I am writing this while I’m in class right now. My students are doing a worksheet to review for their monthly test on Thursday, and I am ridiculously bored. In fact, they are too. One of them just made a farting noise with his armpit. Gross.
Things here are fine, but busy. My Dad and brother are coming to Shanghai on Saturday, and I’ve got about a million and a half things to get done before they get here. Tomorrow I’m giving two monthly tests, and Thursday I’m giving two more. I have to have everything graded and in the computer by next Tuesday, but for obvious reasons I’d like to get it all done by Friday night.
Other than that, everything is pretty much the same. I teach from 8-4 (well, realistically I get to the office closer to 8:30/8:45, unless it’s Wednesday and I have to teach first period). And of course by saying I ‘teach full time’ I mean that I am in the classroom for about 20 hours per week and talking online and/or surfing the internet for the other 20 hours.
Anyway, it’s weird that I’ve got less than 6 weeks left here. On the one hand, it feels like I’ve been here for so long that most things have lost their shock value or surprise. It just feels so normal most of the time to be living in China. It’s gotten to the point where I know what to buy at the grocery store, I no longer am afraid to go places on my own (like my first 2 or so months here), and I don’t wake up every morning being like ‘oh yeah , I live in China. It’s just normal. Except last week when I opened my cab door directly into a guy on a bike. He was fine, but the cab door sort of wasn’t. The guy and the cab driver were both furious and I was the stupid foreigner who could say nothing more than ‘I’m sorry’ in Chinese, over and over. God that was horrible.
On the other hand (there’s always another hand, isn’t there?), being home for 5 days reminded me of the differences between here and there. Yes, you can get most things that you use at home here in China, and often for less money. But at home at the grocery store, there were so many more choices…so much more pre-prepared food (such as pre-washed salads, cut up fruit, frozen meals, granola bars, etc).. China IS dirty, and actually being able to see the stars at home made me more sentimental than I expected. Maybe that’s why I’ve been obsessed with the song “Passenger Seat” by Death Cab for Cutie lately. Or maybe I’m just weird. People are different, too. Manners in China are far different from in the US or other western countries. I’m looking forward to not being shoved while waiting in line for an ice cream. And granted, I’m writing about sort of trite differences between the two countries…I know that. But I don’t feel like writing more about the bureaucracy right now, partially because I’m lazy and partially because I don’t necessarily feel its effects every single day. Blah this is just me thinking while typing. sorry if it's not totally coherent.
It’s hard to give the thing that’s ending your full attention when you are rapidly and constantly preparing for the thing that is going to begin. In this case, I mean moving in with Mike, moving to Chicago, and law school. It’s hard not to spend so much time thinking about the future that you forget about the present.
That being said, I’m going to a great Indian restaurant tonight to celebrate my friend’s birthday. Today I found myself pulling a Travis from his senior year and telling one of my friends “You only have 6 more weekends to hang out with me.” So I’m going to do my best to be as social as I can and spend time with all of these people who have helped shape my experience so much. Plus, there are still tons of touristy things in Shanghai that I still have somehow managed to avoid. Hopefully I’ll get to see some of the stuff while my dad and brother are visiting. Anyway, that’s all for now.
1 Comments:
Haha, pulling a Travis. I love it!
Totally understand about settling into some routine, some sense of normalcy in even as strange a place and situation as you're in. I'll never forget how, when I came to visit you there, you calmly pointed out disgusting [at least, to me] food on the market down the street from the school, for example. And beware, as unlikely as it may seem now, once you settle into your new life in Chicago you'll miss certain things about this place. Trust me, you will, just like you'll miss certain things from Ann Arbor and Bloomfield etc. BUT, all that means is you should make the best of the situation you're in and enjoy it while you're there. Ignore the fact that you've been there so long already and just think: Wow, I get to be in China for 6 weeks, without having to worry about adapting. That leaves room for just, well, enjoying yourself and your friends there (well, aside from your "40 hours" of work that is). So you can't breath deeply through the orange-colored Shanghai night; big deal, breathing's overrated anyway! But seriously, 6 weeks is too short to worry about any unpleasantnesses, but just the right time to have just a little bit more fun. And if nothing else, you've got something to look forward to. As I'm sure there's a giant countdown on your iGoogle telling you as well ;-)
Miss you!!!
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