prepared by me, that is. And it was quite delicious! It even felt a little bit naughty to eat sour cream again.
It was already going on 9 PM by the time I left the restaurant, and the air was a bit chilly. Also, the crowds were thinning; this was a weeknight after all. I decided to walk a little more and treat myself to a taxi ride home.
I should mention here that taxi fares are extremely reasonable in China: if the car doesn’t move due to traffic, neither does the meter. That time of night the traffic was not as snarled, so I was looking forward to a nice ride home and didn’t anticipate more than a 20Yuan fare. My guess was close: the actual fare was 21.60Yuan.
I arrived home just before 10PM. The taxi could not drive to the campus gate due to construction so I had to walk the small street that led back to campus from the main road, which wasn’t a problem. There were a few students out, but they were mostly male students. I only saw one female and she was in the company of her boyfriend and they were ahead of me, so they did not see me. See? I’m not setting a bad example for the female students!
That sense of freedom and elation stayed with me even after I turned the key, admitting myself back into my former prison. Not so much a prison, now that I can come and go at will! Maybe now I will start thinking of it as home.
At 10:30 the dorm monitor locked the gates to the building. Being as I was keyed up from my first nighttime outing, I was still in my living room when, a few minutes later, I heard banging and a desperate cry. It seems one of the students that lives in this dorm stayed out too late and got locked out. She was banging on the gates and yelling to be let in, even though it was after curfew.
Who is flouting rules now???
This little rebellion of mine, the one that started on the day I planted myself in the mud in front of the whole neighborhood and then subsequently refused to participate in English Corner… this little rebellion of mine is not quite done, I fear.
As I look out my barred windows I see women walking on campus alone. Not many, I grant you but some. And I wonder: why am I staying at home night after night while it is OK for these women to walk around unescorted?
Probably because they are not contractually bound to a certain set of archaic rules.
But am I? Am I really? The idea is to be a good role model for the students; nothing says I have to stay at home all the time. And neither the campus nor the student body comprises the entire city of Wuhan. I can be out and about in the city and return after the students are safely tucked into their dorms. Sam even agreed to my suggestion about returning home after the students are in their dorm.
But what if I don’t want to stay out until after 11:00PM?
No, I’ve decided that it is perfectly OK for me to come home at 8 or 9PM. The buses stop running at 9PM, so, if necessary I can explain the situation to school officials… just before they fire me. It is worth a try, right?
Besides: if being a good role model means being an example of modern, progressive womanhood, then am I not setting a good example by being independent? That argument probably won’t fly if I’m ever called on the carpet about my being out after dark unescorted. I’ve decided to take my chances; I might never actually get called on the carpet about being out after dark alone.
Therefore, one breezy afternoon, I went out to Lu Xiang Square (pronounced Loo She-ang) just to have a look around. It is also known as Optic Valley for some reason I haven’t been able to find out. I had heard so much about it and wanted to see it for myself. As promised it was busy, thronging with people, full of things to see and do. Matter of fact, there is so much to see and do there that, by the time I was finished exploring a monstrously large mall and stepped outside again, night had fallen.
I was enchanted! There was a light show playing on one of the buildings. Another building, a geode with a plain glass facing by day turned into a giant television screen playing music videos at night. The square itself, a traffic circle with billowing tent awnings amidst landscaping floored me with its multicolored lights. And everywhere… EVERYWHERE there were people! This was Wuhan at night: something I had only glimpsed one time from a bus window, and guiltily at that. Now I was out, enjoying it.
I walked down a well-lit boulevard, taking in the night air and the scene, all while experiencing a sense of freedom I had not felt for months. The street vendors hawking their wares on the sidewalk impeded foot traffic, just as I remembered from previous night outings on prior visits to China. Artists put on their shows and people stopped to gape at them. Rare and exotic offerings from the various food stalls tempted my palate, but I was perfectly willing to stop short of sampling fried scorpions in order to find a nice restaurant to have a meal in.
Grandma’s Kitchen! Ah, now if that doesn’t sound like someplace you’d want to eat at on your first night of rule-breaking, I don’t know what would be. Drawn in by that irresistible name, I ate Western food for the first time since arriving here. Western food not prepared by me, that is. And it was quite delicious! It even felt a little bit naughty to eat sour cream again.
It was already going on 9 PM by the time I left the restaurant, and the air was a bit chilly. Also, the crowds were thinning; this was a weeknight after all. I decided to walk a little more and treat myself to a taxi ride home.
I should mention here that taxi fares are extremely reasonable in China: if the car doesn’t move due to traffic, neither does the meter. That time of night the traffic was not as snarled, so I was looking forward to a nice ride home and didn’t anticipate more than a 20Yuan fare. My guess was close: the actual fare was 21.60Yuan.
I arrived home just before 10PM. The taxi could not drive to the campus gate due to construction so I had to walk the small street that led back to campus from the main road, which wasn’t a problem. There were a few students out, but they were mostly male students. I only saw one female and she was in the company of her boyfriend and they were ahead of me, so they did not see me. See? I’m not setting a bad example for the female students!
That sense of freedom and elation stayed with me even after I turned the key, admitting myself back into my former prison. Not so much a prison, now that I can come and go at will! Maybe now I will start thinking of it as home.
At 10:30 the dorm monitor locked the gates to the building. Being as I was keyed up from my first nighttime outing, I was still in my living room when, a few minutes later, I heard banging and a desperate cry. It seems one of the students that lives in this dorm stayed out too late and got locked out. She was banging on the gates and yelling to be let in, even though it was after curfew.
Who is flouting rules now???
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Hit My Stride
Some days, you wake up and everything works perfectly. Today is one of those days. Actually, this week has been one of those weeks.
I think I’ve finally hit my stride in the classroom.
I still have no resources, no guidance and no help but I think I’ve found a way to reach my kids and engage them, and keep them engaged. It was just a matter of time, really. That, and a few pretty severe anxiety dreams.
The first order of business was keeping a journal. I now have a journal for each of my 4 classes so that I can plan lessons, make notes and maintain some sort of continuity in what I’m doing with each group I teach. The second step was giving an honest assessment of my students in each class: not all Sophomores are on the same page and not all Freshmen need induction into the language. For example:
My Monday Sophomores are a very enthusiastic bunch. Some of them are quite the hams, enjoying acting and staging little skits. The assignment: reading body language. They were to plan a skit and act it out so that the rest of us could guess the outcome by reading their body language.
Chris is a wonderful actress! Her skit demonstrated not only how one can go from downtrodden to uplifted to righteous (all in 5 minutes or less, mind you), but also the importance of doing the right thing. Orange (I did not give her her English name; she came to class with it) always plays it so quiet and cool, but she really enjoys these games where she gets to demonstrate her superior intellect, something she should rightfully be proud of.
The key to all of these little games is that I can tie whatever appears to be nonsense I bring to the classroom to their future as businessmen and women. They are seeing that learning does not necessarily mean learning by rote; it can be fun and inventive and creative too. And they are so enjoying it! Especially now that they are over the shock of being assigned little games where they can put their personality into things. I hope I can continue to build this learning community with them, and carry it over into my other classes.
What a wonderful feeling to hit that groove and know you’re on the right path!
That student who turned up at my door: we have worked out a way to make the most of the tutoring sessions. Shelin has confided that her biggest difficulty is listening and understanding English; after a few sessions with her I had to disagree. Her biggest problem is self-confidence: her mother keeps telling her that she should not aspire to graduate school because her skills are so poor. If you start out with that kind of validation, how in the world can you aspire to anything good? No wonder this poor girl’s confidence was shaken!
Shelin is now conversing fluently in English. With a little bit of positive reinforcement that she well deserves because her English skills are anything but poor, she is now spouting English like a native! Well… that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but she is now most comfortable thinking and conversing in English and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that she will do well on her test.
Unfortunately, she has passed word around to the rest of the student who are studying for that entrance exam, and now I have more students who are requesting individual tutoring. I have to draw a line somewhere; that somewhere is two extra students to tutor. I have learning of my own still to do.
Drawing that line between what I think the school wants me to do and what I am prepared to do is one of those things I had to learn. Fortunately the two are close: the school does not expect me to dedicate my life to teaching, and even taking on two students to tutor is more than expected. I’m really glad to hear that.
And what about getting around town? Here too I’m more comfortable. I have located retail outlets where I can shop more or less comfortably and I’m definitely more comfortable riding around town on the buses by myself. I’m starting to trust the little bit of Chinese I speak, and the more transactions I successfully negotiate on my own, the more confident I become.
Are you hearing the theme to the Mary Tyler Moore Show whispering in the background? “We’re going to make it after all!”
Do I belong in China? That’s still a question I do not have an answer for, being perfectly honest with myself (and with you).
I still can’t imagine myself being anywhere else. When I’m out and about and all I see are shiny black heads bobbing down the street (mounted of svelte, trim bodies, of course – they’re not just random little bobbing heads!) I do not feel strange at all. I try to recall what it feels like to drive a car, to hear only English everywhere I go, to see people of different complexions – in short: to be in America, and I can’t seem to. Maybe these few short months have I have completely acclimated to being here. But do I belong here? Only time will tell.
Time, and maybe going back to the States for a visit.
But for now, no more panic at being in charge of 4 classrooms. No more panic at finding food I’m comfortable eating. No more frustration at being hemmed into a life I didn’t envision when I was dreaming of living here.
I’ve hit my stride.
I think I’ve finally hit my stride in the classroom.
I still have no resources, no guidance and no help but I think I’ve found a way to reach my kids and engage them, and keep them engaged. It was just a matter of time, really. That, and a few pretty severe anxiety dreams.
The first order of business was keeping a journal. I now have a journal for each of my 4 classes so that I can plan lessons, make notes and maintain some sort of continuity in what I’m doing with each group I teach. The second step was giving an honest assessment of my students in each class: not all Sophomores are on the same page and not all Freshmen need induction into the language. For example:
My Monday Sophomores are a very enthusiastic bunch. Some of them are quite the hams, enjoying acting and staging little skits. The assignment: reading body language. They were to plan a skit and act it out so that the rest of us could guess the outcome by reading their body language.
Chris is a wonderful actress! Her skit demonstrated not only how one can go from downtrodden to uplifted to righteous (all in 5 minutes or less, mind you), but also the importance of doing the right thing. Orange (I did not give her her English name; she came to class with it) always plays it so quiet and cool, but she really enjoys these games where she gets to demonstrate her superior intellect, something she should rightfully be proud of.
The key to all of these little games is that I can tie whatever appears to be nonsense I bring to the classroom to their future as businessmen and women. They are seeing that learning does not necessarily mean learning by rote; it can be fun and inventive and creative too. And they are so enjoying it! Especially now that they are over the shock of being assigned little games where they can put their personality into things. I hope I can continue to build this learning community with them, and carry it over into my other classes.
What a wonderful feeling to hit that groove and know you’re on the right path!
That student who turned up at my door: we have worked out a way to make the most of the tutoring sessions. Shelin has confided that her biggest difficulty is listening and understanding English; after a few sessions with her I had to disagree. Her biggest problem is self-confidence: her mother keeps telling her that she should not aspire to graduate school because her skills are so poor. If you start out with that kind of validation, how in the world can you aspire to anything good? No wonder this poor girl’s confidence was shaken!
Shelin is now conversing fluently in English. With a little bit of positive reinforcement that she well deserves because her English skills are anything but poor, she is now spouting English like a native! Well… that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but she is now most comfortable thinking and conversing in English and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that she will do well on her test.
Unfortunately, she has passed word around to the rest of the student who are studying for that entrance exam, and now I have more students who are requesting individual tutoring. I have to draw a line somewhere; that somewhere is two extra students to tutor. I have learning of my own still to do.
Drawing that line between what I think the school wants me to do and what I am prepared to do is one of those things I had to learn. Fortunately the two are close: the school does not expect me to dedicate my life to teaching, and even taking on two students to tutor is more than expected. I’m really glad to hear that.
And what about getting around town? Here too I’m more comfortable. I have located retail outlets where I can shop more or less comfortably and I’m definitely more comfortable riding around town on the buses by myself. I’m starting to trust the little bit of Chinese I speak, and the more transactions I successfully negotiate on my own, the more confident I become.
Are you hearing the theme to the Mary Tyler Moore Show whispering in the background? “We’re going to make it after all!”
Do I belong in China? That’s still a question I do not have an answer for, being perfectly honest with myself (and with you).
I still can’t imagine myself being anywhere else. When I’m out and about and all I see are shiny black heads bobbing down the street (mounted of svelte, trim bodies, of course – they’re not just random little bobbing heads!) I do not feel strange at all. I try to recall what it feels like to drive a car, to hear only English everywhere I go, to see people of different complexions – in short: to be in America, and I can’t seem to. Maybe these few short months have I have completely acclimated to being here. But do I belong here? Only time will tell.
Time, and maybe going back to the States for a visit.
But for now, no more panic at being in charge of 4 classrooms. No more panic at finding food I’m comfortable eating. No more frustration at being hemmed into a life I didn’t envision when I was dreaming of living here.
I’ve hit my stride.
Bad Day or Awakening?
I had written this post sometime toward the end of September but, being a ‘glass half full’ kind of girl I resisted posting it. At the time it seemed rather negative and downtrodden… but I saved it anyway. I’d like to post it now, in conjunction with the next post to show how things have turned around in barely one month.
This morning I woke up with the certainty that I don’t belong here. That was strange.
I had class this morning, the first after the seven-day holiday. Its not that I dreaded facing my students, it is just the lack of direction, support and materials that is, by this time, sending me in a near panic every time I have to teach. I literally have no idea what to do with and for these kids.
Can anyone blame me for thinking that I would have at least some resources? Some materials? Some sort of guidelines? Some help or support in the classroom?
The sad thing is that, the way I have been indoctrinated into teaching is how these kids are being taught English. I learned that from a bull session we had today, when I asked the students – by force – how I could possibly help them learn English. What kind of problems are you having? What is the most difficult thing for you? These are questions I asked them, and I solicited an answer from individual students by tossing a ball at them, one at a time. That’s what I mean by ‘by force’. They tend not to talk unless I call on them by name.
Beside the student whom I made cry I got some pretty interesting feedback. Basically, they have a text book, their English teacher reads from the book and assigns work whether the students understand the assignment or not. They are still at a stage where they are hearing English, translating it into Chinese to understand it, and then translating it back into English to interpret or use it. As Sophomore English majors, they should have long been past this method of learning.
Incidentally: the student I made cry had just been called on, and I’m sure she has something else going on – not just the stress of being called on. I did excuse her from class. I hope she resolves her issues and can again partake of lessons.
Attendance is not falling off, but I honestly have to say: the bloom is off the rose. The honeymoon is over. My charming personality and my students’ curiosity of me can only carry things so far. I have to get good at this job, and quick. How?
I’ll ask Sam if I can sit in on his class to see what he teaches, and how he teaches. That might help.
Interesting occurrence: a student who is not in my class showed up at my apartment door asking for help. She has a major test on October 24th that will determine whether she can go to Hong Kong to further her studies and get her dream job. Apparently, not only did someone reassure her that I would be able to help her, but also gave her directions to my apartment. I wonder how all that came about? Nevertheless… I am eager… no! anxious to help and be effective. How?
The problem of trying to figure out how to manage and teach my classes is exacerbated by the fact that I’m trying to learn how to live in this country. The social rules, the practical aspects like shopping and cooking and negotiating everyday transactions… those are all still things that I am not totally comfortable with. Some I’m even still completely in the dark about. I’ve yet to learn how to live in a world that doesn’t know of the existence of paper towels and other common products that I took for granted in America. To say nothing of learning how to reload money onto my bus card or make use of the post office.
Another interesting occurrence: Since 2008 – my first time walking on Chinese soil and breathing Chinese air, I have sought to live as ‘Chinese’ a lifestyle as possible: cooking Chinese food, eating with chopsticks, watching Chinese movies, studying for hours how to speak/read/write this beautiful, poetic language. Since I’ve been here, I have studied not one lick. Instead I have sought out all things Western. Wal-Mart (and any Western product I might find there), how to make potato soup and croutons (that was actually quite successful; they both turned out delicious), occasionally indulging in a hamburger even.
Imagine my dismay when one of my students confided today that she actually saw me eat a hamburger!
Do I belong here, where mop handles are only 4’ long and where I have to stoop over my counter tops?
There is no doubt of my love for China and its people. Especially the people. But… maybe I’m in love with the idea of China?
Too many unanswered questions, and too much frustration for one day. I’m going to go do what I usually do when I am angry or frustrated beyond belief: cleaning.
This morning I woke up with the certainty that I don’t belong here. That was strange.
I had class this morning, the first after the seven-day holiday. Its not that I dreaded facing my students, it is just the lack of direction, support and materials that is, by this time, sending me in a near panic every time I have to teach. I literally have no idea what to do with and for these kids.
Can anyone blame me for thinking that I would have at least some resources? Some materials? Some sort of guidelines? Some help or support in the classroom?
The sad thing is that, the way I have been indoctrinated into teaching is how these kids are being taught English. I learned that from a bull session we had today, when I asked the students – by force – how I could possibly help them learn English. What kind of problems are you having? What is the most difficult thing for you? These are questions I asked them, and I solicited an answer from individual students by tossing a ball at them, one at a time. That’s what I mean by ‘by force’. They tend not to talk unless I call on them by name.
Beside the student whom I made cry I got some pretty interesting feedback. Basically, they have a text book, their English teacher reads from the book and assigns work whether the students understand the assignment or not. They are still at a stage where they are hearing English, translating it into Chinese to understand it, and then translating it back into English to interpret or use it. As Sophomore English majors, they should have long been past this method of learning.
Incidentally: the student I made cry had just been called on, and I’m sure she has something else going on – not just the stress of being called on. I did excuse her from class. I hope she resolves her issues and can again partake of lessons.
Attendance is not falling off, but I honestly have to say: the bloom is off the rose. The honeymoon is over. My charming personality and my students’ curiosity of me can only carry things so far. I have to get good at this job, and quick. How?
I’ll ask Sam if I can sit in on his class to see what he teaches, and how he teaches. That might help.
Interesting occurrence: a student who is not in my class showed up at my apartment door asking for help. She has a major test on October 24th that will determine whether she can go to Hong Kong to further her studies and get her dream job. Apparently, not only did someone reassure her that I would be able to help her, but also gave her directions to my apartment. I wonder how all that came about? Nevertheless… I am eager… no! anxious to help and be effective. How?
The problem of trying to figure out how to manage and teach my classes is exacerbated by the fact that I’m trying to learn how to live in this country. The social rules, the practical aspects like shopping and cooking and negotiating everyday transactions… those are all still things that I am not totally comfortable with. Some I’m even still completely in the dark about. I’ve yet to learn how to live in a world that doesn’t know of the existence of paper towels and other common products that I took for granted in America. To say nothing of learning how to reload money onto my bus card or make use of the post office.
Another interesting occurrence: Since 2008 – my first time walking on Chinese soil and breathing Chinese air, I have sought to live as ‘Chinese’ a lifestyle as possible: cooking Chinese food, eating with chopsticks, watching Chinese movies, studying for hours how to speak/read/write this beautiful, poetic language. Since I’ve been here, I have studied not one lick. Instead I have sought out all things Western. Wal-Mart (and any Western product I might find there), how to make potato soup and croutons (that was actually quite successful; they both turned out delicious), occasionally indulging in a hamburger even.
Imagine my dismay when one of my students confided today that she actually saw me eat a hamburger!
Do I belong here, where mop handles are only 4’ long and where I have to stoop over my counter tops?
There is no doubt of my love for China and its people. Especially the people. But… maybe I’m in love with the idea of China?
Too many unanswered questions, and too much frustration for one day. I’m going to go do what I usually do when I am angry or frustrated beyond belief: cleaning.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Mille Bornes – The Rules
In the game of Mille Bornes, the object is to be the first to drive 1,000 km. The practice of driving in China is much the same, except driving to your destination is the objective, not driving 1,000 km.
I realize that people usually set out with a destination in mind so that point might seem redundant, but not to this narrative. In China everyone sets out with the goal of being first to get to his or her destination, whether everyone has the same destination or not is a moot point. In order to be first, the driver of any given conveyance must cut other drivers off, take up as much of the road as possible, drive the wrong way down one way streets, and even drive into oncoming traffic if that will help them get where they’re going faster.
I do not know which city is being photographed in those pictures that accompany the occasional traffic write-ups the Western media presents of China, but I can assure you it cannot be China. The simple fact is that lane markings, even those that separate the road into two way traffic do not matter at all to the drivers here. There is no such thing as staying in one’s lane or on one’s side of the road. It is common, if you see an obstruction in your lane to swerve into the next lane over without so much as a blinker.
The game of Mille Bornes provides each player the opportunity for perpetual hazard protection; they are called ‘Coup Fourre’ (pronounced k-ew phew-ray) and they are denoted by a bold green stripe down the face of the card. The four Coup Fourre are: accident prevention, inpucturable tires, a bottomless gas tank and emergency vehicle status.
With emergency vehicle status, red lights and speed limits do not matter. In China, they don’t matter either. Drivers routinely ignore red lights in favor of cramming themselves through intersections, and there is no point to having speed limits if everyone has to send stock still because of traffic tie-ups.
The bottomless gas tank would be a very useful Coup Fourre on Chinese roads. It would prevent all of those cars from stalling out because they ran out of gas waiting for traffic to clear up, or all of the scooters to now have to be pushed down the road because the batteries have drained. Every Chinese driver should have this Coup Fourre in real life.
Impucturable tires should also be a must for Chinese drivers. With the roads the way they are, it is simply impossible to guarantee that a tire will not simply rupture, leaving a car stranded on the road and causing even more traffic delays. Although I have yet to see a flat tire be the cause of tying up traffic, I can imagine all of the tire damage that cars could sustain because of these terribly maintained roads. Perhaps it is because no one can drive fast that tires do not puncture like they would on a road where speeds higher than 10km/hr is attained.
In Mille Bornes your opponents plague you with road hazards: at any given time a player can impose a speed limit, give you a red light, give you a flat tire or cause you to run out of gas or have an accident. In China, that is never the case: Chinese drivers are very tolerant of each other’s driving. They do not yell at each other or curse that stupid so-and-so who is endangering an entire road full of people by his or her crazy driving… being as they all drive the same way. However, everyone makes use of their horn to demand priority (except for dogs and pedestrians, who have no horns), so no points are accorded for that.
I will mention one stupendously funny incident in which a bus passenger accused the bus driver of being a bad driver. It happened when the driver did not make the most of an opportunity to pass another vehicle. The bus driver instantly got very angry and shouted at the passenger that he should drive the bus if he felt more capable. If the passenger in question did not want to drive the bus he should just shut up, because bus drivers in Wuhan are actually excellent drivers, fully qualified to even fly F-14s. After that, the bus driver was very angry and his driving reflected it. The passenger, unable to ‘top’ the F-14 comment, left well enough alone.
I have to concur that the bus drivers in Wuhan are very skilled. I have yet to see a driver have an accident or even so much as nick another road occupant, even though their vehicle is overloaded and they are under pressure to convey passengers from one end of the city to the other safely. And over terrible roads, at that. Of special merit are the drivers of double-decker buses who have twice the passenger load.
As in Mille Bornes, eventually everyone arrives at his or her destination – except perhaps those meandering dogs. I don’t think they have the intellectual capability of actually selecting a destination, and if they did have that capability, they probably would also realize that taking to the roads is a very bad idea, indeed.
At the end of the game, how is it scored? If you arrive first, you get extra points. That is the goal of every single Chinese driver. Hence their atrocious manner of driving.
If you can do it without using a 200km/hr card, extra points are accorded. Every Chinese driver falls in that category too, as speeding is impossible. Dogs and pedestrians are exempt of this category; they would not be able to attain that speed anyway.
If you reach your destination with no Coup Fourre in your hand you win extra points too. No problem there, every Chinese driver plays every advantage they have behind the wheel each chance they get.
If you catch other drivers with point cards in their hand? Those points are deducted from that driver’s score. And such is also the case in China, where not getting to your destination on time is counted against you.
I realize this blog is supposed to be about life in China and the Chinese culture and I’ve just spent the last two entries explaining a French card game. But, if you look at it, we are part of a Global Village and now you not only know how to play a French card game, but also you know how to drive in China.
Rather clever, no?
Mille Bornes – The Game
Mille Bornes – pronounced ‘Meel Born’, is a French card game that simulates driving. Sounds strange, I know, but it is a very cleverly crafted game in which you must ‘drive’ 1,000km (the meaning of Mille Bornes), and protect yourself against road hazards, speed limits or that crazy fool who insists on driving 200km/hr regardless of road conditions. The first to attain 1,000km wins.
I know I’ve told you about the terrible traffic conditions here and I’ve been trying for some time to figure out a way to graphically paint that picture for you. I think, using Mille Bornes as an example – explaining traffic as I would explain the game might be effective. As I sense this might be an unduly long post, I think I’ll write it in two parts: First, we’ll go over the game components: what you might see on the road. I’ll rank them in order of horsepower.
Dogs: I am aware that dogs are not a conveyance but the idea is to communicate everything that vies for space on the road and dogs, singly or in packs can be found trotting down the road and fearlessly weaving through traffic. All vehicles brake for dogs in China. I do not know to whom these dogs might belong to as I’ve yet to see a dog with a collar on, but they do impede traffic, and they should be a part of the ‘game’ – just like the Mille Bornes card that has a snail on it.
People: I accord pedestrians a medal of bravery (or foolhardiness) for the way they mingle with their powered counterparts. Whether they are walking along the side of the road or actually facing oncoming vehicles, people affect traffic flow. Some people pull a two-wheeled cart laden with coal, vegetables or buckets of seeds, others are relatively unencumbered and just want to get to the other side of the road, whether there is a car coming at them or not. Please: no jokes about the chicken crossing roads, there are definitely no (figurative) chickens here.
Two-cycle engine tractors: Many people still use these to transport all manner of goods and even passengers across town. Their maximum speed probably could not exceed 30k/hr but they also claim their share of the road, often to the ire of buses and trucks. It seems drivers of such tractors do not like to drive through mud puddles or over potholes, thus they seldom confine themselves to driving on the sides of the road, rather they claim the middle of the road.
Bikes/trikes: Bikes? In China? Well, OK, bikes are pretty much a given. Both bikes and trikes can be seen going down the road laden with just about anything from stupendously balanced loads of styrofoam to refrigerators. A nifty contraption is a bike with a sidecar to tote anything from building supplies to bottled water. Surprisingly enough, there are not that many human powered bikes. Most erstwhile bikers seem to prefer…
Scooters: These zippy little contraptions, either battery- or gasoline powered have no problems threading through traffic snarls and the riders of these cunning little conveyances act as though they are Dobermans in a Wienerdog world: they want as much of the road as possible… and they take it! Bikes, trikes and scooters can be seen laden with up to 4 people – sometimes the whole family just jumps on for the ride, the mothers keeping her hands over the kids’ mouths to keep the road dust out. No one wears a helmet.
Motorcycles: I’m being deliberately vague where these conveyances are concerned because it is not very often one sees ‘ye average’ motorcycle. To be sure they are ridden and do take up space on the road, but most often they have been modified to accommodate more than passenger – there is a type of caboose built onto it, or it has been turned into a service vehicle, complete with a bed that can haul… anything that needs hauling. Very ingenious.
POVs: Again, pretty much a given. China being the latest country to catch driving fever, POVs abound. All manner of POV, from high end SUV to modest little QQ, a Chinese economy car approximately the size of a SmartCar. Among POVs I’m going to include taxis because they fall approximately within the same range of horsepower as a privately owned car even though they actually deserve their own category.
Light Trucks: Rather an oxymoron, no? I cannot pick up a so-called light truck, nor can anyone I know. However, there is a distinction between these light trucks – 2 axles, hauling relatively light freight, and their tractor-trailor counterpart. They are in a different category of horsepower altogether.
Tractor-trailer: These are relevant for two reasons. One, because they deliver the much needed construction materials such as steel and pre-fab’ed concrete barriers, and two, because they tend to tie up traffic a lot, trying to negotiate these treacherous roads, as big as they are. You can see tractor trailers everywhere, chugging their way down the road or blocking it altogether.
Buses: Normally I would rank buses as having less horsepower than a tractor-trailer, but as these buses are usually loaded to the gills with people – even double decker buses, I have to conclude that they just might have more horsepower than a semi. That’s just my guess; I could be wrong.
These are the players in our little game of Mille Bornes; on the next post I will explain the rules, and how the game is actually played.
Get set to have fun! (or get horrified…)
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Metro: The Store of my Dreams!
Yesterday was such lovely weather, I decided it would be a good idea to set out in search of Metro again. Before leaving the house – in high spirits, I might add, I consulted with the website I use to verify which bus to take to this alleged shopping Mecca and how many stops I should count before expecting to get there.
Got it: Metro is on Xu Dong Road (pronounced Shoe Dong), #48. That would be 18 stops on bus 402, thank you and have a nice day. I shut down the computer, made sure I had everything needed for a day out and grabbed a Chinese hamburger at one of the street vendors for breakfast. Please do not lecture me about the evils of fast food for breakfast until I tell you about Chinese hamburgers, which consists of a home-baked roll stuffed with stewed meat and fresh vegetables, prepared right there in front of you. YUM!
Thus sated I began the interminable journey into town by boarding bus 202 – standing room only, of course. Not that I minded standing, but not when the bus itself is standing still. When the traffic did not move for over 10 minutes I decided to get off the bus and walk around the traffic jam. Surely I would get to the train station much quicker on foot than by staying in stalled traffic.
And I did. After only 15 minutes of walking in which I shamelessly wove through the parking lot this road of nightmares has become, the road was perfectly clear and I soon boarded another bus that would take me to the train station, where I would make my connection to bus 402. Except for my shoes being once again muddy, things were really going well and I took that as a sign that I would finally meet with success in finding the elusive Metro store.
I saw many things of interest while riding bus 402 that, normally, I would get off and investigate but today my goal was specific: Metro. I was not getting off the bus until I got to the 18th stop, and I was not going home until I found that store. So, I made a mental note to investigate all of the interesting things I saw today at a later date.
Eighteen stops later I debark. I am now in a construction zone – again! Construction everywhere! Nevertheless I gauge by the fact that this bus dropped me off in front of building number 92 that Metro must be down the road a little ways. I start walking…
And find the Home Store! Interesting… I decided to check it out, as it was on the way. The Home Store is a lot like Home Depot: they sell furniture, household things, complete kitchens, hardware and DYI supplies. They also sell appliances, so naturally I checked out that department to see if they had ovens. They had quite a nice one for 698 Yuan… but again things did not feel right in my gut. It just did not feel like MY oven. Besides, I didn’t bring enough money with me to plunk down that kind of cash.
However I did find pipe insulation, which was a good thing seeing as my hot water pipes are not only exposed, they are not insulated, and run along an outside wall – the North wall of my apartment, to be specific. Ever the maintenance tech, I’m thinking I should insulate my pipes before winter really gets here; otherwise I’m going to be hard-pressed to stay clean and sanitary with only cold water. A few Yuan spent on pipe insulation and I leave the Home Store and keep walking.
The next thing I run into is a shopping plaza with a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Another interesting development: maybe I’ll find some duct tape for my insulation project, and I need some stuff for my class room. Off I go, into Wal-Mart. It was nice, it was interesting and I did find some of the things I needed. Again a few Yuan well spent and again, off I go.
By this time I decided I was hungry and, as though conjured up from my foreigner’s mind, there stands a Pizza Hut. I decided to partake, being as it has been so long since my last slice of pizza, and since my last meal. The gracious hostess seated me in a nook where I heard gentle murmurs of conversation… in English! There were more foreigners in Wuhan! In America this might have been rude but I’m not in America, so I just walked right up to those foreigners, introduced myself and gave them my contact information. Then I asked if they knew where Metro was.
They told me it was down several blocks and I should consider taking a taxi, as the ‘blocks’ were rather long. Instead I decided to get back on bus 402 and go one more stop. Surely the bus can take me there as well as a taxi, right? I finish my pizza, pay the bill and, once again fueled for adventure, I go back to the bus stop.
One more stop is exactly what it took. Unfortunately I rode bus 402 for 2 more stops and had to double back. No problem: at least I found The Elusive Metro (in my mind, it had been elevated to Capitals status).
Metro! Like a mirage it shimmers before me! Metro! The store everyone talks about but no one seems to know how to get to! Metro! I stand before your portals with a shopping cart, poised to see what you have to offer. But first, a bathroom break, in the bathrooms conveniently provided next to the entrance.
I don’t know if I can convey to you the joy of Metro. Under its corrugated roof I found so many things I have been looking for since I came here: butter, cheese, fresh meats, ‘foreigner foods’ and YES! MY OVEN! My oven is here!
I will return to Metro on Monday afternoon to purchase what has got to be the most precious, the most darling, the most beautiful oven in the world. It is stainless steel with a black face and a glass door. It will roast a whole chicken, bake a dozen cookies and broil a piece of meat… not all at the same time, but it has all of those capabilities. It will look perfect next to my microwave on the shelf. The best part is it will only cost me 399 Yuan!
I literally floated through the store with a dopey grin on my face. My Oven!!! Soon I will have my oven. And then, things will be alright. I barely registered the fact that Metro also sells all manner of butter, cheeses, actual milk, an assortment of crusty breads, and boasts a fine meat selection, to say nothing of Western dry and canned goods. Knowing that I would not be able to shop decently and get things home on the crowded weekend bus, I put off shopping but…
I definitively decided Metro was the store for me when I found GASP! Paper Towels! I had to buy them right then and there, crowded bus or no. Come tomorrow, when I buy my oven, I will have 2 additions that have been seriously lacking in my kitchen.
Yes, Sophia: Metro really does exist. And, everything you heard about it is true!
Got it: Metro is on Xu Dong Road (pronounced Shoe Dong), #48. That would be 18 stops on bus 402, thank you and have a nice day. I shut down the computer, made sure I had everything needed for a day out and grabbed a Chinese hamburger at one of the street vendors for breakfast. Please do not lecture me about the evils of fast food for breakfast until I tell you about Chinese hamburgers, which consists of a home-baked roll stuffed with stewed meat and fresh vegetables, prepared right there in front of you. YUM!
Thus sated I began the interminable journey into town by boarding bus 202 – standing room only, of course. Not that I minded standing, but not when the bus itself is standing still. When the traffic did not move for over 10 minutes I decided to get off the bus and walk around the traffic jam. Surely I would get to the train station much quicker on foot than by staying in stalled traffic.
And I did. After only 15 minutes of walking in which I shamelessly wove through the parking lot this road of nightmares has become, the road was perfectly clear and I soon boarded another bus that would take me to the train station, where I would make my connection to bus 402. Except for my shoes being once again muddy, things were really going well and I took that as a sign that I would finally meet with success in finding the elusive Metro store.
I saw many things of interest while riding bus 402 that, normally, I would get off and investigate but today my goal was specific: Metro. I was not getting off the bus until I got to the 18th stop, and I was not going home until I found that store. So, I made a mental note to investigate all of the interesting things I saw today at a later date.
Eighteen stops later I debark. I am now in a construction zone – again! Construction everywhere! Nevertheless I gauge by the fact that this bus dropped me off in front of building number 92 that Metro must be down the road a little ways. I start walking…
And find the Home Store! Interesting… I decided to check it out, as it was on the way. The Home Store is a lot like Home Depot: they sell furniture, household things, complete kitchens, hardware and DYI supplies. They also sell appliances, so naturally I checked out that department to see if they had ovens. They had quite a nice one for 698 Yuan… but again things did not feel right in my gut. It just did not feel like MY oven. Besides, I didn’t bring enough money with me to plunk down that kind of cash.
However I did find pipe insulation, which was a good thing seeing as my hot water pipes are not only exposed, they are not insulated, and run along an outside wall – the North wall of my apartment, to be specific. Ever the maintenance tech, I’m thinking I should insulate my pipes before winter really gets here; otherwise I’m going to be hard-pressed to stay clean and sanitary with only cold water. A few Yuan spent on pipe insulation and I leave the Home Store and keep walking.
The next thing I run into is a shopping plaza with a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Another interesting development: maybe I’ll find some duct tape for my insulation project, and I need some stuff for my class room. Off I go, into Wal-Mart. It was nice, it was interesting and I did find some of the things I needed. Again a few Yuan well spent and again, off I go.
By this time I decided I was hungry and, as though conjured up from my foreigner’s mind, there stands a Pizza Hut. I decided to partake, being as it has been so long since my last slice of pizza, and since my last meal. The gracious hostess seated me in a nook where I heard gentle murmurs of conversation… in English! There were more foreigners in Wuhan! In America this might have been rude but I’m not in America, so I just walked right up to those foreigners, introduced myself and gave them my contact information. Then I asked if they knew where Metro was.
They told me it was down several blocks and I should consider taking a taxi, as the ‘blocks’ were rather long. Instead I decided to get back on bus 402 and go one more stop. Surely the bus can take me there as well as a taxi, right? I finish my pizza, pay the bill and, once again fueled for adventure, I go back to the bus stop.
One more stop is exactly what it took. Unfortunately I rode bus 402 for 2 more stops and had to double back. No problem: at least I found The Elusive Metro (in my mind, it had been elevated to Capitals status).
Metro! Like a mirage it shimmers before me! Metro! The store everyone talks about but no one seems to know how to get to! Metro! I stand before your portals with a shopping cart, poised to see what you have to offer. But first, a bathroom break, in the bathrooms conveniently provided next to the entrance.
I don’t know if I can convey to you the joy of Metro. Under its corrugated roof I found so many things I have been looking for since I came here: butter, cheese, fresh meats, ‘foreigner foods’ and YES! MY OVEN! My oven is here!
I will return to Metro on Monday afternoon to purchase what has got to be the most precious, the most darling, the most beautiful oven in the world. It is stainless steel with a black face and a glass door. It will roast a whole chicken, bake a dozen cookies and broil a piece of meat… not all at the same time, but it has all of those capabilities. It will look perfect next to my microwave on the shelf. The best part is it will only cost me 399 Yuan!
I literally floated through the store with a dopey grin on my face. My Oven!!! Soon I will have my oven. And then, things will be alright. I barely registered the fact that Metro also sells all manner of butter, cheeses, actual milk, an assortment of crusty breads, and boasts a fine meat selection, to say nothing of Western dry and canned goods. Knowing that I would not be able to shop decently and get things home on the crowded weekend bus, I put off shopping but…
I definitively decided Metro was the store for me when I found GASP! Paper Towels! I had to buy them right then and there, crowded bus or no. Come tomorrow, when I buy my oven, I will have 2 additions that have been seriously lacking in my kitchen.
Yes, Sophia: Metro really does exist. And, everything you heard about it is true!
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