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Published: November 1st 2009
We woke up around 6:30am, probably the earliest we've set our alarms for since being in China (other than the whole training in Beijing thing...) as we rarely have to teach before 9am. It's a tough life. It was a bit chilly outside, so being up that early and showering on the balcony sans hot water (we still haven't figured that out) wasn't the most fun, but it had to be done. We'd quickly packed the night before and once we were ready, headed out to the front gate to hop on the bus with everyone else at 7:30am. We knew it was a trip for Senior 3 teachers, and soon realized that 4 of the leaders of our school would be joining us as well. We don't know their exact titles, but they're pretty much the Headmasters posse. One of them, Ben, speaks English and all of them are very kind and helpful.
Getting on the bus was just the beginning to four days of understanding only bits and pieces of what was going on around us. A tour guide started passing out cheesy tan baseball hats with the tourist agency's info on them, and everyone immediately put them on. This is something you have to love about China. You give these people baseball hats, they will wear them. It doesn't matter what clothes they have on, what their hairstyle is or where they are, they'll put them on. They love it. I shoved mine in my bag because I'm a horrible person and we were quickly on our way to Shenzhen International Airport, a good 5 minute drive from our school. Upon arriving, we waited around while most people in our group checked baggage and the tour guide got all of our boarding passes. Martin and I stood, smiling awkwardly at the Senior 3 teachers we'd never met nor knew how to communicate with. We heard 'laowai' a lot, a term for foreigner, so we knew we were being talked about, but at this point have almost become immune to it. We looked at each other and shrugged, and I said "well, this is going to be a character building experience!" Martin responded with "Living in China builds character every single day."
Nothing else was too notable for the morning. We rode a bus out to the plane, boarded, were served a real meal (hot noodles with an egg, sausage and apple chips) and arrived in Hangzhou around noon, after a delay on the tarmac and a 2ish hour flight. We didn't understand anything going on around us, and nobody really volunteered to help translate for us, so we just shrugged some more and kept the awkward smiles plastered on our faces. Ben eventually came over and told us we'd be visiting two schools in Hangzhou and then we'd be going to another city, and the next day we would climb a mountain. Naturally.
Every year, the teachers go on trips to another part of China to visit other high schools and talk to those schools leaders and teachers about how they manage their students and preparation for the college entrance exams. We boarded onto another bus from the airport and were driven for about 40 minutes to Hangzhou Senior High School. Here we sat in a meeting room for about 20 minutes at a huge fancy conference table and pretended to know what was being said, took a tour of the campus, posed for a group picture and promptly got back on the bus. More driving. Another high school. This time, the meeting lasted for close to an hour. Martin and I drank lots of tea and smiled at the leader of this school who just kept droning on and on. Every now and then I'd hear a number or the Chinese word for "a little" and pretend that I was comprehending far more than I actually was. After another group picture, we were on our way again. As we boarded back onto the bus, mini-croissants and water was passed out, much to everyone's appreciation, as we hadn't eaten lunch.
We drove through Hangzhou's famous "West Lake" area and were able to see the beauty passing by the windows. Apparently it's a great place to visit, but we didn't have time. Our Chinese teacher told us on Wednesday that Chinese people say "In the sky, you have Heaven. On Earth, you have Hangzhou." Sounds like a pretty important city to me!
Next, we stopped at what appeared to be a factory and were led around the back into what turned out to be a silk shop/museum. We sat and listened to a guy make what we assume was a sales pitch, throwing pieces of silk on the table in the center while everyone gasped and grabbed for a piece of it. Everyone walked around the shop and most teachers bought something- a scarf, a blanket, a shirt. Martin was interested in the Chinese-style silk shirts many men wear but couldn't find one his size. Instead, an employee who spoke English tried to push an imported Hugo Boss shirt on him. He obliged by trying it on, much to all the teachers' excitement- they pointed, laughed and looked at me with smiles as they all watched this giant try on a silk shirt. He politely declined the 600 kuai shirt, especially considering it wasn't the style he was after. During this time, a female teacher came up and started talking to me. Turns out her name is Maria and she's an English teacher at our school. Oh, so there ARE people who speak English on this trip! Where have you been all day? 😊 Slightly frustrating, but understandable of course. We do look pretty intimidating.
By the time we left the silk shop, it was 5:30pm and everyone was grumbling about being hungry once more. Ben told us we'd go to a restaurant, and we loaded back onto the bus. A few minutes later, we piled out again and into a restaurant with many round tables and food already on them, ready to be devoured. It was a race. I felt like I was eating with 8 Martin's! I always complain to Martin that he eats far too quickly and that in order to make sure I get enough to eat, I have to grab what I want immediately or it'll be gone. This time, even Martin thought the eating was much too fast!
I'll paint a picture for you. Imagine that you sit down to eat with about 7 other people. You don't speak each other's language. There's rice, some veggie dishes, some meat, some fish, all on a lazy susan type thing in the middle of the table. You don't eat the meat or the fish, so you start grabbing at what vegetables you can with your chopsticks as the table is continuously spun around. You'll probably drop about half of what you grab onto the table and look at it wistfully. Others around you will be grunting, slurping, yelling (talking) in Chinese and most likely laughing at your chopstick (in)abilities. All of a sudden, the food is gone and everyone stands up at once and heads for the door. Confused and still hungry, you realize you must also get up and follow the crowd- you don't want to be left behind in a random Chinese city, afterall.
After the crazy dinner, we slept and listened to our Ipods for the next 2.5 hours on the bus. Just after 9pm, we pulled up to a large fancy hotel, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, and stood around awkwardly while everyone yelled and grabbed at room keys at the front desk. Finally, Gary, an English teacher, brought us a room key and simply said "In the morning, we will have breakfast at 7. Then leave at 7:30. You need to pack your packages because we will not stay here tomorrow." Alrighty then.
We glanced at the overwhelming number of people waiting for the elevator and opted to walk our two flights up. Upon entering our room, I felt like I really was in heaven. We'll post pictures, but it was amazing. Soft, comfortable mattresses, a gigantic shower that could have fit ten people, cushy carpet and fancy decorations. I took a shower just because I could, used all the mini-toiletries they provided and went to bed fully in love with China hotels. 😊
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anonymous
non-member comment
Sounds Fun
I love your blog and can't wait to hear more and see some pictures.