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Asia » China » Jiangsu
August 23rd 2010
Published: August 24th 2010
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The speed in which the time has flown by this summer has really taken me off guard. Moving, working, traveling for work, visa paperwork headaches, banking traumas and even hospital visits has me thinking how when you are truly focused on something, you can accomplish a lot in a small amount of time.
I just finished a 7 week summer job in Taicang, a small city outside Shanghai. There is no train station in the city, so this really proves just how small the city is. I took a train to Shanghai where I was picked up by the two friendliest Chinese guys you could ever meet who made my stay in Taicang really comfortable by snapping their backs backward to help me with any question I had. I had been a bid skeptical about the job because the only information I had was from word of mouth of the owner of the center. To my relief, the institution was legit and I was housed in a suite hotel next door to the school for the next few weeks.
The students at the center were actually quite remarkable. I had two classes with older kids about 13-17 and another class with 8-11 year olds. The older children were mostly a breath of fresh air, all of them had really good English and were enthusiastic about coming to class everyday (even the Saturday classes). My younger class was also a delight despite one problem child who drove me to violent dreams every other night. I loved teaching there and due to the relaxed environment I had the opportunity to experiment with some new teaching ideas I hadn't tried in my uni classes.
The town of Taicang was something in itself, its very small and clean and was recognized as one of the richest cities in China last year. It is about 60 miles in whichever direction from Shanghai but you would never know it by how taken aback some people were with the presence of a foreigner in their town. I didn't have a kitchen in the hotel so I decided to establish a few good places where I could buy my meals and do my shopping.
My routines would usually consist of getting up around 7:30 in the am, going next door to this small restaurant where a man and his daughter worked where I would either get a vegetable baosa or noodle soup, and they would sometimes sit down with me and help me with some Chinese words I would try to study in the morning. Then I would go to class at 9, teach for 2 hours go home, watch some tv, or read a book, go back out at 2 and finish my day at 4. Then almost always I would go to my favorite buddy the fruit and vegetable guy who always had some outrageous questions about America, that always made me laugh. ex: Do Americans think all Chinese look the same? (that one was funny) and Do the American people know that having credit means you have no money? (that too was funny). So, then I would take my produce and have a small fruit feast by the canal park or walk over to this open square where I'd watch some older ladies do the electric slide, and point out one of them who just couldn't get into the rhythm because there would always be at least one. Then I'd take a walk and the funny thing about small towns is that everybody wants to know why you are there, so I'd constantly had random conversations on my way to finding a place to have dinner.
Then I'd either go the Xingenren (Chinese Muslims) place, the soup family with the toddler girl Li luyi who ended up calling me Anyi (auntie) because she seriously loved me, for some odd reason, or I'd get some bbq from any of the stands where I had made a few friends.
For the first week there I felt a little strange because I remember going to the grocery store and the lady asks me if I was the American teacher teaching at HHBC...whaaat? who? what? how does she know this? So, it was odd to see not only had my arrival been an event in itself but my presence was always quickly noted and spread. This of course meant that I had to be on my best behavior and would have to avoid losing it on anyone at any point in my stay there.
My routines were pretty consistent and I rarely deviated from them and it became quite a comfort to live a place where I could put things in the order that I wanted, unlike hectic Nanchang where rarely anything goes as planned.
Every weekend I took take an excursion somewhere by taking a cab or bus to the next city over where they had a high speed train station. I went to Shanghai, Nanjing on few occasions, Wuxi , Changzhou, Suzhou and Wenzhou for my birthday.
This summer will officially be known as the summer of the Chinese train. I rode so many trains back and forth some nice some not so nice. The good or I don't know if I should say bad thing about riding trains solo as a foreigner is that you will undoubtedly get your chance to practice all the Chinese you know. At times talking can be a bit frustrating as you realize how much you really still don't know, because it is really difficult to get your mind in the right frame to be talking to people whenever they ask you something, so at times I'd play the Wo ting bu dong (I don't understand) card so I could be allowed to listen to my headphones and just enjoy the rolling scenery which always involves people. This is a land full of people and even the countryside reflects that as no matter how far away you are from any which city there are ALWAYS people.
On my way from Nanchang to Nanjing before I came to Taicang I was on a 15 hour train ride.............with no sleeper..... I was told that the journey would be 6-7 hours so when the lady asked me if I needed a sleeper I said no and she asked me if I was sure and I couldn't imagine why I would need a bed on a 6-7 hour train ride especially being that the sleeper was double the price and the train left Nanchang at 2 in the afternoon, I was sure I had enough materials to keep me busy for the ride. I should have known that the 6-7 hour estimate given to me by my Chinese friend who lives in Yangzhou (a city a little north of Nanjing) was waaaay off, as now I'm starting to see that Chinese people underestimate almost anything that has to do with time or money. Like when one of the Chinese guys who worked in Taicang at the center told me that the bus only takes 40 minutes to get to Shanghai so it was safe to book my ticket to Wenzhou 2.5 hours after my last class, and when that slow bus got to Shanghai 1.5 hours later and I ended up missing my train, I realized I will be cautious to take heed to time/money advice from the next Chinese person.
But back to the 15 hour train ride with no sleeper. So I got seated next to the kitchen where I could feel and smell hot grease for the entire ride and hear babies with mosquito bites over 98% of their body holler because it was hot and they were probably itchy. Then all the migrant workers smellin' like grass and paint were sitting on top of each other trying to get a closer look at me, see what I was reading, listen to my phone conversations and talk about me, but that is also funny, because the more you understand Chinese and most people think you know nothing, the more you understand what people say about you. Most of the time its not bad, but its usually something you'd prefer for people to keep to themselves. After some time the kitchen crew got off work and sat at the table across from me and after observing me for some time, they decided to invite me over to play some card games with them. We proceeded to play Chinese rummy for the next 6 hours and then finally I arrived in Nanjing, but that train ride ended up being the best of all the ones I was on for the summer.
The worst one was probably on my birthday, after I had missed my train the previous day to Wenzhou listening to that guys lie about the 40 minute bus ride to Shanghai. I boarded a 5 hour train ride on my birthday with NO SEAT so I had to stand up the entire time and the train was packed to the gills..like seriously. When the doors open I saw people literally falling out of the doors into the tracks. In retrospect its a little hilarious now, but at the time I was angry at the train company, why would they clearly over sell tickets on this train, just for the love of money. I ended up Heismaning this guy to sit in a corner behind the bathroom so I wouldn't be stepped, spit or smoked all over.
Five hours later I arrive in Wenzhou and it was seriously hotter than the lowest pit of hell, I almost doubled over and died and in my delirium I entered a taxi with two passengers already in the car. Usually, when this happens I always reject the ride because the driver will take me all around the world to drop off the other passengers first while lastly taking me to my destination because in these situations the driver won't have the meter turned on but will negotiate prices with the other passengers so he could make some extra dough off of the company car, so after negotiating a price to my friends house I got into what was the top 10 craziest taxi rides of my life.
This guy with a cigarette in this mouth the entire time was seriously on the wrong side of the road on the interstate with concrete barrier and all, driving first on the right shoulder then decided as a gas truck was speeding towards him that he needed to cross to the left shoulder..and this was not an empty highway, we're talking a Sunday at 2pm with cars honking constantly the entire time. I was most definitely alarmed and that rarely happens these days. He first drops off the first guy who fights with taxi driver over 2 yuan for over 10 minutes!!! eventually the poor boy could not defend himself against this rabid taxi driver so he did reluctantly and bitterly threw 2 yuan at him. Then after dropping off the second guy he starts sweet talking me then tells me he didn't know how far the place I wanted to go was and that he had under quoted me, but I wasn't havin' that, so like a demon emerging from the pit of the earth he drives about 90mph to my destination to hurry up and get his moneys worth, then still took another 20 minutes looking for the address while I'm asking him if he knows where he is going, he keeps saying yes.
But I celebrated my birthday in beautiful coastal city of Wenzhou with friends and fun and I suppose the morning-afternoon hell had been worth it.
Then there is Shanghai, which I have a love-hate relationship with. Love it because there is a dizzying amount of things to see and do there and the Chinese people there are so used to foreigners especially now that the World Expo is there, that anytime you can say more than Nihao, they are impressed and compliment you to no end about your Chinese skills. Almost everybody can speak English. When getting off of the bus my Chinese friend who was in the hospital due to a motorcycle accident he had earlier that week, sent some of his friends to take us around to have some dinner and see some sights. While waiting for them outside the bus station this really grimy hustler taxi driver approaches us and says in perfect English pronunciation 'Where would you like to go?'. I looked around for a second not believing this guy just said that but he did and for some reason it was really funny to me.
I also hate Shanghai because of the disgusting commercialization of everything, you cannot open your eyes in any place of the city without being bombarded with cluttered signs of advertisements, it all seemed so unChinese and so alien capitalism from another world. But all those ads work because a day in Shanghai with a wallet full of cash will leave even the most thrifty of us broke.
This summer has been short, hot, frustrating but extremely educational. I've learned a lot of Chinese and even received my ph.D in Chinese train travel de-etiquette. I think I have finally cracked the code to make my students talk in class and I'm excited to try my method for my uni classes.
Traveling can be hectic and stressful but I've found that when you're solo there is no such thing as a plan and I've enjoyed navigating my way through issues that would most probably be a nuisance to a pair or group of travelers. One lesson I have definitely learned this year about this country is..Do not expect anything..really... and there is the fun in that, its like opening a big box which could be a t.v or a joke with many smaller boxes stuffed inside.
I'm currently taking my time off in Nanjing and have decided to go back to Nanchang in a few days to get my new apartment , and syllabus ready for the new semester.
I was a bit pessimistic in my last post but getting outside Nanchang and seeing and comparing it with more places in China has definitely gotten me taking my experiences and thoughts to another level, so in all I am happy I had chosen to bless/curse myself with a much needed summer in China.
I will add some more adventures of my summer in my next post as well as some photos with my next post. God bless and take care.


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25th August 2010

Wonderful !!!!!!!
Hey Sweetie, It sounds like you are having quite the adventure. It sounds wonderful Tifa. I am sure it is educational. Enjoy the life and live each moment as if it was your last. Make your salaats, be thankful and work hard. May Allah grant you his mercy, refuge, protection, guidance, patience, knowledge, wisdom and understanding. Love ya, Daddy
25th August 2010

So great to hear from you
Hi Latifa, We just read your latest blog. Amazing adventures you are having :) Your writing style is fabulous ... so descriptive and fun to read. The accountant for our co-op is Chinese and she is from Nanchang originally. I was telling her that you were teaching in China and now she keeps me posted on the weather and asks how you are. All is well. It's been a great summer, gorgeous weather. So wonderful to hear from you. Take care love sue
28th August 2010

All I can say Is Subhana Allah
Al Humdullilah you are well and truly are benefiting and have benefited in the professional and cultural aspects of living and teaching in China. It is said that with patience comes virtue, therefore after your ordeal on the train, in taxis, and the overall uncouthness in etiquettecy, you should be at the higher end of virtuosity.(Smile)l Shanghai sounds like the way I had pictured it, crowded, smokey and expensive. Granddaddy Lester will be leaving the hospital on Monday. Al Humdullilah he is off the ventilator and has regained his strength. He is talking (so you know that is a good sign the way he likes to run his mouth). Yousuf and Ali are back in school. They look so cute and are growing up fast. Ali has learned some Quran and is very articulate in it. Jannah & Adam are in the cooing and creeping stage (Adam has two bottom tooth). Cute as ever (Ma Sha Allah). May Allah grant you with a safe trip. zài jiàn (Umm Latifa)

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