Can you say these five tongue twisters five times really fast?
1. The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plains
2. How much wood would a wood-chuck chuck if a wood-chuck could chuck wood?
3. She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely seashells. So if she sells shells on the seashore, I’m sure she sells seashore shells.
4. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers?
If Peter Piper Picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
5. Betty Botter bought a bit of butter.
The butter Betty Botter bought was a bit bitter
And made her batter bitter.
But a bit of better butter makes better batter.
So Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter
Making Betty Botter's bitter batter better
Well I didn’t make my students say them five times really fast, but I did have them practice tongue twisters this week. It was exhausting to teach, so I have learned, but the students really enjoyed learning them and saying them. Also it was good pronunciation practice for them. Which of these do you find to be the most difficult to say? My students found Peter Piper to be the most difficult, whereas I thought the seashell one was particularly challenging.
I just remembered that the 2nd week of this semester I did this really interesting activity with my English majors for small talk practice. I gave half the students a sheet with some good small talk topics and the other half of the class had to converse with them for about 2 minutes and then they switched to the next person like speed dating. It worked really well and the students got into it and were talking more than usual which is awesome!
Okay back to this week….I forgot to collect the homework until my Tuesday afternoon classes so I made many mental and physical notes the rest of the week to collect it and to remember to collect the next week. The homework was to write a paragraph about a woman (any woman: famous or not). The results were mixed. Some did a really good job and put forth effort and others did a sloppy rushed job or copied from the internet (hey, similar to American middle and high school students!). The students wrote about different women, but the most common was their mother. Others included their sister, aunt, grandmother, cousin, friend, and teacher. Then we had Wu Zetian (the only woman empress in Chinese history during the Tang dynasty), Marilyn Monroe, Helen Keller, Deng Xiao Ping’s wife, a famous Chinese singer named Cai Yi Lin, Princess Diana, Doris Lessing, Qiu Jin who was a famous Chinese revolutionary, Kim Yu Na an olympic figure skater, Jolin Tsai a famous Chinese singer, Kathryn Bigelow, Marie Curie, Edith Cowell, Barbie Hse who is a Taiwanese singer and actress, Anne Enright, Liu Yi Fei (Chinese actress), and Lady Gaga. I should note that most of those that wrote about famous women were the ones that copied. Then we had some confused souls who wrote about their father, brother or a famous man. Oh and one wrote about me; how flattering!
I have copied a couple that stood out: (I have written it exactly, including errors and such)
“A Small Pig”
Maybe you’ll guess, small pig? Woman? What? I’ll tell you, she is a youngest sister of mine. We name her small pig. She is only one year old. She is very smart, but so far, she can only say “mom.” She has many cute actions, but I can’t use English to impress those. So I decide to use my own actions to impress her cute actions.
I am curious if she is going to show me this next week. Hmm…
My Mother
In my heard, my mother is a hard-working woman. Once my mother talked about her life to me. When she was young she had to be working hard for a good life because there was little food to eat, more than there was no time to play at that time. For her, eating enough was her biggest wish. At Spring Festival she could have a good meal and wear beatyful clothes. It was a wonderful time. But now with the sociaty developing, my mother is also more relaxed. What’s more she has more playing time. She feels very happy. I’m very happy.
Chines women worker living in a very tough condition. They have to work harder every day, wake up early and sleep in the dark of the night. Many labors from Sichuan or Jiangxi Province migarated to other places to find a job for their living! All they want is a little money to support their family. Sometimes they never can go back home during the Spring Festival. We could have more pities on them. They are gentle and simple. They can give all that they have. I respect them very much.
My Mother
My mother is a ordinary farmer live in a small village. She is very warm. She is not tall but can do some things. My mother never studied so she can’t read and write. However she can do anything with much hard work. My mother loves everyone in my family. She hardly quarrels with each one of us. She treats us equally and friendly. My mother does most housework at home and she can cook very nicely. I love and am inspired by my mother because my mother is ordinary but not poor.
There were more that were equally as moving as these, but I couldn’t type them all out. Thursday was English Corner and I have found that many students are really stressed because in a few weeks they will take a week off of school to visit the preschools and primary schools in their hometowns. Many have never stepped into a school since leaving it and have no idea what to do. I decided that rather than practice discussions in English that Janice and I could give the students a few practical activities for their futures in the classroom. So, we taught them telephone, Red light Green light, Mother May I, What time is it Mr. Wolf, and a mixture of storytelling and hot potato which Janice did. Janice read from a picture book (from the Little Critter collection) and asked them to pay attention to details. Then we played hot potato, and when it landed in their hands they had to answer a question that Janice and I posed about the story. After English Corner some students returned with me to my apartment to check out some books, a few also asked me some English language questions.
Friday afternoon I had a nice visit in Mianyang with another volunteer, Angel, and bought some baking items at the Wal-Mart there since I have plans to teach some teachers and students baking this term.
Saturday was my day for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. I invited some teachers to have a green food potluck at my house and 5 teachers and two sons came. I had green rice, green eggs and green juice, as well as goodie bags with green snacks for everyone. Janice lent me her food dye and the Chinese teachers thought it was the coolest thing ever. It was a relaxing and enjoyable time and afterwards they left a mass amount of leftovers even though I insisted I was one person. After cleaning I played Ping-Pong (I am getting some mad skills so if anyone wants to play me in a year and a half…). Then went running with Vivi. More and more students and teachers want to run and play sports with the weather slowly getting warmer, which is great since I enjoy outdoor activities much more than indoor. Then in the evening a few students came by to play cards. I taught them Uno, spoons, and Egyptian Rat Screw. They in turn taught me Stupid Turtle and Landlord. I will try and improve and teach everyone when I return. I like Stupid Turtle. It’s easy and fun.
Sunday at noon I had the brilliant idea to invite students over to eat the leftovers with me. It was almost a success. I still have some but I have plans for that too. Rice pudding anyone?
But, alas, with all of these activities this weekend I have neglected my work, and so another week has gone by.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Second Semester Syllabus
Freshmen syllabus
Week 1: introduction, information cards
Week 2: group assignments, greetings
Hw: greet a foreign teacher once during the week and record their response
Week 3: International Women’s Day lesson
Hw: write a paragraph about women or about a woman that you know and admire
Week 4: introducing yourself and others
Hw: practice introducing yourself and your roommates to other students
Week 5: small talk
Week 6: small talk
Hw: make a list of appropriate an inappropriate small talk topics
Week 7: inviting others out
Hw: invite a classmate out to do something and prepare for midterm
Week 8: midterm: Group role plays (greet, introduce yourself and others, make small talk and invite others out)
Week 9: midterm: Group role plays (greet, introduce yourself and others, make small talk and invite others out)
Week 10: transitions within conversations, conversation practice
Hw: prepare 1 topic to discuss within your small group that you find interesting to introduce to your group, include 5 questions and 5 new words that you can teach your group that are related to this topic
Week 11: transitions within conversations, conversation practice
Week 12: expressing opinions/ point-of-view
Hw: write a paragraph using the opinion/point-of-view statements
Week 13: expressing opinions/ point-of-view
Week 14: stereotypes
Group Hw: each group researches the stereotypes for a different country and present it to the class the next week
Week 15: stereotypes
Hw: study for final
Week 16: final: conversation between two students about a topic/article
Week 17: final: conversation between two students about a topic/article
Week 18: final: conversation between two students about a topic/article
Grades:
Attendance/Journal- 25% (journal is written in at the beginning of every class and checked every 4-6 weeks)
Homework-25% (is explained at the end of every class and is due the next week unless I say otherwise)
Midterm: 20%
Final-30%
And my English majors:
English majors Syllabus:
* This syllabus can change at any time during the semester. If it does I will inform you of changes in class
Week 1: introduction, information cards, greetings
Hw: greet a foreign teacher once during the week and record their response
Week 2: group assignment/explanation; introducing yourself, small talk, inviting others out
Group Hw: make two dialogues with your group one with appropriate small talk and one with inappropriate small talk and be prepared to present in the class
Week 3: International Women’s Day lessons
Hw: write a paragraph about women or about one woman you know and admire
Week 4: transitions within a conversation, conversation practice/ English Children’s songs
Week 5: expressing opinions/ point-of-view
Hw: study for midterm
Week 6: midterm exam: conversation between two students about a topic/article.
Week 7: midterm exam: conversation between two students about a topic/article
Week 8: explaining (expository), introduce speeches
Hw: work on speech
Week 9: explaining (expository), introduce speeches
Hw: work on speech
Week 10: individual speeches (3 minutes, expository)
Week 11: stereotypes
Week 12: advertisements/ English children’s games (indoor)
Group hw: create a product and advertisement for it
Week 13: campaigning/ English children’s games (indoor)
Hw: group campaign/ persuasive speech
Week 14: persuasion
Hw: group campaign/ persuasive speech
Week 15: persuasion
Hw: group campaign/ persuasive speech
Week 16: final: group persuasive speeches/campaigns presentations
Week 17: superlatives
Week 18: toasting and impromptu speeches/end-of-term party (superlatives awards)
Grades:
Attendance/Journal- 25% (journal is written in at the beginning of every class and checked every 4-6 weeks)
Homework-25% (is explained at the end of every class and is due the next week unless I say otherwise)
Midterm: 20%
Final-30%
I think I have a better flow and structure this time around and I hope it goes well this term. I am a bit more confident and a bit more prepared for teaching and what I can expect this term. I have organized my student information for every class, with Chinese and English name, student number, email, phone number and hobbies (hobbies because one goal I have this semester is to have more interaction with my students). I have put my students into set mixed level groups for the entire term and they must choose a group leader. Other group roles are secretary, encourager and English police to make sure everyone is speaking English. I am looking forward to this semester and I am hoping the weather warms up soon.
Week 1: introduction, information cards
Week 2: group assignments, greetings
Hw: greet a foreign teacher once during the week and record their response
Week 3: International Women’s Day lesson
Hw: write a paragraph about women or about a woman that you know and admire
Week 4: introducing yourself and others
Hw: practice introducing yourself and your roommates to other students
Week 5: small talk
Week 6: small talk
Hw: make a list of appropriate an inappropriate small talk topics
Week 7: inviting others out
Hw: invite a classmate out to do something and prepare for midterm
Week 8: midterm: Group role plays (greet, introduce yourself and others, make small talk and invite others out)
Week 9: midterm: Group role plays (greet, introduce yourself and others, make small talk and invite others out)
Week 10: transitions within conversations, conversation practice
Hw: prepare 1 topic to discuss within your small group that you find interesting to introduce to your group, include 5 questions and 5 new words that you can teach your group that are related to this topic
Week 11: transitions within conversations, conversation practice
Week 12: expressing opinions/ point-of-view
Hw: write a paragraph using the opinion/point-of-view statements
Week 13: expressing opinions/ point-of-view
Week 14: stereotypes
Group Hw: each group researches the stereotypes for a different country and present it to the class the next week
Week 15: stereotypes
Hw: study for final
Week 16: final: conversation between two students about a topic/article
Week 17: final: conversation between two students about a topic/article
Week 18: final: conversation between two students about a topic/article
Grades:
Attendance/Journal- 25% (journal is written in at the beginning of every class and checked every 4-6 weeks)
Homework-25% (is explained at the end of every class and is due the next week unless I say otherwise)
Midterm: 20%
Final-30%
And my English majors:
English majors Syllabus:
* This syllabus can change at any time during the semester. If it does I will inform you of changes in class
Week 1: introduction, information cards, greetings
Hw: greet a foreign teacher once during the week and record their response
Week 2: group assignment/explanation; introducing yourself, small talk, inviting others out
Group Hw: make two dialogues with your group one with appropriate small talk and one with inappropriate small talk and be prepared to present in the class
Week 3: International Women’s Day lessons
Hw: write a paragraph about women or about one woman you know and admire
Week 4: transitions within a conversation, conversation practice/ English Children’s songs
Week 5: expressing opinions/ point-of-view
Hw: study for midterm
Week 6: midterm exam: conversation between two students about a topic/article.
Week 7: midterm exam: conversation between two students about a topic/article
Week 8: explaining (expository), introduce speeches
Hw: work on speech
Week 9: explaining (expository), introduce speeches
Hw: work on speech
Week 10: individual speeches (3 minutes, expository)
Week 11: stereotypes
Week 12: advertisements/ English children’s games (indoor)
Group hw: create a product and advertisement for it
Week 13: campaigning/ English children’s games (indoor)
Hw: group campaign/ persuasive speech
Week 14: persuasion
Hw: group campaign/ persuasive speech
Week 15: persuasion
Hw: group campaign/ persuasive speech
Week 16: final: group persuasive speeches/campaigns presentations
Week 17: superlatives
Week 18: toasting and impromptu speeches/end-of-term party (superlatives awards)
Grades:
Attendance/Journal- 25% (journal is written in at the beginning of every class and checked every 4-6 weeks)
Homework-25% (is explained at the end of every class and is due the next week unless I say otherwise)
Midterm: 20%
Final-30%
I think I have a better flow and structure this time around and I hope it goes well this term. I am a bit more confident and a bit more prepared for teaching and what I can expect this term. I have organized my student information for every class, with Chinese and English name, student number, email, phone number and hobbies (hobbies because one goal I have this semester is to have more interaction with my students). I have put my students into set mixed level groups for the entire term and they must choose a group leader. Other group roles are secretary, encourager and English police to make sure everyone is speaking English. I am looking forward to this semester and I am hoping the weather warms up soon.
Back in China
The Return to China
At the airport we were sad to leave the delicious food and warm weather and to return to China. The good news was that we were having training and would see many friends again. In-service Training (IST) lasted 2 weeks in Chengdu. We stayed in a hotel near Sichuan University Campus which is where the PC China office is located. Every day from 830-5 we had teacher training, information, and Chinese lessons. There was also a visit from Rob Gifford, former NPR Beijing correspondent and currently London correspondent and also the author of the book China Road. The vice-president of Sichuan University also came to talk to us about the Chinese education system and the Ministry of Education’s push for reform, of which we are apart. It was a good transition between vacation and getting back to site and teaching. I was able to get some much needed work done during this time to get the ball rolling for the semester. I was getting slightly more motivated and excited to return to teaching after such a long vacation.
Back at my site I have an overwhelming feeling of lack of motivation, but I am quickly slapped back into things when I start my teaching on Monday. I am teaching the same students with the exception of one class that I will only be teaching for 2 weeks and then they are off to practice teach. For that class I am just teaching them useful things they can use in their classrooms, such as English Children’s Songs and games. The songs are the same that I taught Vivi’s class last semester. The games are: duck, duck goose; simon says; red light green light; red rover; hangman; I spy; Pictionary; charades; jeopardy; Bingo; and board competitions. For my freshmen non-English majors:
In other news, my Chinese friend/colleague Allie told me that she is pregnant and due in September. Very exciting. It is also interesting to learn what Chinese woman can and cannot do when they are pregnant. They cannot do any sports. They cannot carry their cell phones. They must eat eggs. That’s all I’ve learned so far but I am sure to learn more the bigger Allie gets.
Sorry it was such a long time between posts but I will try and be more regular now that I have returned to my site. Oh and check out the pictures from Yunnan and Vietnam on the Windows Live Account.
At the airport we were sad to leave the delicious food and warm weather and to return to China. The good news was that we were having training and would see many friends again. In-service Training (IST) lasted 2 weeks in Chengdu. We stayed in a hotel near Sichuan University Campus which is where the PC China office is located. Every day from 830-5 we had teacher training, information, and Chinese lessons. There was also a visit from Rob Gifford, former NPR Beijing correspondent and currently London correspondent and also the author of the book China Road. The vice-president of Sichuan University also came to talk to us about the Chinese education system and the Ministry of Education’s push for reform, of which we are apart. It was a good transition between vacation and getting back to site and teaching. I was able to get some much needed work done during this time to get the ball rolling for the semester. I was getting slightly more motivated and excited to return to teaching after such a long vacation.
Back at my site I have an overwhelming feeling of lack of motivation, but I am quickly slapped back into things when I start my teaching on Monday. I am teaching the same students with the exception of one class that I will only be teaching for 2 weeks and then they are off to practice teach. For that class I am just teaching them useful things they can use in their classrooms, such as English Children’s Songs and games. The songs are the same that I taught Vivi’s class last semester. The games are: duck, duck goose; simon says; red light green light; red rover; hangman; I spy; Pictionary; charades; jeopardy; Bingo; and board competitions. For my freshmen non-English majors:
In other news, my Chinese friend/colleague Allie told me that she is pregnant and due in September. Very exciting. It is also interesting to learn what Chinese woman can and cannot do when they are pregnant. They cannot do any sports. They cannot carry their cell phones. They must eat eggs. That’s all I’ve learned so far but I am sure to learn more the bigger Allie gets.
Sorry it was such a long time between posts but I will try and be more regular now that I have returned to my site. Oh and check out the pictures from Yunnan and Vietnam on the Windows Live Account.
International Women's Day
March 8 was International Women’s Day and I have decided to center my lessons on it. My world wise school letter (my correspondence with a classroom in America) also focuses on it. The following is my letter to that classroom:
Dear Students,
Next week is International Women’s Day on March 8. Many countries around the world are celebrating and honoring women on this day and making efforts to encourage equality, independence, and leadership amongst today’s women. There are still countries in the world today that do not let woman have jobs, will arrange marriages for women and not let them choose their husbands, and will not let woman speak out and have a voice in the community.
Can you imagine a world in which women aren’t permitted to speak in front of men, cannot defend themselves against domestic violence because the police are corrupt and will not do anything, or cannot divorce their husbands for fear of never seeing their children again? How does this compare with the United States? Women in the United States can vote, run for president and be the CEO of a company, but in your opinion are men and women truly equal in America? Why or why not?
China is a growing country both economically and politically. The country has the second largest economy after the United States, but women and men are still far from equal. My observation is that female students are sometimes punished for things while their male classmates are not. Many of my female Chinese friends believe that their main purpose in life is to get married and have children and many girls that pursue ambitious careers or majors (like engineering, computer science, or politics) are shunned. Some of my students tell me that their parents sent them to this college to find a husband because many in-laws and men find teachers to make good wives because they can care for children. I asked my students if they ever thought that a woman could be the president of China and they said “no, never”.
In my classes this week I am challenging my students to think about women, equality, and leadership in different ways. I want to extend this on to you. Next week we can compare your answers with the answers my students gave.
First my lesson has my students finishing the sentence: “100 years from now women will…”
Next my students will answer ten questions:
1. Would you prefer a man supervisor or a woman supervisor?
2. Would you prefer a man or woman doctor?
3. Do you think that there are some sports/activities that are just for men or just for women? What sports/activities?
4. Would you want your child to have a man or woman teacher?
5. Do you think it is easier to be a man or a woman?
6. Do you think it is easier to be a mother or a father?
7. Do you think it is a good thing for a woman to be president of the United States?
8. Do you think little boys and girls should be treated differently?
9. Do you think women should stay at home and take care of children?
10. Are there jobs that are just for men and just for women? What are they?
After each group has discussed their answers, I will ask each group to think about an influential woman in Chinese history. Then I will hand each group an article about an influential woman in the world. The women are: Marie Curie, Eleanor Roosevelt, Gertrude B. Elion, Helen Keller, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Thatcher, Mother Theresa, and Jane Goodall. Do you know all of these women? Can you think of any other influential women in the United States and in the world? The students must create a poster and present this woman to the class and explain what year she lived, what she accomplished, and how she has changed the way women live today.
Finally the students will write a paragraph either about women, in general, or about one inspiring woman. In your next letter to me you can write a paragraph about an inspiring woman that you know and maybe I can share it with my students.
I look forward to reading your letters. Happy International Women’s Day!
Sincerely,
Katie D’Souza
Peace Corps China 16
In my classes this week the responses were…mixed. For completion of the sentence students said women will be more beautiful, stronger, and more independent, equal with me, more confident, taller, more powerful, and have more freedom.
The answers for the discussion questions varied. More students preferred a male supervisor because they are brave, confident, calm, careful and handsome. Those that selected woman supervisor said because it would be easier to communicate with them (keep in mind that the majority of my students are girls).
It was 50/50 on the doctor question. They chose a female doctor because of comfort and because they are kind but chose male doctors because they are smart and careful and handsome.
Almost every student said that there were sports and activities just for men (basketball, football, wrestling and boxing) and just for women (ballet, badminton, volleyball, and shopping).
The majority of students preferred a woman teacher for their child because they are more caring and like mothers.
It was divided between whether it is easier to be a man or a woman. They said it was difficult to be a man because they have much responsibility and pressure but that women must do many things in their families and homes. I would say that most said both were difficult, though.
The majority of students said that it is easier to be a father because the mother must care for the children, give birth to children, clean the house and cook the meals and the father just has to make money.
Some students said that it would be good to have a woman president of the US because she can help the women but those that chose no said it was because woman didn’t have the sense of responsibility or care.
Most students said that boys and girls should be treated differently because their genders are different and boys must be taught to be brave, like sports, and be confident and girls must be taught to be gentle and kind.
For the next question I think every student either said no that women should not stay at home and watch the kids, that the responsibility must be shared, or that the woman should just do what she likes.
During the entire lesson and discussion I didn’t say anything and tried my best not to change my facial expression but this was rather difficult on this next question. Are there jobs that are just for men and just for women? Some students said no, some said yes and one group almost made me drop my jaw when they said yes, jobs for women are secretary, nurse and teacher and jobs for men are high technology jobs and jobs with much responsibility. Later when the students were creating posters for influential women I gave that group Marie Curie. Maybe that changed one of their minds. Secretary, nurse and teacher…you’ve got to be kidding. I had a discussion with one of the leaders from Peace Corps China and she said that China for women is about equal with women in the US in the 1950s.
But moving on from that interesting lesson, I did receive a flower, glass, and office decorations from students on Women’s Day which was very nice. The school gave all women teachers the afternoon off which disappointed me because I like teaching and I didn’t get to do my woman’s day lesson with two classes, but I did spend the afternoon talking and walking with a Chinese teacher friend of mine. It was a rather sad and frustrating conversation for me because she was telling me that she was feeling all of this pressure from family, friends and society to date and get married. She is only 26! I wish she didn’t have these feelings. She is incredibly smart and together but she lacks so much confidence and having these pressures certainly doesn’t build her confidence any higher.
On another note, a different teacher told me that he and his wife are getting divorced and he has already moved out of his house and into the same apartment building as me. He started the conversation asking me about divorce in the US and whether there were many. I said truthfully that it is about 50% at which time he informed me of his current issue. I felt sorry for him but more importantly for his 13 year old daughter. It is interesting how comfortable the Chinese feel discussing their issues with foreigners. I think it’s because we can take their secrets and such with us when we inevitably return to our countries.
The strangest thing occurred to me this week. I gained super strength and super vision after having a run-in with an electrical cord. Obviously that’s not true but I did manage to give myself a mild electric shock which was a rather strange feeling that coerced through my body. I was plugging in my water purifier after cleaning it and not realizing that the other end of the cord was still in the outlet I was plugging the cord into a wet socket. BZZ! Anyways I am fine. Just another interesting day in the life of Katie.
Friday I watched The Pianist with two teachers. If you haven’t seen it you should. It is the true story of this Polish Jewish pianist during the Nazi invasion of Poland. While watching it I was shocked at how little they knew about the sufferings of the Jews by the Nazis. They continually asked me questions like why are they doing that? Where are they taking them? Katie, what is going to happen to them? I am very glad I watched it with them rather than if they’d watched it alone and never had their questions answered. It wasn’t that they didn’t know anything. They were aware of the concentration camps and that they targeted the Jews, but they didn’t grasp the details. I was thinking again about this and how I definitely need to do something for Holocaust Memorial Day and then I asked myself how many Americans know Chinese history or understand the sufferings they endured at the hands of the Japanese? How much knowledge do Americans have of the sufferings endured in all other nonwestern countries? I was thinking how little do these Chinese teachers know of the Holocaust when I should be thinking how little we all know. My education rarely touched on African, Middle Eastern, and Asian literature, history and culture—why?
And to wrap-up my week I spent a good part of this weekend making my apartment the cleanest it’s ever been. I scrubbed, moved things around, organized, and put my blood sweat and tears into making my apartment look sparkling, minus the blood and tears. The tears almost came, but I kept them under. I added photographs to my website but then I realized that the pictures will not show the hard work I endured, but you’ll just have to take my word on it.
Dear Students,
Next week is International Women’s Day on March 8. Many countries around the world are celebrating and honoring women on this day and making efforts to encourage equality, independence, and leadership amongst today’s women. There are still countries in the world today that do not let woman have jobs, will arrange marriages for women and not let them choose their husbands, and will not let woman speak out and have a voice in the community.
Can you imagine a world in which women aren’t permitted to speak in front of men, cannot defend themselves against domestic violence because the police are corrupt and will not do anything, or cannot divorce their husbands for fear of never seeing their children again? How does this compare with the United States? Women in the United States can vote, run for president and be the CEO of a company, but in your opinion are men and women truly equal in America? Why or why not?
China is a growing country both economically and politically. The country has the second largest economy after the United States, but women and men are still far from equal. My observation is that female students are sometimes punished for things while their male classmates are not. Many of my female Chinese friends believe that their main purpose in life is to get married and have children and many girls that pursue ambitious careers or majors (like engineering, computer science, or politics) are shunned. Some of my students tell me that their parents sent them to this college to find a husband because many in-laws and men find teachers to make good wives because they can care for children. I asked my students if they ever thought that a woman could be the president of China and they said “no, never”.
In my classes this week I am challenging my students to think about women, equality, and leadership in different ways. I want to extend this on to you. Next week we can compare your answers with the answers my students gave.
First my lesson has my students finishing the sentence: “100 years from now women will…”
Next my students will answer ten questions:
1. Would you prefer a man supervisor or a woman supervisor?
2. Would you prefer a man or woman doctor?
3. Do you think that there are some sports/activities that are just for men or just for women? What sports/activities?
4. Would you want your child to have a man or woman teacher?
5. Do you think it is easier to be a man or a woman?
6. Do you think it is easier to be a mother or a father?
7. Do you think it is a good thing for a woman to be president of the United States?
8. Do you think little boys and girls should be treated differently?
9. Do you think women should stay at home and take care of children?
10. Are there jobs that are just for men and just for women? What are they?
After each group has discussed their answers, I will ask each group to think about an influential woman in Chinese history. Then I will hand each group an article about an influential woman in the world. The women are: Marie Curie, Eleanor Roosevelt, Gertrude B. Elion, Helen Keller, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Thatcher, Mother Theresa, and Jane Goodall. Do you know all of these women? Can you think of any other influential women in the United States and in the world? The students must create a poster and present this woman to the class and explain what year she lived, what she accomplished, and how she has changed the way women live today.
Finally the students will write a paragraph either about women, in general, or about one inspiring woman. In your next letter to me you can write a paragraph about an inspiring woman that you know and maybe I can share it with my students.
I look forward to reading your letters. Happy International Women’s Day!
Sincerely,
Katie D’Souza
Peace Corps China 16
In my classes this week the responses were…mixed. For completion of the sentence students said women will be more beautiful, stronger, and more independent, equal with me, more confident, taller, more powerful, and have more freedom.
The answers for the discussion questions varied. More students preferred a male supervisor because they are brave, confident, calm, careful and handsome. Those that selected woman supervisor said because it would be easier to communicate with them (keep in mind that the majority of my students are girls).
It was 50/50 on the doctor question. They chose a female doctor because of comfort and because they are kind but chose male doctors because they are smart and careful and handsome.
Almost every student said that there were sports and activities just for men (basketball, football, wrestling and boxing) and just for women (ballet, badminton, volleyball, and shopping).
The majority of students preferred a woman teacher for their child because they are more caring and like mothers.
It was divided between whether it is easier to be a man or a woman. They said it was difficult to be a man because they have much responsibility and pressure but that women must do many things in their families and homes. I would say that most said both were difficult, though.
The majority of students said that it is easier to be a father because the mother must care for the children, give birth to children, clean the house and cook the meals and the father just has to make money.
Some students said that it would be good to have a woman president of the US because she can help the women but those that chose no said it was because woman didn’t have the sense of responsibility or care.
Most students said that boys and girls should be treated differently because their genders are different and boys must be taught to be brave, like sports, and be confident and girls must be taught to be gentle and kind.
For the next question I think every student either said no that women should not stay at home and watch the kids, that the responsibility must be shared, or that the woman should just do what she likes.
During the entire lesson and discussion I didn’t say anything and tried my best not to change my facial expression but this was rather difficult on this next question. Are there jobs that are just for men and just for women? Some students said no, some said yes and one group almost made me drop my jaw when they said yes, jobs for women are secretary, nurse and teacher and jobs for men are high technology jobs and jobs with much responsibility. Later when the students were creating posters for influential women I gave that group Marie Curie. Maybe that changed one of their minds. Secretary, nurse and teacher…you’ve got to be kidding. I had a discussion with one of the leaders from Peace Corps China and she said that China for women is about equal with women in the US in the 1950s.
But moving on from that interesting lesson, I did receive a flower, glass, and office decorations from students on Women’s Day which was very nice. The school gave all women teachers the afternoon off which disappointed me because I like teaching and I didn’t get to do my woman’s day lesson with two classes, but I did spend the afternoon talking and walking with a Chinese teacher friend of mine. It was a rather sad and frustrating conversation for me because she was telling me that she was feeling all of this pressure from family, friends and society to date and get married. She is only 26! I wish she didn’t have these feelings. She is incredibly smart and together but she lacks so much confidence and having these pressures certainly doesn’t build her confidence any higher.
On another note, a different teacher told me that he and his wife are getting divorced and he has already moved out of his house and into the same apartment building as me. He started the conversation asking me about divorce in the US and whether there were many. I said truthfully that it is about 50% at which time he informed me of his current issue. I felt sorry for him but more importantly for his 13 year old daughter. It is interesting how comfortable the Chinese feel discussing their issues with foreigners. I think it’s because we can take their secrets and such with us when we inevitably return to our countries.
The strangest thing occurred to me this week. I gained super strength and super vision after having a run-in with an electrical cord. Obviously that’s not true but I did manage to give myself a mild electric shock which was a rather strange feeling that coerced through my body. I was plugging in my water purifier after cleaning it and not realizing that the other end of the cord was still in the outlet I was plugging the cord into a wet socket. BZZ! Anyways I am fine. Just another interesting day in the life of Katie.
Friday I watched The Pianist with two teachers. If you haven’t seen it you should. It is the true story of this Polish Jewish pianist during the Nazi invasion of Poland. While watching it I was shocked at how little they knew about the sufferings of the Jews by the Nazis. They continually asked me questions like why are they doing that? Where are they taking them? Katie, what is going to happen to them? I am very glad I watched it with them rather than if they’d watched it alone and never had their questions answered. It wasn’t that they didn’t know anything. They were aware of the concentration camps and that they targeted the Jews, but they didn’t grasp the details. I was thinking again about this and how I definitely need to do something for Holocaust Memorial Day and then I asked myself how many Americans know Chinese history or understand the sufferings they endured at the hands of the Japanese? How much knowledge do Americans have of the sufferings endured in all other nonwestern countries? I was thinking how little do these Chinese teachers know of the Holocaust when I should be thinking how little we all know. My education rarely touched on African, Middle Eastern, and Asian literature, history and culture—why?
And to wrap-up my week I spent a good part of this weekend making my apartment the cleanest it’s ever been. I scrubbed, moved things around, organized, and put my blood sweat and tears into making my apartment look sparkling, minus the blood and tears. The tears almost came, but I kept them under. I added photographs to my website but then I realized that the pictures will not show the hard work I endured, but you’ll just have to take my word on it.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Winter Travels
The last week of classes I gave my students an evaluation they had to fill out about me. Some students took it seriously and had real suggestions for topics such as, speaking loudly and slowly, having more group activities, and teaching about things they can use when they practice teach in the preschool. However some students had suggestions that were rather less helpful like: I like your smile, show us movies (in my technology-less classrooms), and my all-time favorite “I wish the teacher (you) would have a different hairstyle.” I had no idea my hair was affecting your learning so much. Why of course I will change my hair immediately! (Insert rolling of the eyes). I also gave finals. For the freshmen they had to prepare a conversation about going on a trip with a group and my English majors had individual interview with me. I wish I had done interviews earlier because some of the students were a lot lower level than I thought. I definitely learned more about teaching and really hope I can make some necessary improvements for the following term. I was all ready to depart for my travels after putting my grades together to hand into the office when I realized one was missing! One of my students never took their final. I contacted that student and said that she had until Friday to take the exam. She never took it and I failed her. And that ends my first semester teaching in China.
My winter travel began in Yibin where the four of us met up in Leo’s place since it was the easiest and most direct route into Yunnan province which is just south of China. We had to stay in Yunnan because it was in the capital city (Kunming) that we could visit the Vietnamese consulate and obtain a visa. First we went into Kunming and immediately went to the consulate where we ran into two China 15s who were also heading there. They asked us about our photographs for the visa, and so we immediately turned around and left to find a place to take our pictures because we completely forgot—thanks Charlie and the other 15 whose name I don’t know. When we returned there was this young Danish boy behind us in line who was picking his visa and passport up but he had misplaced his receipt and told us that they weren’t giving his passport back to him. We said if he still can’t find it that he should contact his embassy. Anyways we knew to keep the receipts safe, so the two guys gave it to me and Katie to hold. Oh yeah, I was travelling with Leo, Katie and Richy.
So all of our Chinese friends had been telling us that Kunming is the “spring city” because it is warm all year. Well we are walking around shivering and Katie says “I think there’s ashes falling.” Well ashes turned out to be snow!! We arrived in Kunming at a time when it was the coldest in 50 years. Great! We were trying to escape cold but instead it was following us. During this tiem it was colder in Kunming than in our sites.
Anyways we decided to leave Kunming for a few days while the visas were processed. We went to this wonderful quaint city in Yunnan called Dali. It was a typical tourist town and was filled with quite a few expats that maybe didn’t jive well in their own countries because these people seemed like lifers. The weather was still chilly but not cold and we spent the time biking and relaxing and indulging in western style food (which is expensive in China). A few days later the visas were ready and we return to Kunming, pick them up and head to the bus station to take an overnight bus to the border crossing. After meeting the Danish boy Katie was desperately trying to remember what the Danish word for sprinkles was since, she and Richy had previously been there. Anyways when we got to the bus station guess who we see? The Dane from the consulate! I run over and say “hey you got the passport!” Do you know the Danish word for sprinkles?” He was slightly flummoxed by my ludicrous question, stumbled over his words to say no and hurried away. There wasn’t enough room on any of the buses that night so we bought for the next day and took a taxi back to the hostel. The taxi driver was the nicest lady we met that the guys struck up a conversation with her. At one point I looked at her driver’s id and it was a picture of a man. I think she was driving her husband’s taxi! But she was probably a better driver anyways.
We returned to the hostel where there was the cutest puppy; Katie fed it some butter and Richy put it his jacket to keep warm because it was shivering so much. We contemplated stealing it but thought it might be difficult at the border crossing.
Okay—overnight bus…never take one if you can help it! It was frightening. Very shaky. I maybe slept 2 of the 17 or so hours we were on it. But we arrived safely and that’s all that matters. At one point when we were first starting this guy came around and was asking everyone for 5 Yuan but wasn’t explaining why. Richy and Leo told us not to pay until he explained and until the Chinese passengers paid incase this was a scam. It ended up being because they had to redirect the route because the original route had snow on the road and we had to pass through an extra toll. Through this experience we met two Dutch boys who didn’t speak any Chinese, so we helped them out. They’d later follow us to Hanoi.
When we arrived in Lao Cai it was too early to cross the border, so we found a place to eat breakfast and chill until the border opened. Here we met a man who was willing to exchange our RMB for Vietnamese dong. We were crossing on a Sunday and there wouldn’t be any banks open and they also don’t give a good exchange rate for RMB apparently. Btw, US dollars can be used in Vietnam, but after 6 months in China we didn’t have any.
Okay so we walked across the border between China and Vietnam and then took a train to the capital of Hanoi. Thanks to the French influence as soon as we entered the country everyone was trying to sell us fresh baguettes which were awesome. This one boy on the train was particularly persistent even though we already had bread and kept getting in Leo’s space. In China we always take a "hard seat" on a day trip train which is the cheapest ticket but this seat is soft compared with Vietnamese hard seats which were just wooden benches and an 8 hr train ride turned into 12. But it was okay. We shared the experience with the 2 Dutch boys. They said that they had finished high school and their mandatory year in military and decided to travel a bit of the world before heading to university and continuing their life. We met many Europeans like that. Their lives are so different than Americans. First they all have socialized medicine, second many of them have socialized education, and three they all speak English fluently. How many Americans are fluent in 2 languages?
Moving on the Dutch boys came in handy because they knew of a cheap hostel, though they were rich and weren’t as concerned with money as we were. After Vietnam they were heading to New Zealand and were going to buy a car to use down there. Wow, must be nice.
Hanoi was nice. Vietnam is definitely poorer than China, though. We just walked around and visited some museums and such. It was a bit difficult at first with the language barrier but we studied on the train (hello, goodbye, what is this, how much, where is the bathroom, thanks, can it be cheaper, and the numbers 1-10, 100, and 1000). Vietnam is well known for selling copied books, so Leo and Richy bargained for a Vietnamese phrase book in Hanoi. They were very tough bargainers. When we left we said bye to the man and he said “I don’t like you!” since they bought the book for so cheap. But the fact is that he wouldn’t have sold it if he wasn’t making a profit. He just found a group of foreigners he couldn’t rip off is all.
In Hanoi we saw the preserved body of Ho Chi Minh which was strange. It looked like he was sleeping/not real. You must walk through quietly and cannot have your hands in your pockets and must have no electronics. Katie and Richy are trying to make their way through their communist leaders. They have already seen Mao and Lenin. They said Lenin looked the most real, but that is most likely because the Russians are the best at body preservation and actually China and Vietnam send their leaders to Russia to get refurbished or whatever it is called. In Hanoi we first tried the amazing Vietnamese coffee. I wasn’t a coffee drinker before but Vietnam convert anyone over. It is dark and strong and drunk from a small cup. At the bottom of the cup they pour sweetened condensed milk which ties everything together for a nice smooth taste. We also ate comforting warm pho which is best described as noodle soup but better. It has fresh vegetables, noodles, and meat.
Since Vietnam is such a small country we made our way through the entire country. Next we wanted to see Hailong Bay but every brochure made it look like the Asian Cancun which wasn’t what we wanted. So we hop on the frightening overnight train and we are headed to quaint but touristy Hoi An. What’s wrong with this train? Roaches and uncontrollable shaking, but here’s a bit of excitement for ya…our Danish friend from Kunming is back! And he brought two friends with him that he picked up along the way. So five minutes into the train ride and we get a knock on the door and see three European guys and a bottle of vodka because they want to hang. It is Sam, aka Sprinkles as we nicknamed him earlier since we hadn’t had formal introductions, a Scotsman whose name escapes me at this time, and the Swede. Sam it turns out is 19, finished high school and decided to travel a bit on his own before venturing into university life. The Scotsman is 24 and works in Japan and rather hyperactive. And the Swede is 30 decided to take a break and travel a bit and got caught up with these youngsters as he called them. We became closest with the Swede after it was figured that the Danish boy and the Scots were looking to meet some nice girls and Katie and me accompanied by two guys wasn’t enough of a hint that we were taken so they had a try. Discouraged they returned early to their beds and we stayed up with the Swede who made us jealous with all of the many wonderful things their queen does for them, including a free college education which includes money for room and board. We also thoroughly enjoyed listening to his English, particularly of the “j” sound which for him came out as the “y” sound for example, when he mentioned yumping on the train. It was delightful to hear. We took our separate ways and we started the next adventure in Hue.
Hue was a nice city in Vietnam but it rained almost nonstop, so we didn’t last long there. We visited a few historical sites, one being the prison that the French colonialists used to hold the Vietnamese that were opposing them. The treatment of the Vietnamese by the French was terrible, as almost every colonialist is to the people they invade. Later during the American-Vietnam War we were told the American pilots that were shot down were kept there under much better conditions. One such soldier was John McCain whose picture we saw on the wall of the museum.
While we were there, though, some other interesting things transpired.
The first was this small restaurant that we just decided on a whim to choose and it turned out to be an internationally known restaurant that was featured on the TV show Globetrekkers and was also featured in Lonely Planet. It was famous because, well obviously the food was amazing! We ate spring rolls that you roll yourself, hot sweet banana pancakes with warm chocolate sauce drizzled over it, and the local beers. This brings me to the second reason for the fame and that is the owner, an older hearing impaired man, had invented the coolest bottle opener ever. It is simply a wooden stick with a screw sticking out the end. Why is this cool? Well imagine 6 bottles lined up in a row with 6 of these simple bottle openers resting along the caps’ edge and this Vietnamese man karate chopping them all open at once. Get ready to be jealous. We ended up returning because the food was delicious, the owner sweet as can be, and most importantly was that it was warm and got us out of the rain. We started off ordering coffee, then we ordered food, beer, more food, and coffee again—we pretty much stayed in his restaurant half the day. This being the case, he took a liking to us and gave each of us a bottle opener for free! I can just see your eyes glistening green with envy. But no worries, when I return to the US in the summer of 2012, you can all have a go with the infamous bottle opener. When we eventually left his cozy abode we were accosted by this man who insisted he treat us to a beer. He wanted to chat with Americans. We hesitated and then decided to agree but be wary. He talked with us of how he had been with the South Vietnamese army during the war and as a result he was given a low job when the North won. He then said he wanted to pray for us at his temple and needed wine to offer at the statue of the god of I forget. It isn’t the god of I forget I just forget what he said. Anyways he convinces us to buy this expensive wine and we will never know if he really prayed or not or whether we were scammed. We would prefer the first but it was difficult to say either way. Naturally this became our topic of conversation the remainder of the trip in Hue.
Next we boarded a day bus (thank you) headed to the quaint but touristy city of Hoi An. In Hoi An we stayed at a cute hotel complete with mosquito nets, free bikes and middle-aged Vietnamese women who kept slapping my butt and pinching Katie A’s cheeks. We hit up the free bikes every day and rode into and around town. We also biked to the nearby beach which was too chilly for swimming but nice for relaxing and listening to the breaking of the waves. Hoi An is famous for their tailored clothing stores. Every other shop you could have something made for you, even full suits. How did we know this? Why the Swede told us! That’s right. Once more we ran into Sprinkles the Dane and his new faithful companion the Swede, but this time the Scotsman has returned to his job in Japan and they’ve picked up another European fellow. We just said hi and they told us of their adventures since we’d last parted ways in the train station at Hue and it was goodbye at last. Or was it?
Part of the adventure in Hoi An included a trip to a nearby city called My Son. My Son was a place in the jungles of Vietnam where there were some ruins and artifacts. Along the way we stopped in this small village and bought Vietnam’s amazing ban mi which are baguette sandwiches with pate that is sold everywhere in the country. When we got to My Son we had ourselves a picnic with the ban mi, oranges and peanut butter and crackers that Katie A and I prepared. It was pretty awesome. At one point the boys decided to lead us on a trek through the jungle which was probably a terrible idea since we aren’t experts on Vietnam’s plants, insects, and wildlife and were most likely risking some sort of disease or attack by venomous creature. But don’t worry moms and Peace Corps medical office—we made it there and back in one piece. Honestly I think Leo and Richie were hoping we’d see a tiger. (rolling of eyes and a sigh, followed by a grin because they are just so goofy you cannot help but enjoy their jest for adventure). On the way back we stopped at a roadside street vendor and ate some pancake things which consist of egg, flour shrimp, and then we wrap it in fresh greens and a spring roll wrap and dip in a spicy sauce. She kept bringing us more and more and we couldn’t stop eating it was so savory. So Hoi An became the first experience we’d had thus far of decent warmth, no rain, and a relaxing atmosphere of reading, biking, and sitting at a beach. We didn’t want to leave but we had high hopes of our continued journey south. We wanted sun, we wanted a beach we could swim in, and if it wasn’t too much to ask we really wanted a tan.
We vowed we’d never ride another overnight bus but this is exactly how we ended up travelling to the next stop—Nha Trang, a mid-sized city with a beach. But being on an overnight bus wasn’t bad enough that when we arrived (late due to traffic) the hotel informed us our reservations had been cancelled. We managed to get in but later. The next day we went next door where we had a cheaper stay and just as nice living space. This second day we hit the beach. It was pleasant and warm. The waves were high and strong, though, so Katie A and I opted to create sand creatures (sea turtle and bird) while Leo and Richy braved the water. They insisted we have a try so we stepped in a bit. Leo tried to encourage me to swim rather than just stand but instead I turned and ran back up. Despite being a native Floridian, I am not the best at swimming.
There was a middle aged Vietnamese woman with fruit sitting next to Katie A and Richy when we walked up. When we got close she asks roughly looking at Leo, “are you Leo?” He hesitated and said, “um…ya.” She then picks up a large knife and in the toughest voice she can muster she says, “You give me money or I cut off your banana and make you lady-man.” Appalled by this Leo takes a few steps back and manages to exclaim, “What?!” It turns out that while we were in the water this fruit seller approaches Katie and Richy. In response to her request for them to purchase the fruit Richy says that he didn’t have any money, but that Leo had all of the money. So she was ready when he returned. She kept telling Leo “I kill you! No no I love you. Buy my fruit! I cut off your banana! No money no honey!” This phrase no money no honey is heard throughout Vietnam and unfortunately has to do with the prostitution business in Vietnam which is wide and easily spotted. But in order to save Leo’s banana and because we actually wanted fruit we bought some from the best fruit seller in Vietnam or at least the scariest.
We thought Nha Trang was just good for the beach and great Indian food we enjoyed one night, but oh were we wrong. Thanks to Leo’s research and boyish excitement for arcades and water parks we enjoyed a full day at this really amazing island next to Nha Trang. We took the longest cable car over water to this island owned by a fancy resort and with one ticket we enjoyed a water park (lazy river, slides, wave pool), amusement park (merry-go-round, swings which made us all nauseous, small roller coaster), arcade complete with bumper cars and a riding bull, and an aquarium (with sea turtle, sharks, sting rays and fish). It is the best kept secret in Nha Trang. It wasn’t Disney or anything but was quite enjoyable. It was slightly dangerous considering it is a third world country and they haven’t the same codes as in America but nevertheless we didn’t get too injured from it—just Leo and Richy had their backs slightly cut and rubbed too hard by a steep slide and Richy and I got our throats smashed in a water slide, but it was all in the spirit of fun and well, Peace Corps medical staff never warned us of the dangers of water parks in Vietnam, so really we couldn’t have possibly known. Diarrhea, malaria, STDs? Check. Water parks? I think you forgot it in the medical handbook Peace Corps.
Last but not least is the great city of Ho Chi Minh (aka Saigon). It was a bustling city especially this near TET which is the Vietnamese equivalent of Spring Festival or Lunar New Year. The difference is that this year in Vietnam is the year of the Cat whereas China it is the year of the Rabbit and China doesn’t even have a cat on the calendar. For TET, every Vietnamese family will buy beautiful, bold and somewhat expensive flowers, so throughout Ho Chi Minh we saw these brilliantly colored flower markets with orchids, lilies, tulips, dragon fruit and more. Ho Chi Minh also had a huge indoor market with everything from paintings and coffee to knockoff purses and perfume. It was hectic and exciting. Walking through the aisles we were shouted at and pulled towards every corner shop. Everyone had a mission. Mine was to get something for Janice and Mark who gave me money before leaving. Katie A was trying to find a cardigan. Richy wanted coffee. And Leo was trying to track down the items that his sister asked him to try and find. But we worked together as a team and gave each other good bargaining tips and tried to buy together in the hopes of price reduction. It was successful, though slightly difficult when some sellers weren’t in bargaining moods—and by afternoon when it is mid 90s I can’t blame them. We heard that it’s best to arrive in the morning because you can get a good deal because it is considered bad luck for the whole day if you don’t make your first sale.
While in Ho Chi Minh we also took a short boat ride around the river in the city. We picked a great time because it was right as the sun was setting. After that we continued the trend of our entire trip by using the toilets in the nicest hotels we passed. Is this strange? They are the cleanest and they smell nice. In one we visited in Hanoi there were towels to dry the hands rather than paper. Fancy.
During our time in Ho Chi Minh we visited a few museums. The most notable was the War Museum. Outside were many weapons, bombs, and fighter jets and helicopters. Then there was a dedication to the Tiger Cages which was a horror prison used by both the French and South Vietnamese. The prisoners were tortured beyond any scope of reason. The tactics of which are too gruesome to mention but if you are curious I am sure you can find it online. Inside the museum were pictures depicting the atrocities of war.
Great Scott! Is that Sprinkles I see leaving the War Museum?! By golly it is. But this indeed would be the last we’d see of him since our adventure ends in Ho Chi Minh and we are to return to China the following day. Alas, we didn’t even get to say goodbye.
All in all Vietnam was great. The coffee, bread, ban mi, pho, pancakes, spring rolls, and banana pancakes are amazing. The people are friendly, slightly crazy women, and fun. The weather is mostly perfect all year. If you have the chance to visit Vietnam, I’d say you wouldn’t regret it. But I am not sure if I am biased after 7 months in China. Food for thought.
My winter travel began in Yibin where the four of us met up in Leo’s place since it was the easiest and most direct route into Yunnan province which is just south of China. We had to stay in Yunnan because it was in the capital city (Kunming) that we could visit the Vietnamese consulate and obtain a visa. First we went into Kunming and immediately went to the consulate where we ran into two China 15s who were also heading there. They asked us about our photographs for the visa, and so we immediately turned around and left to find a place to take our pictures because we completely forgot—thanks Charlie and the other 15 whose name I don’t know. When we returned there was this young Danish boy behind us in line who was picking his visa and passport up but he had misplaced his receipt and told us that they weren’t giving his passport back to him. We said if he still can’t find it that he should contact his embassy. Anyways we knew to keep the receipts safe, so the two guys gave it to me and Katie to hold. Oh yeah, I was travelling with Leo, Katie and Richy.
So all of our Chinese friends had been telling us that Kunming is the “spring city” because it is warm all year. Well we are walking around shivering and Katie says “I think there’s ashes falling.” Well ashes turned out to be snow!! We arrived in Kunming at a time when it was the coldest in 50 years. Great! We were trying to escape cold but instead it was following us. During this tiem it was colder in Kunming than in our sites.
Anyways we decided to leave Kunming for a few days while the visas were processed. We went to this wonderful quaint city in Yunnan called Dali. It was a typical tourist town and was filled with quite a few expats that maybe didn’t jive well in their own countries because these people seemed like lifers. The weather was still chilly but not cold and we spent the time biking and relaxing and indulging in western style food (which is expensive in China). A few days later the visas were ready and we return to Kunming, pick them up and head to the bus station to take an overnight bus to the border crossing. After meeting the Danish boy Katie was desperately trying to remember what the Danish word for sprinkles was since, she and Richy had previously been there. Anyways when we got to the bus station guess who we see? The Dane from the consulate! I run over and say “hey you got the passport!” Do you know the Danish word for sprinkles?” He was slightly flummoxed by my ludicrous question, stumbled over his words to say no and hurried away. There wasn’t enough room on any of the buses that night so we bought for the next day and took a taxi back to the hostel. The taxi driver was the nicest lady we met that the guys struck up a conversation with her. At one point I looked at her driver’s id and it was a picture of a man. I think she was driving her husband’s taxi! But she was probably a better driver anyways.
We returned to the hostel where there was the cutest puppy; Katie fed it some butter and Richy put it his jacket to keep warm because it was shivering so much. We contemplated stealing it but thought it might be difficult at the border crossing.
Okay—overnight bus…never take one if you can help it! It was frightening. Very shaky. I maybe slept 2 of the 17 or so hours we were on it. But we arrived safely and that’s all that matters. At one point when we were first starting this guy came around and was asking everyone for 5 Yuan but wasn’t explaining why. Richy and Leo told us not to pay until he explained and until the Chinese passengers paid incase this was a scam. It ended up being because they had to redirect the route because the original route had snow on the road and we had to pass through an extra toll. Through this experience we met two Dutch boys who didn’t speak any Chinese, so we helped them out. They’d later follow us to Hanoi.
When we arrived in Lao Cai it was too early to cross the border, so we found a place to eat breakfast and chill until the border opened. Here we met a man who was willing to exchange our RMB for Vietnamese dong. We were crossing on a Sunday and there wouldn’t be any banks open and they also don’t give a good exchange rate for RMB apparently. Btw, US dollars can be used in Vietnam, but after 6 months in China we didn’t have any.
Okay so we walked across the border between China and Vietnam and then took a train to the capital of Hanoi. Thanks to the French influence as soon as we entered the country everyone was trying to sell us fresh baguettes which were awesome. This one boy on the train was particularly persistent even though we already had bread and kept getting in Leo’s space. In China we always take a "hard seat" on a day trip train which is the cheapest ticket but this seat is soft compared with Vietnamese hard seats which were just wooden benches and an 8 hr train ride turned into 12. But it was okay. We shared the experience with the 2 Dutch boys. They said that they had finished high school and their mandatory year in military and decided to travel a bit of the world before heading to university and continuing their life. We met many Europeans like that. Their lives are so different than Americans. First they all have socialized medicine, second many of them have socialized education, and three they all speak English fluently. How many Americans are fluent in 2 languages?
Moving on the Dutch boys came in handy because they knew of a cheap hostel, though they were rich and weren’t as concerned with money as we were. After Vietnam they were heading to New Zealand and were going to buy a car to use down there. Wow, must be nice.
Hanoi was nice. Vietnam is definitely poorer than China, though. We just walked around and visited some museums and such. It was a bit difficult at first with the language barrier but we studied on the train (hello, goodbye, what is this, how much, where is the bathroom, thanks, can it be cheaper, and the numbers 1-10, 100, and 1000). Vietnam is well known for selling copied books, so Leo and Richy bargained for a Vietnamese phrase book in Hanoi. They were very tough bargainers. When we left we said bye to the man and he said “I don’t like you!” since they bought the book for so cheap. But the fact is that he wouldn’t have sold it if he wasn’t making a profit. He just found a group of foreigners he couldn’t rip off is all.
In Hanoi we saw the preserved body of Ho Chi Minh which was strange. It looked like he was sleeping/not real. You must walk through quietly and cannot have your hands in your pockets and must have no electronics. Katie and Richy are trying to make their way through their communist leaders. They have already seen Mao and Lenin. They said Lenin looked the most real, but that is most likely because the Russians are the best at body preservation and actually China and Vietnam send their leaders to Russia to get refurbished or whatever it is called. In Hanoi we first tried the amazing Vietnamese coffee. I wasn’t a coffee drinker before but Vietnam convert anyone over. It is dark and strong and drunk from a small cup. At the bottom of the cup they pour sweetened condensed milk which ties everything together for a nice smooth taste. We also ate comforting warm pho which is best described as noodle soup but better. It has fresh vegetables, noodles, and meat.
Since Vietnam is such a small country we made our way through the entire country. Next we wanted to see Hailong Bay but every brochure made it look like the Asian Cancun which wasn’t what we wanted. So we hop on the frightening overnight train and we are headed to quaint but touristy Hoi An. What’s wrong with this train? Roaches and uncontrollable shaking, but here’s a bit of excitement for ya…our Danish friend from Kunming is back! And he brought two friends with him that he picked up along the way. So five minutes into the train ride and we get a knock on the door and see three European guys and a bottle of vodka because they want to hang. It is Sam, aka Sprinkles as we nicknamed him earlier since we hadn’t had formal introductions, a Scotsman whose name escapes me at this time, and the Swede. Sam it turns out is 19, finished high school and decided to travel a bit on his own before venturing into university life. The Scotsman is 24 and works in Japan and rather hyperactive. And the Swede is 30 decided to take a break and travel a bit and got caught up with these youngsters as he called them. We became closest with the Swede after it was figured that the Danish boy and the Scots were looking to meet some nice girls and Katie and me accompanied by two guys wasn’t enough of a hint that we were taken so they had a try. Discouraged they returned early to their beds and we stayed up with the Swede who made us jealous with all of the many wonderful things their queen does for them, including a free college education which includes money for room and board. We also thoroughly enjoyed listening to his English, particularly of the “j” sound which for him came out as the “y” sound for example, when he mentioned yumping on the train. It was delightful to hear. We took our separate ways and we started the next adventure in Hue.
Hue was a nice city in Vietnam but it rained almost nonstop, so we didn’t last long there. We visited a few historical sites, one being the prison that the French colonialists used to hold the Vietnamese that were opposing them. The treatment of the Vietnamese by the French was terrible, as almost every colonialist is to the people they invade. Later during the American-Vietnam War we were told the American pilots that were shot down were kept there under much better conditions. One such soldier was John McCain whose picture we saw on the wall of the museum.
While we were there, though, some other interesting things transpired.
The first was this small restaurant that we just decided on a whim to choose and it turned out to be an internationally known restaurant that was featured on the TV show Globetrekkers and was also featured in Lonely Planet. It was famous because, well obviously the food was amazing! We ate spring rolls that you roll yourself, hot sweet banana pancakes with warm chocolate sauce drizzled over it, and the local beers. This brings me to the second reason for the fame and that is the owner, an older hearing impaired man, had invented the coolest bottle opener ever. It is simply a wooden stick with a screw sticking out the end. Why is this cool? Well imagine 6 bottles lined up in a row with 6 of these simple bottle openers resting along the caps’ edge and this Vietnamese man karate chopping them all open at once. Get ready to be jealous. We ended up returning because the food was delicious, the owner sweet as can be, and most importantly was that it was warm and got us out of the rain. We started off ordering coffee, then we ordered food, beer, more food, and coffee again—we pretty much stayed in his restaurant half the day. This being the case, he took a liking to us and gave each of us a bottle opener for free! I can just see your eyes glistening green with envy. But no worries, when I return to the US in the summer of 2012, you can all have a go with the infamous bottle opener. When we eventually left his cozy abode we were accosted by this man who insisted he treat us to a beer. He wanted to chat with Americans. We hesitated and then decided to agree but be wary. He talked with us of how he had been with the South Vietnamese army during the war and as a result he was given a low job when the North won. He then said he wanted to pray for us at his temple and needed wine to offer at the statue of the god of I forget. It isn’t the god of I forget I just forget what he said. Anyways he convinces us to buy this expensive wine and we will never know if he really prayed or not or whether we were scammed. We would prefer the first but it was difficult to say either way. Naturally this became our topic of conversation the remainder of the trip in Hue.
Next we boarded a day bus (thank you) headed to the quaint but touristy city of Hoi An. In Hoi An we stayed at a cute hotel complete with mosquito nets, free bikes and middle-aged Vietnamese women who kept slapping my butt and pinching Katie A’s cheeks. We hit up the free bikes every day and rode into and around town. We also biked to the nearby beach which was too chilly for swimming but nice for relaxing and listening to the breaking of the waves. Hoi An is famous for their tailored clothing stores. Every other shop you could have something made for you, even full suits. How did we know this? Why the Swede told us! That’s right. Once more we ran into Sprinkles the Dane and his new faithful companion the Swede, but this time the Scotsman has returned to his job in Japan and they’ve picked up another European fellow. We just said hi and they told us of their adventures since we’d last parted ways in the train station at Hue and it was goodbye at last. Or was it?
Part of the adventure in Hoi An included a trip to a nearby city called My Son. My Son was a place in the jungles of Vietnam where there were some ruins and artifacts. Along the way we stopped in this small village and bought Vietnam’s amazing ban mi which are baguette sandwiches with pate that is sold everywhere in the country. When we got to My Son we had ourselves a picnic with the ban mi, oranges and peanut butter and crackers that Katie A and I prepared. It was pretty awesome. At one point the boys decided to lead us on a trek through the jungle which was probably a terrible idea since we aren’t experts on Vietnam’s plants, insects, and wildlife and were most likely risking some sort of disease or attack by venomous creature. But don’t worry moms and Peace Corps medical office—we made it there and back in one piece. Honestly I think Leo and Richie were hoping we’d see a tiger. (rolling of eyes and a sigh, followed by a grin because they are just so goofy you cannot help but enjoy their jest for adventure). On the way back we stopped at a roadside street vendor and ate some pancake things which consist of egg, flour shrimp, and then we wrap it in fresh greens and a spring roll wrap and dip in a spicy sauce. She kept bringing us more and more and we couldn’t stop eating it was so savory. So Hoi An became the first experience we’d had thus far of decent warmth, no rain, and a relaxing atmosphere of reading, biking, and sitting at a beach. We didn’t want to leave but we had high hopes of our continued journey south. We wanted sun, we wanted a beach we could swim in, and if it wasn’t too much to ask we really wanted a tan.
We vowed we’d never ride another overnight bus but this is exactly how we ended up travelling to the next stop—Nha Trang, a mid-sized city with a beach. But being on an overnight bus wasn’t bad enough that when we arrived (late due to traffic) the hotel informed us our reservations had been cancelled. We managed to get in but later. The next day we went next door where we had a cheaper stay and just as nice living space. This second day we hit the beach. It was pleasant and warm. The waves were high and strong, though, so Katie A and I opted to create sand creatures (sea turtle and bird) while Leo and Richy braved the water. They insisted we have a try so we stepped in a bit. Leo tried to encourage me to swim rather than just stand but instead I turned and ran back up. Despite being a native Floridian, I am not the best at swimming.
There was a middle aged Vietnamese woman with fruit sitting next to Katie A and Richy when we walked up. When we got close she asks roughly looking at Leo, “are you Leo?” He hesitated and said, “um…ya.” She then picks up a large knife and in the toughest voice she can muster she says, “You give me money or I cut off your banana and make you lady-man.” Appalled by this Leo takes a few steps back and manages to exclaim, “What?!” It turns out that while we were in the water this fruit seller approaches Katie and Richy. In response to her request for them to purchase the fruit Richy says that he didn’t have any money, but that Leo had all of the money. So she was ready when he returned. She kept telling Leo “I kill you! No no I love you. Buy my fruit! I cut off your banana! No money no honey!” This phrase no money no honey is heard throughout Vietnam and unfortunately has to do with the prostitution business in Vietnam which is wide and easily spotted. But in order to save Leo’s banana and because we actually wanted fruit we bought some from the best fruit seller in Vietnam or at least the scariest.
We thought Nha Trang was just good for the beach and great Indian food we enjoyed one night, but oh were we wrong. Thanks to Leo’s research and boyish excitement for arcades and water parks we enjoyed a full day at this really amazing island next to Nha Trang. We took the longest cable car over water to this island owned by a fancy resort and with one ticket we enjoyed a water park (lazy river, slides, wave pool), amusement park (merry-go-round, swings which made us all nauseous, small roller coaster), arcade complete with bumper cars and a riding bull, and an aquarium (with sea turtle, sharks, sting rays and fish). It is the best kept secret in Nha Trang. It wasn’t Disney or anything but was quite enjoyable. It was slightly dangerous considering it is a third world country and they haven’t the same codes as in America but nevertheless we didn’t get too injured from it—just Leo and Richy had their backs slightly cut and rubbed too hard by a steep slide and Richy and I got our throats smashed in a water slide, but it was all in the spirit of fun and well, Peace Corps medical staff never warned us of the dangers of water parks in Vietnam, so really we couldn’t have possibly known. Diarrhea, malaria, STDs? Check. Water parks? I think you forgot it in the medical handbook Peace Corps.
Last but not least is the great city of Ho Chi Minh (aka Saigon). It was a bustling city especially this near TET which is the Vietnamese equivalent of Spring Festival or Lunar New Year. The difference is that this year in Vietnam is the year of the Cat whereas China it is the year of the Rabbit and China doesn’t even have a cat on the calendar. For TET, every Vietnamese family will buy beautiful, bold and somewhat expensive flowers, so throughout Ho Chi Minh we saw these brilliantly colored flower markets with orchids, lilies, tulips, dragon fruit and more. Ho Chi Minh also had a huge indoor market with everything from paintings and coffee to knockoff purses and perfume. It was hectic and exciting. Walking through the aisles we were shouted at and pulled towards every corner shop. Everyone had a mission. Mine was to get something for Janice and Mark who gave me money before leaving. Katie A was trying to find a cardigan. Richy wanted coffee. And Leo was trying to track down the items that his sister asked him to try and find. But we worked together as a team and gave each other good bargaining tips and tried to buy together in the hopes of price reduction. It was successful, though slightly difficult when some sellers weren’t in bargaining moods—and by afternoon when it is mid 90s I can’t blame them. We heard that it’s best to arrive in the morning because you can get a good deal because it is considered bad luck for the whole day if you don’t make your first sale.
While in Ho Chi Minh we also took a short boat ride around the river in the city. We picked a great time because it was right as the sun was setting. After that we continued the trend of our entire trip by using the toilets in the nicest hotels we passed. Is this strange? They are the cleanest and they smell nice. In one we visited in Hanoi there were towels to dry the hands rather than paper. Fancy.
During our time in Ho Chi Minh we visited a few museums. The most notable was the War Museum. Outside were many weapons, bombs, and fighter jets and helicopters. Then there was a dedication to the Tiger Cages which was a horror prison used by both the French and South Vietnamese. The prisoners were tortured beyond any scope of reason. The tactics of which are too gruesome to mention but if you are curious I am sure you can find it online. Inside the museum were pictures depicting the atrocities of war.
Great Scott! Is that Sprinkles I see leaving the War Museum?! By golly it is. But this indeed would be the last we’d see of him since our adventure ends in Ho Chi Minh and we are to return to China the following day. Alas, we didn’t even get to say goodbye.
All in all Vietnam was great. The coffee, bread, ban mi, pho, pancakes, spring rolls, and banana pancakes are amazing. The people are friendly, slightly crazy women, and fun. The weather is mostly perfect all year. If you have the chance to visit Vietnam, I’d say you wouldn’t regret it. But I am not sure if I am biased after 7 months in China. Food for thought.
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