Mandarinwhitegirl's Blog

Umbrellas Everywhere

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Congratulations to the newly weds, Mr and Mrs. Kweder! Hope your having a relaxing and love filled honeymoon!

I am on a holiday break for about 1 week. It is the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. Also, the moon festival falls during this break. Everyone here walks the streets with fancy bags that have fancy boxes filled with moon cakes (dense fruit filled cakes). Andrea and I have been splitting a different moon cake for the past 3 nights, tasting all the flavors.

For the holiday Andrea and I will go to Huang Shan, which literally translates to Yellow Mountain. It is supposed to be the second most beautiful mountain in China. We will spend a day hiking up the mountain and on the way down stop at the hot springs. I ventured to the bus station to get the tickets, which is next to the railway station, adjacent to the metro station, in the rain. Most people got out of work early and headed right to the bus stations to escape from the crazy city of Shanghai for a few days. It was like nothing I had ever seen or experienced in my life. There was so much construction which caused the mass crowd of people to walk bunched together. Umbrellas were poking people, people were soaked, suitcases were dragged through piles of muddy water. Wet and overwhelmed I somehow made it up to the ticket booth (praying tickets were not yet sold out). I had my friend send me a text in Chinese so I could get the right tickets, which is the only way I could ensure to walk away with something. The whole way home I didn’t know if I even got tickets to the right place, but after checking the characters in my book, I am pretty confident that on Saturday I will arrive in Huang Shan.

My teaching schedule has been filled and consists of the following. On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday I will continue teaching my 18 wonderful, smart 4th graders. This is  more like a private after school class that the parents pay a very high price for. After the break, I will take on several general oral classes which are 35 minutes in length, once a week, and have any where from 30- 50 students in a class. I will be teaching just about all the primary grade levels. These classes aren’t as interactive and sometimes have behavior issues, but the time goes by so quickly. I will continue to work in the office on Fridays. It is just me and 2 other students along with an old New Zealand man who is kind of like our boss. At the office we design interactive classrooms and summer camp courses. It has been a lot of fun and will be great to add on my resume.

Don’t expect to hear much from me from October 3-7th as I will be away. Hopefully, I will have some pretty amazing photos for you when I get back! Until then…

September 25, 2009

What comes to your mind when you hear the term “Chinese food”? Delivery, Sundays hungover on the couch, dates in the park, cats and dogs, fried rice? Well, throw out all of those stereotypes because I am about to give you a crash course on China’s finest food!

When I open my fridge at 123 Yangping Lu, I find fresh fruits organic veggies (which they do sell, not sure of China’s regulations for organic though), yogurt, and some left over rice. It took a few tries to find brands that I like since it was difficult to decipher through the Chinese. Once I step out of my apartment, there is an endless assortment of foods.

I like to begin my Sunday mornings with a stroll around the block to the nearest pancake stand. These are no Dexter pancakes, but still pretty tasty. Rice flour with green onions and sesame seeds really help absorb that alcohol from the night before.

Small dumpling and noodle shops fill the busy streets. I can roll on in and pick out my favorite noodles and vegetables to be cooked in a spicy broth and a side of fresh dumplings that were just taken off the grill. Another choice is the noodle shop across from my apartment where the noodles are hand rolled and cooked to order.

Szechuan is a type of Chinese food. A little more on the spicy side, which I love. It is served family style. One person orders several dishes that are placed on a rotating platform in the center of the table. Many Chinese fill the table till plates are stacked on one another. It denotes a higher level of economic and social status when food is left on the plates after the meal. This shows that everyone at the table has eaten enough food. However, when I went with friends we ate everything because it was so good (I guess that shows I am a poor teacher).

Just like any big city, there is a variety of food from around the world. If I need to get out of the apartment, I can grab a sandwich and hop onto the internet at Waggas. For those days that I just need American comfort food, I like to head down to Munchies. Just as it sounds, hamburgers, hotdogs, french fries, and milk shakes delicious. Also, there is an array of sushi and Thai restaurants which are good to hit up any night of the week.

Amazingly, with all this food my pants still fit. It must be all the walking I do along the way.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Night life is Shanghai! Pretty exciting. There is an unlimited number of bars and clubs in Shanghai. I had the opportunity to check out quite a few of them this weekend. Thursday, Andrea and I went to a popular spot we kept reading about. It seemed to be most popular amongst old American business men and young Chinese girls. It is not unusual to see this combination in any bar throughout Shanghai. Saturday night I hit up what would be considered a dive bar here. Started out the evening playing a little foosball and then ended up at some crazy Chinese club. The bartenders spoke very little English, but seemed to have a clear understanding of the term vodka. I danced on the limited dance floor space to the greatest hits of 2007.

Monday nights have become the new Thursdays. I played ultimate frisbee for the 1st time. It is way more strenuous than kickball (not even comparable). We even practiced for about an hour before the game. Sprints, leg ups, and frisbee drills. My captain and co-captain were determined to improve my skills and ensure I understood the concept. My teammates were so supportive pushing me out on the field. Being out there reminded me of this time I played basketball. I was just out there to make an even number on both teams and no one actually threw the frisbee to me, even if I was wide open. I haven’t quite grasp the strategy behind the game, but will with time. After running around for 2+hours I crashed on my couch afraid I might not be able to walk for the next few days. But fortunately today I felt great.

Today was my first day of school! I had taught 4th grade. I will teach this class 2 more times this week. They were smart and spoke and read English very well. The girls were so well behaved (so typical). I had a few boys who were silly and fooling around (also typical), but they still listened fairly well. Right away they knew Florida because their classmate had just moved there with his family. Tomorrow I teach 1st grade. This will most likely be there 1st year of English. It will take a lot more energy on my part. Together with the students, we will have to create their English names. Sometimes in a class you might have John 1 and John 2. It is funny because that is how they refer to themselves in English class, instead of switching it to Johny or adding a last name.

It was a bit of a trek home today and I got to experience rush hour in the subway station. People push and shove. Everyone must fend for themselves. In the beginning I tried to be courteous by saying sorry or excuse me, but when it is down to the last second and I might miss my stop, I push and shove my way right through the crowds of Chinese people. Luckily I made it.

September 1, 2009

I got an apartment!!! It is really nice. 2 bedroom, 2 bath, hardwood and marble floors, plus a balcony, which is a great place to hang my clothes since China doesn’t have dryers. It is so nice to be unpacked and not living out of a suitcase. Every room has a window including the kitchen and bathrooms. I will have to adjust my cooking since I don’t have a grill or an oven. No more cookies, brownies, or homemade pizza. Now it is all stir fry, rice and curry.

Andrea and I spent 3 hours at Carrafour (a British store like a super Wal-Mart) yesterday getting some basics and cruising all the isles. Downstairs in the meat and seafood department you could buy anything from live bullfrog and snapping turtles to slabs of meat. The ethnic food isle (like in Publix) consisted of imported American foods. Upstairs I was able to buy some bedding, which turned out to be the wrong kind. I spent 45 minutes today trying to return it.

Getting my internet set up today took about 2 1/2 hours and the man still has to come by tomorrow to add the cable line. My real-estate agent, Forest, asked me today how people in the states get internet. I had to think about it because I have never had to deal with paying and setting up internet before. Unfortunately in China you can’t exchange internet connection for food (which I was accustomed to in Orlando)

I ate dinner tonight at this small noodle shop right around the corner from my apartment complex. It was 10RMB which is about $2.00. So cheap and delicious. I am sure I will be visiting it quite often.

I still have not been placed in my school. Monday would be the latest before I am placed. I’m beginning to get a bit anxious to start teaching again, but it has been nice to have sometime to settle in to my new home.

Saturday August 29, 2009 Happy birthday Mom & Dad! I look back now (only after 1 week) and reflect on all the simple things I took for granite. For example not having to write out your whole user name and password for websites such as Facebook or having a refrigerator, or fast uploading of pictures. It took me hours just to get 30 pictures up online.

Every morning I have been going to the convenient store right near the hotel to buy yogurt for breakfast. It is always the same women working at the register. Just yesterday, the women grabbed my hand when I was paying and said “welcome”. Then she told me my tea and yogurt was 5 Qui which she really meant to say 8 so we were both a little confused, but managed to figure it out. I am learning some basic phrases such as how to ask “how much does it cost?”, but it is not very useful since I can’t understand anything that is said back to me in Chinese. I have to have the person write the numbers down for me on paper. Thank goodness for universal numbers!

Just like any big city there is a variety of food. I was ecstatic when Monwei (Wayne’s sister) told me we were going out for Mexican food last night. Margarita’s and guacamole! Delicious!

I was able to look at apartments today. They are actually really nice and am so excited to find one and move in. Hopefully the landlord will except the offer my friend Andrea and I put down on one we liked. We’ll find out tomorrow. It is in an awesome location and is really funky.

In honor of my parent’s birthday today, I decided to get a massage. The women gave me this flower pajama set. Before she left the room, I stretched out the elastic in the bottoms and told her I didn’t think it was going to fit. Possibly, Jillian J. would have been able to fit into them. She came back with what I believe to be the mens set, but i didn’t care because it fit. It was by far the most amazing massage I have ever had. I think the day spas should stop the Swedish massages and switch to Chinese massages. The massage focused more on pressure points and stretching the muscles. It cost me 140 RMB which is equivalent to about $20 more or less. It doesn’t get much better than that.

I went into EMart (similar to a Wal-Mart) by myself tonight. The 1st time I went in this store, about a week ago, I was so overwhelmed I walked right out. Not tonight! I spent about 1 hour walking isle after isle buying some things I need for school, peanut butter, and chocolate. In the school supplies isle were the little boxes that have all the buttons and when you push a button out pops the pencil sharpener or the ruler or eraser. Do you remember those?

So Tuesday is the big day. I still don’t know my schedule or grades I will be teaching, but I should have them by Monday night. I have said goodbye to using yes or no or looking for straight answers, and adopted the term “maybe”. It is so commonly used here to answer any question. “Maybe you can do that, maybe it is just another block or two, maybe we can that for you”.

I really am loving Shanghai and wish everyone could be here to enjoy this fascinating city with me! So start saving up and get your butts over here! Enjoy you weekend. ♥

Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Yesterday’s orientation was extremely informational. I obtained the name of a local magazine that has everything going on for the week such as drink specials, wine tastings, and other fun activities around Shanghai. Best part is that it is also printed in English!

Last night was Ladies Night at I love Shanghai. The name might not have been so original, but their signature shots added quite a nice touch. It was a tough choice between the Lick My Banana and the Suck My Lollipop. I chose to go with a Crack Pipe. It was just what I needed. The bar was filled with westerners and a few Chinese. It was a nice retreat away from the are of my hotel.

I hope to go apartment hunting tomorrow or Friday. Many of the people here are cool, but I met one girl in particular who I decided to live with. She lived in a smaller city last year and taught English there. We are both ready to move out of our hotel rooms and get into an apartment downtown in a up and happening area.

I am staring to get used to being pushed on the subway and the crazy driving on the streets, but I am still shocked every time I look over and see a child using the sidewalk as his/her personal bathroom. Just on the way home from work today I saw a little boy peeing on a tree while his parents waited on their motorcycle in the street.

Everyone has been rally friendly and helpful at Pacican (my company). I am excited and ready to get back in the classroom with the little ones!

Monday, August 24th When I first arrived in Shanghai I came with a very opened mind. I knew it was going to be dirty and that I would not be staying in a 5 star hotel. The more I explore this vast city, I become more eager to get an apartment far away from the area I am currently staying in. This weekend I was able to spend a lot of time exploring the city. Saturday night I met Raj, Kara’s friend from India, downtown at the metro station. At firs,t I was concerned about being able to find him at the metro station since we planned to meet at exit 5 and it was the only exit out of all 50 exits that was closed due to construction. But with help from my new phone, we easily found each other. Raj took me to The Bund, which is an area along the river. From there I could see all the sky scrapers lit up throughout the city. Each sky scraper is unique. For example, there is one with a huge crystal point and lights up along all the sides. Then there is another that has a giant dome in the center of the building. On Sunday I went out with 2 of my new friends, Justin and Lev. We went to an area known as old town. Somewhere hidden amongst the shops and bazaars was a temple and the Yuyuan Gardens. The gardens were absolutely beautiful and enchanting. It is amazing how you can be walking the dirty streets, being pushed and harassed by vendors and then just walk into these gardens. Everything just goes silent. The ponds were full of Koi and goldfish. Rocks line the paths and lead right down to the water. I am really enjoying myself and meeting some really neat people (not as cool as you all of course). I sometimes think about where I am and feel like I am in a dream.

Watch out China, here I come. It is only hours away till I board the plane for Shanghai, China. After 3 weeks of goodbyes, lots of hugs, and many last times, the moment I have been anticipating is actually here.

It was just this week that I decided to write a blog to share this journey with my friends, family, and anyone who might be interested. Many people had been telling me to write a blog, but it was the movie Julie and Julia, which I saw by total accident, that directed me to Word Press. So here I am, get ready for an adventure!

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