Thursday, August 28, 2003
Tweaking the template again, so that I can add links... Hoping it works...
zA
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
The albums could use a little tweaking, but I've got some of the photos up. (I'm still working on it, but I think I've waited long enough to share these!)
Feel free to take a look at a photographic sampling of my life in Shantou, Guangdong Province, P.R. China at:
http://ca.photos.yahoo.com/jeninshantou
The other album should be up soon as well - then you can take your pick! (I think you have to register at the other site, which is why I'm using Yahoo, too.) I'm downloading new photos as I speak, so I'll keep you posted as they're posted...
zA
Feel free to take a look at a photographic sampling of my life in Shantou, Guangdong Province, P.R. China at:
http://ca.photos.yahoo.com/jeninshantou
The other album should be up soon as well - then you can take your pick! (I think you have to register at the other site, which is why I'm using Yahoo, too.) I'm downloading new photos as I speak, so I'll keep you posted as they're posted...
Monday, August 25, 2003
Okay, so I've been messing around with some of these Blog settings, trying to figure out if I can see the damn thing... and I think I changed the template. Thing is, I can't see it to figure out if I actually changed it or not, or if it actually looks okay, or if its blindingly horrible, or whatever. I'll keep trying... in the meantime, please forgive me. Your patience and understanding is appreciated! :)
zA
I cannot believe it has been two months since I left Canada. Hell, sometimes I still can't believe I'm in China! (A quick trip to the supermarket usually clears that up for me, though - grocery shopping in China gives the term "mystery meat" a whole new meaning...)
Most of the photos are up on Yahoo, and I'm going to add some to another site, just in case (making use of as much free Web space as I can). I'll post the links very soon.
School is winding down, and I'm thrilled. I love my students and all, but I could not have kept up that pace in this heat much longer. This whole "teaching" thing really takes it out of you!
Unfortunately, I still haven't managed to do any sightseeing. Two nights ago, Denice (my friend/roommate/colleague) and I were trying to go to some restaurant for dinner and ended up getting hopelessly lost. In a desperate (and stubborn) attempt to find it, I saw more of this city from the backseat of a taxi than I have in my two months here. Seems like a nice place, Shantou. ;)
Actually, the city is very nice. Reasonably clean, no pollution to speak of, mountains, water, palm trees... it's an interesting place to be. I'm just anxious to actually explore it a little, beyond my apartment, the school, and Wal-Mart, that is.
If I am going to have any sort of independent life in China, I'm going to have to buckle down and dedicate a lot more time to learning Chinese. Reading and writing are a bit beyond me just now, but I can work on speaking and listening. (The school is supposed to be providing Mandarin lessons, but it's been too busy. They should be starting up again in September.)
Aside from the obvious challenges of learning Chinese (damn those four tones!), I have to learn to distinguish between Mandarin (Putonghua) and the local dialect (Chaozhouhua). Chaozhouhua has eight tones! Eight! Some things are the same in both "languages," but even some basic things, like numbers, are radically different. I can get by, mostly with one-word sentences (if there even is such a thing), and I had a major breakthrough a few weeks ago in Chaozhou when I successfully communicated with a taxi driver about when we needed him to pick us up, but I'm desperate to get beyond the basics now.
I think that's it for now. I'm going to give my personal journal a quick read for some interesting stories, such as the one about the men in the Chaozhou hotel who thought Denice and I were there to provide guests with a "service." I'm too tired to explain now. It's 1:30 a.m. and I need to sleep. I'll explain that one in more detail later... ;)
zA
Most of the photos are up on Yahoo, and I'm going to add some to another site, just in case (making use of as much free Web space as I can). I'll post the links very soon.
School is winding down, and I'm thrilled. I love my students and all, but I could not have kept up that pace in this heat much longer. This whole "teaching" thing really takes it out of you!
Unfortunately, I still haven't managed to do any sightseeing. Two nights ago, Denice (my friend/roommate/colleague) and I were trying to go to some restaurant for dinner and ended up getting hopelessly lost. In a desperate (and stubborn) attempt to find it, I saw more of this city from the backseat of a taxi than I have in my two months here. Seems like a nice place, Shantou. ;)
Actually, the city is very nice. Reasonably clean, no pollution to speak of, mountains, water, palm trees... it's an interesting place to be. I'm just anxious to actually explore it a little, beyond my apartment, the school, and Wal-Mart, that is.
If I am going to have any sort of independent life in China, I'm going to have to buckle down and dedicate a lot more time to learning Chinese. Reading and writing are a bit beyond me just now, but I can work on speaking and listening. (The school is supposed to be providing Mandarin lessons, but it's been too busy. They should be starting up again in September.)
Aside from the obvious challenges of learning Chinese (damn those four tones!), I have to learn to distinguish between Mandarin (Putonghua) and the local dialect (Chaozhouhua). Chaozhouhua has eight tones! Eight! Some things are the same in both "languages," but even some basic things, like numbers, are radically different. I can get by, mostly with one-word sentences (if there even is such a thing), and I had a major breakthrough a few weeks ago in Chaozhou when I successfully communicated with a taxi driver about when we needed him to pick us up, but I'm desperate to get beyond the basics now.
I think that's it for now. I'm going to give my personal journal a quick read for some interesting stories, such as the one about the men in the Chaozhou hotel who thought Denice and I were there to provide guests with a "service." I'm too tired to explain now. It's 1:30 a.m. and I need to sleep. I'll explain that one in more detail later... ;)
Tuesday, August 19, 2003
Back from Chaozhou... Things are slowing down at last. (Sadly, they're not cooling down.) I'll have some time to sit down at the computer this week and write. I promise to respond to the many, many emails sitting in my inbox, to update this log, upload my photos... all of the things I've been too busy or too tired to do lately. Honest! :)
zA
Thursday, August 14, 2003
Hey!
I'm told that you can see these posts, even though I can't. So here goes! (The phrase "Be careful what you wish for" comes to mind...)
Sadly, there's not a lot to say. My life is still eat, sleep, teach, prepare... All ages, all kinds of material... It's madness. Tomorrow I'm off at 7 a.m. to teach primary school kids in Chaozhou, and will be back on Saturday night to prepare to teach teenagers and adults on Sunday. I really am looking forward to the end of the summer holidays, so I can rest for a while and maybe even see some of China!
The weather remains brutally hot. As a dear friend of mine once said, "This weather can just f*** right off!" ;) It rains now and then, which cools things off for about , oh, 10 minutes. We've actually had classes cancelled twice due to typhoons - I never thought I would use the expression "Typhoon day!"
I have been taking millions of photos, and will soon find a place to post them on the Web. (I think you'll be most interested one I call "Blood Cubes" - and "Chinese Toilet" is a sure-fire hit.) I promise that as soon as summer holidays finish, I will post more often (and maybe even send some emails!).
I have to get up in 6 hours, so I will sign off for now. 40+ screaming children at 8:30 a.m., after a long and bumpy bus ride. Whee!
zA
I'm told that you can see these posts, even though I can't. So here goes! (The phrase "Be careful what you wish for" comes to mind...)
Sadly, there's not a lot to say. My life is still eat, sleep, teach, prepare... All ages, all kinds of material... It's madness. Tomorrow I'm off at 7 a.m. to teach primary school kids in Chaozhou, and will be back on Saturday night to prepare to teach teenagers and adults on Sunday. I really am looking forward to the end of the summer holidays, so I can rest for a while and maybe even see some of China!
The weather remains brutally hot. As a dear friend of mine once said, "This weather can just f*** right off!" ;) It rains now and then, which cools things off for about , oh, 10 minutes. We've actually had classes cancelled twice due to typhoons - I never thought I would use the expression "Typhoon day!"
I have been taking millions of photos, and will soon find a place to post them on the Web. (I think you'll be most interested one I call "Blood Cubes" - and "Chinese Toilet" is a sure-fire hit.) I promise that as soon as summer holidays finish, I will post more often (and maybe even send some emails!).
I have to get up in 6 hours, so I will sign off for now. 40+ screaming children at 8:30 a.m., after a long and bumpy bus ride. Whee!
