Hangzhou

With schools in my region benefitting from a two week regular production break for summer, I suddenly found myself with far more time on my hands, teaching a mere 9 hours of summer course classes, spread over 3 days of the week.  Having exhausted the majority of summer activities Shanghers has to offer, it was time to take advantage of the time off and venture further afield.  Six of us booked a weekend away to Hangzhou.  Famous for the stunning lake and beautiful scenery, we boarded the bullet and headed to Zhejiang Province.

We opted for the healthy choice and hired bicycles (at a rate of £2 for the day) to cycle around West Lake, stopping off at local sightseeing spots along the way.  The usual pagodas, temples and gardens were on the hit list.  The heat & humidity left us with rosy glows as we pedalled against the occasional inclines and joked about our resemblance to The Goonies... 10 years on!  We were also very popular with the locals and found ourselves the main focus of many of their photographs, even posing for some with those who were polite enough to ask us directly.

The Goonies!

Even losing some of our group provided us with the opportunity for further fun, ripping down the pedestrianised causeway, dodging strolling families, in order to meet our mates at the other side.

Our last day provided a slower pace, watching an elderly Chinese gentleman performing on the promenade, seeing the beautiful Musical Fountain – even if the accompanying choice of music, ‘I vow to thee my country’, seemed a little strange.  We rounded off our day with a boat trip across the lake, again attracting the attention of local tourists shouting greetings to us in their best broken English – very welcoming indeed.

A trip back on the Bullet train ended our few days away.  Hanghzhou provided a refreshingly slower pace than Shangers and is definitely somewhere I’d return to in the future.

A xx

Anji antics!

It’s been a few months since our last official regional team building event.  The social scene in the city is such that you quickly become acquainted with kids & teens teachers from various EF schools across the 3 regions, as well as teachers from other companies; but it’s always nice to meet new faces, and nicer still when it’s all expenses paid!

Our pre-summer school skive saw teachers and local staff from the 4 schools in our region escaping to Anji for a couple of days, taking in the fresh air, and scenery made famous by the film ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’.  The early start and 3 hour journey passed quickly thanks to good company and a stop off for lunch.  Upon our arrival, we were taken on a 2 hour walk up to Dragon waterfall.  It was quite a steep climb, which we tackled at a fairly brisk pace, aided by the help of paths and metal staircases.  Despite being an overcast day, the heat and humidity were evident.  Some of the staff opted to stay nearer the entrance on lower ground, usually puffing on cigarettes or posing for pictures.  Other Chinese tourists could be seen walking in the most inappropriate outfits, which wouldn't have looked out of place in the bars and clubs of Shanghai – slaves to fashion though they carried on regardless.

Clambering back on the bus, I’d been comfortably settled on my seat for a good while before noticing the rubber snake next to my thigh that my friends had sneakily hidden under a jacket.  Unfortunately, it didn’t have the petrifying effect they had hoped, not on me at least.  Skilfully flinging it through the air towards some of the more effeminate Chinese staff, however, was met with shrieks and panic!  Mission accomplished!

Next stop was a spot of water rafting.  I’m not a big fan of watersports – wearing glasses or contact lenses during such activities is problematic and as such I opted out, choosing to sit on the sidelines with the other warm, dry, land lovers, taking photos of my soggy colleagues as they navigated the water course and attempted to soak each other by any means necessary!  After everyone had completed the course, changed into something a little drier and got the feeling back in their limbs, we headed to a local restaurant for dinner.  As in Vietnam, meal times here are social affairs, none more so than during team building events.  Sitting with 10 others and sharing dishes has a sociable quality that is lacking in many western countries.  

A short time spent at our hotel gave us time to freshen up before heading to a nightclub.  When we arrived, there was no one else there, and as it was a Tuesday night that’s pretty much how it remained all evening.  All available space on tables was taken up by the free beer provided for our group – but at 2.5% the only foreign teachers who were intoxicated were those who had been drinking (heavily) throughout the course of the day on harder stuff.  Dice games, dancing on a springy dance floor and mingling were the order of the night.  A group of us ventured in the saloon-style bar next door, only to be greeted by the Pet Shop Boys’ ‘Go West’ and lots of surprised, gesturing, tiddly Chinese clubbers.  Needless to say, we didn’t stay long.  Silly o’clock fried rice and dumplings finished off a fine day.

The following day saw the spritely members of our group take a trip to a bamboo forest.  Famous for being featured in ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ we spent a couple of hours walking up the tracks, amongst the bamboo towards a viewing platform with spectacular views over the area.  On our ascent we passed a group of elderly Chinese tourists taking part in something resembling Tai chi.  A colleague translated the instructor’s directions, which apparently required participants to mirror the shape and form of the surrounding bamboo.  I’m not sure how relaxing they found the experience with over 100 tourists passing by, but we tried not to intrude too much.

Craving a bit of excitement amongst the bamboo groves, we opted to take the fast route back down to the exit - by roller coaster. We were each in single carriages and were responsible for controlling our own speed with the aid of a hand brake. Three teachers from my school had gone down in front of me and I was keen to use the brake as little as possible.  I figured nothing too bad would happen as a result: worst case scenario – the carriage flies off the rails taking me with it and I end up in the bamboo.  There was netting along the sides of the track in some places, but not in others.  So, I came bombing down at a rate of knots, managing to smile at three of our group who had strategically positioned themselves along the route to take photos of us.  It was then that I spotted the local man, shouting and waving erratically at me.  I shrugged it off, I was having fun, no need to touch the brakes quite yet – then I saw the traffic jam I was quickly approaching!  Two Chinese girls had gone down before our group and had obviously chosen to use their brakes from the off.  Time to test my brakes me thinks! Luckily they were very efficient and I slammed on, stopping just short of my friend in the carriage in front! Great fun!

After meeting up with those who had chosen not to join our morning stroll, we made our way to lunch and then on to the obligatory souvenir shops, where all kinds of bamboo related products can be found.  A sleepy headed journey home found us back in Shangers in the early evening, much fun was had by all and it can only have a positive effect on the already jovial atmosphere between staff at our school.

Roll on the next one.

A xx

On your marks...

There’s a lot of talk at the moment about the London 2012 Olympics, I’m not a great fan of the whole shebang and never have been – with the exception of watching the footy, I’ve never been one for competitive sports. 

Last week in Shangers, however, we had something that I found far more enjoyable to both watch and participate in – the EF Super Race.  “What is this?” I hear you ask, part of our company’s summer shenanigans, and an excellent way to mark Children's Day on 1st June.  One team is made up of two students and two parents.  Each team must travel around the city by any means necessary to complete various challenges and collect company stamps upon completion.  I was stationed at Shanghai Indoor Stadium with a group of teachers from our region.  We were responsible for helping the participants shoot basketball hoops in the full size court nets: no mean feat if you are 4’ nothing and 6 years old.

Over 300 participants accepted the challenge, arriving in chauffeur driven cars, taxis or by metro to complete the challenge.  One team arrived with parents pedalling bikes, their children sitting patiently in small seats at the rear.  It was great, so much enthusiasm was shown by staff and participants alike, all using whatever English they had to talk to us, offer thanks and ask to try their hand at the baskets.  I won’t lie, I’d rather have been stationed at the Krispy Kreme shop, munching on EF doughnuts; but at least I got to enjoy the glorious weather with good company.

 EF Shanghai participants & staff

 Shanghai winning team

(Photos from EF Shanghai)

A xx

Step it up

The city is huge and the metro here far exceeds any sceptical preconceptions I may have had.  Spotlessly clean, it puts its London, Paris and New York (especially NYC) equivalents to shame.  Not only is it spotlessly clean, it’s also very cheap.  I have a rechargeable metro card, which I swipe over the turnstiles upon entering and exiting the system, and a journey (regardless of distance) sets me back approximately 30p.  Mobile phone signals are fine, even when in the deepest, darkest tunnels: it’s great.  All signs, maps and announcements are in Chinese and English, and my work schedule means I never have to travel during peak times.  Even during peak times, commuters are guided by arrows on platforms and steps, indicating where you should and shouldn’t walk/stand.  It is quite funny watching people race for seats during busy periods; I witnessed an elderly man and woman, strangers by all accounts, race from opposite ends of a carriage towards a spare seat.  To my surprise, the man got their first and didn’t sacrifice his seat to his fellow pensioner: there’s no chivalry here!

During my second week in the ‘Hai my commute to work from the hotel consisted of an hour long Metro journey, navigating two lines and dodging hundreds of fellow commuters.  My new apartment is situated half way between the main CBD and my school, which reduces my commute to a mere 25 minutes, whilst eliminating the need to change lines.  Also eliminated is the need to pay attention, I can happily sit there listening to my iPod or reading my Kindle without fear of missing my station: because I exit at the end of line 1.  If the mass evacuation of people at this stop wasn’t a good enough indication that I’ve reached my destination, there’s always the 30 second blast of Kenny G which serve as a reminder it’s time to leave!

A quiet commute

The metro was also where I saw my first baby bum!  It’s not as perverse as it sounds, honestly.  Little ones in China wear crotchless pants, enabling the children to relieve themselves quickly.  One little boy the other day thought he would take advantage of the space around him in a near empty carriage and decided to try a spot of pole dancing in the aisle, before toppling over and revealing all to anyone who happened to glance his way!

With so many people travelling around the most populated city in China, it’s inevitable that you will encounter a few ‘interesting’ individuals.  One young man followed my flatmate and I the whole length of an interchange (a lengthy one at that); telling me how I looked like… wait for it… his Australian English teacher, a mermaid and Snow White!  Thankfully, after feeling the need to escort us to our platform he didn’t pursue us any further.  He did, however, feel the need to embrace us both and attempt to kiss us; something we both reacted to very swiftly; pushing him away and running for the opening train doors!  Thankfully, for now, my repertoire of random metro incidents stops with that over-affectionate individual and an anti-corruption preacher who entertained myself, my friends and some English speaking Chinese passengers one evening.

There is, however, one thing that really niggles at me… the number of steps I have found myself climbing over the past few weeks!  As a fairly physically fit person I have no aversion to walking.  After gaining all 3 levels of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, carrying a handbag on a short walk to work poses no problems.  If anything, it’s quite a novelty after a year of living in ‘Nam, where I did anything to avoid working up a sweat in such a hot and humid climate.  But steps stop my stride, slow me down and cause bottle necks at busy times.

On the plus side, all this walking is keeping my quads and glutes fine and firm, so I can’t complain too much!

A xx

Random observations

Thought I’d share with you a few random observations I've made since touching down on Asian soil:

1. Vietnamese people

On the whole they're very friendly, have great respect for teachers, will say hello in the street and are keen to practise what little English they know.  University students often sit in the parks in the hope of practising spoken English with the teachers and western tourists, some also asking you to complete short surveys as part of their studies.

Walking back from a bar in the wee small hours once I passed a taxi driver cleaning his cab – after taking a look at this tall, western girl wearing a short skirt and vest top he hissed, shouted and then threw something in my vicinity.  Being alone at that time is generally safe unless you carry a shoulder bag (a magnet for bag snatchers on scooters), but my sceptical gland is enlarged here and there was no way I was about to stop, turn and look at this joker. More fool me, it was only when I got home I found a button missing from my skirt – the button the taxi driver was trying to return to me (albeit by hissing and throwing it) when it fell on the pavement! They’re a good bunch after all.

A small percentage do like to stare as you walk by. I can well imagine a tall, slim, pale western girl with wider hips and bigger boobs (I know I'm no Katie Price) than the average Asian woman would be cause to stare if I were Vietnamese, but during my ‘off-days’ I can't help myself but to stare back, returning the 'alien-like' look I'm receiving.  And the lady who pointed at me as she rode past on her scooter in Nha Trang - well, what could I do but immediately point at her, opening my mouth aghast to show my shock at seeing a Vietnamese person in Vietnam – ‘cos Buddha forbid there should be a westerner in a tourist hotspot!

They are also fairly unaware of the world around them. It's probably mainly due to being a communist country and spending years in schools having opinions drilled in to them in line with government thinking. But even talking to well educated Vietnamese teaching assistants who have the desire to travel, it becomes apparent that they have little knowledge of the world and (more worryingly) see no reason to ever question anything (again probably due to their dictatorial style of education system).  Free thinking is even frowned upon when studying degrees such a philosophy.  So having a debate with my class of Intermediate level seniors took a while, but did eventually evoke some interesting free-thinking responses: who knows what it could start!

2. Spatial awareness

To be frank - it simply doesn't exist here: as in many Asian countries. People don't queue, nor do they move out of the way. Waiting and turn taking are also alien concepts (except where my students are concerned: they all forms lines during games and wait for their turn until I utter the magic word ‘go’! Gotta love having so much power!).  There are few car parks here; those there are exist only under newly built department stores or blocks of flats. As a result scooters are parked anywhere and everywhere - usually on pavements next to barbers, restaurant tables, all kinds of street stalls and their sellers, xe-om drivers hassling you for business… the list could go on.  The few who drive cars in the city park them 3 foot from the pavement as they have no idea what they are actually doing and are far more interested in flaunting their expensive motor as a status symbol, even though few can actually see over the steering wheel!

3. Exercise

Vietnamese people are told from a young age that participating in sports will make you taller (yes, really)! As a child who detested PE in school and now stands at 5’10”, I can vouch that this is not the secret to eternal lankiness. However, many of my students participate in badminton in the hope of growing tall and strong. Roadside gyms overflow with weedy men trying to emulate the posters of American body builders that adorn the doorway.  But walking - why would you want to do a thing like that? Apparently, this action is not classified as exercise and it’s an alien concept that anyone would actually choose to put one foot in front of the other for more than 20 yards. Why do that, after all you have your battered Honda wave scooter to take you from A to A + 20 yards. So as I stride down the many pavements of Saigon (dodging all the aforementioned clutter found on them as I go) every xe-om and taxi driver I pass slows down/honks their horns/shouts ‘motto-bike miss’ and seem bewildered when I say I like to walk.

"You want motto-bike?"

I could go on, but I’ve no doubt you’ve better things to do than listening to my eternal ramblings.

A xx