I'm still trying to resettle. I am mostly over the fatigue - and am now trying to make some plans for my immediate future.
Yesterday I looked after two grand children on the Gold Coast, today I have a writers meeting, and I have a couple of other commitments during this week. Though by the weekend I should have some other plans clearer. I have to apply to do my Masters this week too.
It is an odd feeling getting back into home life again. Even in four months some things have changed.
I will go back over some of my adventures and post stories and photographs here. I have had several emails from students in China and one who went to America for work. One student in China is distressed - I'd had a long talk with him before the end of term. He was finding English classes a challenge, even though he was doing very well. He felt the pressure of study and wanted to opt out. I had hoped he'd stay - he was a good student, but he's decided to give up his education. He's worried about his head teacher - who is a friend of mine. He know she will be disappointed in him.
He is currently working in a factory - working long hours on very boring mechanical activities. He doesn't like it - but he doesn't know what to do. I can't help him much.
The boy in the US has not enjoyed his stay there - almost four weeks. He pushed the fire alarm out of curiosity and the fire bells went off, and everyone had to evacuate and the police and fire brigades came. He was terrified and hid under his bed.
Yesterday I received an email. Three black men had stolen his laptop - he called the police, but he says they are doing nothing about it. He's very upset. He's a good kid, but way out of his depth. Maybe he will grow up quickly.
Showing posts with label Chinese culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chinese culture. Show all posts
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
More Chinese mysteries solved.
I had a wonderful discussion with a Chinese teacher - and have learned a few more things about these complex people.
Several weeks ago I attended a conference in Hangzhou, and my room mate was a Chinese teacher. Oddly during the night she had a shower (flooding the bathroom) did not use any towel or bathmat, and disappeared in the night. I had many questions about this experience. Did I do anything wrong? Nothing I recall. But even then, I was told that a Chinese national could not room with a foreigner. She could not do it.
My Chinese friend added further to the mystery. My friend, whose name I will not use, but for this exercise will refer to her as C, gave me some explanation.
Chinese girls in particular are very suspicious of the linen used in hotels. They don't believe that the linen is clean. So they take their own towels. (So my mystery room mate used her own towel when she showered.) C said that she could never get into a bed in her night attire in a hotel, but would go to bed fully clothed. Just take off her shoes and coat.
No doubt the Chinese teacher was very uncomfortable with a foreigner for a whole range of reasons. It is surprising that knowing that, that the conference organisers would choose to put us in the same room. For me, it worked out OK for I did not want to share, but would have had to pay a lot more money to be alone and I had already paid a lot to attend the conference.
As it turned out I did have the room to myself, without paying extra. I had understood the cultural difference would have made the young Chinese girl uneasy, but it is interesting to have more information on this.
Strange but true.
Several weeks ago I attended a conference in Hangzhou, and my room mate was a Chinese teacher. Oddly during the night she had a shower (flooding the bathroom) did not use any towel or bathmat, and disappeared in the night. I had many questions about this experience. Did I do anything wrong? Nothing I recall. But even then, I was told that a Chinese national could not room with a foreigner. She could not do it.
My Chinese friend added further to the mystery. My friend, whose name I will not use, but for this exercise will refer to her as C, gave me some explanation.
Chinese girls in particular are very suspicious of the linen used in hotels. They don't believe that the linen is clean. So they take their own towels. (So my mystery room mate used her own towel when she showered.) C said that she could never get into a bed in her night attire in a hotel, but would go to bed fully clothed. Just take off her shoes and coat.
No doubt the Chinese teacher was very uncomfortable with a foreigner for a whole range of reasons. It is surprising that knowing that, that the conference organisers would choose to put us in the same room. For me, it worked out OK for I did not want to share, but would have had to pay a lot more money to be alone and I had already paid a lot to attend the conference.
As it turned out I did have the room to myself, without paying extra. I had understood the cultural difference would have made the young Chinese girl uneasy, but it is interesting to have more information on this.
Strange but true.
Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Time is going quickly
This week is my last week of classes. What I have been doing is showing some films in class. One DVD is about Australia and the other is a popular movie.
Sadly I have been unable to access the class rooms with audio visual facilities for my Oral English class. Sure one does not want to show movies all the time in English class, but they are very helpful.
Because it is the last lesson I have not used them as I would normally do in English class, but there is English subtitles, and English dialogue and it is a musical so the students can sing along with the cast members.
In class movies can be very helpful but to do it properly there is quite a lot of planning required. It is helpful to give students information on some of the dialogue - especially words that they might not normally have seen or understood.
There are some tearful farewells too. Yes, and some of the tears are from my eyes. I have made some great friends.
It is funny though. For the final examination of the Oral English students I have included an interview with them. Some conversation and some reading. On two occasions boys - and there are few here - at the end of the class, ask if they can hug me. They will miss me!
I do laugh a little about this. Are they trying to woo the teacher a little for extra marks? Probably. But at the same time probably not. I'm hoping that the guys are genuine in their affection for me, and that is all. Rather funny really. And no, they don't get extra marks.
Last night I spoke with two students in the coffee bar, and walked about the different cultures and the different manners. I told them about the time I went with a student to dinner and how the student spat our her bones and other wanted food onto the table. (It is quite acceptable in China and is done in all the nice restaurants!) Of course I found it quite appalling. Also the loud eating of food - munch, munch, crunch, crunch - often with the mouth open.
We also talked about the issues with spitting and smoking. Few women smoke in China, in fact the only one I have seen is an English teacher from Australia. I find it very uncomfortable in restaurants, in elevators and in the taxi when the cigarette is lit up and I have to endure a gulf of smoke. Strangely there is a sign in taxis that smoking is forbidden, but that appears to exclude the driver!!!!
Even the Chinese students do not like the spitting. And the disrespect for other peoples property too. They acknowledge that there is a problem with rubbish - pollution. Of course there are waste bins everywhere, but many Chinese people just throw their stuff on the ground.
I would hope that the students at university now understand some of the things that their country needs to change. Some of the above. I learned that men who do plumbing work and electricians do not need to have training. Anyone can do it.
Which is probably why there is so much problem with plumbing here. It is common to find a toilet "broken" - "it is broken" and no one can fix it.
All I can see is that there are many opportunities - yes, for plumbers and electricians to be trained, for education on pollution, and spitting, and for education on maintenance (not done much at all!), and so on.
I know a lot of people are highly critical of some aspects of life here in China, and there are days I can slip into frustration about it. But this country has had challenges that no other country has faced, and I think they are doing well. Extremely well.
Just more opportunities and challenges. It will be interesting to watch China develop.
Sadly I have been unable to access the class rooms with audio visual facilities for my Oral English class. Sure one does not want to show movies all the time in English class, but they are very helpful.
Because it is the last lesson I have not used them as I would normally do in English class, but there is English subtitles, and English dialogue and it is a musical so the students can sing along with the cast members.
In class movies can be very helpful but to do it properly there is quite a lot of planning required. It is helpful to give students information on some of the dialogue - especially words that they might not normally have seen or understood.
There are some tearful farewells too. Yes, and some of the tears are from my eyes. I have made some great friends.
It is funny though. For the final examination of the Oral English students I have included an interview with them. Some conversation and some reading. On two occasions boys - and there are few here - at the end of the class, ask if they can hug me. They will miss me!
I do laugh a little about this. Are they trying to woo the teacher a little for extra marks? Probably. But at the same time probably not. I'm hoping that the guys are genuine in their affection for me, and that is all. Rather funny really. And no, they don't get extra marks.
Last night I spoke with two students in the coffee bar, and walked about the different cultures and the different manners. I told them about the time I went with a student to dinner and how the student spat our her bones and other wanted food onto the table. (It is quite acceptable in China and is done in all the nice restaurants!) Of course I found it quite appalling. Also the loud eating of food - munch, munch, crunch, crunch - often with the mouth open.
We also talked about the issues with spitting and smoking. Few women smoke in China, in fact the only one I have seen is an English teacher from Australia. I find it very uncomfortable in restaurants, in elevators and in the taxi when the cigarette is lit up and I have to endure a gulf of smoke. Strangely there is a sign in taxis that smoking is forbidden, but that appears to exclude the driver!!!!
Even the Chinese students do not like the spitting. And the disrespect for other peoples property too. They acknowledge that there is a problem with rubbish - pollution. Of course there are waste bins everywhere, but many Chinese people just throw their stuff on the ground.
I would hope that the students at university now understand some of the things that their country needs to change. Some of the above. I learned that men who do plumbing work and electricians do not need to have training. Anyone can do it.
Which is probably why there is so much problem with plumbing here. It is common to find a toilet "broken" - "it is broken" and no one can fix it.
All I can see is that there are many opportunities - yes, for plumbers and electricians to be trained, for education on pollution, and spitting, and for education on maintenance (not done much at all!), and so on.
I know a lot of people are highly critical of some aspects of life here in China, and there are days I can slip into frustration about it. But this country has had challenges that no other country has faced, and I think they are doing well. Extremely well.
Just more opportunities and challenges. It will be interesting to watch China develop.
Tuesday, 9 December 2008
Chinese Culture
One thing that I have been searching for is Chinese Culture - performance. We managed to get to the Opera one night, but it was hard going. And people who saw us there, and those who know we went were quite curious. Why would we want to see this?
I recall at the Dragon Boat Festival - where there is a public holiday - there was not a sign of any Dragon Boat despite all the water (lakes, rivers, canals) around here. Not a teensy bit of Chinese culture - at least nothing I could find!
At student events there is little - until last night that is. I was not officially invited until very late, and by then I had found out one of my students was singing and had announced I would like to go.
It was billed as "Chinese Ancient Custom Festival." I think I was the only foreign teacher there.
It started with the Lion Dance - two very clever young men in the Lion's costume performing some great acrobatics and great gestures of the Lion.
That was followed by an array of performances - Chinese traditional music with the musicians in costume and not the usual jeans and sweater! Traditional Chinese stories performed in exquisite costume. I chatted to the man beside me (a Chinese PE teacher) and told him that this is what I had wanted to see - real Chinese cultural performance.
I had another commitment at 8 pm so left before the event has completed ,but in time to see my student sing a traditional Chinese song!
A great night, and I am so glad that I was able to see it. Why don't they invite the foreign teachers? Mainly as they do not understand that despite the language difficulty we can appreciate the colour, the music, the spectacle of Chinese culture.
I hope I can get to see more of it!!!!
I recall at the Dragon Boat Festival - where there is a public holiday - there was not a sign of any Dragon Boat despite all the water (lakes, rivers, canals) around here. Not a teensy bit of Chinese culture - at least nothing I could find!
At student events there is little - until last night that is. I was not officially invited until very late, and by then I had found out one of my students was singing and had announced I would like to go.
It was billed as "Chinese Ancient Custom Festival." I think I was the only foreign teacher there.
It started with the Lion Dance - two very clever young men in the Lion's costume performing some great acrobatics and great gestures of the Lion.
That was followed by an array of performances - Chinese traditional music with the musicians in costume and not the usual jeans and sweater! Traditional Chinese stories performed in exquisite costume. I chatted to the man beside me (a Chinese PE teacher) and told him that this is what I had wanted to see - real Chinese cultural performance.
I had another commitment at 8 pm so left before the event has completed ,but in time to see my student sing a traditional Chinese song!
A great night, and I am so glad that I was able to see it. Why don't they invite the foreign teachers? Mainly as they do not understand that despite the language difficulty we can appreciate the colour, the music, the spectacle of Chinese culture.
I hope I can get to see more of it!!!!
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