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 :-)

Welcome to China....

I really did try my best to start teaching today.

I was scheduled to teach two classes of the long-titled “An Introduction to the Societies and Cultures of English-Speaking Countries”. Each class is roughly two hours long with a 10-minute break in the middle. Tuesday is my heaviest teaching day – relatively speaking.

I got up bright and early and in “professional” mode. I spent much of yesterday preparing and printing a class syllabus and planning my first class. I asked one of the other teachers if the students would understand a syllabus. He told me that it would be a new concept for them, but hey – welcome to North American culture! In university/college, we have outlines of our classes. In my mind, how else can you stay organized? The syllabus is as much for my benefit as my students’.

I arrived at my classroom by 9:35, which was quite early, considering the class didn’t start until 10:00. I didn’t want to be late on my first day as a teacher! I thought perhaps the classroom would be vacant and I could get my blackboard notes written before students started trickling in. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case and I had to wait outside for 15 minutes or so.

Waiting outside the classroom, I considered whether I was nervous. Teaching isn’t something I’ve ever done – period – let alone teach in front of a group of students for whom English is not a first language. I’d been told to expect varying degrees of ability. Some are very good, while others hardly speak a word, even if their professed major is English. I felt some trepidation, but also excitement…. Not unlike how I feel right before I get up to give a speech at Toastmasters. I was ready to use my slight nervousness to spur me on to a better performance.

The first thing I did when I got in the classroom (which is very basic – blackboard and chalk) was set up my laptop. It would probably be completely useless, as the Internet is down today and I’d printed all my notes, but I took it anyway. It’s like my security blanket and reminds me of a time not too long ago when my laptop was my lifeline. At the DFB Group, my laptop went wherever I went. Like the dress pants I was wearing, having it there made me feel more like a professional. I took out the stack of syllabuses (syllabi?) and started writing some notes on the board: About Me, Classroom Rules and Points to Remember (Ask Questions, Don’t Be Afraid to Make Mistakes, etc.). Students started arriving, most of them female, which is what I’d been told to expect. Many of them smiled at me. Some of them started reading my notes out loud. Yeah! I have a precocious class.

Only it wasn’t my class. I finished my notes and shut the classroom doors. One of the students rushed up to me. I thought she might be the class monitor – typically the best student who helps the teacher with the roster and other duties. But she pointed to another woman and said this was the teacher for this class and that it’s not an English class at all. The other teacher didn’t speak any English and didn’t look any older than her students (then again, I probably don’t either, though obviously nobody will mistake me for a student).

For a moment, I was completely mortified. How could I have gotten the classroom wrong? I’d only looked at my schedule about 100 times! I checked it again – no, this was definitely the classroom written on the sheet. What could I do but smile and explain that my schedule most certainly said I was in the right class? The female student explained that these students weren’t English majors. And it just went downhill from there. Hilariously, Bryan, another ESL teacher, showed up and said he was supposed to be teaching in that classroom too. So: Three teachers were all scheduled to teach in the same classroom. Some of the students started giggling, and I smiled back. I called Connie 2, the foreign teachers’ assistant. She left a class to come over and try to figure out the situation. She couldn’t reach Connie 1, and Bryan and I couldn’t reach Teddy… there wasn’t much more that Connie 2 could do, so she returned to her own class.

So I just packed up my things, erased the blackboard, smiled and told the students it was nice to have met them briefly. Some of them smiled at me and one said I should stay in their class and learn Chinese. During orientation week, I’d be told not to get upset at these sorts of things and that they happen all the time in the Chinese educational system. If you get upset, they’re likely to just turn away from you. The Chinese do not like confrontation. Outwardly, I kept my smile and good humour….

Inwardly, I was fuming. It seems like such a simple thing to get a classroom location right. And I was aghast at the thought that somewhere a class was sitting without a teacher. It didn’t help when Bryan said that this had happened last semester too. He’d missed the first class because they gave him the wrong classroom, but his students then acted like it was his fault and made comments about it. We walked over to Teddy’s office. No Teddy. I tried Connie 1 myself and finally reached her at home. She apologized and said she’d look into it. She called me back about 30 minutes later and apologized profusely. She said it was her mistake and that in creating my schedule (based on Bryan’s), she hadn’t changed the weekday or room number. That still doesn’t explain why Bryan was in the same classroom as the Chinese teacher, but I figured it was best for him to talk to Connie herself and figure that out.

Connie explained that neither of my Tuesday classes are actually on Tuesday; they’re tomorrow. She apologized repeatedly and said she’d email me a new schedule (let’s hope the Internet is working by tonight). I was very relieved to find out that there wasn’t a “teacherless” class somewhere on campus.

People make mistakes, I know that. She was extremely apologetic. But apparently this kind of thing happens with astonishing frequency. Oh well…. I have to remember to “go with the flow” while in China. And on the upside, I had a dry run at getting mentally psyched to teach and writing some notes on the board (I have to work on the leftie penmanship, which is not improved at all with chalk… of course, “my” class commented on the left-handedness).

Tomorrow it is. I think this means that I have to teach three classes on Wednesdays. We’ll see. In one instant, I learned that even when you think you know something here - you may not.

Post-Script: I wrote the above in Word since the Internet wasn't working. It is now and I have my new schedule. I'm teaching three classes on Wednesday and two on Thursday. I'll have one class on Tuesdays starting next week.

Bring Your Own Toilet Paper - and Other Observations on Life in China

I've been here now more than 3 weeks, which of course, is sufficient to make me an expert on all things Chinese (said with tongue firmly planted in cheek).

Here are some random observations on life in China:

1. BYOP - Bring Your Own Paper

Chinese washrooms run the gamut. I think I've yet to experience the truly horrendous, though I did take one look at the women's washroom at the acrobat show we attended in Shanghai and decided I could wait. At the other end of the spectrum was the spotless bathroom in the Shanghai World Financial Center that not only had a western toilet, but what looked to be a very fancy bidet.

I should say here that it's not just the level of cleanliness that varies - the toilets themselves are different. "Squat" toilets are common in China. And that name says it all. While the hotel where I'm living has the kind of toilets we're used to at home, the University only has squat toilets. You can't throw paper in a squat toilet; you throw it in a bucket or basket next to the toilet, which can create a none-too-appealing smell unless it's changed regularly. And speaking of toilet paper, I don't go anywhere without a package of tissues. Toilet paper is not guaranteed in public washrooms!

The tissue paper also comes in handy at restaurants. I've eaten in a number of restaurants now in the University area, and napkins are neither provided nor available. Me using chopsticks plus no napkins is not a good idea.... another reason for my ever-present package of tissues. And on the issue of chopsticks....


2. Chopsticks Skills are a Must

Thankfully I had basic chopstick skills before arriving in China. If not, I may have starved. Unlike Canadian-Chinese restaurants, where forks and knives are at the ready, you're hard pressed to find them here unless it's a western-style restaurant. Which makes sense. Restaurants at home don't carry a supply of chopsticks.

My chopstick ability is not fantastic - I still drop food and have a hard time picking up very small things - but it's good enough for me to get by without making a complete fool of myself.

My advice: If you're planning a trip to China, learn to use chopsticks.


3. Get Ready to Raise Your Glass

Chinese people, particularly businessmen, seem to love to toast. I'd heard about this in some business classes. Several of us were graciously invited to dinner on Friday night and we must have toasted 15-20 times throughout the meal. Sometimes it's the whole table. Sometimes the person doing the toasting just clinks glasses with one other person. Men seem to initiate the toasts much more than women.

I like the frequent toasts. It creates a feeling of comraderie with your fellow diners. All the toasting, plus the many and varied dishes, leads to nice, leisurely meals. On this, the Chinese seem to have something in common with the Europeans. I remember dinners in Europe that lasted 3 hours.


4. China's Vices - A Trip Back to the 60s

Ironically, China does capitalism just as good, if not better than, most capitalist countries, but its vices are those that the west is on its way to eradicating - namely smoking and drinking and driving. I love the TV show "Mad Men", but I can't say I long for a time when smoking and heavy drinking were ok. Welcome to China. At the reception desk on my first full day at the hotel in Changzhou, I was standing behind a man puffing away. It seemed bizarre to see someone smoking in a hotel lobby. I understand that it was much worse just a few years ago, and that no-smoking regulations are gradually making their way into Chinese society. And much like toasting, smoking is something that few Chinese women do.

Worse than the smoking is the lax attitude toward drinking and driving. After same dinner as mentioned in #3, I was mortified to see our host - who hadn't skimped on the alcohol consumption at dinner - get behind the wheel of a car and actually offer to drive us downtown. I declined, as did another teacher. On this point, I am unyielding and don't care where I am in the world or who I offend. If there's one thing I don't do, it's get into a car with someone who has been drinking.

Taxi please.

A Left-Handed, Chinese Businesswoman

Today we met with the School of Foreign Languages and received our teaching schedules. I was warmly welcomed as the new teacher this term. I'm teaching 3 classes each of "Introduction to the Cultures of the English-Speaking Countries" and "Oral English". For the culture course, I actually have a textbook, which I hear is rare for foreign teachers. My teaching time amounts to just 12 hours per week, Tuesday to Thursday. That seems incredibly slight, even when you include prep time. Well, it certainly leaves me time to travel, reflect and work on my Chinese! I think it will be a welcome change from the rigors of a business career, when even when you're not technically working.... you're working or thinking about work.

"Connie" is responsible for the foreigners' teaching, much as Teddy looks after our living situation. (The first time I reference a Chinese person by their English name, I'll use quotation marks to indicate that it's an adopted name.) After our meeting, Connie introduced me to her assistant, a second-year student who's there to answer questions and act as a general resource for foreign teachers. As it turns out, the student's English name is also "Connie". I'm guessing that Connie 2 is probably one of the top - if not the top - student at Jiangsu Teachers University of Technology. The job of assisting foreign teachers is considered a great honour and privilege.

In the few minutes I spoke with her, Connie struck me as warm and intelligent. I asked her what she wanted to be when she graduated and she replied "a businesswoman." What a coincidence! I explained that my time teaching in China was a break in a business career. She was surprised (I got, "why are you teaching in China?") and impressed. In a country where traditional gender roles still dominate, it's very likely I'm one of the few businesswomen Connie has met. She noted that everyone in international business - regardless of where they're from - speaks English, and I said that her combination of Mandarin and English would be a huge advantage in the business world. Connie went on to say that her parents were discouraging her from a business career and wanted her to pursue teaching. At that point, I didn't feel it was my place to spout the western axiom, "Follow your dreams!" Family has a special place in Chinese society and parents' wishes often determine what a child does. In fact, I've been told not to be surprised if my students think I'm over here because my parents asked me to do it! (I'll be able to assure them that is definitely not the case - right Mom!?) I simply told Connie that it was good she was keeping her options open by studying both business and English, and that I'd gladly trade her Chinese lessons for lessons in business English.

Connie also commented on my left handedness. That's the second time in two days I've gotten a remark about being left handed. She said that she'd met 5 or 6 other foreign teachers who were left handed, which apparently never ceases to amaze Chinese students. Connie explained that in China, children who show left-handed tendencies are forced to use their right hands, so left handedness is extremely rare.

Yesterday I had lunch with "Steve", the resident Chinese English teacher. Steve loves hanging out with foreigners - I'm looking forward to the dinner parties he's known for having for the foreign teachers! In walking around campus with Steve, I got an interesting comment that was also the second of its kind in a short amount of time. In the library, one of the librarians asked where I was from. Acting as translator, Steve told her Canada. She continued talking and started motioning to her eyes and nose. Steve told me that she said I looked like I could be from a part of China where the people have wider eyes and different noses. Earlier that day, Teddy had taken me to the police station to convert my temporary visa into a residency permit. I had to get a picture taken, and he remarked that my photo looked "very Chinese".

Huh? I thought people were staring at me because I looked so foreign, but maybe they're just trying to figure out where I'm from! In the past, others (friends in Europe) had told me that my "look" is hard to place and that I could as easily be from Eastern Europe as Canada. But I can't say I ever expected to be told I have a Chinese look about me! I'm glad I darkened my hair last year. On sunny days, I wear my shades and the stares decrease significantly. It's not out of the question that a Chinese woman would have paler skin; interestingly (sadly?) they sell skin lightening products here.

And on that note, it's time for my next 10 characters :0)

1,000 Characters in 100 Days

During orientation, an experienced ESL teacher told us that we were likely to have more free time in China than we've ever had before. We'll teach about 18 hours a week. Even when you include lesson prep time, that will hardly add up to a normal 40-hour work week. So that leaves a lot of time for travel, self-improvement, etc. With that in mind, I've come up with the following equation:

Lots of free time + About to specialize in international business in my MBA program = good idea to try to learn Chinese

My goal is to be able to hold a simple conversation by the time I leave. My loose definition of "simple" is the ability to carry on small talk with the friendly lady who runs the shop next to the hotel. In terms of written Chinese, here's my rather lofty goal: 1,000 characters in 100 days. That doesn't necessarily mean knowing how to write full sentences myself. I'm more interested in understanding written Chinese.

I came across this on a website dedicated to teaching the Chinese language:

"Knowing just 1,000 Chinese characters will enable you to understand approximately 90% of written communication. With 2,500 you'll understand around 98% of written Chinese, and knowing all the 4000 we have listed on these page will enable you to understand virtually 100%. With that, even a native Chinese would be considered literate."

Hence my goal of 1,000 characters - just 10 per day. Of course, it's one thing to know that this character - 日- means "sun". It's quite another to know that 度日 - same character combined with just one more - means "to scratch out a difficult existence". Sure. I will try my best! I'm already starting to recognize some of the more common characters when I see them, though I don't know what they mean in the sentence.

And with that, it's time for my 10 characters for tonight....