Well today I hit it, my first year anniversary. I’ve officially been in China for 1 year.

As I reflect back on the year I can hardly believe it is already over. As a kid years seemed to crawl by at an unbearably slow rate, now they seem to fly by. As I look forward to another year in China I know this one will only go by faster.

I have my list of regrets and accomplishments. I hope to add to the accomplishments and reduce the regrets as my second year gets underway. I know I’ve made the goal before but this year I’m serious, I will not go home until I can carry on a fluent conversation in Chinese.

I always scoffed at those who lived in a country for more than six months without trying to learn the language. I have become the worst offender and am determined to change that this year. I can do it! I can no longer hide behind the excuse of settling in. With a full year under my belt the big surprises are gone. There is plenty of room for the little ones which will inevitably come but I can turn my focus to Chinese and the culture and way from day to day living.

I’d just like to say Thank You to my family for all they support they have given me over the year and continue to give. I could not be here without all your constant love, support and of course Skype calls.

I’m no longer the newbie! I’m officially a Sophomore!

Today was far less productive. It rained practically all day only letting up for about a half an hour at a time. I spent the morning looking for the Book Nook, a foreign run bookstore downtown. I didn’t manage to find it but came across another small bookstore Sonoplace hidden away in an Alley. I spent the afternoon at the hostel enjoying the atmosphere and putting together ideas for the coming semester. In the evening I went out searching for the Indian Restuarunt everyone keeps mentioning.

I discovered Google maps works in China and got bus directions from the hostel. I had an idea for the general area of the restaurant but got completely turned around by the bus route Google suggested. I finally orientated by self again and stopped by the DvD store for directions. It turns out Fatima Indian Restaurant is just one alley north of my favorite DvD store. Couldn’t be more convenient. I know know where I’ll be stopping after EVERY trip to the DvD store.

The rain was still coming down as I walked back to the bus stop. But I’ve finally learned the trick. Always carry a spare pair of flip-flops with your umbrella. I don’t mind the rain its just the wet socks and shoes I detest so if you eliminate those the puddles become fun again. I got to the hostel and hung around the lounge reading and working until about 10. I’m going to miss wifi and being able to write posts in bed.

I can only hope for beach weather tomorrow although I’m not going to hold by breath. I should have looked at the weather forecast before booking a week at the beach but with the weather being so blasted hot for the last three weeks straight really how was I to know it would take a turn for the stormy this week.

I would love to sit at the beach at least once this week but oh well what can you do when the gods conspire against you!

KaiYu Hostel - Great Location and always clean.

Thus far the trip has been wonderful. The train coming was on time, not crowded and clean. The weather was not what I had anticipated but really nothing to complain about. Leaving high humidity at 98*s for high 70*s and an ocean breeze isn’t going to kill me. I was hoping for a little more sun for tanning purposes but the week is still young.

I’d opted for a quiet week in Qingdao over Beijing as I wanted a relaxing week that didn’t require much mental exertion for getting around. I quickly reached the hostel and checked in. I swear they have me in the system tagged for bed G it’s the dorm bed they always give me. It’s a great bunk and I settled in to an empty dorm. I’ve discovered the perfect traveling bag, my big red one I packed for the day and set out to tackle my list of must-dos.

Jimo was first, Rolexes for Victoria and if I’m at Jimo it’s required I stop by Sunny’s so I picked up pearls for presents and actually showed some restraint for once and didn’t buy anything for me. I did stop by the perfume shop to get a bottle of Burberry Weekend. Katie had picked some up in Xi’an and I just loved it. I bought a Chinese burrito from a stand and for the first time contemplated the probability of food poisoning but my cast iron stomach seems to be doing fine still.

The Protestant Church over by Jimo

After my rather successful shopping trip I wandered around the old German neighborhoods and found the Protestant Church. In my opinion Christian churches in China always have a deserted feel even if they are in service.

The first real Graffiti I've seen in China

A path along the hill within the German Quarter

You never know what you will come across on a walk.

Beehives I stumbled across

Monument at May 4th Square

I walked down to the beach and caught a bus uptown. I stoped at May 4th Square and enjoyed people watching. The sun came out for a bit and I read.  I began to wonder if I’d been presumptuous in planning four days in Qingdao with no set itinerary. I’m always complaining I don’t see enough of Qingdao as a tourist spot but I don’t treat it as such and thus failed to do my homework. I began to worry I would get bored and stick to my usual spots. So I made a list of spots I’d wanted to visit in the past. That’s what I’ll do.

Water activities are a favorite in China - Every major square as some sort of activity

The site of the Olympic Sailing events in Qingdao

Last week I’d tried to give Brad directions to our favorite DVD store and so I went to see how off I was as they had been unable to find it. I felt terrible Was about five blocks off. For future reference it’s a block east of MyKal not Carrefour. I stopped by but as I wasn’t invited to the back room I saved my money and headed to the grocery store. I qued behind an Egyptian who was shopping for could only be a splendid meal. He offered an invitation, no Mom I didn’t accept. We chatted fir a while and he suggested a quite beach to the east near Lao Shan  for a pleasant day.

I bought Subway for dinner and headed back to May 4th Square to enjoy it.I returned early and read in the lounge for a while. Oh the ease of wi-fi I quickly discovered the wi-fi on the third floor and sent about an hour online. I’ve up until his point only appreciated my iPod for it’s offline features wi-fi this thing and you couldn’t pry it from my dead body.

I soon went to sleep with only one roommate in. Oh the wonders of a sleeping mask. I had been too lazy to retrieve my earplugs and paid for it as each other occupant returned.

Before leaving a wise friend left a parting warning, “The second year you are no longer on vacation.”

To combat this inevitable truth I decided to settle in for the long haul. The adventure is over and life is starting to settle into normal or China normal. One of the ways to keep the bordeom at bay is to get a hobby. I’ve never been one for hobbies but its never to late to start, right? I weighed my options and decided a non accumulating, inexpensive one would be the best choice. As I’ve always been intrigued by Yoga I figured I’d give it a shot.

My friend Tina had mentioned a Yoga Studio at the Tai Hua. She had 30 unused classes and was looking for a partner for motivation. Monday night we met up after work and headed to class. I must admit I was a little disheartened when we walked into the small studio. I was hoping for a large class with which I could at least pretend to melt into the crowd. With a class of six that was not going to happen and if I didn’t stick out enough the instructor stuck me right in front.

Bless her heart this tiny little Chinese girl tried to correct my stance over and over again but she could barely reach my hands. I don’t even want to think of the damage I’d do if I accidentally lost my balance with her standing next to me. She didn’t speak a lick of English but that didn’t stop her speaking a mile a min in Chinese. Luckily Yoga is a slower activity and it is easy to watch and follow, except when you are in some inverted pose and tune out the instructor. More than once she had to pull me out of a pose and I realized the class had all moved on. Whoops.

After the first class I decided I’d give it a shot. When I discovered it was only¥200 a month for unlimited classes I thought it was a bargain. According to Tina this is one of the more expensive Yoga Studio’s in town but also the cleanest. I worked out the price and must attend at least 10 times each month to justify the month pass. I still think unlimited classes for $30 a month is a real steal.  

Thursday I decided to attend the noon class by myself.I showed up and pantomimed my intentions. They are all extremely friendly. I don’t know if when they have a perspective student they take it easy or what but Thursday was nothing like Monday. I can’t even remember the last time I was dripping sweat when I work out. It wasn’t until this morning did my body demand payment for what I put it through. Yet somehow I was dumb enough to go back again today at lunch.

It makes for an invigorating lunch break. Tina joined me today and also agreed it was not the same class we previewed Monday. I just keep telling myself if I push through the soreness today it will be easier tomorrow. Although that still doesn’t make putting a shirt on any easier right now. I can barely get my arms above my head.

I’ve decided to leave the decision of whether to go or not tomorrow on the status of my sports bra. If it is dry by two o’clock tomorrow I will go if it is still damp, hallelujah I get a break.

I have this huge apartment with just me this term. I grew up in a home centered around the dinner table. I loved every min of it, even when I was sent away to my room,  those mins right before were always worth it!

I was making plans for this place even before I moved in, top of the list was a good dinner get together with the gang, Bonnie and the Japanese teachers. The good old shrimp and french fries was always a hit so I scheduled an evening and set to work.

In my enthusiasm for a good meal I forgot how terribly labor intensive breaded shrimp was when starting from scratch. Katie and Thomas were kind enough to take over the cooking. They got a head start while Bonnie and I were out buying train tickets to Harbin.

They had the first batch ready to go when we arrived and the Japanese teachers came right on time. I know bad hostess still learning, I entertained in the living room while Katie, Thomas and their friend Anna took over kitchen duty, shelling, battering and frying all evening. The food was delicious.

I love the Japanese teachers, Shiggy is hilarious and Mr. Kobayashi is sweet. I have to admit regardless of what he thinks of his English I think its amazing. We talked about classes and vacation plans. Since they were fellow foreigners I related some of my more interesting Student outburst stories. (Please feel free to ask me once I’m back in the States) As we talked Mr. Kobayashi asked if the Korean teachers would be joining us, I had not invited them as I was under the impression they didn’t speak English.

Lack of prep left us a few eggs short and the Japanese teachers were out. I decided to just cross the landing a ask my Korean neighbors, yes the ones I hadn’t invited. I found the word for egg in Chinese hoping they possibly spoke a little Chinese. I muddled through, “I need eggs, please” in Chinese and she kindly brought me a few.

When I returned with the eggs Shiggy asked why I used Chinese, “They speak English.” My jaw dropped. What, now I feel horrible. I had not invited them assuming they didn’t speak English and it would be uncomfortable for them. I specifically remember someone telling me they didn’t speak English. “Oh I don’t think the girls speak it well but the guy speaks great we chat all the time in English” Shiggy said. Really are we talking about the same Korean, the one I pass in the hall and ask “How are you?” to and he gets completely flustered nods his head then takes the stairs three at a time to escape.

Well now that the language barrier has been cleared up two days before the end of term I feel much better about ignoring them this whole time. Okay honest effort next term will be put in to get to know my neighbors.

The rest of the evening went well, learned a lot about Japanese culture. Looking forward to another term with my Japanese colleagues.

So I’ve debated typing this post but I might as well get it out in the open, once I tell a few people its going to get out there anyway and blown out of proportion so I might as well get my side out….

Goodness knows I could count the dates I’ve been on, on one hand but could someone please define what qualifies as a date because I think I accidentally went on one with a complete stranger I met on the train.

I got home from Weihai at 11:30, cleaned up, packed up and headed to Qingdao by 5. I purchased a ticket last min and hoped for the best. There was a huge line at the gate already so stupidly I went and stood in it. Why, I don’t know after five months in China you would think I’d wised up by now. Mom please skip the following paragraph.

I stood in line and then they open the gate. Here is where my stupidity comes in. Lines mean nothing in China, as soon as the gate opened the line turned into a mob. Forgive the expression but there is just no other way to explain it. You feel like you are back in the birthing canal. I’ve learned to throw a mean elbow while here and being a foreigner and a head taller than everyone else it tends to work quite well. But today that wasn’t even helpful. I’ve never been pressed so bad in my life. Never understood the concept of stampede until today. I finally gave up struggling and just let the crowd push me. Some lady’s carry on caught the back of my legs but luckily the crowd kept me upright as she pulled forward.

Anyway I finally made it to the platform relatively unscathed and headed for my car. As if going through birth for a second time wasn’t bad enough I soon realized there was no seat to be found on the train. Great, two hours to Qingdao and I get the aisle. Okay truth be told I had a second option, smoker ally between cars. I figured relatively smoke free air standing in the aisle getting hit with a food trolley every 15min was better. I found a bench to rest against, turned on my kindle, put in my head phones and zoned out as best as possible. I did notice the decent looking guy standing next to me but kept my scowl to myself as the the trolley and I danced each time it past.

An hour into the ride a kind gentleman offered and held his seat for me when he disembarked. The guy who had been standing next to me soon found a seat across the aisle. He leaned over and began asking about my Kindle. His English was definitely not the best I’ve encountered but he was nice, okay sweet. The fact he said he read Plato gave him major points. Before I knew it he was asking me to coffee. I didn’t know what to say so I tried to mumble under my breath, as his English was not great he  took it as an affirmative and started suggesting places.

I figured I would lose him once I got to the station, but he helped get my backpack off the rack and insisted on carrying it for me. (It was only after did I realize how bad that could have gone if he had decided to run, Passport and Y2,000 bad.) Him having my bag and all I decided not to lose him. We caught the 304, he insisted on paying my fare, and headed into town. We decided on Coffee Spark as it was located on both our bus routes. On the bus he began helping me with Chinese. A few points in his favor. One, his is one of the first Chinese people who have actually wanted to help me learn Chinese rather than just wanting to speak and learn English. Two, when teaching me Chinese he actually spoke slowly and clearly, repeating words often, wow what a concept when teaching someone a language. (In China like many places people often think it is the volume that makes foreign words magically become understandable.) Lastly, he encouraged learning Chinese Characters as he feels it is a vital component of learning Chinese.

Now before you flip out and think I’ve completely lost my senses, I did text Victoria and let her know the change in plans. I also asked for a bailout call come 8:15 if wasn’t on the bus to the University yet. My Chinese lesson was going so well we missed our stop, but he had a contingency plan apparently. He quickly suggested another place that was just two stops further. We went to Starbucks and I ordered a Hot Chocolate, after a brief argument over the bill he said something curt in Mandarin to the cashier and she refused to take my money. He ordered two and found a table.

We sat and conversed for about 45min before I had to head out. Between his minimal English and my non-existent Chinese I was surprised the conversation lasted as long as it did. It did come to an interesting point when I finally asked for his name. Okay yes one would think before we got to Starbucks names would have been established but in China names are just tricky. Family names go first, then first name. To top it off you refer to new acquaintances by their family name. His name is Hu pronounced ‘who’. When he asked for mine I of course gave him Kayte, he was a little taken back and asked if he should call me Miss. That was a definite NO! Names got squared away and numbers exchanged. I was soon on my way to Victoria’s before the designated bailout time.

Overall the evening was fun. Most definitely not a usual evening for me but if China has taught me one thing it is taken every opportunity thrown at you.

So back to the original question, if he asked, escorted to and paid for everything was it considered a date? If so I guess I just went on my first Chinese date. Oh and for all those wondering he is barely my height but hey he’s not shorter!

I sadly realized on the bus ride home this evening that besides my Nativity blog, I’ve not written about Christmas in China. Where to begin, humm, maybe that’s why I’ve not written it I have no idea how to.

The Reason for the Season. I have the star of my scene.

 With the nativity saga my baby Jesus did arrive in time. I got it two weeks ago actually. It was just a single piece and didn’t warrant a bag I guess, so I just slipped it into my coat pocket. It always caught me off guard when I would slide my hand in, I’d finger the object for a second to figure out what it was.

It is now on my coffee table and will most likely stay there through January. A reminder of home. Mom would you take some pictures of my favorite nativities so I will have them for next Christmas. Children’s Christmas Pageant, the Russian Nativity and don’t forget the Black Bears.

Christmas lights are up all over the city but that really isn’t Christmas that is just typical tacky Chinese decorations, they are up year round. Surprisingly for a country that doesn’t celebrate Christmas beyond apple exchanging there are quite a few decorations up. Of course there only seems to be one set of window stickers in all of Weifang.

(add picture)

Surprisingly my students are quite familiar with Christmas and its customs. It is strange though when you talk to children they know who Santa is but they will tell you straight, “Santa doesn’t come to China”. Don’t tell and American child that they would be horrified he is suppose to go to every child.

All though they know the traditions they do not participate in them. The only gift they really give is an apple. The apple is a symbol of peace.

Christmas music has been playing in the stores for the last few weeks. Most songs are in English and sometimes you can even close your eyes and just focus on the bustle and almost feel like you are back in the US, then you get one good whiff of that China smell and you are right back here.

Christmas is most definitely a unique experience in China.

Okay this place is palatial. Here it is.

View of the apartment from the nook to the left of the door.

Living Room, first door on the right. Look at that couch!!

I love the fact that my shower no longer drenches my toilet or vanity!!

Last door on the right, James was kind enough to get me that far table for extra counter space. No excuse not to cook now.

Last door on the left. Kelly's room to be!

(The Office waiting for it to be clean before I take that picture.)

My new bedroom, yes I brought my comforter. First door on the left.

So Apartment 202 is my new home. The size sure makes me feel alone at times but Kelly will soon fill it! I still hesitate and start to knock when I get to the door thinking it is Dantzelle’s house or I skip the second floor altogether.

would anyone like their number?

Merry Maids of China

I should have taken before and after shots or at least the process. Katie and Thomas through insanity, is my only guess, agree to help me clean and move in.  The came over around 11am and stuck it out til the bitter end at 7pm. Those two can clean an apartment like professionals. They are so organized and thorough. By the end of the day we figured he could count half a year done for home-teaching.  

They dusted, swept, scrubbed, mopped, wiped down, sprayed down and cleaned out. It was such a relief, I was able to pack, arrange, transfer and move. Yes, my list was a lot easier for that I apologized profusely. I know I will never be able to repay Thomas fully for scrubbing the bathroom floor. Really could I please find a guy that is able oh and willing to do that.

By the end we had taken out 3 loads of garbage, done 6 loads of laundry:bedding, rags and towels and moved just about every piece of furniture in the apartment.

The topper of the day though had to be beating the rug. Katie and I took the rug outside and threw it over some exercise equipment across the courtyard. (I promise to add pictures later) Both of us where in short sleeves, and flip-flops from cleaning indoors. We were quite a sight to be seen beating a rug outside with a broom in 30* weather. Of course 3 different students passed and asked what I was doing, I would have figured that was obvious but hey when the Americans do something it is always a spectacle. Thomas came out to join us and we all took turns whacking that thing. Boy is beating a rug therapeutic. I love that scene in the new Sense and Sensibility when Eleanor takes a good whack at the rug, really it helps.

Once all the cleaning was done I told them their slave hours were over but they still offered to remain and help move the last of my things down. Troopers to the end. Thanks to them it was all done by 7.

Unfortunately, the customary doughnuts and take out pizza was unavailable for the moving crew but we were able to settle for McDonald’s after a long day. I felt truly pathetic repaying they entire day with a Big Mac but that was as good as it got.

So here is another THANK YOU, to Katie and Thomas, I could not have done it without you.