The life of a Chinese student at No. 7 Middle School

Wake up in the school dorms at 5:45 AM to the sound of Chinese music blaring over the big speakers. Each room that the students live in has 4 bunk beds and sometimes a single as well, meaning there can be up to 9 middle schoolers living in one room. (Ah!) Of course, they are gender separated. Breakfast is from 6:30AM-7AM and cleaning the school is from 7AM-right before class starts at 7:30AM. Classes are 45 minutes long, and include Chinese, English, math, calligraphy, art,  music, physical education and more that I don't know of. (I just realized a few days ago that students practice their big horned instruments in their dorms. Up until then, I always thought the students were constantly rearranging their rooms and the loud noises were from the beds screeching against the floor. But as usual, my ignorance makes for a good laugh.) I have noticed teachers out on the field running around the track with their students during PE. This is much different than home because usually that is the time that teachers have their planning time. But then again, I really don't know when these teachers plan their lessons because their days are so long.

Flag raising is around 7:10AM when I am walking to get my bike to ride to No. 11 Middle School. Everyone stops in their tracks and watches as the flag is raised outside on the field. It's always a beautiful way to start my day.

Lunch time is at 12PM and the Chinese song signals when class is over. On the way to lunch, which the whole school has at the same time, Kenny G is played over loud speakers.  It's interesting and a little odd choice of music to me but I guess it does relax me when I hear it, and that may be their point.

For lunch, the students are allowed to choose between cup noodles and eating what the cafeteria ladies have prepared. I think about 85% of the students eat cafeteria food (which is pretty good btw) and the others eat cup noodles. Also, many of them eat Chinese hot dogs (not the same as American ones) and fried chicken. I'm not sure if that is all they eat for lunch, but I see many many kids eat them everyday. Also, when possible, most people choose to use a big soup spoon rather than chopsticks during meals. I have noticed this and have done the same. I am proud to say that I am now not the slowest eater. :) After lunch they have until 1:30PM (I think) until they must go back for classes.

Afternoon classes run until 5:30PM, when they break for dinner. I'm not quite sure when night classes begin but I think they are around 6:30PM-7PM and last until 9PM. When I go back to the dorms before school gets out I find myself forgetting that the students are still in school and I think they are just asleep. But every night at around 9:03PM I hear roars of laughter and kids screaming in the pitch dark because they haven't installed lighting yet outside. This is especially scary when the kids are still in class and you walk back to the dorms in the pitch dark and silence. Thankfully my mom gave me a flashlight, just in case. :)

Weekend in Beijing at my sister's house!

Saturday morning I left my beloved Yanqing to venture to Beijing for the first time since I arrived in China. Since I don't know my way around the transportation system here, my roommate graciously offered to go with me my first time and when we got to Beijing she would stay with her brother while I would stay with my sister. We first took a taxi to the bus station, which is 5 yuan. Actually it is 5 yuan wherever you go in Yanqing which is really nice. I think I already explained this in a previous post, but as a refresher course, one US dollar is equivalent to 6.6667 yuan. So not too shabby to go anywhere in Yanqing for less than a dollar. Of course, once you buy a bike, it's always free after that. :) Anyway, so once we got to the bus station I found out that you can take any bus at that station and it will go to Beijing. I guess each bus station goes to a different area, which makes it much easier for me to do myself. The bus I need to take to Beijing is 919 and any 919 will do. After about an hour and a half of riding the bus, we finally arrived in Beijing, only to find that all the cabs around us have people in them because it is rush hour. So after about 20 minutes of standing, walking to a new area to wait some more, we finally found a cab. I arrived at my sisters place about two and a half hours after leaving Yanqing--not the easiest and most convenient trip. But once I walked into her home, it was so amazing. I realized that she had a toilet, a shower, and a huge king size bed for me to sleep on, and last but not least, I could order pizza! It was like heaven. I felt like a kid in a candy store. It's crazy how much you miss the little things when you are living in a new country. I am just so thankful I have my sister and rob (the husband) to look after me and be there for me. They have really made this trip and transition that much easier on me, and because I know my sister is one of the few people that read my blog, I would just like to thank her directly. Sarah, you mean so much to me and I really don't know what I would do here without your love and support. I know you tear up really easily, and just thinking about it makes me tear up too. But they are happy tears because of you. 

Anyway, enough with the mussy stuff. So we ordered pizza and pasta and got massages together. It was really nice. Then we went to Rob and Sarah's friends house for a party that had really amazing Moroccan food. There was a lot of meatballs and sausage so I was really happy. Anytime there is meat I am really happy. 

Observation: The Chinese here do not like to make plans. I am struggling with this because at home it is all I do with my friends. Here, people just tell me to wait for them to call me, which is annoying because then I can't do anything all day because I have to wait for their call. I mean I guess I don't really have anything to do all day except teach and eat, but still, its frustrating because I can't do laundry (by hand may I add) or take a nap without being paranoid that I will have to leave at any moment. They also do not like waiting. I mean no one likes to wait, but they expect you to be ready whenever they call, which is hard and inconvenient. This is why I like to know when you would like to see me or give me a time when you would like to leave. But of course, this is not how they do things here. 

So the reason I bring up the making plans issue is because my roommate would not tell me a time that she wanted to leave Beijing. She kept telling me to "get a good rest" and that she would tell me in the morning, but that is annoying because I don't know if she means she will wake me up or that she will call me when she is ready to go, assuming I am ready to go as well. So really, this meant that I had to be up at 830AM on Sunday so I could be ready whenever she called. Not fun. At all. 

Friday night hot pot and Walmart shopping for baby bottles...yes that is what I said

Sorry I have been behind on posts but today I will try to pick up where I left off...

Friday: Went out to dinner for hot pot with 10 other teachers at No. 11 school. When leaving the school and debating whether or not I should bring my computer back to my room, I was notified that the teacher whose name I still can't remember had a car and we were going to go to the restaurant in her car. I don't think I have even been so excited to ride in a car before. I felt like she was the coolest girl ever and I was cool too because I got to ride in her car. When we were driving he phone rang and she pressed a button and it was connected to the car so we could hear the conversation through the speakers. Now I'm sure this is not that cool of a feature, but I have never seen someone do it and really everything is much cooler because it is China.

At the restaurant the teachers were pouring bai jiu (pin yin spelling?) which is really strong and not tasty liquor. They asked me, well poured me then asked me if I wanted some and agreed because it is the polite thing to do. Of course they drank shot by shot and I sipped mine so it would last half of the 15 toasts they made throughout the dinner. I know the first few were to welcome me to the school and to Yanqing, but truthfully I have no idea what the remaining 13 were for. I just smiled, clinked my glass with theirs and smiled.

Observation: I embarrassingly enough did not get the memo about doing toasts and the importance of making sure when you toast with someone, if they are your superior or and elder to make sure your glass is lower than theirs, to show respect. My roommate gave me this helpful tip just in time to not make a fool of myself. As I am everyday, I am so thankful for such a kind and welcoming roommate to guide me through living in China.

Observation 2: Just because you have eaten a lot of beef already during the meal, it doesn't mean that every time there is meat in front of you that it will be beef. I realized this through trial and error--by eating meat that I thought was beef, thinking it had gone bad, then realizing that it was definitely lamb,which I found out I am definitely not a fan of. Then I had another opportunity to try mystery meat and it tasted really good. I then found out it was lamb. I laughed to myself at this discovery--I do not like boiled lamb because it is too strong of a taste. I do however like lamb on a shishkabob. (I know how excited you must be to be learning this about me, but whatever I don't care.)

Observation 3: One of the teachers brought her daughter along to have dinner with us. She sat next to me and I noticed she would often deny any food that people tried to give her. She literally just sad there and dipped her chopsticks in the sesame sauce (which I was taught by my mother to NEVER do that because it is bad taste) and licked it off. I was thinking to myself that if she was trying to lose weight, it would probably be best to just eat the vegetables and not drink fatty sauce. But alas, my views on weight loss are much different than the Chinese ones here. I have also noticed that many girls I have talked to will tell themselves it is okay to eat something because its not really fatty, and I just run it over and over again in my head and try to wrap my head around their logic that just doesn't  make any sense.  Like my roommate with the fried chicken...yes, chicken is not really fatty, but she chooses to ignore how fattening the grease it is dipped in is. I guess this isn't that different from girls at home, just the environment and foods change. The twisted logic is all the same.

Observation 4: If you don't want to eat anymore, just saying you are full does nothing. They will proceed to put food in your bowl regardless. If you want to stop, you must say "wo xiang jian fei" (I want to lose weight.) in order for them to stop giving you food. It's so crazy. One teacher literally stopped in his tracks, took back the food he was going to give me, and apologized for trying to give me more food. Its like magic words that really don't work at home. Maybe it's because they think I need to lose weight? I don't know, but it works and I'm all for it.

After dinner my roommate and I went to Walmart, as we do at least once a week, sometimes twice a week. As I pushed my cart past the baby section, because why would we linger in the baby section if we both do not have babies? I soon heard my name being yelled 50 feet away for me to come look at baby bottles. May I also add that because it was Friday night, everyone and their mom (literally because everyone shops with the whole family) was there, making it more embarrassing than it already is that I am the only American in the store. So I go find my roommate, only to realize she is actually looking at baby bottles...for purchase. I think to myself, hmm well I know her brother has a daughter, but the daughter is definitely 4 years old. Do they still use bottles when they are that old here? I don't think so. So I asked Si Yu why she would want to buy a bottle and she proceeded to tell me how much she envied her niece when she saw her using one (not sure if this was yesterday or 3 years ago). The bottle was going to be for her. I asked once more to make sure I heard correctly and she replied with, "Don't laugh at me! My boyfriend laughed at me too!" Si Yu is so cute. She looked for about 10 minutes before deciding on a bottle which included all the necessary tools for cleaning and maintenance.

Observation 5: Jackie Chan is everywhere. He is in so many ads I can't even keep track. It's like everywhere you turn, there he is, holding something new to endorse. When I mentioned this to my sister she told me that people are actually angry about all his different ads because what he endorses breaks or isn't good. This is very interesting because when students have been asking me who my favorite actor/actress is (I know they don't know Cameron Diaz or Richard Gere) I always just say it's Jackie Chan because they know who he is. I hope that is not a bad answer because he is not liked at the moment. : /

A night on the town with fellow teachers

Actually, I think that sounds more exciting that it may actually be :) It's really just all the teachers in my office and the one next door going out to have hot pot. I am pretty excited though because that means there will be meat, and since I am living in the school where they do not really serve any meat, I am super pumped. Today was really relaxing though because I did not have to wake up early for the first time since I have been here. I usually wake up at 545AM and go to sleep around 930-10PM...which is so incredibly early for me. But here, since there really isn't anything to do and I am tired from getting up so early, I end up falling asleep that early anyway.

Observations:

One: I tried the pretend KFC at the school's cafeteria. It was AMAZING! For those of you (well I assume all of you) reading this, you must be thinking of American traditional KFC with drumsticks and wings because that's what I thought I was getting as well. Here it is much different. I feel the amount of actual chicken is much like McDonald's chicken nuggets. You think there may be a small amount, but you aren't quite sure because it looks nothing like chicken. The chicken I had was really rectangular, flat, coated in some sort of crumbs, deep fried, and served on a stick. But boy was it delicious! My roommate even tried convincing me that it was good for you because chicken does not really have fat in it...so I just smiled....knowing how fatty it actually is because of the yummy deep friedness.

Two: When I was on the computer today I noticed everyone was busily cleaning the teacher's lounge....like deep cleaning. I asked if this was something they do monthly because it seemed as though the whole school, teachers, students and all were involved in this process. I was then informed that the headmaster's headmaster was coming to visit the school, which is why everything must be top notch. I helped with a little sweeping and taping things on the walls and finally some of the school officials came in to inspect the room. I also noticed the food contained more meat than usual and realized it was because important people were visiting. The bikes that are usually lined up by the front gate were moved to the back of the school and the school looked amazing. Whenever I am in these situations and I think about what American students would do and say I always feel like they would say "I don't care. You can't make me clean anything." which is really sad to me. I see how much everyone here puts in their effort to make sure their school looks good and how proud they are of their school and their country. It's a nice change of pace.

Cigarette smoking is a great way to lose weight! (not really)

My new friend whom I still don't know the name of informed me yesterday that the best way to lose weight is by smoking cigarettes. When she was talking I was reminded of how great a commercial it would be for cigarettes if they were still made. She told me that when she was in college that she was really fat and lost 50 lbs by smoking.  I think I was in shock that someone was actually telling me that smoking was a good idea. I responded with the fact that smoking is really bad for you and can cause many diseases. My roommate and the girl just looked at me, shrugged their shoulders and kept smoking.

Observations:

One: The "bells" that dismiss the students in the schools I work at are actually not bells at all, but rather, a 10 second Chinese song that sounds like something elementary children would skip around the room and clap to. It's quite different than hearing a bell in American schools. I don't know if it's because i am used to it or what, but when I hear a school bell go off, I immediately think of "hurry, gotta get to my next class!" Here, it is much different. Even when the music goes off I am often confused if class is really over because 1) there are no clocks in the classroom 2) No one stops me from teaching to tell me class is over  and 3) sometimes kids just blow whistles in the hallway and I don't know what that means. I feel awkward ending class each time because everyone waits for my cue to get out of their seats, when I am used to the rude way students in America end classes by getting ready to leave before the professor stops talking. Also, what must make things easier for students here is that the teachers switch classes, not the students. This may explain why the students are in no hurry to leave their classroom. The added factor of giving teachers actual respect must also be a part of it.

Two: The use of physical punishment is still alive and thriving in schools here, which makes me extremely uncomfortable. Although I have not seen it at No. 11 middle school, I assume it exists there as it does in No.7. Every time I am in the midst of a lecture that almost always turns into a beating with wood panels, I get this tight knot in my stomach. Although I really have no idea what these kids did wrong, I just keep thinking of what would happen in a situation like this in the Seattle School District, particularly the elementary school where I worked for three years. I remember the countless times I have called the office to get security guards to escort a student out of the room because they would not leave. The way each culture (American and Chinese) disciplines their students and/or children is so different and I keep thinking CPS will bust through the door, but alas they do not. Do they even have a CPS here? If so, I wonder what the conditions must be in order to take away a child.

Three: Today one of my students asked, "Do you like KFC? I like it very much, that is why I am so fat!" It was very cute. It also made me think of how open they are here to talking about their own bodies. I know not many people would be comfortable enough with their bodies to say this in America, let alone a 7th grade girl just entering puberty. Actually, I wonder if puberty starts at the same time as it does in America, which is getting younger and younger. My seventh grade students here look much like American third and fourth graders. I showed a picture of some fifth grade students I tutored at home to my roommate and she was so surprised that they were not in high school because they are so much tall and older looking. Even today when I walked into a new classroom of students I had to think carefully about if I was in the right classroom or if this was actually a second grade class.

I don't know what number it is anymore...

Today I met another teacher at No. 7 middle school and I just realized that I talked to her for an hour or so and do not know her name. Hmm. Anyway, she teaches music here and she told me a lot about her life which of course was really fascinating. She told me she got engaged a couple months ago and that she will get married next year. I asked her if she was excited about getting married and she made a very unhappy face and threw her head onto a pillow. I guessed from this that the answer was no. I was correct. She told me that ever since she was thirteen that she had decided that she did not want to have kids. I am not quite sure how she met her fiance, but I know that her parents like him very much because he is a nice guy, but her heart is not in it. She told me she loves him but (and she couldnt think of the english word and I couldn't understand the Chinese one) I think she was trying to tell me that she did not have passion for him. She also told me that Chinese marriages are not something to be excited about because it is just another part of life. Now I have heard this  many times from various sources (parents, books, Chinese teachers, etc.) but it's always different to hear it from "a real person" rather than just a fact through passing. Also, almost everyday when I teach in a new classroom, one student always manages to ask me about MY family, not the family I am connected to by birth, but who are the people in my family. I always say that I do not have a husband or any children and each and every time they turn to each other and say things that I am not quick enough to catch.

Many observations today:

One: I am considered a slow eater. At home, I always finish eating before other people and everyone tells me to slow down. Here, I am always the last one and people stare at me when waiting for me to finish. Interesting enough, I also take "fast showers" here. My roommate, the cab driver and people in the showering facility all tell me that I take very quick showers. At home I do not feel like I do, but I guess showers here last an hour or more, probably because they do not take them as often.

Two: My roommate and her friend smoke cigarettes and while doing so made me swear not to tell anyone about it because it would be a really bad thing if the students found out their teacher smokes. Also, only girls smoke; women do not smoke. I do not know why this is so, but I have noticed this to be the case.

Three: I keep forgetting that there is no such thing as privacy here. Everyone and anyone comes to look at what I am writing and just stands behind me. It's quite awkward.

There are many more that I can't think of now. Will write them later.

Day 8

I forgot to mention in my other posts that there are not any showering facilities in the school I am living at, which means that the students go home on the weekend to shower and the teachers  much go to a public shower--!!! Having a shower always accessible to me at home, I was quite freaked out about this. Also, because the teachers here are so busy with teaching so many hours a day and still having to correct papers, they do not make it to the shower place more than once a week. I also freaked out when I found this out. After asking many people, I finally found a place that allowed me to shower alone, for the price of almost quadruple the normal price that people pay here, which still is only 20 yuan (a little more than $3 US). So today was my second shower here. During the week when I am unable to go to the showering facility, I have to sponge bathe myself...which sucks, but I keep telling myself that many people all over the world must do this so it's not really that big of a deal. I kind of treat many things that I am not used to like that. I pretend I am on Survivorman and somehow it makes it all easier. Thank g-d for Les!

Day 7

Went out with the roommate on Friday for hot pot. It was really good and I tried their noodles which were amazing! In the middle of dinner my roommate found out some bad news about her boyfriend's job so she was very upset. She asked me what we do in America when we are upset and I said hang out with friends, drink, watch movies and eat a lot of junk. She laughed and proceeded to smoke 4 cigarettes in a row. (She doesn't normally smoke so I could tell how unhappy she was.) We walked around Yanqing for a little while and decided to go home. I like that everyone here holds hands and links arms. Si Yu always links arms with me. :) It makes me happy.

Observation: Children and women like to eat KFC--Chinese men do not. I have been told that they feel it is too American so they choose not to eat it. Very interesting.

Day 6

Today when I was introducing myself to No. 11’s 7^th grade class number 4, one student stood up and asked, “Do you like Lady Gaga’s booty?” I tried really hard not to laugh but it was difficult. The students liked our class so much that they asked the teacher if she could extend the time 45 minutes longer. The teacher said it may be a possibility. I gave them all my email and told them to email me with questions or for conversation. It was a great end to class today.

I have noticed that the students look up to their teachers more than they do in the US. It is very clear that the wisdom teachers have is very valuable to students and teaching is a much more respectable profession here. 60% of the students I pass (which is A LOT) say “Hello teacher!” (“Lao shi hao!”)  and the students even stand up when I enter a room or pass by them on the street. 

Day 5

 My second day of classes has been successful. The students at No. 11 like to ask questions about American student life and everything that I like to do. In the afternoon I spoke in front of 200 9^th graders about my life in America and taught them “My girl” by The Temptations, which they really liked. It was held in a auditorium with a long table in the front probably for a panel discussion and when the kids asked me questions Iike “Do you have enough time to travel the world?” and “Where is your favorite place to visit?” I always feel like I am being judged in a beauty contest. Of course I told them Yanqing was my favorite place to visit and they were very excited to hear that I liked it here so much. Tonight my roommate (Si Yu) and I put together a wardrobe that I bought at Walmart a few days before. The instructions were so badly drawn (and with no words) that it took us over 45 minutes to connect all the plastic parts, which were so poorly made that the plastic started tearing very soon after we put it together. I think I suggested that we should just quit maybe 5 times and each and every time she responded with “No worry no worry! It’s nothing!” In the end, we completed the project by wrapping almost a whole thing of tape around each of the rods to ensure that they do not tear anymore. It may have been one of the most rewarding things I have done in a long time. I still keep thinking about it days later and how easily I give up sometimes when things get too frustrating. It helps to have someone there to refuse your attempts to quit. I’m glad I have Si Yu. J

Day 3

Observation 1: Students go to school from 7AM-9PM and have homework after class is over. When do they do it? I don’t know. Also, in the morning at 545AM, music is played over loud speakers to wake the students who live at the school. Of course, because some of the teachers (including me) live at the school in the dormitory as well, we hear the music and get up then with them. I have noticed a difference in how students value community property. Although I have seen students here and in America clean their school property, the big difference is that students in America only do so if they are in trouble, but here they do so because they want to keep their school clean and they say that it reflects on them what their school looks like. This is one of many things I have seen and experienced that makes me rethink my values and how I perceive things.

Observation 2: The whole school does morning exercises together on the track/field. They have uniforms that all students are supposed to wear, but some of them wear army camo clothes, I assume because there is not enough uniforms or they are waiting for a shipment?

Observation 3: Everyone here LOVES KFC! There are two KFCs here in Yanqing, which may I add is the only American fast food place in the small city. The school I am staying at (No. 7) has their own version of KFC chicken and I am excited to try it. Another thing about food is that here the cafeteria does not really serve meat items, but rather rice and vegetable. I am guessing because meat may be too expensive to serve for so many students (2000 students in No.7 Middle School). They eat a lot of meat-on-a-stick, ranging from flat and fried, hot dogs (with corn in them), and other things I am not sure what they are. Everyone here is very big on snacks and do not really eat too much during meal time, and instead have snacks throughout the day. These snacks consist of hot dogs with corn, flavored peas, sweet cakes, and much, much more.

Observation 4: Today after the students have taken their exams, they had field day type of games on their track. I thought it was interesting that their games consisted of activities such as who can make the neatest bed in 4 minutes.  

Day 1

I slept for eight hours  on the plane ride from San Fran to Beijing and was picked up by an English I teacher from the Yanqing No. 11 Middle school. It took about an hour and a half to get to the school and we passed through a section of the great wall and it was gorgeous! Once we arrived at the school I was going to be living at (Yanqing No. 7 Middle School) I was greeted by the headmaster and a few school officials. I was then led to see my room which is on the top floor of the living quarters building--the fifth floor. It's great for getting in an exercise at least four times a day. :)

I met my roommate, Si Yu, who is a Chinese teacher at No. 7 and dropped off my things. I was surprised to find that the school officials had purchased all my bedding and essential living necessities for living in the dorms. I felt very welcomed. After asking a few questions I realized that many of the things I was promised in the beginning were not actually true, and I started to feel upset. I called my sister in Beijing and being the great sister she is, supported me through my tears and worries. Of course I did not want to cry in front of my new roommate, so I stepped into the hall to speak to my sister privately. After a few minutes she came out to give me a jacket and tissues and told me not to worry. When I re-entered our room I noticed her eyes were red like she too had been crying. I didn't think anything more of it until later when she handed me a note she wrote when I was out of the room. Her English was a little hard to read, but her message was strong and the kindest thing stranger has ever written or even said to me. The note was about how she understands how I am feeling because she too had just recently come to Yanqing to teach and felt sadness as well. She told me that it is a part of growing up and that we will get through it together, day by day. I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I hugged her and started to cry again. I can only hope that if she ever came to America that she would be so fortunate to meet someone who was as nice to her as she was to me. Si Yu helped me make my bed and I drifted off to sleep while listening to Friends (the TV show).