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

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

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

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....

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.

I'M BACK!!!

So back in China, this time for the long haul. While I was quite aware that this was coming I got so caught up in the summer that it became almost a myth to myself that I would be back here. Thankfully, a 14 hour flight with China Eastern Airlines sitting in the middle seat gave me lots of time to contemplate my future as there was no way I was getting any sleep on that plane. 4 movies, 150 pages of a book, several bad meals and I was in China. This time I was not as wide eyed going through the Shanghai airport so I went through customs/security pretty quick and quickly settled in for a 2 hour ( well would turn into 3 hour) layover before flying to Nanchang. This time I somehow got some sleep even though I clearly did not fit in my seat. It would be like seeing me trying to sit in one of those swings at parks made specifically for babies with the cross beams for their legs. I am pretty sure the flight attendant laughed at me. The good news was that their was someone who works for the school there to pick me up from the airport and drive me to my apartment.

My apartment is good considering it is being covered by the school. It is small but everything is over here, basically the antithesis to what I imagine Texas would be like. I have a living area with couch/tv/coffee table, a kitchen that is about the size of an outhouse (I can already anticipate that when I come back to Canada I will want everything I eat to be roasted as I only have two gas elements so my diet will entirely be the result of frying, boiling or steaming), a bed room with a double bed and a decent view of downtown Nanchang, and a bathroom that has a very nice shower. So for those that browsed my previous blogs, this is a big upgrade in my mind. The square footage is not huge but the quality is there. There are some minor issues with things not working but the school administration has people coming by all week to fix things. Once the second AC unit is working I will be able to turn this place into an ice palace as it is about 35 outside with humidity so bad I sweat as soon as I am outside.

The school I will be teaching at seems great. I have my own classroom that was just re-done and has all sorts of new technology to teach with. We have only 20 teachers so it will be a tight community.

Today already had my first adventure as some of the teachers and I went out for Thai for lunch after our orientation today. Most of the teachers have e-bikes so I hoped on the back of one of them. Luckily she knew what she was doing so this was not like my last experience with bikes in Xi'an. Though she was a bit of a crazy driver, and this comparing her to the other chinese drivers.

But that is about it for now. Classes start tomorrow so I am going to head to the school and get everything set up and check out my classroom a bit.

Looks like it is going to be a good year.

Overall Impressions on Shanghai

I do now know if i have ever been to a city with so much to see. After a more relaxing week in SK I was ready to go full blown tourist for my last week. It was me VS Shanghai, and Shanghai definitely one.  By my last day I was worn down and decided to simply go to a park in the north east end of the city. Seems pretty simple right? Well in doing so I saw a huge soccer stadium, a theme park, a set of statues of the literary figures of history (Dickens, Tolstoy ect), a “mountain” (more like a hill) with locals playing in a 5 piece brass band, an outdoor work-out area for elderly people (see if you can find pictures of it because it is hard to believe until you see it) and a serious game of badminton.  All I wanted to do was go read my book there. In the end i was hot, tired, a little dehydrated and decided to call it quits and retire to my hostel to have some pizza (they had a great kitchen there) and watch some Band of Brothers.

Now it may seem lame that on my last night in the city I was simply sitting around the hostel but here is what i had done in the previous couple days. I went out and found the famous soup dumplings of Shanghai (dumpling but with some broth in them, so you need to poke the top and sip out the soup then eat them...all with chopsticks less you look like a chump), went to the Bund and spent a couple hours just looking at the sky line (as everyone walking by just looked at me, oh China I can see why Yao Ming is so popular here), took an underground tunnel to the other side of the Bund which was like a scene from the Twilight Zone, went to the Shanghai Aquarium which was massive and had the worlds longest underwater tunnel (that I was in when it was time to feed the sharks...ask me for the video), went to the Jade Buddhist temple, went to the Shanghai Sculpture Park, which led me to the museum of natural history (everything was covered from the Big Bang with the current issue of overpopulation...i spent 4 hours here and feel I only saw about 30% of it), went to the underground market where you can get everything for super cheap so orders can be put in for next year as I will probably pop back to shanghai just for this place, went to the French concession area which makes you feel you are in Europe not China, went out to a bar called Fusion in which westerns get let in for free just so locals can watch us drink, had street meat and beer outside my hostel (may be my favorite thing about China is the late night grub), went to the YuYan gardens which is just a big shopping area in a historical site and people are really pushy, went to Zhongshan park and walked around the English styled area and saw some sweet TaiChi, went to LoXun Park and saw everything described in the first paragraph, went to a bar in an old bomb shelter, experienced the Shangai Metro at rush hour, got lost a billion times and found myself again a billion times.....well you get the point. I did a lot of stuff. And still feel I need to come back and explore the city more.

For anyone interested in traveling in China....DO IT. It is fairly simple to travel here as everywhere has English translations right underneath the Chinese ones. Just like going through airports in Canada, except instead of French there is Chinese. The people here are super nice. Here is a story to back it up. Today I took the metro in Shanghai to the train station where I grabbed my high speed train to Beijing. At one point I noticed I was getting close to my stop and only had two more infront of me. As I was musing this to myself everyone got off the train and I mean everyone. One man had been saying to me to get off and get next one. I told him i wanted to train station and not the airport station which was where we were. He had a basic grasp of English and wanted to help but he also knew if he stayed on the train he was screwed. As the doors closed an employee of the metro train got on and realized I was still on the train. Essentially I had to get off that train and switch to a different train that took us to the Train Station and a different airport station. I did not know this and I have no idea where i would have ended up. So this man who works for the metro station speaks better English and is able to explain this to me...great but the train doors are still locked. So he essentially tells someone over the radio he is letting me out the drivers door. So he opens up the rear door for me and lets me out. The first man who tried to help tells me he is going to the train station to and basically follow him. If it had not been for those two men I would have probably had a long and expensive  day of rebooking my train ticket.

So ya, come to China. I can say my experience the last 43 odd days have certainly been a good time and great learning experience. Traveling Euorpe is fun and all, but traveling China gives you a sense of accomplishment. Plus the two hostels I have stayed at have kicked ass. Shanghai Rock and Wood Youth Hostel and Beijing Peking Youth Hostel....remember those names if you are going through China.

Next post will be from Canada.

First Impressions on Shanghai (Written on June 7)

So here i sit in Shanghai. Writing this blog sitting at a 15 foot wood table, that appears to be all one large piece of wood. The people around me all seem to be in good spirits, some appear getting ready to go out for the night. My travel day was long and the previous nights excursions out did not help my situation.  I had to walk to the train station from Tim’s, catch the subway to one station and transfer to another one that took me to the Incheon international airport outside of Seoul. Getting through the airport was easy. Upon arriving in Shanghai I took the Maglev train from the airport to a train station. It is a magnetic train and seems to be the way of the future. We were able to get up to around 300 km/h, which is impressive. I can only image being able to take the train from Toronto to Halifax or to Montreal with these, would surely help. Getting from the train station to my specific line was a bit of a hassle  but with the help of some local I was able to get my ticket and get on the right train. The instructions but online by my hostel were spot on and got me t the hostel without any trouble.

I have only been in at this hostel for an hour but is legit. Anyone going to Shanghai should hit up Rock and Wood International Youth Hostel. The lobby is reminiscent of an upscale coffee shop. Just wanted to put a quick shout out for that. But be warned about the 8 am wake up call from the school next door.

I think the best thing about traveling is being helpless. I forgot what that is like when I lived in Halifax for 9 years. I became very comfortable and knew everything I needed to know. I was able to get around very easy and had a great support network. Traveling makes me helpless, not knowing the language, where to go, whats in the food, any of the cultural norms. It forces you to rely on the people around you, most of whom you can not verbally communicate with. It forces you to examine how you portray yourself to others and how they interact with you. I have found my experiences to be very positive. It is refreshing to get help from people and realize that a basic level everyone is good. Whether it is being offered a second bottle of water on the plane when the attendant watches me chug the first bottle as soon as he handed to me or getting help from some teenagers getting my subway ticket. Going to a restaurant and the cashier willing to come outside and see what picture it was that led me in. Being in Canada and being able to always communicate does not force you to rely on people. Sometimes relying on people is the best way to renew your faith in the people around you.

  

South Korea

Well, I am out of China. Saturday saw me flying from Dalian to South Korea to visit my good buddy Tim. Going through the airport was fairly easy for me considering the language barrier. Everything over here is written in english as well as Chinese. So yay for growing up in a country where english was my first language. There was a moment of panic as I walked to the kiosk to check in and no one was on the other side. I looked around and everyone else on that side of the airport seemed to be calm and just sitting. Thinking this could be some cultural thing I just took a seat. Slowly people started to walk up and leave their bags behind the queue line and then sat down, i soon followed suit. This was also the first time i had seen the concept of a line being followed. So with about 2 hours till the plane took off some attendants finally came out and checked us all through quickly.  Was able to catch a 40 minute nap on the plane once i sat down, before we had even taken off. Problem was, when I woke up we still had not gone anywhere. So what was supposed to be a 40 minute flight total last about 2 hours, most of which was spent waiting at the gate.

Upon arriving in SK, it was a fairly simple process of following the crowd of people and hoping that I had done my research right and did not need a VISA to enter SK. Luckily I did not. Tim greeted me on the other side of the luggage.

First night we went out and he introduced me to some of his buddies he has made here. Lots of Americans, not many Canadians. Though i was just happy to be able to understand the majority of the conversation around me. Tim lives in a very western styled area with lots of people from US, Canada, England.

My first morning here was amazing, waking up a hockey game. Due to the time difference I was able to catch the tail end of the Anaheim-Chicago game. And with the schedule for the cup final out, as long as it goes to game 6 or 7 i should be home in time to watch it.  Then went to a baseball game and a finally a friend of Tims had a little BBQ for people.

So after three weeks of Dalian I am back in travel mode. The three weeks turned out to be a great learning experience, both in how to deal with ELL students and how to remain professional in the face of criticism. It was bitter sweet to leave the group i had been with for a month, but great to see an old friend and a new country.  Really want to fill up my 10 year passport and now I have the travel bug even worse than before.

The week ahead has trips to the DMZ, 4D imax movies, triva nights, all you can eat Korean BBQ, NBA championship, museums, temples, reliable internet, maybe a soccer game and maybe a noraebang some night. So clearly I am gonna enjoy myself.

Babcock is a Leaf and I am a Teacher

Its 8:14 on Sunday night, I have one more week here to finish up my third placement. I have certainly faced some struggles adjusting, though some really good positives are coming out of it. Those who are doing this placement in the future will benefit from my struggles, which was the whole point of the trip.
This week is a short one as there are no classes on Thursday because it is a student sports day, and Wednesday is a half day because there is professional development presentation going on.
I am mostly done my planning for this week, just have to come up with an idea for a 40 min activity comparing the Ming and Qing dynasties.....any ideas?
I just put a lesson together on Zheng He, really interesting person. If you have a couple minutes check him out. Puts Christopher Columbus to shame.

This past weekend featured a few more new adventures. Friday night we ventured out to try a KTV. This is essentially kareoke, except you are in a private room and you buy a package based on how long you want to be there and how much beer you want. We opted for 2 hours with 24 beers for our group of 6. Lots of fun. One of the group cut their thumb pretty bad trying to open a beer, they have weird cap systems here. He has a tendency to pass out after seeing blood, so we had an incapacitated person with us all night. Made for a good laugh when 15 chinese girls came in and sang to us.

Saturday I did a big hike up Big Black Mountain (大黑山 Dàhēishān), which was amazing. Two teachers at Maple Leaf were going and invited me along. One of their local friends completed our group of 4. Really steep but gave me a great view of Dalian, Kaifaqu and Jinshitan. Put the whole place in perspective. Probably spent about 4 hours hiking around the different peaks of the mountain. Met lots of locals who were doing the same and once again became the subject of Chinese picture albums. After exhausting our inner mountain goats, we checked out a Buddhist temple and a Daoist temple that were on the mountain. We wussed out on the walk down and got a taxi. they only told me there was a road up after we had scrambles up the other side. I bought myself a new day bag for my time in South Korea and Shanghai. Very happy with it and all for the low cost of 90 yuan. 

Saturday night saw another excursion out on the town, which ended with countless matches of Foosball. I lost every one. Then proceeded to lose about 8 matches of connect four. The bartender of the pub we visited played our whole group and collectively won about 20 to 2 over us. 

Today (Sunday) I did some planning in the morning, did a big walk around the beach, and just finished another marathon planning lesson. The upside is that I have the best internet connection I have had since I was in China so I was able to utilize the internet to help.  The restaurant/cafe I am in is empty except for our group of teachers. 

As I look ahead to the upcoming week, I am staying positive about it amid some struggles and frustrations. There are three things that will help me with it. 1. Knowing I am going to see a good buddy of mine, Tim, I have not seen in a while and have him show me his digs in South Korea. 2. The group I am with from lakehead. They are an awesome bunch and have absolutely contributed to my enjoyment of this week. 3. The fact that I got an email from OCT confirming I am a certified teacher in Ontario.

I am gonna take some time and reflect on that last point. About this point last year I was waiting to hear back from various school. It was time to take some direction into life and build towards something. I am completely and utterly happy with everything that has happened this year. It was a big year for me and I still have lots more to accomplish. Next year will be even better as I transition into teaching. Thanks to those that constantly push me to grow and move on to better things. I am aware of my stubbornness and know I can be difficult, but hey I am a Berg. 

I have heard nothing but good things about the city I am moving to (Nanchang). If anyone is interested here is a website to look at cost of living (http://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/nanchang?currency=CAD). Dinner at an Italian restaurant with wine and dessert...$39. Not bad. 

Oh and Babcock to Leafs. Called it.  Now all we need to do is move Kessel for a high draft pick and prospects, try and move Lupul for a solid D to help even the burden and resign Bernier to 4 year 4 million contract and I am happy with the offseason. Should I put my name in for the hunt for a GM?

Guess if I am talking about hockey I have run out of other things to talk about. 

Next post will probably be from South Korea.

Dad- changed idea for dinner when I am home. Want to go back to the place we went before I left. Nachos have been on my mind. Again, I am clearly a Berg.

Dandong- AKA Great Wall Part 2

I believe I left the last post on my way out for some celebration beers with the end of the first week and the realization that I had pasted teachers college. 

The night was a blast. Took a taxi into town as we squished five us into the cab, once again being the tallest helped out as I was given the front. The bar the other teachers had talked up was very basic, clearly a lack of other options has propped it up. The best part of the night was by far the late night snacks. Just amazing selection of street eats, all barbecued up right in front of you. Really puts everything else to shame. Except maybe pizza corner, that is hard to beat.

The next day was a great day. Went to the local saturday market where I was happy wondering around checking out prices on everything from strawberries to cooking wear to clothes to pretty much everything. The best part by far was buying a blouse for Justin. So some background information is needed. We have a game going called "What are the Odds". Essentially as a way to spice up our trip, if you come up with an idea that seems a little ridiculous, you can ask the person what are the odds they will do it and they respond between 1 and 100. If you choose 100 then you obviously dont want to do it. You then count to three and the person who asked and the person who was asked say a number between 1 and 100 at the same time and if they line up they have to do it. So after that complex introduction, Justin had to wear a very colorful blouse that was quite tight on him for the whole day. As we watched him wear it there was a good amount of laughter at him. The best was when another male, a local, bought the shirt and started strutting around it, clearly a fashion statement. 

From the market we had breakfast at Stans, this guy is a beauty. Walking in he just casually mentions "So they are going to execute the boston marathon bomber". Clearly he is starved for conversation with North Americans. So that was great.

Went to the beach after which was the site of the Beijing Olympics Volleyball tournament. I can understand why as it was beautiful with great panoramic view. Lay on the beach and played some frisbee. Nice relaxing couple hours. From the beach went back to my office on campus (beach is a 15 min walk).

The next day we (our group of 6 plus Jan {coordinator of whole trip} and Bill, another education student going through the program in Edmonton who is from china aka our unpaid translator) squish into 2 cars and head to Dandong. Those who wish can look up the location, I suggest you do to get a sense of the adventure we felt on the way there. When we arrive we walk around the pier and then go to lunch at a traditional North Korean restaurant (seriously, look up Dandong before continuing to read) . Here we waited about two hours for sushi, have not idea how it takes so long, During this time we had two Korean girls sing to us (a weird Korean Karaoke thing) and invite me and Justin up to dance. At the end I was given flowers to present to the dancers, so I may be married now.

After this we went to another section of the great wall. It was not nearly as big a climb to the top as our previous excursion, but I was huffing and puffing as I reached the top. Only to be passed by a 70 year old man with 48 bottles of water on his back. This guys stamina was crazy. The view from the top was amazing. China on one side and North Korea on the other. I am still not sure how I feel being able to cast my gaze on a country ruled by a dictator with the possibility to launch the world into a nuclear war. Clearly me writing this blog means I am safe after getting so close, but I was definitely nervous there.

After the great wall we went and looked at some statutes about the Korean war then jammed backed into the car and drove back to Jinshitan for some much needed sleep for the next day.

I am gonna sign off for now. More to come. 

Here are some photos from earlier on in the trip. 

In order, me at the Ming Dynasty Tombs, Me before hiking great wall part, me on the great wall with members of my group, me about to enter forbidden city, great food, me facing off with a terra cotta warrior and the terra cotta warriors.

A Giant Abroad

Having a good internet connection I wanted to take the opportunity to post some photos. I think everyone will get a kick out of these

Life in Jinshitan

It is a beautiful Friday afternoon here in Jinshitan and I am at the office. Last one here, all the other teachers have gone home.
Today i supervised a three hour exam and spent the majority of time daydreaming of Halifax in the summer. Good thoughts there.

The second half of the day was not such good thoughts. If I was strong enough to pull my hair out I would probably be bald right now. Thankfully I have seen photos of my father with no hair to know that I would still be not half bad looking.


As for the living situation here, it is mixed. We asked for cheap apartments and we got them. I am still waiting on getting a hot plate or any form of cooking ability, which I have serious doubts about obtaining at all. Luckily  there are dozens of restaurants right beside the school that serve up cheap food for about $3-5 Canadian or 15-20 yuan. The issue is that you have to get your order in before the students. Since the whole high school has the same lunch (I do not know why they don't stagger it) you are in competition with all the students to get a seat. Considering that for most this is their only opportunity to get away from the school, it is like a big deal to go out for lunch.

I have finally figured out how the washing machine works and how the hot water heater works in my bathroom. There is only one plug for both so laundry is done at the beginning of the day to ensure the hot water tank has enough time to heat up for showers the next day. There were a couple times I was using a bucket shower technique I learned in India to wash. Cold showers and teaching just do not work.

My apartment is right by the other teachers in my group and we have all become quite co-dependent. Going out for dinner together and even going to the coffee shops for wifi together. A welcome addition is Bill , not sure if i mentioned him before, who went to Maple Leaf School and is doing his education degree in Edmonton. Having someone who knows the area and the language has helped allot. I will not be so lucky next year in Nanchang. Which is apparently a really nice city which is quite developed, so that is good.

Tonight we are all going into Kai Fa Qu by train to have some drinks. It has been a stressful week and I am looking forward to unwinding to some nice warm 3% beer as I listen to bad Chinese club music. I say warm because my colleague in the office tell me that most places use a fridge to hold beer, they just dont plug it in.

Tonight is also a celebration as I checked my email and got confirmation that I graduated from Lakehead. I also got First Class Standing which means I graduated with an A average. Considering I never checked my marks from first semester or during second semester I am pretty happy with it. Also helps if I want to go back and do a Masters of Education, something I am not considering and focusing on off-shore school districts. Anyone (aka Parents who need further confirmation) can check the following link for my name https://www.lakeheadu.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/96/2015/Final%20Senate%20List.pdf

As I am still the only one in the office and it is still sunny here I am gonna take off, catch a nap before going out and be happy that I am in a foreign country and grew up with a high standard of education.

Food and other thoughts

The food in China.

I am not sure how to adequately describe it compared to what the North American conception of Chinese food. The only thing I can say it that it is simply a hell of a lot better. It is all still cooked in oil, peanut oil to be specific, but it does not have all the starch and gluttonous aspect you get from places like The Mandarin. There is a whole lot more spice and a liberal use of garlic. Most dishes usually are a combination of hot peppers, either pork or beef, and some veggies. Cauliflower/broccoli, eggplant, potatoes and green beans seem to be the big veggies here.  Of course I am referring to the more traditional restraints that are serving this. If you are walking the street you will see a host of other types of food being served. It is like there are a thousand chip wagons, with each one selling something different. Some are called Hot Pots, where there is a variety of veggies, meats and spices and you pick and choose like at SubWay. All of this is thrown into a pot and boiled up and served for you.  Other places have either pork or beef on a stick and fried up. You really can find almost anything on the street.

However, if you end up in China and are not the adventurous type (do not know why you are in China then) there is a few restaurants you may recognize. McDonalds, Dairy Queen, Burger King, Starbucks, KFC, Pizza Hut are all pretty frequent around here. It appears that China opened up in the last 5 years and these were the first to jump in. The food seems to be very similar and just as popular as in North America, with similar prices.

Generally things that are hard to find are dairy items. Cheese is in short supply and hardly available. Bread is hardly used. The idea of breakfast is also kind of foreign.  

One of the things I am liking about blogging is the randomness I am allowing myself.  So I am going to take this time to advertise China. I feel it is about to be the next place to travel. All of the airports and train stations I have been too are very easy to navigate. Now I have only been to three airports and two train stations but the ease of which I moved through them was definitely greater than a Chinese person would have moving through a Canadian airport. Everything is simple and straightforward. My recent experience with China Southern Airlines is an example of this. The weight restrictions on planes are a little weird. On domestic flights we were allowed 20 kilograms per person. So most of us were overweight and since I was the last to check my bag I was overweight and faced the prospect of  having to take out items. However, I was told I did not need to check my bag and could take in on as carry on. Anyone who has seen my big red travel bag, especially when I pack it to capacity, will know it is way to big for carry one. Air Canada officials would have a heart attack if I tried to claim it as carry on. Yet in China it was carry on. Who knows how that works. 

Getting onto the plane I was certainly worried about the size of the plane and whether a 6’6 person would physically fit on the plane. The quality of the plane was far superior to anything Air Canada had to offer. Enough leg room that I was comfortable. They served food pretty quickly and even came around offering seconds. Oddly enough the food came with a spork, not chopsticks. Though it did seem i was transported back in time as the movie that was playing was on the screens that come down from the roof every 5 rows or so.

As it were I was sitting next to a student who went to Maple Leaf Schools. His level of English was good enough for basic conversation which gives me hope that the students in grade 11 will have a good command of English. I was glad he was next to me as he helped me understand that even with flight mode no cell phones were allowed. Also that they were offering seconds as he got it for me.

Landing in Dalian we were met by Karl and my thoughts on the welcoming committee were outlined before. So that is all for now. 

Impressions on Placement

 I am not sure what i was expecting but it was not this. Arriving in Dalian to start my three week placement, the group and i had high hopes. Those were quickly dashed upon arriving in our apartment. A stop at walmart to buy pillows/blankets/mattress covers showed us the “welcoming” part of welcoming committee was used liberally.

Upon arriving at our apartments our key would not work. It seems you can put it into the lock four different ways but only one way works. And to lock it your turn right but if you actually want to pull it open you go left. This is because it does not have a door handle, and why would it right? The lack of light in the hallway makes it clear that you are not supposed to enjoy walking into your building.

Once in the apartment it seems like a place a slumlord would try to rent to fresh faced university students unaware of what they are getting into. No wifi capabilities, so this blog was written on my laptop before being able to be posted online. There is a fridge, water cooler and microwave....but only one plug for all three. So some vital decisions to be made there. Though I should be happy that we actually have water in ours, some group members are not so lucky.

There are two beds here. One has a mattress that seems like it has been passed down from family generations past. The other does not. I mean it does not have a mattress. It is just a two inch box frame on top of wooden planks. Again how welcoming is that? After traveling and being in a new place all you want is a good nights sleep. Not to have to make your box spring up for a nice cold sleep. Cause there is no heat.

But hey at least we have a shower, that has a water heater that we needed to turn on. Meaning my roommate had one hell of a cold shower. I waited till the last second before showering in hopes of having a half decent shower. Which was not horrible. Though the lack of ventilation and a window in the bathroom makes me wonder about mold. Also lends itself to the bathroom not being the best smelling as everything here is heavy in spice and garlic, so the end result of it is not pleasant.

We do have a TV, with channels 1 and 0. Two channels and the TV looks like it is from 1995, when the school opened. There is a remote but no batteries. Again “welcoming” is a liberal term.

“Does this place even have a fucking garbage can” my roommate yells as I write this. And no, it doesn’t.

There is a kitchen, with some sort of gas grill. But the grill is upside down, filthy, and under the counter. Though perhaps they thought we liked upside down cake and just did not understand the concept. So no chance of cooking, though I can always ask our landlord Dragon, and hope he knows English.

I do need to also say that in this we are guinnea pigs and are suppossed to encounter issues so that future groups can not have the issues.

As I bash the physical sense of this welcoming committee I do have to applaud the human sense of it. We were met at the airport by the principal of the Foreign National School, Karl. That was nice and it was pleasant to have a bus to drive us back to the campus. We were taken out for a nice late dinner upon arrival that had a bunch of food pre set for us when we set up. The principal of the school covered that, though I assume it was charged back to the school.

On the second day we were given a walking tour of the surrounding areas of Jinshitan. (Jinshitan is the name of the ‘suburb’ on the outskirts of the city Dalian where the school is located) We were met at the boys gate (referring to the boys boarding campus gate) by Brandon, Britton, Karl, and Yvonne (all teachers or principals) and taken to Suzan’s pizza for breakfast. This is operated by a Canadian (Stan) and his Chinese wife and is the only place in town to offer authentic breakfast. Some scrambled eggs and pancakes with syrup plus unlimited coffee was a nice treat. Stan had been a teacher for around 40 years before opening up this restaurant. I would not be surprised if I end up there a couple times in the next three weeks. He gave us a bit of a spiel about the area and how it has developed.  During breakfast met Carm, a guy who had been mentioned to us numerous times by Jenna (roommate during Beijing/Xi’an) who had worked with him before. Type of guy that is quick to show you around.

After breakfast headed to a local market called Manjiatan Market. Here I bought a pillow and some laundry detergent (two more things I would have assumed the school would have provided). After dropping our goods off at our apartments (another 5 minutes to figure out the door) we went into Kai Fa Qu (middle spot between Jinshitan and Dalian). Kai Fa Qu is more cosmopolitan and developed. A place you go for food/drinks/shopping. The area has a heavy foreigner presence. Lots of Koreans, Russians (both because of proximity to Korea/Russia), Germans (there is a VW plant near) and Canadians (because of Maple Leaf) so it is a mix of things. This seems to be the place to go for drinks on a Friday night or if you want to find something specific. We walked around an outdoor food market. I had some fried up tofu that was good except the insides had turned soft (think the inside of a marshmallow after the outside had been crisped up). The rest of the group headed back to Jinshitan with Brandon while I wondered off with Carm and Britton. I needed a little break from the group after 8ish days together.

Went and had sushi. By now the whole vegetarian things has been derailed by the fact that most everything is cooked together and I generally have no idea what I am ordering. So dealing with sushi and being in a foreign country put me in an adventurous mood. Had salmon roe (i think that is fish eggs), crab cakes, some deep fried fish and durian rolls (durian is a fruit).  Good meal and surprised myself with liking some of the things. Who knows Jan, I may come back finally liking fish.

Toured around with Britton as he looked for various goods and had a good chat about the benefits of traveling abroad for the rest of the afternoon. When I got back to the apartment the group was nowhere to be seen. I decided to venture off on my own and went back to the market I was at today and grabbed some fruit. I feel I was ripped off but cant complain for about 10 bucks for a ton of grapes oranges and banana’s. I am clearly still thinking in Canadian terms as I feel I could have got it for half.

On the way back grabbed some chips and beer and now just finishing up this blog. Highlight of the day is definitely laundry. Had been a while for this one.

I am writing this on May 10 8pm China time. So I would like to take this time to wish a Happy Mothers Day to all of my mothers.  Happy Mothers Day Jan. Happy Mothers Day Mom. And a very special Happy Mothers Day to the newest mother Kate. Oh and I bought Tdawg a Chinese silk outfit so tell him he has to stop growing so it fits when I get back. 

Riding a Tandem Bike on a Xi'an

So clearly biking has never been my forte. It took years of public shaming to get me to do it. Who know how many countless hours were spent on teaching me a skill I was so quick to cast aside. Arriving in Xi'an yesterday after a 6 hour train ride I had to be up at 4:30am to catch, the group and I were pretty dead. Luckily Xi'an felt the same way as the whole area around the train station was made up of at least 30 building that were deserted. They had been created simply as a public works project. The thick smog and coal burning plants did not add to the allure.

After checking into the hotel here our first stop was to check out the city wall. It is hard to determine what is true and what is propaganda from our tour guide. He said the city wall was the longest and most fully restored historical fortification in the world. I was skeptical, as is my nature.

Saying it was 14km casually as we began to walk around it, seriously we did not want to walk that, we came upon a bike service. For 200 yuan as a deposit and 45 yuan you could rent a bike to go around. Knowing the group would take this decision I asked if anyone wanted to go on the two seater bike. My hope was someone more skilled would join me and I could hide my shameful lack of balance and co-ordination. Alyssa, one of the girls on the trip, decided to join me. As we set out with me in the front she told me she was not the best on bikes and had not ridden one in about 4 years. I cannot remember the last time i was on a bike. so between the two of us we had not ridden a bike in about 10 years.

I know I know, I should have been upfront about it. But here we are, two people biking on this historical fortification in a new city that has less then stellar brickwork to bike on. After some intial struggles with steering we got off well. We were lucky that it was late in the day and starting to rain meaning there was hardly anyone on the wall. The few times we did come upon people, I was quick to yell to get the F out of the way. They obliged, probably a little scared, but not nearly as scared as they should be.

It took us about 45 min-1 hour to get around the city. Between going up and down ramps, being passed by golf carts on steriods, quick turns and dealing with a constant rain we arrived safe and sound, both on a high of not hurting ourselves, anyone else or the bike. We clearly had the most fun of the group on this adventure and I chalk it up as a highlight of the trip.

Have done lots of great things but this stood out as worthy of mentioning.

Also of note-
I am a celebrity because of my height and get stopped at least 3 times a day for photos
I can eat confidently with chop sticks
Saw the Terra-Cotta Warriors, Tianamen Square, Forbidden City, a Kung-Fu Show, took a bullet train.
I am continuing to work on my album of me in large asian tour groups.

Have to run as we are going to a Tang Dynasty Show that features all you can eat dumplings. I am gonna do some damage there.

Tomorrow I take of for Dalian where I will be stationed for 3 weeks so should be able to get a more detailed blog down.

First Impressions

I truly had no idea what to expect of this country. While realizing people had been traveling here for years and the Olympics being hosted recently, I was still skeptical about how easy it would be for me to get around. While I have only seen a small portion of Beijing I can say it is very accessible to travelers. The airport was extrmely easy to navigate and walking around the city has been fairly easy as well. The use of enlgish style numbers really helps with getting food and drinks at the restraunts. But that is all kind of basic info, the real reason for this blog is the good stuff. The stories of my adventures.

The first night I got here, it was a taxi ride into the city to get to my hotel.  Road lines here seem to be more of a suggesstion than a rule. I would say we almost got in an accident about 40 times on the ride in. Luckily nothing happened and arrived safe and sound. Walked around the area and went out for dinner. Chopsticks were an issue. Being so hungry and failing completlty at being able to eat the food was frustrating. I do believe i will master this skill though. Ended up going out for some drinks on the first night and saw the market by our hotel. Wandered into a bar that had live music that was interesting. The band was playing soft rock in chinese but at one point played Hotel California which was cool.

Our first full day had no set itnerary.
Jenna(roommate) and I got up and walked around. Found a place selling fried dough so had that. Checked out a fruit market and got some healthy stuff for the day. Figured it offset the fried dough. Then went and she got starbucks, turns out it is everywhere. I opted for a strawberry smoothing from a chain here called "Its'Time". We wandered around the streets looking at all the different vendors. Found where my hostel is for when I come back to Beigjing which was nice. As we were walking back to the hotel I noticed a Spurs-Clippers game on at a bar. Ended up watching a cringe worthy lost while having fries and a beer listening to country. Gotta love Wiggly Jigglys
Went and met up with group after.
We walked to a famous market, whose name escapes me. I played Time Crisis at the arcade, bought a silk traditional shirt with a gold dragon on it, had some dumplings, got asked for a photograph because of my height, saw people eat live scorpions, got yelled at for haggling too much, bought a hat. That was about 2 hours of the day. Each and every experience so far has been amazing. I am loving the culture and how people interact. Very friendly and I feel very safe and welcome here. I will take this moment to say I am writing this quickly and will not be doing much spell check or editting, so apologies for that. Dad you can relax now. Time is money here.

After the market went and checked out a Buddhist temple called "Lama Temple" which had an assortment of pagoda style building with various stautes of Buddha, each having a separate purpose. There was one giant Buddha (think 6 stories hight and 3 meters around) that was supposedly from one piece of wood. I doubt it but my group said it was in the guiness book of world records so need to check on that.

After the Lama temple went and saw a temple for Confucius. I really enjoyed this one and the different lessons of Confucius. I am going to have to get some books on him for the summer reading.

The group was very tired by the end of the day as we walked back to the hotel. Spent an hour resting up and showering (declogged shower) before going out for dinner. I was able to push the group to eating at an Indian restaurant (I know, second night in China and I go for Indian). Amazing food and really cheap for it.

Couple drinks then bed. Remember "Dont eat yellow snow, especially while standing up in a canoe"

Today was another full day. Met tour guide (Rocky) at 8 and took a bus to Mind Dynasty Tombs. An underground tomb that was really interesting. Walked through a gate that took my soul, Rocky insisted when I left I went through the same one to get it back.

Took the bus to the great wall of china. Had lunch at restaurant underneath the wall. Best Chinese food of my life. Starting to get better at chopsiticks. Walked up to a cable car lift that took us up to the wall. You can see photos and here stories but being there put it all in perspective. I have been lucky to see many great things in my life, whether the Eiffel Tower, Pompei, Roman Collaseum, Taj Mahal, Empire State Building, and the experience I had today trumped them all. It may have helped that it was a beautiful day with clear blue skies (which happen about once a month here) but I was just so energized by the experience. Got a ton of great photos and just loved the whole thing. Seeing how far it extends and realizing it is built on top of a mountain just highlights it for me. Walked a good distance on it and climbed up about 8000 steps/stairs to get to a high point. Had to take a couple rests and by the time i got to the top i simply collapsed. I am pretty sure some other tourist took photos of me in my pathetic state. Bought a beautiful wall hanging that will be with me for a long time. The walk down saw me doing some bum shuffles to make sure my wobbly legs did not fall.

Oh, and I continued working on my album of me standing in large tour groups. I find it funny because I am so much taller than them. Trust me, there are some good photos here.

After the great wall, and I could go on for much longer but again time is money here, we went for a tea ceremony. Was sponsored by the state so was free. Really enjoyed learning about the tea and got a pee boy to let me know if the tea is hot enough. Dad- I think you will enjoy this guy.

So overall an amazing first couple days. I have loved everything so far and am thrilled I will have ten months to really get to know the culture. I look forward to the rest of my time. I would say it has been one of the most enjoyable travel experiences of my life.


Thats all for now. Got to run for dinner. Check back in a couple days.

Ready to Take Off

As I get ready for a month and half long trip to be follow by 10 months in China I have decided to start a blog.

I have no idea what to expect and except to expect anything. Going into a country of over a billion people will certainly be a change from the spaced out suburbs of Oakville. It is for this reason I am glad to have inherited Berg height as at least my head will always have personal space.

As opposed to a more normal travel routine, I will be doing a 3 weeks of tourism and 3 weeks of teaching in a Highschool in Dalian. I will be working with Maple Leaf Education Systems, teaching History and Comparative Civilizations.

I hope this gives me a more in depth appreciation of Chinese culture as I will be able to interact with students over the three weeks. I have found on past adventures that the more you can understand and appreciate another culture the more you will enjoy your trip. You also tend to get a sense of what you enjoy about your own culture and maybe some things you do not enjoy.

I have recently become aware that the concept of a 'line' is not followed in China. Waiting to get beer at a hockey game, or waiting to go to the bathroom at a hockey game, or waiting to get tickets for a hockey game (clearly missing the NHL playoffs are on my mind) there is always a somewhat orderly line. People understand you let those that arrived before you go first. In China, it seems that with a billion people this idea does not stand true. Apparently people just push to get to the front. For those aware of the story, I believe i may end up yelling "I am not in an excuse me mood, move or be pushed". Though that may just be the norm there. So that is but one aspect of comparing my culture to another.

This first ramble was more just to test out blogger and see if it all works.

More to come.