You Know You're Adapting to China When...

To mark my two-month anniversary in this country, I present my top 5 signs you know you're adapting to life in China:

1. You can push and shove with the best of 'em

When I first got here, I was a little overwhelmed at the huge numbers of people that are often jam-packed onto city buses. It's still not my favourite thing in the world to try to make my way onto a crowded bus - but I do it. Before I'd hang back and wait for the next bus, in the vain hope that somehow it would be less crowded. Wrong! Prepare to sharpen your elbows if you come to China. (Lest my mother - who is soon to visit me in Beijing - worry about this, I should add that apparently people are more polite in Beijing, having been trained in advance of the Olympics.)

It helps that my small size doesn't put me at a disadvantage. I'm closer to the average here than I am at home. I can't imagine what would happen in New York City if 6-foot, 250-pound men decided to push and shove their way onto the bus or subway. Chaos all around!


2. You can cross the street without looking completely petrified

For the benefit of readers back home, one day I have to stand by the road, take a video of the absolutely insane driving and then upload it to my blog. I've been in multiple cabs that get impatient with the driver in front of them and decide to drive on the other side of the road. Traffic lights are more of a suggestion. If you're going to live here, you have to quickly get used to the fact that pedestrians have no right of way - you have to make your way as best you can amongst the cars, bikes and motorcycles. I'm really not sure why they even bother to paint crosswalks on the roads. I've had close calls with two motorcycles, though neither driver looked remotely phased that they almost ran into me. My worst scare came when a car stopped only about 1/2 a foot away from me. I had the walk sign, but like I said... lights are more of a suggestion. Again, I've adapted to this, but that's not to say I love crossing streets here, especially busy intersections. Not only will drivers not stop for you - they will honk at you for being in the way!

3. You're guilty of TWW (texting while walking)

Guilty ;-) Students appear to be surgically attached to their mobile phones. While not as bad as them, I certainly use mine much more than I did at home. My fingers are slowly getting out of BlackBerry mode and re-adapting to the usual mobile phone keypad.

However, I still won't attempt TWW while crossing the street. (See #2.)


4. You're don't run screaming from a restaurant when you hear the cook coughing over your food in the kitchen

Gross, I know, but hygiene standards are not what they are at home. At home, I could be a bit of a germaphobe. Forget not eating food that touched the floor. I wouldn’t eat it if it fell on the table. I knew before coming here that the standards are different. I’ve learned to accept that if I’m going to eat here, I will probably end up eating something made by someone who hasn’t washed their hands in a very long time. I carry hand sanitizer with me everywhere – at least my own hands can be clean – but I accept that the conditions around me aren’t going to be what you’d find in Canada.

I know one thing: Taking Dukoral before coming here was a smart move. Will I make it to June without a case of food poisoning? Knock on wood...


5. Lunch time = Nap time

Many students eat their lunch in a hurry at noon so that they can get back to their dorms in time for a nap before classes resume at 2 pm. I was never one for napping - plus a 9 to 5 work schedule does tend to get in the way - but I'm finding myself adopting the lunch time nap routine, at least on days when I'm teaching. I teach 7 to 9 pm both Tuesday and Wednesday nights and have English Corner on Thursday nights, so a midday nap is a good way to stay energized into the evening.

But something tells me not to get too used to daytime naps.... I doubt they'll figure much in my soon-to-be life as an MBA student!

A Little Ironic

In an effort to help my culture students better understand Canadian culture, I was trying to download something last night from YouTube. I've accessed YouTube many times here, but apparently the Chinese government has just decided to block it. So, sorry students - although I'm here to help you better understand English-speaking cultures and am here at the invitation of the Chinese government, I've just lost what can be a valuable teaching tool (if used appropriately and in moderation). Kind of ironic....

Also ironic: I'm finally allowed to access the CNN Wire and what's the first story I'm able to read? "YouTube Blocked in China"! Here's the link: http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/03/25/youtube-blocked-in-china/

Oh, you need some irony to spice things up....

More Observations....

Any fears I had of being bored here are long gone. I don't stop! Maybe I'm just incapable of doing nothing. Between teaching, lesson planning, learning Chinese and travelling, I'd say I'm about as busy as I am at home. This weekend two teacher friends are visiting. I met Liz and Steve during CIEE's orientation in Shanghai.

So, because I've had no time to develop a proper blog post (though I get many ideas while walking to class!), I offer more random observations on life in China.

1. Say Good-bye to Anonymity

Being an ESL teacher here is perhaps the next best thing to actually being a Hollywood celebrity. There's an interesting divide between the campus and the general public. In public I get stared at A LOT. On campus, students may look at me, but I wouldn't call it a stare. They're much more used to seeing foreign teachers. In fact, if anything, I get complete adulation on campus. Students ask to have their picture taken with me. I get people talking to me as though I'm a celebrity..... "Oh, I saw you yesterday in the mess hall.... you were eating with the other foreign teachers!" I walked into one of my culture classes on my first day of teaching, and some of the girls started to sigh and giggle. I was tempted to turn around to see if Hugh Jackman had followed me in. And my students aren't exactly subtle. I've had both male and female students come up to me and tell me I'm beautiful - and that's the first thing out of their mouths. That's the introduction! Ken, one of the American teachers, has a hilarious story about one of his students being convinced he was David Beckham.

Nowhere does the celebrity status come out more than at English Corner on Thursday evenings. I've mentioned English Corner before. Basically, students gather around and listen/talk to the foreign English teachers. It's a good way for them to practice talking with native speakers. The only thing is that I've found that a few students tend to dominate the conversation, while everyone else just listens. I try to involve more students by asking the shy ones what they think about a particular topic. Some only listen because their English isn't great, but I think others are just shy and will hang back and let a few people control the discussion. I tend to get a lot of the same questions.... "What do you think of China?" "Do you like Chinese food?" "What is the weather like in Canada?" One of the funny things about English Corner is that they try to get as close to you as they can, which means that the circle of people closes in around you until you're forced to back up.... kind of like when you're trying to get away from a close talker. Last night I realized I ended the night 6 or 8 feet away from where I started.

Some students at English Corner

2. Basketball is incredibly popular....

..... and they certainly know/care more about the NBA than I do. I keep meaning to ask Teddy or Steve if that's a fairly recent thing - i.e., since Yao Ming. I see the guys shooting hoops on the campus basketball courts and wonder if they dream of being the next Yao Ming, like Canadian kids want to be the next Wayne Gretzky. Though they're 18 or 19, so perhaps a bit too late for that.

3. Back to the 1980s....

I'm old enough to remember the second half of the 1980s and I distinctly remember people wearing clothes that look a lot like what you see in Changzhou. The style here is very 1980s - now I don't feel so bad about taking older clothes (having heard that China is hard on clothes - very true, by the way). At least they're not that old. You see girls wearing leggings paired with bright/mismatched colours. I saw a female student yesterday wearing stirrup pants.... I remember loving my stirrup pants as a little girl! Looking at the guys I'm often reminded of an 80s music video or Theo from the Cosby Show. It's very common to see them with blazers on with the sleeves rolled up, a la every male pop artist from the 1980s.

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Given the tragedy that has happened at home, I'd like to end this blog entry with a comment about how happy I am to be here, living my "what ifs". The Cougar helicopter crash is a reminder of how fleeting life can be. I can't say I ever pictured myself lecturing in a Chinese classroom, yet here I am.... and I'm soaking in every moment of it, even the frustrating ones. It's all an adventure that will shape who I am. As I say in my blog intro, life is too short not to live the "What Ifs".

May the families and friends of those killed last week find comfort and peace in their loved ones' memories. I send my thoughts and my prayers home at this tragic, tragic time.

China's Harmonious Society

In moving to China, I left a country that not only allows a separatist party to sit in Parliament - it lets it form "Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition".

Obviously, things are different here in China.

For the benefit of readers back home, I'll share some observations on life in China's "Harmonious Society" with its "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics" (two phrases you hear repeatedly). I stress observations - not judgements. While I'm a guest in China, I wouldn't feel right making public value judgements. Besides, I don't want to end up with my blog on the other side of the Great Fire Wall of China!

Let's start with the Internet. When I go online, I have to provide a user name and password. Both were given to me when I arrived - I can't change them. First sign that Big Brother is watching. Some sites are blocked all the time, others are blocked some of the time. Wikipedia works sometimes - more often than not lately. I haven't been able to access CNN's political ticker since I got here. If you type certain phrases into Google, you'll get a very quick "This Page Cannot Be Displayed". China is notorious for the number of people it employs to censor Internet content, but some things still get through, perhaps because they assume most Chinese people can't read them. For instance, I love The Economist and was surprised to find I was able to read a damning article about Tibet on its website.

Speaking of Tibet, this from an editorial in China Daily, the country's English-language newspaper: "Thus, he [the Dalai Lama] is completely incapable, morally or physically, to confront with the irreversible current of the national unity. Being such a busy person flying around the world, the Dalai Lama should have contributed to disseminating the essence of Buddhism." The words might be English, but you'd never mistake this for an editorial from a western newspaper.

When I signed my contract with the University, one of the clauses stated that I would not interfere in China's internal affairs. I can't imagine someone coming to Canada and being asked not to meddle in Canada's internal affairs. (Well, maybe in the Kingdom of Danny - just kidding DW supporters!)

Last night I finished reading Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope. There were a few mentions of China - generally not positive. I wonder whether you can even buy the book here. Probably not. I wasn't here for Obama's Inauguration, but the American teachers tell me that parts of his speech were omitted in the Chinese translation - like when he talked about some countries being on the wrong side of history. Tomorrow in my culture class, I'll lecture on America's political and economic system. "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics" it isn't, but thankfully I'm allowed to lecture freely on others countries' political and economic systems. I guess it's a little hard to hide the fact that in other countries, people vote.

Some people have told me it's easier to find English books that are critical of the Communist regime than it is to find Chinese books. In a Shanghai bookstore, I was very surprised to find a book that tells the story of a woman repressed by the Communist party. As more people here learn English, will those books gradually diminish?

And so concludes my observations.

Stalls Without Doors - and Other Teaching Adventures

I have to chuckle as I’m reading some of the essays my culture students gave me. The essay question was: “If you were to move to the United States, what are some of the things that might cause you to experience culture shock?” I assigned this question after my first class, where I talked about culture in general and introduced the concept of culture shock. This is a precursor to getting into the cultures and societies of English-speaking countries.

Well… apparently Americans are a bunch of hamburger/junk food/bread/cheese eating, fast walking/talking people who spend all their money and are obsessed with kissing each other on the face. Hmm. Am I prepared for this strange people when I start my MBA in the fall? It seems that stereotypes have become assumptions for many of my students. While obviously there is truth in those statements, I don't like reading, "Americans only eat junk food." It makes me want to protest that many Americans (and Canadians) are obsessed with healthy eating and that white rice and dumplings have next to no nutritional value. Hopefully my students will have a more well-rounded perspective once our U.S. module is completed.

I finally did start teaching and have been teaching now for two weeks. I have to say that I’m really enjoying it – even more than I expected. I like the role of teacher. I like knowing that what I do in these next few months could have a big impact on their learning and even self-image. As expected, the hardest part of teaching at a Chinese university class isn’t hushing disrespectful students – it’s getting them to speak up! With the exception of a few brave souls who sit at the front of the class, they’re very shy and reluctant to venture an answer out loud. I’ve discovered, however, that if you make something a contest, it’s game on! The other day I had a competition to test their knowledge of American history. I divided the class down the middle and had them pick team names. One class got so into it, I had to remind them it was just a game. Mystery of China’s Olympic prowess solved? (With help, of course, from a massive talent pool.)

Thankfully, almost all my students have taken English names for the classes they have with foreign teachers. That certainly makes my life easier, though I wonder how I’d feel if I was asked to pick a new name because someone can’t pronounce mine. I think I’d be a bit pissed and would be tempted to say, “Then learn how to pronounce it!” Anyway…. My Chinese is still so poor that no doubt the class would erupt in giggles if I had to call the role in Chinese. Most of them have chosen real English names, but amongst the Anns, Jennys and Carols, I have a Sand Glass, Monkey, Heaven, Angel, Elf and – my favourite – Cool Fire (nice use of an oxymoron). I even had a Christ, but I convinced him to drop just one letter and make it Chris. A few students sound like they could be the children of celebrities (Coco and Apple). I gently encouraged those without real names to consider adopting a proper moniker, especially amongst my Business English majors. I explained that if any of them go on to work for an international company, they may find it difficult to be taken seriously.

At the same time that I’m enjoying teaching, I’m finding the teaching conditions quite spartan. In China, the Yangtze River basically defines who gets heat. Communities below the Yangtze, like Changzhou, have to do without, although the temperature can drop to freezing in the winter. Changzhou is also fairly close to the coast, and there have been days I’ve felt a distinct wind chill and been reminded of home. Of course, there are exceptions to the “no heat” rule. The hotel I’m living in has heat – thank God. But the other teachers weren’t kidding when they said that the hotel is one of the few buildings on campus with heat. So far, I’ve been teaching bundled up in my coat. I’m getting used to always having my coat on, even in restaurants (again, more upscale restaurants would have heat, but that’s not what you find in the University area). I don’t mind it because I know that after class I can relax in my lovely heated apartment. My students live in unheated dorms. I can’t imagine showering in those conditions. Hopefully, spring comes soon to southeast China.

Speaking of the conditions my students have to deal with… the bathroom facilities on campus are not the greatest. I’ve made a mental note not to drink too much water before going to class (as I was practically born with a glass of water in my hand, that’s been an adjustment!). On my first day, I asked a student to show me to the washroom. It didn’t bode well when she said, “I don’t think you will like this place.” Yeah, you could say that. The lack of western toilets no longer phases me – but the lack of doors on the stalls did. I want to get to know my students, but, um.... not that well. Of course, I turned and walked right back out, even as some of my students had followed me in and were busy unbuttoning their pants. I couldn’t help but think, “These are grown women.” I’m teaching at a University, not a pre-school. Certain bodily functions came to mind, and I wonder how they deal with that. The complete lack of privacy astonished me. But I guess if that’s what you grew up with, it’s no big deal.

English Corner is another part of being an ESL teacher in China. On Thursday nights, the foreign teachers gather at a building they call “Titanic” (because of its shape, I think). Students gather around and have the opportunity to use their English skills to talk with a native speaker. I had to miss the first English Corner as I was preparing for Beijing, but went to my first last week. At first I felt kind of awkward having a bunch of Chinese students gathered around me, all looking at me expectedly. But eventually I warmed up and we had a good group conversation going. I was happy to see it wasn’t all about me talking at them. Most of them weren’t my students, but I’m going to assume that in class they’d be very quiet, like my own students. English Corner is very informal, so the atmosphere is right for free-flowing conversation. Towards the end of English Corner, one of my own classes showed up and gathered around me. I felt like some kind of celebrity. Hilariously, they started helping me with my Chinese. When I said “Zai Jian” (good-bye) to them at the end, I was met with a resounding “BYE!”

I will post teaching photos soon!

Beijing Bound - Part 2

I get up early Sunday morning so I can at least see a small part of Beijing. My flight will depart just after 1 pm. I head to the hotel restaurant for the complimentary breakfast… yum, more bread. And real coffee!

After breakfast, I take a short walk to the Silk Street Market. Calvin had pointed this out on Friday night. I walk in and of course, they’re all over me: “Lady, would you like to buy a shirt?” I wasn’t intending to buy anything, but ended up finding something that would make a perfect souvenir.

And then came my first experience with haggling in China. There are no price tags on anything in the market. The saleswoman takes out her calculator and punches in a number that she claims would be the regular price for the item. Not a chance, I think! “But I give you special price because it is a gift,” she says. She reduces it immediately by about 40%. I realize I don’t even have that kind of money on me, even if I didn’t want to haggle further. Still too expensive. I tell her I only have a certain amount of money and she asks how much. Of course I don’t tell her quite how much. I give her a price that’s about 70% less than her original. We eventually settle on a price that’s 60% lower than her original. I feel good about my transaction, though she’s so friendly in saying good-bye that I can’t help but wonder whether I still got ripped off! Oh well – I’m happy with my purchase and I hope the recipient will be too :)

Beijing's Silk Street Market

Entering the Market - rows and rows of stalls

My trip to Beijing was brief, but it looks like I’ll return in April. I certainly won’t be staying at the China World Hotel again, though it was nice to feel like a jetsetting international business executive – and I hope that one day that becomes reality.

Lobby - China World Hotel

You know you're staying at a classy hotel when this is next door - and it's not knock-off

Beijing Bound - Part 1

I have started teaching and will write about that in my next entry… suffice to say for now that it’s going very well. Much better than expected, to my delight :-) I’m really starting to like Changzhou and the University campus, which is like a little town unto itself…. But again, more on that later.

For now I’ll focus on my brief Beijing sojourn. I left Changzhou on Friday to fly to Beijing for interviews with two MBA programs – Chicago Booth and Georgetown. I’ve already been accepted to George Washington University, but I’d love to have a choice. I felt very “international” – a Canadian interviewing in China for MBA programs in the US. And that’s the only thing I’ll say here about my interviews…. this blog isn’t about my quest to get into business school.

Before leaving for Beijing I grabbed lunch on campus. It's possible to live on 10 to 15 RMB per day here. On campus I can get a full meal for 5 RMB, or about $1 CDN. In the little mom and pop restaurant, there’s a curling game on TV. Wow – what timing! China is playing Canada. I learn later that it’s the final game to determine the gold medal winner in a women’s curling championship. Funny. In this tiny, cold restaurant (where I’m bundled up in my coat, as I am in all buildings on campus, except the hotel), I never would have expected to find a tiny piece of Canada. I haven’t gone through major culture shock here, but I have to say, there was something about watching the end of that game – seeing the maple leafs on their uniforms, hearing some in the crowd chant “let’s go Canada, let’s go!” and knowing that I was the only one in that restaurant who wanted them to win – that gave me a tiny pang of homesickness. I’m getting used to looking different from everyone else, to not understanding what’s being said around me – but that was a sharp reminder of the differences. Patriotism is a strange thing… our attachment to arbitrarily determined borders.

Incidentally: Canada lost.

After lunch, I met Teddy at the hotel and he took me to the airport shuttle bus terminal. There’s actually an airport in Changzhou, albeit a very small one. I’ve decided that Teddy’s name suits him perfectly. He’s teddy bearlike in his manner, not appearance (so no worries Teddy – because I know you’re reading this!). He has this protective way about him when it comes to the foreign teachers. Anything goes wrong, Teddy is on it. We lose our heat for a few days, Teddy’s on the hotel’s case. I have to go to the Changzhou airport, Teddy takes me to the shuttle bus station, though I make it clear he doesn’t have to – this doesn’t have anything to do with the school. Teddy waited with me for the shuttle and even made sure I got on the bus okay. It’s gotten to the point that if something goes wrong, my first instinct is to call Teddy. I show up in Beijing and the taxi driver doesn’t understand where my hotel is (though I showed him the address in pinyin Chinese), and my first thought is to call Teddy and get him to explain it. Which really didn’t make any sense as I was in Beijing and Teddy hasn’t been to Beijing in years.

The last few days have been a bit of a step back into the western world. I’m glad I was posted in Changzhou. It’s too easy to live like a westerner in Shanghai and Beijing – and incredibly easy when you’re staying at a business class hotel in Beijing. When I arrive in the Beijing airport I notice three things: (1) western toilets (yeah!); (2) a Starbucks; and (3) other white people. It’s funny how quickly you develop a radar for spotting other foreigners when you’re living in a small (relatively speaking) Chinese city. And not just other Caucasians – anyone who isn’t Asian. A flash of blond hair – I caught it! The decidedly western way of walking that’s more like a strut… I notice it immediately. I take a taxi to my hotel (after finally calling the hotel and getting them to provide directions) and things get even more international. The China World Hotel is very opulent. I wouldn’t be staying here if it wasn’t for the fact that I wanted to be in the same location as my interviews. I’m struck by the sheer number of staff in the lobby. They even have someone to push the button on the elevator for you! Since arriving in China, I’ve noticed the large numbers of employees in most businesses. I went to one little boutique store in Changzhou where the staff must have outnumbered shoppers by 2:1. There are sometimes a couple of steps to a transaction that you’d expect could be done in one step; i.e., with one person. I wonder whether this is inevitable in a country that has more than 20 percent of the world’s population…. and I wonder what the future holds for China if the world economic situation doesn’t turn around soon.

China World Hotel - the lady close to the centre of the photo directs you to reception

To backtrack a little, I had a good conversation in the airport shuttle bus with a young man who was returning to Guangzhou where he’s a student. I was impressed that he had the confidence to talk to me in English. You don’t find that much in Changzhou. He’d heard me talking to Teddy in the waiting area. I ended up sitting next to him on the bus and he struck up a conversation with me. When I told him I love to travel, he asked me the following question, which gave me pause (and I’m paraphrasing): Don’t you think it’s important to know the language of the country you’re going to? I wondered whether I’m one of those ignorant English speakers who just presumes English will be spoken wherever she goes. I thought about it for a moment and told him that I don’t expect anyone to be able to speak English to me in Changzhou. It’s my problem that I don’t understand. I have to do my best with shopping, eating, etc. But I did add that in a business context, I do expect people to be able to speak English. It is the language of international business. What language do an Italian and a Chinese person use to speak to each other? I expect people in airports, major hotels – any organization that has contact with international business travelers – to know English. But I don’t think I’m the stereotypical globetrotting English speaker who just talks louder when people don’t understand.

However, I am the stereotypical English speaker who’s not fluent in any other language. That has to change and I’ve been reminded of that in doing my MBA interviews.

When I arrived in Beijing I had dinner with a friend who I haven’t seen in 6 or 7 years. “Calvin” did his MBA at MUN. I can’t say that when we parted in St. John’s that I ever expected I’d see him again – and on his home turf at that! He and a friend took me to one of Beijing’s most famous restaurants for Peking Duck. We have duck, goat, a few salads, soup made from duck and Chinese wine. Delicious! I’m reminded of why I want an international business career….

Preparing Peking Duck

Dinner with friends

When I got back to the hotel, a funny thing happened. Within about 5 minutes, I felt like I had a cold. I suddenly had a bad case of the sniffles. I know what this is now – pollution sickness. When I showed up in Changzhou, I came down with a cold. Some said it was really pollution sickness that mimics a cold. I adapted to the terrible air in Changzhou. Then I flew to Beijing where the air is even worse. I’ve read that every day in Beijing is the equivalent of smoking 70 cigarettes (like the cigarette smoke you’re breathing in all public places isn’t bad enough).

I get up on Saturday morning to prepare for my interviews. I had one at 2 pm and the other at 6 pm. I go the hotel restaurant for lunch and once again put one foot back in my own culture. Club sandwiches on the menu! Rolls! The Chinese don’t eat much bread. Toast is almost unheard of. In the mornings I don’t have toast – I have bread with peanut butter and jam on it. I’ve yet to even see a toaster for sale in Changzhou, though Dan tells me Steve, the Chinese English teacher, has one. In the hotel restaurant, I gorge myself on bread, opt for the knife and fork, and make no apologies for it! I’m eating plenty of rice and noodles in Changzhou and will surely be an expert on the use of chopsticks by the time I return.

My hotel is in the business district, so there’s not much to see. Not that I had much time anyway. My interviews, including preparation, take up most of Saturday. I have a well-deserved drink in the hotel bar (Aria) on Saturday evening. If I closed my eyes, I could be in any piano bar in North America. There’s live jazz music – a pianist and singer. The woman has an amazing voice and sings “Moon River”…. Ahh, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, my favourite movie :-)