A Merry Christmas and Reason to Live Abroad

I do love Christmas traditions and certainly miss celebrating them with family. Yet celebrating holidays abroad often makes for an unforgettable experience and contributes to the benefits of living in another country.

Tonight I had the opportunity to teach our school's and our provinces best students. They are recruited from impoverished families from around the whole province. The government then sponsors these students to go to the capital city to be taught by the best teachers and work among the best students. I taught them about the holiday season and when I arrived I was showered with presents--poems, fruits, notes, decorations, and even a little tree. Then we had a wonderful class where they read, listened, and spoke (writing exercise as homework--write a letter to Santa), completing what would usually take my normal students three classes to finish.

After a stressful and unsuccessful Christmas concert last night, these students' hard work and presents made me feel so grateful. It's certainly unlike any Christmas before and, thus, such a wonderful experience while living abroad.

Merry Christmas!
Rick

It's finally over--The Christmas Concert that may make one hate Christmas

We prapared for the last few weeks solid. We all tried to teach our students a Christmas number. We made props--or in my case a Wheel of Fortune that took 20 hours and broke right before going on stage--and set up music. Then last night it all came together--more like collided--in a 3 hour Christmas concert with no intermission. There were Christmas songs, plays, dances and more. Don't forget there was also Lady Gaga, the Jabbawokies dance group, and a foreign teacher that had her daughters dance while all the Chinese students simply stood in the background holding candles. While both of my classes' performances this year could be declared "below expectations," I can rejoice that it's over.

Off to Singapore he goes

In 36 hours Dominick (郭维), an exceptional student I had the privilege to tutor for the last 10 months, will board the plane for Singapore. He'll begin a planned 11 years in Singapore, in which time he'll complete a bridging course, a degree at a world-leading university, and six years of work. Today he and I had our final session together, and I said farewell.

Working with Dominick has been incredible. He works unbelievably hard. In our time working together he won 1st prize in a Zhengzhou speaking competition, earned a full ride to the University of Singapore, and won #1 in all of Henan for an English competition. Well done, Dominick.

It's strange to be in this position--I'm watching him leave. Usually it's the other way around. Either way, I'm thrilled for him as he experiences many many firsts--first time flying, first time leaving the country, first time in Singapore, etc. Ironically, do you know what he's most worried about? He's most worried about how the food on the plane will taste.
Today I wished him well and am silenced in contemplation as I watch a significant part of my Chinese experience come to an end. Fortunately, I get to hear about everything in 6 months when he briefly returns to China--just in time to see me off.

Later Days,
Rick

Amazing Experiences in 45 seconds. Go!

I realize I have failed to communicate with the outside world for nearly a month now. Unfortunately, I only have 45 seconds to realize and rectify this. Let's go:

1) Breakthrough! Whitney, a teacher at our school, invited me over to her home to play piano with her son! What great acceptance!

2) Autumn's here. Temps dropped to fall tems overnight, but being in a very green area, I get to enjoy the scenery change.

3) Starbuck's finally arrived in Zhengzhou! Yes, it might be nothing too special, but it's one thing a person periodically yearns for when deprived of it. Sadly, now that ZZ has one...I'm over it.

4) "Adapt to the market," thought Lays Chinese executives. Thus they introduced Cheese lobster flavored chips. That fishy aftertaste is one not to forget.

5) This is where I spent all of November when not in a classroom. It's the reason for only 45 seconds. (I'll cover it in my conclusion)

6) Happy Thanksgiving! Once again I opted for a KFC bucket, because I could pre-order it to arrive punctually when I finished class...at 9:30. I devoured "Thanksgiving dinner" in 20 minutes, convincing myself I was enjoying the holiday celebration. Then 5 min later, I was already asleep. What a joyous holiday.

7) Christmas is here! And Easter? Chinese purchasing behaviors amuse me when small kinks such as this appear before (the likely undiscerning) customer.

8) After a year of searching and studying Chinese, my ability was finally good enough to locate the only Papa Johns in town. Let me tell you, so good.

That's the monthly news from Lake Wobehad in a blip, brought to you in our regular Sunday morning coffee sip break.
Somehow I've done it again and taken on more than I may wish, in that I had enough to do that this week alone I clocked 84 hours. A large part was due to a last minute tutoring request/demand. My Chinese boss calls me Monday night at 8 pm to introduce me to her friend. This friend said, "My son will take an English test in 10 days. He needs to make significant progress. Amy recommended you, so I would like you to spend 2 hours every night from 7:30-9:30 for the next 10 days tutoring my son, starting tomorrow. Do you currently have night classes?"
"No," I reply, "I prepare for the next days class."
"Great, so you're free at that time! I'll call my son now so you can meet him," he concludes as he presses 'call' on his phone.
His son is certainly a nice kid, but I am really looking forward to having my evenings back. This is another crazy week, but next week both Dominick and this last-minute student, Julian, will finish. Dominick leaves for Singapore next Monday and Julian tests on Saturday. One day at a time. Wth that I say:

Later Days,

Rick

A Halloween Spectacular Weekend

Halloween arrived at Number 47 Middle school this past week.  We, the FEC foreign teachers, spent the week planning and preparing for the events on Friday and Monday (yet to come).  We decorated both classrooms (picture 1).  Classroom one had pumpkin carving all day while classroom two had Halloween activities, like apple bobbing (picture 2), creepy body parts (picture 4; eg. brains are noodles, blood is ketchup, but the heart was a real pig's heart!), mummy races (picture 5), and face painting.  We had costumes as well; Kellen is the skeleton pictured (picture 3) and I'm the "masquerade murderer". 

 

After the Halloween chaos subsided, we spent a fun Friday night at dinner and discovering a great new restaurant.  Saturday followed with a relaxing day―due in part to the absence of electricity in the entire school for 24 hours.  We moseyed around the city, enjoying cappuccinos, hair cuts, movie releases (Green Lantern & Rise of the Planet of the Apes), and a fantastic hotpot 海底捞―a student from last year's favorite (picture 6.) 

Finally, Sunday was filled with an early morning trip to the nearby city of Kaifeng, home to the chrysanthemum festival in a former emperor's palace.  A Chinese teacher from my school―Maggie (王燕)―invited me to join her, her mother, her daughter, and two students to go to Kaifeng.  The next picture is of Maggie and me in front of the mums on display (picture 7). She is incredibly nice, insisting that I come and visit when I have free time so I can practice my Chinese.  Because of this, we spent the entire day speaking Chinese!

 

Sitting here Sunday night, it was a busy and exhausting weekend, yet one completely worth it.

 

Later Days,

Rick

 

He did it. Henan High Schools' Best English Speaker

Yesterday, Dominick （郭维）competed in the provincial English competition, including a listening, reading, and writing test as well as an extemporaneous speech.  The results are in, and he is #1.  He did it! Below is the report his Chinese English teacher wrote to announce his success to the school. (I'm even mentioned!  Woohoo!)

(roughly) Translated English:

 

Guo Wei (Dominick) tops the fifth provincial "English Language Weekly's English Cup" to evaluate high school students' comprehensive English skills

In the recently-concluded Henan Province "English Language Weekly's English Cup" which assesses English students' comprehensive skills, Zhengzhou Number 47 High School's senior 3 student, Guo Wei (Dominick) stood out, winning first prize in Henan Province. His English teacher Zhang Hong (Whitney) also received first prize for excellent tutelage.

The event is organized by Henan Province's Department of Education and co-sponsored by the English language weekly newspaper.  Every two years it takes place in Henan Province to promote basic education in English, curriculum reform, and overall development of students; it strives to stimulate students' interest in learning English, create a good English-learning atmosphere, and demonstrate students' abilities. The tournament, held in Xinxiang City at Henan Normal University's High School, had more than 500 high school student participants from cities across the province.  The two-day competition included a written test and an extemporaneous speech.  The two results added to the overall score for each participant. Guo Wei's (Dominick's) outstanding performance and excellent results brings a great honor to both Zhengzhou City and Number 47 High School.

Zhengzhou Number 47 High School is the first municipal "Characteristics of International Education" school.  It has attached great importance to the teaching and learning of English. In addition to sending students to England and the United states for exchange programs, the school also organizes rich and varied extra-curricular activities, such as the "English Corner", the Christmas party, and an English speech contest all designed to improve students' English language and literacy.  Additionally, foreign teacher, Rick, also carefully worked with Guo Wei (Dominick) in preparation of the competition.  Further benefiting Number 47 High School's strong English-learning atmosphere and international perspective, Guo Wei (Dominick) has already earned a "Singapore Corporate Scholarship", a full-scholarship to the National University of Singapore or Nanyang Technological University of Singapore, which he attend in the second half of this year to begin his undergraduate studies.

 

 

Original Chinese:

郭维同学在省第五届"英语周报杯"中学生英语综合技能展评中折桂

在刚刚结束的河南省第五届"英语周报杯"中学生英语综合技能展评活动中，郑州四十七中高三学生郭维脱颖而出, 荣获河南省一等奖第一名。英语组张宏老师获得优秀辅导教师一等奖。

此项活动由河南省教育厅与英语周报社联合主办，两年一届，旨在推进河南省基础教育阶段英语学科的课程改革、促进学生全面发展、激发学生学习英语的兴趣、给学生创造一个良好的英语学习气氛和充分展示自我的舞台。本届比赛在新乡市河师大附中举行，共有来自全省各辖市及扩权县的500多名初、高中的学生经过市级展评进入省级决赛。大赛为期两天，先后进行笔试和即兴演讲两轮展评，两轮成绩相加为每位选手的综合成绩。郭维同学代表郑州市参加比赛，他以出色的表现、优异的成绩和全面的综合素质赢得了评委的高度称赞，为四十七中和郑州市赢得了极大的荣誉。

郑州四十七中是第一所市属"国际教育特色"学校，一直以来高度重视英语的教与学。学校除每年派出师生到英美国家进行交流和学习外，还组织了丰富多采的课外活动，如"英语角"、圣诞晚会、英语演讲比赛等，旨在提高学生的英语语言和文化素养。就连这次比赛，外教Rick也一同随行, 对郭维同学进行了精心的赛前辅导。

受益于四十七中浓厚的英语学习氛围和开放的国际视野，郭维同学已获得全额"新加坡企业奖学金"，并于下半年赴新加坡国立大学、新加坡南洋理工大学深造

Forecast: Smoke

Ever unpredictable, I check the weather to find I should expect smoke. No explanation why. Yet, much like a forecast this spring for "sand," it came true. Somehow, here, from my classroom, I couldn't see past 100 feet and my clothes smelled like I came from a bonfire. There was no special holiday, and no one offered an explanation. That's China.

Later days,
Rick

Ever Unpredictable China...stay flexible, Rick, stay flexible!

I sit in XinXiang, a city 45 miles from home in Zhengzhou, and watch as Dominick, a student I tutor, calls a fellow speech competitor to find out how the morning competiton went and what to expect for his afternoon competition. As always in China, you'll never know what to expect. We learn her speech was longer than the published info says. There are also questions from the judges--unexpected. Plus, the topics are single words (gentleman, hero, humor, etc.), not questions like we practiced.

Fast forward to the competition. The speech is once again a different length and the judges do ask questions. Dominick rocked his, "What kind of music do you listen to and why?" There, however, was no control around the questions. One poor girl was actually asked "Please comment on American congressmen's complaints that US jobs are lost due to China's fixed exchange rate."

Oh, poor girl.

Photo 2: Most often when such a smoke cloud rises from the ground, it's surrounded by protesters and mob squads with rubber bullets. However, in China this is a sign of celebration having just lit a long string of firecrackers (a sound that also imitates a riot area.)

Finish the day with some classic street food. Here, a thin layer of dough is spread on a hot circular stone and is then topped with egg, vegetables, spice, and breakfast crisps. Total cost: $0.48. Oh, China :-)

Later Days,
Rick

A bit a Chinese Gatsby

From my recollection of The Great Gatsby, our central character struggled to belong among the elite wealthy class having acquired his money in his lifetime. Thus my (flimsy) metaphor for Kellen and my most recent acquaintance.

We were walking to the store Friday and a woman pulls up in a black Porsche Cayenne looking for a teacher from last year. We inform her he's in Australia and after talking she offers to drive us to the store and ultimately the train station (we were about to depart for the boat cruise.) We're already pressed for time and it's a porsche, so we hop in and zip to the station with the sun roof down and dance tunes blaring.

It was exciting to be driven to the train station in a Porsche. We expected it'd end there. However, upon our return she called wanting to just chat. She zipped over to talk face-to-face with us and was inviting us to different dinners, clubs, etc. Kelle offered to work on her English, but we are puzzled with how to act. We both come from middle-income backgounds and don't know what to do around rich people. She makes enough for a porsche and a posh lifestyle. What could she want with two foreigners? I understand foreigners are still revered in modern China, but with her wealth she could easily afford the high-priced ones. Either way, it goes down for now as a continued adventure!

Later days,
Rick

2 out if the 3 Gorges

We're on day 5 of the 3 Gorges tour and about to see the final gorge and the 3 Gorges dam. While there is, admittedly, a fair dispute about visiting the area, the scenes are impressive. Yesterday was an all-gorge day (too much boat sitting, but "gorge"-ous). We started with the first and highest gorge, then came the 3 small gorges, then the mini gorges. Unfortunately, the pictures just all start to look like the same rock.
Finally, after tonight's 10 hour train journey, we'll arrive home in Zhengzhou! Happy national holiday!

Classroom Progress?

As a teacher, I always hope my students will actively pay attention and participate. Yes, a lofty goal for students who are in class for 11 hours each day. When something like this first doodle appears in a student's notebook, I can't help but succumb to allow her momentary distraction. I like it. She even got me with my pant cuffs rolled up like a cyclist. Classic.

The next photo is my home at night. This is the CBD's performing arts center fully illuminated. Now you see why I like the area and returned!

My 12th grade students are always difficult ones for whom to plan lessons. I try to teach a mix of problem solving, creativity, and hardcore English practice. Here is the loudest activity in their history--student bargaining. As storeowners, sudents balanced finding an appropriately low price while still earning profit. I wanted to see how they work with mixed objectives.

Similar to me wearing ledehosen to teach German, I vowed to liven up the story of the Franklin Expedition by having the students reenact the expedition, complete with pirate costumes and props. Fortunately, Chinese schools aren't worried about weapon-related paraphanelia (help me to spell), so all the less-interested students were active (making bloody cardboard knives, of course.)

Yet, the process of finishing costumes led to complete classroom chaos.

Last, but not least, our once-a-closet classroom may finally get a smartboard! Always staying optimistic.

And on that note, I start my 9 day holiday! I and another teacher are off to the 3 Gorges dam on the Yangtze river.

Later days,
Rick

Mooncakes abound!

It's shaped like the moon and it's to be eaten while admiring the moonlight. It is the Chinese moon cake. Mid-Autumn Festival arrived on Monday providing a pleasant day off.

On this full moon, tradition calls for going outside to enjoy moonlight. Apparently if you stick chopsticks in a mooncake and hold it to the moon you'll see a girl, a tree, and a rabbit...? A colleague explained all this in Chinese, so it's quite likely I missed a step.
Yet, the mooncakes are a wonderful present and always flattering to receive. I got 8 from a tutored student, 2 from a 12th grade student, 2 from another colleague, and 10 from the school. A bit too much to manage all by myself, but a wonderful sentiment nonetheless.

Teachers Rejoice, it's your day.

The most famous of Chinese teachers, Confucius, passed away on September 10th (so I read) and in his honor China celebrates Teachers Day. At Zhengzhou number 47 high school (where I work) all the teachers this year were brought to a restaurant and gardens near the Yellow River. We arrived with a few hours to tour the space, walking through the gardens and traversing the rope courses suspended over a lake. Some women dared the wobbly bridges, but most the courses were littered with the male teachers as they (and I) embraced our childish nature. We foreigners took the chance to rent a 4-person bike and skirt around the grounds. Wait, I overused the plural. I tugged us around the gardens. Often solo pedaling at the beginning and then physically pushing the bike on the return. No worries though, it was good exercise.

The fountain pictured here is filled once again to house the live fish with which each teacher is rewarded. The teachers received a clothing steamer, some dishes, the live fish, moon cakes (I'll explain that later when I get to Mid-Autumn Festival), and a monetary bonus. Unfortunately, we foreigners are employed through an intermediary and do not receive any school gifts.

Before the lunch, the school held an awards ceremony. While proud of my colleagues for their recognition, it is a fair chance to reflect that there cannot be a future for me here. Yes, we foreigners do not have to attend school meetings or proctor tests, but it is disheartening to know that we aren't even in the running. Regardless how diligent, innovative, dedicated, or self-sacrificing we may be, our peers won't officially recognize it.

On the positive side, the students show their satisfaction (or lack thereof) daily. My 12th graders presented me with a scroll of Confucian teachings as a Teacher's day present. That is a great reward!

Later Days,
Rick

A much-welcome Swede in China

Every apartment has small kinks--something bothersome you, the resident, hope to fix with a well-placed picture or lamp. My bother was of perpetual darkness, since my bedroom ceiling light is as effective as a cell phone's beam. Yet, in search of simple lighting, everything exceeded 300-500¥. Then comes the Swede pictured here.

In ever-growing desperation to save my eyesight, I find the Swede's website. Bad news: no store in my city, Zhengzhou, and no shipping in China. But alas, China's upredictability cannot be underestimated. While all signs point to no lamp for Li (me), what should I see when walking the streets of Zhengzhou? A saving grace.

It's not the spacious show- and storage house like usual, rather the entirety of a large store crammed and stacked into 1000 sq. feet. It's the result of a man and a big truck. He drives to Nanjing, buys up the lot and trucks it back to Zhengzhou. Somehow he even found the sign. This is one time where I roll my eyes at the incredulity, but am actually quite thankful I can now read in my bedroom.

Still China less the Classroom

I've been through it before. All the unpredictability should be minimal since I've been through it before, right? Well, it's still China. As the picture shows, this is our classroom on the Friday before our first class Monday. The school's freshman enrollment continued to grow so they took over our former classrooms and we now have this abandoned room on the opposite corner of campus.

All the luxuries of the smartboard have been stripped away. Right now we're thankful some desks are in the room. Will there be a blackboard by the first class? Uncertain.
Will anything be clean by the first class? Uncertain. Will there ever be technology in the room? Uncertain. If nothing else, they always keep us on our toes!

Not Ready to give up Training Wheels

Yep, I'm back in China for year 2. I likely should lead with a lengthy story of the exploits to this point, such as the seminar in Beijing, seeing friends from the company, and finally being back in Zhengzhou. However, I'll delay the obligatory and continue with the normalcy.

This summer I successfully passed the HSK (Chinese proficiency test) level 4 and can recognize 1,200 characters. This means I can communicate almost fluently with the Chinese. Despite the certificate proving it, I'm still not ready to give up my crutch--English in the form of Chinese English teachers.

On a positive spin, tonight I was able to go out with 3 other Chinese teachers (2 English and one chemistry). Most was in Chinese with only tidbits of English for aid in understanding. It was really nice to spend time with them (as seen in the photo) at a great tepanaki restaurant. And someday it'll be pure Chinese. Just keep working at it...I might even make it a competition with my students since we both need about 4,000 words.

Afraid of America

Reverse culture shock--I'm trying to preempt it. Today I held my last official class. Granted, I still have one student to tutor, a singing competition to conduct, and dinner with seniors to hold. However, I'm done with class and Chinese test prep(Level 4 needing 1,200 characters was Sunday) and it's slowly occurring to me that I will actually return to my former definition of normalcy in 5 days. Having adjusted to China over 9 months, I wonder can I even return to normal?

What do I do when the roads and sidewalks are free of potholes and motorcylists?

How will I order things in English when for a year I haven't needed language and get by by pointing and saying "这个" (zhe ge=this) or "那个" (na ge=that)?

If I already stare at the sole Westerner walking down the street, what will I do when they're all Westerners?

What do I do when I realize a beer costs more than 10 cents?

And, after a year of being stared and pointed at while being called "foreigner," can I point out Chinese people and yell "foreigner"? Payback.

Worst of all, being an English teacher has made my English worse. With all the Chinglish, the Chinese English textbooks that use unnatural English, adapting my word usage and sentence structure to the students' level of comprehension, I totally can't speak good English.

See you soon, America.

My wonderful classroom, with Big Brother and all

Two things my school (and most of China) are not good at: preservation and predictability. My classroom, despite being only a decade old, looks in desperate need of repair (or demolition)--thank you low-quality original material and construction combined with lack of preservation. Amusingly, the funds are, instead, invested into the latest technology. Although I do have a SmartBoard, which I couldn't do without, I now have a big black camera gazing into my classroom giving me the constant feeling "we're watching you." The students say it's only for tests to prevent cheating, which is comforting as I am reminded that no one really cares what we do in class, hence how two of the other teachers can show movies every class without any consequence.

In line with the electronics updates, the school also decided to replace/do whatever to our air conditioners. Great! Unfortunately we weren't informed of this. We first found out as we saw everything disconnected and strewn across thd floor, just as we began our 2 hour test... at full room capacity...with 95 degree weather... just after the students finished an exhausting PE exercise test. One just never knows what to expect and enjoy here at 47.

Later days,
Rick

I caved for bargaining, but what the adventure

This past weekend a friend of a friend came to visit. Yes, it is as precarious as it sounds. My friend Annie, with whom I traveled for Spring Festival, invited her German friend to China for Western Chinese adventures. En route to her destination, Zhengzhou fell into the plan and I, consequently, became German speaker tour guide.
Zhengzhou doesn't boast much for culture, being selected in the 1950's to become a transportation hub. That said, it was pretty certain where we'd go, first and foremost Shaolin Temple--the birthplace of Shaolin kung fu and a staple in China's cultural history.

Mind you, the place is on the complete opposite side of the city, looks like every other Buddhist temple, and is only super cool if you know and love the history. Go through horrible traffic and busy bus stations, and after 3 hours you'll make it to this kung fu school. We, however didn't arrive until the gates began to close, which meant the guest house hawkers would be especially fierce, since they could predict our being stuck out in this mountain base. Right from the moment we walk out the door, a woman latched on to us (figuratively, of course. However, she was always close enough that you might catch her in photographs.) She offered us a room in a nearby guesthouse.
We ignore.
"Hello? 宾馆(the chinese begins...guest house！"
"We don't want it."
"Guesthouse!" "Guesthouse！"
"Please go away."
"Guesthouse! Guesthouse!"
"Stop bothering us! We don't want your guest house! This is my 3rd time here, so I know where I'm going. Stop it and go away!"
**she pauses to think, but the thought must have been, la,la,la,la, they don't usually say that. I'll try again and see what happens...**

This continues for 45 minutes as we work out plans at information--a place we trust. We plan to see the evening show (pictured in this blog) and are deciding on hotels. The man at information says the only places nearby are "farm houses."

You can anticipate our reaction.

Yet, those broads aren't rookies. For 45 minutes they talk up their accommodations, despite us continuing to igore them. They eventually make the deal to drive us to and from the concert, provide a dbl bed room with bathroom and are only 150 meters from the temple. Upon them offering to show us the place, we're convinced this farm house will be a real life horror story.
We check out the place, seen in the picture. It's clean, quiet, and convenient. Aside from paper thin walls that shared neighbors' 5 am wake up calls (not a phone wake up, rather the hawker yelling "GET UP!"), it worked. It makes for a story alright, but it worked.

While it continues to be exciting and ever something new, I think I'm ready for a little break from China.
Later days,
Rick

They're done!...and not looking back

Ever gone through your books and found something you read in and kept since high school? I doubt any of the recent graduates at my school will ever experience this as they prefer to throw away, resell, or burn the entirety of their high school books. The picture here is the ever-growing pile of textbooks collected from garbage piles across campus. Everyday the courtyard is full of students selling their college entrance exam prep books, attempting to somehow profit from that which caused years of misery.

The GaoKao (or higher education entrance examination) has officially finished for the year and the test takers aren't looking back. I could write volumes on the ludicracy of this exam, how the foreign language only tests grammar and vocab (having no spoken or listening component, and a pathetic writing part where a bad essay with nice handwriting can get more points than a good essay with bad handwriting) how students live in fear of this test from 7th grade, or how every 7-12th grader studies from 7:15 am to 10 pm every day in hopes they have memorized enough for this sole test.

There are no other factors for entrance to almost all Chinese universities--it is this one test score. If you're sick, oversleep, or simply don't transfer your answers to the answer sheet, your future is over as you will be a waiter or cell phone sales agent for life.

The list continues as I laugh at the millions of resources being expended to examine how to refine this test when, in my opinion, they need to step further back to conclude to abolish THIS test. Unfortunately, those who may make this decision were subject to the same test environment, which thwarted creativity and critical thinking skills. My latest favorite bit of information is that Dominick, the student I coached, has been spending less time rigorously studying and doing less homework, choosing to focus on things he likes or preparing to study in Singapore. By a Chinese estimate he would perform worse, having deviated from relentless studying. However, due to the variety and decreased pressure, his most recent tests actually make him the #1 student in the school. Oh how the evidence stares them in the face and little changes!

All the while, I wish the best for this country and its students as I remain optimistic that it is capable of change. Just don't ask my opinion of this test.

110--I take it back

All March, April, and May I lauded the weather of Zhengzhou as one plant after another blossomed into spring colors and the temperature stayed around 72 degrees with that calm breeze and full sun. Meanwhile, my hometown endured more snow, clouds, and freezing temps.

I take it back.

Today's forecast of 108 made me resume my recluse behavior like in frigid winter. I'm enjoying my air conditioned apartment and trolling for ways to have everything I do simply delivered.

On a different note, I officially have 10 days of class left! We've only got final test prep and exams. There may be a wrap-up class, but it's almost all finished.

Later days,
Rick

The Infuriating Furnace

It's the day before the Dragon Boat Festival in China. Having 6 days off thanks to the holiday and testing days, I decided to travel to Wuhan, a city rumored to have a great dragon boat race festival and only a short 3 1/2 hour train trip south.

Immediaetly upon my arrival, my growing dislike for the city began. Despite all the maps I checked nothing would prepare me that my train station is not on the map, it being so new and far out of the city. A bus did connect to the city center, but only after I followed signs leading to the subway to be later told that the subway has not yet been built. They were just preparing for it by putting it on every sign.
Arriving in the city center, the hostel was another nightmare to find, ultimately behind a different building than in their directions.

I started today off with the best part of the trip so far--Starbucks. Tinged with envy that this crap city has 8 Starbucks and my city has none, I nevertheless enjoyed myself. Follow this with a trip to the touted festival destination to find only a few food stands, deserted race ropes, and not a single piece of information that could tell me what time the races were at; all that was listed was "Saturday."

I found my way to a pedestrian shopping area like a bad copy of Shanghai's road, and then made my way to an area touted for "great shopping." That is the picture here. Ha!

Cool, yet 95% humidity. No clouds, but pollution so thick you can't see across the river.
Unless tonight really turns things around, I can forever cross this city off my travel destinations.

I am now overwhelmed with laughter at just how ridiculous this is! All I can do is laugh.

A bomb or a birthday?

Boom....
Bam....
BOOM BOOM...

An amusing (albeit sometimes unsettling) facet of living in China is the frequent rumbling in the distance. Being completely unaccustomed to this, my initial fear is, "Are we under attack? Who would attack Zhengzhou?"
The reality is the complete opposite--fireworks are exploding in the distance in celebration of something, like a birthday, an anniversary, a wedding, etc.

On a different subject, a colleague shared an interesting quote that made me think about our culture "To understand a culture, study the un-translatable words." In Chinese, there is a word Jiang4 酱， which they use to describe every sauce, from ketchup, mustard, salad dressing, mayonnaise, jam, jelly, to soy sauce. Like the eskimo tribe that had 12 words for snow, we the English have our toppings that a Chinese struggle to understand. Cool.

A Zuperb Birthday in Zhengzhou

It is officially June 2 here in Zhengzhou meaning that my 24th birthday has ended. (However, thanks to the time difference, friends are still writing Facebook birthday wishes. It's like a 48 hour birthday!)
This was a fantastic birthday. It started out late last night, as it's somehow important to be the first person to wish happy birthday, so I had about 6 students text me at midnight all to be the first. One of them even described me as the most responsible teacher she has ever seen. While it might imply uptight, I'll totally take it!

Susan, an 11th grade student, and I went out shopping on Sunday to prepare for the party. Here's Susan at the costume store.

Next, Trista recently left school to go just study English, but was so kind as to make a card and e-mail it to me.

We held a 40 person party in my classroom so I decorated and my students bought this ginormous cake for us.

Here, the students arrive and play with the candy and the streamers set out.

We held a flip cup tournament (minus any beverages), and the teachers came out victorious in a great comeback. This is 王晓培 (Della) and 董淡 (Dong Dan) the Chinese English teachers for my two 11th grade classes.

A 40 person cake for my birthday. I was intensely flattered.

Me and Swave (刘海博) in clean up. He's the #1 student in his class and always the target of some icing in the face and hair.

Finally, some amazing gifts to commemorate a birthday and year in China. There's a hand-made scroll, tea cups, a book on Chinese culture, and (from two people who know me super well) a mini keg of German bier. I now have 10 liters of imported beer and must laugh at how perfectly suitable it is for me.

Thank you so much for your birthday wishes!
Later Days,
Rick