Kaifeng Hotels
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Wo bu ming bai!
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After months of anticipation, stress, and periods where it
felt like all I did was wait for information, delayed flights, missed
connections and final goodbyes - I'm finally in China. So much has happened in the
past two weeks that it's already an overwhelming experience to answer the question
"How's China?"
Stepping off the plane in Beijing, I was expecting all five senses to
go into a state of shock and becoming slightly incapacitated with sensory overload.
My head whirled on the plan with imaginary
visions of a strange new language, weird smells and gobs of mucus covering
everything. But the Beijing
airport is one of the most boring and mundane places I've ever been. So I
was again surprised when I got out of the car in Kaifeng where there are all sorts of sensory
things to overstimulate even the most unaffected person.
Kaifeng
is a riot of sound, people and dirt. You enter into full battle mode when
you walk past the South Gate of Henan University (Daxue) and onto Minglun
Street (Jie), competing with other pedestrians as you fight for your life
against bikers, mopeds, sanliuchi (three-wheel truck taxis), buses and foot
traffic. Part of the problem is compounded by the fact that you
bring everything to a standstill because you are clearly not from around here.
I will have absolutely no fear of traffic by the time I
return to the States and won't flinch at any car on the wrong side of the
street because being on the wrong side of the street is the norm here.
After we attended our required medical exams for our residency permits, we were
joking about how our bus driver might or might not have been drinking the
distilled ant and snake liquor at lunch. If he was, we wouldn't really be
able to tell that he was drunk driving because it seems like all drivers in Kaifeng
seem to be drunk as they drive. (Not really Mom and Dad, they're just a
little crazy.)
China's notorious pollution is definitely present, although
we are told that Kaifeng is a much cleaner city than others. Erin, Max
and I have only seen blue sky once or twice in the past two weeks we have been
here, most of the time it's hidden behind the thick smog that envelopes most of
the country. But I'm glad I'm living in Kaifeng because the city protects
me from seeing most of China's ridiculous and unfettered construction.
During the Song Dynasty, Kaifeng was the center of Chinese civilization and
that was probably the last time the city had any sort of glamor. Thus,
Kaifengers have developed this deeply intense obsession with the Song Dynasty
(which you know, ended while most of the Western world was still in its
barbaric stage) and the city has prevented any sort of large building or
construction project within the city walls. City officials fear construction may damage
the ruins that are buried underneath the city. But it's not the picturesque
image of traditional China many people come looking for as most of the current
architecture was built in the 1980s after the Reform and Opening. Yet I already
love the city's connection to their past and how buildings and their surroundings
have character and adhere more to the standards of ancient Chinese architecture
than other places.
This love though, was undiscovered until we left the city to
go to Zhengzhou for our medical tests. Zhengzhou is perhaps the most
soulless, faceless and infuriating city I have ever seen. It's all large,
uninspired, and unoriginal chunks of concrete skyscrapers, with most of them
currently underconstruction. Once you leave the city walls of Kaifeng and
creep closer to Zhengzhou, the constant stream of people is replaced by a sea
of metallic cars and large concrete slabs that have eaten up a large portion of
the surrounding farmland.
I was extremely glad to return to Kaifeng, where there is no
distinction between private and public life - it all happens on the
streets. The streets play host to restaurants, family meals, games of mah
jongg and Chinese chess, haggling and shopping, services like bicycle and watch
repair are rendered and yes, even small children going to the bathroom.
The activity on the streets of Kaifeng and how people blend their private lives
together with the public sphere makes the city perhaps the most organic place
I've ever been. Because there are so many people constantly on the street,
it seems like everyone looks out for the other people in the
neighborhood. The vendors have their friends and are anxious to talk to
new people. And we've already established a home-away-from-home in this
family-run Muslim noodle shop. We can't really speak to the family yet,
but we're working on it and we've established a great communication system with
them based on body language. Also, the fact that they have pictures of
their food is a bonus.
My standard of living is quite high for the city and my
apartment is quite comfortable. I feel guilty about the quality of my
apartment and how much I'm getting paid compared to Jackie Chan, the worker in
the International Office and to Old Man Tank Top, the man who is in charge of
locking the gate to our apartment complex at night. These two men do a
lot for us and our living situation far exceeds theirs, even though they do so
much work. The inequality between our salaries and theirs is
disgusting. But yes, our apartments are in a gated community and Old Man
Tank Top locks the gate around 9 to 10 p.m. so if we're out later, we have to
hop the gate. Last night was the first night that we've ever been in that
situation. When we got to the top the
spikes no longer looked so nice and innocent. We're trying to devise a way
to create a makeshift ladder or perhaps we're going to buy a heavy-duty rug we
can throw over to avoid puncture wounds.
Other than coming equipped with spikes of death, I have a
couch and a huge bed so if anybody wants to come visit, please feel free!
I also have a shower, bathtub and a real toilet, so trust me, if you're in
China, you're going to want to stay with me.
The first week of classes went well and if I had to
generalize one thing about my students it's that they are CRAZY about
English. I have never seen such an obsession with a language and their
eagerness is entertaining and overwhelming. It's also intense to teach so
many students at once, especially students who are looking to you to greatly
advance their English skills. Most of their essays they turned in during the
first week were written in a hilarious pleading tone because they have a large
exam coming up in November. Their scores on this test will affect their chances
to apply to jobs in the United
States after graduation next year. The
pressure to meet their expectations makes me nervous about how I will be as a
teacher because I do want to help them, but working in the Chinese education
system is going to pose great problems for me as a teacher and as someone who is
used to a completely different style of learning. I'm teaching English
majors in third-year writing and also first-year conversation classes.
The first-years don't start classes until the 19th because they are currently
in mandatory military training.
I don't really understand how the students choose their
English names. In this one class, I have a group of students who make it impossible
to do attendance according to the seat chart. The order of their assigned seats is: Seven,
Davids, Smith, Panda, Apple First, and Mike. In other classes I have some
Babbys, some Cherrys, Sum, Looking Clouds, Lee Moon and some other great
gems. The girls pretty much either like female names from the 1950s or
porn star names. Although Max takes the cake with his student named
Christ. I have a class where a lot of people don't have English names so
they want me to come up with a list of names - I can't decide if I should make
a completely ridiculous list that would be entertaining to me or if I should
make a legitimate list. The chance to mess with these kids is just so
great and tempting, I can't decide. But I'm excited to teach and I think
this is going to be something that I really enjoy doing, once I actually figure
out an effective way to create lesson plans. And hey, at least I'll have
some really entertaining essays to read throughout the year.
Latest Comments (6)
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welcome to China (reply)
May 6, 2008 02:12 EST by ldx_zhytravel
The World Tourism Organization predicts that by 2020 China will become the world's most popular tourist destination. Book your next trip with SHININGCHIA TRAVEL today and experience the journey of a lifetime.
We look forward to helping you plan the best vacation you've ever taken
With warm regards.
http://www.shiningchinatravel.com
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Re: Names (reply)
Sep 14, 2007 23:16 EST by nwolf
Also, say 'hi' to Max and Erin for me and tell them that I miss them both bunches! (This is Nick Wolf by the way...:)
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In reply to:
I want to meet Panda and Apple First!! Those are all such cool names! Do they pick them each one their own? On the spot? I miss you Emily!
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Names (reply)
Sep 14, 2007 23:14 EST by nwolf
I want to meet Panda and Apple First!! Those are all such cool names! Do they pick them each one their own? On the spot? I miss you Emily!
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What's up (reply)
Sep 9, 2007 20:16 EST by mudge
This blog is sweet! It has been great talking to you Jess. It sounds like you are going a mile-a-minute. Hopefully things will calm down and you can find your groove. Can't wait to hear more from across the world. See ya.....
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Fun Fun (reply)
Sep 8, 2007 23:37 EST by beckym81
I love your travel blog. Keep on writing it. I'll be sure to read it during class. I think you should be nice and write real names for your students...it's all karma...like when people who don't know Chinese get tattoos with Chinese characters on them...hopefully the meaning of those characters fit with what people want them to mean, although I doubt they do!
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Ni hao wode pengyou! (reply)
Sep 8, 2007 05:07 EST by jess.joy
Emily,
Can't write long, but I've been here for just over 3 days and I cannot express how similar my initial reactions to China have been.
The motif for me the past three days has been: 'this is just really overwhelming'.
Overwhelming = China
Love, Jess
I start classes Monday. Yikes. Will update my pod soon!
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