PIcturesque

Had a wonderful afternoon walking through the gardens and boating on the lake. Some colleagues invited me for an outing to the provinces largest park and man-made lake. It was absolutely stunning. It was a damp and foggy afternoon, as it has been for the past week, but most enjoyable. And of course took over 50 pictures. Here are some of my favorites. The park not only had beautiful gardens but also some rides, a zoo, and displays from fairy-tails. I will have to return another day to see some of the gardens and ponds that I missed.
This was one of the childrens favorite rides. They were zipped into this plastic ball that was pumped with air and sealed to keep the water out. Then were rolled onto the water to play, but still attached with a rope so they didn't float away. I wish I was still a kid so I could play in a giant bubble.

It's International Women's Day

For Women’s Day a tour to Dong Guong City. Yes, the women get a day off from teaching and are treated to some sightseeing in the neighboring province. Firs stop, the site of Weiyuan Battery located on the river underneath the longest bridge in China. Second stop, the Lin Zexu Memorial in Humen also known as the Opium War Museum. This museum is in honor of the man who banned and stopped the illegal smuggling and use of opium. Third stop, where else would you go with a bus full of women but the shopping mall. This mall puts West Edmonton Mall to shame with over 7 floors and over a thousand of stores per floor. The malls here do not have and large department stores but instead very small shops no bigger than a bedroom. Dong Guong City is known for their clothes making factories and one is able to purchase these clothes at the mall before they are to be exported around the world. Too bad that the Chinese are such petite people or I would have been able to find more clothes that fit. The city is also know for their International factories making all sorts of items that will eventually bear the Made in China sticker.

written March 7

10 hours of school 6 days a week

The school system here in China is very different from in Canada. School here in China starts at the very early age of 2 and the number of hours you attend just keep increasing with your age. All the students wear tracksuit uniforms differing only in colour depending on the school. The middle school students attend from 7:30 am until 5:30pm with a 2 hour lunch/nap time during the middle of the day. The high school students attend from 7:30 am-9:30 pm also with a 2 hour lunch/nap time and 1 1/2 hour break for dinner. The evening classes are for self-studying with a teacher to supervises the students. All students and teachers can eat their meals on campus in the canteen. I am not sure if there is an extra charge because I just walk up and point to what I want. Each class have 50-55 students with approximately 12 classes for one grade. This means that I will be teaching English to over 550 students. Each classroom has a head teacher and each grade has a head teacher. As well, there are numerous directers that see to the students moral behaviour. Instead of the students moving around from classroom to classroom depending upon the subjects the teachers move around. The students all sit in rows and their desks are stacked with numerous text books leaving them with very little work room. Many of them have so many books that they have gone and made themselves permanent bookends attached across from one side of their desk to the other to hold all their books in place. The students spend most of their day at the school therefore they do not carry backpacks back and forth and those who live faraway stay in the students quarters. During their free time, many students like to play basketball, badminton, and table tennis in the courtyards. The school contains two buildings each with about 6 floors and are attached by open corridors with beautiful gardens and hedges in the middle. The school also has a track and a field for PE lessons.

A special celebration is in order, for today marks the end of the Spring festival so why not hang some lanterns in the palm trees and bring on the fireworks. First, Christine and Shiney lead the way to the foot bridge where it is custom to cross the bridge either carrying a pinwheel or a bouquet of lettuce for good luck. Yes, you read correctly, a bouquet of leaf lettuce tied with some long grass and incense. In the Chinese language the word lettuce sounds similar to good fortune so they use the lettuce to represent good fortune. At the end of the bridge is a giant stature of a head of lettuce where individuals try to toss their bouquet on top of the stature. If is reaches the tops and stays then they believe that good fortune will come.

written Sunday, March 4

Yesterday morning I decided to take a walk around my apartment to become more familiar with the area. I headed towards the park that Christine mentioned on our drive from the airport. The park is known for its large open field perfect for kite flying. The park has many small little gardens featuring different types of plants and bushes. Different areas have just bamboo plants while other areas have palm trees and small bushes. Two men were trimming some hedges in the shape of vases in preparation for the lantern festival. Other workers were busy sweeping and clearing the pathways. I love the incredible large straw brooms that they use to sweep the walkways. There were also a group of people huddled under a gazebo practicing music with their pan flutes and bassoons. There were many people taking a stroll, flying kites, relaxing, and exercising. I sat and watched a boy and his dad flying a kite together. Many red and gold lanterns decorated the trees for the festival. At one end of the park there was a large building with several linking ponds. The ponds were full of tadpoles with many children eagerly trying to capture them.

Christine picked me up with her daughter, Shiney, and we headed to the market before going to her parents place for dinner. I stayed outside the market with Shiney and her bike, while Christine quickly went in to pick up some items. Together we walked through the fruit area of the market. I am definitely going to venture there on my own one day with my camera and some money and see what I can find. Christine’s parents live in a very nice area. There are several apartments buildings that are separated with nice walkways and gardens. Apparently, it is one of the more expensive places to live. Inside their apartment they had very little in the way of clutter yet they did have several items that made it feel like a home. They also had a nice furniture and a large TV and stereo system. Ken, Christine’s husband, Shiney, and myself watched some TV while Christine and her mom were preparing dinner.

For dinner we had soup broth with a few vegetable, rice and several different vegetable and meat dishes. And of course a bowl of rice and a bowl of soup. Soup is served just as often as rice. The soup is usually boiled with several different types of vegetables and either fish or chicken. One usually only drinks the broth but on occasion the goodies used to make the stock are also served at the table. They had located every spoon they could find so that I would have an easier time dishing up the food into my bowl. They also offered me a fork, probably the only one they owned, to eat with, but I tried with the chop sticks. Thanks to ordering Chinese food for dinner at home a few times I can manage the chop sticks fairly well. They were actually surprised at how well I managed and informed me that I was the best foreigner they had seen to eat with chop sticks.
written Sunday, March 4

"We like to eat anything that moves"

As I was handed a menu in a traditional Cantonese restaurant the head director, Daniel, of senior 1 classes informed me that as Chinese people we like to eat anything that moves. With that, the first dish arrived, chickens feet. While I was starring at some very pale bird phalanges he proceed to tell me some other interesting and unimaginable delicious cuisines. Ants, jellyfish, scorpion, duck, sea cucumber like creature, abalone creatures and leech to name a few.
“Do you like seafood” he asked.
At home I would respond with an affirmative yes but realized that my like of seafood only extends to large fish such as salmon, halibut, cod, and a limited selection of shell fish such as crab, shrimp and prawns. So I replied with “I like some sea food” not wanting to limit myself. The rest of the plates included, peppered beef, curry noodles, honey pork, shrimp cakes, spicy jellyfish, sweet creamy egg yolk and sugar filled bun, green beans with leeches, snails, and small dried fish, and fresh hot corn juice. The hot corn juice was really tasty. It was like drinking peaches and cream corn kernels purified straight from the cob. The farmers in Chilliwack could advertise for hot corn juice and start a new market.
I will let you know that I did try the spicy jellyfish, green beans with leeches, snails and small dried fish but was unable to find the courage to taste those chickens feet. I am not sure how tasty it could be when every few seconds you have to spit out a bone. Maybe I will next time, which I am sure there will be, because in this region, as I was told by Christine they like to eat food. Oh, and the jellyfish was very rubbery and hard to chew.

Written after dinner on Friday evening

Safe Arrival

After 15 hours of flying, 3 airplane meals, killing time for 3 1/2 hours in Narita airport, Japan, and tackling 12 Sudoku puzzles, I have finally arrived in Guangzhou, China. I came through the gates quite quickly due to the few people travel at this time of night and searched eagerly for someone to be holding a sign with my name on it. No luck. The interns from last year had a miscommunication glitch and arrived a day earlier than expected, so they spent the night in the airport. So I wasn’t too worried but sure enough I spotted two ladies rushing to the gates with a homemade sign in their hands that said Welcome to China Natasha Findlay. I walked over to them and introduced myself. They introduced themselves to me with their English names, Christine and Fish. Christine chatted for the next 45 min, the entire drive from the airport to Foshan, about the school, the city, and all the people who want to meet me. Currently they are in the middle of their Spring celebration, which started on the first of their lunar calendar (Chinese New Years) and lasts for 15 days. As a result, many schools are on break so that people can celebrate, which explains why I saw a couple of fireworks shows form the airplane as we were coming into land.
By midnight I was unpacking my things in my apartment and getting last minute instructions and details for the next couple of days. I have two roommates, two of the tops students at the school, Ivy and Joyce who are excited to show around their hometown.
This morning I woke up quite early to the sound of birds chirping. After laying in bed listening to all the foreign sounds and after my roommates left for school I explored the apartment. My bedroom has plenty of cupboard space and a queen size bed that I can stretch out on, along with two desks located on either side of the large widow. From my window between two buildings I can see the athletic field for the school I will be teaching at, Foshan Middle School #2. Several students were making their way towards the school all dressed in their matching uniforms, a navy and white tracksuit, at least thats what it appears to be from my 6th floor vantage point. In the far corner of the sitting room is a fake bouquet of sunflower type looking flowers, so I will feel right at home. In China the balconies here do not serve the same purpose as our balconies do at home. Here the balcony can be considered the laundry room, for there is a sink for washing and a clothes line for drying. There is a tiny kitchen that contains a gas stove top and a rice cooking, it looks like I will be getting my fill of rice during my stay in China. Just off of the kitchen is a small bathroom with a pit toilet, yes you heard right a pit toilet.

Written Friday, March 3, 2007