I must apologize again for the length between blogs. It really is hard to find the time!
Firstly, I missed two things in my last blog. I never did mention the wonders and yet peculiar feelings associated with having a cleaning lady. It only costs 30 Qui an hour to have your apartment cleaned. That is barely 6 dollars to have someone scrub and do the worst jobs imaginable. I decided to take this option up somewhat reluctantly. I am a pretty good surface cleaner and, as my mom in particular knows, leave dishes in my sink at your peril. That being said who really likes scrubbing the toilet? It also didn’t help that when I moved in it was quite clear that the dust accumulation under and behind my bed was at least a year in length. I did not want to deal with that. Therefore, I took the option of hiring a cleaning lady through the schools apartment managers (He insisted that even if you live off campus, go to him for reliability). Two hours of cleaning. Dust all gone. Floors all scrubbed. Bathroom shiny. Getting her to do this was rather difficult as I had to explain exactly what was needed. I should also note that you have to have the supplies for her. The other area of difficulty was time. I asked her to come over at 7. This way I could go out after finishing my dinner at home and walk. Well she showed up early (a women of my own heart)! That being said in this case I had just put dinner on a plate and was wrapped in a towel from the shower I just had. I managed to dodge these particular problems and scarf my dinner down. I then tried to figure out when she would be done. We managed to communicate by pointing at a clock and it appeared she said eight. I go for a walk and come back. There was some miscommunication and I sat on the couch and watched her clean for 45 minutes. Awkward and uncomfortable. What made this issue worse was that how was I supposed to ask her when she would be done? It was during this time I contemplated getting a cleaning lady again. I have decided on yes. Mostly, because her cheap pay is what it is. If I do not hire her she will not get paid any more, she will simply have less work. She is also putting two kids through college. Not a bad motivator.
The other thing I left out of my previous blog was locking my keys in my apartment. Dam doors that lock automatically! I have since done this again. The second time was not a problem as I gave my spare key to a reliable source. The first time really wasn’t much of a problem as my landlord who I had Grace call arrived within ten minutes to let me in. He continues to be a very reliable figure!
School is continuing to go well. It is very busy, but I am enjoying it so far. My classes need some work and there are definitely several students who understand far less then half of what I say. That complicates things greatly. The Model UN that I am one of the sponsor teachers has started up and it looks like it is going to be a good year. I will be going to one of the conferences in Qingdao in March. I unfortunately lost the heated coin flip to go to Korea. However, it is an awesome club to be involved with and Qingdao will have more students attending and will make for a great experience.
The last two weekends have seen a few events. Last weekend we had our staff introduction party on Friday night. This event just continued to demonstrate how unlike any other professional work environment this place is like. It is rather funny and nice. When your boss is walking around with a pint in one hand and a stogie in his mouth… The tone is set. For the staff party we went to the grand reopening of a bar called The Anchorage in five colour city. Their was a free buffet so we did not go there initially as it was too crowded. However, instead we ordered food from Eurobake and had it delivered to Mr. Beer next door. This was quite a wonderful set up. My BBQ Chicken burger was just what I needed and import German beer made everyone happy. Perhaps some a little too much. We did eventually make our way to the Anchorage where there was live music and a really nice atmosphere.
One rather humorous aspect of the visit to this bar was this British man I encountered. I had just finished playing (and winning) some Foosball when I saw a friend of mine, who has a tendency to talk to random men and get stuck there chatting up these other expats. I headed over to say hello. It seemed like a rather interesting, granted shouted, conversation. I asked this older British man why he was in China. He leaned over in a conspiratorial manner, “the women.” I managed to keep my jaw on my face. It was not altogether unsurprising for this chubby and balding man to be desperate for women and in China for it. That being said it is not the type of revelation I am used to hearing in thirty seconds. He then proceeded to tell me that it was all about women and money and he already had money. Sounds like a world-class humanitarian. He then asked me if I was dating my friend. I said no. He said good there are way better and more local girls available. This is when I proceeded to extricate myself from the conversation. It really is amazing how many older white men and younger Chinese women you see in Five Colour city in particular.
This weekend, last night to be specific, a group of us went to watch Dalian Aerbin. They are the local team that plays in China’s top professional league. It was a Thunder and Lightning storm. It was not ideal watching conditions, but the fans that where there were hilarious. Much like Europe. They spent more time watching the crowd pumping it up then the game. Due to the weather and some Taxi difficulties we arrived 30 minutes late. Rather soaked from the torrential down pour. The stadium seats 60,000, but due to the weather there were maybe 5,000 in attendance. Dalian was already losing 2-0 when I sat down and the final score would end up being 3-1. The soccer was an okay quality, but between the fans, the lightning in the sky, and of course the football it was a worthy and fun experience. Well I should add a bit of a food update. It just wouldn't be something written by me if I didn't talk about food. Firstly, I am addicted to these bean, coconut, whatever buns. It is basically a sweet bread. Kind of wrapped in the manner of a cinnamon bun, except it is taller and less obvious. It is shaped like a stereotypical chef’s hat. It has like a very thin lair of a white cream on the top and red sweet beans. Inside it has the sweet cream wrapped in the lairs. I love them. I now pay attention to when they are baked fresh haha. My go to place continues to be clutch. They know who I am and immediately bring me the menu with my favourite salad. I have discovered how to eat out really healthy here and have shed the few pounds I had added since being here and then some. Simply from ordering plates of just vegetables and meat. I eat so many carbs at home for breakfast and dinner it balances out nicely. The bok choy is great here. I also tried the fungus they put into stir fries this week and quite enjoyed it. Odd texture, but very tasty.
I should be off! Another busy week of teaching awaits and then it is off to Hohhot for my fall break. This week also has our live 20 person fantasy hockey draft. This is being done together at an all you can eat restaurant. Good times!
Cheers.
Firstly, I missed two things in my last blog. I never did mention the wonders and yet peculiar feelings associated with having a cleaning lady. It only costs 30 Qui an hour to have your apartment cleaned. That is barely 6 dollars to have someone scrub and do the worst jobs imaginable. I decided to take this option up somewhat reluctantly. I am a pretty good surface cleaner and, as my mom in particular knows, leave dishes in my sink at your peril. That being said who really likes scrubbing the toilet? It also didn’t help that when I moved in it was quite clear that the dust accumulation under and behind my bed was at least a year in length. I did not want to deal with that. Therefore, I took the option of hiring a cleaning lady through the schools apartment managers (He insisted that even if you live off campus, go to him for reliability). Two hours of cleaning. Dust all gone. Floors all scrubbed. Bathroom shiny. Getting her to do this was rather difficult as I had to explain exactly what was needed. I should also note that you have to have the supplies for her. The other area of difficulty was time. I asked her to come over at 7. This way I could go out after finishing my dinner at home and walk. Well she showed up early (a women of my own heart)! That being said in this case I had just put dinner on a plate and was wrapped in a towel from the shower I just had. I managed to dodge these particular problems and scarf my dinner down. I then tried to figure out when she would be done. We managed to communicate by pointing at a clock and it appeared she said eight. I go for a walk and come back. There was some miscommunication and I sat on the couch and watched her clean for 45 minutes. Awkward and uncomfortable. What made this issue worse was that how was I supposed to ask her when she would be done? It was during this time I contemplated getting a cleaning lady again. I have decided on yes. Mostly, because her cheap pay is what it is. If I do not hire her she will not get paid any more, she will simply have less work. She is also putting two kids through college. Not a bad motivator.
The other thing I left out of my previous blog was locking my keys in my apartment. Dam doors that lock automatically! I have since done this again. The second time was not a problem as I gave my spare key to a reliable source. The first time really wasn’t much of a problem as my landlord who I had Grace call arrived within ten minutes to let me in. He continues to be a very reliable figure!
School is continuing to go well. It is very busy, but I am enjoying it so far. My classes need some work and there are definitely several students who understand far less then half of what I say. That complicates things greatly. The Model UN that I am one of the sponsor teachers has started up and it looks like it is going to be a good year. I will be going to one of the conferences in Qingdao in March. I unfortunately lost the heated coin flip to go to Korea. However, it is an awesome club to be involved with and Qingdao will have more students attending and will make for a great experience.
The last two weekends have seen a few events. Last weekend we had our staff introduction party on Friday night. This event just continued to demonstrate how unlike any other professional work environment this place is like. It is rather funny and nice. When your boss is walking around with a pint in one hand and a stogie in his mouth… The tone is set. For the staff party we went to the grand reopening of a bar called The Anchorage in five colour city. Their was a free buffet so we did not go there initially as it was too crowded. However, instead we ordered food from Eurobake and had it delivered to Mr. Beer next door. This was quite a wonderful set up. My BBQ Chicken burger was just what I needed and import German beer made everyone happy. Perhaps some a little too much. We did eventually make our way to the Anchorage where there was live music and a really nice atmosphere.
One rather humorous aspect of the visit to this bar was this British man I encountered. I had just finished playing (and winning) some Foosball when I saw a friend of mine, who has a tendency to talk to random men and get stuck there chatting up these other expats. I headed over to say hello. It seemed like a rather interesting, granted shouted, conversation. I asked this older British man why he was in China. He leaned over in a conspiratorial manner, “the women.” I managed to keep my jaw on my face. It was not altogether unsurprising for this chubby and balding man to be desperate for women and in China for it. That being said it is not the type of revelation I am used to hearing in thirty seconds. He then proceeded to tell me that it was all about women and money and he already had money. Sounds like a world-class humanitarian. He then asked me if I was dating my friend. I said no. He said good there are way better and more local girls available. This is when I proceeded to extricate myself from the conversation. It really is amazing how many older white men and younger Chinese women you see in Five Colour city in particular.
This weekend, last night to be specific, a group of us went to watch Dalian Aerbin. They are the local team that plays in China’s top professional league. It was a Thunder and Lightning storm. It was not ideal watching conditions, but the fans that where there were hilarious. Much like Europe. They spent more time watching the crowd pumping it up then the game. Due to the weather and some Taxi difficulties we arrived 30 minutes late. Rather soaked from the torrential down pour. The stadium seats 60,000, but due to the weather there were maybe 5,000 in attendance. Dalian was already losing 2-0 when I sat down and the final score would end up being 3-1. The soccer was an okay quality, but between the fans, the lightning in the sky, and of course the football it was a worthy and fun experience. Well I should add a bit of a food update. It just wouldn't be something written by me if I didn't talk about food. Firstly, I am addicted to these bean, coconut, whatever buns. It is basically a sweet bread. Kind of wrapped in the manner of a cinnamon bun, except it is taller and less obvious. It is shaped like a stereotypical chef’s hat. It has like a very thin lair of a white cream on the top and red sweet beans. Inside it has the sweet cream wrapped in the lairs. I love them. I now pay attention to when they are baked fresh haha. My go to place continues to be clutch. They know who I am and immediately bring me the menu with my favourite salad. I have discovered how to eat out really healthy here and have shed the few pounds I had added since being here and then some. Simply from ordering plates of just vegetables and meat. I eat so many carbs at home for breakfast and dinner it balances out nicely. The bok choy is great here. I also tried the fungus they put into stir fries this week and quite enjoyed it. Odd texture, but very tasty.
I should be off! Another busy week of teaching awaits and then it is off to Hohhot for my fall break. This week also has our live 20 person fantasy hockey draft. This is being done together at an all you can eat restaurant. Good times!
Cheers.