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Blogs from Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, Asia - page 5
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June 9th 2012
In this line of work, one thing that happens faster than anywhere else I've worked is that people come and go. Every six months my social group changes. In some ways it's great because you get to meet new people frequently. On the other hand, sometimes you feel like you didn't get enough time together, no matter how much you hung out. The end of the spring term is always worse since most work contracts run Sept thru June. And since it's June, it's not surprising that someone important to me is leaving. I haven't talked about her much in this blog, but she and I spent a lot of time together in the past year and a half. Much of it was Saturdays in Guangzhou and we referred to each other as "Guangzhou Buddies." For ... read more
June 4th 2012
As some of you well know, my idea of fun often includes drastic suprises. Such examples include intentionally not telling my parents I would give my university commencement address, surprising my mom with a cross-country visit for her 60th birthday, and announcing out of the blue that I was quitting my job to move to China. I pulled all of those off without a hitch. I think I do it because I enjoy seeing people's faces light up when they realize the truth. I now have a failed attempt to add to the list. I hadn't told the speech team I would be returning for another year. Even though I'd been offered a contract and had accepted, I wanted to be sure I'd signed it before I said anything. As anyone in this business knows, plans ... read more
May 31st 2012
As my students would say, "Long, long ago," I made a decision. And like my students, I'm using this phrase even though it wasn't that long ago. It just seems like it. In 2007 I decided I needed a change in my life. A drastic change. Thanks to Google I found a way to make that happen. Due to some personal responsibilities, I decided to not rush the decision and instead take the slow route. In August of 2008 I moved to China. When I was getting ready to leave, I told everyone that it would only be for a year, maybe two. The idea of two seemed to frighten some people. Even just a few months into my first year, people started asking when I'd be moving back to the US. That time still isn't ... read more
May 24th 2012
For the third exam, I asked my students to talk about an idea that's improtant to them. I used to say, "Talk about something important to you," because most native speakers understand that I'm not asking about tangible things. After too many discussions of cell phones and first computers, I revised the topic. I've listed some of the more intersting topic choices. Of course, I've had many students talk about punctuality, perserverance, "never give up!", hard work, and aspects of the environment. One class had so many students talk about clean water that I started to wonder if there was a team effort I didn't know about. I've also listed some of the more interesting lines from my students. One student talked about how being a member of the CCP was important to him. The following ... read more
May 18th 2012
Every few years, the Ministry of Education sends a team of experts from Beijing to our college for an evaluation. They evaluate universities all over the country and this year it's our turn. The evaluation will determine if we're fulfilling our obligations as an instituion and are deserving of the accreditation of university. Right now we offer both 3 year and 4 year degrees (essentially, Associate's Degrees and University Degrees), but we're looking to phase out our three year program. We need good marks from the evaluation to do that. They're here for four days and the team looks at everything. They observe classes, interview students and faculty, read stacks of paperwork (some frivilous, some not), and strike fear into the heart of the administration for months beforehand. Our school has been getting ready for this ... read more
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May 16th 2012
I've lost my voice. Hard to believe someone who talks as much as I do can be so silent, but I am. I think I strained it by talking too much in class Monday and then not resting when I should have. Now I can barely whisper and even doing that hurts. Teaching has been difficult since I need to write everything on the board. Class moves slowly and my arm should be sore by tomorrow, I think. I've got a huge pile of medicines and teas to drink. Some I've bought and some have been given to me by students and other teachers. The stupid part is that all I need to do is rest my voice for a few days and it will be fine. But around here, esp with Chinese friends, they take ... read more
May 16th 2012
Had a story done on me last week by Guangzhou TV. Click here to watch the video It started when Guangzhou News Express did a story about my work at the Folk Arts Museum and my teaching and blogging. I was happy to do a segment for them, but once sitting down for an interview I wasn't much help. The reporter found out that I wasn't at all very foreign. As in, I don't do foreign things. Most foreigners on Chinese TV are goofy, jovial, and live a seemingly carefree life. I didn't exactly fit the profile. I teach history and culture at South China Normal University, and volunteer at The Folk Arts Museum other than that I am finishing a Masters in Historic Preservation. Not the life of the party by a long shot. The ... read more
May 12th 2012
I'm trying to get out and city the city more when I take the free teachers' bus every other weekend. A lot of times my friends and I end up in the same places; often we're buying things we need, but a lot of it is just habit, I think. This past weekend I had lunch with a friend who used to work at the university and then I took some time to check out Martyrs' Park. Located in the heart of the city, I walk by it often usually between stops at the DVD shop and the mall down the street. Since it's actually the name of the metro stop, I figured it must be an important park, and not just a neighborhood park. I spent a little under an hour wandering around in the ... read more
May 10th 2012
One irony about Guangzhou’s old villages like shipaichiao and tangchuen is not their tradition but their modernity. Or quiet modernity as it might be known. In tiny corners of the city where elderly people drink tea and do morning exercise, there is always a sex shop around. These sex shops cater more to women than to men. Usually family business operated by elderly women looking after the grand kids. If you walk through an alley and grandma watches a soap opera while five year old plays a computer game leaning against a glass case of Viagra. The first generation to grow up in the local sex shop will have a completely different view on life, and have a different reality for their parents. When they pass the college entrance exam they'll remember all the vibrators Mom ... read more
April 26th 2012
In class this week, we're talking about inspiration and dreams. For one activity, I asked my students to tell me about someone who inspires them and why. Me to male student: Who inspires you? Male student: You! Me: Really, wow! Why? Student: Because you have such beautiful eyes. Me: I'll be sure to thank my parents. What does that inspire you to do? Student: Well, my English is so poor... Me: uh-huh. Part of Dreams and Inspiration includes talking about how they would change the world and help people. One group wrote the following: 1. We'd make much money. 2. Marry a beautiful girl. 3. Then we'd make lots of children. 4. The children and the money will protect the environment. I pointed out that I couldn't and didn't want to marry a beautiful girl or ... read more
