Eating Chinese Food on Christmas

I did eat Chinese food for dinner on Christmas. But before that, so many other things had happened!

On Christmas Eve, Anna, Sophie, Lela and I baked chocolate chip cookies and watched Love Actually, the perfect start to Christmas activities

In the weeks before Christmas, I realized that NDZF expected me to be their resident Christmas expert. One student wrote me a very nice letter, wishing me a Merry Christmas and requesting that I teach him about the holiday in class, which I thought was funny. I was expected to teach the students Christmas songs, write Christmas plays for their Christmas “English Week” performance (since, as you know, all English speakers celebrate Christmas.) I did all this with a smile (or was it a grimace?) and was happy to see the students getting excited about their special performance. Only the Junior Is and Senior Is would have a “Christmas party,” and it was fun helping them prepare.

However, during this week I also became painfully aware of what I now call: China, SURPRISE! I felt like things were constantly changing on me while I remained unaware: days off when I thought I had work, work when I thought I had the day off, new schedules for next semester that were different from what we were originally told, our lesson plans going in the garbage after we were informed what we were teaching was not the “correct lesson” for the day. Needless to say, I was feeling underappreciated and a bit frustrated.

These feelings dissipated when I actually attended the Christmas performances. I felt frazzled when I arrived because (China, SURPRISE!) the show started at 3:30, not at 3:50 like we had originally been told, which made us a) late and b) unable to inform our students about the changes we had to make to their exam because of another, separate China, SURPRISE we had learned about the day before. But onto the good stuff: the Junior I play. The show was hosted by two excellent students (who were chosen from a contest that China, SURPRISE Sophie and I had judged) who were dressed very fancy and adorably. The first skit was based on the two characters from their textbook, the famous Eddie and Hobo. The next skit was a nativity play that Sophie and I had written (at the behest of my tutor, who insisted it be about the “origin of Christmas"). When we had rehearsed with our students, they still had not memorized their lines and did not know their blocking. However, China, SURPRISE! the play went wonderfully! Oddly, they changed a few of the lines we had written (which changed the story of the nativity, but that’s OK), Mary carried a Chinese fan, and Joseph was decked out with blush, eyeliner, and lipstick. Next was another play we had written (it had to be about a girl who had a dream that she was in New York City and made lots of English mistakes) that also went very well, even though there were more confusing and inexplicable changes.

Gagnam Style had to make an appearance...

Baby Jesus AKA a panda 

"American Dream" skit 

Sparkly dance

Some students singing "Baby"

Que Sera Sera

Students participating in a Christmas contest

I learned at these performances that Chinese teens really love Latin music, because the next few dances were also cha cha inspired. The students also sang the songs they chose for the performance, including Justin Bieber’s “Baby” and “You are my Sunshine.” Also, inexplicably, the few hours we had spent teaching Junior Class 5 “Jingle Bells” were apparently pointless, since their song was replaced with a dance to a disco version of “Que Sera Sera” (which explains why, when I asked them to what song they would dance, they told me: Cue Sarah Sarah.) At the end of the performance, they gave us a few gifts and a few hugs and I was in a really great mood.

Me with two of my best students,
Laurence Lee and Evangeline

The senior performances came next. I only teach 3 out of the 10 senior classes, so I didn't really know many of these kids. But first, China, SURPRISE, one of the Grinnell Corps fellows always dresses up as Santa and hands out candy to the kids, so I donned the famous red and white suit (and beard, which was a bit gross) and chucked candy at children. After Sophie and I settled in our seats post candy dispersal, some students sang an interesting rendition of "Moves Like Jagger" with a cha cha dance interlude. Next, the students' rendition of "Romeo and Juliet," except instead of the classic Shakespearean version, in this one Romeo and Juliet get married in a church while her father pantomimes trying to break down the doors, but in the end they're married and no one can do anything about it so Juliet's mother tells Romeo to "take care of her daughter." China surprise, whatever. The students were excellent though, so I didn't care about the rewrite. After a great Michael Jackson impersonator, my students did a performance of Mulan, the traditional Chinese legend. They were so good!

Michael Jackson! In the flesh!

Mulan and the soldiers

No one explained why Mulan's mother 
was a boy in drag...

Next came the dance section. A few students did a "street dance" performance complete with light up bracelets and shoelaces, which made for some cool photos. The students also sang "As Long as You Love Me" by the Backstreet Boys, which was really fun for Sophie and me since that song is basically like our childhood. For the last number, all the senior teachers got onstage and insisted Sophie and I join them. They sang, "dui mian de nu hai kan guo lai" to us, which is a Chinese song (duh) about guys who see lots of cute girls. I happen to know the words to this song, because it's the one Sophie, a history teacher, and I sang in the beginning of the year for the faculty talent show. They gave us fake flowers and it was just really adorable (and embarrassing.) At the end of the song, student representatives from all ten classes, even the seven I don't teach, rushed onstage and gave us gifts. A lot of gifts. By the end, it reminded me of one of those scenes in a movie where someone is trying on clothes and they keep throwing them onto their shopping buddy at fast forward pace so that by the end they're covered in clothes. You know what I mean? I couldn't carry all the gifts! It was way too generous and kind, but also made me feel really appreciated.

"Street dance"

Another photo, just cause it's so cool 

Singing "As Long as You Love Me" by the
Backstreet Boys

Afterwards, Fang Laoshi invited Sophie and me to a Christmas dinner with some of the NDZF faculty and their children. The kids were adorable, giving Sophie and me little gifts like they had seen the older kids do just a few minutes ago. We went to our favorite restaurant near the school and the food was delicious. Plus, it was the birthday of one of my favorite English teacher, Fanny, so we had a cake to celebrate. All in all, I left the restaurant feeling like I was a valued member of the NDFZ staff.

Even though I was exhausted from the activities of the day, I met up with Lela and Anna for hot chocolate (with crushed candy canes courtesy of Lela’s mom) and it was the perfect end to the evening. 

Lela with her hot chocolate

Anna, looking joyous

With my delicious hot chocolate...

Aren't the cups cute?

More photos soon to come... pictures of me as Santa, a cute Christmas card from a student, best of the "letters to Santa" and an itemized photo list of the gifts I got! Since I’ve never actually celebrated Christmas seriously, I will go so far to say: best Christmas ever!

Purple Mountain (Majesties)

One of the big tourist attractions in Nanjing is Purple Mountain, where there are lots of gardens, lakes, and (duh) a giant mountain to climb. Luckily, Sophie and I only live a 20-25 minute bus ride away from the mountain, and so it is a very easy trip to make. We went a few weekends ago (when it was warm and all the trees were red and orange, AKA the good old days of autumn now thrashed by the cold, gray winter.) Before I went, I knew all about the way hiking in China works. It’s just lots of stairs. There is no slope, no roots to step over, no flat areas. Just lots and lots of stairs.

Before we went, we researched the best way to approach the mountain. A very helpful website suggested that hikers walk up the mountain and then take the cable cars down. We figured this was a good plan, so we set out on our Purple Mountain adventure.

At our first stop, the view was beautiful but it wasn’t a very difficult hike and we weren’t very high up. We could see the cable cars coming down the slope, and we could see people boarding it not too far away. We continued up.

Sophie, prepared to hike

View from the first stop

At our next stop we were even higher up. There was a gated area with a sign that said “cable cars this way” but we weren’t allowed into the gated area without a ticket. I later realized this is actually where we had seen people boarding. We were told the cars were nearby, and we just had to follow the stairs to get to them.

Those damn stairs...

Apparently eating cucumbers while you hike is a thing here.
Cucumber vendors were EVERYWHERE on the mountain.
At that point in our journey, a cucumber really hit the spot.

By this point we were getting a little tired, definitely ready to take the cable cars down. I was feeling the burn after climbing so many stairs. However, we got to yet another flat rest area, with a sign pointing upward towards the cable cars. We asked a cucumber vender if we were near the cable cars, and he said yes, all we had to do was go up some more.

That last set of stairs was a doozy. It was a lot of never-ending stairs. We kept seeing people on the cable cars pass us by; we knew we were going in the right direction but it seemed impossible that we hadn’t yet arrived. It was so frustrating because at that point, turning around and going down the stairs would be pointless: I kept thinking we must be closer to the top than the bottom. I knew we had to keep going up to get down. Needless to say, I had to take a lot of rests. By the time we got up there, I felt so victorious. It was not an easy hike to make, but I’m proud we made it to the top. After searching for the cable cars yet again, we finally found the descending stairs that led to the cable cars. Of course, as soon as we arrive there was a bunch of people arguing in Chinese. The cable cars weren’t running.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

They went from “not running,” to “they will run in 15-30 minutes,” to “get on right now it’s your turn,” within a five minute time period, so luckily we did not have to hike all the way back down. I probably would have insisted on rolling down, there was no way my legs would carry me. Plus the views from the cable cars were spectacular, so I’m glad we got the chance to take them. I should probably stop calling them cable cars, because they were actually more like ski lift seats. If you lifted your feet off the safety bar, it would fly up. A bit frightening…

The view from the cable car. Everything is so tiny!

Sketchy cable cars...

So beautiful!

Sophie and me!

I felt really safe after seeing this at the 
beginning of our trip...

I’m glad we went in the fall because the weather was perfect and the trees looked so beautiful, but I am really looking forward to going a few more times in the spring. I am so lucky to live near such a great hiking trail! 

I Love the Nightlife

I am twenty-two and living in a big city, so it’s not hard to believe that a part of my life here involves going out at night. Luckily, there’s a lot to do!

Recently Kristina, Sophie, Liz and I went to Fuzimiao, or the Confucius Temple at night. If you spend your time memorizing my previous blog posts (as I’m sure you do) you might remember that Sophie and I went to Fuzimiao during the day with our Chinese tutors when we first arrived. However, at night the whole area lights up and it’s a really cool place to walk around.

Kristina, Liz and me

The gate, all lit up!

The Confucius Temple used to be the site where Chinese men could take their national entrance exams, however today it is full of commercial shops. The area is along a river, with lots of beautiful gates and bridges. At night, the narrow alleys  become a great night market (so if you think you’re getting a gift from me in China, this is likely the place from which I’ll buy it.) There was all kind of cool jewelry, tea sets, fans, and other Chinese trinkets. Fake designer handbags and funky lighters galore. There were also a lot of stands that sold snack foods. I didn’t buy anything, but I know I will next time.

There are a lot of bars in my area of Nanjing, I think because I live on the campus of Nanjing University and there are so many young people. There happens to be not one but two bars right across the street from me, but I tend frequent other ones instead. Behind the Wall often has live guitar music (and sangria, we know how much I like sangria!) and there are a few nearby bars that serve imported beers (Tsing Tao is fine, but not the greatest...) It’s nice that they’re so nearby, mostly because it means that I don’t have to take a cab anywhere. Not that cabs here are so expensive or inconvenient… they’re always available and usually cost about $2-$3 which is then split amongst a group of us. But still, having nearby options is nice.

There is also a club district in Nanjing, called 1912. There is a nearby bus that runs there, but it’s only about $2.50 by cab so we usually opt for taxi transportation. 1912 is basically just a two block by two block area that is packed with clubs and KTV (karaoke) places. There are a few clubs that foreigners tend to frequent, like Mazzo and Scarlet, but “cool and hip” places are always changing in a city (I am such an old person at heart.) It’s not even really different streets with clubs, it’s a kind of narrow cobble-stone sidewalk with beautiful trees and neon lights. (I must say, Chinese designers have a weird affinity for lights that hang from trees. They are EVERYWHERE in China! Also, every club I have ever been to has at least thirty chandeliers. So bizarre.) Clubbing in China is more fun than in the states (or in Europe) because everyone is a terrible dancer, so I feel like I fit in better. I can just do my little disco moves and Sophie can do her make-it-rain-and-clear-it-out move and it is totally socially acceptable. In fact, dancing at the clubs here kind of reminds me of dancing at a Harris party at Grinnell, because I always run into other foreigners who I know and because everyone is just being goofy and having a great time. However, a duck can't change its spots... or a leopard... or whatever that saying is... I'm still not really the clubbing type.

Out on the town

See what I mean about the chandeliers?

I loved my time at Grinnell, but socially it is such a different environment from a big city. There are so many more options for nighttime activities and it’s fun to take advantage of them: I sure do love the nightlife. China Doll likes to boogie!

Ms. Bra

I don't know all of Sophie's students (that would be impossible) but some of her kids really like to say hi to me and it's awesome! One of her students who I met at our Halloween party is adorable, and loves to wave hello in the hallway.

Except he calls me "Ms. Bra."

"Hello Ms. Bra!" "Hi Ms. Bra" "Ms. Bra, Ms. Bra, how are you?"

I let it slide for the first few months. I figured he would be my student soon enough, a time at which he would have to participate in the requisite pre-class call and response: "Good morning, class" "Good morning Ms. Brie." However, yesterday I decided to put an end to this charade.

"Colin, my name is actually Ms. Brie. Repeat: Ms. Brie"

"Ahhh, Ms. Brie."

"Yes. Ms. Brie"
"Ms. Brie"

He thanked me over and over, doing his little Chinese person davening bow (I have no other way to describe it, but when Chinese people do small bows over and over it looks like they're davening) and he skipped away, merry as could be.

Today, when I saw him bounding down the stairs on his way to class, he waved to me with a cheery greeting,

"Good morning Ms. Brew!"

Eh. Close enough.

Happy Hanukkah to all, and to all a very belated Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was a few weeks ago, Hanukkah is happening now. So how did China Doll spend these family oriented holidays so far from home?

The week of Thanksgiving, my classes at NDZF were all Thanksgiving themed. I taught the students the food we eat, the Thanksgiving story (and they got the story that doesn't end with "AND THEN THE NATIVE AMERICANS AND PILGRIMS WERE FRIENDS FOREVER THE END," they got the scoop. The best part, however, was the final activity. I explained that Thanksgiving is a time in which Americans really think about for what they are thankful. That we think about how lucky we are to have friends, family, food, shelter, and everything else in our lives. My older students had to write out what they were thankful for and why. My younger students had to write three things for which they were thankful and then draw a hand turkey, like we did in Kindergarten. Most of the students thought of the same answers, usually a variation of rotating family members. However, many students got creative. In every class, one (very smart) student always wrote, "I am thankful for teachers, because they teach me new things." I always got a student who is thankful for KFC. We brainstormed a list and my students always got really creative. Many said "seeing" and "hearing." They were thankful for "air" and "the Earth." A few students were thankful to live in China and for the Chinese government, which was pretty interesting. One student was thankful for Mao! It was a good way for me to get to know my students better.

Thanksgiving night was celebrated with Sophie, Lela, and Anna (Lela and Anna are doing a similar program to Grinnell Corps, but for Wellesley College). However unlike Grinnell Corp, Lela and Anna are provided with a very nice kitchen, so we were able to cook a few Thanksgiving treats. It was somewhat Mexican themed, with chili, chips, and salsa (and sangria!) but we also had mashed potatoes, candied yams, and cranberry sauce. It was so delicious, and we had a great time.

The Thanksgiving sangria, new tradition?

Lela and Anna preparing the chili

Chili, chips, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, candied yams,
and (of course) sangria!

That weekend Sophie and I went to Shanghai. We were lucky enough to stay with a college friend of my mom's, Joan, who has a beautiful, and very centrally located, apartment with her family. They were all so sweet and generous, I feel really fortunate to know such wonderful people so close to Nanjing. Since I live in a dorm here and am only really friends with young people, it was nice to be in a family setting. They even have a daughter the same age as my brother! 

It so happened that many of the people with whom I got TEFL certified were in Shanghai for a conference, so we mostly hung out with them. Friday night we went to Wagas for dinner, which had amazing Western food... not even just by Chinese standards, by American standards it was really good! We went out that night in Shanghai, which is more expensive and definitely more intimidating than going out in Nanjing.

The next day, Sophie and I spent hour(s) at the new Forever 21 in Shanghai (YES!) and afterward we went to an expat Thanksgiving dinner with Joan and her family. It just felt very homey to be in an apartment full of families, who were able to find and bake real Thanksgiving food. It was so nice of them to invite us, and Sophie and I had a great time. That evening, another night out in Shanghai with friends I hadn't seen in a few months! So it was really fun.

Joan, Sophie and me! (Picture stolen from Joan)

Today is the second day of Hanukkah. Last night Sophie, Lela, Liz, David and I celebrated together. David brought potatoes, onions, and eggs for latkes and we did our best to fry them up. Since we didn't have or want to make apple sauce, we used our leftover can of cranberry sauce to pair with the latkes. It was pretty good! Sophie, David and I told the story of Hanukkah and explained the tradition to Liz and Lela. We listened to the Hanukkah pandora station for about five minutes, but Hanukkah music does not hold a candle (ha!) to Christmas music so we soon switched to Motown. 

David shredding the potatoes

A very creative solution to the "no menorahs in China" issue

The latkes made a mess, but the were delicious!

Our carrot menorah

I have always believed that when it comes to the holidays, it's the thought that counts. Of course, I love Thanksgiving food and would have loved to have turkey and stuffing, but just the fact that I spent it with friends means a lot to me. Same for Hanukkah: a carrot is definitely not a menorah but it's the idea behind it that really matters. 

A Trip to Wuxi

In mid-November, Sophie and I had off for a week while the students took their midterm exams. I decided to visit friends I met while getting TEFL trained, who all live in the city of Wuxi (two hours away on the slow, cheap train.) My trip was really fun, but most importantly, it was relaxing. Wuxi isn't a huge tourist city, but they do have a few famous attractions, one of which I visited, called Lake Tai.

My journey there was a bit disturbing. Since I was taking the super cheap train, the quality of the actual locomotive was questionably falling apart. Plus I happened to be sitting with a large family with lots of children (I assume they are all cousins, one child policy and all) and, despite the fact that anyone who knows me knows how much I LOVE children, these kids were disgusting. They were grimy. And they were wiping their food-ridden snot-infested hands all over me and my bag. Plus, the baby with the special strategically cut baby pants peed right near my feet. Twice. It was an unpleasant two hours.

However, once I arrived it was quite fun. We went to a great restaurant for dinner and afterward we had quite the late night at their clubbing district. Plus, since I didn't know a living soul in Wuxi other than my friends, I gathered all my courage and sang "Sitting on the Dock of a Bay" at the bar karaoke night.

Right before I went onstage to sing (Thanks for the photo, Spencer!)

Spencer, Chris and me with some... new friends, I suppose

We spent the next day at Tai Lake, which was really stunning. Kelly, who I also met at the TEFL training, joined us, along with one of her coworkers. With autumnal reds and oranges plus a gorgeous sunset, I think a barrage of my bad photography is necessary.

 Lake Tai

 The group starting our walk

Yellow flowers

Went swimming here, obviously

 The colors were so beautiful!

Scenic view (spot the pagoda!)

Definitely one of the best views of the walk (behind us, of course)

This photo does not really following the tenets of photography (I think there are too many subjects in this picture or whatever) but I like how you can see the gate, the boat, and the bride and groom taking professional wedding photos.

Cool outfit, cooler music.

Awesome view.

The sun was starting to set.

Spencer enjoying the great outdoors.

 A view from in between the rocks.

Walking along the rocks (photo courtesy of Kelly)

Tree studded walk.

 A final view of the lake.

My favorite picture of the weekend.

All in all it was a great trip. I needed to visit a place where I wouldn't feel pressure to see every temple, every mountain, every sight. I'm glad I had a relaxing trip to Wuxi.

That weekend when I was back in Nanjing, I also went to the hot springs with a few friends. Yan is from a suburb of Nanjing where there are many hot springs, and therefore many hot spring resorts, and it was a really relaxing way to end my week.

The group at sunset

Liz and me at the mud baths

Next up, Thanksgiving and Hanukkah in China, what were they like? China doll, back on track (for now)!

Life Update

To all my adoring fans who hang on my every word: I apologize for not posting recently. No excuses. I have got to get back on track.

The past month of November was great, and December is shaping up quite nicely as well. Even though I am teaching straight through until January 12th (no break for Christmas or New Year's) the schedule does not seem so daunting because everything is fairly planned out. Next week is my last week of "actual teaching," since the week after I will review for the exam, the week after that is Christmas and NDZF (my school) is celebrating "English Week" full of songs and skits that Sophie and I must help our students prepare, the week after that is the exam, and the final week will be "American movie" week since we want to help out our stressed out students with a relaxing class, plus I will cover Sophie's students since she will be with her parents in Beijing. Please ignore that terrible run-on sentence. It's not like I'm an English teacher or anything... I am looking forward to the Christmas pageant, it seems like it will be a fun experience. I am not looking forward to giving exams, because based on how our classes are run I think it should be an oral exam—which is not easy to assess. Plus giving grades will be tough because we haven't been giving assignments or quizzes and I basically have nothing on which to base a grade. I also do not necessarily know the name to the face of all 250 of my students, and in addition I have to give out their grades with their CHINESE names which I don't know at all so I will definitely have to get creative with that one.

After living here for over three months, I definitely have a routine down, however, it's not very regular. I am accustomed to my weird teaching schedule: I teach at different times every day (but I always end at 4:35.) Monday and Tuesday evenings are reserved for lesson planning, but I often have a dinner adventure first. Sophie and I have our favorite restaurants but we (along with a various rotation of friends here in Nanjing) like to explore different restaurants in our area: new options seem to be never ending. Since Thursday night starts our weekend, we often go out Thursday to a local bar. Friday is reserved for catching up on sleep and life (and was supposed to be saved for blogging but you can tell how well that has worked out for me) with Saturday for adventure and Sunday as a return to work and lesson planning. I guess with that schedule it seems like I have plenty of free time, but it seems like I never do. There are always people with plans and random errands that take forever to fill my days, but no complaints here!

Hopefully this is China Doll's glorious return to systematic posting on the blog. More coming soon, I promise!