more schools, I venture out alone, and some random thoughts

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Tuesday, May 27th
The first school we saw today was Yew Chung International School (YCIS). We had heard good things about this school, and it has more Chinese as part of the curriculum. They say it's about 30% Chinese, 70% English as far as how the classes are taught. The classes are a bit larger (22-25) but they have a native English speaking teacher and a Chinese speaker in each class. They are a team, and are both qualified teachers, but the math and English lessons are taught by the native English speaking teacher. The Chinese teacher teaches Chinese language, reading and writing as well as Chinese culture. This school spoke much more about providing a cultural education and not just language. We both really liked that. The kids would be at different campuses if we choose this school. It's not a deal breaker, but I would prefer they be at the same school. The school has 5 classes per grade, so it's about as big as SCIS (the first school we saw and the one we liked a lot). Some of the apartments we are looking at starting tomorrow are very close to this school. We saw fantastic projects from the students at both campuses. Oh, and the 2nd campus gave me a goody bag. You know me and free stuff--love it!

The next school today was Rego International School. It was fantastic as well. A really well-rounded school. They are moving into a brand new building next fall. The real downside, though, is the location. It's a 30-45 minute bus ride. That is a major deterrent. The school had a strong sense of community. We took home a yearbook as well as a calendar made by their equivalent of a PTA. The vibe was great. I remember feeling that way after exchanging emails with this school. That location issue is probably what will break any ties. The very first school still had all sorts of pluses and the better location.

Side note: While browsing through some handouts at YCIS I grabbed an English language city magazine, that seems to be targeted at expats, and also a guide to this huge shopping outlet. Interesting....have tried to avoid intensive shopping since we are in fact moving here. That won't stop me altogether.

I keep meaning to write about a few interesting differences we've observed. The first is that the service here is exceptional. Even at hotels, it far exceeds my experiences elsewhere (especially the US!). These hotels are not expensive, but the service and amenities make them seem so. For example, the gyms are great. Super clean, all the right stuff (balls, bands, weights, machines). They have water, towels, hand wipes and flat screen tvs. They also have attendants in the gym to greet you coming off the elevator, help you get an elevator when you are done...it's very nice. The staff at both hotels have been extremely warm, helpful and welcoming. The same level of service is found at restaurants and even at shops (though when you are bargaining, it's a different ball game. Still friendly, but it's a tug-of-war to reach a price, so it's not all about the customer for those situations). That said, we've had success with all our shopping, and when we bargain, we usually get them to come down and meet somewhere in the middle of our first offer and their asking price.

The other interesting thing I wanted to share is that there is a hierarchy in terms of right of way in transportation. Here's the hierarchy: buses, cars, motorcycles, mopeds, bikes, people. If you are walking, or biking you get honked at all the time. It's stressful crossing a street here or even walking down a sidewalk--a motorcycle might pop onto the sidewalk at any time. You have to stay quite alert. I have a strategy now. I find a Chinese person (old lady, man, young kid) and follow that person across the street. So far it's working out!
We were advised by our friend, Ray to stay on course--don't stop halfway, even if cars start coming. There are big fines if cars hit people, so that's encouraging. If there's a car accident or a bike accident, it seems like it's settled right there. Sometimes police are involved, but sometimes the crowd seems to dictate the settlement. It's very noisy, of course I can't understand any of it, but the general mood conveys that the crowd's majority rules.

There is a real difference in terms of the attitude of the Chinese people. As one woman at one of the schools explained it to us today, while Europeans tend to dwell on the past (and I think Americans do the same thing), Chinese are very optimistic about the future. They have faith and optimism. This is so different from the culture in the US where it's all about how bad the economy is. Not to say the Chinese way is better or realistic in all cases, but it's just really different and also somewhat refreshing. I imagine it's like the US used to be. The American dream, and all that. With a growing economy and huge infrastructure growth, I can see why people here feel optimistic. Mark has been talking to me about this since he started visiting China. I now get what he was saying.

The contrasts between old and new are everywhere. Especially the architecture. I was walking today and I saw so many examples of this with huge high-rises that border older buildings. There is construction everywhere we go. Even more than in our neighborhood back home. There are huge building sites around the city. Even though it's very, very urban, there are still a lot of parks and trees throughout the city. I'm hoping the apartments have some green space for the kids. I heard they are little communities and the kids can ride bikes in there safely which will be great. We can buy bikes here pretty inexpensively we've heard.

Finally, today I had some time on my own while Mark was working (poor Mark again!). I went on a walk and was a little nervous venturing out alone. I walked a bit and wandered around a shopping mall. I saw the familiar Starbucks, but am really not drawn to them in terms of drink or food, so I marched on...I really wanted a beer. Finally, I came across another mall with a grocery store. I LOVE grocery stores in foreign countries. Mark and I always seek them out and have since our first adventure together--our honeymoon. So, after poking around, I settled on 2 canned beers and some pringle like chips (bad I know, but no lunch again today). I paid with my very own RMB (Chinese money), said hello and thank you in Chinese to the cashier and found my way home to the hotel. A small victory but considering that I am geographically challenged, I was quite pleased to have had success on my first solo mission. Next, perhaps I will try a cab alone! Go me!

Tomorrow is a full day of apartment searching. I'll be going with the agents for the first couple hours as Mark has a work meeting or 2 that he must attend.

I realize these posts may be too long for many to read entirely, but I am enjoying writing them and recording my adventure, so if you got all the way to the end of this, thanks for reading!

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Photos

Yew Chung
This was the first campus we visited

classroom
the topic this class was studying is Rain Forests

old and new
not the best pic, but the contrast of old and new buildings is captured.

Comments

[judy]

Wow!!
Hey Suzanne, Sounds like an awsome adventure! I love adventures! I know they teeter on a fine line between fear and excitement. The schools sound good especially the first two. Hope the rest of your stay goes well and enjoy your cab ride ;) Judy

[Linda]

accidents
I am struck by the democracy in the streets. Great blogging!! Linda