In Service Week

This week has been extremely busy. The American Program had a bit of reduction in force of our support staff so we have had a lot of responsibilities this week that teachers shouldn't normally have to worry about. Sorting uniforms, inventorying textbooks, and cleaning out lockers are just a few things we've been working on that would have normally been reserved for a supplementary staff. Not to mention the fact we had to give up Friday afternoon to visit the US Consulate in Shanghai to have our marriage certificate notarized. Apparently having the original document isn't good enough for the Chinese and we needed it notarized to receive our work permit. We haven't had nearly as much time as we would have liked to work on our classrooms, course outlines, and lesson plans. We persevered though and are just about ready for the first week of school, even though it took a significant amount of evening and weekend work. We do have a few more additions to lesson plans and classrooms, but for the most part we're ready for Monday!

This morning we went back into Shanghai to visit a used bookstore and a stationary/craft store. Chelsea picked up about 25 used upper elementary books (Judy Bloom, Goosebumps, etc) for only about $30. It makes for a good start to her personal classroom library. The interesting thing about shopping in China is that there will be a ton of the exact same store all right next to each other. So as we're walking down this street, it's just building after building of little shops that are all basically the same: stationary, office supplies, pens/pencils, crafts, etc. Its kind of a pain to initially find where you need to go, but once you do there's an endless supply of inventory all right next to each other. Ironically, it's capitalism at its finest because everything is super cheap. And if you can't find exactly what you need at one store, there are 5 more right next door. 

After getting everything we needed, we just spent the rest of the morning walking around Shanghai exploring. The city is overwhelmingly huge and every time we go we find something new we like. It's definitely a very unique city and we are wanting to spend a weekend there sometime soon. We took the 1:00 train back to Kunshan and have been working on lesson plans for most of the afternoon. Today has actually been really nice so we're going to go for a jog this evening then meet a few coworkers for dinner. Southern China has been in the middle of a stifling heat wave but its been trying to cool off the past few days. Everyone talks about how miserably hot it is here but we actually find the weather to be very comparable to Texas. Chelsea isn't used to the humidity as its more comparable to the Texas Gulf Coast than to Central Texas. She definitely doesn't appreciate it but its almost nostalgic for me. It reminds me of summers back in East Bernard! However, the big difference between Texas and China is the lack of central air. In Texas we like to beat the heat by blasting the AC at full blast 24/7. But here, people only use crappy little units for each individual room...or just crack a window. It's really hard to get out of the heat, even indoors.  Apparently the same problem comes up during the winter, which sounds like will be a little harsher than most places in Texas. Anyway, the point is its been more comfortable here the past few days and even stayed in the 80s all afternoon today. 

So as I said, this is our last free weekend before we start the new school year. We're going to do our best to relax tomorrow then will hit the ground running Monday!

Hunter

This didn't turn out as well as I hoped, but I think it's still a pretty cool picture of the park down the road from the school. 

Shanghai and More

Last Friday we took a trip to Shanghai! Our first stop was the French Concession which is littered with shops, restaurants, and other fun things to scope out. Not wanting to force Hunter to look at dresses all day, I mostly window shopped. I am looking forward to a day where I can really bargain hunt as everyone keeps telling me that clothing is pretty cheap in China. Side note, we did find out later there is a tailor in Shanghai who allows you to pick out your favorite fabric in the store, gets your measurements, and then proceeds to sew a nicely fitted shirt or dress for roughly 90RMB which is the equivalent of about 15 USD!!!

Moving on... while looking at different shops we stumbled upon a bootleg DVD/CD store. There were all kinds of TV shows and movies lining the walls, some that haven't even come out in theater yet. We ended up buying the third season of Spartacus and Rosetta Stone for Mandarin. We learned the hard way that not everything you buy in these types of stores is guaranteed to work. Spartacus is good to go but sadly the Rosetta Stone failed to come through. That's alright, we are still learning the corruption ropes around here and are only out about 10 bucks.

Afterwards, we ate at a westernized vegetarian restaurant that was really good and then headed to The Bund. The Bund is a stretch of shops, some beach area, and banks in old 1920's style buildings. It also boasts the famous view of Pudong (the downtown area) across the Huangpu River. We then walked around taking pictures of the pretty areas that surround The Bund and also explored a mall close by. We eventually had dinner at a well known Chinese food restaurant called Shanghai Grandmother. The food was pretty tasty but I am starting to dislike the copious amounts of sauce and oil the food is always swimming in around here. Also, the meat plates are mostly a ton of bone or fat you have to pick through. It really makes you appreciate the delicious morsels you do find.

We ended the day with a night walk on The Bund while the buildings lit up across the river. It was very beautiful and surreal. Can't wait to go back!

Some good news that I am both excited and anxious about is that I accepted a 4th grade position at the same school where Hunter is teaching. I am really nervous but also grateful for the opportunity. Luckily I will have a mentor/sort of co-teacher guiding me along the way. The past three days have been spent in new teacher orientation and have kept us both pretty busy. Hopefully we can do some more local exploring in the next couple of days.

Talk to you guys again soon! Miss you all.

Chelsea

 Yummy vegetarian restaurant! 

 These are the old buildings from the 1920's I mentioned earlier. Very cool to look at. They are mostly just banks.

 The famous view across the river.

 Found a lot of random statues and small parks around the area.

This is a blurry picture but the camera was dying so it was the best we could do. You get the idea!

Home Sweet Kunshan!

It's been a few days since we've posted but we've been very busy setting up our new apartment and exploring Kunshan. Beijing was fun but we can tell that Kunshan is more the type of city we would want to live in. It's much smaller and prettier with lots of waterways and public parks. Not to mention the clean air! You can actually see the sky and feel a breeze. They say it's hotter here than in Beijing but we much prefer the higher temperatures over the stagnant smog.

We took the high speed train to Kunshan from Beijing on Tuesday. It was about a 5 1/2 hour ride but it didn't seem like it. The seats are much larger and more comfortable than on planes and you can get up and move around anytime you want. You can even move from car to car and there is one car specifically for ordering food and eating. All in all, it was a very comfortable ride. I would take a 5 hour train ride over a 2 hour plane ride anytime, especially considering you'll spend an additional two hours at the airport going through security and other nonsense. None of that at the train station! When we arrived in Kunshan, we were greeted by the director of my school who took us to the campus and showed us our apartment. It's a surprisingly spacious one bedroom with a separate living area, kitchen, bathroom, and laundry area. We're very pleased with the accommodations! Our first night here, the campus secretary showed us around the area and took us out to dinner. She also pointed us in the direction of a grocery store and supermarket where we can do some shopping for household items.

Since our first day in Kunshan, we've basically just been exploring the town and setting up/cleaning our apartment. The grocery store is about a half mile down the road. It's not a bad walk but most people at the school have electric scooters or mopeds that they use to get around town. They are not nearly as expensive as you might think so we are going to look into getting one soon. We may also look into getting bikes. Kunshan isn't nearly as big as Beijing or Shanghai but it can still be a long walk to get anywhere. Buses can be confusing and cabs are expensive so we definitely want to look into alternative means of transportation.

We are still getting our bearings around town but we're looking forward to exploring and seeing everything Kunshan has to offer. We are also very close to Shanghai and Suzhou, which are both major cities and we want to explore there as well. We are actually headed to Shanghai today to do some sightseeing and eat at some cool restaurants.

Till next time,

Hunter and Chelsea

The train was going about 185 mph so it was hard to get a good picture, but the country side got progressively prettier as we moved further away from Beijing. It was cool to watch the countryside change the further we went. We saw beautiful mountains, rice patties, huge farms, and a range of cities, towns, etc.

 It's hard to tell from the pictures, but the seats are definitely more comfortable than on a plane with much more leg room. 

 The entryway in our apartment! 

Our kitchen includes a refrigerator/freezer, a washing machine, and a water cooler. You can't see it but the sink is on the other side of the kitchen. Drinking tap water isn't exactly recommended here. Even the locals drink only bottled water, or tap water that has been boiled first. The school provides us with replacement jugs for the cooler.

 This is our living room. Came equipped with a kitchen table, couch, and TV! The curtains are hideous...currently trying to find some replacements.

Nice king size bed. It is rock hard but we will find a mattress pad soon. Also want to find a new comforter and curtains for this room too.

Beijing in Pictures

Today is our last day in Beijing. It has been a fun week but I am ready to move into our new home in Kunshan and leave behind the stifling smog. I thought I would share some pictures from the past few days as we wrap up our time here.

To start, I found this really cool Chinese ethnic heritage park close to the hotel. It was a giant maze full of relocated historical buildings, examples of the different landscapes in China, and newly created scenes depicting old China, Tibet, and even Korea.

Rice field!

This seemed so old world and out of place when I was walking down a street full of tall buildings. China is a strange clash of modern and old melded together over time.

One day when the smog cleared just a little.....we saw mountains in the distance! We were shocked because we had not been able to see that far out most of the time.

Cat themed bar.....with lots of cats. I don't know how this doesn't break some kind of health code but it was fun!

Vampire themed bar! I was very excited about this.

Thanks for reading. We are off to Kunshan tomorrow!

Love, Chelsea

This is China

On one of the first days in my class, I learned about a phrase that expats living in China like to use to describe some of the...unusual...experiences one might encounter while living here. "This is China," or just TIC for short, is the only way to explain some of the odd things that go on in this country on a daily basis. Almost got run down by a speeding car ignoring all traffic laws? TIC. Bombarded by street vendors selling everything from octopus tentacles to live crickets? TIC. Ordered water with a meal and had it served scalding hot? TIC. Went to a cat themed bar with a plethora of actual cats roaming around the entire place? TIC. I could go on and on and on. All you can do is laugh it off and chalk it up to one simple explanation: This is China.

Other than learning clever inside jokes, my TEFL course has actually been quite enjoyable. I'd be lying if I said I had been looking forward to it but it has actually been a good experience. My peers are mostly Americans but there is a vast array of other countries represented, including Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Australia, Iran, Israel, and China. Our instructor is an American who has been teaching English in China at the university level for the past 15 years. He's a pretty entertaining guy with an interesting sense of humor. He's done a great job of presenting a ton of valuable information and keeping our attention. It's been a very informative course. The first few days consisted of just lecturing and group discussions but the past three days have been filled with everyone doing a 30 minute demo lesson, which accounts for 30% of our grade. I was the second person overall to do my lesson and it was really nice to get it out of the way early. I've kinda just checked out ever since. Tomorrow is our last day and we'll be taking a final exam which accounts for 40% of our grades. I've done very well on all the coursework so far so I only need like an 18 on the final to pass the course. Needless to say, I'm not too concerned about it. After the final, we will all go our separate ways in various parts of the country to teach at different public schools, private schools, international schools, universities, and language centers. It's been nice visiting with everyone and I think we will all do great in our respective assignments. Several people will be in Suzhou which is only about 10 minutes from Kunshan, so it's possible I'll see them again. Then again, there are 10.5 million people in Suzhou, so maybe not. TIC

Hunter

Going Stag

Hunter started his third day of class today and he seems to really enjoy it. I have to say I am a little jealous that he gets to interact with other English speakers all day but at the same time my inner introvert is loving the alone time and solo expeditions.

I didn't go too far on my first day alone, mostly down the street a few miles to explore some shops and eat lunch. The place I ate was purely Mandarin....I had no idea what was what and the people working there were not much help. After a minute of pointing to the few pictures on the wall and repeatedly saying picture, one of the waiters brought out a huge menu full of images. Phew. I ordered a salad that had peanuts, cucumbers, and tomatoes as well as a delicious stir fry of peppers and cauliflower. Despite the spiciness, it was delicious! After eating, I went and checked out the local supermarket to get a feel for our future grocery shopping trips. I am not sure if this is the norm here but this particular supermarket had several floors. The first floor was like a shopping mall full of clothes, the second had products for the home as well as bath stuff, and the third had fresh produce and food. I was relieved to find a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables! Can't wait to have a home and a kitchen to cook in.

Later that evening Hunter and I decided it was time to eat some famous Peking duck! We took a cab to a place that was recommended by the hotel staff. We each ordered a separate dish of differently prepared duck; it was definitely one of the best meals by far.

Yesterday I ventured out much further, taking the subway to the Beijing Zoo. I admit that I feel guilty for going to the zoo. The animals are not treated well and are stuffed in small, confined spaces but the zoo here is listed as one of the top places to see in Beijing. So I figured I could go check out a panda or two. I had a lot of fun looking at all the animals and decided to also visit the aquarium right by the zoo. It was quite a lot of walking and a very exhausting day but enjoyable.

Afterwards, Hunter and I met up for dinner. We went to a really cool restaurant called Pure Lotus. A critic online perfectly describes it as "delightfully pretentious". First of all, it is hidden behind a hotel in a random parking lot and is extremely hard to find. As you walk up, there are people dressed like monks ushering you into a tent like building. The inside is lit only by dim lamps and candles, giving it a mysterious feeling that is reinforced by the sitar playing in the background. Sitting at a low table in midget chairs, we ordered tomato dumplings, "vegetables", and something we can't even pronounce and are still not sure what it was. Everything was served on a unique platter or display and we ate off adorable china set atop lily pads. The atmosphere was definitely offbeat and entertaining. The food was great too!

Anyway, I am about to start another day of unaccompanied exploration! My main goal may be to look for a laundromat...wish me luck!

Chelsea

This statue of a man roasting some duck was at the restaurant where we had amazing duck. I think this place is pretty famous for it!

This was the duck dish I ordered. It had tomato sauce, pineapple, and sweet pickle. Such a strange combination but so good.

After dinner one night we decided to check out the night life. It was busy!

Hunter enjoyed a Chinese beer. It tasted very much like Bud Light.

These people were singing at the bar. They gave off a karaoke vibe but I think they are a band.

 Panda at the zoo!

Hunter and I enjoying dinner at Pure Lotus. The little statue is holding the dish we can't pronounce. It tasted kind of like tuna fish and was surprisingly really good with a little bit of apple sauce on top.

The vegetable platter we ordered was basically little bundles of salad with carrots inside. They gave us this savory sauce to poor over the bundles. We are pretty sure there was peanut butter in the sauce and it tasted great! They gave us a complimentary dish of cantaloupe to top off the meal!

Hustle & Bustle

The past couple of days have been an exciting blur of different smells, colors, tastes, and awkward interactions. Each day we have walked until we both have blisters on our feet and aches in our backs. It seems that everything and every place we go has a unique aroma or something fun to explore or try out.

We are trying to get used to the hustle and bustle of everything around us. Everyone seems as though they are in a rush to get somewhere. From speed walking pedestrians, fast cars, scooters zooming past, and bikers ringing their bells for you to get out of the way, it feels as though we should join in the rush to get somewhere important. All polite norms are absent here in China...there are no spots in line and you can forget about personal space. And I am not sure why the streets even have painted lines for traffic, those are completely ignored. Except for the major highways, you can expect a two lane road to have at least three cars beside each other... honking at one another to let the other know they are there or telling them to move out of the way. I rarely see blinkers used, laying on the horn for a good while is their way of changing lanes. The constant honking is a reminder for us pedestrians to move out of the way quick or we will get run over! The locals seem oblivious to the honking and buses whirring by within inches...Hunter and I seem to be the only ones afraid of getting side swiped. The atmosphere gives the impression that you are in a race everywhere you go. We always seem to find ourselves in large crowds or lines and people are not afraid to push you, cut in line, or race for that coveted spot on the subway. If you want something here in China, you better get ready to fight for it! 

We have had quite a few awkward encounters with locals. They giggle at us quite a bit due to our lack of Mandarin speaking abilities and because they have no idea what we are saying when we speak English. We are also not used to the restaurant waiters/waitresses and shop keepers breathing down our necks as soon as we walk in. If you go to a restaurant, the waiter will stand and wait within inches of you, anxiously awaiting your order. It is really awkward and hard for Hunter and I not to laugh. The shop keepers do the same thing...everywhere you walk in the store, there is someone hovering right there...watching your every move.

The streets are fun to walk down and soak up all the activity. Street vendors are common and you can find unique shops in every direction. Random objects are sold left and right...you can buy anything from milk boxes (yes, like a juice box but milk), fruit, irregular handmade objects, toys, gadgets, and clothing. Another interesting site is right outside our hotel window. There is what appears to be a small park and every morning people are walking around the circle or exercising in some way. I thought the park had a playground but it turns out there are a bunch of different contraptions for working out. We can see old men doing pull ups or elliptical-esque workouts. There are also women exercising in groups outside. It looks like it may be a class but I am not sure. They play music and dance. Another odd thing they do is stand and slap different parts of their bodies. They just repeatedly slap anything from their legs and stomachs, to their butts and back.  I went for a jog around this little circle and definitely got a few stares. I guess I need to get used to that.

I am already starting to miss silly things like oatmeal...and fresh vegetables. A lot of the food we have been eating is probably what is considered local fast food. It consists of a lot of rice, noodles, and sauces. One interesting meal was roasted goose! I had to peel off a lot of fat and dig through bone but it tasted alright. I am ready for a place to call home and some good home cooked food from a local farmers market. Anyway, we still have quite a few days here in Beijing so that wish will have to wait! I am hoping Hunter and I will be able to visit the Great Wall of China at some point this week.

Anyway...till next time!

Chelsea

This is the view right outside our hotel.




I loved these paintings along the walkway in a park right by the Forbidden City.

Really happy to find a Starbucks!

Interesting statues outside the Olympic stadium.

 Roasted goose with rice and mushroom soup!






Hunter enjoying some local cuisine.

 Forbidden City! It was huge. Lots of walking in the heat...

So we had to take several breaks. Hunter and I have been mistaken for Russians a few times...I guess it is the dark hair and China's close proximity to Russia.

The Forbidden City was beautiful and worth all the walking!

Beijing Day 2

Today was another long day. We started out by walking to Olympic Park and Bird's Nest Stadium, which is only about a mile and a half from our hotel. On the way, we stopped at a bank that is affiliated with Bank of America, our home bank in the US. We are able to use our Bank of America debit cards and PIN numbers at the ATM to pull out cash here in China without any extra fees or international surcharges. We have complete access to our bank accounts in the US and it even accounts for the exchange rate. We just select how ever much Yuan (yu-in) we want to pull out and it automatically takes the dollar equivalent out of our American account. I'm not sure how it works but its very convenient. We also have a "Travel Rewards" credit card from Bank of America which also doesn't have any international fees, but most places here don't accept cards. Cash is still very much the main form of payment here so we will have to get used to always having it with us - something I was admittedly bad about in the states. After the bank and a quick stop at Starbucks (Chelsea was particularly excited about that find), we headed to Olympic Park. They were selling tickets for a tour of the inside of the stadium but we were content with the view from outside and got a good look at everything from just walking around the park.

Next, we wanted to find the train station that we would be leaving Beijing from next week. Like I mentioned yesterday, the taxis can get a little expensive so we wanted to give the subway a try. Other than the fact that the stations can be a little hard to find (even with a  map), this was definitely the way to go. A taxi ride can cost up 100 Yuan one way. The subway, however, is only 2 Yuan each (about 30 cents) for us both to get underground. Once in the network of trains, you can stay on as long as you want and transfer trains as many times as you need to reach your final destination. So we took the subway from Olympic Park to the Beijing South Railway station and walked around a bit, just to get our bearings for when its time to leave Beijing. From there, we paid another 4 Yuan to re-enter the subway system and go back to the Forbidden City. We only explored the courtyard yesterday and wanted to go inside the actual city. We paid 60 Yuan each to enter the city - which seemed expensive since we've gotten used to spending only a few bucks here and there for various items - but in reality, its only about $10 a person. We took about an hour to walk through the city and snapped off some good pictures. By the time we made our way all the way through, we were both exhausted from all the walking around and were ready to head back to the hotel. It was at this point that searching for the subway stations got really annoying. Our map showed a station really close to where we exited the city but we couldn't find it for the life of us. We decided to walk about a mile or so down the road to the next one, but it ended up being several blocks from where the map said it was. We finally found it though and paid our 4 Yuan to get back to Olympic Park, the closest station to our hotel.

By the time we walked back to the hotel, we figured we'd done at least 10 miles on the day and decided to just eat dinner at the hotel restaurant. We ate, came back up to the room, and are already ready for bed at 7:30. I start my class tomorrow so from here on out the exploring will be solely up to Chelsea. Beijing has a ton to offer and its a shame that we only get to spend ten days here. But at the same time, we're both ready to head to Kunshan and get settled in our new home.

Thanks for reading,

Hunter