Lunar madness: the Chinese New Year!

Xin Nian Kuai Le!

That means Happy New Year in Chinese and is reserved merely for the Spring Holiday use. The Chinese New Year is the only real new year in this culture. Chinese people live following two different calendars, the solar calendar (which we use in the West) and the lunar calendar. In cities people live following the solar calendar, but in the rural areas farmers follow only the lunar calendar.

Living by two different calendars is an interesting phenomena, because you always have two different dates every day.. Confusing? Yes, I think so! So: the solar calendar as we all know always follows the same idiot-proof system regularly: a month begins with the 1^st day and continues on to 2^nd, 3^rd and so forth. But the lunar calendar is random and it starts from a different date every month: for instance this February started with the 1^st day of the solar calendar but the same day was the 13^th day of the lunar calendar. Most relevant difference however is the New Year: in China it's usually in February.

So the traditional Western new year, the solar calendar one, has no real meaning to the Chinese people. As their culture is ancient and the western modern inventions have only started to flow to China a few decades ago, it makes sense that the people still value the lunar calendar more. It was essential to the farming and country life, and still is the calendar to follow in every Chinese household. Though China is modernizing now its roots are strongly in the old days when farming was the only way to provide a life for the families.

The Spring Festival is awaited with great anticipation by simply everyone from a toddler to great-great grandparents. And it shows: people plan get-togethers with their entire families including all ages and remote family members. My school started organizing our party months before the actual event, which shows how very important this time of the year is. The show must be a success, reaching perfection. In fact our school's party was more like a festival: a whole day full of singing, dancing, plays and activities for the families. Many parents offered to join in the show as they wanted their children to see them singing and dancing and to be proud of them. The rehearsals went on feverishly until the very moment we all stepped on the stage!

Which brings me to my part in the show: a couple of months before the big day I was asked if I would mind participating in the program. I obviously gladly joined in, and so they asked me to sing a song. Don't get me wrong: I do not possess a magnificent singing voice, that is not the reason they asked me to sing! But as I am the only and first foreign teacher this school has ever had, it meant a lot to them to have me sing a Chinese song in front of all the students and their families. And mind you, I'm not one to shy away from attention nor am I normally self-conscious! So to be the starlet of the day sounded pretty good to me – especially after I asked to wear a traditional Han dynasty dress and they said “yes”! I was looking forward to the main event!

Learning the actual song, Mo Li Hua (Jasmine flower), was not a big deal as it was quite easy for me. Thank goodness for my linguistic abilities! I practiced the song many times on my own and luckily so, as the two weeks leading to the actual new year's party were somewhat insane and I would simply have had no time left to learn lyrics: everyone running around practicing their shows every day – we were rehearsing more than doing the actual teaching to be honest. Which was all good fun and a once-in-a-lifetime moment for me! I particularly enjoyed the first time I wore my Han dynasty dress in front of the great public and heard all the “oohh's” and “aahh's”, I must admit.

The actual day of the party was unlike anything I've ever seen. Chinese women don't normally wear any make up, so to see everyone wearing glitter in their eyes with fake eyelashes and these sensational storybook princess dresses was something I didn't expect! Everyone looked phenomenal and as we danced, sang, performed, smiled and delivered not one but THREE shows of 2 hours+ in length throughout the day...I think the ladies are superheroes. What fantastic team spirit! It was heart-warming to feel like I was a part of it all :)

As for my performance, I wasn't nervous about anything: which I guess isn't what you'd expect from someone with an ordinary, flat, no-vocal-range singing voice about to perform to almost 900 people. But luckily what I lack in singing voice I make up for in heaps of self confidence and stage presence; like a true diva I performed my song and the crowd loved me. To sing a traditional Chinese song to a conference room full of Chinese people, wearing an ancient dynasty dress, was surreal. I loved it to the very last second! I don't think no matter how absurd China gets during my first year here, this was my peak experience. I still can't believe it happened and I'm so glad I got to experience that day and be a part of the show. Words can't describe truly how it was. I hope pictures can give an idea of how it was to be there that day :)

Our staff party: my second day performing Mo Li Hua

On the stage with my beautiful dancers

A lot of our teachers, but not everyone!

After the party madness faded it was time to get ready to truly celebrate the Spring Festival: and that's done in the comfort of your home with the numerous family members, grand parents, great grand parents, heaps of cousins... Amazing lunch and/or dinner is prepared and it is eaten for sometimes hours with the family members. Later on the New Year Eve's Day (of the lunar calendar) all the Chinese people open their TVs as the most important broadcast is starting: for the entire evening the national Chinese TV broadcasting company is airing a show with something for the whole family. Again there is singing, dancing, comedy, magic tricks, acrobatic performances, even Beijing Opera! This TV-show is to celebrate the New Year and is massively important: everyone will be glued in front of their TVs for the full length of it.

The remaining of the Spring Festival time is even more leisurely: families enjoy the time catching up with each other as everyone has come together from all over the country. People from big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Guanzhou, etc. travel to their families to smaller cities and rural areas. Most shops and restaurants are closed during the holidays. Not to mention schools: they are closed for at least two weeks.

So naturally I took the opportunity to go traveling the great country of China! But that's a story left for the next time.. :)

Xin Nian Hao!

My traditional Han dynasty dress, which I adore :) 

The Red Big Brother: propaganda in China

Two months in China and I've had a taste of what life here is and can be. Though obviously I am very privileged as a foreigner as my income is much higher than an average person's: I'm earning roughly three times more than my fellow Chinese teachers - for doing pretty much the same job. Also my apartment is a spacious, modern studio and I have a personal driver who takes me to school and back safely. So I realize I'm much better off than an average Chinese person.

So during my time here I have seen and experienced things to understand just how privileged in life I am - and all of us Westerners for that matter.

Is China the real land of the rising sun?

For the Chinese people the Chinese government does not guarantee anything. No benefits, no real support from the system. That's where family comes in, and that convenient "one family, one child" law really becomes useful. As parents devote themselves to their one child throughout their lives, it is a social fact and the correct order of things so that when the parents grow old the child is responsible for the parents. No government support needed as it's all kept within the family. Ingenious? I think so! One point for the Chinese government, the Red Big Brother.

As for the quality of life, it depends on your perspective. In other words, how much money you make. Chinese people in my province can earn as little as 500 RMB (equals 70€) per month if they work in a factory, or perhaps 2000 RMB (280€) per month for a teacher or a doctor. If you have a very good job as a CEO or a highly educated private entrepreneur you just might earn a whopping 4000 RMB (570€) per month.
To put that into perspective I will say the cost of living in China is low, but if one is a low-paid industrial worker one will struggle to support oneself. Only well-paid people can afford to eat out in restaurants regularly, have their children highly educated or go traveling. As the government doesn't pay benefits but, quite on the opposite, charges people for unconventional behavior, it's another point for the Chinese government. Or how would you feel about paying a 10 000 RMB fine if you wanted to have a second child? To be fair the "one family, one child" policy has been modernized a bit: if the parents themselves don't have any siblings they are legally allowed to have two children of their own.

The Chinese government does make it very difficult for its citizens do anything or even think outside the box. To begin with, the propaganda and censorship is very real. I'm not saying West doesn't have its own propaganda, because our media surely is influenced by money and corruption, but in China the Big Brother is more clearly observing and monitoring everyday life. If we in the West question whether our media is free or not, here it's not even a matter of discussion. For an outsider it's as clear as day. Us Westerners all have heard of the Western media ban in China: no Facebook, Google, or pretty much any other foreign websites. The official reason for it? I've asked some Chinese people and mostly all reckon it's due to the government "protecting" the Chinese citizens. So again, one more point for the Red Big Brother: obviously the brain washing has succeeded if the Chinese people are convinced this is for their own benefit!

I don't follow the Chinese news for two reasons: first of all because I can't understand any of it (my Chinese still on beginner level) and secondly, even if I did understand I wouldn't be able to trust any of it, so why bother. Out of curiosity, someday I will. But that is the part of China that I resent: lack of freedom in every aspect.

One ingenious part of the Red Big Brother's plan is to keep all its citizens in the country at all times to minimize safety risks. Traveling for Chinese people is hard for at least for two significant reasons: it's beyond their price range and they don't have enough consecutive holidays to travel abroad. The biggest holiday of the year is approaching, the Spring Festival, when everyone gets two weeks of holidays. The tradition is to travel to your home town and spend that special time with your family. As for me: I obviously decided to travel. :)
My good friend from work offered to travel with me, so we started to book flights before prices went through the roof. As we're doing a three city tour all over China the flights ended up costing us about 1400 RMB (200€) and I thought that was quite reasonable: I didn't think that for an average income worker it might be quite expensive..
So my friend and I started talking about traveling and she told me that she would've loved to live a life like mine: traveling from one country to another, working in different cultures and exploring. Unfortunately for a woman in China the path of life is quite different compared to a Western equivalent.
When a Chinese woman is in her early 20's and without a boyfriend, her parents will start introducing suitable men to her and will encourage marriage and a child. As respecting your parents is very important in the Chinese culture and you are responsible for making your parents happy and proud, there are not many options for a woman. Some young women are "lucky enough" that if they choose not to find a boyfriend and marry, their parents will allow this and the daughter will continue to live at home with her parents: eventually as they grow older the daughter will have the responsibility to take care of them.
And in case you didn't think this far yet, let me reveal this much: virginity for a Chinese woman is very important. A girl must be a virgin when she marries, and she is to have only one boyfriend in her lifetime: later that boyfriend will become her husband. Anything other is unheard-of.
You can imagine my Chinese girlfriends' surprise (or shock) when I told them that I have had quite a few boyfriends in my life and I have not once been married - nor do I want to get married, ever.

So the cultural differences are rooted deep between East and West. Though I must confess I have begun to ponder that the Chinese culture must have some greater sense and intelligence behind it: how else can one explain that their way of life has flourished for thousands (!!) of years virtually unchanged? Our Western culture is a toddler, no, more like an embryo compared to the Chinese culture.
In saying this there are still many things about the Chinese culture that do not make sense to me or which I don't approve - but at the same time so many things I admire about their way of life and the history.

China surely is a great land of old traditions, modern wonders and plentiful conflicts. It's impossible to stay neutral: you will love it or hate it - I think most likely you will do both! I recommend everyone to experience China themselves :)

Karaoke, acupuncture and Dynasty fashion

The past couple of weeks I have completely immersed myself with the authentic Chinese culture: on my spare time I go singing at the KTV (karaoke television), go browsing at the plentiful markets, enjoy home cooked food, discuss with my friends which Chinese medicine to buy to moisturize my skin or to heal a dry throat, and most importantly: get ready for the Chinese new year which here is called the Spring Festival!

Earthquake alarm system located in an ancient Han Dynasty palace.

Karaoke here is called KTV: no one calls it karaoke. Plenty of people will ask you if you like singing or simply say "let's go to KTV!". The idea of karaoke here is completely different compared to what we think of it back in the West: as we normally queue up in a busy bar with a drink in our hand (or heavily intoxicated more like it) and muster the courage to sing in front of all these drunken strangers while our friends giggle and cheer us on, the Chinese people go to KTV to rent a private room where they can sing - usually stone sober - with a friend or a big group of friends. KTVs open at 1pm and close around 2am, and many of my friends prefer going in the afternoon or early evening. I have not once drank any alcoholic beverages whilst singing in KTV because none of my friends do. It's more of a hobby and entertainment for the whole family: one time we had a few children of my friends tagging along and no one thought it weird bringing along three 3 to 5 year olds to sing karaoke on a Saturday night at 10pm.

It's funny how the Chinese people consider themselves a very shy nation but yet they go and sing their hearts out on a leisurely Saturday afternoon in front of their friends. It's a habit I enjoy now, though at first it was a bit strange: standing there in a room with a little private stage, being expected to break into a song and no liquid courage to be seen anywhere..

Oh yes, I'm loving KTV!

I've mentioned me trying Chinese medicine before and the past weeks I've explored a bit further. Over a year ago I was rock climbing in New Zealand and managed to twist my knee badly, which resulted in the ligaments of my right knee being torn; horrible inflammation and swelling immediately occurring. It was very bad and I could barely walk the first weeks after the incident. I had intensive physiotherapy for my knee for the following six months, but the problem has never really left me. Now as I arrived to China everything went swimmingly at first, but climbing plenty of stairs up and down and sitting on these horribly low chairs all day (we don't seem to have any chairs for adults anywhere) has aggravated the pain in my knee. I talked to my friend, who is the kindergarten doctor, and she took me to a specialist in the local hospital where I received acupuncture.
Now I must mention that I've experienced acupuncture before and I'm not afraid of pain or needles, but the acupuncture treatment I received here for my knee was purely agony. The doctor told me the idea was to puncture my knee area with a few needles to release pressure, after which I received infrared treatment. The first treatment didn't do much, but as I was adamant that Chinese medicine, especially acupuncture, would be my remedy. So I decided to stick to it. The second treatment was as painful as the first one and unfortunately this time around it left my knee feeling worse than ever before! Regular walking was painful, I developed pain in areas where I hadn't felt it before around my knee and I started to limp, which drew me to the conclusion that Chinese acupuncture is not for me at this stage. Alternative treatment to follow!
I must admit I'm sad that acupuncture didn't work for my knee: in my mind's eye I saw it as the answer to all my pain and tribulation. Oh well.. Back to my Western physiotherapist's recommended fitness program. When I join a gym here I will surely have more cultural novelties to experience! I've heard that many Chinese people work out, so I'll be interested to see if their fitness regime is similar to ours in the West.

Talking of health, how do you like this smoggy view? Can't believe we're all breathing in this horrid pollution day after day.. Although this was the worst I've seen it so far.

I'm hoping to get my knee functioning properly for the most important thing in the Chinese calendar: the Spring Festival! We know it as Chinese New Year and it is by far the most celebrated time of the year. The festivities are being planned months before the actual date and many schools - like ours - will hold their own Spring Festival event. Our training center has invited all the children with their parents to join the festivities, so we have rented a big hotel where we will have many performances: singing, dancing, different plays, food, and what-else, I am to find out!
As I first came to China and started working here, they obviously told me about the important time of the year approaching. They asked me if I would want to be a part of the festival program and as I'm always ready to throw myself out there, I said "yes, of course!". So they decided I shall sing a song. In Chinese! I am hence performing a very old, traditional Chinese song called Mò lì huā (translated: Jasmine flower). It's a bit of a challenge, but I'm half way learning the lyrics now and I got almost three weeks time left 'til the performance.
If Celine Dion - who performed the same song in 2013 for a Chinese audience - can learn half the lyrics, then I can learn the entire song! I've warned my colleagues that I won't be singing quite as high and well as her though.. But they think I have a lovely singing voice! Well, Chinese flattery is such a heart warming thing, I don't care if it's a lie :)

As for the Spring Festival itself, icing on the cake is not only being a part of the party and admittedly one of the starlets - as all eyes WILL be on me, the White girl - but also that the school offered to buy me a dress for the performance. ANY dress I wanted! So as I have learned to enjoy so many Chinese things already, it was clear from the beginning that I will wear a traditional Chinese dynasty dress. I've seen so many beautiful pictures of the old dresses during Han or Tan dynasties, and decided that I want something that I might never get a chance to wear ever again. So today I pranced to a tailor and showed her a picture of what I wanted: the results shall be available for viewing in a week :)

Spring Festival has all the girls planning for their dresses, and most will be wearing something Western it seems. Looks like traditional Chinese style it's not "cool", because most of the girls want to wear something "fashionable", which means modern Western style. I on the other hand can't wait to put on my Han dynasty dress and sing a song in Chinese!
And this is exactly what I love about traveling: how else would one ever get to experience such a thing? Exciting times. I can't wait :)

Zài jiàn for now!

One of the entrances to a Han Dynasty temple.

Zhōngwén: yī', èr, sān.. (Chinese language, one two, three..)

Learning Chinese (way of things)

After a month in China I reckon I've finally gotten over all the culture shocks looming around. The drop toilets I can now handle - even the public ones where there are no doors whatsoever and no flushing system either: what ever comes out of the human body stays in the pit... While you get to see your neighbor doing their business, too.
The pollution is still a big bummer, but I have some surgical masks to use when it gets really bad outside, and I will definitely get a decent 3M pollution mask for real protection. It's kinda unsettling how the people in Nanyang reckon their city is pretty clean and air is fresh... Compared to what?? The pollution definitely is a part of everyday life here in China.
As for the dirt and questionable cleanliness of absolutely everything in China, as of far I haven't had food poisoning. My gut must be made of steal by now!

Before arriving to China I decided I wanted to learn the language. I knew only how to greet in Chinese when I first got here, but since then I've improved massively. My recruitment agency promised to organize Chinese lessons for me if I wanted them, but surprisingly no word of them yet (pun intended). Luckily all my lovely colleagues at work have been kind enough to help me with my Chinese whenever I needed: they are more than happy to teach and help me with my pronunciation.

I love languages and learning new things, consider myself a bit of a linguist, so you could say I am passionate about learning Chinese. Also it's the best motivator when the entire nation surrounding you doesn't speak any of your languages, so to be able to communicate and simply survive in China I must learn Chinese.

Remember to keep smooth! (Found in a stair case, original meaning was apparently to say "keep clear")

During my travels I've noticed how people always like to make fun of different languages, dialects and accents. Sure, I can't say that I've never made fun of any, but the more I travel the less I want to laugh at anyone's native tongue or accent. Language is a way of communicating; a survival method which once you master you can express yourself eloquently and genuinely be the person who you are. And it's fascinating how different languages have different ways of saying things, quirky expressions, (origin of) words, all of which are connected to our culture so tightly. So essentially you are what you speak! Did you know that the word "please" doesn't exist in the Finnish language? Or that the Chinese language has five different tones: meaning that a word spelled the same way but pronounced slightly differently has altogether completely different meanings.. Think about Australians and their favorite slogan, "no worries"; no wonder the people there are so easygoing!

So far I've been teaching myself Chinese (thanks Youtube and all the free websites!) and after studying Chinese online I go outside and impress people with my new expressions and words I've learned :D Everyone I talk with is so impressed how much I've learnt already - though I have to say the Chinese people are VERY complimentary! I work very hard on my pronunciation, which is quite challenging I must say. The difference between pronouncing i.e. "zh", "sh", "ch" or "x" is mind blowing... "I'll keep practicing it", has become my new motto!

What I love about the Chinese culture and language is that many things revolve around food! "Nǐ chī le ma?" is an expression one hears often here after (or as) a greeting: it means "have you eaten yet?". Food and eating is very important for the Chinese people. The culture embraces healthy eating so the diet is based on protein and fat. There is virtually no sugar or milk used in anything. Drinking coffee is rare, but there is obviously a wide selection of different teas and the Chinese believe that each tea has different effects on the body. For instance you should never drink green tea late during the day as it has energizing effects and you'll struggle to get any sleep if you drink it too late. Red tea on the other hand is very relaxing and good to drink even late at night to help you sleep.

The "Chinese medicine" can include not only herbs and lotions but also certain food and drink. Chinese are quite particular what to eat and when: during winter they don't eat rice but noodles, because they say rice is too cold for the body. Hot water is consumed everywhere all the time. Cold water is thought to be "bad for health" during winter. At first I had a hard time drinking only hot water as the idea of it was so strange: I'd have rather had weak tea or just a glass of cold water, but as everyone else drinks plain hot water all the time (the restaurants offer only hot water), then it was time I adjusted.
Different teas, as I mentioned, are believed to have different effects. When my throat got dry and I had a cough, my friend bought me a root of a plant and I was to make tea out of the root to heal my throat. So the idea of Chinese medicine is that nature can provide a solution to any illness the human body might have. I'm fascinated by the ideology and will look deeper into it while in China!

Fruit pizza, the Chinese love it! It's not too shabby to be honest :P

To be fair not all things Chinese raise my interest: I was a bit peckish the other day and my friend kindly promised to get me a snack from the school kitchen. She returned with chicken legs. I don't know how long I must've stared at them without being able to say much as I was trying to think of a very polite way to say "no". On another occasion by friend's child was eating a treat and his mother ordered him to offer me some, so the kid hands me over a single-packed item that has a picture of a duck on it. As the child is munching away happily, I open the item and what I see has no resemblance of anything familiar to me, so I taste it. Crunchy, spicy, little meaty but the texture is tough. Kinda off-putting already, but the killing punch was finding out it was duck tongue. I can safely say it won't be on my snack menu ever again.

The infamous duck tongue... partly chewed, never finished.

Studying Chinese language is definitely opening up new dimensions of the entire culture to me. Still a long way to go to improve my Chinese skills, so better get cracking! :)

Zài jiàn!

A teacher colleague Molly and me :)

Ho ho ho holidays in Zhōng guó (China)

As I got back to work after surviving from the pre-Christmas tourist flu it could not have been a more drastic change for me. I felt like I was torn from bed and thrown straight to the deep end at work as I had promised to play the role of Father Christmas during the silly season. I didn't realise that they wanted me to prance around in the Santa Claus costume throughout the two days and actually have my lessons wearing it. As I'm nothing but a good sport, I was happy to wear the outfit – with a beard and all (pictures included)! You can probably imagine how the kids got crazy excited when they saw me dressed up as Santa. And though teaching several hours a day whilst posing for pictures with a constant smile on my face and singing Christmas carrols for two whole days I actually think it was the closest I ever got to feeling that warm, fuzzy Christmas spirit as an adult!

Me and Peter as Santa Clauses

Our little Christmas tree at work

The Chinese absolutely idolise all things Western, so they have keenly adapted the decorative part of Christmas. If it wasn't for their love and eagerness to be as Western as they possibly can, the Chinese would not celebrate Christmas at all. As my school organised a Christmas party, I thought that it would entail the traditional Christmas festivities such as carols being sung, some gingerbread cookies and mulled wine with other Christmas food, mistletoes, Santa giving out gifts... Well, it was nothing like I imagined! In the outdoor playground they had a big festival area with an arena and a food court. The show included ballerinas, ”bull fighting”, line dancing, clowns, ballroom dancing, etc. The food court was called Champs d'Elysee and had a lot of different Chinese food (as Chinese don't have any special foods for Christmas). In one of the classrooms named ”the Shakespeare Theatre” they had a play running constantly and the teachers were performing the ”Sleeping Beauty” fairytale. At the festival entrance gate I was dressed up as Santa Claus, along with Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Snow White, to meet and greet the kids. The children were wearing funny outfits themselves, dressed up as superheroes like Batman, Santa Claus, different princesses and fairies and what-nots! It was a Merry Christmas indeed, with all the jolliness going around :) After some intense ho ho ho'ing I was tired but happy, and ready to say goodbye to Christmas for a year.

Snow White with Kingkao

Christmas festivities in their prime

Teachers dancing ballet

After the festivities it was back to normal at the school and the kindergarten. My first full week of teaching was going pretty well as I was getting used to the classes, singing and playing games – considering the fact that my teacher training did not prepare me to teach kids, not to mention toddlers. But all in all things were starting to go really well and I was beginning to very much enjoy myself and the job!

My Teacher's Assistants (TAs) are working with me throughout the day: they tell me where we have classes and help me to communicate not only with the children but with the teachers who don't speak any English. I am very lucky because my TAs are very lovely, speak decent enough English and most of them have many years of experience working with children, which really helps me massively during the lessons. If the team of myself and the TA doesn't work, then I'm left adrift.

This happened to me during one evening class. After having a particularly good day with a certain TA that really knew her business and was my right hand throughout the day – for the last class of the day they gave me another TA. She was inexperienced, her English was not up to the standard of communicating with me and she could not handle the children at all. It was a disaster. My class was 60 minutes of horror. The first 10 minutes I could somewhat control the 3 to 5 year olds myself, but after the first novelty of my Caucausian-ness worn off, some of the naughtier kids totally tore apart the atmosphere. I can't completely blame the kids because they got bored and frustrated as they were not instructed at all: my TA did not translate any of my instructions to them. Did she think the kids would understand by themselves what I was saying, when she herself barely had a clue of what I was saying, I have no idea. I asked her several times to please translate to the kids what games we would be playing or any simple instructions that I gave. Fail. Fail. Fail.

As I couldn't communicate with kids who only speak a handful of English, I had little authority over them. The whole thing felt absurd and horrifyingly surreal when looking up at the clock I realised I still had 40 minutes of class left and majority of my students were screaming their heads off, running around, fighting, doing everything that they were not supposed to, whilst my TA was basically standing there doing nothing. I think the world stopped for a minute and I seriously contemplated on walking out. As I came to, I realised two of the smallest students, probably aged barely 3 years old, were holding my hands and looking up at me with such an awe and a brilliant smile that it melted my heart. I couldn't walk out, I couldn't. So for these kids, I stayed. I sat down with them and together we played games and sang songs and they seemed to be learning. Miraculous! As we sat there having fun, some of the kids roaming around came to join us. And I felt much better. I was happy I stayed, though I kept thinking that it must be the worst thing that could ever happen – I never imagined it would even get that bad.

As that horrible class finally came to an end and I said goodbye to the students, I could barely look at my TA. My personal guide and the head teacher, Maggie, came around and found me sitting in a daze in the middle of the class room. She asked me how things went and I told her in all honesty that it was a disaster.

The first hour or two after the class I was horrified. I was thinking whether this job really is what I can do. What I want to do. I felt so...betrayed, angry, disappointed. Betrayed by my useless TA, angry that the class had been a failure when I did my very best, and disappointed that I did not have authority over the kids once they started going crazy.

But after a good night's sleep and some long talks with friends and family, I realise it was a bump on the road. Maggie's worried face as she thought I would jump on the first plane and leave, plus her reassurances that this would be the last time they gave me an inexperienced TA made me smile and I thought to myself that it is not as bad as it seemed. ”Get real, get over it”, I told myself. This is not the end of the world.

I'm happy to say that all my classes before and after that incident have been much fun and judging from the comments I get from my fellow teachers and my TAs, they have been of good quality. The school seems very happy with me and I can honestly say that I feel lucky to work for a company that has such wonderful staff and good atmosphere. I have a feeling of belonging, which I can't explain, but it makes me smile. :)

With some of my students, little rascals - but I love them! 

At this stage I'm very interested to challenge myself more and start planning my lessons with whole new energy. When I was doing my English teacher training, I did get the distinctive feeling that this could well be a job I'd genuinely enjoy doing. That feeling is getting stronger again and I can't wait to get more experience and get even better at this! Maybe this IS the job I want to do when I grow up, who knows?!

Can't wait what the year 2015 has in store for me :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU!

Jenni làoshī (teacher) and the case of the Chinese Medicine

Itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini... (mine is leopard print!) 

After the first week of getting to know the school and the staff, I was invited to join my fellow teachers for a day in a spa at the local Hot Springs. I was happy for a chance to explore what was bound to be a new Chinese cultural experience! My guide, Maggie, is the managing head teacher who organizes the class timetables and manages the teaching staff. A lovely girl, though a bit shy - and I soon found out why!

One doesn't have to live in China to know that most Chinese people are small. Tiny. Incredibly petite. It's not a myth! I did some reading before arriving to China and some blogs from Westerners who have lived in China for a while were saying that Chinese are very blunt about commenting on people's weight - and that one shouldn't be offended if that happens, since it's not meant to be offensive. As I'm not a small girl, but more of a very voluptuous, full-figured type, I was completely mentally prepared for all the comments about my size. And they never came about! I was surprised when the people I met everywhere were complementing me on my beauty! Teachers, students, strangers on the streets or in shops - a lot of times people stop and ask someone to translate to me how beautiful I look. To be honest it still happens on daily basis, so after a while I wondered if people are just so polite that they feel obliged to complement me to make me feel better! Nonetheless it has been obviously very nice and I am by no means complaining :D

When I was asked to join the ladies to the local spa I was very happy to go along - though I did wonder whether my two piece bikini would be a shock... But I checked with my guide, Maggie, who assured that it was OK. She asked me to help buy her a bikini as she had never bought one before! I was happy to help out and off shopping we went. Maggie had previously confessed to me that her weight is a sensitive thing for her, as for a Chinese girl she is considered fat. I couldn't help but laugh out loud, as she is perfectly average weight (for a Westerner, anyway) and I thought she might be just joking. She was not. I soon found out for myself as I noticed how other girls commented on her weight regularly. As Maggie is fairly smaller than I am, I asked her whether she feels more comfortable now that I am there, as I'm definitely much bigger than she is and so there is less pressure. She told me it doesn't matter because I'm a Westerner and beautiful, hence people don't judge my weight.
So as I entered the spa in my bikini with a group of ladies, indeed no one ever mentioned my size. I did see them poking Maggie's belly though. This to me was so sad - yet I didn't know how to react. Ever since that day I have made it my mission to boost Maggie's self-confidence. I'd like to think she feels better already.

As for the Hot Springs itself, it was a lovely day! They had plenty of outdoor pools and most of them were some sort of "Chinese Medicine" - meaning that they had various healing properties. We soaked in a pink flower bath, a greenish herb bath and various other lovely, hot baths that magically rejuvenated me throughout the day. After a good couple of hours soaking we had a picnic, and I'm sure some of you wonder what's in a Chinese picnic basket! I can tell you now that it consists of crackers and biscuits, fresh and dried fruits, toast, vacuum packed mushrooms and sausages, cupcakes and other baked goodies, tea and instant noodles! An abundance of snack food which left us all very full and satisfied. After lunch it's traditional to go to a heated resting area that has these stone slabs where you can lie down and have a snooze or watch some TV. First you can put on a complimentary Chinese pyjama - wish I could insert a picture of me wearing it! When I saw the hard stone slabs I thought they can't be comfortable at all to rest on, but I was completely wrong - as they are a little declined and heated, and also include a head rest, they are quite comfy indeed. After a little snooze I felt like a million dollars and ready for a sauna. Yup, they had one! The sauna was not as hot as what I'm used to, but it was relaxing and topped off my day at the spa. :)

 
But no good deed ever goes unpunished: the next day my throat was very sore and I had a dry cough. My friends gave me "Chinese medicine", dried root of some plant, which was to be made to tea and drank hot. Unfortunately the cough persisted and I felt even more miserable within days. One morning I felt horrible, feverish and unable to go on. Sadly the Chinese medicine had failed me. My assistant and our school's doctor were lovely and took me to a hospital where I was very quickly examined, tested and given plenty of drugs. As miserable as I felt, at least I had plenty of comfort from the fact that there were people taking care of me: I have no idea how I would've managed by myself!

And this is where the Chinese hospitality really kicked in - though at first it did not seem that way. From the hospital my assistant took me back home to rest but she seemed to assume with a certainty that I would have my afternoon classes.. I was somewhat flabbergasted: did these people expect me to show up no matter what and perform like a trained monkey? I was too sick to think and I told her that I definitely am not up to working. She asked me whether I would work the next day. I told her that for now I was shivering with fever, so I highly doubt it. I felt extremely anxious: "they don't care if I'm sick", was the thought running in my head. Luckily I was proved wrong; the calls, the 'get better soon' messages and visits from people bringing me food, medicine and comfort were overwhelming! I was told that my well-being and comfort was their top priority, so I should take the rest of the week off and get better. Phew, what a sigh of relief I gave. I realised that like anywhere in the world, people have a unique way of expressing themselves and the language barrier might have given me the initial expression that "they don't care".

As it took me a few days to get better, I was touched how caring people really were: the amount of love and care I received came as a happy surprise! During lunch break my colleagues brought me food and after work there was always someone bringing me dinner - how sweet was that! As a bonus I genuinely feel like my falling ill was a blessing in disguise as I got to know our school's doctor very well and we have become very close friends since then. We have a big language barrier between us, but as she speaks little English and I'm learning Chinese, the rest we fill with body language, smiles and a Chinese to English translator App ;) I feel like I've made a very special friend - and the thought of it was definitely something that helped me get better and not fall into the depths of gloom when bedridden for days.

So I've tried Chinese medicine now in many forms: the rejuvenating hot pools, healing traditional medicine, modern drugs and most important of all: the Chinese hospitality :)

And luckily enough I got better just in time for Christmas! But that shall wait til the next blog :)

Shèngdàn jié kuàilè!

Merry Christmas!

Nín hǎo: hello, China!

Drop toilets, horrid pollution, gazillion people everywhere, language barrier...

...And yet I'm smiling as I'm being driven around Beijing after landing to China very early on a Saturday morning. It's a brand new adventure and it feels great! I don't care about the jet lag and not sleeping for over a day: you can't peel off the smile from my face :)

I got a teaching job in China through a recruitment agency and at this stage I'm very happy I used a middle-man as I have no clue how I would survive myself in China without local guides! I like to think of my self as an experienced traveler, or a Citizen of the World as one of my good friends so eloquently puts it, but being here in China is definitely something new, strange and even potentially difficult! To me it feels like 99% of people don't really speak English in Beijing, so it has me somewhat worried about the coming year: I'm going to be working in a "small city" of 10 million people, where definitely even less people speak English compared to Beijing! Yikes! I realise my decision to learn Chinese has been a good one - although as I land in China I can only say "hello" in Mandarin Chinese... Luckily enough Chinese people are super friendly and at this stage me knowing even this greeting, it brings a smile to their faces!

After the initial "wow, I'm here" moment passes and the day is turning too long due to my serious sleep deprivation, I begin to feel the culture shock: I start seeing the pollution, herds of people, dirt, unhygienic conditions and my worst fear, the drop toilet. The loud traffic is banging in my ears and I'm somewhat sad that I can't communicate with anyone other than my guides all day. Although there is a language barrier, most Chinese people are very welcoming and lovely.
As we take an evening flight to my "little city" I'm exhausted after the big day but arriving to my new home city in the province of Henan is a lovely experience: my contact person from the school, Cathy, is there waiting with the head teacher from the school along with my driver. They show me to my new home, a very spacious studio apartment in the heart of the city. I'm very tired but happy as I crawl to my comfy, big, soft bed that night :)

The next few days I'm getting used to my new city and the Chinese way of life. I'm dumbstruck how a lot of things seem strangely difficult due to the fact that I'm a white foreigner, for instance: there is only one bank in the entire city which accepts to open a new bank account for me. Most of the people in my city have NEVER seen a white person, so I get stared at, wherever I go. I take a taxi and as I get in the driver and the lady customer start laughing their heads off: so I ask my guide what they're laughing about, and she replies to me "they've never seen a Westerner before, they think you're ridiculously white!". During another taxi ride a lady yanks my hair and my guide is very apologetic when she explains to me that "she just wanted to know if it's your real hair, as she doesn't believe anyone could be that blond naturally". It's all good fun for me and I laugh at all of them! As I'm a novelty item for the locals, they are a novelty to me.
As I thirsted for more action I decided to go shopping by myself for a few necessities. The ladies at the supermarket were an absolute delight! They talked to me in Chinese and I to them in English, and as we realised we weren't getting anywhere, I started miming my way through my shopping list! Such laughs I inspired! And I'm pleased to say I got everything on my list and made my way home feeling like the ultimate survivor :D Needless to say the ladies in the shop still remember me.

I feel like my first week in China wouldn't have been as special if there hadn't been the children. I'm working in a kindergarten & a language center for kids, so my first week was spent meeting all the kids (plus fellow teachers) and getting to know them - and vice versa. The first day I spent at the kindergarten was something I will always remember: the look on the childrens' faces, at first very shy but so very curious about the strange looking white girl! Whereas in the beginning the children were too timid to even say "hello" as the morning passed and I walked to the playground I was the star attraction! It's hard to describe the feeling and atmosphere that day...all these cute little Chinese kids running around at my feet, holding my hand, touching my hair in awe, staring at my face, bombing me with billions of questions! It was some of the best fun I've had in a long time - I do believe there were happy tears that day :)
Getting to know the children has been fantastic: they are mostly very well behaved and absolutely adorable! They seem very attached to me already and I get daily hugs, kisses and affection from them, which really makes my day - every single day :)

Not only the children have made me feel welcome: I can't praise enough the people I've met so far! Though only a couple of people speak English, I have been so warmly welcomed and made feel like this is a home away from home. I am by nature a very happy, positive and an easygoing person, and the locals here have thrown praise at me due to it. It's wonderful walking to your work place and have all these lovely, smiling people hug you and look after you! Let's hope they won't get bored with me during this year ;)

Ah, and I can't finish the tale of my first week without mentioning the food! Because it is fantastic! The Chinese kitchen has a lot of variety and though I've eaten so much delicious food in here already, there is still so much to explore... They have soups, fried dishes, steamed dishes, the Chinese bread (filled or plain), buns, pancakes (salty or sweet), nuts, berries, and what-nots... So far the only thing that has put me off food-wise has been a chicken leg in a soup bowl. Claws and all. Other than that, the food has been superiorly yummy :P

That's it for now. My next post will include stories of my trip to local hot springs!

Zaijian! (bye!)