Another Great Week

It's been another good week in Chengdu.  Not really inspired to write a whole lot, so a few pictures will just have to do.  Hope you are well, whoever and wherever you are.

 

Sichuan Food.  So spicy!

 Any meal is better with a bit of Starbucks :)

 Oh, Chengdu scooter traffic.

Our fish :)

Teacher appreciation day was fun...the kids show that they love you through stickers :)

 Tibetan food!

 One of the Tibetan streets in Chengdu.

Location: Chengdu, China

Local Time (CST -- GMT+8): 8:08 p.m. (9/22/2012)

Auburn Time (PST -- GMT-7): 5:08 a.m. (9/22/2012)

Yay Duck Moment

I had a yay duck moment looking out from my classroom today...drumroll please....I live in China :)  Exciting, I know.

Location: Chengdu, China

Local Time (CST -- GMT+8): 8:54 p.m. (9/18/2012)

Auburn Time (PST -- GMT-7): 5:54 a.m. (9/18/2012)

'Home'sick?

When I talk to people back in the US of A, I often get asked if I'm homesick, but as a card-carrying TCK (well, I would be if they had membership cards for such a thing...maybe I need to make one!) asking me if I'm homesick implies that I have a singular home to be 'sick' for.

When you ask me if I'm homesick, do you mean that I miss Auburn?  Or Spring Arbor?  Or Kijabe?  Or Addis?  Or Yakima? Or Kibogora?

Are you talking about the house on 244th street?  Or the one where my parents live? Or the one in which I last lived in the States?  Or the one in Rwanda where I first remember going through a closet looking for treasures? 

Are your referring to a single building?  A city as a whole?  A country/state?  A group of people?  A job?

Asking me if I'm 'homesick' is apparently just as confusing as asking me where I'm from.  Both questions will have varying answers depending on how I feel, the weather, my level of fatigue, or the conversations I've already had that day.  Both questions are loaded with emotions.  Ugh.

I'm not homesick right now, because I am at home.  This is my 'home' now.  I love it.  I enjoy exploring it.  It is where I'm supposed to be.  Yes, I'm frustrated by the language and my lack of skill in it.  Yes, I miss certain foods/restaurants/drinks/places.  Yes, I'm still a stranger here to 10+ million people.  Yes, I get sad.  But I don't have one 'home' to be 'sick' for, and so being 'homesick' isn't quite right.

Maybe I should start saying that I'm 'peoplesick'.  Not sick of people, but homesick for people.  What I wouldn't give to go drink chai with the Fab-5, or to watch a sunset with Mattie, or go to Kaldi's with Sano, or sit in the living room enjoying the fire with my parents, or go to the Space Needle with Alli, or scour the redboxes in town with Sarah, or sit around a bonfire with the guys.  I'm missing all of those things, but they all happen in different settings with different people near a different place that I call home.

And so, as I sit here, I hope that you are well and not to peoplesick/homesick, whoever you are and whatever our interactions have been over the years.  Thank you for the memories, and let's make some more the next time we're in the same zip code/time zone.

Location: Chengdu, China

Local Time (CST -- GMT+8): 9:48 p.m. (9/15/2012)

Auburn Time (PST -- GMT-7): 6:48 a.m. (9/15/2012)

Define Dirty

After an incredible Saturday spent wandering around a new part of Chengdu (at least new to me), I posted another batch of pictures on Facebook and changed my profile picture to reflect my look of the day (even though the picture was from last weekend).

Dirty feet have always been a problem for me.  I love wearing flip flops, love walking around, and love to just be me.  Me wears flip flops.  Me doesn't like suffocating my feet.  (Yes, I realize I should have used "I" there. It's a weekend...let me be!)  As a result, I get dirty.  It happens.

Facebook being Facebook causes ads on the side to be catered to the customer, and so as soon as my picture changed, my adds changed, once again.  Sadly, this is what was there:

 I was appalled by the picture.  But then again, I suppose I was supposed to be.  This had to be a joke, right?  How could anyone think these beautiful children were dirty?  How could anyone consider places that I love unclean?  So I clicked the link...a little scared and frustrated.

I can't imagine voting on something like this, but I guess I can assume who most people would vote for/against.  As you think about the world around you, about what you say and what you do today, I want to encourage you to think about how other people might view it.  Think about what you do or say that may be the most normal action to you, but could offend or damage someone else.  More than that, though, think about your perspective...and theirs.  Walk a mile in someone else's shoes.

And remember...dirty isn't just about dirt.  And dirty isn't always a bad thing.

Location: Chengdu, China

Local Time (CST -- GMT+8): 8:37 a.m. (9/9/2012)

Auburn Time (PST -- GMT-7): 5:37 p.m. (9/8/2012)

Has it been a month already?!?!

As of yesterday I have been gone from Auburn for a month and as of tomorrow I will have been in Chengdu for a month.  Today is the month anniversary of that day that I lost whilst in the air.

I thought I’d write a quick list of the things I’ve learned since coming to Chengdu, so here you go:

1 – Food in China is incredible…but, if you’re ordering Western food, don’t expect a steak to be a steak that you’d get in the States or a burger to taste just like Red Robin.  This morning at McDonald’s, I order the egg biscuit and got an egg burger.  Then I got the egg biscuit and had ketchup and mayo on it.  Yipes!

2 – Always plan on things taking a little longer than they would back home.  If you think it’ll take you five minutes to get to school, plan twenty.  “Why?” you might be wondering.  Well, you might have a flat tire, or run into someone you want to talk to, or forget your computer at home.  All of these are things that will elongate your commute and cause unnecessary tardiness.

3 – Homesickness comes in waves.  I haven’t really missed home all that much, until I realized I hadn’t been there for a month and I won’t be there for another two years.  It’s the little things that remind me of the life that I lived back in Auburn: from someone looking like a Chinese-version of an American-friend, or the smell in a store, or a picture of Facebook, or another million little things.  I had it really good back there, and I have it really good here.  *sigh*  Oh the life of a TCK…

4 – I have been blessed to work at and attend incredible schools.  Every one is different, but each brings a unique twist on a familiar tune.  I am learning something new every day, and teaching something new every day.

5 – Tones are so much more than something you hear in music.  Mandarin Chinese is hard, and when I say hard, I mean H-A-R-D!  I knew it would be, but I’m overwhelmed by the complexity of it at times.  Most languages I can pick up at least the accent quickly.  This? Not so much.  If/when I have children, they will be learning Chinese a.s.a.p.  If they can learn that, they can learn anything!

6 – The sun still rises and sets every day.  It might not be the sunsets that I am used to in Kenya, Auburn, Ethiopia, or Spring Arbor, but it is a beautiful painting by a wonderful Creator all the same.

 

The sunset last night (Tuesday)

Hope you are well, wherever you are.  Happy one-month, China.  Here’s to many more…

Location: Chengdu, China

Local Time (CST -- GMT+8): 2:27 p.m. (9/5/2012)

Auburn Time (PST -- GMT-7): 11:27 p.m. (9/4/2012)

On Parents and Meetings

When I was in college, the thought of having to meet with parents absolutely petrified me.  Sure, I can handle your kids.  I can entertain them, encourage them, at times bribe them with sugar and time to run around outside.  That doesn't work so much with adults, especially when I'm a fairly young teacher and they are all (or should be) older and significantly wiser in many areas than me.  Even last year, with parents that I knew well, parent-teacher conferences were definitely a giant that I didn't really want to face.  Sure, it always went well, but the intimidation factor was always there.

We had open house on Tuesday night, which I dreaded, and then I had my first sit down meeting with parents today, which I likewise dreaded.  Oddly enough, both went marvelously.  Open House was great...getting to meet for the first time the parents of my incredible students; parents who are from all around the world and do so many interesting and unique things here in the city, from big business to humanitarian work.  And then today's meeting...goodness gracious, it blew me out of the water.  The parents are from two different countries, but they both speak Mandarin fluently.  My coteacher and the student's Chinese teacher were also in on the meeting, so a good chunk of it happened in Mandarin.  Sure, there were moments were I felt like an idiot, not sure of what was going on around me, but at the same time it was incredible hearing the conversation and picking up on every 50th word or so.  (Smile and nod, just smile and nod.)

I am just so thankful to be around so many people who not only love living overseas, but embrace the cultures and genuinely enjoy the ride.  Life is good.

Location: Chengdu, China

Local Time (CST -- GMT+8): 4:44 p.m. (8/30/2012)

Auburn Time (PST -- GMT-7): 1:44 a.m. (8/30/2012)

Another week, another adventure...

It's been another wonderful week in Chengdu.  The highlights were...

...signing up for a Chinese bank account.  Other than the three hours that it took, it was fun getting all set up actually get my paycheck next Friday :)  My name is Teusink Teusink on the account...oh the joys of American names being as foreign to them as their names are to me.  We shall all learn eventually :)

 

One of the signs at the bank.  I love the English translations of signs here :)

...completing my first full week of school with my 5th graders.  They are absolutely wonderful and I already love them all.  I have been so blessed to have such wonderful students every year!

My name may be spelled wrong, but this is one of the coolest things I've ever gotten during the first week of school :)

 One of the courtyards at school.

...feeling like a natural on my scooter, weaving in and out of the traffic jams (if you can call them that) in my neighborhood.  Only one close call so far...but it wasn't that bad so no stress :)

I even managed to make it home with a big box riding with me :)

...seeing a beautiful sunset, and pictures of a gorgeous sunrise the following morning.  Clear days here are incredible, although semi few and far between.

 The sunset *sigh*

...wandering the city with friends.  I had a lovely meal with friends Friday night, which was our first trip to a previously-visited location in a taxi all by ourselves, and then on Saturday I wandered with a friend to a shopping area that neither of us had ever been to in a taxi.  Quite the adventure, and the accomplishment :)

Moon cakes for Fall Festival at Starbucks.

Location: Chengdu, China

Local Time (CST -- GMT+8): 7:44 p.m. (8/26/2012)

Auburn Time (PST -- GMT-7): 4:44 a.m. (8/26/2012)

Two Weeks

I'm sitting at home, waiting for the water guy to come and give us our two new water bottles (will explain in a few minutes), and it suddenly dawned on me: I have called China home for two weeks today.  Two weeks ago, I was getting off the plane, overwhelmed by the stickiness and heat, timid about trying some food that might result in future discomfort, and not knowing how life here would be.  While I am far from being a pro at all of the ins and outs of life here, I am comfortable in my home, don't have to turn on the AC as soon as I walk through the door, and know where to go to buy the basics.  Walmart doesn't even overwhelm me anymore...at least not quite as much.

Life here feels a lot like life back home in many ways, and I'm sure if you follow me on Facebook and have been looking at my pictures you might wonder if it is in fact any sort of culture shock for me.  Well it is, so let me explain some of the big differences, at least as I see them now.

Transportation
I live a ten minute or so walk from the school, but I purchased a scooter about a week ago and have been making good use of it.  Chengdu is a busy city, and while cars and buses are a preferred form of transportation, scooters are quite marvelous for the shorter distances...or even the longer distances when traffic is bad.  I haven't gotten brave enough to go into the city on mine yet, but I will in the next few weeks, hopefully.

Water
While the water here isn't horrible for you if you drink it, there is enough of a risk that most people (even national staff at the school) have water coolers in their houses/classrooms/offices that they have to buy large water bottles for.  It's quite the system of purchasing the base and then paying a deposit for the plastic and periodically having to call the guy to bring more water.  He rides a little bicycle, so I'm hoping that some day I can see him in action and figure out how exactly he balances it all.  Until I can figure out enough Chinese to actually converse with him, I'm thankful for good friends who speak the language and can help me with ordering and telling him where to go.  I can say thank you when he drops it off, and occasionally can even figure out how much I owe him without too much frustration, so that's a start :)

Language
The biggest difference that I see here in comparison to the rest of the world is the need for English.  Everywhere else that I have lived overseas, there is almost an urgency about learning my native tongue.  English is a ticket out...a way to opportunity in the minds of many (or so I had always been led to believe).  However, almost 20% of the world's population lives in China, and financially there is a security here that we definitely don't have in countries with such great national debt like the US, so there is almost no need to speak the most popular language to learn in the rest of the world.  As a result, rather than being able to somewhat communicate in at least a broken level of English and whatever the national language is, here I feel somewhat deaf and mute, knowing nothing and being able to say nothing.  Perhaps this is my hint to be silent more often, and I'm learning to simply sit back and listen more...trying to avoid the typical "smile and nod" so as not to commit to something that I haven't the foggiest about.

Okay, that's enough differences/writing for one day.  It's a beautiful day in Chengdu...I should do some laundry and make the most of it!

Location: Chengdu, China

Local Time (CST -- GMT+8): 4:54 p.m. (8/20/2012)

Auburn Time (PST -- GMT-7): 1:54 a.m. (8/20/2012)

Never in a million years...

There are a few things I had decided before I left the States that I just didn't need anymore and that I would mourn the loss of and then simply get over and move on from.  One of those things was Snapple, which I was okay with giving up, but my 5th graders last year did not like the idea of me having to live without.  Well today, while wandering around Chengdu with a friend to put up posters for the music department at school, I found Snapple in an import store.

  

I'll write more about life here sometime soon.  Hope you are all well!

Location: Chengdu, China
Local Time (CST -- GMT+8): 5:18 p.m. (8/18/2012)
Auburn Time (PST -- GMT-7): 2:18 a.m. (8/18/2012)

The First Week

I have been in Chengdu almost a week and know that it is time to update my friends and family, but sitting down to write it all is quite a time commitment (there is just so much to say!), so instead I'm going to give you a picture view of my life for now, with more to come once I'm a little firmer on my feet with school and everything.  I do love living her, though, and am excited to keep learning more and more about my new home :)

 

My first view of Chengdu from the plane

 A rainbow on our first night

 The view off of our front room

 The view out my window on my first morning in Chengdu

 Our apartment complex courtyard

 Lunch with our national buddies...so delicious!

 My new favorite restaurant in Zhonghai!

 Care for some duck, anyone?

 I love sea cucumbers (to look at, not to eat), but I'm not sure I would pay $500 for a tray of baby sea cucumbers!

 Ikea!

Dinner on Friday night!

Signs here/translations of those signs are too fun!

Scooter shopping

My very own scooter

Location: Chengdu, China
Local Time (CST -- GMT+8): 7:59 a.m. (8/12/2012)
Auburn Time (PST -- GMT-7): 4:59 p.m. (8/11/2012)