Everyone Gather 'Round the Circle

Thursday and Friday were Anne and Brett's last days as English teachers and they let me help out. I walked into the room and the kids exploded with excitement. Any notion that Chinese school children sit obediently mannered in their desks, raise their hand when called on, and listen to their teacher attentively couldn't be further from the truth. I don't know if we were like this as kids, but these Chinese 2nd and 3rd graders were all PSYCHO. I think it may be because they're always eating candy in class. I could understand Anne's frustration in having to ask to class to calm down every twenty seconds.

Before I even entered the classroom, I caught the children performing their "eye exercises". This is a five minute period in which bell-like music chimes over the PA system and the children close their eyes and massage them. The kids all wear the same blue track pants as a uniform. They also wear a scarf of a color that denotes their grade level.

For Anne's final class, she needed to administer oral exams in a separate room so I had the kids all to myself. We played hangman and a drawing game in which I drew an animal that the kids had to name. My favorite students were two girls named Annie and Susan. These are their English names, but the kids are allowed to choose their own names which led to some interesting choices. Some of the kids assumed identities such as Guitar, Bosco, and my favorite, Killer.

In China...Finally!

Ni hao from China! It's been a bizarre 24 hours. I know I'm in China, but it doesn't feel like it yet. After 14 hours on a plane from JFK to Tokyo, a 3 hour layover, and another 3 hours to Shanghai, it still hasn't struck me that I'm on the other side of the world. I don't feel detached from the United States. For all I know at the moment, I could be in a very nice, spacious two bedroom apartment on East Broadway in New York. It's only when in my head, I imagine a map of the world, and I pinpoint myself on the black dot that says Shanghai next to it that I understand the scope of my present location.

I've arrived late at night (9:30pm) and went through the quickest customs entry. The whole process took less than three minutes. Compare that with my visits to France where I waited 45/60 minutes! Unfortunately, I arrived late enough to miss the speedy Maglev train that connects the airport to the city. The train travels at a speed of 310 mph! I'll have to catch it on the way back. Instead we took a cab which is still unbelievably cheap by American standards ($10 for a 30-some minute ride). Some of the highways here are highlighted with neon beams of lights giving them a "city of the future" feel.

Anne's neighborhood isn't so bad. Her mom visited last week and referred to the neighborhood as a slum, but I don't think it looks that bad. The first order of business was getting food from the street vendors. Every travel guidebook says to avoid these, but Anne and Brett eat on the street all the time and have never fallen ill. Fingers crossed for tomorrow. I ate cooked vegetables cooked on a grate over charcoals. Spicy for my mouth, but so tasty. The food vendors all know Anne, and everyone asked her who the new person was. They smiled and nodded warmly at me. The language barrier hasn't hindered me yet. That will change of course once I am on my own.

Tomorrow I will accompany Anne to her school and help out in the classroom. I purchased postcards of NYC for the kids. I just hope I brought enough for everyone. Forty-five postcards may not be enough! I'll see China tomorrow too when everyone hasn't retired for the night. I've been up more or less for 28 hours now so I better go to bed.

Just a heads up…May 25th, 2006 isn't bad so far. I'm sure you all will enjoy it when you encounter it 11 or 12 hours from now! That's a Pudong airport terminal in the photo above by the way.