Saturday, February 20, 2016
Half a Year Gone
Well, its been almost six months I have been away from home. Recently I was going through my old photos and trying to organize them and realized how quickly time can pass. Seeing photos from my shenanigans in Nova Scotia allowed me to see a) I am far from photogenic b) Nova Scotia is damn beautiful c) I am not in Nova Scotia anymore. The contrast between Nova Scotia's clear blue skies, vast fields of green and ocean views at every turn to my current window view of a grey apartment building could not be more stark.
I am reminded of a song by Stan Rogers called The Idiot. Essentially a story of a guy who left NS for Alberta to work in the oil fields, how he longs for home but at the same time understands the decision he made was based on self reliance and a need to grow. China is many things and it is unfair to characterize the whole country as grey, dirty and polluted but I think it is fair to characterize the cities of China as such. My excursions to the cities of Dalian, Guilin, Sanya and Yongshou have shown me that China can be a beautiful country if you get way out of the cities. The realization of the contrast between NS and China has made me realize I need to take stock of where I am, what I set out to accomplish and whether I am actually making headway on those reasons.
Being a bit past the half way point, this seems a good place to do so. Going back a bit, I originally decided to go to teachers college in order to make a change and position myself for future success. Several years as a bartender at RCR was enough to make me realize it was not a long term option. Was it fun? Hell yes. I got to see Classified, The Stanfields, Sam Roberts, Jim Cuddy, Matt Anderson, Tiesto, The Dropkick Murphies, Billy Talent, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Trooper (ok, they were not that great), David Myles (if you do not know him go check him out on youtube, i recommend the song Simple Pleasures- a song I was told reminds people of me) among other performers while being paid. I was able to hear Peter MacKay, Peter Mansbridge, John McCain, Jeremy Roenick and Rex Murphy give speeches. I worked with amazing people and made great friendships. However, it was abundantly clear to me that if you stayed too long you got stuck there. Knowing I always happy to talk about history and being able to show people a different perspective, teaching seemed a good choice. Yes Jan- you were the one who always said I would be a teacher.
Leaving was hard but thats life right? My time in Thunder Bay was short but successful. I was able to get my teaching degree in about 9 months, had two very successful teaching placements, was a member of student council , made lots of new friends, graduated with first standing honours (like the honour roll), was given an opportunity to travel to China with the cost augmented by Lakehead and best of all was able to secure a contract for a full time teaching position in China. So I would say it was a very successful year as I was able to obtain a new degree and a job based on that degree. I think anyone going through university now would understand that one degree is not enough and a second degree is what you really need to have some sort of job security. I would say 80% of the people I went to university with now either have or are working on that second degree.
To finish off the year I was part of a trip to China as an optional third teaching practice to foster better relations between Lakehead and The Maple Leaf School system (company?) in China. Most people know this as it was the main reason for starting this blog. Looking back on it now, I probably bit off more than I could chew. It was a big change going to Thunder Bay, moving back home for practicum and then to try and go straight to a new country and teach ESL students only 2 days after my practicum finished was probably pushing it. I finished my practicum on a Tuesday and on the Thursday of that week I was on a plane to China. Talk about quick turnaround! Unfortunately my third practicum was not as successful as my previous two were. Poor pre-trip communication and an philosophical difference on my purpose there led to me butting heads with my two associate teachers in China. The one benefit was that I realized I liked China and could happily spend time there. This being a good thing as I already had a contract to come back to teach. So overall I chalked it up as a success. Once back in Canada I went to NS and worked as a monitor for the English immersion program Explore and that was a success.
So what? You may be wondering when the hell I am going to get to the point of this post. I have been giving background info to show that in my mind I was on a roll. I had a good experience with RCR, with teachers college, with China. So clearly when I got here I expected to succeed. To this point I would say I have.
My first semester was amazing. Far better than I could have ever imagined. The speed at which I became comfortable with my students, talking in front of the class, creating assignments and being able to relate to my students surprised me. I would say my strongest asset is my ability to communicate with the students and getting them to realize what my expectations of them were/are.
From numerous other teachers and from my principal I heard positive feedback based on student input. They liked Canadian history, even if they didn't care too much about it. They liked how I taught, that I made a goof of myself sometimes and was not afraid to try new things. I remember attempting to teach the skill of photo inferencing based on a period sketch of French Fur Traders dealing with First Nations and how it failed completely. I forgot to tell the students that First Nations tended to have darker skin than the Europeans. So while I wanted the students to grasp an appreciation of the importance of the St. Lawrence as a transport route, they thought the whole thing was taking place in Africa because of the First Nations darker skin. They also pointed out that the Europeans were more technologically advanced because of the snow shoes they had on and it was an example of them giving technology to the First Nations, another fail. However, the point was the students (for the most part) understood that I was trying to teach them a skill that would help them in all subjects.
I learned much about how I want my classroom to run, how I want to teach and how I want the students to behave. I am OK with a little bit of chaos in the classroom, I accept that students will not be perfect for the 90 minutes I have them, I allow them to go to the bathroom as they please, I am ok with letting them step out for 5 minutes if they need to eat because they missed beakfast/lunch. I am not OK with students handing in assignments late, I am not OK with one student in a group doing all the work, I am not OK with students playing video games or watching videos in my class (at one point I had confiscated 6 smartphones, 2 tablets, a laptop, and an iwatch during one class for inappropriate use) and most of all I am not OK with any negative comments in the class. I think that has been the biggest success, being able to find my own method and style of teaching. I remember a dinner at Mel and Marks last christmas where Mark and I had a conversation about the need for students to feel secure and happy in the class, essentially the idea of the classroom as home court where everyone cheers for you, and that has had a huge impact in my thinking. My students learned that if they tried hard and were honest when they did not understand something, I would be easy to get along with and happy to have some fun along the way. If I felt they were not working to their ability I was not afraid to crack the whip. This is allowing me to approach my second semester with more confidence and while I am sure my ideas and teaching styles will change with time, it will be more of a repair of the foundations rather than a tear down.
Learning more about my teaching strategy has been a success, however teaching was not the only reason to move to China. I wanted to live abroad and experience a different culture. Oh Boy, am I getting that. I have not experienced a more different culture than China. Two weeks in Vietnam and one week in Seoul have allowed me to realize that of the asian countries, China is the furthest from Canadian culture. Underlying the whole culture is a) a belief everyone can look out for themselves b) a desire to put your best foot forward even if that puts the rest of your body off balance and c) an idea to cut twice, never admit you should have measured first and if all else fails just re start. It can be overwhelming at times trying to deal with the massive crowds, the lack of any adherence to the basic principles of lining up, the wide variety of smells that can occur during a five minute walk and the constant stares of people. China is a country that has only recently opened up to the outside world and I would say is undergoing dramatic social changes right now. What it looks like in 10-20 years will be vastly different from what it is like now. The visual difference between how the older generation dresses and behaves versus the younger generation is staggering. An austere lifestyle has transformed into the most commercial consumerism I have ever seen. The benefit of all this is I have a much better understanding and appreciation of the culture and why everyone gets angry at Chinese drivers back home. When you have this many cars on the street, the rules of the road are more of a suggestion. It is not unusual for your cab driver to drive on the shoulder of the highway for twenty minutes in a traffic jam, to decide to make a left turn into traffic forcing up to 30 cars to either T-bone him/her or to wait, or just simply to drive down the wrong side of the street. I think when I get home I am going to find driving a very boring experience after my time here. Who knows, maybe I will try some of the practices I have seen here!!!
Gaining experience in a new career and learning more about a new culture have been great. The third main reason I came to China was the opportunity to travel. With a week off in October and a month off in February I have been able to do some traveling. I have already talked about my trip to Guilin/Sanya in a previous post and I will dedicate a new post in the next couple days to my recent trip to Vietnam, but generally I am glad I have those opportunities. I am already planning for next year and have realized how important pre planning is. Next February I am planning on either a) Philippines b)Laos/Cambodia/Thailand c)Malaysia or d) New Zealand... any suggestions. So travel is a success. Having two months off for the summer is nice also, planning to take some of that time to visit scotland/ireland if I can find cheap flights.
Guess I have gone on for quite a while. if you have managed to read the whole thing through, I am impressed. To summarize, half a year gone= winning!
I am reminded of a song by Stan Rogers called The Idiot. Essentially a story of a guy who left NS for Alberta to work in the oil fields, how he longs for home but at the same time understands the decision he made was based on self reliance and a need to grow. China is many things and it is unfair to characterize the whole country as grey, dirty and polluted but I think it is fair to characterize the cities of China as such. My excursions to the cities of Dalian, Guilin, Sanya and Yongshou have shown me that China can be a beautiful country if you get way out of the cities. The realization of the contrast between NS and China has made me realize I need to take stock of where I am, what I set out to accomplish and whether I am actually making headway on those reasons.
Being a bit past the half way point, this seems a good place to do so. Going back a bit, I originally decided to go to teachers college in order to make a change and position myself for future success. Several years as a bartender at RCR was enough to make me realize it was not a long term option. Was it fun? Hell yes. I got to see Classified, The Stanfields, Sam Roberts, Jim Cuddy, Matt Anderson, Tiesto, The Dropkick Murphies, Billy Talent, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Trooper (ok, they were not that great), David Myles (if you do not know him go check him out on youtube, i recommend the song Simple Pleasures- a song I was told reminds people of me) among other performers while being paid. I was able to hear Peter MacKay, Peter Mansbridge, John McCain, Jeremy Roenick and Rex Murphy give speeches. I worked with amazing people and made great friendships. However, it was abundantly clear to me that if you stayed too long you got stuck there. Knowing I always happy to talk about history and being able to show people a different perspective, teaching seemed a good choice. Yes Jan- you were the one who always said I would be a teacher.
Leaving was hard but thats life right? My time in Thunder Bay was short but successful. I was able to get my teaching degree in about 9 months, had two very successful teaching placements, was a member of student council , made lots of new friends, graduated with first standing honours (like the honour roll), was given an opportunity to travel to China with the cost augmented by Lakehead and best of all was able to secure a contract for a full time teaching position in China. So I would say it was a very successful year as I was able to obtain a new degree and a job based on that degree. I think anyone going through university now would understand that one degree is not enough and a second degree is what you really need to have some sort of job security. I would say 80% of the people I went to university with now either have or are working on that second degree.
To finish off the year I was part of a trip to China as an optional third teaching practice to foster better relations between Lakehead and The Maple Leaf School system (company?) in China. Most people know this as it was the main reason for starting this blog. Looking back on it now, I probably bit off more than I could chew. It was a big change going to Thunder Bay, moving back home for practicum and then to try and go straight to a new country and teach ESL students only 2 days after my practicum finished was probably pushing it. I finished my practicum on a Tuesday and on the Thursday of that week I was on a plane to China. Talk about quick turnaround! Unfortunately my third practicum was not as successful as my previous two were. Poor pre-trip communication and an philosophical difference on my purpose there led to me butting heads with my two associate teachers in China. The one benefit was that I realized I liked China and could happily spend time there. This being a good thing as I already had a contract to come back to teach. So overall I chalked it up as a success. Once back in Canada I went to NS and worked as a monitor for the English immersion program Explore and that was a success.
So what? You may be wondering when the hell I am going to get to the point of this post. I have been giving background info to show that in my mind I was on a roll. I had a good experience with RCR, with teachers college, with China. So clearly when I got here I expected to succeed. To this point I would say I have.
My first semester was amazing. Far better than I could have ever imagined. The speed at which I became comfortable with my students, talking in front of the class, creating assignments and being able to relate to my students surprised me. I would say my strongest asset is my ability to communicate with the students and getting them to realize what my expectations of them were/are.
From numerous other teachers and from my principal I heard positive feedback based on student input. They liked Canadian history, even if they didn't care too much about it. They liked how I taught, that I made a goof of myself sometimes and was not afraid to try new things. I remember attempting to teach the skill of photo inferencing based on a period sketch of French Fur Traders dealing with First Nations and how it failed completely. I forgot to tell the students that First Nations tended to have darker skin than the Europeans. So while I wanted the students to grasp an appreciation of the importance of the St. Lawrence as a transport route, they thought the whole thing was taking place in Africa because of the First Nations darker skin. They also pointed out that the Europeans were more technologically advanced because of the snow shoes they had on and it was an example of them giving technology to the First Nations, another fail. However, the point was the students (for the most part) understood that I was trying to teach them a skill that would help them in all subjects.
I learned much about how I want my classroom to run, how I want to teach and how I want the students to behave. I am OK with a little bit of chaos in the classroom, I accept that students will not be perfect for the 90 minutes I have them, I allow them to go to the bathroom as they please, I am ok with letting them step out for 5 minutes if they need to eat because they missed beakfast/lunch. I am not OK with students handing in assignments late, I am not OK with one student in a group doing all the work, I am not OK with students playing video games or watching videos in my class (at one point I had confiscated 6 smartphones, 2 tablets, a laptop, and an iwatch during one class for inappropriate use) and most of all I am not OK with any negative comments in the class. I think that has been the biggest success, being able to find my own method and style of teaching. I remember a dinner at Mel and Marks last christmas where Mark and I had a conversation about the need for students to feel secure and happy in the class, essentially the idea of the classroom as home court where everyone cheers for you, and that has had a huge impact in my thinking. My students learned that if they tried hard and were honest when they did not understand something, I would be easy to get along with and happy to have some fun along the way. If I felt they were not working to their ability I was not afraid to crack the whip. This is allowing me to approach my second semester with more confidence and while I am sure my ideas and teaching styles will change with time, it will be more of a repair of the foundations rather than a tear down.
Learning more about my teaching strategy has been a success, however teaching was not the only reason to move to China. I wanted to live abroad and experience a different culture. Oh Boy, am I getting that. I have not experienced a more different culture than China. Two weeks in Vietnam and one week in Seoul have allowed me to realize that of the asian countries, China is the furthest from Canadian culture. Underlying the whole culture is a) a belief everyone can look out for themselves b) a desire to put your best foot forward even if that puts the rest of your body off balance and c) an idea to cut twice, never admit you should have measured first and if all else fails just re start. It can be overwhelming at times trying to deal with the massive crowds, the lack of any adherence to the basic principles of lining up, the wide variety of smells that can occur during a five minute walk and the constant stares of people. China is a country that has only recently opened up to the outside world and I would say is undergoing dramatic social changes right now. What it looks like in 10-20 years will be vastly different from what it is like now. The visual difference between how the older generation dresses and behaves versus the younger generation is staggering. An austere lifestyle has transformed into the most commercial consumerism I have ever seen. The benefit of all this is I have a much better understanding and appreciation of the culture and why everyone gets angry at Chinese drivers back home. When you have this many cars on the street, the rules of the road are more of a suggestion. It is not unusual for your cab driver to drive on the shoulder of the highway for twenty minutes in a traffic jam, to decide to make a left turn into traffic forcing up to 30 cars to either T-bone him/her or to wait, or just simply to drive down the wrong side of the street. I think when I get home I am going to find driving a very boring experience after my time here. Who knows, maybe I will try some of the practices I have seen here!!!
Gaining experience in a new career and learning more about a new culture have been great. The third main reason I came to China was the opportunity to travel. With a week off in October and a month off in February I have been able to do some traveling. I have already talked about my trip to Guilin/Sanya in a previous post and I will dedicate a new post in the next couple days to my recent trip to Vietnam, but generally I am glad I have those opportunities. I am already planning for next year and have realized how important pre planning is. Next February I am planning on either a) Philippines b)Laos/Cambodia/Thailand c)Malaysia or d) New Zealand... any suggestions. So travel is a success. Having two months off for the summer is nice also, planning to take some of that time to visit scotland/ireland if I can find cheap flights.
Guess I have gone on for quite a while. if you have managed to read the whole thing through, I am impressed. To summarize, half a year gone= winning!
Monday, November 30, 2015
Am I Still in China
I have gotten used to most of China. The loud honking that is constant. The need to not breathe for 30 seconds as you pass by a bad smell and try not to think of what it is. Not fully understanding what my students are laughing at during breaks in class. The constant amazement on peoples faces that I am taller than them. Also not being scared to cross the intersections.
The things that have thrown me off in the last couple weeks:
-Burger King opening up below my apartment building
-Realizing Starbucks and Burger King are actually the two closest places to get food from my apartment
-Being able to watch the new Hunger Games and The Martian in english at the movies
-Looking forward to playing N64 this weekend (friend had his shipped from Canada)
-Having chicken nuggets and fries for dinner from my toaster oven
Basically the things I am having a hard time getting used to are the things from back home. I think that is a good sign that I have fully adjusted to life over here. This semester has about 9 weeks left before I switch over to teaching English. I may also be teaching Economics, but there is some course shuffling going around so not 100% on that.
Big thing coming up is trip with Dad.
Dad- Look at these places and see which ones interest you
Hue- old imperial capital
Hoi An- old city and famous for tailoring
Nha Trang- Beaches and historical city
Mui Ne- Red Sand Dunes/ATVing
Halong Bay
Ho Chi Mihn City- viet cong tunnels and war remnants museum
In school I am attempting to teach them essays. I think Shannon would be shocked to learn that considering all the help she gave me with it. Attempting to teach these students how to write a thesis has become a daily struggle. At least 3 times a week I am meeting with students during lunch and usually 3 times after school also.
Have not been approached for a second year by the Principal but can tell he is already thinking I will be back next year. It is at the point where I feel the need to start thinking seriously about it. I feel comfortable here, the money is good, the cost of living is cheap and the students are great. I would say talking with the students is usually the best part of my day which i guess is good as a teacher.
So that is about all I can think of for now. If you have any questions about china throw them in the comment section.
Just got confirmation that my flight to Hanoi is booked. So see you there dad.
The China Kid
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Chinese Reportcard
Well guess I did it again. Let another month or so go past without a blog.
Life right now is a little busy. I am experiencing my first report card crush. Luckily there have been lots of other teachers who are helping me along. Just had about a 30 minute crash course on how to use the technology properly. The big problem is trying to access the database that is based in Nova Scotia. So to pass the time I figured I would give China a report card based on my experiences
Social- Living in China forces you to be social. Everyday, anywhere you go there are going to be lots of people. I mean like the bathroom of a hockey game in Montreal lots of people (figure no one is going to Leaf games anymore). Since being here my height and whiteness has not left me, so anywhere I go I usually have someone talking to me. At least they always try, sometime I simply am not in the mood and pretend not to hear them. The other teachers here are great, I may have mentioned that so far. Not that we hang out every night, but on any night you feel like going for dinner or simply playing a board game there is someone who is thinking the same thing. Overall I give it an A
Environment- I miss a blue sky. The last while has seen me spoiled in the places I have been. Whether it is off the Northumberland straight between PEI and NS, Cape Breton coast, the rideua canal near perth, or simply the beauty of Go Home, I have seen many beautiful skies. I have not seen a truly blue sky since I have arrived. The lack of true green space is also starting to get to me. I feel a bit like the character in Stan Rogers song "The Idiot" for those that want to understand my mind frame. It was warm here up until last couple days where it has dipped to about 14. Though the idea of using the sweaters and jeans I brought is nice, as I can finally switch my wardrobe. I have been getting hassled by my peers for wearing the same thing all the time. Not to lean to hard into that clothing tangent, I will give China a B- on the environment. The only saving factor is that is what warmer for a lot longer than i am used too. Thunder Bay would have me at freezing temperature right now.
Food- Still love it. I do not go eat as much as I thought but the food when I go out is amazing. New thai place opened up near me that I have frequented twice now. Easy to get cheap vegetables at the grocery store and the costco-like place is working out fine with providing me the little things i miss. Got a big craving for pasta and rather than attempt to make my own i bought some pasta and pasta sauce. Though in typical david-fashion, it was not until I was about to pay for all my groceries with 5 people behind me that I realized i also needed a can opener for the pasta sauce. Well 5 minutes later and now 7 angry people behind me I checked out with my can opener. Pasta is coming this week. Food at school is good. Lunch is either chicken curry or a fried chicken sandwich. Dinner is usually a bunch of veggies and either chicken or dumpling. I guess if I am talking about what I make for dinner I dont have anything else to say on Food. Will give it an A for combination of what I can make and what i can get close by.
Job- Best for last. Even as I finish up my first report card adventure, usually the grunt work of teaching I hear, I am happy with my job. I really enjoy interacting with my students and the best part is that the more I get to know them the more I enjoy them. I can really engage with them now and can joke around and have fun with them. They have gotten used to me giving them lots of writing assignments and always pushing them to defend their opinions when they speak in class. Recently I had my VP come in to watch my teach, it was informal and I had not been given notice, and the students behaved great. While I always think they behave well, it was obvious to me they were on their best behavior because someone else was in the room. I play basketball with a group of guys on fridays and frisbee with a group of other students on wednesdays. Having this report outside of the class really helps inside because they are quick to get the other students in line for me. We just finished up WW1 and for anyone reading this I dare you to think of the answers to the following questions without looking it up. 1) What is the importance of the Paris Peace Conference to defining Canadian independence? 2) How did the Treaty of Versailles lead to the rise of the Nazi party? 3) Compare and contrast Canada's entry into World War One and World War Two. These are an example of what my 14/15 year old Chinese students just had to answer, and they did pretty good. Next up is teaching heartland vs hinterland and ending on a debate about Free Trade. Oh, an getting them to write an essay....i think some of my HS teachers would be shocked to know I am now teaching it. Hell, my family is probably freaked out, especially Shannon as she saw how rough some of my essays can be during University. So for job i will give it an A.
Overall China gets an A-. I can not give a country a full A until I have seen a quiznos. Even in places I should see new and amazing things, it all comes back to quiznos eh dad.
Till next time,
The China Kid
Life right now is a little busy. I am experiencing my first report card crush. Luckily there have been lots of other teachers who are helping me along. Just had about a 30 minute crash course on how to use the technology properly. The big problem is trying to access the database that is based in Nova Scotia. So to pass the time I figured I would give China a report card based on my experiences
Social- Living in China forces you to be social. Everyday, anywhere you go there are going to be lots of people. I mean like the bathroom of a hockey game in Montreal lots of people (figure no one is going to Leaf games anymore). Since being here my height and whiteness has not left me, so anywhere I go I usually have someone talking to me. At least they always try, sometime I simply am not in the mood and pretend not to hear them. The other teachers here are great, I may have mentioned that so far. Not that we hang out every night, but on any night you feel like going for dinner or simply playing a board game there is someone who is thinking the same thing. Overall I give it an A
Environment- I miss a blue sky. The last while has seen me spoiled in the places I have been. Whether it is off the Northumberland straight between PEI and NS, Cape Breton coast, the rideua canal near perth, or simply the beauty of Go Home, I have seen many beautiful skies. I have not seen a truly blue sky since I have arrived. The lack of true green space is also starting to get to me. I feel a bit like the character in Stan Rogers song "The Idiot" for those that want to understand my mind frame. It was warm here up until last couple days where it has dipped to about 14. Though the idea of using the sweaters and jeans I brought is nice, as I can finally switch my wardrobe. I have been getting hassled by my peers for wearing the same thing all the time. Not to lean to hard into that clothing tangent, I will give China a B- on the environment. The only saving factor is that is what warmer for a lot longer than i am used too. Thunder Bay would have me at freezing temperature right now.
Food- Still love it. I do not go eat as much as I thought but the food when I go out is amazing. New thai place opened up near me that I have frequented twice now. Easy to get cheap vegetables at the grocery store and the costco-like place is working out fine with providing me the little things i miss. Got a big craving for pasta and rather than attempt to make my own i bought some pasta and pasta sauce. Though in typical david-fashion, it was not until I was about to pay for all my groceries with 5 people behind me that I realized i also needed a can opener for the pasta sauce. Well 5 minutes later and now 7 angry people behind me I checked out with my can opener. Pasta is coming this week. Food at school is good. Lunch is either chicken curry or a fried chicken sandwich. Dinner is usually a bunch of veggies and either chicken or dumpling. I guess if I am talking about what I make for dinner I dont have anything else to say on Food. Will give it an A for combination of what I can make and what i can get close by.
Job- Best for last. Even as I finish up my first report card adventure, usually the grunt work of teaching I hear, I am happy with my job. I really enjoy interacting with my students and the best part is that the more I get to know them the more I enjoy them. I can really engage with them now and can joke around and have fun with them. They have gotten used to me giving them lots of writing assignments and always pushing them to defend their opinions when they speak in class. Recently I had my VP come in to watch my teach, it was informal and I had not been given notice, and the students behaved great. While I always think they behave well, it was obvious to me they were on their best behavior because someone else was in the room. I play basketball with a group of guys on fridays and frisbee with a group of other students on wednesdays. Having this report outside of the class really helps inside because they are quick to get the other students in line for me. We just finished up WW1 and for anyone reading this I dare you to think of the answers to the following questions without looking it up. 1) What is the importance of the Paris Peace Conference to defining Canadian independence? 2) How did the Treaty of Versailles lead to the rise of the Nazi party? 3) Compare and contrast Canada's entry into World War One and World War Two. These are an example of what my 14/15 year old Chinese students just had to answer, and they did pretty good. Next up is teaching heartland vs hinterland and ending on a debate about Free Trade. Oh, an getting them to write an essay....i think some of my HS teachers would be shocked to know I am now teaching it. Hell, my family is probably freaked out, especially Shannon as she saw how rough some of my essays can be during University. So for job i will give it an A.
Overall China gets an A-. I can not give a country a full A until I have seen a quiznos. Even in places I should see new and amazing things, it all comes back to quiznos eh dad.
Till next time,
The China Kid
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
To Sanya and Back
Hard to believe it has been a month since my last post, I thought I would keep coming back each week but daily life has gotten in the way. I am at the point where I am comfortably settled into china. My apartment no longer feels like a stop-over place but more of a home. My students and I have gotten into a nice routine in class and I am starting to get some great results from them in class. I certainly am learning lots about how to teach, with some lessons excelling and others not going so well. By now I have gotten to know most of the teachers pretty well. There are still a couple I have not bonded with but I think that it will come with time.
I have done my best to make sure China does not change me too much, wanting to retain a bit of my 'Canadian-ness'. To that end I watched the first Leafs hockey game with a couple buddies while having a beer or two and ordered pizza. To keep with tradition the leafs lost and I got pitied by montreal fans. We didnt watch it live but waited till the next day and downloaded the game. It was a weird experience doing such a Canadian thing in China, really made me realize how ingrained culture can be in a person.
Since I last wrote a blog I have gone on an adventure. A fellow teacher, Adam, and I took off on September 25th from Nanchang and flew to Sanya in Hainan province which is in the VERY south of China. I suggest you look up where it is because it was a really beautiful place. It was a bit like Cuba to me. White sandy beaches, very warm water you could float in for hours, and lots of Russians walking around. Apparently if you are Russian you can come to China without a Visa as long as you leave within 14 days. Adam and I stayed in a hostel a couple minutes from the beach. We were there for 4 nights and three days. Spent two days at the beach and one very long day traveling to Monkey Island. Advertised as a nature reserve you could hike with 2000 wild monkeys running around we were determined to get there, even if the meant our own Steve Martin/John Candy remake of Planes, Trains and Automobiles. So we got on a bus near our hostel and took it to the train station. Then the three of us, a russian girl staying at the hostel tagged along with us, hopped on a train and went out to the small city where monkey island is located. From The train station we took a rickshaw (or is it tuktuk, still not sure of the difference) to the park. Once there we were told we needed to take a gondola ride across the water and over the mountains to get to the entrance. Once we arrived I realized we had been hoodwinked. It was a small touristy place where we could see some wild monkeys and others that were caged up or had been 'trained' to perform tricks. While it was nice to see the wild monkeys play in the trees, it was worse to see the animals being mistreated. Kind of soured my idea of Zoo's for a while. By this time we were all dehydrated as it was about 35 outside without a cloud in sight so we took the gondola back across, got into a motocylce with a supped up side car that took us to a bus. The bus then took us back to the train station, where we grabbed a bus back to hostel. So, Bus to Train to Rickshaw to Gondola to Gondola to Motocylce with sidecar to Bus to Train to Bus, was a long day. Overall Sanya was a great time with lots of stories, a good place to relax if you are ever in China.
After that we went to Guilin which is known for its limestone karst's that surround it. Was quite beautiful but a very touristy city. By this point Chinese National Holiday had kicked in which meant about 300 million Chinese were traveling within the country, aka there are even more people than normal which is crazy. Our hostel was right near the main area which allowed Adam and I to go exploring with ease. After a day in Guilin we were joined by two friends of mine from Halifax who are also teaching in China for the first time, Matt and Neila. The four of us set off for a boat tour the next day of the Li River. Advertised as a bamboo raft tour that would allow us to serenly see the beauty of the area. In reality it was sitting on a boat made of pvc pipes and a loud annoying motor taking us down the river. The scenery was amazing but was overshadowed by the other 50 boats doing the same thing. We also were not told that the bus that took us there would not take us back to Guilin but to another city Yangshuo south of Guilin. We were interested in seeing a new city so we wandered among the city for a while until 6 pm hit and we are having beers on a rooftop patio (like 8 floors up with no elevator) and realized we needed somewhere to sleep. We were able to find a room in a hostel that clearly used to be a massage parlour, not the best spot but would do in a pinch. Was a good decision as the night market was amazing, if a little packed, and I am sure I am now in about 100 families vacation photos. The next day we headed back to Guilin by bust at night after taking the day to explore the outside of the city. The four of us rented e-bikes and drove around the country side for the day seeing a bunch of small villages and the area. Do not worry, I was too scared to drive one of them and just rode shotgun with Adam. Once we realized we were out of water and the e-bike was running low on battery we headed back to town got a bus and took the 2 hour ride back to Guilin. Was really good to see some familiar faces in China and know they are going through the same things I am. Was a nice break but man was coming back to work hard.
Last couple weeks since vacation have been tough but productive. I find my lesson planning is getting better and I need to spend less time coming up with ideas. Highlight of the week is buying a slow cooker and making pulled beef yesterday. It can be hard to find any beef at the grocery story but at the costco-like store we go to once a week big roasts were on sale for cheap so I treated myself. I also treated myself to buying a bottle of maple syrup for those times I really miss home.
Our school has started up a hockey league with the kids. It is very basic with plastic sticks, nets created out of outlining a net with rope through a fence and foam balls, but it is fun. The students love it and it is nice to seem good at hockey for once in my life. I have also joined up with another teacher to play ultimate frisbee with the students. Had our first practice today and they are pretty good, though the technical skills and rules need to be enforced a bit more. Have also started playing basketball informally with some of my students. Wanted to build a report with them before giving them back their tests which some people did not do so well on. Have gotten a couple other teachers to join in.
Life is going by and it is fun over here. I am enjoying working with the students, getting to bond more with my teachers and I am finding life a little less hectic than when I first showed up and a bit more relaxing. This weekend we are planning a big boardgame night and I have a pile of marking to do.
Having started doing some more exercise , partly because I can not keep up with the students on the basketball court and partly because I hear my father asking about my personal health quadrant (dont worry dad, my quadrants are all good!).
Was hard to miss thanksgiving but instead a group of us went out for barbecued lamb, may have been the best lamb i have ever had in my life. Was a little different than eating lamb at home as the carcass itself was hanging outside the bbq joint. Well the whole thing was outside but basically for 15 dollars had more lamb than I could eat along with drinks and barbecued eggplant.
Guess that should get everyone caught up on my life in china. I will try not to let another pass by before I write my next one.
The China Kid
I have done my best to make sure China does not change me too much, wanting to retain a bit of my 'Canadian-ness'. To that end I watched the first Leafs hockey game with a couple buddies while having a beer or two and ordered pizza. To keep with tradition the leafs lost and I got pitied by montreal fans. We didnt watch it live but waited till the next day and downloaded the game. It was a weird experience doing such a Canadian thing in China, really made me realize how ingrained culture can be in a person.
Since I last wrote a blog I have gone on an adventure. A fellow teacher, Adam, and I took off on September 25th from Nanchang and flew to Sanya in Hainan province which is in the VERY south of China. I suggest you look up where it is because it was a really beautiful place. It was a bit like Cuba to me. White sandy beaches, very warm water you could float in for hours, and lots of Russians walking around. Apparently if you are Russian you can come to China without a Visa as long as you leave within 14 days. Adam and I stayed in a hostel a couple minutes from the beach. We were there for 4 nights and three days. Spent two days at the beach and one very long day traveling to Monkey Island. Advertised as a nature reserve you could hike with 2000 wild monkeys running around we were determined to get there, even if the meant our own Steve Martin/John Candy remake of Planes, Trains and Automobiles. So we got on a bus near our hostel and took it to the train station. Then the three of us, a russian girl staying at the hostel tagged along with us, hopped on a train and went out to the small city where monkey island is located. From The train station we took a rickshaw (or is it tuktuk, still not sure of the difference) to the park. Once there we were told we needed to take a gondola ride across the water and over the mountains to get to the entrance. Once we arrived I realized we had been hoodwinked. It was a small touristy place where we could see some wild monkeys and others that were caged up or had been 'trained' to perform tricks. While it was nice to see the wild monkeys play in the trees, it was worse to see the animals being mistreated. Kind of soured my idea of Zoo's for a while. By this time we were all dehydrated as it was about 35 outside without a cloud in sight so we took the gondola back across, got into a motocylce with a supped up side car that took us to a bus. The bus then took us back to the train station, where we grabbed a bus back to hostel. So, Bus to Train to Rickshaw to Gondola to Gondola to Motocylce with sidecar to Bus to Train to Bus, was a long day. Overall Sanya was a great time with lots of stories, a good place to relax if you are ever in China.
After that we went to Guilin which is known for its limestone karst's that surround it. Was quite beautiful but a very touristy city. By this point Chinese National Holiday had kicked in which meant about 300 million Chinese were traveling within the country, aka there are even more people than normal which is crazy. Our hostel was right near the main area which allowed Adam and I to go exploring with ease. After a day in Guilin we were joined by two friends of mine from Halifax who are also teaching in China for the first time, Matt and Neila. The four of us set off for a boat tour the next day of the Li River. Advertised as a bamboo raft tour that would allow us to serenly see the beauty of the area. In reality it was sitting on a boat made of pvc pipes and a loud annoying motor taking us down the river. The scenery was amazing but was overshadowed by the other 50 boats doing the same thing. We also were not told that the bus that took us there would not take us back to Guilin but to another city Yangshuo south of Guilin. We were interested in seeing a new city so we wandered among the city for a while until 6 pm hit and we are having beers on a rooftop patio (like 8 floors up with no elevator) and realized we needed somewhere to sleep. We were able to find a room in a hostel that clearly used to be a massage parlour, not the best spot but would do in a pinch. Was a good decision as the night market was amazing, if a little packed, and I am sure I am now in about 100 families vacation photos. The next day we headed back to Guilin by bust at night after taking the day to explore the outside of the city. The four of us rented e-bikes and drove around the country side for the day seeing a bunch of small villages and the area. Do not worry, I was too scared to drive one of them and just rode shotgun with Adam. Once we realized we were out of water and the e-bike was running low on battery we headed back to town got a bus and took the 2 hour ride back to Guilin. Was really good to see some familiar faces in China and know they are going through the same things I am. Was a nice break but man was coming back to work hard.
Last couple weeks since vacation have been tough but productive. I find my lesson planning is getting better and I need to spend less time coming up with ideas. Highlight of the week is buying a slow cooker and making pulled beef yesterday. It can be hard to find any beef at the grocery story but at the costco-like store we go to once a week big roasts were on sale for cheap so I treated myself. I also treated myself to buying a bottle of maple syrup for those times I really miss home.
Our school has started up a hockey league with the kids. It is very basic with plastic sticks, nets created out of outlining a net with rope through a fence and foam balls, but it is fun. The students love it and it is nice to seem good at hockey for once in my life. I have also joined up with another teacher to play ultimate frisbee with the students. Had our first practice today and they are pretty good, though the technical skills and rules need to be enforced a bit more. Have also started playing basketball informally with some of my students. Wanted to build a report with them before giving them back their tests which some people did not do so well on. Have gotten a couple other teachers to join in.
Life is going by and it is fun over here. I am enjoying working with the students, getting to bond more with my teachers and I am finding life a little less hectic than when I first showed up and a bit more relaxing. This weekend we are planning a big boardgame night and I have a pile of marking to do.
Having started doing some more exercise , partly because I can not keep up with the students on the basketball court and partly because I hear my father asking about my personal health quadrant (dont worry dad, my quadrants are all good!).
Was hard to miss thanksgiving but instead a group of us went out for barbecued lamb, may have been the best lamb i have ever had in my life. Was a little different than eating lamb at home as the carcass itself was hanging outside the bbq joint. Well the whole thing was outside but basically for 15 dollars had more lamb than I could eat along with drinks and barbecued eggplant.
Guess that should get everyone caught up on my life in china. I will try not to let another pass by before I write my next one.
The China Kid
Monday, September 14, 2015
The Beauty of China
If you think of China, what comes to mind? For some it may be small people with funny hats on tilling a rice patty. For others it may the seemingly unending Great Wall or maybe the famous skyline of Shanghai. The great mountain ranges or even a spicy dish from Schezwan province could pop into your mind. These are all great ideas of China and would be enticing for anyone to come visit the country.
Then you get to China. The beauty of China is the little details that this blog will surely fail to convey that make daily life here a complete adventure for a foreigner like me. Lets just try to describe an average day for myself. This usually involves waking up around 6:30am. Shower, eat breakfast, brush my teeth, get dressed and out the door by 7. Seem's like a normal thing right, except for the gas powered stove is so strong you can crisp bacon in about 10 seconds and my ability to cook eggs has me scraping the pan most days. Brushing the teeth is a normal routine, until you remember you can not swallow the water unless you want to catch up on your bathroom reading for the next couple days. I am not even sure what brushing with the water is doing to my body, hopefully no long term consequences.
Take the elevator down from the eigth floor. Good days are when it is just me and one or two other people and I can laugh to myself at the size difference, prominatly displayed because of the mirron on the elevator doors. Bad days are when I share it with one person and an e-bike. They do not walk it in, they drive the damn thing in and give me a dirty look for taking up too much space.
The walk to school involves a couple stares from people, which I generally do not notice as I am trying to see what the ten to fifteen 65+ year ladies are doing. Every day some form of what I can only assume is Thai Chi, sometimes with swords, sometimes with swords and sometimes with something that is half sword half whip.
By now I am a block from my apartment. The walk to school is uneventful except for crossing intersetions as no one really uses the cross walks and since I want to fit in why should I. Add the fact that constructions blocks most drivers view of left hand turns and that the motorbikes and e-bikes dont really follow any rules at all. They never hit me but I get a nice breeze by how close they pass me.
I would say the real adventure is of the nose. Each day I get new smells, some bad some worse as I go by. I have realized that no smell at all to me is a good smell. I feel like a dog with his head out the window, though the dog probably has a less confused face then I do trying to discern what I am smelling and how near it is to me.
At school I get a greeting from the security guards, who are friendly everyday. My classroom is mine own so as soon as I show up I flip on the AC and try and cool the room down. I now have a reputation as having the second coldest classroom behind only my principal. Studends have learned to bring a sweater or coat. Either that or they find someone else in the classroom who likes the 'cold'. Cold obviously means a room of 18 degrees. I wonder what they are going to do in winter.
Classes are usually pretty eventufl as it is a crapshoot to what words the students know and what they dont know. Colony, Royal, Convert, Proclaim. Can you geuss which 2 words they knew and which 2 they didnt. Luckily, I have really nice students and I enjoy teaching them. I have been making an effort to get them to be argumentative every class and look at both sides of an argument. Basically just trying to get them to become permanent Devils Advocates.
Lunch is great here. If I do not have class before lunch I try to get to the cafeteria a little early to beat the torrent of students who literally run to get in line for food. Generally lunch is rice (1 Yuan) some sort of meat dish (4.5 Yuan), veggie dish (3 Yuan dish) and then some adventure dish (4 Yuan) which is usually around 12 Yuan, so about 2-3 dollars canadian. I so far have been happy with it and say it tops any chinese food I have had back home. I eat outside on a second floor balcony in comfy wicker seats with the 4-6 other teachers who eat lunch there. The others will eat on the top floor where only the teachers eat, I find the food there worse. Lots of bones in the food and I generally have no idea what I am eating. Granted i never REALLY know what I am eating but I have higher faith in the second floor cafeteria. I basically walk up and down past tons of dishes and just point at what I want and the servers put it on my plate.
As I waddle away from lunch, I have never been good at eating small portions, I return to my icebox of a classroom and prep for the afternoon. The afternoon classes usually fly for me and the nature of my class schedule has me teaching 2 different lessons as one class is always ahead. I only see each class 4 times a week for 90 minutes each time so by the time thursday comes I have seen one class 4 times and the other 2 3 times and finally get caught up with them friday. I would not say I am overburdened with school. I mean on Wednesday and Friday I do not have my first class till 12:40, so nice days to get a little extra sleep.
When the final bell comes at 4:05 (we start at about 8am) I stay for an hour or two to get ready for the next day, talk to students, gather the energy to walk home or do some prep for the week. Dinner will either be cooked at home but recently have seen me checking out local spots. Went to a Muslim noodle place last week, a favourite of mine in Dalian. Basically a restaurant run by muslims (identifiable by Arabic writing on the signs) that are always good and cheap and tend to be cleaner than most places. Last night I had a Taiwanese version of curry, was pretty good. Also went to a classier restraunt where a colleague and I feasted on egg plant, fried beef and green onion, 15 dumplings, shredded pork and lettuce with noodles, garlic broccoli and watermelon (Watermelon is freaking everywhere here, kind of like corn at the end of august). So overall I am eating as much as when I was a 16 year old. Luckily I feel I am still sweating out more each day so maybe can fight off the buddha belly.
Night usually finds me fighting with my VPN to get working, trying to figure out if I want to clean the apartment or if I can deal with another night and leaving the laundry hanging up around my apartment. Since I dont have a drying rack, my underwear has become fashionable decorations. My apartment is surrounded by huge buildings that all have LED lights on them and every night put on a show. Usually something similar to if a doctor designed something to purposely prove someone had epilepsy by forcing them to seizure to it. For those interested you can look up Nanchang Light Show in youtube for a taste of what I mean. When the lights stop at 11 that usually means it is time for bed and get ready to start it all over again.
So e-bikes in the elevator, playing whats that smell and a human game of frogger at the same time on the way to school, guessing what English words I will teach today, figuring out what meat I am eating and what part of that animal it is, finding a place to eat with pictures or playing roulette with my meal and a constant barrage of epliepcit lights to put me to sleep, that is the real beauty of China.
I wonder what those elderly ladies will be doing tomorrow....
Monday, September 7, 2015
Nice and Settled In
Well I have been here for about a week and starting to feel at home. I have been basing my comfort level based on how boldly I cross the streets here. While there are lights to indicate when cars and buses can cross an intersection, the tuktuks, motor cycles, ebikes, bicycles, and numerous pedestrians all seemed to march to their own beat. So I just join in now. I find the cars will get extremely close but not actually hit you. Definitely make sure you look both ways though.
The last week surely has been a unique experience. The fact that my fellow teachers are extremely nice and willing to help out has been a huge help. Been out for a couple nice meals and what we affectionately call "hole in the wall" joints. A place where for 5 bucks a friend and I got a meal and a drink, all the while the cooks child slept under the table next to us (their were only 3 tables in the joint). We have found a ton more similar joints but yet to try them out. Took an elevator ride down with a guy on a motorcycle, had some more late night BBQ (seriously the best part about china, will probably get a blog going just on this), accidentally tried frog and chicken neck (two seperate dishes and both completely gross). So ya, getting some good 'cultural' experiences in.
School is progressing well. The students are full of energy and questions. I never have any issues with disrespect or classroom management issues, usually just trying to control the energy. I had one student come and ask me about the War of 1812 which through me for a loop as I have no idea how he heard about it.
Still getting tons of stares walking down the street, usually it is the old woman who are most vocal about yelling what I have found out translates to "ha, what a tall foreigner".
So my two stove elements are gas powered and extremely powerful. First couple meals I cooked were so burnt even my dad would not have had them. I am making progress with them, was able to to cook myself scrambled eggs without burning them this morning. Now, it is possible they were not fully cooked as I was so worried about burning them but I will take the small victory. Realized my favorite home cooked meal is frying up onion, potato, green pepper and bok choy with instant noodles.
Figured out the laundry machine, not sure how clean the clothes got but they were wet at the end (again the small victories).
Thats all for now, will update as more stories arise. This country is still blowing me away with how unique it is, and it will surely create more stories.
The last week surely has been a unique experience. The fact that my fellow teachers are extremely nice and willing to help out has been a huge help. Been out for a couple nice meals and what we affectionately call "hole in the wall" joints. A place where for 5 bucks a friend and I got a meal and a drink, all the while the cooks child slept under the table next to us (their were only 3 tables in the joint). We have found a ton more similar joints but yet to try them out. Took an elevator ride down with a guy on a motorcycle, had some more late night BBQ (seriously the best part about china, will probably get a blog going just on this), accidentally tried frog and chicken neck (two seperate dishes and both completely gross). So ya, getting some good 'cultural' experiences in.
School is progressing well. The students are full of energy and questions. I never have any issues with disrespect or classroom management issues, usually just trying to control the energy. I had one student come and ask me about the War of 1812 which through me for a loop as I have no idea how he heard about it.
Still getting tons of stares walking down the street, usually it is the old woman who are most vocal about yelling what I have found out translates to "ha, what a tall foreigner".
So my two stove elements are gas powered and extremely powerful. First couple meals I cooked were so burnt even my dad would not have had them. I am making progress with them, was able to to cook myself scrambled eggs without burning them this morning. Now, it is possible they were not fully cooked as I was so worried about burning them but I will take the small victory. Realized my favorite home cooked meal is frying up onion, potato, green pepper and bok choy with instant noodles.
Figured out the laundry machine, not sure how clean the clothes got but they were wet at the end (again the small victories).
Thats all for now, will update as more stories arise. This country is still blowing me away with how unique it is, and it will surely create more stories.
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