Thanksgiving in China

Since Sara's Mom was here for Thanksgiving we had a somewhat traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Brandon and Caroline came over and we all helped cook something. There was chicken with celery and carrots cooked in the rice cooker, Stove Top stuffing, cranberries from a can, cranberry Jello, rolls from the shop downstairs, green beans and corn, mashed potatoes and gravy, and pumpkin pie (with no crust) and apple crisp for dessert. Afterward we watched 'Casino Royale' and cleaned up.
It was quite a unique Thanksgiving. I was also able to talk to my family after their Thanksgiving dinner, so that was really special.

Some things I'm thankful for:
1. God and all He does for me every day
2. The support of my family and friends
3. The experiences I've had and will have this year in China
4. The blessings I've received in my lifetime. I have so much more than many of the people I meet here. It is really amazing to learn what they live without because they don't know any different.
5. People who know Mandarin and English! Without them I would be having a much harder time here!

Zhao Qing

Sara's Mom came to visit us November 18-25 so we wanted to take her somewhere besides just XinXing. We got our Wednesday Oral English class moved to Saturday morning so we would have the whole day free to go to Zhao Qing. This is the city we went to for Mid Autumn Day in September. I was successful in purchasing the bus tickets to Zhao Qing and Sara bought the ones to return home!
When we were there we spent a lot of time stopping in shops that caught our interest. Finally we got to the big mall and had lunch at Pizza Hut. It was the first time we've had PH since we came to China. It tastes the same, but they put some different toppings on them. They have several seafood pizzas, some with octopus and shrimp... but we didn't get those...
Then we went into the mall to do some shopping. Everything was more expensive than we were expecting so we went to a different one. We hadn't gotten too far into that one when Sara noticed her camera was gone. She hadn't taken a single picture that day, so we know that someone stole it. Thankfully we have all of her pictures on her and my computers, so none of them were lost. But it put quite a damper on the day. We weren't in the mood to do any more shopping, so we went over to the lake and took some pictures for a while.
At 5 we were going to head back to the bus station when we noticed a market area. We spent an hour there looking at everything and talking with the people as much as we could with our limited Chinese. One of the men was teaching me a bunch of words, and one of the ladies kept saying "Hey! Hello!" to get our attention. It was so funny! Well, then we stopped at McD's to eat and headed back to the bus station. It was a really nice day. I wish we had more time to go there to explore more of the city. Brandon and Caroline want to go there for Christmas, so maybe we'll tag along.

Hot Springs and KTV

On Friday the 16th, Adam and Christine came to visit from Hong Kong. It was so great to show them around our town. On Friday night we went to the Hot Springs for some relaxation. Mark went off by himself and the other 6 of us were in a shallow warm pool (basically like a bath tub but much bigger). Caroline wanted to play “Duck, Duck, Goose” and started. I started calling “Jia you!” (refer to sports meet for meaning) Then she chose Adam to be the goose but he wouldn't play. Well, two older Chinese men were watching and heard me calling so they started calling something back to us. Adam says “If we can get those two guys to play with us, then I will play.” So we did! We taught them how to play and we figured out the Chinese words “ya, ya, e”. We explained how to play and played a rousing game of ya ya e! It was quite hilarious and a very unique experience for all of us! :)
On Saturday the 17th, we went to MFC. Adam and Christine got a kick out of it. If you haven't heard, MFC is the only fast food restaurant in XinXing. It is a cross between McD's and KFC and they have some obvious copy write issues... :) After that we went to KTV with some of the teachers at my school: Sally, Ale, and Belinder. We sang lots of songs, had some beers, and had a really good time! It's also very close to my school so we will have to go again.
After we were finished, we all walked Christine back to her hotel which was about the same distance as our school but the other direction. We stood outside on a busy street talking and saying goodbye when a guy on a motorcycle came flying by and crashed into a median about 20 feet from us. He was going the wrong way on the street and not wearing a helmet. Thank God he landed in the bushes. He got up, picked up everything and got right back on and drove off. I'm still not sure if he was drunk or just shaken up. Definitely in shock. So now we can say we caused an accident...

Chinese Birthday

Zhu ni shengri kuai le!
My Birthday was on Wednesday, November 14th, and some of my students decided they wanted to throw me a party! We set it for Tuesday at 6:30pm. They came over, brought all of the fixings for making dinner and cooked it themselves! They also brought a cake! It was delicious! Seven students were here to eat and while they were cleaning the kitchen – they did all the dishes too! – Brandon and Caroline showed up. We had cake, and then taught them how to play Uno. They loved it and wanted to keep playing, but it was already 10pm so we sent them home. What a memorable birthday!

Sports Meet

Jia you! (Come on!)
After our vacation, we got home in time to see some of the sports meet. I went out in the morning because I thought it would only go until noon. I barely got to watch any of it because the students wanted to take lots and lots of pictures of me and with me. It got a little tiring when I didn't know the students, but when they were my students I had a blast! I found out it would go until 4:30, so I left after an hour, and in the afternoon Sara came down with me. She didn't enjoy it as much. She got tired of getting her picture taken so much and left early. I stayed until almost the end. I loved every minute of it! It really was a lot like a typical track meet in America. The classes competed against each other in running and jumping and they got medals too! I have lots and lots of pictures posted of this too.

November Vacation

Sara and I found out by accident that we had vacation time Nov. 5-9. So we took advantage of it and planned a trip north to visit our friends in Hangzhou and Wenling. Our students had mid-terms Mon-Wed, and then our school had a sports meet Thur-Sat.
It was a little scary as we headed out on our trip across China, but God was with us the whole way and took care of us. Everything worked out perfectly! Every time we had to switch from a bus to a taxi or to the airport or another bus, or whatever, it went very smoothly. We never had to wait in one place for more than 20 minutes. God had it all under control!
Sunday we left XinXing and went to Guangzhou with Cathy. She had to be there for a class that week. On Monday she got us a taxi to take us to the airport at 8:30. After many vehicle changes, we arrived in Wenling at 6pm. Nate and Becca met us there with shouts of “White people! White people!” It was quite a welcome! Then the whole group took us out to a restaurant for pizza and then just walked around looking in shops.
Tuesday, we had breakfast at a European place called Idea Bread. The pastries were wonderful! After that, Nate, Sara and I climbed a mountain/hill called the Stone Lady. If you've seen the pictures and are wondering, I don't know why it is called that. Anyway, it was quite a climb – mostly stairs – but the view was really great. And Sara is a celebrity here too. The Chinese people always want their picture taken with her because she has blond hair and fair skin. They don't care about me! After the climb, we went with Becca and Sarah to see the Kindergarten where they teach and get our bus tickets. I was a little nervous to try it alone, but I did it! SUCCESS! On the way back we walked past a huge church that is being built. It's been a work in progress for four years already and doesn't look close to being done. It's shaped like an ark, and is pretty cool looking. That evening, we all just hung out in Nate's room and played Uno and talked. It was great having a group of people to hang out with and laugh and tell jokes like old times.
Wednesday, we had breakfast and got on the bus to Hangzhou. We arrived at the school where Jackie, Eric and Laura live at 2:30 and were ready to find some food. Jackie and Laura took us down by West Lake and we walked around for a while. Finally we settled for McDonald's and DQ. Then we decided to take a boat ride on the lake. They were asking $80/person, but we said $25. They kept saying no, but finally one of them said $100/four people... uh.... OK! We had to wait until they found two other Chinese girls to come with us, but then we went out and were on the lake while the sun was setting. It was so beautiful! I love Hangzhou because you don't have to be a good photographer to get great pictures! Check them all out on Snapfish. Some of them are amazing!
After the boat ride, we met Eric and their friend, Cammie, for Mexican food!!! Burritos, nachos, and margaritas! Delicious! Then we went back to Cammie's place and watched a chick flick. That was also wonderful to hang out with a bunch of girls and watch a movie. We made fun of it most of the time and it was a blast.
Thursday, everyone had to teach, so Sara and I went shopping alone. We went to a famous souvenir street and shopped for six hours. We got so many wonderful things. Gifts for our friends and families, and also many things for ourselves. We each got a silk shirt and fans that say “God loves all people. Blessed are Angels of Peace.” Amazing! Then we found a pet store with small animals. Hamsters, turtles, bunnies, and... a squirrel! Crazy. For supper we met the girls at Subway and each got a footlong! We had to fill up on all the western food we could! Then we had to rush back for English Corner. We piled all 5 of us in a cab (very naughty) and laughed the whole way back.
Friday we got up and packed our things before we had to head out to the airport again. We got bumped up to first class! (The first picture) When we landed in Guangzhou, Cathy was there waiting for us with a driver to take us straight home. We stopped for dinner, and were home by 8. All in all, a wonderful vacation! Thanks to everyone who took care of us!

Life in China

I realized I haven't taken time to share some of my day-to-day experiences, so I will share some of the typical things that happen...

There are some things Sara and I have noticed during our time in China. Because they learn British English more often than American English, they say things differently than we do. Such as: have a sit, or have a rest. Face is a big deal in China. They are concerned about “saving face” and not “losing face”. So, instead of telling us what to do, they make suggestions until we pick the correct choice. That way, it sounds like we have a choice, and they don't make us lose face. Instead, it drives us crazy! Maybe should really be taken out of their vocabulary, because if they use maybe, they really mean you should do whatever they suggest.

Here's a real situation:
Cathy: Dinner is ready, are you coming now?
Ann: Yes, Cathy, we just left.
Cathy: Will you come by bike or on foot?
Ann: We are walking, is that ok?
Cathy: That's ok, but the food is hot now, so maybe you should ride your bike.
Ann: We would like to walk.
Cathy: Maybe you'd better ride your bikes.
Ann: Ok, we'll ride our bikes.
Cathy: Ok, see you in a little bit.
(Note: The food was not ready when we got there.)

OR

Sally: You need to come to the office to sign an important document, is it convenient?
Ann: No, Sally, it's not convenient.
Sally: Ok, I will wait a few minutes then.
Ann: Ok, we'll be down in a little bit.

They also like to wait until the last minute to tell us about something big. Such as classes being canceled, or having to teach on the weekend. Most of the time it isn't an issue, but one time, we found out on Wed, that we wouldn't have classes Thur or Fri. We could have gone somewhere for a four day weekend. But then on Thur evening, we found out we would have Fri afternoon classes. And then about an hour before my class, I found out I would not have it. So, I still didn't have any classes, and Sara had two.

Sometimes, we get lucky and find out details ahead of time. Like about two weeks ago, I found out by accident that Sara and I will have next week off! Sally wasn't going to tell us because it wasn't here yet. But since we found out so early we had plenty of time to plan a getaway. We are going back to Hangzhou to visit three teachers there, and also to Wenling to visit six teachers there. We are so excited to see our friends and have some different people to talk to! Anyway, the reason we have off is that our students will have mid-term exams Mon-Wed, and there will be a sports meet at our school Thur-Fri. I think this means a track meet. I would like to see it, but if I have five days off, I'm going somewhere!

Teaching is going well. Sara and I are getting better at planning lessons. I made a worksheet for the students this week. I thought it would be too easy, but it seems to challenge most of them, so that is good. We are also teaching about Halloween. We put together a powerpoint with pictures and simple explanations of typical Halloween things such as costumes, Trick or Treat-ing, bobbing for apples, hayrides, haunted houses, and jack-o-lanterns. The students LOVE it! They want to know if I have done these things, and I tell them “Yes! I have done all of these things many times.” They can't believe it!

Now for a couple top ten lists (in no particular order).

Things I love
1.Everything is amazingly cheap. I bought shoes for 79 RMB which is about $10.50. In America they would probably cost $50. Also, lunch at the cafeteria typically costs between 1-3 RMB or 13-40 cents!
2.The weather is beautiful, still a cool 75-80 degrees with very little humidity. (The Chinese people are already wearing long sleeves and jackets.)
3.Pearpples. The greatest fruit ever! It looks like a yellow apple, but tastes like a pear. The texture is something in between. Delicious! They just call them pears, but I gave them a new name!
4.Dried pineapple. Guangdong Province is known for its dried fruits and pineapple is my favorite.
5.Shoes! Shoes! Shoes! They don't even have to match your clothes!
6.The music played between classes. It is a beautiful piano tune.
7.Traditional artwork such as tassels, knots, paper cutting and folding.
8.The teachers' kids when they smile because they recognize us.
9.The people who make an effort to talk to us and learn more about us.
10.Teaching! It is so fun when the students have fun with it!

Things I don't like
1.The music played at 6am. Especially the national anthem on repeat.
2.Bones in meat (the best meat is closest to the bone).
3.Trying to talk with people who don't speak English very well. It really takes a lot of energy.
4.Our “jail cell”. Just kidding! We have bars on our windows which makes it obvious where we live.
5.Teaching on the sixth floor.
6.Our bikes. They are too small and very awkward to ride.
7.Being stared at everywhere I go because I am American.
8.Cafeteria food. I usually get the same thing all the time, I'm not sure I will be able to stand it for a whole year.
9.Being so far away from home. I miss everyone so much!
10.Teaching. Some of the students just don't care and won't even try.

I told some of you that I expected to be told that I am fat. I was a bit disappointed when every time I asked someone if I am fat, they told me "No! You are very slim!" Well, yesterday I was told by two people at two different times that my face looks a little fat in some pictures. Especially when I have my hair straight. I'm not sure if that means my face looks thinner now, or if curly hair just makes it look thinner...

Thanks to all of you who check my blog regularly. Your support is much appreciated!
Happy Halloween!

Hong Kong 10/3-7

Right after Mid-Autumn Day is National Day on October 1. This is the Chinese Independence Day. This is the first of our major school breaks. We had a week off from school and decided to go to Hong Kong with Brandon and Caroline. This was quite an ordeal because Sara and I still had not gotten our residency permit which we needed in order to get back into China. We got it just in time, and since everything was so up in the air, our friends didn't get us bus tickets in time. We ended up going Wednesday through Sunday. It wasn't long enough, but it was worth it anyway. We stayed with our friends in Hong Kong. Sara and I stayed with Rob and Judy, while Brandon and Caroline stayed with Mark and Sue.

On Thursday, we learned how to use the MTR (underground train) and Octopus cards (credit card like cards that hold money that can be used to ride the MTR and buses, or in random shops like 7 Eleven or sometimes restaurants). Octopus cards are extremely handy! The only problem is it's easy to spend it because you don't see it, and it's hard to remember to check it to make sure you don't run out of money on it. Otherwise, they are wonderful! Anyway, we didn't have a plan, so we wasted a lot of time, but we did find a street with lots of vendors to buy souvenirs. And we found some cool places to take pictures, too.

On Friday, we went to an area called Stanley to the market to buy more souvenirs. I don't like shopping for other people because I don't know what they will like, so if you have something in mind that you would like from China, let me know (within reason of course)! After lunch, we went to the zoo. What? Hong Kong has a zoo? Yes, even though most people that live there don't know they have a zoo, they do. It isn't very interesting, but it was worth checking out once. They had mostly monkeys and birds, but there were other things, too. There were lots of stray cats running around teasing the monkeys, so that was entertaining!

On Saturday, Sara and I ventured out alone to check out Ocean Park. It is an amusement park and aquarium, with pandas. Very random, but also cool! It is situated by some mountains, and split into two parts. The only way to get to the main part is to take the cable car. It is scary being up so high, but the view was amazing! We had a lot of fun there even though we only had a couple hours. We saw the pandas twice because they are so cute! I took a video of one of them eating bamboo! We also liked the shark tank with stingrays and the sea lions. Their idea of fair food is a little different than ours... such as Mr. Squid... hmmm... The park was also decorated for Halloween with skeletons all over the place, but the thing that made me laugh, was a wooden cart with some hay and a pumpkin or two on it. A bunch of Chinese people were standing around taking pictures of it. The most boring decoration! I wish I had taken a picture of them...

That evening, Rob and Judy prepared a dinner and some other friends, Adam, and the Gurgel's came. It was a wonderful dinner! Real rolls, meat, salad, things we don't get here in China. Then, much later, at about 9:30, we finally decided to leave and check out Victoria's Peak. It is a very scenic spot in Hong Kong. It was the one place that I most wanted to go to and we saved it for last. We took a ferry across to the island, then a tram up to the Peak, then escalators up to the top, and then the view was amazing! Rob let me use his tripod so I got some fantastic pictures! Check them out on Snapfish!
I can't wait to go back! I loved Hong Kong!

Mid-Autumn Festival

Lets see if I can explain Mid-Autumn Festival... (with help from a website)
It usually falls between mid Sept to mid Oct. around the Autumn equinox. It is sometimes called a harvest festival kind of like Thanksgiving. People hold ceremonies to greet winter and worship the moon, they also send round moon cakes to their relatives as gifts in expression of their best wishes of family reunion. When it becomes dark, they look up at the full silver moon or go sightseeing on lakes to celebrate the festival. Together with the celebration there appear some special customs in different parts of the country, such as burning incense, setting off fireworks, planting Mid-Autumn trees, lighting lanterns on towers and fire dragon dances. Because the full moon is round and symbolizes reunion, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the festival of reunion. All family members try to get together on this special day. Those who can not return home watch the bright moonlight and feel deep longing for their loved ones.

On Saturday, 9-22, Sara and I were invited to perform at a dinner celebration. We said we would sing a song and 6 other English teachers decided to join us. We sang a song called “Tomorrow Will be Better”. It is originally a Chinese song translated into English, so some of the words don't make sense. But it is a pretty song. The celebration was a lot of fun. The Chinese people don't just sit and talk, they play games and perform! They played three games: 1. Two people hold a balloon between their heads and run with it, 2. A relay holding a ping pong ball with chopsticks and running, and 3. Five people per team pass a ring between them with bendy straws. We played the third game. It was pretty funny! We ended up with the principal and headmaster on our team! Our performance was ok, some of us forgot our lines and we were way off the beat, but the crowd loved it anyway. Probably mostly because of the Americans! They also like to give away money or have drawings for prizes. All but one of us at our table won some money.

The school was closed from 5pm Tues 9-25 until Wed 9-26 at 7:30, so Sally and her fiance, Ale (not pronounced the way you think), entertained us. On Tuesday, we went out to dinner and then went shopping at the supermarket. We hadn't been upstairs before, so when we went up, we were amazed at how big it is! I got a pair of shoes! They are very Chinese looking. I love that the Chinese don't care if their shoes match their clothes or not, because I got a pair of yellow shoes! On our way back home, Cathy called and wanted us to go to KTV with her and her family and friends. We couldn't say no (it's impossible with Chinese people), so we went and actually had a lot of fun.

On Wednesday, Sally and Ale took us to Zhao Qing which is about an hour away. We met Sally's classmate, Shirley, and her fiance, Mr. Ge. We saw our first dragon dance! And we rode a boat across the river to downtown. Went to the shops which is really more of a mall, complete with large rotunda similar to the Mall of America's. Then we went to a lake nearby and took lots of goofy pictures. We had a blast! Shirley invited us back whenever we want to visit. I'm sure we will!

Mid-Autumn Festival is my new favorite holiday! (Except for the moon cakes.)
I'll try to post more pictures from each of these events. I have lots!

Observations

The students have classes almost every day, so they typically wear at least part of their uniform. I suspect that there are different colors of blue for each grade level, but I haven't totally figured that out yet. But when they aren't wearing their uniforms, they wear jeans and t-shirts with "English words and sayings" on them. They usually don't mean anything. They rarely wear shorts and never tank tops even though it is so hot. Modesty is important. The other teachers wear skirts or slacks and cute tops like I wear. The men of course wear "trousers" and button-down shirts.

I had the assumption that they would be "behind the times", but they are actually very trendy. Since I left most of my trendy things home, I feel a bit "behind the times"! They have adorable shoes! I can't wait to go shoe shopping. The women are always wearing dainty high heels, or ballet-type flats like are popular in America.

There is an average around 50-52 students per class. Sometimes more or less. It doesn't really feel like that many, though. They are seated in four rows of pairs:
xx xx xx xx
xx xx xx xx
all the way back.