Trip: Year in China
There are [153] stories from my trip: Year in China
CHINA | Friday, 4 Jul 2008 | Views [187]
This is the last time I’ll be writing from Beijing. I would like to sum it up concisely and neatly, but that’s pretty much impossible. Instead, I’m just going to list the things I’ll miss and the things I won’t. Hopefully, this will be entertaining ... Read more >
CHINA | Wednesday, 2 Jul 2008 | Views [202]
This is the official last time I'll be writing from my lent Lenovo computer that runs Windows 2000. Everything is packed and most of it is already moved to Ilan's for my last couple days in Beijing. I have to donate some clothes, eat lunch, and ... Read more >
CHINA | Tuesday, 1 Jul 2008 | Views [206]
Today, my last day in my apartment, I woke up after noon. I almost immediately started cleaning. I picked up my carpets and swept. I washed some dishes and started the process of cleaning out my fridge. I threw away a lot of stuff. I gave my left ... Read more >
CHINA | Monday, 30 Jun 2008 | Views [210]
The one thing I was sure I could do in Chinese was buy train tickets. I've done it countless times now (mostly in Chinese), and I've never once gotten the wrong ticket. Today, I attempted to purchase my third to last train ticket in China. I went ... Read more >
CHINA | Saturday, 28 Jun 2008 | Views [166]
Tonight was Mario's last night in Beijing. He flies out tomorrow for Los Angeles. We decided on Russian food and one last night in Sanlitun. So we ate stuffed cabbage and chicken kiev with huge beers, went to Nanjie for Y10 gin and tonics, and ... Read more >
CHINA | Friday, 27 Jun 2008 | Views [159]
Today, I finished that enigma of a TV series, Twin Peaks. Kara and I watched until our eyes nearly bled and learned the conclusion of my recent obsession. It satisfied in an eerie way. But the ending of the show wasn't as sad as knowing I don't ... Read more >
CHINA | Thursday, 26 Jun 2008 | Views [169]
Because I didn’t do anything in the way of moving out
yesterday, I decided to devote today to those tasks.
Last night, after dinner, I bought the “Sex and the City”
movie and spent the entire night watching and re-watching it. ... Read more >
CHINA | Wednesday, 25 Jun 2008 | Views [163]
Today, I forwent doing all kinds of errands necessary for
the moving out process in order to finish the cult classic.
I went to Kara’s this morning around 11am, and we watched
about six hours of “Twin Peaks”, but we still
didn’t ... Read more >
CHINA | Tuesday, 24 Jun 2008 | Views [157]
Carlos is one of my best students. His English is pretty good. His concentration is awful. His desire to pay attention in class is
minimal. But his creativity…is
astounding for a Chinese student.
He often thinks of ... Read more >
CHINA | Monday, 23 Jun 2008 | Views [168]
Today I gave my first round of finals for the last time. I didn't have anything to do until 1pm, so I slept in and generally enjoyed my morning alone. I went a little early to get my stuff together, but students were already there. "We've ... Read more >
CHINA | Friday, 20 Jun 2008 | Views [118]
It began yesterday.
Case invited a few friends for martinis at a pretty fancy bar in Beijing. It was his last Thursday in Beijing, and he wanted to take advantage of
the two for one special. The goodbye
lasted as long as four martinis, ... Read more >
CHINA | Thursday, 19 Jun 2008 | Views [112]
I’ve been sleeping with the doors and windows open to let in
the breeze lately. I don’t really want
to buy more electricity credit before I leave, and my air conditioner doesn’t
really work that well anyway.
So any sounds that ... Read more >
CHINA | Wednesday, 18 Jun 2008 | Views [108]
I was craving hot pot for some reason. I hadn’t had it since I was in Sichuan, and I didn’t
have anyone to eat dinner with. So I
went to the grocery store and searched out the thinly sliced bits of dead sheep
and the seasonings. I ... Read more >
CHINA | Tuesday, 17 Jun 2008 | Views [108]
Another trip to Cambodian embassy today. This one was much more pleasant. I went between my classes. So I arrived a little early. I sat on the curb waiting for the clock to
strike two. As soon as it happened, I
waltzed into the visa ... Read more >
CHINA | Monday, 16 Jun 2008 | Views [107]
My song presentations proved another thing about my
students. In addition to having really
bad taste in music, they also can’t resist singing if they know the words.
Almost all of the songs were really, really old American or
British ... Read more >
CHINA | Sunday, 15 Jun 2008 | Views [135]
It’s been almost a year.
And during this year, I’ve only been bothered by my students through
email and through random text message (whereby I wonder how they got my phone
number).
But today. Today I
got an email saying “Lee ... Read more >
CHINA | Friday, 13 Jun 2008 | Views [121]
I went to the Cambodian Embassy today. And it was quite an adventure.
One of my students helped me find the address online because I couldn’t figure out the Chinese after many, many hours of fighting with online “type in Chinese” programs. ... Read more >
CHINA | Thursday, 12 Jun 2008 | Views [124]
The lesson on “Imagine” in my text book led to an idea for
my final quiz. I ran it by Mario and
Ilan to make sure I wasn’t insane. With
a confirmation that it didn’t seem to hard, I plunged into it, really excited
about the idea.... Read more >
CHINA | Wednesday, 11 Jun 2008 | Views [110]
Mario is leaving soon, so he decided to go to a few more
places in China
before his visa expires. We made plans
to have dinner and watch a movie on his last official night living in Beijing.
But these plans didn’t work out because ... Read more >
CHINA | Tuesday, 10 Jun 2008 | Views [118]
I had a completely boring day. Class.
We were doing the activities in the book. For some reason, the last activity was
basically explicating “Imagine” by John Lennon.
Chinese people LOVE The Beatles, so I figured they’d enjoy this
assignment.... Read more >
CHINA | Monday, 9 Jun 2008 | Views [110]
One of the last things I still hadn’t done in Beijing but desperately wanted to do was Bei Hai Gong Yuan (North Lake Park). I was waiting for pleasant weather, and accompaniment (it’s hard to get motivated to see touristy things without someone ... Read more >
Tags: bei hai park
CHINA | Sunday, 8 Jun 2008 | Views [131]
No class tomorrow in celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival. Several different articles on wikipedia yielded no real understanding of why this is celebrated. However, a day of rest is always appreciated. The actual festival is today. In its ultimate ... Read more >
Tags: dragon boat festival
CHINA | Saturday, 7 Jun 2008 | Views [208]
Tonight, Mario, Bo, my couch surfer, Frank, and I went to the Beijing Film Festival. It was much antipated. It was also interesting that such an event presented itself in a city like Beijing in a country like China. Most of the films were foreign ... Read more >
CHINA | Friday, 6 Jun 2008 | Views [138] | Comments [1]
Kevin, formerly my favorite student, has turned into a shit head. He doesn't do his work, he comes to class and reads model airplane manuels, and he occasionally just skips class altogether. Today, I confronted him. I asked him what was up. "... Read more >
CHINA | Thursday, 5 Jun 2008 | Views [127] | Comments [1]
A morning of packing, drinking coffee, and saying goodbye to one of the best friends I've found in China has me looking leaving straight in the face. I have less than a month left before I will no longer have to deal with the subway at rush hour. ... Read more >
CHINA | Thursday, 5 Jun 2008 | Views [143]
I met her in Dalian. She had just moved to China. A 20-year-old with the bright eyes of someone who'd just finished her first year of college. Incredibly enthusiastic about teaching. A lover of children. We became friends instantly. Many conversations ... Read more >
CHINA | Tuesday, 3 Jun 2008 | Views [121]
Tonight. Three extra people will call my apartment home. It's entirely circumstantial. Let me explain. I agreed to have a couch surfer. Kari came to Beijing to say goodbye. One of her friends from high school came to Beijing to see her and say ... Read more >
CHINA | Monday, 2 Jun 2008 | Views [101]
My students are driving me insane right now. Only a couple of weeks left before finals, and they are definitely ready for summer. As am I, compounding the situation. I still can't figure out why, after 10 months of working with them, they can't shut ... Read more >
CHINA | Saturday, 31 May 2008 | Views [103]
I'd never been to a proper movie in China. It costs three times as much as a DVD off the street. The movies don't come out until months after they've been released in the States (often after you can buy it on DVD). There's a pretty good chance they've ... Read more >
CHINA | Friday, 30 May 2008 | Views [117]
Almost a year ago, my mom sent me a package for my birthday. It was a box of Tony's, a couple of boxes of instant Zatarain's, and some crab boil. It's well-known that China steals a lot of the market for crawfish in Louisiana, so my mom assumed I'd ... Read more >
CHINA | Wednesday, 28 May 2008 | Views [94]
Mario and I decided that we needed an excuse to stop watching movies and go see more of this city. The plan: meet at a subway between our apartments and explore the Muslim area of the city. It's called Xuanwu. It has a mosque, Chinese food cooked ... Read more >
CHINA | Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | Views [140] | Comments [1]
I wore it today. For the first time even, I wore the slightest bit of make up to class. I also wore my glasses. I was feeling feisty, I guess. My first class used to be my favorite. Class 2. Lots of good English-speakers. A few funny students.... Read more >
CHINA | Monday, 26 May 2008 | Views [130]
I had another planning session with Kiri today. This time, I cooked. I decided that since this was probably our last planning session, I'd pay her back for all her hospitality and good meals throughout the semester. I made lettuce wraps (I got the ... Read more >
CHINA | Sunday, 25 May 2008 | Views [92]
I slept in on Saturday and Sunday. I planned classes, played on the internet, washed clothes, watched movies. I met friends for coffee, grocery shopped, and watched "Friends" dvds. I've also got a pile of clothes, knick-knacks, and other ... Read more >
CHINA | Friday, 23 May 2008 | Views [116]
I had plans to meet Mario and Ilan at a clothing market after class, but I fell asleep and they had already left. I went anyway because for the past six months or so I've been trying to get there to buy my aunt a fake Coach bag and my mom ten of these ... Read more >
CHINA | Thursday, 22 May 2008 | Views [96]
I gave my students a group project. They got into their groups, and I just kind of wandered around checking their work and answering their questions. I let them choose their groups. Chinese have a weird phobia of the opposite sex, so almost all ... Read more >
CHINA | Wednesday, 21 May 2008 | Views [110]
Gertrude Stein wrote it, and I doubt she was talking about Beijing, but it applies. Because the city is absolutely covered Rose Parade style with the thorny, sweet-smelling flora. The flowers are planted everywhere and of all colors. Along the ... Read more >
CHINA | Tuesday, 20 May 2008 | Views [140]
I'm convinced that southerners of any country are generally more friendly. Every time I head a little south, I'm greeted with warmth and friendly smiles. And this was definitely the case in Xi'An. If anyone had the inclination, they started a conversation ... Read more >
CHINA | Tuesday, 20 May 2008 | Views [112]
The flags are out again, this time at half staff. The Chinese government declared three days of mourning for the victims of the Sichuan Earthquake disaster. There are Big Character signs (these are signs posted around China usually in red and white ... Read more >
CHINA | Monday, 19 May 2008 | Views [123]
I spent this weekend in Sha'anxi Province with my friend Kari. She lives in a small town called Xianyang, which is about 20 minutes and a Y3.50 train ride from Xi'An. Xi'An is famous. I left Thursday night (after rearranging my Friday classes to ... Read more >
CHINA | Thursday, 15 May 2008 | Views [96]
This week in my culture classes, we're discussing New Zealand. As I know absolutely nothing about this seemingly marvelous chain of three islands, I was very glad when Kiri told me she had a video about New Zealand that she wanted to show. I didn't ... Read more >
CHINA | Wednesday, 14 May 2008 | Views [125]
About five minutes into class, one of my more...attention deficit students randomly stood up. "Yes, Allen?" "I want to go wash room." "Allen we just started class! Sit down!" Scattered and nervous laughter followed.... Read more >
CHINA | Tuesday, 13 May 2008 | Views [253]
Thanks, everyone for all the concern. I really appreciate the emails and worried facebook messages. All is fine in Beijing. Apparently, there were aftershocks felt here, but I was sleeping (of all things) and didn't feel a thing. I have a friend ... Read more >
CHINA | Monday, 12 May 2008 | Views [951]
If I knew how to say/read that in Chinese, I'm pretty sure I would see that phrase everywhere. Most of the city is currently under construction. Or renovation. Or refurbishment. Or somehow covered with scafolding and green netting. Attempting to ... Read more >
CHINA | Sunday, 11 May 2008 | Views [257] | Comments [1]
A pretty unsubstantial weekend as the course of events go. After my couch surfer left on Saturday morning, I'd be hard pressed to find anything significant that happened in my life. I slept nearly all day Saturday (I woke up at 8 am to say goodbye ... Read more >
CHINA | Saturday, 10 May 2008 | Views [168]
Recent encounters, conversations, and observations have led me to a particular cynical conclusion regarding the O-lympics (hereby referred to as "O" in order to avoid censorship). The theme is "One World One Dream". The idea ... Read more >
CHINA | Saturday, 10 May 2008 | Views [107]
There is no pretty way to say that word. Even with the most charming of accents, that word comes out with the ferocity of a vagina with teeth (has anyone seen that movie? I recently found it in a DVD store and laughed heartily for about 10 minutes).... Read more >
CHINA | Wednesday, 7 May 2008 | Views [126]
I finally succeeded in purchasing train tickets that were almost exaclty what I wanted! The guy at the ticket counter spoke English, but it probably would have been more successful had I spoken Chinese with him; his English was pretty bad. He first ... Read more >
CHINA | Tuesday, 6 May 2008 | Views [158]
But I did have an interesting thought while I was napping. I'll see if I can work out what it was here. Something about words and the way we use them. Something about accents and how strange they are. Something about how some words and phrases can ... Read more >
CHINA | Monday, 5 May 2008 | Views [158]
A bit of a mundane thing to write about, but as it almost had me in tears, I thought it waranted some air time. Paying a bill is not a complicated task. But living in a world where I continually prove and then disprove my ability to speak the language, ... Read more >
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