Thanksgiving in Hangzhou

Dear beloved friends, family & followers.

If you have forgotten about me, I completely understand and I take full responsibility. I apologize for my lack of blogging – It’s been surprisingly tricky to determine what to write about (and when to write about it).

So, quick update: I am doing great! I am still enjoying Hangzhou and I am really enjoying my job. Though I’ve been getting homesick (especially now that the holiday season has begun), the fact that I am on this great adventure makes up for what I’m missing.

This week has been a little more difficult than others, however, because it was the first Thanksgiving I have spent away from my family. And, to make it worse, Thursdays are my long days (I teach morning classes, afternoon classes AND a night class – I am literally on campus for 12 hours straight!). So, I had no time to even celebrate a mock Thanksgiving on actual Thanksgiving Day.

Fortunately, I have some really thoughtful students who helped make my Thanksgiving Day a little brighter. On Thursday afternoon, I teach a class from 1:30 to 3:00. These students are sophomore English majors and there are roughly 25 of them in my class. They have always been one of my stronger classes and I really enjoy teaching them.
So, on Thanksgiving, I am walking towards the classroom and one of my students (Sasha) pulls me away from the classroom and outside. She begins to tell me that she and her boyfriend have just broken up, and she is very upset, and so on. I had a feeling something was going on though, since she told me all this with a smile on her face. Once she finished telling me of her woes, she told me to close my eyes and she led me to the classroom. When I opened them, I was surrounded by my students standing in a circle and singing a lovely song in Chinese. They even printed out the lyrics and translated them for me so I could follow along. They had also decorated the chalk board with pictures of turkey, pie, the Macy’s Parade, and tons of balloons, all of which surrounded the words “Happy Thanksgiving Day!” I was so surprised that I nearly cried! After they finished their song, they went around the circle saying what they were thankful for, and after everyone finished, they all said in unison that they were thankful for having me as a teacher. Then, they presented me with a gift – a heating pad with a precious teddy bear embroidered on the top (heating pads are really popular over here since the heating systems don’t work well/don’t exist). I was so touched, I could not stop smiling. Finally, they gave me a poster which said “Happy Thanksgiving Olivia.” Framing the words were colorful post-it notes on which each student wrote why they are thankful to have me as a teacher. Reading those notes after class actually made my eyes water (and I am not generally an openly emotional person, so this was big!) I still can’t believe the effort my students took to make my Thanksgiving so special. I feel so fortunate that I have students like these. It’s the experiences like this that remind me how lucky I am to be experiencing this adventure.

So, I’m sure you’re wondering whether I actually had a Thanksgiving feast and I am happy to say, yes! Yes, I did! On Sunday, a group of American teachers all pitched in for a lovely, makeshift Thanksgiving feast. We had chicken (no turkey in China), stuffing, corn, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, chili, and plenty more. And for dessert, we had sweet potato pie (which is a lot like pumpkin pie), apple pie, chocolate chip cookies, no-bake cookies, fudge brownies, marble cake, and cheesecake. It was by far one of the best meals I’ve had since I’ve been here. Not only was the food good, but it was a great opportunity to appreciate all the friends I’ve made since I’ve come to China and thank them for all their help and support. There were 9 of us overall (Me, Rachel – NY, Dave – CA, Theresa – WA, Pat & Justin – MI, Phyllis – CA, Alex – NJ and Jared – WI) and there was enough food for about 18. So, on Monday we had round two and nearly finished most of the food and dessert.

So, even though this Thanksgiving has been relatively unconventional and I really missed spending time with my family, I think it has probably been the most thankful Thanksgiving I have ever had. I hope that all of you reading this had lovely Thanksgivings and excellent Black Fridays (as my sister pointed out, every day is Black Friday in China – it’s so inexpensive!) and I hope that the rest of your holiday seasons can be stress-free and enjoyable.

Sorry again for the HUGE delay, I’ll try to get better.

感恩节快乐! (Gǎn'ēn jié kuàilè - Happy Thanksgiving)

Olivia

Nimen Hao Everyone!

Nimen Hao Everyone!

It’s a lovely Sunday here in Hangzhou – the weather is finally perfect! The first two weeks were outrageously hot and humid (even compared to North Carolina – and that’s saying something!) and the following two weeks were chilly & rainy (also similar to North Carolina… what a surprise). But this weekend has been lovely! Mid 70’s and rain-free, I just can’t get enough!

The weather here is, in case you didn’t pick up my hints, extremely similar to that of North Carolina. Hot, hot, hot & humid in the summer, cold & gross in the winter (without too much snow, though) all while fall & spring are completely unpredictable (one day it’s 50 degrees, and the next day it’s 80… I swear this weather is bipolar). So, I suppose you could say, “Well, she’s lucky – she’s already used to this weather!” However, I would like to point out that this type of weather is my least favorite part of North Carolina. I thought, “Hey, I’ll be living on the other side of the world, I’ll finally get some better weather!!” Oh, how wrong I was.

But never fear! The rest of this experience more than makes up for the less-than-desirable climate. I’m still enjoying my classes; it’s great to finally feel like I have a rhythm going. And I’m sure my students can tell too. I’m also figuring out the food & public transportation. Not to mention, I’m making some great friends!

This past week (October 1^st through the 7^th) was a Chinese national holiday. The name of this holiday? “National Holiday.” Doesn’t get more simple than that! China’s National Holiday is equivalent to our 4^th of July – it’s the day the People’s Republic of China (that’s the official name of China, by the way) declared itself. The actual day is October 1^st, but our vacation lasted all week! Sweet, right?

During my time off, I spent a lot of time reading, watching television (I bought both seasons of Modern Family – loving it!) sleeping & relaxing. I had movie nights with my friends Rachel & David, and went to eat at some new restaurants. On Wednesday, I took a short trip to a place called XiTang (Pronounced: Shee – Tong) with some friends.

                                                             Rachel & me in Xitang

Xitang is also in Zhejiang province, and it’s somewhere in between Hangzhou & Shanghai. It only took about an hour and a half to go there by bus. I went with Rachel, Justin & Zach, who are all also foreign teachers at HNU. Xitang is a fairly small place, but very cool! You could compare it to Venice or Bruges – it’s a city built around canals. It was very beautiful & very Chinese. We ate some delicious food (Fried Pumpkin, Sesame Seed Candy, Sweet Chinese Pastries) and went to a ton of fun shops. Most of the shops sold “traditional” Chinese souvenirs. I bought some Chinese blankets, jewelry &, of course, postcards. The best part, though, was the view at night. The canal was lined with hundreds of Chinese lanterns – lit up and glowing red. In the canal floated colorful paper flowers & boats, each carrying bright candles & wishes for good fortune. And, luckily, a beautiful moon sat shining above it all. It was absolutely wonderful. If only my camera could have captured it like my eyes did. We only stayed for one night, but it’s such a small town that we were able to see most of it in that time. And I had a really lovely experience.

Canal in Xitang

Narrow alley in Xitang - notice the paper lanterns.

Now, I’m back in Hangzhou prepping for the week ahead! I still can’t believe I’m living in China – every day is a new adventure. I hope that everyone is having a lovely October (I sure am!) and I’ll be sure to update you about my next adventures (whatever they may be).

Zai Jian!

Olivia

Teaching

Xiasha Campus

So I just finished my second full-week of teaching (my week technically starts Wednesday). I’m sure you’re wondering, “Does she still love it?” To answer your question simply, I say “YES!!” To answer your question in more detail, I say:

My classes have been responding very well to my teaching method (which involves a lot of class participation – it’s a conversation class right? You can’t learn to converse by listening to a lecture.) I prepare a lesson plan for each week (flexible plans, of course. You never know what could happen). And so far I think I have set a good pace for my classes. I can’t take all the credit for this, however, because I’ve had a lot of help from the other foreign teachers – especially those who have been here before. For instance, I teach most of the same classes as a man named Edward. He is a 60-something-year-old Australian man who has been teaching in China for at least ten years. He has taught these classes before, so he’s been helping me to set a good pace and also given me some really great ideas for running the class. For example, in my English major classes, we are focusing on interviewing. He recommended having the students do a lot of role-playing exercises – taking turns as the interviewers & interviewees. I think this is a great idea because the students will get a chance to think from both perspectives, giving them an insight to what their future interviewers are looking/listening for.

Bldg A where I teach all my classes

For my other class (the first-year English minors), I’ve been having a lot of fun. Last week, our class topic was “Giving & Receiving Directions.” The students learned new vocabulary, had class discussion & practiced giving each other directions (based on a made-up map I drew on the board). I also had them play the human knot (when people stand in a circle, cross their arms & grab hands with two different people – in essence, a knot. Then, everybody has to work together to untangle their arms so the group is back in a circle – we played this when I was at band camp as a team-building exercise). The only rule was that the students had to direct each other in English ONLY! (Using Chinese disqualified the team). They had a great time and it kept class more interesting (it’s a night class – it has to be interesting!). This week in that class, we will be discussing China (culture, traditions, concepts) because what’s the number one thing people want to know when they meet a foreigner? Facts about their country! These students probably haven’t encountered a situation when they have to explain these concepts in English – it’ll be interesting to see what they come up with.

So, all in all, I’ve been having a great time and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing my students make progress and learn new things. It’s been incredibly gratifying so far.

When I’m not teaching or preparing for teaching, I’ve been spending time with my friend Rachel (from Syracuse) and Dave (from San Francisco). They both live in my building, so it’s convenient to spend time with them. I also (finally!) got some cushions for my wooden furniture!! I got fairly inexpensive ones, so they aren’t the most attractive things. But at least I don’t have to sit on wood when I want to watch TV anymore. I’ll get past the ugly brown design.

I’m really enjoying myself (and the food, and that everything is so cheap, and my job, pretty much everything!). But it’s been great to hear from home too. I hope everything is going well for everyone, I think about home all the time.

Much love! Zaijian!

Olivia

West Lake

Ni Hao Everyone!

Sorry for the delay – life has been surprisingly busy. I’ve had to prepare a lot of paperwork for the University/my classes. Last weekend (Sept. 10 – 12) was a holiday weekend; it was “Autumn Festival.” I suppose it’s similar to the “Harvest Moon” (the full moon last weekend was beautiful, by the way). Over the weekend, I caught up on sleep and also visited the famous West Lake (Xihu, in Chinese).

First, I went to West Lake with Terry & Rachel (two of my foreign teacher friends) on Saturday. We went to the tourist-oriented side. We visited an ancient temple (very cool) and also walked across the lake, where we witnessed beautiful views like ancient pagodas on hilltops & serene, lotus-covered water. It was very lovely, and very “Asian.” There were a lot of other people and tourists around us though, so it was not very secluded.

 On Monday, however, I visited the lake again with my friend Noah (the Chinese student who picked me up from the airport). He took me to the more secluded side of the lake, where there were not so many businesses and tourists. We sat on a sort of deck over the lake, next to old Chinese men & women playing Chinese chess & Mahjong. I really enjoyed this because I felt like it was a more authentic taste of China’s culture. We also walked across the street from the lake, where we wandered through a tea plantation. It was on a hill, so it sort of looked over the lake and other parts of Hangzhou – I really loved it. And it was so secluded – not hustling & bustling with people like the rest of the city.

After exploring the lake, Noah and I went to a restaurant called “City Perk.” Sound familiar? Yes, it is a (nearly) exact replica of the café from the show “Friends.” Not to mention, upstairs the restaurant rents out party rooms that look like the apartments of the main characters. I couldn’t believe it! To top it off, while eating in the Friends Café, you watch episodes of Friends where the characters are in the same café! Oh the irony… But it was very cute. The picture is of Misa (a Chinese guy we met at the café – he spoke English well and loved the chance to speak with a foreigner), myself & Noah. What an experience.

My week at school went well – Thursday, of course, was incredibly long. But at least this time I was prepared for it! And I still really enjoy my students – and I’m under the impression that they are enjoying my class as well! So everything is going well so far. And I hope the same for anybody reading this. Until next time…

ZaiJian!

Li Wei Ya (My Chinese name!)

Misa, me & Noah at City Perk

Yu Fue Temple at West Lake

Pagoda over lotus leaves at West Lake

Me over the tea plantation

My First Days as a Teacher

So, on Thursday & Friday (Sept. 8^th & 9^th) I taught my very first classes in China (honestly, they were my very first classes ever – but we don’t need to emphasize that!) First of all, I’ll tell you what I am teaching. I teach a total of seven classes. Five of them are “Oral English III,” which is a class for sophomore English majors at HNU. The other two classes are evening classes called “Oral English I,” which are for English minors (so each of those students is majoring in something other than English). All seven classes last all year long, which is good because it means I might have a chance at remembering my students’ names. Oral English III focuses on interviewing skills during the first semester & debate skills during the second. Oral English I focuses more on conversation & presentation skills. Each class has roughly 25 – 35 students, most of which are female (boys don’t like English I suppose). So now you have the basics, let me tell you about Thursday.

6:55am – 7:10am  – Ride the bus to Xiasha campus.
                I live on “Wenyi” campus of HNU, which is a small campus located near the city center of Hangzhou. However, I teach my classes on Xiasha campus, which is totally on the outside of town – it takes about an hour to get there, hence the ridiculously early bus ride over.

8:20am – 9:45:am  – Teach Oral English III

9:55am – 11:25am – Teach Oral English III, again

11:30am – 1:30pm – Lunch Break!
                Usually other American/foreign teachers have a break at this time as well, so we meet up and eat together in the cafeterias on campus. What type of food? Chinese, of course!

1:30pm – 2:55pm – Teach Oral English III, again again

3:00pm – 6:00pm – Relax in the Foreign Teachers’ Office

6:00pm – 7:30pm – Teach Oral English for Minors

8:00pm – 9:30pm – Ride the bus back to my apartment
                Because I am the only foreign teacher who teaches a class so late on Thursday, they do not provide transportation back to Wenyi campus. This means I had to figure out how to ride the public bus – fortunately, I met a Chinese girl at the Xiasha bus station who spoke English & helped me to get off at the right stop. I was very lucky!!

Okay, so if it’s not clear what I’m trying to tell you, let me spell it out for you: THURSDAY IS A REALLY FRIGGIN’ LONG DAY!!! All I wanted to do when I got home was lay in my bed & sleep. Don’t worry, I did J.

By now I’m sure you’re saying, “Okay, I get it. Long day. But how were the classes??” I can answer this question with one word: Great!! I was very impressed with my students. They all arrived on time & were more than willing to participate (maybe it was because I bribed them with M&M’s?). Not to mention, I was called “beautiful” at least a dozen times just within my first two classes. Who wouldn’t want a job where you weren’t constantly reminded of your beauty?? J Needless to say, I loved it! Of course, the first day mostly consisted of introductions, so it wasn’t anything challenging. But even when I was tired, blistered & sweaty on the ride back to my apartment on Thursday, I knew that I had made the right decision to come here. And you really can’t beat that feeling. So, as my classes take off, I will be sure to share with you more details (for example, I have students named “Toffee” & “Cookie” – they chose their own English names). But for now, you at least know that I am doing well & truly enjoying the classroom experience thus far.

I can’t wait to tell you more!

ZaiJian!!
- Olivia

P.S. I did have my first experience with public restrooms on Thursday as well – it was not a pretty sight. I took a picture of what the “toilets” look like. They have been nicknamed “Squatty Potty”s - you’ll see why!