Last week was actually supposed to be week 0. Upon reflection, I am not sure what we would have called this week...0.2? Monday begins the first 17 week teaching stint of my last year at Sias. Yes, you read that correctly, my last year at Sias. Of course, I never like to limit Dad. Because anytime you add superlatives to any life changing decision, you will inevitably find them challenged. So I try not to be so definite even if I feel certain (because the heart above all things is desperately wicked, or something like that). So, to go back to the previous statement, it is very much, most likely, I feel certain, that this is my last year at Sias.
But back to week 0. Crazy week 0. Our new teachers arrived a week late. The reasons are many and aren't important in retrospect or even future-spect. (What word do I use? My brain is fried.) The important thing is that most of them are here. Every August since the August when I arrived 2 years ago has been like this. People come in waves and trickles and then droplets. And most people make it to the trainings, and some don't and have to watch the video versions (the quality of which can't be too stellar). By the end of it, those jet lagging are overwhelmed and overstimulated, and those training feel about the same. But we all run into week 1 at full speed to be in our classrooms 15 minutes early to start well.
Culture shock this year has definitely been noticeable. And my stress levels over the past week have exceeded my average stress levels for the past 2 years. I guess this is what leadership does to you, in some part, and also what a few words like, "I need to have a word with you" can do to your psyche when you're left to think of them while you sleep. I really started to reflect. It was a struggle for peace. I didn't sleep well, had dreams with kidnappings and guns in them... a good reminder that the place I live in is an unseen battleground. (Any and all upliftings are appreciated!) And the matter was miniscule, nothing personal, actually related to business. I guess you could say I feel a greater weight being in leadership, and while I want to be above reproach, I know I make mistakes - now to be better about owning up to them and making amends right away. The positive outcome of this experience is that I was ready to hear anything unpleasant my friend had to say to me! I figured that she loves me and needed to tell me something to correct some flaw. (Though I did reflect, after the fact, that if that were the case, it would have been cruel for her to not tell me that day and make me wait all night.)
Anyway, I am not really complaining, just reflecting. Culture shock has been related to learning the language. I've actually reverted - it's as if not hearing or being able to use Chinese for 6 weeks has made me forget everything. And then the rebellious part of me doesn't even want to learn! I am secretly, or not so secretly, envious of my friends who have been putting in the time to learn and are actually improving. Meanwhile, I feel like I am in the same spot I was a year ago. My friends are my crutch. I need to get over the fact that Mandarin is a hard language and just work at it. Oh, pride.
Tomorrow is Friday, and I have 2 more training meetings to attend (as support) and a short meeting to drop in on in the afternoon, and then the weekend. Before Monday I have my lesson to prepare and the annual rummage sale to organize and oversee. It's going to be a busy weekend. I can't wait until NEXT weekend.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Friday, August 16, 2013
My Campus, the Warzone
Out on my walk today I was able to really appreciate all the activity taking place right now on campus. There are piles of raw materials like bricks, stone, marble, dirt, etc. in almost every main area. On the north side, near Spanish town, I noticed two new structures being built, one of which, I presume, is the new English library. Meanwhile, destruction is everywhere else - the main fountain, old English library, and cafeteria #1 near Russian Square have been demolished; the main gate and road off campus are closed due to projects happening over there; and workers, like ants, have been working industriously since dawn, crawling all over the work areas. Peter Hall continues to be a place of construction (and has been since the day I moved here 2 summers ago). My hope is that the main refacing project will be completed by next month so there is less banging and drilling directly outside my windows. Thankfully, they don't start working on my building until after 8:00AM.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Home Improvement
One of the greatest frustrations of many a Westerner living in China is the poor building quality. This is especially true in my apartment complex, Peter Hall (PH) at Sias and, more specifically, my apartment. While you can request certain things be fixed, it is sometimes better to do it yourself. Since a friend of mine is the PH version of Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor, minus all the disasters, it isn't hard to borrow tools, which I've done on more than one occasion.
This week's projects, however, required some supplies from the U.S., some silicone cocking and sticky foam weather stripping. Project #1 was my front door. With all the lights off in my apartment, the door used to almost become a perfect silhouette. Aside from which, the door would rattle when we had storms or any kind of weather. That was a pretty quick and easy fix - applying the foam to the latch side of the door took about a minute. Not it is quite snug and makes a muted squeaking sound as the door rubs up against the foam when I open and close it. I am still trying to figure out how to seal the half inch gap on the bottom of the door which a mouse was able to squeeze under last semester and escape capture, but I have a couple ideas which I will probably try out today.
Project #2 was the sealing on my shower and toilet. Within a month of living in this new apartment (which actually is new, not just new to me), the seals had started to leak. I sort of ignored them, though the toilet made me feel less than comfortable. On the recommendation of the contractor who used to live in the apartment above me, I bought some higher quality silicone cocking when I was back in the States and I borrowed a cocking tool from my friend. In the process I learned a lot about silicone...it's super slimy when it gets on your hands, and it actually starts to set somewhat quickly. I hope I've done a good job, because stripping off the cocking for this application took a bit of time. And in the coming weeks, I am not going to have much of that.
This week's projects, however, required some supplies from the U.S., some silicone cocking and sticky foam weather stripping. Project #1 was my front door. With all the lights off in my apartment, the door used to almost become a perfect silhouette. Aside from which, the door would rattle when we had storms or any kind of weather. That was a pretty quick and easy fix - applying the foam to the latch side of the door took about a minute. Not it is quite snug and makes a muted squeaking sound as the door rubs up against the foam when I open and close it. I am still trying to figure out how to seal the half inch gap on the bottom of the door which a mouse was able to squeeze under last semester and escape capture, but I have a couple ideas which I will probably try out today.
Project #2 was the sealing on my shower and toilet. Within a month of living in this new apartment (which actually is new, not just new to me), the seals had started to leak. I sort of ignored them, though the toilet made me feel less than comfortable. On the recommendation of the contractor who used to live in the apartment above me, I bought some higher quality silicone cocking when I was back in the States and I borrowed a cocking tool from my friend. In the process I learned a lot about silicone...it's super slimy when it gets on your hands, and it actually starts to set somewhat quickly. I hope I've done a good job, because stripping off the cocking for this application took a bit of time. And in the coming weeks, I am not going to have much of that.
Early Morning in Xinzheng
This year I've decided not to care about people staring at me. I know that may seem like a rather silly thing to care about, but it has always bothered me while living in China. I can't say that I am completely indifferent about it now, but I am more willing to accept it. In making this decision, I feel that I have made some kind of progress in my battle against fear which will enable me to enjoy life here a whole lot more.
Just this past spring the city finished the majority of a pretty expansive park that runs along both sides of a giant reservoir. The mansions and dorms on the western side of Sias have easy access to one of the paths, which has made Sias an extension of the park in some ways. Though, truly, the campus has always been open to outsiders wanting to walk around and enjoy the gardens and scenery. In the past, I have stayed on campus when exercising. Today, when I got to the west side of campus, I took the path up to the street, over the bridge, and then down to the side of the reservoir along one of the many paths where a lot of people were up early trying to beat the 100 degree weather in today's forecast.
I walked and jogged and enjoyed watching several scenes: men fishing; women doing some kind of Chinese jazzercise; dogs swimming in the reservoir while their owners watched; elderly people walking with their grandchildren; and, today, one woman swimming with a small, round life saver which she was tugging along with a rope. This last scene surprised me because many Chinese people don't know how to swim, and my friends who made a bamboo raft last year were practically dragged out of the reservoir, raft and all, by the local police. Oh, and there are signs that say "no swimming" in Chinese and English. (But I've learned that a lot of people ignore signs here just like they do in other parts of the world - oh, human nature!)
Of course the "natural" scenery is always pleasant: lotus plants reaching up through the water, broad leaves open with flowers beginning to bloom; various trees and bushes in all the right places along the path; pavilions aesthetically placed between the two shores; and the still water reflecting the sky and everything else around it. It is a place I don't think I could get tired of.
Just this past spring the city finished the majority of a pretty expansive park that runs along both sides of a giant reservoir. The mansions and dorms on the western side of Sias have easy access to one of the paths, which has made Sias an extension of the park in some ways. Though, truly, the campus has always been open to outsiders wanting to walk around and enjoy the gardens and scenery. In the past, I have stayed on campus when exercising. Today, when I got to the west side of campus, I took the path up to the street, over the bridge, and then down to the side of the reservoir along one of the many paths where a lot of people were up early trying to beat the 100 degree weather in today's forecast.
I walked and jogged and enjoyed watching several scenes: men fishing; women doing some kind of Chinese jazzercise; dogs swimming in the reservoir while their owners watched; elderly people walking with their grandchildren; and, today, one woman swimming with a small, round life saver which she was tugging along with a rope. This last scene surprised me because many Chinese people don't know how to swim, and my friends who made a bamboo raft last year were practically dragged out of the reservoir, raft and all, by the local police. Oh, and there are signs that say "no swimming" in Chinese and English. (But I've learned that a lot of people ignore signs here just like they do in other parts of the world - oh, human nature!)
Of course the "natural" scenery is always pleasant: lotus plants reaching up through the water, broad leaves open with flowers beginning to bloom; various trees and bushes in all the right places along the path; pavilions aesthetically placed between the two shores; and the still water reflecting the sky and everything else around it. It is a place I don't think I could get tired of.
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