Memories

A former student shared this blog post she had written about my class with me. I can understand much of the content here, but I want to work on reading it more carefully later.


翻到以前的日记，觉得自己真的是很淘气，所幸的是，现在还是一如既往的淘气，哈哈
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在学校的日子也还是idle
找各种借口打发时间
从家回学校的路上一直拿着我的小三拍申闵沿途风景，那些吞云吐雾的烟囱，我想有一天我会想它们的，想念这辆破破烂烂的申闵
上Teya的课，被逼到第一排坐，Teya被哄的开心的忘了点名和下课
Teya：You guys should have a topic for the research paper, have any ideas?
（大家沉默）
Yolanda:Whether we can miss class as senior students? （想起今天早上自己逃课了）
......
我已经看到Teya眼里仇恨的目光了，这老外最恨的就是truancy，逃课必挂。鉴于无人再提出新的topic她只好以此为例

接下来，她开始不厌其烦的解释dependent variables & independent variables，Yolanda完全无视她的劳动成果，再她说any qs？的时候很不识时务的说了句，I still cannot understand these
于是她又开始翻来覆去捣
终于明白independent varibles就像咱中国人的personal infor.但是Teya强调说这要放到最后写
Yolanda又发问，why？we chinese always take it at the very beginning.
Teya: But I am talking about American way
Yolanda: Well, but here is China
Teya:Ok, I don't want to say you are wrong.
（眼里再次出现恐怖的光。。。）

Group Discussion...
Yolanda 在吃妙芙，看到Teya过来赶忙藏起来
Teya， no u don't need to hide it
然后开始跟我们说Muffin的故事，说的我云里雾里，最后才晓得哦，muffin就是妙芙
拍马P的时间到了
Yolanda：Teya, I am really on your cookies. When will you make cookies for us?
Teya: Oh I am busy, But maybe Christmas. But I may not invite you though you really want to come.
真直接，至于这么直接么？
Yolanda：and I really want to see ur son, they said he is very lovely.
Teya: I have pictures
Yolanda & group members: No, we want to see him face2face, you can bring him here next class
Teya: what? if I bring him here, he must absent school. If he can absent school,how can I ask you to come to my class
真聪明
Bess: If you don't want him to miss class, we can absent ur class and all of us go to ur home to see him。 u can make a choice
Teya无语。。。。

Yolanda: Teya, I really want to tell you that I like your skirt very much
Teya:得意 thxs it's 14 dollars, US
Yolanda同学急忙拿出纸笔开始按一比八折合人民币
Yolanda：Oh so cheap. where did you buy it
Teya得意的笑 America
.....
Yolanda: You can go,bye...
Teya看着我无语
Yolanda心想完了要被挂了：Oh I am kidding
Teya:Bye...

Yolanda: How do you call ur husband?总觉得这句话有错误。。不顺口
Teya作漫不经心状：meng 第四声
Yolanda Is this a family name?
Teya: no family name is yu
Fiona,oh, you husband named 郁闷
还好Teya中文不好，不然要集体挂了我们
说到兴奋处跑到讲台上掏了个东西出来，那架势我们以为是手机
于是Bess凑上去问，wow, you have changed your mobile phone?
Teya :no
Yolanda笨，那是camera
Teya按了恶久递给我们，是个IPOD。。。
看她儿子的照片
Yolanda惊呼，oh， the cat is so fat, is this your cat?
Teya默默的看着我摇头，估计这女人已经对我完全无语了
人家让我看儿子，我只看到照片上的大肥猫
突然她又跑到黑板上去写她儿子的中文名字和他老公的名字
同志们也许是她写错了也有可能，那两个字我长这么大真的第一次看见
Yolanda i have never seen these two characters before
Teya So, you see what, i can teach your chinese
额。。。换我无语

Moving to New Blog Address

I decided to start a new blog for my PhD and time in the US.

Check http://permanentheaddamagebychoice.blogspot.com/ for future updates!

No Longer a Laowai in Shanghai

After several days of packing, we finally were ready and left for the airport. Everything went as smoothly as could be expected considering I was a passenger. I overpacked as usual, but was prepared to repack as necessary. There were a few things that we had to leave behind, but not of those things were things we could not live without.
The flight went smoothly. We got through customs, and Meng can stay in the US until Jan 11. Our family met us at the airport. A few tears were shed along the way as we left behind our lovely Leia, beloved city, and great family and friends. On the plane, Meng managed to leave behind the bag containing my computer charger, my ipod, and some of his crap. This is another thing to add to the list of the things Meng does that annoyed me. I should also mention the bag that he left behind was one of the ones I liked best.
It will take a little while to adjust to being back here. For a while, it will probably seem nice to be back. I got some good news yesterday, and that good news is that I am being offered an interview at the ELI at the University of Buffalo. I would love to pick up a few ESL classes because I know I am going to miss teaching. It was one thing I was afraid I was saying goodbye to. Fortunately, this may not actually be the case. They are just looking for part-time teachers, and that is also all I am looking for. If I could pick up one or two classes, I think it would be perfect.

Just the right words...

to express the same feeling I have... " I feel I am not in a rush to go, but I am also ready to move on." 

Meng wrote that in his blog, and I thought that is exactly the same feeling I am having. 

Bachelorette Party

After 6 years in Shanghai, I will help a friend host a Bachelorette Party. She was one of my students, and she is going to get married in the United States in Fall. I have been aware of her meeting this boy since early in their relationship and we have a lot in common as he is American and I am too. So we often talk about these things. 

At the going away dinner that was not Xinjiang Food, we talked about wanting to go to a gay bar, but we always never do that. In fact, there are 4-5 of my friends who always seem interested.  Stephanie also started asking about a Bachelorette Party and what other American customs she should know about weddings. I thought she would enjoy this kind of event, so we decided to go ahead and do it. Considering there is only one day to plan, everything will be thrown together at the last minute. Penis cookies are in the oven as we speak. 

For many of the Chinese people who attend, it will be the first time they go to a bar, the first time they go to a gay bar, and certainly the first time they attend a Bachelorette Party. 

It seems exciting to me to share a little of my culture before going back. I think the Post 80s generation is ready for it. 

Xinjiang Shiwang

Today, we planned a going away dinner at my favorite restaurant for Xinjiang food. It is a kind of Chinese food we cannot really find in the US, so I really wanted it again before leaving. However, when we arrived, we found it to be closed for the summer. I hate it when places close for the summer. 

It was too late to change to another location. So we just went to the Dongbei Place next door. My friends that came were Jack, Ava, Stephanie, Sally, her boyfriend, Joseph, his girlfriend and some little girl. In addition Meng's college friends came with their wives and kids. There was a total of 17 people. The bill came to 368. We had about 10 beers as well as two tables of food. That comes out to less than $3.25 per person. If we do some calculation of Meng's fancy dinner with his ex-girlfriend, we find it to be 34.40 per person.... That's the thing about China. It is possible to do things cheaply, and it is possible to do things that are really expensive. As Meng reminded me when he told me the Xinjiang place was closed, it isn't about the food but the people we are going to enjoy the meal with.... 

I really believe I will see all of these people again. It felt a lot less like goodbye and more like so long. I look forward to our paths crossing again. Now I must go to bed as I still have a long day of work tommorow. 

One Week

That's all that is left. I cannot really say that I am ready to go. It is always hard to leave a place when you don't know when you are coming back. Especially when that place is far away. I am sure I will have similar feelings when it is time to leave Michigan and move to New York. I have never lived in a different state, and somehow it seems as foreign as another country.... and given how close it is to Canada, perhaps it almost is...

I ran into Peter today, and he was surprised to see me. It seems most FTs who are not coming back did not stick around either. I heard from him that the contracts at ECNU changed and FTs are not getting paid over the summer nor are they getting their flight tickets reimbursed. I think that is pretty crappy. It makes me even more sure I would not have wanted to stay. Today, I also got an e-mail from Hannan that I was right that my contract did not end until July 10th, so I get paid 1/3 more of my monthly salary for July! Woo Hoo!

Today, we turned over the apartment to our landlord and we got back the entire deposit except the current utility bills. Not to shabby in my opinion. 

Tomorrow, I am off to Nanjing to do IELTS. I will be taking the super fast train that is supposed to take 70 min. The first time we went I recall about 5 hours on the train. 

Friday, I will tutor Eun Jeong's kid one last time and I will go pick up our passports from the visa office (we had to get an extension).

Saturday, I do IELTS, and we will go to the Xinjiang Place in Minhang for a going away party with friends. But the reality is there are not so many friends left. 

Sunday, I do IELTS again. 

Monday, I do IELTS writing, and I want to go get a few new pairs of glasses because they are much cheaper here. 

Tuesday, I have nothing.

Wednesday, we leave. 

Yingna will take off the next week. I actually wish I got to be at her place and just relaxing with the family for a while. Of course I plan to make a nice pile of money in the next week, and I will appreciate it when I go back, but now it seems not to be the most important thing. 

There are still quite a few things that I would like to do, and I am quite certain I will not have time to do them all. It was a great idea for Meng and I to get away for a few days and enjoy each other's company in China, as I do not know when we will get a chance to do that again. 

Moving

I really hate moving. I mean HATE moving. And this time we are just briefly moving to Pudong, which I also HATE. I am not looking forward to any of it, but in 24 hours we will already be moved. 

I am so tired of moving, and as we plan to live in an apartment in Buffalo, I have a feeling we will be moving again in a year. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate moving...

Another Day in Paradise

This morning, I spent my time at a cafe to finish my grades. It was time to accomplish this task whether I wanted to or not. It wasn't that I really wanted to, but it does seem very nice to have it done. 

After that, we decided to ride scooters instead of going for a bike ride. It was the first time for both of us to ride this kind of machine, and I was a little scared at first. Once I got used to it, I enjoyed it immensely. It allowed us to see more of the countryside and with a lot less effort. On bike, I think we would have only covered 1/3 of the distance before I would have been ready to go back. I think we will do it again. We had planned to do the rafts again, but we both think this might be a better choice. 

We had a guide to take us, so we did not have to worry about finding the way, and she could teach us how to ride and turn on the bike patiently. We really had a great time. 

After returning, we went out for dinner. I told Meng I wanted to go back to the room for a bit to rest. I am not sure if we will make it back out tonight or not. 

The other thing I still want to do while I am here is look at some more Miao Embroidery. I really enjoy it, and I think I might like a little more. 

Our last 4th of July in China

Happy 4th of July! 

Today, we spent the day in Yangshuo. It was a very long journey to get here, and I do not think we found a place to stay until after 11pm last night. It was a long trip. 

The morning began with a text from Meng's sister saying that the visa/passport had been delivered. A phone call confirmed that it was the visa that was valid for this year, so we are happy that worked out, and we are amazed by the efficiency of the processing. It did not even take one business day for it to be delivered (no one was there). I am not sure what I will do in a country that is so efficient.

After that, we went off in search of Drifters, but it seems it was a victim of modernization and it has disappeared. Instead, we just chose a random place and called it good enough. Then, I found a few stores selling Miao embroidery and I couldn't resist. I looked a bit, and I will look a bit more. 

We figured out the plan for the day was going to be to do Bamboo Rafting on the Yu Long River. The first step was to get there, and we found a bus that was going in that direction, so we got on. Later, we found it wasn't so close to our destination, but we were lucky to only have to walk about 300 feet until we found a bus that was going exactly to our destination. We climbed aboard  and enjoyed the rafting for about 5 hours. 

Then we had a little dinner. 

After dinner, Meng let me shop for embroidery more. In one of the shops, the girl working was actually a miao person who was quite knowledgeable about the different pieces. i enjoyed talking with her. She told us about the Miao Festivals and that there are three main festivals. And when we seemed interested, she said her uncle could take us there tomm. Turns out it is a 10+ hour trip. Therefore, we do not think we have time because I need to be back in Shanghai on the 9th to extend my visa. Plus, we already bought our return tickets to Shanghai (we learned this important tip when traveling in China, always book the return or next leg when you arrive otherwise it is easy to get stranded or difficult to find another time or place to go get the tickets. It is better to do it when you are right there.

I also got a new pair of shoes because the ones I was wearing broke. Ironically, they were the same shoes I bought in Yangshuo 5 years ago. 

In the evening, I got a massage, and we went to have some BBQ for a late dinner. The first one was too early for Meng and his belly was empty. 

Now I am ready for bed.... more on our adventures to come. 

25 hours in a confined space

We took the train to Guilin, and unfortunately we had the top bunk on the sleeper train. Chinese sleeper trains are 3 bunks high, and I guesstimate the amount of space between the bed and the roof to be about 2.5 feet or less. Getting up there was challenging for me, and Meng said he nearly fell getting down. I did not enjoy that experience 10 years ago when we went to Dalian from Beijing, and I did not enjoy it this time around either. Every time the train stopped, I felt that I was going to fall off the bunk. I think it was only about 6 inches wider than me lying down, so it was terribly difficult to find a way to be comfortable. 

Fortunately, the person using the lower bunk got off the train around 7am, and I quickly claimed her spot. Later, as the car emptied out, we found a completely empty section and reclaimed it as our own. We were able to take a little nap as well. 

I was just waking up when I heard a cell phone playing music. It really annoys me when people use their cell phone as a boom box circa the 1980s. So when the person didn't answer it, I was already irritated. Then I realized my cell phone was also vibrating (the noise part of the ring is silent). It was Yingna. Meng was sleeping so soundly that he did not hear his phone. I figured it must be important if Yingna was ringing me and Meng too probably. 

Turns out they wanted to return Meng's passport that he had dropped of the previous afternoon. We started to get really nervous because we were certain that there was something wrong. I was sure that Meng had screwed up yet again. He is good at doing just that. I started to complain about how he doesn't ever plan or prepare well for things. The reality is that neither of us are all that good at doing it anymore because we do not really like to. To be able to tolerate living in China you have to give up some control in your life and be more willing to let things be and happen as the do. Waiting to the last minute usually is not a problem as things generally just have a way to work out. There is always a way to make them work. So now that we decided to take this trip, it seemed that it was a bad decision because now Meng wasn't going to get his visa.

It turned out to be a good opportunity for us to talk about some of the things we will need to work out when we get back to the US. I know there will be a long list of things to do and people to see. My feeling is the the important things will get done and the others will just work themselves out. Neither Meng nor I are big on planning. It isn't that we cannot do it, it is just that we do not often find a greater value in doing things that way. Life is an adventure, and we are going to enjoy the journey. If everything in life is all planned out, than where is all the excitement? I know if we were so big on planning, this current journey never would have happened. In fact, no one we asked to join us was able to just drop everything and come. Perhaps, had we planned it a month in advance, we would be accompanied by some friends; however, perhaps something else would have came up and we would have had to cancel the trip.

The talk made both of us feel the trip was a good idea. We tend to have the majority of our good conversations when we are on the road. It gives us both a chance to be free from distractions and focus on appreciating each other. I do really enjoy to travel with Meng. He is my favorite person to go on a trip with. Generally, we are on the same page although he always likes to enjoy more of the nightlife than I do. I guess I have to wait for him to get just a little older and he will probably grow out of it. 

Towards the end, we felt like the journey would never be over. 25 hours is a very long time to be on a train. We got tickets to go back, and we will be enjoying the comfort of the bottom bunk in the soft sleeper (4 people share one compartment).  Plus, the ride back is only 19 hours.

And it is back on....

So the train station lady was really unhelpful and it turns out there are tickets, so we are going!!! Tomorrow.

No Soup for Us

I went to the train station to get tickets, but they did not have any for today. The earliest I could buy were for the 3rd, and I did not really want to spend the 4th on the train all day. It seems this travel plan falls through the cracks. It doesn't really matter. We can also enjoy our time here in Shanghai.... though it will probably cost us more.....

Our trip would have cost:

350*4 for train tix to Guilin & return (Train ride is 24 hours each way/price is for hard sleeper) 

15*4 bus to Yangshuo& return

500 for 5 nights accomodation

100*6 for food 

200 rafting

40 bike rental 

____________

3000 RMB or $441.00

I am going to really miss travel in China because it just is so cheap. Where else can someone get a week long vacation for two with food and other expenses included for just 220.00 per person.... I think think the train fare alone round trip to New York City will cost a similar amount. Perhaps only camping can be this price in the US. And at the same time when I see that number of $441 pop up, I also think that is a half months rent in the US, and maybe we had better hold on to it. 

Spur of the Moment

This morning, Meng and I talked about going to Yangshuo for one last Hurrah! Hurray! We found train tickets are around 300 RMB. For 4 nights in a hotel is just around 400 RMB. We dont know when we will have a chance to travel alone together and we did always want to go back again.... Now we have to see if we can get tickets!

Seriously...

I haven't even started school yet and I got a e-mail from my advisor telling me to read 7 books and write a 1 page reflection before the second week of the semester. 

National Anthems

So we are watching World Cup, and they just played the National Anthem of England.

It sounded suspiciously similar to "My Country Tis of Thee".

Exchange Rate Fun

Chinese law changed to let the RMB appreciate against the USD.... Lets have a looksee at how it affects my pocketbook....

Lets look at the value of the 100 RMB note....

When we came in 2000, it was worth about $12.10.

In 2001, the exchange rate was still 8.26, and it was worth $12.10.

In 2002, the exchange rate was 8.26, and it was worth $12.10.

In 2003, the exchange rate was 8.26, and it was worth $12.10.

In 2004, the exchange rate was 8.26, and it was worth $12.10.

In 2005, the exchange rate was 8.26, and it was worth $12.10.

At some point the exchange began to gradually fall until it reached 6.83, so it was worth $14.64.

On Friday, it was worth $14.64.

Today, it is now worth $14.72.

The difference does not usually seem so great when you buy average things. It is just a difference of a few cents.... but when you start to multiply that by bigger amounts of money, you find....

In 2004 when we came when the exchange rate was 8.26 that would be equal to $12.106.53.

Last Friday, when the exchange rate was at 6.83 that would be equal to $14,641.28

Today, after the exchange rate appreciated to 6.79 that same money is now equal to $14,727.54.

I did nothing.... and that money was worth $86.00 more.

I can't wait to see if the same things happens tomorrow!

Perhaps in the future would would see these kind of numbers for 100,000 RMB to USD.

I heard that at some point it will reach 6.5 which would equal $15,384.61

If it were to reach 6, then it would be $16,666.67

If it were to reach 5, then it would be $20,000.00

If it were to reach 4, then it would be $25,000.00

If it were to reach 3, then it would be $33,333.33

If it were to reach 2, then it would be $50,000.00

If it were to reach 1, then it would be $100,000.00

It is something that we probably do not usually think of, but this exchange rate plays a big role in some business decisions. When you figure for businesses those numbers probably have a few more zeros attached to the back of them. It can cause them to lose millions in a single day. It is no wonder the pressure to change the exchange rate exists. It causes more complications than we can imagine.

Funding Arrived

I woke up this morning to good news in my in-box. I got the funding for my PhD. It covers a full tuition scholarship as well as a stipend for working 20 hours a week. Now there are a whole slew of other things to figure out but at least the direction is now clear.