Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Mid-Autumn Festival
Yesterday was the Mid-Autumn Day, also known as the Moon Festival. It is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar. Usually families get together for dinner and eat moon cakes together. There are MANY different kinds moon cakes here. I asked my boys which kind would they recommend for me, some like the variety one (with everything in it, one said there are spiders in it too, he was trying to scare me), red bean, egg yolk, sesame, and five kinds of nuts. My friends and I went for hot pot because it already feels like November in Vancouver for dinner. Most students did not get to celebrate it with their families because they live on campus and home is too far and we have vacation time all of next week. Therefore, on the girls campus, we lit lanterns. It was a unique experience. The girls lit the lanterns, then they have to wait, the girls will let go, and then it will float in the air with all the other lanterns. It was very beautiful! Next year, I am going to go to the beach to see hundreds of them lit up at once.
Dalian City
Subway
I went into Dalian City on the subway on my own to meet up with two friends for lunch and to do some shopping. It takes about 1 hour which doesn't seem too long because it took me about 1.5 hours to get to UBC from Burnaby; however, I stood for an hour with people pushing in and out of the subway and I did not have to transfer. I also learned that my mandarin is still quite weak because when I asked an attendant where I could buy a subway pass they directed me to the Discovery Land, an amusement park. In the end, I did not end up getting a subway pass. FAIL! I will try again next time I go into the city after I ask someone how to say it properly.
Apple Store
I found a registered Apple store. Most of the products are the same and it felt like home. Many of my boys like my MacBook Pro but it's not very common in China yet. Time will come..... All the IT workers on the boys and girls campus always give me a long sigh when they see my laptop. hahaha.... I haven't had any problems. WHOOP WHOOP!
Taxi Ride
Taking the taxi is very common here because it's very convenient and cheap. I took the taxi on my own in Dalian City and the driver was very scary. He was quite nice in the beginning of the ride but at the end he wanted my number and he wanted me to sponsor him to Canada. His driving was fine but he kept turning around, looked at me, and then told me that I am very pretty. He even took off his sunglasses. CREEPER. I just said thank you. He wanted to know if I had a boyfriend and if I wanted to be his girlfriend. I wanted to get out of the taxi when he was driving but that wouldn't have been safe. He drove on the main streets the whole time so I knew I was okay. In the end, I sweet talked myself out and he didn't charge me for my taxi ride. Next time, I'm just going to sit in the cab and not say anything except for directions.
I also had another frightening experience with another cab driver with some of my friends. We flagged down a taxi and two taxis stopped. A senior woman walked off the curb at the same time, so we thought she'll take the first taxi and we'll take the second one; however, she was just trying to cross the street instead of taking the first taxi. We were already in the second taxi, the first taxi driver was very ANGRY. He followed us and drove very close to us. He kept yelling at us and pointing. I bet if it was traffic and all the cars had to stop, he would have jumped out and probably smoked us.
These are just a couple of bad incidents with taxi drivers but there are many good ones in China.
Overall, Dalian City is a very busy city. I have learned how to stand on the lines and dodge buses and trolleys when they are turning. There's a lot of shopping locations and parks to go see.
I went into Dalian City on the subway on my own to meet up with two friends for lunch and to do some shopping. It takes about 1 hour which doesn't seem too long because it took me about 1.5 hours to get to UBC from Burnaby; however, I stood for an hour with people pushing in and out of the subway and I did not have to transfer. I also learned that my mandarin is still quite weak because when I asked an attendant where I could buy a subway pass they directed me to the Discovery Land, an amusement park. In the end, I did not end up getting a subway pass. FAIL! I will try again next time I go into the city after I ask someone how to say it properly.
Apple Store
I found a registered Apple store. Most of the products are the same and it felt like home. Many of my boys like my MacBook Pro but it's not very common in China yet. Time will come..... All the IT workers on the boys and girls campus always give me a long sigh when they see my laptop. hahaha.... I haven't had any problems. WHOOP WHOOP!
Taxi Ride
Taking the taxi is very common here because it's very convenient and cheap. I took the taxi on my own in Dalian City and the driver was very scary. He was quite nice in the beginning of the ride but at the end he wanted my number and he wanted me to sponsor him to Canada. His driving was fine but he kept turning around, looked at me, and then told me that I am very pretty. He even took off his sunglasses. CREEPER. I just said thank you. He wanted to know if I had a boyfriend and if I wanted to be his girlfriend. I wanted to get out of the taxi when he was driving but that wouldn't have been safe. He drove on the main streets the whole time so I knew I was okay. In the end, I sweet talked myself out and he didn't charge me for my taxi ride. Next time, I'm just going to sit in the cab and not say anything except for directions.
I also had another frightening experience with another cab driver with some of my friends. We flagged down a taxi and two taxis stopped. A senior woman walked off the curb at the same time, so we thought she'll take the first taxi and we'll take the second one; however, she was just trying to cross the street instead of taking the first taxi. We were already in the second taxi, the first taxi driver was very ANGRY. He followed us and drove very close to us. He kept yelling at us and pointing. I bet if it was traffic and all the cars had to stop, he would have jumped out and probably smoked us.
These are just a couple of bad incidents with taxi drivers but there are many good ones in China.
Overall, Dalian City is a very busy city. I have learned how to stand on the lines and dodge buses and trolleys when they are turning. There's a lot of shopping locations and parks to go see.
Catherine, Monica and I at Erqi Square shopping
Friday, September 17, 2010
Summary of my month in China
I arrived in Dalian, China on Aug. 21. I was very excited but nervous at the same time. First, I had to find all 3 of my luggage on the luggage bell. I did find them and all my colleagues helped each other out. The hard part was not over yet; we had to dodge taxi traffic with our carts and luggage. I SURVIVED! When I stepped out of the airport, it was very hot and humid, and it was LOUD. Cars were honking everywhere and about everything, from telling you to move out of the way to do you need a ride to your destination? I was a little frightened on the bus to our apartments because the driver was driving quite fast, dodging traffic, and honking. However, that is how people drive in China. Pedestrians have no rights and cars make their own lane and sway in and out of lanes.
When we arrived, I was very excited because I was in one piece and I have arrived to a new place, my new home for at least a year. I live on the third floor of one of the buildings and it's a nice size. I'm the first one to live in this suite. I had A LOT of cleaning to do because they had just finished constructing my building. I have great apartment buddies! We are always looking out for each other and our doors are usually open.
The first few days here were a rush. I did a lot of shopping for my apartment, attended meetings, went exploring, and went for a medical exam. I spent a lot of money at IKEA to furnish my apartment. My flat sheet for my bed was doubled the price of my toaster oven. I could not believe it!
I also explored a town near where I live, Mafachu, it's about a 15-20 min. walk from my apartment. I live in Jinshitan, which is about an hour away from Dalian City. There is a great market in town with a lot of fruit and vegetables, buns, tofu, chicken, meat, etc. I have to work on my Mandarin. The locals do not understand that I look Chinese but I do not speak Mandarin. When they try to speak to my caucasian colleagues, they turn to me and speak Mandarin. Or they just stare at me and my friends because I'm speaking English fluently instead of Mandarin. On one of the weekends, I walked about 20 minutes from where I live to a beach. It was a very nice day because the sky was blue and there were fluffy clouds which is very rare here. Not too many people were in the water because of the oil spill. A lot of wedding couples take pictures at the beach. There is a bridge that connects the two beaches together, one side has a lot of small rocks and the other side has soft sand.
I go into a city about once a week call Kafachu (not sure about the spelling), there's a lot of restaurants, shopping locations, bars, markets, etc. It's about 15-20 min. drive from my apartment. I can take the trolleybuses into the city too but the last one out is 6:30pm. Everything here is a lot cheaper than in Vancouver so hopefully I can save some money. I've been eating out a lot because it's so cheap, such as a large bowl of noodles would only cost $1/$2 here and about $12 in Vancouver.
I've been teaching for about 2.5 weeks now. I am teaching only Planning 10 on the boys campus. I really enjoy it. The boys are very sweet. Some of them even help me carry my stuff to my classroom or office, they are gentlemen's. The boys understand my humour. They always call me teacher and they say good bye teacher every single day. Most of them work very hard in class; however, I have a few sleepers. I did not know that some students can fall asleep while writing an exam. I hope I can make a connection and a difference in my students. We have house events on each campus to encourage school spirit and participation. GO BLUE TEAM GO!
I have met many great friends and colleagues here. I will try and blog more often. In the meantime, if you have facebook, a lot of my pictures and updates are on there. I am heading into Dalian City sometime this weekend to do some exploring!
When we arrived, I was very excited because I was in one piece and I have arrived to a new place, my new home for at least a year. I live on the third floor of one of the buildings and it's a nice size. I'm the first one to live in this suite. I had A LOT of cleaning to do because they had just finished constructing my building. I have great apartment buddies! We are always looking out for each other and our doors are usually open.
The first few days here were a rush. I did a lot of shopping for my apartment, attended meetings, went exploring, and went for a medical exam. I spent a lot of money at IKEA to furnish my apartment. My flat sheet for my bed was doubled the price of my toaster oven. I could not believe it!
I also explored a town near where I live, Mafachu, it's about a 15-20 min. walk from my apartment. I live in Jinshitan, which is about an hour away from Dalian City. There is a great market in town with a lot of fruit and vegetables, buns, tofu, chicken, meat, etc. I have to work on my Mandarin. The locals do not understand that I look Chinese but I do not speak Mandarin. When they try to speak to my caucasian colleagues, they turn to me and speak Mandarin. Or they just stare at me and my friends because I'm speaking English fluently instead of Mandarin. On one of the weekends, I walked about 20 minutes from where I live to a beach. It was a very nice day because the sky was blue and there were fluffy clouds which is very rare here. Not too many people were in the water because of the oil spill. A lot of wedding couples take pictures at the beach. There is a bridge that connects the two beaches together, one side has a lot of small rocks and the other side has soft sand.
I go into a city about once a week call Kafachu (not sure about the spelling), there's a lot of restaurants, shopping locations, bars, markets, etc. It's about 15-20 min. drive from my apartment. I can take the trolleybuses into the city too but the last one out is 6:30pm. Everything here is a lot cheaper than in Vancouver so hopefully I can save some money. I've been eating out a lot because it's so cheap, such as a large bowl of noodles would only cost $1/$2 here and about $12 in Vancouver.
I've been teaching for about 2.5 weeks now. I am teaching only Planning 10 on the boys campus. I really enjoy it. The boys are very sweet. Some of them even help me carry my stuff to my classroom or office, they are gentlemen's. The boys understand my humour. They always call me teacher and they say good bye teacher every single day. Most of them work very hard in class; however, I have a few sleepers. I did not know that some students can fall asleep while writing an exam. I hope I can make a connection and a difference in my students. We have house events on each campus to encourage school spirit and participation. GO BLUE TEAM GO!
I have met many great friends and colleagues here. I will try and blog more often. In the meantime, if you have facebook, a lot of my pictures and updates are on there. I am heading into Dalian City sometime this weekend to do some exploring!
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