Continued

Here's another funny thing...I went to class today, 3/19, and my students were so funny! It is finally getting warm here (I've been wearing my coat in class all this time). As I was taking off my coat, because I was warm, I hear this audible gasp from the class. I look at the class and they are all looking at me! I was like 'What?' they just smiled and didn't say anything. I figure I must have something on me so I wipe my face and check my clothes but I'm pretty sure I didn't, because the Chinese are so very kind and would let me know if I did. Anyways, I brushed their reaction off and taught my class ('cause I had no idea what was going on). For my second class, I got everything all set up and as I took my coat off, the class gasped again. "Okay, what is going on?' But nobody says anything....so I decided it had to do with either my coat or my shirt I had on...I just couldn't figure out what. I'm thinking, 'hello?' 'It's just me...nothing is different'. I'm not understanding what they are reacting too. Oh well.

Ok, so for my last class, I get the equipment all set up and take my coat off as well (I've been bringing in audio equipment to play a song on CD for my classes...and it is a workout to climb 3 flights of stairs carrying all the equipment...I don't have a CD player in case you were wondering). Well, as soon as I took off my coat, there was this BIG audible gasp from my students...just like all my other classes! So I put my coat right back on and decide it had to be something I was wearing. And of course I am really self conscious by now! 'What?!? Why are you all gasping? What is wrong with me?' I asked them. Some of the girls finally say...'It is because you are soo beautiful!' I start laughing and shake my head and now I DO feel a little self conscious! All during class some of the students were holding up cell phones and I realized they were trying to take my picture! Hahaha! Didn't know you had a celebrity for a friend, eh? LOL! It just makes me laugh! Even now! (If truth be told, I think it's just the fact that I am a foreigner and some people have never seen a foreigner in person before. But I'll just keep pretending in my own little mind that I am beautiful and a celebrity. It makes me feel good. lol.)

Qingdao

Okay, so here are a couple more pictures of China. I went to Qingdao this past weekend and took a few pictures. The second picture has Qingdao in the background with the sea where they will be holding the Olympic Sailing competitions in August. Qingdao is a "new" city...built within the last 200 years. It was originally started by the Germans, so it has a lot of German architecture (which is kind of cool to see in China). They are still in the process of restoring/fixing up a lot of the buildings before the Olympics, I'm told it will look much better in July (I think it looks pretty cool now).

I went walking along the waterfront in Qingdao and noticed the tide was going out. As we came to a pier, I saw lots of people among the rocks carrying buckets. I thought they were looking for sea creatures (that's what I do when I go to the coast)....but.... no. They were looking for dinner. Apparently when the tide is low, the locals go out and collect small sea creatures and seaweed that they take home to cook for dinner. The closer I got to them and the longer I watched, I realized they really were collecting seaweed and shellfish for dinner! Wow! As I walked, I also passed a couple of people selling small crabs and shrimp on a stick. I tried to get a picture, but they turned away and hid. I'm beginning to discover that not all the Chinese want their picture taken....haha....but they sure like to take mine! haha.

Here's a funny story. As we were walking along, a lot of the Chinese people would turn and look (or stare) at us. When we smiled and said hi (ni hao), they would giggle and laugh (much like teenage girls would do when a hot guy would smile at them)! Anyways, as we were walking, I noticed this man kept taking pictures of us (in a discreet way). I couldn't figure out why. Then we were stopped by a group of people who wanted to take our picture. We had to pose for many pictures because they each wanted to be in the picture with us. Then as we finished that group, we were stopped by another group to have our pictures taken. Yep, you guessed it...I'm a celebrity here! So all those pictures you have of me...they just might be worth something! I think I just might stay here with this kind of treatment....

International Women's Day

(Picture of a bunch of my sophomore students.)

Saturday was International Women's Day and the college celebrated on Thursday. All the female teachers got together for some games. I participated in the jump rope contest, a race where you carry a volleyball on a badmitten racket for 30 meters, and a team race with boards (I don't know what it is called). I was going to download some pictures, but I was having some difficulties (I couldn't read the Chinese language to understand what button to push). Maybe later, after I find a translator. haha. My team took third with the team race and we won 2 big silver bowls (not sure what to do with them yet). We also got a prize for participating: toilet paper and laundry detergent! Don't laugh. I was pretty excited. I didn't want to go to the store and look like a fool (I've already done that a few times so far) as I tried to figure out what was toilet paper and what was laundry detergent. It is packaged different and nothing is written in English! Go figure....China - Chinese...what did I expect?!

Saturday night, some of the male students took a bunch of female students and me out to dinner for Intl. Women's Day (that's the picture). We went to a nearby restaurant. It was a lot of fun. It reminded me of when I was back in college and a bunch of friends and roommates would get together....they happen to do the same thing here. I am also learning a lot about the Chinese customs. Apparently, I was the honored guest and nobody eats until I start (which I didn't know until all the food had been brought out). Oops! When you begin a meal, they start with small dishes and slowly bring out the main dishes. The honored guest will take the first bite before the rest of the party begins. I didn't know this. I was starving and they looked starving and I couldn't understand why nobody was eating! Then one of the students told me that they were all waiting for me to begin! Haha. Talk about nerve-racking! I have learned to master the chopsticks well enough to get the first bite (which they were all impressed, I must add). After that, no such luck. Haha. I also didn't want to offend anyone, so I tried everything they brought out (this is where you pray really hard that everything is safe to eat and that you will be able to swallow whatever goes in your mouth!). I've had squid, octopus, shrimp, small crab (where you eat the body, and not the legs), many different types of fish (including dried sardines), seaweed, clams, mussels and things I prefer not to know what they are. But don't you worry, I've also had normal food I could recognize: celery, cabbage, peppers, pork, chicken, duck, watermelon, and my favorite: strawberries! I am a fan of those!

Qingdao, classes, wedding party

I know it has been a few days, but not much happened until this weekend. (I only taught 2 classes - each class being 2 hours in length). On Saturday, I decided to go to Qingdao so I could go to church (as I found out, foreigners aren't allowed to worship with locals). Qingdao is a little bigger than Weifang I have been told. They only have about 8 million people. Yeah. I know what you are thinking, you want to see pictures. But my eyes were huge with all the sights around me and my hands were white from gripping the car as the taxi speed through Qingdao. I wasn't about to losen my death grip to take pictures. Let's just say people and drivers in China have to have more than 9 lives to be able to survive here. (Some time when I can losen my death grip and be able to take pictures, then you'll understand). In Qingdao I met this fun older lady (she reminds me a lot of my grandma and her sister) and she took me shopping. She helped me know what is good to eat and where the good sanitized food can be found (I really don't want to visit a hospital by getting sick here). It was really quite fun. We went into a DVD shop to buy DVDs (they are all pirated bythe way), when they see that you are a foreigner, they lead you to the back and open up the wall. Through the wall is another room with English DVDs to buy. I got a few more (they only me cost me about $1 each), so I don't have to watch the same one I've had all week. I've watched it over and over and over and just about have it memorized! Yep, it's pretty exciting here. Haha. The train was fun to ride too. It is a CHR train and is the fastest one in China. On the ride, we would top over 200 km/hr (130 mph).

I know you were worried about me teaching only 4 hrs last week, but I received a new schedule. I will be teaching 7 classes and they are all Mon, Tues, & Wed. One of the days I teach until 8pm at night, but I don't mind knowing I have the next 4 days off. I can handle that! :) The students are really very nice. I teach 4 freshmen classes and 3 sophmore classes. The class sizes are around 37. But I did teach a class today that had about 70 students in it. They were packed in like sardines! It will be a challenge to find out how to teach them (Chinese students aren't ones to volunteer and get very shy when called on). I'll see what I can figure out for next week. The classrooms are similiar to what you would find in the 1950's. They have desks similar to what we used in Elementary school (where you could store your books), chalkboard to write on, and some classrooms are even lucky enough to have a TV (no DVD player). So much for my knowledge of computers and powerpoints. haha. The kids are lots of fun and they love playing games. We played pictionary regarding the modes of transportation and it was a riot! I also learned a lot about them. Only about 7 of my 140 students have ever been on an airplane, around 45 have been on a train, and maybe 20 have ridden in a car other than a taxi (some have never even been in a taxi!). It really surprised me how little many of them have. They all are so fun and willing to help. Very, very nice people.

Tonight I was invited to attend a wedding party (those are what the pictures are of). The bride and groom were married just before the Chinese New Year and in China, they usually have the wedding party a few days or weeks later. Attached are pictures from the wedding party (or dinner). The main idea of a wedding party is to great the new couple and then eat and drink and celebrate their occasion! The bride wears red after the ceremony. (She only wears white before the ceremony.) The bride and groom were introduced to the party before going to each table for a toast and then they left and I didn't see them again. Both of them are teachers at the college where I teach so that is how I got invited. I sat with a group of English teachers from the Foreign Language Department (at least I could understand some things when they spoke in English). If you will notice, there is a big lazy-susan type of thing in the middle of the table. That is where all the food goes. You use your chopsticks to grap food and eat right from those plates. They continued to bring food out until the plates of food were stacked 3 or 4 high on the table. There was tons of food! I must say the food was very good. Some of which is only served at weddings. It was really interesting and good.