Best week so far in China

Labour Day holiday in China was kinda crazy this last week. First of all, it caused all kinds of complications with the teaching schedule at work. However, we all ended up with the same days off, except me of course since no one has my weird schedule! At least I had two of the same days off out of three which never happens for me so I took advantage of this rare occurrence and spent those two days with people instead of by myself like most of my weekends. 

Enjoying some line dancing and square dancing during an inservice day at work last Saturday. Yeehaw!

Last Monday a group of people from my center took a trip to the nearby city of Hangzhou. None of us had ever traveled there before so it was brand new for all of us. It was also the first time out of the city for some of us, so that was pretty cool. I won't recount every detail because it was quite the adventure, but I will tell a few highlights. We spent most of the day exploring the area around the West Lake which is located in the middle of the city. I couldn't get over how lax the safety precautions were around the lake. I guess the Chinese are not as prone to suing if accidents occur. If you fall in the lake, it's your own fault! There were so many people there that I thought for sure someone would fall in just from all the jostling along the narrow paths, but I never saw it happen, not once! 

West Lake in Hangzhou

Not sure how I didn't fall in crossing this bridge but our whole group made it safely to the other side!

Me at the West Lake in Hangzhou

Barney is a coworker from Texas and has never met a stranger!

The Gang at the Lake

It was quite the ordeal getting back to the train station that evening. We had taken a boat ride to the island in the middle of the lake and when the boat dropped us back to the lakeshore, it did so on a different side from where we started. It took us awhile to figure out where we were and how to get back to a main road. We finally did make it to the train station after lots of walking and then a short taxi ride, which was quite the harrowing experience that included narrowly avoiding being part of a collision and almost running over a box that had fallen from the back of a bicycle in the middle of an intersection. Once at the station, we ended up having to wait two hours before our departure time at 10:41pm cause everyone else decided to head back to Shanghai too! We were on the train about 10 minutes outside Shanghai and the train stops. Still to this day we have no idea why the train stopped there but it did...for an hour. By the time we got back to the Shanghai train station, got a taxi and arrived home it was about 2:30am. Needless to say it was a long day but full of good times. I really enjoyed hanging with these coworkers and getting to know them better. We also figured out we traveled via five different types of transportation: metro, train, taxi, boat plus lots of walking. Yes, everything didn't always go as planned but no one was injured or emotionally scarred and we have this great story to tell about that time we went to Hangzhou on a holiday weekend!

Monument to the hardworking people of China

The next day, I hung out with my roommate Liz and coworker Barney on the actual Labour Day holiday. We were going to go to the Shanghai Museum but it was too crowded and decided to visit the Bund instead. Liz and I live almost right next to this famous area of Shanghai but I had not visited it yet. It was an overcast and misty day so we stopped at a Costa Coffee for awhile for hot beverages and good conversation. Then we went to a restaurant on a pretty cool lane of shops and eateries. Afterward we ended up walking around the city while it was quiet and peaceful in the late hours of the day. I've always wanted to do that in a big city! We eventually ended up on the street where we live so we walked home! I love that I am beginning to recognize street names and areas of this huge city. It also helps that we live near some really tall buildings that can be seen from just about anywhere!

The Bund crowded with people!

I received a package the next day mailed by my parents over a month ago but it did finally get here! It was wonderful to get something tangible from home. I talk and FaceTime with the family pretty regularly, but this was a nice surprise. It contained mostly toiletry items and things that are hard to come by in China, but my favorite item was a box of Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate mix. It's my favorite drink at the Bux and it only comes out during the holiday season. It was awesomely wonderful to savor a cup the next morning. I will definitely treasure those packets in the coming months. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Remnants of a heavenly cup of Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

I also had the best teaching day so far this last Saturday. I wasn't feeling the greatest but once the learners arrived the energy I needed arrived with them and we had some fun learning English! I'm learning that consistency is super important when it comes to classroom management especially with learners this young. I've never taught kids who are of preschool age but I'm starting to like it. I'm still getting to know these kids with their individual quirks and idiosyncrasies but they already hold a special place in my heart. As trainers we are supposed to sincerely welcome each learner as they arrive at the center. That is not hard for me to do when I have some of the cutest and sweetest Chinese children in my classes!

When class is over we line the kids up and take them back to the clubhouse which is like the lobby where the kids hang out before classes begin. Then one by one we call their names and their parent comes forward to get them. Well, on Saturday, my AT Coco and I were following this process with our last class of the day. One little boy caught sight of Mom and started running toward the exit. I tried to block his path by getting down to his level and telling him to be patient. He promptly turned to me, kissed me on the cheek, said "Bye!" and ran toward the exit. I was so surprised that I let him go! I caught Mom's eye and smiled at her to let her know it was fine and she shrugged as if to say "that's my little boy." The kids here can be affectionate but that usually translates into wanting to be close to you. They'll cuddle or hold your hand, but that was the first time I've been kissed by a learner! It still makes me laugh to think about it!

The mall where my center is located had a World Music Festival this weekend with different types of musicians from all over the world playing on the stage throughout the day. This was some sort of Eastern European band.

Indian musicians, singers and dancers

Looking back on this week, I realized that I had some good, in-depth, let's-get-to-know-each-other-below-the-surface conversations with some of the people I work with at Disney English. Anyone who really knows me has probably realized I'm better socially when it comes to one-on-one or small group interactions rather than large group settings. I would rather sit in a coffee shop having great discussions about people's lives and their beliefs and opinions than go hang out at a noisy bar or club with tons of people. Anyway, I really enjoyed getting the opportunity to deepen some relationships with my coworkers. People fascinate me with their different personalities, beliefs, family life, opinions, and reasons why they are the way they are. I especially like to find out how they arrived at this place in their life working for Disney teaching children English in Shanghai, China. It's interesting how similar the answers are from everyone I've asked. They love to travel and experience different cultures. They have taught before and thought it would be fun to try teaching for Disney. Why not move to China? They love change. We may be different from each other in many ways and come from all over the world, but we do have these traits I listed previously in common to bond us together. 


Yeah, reflecting back on this week, I have to say it was a pretty good one. Maybe even the best I have had so far in China. It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming weeks...

Spring in Shanghai

Spring rain in Shanghai

Tourist season has begun in earnest. The weather is pretty nice most days although it does rain every few days. It is much more common to see foreigners everywhere you go in Shanghai. I am assuming this is just a preview for summer when more people take vacations. Although I have been warned it does get pretty humid here in the summer months. Good thing I lived in Georgia for two summers so the mugginess will not be a complete shock!

Every teacher always has a couple kids in class that are behavior problems and that continue to challenge you. We did have training for Behavior Management a couple weeks ago and that was helpful, but I do have a couple boys in two of my classes that are disruptive in every class. The other kids are active but not defiant and if Teacher Heather sets a boundary they will obey it. These two boys are definitely a challenge and I am still searching for a way to engage them in a positive way without punishment. What would life be without a few challenges, right? 

I am officially certified to teach English as a foreign language to children. Now if I could just figure out how to do that...

My AT Coco hard at work.

Transportation is proving quite fascinating to me especially since I have never lived in such a metropolis of a city. I have discovered a definite hierarchy when it comes to transportation in Shanghai. Buses stop for no one. They are the top of the transportation pyramid and will run you over with no regrets. Taxis might stop if you force them to even when the pedestrian has the green walking signal that says they have the right to be crossing the street. Bikes will run you over but somehow always seem to avoid it at the last moment. I really don't know how there are not more accidents. Bikes also compete with pedestrians for space on the sidewalk. Other pedestrians will move around you most of the time. Though I have been shoved a number of times in a crowded area. All in all, it is an adventure every time I go somewhere.

It constantly amazes me how well a native English speaker can get around Shanghai knowing only a handful of Mandarin phrases. That's not to say that I shouldn't learn as much as I can but it is a relief to know that it is not vital to my existence that I be fluent because this is not an easy language to learn by any means. It is so far removed from English that there are very few similarities. I am trying my best, though, and use what I do know as much as possible.

My roommate Liz and I visited the Shanghai Zoo and the Aquarium recently. They were not the best I have been to but definitely worth a visit. I did see a real live panda in China which was pretty cool, and the Aquarium had the longest underwater tunnels in the world that you can walk through which was the best part of that visit.

Had first observation by LLD of one of my classes. So nerve wracking to have someone sitting there poker faced and writing down every move you make. According to my supervisor, I did better than I thought, but I'm always harder on myself. There are definite areas for improvement, but I am moving in the right direction. Yay!

A colleague told me this week that I live in the largest/most populated city in the world. This makes it difficult for an introvert to find some alone time. There are times I miss driving by myself in my car just to have some peace while traveling. Sometimes I miss the routine and comfortable. I love change and the new/undiscovered but sometimes I do not want to experience a dozen new things everyday! Calling for wait staff at a restaurant is a different custom. There is no tipping and therefore no motivation for a server to go above and beyond when it comes to service. Communal toilet paper and no paper towels is also something to get used to when using public restrooms. Fortunately these are mostly minor inconveniences that you simply have to get used to when living in a different place.

Movie night with my roommate might become a regular thing. We invited some friends but they had to cancel at last minute. Since I had cleaned the apartment and gone to the grocery store to prepare for the evening while she was at work, my wonderful roommate Liz bought me Coldstone ice cream as a thank you. We had a great night just the two of us so we have decided to do it again when our schedules line up accordingly. It's the little things in life, ya know?

Movie night is about to commense!

The ice that kept the Coldstone ice cream cold on its journey to our home turned out to be dry ice. Kinda cool surprise!

Celebrated Earth Day at work with some games and a song as part of our teaching content. Not sure how much the kids really understood about the purpose of the holiday, but I hope they understood that everyone can help by at least picking up trash and keeping our planet clean. So thankful that my parents are carrying on my recycling efforts back in Georgia. I do the best I can here, but there's really no sure way for me to know if the recycling I put in the bins actually are recycled. Ah well, I do what I can. I also help by either walking or taking public transportation everywhere, and I try to always carry a reusable shopping bag with me. We don't have a clothes dryer so we hang everything to dry which saves electricity too. Like I said, I do what I can even when I'm living in a foreign country. Such a tree hugging hippy, I know :)

Cutie riding the Metro

This guy's job is to wave that green flag when the train is all clear to leave the station.  Everyone has a job here no matter how menial or trivial it may seem.

New Beginnings

So here are some highlights from my last couple weeks in Shanghai, China.

Nanjing Dong Lu

My roommate and I met up with a friend of hers at a place called Mr. Pancake House. This is the place to go for a delicious breakfast. It was a tiny place but well worth a repeat visit whenever I am craving some french toast or crepes. Also found a store called Fresh Mart where you can find some imported Western goods like cheese and baking items. It is definitely nice to live in a city like Shanghai where it is possible to find some things from home as long as you are willing to pay for it.

Mr. Pancake House is awesome!

Jing'An Temple is right down the street from Mr. Pancake

Crazy fountains we found on our walk back to the apartment

We paid rent & bills for first time which was relatively painless. Our apartment is pretty much set for everyday living. I still want to find a few pictures for the walls but we did finally get our water dispenser and water delivery set up. The water here in Shanghai is not safe to drink so we have to have it delivered whenever we start to run low. Just one of those things you learn to live with in a different country.

One bedroom wall decorated with pictures from home

We have agua!!

I continue to have interesting interactions with locals here. I was walking back to my center after a break and a man stopped to have a conversation with me. It went like this:

Man: Hello. 

Me: Hello.

Man: Where are you from? 

Me: California. 

Man: Welcome! 

Me: Thank you!

And then he walked away and I went back to work. I did have a couple of young girls point and stare at me on the Metro last week but they were harmless. Then, three guys said ‘Hello‘ as I got on the Metro the other day and then got a kick out of how they talked to the foreigner. I’m starting to get used to being so different but it still feels strange. What’s even stranger is that it seems strange to me now when I see a foreigner here. Crazy!

Public Transportation

Inner Workings of the Metro

Spring has officially arrived in Shanghai. The days are getting warmer but it still cools down at night. Trees and flowers are blooming. There is still the occasional spring shower and we actually had our first thunderstorm the other night. At first I wasn’t sure if it was a storm or just a big public event going on downtown, but it was definitely raining with thunder and lightning.

Everyone is out and enjoying the nice weather!

Would be hard to keep the coat clean but he's so beautiful!

 

I taught my first 3 classes last Wednesday night. The learners are so cute especially the ones who are excited to be at Disney English. As long as I make learning fun but structured, they behave well. They look up at you with those big dark eyes and your heart melts. I was told to expect lots of upset little kids who are experiencing a bit of separation anxiety but we only had one crier in the whole group. 

Also experienced my first holiday in China which completely messes with the teaching schedule but gave us an extra day so I can’t complain. It was a Tomb Sweeping holiday which means the locals pay their respects to their ancestors and “sweep the tombs.” I don’t know much but I do know I had an extra day off yesterday which meant I could meet up with some friends at a Mexican restaurant to catch up with people I haven’t seen in a while. Then My roomie Liz and I did a little shopping and came home to chill. It was a nice, relaxing holiday!

View of the river from the opposite side of our building

Another highlight is that my AT (Assistant Trainer) Coco treated me to some street food which had some noodles made from peas apparently. It was pretty good especially since she made it not spicy for me. She had the spicy kind which made her cry it was so hot so I am very grateful I had the mild kind!

Had a night out for dinner with my roommate a couple days ago at a restaurant called the Blue Frog. It was quite good food and company. We traveled under the river to get to the Pudong side of Shanghai which is the newer part of the city and has some spectacular new buildings to admire against the night sky.

Blue Frog Bar and Grill

Jin Mao Tower

Oriental Pearl Tower

World Financial Center

I am just getting over the on again, off again battle I have had over the last month or so with a cold that kept circling around a sore throat, sinus congestion and a cough. Apparently hot water cures everything in China, so I have been drinking that while at work and it does help me be able to speak for longer periods of time. Who knew!

All in all, still doing well in China. I am subbing for some classes tonight and will be seeing my own students again on Saturday afternoon and evening. Easter is coming up on Sunday and I am going to check out a community to celebrate with that afternoon. Until next time!

Art pieces decorating the outside of the mall where I work - pretty darn awesome :)

What's Up with Me

Actual sign in the Metro. Trust me. It's necessary.

So, life in China has not slowed down much since my last post. I guess the biggest adjustment I am making is to my work schedule. Since the learners come to Disney English during the afternoons, evenings and weekends, my mornings and early afternoons are free and I do not get home from work until late evening. This is playing havoc with my concept of a schedule for a normal day. There are positives and negatives to any work schedule. It's just something I have to get used to for the next year. 

In a classroom at DE

I was walking down the street the other day on my way to work and I had a realization. It doesn't feel weird to be here in China at this time in my life. I feel like I should constantly feel strange and out of place and trust me, there are definitely times I feel like an alien in this very different world, but overall, I have this feeling of contentment and rightness. Like this is where I'm supposed to be at this time in my life. Now, I'm not saying this feeling of right place, right time will last longer than my current thirteen month contract with DE, but right now, I have purpose and know that I am here for a reason. That's enough for now.


And now for some less deep, more mundane, but still interesting details of life in Shanghai over the last couple weeks.


Had Diversity Training at work a couple weeks ago at work, which I thought was kind of ironic because it's not a really diverse place here in China. About 98% of the people I run into here are Chinese. Go figure, right? However, it turned out to be more about the diversity between the Western culture of the Foreign Trainers and the Eastern culture of the local staff at the centers. I came away from the training with two things. One, I need to be more cognizant of the culture of the place I am living and how that affects the people I work with and the families of my learners. Two, the acronym R.A.V.E. which stands for Respect, Appreciate and Value Everyone. So, let's RAVE! (Yes, I am being a bit tongue in cheek, for those that can't tell.)

My center is so magical!

Monday the 12th was a super productive day for my roommate and I. We went by the DE Regional Office to pick up some very important documents that will allow us to legally stay in China for a year. We were also able to register our current address at our local police station because the government wants to know where you are at all times in this country. Then we both sorted out our problems with our individual Chinese bank accounts  and had access once again. My roommate screwed up her PIN number and an ATM machine had taken my bank card hostage after I took too much time taking it out of the machine. Definitely learned my lesson there! So, here is a brief rundown of our day all before noon:


Passport. Check.
Work visa. Check.
Alien employment permit. Check.
Register with police. Check.
Get bank card back after ATM ate it. Check.

Like I said before, a pretty productive day!


I have also met the Assistant Trainer I will be working with for a while at DE. Here name is Coco and she is originally from the south of China. We have worked together in a few demo classes and I think we'll do fine. We are definitely people with different personalities and teaching styles, but I think that might work to our benefit in the classroom. Our new classes start with the new term one week from Wednesday. I have been subbing as an FT and AT in many classes the last couple weeks and as much as I enjoy being in a classroom, I am looking forward to having my own group of kids to teach. 

Last Friday, a group of three people from my on boarding training group left for their centers in Nanjing. A group of us got together for dinner the night before they left to hang out and say goodbye. I have really enjoyed getting to know these people and am sad that they are no longer close by. However, they are only like a two hour train ride away so it will be relatively easy to plan  a trip to visit and see a different part of China at the same time.

Brian from California left for Nanjing

Laura from Florida via Columbia left for Nanjing

Delous from Tennessee will soon be leaving for Hangzhou

Jennie, Candice and I are staying in Shanghai!

Brian wrote a quick farewell speech on a napkin. It was beautiful!

My group: Dawn and Rainey

We made paper airplanes in the last Academic meeting I will attend since they are held on Mondays and my regularly scheduled days off are now Sunday and Monday. We were given some supplies to create something that would fly and then took a quick field trip outside to test them out. Almost got arrested by the mall security who did not appreciate our little learning activity. Welcome to China! Anyway, we all trooped back after our escapade to learn that the purpose was to remember that sometimes simple is best. Those that just made a simple paper airplane flew the farthest, while the fancier ones basically dropped like a stone. Wonder what they did at today's meeting without me...



I am basically a pro at demos now. Since I will only have three classes (every other teacher has ten), I will definitely be doing more of them until my schedule becomes filled with more classes in the terms to come. There are good and bad things about demos. They are the same lesson every time so no planning is involved, but the bad thing is that they are the same every time. I might have to create some crowns for Dawn (another FT that is doing a lot of demos too) and I so we can officially call ourselves the Demo Queens!

I will also have to call myself a pro at the subway. Having never lived in a big metropolis before, I definitely have a deep appreciation for public transportation like never before. Shanghai definitely makes it easy on its non-Chinese visitors and residents by having all the signs and stop announcements on the trains in English. Although you are never sure what kind of driver you'll get. There are the ones that stop and start very quickly and basically take enjoyment out of jerking people around and there are others who actually consider the safety of its passengers and accelerate/brake much more smoothly. I still get stared at on the metro every time I get on and off. I've learned to ignore it now. Though I am tempted to make a funny face at people now and again just to prove how very alien I am.

Reflection on the Metro (Can you find me?)

My bedroom and the apartment is coming together slowly but surely. IKEA played a major role in outfitting it with a few essentials. Might have to make another trip to get a few more things and to have a meal. Had a great meal on my trip last week. It was wonderful! Tough, I didn't think through how I was going to get everything I bought from the taxi up to my room. Yeah, I am so not used to living in a city without a car!

Swedish Meatballs, baby! (No, I am not drinking wine, btw. It's just Coke in a fancy glass :)

Not quite sure how I got all that up to the apt by myself. It's a miracle!

My sink is in a constant state of shock.

My Bright and Beautiful Bed!

George lets me know that I am almost home. It's nice to see a familiar face on the homestretch.

Something else, I have noticed about Shanghai is that everyone seems to have a job. It may be as simple as mopping up the floors at the subway or cleaning up the trash at McDonalds, but they are working. They even have people standing on the metro platforms who wave a green flag to signal it's all clear for the metro drivers to leave. I have also seen very few homeless for such a big city like maybe four or five since I've been here. Not sure how that works and not sure I really want to know. Anyway, just a few observations of the city. 



Still miss my family like crazy but we get to FaceTime quite a bit. Thank goodness for technology! Not sure how easy a move like this would be if I could only communicate by snail mail or carrier pigeons.

So, coming up soon is the start of my classes next week, a Tomb Sweeping holiday which means we get an extra day off, and my first Sunday/Monday "weekend" where I will hopefully get to check out a community I might join on Sunday afternoons!! Some things to look forward to in the next couple weeks. That's it for now! 

Random Building #1

Random Building #2

Random Building #3

Backseat Taxi Ride in Traffic. No bueno.

Rice.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Not widely celebrated in China for some reason.

This little guy starred at me the whole time I ate dinner last night. I get that a lot here.