“‡¯Šúˆê (Qingdao Week One)

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Ni Hao, thanks for joining me on what proves to be a rather large third installment of my China travel blog.... And what a big week it has been on the east coast of the PRC! Before i go on i must vent some steam as this is the third attempt i have had at writting this troublesome addition! Computer didn't want a bar of me on not one by 2 occassions! Mad as a hatter! Anyway, with that out of my system i must continue to squeeze this entry out as i can feel my creative juices fast depleting rapidly.

So last time i left you, Greg and i had rendezvoused with Mark (Billy) Brady from Stawell. Now dubbed 'the gift', well it hasnt really taken off yet but im working on it (thanks Simmo). So last sunday we went into work to meet with various teachers and admin staff from MIFM (the mob i work for). They all seemed like an ok bunch, all happy to see us, few however speak english. The lady organising our program is Emily. I think im gonna battle to transfer the quirky nature/culture of these people onto paper but i will have a dip. So on the Sunday it was national teachers day in China, what luck!

That night we were taken out to dinner to celebrate. Not quite sure what to expect, we rocked up to this quite ritzy restaurant and were led upstairs into a private room. Once inside we were seated at an enormous round table with the biggest and most lazy Susan i have ever seen. Guests began to filter in and soon the table had about 15 people on it. Mostly teachers, chinese/korean, and various admin staff as mentioned earlier. Mountains of food came out and sat there for a good 45 mins before anyone touched it. We were apparently waiting for the college's head honcho to arrive. Finally he rocked up with an uncanny resembalance to the bad drug cartel guy in Crocodile Dundee 2! Great guy though! So alcohol flowed and food was consumed in banquet style fashion. Various speaches were given in chinese and we sorta just nodded politely in agreeance. Oops i forgot to mention that in the period where we were waiting for 'Crocodile Dundee 2 guy' we were being fed alcohol like hyper colour t-shirts nearing the end of their product life cycle in 1992 (creative juices dwindling horrendously now). So as u can imagine we were well on they way even before the food arrived.

Throughout the banquet i got to chatting with a few of the other chinese teachers there. Firstly there is Fan, a 24 year old local english translator who runs the ESL program. Never have i heard such precise and deliberate english in all my life. The other teacher on my right was Simon. Speaks english about as well as i speak chinese so that conversation was fairly lacking, cracking bloke though who enjoys a Qingdao beer as much as the next fella. The night went on and us three aussie lads certainly flew the flag. We were introduced to a chinese culture called 'Gumbai!'. In the chinese culture its considered hospitable to take out your guests and get them as intoxicated as possible. So if some says 'Gumbai' to you, it means u have to finish what is left in your glass as quick as possible. Being the cunning chinese they are, they waited until we had a full glass and it was on for young and old all night. They were relentless and gang tackled us individually like a rampant 1990 collingwood side. As i said earlier we certainly flew the flag and did Australia proud. Its important for guests to seem as they are enjoying themselves otherwise the chinese believe that they have failed as hosts. Greg and i couldnt wipe the smile off our faces and had a ball but Mark is somewhat the quiet drunk. Being a Collingwood man he was referring to himself as Chris Tarrant all night. Having a ball but just had terrible body language! As u can imagine i was in hysterics as he was trying to explain this to a table of non english speakers! All in all the dinner was a great night and an excellent start to our trip. By the time we got back my wooden slats seemed like a 'sealy posturpeadic'!

Not sure whether i mentioned in my previous blog but we were told we would be starting work that Monday. Anyway that was not the case and it turned out we had a full week off before starting on the 18th, tomorrow! This chopping and changing is common in China and didnt surprise the experienced Mark at all. He has been told a bunch of different things since he got here. Dont get me wrong but the chinese are the most disorganised but somehow effecient race in the world. It makes no sense at all but somehow everything seems to work out just fine in the end. I think Beijing 2008 will be a classic example of this.

Being a bit nervous about teaching so early, Greg and i were both relieved that we had an extra week to settle in and prepare a little more thoroughly. This last week has been spent getting accustomed to the public transport system, buying house hold items and shopping. We have met several people on the way, mainly older teachers from the Uni. I got to about wednesday and the week was dragging like Tony Shaw on the phone to Jason Wild circa 1997. Already felt as though i had been away for ages but it hadnt even been a week. As they say in the football world, a week is a long time in footy! Same applies to living in a foreign country with nothing to do! I will give you a brief cost of living run down, it is quite amazing but im already used to it.

$AUS 1 = 16 Chinese RMB (YUAN)

Catching the bus anywhere u like: 1 yuan (16cents)
Medium Big Mac Meal at McDonalds: 16 yuan ($1)
Long Neck of Qingdao Beer from supermarket: 3 yuan (50 cents)
1 Cooked duck from supermarket: 20 yuan
1 deep fried ducks foot: 2 yuan
Haircut: 5 yuan
Coke 600ml : 2 yuan
Having a kick of the sherrin on a crowded chinese beach: Priceless

So on and so forth, you get the picture. Its cheap. I have no idea how this country makes any money. Their economy is very interesting. Dependent on the American green back, the chinese currency isnt floated. I assume this is due to their interest in maintaining competitive free trade with the western world? Havnt really looked to far into it to be honest, but yeh it amazes me. Economics...who needs it anyway. Bunch of suits making micket mouse presumptions based on loose trends, not my cup of tea.

Geez im rambling on a tad here this entry. At the moment im at the rear of an enormous internet cafe of Sunday night. Its bout 50c, ive lost about 5kgs in the past hour! I feel like Dean Jones in Madras circa 1986 against India where he battled dehydration and gastro for a gritty knock of 210. K well, perhaps deano was a gross exaggeration, im not comically racist, neither am i a stunning stoke maker, nor do i have Alan Border behind me calling me gutless, and i certainly don't have gast..... hang on take a rain check on that last one (damn ducks feet!). Bottom line is its bloody hot and im fatigued!

Wrapping things up, i have had a great first week here in China. ITs a great country. Not somewhere that i think i would want to live, but certainly a great place to visit for a cultural experience. Oops forgot to mention last night. Greg and i went out for a few drinks and met a number of cracking characters. One was Dermott from Ireland. Him and his partner had just come back frmo teaching in Korea. It was his birthday and that kid sure could drink, unusual for an irishman. Second was a bloke i spoke to for quite some time. Chinese guy who was actually from the states. Turns out he just got back from Iraq and had been serving there for a number of years. Great bloke, except for when he has you lined up from 2 miles away with his snipers rifle! So that was my week!! ITs been a pleasure once again. I start teaching tomorrow, pretty nervous but also eager to get started. Im sure i will have many more humourous events occuring in the next week or so. Take care everyone. Speak soon. Tom. Ps. Willy the baggy red and yellow is all yours son. Hope u realise the mystique that cap carries. If you do don it, your forbidden from attending any social club functions, paying fees in full or rocking up to more than 1 training a week, especially tuesdays nights! Best of luck this season son!

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Photos

Qingdao Daxue (university)
The gates i walk through everday on my quest to shape impressionable young minds, or just dictate to students... either way

University Gardens
This the front of the university. Home to an abundance of flora, fauna, plant life and animals (Coight, et.al 2002).

Workin' On The Railroad
How 1930's railroad does this pic look?? ALso reminded me of Shawshank when they are taring that roof. This is Wallace, doesnt speak a word of english but has a cracking defensive hustle! THis shot was post basketball last week.

Comments

[Antonia]

wow!
Although you said you didn't do anything all week, my blog would be a big fat blank. I hope you're having an amazing time. As for Willy going to training even once a week seems unlikely! Take Care Ants xxx

[Billy Zane]

The duck
Hey dude, it sounds like you've been getting stuck into plenty of Wayne Carey (the duck) over there. Monty Burns would be impressed with how far you can stretch a dollar in the PRC, but i don't think he'd dig the communist economic policies. Cheers for the baggy. When i wear it i will feel the aura of those past greats that have also donned it. And shit in it. Cheers mate, keep on rocking in the not-so-free world.

[Bill]

Jackie for Thai PM
Hey T Mas. Hows the English news services in Qingdao. You must have heard about the bloodless coup in Thailand. Still, its better than a blood-filled coup. Ah, those crazy Asian countries and their governments, god help them. At least China is honest and doesn't bother pretending to be democratic. Maybe you could pop down to Bangkok and do some hard-nosed foreign corresponding for us, 60 minutes style.

[SimmosTourOfBEWDY]

Simmo
Mate, if you get REAL bored before school starts up, can you do me a favour and whack a pencil behind your ear, sit down with the old TX83 Graphics Calc and do the maths on how many of those $0.50 beers you need to drink in China to cancel out the cost of an airfare from Melbourne? Good luck as you get into the teaching. If you get stuck imparting words of wisdom to your young Chinese charges try delving into your bag of tricks and pulling out a bit of "be able to say I DID SOMETHING" (John Kennedy), "If any one of you blokes get a rap for what you did out there today I will SPEW UP" (Terry Wallace) or "I want you to go out there, and give me every thing you've got" (Teddy Whitten). All the breast mate.