Out the other night

The teachers of 瓯江 College get together for a big dinner at the end of the semester and the start of the new year, so that was where I went on Saturday night. I sat with Helen Yang, who invited me to her home and took me to dinner within the first few days of living in 温州. I proposed a toast at two tables that evening which impressed some people and all-in-all I had a good time.
...although at the beginning I went with Helen to explore the hotel (we thought there might be a wedding reception) and there were whole tables of people in that dining room that were staring at me - if you never felt self-conscious in America, I invite you to China - wow.

Yesterday I went to Julie's place with Mu and Benja Clarke's family. We made dumplings and watched Small Soldiers and Kung Fu Panda. Of course, once those movies were over we had to deal with 3+ hours of pent-up energy from a three year old and a six year old, so dealing with all of that was an interesting experience.
Ben's plan for the vacation is to take the family to 湖北 province for about a month and spend his time practicing Kung Fu at 武当山, the mountain from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the Daoist equivalent of 嵩山: home of the Shaolin Temple (少林寺).

Meanwhile I'm still not sure about 哈尔滨, how I'm getting there, where I'm staying and all that, but the time draws close when I will have to make a decision. I think I'll go during the week of my birthday, see it for a few days, then come back before the new term starts.

I also discovered something about my age according to the Chinese lunar calendar. I was born February 5, 1986 - 3 days before the start of the lunar new year. In China that means that as of February 8, 1986 I could be thought of as 2 (I had been alive in 2 lunar years). Which means that right now (mid-January 2009) I can safely claim to be 24, about to turn 25.

In one of the Chinese classes I was taking the students opted to have their final exam at the beginning of next semester. So I now have the opportunity/burden of being able to prepare for this test, to see how I measure up to the other students. Time to hit the books.

I'm nearly finished with the last of my work now - just need to finish handwriting my class evaluations (just a matter of transcription) and then turn it all in to the secretary.

Today (星期一) is the day it will be finished!

新年

...and I forgot my camera.

Unfortunately when I got up this morning and went to campus to catch the bus into the city I forgot to grab my camera, thus I have no pictures to go with the story I have.

This morning was cold, but not freezing, and there was a fair amount of direct sunlight, so that helped makes us all feel warm later on.
The run lasted a little over half an hour, we ran as an ordered column, about eight across, teachers and students totaling somewhere close to 50. As with a lot of things I was the only foreigner involved, but it was a nice way to start the new year, running early in the morning, spending some time with my colleagues, seeing more of the city I know so little about... I think this year is off to a good start.

All of the staff from Oujiang were wearing identical clothes: dark navy blue sweatshirts and sweatpants with some white along the arms.
After the run I went to 绣山公园 above the 市政府 and climbed the hill with Faye. We were accompanied by piano music coming out of these green-painted stones...

I made a comment about how anyone who heard that story in America would think I was trippin' at this moment... I wasn't.

At the top of the hill we came across a set of triplets, two of whom had the same blue long-sleeves and inner white-wool, outer denim vest. The third one, who had a face more gaunt than his brothers, wore an ivory colored coat.

We walked from the park to the 科技博物馆 (Science museum) I was kind of happy to learn that I do sort of know my own separate language – science.
The museum was quite large and was fairly empty, but there were some interesting things of note:
- an exhibit of ancient Chinese machines for measuring the heavens and earthquakes,
- another exhibit that showed the flow of electricity as it affected water in tubes surrounded by copper wires
- and a lot of placards about the recent space launch - one of the pictures depicted an astronaut with a glove that I SWEAR showed "six fingers on his right hand"...

...where's someone who knows Inigo Montoya when I have such a great setup?


All in all it was a good way to start the New Year.

元旦

Yuan dan - the solar new year is tomorrow morning.

In America at this time I would be having a party at my house, fireworks going off, lots of food, and more familiar surroundings and people.

At present I'm in my office in 瓯江 college, I finished putting grades into the computer program and now I'm just burning up some more time before I go back to my place to sleep - yeah, this is how we do it in China.

I'm sure at least a few of the other foreign teachers are staying up to party or hang out, but for me I need to be back at the school gate at 6:00 tomorrow morning to catch the bus into Wenzhou city center - there's a 4,300 meter run going on somewhere around that time and my college bought the participating faculty members brand-new sweatshirts and pants for the occasion - the clothes are pretty nice, and they actually fit me.

Being in China is great, but this last week I was really feeling kind of homesick. In class last week I told everyone who asked that I didn't mind working on Christmas because I'm Jewish, but I feel the call of habit telling me to go to Uncle Mike's, sit with everyone under the tree, do a huge puzzle and at some point frolic in the ocean...

...haven't seen that ocean for a while now...

On the lighter side of things, last night was my colleague Riz's birthday, so we had a big get-together in her apartment - food, talk, music and lots of her sophomore students that kept treating me like I was a rock star - I have to say when it makes everyone nervous to talk to you because they think you're so "handsome" and "popular" it's kind of frustrating... still not used to that treatment and never wanna be.


Well, as one eventful year ends, so begins a new one.

My resolutions:
- train martial arts at least a little bit everyday,
- practice languages for an hour everyday,
- study science every week,
- be a little less serious,
- take more time to explore,
- spend a lot less time by myself,

...and,
- get some more experience out of life.

From old to new...

Today I watched the last of my students present their finals, now I'm compiling all the scores before determining if I should set a curve.

I can't seem to find any pictures of my bathroom as it once was, so I guess you'll have to see the old floor as it IS.

(Far left picture) tiles and toilet, plus the little neighborhood dude
(Far right) the floor, minus tiles, toilet, washing machine and sink



And of course, the NEW floor, as it is.
(Plus the new toilet).


On Christmas Eve, one of my students from my evening English class invited me to watch her perform as the famous Ruan Lingyu (阮玲玉) of Shanghai (silent movie actress, committed suicide at the age of 24).

This is her.

Juno. Wang Yang (王洋)







The night of Christmas Day I spent at the Overseas Hotel in downtown Wenzhou with most of the other foreigners who live in this city.
Among the entertainment included one of my fellow Chinese learners from Wenzhou International Cooperation College.











One of my colleagues noticed some of her students in a hip-hop performance that was ...not American-club-dancing promiscuous, but definitely not to be rated lower than PG-13. Unfortunately I didn't get any clear pictures of this part of the performance; suffice it to say there was some suggestive pelvic movement by sophomore college girls in skin tight jeans.

And of course, how can I resist martial arts, regardless of age:


Another interesting event for which I have no picture is me eating the head of a duck (skin, meat & brain), all except the eyes - the eyes just seem too personal when you rely on them so much in your own life.

...yeah. Anyway it was a great time.

Happy Hanukkah

I have returned to my old apartment, I haven't tested the shower yet, but the floor slopes down toward the drain now, so I feel better about my situation - hopefully my return to using water in the apartment doesn't result in any more outside leaks - don't wanna have to move again.

Today I had a class in the morning, followed by lunch around noon and into the afternoon at a good sit-down restaurant (at a table with a Lazy-Susan) with the teachers and students at the International Cooperation College. I also got invited to a Christmas party tomorrow night, so I should have something to occupy my time socially - a little something to save me from myself.

In the afternoon I was able to talk to Mom and Dad over Skype before I had to get back to my office and listen to some midterm presentations from some students who just transferred into my class from another major.
Originally I was pretty skeptical about these students, but the fact that they came to my office with fully written essays and were able to talk to me in English about some important experiences was a good mental refresher. I definitely feel better about these new students.... although the fact that essentially none of them can come to my class this term is rather frustrating.


Tomorrow I'm going to finish grading the performances I saw on Monday and do the last touch-ups on my PowerPoint so I deliver the "over-Winter-vacation" assignment as clearly as I can.

Happy Hanukkah!

Two down...

I won't let myself say how many to go... gotta be thinking location, not the destination.

Last night I spent at "Julie & Mu"'s, during the day we bought potatoes, fish and other ingredients and made (among many delicious Chinese dishes) potato latkas. I can't remember the last time I tasted one, so I have no idea whether or not the ones we made were great, reasonable or WAY off.
They tasted good, and I think in a way it was a miracle - done without a recipe or experience, just a faint idea, some intensely diced potatoes, salt, egg and flour to make it hold together while being fried.

I also got a gift from Jada - small Beijing Opera masks that she got on a trip she took there this last week. Now if I only knew what I could get her.



Final presentations today went OK, most of the student did well - I was pleasantly surprised by my first class (normally so mellow and quiet) being so active in their discussions.

I was, however, disappointed with one group who I saw using index cards tucked into their sleeves to help with their talking.
I haven't calculated exactly how much I'm going to dock them for that behavior - but they know it's going to be steep and harsh.

My boss 柯素芬 says that next semester she doesn't know if I will teach another evening class at the Foreign Language School - I hope I don't, 18:30-21:00 just isn't what I'm designed for. If I don't get another class I'll be expected to lend some assistance in teaching the Sophomore English Writing class, because I apparently did a pretty satisfactory job of writing corrections for the essays during the practice CET4.
...they had the real test this Saturday and it sounds like the students probably didn't do that well - or at least didn't feel good about how well they did.

After lunch today I went over to my apartment to look at their progress (I'm supposed to be able to return tomorrow) and I found the bathroom re-tiled, my sink and washing machine put back in it, and a NEW toilet (SWEET!).

Well, I better get out of my office before either this campus or the South campus closes.

Almost... almost... almost...

(for those who have seen "Family Guy" episode "North by North Quahog", guess the next segment in the title)


Why am I late this time you ask?

A matter of days prior to my family coming to visit me here in Wenzhou I was asked if I would kindly vacate my apartment for a week or two while some maintenance workers did some work on my bathroom floor in order to stop a water leak that was leaving water on the step outside my apartment door... a leak that seems most likely to be coming from somewhere in the wall near my kitchen or quite possibly from some source above my lodgings (though admittedly that is more opinion than fact).

Now a matter of days preceding my finals I have been asked by an entire crew of men to leave my home while they tear up my bathroom floor and plug up the leak. In the meantime I've been moved to a hotel room on the South Campus that regrettably has no computer, thus I have no software to upload the pictures that would substantiate my grievances.

...the good news is I finally finished grading the evening class I taught for the Foreign Language College this last semester, so 3 of my overall 15 credits worth of classes are accounted for.

...Now to observe the finals and collect the midterms of my other 6 classes.


Last night (Thursday) I spent at the apartment of my friends and colleagues, Julie Luo and her husband Mu. We steamed eggplant and dipped it in a sauce of garlic and ginger, made a soup with potatoes and pork, and ate raw cucumber and lettuce (first time in a while for me).
The food was great, and afterwards we used a microphone in the living room to sing songs - not officially karaoke, but fairly close.

Now I'm preparing an assignment for my students to make sure they keep practicing English over the break, and give me something to work with once they get back.


Sunday I'm going back to Julie's and we're going to make latkas for Hanukkah... now if only I had a menorah it would be complete. Maybe tomorrow I can go find one after I take care of some important business matters - like sleeping undisturbed and making some lessons more than a few days or weeks in advance.
...with luck maybe I'll get some time to do some martial arts and Chinese learning too.