February 05, 2003

Happy 4701!!! Happy Spring Festival!! Happy Chinese New Year!! Xin nian kuai le! According to the Chinese lunar calendar February 1st begins the year of the sheep (goat, ram), and it is the year 4701. It's a pretty different system from what I am accustomed to, but hey, it works for me! Soon, it will also be a one year anniversary of my move to China! Can you believe it? One year already? It's gone by so quickly and I have seen so much and have met so many wonderful people during my time here. I should balance that last statement and say I have also seen my share of not so nice things too. All in all though, it has been a wonderful time and I have become quite used to living here and I anticipate that, barring something VERY unusual happening, I will continue to live here for a good bit longer. :)

So, back to the Chinese New Year topic.....I have never heard, or seen, so many fireworks in all my life!! In fact I can see flashes outside my window and can hear the occasional pops and booms and here it is a few days past the really big date. It's really cool seeing how much the people here enjoy this time of year and I have noticed that smiles are little more prevalent than they usually are. Many street vendors are doing brisk business selling what I think are sugar cane stalks, and also flowers. I think people cut the sugar cane and suck on the innards. Talk about a sugar high!! You should see the size of these things! For the children, the Spring Festival is the equivalent to our Christmas. Parents and relatives give them "lucky money" in red packets. Also, from what I have heard, unmarried adults also receive this money, but since I am alone and have no Chinese family, I am sad to report that I won't be enjoying this particular custom. The preparing and eating of jaozi (dumplings) is also an important and common part of the holiday. Supposedly they represent wealth because the shape of the dumplings can be similar to old Chinese coins. Also, some families may hide a coin in one of the jaozi and the person who almost loses a tooth is considered to be the most lucky for the new year. Sounds like misfortune to me especially if you did lose a tooth! Something I have noticed is that many people and businesses hang red lanterns and/or display large and elaborately decorated signs with large Chinese characters that maybe represent luck or good fortune. The things are everywhere and it really does remove the dreariness seen in many parts of the city. One downside to the holiday is the fact that most businesses seem to be closed for days on end. Thank goodness one of my favorite restaurants is still open or I would be a walking skeleton right about now. He he. Anyway, the holiday is a time of rest and I have been doing plenty of that with waking up late and naps in the afternoon. Oh, why does it have to end??

Let's see, it's been more than a month since my last entry and I am wondering what I should write about. One thing I would like to briefly mention is the departure of my co-worker Becky. She has moved to Beijing to continue teaching and now I am the only foreign teacher at the school in Chengdu. I am going to miss having her around for sure and will miss the little things like her "Hoiy!" (Standard English translation: Hi!) in the morning, her nice smile, and basically her overall great attitude. She was easy to work with and I hope that maybe in the future we can work together again. Her leaving was also a little sad for the students, some of whom were pretty distraught at the idea she would be gone. Becky: I wish you the very best!!! I am sure you will be successful and happy. Just try not to over-spend on your haircuts anymore!! :)

School is moving along well, but I can tell that the big test is fast approaching. There are many more worried and distressed faces in the classroom these days. As I mentioned in a previous entry, I am helping these students pass the IELTS exam for study abroad in Australia, and the time of the test is almost upon us. Students are quite desperate to make fast improvements to their English skills, and for some the prospect of taking the test and being interviewed by a strange foreigner is quite terrifying. It doesn't help, but I tell some of them, "What's the worry? You see a strange foreigner and speak with him nearly everyday....me!" This is really not a time for joking around though, and I really feel badly seeing the levels of stress rise and rise. I am really wishing that a large percentage of these students do pass, but I am afraid several may not simply because their efforts are too little too late. Some have approached the task of improving their English with a disturbing amount of casualness for far too long, and for them, resulting failure will have one chief cause, their own lack of commitment and hard work. For others, this test comes too soon. Although they work hard and have shown a real desire to do whatever it takes to bring their English levels up to a passing level, they entered the program with skills at a lower level than many of their classmates and will need more time to pass the test. For the remainder, I think the biggest concern will simply be with the test procedure itself. It can be very intimidating and with so much on the line, these poor students will feel very nervous, to the point where their scores may be affected. The next round of tests will be in another 3 months, so they could always take it again if they need to, but I know none of them will want to have to go that route. It will be interesting to see what the final results are and I have a feeling I will be seeing some of the same faces again for another term, and will be saying good luck and best wishes to many of the others.

On the culinary front, I continue to shock my taste buds and sometimes even my senses with many of the different foods that I have feasted upon. This can take the form of wonderful new spices and flavors, or it can be more base and end up simply being parts of an animal I never dared eat before. At this point I think I have eaten nearly ever major internal organ of most commonly-consumed animals, and I long ago stopped scrutinizing the parts of flesh and other things that make their way into my bowl. Mom, you should be proud of me!! I still have yet to conquer such things as brain and eyeballs, so I'm not through yet. Last week I had snake for the first time and it was nothing short of absolutely delicious! The only problem I had with it is the same problem I have with fish, namely all the bones. Took me far too long too eat my portion! Simply put, my stomach is having one heck of a good time here. The added bonus: no reaching for the Pepto! The last time I was sick was in Beijing and that was from some quesadillas or some such pseudo-Mexican fare I ate after a night of dancing and getting sauced. Not too bad.....hope I'm not jinxing myself here!

The biggest gripe I have had so far with living in Chengdu has to be with electrical power. Up until this holiday I was without power an average of about 2 days every week. This had been going on for a stretch of over a month, and when you have an outage it lasts at least 12 hours and sometimes even longer. From what I have gathered, these outages are rolling blackouts meant to conserve electricity and every section of the city has been subjected to them at one point or another. It can be frustrating seeing a block of apartments literally a stones throw away all lit up like a Christmas tree while I fumble in the dark looking for another candle to light! Also, sleeping in your clothes and your winter jacket is not that great either! Furthermore, it seems no one has a clear sense how long the outage will last, or when the next one will come. If they do let people know, maybe it's on the tv, but since I can't understand or care to watch it very much, I have no idea when it's gonna hit. Let me tell ya, the people in California had it easy compared to what I have experienced out here! :)

"It's a China-Thing" Note: I would like to describe what is a staple of the urban landscape in China. Tiles!!!! You wouldn't believe how many buildings have tile on their exteriors. The favorite tile seems to be of the off-white variety which ultimately becomes even more off-white in little time due to the polluted skies. Tiles are everywhere!! Even the sidewalks are constructed of large tiles. Tiles, tiles, tiles!!! My eyes have fast become accustomed to seeing this, but even after you still notice it. Understand? Ok, maybe you don't, but I just had to tell you about them. One positive I can see with their use is that they are probably very cheap, and in the case of sidewalks, it allows maintenance crews of all kinds to quickly access areas beneath (wiring, sewage, water etc.). Also, when they have finished, or there needs to be repairs made to the sidewalk, it can be done very efficiently and cheaply. You don't have to destroy a large section of sidewalk, and you don't need heavy equipment to do these things. Interestingly, some of them have dimples are raised shapes for what I think is the purpose of letting blind or impaired people know where they are. Also, it can be a little therapeutic for the feet if you walk down one of those sections after logging a few kilometers. :)

Well, that's about it for this journal entry. Sorry for the long delay. Will try to get something new up here a bit sooner next time!