Last weekend we had an outing to a park near the West Lake with my part
time kindergarten. The park itself was absolutely beautiful, it seemed
like everything had just started blossoming that day. While we were
there I spent a lot of time playing with kids, and near the end of our
day I saw one kid doing situps with his moms help. I noticed that his
form was a bit strange, so I started trying to help him correct it.
Afterwards, I started teaching him how to do pushups. He thought
pushups were great fun, and wanted to sit on my back while I did them.
This lead to kids lining up to sit on my back while I did pushups, and
ultimately ended up with them sitting 2 at a time then 3 and then 4. By
the time I got to 4 a large crowd had gathered to watch. We eventually
got up to 6 5 year olds sitting on my from ankle to shoulder. I
personally wasn't sure if I was able to lift the weight, but when I
noticed that there were literally over a hundred Chinese people with
cameras ready I found the adrenaline needed to get up off the ground. I
did three pushups while cameras clicked and onlookers gasped, then
collapsed and said I was done. It was a pretty intense feeling, and
also hilarious in retrospect.
Keeping with the workout theme of this blog post, my gym has started
playing Iron Maiden nonstop. One of the trainers discovered them and
replaced all of the computers music with Iron Maiden, so no one at the
front desk has any alternative but to play the Iron Maiden collection
nonstop. It is pretty much a dream come true as far as gym music goes.
I'm certain Dan would be shocked and proud, and maybe even JJ would,
too. I'm not sure about JJ though... I mean after all he didn't even go
to their live concert with us.
In unrelated news, JJ will probably be mailing me a pipe bomb as a
result of bringing that back up. Mom, please don't give him my
address. Also, speaking of mail, I bought gifts and brought back/sent
back things for JJ, Glorias, Kate, Anitas. If you haven't received
anything in the mail from my mom leave a comment here. May have
forgotten to mail them out.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Job Fair
The high for today was predicted at 22, but when the sun came up it got
all the way to 31.4. That's a pretty big miss on the forecasting
front. It felt like an oven today in jeans and a t-shirt, but at least
the wind is still blowing cool air. The weather will soon devolve into
warm winds with hot weather, and then in the dead of summer become hot
weather with no wind at all. I'm not looking forward to that.
I hit the job fair on tuesday. It was a good overall experience. You
know how you sometimes when you're driving in the car singing along to a
song you get the feeling that everyone is staring at you even though you
know deep down that no one cares? Well I had that feeling at the job
fair, and it was because everyone was actually staring at me. I
wandered through a bunch of chemical companies and other companies that
were guaranteed to not have any opportunities, and out of nowhere heard
and English commercial being played. Turns out Best Buy China had
somehow been stuck in between two petroleum companies. They just
happened to be in the neighborhood for a translator, and I went ahead
and signed up. They were looking to recruit a Chinese person, so I
don't expect much feedback, but I'll be sure to follow up regardless.
You never know. The best part was that I had to decide what my salary
should be. I calculated how much I was making now, added a bit, and
then wrote that number down. The guy checking my application stopped at
the salary part, and asked me if the figure I had written was what I
wanted monthly or yearly. I said yearly, a bit shocked, and he shrugged
and kept looking. At that moment I felt very stupid - I felt definitely
should have written a bigger number down. I also got a few applications
in to other companies, though they were all applications and resumes
given to some recruiter with a promise to take it to the right
interested party. I was a 'special situation' (as each person reminded
me as I talked with them), and they would have to pass my resume along
to the right individual. All in all it was a good experience to go to
my first Chinese job fair, I'll definitely be better prepared for the
next one.
Next week: Easter preparation begins!
all the way to 31.4. That's a pretty big miss on the forecasting
front. It felt like an oven today in jeans and a t-shirt, but at least
the wind is still blowing cool air. The weather will soon devolve into
warm winds with hot weather, and then in the dead of summer become hot
weather with no wind at all. I'm not looking forward to that.
I hit the job fair on tuesday. It was a good overall experience. You
know how you sometimes when you're driving in the car singing along to a
song you get the feeling that everyone is staring at you even though you
know deep down that no one cares? Well I had that feeling at the job
fair, and it was because everyone was actually staring at me. I
wandered through a bunch of chemical companies and other companies that
were guaranteed to not have any opportunities, and out of nowhere heard
and English commercial being played. Turns out Best Buy China had
somehow been stuck in between two petroleum companies. They just
happened to be in the neighborhood for a translator, and I went ahead
and signed up. They were looking to recruit a Chinese person, so I
don't expect much feedback, but I'll be sure to follow up regardless.
You never know. The best part was that I had to decide what my salary
should be. I calculated how much I was making now, added a bit, and
then wrote that number down. The guy checking my application stopped at
the salary part, and asked me if the figure I had written was what I
wanted monthly or yearly. I said yearly, a bit shocked, and he shrugged
and kept looking. At that moment I felt very stupid - I felt definitely
should have written a bigger number down. I also got a few applications
in to other companies, though they were all applications and resumes
given to some recruiter with a promise to take it to the right
interested party. I was a 'special situation' (as each person reminded
me as I talked with them), and they would have to pass my resume along
to the right individual. All in all it was a good experience to go to
my first Chinese job fair, I'll definitely be better prepared for the
next one.
Next week: Easter preparation begins!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Spring Football
The weather has gotten warmer in the last few days, and I've started wearing shorts despite the outcries from coworkers. They are paranoid of the cold, and I am yelled at constantly for not wearing more. They are in down jackets and multiple layers, I am in only shorts and a t-shirt.
I took advantage of the good weather to bring my football to the kindergarten for some fun. The kids were insanely interested, and I gave an informal class in the afternoon where I started teaching the older kids how to play. I don't know if you have ever taught six year olds about football, but the result is that you catapult from being 'that amazingly cool teacher' into 'oh wow I wish I wasn't six and new enough curse words to express how amazingly cool this teacher is' status. I also learned that the girls at this age kick ass, and are totally dominating the boys in football. Girls, at least in China at my kindergarten, are much better at working as a team and thinking together at the age of six.
I have also been having fun recently with cooking. I've reasearched a bunch of recipes online, and I have been working with Zoey and a few other friends to make a few different meals a week. I discovered last night the trick to making the legendary green beans. I can now make some awesome dishes, but my pride is definitely the green beans. I don't have the taste quite right, but the texture (the hardest part) has been perfected.
I just got done with a big marathon of work. I didn't get a weekend last week, I was busy playing tour guide and translator for our visiting foreigners. As a result, by the time this is posted I will have long been asleep, and I plan to sleep for 16 hours. I am excited.
China
I took advantage of the good weather to bring my football to the kindergarten for some fun. The kids were insanely interested, and I gave an informal class in the afternoon where I started teaching the older kids how to play. I don't know if you have ever taught six year olds about football, but the result is that you catapult from being 'that amazingly cool teacher' into 'oh wow I wish I wasn't six and new enough curse words to express how amazingly cool this teacher is' status. I also learned that the girls at this age kick ass, and are totally dominating the boys in football. Girls, at least in China at my kindergarten, are much better at working as a team and thinking together at the age of six.
I have also been having fun recently with cooking. I've reasearched a bunch of recipes online, and I have been working with Zoey and a few other friends to make a few different meals a week. I discovered last night the trick to making the legendary green beans. I can now make some awesome dishes, but my pride is definitely the green beans. I don't have the taste quite right, but the texture (the hardest part) has been perfected.
I just got done with a big marathon of work. I didn't get a weekend last week, I was busy playing tour guide and translator for our visiting foreigners. As a result, by the time this is posted I will have long been asleep, and I plan to sleep for 16 hours. I am excited.
China
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
February entry . . .
Been really busy the last few weeks. We've had Ph. D professors come from Canada and it has been my job to keep them company the last week. I've translated so many speeches and round table discussions that my brain hurts.
The good news is today it snowed! Or rather, it is snowing heavily right now as I am going to sleep. I just played around outside in it, ate some, then immediately realized how terrible an idea eating falling snow in China was.
In any case, time for bed. I have many things I want to write, hopefully I can remember my password and start logging on here on my own to post, that way I don't have to send them all to the Kelly for posting.
Goodnight
The good news is today it snowed! Or rather, it is snowing heavily right now as I am going to sleep. I just played around outside in it, ate some, then immediately realized how terrible an idea eating falling snow in China was.
In any case, time for bed. I have many things I want to write, hopefully I can remember my password and start logging on here on my own to post, that way I don't have to send them all to the Kelly for posting.
Goodnight
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