Tag Archives: China
Language Barriers
In the beginning of Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw says that English dialects are so varied that an Englishman cannot open his mouth in public without another Englishman instantly hating him. He might have been writing about China in 2006, but … Continue reading
Qingdao Adventures
We decided to wander around Qingdao to find a good place to have dinner. Ok, that’s not exactly true. I remember saying something about finding a German place for dinner, because I remember thinking that a town that was a … Continue reading
Airport Goodbyes
After our awesome Beijing adventures, we sent Jeff home. Did you catch that? I said we, because Fresca has extended her trip for another two weeks as she tries to decide whether and when to teach here! Jeff and I … Continue reading
My friends are coming! / Step 1 of 10,000
In anticipation of Fresca and Jeff’s visit, my students gave me KFC and McDonald’s coupons. (They didn’t want me to pay a ludicrous $2 for a “western” meal!) I thanked them, but I giggled because I can’t think of 2 … Continue reading
My New Superpower
The other day in class, one of my middle-school boys tripped, knocked over some desks and got a bloody nose. I figure since it wasn’t actually inflicted by another student, I’m still a good teacher, right? When he got hurt, … Continue reading
The Laowei Secret Handshake
Today is China and my two-month anniversary! Last night, I got a phone call from Cora, another foreign teacher at a nearby school. When I was in England and I met other Americans, we’d laugh about how many potatoes and … Continue reading
You Want Me to What?
When I was preparing to come to China, I tried to learn important phrases in Chinese, like “Thank you”, “How much?” and “Where is the bathroom?” I did not learn “And now your foreign teacher is going to sing Edelweiss,” … Continue reading
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 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
