Shang Ke!

"Class begins!"

I'll be honest: I don't have all that much energy to write a good post right now. The past week has been so insanely packed with running from one office building and meeting and class and seminar to the next. School has, indeed, begun! And I love it.

It feels wonderful to be back on a college campus. We were all getting pretty nostalgic for good old Madison once we heard from our friends who had begun classes there again. But now, here we are: on another campus, on the other side of the world. Though there's no Babcock Ice Cream or Union Terrace or Science Hall (there are a lot of identical Mao-ist buildings, though, if that counts?), there are plenty of wonderful people to hang out with, and tens of thousands of young people all around. This time, however, I'm on the other side of the podium. And as much as I enjoyed being a student, I think I enjoy being a teacher even more! Frankly, I think I'm learning a lot more than I would sitting in a desk, and I'm always motivated to take my own education to the next level. There is SO MUCH to learn!

• How do I get 30 college students to stop talking?
• How do I get the girl who can't understand me at all to get something out of today's lesson?
• How do I gently tell a boy that Dawn, though lovely, is actually a girl's name, but that yes, it's probably better than naming yourself Devil? (Just wait for the post on the English names our students give themselves ...)
• What's the most effective way for me to comment on paragraph-long writing samples?
• What's the most efficient way to grade 60 workbooks in one hour?
• How do I get up at 6:30 again tomorrow morning, for yet another pointlessly early administrative task?
• Where is the nearest place that I can get chocolate?
• How can I get my students to talk with each other without being shy? How do I get them to speak in front of class? How do I get them to talk to someone of the opposite gender? (You wouldn't think this would be an issue in a college classroom, but you wouldn't believe how very difficult it is here ...)
• How do I make tomorrow's lesson interactive and exciting?
• How do I explain what "creepy" is?
• How do I convince administration that I have no way of receiving my original college diploma in order to submit it to the Chinese government for a work visa?
• How can I prevent my students from ever learning that I'm not actually trained in this at all?!

Oh gosh. Sometimes I feel like I'm in over my head. Other times I feel like this is exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. More often, it's the second. And even if I do feel overwhelmed, it's in a good way, in the way of a challenge that I want to overcome. I feel more motivated than I did through most of college, more excited about waking up, and more eager to get it right than ever before. Truthfully, I'm fighting an enormous uphill battle. These kids have all been learning English for 10 years, except they probably only understand 10% of what I'm saying (however slowly I say it ...). They are not good students; they are going to a lousy college and have tested into a very low level of English. This is basically remedial stuff, and probably, at the end of the semester, they won't know much more than they started with.

Sometimes I get so mad at the Chinese government for its crappy education system, for teaching language lessons without speaking or listening, for teaching computer class without computers (yes, this actually happens for my freshman taking computer class ... even in class, they aren't allowed to use computers!), for stunting the creative and critical thinking skills of their youth. Oh, they know their grammar, and my students can even write fairly well (can't say the same for Jones's and Katrina's), but they cannot speak or understand the language. They have been drilled into a mindset where making mistakes is not okay, and standing out is even worse. The idea of doing anything outside of their comfort zones (such as talking to someone they didn't know before class) is absolutely foreign and repulsive to them. I think that if I don't teach them English, I can at least open up new methods of learning for them, learning that is cooperative, engaging, and practical.

Thanks for reading about my new job! If you have any tips for teaching low-proficiency ESL kids, LET ME KNOW!

Life in China, Thus Far ...

Hi friends!

So, we've been in Wuxi for about five days now, and I have been falling in love with my new life here. I've been gaining a sense of independence and control that comes with spending more time in a place, and I'm really looking forward to continuing that trend over the next few months. It feels so good to be settled, to be getting into a routine, and to finally start immersing myself in China. The little tasks that wouldn't be difficult at home are big accomplishments here, and it's been fun to overcome these hurdles, one by one.

Two days ago, Jones and I went to purchase the SIM cards that we will need for our phones. At first we weren't even sure if we were at the right place, but we managed to communicate what we wanted, and a cute little staff member who was giving people numbers to be helped was eager to assist us. She directed us to the other staff member, who helped us pick out our phone numbers (I've heard that Chinese are sometimes very supersticious about what numbers they get), our calling plans, and filled out our paperwork for us. From my understanding, we'll just get to reload our cards when our minutes and / or our texts run out. It took a lot longer than I expected, but probably because we were both struggling to speak each other's languages. So far, it seems as though very few people speak English here, which is forcing me to rely on my Chinese more than I expected to, I guess. It's still really frustrating at times, and I know I should be practicing more than I am, but I think that getting out and about and being forced to come up with words will prove to be really beneficial.

We made it through our SIM card experience with success, and then turned our attention to some of the shops on campus, where they sell some cheap clothes and stuff. (For the record, I got my first pair of leggings ... I know I'm behind the times, but this was my introduction to the world of fashion that I have ignored for the last four years ... ) Our shopping spree continued into the next day. Jones and I decided to make a day trip for the markets in Shanghai! We were excited about the opportunity to take the bus and the train by ourselves, which we did with no problems. When got there, we had some trouble finding a taxi and getting them to know what market we wanted to go to, but we eventually found the place.

WHAT SENSORY OVERLOAD! Holy moly. I'd never been to a market like this before; it was unlike anything I'd ever seen! You want a purse? Well, you've got about 500,000 right down this row. Are you looking for high heels? Come to this quadrant of the market. You'll see some of the craziest shoes you can imagine - but they might not come in your size, just to warn you. (A woman stared, with open mouth, at my feet when I asked for my size eight ...) How 'bout wallets? Belts? Jewlery? Jeans? Shirts? Blouses? Tights? Makeup? Products upon products upon products ... I actually couldn't believe it. It made buying anything really, really difficult because of the sheer number of options that were before you. Literally any style you could think of was there, anything you could ever want for your wardrobe. And we were only in a tiny section of the market! There was so much that we didn't see. We spent probably two hours looking for just purses! (I did snag a great big bag, though :) ) I also got a pair of knee-high boots, a pair of flat sandals, a blouse, a sweater, a hair dryer, some eye shadow, a belt, lunch, and a train ticket back - all for about $80, which isn't bad for a shop-till-you-literally-drop kind of day. I hope to take anyone who visits me to this market. It will overwhelm you. Our next mission is to find out what the shopping in Wuxi is like. We imagine that there will be big markets, but perhaps not to the same scale. We'll see!

After all the wonders of yesterday, today I hope to take it easy for a bit. I plan on uploading pictures from our trip and posting some if I can, and then tonight a bunch of the teachers are getting together for a dinner and a night in Wuxi. I'm very pumped, as everyone we've met so far has been simply awesome. It's like summer camp or freshman year in college; everyone is cool and just wants to make friends! Yay, fun. :)

Till then, I've complied some of my observations about the craziness that is China. I'm sure I'll come up with many more in the next few weeks and months, but this will start me out:

Here are some things that I like about China:

• The hospitality and respect that many give to guests / foreigners. Case and point: Hao's uncle, who speaks no English at all and could not communicate with us, not only rented a van so that he could pick us up from the airport when we first got in, but he also took a day off of work so that he could drive us to our university when we returned. He paid for all the gas, bought us lunch, and did nearly all of the lugging of our luggage up six-seven flights of stairs. What incredible kindess! Also, a friend of Hao's, who also didn't speak English and couldn't communicate with us, took the other two shopping when we first got here, and then took us all out for a delicious meal. It's just amazing that even in spite of communication barriers, people are so willing to go completely out of their way to make us feel welcome.
• Warm water served at every restuarant (rather than glasses of cold water). Hao says it's good for the kidneys, or something. He has lots of theories about Chinese medicine, but I just like that that means I can drink it!
• That you can take a 15 minute taxi ride in downtown Shanghai for about 25 yuan ($4). Split between a group, this is highly convenient. Plus, the taxis are metered, so you're pretty much not going to get ripped off. And, many taxi drivers here seem to be exceptionally friendly. It's awesome.
• Communal eating. You can get such a wide variety of dishes for so cheap, and then you all share them. It's a nice tradition, I think. (No more eating-one-dish-on-the-cheap-and-feeling-so-bored-with-it, as in India!)
• The excellent rail system! I can go pretty much anywhere by train here. The whole country is connected, and it's so cheap.

Here are some things I find funny about China:

• The fact that when you go to a China Mobile store (just imagine an ATT or US Cellular store in your head ... it's kind of like that), they don't sell phones. They sell only SIM cards. Is it because they know you're just going to buy a brightly colored phone on the street for 10 USD? Probably.
• With the abundance of knockoff goods, I wonder why anyone here bothers to buy "the real thing." (But they do.) Why should I spent $1000 USD on a designer handbag, when I can get an excellent imitation for $15?
• Not just that women wear high heeled shoes all the time, but that they most often wear them with ankle-high nylons. I don't care if it helps blisters, this is not a good look.
• That blondes draw so much attention here. Many, many people approach us asking if they can take photos with us. (Katrina gets it the worst, since she is the most blonde.) They tell us our hair and our eyes are beautiful (there's an obbession in Asia with "double eye-lids" - some girls even have surgeries done so that they can have eyelids ...). Jones had a friend who apparently, while teaching in China, contemplating dying her hair brown so that she wouldn't get so much attention all the time!
• English translations in general (see engrish.com ... a guilty pleasure ...), but especially the giberish that is on the shirts that are popular among young Chinese girls. I should start writing these things down.

Here are some things that confuse me about China:

• How there can be one street with 10 stores selling the same crap: kleenex, gross packaged snacks, plastic strainers and buckets, ramen noodles, and cheap purses. Is it because there's no Target around? How are these stores all making profits? Where do they get all their plastic crap from?
• Where do they get their real / fake Uggs, Converse, Raybands, Northface, Gucci, etc. stuff?!? If these things aren't real - how do they get such good imitations? This blows my mind.

Here are some things that I don't like about China:

• Why, with a country as technologically advanced, they can't figure out how to sell their train tickets online. Remember that I loved the rail network? Well, you can't buy your train tickets anywhere else except the station that you are departing from, and if you get there too late and the train is filled - well, your loss.
• NO QUES! (Que. Gosh. Who am I turning into? In American-speak, I used to use the word - LINE.) There aren't lines here. When they call boarding for something, EVERYONE gets up at once and feels the need to push and shove everyone in their sight to get an edge over a person. It doesn't matter if you're 80 years old (an elderly women kept hitting me and Jones in the back with her large bag the other day at the train station, trying to get ahead of us) or a large burly man - you WILL try to get to the front of the mass of people. Calm down everyone, and form a line. It's also very customary for people to just skip you when you're waiting in line. Whether you're ordering ice cream at McDonald's, trying to catch a taxi, or buying train tickets at the station - you have to stand your ground so that no one gets in.
• The people that hoard you at the markets, trying to get you to buy their fake (or real?!) products. They sometimes act really nice. For instance, when we asked the info desk at the market in SH where we could buy cell phones, a man swooped in to help us find the right stores. After taking us through all the weaving isles of a consumer's paradise, he sprung on us that he had a shop, and wanted us to look at his ... whatever he was selling. Later, upon asking where we could find a bathroom, a woman swooped in, super chatty and friendly, just like the man, and showed us the bathrooms (though we could have found them by ourselves after getting directions). She waited for us, and then tried to get us to come to her store. That's not as annoying to me, though, as when they follow you, stalking you around for minutes after you reject them, trying to get you to come. After awhile, it's hard to stay polite. I also hate when they grab your arm, trying to get your attention. I do not act kindly to that. I realize they're just trying to make a living, but if I said no the first time, I won't be changing my mind.

So, it's a crazy place ... but I'm so glad to be here! I hope to update again once I start my classes; I'm sure that will be another remarkable experience!

A Much-Needed Update

It's real. Wuxi's a real city. Jiangnan is a really university. My apartment ... is REAL! My job ... yep, you guessed it. Probably real too. I'm really here. After months and months of searching, planning, and making all the preparations for my little jaunt on the other side of the world - I'm here. With software that lets me access my blog and facebook to boot. Excellent. Take that, Chairman.

I'm anxious to post an update on my travels. I mean, it was nearly two months at breakneck speed, traveling from the east of China to the southwest of India. I did stuff. I saw stuff. I really want to tell you about it, especially because I sucked royally at updating people while on the road. (Sad. For the record, I was pretty bad at updating myself, even ... I hardly had the energy to journal toward the end ...) So, the moral of the story is that I need to record my memories before they are wiped from my mind (which happens at a speed that astonishes even me sometime. I really can't even remember what I did two hours ago, much less what I did two weeks ago).

However, I cannot summon the energy to do this today. Tomorrow, perhaps? Thursday? It will come. There will be pictures. There will be captions. You will, in fact, see me bathing with an elephant. This might not actually interest you, but it will make me feel like I did something to record my epic journey. :)

I'm currently basking in the glory that is my OWN APARTMENT! My own place. I just keep reminding myself of how awesome it is over and over. Yes, I have to walk up seven flights of stairs to get to my apartment, and yes, I have to plunge my toilet everytime I use it due to seriously inadequate plumbing - but it's MINE! I don't have to wait for anyone to clean the kitchen in order for me to want to go in there. I don't have to wait for anyone else to get out of the shower. I don't have to do laundry in the creepy basement. I even have cupboards that CLOSE! LUXURY! (Yes, they are bright green, but I'm not picky ...).

We arrived in Wuxi yesterday. Hao (our Chinese traveling companion) and his uncle were gracious enough to drive us to our college campus, after the university backed out on their contractual obligation to pick us up. Laaaame. It's just how it goes here, though. And it was so convenient. We were so grateful to have their help. We really needed it: once we arrived, it would have been really hard to sort things out had we not had a Chinese speaker with us. Once again, Hao to the rescue. We all let fate decide who would have what apartment, and fate chose that I would have buns of steel this semester. The seventh floor went to me. (The others are on the sixth.) So, make sure you look at my legs when I get back. I can assure you, they will be fabulous.

Our first night in Wuxi was overwhelming. After spending a couple hours unloading our putrid-smelling clothes, digging through our suitcases to be surprised at what things had been waiting for us for two months in Shanghai, and attempting to clean up my flooded kitchen (my water cooler machine broke and spilled half of its five gallon contents onto my floor ... as I love water more than pretty much anything, this was perhaps the most frustrating thing that could have happened to me), we all decided to embark on an adventure to find a supermarket and get all the necessary supplies for life in general. Not having Hao with us anymore, we were finally left to our own devices and my meager knowledge of Chinese was put to the test. Though I couldn't remember the words for "store" or "supermarket," I was pleased when we ended up at a very large shopping facility. Apparently, "Can you take us to a place to buy food and other things for rooms?" did the trick. Sometimes I hate being able to speak "a little" of the language, though. Because then people feel the need to respond to you in rapid-fire Chinese, and you have no idea what they are saying. There's always a victorious feeling inside of me that follows any listening comprehension!

I think we were at that darn supermarket for over three hours, though it felt like six. First we got plates, cups, some utensils ... anything that hadn't been left behind in our kitchen that we thought we would probably need. Though I hope that my "real" kitchen is far better stocked in the future, I think I will make do for these next few months. Going on to the bathroom was more overwhelming, primarily because we couldn't read the labels on anything. J and K had funny stories of miming out "shampoo," "conditioner," and "body wash" to the employees, who didn't speak any English. I had a lady yelling at me in Chinese about some sale or something, and at that point I nearly cried because I was so tired, I had no idea what she was saying, and she kept putting things in my card that I didn't want. Grr.

Then we had to get food ... a new dragon to slay. The place we were at had few foreign options. It's not that I'm opposed to eating Chinese food, it's just that I wouldn't have the faintest idea how to cook it. So, our options were fairly limited. I ended up getting some veggies, some drinkable yogurt (they didn't have my whole milk, 100% organic, no sugar added, locally grown favorite ...), some rice and beans, some weird congee soups that I'm pretty skeptical of, and some dumplings that I can make in the microwave. I also got a veggie burger with rice patties that I inhaled after getting home that night. It wasn't bad. So, we'll see how this eating situation goes. I'm really banking on a good package from home ... thanks, mom. :)

The real adventure was still to come on the drive home. After dropping a load of cash, we had to catch a taxi back to our apartments. I managed to get the driver to come pick us up closer to the grocery store, which was a small victory. However, something was lost in translation as to where said taxi driver was supposed to deliver us. He, apparently, "knew" where Jiangnan was. I told him we were near the North Gate. He didn't know where that was. Now, Jiangnan is a big place. But the North Gate would presumably be a good landmark, right? This is all we knew. He was babbling in Chinese asking about what road we were on and blah blah, and I couldn't decipher most of it and couldn't answer him even if I had understood him. We realized about 20-30 minutes later that he didn't even seem to know where the college was, much less the North Gate. He was asking for a number to call - as we don't know anyone here and don't have anyone's number, this wasn't helping. He called information. He drove around aimlessly. It took a very long time to find the college, and then - probably another half hour at least to find our apartments. It was sooo frustrating! We stopped probably 20 innocent bystanders asking if they knew where the foreign teachers lived. We got lots of different directions. The only English the man spoke was to cry out, "OH MY GOD!" in exasperation. It was pretty hilarious. He thought so too. He wasn't the one shelling out 20 American bucks to pay for this ridiculously long ride!

Finally, finally, finally, around 11pm, we made it back. It was one of the happiest feelings in the world. Finally. I ended up staying up way too late, putzing around and basking in the glory of having my own place and having my feet on the ground. I slept soundly (a little too soundly), and woke up at the nick of time in order to have our pictures taken for our work visas this morning. Today has been a very laid back day. I didn't get much done, but it's just been nice to hang out and read and organize my life a bit. I'm sure there will be more of that tomorrow, which I look forward to. What a life!

I hope to tell about our traveling adventures soon. Until then, let me know how YOU'RE doing! I'd love to hear about it! Send me a message on facebook or write me an email: nicole.carow@gmail.com