Saturday, January 16, 2010
The China Challenge
Well I've just bombarded my blog with 28 posts written during my 6 weeks in China. I couldn't post them on blogger as I wrote them because the website (along with many, many others) was blocked. So, here they all are together!
Day 28 - The China Challenge
originally written: Saturday, December 19, 2009
(The Goodbye Book)
The time has come for me to say goodbye to Kaifeng and to FINALLY say hello to Canada! I fly out of ZhongZhou tomorrow morning and after a 6 hour layover in Beijing, I’ll be on my merry way to Toronto! Merry indeed, just in time for Christmas! I received the loveliest parting gift from one of my classes yesterday, a book in which they all wrote a page just for me. It’s a lovely gift, but like most things in China, it’s filled with hilarious Chinglish. So as my final parting gift to all of you who have been diligently reading my 6-week China Challenge, here’s some of “the best of” my goodbye book:
“Hey Laura. We may not get along with each other for a long time, but…” (meaning: we didn’t get a long time together.. I hope!)
“Hoping that we can still get touched though we are in different country!”
“I still feel very lucky meeting you for predestination!”
“Wish you a beautiful forever!”
“Every class you gave us was full of happiness!!”
“I love Yoga, You love Yoga, therefore I love You”
“Nice girl like you must have a nice life”
“I hope you will become more and more beautiful.”
“May you be happy everyday”
“Laura, I hope you will marry soon!” (haha, as if this is the life goal)
“May happiness follow you everywhere… just like we do” (lol, they don’t)
“I wish your lover will love you forever”
“I have told you that I can play table tennis, but it looked like you were not interested in it (In fact, I don’t want to play with someone who has bad skills)” - hahaha ouch!
“Live a colorful life!”
These are of course the silly bits, but the book was also filled with the most heartfelt and sweet things students have ever said to me! I have loved the whole experience in China and I am sad now to leave the students and the other teachers.
I am, however, pleased to announce that I won’t be unemployed for long! I’ve been offered a job teaching in Vinh, Vietnam! It’s through the same university in Melbourne and I’ll be teaching at Vinh University. This is a new partnership so there will be 4 of us pioneering the new English program there. If all goes well, I’ll be living there for just under 5 months starting in March!
Merry Christmas Everyone and I hope to see most of you when I’m home!
The time has come for me to say goodbye to Kaifeng and to FINALLY say hello to Canada! I fly out of ZhongZhou tomorrow morning and after a 6 hour layover in Beijing, I’ll be on my merry way to Toronto! Merry indeed, just in time for Christmas! I received the loveliest parting gift from one of my classes yesterday, a book in which they all wrote a page just for me. It’s a lovely gift, but like most things in China, it’s filled with hilarious Chinglish. So as my final parting gift to all of you who have been diligently reading my 6-week China Challenge, here’s some of “the best of” my goodbye book:
“Hey Laura. We may not get along with each other for a long time, but…” (meaning: we didn’t get a long time together.. I hope!)
“Hoping that we can still get touched though we are in different country!”
“I still feel very lucky meeting you for predestination!”
“Wish you a beautiful forever!”
“Every class you gave us was full of happiness!!”
“I love Yoga, You love Yoga, therefore I love You”
“Nice girl like you must have a nice life”
“I hope you will become more and more beautiful.”
“May you be happy everyday”
“Laura, I hope you will marry soon!” (haha, as if this is the life goal)
“May happiness follow you everywhere… just like we do” (lol, they don’t)
“I wish your lover will love you forever”
“I have told you that I can play table tennis, but it looked like you were not interested in it (In fact, I don’t want to play with someone who has bad skills)” - hahaha ouch!
“Live a colorful life!”
These are of course the silly bits, but the book was also filled with the most heartfelt and sweet things students have ever said to me! I have loved the whole experience in China and I am sad now to leave the students and the other teachers.
I am, however, pleased to announce that I won’t be unemployed for long! I’ve been offered a job teaching in Vinh, Vietnam! It’s through the same university in Melbourne and I’ll be teaching at Vinh University. This is a new partnership so there will be 4 of us pioneering the new English program there. If all goes well, I’ll be living there for just under 5 months starting in March!
Merry Christmas Everyone and I hope to see most of you when I’m home!
Day 27 - The China Challenge
originally written: Thursday, December 17, 2009
(Toilet Situation)
Today’s update is not for the faint of heart. Today I’m going to describe the university campus toilet situation. I’ve consulted with my students and they’ve assured me that this is the situation campus-wide (dorms included). Here we go.
Six weeks ago, I visited a campus toilet for the first time. I walked confidently, prepared with tissue (never provided in China) and knowing full well that it would be a squatter. I had no idea what I was in for. After entering the loo, I took a look around, froze and then bolted back to the classroom. I just stood and stared at Donna (my co-teacher at the time), not knowing how to express the horror I felt. “You’ve just seen the toilets then?” she asked with a big smile.
It’s very hard to describe in words (since you simply can’t imagine something like this even existing) so I’ve provided some photos in this email as points of reference, proof and a future “look what I did” bragging right. The campus ‘toilets’ consist of a trough that runs below 4 separated stalls. On one end of the trough, water is flushed every 20 minutes or so and on the other end, there is hole where waste exits during this flushing process. Each ‘stall’ is completely open, allowing for no privacy (door, curtain, anything). When you stand up in this stall, you can see over the separating wall, into the stall beside you. In order to do your business, you must squat over the trough (which is only flushed every so often, but sees a lot of traffic).
I feel sick even explaining it. However, when you teach four hours every morning and drink lots of tea to wake up, visiting the loo is inevitable. I’ve gotten quite accustomed to it, though I try my best to go while my class is doing seat work and I avoid break time. Why? Well, let’s just say you’ve never been completed humiliated until you’ve had a conversation with your students while using an open-squat-trough-toilet.
(Toilet Situation)
Today’s update is not for the faint of heart. Today I’m going to describe the university campus toilet situation. I’ve consulted with my students and they’ve assured me that this is the situation campus-wide (dorms included). Here we go.
Six weeks ago, I visited a campus toilet for the first time. I walked confidently, prepared with tissue (never provided in China) and knowing full well that it would be a squatter. I had no idea what I was in for. After entering the loo, I took a look around, froze and then bolted back to the classroom. I just stood and stared at Donna (my co-teacher at the time), not knowing how to express the horror I felt. “You’ve just seen the toilets then?” she asked with a big smile.
It’s very hard to describe in words (since you simply can’t imagine something like this even existing) so I’ve provided some photos in this email as points of reference, proof and a future “look what I did” bragging right. The campus ‘toilets’ consist of a trough that runs below 4 separated stalls. On one end of the trough, water is flushed every 20 minutes or so and on the other end, there is hole where waste exits during this flushing process. Each ‘stall’ is completely open, allowing for no privacy (door, curtain, anything). When you stand up in this stall, you can see over the separating wall, into the stall beside you. In order to do your business, you must squat over the trough (which is only flushed every so often, but sees a lot of traffic).
I feel sick even explaining it. However, when you teach four hours every morning and drink lots of tea to wake up, visiting the loo is inevitable. I’ve gotten quite accustomed to it, though I try my best to go while my class is doing seat work and I avoid break time. Why? Well, let’s just say you’ve never been completed humiliated until you’ve had a conversation with your students while using an open-squat-trough-toilet.
Day 26 - The China Challenge
originally written: Wednesday, December 16, 2009
(Laura the Canadian?)
With only 4 days to go until my Toronto touch-down, I’m beginning to ponder exactly how much I’ve changed since I left Canada in September 2008. Having spent so much time in China and Taiwan, I know for a fact that I’m finally as thrifty as my father always hoped I’d be. After all, isn’t $2 what you’d expect to pay for a haircut? I haven’t necessarily ‘become Chinese’ but I can certainly tolerate a whole lot more than I used to. China in summary means noise, dirt and inefficiency and you’ve got to build up immunity to last here.
So far, I’ve only spent 3 months in Australia, but I’m dating an Australian and I live and work in China with all Aussie teachers. It’s frightening when I stop and think about how Aussie I’m becoming. Phrases like, “I reckon’,” “sweet as” and “doing the washing” now come as naturally to me as saying “eh” at the end of a sentence. Parts of my job require me to teach my students about Melbourne (life, culture, costs, etc…) and I think to myself… could I even teach about Toronto? I don’t reckon’ I remember enough!
To really drive the point home, I share an office with a woman named June who is very alert to different accents and pronunciation. She reckons that I’ve got an accidental Australian twang going on in most of my vowels and heaps of specific words. I’ve even learned the legendary Aussie bush-ballad and ‘unofficial national anthem:’ Waltzing Matilda, and I’m singing it in front of a whole theatre full of Chinese municipal government and university administration tomorrow night. Where’s Canadian Laura gone?! Does the fact that I’m madly craving Tim Hortons make all of this okay?
Collus - dressed as a girl for his drama presentation
(Laura the Canadian?)
With only 4 days to go until my Toronto touch-down, I’m beginning to ponder exactly how much I’ve changed since I left Canada in September 2008. Having spent so much time in China and Taiwan, I know for a fact that I’m finally as thrifty as my father always hoped I’d be. After all, isn’t $2 what you’d expect to pay for a haircut? I haven’t necessarily ‘become Chinese’ but I can certainly tolerate a whole lot more than I used to. China in summary means noise, dirt and inefficiency and you’ve got to build up immunity to last here.
So far, I’ve only spent 3 months in Australia, but I’m dating an Australian and I live and work in China with all Aussie teachers. It’s frightening when I stop and think about how Aussie I’m becoming. Phrases like, “I reckon’,” “sweet as” and “doing the washing” now come as naturally to me as saying “eh” at the end of a sentence. Parts of my job require me to teach my students about Melbourne (life, culture, costs, etc…) and I think to myself… could I even teach about Toronto? I don’t reckon’ I remember enough!
To really drive the point home, I share an office with a woman named June who is very alert to different accents and pronunciation. She reckons that I’ve got an accidental Australian twang going on in most of my vowels and heaps of specific words. I’ve even learned the legendary Aussie bush-ballad and ‘unofficial national anthem:’ Waltzing Matilda, and I’m singing it in front of a whole theatre full of Chinese municipal government and university administration tomorrow night. Where’s Canadian Laura gone?! Does the fact that I’m madly craving Tim Hortons make all of this okay?
Collus - dressed as a girl for his drama presentation
Day 25 - The China Challenge
originally written: Monday, December 14, 2009
(Westerners are…)
Today I wrote, ‘Westerners are…’ on the blackboard. I turned to the class and said, “fat? Selfish? Lazy?” They all gave me puzzled looks. I explained, “these are some of the stereotypes of Western people that I’ve heard while living in China. What do you think we are like? What do your parents think?” I asked them to finish the sentence and reassured them that I wouldn’t be offended.
After everyone was finished writing, they stood up one by one and read their stereotypes to the class. Here are some:
“Westerners are rich, they get to travel all around the world”
“Westerners are very independent but are also very selfish”
“Westerners are all tall and strong”
“Westerners eat sandwiches all the time”
“Westerners don’t care about their families as much as Chinese people do”
“Westerners are energetic and enthusiastic”
“Westerners tell 100% of the truth, Chinese people only tell 70%”
I didn’t want to start any debates (they take an English debating class next year) so I just asked them to explain some of their stereotypes a little further. Here’s some of what I got:
Independent, but selfish - we live our own lives, but in the process we forget about people around us: family and friends
Tall & Strong - why? Because we drink more milk. Haha
Eat a lot of sandwiches - they couldn’t explain this one
Don’t care about our families - because we don’t live with our grandparents and we pay people to take care of our children… we also leave our families and move to far away places when we finish school - ahem… personal attack?…
Energetic & Enthusiastic - mostly just because of the way I teach
Take what you will out of this. It’s so interesting to compare the East and West; the teachers here are always doing so with each other. Some of the stereotypes are funny, others are quite serious and could spark up a really great debate. Still, others are untouchables and its best to just leave them be.
Today I wrote, ‘Westerners are…’ on the blackboard. I turned to the class and said, “fat? Selfish? Lazy?” They all gave me puzzled looks. I explained, “these are some of the stereotypes of Western people that I’ve heard while living in China. What do you think we are like? What do your parents think?” I asked them to finish the sentence and reassured them that I wouldn’t be offended.
After everyone was finished writing, they stood up one by one and read their stereotypes to the class. Here are some:
“Westerners are rich, they get to travel all around the world”
“Westerners are very independent but are also very selfish”
“Westerners are all tall and strong”
“Westerners eat sandwiches all the time”
“Westerners don’t care about their families as much as Chinese people do”
“Westerners are energetic and enthusiastic”
“Westerners tell 100% of the truth, Chinese people only tell 70%”
I didn’t want to start any debates (they take an English debating class next year) so I just asked them to explain some of their stereotypes a little further. Here’s some of what I got:
Independent, but selfish - we live our own lives, but in the process we forget about people around us: family and friends
Tall & Strong - why? Because we drink more milk. Haha
Eat a lot of sandwiches - they couldn’t explain this one
Don’t care about our families - because we don’t live with our grandparents and we pay people to take care of our children… we also leave our families and move to far away places when we finish school - ahem… personal attack?…
Energetic & Enthusiastic - mostly just because of the way I teach
Take what you will out of this. It’s so interesting to compare the East and West; the teachers here are always doing so with each other. Some of the stereotypes are funny, others are quite serious and could spark up a really great debate. Still, others are untouchables and its best to just leave them be.
Day 24 - The China Challenge
originally written: Saturday, December 12, 2009
(Big Day Out, Part 2)
Continued…
As KTV was coming to an end and I was gearing up to go home to my quiet hotel room, one student turned to me and said, “so, are you ready for hot pot?!”
HOT POT? NO! I don’t want to have dinner with all of you now! It’s already been 5 hours of torturous singing!!
But, of course I couldn’t say this. As the polite guest of honor, I swallowed my annoyance and as I was led to the next destination, I couldn’t help thinking… There better be beer.
3 hours and lots of beer later, I was in a much better mood. The students had ordered an awful lot of food and we had a great time cooking it in the hot pot and sharing stories. A couple students in particular, the class clowns, had drank a little (or a lot) more than the rest and were hilarious. Eric kept coming over and cheers-ing me:
Eric - Dear Teacher, we love you!
Laura - Oh, that’s very nice Eric, Cheers!
Eric - To “Happy Forever!”
Laura, Everyone - Happy Forever!
This was what we cheers-ed to all night, Happy Forever! I think it’s a direct translation from what they say in Chinese when making toasts. Eric also got a little overly excited when talking to his best friend, Collus (I know… horrid name, I tried to talk him into choosing a better one - no dice).
Eric - Collus, dear Collus. No matter where you go, I’ll stay with you. My spring and you’re my winter in my eyes. I love you, baby!
Other students - laughing uncontrollably
Collus - calls after Eric, I like girls!
It’s pretty funny on video, I think Eric was trying to use the lyrics to some English love song, but was obviously unsuccessful.
The dinner came to a close and my students were headed to the night market. I put my foot down and told them it was time for me to go home. It’s so exhausting spending time with the students, it was like teaching for a whole 8 hours, straining to understand their less-than-perfect English. All in all, it was a big day and while I learned a whole lot more about my students, I learned a valuable lesson: In China, if you’re the guest of honor, make sure it’s a night-time event so that it won’t drag on for hours and hours!
(Big Day Out, Part 2)
Continued…
As KTV was coming to an end and I was gearing up to go home to my quiet hotel room, one student turned to me and said, “so, are you ready for hot pot?!”
HOT POT? NO! I don’t want to have dinner with all of you now! It’s already been 5 hours of torturous singing!!
But, of course I couldn’t say this. As the polite guest of honor, I swallowed my annoyance and as I was led to the next destination, I couldn’t help thinking… There better be beer.
3 hours and lots of beer later, I was in a much better mood. The students had ordered an awful lot of food and we had a great time cooking it in the hot pot and sharing stories. A couple students in particular, the class clowns, had drank a little (or a lot) more than the rest and were hilarious. Eric kept coming over and cheers-ing me:
Eric - Dear Teacher, we love you!
Laura - Oh, that’s very nice Eric, Cheers!
Eric - To “Happy Forever!”
Laura, Everyone - Happy Forever!
This was what we cheers-ed to all night, Happy Forever! I think it’s a direct translation from what they say in Chinese when making toasts. Eric also got a little overly excited when talking to his best friend, Collus (I know… horrid name, I tried to talk him into choosing a better one - no dice).
Eric - Collus, dear Collus. No matter where you go, I’ll stay with you. My spring and you’re my winter in my eyes. I love you, baby!
Other students - laughing uncontrollably
Collus - calls after Eric, I like girls!
It’s pretty funny on video, I think Eric was trying to use the lyrics to some English love song, but was obviously unsuccessful.
The dinner came to a close and my students were headed to the night market. I put my foot down and told them it was time for me to go home. It’s so exhausting spending time with the students, it was like teaching for a whole 8 hours, straining to understand their less-than-perfect English. All in all, it was a big day and while I learned a whole lot more about my students, I learned a valuable lesson: In China, if you’re the guest of honor, make sure it’s a night-time event so that it won’t drag on for hours and hours!
Day 23 - The China Challenge
originally written: Thursday, December 10, 2009
(Big Day Out, Part 1)
I’ve been busy marking 70 essays for the past few days, so I haven’t done an update in nearly a week. But, I’m happy to say that I’m finished marking and the students have done incredibly well! I’d like to take credit for that… While I could go on and on about school, I’m going to talk about something more interesting today: KTV (Karaoke Television). KTV is a huge phenomenon in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan. At bigger establishments, you enter through the lobby of a karaoke ‘hotel,’ so to speak. I say hotel because once you’ve received your room number, you literally ride the elevator to floor where your private karaoke room is located. Depending on the size of your party, your room will comfortably seat anywhere between 4 and 50 people and is equip with at least 1 plasma TV, 2 microphones, a computer screen on which to make music selections and sometimes even your own bathroom. All rooms have room service, some will have buffets located on the floor and sometimes you can even control the lighting effects in the room (strobe, flashing, etc…)
The idea is that you line up song selections and as each comes on you pass the microphones to whoever wants to sing. As the music video plays on the screen, the words to the song appear at the bottom. KTV was one of my favourite things to do in Taiwan and now I’ve experienced it in China too. It can be a great time, but it also has the potential to be a very painful night out. In every crowd you usually end up with one or two people who think they can carry a tune and hog the mic all night while everyone else politely listens (with Kleenex stuffed in their ears).
Last Saturday, one of my classes took me out to KTV. I couldn’t believe the turn-out, 30 out of 35 of them showed up! We got to our room at about 1pm (they got the afternoon time slot because it’s much cheaper). Luckily, the English song selection was alright but every time one came on, the microphone was shoved my way. Two hours and a hoarse voice later the excitement started wearing down and I became tired of sitting and listening to tone-deaf students sing random Chinese pop-love-ballads. I looked around and saw many students using their mobile phones; I found myself wishing that I had brought mine to send a “get me outta here” text to my friend. I turned to the girl in charge and nonchalantly asked, “when do we have the room until?” She answered, “until 6pm.” - oh save me.
After another torturous 3 hours (filled with more Backstreet Boys than I care to say), our time in the room had come to an end. I would have made an exit earlier, but being the guest of honor, that would have been very rude of me to do in China. Some girls were even sleeping in corners of the couches by then, I so wished that I was. Excited to go home and sit down with a cup of cha (tea) and start my marking, I soon learned that that was not going to be the end of my night.
To Be Continued.
(Big Day Out, Part 1)
I’ve been busy marking 70 essays for the past few days, so I haven’t done an update in nearly a week. But, I’m happy to say that I’m finished marking and the students have done incredibly well! I’d like to take credit for that… While I could go on and on about school, I’m going to talk about something more interesting today: KTV (Karaoke Television). KTV is a huge phenomenon in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan. At bigger establishments, you enter through the lobby of a karaoke ‘hotel,’ so to speak. I say hotel because once you’ve received your room number, you literally ride the elevator to floor where your private karaoke room is located. Depending on the size of your party, your room will comfortably seat anywhere between 4 and 50 people and is equip with at least 1 plasma TV, 2 microphones, a computer screen on which to make music selections and sometimes even your own bathroom. All rooms have room service, some will have buffets located on the floor and sometimes you can even control the lighting effects in the room (strobe, flashing, etc…)
The idea is that you line up song selections and as each comes on you pass the microphones to whoever wants to sing. As the music video plays on the screen, the words to the song appear at the bottom. KTV was one of my favourite things to do in Taiwan and now I’ve experienced it in China too. It can be a great time, but it also has the potential to be a very painful night out. In every crowd you usually end up with one or two people who think they can carry a tune and hog the mic all night while everyone else politely listens (with Kleenex stuffed in their ears).
Last Saturday, one of my classes took me out to KTV. I couldn’t believe the turn-out, 30 out of 35 of them showed up! We got to our room at about 1pm (they got the afternoon time slot because it’s much cheaper). Luckily, the English song selection was alright but every time one came on, the microphone was shoved my way. Two hours and a hoarse voice later the excitement started wearing down and I became tired of sitting and listening to tone-deaf students sing random Chinese pop-love-ballads. I looked around and saw many students using their mobile phones; I found myself wishing that I had brought mine to send a “get me outta here” text to my friend. I turned to the girl in charge and nonchalantly asked, “when do we have the room until?” She answered, “until 6pm.” - oh save me.
After another torturous 3 hours (filled with more Backstreet Boys than I care to say), our time in the room had come to an end. I would have made an exit earlier, but being the guest of honor, that would have been very rude of me to do in China. Some girls were even sleeping in corners of the couches by then, I so wished that I was. Excited to go home and sit down with a cup of cha (tea) and start my marking, I soon learned that that was not going to be the end of my night.
To Be Continued.
Day 22 - The China Challenge
originally written: Friday, December 4, 2009
(The Dating Game)
Today I played a game with my students called, “The Dating Game.” The purpose was for the students to practice getting up and speaking in front of each other (they’ve got Oral Presentations next week). For having just thought of it last night on a whim, this game proved to be hilarious.
By pulling names out of a hat, I chose one girl and three guys to get up in front of the class. I had them choose fake names in order to really get into the role playing mode. The girl chose “Princess” and the boys? “Ladies Man,” “Superman” and “Argument” (I know…) The premise? A dating TV show where Princess interviews the three ‘eligible bachelors’ in order to make a decision on which one she should date. (I had to keep assuring my students that this was JUST FOR FUN, MAKE BELIEVE!!)
Princess had the opportunity to ask the guys three questions and they took turns answering. Here I’ll only provide “The Best Of…”
Princess - If me and your mother both fell into a lake, who would you save?
Argument - Well I can’t swim, so I would watch you both drown.
Princess - If I got sick, what would you do to make me feel better?
Superman - I would get myself more sick than you, so that you don’t have it so bad.
Princess - What’s your favorite kind of food?
Ladies Man - Whatever you like the best.
Princess - If my dog died and I was very sad, what would you do to cheer me up?
Argument - I would cook it for you.
Today I played a game with my students called, “The Dating Game.” The purpose was for the students to practice getting up and speaking in front of each other (they’ve got Oral Presentations next week). For having just thought of it last night on a whim, this game proved to be hilarious.
By pulling names out of a hat, I chose one girl and three guys to get up in front of the class. I had them choose fake names in order to really get into the role playing mode. The girl chose “Princess” and the boys? “Ladies Man,” “Superman” and “Argument” (I know…) The premise? A dating TV show where Princess interviews the three ‘eligible bachelors’ in order to make a decision on which one she should date. (I had to keep assuring my students that this was JUST FOR FUN, MAKE BELIEVE!!)
Princess had the opportunity to ask the guys three questions and they took turns answering. Here I’ll only provide “The Best Of…”
Princess - If me and your mother both fell into a lake, who would you save?
Argument - Well I can’t swim, so I would watch you both drown.
Princess - If I got sick, what would you do to make me feel better?
Superman - I would get myself more sick than you, so that you don’t have it so bad.
Princess - What’s your favorite kind of food?
Ladies Man - Whatever you like the best.
Princess - If my dog died and I was very sad, what would you do to cheer me up?
Argument - I would cook it for you.
Day 21 - The China Challenge
originally written: Thursday, December 4, 2009
Jhania - mmm, let’s get one hot bread to share. Hopefully we can communicate this…
Laura - Wo men yeow iga… gigah (points to a piece of hot bread)
Translation: We want one…. That (I think)
Old Vendor Man - starts giggling to himself and rambling in Chinese.
Laura - Okay, I’ll try again - Tsing gay woah men iga
Translation: Please give us one (I think)
Old Vendor Man - continues chuckling and begins to spin some bread around (on this oven-stick thing).
Jhania - Right, maybe we should just give up.
Laura - Nah, I think he wants to give us a freshly baked one…
Old Vendor Man - begins to say the same thing in Chinese over and over… and he’s still laughing - he starts patting his stomach.
Jhania and I join in with the laughing… because, what else can you do? We start patting our tummies and saying, “Yeah, it will be yummy!”
Old Vendor Man - he’s probably thinking you stupid foreigners, I just got you to pat your bellies.
He then takes a freshly baked bread and puts it on the pile with the rest. He hands us a bag.
Jhania - score! Grab the fresh one!
Laura - doh shao tcien?
Translation: How much is it?
Old Vendor Man - e quai
Translation: 1 dollar (RMB)
Jhania hands over the money and says, Xie Xie
Translation: Thank you
We both walk away with our bread feeling a little more confident with our Chinese abilities. The Old Vendor man is left with an even sillier opinion (than he likely had before we came along) of foreigners.
(Foreigners on Parade)
On any given day in China I will have interactions with a variety of local Chinese people, mostly street vendors and shop keepers. As long as I keep a sense of humor about the whole thing, these conversations tend to be both ridiculous and hilarious for both parties.
As promised, today I will attempt to write what a typical conversation between me and a local Chinese person sounds like:
Picture me and my friend Jhania approaching a street vendor who is selling hot bread.
On any given day in China I will have interactions with a variety of local Chinese people, mostly street vendors and shop keepers. As long as I keep a sense of humor about the whole thing, these conversations tend to be both ridiculous and hilarious for both parties.
As promised, today I will attempt to write what a typical conversation between me and a local Chinese person sounds like:
Picture me and my friend Jhania approaching a street vendor who is selling hot bread.
Jhania - mmm, let’s get one hot bread to share. Hopefully we can communicate this…
Laura - Wo men yeow iga… gigah (points to a piece of hot bread)
Translation: We want one…. That (I think)
Old Vendor Man - starts giggling to himself and rambling in Chinese.
Laura - Okay, I’ll try again - Tsing gay woah men iga
Translation: Please give us one (I think)
Old Vendor Man - continues chuckling and begins to spin some bread around (on this oven-stick thing).
Jhania - Right, maybe we should just give up.
Laura - Nah, I think he wants to give us a freshly baked one…
Old Vendor Man - begins to say the same thing in Chinese over and over… and he’s still laughing - he starts patting his stomach.
Jhania and I join in with the laughing… because, what else can you do? We start patting our tummies and saying, “Yeah, it will be yummy!”
Old Vendor Man - he’s probably thinking you stupid foreigners, I just got you to pat your bellies.
He then takes a freshly baked bread and puts it on the pile with the rest. He hands us a bag.
Jhania - score! Grab the fresh one!
Laura - doh shao tcien?
Translation: How much is it?
Old Vendor Man - e quai
Translation: 1 dollar (RMB)
Jhania hands over the money and says, Xie Xie
Translation: Thank you
We both walk away with our bread feeling a little more confident with our Chinese abilities. The Old Vendor man is left with an even sillier opinion (than he likely had before we came along) of foreigners.
Day 20 - The China Challenge
originally written: Wednesday, December 2, 2009
(Talking with Charlie)
Most of my students are very good with English - speaking and writing. Then there are others who are quite obviously in the program merely because their parents have enough money to put them there. One of these students is named Charlie.
Laura - Charlie, you’ve been sick for 5 days - are you feeling okay?
Charlie - Yeah, okay.
Laura - Alright, well you’ve missed heaps of work. Are you ready to write Task 3 today?
Charlie - Yeah, okay.
Laura - So, you’ve prepared for it?
Charlie - Okay.
Laura - So, you’re prepared?
Charlie - prepared.
Laura - Right, well get your pen and we’ll put you at the back of the class then to write it.
Five minutes later, Charlie is sitting at his desk, talking to friends. I walk over.
Laura - Charlie, are you going to write Task 3 then?
Charlie - Okay.
Charlie’s friends start laughing
Laura - Charlie, do you understand what I’ve asked you?
Charlie - understand.
I turn to his friends.
Laura - Right, guys can you please ask Charlie if he’s ready to write Task 3 today?
Chinese, Chinese, Chinese….
Charlie’s friends - No, Charlie isn’t ready today. He wants to write it tomorrow.
Of course, there’s another side to this coin. Tomorrow I’ll relate what a typical conversation between myself and a local Chinese person sounds like.
Most of my students are very good with English - speaking and writing. Then there are others who are quite obviously in the program merely because their parents have enough money to put them there. One of these students is named Charlie.
Laura - Charlie, you’ve been sick for 5 days - are you feeling okay?
Charlie - Yeah, okay.
Laura - Alright, well you’ve missed heaps of work. Are you ready to write Task 3 today?
Charlie - Yeah, okay.
Laura - So, you’ve prepared for it?
Charlie - Okay.
Laura - So, you’re prepared?
Charlie - prepared.
Laura - Right, well get your pen and we’ll put you at the back of the class then to write it.
Five minutes later, Charlie is sitting at his desk, talking to friends. I walk over.
Laura - Charlie, are you going to write Task 3 then?
Charlie - Okay.
Charlie’s friends start laughing
Laura - Charlie, do you understand what I’ve asked you?
Charlie - understand.
I turn to his friends.
Laura - Right, guys can you please ask Charlie if he’s ready to write Task 3 today?
Chinese, Chinese, Chinese….
Charlie’s friends - No, Charlie isn’t ready today. He wants to write it tomorrow.
Of course, there’s another side to this coin. Tomorrow I’ll relate what a typical conversation between myself and a local Chinese person sounds like.
Day 19 - The China Challenge
originally written: Tuesday, December 1, 2009
(Reasons I Love China)
December already! Since I have nothing too exciting to talk about today, I’m going to name a few reasons why I love living in Asia:
1) It doesn’t matter what I look like, ever. This not only rings true for me, but for all the foreigners here. I stop wearing makeup from the moment I get off the plane, because it simply doesn’t matter. I’m still called beautiful everywhere I go. (Yes, it does wonders for the ego!) I hate to admit it, but I wear the exact same thing every day when teaching (mostly because it’s so damn cold and I’m not here long enough to buy more winter clothes). The thing is, so do all the other teachers! We’re not judging each other, and no one is judging us! Fantastic.
2) Almost every meal includes rice. I love rice - I don’t know why, it’s just great. Whenever we eat together, each person gets a small bowl of rice and we share the bigger plates between everyone. Of course, this isn’t so great when one person is sick and still uses their chopsticks to take food from the center plate. It usually results in everyone else getting sick too. Though, this eating style means that everyone gets to eat a little bit of everything.
3) Chinese kids are adorable. It’s partly because the kids are so bundled up in their winter-wear these days that they can barely walk (it’s so cute) and also because I can’t understand a word they are saying. Whatever it is, I think little Chinese kids are hilarious.
(Reasons I Love China)
December already! Since I have nothing too exciting to talk about today, I’m going to name a few reasons why I love living in Asia:
1) It doesn’t matter what I look like, ever. This not only rings true for me, but for all the foreigners here. I stop wearing makeup from the moment I get off the plane, because it simply doesn’t matter. I’m still called beautiful everywhere I go. (Yes, it does wonders for the ego!) I hate to admit it, but I wear the exact same thing every day when teaching (mostly because it’s so damn cold and I’m not here long enough to buy more winter clothes). The thing is, so do all the other teachers! We’re not judging each other, and no one is judging us! Fantastic.
2) Almost every meal includes rice. I love rice - I don’t know why, it’s just great. Whenever we eat together, each person gets a small bowl of rice and we share the bigger plates between everyone. Of course, this isn’t so great when one person is sick and still uses their chopsticks to take food from the center plate. It usually results in everyone else getting sick too. Though, this eating style means that everyone gets to eat a little bit of everything.
3) Chinese kids are adorable. It’s partly because the kids are so bundled up in their winter-wear these days that they can barely walk (it’s so cute) and also because I can’t understand a word they are saying. Whatever it is, I think little Chinese kids are hilarious.
Day 18 - The China Challenge
originally written: Monday, November 29, 2009
(Chinese Goody Bag)
A little over a week ago, I got back to my office desk after teaching my usual four hours in the morning to find a white bag waiting for me. Oh! A goody bag! After closer inspection, I learned that this bag was in fact a SWINE FLU goody bag - full of H1N1 prevention goodness. Yes, Swine Flu has hit Henan University, but I have no reason to worry because I’ve got enough Chinese medicine to cover this lifetime and the next. There are these vials of liquid (they smell like Rescue Remedy) that we are supposed to take as a precaution 3 times a day. Also, Chinese teas which are to drive away colds - they taste like honey and dirt mixed together with a dandelion thrown in for good measure. But it’s GOOD FOR HEALTH! Needless to say, most of the teachers here politely said thanks, took the bag home and rather than taking the medicine, we are simply writing funny emails about it to our friends and family. After all, the university already forced me to get immunized!
For the past week, the guard to our hotel has been checking everyone’s temperatures as they walk in the door (he’s using this point and shoot kind of temperature-taker, common in Asia). My question is, if I’ve got an unreasonable temperature, what will he do? Will I not be allowed to go back to my own room? I actually was quite sick this past weekend, but I’m on the upswing now. Luckily, no fever - just a silly cold. I rode through two days of a running/stuffed nose and sneezes galore before I decided to get some medicine to mask the symptoms - after all, I had to return to work Monday. This part was fun, I just walked in the pharmacy, pointed to my nose and sniffed, starting coughing a bit and let out one big sneeze - the pharmacist just passed over a box of capsules and hurried me and my virus out the door.
(Chinese Goody Bag)
A little over a week ago, I got back to my office desk after teaching my usual four hours in the morning to find a white bag waiting for me. Oh! A goody bag! After closer inspection, I learned that this bag was in fact a SWINE FLU goody bag - full of H1N1 prevention goodness. Yes, Swine Flu has hit Henan University, but I have no reason to worry because I’ve got enough Chinese medicine to cover this lifetime and the next. There are these vials of liquid (they smell like Rescue Remedy) that we are supposed to take as a precaution 3 times a day. Also, Chinese teas which are to drive away colds - they taste like honey and dirt mixed together with a dandelion thrown in for good measure. But it’s GOOD FOR HEALTH! Needless to say, most of the teachers here politely said thanks, took the bag home and rather than taking the medicine, we are simply writing funny emails about it to our friends and family. After all, the university already forced me to get immunized!
For the past week, the guard to our hotel has been checking everyone’s temperatures as they walk in the door (he’s using this point and shoot kind of temperature-taker, common in Asia). My question is, if I’ve got an unreasonable temperature, what will he do? Will I not be allowed to go back to my own room? I actually was quite sick this past weekend, but I’m on the upswing now. Luckily, no fever - just a silly cold. I rode through two days of a running/stuffed nose and sneezes galore before I decided to get some medicine to mask the symptoms - after all, I had to return to work Monday. This part was fun, I just walked in the pharmacy, pointed to my nose and sniffed, starting coughing a bit and let out one big sneeze - the pharmacist just passed over a box of capsules and hurried me and my virus out the door.
Day 17 - The China Challenge
originally written: Friday, November 27, 2009
(The not-so-Forbidden City)
Well, I’m sitting here on a Friday night, sick as a dog (I’ve got a cold) and marking essays. I must be a teacher. I’m also fighting a craving for chocolate - it’s putting up a good fight. The only real ammunition that I have is the strong desire to stay in my warm room while the cold wind whistles outside my window. I’ll take a break from marking now to tell you about the last thing I saw last weekend in Beijing: The Forbidden City.
We woke up ghastly early on Sunday morning in order to squeeze in one last site before we caught our train home at noon. The Forbidden City is situated across the road from Tiananmen Square. To enter, one must walk under the Tiananmen Gate (and the gigantic photo of Chairman Mao). I guess the Forbidden City is not-so-forbidden since they let us in! Though, to risk sounding like an ignorant tourist, it really was just one massive courtyard after another - divided of course by very significant gates. It would have been far more interesting had we either been able to read Chinese or hire an English-speaking guide, but there simply wasn’t enough time.
One thing that I never tire of is the fabulous Chinese architecture! The rooftops are usually what gets me - these were littered with ancient sculptures of dragons and other sacred figures. To draw from Wikipedia now, The Forbidden City was home for almost five centuries to the Emperor and his household, as well as the ceremonial and political center of China. It was built from 1406 - 1420 and it is still home to over 980 surviving buildings. I especially enjoy the names of the most important ones: The Palace of Earthly Harmony, The Pavilion of the Rain of Flowers, The Hall of Mental Cultivation, The Palace of Tranquil Longevity, The Palace of Heavenly Purity, etc… We spotted a funny sign at the bottom of a very tall, spiky rock-type monument (that was very tempting to climb). It warned, “A single act of carelessness leads to the eternal loss of beauty.” I believe this sign is open for interpretation - is it your loss of beauty that they’re worried about as you tumble down the spiky surface or the monument’s?
There’s my report on The Forbidden City - that isn’t so forbidden. And that wraps up my Beijing tales! All in all, I was so fortunate to have gone and on such a beautiful weekend too! Saturday (at the Great Wall) provided the only blue/clear sky I’ve seen in China so far! I must say though, I still prefer Kaifeng. The hustling, bustling, messy streets of Kaifeng are really feeling like home these days. Since this weekend will be my first two days of relaxation for a while (aside from this blasted cold and all the marking) I’m going to take a two-day break from the China challenge and continue along on Monday!. Until then, Tsai Jian!
(The not-so-Forbidden City)
Well, I’m sitting here on a Friday night, sick as a dog (I’ve got a cold) and marking essays. I must be a teacher. I’m also fighting a craving for chocolate - it’s putting up a good fight. The only real ammunition that I have is the strong desire to stay in my warm room while the cold wind whistles outside my window. I’ll take a break from marking now to tell you about the last thing I saw last weekend in Beijing: The Forbidden City.
We woke up ghastly early on Sunday morning in order to squeeze in one last site before we caught our train home at noon. The Forbidden City is situated across the road from Tiananmen Square. To enter, one must walk under the Tiananmen Gate (and the gigantic photo of Chairman Mao). I guess the Forbidden City is not-so-forbidden since they let us in! Though, to risk sounding like an ignorant tourist, it really was just one massive courtyard after another - divided of course by very significant gates. It would have been far more interesting had we either been able to read Chinese or hire an English-speaking guide, but there simply wasn’t enough time.
One thing that I never tire of is the fabulous Chinese architecture! The rooftops are usually what gets me - these were littered with ancient sculptures of dragons and other sacred figures. To draw from Wikipedia now, The Forbidden City was home for almost five centuries to the Emperor and his household, as well as the ceremonial and political center of China. It was built from 1406 - 1420 and it is still home to over 980 surviving buildings. I especially enjoy the names of the most important ones: The Palace of Earthly Harmony, The Pavilion of the Rain of Flowers, The Hall of Mental Cultivation, The Palace of Tranquil Longevity, The Palace of Heavenly Purity, etc… We spotted a funny sign at the bottom of a very tall, spiky rock-type monument (that was very tempting to climb). It warned, “A single act of carelessness leads to the eternal loss of beauty.” I believe this sign is open for interpretation - is it your loss of beauty that they’re worried about as you tumble down the spiky surface or the monument’s?
There’s my report on The Forbidden City - that isn’t so forbidden. And that wraps up my Beijing tales! All in all, I was so fortunate to have gone and on such a beautiful weekend too! Saturday (at the Great Wall) provided the only blue/clear sky I’ve seen in China so far! I must say though, I still prefer Kaifeng. The hustling, bustling, messy streets of Kaifeng are really feeling like home these days. Since this weekend will be my first two days of relaxation for a while (aside from this blasted cold and all the marking) I’m going to take a two-day break from the China challenge and continue along on Monday!. Until then, Tsai Jian!
Day 16 - The China Challenge
originally written: Thursday, November 26, 2009
(Chinese Bargains)
To continue my accounts of last weekend’s excursion to Beijing, today I’m going to write about our trip to The Silk Market. After spending a few hours at the Great Wall, John the driver drove us by the 2008 Olympic sites - the bird’s nest, the Olympic pool and the Dragon Hotel. I’ve included pictures in this email. He then brought us to The Silk Market - by its name you’d expect this market to sell silk alone, but it actually sells everything under the sun: knock-off clothing, electronics, silk, pearls, jewelry, skin products (though, most of these were for “whitening” or contained the word “placenta” in their names…), luggage, etc… At this point, we were so exhausted from our whirl-wind tour of Beijing that we really weren’t in the mood to shop, but we were determined to get some bargains.
The beauty of a Chinese market lies in the customer’s power over the price of the product. Nothing has price tags because cost changes constantly - depending on who is asking. Of course, for foreigners, high prices are asked. The way to respond to this is by looking absolutely shocked, say “that’s far too expensive,” drop the item and then start walking along to the next stall. The shopkeeper will call another price after you and then you can continue to bargain them down. Another strategy is to quote something absurdly low as the “only” price that you’d pay and see where that takes you. Here‘s an example:
Laura - How much is this? (holding a beautiful pashmina scarf)
Shopkeeper - 100 yuan (about $20 CDN)
Laura - That’s ridiculous (starts to walk away)
Shopkeeper - Okay, okay. You name your best price, no joking (hands me the calculator - for some reason each shopkeeper would use this line, “no joking”)
Laura - 10 yuan, that’s the most I’ll pay
Shopkeeper - no, no, no. This one best quality, 100%
Laura - I’ve seen better. The shop down there said they’d sell for 7 yuan
Shopkeeper - Okay, I give you best price, no joking (types 60 yuan into the calculator)
Laura - (starts walking away)
Shopkeeper - Okay, final price - special for you beautiful lady today only (types 45)
Laura - (pulls 25 yuan out of wallet) I’ll give you 25 yuan, nothing more.
Shopkeeper - no you joking, best quality
Laura - (walks away to the next shop)
Shopkeeper - (yells after) Okay, okay. 25 yuan, you good bargain.
Because it’s low season, the shopkeepers are very desperate to make sales. It’s not that fun to be a customer in the market, unless you’re really in the mood for it. I tried on two shirts in one shop and then decided I didn’t want to purchase anything. I was walking away when the shopkeeper grabbed my wrists tightly and said, “NO! You try on two things, you must buy now. You waste my time!” I tried pulling away, but she wouldn’t let go! I started looking around for security, but of course there was none. Jhania came storming over and pried the girl’s hands from my wrists and gave her hand a little smack before we hurried away. It was very overwhelming. The shopkeepers also grew quite grumpy as the hours drew on. One girl welcomed our friend Lynn with “Oh, hello beautiful lady! What do you like to buy?” and when Lynn walked away without purchasing anything the girl called after her, “I said you beautiful! I lie! You ugly, very ugly!”
They must be so used to ignorant and rude foreigners at these markets in Beijing, I can’t really blame them for the way they acted towards us. After all, we are buying these really great products for ridiculously cheap prices!
(Chinese Bargains)
To continue my accounts of last weekend’s excursion to Beijing, today I’m going to write about our trip to The Silk Market. After spending a few hours at the Great Wall, John the driver drove us by the 2008 Olympic sites - the bird’s nest, the Olympic pool and the Dragon Hotel. I’ve included pictures in this email. He then brought us to The Silk Market - by its name you’d expect this market to sell silk alone, but it actually sells everything under the sun: knock-off clothing, electronics, silk, pearls, jewelry, skin products (though, most of these were for “whitening” or contained the word “placenta” in their names…), luggage, etc… At this point, we were so exhausted from our whirl-wind tour of Beijing that we really weren’t in the mood to shop, but we were determined to get some bargains.
The beauty of a Chinese market lies in the customer’s power over the price of the product. Nothing has price tags because cost changes constantly - depending on who is asking. Of course, for foreigners, high prices are asked. The way to respond to this is by looking absolutely shocked, say “that’s far too expensive,” drop the item and then start walking along to the next stall. The shopkeeper will call another price after you and then you can continue to bargain them down. Another strategy is to quote something absurdly low as the “only” price that you’d pay and see where that takes you. Here‘s an example:
Laura - How much is this? (holding a beautiful pashmina scarf)
Shopkeeper - 100 yuan (about $20 CDN)
Laura - That’s ridiculous (starts to walk away)
Shopkeeper - Okay, okay. You name your best price, no joking (hands me the calculator - for some reason each shopkeeper would use this line, “no joking”)
Laura - 10 yuan, that’s the most I’ll pay
Shopkeeper - no, no, no. This one best quality, 100%
Laura - I’ve seen better. The shop down there said they’d sell for 7 yuan
Shopkeeper - Okay, I give you best price, no joking (types 60 yuan into the calculator)
Laura - (starts walking away)
Shopkeeper - Okay, final price - special for you beautiful lady today only (types 45)
Laura - (pulls 25 yuan out of wallet) I’ll give you 25 yuan, nothing more.
Shopkeeper - no you joking, best quality
Laura - (walks away to the next shop)
Shopkeeper - (yells after) Okay, okay. 25 yuan, you good bargain.
Because it’s low season, the shopkeepers are very desperate to make sales. It’s not that fun to be a customer in the market, unless you’re really in the mood for it. I tried on two shirts in one shop and then decided I didn’t want to purchase anything. I was walking away when the shopkeeper grabbed my wrists tightly and said, “NO! You try on two things, you must buy now. You waste my time!” I tried pulling away, but she wouldn’t let go! I started looking around for security, but of course there was none. Jhania came storming over and pried the girl’s hands from my wrists and gave her hand a little smack before we hurried away. It was very overwhelming. The shopkeepers also grew quite grumpy as the hours drew on. One girl welcomed our friend Lynn with “Oh, hello beautiful lady! What do you like to buy?” and when Lynn walked away without purchasing anything the girl called after her, “I said you beautiful! I lie! You ugly, very ugly!”
They must be so used to ignorant and rude foreigners at these markets in Beijing, I can’t really blame them for the way they acted towards us. After all, we are buying these really great products for ridiculously cheap prices!
Day 15 - The China Challenge
originally written: Wednesday, November 25, 2009
(Chinese Aerobics)
I’m going to interrupt the reports on Beijing for today and instead, I’ll write about my experience this evening at a Chinese gym. Jhania and I were invited to join our friend Marta, an American teacher here, at the local gym - there was a boxing/aerobics class at 6:30. Marta has been going there for about a month now. I will probably take a picture one of these days, but I’ll let you build a mental picture first. The gym is located near the center of town. It’s down a very dark alley and the entrance is also not lit. It didn’t look promising upon arrival. While we walked up a few flights of stairs, we gazed at the large gym ads on the wall - lots of Chinese writing paired with tacky 80s shots of fitness buffs.
We could hear the music pumping as we reached the top of the staircase - 90s techo, my favourite. When we opened the door the entire gym literally froze. Three blonde-haired, blue-eyed foreigners here to work out? Unheard of! Once the boys got on with their weights, we took a minute to look around. The gym is equipped with four treadmills (2 of which work), a few stationary bikes and a couple weight sets. Score! There’s also a stage and area for fitness classes - this is where the aerobics class was already in progress - we were a little late.
We assumed our positions among the other attendees, there was about 10 of us in total. The fitness instructor looked like he came straight out of a Japanese anime film (except that he’s Chinese) - all bulked up and everything. My favourite part about him was that he kept checking himself out in the mirror as he was teaching (I would too if I looked like that). The workout itself was pretty simple - a lot of punching, jabbing and jogging on the spot. The instructor was really into it and kept adding in special high kick-jumps that made us all look like samurai - he seemed to do it in slow motion. The music was so perfectly timed to this workout that each time we punched or kicked the air a noise would sound as if we had really hit something. I felt like I was playing a video game - or in one of those old superhero movies.
When the class was over, Jhania and I decided that we definitely wanted to join the gym for the rest of the time that we’re here - only 1 month. For $20, you can’t go wrong. Even if it’s just to participate in the blast from the 80s workouts each week.
I’m going to interrupt the reports on Beijing for today and instead, I’ll write about my experience this evening at a Chinese gym. Jhania and I were invited to join our friend Marta, an American teacher here, at the local gym - there was a boxing/aerobics class at 6:30. Marta has been going there for about a month now. I will probably take a picture one of these days, but I’ll let you build a mental picture first. The gym is located near the center of town. It’s down a very dark alley and the entrance is also not lit. It didn’t look promising upon arrival. While we walked up a few flights of stairs, we gazed at the large gym ads on the wall - lots of Chinese writing paired with tacky 80s shots of fitness buffs.
We could hear the music pumping as we reached the top of the staircase - 90s techo, my favourite. When we opened the door the entire gym literally froze. Three blonde-haired, blue-eyed foreigners here to work out? Unheard of! Once the boys got on with their weights, we took a minute to look around. The gym is equipped with four treadmills (2 of which work), a few stationary bikes and a couple weight sets. Score! There’s also a stage and area for fitness classes - this is where the aerobics class was already in progress - we were a little late.
We assumed our positions among the other attendees, there was about 10 of us in total. The fitness instructor looked like he came straight out of a Japanese anime film (except that he’s Chinese) - all bulked up and everything. My favourite part about him was that he kept checking himself out in the mirror as he was teaching (I would too if I looked like that). The workout itself was pretty simple - a lot of punching, jabbing and jogging on the spot. The instructor was really into it and kept adding in special high kick-jumps that made us all look like samurai - he seemed to do it in slow motion. The music was so perfectly timed to this workout that each time we punched or kicked the air a noise would sound as if we had really hit something. I felt like I was playing a video game - or in one of those old superhero movies.
When the class was over, Jhania and I decided that we definitely wanted to join the gym for the rest of the time that we’re here - only 1 month. For $20, you can’t go wrong. Even if it’s just to participate in the blast from the 80s workouts each week.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Day 14 - The China Challenge
originally written: Tuesday, November 24, 2009
(The Great Wall of China)
There’s another Chinese opera going on outside my window tonight. A fitting soundtrack for writing about my experiences at The Great Wall of China this past weekend. On Saturday, after our time in Tiananmen Square, we met with our driver for the day, John. He was quite a character! John spoke pretty good conversational English (having mostly learned from his foreign customers) and provided us with great entertainment all day long. He also knew the ins and outs of the tourist hot spots in Beijing and even helped us bargain with shopkeepers to get the best deals. John drove us to the Mutianyu site of the Great Wall, about 1.5 hours from Beijing City. On the way we inevitably had to stop for a potty break (there were four female passengers) and John brought us to the sketchiest squat toilets I’ve seen in China (so far). I couldn’t help myself and just had to take a photo, I’ve included it in this email. Yes, it’s the one that looks like three graves ready to be filled!
We arrived at The Great Wall at around 10:30am and John showed us where to purchase tickets, etc… We took a gondola up to the top of the cliffs where the wall was. It’s hard to communicate in words how I felt while walking along the wall. The history behind it is so dense and just the magnificence of it all was a lot to take in. Photos cannot truly capture what it’s like, but they can give you some idea. Just to imagine people hundreds of years ago standing at the bottom of those cliffs looking up and saying, “Yeup, just at the top of those cliffs there, we’re going to build a massive wall.” And all those thousands of lives that were lost during its construction - you can’t help but feel emotional while walking along.
After our walk, we took toboggans down the cliff. It was quite surreal actually - something so child-like following such an emotional moment. Once we’d reached the bottom, we joined John in a game of Chinese hacky-sack (similar to the one we play in North America). A great ending to our visit to the Great Wall!
(The Great Wall of China)
There’s another Chinese opera going on outside my window tonight. A fitting soundtrack for writing about my experiences at The Great Wall of China this past weekend. On Saturday, after our time in Tiananmen Square, we met with our driver for the day, John. He was quite a character! John spoke pretty good conversational English (having mostly learned from his foreign customers) and provided us with great entertainment all day long. He also knew the ins and outs of the tourist hot spots in Beijing and even helped us bargain with shopkeepers to get the best deals. John drove us to the Mutianyu site of the Great Wall, about 1.5 hours from Beijing City. On the way we inevitably had to stop for a potty break (there were four female passengers) and John brought us to the sketchiest squat toilets I’ve seen in China (so far). I couldn’t help myself and just had to take a photo, I’ve included it in this email. Yes, it’s the one that looks like three graves ready to be filled!
We arrived at The Great Wall at around 10:30am and John showed us where to purchase tickets, etc… We took a gondola up to the top of the cliffs where the wall was. It’s hard to communicate in words how I felt while walking along the wall. The history behind it is so dense and just the magnificence of it all was a lot to take in. Photos cannot truly capture what it’s like, but they can give you some idea. Just to imagine people hundreds of years ago standing at the bottom of those cliffs looking up and saying, “Yeup, just at the top of those cliffs there, we’re going to build a massive wall.” And all those thousands of lives that were lost during its construction - you can’t help but feel emotional while walking along.
After our walk, we took toboggans down the cliff. It was quite surreal actually - something so child-like following such an emotional moment. Once we’d reached the bottom, we joined John in a game of Chinese hacky-sack (similar to the one we play in North America). A great ending to our visit to the Great Wall!
Day 13 - The China Challenge
originally written: Monday, November 23, 2009
(Tiananmen Square)
Last night, I arrived back in Kaifeng after a lovely weekend in Beijing! Whenever I move somewhere new, it never really feels like home until I leave it for a short amount of time and then come back. This is how I felt last night as we were heading back into little Kaifeng (well, 4.8 million people - little for China). We sure packed a lot into one weekend and I’ve got lots to share, so I’m going to break up this week’s blogs into sections about Beijing. I will include photos and random facts from Wikipedia in order to spice up the little knowledge that I have of these places. Today’s blog: the train ride and Tiananmen Square.
The train ride to Beijing was more or less insignificant. Because I bought my train tickets later than the other ladies, I was in a different carriage. We took a high-speed train so it only took 5 hours to get there. I had a window seat, everyone was pretty calm, no smelly food was eaten and the man beside did not spit once: jackpot! At about 11:30pm a girl started chatting very loudly on her cell phone. In China, they don’t have the same idea of “noise pollution” (or personal space) as we have in the west. A lot of the time, someone will be very ignorant of their surroundings (I.e., start playing loud random music on their cell phone for a whole 2 hour bus ride) and no one will say anything to them. After about half an hour of the noisy chit-chat, I decided it was enough. Even with my earplugs I could hear every word she was saying (though obviously I couldn‘t understand it). I glared at her until I got her attention, put my finger over my mouth and then let out a very aggressive “shush.” She stopped short, amazed that someone actually called her on her rudeness and then she was quiet for the rest of the journey. To my surprise, the passengers around me all passed on a nod of approval; one old man even started clapping!
We arrived at the hotel at about 12:30am. After checking in, each of us fell into our respective beds, hoping to get the most of the precious few hours we had before meeting again at 7am. They had run out of rooms and so I lucked out and got an executive suite for the same price as the windowless hole-in-the-wall that I was paying for (only $25 CDN/night)!
Bright and early Saturday morning, four of us (there were six women in all on the trip) headed to Tiananmen Square to take a look around. Our hotel was literally 5 minutes down the road so we got there before the masses. I had read somewhere that Tiananmen is one of the largest squares in the world and let me tell you, it is massive! It is named after the Tian’anmen Gate which sits to its north. When literally translated, Tian’anmen means “Gate of Heavenly Peace” (I can’t help but cringe at the tragic irony of this). When we arrived, there were dozens of kites flying in the air as elderly citizens had their morning exercise. The street vendors were already out, and as we marveled and took photos we were being heckled to buy kites, postcards and maps. There were also hundreds of people lining up to see Chairman Mao’s body on display in the mausoleum constructed in his honor in Tiananmen Square. I guess, that’s about as close as they get to having a god in China… His photo is also prominently displayed in the center of the Tian’anmen Gate.
The square and its surrounds are all heavily guarded with security checkpoints, CCTV and hundreds of guards walking around. It’s very intimidating for someone who isn’t used to being watched so closely - it almost gave me the feeling that I was in fact doing something wrong. When we were on our way out of the square we thought that we had been locked in because they had closed the gates and weren’t letting us out to the street. It turns out they were only keeping us in for five minutes, due to traffic control - what a relief! I won’t get into detail about the 1989 massacre that took place here, but I will say that 20 years later, it is a very emotionally draining place to visit. Living in China in general is quite eye-opening and has given me a new-found appreciation for the rights and freedoms that we automatically feel entitled to in the west. We certainly have a lot to be thankful for!
(Tiananmen Square)
Last night, I arrived back in Kaifeng after a lovely weekend in Beijing! Whenever I move somewhere new, it never really feels like home until I leave it for a short amount of time and then come back. This is how I felt last night as we were heading back into little Kaifeng (well, 4.8 million people - little for China). We sure packed a lot into one weekend and I’ve got lots to share, so I’m going to break up this week’s blogs into sections about Beijing. I will include photos and random facts from Wikipedia in order to spice up the little knowledge that I have of these places. Today’s blog: the train ride and Tiananmen Square.
The train ride to Beijing was more or less insignificant. Because I bought my train tickets later than the other ladies, I was in a different carriage. We took a high-speed train so it only took 5 hours to get there. I had a window seat, everyone was pretty calm, no smelly food was eaten and the man beside did not spit once: jackpot! At about 11:30pm a girl started chatting very loudly on her cell phone. In China, they don’t have the same idea of “noise pollution” (or personal space) as we have in the west. A lot of the time, someone will be very ignorant of their surroundings (I.e., start playing loud random music on their cell phone for a whole 2 hour bus ride) and no one will say anything to them. After about half an hour of the noisy chit-chat, I decided it was enough. Even with my earplugs I could hear every word she was saying (though obviously I couldn‘t understand it). I glared at her until I got her attention, put my finger over my mouth and then let out a very aggressive “shush.” She stopped short, amazed that someone actually called her on her rudeness and then she was quiet for the rest of the journey. To my surprise, the passengers around me all passed on a nod of approval; one old man even started clapping!
We arrived at the hotel at about 12:30am. After checking in, each of us fell into our respective beds, hoping to get the most of the precious few hours we had before meeting again at 7am. They had run out of rooms and so I lucked out and got an executive suite for the same price as the windowless hole-in-the-wall that I was paying for (only $25 CDN/night)!
Bright and early Saturday morning, four of us (there were six women in all on the trip) headed to Tiananmen Square to take a look around. Our hotel was literally 5 minutes down the road so we got there before the masses. I had read somewhere that Tiananmen is one of the largest squares in the world and let me tell you, it is massive! It is named after the Tian’anmen Gate which sits to its north. When literally translated, Tian’anmen means “Gate of Heavenly Peace” (I can’t help but cringe at the tragic irony of this). When we arrived, there were dozens of kites flying in the air as elderly citizens had their morning exercise. The street vendors were already out, and as we marveled and took photos we were being heckled to buy kites, postcards and maps. There were also hundreds of people lining up to see Chairman Mao’s body on display in the mausoleum constructed in his honor in Tiananmen Square. I guess, that’s about as close as they get to having a god in China… His photo is also prominently displayed in the center of the Tian’anmen Gate.
The square and its surrounds are all heavily guarded with security checkpoints, CCTV and hundreds of guards walking around. It’s very intimidating for someone who isn’t used to being watched so closely - it almost gave me the feeling that I was in fact doing something wrong. When we were on our way out of the square we thought that we had been locked in because they had closed the gates and weren’t letting us out to the street. It turns out they were only keeping us in for five minutes, due to traffic control - what a relief! I won’t get into detail about the 1989 massacre that took place here, but I will say that 20 years later, it is a very emotionally draining place to visit. Living in China in general is quite eye-opening and has given me a new-found appreciation for the rights and freedoms that we automatically feel entitled to in the west. We certainly have a lot to be thankful for!
Day 12 - The China Challenge
originally written: Thursday, November 19, 2009
(The Healthy Drink)
Today I bought a drink that I’ve been meaning to try since I arrived in Kaifeng. I can’t tell you what it’s called because I don’t know - I can only describe it and show pictures. The man making the drink first filled a pot with what looked like condensed milk, but when he added hot water and whisked it, the liquid turned gelatinous and gooey. To the gooey mixture he added: strawberry jam, crushed peanuts, poppy seeds, raisins, oats and sugar. He whisked it one more time and then poured it into my cup. Believe it or not, it was delicious! I have no idea if it was healthy, but as I do with most Chinese food and drinks, I’m just telling myself that it is. After all, most Chinese people are slim! You can see photos of the creation at the bottom of this email.
I won’t be sending an update for the next three days, as I will be taking a weekend trip to Beijing. Upon my return, I promise to entertain you all once again with some great photos and stories! Tsai Jian! (Good bye)
(The Healthy Drink)
Today I bought a drink that I’ve been meaning to try since I arrived in Kaifeng. I can’t tell you what it’s called because I don’t know - I can only describe it and show pictures. The man making the drink first filled a pot with what looked like condensed milk, but when he added hot water and whisked it, the liquid turned gelatinous and gooey. To the gooey mixture he added: strawberry jam, crushed peanuts, poppy seeds, raisins, oats and sugar. He whisked it one more time and then poured it into my cup. Believe it or not, it was delicious! I have no idea if it was healthy, but as I do with most Chinese food and drinks, I’m just telling myself that it is. After all, most Chinese people are slim! You can see photos of the creation at the bottom of this email.
I won’t be sending an update for the next three days, as I will be taking a weekend trip to Beijing. Upon my return, I promise to entertain you all once again with some great photos and stories! Tsai Jian! (Good bye)
Day 11 - The China Challenge
originally written: Wednesday, November 18, 2009
(Treat for the Teacher)
I’ve finally finished marking my two classes’ papers! Only 3/70 students failed - as opposed to the 18 that failed the last assignment (before I took over the class). I attribute this to my fabulous teaching! Haha. Today more students took me out for lunch. This is becoming a trend… one that I like! One of my classes has even organized a KTV night (Karaoke TV - Asian obsession) for me to attend with them! I asked if it’s unethical to drink with my students here… apparently it’s not.
Right now the novelty is still there, getting free lunches and so much attention. But, I can see it becoming annoying soon - more of an obligation to accept offers when I’d rather just go home and nap. Also, the amounts of food that we eat at these lunches is unreal! I don’t know how the tiny Asian girls can pack it all in! The students that took me out today are totally the nerds of the class. How funny is it that in China, the nerds are the cool students? The classroom monitor, Jorge, is adored!
I’ve been sharing a lot with my students. Usually I spend the first five or so minutes of class showing pictures from Canada and my travels. They all love to see it! I have yet to meet one student that has been outside of China. It’s even rare to meet a student who has been outside of their province (Henan Province)! I also love to show pictures of my family. It’s getting me so excited to see everyone again at Christmas! I even played them a video of my little brother John playing guitar - they think he’s great! Tomorrow I’ll be showing photos from past family Christmases. Who knows, maybe some of you will be in them!!!
I’ve finally finished marking my two classes’ papers! Only 3/70 students failed - as opposed to the 18 that failed the last assignment (before I took over the class). I attribute this to my fabulous teaching! Haha. Today more students took me out for lunch. This is becoming a trend… one that I like! One of my classes has even organized a KTV night (Karaoke TV - Asian obsession) for me to attend with them! I asked if it’s unethical to drink with my students here… apparently it’s not.
Right now the novelty is still there, getting free lunches and so much attention. But, I can see it becoming annoying soon - more of an obligation to accept offers when I’d rather just go home and nap. Also, the amounts of food that we eat at these lunches is unreal! I don’t know how the tiny Asian girls can pack it all in! The students that took me out today are totally the nerds of the class. How funny is it that in China, the nerds are the cool students? The classroom monitor, Jorge, is adored!
I’ve been sharing a lot with my students. Usually I spend the first five or so minutes of class showing pictures from Canada and my travels. They all love to see it! I have yet to meet one student that has been outside of China. It’s even rare to meet a student who has been outside of their province (Henan Province)! I also love to show pictures of my family. It’s getting me so excited to see everyone again at Christmas! I even played them a video of my little brother John playing guitar - they think he’s great! Tomorrow I’ll be showing photos from past family Christmases. Who knows, maybe some of you will be in them!!!
Day 10 - The China Challenge
originally written: Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Today I bought a train ticket to Beijing for this weekend! A few of the other teachers here are also going. We’ve got a lot packed into the agenda including: The Forbidden City, the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square. One weekend will definitely not be enough to see everything, but it will have to do for now!
My week-long laundry problem has been solved! Today, I brought my dirty clothes to this place on campus that apparently does students’ laundry; however, they were too backed up to take any more loads on. Frustrated and annoyed about how hard it is for me to get such a simple task done, I returned to my hotel thinking about how much more underwear I’d have to buy. Something had to be done, so I decided to brave the hotel washing machine again. After a series of attempts at reading the Chinese washing instructions, bothering the cleaning lady more than once and a water explosion that left me mopping the laundry room floor, I finally have clean clothes! Since there are no dryers here (or pretty much anywhere other than North America) I’ve got socks and underwear all over my room waiting to dry: on the chairs, light fixtures and even the TV. Luckily, I will no longer be writing about something as boring as laundry… at least for now.
Tonight, I'm buried in marking again. The soundtrack to my evening is especially exciting tonight - the rooster, sirens, fireworks and a Chinese opera that is being broadcast through the streets (I have no idea why).
Today I bought a train ticket to Beijing for this weekend! A few of the other teachers here are also going. We’ve got a lot packed into the agenda including: The Forbidden City, the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square. One weekend will definitely not be enough to see everything, but it will have to do for now!
My week-long laundry problem has been solved! Today, I brought my dirty clothes to this place on campus that apparently does students’ laundry; however, they were too backed up to take any more loads on. Frustrated and annoyed about how hard it is for me to get such a simple task done, I returned to my hotel thinking about how much more underwear I’d have to buy. Something had to be done, so I decided to brave the hotel washing machine again. After a series of attempts at reading the Chinese washing instructions, bothering the cleaning lady more than once and a water explosion that left me mopping the laundry room floor, I finally have clean clothes! Since there are no dryers here (or pretty much anywhere other than North America) I’ve got socks and underwear all over my room waiting to dry: on the chairs, light fixtures and even the TV. Luckily, I will no longer be writing about something as boring as laundry… at least for now.
Tonight, I'm buried in marking again. The soundtrack to my evening is especially exciting tonight - the rooster, sirens, fireworks and a Chinese opera that is being broadcast through the streets (I have no idea why).
Day 9 - The China Challenge
originally written: Monday, November 16, 2009
(Shopping with a Note)
Today some students took me out for lunch. It was such a nice treat! Instead of sitting there with a few other foreign teachers trying our best to blurt out random Chinese vegetable names, I had students translate the menu for me. What ended up arriving at the table was exactly what we expected, which is a rare occurrence these days! It’s not considered “being bribed” by the university when students buy you lunch or dinner over here, it’s more like a custom. Thank goodness for that, or else I’ve been taking bribes left, right and centre. One of the girls actually did fail her last assignment, I’m glad she wasn’t the one who paid!
The students are very useful to me over here. In Taipei, I had many bilingual friends and also heaps of shop owners spoke some English. In small-town China, no one speaks English. My students help me do lots of things. Today they directed me to a place on campus that will wash my laundry for me, we’ll see how that goes tomorrow - I might get to stop buying all this underwear! Also, I’m going to attempt to buy a train ticket to Beijing this weekend. Since I can’t tell the ticket-seller what I want, I’m having my students write me a note! When you show up at a store with a note, you really do feel like you’re 5 years old again.
Back to my work I go. I’ve got a special soundtrack to my marking tonight: a dog howling along with the rooster - it’s 6:45pm.
Today some students took me out for lunch. It was such a nice treat! Instead of sitting there with a few other foreign teachers trying our best to blurt out random Chinese vegetable names, I had students translate the menu for me. What ended up arriving at the table was exactly what we expected, which is a rare occurrence these days! It’s not considered “being bribed” by the university when students buy you lunch or dinner over here, it’s more like a custom. Thank goodness for that, or else I’ve been taking bribes left, right and centre. One of the girls actually did fail her last assignment, I’m glad she wasn’t the one who paid!
The students are very useful to me over here. In Taipei, I had many bilingual friends and also heaps of shop owners spoke some English. In small-town China, no one speaks English. My students help me do lots of things. Today they directed me to a place on campus that will wash my laundry for me, we’ll see how that goes tomorrow - I might get to stop buying all this underwear! Also, I’m going to attempt to buy a train ticket to Beijing this weekend. Since I can’t tell the ticket-seller what I want, I’m having my students write me a note! When you show up at a store with a note, you really do feel like you’re 5 years old again.
Back to my work I go. I’ve got a special soundtrack to my marking tonight: a dog howling along with the rooster - it’s 6:45pm.
Day 8 - The China Challenge
originally written: November 15, 2009
(Soy Milk for Seniors)
Well, here I am on day 8 of the six-week China challenge! Are you still reading? I won’t be offended if you’re not. Things aren’t as new and novel as they were a week ago, but life in China still continues to be hilarious most of the time. Today, Sunday, I had a few goals for the day. First was to do my laundry… it didn’t happen. I can’t figure out what’s going on with the laundry. As far as I know, you can pay someone to do it, but no one has dryers so it will take four days in the cold air to dry anyways. There’s also a machine in the hotel that we are allowed to use, but I keep getting yelled at each time I head that way. Tonight, one of the sweet Chinese cleaners knocked on my door and made some sort of hand gesture that looked like “you can do your washing now,” but it was at 10pm! I’m too tired at 10pm to do the washing! So for now, I will continue to buy new underwear and socks until the washing gets done (I know it’s wasteful, but they’re only $1 each).
In other news, I discovered a nice grocery store near my hotel. I spent some time yesterday browsing the aisles and taking pictures of funny products. Below are two of the best. I am tempted to buy “Coffee for Men,” but worried that it might put hair on my chest. The employees are so funny in this store, they watch me walk down every aisle as if waiting for me to break out in Britney-Spears-like song and dance. That’s what all foreigners do after all. Although, I was the one taking photos of random products on the shelves.
(Soy Milk for Seniors)
Well, here I am on day 8 of the six-week China challenge! Are you still reading? I won’t be offended if you’re not. Things aren’t as new and novel as they were a week ago, but life in China still continues to be hilarious most of the time. Today, Sunday, I had a few goals for the day. First was to do my laundry… it didn’t happen. I can’t figure out what’s going on with the laundry. As far as I know, you can pay someone to do it, but no one has dryers so it will take four days in the cold air to dry anyways. There’s also a machine in the hotel that we are allowed to use, but I keep getting yelled at each time I head that way. Tonight, one of the sweet Chinese cleaners knocked on my door and made some sort of hand gesture that looked like “you can do your washing now,” but it was at 10pm! I’m too tired at 10pm to do the washing! So for now, I will continue to buy new underwear and socks until the washing gets done (I know it’s wasteful, but they’re only $1 each).
In other news, I discovered a nice grocery store near my hotel. I spent some time yesterday browsing the aisles and taking pictures of funny products. Below are two of the best. I am tempted to buy “Coffee for Men,” but worried that it might put hair on my chest. The employees are so funny in this store, they watch me walk down every aisle as if waiting for me to break out in Britney-Spears-like song and dance. That’s what all foreigners do after all. Although, I was the one taking photos of random products on the shelves.
Day 7 - The China Challenge
originally written: Saturday, November 14, 2009
(Spoiled Laura)
Today we had a banquet at a nice restaurant with our partner Chinese teachers. These are the Chinese English teachers who teach our classes English year-round - we are the compliments to their curriculum. My partner teacher, Barrel (yeah, that’s her name), was telling me about how most of them live on campus in teacher dorms. That sounds alright, doesn’t it? Teacher dorms - there’s probably a nice lounge area for doing your marking, separate rooms and most certainly there would be heat. After all, you must keep your teachers happy. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Barrel, like all of the other teachers in these dorms, shares a bedroom with another girl. If they need to use the washroom they must walk to our office building and use the communal toilet that we all use during the day! Shower time? To have a shower they’ve got to walk in the freezing cold to the communal shower building and shower where all the students shower! And they still have to pay to live there!!
I’m continually reminded here of how cushy my life is in Kaifeng compared to pretty much everyone else. When I arrive back home after work, my bed is made, new towels are hung and sometimes the cleaner even does my dishes! I have my own washroom, TV (not that I understand what’s on it), microwave, fridge and hot water supply. Now if only someone would do my laundry…. Joking.
Today we had a banquet at a nice restaurant with our partner Chinese teachers. These are the Chinese English teachers who teach our classes English year-round - we are the compliments to their curriculum. My partner teacher, Barrel (yeah, that’s her name), was telling me about how most of them live on campus in teacher dorms. That sounds alright, doesn’t it? Teacher dorms - there’s probably a nice lounge area for doing your marking, separate rooms and most certainly there would be heat. After all, you must keep your teachers happy. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Barrel, like all of the other teachers in these dorms, shares a bedroom with another girl. If they need to use the washroom they must walk to our office building and use the communal toilet that we all use during the day! Shower time? To have a shower they’ve got to walk in the freezing cold to the communal shower building and shower where all the students shower! And they still have to pay to live there!!
I’m continually reminded here of how cushy my life is in Kaifeng compared to pretty much everyone else. When I arrive back home after work, my bed is made, new towels are hung and sometimes the cleaner even does my dishes! I have my own washroom, TV (not that I understand what’s on it), microwave, fridge and hot water supply. Now if only someone would do my laundry…. Joking.
Day 6 - The China Challenge
originally written: Friday, November 13, 2009
Tonight we had a goodbye dinner for a couple teachers who are leaving. I am losing my lovely co-teacher Donna, who is flying to another province in China to take over for a teacher over there. It's been really amazing team-teaching with her this week. The students have really loved it too. When she said goodbye to them today, it was like instant celebrity status. Suddenly all of the students wanted photos with her. We took some groups shots as well, here they are below. That's all for today, I'm tuckered out from the week!
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