Blogs from China, Asia - page 2272

My flight to Beijing was uneventful and the plane was only 1/4 full at most, which was fabulous. Getting the Chinese visa and Japanese reentry permit had been hellish experiences that I was trying to put behind me. I had almost forgotten about all those hours sitting in immigration with hundreds of other people until I hit immigration in the Beijing airport. The guy behind the counter took an awfully long time examining my passport and I start thinking maybe I forgot something. Maybe the visa wasn't correct? Had I checked it? What was the deal? Then I realized he was looking at my picture. He then began switching back and forth between looking at the picture and then looking at me. This went on for at least a minute, during which time I started thinking ... read more

Hello out there in blogville, So...you may be familiar with Brett Yellen, China's preeminent statue poser. But alas, I will now gain fame on a much larger scale as a recording artist. Look out Beatles, Elvis, and Rolling Stones...here I come. However, rather than the rock and roll, I will have chosen to make my name in the spoken word genre. Two weeks ago the other exchange teacher and I received word that we would be recording dialogue to help the Jingshan School students prepare for the massive national exam. Basically, and this isn't over hyping the test, this exam is the make or break moment in a Chinese student's life. Picture the SATs...but much much bigger. Needless to say that much preparation and stress goes in to this exam. However, this test is not simply ... read more

Just a quick update to let you all know that I am in fact still alive here in Beijing. The internet has been down in my appartment, and I haven't had a chance to go to my host dad's office, so for the time being I'm limited to occasional access in the English department. Things are going well here. The only thing that's changed is that my group is now taking a lot of special classes, such as "labor skills," in which we make decorative creations using red string. We also go to geography, kung fu, calligraphy (sp?), art, and daily chinese classes. Other than that we sit in on the classes that our host siblings take regularly. I'm running out of time here, but I hope everyone can email me and tell me what's going ... read more

There is a difference in visiting China as a member of a pre-planed tour-group, in a luxurious Mercedes Bus, while enjoying the comfort of Western-style hotels, and visiting China independently, contracted to teach for a year. The challenges are beginning to give me some thought. Having observed the extreme differences between Western life and Western customs from that of China, some observations and questions might be in order: Knowing only a few words of Chinese will envelop a whole host of challenges, especially in a smaller city like Taizhou. Unlike Shanghai or Hong Kong, only Chinese-characters and sounds provide information outside these large cities. From searching out transportation to the selection of daily meals, everyday chores should provide a host of new journal material. Unfortunately, it also conveys limitations, and it challenges personal independ... read more

I have been lucky enough to experience the bike life, and survive. It is the fastest slow-pace ride I have ever been on. No one goes much faster than 10 or 15 km per hour (partly because the bikes only have 1 gear), but it is still scary. You don’t need speed for a thrill. The bike is one of the most popular means (if not the most popular) of transportation in China. When one thinks of Beijing, his mind might to polluted streets with nice green bicycles slowly cruising down the side. This is at least the image my mind goes to… Most of the bikes are made of a solid metal frame. They have small, flimsy looking peddles sticking out the side, which pull a chain around the single back gear. The wheels ... read more