HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!
2009, the Year of the Bull!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Make New Friends
Traveling throughout Southeast Asia has allowed me to see things I never dreamed I would. I remember watching “1,000 Places to See Before You Die” on the TravelChannel a few years ago and thinking that I would never in my life see those things. And now here I am! Every morning I wake up and am shocked to remember that I’m in Laos.
What’s almost more exciting than riding elephants, swimming in waterfalls, and visiting Buddhist temples is meeting other travel junkies like myself. A few days ago my travel companion, Caroline, and I had the “pleasure” of taking a slow-boat down the Mekong River to Luang Prabang, Laos. For two straight days we were squished into a small boat with 124 fellow travelers for at least nine hours each day. Each person had only a small wooden bench where they could make themselves “comfortable” during the journey.
This could have been a terrible, terrible experience. And while it wasn’t the most relaxing trip, it was a fun one. Caroline and I were able to meet some very interesting people from all over the world. We meet an older British couple who are on their fourth trip to the area, a middle aged American traveling alone, as well as a young Canadian couple who are on their fourth month of a year long trip around the world. These people had fascinating stories to tell of their travels in Southeast Asia and other places. The boat trip could have been deathly boring, but instead became fun and interesting with the help of the other tourists.
As this is my first time “backpacking,” I didn’t expect me meet so many interesting people. It has been a most welcomed addition to my travel experiences. These people have really left a mark on my trip, as I hope I have on theirs.
What’s almost more exciting than riding elephants, swimming in waterfalls, and visiting Buddhist temples is meeting other travel junkies like myself. A few days ago my travel companion, Caroline, and I had the “pleasure” of taking a slow-boat down the Mekong River to Luang Prabang, Laos. For two straight days we were squished into a small boat with 124 fellow travelers for at least nine hours each day. Each person had only a small wooden bench where they could make themselves “comfortable” during the journey.
This could have been a terrible, terrible experience. And while it wasn’t the most relaxing trip, it was a fun one. Caroline and I were able to meet some very interesting people from all over the world. We meet an older British couple who are on their fourth trip to the area, a middle aged American traveling alone, as well as a young Canadian couple who are on their fourth month of a year long trip around the world. These people had fascinating stories to tell of their travels in Southeast Asia and other places. The boat trip could have been deathly boring, but instead became fun and interesting with the help of the other tourists.
As this is my first time “backpacking,” I didn’t expect me meet so many interesting people. It has been a most welcomed addition to my travel experiences. These people have really left a mark on my trip, as I hope I have on theirs.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
King Good, Government Bad
The Chinese love Mao. He's on the money, he's on posters in peoples' homes (even I have a painting in my apartment), and his statue stands in various places all over the country. He is looked up to by children and adults alike. There is no question that his name lives on in the hearts and minds of his people.
This all is nothing compared to the love the Thai people have for their king, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The kind taxi driver that drove Caroline and I from the airport to our hostel in Bangkok said, "King good, Government bad," only 5 minutes after we got in his taxi. Apparently he likes the king. The king's picture is proudly displayed all over the town. Large portraits and small pictures can be seen at almost every turn. In fact, the Internet cafe I'm sitting in has several photos of the king on the wall next to pictures of the Buddha. Let's just say that after 5 days in the country I could pick him out of a line up.
At first I was a little confused as to why the Thai people love their king so much. The UK and Denmark have royalty, but they don't seem to revere hi as much as the Thai people. Then it occurred to me. Thailand has had so many coups and governments over the past years. Leaders have come and gone. Politics has changed drastically many times. One such example was in the news only a few weeks ago when protesters closed the Bangkok airport for several days. The one consistent during these troubled times has been the king. He has seen much during his 81 years. According to this article by the BBC, the king's reign has seen 17 military coups and 29 prime ministers. I'm not sure that we've seen that much change in the 230 years that the US has been a country. It's good to know that the Thai people have something they can hold on to during times of upheaval. I hope he is able to see them through the times of crisis that are certain to visit this beautiful country in the future.
At first I was a little confused as to why the Thai people love their king so much. The UK and Denmark have royalty, but they don't seem to revere hi as much as the Thai people. Then it occurred to me. Thailand has had so many coups and governments over the past years. Leaders have come and gone. Politics has changed drastically many times. One such example was in the news only a few weeks ago when protesters closed the Bangkok airport for several days. The one consistent during these troubled times has been the king. He has seen much during his 81 years. According to this article by the BBC, the king's reign has seen 17 military coups and 29 prime ministers. I'm not sure that we've seen that much change in the 230 years that the US has been a country. It's good to know that the Thai people have something they can hold on to during times of upheaval. I hope he is able to see them through the times of crisis that are certain to visit this beautiful country in the future.
Monday, January 12, 2009
I <3 HK
Someone once said that Hong Kong is where East meets West. I disagree. I would argue that Hong Kong is a transplant of the West in the East, which happens to be populated by Chinese people. Hong Kong was everything and had everything that Zhuzhou does not. Hong Kong is a place where people are not likely to push an elderly woman out of their way to get on the bus. People don't spit in the bus and on the street, don't encourage their children to use public trash cans as toilets, and didn't stare at my every move. Everything that I missed about living in a western country was wrapped up by the British many years ago and brought to Asia. Including food. I can't express how wonderful it was to increase my meal options 100 fold by traveling a mere 9 hours from Zhuzhou by train. I didn't know a place like this exsisted in China! (Whether or not Hong Kong is actually China is another topic, but we'll go with the official PRC stance for now.)
Don't worry, Hong Kong, I will be back!
Don't worry, Hong Kong, I will be back!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Taking a Break from China
In about 2 hours, I will be getting on a train bound for Shenzhen, the gateway city for Hong Kong. This is only the first leg of my four week vacation from China. The current itinerary has me visiting Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam with my dear friend and travel companion, Caroline. We have a pretty ambitious schedule mapped out, so we’ll just have to see how things pan out during the coming weeks. I’ll do my best to update while I’m on the road, but please understand if my posts are not up to their usual standard for a while. One good aspect to the trip for you, however, is that you can expect a multitude of pretty awesome photos when I return. See you then!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Legend tells of a legendary warrior…
About one day before it was too late I found out that I was required to give final exams to my students. Not just final any exam mind you, oral final exams, which means I had to speak to all 720 of my students one-on-one. I decided the most efficient and painless way to do this was to bring the students out into the hall nine at a time and have them fill in the following prompt: “Hello, Teacher Ashley. My English name is _____. My birthday is _____. I like to eat _____.”
You may be wondering why I would bring them out nine at a time. This was done for several reasons. 1. There is less dead time taken up by switching when the class is broken up into only six groups. 2. There are 9 students seated in each row. 3. Chinese students are “all up in each other’s business,” as some might say, so they have no problem testing in front of their peers. It’s normal for others to know how you did. Their grades for each class are posted up on the wall, listed by name, so it’s no secret which students are doing poorly. Well, it’s a secret to me, as I can’t read their names, but that’s a different story.
My final exam testing plan worked beautifully. I was able to test up to 64 students in less than 40 minutes and the students did very well. While I was testing students in the hall, I had to figure out a way to entertain the other 50 of them. Before Christmas I decided to show them a few Christmas specials, like How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, and The Snowman. After Christmas, however, I needed to find something else, so I turned to 功夫熊猫, which most of you know as Kung Fu Panda.
I’d never seen the film before showing it to the class, but I knew that they would love it. I finished the exams quicker than I had originally anticipated, so I ended up watching a majority of the movie close to 10 times. The movie’s really pretty good. It should tell you something that I haven’t gouged my eyes out yet; I watched it every day for the past 6 days, plus several additional days last week.
In many ways the movie, which is set in China, gives a pretty good representation of what it’s like to live in China. The country is populated by talking animals, everyone worships the Furious 5, and ducks have pandas as children. Just kidding. In all honesty though, apart from the obvious things, the movie is rather realistic. Noodle shops are popular, children love kung fu, children of shop owners are often expected to carry on the family business, and the mountains really are that beautiful. Disney obviously did a great deal of in country research before making this film. I was actually surprised how “China” it is. I think I might be in the perfect position to enjoy this film. No only do I speak fluent English and understand American humor, but I have a greater understanding of the Chinese culture and lifestyle than the average person. So if you’re in the mood for a good animated movie about China, Kung Fu Panda is my recommendation of the moment. I’ll have to watch Mulan again to see how she stacks up to my Life in China Test...
You may be wondering why I would bring them out nine at a time. This was done for several reasons. 1. There is less dead time taken up by switching when the class is broken up into only six groups. 2. There are 9 students seated in each row. 3. Chinese students are “all up in each other’s business,” as some might say, so they have no problem testing in front of their peers. It’s normal for others to know how you did. Their grades for each class are posted up on the wall, listed by name, so it’s no secret which students are doing poorly. Well, it’s a secret to me, as I can’t read their names, but that’s a different story.
My final exam testing plan worked beautifully. I was able to test up to 64 students in less than 40 minutes and the students did very well. While I was testing students in the hall, I had to figure out a way to entertain the other 50 of them. Before Christmas I decided to show them a few Christmas specials, like How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, and The Snowman. After Christmas, however, I needed to find something else, so I turned to 功夫熊猫, which most of you know as Kung Fu Panda.
I’d never seen the film before showing it to the class, but I knew that they would love it. I finished the exams quicker than I had originally anticipated, so I ended up watching a majority of the movie close to 10 times. The movie’s really pretty good. It should tell you something that I haven’t gouged my eyes out yet; I watched it every day for the past 6 days, plus several additional days last week.
In many ways the movie, which is set in China, gives a pretty good representation of what it’s like to live in China. The country is populated by talking animals, everyone worships the Furious 5, and ducks have pandas as children. Just kidding. In all honesty though, apart from the obvious things, the movie is rather realistic. Noodle shops are popular, children love kung fu, children of shop owners are often expected to carry on the family business, and the mountains really are that beautiful. Disney obviously did a great deal of in country research before making this film. I was actually surprised how “China” it is. I think I might be in the perfect position to enjoy this film. No only do I speak fluent English and understand American humor, but I have a greater understanding of the Chinese culture and lifestyle than the average person. So if you’re in the mood for a good animated movie about China, Kung Fu Panda is my recommendation of the moment. I’ll have to watch Mulan again to see how she stacks up to my Life in China Test...
Sunday, January 4, 2009
You're Too Old
Since many of you like to see me make a fool of myself, I thought I’d thought I’d post the video of my portion of the skit I was in with the Junior 1 teachers.
Background: The man in the orange shirt has a special cell phone that allows him to “order” women. He ordered several other girls, which he turned away for various reasons. He then orders an English speaking girl (me) and is just meeting her for the first time.
Translation:
Man: Excuse me, excuse me … [something actually I don’t understand].
Me: I don’t speak Chinese.
Man: What? You don’t speak Chinese?
Me: Umm, I don’t understand you. I don’t speak Chinese.
Man: Oh, she doesn’t speak Chinese. Go home. I don’t want a girl that I can’t talk to. Go. Go.
Me: You’re too old. I don’t want you. I’m leaving.
Continuation: The man chases me off the stage shouting, “What?! You do speak Chinese? Come back! Come back!” He eventually gets over me and ends the skit with another girl.
Hope you enjoyed watching me act like an idiot in front of my colleagues... again.
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