http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , China , Shandong , Ji Nan en-us Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:48:40 UTC Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:48:40 UTC If therersquos but one thing Irsquove learned in China itrsquos to stay flexible and that is not just because I'm studying with a Tai Chi master. When folks put on your plate things you wouldnrsquot in a million years eat just smile and eat. And when plans change for the 3rd5th time just run with it. So instead of going to another city and doing testing for discus whatever this http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-351226.html Itrsquos day 2 at Jinan and the ShanDong Institute of Sport Sciences and I had to give two presentations. Both were translated which I felt bad for the students but I think they kind of enjoyed. Translating it just makes it that much longer. For me it feels like a tennis match. I talk and all eyes are on me and when I finish the eyes shift to the translator. And back and forth we go. http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-350610.html Today I went to the ShanDong National Sport Science Institute which is where I will be working for the next two weeks. They call it an Institute because ldquoIt is very small. It has only 10000 students.rdquo Hmmmhellipagain my definition of small and big is not the same. All of these students are either study Sports Science i.e. training to coach or do analysis of their Olympic athle http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-350606.html Irsquom leaving Nanjing today to head to Jinan which is kind of like stepping into a black hole. The group is separating. For the most part wersquoll all be in China but wersquoll all be in different parts. Irsquom in Jinan ShanDong Jill in Beijing and Ming somewhere I wonrsquot even try to spell. At the Nanjing airport I was in gate 30 the last gate which also happened t http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-349953.html As you may have gathered from my last blog entry it's really hot and humid in the summer in Jinan. My days are spent in front of a fan andor airconditioning watching DVDs of Scrubs and Lost and Friends. I have taken on some extra hours with Aston Summer Intensive classes so I work MonWedFri afternoons in addition to my FridaySaturdaySunday routine. I like it it gets me out of the hous http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-246176.html Everything and everyone is cool. There are no problems and peace reigns supreme. I am happy and everyone else is happy. There is no conflict. There is no tribulation. Harmony has been achieved. No one complains and there is no reason to do so. People everywhere have everything they want and no one is wanting for more. The weather is perfect. Nobody is too hot nor cold. Everybody has enough to eat http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-244639.html I just returned to the United States for the first time since moving to China three and a half years ago. My father brother and sister and I met in Manhattan which we consider our spiritual home though we moved to California when my siblings and I were in elementary primary school. I did not as I suspected I might suffer from any reverse cultural shock. I felt perfectly at home in New York a http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-244565.html Winter is here in full effect. Jinan is cold and dry and everyone is wearing thermals these days We've had our first snowfalls mainly light flurries that are easily swept away off the sidewalks and roads. It is fun but there is never enough snow for winter sports or sledding. It's mainly browngray here in the winter very drab. The winter weather here is cold I'd say about 20s30s. The http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-240216.html Summer is in full blast here in Jinan and it's hot hot hot They say it's not the heat it's the humidity and that goes double in Jinan. I am dripping with sweat most days and it's quite uncomfortable. Thankfully there is airconditioning in our apartment at the school and in the shops so there is relief from the grimy sweaty city air.On the night of July 18th disaster struck Jinan. It http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-232186.html It's 2008 a new year the Year of the Rat 2008 is China's Olympic year and the build up is growing every day I put my name in the second round lottery for tickets so we'll see if I get any or not. I won't find out until April so I have to keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best. I am jealous of my friends that had their names down in the first round lottery and already have their t http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-232175.html MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL Christmas season is here and Jinan is decorated in full The stores and streets are filled with fake trees twinkly lights garland of all colors snowflakes Santa faces and even the occasional lifesized Santa who plays Christmas tunes as you walk by. The stores all have piped in Christmas music too. Some of it is in English and some are Chinese translations http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-232165.html We decided to go to Jinan to do some Christmas shopping.First mission Tai'an train station to buy a ticket. There are six queues at the ticket office one for each window. Which window to choose There's a sign for each one. Any idea what it says None at all. Let's chance it then. While waiting we had a chance to bend our schoolchild Chinese around Buying a Ticket a topic our textbook ha http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-228192.html Summer is in full swing in Jinan. The foreign teachers got together and had a 4th of July barbeque to celebrate America's Independence Day. Any excuse for a party really It was great we had a party outside the teacher's apartment building at Li Xia Da Sha. We played baseball soccer badminton and later on we got some jump rope going A couple of the teachers bought table top grills and http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-198543.html I have developed an irritating fondess for this city. It's grown on me like some variety of mould. Today I sat in appreciation of Jinan. Near my apartment is a small park where I found a flat comfortable rock near a statue of Hotei Laughing Buddha to study Chinese and sunbathe or rather sunbathe and study Chinese.... I love visiting the parks and squares. I love having the time to visit the p http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-154124.html The last couple of weeks have flown by The days and weeks are moving quickly we just finished Week 7 of classes. Now we are off for the May holiday. Everyone in China has the first seven days of May off for the Worker's Holiday. We at Aston have the last weekend of April off in advance of the national holiday. The reason for this is that the schoolchildren will go to their regular Chinese http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-151408.html Nihao. Wo jiao Elizabeth. I have had three Chinese lessons with a very patient Sally one of our Chinese teachers at Aston 3. She teaches a class for us foreign teachers for an hour each week. I am not good at Chinese at all... yet. With Sally's help I hope to get better over the next year. I may hire a private tutor eventually but first I need to get some of the basics down I cannot rel http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-145379.html Between the constant honking of horns the near accidents on the roads the incessant hawk pitooey of people spitting all the time it's the Jinan pollution cough andor the smoker's cough that everyone has here and the constant staring at me and the other foreigners lies the calmness of Chinese life and the friendly folk of Jinan.In my short time here I have become a tea drinker. Green tea http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-143028.html Some people celebrate Christmas on the 25th December. In other calendars the 7th January. Some celebrate it in the snow and others the hot sun. But in China Santa Claus and festive music will still be with you in late March with the blossom and warm afternoons. Now I'm aware of the arguments over His birth. Shepherds watched their flock that night which is something they'd do during the lambing http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-143015.html Have you always dreamed of owning your very own fluorescent chick Do you want to buy a live goldfish contained in a waterfilled Christmas bauble How about a stroll through one of Jinan's parks to hear the sweet tune of caged birds. Well lets face it the locals would probably eat the wild ones. Not enough Having to plug headphones in to drown out the sound of the restaurant workers across the http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-143012.html Last week I went to the PSB the Public Securities Bureau a.k.a. the police station for paperwork processing. We each need a resident's permit to live and work here. I obtained my work Z visa in the US in New York City. But then once you arrive here you need the resident's permit. We had to wait a while but not too long. Mostly it's just sign here take your photo and you're done. Tha http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-140779.html So much for missing the big festivities in Boston we had St. Patrick's Day here in Jinan we the foreigners and a few locals too went to Kiwi Corner a restaurant run by Mimi a fellow Westerner. There was no parade but there was green beer For dinner there was Irish stew which I didn't have since I'm vegetarian and loads of cabbage dishes and slaws and yummy garlic bread and spinach http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-140765.html I've been here about 2 weeks now and I'm settling into a routine. I had teacher training the first weekend of March and taught my first week of classes last weekend. I teach many ages and levels from 5yearolds to 17yearolds. Class size is 19 students maximum which is nice. A few classes are smaller maybe 510 students. There are no desks just chairs in a semicircle. The emphasis i http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-138553.html Hello and welcome to my blog I arrived in Jinan China 2 weeks ago today. It is great to be here and feels good to be settling into a routine. I was living and working in Boston Massachusetts USA but was looking for a teaching job overseas. I found a job and was off and running I moved my belongings back to Minneapolis Minnesota USA my hometown. Then I was off to China from there.My http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-137857.html I have slowly but steadily warmed to Jinan. Its face changes as the day lengthens. In the early morning it is still and very cool local people perform Tai Chi in the parks as I pass on my way to work. My favourite bakery takes delivery of soft sponges and sweet breads and crossing the road isn't an operation. By afternoon the city has hurried itself into a circus crossing the road is an ambitio http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-137376.html Bonjour a tous de nouveauApres avoir quitte Beijing pour aller a Jinan par train finalement l'horaire fut change et nous sommes partis a 13h30 au lieu de 10h00 a.m. pour arriver a Jinan a 18h00. Juste se rendre a la gare de train fut toute une experience des milliers de personnes en veuxtu en vla..... tout le monde te regarde on est comme une aiguille dans une botte de foin..... final http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-101339.html Well.... our little trip to Tai Shan was definitely one of the most interesting 24 hour periods of my life. Tai Shan... Taoist and Buddhist holy place center of Chinese creation myths and the most climbed mountain in the world. The plan went something like this... we would take the train to Jinan take a bus to Tai an hike Tai Shan all night watch the sun rise hike back down the mountain eig http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shandong/Ji--Nan/blog-78658.html