Fruit Stand Groupie

The fruit stand outside our school gate has been a frequent stop for us since our arrival. Lately, it has become a great place to grade papers and plan class. Today, was beautiful weather and we refused to be bound our desks but knew work had to be completed. However, our afternoon of dedicated work became speckled with a minor distraction in the form of a cute Chinese girl.

She is the daughter of the fruit stand owners, an absolute adorable and giggly girl. Over the past couple of months I have spent time working with her and her English book. Whenever she sees us meandering through tent city, she likes to run up behind us and grab our attention. Today, she decided to pull up a chair and join our afternoon workstation.

We didn't get as much work completed as hoped, but we could not pass up the opportunity to laugh and play with the munchkin.

French Flair and Stone Dogs

In the days of emperors, our part of China was known as the “gate to hell” and the prime location for traitors to be banned, much to the delight of the prisoners; for while their emperor was freezing his tush off in Beijing during the winter, they were sipping hot tea on the golden beaches. Yet, their holiday was interrupted by the French deciding to battle for a chunk of China and succeeding--for a time. Though the loitering prisoners are nowhere to be seen, deep within the Chikan alleyways French flairs of architecture can be seen. As I say repeatedly, the key to Asia is getting off the main path, for the delights and treasures are found in the deep recesses. 

Zach, Shaun, Roger and I spent the day exploring a northern section of Zhanjiang, the Chikan district. Roger is an  Aussie expat who works for the Chinese government, loves to travel, has lived in Zhanjiang for three years (supplemented by many years in other sections of China and the world) and is knowledgeable about the sites we are interested in seeing. Plus, he is extremely personable and funny. We were not disappointed in his recommendations and guidance for the day.

Our early ramblings took us through alleys that were a labyrinth meshing two cultures. Fleur de lis were painted on cracked pavement. Wooden shutters frame glimpses of elder men playing mahjong. Next to the French-esque Chamber of Commerce building stood a Buddhist Temple. A lane opened into a courtyard complete with a double story brick home and a balcony boasting French doors now overgrown with climbing foliage and shoddy electric lines. It was a peek of an age long gone where a rich merchant traded and lived in a foreign land. Now, instead of one family, it probably held five to six—some of the poorest in the city.  

After a stroll through Zhanjiang Normal University and lunch, we spent time in and around the Zhanjiang Museum. Spread throughout a field next to the museum was over a hundred antique stone dogs—the guardians of Chinese gates for centuries. Their expressions were mottled and many of the sculptures were loose interpretations on the term “dog.”

The main exhibit within the museum was rather informative of how the Chinese banded together and unmercifully slaughtered the French while yelling, “You will not take our land!” The displays were rather graphic in their depiction of massacres, and (for the record) we have never seen such buff Chinese as we did in the exhibits. Robust and muscled Chinese figures dominated over meek, short and skinny French. 

The remainder of the museum highlighted bronze drums, Chinese pottery, rabbit figurines (since it is the year of the rabbit) and Chinese puppetry. 

It was a treat to explore a new section of our city with friends, because we do get tired of going to town just to go grocery shopping for the week.

Chinese Black Friday

Our Black Friday was wild and rambunctious. With three classes to teach, apiece, it was touch and go whether we would have the opportunity to take part in the great deals. We succeeded, abetted by a fellow student.

We currently have at least ten pounds of satsumas in our house. Who knew they came in green?!

One of our students, who is from the Henan Province (home to the golden beauties), gave us an entire box her family had shipped.

Once again, Black Friday was a success.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It was meager and not even close to the variety we are accustomed to from past Thanksgivings, yet it was enough to set our stomachs into turmoil and food shock.

I Am Thankful...

I am thankful for an American citizenship. The United States of America has many flaws, yet the passport we carry allows us so many opportunities.

I am thankful for the fruition of dreams. Living a dream truly is magical, amazing, humbling and absolutely scary.

I am thankful for Skype. For as much as living on the other side of the globe is exhilarating, it can be lonely. The moments we can spend chatting with friends and family (for free!) are absolutely necessary in reminding us that we are not alone, we are loved and we aren't that crazy.

I am thankful for logistical support. I am thankful for friends who make sure our storage unit doesn't explode. I am thankful for friends who send us deodorant (as are those who stand near us). I am thankful for friends who ensure that our bank account and mail are in order.

I am thankful for Zach.The reasons are too numerous.

I am thankful for Chinglish. It has added an entire new dimension to my vocabulary.

I am thankful for journeys, for they are continuous and mysterious. 

I am thankful for Mexican food. I miss you terribly.

Christmas Came Early

The holidays will be hard; we have acknowledged that fact. However, had I known I would be allowed to decorate before Thanksgiving, I would have moved overseas a long time ago! Thanks to Walmart, we gave our hutong a little holiday cheer today.

We were even able to find an angel, though this one makes us chuckle.

Another Round

Singing competitions are constantly blaring across our campus, for there is no better way to wake up on a Saturday morning than to bad Chinese pop music being sung by an even worse singer than the actual artist. However, in the latest competition, one of our students had made it to the semi-semi final round, so we wanted to show our support.

It was a fine example of Chinese scam--disinterested judges who were on their cell phones the entire competition and the worst singers (who happened to sing the most popular songs) were pushed through to the next round. Unfortunately, our student was bumped from the final line up (a robbery of talent at its finest), but she was happy with her performance.

For the record, she starts another competition this coming Tuesday.

A Rat Booby Trap

Zach's mid-night trek to the bathroom was accented with foot stomps and manly yelps--all extremely unusual. After a vivacious holler of "WE HAVE A RAT!" permeated my foggy mind, I stayed in bed. I figured the moment was a fine example when a man should reiterate why "he is the man of the hutong."

Unfortunately, the remainder of my nightly slumber was speckled with phantom dreams and sensations of a rat running over our bed.

The following evening Zach took drastic measures to thwart the rat's entry a second time.

If the piece of board, a tennis shoe and a wooden chair wasn't enough, Zach rigged it so that if the door even minutely budged the ironing board would sound the alarm.

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas?

As I swung into the post office today to post a letter, I stumbled upon a miniature winter wonderland complete with a reindeer. It was totally unexpected and I found myself rooted in place with astonishment.

Then, upon entering Vanguard, the main aisle was peppered with fake Charlie Brown Christmas trees (which were inefficiently decorated), gaudy snowmen and Santas, odd colored ornaments and even lights. Zach and I were a bit giddy and secretly thrilled that even though we are on the other side of the world, having a few things to remind us of our favorite holiday is possible.

Today, we purchased a Santa hat and a Merry Christmas door sign. We are price checking tree prices with Walmart.

Dragons and Divas

Since our students have figured out that we love to be a part of campus festivities, our calendar has been quickly filling with engagements. Today was especially busy with a yard sale, singing competition, two Skype dates and a teachers meeting to decide classes for next semester.

Untypical of a Saturday morning, Zach and I got up at 8am--he watched Kentucky basketball and I headed to the main square for the yard sale that the students coordinate to raise money for classmates who come from poorer families. I was rather shocked upon entering the square to find a full fledged ceremony taking place, complete with red aisle carpet, inflatable Chinese lanterns and a speaker. I was oblivious to the occasion but I stuck around because I saw Chinese dragons.

These ingenious displays of human puppetry are breathtaking to me. Next to the architecture, the dragon dance is a love for me. I never tire of watching them.

Our afternoon was spent watching a singing competition. They are OBSESSED with singing competitions, as there are dozens throughout the semester. Today, we had students perform so we wanted to show our support.

Plus it is an added bonus to see how wild and crazy other students can become in supporting their classmate...while holding umbrellas to shield themselves from the horrible-no-good-very-bad-death-inducing sun.

Fleeting Logic

Putting two large, impassable piles of sand on the main sidewalk out of our apartment complex was a brilliant plan and stunning example of the logic in this part of the world. There are truly moments when I wonder how this country ever survives.

GDOU Aquatic Museum

It is clouded in mystery and neon-blue tinted windows, home to a turtle who loves to sunbath and a sight we see every day behind our apartment. For the past three months, we have gazed out our windows and pondered the existence of the structure behind us. One night, they forgot to turn off the lights and it was eerie (and rather exhilarating) to have a peek into long, empty corridors. Last week, buses dropped off hoards of screaming and squalling elementary kids. Today, tour buses dropped off giddy adults. We vowed to explore.

It is a large complex, which hinted to large aquariums and unique specimens. We were overzealous and quickly realized that this museum was far from the normal aquatic experience. Instead of an encounter with the beauties of oceanic life, we walked into a marine life cemetery.

Halls and halls of glass jars filled with hundreds of specimens. Some were freaky. Some were cool. After the second room, we readjusted our expectations and began to look for the weirdest or ugliest creature we could find. The sea turtle in moldy formaldehyde was disturbing. After the third room, the glass jars began to blur together.

The venture wasn't a total bust as we got to see our apartment from the back! It was sheet washing day.

We aren't clamoring to return to our neighborhood dead zoo, but my imagination is livid with images of dead fish standing around the seaweed room reminiscing about the good ole days while the lobsters host a poker game between the shrimps and crawdads in the seashell corridor.

Pre-Season Change

A front moved through last night and left behind brisk wind, big puddles and a chill in the air. The severe drop from 80 to 60 degrees was brutal to the system, forcing Zach and I pull out our fleeces for our jaunt to class this morning. Our students, on the other hand, pulled out and donned expedition gear for the Arctic Circle. Due to the high wind, I forewent my daily swim and ran the campus loop around the lake instead. Though it was blustery, it was a great day for a jog and I loved seeing my campus lush as ever with foliage and teeming with wildlife.

It is suppose to be warming back up tomorrow, but it is rumored that in a couple weeks this weather-type will stick around until March.

Gone

Clues are ever so helpful in hindsight.

An eerily quiet downstairs apartment.

A standing Friday night engagement with friends, neglected.

An oven given away under a reasonable pretense.

Between the last sighting and conversation with our Aussie neighbors at noon on Thursday and a Saturday morning email, our fellow Kiwi teacher fled the country. 

He leaves behind a wife and step-daughter, who were two weeks away from moving to New Zealand to await his arrival in January. The house has been sold. The wife is unemployed. In his stealth preparation, he filled out paperwork to revoke their sponsorship.

He leaves behind a substantial debt with our Aussie teachers, loans granted through three years of friendship.

He leaves behind a furnished apartment speckled with shoes, (gross) dirty dishes, clothes, DVDs and a full fridge.

He leaves behind a trail of emails; everything from complaints to our bosses to a "I want a divorce" email to his wife. 

The aftermath of a fleeing expat hasn't been glamorous. Scenarios are created. Questions are asked. Authorities have to be contacted. The situation is deep with many layers; many beyond our mere knowledge. Even though we had only seen or talked to him a mere five or six times since our arrival, we knew his life was riddled with depression and extreme culture clashes. It is disheartening and extremely sad.

Culture can be a beast to embrace. We have now seen what happens when it conquers.

Classics Binge

Over the past three months, I have been avidly reading "the classics;" those books that as a high schooler we loathe. Ironically, I wasn't actually forced to read all the classics during my schooling. Nonetheless, in our final days of Beijing I had the hankering to read Sherlock Holmes. I have heard the thousands of references and jokes pertaining to his world and I wanted to fully understand them. I wasn't disappointed; it was utterly fascinating and entertaining to read.

After completion of the entire Sherlock Holmes tome, I turned to Dracula which was actually disappointing, but I chalk that up to pre-planted ideals. Wizard of Oz was a shock as the movie only covers twenty pages of the book. The Jungle Book was a delight, making me walk around for days singing "Bear Necessities." Washington Irving shocked me with his extra writing beyond Sleepy Hollow, and King Solomon's Mines is an incredible tale of adventure, battle and superstition with enough detail to taunt my vivid imagination.

I am sure I am not finished with my classic quest, but I wanted to document my progress and the quotes I have taken time to highlight on my Nook.

Quotes

Those who live only for the world, and in the world, may be cast down by the frowns of adversity.  – Roscoe, Washington Irving

There is in every true woman’s heart a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity; but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity. No man knows what the wife of his bosom is—no man knows what a ministering angel she is—until he has gone with her through the fiery trials of this world.  – The Wife, Washington Irving

"That proves you are unusual," returned the Scarecrow. "And I am convinced that the only people worthy of consideration in this world are the unusual ones. For the common folks are like the leaves of a tree, and live and die unnoticed." – The Marvelous Land of Oz, Frank Baum

Slowly the sun sank, and then suddenly darkness rushed down on the land like a tangible thing. There was no breathing-space between the day and the night, no soft transformation scene, for in these latitudes twilight does not exist. The change from day to night is as quick and as absolute as the change from life to death. The sun sank and the world was wreathed in shadows. But not for long, for see in the east there is a glow, then a bent edge of silver light, and at last the full blow of the crescent moon peeps above the plain and shoots its gleaming arrows far and wide, filling the earth with a faint refulgence, as the glow of a good man's deeds shines for a while upon his little world after his sun has set, lighting the faint-hearted travellers who follow on towards a fuller dawn. – King Solomon's Mines, H. Rider Haggard

Art of Illusion

No matter how long we live here, there are things that we will always rail against. The lack of compassion for fellow man will always bother and anger us. The education ethic of training to cheat rather than teaching for knowledge will always be crude and barbaric. The scam artistry of this country will always make us leery of purchases and sales pitches.

For us, culture shock in the long term is bottling and focusing our frustration towards one item. For Zach, it is the banking and internet system. It is a constant barb to him and every time he has to deal with it in depth, he will be highly riled. For me, it is the fluctuation of time structures. Shops that are supposed to be open are not. The swim time given is not actually the right time. Then, swim time is limited to two hours—a time span when most students are in class and are unable to use the facilities.

When students boasts about how global and developed China is, we have to muffle our snickers and hide our gaped mouths. How can a society be taken seriously, when (within its structure) authenticity is shunned for illusions and the façade of perfection and corruption is widespread and deep? Recently, a company in England began re-examining IELTS scores because corruption within the testing has become so pervasive that students with high scores are showing up at universities around the world unable to speak English. 

This isn't a rant complete with solutions, but rather a mini-compilation of thoughts, observations and discussions we face daily. For as much as we love this country and its people, we are still foreigners who are reminded often that God is bigger than dictators, corruption and sketchy illusions.

This Year...

This year, I carved a pumpkin with the air conditioner running. 

This year, I turned condensed milk into caramel in order to make caramel apples.

This year, I am gazing at palm trees rather than crispy, dying leaves. 

This year, I spent Halloween in shorts....again. 

This year, we taught over three hundred students the joys of treat-or-treating

This year was not the typical Halloween, but it was good.