photo and text below from Sky Lantz-Wagner’s blog: skylantzwagner.blog.com/
Sky Lantz-Wagner can also be contacted thru his U. of Dayton site: www.udayton.edu/directory/aali/cip/lantz-wagner_sky.php
Sky Lantz-Wagner
MA TESOL
University of Dayton
Center for International Programs
Intensive English Program
Rike Center, Room 113
Phone: 937-229-3569
slantzwagner1@udayton.edu
Peace Corps China
My Life as a Complex Adaptive System
The journey NEARS ITS END!
At peace
2012 July 4, Posted by sky
I am sitting in the Peace Corps headquarters in Chengdu feeling a little different than I did a day ago. I find myself at a major crossroads looking back at the unforgettable experiences of the past two years and at the same time looking forward to all the exciting and unknown things that lie ahead.
Although my service has finished, I will consider this my last blog post as a Peace Corps volunteer. So many exciting things have happened the past week that it would require hours to get caught up, so I’ll tell the completion of service (COS) story and wrap up with my travel itinerary and then sign off!
I arrived in Chengdu in the evening of July 2nd and went straight to the hotel where I connected with the other volunteers who were COSing yesterday. Between birthday celebrations and farewell dinners and parties, I hadn’t slept much in the previous 3 nights so we chatted for a bit and were in bed my midnight. The next morning we ate breakfast and went to the office to begin the check out process. We had to bring back all of the Peace Corps property from our sites including the water purifies, smoke detector, unused antibiotics, books, etc. We then had to meet with our program manager, the clerk, and the country director. It was a lot of running around and collecting signatures for various forms, but went by quickly and was very exciting.
The interview with the country director was the highlight of the day. It was one-on-one and very casual, but also very thought provoking. She said that everyone is going to want to know about our experiences when we come hone and asked me to think about a 60-second public service announcement for our time in China. I said I would start my PSA with “It was worth it” and then started to summarize some of the insights into Chinese culture that I gained. She encouraged me to think of some more specific stories about students, colleagues, or community members that could represent my service. It was good advice and I plan to spend lots of my travel time reflecting. The goal will be a unique story for every person who asks 🙂
When all the Peace Corps work was finished I felt elated, not because Peace Corps was heavy, but because I felt satisfied. I hugged everyone I could and made promises to come back to visit when I return to China.
In the evening, the U.S. consulate hosted a 4th of July party that all of the COSing volunteers were invited to. The consulate general made a nice speech and then there was a reception with some of the best food and drinks I remember having in China. I ate asparagus wrapped in bacon, burger sliders, 4 different kinds of salad, lox, roasted potates, and meat pie. Holy lord it was good. With my meal I opted for a nice pinot noir, but after switched to a mild stout beer which went well with the mini pecan and lemon merengue pies which I had for dessert. What a way to spend my last day as a volunteer! We were some of the last few people at the party and met the consulate general and his family. We had a nice chat and strolled, strutted, maybe even floated a little, back to the hotel.
So that’s it. As of midnight last night I am a free man. Tomorrow I leave for Beijing and then Friday I’m off to Prague to start my Eastern European adventure that will include Budapes, Croatia and Slovenia. I’ll finish my vacation in Italy and fly home from Milan around the 25th.
Before leaving I just want to say thank you China. I have learned more about myself and the world than I ever thought I would. I hope that my work here has made a positive impact on you and that you will not forget me. Until we meet again… be at peace.
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Boxed and bound for home
2012 June 22,
Posted by sky
The packing has begun! Last night I sat for an hour or so in the little room that has been my “office” for the past two years. I started sifting through the papers, books, ticket stubs, and other souvenirs that I want to take home. I sorted some clothes as well. It turns out that there are a good number of clothing items I wore fewer than 3 times while in China. There are also t-shirts, socks, and boxers that have just been abused by my washing machine and day-t0-day life in China. I have decided that about 1/2 the clothes I brought are going to stay here and I am going to start fresh when I get home. In the box that goes before me, I packed my winter coat, a traditional Chinese sports coat, a couple of other winter items, a few books and papers, and a few gifts that I have already purchased. I went with my colleague to the post office today and I cannot express how exciting it was to feel 25 pounds lighter. I have also found someone to buy my computer before I leave. My trip to Europe is going to be very low-weight 🙂
So, things are happening fast here. Kate and I are still getting invited to farewell dinners and parties. It is touching and a bit overwhelming. I have actually started to decline invitations at this point because I am pretty much booked for dinners until I leave next Sunday. Tonight the sophomores in class one held a party in their classroom in our honor. On the board was written “A Party for Seeing Mr. Sky and Ms. Kate.” We have tried our best to teach our students grammar, really we have. The party was pretty typical; we sang songs, watched some students do some dances, and played a charades-type game that was a little ridiculous. There was also a slide show of pictures from the past 2 years set to “We Are the World.” It was a little too tacky to evoke the sadness of departing, but it was still very well done. At the end of the party there was a double-decker vanilla cake on the top of which was written “BFF,” which I recently taught the class in a lesson on abbreviation skills. At least some things stick 🙂
I’m off to finish grading some papers. More soon!
= = =
KFC
2012 June 17, Posted by sky
Tongren has officially made it. We now have a Kentucky Fried Chicken fast-food restaurant in our town. It opened about a week and each of the 3 or 4 times I have walked past it, it has been packed. Across the street from said KFC is another of China’s large fast-food chicken chains called Dico’s. Dico’s is not serving many customers these days. If I were them, I would have put together a great marketing campaign to draw crowds away from the new joint. I was thinking 2-for-1 sandwiches, free soft drinks, free ice cream for kids. I mentioned this to a friend of mine as we were walking past both stores. She said that Dico’s and KFC are owned by the same parent corporation in China. Oh.
I was craving a fried snack and so I ventured in to Kentucky. It was clean, cool, new ,and very efficient – all things that Chinese people love. I get the feeling that KFC is going to do well in our town. I doubt I’ll make it back there, but it was worth a quick visit, even though we couldn’t find seats and had to take our food to go.
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Farewell party
2012 June 12,
Posted by sky
The coolest volunteers in China live in Guizhou. That is all there is to it. We had a party two weekends ago and every single volunteer made the trip from their respective homes to take part. The theme was of course “Farewell to the 16′s” but for the 3rd consecutive year was combined with “Best Chinglish T-shirt.” The hilarious translations that you find on clothing in China would be hard for even a professional linguist to come up with and we found some great ones. Two other guys actually bought the same shirt I did, so we weren’t in the running, but I was psyched about my purchase and will make it my go-to gym shirt when I get home.
The weather had been rainy for the week before the party so we were a little nervous about our plans, but we were lucky to have a day without rain which made our rendezvous at the park delightful. We played foozeball, did relay races, and ate an amazing dinner of grilled chicken and ribs. I had bought a few cigars from the duty free in Malaysia and shared them after dinner. We took photos, toasted, reminisced, and had a grand ole’ time. Later that night we made our way to a bar to have some drinks and round out the evening.
It was sad to say goodbye, especially to such an amazing group of people, but there were a lots of “I’ll see you in the States” which made parting much less emotional than I expected. I’m back in the ‘Ren and finishing up my last week of classes. I give finals the next two weeks and then it is out of here. Man, it is hard to believe that these two years are coming to an end.
See you soon, America!
yes-Joe is wearing a woman’s shirt 🙂
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Return to Fanjing Mountain
2012 May 30, Posted by sky
You might think the title of this blog sounds like the title of a bad movie sequel, but comparing this trip to the first time we went to the same mountain a year ago breaks the sequel stereotype; the second was much better than the first.
Several weeks have passed since the epic adventure to Fanjing Shan, but this whole major life transition that is on the horizon has really made it hard to keep up any kind of blogging rhythm. So, here is the story.
Back in January, I started making arrangements to bring a big group of Peace Corps volunteers to Tongren in early May to visit our famous mountain. After the roster was set, frequent emails were sent out with weather updates that went something like this: 7 days out – 0% chance of rain, high of 70, low of 50 (in other words perfect), 2 days out – 70% chance of rain, high of 60, low of 45 (wet and cold…ouch. At this point 5 of the 20 people backed out and I don’t blame them), 1 day out – 40% chance of rain, temperatures the same as the day before (ok, we can work with this), 12 hours out – 20% chance or rain, temperatures back to the original high of 70 (hesitantly optimistic we’ll be dry when we reach the top).
Most of the crew arrived on a Friday night, but those who made it in early enough were treated to some world-class bowling and lovely tour of the little slice of heaven that is Tongren. We also went to our favorite restaurant for dinner and ended up at a tea house near the bus station to wait for the late arrivals.
The next morning, we were up and at ‘em by 9 and had everyone in the vans and mobilized by about 9:30. We got to the mountain entrance where I had to use my best bargaining skills to convince the ticket sales woman that our drivers licenses, wallet-sized laminated Peace Corps emergency contact cards, and various other forms of ID some with and some without photos were all student IDs. It was not an easy task, but I managed to get 16 out of 17 tickets at half price which I was pretty psyched about.
The weather was looking pretty good when we started our hike. It was partly sunny and we were pretty sure we were not going to get rained on. Our luck held out and we stayed dry the whole way up. However, another small issue arose during the hike and that was the “No Camping” signs that were clearly visible at all the rest stops. We had all brought tents and sleeping bags and were ready for a night in the woods, and the signs made me a little nervous. Fortunately there is a Buddhist temple at the top of the mountain and the monks gave us permission to pitch our tents just outside the temple. Hooray Buddhist monks who live on mountain tops!
Some of us hiked faster, some slower, but we were all at the top by about 5 pm and had 2 hours until sunset. We were all pretty exhausted after an eventful morning and afternoon but dug deep, caught our 5th wind, and went exploring. It was so clear at the top of the mountain that it seemed like you could see forever. The coolest part, however, was the sea of clouds below. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
After sunset we all settled down with our instant noodles, beef jerky, fruit, and other things we brought to share. Stories were told, songs were sung. It was a night of genuine happiness and much appreciated camaraderie. We woke up in the morning, ate a little breakfast, did a little yoga, and headed for home.
I was sore for about 3 days after the trip, but it was worth every ache and pain to have gotten so lucky with the weather and to have spent time with such a great group of people.
Epic.
[captions to photos:]
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under → Tongren
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Pass the torch
2012 May 25, Posted by sky
It has been quite a while since my last post and I suppose it is because I am suffering from the pre-leaving China blues. I’m trying not to think about all the big transitions ahead and live in the now, but it has been raining constantly for 5 days and I have let the soggy weather affect my mood.
On a more positive note, I wrote a song called Pass the Torch which is about keeping the Peace Corps tradition alive in China. A friend of mine who happens to be from Marietta, Georgia where I grew up helped me arrange the song and backed me up with harmonies and a beat box. We recorded the song a few weeks ago and put it online. Check it out when you have a minute 🙂
Pass the Torch video
I have a couple of other stories to tell and I’ll try to spend a little time getting caught up this weekend.
Hugs
= = =
Bowling champions (almost)
2012 May 11,Posted by sky
You know your town has made it to the bit time when it gets its first bowling alley. Because it is underground, we probably would not have found it had it not been for one of my local friends who had already been to check out the scene. After dinner one night last week, we decided to go to the alley for a couple of games and noticed ads for a bowling tournament starting two days later. We scrambled to get a team together and ended up with a foreigner team consisting of me, Joe, and a Canadian guy named Marcus. We signed up for the tourney and boom, we are bowling.
Twelve teams had signed up and the first day of the tourney was on a Monday in the afternoon. We were supposed to start at 12:00, but as often happens in China, coordinator of the event had no idea where some of the teams were, and really had no idea what was going on. We were not eager to spend the whole day underground so we pestered until we were appeased enough to stick around. It was close to 1:30 before we started and by that point were ready to rock. They had teams on adjacent lanes and we were in the 2nd heat. It was a shaky game for me and I ended up with a 116. Marcus and Joe had 122 and 126 respectively. Our combined scores were enough to put is in 3rd place after the first day which qualified us for the finals the following day where we would go head-to-head with the other top 6 finishers.
The next day ran much more smoothly in terms of logistics. We started on time and the competition flowed smoothly. We were in the 2nd heat which meant we knew we had to bowl out of our minds to win it all. A guy on one team bowled a 215 and his team total was a 450! In our game, I started slow, but picked things up near the 5th frame. I turkeyed 6, 7, and 8, bowled a 9/spare in the 9th and a 9/spare in the 10th to finish with a 179 – over 60 points better than my previous score! Joe and Marcus on the other hand felt the heat and both dropped about 20 pins, bowling a 100 and 101 respectively.
In the end our total of 380 was good enough for 3rd place, only 8 pins out of 2nd. We each won a 300 RMB gift card to the rec center and were pretty psyched about it. Bowling rules!
3rd place!
= = =
COS conference
2012 April 27, Posted by sky
Last weekend’s trip to Chendgu was the first step in the relatively long process of leaving China. The COS conference is a time for Peace Corps staff to give volunteers nearing the end of their service important information regarding paperwork, travel, insurance, and readjusting to life at home. At the same time it is a chance for members of the same cohort to bond for what may be the last time in country. With the thought that we are all leaving in the back of my mind, I was prepared for moments of sadness throughout the four days, but they never came. I thought of why this could be and I realized a couple of things. First, although we have had our COS conference, we still have over 2 months in China before we are completely finished. A lot can and will happen during that time, making it less likely to get emotional now. Second, it has been over a year (at our first in-service training) since I saw the majority of the people at COS. China is so big and we have been so spread out for so long that when we are back in the States, it will take about as much effort and planning to see one another as it does now. Not much will change in that respect.
So what did COS conference mean to me? It meant maximizing time with friends, filling up on western and Sichuan food, and thinking about the immediate future, i.e. travel plans. J Fortunately the weather in Chengdu was great, so we got to spend a lot of time outside. The first day a large group of us ended up on the lawn outside of the overseas student dorms, sitting on the grass with shoes off, socializing and enjoying the quiet. There is a noticeable lack of grass in rural China and I almost felt I was back at Piedmont Park for a while. We also played ultimate frisbee, basketball, and two-hand touch football, all of which I loved every minute of. COS also meant great food. The first night in Chengdu I went for a Montana BBQ burger from Grandma’s Kitchen. The second night featured typical Sichuan dishes including ma po tofu and guo ba rou pian (sliced meat with sautéed vegetables over crispy rice cakes). The third night the Peace Corps treated us all to dinner at Pete’s Tex-Mex. We had a buffet full of salads, hamburgers and hotdogs – satisfying in every way. The final night a group of us went to celebrate a friend’s birthday at a hot pot restaurant. The broth was extra oily and extra spicy and at one point I was dripping sweat into my rice bowl. On top of all that, COS means that I know exactly when I will check out of Peace Corps China and begin my journey home. I will head back to Chengdu on July 2nd, return my things on the 3rd, head to Beijing and fly to Europe on the 6th. Ummm, psyched?
Overall, the conference was well-organized and smooth. All of the information sessions were useful and we had a nice nostalgic slide show which I will post a link to ASAP. I left feeling excited and ready for the last stretch. One the way back to Tongren, I had an interesting experience. I was on the bottom bunk of a hard sleeper and had been chatting with my neighbor on the other bottom bunk. He works in Chengdu and was going to visit his wife who lives in the Hunan province, not an uncommon scenario in China today. In Chongqing a couple from Spain got on the train and ended up in our bunks. I was thrilled and immediately started a conversation with them. They didn’t speak much English so I tried to push the Chinese aside and switch to Spanish. There was definitely some cross-linguistic interference going on and instead of saying “si,” I found myself saying “dui,” which means the same thing in Mandarin. The real kicker was when my bottom bunk neighbor asked me questions about the couple from Spain. My reaction was to start talking to him in Spanish, but I somehow managed to switch back to Mandarin and fill him in as to where they were from, what they had been doing, and where they were headed. The whole event blew my mind. It was so cool to build a bridge between people on a train who otherwise would never have known about each other in languages that are not my native language. Moments like those excite and amateur linguist like me.
I got back to Tongren at 4:40 am, taught for 6 hours starting at 8:00 am and here we are. The home stretch has begun.
[Show as slideshow]
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75…74…73…
2012 April 19, Posted by sky
I remember writing a post with a similar title on the opposite end of this Peace Corps journey only the numbers were getting larger whereas now they are getting smaller. I have not written in quite a while mainly because I have been so busy with test preparation, so focused on the tasks at hand that have kept me busy until 11 pm most nights Sunday to Wednesday that I have certainly let the blog slide.
However, today was the final evening test prep class and today was the final one period. The kids will give it their best shot on Saturday and I am extremely optimistic. In fact, each class I teach I find myself looking at my students who have worked so hard and sending mental messages that say something like, “Remember everything I taught you and you WILL pass the exam!” I will go to bed tonight knowing that I have done my best. I molded as much material as I could while it was in my hands and now it is time to let go and watch from the sidelines. If any of my students read my blog before Saturday, I just want to remind you that I believe in you and I hope that you also believe in yourselves.
This weekend I take my penultimate trip to Chengdu for our completion of service (COS) conference. It is a little crazy to think about and yes, the cliche mixed emotions have started to stir. Knowing that this will be the last time for potentially a long time that I see these friends makes me happy and sad and who knows what kind of bipolar episodes of laughter and tears will result.
I will keep this one short because I’m beat, but I’ll be back soon with more news.
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Tongren orphanage update
2012 April 1, Posted by sky
The highlight of my week continues to be the visits to the orphanage. Over a year and a half has passed since my first visit to the old, drafty, run-down building. A lot has changed since then: a new facility, new faces, and growth spurts. The weather in Tongren has been great the past few days, which means that we study English a little less and play outside a little more when we go to visit the kids. It was while playing outside that I noticed how much the kids have grown since I first met them. It was quite a perspective check for me and made me think about all the growth–physical, mental, and emotional–for the kids and me that has gone on between and during visits to the orphanage. I will miss these kids the most when I leave.
This week, we got into some fun stuff at the orphanage including aquatic animal growth capsules, ocarina on the iPhone, and the play area in the infant ward. See photos below.
In other news, the high stakes test that I have been helping my students prepare for is coming up in 3 weeks! We just took a practice test this week to get the feel for the procedure. I have graded a few of the papers and it seems like my original goal of having 25% of the sophomores pass is a little high. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the test will cover things we have already discussed, making it a little easier, but for now we will just keep working until test time.
That’s all for now. Be back soon with more news 🙂
[Show as slideshow]
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under → Tongren
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Hug every child in China
2012 March 25. Posted by sky
The best hour I have spent in China was Friday night, March 23rd, in a tub at the hot springs resort in the town of Shiqian about 3 1/2 hours from Tongren. I have to show respect to our school, which I believe to be the best Peace Corps post in China. Each semester the foreign affairs office has paid for us to go on a weekend vacation trip to a local place of interest. We had been talking about this particular trip since last semester and knowing that it would be our one last created a little more buzz and excitement than the previous few.
We jumped in the car that school provided around 1:00 pm and headed out of town. Kate and I immediately put our headphones in which seemed to suit our driver and two Chinese colleagues who came with us just fine. I got caught up on a few podcasts including Radio Lab, Stuff You Missed in History Class, Left, Right, and Center, and one I just discovered called Intelligence Squared, which is an Oxford style debate held in the U.S. about hot topics such as college, religion, and Palestine. Since the shortest trip I take to get anywhere outside of Tongren is 3 hours, I have become a huge fan of podcasts in China.
When we got to Shiqian, we made a stop at a private school where somehow, someone scheduled a special “activity” for us. It had been a while since I made a guest appearance at a school and I was pretty excited to drop in visit. Kate, bless her heart, was much less excited than I was but was a trooper none the less and did her best. After a 45 minute interactive session in the school’s auditorium, we went outside for the obligatory photo shoot. I have visited lots of schools during my time in China, but this school was a little different. The kids were a little more easy going than most kids from small towns and there was a surprisingly large number of kids who asked for hugs. One girl in particular asked for 3 hugs in probably 5 minutes. I am one of the world’s biggest fans of hugging and was more than happy to oblige, however, it dawned on me that China does not have a culture of touching and feeling. China’s is very much a thinking society where affection is an internal process, rarely manifesting in hugs. Once you start hugging, however, it is hard to stop, and I think some of these kids have realized how great hugging is. Kate saw all the affection going on and when we got in the car made the comment that I should go on a campaign to hug every child in China. It sounds like an amazing publicity stunt and I’m pretty sure I could get sponsors from anywhere I wanted. Unfortunately, hugging every child in China is not part of my mission in life.
The headmaster of the school and several teachers invited us to dinner where we had a nice banquet type meal. We chatted and exchanged pleasantries and when the bill was paid went straight for the hot springs. Now, when I hear the words “hot springs” I think about mountains and natural pools, maybe the Olympic rain forest. In Shiqian, there is a hotel, build on top of the springs and to enjoy them, you must pay the hotel for either the public bath or the private one. Since the school was paying we went for the private one and while there was no nature to enjoy, save for the hot spring water itself, the experience was the most soothing I have had in China. The private room was actually quite nice. The tub was a on the right side of the room and was a little small, but workable. On the left side of the room was what looked like a lay-in shallow jacuzzi, but the attendant said it didn’t work. There was also a toilet and a stand up shower in the back of the room and shampoo and body wash. The water that filled the tub was the perfect temperature for me and as I stepped in I could feel all of the noise and tension that China dumps on me on a daily basis disappearing into the steam. I always love returning to the element I feel most at home in, and this time there was more than ever to enjoy – the minerals, the heat, the silence, the relief, the meditation. I am not sure how an hour passed so quickly, but it did. My counterpart called me out of my reverie and it was time to go. We made our way back upstairs to find a karaoke type singing show on TV and cigarette smoke filling the hotel lobby. Oh, China, you certainly have a way of bringing a guy back down to earth.
We went back to the hotel and were asleep in no time. The next day featured another visit to another school and another banquet for lunch. So much for our relaxing weekend at the hot springs. One hour in the water and 6 in classes and at banquets. On the way home I listened to more podcasts and thought that this was most likely the last time I will do anything of the sort, in China anyways. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, where hot springs exist (not in a hotel) and no one pulls your strings before and after you get in them. Enjoy the photos 🙂
[Show as slideshow]
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Horse pull pine tree
2012 March 21, Posted by sky
Last weekend I traveled to Chongqing to compete in a large scale road race. In my career, I have specialized in the 1 mile fun run, but I figured it was time to step it up a notch and go for a little more distance. I started training as soon as I got back from Chengdu and had been building up my speed and endurance until about 10 days ago when I caught a little upper respiratory infection that put me out of commission for the week leading up to the race. I had already registered for the 9k (not 10k, 9k) and was excited to make the trip to Chongqing to visit friends, but was a game day decision in terms of running. The night before the race I was sure I was in good enough shape to run so I went for it. I ran 6k at which point my lungs started feeling tight and decided it would be best if I walked the rest of the way. I crossed the finish line with the Chariots of Fire soundtrack playing in my head and connected with all my friends who finished before I did.
I must say that the race was very well organized, however transportation was not. After we finished the race, we had to walk probably 2 miles (a good 30 minutes) to find any kind of transportation to get back to the start of the race. I guess the race coordinators didn’t think 9k was quite long enough and wanted to give us our money’s worth. Speaking of money’s worth, for the 20 RMB registration fee (approximately $3.50) we got a drawstring backpack, t-shirt, numbered bib, and certificate of completion, all of which I thought were very nice. When we went to go pick up our things the day before the race, I was reading the information packet about the race and discovered that the word marathon is translated phonetically and is pronounced ma la song, which literally means “horse, pull, pine tree.” How great is that? Other than the 9k I took part in, there actually was a full and half marathon, both of which drew large international crowds. The purse for the the full horse pull pine tree was $10,000 (US) and $1,000 for the half. Not bad, if you ask me. Next year, I plan on taking home the full marathon purse and clocking my Olympic qualifying time.
The rest of the trip to CQ was great. We lounged around in the afternoon after the race, got some coffee at Starbucks, went shopping for hard-to-find items like cheese, butter and peanut butter, and in the evening went to an amazing pizza buffet followed by a visit to a fellow volunteers house for a pre-party drink, and finally out to the bars. The event drew friends from all four Peace Corps provinces with whom it was wonderful to bond. There are some things I will miss when I leave here in a few months, and the great people are certainly the highest on that list. So, here’s to you, PCVs. Thanks for a great weekend in the Chonqs!
ps-I was horrible about taking pictures, but there are some good ones up on Facebook. Check them out if you have a chance.
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Hopizza
2012 March 10, Posted by sky
There is a new pizza restaurant in town. It is rather unflatteringly called Hopizza, but that is OK because it is actually a pretty nice restaurant. On Wednesday, one of our colleagues Liam invited me and Kate to go try out some things on the menu. It turns out Liam’s dad owns the restaurant and he wanted some suggestions about the food and service. We were the only guests there as the restaurant had not yet opened to the public. Yesterday was the grand opening and Liam invited us back for the full dining experience.
I didn’t notice it the first time we went, but on the wall in the stairway leading to the restaurant is a sign that reads “Ho llywood, Ho lidy, Ho pizza.” It is one of those very Chinese things that attempts to add authenticity to a place but to the trained eye makes it feel a little more Chinese than it would be without it. The dining room was packed mostly with parents and their pre-teen or teenage kids. According to Liam, there were 100 people at the door when the place opened at 8:30 am wanting to eat pizza! We had to wait a few minutes for a table but then settled in for a lovely evening of western food. Liam ordered a couple of pizzas for the table, Kate ordered a t-bone steak, Joe a salad, and I ordered curry beef. The pizza came out as an appetizer and we patiently waited for the rest of our food. After an hour and a third pizza for the table, Joe’s salad and my curry still had not arrived. At that point I asked the server where our dishes were. She informed me that they were out of curry and salad. Hmmm. That’s odd. At what point did you discover there was no more of the dishes we ordered an hour ago? Piggy backing on that question, let me ask you at what point were you going to tell us that there was no more of the savory dishes we had so eagerly been awaiting? If my Chinese were a little better those were the questions I would have asked. I tried my best to sound angry when I asked for a menu to order something else, but I’m pretty sure it didn’t work. She brought the menu and I sighed because I knew that it was impossible to use the situation as a learning experience, which in the States I certainly would have done. Oh, China.
I decided not to order any more food. I was satisfied and didn’t want to go through the hassle. The food was as good as it had been on Wednesday and we left full and happy. I had to come home and take a few digestive enzymes to calm my stomach down, but that was a small price to pay for feasting on non-Chinese food.
A word to the wise: if you ever make it to Hopizza and decide to order a steak make sure that it is well done. Apparently medium means pan seared. Well done is more like the medium we are accustomed to.
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The winter won’t let go
2012 March 8. Posted by sky
We are half way through March and spring should have peeked its head out a little or at least given a sign that it is right around the corner. I returned to Tongren on February 17th and since then it has not been above 45 degrees and it has rained every day for the last ten. I’m not the biggest fan of cold weather, but I can certainly tolerate it when it is clear and pretty. When cold weather is wet and bleak, I tend to suffer. These days I have been suffering. I can see my breath in my apartment when I wake up, which makes it a little difficult to get motivated. I can’t turn my large space heater on because it causes a general power outage in my apartment and I have to go down 4 flights of stairs to flip the circuit breaker back on. Aparently the wiring is pretty old and can’t handle large appliances any more. 🙁 Thankfully my little space heaters warm my bedroom nicely and the electric hot water bottle does amazing things for my mattress. I’m just ready for a little warm weather, or at least a little sunshine. Please?
Other than the weather, life is good. I am in a nice rhythm with teaching, exercising, and socializing. The test prep class that I have designed is going well. The students are becoming much more comfortable with the test format, which was a big goal. We have also been racing through difficult vocabulary, recently focusin on phrasal verbs such as “put up,” “check out,” and “try on.” Man, our native language is a beast. Also, I have been training for a road race in Chongqing next weekend. I am registered for the 10k race, which will be the longest I have ever taken part in. I’m pretty psyched about it. Tomorrow will be the first time that I do the full-length in training. Go-go-gadget legs! Finally, I have been spending time with my host country national friends a lot lately. Everyone knows that I will be leaving at the end of the semester and I feel like it is helpful to prepare mentally for when the big transition comes.
That is the news for now. This has been a pretty uneventful post, but I will hopefully have some good stories and pictures from the race to share in a week or so. Until then…pray for sun in Tongren!
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T.R.U.E. News vol. 2
2012 February 28, Posted by sky
Hi everyone. The latest edition of Tongren University English News (T.R.U.E. News) is online! Follow the link below to read all the excellent work that my students produced. We will get one more edition published this semester and then hopefully the next volunteers will take over where I left off.
issuu.com/tongrennews/docs/truenews2
Please send any comments or suggestions to me via email or the blog.
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Links to sites about Guiyang / Guizhou’s culture, history, sightseeing, life as an expat, schools, visas, maps, etc. that may help foreign visitors to Guiyang, foreign students of Chinese, and new English teachers here more quickly get familiar with the area include:
Flickr "GoGuiyang," photostream at: www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/ , and its organized photo sets at: www.flickr.com/photos/98531730@N02/sets/ .
Tour Guizhou (started by current Guizhou Normal U. teacher Jack Porter), www.tourguizhou.net/ .
Weebly "GoGuiyang" (put together by former Peace Corps teacher Erik Myxter): goguiyang.weebly.com/
Weebly, "GooGuizhou" (spelled "goo.."): googuizhou.weebly.com/
