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DAY-TO-DAY LIFE IN CHINA, OCTOBER 2007 |
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October 27 & 28: I was incensed by what I read in the UK's Telegraph newspaper this morning. It only ran one story about Beijing and let me say this; if you think that what Chinese newspapers contain is censored and controlled to ensure China looks angelic, then reporter Richard Spencer of the Telegraph is on a campaign to only show China in a bad light and this latest report is the biggest pile of doggy-do I have ever read. The full report is here but here are a couple of points: The day after a special "Environment Forum" dedicated to reassuring the athletics world that it had its air pollution under control, the city awoke to find itself engulfed by a thick pea-souper. It was a 'pea-souper' but it was far, far from being smog! I awoke to thick fog with visibility at 2 metres. Is he telling us that Beijing's pollution has spread to the coast overnight? Utter crap.. The weather, a thick fog has been spreading inland for the past four days, caused by a encircling cold front hitting the very warm sea and then spreading inwards and therefore towards Beijing. Richard Spencer: I suggest you pack your backs and piss-off back to sunny, safe England and be treated by the best health service for the myriad ailments you are sure to have contracted whilst living in Beijing. _________ Earlier in the week I tried tried to play a word game with my classes using words they have supposedly learned. What a complete disaster! At least I learnt one thing:- They learn nothing. I went to class on Wednesday morning with nothing planned. I was met at the door by a school leader who informed me that three school inspectors from the Education Bureau would be sitting in on my class. I had 6 metres (from the door to my 'pulpit') to invent a class that would blow them away. Forty minutes later I left to a ripple of applause which was led by one of the inspectors! _________ We 'enjoyed' a power failure this morning and after a couple of hours I found myself thinking that they're not such a bad thing. Maybe the 'west' could enjoy a few like they did in the 70s when the coal miners were frequently out on strike. With all mod-cons out of action, what do people today have left to do when there's no power? I said to T that is was a real shame that we didn't have any board games. T loves to read and I can sit down with my chinese calligraphy or my card-making materials. We were laughing at how years ago, you could tell by birth-dates if a child was conceived by candlelight. I think a child today would blame their parents for the fact their computer wasn't working, start huffing and puffing and mutter under thir breath what horrible parents they had instead of being imaginative. Poor, sad, brain-dead brats.
_________ I'm an honest person and I believe that, for the most part the people around me are the same. How very naive! Apart from the little man who owns and runs the shop (more of a shack if truth be told) opposite my place. I went there at midday today to return my empties. I open the door and he was nowhere to be found. I had already loaded my back with complete bottles and I awaited his return. People came and went and all the while I kept saying to them that he wasn't here and that I didn't know where he was. I waited for an hour! I daren't leave in case people thought I'd robbed the joint. An old lady came in who only spoke in dialect so our conversation was extremely short. Whilst she remained in the open shop with all its goods and the managers cash I took my leave, taking with me a few bottles but not before leaving a note to tell him that I'll pay him what's due later in the day. I did go and see him as promised. He laughed at the fact I had waited for an hour. It snowed this morning!
October 20 : If there is one thing I hate more than a disrespectful student it is a teacher who defends them. Earlier this week I physically removed a boy from class - no-one tries to take the piss out of me and gets away with it. After class his form teacher told me that he didn't understand. That is the stock-standard defence for all students and their teachers fall for it. The kid in question fully understood and furthermore, his attempt to show-off underlines this. His mates in the class were very quick to stop thinking he was clever and learn that a little respect was in order. Chinese students do have moral education classes but in those I suspect they are too busy learning that holding a girl's hand before you're 22 is bad for your health instead of concentrating on such minor topics like common decency and respect. _________ My apologies for the lack of recent updates; I've been designing a new look and feel to this website which when completed and made 'live' will enable you, the viewers to take an active role in the content. I hope to have it on-line by the end of the month. My apologies too to those of you who registered on the Message Board. That will be re-established shortly. This 'little' project has been occupying most of my time and so we've not been getting up to much else ergo, I have little in the way of gossip. We have however, been invited out for dinner tonight by a leading physician from the Number 1 hospital. His second language is french. There'll be four of us: A Frenchman with basic Chinese and medium-level English, me with intermediate Chinese and rusty French, Tanya with no French but fluent in Chinese and English and the doctor with no English. It should be very interesting.
October 11 : I have calculated that I have more holidays than actual work days! I'm off again tomorrow (Friday the 12th) because of some sporting events at school. I'm not complaining! I have a new private student as a result of picking up the telephone at a time I didn't think T would be calling. Naturally, when all negotiations worked out I found myself doing a favour for a friend of a manager of a friend's friend and therefore there's no hard cash involved. 'Payment' has been forthcoming in the local currency; cartons of ciggies, expensive gifts (clutter) etc. The fact is that, on this occasion I'm more than happy to take this kid on. He's polite, respectful and above all he wants to learn. Based on these facts I'd do it for nothing anyway. I have two, decidedly different weeks in my life right now: Week 1 is my 'shitty' week and week 2 is my 'great' week. Why? Because the hours I work in week 2 are better, the students I teach are more clever and I do less. This was a 'Week 1' week but it was actually quite pleasant. I think the message of Buck-up or Shut-up has finally got through. In one class there is a girl who looks ever-so-much like a boy. She answered a question and when I added to the scoreboard under 'ladies', the whole class applauded. They had set me up! They didn't think I would know the difference! How little they know me ;) _________
_________ I've just watched the weather forecast for the coming few days and things are going to pick-up. Let me tell you though that right now (living on the top floor with great views has its disadvantages) that it is bloody freezing. I've donned the Uggs and have the air-con pumping out 23C air. It takes ages to breed maggots in weather such as this! _________ I've had a couple of emails from 'long-lost' friends and I thank you. I heard some sad news that two of my teachers, Granny and Sam both died (almost in the same week) and that was news. Granny lived over the road from us so she was actually a 'family friend' whereas Sam was just a top bloke. I even demonstrated to my students how he would tan your arse with the correct answer should you happen to get a question wrong. That was my Memorial Service to him and I'm sure it was appreciated. Ailis (missing the fadas), I never missed your birthday - I sent you TWO messages!
_________ I've started a message board where you can stay in touch more easily (friends) or help others (people who have been to or who are living in China) who may be coming to China. Signing-up is easy, it's free and NO-ONE can see your email so you won't get spammed. I don't care if it takes a small while to get off the ground as it is a service to you who come here. Until next time..
October 7 : We've arrived back from Beijing and the weather is just as cool and damp in Qinhunagdao as it was there! It didn't stop us from exploring new parts of the city which included the new National Stadium and the Olympic Bird's Nest. I was unable to get a photo of the latter but be told, it is an incredible sight to behold. Very, very impressive even when cast against an equally steely-grey sky. I think people on the bus must have thought I'd never seen a stadium before and Tanya had to lift my lower jaw from the floor. The TV footage you may have seen doesn't do the real thing justice.
__________ Aside from the usual we spent a lot of our time walking around the Sanlitun (Chaoyang) district. This area houses 90% of the foreign embassies and also many 'export' shops where you can buy almost everything a foreigner would want. For example, Tanya managed to buy beetroot and cottage cheese / clotted cream, the Aussie's are able to buy Vegemite, the DPRKers can buy suits as worn by Mr. Kim (I'm guessing that because I saw a guy walking out of their embassy dressed in identical fashion to their beloved leader) but I'll give you one guess as to what you can't buy.. Yes, Salt & Vinegar flavoured crisps! The only problem with these shops was that they must think every Russian, Korean, Australian or Brit is a diplomat as the prices are certainly not in-line with the average person's budget. The Russian goods were fairly priced. Their embassy is the oldest and by far the grandest. The Australian embassy had a homely, Queensland-like 'tropical' air to it. The British one reminded me of a prison, as did the others we passed including the Yank one (maybe even more so). I found it strange that all were guarded by locals - I always thought one's own countrymen would have been in charge of 'home soil'. __________ There's a new Indian restaurant opened in the hutong where we stay. It's not a big place but it is always packed and now I know why; the food is delicious, the ambience is Indian and the manager delightful. Portions were a little on the wee side but the prices were not over the top. It's new so it's popular but after three years of seeing things change on NanLuGuo Xiang 南锣鼓巷 ('our' hutong) I know this restaurant is a stayer. The Reef Bar is still the top-spot for very late drinking and for the first time ever, we nipped across the road the the Single Eyelid Bar (yes, strange name) - a great bar to chill-out in in the afternoon when the weather is shitty. They even have a Connect 4 game (Tanya won the first three games and then I'd warmed up! I need say no more). __________
I met a couple from Alaska in the hostel and what extremely pleasant people they were too. I wish them all the best on their travels and I hope the information I provided doesn't leave them thinking I 'grew up' in China using Maccas and westerners as my guide. A funny thing happened on the way to the train station.. Tanya swore to me that the train was due to depart at 1622. At a quarter to three we picked up the bags to leave and she handed me the tickets. The train was departing at THREE TWENTY-TWO. Panic set in with T and despite my reassurance that we'd make the train in good time her heart-rate must have been close to 180! She never believes me and, with a full fifteen minutes to spare we arrived and boarded. I'm not going to tell you about the madness on the train but I will just say that every student in the country was heading back to university that afternoon. I glanced at the 'capacity' plate in the carriage - 118 人 I took a quick headcount and stopped when I'd reached 170 people with a good third of the carriage still to go! Cheers.
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