Teacher's Meeting and Culture

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Last time I went to the gym I met this man who I've been seeing there fairly regularly named Lou. I was complaining that every time I work out I get smaller and everyone keeps saying I'm getting smaller. In reality I don't want to get smaller but get bigger muscles. Lou said that working-out is a destructive thing to your body and in order to get bigger muscles you need to space out what you're working on a bit more. If you run and do your arm muscles one day don't do them the next day but the following day. Lou also said that sleeping and eating are key to getting stronger. It all made a lot of sense so I hope it's true cause that's what I'm going to follow.

Yesterday I woke up to watch the cleaning lady clean the apartment while I worked on studying some Chinese and then went to the gym. Last night we had our first parent's meeting so I had to teach a very brief English Corner at 6:30pm. I then went into Lucy and Helen's meetings with our K5 parents. We had one of the parents complaining that the school is known for fun and games and not for being very strict. I told them that it should be known for that as that's the best way to learn a language. Many people in China learn a language by memorizing vocabulary, so their vocabulary is huge but they don't know how to speak, how to use the vocabulary so what good does it do them. Throughout the many languages that I've learned I've always come to a point where I'm realizing that I'm learning more outside of the classes that I'm taking in that language than inside the classes. With Hindi that was one of the reasons for me to quit the Indian program half way through. With Spanish I know that I was learning more Spanish when I was in Costa Rica with the families I stayed with and the nursery school I worked at than at the classes I took. Now the same applies to Chinese - who really knows how good my Chinese is or is teaching me the most? The boys at the Salon who I can only speak Chinese to, not the Chinese teachers at school.

Messages from the brain during dinner two nights ago:

Sometimes you just gotta roll with the punches. You make 'em laugh, good, they're laughing and happy. Even if they are laughing at you. It's just the other times that get to you. The times you know they are really and truly laughing at you and not having fun at your expense. Sometimes the difference just comes in your own mood. If you're not in that great of a mood and they're laughing you really can't handle it.

Apparently Dalian people are really freaking tall. I've seen a few (like a current waitress) who are really tall. People from the South aren't that tall so they find it pretty strange that everyone here is really tall.

They have this stuff that they call "jou" here. The literal translation is "porridge" but it's more like cooked rice in boiling water mixed with a variety of things. It's one of the late night things to eat as the only places open 24-7 are either barbeque or one particular Guang Dong place that sells jou. Most people eat jou for breakfast so this place is the closest one can get to a Waffle House.

Taking pictures and playing cards are randomly illegal in certain places and at certain times. It's pretty strange and kind of annoying. Cards are considered gambling equipment so much that you have certain designated places you can go to play cards and can't in many other places outside the privacy of a home.

Tea is like it is in the South (USA) only hot. One can't walk in a restaurant that doesn't have tea.

For some reason they all have little sleeves here that go over the back of your chair. So you put your coat on the back, or a bag and they put the sleeve over your coat/bag and the chair. Suposedly it keeps the smell of food out of your clothes.

I miss Camillo a lot now that he's gone to Shenyang. Without him the boys have no real get-up-and-go attitude about hanging out after work. They just want to chill at home which is also different because I have no one to invite me to their homes. I have nothing to do after i go to the gym. I just hang out for a little until the salon closes - RIGHT at 9pm cause there's practically no one there, and then go home. I swear without Hui, Camillo and Kast L Salon would be out of business really fast. It's fairly obvious that Alex, Eason and Yenson are Camillo and Kast's handy-men. The five of them all pretty much do the same job but Camillo and Kast are definitely the main men. The rest of the boys are there to do the dirty work - shampoo, condition, work with customer's money, cleaning up, providing supplies, helping the customers - everything but the actually cutting, fixing and drying of the hair.

They kind of have their own very simple sign language here. Knocking on the table means "thank you," all of the numbers can be(and are more often than not)counted on one hand, I've taught the L Salon boys "come here" by waving your hand toward yourself. There are a bunch of other gestures that are really common for foreigners to use who can't speak Chinese. I've lost most of them cause I can speak and don't need them but many others use them. Every now and again I have to use the point and gesture system with people who don't know me all that well though.

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