First I went and saw my boys from Team Pirate (basketball team from school where I taught in Jianghua). Fortunately I'm still the coolest thing that ever hit Jianghua. (That's Tyler at the top. He still gets under my skin, because he gets too close to it.)
This picture was at lunch after we had had a round of pi-joe.
It was nice visiting school. I missed it a lot in a strange way that doesn't actually include missing. However, I don't think I could ever teach there again, and that doesn't matter because yi-zhong (school 1) will get edified by the three chicks that took over. Nice girls.
Andrew on the far left. He's a very good friend and a wonderful person. The boy to the right of me is named Funnel Down (his classmates gave him his English name). He is named so well because of his love affair with cigarettes. He's one strange cat but I'm not going to tell you why.
It, China, is certainly not at all like it was the first time around when I was in a rural area. Everything about everything is wholly different. There are actually nice, late-model cars in the cities.
I've run into a number of white people for reasons I'm too lazy to write, that have no idea what the rural China is like. Several of the natives that I've spoken with aren't completely up to date on the social class disparity. Fortunately Tawain is still a major conflict and so is Tibet.
Below is a picture from my room of the town and below that picture is one of my room.
:) :P :o :(
The room first.
What you see there is everything. I'm taking a photo from the bed and the window is to the left. That little door goes to a little bathroom. When i sit in the bathroom my knees hit the wall and there's about 3 sq.ft of moving space between the toilet, shower, and sink.
The city is wonderful. I love it here. It's so-cal weather and our dollar is still strong. The people are very different and there are a lot of deformed people. It's sad, and some are bad, but the poverty is worse in the country side. The city is very well planned, clean for China, with many flowers and trees everwhere. Surrounding the city is are mountains and forests. I got a zi xing che (bicycle) so I'll be able to explore a lot.
I found a church. You're allowed to worship out here but not evangelise. I'll prolly do it anyway. We foreigners are allowed to have the church, there are several in town, but have to have our passports for ID when we come in...not that there is any doubt we are not from here. The natives can't attend but they do have Chinese churches that they can go to.
Today was my first day of class and it was very encouraging. The four hours felt like 1 and I studied for about 4 hours afterward and that went by just as swiftly. I decided to learn the characters and that's a real time consumer. In principle the language is far more simple than English and I think bodes well for me. Other than the tones, which aren't all they are cracked up to be, the language is hopefully not a distant victory.
I could write a lot more but you'll get it in time...
I don't want to write anymore today.
I think I still care about some of you.
I'm a wild stallion.
COMMENTS
1-"The world is round. It has no point."
ZOMG dat's so funny cuz it's sooo tru LAWL!! (Comment this)
It was nice visiting school. I missed it a lot in a strange way that doesn't actually include missing. However, I don't think I could ever teach there again, and that doesn't matter because yi-zhong (school 1) will get edified by the three chicks that took over. Nice girls.
Andrew on the far left. He's a very good friend and a wonderful person. The boy to the right of me is named Funnel Down (his classmates gave him his English name). He is named so well because of his love affair with cigarettes. He's one strange cat but I'm not going to tell you why.
It, China, is certainly not at all like it was the first time around when I was in a rural area. Everything about everything is wholly different. There are actually nice, late-model cars in the cities.
I've run into a number of white people for reasons I'm too lazy to write, that have no idea what the rural China is like. Several of the natives that I've spoken with aren't completely up to date on the social class disparity. Fortunately Tawain is still a major conflict and so is Tibet.
Below is a picture from my room of the town and below that picture is one of my room.
:) :P :o :(
The room first.
What you see there is everything. I'm taking a photo from the bed and the window is to the left. That little door goes to a little bathroom. When i sit in the bathroom my knees hit the wall and there's about 3 sq.ft of moving space between the toilet, shower, and sink.
The city is wonderful. I love it here. It's so-cal weather and our dollar is still strong. The people are very different and there are a lot of deformed people. It's sad, and some are bad, but the poverty is worse in the country side. The city is very well planned, clean for China, with many flowers and trees everwhere. Surrounding the city is are mountains and forests. I got a zi xing che (bicycle) so I'll be able to explore a lot.
I found a church. You're allowed to worship out here but not evangelise. I'll prolly do it anyway. We foreigners are allowed to have the church, there are several in town, but have to have our passports for ID when we come in...not that there is any doubt we are not from here. The natives can't attend but they do have Chinese churches that they can go to.
Today was my first day of class and it was very encouraging. The four hours felt like 1 and I studied for about 4 hours afterward and that went by just as swiftly. I decided to learn the characters and that's a real time consumer. In principle the language is far more simple than English and I think bodes well for me. Other than the tones, which aren't all they are cracked up to be, the language is hopefully not a distant victory.
I could write a lot more but you'll get it in time...
I don't want to write anymore today.
I think I still care about some of you.
I'm a wild stallion.
COMMENTS
1-"The world is round. It has no point."
ZOMG dat's so funny cuz it's sooo tru LAWL!! (Comment this)
Written by: Anonymous at 2008/03/17 - 15:32:30
2 - You're still one of my favorite people and writers of all time. It was difficult to tell you apart from all those chinese dudes in the first photo. You're starting to blend in! Take care buddy, keep the updates coming. - Frank (Comment this)
Written by: Anonymous at 2008/03/18 - 11:38:47
3 - Hwy Johnny!!!! This is your sister Ali, remember me? Ha ha! Wendy at Baro (china woman) is upset because you have not posted any more information about China. Do something about that so she will stop cussing at me in Chinese. Paige says hello. Miss you love you!!!!
P.S BARO MOVED and MISSES YOU!!!! (Comment this)
P.S BARO MOVED and MISSES YOU!!!! (Comment this)
Written by: Anonymous at 2008/04/04 - 17:17:06
4 - Go to Tibet and tell those folks to be quiet. They are stirring up all the hippies in America. (Comment this)
Written by: jobie at 2008/04/10 - 17:05:58
