My calligraphy box

I purchased this box to take home with me. It is a rather battered box (will probably be more battered by the time I get home to Australia), but its contents are fascinating.

The contents are: 3 calligraphy brushes, a plate to mix your ink, and an ink stone to the right. Just add water and grind it in the dish to the colour/consistency that you require. There are three pieces of blue and white china (and I have a collection of blue and white china pieces at home). One is the rest for the calligraphy brushes, to use when you are creating.

To the right of the brush rest is a space for two "chops" these are the little stamps that have Chinese characters carved into the stone. The blue and white bowl below the brush rest contains a red pasty substance which you use with your chop. Just push the chop into it, and then stamp away.

On the right is a little bowl, with tiny brass spoon to hold additional link.

In China if someone is a writer - it is often considered that he or she, not only creates the story but writes it in Chinese characters. Of course that is what the old writers did - using these wonderful brushes, wonderful paper, often made of bamboo, and hey presto.

I'm not sure what I will do with it in Australia, but one day I might try to create something with my Chinese calligraphy set.

A picture with many stories

It was Sunday December 28th - cold and wet miserable day in downtown Shaoxing. We'd stopped to watch part of the wedding procession that was in progress but had stopped - they'd "lost" the bride's car.

In the background you can see the brass band on the back of the small truck. It is tradition in Shaoxing for this little band of merriment to play while leading the procession of 6 - 8 prettily decorated vehicles around the city. Rain or Shine - it doesn't matter. Of course you can see it was raining and the musicians had their uniforms protected by an assortment of waterproof garments.

They were stopped out the front of McDonalds, waiting for the bride's car. They were playing "Oh, Susannah, oh, don't you wait for me....." and my friends and I stopped to take a photo, and the band played on and soon we "dancing and singing with the music" much to the amusement of the ladies on cleaning duty in the street.

My friend from Shanghai was not familiar with the wedding tradition and she was fascinated. The muso's kept playing, we took photos and danced and the cleaning trio thought we were all quite amusing.

Moments later, more vehicles appeared - the bride looking very beautiful in her very un-Chinese weddng gown, and vehicle with the photographer standing up with his head and shoulders through the opening in the roof of the car continuing to take the movie of the events.

This wedding procedure is traditional Shaoxing at its best.

More laughs in my Chinese adventure.

Lost in Hangzhou

We have discovered that many Chinese people cannot read maps, and get lost frequently. Again we have been lost - but it was not our doing this time.

The foreign teachers who have renewed their contracts for 2009 are required to have a medical examination and it must be done in the special centre in Hangzou. So it was organised for a bus to take the foreign teachers on Boxing Day - December 26th. Two of us, who did not need to have a medical - were offered a trip to Hangzhou anyway. And so it was that I was one of the passengers of the bus.

Everyone who has done the trip witht the college bus reports the same. Despite the fact that several trips a year are made to this place, the bus driver can never find the way there. We thought it might be OK this time, but when we discovered we were heading back out of the city, before we had found the medical centre, it was obvious that the driver was indeed lost again!

So the bus stopped - awkwardly on an intersection I might add - and our 'guide' jumped into a taxi to guide the bus to its destination. But it was peak hour traffic in Hangzhou and for a while we "lost" the taxi!

Thank goodness for mobile phones!

We soon "found" the taxi, and followed closely, but the taxi got lost too! And we foreigners (English speakers who can read Chinese signs a little - and obviously better than our Chinese driver) - were further amazed when we missed the turn off - again!

So eventually the taxi, followed by the bus, stopped some distance from the medical centre and the folk had to walk!

We certainly saw the funny side of the whole episode, especially as one of the men was really keen to pee, and he was almost distraught by the time the bus eventually stopped. One of the other passengers who suffers from motion sickness was also in a mess as the constant stopping, turning and backtracking did not help her condition.

Not once can anyone remember getting to the Medical Centre without being lost! And it was our Chinese "guides" sent to help us as we might not find our way on our own - that were almost most confused.

Just another funny story to tell about our adventures in China.

Snow

This morning it is cold - and it snowed for the first time. Not a lot as you can see - and I didn't see it fall, but it is there none the less. The temperature gauge says -2, but there is a wind blowing so outside it feels a lot colder than that.

I don't know if we will have any more snow forecast - but hopefully we will see a little more of it.



There is a little snow on the car which was parked there overnight. Actually the guy that drives that car is currently in Victoria, Australia. My apartment is directly behind the snow covered car. Ground floor (or first floor as it is known here) - I'm told it is warmer than the floors above.

Dinkum dunnies

Most of the toilets in homes and public places are what we call "squat toilets" not the western style sit on dunny (toilet) that we are more familiar with. It is exciting to see so many plumbing/bathroom supply shops with pedestal toilets and hopefully more will be installed in public places.

As well, it would be good to see the public loos cleaned well - as some of them are quite a challenge to "go" to.

Chinese children in winter

Babies being carried in baby holders on the back of their mothers. Sometimes it is impossible to see the baby, as they are well rugged up during winter.


Often the little children play on the streets in front of the shops that their mother or father own. I'm not sure about this little fellow, but he was certainly enjoying his activities with the game that he had to bang on the little characters that popped up from the holes.



The little children are well rugged up during winter - and we find it slightly amusing that they are so dressed that they would have trouble walking, or bending their knees or elbows - such is the thickness of the clothes that they wear. This little fellow as being carried by his mother in a cane basket - I suspect that they are strapped in. These baskets are common and carried on the backs of the women who come from villages.

Food drying in the streets

Out in the streets in the midst of all the human and other traffic, and dust and pollution are rows of foods drying. We saw fish, chickens, ducks, pieces of pork and other meats, sausages. We saw people making the sausages with big bowls of meat (it looked like pork, and soy sauce) and they used parts of plastic bottles as their funnel, and at one place we saw a woman on the footpath cleaning out pig intestines which are used for the skin of the sausages.

Quite an array of fish - obviously cleaned and opened up - some of the fish and chicken were held open with small wooden skewers.

Hanging out in the street to dry - rather strange sight to us!

Vegetables are drying too. These were on a bridge over a canal on a busy street - hard to tell how much dust and other foreign matter they would collect. Dogs, cars, carts, and spitting men pass this spot continuously.

In the village the sausage shop had rows and rows of product drying.

Drying sausages - almost like a curtain near the canal.

Mystery Solved

Yesterday I was with the class who had invited me to the "bake" on Saturday, and I started by apologising to them all for being late and nearly missing the bus. I thought I had misread the text message I had received on the Friday night telling me that the event had been postponed, when in fact it hadn't.

It seems that one of the students had been in a discussion with the other students and they had considered changing the date, but they realised that the bus had been booked and they would have to pay for the bus for the Saturday even if they didn't go.

By the time she realised that her message would cause some chaos, "it was too late" to let me know. So she just "forgot about it". Typical.

I any case I was glad to learn her side of the story, as I had been quite confused about the strange message and wondering what it meant if it was not to cancel the "bake."

Yesterday I received a text message pleading for forgiveness as she only understood the chaos she had created when I explained my lateness to the students in class. I sent her a message of forgiveness and that I thought it was a funny story, and that I was so pleased that I could go to the bake. She sent a message back thanking me and wishing me sweet dreams last night.

One thing we have learned is that the Chinese live for the moment. Planning does not rate highly n their culture. Don't we know it!

Tall duck and handsome.

The English language is not easy. But there are days when we hear some great "mistakes". Several words that are often spoken incorrectly are snacks/snakes, smell/smile. The children ate the snakes in the canteen. Ooops. You mean the children athe snacks in the canteen?

The lady had a smell on her face. You mean the lady had a smile on her face?

There are many of course - too many to recount. But today I heard a new one. I had been reading a piece about Valentine's Day and how the girls were looking for someone tall, dark and handsome. There were a series of questions, and some came back with the answer - which was not the answer to the question I asked, but they wrote in their test paper "tall, duck and handsome." Well, it sounds like it doesn't it.

I have been doing assessments on spoken English. It is hard for some of the students, and getting them to say a few sentences about simple things is not always easy.

Can you tell me a little about your mother? Usually the answer is "She is very beautiful and is a kindly lady. She loves me very much and I love her very much." In fact it is surprising that most students, male or female will recite such stories. Everyone is "beautiful" "handsome" "honest" and "kindly".

Now it is not about limited vocabulary, but this is what these students will say about their families. One does wonder sometimes if this is genuine - and I feel it is, but I do wonder if they are telling this story to the foreign teachers as they would not want us to know anything but good about their parents and their lives.

Curiously asking about grandparents is somewhat different. Many of them when asked if they have a grandparent will answer "yes", but when you ask a question about the grandparent, you might find that they are dead. And they know nothing about their lives.

Or you might hear about a grandparent that no one wants to talk to because no one likes him. Sometimes I feel like I am intruding on family "secrets" and backpedal quickly.

I keep on comparing these students with the students in Australia, that I am more familiar with.

Quiet weekend

This weekend I don't plan to do anything. Well, I may go to Tesco supermarket in the morning as I have found that I need a few things. We have often walked there, and I could ride my bicycle there, but if I am bringing a few things home, I'm not all that happy riding amongst the Chinese traffic with a load of things. The taxi is quite cheap and as it is wet and miserable I will catch a cab both ways. I can tell the cabbie where I need to go in Chinese, so that's OK. Some of them do speak English, but not all.

I do think I have a party to go to with students - am waiting to hear the details but it will be in the new Green Cafe here at the college. Start at 6 or 6.30 pm and all over by 8.30 pm. Chinese parties are different!

Maybe we can go to the Cocktail Bar after the party!

It has turned quite cool too, and this weekend I have put my washing in the bedroom to dry with the air conditioner on warm. It is so damp and no breeze so hanging it outside will be a fruitless excerise.

I have also been back to my Chinese dressmaker. Jing is very good. Not a lot of English spoken, but we manage. I have had a black dress made which fits well, and I am happy with it. She is currently making some denim trousers for me, and altering a skirt to cope with my reduced waistline. I have a couple of other things for her to make for me this winter. I do not really have enough winter clothes so keen to add to my "wardrobe" and getting things made is the only way for me here.

Last night a group of us went to the Banana Leaf Thai Restaurant for a meal and dancing. Great night out but as usual the Chinese events finish early - we left the restaurant by 8.45 pm and were home by 9.30 pm. Early to bed again.

No English in the English Faculty.

I'm not sure how many class rooms, offices and audio visual rooms are part of the English Faculty, but the block I work in is a five storied block with 6 classrooms on each floor. I know there are more, but have no idea where they are.

We think it is strange that the "English Faculty" uses NO ENGLISH. Our class details are all in Chinese (which of course we can't read) and we are often required to sign class attendance sheets, requests for photocopying - all in Chinese.

All notices on the noticeboard are in Chinese. We have no idea if we are expected to read them. And of course we don't. I understand notices were sent to teachers about the three days of mourning and the three minutes silence re the earthquake - but it never came to us. We didn't even get a notice in Chinese on this one.

Even in a university which is supposedly a "foreign language" college, there is little consderation given to any language other than Chinese. It also makes it very hard for the students learning Chinese as they are not encouraged to speak English - and there are no English posters, and so forth. It is hard to get them to speak English in class - except for specific class work. Try as I might, I often have no idea if they are talking about me!

When I visited the hair dresser some days ago there was no sign of English - except for one sign that appears over the entrance doorway when the store is open. Just one word "DOPEN" which I guess means that they are open!!!

Chinese Children

Little boy at the West Lake, Hangzhou

You can see and feel the love of children here. Grandparents are often the carers of little ones while their mothers work, and on weekends the father gets involved with child care too.

The babies are quite cute - and so well dressed and cared for. I like the little girls that have fancy hairstyles and clothes, and many will come up to us to say hello, as many children are learning English at school now. Even our own college has a kindergarten where the children learn English songs and words.

This little follow (above) was dressed in traditional Chinese clothing for a photo session at the West Lake at Hongzhou.

The little fellow below was on the train to Ningbo with his mother who spoke good English and little John had a short conversation with us too. He was such a lovely confident little boy. His mother helped us with our ticket etc in the Shaoxing railway station as we were looking to get on to the train to Ningbo a few weeks ago.

We have found that there are many English speakers around, and generally when we are in need one will appear. Certainly John's mother Lisa was helpful when we needed help! Thank you Lisa.

Mothers and babies at Ningbo

This little family asked that we pose for photos with them - which we did - but we wanted a photo of them too!

Shaoxing's Sydney Opera House.

The Opera House at Shaoxing





The Opera House from the front.

I have several classes working with me on a project to (a) improve their English and (b) provide English information for the foreign teachers and any tourists. There is very little English information here, which frustrates me. A lot.

I asked one class if they could explain to a non Chinese speaker, how to get to the Shaoxing Opera. I knew it was a famous opera company. I haven't been able to find any information. Oh, one said. Just catch No 2 bus.

The conversation went a little like this.

Me: Oh, so where do I get off? What do I tell the conductor? (who speaks only Chinese and now I know 5 Chinese words!)

Student: Get off at city quare.

Me: There are several city squares. Which one?

Student: The big one.

Me: So, perhaps I get to city square. Where next?

Student: Look up. You will see Sydney Opera House.

Me: So what time is the opera on, how much, when?

Student: Just go. They will tell you.

So yesterday, armed with this great information I went in search of the Shaoxing Opera/Sydney Opera House. And sure, I found it overlooking a city square. Finding any entrance was my next challenge - but in the end, after walking around and under the building I found a door and entered.

Two beautiful young ladies were on the other side of the glass.

The conversation was like many I have had. "Does anyone speak English?"

Reply "No English".

In the end I negotiated a copy of an A4 printed page full of Chinese writing, and photos of Chinese opera stars. Nothing was of help to me.

I showed my class today. One student always goes to Chinese opera. She is a singer and will take me. She supplied the information that I needed, but the class agreed, there was inadequate information for English speakers.

The students are amused at the stories I tell them, about my language challenges. I tell the stories to emphasise the potential for them as English speakers. I would pay a good guide.

Getting adventurous with meals

We go to one main canteen - partly because now two of the commissions have English menu, and we are getting a little bit more confidant. The staff know us as the English teachers (foreigners), and try to help us.

We can now go to the other commissions and watch what the students are getting and then follow their actions. Last night I had a wonderful noodle soup, with vegetables and a few things that were unidentifiable. Very tasty and very filling.

There is no dessert, and the only drinks served are soft drink, and milk drinks.

Meals cost very little in the canteen - and as we are given credit to use in the canteens we choose to do so mainly. I have had one meal in the city, and I've made some noodle meal (simply add boiling water!) in my apartment.

We have breakfast in our apartment - cornflakes, coffee, fruit, yogurt, and usually have one or two other meals in the canteen. All the foreign teachers meet there and sit together.

Maybe one day we will venture into one of the other three canteens on campus. But we've much more to try out in the one we already go to.

Prepared for the cold?

Well, a little more. I've managed a "donation" of a ski jacket which should keep me warm, some black "long johns", some great woolly socks, a beanie - all courtesy of my daughter from her snow expedition a couple of years ago. The jacket is great - and is now at the dry cleaners!

I also went into the city to see what other winter gear is available - and purchased a black skirt, and a teal blue long sleeved skivvy from Damart. Along with my new walking shoes, I'm happy that I have enough things to take. Sure to be cold there, but I can purchase extras I expect.

I walked from South Brisbane station, over the bridge to the city and around Elizabeth, Queen and Adelaide Sts, and back to Central station for the return trip. I noticed that there were so many people from other countries - languages other than English filled me ears wherever I went. And the only person I "bumped into" was a girl who was on the same TESOL course!

I'm still a little amazed that I have not received any paperwork from the College - it is less than 3 weeks and I'm still waiting for the "offer" and "contract" which were promised some time ago. I don't have the departure date in writing. I shall have to phone on Monday and hurry things up. I'm strangely confident that things will be OK - but just the same I'd like to see it in writing. (I would have thought it would be helpful to the College too, to ensure that we had all "signed off".

Today I am meeting with some great friends - women who have been in business, and with whom we have networked for a long time. We meet once or twice a year for a chat etc, and today we are going to the Wang Dynasty restaurant which is at Southbank. It was one of the restaurants that operated throughout Expo 88 - on the Brisbane River.

A Chinese restaurant - how appropriate.

More information...................

I have a departure date - seems I'm going on the 21st of February and at this stage booked on Singapore Airlines to head off on this amazing adventure.

I've got just over 3 weeks to get ready, finish off things at home, and be packed and ready to go. I have been accepted officially at the school in China (though I've seen no paperwork at this point), and I'm busily reading all I can about this region of China.

On Saturday I will be lunching with friends (at a Chinese restaurant) to say farewell - and it also doubles as our belated Christmas get together.

Today I saw my grandchildren ready for school - the two girls that I took to Adelaide. One is in grade 3 this year, and the other started Prep today. It is quite amazing to see them in school uniform! So grown up. I will miss them of course, but will send emails to them and photos.

I am glad I discovered SnapFish for my photos - as I will download them and have the prints sent to my address in Brisbane - so the folks can look at them, and save them for when I return.

I'm 'switching off' for a few days

I'm taking the two eldest grandchildren to Adelaide - a good time to tell my parents and my sister that I am going to China to work for a while. I'm not sure of what reaction I will get. My parents are familiar with my cousins spending a lot of time overseas, but not their older daughter. They probably don't think I would do anything like that.

My sister is alone - and would like to travel, so I may be able to talk her into visiting China while I am there, though she may be a bit daunted by travelling alone.

I continue to research living/working in China and have found some good websites and blogsites and have submitted this blog URL to a China Blog List - so maybe some more visitors here.

It will be about four weeks before I go now, I think. I have not received the documents promised last week - but as I will be away for a few days I will cross it off my list of concerns right now.

I'll be back on Friday so hopefully there will be some more information waiting for me.