Vietnam and 3 Months of Living in NanSha... The condensed version

Life has been anything but uninteresting.

I have definitely settled in much more and have started making my apartment more of a home. I am still working on pictures, decorations and just having "stuff" that makes the place look lived in. The guest bedroom is currently just storage, so eventually I will have to actually make it into a bedroom. But, I need guests to make that happen.
I have been to Hong Kong a few times, which is a nice break from being in a small little area here in Nansha. It's also nice to go into grocery stores and actually be able to get anything you want. Living here, in China, definitely gives you a deep level of appreciation for living in the States where anything and everything is soooo easily accessible. You don't really realize what you want or need until you are in a store, or somewhere and you are looking for something, that you come to realize you just aren't going to get. I think everyone should experience that at least once in their life. After having spent so much time over here, it still takes some getting used to, but we all learn to adjust and adapt and learn to live without.
Life is never dull or boring here. There is always something to do with people or places to see. You have to have an eye or want for adventure, but if you do, you will always be highly entertained and intrigued by the differences in people, culture, environment, food, etc. There are low-key and less entertaining nights when you want to sit at home and watch a movie or read a book, which I often do, but at least I have a place to come to that I feel comfortable in and can call home. Living on school grounds and being very well treated by the school, I could be anywhere in the world and not know it because I have a nice home.
That is definitely one of the benefits to working in an international school. The benefits, the time off, the amount of money you save, the places you can see. It's a very cushy life, if you can get past not being around family or in your home country.

The first benefit of being an overseas teacher that I took advantage of, was the vacation time and the close proximity to Vietnam.

Hanoi was definitely a culture shock. The city moves very quickly and is constantly noisy. There are endless amounts of mopeds whizzing through the streets at all hours of the day and night. You are definitely risking your life by trying to cross the road as most traffic lights are not used properly.
The shopping was amazing and definitely a highlight for me. I loved all of the different knick knacks and art I could by. The food was even better. By far, some of the best food I have ever had. We went on a food tour one night. We went to different side stalls and little restaurants around the city and tried the street food and most famous dishes that Vietnamese and people from Hanoi eat. We had three deserts, iced tea, Vietnamese coffee, Pho, fried snacks, soup, noodles... amazing!!! I highly recommend it.

I also went to the Ethnology museum and saw the lifestyles and homes of various ethnicities across Vietnam and South East Asia. It was very educational and interesting. I went to the Temple of Literature as well, which was also very interesting to see how education was thousands of years ago.

Olivia and I took a junk boat across Halong Bay and slept on the boat one night and then in a Bungalow on the water one night. We made new friends and saw gorgeous scenery along the way. The whole three days, two nights was planned for us with kayaking, cooking lessons, karaoke, visiting a pearl farm, games and other fun activities. We climbed through a cave and came out over-looking part of the bay. We swam in the unfortunately, very dirty, water. (We were not aware of how dirty it was until we saw that our bungalows' plumbing was being dumped into the water...eew).

I did reach some bumps along the way with the trip. To begin, our friend Carly was unable to leave HK and come into Hanoi because they had messed up her visa paperwork flipping two numbers of her passport...inevitably she has to stay back home. We messed around with getting a new visa and new flight, but they were all sold out. The first hostel I stayed in was a hole! I did realize that at $7/night I shouldn't expect much, but the doors wouldn't lock on the balcony and I only had a knob lock on the front door. I didn't feel like my stuff was very safe in there and I didn't want to carry everything with me. I did the first night and thought I'd just tough it out, but with the balcony door not closing, it was as if I was trying to sleep on the street outside with all of the mopeds whizzing by and the constant, incessant honking. No bueno. I woke up at 6 am and researched the nearest and more expensive hotel... walked there first thing begging for a room. They were so unbelievably nice. Held the room for me so I could check-out and come back, and then upgraded me twice. When we came back after Halong Bay, we stayed there again, and regretted to inform us that our previous upgraded room was no longer available, so they upgraded us to the Paradise Suite. It was amazing!!

I would definitely return to Hanoi just for the food and for the generosity of the people. And for the insanely cheap prices. It took us a while to wrap our brain around the fact that $5USD was 100,000 Vietnamese Deng. Or if we had changed $100 we would have 2,000,000 Vietnamese Deng. I must have spent millions while there. 

My next trip will be back home for Christmas... but before that, we are taking a school trip to a city in China Xiamen. We will be spending about 6 days around that city and to smaller cities around there in the province of Fujian. We are in the process of planning the trip with the school and students. All High School students will be traveling to a different city in China. I am definitely looking forward to it, but know it will be exhausting. 

This weekend is girls weekend in HK. A few of us are also going to see Mamma Mia as well. It should be fun and a good break away from NanSha.

Toto, We're Not in Kansas Anymore...

A few people have asked me to start writing in here again as I begin another journey teaching in China....

I have been here a week now, and find myself struggling how to put the experience into words, so I will do the best that I can.

The long journey began by checking in 5 bags into Seatac airport on July 26th with my brother and mother by my side. We had concerns regarding weight and transporting the bags from there to here. Needless to say, there was both good and bad news. The good news was that they would check my bags from Seatac to Guangzhou, the bad was that China Southern would only allow me to have 4 bags. Blake and my mother patiently waited while I rummaged through each bag trying to move items to the suitcase I would not bring, while making sure I did not exceed 52 pounds. (The limit is 50, but always bring my mother with you flying international... she can flirt her way through anything, which got me an extra 2 pounds per bag-- Love you mom :) ). All that was left were a few large picture frames and my lovely mattress pad, which later I would regret, but I will lug it back when I return at Christmas.

I made the flight from SEA to LAX with no problems. I had a 6 hour layover in LA, which allowed me to wander around a bit. But, I had to transfer terminals, which I did successfully, obviously. When I tried to go through security though, they said I had to wait until check-in opened and re-check-in, again. I waited patiently for over an hour standing in line. Checked in (the CS agent tried to re-charge me for my bags that I already paid for and didn't even have with me, her boss wouldn't allow her to, luckily), and made my way to the gate. Had some food, met other colleagues with our matching blue shirts, and then boarded the GIANT Airbus plane. I was seated on the second story in the very back, aisle seat....I figured, and posted on fb that it would be horrible, but two sleeping pills later and lots of sleep and I was ready to land in GuangZhou. From there, we collected our bags, met the director and some TA's and made the two hour bus ride to NanSha.

I was greeted by other teachers and staff who helped me carry all of my bags to my beautiful three bedroom apartment where I took a shower and went down to have breakfast.

The last week has consisted of Ikea shopping, visa photos, medical checks, lots of shopping, exploring and long bus rides. We flew into GuangZhou which is about an hour and a half from here (with no traffic and depending on where in the city you are going.) We have also gone to ShenZhen which is also about an hour and a half, but slightly closer in distance. But, our school is located in the middle of nowhere on the southern coast of China. I rode my bike to the ocean today which took about five minutes and was closest to the water than I have been since Seattle. Hong Kong is also VERY close by, but we have to take a ferry from the terminal across the street, and are unable to do that until my passport is returned. (It is off somewhere receiving my residence permit and year long teaching visa). Once I have that, I can make weekend trips to the city for about $50 round trip. This will also be where I travel into and out of when traveling internationally. (If you want to look up my location on Google Maps, type in NanSha District, China. It is located in Guang Dong province, and is its own district, but is a GuangZhou address).

All in all, the area is gorgeous and full of palm trees, wildlife and tropical plants, animals and jumping spiders. We have had a few downpours but only one big storm. I think I have sweated more in the last week than in the last few years, but I have gotten used to the heat and humidity. 89 is now cooler weather and more pleasant than the 95 degree weather with 90% humidity that has been the average climate so far. I do not feel as though I am in China living here, and have found more locals who speak English than my entire time in Beijing. It is very helpful that I speak Mandarin, but most people speak Cantonese but understand Mandarin. There are also many other dialects too, so many locals speak two to three languages and sometime four. Linguistically speaking, this may be one of the most diverse places I have been to. (I should use this to my advantage, and hopefully will.)

School starts in two weeks, so I will try and update some more later as I explore the area more. I will try and include more photos on FB or here of the campus as it is absolutely beautiful. I have also decorated my apartment as much as I could (and would like to spend for the moment) but as I travel more, I will acquire more decorations.

If you have questions or want to know other things about the area or anything related to my experience let me know so I can find more focus in my writing.

Olympic Park Earth Hour

I made it to Olympic Park for the first time... finally. My father was lucky enough to attend the Olympics in 2008 in Beijing, but I had not been back since 2007, so had yet to make it there. I have been here 6 months already but it is quite far from where I live, and it's been cold almost since I got here.

Tonight we had an event for our students called Earth Hour. It is celebrated around the world (but never heard of it while in the states). It's a moment when all lights and electricity is to be turned off for one hour. Now we weren't able to turn the Birds Nest off, but we had activities and games for the kids. I was in charge of painting the t-shirts... which was a giant cluster of people... and hello... paint doesn't dry that fast. It ended up being extremely cold and windy. Was only supposed to last 2 hours, but after an hour and a half we had maybe 20 students. Most of the people had already left it was so cold. My fingers and toes are still numb.

It was definitely a pleasurable experience and nice to see the kids all having fun together. Also, getting to meet and hang out with many of my colleagues I have never seen before. Not sure why I got myself into working until 830 at night when I have a class at 845 tomorrow morning... but oh well. I can now say that I have been to the Olympic Park and that I celebrate earth hour--- in a non-envrionmentally friendly way, unfortunately... toxic paint, lots of paper, lighting, etc doesn't make for a ecofriendly world... it was still an experience.

                                    

This was the 3rd shot of this picture... but it was so windy the shirt wouldn't hold still and neither would my freezing hand.

Reading...

So I have made it back to Beijing. Enjoyed my four days in Hong Kong... was able to breath clean air and enjoy the warm weather. Did some shopping, wandered around, dinner with old friends. It was nice to be away, but I didn't want to leave and now dislike Beijing even more and want to move to HK even more. I was sitting around a table reminiscing about BJ after 9 years of seeing my friends and the only things I could come up with about how Beijing has changed were all negative.... hmmmm. I do enjoy the international life and always having something new to do... but I'm over Beijing. Just six more months to go.

In the meantime... while on travels and in downtime I have been reading a new book. It was given to me by a friend as a birthday present. If you are a woman or just love a good read... you have to read this. It is called How To Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran.

Some may have heard of it already... if you come by a copy... check it out. Moran is a British author who I have been heard as the Tina Fey of England. I wanted to highlight my favorite passages in the book.

"You know, when it comes to sex, you really do have to remember men are blessedly forgiving creatures. They don't care what kind of knickers you're wearing. By the time you've taken your skirt off, you could be wearing Gregg's paper bag with holes torn in it, and it wouldn't put them off. THERE ARE MEN OUT THERE HAVING SEX WITH BICYCLES. Men don't remotely care if you're wearing sexy pants or not."

The next is at a wedding.. I was similarly lacklustre at Cathy and John's wedding, when Cathy's dad gave me a tour of their beautiful, all-white house, as I trailed behind, swigging red wine.
'And this is my favorite view,' Cathy's dad said, as we reached the master bedroom, and he strode over to the window. 'On a clear day, you can see right down the valley.'
Then a bat flew in through the window, and right into my face.
I don't know if you've ever had a bat fly into your face, but you don't have an enormous amount of time to work out your coping technique. You kind of...ride on instince. My instinct, it turned out, was to scream 'WHAT THE FUCKING?', and hurl my red wine right across the world's whitest room."

Love it.... yes it's crass and sometimes over the top... but hilarious... I actually busted out laughing on the plane a few times... that's all for now...

The weather

I think it is an appropriate time to introduce everyone to the wonderful world of weather here in Beijing.

I can't find any very descriptive words to explain the changes the city has seen in the last few days with respect to weather. But, I don't think my cold/body/lungs appreciate the changes in temperature, pollution, and psychotic wind episodes.

Hong Kong was very warm and I loved being there. It was absolutely amazing and the weather stayed around the 70s the whole time we were there. When coming back to Beijing I thought to expect the worst. I found the temperatures slightly mild, still cold, but not too bad. Then I got sick and feel like I have been locked up in my headcold/apartment for forever (it was only two days but my head was foggy for a few after that).

I woke up Monday morning hearing the sound of water on the road. Having lived in Bellingham/ PNW for so long, I have grown accustomed to waking up in the morning and being able to hear what the weather was like. Strange, I know. I realized this as I lay in my Beijing bed, hearing water on the road, hoping it was raining. I miss the sound of rain, I miss rain.

Anyway, I got up, open my curtains... and there it was, snowing.... I didn't realize it had been that cold. But guess it decided to snow. For a few hours, some of it stuck... some didn't. Anyway... snow. cold. Kind over it.... so there's the snow.

Tuesday, I wake up, walkout side and its warm. I dressed for snow mind you. By the time I get to my bus and get on, I have taken off my jacket, sweatshirt, hat, scarf, gloves, and ready to take off my work shirt, but figure I shouldn't completely strip on the bus in front of all the people that are already staring at me like I am an alien. (I do get stared at a lot, not only for being white and having blonde hair, but also because I am the only non-Chinese person on the bus... and I think also something to do with my skin... people talk about it a lot.)

Wednesday rolls around.. not sure what to expect at this point. Slept in late not worrying about the time. I get outside and it's even warmer. The sun is out. It's a nice day for once. I can tell spring is coming and being outside makes me happy for the first time in a while.

Now today... Thursday. I woke up this morning to strange buzzing sound. First I went to open the curtains to see what it looked like outside, and nothing out of the ordinary. I gray (maybe a slightly orange haze) hazy-looking day. I sit down at my computer and hear the buzzing again. So I walk to my window and look outside again and realize the wind is out of control. Trees look like they are about to fall down, people are holding on to hats, shit is flying around everywhere.... then it dawns on me.... It's almost March... which means time for our Gobi Desert storms..... oh joy oh rapture. The orange haze is due to the sand being blown into the city. The wind has picked up because the weather is getting warmer which means the sands will continue to fill the city causing for an even more enjoyable pollution/sand-filled/whathappenedtothesunblueskiesclouds city. I have grounded myself for the day. I refuse to venture into the orange world out my window. (yes the photo blow has been instagramed.. so no it is not that orange... but it helps add to the effect).

On a side note... I only have 6 and half months left. Everything has been settled to start Grad school September 16th (except financial aid which I should have no problem with, but won't find out until August.) I do appreciate and love my experiences here, and love the people I am around... but I think there are other cities around the world I could find the same experience... and still be able to hear the sound of rain, see the sun and clouds.. and blue skies. I'm happy to going back home. But still have a lot to do and learn while I am here.

Ice, ice baby

Apologies for the prolonged absence. Not going to update as there is too much to right and I want to keep this short and sweet.

Today started off not so well. I did get to sleep in as I do not have class until 1. But as I was leaving my home, I had a TIC moment (this is china!!)...

As many of you know the pollution in Beijing is at a pretty much all time high. I no longer have visibility beyond a few hundred feet. The sky is no where in sight. And clouds? What's that? It's always fun trying to teach children about the weather. No one ever knows what to say when you ask "what's the weather like today?"

I looked out my window, as I do every morning to see another grey day. To my dismay, this grey was due to some sort of rain/snow/mist happening. This rain/snow/mist made the ground very wet this morning (obviously), but then the temperature dropped leaving a thin sheet of ice covering Beijing. Oh joy, oh rapture, as my mother would tell her students to say instead of a complaint. I shuffled my way to the bus missing two along the way as I didn't want to risk running and falling on my ass. When I made it to the bus stop my bus was pulling up. I got to the door just as the driver closed it. I turned around and a man yelled, "it stopped" as there was a red light a few feet away. So I once again walked to the bus door and banged on it. The bus attendant looked at me and shooed me away.

I gave up, and took a taxi, getting there before the bus. Hah!

I am currently working 6 days a week and required to be in the office at least 40 but will be working closer to 50 this week. I have a 3.5 hour class this morning and had to stay for another one at 5:45. But, luck was on my side and my class was cancelled. I was able to leave and come home earlier than expected. Won't have to be back again until 1 tomorrow but will have to stay until 8.

I'd love to post pictures of the pollution but I just can't be bothered. Just imagine a grey world of nothing. And it can't be compared to a cloudy day because at least you know it's going to rain. this is just dirt. And now that there is moisture, the dirt is raining/snowing on to us. Here's to hoping the pollution subsides and the ice melts.

Christmas in Beijing

I think I may have had one of the best Christmas' yet, but it was bitter sweet. I'll tell you how it went....

I woke up early on Christmas Eve to get a few things done. Got the key to my mothers friends house, did some grocery shopping, and got my nails done. I splurged and spent the $20 it costs to do my nails different with little snowmen and snowflakes hand drawn on. I love them. I also picked up Home Alone 1 and 2, New Years Eve, and a gift for Anna Vance--my best friends daughter. There was a specific CD to find and I originally bought the wrong one, but found the correct one which included a DVD. Bonus

Christmas Eve we all had to work until about 8pm, but everyone was in a very festive mood. One of my classes was canceled so I only had to teach the young boy, who again told me about his drinking. He said he got many presents for Christmas, and wants to go out and party on Christmas Eve. I think many Chinese use our holiday as an excuse to drink more as they do not actually celebrate the holiday. I taught him all about Christmas as he had no idea why it was celebrated. He got bored after the first 30 seconds. But he did compare our holiday to Chinese Spring Festival-- but they receive money in envelopes, I may convert to being Chinese.

After work we all (many of us. Charles, Khadijah, Allison and a few others did not come) to a bar in Sanlitun. Our Chinese co-workers convinced us to go for Christmas Eve drinks (an excuse for them to drink and celebrate our holiday), they were slightly confused when we told them that most people don't celebrate Christmas Eve by going to bars, they still don't understand what we actually do. In my household for instance, there is never any alcohol involved. Only forced into playing games by my wonderful mother, and told we will have fun whether we like it or not. (Some of these moments would be better tolerated with a nice glass of wine on hand... but then that would take the fun out of our all-so-serious, but necessary Christmas traditions.) After the bars, Sarah Michael and I went dancing for a bit and then to a Chuanr restaurant (I apologize I don't know how to spell Chuanr..) But basically it was a restaurant (or a room the size of a very small bathroom) where they cook meat and vegetables on a stick over a family. It's basically BBQ. It was absolutely amazing... I have always said that Xin Jiang Ren can make the best food. I made some friends who didn't speak a lick of English, and have proceeded to receive messages in Chinese as I gave out my number, that take my wonderful co-worker Lucy to translate for me. Google Translate is my best friend here-- and of course Lucy and Nina.

Michael, Sarah and I stayed the night at my mothers friends house as I wanted the use of an oven for breakfast. It is always a tradition in my household to make something called Skiiers French Toast. It's absolutely amazing. But, I couldn't find corn syrup. Later I found out that I could have used substitutes, but it was already too late. So I went with bacon, eggs, and blueberry muffins (that I burnt of course). I don't eat bacon or eggs here, so it was a treat, but not the same as in the States. I got a hat from Michael... which was ironic and wonderful because I realized I misplaced mine the night before, and now had a new one. Came home and Skyped with the family. That's a whole other story but it was very eventful and family-like. I got a tour of the house and my parents modeled for me. My dog was quite scared when she was forced to the computer screen by my sweet mother. She wasn't sure what was happening just looked terrified and wanted to go back to sleep.

Christmas night went to Khadijah's for dinner. I was supposed to be cooking, but ended up not cooking at all. I received kitchen clean-up duty. We had chicken, broccoli with cheese sauce, brussel sprouts with bacon and onion, mashed potatoes and gravy, lingon berry sauce from IKEA, and baked beans. It smelt amazing and tasted sooooo good. I want more already. After dinner we played the longest, but most fun game of charades ever. We laughed a lot and had a good time.

Overall, Christmas was very bitter-sweet. I missed my family very much and wished I was with them, especially to see it snowing on Christmas. But, we had a good time. I think this Christmas for me was more about appreciating my family and friends. Santa didn't come and I only got tea and a hat, but it was perfect because those were two things I wanted the most. I got what was essential, what I needed. This was my first Christmas without family, but they were with my in heart. And I know that my biological father and aunt were watching over me. I don't think I have been this happy in a long time. It's nice to have that feeling about Christmas. I like giving presents and that was my goal this year. To give everything I could, whether a hug or smile, 5 jiao to a beggar, candy, a candle, or a home made breakfast and a warm bed to sleep in (Sarah), Christmas is about being with people you love, and that was what I did.

I also have my family Christmas to look forward to. Five days till I go home and have Christmas on the first with my parents and brother. Can't wait to be home. Merry Christmas everyone.

Michael, Allison, myself and Charles Christmas night. 

Smugglers for Christmas Eve-- my coworkers

Sarah, and Michael Christmas morning

The Christmas dinner spread

Allison, Charles and Khadijah-- good food and good friends.