If Superbowl Sunday is the next thing that I have to squawk about in font of a bunch of kids, they picked the wrong sports fan. I wouldn't known a scrimmage line from a cribbage board.
I had been smiling with the driver, but the idiot IAR with my camera couldn't find which BIG SILVER BUTTON to click. The "12 Days" thing is not until today with my "Junior 2" class. The party featured no food or drink, which I think was really dumb.
History repeats itsef I spent some of my youth in Germany, just as the Economic Miracle was kicking in and the average German was now able to afford a car. They'd zip around the larger, slower cars driven by Americans, like little fish swimming around whales, displaying the same disregard for physics and traffic laws that you've seen in China. I theorized that this was probably due to the fact that, being new drivers, they hadn't achieved the sort of Zen quality of driving that somebody who's been driving for twenty years displays (going with the flow, sharing the road, and like that). Now drivers in German cities drive pretty much like most Americans do, so perhaps there's hope for the Chinese as well.
Hiding in plain sight Cultural censorship.
I'm working on the strange gap in US history between 1492 and the Pilgrims of 1620. Turns out lots happened, Europeans got to half of what would be the 48 US states, great adventures -- but not starring English people.
Now we got a good one for the Chinese -- eventually they will be proud.
Just more fun material for us cultural historians
Love your posts.
Happy Christmas from the new small is beautiful again Jerry Brown California
I don't know about driving tests, but if they're like everything else here, they can be fudged. The women here drive as poorly as the men. There are traffic cops around, but they are useless. The smog a little better because of the winds, but I have picked up another respiratory infection. Luckily, antibiotics are sold over the counter.
hope you are better I am positive you are better now.I will be going to weishan tomorrow to teach for one month.I am already panicking as i know it is small town and am afraid i will not get what i want.Anyway I think its time to have my first small town experience-My friend always says that if you come to china and only go to Beijing,Shanghai and the like..congratulations for NOT seeing the real chin.Anyway hope all will go well for me.
Should I airship gem lettuces? This is priceless...I feel like I am there....and when I land on those shores I'll know so much more what to expect. Not saying I am, but it would be a temporary solution to the unemployment woes. Perhaps I should send some seeds and the kids could help you harvest in a month or two?
Kids in Jackets Joe, I've noticed that in most of the photos the kids are usually wearing their jackets inside. Is it cold? They have no place to put them?
It's a good thing you have the IARs around, who knows what your lesson plans would be otherwise.
Joe, you truly have a knack for this teaching thing. You are expanding these students' world in ways that even the big city language schools would envy. Tying lifestyle to education is a bond worth forging, and my hat is off to you for all the extras you bring to these childrens' lives.
Hello Joe, wadya know Hi Joe,
Finally had a chance to catch up on my reading of your adventures. Hope your respiratory ills are gone, or at least diminished. As for it getting colder - same here. 20's to 30's in the AM hitting upper 40's to low 50's during the day. Maybe you have to slip some yuen to the building super to get that heat turned on. That or make him a salad.
So, two months have already zipped by. Sounds as though you are having an adventurous time. Maybe you should charge for being in the photos everyone is taking of the smiling American.
You probably get "neighborhood updates" from Gene, but in case you haven't heard Finnon lake is about 1/3 full. Water is being let go as the dam replacement work is scheduled to get underway in April. So by the time you return you'll get to see a big hole in the ground. Other than that everything here is copacetic. Barb says hi as well.
Take care, enjoy your adventure, be happy in being one of the tallest people there, and we look forward to future updates.
Paul
Well done! Did you know that Julie Child was posted to China when she worked for the OSS? I would imagine that she had similar difficulties finding good salad ingredients there, too.
Confused middle-aged schlub, former hipster, goes to China in order to escape the US recession, teach good enunciation and eat mounds of pork dumplings.
Follow along as I embarrass myself in another language.
Parental caution advised.... full info
seamallowance
Repeat after me
If Superbowl Sunday is the next thing that I have to squawk about in font of a bunch of kids, they picked the wrong sports fan. I wouldn't known a scrimmage line from a cribbage board.