McDonalds in China!!

MCDONALDS!!!

Ok so this was the bathroom in the McDonalds in Shiyan (sure-yen).

We had a lot of fun at McDonalds and went there and KFC for majority of our eating that weekend!!

Thoughts

So this week seems to have flown by!! It is true, the busier you are the quicker time passes. Today (Friday) I had only one class at 7:50am and was finished by 9:30. Afterwards I spoke with our Waiban, Robert, about our upcoming trip to Beijing in a week for October Holiday. Our Assistant Dean, May also came to visit me as well. With the rest of my day to myself I decided to walk to town and take time for myself. It was incredible!! Robert was leaving at the same time I was and opted to walk with me instead of catching the bus. The walk to town is a 7 minnute bus ride or a 30 min walk (pending slower speed, probably more). We chatted along the way.

After we parted our ways I was determined to walk to the bridge (the only road that leads into/out of our town) to take pictures of the dam. It was very relaxing to be "away from it all" in a sense. On my way back into the city and walking around town I noticed the numerous amount of people playing cards and mah jong, basically just enjoying life. I must admit to be an old person here, I think, would be very relaxing (and cheap to live). First, they live with their children who take care of them. From about 10:30 or so until 7pm when the sun goes down, everywhere you turn you find them sitting at tables playing cards and games or sitting and talking.

As I walked through the town square and one of the elderly gentlemen looked at me and smiled, it made me think, "wow, what an incredible feeling to sit and feel at ease about life." They were not stressing out over their children, dinner, money, or work. I think I quite enjoy the relaxing aspect of the chinese way of life. I am learning it is a very calm one!!

Pictures!

On our way to Shiyan. Beautiful View of mountains!! At the Taoist temple behind our school.

Downtown Danjiangkou on a Sunday afternoon!

Beef is what's for dinner. At a market.

The beginning/entrance to the market during the busy time in the morning!

Me and my friend the Chicken!!

My video of dinner. In my kitchen!

Travels and China

Ok so it has been a little while since my last post. Here is the short run down!

Classes have been happening. Many of my students are very shy and it is very hard to get them to participate, especially when it comes to speaking to someone who speaks English. They feel inadequate. I continue to tell them they will get better with practice. Some students have no problem talking with me and I imagine we will become friends.

We have two friends here in Danjiangkou that know our other American friends in Shiyan (a city about 1.5 hrs away). They have come and eaten with us last Sunday. We enjoy eachothers' company!! They are very sweet girls!!

Last weekend we went to visit our American friends in Shiyan. We had a great time!!! Not only was it great to see them and meet some we didn't know but we were able to eat McDonalds and KFC!!!! We ate there for almost every meal that weekend!! We also found a few American food items in their supermarkets there - m&ms, skittles, dove, snickers, and a few others! So I do not need candy sent to me - I can find it!!! (Chocolate chips and Marshmallows would be nice though!!)
We spent Saturday hanging out at one of the Universities. We (including some Chinese friends) broke into the field and played frisbee, football (american), ran around the track, and went to the pagoda at the top of the mountain! It was a lot of fun!!

A suggestion they gave us to get to know our students was to have an open house for them to come see where we live. So this week I have invited all my students to my apartment between 6-8pm. Many have come. Last night, Wednesday, we had English corner - in the students cafeteria. Apparently, as they told us, it is a place for the students to practice English and we are there to help. Well... It was actually more like having the foriegn teachers on display! I walked in and they crowd around me to ask questions and talk. It was a bit overwhelming at first. Evetually they calmed down especially when the other three walked in. Many of my students came and sat to talk with me. At one time there was a large crowd around the table I was sitting at, we ended up having a sing-a-long in a sense!! They sang for me, with me, and convinced me to sing a little for them! I sang an older song that some of you may remember from camp...
You know I try so hard to be like you everyday, but the one thing that I truly know is you gave your life away. To be like you and all you are well that's a lot easier to say...
They loved it and kept beggin me to teach them, I told them I would another time!

We have a holiday the first week in October. I think we may try to go to Xi'an to see the Terracotta Soldiers and to Beijjing to see the Great Wall. We shall see!! More to come!!

**IF YOU WANT TO SEE MY PICTURES SEND ME YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND I CAN SEND YOU THE INVITATION B/C I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND ANY FREE PUBLIC POSTING SITES WHERE ANYONE CAN ACCESS THEM!!**

TEACHING!

Teaching is EXTREMELY different here! The students are very quiet and shy-like around teachers, especially Americans. Coming from my classes in the states where everyone is constantly out of seats or even in HS the constant chatter. It does not happen here. It is almost as thought they hang on every word!! I have met with all my classes once at this time. I am teaching all 2nd year students. I have 6 Culture Classes and 2 Oral English Classes. Each lasts 2hrs (actually 50 min, 10 min break, and 50 min). Some will be great classes and some I fear it will be like pulling teeth to get them to participate!! I am excited about both classes but I feel I will be able to do more with my Culture classes than my Oral classes.
We shall see only time will tell!!
Now it is time to get ready for game night tonight with Jessi, Brittany, and Rusty!

The MARKETPLACE!!

Last week we finally were shown the Marketplace. The outdoor, open air market to buy fresh fruit, vegetables, breads, and meat if you choose. Ann, my co-teacher, (a Chinese English teacher paired with us to help us with anything), showed us how to take the bus too get there. it is near the hospital so we know where that is too! The market is an experience in itself! I was able to buy many fresh fruits (pears (asian), apples, grapes, bananas, mangoes), vegetables (tomatoes, corn, cucumber, onion, peppers), and meat (chicken, a ton of pork, and beef). I thought I had spent a ton of money on food to cook and eat. In the end it was less than $20!! It amazing to see a difference in prices - I do like China's better!! The market has a mixture of sights and smells that at times are indescribable. The bakery areas are always good of course. The spices are hard to tell what is what. Meat, of course all you have to do is look at it. This by far is one of the biggest culture differences to me. In the market people take pictures of us walking and buying foods from their stands. It is pretty incredible!! Everyday at 11:30ish it basically shuts down. A few "shops" stay open. Majority of it is like another dead alley where nothing is happening. Just a few minutes ago this was a busy place that was so crowded you were pushing people just to get through!! At lunch time almost everything shuts down in the city. Even at school there is a 2 1/2 hour break for lunch and a nap!!
The first time (we have been many times now), it was definitely a shock!! There is beef hanging on the sides. Chickens are in cages. You point to one and it will be defeathered and in a bag in YOUR hand in a few minutes!! The "butchers" have all the body parts on their tables, feet, necks, head, "gizzards", we have even recognized kidneys!!! Pick what you want and it is yours in a matter of minutes. Being american and cooking for one means that I do not want to buy a lot of food. If the vegetables you choose and put in the bag for them to weigh do not weigh enough they will add more!! So choose enough!! There are animal heads on the floor, pigs feet hanging, dead fish in buckets, scorpions in buckets, food galore lining the streets, and sounds of chickens taking their last breath as they scream. Will I go back?? Oh yes, many times!!! It is the best place to go shopping for fruits and vegetables! If you come visit I will show YOU!!