Culure Shock

When I decided to come to China, I knew that I would have to learn to be accepting to a different culture and a different method behind doing things.  However, I didn’t realize how difficult this might be.  Let me explain.  I have become very close to our two Chinese assistants (Pat and Candy).  I work with these lovely girls everyday, and they are always so patient and understanding with me.  They also are willing to share any and every aspect of their culture, if I am willing to learn.  These are the girls that have made China a home for me.  They are the ones that show their love and care for me with simple things such as grabbing my arm when we cross the street to make sure I stay safe. 

We have plenty of down time between our classes for us to talk and discuss things.  I knew the Chinese girls made considerably lower wages than the foreign instructors, but I was curious to find out exactly how much lower.  So, once I felt comfortable enough, I simply asked what their wages were.  These girls make only 15% of what I make in one month.  Along with that, I have my rent paid and they don’t.  Also, Pat has a two hour bus ride for a commute every day to work.  And to top it off, they only have one day for their weekend.  This was very hard to accept after I have seen that they work just as hard as we do, and could probably teach the classes better than we can, because they have put so much practice into it.

To make things even more difficult, I found out another little piece of the puzzle.  Come to find out, if anything goes wrong in our class and the parents bring it up to administration, it is automatically considered our assistants fault.  For example, we forgot to put a book in our story bag one day and only the assistants were talked to about this.  Nothing was ever said to either of us foreign instructors. 

We come to work thirty minutes early, so that we can add those thirty minutes to our lunch break.  In China, they love to take a thirty-minute nap after lunch.  However, typically we won’t leave for lunch right at twelve if there are still kids around.  We will play with them until they leave or until a little after twelve at times.  One day, our assistants were taking a nap and they slept until 1:35 instead of 1:30.  The manager over all the instructors came up and fussed at them and told them their pay would be cut for doing this.  When the girls told me, I said did you explain that every day you play with the kids well into your lunch break?  They started giggling and said they simply don’t have the courage to do this.  They also told me that if they were to say something, their pay would be cut even more or they could possibly lose their jobs all together. 

This all was very hard for me to take in and not say something about it all.  I have grown very close to these girls, and it hurts to know they are being treated unfairly.  However, I had to remind myself that I can’t change these things.  It is not my place to even try.  I have to remember that I am here to experience the culture, and this is simply part of it.     

Fun with the New Roommate

One of the first places I got to visit here in Wuhan is their famous snack street.  People come from all over the city and outside to see Wuhan’s snack street.  Snack street is a long street, and alleys surrounding, filled with all kinds of unique Chinese cuisine.  The place is so jammed packed that people are walking shoulder to shoulder in some places.  You can find all kinds of grilled meats, snails, oysters, and many other unique foods.  As we were walking away from snack street, we happened to walk upon a Chinese play.  It was so neat, because everyone was dressed up and had painted faces.  Check out the pics below. 

After snack street, we went to see the Yangtze River (yellow river).  The Yangtze river is the longest river in Asia and the third-longest in the world.  This river also divides North and South China.   

We were lucky enough to come across another American, from Georgia, while walking home on this day.  Patsy invited us out for church the next day, and we were able to meet even more expats.  We went to lunch with several of them, and we made friends with two Swedish girls.  The Swedish girls have only been here for a month as well, so we plan to see some tourist’s sites with them.

The next night we were able to meet up with another American from Boston, and his friends, to listen to a free concert and have some dinner.  The music was decent and the dinner was amazing.  Wuhan has wonderful and spicy food!  We walked to a “whole in the wall” restaurant down an alleyway.  Our new friends ordered chicken feet, mushrooms, potatoes, pork, and cucumber.  Each of these foods were brought out on skewers after being seasoned and grilled.  My chopstick skills were put to the test!

The concert was at an open mall, so Leslie (my new roommate) and I decided to go back the next night to actually tour the stores within the mall.  However, we got side tracked and walked on down to the river.  There were people everywhere walking beside the river and in the park there.  I have noticed that people love to come out at night, even after working all day and enjoy the fresh air at night.   We heard some Chinese music, so we began to walk to the source.  Come to find out, there was Chinese karaoke under the bridge!  It was a traditional type of Chinese music.  We had a blast listening and my roommate was even asked to come up and dance for the crowd with a scarf!  We loved it!

Below are some pics of my new apartment!

The Move to Wuhan

The original plan was for me to train in Beijing for three weeks and then move to the city of Wuhan, where my permanent home will be.  However, after a week into training, the Beijing location decided to go ahead and send me to Wuhan.  There is a national holiday coming up and the Beijing location was going to have a whole week off.  However, in Wuhan, we will only have two extra days off, so I went ahead and came here.  I was kind of disappointed, because I didn’t get to explore Beijing at all really.  I was working nonstop the whole time I was there.  However, I moved forward with a positive attitude and knowing that I will return during the year and see some of the sites! 

Working in Beijing was crazy.  I grew up in a small town, so nearly getting ran over every day was not something I was used to.  Pedestrians here have no right away, so you are literally dodging traffic.  Beijing is like New York on crack…!  However, I did enjoy my quick stay there and meeting everyone that I did.   

I have now been in Wuhan for two full days…and I already love it!  Wuhan isn’t as big as Beijing, but it is still a very large city.  However, I love my walk to work much better than in Beijing.  I only have to cross the road once, and it really isn’t a bad intersection.  The walk is so much more peaceful than in Beijing.  Also, the people in Beijing were always in such a hurry.  Here in Wuhan, people are much calmer and relaxed.   

Americans aren’t as common in Wuhan as they are in Beijing, so we do get a lot more stares, but that doesn’t bother me.  Many times, we will get a smile and a hello along with the stare.  The Chinese here love to practice what English they do know.  Also, we pass a middle school on the way to work, to lunch, and back home.  There are always kids in the streets, because at lunch, they are free to leave and go to the stores on the street.  They think we are so funny, and they love to walk behind us and giggle.  Sometimes, they will even work up the courage to say hello…and then I hit them back with a goofy look and a NIIIIII HAOOOOOO (hello in Chinese) and they run away giggling!  I love it! 

Also, it is part of their culture for girls that are friends to walk down the street holding hands, or if you are sitting next to a friend, have a foot touching or a knee touching your friend.  This makes it so easy to be here without family.  The tenderness and caring just radiates from all the girls I work with.  They love to hear about my culture, and they really love it when we ask questions about their culture.  I love teaching, but I love in-between classes just as much!  This is the time when I get to be silly and fun with the two Chinese assistants we have.  Candy and Pat…such sweet girls.  

I will put pictures up soon of the new place I’m living in and the new assistants I’m working with!

First Day in Beijing

My first day in China has been sensory overload! The smells and sounds are all so different here!  Even the plane ride here felt as if I was already in China.  There were only a few Americans on the huge plane.  The culture is amazingly different from ours.  Even the smallest things, such as waiting in line is done so differently than in the States.  

I got here around midnight, and a Chinese assistant from Romp N’ Roll, named Ashley, picked me up at the airport.  She was super sweet!  My roommate Rebecca only had to go to work for a couple of hours, so when she got back we went out to get some of the basics.

For lunch I jumped right in and order some rice with all kinds of crazy vegetables in it!  The smell of the food courts here are insane.  It is hard to describe…almost like an overwhelming smell of all kinds of Chinese sauces put together.  Anyways, my rice was very spicy and it was a huge portion.  However, I couldn’t finish it all because I ran out of water.  Oh yeah…and so by the way, it is completely okay to take outside drinks inside some restaurants around here.  

After lunch, I bought some fruit and snacks for the room from the market.  Then, we were both ready for a nap.  After our nap we went back out and bought a power strip for my computer and dinner.  I had to buy a completely new blow dryer and straightner, because even with a converter here, my blow dryer and straightner will blow up.  The markets here are like mazes.  There is not circular or square motion.  The market actually turned and twisted all kinds of ways.  Without Rebecca, I would have completely gotten lost in there!    

Anyways, tomorrow I start work and full days at work until Monday!  Check out some of the pics below!    

This guy was hanging out in the garden below our apartments.  I'm not sure what he is doing, but it looked neat.

 My new way of drying clothes!

 One of the views from the apartment.

 My room in Beijing.

 My bed in Beijing

 Our washing machine in the kitchen! 

These little guys are so yummy!

Squat Toilet Galore!

Here I am…the final count down!  I leave tomorrow to train in Virginia until Wednesday.  Then, I am home for four days and leave for good.  My boss, Luyin, sent me 54 Fall songs to learn prior to leaving.  I am about halfway through and driving everyone crazy singing them! Also, Luyin told me that the center in Changchun wouldn’t be open when I get there, so I will be working in a city called Wuhan.  I’m not sure if this will end up being my permanent home, or if I will eventually end up moving to the center in Changchun. 

Wuhan is located in central China and is not nearly as “Westernized” as Beijing, Shanghai, or Changchun.  Take a look at Wuhan below.

One amazing tourist spot in Wuhan is the Wuhan Yellow Crane Tower:

Legend has it that in Wuchang (wǔ chāng 武昌), there used to be a wine shop opened by a young man named Xin. One day, a Taoist priest, in gratitude for free wine, drew a magic crane on the wall of the shop and instructed it to dance whenever it heard clapping. Thousands of people came to see the spectacle and the wine shop was always full of guests. After 10 years, the Taoist priest revisited the wine shop. He played the flute and then rode on the crane to the sky. In memory of the supernatural encounter and the priest, the Xins built a tower and named it Yellow Crane Tower.

According to records, the tower was first built in 223 A.D during the Three Kingdoms.

Destroyed many times in successive dynasties, the tower was rebuilt time and again until 100 years ago when it was, for the last time, reduced to ashes. The present tower is a complete reconstruction and is the result of four years of work beginning in 1981. Where the old tower was only 15 meters wide, the ground floor of the new structure was increased to 20 meters wide. The tower, 51.4 meters high, is five-storied with yellow tiles and red pillars, overlapping ridges and interlocking eaves, more magnificent than the old one.

Needless to say, I am very excited about seeing the tower!

Before I end my blog for today, let me share another adventure waiting for me….another American girl that worked in Wuhan, prior to moving to Beijing, said that my apartment will have a squat toilet.  Now, I’m not sure if you are aware of what a squat toilet is….but I am just going to refer to it as the THIGH MASTER! Check it out:



Squat toilets are actually very common in China, and in their culture, our toilets are actually seen as unsanitary.  In more Westernized cities, you can find our traditional toilets, but in Wuhan…it is difficult to come across.  Hopefully, it won’t take me too long to master the squat toilet.  All I know is my thighs will be amazing when I get home!

Until next time friends!  7 more days!

Yoga Pants, Here I Come!

So, we are down to 22 days left until my adventure to China!  My passport should be coming in the mail by Monday or Tuesday.  Then, I will apply for my Visa.  I will be applying for a tourist Visa, and once I am in China, I will apply for a working Visa.  Luckily, the company I will be teaching with is helping me in the entire process.  Like I said previously, I have never traveled outside of the country, so every aspect of this is completely new to me. 
All of our stuff is moved and stored away.  I planned on buying the major things I need for China while visiting my sister in Valdosta.  (Mom and Dad live in a town that you can just about blink and be out of, and every town within a two-hour radius is exactly the same.)  So, for the past few days, I have been indulging in some guilty-free shopping.  I am 27 and haven’t ever even owned rolling luggage! 

I also had to buy about two weeks worth of yoga pants for work.  Yes, YOGA pants!  I am so excited that my heels and ironed dress pants are out the door and yoga pants are in the closet!  I actually get to be comfortable while crawling around on the floor with my little ones.  I am ready to enjoy teaching again.  Don’t get me wrong; I did love my previous school.  However, the grade level and subjects I was teaching brought extreme pressure focusing entirely on test scores.  From the first day of school, our focus was always on…how are these kids going to perform…and what do I have to do to ensure they are going to not only pass…but EXCEED!  For example, last year, 100% of my students passed the state test (and every other teacher within the school always performs this way also)…did we sit back and celebrate…nope not really…it was more along the lines of…okay, now what do we do to make sure the scores stay the same for next year. 

With Romp N’ Roll, I will be teaching babies – six years old various classes that range from art, music, P.E., and English.  Of course, I will be held accountable for my performance as a teacher, but the focus won’t be solely on test scores and my whole year won’t be a constant worry of how the kids are going to perform on the state test.  After five years, I began to feel as if I was simply teaching my kids the test and how to test.  I did make learning fun and I enjoyed the classroom, but the environment of the entire school was all about our scores.  I knew I was at the breaking point when last year’s “state test pep rally” had no music or motivation involved…but simply a lecture on how to test properly and consequences for goofing off during the test.  As I said before, I’M READY TO ENJOY TEACHING AGAIN!     

On a different note, below are some fun pics from a little family trip to the boardwalk in Valdosta...with my NEW SLR CAMERA!!! 





And below are some of Dad and Trey's phenominal modeling skills!







A Piece of My Heart Missing...

Well, I spent the day driving up to north Georgia with my sister, boyfriend, and brother-in-law.  We are going to spend the weekend moving our stuff from north Georgia to storage in south Georgia.  Charles and I will be spending the last month of my stay in Georgia divided among my parents and my sister.  We have always been a very close family, and this will be the first time, in my whole life, I have been this far away from my family for this amount of time. 

There are quite some mixed feelings among the family. 

Let’s start with my sweet Love, Charles:

As I mentioned in one of my earlier post, I was considering enlisting in the military to experience some of the world.  Well, Charles was not too happy about this idea.  However, I must say during the process of considering and accepting a job in China, Charles has been very supportive of me.  We have been through three years of craziness, which expands from finding an adoptive sibling to battling cancer.  We have decided to stick through this battle as well, and are keeping our hopes high about him coming to stay with me as much as he can.  We are trying to keep our eyes on the positive of the separation and stay focused on the all the opportunities that will come out of this experience.  He is has always been more than I can ask for in a best friend and a boyfriend, and big piece of me will stay with him while I’m away from the States.

My Sis:   

Becky and I had the typical love/hate relationship growing up, but as we got older, we grew closer and closer in our relationship.  Now, we would do anything for each other and love each other dearly.  Knowing how badly I have wanted an opportunity like this, she was very happy for me when finding out about my offer.  I am a very indecisive and naïve person in general, and I have already come to her for quite a few opinions regarding decisions about China.  I will miss her and my brother-in-law so much.

My Sweet, Sweet Mom

Since the interview, mom has not wanted me to leave.  She is quite the spoiled one when it comes to love and attention from her daughters.  Even when I was living four hours away, I would make it a point to come home and visit with Mom and Dad at least one weekend out of the month.  Ever since my interview with Romp N’ Roll, Mom has been throwing other job ideas out there for me to consider.  I was actually at Mom and Dad’s the night I got the job offer.  The news hit her like a ton of bricks.  She was very upset.  No matter how I tried to comfort her, nothing seemed to work.  As a few days passed, she eventually came around.  She has expressed that she is very happy for me, but I can see the sadness in her eyes.  It hurts me that I am hurting her.       

My Dear, Dear Daddy:

Dad responded to the idea of China quite differently than Mom.  Dad has always wanted me to experience as much as possible while I am young and prior to building a family with Charles.  He was very excited for me and encouraged my ideas of traveling.  With that in mind, I was very shocked with his reactions to the actual job offer.  I have no words to describe the look on his face after I told him about accepting the job offer.  His jaw dropped, and he was literally speechless.  He didn’t say a word to me, but simply turned around and stepped outside the house. 

He later told me that there was an unexplainable weight among his shoulders.  He, himself, was actually shocked at his own reaction to the news.  Dad and I have always had a special bond, and I felt awful about breaking his heart.  The last thing I ever want my parents to feel is a since of abandonment from their own daughter. 

Each one of my family members has a significant role in my life, and I will miss each one more than words can explain.  I believe the most difficult part about China will be exactly that…learning to cope with a piece of my heart missing…   

No Tampons in China...

I have faxed my contract to my new boss in China, and I am in the process of filling out the paperwork for my visa.  There is so much on my to do list now that I have found out about my offer.  I have never even owned a passport prior to the job offer.  

Some fun facts for packing…no deodorant or tampons in China!  After doing some research, I found out that because of their diet and genetic factors, Chinese people don’t emit the same odors that we try to cover up.  If a city in China is heavily populated with foreigners, deodorant is easier to find, but it will still be difficult to find the popular brands we commonly use here in the States.  

Also, due to the culture and misunderstandings about tampons, pads are the preferred method of feminine hygiene.  Tampons tend to be much more expensive or even difficult to come across in China.  Well I don’t know about you guys, no pun intended, but I’m not sure I will be able to part with my feminine hygiene tools.    

As of right now, after training, I will be in the city of Changchun.  Changchun is the capital of the Jilin Province.  In red is Changchun and the orange is the Jilin Province.   

 

These are a couple of Google images of the city:

An Itch

About three weeks ago, I had an interview for a teaching position in China…exactly…CHINA!  I was raised in Small Town,Texas and moved to Small Town,Georgia at the age of 17.  I have always had a passion to travel and see the world, but simply couldn’t afford it.  Throughout college, I drooled at the opportunities to study abroad that other students could afford and I couldn’t.  So, I did the responsible thing and finished my four years and started my career in Georgia.  I am now 27 and have been teaching in the same school and the same grade level for five years.   

After two years, I was already “itching” to get out and see the world.  So, I get the courage to tell my principal I am applying through the Department of Defense in hopes that she will approve.  Unfortunately, I didn’t even land an interview.  I settle for another year of traditional teaching in Small Town,Georgia.  The next year…here comes that “itch” again…so I consider simply enlisting full-time into the military and leaving teaching behind.  However, I find out that I won’t be shipped until the middle of a school year...my principal would never be okay with that one!  So, I put my “itch” on the back burner again.

Now, where am I?  Still in Georgia, but on my way to China!  I found out tonight that I have an opportunity to teach for a year in China…yes…CHINA! I still cannot wrap my brain around the idea.  My feelings are insanely mixed up right now, but I know that to a certain degree, my “itch” will finally be satisfied.