I apologize for the lack of posts recently. Things have been been a little hectic with getting started at work, trying to find an apartment, and adjusting to a new city all simultaneously.
So brief updates:
It is hot and muggy as all get out down here. Seriously, if I'm not spending all day in the office (which has air conditioning blasting all day and night), I will most likely sweat through all of my clothes. It's not very comfortable.
The beard is still appreciated in China. I was eating dinner in a dining hall with some coworkers after playing ping pong, and a freshman girl ran up to me and said, very quickly, in Chinese, "Your beard is very sexy!" and then ran away. My wit failed me at that moment, but fortunately Gangyi supplied me with an appropriate witticism for next time: "You're not the first to say so..."
The reason I knew the girl was a freshman is because she was wearing a military uniform. In China, college students' first year starts with 军训, jūnxùn, or military training. At South China Normal University (hereafter referred to as 华师/Huáshī, the Chinese abbreviated name, because it's much easier), it lasts for 15 days. So there's been lots of freshmen running around in military uniforms, marching, yelling, and being yelled at. It's fairly amusing.
The US does not celebrate a lot of international holidays. I'm not sure if these are holidays that people in China just think are international holidays, or if they're actually celebrated in many countries and the US was just like, eh, we don't need 'em. For example: Teacher's Day, International Children's Day, International Women's Day, and Labor Day (May 1st, not the one we have in September). This confuses all of my coworkers when I tell them that I have never celebrated these holidays and have only vaguely heard of them.
While I'm still looking for an apartment, I'm no longer paying money to stay in a hotel. I was put in touch with some Americans teaching English at the high school affiliated with 华师 as Princeton in Asia fellows, and they've been kind enough to let me crash on their futon while I continue my search. Onwards! I have about two weeks left before I'm supposed to register with the police and tell them my permanent place of residence, so there's still that deadline...
The average grad student in China watches much more American TV than I do. Almost everyone watches some show or another, and for the most part I've never even heard of the show they like to watch, let alone seen it. I am clearly failing as an American.
There's a great advantage to being in the south of China. In more formal meals or banquets in China, it's traditional for everyone to continually toast. You start the meal by toasting three times to everyone and any event you might be celebrating (thanking someone for coming, welcoming a newcomer, etc.), and then the meal proceeds with the host toasting everyone at the table at various times and then everyone else starts toasting everyone else. It's complicated and basically anytime there's a lull in the conversation, someone will stand up, walk over to another person at the round table, toast them, and then both parties drink. The number of toasts is determined by how formal the meal it is, and it only happens if people are drinking alcohol. Anyways, in the north of China, the meal is not considered a success until at least one person is roaring, spilling, falling-over-themselves drunk (I have never personally experienced this, but have been so informed by several friends in Beijing and Shanxi). To this end, toasts are almost always done with 白酒/bǎijiǔ, the strong Chinese liquor，and you have to finish your glass on each toast. In the south, the drink might be wine or beer or 黄酒/huángjiǔ, a drink made from various grains that's about the strength of wine, and finishing your drink is not required. So that's much more reasonable, though I have impressed several people here already with my ability to drink alcohol, as average as it may be in the US.
Finally, I start my lessons in 国画/Guóhuā, traditional Chinese painting tonight. My teacher will be my boss's father, a man of probably 70 or 80 years old from the city of 汕头/Shàntóu in Northeast Guangdong, he does not speak particular standard Mandarin (his native tongue being 潮汕话/Cháoshànhuà or Teochew, which sounds nothing like Mandarin, and supposedly preserved many aspects of Old Chinese), though I can still understand him with some effort. He's also a huge fan of 白酒. So I'm definitely looking forward these lessons, which will probably be once a week.
So brief updates:
It is hot and muggy as all get out down here. Seriously, if I'm not spending all day in the office (which has air conditioning blasting all day and night), I will most likely sweat through all of my clothes. It's not very comfortable.
The beard is still appreciated in China. I was eating dinner in a dining hall with some coworkers after playing ping pong, and a freshman girl ran up to me and said, very quickly, in Chinese, "Your beard is very sexy!" and then ran away. My wit failed me at that moment, but fortunately Gangyi supplied me with an appropriate witticism for next time: "You're not the first to say so..."
The reason I knew the girl was a freshman is because she was wearing a military uniform. In China, college students' first year starts with 军训, jūnxùn, or military training. At South China Normal University (hereafter referred to as 华师/Huáshī, the Chinese abbreviated name, because it's much easier), it lasts for 15 days. So there's been lots of freshmen running around in military uniforms, marching, yelling, and being yelled at. It's fairly amusing.
The US does not celebrate a lot of international holidays. I'm not sure if these are holidays that people in China just think are international holidays, or if they're actually celebrated in many countries and the US was just like, eh, we don't need 'em. For example: Teacher's Day, International Children's Day, International Women's Day, and Labor Day (May 1st, not the one we have in September). This confuses all of my coworkers when I tell them that I have never celebrated these holidays and have only vaguely heard of them.
While I'm still looking for an apartment, I'm no longer paying money to stay in a hotel. I was put in touch with some Americans teaching English at the high school affiliated with 华师 as Princeton in Asia fellows, and they've been kind enough to let me crash on their futon while I continue my search. Onwards! I have about two weeks left before I'm supposed to register with the police and tell them my permanent place of residence, so there's still that deadline...
The average grad student in China watches much more American TV than I do. Almost everyone watches some show or another, and for the most part I've never even heard of the show they like to watch, let alone seen it. I am clearly failing as an American.
There's a great advantage to being in the south of China. In more formal meals or banquets in China, it's traditional for everyone to continually toast. You start the meal by toasting three times to everyone and any event you might be celebrating (thanking someone for coming, welcoming a newcomer, etc.), and then the meal proceeds with the host toasting everyone at the table at various times and then everyone else starts toasting everyone else. It's complicated and basically anytime there's a lull in the conversation, someone will stand up, walk over to another person at the round table, toast them, and then both parties drink. The number of toasts is determined by how formal the meal it is, and it only happens if people are drinking alcohol. Anyways, in the north of China, the meal is not considered a success until at least one person is roaring, spilling, falling-over-themselves drunk (I have never personally experienced this, but have been so informed by several friends in Beijing and Shanxi). To this end, toasts are almost always done with 白酒/bǎijiǔ, the strong Chinese liquor，and you have to finish your glass on each toast. In the south, the drink might be wine or beer or 黄酒/huángjiǔ, a drink made from various grains that's about the strength of wine, and finishing your drink is not required. So that's much more reasonable, though I have impressed several people here already with my ability to drink alcohol, as average as it may be in the US.
Finally, I start my lessons in 国画/Guóhuā, traditional Chinese painting tonight. My teacher will be my boss's father, a man of probably 70 or 80 years old from the city of 汕头/Shàntóu in Northeast Guangdong, he does not speak particular standard Mandarin (his native tongue being 潮汕话/Cháoshànhuà or Teochew, which sounds nothing like Mandarin, and supposedly preserved many aspects of Old Chinese), though I can still understand him with some effort. He's also a huge fan of 白酒. So I'm definitely looking forward these lessons, which will probably be once a week.
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