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Published: September 10th 2007
Txai
Chris and Mine's Mexico City digsHmmm…where to begin?
I left Mexico City about a week and a half ago in a bit of a haze. To put it quite vaguely, our last night was full of stories that I’ll be telling for years to come. Neither Chris nor I slept a single wink. That last day was rather surreal…we pretty much just spent our last day repeating the mantra of, “Did that really just happen to us?” I’m sorry for being so vague, but once again, common decency demands it.
Off to Shanghai
After a tearful goodbye, I flew to Los Angeles, went through customs again, took a 14 hours flight to Seoul, Korea, followed by a 2 hour flight to Shanghai, China. In Shanghai I attended an orientation with other teachers for the Beijing WITT program. It was very reassuring to find that almost all of the teachers were returning to the program and everyone was raving about WITT in general. The content of the orientation seminar was very boring and quite a bit too long.
The highlight of the seminar was definitely my second night in Shanghai. About 10 or 15 of the teachers went out to a dance club about a
block away from the hotel. Being the only Lawais (foreigners) in the place, we drew quite a bit of attention. So much so, that the MC decided to organize an impromptu arm-wrestling contest so that China could take on the outside world once and for all. Well, every single one of us lost terribly. Oh wait! Did I say every single one? I meant everyone but ME! That’s right, I won two with my right hand and one with my left hand. I finally lost mainly due to exhaustion. My arm was sore for about five days. A few of the other teachers gave me the nickname of “The Great White Hope.” I don’t like to brag, but it’s hard when you’re this awesome!
The Road to Nanjing
On Sunday morning our Nanjing school (Nanjing No. 1 Middle School) picked us up in a small bus that could go no faster than 100 Kmh. The three hour trip was turned into a five hour one. We passed through several factory cities and let me tell you, everything that you’ve heard about pollution in China is true. There were times when I couldn’t see more than 150 meters in front
Arm Wrestling in Shanghai
Here I am getting warmed up on my winning streak. Once again, I rock! of me because the thick coal smoke. Scenically, the drive left much to be desired. However, once we reached Nanjing that all changed.
Nanjing
Things seem much more lush and green in Nanjing. Many of the main streets are lined by trees that form a thick canopy, which I’m sure will turn a firey red in the fall. Contained within an ancient city wall, the city is clean (for a Chinese city, which really isn’t saying much) and incredibly safe. It’s a totally new concept for me to think that my chances of getting robbed in this city (aside from pick-pockets) is pretty close to zero. I’m used to walking around in foreign cities with a sense of anxiety that I really don’t need here, no matter what time of day. It's kind of refreshing here.
Where I Live
I really could not be happier with my living situation here in Nanjing. I have a huge apartment that I share with one of the other teachers here. (I’ll tell you more about him below). We live across the street from the school in the heart of a traditional Chinese community. The other teachers and I truly have the
Me taking over
After I lost, I decided to take the microphone from the MC and start announcing in my broken Chinese accent. Practice makes perfect, right? I know...I look like a weirdo, but I think it's funny. best of both worlds. When leaving our apartment building, you can take either a right or a left. To the right is Zhong Shan Lu, one of the city's main roads. There you can jump on the brand new subway or catch a bus/taxi to the massive expanse of shopping malls (the Chinese LOVE their shopping malls) and western amenities. To me, this represents the growth and modernization of today’s China. To the left is a narrow road connected to a heap of back-roads and alleys. There you can stroll the road at a lazy pace and sample the dumplings, humbaos, meat-sticks, and hot-pots that fill the air with their salivating smell. Old men sit and chat while they play Mahjong in small restaurant/cafes, while young men play billiards on the tables set up outside. This represents the traditional China that I’m lucky enough to be immersed in. It’s very easy to meet people on this road. All of the restaurant owners are thrilled when the foreigner picks theirs as a place to frequent.
The Food
To put it quite simply, the food here is amazing. It’s 1,000 times better than I ever could have imagined. The street
Meditating on Teaching-ness
This is a presentation that the other Nanjing teachers and I did at dinner at the conference. From left to right the other teachers are: Maggie, Ingelin, Kathy, Casey, and Me. And yes, for those of you who recognize it, I am wearing my stupid llama t-shirt in this and the arm wrestling pictures. food is incredibly hot and safe. In the restaurants, I usually just ask the waiter/waitress to recommend a dish for me because I really don’t know many dishes. I’ll just tell them one or two ingredients that I’d like and let them make the decision. A very filling meal cost between 50 cents and two dollars.
Also, I’d like to throw out a big “I told you so” to all of the people who didn’t believe me that my sesame allergy would not be a problem considering the fact that I can say “I am allergic to sesame.” People here have been incredibly honest about the contents of their food. The last thing in the world that they want is for me to get sick.
The Other Teachers
Casey: This is my roommate. He’s 27 and from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has a degree in Philosophy and wants to go back for a PhD at some point. He’s a real cool guy. We get along pretty well. At first I was pretty skeptical about having to share an apartment. However, at this point I’m pretty happy that we live together because we get along so well and it’s nice to have company sometimes. In fact, I was just given an opportunity to have my own apartment, but I turned it down.
Maggie: Maggie’s the lead teacher. She’s from New Zealand. It’s her 2nd year here in Nanjing. My guess is that she’s in her mid-late 60s. She’s an absolutely wonderful lead teacher…I couldn’t be happier with her.
Ingelin: Around the same age as Maggie, Ingelin is an Australian with a heart of gold. She just spent the last year teaching in Japan. She has 3 kids (2 boys and a girl). She’s warm and very smiley.
Kathy: Kathy is another Kiwi. She’s most probably in her mid-30s. This is her 2nd year in China. (Last year she was in Chengdu).
Keith: This Englishman is the newest addition to our team. We were short a teacher for the first week, but luckily Keith has come along to fill the void. He’s a really nice guy. He’s 25 and has a master’s in Business.
On the whole, I’m very happy with the group. We all work and get along very well with each other.
My Chinese
Slowly but surely, my Chinese is coming along. I have enough Chinese at the moment to have a basic conversation with most people. However, I stumble a great deal and often run myself into a corner where I don’t know how to explain what I’m trying to say. It’s frustrating, but it’s all part of the learning process. In the next few weeks I plan to head over to Nanjing University to check out some Chinese courses. I’m willing to spend about ¼ of my salary on Chinese classes.
Nanjing No. 1 Middle School
By American standards, this is actually a high school. It’s actually the top high school in Nanjing. The list of awards and recognitions for the school is virtually endless. A few of them include: (i) The school’s orchestra getting 2nd place last year in an international youth orchestra contest in Vienna. (ii) Two out of three of the members of China’s national chess team went to this school. (iii) If you flip through the TV stations with someone from the school, they can point out a whole grip of people who went to the school, including famous news anchors and game-show hosts. (iv) Last year, every student scored at least a 5 on the IELTS (International English Language Teaching System) Exam. This is extremely good. There were several who scored 7s and 7.5s. However, the pride of the English program is the student who scored an 8. The school gave her about $1000. Although the highest score is a 9, many native speakers don’t score higher than an 8. We have quite a bit of pressure to duplicate these results.
Closing Comments
I apologize for writing so much. However, a lot has happened since I last wrote. I still don’t have my own internet line. Once I get it, I’ll post a bunch more pictures.
I’ve got to say that I love it in China so far. The people are so warm and welcoming. My status is somewhere between a local celebrity (like a news anchor) and a rock star. They seriously treat us like royalty here. So, anyone who has ever considered traveling to China should definitely do it. Feel free to come and stay with me in Nanjing. I’ve got a king-sized bed and an extra room. So, drop on by!
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Maile
non-member comment
Super Cool !
Hey Mike, This is wonderful, I enjoy getting the posts and look forwar to more. What an adventure you have made for yourself. Be safe and enjoy. Maile