To the land of .... IKEA!

Hello friends.

I have to start this post with a name drop. But not the normal name drop, I'm not gonna say I know or saw someone famous and thus try to add credibility to myself.

Nope.

This is a shout out to my Gram.

(Yes, gram, you)

I'll explain for those of you who don't have my Gram as your gram... which is everyone of my awesome readers except my sister.

(Hi Twig!)

My Gram. Where to begin. Sweet. Loving. Wonderful. She's my gram. She's the one who knows me best after my mom (Hi Mom!)

Okay... Side step. Hello everyone else! There. I can stop saying 'Hi' to everyone now. ;)

Back to Gram. Yes. She came to every elementary school event no matter how trivial, every high school achievement was met with a big smile and a hug and the occasional $5 to supplement my spending change. (Which was always so crisp! I think grandma's have a special bank where they get only brand new $5 bills... seriously!) As I've gotten older, I've helped gram get into the world of tech. She's got a nice laptop, and wireless printer. She's got email down, Facebook and I helped her book mark my blog so she can get here in one click. The latest lesson, just before my return to china, was how to leave comments on my blog. So you know what?? She commented the other day with a short "Meg, where are you??"

......

......

Seriously!!!!!! Gram. No, Hi, how are you? No, miss you. No, love ya. Just want an update. Good grief. ;) Ha, I love you Gram!!

In her defense, it has been a couple weeks. I apologize. At the end of last year I believe I mentioned that there was less to talk about because things had become normal. For example, if all of you kept a blog of your daily comings and goings it would peeter out after a couple weeks because our lives have strong leanings toward routine. Unless you work for a temp agency or make a point to do something different every other month, this is true.

The same applies to China. It has become my normal. So the last couple weeks have been the same. School. Home. School. Home. Sleeping and eating and socializing. Nothing noteworthy. But, now something has happened.... And Gram.

So, here's the update, per request of Gram.

Saturday, yesterday for me, my school organized a bus trip to IKEA. We had probably 40 people sign up to go and for 50yuan we took a bus to Ningbo to go to IKEA for four hours and then come home. Seems simple enough... We allotted two hours for travel each way and the time table of the day was leave at 9, return at 5. Of course, this didn't happen. Our driver got lost. With all of the smart phones that our Chinese guides had, and the GPS stuck to the dash, this should have been a slim possibility. But we got lost.

Geography lesson: Shaoxing is directly west and slightly north of Ningbo. Our driver took us almost directly North to a place called Cixi. (ssss-i-she) Which meant that our two hour trip to IKEA that started at 9am turned into a five our trip. We arrived at 2. No, I did not mistype that. 2. Thankfully, we stopped for directions and were able to use a restroom.

My first stop was the restaurant. I was starving. Got some swedish meatballs and a coffee and I was in heaven. Then meandered the store a little. But the real fun place is the market. Where all the free standing, small items are. I bought two candles and a square dish to stand them on. The are 45 hour block candles, unscented, one red and one white. They look very christmas-y... But as they are so great, and I love candles, and they are burning next to me right now, I'm not sure they will last until christmas. Ha!

>>Side note: I'm listening to Bette Midler music on Spotify as I type and 'Baby Mine' is such a great song. mmmmm. yup.

I also bought a plain brown bowl. It was only 6 yuan (that's a dollar) and its the perfect size for easy mac. Oh yea! We only have one microwave safe bowl at the apartment, so I figured it was necessary. I also bought a cute coffee mug. It's got a tiny little handle and its plum colored. I love me a new coffee mug.

I mentioned we arrived at 2. Our departure time was set for 6. Carina and I finished our shopping with an hour and half to spare. So naturally we headed to the bistro for ice cream cones and hot dogs. I am unashamed to admit that I had two hot dogs and three ice cream cones over that last hour. Twist cones for 2 yuan. That's about thirty two cents for a twist cone from IKEA. I realize that it's China, and their quality isn't always up to par... But their ice cream cones were so worth it. And I wasn't gonna waste this prime opportunity.

Then, we loaded up all our goodies on the bus and headed home. Mine obviously fit into my purse. But the other teachers bought larger items for their apartments. Chairs, end tables, rugs, dishes, etc. A few of the moms did most of their christmas shopping for the kiddos. The trip home was met with some good natured trepidation. Choruses of "We'll be home by morning hopefully", "Five hours back right?" and other jests at the amount of time it took to arrive. Well, an hour and forty minutes later we were pulling into campus, home again.

Take a moment. Five hours... less than two... what? Yea. Do that for another half hour or so and you'll be where we all were when we got home in a fraction of the time.

But its a classic Chinese travel adventure.

In other news, my knitting is going well. I finished a pair of hand warmers. They are basically just a square piece of knitting that I stitched into a tube leaving a hole near one end for my thumb to stick thru. But I knit it with a pattern so they're pretty sweet. Now, I'm working on a coozie for my new glass water bottle. I filled it today with hot coffee to take on the bus but it was so hot to touch that I stuck it inside a sock so I could carry it. But I figured, I can make a little handmade 'sweater' for my bottle. I've got about 4 rows in.... So I should be able to finish it tonight.

My class this week is going to be about Halloween. I've worked up a little 'history of...' to show my class and put in pictures of myself carving a pumpkin and dressed up in costume. They'll get a kick out of that for sure. I'm also getting observed on Thursday by a fellow foreign teacher. I'm not worried, it's mostly just a formality.

And that's all. Life continues as normal. In the future, (this is for you gram) I'll try to be a bit more prompt in my updates. :-P

Until next time.

Knit 1, Pearl 2

A vice of mine is Pinterest. In the States I use it as an idea center for teaching, for cooking, or when I get that craft itch and want to try something new. Here in China, I use it to feel at home. I browse the home page while sipping coffee and its glorious.

I usually try to avoid the food.... because most of the food is difficult to make here, and it always makes me hungry. (Although, we did make potato-bacon-grilled cheese and it turned out fabulously)

Well, my latest Pinterest gem came in the form of knitting. But not the usual knitting. I used my arms as the needles!!

Crazy, I know... But hear me out. I used real bulky yarn, and then instead of one strand, I used four. Quadruple the fluff! and then knitting is fairly similar to on needles (as far as I know) and you're left with a lovely bulky scarf.

Well, when I was in Wuhan, we went looking for yarn so I could teach my friend how to do it. And in the process, she bought me some needles to teach me traditional knitting.

So, now I am a knitting fiend!!!!

I made two arm knit scarfs, and one traditional knit cowl. I'm working on a long, skinny scarf at the moment. But the best part is I learned to purl (because of that saying I used in the title). So now I knit a row, purl a row and it make a great little pattern.

I've found that I love to knit, and it suits my weird brain that needs something to do always. I can knit while I watch tv or listen to music, or sit on the bus.... I spent a good chuck of the train ride knitting.

My next project is a simple pair of hand warmers. The kind that have no fingers and a hole for the thumb. I found an excellence pattern on Pinterest (of course!) and as soon as I'm finished with my current scarf, its gonna happen.

Until next time.

My current project. A skinny block color scarf.

My first attempt at arm knitting. This is a double infinity scarf. 

Busy wanderings

Hi y'all!

It's been a while (sorry)... I've been traipsing about the country for a while, and busy busy busy!

This last week, the 1st- 7th was National Day holiday here in the Middle Kingdom. Which meant we had off of school!! (fist pump)

So, like all teachers off of school, I took the liberty of sleeping in. But I also traveled inland a bit to the city of Wuhan. A fellow FoC city where my friends live. I'd never been there, and this seemed like the perfect time to go.

So, my roommate Carina and I left on a Thursday night train arriving in Wuhan at 7 am.

We took hard seats for the trip. Which is the equivalent of hard airplane seats.

Why??

Well, for starters they were less than half the price of the sleepers (beds) and I figured if I could sleep on a plane, then I could sleep on a train right?

WRONG.

China has this thing, where they have a billion people. Yeah. And national holiday is a time when they all go home. Which means that every mode of transportation is over crowded. This train was no different. So, we were lucky really to have seats. There were probably two dozen people with 'standing room' tickets. Which meant that they had to stand/crouch or sit on the floor for the 8 hour trip. Basically, there are people everywhere. The seat that I had was on the end of a row at the end of the car. I was sitting next to a crowd of people who were crouching/sitting on the floor. One man was sitting next to me on top of his luggage. My shoulder and his butt were fast friends (huge eye roll!) There was even a short time when he was falling asleep and he was nodding off onto my shoulder. A quick elbow to the ribs solved that problem. (don't gasp, everyone is extremely rude when traveling.)

The trip back was better. There was less luggage underfoot, and no one leaning on me. And the smell was better because we were not next to the bathroom.

Okay, so now that you've been throughly horrified about travel in China... Don't worry, it's only like that during the holidays.

What did I do in Wuhan???

I visited coffee street and got some more coffee. I'm almost out of the coffee I brought from America, so it was a good thing.

Walked along the river.

Took a ferry boat ride across the river (it was essentially a bus fare to get across)

Visited art street, and food street... both very very crowded.

Spent an afternoon at the Hubei Art Museum. Very cool, and relaxing. I enjoy art so much. There was one very interesting piece that was geometric cross type patterns painted on tartan... Yup. A painting on Scottish plaid. How cool!!

OH! I almost forgot. We watched the Packer-Viking football game Friday morning when we arrived.

I made banana bread for my host and friend Becca.

And we visited a beautiful Buddhist temple and climbed a pagoda where we could see much of the city.

We went to the shop called Mr. Mai's two times for homemade apple pie. The owner is from Louisiana, and it was a taste of home for sure!

I had a ton of fun, and I'm glad for the experience in a new city. The differences in China between provinces is so great... Just going over two means there are so many new and different foods to try, and the people are so different, and the culture is even different.

I'm off now, gotta go to class and teach my students about American food/ restaurants.
(We're gonna watch a VeggieTales clip. =) )

Until next time.

4am

4am.

A time of day that usually passes unnoticed,
spent in the comfort of your bed or the arms of another.

4am.

After an afternoon and evening relaxed
the sleep is to follow. But, occasionally the drowsy doesn't come.
The slow fade that usually creeps, meant to draw like a shade over your eyes
doesn't.

4am.


Body aching from the day,
shoulder, neck, and that one spot behind your right eye.
Every minute is one you could be sleeping.
We've all played the game...
If I fall sleep now, I'll have four hours before I need to wake.

4am.

Too late for decent sleep.
Too early for sunrises.
It's quiet. Nothing stirs.
I know I should retire, but I hate to waste this moment.
This pure, all encompassing night.

4am.

It's four in the morning.
Increasingly heavy eyelids are a sign
An ache above my right ear too.

4am.

Goodnight.

Until next time.

(For a little insight into 4am, I highly suggest this video that outlines the mysterious 4am hour with humor. Click  4am  and enjoy. )

Normalcy...

Hello friends.

I hope you are doing well.

I am feeling quite content these days. Life has settled into a little bit of a routine. The routine is changing still but only slightly and in another week we have a national holiday that includes a week off school. So life will get the toss up then. But for now I have reached a bit of normalcy.

My days include a variety of daily tasks. I teach seven sessions Tuesday thru Friday. It's one class - Practical English for Listening and Speaking. I teach the same thing seven times...which is nice because of having only one prep a week. But also can get a bit repetitive for myself. This last week's class was all about 'get to know the teacher' and 'get to know the students' so there was no real work done. I told them about me and my life a little, I had them fill out a student sheet that told me about them, I asked each of them their favorite color (because why not? ;]), I let them ask me any questions they wanted about the class or me, and I finished each class with Hangman.

The most fun question for the students and one I expected was "do you have a boyfriend?" and it was usually followed by "do you want one?" or "what is your ideal boy?" ... My classes are all vastly female. The average class size for me is about 40 or 45 and the average number of boys is 6. So the girls got a kick out of asking that question. It was always accompanied by a number of giggles and hands covering faces. Most amusing for me. =)

When I am not teaching, I spend a bit of time in commuting. Luckily, on most days I have class times that correlate well with the school bus that my university offers the teachers for free. My commute is about 45 min one way. Which can seem a bit much, but for me I spend that time reading.... so I love the commute.

Then, during the week I have three different studies in the evening. At the moment this schedule is Monday evening, and two on Friday afternoon/evening. I'm working on another one on Tuesday or Wednesday evening. And then Sundays are my 'me' days.

Today is Sunday, and I've done very little as of yet. I slept in, had some coffee and played around on the computer, went to lunch with my roommate, and now I'm having some more coffee and playing on my computer again. =) The rest of the day isn't looking to be much more productive. However, I am hoping to plan the study for tomorrow. Maybe look over/go thru my lesson for the week one more time. But that might happen tomorrow.

Sunday's are supposed to be lazy, right?

Until next time.

Chinese Idiosyncrasies; Vol II, Issue 4

Note from the Editor:

• We all know that a person has habits that we don't always appreciate. Similiarly, a group or population or even a whole nation can have similar habits. That's what this periodical aims to highlight. Whether you agree or not with the evaluation of the author, the idiosyncrasies of China are usually strange to foreigners and often comical. If you have any idiosyncrasies to rival ours, please send your stories to the magazine. 

Foodies, alert!

• As one explores China and the available cuisine, it won't take much time before realization hits. Variety is limited. The food in China is varied, but its all Chinese. Rice and noodle based diets, vegetables in an array of salty sauces, and fried anything. How about western food? Occasionally. Mexican? Rarely. Italian? Nope. And when an establishment offers these alternatives to Chinese food, the price jumps dramatically. This week my friends and I went to "GoodDay", a restaurant offering Mexican and American food. Now, this doesn't stand up to any standards I have. But there were tacos, burritos, pizza, sandwiches and salads. All of which was easily 10 times more than I would have paid for Chinese cuisine. But, Tacos were appealing. My meal came with three tacos, chips and two small cups of sides. One was salsa, and it was quite delicious. The other was sour cream (the waitress told me this) but I knew at a glance that it was not. No, upon further inspection... It was mashed potatoes. So, my disappointment was short lived, because who doesn't love mashed potatoes? Even cold ones. (disappointment grew slightly at that discovery) I can't complain to much because my tacos were delicious, albeit over priced. Moral of the story? Sometimes, no western food is better than weird chinese-ified western food. 

When it rains....

• The weather in China is unpredictable. In a given day it can look like rain from the start and nothing happens. Other days the sky looks clear, and as close to blue as its gonna get and suddenly a pouring rain that soaks to the undies in minutes erupts from the heavens. This occurred the other day. It was one of those 'iffy' days where I grabbed an umbrella just in case. Now, it had been raining on our ride from the restaurant, but as we exited the bus to walk the 200 meters to the apartment doors, a steady rain turned to flood waters pouring from above. My umbrella was rendered mostly useless as it only managed to keep my head and shoulders dry. As I walked, the sidewalk turned slick and after nearly sprawling twice, I removed my shoes. Only to slip two or three more times barefoot. Grimy, wet tile doesn't lend itself to traction. But the inch of water on top didn't help either. It rained so quickly that even the driveway next to the canal was underwater because the rain couldn't run off fast enough. Twenty minutes later the rain was finished. 

The Commute

• The only modes of transportation I frequent are my bike and the bus. Each has their pros and cons, and to get the 45 min out of town I opt for the bus. The road the bus takes is under construction. Has been for a few years. During my ride this week, I really took note of what was happening outside the bus. We crossed a bridge that had been narrowed to one lane as a crew and jack hammer tore apart the lane next to us. There was approximately 8ft between myself and the jack hammer and less than that between the outside of the bus and where the road gave way to canal below. Evidently, this is common practice. I could only think of America. There is a bride near my house being rebuilt, and all the precautions taken to ensure both vehicle and worker safety. In China, these men are working mostly with hand tools, in their underwear because its hot, with no safety gear while cars and busses drive past. I should mention that there are no flags. That is, its first come first serve as to who gets to drive down the 8ft wide lane thats available to traffic in both directions. 
• Another bus anecdote for your pleasure. I was headed downtown on a local bus. I've ridden this bus plenty of times, and noticed this before, but I guess that day it really just hit me. The location of bus stops is not exactly conducive to route. This particular bus was in the left of two lanes as it was nearing the stop. The driver gave it some gas to get around a car next to the bus and the proceeded to cut to the right across a lane and into the bus lane. Stopping neatly at the but stop. Okay, not so bad. But the stop is about 30 meters from an intersection. And the bus route turns to the left at said intersection. Are you with me? If you are, you probably rolled your eyes. If not, feel free to do so now. .... Yes, you guessed it. The bus driver cuts back across both lanes of traffic to get into the turn lane headed left. Sometimes, this isn't a problem as there are few to no cars. But somedays, like the day I'm referencing, traffic is backup behind a red light 8-10 cars deep. And the bus just inches out until its across multiple lanes waiting for the light to turn green. The other cars either go around before the bus gets to far, or they stop and wait. But, foreigner me, can't help but chuckle at the idiocy going on. And I'm a part of it!! 

Talk to Me

• I am an English expert in China. I have picked up a fair, but small, amount of Chinese in the year I've been here. I feel pretty confident ordering food. Especially at a small food place near the apartment. However, I walk in the other day and go to the window to order "chiao ningao" or fried rice noodles. Something that is easy to say, and I've ordered here before. (They remember me. Trust me, I'm one of 6 foreigners that probably eats there) The man behind the grill looks at me like a zoo exhibit for a moment. (keep your jokes to yourself please) Then, says 'ah, ah, jia jiao'.... Is that what I said? NO!! So I say again, 'chiao ningao' and finally after another moments pause, the man goes 'oh, oh, chiii niiiigaaa' ... I interpreted that to be his version of what I said, and nodded agreement before sitting down. I ended up getting what I wanted so apparently he was just shocked at the perfect Chinese i spoke to him. 

Lifestyle

• My good Chinese friend, Marie, and I were walking downtown. We had just crossed the street and stepped up on the sidewalk when an E-bike drove past. As it approached I noticed a man driving, and little baby legs peeping out from behind him. In China, it's no odd sight to see a family of three on one E-bike. Or sometimes three adults for that matter. So, the baby legs peeping out didn't surprise me. But, I turned to look at the rest of those chubby legs as the E-bike passed me. What motivated me to look, I don't know, but what I saw was not sometime I had ever seen in china before. The woman riding behind the man was breast feeding those little legs I saw. Now, no big thing right? Except it was like she had the babe under her shirt, or had draped a blanket or something. Nope. She was holding the babe with shirt lifted, and the bike was in motion on what I'd say is the second busiest street in the city. (This is a face, palm moment. A big one. Just don't hurt yourself)

Until next issue. 

Know thyself

Know thyself.

Its a small phrase uttered by someone, and said multiple times over the course of history. Perhaps it was said to encourage, to enlighten, to caution, or in lieu of something more meaningful. Whatever the origin, the phrase is still in use.

For me, it has come into extreme focus recently. We had a group of people visiting the city of Shaoxing over the weekend for a holiday known here as Mid-Autumn. But for us Americans, Mid-Awesome... because it's awesome to be able to get together with our 'cousins' from nearby cities.

The topic of discussion during devoti0n, was about trials. The trials we face daily, what we can expect from this year, and how we expect to grow from them. In order to answer than last question, one must have a fairly good understanding of themselves to know how they will respond or react to trial. I expect trials...

...homesickness...

...team dynamics....

...language barrier...

...my ugly introvert...

and each of these trials and many more will affect me in various ways that I don't know exactly, but can foresee, at least a little bit.

But my point.

The crux of this current thought train.

Know Thyself.

China is a difficult place for a foreigner. Even in my second year, I know that this year will be hard. Maybe not as hard as last year, but it will have its own unique set of difficulties that I will have to navigate.

A concept brought up over the weekend really hit home for me. China is a refinery.

A refinery.

A refining process happens to a person here. Or any foreign country I would think. Think about metal. To refine metal extreme heat needs to be applied. In China, that can mean quite literally the 90 degree weather, but also the trials. The difficulties. That's the heat. But, also, when metal is heated the impurities rise to the surface to be scraped away. Similarly, in China, the worst parts of myself rise to the surface under the intense heat of life here. I know more about myself now that ever before, and I don't know if I would, had it not been for China.

I don't know if this is a melancholic post. I hope not. But as I reread the last few paragraphs, I can see where it might seem that way. In this moment, I am feeling completely content. I'm not overly happy. I'm not sad. I'm content. [the peanut brittle i'm eating could sway the balance to happy tho ;)]

I guess this is one of those times when I have these thoughts, and instead of pondering them, I write. I get them out. This is the kind of thing that makes me uncomfortable talking about in person. This is the kind of thing that I always want to talk to my mom about, but can never find the right moment. (Love you mom) This is the kind of thing that leads into other thoughts and suddenly its 4am.

I digress.

The refining process is ongoing. I will probably always be a bit lacking in self-confidence. I will always be blunt. And my inner introvert will always pick coffee and a book over a crowd. But I know now, that I can conquer the raging stream of life when I'm unsure of my footing if I pretend that I can see the next step under the current and no one will be the wiser. [maybe metaphors aren't my thing? haha]

( I may be losing focus, but my roommate just got home, so I was talking to her. )

Back on track.

Know thyself. Refining thru heat. China.

I know myself because China has been/will be refining me.

Hopefully this process allows me to fulfill my duties here. To be a role model to the girls who are new to the refinery, to be a good member of a team, to go out and make friends (dragging my stubborn introvert along), and...

...most importantly - To be me.

Until next time......

...From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked... Luke 12, verse 48