8.11.2007
I'm home
Hey everyone. I'm home. I got back Tuesday afternoon, and all is well. My stomach is going through re-entry shock, and I still don't have normal sleeping habits, so that's bad, but aside, all is good. Thank you to everyone who has been reading and commenting. I greatly appreciate your thoughts and comments.
8.04.2007
Last Update
Aug 2, GXUN
Today was your average everyday Thursday, except it was the last class I would teach. We did an overview of the Olypmics, and it was pretty good. After that, we practiced our song* for the closing ceremonies. After class, I had lunch, then spent some more time with students until I had to be a judge in a speech competition. After the competition, the Chinese teachers and school officials took us to a 5 star hotel for dinner. This place was amazing. Not only was the food delicious, not only did they have foods from all over the world, and not only was it a buffet, but most importantly they had bread with a hard crust. Came back, went to bed, all is well.
*China fact 32: If the song has English words, it's from America. Yep, it's a true fact. There are countless English songs we heard that are "very popular and very famous" in America, yet I had never heard the song, nor the band before in my life. It was wierd, but cool at the same time. I've heard so much more music, it makes me pretty excited.
Aug 3, GXUN
Friday. The last day of Camp China. In the morning we practiced our song, then had an auction. In the auction, all the teachers contributed stuff (shirts, hats, etc (I donated a couple shirts, my now legendary aviators and my legendary headbands.)) and we gave them to whichever kids were shouting the loudest. It was insane. Then, we brought out one last thing: a bucket of water balloons. The kids had no idea what was in the bucket, so when we asked who wants it, they all started shouting. So we threw them at the them. Then we ran into the other part of the middle school, where 6 of the teachers had been filling water balloons during the whole auction. The kids ran right into the ambush, and the shock and suprise lasted about 1 minute. Then all hell broke loose and THERE WAS A WATER FIGHT! At first it started with just water balloons. Then came the buckets. Then the hoses. Pretty soon were standing in about 3 inches of standing water. No exageration. The teachers decided we had used the budgeted water bill for the month in about 45 minutes, and made us stop. I have yet to see an equal water fight. After getting dried off, we rested for a while, and went to closing ceremonies*. It was fun, and I got a little teary eyed because I know that is the last time my whole class would be together. After ceremonies, we came back, went to sleep, and all is well.
*China fact 17: People don't care about shows. Period. Movie theatre: people talk during. Play: people talk during. Closing cermonies: people talk during. It's kind of cool, and kinda wierd. On one hand, if whatever is going on is no fun, then you just talk to the person next to you. If whatever is going on is cool, you can't hear. Oh well. I had fun.
Aug 4, GXUN, City Center
Had a wierd wake up, but I'm over it. Got a late breakfast with some of the guys in my class, and then did some work. At 12, about 11 of my students and I went to City Center to go KTV (Karioke (sp?)). Words cannot describe Chinese KTV. Wait, yes they can. It was the most akward, amazing, wonderful, wierd thing I've ever been to. We were led to a private room where we had one wall that was just a couch, 2 big tvs, and 2 computers that we picked the songs from. It was intense, and amazing. I sang many real American songs and the students loved it. I had to leave early to get back to campus to begin packing. I got back, chilled*, had my last dinner at the place we always eat at, and now I'm doing a photo dump of everyone's pictures. When I get home, I'm just gonna host an FTP site for the team so people can rip at their pleasure. If you do not understand what I just said, it's ok. If you do, please point me in the direction of a free FTP program for Mac. This is it. I'm gonna finish dumping pics, and then pack, and say some more goodbyes. We will probably go for amazing barbeque one last time tonight, so I know that will be amazing. The next time you hear from me, I will be in the states.
*China fact 184: There is no such thing as "chilling" in China, as the word is used in the American language. Chilling implies any and all of the following: laundry, cleaning, saying goodbye, signing shirts, running errands, meeting parents, meeting officials, etc. In order for a teacher to "chill", he or she must be any or all of the following: dead, asleep, unconcious, paralyzed, or really really cold.
Xia Xian
Today was your average everyday Thursday, except it was the last class I would teach. We did an overview of the Olypmics, and it was pretty good. After that, we practiced our song* for the closing ceremonies. After class, I had lunch, then spent some more time with students until I had to be a judge in a speech competition. After the competition, the Chinese teachers and school officials took us to a 5 star hotel for dinner. This place was amazing. Not only was the food delicious, not only did they have foods from all over the world, and not only was it a buffet, but most importantly they had bread with a hard crust. Came back, went to bed, all is well.
*China fact 32: If the song has English words, it's from America. Yep, it's a true fact. There are countless English songs we heard that are "very popular and very famous" in America, yet I had never heard the song, nor the band before in my life. It was wierd, but cool at the same time. I've heard so much more music, it makes me pretty excited.
Aug 3, GXUN
Friday. The last day of Camp China. In the morning we practiced our song, then had an auction. In the auction, all the teachers contributed stuff (shirts, hats, etc (I donated a couple shirts, my now legendary aviators and my legendary headbands.)) and we gave them to whichever kids were shouting the loudest. It was insane. Then, we brought out one last thing: a bucket of water balloons. The kids had no idea what was in the bucket, so when we asked who wants it, they all started shouting. So we threw them at the them. Then we ran into the other part of the middle school, where 6 of the teachers had been filling water balloons during the whole auction. The kids ran right into the ambush, and the shock and suprise lasted about 1 minute. Then all hell broke loose and THERE WAS A WATER FIGHT! At first it started with just water balloons. Then came the buckets. Then the hoses. Pretty soon were standing in about 3 inches of standing water. No exageration. The teachers decided we had used the budgeted water bill for the month in about 45 minutes, and made us stop. I have yet to see an equal water fight. After getting dried off, we rested for a while, and went to closing ceremonies*. It was fun, and I got a little teary eyed because I know that is the last time my whole class would be together. After ceremonies, we came back, went to sleep, and all is well.
*China fact 17: People don't care about shows. Period. Movie theatre: people talk during. Play: people talk during. Closing cermonies: people talk during. It's kind of cool, and kinda wierd. On one hand, if whatever is going on is no fun, then you just talk to the person next to you. If whatever is going on is cool, you can't hear. Oh well. I had fun.
Aug 4, GXUN, City Center
Had a wierd wake up, but I'm over it. Got a late breakfast with some of the guys in my class, and then did some work. At 12, about 11 of my students and I went to City Center to go KTV (Karioke (sp?)). Words cannot describe Chinese KTV. Wait, yes they can. It was the most akward, amazing, wonderful, wierd thing I've ever been to. We were led to a private room where we had one wall that was just a couch, 2 big tvs, and 2 computers that we picked the songs from. It was intense, and amazing. I sang many real American songs and the students loved it. I had to leave early to get back to campus to begin packing. I got back, chilled*, had my last dinner at the place we always eat at, and now I'm doing a photo dump of everyone's pictures. When I get home, I'm just gonna host an FTP site for the team so people can rip at their pleasure. If you do not understand what I just said, it's ok. If you do, please point me in the direction of a free FTP program for Mac. This is it. I'm gonna finish dumping pics, and then pack, and say some more goodbyes. We will probably go for amazing barbeque one last time tonight, so I know that will be amazing. The next time you hear from me, I will be in the states.
*China fact 184: There is no such thing as "chilling" in China, as the word is used in the American language. Chilling implies any and all of the following: laundry, cleaning, saying goodbye, signing shirts, running errands, meeting parents, meeting officials, etc. In order for a teacher to "chill", he or she must be any or all of the following: dead, asleep, unconcious, paralyzed, or really really cold.
Xia Xian
8.01.2007
Update
July 30, GXUN, Downtown Nanning
Woke up, taught class, nothing eventful. Anyway, that afternoon we went to this big market and shopped alot. It was a good time. I bought many treasures and had a really great time. Then there was the KFC incident. I'm far to tired* to type the full story, so I guess you will have to ask me one day. Sorry this is not as fun as an update has the potential to be. I'm spread far to thin and just absolutely exhausted.
*China fact 141: China will make you tired. When you are moving, nonstop, from 6:30am-11:30pm with hot weather, high humidity, and rice, you get wiped out quick. I'm drinking about a gallon of water a day and probably peeing only when I wake up, and before I go to bed. Just figured I would share.
July 31, GXUN
Yay Tuesday. Normal day. Culture night: NBA. That's right, we had a professional NBA game here. It was the Mavericks (Teachers) vs. the Lakers (Students). It went pretty well. After that, we had our team meeting, then me and the other guy teachers (minus one) went to the amazing barbeque. I've honestly never had tofu or corn that comes remotely close to this delicious. We also had some beef and vegetables (which were just as amazing, but not the best I've ever had), and then polished it all down with a pepsi*. We came back late, went to bed, ready for the next day.
*China fact 40: Soda in Asia has no refined sugar in it. That's right, it's pure, unadulterated goodness. I still don't drink it (aside from when at the barbeque) cause I'd rather have a iced tea (mmmmm, I miss my mom's ice tea). Anyway, another tid bit: the Chinese word for pepsi sounds just like Pep Si, but translates to 100 something. That's right, 100 something (I'm not forgetting the word, it's litterally "something"). I just thought that was funny.
August 1, GXUN, Downtown Nanning
Wednesday. The last Olympic games. Italy did ok, we placed 3rd in a couple events, but not enough to warrant enough points to win for all of camp. After Olympics, another teacher wanted to go downtown for more shopping, and seeing as I'm a pro now, I went with her, along with 3 students. We had alot of fun, bought alot of cool stuff, bartered* with many peoples, and saw crazyness. Culture night tonight was Christmas, which was cool. I was incharge of making cards with the students. After a team meeting, I came to the computer to type this, and will shortly go to bed. Oh yeah, I had pigs feet for lunch.
*China fact 29: Price is always negotiable. Bartering here is crazy. Imagine any bartering you've done in Mexico, but 100 times more intense. It's amazing. And since many people don't speak English, it almost always boils down to the seller pulling out a cell phone, inputting a price he wants, showing you, you taking the cell phone, grunting, and putting a new price. This continues with many more passing of the phone and many more grunts, until you are happy enough to buy. That's how we roll ( this was one of my vocab sentances for my students (they wanted to learn slang)).
Woke up, taught class, nothing eventful. Anyway, that afternoon we went to this big market and shopped alot. It was a good time. I bought many treasures and had a really great time. Then there was the KFC incident. I'm far to tired* to type the full story, so I guess you will have to ask me one day. Sorry this is not as fun as an update has the potential to be. I'm spread far to thin and just absolutely exhausted.
*China fact 141: China will make you tired. When you are moving, nonstop, from 6:30am-11:30pm with hot weather, high humidity, and rice, you get wiped out quick. I'm drinking about a gallon of water a day and probably peeing only when I wake up, and before I go to bed. Just figured I would share.
July 31, GXUN
Yay Tuesday. Normal day. Culture night: NBA. That's right, we had a professional NBA game here. It was the Mavericks (Teachers) vs. the Lakers (Students). It went pretty well. After that, we had our team meeting, then me and the other guy teachers (minus one) went to the amazing barbeque. I've honestly never had tofu or corn that comes remotely close to this delicious. We also had some beef and vegetables (which were just as amazing, but not the best I've ever had), and then polished it all down with a pepsi*. We came back late, went to bed, ready for the next day.
*China fact 40: Soda in Asia has no refined sugar in it. That's right, it's pure, unadulterated goodness. I still don't drink it (aside from when at the barbeque) cause I'd rather have a iced tea (mmmmm, I miss my mom's ice tea). Anyway, another tid bit: the Chinese word for pepsi sounds just like Pep Si, but translates to 100 something. That's right, 100 something (I'm not forgetting the word, it's litterally "something"). I just thought that was funny.
August 1, GXUN, Downtown Nanning
Wednesday. The last Olympic games. Italy did ok, we placed 3rd in a couple events, but not enough to warrant enough points to win for all of camp. After Olympics, another teacher wanted to go downtown for more shopping, and seeing as I'm a pro now, I went with her, along with 3 students. We had alot of fun, bought alot of cool stuff, bartered* with many peoples, and saw crazyness. Culture night tonight was Christmas, which was cool. I was incharge of making cards with the students. After a team meeting, I came to the computer to type this, and will shortly go to bed. Oh yeah, I had pigs feet for lunch.
*China fact 29: Price is always negotiable. Bartering here is crazy. Imagine any bartering you've done in Mexico, but 100 times more intense. It's amazing. And since many people don't speak English, it almost always boils down to the seller pulling out a cell phone, inputting a price he wants, showing you, you taking the cell phone, grunting, and putting a new price. This continues with many more passing of the phone and many more grunts, until you are happy enough to buy. That's how we roll ( this was one of my vocab sentances for my students (they wanted to learn slang)).
7.29.2007
Update!
July 27, Friday, GXUN, road to Guilin, Guilin
We woke up early, and loaded up on a bus and were on the road before 8am. It was about a 6 hour bus ride, so we got there around 2. The bus ride was full of fun times, movies*, and lot's of fellowship, which was really nice. The bus took us directly to this cave. And when I say cave, I mean this is one crazy cave. We all had to get on a boat (the word boat here is very loosely used), ride down the river a bit, and then climb a little bit to get to the cave. Inside was all walking, so it was not the crazy spelunking, but still so beautiful. It was cool, but I've been to caves before and this wasn't anything too special. And then it happened. We were ushered into a room, and inside this room was a giant natural underground waterfall. In this same room, there was a giant turtle with these wierd women rubbing coins on him promising wealth to anyone who buys and wears one. So I did. We continued on through the cave, saw many other wonderous sights, and then rolled out. We loaded up the bus, drove through the country** back to our hotel, got settled down, watched some wierd Chinese TV, and crashed for the night.
*China fact 128: Violence in movies is the norm. We watched some kung fu movie where a bus full of kids got blown up, people getting shot point blank, people getting appendages chopped off, and all the little innocent kids on the bus loved it. It was a little wierd, but I got over it and watched some kung fu amazingness.
**China fact 6: No matter where you are, there is also something to see. A typical drive from the middle of nowhere to our hotel let me witness rice farmers and water buffalo, amazing scenery, beautiful sunsets, crazy city life, and little kids peeing on the side of the road. China is one of those places where you can just sit around watching and never get bored. It's even better then people watching at the mall on black friday.
July 28, Saturday, Guilin, Merryland
We woke up early and were on the bus by 7:30. Today we are going to Merryland*. Not to be confused with Maryland, but Merryland is a crazy Chinese theme park. The rides here weren't that intense, but the kids were terrified of them. I guess since Americans are regulars to theme parks, rides don't scare us that much. But I still had a blast with everyone. So much fun. To many things to describe and I don't have alot of time, but it was one of the craziest theme parks I've ever been too.
*China fact 198: When in Guilin, go to Merryland. Nuff said.
July 29, Sunday, Guilin, road to Nanning, GXUN
Woke up really early, drove to the river in Guilin, hoped on a boat. Now, I know the English language very well, and I know many big words. There is no amount of words, or pictures, that can describe the beauty of this. It is single handedly the most beautiful place I've ever seen. I wish I could tell you more, but you'll just have to google it. Sorry. After the boat cruise, we did a little more shopping and then loaded up and came back to the middle school. I'd write more, but I'm wiped, and once again, words are useless.
*China fact: go to Guilin. Make it your goal in life. You will not regret it.
We woke up early, and loaded up on a bus and were on the road before 8am. It was about a 6 hour bus ride, so we got there around 2. The bus ride was full of fun times, movies*, and lot's of fellowship, which was really nice. The bus took us directly to this cave. And when I say cave, I mean this is one crazy cave. We all had to get on a boat (the word boat here is very loosely used), ride down the river a bit, and then climb a little bit to get to the cave. Inside was all walking, so it was not the crazy spelunking, but still so beautiful. It was cool, but I've been to caves before and this wasn't anything too special. And then it happened. We were ushered into a room, and inside this room was a giant natural underground waterfall. In this same room, there was a giant turtle with these wierd women rubbing coins on him promising wealth to anyone who buys and wears one. So I did. We continued on through the cave, saw many other wonderous sights, and then rolled out. We loaded up the bus, drove through the country** back to our hotel, got settled down, watched some wierd Chinese TV, and crashed for the night.
*China fact 128: Violence in movies is the norm. We watched some kung fu movie where a bus full of kids got blown up, people getting shot point blank, people getting appendages chopped off, and all the little innocent kids on the bus loved it. It was a little wierd, but I got over it and watched some kung fu amazingness.
**China fact 6: No matter where you are, there is also something to see. A typical drive from the middle of nowhere to our hotel let me witness rice farmers and water buffalo, amazing scenery, beautiful sunsets, crazy city life, and little kids peeing on the side of the road. China is one of those places where you can just sit around watching and never get bored. It's even better then people watching at the mall on black friday.
July 28, Saturday, Guilin, Merryland
We woke up early and were on the bus by 7:30. Today we are going to Merryland*. Not to be confused with Maryland, but Merryland is a crazy Chinese theme park. The rides here weren't that intense, but the kids were terrified of them. I guess since Americans are regulars to theme parks, rides don't scare us that much. But I still had a blast with everyone. So much fun. To many things to describe and I don't have alot of time, but it was one of the craziest theme parks I've ever been too.
*China fact 198: When in Guilin, go to Merryland. Nuff said.
July 29, Sunday, Guilin, road to Nanning, GXUN
Woke up really early, drove to the river in Guilin, hoped on a boat. Now, I know the English language very well, and I know many big words. There is no amount of words, or pictures, that can describe the beauty of this. It is single handedly the most beautiful place I've ever seen. I wish I could tell you more, but you'll just have to google it. Sorry. After the boat cruise, we did a little more shopping and then loaded up and came back to the middle school. I'd write more, but I'm wiped, and once again, words are useless.
*China fact: go to Guilin. Make it your goal in life. You will not regret it.
7.26.2007
Thursdays
July 26, GXUN
Typical Thursday. Things were going slow this morning, but that's alright, everything worked out. Afternoon activities went very well. The kids seemed to love the game I played with them, so that was good, and I was able to grab a quick nap before AA, so that was also nice. Now today was also a culture night. Our event was an American Wedding. So I got married to another teammate. It was so much fun. The kids loved it, and a good time was had by all. We had a team meeting, and then I watched an American movie* and it made me feel a little more like I was at home. Tomorrow morning I'm off to Guilin, so I won't post for a while, but I will take lots of pics, and I'll be sure to take notes and write an update when I get back.
*China fact 5: Any movie you want to see, you can get. Piracy is like nothing over here. Tonight I watched Next on DVD. It's that new one with Nicholas Cage and Jessica Beil. It was alright. Crappy ending. But anyway, any movie you want you can buy on DVD for about 4 Yuan per DVD, which is roughly 53 cents. So when I need to feel a little more human, and a little more like at home, I just go buy a movie that's probably not in theaters yet in the states, and watch it when I have free time.
Typical Thursday. Things were going slow this morning, but that's alright, everything worked out. Afternoon activities went very well. The kids seemed to love the game I played with them, so that was good, and I was able to grab a quick nap before AA, so that was also nice. Now today was also a culture night. Our event was an American Wedding. So I got married to another teammate. It was so much fun. The kids loved it, and a good time was had by all. We had a team meeting, and then I watched an American movie* and it made me feel a little more like I was at home. Tomorrow morning I'm off to Guilin, so I won't post for a while, but I will take lots of pics, and I'll be sure to take notes and write an update when I get back.
*China fact 5: Any movie you want to see, you can get. Piracy is like nothing over here. Tonight I watched Next on DVD. It's that new one with Nicholas Cage and Jessica Beil. It was alright. Crappy ending. But anyway, any movie you want you can buy on DVD for about 4 Yuan per DVD, which is roughly 53 cents. So when I need to feel a little more human, and a little more like at home, I just go buy a movie that's probably not in theaters yet in the states, and watch it when I have free time.
7.25.2007
Updatesssssssssssssss
July 23, GXUN
Yeah Monday. Everyone's favorite holiday. Class went alright, and lunch was good. Afternoon activities were pretty good. But, dinner, was exceptional. In addition to many other things, I had pigs stomach* and snails. The snails were good, except too much effort for very little payoff. The pig stomach tasted like normal pork. That night was free, and by free I mean I didn't have to do an event, but still, twas busy with a million other things. All in all, it was your average everyday teaching English in China.
*China fact 15: No food is considered gross. Nothing. The population also doesn't mind the gore that goes into butchering. Like walking through the markets and seeing people point at a chicken in a cage, the shop owner grabbing said chicken, butchering it right there, and that's it. No PETA rights, no vegetarians, no one worried about the chickens feelings. Just some good ol' stirfry.
July 24, GXUN
Yeah Tuesday. Normal day, except we have both a culture night and afternoon activity. The afternoon activity was just playing games with the students, but the culture night was magnificant: it was Fairy Tales. Me and a teammate did the 3 little pigs. I was the big bad wolf, audience participation for the little pigs, and my teammate narrorated. It was alot of fun, and the kids seemed to enjoy it. Washed* up and went to bed, still exhausted from the weekend.
*China fact 3: Bathing and washing are very special words. The average population showers about twice maybe thrice a week. Here at camp, when you do take a shower, it's more (and by more, I mean is) like filling a bucket, dumping it on you, lathering while bucket is refilling, and dumping again.
July 25, GXUN
Wednesday. It was Olympics day, so that was fun. We did soccer activities, and my class, again, did not do so well. It's a combination of them being younger and smaller and not understanding, so it's alright. This afternoon is completely free, so that's why I am able to just sit and right an e-mail. We are having a culture night tonight, and that culture night is a MOVIE NIGHT! We are trying to find Narnia, but if we can't we plan on just showing Aladdin, Little Mermaid, and Cool Runnings (since we have so many students, we must break them up into 3 groups). I'm am going to sleep now, and will hopefully wake up from a long nap fully* rested.
*China fact 14: There are many strange, unexplanable sounds. And they seem to come when you are trying to sleep. For instance, the water pipes litterally sound like a yetti. Think of a lound yetti sound, and that's what the water pipes sound like when someone is turning on the water. It's pretty intense. Also, with so much construction, there is always construction noise. It's crazy. Oh well, I gots an iPod to help zone out.
Yeah Monday. Everyone's favorite holiday. Class went alright, and lunch was good. Afternoon activities were pretty good. But, dinner, was exceptional. In addition to many other things, I had pigs stomach* and snails. The snails were good, except too much effort for very little payoff. The pig stomach tasted like normal pork. That night was free, and by free I mean I didn't have to do an event, but still, twas busy with a million other things. All in all, it was your average everyday teaching English in China.
*China fact 15: No food is considered gross. Nothing. The population also doesn't mind the gore that goes into butchering. Like walking through the markets and seeing people point at a chicken in a cage, the shop owner grabbing said chicken, butchering it right there, and that's it. No PETA rights, no vegetarians, no one worried about the chickens feelings. Just some good ol' stirfry.
July 24, GXUN
Yeah Tuesday. Normal day, except we have both a culture night and afternoon activity. The afternoon activity was just playing games with the students, but the culture night was magnificant: it was Fairy Tales. Me and a teammate did the 3 little pigs. I was the big bad wolf, audience participation for the little pigs, and my teammate narrorated. It was alot of fun, and the kids seemed to enjoy it. Washed* up and went to bed, still exhausted from the weekend.
*China fact 3: Bathing and washing are very special words. The average population showers about twice maybe thrice a week. Here at camp, when you do take a shower, it's more (and by more, I mean is) like filling a bucket, dumping it on you, lathering while bucket is refilling, and dumping again.
July 25, GXUN
Wednesday. It was Olympics day, so that was fun. We did soccer activities, and my class, again, did not do so well. It's a combination of them being younger and smaller and not understanding, so it's alright. This afternoon is completely free, so that's why I am able to just sit and right an e-mail. We are having a culture night tonight, and that culture night is a MOVIE NIGHT! We are trying to find Narnia, but if we can't we plan on just showing Aladdin, Little Mermaid, and Cool Runnings (since we have so many students, we must break them up into 3 groups). I'm am going to sleep now, and will hopefully wake up from a long nap fully* rested.
*China fact 14: There are many strange, unexplanable sounds. And they seem to come when you are trying to sleep. For instance, the water pipes litterally sound like a yetti. Think of a lound yetti sound, and that's what the water pipes sound like when someone is turning on the water. It's pretty intense. Also, with so much construction, there is always construction noise. It's crazy. Oh well, I gots an iPod to help zone out.
7.23.2007
Big Update!
Hey guys. Sorry I haven't been able to update more regularly. This week/weekend has been crazy. Here's what's going on.
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July 19, GXUN
Thursday morning. Nothing to special. Taught class, had lunch, took a nap, and then a nice culture night: Talent Show. Oh yeah, that's right. We had a talent show. It was pretty much awesome. I only had 2 kids from my class doing something in it, but the one kid from class who is an amazing singer won first place. That's how Papa Steve* runs his class. A teammate and I sang L.O.V.E., and the crowd went crazy. They loved it. It was a fun night, and 1st place winner gets a paid dinner with a teacher of his choice. 2nd place gets ice cream with a teacher of their choice. Both 1st and 2nd place chose me. I laughed, but now I get to connect more with some students which is amazing.
*China fact 13: At a camp where you speak english, all the kids have english names. Seeing as they are chinese with english names, they decided to give me a chinese name. Now, at training, the team started calling me Papa Steve. Why? I don't know, but it stuck and I like it. But here at the school, we were talking and they name they came up with Xiao Xian, which means Little Mountain. Yeah, that's right. I'm a little mountain. That's my first name. My second name is Hao Ban, or Monkey King. I attribute that name to the carnival.
July 20, GXUN, City Center
Woot. It's Friday. Taught class, had afternoon activity, and then it's the weekend. Oh snap! Suprise! The school principal takes all of us teachers out for a Chinese massage. So we load up in some cars, drive to the City Center (roughly equivalent to Times Square, only imagine more people), and we get some massages*. We come back home, have a meeting, and go to sleep.
*China fact 148: When recieving a message in China, the following is considered common, and relaxing: sticking your feet in extremely hot water, getting punched in the calf, tickling your feet, finding every pressure point on your foot and pushing as hard as you can on it, digging your thumbs into your back and shoulder, and finally, trying to rip your head off. I have made no exagerations.
July 21, GXUN, Beihai
We wake up and load up a 15 passenger van and head over to the beach. It's about a 3 hour ride which was full of shenanagins; joking around; singing Eagle Eye Cherry, Arvil Lavigne (Same as Avril, but sounds cooler prounounced that way), Third Eye Blind, Dave Matthews, and some Tenacious D; and of course, a truck stop where we purchased several treasures (chinese equivalent of strawberry Little Debby cakes). We arrive at Beihai and go to this place to eat*. The food was good, and consisted of squid, chicken, whole shrimp, sea worms, beef, jiaozha, and some other deliciousness. After lunch, we rolled over to the beach and it was amazing. The waves were equivlant to O.C. on a typical Tuesday afternoon, but the water was honestly about 90 degrees. The only downside was the super salty water. After a couple hours there, we loaded up, hit up a place for dinner on the way home**, and had a quick meeting and went to bed.
*China fact 1: Expect nothing. Nothing is as it appears. I thought we were going into an aquarium due to the dozens of large tanks of various sea animals and the 2 giant sea turtles. Nope. That was just the menu.
**China fact 29: The roads suck. Think PEN-DOT in the 1800's. Yeah, it's like that. On our way home, we got a flat tire. It was fun because it gave for some interesting videos, but needless to say, the roads are no good.
July 22, GXUN
Sunday. Happy Birthday Grandmom! We took our time waking up, and had meetings all day. It was a good day. Also, we have a little apartment where we can meet, and it has a kitchen* so in the morning I made bacon, eggs, and french toast and for dinner I made some garlic chicken wings. Meetings took up the whole day, came home at night, and went to bed.
*China fact 31: The kitchen was a small sink, a heat thing, and a wok. I was able to use some chopsticks to cook with, and I picked up some ingredients at the market. P.S. The only herbs the chinese know about are anise, pepper, MSG, and salt, if you are lucky. As for other fresh ingredients, mucho garlic, so I was good.
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July 19, GXUN
Thursday morning. Nothing to special. Taught class, had lunch, took a nap, and then a nice culture night: Talent Show. Oh yeah, that's right. We had a talent show. It was pretty much awesome. I only had 2 kids from my class doing something in it, but the one kid from class who is an amazing singer won first place. That's how Papa Steve* runs his class. A teammate and I sang L.O.V.E., and the crowd went crazy. They loved it. It was a fun night, and 1st place winner gets a paid dinner with a teacher of his choice. 2nd place gets ice cream with a teacher of their choice. Both 1st and 2nd place chose me. I laughed, but now I get to connect more with some students which is amazing.
*China fact 13: At a camp where you speak english, all the kids have english names. Seeing as they are chinese with english names, they decided to give me a chinese name. Now, at training, the team started calling me Papa Steve. Why? I don't know, but it stuck and I like it. But here at the school, we were talking and they name they came up with Xiao Xian, which means Little Mountain. Yeah, that's right. I'm a little mountain. That's my first name. My second name is Hao Ban, or Monkey King. I attribute that name to the carnival.
July 20, GXUN, City Center
Woot. It's Friday. Taught class, had afternoon activity, and then it's the weekend. Oh snap! Suprise! The school principal takes all of us teachers out for a Chinese massage. So we load up in some cars, drive to the City Center (roughly equivalent to Times Square, only imagine more people), and we get some massages*. We come back home, have a meeting, and go to sleep.
*China fact 148: When recieving a message in China, the following is considered common, and relaxing: sticking your feet in extremely hot water, getting punched in the calf, tickling your feet, finding every pressure point on your foot and pushing as hard as you can on it, digging your thumbs into your back and shoulder, and finally, trying to rip your head off. I have made no exagerations.
July 21, GXUN, Beihai
We wake up and load up a 15 passenger van and head over to the beach. It's about a 3 hour ride which was full of shenanagins; joking around; singing Eagle Eye Cherry, Arvil Lavigne (Same as Avril, but sounds cooler prounounced that way), Third Eye Blind, Dave Matthews, and some Tenacious D; and of course, a truck stop where we purchased several treasures (chinese equivalent of strawberry Little Debby cakes). We arrive at Beihai and go to this place to eat*. The food was good, and consisted of squid, chicken, whole shrimp, sea worms, beef, jiaozha, and some other deliciousness. After lunch, we rolled over to the beach and it was amazing. The waves were equivlant to O.C. on a typical Tuesday afternoon, but the water was honestly about 90 degrees. The only downside was the super salty water. After a couple hours there, we loaded up, hit up a place for dinner on the way home**, and had a quick meeting and went to bed.
*China fact 1: Expect nothing. Nothing is as it appears. I thought we were going into an aquarium due to the dozens of large tanks of various sea animals and the 2 giant sea turtles. Nope. That was just the menu.
**China fact 29: The roads suck. Think PEN-DOT in the 1800's. Yeah, it's like that. On our way home, we got a flat tire. It was fun because it gave for some interesting videos, but needless to say, the roads are no good.
July 22, GXUN
Sunday. Happy Birthday Grandmom! We took our time waking up, and had meetings all day. It was a good day. Also, we have a little apartment where we can meet, and it has a kitchen* so in the morning I made bacon, eggs, and french toast and for dinner I made some garlic chicken wings. Meetings took up the whole day, came home at night, and went to bed.
*China fact 31: The kitchen was a small sink, a heat thing, and a wok. I was able to use some chopsticks to cook with, and I picked up some ingredients at the market. P.S. The only herbs the chinese know about are anise, pepper, MSG, and salt, if you are lucky. As for other fresh ingredients, mucho garlic, so I was good.
Pictures 2
pic 1: the cafeteria where we eat most our meals
pic 2: me and some students at the crazy park last saturday
pic 3: some old tall tower at the crazy park
pic 4: a teammate at the crazy park. you can see the old tower in the background
pic 5: lunch at beihai. these are squids
pic 6: clams
pic 7: sea worms, before being cooked
pic 8: sea worms, after being cooked
pic 9: the total beihai lunch spread
pic 10: beihai
pic 11: me and some teammates at beihai
pic 2: me and some students at the crazy park last saturday
pic 3: some old tall tower at the crazy park
pic 4: a teammate at the crazy park. you can see the old tower in the background
pic 5: lunch at beihai. these are squids
pic 6: clams
pic 7: sea worms, before being cooked
pic 8: sea worms, after being cooked
pic 9: the total beihai lunch spread
pic 10: beihai
pic 11: me and some teammates at beihai
Pictures 1
pic 1: the last thing I saw in LA before getting on the bus to leave. It's like a sign from someone.
pic 2: our giant table of food goodness when we arrived at Guangjo
pic 3: looking out the window on our last flight to Nanning
pic 4: my room.
pic 5: my class.
pic 6: my jiaozha
pic 2: our giant table of food goodness when we arrived at Guangjo
pic 3: looking out the window on our last flight to Nanning
pic 4: my room.
pic 5: my class.
pic 6: my jiaozha
7.19.2007
This is an update
July 17, GXUN
Mmmmmm... Wednesday. Olympics in the morning. It was alright. Not great, not horrible, but just alright. We should have planned better, but it's still ok. I was able to hang out with some students and then the afternoon was mine. It was great. I took a very needed nap, and woke up and planned a little bit for the next day. Then night time activity. We were doing an American birthday party. First we made birthday cards, then went outside and played Red Rover. My teammate brought the kids inside and began to sing happy birthday while I got a cake we had bought earlier. I put candles in it on a table outside and he brought the kids out in the courtyard. It was his classroom and mine, so there were about 40 kids. Needless to say, the same time we were having cake time* all the the other classes were having cake time outside. After the event, we had a meeting with the American from the organization, and she bestowed gifts upon us. Mine was SALTED pumpkin seeds. Emphasis on salted, because I have searched high and low for salted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds and have not found either. We came back and went to bed.
*China Fact 32: When the Chinese celebrate a birthday, it is customary to smear the cake on whoevers birthday it is. Now, since it was no ones birthday, and everyones at the same time, imagine a cake fight, in a totally open courtyard (a little bigger than 2 basketball courts), with 200 chinese students verse 9 American teachers. Yeah, it was like that. And I wouldn't have traded it for the world. First was a cake fight, and pouring drinks (pepsi and cold green tea) on us, then just straight up buckets of water. It was intense.
July 18, GXUN
Woke up, got ready, held class. Our Olympic country today is U.S.A. so we had fun with that. Also, tonight's culture night is a talent show. Me and another teacher are singing L.O.V.E. (L is for the way you look at me (This one goes out to Brookie)), and a bunch of students doing stuff and other teachers doing things. It's gonna be pretty awesome. I also took another long nap this afternoon, and it's really throwing me off. I'm not normally a nap person, but I'm needing it more and more just from being so active*. Also, the girls are going over to the American's flat for a girls night, so the 3 of us guy teachers and our leader are having a dudes night. It's gonna be pretty amazing. Also, for Dad, this weekend we are going to Beihai and next to Guilin. Check them out. That's right. I'll be there.
*China fact 02: Everyone takes a nap from 1-3ish. Everyone. They're litterally people just taking naps on park bunches, but here on campus all the kids just go to their room. Not only is it bloody hot, but everyone's already tired. So it's like a ghost town. Kinda wierd.
Mmmmmm... Wednesday. Olympics in the morning. It was alright. Not great, not horrible, but just alright. We should have planned better, but it's still ok. I was able to hang out with some students and then the afternoon was mine. It was great. I took a very needed nap, and woke up and planned a little bit for the next day. Then night time activity. We were doing an American birthday party. First we made birthday cards, then went outside and played Red Rover. My teammate brought the kids inside and began to sing happy birthday while I got a cake we had bought earlier. I put candles in it on a table outside and he brought the kids out in the courtyard. It was his classroom and mine, so there were about 40 kids. Needless to say, the same time we were having cake time* all the the other classes were having cake time outside. After the event, we had a meeting with the American from the organization, and she bestowed gifts upon us. Mine was SALTED pumpkin seeds. Emphasis on salted, because I have searched high and low for salted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds and have not found either. We came back and went to bed.
*China Fact 32: When the Chinese celebrate a birthday, it is customary to smear the cake on whoevers birthday it is. Now, since it was no ones birthday, and everyones at the same time, imagine a cake fight, in a totally open courtyard (a little bigger than 2 basketball courts), with 200 chinese students verse 9 American teachers. Yeah, it was like that. And I wouldn't have traded it for the world. First was a cake fight, and pouring drinks (pepsi and cold green tea) on us, then just straight up buckets of water. It was intense.
July 18, GXUN
Woke up, got ready, held class. Our Olympic country today is U.S.A. so we had fun with that. Also, tonight's culture night is a talent show. Me and another teacher are singing L.O.V.E. (L is for the way you look at me (This one goes out to Brookie)), and a bunch of students doing stuff and other teachers doing things. It's gonna be pretty awesome. I also took another long nap this afternoon, and it's really throwing me off. I'm not normally a nap person, but I'm needing it more and more just from being so active*. Also, the girls are going over to the American's flat for a girls night, so the 3 of us guy teachers and our leader are having a dudes night. It's gonna be pretty amazing. Also, for Dad, this weekend we are going to Beihai and next to Guilin. Check them out. That's right. I'll be there.
*China fact 02: Everyone takes a nap from 1-3ish. Everyone. They're litterally people just taking naps on park bunches, but here on campus all the kids just go to their room. Not only is it bloody hot, but everyone's already tired. So it's like a ghost town. Kinda wierd.
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