It Might As Well Be Springtime

I feel like it's been awhile since my last post. Well, I've been busy. As it turns out, being a teacher is a lot of work. I may have to rethink some things. My life goals have almost always involved taking it easy, this whole hard work aspect... I dont't know about that.

Well, the weather has turned. I don't know if it's for good or just for a few days. A native Texan, I've been trained to expect no permanance from the weather. Well anyway its been in the upper 60's and yesterday up to the mid 70's. Yet everyone is still wearing jackets or even coats. On my days off I have gone with just a tshirt and I may have been the only one in the city. I went sans sports jacket yesterday but kept the sweater vest partly just to fit in with the layered populace. I should probably darn convention and go for comfort as it will soon be hot and I will yearn for days past when it was only in the 70's.

So I cleaned my kitchen. I tell you because it was reminiscent of the 12 tasks of Herakles (that's Hercules to you Romans). I don't know when this building was built but I think it's safe to say that my kitchen had never been cleaned. Not really cleaned I mean. Now as you're imagining what my kitchen could have possibly looked like keep in mind that I am, and have lived alone as, a young single male, or bachelor to use the parlance of the times. So I'm no stranger to a mess, or pigsty to use the parlance of mothers across America. That's what I did. Really cleaned. I'm talking hands and knees scrubbing the floor like a pre-fairy godmother Cinderella. I'm talking about cleaning even the surfaces that no one will ever see (perhaps the first time I've done that). And it wasn't easy. There were times when I had to run from the room screaming and hide under the covers until my nerve had returned and I was once again brave enough to go back and face the beast. Not that you could bring yourself to it psychologically, but you could, now, eat off of any surface in my kitchen.

Last week I asked a group of students if they would like to go out to dinner some night to which there response was, in effect, "Let's make dinner! At your house!" So I had a dinner party last night. And I must say it was fabulous. I may become a hostess yet.

Lastly, a special section, to a special audience, a picture of my livingroom wall.

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.

Summertime

It's a Wuhan winter wonderland!

This is a thing (sculpture?) on campus I've been meaning to take a picture of anyway.

Hanging the laundry out to dry. In the snow.

This is common in the rain too. I don't know how they ever get dry. I've been drying mine in the bathroom. You don't get that "summer breeze" natural scent, or "winter drizzle" as it were, but somehow I'm managing.

Generique

I've been hounded. "Where are the pictures? I wanna see pictures. Take some pictures. Pictures." It seems no one appreciates me for my words. Well fine. So here's a quick look at my situation in Wuhan.

Jiang Han Da Xue. From the front gate.

This is my building. I'm on the sixth floor.

The living room.

From another angle.

The kitchen.

And again.

The Gentlemen's Room/Shower.

Bedroom.

Office.

Reverse angle.

And lastly,

Between classes.

Mental Breakdown

So, I've had some classes now. Got a few under my belt. I have no idea what I'm doing. Five of my seven classes are Tourism English. What is Tourism English you ask? You've got about as much idea as I have. There's no textbook so I'm kinda making it up as I go. Or right now I am anyway, hopefully I'll get to the point where I have a few weeks planned in advance. Right now it's all about survival. If I can just get through this first week...

While I was doing my student teaching I feel I was at my best when the students were with me; questioning me, arguing with me, interacting with me. This does not happen in China. I was warned about this, but that doesn't lessen the awkwardness. Were the weather in Wuhan conducive to crickets I would undoubtedly be able to hear a chorus of them during class. And despite my begging, pleading for questions, comments, feedback, anything! I am met with polite stares and complete silence. A problem I had during my student teaching was assuming too much. Like, I assumed they knew what I was talking about when, alot of the time, they had no idea. That is definitely going to be a problem here. In America the kids rarely hesitated to speak up and say "Hey, Mr. Jerkface, what are you talking about?" (I'm kidding, nameless-Dallas-suburb Junior High School students are very well behaved in my experience.) Chinese students will not stop me and ask questions. Supposedly it has something to do with the group-centered mindset prevalent in China as opposed to the individualism to which we Americans are raised. I have a couple of literature classes in which I'll rely more on lecture than activities. Anyway, I'm afraid I assumed way too much in those classes. It's hard to understand where these kids are at academically. On the one hand they are university students so you would think they would be pretty advanced right? But on the other hand English is their second langauge. At least second, sometimes third or even fourth. Having attempted to teach myself Mandarin with cd's and Greek out of a textbook I can say with some authority that learning a new langauge is freakin' hard.

History of British & American Fiction

A couple of things about the trip over. We left Los Angeles several hours after dark. I was on a window and could see, as we left, a sea of lights abruptly giving way to black sea with white crests crashing onto the shore. Awesome. One of the coolest things I've seen from an airplane. Then, a little over an hour from Hong Kong we flew over some huge city, I haven't a clue which, but it was also lights everywhere, except of course, where you could make out the river and tributaries and canals and lakes by the absence of light. Again, beautiful.

Oh yeah, one more thing. I'm doing great. No mental breakdown. I noticed the song in the library of my musical playlist apparatus and it occured to me that titling my post as such may, just may, cause a moment of panic among some of my readers. That, to me, is hilarious. If I may quote the inimitable Bugs Bunny, "aren't I a stinker?"

Ghosts

I'm afraid I may have made a huge mistake. Shortly before leaving I caved to the peer pressure and got on Facebook. I had resisted for a long time on principle. The principle in question? I have no idea. I guess I had just decided that it was cooler to not belong to any of the social networking websites whose popularity was sweeping the nation. Well anyway I'm on now. And it is pretty cool I must say. I was perusing the Allen High Class of '99 section and that was really cool to see all these peeps that I hadn't thought about for years. All these ghosts of my memory banks flying and flittering hither and yon about my headbrain. Names long forgotten, or that I wouldnt have otherwise recognized, put in context of graduating class was like a stroll down Remembery Avenue. So thats the good--wait, also there are word games, that may be the best part. (Though I need lots of practice before I can repspectably compete.) The bad is every time I check my email there are 600 messages from Facebook. Every time someone hits the spacebar Facebook has to send me an email telling me about it. Ridiculous. And Facebook discriminates. I am a middle namer. Meaning, of course, I go by my middle name. I very much enjoy this and believe it to be the superior method. And I, of course, a superior human. It hasn't always been sunshine and lollipops though. It is most definitely a first namer's world. I remember being upset to tears, on multiple occasions, when my elementary school yearbook repeatedly identified me as J.M. You see, paperwork requires a First Name and Middle Initial. I would fill in a First Initial and Middle Name. And those heartless scoundrels at the yearbook company couldn't bend the rules for a sweet little boy?! I'm pretty sure, through my sobs, I heard evil laughter in the distance. And it wasn't my parents' either, their laughter was more mean spirited and mocking. Anyway Facebook asks for a Full Name but then it automatically identifies you by first name only. So I thought, "I know, I'll put parentheses around my first name!" But noooo Facebook won't allow it. So I tried to change it to the authorial sounding "J. Matthew Scott." Nope. Too many periods Facebook told me. There's ONE period! Get with the program Facebook, this is the aughts! I'm putting you on notice!

Some QuickHits on life in China so far...

I live in the suburbs. I'd much rather live in the city, but its all new to me so I don't know the difference like back home. (EDIT: I'm quickly learning the difference and I really want to be in the city.) Also, I live on the sixth floor. Its not fun to walk all the way up and all the way down each time I come and go. I've eaten American food for dinner three times in the first three days. Spoiled. I'm trying real hard to adjust to the time difference. Yesterday I was asleep before 9p and up at 4a. I opened a bank account today. My ATM card has a cartoon cow on it. I'm becoming relatively good with chopsticks. Or I'd like to think so. Yesterday was a good chopstick day at least.

I've been laboring over this post for a few days now feeling guilty for not having lots more about life in China. Well no more. This is all you get this time. Of course lots of stuff is going on, but its kinda like total sensory bombardment right now and so I'm struggling to put it down on paper, or, computer screen as it were. Plus I'm still green with the whole blog bit. Learning how to write and whatnot. Don't fret though, lots of good to come. Just be patient.

My Favorite Things

I've just returned from my last American hurrah. I spent a week skiing up at my brother's in CO. Wondermous. I love being on the mountain. I could have stayed indefinitely. I may have to move up there before its all said and done. To be able to get on the mountain every day... That would be the life. That's my brother's dream, to do nothing all winter but ride, and I may have come around to that dream as well. There is skiing in China. I don't know that I'll be able to check it out though. By the time I'm adjusted enough to venture outside of my apartment and classroom, the season will be over. I caught a mini story on Chinese skiing on the resort channel while in Colorado. With the burgeoning middle class in China there is growth in the recreation industry and I guess skiing is one of the new things. The mountain was pretty tame, but I bet it would be pretty fun nonetheless. Alas skiing won't be the only thing I'll miss while I'm in China. I'm sure there will be alot of things I'll miss. Some I have been warned about, mostly food; Mexican, steak, cheesecake. And as Vincent Vega told us, its the little differences that get to you most. But I don't know what those are yet so here are some of the bigger things that I anticipate missing while I'm gone.

1. Abbey, my sweet, sweet baby girl. I believe we Americans have a unique relationship to our pets. And I've been told the Chinese hold a very different attitude towards animals. Besides being totally impractical, if I can stop short of blatant racism, Abbey will be staying in America primarily for her own safety.

B. The Ticket. It seems absurd to the uninitiated, but my fellow P1's can empathize. The Ticket is a sports/guy talk radio station in Dallas. And I listen alot. Alot. I might still be able to listen a little on the internet but it'll be a fourteen hour time difference. That'll take some getting used to.

Also. My mommy. Perhaps I'm kidding myself, but I don't think I'm a mama's boy so much as I am just lazy. I mean, why fix myself something to eat when my mom will do it if I just whine and act pathetic. Shameless.

IV. Baby Sophie. My very own niece and the first of her generation on that side of the family and I'm gonna miss it. This is obviously the biggest thing, but it's also a little abstract for me at this time. What I'm told are her pictures look to me like a Rorschach Test.

The fellas (minus Roshad behind the camera)

Big ups to Brother Roshad for the pictures.