Update February 2008

I turned out to be not much of a blogger. I just didn't write enough or often enough for this medium to be enthnographically beneficial. Oh well. Mei Guanxi.

So, now it's February 2008. I have been in Chinese Medicine Grad school for a month. I love it, but it's alot of work. I am working full time walking dogs - shout out to the pooches! - and I have moved in with Sam, in Jersey City. Not liking my new address too much, but its the only time I get to see my baby. So it works out in the end.

Grad school will be about 5 years and then I will be a Chinese Medicine practitioner - meaning massage, acupuncture and herbology. I will make others feel good. And hopefully I will be able to practice all around the world.

So that's all for now. Send me a note and tell me Shenme Shi Shang!!

Summer in the City (Shanghai, that is)!

Yeah, I know I said I would post more often. But, I didn't feel like it. So, here's an update of my last two months.
I finished my contract in Jiaxing with little fanfare and gratitude from the school. In fact, they notified me my last week of classes was cancelled after I finished my last class. So I didn't say goodbye to my students. Oh well. I didn't like them that much anyway. But the two weeks off gave me a chance to travel. And I saw alot...
I went to Guangxi province in southern China. The town of Yangshuo was absolutely awesome. Beautiful Karst mountains and lovely people. I met a bunch of cool westerners, all travelling alone, and we formed a little gang and hung out. Rock climbing, biking though the rice paddies, hiking up scenic spots. So Cool! I was even invited to the home of a woman who was trying to sell me cold bottled water. She really treated me to something special. I will never forget that experience. Then, I went to Chengdu in Sichuan province. This is the home of spicy food, the Panda and many small villages of people from the region to the west. (I can't type the name or my blog will get blocked - let's just say that they are displaced from their homeland which rhymes with I bet.)
The pandas are so cute and funny. I got some great photos which I will upload soon. Then I went on a five day horse trek in the mountains. And again I met some awesome westerners travelling around. I had a wonderful time even though my but was real sore.
Now I'm living in Shanghai for the summer. I have a teaching job at a local language training center. I teach four classes a day: 7-12 year olds. They are a joy to be with and their energy feeds my soul. Everyday is a great day of learning and laughing. This has definitely saved my teaching experience in China. Jiaxing was drudgery, but Shanghai is heaven. I will continue to work there for one more month - until August 27th.
Then on September 1st, I will board my flight home. I can't believe how fast it's gone. And how slow it's been, as well. One day felt like a week, and one month felt like a day. That's just how it is when you're an ex-pat.
So my overall experience has been extremely positive. I have learned alot about the world, China, America, and myself.
I look forward to seeing my friends and family again - my parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this past week! But most of all, I am excited to hug Sam and hold him in my arms for a real long time. I wonder if he'll get tired of me hugging him for a week straight? Hope not, because that's what I plan to do. Reunited! And it feels so good!

Ni bixu gongzuo! (You'd better work!)

Here's what been going on:

• School is ending soon. Yeah! While I'm grateful for the job and the people who have helped me make this adventure memorable, I will be glad to leave Jiaxing. The students are my biggest disappointment. It seems to me that they have not improved at all. They are still talking to me in Chinese and telling me that they don't understand me - "Ting bu Dong". I guess I had a perception that some students would really be interested in learning English, but no. There are students who have improved, but I want more than just a couple. I want to leave here with a feeling of being of service and of having made a difference. Hopefully, in the distant future, my presence this year will affect a student in a positive way. Here's hoping.


• Last week I went to the Opera. The Beijing Opera in Shanghai. Very cool! It was "hao ting" (beautiful to listen to), "hao kan" (beautiful to see), and "hao wan" (alot of fun)! But the truly interesting aspect was the audience. They talked the entire time. They ate their dinners and spit the bones out on the floor. They clapped and yelled "Hao!!" ("Bravo!" in Chinese) when the singer did something they thought was impressive. (I didn't actually agree with their assessments, but what do I know.) I asked my friend what the guys behind us were saying. He said they were critiquing the performances based on other productions and other performers. Tough Crowd! And at the end the two leads came out and gave a short speech and did an encore. Apparently, this is very rare. So I saw a special, once in a lifetime moment. Pretty cool!


• I recently took a second and third and fourth job teaching English. One is with little kids aged 4-10. They are so cute and their English is better than my High Schoolers. Amazing! Another job is with adults in a language center. I am leaving Jiaxing in three weeks, so my contact will only be minimal, but hopefully, I will gain a feeling of service and being of use from these enthusiastic students. I also have a similar job in Shanghai on Saturdays. This job also supplies a bi-lingual teaching assistant. It makes such a difference to be understood. I don't spend half the class trying to explain to them what we are trying to do. I just have Apple (that's her name) translate the directions and we begin the lesson. AHHHH! So easy! It makes teaching a breeze.


• I have blanketed Shanghai with my resume and got some interesting responses. Two serious job offers came my way. Summer Camps for kids and teenagers. I just need to decide which schedule and salary are most rewarding.


• I will be living in Shanghai for the summer. I have a great place to live with a friend who refuses to accept any rent from me. Whoa! A free summer in Shanghai! I'm blessed, truly. I look forward to groovin' on the Shanghai vibe 24/7. Weekending in Shanghai is fun, but I have such a transient existence, its difficult to build friendships. I want to leave China with friends who will last. I want to keep in contact with China and the Chinese language.


• Also, I have recently discovered a podcast called Gay Pimpin' with Jonny McGovern. Check it out on iTunes - it's fiercely glamorous! Ni bixu gongzuo! (You'd better work!)

Oh, Yeah. I have a blog. Ooops.

So, yeah, I know. I haven't posted in almost two months. And my last posting was about recommitting myslef to the blogosphere. Well, so much for that. I have been reflecting on why I have been reluctant to post and the answer is - I dont feel like sharing that boring and mundane stuff. And that's what has been going on for the past two months. Nothing of genuine interest has occurred. I have no new observations about the difference between East and West cultures. I have no new friends who have taken me to places I wouldn't normally go. I have been sick in bed with the Bird Flu and can't experience any new stuff. Well, that last one is kind of an exageration. It wasn't the bird flu, but it felt like it. I still have a lingering cough two weeks later.

Anyway, I have been feeling a little bored and frustrated at my life here. I don't have hundreds of Chinese people calling me to hang out and teach me chinese. I don't have students who are inspiring and learning English sayings and slang quicker than a dog in an busy intersection. Get this - last weekend in Shanghai I actually received no phone calls. Which kind of made me sad. Huge city, no friends. What's wrong with me? Nobody likes me! Awww, poor Evan.

At this point I must apologize to Leigh Ann. She told me before I left for China that blogging is cool, but don't write about daily events like eating breakfast. Nobody cares. It's too mundane and self-centered. So if this posting apporoaches the level of my breakfast habits, I'm sorry. But its all I've got right now.

Looking forward, I have about one month left here in Jiaxing. For the summer, I am looking for a new job somewhere else in China - maybe out west in Sichuan or up north in Harbin. I have applied to a language school with many branches, so wherever they need me I'll go. Then I will return to NYC in September just before Sam's birthday and our anniversary. That's gonna be a good week.

A couple of weeks ago I went to the Shanghai Aquarium with friends. That was a good day. Here's a picture of Matt, Caitlin, Devon and his girlfriend.

A recap: one wreck, some rest, and ready to recommit!

Two months have passed since I last posted. Why so long? Dunno the answer to that one, so let's just move on. Since January I have experienced many blog worthy moments. So, here's a high level overview.

• Got a massage for my birthday. Not really news, except that the girl wanted to give me "more" and I had to escape without losing "face". Tricky but successful. WHEW!
  
• Finished the Fall semester in mid-January, but spent two weeks in Jiaxing doing nothing but going to the gym and eating because I wasn't allowed to leave until the end of the month. Something about the local government being responsible for my well-being. Apparently they would get in trouble with Beijing if I got in trouble in Shanghai. Strange, I know, but T.I.C. (this is China)!



• In February, I went to the beach in Pulau Pangkor, Malaysia for ten days. It was very relaxing because on the first day I wrecked a sexy motorcycle, much like this one. Actually, I lost control and it went over a cliff and down into a river whilst my body destroyed a Chinese ancestor shrine. Ouch and Uh-oh! Got some bad karma to work out after my scrapes and cuts heal. But the food is amazing and the people are sooo cool! Tarima Kasai, Mahmi!

• Chinese New Year in Shanghai with Kelly. Great fun! So good to see her and have a visitor from home. My appreciation of fireworks has been re-ignited! Very impressive displays - all over town for hours and hours! So much smoke I couldn't see across the street. True!

• Then went to a convention in Thailand for a week with my Friends of Bill club. 28 countries were represented at the convention. But only three from Shanghai for all of China - all caucasian - funny visual, right? Pattaya is a weird, wild place. No such thing as free love in Pattaya. Won't be going back, but glad I saw it. More good food and Sissi is an awesome Kiteboarder!

• Started spring semester March 1st. Kids are the same - rambunctious, resistant, and yet, so much fun. This morning I participated in a speech contest. My duty was to listen to 17 speeches and ask a question immediately after each student finished. It was somewhat difficult to form a question that was on topic (sometimes I could barely understand their English) while being both challenging and comprehensible for the students. Some students performed very well, some got nervous and apologized for their mistakes. So cute! But in the end I was impressed with their level of English. The winner was a girl who spoke about beauty and the cross-cultural differences between eastern and western models. Pretty intellectual stuff from a high school student.

So now, I am all caught up with my journal. It has been way too long since my last posting. I hope to recommit myself to this form of self-expression. It helps me keep my global perspective in check and right-sized. This blog also keeps you informed as to my experiences and whereabouts. Communication is key to my happiness while over here in China. Hopefully, someday soon, I will be able to communicate in English and Chinese - then I can have 2 billion+ friends. I like people.

Oh - one more thing -To Maria - Loved getting your note. Please send me another with your email so I can write back. How is Sofia? Any others?

Shengri Kuai le gei wo!

Happy Birthday to me! Yep. Today I am 38 years old. Hmmph. When did that happen? Oh lordy.
Don't have any plans for today. Nobody here in Jiaxing knows its my birthday. I have been sick in bed for two days (ate something bad) and couldn't "remind" anyone. Plus, I want to go to the gym anyway. All my foreigner friends are out of town already. So I will spend it alone, but this weekend I will par-tay!! Oh Yeah!! I won't let geography get in the way of having a good time.
Tomorrow my dearest Sam is becoming a US Citizen! Woo hoo!! He will take the oath and become an official American. And his bid on a condo was accepted yesterday. YEAH!! So now he is a property-owning citizen. Good times are upon us!
I finished my semester yesterday, but in true Chinese weirdness I must stay around until the end of the month. Why? Dunno. I don't have class to go to, but I can't leave school. So I guess I will just hang and surf the net. Boring! This town is not boring enough? Now they force me to do nothing here! Argh! I will be going to the gym everyday for sure.
The last three years has been the busiest time for me - full time school, full time work, full time relationship and sobriety. I woke up running and went to sleep planning the next day. And I liked it. I liked being scheduled and structured. Now in China, I have very little to do and its driving me crazy! I have to figure out how to occupy myself and not waste the day away. But its not easy for me. I am the kind of person who likes to be given tasks. I have a hard time creating my own path. It is more important to be of use to others than to myself. If I do something I want accolades and appreciation. Doing stuff for myself does not get attention quick enough. I guess I need to have patience. I need a big dose of patience!!
OK, enough venting. I'm gonna go eat.

I should be tired...but I'm not!!

The first weeks of 2007 have been packed full of life. I celebrated 7 continuous years in recovery - whoa! My dear Uncle Eddie died suddenly - huh? My birthday is January 17th - hint, hint! Sam is becoming a US citizen on January 18th - hooray!! I have been giving my final exams this week - ugh. My friend Kelly in NYC is planning a trip to visit me - whoopee! Matt and I are trying to go to a beach somewhere - maybe Vietnam - hmm. I have decided it's too cold to go snowboarding in Harbin (-20 Celcius) - brrr, so I went boarding in Shanghai. Indoor snowboarding - awesome!
All this activity has energized me. I usually sit around, watch movies and hang with friends in Shanghai. And kinda feel bored. Well, that hasn't changed much except now I have begun to steer my life towards being involved. I know I don't control "Things", but I am trying to become more open and available for interesting and new things to come into my life. My New Year's resolution is to be more proactive in getting what I want. I know I may not get it, but as long as I have tried I will be satisfied. (Oo, that rhymed! I'm a poet, and didn't even realize it. Uh-oh. Short-lived - wah wah.)
One thing I am trying to do more of is speak Chinese. I am always pleased with myself after I have attempted a conversation in Chinese. The other person may feel frustrated at me or even dismiss me altogether. But I don't care, I am learning as fast as I can. And if that upsets others, well, they chose to be upset. Once I get more comfortable with the language, I can make more Chinese friends. For example, I have yet to visit a Buddhist temple as a pilgrim. I have been to many, but only as a tourist. I want to change that. But I don't know what to do in a temple. I need someone to show me around and teach me what to do and when to do it. And in China, this can be accomplished much easier if I speak Chinese. Once I am able to communicate effectively, I figure the world will open up to me. I will feel included and less isolated. People will not dismiss me and walk away. I will get a truly great bargain at the fake markets!! Gosh, I want to get the Chinese price! And the moment to which I am most looking forward is telling a rude Chinese guy who thinks I don't understand him while he makes fun of me with his friends that I can indeed speak Chinese. I heard everything he said and I think he should go eat a cricket. All in Chinese! That will be an beautiful moment.