Blogs from Wuhan, Hubei, China, Asia - page 17

I want to share some stories of people who have touched me in some way since coming to China. There are many stories, it's hard to just pick a few - but these are the ones on my mind today. I have been teaching part time at Dos, the school where I taught before. While teaching, I met this amazingly cheerful girl (I will call her V in this post). She is always in my classes, and I've been enjoying getting to know her. One night I was scheduled for an English corner, but only V was there. We started talking about her journey to Australia (she is planning on going there to take nursing) and the test she must take to qualify her for a visa. Then she really opened up to me. Her father ... read more

Vorig weekend vond in Wuhan Daxue ( één van de vele universiteiten in Wuhan) het jaarlijkse Internationaal Cultureel Festival plaats. Op deze wereldexpo in het klein kreeg elk land een eigen kraampje om zichzelf voor te stellen aan de bezoekers. Eva ( een Belgische studente, niet in Gent maar aan dat gehucht nabij de Dijle) had twee vriendinnen in "Wuda"en we besloten de handen uit de mouwen te steken voor België en mede het kraampje te bemannnen. Op een atletiepiste rond een voetbalveld waren een tachtigtal landen vertegenwoordigd. België deelde een standje van een zestiental vierkante meter met de Duitsland. De twee Belgische studentes hadden op voorhand een vijftigtal foto's van ons land moeten doorsturen, waar de Chinese organisatie dan een selectie uit gemaakt had. België in een tien foto's: het stadhuis van Brussel, Justine Henin, ... read more

So... Yesterday Jean had that meeting with Mr. Zhang. It went well, everyone left feeling listened to and respected. After Jean outlined his feelings, Mr. Zhang explained the school's side - that being that for the rest of this term they need a good teacher (Doreen), so they have time to find the perfect teacher for the second term. He promised Jean that Doreen would be back with him at the start of the second term (after the winter holiday) - and gave him a very expensive pack of smokes to seal the deal. Now... we know the way of Chinese businessmen - and that can be "tell them what they want to hear, change your mind later". Many Chinese do not believe that is lying... We are hoping this is not the case, all we ... read more

Life has seemed astoundingly normal lately, hence the lack of updates. Then again, I suppose the fact that things seem normal is in itself astounding. I’ve gotten into the routine of waking up and teaching my classes every morning, then going home and preparing for my classes. The job is all consuming. I don’t have too much time for other things, except for on Saturdays. I’ve been going to a local foreign language club on occasion. It’s called Mr. Mai’s, and it’s mostly populated by Chinese college students who are eager for a chance to practice their English. However, there’s a Chinese practice night on Wednesdays that I plan to make a habit of attending. I’ve met a few fun people so far. The club is also notable for the most amazing coffee I’ve had since ... read more

Remember the pictures of those beautiful flower designs just last week? Well, today when we walked home from school, only rubble was left. People were arguing over who got to take home flower pots, and people were collecting potting soil that had been left behind. I thought I'd post some of the pictures I took - this is typical overnight change in China. Honestly, though I don't know the first thing about flowers, the whole thing is kind of sad - it was so beautiful, and for such a short time, and now it's gone. You know, this is the second time they've remade the park then torn it down since we've been here - and it hasn't even been three months yet!!! Oh well, adapt, adapt, and adapt again. Jean and I decided today that ... read more