Last Sunday I took my good friend Vivi out for dinner since she was leaving Wednesday for a little over a week to visit Nanjing, the former capital of China (near Shanghai), to attend some meetings concerning preschool education, along with her husband who is studying for his PhD in education at a university in Chongqing. When we finished dinner I decided to accompany her to see to her students. Vivi is a head teacher for about 125 students. As a head teacher it is her responsibility to see to the needs of the students, to grant them leave, and to notify their parents should they miss school. The students must also sit for evening class on Wednesdays and Sundays at 7pm and Vivi must take roll, give announcements, and occasionally lecture on some topic. So you can imagine she is quite busy. On this occasion I decided to accompany her since I had nothing else to do and Vivi said the students would be teaching about some things, including Thanksgiving. The students led each other in songs, discussions, and gave a short performance. The entire meeting was in Chinese, of course, so I did my best to listen and pick out words here and there and figure out what was going on. At the end of the meeting I was getting drowsy, maybe, and was paying less attention to what was being said, so I missed when I was introduced, but soon realized when Vivi elbowed me and I glanced up to see over a hundred students looking at me. It seemed that they wanted me to come up and say something, which I did. I gave them a short lesson about Thanksgiving in America and what my family does on the holiday. It was certainly a surprise, but I know most of her students which made it okay.
Monday one of my students gave me a birthday present. When I got home I opened it and it was…wait, what is this? It was green and something to wear, but I couldn’t figure it out. I decided to wait and ask Eliam when she came over to teach me Chinese this afternoon, but she didn’t know either! Together we figured out that it was a stylish scarf that hung loosely on my neck. It was very pretty once I knew what it was. My tutoring went okay and afterwards I awkwardly asked Eliam how much she might like to be paid, but she said she would prefer it if I taught her English and American teaching methods as a return for her teaching me Chinese. Yes, that I can do and I am glad I don’t have to deal with paying a friend money. After my lesson Media asked if I would like to accompany her to buy vegetables downtown and then she made both of us dinner. She said she wasn’t a good cook, but I thought it was delicious (spicy green peppers with dried pork, a green leafy vegetable cooked with garlic, and porridge—watery rice (I like it, though many foreigners don’t). While eating we came on the topic of the Chinese zodiac and who knew—we are both rabbits (which really excited Media). This means as much to me as being a Scorpio, which is nothing.
Tuesday Vivi invited Allie and me for dinner (lotus roots, eggs and tomatoes, fried potatoes, and a green leafy vegetable and tofu, and rice). Vivi invited me to listen to a speaker earlier that day and we were planning on going after dinner to the library. As we were leaving, though, Vivi said it was a student singing contest. I said okay. The conversation that follows is rather interesting and worth mentioning:
Vivi: what’s it called the person that comments on a performance?
Me: a judge?
Vivi: yeah! A judge.
Me: so who is the judge for this contest?
Vivi: um…we are
Me: what?!
Vivi: okay, let’s hurry; we’re late!
Then she grabbed my arm and we rushed to a library classroom where Vivi, me and two music teachers proceeded to judge 37 student singers. Vivi and I were wholly unqualified, but her students asked her and then asked if I would since there might be some students singing English songs. Well there were 3 English songs out of 37, but at least Vivi didn’t really know what she was doing either. After the contest a student flagged me down because she wants to be my friend. So my newest friend is Whitley, a student of Kerry’s from Chengdu who likes running and is just slightly goofy (the latter two sound like me a bit. Haha!). Later on Friday morning she ran me down on the track when I was running to give me some instant coffee—maybe she knew it was my birthday.
So I am often taken aback by this juxtaposition of old and new in China. Pedi-cabs maneuvering around BMWs, horse and ox pulling carts down the road next to construction trucks, and meat sellers with their pigs’ feet hanging from hooks outside the new mall. This week I was slightly amazed to see a farmer strolling down the road beside the school leading his massive pig with just a slight swish of his stick while I stood inside my tiled apartment having just finished my lunch. Life here is certainly fascinating. I hope I do not soon lose that feeling of astonishment of living in China.
Thursday I was pleasantly surprised to see the results of a homework assignment that I gave my sophomore classes. Last week we had discussed the topic of TV and computer, and I asked the students to create a 5 minute mini TV show and the results were quite entertaining. I wasn’t sure what they might come up with and I was very impressed with their creativity and the time they put into the assignment. There was a talk show, talent show, and dating show. The dating show was probably the funniest. There were 5 female contestants, the host, and one "guy" (it’s an all female class). First the women introduced themselves and why they were on the show. Then 'Peter' came on and introduced himself and why he was on the show. Then the host asked the women to decide if they liked him (which they did by putting their water bottles down for no or kept it up for yes). One girl put hers down and the host asked why and she said because he was too old. Then the girls were allowed to ask Peter a question. After the questions they could choose again yes or no (two more said no and gave reasons). Then Peter could ask the girls a question. In the end Peter chose between the two remaining girls. Then the rest of the class who were the audience shouted kiss kiss kiss! So they pretended to kiss and the host wrapped up the show.
Thursday afternoon I went to watch a jump rope contest after two students told me about it. It was really fun to watch so I took pictures. Then I went with one student to join two teachers playing Ping-Pong. They let me try for a bit, and I wasn’t as bad as I thought I might be. I wasn’t good or even okay—I was pretty terrible, actually, but I thought I wasn’t even going to be able to hit the ball which I did. When 5:30 rolled around this student and I went over to the center of the school for English Corner. Instead of having an icebreaker activity I had some questions to ask the students that my correspondence class ( a middle school class) in America had asked me this week but to which I didn’t know the answers. The following are their unique questions with my students’ answers:
1. Do you do Kung-Fu? A. No. Every student said no, but this doesn’t mean that they don’t do it in China. Many of the students at my school prefer dance to kung-fu. Kung-Fu is taught at the school, but it is an extremely serious and disciplined sport. Media told me that in order to be able to major in Kung-Fu you must start at an early age and continue throughout your school years. She remembers that the Kung-Fu students in her middle school had to rise at 5am and do Kung-Fu before school and these students were very limber and could lift their legs above their heads while standing.
2. Do you listen to hip-hop? All said yes
3. Who are some famous artists in China? Jay Chou (the most famous amongst students), Jorin, Lee Hom
4. Are there gangs in China? If so, what is the name of a gang? ‘of course’ was a student’s answer. They gave two names: Chen Shui Bian and Li Hung Zhi
5. Do you play any online games against people from other countries? Yes. AU
6. Do you celebrate anything like Thanksgiving in China? No
7. How old must you be to drive in China? 18
8. Any famous American artists travel to China to perform? They couldn’t think of any, and I’m sure that those that do probably only perform in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.
9. Are their any Chinese rappers? Yes, Pan Wei Bo
When they had so kindly answered these American middle school students’ questions the Chinese English language students split into 5 groups with a student leader and practiced their oral English. Every group was doing well except one that kept speaking Chinese every time I went over to see them. I kept trying to get them to speak more but I realized that it was their student-leader who is a bit shy, so I will remember this and put more outgoing students in her group to further the conversation along.
Friday, nothing special. Just kidding! It was my birthday! All morning I received messages from my fellow volunteers and students wishing me happy birthday, and many emails from friends and family back home saying happy birthday (thanks!). At lunch Kerry informed me that the school found me a TV and some students brought it to my apartment later, so now I can have students over to watch movies, which is great! And Mark and Janice had an extra DVD player that they said usually works, which I took back to my apartment along with a few movies I borrowed to watch with some students tonight. Friday afternoon I went running with Jane who apparently failed her running exam in PE and wanted me to help her improve. While I was heading to the track hundreds of students were pouring out—mostly my freshmen students. There was a sports game day at the field and they were participating. Two students ran up and gave me some balloons. Jane saw me wandering around amidst the crowd and called me over. First we played badminton with her two friends. I said I wasn’t any good because I hadn’t played since I was a child in Miami, but it turns out I have a natural talent for it. Then we ran a few laps, rested and ran some more. The PE test requirement is to run 800 meters in under 4 minutes which Jane couldn’t manage, so we just ran distance. When we were leaving a freshmen student of mine ran up to give me a card she made for me. It said Happy Birthday (in Chinese), then had a painting of a panda with a poem that she wrote:
I am a lovely Panda.
Im very popular in China.
I have good luck, happiness, and so on.
I have the world’s good things.
Now I give them to you!
Because I hope you’ll be the happiest person in the world!
Yours sincerely,
Yang Li
And she was so nervous writing it she said that she wrote the wrong month, but I still thought it was lovely. After running Jane and her friends and I went to dinner at a restaurant by the school gate which they treated me to on account of my birthday. Then I ran to a shop to buy some soda and snacks for the students coming over to watch a movie. About 7 students came over and we watched 27 Dresses and ate snacks. It was relaxing and fun. They also brought some snacks and a cake for me and some mittens as a gift! Very nice. As usual they cleaned everything up within the blink of an eye when the movie finished and they left quickly since they were tired and didn’t want to impose, but I enjoy the company of these students very much so it was no bother.
I find it just slightly irritating that the track cannot keep the same hours every week. I woke early, but not too early, Saturday morning for a jog and it was closed. Later I went at 5:30 and indeed it was open, but it closed soon after. Oh well! Now I know.
After my not-running, Sharon stopped by to use my internet and to chat. It turns out that on Friday she was observed by the dean of the department, since she is a new teacher, and he gave her a bad review. She said she was heartbroken over it yesterday, but then with some consideration she has come to terms with it. Some of his qualms over her teaching didn’t make a lot of sense to either of us, actually (i.e. she walks around the classroom too much; he didn’t think she was prepared (when really she was but her computer was having issues—however I must side a bit with the dean on this because I never assume technology will work and always have a plan B (thank you Dr. Froelich for that sound advice). We’ve touched this issue before and really her heart desires to return to school to earn her PhD and to work in a university (preferably in Chengdu where her family lives). If I hadn’t mentioned this before I teach at a junior college, so I don’t think anyone working at this school has their PhD, though several have masters. Like I tell everyone, both in China and America, the most important thing is to be happy (not money or a good job) but happiness in waking up and going to a job you enjoy or feeling satisfaction in your accomplishments. I suppose for some this is easier said than done.
Saturday afternoon I went with a student to lunch and then walking which was pleasant. Then I answered the myriad of letters that I received from my correspondence school in the States. That took forever! After my short evening jog I hurried back because Jane and her friends were coming over to see a movie. It was 5 girls this time. We watched half of Eat, Pray, Love before the movie stopped working because of a huge scratch in it. Since it was too late to start another film, two girls played chess and I taught the rest ERS and spoons, which they liked. We also enjoyed the cake that the students brought for me yesterday, but we forgot to eat. It looked great, tasted so-so, and later hurt my stomach. This explains why the Chinese do not eat many baked items. So the movie was great before it stopped (you should see it if you haven’t) and it was really cool for the girls to see other parts of the world, the culture, and the foods they eat. They loved seeing all of the delicious Italian foods—as did I. I taught them a little about the other countries that were represented on the movie (Italy and India—we didn’t reach the Bali section, but I know nothing about Bali anyways).
Sunday was the big party. Well I am not sure big is a good description, but it was the teachers potluck/ joint birthday party for Kerry, Media and me. I had no idea how many teachers were planning to come, but I was hoping for at least 7 and we had 8 so it was quite nice. Everyone brought food and I provided drinks, snacks and fun. Fun? Yes, I taught everyone beer pong! It was very funny. Later Kerry taught us a Chinese drinking game. Kerry drank quite a bit, but most of us shied away. Janice had a cake that she bought, and it tasted a bit like angel food cake with a whipped topping. We also had gifts. I gave Kerry a picture frame with a picture of himself in it that I took before and I gave Media a mug with candy. Media gave me hand cream because she knows my hands crack terribly from using the chalk, Allie gave me some sleeve protectors to wear over my sleeves to protect it from dirt, and Janice and Mark gave me a hand warmer and bookmark. It was really nice but when they left it was double-time cleaning because Monday my site manager, China country director for Peace Corps, and a person from the US Embassy in Beijing were visiting me!
The visit went well. Mark Lambert from the embassy was extremely nice and Bonnie (country director—i.e. head of China PC program), and Wang Laoshi (site manager—i.e. head of Sichuan volunteers) were very nice as always. They came to my house at 10, we talked and I showed them my apartment, a little of the school, and my office, and at 11 they observed one of my classes. After my class we accompanied Kerry, the dean of the foreign affairs office at the school (very nice man), and the president. They took us to the nicest hotel in Jiangyou and the food was okay but we sat outside because the weather was really nice. When we were leaving Mr. Lambert gave me the nicest compliment which was to say that he was impressed with what I have done thus far and that I make him proud to be an American. WOW! And he knew everything, too including that I taught the teachers beer pong (which while walking to the car on the way to the restaurant Kerry decided to ask me in front of them if I was hung over from last night. No Kerry! But apparently he was a bit. Haha! Mr. Lambert and Wang Laoshi laughed but Bonnie is very serious, so…she didn’t think it was funny) and that I am a proud Seminole and Southern! He respected the southern pride since he said his mom was from Alabama, but as an Oregon alum he couldn’t appreciate the Seminoles. And he didn’t seem at all offended when I teased him about the US Embassy in Beijing stating that the pollution in Beijing has gotten “crazy bad!” Well anyways, another interesting week of life in China has gone by and I welcome the start of another.
The following is an email I sent to the Peace Corps China Country Director thanking her for her visit.
Hi Bonnie,
Thank you for coming to visit me in Jiangyou. I hope it was a nice trip for you. I wish I could have shown you more of the school, but I understand that time is limited. I wanted to share with you a conversation that took place this afternoon. In the evening I asked a student from the class that I had missed today to join me in playing pingpong. Later when we were walking I apologized again for missing class. She said that it is okay; that she understands, but that we meet only once-a-week so she finds the time with me very precious since it is so limited. She also said that she was surprised when she came to this school that there were foreign teachers because the school is not good and she thinks that foreign teachers must only go to the better universities. She said that it made her very excited to think that a foreigner might teach her. This brings me to one last point, which is a conversation that I had with the Canadian teacher about a month ago in which she said that solely because we are teaching at this college we have improved our students' chances of getting employed by quite a lot. Our students can go into a job interview and just mention that they had a foreign teacher in their college and this will impress the employer enough to possibly offer them the job. So, I know I mentioned this morning about wanting the "Peace Corps experience," but I sincerly see my purpose of being at this college and in China more and more clearly with each student and teacher I meet, as well as the more I learn about this unique country. I hope all of our volunteers can see the impact they are having in their schools like I have begun to see this semester. Thank you for this opportunity and especially thank you for whoever decided that Sichuan Preschool Educator's College was a good choice for me because they hit the nail on the head.
I hope you had a nice trip back to Jiangyou, and you are welcome in Jiangyou anytime. I was wondering about one more thing, and that is if I can have the email address of your friend Mark Lambert so that I may personally thank him for visiting Jiangyou. It meant a lot to me, my counterpart (Kerry Long), and the school that you and Mr.Lambert could make the trip out to Jiangyou. Kerry and I discussed that we were both rather nervous about the two of you visiting because we hoped that we could impress you both. I know the school felt the same way as they were very particular about where they would take us to lunch. If I cannot have his email, please share with him my gratitude and appreciation.
Take care,
Katie D'Souza
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
First week of November 2010
I am a bit behind on blogging and I need to go back more than a week to the Friday before last. On this day I first went running with a student of mine. It was the first time that I had hung out with this student outside of class and I found it really nice to get to know her better. We talked of various things that were interesting (like the Chinese educational system), since she is one of the more advanced speakers of English in my class. After running and dinner I went back to my apartment because another student and her friends were coming over to play English games. Jane wondered how many of her friends could come and I said there was no limit, so about 12 girls came over. I taught them chess and they picked up very quickly. I am not a very good chess player, so it came as no surprise when I was beat. To save a little face I should mention how I guided them against making bad moves and it was more like a draw than a full on win. But nevertheless I was impressed with their quick learning of the game and their ability to strategize. But the best part of the evening was when my friend back home came on Skype to meet the students. The girls were so excited to meet an American guy and actually it was the first thing they brought up when they came over at 6:30 (when will we meet your friend?). I should have foreseen the questions they might ask and warned my friend. Most of the girls crowded around my laptop in my office and were quite giggly. It basically went: ‘you are so handsome! You have beautiful eyebrows! You look very cool! Do you have a girlfriend? What do you think of Chinese women?’ Then...’is that your dog? What’s your dog’s name? Can we see your dog?’ Then they introduced themselves to him one-by-one. I found the entire experience quite funny. They of course welcomed him to China as they are all very friendly Chinese girls. So if any of you want to get on Skype and meet some students, let me know. Keep in mind that with the east coast during daylights savings time there is a 13 hour difference.
Saturday I got up early to go with Kerry and about 30 of his students to a nearby mountain to go hiking. I thought it was just slightly cold and wore a light coat but as seems to be normal in Sichuan it got progressively colder during the day and I was shivering by the end. The experience can be summed up in one word—random. It was a random mountain in the middle of nowhere. First we took the bus from the school and got off at the wrong stop and walked. Then we hailed 3 random buses going by and got dropped off at a random street. We walked through some farmers’ fields until we came to a random path that appeared out of nowhere. We walked for almost an hour up steep slippery rocks and at the top was a random Buddhist temple. This is where we stopped and ate snacks. Supposedly Li Bai the poet was inspired at this mountain so Kerry did some teaching about Li Bai. One of Kerry’s former students was randomly at this mountain, too and there was a reunion. The way down was interesting due to the steepness (during this time I slipped and crashed to the ground). The students gasped and said be careful. Kerry laughed and said he wished he had his camera. Thanks Kerry.) After walking down it a bit we found a different less dangerous way down. We needed to ask a few farmers for directions throughout but we made it back. Walking back I was able to practice my Chinese with the students a bit which is nice. When we were waiting at the bus station Kerry called me over to a meat stand to show me something. Did you ever wonder what happened to all of the chicken feet in America since Americans don’t eat it? Well for the Tyson chicken company they freeze it and ship it to China apparently because that was what Kerry showed me: a Tyson brand bag of frozen chicken feet straight from the Arizona company.
Later that night I was chatting with my parents on Skype when I get a text from this senior high student that I have been helping with English. This student’s English skills are very low so I usually cannot understand her texts. This one said teacher help. I sent a message back to say maybe tomorrow I can help, thinking that for some reason she needs English help at 8:30 at night. She then tries to call but I reject it and message her to say I am speaking with my parents. She then sends a message saying help over and over. Thinking maybe it is serious I end the call with my parents and call her back. I cannot understand and she is speaking mostly Chinese and is in near hysterics. I hear the words bad student and KTV (which are karaoke bars in China) and I became nervous. What is going on? I tell her in Chinese to call her Chinese teacher because I cannot understand but she insists that she cannot. I try my friend downstairs to see if she can talk with this student but she is busy. The student comes over and is freaking out about what I am not sure. I call Kerry and say there is a distressed student at my house and she doesn’t speak much English. He talks with her about 5 minutes and then tells me that she might stay with me for a bit but doesn’t tell me why or what’s going on. When I turn around the girl is in tears. I comfort her and calm her down while she cries and speaks in Chinese and English to say what’s wrong which I still can’t understand. At one point she says that her mother doesn’t love her and I am like a mother to her and I am her best friend and she loves me. What?! Anyways she leaves about 10:45. The next day I ask Kerry and he said it was a dispute between her and a classmate. Really? Yes.
Well the next day in the afternoon I agreed to help her with English which I did and have done several times since. I also tutored two of her classmates with no English ability the next weekend. And no means no. we started with hello. How are you? My name is…
But also that Sunday I went to my friend Allies house to make and eat dumplings with her, Vivi and a dance teacher. It was fun and reminded me of making dumplings with my host mom and her friend in Chengdu. It also gave me more Chinese practice. I might get better at the language yet!
Monday evening I…bought a rice cooker! It was very exciting. Well exciting is not the word but it was really nice and now my life is just a bit easier. I went with Media which was more to chat with her than that I needed assistance. I have learned the ways of the supermarket and don’t feel like I need help, but the company is nice. That evening Vivi told me that there was to be a broadcast film about AIDS. Seriously? For those that don’t know sex education in China is…nonexistent. Naturally I was curious so I went to see. It was difficult to read the English subtitles beneath but the video taught these college students about AIDS in what appeared to be a musical. Interesting. They were showing a movie afterwards so many students were there to see it.
Wednesday we had English corner because Janice’s brother was visiting and this day was better for them. The English Corner centered around Canada and Janice’s brother which was a really great opportunity for the students to learn more about Canada and to speak with a native speaker who was not their teacher. After English Corner I went out to dinner with Vivi to a restaurant by the school gate owned by the mother of a dance teacher at the school. The food was delicious, the restaurant clean, and his mother was so nice. I am definitely going to return there. Also there was the cutest boy maybe 4 years old who kept walking up to me and saying hello. It was very cute. When we finished dinner I went with Vivi to see her class that she is the head teacher for (about 125 students). I began teaching them English Children’s songs since they will all be preschool teachers when they graduate. I taught them: Old McDonald, Two versions of 5 Little Monkeys, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, The Wheels on the Bus, I like to eat Apples and Bananas, the Hokey Pokey, The More we get Together, Bingo, Two versions of the Days of the Week song, The Eensy Weensy Spider, if you’re happy and you know it, Mary had a little lamb, Shake my sillies out, Ten Fingers, Five little ducks, and Teddy Bear. My voice was hoarse by the end. They knew a few before like The More we get Together. Their favorites were Five little ducks, Adam’s Family Days of the week, the wheels on the bus and the hokey pokey. I plan to teach it again to other classes since it is really good for future teachers to have these songs. And anyways it is fun to teach.
Thursday night there was a school performance that resembled a chorus concert. The songs were about the history of China. It was good. I sat with some students in the back who explained the songs to me. Some of my students were in it, as were Vivi and Kerry. It was also a competition. There were 4 third place winners and they each got 300 Yuan (our department was in this category). There were 2 second places with winning 400 Yuan and 1 first place winner with 500 Yuan. Our department leader used the money to take the teachers that performed out to a nice dinner on Friday. It was disappointing that Janice’s brother didn’t get to see a typical performance with dancing and curious costumes.
Friday morning a student of Kerry that I met last weekend wanted to chat with me. First I edited her speech but then the real reason came out which was that she was thinking of breaking up with her boyfriend and wanted my advice. This is a bigger issue for them then it is for us because they do not casually date and do not date often. I basically said whatever makes her happy but think it over a week or so before making a decision she might later regret making. She seemed to already have made up her mind but you all don’t want to hear the woes of an 18 year old anyways.
All during the day Friday I was getting messages from students wishing me happy birthday. I kept saying thanks though I was confused. Finally I told a student that it wasn’t my birthday until next week and why did students think my birthday was this week. It turns out that when Kerry signed me up with QQ he put my birthday as November 12 instead of November 19. So in China I guess I will celebrate the same birthday as my dad because it might be too confusing to change it now maybe I can change it in the summer and students won’t remember the different days. But a really exciting thing happened Friday morning and that was my host mom and later my host brother from Chengdu called to say Happy Birthday and that my host parents will visit me in Jiangyou sometime in a couple of weeks. Very exciting.
Friday was the last night that Janice’s brother would be in Jiangyou so Janice and Mark treated the English teachers to hotpot and KTV. There were maybe 8 of us for dinner but more stopped in for KTV. I sang some Lady Gaga (Just Dance) with her brother, Madonna’s Vogue was my solo debut, and Allie asked me to sing a duet with her of Celine Dion’s My Heart will Go On ( a favorite in China). Overall it seems that the westerners prefer to be silly and sing fast and upbeat songs and the Chinese take it seriously and sing slower songs. It was fun. The teachers celebrating the performance stopped in and got their own room. The men had been drinking quite a bit it seemed before getting to KTV. We left at 10:45 and at this time I was happy to be a foreigner because Vivi and Sharon had to stay until the leader of the department decided to leave, though they wanted to stay. I was tired and not held to the same expectations and thus left with Janice and Mark and the teachers not in our department.
Saturday I tutored some students in the morning in English and then a student came by to chat with me about some issues she is having and then a teacher brought me some soup (which I found to be stomach churning but I ate it anyways because she was watching me eat it) and sat down to chat about some things. I remember when I was first starting college I was at a crossroad , in which I considered getting a degree in psychology and later a masters in counseling, but then I chose teaching because teachers sometimes need to be a counseling ear for students. Nowhere is this more true than in China. These students seem to find me to be a better listener than their friends or Chinese teachers. Other empathetic foreign teachers also have this experience. I wonder if it is because we can take their secrets with us back home and maybe we come across as more understanding or willing to listen because we have such different experiences. Either way I don’t mind being a ready ear for my students and fellow teachers. I find this aspect of my Peace Corps experience to be quite rewarding.
I will end this blog entry with a poem I wrote for the Sichuan Rice Paper, an electronic newspaper put together by Sichuan volunteers and distributed once a semester. The editors, Obi and Leo, are also volunteers. The paper consists of anything under the sun, from essays to poems and recipes to advice. It will come out maybe in December. But below is my poem about being a foreign (waiguoren) teacher in China.
Woes of a Waiguoren
A series of limericks
By Katie D’Souza
There once was a Waiguoren named Mike
Peace Corps wouldn’t let him ride a motorbike
So he walked all day
And his students asked if he wanted to play
So it was with Mike because the other teachers, Mike, they didn’t seem to like
This is about a foreigner named Jane
Who thought she was just very plain
But the Chinese stare whenever she goes
Maybe she doesn’t wear enough glitter and bows
She thinks sometimes being foreign is such a pain
This is the laowai story of Ben
Who had a student who called herself Pen
Everyday in class Pen would giggle and turn red
Until one day Ben made a bad joke about a panda being dead
And soon Pen found a foreigner with whom to giggle named Ken
Last, but not least, was the waijiao called Kay
Whose own English seemed to get worse everyday
She spoke Chinglish with her students in and out of class
And heard Sichuanhua wherever she passed
So that Kay might need an English tutor by May
*laowai is a polite title for a foreigner. And waijiao means foreign teacher.
Saturday I got up early to go with Kerry and about 30 of his students to a nearby mountain to go hiking. I thought it was just slightly cold and wore a light coat but as seems to be normal in Sichuan it got progressively colder during the day and I was shivering by the end. The experience can be summed up in one word—random. It was a random mountain in the middle of nowhere. First we took the bus from the school and got off at the wrong stop and walked. Then we hailed 3 random buses going by and got dropped off at a random street. We walked through some farmers’ fields until we came to a random path that appeared out of nowhere. We walked for almost an hour up steep slippery rocks and at the top was a random Buddhist temple. This is where we stopped and ate snacks. Supposedly Li Bai the poet was inspired at this mountain so Kerry did some teaching about Li Bai. One of Kerry’s former students was randomly at this mountain, too and there was a reunion. The way down was interesting due to the steepness (during this time I slipped and crashed to the ground). The students gasped and said be careful. Kerry laughed and said he wished he had his camera. Thanks Kerry.) After walking down it a bit we found a different less dangerous way down. We needed to ask a few farmers for directions throughout but we made it back. Walking back I was able to practice my Chinese with the students a bit which is nice. When we were waiting at the bus station Kerry called me over to a meat stand to show me something. Did you ever wonder what happened to all of the chicken feet in America since Americans don’t eat it? Well for the Tyson chicken company they freeze it and ship it to China apparently because that was what Kerry showed me: a Tyson brand bag of frozen chicken feet straight from the Arizona company.
Later that night I was chatting with my parents on Skype when I get a text from this senior high student that I have been helping with English. This student’s English skills are very low so I usually cannot understand her texts. This one said teacher help. I sent a message back to say maybe tomorrow I can help, thinking that for some reason she needs English help at 8:30 at night. She then tries to call but I reject it and message her to say I am speaking with my parents. She then sends a message saying help over and over. Thinking maybe it is serious I end the call with my parents and call her back. I cannot understand and she is speaking mostly Chinese and is in near hysterics. I hear the words bad student and KTV (which are karaoke bars in China) and I became nervous. What is going on? I tell her in Chinese to call her Chinese teacher because I cannot understand but she insists that she cannot. I try my friend downstairs to see if she can talk with this student but she is busy. The student comes over and is freaking out about what I am not sure. I call Kerry and say there is a distressed student at my house and she doesn’t speak much English. He talks with her about 5 minutes and then tells me that she might stay with me for a bit but doesn’t tell me why or what’s going on. When I turn around the girl is in tears. I comfort her and calm her down while she cries and speaks in Chinese and English to say what’s wrong which I still can’t understand. At one point she says that her mother doesn’t love her and I am like a mother to her and I am her best friend and she loves me. What?! Anyways she leaves about 10:45. The next day I ask Kerry and he said it was a dispute between her and a classmate. Really? Yes.
Well the next day in the afternoon I agreed to help her with English which I did and have done several times since. I also tutored two of her classmates with no English ability the next weekend. And no means no. we started with hello. How are you? My name is…
But also that Sunday I went to my friend Allies house to make and eat dumplings with her, Vivi and a dance teacher. It was fun and reminded me of making dumplings with my host mom and her friend in Chengdu. It also gave me more Chinese practice. I might get better at the language yet!
Monday evening I…bought a rice cooker! It was very exciting. Well exciting is not the word but it was really nice and now my life is just a bit easier. I went with Media which was more to chat with her than that I needed assistance. I have learned the ways of the supermarket and don’t feel like I need help, but the company is nice. That evening Vivi told me that there was to be a broadcast film about AIDS. Seriously? For those that don’t know sex education in China is…nonexistent. Naturally I was curious so I went to see. It was difficult to read the English subtitles beneath but the video taught these college students about AIDS in what appeared to be a musical. Interesting. They were showing a movie afterwards so many students were there to see it.
Wednesday we had English corner because Janice’s brother was visiting and this day was better for them. The English Corner centered around Canada and Janice’s brother which was a really great opportunity for the students to learn more about Canada and to speak with a native speaker who was not their teacher. After English Corner I went out to dinner with Vivi to a restaurant by the school gate owned by the mother of a dance teacher at the school. The food was delicious, the restaurant clean, and his mother was so nice. I am definitely going to return there. Also there was the cutest boy maybe 4 years old who kept walking up to me and saying hello. It was very cute. When we finished dinner I went with Vivi to see her class that she is the head teacher for (about 125 students). I began teaching them English Children’s songs since they will all be preschool teachers when they graduate. I taught them: Old McDonald, Two versions of 5 Little Monkeys, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, The Wheels on the Bus, I like to eat Apples and Bananas, the Hokey Pokey, The More we get Together, Bingo, Two versions of the Days of the Week song, The Eensy Weensy Spider, if you’re happy and you know it, Mary had a little lamb, Shake my sillies out, Ten Fingers, Five little ducks, and Teddy Bear. My voice was hoarse by the end. They knew a few before like The More we get Together. Their favorites were Five little ducks, Adam’s Family Days of the week, the wheels on the bus and the hokey pokey. I plan to teach it again to other classes since it is really good for future teachers to have these songs. And anyways it is fun to teach.
Thursday night there was a school performance that resembled a chorus concert. The songs were about the history of China. It was good. I sat with some students in the back who explained the songs to me. Some of my students were in it, as were Vivi and Kerry. It was also a competition. There were 4 third place winners and they each got 300 Yuan (our department was in this category). There were 2 second places with winning 400 Yuan and 1 first place winner with 500 Yuan. Our department leader used the money to take the teachers that performed out to a nice dinner on Friday. It was disappointing that Janice’s brother didn’t get to see a typical performance with dancing and curious costumes.
Friday morning a student of Kerry that I met last weekend wanted to chat with me. First I edited her speech but then the real reason came out which was that she was thinking of breaking up with her boyfriend and wanted my advice. This is a bigger issue for them then it is for us because they do not casually date and do not date often. I basically said whatever makes her happy but think it over a week or so before making a decision she might later regret making. She seemed to already have made up her mind but you all don’t want to hear the woes of an 18 year old anyways.
All during the day Friday I was getting messages from students wishing me happy birthday. I kept saying thanks though I was confused. Finally I told a student that it wasn’t my birthday until next week and why did students think my birthday was this week. It turns out that when Kerry signed me up with QQ he put my birthday as November 12 instead of November 19. So in China I guess I will celebrate the same birthday as my dad because it might be too confusing to change it now maybe I can change it in the summer and students won’t remember the different days. But a really exciting thing happened Friday morning and that was my host mom and later my host brother from Chengdu called to say Happy Birthday and that my host parents will visit me in Jiangyou sometime in a couple of weeks. Very exciting.
Friday was the last night that Janice’s brother would be in Jiangyou so Janice and Mark treated the English teachers to hotpot and KTV. There were maybe 8 of us for dinner but more stopped in for KTV. I sang some Lady Gaga (Just Dance) with her brother, Madonna’s Vogue was my solo debut, and Allie asked me to sing a duet with her of Celine Dion’s My Heart will Go On ( a favorite in China). Overall it seems that the westerners prefer to be silly and sing fast and upbeat songs and the Chinese take it seriously and sing slower songs. It was fun. The teachers celebrating the performance stopped in and got their own room. The men had been drinking quite a bit it seemed before getting to KTV. We left at 10:45 and at this time I was happy to be a foreigner because Vivi and Sharon had to stay until the leader of the department decided to leave, though they wanted to stay. I was tired and not held to the same expectations and thus left with Janice and Mark and the teachers not in our department.
Saturday I tutored some students in the morning in English and then a student came by to chat with me about some issues she is having and then a teacher brought me some soup (which I found to be stomach churning but I ate it anyways because she was watching me eat it) and sat down to chat about some things. I remember when I was first starting college I was at a crossroad , in which I considered getting a degree in psychology and later a masters in counseling, but then I chose teaching because teachers sometimes need to be a counseling ear for students. Nowhere is this more true than in China. These students seem to find me to be a better listener than their friends or Chinese teachers. Other empathetic foreign teachers also have this experience. I wonder if it is because we can take their secrets with us back home and maybe we come across as more understanding or willing to listen because we have such different experiences. Either way I don’t mind being a ready ear for my students and fellow teachers. I find this aspect of my Peace Corps experience to be quite rewarding.
I will end this blog entry with a poem I wrote for the Sichuan Rice Paper, an electronic newspaper put together by Sichuan volunteers and distributed once a semester. The editors, Obi and Leo, are also volunteers. The paper consists of anything under the sun, from essays to poems and recipes to advice. It will come out maybe in December. But below is my poem about being a foreign (waiguoren) teacher in China.
Woes of a Waiguoren
A series of limericks
By Katie D’Souza
There once was a Waiguoren named Mike
Peace Corps wouldn’t let him ride a motorbike
So he walked all day
And his students asked if he wanted to play
So it was with Mike because the other teachers, Mike, they didn’t seem to like
This is about a foreigner named Jane
Who thought she was just very plain
But the Chinese stare whenever she goes
Maybe she doesn’t wear enough glitter and bows
She thinks sometimes being foreign is such a pain
This is the laowai story of Ben
Who had a student who called herself Pen
Everyday in class Pen would giggle and turn red
Until one day Ben made a bad joke about a panda being dead
And soon Pen found a foreigner with whom to giggle named Ken
Last, but not least, was the waijiao called Kay
Whose own English seemed to get worse everyday
She spoke Chinglish with her students in and out of class
And heard Sichuanhua wherever she passed
So that Kay might need an English tutor by May
*laowai is a polite title for a foreigner. And waijiao means foreign teacher.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Halloween
Monday Janice, Mark, and I hosted a Halloween party at my house for some students and teachers and it was so much fun. It was the first time any of them had celebrated the holiday and it was fun to watch their reactions to the games and festivities. The evening started with Mark scaring the girls as they came to my house. The students entered my darkened apartment to the sounds of Michael Jackson’s Thriller to help set the mood. Once all of the students had arrived everyone introduced their costumes in a “fashion show.” Two students were dead people, one a children’s talk show host, another a rabbit, a witch, a rich person, and a student. Janice was a butterfly holding Charlie as a puppy. Mark was a TV star and I was Li Bai the poet. I started the evening carrying a cheap bottle of baijiu until it slipped from my belt and shattered on the floor filling my apartment with the stench of strong liquor. Why the alcohol? Because Li Bai was known to be a drunk. Mark and I chose a winner of the costume contest (the witch) and her prize was…instant noodles.
Next we played ‘pin-the-nose on the pumpkin’ which was my variation of ‘pin-the-tail on the donkey.’ This game caused an eruption of stifled giggles as the students meandered all over my apartment blindfolded. Following this fun activity we bowled. I had partially filled bottles of water at one end of my apartment and using Mark’s soccer ball the students attempted to bowl. Then came the real fun. Trick-or-treating. Janice and I sought some teachers that lived on campus to hand out candy (Kerry, Vivi, and Media). We taught the girls the trick-or-treat song “Trick-or-Treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat” which they chanted at each door. The teachers had just as much laughter and joy as the girls, with Kerry choosing to scare them and Media handing out some fruit that she bought. The last apartment was Mark and Janice’s (Mark detoured the trick-or-treating and went home to hand out candy) and then we headed back to my place with the teachers to have the second half of the party.
For the second half I read everyone an Arthur book on Halloween so that they could better understand the holiday. Then we had a piñata so nicely made into a pumpkin by Janice. She made it extra strong so that everyone was sure to have a few swings at it. During the party there were plenty of snacks of peanuts, sunflower seeds (two must-haves at all Chinese parties), pumpkin seeds, oranges (which I drew faces on), cookies (one homemade by Janice and which resembled fingers), dried fruit, bananas, lollipops made to look like ghosts, coke, juice, and the favorite of Mark, Janice and me…hot apple cider! It wasn’t the greatest cider—just apple juice and cinnamon but it tasted great to us.
After the piñata was destroyed I brought out the bell peppers. For what? Why for carving, of course. It is rather difficult to find pumpkins like we have in China. They have pumpkins, but they look different and aren’t good for carving. It would also be a bit expensive to buy multiple whole ones. Instead I got a bell pepper for everyone to carve. The teachers were appalled that I was wasting perfectly good peppers, so I told them that they could take them home and cook with them if they preferred which many of them did. The students made really nice carved peppers and Janice had tea candles for them to put in them and we turned the lights out and it was a beautiful site. Be sure to check out the pictures at Windows Live.
We finished the evening by me telling a story in which they had to touch weird items but I said it was body parts. They found it rather strange but after a bit they got into it. I added the story to the end of this blog entry and the items I used. When the party was over the students helped to pick up the trash and Janice stayed to help a bit more since the next day the Peace Corps doctor was coming to visit and would be coming to my apartment!
Dr. Gao came by around noon Tuesday to see me. First my apartment, which was clean. But it turns out that she was mainly looking to see that I kept my medicine in a clean, dry area. Check! That my water filter was working. Check! That my fire/CO2 alarm was in a proper location. Bu hao! (not good). I had to move it to a different location. Then she proceeded to ask me some questions to gauge my physical and mental well-being. I seemed to have checked out there, too. One question she asked was “on a scale from 1-10 how would you rate your happiness level in Jiangyou. 1 is depressed, 10 is content.” I said 9. Later she said she was surprised how happy I am here. I’m not sure what that means.
When we finished the questioning and viewing the apartment section of the visit we met Kerry and Eliam to have lunch downtown courtesy of the college. I thought it was going to be a little lunch, but no. It was a really nice lunch with tons of delicious food. We had some time to kill before the tour of the Jiangyou People’s Hospital so we drove around Jiangyou and I saw places I had yet to see. The tour was boring for everyone but Dr.Gao. Basically she got a layout of the facilities and determined whether it met basic standards. If there is anything seriously wrong with me I will go to Chengdu, but for emergencies or lab tests I will go to the hospital in Jiangyou—let’s hope I never do, though.
Other things this week…there was this student that kept texting me constantly (how she got my number I do not know) and her English was atrocious. I got that she wanted me to help her and her friends with their English, so I said fine meet me at my office. They met me and I took them to my apartment to look at some English books. I had them read a Berenstein Bear book which they struggled through and then they borrowed some English books with Chinese translation in it. At one point I was wondering what was wrong with these students that were extremely hyper and fidgety. One question found me my answer: “How old are you?” “we are 15” well that explains a lot, but it doesn’t explain how the 15 year old middle school students that go to this college got my phone number. Oh wait, I gave it to them! Nevermind.
So this week and next week are midterms for my two sophomore classes. They are all so nervous! I have been getting texts and messages on QQ since I gave them the rubric last week. The first class mostly did well. A few did terribly but I am going to give them a makeup of sorts in which I ask them a some questions and they answer and if they can then I will increase the grade some. Because I believe the students were just very nervous or didn’t understand the directions. The rest of the class ranged from 70-100 with most students earning around 80. They were asked to speak with a partner about a trip they will go in the future. They must ask and answer questions, use at least two idioms correctly, and cover the topics discussed in class (transportation, packing, reservations, directions, different meals, and restaurants). The second half of the semester for the sophomores will cover the theme of fun (sports, TV, computers, parties, holidays, music and movies). I have yet to decide on a final. The freshmen will only get through the travel theme and their final will be the midterm of the sophomores.
And we had the second English corner this week. The student-leaders chose topics from this book that I borrowed from the Peace Corps library called Conversation Inspirations. They chose three topics: 1. what is an ideal age to get married. (Answers were around 25-30, as soon as possible, and I don’t want to get married); 2. What is the best way to discipline a child (answers were across-the-board on this from beat them to well I will treat my child like a friend with respect and discuss the mistake with them); and 3. What was your favorite toy as a child (most of them were in Chinese so not sure. One girl said she only had one toy. And many said they like bears or wished they had a bear). The time in English corner certainly gives me a chance to learn more about my students and China.
Also this week a student stopped by the office and asked me how she should interview for a job. She was seeking a part-time job teaching English at a preschool. I said she should mention how she will teach the kids. She then asked how she should teach them. I suggested making it very engaging and to sing songs. She said she didn’t know any English children’s songs, so of course right there in the office I taught her some. I taught her “head shoulders knees and toes,” 2 different five little monkeys songs and the hokey pokey. What was funny to me was that during this time not one teacher looked up from his/her desk while I was singing and dancing in the office with this student. It made me smile. I figured that they either didn’t notice or what was more likely that they have grown accustomed to the strange new foreign teacher (me) and decided this was just one more odd thing I decided to do. But I didn’t realize the students didn’t know any children’s songs in English, so I think I will have a lecture on it before the end of the semester since all of my students are preschool and primary school teachers-to-be. So if you have any suggestions of songs I can teach the students please send me an email. I would love to hear what some of your favorite songs were from childhood—namely those that teach something.
Finally, I am now the proud owner of a washing machine! Well I don’t own it, the school does, but it is in my apartment and I can now was my clothes and sheets in it for the next two years which is very exciting. That is just one more thing I can check from my list. I imagine it will take me the entire first year to get my house set up. The next thing to do is figure out the heater in my bedroom which I will try to accomplish this weekend.
Next we played ‘pin-the-nose on the pumpkin’ which was my variation of ‘pin-the-tail on the donkey.’ This game caused an eruption of stifled giggles as the students meandered all over my apartment blindfolded. Following this fun activity we bowled. I had partially filled bottles of water at one end of my apartment and using Mark’s soccer ball the students attempted to bowl. Then came the real fun. Trick-or-treating. Janice and I sought some teachers that lived on campus to hand out candy (Kerry, Vivi, and Media). We taught the girls the trick-or-treat song “Trick-or-Treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat” which they chanted at each door. The teachers had just as much laughter and joy as the girls, with Kerry choosing to scare them and Media handing out some fruit that she bought. The last apartment was Mark and Janice’s (Mark detoured the trick-or-treating and went home to hand out candy) and then we headed back to my place with the teachers to have the second half of the party.
For the second half I read everyone an Arthur book on Halloween so that they could better understand the holiday. Then we had a piñata so nicely made into a pumpkin by Janice. She made it extra strong so that everyone was sure to have a few swings at it. During the party there were plenty of snacks of peanuts, sunflower seeds (two must-haves at all Chinese parties), pumpkin seeds, oranges (which I drew faces on), cookies (one homemade by Janice and which resembled fingers), dried fruit, bananas, lollipops made to look like ghosts, coke, juice, and the favorite of Mark, Janice and me…hot apple cider! It wasn’t the greatest cider—just apple juice and cinnamon but it tasted great to us.
After the piñata was destroyed I brought out the bell peppers. For what? Why for carving, of course. It is rather difficult to find pumpkins like we have in China. They have pumpkins, but they look different and aren’t good for carving. It would also be a bit expensive to buy multiple whole ones. Instead I got a bell pepper for everyone to carve. The teachers were appalled that I was wasting perfectly good peppers, so I told them that they could take them home and cook with them if they preferred which many of them did. The students made really nice carved peppers and Janice had tea candles for them to put in them and we turned the lights out and it was a beautiful site. Be sure to check out the pictures at Windows Live.
We finished the evening by me telling a story in which they had to touch weird items but I said it was body parts. They found it rather strange but after a bit they got into it. I added the story to the end of this blog entry and the items I used. When the party was over the students helped to pick up the trash and Janice stayed to help a bit more since the next day the Peace Corps doctor was coming to visit and would be coming to my apartment!
Dr. Gao came by around noon Tuesday to see me. First my apartment, which was clean. But it turns out that she was mainly looking to see that I kept my medicine in a clean, dry area. Check! That my water filter was working. Check! That my fire/CO2 alarm was in a proper location. Bu hao! (not good). I had to move it to a different location. Then she proceeded to ask me some questions to gauge my physical and mental well-being. I seemed to have checked out there, too. One question she asked was “on a scale from 1-10 how would you rate your happiness level in Jiangyou. 1 is depressed, 10 is content.” I said 9. Later she said she was surprised how happy I am here. I’m not sure what that means.
When we finished the questioning and viewing the apartment section of the visit we met Kerry and Eliam to have lunch downtown courtesy of the college. I thought it was going to be a little lunch, but no. It was a really nice lunch with tons of delicious food. We had some time to kill before the tour of the Jiangyou People’s Hospital so we drove around Jiangyou and I saw places I had yet to see. The tour was boring for everyone but Dr.Gao. Basically she got a layout of the facilities and determined whether it met basic standards. If there is anything seriously wrong with me I will go to Chengdu, but for emergencies or lab tests I will go to the hospital in Jiangyou—let’s hope I never do, though.
Other things this week…there was this student that kept texting me constantly (how she got my number I do not know) and her English was atrocious. I got that she wanted me to help her and her friends with their English, so I said fine meet me at my office. They met me and I took them to my apartment to look at some English books. I had them read a Berenstein Bear book which they struggled through and then they borrowed some English books with Chinese translation in it. At one point I was wondering what was wrong with these students that were extremely hyper and fidgety. One question found me my answer: “How old are you?” “we are 15” well that explains a lot, but it doesn’t explain how the 15 year old middle school students that go to this college got my phone number. Oh wait, I gave it to them! Nevermind.
So this week and next week are midterms for my two sophomore classes. They are all so nervous! I have been getting texts and messages on QQ since I gave them the rubric last week. The first class mostly did well. A few did terribly but I am going to give them a makeup of sorts in which I ask them a some questions and they answer and if they can then I will increase the grade some. Because I believe the students were just very nervous or didn’t understand the directions. The rest of the class ranged from 70-100 with most students earning around 80. They were asked to speak with a partner about a trip they will go in the future. They must ask and answer questions, use at least two idioms correctly, and cover the topics discussed in class (transportation, packing, reservations, directions, different meals, and restaurants). The second half of the semester for the sophomores will cover the theme of fun (sports, TV, computers, parties, holidays, music and movies). I have yet to decide on a final. The freshmen will only get through the travel theme and their final will be the midterm of the sophomores.
And we had the second English corner this week. The student-leaders chose topics from this book that I borrowed from the Peace Corps library called Conversation Inspirations. They chose three topics: 1. what is an ideal age to get married. (Answers were around 25-30, as soon as possible, and I don’t want to get married); 2. What is the best way to discipline a child (answers were across-the-board on this from beat them to well I will treat my child like a friend with respect and discuss the mistake with them); and 3. What was your favorite toy as a child (most of them were in Chinese so not sure. One girl said she only had one toy. And many said they like bears or wished they had a bear). The time in English corner certainly gives me a chance to learn more about my students and China.
Also this week a student stopped by the office and asked me how she should interview for a job. She was seeking a part-time job teaching English at a preschool. I said she should mention how she will teach the kids. She then asked how she should teach them. I suggested making it very engaging and to sing songs. She said she didn’t know any English children’s songs, so of course right there in the office I taught her some. I taught her “head shoulders knees and toes,” 2 different five little monkeys songs and the hokey pokey. What was funny to me was that during this time not one teacher looked up from his/her desk while I was singing and dancing in the office with this student. It made me smile. I figured that they either didn’t notice or what was more likely that they have grown accustomed to the strange new foreign teacher (me) and decided this was just one more odd thing I decided to do. But I didn’t realize the students didn’t know any children’s songs in English, so I think I will have a lecture on it before the end of the semester since all of my students are preschool and primary school teachers-to-be. So if you have any suggestions of songs I can teach the students please send me an email. I would love to hear what some of your favorite songs were from childhood—namely those that teach something.
Finally, I am now the proud owner of a washing machine! Well I don’t own it, the school does, but it is in my apartment and I can now was my clothes and sheets in it for the next two years which is very exciting. That is just one more thing I can check from my list. I imagine it will take me the entire first year to get my house set up. The next thing to do is figure out the heater in my bedroom which I will try to accomplish this weekend.
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