So long! Farewell!

NEWSFLASH: I am a bookworm. The only plan I have for my future home is a room big enough to be an impressive library. I get excited whenever I pass a bookstore. I get a high off of library book sales. I wish I still got Scholastic book order forms. I transformed my closet into another bookshelf because the one my dad had built me filled up way too fast. My boyfriend wants to build me a bookshelf someday (plus he’s agreed to a library). I love reading books, writing books, looking at books, smelling books, buying books, and flipping through books. That being said, I think that sometimes, being a bookworm can be a dangerous thing. So many times in the past (especially high school and college) I was perfectly content to sit alone in my room with the characters in my books while others that I knew were out making memories with one another. Now I don’t regret my decisions in the past—not at all!—and I don’t belittle anyone who would rather stay in on a Friday with their favorite book and a cup of tea—that is one of my absolute favorite things to do! But I’ve come to realize that I don’t want to just read about love and life and adventures… I want to live it. I think I’ve managed to do that pretty well—I’ve done a lot of living in my first 24 years while still making time for my characters and books too.

I think it is so important to read. It doesn’t matter what! Fantasy, biographies, how-to books, young adult fiction, romance, horror, sci-fi… anything! I would try to not be prejudiced and say it doesn’t matter—paper books or eBooks—but I’ve tried the Kindle for almost a year now and I still hate it. It is important to read… but it is so much more important to live.

That was a long introduction to justify using a quote by an author by the name of John Green. I won’t say that he’s one of my new favorite authors because I’ve only been able to read one of his books so far—The Fault in Our Stars (shock shock). That being said, I think he is a highly intelligent man who is extremely wise for his young age and he has some great advice to live by. I used one of his quotes the night before my college graduation a year and a half ago—a time of evolution and transitions… a time that I find myself going through once again.

"Here is my advice. Study broadly and without fear. Learn a language if you can, because that will make your life more interesting. Read a little bit every day. But most importantly, try to surround yourself with people you like and make cool stuff with them. In the end, what you do isn't going to be nearly as interesting or important as who you do it with." 
~John Green

With almost all of my newfound friends now out of the country as of today, I want to dedicate this blog post to them… whether they see it or not. 

So! Without further ado, here is a look at the people who had a part to play in my first year teaching in China.

The Students

The first group of people that directly affected my time here in China was my students! I admit (and I'm sure you can recall a few blog posts back in August) I was terrified to come over to China and teach at a university. I had never taught anything before other than giving a few lectures on specialized topics that I was passionate about and that I knew a lot about. I had never been in charge of a group before nor charged with the education of others around me. Some people who teach ESL in foreign countries do not take their jobs seriously, but I do. English is a uniting factor that allows us to communicate and understand one another. I was responsible for these kids and I did not want to fail them. I taught a total of eight classes--three oral English classes for freshmen English majors and five oral English classes for post graduates. Some classes seemed thoroughly entertained by me while others just couldn't be bothered. It was a huge learning process for me to see what worked, what didn't work, what the students enjoyed, and what they found to be boring. By the end of the year, I was proud to say that I was super close with all but two classes and I was really sad to see my groups move on.

My absolute favorite class--A3 post-graduates
These guys were so talkative, their English was incredible. I knew them all by name, they laughed at my jokes, and they threw a party for me on the last day of class. I am going to miss these goofballs so much!

English 132, my freshmen... a bit shy in the beginning of the school year, they finally started to open up in the last few months which just thrills me.

133, my craziest group of freshmen, these guys were a hoot! Some of my favorite students were in this class like Lyn, Gloria, Cassie, and Jungle (among many others with equally fantastic names). I am so sad I won't have this group next year.

My A5 English class--they were a bit quiet but when you got them going, they just kept going! Their exams and presentations were always super well done and usually hilarious... Way to go!

My beloved B1 class of only 8 out at Xiasha. I hated going to Xiasha but these guys always made it worthwhile. Because the class was so small, I got to know them all and I was just able to sit down and talk with them.

Team HZ

This group of crazies is my main support group over here in Hangzhou. There are some majorly different personalities and I’ve managed to get closer with some more than others but all in all I truly do enjoy the time I spent with everyone. The group is made up of James, Nate, Steve, Karin, Hannah R., Nathan, Other Adam, DH, Hannah S., and (obviously) my Adam. They all work together and have known each other for at least a year before I waltzed into the picture. They accepted me into the group when they did not even have to look my way. They treated me like a member of the team from practically day one (granted, this might have something to do with Adam). From parties, dinners, studies, and just simply get togethers, I’ve gotten to know them all by name and personality from talking Sweden and runes with Karin, sitting together with Steve and just chatting during our medical exams at the beginning of the year, or talking books with James. These people have come from different walks of life and each have something vital to add to the group—and to me. I am so thankful to find a group so willing to open up their arms and hearts and invite me to be with them.

Christmas 2013
Back Row: Adam, me, Hannah S., Nathan, Nate, James
Front Row: Other Adam, Karin, Hannah R., DH, Steve, Joanna (Steve's fiancee)

 The Kids

Sometimes when you are in a stressful situation, you are forced to make connections with each other. Sometimes it is your first group of friends when you go away to school for the first time or a new job or a new city or country. They are not your first choice of companions but for the time being, they will do. That was not the case with these crazy kids. It took a bit of time for us to gather together but when we were together hijinx ensued. At Christmas parties, we danced together. On Friday nights, we would eat street food together. We were there to laugh at each other, share personal stories, dance with each other, travel together, and simply share an exciting piece of our lives with one another. It was dancing on tables during KTV and making fun of each other that helped us all get through the insanity of teaching and living in China. You need a support system… even better if that support system can be your friends who will dance through life with you. And yes, I do consider them my friends…

The Ladies| Hannah R., me, Hannah S.
The Gents| Other Adam, Nathan, Adam, DH
Some of the finest people I know!! And the craziest...

 The Ladies

I haven’t been one to have “girlfriends” all too often. In high school I was friends with three or four girls but the minute that I moved away for college, I lost all connection with them. My freshman year of college, I was really close with a group of about five girls who all lived on the same floor in my dorm building but again, once they graduated, we lost touch. My last few years, I had two ladies that I still consider to be some of my very best friends—Rachel and Becky—and I’ve managed to keep in touch with them fairly well (I’m really bad at it if my track record doesn’t show that much). While in Disney, I hung out with the girls in my apartment but I really only keep in touch with a few ladies from there too. I have a harder time connecting with women than I do men (I connect the best with gay men, it would seem… again, look at that track record!) so it did take me a bit of time to really connect with any of the girls over here in Hangzhou.

It was our trip to Yangshuo that really brought us together. Major heart to heart chats with both the Hannahs. Singing songs on the back of a motorbike—all three of us piled on there! Jumping on couches during KTV. Experiencing Yangshuo, dancing in each other’s apartments, pillow talk, heart to hearts, campfires, sleeping outside in the cold… these two ladies have been wonderful additions to my China adventure.

Taking a break from our biking adventure in Yangshuo

 Hannah S. has been like a big sister to me. She knows so much about China (not to mention she actually speaks Chinese), life, and relationships. She is a strong young woman who has a soft spoken and silent strength that I truly admire and her kindness and willingness to be there for people and help is something I would like to try and emulate more in my own life.

Irish dancing in Hannah's apartment... Also the only photo of just me and her... How did that happen?!

 Hannah R. is a girl after my own heart and I am so happy to have such a wonderful, colorful person in my life. Whether she is taking selfies, painting, reading, or writing, I just know it will be something beautiful (I have four original paintings of hers just to prove it to you)! She has an amazing philosophy on life. Whether we are hiking through the Himalayas or silently sitting on the beaches of Malaysia and just staring up at the stars or down at the bioluminescence, I have come to like and respect her. Every opportunity in her life is an adventure… I am thrilled to have met someone who feels the same way about life as I do.

 The Big Four

Like I said earlier, I connect better with guys than I do girls. Not sure why, I just do. My first connections I made out here in Cangqian were with these three guys—Adam, Other Adam, and DH. Other Adam knocked on my door my first night in town and invited me to hang out with them at DH’s new apartment. The rest is really history. Adam and I started dating, I got to know Other Adam and DH more, I met Hannah R. and Nathan, and discovered the beauty that is street food. Most Fridays were spent around a street food table, funny stories being swapped over a beer, and Settlers being played out (God, I’m awful at that game). Not only did we enjoy spending time together in Cangqian and Hangzhou but we also traveled together. The Adams and I spent National Holiday together by going up to Qingdao and Dalian and, more recently, the Big Four went to ZhangJiaJie together. We spend time together well, we travel well together (other than DH’s snoring which had be considering murder… Kidding… I’m kidding…), and, all in all, we enjoy each other’s company. They were the ones that bought me a cake for my birthday and they were the ones that I wanted to spend my Friday nights and holidays with… Truly great guys who I will miss so much.

Making our way through ZhangJiaJie National Park

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I wrote a letter to a few people before they left and in it I said something that always makes myself feel better in times like this—times of change:

Lives are always changing, and sometimes we wish that things could just stay the same. But our story isn’t over yet! The book is far from over… This is just a chapter in our lives that is ending and there’s a whole hatful of chapters left with new characters, twists and turns, and adventures for all of us!

I truly do believe that. For some of us, our roles in each other’s lives are now complete. But for others, I truly do believe that our paths will cross again. I want to thank you all for being a part of the most exciting chapter in my life so far… Here’s to meeting again sometime down the line! 

Until Next Time,

Amanda

When Worlds Collide: Part 4

Beijing State of Mind

I think when people think of China, they either think of two things: the romantic, rolling hills covered in the mists straight out of Mulan OR cement buildings, crowds, traffic, and pollution. Both are very real... the more romantic version can be found in the south in places like Guilin and Yangshuo and the stark, kind of nasty version (if we're all being honest) version is in Beijing. It's true that Beijing is over crowded, dirty, and so polluted that it really can be hazardous to your health (my friend, Dave, just started using an inhaler due to the pollution) but there are also so many things to do and see in the city that it would be a sin to not stop by for at least a few days to visit.

March 28th

Saying, "Farewell!" to Adam, Mama Woomer and I packed our backpacks (that might have been a challenge for her!!) and headed downtown to the new Hangzhou train station for our six hour train ride to Beijing. Last time I went to Beijing, it was a 16 hour ride overnight on hard seats... Needless to say, I did not sleep at all and it could be one of the worst experiences I've had in China thus far (other than that awful flight from Dalian during National Holiday... read more here!). So when Mama Woomer was coming, I was more than willing to drop the 580元 on tickets for the fast train (one ticket, one way... ouch). 

We stopped off at McDonald's (remember: NO JUDGING!!) and killed about two hours by eating and wandering around the new train station (Seriously, it is too big to be a train station... but there is a Disney store, so I will let that go). Soon it was time to join the rabble in the clump that I'm sure was supposed to resemble a line but this is China and lines have not been invited yet. Following the herd, we found our train, found our seats (WINDOW!! Kind of...) and settled in with our water, cookies, and ramen. We talked nearly the whole time about lots of fun, exciting, different stuff (♥), watched the sun set, nibbled on some snacks, and read... and before we knew it, we had left Hangzhou way behind us and arrived in Beijing.

Mama Woomer's first bowl of ramen... EVER!!

We wandered around the train station, walking in circles a bit too long trying to find probably the only tall white guy in the whole place. Eventually found him--Dave--Mama Woomer got to meet him and I was finally reunited with my Disney twin. 

The moment Mama Woomer and Dave met, I knew it would be anatomic and energetic with some glitter thrown in just because. Mama Woomer is a whole lot of human. Dave is a whole lot of human. I liked pushing them together and just sitting back and listening (I admit, it was also nice to not have to be the only one entertaining anymore)! 

A taxi ride later, we were in Dave's beautiful apartment (I'm not bitter) and (despite the fact  that we had been traveling literally all day), we stayed up well past midnight just talking, laughing, and eating watermelon.

March 29th 

This was the day that any person who comes to China waits for--The Great Wall. Originally, I was thinking of taking Mama Woomer to Yangshuo to see the mountains but you cannot come to China and not see the Great Wall... So to Beijing it was. 

We went our separate ways from Dave for the day (he's as sick of the Great Wall as I am of West Lake) and, once again, I was in charge (oh no!!). I was confident in myself--the last time I went out to the Great Wall was super easy: Rachel, Dave, and I just hopped onto a bus, paid our 6元, and we went along on our merry way. Piece of cake!

Well apparently there is a difference between December and March... silly Amanda.

We found the bus that I had taken out to Badaling easily (too easy if you ask me now). We waited in an actual line (don't get to excited--there were metal barriers that forced people to wait in the line) for about 30 minutes, got on the bus and the driver asked us, "Where are you going?"

I wanted to say, "We're two white women... Where do you think we're going?!" but instead I replied, "The Great Wall."

"Wrong bus."

WHA?!? Excuse me? Cue a small rumble of panic in my stomach.

Mama Woomer and I pushed our way past the people still trying to get by us on the bus and began to wander around the bus stop (which is really just a glorified round about) searching for the right bus. We found another long line and someone who looked official kept saying, "Badaling," so I assumed we were in the right place... But there was no sign and no buses were coming. It had been almost an hour at this point. I left the line to wander around looking for a clue (I felt like I was on Scooby Doo) and eventually found one in the form of a sign that said 八达岭 ("Badaling"). Now, I can't read Chinese but I knew that the name of the part of the Wall that we were going to was Badaling and I know the Chinese character for "ba" so we left the second line we were in and got into the absolute longest line in the whole bus stop. 

There are too many people in China...

Luckily the line moved quickly(ish), we had cute kids selling flags for 1元 (I still wish I had bought one), and an overly enthusiastic man selling corn on the cob (aka: the most monotone human being I have ever heard on this glorious planet).  After about an hour of waiting in that line, we made it onto the bus, we got seats, and we got seats together. Uffda!

 My goal was to get to the Great Wall by 12:00pm... Our bus didn't even leave the bus stop until 12:15pm. Throw in some bad traffic and we had about only two hours to climb up, see, explore, and come down from the Wall before the last bus left and rush hour traffic started.

But the Woomer Women are hearty stock and we marched our way past meandering tourists and hiked our way up the Wall, calling out 加油 (Jiāyóu... "You can do it!!") to all the out of shape Chinese tourists huffing and puffing, and found some perfect spots for photo ops!

  

I think I take living in China for granted a lot. I spend so much time with Adam and the other foreigners; we go from one person's apartment to another and from one Western restaurant to another. It's moments like riding your bike down Wen Yi in the middle of the night with no cars, drinking beers and eating your weight in niangao, having strangers come up and ask to take photos with you that remind you that you and Toto are not in Kansas anymore. The Great Wall does that for me too... It is this big, ancient, mysterious thing that has loomed in the imagination of my childhood; it is something that people only dream of seeing one day and there I was seeing it for a second time. It makes me love China and it makes me love my life.

Coming down was way more fun than going up. Badaling (and some of the other Great Wall locations) have fun little attractions to help you up and down and at Badaling, they have (what they call) the "Sliding Cars." It is basically a completely unsafe roller coaster on an uneven track with rusty cars that you sit in with a bar that kind of just sits across your lap, encouraging you to stay seated. I had done it when I first visited Badaling in 2012 and enjoyed it so much that Mama Woomer knew it was there and she wanted to do it too... Of course we got the sketchiest cars and it was just as awesome as I remember (though WAY warmer).

At the bottom of the track there is a great little market area selling photos, food, toys, kitschy merchandise, drinks, Tshirts... they even have bears (random)! We stopped and grabbed some food (Chinese hamburgers) and some sesame toffy that we watched them make. Hopping back on the bus we made it back to Beijing just in time for dinner.

Meeting back up with Dave and some of his other friends, we went to one of their favorite things--hot pot!! If you are thinking back to Mama Woomer's first night in China (You can read all about THAT, here) and the hot pot we went to then... THINK AGAIN!! This was a super nice, super delicious hot pot with your own personal pot with the flavor you want (spicy all the way), you order SO much food (meat, glorious meat), and you mix and make your own dipping sauce (I could drink that stuff). While there, we got Mama Woomer to try duck blood and baijiu (nasty disgusting alcohol that you could clean with). One she liked, one she did not like... You be the judge.

After dinner, the night was still young and it was time to introduce Mama Woomer to the magic that is KTV. For those of you who don't know, KTV is just like karaoke BUT instead of singing in the middle of a bar in front of strangers, you get a private room with just you and your friends; sometimes they're really nice and fancy with comfy couches, tables strong enough to dance on, and lights everywhere. She knows that I enjoy going out to KTV with Rachel, Becky, and some of my other friends from Oswego but she had never had the chance to experience it herself... and where else could be better than China?! ABBA, Queen, Backstreet Boys, Ke$ha, Lady Gaga... it was a night filled with white guys rapping, people banging on tambourines off beat, and a finale of "Hey Jude" that would have made Sir Paul proud... I think mom's first KTV experience was a hit! {PS: And absolutely NO alcohol was consumed during KTV... Impressive!!}

March 30th

With the Great Wall out of the way, Sunday was a day of epic sightseeing in Beijing. The day started perfectly with a breakfast that would make any expat miss America... Pancakes and eggs and bacon and hot chocolate... I felt as though I was at Denny's!! I've been pretty good with not missing America TOO much (why open that painful door if I know I can't get any decent American food [especially breakfast food] for another year?!), I've been able to survive on Papa John's and Burger King for the last seven months now... But those pancakes were a gift from above.

 Once again, the ladies split from Dave and we headed to the other place that every foreigner must visit if they are ever in Beijing. Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City. 

Now I am not too familiar with Tienanmen Square (it happened before I was born and let's be honest--I might get arrested if I try to look up more information over here). Today, it's a huge wide open space with lots of government buildings, vendors, photographers, and the mausoleum of Chairman Mao. As we first set foot in the Square, Mama Woomer was definitely in awe. I love going to places that I've been before and seeing them anew through the eyes of my companions (I just felt like Doctor Who writing that). Sadly, the mausoleum with our good friend Chairman Mao was closed--I went inside in 2012 to see Mao and I would have gone in again but alas... Maybe next time!!

Directly across the dangerously busy street, is a huge image of Chairman Mao's face plastered right on the gate of the Forbidden City (I have a lot of feelings on that matter but I better not post them openly on the internet over here... if you know what I mean... *cough*Bigbrotheriswatchingyou*cough* 

The last time I visited the Forbidden City, it was cold (the coldest I have ever been and that is saying something having lived in Buffalo, studied in Oswego, and visited Quebec in February) and I was miserable because of the cold. So to go back when the sun was shining (yes the sky was blue and the sun was shining in Beijing while we were there... the jealousy you feel is natural and will soon pass...) and the fact that the weather did not force me to wear a scarf, earmuffs, and two pairs of gloves made me a happy little Amanda.

The Forbidden City is huge. 

There. That's it.

 

But seriously, they're not kidding when they call it a city. It just keeps going and going and going and all the buildings look the same (seriously, I've gone twice now and I will probably never go again). Yes the buildings a beautiful and yes the history is old and rich but 40元 to walk around a huge courtyard, look at 150 buildings that look identical, avoid pickpockets and crazy "tour guides", and trying to find the exit is just not worth it to me anymore.

That being said, I do love rubbing the knobs for good luck as you enter (I'm a total sucker for things that are supposed to bring you luck) (Yes, I am aware of just how awful "rubbing the knobs" sounds). I love that, because the Forbidden City is so big, the crowds don't seem to be too bad. And the Imperial Gardens are absolutely beautiful and my favorite part (plus how can you not love the name "Hill of Accumulated Elegance"?!?).

 Still having a little time left before we had to meet back up with Dave for dinner, we hopped back on the metro and headed to the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium. It really is beautiful (though there is literally nothing to do there). In 2012, when I went there for the first time, I went for Aunt Sue and this time in 2014, Mama Woomer also went for Aunt Sue (she's an Olympics fan if you can't tell)! We had just enough time to run up to it, snap some pictures, and turn back around to head back to Beijing Normal University.

Taking a cab for literally 12 seconds (don't ask), we picked up Dave and headed out to one of his favorite places to eat Guizhou cuisine. 

When you eat with Dave, you eat a lot--you are never short on food--and that night was a veritable feast. I still don't know what half of the things we ate were, but there is one thing that I am 100% sure of... You might want to skip the next paragraph in fear of hating me forever.

One thing that many people who come to live in China say that they want to try... is dog. It's a stereotype in America that people in Asia eat dog and stereotypes do come from somewhere. However, I can tell you that in Hangzhou, it is not very common (many of my students seemed traumatized when I told them that I had tried it), however it is available and many expats seek it out to be able to try it. So you might think that we are cruel and disgusting but, honestly, I don't think that we are the minority when it comes to trying dog... not one expat  that I have met has said that they did not want to try it and everyone that I have talked to who has tried it, liked it. It tasted like a very smoky venison. I'm still not sure of whether or not I liked it... but I did keep eating it. And I'm sure I'll have it again since Adam hasn't gotten to try it yet... Oh the things we do for love...

The jury is still out...

 We digested our dinner of dog and other Guizhou delicacies by walking around one of the lakes of Beijing (yes, apparently it has lakes... Though not THE West Lake) and spending a few hours on top of a rooftop cafe. 

A great end to a great time up in Beijing. I got to show Mama Woomer around some of the iconic places in China (and maybe even the world), I got to try some amazing new foods, I got to hang out with one of the funnest guys I've ever met (thanks again for letting us crash with you, Dave!), I got my KTV fix, and I think we ended Mama Woomer's China adventure on quite the high note... 

Only a few days remained in China...

Until Next Time,

Amanda 

Thanks, Dave!!