One City at a Time

There She Goes

traveling_raccoon — Mon, 4 Jun 2012 23:22:00 GMT

First time I came to Beijing was in 2007. I was only 23 then, and it was my first time out of the country without my mom. The idea of living in Beijing was so much more romantic then.

Tomorrow though I head back to my own country. I find it interesting that the farther you are from home, the more you appreciate it. Distance makes the heart fonder, after all, and boy am I really excited to head back home, in my old bed, in our airconditioned room (that does not feel stuffy at all).

I miss the traffic jams, the high-priced gasoline, the burning hot sun and the inconvenient metro. I miss our own unhealthy dishes, our own ice creams, our own weather (that's not as humid and...dry? as it is here) our own version of "friendly people" (who don't shout or raise their voices during friendly conversations)and of course, my family and friends.

Gah.

I love you Beijing, but we seriously need to take a break.

White Day (and the 14th of every month)

traveling_raccoon — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 04:15:00 GMT

Days before the 14th of February, 2010, I asked my husband if he was planning to give me anything for Valentine's Day. My husband laughed and said, "on Feb. 14, girls give guys gifts, not the other way around."

I was surprised at his reaction and asked him to explain further. He just laughed and said, "you're in Korea now, my dear. Here in Korea, girls give the guys they care for some chocolates or sweets. Guys, in turn, return their love (if there's any) on March 14. Either that or they give sweets to the girls they actually like. Those who don't get any gifts on either dates are supposed to eat jajangmien (black noodles) together on April 14th." April 14, also known as "Black Day", is the day for the those who are still yet to meet their true loves :-)

Capitalistic! Haha, as my classmate describes these holidays (which aren't limited to just these three months!) But anyway, last Friday my students gave me some candies to celebrate White Day. I hadn't known that March 14 was called "White Day" before until several days before when they asked me what I was planning on that day. My ignorance of this celebration astonished my students, and they suddenly started speaking to each other in Korean and then smiled at me. "Never mind teacher," they said.

Still, even though their teacher was ignorant enough to know about this, they were still thoughtful enough to give me candies. But I felt that this tradition was a bit strange, so I decided to do some more research on it. And I found out that this "White Day" is actually a strategy made by sweet producers to further promote their products. On the 14th of every month of a year there's bound to be a celebration that's related to love in some way. To further explain my statement, below are the celebrations that take place on the 14th of each month:

January 14 is Candle Day.
February 14 is Valentine's Day (a day which girls give chocolates or sweets to the boys they like).
March 14 is White Day. On this day, boys are supposed to give girls that they like some sweets (other than chocolates, although I don't know if this is still practiced today after seeing so many chocolates on sale with the words White Day taped across its covers in the local supermarket).
April 14 is known as Black Day. You'll know on March 15 whether or not you can celebrate Black Day. This day is for those individuals who had not received a single gift from anyone on either Valentine's or White Day, and they therefore gather together to eat jajangmien or black noodles.
May 14 is known as Rose Day.
June 14 is known as Kiss Day.
July 14 is known as Silver Day.
August 14 is known as Green Day.
September 14 is known as Music Day.
October 14 is known as Wine Day.
November 14 is known as Movie Day.
December 14 is known as Hug Day.I can't deny that Korea seems to have quite a lot of celebrations (for capitalistic reasons, I believe) but hey, maybe it's not such a bad thing. At least this way, everyone can have a reason to be extra happy and spend time with their loved ones especially on the 14th of every month. :-)

Have a good morning, and happy White Day to all!

Times Square in Seoul: Woww

traveling_raccoon — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 03:34:00 GMT

The other day I went to biggest mall in Seoul today (according to both my husband and the Korean Tourism's official site), the Times Square. As soon as we got there my heart started beating like crazy because hey, this is the first time in a long long time since I've seen a mall that actually resembled a "big mall" like the ones that are in the Philippines in and in Malaysia.

Sadly though, aarrr I forgot to put the memory card back in the camera. Arrr! Imagine that. So later on we decided to buy a new memory card. After buying though we found out that we had forgotten to charge. ARRR again! And I was therefore unable to post pictures.

So we were walking through the mall's gigantic hallways (and amazed at the numerous shops and dining establishments inside, it's way bigger than COEX, another incredibly famous mall in Seoul) and Youngbae would once in a while be surprised at my disappearance and suddenly find me reappearing inside a shop, like a little girl ogling at the product's sitting prettily on the shelves. Arr! Felt so much like home.

Next thing I knew, Youngbae was getting hungry. We bought some drinks (and some gifts for my students) in E-Mart (which is also huge, compared to some of the other E-marts I've seen, and it looks spanking new!) and also bought bread in Mix & Bake, which was also delicious. The shop is right outside Basement 1's E-mart establishment, so it's hard to miss.

We headed for the cinema and found ourselves awed by this particular cinema called "Starium". (Youngbae's theory was that this word is the combination of the words Star and Stadium. I had no other guess so I think I'll have to accept his.) This Starium claims to have the world's biggest screen, and maybe it is true, after sitting barely 15 seats away from it during the screening. But in my opinion, a big screen isn't a very good idea if the crowd is sitting not too far away from it. It's best, I believe, if they made the cinema itself much bigger as well so that people will have more options to sit far away from the screen and enjoy the movie better. But of course, all's done, and I doubt that any expansion will be considered anytime soon.

So, for anyone who's looking to visit a mall in Korea, I highly recommend visiting Times Square. If you're just looking for somewhere to stroll or watch a movie, shop for clothes (they have a small market in the subway for those on a budget) or even just have dinner with a loved one, this mall's got it all. It even has an excellent view of the stars because of its glass ceilings.

Have fun! :-)

Teaching in Korea VS Teaching in China

traveling_raccoon — Fri, 5 Feb 2010 23:29:00 GMT

I'm a Malaysian who grew up in the Philippines. I'm more Filipino than Malaysian, thanks to the fact that I've spent more than three-fourths of my life there, since my dad's a Filipino-Chinese. This mixed heritage is something I'm very proud of, and I hate it whenever anyone tried to take it away from me.

So you can't imagine how happy I was when a company in Beijing (EasyEnglish, thank you Mr. Wilson) selected me to join their pool of teachers in 2008. They knew about my background and that I wasn't a native English speaker, and yet still they gave me a chance. They never reminded me of how big a risk they were taking by accepting me, and they never attempted even once to pound into my head how my lineage had a big negative effect on the students' families. All they did, really, was help me improve. I'm still very grateful for that to this day.

I just recently got married, and am now working in Korea. The strange thing is that here in Korea, compared to the Chinese the people here aren't as open-minded. It seems that you have to be either an American or a Canadian to be considered a "real English teacher" (Korean-Americans are sometimes categorized under "Americans"). That's what my company has been telling me for at least two-three days a week: how my lineage is compromising their company, how big a risk accepting me was and how important every little thing I do is. In other words, how unworthy I am of my current teaching position, and yet they accepted me because they felt like giving me a chance.

I feel like quitting. I really do. It's not only not motivating, but the payment that I was told about in the beginning doesn't match the payment that they gave me at the end of the month. No wonder they kept on telling me and my husband that since I'm not really a "native speaker," therefore my salary was lowered to...well, much lower than it was originally.

If there's one thing I've learned, it's that teaching here in Korea is a bit more stressful than teaching in China. In China, people are aware that there are actually people other than Americans and Canadians who can speak AND teach English. Here, on the other hand, it's either you're an American or you're a Canadian. If you're a Korean-American/Canadian, then sure, why not. But if you're anything other than the above-mentioned, then don't expect a red carpet when you get to work.

Learning Korea: Korean Gyms vis-a-vis Fitness First, my Philippine Gym

traveling_raccoon — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 17:00:00 GMT

The gym that the family I married into goes to is ten minutes away from my house. As soon as we left my house, my brother-in-law asked me which pair of shoes I planned to wear to the gym. When I answered him by pointing at my answer, he said, "don't wear that now. Wear another pair of shoes, because you can't wear those shoes inside the gym if you use them now."

It's the same logic, I guess, with how Koreans do not enter their homes with the shoes they just wore outside the house. Koreans use a different pair of slippers when they're inside the house, use a different pair of shoes when they're outside, and also wear a different pair whenever they go to the house toilet. It's different from how we do it in my country, the Philippines. I tried to complain, saying, "then why are you wearing sneakers now? What will you be wearing later?"

My brother-in-law, whom I call "Ajubanim," (a more respectful way of calling your elder brother), laughed at my question, answering, "because they don't care about it. But you're new, so they might pay a bit more attention to you and reprimand you or something."

The gym that I went to back in the Philippines, Fitness First, is quite different from the gym that I'm attending now. The one that I'm attending now lacks color and vibrancy, both on the inside and on the outside. This being Korea, I expected something better than one of Philippines' finest gyms, Fitness First. Instead, I was welcomed by a place that was just your average gym---a building with exercise equipment inside. I'm not complaining, but I am quite surprised.

I entered the ladies' Locker Room and my eyelids just flew up at the sight of naked women walking inside the huge room. For those who have tried using the gym in the Philippines, women usually still have their underwear on whenever they're in the locker room to change. It was the opposite in that case, and it surprised me greatly and... I wouldn't be surprised if I was the only person who changed in the cubicle.

I left the locker room and headed to the weightlifting area with Ajubanim. We started doing some weights and, later on, I missed some of the equipment that Fitness First has. I'm not good at describing equipment, so I won't. But this new gym is definitely no match for our our Fitness First. Sometimes, there's just no place better than home.

Gallery: Going Around Beijing

traveling_raccoon — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 21:23:00 GMT

I forgot that I haven't been to some historic places, so I decided to go

Gallery: After Yinhe...

traveling_raccoon — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 21:04:00 GMT

You could only imagine what happened to me and my friend next...

Gallery: Goodbye, Yinhe

traveling_raccoon — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 20:40:00 GMT

My last day at Yinhe Zhongxue

Gallery: The Legendary

traveling_raccoon — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 19:33:00 GMT

There are some experiences that you will never forget. This is one of mine. Thank you so much, China!

China's Most Wanted: A Western Face

traveling_raccoon — Mon, 3 Dec 2007 18:27:00 GMT

Job hunting in Beijing is not as easy as people think it is.

Many Filipino parents are sending their kids to China believing that landing English-speaking jobs here are easy, especially with the unbelievable demand for English-speakers soaring through the roof. It's true, actually. There's at least one new teach english ad every day on all the teaching job sites I've been looking at, sometimes reaching up to fifty a day. With the Olympics coming up, so many people are trying to learn English faster than they can finish their dinners.

So while the rest of the world is rushing to learn probably the Language of the Year, the whole of China is rushing to learn the language of the West---English.

Take note of that: language of the West. To deny that English came from the West is not only foolish, it's downright stupid. Yes, English came from the West---the blonds, the red-heads, the sharp-nosed fellas from the other side of the world. So why should Asians be surprised at how hard job-hunting in China is becoming for them?

I read an one-paragraphed ad recently that began by saying, No Experience Required. And the next few lines basically said: If you're not Western, don't even think of applying.

I told a Chinese teacher of mine that I was thinking of job-hunting as well. He looked at me and told me that I'd most likely have a hard time doing that. I asked him why, and he told me (as nonchalantly as he possibly could, rar) that it was because I was Asian. Today he announced Break Time earlier than he usually did, went up to me and suddenly said, "Can I speak to you in English?"

I was stunned out of my wits. Uh, fire away!

Then there he was, just...talking to me in English. But what surprised me was that he wasn't just good...he was GOOD! His vocabulary was excellent, his diction was...yes, Chinese, but really good (he's my Chinese prof; it feels like when I discovered that my Filipino friend could speak Japanese really well) plus... what he said afterwards was...influential.

He told me that he and his brother also owned a company similar to what we had been talking about earlier... and why finding a job might not be as easy as I might think it to be. Yes, I don't have a TESOL, but that's not just quite it.

According to him, English teaching nowadays is so big in China that so much is also expected from the industry---for one, parents expect their kids to actually learn how to speak the language. They expect the English teacher to be someone who's credible enough to teach, someone they can be assured of to take care of their kids.

Who better to do that than the Westerners?

I was really disheartened at first, but later on I got over it. He said a lot of things afterwards, but that's basically his point---and it's not really a big wonder as to why the Chinese would think this way. When I get in front of a Westerner, I also get tongue-tied.

For the other Pinoys out there who are also planning to look for a job here in China, GO FOR IT. Try...there's no harm in trying. But I'd like to warn you in advance though: as my friend says, teaching is also a form of acting. Except in China, you don't just act out the part; you also have to look the part. It's not only hard...it might even turn out miserably frustrating for many.

To the rest of the Western world out there, not every "Western" is qualified for every teaching job. Some companies, for example, prefer Americans over Australians; some prefer Canadians over Englishmen, for example. It depends. Just because you're blond doesn't mean you're practically in. And, like I said, teaching is also a form of acting. If you've never taught in your life but would like to start a career in China, then you'd better prepare for your first performance soon.

Olympic Fever?

traveling_raccoon — Sun, 2 Dec 2007 15:55:00 GMT

The Olympics is coming up. Everyone's either bought a ticket (if you haven't, then good luck finding one) or is just planning to watch it on TV...or that's what I thought.

Contrary to popular belief, not everyone in Beijing is excited for the upcoming Olympics. This is the situation right now (still more than 8 months away from next year's star attraction) in Beijing: every bus ride is like another new sandwiched experienced, every walking-to-the-subway moment is yet another Stop-Pushing-Meeeeeeeeeee!!!! experience, and every subway ride is yet another stared-at moment from the locals (ooh...foreigner.).

Don't get me wrong. I like Beijing...lemme rephrase that. I LOVE Beijing. Have you gone to see their Kung Fu show, the Yi He Yuan, and do not forget have you ever tasted their Peking Duck? I LOVE Beijing! But when you get a wee bit more Beijing than you'd like to have...it can become uneasy.

So I asked my companions recently, what do you think about it?

I want to see the Olympics---I really do. In a country where I can barely understand a thing, the Olympics is one place I know where everyone in the arena will be able to understand the language of the foreigner next time, of the foreigner in front of him, and of the foreigners battling it out on the field---the cheer of hope, the cheer of victory, cheers that need no words, no mother language. But just imagining the traffic and the stress beforehand is not only disheartening... it's also stressful.

So if I do get a free ticket to the Olympics (doesn't everyone just wish that?), I'll be sure to already be in line at least a day before the big event. Dang.

Go Philippines!!!! MABUHAY!!! MANALO KAYO!!! TAYO ANG DA BEST!!!

Forget the words. It's all about the exclamation marks.

The Hunt for the Foreign Girlfriend

traveling_raccoon — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 19:35:00 GMT

I know it's not called racism. But right now I'm not sure what it ought to be called.

I went out with a Chinese boy today (friendly outing, mind you) just to chit-chat and just to learn a bit more about China. So... surprise, surprise. I learned something else.

Nowadays, it seems that a lot of Chinese boys are on the look out for potential girlfriends---who are not Chinese.

A Korean friend of mine recently had such an encounter. She was at a cafe one day, talking to a Chinese friend, when a guy happened to approach their table and sit beside my friend. My friend was surprised at first, then later on weirded out. But the guy was so friendly that my friend just let him be. So he stayed with my friend and her other friend until my friend finally said, "I have to go somewhere."

So the Chinese boy looks at her with his most puppy dog-like look and asks her for her phone number. My friend is flattered; she gives it without really thinking twice, not really believing that he'd really call her back. But he does---and their second meeting was anything but flattering.

I met this Chinese boy about a month ago at a Church. The first thing he asked me was my nationality; the second was if I could be his girlfriend. I laughed, of course thinking it was a joke. Soon he began sending love poems via text that was not only freaky, but almost frightening. So I told him the same thing I had said the first time we met: I have someone else.

Did that stop him? No. But he helped me in something big recently, so I decided to finally agree to meet up with him earlier today, just to show my appreciation. And I won't deny that the experience was... interesting. But mostly because I learned why some of the local boys are working double time to get a "foreigner girlfriend," as Blue (our codename for that particular Chinese boy) often says.

According to him, the Chinese community is getting so entranced with the foreign community that some of the girls he knows are trying a bit too hard to be a wee bit too 特别, or "special" in English. Many are unknowingly "adopting" foreign practices, hoping to be a bit more like them. So nowadays, Chinese boys are opting for the girls who are more natural, the girls who are proud of their race: the "foreigners."

The story came as a surprise to me because I've always loved China the way it was, is, hopefully will always be.

I've a good Chinese friend, and her name is Bu Ren Ta. She's the first Chinese friend I had here in China, and I'm really proud of that. She hails from the great place called Inner Mongolia, and she's one of the people who's made me think that the locals are so easy to get along with. She is so honest and down-to-earth that the Chinese boy's words seemed like a far-fetched tale.

I've still no idea as to how true my companion's theory is, but hey, for the other Beijingers out there, take a look around. The "West is Superior" logic has always existed amongst Asians, with the sight of blond hair entrancing many non-Westerners. But I hope it doesn't entrance the locals so much that they might forget that their race is one hell of a race that's also worth being proud of.

Gallery: 798

traveling_raccoon — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 13:55:00 GMT

Love China? Love Arts? Then THIS is seriously the PLACE TO BE.

The Ghost of Midnight Phonecalls

traveling_raccoon — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 01:37:00 GMT

It was almost 1 AM when I woke up.

Save for the faint light to the far left of the room, everything else was dark. It should be---it's 1 AM, after all.

But while the rest of the world sleeps on and dreams of a better tomorrow, my roommate's voice fills our room, her voice even stronger than the light being emitted. She talks on as if she wasn't like the rest of us, all of whom would be having their classes seven hours later.

Minutes later, I sat up.

Whether or not I might have looked like a zombie then, no one would have noticed anyway. My roommate's back was turned to me, and flicking on my own lamp, slipping into my slippers, grabbing my cup then walking out of the room didn't seem to make her wonder what was up with me. The room was getting too cold for comfort; I needed some hot water.

The windows were all closed, and yet for some reason the cold, bitter wind still swam through the hallways like an fierce sea snake, and the initial contact immediately sent a shiver through me, the below 0 degrees celsius temperature making the hairs on my arms stand on its ends. I touched my lips; broken, blistered and parched.

I reached the hot water station and slowly began to fill my cup. I needed to drink some tonight, the way I've been needing water my whole life. But no one just gets up in the middle of the night just to go get some hot water---especially in winter.

Save for my cup of hot water, everything around me felt bitter cold. I wrapped my palms around my glass of water and began my trip back to my room, still thinking about my roommate and her boyfriend(a relationship I had just recently discovered; I had initially thought they were just like those almost-couples-but-not-so, people with "mutual understandings." Guess not.). Envious? I wasn't, not at all. Happy for them? Of course I was. The heck; what was my problem? Why was I thinking of something that was not even my business?

I took a sip from my drink, and opened the door.

The room was still dark, but my roommate's voice still filled the airwaves like a song playing on Volume 3. My roommate's voice is like those Mandy Moore songs, you see: both melodious and child-like, so free and so full of hope.

I closed the door and returned to my bed. The walk had made me more awake than I had been; I was now on the border of Wake and Sleep.

I had reached a point wherein I had to make a decision. To stay awake and to do...something, or to go to sleep and join the band of dreamers who would be waking up less than six hours later?

My roommate giggles, and tells her boyfriend about her day.

I close my eyes, switch on the computer, and log on.

The cold was getting to me, and listening to my roommate chat away with her special someone wasn't making me any warmer.

"Internet connected."

Sip.

I wondered if my own old friend was online then.

My roommate giggles again.

Nothing beats hot water on a cold night.