Blogs from Jilin, China, Asia
March 8th 2012
I'm upon my finale four months in Changchun and am starting to prepair for what is next for me. Yeah im jumping the gun a bit but when your almost done a race it's hard not to look at the finish line. At the end of this leg ill begin my mini trek down through china for a few weeks...after that there is talk of vietnam but who fucking knows. I've been thinking alot of what im going to miss about this place. The people in Changchun are, for the most part, extremely friendly. In the entire 8 months I have been here, I can honestly tell you, I have difficulty counting the real probelms I have had interacting with people. Yes there are language barriers but, as my dad once told me, smiling is a ... read more
January 11th 2012
There are many things you can talk about when you speak of the best parts of living in china. The food, the smells, the buildings, and the people all come to mind. But one of the things that hits you in the face is B-grade attractions. Places where health and safety laws are told to fuck off and fun is put at the front of the line. I love this part of china not just because it makes me laugh consistantly, but that everyday people in china just dont seem to notice or care. This is entertainment in its most disfigured and enjoyable form. Before you come to northern china you try to educate yourself on everything that is around you (i think most people do this where ever they go). You become a mini-encyclopedia on ... read more
Come on teacher, teach me something. Don't just fill my head with nothing....
Published: December 3rd 2011Asia » China » Jilin » ChangchunDecember 3rd 2011
Before I started writing this blog i was reading others. I'd always wonder why there were big gaps of time between entries with people. I get it now. You lose track of time. Not everyday is exciting, and most are mundane. One day bleeds to the next. Teaching English is a wierd experience. You speak the language your whole life and then suddenly start selling that ability as a commodity to be gained by people. I feel, more often then not, like im some sort of actor with a lesson plan as a script. Teaching grammer has got to be one of the biggest loads of shit out there for someone like me. I know what to say, how to spell it and how it should sound....but if you ask me what present continuous tense is ... read more
October 14th 2011
I have been struggling to write my next blog. I'm nearing my three month mark here and there has been alot that has happened. I still love it but difficulties and unexpected smiles are still popping up. I am beginning to develop a routine and slowly losing my connections with how i felt and what i did at home. I think thats just part of traveling. It's a differrent life you begin to live. As soon as you step off the plane into a new country you can't help but be starry eyed. The novelty and excitment of adventure takes you over and even the worst situations dont seem so bad. You forget that you are far away from home and you ride the euphoria of adventure. This is definatly unrealistic when living in a ... read more
September 8th 2011
As it turns out, strangely enough, my days off here are exactly the same days off that i had back at home. Around the world mondays and tuedays seem to be the days that i was given to relax and enjoy the world. This last "weekend" i decided it was about time i did some adventuring around china and booked a ticket to see the great wall. The place i picked was Shan Hai guan, a place best known for where the wall meets the sea. I had seen this on the TV show ''An idiot abroad"where carl goes to china. I had a desire to walk in this awkward man's footsteps. I got the first ticket i could get which was a "hard sleeper'' train there, at midnight, and a ''hard seat'' train back and ... read more
August 23rd 2011
So for the last two day me and all the people from my work had to go on a work retreat. Five minutes after teaching my last class of the day we were shoved onto two buses and hurtled into the chinese countryside. This was my first real taste of the what rural china is capable of. Rolling fields as far as you can see dotted with houses and farms. In the distance you see large processing buildings but all in all it is peacful and quiet. We got off the bus to fireworks exploding all around us and people screamiing and music blaring. The "camp"were we were staying turned out to be a "motel 8"style building that surrounded a courtyard with forest and fields stretching on out behind it. There was drinking, a talent show, ... read more
August 19th 2011
So now that i feel like I've gotten a little more comfortable and have my head on straight i feel i should write a recap of what has happened in the last three weeks... The plane ride here was a breeze other then only have 45 min to go through customs in bejieng and get on another flight. I almost didnt make it. When i arrived in changchun, i stepped off the palne and, for some reason... It didn't feel that far away. Im not saying it doesn look like china but for some reason i felt really comfortable. People keep saying that im just in shock and that suddenly it will hit me and i will get home sick but so far i can't shake the feeling. I feel like im right where im ... read more
August 8th 2011
One week in and I'ver already got what i asked for. Its chaos and odd moments of tranquility. China seems to be stuck in some time inbetween but closer to the edge of what will become the new super power of the world. I feel lost in translation a bit but everyday has been amazing. All in all i love it here. There are hard moments. Ordering a meal was next to impossible on my first few days but even now the mandarin is starting to soak in. I had been wearing my favorite green hat for the first couple days till one of the teachers at my school informed me that in wearing a green hat you are telling people your girlfriend or wife is cheating on you. I was gutted but recovered quickly ... read more
China，Jilin Province, rural primary school 明德， 2001年白城支教
Published: July 18th 2011Asia » China » Jilin
July 8th 2011
Bai Cheng, escuelita rural白城支教 En China, durante el verano y siguiendo la tradición nacional, en las universidades se organizan grupos de voluntarios para dar clases en escuelas marginadas a estudiantes de escuelas primarias y secundarias. Este verano en la Universidad de Jilín se organizaron ocho grupos de 10 estudiantes cada uno para trabajar en distintas regiones de China. A nosotros nos asignaron una escuelita primaria llamada "Ming De" 明德小学 en la ciudad de Bai Cheng (白城). La escuela cuenta con unos 2.000 alumnos entre los cuales 600 son internos y está financiada por una organización de ayuda humanitaria taiwanesa. Bai Cheng está a 260Km de Changchun, al noroeste de la provincia de Jilín, en la frontera con Mongolia Interior. El suelo arenoso y el paisaje desértico distinguen el límite entre la llanura del noroeste chino y ... read more
December 14th 2010
Just a quick update. I hope everyone has enjoyed my periodic updates, infrequent as they may be. I have 4 weeks of teaching left here in China. For anyone considering a trip to teach in China. I say go for it. There will be many good days, and a few rough ones. The experience will open your eyes to the world outside your country. There are many great people here, and you learn to relax and adapt to surprises. Well either you learn to deal with surprises or your go crazy. My plan is a flight to California to visit friends, a return to my home state of Michigan, and then graduate school. Just hoping I get an acceptance letter soon! There will be one or 2 more updates, before this is over.... read more
