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Published: February 7th 2007
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This past Monday, February 5, the Super Bowl was broadcast in Beijing via satellite. The game began at 7:30 AM local time, and I committed myself to getting up at the crack of dawn to go watch the game with some of the other teachers on staff. I was actually very excited to go watch the Super Bowl in China until I realized that they wouldn't be broadcasting the American commercials, which is what entices most women to watch the game, so I elected to sleep in instead. Peyton Manning led the Colts to victory over the Chicago Bears, which, I'm sure, led to a prolonged victory dance on the part of my father.
Fifty new foreign students arrived yesterday to begin their study of Chinese at the school. It's nice to see new faces at school, but the crush of humanity in our small exchange area was overwhelming. This new group is very diverse, both in terms of age and ethnicity. That's one of the great things about working for Worldlink Education: not only do I get to live in China and experience Chinese culture, but I also meet people from all over the world and gain a global
Matt LJ, Doc O, and Michael
The Hakka Restaurant we went to for dinner had extremely low ceilings. As you can see in this picture, several of my colleagues were simply too tall for the room! perspective on so many issues.
The English teaching staff was treated to a dinner out Sunday night, courtesy of our boss. We went to a Xinjiang restaurant which was located in the same building development as our school. Xinjiang is a massive province located in far West China, close to Tibet. Many of the people who live in Xinjiang are minority groups, with their own languages and cultures. The biggest minority group in Xinjiang are the Uighers, who have historically been mistreated by the Chinese government. Xinjiang food has a heavy emphasis on meat, particularly mutton. As a result, this vegetarian went a big hungry that night, as the restaurant simply lacked a large variety of vegetable dishes.
We will be having a free dinner every weekend in February...lucky us! Next weekend is the big all-staff dinner, which means that both foreign and Chinese teachers, plus all the marketing, sales, IT, etc. people will all be there. I've heard that this dinner is quite the banquet affair, with multiple courses and toasts. And what Chinese gathering would be complete without a little karaoke?
Somebody mentioned the Christian Science Monitor at work yesterday. He was commenting on the
Chicken humidifier
The Beijing weather is unbelievably dry, so many people elect to use a humidifier to attempt a balance in moisture. Of course, like many things in China, the humidifiers are all cutesy animals and shapes. high quality level of journalism of the paper. It made me think about checking out the Monitor bureau in Beijing; maybe I could find a job with them! Of course, I still have 8+ months left in my contract, but it doesn't hurt to start looking. I am still trying to network with Olympic committee people as well, but I'm keeping my options open....Beijing is not the only city I'm considering.
We were given placement tests last week to be put into new Chinese classes. I stopped going for awhile because I didn't want to be stuck at school for 12 hours a day (class is from 10-12, and I don't start work until 2) but then I realized I was being stupid; my purpose to be in China is to learn Chinese. So what if I have to sacrifice some extra time? I was placed into the highest level class (yay!) and my new class starts on Thursday. It's three times a week, so I'll get 6 hours of class every week. I've also found a language partner, Nicole, (Chinese name is Zhang Miao), and we'll be meeting every Saturday as well. I am really feeling optimistic about
increasing my level of Chinese ability.
We've all seen those "You know you've been in China too long when..." lists that make the email rounds periodically. I read those, and yes, I admit that they pretty much describe me to a tee. But there's another list that needs to be drawn up. For my fellow "Beijingers", I give you:
"You know you <
> been in Beijing long enough when..."
1.) You're determined to have a Pure China experience.
2.) You're miffed by the lack of proper cosmetology training among the girls at the local salon.
3.) You are totally enthused about going to see another temple.
4.) You think it's just your good looks.
5.) You still haven't quite gotten the squatting thing down.
6.) Cui Jian is the only Chinese rock star you can name.
7.) Your ordering repertoire in Chinese restaurants is limited to gongbao jiding , tangou liji and yuxiang rousi.
8.) You refuse to eat "the gross stuff".
9.) You drink Pepto-Bismol after every meal, just in case.
10.) You own several McStruggle art pieces- those awful mashups of "cultural revolution" iconography and western pop cluture- and you think you're the only one who does.
11.) You still buy crappy shanshui scrolls from "art students from Xi'an" you meet at Wangfujing or Tiananmen Square.
12.) God has not granted you the grace to accept the things you cannot change. Like loogie-hocking.
13.) You think you'll get over that cough in a couple of days.
14.) You find conversations about the badness of George W. Bush to be fresh and exciting.
15.) You can't leave your house without your Lonely Planet, annotated map, emergency phone number list, passport, residence permit, foreign expert certificate, and enough emergency cash for a ticket home in case there's a peasant uprising while you're at KFC.
16.) Sometimes you just get SO ANGRY!
17.) You patiently wait for other people when boarding the subway. Surely everyone around you will get the message.
18.) You still think it would be a great idea to get a Chinese character tattoo.
19.) When you read New York Times articles quoting cab drivers, you're impressed b how those reporters really have their ears to the ground.
20.) You're a big fan of Chinese directors, like Zhang Yimou and...yeah, you're a big fan of Chinese directors.
21.) You think Xhang Ziyi is Jian Bing!!
My new favorite food in Beijing. It looks somewhat disgusting, but it is fabulous. These are sold on the street and are made fresh. It's egg, spring onions, chives, a pepper sauce and some kind of crunchy noodle wrapped in a pancake. They sell for 2 kuai (about 24 cents) and I usually can only eat half of one in one sitting. the hottest woman in China.
22.) A glass of hot water just doesn't do it for you.
23.) You go to English corners to make friends.
24.) You're sure that witih that 25-kuai bike lock, your Giant mountain bike is still going to be there in the morning.
25.) Someone tells you that they're making a documentary about the Beijing punk scene and you think "great idea!"
26.) You sign off your letters home with "Zaijian! {That means Goodbye!}"
27.) You and your friends spend hours telling each other things you "heard", which in fact you read in thh Lonley Planet or (if you've been here more than three months) That's Beijing.
28.) You're really flattered when someone asks you to speak to their class/appear on their CCTV 9 show.
29.) You still make eye contact and say "no thank you" when offered watches, two-stringed fiddles, and pornographic DVDs.
30.) You are shocked and outraged that there's a Starbucks in the Forbidden City.
31.) You don't believe that there really are beggars' guilds.
32.) You persist stubbornly in your political correctness.
33.) You're shocked and surprised when a West African gentleman approaches you in Sanlitun proffering hashish, cocaine and ecstasy. Fulicheng New Year
My apartment grounds decorated for the upcoming Chinese New Year
34.) You still think that businessmen go to the Karaoke mainly to sing.
35.) You don't kow who Dashan is, but you hate him too.
36.) When someone tells you that they write for That's Beijing, you're totally impressed.
It's amazing how many of these items in the list are actually true. Stilll, I hope that many of you will make good on your promise to come to China one day....you won't be sorry.
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