my home in Xian for the next 3 plus months

I am living in a nice little one bedroom apartment at the University Hotel.   I have a little balcony, a desk to work at, a computer, dining table and small kitchen.  The laundry room is upstairs and it is free for us to use.  It is the hotel's laundry so it can get busy at times.  You never have to worry about losing a sock in the dryer because you hang your clothes outside to dry or in the shower.

Traffic at the Bell Tower

This is what is so different about China.   Traffic and so many people.  Normally I do not like crowds but this does not bother me because I expected it to be full of people and busy.  At Xian you have the old and the new.  This place was the first capital and has all that history and now it is a modern city and the two exist side by side.  I enjoyed my bike ride around the city wall.  You can rent a bike for 20 yuan and you also pay a 200 yuan deposit.  You can ride for 90 minutes and when you bring the bike back you get your 200 yuan back.  It is a very nice way to see and experience the history of this country. After the ride you can walk through the streets and see the different vendors, get a snack, or have a good meal at one of the restaurants.  The Bell Tower has a music demonstration and guess what, they play bells.  The Drum Tower all so has a music show and they play the drums.  It is a nice way to spend the day.  I got to exercise so I hope I can still get some wellness points.  Just so my wife does not worry about me, you do not cross the street here.  They have a system of underground walk ways that you use to get from the Bell Tower to the other streets.  It is so much safer.

Friends in China

I am meeting new people all the time here in China.  Liu Danling, is a former student of my Chinese teacher at ICC, Rich Lin. The young man with her is Qin Xin, a student that stayed with me after Danling had to leave.  Qin Xin showed me the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower and helped me find the bus stop.  We all cycled the city wall and then had a wonderful meal.  Many of the students also visited the Bell Tower, with some of the Chinese students from Xian University.
The bus ride was very interesting for me.  I have only been on a bus in Peoria twice and that was to show Nico, our French son, how to get to ICC and then I took the Chinese students on the bus to help them learn how to get around Peoria.  This is much different.  Going to the Bell Tower at 9 am was fine.  Coming back at 4 pm the bus was packed and I mean packed.  No matter how full it is you can always get a few more people on.  The bus costs about 15 cents.   I could take a taxi but that would cost 8 dollars maybe 10.  I came to China to try as much as I can to experience China the same way Chinese people do.  If that means squeezing on to a bus then I will squeeze on to a bus.  While I was on the bus I noticed some of the people were a little taller. As the bus emptied out the closer we got to my school I could see those taller people were standing on about a 10 inch step. I was still taller and they were.

Boazi or steamed buns

Just outside the campus and down the street is an alley full of food vendors.  I like the steamed buns.  You and can get 2 for about 15 cents.  Baozi is the Chinese word for steamed bun.  You need to learn the food characters and how to say the words so you can at least have an idea of what you are eating.  At the school cafeteria you look at the menu and see something that you think is what you want to eat, point at it and then find out what you ordered when they give it to you.  It is a lot of fun.  The students were all warned about eating at the food stalls off campus.  They told me about this place the second day we were here.  If you order a soup the dish is boiling when it comes to your table, so not to worry.

My breakfast in China

I could go to the cafeteria and eat breakfast but decided to just eat in my apartment.  I can enjoy some instant coffee, some fruit, instant oatmeal topped with yogurt.  The yogurt comes in a pouch and is quite good.  I usually get some type of bread product to eat.   I have some honey if I need a little sugar.  Eating at home is just easier and than leaving and coming back.  This picture is what I bought at the large grocery store about ten minutes walk from campus.  The stores are on two floors so instead of an escalator they have a longer incline moving walkway.  That way you can take your shopping cart up and down.  I was looking for the oatmeal and one of the clerks took one off the shelf and gave it to me.  They really try to help, especially if you make the effort.  I research my shopping items and write the characters.  So far I have been able to do OK.  Now I need to figure out how best to post this picture. I got the moon pies just for fun and now I need to find an RC Cola.

I taught my first class

I taught my first class on Thursday.  The students are English majors but can read better than they can speak.  I had a lesson plan but it did not go as well as I had thought, so I was scrambling to find something that would work.  I think I will use the Pictionary/telephone game that we played at our house the last night all the Chinese students were in  Peoria.  I hope that works.  I know the students would like to play a game.  I also think since they are going to try and be Chinese language teachers to foreign students, I will try and get them to do a teaching exercise.  I may try and get them to teach me how to read a character.  Ask them to write a character on the board and explain the writing steps, the strokes, the tones and what it means.  I think I will start with food.  Everyone likes food.  That way I can better learn what to order at the cafeteria.  I have to do something to get them to talk or make them talk.  This way they can use notes and write on the board.  I will probably do a demonstration of how I would do it and hope they can develop their own teaching style.  I was talking to the people who run the program and when they asked me how my first class went, I said, "it was different."  They both laughed and said to do my best.  I sure will try.
I sat in on the advanced Chinese language class today. I think this class will really help me.  I had forgotten a lot of stuff over the last one and half years but it is starting to come back to me, especially since I am studying more now.  I hope to improve.
They do have a good energy management system here.  They don't turn on the heat and you just wear a coat.  The classroom for the Literature and Art was cold especially after you sit for an hour.  At least the classroom I had to teach in was warmer.  The one thing about being here is how nice the people are.  They smile and offer to help you.  But things take so long to do and most of that is due to the communication problems.  It took about 15 minutes to get the service staff to open a student's room when he had locked his key inside.  She was very helpful but it just took longer.

Saturday we go the International store and can shop for stuff we can buy at home.  That will be interesting. Maybe I can get pop tarts. Actually I am going to get some more of the yogurt pouches that Danling bought for me.  They are very good and I am going to put them on oatmeal.  Thats right I am going to eat oatmeal for breakfast.  Now I will see about posting my College ID.

Meeting Katie Evans

Last night I met Katie Evans, the person I have been emailing about what my class room experience could be like.  She is from England and has been working here for about 1 and a half years.  We talked about classes over a nice meal down one of those back alleys full of food stalls.  We had some type of sweet and sour meat, another stir fry dish, rice, of course, and some fried mushrooms that were fantastic.  They tasted very close to morels but only better, because they were cheaper.  Dinner for two, less than 6 dollars, so hey, I bought.
I do have my class schedule now.  Monday, I teach Spoken English, from 1:50 to 5:40.  I have two classes with a 20 minute break in between.  Tuesday I teach Spoken English from 3:55 to 5:40 and Thursday I teach Spoken English from 3:55 to 5:40.  On Wednesday I will take the Mandarin Language class from 1:50 to 3:35 and on Thursday morning I will take the Chinese Literature and Art class from 9 to noon.  The classes I will be taking are the same classes the students are in.  I can learn more about China, improve my Mandarin, and at the same time keep on eye on the students.
So far everyone has been very, very nice, and very helpful.  I am looking forward to getting in the classroom and seeing what it is like to try and teach Spoken English.  Just keep them talking is what I have been told and don't let them get bored.