Filling my Evenings

Filling my evenings has been a challenge since Carol left. While I used to go over to her room and do nothing, I now find I have to do nothing in my own room. I could leave, but that requires spending time on really crowded public transit, so I find myself shying away from that option.

To help me pass the time, I've turned to books. I've read more this year than any other year, ever. I churned through four books in June, generally starting one on Monday and finishing it by Friday. I don't think I've ever equaled that pace! I guess it shows how much reading you can get done when there's little else in your schedule.



Here's a selection of the books I've read this year. I've returned others, and brought some home when I left China for Lunar New Year. In this pile, I read all but three of them this semester.

Some comments about various books:

King Rat and Tai-Pan by James Clavell

I loved Tai-Pan. It's all about Hong Kong's history, and now when I go, I understand the territory a lot better. Fantastic book.

King Rat was also an excellent read. James Clavell's books are centred in Asia, and feature many foreigners living here and getting used to the way things are. For that reason, I find common ground with some of the characters and storylines.

The Watchman and The Two Minute Rule by Robert Crais

I bought The Watchman in the Toronto Airport as I waited for my flight to China. I had the book finished before I landed in Beijing. I've never read a book in one go like that! It was full of car chases, gun fights, and spying.

I had big hopes for The Two Minute Rule. It even had a positive comment from the Globe and Mail. Unfortunately, it was boring and pretty stupid. Don't read it.

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

I just finished this book yesterday. Carol had left it with me when she flew off to Canada. This is not the type of book I'd normally buy or read, but since I've finished most other books on my shelf, I gave it a go.

It was really frustrating...nothing really happened for the first three quarters of the book. It was all about the relationships the characters had with their estranged husbands, their deadbeat dads, their elderly crushes, their lifelong buisness partners. I grew really frustrated.

At the end of the book the author wrote a big twist into the plot. I never saw it coming and I had to respect her. I even grew emotional as I read the last few pages. Wussy!

Hornet Flight by Ken Follett

This is an action/adventure book based in Denmark at the onset of WWII. It was great and made me want to move to Denmark and learn Danish. The characters even went to Bornholm for awhile. Mormor didn't appear in the storyline unfortunately!

Next by Michael Crichton

Booooring. It's about the ethics and problems around cloning, patenting genes, and gene therapy. There were so many sub-plots I couldn't keep them straight, and they never seemed to intertwine. Then, they all magically got figured out in the last twenty pages. I don't know how this became a best seller. Avoid it if possible.

I have only one more week in China, and I have a few thin books left on my shelf. I won't have to buy anymore before I leave.

I like having the books I've read on my shelf, so I'm wondering if it's worth it taking my favourites home with me. If you keep a book on your shelf, you can remember parts of the book just by looking at the spine. If you read a book and never see it again, it's easier to forget you ever read it.

If I can spare the weight, I think I'll bring a few of these books home to Canada with me. We'll see if I can make it happen.

On the topic of books, here is the bookshelf in my classroom.



Notice Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever. This was a staple of mine growing up, and I brought it to China. The kids love it, since it's big and has great pictures. I must remember to take it home with me!

I've gone around the school and stolen all the good English books, since I bet nobody else even cares what books they have in their classroom. Some notable titles that I pilfered are My First BIG BOOK of Words, Richard Scarry's Bedtime Stories, two Curious George titles, and Where the Wild Things Are.

I also have the Stratford book that Carol brought along to China. For some reason the kids like this book too, especially identifying the various Canadian flags in it.

Good ol' books.

Children's Day pictures

This post has been a long time coming. I've been avoiding it, because there are so many pictures to post. Plus, Children's Day was at the end of May, so it's become history in the time that I've neglected it.

I figure this post will take awhile, but tonight seems like a good night to give it a go. I'm trying to stay up for the Euro2008 final between Germany and Spain, and have napped as much as I could. I also tried to stay up really late last night to get my body ready. I have a lot of time to fill before the game starts, and figure I might as well tackle the daunting Children's Day post.

This is another post mainly for Carol, since she'll recognize the kids in it.

Children's Day. It happens once a year at the end of May. You can read this post to familiarize yourself with the concept, and to see pictures of our dress rehearsal.

It was supposed to rain on the big day, but for the whole week before it had only started to rain in the afternoon. Since Children's Day was to happen in the morning, the thought was that we would miss the rain. The school was set up as an alternate location just in case.

Here are the pictures of the big day.

The day started early, at 8am. The children were already in the school basement getting ready by the time I arrived. By the time I had had breakfast, they were all costumed and getting their make-up put on.



This is the makeup staging area. There were four teachers in the assembly line, each doling out different cosmetic products. One was for eyes, one for cheeks, one for lips, and one for something else.



Here are three of my afternoon students whom I only teach for half an hour every day. Nina's in the middle, Sara is on the left, and Rachel is on the right. By virtue of growing up Chinese, Nina has not been diagnosed with ADHD. She's nuts! But I really like her, since she's always so happy to see me around the school and is always waving to me and showing me hyper jumping and spinning moves.





After the makeup was finished, we all went outside the school to the bowling alley, which was near where the big stage was set up. All the kids would wait here until it was time for them to be on stage. Carol's kids as well as my kids (in silver) wait.





Li Lau Shi was scheduled to perform a piano piece, so she got all dressed up. It's always interesting to see co-workers looking a lot different than you're used to. Li Lau Shi had makeup on and was wearing non-teaching clothes. Looking swell, Li!

Our class was to use the piano too, accompanied as we'd sing The Wheels on the Bus, ABC, and Happy and You Know It. Here it is being unloaded from a truck. I think one of the worst jobs in the world would be piano moving. They're so heavy and awkward.





The performance started with a selection of the school's best dancers doing the dance they did at New Years. With this dance they ended up winning some sort of prize at some sort of competition. It was spitting rain at this point, and you can see a few parents breaking out their umbrellas.



Carol's class was up next, and their number was cut short by harder rain and a crack of lightning. I like this picture as you can see the concern in the kids' faces as they cower under two umbrellas.





The parents also take cover under umbrellas, and soon it's decided the show can't go on and we must move into the school. Thirty seconds later, the parents have abandoned their chairs to escape the rain.



Because the children are all wearing costumes, they can't walk the rainy fifty metres back to the school. A Dunkirk-like rescue effort is begun, the children being ferried from the shelter of the bowling alley to the school, in school busses. The baby class is the first to be evacuated.



Everyone must patiently wait for a seat in the bus. Two of Carol's kids appear bored.



The parents have gotten themselves settled in their new digs, and eagrely await their children's appearances.







The classrooms and basement are now used as prep rooms instead of the bowling alley. Carol's kids get ready in their army fatigues and homemade berets, while my kids change from one costume to another.

Helping eighteen children get changed is a lot of work...imagine trying to get kindergarteners into snowsuits, finding their mittens, and making sure they wear their own boots, on the correct feet. I don't know how Mom lasted more than twenty years doing that!

One of my afternoon classes put on a fashion show. While I was skeptical at the rehearsal, it actually turned out really well and was a fan favourite. It was a nice change too, since most classes were doing choral speaking and dancing.



Mia is bored while she waits for the show to start. Carol named her Mia, as her Chinese name is MiMi. She was transfered to my class later, and now I always forget which is which and call her one or the other. She's smart, but never listens or pays attention in class.



This is one of my favourite pictures. No wonder the kids were nervous...look how daunting the situation seems! The teachers organize the kids from behind the barriers.



Karena and Joe got in their costumes and put on their dance. It was a big hit with the audience, but I still can't appreciate traditional Chinese dances as much as native Chinese people do.

The children were asked to make their own costumes that promoted recycling and re-using. The Children's Day program was to end with a parade of individual costumes across the stage. The costumes they made were great, but it ended in a disogranized mish-mash as they had to parade on the school floor instead.

The children ended up mixing with parents, teachers, grandparents trying to go home, and other people who got in the way. The recycling parade lost its panache without the stage...the idea was great, but it eventually fell victim to the rain and having to be held inside.



Chang-Chang displays his newspaper pirate outfit. I wonder if he made it himself!



Jennifer, Cherry, and Lily all grow tired of getting their picture taken. They are pretty cute though. They're all very polite, happy, and smart kids who are easy to teach. Obviously(!) I don't have favourites in my classroom, but if I did, these three would top the list.



These girls have edible headwear and jewlery! Notice the necklaces made of vegetables, and the tiara. It's made of a watermelon headband, with carrots cut in the shape of flowers and fastened with toothpicks. Think of all the effort!



Here's Benny with a costume that also took a lot of effort. Benny is one of my most frustrating kids. He entered the class two months ago (you can come to the kindergarten any time...four of my eighteen students enrolled after Lunar New Year) and is between half an hour and an hour late, every day.

He knows no English, and doesn't care about the classroom rules or procedures. His mom can't get herself together to deliver him on time, cutting down on his oppurtunities to learn English and the way things work. So frustrating. Often I have to spend my time policing him rather than teaching the kids who have been in class every day, on time, since September. He tries my patience like no other student.



Li Lau Shi seems to have limitless patience. Maybe I should trade Benny to her class for a box of crayons. No, that's obviously an unfair deal. Maybe Li will go for half a box.

I've never seen Li get frustrated or upset, and she teaches the most frustrating and upsetting class of crying two year-olds. I think Li actually really and truly enjoys teaching. I didn't think it possible, but Li Lau Shi seems must look forward to teaching every single day. Model teacher, Li Lau Shi.

Here she is saying goodbye to one of her kids before they leave at the end of Children's Day.

Children's Day ended just before lunch, and most of the kids went home. Only sixteen children out of the school's seventy-five didn't leave with their parents, so I only had to teach one class that afternoon. It turned out to be a great and restful finish to the day.

Once Children's Day was over, all the teachers were much less stressed, and the school's atmosphere in the following weeks was much improved. Before Children's Day, the teachers were agitated and tense. Afterwards, they were more relaxed. Oh Children's Day. Such a stressful event!

Friday at the Mall.

Today is Friday, and as usual I hit the town after school was done. I have dropped my pizza habit though, in order to save money. Instead, I browsed the mall. It's not that I like malling, but rather that I need to fill up my evening somehow. The malls usually have interesting things to see, and a mall sure beats my appartment. I made sure to bring my camera.

Here are pictures from my evening.



Haha! How embarassing! This girl has been stuck with an advertising sticker. These stickers are everywhere...stuck on bus stops, sidewalks, walls, and hydro poles. I figure they're the same thing as the "Make $2000/wk, from home!" signs that you see at traffic lights back home. This area was recently stickered, and this lucky girl didn't escape the sticker-er's attention. Very funny. At least to me.



This is Tee Mall. It has seven levels, which you can count. I think I got them all in the picture. While at first I wasn't used to these MegaMalls, now I am. And to think I used to consider the Eaton Centre in Toronto big!



On one of the top floors, there is an arcade. It has video games, carnival games like ring-toss, darts, and this water gun game. The game spits out tickets if you do well. This girl is doing well, and seems to have been playing for quite some time. Look at her haul!





And then there's this guy. He's playing a game where he slips his token in, and a vibrating table makes the coin dance all over. He's trying to aim the token into different holes on the board, without it going into the gutter. Some holes are worth more points than others. The gutter isn't worth any points. Points mean tickets, and look at all his tickets. He's not seven years old either...he's probably thirty. I hope I'm not spending hours at the arcade when I turn thirty!



And here's another thirty year-old, playing some sort of Dance Dance Revolution game. The screen shows you which dance moves to make, and you must dance the correct moves by stepping on the coloured pads of light. If you do it right, you get points. I think you can win tickets in this game too. He's holding the railing for support.



This is taken in the store where you can cash in your tickets. They have the usual little trinkets and key fobs, but also some bigger ticket items. This Sony PSP is maybe what the ticket guy is going for. It costs 320 000 tickets. I hope he has a goal in mind, and isn't just spending hours and hours at the same game because he thinks it's fun. Even I get bored of playing online hearts or Windows Tetris!

I barely saw any teenagers in the mall...it was all people my age or older hanging out. I find it interesting that malling is a more mature hobby in China than it is in Canada. I wonder what Chinese teenagers do. Probably their homework, all the time.



Once you're done in the arcade, you can come down to the ground level and buy a Rolex. Yep, there's a Rolex store in the mall. There's a Tudor store a few metres away, as well as an Omega boutique across the hall. In Canada, I don't even know where you'd go if you wanted to buy an expensive watch. In Guangzhou, you just go to the mall.





If you're in the mood for something a bit more spendy than a Rolex, you can always check out the Maserati Quattroporte, on display just inside the front doors. This is the car that Bono drives (or used to drive) so you know it's good. These are two GT Executive models. They have a 4.2L, eight-cylinder engine that drives the rear wheels and puts out 400HP @ 7000RPM. And, Yahoo Autos Canada lists its MSRP at $120 600.

Who knew...Rolex watches and Maseratis. At the mall.





If the Maserati is a bit too up-market for you, there is a Toyota Yaris display on one of the middle floors. I always wondered how they get cars into dealership showrooms and mall foyers. Now, I get to wonder how they get the cars into the elevators that bring them up to the fourth floor. Notice the Yaris banners. HUGE!

The posters and banners in the mall, along with a lot of other Chinese advertising, like to depict white people. There are more white people featured in the mall than Asians, for sure. I don't mind this, as a trip to the mall allows me to look at attractive female whiteys. When I see millions of Asians every day, it's nice to see some forigners for a change, even if they're only two-dimensional.





Some of the posters feature attractive women wearing designer clothes, while others show dorky dudes in dorky clothes, being dorks. Like the guys playing pool, and the guy with his horse.



A closer look at the dorky horse guy poster gives us insight into Baleno, the brand being advertised. It's a brand that I see a lot of here in China. Let's familiarize ourselves with the brand's history, shall we?

"Great Sir of BALENO, established this brand of BALENO in 1883,experience the smoked pottery of the history of more than 100 years, spread to accept England expensive room classic, provide the superior quality for the highly respectable customer of, the exquisite article of the good tasty."

Ok, then.

I should find the BALENO head office, and ask them to pay me to edit all their slogans and advertising literature. At least then they'd stop embarrassing themselves.

That was my trip to the mall. It was quite a success...my trip accomplished my primary goal of eating up my evening, and also provided me with excellent blog fodder.

Report Card Season

It's report card season again.

I had my reports done a week ago, as I was asked by the office. I asked if I should use the same one as I did last symester, and Feline (who interviewed me in Ontario and works in the office here in Guangzhou) said that would be OK.

Yesterday, Guo asked that I make changes to the report, so it's not the same as last symester, and could I have them done by Friday? I said that would be fine. There's really no other answer! They don't want me to use the same frame of evaluation.

Last symester, there were things like: "Can understand simple English instructions"; "Can use scissors and crayons"; "Can count to three; and "Attends to stories or instructions for 15 minutes". There are about forty of these questions. I put a check in the appropirate box, signifiying that the skill is Developed, Developing, or Not Yet Developed by the child.

It's fair that they've asked me to update the reports, as it makes sense that the report shouldn't be the same. I just wish everyone was a bit more organized with what they want from me.

I also had to prepare a list of all the songs we've learned this year. I compiled that, and had it ready the day after Guo asked me for it, which was Tuesday. Today, Guo asked if I would do the same for all the words I've taught, and the phrases I've taught. And, it needs to be done by tomorrow since another teacher will be testing my students.

Now that we're into the second term, it's very difficult to quantify what I've taught the children in the last eight months. I can churn out the words in the different units that I've been required to teach, but I've taught them much more than that. The children can now form simple sentences on their own, answer questions, and tell me little stories. These things aren't a product of rote memorization, but of months and months of labourious, patience-testing classroom conversation.

Gosh. It's frustrating being given requests that need to be fulfilled by the next day. I probably wouldn't work on the projects until the night before anyway, but it's still aggrivating. I figure the office is busy and they don't know what they want from me until the day before. I guess this is the way the world works though, and I should just get used to it.

Next Friday is the last day of school, but also another Parents' Day where I have to come up with, yet again, a fun and engaging way to show the parents everything I've taught the children in the past year. I've run out of ideas, since I've done quite a few of these now.

After lunch when Parents' Day is done, I'm to meet with all the parents and talk about their children, and how they can improve their English. Groan. Like anything being taught to three and four year olds, the only thing you can do is repeat everything a million times, and be supportive in both success and failure. So, I'll just tell the parents that if they want to help their children learn, they must be patient and encouraging in the process.

OK, on to my reports.

38

Apparently it was thirty-eight degrees in Guangzhou today.

That's hot!

I usually make a habit of checking the temperature on our class' thermometer, but I forgot today. The weather forcast said it would be thirty-eight, but unfortunately there's no personal confirmation.

My thoughts on Bali

My Bali trip with Kir is coming up in less than two weeks. Carol mentioned again that she is really disappointed that she's not able to come, and that got me thinking about how I feel about the trip.

While I should be really excited, I find I am not. I know it's a once in a lifetime experience, but at the moment I'm not giving the trip the excitement it deserves. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm not counting down the days or anything like that.

There are a few reasons for my muted anticipation. First of all, I've grown weary of Asia and I'm longing to finish this chapter of my life. Secondly, I'm anxious about getting set up in Canada once I get back. I'm apprehensive about looking for work and digging up a place to live. I want to get those things sorted out as soon as possible.

I know that when you look to the future too much, you forget to enjoy the present. I understand that since I'm only in China for two more weeks, I should try to enjoy it. I also recognize that I might never be in Bali again, so I need to make sure I savour my time there, and not fret the whole trip away.

I need to enjoy my last two weeks in China. I need to enjoy Bail. I need to not worry so much about what will happen when I return to Canada.

It's pretty hard though.

Another Hong Kong trip

Oh Hong Kong, how I love you.

I went today to take care of finances, and also solidify some plans for when Kir arrives in a couple weeks. I looked into luggage storage, and also made a hostel reservation for us.

I found out while cruising the money changers that if I go to the right stall when exchanging money, I can receive up to fifty dollars more than if I go to the wrong one, because of their rates. It pays to research. I did the math in my head wrong, and wasted twenty five dollars by going to the wrong changer.

Today was the first full day that it hasn't rained, since the second week of May. I saw blue sky all day today, so that was a welcome change. It was more than thirty degrees outside today, and the HK government had issued a "Very Hot!" warning.

It was good to go to Hong Kong today, since going anywhere when it's raining buckets is depressing, annoying, and tends to dampen(!) my spirits. I'm more used to the heat now, so I wasn't as bothered by today's temperature as I might have been a year ago.

After passing through customs, I took the MTR (subway/metro) two stops into the New Territories, which is the northern-most part of Hong Kong. The New Territories bump up against the Chinese border. I walked around, and enjoyed seeing bike lanes and football pitches, people lining up for buses, and cars obeying traffic signs.

It's much different from Mainland China, where cars drive and park on the sidewalk, speed into oncoming traffic, and people push and shove to get on the bus. I like Hong Kong so much because everything's more familiar, although after almost a year in China, the Mainland has become pretty familiar now too.

I had planned to go out for pizza with Dr. Rong when I got back from Hong Kong, but I just didn't want to put in the effort to rush through my errands. I wanted to relax and enjoy being in Hong Kong, and not be constantly checking my watch to see if I'd make it back to Guangzhou on time. It takes about three hours to go from my house to Hong Kong, and today it seemed like a waste to hurry back.

Also, having dinner with Rong is a lot of work. She knows a tad more English than I know Chinese, so in the course of a meal, we might cover only two conversational topics. Each sentence requires us to break out our respective Chinese/English dictionaries and search for words, and then try and explain what we're saying. Today, I wasn't up for the social effort, so I cancelled. I'm happy I did.

Here are some pictures from today. Remember, click the picture to make it bigger.



This is the China/Hong Kong border. Notice the barbed wire and razor wire. Many Mainland Chinese attempt to enter Hong Kong where wages are higher and things are more prosperous. The picture is taken from an indoor bridge that is between the Exiting China passport checkpoint, and the Entering Hong Kong checkpoint.



This is in a back stairwell in the Chung King Mansions, an old building with lots of hostel rooms, garment factories, curry houses, and appartments in it. Carol and I stayed here once, so I came back to take this picture. If you happen to be a telephone repair man in Hong Kong and get called to the Chung King mansions, don't go. This is what you'll have to deal with!





I went to the waterfront and hung out there for a portion of the afternoon. It was super hot at around 34C, so the breeze was nice. There were lots and lots of tourists about, so I fit right in! We were all enjoying the first sunny day in more than a month.



Everyone is taking pictures of Hong Kong Island. Hong Kong is the undisputed World Skyline champion. This website has become an authority on the world's top skylines. It mentions that HK has forty-three buildings over 200 meters tall, including four of the seventeen tallest buildings in the world. (Guangzhou cracks the top twenty.)



When cruising the Hong Kong waterfront, it's important to keep your child on a leash. OK, maybe it's not. I could understand leashing your kid if you had all access trackside tickets to NASCAR, but here?



My fellow tourists rest after a long day in the sun.




I returned to the MTR, and made my way back to China. I took this picture to demonstrate the "suicide doors" in place at the subway station. These doors open and close when a train arrives, and the train always lines up in the right spot. Toronto should consider installing these. I seem to remember people always commenting on the number of people jumping/falling/getting pushed onto the tracks.

Now, to comment on the picture at the beginning of the post. I wanted a picture of me and the skyline, but was too nervous to ask at first. Then, I spotted someone with a serious looking camera, and asked him to take it. I think he did a good job.

I'm wearing my new Holland football jersey! I didn't intend to keep it for myself, but now I think I will. It's a copy I bought in Guangzhou, and it's not branded, allowing me to wear a Dutch jersey without sporting the Nike Swoosh. It's also made of really light, airy fabric that kept me cool all day in the heat.

This jersey design is new this year, the first time the national team has worn blue. Apparently this light blue is loosely connected to the Dutch royal family. I like it because the jersey gives you an option to support your team without wearing a screaming orange jersey. The orange design is still their Home jersey, while this blue one is the lesser used Away design.

I wore the jersey to show support for the Holland-Russia game tonight. I saw one person wearing the same jersey today, and we shared a connection. As we walked by eachother in the subway station, I gave him a smile and a nod, while he tapped his chest over the Dutch insignia. Hup Holland!

My hair is nearing Rambo length. It's always nice to make the transition from Aunt Jemima. I'm due for a haircut, but I find that wearing a bandana allows me to avoid Chinese hair salons for just a little bit longer.

Now, I must nap for a couple hours before the football game starts. I have decided not to go downtown to watch it, since it's just too much effort at 3 in the morning. I'll watch it in my room, and turn the Cantonese announcers off.

Holland vs Russia: Where to Watch?

I'm trying to decide where to watch the Holland-Russia quarter final on Saturday night. It will start at 2:45am on Sunday morning, so I'm happy it's on a weekend.

I have found bars downtown that will broadcast the game, but I still don't know if they do that in English or Chinese. I will be more inclided to make the trip if English announcers are piped through the bar.

It'll be a big production, getting myself downtown and home in the wee hours of the morning. It's hard enough to keep myself awake to watch these games, so I figure it will be very tough to get myself awake, into a cab, and downtown in the middle of the night.

But the experience could be fun, watching the game in China with other Holland or Russia fans. I just wonder if it'll be worth the effort!

Tomorrow I will visit the bar and ask if the game is broadcast in English or Chinese. If it's Chinese, there's no way I'll make the trip on Saturday night, since I can watch the Chinese game in my own room. If it's in English, it will make the trip worthwhile, since I haven't watched a Euro2008 match in English yet.

I took a nap after school today, to ready myself for tonight's Portugal - Germany game. I have report cards to do, so that will fill the time before the game starts.

The big effort in doing these reports is the Comments section. Jill has to translate everything I write into Chinese, so she's asked that I keep it to two or three lines. With that in mind, these reports shouldn't take long. Last symester I wrote multiple paragraphs for each student, and Jill was translating for a week!

I couldn't sleep last night, so I ended up watching half of the Russia - Sweden match. It sure is a pleasure to watch quality football, and would be even better to hear English commentary.

We'll see where I end up watching Saturday night's game. My Saturday is looking pretty full right now though, so I might end up watching it wherever requires the least amount of effort. In addition to watching the match, I need to go to Hong Kong to take care of finances, and have also committed to eat pizza with Dr. Rong that night.

Whatever the case, Hup Holland!

My Province Is Flooding

It's rained every day for the past month, and it looks to be too much for my province of Guangdong to handle.

Click here for CBC article.

Joe has told me that it rains like this every year, so the rain we're seeing isn't uncommon.

So far, I have not been affected. I live near the mountains, so the rain just runs away from my neighbourhood.

While I was downtown yesterday though, stores were sandbagging their doorways to keep the water out. The expressions on those sandbagging were not apprehensive or worried...they looked like this was something they do every day this time of year. The roads in the area were covered in three to four inches of water, but cars were still able to drive on them.

China is sure getting the short end of the environmental stick these days. The snowstorms in January, the earthquake in May, and now this flooding in June.

I'll keep my camera ready in case things get interesting. I read that Donguan, a city about 100km southwest of here, has submerged minivans on its streets.

Guangzhou Shoe Market

Today I went to one of the many shoe markets in Guangzhou.

The Pearl River Delta is one of the China's major manufacturing centres for clothing, shoes, watches, car parts, everything. Guangzhou is the biggest city in the area, so a lot of the industry is here.

The PRD has become China's production powerhouse for many reasons, but one is because the area is close to Hong Kong and their gigantic shipping port. Guangzhou has many factories making many different things.

One cannot buy products directly from the factories though, you must go through their representatives first. The factories' representatives are located in the many markets around Guangzhou. There are clothing markets, watch markets, leather markets, numerous shoe markets, jewlery markets, and toy markets.

Today, I went to one of the shoe markets, one of thirteen such markets in a central area, close to the main train station. It's estimated that three out of every ten pairs of shoes that are shipped out from China originate from this cluster of shoe markets.

The shoe markets, or at least the one I was in, are located in big warehouse-like buildings. Inside is a warren of hallways and small shops. All the shops are selling shoes, and each have hundreds of shoes on shelves that start at the floor and go all the way to the ceiling.

These are the shops that represent the factories, and the shoes in their shops represent what is available to order. The shops are small, probably at most twenty feet by twenty feet, although some shops were smaller. More than three people in these shops is too many, since often there are crates of shoes all over the floor.

As a shoe buyer, what you would do is go to the different markets, and find the shoes you you wish to export back to your home country, or to your store elsewhere in China. You will look at the different models, then discuss prices and shipping details with the sales person. You don't need an appointment. You just show up and start making deals. You will haggle for prices reletive to the number of pieces you want to buy, the quality you want, and other factors.

Most of the shops had only a few sample shoes, in a few sizes. Since I have a big foot by Chinese standards, it was hard to find anything that fit me. The stores are very small, and the space is taken up by individual models, with no room left for stock.

Most shoe markets will only deal with large orders, and you need to buy a minimum number of pieces (I've heard that number is twelve) to deal with them. The market I went to had a floor where you could buy single pairs, which is a novelty in Guangzhou I guess. My friend Jon gave me directions since he knows I like shoes.

Before I went, I knew what I was looking for. I kept to my gameplan, and didn't overspend, as it would have been really easy. There were so many shoes! I've never seen so many Nike and Adidas sneakers in one place.

A lot of them are fake, and the fakes have different classes. I was told in one shop that this is a "Class 1" model, meaning it's of the highest quality, without being authentic. There wasn't even a question of whether the shoe was a fake or not, but rather just how good a fake it was.

Some of the stores sold real shoes though, so it was fun to find the shoes that I thought were real and which were fake. It's very hard to tell the difference. It seems that the factories work on a contract basis. For example, Factory 1 might make 1 million Nike running shoes, while Factory 2 makes 500 000 Nike basketball shoes.

I have heard that sometimes the factories will produce the number of pairs required for the contract, then keep the factory pumping for another few shifts and produce product they can sell on their own, to make more money. Sometimes the only thing that constitutes a fake shoe is whether the factory was "on the clock" or if they were moonlighting when it was made. The same forms, materials, workers, and process are used.

I have been interested in the shoe-boot pictured at the top of this post for awhile, ever since I saw someone wearing it. I found it on the internet, and saw that it was imported from China. It is selling for 120 Canadian dollars at Mountain Equipment Co-op.

I told myself if I found it, I would buy it if it was priced right. Since 30% of all China's shoes come from the area I was going, I thought the chancers were OK that I could find what I was looking for.

Turns out I found the shoe! I even found it in a size that fit me. It's a sweet shoe, and I got it for 160 RMB, which at $20 CAD, is the price of two medium pizzas (one medium pizza if you're in Whistler.)

It's a great shoe, and I really like the external stitching. Plus, it's leather so it's a bit more classy for times when a skate shoe isn't appropriate, but a dress shoe would be too much.

After I bought them, I was cruising around more, looking at all the shoes. There were so many it was almost too much. From the hallway, I spotted a DBU (Danish Football Union) crest at the back of one of the stores. I went in, and sure enough there was a Denmark football t-shirt there!

I asked how much it was (this is all in Chinese) and was told me 100 RMB, a price that was only a bit less than what I had paid for my shoes. I really wanted the shirt, but didn't want to pay that much for it. I told him it was too expensive, but he wouldn't budge. I even tried walking out, but he didn't care and wasn't having any of it.

Three minutes later I returned, and again asked how much, and suggested that I wanted to pay 50. He didn't deviate at all from his original price. I then said his shirt was too expensive, because it's only a bit less than what I paid for these shoes, and I brought them out of the bag to make my point.

The two workers and one friend at the store started telling me I got ripped off, paying that much for these particular shoes. I countered, saying they're good shoes. They all started looking at the shoes...poking and prodding, looking inside, outside, testing seams, and giving them the "Is it fake?" once-over.

After a few seconds and murmurs of approval, they said the shoes were very good and I got a good price. They're not fake, but are "hen hao". We all had a good laugh, giving eachother the thumbs-up a lot, and I bought the Danish shirt for the full price.

I knew I was going to buy the shirt anyway, no matter what the price. A Danish shirt in China must be purchased! It turned out well though, because this way I got my shoes authenticated by those who know and live the trade. I doubt they were lying to me, but you never know! The shoes smell like leather, feel good on my feet, and don't look cheap. That's good enough for me.

Here's the shirt, which is fantastic:





It has the national crest on right, with "1992 European Champions" written underneath. The back of the shirt says "Danish Dynamite" and has a picture of some exploding dynamite sticks. Just awesome!

So, that was my trip to the shoe market. I found many shoes I liked there, but was happy that I only bought one pair. Beware buying shoes on Ebay, because they are probably coming from markets like this where your product might be a copy, or could be real.

At this market I could have bought ten pairs of fake Nike Air Jordans or twenty pairs of faux Gucci loafers, brought them home, and unloaded them on Ebay. I bet there are 100 people doing the same thing right now.

Don't get ripped off!

The Final Kick

Some of my recent posts have been pretty bitter. Grandma wrote me an email, and she seemed concerned that I might leave China on a bad note, and encouraged me to avoid doing that.

Because Grandma is wise, I have been thinking about what she suggested, and here's what I've come up with.

This whole China experience is sort of like running a 10K that I haven't trained for. At the beginning, it's exciting to be in the race atmosphere with all the runners, and feel the familiar pre-race nerves.

The beginning of the race goes by quickly, as I jostle for position and have big plans for my race. I feel like I'm running fast, and the people around me look fast too, so I'm confident.

A few kilometres later I start to feel pain, and begin to get passed by many runners. My form suffers, my pace drops off, and I become frustrated. Why did I sign up for this race? Why didn't I train? Why do I even like running?

A few more kilometres down the road, I start to loathe the road engineers for building the road over the hill I'm running up. Why not blast right through the hill, keeping the road level? I begin to doubt if I'll be able to finish the race. I get frustrated at the runners who pass me. I hurt. I think of other things I could have spent the race fee on. My frame of mind is not positive.

Things start to get better in the last kilometre of the race. The finish line is attainable, and I realize the pain won't last forever. There will be free food and good social times once I'm over the line, and all I have to do is get there.

When I cross the line, I forget about all the pain and hardship I went through over the last 10K. I love running again, and enjoy the post-race chatter. I plan my next race, and am proud to be a runner. Running and I are on good terms again.

I feel China has been the same way. It was really exciting when I first got here, as things were new and exciting. China had so many interesting experiences to dole out.

Then it got really tough, as I struggled to find my way in the classroom. I began to loathe everything about China, and everything about teaching.

I got to the halfway mark, when I went home for Lunar New Year and Erik's wedding. Like an aid station on a running course, I came out of it feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the second half.

Things improved, but were still painful. China was still tough, but not as tough as before. I had many challenges, but they didn't seem as daunting as they had been before.

Now, I'm in the last 800m of the race. I can see the finish...all I have to do is put in the effort to get there. Once I'm over the line, I'll be proud that I lived for a year in China. I'll happily tell China stories, and I'll forget a lot of the pain I went through during my time here. I'll fondly remember my kids, and I'll be glad I taught full-on kindergarten for a whole year.

I won't leave China all bitter and full of regrets. I'll leave with a sense of accomplishment, and I'll leave with good memories. I might even make trips to various Chinatowns, to reminisce about the year I spent in Guangzhou.

Sports analogies...so useful, so often! Like a good backup goalie, they're always there when - never mind.

Parents' Day

Today was another Parents Day, when they come and participate in activities with the children. We're supposed to have one a month, which is too much! The last three are happening in the last six weeks of school...we had Children's Day two weeks ago, a Father's Day activity today, and will have a School's Done activity on July 4th.

I prepared a Father's Day craft last night, and we would do that for an hour after we demonstrated the childrens' latest lessons.

We've been working on Shapes for the past two weeks, so I made a game where the students raced to identify eight different shapes. My favourite one I've taught them so far is pentagon. Next week the rhombus makes an appearance!

I have also been teaching the children different flags, and they now know about 18 of them. I started with flags from around here...China, Macau, Hong Kong, and then Canada. After that, I just found ones that were colourful and ones I liked.

I was happy that all the kids know all the flags I've taught...they can identify Canada, China, Macau, Hong Kong, Germany, Brazil, Australia, America, Olympics, United Nations, Red Cross, Italy, France, Korea, Singapore, Japan, England, and sometimes Argentina.

I'm proud that my kids know more flags in English than their parents probably know in Chinese!

We played a game where the children raced to identify the different shapes and flags by hitting pictures with a big inflatable hammer. I bought two of them, and they're about as big as the children so it fun to watch them run around with them.

Then, we worked on Father's Day cards. It took quite a bit of explaining, and while I was doing that, someone's phone rang and he answered it just as loudly as I was talking.

I was tired this morning because I was up until 2am watching the Croatia-Germany game (Crotia won 2-1 in a stunning upset) so I was really grumpy. When I heard Winnie and Danny's (they're twins) dad answer the phone, I made a really sour face and stopped talking in the middle of my sentence. He quickly stopped the conversation, and I wondered if I'd been rude. Maybe, but it's my classroom so I think I was allowed.

I have unfortunately been judging Winnie and Danny's dad since I first saw him eights months ago, because he displays one of the oddest Chinese fashion statements. Here in China if you have a mole on your face, it shows wisdom and fashion sense to grow hairs out of it, and never cut them or trim them.

Winnie and Danny's dad exemplifies this, as he has about ten dark black hairs growing out of a push-pin sized mole on his jaw. Each hair is about two or three inches long. Yikes. I hope he doesn't stoke them when he's deep in thought!

After I was done my instructions about the craft, the kids set to work and enjoyed themselves. They all worked for about an hour with the help of their parents.



Here is my sample Father's Day card. Before class, I had drawn half a heart on the outside of all the cards, at the fold. The children were to cut out the heart, then print the words on either side of it. Most children can draw the letters now, so it was not above them. Some can write their names too. The ones that couldn't had their parents to help.

I made this extra big sample card, and taped it up at the front of the room so everyone could see it. Two children wrote "Mr. Jon" on the bottom of their cards, so I had to explain that they should write their own names, not mine!

Since we're also doing shapes, I cut strips of coloured paper for the children to cut up themselves, using shapes to make pictures. I've made a tree, a flower, and a car. The children love to follow an example, so many just copied what I had done, although some made houses and did their own thing.



Here are the parents and children doing the craft. It lasted about an hour, until eleven o'clock. When we were finished, the parents went home and the children stayed for the rest of the day.

It was a nice change helping my own kids do a craft, after helping those randoms do a craft at the beginning of the week. I like when the kids come over and show me their work, proud to name the things they've drawn or the letters and numbers they've written. I've created relationships with them, so it's actually enjoyable and not as much work.

After the parents were gone, Guo took control of the class, which I was thankful for because I had taken the lead for the whole time the parents were in the classroom. She told them a story in Chinese, while I sat off to the side.



As Guo was telling the story, Jennifer put her arm around Leanne, resting it on the back of her chair. I don't know if she was showing affection or simply relaxing, but I thought it was pretty cute.



After Parents' Day was finished, Ma Lao Shi, my other co-teacher, gave me these eggs, which were extras from another class' activity. She said they're very delicious.

I'm not sure if I'm going to eat them, since they look like sparrow or robin eggs and I'm only used to eating chicken eggs. It seems criminal to burgle a mama bird's nest for her tiny eggs, but I guess we do that with chickens too. I'm just not used to it.

It turned out to be a good Parents' Day, inspite of all the moaning and complaining I did before it happened. I wasn't in the best frame of mind since I was tired, but I think it was OK.

The parents should have been impressed with the childrens' English and flag knowledge, and they also got to spend time with them making a nice craft. It went smoothly, and now I only have one Parents' Day left. It should be fun, since it happens on the last day of school, and my last day of teaching in China.

Chinese meals.

Today I had to go to a YIHE promotional event. It's a holiday today, but I agreed to attend before I knew it was a day off teaching.

The plan was to go to a gated community about a twenty minute drive away from our own, where we would play games with the children and promote the YIHE Kindergarten.

We were to leave at 7:45, and get to the site before 8:30 to set up. When we got there, nobody knew we were coming, and it took everyone about forty-five minutes to sort it out. It's important they know we're coming because it costs money to use their property for marketing, so it's a big process to get the permission.

We finally got it sorted out, and set up tables with crafts on them. A bunch of kids came to do the crafts, and while they were doing that, the other teachers would give the parents a YIHE pamphlet and try and sell the school.

I had no idea what was going on, and was told to do a craft with the kids, so I tried. I was supposed to give them a free toy if they did a good job. The toys I gave out were like the kind you'd get from a machine in the supermarket...you put your quarter in, twist the handle, and a toy comes out. So, pretty cheap things.

I had a bag of these things, and I started giving them out when the kids were done their craft. Then other kids didn't bother to finish and reached in and helped themselves, following the example of their parents and grandparents.

I was pretty surprised how vicious these parents were when reaching into the bag to get a free 10cent toy. They don't line up or anything...they just crowd around and push and shove and jostle for position.

I didn't care as I was grumpy for having to work, and didn't feel like disciplining parents and grandparents in English. I just let them take the toys.

Then it started raining, so we got to quit. We would go out for lunch, then return in the afternoon for another session. Here are some pictures from today.



This is the gated community we were at. It's bigger and nicer than YIHE, with fountains, a grass football pitch, and these stone peacock statues. The buildings are taller and look more expensive, and have many pools, hedges, and trees surrounding them.

It's called "European Cityscape" and has signs and billboards all over showing white people doing things like having coffee, riding mountain bikes, reading books on boats, and sitting in hamocks. When I was there, I only saw Asians. It's interesting how white people are used in Chinese marketing.



This is the lunch table. It's the first time I've seen individually wrapped dishes. They must be washed by a third party, then delivered. China may ban plastic bags at the grocery store, but there's still lots of senseless plastic around.



This is the way all Chinese restaurants I've been in have their tables set up. Everyone sits in a circle around a lazy suzan, and the food is placed in the middle. When you want something, you reach into the middle, spin susan, then dip in with your own chopsticks and take however much you want. There are no serving spoons.

Mou Lau Shi looks at the camera, while Ma Lau Shi doesn't. You'll see duck on the right, pork in the middle, some vegetables, something deep fried which they call a pancake, and then some dumplings.



Guo, my co-teacher, is about to eat some pork. It came with these plastic gloves, so you just put it on and eat with your hand. I've seen people whip out these gloves while eating french fries, but this was the first time I'd seen it at a real resaurant.

Guo made me put on a glove and eat the pork with it too. You don't use your choppers if you have a glove. You just handle it into your mouth, so that made it easy for me since I'm not good at advanced chopstick manouvers.



Here is a view of our table later on in the meal. The dishes keep coming. The focus of this picture is the sweet and sour fish that came to the table complete with fins and head. You dip your choppers into the flesh and tear some away, which brings lots of those small, sharp bones along.

At these types of meals everyone always watches me, and it's a bit frustrating. I try to eat the things I can eat with minimal difficulty, and I usually only eat enough to be polite and avoid too much scrutiny.

During these meals everyone speaks Chinese, and I often find myself drifting off into daydreams since I have no idea what they're saying. The other teachers have had fun this year calling my name and waving their hands around to bring me back. They must think me a dolt, and wonder how I got hired to be a teacher!

I daydream all the time here, maybe since I have very little auditory stimulation. Sometimes the kids even catch me doing it and they think it's really funny. I used to be embarassed, but now I'm not. I might as well retreat into my own brain...it's a nice escape from China!

They day ended with us going back to the new gated community and spamming all the cars with YIHE pamphlets, putting them under their winshield wipers. I don't know why, but there were eight of us there to do that.

I hate when I leave a mall and find a pamphlet under my wiper, but these people don't seem to mind. We had people asking for a pamphlet out of their window before they parked, or stopping us on the sidewalk to get one. I was pretty surprised.

All in all it was a frustrating day. I didn't want to be there, and had to endure what I thought to be pointless brochure giving. Oh well, at least I won't have to go on the next excursion.

I was also frustrated by having to pretend to be into helping these random kids do a craft. One mom brought her slobbering snot-nosed two year-old over and wanted me to fawn over him because he could repeat "How-wo? Why wai i Wang Tze" after her. Fantastic. Don't drip your nose on me kid.

Country roads, take me home...

Macau

I went to Macau (ma-Cow) today. Macau was a Portuguese colony until 1997, when it was reabsorbed into China and now functions as a Special Administrative Region. Macau's situation is similar to Hong Kong's, except Hong Kong was handed over two years earlier, in 1995.

Macau's two official languages are Portuguese and Cantonese, so all the signs are written in Chinese characters as well as more familiar letters. I was pretty amazed how easy it was to figure things out, when I was able to see letters.

I was reading bus schedules and maps, menus, and everything. It sure was different from trying to decipher the Wingding-like characters that I'm used to on the Mainland.

It's rained pretty much every day for the last three weeks. Today was no different, and it seems to rain harder in Macau than it does in Guangzhou.



Here's a picture from last night. What's worse than trying to negotiate a busy bus stop in China? A busy bus stop where everyone is carrying an umbrella. You can't walk in a straight line...you must constantly avoid people and it's really annoying.

So, it was raining hard in Macau when I got there, after a 3-hour bus ride from Guangzhou. That was too bad as I had heard walking around Macau is a good way to explore, since it's pretty small. There are two types of people that go to Macau...those that go to gamble, since it's legal there and not in Mainland China, and those that go to check out the old Portuguese flavour.

I hadn't done my research before I arrived, so I had no idea where anything was. I noticed that a lot of the casinos had free shuttle busses, so I thought it'd be a good idea to jump on one of these and see where it would take me.

There are lots of casinos in Macau, and I've heard it called Asia's Las Vagas. But when I got there, I noticed that the phrase is trademarked, so it's actually just marketing material. However, I recently read that Macau's casino revenue has now exceeded that of Las Vagas. Maybe Las Vagas should have a sign that says Las Vagas... Macau in America!

The biggest casino is the Venetian, and it opened about a month after Carol and I arrived in China. I remember seeing it on the news a lot back then, and decided to see what the fuss was about. I hopped on a Vanetian shuttle bus and got a tour of Macau on the way there. I arrived about 10 minutes later.

It's pretty stupid. It's pretty much just a big mall, with a casino in the basement, and hotel rooms on top. They even have a food court. The big attraction at the Venetian is their indoor canal that offers gondola rides, complete with a singing gondalier. O-so-la-meee-oooo...

They've painted the ceiling to look like sky, and have molded the walls to look like buildings in Italy, complete with windows.









I bought a hamburger in the foodcourt from a place called FatBurger, advertised as the best burger in Las Vagas. I disagree, unless all the burgers there are small, overly expensive, and too dry.

When I was done, I tried to leave, but like any good mall they like to keep you trapped inside. It took me about half an hour to find my way out. It was almost as maze-like as the Guangzhou Ikea, but not quite.

I found a bus stop and got on a random bus, not sure where it would take me. It took me to the Grand Lisboa, another big casino. I knew they'd have a free shuttle bus back to the border, so I got out and tried to find it.



The Grand Lisboa is a really gaudy building. I'm not sure what it's supposed to be...a palm leaf rising out of an egg? Maybe.

I found the casino downstairs, and decided to play two hands of blackjack. I lost both, facing off against a dealer who drew a face card for himself each time, while only giving me a 2 and 5. I wasn't going to be able to climb out of that hole, and I didn't.

I wasted my thirty dollars, a significant portion of my weekly spending money, and didn't have any fun. I was really disappointed in myself and have been grumpy for the rest of the day. Lesson learned I guess.

I got a shuttle ticket from the gaming table, showed it to the driver, and hopped on the bus and returned to the China/Macau border. I got on another bus there and drove to Guangzhou.

I enjoyed my trip, especially the part before I wasted my money. I was talking a bit of Mandarin to street vendors, and they were loving me for it. I bought juice and a bun from them. I also liked reading the bus schedules and having an understanding of what was going on. In Guangzhou I'm pretty much illiterate, but in Macau I had a grade three education. It was nice.

Next time I go, I'll be there with Kir. Now I know the slope of the land, and the way Macau works. We'll be able to find the cool things to see, and not get stuck in the casino vortex like I did today.

I'll leave you with a random picture that has nothing to do with Macau. It was in a fancy-ish restaurant I was at last week with all the teachers. Sometimes, even if you think you bought an English bathroom sign, you actually didn't.

A Miscellany of Information

Here are some tidbits that aren't big enough for their own posts. They're random but interesting things that I want to write about.

Letter of Resignation

On Monday I handed in my official letter of resignation. My contract stipulates that I must give one month's notice before I quit teaching, and since the last day of school is on July 4th, I needed to get it done soon.

It was no surprise to anyone, since I've been talking about Kirsten arriving in Hong Kong and then going to Indonesia with her. But, now it's official...I have only one month of teaching left!

I Just Gave Up My Long Weekend

Today Feline (the woman who interviewed me in Ontario, and works in the office here) came into one of my classes, and asked if I would be willing to take part in a YIHE Education promotion on Monday.

She said we'd go to a community centre or something, and play games with the kids, and I figure do other promotional things. I liked the sound of it, because it would mean I'd get the day off teaching. I signed up, and was happy to see a few other teachers would be there as well.

Turns out that Monday is a holiday, and I didn't know. So now I'm commited to working on a rare long weekend! Curses!

I Haven't Been Mugged Yet

I've been in China for quite some time now, and I haven't been mugged yet. Still, whenever I'm out with the other teachers or friends, they always remind me to guard my bag and keep it infront of me.

I wonder if people don't try to steal from me because they're afraid of my height. Or maybe they're scared of my fists of fury, which are always twitching and ready for action.

Jimmy, one of my students, grew up in Hong Kong, since his father is from there. His mother is from Shanghai. One day while she was still living in Shanghai, she was walking and carrying her bag as anyone would. A thief on a motorcycle drove by, and suddenly snatched her bag.

Jimmy's mom didn't let go of it though, since her bag had everything important in it...money, ID, and whatever else women carry around. She let herself be dragged 100m to the next intersection, where the biker let go and rode off without her bag. Quite the sacrifice!

Just before I arrived in Guangzhou, the city banned motorcycles in the downtown area. A major reason for this was to cut down on motorcycle robberies, like the one Jimmy's mom experienced. I live quite a ways north of downtown though, so there are a lot of motorcycles in my area.

If it happened to me, I think I'd let go of my bag. Don't worry Mom!

Er Ling Ling Ba

I bought some Er Ling Ling Ba merchandise today. Er Ling Ling Ba means two zero zero eight, or 2008. Whenever the Olympics are mentioned, I hear "Er Ling Ling Ba" somewhere. In my ignorant opinion, (since I don't speak Chinese,) it seems that the Olympics and Er Ling Ling Ba are synonymous.

The day before the torch relay came through Guangzhou, there was a t-shirt stand making brisk sales selling Torch Relay and Olympic shirts. I asked how much they were selling for, and I was told 90 RMB. On Saturday, the stand was up again, and they were selling them for 39 RMB. Today, the price had dropped to 15 RMB! What an excellent deal! The shirt is ill-fitting, but that's OK...it only cost about $2.25.

TV

I think I overdosed on TV in May. After Carol left, I pretty much only watched DVDs when I wasn't teaching. I found a DVD set of three seasons of House. It's a show about a Dr. House (he's Dutch!) who is grumpy and makes edgy medical decisions. It's pretty good actually, but after watching all three seasons in a row, I got a bit sick of it.

I got sick of all TV actually, and recently started reading again. It's a nice change, except now at night I dream about the books I'm reading. Right now it's King Rat by James Clavelle. The book is set in a 1945 POW camp in Singapore, and the people are getting fevers and malaria and dysentry all the time. I dreamed I was coming down with the same things. Scary!

But then I also dreamed I was back in Canada. I was standing across the road from Family Housing at UVic, and I remember thinking in my dream "Ahhh...it's so familiar! I love it!" I remember being happy to be back in the motherland, and then waking up in China. Drat. Still here.

Mosquito Tennis Racquets

As I sit writing this, mosquitoes are landing on my legs and trying to bite me. To combat them, I have a mosquito tennis racquet. It looks like any small tennis racquet, but it's actually not.

Instead of strings, it has a grid of thin metal, like chicken-wire in a way. On the handle, there's a button. When you press it, the grid of metal gets electrified, and any mosquito you swing it at gets zapped immediately. Often, they make a popping noise like an ember in a dying fire, and sometimes smell like one too.

It's quite efficient.

Salt II

Today's salt activity went OK. The room was really humid as I expected, but I was surprised just how much the salt clumped. It still worked OK though.

One of my students, Rosary, sweats a lot through her hands and fingers. When she colours, sometimes her paper gets really really damp, and her crayons too. I'm not sure what it is, but Guo says it's always been like that. In this activity, the salt caked on to her fingers making it a bit more of a challenge for her. But she kept happily drawing the requested numbers and letters.

The salt got everywhere too, and was most noticeable on the floor. When it got on the floor, it brought with it moisture from the air and made the floor all wet. My shoes squeaked as I walked.

I was reminded of grade eleven biology with Mr. Rice, where we learned that salt likes to suck the moisture out of things. That's why in the spring the grass by the sides of the road is always dead...the moisture has been sucked out by the winter's salt. It's osmosis or diffusion, I can't remember which. At any rate, the salt fell on the floor in the classroom, and brought a lot of water along with it. So that was interesting.

I think in the future I'll have to modify the project. I'm thinking about using small grains of rice. It might work, and the rice seems impervious to the moisture in the air here, since grocery stores have huge vats of bulk rice sitting out in the open.

I also would like bigger vessels than the paper bowls. I just don't know what to buy. It would have to be cheap, since I have to buy 18 of them. I think a shoe-box lid would be perfect, but I don't know where to find 18 of them without buying the shoes inside.

Maybe I'll have this activity perfected by the time I leave. The children liked it, and many were excited to learn how to properly write the letters. An almost constant chorus accompanied the activity: "Mr. Jon! Help me!" I will do the lesson again, but hopefully improve it somehow.

Salt

I bought a lot of salt today.

I'm going to use it for the children to practice writing their letters and numbers. I am going to set up an activity that I remember doing when I was in kindergarten...Mom reminded me recently how to re-create it.

The picture above is me preparing the activity. You can see the salt on my right, and the paper bowls on my left. You can also see Carol's ipod which she generously left in China for me to use while she's gone. I don't know how I'd survive the long bus rides without it!

Back to the salt...the children will each have a paper bowl with salt in it. The bowl will have a coloured piece of paper in the bottom, to contrast the salt on top of it. This was one of Mom's tips that I wouldn't have thought of myself.

My students can then practice writing their letters and numbers with their fingers, in the salt. When they're finished one, they simply shake the bowl Etch-a-Sketch style and start again.

Mom said I should use salt instead of sugar, since the kids will eat all the sugar. And Mom suggested I use salt instead of sand as well.

We'll see how it goes tomorrow. I bought all the stuff tonight, and spent an hour cutting out coloured circles of paper to glue into the bottom of the bowls, and getting the whole thing ready. I have 18 students, so it takes awhile to do anything since I have to prepare 18 different sets.

Ma Lao Shi, a co-teacher of mine, came into the classroom as I was working. She's not a fan of this activity, and says I should use sand instead. She said with the heat in the classroom, the children will sweat and the salt will stick to their fingers. She also said if a child has a cut, it will really hurt to be using salt.

I told her I'd try it out, and see how it goes. I told her we won't use scissors during the activity, so she won't have to worry about rubbing salt in anyone's wounds. Like she cares anyway, since she sometimes grabs the kids by their necks and shakes their heads vigourously when they misbehave.

It is really humid in the classrooms though, so maybe the salt will end up being too clumpy. I hope it's a good activity and I can milk it for a lot of class time.

When I was buying the salt at the checkout, I kept an eye out for how the supermarket was dealing with the new ban on plastic bags. The customer infront of me didn't want a bag and just walked out holding his purchases in his hands, and the woman behind me had a cotton grocery bag to put her stuff in. I had grabbed a sturdy plastic bag from under my sink before I left home, so I put my salt in that.

I'm pretty impressed with the ban. Scanning the people leaving the supermarket, there were very few plastic bags to be seen. I think Canada should so something similar.

China bans plastic grocery bags

In a move I never saw coming, China has banned plastic grocery bags in all grocery stores, department stores, and markets.

China uses 3 billion plastic grocery bags every day, and this move hopes to curb useage by sixty percent over the long term. Today, the first day of the ban, useage dropped about thirty percent.

While you can still get a bag at the checkout, there are now a few regulations in place governing their dispersal. The stores must charge for the bags they give out, but are allowed to decide themselves how much they cost. Stores are still permitted to give out plastic bags that wrap meat and vegetables, for health and safety reasons.

The news tonight showed many outlets charging between ten and thirty fen for one bag. 100 fen make one yuan, and one yuan is worth about fifteen Canadian cents. To give you an idea of Chinese pricing, a can of pop costs between two and three yuan. (For a rundown of Chinese currency with pictures, click here.)

Another regulation is that the bags the stores sell at the checkout must be thicker than 0.2mm, in an attempt to encourage reuse.

I am a big fan of this new legislation, but I wonder how it will impact China's overall plastic bag production and consumption. While shopping in clothing markets in the past, I've been given random bags that seem to have been made for the European and North American markets. If China makes most of the the world's plastic bags, and I bet they probably do, it will be doubly hard to curb use, since there are already so many around.

One thing I don't like about this new ban on bags is that I will no longer be able to use my go-to Chinese phrase, Wo bu yao daitze.

This means "I don't want a bag" and I've gotten pretty good at saying it. The odd time I say it well enough, the cashier will think I know more Chinese than I do, and start talking really fast. I reply with a blank look of confused apology, grab my purchases, and take my leave.

I wish Canada would make such sweeping legislation, like China has with this new bag law. I guess the Chinese Communist Party can't be all bad!