hong kong

I went to Hong Kong for the first time last saturday, and even though we didn't get there until maybe 2pm and had a sort of large group (and groups don't move very efficiently) so we didn't get to see a whole lot of things, I had a great time and I really like it there. The food is really good. Cheap for american standards, but on a China teacher's salary, even a "foreign expert"'s salary, Hong Kong is really really expensive. In one day, including transportation, I spent all of the 400 kuai ($50) that I exchanged. Sure. Only $50. but 400 kuai! that's a lot of money! And I didn't even have anything to bring home to show for it. It was so nice to have a little bit of western convenience though.

I'm going again tomorrow for the big halloween party at Ocean Park. Yes, that will be expensive too. But really, when else am I going to be here for sure again? I didn't get a chance to meet up with Catherine, my roommate from Milan, last time, so we're gonna try again tomorrow. I really really want to see her!

street food and the government, ahem

So on wednesday night, after chinese class, and after dinner, and after my usual hourlong walk back home, I met up with some fellow teachers in the cool little alley area near my place where there's a bunch of street food. It was getting towards midnight, and some of us were heading to alex's place, also very close to the street food. the others were crossing the street, and I stopped in a little hole in the wall to buy a 12 cent small-sized tapioca milk tea. I caught up with Ryan, who stopped to look at the meats and veggies on a stick, waiting to be grilled to pure deliciousness. The others were waiting on the other side of the street while ryan was deciding. He told the lady he wanted one tofu, and as she reached for the skewer to place it on the grill, the vendor next to her started shouting urgently. The woman dropped the tofu and everyone around proceeded to cart their goods away as fast as possible. I figured it was just a cop since street vendors are illegal, but we still stood there for a second a bit stunned because she dropped everything right in front of us and ran with her stuff. I turned towards the street to see what was there, and all of a sudden, there were 3 white vans whose side doors were thrown open. Swat team looking officers started streaming out, soo many of them, and ran towards the vendors. They grabbed carts and goods and threw them in the back of a rickety truck with lots of storage space. No one seemed to care about arresting anyone, just focused on getting their hands on raw street food and carts and disposing of them. Ryan and I crossed the street to where the others were, and we stood in complete shock as the scene played out. There was a huge crowd, and smoke from the little makeshift barbeques, and cops in full gear. It was so much like a 60's riot. Something you would watch on tv. So weird. Jeff went off into the middle of the street and got some pictures before he was shooed away, so maybe sometime this year I'll get a copy of those and post something. Wow. So surreal.

Hong Kong Australian International School

Yesterday my 4th graders got a visit from their penpals from the Hong Kong Australian International School. So a bunch of Australian ex-pat kids and Chinese probably-rich kids came to our school to hang out with my kids and to observe classes in a Chinese primary school. I got to help host parts of the morning, and that was fun. It was kind of weird because I only sort of knew what was supposed to be going on the whole time. There was a detailed schedule, but it was all in Chinese, and Anne helped roughly translate the events and the parts that I would be involved in. I co-led the meet and greet, and the presents exchange. Then I got to wander and watch the classes that were on exhibition. That was pretty fun. Kids are learning ballet in dance class and I never knew. There are a lot of things about this school that are indirectly hidden from me because no one tells me or no one knows how to explain clearly how schedules and stuff work.

Next was a gathering on the playground for games of tug of war and a basketball free throw shootout. The tug of war was pretty hilarious. a whole lotta kids on either side, pulling a thick rope and lots of shouting and craziness and what looked like an unorganized mess. but that's how it's supposed to be, I guess. Then winged my way through the "closing ceremony" trying to award winner's certificates to the Australian school. rigged? maybe. And organizing kids and parents and teachers for a group photo. And then they left and all of the teachers rushed to the cafeteria to eat our yummy eggplant before all the food got put away.

Good fun, and a really welcome break from the teaching schedule.

random classroom tidbits

Haven't written in a little while so I'll break things up so vicki and bryan don't complain that my posts are too long.

I have a set of twin boys and twin girls in my 5th grade classes. class 3 and class 4 each have one boy twin and one girl twin. I just figured out who they are. After 2 months. Yeah, maybe most asians look the same.

A while ago while 4th grade was learning about bats, I was showing pictures of bats flying at night and birds flying in the daytime, and asking the kids which they were. During review, I showed the daytime photo, and a couple kids said, "They are birds." How many people will understand this? I think only 2.

4th grade again. Learning about butterflies and moths a couple weeks ago, as preparation for learning about insects in 5th grade, they memorize that they both have a head, thorax, and an abdomen. While teaching them, I showed the analogous parts of our body...head on top, thorax in the middle, and abdomen on the lower part. This week, Simon, who used to be named Gary but changed it on me one day, raised his hand and said, "Ms. Jen, Ms. Jen, she wants go doctor...she abdomen...her abdomen...umm...her abdomen 'owwww'.." Hahaha. How cute! I later taught them that that was correct, but it is better to say "her stomach hurts" or "she has a stomach ache." But I secretly think "her abdomen...owwww" sounds better. hah.

4th grade

I love my 4th graders so much more than my 5th and 6th graders. So much more. They actually listen to me most of the time and they're cute and funny. Today in 4th grade, class 4, we were reviewing butterflies and moths. I asked them what they remembered about the similarities between the two. They gave me the facts, and as the similarities dwindled down, a couple kids started telling me the differences. "Very good!" said I, "but what else is the SAME?" Soon ensued an enthusiastic shouting match (mostly led by 2 of my more fun kids) about the similarities between butterflies and moths. Some responses included:
"They cannot eat rice!"
"They can't eat hamburger!"
"They can't eat fries!"
"They can't eat pig!"
"They can't eat elephant!"
"They cannot open door!"
"They cannot play football!"
"They cannot close window!"
"They cannot speak rudely to the teacher!"
"They can't go WC"
"They cannot play computer games!"
"They can't take bath!"
"They can't pick their nose!"
"They can't play with dog!"

I just stood there and laughed. "Yes, you are correct." It was a fun class period.

I thought my English Corner today was going to be with the 4th graders again, since the Hong Kong Australian International School Students are coming next Thursday. (which should be exciting.) But no, apparently some soldiers were at our school giving our little 4th graders their own less official soldier training. Crazy. So my english corner ended up being talking to four 5th graders for half a period. I got to go out and watch the training from one of the balconies, and I took some video of marching and counting and stuff. I'll post on youtube soon.

butterfly

oh yeah, this morning while the school maintenance man, Mr. Lee, was installing a new light in my bedroom because it hasn't been working, I saw a butterfly on the gross wall near the weird water spout adjacent to my "kitchen." It looked ugly and grey. Like a moth. Oh, but how did I know it was a butterfly, you ask? Well because it didn't have a fat body, and at rest, its wings were folded on its back, not laying flat. My fourth graders are learning about butterflies and moths this lesson, and yes, I too am learning.

weekend

I had a rather nice weekend. On Thursday after school, I hung out with the same 6th grader, Nancy, and her dad again. For Mid-Autumn Festival, she had given me a coupon for a box of "the best kind of mooncakes", instead of just giving me a box. I thanked her, but didn't have time before my trip to go hunting down a department store in the next district over. So when I went over to her apartment, which, like most non sleazy apartments I've seen, has nice stone/marble tiled floors (sorry, I've been stuck in an "I want nice floors" mood for weeks), she gave me some of this mooncake to try. The best kind are from Hong Kong, and they are called Snowy mooncakes with mungbean paste and bits of eggyolk instead of lotus paste and a whole egg yolk. Or "cold skin" mooncakes. Anyway, they have a soft white outer layer that's sort of like mochi, and then the inside is yellow and with tiny bits of egg. Oh my goodness this was the best mooncake I have ever eaten in my entire life. In that instant, when I put the first bite in my mouth, I regretted not going early that sunday morning before I caught a train to Guilin to search for these wonderful things. Oh and they are gone forever. That will be my mission next year. To find them and bask in their splendidness.

Hah. Anyway, we went to some nice chinese restaurant for dinner, which was good, and then to karaoke! hahaha. it was pretty fun. we sang lots of early 90's english songs that she knew, and they sang some chinese songs for me too. I always feel bad going out with her (well, both times) because they spend a good amount of money to take me out. her dad is a higher ranking guy in the police and her mom seems to be traveling all the time, so I'm sure they make good money, but still.

Friday I didn't have school, as I mentioned. I went to chinese class in the afternoon, then rushed back to school by 5:30 because we had a little english teacher gathering, for dinner and to see the head of our department's apartment. He lives kinda far from school, it was like a 45 minute drive, more with traffic. He lives on the border of Futian district and Nanshan district...like that means anything to you. but anyway, it's kinda far. His apartment is on the 14th floor of a nice building and is super swank. Seriously, like nice flooring (again!), expensive furniture and massage chairs and stuff, big tv, huge really nice balcony, balconies off of both bedrooms, western bathroom, a bay window!! (which doesn't look off onto anything really nice, but still). Seriously, this could have been a nice apartment in a big city in the States. His wife is headmaster at another primary school. They're super rich. We went to dinner near the metro, in the area that caters to lots of foreigners. It was really good. We had this sweet and sour fish that had pinenuts on it. I haven't had pinenuts in so long. Yes, it was good. There was also a little pot over a small fire that had some meat in it. I was informed it was frog. I said "liang xi dong wu!" and they smiled and said "yes." haha. that means "amphibian" and I learned it just recently, teaching my 5th graders about amphibians. So later, they gave me some and I put a piece in my mouth. There were a few bones and I was like, "ah! bone!" and Mandy, one of the young teachers looked at me and said, "haha, yes, I saw that bone. You do not know frog." No, I do not know frog. But it really did taste like chicken.

This weekend I went to Long Gang district to visit my friends who live way up there. it was like an hour's bus ride. The outskirts of the city are more dangerous, but most of them live in their little downtown area, which is safer. We took another hour's busride out to the beach, which was nice. I spent some time sitting in the shallow part of the water and getting tossed around by the choppy waves. good times. I spent the night at one of their places, which was way nicer than mine. everytime I see someone else's apartment I get all jealous. not good. but anyway, it was nice to get out of the city for a little bit.

Last week, Celeste, another young teacher, told me that the lady who keeps the library at school used to live right below me, but she moved out when she got married. Her family still lives there and her sister had tried to find me a couple times, but I wasn't home. So last night, Sunday, she came and knocked on my metal barred door and she came in and we talked for a long time. Her name is Lin and she's 25 and she studied for her last year of undergrad and then for her master's in the UK. Masters in like logistics or something in Wales. She now works for Walmart's headquarters here, global acquisitions or something. something with logistics and shipping and whatnot. But she was really nice and she lives just downstairs from me. so now I have a new friend! yay! when I'm bored at night, I can go and visit her in her clean-tile-floored apartment with her parents who don't speak english. but they speak mandarin and cantonese, so I can practice I guess.

military training

for 5th and 6th graders! goodness! Today I didn't have to teach because I only have 5th and 6th graders on fridays, and today they're on an "outing" for "soldier training". Crazy. I don't really know much about it, as no one can explain it to me especially clearly. But the older kids all got on a bus this morning to go somewhere to practice their discipline and marching skills. Which they learn in school too, but still. It's weird. The kids don't seem to know too much about the specifics either, they're supposed to find out about it themselves. Their teachers went along with them but since I have chinese class in the afternoons, I didn't go with them. I don't know if they would've had me go with them if I didn't have class though. Many of the kids I talked to are looking forward to it. I guess it's supposed to be fun, which is the way to go for the chinese military. get the kids into it while they're young. But anyway, that's why I got to sleep in today.

back

Ok, vacation's over, and it was a nice one. Much needed. I'll write more on it sometime later, just don't feel like it now. I had to teach on Sunday, it felt weird. But I skipped out on the science and just talked about vacations and we played pictionary. They liked that.

Today I ate my lunch slowly and ended up being one of the last teachers in the lunch room. There are 2 cute little girls, I think they're 2nd graders, and one of them has a parent who is a teacher. or rather, I think she's a teacher's niece, so she eats in the teacher's lunchroom too. There are a few students who do this. anyway, she and her friend were eyeing me from near the door, looking nervously like they wanted to approach. So I smiled. And then they inched their way over and said Hello. I said hello! ni hao! how are you? and they replied shyly with the standard "I am fine thank you, and you?" and I said I was fine as well. Then I said ni jiao shenme and then what is your name? and they told me their english names and laughed. I don't remember what they were. Well, one was mandy, but I can't remember the little girl's who I always see. It was a 2-syllable name, both syllables the same. They were cute. and then they skittered off and said bye bye! Their english was quite good, Ｉwas impressed. but maybe that's all they know. no matter. it was cute.


Correction: they are 1st graders, the first one I used to see more is named Toto, and the other, Mandy, is the daughter of one of the computer teachers. They now come up to me often during lunch break, call me Jennifer, and try to teach me the chinese names of basic objects to be found on the body and in my office. Cute!