Is Your Glass Half Empty or Half Full?
That is the saying I saw on the t-shirt of a passing Chinese man as I walked to the park. As I get working on one of the most difficult tasks that I have ever undertaken, the t-shirt question pops into my head from time to time.
We have moved in with our host family. There is our host mother, father and their eight-year-old son. They are very kind and patient with us, considering the language barrier problem. She speaks some English and we have halting conversations. I try to give when I can muster the Chinese phrases. She tries her English and we get by fairly well. Sometimes we both scurry off and have a dictionary show-down, but after just a week those are getting fewer.
Everyday we have at least two hours of language, usually more. Then we have "technical training" which consists of teaching classes for the many who haven't taught before and EFL (English as a foreign language) training. We are in school from 8-5 every day. It is always hot and humid here. I am covered in sweat from sunup to sundown. When we get home I snuggle with the air conditioner as much as I can, but it is a losing battle.
When we go out, small children call out "Hello!" and "How are you!" to us frequently. When we respond they giggle and hide their faces. It is cute. We have only been called laowai and waigouren a few times. We are in a place that has a few more foreigners so it isn't too bad. When we get placed at our schools it will intensify, I am sure.
With the constant staring, strange new food, difficulties of trying to bend my mind around a new language and the stifiling heat, there are elements here that are trying. Despite all of this I look at what I am giving and getting for the challenges and
am grateful for the opportunity. My glass is definitely half-full.
Photos: the first photo are fried chicken feet you can get in the meat section of your local Chinese grocery. You can buy them raw and cook them the way that you love them too.
Second is a famous Chinese poet. My host mother told me his name but I forget it. The flowers at the base of the statue are poinsettias. This was taken at the "walking street" market area of Chengdu.
Third is me in my pink house slippers. When inside, one always wears house slippers. They bought the biggest ones they could find and they just happened to be bright pink and they barely fit. Michelle's are blue, lucky girl.
We have moved in with our host family. There is our host mother, father and their eight-year-old son. They are very kind and patient with us, considering the language barrier problem. She speaks some English and we have halting conversations. I try to give when I can muster the Chinese phrases. She tries her English and we get by fairly well. Sometimes we both scurry off and have a dictionary show-down, but after just a week those are getting fewer.
Everyday we have at least two hours of language, usually more. Then we have "technical training" which consists of teaching classes for the many who haven't taught before and EFL (English as a foreign language) training. We are in school from 8-5 every day. It is always hot and humid here. I am covered in sweat from sunup to sundown. When we get home I snuggle with the air conditioner as much as I can, but it is a losing battle.
When we go out, small children call out "Hello!" and "How are you!" to us frequently. When we respond they giggle and hide their faces. It is cute. We have only been called laowai and waigouren a few times. We are in a place that has a few more foreigners so it isn't too bad. When we get placed at our schools it will intensify, I am sure.
With the constant staring, strange new food, difficulties of trying to bend my mind around a new language and the stifiling heat, there are elements here that are trying. Despite all of this I look at what I am giving and getting for the challenges and
am grateful for the opportunity. My glass is definitely half-full.
Photos: the first photo are fried chicken feet you can get in the meat section of your local Chinese grocery. You can buy them raw and cook them the way that you love them too.
Second is a famous Chinese poet. My host mother told me his name but I forget it. The flowers at the base of the statue are poinsettias. This was taken at the "walking street" market area of Chengdu.
Third is me in my pink house slippers. When inside, one always wears house slippers. They bought the biggest ones they could find and they just happened to be bright pink and they barely fit. Michelle's are blue, lucky girl.
4 Comments:
Mr. ross u should be grateful that u get cute girly slippers and ugly blue ones! ewww...blue? yuck!
Nice slippers. (you know what I would say if you were here...) Good eats? Or just weird? Ok! I know how you feel with the language thing... I would give it about 3-4 months of misery and then another 2-3 months of understanding things but not being able to respond proficiently. After that it's easy! Ok, keep it real scooter.
It's great to hear you're sharing the heat over there Mr. Ross. I was down in Mexico building houses, so I know what you mean, except I didn't have an air conditioner. I really liked the little kids we played soccer with yelling "Gringo! Aqui!"
pink slippers! i want!
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