Blue Monk

I know I'm overdue for a post, sorry. But the last one was a little early so we're even okay? Or I guess I could just start posting more often. That's probably the right answer, but I don't know that that's gonna happen. I'm too much a perfectionist to just type up a little something and be posting willy nilly all across the interwebs. I need to work my thoughts over a few times before I'm ready to go public. A process, unfortunately, unavailable during speech and undoubtedly the mainspring behind my aimless rambling and inability to transform my thoughts into words (to my satisfaction, that is).

Anyway its been a productive week, or however long it's been. When I first began to think of the content for this blog post I was in a bad way. My classes were not going well and I was quickly nearing the hair-pulling-out stages of exasperation. The class in question was Tourism English and the problem was that it had no direction. My only guidance for this class was the name, I was completely on my own to decide what that meant and where this class should go. Some of the feedback I received on the first few weeks of class?

"Let's not do [activity] anymore, it's a waste of time."

And,

"I get the impression you never have anything prepared for class."

How about,

"Why don't you teach us something practical?"

So I was feeling real confident in my chosen profession. (<-- Sarcasm.) So on my days off I completely retooled and came up with a whole different format. Much more "traditional" and "structured," i.e. Middle School. The first couple classes went better, but I've still got a few to go. And, too, it will take some time for the kids to figure out this is the new style and not just an abberation. But all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so...

I went into the city this past weekend with some of my fellow expats. Before we get into that though I'd first like to revisit the "blue" theme (that's probably so convoluted it exists only in my head, but nevertheless). Wuhan is a huge city made of three large cities, like the burroughs of NYC, the example I've been using to explain to you Americans. Wuchang (woo-chong) is the Manhattan of Wuhan. It lies on the east side of the Yangtze River (which flows from SW to NE through Wuhan). Hankou (hahn-koe), west of the Yangtze and north of the Hanjiang, a west flowing tributary of the Yangtze, is Brooklyn (or whatever is the second coolest of New York's burroughs, I don't know. I don't know New York). Lastly, Hanyang (hahn-yong) is Staten Island. That's where I live. I live in the suburbs! I did not come all the way to China to live in the suburbs! I lived in the suburbs in Texas! Oh, by the way, Hanyang is on the west bank of the Yangtze south of the Hanjiang. Back to my rant. I am a little upset about this. In fact I think it's my only real complaint. I mean classes are difficult, but that will get better. Suburbs will not become city unless I stay for a long time. A really long time. But anyway I went into Hankou this past Friday and it was pretty awesome. We walked down Walking Street, a shopping/entertainment district modeled after the much more famous Walking Street in Shanghai. And then we went to the park along the riverbank and sent a lantern into the sky.

Basically a paper balloon with a flammable cube of some waxy substance in the bottom and the whole thing works like a hot air balloon. I gather there's some romantic connotation to the whole process, but its also popular among young children and tourists. That's fellow teachers Dennis and Daniel with the lantern. So anyway I had a great time in downtown Hankou. I will be going back frequently. Or as frequently as I can muster. Wuchang is even better but I've only been there once and that was early on in my being in China so I didn't even fully appreciate it. Here are a couple more pictures from the riverside park. This is looking across the Yangtze at Wuchang. The pictures will improve as I better learn the intricacies of my camera. I didn't want to use the flash because I was trying to get the lights and their reflection in the river, but they came out a little dark.