I'll Have a Venti

Xingbake, or as it's better known in America, Starbucks, has not yet made its way to Henan province.  But the richer cities of China are no strangers to them.  Though all the English translations are idetical to the American versions, Chinese speakers need not worry about the difference between a tall, venti, and grande.  The Chinese version roughly translates to "
medium cup" "big cup" and "really big cup."

 

 

Add caption

Add caption

Patriotic Beijing

I have wanted to post this for a long time.  These pictures were taken in December.  Beijing, being the capitol, is under more scrutiny than most places.  A few images.

Training For the Job

It's a little funny to think that I just finished training for a job I already have been doing for almost a year.  Being a foreign language teach in Kaifeng consisted of three easy steps: 1) be foreign.  2) show up in Kaifeng. 3) don't cut class often enough that your students complain to the higher ups.  I think the five of us last year managed to set the bar a little higher than that - but we would all readily admit that we had no idea what we were doing.  Our goal was to make coming to class more worthwhile than cutting it.  That was all the structure we had.
We arrived in Beijing on August 2nd.  August 3rd we had orientation.  On August 4th we began our daily schedule for the next two weeks - 1 hour of teaching, 3 hours of TEFL classes, 2 hours of Chinese, 1 hour of group meetings and information about Shenzhen.  After group meetings there was lesson planning and coordinating with the group of teachers you shared students with in order to make sure there wasn't too much overlap.  It was tiring.  But we learned.  We got advice on how to deal with problems.  We were taught a framework to put our class lessons on in order to create structure and goals.
Aside from the 24 hour train ride, we haven't had any days where we could sleep in.  I'm looking forward to that in the next few days.

At the Foot of a Sacred Mountain

The Dragon Gate

Toilets of China

On the left is the Ladies room, the right is the Mens

This is one I've been wanting to do for a while.
Toilets, like light switches, are one of those things that you really don't think about.  Everyone has a basic idea of what to expect, and though there are varying degrees of clenliness, you seldom find any surprises.  But, as it does in many other aspect of life, China surprises you when you're not expecting it.

A Restaurant Restroom

Most public facilities in China have what is called a squatting toilet.  To be fair to China, lots of countries besides the US have squatting toilets.  My mother says she first encountered one at a tourist venue in Paris.  In Japan they are considered more hygenic than Western-style sitting toilets.  No matter how disgusing the toilet, or who might have used it before you, you don't have to put your body in contact with anything someone else had contact with.  It doesn't prevent some public toilets from being quite disgusting.  But I at least have enjoyed the freedom to not have to worry about seat covers.

Foreign Language School Ladies Room

In most public rest rooms, there are stalls for privacy.  At Henan University, there was no such privacy in the stalls.  Everyone would squat over a trough, and politely avert their gaze while going about their business.  Each teacher had a different level of comfort with these bathrooms.  I know for myself, after being a little shy my first few times, I got used to them.  Students were often very social and would talk a lot in the bathroom, to an extent greater than I think there would be if the stalls were closed off from each other.

Foreign Language School Toilet

The norm in China is to not flush your toilet paper.  Every facility has a waste paper basket to use instead.  No ever facility provides toilet paper.  Most people carry with them packet of tissues for that purpose.  There is enough of a market for tissue packs that you can find packs decorated with popular cartoon characters or otherwise personalized.
But not every toilet is like this.  There are some rather classy toilets as well.  If you are planning on going to China, and you are not sure how comfortable you would be with public restrooms, I shall pass on some advice from my grandmother: "Relieve yourself at every opportunity."

Private Bathroom at Hutang Hostel, Xi'an

One Week To Go

In one week I head off to Beijing to begin my TEFL training.

Nervous, excited, rushed, and feeling a little cocky.
Most of the other people in the program I joined have never been to China before.  The farthest south I've ever been has been Hangzhou (if you compare China to the United States, Hangzhou is around where you'd find Washington D.C. in the US).  But I have lived in China.

I've not done much language practice this break.  Mostly, I've just been relaxing, enjoying the fact that I'm now speaking the native language, and checking off what errands need to be run in the US.