It's been 10 days since I last posted here... far too long, if you ask me, but I've been quite busy. I've been correcting homework, homework, homework... trying to get reimbursed for my flight (that should go through very soon), and creating a written test to administer to my Oral class. This will be their only written test, I've decided. Their final exam will be verbal-only, since I have just been told that that is an acceptable possibility. In addition, I'm expected to have drafts of the finals for both my oral and written classes by the end of next week. It shouldn't be too terribly difficult. Just time-consuming. Right now, though, I'm hoping that the copy room I delivered my paper-test to will have my 90 copies done today. I don't want to have to put this test off yet another week because they couldn't get around to hitting the buttons "9" "0" and "Print."
But what I really wanted to post about today was that it's Thanksgiving here in China. The rest of you lugs have to wait another 12 hours for your Turkey Day to come around so HA! I win! Thinking on this holiday (which, once again, I'm one of the only people celebrating around here), I started thinking of all the things I was thankful for. This is really one of the first times I've done this of my own volition. But here, so far away from who and what I know, one often faces the choice of succumbing to homesickness and loneliness, or to remember what it is you do have. And so...
1. Of course, my family, who has helped me get here, and now continually help me get by here with their messages, emailed jokes, and calls. Thanks guys! Please keep em coming! This leads me to...
2. The Internet! Without the Internet here, I think I would've gone absolutely mad by now. It's my refuge in the storm, my contact-point back to the relatively sanity of a culture of my own. Add into this that wonderous tools it offers like Skype, blogging, Facebook, and email, and I've got a resource that lets me all-but-touch the people I care about back home.
3. My new expat and Chinese friends. Little enough to say here. They're the people who can either commiserate over a gin and tonic at the La Luna Bar, or explain to me why their people can be so damn weird and - let's face it - infuriating sometimes. Not the least of which is...
4. Sun Jienan. AKA Nancy Sun. My lady of the Asian persuasion. We're having a very good time with each other (as I'm sure the pictures I keep posting have shown.) Though she, too, drives like a bat out of hell, she has swiftly become a person I trust and care about. And that's done a lot to keep me going on my not-so-good days.
5. Cheap (i.e. >$2) DVDs. Though they may sometimes be the worst quality imaginable... dubbed in only Chinese, or half English/half Russian dialogue... in reality this cheap, renewable entertainment wellspring has given me many, many hours of entertainment. Thanks, "DVD Bass!" (sometimes known as "DVD Boss.")
6. And finally, I'm thankful for my own quirky, strange, sarcastic, sense of humor. It's the voice in my head making snide comments that only I would ever find funny. It's the reason I sometimes start laughing for absolutely no reason (the voices in my head told me a funny joke). And this weird sense of humor has probably been one of the biggest factors of keeping me sane while in China. Let's face it, the situation I'm in is utterly absurd, virtually everyday. I live, work, and interact in an environment where I'm largely at the mercy of people who have no idea what I'm saying. And yet, I'm treated as either a Hollywood celebrity, a demigod, or a handy marketing tool. If I couldn't laugh at the situations I find myself in, I'd have gone stark raving mad by now.
So Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Sorry I cant be there with you eating tukrey and mashed potatoes and good wine (no, really, I really really REALLY wish I was!), but I hope that you all remember what you are thankful for as well. And I hope we'll be eating turkey together next T-Day!
(CS)WC Out.
The lycanthropic jottings of my fourth year prowling the Chinese moonlight.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Pictures Galore
We (Nancy and I) decided to go out to the beach. Here's some old, junky boats.
Low tide... I hope.
These boats are going anywhere soon.
Ahoy!
This was in some kind of fishing village on an island on the coast. Out there in the water was what looked to be some kind of small-scale oil rig.
Neat little stone bridge on the beach.
The coast near sunset.
Nancy living it up.
It was a windy little cove, but fun :)
Look! Up in the sky! A bird! A plane!
The kung-fu is strong with this one...
Ahh! It's the ocean!
Smooth sailing? I think not...
Us, again.
Another of the numberless teeny tiny temples dotting the landscape. Despite the fact that they're literally everywhere, they're still fun to look at.
Lil' ol' me.
Zee Beach.
Yet another photo of suicidal Chinese driving... this is a 2-way, 2 lane road...and I'm pretty sure Nancy spent more time in the wrong lane than the right noe...
Hey! Another temple! go figure!
These guys are outside the entrances to many buildings. They're thought to bring good look and success. The only reason I took a picture of this one was because the lighting was great.
Rawr!
A (very) rare photo of a really nice blue sky.
The river.
Strips of fish set out in the sun to dry. The smell... leaves something to be desired...
This next series is the University during its 50th Anniversary. Cool stuff :)
The dress rehearsal to a concert in the Olympic stadium
Practicing his mad streetside pingpong skillZ
A nice fruit stand
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Ebs and Flows...
Another day full of ups and downs... I'll start with the bad stuff...
I got an email from Xiaoxian today with some student-made criticisms of my Oral English Class. That's not bad news. I want the critiques. I want to improve. I want to teach these kids.
Please, tell me, is this helpful?:
"What the teacher plans for our class is simple and not demanding and is not helping a lot to improve our Oral English."
That was all I was given, in terms of feedback. I was more than a little frustrated. So I, as requested, wrote a response. It follows:
"I feel I'm between the metaphorical rock and hard place. To whom, I ask anyone who can/will reply, should I be teaching? The top level students of the given class, who have a strong grasp of many of the elements I might be going over that day, and are consequentially bored? Or the students who don't "get it" - who don't understand, and would get completely lost were we to move faster, and at a more challenging pace? In any given class - be it writing, or conversation - I have a range of skill levels from "competent" all the way down to "unable to communicate." Who should I focus on, and who should be, for lack of a better word, forgotten?
The first time I became even remotely aware of my students' capabilities was on the first day of class. And only now, 10+ weeks into said plan am I getting any sort of feedback. I hope it can be understood that it's frustrating for me, as well. I've been given little, if any direction vis a vis class design. What is the goal for the conversation class, if not to promote continued growth and communication skills through class discussions and conversations? Moreover, how am I supposed to adjust my lesson plans accordingly, if the SUM TOTAL of 10 weeks of teachings' comments are "What the teacher plans for our class is simple and not demanding and is not helping a lot to improve our Oral English"???
Simple. Not demanding. Not helping.
In what ways? Where do the students feel improvement can be made? What do they feel are their strong points? their weak points?"
Sigh. I think that pretty well encompasses my frustration right now. 10+ weeks, and this is what I get. How am I supposed to work with that? I suppose I'll just have to make up a questionnaire and give it to the students myself.
But onto better news...
I HAVE A BASS GUITAR!!! AND AN AMP!!! And I got it ll for a screaming deal! It's a 5 string, dual-pick-up SX Custom Handmade Vintage Series... made for export. I found this music strong called "Dong Dong" I think, ad they had it all. The owner, without either Nancy or myself even asking about it, offered up a comprehensive 25% discount. The sticker-price for the bass itself was 2200RMB (~$330) which is a good deal anywhere! And especially since the best one I'd found prior to this was 2200, was a 4-stringer, and just generally crappier, I would've been happy with that. But I got this nice bass and a nice little practice amp for only 2060RMB! just incredible! Usually I'd be looking to pay at LEAST $750 for a setup like this. And instead I got it for less than $300. Additionally, He gave me "as gifts" a free shoulder strap and carrying bag. If I didn't know better, I'd think I was being buttered up for something... or maybe all the good karma's paying off. ;)
In other news, I'm pretty much chomping at the bit right now. The expansion to the game I play, World of Warcraft, has just been released. It's called The Wrath of the Lich King. I was able to download the client from the internet (don't worry, it's legal). However, I can't upgrade my account without purchasing a CD-Key. Sounds simple, right? Not so much. that entails me finding a US Copy of the game, and then buying it. not usually an issue, but here there's a relative dearth of US games. They've ot World of Warcraft...but it's the Chinese client version. I think I'm going to ask my parents to take $50 from my account, buy a copy for me, and then email me the CD-Key. It's just a string of numbers and letter... but to me that string is worth $50 ;D Months, if not years of entertainment lie within...
I got an email from Xiaoxian today with some student-made criticisms of my Oral English Class. That's not bad news. I want the critiques. I want to improve. I want to teach these kids.
Please, tell me, is this helpful?:
"What the teacher plans for our class is simple and not demanding and is not helping a lot to improve our Oral English."
That was all I was given, in terms of feedback. I was more than a little frustrated. So I, as requested, wrote a response. It follows:
"I feel I'm between the metaphorical rock and hard place. To whom, I ask anyone who can/will reply, should I be teaching? The top level students of the given class, who have a strong grasp of many of the elements I might be going over that day, and are consequentially bored? Or the students who don't "get it" - who don't understand, and would get completely lost were we to move faster, and at a more challenging pace? In any given class - be it writing, or conversation - I have a range of skill levels from "competent" all the way down to "unable to communicate." Who should I focus on, and who should be, for lack of a better word, forgotten?
The first time I became even remotely aware of my students' capabilities was on the first day of class. And only now, 10+ weeks into said plan am I getting any sort of feedback. I hope it can be understood that it's frustrating for me, as well. I've been given little, if any direction vis a vis class design. What is the goal for the conversation class, if not to promote continued growth and communication skills through class discussions and conversations? Moreover, how am I supposed to adjust my lesson plans accordingly, if the SUM TOTAL of 10 weeks of teachings' comments are "What the teacher plans for our class is simple and not demanding and is not helping a lot to improve our Oral English"???
Simple. Not demanding. Not helping.
In what ways? Where do the students feel improvement can be made? What do they feel are their strong points? their weak points?"
Sigh. I think that pretty well encompasses my frustration right now. 10+ weeks, and this is what I get. How am I supposed to work with that? I suppose I'll just have to make up a questionnaire and give it to the students myself.
But onto better news...
I HAVE A BASS GUITAR!!! AND AN AMP!!! And I got it ll for a screaming deal! It's a 5 string, dual-pick-up SX Custom Handmade Vintage Series... made for export. I found this music strong called "Dong Dong" I think, ad they had it all. The owner, without either Nancy or myself even asking about it, offered up a comprehensive 25% discount. The sticker-price for the bass itself was 2200RMB (~$330) which is a good deal anywhere! And especially since the best one I'd found prior to this was 2200, was a 4-stringer, and just generally crappier, I would've been happy with that. But I got this nice bass and a nice little practice amp for only 2060RMB! just incredible! Usually I'd be looking to pay at LEAST $750 for a setup like this. And instead I got it for less than $300. Additionally, He gave me "as gifts" a free shoulder strap and carrying bag. If I didn't know better, I'd think I was being buttered up for something... or maybe all the good karma's paying off. ;)
In other news, I'm pretty much chomping at the bit right now. The expansion to the game I play, World of Warcraft, has just been released. It's called The Wrath of the Lich King. I was able to download the client from the internet (don't worry, it's legal). However, I can't upgrade my account without purchasing a CD-Key. Sounds simple, right? Not so much. that entails me finding a US Copy of the game, and then buying it. not usually an issue, but here there's a relative dearth of US games. They've ot World of Warcraft...but it's the Chinese client version. I think I'm going to ask my parents to take $50 from my account, buy a copy for me, and then email me the CD-Key. It's just a string of numbers and letter... but to me that string is worth $50 ;D Months, if not years of entertainment lie within...
Monday, November 10, 2008
Catching Up
I'm sure you've been suitably perplexed at my lack on ongoing, 24 hr news cycle-style coverage of the goings on in the world, specifically the U.S. election. Suffice it to say, I've never marketed myself as CNN. I've been out, about... living la vida China. This is a country where it's remarkably easy to just lose touch with anything not immediately going on. Combine that with my natural predisposition to kind of lose focus and not pay attention, and...well... you end up with longish blog-gaps. On the other hand, I get the sneaking suspicion that life is a series of getting caught p in the given moment/environment. Even now I can hear my mom chiding me with her oft' repeated maxim: "Welcome to the 'real' world, Chris!" Yeah, yeah, yeah....
But take heart! I was closely following this election... my inner polysci nerd was overjoyed. I followed polls, read commentary... oh it was glorious! I was at lunch when McCain's concession speech came on CCTV... and though the over-dub of Chinese made it pretty much impossible tohear at the time, I rushed back to my trusty laptop and listened in. Suffice it to say, I could have been more pleased with the results! After work, we - Aaron, Warren, Xiaohong, and I - went to Naples to celebrate with a hearty Italian meal.
Following that, Nancy and I went to a party of sorts - a weekly gathering of a few expats for dinner and drinking - and found stars'n'stripes kindred spirits, and grateful people from all over the world. Believe me when I say the world thinks we made the right decision... and they think that by a LONG shot.
In fact, knowing this whole event was going to happen, I opted to give a speech on American Presidential Politics to students this week. I opted in for the topic... not the speech itself. That's contractual. I get no bonus from this... or at least that's how I understand it. I'll fill you in once I get this whole thing sorted out. But I've now got a Powerpoint detailing the whole race and beyond. It was kind of nice making Powerpoints again to be honest.
I didn't have to teach on Friday as I usually would, because the school had a Sports Meet for which all classes were cancelled. Aaron got roped into competing in some track event... and yet I was inexplicably able to avoid a similar fate. I'm honestly not sure how I got out of that. As such, I had a nice, long, relaxing weekend - much of which with Nancy, when she wasn't flying off to yet another business meeting... seriously, t happens all that time, all hours of the day/night. Bleck...business :P
In weather news, the temperature has dropped off rather sharply. In the span of just a few days, I've gone from t-shirt and shorts to long pants and my light jacket if it's dry. My big black leather jacket has even ome out of storage for when it rains. It's kind of nice to finally get into that "other half" of my clothes. I've been told that this is about as cold as it will get, though. The leaves don't even fall off the trees here. That hardly seems like it deserves the name "winter" at all...
Well, as it's late here and I have class tomorrow, I'd best be off to bed.
(CW)WC Out.
But take heart! I was closely following this election... my inner polysci nerd was overjoyed. I followed polls, read commentary... oh it was glorious! I was at lunch when McCain's concession speech came on CCTV... and though the over-dub of Chinese made it pretty much impossible tohear at the time, I rushed back to my trusty laptop and listened in. Suffice it to say, I could have been more pleased with the results! After work, we - Aaron, Warren, Xiaohong, and I - went to Naples to celebrate with a hearty Italian meal.
Following that, Nancy and I went to a party of sorts - a weekly gathering of a few expats for dinner and drinking - and found stars'n'stripes kindred spirits, and grateful people from all over the world. Believe me when I say the world thinks we made the right decision... and they think that by a LONG shot.
In fact, knowing this whole event was going to happen, I opted to give a speech on American Presidential Politics to students this week. I opted in for the topic... not the speech itself. That's contractual. I get no bonus from this... or at least that's how I understand it. I'll fill you in once I get this whole thing sorted out. But I've now got a Powerpoint detailing the whole race and beyond. It was kind of nice making Powerpoints again to be honest.
I didn't have to teach on Friday as I usually would, because the school had a Sports Meet for which all classes were cancelled. Aaron got roped into competing in some track event... and yet I was inexplicably able to avoid a similar fate. I'm honestly not sure how I got out of that. As such, I had a nice, long, relaxing weekend - much of which with Nancy, when she wasn't flying off to yet another business meeting... seriously, t happens all that time, all hours of the day/night. Bleck...business :P
In weather news, the temperature has dropped off rather sharply. In the span of just a few days, I've gone from t-shirt and shorts to long pants and my light jacket if it's dry. My big black leather jacket has even ome out of storage for when it rains. It's kind of nice to finally get into that "other half" of my clothes. I've been told that this is about as cold as it will get, though. The leaves don't even fall off the trees here. That hardly seems like it deserves the name "winter" at all...
Well, as it's late here and I have class tomorrow, I'd best be off to bed.
(CW)WC Out.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Quick Little clarification...
2 posts ago, I mentioned the JGGIDw Theory, explaining why people act the way they do online. I've just been reading through cnn.com and found this article which blatantly attempts to cast the Greater Internet Dickwad Theory as "new news."
Amateurs.
The true professionals ver at penny-arcade.com latched onto this bit of knowledge back in March of 2004. Observe.
Anyway, just thought I'd point out that I wasn't just making up some theory. It's real!
Amateurs.
The true professionals ver at penny-arcade.com latched onto this bit of knowledge back in March of 2004. Observe.
Anyway, just thought I'd point out that I wasn't just making up some theory. It's real!
And that's when we'll explode - and it won't be a pretty sight
Round about the cauldron go...
Halloween Party Pics!
Friday was, by all accounts a banner-year for Halloween festivities in Wenzhou. From 3 - count 'em - 3 foreign teachers doing seperate units on the history and celebrations of the holiday, to the first annual WZMC Halloween English Club Party (complete with gourds/grapefruits to carve!), and - of course - the obligatory Expat costume party extravaganza (which swamped the underprepared La Luna staff - I guess last year their party had drawn all of 10 people)... it was a fun night!
Me in my full costume. I wore the shirt to school, much to my students' delight. No facepaint though.
(Note: I made the shirt myself! And the facepaint is self-applied watercolor... so don't judge it too harshly... It was constructed with love, and in adverse conditions. They don't have ANY costumed holidays here, and so, no costume shops)
The psychotic Chinese girl, and the skeleton. Honestly, I'm not sure which one looks scarier...
Nancy and some crazy masked dude.
Group Shot! This was the greater bulk of the costumed persons, though not everyone :)
SUUUUPER Caeser (wrist-flop), the cheating husband, Jack Skellington, and Gandalf the Triclops
Now do you understand why I'm seeing a Chinese girl?! NOW DO YOU SEE?!?!
Makes you want to gouge your eyes out, no?
My very own Gourd O'Lantern!
Nancy and hetero-Caesar
I told her to dress up... I think she took it the wrong way... oh well...
A contemplative skeleton...
This adorable little girl was here with her mom, and absolutely loved my jack'o'lantern... she kept wanting to look inside to see how it glowed! So cute!
And of course, Satan made his obligatory appearance. This being such a satanic holiday and all. Not realizing he had arrived, I said something along the lines of "Man, I'd sell my soul for another G&T!"
... whoops...
Friday was, by all accounts a banner-year for Halloween festivities in Wenzhou. From 3 - count 'em - 3 foreign teachers doing seperate units on the history and celebrations of the holiday, to the first annual WZMC Halloween English Club Party (complete with gourds/grapefruits to carve!), and - of course - the obligatory Expat costume party extravaganza (which swamped the underprepared La Luna staff - I guess last year their party had drawn all of 10 people)... it was a fun night!
Me in my full costume. I wore the shirt to school, much to my students' delight. No facepaint though.
(Note: I made the shirt myself! And the facepaint is self-applied watercolor... so don't judge it too harshly... It was constructed with love, and in adverse conditions. They don't have ANY costumed holidays here, and so, no costume shops)
The psychotic Chinese girl, and the skeleton. Honestly, I'm not sure which one looks scarier...
Nancy and some crazy masked dude.
Group Shot! This was the greater bulk of the costumed persons, though not everyone :)
SUUUUPER Caeser (wrist-flop), the cheating husband, Jack Skellington, and Gandalf the Triclops
Now do you understand why I'm seeing a Chinese girl?! NOW DO YOU SEE?!?!
Makes you want to gouge your eyes out, no?
My very own Gourd O'Lantern!
Nancy and hetero-Caesar
I told her to dress up... I think she took it the wrong way... oh well...
A contemplative skeleton...
This adorable little girl was here with her mom, and absolutely loved my jack'o'lantern... she kept wanting to look inside to see how it glowed! So cute!
And of course, Satan made his obligatory appearance. This being such a satanic holiday and all. Not realizing he had arrived, I said something along the lines of "Man, I'd sell my soul for another G&T!"
... whoops...
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