So that's what we had! Very tasty for what it was. As Thanksgiving is on Thursday and we still had to teach all week, no one really felt like making the trek downtown on a weekday to find some real turkey. And even then (as last year attests), you're not guaranteed of getting the real thing!
Still haven't made it to the hot springs yet. Was going to go this weekend and it was all booked up. Popular spot, I guess. Instead, I went in for a foot massage. I swear they poke sharp needles in your arch to see if you can tolerate it. If you can't handle it, then they say there's something wrong with your liver and/or kidney (I can't remember which one). Whichever one it is, mine must be terribly messed up. However, I was able to walk out of there without limping and it did feel good at the end. They also like to beat on your legs and back, sometimes making it sound like there's a drum rehearsal going on. They didn't comment on my toe nail fungus or bunions, but instead preferred to wonder why Westerners have so much hair on their bodies...
The weather has been cool at night lately, maybe in the low 30's or 20's, warming up to the 40's or low 50's in the day. There's not been much wind, though, and with Xi'an located in a valley between mountains the air can get stagnant. Hence the severe pollution warning today. Wearing a mask is recommended. When you look outside, it just looks like a very foggy day and you never see the sun...
The new mall that opened up near us is a short 15 minute walk away. The crowds have been crazy, which I hope dies down after a while. We tried to go down to the lower level where they have a supermarket and it was so crowded you couldn't move. I became claustrophobic and had to get out of there. They also have some cinemas which haven't opened up yet. Supposed to be very nice (and expensive). There is a Starbucks with Western style prices and up. They're supposed to speak some English in there, but I went in and ordered a vanilla latte and the girl had no idea what I said. A manager came over and handled it...
I ate in a new restaurant there that serves Shanghai-style fried baozi. I love baozi, but had never had it fried (it is usually steamed). I bit in and had a big surprise - I got covered in hot soup all over my shirt and pants. Little did I know there is hot soup inside those dumplings! They are very tasty, however, so I shook it off. Found out you're supposed to bite off a small piece, suck out the soup, and then eat it...
My colleague from Denver got his new bike stolen at the new mall a couple days ago. The thieves here are fast and efficient. He had a cheap lock on it. Bad mistake. He lives a little further away then most of us and needs the bike. I offered up my electric scooter that I almost never ride and he was happy to take it. I can always rent one of the public bikes if I really need to go somewhere further. It's kind of crazy on the roads here and it's probably in my best interest to nix the electric scooter anyways.
The third member of the math department finally arrived last week. His name is George and he's from Kenya. Very nice man, a little hard to understand sometimes. He's catholic and has 3 or 4 kids I think (back in Kenya). I don't end up with any relief on the teaching schedule, however, as a bunch of changes were made and I actually teach 2 more a week now than I did before (I now teach 24 classes a week). It is rather hectic and I often feel like I'm barely keeping my head above water. The next break isn't until January 31 when the Spring festival starts (Lunar New Year)... Ugh!!
So I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and ate some real turkey. What I wouldn't give for some turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy right now!
Wan an,
Gregg
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Qiu tian
Autumn. Not very many trees with colorful leaves here in Xian, but they do have gingko trees (at least that's what they call them) that have bright yellow leaves before they fall. Trees like maples that have orange or red leaves are pretty much non-existent.
Got the heat turned on yesterday (one day ahead of schedule!). It is now comfortable in the apartment and not necessary to wear a jacket. If it's like last year's apartment, it takes about a week before the heat seems to settle down. Heat is not cheap in China (especially by Chinese standards). You have to pay for your 4 months of heat up front (it's on until March 15) and they base your amount on the size of your apartment and other factors of which I have no idea. The heating fee for my apartment is over 2300 RMB, or over $360. You cannot control the heat once it's on - there are no thermostats - if it's still too cold you sweater up, if it's too hot you open the windows (and let in the pollution). Great system!
Well, I was hoping to get to some hot springs this weekend, but all the Chinese teachers had to go to school on Saturday and take a teaching test. They make them do this once a year to show they are qualified to be teachers. From what they all say, it's a huge joke but the Chinese like their routines. Anyways, these hot springs are in an area where there is absolutely no English-speaking going on, so without translators I wouldn't attempt it. So now we're shooting to go in 2 weeks. Keeping fingers crossed...
So on Saturday night some of us went to a new German style restaurant that just recently opened. It is nicely furnished and the waiters and waitresses wear german costumes that look interesting on a chinese person... I went for a bowl of goulash and some pork schnitzel. It was surprisingly good. I'd probably go back again but it's a good cab ride away and on the expensive side...
Tomorrow we start a new schedule at school. I will now teach 24 periods a week, up from 22. I'm not too excited. The new math teacher they were finally able to recruit is supposed to arrive by the end of the week. He won't offer any relief to us though because they've simply added several new classes that he'll be teaching. He's from Kenya - he'll be the only black guy in a 5-mile radius. Certainly a novelty for the students...
It's been a quiet day. Good way to usher in the 60's I suppose. I was surprised when I went to my computer this morning and there was Google wishing me a happy birthday:
Got the heat turned on yesterday (one day ahead of schedule!). It is now comfortable in the apartment and not necessary to wear a jacket. If it's like last year's apartment, it takes about a week before the heat seems to settle down. Heat is not cheap in China (especially by Chinese standards). You have to pay for your 4 months of heat up front (it's on until March 15) and they base your amount on the size of your apartment and other factors of which I have no idea. The heating fee for my apartment is over 2300 RMB, or over $360. You cannot control the heat once it's on - there are no thermostats - if it's still too cold you sweater up, if it's too hot you open the windows (and let in the pollution). Great system!
Well, I was hoping to get to some hot springs this weekend, but all the Chinese teachers had to go to school on Saturday and take a teaching test. They make them do this once a year to show they are qualified to be teachers. From what they all say, it's a huge joke but the Chinese like their routines. Anyways, these hot springs are in an area where there is absolutely no English-speaking going on, so without translators I wouldn't attempt it. So now we're shooting to go in 2 weeks. Keeping fingers crossed...
So on Saturday night some of us went to a new German style restaurant that just recently opened. It is nicely furnished and the waiters and waitresses wear german costumes that look interesting on a chinese person... I went for a bowl of goulash and some pork schnitzel. It was surprisingly good. I'd probably go back again but it's a good cab ride away and on the expensive side...
Tomorrow we start a new schedule at school. I will now teach 24 periods a week, up from 22. I'm not too excited. The new math teacher they were finally able to recruit is supposed to arrive by the end of the week. He won't offer any relief to us though because they've simply added several new classes that he'll be teaching. He's from Kenya - he'll be the only black guy in a 5-mile radius. Certainly a novelty for the students...
It's been a quiet day. Good way to usher in the 60's I suppose. I was surprised when I went to my computer this morning and there was Google wishing me a happy birthday:
We all get our 15 minutes of fame!
Sunday, November 8, 2015
leo shi
That's Chinese for 60. Don't ask!
Just like last week, Sunday has turned into the best day of the week. Very cold and rainy Friday and Saturday, sunny and clear skies (low pollution) today. Although still a bit cold! Next week the government turns on the heat (yay!) so it won't be so cool and damp in the apartment. It takes 2-3 days for the laundry to dry, and even then I'm not sure it's totally dry...
We gave mid-term exams this week at school so our schedule was topsy-turvy. I've just finished grading my share of the papers so what's left of the weekend is mine. Preparing the exams and scheduling them is a big deal here, although in the long run they are meaningless. The only things that matter to the students are the big test scores: SAT, AP subject tests and TOEFL (English proficiency test). We still have no idea how they come up with the students' GPA - I figure they just make something up and send it on... I don't think the universities look at China students' GPAs anyways (probably for that very reason), so it doesn't really matter. Good scores on their AP tests (they take from 4-7 of them) and a decent SAT are what get them in! Oh, and a fat wallet too!
On Nov.23 the final member of our math department is finally scheduled to arrive. He is a citizen of Kenya. He will probably be the only black person within a 1 mile radius of the school. It won't really make a big difference in our teaching schedules, though, because in the middle of November they ramp up some of the classes and we teach them more times a week. So right now I teach 22 classes a week, and following next week it'll be 24. (Our maximum is contractually 26). With the position Head of Department (HOD) that I have this year, I'm supposed to have a lighter schedule to handle other duties. But, in reality, what's happening due to circumstances beyond our control is I'll have more classes than anyone else in the math department plus extra stuff. I've told the principal I'm not too happy about that. They pay me a little more to be HOD, but honestly it is not worth it... I did not come over to China to work my butt off!
Last year, on my birthday, a bunch of us went to KTV (Chinese karaoke). While it was an interesting experience, I have no desire to do that again! I heard about some hot springs that are not too far from here so that's what I'm shooting for this year. Jake, from Colorado, shares my same birthday and I think he'll be up for it too. The only problem is transportation, but I think we can work something out.
I'm about to give up on my Chinese language attempts. I've been to the local shop here to buy baozi (Chinese dumplings) probably 5-7 times. I've practiced with Chinese friends to make sure I'm saying it right (I want to get vegetable or mushroom baozi - very tasty and safer than the meat ones). Only ONCE have they given me the correct kind! I get home and it's usually meat (pork). AAAHHHH! I then repeat what I said to my Chinese homies and they say I said it right. So what gives?? One explanation they posit is that the workers are surprised to hear Chinese coming out of a foreigner's mouth and hence don't understand it. What???? I tell you, the tones are so subtle sometimes that it can drive you crazy. Anyways, I've decided to give up on baozi unless a Chinese person is with me...
So, I'm hooked on Fargo. I'm watching American Horror Story even though I'm not enjoying but thinking there must be something good coming out of it somewhere. And then The Last Man on Earth. It's a little uneven but sometimes pretty funny. That's about it. I download the occasional movie and watch it. I thought The Martian was worth what I paid for it ($0.00). Mission Impossible Rogue Nation was also a bargain at $0.00. Somebody throw me a bone!!
Have a great week! Zai jian! (good-bye)
Just like last week, Sunday has turned into the best day of the week. Very cold and rainy Friday and Saturday, sunny and clear skies (low pollution) today. Although still a bit cold! Next week the government turns on the heat (yay!) so it won't be so cool and damp in the apartment. It takes 2-3 days for the laundry to dry, and even then I'm not sure it's totally dry...
We gave mid-term exams this week at school so our schedule was topsy-turvy. I've just finished grading my share of the papers so what's left of the weekend is mine. Preparing the exams and scheduling them is a big deal here, although in the long run they are meaningless. The only things that matter to the students are the big test scores: SAT, AP subject tests and TOEFL (English proficiency test). We still have no idea how they come up with the students' GPA - I figure they just make something up and send it on... I don't think the universities look at China students' GPAs anyways (probably for that very reason), so it doesn't really matter. Good scores on their AP tests (they take from 4-7 of them) and a decent SAT are what get them in! Oh, and a fat wallet too!
On Nov.23 the final member of our math department is finally scheduled to arrive. He is a citizen of Kenya. He will probably be the only black person within a 1 mile radius of the school. It won't really make a big difference in our teaching schedules, though, because in the middle of November they ramp up some of the classes and we teach them more times a week. So right now I teach 22 classes a week, and following next week it'll be 24. (Our maximum is contractually 26). With the position Head of Department (HOD) that I have this year, I'm supposed to have a lighter schedule to handle other duties. But, in reality, what's happening due to circumstances beyond our control is I'll have more classes than anyone else in the math department plus extra stuff. I've told the principal I'm not too happy about that. They pay me a little more to be HOD, but honestly it is not worth it... I did not come over to China to work my butt off!
Last year, on my birthday, a bunch of us went to KTV (Chinese karaoke). While it was an interesting experience, I have no desire to do that again! I heard about some hot springs that are not too far from here so that's what I'm shooting for this year. Jake, from Colorado, shares my same birthday and I think he'll be up for it too. The only problem is transportation, but I think we can work something out.
I'm about to give up on my Chinese language attempts. I've been to the local shop here to buy baozi (Chinese dumplings) probably 5-7 times. I've practiced with Chinese friends to make sure I'm saying it right (I want to get vegetable or mushroom baozi - very tasty and safer than the meat ones). Only ONCE have they given me the correct kind! I get home and it's usually meat (pork). AAAHHHH! I then repeat what I said to my Chinese homies and they say I said it right. So what gives?? One explanation they posit is that the workers are surprised to hear Chinese coming out of a foreigner's mouth and hence don't understand it. What???? I tell you, the tones are so subtle sometimes that it can drive you crazy. Anyways, I've decided to give up on baozi unless a Chinese person is with me...
So, I'm hooked on Fargo. I'm watching American Horror Story even though I'm not enjoying but thinking there must be something good coming out of it somewhere. And then The Last Man on Earth. It's a little uneven but sometimes pretty funny. That's about it. I download the occasional movie and watch it. I thought The Martian was worth what I paid for it ($0.00). Mission Impossible Rogue Nation was also a bargain at $0.00. Somebody throw me a bone!!
Have a great week! Zai jian! (good-bye)
Sunday, November 1, 2015
It's A Beautiful Day
How many of you remember that is the name of a rock band back in the late 60's? Their big hit was White Bird...
So today was a beautiful day and I went out and snapped some pics. Time to share...
As I think I've mentioned, my apartment this year looks out over a local park. It can be noisy at night as the sound seems to travel directly upwards. It is a definite place where people meet to play, have fun and exercise (they do those daily group exercises every morning and evening - weather permitting...)...
The old folk love to sit and play mahjong. All day long. You can hear the tiles hitting the tables from far away.
Ping pong, the national sport of China. I never see kids playing it at school, however. Only in the parks do I see it. There was a young girl playing today (8 yrs. old?) who was really good and would've beaten me easily.
They love to play badminton. But there are no badminton courts. So they just hit the birdie back and forth where they find an empty space.
A sand box area for the little kids. You can see where people are hanging up their bedding to dry in the background
What is a park without a pond? No fish or anything, the water is not clean...
A man playing an ancient Chinese musical instrument. Kind of like a violin? He'll be playing and then some woman will walk up and join in with him, singing in the "Shaanxi" opera style. Bring on the earplugs! It's annoying music to my ears (and most younger Chinese too) and often goes on until dark. Unfortunately, I can usually hear it up in my apartment...
A sculpture that kids climb on in the park. See the apartment building sticking up on the left? That's me on the 19th floor.
Dragon fruit. My new favorite. It's so easy to peel and eat. Tasty! I'm eating one right now!
And of course, yesterday was Halloween. Quite the costume, eh?
So today was a beautiful day and I went out and snapped some pics. Time to share...
As I think I've mentioned, my apartment this year looks out over a local park. It can be noisy at night as the sound seems to travel directly upwards. It is a definite place where people meet to play, have fun and exercise (they do those daily group exercises every morning and evening - weather permitting...)...
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