Permanent Blog Move

Due to the fact I have reached the full storage capacity on this blog, I have decided to permanently move my blog to my website (lauraliddell.com). I'm not willing to shell out the extra money each month so please check out all future posts there!

Winter Scenes from Longsha Park

Sarah and I decided to walk around Longsha Park last week to look at the snow. It was pretty treacherous since everything had pretty much frozen over. I thought we would be more inconspicuous in our winter clothes, but everyone still spotted us, and took more pictures than usual.

A temple Sarah and I stumbled upon:

Nothing stops the Chinese! Still working out despite the snow:

The Bathhouse and Massages

On Saturday night one of my favorite students, Lyra, and her mother invited me out for dinner with them. They said they would take me to the best BBQ place in Qiqihar so I was very excited about that. We headed there after class and naturally there was a big fuss about a foreigner being there. The owner, Mary, came and sat with us for most of dinner. It was a little strange at times because I had no idea what was acceptable or custom when going out with your student and her mother. They offered me something to drink and I didn't know what to order. Eventually they brought me jinjiu (a type of liquor here) and pepsi. Lyra's mother and friend were cheers-ing me all night, trying to get me drunk! They kept telling me to eat and drink more, until eventually I had to tell them "我吃饱了!" (I'm full!). The food really was delicious. The good thing was, because I didn't want to be rude, and because Lyra could only translate so much and I could only understand so much, I kind of just tried everything and didn't think about what everything was. From what I gathered I ate some chicken legs and cow spine, but I had to say no to the chicken heads.

Lyra and I eating some barbecue:

We were at dinner for several hours and I was able to use quite a bit of my Chinese. I think Lyra was quite impressed at how much I knew! She hadn't expected I spoke so much since I try to only speak in English with her in class. Her mother was very kind and said how if I ever needed anything I could ask her since my family was so far away. They already want to take me out for my birthday! I sense the beginning of a 关系. So they mentioned how her mother is the 'bosses' at a bathhouse and so we could go get a massage. I said sure thinking we would go in a week or so, but they wanted me to go tonight and then to sleep at the bathhouse. And, because I'm in China and would likely never get an opportunity like that again, I said sure!

So before I knew it we had stopped by Aoqi so I could gather my things (Lyra insisted on coming up to my room with me) then we were on our way to the bathhouse! I had thought we were just going to get massages, but first we went to a room so we could change (in front of each other) into these robe things. Then we went across the hall to this shower room where we had to shower in front of each other. I didn't even let myself think about the situation ethnocentrically. I really had to look at it from their point of view, where this wasn't a weird or uncomfortable situation at all, but rather they were showing me a great kindness by bringing me there. So I have now officially showered with a student...

After showering we went upstairs to have a massage. All of the people on staff (which was a lot for 10pm on a Saturday night!) have pictures on the wall with an assigned number. You basically choose your masseuse by choosing a number. Lyra and her mother were kind enough to give me masseuse 88, a very lucky number in China. So all there of us were massaged in the same room. I've only had one massage in my life before, but I imagine this massage was very different from other ones. It was painful. She did this weird fast hand rubbing thing that made me feel like my back was on fire. And she pushed so hard! I swear I have bruises on my back. I didn't want to be rude though so grimaced to myself in that face hole thing they have in massage tables.

Where you pick your masseuse:

It was pretty funny because they were all talking to each other in Chinese the whole time and I could understand a lot of the conversation. However they didn't know that so I got to hear everything they were saying about me (including how white my skin is). When they were massaging my feet the masseuse saw my tattoo (for those of you who don't know I have the tiniest silhouette of a bird on my ankle). Of course tattoos are pretty much a taboo in China. They think it usually means you're a bad person if you have one. They all gathered around to look at it and I could just see their opinions of me quickly changing. I had to explain that tattoos are pretty normal in the US and that my brother, sister and even my mother all have ones. It was funny for me because half the time I forget that I even have a tattoo so I didn't even think of it coming up as an issue. I think they were more interested than judging though.

So after that painful experience, which I hope feels worth it in the morning, we went to bed. Usually I don't sleep very well when other people are in the room, but I did much better than usual and slept through most of the night. In the morning Lyra and her mum took me to eat some 包子, which were delicious, but not exactly my idea of a breakfast food! I also ate this corn porridge and tried some bean rice porridge and pumpkin rice porridge (which was yummy!). I made a little joke because to say I'm full in Chinese is 'wo chi bao le' so I turned that into 'wo chi bao zi.' The mum laughed so I think it made sense!

It has been a very interesting 12+ hours but one that I'm sure I will never forget!

Snow, Taxis, and Tutoring

The past week has been relatively uneventful with only some small things happening. There was a two day snow storm which was pretty cool. It was nice because I wasn't teaching those days so got to stay inside and keep warm. The funniest part was seeing the clean up after. Instead of using snow plows the Chinese take advantage of their huge abundance of manpower and actually shovel the streets and sidewalks. At first it didn't really hit me as that crazy, maybe I've been in China too long, but once you think about all the streets that required it then it's pretty hilarious.

Snow as seen from my window:

The roads were a little sketchy there before the clean-up. Surprisingly most of the drivers did actually slow down and didn't continue to barrel down the roads with no regard for speed limit. The sidewalks continue to be treacherous. I completely slipped over on the way to RT Mart, much to the amusement of staring locals. I'm sure they thought it was hilarious seeing this 'waiguoren' fall on her butt. I mean, I was laughing too. The sidewalks were already pretty dangerous due to their shoddy construction, but now you really need to pay attention. You can almost do a shuffle across the road sometimes because it's still so icy. You don't even need to pick your feet up, it's actually safer that way.

Sarah in the snow:

One annoying thing that has started to occur with the new snow is annoying taxi drivers. Twice now I have gotten into a taxi that has stopped to let other people in also. If they're going in the same direction the driver will stop and bring them along also. I guess it makes sense, but it can be quite annoying if you're in a rush. On my way to my first tutoring session I didn't realize getting a taxi in the snow would be so hard. I was running late and eventually a driver stopped and let me in, even though there was a woman already in there. First we went and dropped her off, then we headed to my destination, and picked up another person. I just don't understand. Of course, being a 'waiguoren' (foreigner) we always have the same conversation and every time a new person gets in the taxi they stare at me and ask me how much money I make (which is not considered a rude question here).  One driver tried to not use the meter and charge me 10 kuai (instead of the usual 7 kuai). His excuse, "because it's snowing." Needless to say, I did not take that taxi.

Snowmen everywhere!:

As I briefly mentioned, I started going to see a Chinese tutor that Robin uses. I am planning on going twice a week and each session is an hour. It's a little annoying that the tutors office is so far, you have to take a taxi. But it has been so nice to use my Chinese again! You just forget it if you don't use it. I've been using an old business textbook to do some studying but it's definitely not the same. 

Sarah and I went to walk in the park yesterday since my afternoon class was cancelled. We went around 3pm and the sun was already starting to set which is crazy! It gets dark so early here. The park looked beautiful in the snow. Somehow the branches seem to hold the snow for much longer here. The Chinese were still all out doing their exercise. As were the animals at the zoo, which was just depressing. They must be freezing! I hadn't really walked through it before but it was pretty sad. 

Aoqi Frustrations

The living situation here is starting to get on my nerves. And just because I can I'm going to make a list of the things that annoy me:

- People using my things in the fridge. Somebody used all my milk. Not just some of it, but all of it. It shouldn't be a big deal but it's the principle of the matter that really annoys me. They have also been using my butter, which is almost impossible to find here!

- Listening to people fighting and  to TV shows and music past midnight. The walls here are really thin. When people fight or watch TV shows and listen to music, I can hear everything. Even when they Skype I can hear it. It's very annoying, especially when you're trying to sleep because you have a long day of classes the next day. And no, I don't really want to hear you singing Adele day after day.

-Walking down the hall in a towel to use the shower, in front of the other foreign teachers. I don't want to do that. And I'd rather not have a conversation with someone every time I go to the bathroom also, while we're on that topic.

-When the cold water in the shower runs out. Ummm not fun, even in the U.S.

-A dirty kitchen after Jerra and I spent 2+ hours cleaning it with our own cleaning supplies.  Clean up after yourselves! We're all adults. 

-Please close the door when you're peeing. We aren't all guys, and we definitely are not good friends. I don't want to see that stuff. There are certain things that you should just do, closing a door when you pee is one of them.

-People smoking in the hallway when I'm drying my clothes. The whole purpose of cleaning my clothes is for them to smell good, not for them to smell like smoke. Also if you sound like you're coughing up a lung shouldn't you stop smoking?

-A stinky hallway. The people upstairs are drying cabbage. A very Chinese thing to do. And it stinks. Literally stinks. I really wish I didn't have to smell that every time I come back from class.

-Don't send students upstairs to knock on my door if they come early to class. I will come downstairs when I'm ready. I'm perfectly capable of telling the time. And just because the students are early doesn't mean I need to be. According to my clock I still have 10 minutes. 

So there are some pet peeves of mine at the moment. Definitely some things I am NOT going to miss about Aoqi. 

Another Email from a Student

A student emailed me back with the following response. I just love her eagerness!

Hi Laura
Thank you for you corrected my mistakes!

    I wanted to share my change with you. In this pass month ,I like living along gradually,just only one having dinner ,walking,reading and shopping.My roommates said I will feel lonely.but in my mind,I enjoied this feeling because it was quiet and made me free to do anything.

   After the school every evening,I had a walk in the road,crossed the tree ,listened to the leaves` voice by the wind.Sometimes,I stopped to listen to my favourite songs from the school broadcast.Besidas,I felt homesick when I reading a moving arctical.I missed my home,no body knew how much I hoped tomorrow is winter holiday so I can get home as soon as possible.I often saw the moon  and wished my relatives and friends have a long life so as to share the beauty of this graceful moonlight ,even though miles apart.
   In China ,moon is stand for reunion,so when you miss home,you can say to him what you think.
   Beautiful Miss,how can I have a meeting with you!

The Greasy Hair Battle and Politics

Ever since moving to China I have had the biggest issue finding a good shampoo and conditioner. Those of you that know me well know I'm not really a shampoo snob. Just give me any store bought shampoo and that should work fine. In China, though, every shampoo and conditioner somehow leaves a bunch of grease at the top of my head. It's like I have a helmet of gel that will not go away, no matter how many times I wash my hair. After trying three different kinds of shampoo I gave up and tried dish soap. It did the trick and my hair has never looked better since being here. So now I can officially say I am washing my hair with Chinese dish soap.

My 'shampoo':

For my university classes this week I taught politics. I thought it would be appropriate with the re-election of Obama (wooo!) and the start of the transfer of power from Hu Jintao to Xi Jingping as President. The transfer is set to be officially completed in March 2013 and is the first in a decade. One thing that really surprised me was how little the country seemed to care about this takeover. I guess some of the lack of enthusiasm could be attributed to having a non-voting system. The people are less emotionally invested in the politicians. However, from talking to a couple of my students and my Chinese friend Rose, they essentially do not feel connected to everything that is happening in Beijing. People in China like to celebrate, fireworks go off outside my room almost weekly (although that's decreasing with the approach of winter). I thought there would be mass firework displays throughout the city marking his transfer, but alas, no.

Another thing I've noticed is the Chinese are extremely nationalistic. Extremely. You would not want to be Japanese in China right now. Even all of the Japanese made cars are covered in pro-China stickers. Restaurants and stores have big anti-Japan stickers plastered on their doors. It's really crazy how almost everyone jumps on board. So many of my students mention how they hate Japan, at which point I abruptly change the topic. Yet at the same time, this criticism and hatred is all focused outside of the country. None of it is focused on the issues within the country. The Chinese just don't do it, and they very few who do tend to remain quiet about it (or become dissidents of the Chinese government). It's just such a different concept from the US, where everyone openly disagrees with the government. And it's one thing to hear about these cultural differences, but another to actually see them.

This contrasts to another point I read in some other article (I've been reading a lot of articles lately). It was discussing how a lot of the world (or America) is worried about China taking over as the kind of leader of the world. It discussed how throughout history, despite China's vast power, its focus has almost always been inwards. In colonial times it had the power to colonize abroad, but due to various factors, it didn't. One of these reasons, it argued, is due to the Chinese mindset. Its focus is within the country, not on expanding its power outwards. This is in stark opposition to the people, who focus their nationalism outwards, not inwards.

In class I mentioned how one of the issues in the election was gay marriage, something that is just not accepted in China. Rose mentioned how there are a few gay people on campus, but not many as it generally is not accepted here. Most gay Chinese head to the bigger cities of Beijing and Shanghai. I read an interesting article that mentioned how some individuals will marry a person of the opposite sex to have the facade of a marriage and then continue relationships with same-sex individuals. I didn't ask my students if they thought gay-marriage was an acceptable idea. I felt that would be a little too heavy for an English speaking class! Some of the other issues I mentioned were abortion, foreign policy, healthcare, and illegal immigration. I think the students really found it interesting to hear about some of the topics people in the US found important.

Stephen's 30th Birthday

On Saturday we went to celebrate Stephen's 30th birthday at a bar called Beijing Love Story, formerly known as Banana Bar. Scott, Jerra, Sarah and I took a cab there since we had no idea where it was, but it turned out to only be a five-minute walk from our place. Oops.

The party was a pretty amusing event. Stephen, a future politician in the making, invited tons of his Chinese friends and students. He has been in Qiqihar for several years and is dating a Chinese girl, Bonnie, who is also a student at the university. There were live singers and musical performances on the stage. The music was so loud you could hardly think. Stephen stood up and made a speech and was presented with a bouquet of alcohol. Such a great idea! Bonnie had put together a slideshow full of pictures of them together. It was really cute to watch.

Taking pictures of people taking pictures:

One issue I have in China is with their pastries and cakes. They always look so good and delicious, but more often than not they are pretty revolting. Following suit, Stephen had two massive cakes. They both looked scrumptious, only until you bit into them and discovered it was layered with a weird pineapple tasting paste. On top were all these chunks of candied fruit that did not taste good. Needless to say, I stuck to the icing.

Speech with some cakes and a bouquet of alcohol:

Stephen had also invested in a giant box of fireworks. Unlike the fireworks in the US, these ones looked a little like shoeboxes. The guys working at the bar set them off using their cigarettes. Very safe. We were all standing less than 50 yards away watching all of this. Also very safe. Gotta love the safety regulations in China.

Some super safe fireworks:

The rest of the night was a fun mix of dancing and singing. Sarah and I tried to sing 'Call Me Maybe' on stage, expecting the version with the lyrics. Once we heard it was only the music, we promptly forgot all of the words. Oh well! Deb serenaded Stephen with her version of 'Happy Birthday Mr. Hunter.' And Bonnie sang him a Chinese song. We all danced to copious amounts of 'Gangnam Style,' a huge hit here in China. All of my students know the song and the accompanying dance moves. Whenever I mention it they promptly start calling on one of their classmates to stand up and do the dance. It's all good fun!

We stayed at Stephen's party until shortly after midnight, so we could ring in his actual birthday, then we walked on home to get a nights rest before our morning classes!

I have internet again!

So after four days of not internet (which is a surprisingly long time) I now have internet again! My time cut off from the real world was quite relaxing. I watched almost both seasons of Downtown Abbey, my new favorite show (probably because it reminds me of my Mum). I also did several chapters of my chinese textbook and started a new book.

Several interesting things happened in the past week. The first being Halloween. For Halloween in Qiqihar almost all of the foreigners ate dinner together at a pizza place. It was a really fun dinner and all of the waitresses kept taking pictures of us, they were absolutely loving it. Halloween isn't really celebrated at all in China so they were so confused about our weird costumes. We were impressed that there was even a Halloween area of goods at RT Mart (it consisted of overpriced masks and plastic jack-o-lanterns).

All the waitresses and their friends taking pictures with me:

I dressed up as a hipster Pikachu. Basically they sell these full body suits, or onesies, here as PJs since it gets so cold. I bought a Pikachu one and some red frameless glasses. Soooo many people in China love the frameless glasses. It's hilarious. They sell them almost everywhere. I tried to get mine for cheaper since the lenses were scratched but instead of changing them or giving me a lower price, the man just popped them out and gave them to me. I figured when in Asia go all out, and they worked surprisingly well with my costume!

Our gang- ninja Sarah, me, medusa Robin, cow Jerra, and dinosaur Scott:

So after dinner we went to the Mini酒吧 where they had a costume contest at 11pm. It was probably the most disorganized thing ever. The club was full of Russians, Chinese, and our motley crew. The voting was based on cheers and it came down to a Russian guy who looked like he was trying to be the joker form batman, and Deb, who was dressed as a belly dancer. Unfortunately since we were outnumbered, the Russians won the free bottle of tequila. I left around 12am since I had a full day of Qida classes the next day.

The disorganized Halloween contest at Mini:

The second major thing that happened this week was a fire in Aoqi. On Friday morning I was heading to the high school and saw some black marks on the floor, wondering what they were. Apparently on Thursday night a light on the fourth floor caught fire and was smoking all over. Of course, since we work and live at Aoqi, we were all oblivious to the chaos going on two floors down. Luckily someone noticed and put the fire out, but it's really scary to think what could have happened.

The best part is apparently the smoke detector's batteries were running low, so instead of changing the batteries (that would cost too much money), they just took the batteries out. That's why none of us had any clue there was a fire in the building. What a smart idea! Ummm no.

Also now there are notices all over the building that we're not allowed to use electric blankets during the winter. Clearly the fire was the teachers' fault and not due to shoddy Chinese building... Got to love Aoqi.

So that's what has happened in the past week in my eventful life. Tonight we're going out to celebrate Stephen's 30th birthday. Should be lots of fun!

Dinner and Chinese Superstitions

On Wednesday night Sarah, Robin and I went to the soupy noodle place near our school. They make these great beef noodles, despite only having about 4 pieces of beef in them. We were sitting there enjoying ourselves when the Chinese men at another table came over to sit with us when we were paying. He refused to let us pay and payed for our meal. He wanted us to have a drink with them, which we would have done. However he didn't order anything and then kept touching Robins face and passing her an empty Pepsi bottle. It was confusing and he was drunk. Eventually, once we realized nothing was really happening, we explained we had to teach tomorrow so needed to go home and sleep. He then proceeded to accuse Sarah of not being an English teacher. Don't know where he got that idea. Anyway, it was nice to have our meal paid for, the after meal drinks were just a little confusing!

In my classes at the University this week I taught Halloween and beliefs. One of the vocabulary words was superstition so I explained some Western superstitions to them, such as having a black cat cross in front of you, having bad luck for seven years if you break a mirror, seeing the bride before the wedding etc. They then told me about some of their superstitions which I thought were interesting so I'll share them:

-If you dream of a fish it is supposed to mean you will have good fortune and be rich.

-If you see an owl at night it means somebody has died and it is considered bad luck.

-At weddings the drains are covered with red cloth so it will be a good marriage.

-You must never eat onions and garlic together.

-A person born in the year of the dog must not marry a person born in the year of the chicken because dogs eat chickens. (There are some other combinations that I can't think of right now).

-You mustn't get married in your animal year. So since I am year of the horse I mustn't get married in a horse year.

-Its bad to point your chopsticks up because people think they look like graves if you do that.

Di Zi Gui Chapter 7：余力学文

The final chapter!!

余力学文

'Wen' refers to the benefits of learning the six arts of ancient China, and to the learnings beyond that. If you have extra time or energy you should learn beyond the six arts of ancient china (rites, music, archery, chariot riding, reading and writing, and arithmetic).

不力行但学文

长浮华成何人

If a student struggles to practice, studies mechanically, easily forms the habit of showy characteristics, he/she cannot become a truly useful person.

但力行不学文

任己见昧理真

If one only knows strong conduct, has stubborn opinions, doesn't study readings or writings, then one cannot understand principles, and cannot distinguish between true and false, or rights and wrongs.

读书法有三到

心眼口信皆要

There are three points to reading a book: heart, eyes, and mouth. The heart must remember, the mouth must read aloud, and the eyes must see. These three things are truly very important.

方读此勿慕彼

此未终彼勿起

When one is reading a book, don't go wanting to read another. When the book one is reading is still unread, don't go read another. When reading a book, one should be single minded in order to achieve.

宽为限紧用功

工夫到滞塞通

When setting time limits for studying, allow ample time, but when studying make the most of the time. When one encounters obstacles, or areas one doesn't understand, they will become clear.

心有疑随札记

就人问求确义

When reading, if one's heart has a question, one should immediately write it down. That way one can seek advice from other people and seek an accurate meaning.

房室清墙壁净

几案洁笔砚正

One's house should be tidy and orderly, the walls should be kept clean. The tables should be kept clear, the ink pen and ink pot should be placed straight.

墨磨偏心不端

字不敬心先病

If you rub the ink unevenly, it proves one's heart is not right. If ones words are illegible and sloppy, not neat, it proves one isn't concentrating, and one's heart isn't fixed. One should study wholeheartedly.

列典籍有定处

读看毕还原处

Ancient books should have a stable/set place. When one is finished reading a book, one should put it back in the same place, so it is easy to look for next time.

虽有急卷束齐

有缺坏就补之

People who read books like to cherish them. Even if there is a crisis and one doesn't read, one should make sure the book is ok. If one discovers a book is damaged, one should immediately repair it.

非圣书屏勿视

蔽聪明坏心志

One should read more saintly writings. One should avoid reading useless books and periodicals because the books may not have legitimate information. They can deceive people's intelligence, and corrupt people's wills and intentions.

勿自暴勿自弃

圣与贤可驯致

Don't give up on oneself and don't abuse oneself. A person who cannot know self respect, can be willing to go to the bad. Saintly and virtuous levels, can be achieved gradually if one studies hard.

An Email from a Student

One day I was teaching class at the university and noticed someone standing outside of the classroom watching. It's not unusual for people walking by to look in fast. They see a foreign teacher and are like 'wowwwwww.' What was unusual was how long this girl was standing there. I thought for a moment she was a university professor judging my class. I managed not to get too flustered and to continue on teaching (it was the lesson where I brought in a bunch of my clothes to teach clothing, the students loved it and thought it was hilarious that the teacher had brought in her clothes).

It turns out the girl was another university student who has always dreamed of having a foreign teacher but has never had one. She came up to me after class was done and talked to me for a while. I gave her my email, like I do to most of my students, and thought nothing of it.

A week later, after the National Holiday I received the following email from her. I thought it was so sweet of her, not to mention quite funny, so thought I would share it!

"Dear teacher

    Hello,nice to meet you .Do you remember me ?Zoe!Today,i brought a letter to go to listen your lesson(the letter for you ),but so sad ,the teacher wasn't you.I ran to the library and send you this e-mail.

    That day I passed by you class inadvertently and I was absorbed in  your voice .so i have a look,oh,a beautiful foreign teacher, which is my night and day dream .At the first time ,i decided to stand out of the door in order to listen your lesson.I found your lesson was very interesting because everyone was happy to pay attention to your charming voice.

   At that time,i told myself that i must caught this opportunity to introduce myself in English and hold to make friends with you.But when i talked with you face to face ,i felt excited and not quiet result in i forgot how to express what i want to say .However ,making friends with you is really my honor!

   I have some happiness memory in this National vacation,so i want to share with you .During my vacation ,i was going to my friend's home.Wow,that is a quiet beautiful small country.Not only can i see the sun rise and down,dut also can breath the clean air ,listen the voice of the birds and smell fiowers fragrance.My friend's families were very easy-going.They made much tasty food for me and treated me as a member in their family,so i was moved by what they did!In a morning ,i rode a bike in the road and enjoyed the warm snushine.Suddently,many sheep appealled in front of my eyes and  made me surprised.Ha,ha,ha!

  I really felt happy because i can share my experience and feeling with you in English.Yeah,welcome to Guangdong!Wish you safety and happiness!

  love

zoe"

Di Zi Gui Chapter 6: 亲仁

亲仁

This is the sixth major chapter for students. 'Qin,' is close. 'Ren,' benevolence, means a person with morals and learning, this is a 'qinren' person. One must acknowledge a teacher, and want to study with him. If one chooses a teacher, benevolence is invincible.

同时人类不齐

流俗众仁者稀

All people on earth are human, but their morals differ. Most ordinary people follow the trends, truly kind and benevolent people are rare.

果仁者人多畏

言不讳色不媚

Truly moral and noble people are feared and cherished by most other people. Because they are outspoken when they speak and don't flatter others.

能亲仁无限好

德日进过日少

If you are close to and able to learn from a moral and noble person, you will have boundless benefits. Day by day your morals will grow and your mistakes will be reduced.

不亲仁无限害

小人进百事坏

If you are not close to and do not learn from a moral and noble person, you will have boundless harms. Lowly people will seize an opportunity to approach you and you will not be able to achieve a lot of things.

Di Zi Gui Chapter 5: 泛爱众

泛爱众

This is the fifth major text for students. 'Fanai' is universal love, is getting along with friends, speaks of equality and love. It talks about making friends. Loving people, and permanent love.

凡是人皆须爱

天同覆地同载

No matter who it is, we should all mutually protect and respect each other, because we all live under the same sky and on the same earth.

行高者名自高

人所重非貌高

A noble person naturally has a high reputation. Because people have a high regard for a person's moral character and behavior, they don't pay attention to wether or not the person has a good appearance.

才大者望自大

人所服非言大

A person with an abundant ability for learning can naturally have a lot of fame, because people admire these people with real knowledge and true ability and who don't blow their own trumpet.

己有能勿自私

人所能勿轻訾

If you have an ability, don't just use it for personal gains, you should do things that benefit everyone in society. If other people have an ability, don't envy them or look down on and slander them.

勿谄富勿骄贫

勿厌故勿喜新

Don't flatter wealthy people, and don't be rude and arrogant to the poor. Don't abandon past friends, and don't only like and associate with new friends.

人不闲勿事搅

人不安勿话扰

If other people are busy and don't have free time, don't disturb them with personal matters. If people aren't at peace, don't talk bother or disturb them.

人有短切莫揭

人有私切莫说

If a person has a weakness, you mustn't publicize it. If a person has private matters, you absolutely cannot freely talk about it.

道人善即是善

人知之愈思勉

Praising others' virtuous behavior is a virtue itself. Because other people know after, they are encouraged to work hard and also do good deeds.

扬人恶即是恶

疾之甚祸且作

Publicizing other people's bad behavior, is a bad behavior in itself. If you excessively loathe and detest, you can provoke disaster yourself.

善相劝德皆建

过不规道两亏

Friends admonishing each other to do good deeds, can increase both's morality. If you don't advise each other not to do wrong, your moralities will decrease.

凡取与贵分晓

与宜多取宜少

When taking people's things and giving people things, you must make the terms clear. When giving people things you should give more, when taking people's things you should take less, this is a principle of human emotions.

将加人先问己

己不欲即速已

When planning to do things for others, first ask yourself if you would want it.  If you wouldn't want it, then you must immediately stop.

恩欲报怨欲忘

报怨短报恩长

If someone does a favor for you, you must be grateful, don't forget, and remember to repay them. If other people have sorry's to repay for, the past is the past, you shouldn't bring the old into the new, you should be broad minded and quickly forget the past.

待婢仆身贵端

虽贵端慈而宽

You should treat maids and servants in an upright and proper manner. Although having good conduct is extremely important, you must also be benevolent and generous.

势服人心不然

理服人方无言

Using power and influence to force someone to submit will cause someone to submit by words but not by heart. If you use principles to persuade someone, the other person can say nothing more.

Di Zi Gui Chapter 4：信

信

This is the fourth major chapter for students. 'Xin' is about when a person comes into contact with people in society, language, behavior when speaking about faith, and keeping one's word. Words are the first step.

凡出言信为先

诈与妄奚可焉

Every word spoken should first be true and not false, one should pay attention to the words credit. Telling a lie, deceiving people, and talking nonsense are all unacceptable.

话说多不如少

惟其是勿佞巧

Speaking a lot isn't as good as speaking a little, because if you speak a lot there are more mistakes. One should speak an appropriate amount. One mustn't smooth talk. Otherwise other people will dislike you.

奸巧语秽污词

市井气切戒之

You mustn't say things that are hypocritical, deceitful, bitterly sarcastic, or dirty and filthy. Flattering others is an obscene and money grabbing bad habit, and will fail.

见未真勿轻言

知未的勿轻传

When things aren't made clear, one shouldn't do as he/she wishes and announce his/her opinion and talk nonsense. If one hears things without basis, one shouldn't lightly and freely tell others, as it could have bad results.

事非宜勿轻诺

苟轻诺进退错

If you don't think things are appropriate don't freely make promises with other people. If you easily promise other people you could be in a dilemma.

凡道字重且舒

勿急疾勿模糊

When speaking, enunciate, speak slowly, don't speak too quickly, don't say vague and careless things to avoid being unintelligible.

彼说长此说短

不关己莫闲管

If you employer gossips or other people gossip, other peoples matters are hard to see clearly. If it doesn't concern you then do not get involved. Otherwise, you don't just confuse other people, you also harm your own moral conduct.

见人善即思齐

纵去远以渐跻

When you see someone else's virtuous behavior, you should work hard to do the same. Even if, you are far below them, you should be willing to work hard, and gradually you can catch up with them.

见人恶即内省

有则改无加警

When you see someone doing bad deeds, you should immediately question oneself, if you discover you also have these behaviors, you should immediately correct them; if you don't have them, you should watch out and prevent yourself from committing these types of faults.

唯德学唯才艺

不如人当自励

In virtue, learning, ability and skills, if these aspects aren't as good as other people's, you should continually encourage oneself and try ones hardest to catch up.

若衣服若饮食

不如人无生戚

If what you eat and wear isn't as a good as other people, you shouldn't be depressed and sad. These aren't glorious things, because the most important thing is the accomplishment of moral character.

闻过怒闻誉乐

损友来益友却

If you get angry when hearing other people speaking about your faults, and become happy when hearing them praise and flatter you, harmful friends will approach you, and beneficial friends will go away.

闻誉恐闻过欣

直谅士渐相亲

If you become fearful when hearing praise and overjoyed upon hearing about your faults. If you do this day-to-day, then true and honest people will gradually draw close.

无心非名为错

有心非名为恶

If you have no intention of making a mistake, then it is a mistake. If you deliberately go and make a mistake, this is evil.

过能改归于无

倘掩饰增一辜

You should have the courage to face your past mistakes and to correct them. It will be as if it didn't happen. If you do not recognize your past mistakes, and do the utmost to conceal them, then you will feel guilty.

Teaching High School

Since one of the old university teachers is back from holiday all our schedules were moved around. Mervin, who has been teaching his own university classes, is now teaching most of my old university classes. And Charles, who is back from a month-long holiday, is now teaching some of Mervin's old classes and his own. Naturally none of it makes too much sense. So as of now I am only teaching one class at the university. Who knows what will happen next week. I didn't even have a chance to give my students my QQ number!

Instead of teaching university I was assigned to teach at two high schools with Sarah and Lissette. The schools are known as 'factory' schools here at Aoqi. I have no idea why that is since the name of the schools have nothing to do with factories. They are notorious for having big classes and bad students, leading to a great attitude to walk in with.

I was pleasantly surprised with Factory No. 2, where I taught four classes in the morning. The classes are only 40 minutes, which is nothing compared to the 95 minute university classes I'm used to. Aoqi provided us with a module to teach, but naturally they failed to send copies to the school in time so none of the students had them. I ended up using some of my university lesson plans and teaching sports using charades and doing some tongue twisters. They love tongue twisters here and applaud whenever you say one really fast. The whole lesson is just so different from the Chinese way of teaching so the students seem to have a great time.

Factory No. 2 and some students:

In the afternoon I taught five classes at Factory No. 1. It was more of the same thing, but these students actually had the modules. It turns out they were pretty boring so I didn't do most of it and opted for some hangman instead. The students at this school were much more boisterous and noisy. My throat is hurting from talking so loudly!

Some students in a class at Factory No. 1:

I'm pretty exhausted from teaching nine classes but I wanted to share some of the highlights from the day:

-In my one all-girls class we sang the first verse of Taylor Swift's 'Love Story' together.

-Singing 'Baby' by Justin Bieber to the class since I agreed to sing a song if they did. They did.

-Trying to teach the macarena when they asked me to dance.

-Listening to students sing some Linkin Park and Adele.

-Receiving hugs from lots of my students after a class.

-Deflecting questions about China versus Japan. I didn't really feel like getting into that.

-Posing for numerous photos with students.

-When walking down the hallways I was stared at like crazy. I actually felt like a celebrity or like Waldo in Where's Waldo.

-I was called out numerous times for writing with my left hand. Apparently that is not cool here. I only had one student in a class of 70 who was left-handed and he's the only other person I've met in China so far who writes with his left hand.

-A student gave me a bunch of mini notecards with pictures of the American flag and British flag as a present. So sweet!

Scenes from Qiqihar Mid-Autumn Festival

Nothing too eventful happened in the last week so I figured I'd let some random pictures do the explaining.

No horse carriages or tractors at certain times:

Cooking Sarah's squid at the night market:

Sarah bravely eating the squid:

I wish I knew what this was supposed to say:

Making some cotton candy:

It looks like a bouquet of flowers!:

Michael trying out the nunchucks Sarah bought for her Halloween costume:

The car is Japanese, but the people, and islands, are Chinese. Japanese made cars are covered in pro-China stickers throughout the city:

Some fall shopping:

One of the more upscale malls here:

Leeks or onions drying outside. You see this throughout the city:

At the pet market:

Some weird salamander things for sale:

Fish on fish on fish:

I'm pretty sure this is the circuit breaker for the surrounding buildings:

Di Zi Gui Chapter 3: 谨

谨

This is the third chapter for students. 'Jin' is saying we should be wary in our behavior, we can't be reckless.

朝起早夜眠迟

老易至惜此时

One should wake up early in the morning and go to sleep late. People's lives re very brief, in a flash one will go from young to old, so everyone should cherish the valuable time of now.

晨必盥兼漱口

便嫋回辄净手

After rising from bed in the morning, one must wash his face and clean his teeth, after going to the bathroom, big or small [note: it actually says this], one must wish his hands. One should form a habit of these good hygiene customs when young.

冠必正纽必结

袜与履俱紧切

One should wear ones hat straight and properly, his clothes should be buttoned, his socks and shoes should be worn orderly, and his shoes should be laced.

置冠服有定位

勿乱顿致污秽

When one takes off his clothes and hat he should put it in a fixed place and shouldn't litter and dump them to avoid a mess of clothes.

衣贵洁不贵华

上循分下称家

When wearing expensive clothes they should be tidy and tasteful, and shouldn't be resplendent. Not only should they match ones position, they should also be suitable to ones condition.

对饮食勿拣择

食适可勿过则

Concerning food, one shouldn't be a fussy eater and shouldn't be partial to a particular kind of food, this could be bad for your nourishment. One should also stop eating things before going too far, one doesn't want to be excessive, it could harm one's taste.

年方少勿饮酒

饮酒醉最为丑

When young one mustn't drink alcohol. Because if one is drunk a little even once, he can do some disgusting and revolting behaviors and lose face.

步从容立端正

揖深圆拜恭敬

When walking one shouldn't bee too fast or too slow, allow ample time. When standing one should stand straight and upright. When greeting one should bow deeply and be respectful.

勿践阈勿跛倚

勿箕踞勿摇髀

When entering a door, one shouldn't step on the threshold or lean on one leg. One shouldn't squat with his legs crossed, or shake his legs. Otherwise it will look like one hasn't been brought up.

缓揭帘勿有声

宽转弯勿触棱

When entering a door, one should slowly open curtains, and do all one can to not make a sound. When turning one should make wide turns, to avoid hitting the edges of things, and to avoid causing harm to oneself.

执虚器如执盈

入虚室如有人

Even if one is holding an empty utensil, one should be as cautious as if it was full. When entering a room with no one, one should be as wary as if there was someone and not move.

事勿忙忙多错

勿畏难勿轻略

One shouldn't be too hurried when doing things, if one is too hurried it is easy to make mistakes. One shouldn't be afraid of difficulties, and should press forward despite them. One also shouldn't be careless, even in small matters, one should treat them seriously.

斗闹场绝勿近

邪僻事绝勿问

On the occasion there is fighting, one should keep a distance and not approach. Even if it is unjust and unfair, one shouldn't concern oneself with it.

将入门问孰存

将上堂声必扬

When preparing to enter someone else's home, one should knock first, then ask if anyone is there. Only after the people living there allow you to enter may you enter. When entering a hall, one should raise ones voice a little, in order to let people inside know you are there.

人问谁对以名

吾与我不分明

When people inside ask who it is, one should tell them your name. If you only reply "it's me"the other people can't really understand who it is.

用人物须明求

倘不问即为偷

When you want to borrow other people's things, you must ask them face to face, in order to ask for their permission. If you don't ask and use take the thing, this is just like stealing.

借人物及时还

人借物有勿悭

When borrowing other people's things, you should return it in the appointed amount of time, if you are late in retiring the things in the future they will not believe you. When other people want to borrow things from you, if you have the thing, you shouldn't be stingy.

Zhalong Nature Reserve

On Monday all the foreign teachers from Aoqi, and Jennifer and Michael from Harbin, took a trip to 扎龙自然保护区, or Zhalong Nature Reserve, for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The foreign teachers and Bill in our little van:

The Nature Reserve was founded in 2011 and is basically 2100 square kilometers of wetlands. It is apparently the home of 260 bird species (though we only saw about four).The most famous of the birds are the rare cranes, including four on the endangered list: the red-crowned crane, the white-naped crane, the Siberian crane, and the hooded crane (thank you Lonely Planet).

Bill by the welcome sign (his family owns the hotel by the park):

The park is about 30 minutes away from where we are so the school had rented a bus to take us. Unfortunately we were a little late and missed the flying of the birds at 11am. Basically they let the cranes fly out of their cage at 11am so everyone can take pictures. We were still able to see the cranes hanging out in the water. It was really nice just to be outside and be in the country. It made you realize how dirty the city we're living in is.

The famous red-crowned cranes:

I did have to laugh because the park was founded in 2011 but it was already falling apart. The pavement was cracked everywhere. That's Chinese construction for you. We have a theory that everything is built badly so the people have more jobs since they need to rebuild everything all the time.

So many people there:

We walked around for about an hour and observed lots of Chinese throwing trash into the water (at a wetland preservation) or poking their water bottles into the birds cages so the birds would peck at them and they could get better pictures. It was really sad seeing that. The amount of respect animals receive here is horrendous. I haven't even dared to walk around the zoo in Longsha Park.

Some great Chinglish:

Cutest little girl ever. She also had a  twin sister dressed identically:

In front of the cranes:

We soon headed off back to Qiqihar for a delicious meal at this BBQ place. It was all you could eat for up to two hours and you cook the food in front of you. They had some delicious peking duck, Taiwan pancakes, and these sticky rice ice cream things that reminded me of Mochi Balls.

The American table and Bill:

Overall it was a very fun day since we were able to go and do something different than we normally do. The park was a little disappointing but I enjoyed getting out of the city and enjoying some fresh air. And yes, the air actually is pretty fresh up here in the North.