Wǒ shì Lǎoshī

Yes, I'm teaching in China!

Three months ago, the principal of the kid's school invited me to have lunch with him and the owner of their Chinese sister school. They wanted to discuss the possibility of my teaching at the school. I explained that I was not looking to work in China so soon, but I would be willing to hear about the opportunity. I was curious.

They took me to a Korean barbeque and the owner explained her mission to me over beef and vegetables sizzling on the grill between us. She and her husband opened this small school to give Chinese children the opportunity to education within a structure more similar to that of American schools. You see, in China a typical classroom will have 40 or more students. You'll find 70 in the average high school classroom. Children spend 15 hours each day in school or studying. The primary focus of everyone is achieving top scores on the national standardized exam. Scores earned on this exam literally determine the course of these students’ lives.

So, the owners began the school with a small kindergarten class and wanted to add a first grade classroom this year. I was their choice for the teacher. After pondering on the opportunity for a nearly a week, I decided that it would be too much for our family to take on so soon after moving to the country. Taking care of the household here requires quite a bit more time and effort than in the U.S. I planned to break the news to the owner on the following Monday. To that God said, “Oh reeallly?”

On Sunday during services at the international fellowship, the creator sent a distinct message to me through the guest speaker. In that moment I understood that this opportunity has far greater purpose than teaching reading, writing, and 'rithmatic to six-year-olds. I found myself at a place where saying "No" was no longer an option.

So now here I am. Wǒ shì lǎoshī. I am a teacher. What have I gotten myself into?!

Made in the USA

Several weeks before our trip back to the U.S., I started that oh-so-important "what to bring back" list. There are so many items that we have not been able to find in Shenyang. Lots we have learned to live without. Others we've found suitable replacements. Many items I feel sure exist somewhere in this city of 8 million, but the language barrier makes finding them a lengthy process. I certainly can't pick up a phone book and call around. Hmmm...I'm not sure they even have phone books in China. That would be a pre-tty hef-ty book!

Anyway, I placed a magnetic notepad on the side of the refrigerator so that I could add items as they came to mind or others mentioned them. After the third time Morgan asked "Do we have any colored construction paper?", I added it to the list. I searched every six-story shopping center I could find for athletic socks for Christian. Apparently, the boys here don't mind flowers and hearts on their socks. I can embrace some parts of the culture, but that's just not one that I'm ready for. Socks for Christian added. My teaching assistant for next year told me that early childhood teaching tools that we typically use in America can not be found in China. That style of teaching is foreign in Chinese schools. So, on the list went pocket charts, hands-on learning tools, and bulletin board supplies. I've always wanted to decorate my walls with meaningful quotes and sayings, and I couldn't wait to get back to buy some of the do-it-yourself vinyl lettering for our blank apartment walls. I wrote that on the list in tiny letters so no one...ahem...my husband...ahem...would notice and question the necessity. We still haven't found suitable replacements for several personal care items, so I wanted to be sure to bring a few of those back. And, of course, a few food items made the cut.

Now that the kids are with grandparents in Georgia, I've had some time to pick up a few of those things we want to take back. I've created quite a pile in the corner of my brother's old bedroom. A moment ago, I decided to go through that pile to see how much of it was made in China. A running joke in my family has been that we have to come all the way to America to get the made-in-China items we love so much. In fact, just before Easter, my mom spent $100 to send us a package that included water dispensers, plastic eggs, and egg dye. All with prominent MADE IN CHINA stamps on them.

I haven't purchase many food products yet, but I would guess that they are not imported from overseas factories. Much of the clothing was made in Indonesia or Mexico. I was pleased to see that all of our personal products (lotions, hair products, etc.) are Made In the U.S.A. However, those elegant vinyl wall quotes...Made In China. Gift bags and tissue paper...Made In China. Socks? Made In China. Those uniquely-American teaching tools?...Made in China. Even the baseball and glove we bought for our driver's little boy had a Made in China stamp. Really?! Can you get more American than baseball?

How ironic that I'll be struggling to stuff suitcases to capacity, flying them all the way across the Pacific Ocean, attempting to inconspicuously pass them under the hit and miss customs' radar, only to return these goods right back to their place of origin. If only I could find the facility that manufactures these must-haves. That could save us a lot of trouble!

I would love to say that I've been inspired by this revelation to purchase strictly American-made goods, but I'm not quite there. Seems that if I try shop strictly American-made, I'll be just as empty-handed as I was in China! And, you don't want my son to grow up wearing pink heart socks do you? :-) I'll pray about it, though. We'll see...

Quick Hits

Wow, it's been quite a while since I've blogged. It's not that I haven't had much to share, but it seemed there was never a good time to sit at the computer and type it. If I'm truly honest, though, I just haven't made the time, finding one excuse or another...Is this really interesting? I'm not quite sure how to word it. I need better pictures. This is taking too long!

Well, now here I am sitting in the Seoul/Incheon International Airport awaiting a plane to take me back to the U.S. What?! Back to the States already? Even with the many challenges we faced and lifestyle adjustments we had to make, it still feels as though the time since we arrived in Shenyang flew by. This five-hour layover in Seoul has given me lots of time to think about all that has happened in the last five months. So much of it I have not taken the time to document. Therefore, I've decided to take a slightly different approach to my blog posts. I realize that documenting and sharing as much of this journey as possible is more important to me than making sure that every post meets my perfectionist seal of approval. That means that in addition to my very detailed, wordy (and terribly time-consuming) posts, I'm going to periodically post Great Scott! Quick Hits. These quick hits will have just enough detail to capture the experience. I'll try not to ponder so much on whether it's interesting material or if the wording and pictures are just right. My goal will be to simply document experiences that are memorable to me and my family and give others a quick glimpse of everyday life for us in China.

Here's my first Great Scott! Quick Hit:

Farell took a two week business trip to France in May. That left me alone in Shenyang to figure things out, and I must say I rose to the challenge. During that time I had our washing machine repaired, figured out how to call a taxi, and got our daughter through a visit to the local hospital. These may not seem like significant tasks, but remember...we're in China and I don't speak Chinese.

With hand motions, a little bit of broken English, and a good bit of broken Chinese, the landlord and I were able to work through the washer issue. Apparently, excess water needed to be dumped from a small tank at the bottom of the machine. I was back to laundry by mid-day.

We've always made an effort to give our driver at least one full day off each week. Each time he assures us that he doesn't need the time off and encourages us to give him a call. He has never asked for a day off...until last weekend. No problem, except that we had two events to attend that day. Decision point: We could simply not go or we could figure out how to get a taxi. I chose taxi. Because taxis don't regularly pass through the section of town where we live, I called a bilingual friend to help me through calling the taxi service. That was easy! The next step was getting back home. All day I rehearsed the phrase necessary to tell a taxi driver where we needed to go. It took a couple of tries and one or two puzzled looks, but we were able to get home successfully.

Finally, Morgan is fine. She fell hard while playing soccer at school and couldn't move her arm. The call came at 3:30. Our regular doctor's office with English-speaking nurses and American doctors would be closing in 30 minutes. It would take us 45 minutes to get there. I called our contacts at Michelin to find out where we should go. They sent us to local Hospital #2. I paid a small fee for translation service, and we were able to quickly move through the examination process. Nothing broken, only soft tissue damage. Whew! It took her about a week to regain full range of motion.

“Yay me!” for being resourceful and maintaining a level head through it all!

Food, Glorious Food



Fresh jiaozi and veggies from the local market

 We've had to make many, many adjustments in our lives since we moved to China, but the one that has caused me the most stress by far has been food. I suppose this is because I prepare the family meals, and I feel that everyone is looking to me for something delicious and somewhat familiar.

In the beginning, I would spend 1/2 a day running from store to store to gather whatever items I could scavenge. Unfortunately, there is little consistency in these supermarkets when it comes to stocking Western food items. One week I'm thrilled to discover they have cheese. The next week, I'm questioning my memory. Was it just an illusion? I've eventually learned to stock up. Find it + Like it = Buy 'em out. Thank goodness for our huge freezer!

My prized can of German-brand chili beans.

There have been a few simple things that I never realized we would miss. One is legumes. Without dried beans there is no chili, no black beans and rice, no taco soup, no black-eyed peas and limas. I had no idea we enjoyed these "poor-man" dishes so much. Well, last week I found canned chili beans! In the US, I never would have considered buying any canned brand other than Bush's, but I jumped for joy at the sight of this German brand and dumped six cans into my cart. I prayed that they were good.

Back at the apartment, as I was putting the groceries away, I realized how little we've ventured beyond the familiar. Our food choices fall into four categories: American imports, Made-for-China American brands, International imports, and Chinese brands. I found that I buy items I never bought in the US simply because they're familiar. Those who know me know that junk food is an occasional treat in our house. Well, my family has eaten more Lay's chips and Oreos in the last 10 weeks than they have in 10 years, literally. Anything familiar is a go.

A few American brands in our pantry.





Made-for-China American brands. Recognize them? 




International imports that fit our tastes.



The four Chinese-brand items we buy.

You may notice that as we move into less familiar territory (Chinese brands), the items pictured are much fewer in number. I noticed the same thing. My thoughts: We cannot live in China for three years and not attempt to experience their foods. Plus, it's bound to make grocery shopping a little less painful.

I must interject here to say that a few weeks ago our driver introduced me to his favorite local market. I'll save the shopping experience there for another blog (I promise), but it deserves mentioning now because I buy all of our meat and veggies there. It's inexpensive and fresh as can be. They grind my beef on the spot, and it doesn't have all that extra stuff we kept finding in the ground beef from the supermarkets. To top it off, I can go home with  three pounds of ground beef, six boneless/skinless chicken breast, a pound of fresh green beans, two tomatoes, six potatoes, broccoli, lettuce, an onion, and fresh Chinese jiaozi for less than $20. So, I'll take a little credit for venturing outside of the import supermarkets for some fresh foods.

Well, I decided it was now time for us to experiment with other items. The kids and I headed to the store to pick a few interesting-looking Chinese brands that we would be willing to try. My expectations of how this would go did not quite match how it actually played out, but after an hour and a half we emerged with a few snack-type items: Chinese cookies, something that looked like rice crispy treats, gummies, gooey-filled rice cakes (we had no idea what filling), mini jello-like cups, dried seaweed, and green tea Oreos. Yes, I know, Oreos are not Chinese, but you can only find green tea flavor in China.


Our first attempt at Chinese brand shopping.

We spread everything on the kitchen table and began our taste test. The Chinese cookies were simple butter cookies. Check! The rice crispy treats were more like bread crumb treats, but not bad. Check! The gummies were, well...gummies. Check! The gooey rice cakes were interesting. It's a bland gummy ball filled with peanut butter. It wasn't horrible, but I'm not sure we would buy more. The mini jello cups were nothing like jello. The kids had a good hearty laugh at my expression after I took a bite. "Uh, maybe we were supposed to put them in the 'fridge", I said. They'll probably still be there when we move out. Yuck! Now, how about dried seaweed? It tasted curiously similar to collards. I'm anxious to try the cooked variety. Seriously. Finally, the green tea Oreos were not bad. We'll probably stick with original, though. I'm not sure why they felt the need to tamper with a classic.

One final note: It took me the three days to complete this post. Within that time, I received word from my brother and sister-in-law that they had taken a trip to BJ's and bought tons of our favorite items. We should have their shipment in about a week. "Operation Try Chinese" is on hold until further notice!




It Feels Like Home

On January 4, we arrived in China carrying two suitcases each, and we lived out of those suitcases for 62 days. Today, the rest of our belongings finally arrived! Honestly, we'd adapted so well to living without those so-called necessities that I was not as excited as one might think to hear that our shipment would be delivered today. The process of deciding what to bring and what to store had been such a whirlwind that I really couldn't remember what we had shipped. Of course, when the homeroom mom called last week to ask if I would bake cupcakes for Christian's class party, the cupcake tins I'd packed sprung to the forefront of my mind. But, I had improvised with Farell's birthday cake last month, so no big deal.

Baking is not prevalent in Chinese culture, so things such as measuring cups and cake pans are not easily found. In fact, most homes do not have ovens. However, I was determined to make Farell's favorite cake for his birthday. After searching several stores, I found an 8x8 disposable baking pan. Not the Bundt pan I needed, but it would have to do. With no measuring cups, I estimated the ingredients. With no mixer, I used muscle power and a wooden spoon. Three hours later, I had a cake. It received rave reviews. As for the cupcakes, I sent money for drinks instead.

You see we had survived for so long without that prized shipment, that I had become numb to the void. There were things that I knew I could use, things that could certainly make life more convenient; however, being without those things did not make me feel empty. I didn't spend my days longing for "the shipment". That being said, I had my share of mini-celebrations as I discovered familiar items while unpacking all those boxes. Our message board! My faux fur blanket! The Marvelous Mom mug Morgan gave me when she was in kindergarten!

Excitement certainly exploded in the house when the kids got home from school. In all of the pre-move madness, I had the foresight to ship all of the bedding and decorations from their bedrooms. When we got home, Farell had already placed a few items up in each of their rooms. I decided to throw the bedding on their beds. In separate instances, without hearing the other, they both said, "It feels like my room!" Ahhh...simple pleasures.

I'm learning so much in China. I'm not only learning about this land and these people, but also about myself. In the 62 days that I've been here, I've learned that necessity is relative and I can survive with much less than I ever thought. Three months ago, I agonized over what precious items would make it into the pre-specified shipment weight. I was forced to prioritize and consider what was truly important. Everything I decided to ship was on my "must have" list at the time. Within 30 days, I found it hard to remember some of those "must-haves". As we unpacked today, I discovered that the items which brought us the most joy were not those things which make life convenient. Instead, they were the things that evoked familiar memories of our lives in the U.S. I have a sneaky suspicion we'll be looking for the same sense of familiarity when we return to the States, having mini-celebrations over all those little items that remind us of our home in China.

Hmmm, we'll see...

Our Day

Knowing that I'm not one to share every detail of my life, a friend told me to remember that everything I do here in China will be something of interest to others. She encouraged me to post my daily activities, because she and most other folks I know have not visited this country. None have every lived here. Well, I had the best intentions of doing just that. I planned to take pictures of everything and share our normal routines regularly. The reality is that establishing normal routine has taken much more time and effort here than I ever expected. We're still not quite there. Unfortunately, figuring out just how to live here has taken precedence over documenting details. Today, I decided to somewhat try to play catch-up.

We take our cameras everywhere, and I catch a few pictures here and there. Occasionally, Morgan snaps shots and video without my knowing. I just discovered a few good pics she took of our daily drive to work and school, as well as a grocery shopping trip she took with me last week. I thought the easiest way to share these would be with a slide show. It's rather hurriedly put together and for some reason the picture quality is significantly distorted in full screen view, but I hope it can still do the job. Enjoy a glimpse into our daily routine.

Our First Chinese New Year

We arrived in China just in time to experience an authentic Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is a lunar holiday, so that date changes each year. This year it fell on February 3. What I didn't know until now is that while New Year's Day is on February 3, the celebration spans a two-week period called Chun Jie (Spring Festival).

Beijing Opera performer applying makeup
on a student.

For the holiday, the kids were out of school for two weeks. The week prior to their break was similar to the week before Christmas break in the U.S. They had "China Week", and on each day there was a different special activity. They saw the local Beijing Opera perform, made Chinese paper crafts, prepared jiao zi (dumplings), and presented a performance to the parents.

Morgan's Chinese class performed a song called "Praise the Lord" entirely in Mandarin. It filled me for two reasons. First, as I listened to these children sing praises to our Lord and Savior, I was reminded that He is indeed here in China. Second, I saw sparkle in my baby girl's eyes. One of her biggest concerns with moving here was that she would have to give up the performing that she loves so much. She looked so at home on that little stage in China. I beamed.

  

Christian's class presented the finale performance, "Happy New Year" (in Mandarin, of course). He doesn't live for the stage like his sister, but he doesn't fear it either. He fit right in.

Traditional gifts during Chinese New Year:
Red envelope with money and gold wrapped
chocolate coins.

I spent that week preparing for our third move in 4 weeks (our apartment was ready) and trying to get up to speed on local customs and etiquette during Chun Jie. I wanted to be sure we used appropriate greetings, gave appropriate gifts, and took full advantage of any opportunities to experience local celebrations. Farell's associates at work helped us with the greetings. Internet research helped us with the gifts.

However, I didn't get quite what I expected in local celebrations department. When I asked Chinese associates, "What do you do for Chinese New Year?", without hesitation they each answered, "EAT!" Here in China, the New Year is all about food and family. The country shuts down. There is little traffic, few stores (if any) are open, and manufacturing, distribution, and shipping are non-existent. So, if there was a huge festival with one of those long colorful dragons carried by six men in Shenyang, no one told us about it. We stayed in with our family, following the expressed tradition.

What we did experience, however, were fireworks. For 350 days of the year, fireworks are illegal in Shenyang. During the 15 days of Chun Jie, they make up for lost time. The explosions begin no later than 7:00 am and end...well, if they end, it's some time after I finally fall asleep. Personal fireworks here are equivalent to what one would expect to see at a professional fireworks display elsewhere. We had spectacular shows coming from literally just under our apartment windows.  For several hours, every boom jolted us on our feet and to the nearest window. Imagine four kids (two little, two big) running from window to window trying to catch the best view. We even prepared to go out onto Morgan's balcony for the "perfect" video footage. An inconveniently timed blast just below us was a little too close for comfort. We hurried...okay, screamed and ran back inside. The view from inside the window suddenly became sufficient.

After hours of non-stop explosions, our excitement waned. We closed the curtains and tried focus on normal activities - baths, a little reading, then settle into bed. It was difficult to tune out the noise, but we did our best. Christian actually fell asleep, but it was not for long. It takes him to best explain the atmosphere here at midnight. To use Christian's words, it felt like we should all "duck for cover". No description truly seems sufficient to capture the experience. The view was breathtaking; the noise, nerve-racking. We think we finally got to sleep around 2 a.m.

I can't share this story without mentioning the unfortunate aftermath we discovered the next day. The five-star Dynasty Wanxin hotel which is within view from our apartment had burned down. The cause was fireworks. It was reportedly the tallest building in Shenyang. Thankfully, there were no fatalities.

 We are still in the midst of Chun Jie, and we still see and hear fireworks periodically each day. What we've experienced living in the midst of it all is something we'll never forget. I think everyone should experience it at least once. For us, once is enough. Next year, we'll join all of the other experienced expats and take a trip to another exotic land.