On Monday I received a big sweaty wad of cash for my first month of work here in China. No bank account. No check. Just a big pile of hundreds. Unfortunately I have been here in China for about 3.5 weeks and the syndrome known as "China Cheap" (trademarked) has taken control of my perspective. This debilitating syndrome also known as "Holy crap, 3 dollars for dinner, that's way too expensive" or "This beer cost more than 15 cents, it must be a rip off," occurs after a few weeks in China. When everything you buy is absurdly cheap, you can't help but feel that if you pay US prices for anything that you have been severely wronged. When I received my pay check this Monday, I realized just how badly this syndrome had taken over. My salary was just over 4000 yuan. This is roughly 541 dollars for a month of work. The local average here is 800 yuan a month (108 dollars). Max and I did some math and figured out that we had been shorted one days worth of salary according to our contract.
This is where the other side of the "China Cheap" syndrome comes into play. The locals have been born into the "China Cheap" environment and are willing to use any means necessary to keep every nickel and dime (or jiao and mao). With all of this said, it seems inevitable that I will walk away from my school year of teaching here in China with pretty much nothing (financially). At the beginning of my trip I was well aware of this fact, and I was and still am incredibly happy to be here having the experience of living and working in China. But in reality, I will need some money following my time here in China. I have plans for grad school. It's not going to pay for itself. So, with all of this being said I have gone into a bit of a panic about developing a second source of cash. I have a fair amount of free time and I figure that if I don't start doing something other than watching DVDs and teaching English that I am soon to lose my mind.
My first petty attempt to generate revenue was to put an ad or two on the right side of this blog. Like I've mentioned before I can't access my blog from China. I can post on it, but I can't view the actual blog. When I was signing up for the ads I was told that Google, who provides the ads, would scan the blog and generate relevant ads. Apparently for me this means that my blog will have adds for "Finding dates in China"and "Teaching in China." So if anyone needs a date in China or is interested in teaching here, just click away! If you don't want a date in China and have no interest in teaching in China click on the ads anyway (I get paid for every click on the ads). I can't provide you with any incentives for clicking on these ads (that would be illegal ;)), but lets just say that it would be much appreciated. Furthermore, if anyone has any friends, relatives, companions, associates, acquaintances, or pets in China who have any need for work or research within China, I'm available. Alright, I feel dirty from all of this groveling. I'm going to get a shower and do some more brainstorming. (click it!!-------> )
Sorry....I'm done I promise. ( CLICK IT AGAIN-------->)
yea....................
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
Lushan: Training for the future
Well, my four day weekend at Lushan (庐山) was an overall success. The scenery was beautiful, the people were nice, and the air was crisp. However, more than anything it was a learning experience for travel in China. Max and I left Nanchang with little more than a train ticket and a guide book, but we have returned with knowledge. We met many wonderful people who went out of their way to help us and make us comfortable. We were also ripped off. It was an experiment in cultural understanding.
The journey began at 6:15 AM on Thursday morning. Max and I had been told that buses would be running from our campus into town. We had both been assured that there would certainly be buses around for us to reach the train station by 7:50 AM. There weren't. There was not a single bus waiting at the bus stop on campus. Thankfully, there was a small minivan waiting. I had heard of these little buses before. They wait at bus stations hoping that buses are full or in our case have yet to arrive. I asked the driver if he could take us to the train station and he was more than happy to oblige. I asked him how much and he told me that it was going to be 30 yuan. Taxis into town normally cost around 30 yuan, so I thought that we had a decent arrangement.
Max, myself, and a Chinese teacher headed into town down the bumpy, dirty roads of outer Nanchang. I asked her when the buses started running and she told me that they didn't start until around 6:45. Our information regarding the early buses was obviously wrong.
When we finally arrived in the city the other teacher who was riding with us asked the driver to pull over so that she could get off. The driver pulled over and the teacher paid him 5 yuan! He told me 30! Being white/naive can be costly in Nanchang. We drove about one more block and begrudgingly paid our overpriced fee.
The train ride was very pleasant and we ended up sitting across from a man from Wuhan (武汉) who worked for IBM. His English was superb, and we chatted about his travels and ours. We were told that a cruise up the Yangzi river (长江 Chang Jiang is the real name of the river) was something that we must do. After a little chatting, Max and I decided to get some coffee from the dinning car. I told the waitress, who looked very surprised and confused, that we would like two lattes. Mind you, each of these lattes cost more than the price of the ticket for the train. Max and I sat down on one of the couches in the dinning car and waited. As we sat, the woman who took our order began wandering around with a confused look on her face. She opened several closets and rummaged around for about ten minutes. This didn't look like a good sign for our coffee. She very hesitantly approached Max and I and said that they had no milk. Not very surprised to hear this, I just asked if she could make us two black coffees. Five minutes later she returned holding a half-full cup of cool, coffee-ground-filled water. Obviously, this woman had absolutely no training. So, lesson number 3 of the day: don't buy coffee on trains in China.
When we arrived in Jiujiang (九江) which is the nearest town to Mt. Lushan, we were berated by a swarm of taxi drivers. But Max and I had decided to see a little of Jiujiang before we headed up to Lushan. Coincidently, there isn't much to see in Jiujiang. After about 10 minutes of trekking we decided that it was time to get to a hotel and start seeing Lushan. I flagged down a taxi and asked him how much for the ride up to Lushan. He responded with a number somewhere in near 150 yuan. I would not be tricked again! Thankfully I had been told earlier by one of the many swarming taxi drivers at the train station that he would bring us to Lushan for 30 yuan. He had also given me his name card. I gave him a call on my cellphone, and within minutes Max and I were being driven to the top of Lushan for a mere 30 yuan. We had done something right for once! Like everyone who I talked with throughout the trip, the driver was very very surprised that I could speak Chinese. He told me that my Jiujiang accent was very good, and that I should use it to get cheaper prices at hotels. When we arrived, he recommended that we stay at the Xindi VIP hotel. I asked to see a room, and I was very surprised with how nice and clean the room was. The price was also very cheap. We soon realized that this was only because the hotel was brand new and still under construction. So, Max and I asked to be shown to a different hotel. This hotel was a bit cheaper, but the room was horrible. We decided on the Xindi and headed back to check in an drop off our stuff. The subsequent 7 AM wake-ups to the sounds of hammers and band saws made the deal a little less sweet.
The next two days were spent exploring Lushan. The first day we traveled on foot to see "Heavenly Bridge," "Lion's Mouth Cliff," "Immortal's Cavern," and a few other similarly named scenic areas. The scenery was pretty amazing, but the most impressive spot was a platform which once served as a meeting place between General Marshall and Chiang Kaishek. It had been converted into a tea patio. Max and I decided that this was an opportunity that we couldn't afford to miss and sat down for a tea break.
The next day was spent seeing some equally impressive scenic spots, which ended in a trip to "Three-Step Waterfall." This would be rip-off number eight or so of the journey. Max and I both forked out 80 yuan for a tram ride to the base of the falls, which ended up lasting four minutes and did not come anywhere near the waterfall (even though the ticket showed the tram passing directly in front). When we got of the tram we began walking down stairs, where we encountered something that I would classify as absurd. People had paid to be carried up the stairs of the waterfall by two men who carried a wicker chair on their backs. This may sound absurd, but the fact that this stairwell literally took us an hour and a half to walk back up once we reached the base of the fall brings this feat to a whole new level of absurdity. Our entertainment at this spectacle was abruptly ended when we found ourselves at a ticket kiosk. We needed to pay an additional 1 yuan to continue down to see the falls. After trudging down the endless stairwell for another 30 minutes or so we reached another ticket kiosk. Here we were required to pay another 50 yuan. Needless to say, Max and I were enraged at this point. If I could've lit Lushan ablaze at this point, I would have. The Chinese are smart people though. After trudging down stairs for 30 minutes it seemed ridiculous to turn around without seeing the falls. China had duped us once again.
The following morning, was the beginning of our last day on the mountain. We made a point to make it over to the Lushan Museum, which also happens to be the former summer villa of Mao Zedong. The museum was fairly useless as far as information goes. There were a few exhibits that had English inscriptions, but everything else was in Chinese. Apart from vases and furniture that used to belong to Mao, the museum also housed a geological section about Lushan. The highlight of the experience was seeing "Mao's Bathroom." You never really think about the bathrooms of the great people of history, but I suppose their existence is inevitable. Max and I also bought a pair of Mao mugs, so that we can drink our coffee out of proper mugs instead of the steel mugs that we had purchased a few weeks earlier. Drinking out of my Mao mug, gives me the sensation of being a real Chinese citizen. It also doesn't taste like steel, which is nice too.
Our trip ended fairly uneventfully with a hot train ride back to Nanchang. When we got back to the city we decided to head over to the western bar street to grab some pizza and buy a few more DVDs. Unsurprisingly, the pizza restaurant was sub par and expensive. Next time we'll have to head over to Pizza Hut and get some good ol' greasy pizza.
Determined to end the trip on a positive note, Max and I wondered into one of the western bars, which was very nice inside. They also offered European beer and alcohol that isn't derived from rice. God how I hate Baijiu (白酒 Parmesan cheese flavor). We also managed to meet a few westerners from Germany, Russia, Canada, America (San Diego), Finland, and England. We also met the owner of the bar, who was a very enthusiastic and welcoming local. We exchanged numbers and he asked us to join their bar soccer team. All in all it was a fun experience, though most of the westerners were fairly cold towards both Max and I.
All in all a very interesting weekend. I can't wait to get out and do some more traveling. Until then, it's time to buckle down and teach some English. Hopefully something exciting will happen and I will update again soon.
The journey began at 6:15 AM on Thursday morning. Max and I had been told that buses would be running from our campus into town. We had both been assured that there would certainly be buses around for us to reach the train station by 7:50 AM. There weren't. There was not a single bus waiting at the bus stop on campus. Thankfully, there was a small minivan waiting. I had heard of these little buses before. They wait at bus stations hoping that buses are full or in our case have yet to arrive. I asked the driver if he could take us to the train station and he was more than happy to oblige. I asked him how much and he told me that it was going to be 30 yuan. Taxis into town normally cost around 30 yuan, so I thought that we had a decent arrangement.
Max, myself, and a Chinese teacher headed into town down the bumpy, dirty roads of outer Nanchang. I asked her when the buses started running and she told me that they didn't start until around 6:45. Our information regarding the early buses was obviously wrong.
When we finally arrived in the city the other teacher who was riding with us asked the driver to pull over so that she could get off. The driver pulled over and the teacher paid him 5 yuan! He told me 30! Being white/naive can be costly in Nanchang. We drove about one more block and begrudgingly paid our overpriced fee.
The train ride was very pleasant and we ended up sitting across from a man from Wuhan (武汉) who worked for IBM. His English was superb, and we chatted about his travels and ours. We were told that a cruise up the Yangzi river (长江 Chang Jiang is the real name of the river) was something that we must do. After a little chatting, Max and I decided to get some coffee from the dinning car. I told the waitress, who looked very surprised and confused, that we would like two lattes. Mind you, each of these lattes cost more than the price of the ticket for the train. Max and I sat down on one of the couches in the dinning car and waited. As we sat, the woman who took our order began wandering around with a confused look on her face. She opened several closets and rummaged around for about ten minutes. This didn't look like a good sign for our coffee. She very hesitantly approached Max and I and said that they had no milk. Not very surprised to hear this, I just asked if she could make us two black coffees. Five minutes later she returned holding a half-full cup of cool, coffee-ground-filled water. Obviously, this woman had absolutely no training. So, lesson number 3 of the day: don't buy coffee on trains in China.
When we arrived in Jiujiang (九江) which is the nearest town to Mt. Lushan, we were berated by a swarm of taxi drivers. But Max and I had decided to see a little of Jiujiang before we headed up to Lushan. Coincidently, there isn't much to see in Jiujiang. After about 10 minutes of trekking we decided that it was time to get to a hotel and start seeing Lushan. I flagged down a taxi and asked him how much for the ride up to Lushan. He responded with a number somewhere in near 150 yuan. I would not be tricked again! Thankfully I had been told earlier by one of the many swarming taxi drivers at the train station that he would bring us to Lushan for 30 yuan. He had also given me his name card. I gave him a call on my cellphone, and within minutes Max and I were being driven to the top of Lushan for a mere 30 yuan. We had done something right for once! Like everyone who I talked with throughout the trip, the driver was very very surprised that I could speak Chinese. He told me that my Jiujiang accent was very good, and that I should use it to get cheaper prices at hotels. When we arrived, he recommended that we stay at the Xindi VIP hotel. I asked to see a room, and I was very surprised with how nice and clean the room was. The price was also very cheap. We soon realized that this was only because the hotel was brand new and still under construction. So, Max and I asked to be shown to a different hotel. This hotel was a bit cheaper, but the room was horrible. We decided on the Xindi and headed back to check in an drop off our stuff. The subsequent 7 AM wake-ups to the sounds of hammers and band saws made the deal a little less sweet.
The next two days were spent exploring Lushan. The first day we traveled on foot to see "Heavenly Bridge," "Lion's Mouth Cliff," "Immortal's Cavern," and a few other similarly named scenic areas. The scenery was pretty amazing, but the most impressive spot was a platform which once served as a meeting place between General Marshall and Chiang Kaishek. It had been converted into a tea patio. Max and I decided that this was an opportunity that we couldn't afford to miss and sat down for a tea break.
The next day was spent seeing some equally impressive scenic spots, which ended in a trip to "Three-Step Waterfall." This would be rip-off number eight or so of the journey. Max and I both forked out 80 yuan for a tram ride to the base of the falls, which ended up lasting four minutes and did not come anywhere near the waterfall (even though the ticket showed the tram passing directly in front). When we got of the tram we began walking down stairs, where we encountered something that I would classify as absurd. People had paid to be carried up the stairs of the waterfall by two men who carried a wicker chair on their backs. This may sound absurd, but the fact that this stairwell literally took us an hour and a half to walk back up once we reached the base of the fall brings this feat to a whole new level of absurdity. Our entertainment at this spectacle was abruptly ended when we found ourselves at a ticket kiosk. We needed to pay an additional 1 yuan to continue down to see the falls. After trudging down the endless stairwell for another 30 minutes or so we reached another ticket kiosk. Here we were required to pay another 50 yuan. Needless to say, Max and I were enraged at this point. If I could've lit Lushan ablaze at this point, I would have. The Chinese are smart people though. After trudging down stairs for 30 minutes it seemed ridiculous to turn around without seeing the falls. China had duped us once again.
The following morning, was the beginning of our last day on the mountain. We made a point to make it over to the Lushan Museum, which also happens to be the former summer villa of Mao Zedong. The museum was fairly useless as far as information goes. There were a few exhibits that had English inscriptions, but everything else was in Chinese. Apart from vases and furniture that used to belong to Mao, the museum also housed a geological section about Lushan. The highlight of the experience was seeing "Mao's Bathroom." You never really think about the bathrooms of the great people of history, but I suppose their existence is inevitable. Max and I also bought a pair of Mao mugs, so that we can drink our coffee out of proper mugs instead of the steel mugs that we had purchased a few weeks earlier. Drinking out of my Mao mug, gives me the sensation of being a real Chinese citizen. It also doesn't taste like steel, which is nice too.
Our trip ended fairly uneventfully with a hot train ride back to Nanchang. When we got back to the city we decided to head over to the western bar street to grab some pizza and buy a few more DVDs. Unsurprisingly, the pizza restaurant was sub par and expensive. Next time we'll have to head over to Pizza Hut and get some good ol' greasy pizza.
Determined to end the trip on a positive note, Max and I wondered into one of the western bars, which was very nice inside. They also offered European beer and alcohol that isn't derived from rice. God how I hate Baijiu (白酒 Parmesan cheese flavor). We also managed to meet a few westerners from Germany, Russia, Canada, America (San Diego), Finland, and England. We also met the owner of the bar, who was a very enthusiastic and welcoming local. We exchanged numbers and he asked us to join their bar soccer team. All in all it was a fun experience, though most of the westerners were fairly cold towards both Max and I.
All in all a very interesting weekend. I can't wait to get out and do some more traveling. Until then, it's time to buckle down and teach some English. Hopefully something exciting will happen and I will update again soon.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
This weekend.
I have confirmed it. I have this Thursday and Friday off, so it's time for a little traveling. Max and I have decided to go to the north of our province (Jiangxi 江西）to see Mt. Lushan (庐山) and the city of Jingdezhen (景德镇).
Mt. Lushan offers "mountain views and European villas." Nearly every student and staff member that I have met has told me to go see Mt. Lushan. It is definitely the pride of Jiangxi province. Max and I plan to take a short two hour train ride from Nanchang to Jiujiang (九江), which is the closest train stop to Mt. Lushan. We should arrive in Jiujiang around 9:15 AM on Thursday. From the train station in Jiujiang it is only 30 minutes by cab or bus to the entrance of Lushan national park. The rest of the day will be devoted to enjoying the views of Lushan and finding a place to stay at Lushan or in Jiujiang.
On Friday morning we will head over to Jingdezhen, which is famous for its porcelain pottery. If anyone has ever talked about their "china" in reference to dish ware, then they were referring to the work of Jingdezhen. At least that's where it should have come from it was legitimate. Jingdezhen is about 3 hours away from Lushan on
bus. After talking to Janice, my older Australian downstairs neighbor, Jingdezhen sounds like quite an exciting spot. However all of the tourist information says that pottery is about all that there is to see in the coal burning city. We will find out this weekend.
If we do manage to find anything of interest, we will spend Friday night in Jingdezhen and then take the bus back to Nanchang. If Jingdezhen is a complete bust then we will probably return to Nanchang on Friday evening or just have a leisurely evening in Jingdezhen regardless.
By the way, the AC remote has been found--deep in the cavernous region of the couch cushions. Despite my two previous searches in this region the remote had eluded me.
Mt. Lushan offers "mountain views and European villas." Nearly every student and staff member that I have met has told me to go see Mt. Lushan. It is definitely the pride of Jiangxi province. Max and I plan to take a short two hour train ride from Nanchang to Jiujiang (九江), which is the closest train stop to Mt. Lushan. We should arrive in Jiujiang around 9:15 AM on Thursday. From the train station in Jiujiang it is only 30 minutes by cab or bus to the entrance of Lushan national park. The rest of the day will be devoted to enjoying the views of Lushan and finding a place to stay at Lushan or in Jiujiang.On Friday morning we will head over to Jingdezhen, which is famous for its porcelain pottery. If anyone has ever talked about their "china" in reference to dish ware, then they were referring to the work of Jingdezhen. At least that's where it should have come from it was legitimate. Jingdezhen is about 3 hours away from Lushan on
bus. After talking to Janice, my older Australian downstairs neighbor, Jingdezhen sounds like quite an exciting spot. However all of the tourist information says that pottery is about all that there is to see in the coal burning city. We will find out this weekend.If we do manage to find anything of interest, we will spend Friday night in Jingdezhen and then take the bus back to Nanchang. If Jingdezhen is a complete bust then we will probably return to Nanchang on Friday evening or just have a leisurely evening in Jingdezhen regardless.
By the way, the AC remote has been found--deep in the cavernous region of the couch cushions. Despite my two previous searches in this region the remote had eluded me.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Random Post #1
1. I figured out how to get around the system to check the comments on my blog, so please keep leaving me comments. Now that I've gotten to actually check them, I like them a lot. Keep them coming.
2. I lost the controller for my AC unit in my apartment. Despite my best efforts to look under every piece of furniture and lift every cushion I have been unable to find it. As my parents can attest, I used to lose the TV remote all the time too. I would wander out of the TV room with the remote in my hand and place it in some obscure location. I was a strange kid. I hope it shows up, otherwise it's going to be a cold winter.
3. I ate way too much food at lunch today. It was awesome.
2. I lost the controller for my AC unit in my apartment. Despite my best efforts to look under every piece of furniture and lift every cushion I have been unable to find it. As my parents can attest, I used to lose the TV remote all the time too. I would wander out of the TV room with the remote in my hand and place it in some obscure location. I was a strange kid. I hope it shows up, otherwise it's going to be a cold winter.
3. I ate way too much food at lunch today. It was awesome.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
The sweet taste of weekend.
Today I feel like I am back at Wake. My entire curriculum for this semester is due by the end of this evening. At the beginning of my third, two hour class on Thursday my teacher buddy, Ainslee (Li Hongmei) came into my class out of breath (she always seems to be out of breath) and showed me a set of curriculum forms. "Please finish your lesson plans for this weekend and turn them in on Monday," she said. At this point in my day I was in no mood to receive additional work. Ainslee left the classroom only to return seconds later to tell me that she actually needed me to turn in the forms by Sunday evening so that she could check over them. Great. They have given me absolutely no directions and now they want an entire semester's lesson plans done in three days?
Needless to say, I have yet to start but that's what Sundays are for right? Other than this dark spot over my weekend, which will probably turn out to not be too bad after a few hours of BS-ing, my weekend has been enjoyable and relaxing. Yesterday Max and I headed in to town for a field trip with students from the old campus.
We meet Lobo, Holly, Holly's son Ludi, Fey, Ruth, Linda, Stuart, and a Korean teacher, who changes her name ever week and so won't tell Max or I what it is. Lobo is a staff member in the office at the old campus. He apparently also changes his English name on a monthly to biweekly basis. We played basketball with him last week and he is an all around good guy who speaks very good English. Holly is the head honcho on the old campus as far as Max's program is concerned. Her English is also very good, but she is much more about business than the other younger staff members. Her son....is hilarious. He acts up all the time and gets attention from everyone. He's ten and he acts like it. Fey is one of Max's teaching buddies from the old campus. I should clarify this term "teacher buddy." When we arrived here in Nanchang, we were met by a few teachers from our respective campuses. These teachers, Fey and Ainslee, have been available to help us get settled and solve any problems we might have. They have been extremely helpful, but I wouldn't say efficient. I don't know much about Ruth or Linda other than the fact that they work on the old campus. Stuart is a British teacher from Manchester who has been here for about four years. He not only teaches but has opened a bar, which is called a coffee bar for tax reasons. He chain smokes, enjoys the drink, but all in all seems to be a good guy. Finally, the last person at our table was another teacher who is from Korea. She speaks Korean, Chinese, and English all pretty fluently.
We all jumped into a few cabs and headed over across the river. My cab consisted of Lobo, Ruth, Linda, and myself. Lobo pulled out his PSP (a portable gaming device) and handed it to me with a game of NBA live playing. New Orleans Hornets vs. Miami Heat. I had told him last weekend that I went to school with Chris Paul and he had apparently remembered. I played for a while and then handed it back to Lobo so that we could maybe pull out a victory. Our taxi's crossed the Bayi bridge which spans the Gan river. We were heading to the west shore. From either shore it was virtually impossible to make out anything on the opposite shore other than the vague outline of skyscrapers. The haze was thick. The development of the west shore of Nanchang began in about 2004, so there isn't much on this side other than brand new business and government developments. It reminds me of the Pudong shore from Shanghai, but less westernized. This side of the river also offers a river walk historical exhibit, a giant fountain and light show (the tallest water jets in Asia apparently), and the worlds largest ferris wheel (until the completion of one in Singapore in 2008).
We arrived at the Qiushui square, which is the west shores response to Bayi square. However after my taxi and the taxi containing Max and a few other teachers had unloaded, we realized that we were still about a 20 minute walk from where we needed to be. The third taxi pulled up next to us and Holly told us that we had gotten out too early. Her taxi sped off. Thanks Holly.
As a group we headed over to the river walk historical exhibit. The walk is littered with statues, plaques and ponds to honor historical artists, poets and writers from Jiangxi province. This was the purpose of our field trip. Every English teacher was assigned a group of students and a list of questions about the monuments (in English). A scavenger hunt! After wondering around for about 2 hours, Max and I decided to combine groups and compare answers. We still ended up losing to group number 1, but it was a fun morning. I met a few students and teachers who were all very friendly and surprised that I could speak Chinese.
After the prizes of fruit had been handed out, all of the teachers headed out to have a group lunch. We went to a restaurant called "The Taste Factory" (literal translation). The outside of the restaurant was decorated with original statues of what seemed to be women of the African American persuasion doing street dancing. They also lacked faces (I took some pictures and posted them last night). The restaurant was very impressive inside and the bathrooms were completely covered in mirrors. We got a private room and begin what would be a very long, enjoyable lunch. About an hour in to lunch Holly recommended that we play a drinking game. Chinese love to drink.
The game consisted of way too much math for me, but thankfully we played in English which gave me a slight advantage. A number is picked (7 for example), and then someone else picks a number to start counting from. Lets say that someone picks 4 to start counting. The next person at the table says 5, then the next says 6, then the next person knocks on the table because the number is 7, the next person says 8, then the next 9. The counting continues until 14 where someone knocks again because 14 is divisible by 7. Other numbers like 21, 27, and 28 also knocked on because they are either divisible by 7 or have a 7 as the last digit. If you knock on the wrong number or say a number that should be knocked on then you have to drink. This eventually reduced down to one on one games of rock, paper, scissor where the loser had to drink. It was a very fun lunch.
Max and I wondered around the neighborhood after lunch. We found the Western bar street, which was of course abandoned at three in the afternoon, but we did find a DVD store, which had a great selection of very cheap American movies. We then headed back to Walmart to stock up for the week and then made our way back to campus. Max and I both took a nap and then had a nice leisurely dinner whilst watching "Shrek 3." That was my excitement for this weekend. Check out the pictures and the video site for updates!
Needless to say, I have yet to start but that's what Sundays are for right? Other than this dark spot over my weekend, which will probably turn out to not be too bad after a few hours of BS-ing, my weekend has been enjoyable and relaxing. Yesterday Max and I headed in to town for a field trip with students from the old campus.
We meet Lobo, Holly, Holly's son Ludi, Fey, Ruth, Linda, Stuart, and a Korean teacher, who changes her name ever week and so won't tell Max or I what it is. Lobo is a staff member in the office at the old campus. He apparently also changes his English name on a monthly to biweekly basis. We played basketball with him last week and he is an all around good guy who speaks very good English. Holly is the head honcho on the old campus as far as Max's program is concerned. Her English is also very good, but she is much more about business than the other younger staff members. Her son....is hilarious. He acts up all the time and gets attention from everyone. He's ten and he acts like it. Fey is one of Max's teaching buddies from the old campus. I should clarify this term "teacher buddy." When we arrived here in Nanchang, we were met by a few teachers from our respective campuses. These teachers, Fey and Ainslee, have been available to help us get settled and solve any problems we might have. They have been extremely helpful, but I wouldn't say efficient. I don't know much about Ruth or Linda other than the fact that they work on the old campus. Stuart is a British teacher from Manchester who has been here for about four years. He not only teaches but has opened a bar, which is called a coffee bar for tax reasons. He chain smokes, enjoys the drink, but all in all seems to be a good guy. Finally, the last person at our table was another teacher who is from Korea. She speaks Korean, Chinese, and English all pretty fluently.
We all jumped into a few cabs and headed over across the river. My cab consisted of Lobo, Ruth, Linda, and myself. Lobo pulled out his PSP (a portable gaming device) and handed it to me with a game of NBA live playing. New Orleans Hornets vs. Miami Heat. I had told him last weekend that I went to school with Chris Paul and he had apparently remembered. I played for a while and then handed it back to Lobo so that we could maybe pull out a victory. Our taxi's crossed the Bayi bridge which spans the Gan river. We were heading to the west shore. From either shore it was virtually impossible to make out anything on the opposite shore other than the vague outline of skyscrapers. The haze was thick. The development of the west shore of Nanchang began in about 2004, so there isn't much on this side other than brand new business and government developments. It reminds me of the Pudong shore from Shanghai, but less westernized. This side of the river also offers a river walk historical exhibit, a giant fountain and light show (the tallest water jets in Asia apparently), and the worlds largest ferris wheel (until the completion of one in Singapore in 2008).
We arrived at the Qiushui square, which is the west shores response to Bayi square. However after my taxi and the taxi containing Max and a few other teachers had unloaded, we realized that we were still about a 20 minute walk from where we needed to be. The third taxi pulled up next to us and Holly told us that we had gotten out too early. Her taxi sped off. Thanks Holly.
As a group we headed over to the river walk historical exhibit. The walk is littered with statues, plaques and ponds to honor historical artists, poets and writers from Jiangxi province. This was the purpose of our field trip. Every English teacher was assigned a group of students and a list of questions about the monuments (in English). A scavenger hunt! After wondering around for about 2 hours, Max and I decided to combine groups and compare answers. We still ended up losing to group number 1, but it was a fun morning. I met a few students and teachers who were all very friendly and surprised that I could speak Chinese.
After the prizes of fruit had been handed out, all of the teachers headed out to have a group lunch. We went to a restaurant called "The Taste Factory" (literal translation). The outside of the restaurant was decorated with original statues of what seemed to be women of the African American persuasion doing street dancing. They also lacked faces (I took some pictures and posted them last night). The restaurant was very impressive inside and the bathrooms were completely covered in mirrors. We got a private room and begin what would be a very long, enjoyable lunch. About an hour in to lunch Holly recommended that we play a drinking game. Chinese love to drink.
The game consisted of way too much math for me, but thankfully we played in English which gave me a slight advantage. A number is picked (7 for example), and then someone else picks a number to start counting from. Lets say that someone picks 4 to start counting. The next person at the table says 5, then the next says 6, then the next person knocks on the table because the number is 7, the next person says 8, then the next 9. The counting continues until 14 where someone knocks again because 14 is divisible by 7. Other numbers like 21, 27, and 28 also knocked on because they are either divisible by 7 or have a 7 as the last digit. If you knock on the wrong number or say a number that should be knocked on then you have to drink. This eventually reduced down to one on one games of rock, paper, scissor where the loser had to drink. It was a very fun lunch.
Max and I wondered around the neighborhood after lunch. We found the Western bar street, which was of course abandoned at three in the afternoon, but we did find a DVD store, which had a great selection of very cheap American movies. We then headed back to Walmart to stock up for the week and then made our way back to campus. Max and I both took a nap and then had a nice leisurely dinner whilst watching "Shrek 3." That was my excitement for this weekend. Check out the pictures and the video site for updates!
Monday, October 15, 2007
An interesting dinner
Max and I decided to stroll over to the small outcrop of restaurants and shops outside of our main campus gate for some dinner this evening. We found a nice restaurant down a few allies. The real reason we chose this particular restaurant was A. the restaurant actually had patrons and B. the horrible smell that had been lingering in the allies had finally dissipated. After struggling with the menu for a few minutes a swarm of waiters approached our table and began asking us questions, thankfully I was much better at oral communication than written.
I ordered us a few dishes, which turned out to be pretty interesting. About halfway through our dinner, one of the small private dinning rooms burst with giggling girls and screaming boys. Within the room we could see boys and girls running around covered in birthday cake and one boy in particular whose entire face was covered in frosting. It was refreshing to see kids having a good time and enjoying themselves. I had only seen students on campus thus far. At the end of dinner we paid the bill and Max asked if we should leave a tip. In all of my experiences in China, tipping is never done at restaurants, but the waiters had been nice. We decided to leave a 4 yuan tip, which is roughly 80 cents US.
Max and I strolled back out into the night towards our campus. About 100 yards down the road we heard a motor scooter approaching dangerously close behind us. We turned around to see one of the young waiters from the restaurant flagging us down. He told me that we had forgotten our 4 yuan. I assured him that it was a tip and that it was his. He asked me one more time. "No it's for you," I told him (or my garbled Chinese equivalent). He smiled and turned his scooter back into the darkness.
I ordered us a few dishes, which turned out to be pretty interesting. About halfway through our dinner, one of the small private dinning rooms burst with giggling girls and screaming boys. Within the room we could see boys and girls running around covered in birthday cake and one boy in particular whose entire face was covered in frosting. It was refreshing to see kids having a good time and enjoying themselves. I had only seen students on campus thus far. At the end of dinner we paid the bill and Max asked if we should leave a tip. In all of my experiences in China, tipping is never done at restaurants, but the waiters had been nice. We decided to leave a 4 yuan tip, which is roughly 80 cents US.
Max and I strolled back out into the night towards our campus. About 100 yards down the road we heard a motor scooter approaching dangerously close behind us. We turned around to see one of the young waiters from the restaurant flagging us down. He told me that we had forgotten our 4 yuan. I assured him that it was a tip and that it was his. He asked me one more time. "No it's for you," I told him (or my garbled Chinese equivalent). He smiled and turned his scooter back into the darkness.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Weekend #1
It's hard to really explain exactly what it is like to be living in China. It really is one of those "you had to be there" type of things. If I tried to explain to you exactly what a normal day was like here, you still really wouldn't understand. It's a completely different world here.
So far, nothing has happened as I expected it to and doing the simplest task such as shopping can become problematic for a myriad of reasons. Looking back, this is how I felt in Beijing. The feeling of dread and frustration subsided eventually there, and is beginning to do so here as well.
Max and I had an interesting day of shopping and basketball yesterday. We took the the bus into town from the new campus. The ride, as always, was long and jostling. I don't think shock technology has quite reached the shores of the middle kingdom yet. Since the bus only takes us to the gate of the old campus, Max and I hailed a cab and I asked for the driver to bring us to Bayi square. He responded by asking me if we were going to Walmart. It was a lucky guess. He let us out directly in front of the door of Walmart, but Max and I decided to navigate the indoor mall below the Walmart. It was an interesting lay out of sock, jewelery, antique and food vendors.
About half way through our subterranean tour we stumbled across a shop that made our day, if not our week. We had found an Italian ice cream shop. Even after only being in China for a week, finding something as western and decadent as this was cause for quite celebration. We were greeted by a young man who spoke to us in English. He explained the flavors to us, which were fairly varied. Max had a scoop of white chocolate and a scoop of melon and I opted for taramisu and espresso. All of the flavors, apart from melon, tasted like vanilla to me but then again I was expecting as much.
As Max and I sat at the small bar in the restaurant, which faced out of the large windows of the ice creamery, and enjoyed our treats, I noticed that we were being gawked at by everyone who passed by. This is by no means an odd happening, but at that moment, behind glass eating at a western shop we had become zoo animals. We were living in a replica "natural" habitat enjoying our snack like a pair of lazy pandas at the San Diego Zoo. Max and I both thought this was a pretty funny thought and decided to end our trip in the mall and head up to Walmart.
Walmart was packed, just as it was the previous time. This time we knew where everything was, and we made fairly short work out of our shopping experience. However we were still unable to buy fresh produce. The previous trip to Walmart had also ended unsuccessfully in regards to our ability to buy produce. We got to the register and the clerk told me something about the fruit and vegetables that we had. All that I understood was that we need to do something additionally in order to purchase such things at such a high scale establishment as Walmart. This time we tried to bag everything up, but were again denied. Perhaps the next time we will be victorious.
Content with our load of vegetables, DVDs and Eggs we headed back to the old campus to play a little basketball with one of the staff members of the old campus. His name is Lobo and he turned out to be a very nice fellow. Max and I had both apparently run into some bad dumplings earlier in the day, which led to a nice puking session on both of our parts through the course of the basketball game. Fortunately, our team managed to win (despite the incredibly horrible referring by two students...I've never seen so many penalties called in my life).
Today was a slow day, we headed over to another campus near by in order to check out a large dome like structure that glows brightly every night. We were both incredibly impressed by the other campus and a little jealous of their buildings compared to ours. I took a video of this trip and a trip that Max and I made later in the evening outside of the school gates. Both can be found on my video site.
I hope everyone is enjoying the blog, and I hope I can continue to update even more frequently than I am now. I miss everybody, talk to you all soon.
So far, nothing has happened as I expected it to and doing the simplest task such as shopping can become problematic for a myriad of reasons. Looking back, this is how I felt in Beijing. The feeling of dread and frustration subsided eventually there, and is beginning to do so here as well.
Max and I had an interesting day of shopping and basketball yesterday. We took the the bus into town from the new campus. The ride, as always, was long and jostling. I don't think shock technology has quite reached the shores of the middle kingdom yet. Since the bus only takes us to the gate of the old campus, Max and I hailed a cab and I asked for the driver to bring us to Bayi square. He responded by asking me if we were going to Walmart. It was a lucky guess. He let us out directly in front of the door of Walmart, but Max and I decided to navigate the indoor mall below the Walmart. It was an interesting lay out of sock, jewelery, antique and food vendors.
About half way through our subterranean tour we stumbled across a shop that made our day, if not our week. We had found an Italian ice cream shop. Even after only being in China for a week, finding something as western and decadent as this was cause for quite celebration. We were greeted by a young man who spoke to us in English. He explained the flavors to us, which were fairly varied. Max had a scoop of white chocolate and a scoop of melon and I opted for taramisu and espresso. All of the flavors, apart from melon, tasted like vanilla to me but then again I was expecting as much.
As Max and I sat at the small bar in the restaurant, which faced out of the large windows of the ice creamery, and enjoyed our treats, I noticed that we were being gawked at by everyone who passed by. This is by no means an odd happening, but at that moment, behind glass eating at a western shop we had become zoo animals. We were living in a replica "natural" habitat enjoying our snack like a pair of lazy pandas at the San Diego Zoo. Max and I both thought this was a pretty funny thought and decided to end our trip in the mall and head up to Walmart.
Walmart was packed, just as it was the previous time. This time we knew where everything was, and we made fairly short work out of our shopping experience. However we were still unable to buy fresh produce. The previous trip to Walmart had also ended unsuccessfully in regards to our ability to buy produce. We got to the register and the clerk told me something about the fruit and vegetables that we had. All that I understood was that we need to do something additionally in order to purchase such things at such a high scale establishment as Walmart. This time we tried to bag everything up, but were again denied. Perhaps the next time we will be victorious.
Content with our load of vegetables, DVDs and Eggs we headed back to the old campus to play a little basketball with one of the staff members of the old campus. His name is Lobo and he turned out to be a very nice fellow. Max and I had both apparently run into some bad dumplings earlier in the day, which led to a nice puking session on both of our parts through the course of the basketball game. Fortunately, our team managed to win (despite the incredibly horrible referring by two students...I've never seen so many penalties called in my life).
Today was a slow day, we headed over to another campus near by in order to check out a large dome like structure that glows brightly every night. We were both incredibly impressed by the other campus and a little jealous of their buildings compared to ours. I took a video of this trip and a trip that Max and I made later in the evening outside of the school gates. Both can be found on my video site.
I hope everyone is enjoying the blog, and I hope I can continue to update even more frequently than I am now. I miss everybody, talk to you all soon.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Skype, the miracle of VOIP
Hello all, I am still getting settled here in China. This past week of classes has been intense and it's time for me to start planning next week's classes. I will let you all know how this turns out. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please email them to me (smannear@gmail.com) because I can not see the comments that are left on this blog. My blog is blocked in China, but the uploading section is not, very strange.
I just got finished setting up all of my Skype accounts. If you'd like to talk to me over skype, my screen name is scottmannear. If you'd like to call me from your cellphone to skype (I believe the cost is 2 cents a minute) you can call 225-304-0845 and it will ring right here on my computer. Also, I can now call you guys from my computer, so if you see a strange number calling, just answer it cause it's probably me.
I just got finished setting up all of my Skype accounts. If you'd like to talk to me over skype, my screen name is scottmannear. If you'd like to call me from your cellphone to skype (I believe the cost is 2 cents a minute) you can call 225-304-0845 and it will ring right here on my computer. Also, I can now call you guys from my computer, so if you see a strange number calling, just answer it cause it's probably me.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Pictures
Since, Webshots is currently being blocked in China, and I can't find a good way to block my IP through the schools VPN, I have changed my picture website to the following flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33693155@N00/
I changed the link on the right side of this page to correspond to that URL as well. I hope you enjoy!
I changed the link on the right side of this page to correspond to that URL as well. I hope you enjoy!
Updates
I am sorry that it has taken me so long to update, but getting internet set up has been a difficult, multiple step process. With that being said, I will try to let you know what has been going on lately on this side of the globe.
I started teaching on Monday. As of right now, I have at least four different classes that meet from 1-3 times a week. All of the classes that am teaching are oral English. The whole purpose of the class is to allow the students to speak as much as possible to develop their spoken English. I was not given any lesson plans or books. I don't really know what I'm doing. However, everyone here seems very eager to help and give suggestions, so I'm sure that I will have this all figured out soon.
The classes that I have taught so far have consisted of about 31 girls and 3 boys in each. After talking to several students I found out that most of these students aren't even in my class, but simply came to my class out of curiosity. There are literally four westerners on this campus of 10,000 students, so I guess I am a bit of a novelty.
So far all of my students seem to be very intelligent and very eager to succeed. I hope that I can maintain their attitudes and their interests. If anyone has any suggestions for activities or lessons, please send me an email.
Currently, I have taken only a few photos and a couple of videos. I was able to upload one of my videos last night--http://vimeo.com/33652-- and I am working on uploading at least one more today. Sadly, my picture uploading website is blocked from China, so I am in the process of finding one that will work from here.
In the good news department, Max is finally moving over to my campus later this morning, and will actually living next door to me. My washing machine still does not want to cooperate, so I sincerely hope that his does. Also, I met one of the other Western English teachers yesterday. She is an Australian woman in her 50s or 60s named Janice. It's always nice to see another Western face.
I will update again soon, but it is time for me to prepare for class and generally figure what is going on today in Nanchang. I'm missing everyone, and I hope I can talk to you all soon!
I started teaching on Monday. As of right now, I have at least four different classes that meet from 1-3 times a week. All of the classes that am teaching are oral English. The whole purpose of the class is to allow the students to speak as much as possible to develop their spoken English. I was not given any lesson plans or books. I don't really know what I'm doing. However, everyone here seems very eager to help and give suggestions, so I'm sure that I will have this all figured out soon.
The classes that I have taught so far have consisted of about 31 girls and 3 boys in each. After talking to several students I found out that most of these students aren't even in my class, but simply came to my class out of curiosity. There are literally four westerners on this campus of 10,000 students, so I guess I am a bit of a novelty.
So far all of my students seem to be very intelligent and very eager to succeed. I hope that I can maintain their attitudes and their interests. If anyone has any suggestions for activities or lessons, please send me an email.
Currently, I have taken only a few photos and a couple of videos. I was able to upload one of my videos last night--http://vimeo.com/33652-- and I am working on uploading at least one more today. Sadly, my picture uploading website is blocked from China, so I am in the process of finding one that will work from here.
In the good news department, Max is finally moving over to my campus later this morning, and will actually living next door to me. My washing machine still does not want to cooperate, so I sincerely hope that his does. Also, I met one of the other Western English teachers yesterday. She is an Australian woman in her 50s or 60s named Janice. It's always nice to see another Western face.
I will update again soon, but it is time for me to prepare for class and generally figure what is going on today in Nanchang. I'm missing everyone, and I hope I can talk to you all soon!
This is China
“This is
When I spent fourth months in
The point of this story is to illustrate how easily things can become complicated in China. These first few days have been a crash course in traveling within a foreign culture and in developing greater patience in general. When I finally arrived in Shanghai, after a 14 hour plane ride and an hour long trudge through customs, my first task was to get some Chinese money (Yuan, kuai, RMB—I will refer to Chinese money as any of these throughout the remainder of the blog). I presented my passport and an envelope of money to the bank teller and received my Yuan and receipt (this will be important later in the story). I was then able to make a few phone calls back home, which was a luxury. However, after finishing these phone calls, I noticed that Max’s flight was going to be two hours late. So, our plan to catch a taxi over to the domestic airport had been shot. At this point I went into semi panic mode. I made a reservation at the New Asia Hotel, called Keith (from Journey East), and called my contacts at the school to let them know that we would not be showing up on time. It was now time for the six hours of waiting before Max’s flight arrived. The wait was originally only four hours. After having already not slept more than a few hours in the last 30, this wait was comprised of me struggling not to pass out.
When Max finally arrived, we were both happy to see another non-Chinese face in the crowd. It turns out that Max is about 6’6”, so my blonde hair does not stand out at all compared to a six to eight inch height difference. We both carried our two enormous bags through the taxi line and managed to successfully load it all into a small taxi. When we arrived at the hotel, the real trouble began.
At check in, we were asked to present our passports. Max quickly presented his Canadian passport eager to reach the room. Unfortunately, I was still reaching into every pocket of every piece of clothing and luggage trying to find my passport. I could not find my passport. I had lost my passport within the first 6 hours of being in China. This was a great start to the trip. After about 20 minutes of panicking and almost having a nervous breakdown in the lobby of the hotel I remembered that the only place where I could have left my passport was at the money changing desk. I had given them my passport then right? Had it just fallen out of my pocket somewhere along the way? I asked the receptionist to call the airport. I thought this would be a LONG shot. Losing an American passport in a Chinese airport is like losing a $100 bill on the streets, chances are it’s long gone. After a few minutes on the phone, the receptionist told me that the indeed did have my passport and that I could pick it up in the morning. Relief, exhaustion, frustration.
After a moderately successful attempt at sleep, Max and I were awakened by a telephone call at 5 AM from Keith. Our new flight out to
I returned to the hotel with plenty of time for Max and I to wonder around in
As Max and I walked out of the baggage claim area we were greeted by two English Teachers, Ms. Li and Ms. He. The first thing that they told us was that Max and I would be teaching on different campuses. Campuses that are 30 minutes apart. We were both fairly shocked by this statement as we had been told numerous times that we would either be living in the same building or on the same campus. After the initial shock, I figured that a 30 minute ride was not too bad and we would both survive. However, Max had specifically requested to live near to me, because of his complete inability to speak Chinese. Furthermore, when we arrived at our respective campuses, Max’s had no power and more importantly no air conditioning. It was 88 degrees the day that we arrived. It was extremely humid. Max called the teacher who had brought me over to my campus and asked if he could come to stay with me until his electrical problem had been solved. I was more than happy to allow Max to stay with me for a while. I have a huge place with multiple rooms (as you can see from my pictures). Over the last couple of days Max has been communicating with both Keith and the school in order to be moved over to my campus (which is a lot nicer I must say, though 40 minutes away from the city). This morning he talked to Keith and is supposed to be moving over to my campus today, but with the way that negotiations have been going over the last few days, I would be surprised if this actually happens.
Max caught the 7:10 AM bus this morning over to his campus where he will be teaching class from 8:00-12:00, and here I sit in my apartment, waiting for my 10:00 AM class. I will be teaching two levels of general English which are comprised of sophomores and juniors who are either in three-year or four-year programs at the university. In addition I will also be teaching a Tourism English class. The general English classes come with no materials. I can do whatever I want. The classes that I teach are purely oral English. My whole job is to get the students to speak English as much as possible. That’s it. Thankfully the Tourism English class has a textbook, which I will receive later today.
A lot has happened in the last few days, but I am finally feeling a little settled. I really miss everyone, but I am glad that I have at least one Western friend here with me. Also, I often have to act as his translator, which is great for my Chinese skills. Generally I can’t complain right now. I’m just happy to be settled.
I will post pictures and videos as soon as I can get them uploaded. Links for my pictures and videos can both be found on the right side of this website. Enjoy!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Tomorrow I'll be in China
Within 12 hours I will be beginning my long journey to Nanchang. I mentioned my international flight information in the previous post, and I received information for my domestic travels earlier today. Once I arrive in Shanghai (after a 14 hour flight) I will be waiting in the airport for my fellow English teacher, Max, to arrive from Canada. I should have about a 2.5 hour wait, which probably won't be too exciting after sitting on a plane all day. However, it should also give me some time to get a new SIM card for my cellphone or international calling card. Then I can make some phone calls to let people know that I have arrived safely in China.
Following my wait in the airport, Max and I will have to catch a taxi to Shanghai's other airport. Within the last few years Shanghai split up their domestic and international flights between two separate airports. Because of this fact, Max and I will be taking an hour cab ride to the Hongqiao airport from the Pudong airport. If everything is on time Max should have his bags and be ready to head to Hongqiao by 6:00-6:30. Our flight leaves from Hongqiao at 8:00pm. I am not very confident that we will be able to catch this flight, but it is possible. If Max and I don't make it across town in time, we have been instructed to stay at the New Asia Hotel (3 stars apparently). We have been provided with several contact phone numbers, so I'm not all that worried. It would just be nice to have everything go smoothly and actually arrive in Nanchang on the first day.
I received some of this information via an email from Journey East, and I also had a conference call with Max and Keith (Journey East Rep.). Max seems like a nice guy and has no experience with China or Chinese, but I am sure that he will do fine. Hopefully we will get along well, because it seems like we may be the only English teachers at our school.
That is my update for this evening. If I think of anything else, I will certainly add it before I sleep. If not, I will post again as soon as I have a chance. Time to finish packing. Talk to you all again soon!
Following my wait in the airport, Max and I will have to catch a taxi to Shanghai's other airport. Within the last few years Shanghai split up their domestic and international flights between two separate airports. Because of this fact, Max and I will be taking an hour cab ride to the Hongqiao airport from the Pudong airport. If everything is on time Max should have his bags and be ready to head to Hongqiao by 6:00-6:30. Our flight leaves from Hongqiao at 8:00pm. I am not very confident that we will be able to catch this flight, but it is possible. If Max and I don't make it across town in time, we have been instructed to stay at the New Asia Hotel (3 stars apparently). We have been provided with several contact phone numbers, so I'm not all that worried. It would just be nice to have everything go smoothly and actually arrive in Nanchang on the first day.
I received some of this information via an email from Journey East, and I also had a conference call with Max and Keith (Journey East Rep.). Max seems like a nice guy and has no experience with China or Chinese, but I am sure that he will do fine. Hopefully we will get along well, because it seems like we may be the only English teachers at our school.
That is my update for this evening. If I think of anything else, I will certainly add it before I sleep. If not, I will post again as soon as I have a chance. Time to finish packing. Talk to you all again soon!
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