Calmperiodbeforethe"typhoon"

[ note--- I began to write this about 3 and a half weeks ago, the day before I was informed that I would have to go to Hong Kong due to Visa Issues. So I will just post this, and in the next few days catch up with Hong kong and the last few weeks. Just bear in mine that i had no clue what was coming my way when i wrote this. Life is like that...]

Ok, after last weeks five long entries, I will cut down to once or twice a week, a pace which I hopefully will keep up after school starts. Speaking of which, I start back next week on Monday. I am a little nervous, teaching a classroom full of students a language that is foreign to them( and you know very little of their language) can be a bit intimidating. And also, dealing with such things like behaviours, lesson plans, and sometimes homework is difficult enough without the cultural barrier... Also, we teach 26 classes a week, and it really be a bit of a grind. That being said, I like to think of last semester as my student teaching period. The is semester will also be much about learning, but at least I know what I will be getting myself into. I felt sort of pushed in without much support last time, this time; I know how to handle certain situations and am better equipped to do what i think is best for the kids. That being said, teaching is a constant learning experience. I do think it's a great way to get to know a foreign culture, you are part of the society, You learn many of its rules, and you get a good feeling for what the people are like. We are supposed to go get our books and schedules on Thursday, so I can see what i have to plan for. I will continue with my Public school classes, I assume, but I will move from the Private school. That is fine with me, I work better with the younger children and most (although not all) of the Private school kids are difficult to teach and have more behaviour problems ( most of them are spoiled). This means I Will have to re-introduce myself to over half of my classes and that will be both fun and challenging. However, I think i have the public system down somewhat, so I think it will be a easier and more fruitful semester than the last. Yipin also has given me a ton of material related to teaching that I think will help me improve my approach and philosophy. She's a diligent and selfless little researcher!

On Sunday, i did what i did almost every sunday, I went to English corner. I still enjoy this chance to interact with the Chinese very much. Since its been pretty cold here( think what most of the northeast is like and lesson it a little bit-- well, we have had very little snow), we have been conducting the corner in the food court of a huge shopping center called "the New World"."Chinese shopping centers are very similar to those in the US, except some different things. At least I think so, I have at least one American friend who thinks they are very different, but i relay don't see many differences (except they have Chinese targeted products and they are filled with Chinese people, of course!) One thing that is apparent in China, they love brand names. You see Nike , Puma, adidas, everywhere. Of course, there are also many counterfeits everywhere, but some of the counterfeits are so well made that they are as good as the originals.! Anyhoo, I like the New World, but i miss the open air venue of Jongshan Square. Only the hard core English Corner types know about the New world, so you get to know them better. But you miss the random and more varied element that tends to crop in the park, you never know what is going to happen. Hopefully, we can move back there soon.

Since this is my last full week off for a while, I have tried to get out a little more and see this city! On Monday, Winston and I met our former fellow teacher ( and also fellow Mon-Valley Native, if you can believe that, he is from Monongahela Pa!) Miles. Miles has recently changed companies, but we still hang out with him periodically. We did some shopping around downtown Dalian: Winston drug me through what seemed every sports store in China looking for sweat pants. I bought a Cheap MP3 player which will hopefully make my bus rides more bearable. We also went to a arcade in Victory mall. We then headed up to San Ba square to a restaurant which we like very much; Winston Swears they have the best Kung pow chicken in china.

On Tuesday, we took the Light rail train to its last stop. This is something that Winston has been wanting to do and I figured what the hell. So we got on at Downtown, which was crowded. The amazing part of riding the light rail is that you see how big this city is. We rode for almost an hour and still where technically in Dalian. Chinese cities, due to the massive population, are very large( bear in mind that Dalian is also considered a small city here!) All along the light rail track, you can see places where they are building new buildings. In some places, you can actually watch new communities being built and then populated. This city is still growing at a amazing rate. Also you can see some very old buildings and communities and you still see people digging for crabs or washing their clothes in a pond. China really is a mixture of Modern and Traditional at this point. You can see ancient fishing boats made of wood, but cell phones, Ipods and up to date cars are also everywhere. It gives you the impression that china is not without time, but encompasses all times. Anyhoo, we rode the light rail to its last stop. Out there was a very cool looking amusement part and a pretty cool beach. I love the Ocean and love living somewhere so close to the ocean. This beach had very interesting cliffs and rocks and such, and even a little sort of island that you can walk out on( although , when we tried, we got shooed away from some douchebag that I think was trying to harvest clams). Anyway, We stayed out there for awhile, then hopped back on the lightrail to go back home. It was a good day, I like when china presents more of its varied elements to me. I think i dig the fact that china is Moderen, "primitive", ancient, and advanced all at the same time. Let me tell you something; Americans who read a few things on china really have no clue what it is like. Part of its charm is that its a place full or parodoxes. For any one element, there is a conflicting one, and they form a small link in a huge chain of interdependent element. I don't think I will fully be able to understand the complete picture, but I do know you have to be here to have even a inkling of what its really like.

[ then Wednesday, My boss called at at around 7pm and told me I had to fly to hong kong the next day... we will pick up right at this point during the next entry, which should be up in the next day or few]