Christmas in China: The Build Up

Christmas is not an official holiday in China but this does not stop the Chinese getting into the Christmas spirit.  Department stores are decorated with Christmas trees and play horrendously catchy festive muzak.  Isetan (perhaps the Selfridges of Tianjin) even had Santa Claus running around the store being chased by a group of Chinese girls in elf costumes.  Quite a sight but unfortunately not one that we caught on camera. 

 We decided to give our students as much a taste of Christmas as possible and so we:

• sang Christmas songs
• watched Raymond Briggs' Father Christmas
• watched Mr Bean's Christmas
• talked about what we are going to ask Santa for this year (Sarah = a puppy, me = an iPad)
• designed Christmas cards (see Spider-Man riding Rudolph below)
• showed the students some Christmas decorations
• took a class Christmas photo

The students absolutely LOVE Mr Bean.  We'll almost certainly see his beautiful face again in class next year.  This despite the fact that he offers absolutely nothing to students who are trying to learn English . . .

Christmas is all about being with the people you love and so I'm really really going to miss being with my family at home.  Mum's amazing food, dad's incredible decorations, Amber's ridiculous over excitement.  Then there's the rest of the family coming over and drinking/eating too much.  It's an absolute nightmare but it's my favourite time of the year and I will miss you all very much!

Christmas 2010 in Somerset.  I'll miss you all, you little douche bags.

But don't worry, I won't be crying into my noodles this Christmas.  The ELAs of Tianjin and Beijing are coming together to celebrate the festive period, Chinese style.  The plan is to head to Beijing tomorrow (Christmas Eve), take over a hostel near Tiananmen Square and eat, drink and be merry.  Secret Santa, mulled wine, Christmas films and party games are all on the agenda so it should be brilliant.  I'll write about what we got up to next week.

So the only thing left to say is Merry Christmas to you all!  I hope you have a lovely time.

Lots of Christmas love,

Jake
x x x

Culture Shock

During our induction week we were told that moving to a new country, particularly one that has a very different culture (like China), would probably lead to us experiencing Culture Shock.

Culture Shock is "the anxiety, feelings of frustration, alienation and anger that may occur when a person is emplaced in a new culture" (thanks Wikipedia).

Supposedly there are four phases you go through:

1. Honeymoon Phase - Wow, China is so wonderfully different and interesting.  Look how the Chinese drivers constantly use their horns.  Marvellous stuff!
2. Negotiation Phase - Wow, China is so different, it makes me feel anxious.  Why do the drivers make so much noise all the time!?
3. Adjustment Phase - I have a routine and a normal life.  The drivers make a lot of noise because that's normal here.
4. Mastery Phase - I can fully participate in the Chinese lifestyle and culture.  When I cycle around the city I carry a foghorn.

Two weeks ago Sarah and I definitely hit the Negotiation Phase.  Common emotions include frustration, anger and the feeling that locals are being purposefully offensive towards you.  We definitely had a bit of that.

Our students were playing up in class, locals seemed to be spitting and staring more than ever and even the food wasn't tasting so good (I think the canteen staff were having a bad week).  The man who yells outside our window everyday at 8.30am was yelling louder and earlier than usual, cars were cutting us up as we cycled around and it seemed that there was twice as much smog as normal.

But we fought through the frustration and the anger, and we're stronger for it.  So rather than always focusing on why it is difficult or strange to live here, I thought that I would talk about why I like living in China:

1)   People are genuinely interested to meet you because you are a foreigner.  You are almost treated like a celebrity as you not only get constant attention, but also special treatment.  We were invited to the wedding of a teacher at our school (who we had never spoken to before) and were given front row seats and gifts.  He told us afterwards that he was honoured to have had us there!

2)   In China I have a skill that is in great demand.  There are so many job opportunities for English speakers out here.  After job hunting in England, it's a nice change to feel wanted.

3)   No matter where I am or what time of day, I have always felt safe in China.  Obviously crime is an issue here as it is in every other city around the world, but we haven't seen any trouble as yet.

4)   Having a receding hairline is a blessing here as it makes one look older and therefore wiser.  Our mentor, who has a wonderful head of hair, said he was jealous of my 'look'.  Best day ever.

5)   Also hair related, when I get my haircut I am treated with dignity.  At home they get the clippers out and it's all over in five minutes.  It's like they're mowing the lawn.  Here I get my hair washed, head massaged and hair cut with care.  All for just £2.50.

6)   I can walk around wearing whatever I like.  You see all sorts of crazy outfits here.  T-shirts with nonsensical (and sometimes downright inappropriate) English slogans are popular too.

7)   Growing a moustache for Movember hasn't been nearly as much an issue as it was last year.  Back then I thought everyone was staring at me (they weren't), whereas now I know that everyone is staring at me, but not just because of the 'tache.

8)   I can shout ridiculous things in public without consequence.  Nobody will understand me. 

9)   The food is cheap and usually delicious.  You just need to avoid the dishes that include things like chicken heads or feet.  I'm a big fan of the street stalls.

 10)   I can get the latest films in high quality for just £1.  Sorry Hollywood.

So there you go, my Top 10 for living in China.

Oh and any last minute Movember donations are welcome!

Holidayed in Jixian County

This is a super late post but you'll get over it.  Oh and it's crazy long.  Oops.

Every year on October 1, China celebrates the founding of the People's Republic with a public holiday called National Day.  This day somehow leads to everyone having a whole week off work and therefore gave us our first opportunity to travel.

After contemplating going to Shanghai, Qingdao and Hong Kong, we settled on a trip to the countryside north of Tianjin and an area called Jixian County.  I think the main selling point was that the train only cost £1.30 each way (a return trip to Shanghai can cost up to £100) but the promise of clean air, beautiful natural scenery and a chance to get out of the city all contributed to the decision.

When we arrived at Jixian Station we were mobbed by locals offering transportation and accommodation.  Needless to say I was one step ahead of them all and had booked a hotel in town for a couple of nights at a very reasonable price.

The hotel was a complete dive and I don't want to talk about it.

During our short stay in town we visited the Dule Temple where we found "the oldest multi-storey timber-structured pavilion in China".  I would go as far as to say that it was one of the most impressive multi-storied wooden structures that I have ever seen. 

Only partial sarcasm intended as the pavilion was built over 1,000 years ago and has survived around 28 earthquakes.  So it is a bit of a dude.

Inside the pavilion there is a huge statue of the goddess Avalokitesvara with her 11 Buddha heads.  Standing at over 16 meters tall, it is one of the biggest coloured clay sculptures in China.  It really is massive.

Big sculpture

Two days later we met up with some of our fellow Tianjiners and this time did the right thing and jumped into a taxi that took us to a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere (but near to the mountains).

Children running away from me near our remote farmhouse.

The farmhouse was quite pleasant with nice food and a rooftop you could chillax on, although we couldn't help but get the feeling that the owners were trying to squeeze us for as much cash as possible.  Oh and every morning we were woken at around 5 or 6 by the cleaners.  Sometimes because they were shouting, other times because they were listening to their radio (volume up to 11).

Good grub

 On the first afternoon we walked up "the first mountain to the east of Beijing".  It was very busy on the trail but it was nice to get some exercise in and the views along the way were definitely worth the effort.

Halfway up the mountain there is an endless flight of steps that everyone (those who did not take the cable car up) must conquer to reach the top.  The staircase reminded me of the slinky scene from ,one of the best movies of all time, Ace Ventura II - When Nature Calls.

They won't be smiling in about 30 minutes

There was no way to walk back down the mountain, which is absolutely ridiculous, so we had to pay for a cable car ride.  It was terrifying.

It looks tranquil, but those cars were making all kinds of noises.

The next day we made our way to the Huangyaguan Pass which is a section of the Great Wall in Jixian County.  The traffic was absolutely horrendous but again our efforts were rewarded as we pretty much had the wall to ourselves (unlike when we went in Beijing where it was RAMMED).

I would have called it "the Amazingly Great Wall".

Incidentally this is the stretch of the Great Wall where they hold a marathon every year.  I might get involved . . .

Culture Shock:  regardless of whether you are on holiday or not, in a city or the middle of nowhere, in a country of 1.3 billion people, there is always someone who is happy to wake you up before 6:00am.
Farmhouse Cost:  £10 a night which included breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Not too shabby but there are even cheaper options.
Dialogue Used:  "HEY CLEANING LADY. . .SHUT UP!"

Began teaching English to Chinese students

so this is what we're here for . . . the teaching has begun.

Timetable

We are pretty lucky with our timetable in that we don't have too many lessons to plan or indeed teach.  There are 6 Grade 7 classes, 2 Grade 12 classes and 2 SAT classes totalling 9 hours teaching time and three separate lessons to plan.  We also have office hours (when we plan or write blog entries . . .) and an extra class of Korean students on Wednesday night which we teach at another school for some extra pocket money.

First Day

As we waited outside a classroom on our first day, some Grade 7 students would peer around the doorway, make eye contact with us and then run away giggling with excitement.  The Grade 12 classes just about kept their emotions in check, giving us a round of applause as we both entered and exited their classroom.  It all made us feel very special and important.

Students

Most of the students fit the stereotype.  They're well behaved, intelligent, hard-working and full of respect for the teacher.  Some students can be quite challenging but they are all good kids.  When we walk down the corridor we are always greeted with "good morning teacher", "hello teacher", "laoshi" (teacher) etc etc.  Sometimes these greetings are coupled with a bow and other times a one armed 'wave' which is dangerously close to looking like a Nazi salute.

One of our Grade 7 classes.

Discipline

We haven't needed to discipline any of the students yet, and I personally haven't seen any other teachers disciplining the students, but we have heard stories of teachers hitting students and I have been told by our mentor that "You shouldn't touch the girls, but you can hit the boys.  Sometimes you can even kick them!".  I think he was joking.

Students being shipped off for military training.  I think it's like going to a fun camp, but without the fun.

Teacher's Day

Every year on September 10th, the Chinese have a day to celebrate the teachers.  Students give the teachers presents and sometimes even perform skits/songs for them.  At the end of the day there is a big talent show where a lot of the teachers take their turn in performing acts.  We sat for about 2 hours watching these acts, not understanding a word, as the audience fell about laughing. 

Next up was a big feast and a karaoke competition.  Naturally we were asked if we would perform Auld Lang Syne as it is a very popular song in China.  The other teachers enjoyed our singing so much that they began to dance (see photo).

We ended up coming third in the competition and won some hand towels!  Banging.

Culture Shock:  During presentations, meetings and performances it is perfectly acceptable to speak to your friend, answer a phone call or just generally make noise.
Ice Cream Cost:  An ice lolly costs 30p, a Magnum 50p and a Haagen Dazs £7!?!?  Something's not right there.  Still want to get one though.
Dialogue Used:  Wo bu hui shuo Zhongwen.  Ni hui shuo Yingwen ma?  (I do not speak Chinese.  Do you speak English?)

Explored Tianjin and got tested

Tianjin is pretty big.  Luckily for us we seem to be slap bang in the middle so everything is within cycling distance.  All we needed were some bikes so we headed to Chinese Tesco to get some.  Supermarkets sell all sorts here.

As well as bikes we've bought a kettle, a toaster and some pillows.  We had been given pillows but they were like bean bags.  Uncomfortable bean bags.  The toaster was a tad expensive but totally worth it to get a taste of home.  Peanut butter on toast is an absolute dream after a month of rice.

On our first touristy expedition, a group of us visited the Tianjin TV Tower which is the fourth tallest TV Tower in the world .  Luckily we went on a clear day so the views were pretty spectacular.  The tower is to the south of the city and the view below looks north towards the centre.

We also checked out the Water Park where we hired a couple of boats and floated around for a while.  It was nice to visit an area that had some green (and blue).  As you can see from the photo above, most of the city is pretty grey.  Joining us in the boat are fellow ELAs Mike and Jay.

Our first day in school involved getting up early to watch the School Opening and Raising the Flag Ceremony which kicked off at 0730.  The ceremony is attended by all 3000 students who march and maneuver themselves around the sports field with military precision.

Once everyone was in place, a man started screaming into a microphone until it was time to sing the school song and the national anthem.  Finally, the flag was raised and then everyone marched off to their lessons.  It was a bit of a special start to the day.

And the morning wasn't over yet, next up was our 'Medical Test'.  Skin was prodded, blood was taken, urine was given and all in rooms along a corridor that anyone could just look / walk into.  There were pee cups and bloodied cotton buds lying on the floor by bins and I'm pretty sure the chest x-ray process wasn't taken as seriously as it should have been.  I think we passed though.  Luckily for you I didn't take any photos.

Culture shock:  A lot of people stare at us for an uncomfortable length of time.  Some riding by on mopeds will put their lives at risk just to get a good look.
Toaster Cost:  £20! - Totally worth it with peanut butter (£1.50) or butter (£1) and jam (£1.50) involved.  Oh and bread (£0.50) obvs.
Dialogue used: Duo shao qian? Tai gui le!  (How much?  Too expensive!)

Moved to Tianjin

Quite a long post, soz . . .

Checking out of our hotel in Beijing was a bit of a nightmare.  The staff wanted to check each room that was being vacated and as a result some ELAs were fined for missing mugs and sodden towels . . .  Eventually we were allowed to leave and a big group of us headed to Beijing South Train Station to catch our respective trains.

The station was very impressive (no photos yet but when I visit Beijing I'll take some) and the futuristic bullet trains looked pretty badass (again, I'll take some photos at some point).  There's around 15 of us moving to Tianjin so we all got on the train together and in 30 minutes, after travelling at nearly 300km/h, we arrived at our new home city.

First impressions were not great.  It was raining and the escalator at Tianjin Station was broken so we had to carry our ridiculously heavy suitcases down the staircase.  It's very humid at the moment so naturally I got pretty sweaty.  Once through the gates, each of us was met by our school representatives.

Sarah and I were collected by Shawn and Alex (not their Chinese names obvs) who helped us with our bags and took us to get a taxi to Tianjin No 1 High School.  It was a short journey but it gave us a brief glimpse of the city.  There are skyscrapers and high rise buildings everywhere that you look and as far as the eye can see!

On arrival at the school we were taken to the International Office and shown our desks. 

Sarah standing by our desks in the International Office

Shawn gave us a Chinese mobile and a bit of information about the teaching that we were going to be doing before taking us to our living quarters.  Just before we left the office, Shawn warned us that our rooms had just been painted and that they were still full of paint fumes.  The school had decided that if the rooms smelled too much, they would put us up in a hotel for a week!  Needless to say, the rooms were absolutely fine and there was only a slight smell of paint in the air.

The dorm building is a bit of an eyesore but from our rooms on the top floor we have quite a nice view of south Tianjin.

The rooms are quite basic and could almost be compared to our university halls in Exeter (although these rooms are less like prison cells).  In the main room we have a bed, a desk, a cupboard, a microwave and a fridge.  In the bathroom (which has a window in the door so you can peek in . . .) there is a toilet, a sink and a shower.  

Shawn and Alex had kindly provided us with some welcoming gifts such as shampoo, shower gel, a toothbrush, toothpaste, apples, bananas, orange juice, apple juice and a plug adapter!  They have been so nice and have made us feel really welcome here.

They gave us 30 minutes to have a quick shower and a change before taking us out for some lunch near the school.  The food was delicious but, as seems to be the way in China, much too much food was ordered for just four people.  Chinese people eat a lot!

We also got a brief insight into the Chinese way of quantifying their achievements.  We had been told by one of our TEFL teachers that Chinese students will probably be able to give you an accurate answer for the number of English words that they know.  In this case, Shawn told us that he can drink 4 big bottles of beer at one sitting.  We congratulated him but secretly I wanted to challenge him to a drink-off.

Culture shock:  A smoggy haze engulfs Tianjin on most days and the air feels very close and heavy.
Taxi Cost:  £0.80! - As we are in the centre of the city, most taxi journeys have so far been very cheap.  The most expensive journey was only £2.
Dialogue used: Wo jiao Jake, wo shi yingwen laoshi (My name is Jake, I am an English teacher)

Partied then collected a TEFL certificate

On Thursday night we celebrated the end of our classes with a night out in Beijing.  We headed to Sanlitun which is the main expat bar area.  It's pretty much like going out in London except warmer, slightly cheaper and there are lots of rooftop bars.

Katy, Charlotte and Sarah.  Three tall blonde girls in China = lots of attention

Rik working the pole.

Friday we had our first proper lie-in which was glorious.  In the afternoon we went to the CEAIE headquarters for the Closing Ceremony.  Each of the Mandarin classes had prepared a song and a skit to perform at the ceremony.  The one benefit of being in the non-beginners class was that we got to sing a brilliant song called Xi Shua Shua as chosen by Steph.  Click the link, it's well worth a watch.

In the photo below you can see my class singing the song.  Yes, that's me pumping my hands into the air.  Good stuff.

Steph (in white at the front) leading what must have been quite an impressive rendition of Xi Shua Shua

Sarah also got in on the act.  Here's her class performing Tian Mi Mi:

A powerful and at times emotional performance.

We also received our TEFL certificates and so we are now officially ready to teach English in China.  Hooray.

After the ceremony we were treated to dinner and then a few of us headed to another of the bar areas in Beijing called Houhai.  Houhai is a large lake with hundreds of bars, restaurants and KTVs (karaoke) lining the water front.  It looks very pretty at night and, unlike at Sanlitun, there are many more Chinese people than Westerners.

Once back at the hotel it was time to finish packing and say some goodbyes.  Tomorrow we more to Tianjin!

Culture Shock:  Men in the street rolling up their t-shirts to just below their nipples to stay cool in the heat.  Apparently this is only something that peasants would do.
Drink cost:  £5 for a cocktail in Sanlitun.  Luckily Thursday night was "Ladies Night" which meant free drinks until 12am.
Dialogue used:  Women xiang qu Sanlitun. (We want to go to Sanlitun) 

A bit of culture, a bit of teaching.

Lots to catch up on . . .

Last Saturday (yes I'm really behind) we all went to the Great Wall which was incredible.  I can't wait to go back to have a proper look around so I'm glad we're not too far away from it.  Pics:

The Great Wall on a lovely sunny day

Random Chinese people taking a picture of Sarah, Simon and Katy.  No Chinese people have asked to take a picture of me yet.  They probably just think that I'm a monk.

In the afternoon we were treated to an acrobat show.  My personal favourites were the hat swapping / juggling / flipping men and the spherical cage of doom that at one point housed 5 motorbikes.  That was pretty intense.  Below are the performers standing in front of the cage.

The picture says it all.

 Monday to Thursday was split into Mandarin classes in the morning and teaching practice in the afternoon.  I volunteered myself for the non-beginners Mandarin class which was a bit of an error.  Some of the guys here can speak very good Mandarin and have studied it for a while.  I've had 8 classes.

I think most of us were quite nervous before our practice lessons as it was the first time that we would be leading a class by ourselves.  We needn't have worried though as the students were all incredibly well behaved and seemed to enjoy our lessons.  We even got some gifts from a couple of the students.  In the photo below are the students, their teacher (in green) and fellow ELAs Steph, Patrick, Sarah (duh), Jen and Gareth who are all also going to be based in Tianjin.

Intermediate 1 class in Beijing.

On Thursday afternoon we visited a Beijing Hutong.  A Hutong is an older part of town that has a whole load of interconnecting alleyways and roads which are perfect for tourists to get lost down.  Despite the old and slightly claustrophobic conditions, property in the Hutong we visited were valued at something ridiculous like £4,000 per square meter.  The gentleman we met below owned three properties in the area and was technically a millionnaire!?

Millionnaire martial arts instructor

Our transportation around the Hutong

Next up, a night out in Beijing and the closing ceremony.

Culture Shock:  Toilet paper goes in a bin, not the toilet.
Dinner cost:  £5 for a massive cut of lamb/mutton which you cook at your table.
Dialogue used:  Da jia hao!  Qing zuo.  (Hello everyone!  Please sit)