圣诞快乐！Merry Christmas!

On Christmas day our school had a huge lunch at a nearby hotel.  The food was good but I was hoping for some western food. There are 4 Aston Schools in Xi'an and they all came together for this lunch. We did a secret Santa gift exchange which took forever. It was a good idea in theory because it was kind of a mixer but there were just too many people.  Coincidentally my gift was from one of my Chinese teachers - a nice pair of mittens.

The Chinese teachers at my school.  Love them!

After lunch I was feeling a bit sad and it wasn't really passing.  Luckily I was convinced to go bowling.  I am terrible at bowling but it did the trick to get my mind off of not being home on Christmas.

On December 27th I am off to Hong Kong for New Years Eve.  I'm really excited and I'll update my blog when I return on January 3rd.  Happy New Years!!!

Christmas Eve

Even though the Chinese don't celebrate Christmas there were still lots of Christmas decorations around and Christmas music playing.

In Xi'an they have a very strange tradition on Christmas Eve.  As far as anyone knows this is not done anywhere else in China.   They block off North Street and people....well....just walk around. It's very strange.  There are vendors selling Mardi Gras masks, santa hats, devil horns, and other light up gimmicky things. (Plus all the normal vendors selling socks, wallets, snacks, mugs, puppies, and scarves.)

The Chinese call it a carnival.  There are even a few (LAME) carnival games.  When we have Mardi Gras or any other festival there is a main attraction.  The best way for me to describe this is Mardi Gras without the parades and with a Christmas / Valentine's Day / 4th of July twist.  I haven't been able to figure out why this started.   A couple Chinese friends asked me what our carnival was like on Christmas Eve.  I think they were disappointed to learn we don't do anything like this on Christmas.

My favorite part were all the lanterns in the sky.  It was beautiful seeing them over the wall.

After visiting a bar for a couple hours we left and the 'party' was starting to die down.  It was 1am - I really thought it would be back to normal.  It felt even more like Mardi Gras with the mess on the ground and the impossible task of finding a taxi.

This Christmas Eve was very different than the past 30 I've experienced.  I really missed being with my family back in America.  Skype was not the same. 

Lyla's Wedding

One of the Chinese teachers at school invited the other Chinese teachers and foreign teachers to her wedding. Like everything in China - their weddings are very different from our weddings. We met at school at 8am on a Tuesday morning.  I was surprised to see the bride there. She got up at 5am that morning to get her hair and makeup done and make the journey from her parent's house to school to pick us up. She was still coordinating people and rides at school. They hired two vans to drive us to the wedding.

First we went to her parents' house. This was the first time I'd been in a Chinese family's home.  I hadn't met Lyla's fiance before and I didn't realize he was the one pouring us tea at her parents' house until we got to the wedding.  I was still in the Western way of thinking where the groom doesn't see the bride on the morning of the wedding.

Lyla's bedroom was decorated.  Complete with a 'wedding photo' above the bed.

The wedding was in a banquet hall at a hotel and lasted only a couple hours.  We were at the VIP table.

 

In China it's standard at a wedding to bring a red (for good luck) envelope with 100RMB to give to the bride and groom. This is Crystal with her envelope. On the back she wrote a poem for them.

There was sooooo much food.  At the end there was an unbelievable amount left over.  My Chinese friends asked what we did with all the left over food after our weddings.  I had to explain that this is not the way we normally eat at weddings.  Everyone has their own plate of food and usually you know exactly how many people will be coming.  The number of guests at this wedding was unknown until everyone had arrived.

The ceremony was like a game show.   Just take a look at the 'host'.

The wedding pictures were taken months before the wedding.  I think the photos are an excuse for them to play dress up - which the Chinese LOVE to do.  None of the clothes in the photos are theirs and the photos aren't taken at the actual wedding.

Dorothy update

I ran into Dorothy at the gym.  I was walking over to use the treadmills when I noticed a woman that looked like Dorothy.  I thought to myself what are the chances it could be Dorothy but decided to look just to be sure it wasn't her -but of course it was her!  We were the only 2 people in the gym.  She came and talked to me for a while.   She said my manager was American and I asked how she knew that.  She admitted to coming to school to look for me and to watch my classes.  She asked me the most random questions.  'I think you like Chinese kids.'  'Do you have someone special in your life now'  'I think you're very independent'  'I've been sending you some texts' (I said thank you for the texts - the ones I've been completely ignoring)   She asked about my fat roommate with the big eyes.  (My old roommate is definitely not fat but she's very tall so the Chinese mistake this for being fat.)  Then she said something about being thankful for my friendship. 

Finally I said I had to go - she wasn't getting my hints that I actually wanted to work out.  I thought leaving was the best way to get rid of her. 

My coworker (also named Joy) came to work a couple days later and said she ran into a woman in her apartment building.  She knew the story of Dorothy and immediately thought of her.  It turned out it was her!  They live in the same building.  For a city of 8 million people it's sure feeling small here.

Luckily, I haven't heard anything from her in a while.  I thought about friending her because I always seem to have a good laugh after our conversations.  But, that's not a very nice reason to be friends with someone.

My advanced students

This semester I have 3 classes of more advanced students that I can actually have a conversation with.

In my highest level class - C10 - there is one student, Sam, who is 12 years old, a talker, and the Chinese version of Steve Urkel.  He's been wearing sweat pants pulled way up, a tight shirt tucked into the sweat pants, and bright blue rain boots.  Urkel isn't complete without his glasses - which Sam wears a bit smaller but equally as nerdy.   One day his dad stopped by after class to say hi.   He's the first parent I've had a conversation with.  He said he wants Sam to study in America so that he can learn English better.  Most parents want their male children to grow up, make money, and find a wife to have their one child with- so Sam's father wanting him to leave China is refreshing to hear.

One student - Victoria -  told me she wants to learn German because she thinks she can learn a lot from German people.  Hitler is her hero.   This same student when asked 'is there anything you wish you could do that you can't do yet' responded 'no, I can do anything I want to do.' This was a great reminder to me but also NOT at all a standard Chinese response.  I'm very interested in Victoria and where she got her free way of thinking.

My C10 is a mix of girls who want to leave Xi'an to live in another country or city, want to dye their hair a wine color, are obsessed with ships because of Pirates of the Caribbean.  And 4 boys who want to be a famous actor,  are adorable and speak with a British accent, ask tons of grammar questions that I can't answer, and the Steve Urkel who farts very loudly and often during class.  I'm not sure I could have a more diverse and interesting class if I tried to put it together myself. 

My C8 level classes are not as interesting.  They don't like talking to other students of the opposite sex, they don't like talking, they say class is boring but it's like pulling teach to get them to do things I plan that are more interesting, they say they can't read my hand writing if I don't dot my i's, and their vocabulary is horrendous for the level.  Normally this is one class I dread walking into.  Recently they started becoming a bit more interested in me for some weird reason.  We were talking about first jobs.  They are only about 13 so they haven't had a first job but there were interested in my first job and how much I made.  Then in the middle of that same class they decided to pry into my non existant love life.
'Do you have a boyfriend?'
'No'
'Why?'
'I haven't found one here.'
'You need a boyfriend.  Maybe you should go back to America to find one.'
'Maybe but I like China.'
'Maybe you should learn Chinese.' (so I can date a Chinese guy)

They make it sound so easy!  I'm not sure why they became so interested in me and my personal life but it's definitely better than the way it usually is - NOTHING mixed in with dirty looks and groans.  They decided next week we should have a Christmas party.  I think that's a great idea and hopefully this will get them opening up even more.

I'm very glad I have students this semester that can express themselves.

My new name - 卓乐

I have a new Chinese name. I didn't really like my first name and asked my tutor if she could think of a new one for me.  By now she knows me pretty well so I felt she could come up with a name that actually meant something to me.   It came to her while she was sleeping and I have to say I don't think there is a more perfect name for me.  Unlike our names in the west the Chinese names mean something.  Names can often be funny or weird but I can imagine this makes it harder to name children.  Ok, some of our names in English also mean something.  Like JOY!   But I don't think the meaning of a name is as important to us as it is to the Chinese.  Sometimes they will change their name after seeing a 'fortune teller'.  A name could turn out to be unlucky or if a child is really sick sometimes they think it's good for them to start fresh with a new name.

This is my Chinese name:  卓乐 (zhuo yue)

The way it sounds is 'jour ua'.  It sounds very close to the way Joy sounds.   卓 means 'outstanding'.   乐 has a couple of meanings (when put with other characters) and Vicky picked it because I really like the way 东 (east) character looks - 乐 looks similar.  One meaning is 'happy, cheerful, joyful.'  The other meaning is 'music'.  Together 卓 and 乐 mean 'outstanding, brilliant remarkable'.  It's a lot to live up to - just like my English name - but isn't it a perfect name for me?  She brought together the sound of Joy, the important part music has played in my life, one of my favorite characters, and the meaning of my English name.    Brilliant!

Reading and writing Chinese

I've started reading and writing characters.  I wish I would have started learning them from the beginning.  At first I was so concerned about speaking - I didn't want to put in the time to learn characters but I wish someone would have told me it's not THAT hard and it makes so much more sense.

Texts with my tutor have gone from this:



To this (actually most of our texts are entirely characters now - this is a bit old):
 

My homework looks like this:
 

My lessons look like this:



It's really fun!  The characters can be hard to read out loud and remember the pronunciation but having something to associate with the pinyin word really helps me remember words - especially when there are so many of the same words.    It's fun to sit on the bus and read all the passing signs.  They become clearer and clearer every day.

There are 4 different characters and meanings associated with the word tang.
1. 汤 tang with the 1st tone means soup. 
2. 糖 tang with the 2nd tone means sugar.
3. 躺 tang with the 3rd tone mean to lie down or recline.
4. 烫 tang with the 4th tone means very hot.

My teacher told me these are the 4 things that will make you fat.  I didn't know eating hot foods made you fat.  The Chinese swear it does though!

I'm getting married!

Just kidding!  But that's how it feels in China.  The way I find out someone has a boyfriend is by hearing they're getting married.  I was talking to a friend 4 months ago about being single.  She really wanted to get married.  Her father had already purchased all the firecrackers for her wedding so she was also feeling some pressure from her parents.  A few weeks ago she tells me she's getting married in January.  I don't think I will ever get used to these surprise announcements.  I had no idea she started seeing someone in the past few months.  Technically she has already been married on paper -which is usually how it works in China.  The wedding photos and papers are taken and signed months before the actual weddings.  There might be multiple weddings - one with his family and one with her family.  There isn't a big engagement they just decide they're getting married. 

The wedding photos make me laugh.  I can't remember if I knew the Chinese took cheesy photos before coming to China but they take cheesy photos all the time - even sitting in Starbucks.  What did they do before cameras?  I think the wedding photos are especially cheesy.  They get all dressed up in different costumes - one of which is a white wedding dress - and take pictures all over the place.  The clothes are just costumes.  The wedding dress in the picture is not the dress they will wear at their wedding.

This is a typical photo shoot:

With the pictures they make a gigantic book of pictures and cheesy English words.  Below is a page from my friend's book.  I have to say that other than the words their wedding photos are the least cheesy I've seen. 

Dating in China

This week I went to my first Chinese wedding.  Before I write about the wedding I'm going to write a bit about dating and marriage in China.  It is something that probably fascinates me the most right now because it is vastly different than our Western way of dating and getting married.

The actual act of dating is similar.  They have blind dates, they meet people online, they even have a day dedicated to singles (See picture above.  Singles day is always on 11/11).

The part that's different is what they're looking for in their future spouse.  One of my Chinese friends summed it up: 'In other countries love is enough.  In China love is not enough'.  So what is important?  A good job and money. My friend is actually in love with her boyfriend.  I've found this to be rare. I don't usually see the love in someone's eyes when they talk about their boyfriend or husband.  But with her I see it.  The problem is her parents don't like him because he doesn't make enough money.  She says they will never get married because he will probably never make enough money.  In fact her parents don't know she is still with her boyfriend. 

I don't talk to many guys but during one of my classes with my private student who is 24, we got into a nice discussion about what he was looking for.    He said he wants 'real, tender, romantic love'.  So, he doesn't mind waiting till he's 30 to get married.   It was sweet.  I don't hear many girls talk like that.  They are so desperate to get married by the time their 25.  God forbid they don't find anyone by 28.   It's hard for some to believe I'm 31 and don't even have a boyfriend.  I guess I don't have to say I feel old here. 

My first Chinese Thanksgiving

This is Thanksgiving last year.  Looks like a mix of emotions at the table.

It was a bit strange to spend Thanksgiving in China.  They don't really have anything like it except for Chinese New Years which seems to encompass all of our Western holidays.  I don't think they quite get the concept of Thanksgiving.  Our Chinese teachers told the students to write something on a post it and stick it on the wall by the elevators.  They didn't tell them to write what they are thankful for but rather to write a note to someone they're thankful for.

It made me realize that we really don't do that on Thanksgiving.  We say what we're thankful for but we don't necessarily thank people. Maybe thanking people is something we should start.

I am thankful for so many things this Thanksgiving. Last Thanksgiving I never could have imagined I would be in China this year.  I'm very grateful that I never know where my life is taking me.  I've had experiences not many people get to have.  I'm thankful for all the people I've met from all over the world - China, the Philippines, England, Australia, Ireland, South Africa, and the United States. I've learned and gotten a different perspectives of the world from all of them. 

I am incredibly thankful for my supportive friends and family.  I've said it before but I never could have done this without them.    I miss them more than they know.  I am also thankful for all the care packages and emails.   Life savers!

On Thanksgiving I canceled my classes and decided to treat it like a real Thanksgiving -trying not to do much.  First, I went to KTV (karaoke) with some of the Chinese teachers from school - ok so that's not like a real Thanksgiving but somehow in China it seems appropriate.  After that we had a Thanksgiving dinner at an Italian restaurant owned by a Japanese man.  It was actually really good.  The only trace of China in the meal was dessert.  It was a fruit pizza. Yep crust, apples, and cheese.  It was good but a very disappointing Thanksgiving dessert.  Luckily I know a place that has pumpkin pie so I think I will stop by for a slice this week. 

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Thanks Mom!

When my mom sent me medicine she put a bunch of fun things in the box that I would never think of asking for.  A huge bag of styrofoam letters kept my students busy for nearly an hour on Friday.  I had them make food words.  I really like brainstorming because I'm always surprised by their vocabulary.  Rachel spelled sashimi, sushi, chicken curry, naan bread, and cabbage.  The Chinese teacher didn't even know a couple of the words.

Getting sick in China

2 weeks ago I made my first trip to a Chinese hospital.   I knew this day would be inevitable but I had still been dreading it.   In China when you need to see a doctor you go straight to the hospital and not to a doctor's office.  One of the staff members from work took me.

First you fill out a little booklet with your name and age, and pay $.35 for the initial meeting with the doctor.

The doctor is in an office at a desk waiting for people to stop by with problems or test results.  When she's not seeing patients she's reading a newspaper.
She said I needed a blood test and a chest x-ray.  First we had to pre-pay for the tests.  It was $2.50 for the blood test and $4.50 for the x-ray.   We went and got both tests done, waited for blood test results and the x-ray, and brought them back to her for a diagnosis.  From the blood test she could tell I had an infection.  She kind of winced when she looked at my x-ray but said my lungs were ok.  (I got to keep my x-ray.)

My throat was red and inflamed.  I was told to rest, not to drink alcohol, not to eat spicy foods, and of course to drink ONLY hot water.  They gave me 6 pills - 2 a day - to get rid of the infection.  If the pills didn't take care of it then an injection / drip was next.   She wrote everything in my little booklet:

The hospital was not bad at all.  There was someone smoking in the hall (typical Chinese) while we were waiting to get my X-ray so I was coughing a lot.  But there weren't any patients around with blood oozing or people dying in the hallway.  Overall it seemed as clean as I would expect in a Chinese hospital. 

Unfortunately the medicine didn't work and I still missed an entire weekend of work.  I decided to self diagnose and I think I have bronchitis.  Now I feel a bit better, my chest doesn't hurt, I can breath, and I'm able to sleep for the entire night.  My mom sent me some good old western drugs and I hope they are slowly getting rid of my cough. 

I didn't notice this girl when I was taking the pictures of the hospital.  From looking at her you would think it was a really cold day but it was 50 degrees. 

Burning money for the dead

Often the Chinese burn fake money for their deceased. Apparently it is done a few times a year because this is the 2nd time I've seen them do it in the past 8 months.  The first time was for Tomb Sweeping Day when they clean up the tombs of their deceased and burn fake money.  Burning fake money is done so their relatives will have money in the afterlife.

My roommate saw a vendor selling fake US dollars.  He asked what it was for and she responded that it was for the overseas Chinese.  Apparently the Chinese who have passed away in the US can't spend the RMB that's burned for them in China - they need US dollars to spend in the after life. 

Xi'an Metro

About a month ago the Xi'an Metro opened!  So far only the north / south line is open but it's convenient for me when I'm at Chinese class and need to go inside the wall to the center of the city.  It was weird riding a subway here because I'm used to the crowded / old buses.  It feels like a real city now. 

Here's a video I took - it's actually less crowded then the buses.  I mostly took this video for the awesome guy with the earrings and glasses in front of me.