Ian and I had intended to go out to lunch and then up to Hero Mountain, but it turned out the restaurant closed between 2pm and 5pm, so that put a little hitch in our plans. Plus, it was really cold today, so we thought that going up the mountain (though today was beautiful and the air was acceptable) might be a little miserable. So, we decided to see a movie before dinner instead. I was hoping to see Frozen, but it wasn't playing at the downtown theater. We saw Catching Fire again instead (it was really too cold [between 25 and 30 F] to go back outside). We'll see Frozen on Monday at the cheap, late showing. I decided to take at least one photo every hour today, so that I could adequately share our holiday with you guys. I also submitted some photos to NPR for their Expat Thanksgiving piece. I hope they choose us! Without further ado, our day in photos.
Happy Thanksgiving, guys! Man, I sure miss you all. I know my mom is working today, so the holiday isn't even the same back home this year. Even still, I hope it's a good day. Ian and I had intended to go out to lunch and then up to Hero Mountain, but it turned out the restaurant closed between 2pm and 5pm, so that put a little hitch in our plans. Plus, it was really cold today, so we thought that going up the mountain (though today was beautiful and the air was acceptable) might be a little miserable. So, we decided to see a movie before dinner instead. I was hoping to see Frozen, but it wasn't playing at the downtown theater. We saw Catching Fire again instead (it was really too cold [between 25 and 30 F] to go back outside). We'll see Frozen on Monday at the cheap, late showing. I decided to take at least one photo every hour today, so that I could adequately share our holiday with you guys. I also submitted some photos to NPR for their Expat Thanksgiving piece. I hope they choose us! Without further ado, our day in photos. It wasn't traditional in the least, but it was a good day. How was your Thanksgiving? I hope it was swell.
It rained on Sunday, so the air was nice and clean (below 65 for awhile!) yesterday. Ian and I didn't get out much (Ian isn't feeling very well), but we did get to open all our windows and freshen our stale apartment. It was lovely. The air is climbing back up, though. It's back up to 132 right now. But, it's better than 300, so I'll take it. The rain on Sunday made our commutes (by bike) to school hell, but it's hard to be upset when you know it's doing some much needed "house cleaning" for Jinan. Since Ian didn't feel great, we decided against going to the Thanksgiving get together. Instead we took Reeves for a walk in his wheels, ate cheap Japanese curry and saw Gravity (all of those things can be done within a 200ft radius of our apartment, so it's basically staying home). Gravity was amazing. It's been awhile since I've seen a movie so intense. I was filled with dread for the entirety of it. And, of course, the visuals were beautiful and terrifying. I'm not sure what's going on with our video camera, but all of our files come out a little broken. They're either too slow or too fast or parts of each. It's frustrating. Here's Reeves out in his wheels, but the video doesn't play very well. At least, it doesn't for me. You can let me know if the video has stops and starts or weird speed issues for you in the comments. Reeves is pretty popular in his wheels. At one point we had a crowd of 5 or 6 older people around us. Of course, I have no idea what they were saying. We took him over to Cafe de Queso (the little coffee shop next door) to see the owner, who loves him. We ended up sitting and watching The Walking Dead with him. He's a super nice guy. He speaks English well, but is kind of quiet. The words "open class" can strike a mixture of fear, confusion and exasperation into the heart of any ESL teacher. An "open class" (universal in Asia, if my experience is any indication) is a class in which parents are invited to come and watch (read: come and judge whether their money is being well spent). We are now coming into the final week of our three week season of open classes. The idea of an open class terrified me in Korea. They were brought up constantly, but never happened. The concept hung over us as our classes dwindled in our poorly run, under staffed and over funded campuses. But here, in China and at ALWAYS, I was actually stoked for it. I have complete confidence in my classes. Oh, what a few years of aging does for the psyche (also, I had a bad ass TEFL education at The Language House) . As a side note, I'm looking forward to thirty. I joke about it a lot (I have a few big things I really, really want/need to accomplish in the next three years), but I look forward to the greater clarity that a few more years will bring. So far Ian and I have received good reviews in our open classes. It's been fun, but tiring. Most kids are excited to have their parents see what they're doing in class. Of course, our classes are always energetic, but when there's a row of parents in the back staring at you, you don't let your energy drop for even moment. It just takes a little more out of you. Other than that, it has been an uneventful weekend. On Friday, it finally hit me full force that I'll soon be doing pretty much everything without Ian. Which is the opposite of now. It bummed me out (understatement alert). But, here are a few random pictures from the last few days. And! It's your lucky day, because here's another video of kiddos dancing to Western pop music. When Reeves gets excited, he hops up and down on his "good leg," which has earned him the nickname Bunny. The poor kid only really has one "normal" leg (with his injuries and a slight deformation of his right front shoulder which makes it a little shorter). That said, he's been standing on four legs more and more lately. I'll get another video of him in his jorts (wheels) up sometime this week. In the meantime, here's his bunny hop. We'll be headed to a Friendsgiving that one of the expats is throwing tonight. With no access to turkey, she's chosen to serve the next best thing, nachos. It should be great and I'll try to get some decent pictures.
Ian and I saw Catching Fire (it's the sequel to The Hunger Games, if you're unfamiliar) tonight at the little theater next to our apartment. A whole day before America gets it! I really enjoyed it. It's a powerful story, I wish I had read it, but I didn't. Hardly anything I've read has been turned into a film. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. Probably neither. Watching a movie like Catching Fire (in which the citizens finally rise up against their corrupt government) in a country like China feels a little odd. I expected it to be censored or clipped, but it didn't seem to be. When we left the theater, the air quality index had crawled up over 400. The bad air added to the weirdness of Catching Fire in China for me. A great deal of the pollution in this country comes from coal. In the movie Panem, the fictional country in which it is set, runs on coal as well. In fact, Katniss and Peeta's home, District 12, is also home to the fictitious nation's coal mining industry. That's why everything looks grey and dusty there, though their air looks a lot cleaner than ours. Though, you'd never see the actors if you shot through smog like this, so maybe that's why. I wonder if pollution is a problem for Panem in the book. I had already been thinking about China's government a lot lately because a few reforms to some of their most famous (and controversial) laws have been announced: Long story short, go see Catching Fire! Ian and I will see Gravity on Monday. I doubt it will have me morosely pondering the Chinese government, so hopefully I'll have some coherent things to say about it.
Reeves got his wheels tonight! They (the vet and his tech) added a set to the front, so they're actually stable. He's not the biggest fan, yet, but they're going to be a big deal for him. We'll lower the sling as he progresses so he's forced to use his hind legs as much as he can. The sling is made out of denim, so I call the contraption his "jorts" (jean shorts). Ian calls it a gimp-cycle because Ian is offensive. Below is a short (20 seconds!) video of Reeves getting used to the wheels. We'll take him out tomorrow and get more footage of him. Feel free to share any videos or photos of him. He's still looking for his forever home. He's good with other dogs and kids, though sometimes new grown-ups make him nervous. He could fit into any family (though I haven't been able to cat test him, of course, but I suspect he'd be fine- he has absolutely no prey drive) because he's so darn agreeable. He needs patience, since he gets stressed with change. He's a good boy and is learning his basic commands ("down," "stay," "come," and "leave it"). Reeves would make a great advocate for animal rescue and disabled animals. His story of survival is pretty intense. I think a life of spreading the word would suit him well. If you know of any "second chance" shelters on the West Coast that might be, be sure to send me contact information. I had English Corner tonight and Ian had a couple of kindy classes. I took a video of him dancing to Psy's "Gentleman" with them. Not all the moves were super appropriate, but the rules are a bit different here in China. Here is my hair today, if you care. It's getting curlier, but it always goes through an awkward phase of half curl when it grows out. I can't wait until it's longer. I'm looking to really grow out the top this time around. I went to the grocery store last night to get some stuff for breakfast and when I got up to the check out I realized that I had neither my Chinese debit card nor enough cash to cover my purchases. I couldn't use my Chase Visa because if we use them here it will flag our account/close our account/ruin JP Morgan Chase/bring the US economy (further) to its knees or something. It's a shame because my American card is a Disney Visa and it has adorable Dalmatians on it. So, that was embarrassing. And it was a bummer because I did not successfully purchase the bananas and red bean steam buns I had wanted for breakfast this morning. Sads all around. In my embarra-haze I forgot to post last night. I substitute taught a "Pre-Sticker" class last night. Our campus' other foreign teacher, Garfield, is in Beijing dealing with Visa/Passport stuff. "Pre-Sticker" is our kindergarten program. These guys were "Pre-Sticker 5," so my 10 students were between 4 and 6 years old. I think most of them were right at 5. They were good kids; they listened and no one cried. It was a successful evening. I've got another Thanksgiving themed English Corner tonight. I'll give them a rundown on the holiday have the kids make cards that say "I'm thankful for..." for their parents. It seems like most of what they know about the holiday is that we eat poultry (the turkey is almost always mistaken for chicken), so I try to focus on my favorite aspects: family fun time, actual thankfulness and the parade. Because Garfield is still out of town, I'll teach 4 "classes" over 2 hours instead of 2 classes over 2 hours. Meaning, I'll have to bounce between them. I'm going to ask if I can squeeze at least an extra 1/2 hour's pay out of the night for my trouble. Usually they're pretty good about that, so it's likely. I've got to finish my lesson planning, so here are some pictures that I forgot to post from the Halloween English Corners and parties that we did a couple of weeks ago (and some other random photos): I saved three photos and a Google translation to my iPod and headed over to the salon in the Walmart T100 building today to get a haircut. Ian came for moral support. I'm pretty amicable about my hair, so I don't worry too much about the outcome. The guy brave enough to deal with the foreigner read my translation, looked at my pictures and said, "Okay!" My basic instructions to the stylist were, long on top, very short on the sides, a little longer in the back. He looked very serious during the haircut. I bet it's very stressful to provide a service as subjective as a haircut when you can't communicate with your client. But, he did a great job, and was visibly relieved when I gave him a thumbs up. Asian haircuts are all about hard lines, so they don't grow out well. Most people I've asked (women) get their hair cut every four weeks. That's a bit more frequent than the 6-8 week cycle most Americans (that I know) follow. I'll be returning to the same salon in about 4 weeks when my hair gets scraggly again (I got my hair cut about every 6 weeks in the States). It doesn't seem like stylists are familiar with curly hair here, neither stylist I went to dried my hair correctly, but that's okay. My hair is baby fine by Caucasian standards, so here it's pretty much just fluff. I love the cut (super Asian) but the styling (super Asian soccer mom) made me giggle. It'll be better when the curl returns. We spent the rest of the day wandering and goofing around because the air quality was pretty decent. We wanted to see Gravity, but it turns out that it opens on Wednesday, so we hung out at Starbucks after our walk instead (this one had soy milk!). Don't worry. The "things discovered" here in China are of the amusing variety, not like in Korea where they were of the "Oh, I guess I do't have a job anymore" variety. It's been 10 entire days since I posted. That's super uncool. So, my goal for this week is to post everyday. The problem is that we actually don't do much. We hang out here, with Reeves, Ian researches teaching gigs in the Middle East and I research MAT programs. Nothing is set in stone yet, but it looks like I will be returning to the states at the end of this contract. Ian, however, will not. As you likely read, the original plan was for me to earn my MAT online while finishing this contract and going on to one more year of teaching abroad. Because of the requirements of Oregon and Washington, that won't be possible. I will likely still do my degree online, but I need to be in the states to do any of the accepted programs (student teaching is an important part of a good MAT program). Ian will go on to teach another year, likely in the Middle East. Why? Well, two reasons. The primary reason is that it's the best financial option for us. He can make about $3000/month over there (after cost of living, taxes and perks are factored in it's the equivalent of $4-5000/month stateside). I want to complete my MAT program in 1-2 years, so I'll be a full time student. Once student teaching kicks in, I likely won't be able to bring in an income. The (FAR) second reason is that Ian is really inclined to continue living abroad. He's happy for the opportunity to continue the adventure while I push forward with my dream. It's not ideal. We'll miss each other terribly. I'm a little bummed that I don't get to do the second year I had planned. And Ian will be on his own in a new country. But, it's worth it because it'll be beneficial to us as a couple and as individuals. When you marry super young, sometimes you have to make hard decisions to make sure that you can both grow as people. Like I said, nothing is final, but this is the direction we're headed at the moment. I think this gif is the best way to summarize the whole thing: Onward! To things amusing! Tonight I found out that my boss is younger than I am. Billy was born in 1987. This whole nearly 30 thing is getting serious, you guys. Here is the front cover of one of my students' notebooks: It's basically impossible to see, but there's a big gash in the middle of the intersection. It's unmarked, so all the moped and e-bike traffic comes to a panicky halt (or catches air) when they come across it. They chucked a bit of gravel and dirt in for good measure, which was really nice in the wind. I'm super tired! I'll try to get a post in each day this week. Wish me luck!
**Trigger warning: I'm going to describe some horrific animal cruelty in this post. Be advised. On Wednesday Reeves went to the vet for a wheel fitting and his first round of vaccinations. He should get his wheels early next week. The vet had a family emergency that pushed back his work. But, the vaccines and wheels weren't the interesting part of Reeves visit with the vet. Upon seeing him, the doctor said, "So, he's a meat market rescue?" Guo Peng (the founder of the shelter and our contact) told him that she honestly wasn't sure of his origins and asked him why he thought that. The vet pointed out the scuff scars on Reeves' nose and told her that they are consistent with rope marks from being bound. Then he told her that the type of hindquarter injuries he has are more likely from jumping from a moving vehicle than from being hit by one. We don't know if Reeves was rescued or if he escaped himself, but it looks like he narrowly escaped a brutal execution on the way to someone's dinner plate. It makes sense, really. Many dogs that end up in shelters somehow escaped their fates at the butcher. And this vet, who does a lot of work with rescue animals, has seen these injuries many times. Reeves' docile nature and the fact that he came to us potty trained combined with what we've learned from the vet tell us that his history probably looks something like this: -he was purchased as a puppy for a pet -he became a stray (by being let go) or was "stolen" while unsupervised -he was picked up by dog meat suppliers and "packaged" for sale -he escaped from a truck, injured himself and was taken to a vet by a good Samaritan -the vet called the shelter, who contacted us Reeves' story isn't unusual, except in its end. Dogs in China and South Korea often face violent, untimely ends at the hands of the dog meat industry. Even if you put forward the argument that eating dog is no different than eating a cow or pig, it's important to note that dogs don't legally fall under the "livestock" category here and therefore dog butchers have few to no legislature to obey. In many cases dogs are electrocuted before death or even skinned alive. These practices stem from the belief that adrenaline makes the meat taste better and makes it healthier for you. You're probably pretty pissed off about those practices now. So, take a second and remember that it was a Chinese person who brought gravely injured Reeves to a vet. And that Guo Peng, the founder of the Jinan Yellow River Shelter and owner of at least one disabled dog, is also a Chinese national. I remind you of these things because we tend to misplace our anger onto entire populations when we're confronted with terrible things happening in far away nations. Now, that I've ruined your evening, let me cheer you up a bit. Reeves met his (seemingly) first lady bug last night. Its presence really bothered him. He couldn't think about anything else. He watched it, tried to lick it up and surrendered his bed to it for a few minutes when it came over. As I was beginning this post this morning, I noticed that the lady bug was still here. It was sitting on Reeves' tennis ball. I think it knew the power it had over him. Ian eventually sent the lady bug outside and Reeves' life went back to normal.
Remember! Share Reeves' pictures and story freely. My hope for him is to become an advocate/therapy dog in the States. He'd be wonderful at it. This boy deserves a meaningful life after all that he's been through in his (roughly) 1.5 years. If you're unfamiliar, "the feels" is internet speak for strong feelings (usually, but not always brought on by some sort of media, be it book, movie, tv, or otherwise). I don't usually like to write from a personal place here, on the blog, simply because it hearkens back to an adolescent use of the internet as a "private" journal of sorts (see "LiveJournal" from the 2000s and "tumblr" currently). I don't find anything wrong with journaling, even publicly, I'm just a bit more private than that. But, I haven't been blogging much and the "why's" of that are all tied up in how I'm feeling about being over here. I've been avoiding outing myself as a person with feelings, so I've been staying away from posting. Except about Reeves. PLEASE SOMEBODY ADOPT LITTLE REEVES. He is so cute and his coat is soft now. When he gets excited he hops up and down and we call him "Bunny." I digress. In order to keep some levity, I will do this post "Buzzfeed style" and insert an applicable gif every so often. So, if you're not into Feelings & Stuff, Inc. I'd peace out now. No hard feelings, pals. Don't get me wrong, everything I've said about living in China is true. I love my job (though the hours on Saturdays and Sundays are exhausting), the people are wonderful, and the food is hard to beat. China is great. Except for one little thing. Yeah, it's as bad as it looks. In Jinan, the air is super dry in the fall and winter, so the effect on your lungs (especially my happily mildewy PNW lungs) is exacerbated. I've had a respiratory pollution sickness for about a week and a half now. At it's worst it was laryngitis-like (which happened on Saturday when I woke up with a hoarse voice, taught 11 classes, then Sunday I woke up with virtually no voice and struggled through teaching 9 more classes. Ian bought a humidifier and that's proven very helpful. But the air affects everything. We have a gigantic window in our bedroom, which would have a great view if not for the smog. It turns what would be beautiful fall days into hazy dystopian landscapes. It keeps me from wanting to be outside, for wearing a mask doesn't necessarily make locals stare anymore, but it takes away your ability to smile and say hello, thus leaving you the object stare at, rather than greeted. So, I haven't mustered up the motivation to see much of Jinan, and I'm having a hard time finding interest even in Beijing where the smog is just as bad and worse on some days. The smog also keeps me from exercising. I was so excited to join a gym. I was sure they'd close their windows on bad air days. But, no. "They're only a little open," the staff says, "So, it's not bad." Exercise is crucial to being a healthy expat. The lifestyle tends to give you a lot of free time, so it's easy to sink into bad habits and/or depression. Because the air quality has poisoned everything I do here (pun super-duper intended), living abroad has no magic for me right now. We don't make as much money here as we did in Korea, either. And we work harder. Mostly, that's because we know what we're doing, and we're good at it, but still. Bad air + plus light on cash = fewer travel experiences. Finding Engrish in the shops is amusing, sure, but there's only so much a life of "plan classes, teach classes, go to the store, surf the internet, watch tv, repeat" can give you. I hear you saying, "But, Casey, everybody in society lives a similar cycle. Many people aren't satisfied! They would love to live in an exciting country!" You're not wrong. But, my job isn't the problem. I don't feel excited about living here right now. I love travel, yes, but I'm not sure I'm where I should be right now. This is not a good feeling at 27, guys. Yes, I understand that 27 is no where near old, but I feel physically aware of time slipping away from me every day. I'm not moving forward, if "forward" is toward where you see yourself. I feel myself aging. A lot of the "ESL Teacher Expat Culture" experience is a lot like college. And, for good reason. Many of the people here are pretty darn fresh out. They're lively and free and damn it, they want to party. I've no interest in partying, really. When I think of the best parties I've ever been to, I picture my brother's house during our Xmas-Eve-Eve-Eve celebrations. We get a little boozy, sure, but then we hang out, play board games and Wii/ Xbox and inevitably stay up until 3am talking about life's big questions. Again, I hear you, "But Casey, surely some other expats would enjoy that type of party, too!" Alas, it's not the party, but the company that my thoughts fall fondly upon. It just can't be recreated. The one house party we tried to host in Korea was seemingly well received until we found out that the whole group that had come over went out for more drinks and noribang (karaoke) immediately following and did not invite us. Granted, the foreigners we've met here are cool people and weird, cliquey behavior nonexistent. Even still, I never find the energy to want to hang out. I'd rather go to a kids' soccer game than a bar. I'm tempted to say "that's just where I am right now," but if I'm being honest, that's where I've always been. And I get more comfortable with my introvertedness as I get older. I'm ready to come into my own! I'm ready to settle into my "calling" (HAR!). And, good news, I think I've figured it out. I want my MAT and to become an elementary school teacher (specifically PreK-3rd). I mean, I still want to write, and I will, but this is the path on which I can make an income! I began to suspect this was my path back when I was still an undergrad. I attended a few School of Education events on my campus, but I was afraid to take the leap into grad school (so much debt already). So I shelved it. Then in 2010, I looked into MAT programs again, but we ended up purchasing Pizza Oasis. But, now, DEBT BE DAMNED, DAMN IT! I'm going to make this happen. I'm not done traveling; I just feel too old to be bouncing around the globe and not moving toward any sort of goal. I actually felt good about putting some roots down in Portland, which surprises me, because I was rather reluctant about the whole thing. I hope to start school (online) in January, if I can find a good program. This is a pretty big change of direction, well, actually it just simply is a direction, for me. So, I'm not exactly sure what the immediate future looks like, but at least I have a grasp on the slightly more distant. |