Sunday, August 24, 2008
Wow! What a week!!! From chaos at school to Typhoon Nuri. This last week was spent “scrambling” trying to get our classroom and curriculum ready for school to start on Thursday. We finally got our class lists on Tuesday and most of our textbooks…still short some. Tom’s schedule of what he is actually teaching continued to change up until Wed. night. The name of the game here is, “Be Flexible.” Thursday morning the students arrived in a crowded noisy gym eager to find us teachers. I have a great class of 16. (I think. It could change next week.) One from France, Israel, Singapore, Taiwan, Seychellois (islands near Madagascar which belong to Australia), Brazil, Germany, the US; and the rest from Korea. A good group of kids who are very sweet. I observed 3 of my boys on the playground helping the younger kids to play on a zip line type of equipment. They took turns and lifted the little one up and made sure the zip line handle returned to the next kid. Tom’s group of students changed again after the first day, but we survived our first ½ day.
Then came Typhoon Nuri and school was closed on Friday. This was a huge relief for all of us. It gave us a chance to regroup. Tom and I went down to the school to get our books and lesson plan stuff to work on before the rain and stronger winds came. The weather was not too bad until late afternoon. We heard the crash of a marquee falling from a restaurant behind our building. I actually saw the 2nd part of it fall and almost hit a worker. Wind was howling in our apt. complex hallway through the emergency door at the end. Tom took some tape and covered the bottom. That helped some. Then at midnight it really hit. The wind was really howling. It was so noisy….we got very little sleep. No one in our area was reported injured, but 8 in Hong Kong were injured. Nuri was the worse typhoon to hit Hong Kong (including us) in 5 years and that was enough for us!
On Saturday we took a bus to downtown Shenzhen to look for some equipment for school. We went into areas that we decided we would not return to….crowded and dirty. We ate lunch at McDonald’s (one of the few places that looked “safe” to eat) and it wasn’t too bad. It was the first McDonald’s established in mainland China back in 1990. (Mao is rolling in his mausoleum.) For a combo meal, it was about $3.00 each.
Tonight (Sunday) we will watch the Closing Ceremony of the Olympics.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The Beach and Other Updates
Monday, August 12 - Sunday, August 17, 2008
This last week was spent in training and more bonding time with the other teachers. We have a great staff to work with. Friday night we all went to the director’s house for pizza.
Our ayi (housemaid/cook) is working out great. She speaks enough English, and we can write Pinyin (Mandarin with English letters) from our dictionary in order to communicate. On Wednesday we told her that we wanted her to cook for 6 people on Thursday. She shops on Monday so she had to be creative with whatever we had in the refrigerator. We had no idea what she was going to fix, but she a great job. We, as well as our guests, were impressed. I am teaching her vocabulary for the kitchen. It is so funny to hear her try to pronounce “refrigerator.” Bin xiang is much easier to say. She is a quick learner and is teaching me the Mandarin words. We have a good time together.
Most of the new teachers went to the beach yesterday (Saturday). Tom chose not to go....he wanted to work on getting his class ready. The beach was actually pretty nice. The school took us on two busses 1 ½ hours away and they paid our way in. We each had to pay for a table with an umbrella and 4 chairs...about $17.00 at our own expense. I shared with another family that has been with QSI in Azerbajan. The water was a nice temperature, and it was not wall to wall people like the internet pictures of some other beaches. There were some unclothed kids up to about age 7, and the water was a little dirty, but tolerable. I walked the beach with 3 other teachers, and that was so nice. The scenery around the beach was gorgeous. They had parasailing there and a zip line. I didn’t do the parasailing because I didn’t bring enough money. It was about $20.00. The restrooms were squat pots and had no doors. I just couldn't do that. But, I had a good time, and it was nice to hang out with all the teachers.
We had breakfast this morning (Sunday) with some returning teachers who are our "transition buddies." They are from Roseville, CA. The hotel one block away has a buffet breakfast for $4.00 per person. It is ½ western style and ½ Chinses style. It was pretty good. (They do need to be taught how to cook scrambled eggs. Tom tried them, and they were very buttery and runny. Have you ever had baked beans for breakfast? Of course that is American, right? On the whole, it was a good buffet. Darcy and Eric Wood have been so helpful to us and will continue to “show us the ropes” with the new curriculum as well as how to get around China and Hong Kong. We cannot go to Hong Kong until we have our 1 year residence visas which we should get some time next week. Because we came early, along with 3 other couples, we were processed sooner than the rest of the teachers. This is a good feeling to be done with all of that.
We had lunch today with some people we met at church that are from San Jose. We went to a really nice restaurant around the corner from our place. I had roasted chicken with a rosemary sauce. Little did I know that what I ordered was a whole chicken! It was delicious, and definitely enough for 2 people. It was the equivalent of about $14.00 (no tax or tip) and well worth it. The atmosphere was really nice too.
Tonight we are having another couple from the school that live on the next floor down over for dinner. My sister had given me a marinade recipe of ½ soy sauce and ½ Coke. Since I could get those 2 ingredients, I am a happy camper knowing that I have a really good marinade for my boneless, skinless chicken breasts that I was able to buy at The Butcher Shop.
This last week was spent in training and more bonding time with the other teachers. We have a great staff to work with. Friday night we all went to the director’s house for pizza.
Our ayi (housemaid/cook) is working out great. She speaks enough English, and we can write Pinyin (Mandarin with English letters) from our dictionary in order to communicate. On Wednesday we told her that we wanted her to cook for 6 people on Thursday. She shops on Monday so she had to be creative with whatever we had in the refrigerator. We had no idea what she was going to fix, but she a great job. We, as well as our guests, were impressed. I am teaching her vocabulary for the kitchen. It is so funny to hear her try to pronounce “refrigerator.” Bin xiang is much easier to say. She is a quick learner and is teaching me the Mandarin words. We have a good time together.
Most of the new teachers went to the beach yesterday (Saturday). Tom chose not to go....he wanted to work on getting his class ready. The beach was actually pretty nice. The school took us on two busses 1 ½ hours away and they paid our way in. We each had to pay for a table with an umbrella and 4 chairs...about $17.00 at our own expense. I shared with another family that has been with QSI in Azerbajan. The water was a nice temperature, and it was not wall to wall people like the internet pictures of some other beaches. There were some unclothed kids up to about age 7, and the water was a little dirty, but tolerable. I walked the beach with 3 other teachers, and that was so nice. The scenery around the beach was gorgeous. They had parasailing there and a zip line. I didn’t do the parasailing because I didn’t bring enough money. It was about $20.00. The restrooms were squat pots and had no doors. I just couldn't do that. But, I had a good time, and it was nice to hang out with all the teachers.
We had breakfast this morning (Sunday) with some returning teachers who are our "transition buddies." They are from Roseville, CA. The hotel one block away has a buffet breakfast for $4.00 per person. It is ½ western style and ½ Chinses style. It was pretty good. (They do need to be taught how to cook scrambled eggs. Tom tried them, and they were very buttery and runny. Have you ever had baked beans for breakfast? Of course that is American, right? On the whole, it was a good buffet. Darcy and Eric Wood have been so helpful to us and will continue to “show us the ropes” with the new curriculum as well as how to get around China and Hong Kong. We cannot go to Hong Kong until we have our 1 year residence visas which we should get some time next week. Because we came early, along with 3 other couples, we were processed sooner than the rest of the teachers. This is a good feeling to be done with all of that.
We had lunch today with some people we met at church that are from San Jose. We went to a really nice restaurant around the corner from our place. I had roasted chicken with a rosemary sauce. Little did I know that what I ordered was a whole chicken! It was delicious, and definitely enough for 2 people. It was the equivalent of about $14.00 (no tax or tip) and well worth it. The atmosphere was really nice too.
Tonight we are having another couple from the school that live on the next floor down over for dinner. My sister had given me a marinade recipe of ½ soy sauce and ½ Coke. Since I could get those 2 ingredients, I am a happy camper knowing that I have a really good marinade for my boneless, skinless chicken breasts that I was able to buy at The Butcher Shop.
Monday, August 11, 2008
An Ayi, New Name and Interview
Monday, August 11, 2008
We started our first day of training today and then the first group of 7 that came early to China were taken to the downtown area for our police interview. Each of us were asked just a few questions that were all different from each other. Tom was asked what ethnic group he was, and was stunned that he had 2 masters. Was he planning to do any traveling in China? They asked me if I could speak Chinese because I said “ni hau” (hello) and “duay bu chi” (I’m sorry). She wanted to know what I would be teaching and where I have traveled before and why I wanted to teach in China. That was it. Another teacher was asked about her college education and wanted to know how American students chose which college to go. She also wanted to know about the SAT tests. She was amazed at our system and how we can retake the tests and can chose where we want to go to college. Another teacher didn’t get asked any questions because our translator was on the phone. Another teacher was asked what he did with his time after work. Another teacher had filled out the application in blue ink instead of black and she focused on that. He had to write over everything in black ink. It was all very random, and not at all intimidating.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
We went on a 2 hour walking tour around Shekou with our director and about 15 other teachers. We had already been everywhere he took us except that we did learn where to catch the ferry to Hong Kong.
We also took another trip to IKEA with the school so it was a free ride. We actually went to the other stores around IKEA. There is a French chain store much like Wal-Mart called The Metro. It has very good fresh meat that is more reasonably priced and regulated.
Saturday, August 09, 2008
We went to a pancake breakfast at the Brantley’s (our director). It was nice to visit with the other teachers. Real maple syrup here is really expensive!
In the afternoon we went to another district in Shenzhen about 1 hour away on the coast. We were asked to help teach English to some Chinese students learning “crazy” English. We taught some songs and led some games with phonics. Our friend was so grateful. To have an actual American come to teach gives greater credibility to their school.
Friday, August 08
We met with our new Ayi today to go over our apartment and expectations with her. I had written out a schedule for the week in both English and pinyin Chinese (English letters for Chinese). She speaks some English and seemed to understand.
We were asked by another couple to join them at McCawley’s Irish Pub to watch the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics on the big screen. We ordered snacks and Tsingtua (the local) Beer. There was a mixture of both expats and Chinese. Three Chinese joined our table as the place was full. We were there for about 1 hour and then the place became packed. Tom left to see if we could get in on our TV and then came back to get us all. We watched the rest in our living room eating more snacks. It was exciting to be in China for this event.
Thursday, August 07
We went on the metro again today to go to the end of the line which brings you to the train station. The train station is not foreigner friendly….best to buy your tickets online. A few signs were in English, but even the ticket clerk for the foreigner line did not speak English. We could not figure out any costs or how it worked. At the end of the station is a huge mall with 100’s of small knock off stores all selling genuine copies of all kinds of things. It was very nauseating to us. There was only a couple of eateries. We went back to the Children’s Palace metro stop where the huge 5 story Shenzhen library is. It has an English book, magazine, and newspaper section. Then we explored across the street to find out where the entrance to what looked like a park was. We found it and the park was big with lots of trees and greenery. We want to go back to hike around and take a picnic lunch.
Wednesday, August 06
We went to our favorite Chinese fast food again today and were asked by 3 Chinese ladies if they could join our table as the place was full. One spoke English really well. They all worked at the silk factory a few blocks away. They take orders and email people in English all over the world. They were excited to practice speaking English with us. They gave me new Chinese name….MingMing. It means “bright.” Eileen means “light” and I wanted something with the same basic meaning. They asked us about our home in the US. We then invited them to our apt. to see the virtual tour of our house in Indiana that we got when we sold the house. They were amazed. These ladies were 27, 39, and 42 years old…all single and still living with their parents. We found out that a lot of women were brought to this area to work in the factories.
We interviewed at the school for an Ayi (house servant) who will cook, clean, shop, and iron. The problem was negotiating the pay. There is no set rate. We finally asked the office and they said between 25 and 30 Yuan an hour. Another teacher was also interviewing the same Ayi with us. She wanted her for 2 hours and us for 3 hours per day so we would share her. The other teacher came from Kiev, Ukraine where they were use to paying a higher wage. She wanted to pay the higher rate and pay more (33 Yuan) after a 2 month trial. This pretty much forced us to do the same. I couldn’t tell how experienced she was. So we will try her for 2 months and see how it goes. If she works out, it will be worth it.
We started our first day of training today and then the first group of 7 that came early to China were taken to the downtown area for our police interview. Each of us were asked just a few questions that were all different from each other. Tom was asked what ethnic group he was, and was stunned that he had 2 masters. Was he planning to do any traveling in China? They asked me if I could speak Chinese because I said “ni hau” (hello) and “duay bu chi” (I’m sorry). She wanted to know what I would be teaching and where I have traveled before and why I wanted to teach in China. That was it. Another teacher was asked about her college education and wanted to know how American students chose which college to go. She also wanted to know about the SAT tests. She was amazed at our system and how we can retake the tests and can chose where we want to go to college. Another teacher didn’t get asked any questions because our translator was on the phone. Another teacher was asked what he did with his time after work. Another teacher had filled out the application in blue ink instead of black and she focused on that. He had to write over everything in black ink. It was all very random, and not at all intimidating.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
We went on a 2 hour walking tour around Shekou with our director and about 15 other teachers. We had already been everywhere he took us except that we did learn where to catch the ferry to Hong Kong.
We also took another trip to IKEA with the school so it was a free ride. We actually went to the other stores around IKEA. There is a French chain store much like Wal-Mart called The Metro. It has very good fresh meat that is more reasonably priced and regulated.
Saturday, August 09, 2008
We went to a pancake breakfast at the Brantley’s (our director). It was nice to visit with the other teachers. Real maple syrup here is really expensive!
In the afternoon we went to another district in Shenzhen about 1 hour away on the coast. We were asked to help teach English to some Chinese students learning “crazy” English. We taught some songs and led some games with phonics. Our friend was so grateful. To have an actual American come to teach gives greater credibility to their school.
Friday, August 08
We met with our new Ayi today to go over our apartment and expectations with her. I had written out a schedule for the week in both English and pinyin Chinese (English letters for Chinese). She speaks some English and seemed to understand.
We were asked by another couple to join them at McCawley’s Irish Pub to watch the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics on the big screen. We ordered snacks and Tsingtua (the local) Beer. There was a mixture of both expats and Chinese. Three Chinese joined our table as the place was full. We were there for about 1 hour and then the place became packed. Tom left to see if we could get in on our TV and then came back to get us all. We watched the rest in our living room eating more snacks. It was exciting to be in China for this event.
Thursday, August 07
We went on the metro again today to go to the end of the line which brings you to the train station. The train station is not foreigner friendly….best to buy your tickets online. A few signs were in English, but even the ticket clerk for the foreigner line did not speak English. We could not figure out any costs or how it worked. At the end of the station is a huge mall with 100’s of small knock off stores all selling genuine copies of all kinds of things. It was very nauseating to us. There was only a couple of eateries. We went back to the Children’s Palace metro stop where the huge 5 story Shenzhen library is. It has an English book, magazine, and newspaper section. Then we explored across the street to find out where the entrance to what looked like a park was. We found it and the park was big with lots of trees and greenery. We want to go back to hike around and take a picnic lunch.
Wednesday, August 06
We went to our favorite Chinese fast food again today and were asked by 3 Chinese ladies if they could join our table as the place was full. One spoke English really well. They all worked at the silk factory a few blocks away. They take orders and email people in English all over the world. They were excited to practice speaking English with us. They gave me new Chinese name….MingMing. It means “bright.” Eileen means “light” and I wanted something with the same basic meaning. They asked us about our home in the US. We then invited them to our apt. to see the virtual tour of our house in Indiana that we got when we sold the house. They were amazed. These ladies were 27, 39, and 42 years old…all single and still living with their parents. We found out that a lot of women were brought to this area to work in the factories.
We interviewed at the school for an Ayi (house servant) who will cook, clean, shop, and iron. The problem was negotiating the pay. There is no set rate. We finally asked the office and they said between 25 and 30 Yuan an hour. Another teacher was also interviewing the same Ayi with us. She wanted her for 2 hours and us for 3 hours per day so we would share her. The other teacher came from Kiev, Ukraine where they were use to paying a higher wage. She wanted to pay the higher rate and pay more (33 Yuan) after a 2 month trial. This pretty much forced us to do the same. I couldn’t tell how experienced she was. So we will try her for 2 months and see how it goes. If she works out, it will be worth it.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Opening Ceremony
8 August 2008, Friday
The opening ceremony for the Olympics in Beijing is tonight but around here you couldn’t tell anything special was happening. Oh, there are some small advertisements but most of the push is on television. In fact the push on the telly has been going on for about year with the 5 fuwas (Chinese Olympic mascots) having their own show informing the Chinese about the Olympic games and appropriate behavior. As far a merchandising the Olympics here in Shenzhen we haven’t seen much. We did see a single Olympic tee-shirt at any of the stores we’ve visited and we visited many. The closest venue (equestrian) is in Hong Kong and it is not very popular for the Chinese. That venue just sold out a few days ago. I saw the local news that the reason this venue was not popular is that it is equated to the former colonialist powers or “royalty”. There is a sense that financially this Olympics will not be as prosperous as anticipated. The numbers of visitors to the capital is less now than one year ago and hotels are cutting prices as much as 50 percent. The general feeling is that people cannot wait for the thing to be over! There are many restrictions so the common folks hope it will be business as usual once the visitors are gone. We (new teachers) will head over to one of the local hang outs to watch the ceremony tonight.
The opening ceremony for the Olympics in Beijing is tonight but around here you couldn’t tell anything special was happening. Oh, there are some small advertisements but most of the push is on television. In fact the push on the telly has been going on for about year with the 5 fuwas (Chinese Olympic mascots) having their own show informing the Chinese about the Olympic games and appropriate behavior. As far a merchandising the Olympics here in Shenzhen we haven’t seen much. We did see a single Olympic tee-shirt at any of the stores we’ve visited and we visited many. The closest venue (equestrian) is in Hong Kong and it is not very popular for the Chinese. That venue just sold out a few days ago. I saw the local news that the reason this venue was not popular is that it is equated to the former colonialist powers or “royalty”. There is a sense that financially this Olympics will not be as prosperous as anticipated. The numbers of visitors to the capital is less now than one year ago and hotels are cutting prices as much as 50 percent. The general feeling is that people cannot wait for the thing to be over! There are many restrictions so the common folks hope it will be business as usual once the visitors are gone. We (new teachers) will head over to one of the local hang outs to watch the ceremony tonight.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Around School & Shenzhen
2 August 2008, Saturday
We went shopping again. Besides the usual Wal Mart pit stop we ventured into the shopping mall next to it called City Garden and we were blown away! This was a 3 story mall with the latest of everything. Talk about swank and styling! Whoa, who can afford this place? In fact Shenzhen is the riches city on the Chinese mainland and one to the 10 most populous cities on earth. There is definitely an economic class distinction in Shenzhen. I’ve seen this in the various neighborhoods when I go out jogging or walking. There are homes and apartment complexes that are very UPPER CLASS and others that are at the opposite end of the income bracket. We’ve also come across many looking for hand outs. Most of them are men with infirmities and the elderly. There is no social security in China or other governmental assistance (as far as I know) so it is up to the individual or the family to aid the less fortunate. Since we live in a central tourist location with specialty shops all around these unfortunates are tactically located.
After dinner we went for a walk to a local Chinese department store called RenRenLe (everybody happy). It is likening to Wally World but visited by the Chinese. I like the 2nd floor as it is the food department with a bakery that is pretty good…as in tasty and not health conscience, just kidding. It is a 15 minute walk and through what I consider a typical city neighborhood with small mom and pop shops, grocery, bars, out door restaurants all squished together and very “blue collar”. If you’re a person who focuses on cleanliness, this neighborhood wouldn’t be for you. Yet two blocks away, closer to the bay, the neighborhood is posh with wide boulevards and up scale shops. What I found out after living in a few big cities world wide city culture is rather the same in most places. There must be a cultural anthropological study on big city world view and cultural. I’ll write more on that later.
5 August, 2008 Tuesday
We checked out our classrooms today as well as attend the new teachers’ luncheon. Eileen's classroom is in a new building and rather nice. Across the street is the play ground that I think belongs to the city. Her class is a nice size rectangle shape and everything is bright and cheery. The carpet gives a cozy feeling to the place and the class has it’s own AC, heating system. The only draw back is that if you open the curtain you’re right next to a series of apartment windows! Other than that it is very nice! The playgrounds are across the boulevard.
My classroom is another story. I’m on the main campus, formally a department store. It is two blocks away from Eileen’s building and on the top floor in the center of the building without windows, no carpet and rather dank. I heard one of the older teachers call it the cave. Everything in it is old and you walk down a short corridor before you enter the classroom. I was hoping to see if there were any files I could review but the entire building is under construction so everything is rather dirty and slightly disorganized.
The luncheon was informal but we found our specific leaders. Eileen’s principle is Kees Kiemen (a Dutch man). Ron is the middle school coordinator. Both are nice guys with lots of experience.
Well after the new teachers’ luncheon Eileen and I went exploring Shenzhen. We got some guidance from a Lee La Fond, a new high school math teacher, and were off. We took the bus to the metro and both were a “trip”. First we got on the wrong bus and a bilingual Chinese fellow helped us out. He was so kind. Then we got off at Shi Jie Zhi Chuang stop which is a major theme park called “Window to the World”. This park has rides and the theme is history and places of the world for kids. There are all sorts of models of major land marks but not full size. So you can see a mock Golden Gate Bridge, Eiffel Tower, Giza Pyramids, etc.
Well we didn’t go into the theme park but took the Metro, underground subway, to Shao Nian Gong stop or the city center (I think). The Metro is the cleanest and most efficient public transportation system I’ve ever taken! The cost is subsidized by the government as our trip cost less then a dollar. The Metro is expanding and one day will be across the street from our apartment. Anyway, at Shao Nian Gong stop one finds the Children’s Plaza, a major complex with all sorts of venues for educating children on many topics. We were trying to get information for the Space Theater and after the typical uses of charades, drawings and using the dictionary (a useless book to tote around) we got our point across and with the clerk’s little knowledge of English we found out the Space Theater would be closed for a very long time. I was a little surprised that they had English pamphlets because it would make for a wonderful field trip. We later went to a major book store and shopping mall. The music section was huge and best of all they have educational DVDs in both Chinese and English! It was rather inexpensive so I’m a happy camper as some of the topics I’m teaching were there.
There was more to see but it was 4:30pm and we decided to head back home to hit rush hour traffic. The rider home during this time was not bad. I think I met most of populace during the bus ride home. Oh, one observation for you. During the bus ride home (where you can gage the civility of people) I offered my seat to an older woman. She was below social security age but older than those around her and she promptly and politely said no thank you with a bright smile on her face. Other than that everyone was well behaved as one can be when you’re armpit to armpit!
We went shopping again. Besides the usual Wal Mart pit stop we ventured into the shopping mall next to it called City Garden and we were blown away! This was a 3 story mall with the latest of everything. Talk about swank and styling! Whoa, who can afford this place? In fact Shenzhen is the riches city on the Chinese mainland and one to the 10 most populous cities on earth. There is definitely an economic class distinction in Shenzhen. I’ve seen this in the various neighborhoods when I go out jogging or walking. There are homes and apartment complexes that are very UPPER CLASS and others that are at the opposite end of the income bracket. We’ve also come across many looking for hand outs. Most of them are men with infirmities and the elderly. There is no social security in China or other governmental assistance (as far as I know) so it is up to the individual or the family to aid the less fortunate. Since we live in a central tourist location with specialty shops all around these unfortunates are tactically located.
After dinner we went for a walk to a local Chinese department store called RenRenLe (everybody happy). It is likening to Wally World but visited by the Chinese. I like the 2nd floor as it is the food department with a bakery that is pretty good…as in tasty and not health conscience, just kidding. It is a 15 minute walk and through what I consider a typical city neighborhood with small mom and pop shops, grocery, bars, out door restaurants all squished together and very “blue collar”. If you’re a person who focuses on cleanliness, this neighborhood wouldn’t be for you. Yet two blocks away, closer to the bay, the neighborhood is posh with wide boulevards and up scale shops. What I found out after living in a few big cities world wide city culture is rather the same in most places. There must be a cultural anthropological study on big city world view and cultural. I’ll write more on that later.
5 August, 2008 Tuesday
We checked out our classrooms today as well as attend the new teachers’ luncheon. Eileen's classroom is in a new building and rather nice. Across the street is the play ground that I think belongs to the city. Her class is a nice size rectangle shape and everything is bright and cheery. The carpet gives a cozy feeling to the place and the class has it’s own AC, heating system. The only draw back is that if you open the curtain you’re right next to a series of apartment windows! Other than that it is very nice! The playgrounds are across the boulevard.
My classroom is another story. I’m on the main campus, formally a department store. It is two blocks away from Eileen’s building and on the top floor in the center of the building without windows, no carpet and rather dank. I heard one of the older teachers call it the cave. Everything in it is old and you walk down a short corridor before you enter the classroom. I was hoping to see if there were any files I could review but the entire building is under construction so everything is rather dirty and slightly disorganized.
The luncheon was informal but we found our specific leaders. Eileen’s principle is Kees Kiemen (a Dutch man). Ron is the middle school coordinator. Both are nice guys with lots of experience.
Well after the new teachers’ luncheon Eileen and I went exploring Shenzhen. We got some guidance from a Lee La Fond, a new high school math teacher, and were off. We took the bus to the metro and both were a “trip”. First we got on the wrong bus and a bilingual Chinese fellow helped us out. He was so kind. Then we got off at Shi Jie Zhi Chuang stop which is a major theme park called “Window to the World”. This park has rides and the theme is history and places of the world for kids. There are all sorts of models of major land marks but not full size. So you can see a mock Golden Gate Bridge, Eiffel Tower, Giza Pyramids, etc.
Well we didn’t go into the theme park but took the Metro, underground subway, to Shao Nian Gong stop or the city center (I think). The Metro is the cleanest and most efficient public transportation system I’ve ever taken! The cost is subsidized by the government as our trip cost less then a dollar. The Metro is expanding and one day will be across the street from our apartment. Anyway, at Shao Nian Gong stop one finds the Children’s Plaza, a major complex with all sorts of venues for educating children on many topics. We were trying to get information for the Space Theater and after the typical uses of charades, drawings and using the dictionary (a useless book to tote around) we got our point across and with the clerk’s little knowledge of English we found out the Space Theater would be closed for a very long time. I was a little surprised that they had English pamphlets because it would make for a wonderful field trip. We later went to a major book store and shopping mall. The music section was huge and best of all they have educational DVDs in both Chinese and English! It was rather inexpensive so I’m a happy camper as some of the topics I’m teaching were there.
There was more to see but it was 4:30pm and we decided to head back home to hit rush hour traffic. The rider home during this time was not bad. I think I met most of populace during the bus ride home. Oh, one observation for you. During the bus ride home (where you can gage the civility of people) I offered my seat to an older woman. She was below social security age but older than those around her and she promptly and politely said no thank you with a bright smile on her face. Other than that everyone was well behaved as one can be when you’re armpit to armpit!
Walking Route and More IKEA
MONDAY, AUG. 4
We hooked up with another couple in their 50’s from New Zealand and went for another trip to IKEA. They had never been so we showed them the ropes. Purchasing bedding here is the most frustrating experience. We finally figured out that we needed to buy a bedspread, not a cover (for a duvet or quilt). What we found is that they do have fitted sheets, but all the sheet sizes go single, double, queen. But the doubles really do not fit a double bed, you need to get the queen size. Then the color we picked for the double spare bed was plum and they didn’t have top sheets in that color….so we had to get a white top sheet. We picked an aquamarine color for our queen sized bed. Our new friends do not have a mattress pad for their bed yet so we are going to loan them the one from the spare room until they get theirs on Sunday when they can purchase bigger items as the school will have a truck. Weekends at IKEA are a mad house and we were so glad that we were able to get the truck from the school last week and split the cost with 2 other couples. So…finally I feel like we have everything we really need for the apt. Yeah!!!!
SUNDAY, AUG. 3
We taught SS (Our only time to do so before school starts.). A Chinese man that we met the week before offered to come over and help translate the appliance manuals for us. That was so nice!!! After dinner we took a walk on a street behind our apt. It was very nice. The street was wide, clean, lined with trees and hardly any traffic. It led us to a ritzy section where the waterfront apts are. In front of the apts. are nice shops for ex-pats…. very pricey. Behind the apts. is a nice walkway along the water. This will be our walking place from now on.
Next to our apt. is the Sea World Marine area. It is a big square with all the American fast foods and lots of nice restaurants. Tonight they had entertainment in the square. The trees were all lit up with white lights, and it was nice. In the day you can rent roller blades and skate around an area of the square. We’ll try to post pictures later.
We hooked up with another couple in their 50’s from New Zealand and went for another trip to IKEA. They had never been so we showed them the ropes. Purchasing bedding here is the most frustrating experience. We finally figured out that we needed to buy a bedspread, not a cover (for a duvet or quilt). What we found is that they do have fitted sheets, but all the sheet sizes go single, double, queen. But the doubles really do not fit a double bed, you need to get the queen size. Then the color we picked for the double spare bed was plum and they didn’t have top sheets in that color….so we had to get a white top sheet. We picked an aquamarine color for our queen sized bed. Our new friends do not have a mattress pad for their bed yet so we are going to loan them the one from the spare room until they get theirs on Sunday when they can purchase bigger items as the school will have a truck. Weekends at IKEA are a mad house and we were so glad that we were able to get the truck from the school last week and split the cost with 2 other couples. So…finally I feel like we have everything we really need for the apt. Yeah!!!!
SUNDAY, AUG. 3
We taught SS (Our only time to do so before school starts.). A Chinese man that we met the week before offered to come over and help translate the appliance manuals for us. That was so nice!!! After dinner we took a walk on a street behind our apt. It was very nice. The street was wide, clean, lined with trees and hardly any traffic. It led us to a ritzy section where the waterfront apts are. In front of the apts. are nice shops for ex-pats…. very pricey. Behind the apts. is a nice walkway along the water. This will be our walking place from now on.
Next to our apt. is the Sea World Marine area. It is a big square with all the American fast foods and lots of nice restaurants. Tonight they had entertainment in the square. The trees were all lit up with white lights, and it was nice. In the day you can rent roller blades and skate around an area of the square. We’ll try to post pictures later.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
IKEA & Wal-Mart Experiences
Saturday, August 2
We got a rice cooker at Wa-Ma that spit out hot water everywhere. We were able to exchange it with no problem. However, trying to explain to a store clerk what we wanted was quite hilarious….lots of animation. We finally ended up with a Toshiba that is digital and of course the manual is all in Chinese. Wa-Ma and other stores have a ton of customer service people. If you are looking at something, immediately you have 5 clerks surrounding you to assist you with your purchase. They try to get you to buy a certain product or brand. They really try hard to be helpful. We were trying to buy Bounce for the dryer. We drew a dryer, acted it out, etc. They had no idea what we were talking about. They don’t carry anything like that. They have liquid fabric softener, but no sheets for the dryer. They kept showing us various things they thought we might be describing. It was so funny. Finally, a Filipino lady who spoke English came by and was able to translate for us. She understood what we were wanting, but had never heard of drying sheets either. I guess it is an American thing. I know I had seen them in one of the stores, so it must have been the American store. All the cashiers wear high-waisted jeans with a belt and a red polo shirt with yellow writing on the back in Chinese and English….Go Beijing, Go Olympics!
I was able to find a hair salon that could do my hair. It is just 2 blocks down the street. I was able to just walk in. They took my purse and put it into a locker and gave me a key. A translator came and talked to me to find out what I wanted to have done. I explained that I just wanted to have my roots colored to cover the grey. She then explained to a guy who then matched my hair color with their L’Oreal products. Then a girl came and put little plastic ear caps on my ears and applied the color. While it was processing she gave me a back and arm massage for 20 min. Then she had me lay down on my back on a flat couch and I was looking up at a mirrored ceiling. She washed my hair and gave me a head massage for 10 min. Then I got a special conditioner and more massaging for the head and neck. Then I sat under a big bonnet that steamed my hair. At first I thought color was really dark and that I had lost all my blonde. Then another guy blew dry and styled my hair and it looked really good. I was very relieved and happy with it. Then I proceeded to pay 590 Yuan…about $87.00. Gulp! Like I said….prices here for western things are about the same as the San Jose area. Maybe I will find a cheaper place, but this one was recommended by another teacher. It was convenient and very professional and clean. (Can someone from Warsaw let Teena Nichols at Think Young know our blog address and get me her email address?…Thanks! I think she would enjoy reading this.)
Friday, August 1
We went to dinner at Ming Lan’s. She lives in a gated community with villas. Her villa is about 5,000 sq. ft…..huge! It was very nice, and they had lots of very nice Chinese furniture. She and her Ayi (house maid/cook) prepared a feast. We had baked salmon, baked pork chops, a chicken curry, tofu stuffed with pork meatballs, rice, a spaghetti dish with pieces of chicken, and leche fruit for dessert. It was all very delicious and we were stuffed. What a blessing she has been to us! Her girls are 13 and 10. They use to go to QSI, but last year she home-schooled them because she thought they would be leaving during the year. They plan to leave the end of this year. They are quite creative. I wish Kayla was in my 10 year class.
Thursday, July 31
We went to IKEA again this morning with Ming Lan who arranged for a driver in a van from her husband’s company, Hitachi. This was great because we needed to get more things and exchange the bedding. Well, we were so thankful Ming Lan was with us to interpret. You are not allowed to return items that have been opened. The English return policy hanging in the lobby and at the exchange counter did not say that, but it does in Chinese. They allowed us to get a store credit, but we had to eat 10% of the purchase. Gotta really know what you want! Choices for the bedspreads (which is what we need) and sheets are limited. I remembered seeing comforter sets at Wa-Ma so decided to go back there for that. We used the store credit by purchasing other items so that was good.
We went to Wa-Ma only to discover that their comforter sets do not come with a bottom fitted sheet. It comes with a flat sheet with a skirt attached. Most Chinese have beds with a box spring and then a bamboo cover that looks like wooden blinds and they roll up. The flat sheet with the skirt goes over that and then the top sheet and comforter and shams. Oh well….back to IKEA!
We got a rice cooker at Wa-Ma that spit out hot water everywhere. We were able to exchange it with no problem. However, trying to explain to a store clerk what we wanted was quite hilarious….lots of animation. We finally ended up with a Toshiba that is digital and of course the manual is all in Chinese. Wa-Ma and other stores have a ton of customer service people. If you are looking at something, immediately you have 5 clerks surrounding you to assist you with your purchase. They try to get you to buy a certain product or brand. They really try hard to be helpful. We were trying to buy Bounce for the dryer. We drew a dryer, acted it out, etc. They had no idea what we were talking about. They don’t carry anything like that. They have liquid fabric softener, but no sheets for the dryer. They kept showing us various things they thought we might be describing. It was so funny. Finally, a Filipino lady who spoke English came by and was able to translate for us. She understood what we were wanting, but had never heard of drying sheets either. I guess it is an American thing. I know I had seen them in one of the stores, so it must have been the American store. All the cashiers wear high-waisted jeans with a belt and a red polo shirt with yellow writing on the back in Chinese and English….Go Beijing, Go Olympics!
I was able to find a hair salon that could do my hair. It is just 2 blocks down the street. I was able to just walk in. They took my purse and put it into a locker and gave me a key. A translator came and talked to me to find out what I wanted to have done. I explained that I just wanted to have my roots colored to cover the grey. She then explained to a guy who then matched my hair color with their L’Oreal products. Then a girl came and put little plastic ear caps on my ears and applied the color. While it was processing she gave me a back and arm massage for 20 min. Then she had me lay down on my back on a flat couch and I was looking up at a mirrored ceiling. She washed my hair and gave me a head massage for 10 min. Then I got a special conditioner and more massaging for the head and neck. Then I sat under a big bonnet that steamed my hair. At first I thought color was really dark and that I had lost all my blonde. Then another guy blew dry and styled my hair and it looked really good. I was very relieved and happy with it. Then I proceeded to pay 590 Yuan…about $87.00. Gulp! Like I said….prices here for western things are about the same as the San Jose area. Maybe I will find a cheaper place, but this one was recommended by another teacher. It was convenient and very professional and clean. (Can someone from Warsaw let Teena Nichols at Think Young know our blog address and get me her email address?…Thanks! I think she would enjoy reading this.)
Friday, August 1
We went to dinner at Ming Lan’s. She lives in a gated community with villas. Her villa is about 5,000 sq. ft…..huge! It was very nice, and they had lots of very nice Chinese furniture. She and her Ayi (house maid/cook) prepared a feast. We had baked salmon, baked pork chops, a chicken curry, tofu stuffed with pork meatballs, rice, a spaghetti dish with pieces of chicken, and leche fruit for dessert. It was all very delicious and we were stuffed. What a blessing she has been to us! Her girls are 13 and 10. They use to go to QSI, but last year she home-schooled them because she thought they would be leaving during the year. They plan to leave the end of this year. They are quite creative. I wish Kayla was in my 10 year class.
Thursday, July 31
We went to IKEA again this morning with Ming Lan who arranged for a driver in a van from her husband’s company, Hitachi. This was great because we needed to get more things and exchange the bedding. Well, we were so thankful Ming Lan was with us to interpret. You are not allowed to return items that have been opened. The English return policy hanging in the lobby and at the exchange counter did not say that, but it does in Chinese. They allowed us to get a store credit, but we had to eat 10% of the purchase. Gotta really know what you want! Choices for the bedspreads (which is what we need) and sheets are limited. I remembered seeing comforter sets at Wa-Ma so decided to go back there for that. We used the store credit by purchasing other items so that was good.
We went to Wa-Ma only to discover that their comforter sets do not come with a bottom fitted sheet. It comes with a flat sheet with a skirt attached. Most Chinese have beds with a box spring and then a bamboo cover that looks like wooden blinds and they roll up. The flat sheet with the skirt goes over that and then the top sheet and comforter and shams. Oh well….back to IKEA!
Eileen's Version of Hospital Visit
Wednesday, July 30
We went to the Shenzhen Port Hospital today to get physicals for our one year work visas. Quite the process. The hospital is an older building with older equipment. We had to register and have our picture taken. We were given a form for all the various technicians and nurses to sign off or complete. We had to go from room to room to do each part. We gave the worker our paperwork with our barcode on it. They entered our number and up popped our registration form with our picture. The nurses were in pink uniforms with caps. For the EKG they had us lie down and they put a solution on our chests and ankles and then put big clamps on our ankles and big suction tubes on our chest. The dental and ear examiners were totally bored. They barely looked at our ears and mouth and just signed the paper. The chest ex-ray was visible on the computer instantly and the technician was able to sign off on it right away. The urine sample was the most interesting. They gave us a flimsy plastic ¼ cup measuring cup with no lid, just a little plastic piece to hold onto. Then we had to go into a restroom with a squat pot that was not very clean. That was not a pleasant experience. We left the sample on an open tray in the hallway outside the restroom. No chance of any mix ups! However, everything was quick and simple. All 11 of us were done in one hour.
We ended up going to IKEA and got a lot of stuff for the apt. The most interesting thing was the taxi ride. We got into a taxi behind another family. We showed our driver the address in Chinese and then asked him to follow the other driver. He was really annoyed by that. He went his own way. He honked the whole way…he honked to tell drivers to move over, he honked to cut people off, he honked the second the light turned green, honk, honk, honk. We got there 15 minutes ahead of our friends. However, we ended up paying 40.70 Yuan (about $6.00) and they paid 37.00. On the way home our driver went the longer route and we paid 47.00.
I discovered when I got home that we had purchased the wrong kind of bedding. I thought I was getting a comforter and sheets separately. What I actually got after opening both packages was a duvet cover with 4 shams in both packages. The description said cover on one and you really could not tell by looking at the picture.
We went to the Shenzhen Port Hospital today to get physicals for our one year work visas. Quite the process. The hospital is an older building with older equipment. We had to register and have our picture taken. We were given a form for all the various technicians and nurses to sign off or complete. We had to go from room to room to do each part. We gave the worker our paperwork with our barcode on it. They entered our number and up popped our registration form with our picture. The nurses were in pink uniforms with caps. For the EKG they had us lie down and they put a solution on our chests and ankles and then put big clamps on our ankles and big suction tubes on our chest. The dental and ear examiners were totally bored. They barely looked at our ears and mouth and just signed the paper. The chest ex-ray was visible on the computer instantly and the technician was able to sign off on it right away. The urine sample was the most interesting. They gave us a flimsy plastic ¼ cup measuring cup with no lid, just a little plastic piece to hold onto. Then we had to go into a restroom with a squat pot that was not very clean. That was not a pleasant experience. We left the sample on an open tray in the hallway outside the restroom. No chance of any mix ups! However, everything was quick and simple. All 11 of us were done in one hour.
We ended up going to IKEA and got a lot of stuff for the apt. The most interesting thing was the taxi ride. We got into a taxi behind another family. We showed our driver the address in Chinese and then asked him to follow the other driver. He was really annoyed by that. He went his own way. He honked the whole way…he honked to tell drivers to move over, he honked to cut people off, he honked the second the light turned green, honk, honk, honk. We got there 15 minutes ahead of our friends. However, we ended up paying 40.70 Yuan (about $6.00) and they paid 37.00. On the way home our driver went the longer route and we paid 47.00.
I discovered when I got home that we had purchased the wrong kind of bedding. I thought I was getting a comforter and sheets separately. What I actually got after opening both packages was a duvet cover with 4 shams in both packages. The description said cover on one and you really could not tell by looking at the picture.
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International Brunch
Juliana from Brazil and Friends
Japanese Girls
East Indians
Koreans
Trip to Kowloon
Hong Kong in Background
Group Shot in the Metro
