Transportation tidbits -October 16

October 16/2012

I heard from a friend who referred to traffic while she visited China about a year ago as “hair raising”.  Twenty years ago in Xuzhou, I would have said the same thing.  In that city, at that time, bicycles, cars, thousands of company vans, buses and 2 ton lorries all vied for territory in the vehicle lanes.  The only time my husband got hit by oncoming traffic was when he stopped obediently at a crossroads where there was a crosswalk, a stop light, and a traffic officer.  Bicycles and pedestrians shared the bicycle and pedestrian walkways about equally.  Now, at least in Nanjing, I have come to the view that traffic here is only slightly more hectic than in a western city at rush hour.  The difference is that rush hour begins at 7:05 in the morning and ends at 8:00 at night on weekdays;  traffic is heavy on Saturday until 2:00 a.m.  In fact, on Friday or Saturday nights, it is difficult to get a cab anywhere that I have been in the city. But really, I have been primarily within the old city walls, the core.  So, this description of transportation focuses on the city core. 

Office workers work five days a week, but the stores are open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, banks 8:00-6:00, 7 days, albeit with only teller cash service on weekends.  Many small street stores, and markets, are open longer, some from 6:00 in the morning till 10:00 at night.  And all those people have to get to work.  

Street sweepers work from daylight - probably a 10-12 hour shift.

Delivering recyclables to the depot.

Recycle truck at the depot.

 Peasants have to bring their products to the streets and markets. 

Citrus in season, 6 species of oranges.

Street vegetable vendors.  Light on right is the open market.

You will see people from their mid-20’s to seniors with a wooden or bamboo pole supporting heavy loads, carrying their goods on the subway or on foot.  People pulling heavy carts of garbage and recyclables to central points for truck pickup.  E-bikes and bicycles haul construction materials, furniture, pipe in 20 foot lengths, toddlers, the groceries, cages of poultry, turtles or crabs, and the family.  Apparently, e-bikes are not supposed to carry passengers, but no one pays any attention to that silly rule. People take their chances, of necessity. I have seen fellows hauling everything from a wife and child on an e-bike, with bags of shopping bouncing along and the vegetables or the dog on the floorboards, while talking on a cell phone.  It is rare to see a car driver using a phone, which is encouraging.   A two year old on dad’s lap, balancing with his hands on the handlebars.  Beautiful young women wearing 4 inch spike heels with a coat worn back to front as protection from the wind and dust, mothers in lovely skirt suits or dresses on e-bikes are too common to be noteworthy, except for the lovely mom with grandma on the back, holding a sleeping babe in her arms. 

Helmets are not uncommon on motorbikes, but I have never seen a Chinese wearing a bike helmet.  In fact, the only e-bike or bicycle rider I have seen who wears a Helmut is a 31 year old colleague who nearly met his Master while teaching in Thailand last year.  Jim, my 70 something, colleague, also says he would not feel comfortable without his.  Personally, I think I will get one soon. 

 For the first 2 weeks I was here, I took the public buses.  It was hot out, and the Chinese capitalist claiming communism government recognizes people’s needs and desires.  Therefore, the fee to ride an air conditioned bus is twice that of a non-A/C bus, to whit, 30 cents vs. 15 cents.  And there is a definite pecking order for priority in traffic, buses, taxis, trucks, vans, cars, motorcycles in the vehicle lanes, e-bikes, motorcycles, bicycles and often pedestrians in the cycle lane, and pedestrians, dogs (now oblivious to distractions, while in heat) trees and stationery construction equipment in the pedestrian lanes. 

Building a traffic separating barrier.  Shrubs come later.

But, once I realized the only way I would see much of the city on my own terms, get an extra 45 minutes of sleep and still get to my 7:45 classes in good time, was to become one of the cyclists.  I knew I was ready when I was able to smile indulgently when my bus cut off several cars in one trip, and pulled closer to the light by getting into the left turn lane to proceed back into the right lane in front of two other buses when the light changed.  But traffic moves relatively slowly in any case and accidents are rare, usually fender benders.  

7 speed Giant Momentum - double locking, one for hind wheel, one to the fence.

I tried to buy a “used” bike, but was unsuccessful within my time line.  I wanted one before the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday the first week of October so that I could do some sightseeing.  One of my students works part time at a Giant shop and, showing  admirable character, sacrificed his potential for a commission at his own shop to help me get one within my price range at another shop.  He was pleased with my generous gift of thanks.  I thought I was getting a modest machine so that it would not be a “thief magnet”, joining the thousands of single lock bikes tossed into collection trucks, heading for the “used” markets.  Three staff members had their high end bikes stolen in the two weeks preceding the holiday, obviously a high need time for transportation.  When I showed off my bike to my elderly neighbour, with eyes big and round, his jaw dropped.  Regaining his composure, he very generously offered me his bike for those times when I need a bike and am not simply commuting to work.  He gave me a set of keys for the two locks, and said simply, if the bike is not in the garage, I will know you have it.  And if you don’t find it there, you will know I am using it.  But in fact, the next person to use the bike will probably be his 12 year old grandson, now five.    

Recently I commented that I was grateful to know how to render lard.  Now I am grateful for all those joyous hours of herding cattle on horseback.  The same principles apply commuting to work.  One must “ride actively, alertly”, as Garth Butcher would say.  Last week I was sharply reprimanded by the guy who cut me off from behind.  I swerved to avoid hitting the rider to my right, and trying to reassert my balance touched him.  Thankfully, I don’t know exactly what he said.  When I asked my students what I could say in Mandarin to express my frustration and anger, a very polite and shy student suggested I “use that word that starts with “f”.  Everybody knows that English! 

At the end of my first week of commuting, I had reason to question the degree of my own emotional response.  I still don’t know whether I feel guiltier to have been riding the wrong way in the bicycle lane, or angry at the red car going the correct direction while blasting his horn as he insisted on forcing cyclists out of his way.  I still feel the guilt, but no longer bother much about it.  The fact is that there are many stretches where the only choice is to ride in the pedestrian walkway, or the wrong way in traffic because it can be hundreds of metres to a crosswalk where one can navigate into the correct lane. 

I made a stupid mistake today, wearing a dress that was too slim for bike riding.  Pulling up to a stopping point, the fabric of my dress, hoisted up enough to allow me to pedal unimpeded, became hooked on the back of the seat.  When I tried to put my foot down to steady my bike, we fell.  The e-bike managed to stop alongside me, say “Ay-oooh” in surprise and awe, while I gazed at his front wheel five inches from my face.  I skinned my knee, ran my stockings, thanked him for his concern, and tried to look non-chalant in a very Asian effort to save face as the light changed and traffic moved forward.  I am happy for any scratches on the bike; the less new it looks, the better, but I’ll save the dress for walking jaunts! 

Speaking of lights, now that’s an interesting concept!  In morning and evening rush hour, the traffic cops or crossing monitors will not allow cycles and pedestrians to begin crossing the road until only about 4 seconds remain on the vehicle’s “go” time.  Such a loss of travel time!  Should one disobey, one gets a shrill whistle blast.  When the cops are not out, however, cycles and pedestrians begin to move as the traffic thins, or when there are anywhere from two to 12 seconds left on the light.  But it is frustrating when cars try to force their way through us.  Yesterday, my 70ish PhD-Chemistry colleague, a cyclist, was so peeved about car traffic in the cycle lane near the school that he was standing in the middle of the lane as I approached, following a car, pointing and directing peeved motorists into the vehicle lane.  He was, characteristically apparently calm but authoritative, and they obeyed without running over him as I saw him later at work, whole and hearty.  Did he miss his calling? 

I learned later that it was his letter to the mayor of the city, the Education Ministry, whose offices are located next door to our prestigious school, and translated for the local newspaper, who was largely responsible for implementation of that “bicycle” lane.  He says he often directs traffic at that spot.

The principal and his wife are still taking taxis to work.  Most take the metro (subway) and/or the bus.  Of we female expats on my staff, only myself and a 20 something colleague are cycling though several of the guys are.  Riding partway with a colleague the other day, he complemented me on having the fortitude to ride a bike in Nanjing, saying “it’s not for the faint of heart”.  I don’t have to worry on that score.  Riding a bike in Nanjing I get much the same high as I do riding my Harley or alpine skiing back home. 

As usual, all questions, comments and encouragements are welcome.  It’s heart warming to hear from each of you.  I’m looking forward to my sister and niece’s visit in February, and a cousin has expressed an interest in seeing China while I’m here.  Anyone else? 

Home and Hearth, October 4

October 4, 2012

My last update responded to questions about my teaching job. This time I will respond to a question about circumstances of daily living. So many of you have been to so many places, exciting, isolated, impoverished and developing. China is some and all of these, in different places. Here, Nanjing is a modern thriving metropolis with 2500 years of history. In short, this is a very different culture. I write these posts as much to keep myself keeping track of my experiences as anything, with the faint hope that someday I might make more of it. Still, whether I do or not, I enjoy this way of keeping track, and I hope you do too. My posts are also on the inappropriately sub-titled http://lemonsrsweet-thnk-write.blogspot.com/ . I have posted my photos there, and on Facebook.

So many things we take for granted as being the way things are, are not. Many are such small things, but when put together in a day, are a lot to get used to, and can be stressful. It’s different if the changes are things one notices and that, in a week or two, will return to “normal” when you “get home”. They are the little things one must adapt to. They reach into every nook and cranny of life. It may take several entries, over time, to cover them all. Reviewing past updates, I see that I went on and on. So, I will try to focus on one area of existence in a posting. This time, my apartment and getting food.

My apartment is really little different in many respects from what one would be in a Canadian city. (see photos). But the payment of rent, and negotiations with the landlord are different in many respects. That being said, it’s been a long time since I was a tenant, dependent on someone else for any changes or improvements, so maybe things have changed in Canada, too. To begin, I had to pay four months of rent, or the equivalent thereof, in advance. Three months was rent, .5 month was the damage deposit, and .5 month was the real estate agent’s finder’s and maintenance fee. The School actually absorbed this last cost. My apartment is 98 sq m, the same 1054 sq ft area as the house I co-paid for in Mill Woods in Edmonton, and nearly 300 sq ft. bigger than the Bonniedoone house I shared with Che and Xian, main floor only mind you. The landlady claimed the place usually rents for 6500 Rmb, whereas I am paying 5000. My neighbour tells me the 5000 is much more in keeping with the market, even at this complex which was built in 2005 and then made quite a splash on the market. It is still nice, but not flashy, except for the grounds.

Back walkway

Usually there is also a “management fee” as well, but in my case it was waived. As with many costs, the management fee is a set rate. However, upon arrival, foreigners seldom know this fact, nor the amount, and can be exploited. Initially, for example, I was told the management fee would be 600 Rmb. However, I was also told it was 2.5 Rmb/sq metre. I was more recently told that it is 1.8 Rmb/sq m. What the actual rate is, I cannot say. My neighbour told me the latter.

exercise on the back entrance walkway

Pretty Posies

Considering the grounds at my complex, I would gladly pay 1.8 or even 2.5 if necessary. They are lush with trees and flowers, water features with fish hiding, labyrinthine walkways, exercise spots and three communally fed cats, Orangey, Gray Tabby and Splotchy.

Gray Tabby at the Tennis Basher's and Tai Chi spot

My Master Masseuse, 3 beds,
10 hrs a day, 6 days a week,

Gate and Guard, some polite and welcoming,
some dour and bored

They belong to no one, nor do they wish to. They graciously eat what is left for them, but have no desire to be beholden. There is even a playground for the children of whom there are some, though not as many as one might expect. From 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. one will see women quickly walking the paths, doing TaiChi in the open spots, and an elderly man who bashes a tennis ball on an elastic leash several times a week. The complex is 10 high rises of about 54 apartments each on 18 floors accessed via a gate guarded 24-7 which is very common, and includes a 400 sq m penthouse in each building.
Within five minutes’ walk along any of three side streets are shops selling everything from household goods to sweaters, florists, tailors, masseuse, fruits, bakeries, and the best chestnut roaster in all of Nanjing – or so we claim.

Chestnuts, the best in the area

There is always a line-up, that I do know, and they are delicious hot out of the oven.
There is a major marketplace just below street level which, in addition to household goods, also sells fresh produce and meat, dead or alive, butchered on the spot if you want. Unfortunately, there is little ventilation and the most unappetizing smell from those tiny bits of super-aged meat that falls in cracks and crannies wafts, unappetizingly, out into the street. Nonetheless, curiosity got the better of me and I braved descending into its depths, to find fresh meat and veges, and very friendly venders calling out hello, hello, and what is your country?

Fresh, fresh veges

Crammed Crabs

Only the hooved animals have been butchered before arrival at the market. Though I am not yet a vege convert, those poor forlorn crab, fish, turtles, ducks, chicken and rabbits have me eating much less meat than usual. Still, I could not resist three pork tenderloins for a total of 23 Rmb (or $3.58 Cdn). I froze them immediately and just don’t know when I’ll get around to eating them. The local Suguo Community Store caters to the middle class Chinese market, but also carries many western goods and manufacturers with a presence in China, Coca-Cola, Crest, Tide. Recognizing the logos and colours becomes critical to knowing what you are buying, since the packaging is Mandarin. Community Store is really what we would think of as a Convenience Store; there seems to be one in every neighbourhood.

seafood, florist, households

Suguo, family arrives for shopping,
3 to an e-bike very common

In Canada, a tenant has the initial 30 days in which to revise the damage inspection report. Being impulsive, and anxious to get settled in before school started, and just thankful this place was still available three days after seeing it, I took it, noticing only a few things that were problematic. Contrary to claims, the walls were not clean, nor the hood fan, and the fridge leaks. Apparently, Nanjing cooking is known for its oil, a fact that was noticeable in my first cleaning job!

First cleaning job, cleaning the clean hood fan

It is typically sold in 5 litre jugs, though smaller one litre jugs are available at the BHG Market for foreigners. The fridge would be a small repair job as I’m confident all that’s wrong is that the drain at the back is plugged. Still, the landlady is replacing it. On the other hand, I noticed drawer pulls missing on the bathroom vanity, but neglected to pull the drawers out. Too bad! They are misaligned and do not close properly, aside from simply being ugly. Though I mentioned this within 30 days, the landlady, supported by the real estate agent, say if I want it replaced, I may do so. And I just might. I saw something at IKEA last week that is much more modern and attractive and would do just fine. She also says she will not paint the walls but I’m waiting for my copy of the inspection report as I believe I did note that. Nanjing is largely an industrial city, and dust and dirt seeps in from outside. Que sera sera. I love the apartment, and for the time being, am quite content with my home.

Floors are marble looking, ceramic perhaps, stone even. My neighbour is appalled that I often go barefoot, saying I will catch my death from walking on these cold stone floors, but I do not find them cold at all. To conserve electricity, I often have my a/c set to 24 degrees, quite warm really, and so the floors are approximately that temperature too. I turn it to 21 degrees by times. People keep a supply of flip flops or slip-on footwear for guests. One leaves one’s street shoes outside the apartment one visits, and wears the guest footwear inside. Seeing that I had only one pair of slippers, Tian Lillian brought me two more pairs, gifts, and was happy when I turned off the air conditioner. Insensitive, I did not think to realize she would be cold in my 22 degree environment but I did turn off the a/c when she said she found it cold.

When you enter and switch on the electric lights you note the “up” is off, and “down” is on. When you finish using the washing machine, you turn off the power supply in the wall outlet, simply to conserve latent electricity to the unit. You turn off the air conditioner while you are out, and the heat in the winter. So, when I get home from work, I turn on the air conditioner/heater and go out shopping while it cools off, or in the winter, until the apartment heats up. Though many if most Chinese shut down the electric breakers when they leave for the day, typically expats like myself, do not.

The kitchen is small and poorly lit from a heavily screened recessed window in an alcove. There is no oven but rather the stove is what is referred to as a two burner gas “hob”. Cupboard space is very minimal as most people obtain the bulk of their meals in the street, and little.

Indeed, I most often get breakfast on the way to work, red bean steamed buns, or sesame covered fried ones, and lo and behold, tho a little out of the way, bing, the wonderful honey sweetened bread we used to have daily in Xuzhou so long ago, baked clinging to the walls of a 45 gallon cooking drum, blackened and scraped clean with a coiled steel scrubber after each baking.  The fridge is half freezer. A colleague bought a portable but full oven, most buy toaster ovens, the principal in his 6000 Rmb two floored suite has a full oven. I haven’t decided what I will do, but I am surprised at how much I miss baking. I’d got to the point with the B&B that I thought if I never baked another muffin, it would be too soon. But I was given a delicious homemade pumpkin and raisin muffin yesterday; it was soooo good it made me yearn for my own rhubarb royales. But then I saw rhubarb at the market today. All brown it was and the yearning expired.

The dining area and living room form the common area of the apartment, about 3.6 m X 7 m. The bedrooms each have a closet and plenty of room to get around the queen beds. There is a washing alcove in the hall preceding the toilet/laundry room. The toilet, thankfully, is a non-aiming, non-squatting, western standard, i.e. no bidet. There are sufficient lines and hangars on the balcony for several loads of washing, the products of the apartment sized front loading washing machine. The middle class do not have driers; wash boards are sold for 20 Rmb so I count myself very lucky indeed.

Living room seen from entry,
slipper and shoe rack

Living room, desk and a/c

Dining Table and grape juice

Bedroom, and walk around.

Kitchen with "hob"

Washing Alcove

I so look forward to your feedback, and any questions or comments you have.

elaine

Weeks of Sept 10-22/12

Thank you so much to each and every one who responded to my recent epistle telling of random adjustments to my life here in Nanjing.  Some of you asked about my work.  Now that I have been able to meet some of my basic needs, food in my belly and a roof over my head, I am now much more able to focus on my teaching. 

The British Columbia Academy is a grade 10-12 sub-school within Nanjing Foreign Language School (NFLS).  It is a private school, many say the best in Nanjing perhaps, some say, the best in Jiangsu Province.  Middle class and wealthy parents, or perhaps with help from the grandparents, have paid handsomely, 60,000 Rmb Yuan for a year’s tuitition(about $160 = 1000 Rmb Yuan), with the hope of going on to one of the best Chinese universities, or preferably, to a university in Canada or USA.  NFLS goes from grade 8-12 in the International Baccalaureate (IB) stream, or the English A-level stream, whereas BCA offers the British Columbia curricula.  Education is very important to Chinese people.  Apparently a good wage for a teacher might be about 80,000.  If both parents work, one salary would pay for the child’s education, and the other wage would pay for everything else. 

It seems these are three levels of admission at NFLS, depending upon how well students did on their entrance exams.  Perhaps the other programs are even more expensive.  My understanding is that the IB stream allows students the broadest scope of choices in the Western world, UK, Australia, New Zealand as well as the US and Canada, from which to choose.  IB is becoming very popular and fashionable around the world, including Canada, and is a very rigorous academic program.  Some choose to graduate only from BC, while others study non-stop to obtain both the Chinese and Canadian diplomas, thus able to attend a Chinese university in the event they are not successful in their applications to study abroad.  BCA has about 300 students, while the entire school is about 4000 students. 

The school fronts onto one of the city’s main drags, and at 7:30 in the morning and from 3:30-5:00 the mass of jostling parents, bicycles, e-bikes, taxis and private cars at the school gates is a milling throng of honking horns, people visiting, grandparents with young children in tow, wanting to be elsewhere. The high school kids are off to their dorms, huddled at tables in open spaces with study groups, or off to catch the bus or one of two Metro subway lines homeward bound.  Not a place you want to be at those times of the day.  Our staff usually goes out to dinner, and the younger ones party till dawn.  It is virtually impossible to get a cab on Friday or Saturday in the early evening.  Shift change happens between 3:00-7:00 so that the bounty of this high demand period is shared among the drivers whom it seems drive 12 hour shifts. 

As I mentioned, I teach grade 12 English to classes of not more than 20 students, one of 17 Canadian and 2 American colleagues.  Preparing for the Provincial Standards Exam is a huge focus.  I also teach “Graduation Transitions” a weekly 50 minute class that helps students think about their adult lives in the West in terms of maintaining physical health, achieving a level of community involvement and most importantly, where to apply to attend university.  About  five of my colleagues were here last year so there is some continuity.  The current grade 11 and 12 classes conducted in English have a maximum 20 students, while the pupil teacher ratio has been bumped up in grade 10 and 11 to 27.  The more kids there are in a class, the less teacher time they get, and the less actual student talk time students get.  I seriously doubt that tuition costs reflect the learning implications of that change.  Math classes run about 50 students.  They are taught by Canadians who happen to be fluently Mandarin.  Though they teach in English they do have the added advantage of being able to clarify in Mandarin.

The Principal is also a “new hire”, though he was in Beijing for three years preceding last year which he spent back home in St. Mary’s, Newfoundland.  His wife, originally from St. John’s,  is teaching the grade 10 English.  Six of us, Principal, Grade 10 English, Physics, Math and me with Gr 12 English are all retirees. We have four staff members who have been in China for a while.  One has been in China for six years, and this is his 4^th at this school.  Oral Communication is taught by a 50 something from the US who is in her sixth year at the school.  She uses debating skills as a forum to help students gain the confidence to express their opinions and to speak out.  Her son is here too, teaching at one of the universities. The other two senior staff are here with their wives who are Chinese.  The former lives in the residence floors of one of the downtown malls, which he says is just to his liking as he loves to shop.  Go figure.  I’m happy where I am too, because I don’t like to shop.  The other fellow is very quiet, and old and wise enough to have become somewhat cynical about rhetoric vs practice.  I do believe that is part of the professional development of a teacher.  He just seems to prefer to keep to himself and that’s all good.  He has been here for 9 years and is in his 70’s.  The remainder range from new graduates in their first teaching position to about age 35.  Most are hard working, dedicated and all are adventurers. 

Three staff members speak Chinese so we have in house cultural informants, though one admits she only knows what her parents have told her.  Two of the young teachers came to Canada during the Hong Kong exodus, and are now learning first hand about China.  One is a really vivacious 30 something who teaches Biology and coordinates the many events, clubs and extra-curricular activities.  She’s a treasure, open minded, forthcoming, diplomatic, organized and of course, hard working.  Another is about 23, teaches Biology, fresh out of university, and a ball of fire.  She is so intense that, in her presence, I feel I should be running.  She talks REALLY fast but I’m sure she is barely keeping up with her own mind.  And finally, an early 40’s Chino-Canadian has returned after 10 years in Canada, to be nearer to his aging parents.  His wife has stayed back “home” in Montreal to help their two daughters make the transition from high school to University.  He has not mentioned her except in response to a direct question.  He misses her and I do  hope she will come to visit though she is staying behind now to help the girls with their life transitions. Two of the young fellas are here with their Chinese wives.  The Phys Ed guy, a Canadian who played pro basketball in the US and New Zealand, exchanges weekend commutes to Hong Zho (spelling) where his Chinese wife teaches at a private international school.  Another new graduate is an Indo-Canadian.  She works hard and I thought was quite quiet.  However, her voice was a little raspy last Monday morning, and she confessed to having gone to Karaoke with the group after Friday’s staff dinner and singing till  4:30 in the morning.  I’d be a little raspy too, I should think.  I look forward to the next Karaoke though I’m sure I won’t make it to that time of night!  This Friday, I did go out to dinner for Ladies’ Night out, then on to a house party, and from their to a club.  Home at 3:00 a.m., tired and tipsy.  I’m paying for it still in that I am less focused even than usual from sleep deprivation.  I woke up on Saturday at 7:00 a.m. and could not get back to sleep.  I really do have to get some ear plugs.  The megaphones and firecrackers go non-stop on weekends, adding to the occasional car horn blasts that reach my 16^th floor. 

I was warned it would be difficult to get students to participate in classes.  Since I knew discipline would not likely be a problem, I set a relaxing tone from the outset rather than the hard line I would have adopted back home.   I showed some photos of my family, my home and my town, a couple of gardens, and main street Birtle with five vehicles in one direction down main street, and none facing west on the highway out of town.  My students could not imagine it!  I now find that the majority of students are happy to answer questions, and discussion groups are becoming more active by the day.   

Just before leaving Manitoba, I heard a program about the fashion of immigrants adopting English names, or anglicizing their given names, and the negative effect that has had on their perception of self and their self-esteem.  I’d often thought about that as a hangover from my days in Xuzhou where all the students had chosen English names for themselves “because their Chinese names were too hard for their English teachers to say”. Here too all the students have English first names, either selected or given to them by their teachers!   I always thought, “Here these kids are trying to learn to communicate in a whole new foreign language, and their teachers can’t learn to say their NAMES!”  So, I am trying my best to learn my students correct names. Chinese given names are two meaningful syllables carefully chosen by their parents as “life wishes”, or descriptions, Red Flower, Brave Leader, that sort of thing.  From my first effort, I could tell they appreciated the thought, if not the pronunciation.  On the other hand, once I got the tones marked on the Pinyin names, I did notice some positive body language suggesting I wasn’t doing so badly and that is encouraging.  I had to tell them not to laugh at my bad pronunciation, but rather to bear in mind that I am trying.  Noone has laughed since.  Now I am at the point where I am ready to seek their critique.  Nonetheless, surprisingly, when asked, about 50% of my students say they prefer to be called by their Chinese names.  Shamefully, I have to admit, that I too find it much easier to learn than their proper names.  The students say, that among the new recruits my pronunciation is the best.  They are either being characteristically too kind, or it is a shocking truth!

Though I am supposed to teach the BC curriculum, we do not have the materials.  BC, like Manitoba, has three English 12 courses, though they do not write a common exam.  I teach the mid-range course, English 12 which is supposed to include the texts Richard Wagamese’s Keeper ‘N Me, Ogawa’s Obasan, and Hosseini’s The Kite Runner by way of novel studies, as well as Hamlet and Miller’s Death of a Salesman.  We have one copy of Hamlet and the BBC CD.  We have a class set of Death (March-April) and the DVD.  We do not have the novels.  Instead, we will probably use Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird which the Oral Communication teacher uses as a primary research source for debates, and Keyes’ Flowers for Algernon.  I have the play so we will probably do a read-along of that text.  Students will write a comparison of the two forms.  I’m none too crazy about the novels because of the non-standard English used, the dialogue in Mockingbird or the spelling in Flowers. If any of my teacher buddies can offer some feedback about my thoughts on this topic, I would appreciate whatever advice or wisdom you might share.   We will give Hamlet short shrift (May-June) using the video and selected passages.  I think they would be so much better to use several novellas rather than these 250-300 page novels.  Afterall, these kids probably read at about 75-150 words a minute, so comprehension retention and attentionality will be problematic, let alone the language used. 

But I knew about the availability of resources from a conversation I had with the library records keeper.  I arranged to have a sample copy of an Oxford publication that gives comprehensive coverage of vocabulary, some grammar and a good focus to discussion, comprehension and writing as well as listening activities, 5 minute lecture excerpts and complementary contemporary music in 10 weekly lessons focused on developing academic informational text skills.  The lessons are based around a two page text on various recent new issues, Bloody Sunday, the Cold War, Apartheid, American race relations, etc.  In the meantime the Canadian representative and program coordinator, a semi-retired BC school division superintendant, will bring back sample copies of the remaining materials.  It takes about a year or more to have a novel approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education but I hope the novels on the curriculum may be approved.  They are certainly easier reads than those we are using though they are not short texts.  If any of you can suggest novellas that might be appropriate I would certainly appreciate the feedback.  I have thought of Steinbach’s Of Mice and Men or The Pearl but will have to do some research and reading to find others.

Unbelievably, two novels that were purchased by outgoing staff and approved appear nowhere in any curriculum I have come across.  One is Hamilton’s Water Rats of Wanchai, and the other is the Dust of 100 Dogs.   Water Rats is a mystery along the lines of Lars Steig’s The Girl Who series.  Whereas you may know that Steig’s novels are strong pieces with complex well developed characters, Water Rats is just ok with rather flat characters and predictable plot lines.  It did win a mystery writer’s prize and will make adequate vacation reading in February.  The reviews for 100 Dogs are inconsistent at best, and bad at worst.  It has many characters and ranges over thousands of years of human history and several continents.  Reviews say it is hard to follow.  This does not bode well for my EFL population and I hope the grade 11 teachers enjoy it.  I am working on getting Kite Runner, Obasan, and Keeper for next year.

I am contracted to teach 25 or fewer hours a week.  At this point I have 21 hours. My English classes are all double 50 minute classes, four per week with each of my two classes.  The Career Planning – Graduation Transitions course is a strange one.  It is a 4 credit course and I have 5 sections.  The morning classes are 50 minutes, but the afternoon three are 40 minutes long.  Two of those are from 4:20-5:00!  Those are two very long days.  My English classes alternate sections, but all start at 7:45 in the morning.  But we are also, as usual, expected to do some extracurricular work.  There are about 50 different school clubs organized by students and sponsored by a teacher liaison/supervisor.  I may do a debate club though that will be something new for me.  It is though something I am interested in.  As well, the Study Hall and Remediation Centre will soon resume services and I hope that will be the last part of my assignment.  It ran 4:30-6:00 last year, though the new schedule gives students many more breaks during the day than previously.  So perhaps this year it can run during the day. 

My English teacher colleague who teaches the other three sections is a new graduate and very well read and keen and insightful about literature.  She will be a big help with the haute culture aspects of the analysis, the part I was never too keen on.  And I hope she continues to be concerned about the language aspects of the courses.  That is my area of interest and expertise.  That and the research and writing skill development. 

September 10th was Teacher’s Day, a day set aside to honour teachers.  Teachers are given thank you’s, a special wish for the day, a card or a gift.  I was given a beautifully colourful silk scarf by one student and a lovely card from another.  NFLS gave us each a box of Moon Cakes in honour of the annual “Thanksgiving” harvest full moon.  Moon Cakes are little round cookies, 5-8 cm in diameter, with a thin pastry covering around a filling, usually of ground fruit and nuts.  They are reminiscent, for me, of fruit cake though the consistency is finer.  Those given by the school are delicious with a fruit flavoured jelly filling.  Individually they cost anywhere from 7 mau (1.5 cents) to a silk or satin lined box of 10 for 350 Yuan.  Needless to say, I have no idea what filling those might have – gold leaf perhaps? Anyway, the boxes are certainly beautiful. 

On a personal note, I like many things about my apartment.  The location is a little removed from the crowds, the noise, and the expensive foreigner’s shops of the downtown core.  It is close to the subway and not more than a km from the buses I use most.  Plus, I am on the verge of buying a bicycle to commute to work.  But the walls are in dire need of paint.  Washing them will help, but they are many marks and stains.  I have had the cushions on the rattan couch and chairs replaced and they are much more attractive.  But there is no mattress on my guest bed, which is quite unacceptable, and is, I hope, a problem I must resolve in anticipation of guests.  The bathroom vanity cupboard doors and drawers don’t align and don’t close properly as a result.  It’s probably not of “best quality” and is far from new.  The backing for the hooks on the drapes is sun damaged and ripped and the weights at the vertical edges have pulled away from whatever was supposed to hold them in place.  They don’t hang nicely.   The counter top of the vanity and the one in the kitchen is stained and in the case of the latter, has a crack in it.  I ground out whatever corrosion was in the shower massage nozzles and they now work.  And I miss my own cooking. I'm virtually living on fruit and nuts, coconut milk and yoghurt, coffee and tea, beer and now, alas, red wine.  

 I never imagined I’d be grateful to my mother for knowing how to render pork lard.  In a country where pork is the staple meat source, and everything is dripping with it, I find it impossible to communicate that I want to buy lard.  And I can’t identify it in the department stores though it must be there.  All the bread is sweet and I just want plain, plain, plain bread. And I want to make a pie so I will have to get out to buy a toaster oven soon.  Fry bread was delicious in desperation, but fat is fat.  So you see, I am now solidly in phase 2 of acculturation.  Missing home and family, foods and dogs, and “our” way.  But as Ron said, I will get over it.  End of conversation.

There is one little comical idiosyncrasy I must mention because it makes me smile every day.  I live on the 16^th floor.  As I rise in the elevator I pass floors – 2, 3, 3a, 5 and on to 12, 12a, 12b, 15, except in the stairwells. There the floors are labelled numerically rather than sub-alphabetically.  I guess those who use stairs must be less suspicious by nature.  Four is an unlucky number for the Chinese, and 13 is unlucky for us.  But Che tells me many buildings in Winnipeg don’t have a 13^th floor either.  There the floors go 11, 12 14, 15, etc. 

Enuf for now.  Time for my Chinese massage.  It will feel so good when it is over, but it hurts like the dickens while it is going on.  It’s like acupuncture with thumbs!  I hope you read with interest.  I was thrilled to receive your feedback after the last update and look forward to encouraging feedback again. 

If you do have any specific questions about my teaching experiences, please ask. 

Ooooh, Learning so much - Sept 8/12

The folllowing was the first "blog" that couldn't be.  Instead, it was e-mailed. 

If you receive this, then you are among the above in my list of valued people.  If you read some, or indeed, all, of what follows and would prefer not to receive subsequent updates, just let me know, and I will still keep you on my list of valued folks, but take you off the list of those who might be curious about China.  I had fully intended to simply let you know about the Blog I intended to keep, and invite you to subscribe to an RSS feed, but heaven knows when I will be able to get a VPN membership that allows me to skirt some of China’s internet blocks which include Facebook, CBC, Blogspot, most book review sites, and many others.  If I wait any longer to write what the past couple of weeks have held for me, I will never do it.  So, here goes. 

When I was doing research lo so many years ago, I learned that there are basically 4 stages to getting used to a new culture.  First one goes through the tourist phase where everything is a romantic adventure, different, maybe frustrating, but never depressing.  Second, in homesickness and loneliness, one experiences rejection of the new culture, a time when we ask ourselves why THEY can’t just do it properly, my way, our way.  This period is largely frustrating and sometimes maddening.  Maddening because we don’t understand THEIR way, and they can’t understand why we are frustrated because, they are, afterall, just doing it the right way, their way.  The first period lasts anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, and sometimes people don’t progress beyond the second stage, tucking their tails under and heading for home.  The third stage is adaptation, a time of adjustment in recognition that you are in Rome.  This may kick in sometime after the first month.  After you learn enough of the local language to discuss the issues, you may get to a time of acceptance and social change.  You don’t need to get all carried away and political, but you are able to communicate how things are “back home”, and THEY can then choose whether to make any changes to their way of living.  But mostly, you accept the way things are, and go with the flow.  When I was here 20 years ago, I got to adaptation, I would say.  But then I had the comfort cushion of partner and my son to keep me busy and involved.  This time, I am older, less patient and less open-minded.  I have my colleagues, and that is a comfort I did not have before.  I have moved very quickly to rejection and adaptation, and my students as well as colleagues help me accept things as they are.  As the Chinese chief administrative assistant said, most frustrations of China can be explained in three little words – “so MANY people”.  I need to remember that either Beijing or Shanghai have as many people in one city as we have in our whole country, which is slightly bigger than China!  So, bus fare is 2Y, the equivalent of 30 cents, shipping 130 lbs of luggage 250 km Shanghai to Nanjing was 60 Renminbi (Chinese yuan) or $10.00, and a cross cultural dinner out at a very good buffet with two drinks, Carlsberg beer and Chivas Regal scotch, was $20.00.  Tipping is not done. 

The traffic is only hectic at rush hour.  Winnipeg has rush hour, Birtle has rush minute – here it is two hours, with heavy traffic for three night and morning.  I think buses do have a schedule as I noticed one female driver a few days ago refused passengers while parked at a curb.  But they simply run non-stop.  Sometimes there will be three of the same bus one behind the other, sometimes it is 5-7 minutes between runs because of the way the traffic has moved.  So many people! 

My two bedroom apartment is conveniently located in the Baixia district, 10 minutes from downtown in slight traffic, and close to a lake, river, canal and Confucius Temple which is an historic sight and a big tourist market.  It’s about 97 square metres, 1/3 more than my Bonniedoon house in Edmonton that I shared with two toddlers.  I simply keep one door closed to reduce the weekly electric bill door to door cash collection for air conditioning now, and heat in the winter; week of electricity was 77Y ($12.00).  So many people!  But should you want to visit, I would welcome you for sure, and Nanjing could keep you interested for a week as it is a city with a lot of history going back to ancient times.  The city suffered a massacre by the Japanese I believe in 1937, and they have not been forgiven; there is a big Nanjing Massacre Museum commemorating the killing of 300,000 Chinese over a period of six weeks.  And then there is Beijing and hundreds of other fascinating places to visit.  China is safe and people on the street are honest and do their best to be helpful.

My first night in, August 31, was the annual day of the dead when people burn “monopoly” money, and paper decorations and toys in honour of their loved ones gone, in hopes that their way in the nether world will be wealthy and wondrous.  Street merchants have a display of it laid out for purchase by mourners.  The back streets smelled of burning paper; fires ranged from a tiny one tended by a lone person just beyond the turned eyes of the gate guard, to a virtual bonfire with 8-20 silently prayerful people in the alley.

Sometime in the day before school started I made the mistake of drinking an ounce of tap water after brushing my teeth.  Not a good idea! So many people, so much pollution.  But 48 hours later I was healthy again.  I have bought a t-kettle though, and am careful to boil water, and then drink it when cooled.  I am too frugal  and despise the billions of plastic bottles that are either landfilled or put in recycle bins daily. I do have two 1.5 l bottles of water in the fridge, but on the whole, use re-bottled water. re-bottled water.   My students tell me the recycle bins are largely for show – I hope they are wrong because it is a medium sized city 10,00000 times the size of beautiful Birtle, with 8,000,000 people.  So many people.  Unfortunately, split pants for babies and toddlers are being replaced by disposable diapers which will mean so much more garbage. 

I have pretty much got my household set up  and am settling into a teaching routine. Grade 12 was never so good.  Jet lag the result of being 13 hours AHEAD, and therefore having lost a full night’s sleep, took a week to get over, sleeping in 3 hour naps and feeling exhausted for several days.  I carefully selected the shoes that were the most comfortable for my new duck’s feet, but walking on concrete all the time is downright painful.  I broke down today and bought a pair of crocs for work, and will only wear real shoes for the commute to and from school. Nonetheless, when I get to my “community”, the set of high rises where my apartment is, the grounds are quite lovely, with intricately woven treed walkways (concrete) and bridges (wood), concrete lattice with groomed grass, lily pads and carp.  Many people are keeping dogs as pets rather than food now, and there are the occasional cats outside.  Noone has mentioned having a cat as a pet though.  One has to step carefully on the streets in the morning because the Fidos have been out for their morning patrol, on or off leash.  It is amazing to see how the dogs adjust to the traffic, staying fairly close at heel at all times.  I called to one the other day and he ignored me.  I was told, in English, that the dog does not speak English.  I have seen very few dogs that appeared as tho they might be strays and I’m not sure what to think of that!  Most are well cared for and well fed.  However, I felt rather sorry for the full haired Samoyed on a 33 degree day, and for the unsheared panting poodle wearing a jacket against the cold when the temperature dropped to 29 degrees.

Aside from the disposable diapers, much of Westernization has not been kind to the Chinese.  My students tell me everyone is crazy for Fast Food, and it shows.  I don’t recall seeing a Chinese who was obese when I was in Xuzhou but it is not uncommon now.  I had a Big Mac last week at the local MacDonald’s.  Not entirely disappointing, but no Thousand Island dressing, either.  Nanjing is known for its snacks of which there are more than 300 from which to choose at street stalls.  I tried one noodle shop but will need to learn to order before I do that again.  There is  a green leafy parsley sort of thing that is used to flavour many dishes, and I find I don’t care for it.  There is a special local Nanjing duck, which is salted and delicious, but otherwise main courses are very greasy.  It took me an hour and a half of intense scrubbing to clean the hood fan – which I was assured had been cleaned.  But, the good news is there is a hood fan and there is a “hob”, two burners of gas range, a microwave, fridge with freezer, and now the T-kettle, a frying pan and a big cooking pot where I can cook my bland western food.  So many people.  I have not shopped, except for today, in the morning so meat is in short supply by the time I get there after my late afternoon nap.  That being said, there are many kinds of fish, chicken (laying hens gone butchered as fryers?, and stewed), beef (expensive low grade cuts) and plenty of pork.   I think the better cuts may be  saved for the upscale restaurants.  I cooked up a meal of chicken breast the other night, and though a tad tough, it was tasty.  Stores are open till 9:00 or 10:00 every day of the week, and the street stalls open sometime before 7:00 a.m.  I’m glad I don’t work those hours! 

There is a gym somewhere in this community (my group of walled high rises), but the interesting thing is the street gym not far from the market that is just outside the gates.   It’s like a free Curves!  Old and young alike take some time to play or work out on the machines.  Early in the morning, in parks, one sees groups of a dozen or so women dancercising to slow enchanting traditional music.  Men on the streets scanning the newspaper right to left, and sometimes still, down to up.  And at dusk, the men exercise. 

There is the cutest puppy owned by a street merchant in the market, and folks were delighted when I stopped to watch the toddlers scamper or to play with and pet the cutest little puppy.  He is one of the very common local Heinz 57 breed that looks like a cockapoo, taffy coloured.   The one child policy has now been in place long enough that not all boys are little emperors.  I have never seen a parent even appear cross with a child except once today when a parent called in consternation to her 4 year old who'd run ahead into the e-bike/bike/pedestrian lane; redirection seems  the most common discipline.  Though here in Jiangsu province, people are allowed to have two children.  Mao’s idea about reducing the population has fallen by the wayside, and the intent now seems to be to hold the population constant.  I don’t know whether there is a pension policy for peasants in the countryside other than sons, though.  The population was, I believe about 1 billion 20 years ago; now it’s four times that!

There are so many tall buildings and so much of the architecture is similar with the exception of 1912 district nearby.  Finally, today I got a wisp of north/south, east/west, so maybe I will suffer less directional challenge in finding my way home next week than this week. The second day of school I got misplaced and turned around.  I thought I recognized where I was going but ended up walking for 1.25 hours before finding my way with the help of police officers directing traffic or Western looking young people who spoke a little English, or understood my horrifying Mandarin, to direct me.  The blister on my heel broke and my hammered toes ached and my back hurt from carrying the weight of my computer and purse with dictionary, phrasebook, a pound of 1 quai coins, etc.  I was so tired, and so frustrated with myself that when I got home at 7:00 p.m. I lay down for a nap and woke up at midnight, then worked till 3:00 a.m. before going back to sleep for two hours to get up in time for my 7:45 class – no kidding!  It takes an hour to get to work either on the direct bus route or on the subway and connecting bus in rush hour and it’s about 6 blocks between bus stops.   When I have that early class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the bus trip is 10 minutes as compared with 45 otherwise. 

But then the next day I decided to stay on the bus for an extra stop, hoping it would be less far to walk. Again, I could not tell the difference from one Bank, three to a block sometimes, or one glassed or concrete high rise from another, and got all turned around, walking for an hour, part of it in two circles within 3 blocks of home.  I had intended to come home and have a shower, change clothes and get a rest before going out to dinner with colleagues.  Instead, carrying that ever constant bag of books, I ended up taking a cab for 9Y (multiply by 15-16 cents) back downtown.  Available cabs display a red light, engaged ones a green light, and engaged and embarking on a shift change green outlined by yellow; there was not a red light to be seen after the dinner so I took an electric bike equipped with an umbrella for added comfort and shelter when it rains.  The driver was confident he knew the address, and even more so after consulting with another driver.  Bad sign maybe, but cities are groups of neighbourhoods everywhere.  I recognized we were close to home when he stopped people on the street to ask directions.  I was in the same area where I’d earlier been walking around in circles.  Looking at the address, he insisted we were in the right place and wanted me to get out of the cab but I would not, equally insistent that the building he said was mine was definitely not.  Given my earlier experience, there was no darned way I was setting foot on the street till I was at my gate!   At his suggestion that I call someone, I remembered that the one person who might help , despite that it was  11:00 pm, was the real estate agent who had found the apartment for me.  After some discussion with him, she informed me that he said I’d given him the wrong address.  But she had written it down for me!  He finally got to the main drag, Zhongshannan Lu (street) and then I recognized where we were.  As it turned out today when I had the real estate agent’s colleague check, the original agent had indeed written down the wrong address.  So that explained a number of hiking miles!  He had quoted me 40 Y initially I think, but I may well have misunderstood him too. When people on the street helped me, the quote was 15 Y. When I got off the phone, I had to pay 25 Y for having mislead him.  Ahhhhh!  Whatever, getting home was worth the $1.60 penalty!  I was driven home safe and sound.  Hopefully, I will not walk in circles this coming week, and will get a bicycle soon so the commute to work will be only about ½ hour.   As Che says, a bike can be faster than a vehicle in heavy traffic tho I will have to be careful to dodge the many pedestrians in the bike lanes.  So few walk in the outermost pedestrian lane where the concrete is ridged and marred by 2 foot diameter eucalyptus, the occasional broken heaved tile, and morning doggie doo before the street sweepers come on duty with their bamboo brooms.  I have come to see the humour in the traffic, smiling today as my bus swerved into oncoming traffic to get abreast of three other buses at the traffic light, rather than wait with car traffic for the light to change.  Should you come, as I was told, always carefully watch the traffic.  Private cars, all black, may stop for you, but should you be run over by a taxi or a bus, and live, you will be sued heavily by the Company, which has very deep pockets. 

I could not avoid shopping at Walmart today, though I had tried.  But here it is just another department store, with a floor for food, and one for dry goods and clothing.  Service in all the stores and shops is great.  Hovering, even, in anticipation of the foreigner's desires.  At my local SuGua supermarket, the floor servers recognize me (no surprise, I suppose) and one helped me buy a better quality of pillow for less money than the one that was on sale for 30Y (quai). Today, after shopping at Wally Whirl, I emerged to a heavy rain and again, nary a cab to be found.  I and my 40 lbs of shopping, took a peddle bike taxi with a female driver who probably weighed about 125 lbs.  She quoted me 15 Y, and was bowingly grateful when I gave her a 5Y tip.  I explained, “Wo hen da”,  (I’m very big.)  I felt sorry for her having to pedal me and all my shopping through the rain.  Thank goodness there were no hills.  She also sought a colleague’s advice about where to take me but the correct address helped immeasurably! 

If I’ve bored you to tears, I’m sorry.  If you’ve read with interest, I’m grateful.