Friday, August 31, 2012

Hefei, no way!

I have spent this last week in Hefei (pronounced chuh-FAY, with a hard ch like Chanukah) doing my TEFL certification. By now, I have actually spent more time in Hefei than in Nanjing! Even though I can guarantee you have never heard of Hefei, it's a city of one million. However, they have absolutely no attractions or tourist pull. In the Lonely Planet guide to China, Hefei has about two sentences, one of which is something along the lines of, "there is nothing to do in Hefei."

Even if I was in a tourist-y city, I still would not have time to see anything anyway. The day is spent at the university with 25 other English teachers, learning how to teach in China. We are teaching all over China, but there are a few people from Nanjing or a surrounding city. For the most part, the information I am learning is redundant or unnecessary, but I have learned a couple good strategies and techniques that will greatly help me in the classroom. This evening, I am teaching a demonstration lesson for the class. I chose English slang as my topic, like "what's up" or "cool" or "no way!"

Although Hefei isn't a place known for food or nightlife, a bunch of people in their early twenties were bound to find some nightlife. It was nice to meet some other people in this country: my phone book now has more than two contacts! I am looking forward to starting my life in Nanjing, right now just feels like a vacation. A vacation with an exam and grades. Oh, and a vacation with cockroaches in the hotel. Classic China, apparently. So Hefei is really not the best kind of vacation... more on my adventures in Hefei later. China Doll, away!

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Impressions

I can't really describe my first impression of Nanjing, because I arrived at midnight after a full day of traveling. Every reaction I had to China was completely simultaneous. But even if I hadn't arrived so late, Nanjing is a lot to handle. China in general is a lot to comprehend. There are so many new things that happen every day and I think to myself "I'll get used to it." I was forewarned about the spitting, the smoking, and the shirtless (exclusively old and heavy) men. I expected the hilariously misspelled and confusing t-shirts with English slogans, my ineptitude at using chopsticks, and the fear-inducing traffic. What I didn't expect is the actual environment of Nanjing. The city is so green: there are trees lining every street and there are often plants and flowers in the dividers.  Before a thunderstorm, the sky looked like green glass, like Iowa pre-tornado (I'm sorry, pre-tornado warning) and then turned pale pink. Although I am yet to experience Nanjing nightlife, I got a sneak peek of the electric jungle of pulsing neon lights that is the Light Art Tunnel on Hunan Lu. The nighttime colors are brighter and more varied than New York and Milan—and they create a hazy energy that looks like it's about to implode in the center of the road.

Sophie and I are leaving for Hefei today to become certified teachers. I think our Nanjing adventures will really start when we get back in a week. I am not sure what the internet situation will be, but I am bringing my computer for lesson planning purposes so I will try to post. China doll is hopping on a train to get trained!

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Nihao!

For this year, I am a China doll. Not just because I'm a doll, a dame, a broad living abroad for a year in Nanjing, but because I know that this year I am especially fragile. I am especially breakable. A whole year in a country where I don't know the language, the customs, the city, or a single living soul. I will be standing in front of over fifty students at a time, teaching them the English language and American culture. In essence, China is making me feel a bit vulnerable and innocent.

I think it's no coincidence that I have moved from New Jersey (NJ) in America to Nanjing (also abbreviated NJ) in China. This place is bound to feel like home. I am in Nanjing on the Grinnell Corps fellowship, a teaching program through my alma matter (Grinnell College.) I will be teaching at the high school affiliated with Nanjing University, which is also where I'm living, teaching Junior Is and IIs, and Senior Is. Luckily, I have a charming fellow fellow, Sophie, who actually has the porcelain skin of a china doll but, more importantly, has the sweetest disposition and is the best possible person with whom to embark on this journey.

This blog will chronicle my life in Nanjing. I will not hold back on the embarrassing stories sure to come and will certainly post pictures of this gorgeous city. But for now, China Doll signing off!