Okay after two successful phone calls its time to blog about.

It all began way back at the beginning of the semester when I confided in James this semester would be different. This semester I would make an honest effort to learn Chinese. I had two goals set to accomplish by the end of the semester

1. Be able to introduce myself.

2. Order my own water for the apartment.

Although I can say I have accomplished both it is not exactly with the ease or fluency with which I had hoped.

But I have now ordered my own water successfully twice. I will for the sake of honesty admit I still have to read from the email James sent me but hey I’m still the one that makes the call at the end of the day right. So for now I will bask in the glory of the little achievements which hopefully someday, and someday soon will add up to larger ones.

Here’s my script

ni4 hao3, wo3 shi4 qing1 nian2 jiao4 shi1 gong1 yu4 202 fang2 jian1 de1 mei3 guo2 lao3 shi1, wo3 xiang3 yao4 yi1 tong3 shui3, xiexie.

你好，我是青年教师公寓202房间的美国老师，我想要一桶水，谢谢

We are continuing to have toilet issues here although they have changed. The latest issue consists of a high pitch whine that follows every flush. The whine starts about 1 min after flushing and lasts for at least 3.5 min no exaggeration. I swear everyone in the building is informed when we use the restroom, it doesn’t exactly allow for discrete visits at night either!

Well the other day I just couldn’t take it anymore. I was half dressed and decided it was going to be fixed then and there! So I opened the tank and started tinkering. I soon discovered if I pushed the pump thingy to the side far enough the whining stopped. Did I bother to figure out if that was a wise move? Of course not, the whining stopped that was all I cared about.

If I had had chewing gum you better bet that would have been part of the solution.

Solution found but how to make the solution stick, I went to the office and rummaged through my arts and crafts drawer. I returned to the bathroom with a ball of yarn, packing tape and safety scissors.

I’m so proud of my fix-it skills! Now lets just pray it holds and doesn’t make the problem worse seeing as I know I’m pulling something that probablly shouldn’t be pulled but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

So for now that annoying whining is gone and I can once again pee discreetly.

Does that look like a 5:30am sky to you?

As I’ve complained before about the insanity of being in such a huge country with a single timezone,  nothing could have prepared me for the spring here. When I came in the fall the days were getting shorter and the nights longer. Now that I’m at the opposite end of seasons the days are getting longer and the nights shorter.

 I woke up this morning to bright lights. When I rolled over I expected to see 7:30 on my clock, having over slept. No luck, it was 5:30 still another hour before I could even start hitting the snooze button.

 The only logical solution is to tackily black out the windows.  But if this 5:30 wake up call continues I see no other alternative.

Kayte: What smell? I don’t smell anything.

Last semester when Katie and Thomas helped me move in and clean we were hoping to get rid of the funky smell that accompanied the apartment. But no luck, I’ve sadly become accustomed to the smell and to be perfectly honest I can no longer smell it. I know that is BAD BAD news.

 Kelly on the other hand is still keenly aware of the dead and decaying carcus that has apparently been stuffed down our drying room drain and is slowly but surely rotting away at an alarmingly slow rate. 

Nothing says STINK like a dirty drain.

Any suggestions as to how we can rid ourselves of the smell would be greatly appreciated. Then perhaps we can invite guests over with a clean conscience, heavens knows that is certainly not the current case. I’ve started disposing all cleaning water down that drain and generous amounts of bleach which hides the smell for a day or two.

Unfortunately this sentence has become all to common around here. The only reasonable response seems to be “…okay just give it some time, and cross your fingers it will  fix itself.” So far, time has always worked. How much time, varies.

My mother can attest to the fact that I can be a real pill to live with, I demand a lot of my co-inhabitants and want everything working and my way. I really am a much more pleasant person to live with when I am not in the United States. I think it is from my misconception that if I’m in the US everything should be in perfect working order and things are always suppose to be peaches and cream. Something to do with a high standard of living and all that. Outside the US on the other hand, well lets just say I understand the standard of living isn’t always going to be the equivalent. I’m still learning, but have at least grasped the concept of rolling with the punches here in China.

If there is one thing I’ve come to appreciate most it is the fact that of all the Foreigners’ apartments in Weifang, I’ve scored the best I’ve seen. So what if the toilet refuses to flush every now and then or the shower water consistently empties itself for no apparent reason at least the bathroom doesn’t look like a toxic waste dump.

So as usual, just give the toilet time, I’m sure it will fix it self.

Well its done. The heat has been turned off. I knew April 5th was WAY to good to be true. When I awoke this morning my room was not as toasty as usual. I leaned over to the radiator and my heart sank as my hand grasped the reality of the cold metal.

At least the weather has take a turn for the better but no promises it will last. A projected cold spell is to hit this weekend. So now the windows have all been shut and I’m refusing to let Kelly open any for air flow. I’d rather have a stuffy house than a cold one.

I must admit once the radiators were turned on this winter I was completelyspoiled. I didn’t realize how much until I returned home to the States and was painfully remained that during winter back home I still had to bundle as my father’s idea of a toasty house was 76*. Here in China my apartment was so hot I wore shorts and t-shirts all winter inside with my window cracked at night. So the heat was wonderful while it lasted and in about a month I will have it full blast once again.

So yes for right now I should enjoy the rather cool weather because come summer when the temperature rises at the same rate as the humidity I will be reminiscing of the cold spells.

This morning I awoke to warmth, not something I had anticipated. Today is March 16th. March 15th is the final day of heat for China. The government controls the heating for buildings throughout the country.

At first I did not understand how the government could possibly control the heat until someone explained the heat in China is provided via the coal factories. Come March 15th the coal factories are then turned off? (That’s my best uneducated guess) Anyway,  who really cares about the logistics I was just bracing for the repercussions. So, I was more than pleasantly surprised to find the heat still on upon waking this morning.

Katie and Thomas had mentioned, they’d been informed the heat would be extended through the beginning of April but I didn’t dare hope it was true. Apparently it is! Hip Hip Hooray for the Chinese Government, and thank you for severe weather conditions in Northern China.

The day’s have been getting warmer and my blood has seemed to thicken. I even brave the classroom at times and remove my winter coat, much to the horror of my students. We reached all the way to 40* the other day, Heatwave! 

Side note:  Today’s crazy picture worthy moment, which I did not have my camera for was a women on the corner of the street tending to a campfire in the gutter. No joke full on campfire! It looked like a nice Tepee set up with great ventilation and an ample supply of kindling.

Nothing Screams Practical like TP and Laundry Detergent!

I’m becoming more and more like my mother everyday, which is a very good thing! One such thing is the belief that practicality really wins the heart!

Like all recognizable holidays in China the faculty is presented with a gift.  For Women’s Day each female member of the faculty received 2 bundles of Toilet Paper and 1 bag of Laundry Detergent. With two females in our apartment it looks like we are set for the semester!

One must really admire the Chinese sense of practicality, last semester I received such gifts as boxes of pears, milk and dates. And to be honest I was going to run to the store today to stock up on Toilet Paper as we were running low.

Another trait I learn from my mother, one can never have enough Toilet Paper in storage, that and femine products, which again knowing I was coming to a country with limitations, I’ve got that base WELL covered.

My mother will probably shoot me for saying this but my new collage is really her fault. I’ve grown up with a fear of blank walls. Our home was always well decorated and inviting, large walls were always covered with pictures.

When I moved into this apartment I was overwhelmed with the large blank walls that stared back at you in each room. This semester I decided to do something with the one behind my desk.

Last year while visiting the SanFransico Art Institute with a friend I pickup a large art brochure filled with Student art. Nick had suggested it as cheap pictures. This semester I brought it back, tore it apart and made a collage. I used the quotes to break up the pages.

Don't judge, I know I was an art major but Art History is far from Interior Design.

After taking Art-Readings I’ve enjoyed collecting definitions of art. Unfortunately the largest definition in this brochure is not one for my usual collection.

“If it disturbs you, it’s art.”

I forgot I wasn’t in America when I posted it up but when that was the first thing James read when he came over I was reminded quickly.

My favorite on the wall is on the upper right, “If it lifts you up in some sort of emotional epiphany or throws your preconceptions to the ground it’s art.”

For now this is my view at the computer, it beats a blank wall.

Oh and the “Attitude is Everything” is a new addition this semester as well, I’m hoping to finally learn this lesson for good!

Let me begin by stating I’ve never claimed to be the sharpest crayon in the box or have the patience of an angel!

Cooking on a hotplate has been a life’s lesson at best, I feel confident I won’t starve to death if now left alone with just that to survive. I missed good baked food, so opted to purchase a toaster oven this semester.

Last night Kelly, Katie, Thomas and I headed to the Tai Hua to purchase one. We’d compared prices in a few stores and settled on the Y270 medium size one at Fresco. Between the three of us we are getting great at charades, mad-gab and correct assumptions when it comes to deciphering Chinese. We purchased the oven then completed the grocery shopping.

Isn't she a beauty? I can just smell the brownies and bread already!

Kelly and I headed home with great anticipation! I was set on toast, my first real slice of toast since arriving in China. We got home and set it up. It looks beautiful in our kitchen by the way but then again I’m bias. I put in two slices and set the time with the temp at 100*. I went to the living room to put in a movie and after 2mins returned to disappointment. The oven wasn’t even warm and the toast was still white!

 Humph I’ll fix that, I crank up the oven to 250*C and turn the timer to 20min. I know, I know, well I know now that was a little extreme. I went to watch the episode and planned on checking it in a few mins. What can I say a great TV show? I soon smelt the toast, thanks to Mom’s excellent cooking lessons I knew if you could smell it it was done. I guess I should rethink that strategy for meals cooked in a closed kitchen and you smelling it in a closed living room.

The washing machine was in use which meant the tap was occupied, luckily there were some water filled bowls in the sink to dowse the smoking toast.

I jumped off the couch and ran to the kitchen to find smoke BILLOWING from the oven. No joke. Can I just say how grateful I am there are no smoke detectors in China. That would have been embarrassing and since it was night when I opened the kitchen window the smoke exiting wasn’t that noticeable.

After assessing the situation I unplug the oven, cracked the door and opened the window, a few mins later I turned on the stove vent. Yes I realized there was a more effective order but eventually the smoke decreased enough for me to stick a fork in a get the lumps of coal, that were originally slices of bread, and toss them in the sink. The smoke was so thick my eyes were stinging which did not help the process at all. Kelly was closed up in the office an oblivious to all the proceedings.

This was after about 10min

It took about 20min for all the smoke to finally clear and the smell to somewhat subside. For the few, Katie and Thomas to be exact, who know the funky smell* my apartment usually has, at least burnt toast is a welcome respite. See, there is always a positive side to be found.

 I think I can safely add yet another means to get my self killed in China, Toaster Oven. As if my poor street crossing skills weren’t sure enough.

*The smell is not of my doing, it was here before I moved in, goodness knows how I’ve tried to dispel it.