Spring has sprung in Zhengzhou. Emily (Wei Li Ping 位丽萍) a student, took me around the campus to view the flowering plants. We walked over to the playground (sports field) and had a look. We also saw new plants near the basket ball courts.
March 20, 2014
Well the update since last time. I got to spend a lot of last week with my new friend before she went back to the UK. I did something that I’ve always wanted to do but never had the nerve to try it; we went square dancing at Einstein’s Statue. In the warmer weather you will often find groups of women who dance in parks through out the area. We were unsure as to how they would feel about two westerners joining in but there was no need for concern. We didn’t know the steps but some of the Chinese women there also didn’t know the steps. Sunday she left and some new EduLink teachers came. My friend Amos who introduced me to Sandra is back and there is a gentleman named Damien. I’m sure there are others but EduLink teaches intense classes and for short periods of time so the teachers tend to stay to themselves a bit more. There are exceptions; Amos, Sandra, and Damien are wonderful examples of that difference. Monday was just another teaching day but with a twist I had been working on catching a cold the whole winter turns to spring turns back to winter thing here. Teaching and having to talk hasn’t been doing much for my cold and for most of this week I’ve had to ask for another teacher to cover my classes. I taught on Monday, Tuesday is my day off. Wednesday and today Thursday I’ve had some one cover my classes. Emily and I will have a Chinese lesson tonight. I am not sure if Nate is going to join us or not. I am getting along better in Chinese than I thought. I can now go to the second dining hall and order potatoes and meat (chicken, beef, or pork) in Chinese. The first time I ordered in Chinese the worker looked at me like, ‘She’s a foreigner, how can she be ordering in Chinese?’ Now it is an accepted thing. I’ve been working away at my piano as well, love my Beethoven Sonata, and all the different types of Chopin piano pieces I am doing. March 12, 2014
Time flies when you are having fun! Last week my students read in class and this week they have to describe something by just holding it and not looking at it. Here’s the catch up on doings in China. March 1 Saturday was Sandra’s birthday and she had a party at KTV. So after my piano lesson (I didn’t shine at it this week) I dashed home so I could be here to go to Sandra’s party at KTV. Sandra’s loads of fun and I love singing at KTV. March 2 Sunday saw Carol teaching both Emily and I spoken Chinese. The class was fun, Emily and I just need to get together so we can practice our words before our next lesson. I didn’t want to cook so dinner was McDove’s and there was a Chinese couple who wanted to take my picture. My rule stands that if you get my picture then I need yours. I took their picture too. March 4 Tuesday OUTINGS Nena and I have Tuesday’s off from teaching so we usually go out together exploring. Normally we start by getting neck and back massages at the university ‘hospital’ and then off on some adventure. This day had us going to Wanda Plaza where we bought a lot of neat clothes had lunch in a little café and then went to Wal-Mart. It was in Wal-Mart that I saw the many different masks and took pictures to share. I also found zipper top storage bags and got Rick another teacher some aluminum foil. March 6 & 7 there was a large street fair in front of the university. March 8 Saturday I redeemed myself and had a wonderful lesson. My teacher was very pleased with the progress I had made on the Beethoven Sonata that I am working on. Back at the foreign teacher apartment building all was very still. Sandra arranged for a day trip to Lou Yang a city about 2 hours away from here. The trip was to go to see the Buddhist temples and grottos. A good amount of teachers went leaving only a few of us here in the apartment. March 11 Tuesday OUTING Nena and I were on a mission to get yarn so we went to the yarn stores that I found with Emily and visited with Sandra. After getting some beautiful yarn we got lunch at the baozi stand near the store. We then walked to Gong Ren Market where I bought yet another backpack. I started my latest crochet project, a sweater for me using the yarn I had gotten at the market. We also found a silk yarn and since Sandra also wanted silk yarn I got her some. All three of us crochet; think we need to start a club! Last night after dinner I noticed the local eye glass store is selling a brand of frames and using the name Helen Keller for the collection. That caught me funny as Helen Keller was blind and glasses, no matter how good or cute could not have made her see. February 25, 2014
The time has flown by, this is week 2 of the new term and I have seen my students at least once so far. Week 1 was memorable because I started teaching new classes meeting new students, but it was a blur of activity. On Saturday after a week of first classes at the university, I had my own first class as my piano teacher had come back from his Spring Festival holiday. I was also honored that a woman and her child another piano student wanted to hear me play and sat in my lesson as I played my favorite piece, Chopin’s Raindrop Prelude Op. 28 No. 15. Sunday brought Carol and Lucia who taught Nate and I Chinese lessons, which reminds me I need to get my homework done. Monday was another teaching day like so many before… Tuesday was lots of fun and new things to experience. I went for a back massage and got a very different treatment. Today as the doctor was massaging my neck he stopped and prepared a box of burning coal that he then placed on my lower back. With the box covered up with blankets the doctor went back to massaging my neck. When the coals had done their duty (actually I said it was hot) the doctor removed the box, and then massaged my lower back and legs. After an invigorating massage the next stop was to go on an adventure with Sandra one of the foreign teachers with EduLink. Our mutual friend Amos connected us and he did a wonderful job. Not only is Sandra a black belt like myself, she crochets, and has a younger sister like I do. Today our search was for ‘silk yarn.’ We took the school bus from the new campus to the old campus and from there we walked to Gong Ren Road (工人路) where we went to the market there and then we walked to the same yarn store that Emily, Nate, and I went to in the fall. However, since we got there as everything was closing, we took the opportunity to walk around and found that instead of two or three yarn stores, there is an entire courtyard of yarn stores. We are planning a trip back with a Chinese student or two to translate for us. We then found a steamed stuffed bun or baozi (包子) stand and had a tasty dinner. We then caught a taxi to Wanda Plaza Wanda guangchang (万达广场) where we went to Boo Bear Coffee and then Wal-Mart. I was showing Sandra how to come home on the city buses when we meet Jean; an English Speaking Chinese woman. She showed us how to read the bus schedule and we saw that the bus we were waiting for was long gone. She then offered to split a cab with us and that is what we did. Thank you Jean, you helped to tired and weary foreigners tonight and we appreciate that! Our last week of vacation has been a slow one. The 4-7 it snowed here and we went few places and mainly stayed in. Got some wonderful pictures and I have put them on the site already. I got my TEFL certificate on the 9th. Many of the teachers for EIE have gotten here there are a few teachers to go and Sandra, Amos’s friend who will be coming from the UK to teach economics will be getting in soon. On the 8th the local print shop re-opened and I printed off some piano music as a way of my great joy that life was returning to the area. This week we have been watching as gradually closed stores opened and the food vendors that left for the holiday have been gradually returning. Code enforcement is alive and well here in China too. The vendors have been moved across the street to free up the sidewalk. I can only guess that this is a temporary positioning.
Today we went to METRO a store like Sam’s or Cosco in America. It required having a card and Nena the teacher with EIE has one so we got in and then I got a card. This place made Wal-Mart pale in comparison. There were so many American and foreign foods and very few other foreigners in the store today. So many things that we haven’t had in nearly two years where there; tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches is what I want. My quest for raisins is over now too, there are raisins made in China but for the first time I found Sun Maid raisins, complete with the Sun Maid on the package! Today is Valentine’s Day in the west and Lantern Festival here in the east. It is an event as Lantern Festival is the time of celebrations of love just as Valentine’s Day is and it doesn’t often happen that both days fall on the same day. As I am writing I am hearing fireworks going off in the distance and I have gotten numerous messages on my cell phone and computer with well wishes for the day. January 29, 2014
I oopsed and almost didn’t have phone service. On New Year’s Eve I discovered to my great dismay my phone had run out of money. Since it was the day before New Year’s Eve and I didn’t know who would be open but I knew I had to find some place and I was certain that I wasn’t the only person who needed to put money on her cell phone. I was right and there were a few mobile phone stores open, had to really look for them and ride my e-bike into the more populated area but I found China Mobile. That night we rode our e-bikes to the park near our home and shoot off some fireworks. The Chinese people there just stared at first then they went back to shooting off their fireworks. January 31, 2014 New Year Day, not quiet as the day was full of firecrackers going off. The Chinese certainly love firecrackers. As I am writing this there is the constant sound of fireworks going off. February 1, 2014 We took the new B2 bus to 360 Mall and did some shopping and eating at Subway an American fast food chain. We also Chinese tradition is that you wear new clothes on New Years day, well Nate decided that he wanted new clothes for new year even if he was a few days late. We will have to shop again as he found nothing he liked. Me however, I found a new dress. February 2, 2014 Nena came back and was surprised to find no vendor carts out in front of the school. The place is really deserted not even the two lonely carts of a few days ago. ALL GONE. February 3, 2014 Stayed home and practiced piano. February 4, 2014 I practiced then for dinner we rode our e-bikes in search of a restaurant open today. We thought we were going to find nothing when we saw that the MEET CAFÉ was open so we parked and went in. However we soon found out that the café only served alcohol and had no food. Back into the cold and snow (yea it started to snow as we left the complex on our e-bikes); we did find a restaurant a national or to American’s a Muslim establishment. We got Beef Lo Men or 牛肉捞面 niu rou lau mian. I also had Nate take my picture in one of my winter masks. This one is black and gray check. My BFF Ellen asked about masks recently. I will get pictures of people with masks on once the students come back. I didn’t see anyone else with a mask and I was also riding my e-bike and couldn’t stop for pictures tonight. People wear masks for different reasons mine is to protect my lips for getting dried out. The air is very dry here and the winter cold and wind only makes it that much dryer. You see young children, the elderly, and anyone concerned about their health wearing masks. I guess the reasons are as different as the people wearing masks. I am reposting my post on Chinese New Year from last year with an aplified meaning on Dragons in the culture of China.
This will be the year of the Horse. My sister Jeannine was born in the year of the horse, this should be a great year for you my sister. Chinese New Year I’ve been doing some research on the upcoming Chinese New Year. This year the celebration will start on Feb. 10. I say start because according to my source tieba.baidu.com/p/1391007582 - 网页快照 Chinese New Year can last for up to 15 days into the New Year, the government and families tend to end celebrations after the first 7 days, but public displays of the New Year can be seen as far as 15 days into the New Year. I found this very interesting; fireworks are banned by the government in large cities for the same reasons that lots of US big cities ban them, safety. However in rural areas you can still hear fireworks. Like the New Year celebrations for the calendar New Year, Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year will see people staying up to greet the year. Cleaning your house in preparation for New Year is something that is done often. This is a time for family to get together and in large families it may take a week to see all relatives and wish them good luck and prosperity in the New Year. On a personal note, thank you mom, you had me in the year of the dragon, much sought after in China. I also had my child in the year of the dragon, although I don’t know why that is such a lucky time to be born it is. If any Chinese who are reading this can tell me why this is so important, please do. “Dragon is an imagined holy animal in Chinese culture, which usually stands for China. Chinese people like to say ourselves the "Descendant of the Dragon". Since dragon is holy and powerful in people's mind, so people think those who were born in those years are tending to be lucky and blessed.” Lanfang Hu. January 29, 2014
Here are our latest adventures as American Expats getting closer to Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival. January 27, 2014 We stayed home most of the day venturing out long enough to get a boiled egg cooker and some bread, veggies, and of course eggs or jidan 鸡蛋. I needed this in America; this invention boils perfect eggs six at a time. I also stopped and took pictures of the Chinese lanterns lite up for Chinese New Year. These are in our apartment complex and we can see them from our window. Thursday night is Chinese New Year eve and it should be a loud one. You can find large displays of fireworks for sale on lots of area street corners. January 28, 2014 We went to Lanfang’s new apartment for lunch. She doesn’t cook so she invited her younger sister and a friend to come over. Her friend in turn invited us to January 26, 2014spend New Year’s Eve with them but since Lanfang will spend the evening with her family and since she is unable to come; her friend, who speaks less English than I speak Chinese, had second thoughts this morning and said no to the invitation. This unfortunately happens sometimes when we make plans with some Chinese. The plans either change or are canceled altogether. It is nice to do things with Chinese people sometimes but other times it becomes a hassle. Anyway, Nate and I went in search of dinner and four our options were one of two food carts (I didn’t want to cook). A few restaurants like McDove remain open but the closer we get to Chinese New Year those options are going away. Our cart options were friend noodles or and egg and sausage roll-up. Both of us wanted the roll-ups but she only had on left so Nate offered it to me and got fried noodles instead. We then helped Hazel (Donna and David’s daughter) find an open fruit stand. Not easy because at this time of year the food options and where to get the food will become slimmer. Since most sales are student driven and most of them are home for the holiday it is a lean time for those still here. Both foreign and Chinese are affected. January 26, 2014
This has been a slow week. Only two major events happened this week, on Friday the 24th we went to Yellow River Park with new EIE teacher, Nena. On Saturday the 25th I had my second piano lesson here in China. I also did some shopping and got my new clothes for Chinese New Year. January 24, 2014 Our trip to the Yellow River 黄河was neat we saw statues of two of China’s Emperors, and several temples both Buddhist and Taoist. The Yellow River is the second longest river in China second to the Yangtze, the but when we saw it the river width had shrunk in size. Fish restaurants that normally float were now sitting on mud. The Yellow River is thought to be the cradle of Chinese civilization. The park is here in Zhengzhou about 28 km northwest of the city and is along the middle stretch of the river. The statues of Emperors Yan and Huang are the most prominent statues in the park and they are both thought to be of Henan origin. I was talking with a Chinese teacher friend and she mentioned that because Zhengzhou had few places for people to get out and play, many people go to the Yellow River Park. There are lots of businesses providing fun and entertainment for people, you can go on a hovercraft ride, horse rides, cable cars, and of course lots of places to eat. January 25, 2014 Today was my second piano lesson at Wanda Plaza 万达广场, Wanda Guangchang. I practiced daily all last week and really wowed my piano teacher. He then wowed me by giving me ALL of Moonlight Sonata or Sonata Quasi Una Fantasia. After me lesson I went in search of the perfect new outfit to wear on New Years day. I was looking for something red as that is a lucky color here in China, but I found a t-shirt that has Marie from the Aristocrats’ (Disney) on it. After getting that at Uniqulo I had lunch at Alieren. I ordered my favorite noodle dish only to find out that they didn’t have it. I opted for pointing to the next picture on the menu and it was delicious but very hot and spicy. I then went to Boobear coffee and had a milk tea with macha foam on top and what I think is a green tea cake. *information found on Chinatravel.net and Wikipedia.com January 20, 2014
Since my last blog entry this is what has been going on. January 12, 2014 Boni and two of her roommates, Lucy, and Jenny came over to the apartment. I played both piano and guitar for them and Lucy played piano and guitar too. Because Chinese students have sooo much to do she was only able to take piano lessons for a few years and she like me has taught herself how to play the guitar. Boni told me that all three of them and their 4th room mate are all fans of me and my music. January 13, 2014 Jenny came over to make us a traditional Chinese lunch and stayed the day. She is the last of her room mates to go home. While she was here, she helped unlock the mystery of uploading to qq. January 14, 2014 I crocheted a hair accessory that I modeled and my piano stand came in today from the T mall. January 15, 2014 Chill and relax day, just went to a local restaurant for some sweet and sour chicken/pork? January 16, 2014 Another Chill Day. January 17, 2014 Nate and I had lunch with Shirley and her son Kevin at Wanda Plaza. We dined at the always busy Pizza Hut. Then after a walk around the mall Nate and I took the bus (126 to 45) home. Then for dinner we tried a new, restaurant Jiahe Dumplings. It is a very nice restaurant but we need to have a person who can speak and read Chinese with us as the menu didn’t have pictures. The food was great and you knew it was fresh because you could watch them making the dumplings. January 18, 2014 MY FIRST PIANO LESSON IN CHINA!!! It was great and my teacher is very knowledgeable about classical music. He is a Chinese man who studied for years in Parma, Italy. I found it very funny that he is fluent in Chinese and Italian but only knows a little English. We understood one another just fine though, he often played on the piano how he wants me to practice and lots of music terms in America are actually Italian so we were fine. My teacher asked me to practice for an hour daily and that will be easy! I posted to We Chat(weibo) and qq, (China’s versions of Twitter and Facebook) in Chinese “我的钢琴老师王冠群。我是钢琴家。My piano teacher Wang Guanqin. I am a pianist.” Several students posted that I had correctly written my Chinese! January 19, 2014 I met the Rick’s wife Pat. He is one of the teachers with EIE (Education in English). They have been traveling around China for the past two weeks and are here for a few days. Nate and I ordered new iPod touches online and they came in this day. I am now addicted to Plants vs. Zombies which came loaded on our iPods. While I have felt very safe in my apartment building, new security measures have been going in during this holiday (can’t sleep late here…RATS) The newest safety measure is metal fencing marking car and pedestrian sections of the entrance to the complex. The parking lot is of course in cement and the workers had a special drill bit that allowed them to cut a circle into the cement. I fondly called what they were doing Digging to America. I remember digging to China as a child in the backyard under my swing set. January 20, 2014 Today I met another EIE teacher, Nina from Utah. She joins EIE and I know that they are happy for the addition as they were down two teachers from last semester. Rick, Pat, Nina, and I went for an adventure today as I showed them how to take the bus to get to Wanda Plaza. We caught the 45 bus here at the school and went to the intersection of HuaGong Road and Qingling Road where we caught the 126 bus. Once at Wanda we walked around the first floor until we came to the entrance of Wal-Mart, then we shopped till we dropped! I got a Chinese ornament to hang on the door to decorate for Chinese New Year. After our shopping at Wal-Mart was done; and that was neat because Pat was looking at everything with eyes that had only been in China for a few weeks and some of the things we see we forget how different they are from Wal-Mart in the states, we had a snack at Pizza Hut. I got bacon and potato soup and hot milk tea with caramel flavored pudding. This is something I will get often. The pudding really made the drink! We then walked around the mall a little more and went home on the 167 bus. |
|