Orientation continues at a blindingly fast pace, and I have had little time to write. I still struggle with the balance between going out and experiencing versus documenting at my ideal amount. So far, I have almost unanimously gone out to gain experiences rather than staying the apartment to write.
Yesterday’s training joined forces with the rest of the people from the Marshall Program, who came to our campus for a few key sessions. After orientation ended for the day, we all loaded up onto a tour bus and headed down to Pudong for a banquet and a cruise. The location of the banquet was right below the Pearl Tower, which might be one of the most impressive feats of architecture I have seen in person.
Devon and I sat in the very front seat of the bus, where we had a clear view of the entire drive to Pudong. The view was amazing, as it was much higher than that of a taxi and I was able to get an even better appreciation for the infrastructure of this gigantic city. Toward the beginning of the drive, I pulled out my camera to take a picture of our metro station and found out that it was totally out of battery. I was pretty pissed, but then I remembered something that my mentor here at the school advised me when talking to me about getting along in China; control what you can control, let the rest roll off you. So, I quickly let it go, and just made sure some of the others were getting the pictures I wanted. Haha.
The banquet was pretty awesome. The food was great, and the beer just kept coming. We all shared twelve dishes or more. A few of my favorites were the scallops, the a beef dish, and a really tasty tofu. They served us a plate of 1,000 year old eggs, but I was not quite ready to try them, so I passed on that. I figure I have ten months. Can’t have all the food fun in the first few days . . .
After we stuffed ourselves to oblivion, we took a huge group picture, and then headed out to the dock to board the cruise that took us around the banks the Haungpu River. We saw the skyline of Pudong and the Bund. I really wish I had pictures to augment this post, because I still do not have the time to go into detailed description of what everything looks, sounds, smells like here in Shanghai. The views from the cruise might have been beyond the descriptive capacity of words anyway.
As a little challenge, the leaders of the orientation only reserved the bus to take us to the banquet. We were responsible to find our own ways back home. The group I was with decided after the cruise that we were not ready to call it a night, and that we might as well make use of the free transportation to downtown and go do some sightseeing. We were a little restricted because we didn’t have a map, a guidebook, or a phrase book, so we thought we would play it safe and attempt to go to People’s Square, which is the largest tourist attraction in Shanghai. We walked to the nearest metro station from the Pearl Tower, and then took line 1 to the People’s Square station.
Turns out that the specific exit you use when leave any metro station is very important, as it can change your direction and orientation drastically. Apparently we used the wrong exit because we could not, even after some serious searching, find People’s Square. So, instead, we ended up walking. And we just kept walking. The goal in mind was a bar, but we could find no such thing. We probably walked for at least twelve city blocks, or for about an hour or more. We stopped at a fruit stand finally and pieced together our best collective attempt at a question concerning direction. The woman working the stand said she didn’t know, but pointed us in a direction which we had no good reason not to follow.
We ended up in what must have been the Chinese equivalent of Chinatown, only for Japan. So, we ended up in Japantown, and saw a sign that said “CoffeePub” and considering our absolute lack of other options, decided to check it out. I was a little concerned by the fact that the windows were blocked with white drapes, and I was soon to find out how legitimate my concern was.
I think the formal phrase for the type of bar we ended up in is “Conversation bar” where patrons (mostly male) pay for company. Just like our first night out into the city, this experience also deserves a description of which I have not the time to give, but will be putting it on my list of stories to expand for later.
In a nutshell, we drank, the women talked to the men in the group, and we sang karaoke. The night ended up being a lot more expensive than we had originally anticipated having been quoted at 15 kuai a beer, but the entertainment of the awkward yet awesome situation was worth the difference between the price of my beer and the price I was actually asked to pay. I am not sure the last time I laughed so hard, and it only got funnier in the cab ride back.
We made it back to school by 12am, I was asleep by 12:30am, and then I was up by 5:45 when by boys in the dorms that face my bedroom window started their military drills.
I suppose I could spend a little bit of time describing the complicated schedule I posted yesterday. This semester I will be teaching four classes (two English, two History) which meet for a combined 17 hours a week. For my English classes, I will be teaching non-native students, meaning that English is not their primary or even, perhaps, their secondary language. Their skills may be quite good, however, because ESL is actually the lowest level of language proficiency here at the school, and I am about a step and a half above that.
One of my classes is a world history class, and spans from ancient to modern times using one of the thickest books I have ever seen. I teach this class at a 9th grade level. My second history class is what I am most excited about, as it is world history of the 20th century at 11th grade level, which is the highest level I teach and the subject closests to my degree in sociology.
As for my English classes, one is 9th grade and one is 10th grade. In the beginning, I didn’t really know what to think about my schedule, but one of the veteran teachers helped me pick out the positives. For example, I don’t have any classes Monday morning or Friday afternoon. This will allow me to get a lot of work done before the weekend, and then recover and re-organize appropriately after the weekend.
My classes are a little larger than I was expecting, each with over twenty students. In all, I have 90 students. I literally have no idea how I am going to learn their names, and distinguish their faces, but I know that all I can really do is take it one day at a time.
We have one more day of orientation left, and then we have the weekend to prepare ourselves for our first classes Monday. Sometimes, I think about getting up in front of the class for a little too long and get nervous, but I find if I really don’t think about it that much, or only think about it in limited ways, I have very little nervousness or concern. I need to spend the next few days arousing within myself the mentality of a teacher. It was not so long ago that I was a student, so it is a pretty big jump.
That is about it for now. I am hoping to have a relaxed weekend, but that is unlikely to happen. I would like to be able to write a few detailed documentations of some of my experiences here in Shanghai, so I will try and make some time for that in between all of my various teaching preparations.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Blue Sky
Finally, a moment of rest. I am sitting out on my balcony, and it is absolutely beautiful outside. The wind is blowing a soft, cooling breeze. The rains yesterday cleared out the haze of populated city living and the sky is crystal blue spotted with white clouds. The sun is beginning to set, both breaking the heat and providing a light that seems to envelope my being. It was a long and exciting night followed by a long and boring day, so these moments of peace are quite welcome.
After training ended yesterday, a group of us made the daily trip to TrustMart. I had an organized list (for the first time) and actually managed to get all that I needed. I purchased a glass to hold my set of chop sticks, a sheet set, a cutting board, a food basket, some wall hooks, a pillow, some hair gel and a hand towel. The sheet situation here is pretty confusing, and I guess that they have a nearly endless combination of possible bed measurements. I needed a sheet that was 200x180, which (after some dramatic hand gesturing) I found out they didn’t have. I got Devon to help me because she had successfully bought sheet as Ikea the other day. I wound up with 220x230, which was somehow both too short and too long. Lengthwise, it was too short and widthwise it was too long. The impossible becomes possible quite quickly here in China.
Another interesting thing about Trust-Mart is that in each section they have a worker who watches that section, and that section only. This has been documented in Tiffany’s blog with my difficulties in attempting to buy a hair dryer, and yesterday I had a similarly amusing experience trying to pick out hair gel. I found the isle, and started looking for brand themes that looked familiar. The woman in charge of the hair gel isle saw me looking, and decided to come over and tell me (in Mandarin) specifically which one I should get. I smiled and thanked her, but attempted to motion at another type that was more similar to the kind I left at home. She kept pointing to the other one, and then made me smell it. When I pointed to the one I wanted to buy, she pantomimed that it would make my hair too stiff. So, I figured, hey . . . this lady is the hair gel isle lady. She has to know a thing or two about the hair gel selection on this isle. I decided to trust her went with her suggestion (read insistence). Turns out, she knew what she was talking about because it calmed down my fizzed out hair, but didn’t make it heavy, oily, or stiff.
On the way back from TrustMart, Brian W. informed us that he and Chris had planned to go out to get drinks somewhere downtown at 7, and invited us to join. Devin, Devon, and I agreed, and we planned to meet at 7 to catch a cab and go downtown. By the time we finally left, the group included myself, Devon, Devin, Tiffany, Brian L, Brian W, Chris, and Josh. We caught two cabs right at the front gate of the school, and off we went.
The cab ride was an experience in itself. Devin is hilarious and made conversation with the cab driver without knowing any Chinese. They were laughing together in the front seat. It was pretty amazing, and quite amusing for the three of us in the back. Then the cab driver started playing Whitney Houston and trying to sing/hum to it.
In the cab, as we drove through the sprawling city, I began to realize even more significantly than I previously had the sheer girth of Shanghai. I feel like I could spend years here and never really get to know it.
I was extremely excited because the bar that Devon knew about was off Nanjing road, which is THE road in Shanghai. It’s a mixture of Rodeo Dr and M Street at the scale of New York City skyscrapers. Escada. Burburry. Emporio Armani. Omega. Cartier. The money on this street is outrageous. If you follow it all the way east, it takes you to the Bund, a major tourist destination in Shanghai. It took us a lot of wandering around, but we ended up ducking into a bar called Blue Sky.
It was a surreal experience. I am not sure what theme the bar was attempting, but it looked like a confused version of Americana mixed with a European hostel. We drank Tiger, my first time having that beer, and sat at these high round tables. Some real life “Shanghai Sleeze” were there too, which was both intriguing and disgusting to watch. We drank for about 45mins, and then decided to try and find this bar that Devin remembered from her previous China experience. She found it, in a new location from the last time she was there, right next to the Hagen-Daas on Nanjing. The vibe there was kind of strange as well, but the beer was really cheap (about 10-15 kuai). We drank and danced and talked. Around 11:30 we decided to head back to the street to grab a cab and go back to school, since we had an early day today. Devin, once again, provided cab ride antics in the front seat on the way back.
Today’s training was long and arduous, with a lot of information being thrown at us at one time. The principal of the school came and spoke to us, and there were some sessions on what to expect culturally and otherwise in the classroom. We ate lunch in the school cafeteria. A rather impressive notion is that I managed to eat ribs with chopsticks.
We were in training until 4ish, and then I came back to the apartment, sat on the balcony and started this blog post. I took a break and went with Josh to the Pizza Hut by TrustMart. Pizza Hut here is a fine dining experience. In fact, families dress up to eat at Pizza Hut. As such, we just went to the pickup/take out window, which was furnished like the concierge area at a five star hotel. Granite counters, waiting chairs, fashion magazines to read. They had a picture menu, which made ordering really easy. It wasn’t cheap, like 45 kuai for personal pizza, but it seems worth it for the occasional splurge, when you are looking for a taste of home. Josh and I brought out pizzas back and ate out on my balcony and watched the darkness take-over.
I really haven’t had too many problems with the food here, and have been able to eat just about everything given to me. I also really haven’t missed Western food too much. I particularly like the random breakfasts we are served at training. Today it was what looked to be a honey bun with a salted piece of ham on top. Not quite as charming or delicious as the leprosy cake, but a fun surprise to say the least.
I have noticed that most of my logs are just facts and figures about what I have been doing/eating/buying. I really want to make some of these posts more descriptive, even story-like. I think in the rush of arriving and training, time has been a factor. I realize that if I am going to write anything at all, I first have to go out and experience things, which also takes a great deal of time and energy. Catch-22. It is my hope to take a few instances/ events/ experiences and write them using great detail and description. For now, it seems that pictures will have to suffice. Perhaps at the end of each week, I will write a review of sorts of the week, putting a lot of focus into describing in detail the nuances of Shanghai life.
After training ended yesterday, a group of us made the daily trip to TrustMart. I had an organized list (for the first time) and actually managed to get all that I needed. I purchased a glass to hold my set of chop sticks, a sheet set, a cutting board, a food basket, some wall hooks, a pillow, some hair gel and a hand towel. The sheet situation here is pretty confusing, and I guess that they have a nearly endless combination of possible bed measurements. I needed a sheet that was 200x180, which (after some dramatic hand gesturing) I found out they didn’t have. I got Devon to help me because she had successfully bought sheet as Ikea the other day. I wound up with 220x230, which was somehow both too short and too long. Lengthwise, it was too short and widthwise it was too long. The impossible becomes possible quite quickly here in China.
Another interesting thing about Trust-Mart is that in each section they have a worker who watches that section, and that section only. This has been documented in Tiffany’s blog with my difficulties in attempting to buy a hair dryer, and yesterday I had a similarly amusing experience trying to pick out hair gel. I found the isle, and started looking for brand themes that looked familiar. The woman in charge of the hair gel isle saw me looking, and decided to come over and tell me (in Mandarin) specifically which one I should get. I smiled and thanked her, but attempted to motion at another type that was more similar to the kind I left at home. She kept pointing to the other one, and then made me smell it. When I pointed to the one I wanted to buy, she pantomimed that it would make my hair too stiff. So, I figured, hey . . . this lady is the hair gel isle lady. She has to know a thing or two about the hair gel selection on this isle. I decided to trust her went with her suggestion (read insistence). Turns out, she knew what she was talking about because it calmed down my fizzed out hair, but didn’t make it heavy, oily, or stiff.
On the way back from TrustMart, Brian W. informed us that he and Chris had planned to go out to get drinks somewhere downtown at 7, and invited us to join. Devin, Devon, and I agreed, and we planned to meet at 7 to catch a cab and go downtown. By the time we finally left, the group included myself, Devon, Devin, Tiffany, Brian L, Brian W, Chris, and Josh. We caught two cabs right at the front gate of the school, and off we went.
The cab ride was an experience in itself. Devin is hilarious and made conversation with the cab driver without knowing any Chinese. They were laughing together in the front seat. It was pretty amazing, and quite amusing for the three of us in the back. Then the cab driver started playing Whitney Houston and trying to sing/hum to it.
In the cab, as we drove through the sprawling city, I began to realize even more significantly than I previously had the sheer girth of Shanghai. I feel like I could spend years here and never really get to know it.
I was extremely excited because the bar that Devon knew about was off Nanjing road, which is THE road in Shanghai. It’s a mixture of Rodeo Dr and M Street at the scale of New York City skyscrapers. Escada. Burburry. Emporio Armani. Omega. Cartier. The money on this street is outrageous. If you follow it all the way east, it takes you to the Bund, a major tourist destination in Shanghai. It took us a lot of wandering around, but we ended up ducking into a bar called Blue Sky.
It was a surreal experience. I am not sure what theme the bar was attempting, but it looked like a confused version of Americana mixed with a European hostel. We drank Tiger, my first time having that beer, and sat at these high round tables. Some real life “Shanghai Sleeze” were there too, which was both intriguing and disgusting to watch. We drank for about 45mins, and then decided to try and find this bar that Devin remembered from her previous China experience. She found it, in a new location from the last time she was there, right next to the Hagen-Daas on Nanjing. The vibe there was kind of strange as well, but the beer was really cheap (about 10-15 kuai). We drank and danced and talked. Around 11:30 we decided to head back to the street to grab a cab and go back to school, since we had an early day today. Devin, once again, provided cab ride antics in the front seat on the way back.
Today’s training was long and arduous, with a lot of information being thrown at us at one time. The principal of the school came and spoke to us, and there were some sessions on what to expect culturally and otherwise in the classroom. We ate lunch in the school cafeteria. A rather impressive notion is that I managed to eat ribs with chopsticks.
We were in training until 4ish, and then I came back to the apartment, sat on the balcony and started this blog post. I took a break and went with Josh to the Pizza Hut by TrustMart. Pizza Hut here is a fine dining experience. In fact, families dress up to eat at Pizza Hut. As such, we just went to the pickup/take out window, which was furnished like the concierge area at a five star hotel. Granite counters, waiting chairs, fashion magazines to read. They had a picture menu, which made ordering really easy. It wasn’t cheap, like 45 kuai for personal pizza, but it seems worth it for the occasional splurge, when you are looking for a taste of home. Josh and I brought out pizzas back and ate out on my balcony and watched the darkness take-over.
I really haven’t had too many problems with the food here, and have been able to eat just about everything given to me. I also really haven’t missed Western food too much. I particularly like the random breakfasts we are served at training. Today it was what looked to be a honey bun with a salted piece of ham on top. Not quite as charming or delicious as the leprosy cake, but a fun surprise to say the least.
I have noticed that most of my logs are just facts and figures about what I have been doing/eating/buying. I really want to make some of these posts more descriptive, even story-like. I think in the rush of arriving and training, time has been a factor. I realize that if I am going to write anything at all, I first have to go out and experience things, which also takes a great deal of time and energy. Catch-22. It is my hope to take a few instances/ events/ experiences and write them using great detail and description. For now, it seems that pictures will have to suffice. Perhaps at the end of each week, I will write a review of sorts of the week, putting a lot of focus into describing in detail the nuances of Shanghai life.
Monday, August 25, 2008
First Night "Out"
Here are some blurry pictures from last night. The whole night ended up taking that theme. . . blurry. So, although the pictures are of quite diminished quality, I thought them to be quite appropriate. . .
Plenty of words to describe the night, but it really warrants a detailed description for which I do not currently have the time.
Plenty of words to describe the night, but it really warrants a detailed description for which I do not currently have the time.
Health Check or Close Encounters of the Chinese Kind
I just got back from the health check. That was a pretty crazy experience. We all filed into a classroom around 8:15, and waited for the doctors to arrive, but they got stuck in really bad traffic because of the rain. Luckily, the rain stopped completely right when it was time to leave the apartment, although it has just started back up again. Parts of the campus were totally flooded, and there was even water flowing out of some of the buildings. Helen described it as “a heavy rain” so I assume that it was a little more than just a normal rainstorm around here.
While we waited for the doctors, we got to fill out even more forms, and had to make more copies of our passport picture page and our visas. We were told we would need three of each, but it turns out that we needed ten. Who knew. With all of the delay, we didn’t get started until around 9:30, and I was starving. First, we had to take a picture (yes, they wanted more official photos of us) and then have a blood drawn. After that, we were herded onto a makeshift health lab on a bus. One station was an ultra-sound, and I am pretty sure they were checking my kidneys. They also did an EKG at that station. I could not stop laughing. The woman kept telling me “No move” and I just started laughing harder. The second station looked like it might be a mammogram machine, but it turns out that it was just a chest X-ray. The final station was vision and heart rate. Needless to say, my heart rate was a little higher than normal, but with my new glasses my vision was fine. By the time they were done poking and prodding, I was pretty glad to get off the bus. Upon exiting the bus, we were given warm milk and cake with what appeared to be leprosy for breakfast.
It really wasn't that bad. Well, the milk was pretty bad. . .
We go to lunch in about an hour, and then do some IT work later, where we get user names for the school system, and learn how to use the technology in the classroom and submit grades online. Hopefully, they will be able to help me get online as well. It has been hard not having internet, since it is the most convenient way to communicate with a mass of people about what is going on in my life.
While we waited for the doctors, we got to fill out even more forms, and had to make more copies of our passport picture page and our visas. We were told we would need three of each, but it turns out that we needed ten. Who knew. With all of the delay, we didn’t get started until around 9:30, and I was starving. First, we had to take a picture (yes, they wanted more official photos of us) and then have a blood drawn. After that, we were herded onto a makeshift health lab on a bus. One station was an ultra-sound, and I am pretty sure they were checking my kidneys. They also did an EKG at that station. I could not stop laughing. The woman kept telling me “No move” and I just started laughing harder. The second station looked like it might be a mammogram machine, but it turns out that it was just a chest X-ray. The final station was vision and heart rate. Needless to say, my heart rate was a little higher than normal, but with my new glasses my vision was fine. By the time they were done poking and prodding, I was pretty glad to get off the bus. Upon exiting the bus, we were given warm milk and cake with what appeared to be leprosy for breakfast.
It really wasn't that bad. Well, the milk was pretty bad. . .We go to lunch in about an hour, and then do some IT work later, where we get user names for the school system, and learn how to use the technology in the classroom and submit grades online. Hopefully, they will be able to help me get online as well. It has been hard not having internet, since it is the most convenient way to communicate with a mass of people about what is going on in my life.
It's Raining, It's Pouring
I think monsoon season has officially begun. It is about 7:30 in the morning on Monday, and the rain is coming down like I cannot even believe. It is so thick that I cannot see the neighboring high-rise apartment buildings from my balcony. There is thunder and lightning as well., and it seems to be lingering right over the school. I have no idea how I am going to make it to the other side of campus for the health check this morning. I have no umbrella or rain jacket.
Addition to running TrustMart list: Umbrella.
From what I can tell, most of the students have begun to move in to the dorms on campus. Turns out that my bedroom/ living room window looks directly at the front of a five-story boys dorm. So much for privacy, eh? The boys get up very early in the morning, and do some type of military training drills. Chinese sounds like an angry language to me still anyway so when you get a group of 50-100 boys together all yelling the same thing in unison, it is kind of hard to sleep after that.
Their rooms are small. And when I say small, I mean really small. In all, they might be 7’x10’ and four boys occupy each room. They have their desks all lined up on one wall, and then two sets of bunk beds on the other. So much for privacy on their end as well, I suppose.
The rain is just continuing to get worse, and I am realizing that I have absolutely nothing appropriate to wear, even down to my shoes. This is going to be a terrible walk to Helen’s office.
Addition to running TrustMart list: Umbrella.
From what I can tell, most of the students have begun to move in to the dorms on campus. Turns out that my bedroom/ living room window looks directly at the front of a five-story boys dorm. So much for privacy, eh? The boys get up very early in the morning, and do some type of military training drills. Chinese sounds like an angry language to me still anyway so when you get a group of 50-100 boys together all yelling the same thing in unison, it is kind of hard to sleep after that.
Their rooms are small. And when I say small, I mean really small. In all, they might be 7’x10’ and four boys occupy each room. They have their desks all lined up on one wall, and then two sets of bunk beds on the other. So much for privacy on their end as well, I suppose.
The rain is just continuing to get worse, and I am realizing that I have absolutely nothing appropriate to wear, even down to my shoes. This is going to be a terrible walk to Helen’s office.
Dumplings for Dinner
Last night Devon, Josh, Brian L. and myself ventured to find food. We were on a bit of a tight time schedule since we had to stop eating and drinking by 8:30 for our health exams this morning. We walked up Baise road, the road on which the front gate of the school is located, until we reached the open-air market a few blocks down. It was already dark outside, as it never really gets that bright here in Shanghai, mostly because of the haze that constantly covers the city. Nonetheless, the sun sets are early as it rises, it seems. People lined the street. Some were out walking dogs. Some were doing some last minute shopping. Some looking to get dinner, just like us. The neighborhood around the school never seems to quite down, and the market is open from the break of dawn until well after the sun has set.
Other than the “English Menu Place” where I ate with Peter the night before, we didn’t see much. There are dozens of places to eat in a single block, but it is really hard to find a place where it seems that ordering won’t be too much of an ordeal. Places with pictures on the menu are good, places with English menus are even better, and street food is the best. Places that have no pictures and no English are nearly impossible. And, of course, those are the most common places in our neighborhood.
I saw a really amazing dive noodle place; an establishment the size of a closet with tables pouring out into the sidewalk. I would have felt comfortable just pointing to something on the menu, which was all in Chinese characters, and working with whatever I got, but the group was a little more concerned with finding something edible that would hold them over for the next twelve hours. My goal for the next month is to get good enough at ordering food that I can eat alone at the dive noodle place.
We crossed the street, and began walking back to school. We were running out of time, and realized we were just going to have to make a quick decision. There was this one little place with bright orange tables and lots of people eating dumplings. “How hard could it be to order dumplings?” I thought to myself. I consulted the group, and we decided to go in.
Devon has been a savior in situations like these. She has been to China before, studying abroad in college, so she is nowhere near as shy or timid as the rest of us. She doesn’t mind making mistakes, making a fool of herself, and getting laughed at by the workers. We had my “Rough Guide” mandarin phrasebook (highly recommended) which, luckily, had a dumpling section. We showed the section to the woman, who showed us from that selection what they had, and then we made our decision. Quantities were a little difficult to communicate, but my calculator helped with that. We even managed to order three cold beers. To our knowledge, we had only ordered three orders of dumplings and three beers. We sat down, and waited for the food, which came out almost instantaneously.
They brought out four steam tins of dumplings, each tin containing eight. We could not contain our laughter. How absurd! Devon, Josh, and I timidly picked up our dumplings and attempted to eat them. Unexpectedly, the dumplings were super juicy, and we sent dumpling juice flying in all directions. I reverted to my Saltena eating days from Bike Club, and remember to drink the juice before eating the dumpling. This worked out pretty well for me.
The meal did not stop here, however. Somewhere in our attempt to order dumplings, we also ordered three bowls of chicken wanton soup (well, at least I hope it was chicken . . . too late to think about that now, right?). The soup was really delicious, and could have been a meal in itself. In between raging fits of laughter, we did our best to demolish the dumplings we ordered, but in the end we left an entire tray untouched.
The whole meal (dumplings, soup, beer, and a soda) cost 55 kuai, or about eight dollars. What a hilarious adventure.
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