Monthly Archives: March 2006
The Pride of Yantai, Shandong Province
Before I came to China, my only experience with the wordforeigner was the first few seconds of an old song and Stick shouting “The pride of Rochester, New York!” In Yantai, though, it may as well be my name. When … Continue reading
The English Channel
CCTV 9, the English channel on the Chinese television, recently covered the Ukrainian election, in which two of the candidates are named Victor, without making a single joke. Come on, that’s just bad news reporting. It’s like not saying “into … Continue reading
The Value of a Hogwarts Education
I bought Harry Potter in Chinese. My adult students were shocked and appalled that I spent so much on a DVD, comparative shopping is a competitive sport here and every time I mention anything to do with shopping, someone tells … Continue reading
The Wife of Bag
The other day, I was in the staffroom with Lily and Jackie talking about our families. One of the great things about Mandarin is the ability to explain family relationships. I don’t have to call Scep my semi-brother, there is … Continue reading
Even a Harlequin Romance…
My school’s English library consists of Harry Potter 6, Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of Two Cities and, inexplicably, Chicken Soup for the Single’s Soul. Harry Potter is printed on what feels like fax paper and haphazardly bound, with weird … Continue reading
Chinese Nascar
Stick, this is for you and your folks: This is a man on the bus wearing a Jeff Gordon jacket! I wish my Chinese was good enough to know if he spoke a rural or city dialect.
Lao Wei Who?
There are no knock-knock jokes in China. I thought that the Interrupting Cow and “Orange You Glad I Didn’t Say Banana?” would be fun for my wee ones, who are getting a little frustrated with the sometimes-silent K. First, I … Continue reading
Alien Abduction
My contract promises me the chance to teach 12- to 18-year-olds, but it doesn’t expressly forbid me from teaching other ages. Ji asked me to teach a “demo lesson” for a few young children. “What’s a demo lesson?” I asked. … Continue reading
Traditional Greetings
After almost a month, I can find my way around kai fa qu, but as I walk to my school, the post office, the cheap vegetable market, the only store in town with refridgerated eggs, and so forth, literally everyone … Continue reading
Small Victories
The other day in the vegetable market, a vendor tried to cheat me. While I was figuring out the Mandarin to argue with him, I realized I was fighting for less than 6 cents. But it’s the principle, you know? … Continue reading
