Two months can fly by amazingly. So much has happened, it's hard to know where to start. But, there are definitely some things that can't be forgotten, or go unmentioned.
To start, since the last update (around Halloween, can't believe it) we have been trying to adjust to a completely different life and environment than would even have been fathomable at summer's end when we began the TESOL courses in Zhuhai. We have been teaching students of all ages in a learning center in Xiaoshan (meaning "small,desolate(?) mountain"), a part of Hangzhou that is a small city in its own right. It has a population of "only" just over a million (small for Chinese standards) and was only incorporated/swallowed up by Hangzhou about 6 years ago. The residents are very proud to be from Xiaoshan, and do not say they live in Hangzhou, but Xiaoshan. The irony is that, though only 20-30 minutes drive away from us, downtown Hangzhou seems almost like a different world. The red light districts and tightly packed buildings, parks, monuments and structures of Xiaoshan are not seen in the wide avenues and open spaces of the West Lake area of Hangzhou. There are almost no foreigners in Xiaoshan, compared to Hangzhou, where they are a much more common sight. To be fair, though, we have only seen mostly the touristy area of Hangzhou, and not the seedier sides of the city. As well, Xiaoshan is growing rapidly and may rival Hangzhou's modernity in the next few years. The constant building and sounds of construction at all hours right outside of our apartment can attest to the "progress" being made. Even a new building with multiple stores, condos and restaurants opened today on New Year's Day right next to us. It was being worked on, literally all the time, including 3 AM, for the last month in order to be completed by today. In fact, it is almost frightening how quickly things are built around here with countless people working all hours at breakneck speed. For example, the huge apartment/shopping complex was mostly a shell when we arrived just over two months ago. We are not looking forward to the nonstop fireworks at all hours that are sure to accompany the opening of this mega-structure. Just as quickly as things go up here, though, things disappear literally overnight as well. It is as if everything is expedited here, including the natural cycle of business.
For all of the strangeness of the ubiquitous building, what is even more odd and scary is the complete lack (though now unsurprising) of any safety standards employed by the construction and its workers. There are large holes in the ground made, and gigantic piles of rubble that will almost spontaneously generate to block walkways all over the city. As if walking the streets was not hazardous enough because of the total dearth of traffic lights or rules, there will also be exposed electric cables pulled from the ground or above that are strewn all over. And, perhaps most surrealistically, those working on the wires do not climb up poles to work on them, but up independent and unsteady bamboo ladders that rise to and rest upon none other than the loosely stretched cables that are being worked upon. As well, there might be a half-mile of sloppily strewn and piled PVC piping underneath of this, also blocking the sidewalk or even road. It is almost laughable how everyone else walks by, under, over and around these kinds of scenes without a second thought! We are concerned about whether these structures will hold up long term.......
It has grown quite cold this past month, and buildings here, for the most part, are not heated (most aren't, south of Shanghai, in China). That means, even at freezing temperatures, only the nicer hotels, offices and restaurants will be heated. This unfortunately does not include our school. So, most of our students, as well as us, are wearing coats and even hats/gloves inside the classroom. It is very odd to see one's own breath inside a building! One positive of the extreme cold is that the large rats, that are commonly seen outside, and in buildings (including in our own office!) seem to have taken refuge and are not showing themselves. This may also be because the windows, that are always open by the superstitious Chinese workers, including during the winter, have been closed by us while there to prevent bad air and other things from getting in from outside. Apparently, many people here believe that closed windows are unhealthy, and that "fresh" air should be let in to allow for optimal airflow. Sadly, the air is neither fresh, nor a pleasant temperature. But, luckily, the single pane windows don't block much out, including sound, when closed, so it makes almost no difference.
The heater inside our apartment bedroom is far too comparably expensive to continue to use all winter; besides, our building, like most, has almost no insulation to keep in heat. So, we will need to buy some space heaters that are sold cheaply in grocery stores here, as is customary. It has been a long time since we have seen or used them.
There are, beside the lack of hygienic awareness and germ prevention, many habits to which we still try to acclimate ourselves. Waiting your turn in line, and respect for personal space here are not big. There is also no repercussion or consequence for smoking anywhere, including in the places where it has been prohibited like elevators. With no fear of legal ramifications or fines, it is not uncommon to see people smoking anywhere here. What bothers us is that it is done in the presence of children without an afterthought. It is like the pre-1970's-80's in America.
Another unique phenomenon is that noise levels seem to know no limits. We've mentioned the construction and general noise from people at all hours. But, there are also apparently fireworks going off at all hours of the day because it has been preordained. Many people will, for any important event in their lives (i.e., marriage, funerals, moving to new apartments, etc.) go to a fortune teller/soothsayer to ask when they should have their event. The fortune teller will roll dice, and the dice will determine at what date, and time the event should occur. Even it if is literally the middle of the night, there will still be an event then if the dice deem it so. In fact, we were told that the parents of people we know moved out of their apartment at 1:30 which we thought was a late start for moving. But, we found out it had actually occurred at 1:30 AM because that is when the spiritual advisor commanded it to be so. Of course, just like all events, these happenings must be accompanied by fireworks being set off to ward off evil spirits from intervening in these events. Apparently, many people continue to live like this, not because of an actual belief in the superstitious/religious, but because it is tradition so it must be.
In fact, leaving a colleague's apartment after a several hours long Texas hold 'em game, Jon stumbled upon a funeral occurring before sun up. Many people were in the middle of the street, wearing some sort of head wear that looked like a cross between a bandanna and a diaper. They were setting off fireworks. and playing strange sounding gongs and horn-like instruments. They were carrying a casket which they loaded in to the back of a van. Several women were screaming in anguish that seemed to be almost melodramatic, even for a funeral. Apparently, it is encouraged to wail as loudly as one can, almost for effect. The instrument players nonchalantly continued to play while about ten of them sat in the back of a small pickup together, and one woman continued to lament wildly by the van until finally pulled away by some others. Then, the van with the casket, the pickup full of the musicians, and several other cars took off following them while more fireworks were lit as they were driving away. It, again, was quite surreal.
All of these things we try to adjust to, as the onus is literally on us. We are the visitors and so must abide. Yet, even the things that we have a hard time adjusting to, such as the noise and certain aforementioned behaviors (including loudly answering cellphones everywhere, including in classes) strike an odd balance with the amazing kindness, beauty and generosity of both our surroundings, and the people we meet and interact with....
Near the beginning of December, we took a taxi to Hangzhou for the day. We have been to Hangzhou, now, about a half dozen times to stroll around the beautiful West Lake, take a ferryman's boat to an island in the center of the lake, walk around the local caves and parks, and shop at the local markets. We have enjoyed fantastic Indian food at authentic restaurants by the Lake, as well as even tried Subway and Papa John's! The subway was a bit disappointing with a very limited menu (only a couple of subs, real subs and good sandwiches/deli being nonexistent here), whereas Papa John's was actually a nice place. Just like Pizza Hut here is much nicer than back home, it is the same with Papa John's, and the pizza was fairly good. Of course, Marie loves the fact that there are several Starbucks as it is the only place we have found to have coffee that even slightly resembles that from home.
The taxi we were taking, like most of the taxis here, is to be split between four people. Each person pays the equivalent of $1.30 to go from Xiaoshan to Hangzhou (about 20-30 minute ride). Like all driving in China, it is quite an experience to even be a passenger. The drivers do not obey any rules, fly through lights, and go around 80 mph through residential zones. So, while waiting to enter a cab, a nice woman walked up and began speaking to us in very good English to explain what the cab cost. We told her we knew, but thanked her and were impressed with her proficiency. In fact, almost no one in Xiaoshan speaks English well, or at all, outside of foreigners. This is not the case with Hangzhou, where there are many foreigners and multinationals. So, we split a cab with her and spoke with her during the ride to Hangzhou.
She, like most English speaking Chinese people that we meet in China, introduced herself not by her actual name, but by her English name. Most people here, especially of the younger generations, began learning English reading, writing and grammar in Middle School. They take English names to use when speaking to foreigners. Unfortunately, there is almost no English spoken when they "learn" English in school, though, as most of the Chinese "English teachers" can not speak much themselves. At any rate, her name is Judy, and she lives in Xiaoshan. She teaches English in Hangzhou at the Hangzhou Radio and TV University. Just like the schools that are called "Normal" Universities here, the school is not what one would expect. "Normal" schools are more upper-echelon, or actually not normal/average schools. As well, the Radio and TV University actually is mostly online classes that have nothing to do with Radio or TV. Things are definitely often lost in translation......
Judy teaches in Hangzhou, and tutors privately. She teaches children and adults. She is married to a man who works for the government in Xiaoshan, and they have one daughter who is just over a year old named Bao Mei. They live a few miles from our apartment in Southern Xiaoshan. Judy talked to us about many things, and then gave us her info. and got our contact before saying good bye. We thought that she was very sweet, and were flattered by her mention of inviting us over to her family's for dinner. Chinese society considers family to be of penultimate importance, and it is common to want to have one's family introduced to friends, guests and visitors. As well, even with one child, most family's consist of the parents, child, and grandparents who are the primary caretakers for the child while the parents work. These families mostly live in modestly sized apartments.
We actually could not meet Judy the first few weeks after being invited to her house because of our demanding teaching schedule. When we finally could make it a couple weeks ago, we went on a Monday night because the school is always closed on Tuesday. Since she had invited us originally on a Saturday night, we thought that the dinner might be very informal. She had even told us that it would be a very casual affair. But, when we arrived by taxi and she led us to her apartment complex, she mentioned that it would not only be her, her husband and their baby. There were also going to be her husband's parents, his aunt, his sister and her daughter, as well as three young students of hers. So, this was no small affair in our eyes.
When we arrived at the apartment, we were almost overwhelmed. It was a very nice and sizable apartment, but also not heated. It was very nicely decorated, and we immediately removed our shoes and put on slippers provided, as is customary when entering Chinese homes. We were introduced to all of the others and they were beaming with excitement and curiosity. Judy is the only one that can really speak English; the others could only say a few words. Actually, the young students (two girls and a boy) were the next best speakers. They immediately sat us, and served us traditional Chinese tea and some exotic fruits and nuts. They turned on the TV to the only English station around, CCTV 9, to make us feel comfortable. We were introduced to Bao Mei, the baby. She is very cute (18 months old), and can even respond physically to some English words, like smile. When asked to smile/be happy, she crinkles up her nose. She does not have much hair, which seems to concern her mother, but she is quite adorable, regardless.
The mother and aunt (both the husband's parents live there, too) were preparing all the food in the kitchen when we were sat at the table. We were given Chinese wine/spirits that were very strong and pungent. Jon enjoyed them more than Marie did. When the food was brought out, it was amazing how much had been made. There were countless dishes of all types of meat, seafood, noodles, soups, eggs, and vegetables. They even made home-made potato fries with ketchup for our benefit. Some of the dishes that particularly stood out were a rice-noodle dish that is supposed to bring good health/luck, a type of fatty pork dish served with wine named after the famous Chinese poet who was from the West Lake named Su Dongpo. There were also very good soup dumplings and even calamari. Marie, not wanting to offend our hosts, even tried the freshly killed fish that stared at us as it was picked apart. There was tender meat, chicken wings and again great vegetables. By the time we had been served all this food, and everyone shared the dishes family style (as is customary) we were quite full. It was then that we were brought our bowls of rice. It is considered offensive to finish these bowls as that would indicate that the enormous quantity of food that had been previously served was insufficient and not satiating. We did not have a problem with not finishing them. The meals were so good and filling, that when we were offered dessert we had to decline. The grandfather asked if I wanted a smoke, and I declined as it was before we had finished our meals. I hope that this was not offensive to him. Smoking seems to be ingrained in all culture here; even wedding ceremonies customarily have brides light their father and new father-in-laws cigarettes together!
After the meal, we viewed several amazing photo albums that Judy had from her wedding. It is customary for people here to have very professional photos taken of them wearing traditional Chinese clothing at beautiful locations. Both Judy and her husband looked quite impressive. Judy was a beautiful bride, and the red Qipao, or traditional Chinese gown she wore, was quite stunning on her. Her husband even looked dashing in his Mandarin collar. Marie wants to take photos like this of us before we leave. People take these photos, often, even without a special occasion. They are comparably inexpensive to Western professional photos. Judy said that she would help arrange this when we want. The professional pix of the baby were great, as well.
A bit after dinner, Judy's husband drove us home as it was raining. We thanked them emphatically for a wonderful time. Apparently Judy's sister-in-law's husband works in Shanghai, so we were given an open offer to go with him there whenever we want to. We just started our six day work weeks at school, so will probably not be able to do so until at earliest the Chinese New Year. They are extremely generous to offer this, and they continue to leave an open invitation for us to return to visit them. They are our "Chinese family", and it is not extraordinary to see this kind of generosity towards visitors.
We are reminded of another generous offer from one of our students. His name is Cameron. We helped him prepare for his entrance interview to begin at Asia Pacific University in Japan next Fall. He was so grateful, that he has offered to have us stay with his extended family in Shanghai over the Chinese New Year. He is a great kid/young man and we are flattered by his generosity. He lives in Hangzhou, and also wants to show us around the locals tour.
We did go to Hangzhou, West Lake over Christmas, and saw all of the Christmas decorations up. The Chinese have all the commercial Christmas decor, with no idea about Christianity or that the original/basic reason for the holiday is to celebrate Christ. It is not all that different, in some ways, from the secularization of Christmas in the West, though. While there, we enjoyed the beautiful lights and trees around the lake, though it is only getting more and more bitter cold!
Last night, for New Year's Eve, which is not very important here, we did see some amazing fireworks going off. They were even more impressive than the usual. Apparently, the Chinese New Year, which will fall in February, will last a week and make our Western New Year's look tame. There will be a whole week of nonstop fireworks and celebrations!
We ate some food last night at a place called "City Life" that serves very good milk/bubble tea and noodles. We then treated ourselves to massages at a place called Eastern Nights that we recently discovered. The hour massages cost us each the equivalent of about $4 USD. This is the cheapest we have found in this area, and is only marginally more than in Zhuhai. The massages are amazingly thorough, and it is quite strange to us, still, how comparably cheap/almost free they are when considering what they would cost in America.
Afterwards, we went to a hotel bar where Marie got fresh pear juice, and Jon ordered a drink that combined many different liquors that were set on fire. When the bartender tried to set up the elaborate pyramid of glasses, they first fell. We told them not to worry and to forget the drink. But, they insisted and did it again. It did not turn out as it should have with a huge inferno, but we were almost relieved. Jon spoke in his very basic Mandarin with the bartenders for a while, and decided to cap the evening with a White Russian (almost never seen anywhere here) and a Chinese beer. The bar/restaurant has many birds in cages that peep loudly, and the setup of the place is very retro. You must walk over stepping stones, as the whole place is above a man-made pond, and has 1960's looking decor.
As far as the school, the best part is still the students. We have students of all ages, and though many are quite spoiled, it is still rewarding in many ways. They are intrigued by us, but unfortunately try to push the boundaries to see what they can get away with. We are trying to strike a good balance of discipline and fun. The Kindergarten and younger kids are bratty (again, only children who are very spoiled), but extremely cute. The Elementary school kids are a bit better behaved, but also push the envelope a bit. The hardest to deal with are the Middle and young High schoolers, as is universal. They aren't interested in much, and are very awkward. The adults can be great to deal with, but some are frustrating because they only show-up intermittently at times. They mostly don't understand that they need to put in outside work in order to learn. They will not learn just by going to class only, either. We are well aware of this as we only have one Chinese lesson a week at school, ourselves. We try to speak with people outside the school to improve our beginner Chinese, and will continue to try to find the time to study more as is needed to improve the language skills. In fact, we may get tutors to help us in the near future.
So now, as we face a new year, we wish for the best and will enjoy the beauty that is around us. The Chinese sunsets are breathtaking, though like L.A., may be partly because of pollution. But, the lakes, streams and ponds, set against the weeping willows and huge Chinese moons are equally awesome sights. We will continue to try to improve our Chinese, and enjoy our Chinese students and friends.
Until we next speak with everyone, all the best and lots of luck for the new year to all!
Zaijian (see you later),
Jon and Marie
1 comment:
Awesome guys!!
What is your email, (I lost it of course) I would like to write you and send pictures of our son, Joseph! Your descriptions really awaken wanderlust it sounds fascinating. I hope you aren't working too hard, more stuff about your jobs please!
GB
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