I registered; Am I advanced?

I registered for the April 14 advanced test--only 43 days to go.
HSK--an abbreviation of the Chinese pronunciation for Chinese proficiency exam. Notice in the bottom right, this is level 5, advanced Chinese, an ability capable of reading a newspaper, discussing any topic, and giving a speech in Chinese. I hope with this proof and motivator my Chinese is at a level that can benefit my business career. At least in the immediate I'm finally able to communicate with my coworkers.
This is in part the explanation for recent blog silence--studying. What is there to report when most days are filled with homework, flashcards, and reading exercises?

Now for a practice test...

Later days,
Rick

Good Fortune has Arrived! So have the Fireworks of a Chinese New Year.

The Chinese new year (阴历的新年) arrives in approximately 2 hours and all around China one can expect to see the character for good luck "福" (fu2, as in the first picture), either upright or upside down.  When rotated, it is said to resemble "到" (dao4, meaning "arrived".)  Thus, it is a time to "receive good luck".  Common practice is to visit all relatives over the next 15 days (until lantern festival, the official end of spring festival) and wish each of them good luck.  As is common in Chinese culture, the wish is never as simple as one sentence.  Usually it involves multiple (easily 5 or more) wishes of good luck, happiness, success, riches, contentment, fortune, joy, peace, etc. Logically, with so many people wishing one recipient good luck, it's almost likely to come true! 

 

While there are good thoughts being sent all around China (usually in the form of text messages―something for which the Chinese cell phone companies must be incredibly thankful), there's also a perpetual thunder.  As it's my first year in a city for Chinese New Year, I've enjoyed/feared the constant drone of fireworks.  While jogging this afternoon, the firecrackers sounded like gunshots; being the ONLY person on the street I increased my pace home.  (Call it a gut reaction.) While walking to the grocery store, I was startled by the large fireworks across the road; this time I could enjoy, and not run from, the bright spectacle.

 

Now, as I watch the Chinese equivalent of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" (yet, here it's a 4-hour program of diverse acts from China's biggest celebrities) I enjoy the comedy, sights, and sounds from the television with a constant rumble, not unlike a city bombing, in the background.

In reality, I am thankful.  For all these people lighting fireworks, they benefit me by scaring off the human-eating "year" monster.  This is the origin of lighting fireworks and decorating with red.  Every year a monster by the name of 年 (nian2), awakes and pillages villages, destroying homes and eating humans.  This monster arrives only once a year, and thus the character for his name actually is the current word used for "year."  Further, one year an old man discovered that this monster despises the color red and is scared by the booming sound of fireworks/firecrackers.  Thus, at this time today, each home is adorned with red decorations, citizens wear red clothing, and each family celebrates the new year by setting off fireworks.  Chinese population density is so high that there's enough booming going on to scare anything away without me needing to do anything!

 

With that, I return to the television performance and prepare for a midnight excursion to marvel in the barrage of 12:00 a.m. fireworks.  Happy new year, everyone!  祝你们新年快乐，万事如意，恭喜发财，每天快乐，越来越开心，笑口常开，工作顺利，事业有成。。。

 

Later Days,

Rick

 

If interested, this performance is available here: http://www.iqiyi.com/zongyi/2012cctvzb.html (only 1/3 of the acts need Chinese; the rest are enjoyable without language comprehension.)

 

Prepare that Repertoire

 

A nearby mall that boasts the only ice skating rink in the whole province apparently offers more than I knew.  Recently my coworker showed me a full movie theatre and arcade inside (including bumper cars!) When I finally paid more attention to the advertisements everywhere, I realized there is also a piano center! It’s been a goal for the past few years to resume lessons in an effort to broaden my repertoire.  I scheduled a time to meet a teacher—one who at least has her masters in piano performance—and met with her today.  She’s friendly and experienced; she’s been solely focused on piano since the age of 12.  Today, I signed up, planning six months of lessons.

 

More importantly, this teacher—Ms. Li—did her entire undergrad and masters in Austria.  That means I can use both German and Chinese to communicate with her!  If there’s a problem with someone’s understanding or a word flows more smoothly in one language, we just switch.  Similarly, with European training, she is unlike most Chinese teachers.  She doesn’t overemphasize technique, rather preferring musicality.  Plus, she uses the 5-lined staff instead of solfege (seriously, some Chinese teachers will refer to notes in their relative solfege position, such as “fa”, or “la”, instead of “F” or “A”, for example.)

 

Without wasting time pondering the decision, I’m planned for 6 months of lessons.  I’m going back to the piano and that fact couldn’t make me happier. 

(P.S. Don’t remind me of how hard it is to practice 2 hours every day, for now I’ll focus on the fun part.)

 

Later Days,
Rick

The Metropolis is for Me

Spring festival holiday has arrived for me, meaning 36 days of holiday. 5 have already passed and I enjoyably spent them in Shanghai--the commercial capital of China. It's a metropolis on par with New York and Frankfurt (in my opinion.) Every moment in one of those cities and I'm ever more in awe, ever more desiring to simply never leave. (You can likely imagine how I reacted when I saw Deutsche Bank's headquarters in Shanghai. If only.)

The original idea to come to Shanghai was to see a UofM friend, Sijie. She's on her senior year winter break and, like me, flying back today the 12th. Playing on her idea, I stretched the visit to a 3 day trip--a relaxing end to a stressful semester and a pleasant start to a month holiday filled solely with study.

What a city. I don't need to see tourist sights, instead I dine. These past days were Mexican, Irish, Italian, German. While inflated in price, I think of it as what I would have spent on admission tickets. Better yet, each one is in an ever-more interesting place like the French Concession, XinTian Di, the Bund, or PuDong.
Now to make it even better, as I fly home to Zhengzhou, I somehow managed to get a first class ticket. Like I said, I love this city.

Later days,
Rick

Happy New Year! Boom!

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you celebrated with a bang. Here in China, my friends and I certainly did. The day started with students' classroom parties. I attended last year and know that it's quite unlike my idea of party and more of a informal, last-minute concert where all guests must sing solos. I decided to skip that, wisely. Then the school held a big concert for all the teachers, featuring performing teachers that can actually sing. Here our school leaders sing lead vocals to the closing number. 2 hours, no intermission, no English, little understanding. It slowly lost its enjoyability.

However, my own plans with friends made the night. One friend enjoys the flavor of beer, but has only drank Chinese beers. Another few friends had never had a cocktail before, being these were foreign to China until recently. Therefore, we held an international beer and cocktail tasting night. I introduced the flights of beers, describing each and explaining for what to look. Then I taught about mixing cocktails, covering techniques and guidelines. It was great fun to have the chance to introduce friends to something completely new.

The most fun, however, was when the new year arrived and we went out to set off firecrackers. I especially enjoyed it having never set off firecrackers in China before. Firecrackers are such a key part of Chinese celebrations. Birthdays, holidays, weddings, and more are all times that the Chinese will set off fireworks. Having lived here already 1 1/2 years and experiencing many times where I think the city is being bombed because of fireworks rumbling in the distance, I was thrilled that I could take part. Happy new year! Boom.

Later days,
Rick

Life in the Fog

This is to counter Bridget's complaint (at findingmykd.blogspot.com) This photo is normal life here. However, I hope you feel better soon! And Happy New Year!

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