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This afternoon, I am sitting in a tea shop next to our house, and I am not lying when I say that a guy outside is actually whistling Dixie Land. You know... "Look away, look away, look away Dixie Land." I have to say, it's not something I ever expected to hear in China, but this place never ceases to amaze.
In other news, I've been sick the past week and after days of avoiding going to doctor because I was afraid I may be diagnosed with swine flu and thereby be quarantined, I finally gave in. If you're sick in China, you don't go to a doctor's office, you just go to the hospital. It was my first trip to a "real" China hospital that didn't have a foreigners clinic, and I have to say that I now have a new and great appreciation for those foreigners clinics! I didn't have swine flu, as it turns out, and am feeling much better now. Aside from one small annoyance, that is...
Perhaps my biggest pet peeves about China is also one of the things I love most about it. The Chinese people are so kind and so eager to help out when you need something. Most of the time, this eagerness it appreciated and loved. But, then it becomes wintertime, and suddenly, every student becomes a worrisome mother--constantly warning us that we should wear more clothes, drink more tea, eat more rice. And when we get sick, it only increases. For example, this is one of the many text messages I received this week from a student: "Amy, have you had supper and taken some medicine? Drinking some hot water will be better for you. These days the weather is bad so be careful and wear thick clothes." Another girl called at 7am to tell me I needed to have a rest, which is exactly what I was doing until she called. I know, I know... They just care and are trying to help, but even this foreigner knows to dress warmly in the cold weather and rest when she's sick!
If there is one thing I will never figure out in China, it is snack food. The foods here that people are able to slurp through a straw are amazing... and often disgusting. Yet, we've become accustomed to students drinking green pea-type and red bean porridges for breakfast (definitely the most popular item). I just never thought I would be partaking of one of these strange food/drink concoctions. 
But today at lunch, I was presented with a milk tea drink, only to be shocked to find jello (the least of my worries), red beans, oats and peanuts hiding under the surface. Here is a picture of my "drink."
Today and tomorrow at my school is the Sports Meeting. Basically, it is a track and field meet for the freshmen students. But like most things in a foreign culture, there are so many elements in this that we just find strange!
For example, this is your all-inclusive track and field meet--complete with pole vault, javelin throw, discus, high jump, hurdles, etc. BUT... few (if any) of these students have EVER taken part in any of these activities before today. So, you have students attempting pole vault, hurdles and everything else with no training. At Matt's sports meeting last week, a student broke his leg jumping hurdles and students throwing discus could not even throw it past the circle they were standing in. And yet, students suffer through it each year.
Every student I've ever talked to hates sports meeting day--in spite of the fact it is supposed to be fun. The ones that are not competing sometimes take part in the parade and performances of the opening ceremony. But most students just sit in the stands watching. And that's another thing... All freshmen students are required to attend sports meeting all day for both days. Sophomore students are required to attend for at least two hours each day. This is so the stands appear full when pictures are taken. And just in case you think of slipping away unnoticed, the class monitor takes attendance every 10 minutes to be sure everyone is still there!
To top it all off, I am at a school that is 70% girls and 100% art students who would rather sit in the park reading poetry or make films rather than do sports. The plus side is that the opening ceremony at my school's meeting was rather entertaining--seeing as how dance is one thing my students actually like doing.
Click on the photo below to see a few pictures and video of this morning opening events.
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| Chuan Mei Sports Meeting |
At an English Corner with some students last night, we heard one of the truest and funniest accounts of Chinese TV news since being here! He was right on in his evaluation. And it was funny because, although as foreigners, we definitely think it is true (and therefore, never bother watching Chinese news), most locals will never admit it is so.
And, so here was his take on things:
"The Chinese news broadcast is made up of three parts. One, how well the officials are doing their jobs (mostly a lot of hand-shaking). Two, how great it is to live in China. And, three, how dangerous it is in the rest of the world."
If you don't see the humor, you probably haven't seen Chinese news broadcasts. Live here for a few weeks, and you'll understand!
This week was the sports holiday (aka, field day) at Matt's school. So, instead of having class, the leaders at his school took all the teachers (and one lucky wife) to LongJing Tea Village. Matt and I had been there before, but it is a lovely place at the southeast edge of our city and a nice escape from the city.
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| Tea Village |
People often place classified ads in our city's English magazine to find language tutors. From this month's edition:
"hi everyone i'm a young girl i would like serich a english teacher for teach me english and i can teach him Chinese. that would be very funy and useful."
And, as seen on signs over the urinals in public restrooms:
"One small step forward, a giant leap for civilization."
This semester is proving to be a great one, so far. After two and a half years, we finally feel like we're in the groove of life here! We've really been challenged lately about our work here and feel like we are making some good changes to our approach.
That being said, this week alone has been a bit of a roller coaster. In a span of a few days, Amy had one of the most exciting experiences since being here, and Matt had the most discouraging. We're hoping for more and more exciting times and wisdom in the disheartening times.
Today is the last day of our holiday, which means back to classes tomorrow. During the 8-day holiday, we stuck around here, along with many of the students. It was a good time to have some great talks with students since they did not have as much pressure to study this week. Here's a bit of the fun stuff we've been up to...
Click on the photo to watch the video.
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| From holiday |
Yesterday was a HUGE day here. It was the 60th anniversary of communist rule in China. In the West, the centennial celebration is a big deal; here in the East, the number 60 holds similar importance. So, it was huge, and because of it, we have an 8-day holiday!
It's been an interesting lead up to yesterday. Security has been heightened significantly. Although it is common for lots of police to be monitoring here, lately, the police have been carrying guns, which is not common. In Beijing, tanks and military checkpoints have surrounded areas of significance and many roads are completely closed.
Yesterday, there was a full-day celebration held in Beijing. It began with a military parade at 10am, followed by a citizens' parade, and then an evening performance and fireworks show. (The evening show was said to be even bigger and costlier than the opening ceremony of the Olympics last year!) Interestingly, the general public had no access to any of the activities. No one was allowed anywhere near the parades except for key Communist party officials. Everyone else watched on TV, which showed everything all day and is in re-runs already today. We watched a few minutes of it here and there but were often frustrated by the broadcast on government TV--for example, the Korean War was referred to as the War of American Aggression.
It was an exciting day for the Chinese people, though, and interesting to be a spectator for the outside. They are nothing, if not proud of their country and history--even when acknowledging its flaws.
Here are a few pictures from the events: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/09/30/china.60years.preview/index.html#cnnSTCPhoto
And here is a link to a story about the National Day and its history: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/09/30/china.60years.preview/index.html#cnnSTCOther1
