Seeing a Chinese Dentist

Well, wouldn't you know? Just because you tell the dentist you see in America a week before leaving the country that you can't possibly have oral surgery done does not mean that your mouth finds a way to magically heal itself. No, it just means you get to have that oral surgery in China! I happen to be super lucky and have not just a wisdom tooth that needed to be pulled but a nice little case of gingivitis. I swear I brush my teeth two times a day...why do they hate me all of a sudden? I've put it off as long as I could, but at some point realized I wasn't going to make it the whole year so I might as well get the pain in my mouth checked out. Sarah in the office was incredibly helpful and found a nice little dental cli it downtown with an English speaking doctor! (Only one though, and not perfect English, but pretty good.) 

It is a smaller clinic, but wasn't butcher shop reminiscent as a friend insisted all Chinese dentists were. This one even took a stab at western style decorations with an aquarium in the lobby!

You have to hand it to communist countries, they provide super affordable healthcare. My checkup was absolutely free. Then Dr.Zhou started preparing the gum by working at it with some kind of medicine for two weeks that only cost 50 rmb ($8.50) a session. This week was the big one. They numbed the area, and since I didn't get the luxury of getting knocked out by gas, I just tried to keep my eyes shut so I didn't have to see three Chinese people huddled over my face holding various sharp looking instruments. They literally sewed up my gums (I didn't even know you could do that!) and then holding my head still with one arm and pulling on the tooth with the other, Zhou yanked the wisdom tooth out. Surprisingly quickly I must say for such a skinny guy. The total cost for both operations? 300 rmb (50$). I even got some medicine and painkillers thrown in for free.

In summary, going to the dentist in China for surgery is not that bad. It's not the most enjoyable thing in the world, but that's the nature of dentistry. My recommendation for anyone who finds themselves in a similar position, make sure the doctor speaks English and takes his time to explain to you exactly what it is that he is going to do before hand. The last thing you'd want is to have a mouth full of gaping holes after a visit!

And....here's a gross shot of my bloody tooth and the crazy things that were in my mouth:

Hong Kong vs China

Until I met a someone who was from Hong Kong, I'll admit I was ignorant of the distinction between the special economic zone and the country of China. To me, they both spoke Chinese (which technically they do but it's Cantonese and mandarin, which are as different asPortuguese and Spanish) so were the same. However, I can say having been there even though just ever so briefly, that that previous assumption is not true. Hong Kong really is not China. They'd been under colonial rule since the mid-1850s and it feels it. Hong Kong really is like a slightly asian-ed version of Britian. They've got the double decker buses, driving on the wrong side of the road (ha!) , every western food imaginable - including Mrs. Fields Cookies - street names I can actually pronounce and a crap ton of white people to boot!

But while it was nice to feel pretty much back home, I have to admit I kind of missed China. Well, no I did miss China, and I really missed Wuxi. What can I say? Ive been here nearly three months, and the place has really grown on me. I mean come on Hong Kong, why are you so stingy with the honking? Don't you know that you should just lay it on even if there's no one around? Or what about spitting? You mean to tell me you actually do swallow your spit? And taxi drivers speak english? So we dont need to do a five minute back and forth of all the possible ways to say "Chun Jiang Hua Yuan" everytime I try to go home? Oh, and what is this Cantonese thing? I just got 你好 down! You can't change it up on me now! And I know there are non-Chinese people all around, but not even a second glance? Here I'm guaranteed at least the basic triple take. I'm just saying, while Hong Kong was a nice reminder of home, don't be fooled into thinking its a slice of China. That's a completely different animal.

Why Chinese Kids are Smarter Than Us

It's funny how quickly people adjust to new surroundings. Now that I've been here for a little while, I've gotten used to the Shane teaching schedule. And having  gotten used to it as a creature of habit, it really throws me for a loop when it changes. China is not America. When there is a holiday, it isn't really a vacation. The kids might have the day off but you can bet that they're going to have to make it up sooner or later. Who needs a two day weekend when you've already had one day off during the week? What, you think you can have days off from school for free? Absolutely not. And we generally work the most when the kids are out of school, so when the weekend moves around, so does our work schedule. That's right, not only do you not actually get holidays, but sorry Chinese children - in your free time you get to go to extra English school! No wonder sometimes they just seem burned out. At least Shane accommodates our western mindset that vacation means vacation, so our working schedule all evens out eventually. Still, the past week and this one as well have been so screwy and it's completely thrown me off. It's just tiring. The hardest part of this job Id say would be planning. You only work about 20 teaching hours but for each hour in the classroom you have to do AT LEAST an hour of preparation (or at least I do at this point). And then when days keep getting switched around and you don't have as much time to plan when you normally would or whatever...I really can't complain though. The kids are great, and honestly they're the ones who get screwed the most with this whole "holiday but not really" policy. Come on China, stop working so damn hard all the time!

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone!

Mooncake! Wonder what's inside this one....

After rearranging our teaching schedules slightly, we have today off in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival. It seems to be a time when everybody hangs out with their family and eats these little pastries called mooncakes. A mooncake, I've found, is like a Wonderball. Remember those old commercials for them and the all too catchy jingle "Wonder wonder what's in a wonderball"? Well, just like the 90s candy, every mooncake is a surprise. Sometimes you luck out and get a delicious and surprisingly sweet one (oh my gosh China, you DO know what sugar is!) but more often than not you're likely to get some kind of mystery meat/vegetable concoction or a mouthful of confusingly spicy mush. But while everybody else will be stuffing their faces with mooncakes, I plan on attempting to navigate the Chinese railway to go visit some friends in Suzhou!


We (the other new teachers in Wuxi and I) met our friends in Suzhou during the week long TEFL training course in Beijing. How to describe that week? It was an exhausting schedule, we were in training from 9 in the morning until 5 at night every single day for 7 days. There was an attempt to see some sights in Beijing, but by the time we finished and got off the subway at the Forbidden City and Tiannamen Square, they were closed. Yes, they close down around six when the army comes and marches around people know its time to leave.That was disappointing, but we did manage to make the most of the time there by going out to different bar and social areas almost every night. While I can't say that I learned anything of any value, I will say that it was a worthwhile experience because of the people that I got to meet. I now have very close friends who I know I can visit and stay with (and in fact will during the next holiday) in cities like Hefei, Yantei, and Suzhou. The training is a government mandated requirement for the work visa if you are under 25, so if anyone is thinking of teaching here of that age, it's something that you'll have to do. Shane English is really good though, because they paid for the course ($500 USD) the hotel (300 rmb a night) and the train rides there (total about 1000 rmb) whereas other programs did not.

It's good to be back though. This week, because of the holiday, had been a long one, but the next two will be short three and four day weeks before we get a

week off. The kids are starting to remember my name and I think (I hope!) enjoy the classes. Some are more of a challenge than others, but the TAs at my school are all incredibly kind and helpful and the older, more experienced teachers go out of their way to help as well.

All in all, Dongting school has a great work environment. Everyone takes pride in their job, and you can tell that they enjoy what they do. And good news! The female teacher population will double as of next week! Haha a new girl from California is joining the staff, so I won't be the single female or single American voice in the office anymore! Woohoo!

That's probably enough of an update for now. I've gotten to know Wuxi slightly better, but man is this place big and there don't seem to be any real maps (in English) anywhere so exploring inevitably leads to getting lost. Fortunately, Chinese people are the nicest and there will always be someone wanting to practice their English to help me get back. I'll leave off with nice pictures from my 4 hour bike ride to Lake Tai adventure yesterday. Enjoy!

Ancient Canal Street

Ermergard Chiner

Well, it's been nearly a month since my last post (whoops!) and a lot has happened - the biggest being that Im in China!!!!! AAAHAHA! Ireland already feels like a lifetime away. China is so different from anywhere I've ever been, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. My Chinese is absolutely abysmal, limited to nothing but names and numbers, but after talking to some people who have been here for some years, it seems that one can get by here well enough with simply pointing and pantomiming. I do want to learn though, but it will require buckling down and signing up for classes probably. Who knows, it might even help me with my own teaching to be on the other side.

Shane English has been great to me so far. All of the other teachers have been incredibly kind and helpful, going out of their way to give me advice and make sure that I feel comfortable. There are four school locations, and mine is in Dongting. Dongting did not waste anytime with me, and Ive pretty much had a full schedule since I got here. The kids are quite adorable, but the little ones are fairly rambunctious. It'll be interesting to see how they react to me considering that the general dynamics of the place seem to be male foreign head teachers and female Chinese TAs in the classroom. Ben, my roommate for the moment and I got here two weeks earlier than originally supposed to, so we've had a hodgepodge of quick training before being thrown to the wolves if you will. I've got a full teaching weekend ahead, with four classes on Saturday and Sunday each. Lesson planning seems to take me about two hours per hour and a half class, so I've been rather busy. Next week, Im going to Beijing for a week long training which Im really looking forward to. Ben and I will be moving out of our shared apartment, which is kind of sad since we're both going to be getting places a lot less nice. But we can't stay in the one that we've been squatting in, so out we go!

As per Amy's suggestion, I'll try to keepthis post short and give just a brief overview of my first impressions of Wuxi: Blonde women don't exist here, and culturally staring at something so out of the ordinary as one is perfectly acceptable; Chinese parents love it when a foreigner talks to their kid; It's really flipping hot here; Public transport, food, and clothes are really cheap -Beers at the western bars are not; youll pay an arm and a leg for any beer with above a 3% alcohol content; things are surprisingly kept clean here, but there does appear to be a small population of stray animals wandering around; if give  a meal with both chopsticks and a spoon, it is best to work together with the two for minimal mess making; you will make a mess eating just about everything, it's ok, there's no dignified way around it; food is delicious but definitely not healthy - people must eat about a liter of oil a day; No matter how forcefully you say "ting bu dong" (I don't understand) people will continue to speak Chinese at you; stereotypes come from truth and Chinese people are terrible drivers; it will be a miracle if I don't get hit by a car at some point. Really there's so much more I could say, but I think this list is long enough. Overall, I love it here! Everyday is an adventure and I am so happy that I decided to do this!

One last thing, now that I'm sort of settling in, posts should come a lot more regularly. Maybe.

Moving Eastward

The end has come at last. After a ridiculousIy long travel day to rival any others that I've had to do so far, I am finally in China. I have to admit, I'm more than a little scared, but I think my excitement by far outweighs the fear. It's crazy how quickly Ireland flew by though! I cant stop thinking about how lucky I was to have met so many wonderfully kind and funny people, all with my best friend beside me. I still cant believe the trip came to pass when it seemed like there were so many things that would stop it: money, timing, logistics, you name it. Yet we made it, and if there is anyone out there who is possibly thinking about wwoofing in the future, absolutely do it! You put a little bit of work in but get so much more out of it than just food and lodging. 

Elaine let us stay in her beautiful Victorian era house in Bray, a seaside town on the outskirts of Dublin. We only made it to the city for one day, but managed to cram a good bit of touristy stuff in. I naturally had to go to the Guinness factory for the tour and chance to pour the "perfect pint". It was well worth it, I'd say. The Gravity Bar on the top floor has a 360 panorama view of Dublin, and it was so much fun to just sit up there looking at the city while drinking a pint. After that we meandered over to the Book of Kells in the library at Trinity College. That was an incredible experience of a different sort - to see the beautiful intricate art of one of the world's oldest books. It's incredible that a book from 800 AD could still be read and enjoyed today. We also managed to get over to St. Patrick's cathedral and have a look around the famous church. Now Dublin isn't for the cheap of heart, for the city definitely knows how to make the most of its tourist attractions. But it's hard to blame them - the country's trying to boost the economy any way they can and they have a lot of history to show off and be proud of. Temple Bar does have lots of good places to hang out, and it is still possible to get a pint of Guinness for under 5 - just avoid the bigger places. 

Overall, I will miss the beauty of Ireland's land, the warmth of the people, and the fun hearted spirit of the friends Ive made. Truly, I couldn't have asked for a better summer. It was great Craic! 

Stepping Out of and Back Into Ireland

It seems that Ive fallen a bit behind in blogging. It's been what, two weeks? but a lot has happened since Galway. Shannon, MaryBeth and I traveled from Galway up to Banbridge, Northern Ireland to spend a week with her family. I have to admit, I am completely jealous of the fact that she has extended family in a foreign country. Even though they've never met this 22 year old cousin of theirs, they welcomed her with open arms and treated her as if she'd been coming once a year all her life. And good thing too, because a combination of broken water filters at Finlough and late nights/scattered meals in Galway caught up to us and as soon as we stepped into their beautiful home all three of us collapsed into illness. Ann, Shannon's cousin (that's their relation I think, but she is a 50 some year old woman) was so kind and took care of us as if we were her own children. It was so nice and refreshing to be in a real home, with someone making all the meals, access to tv and electronics, and the ability to wake up when we wanted and for the most part do as we pleased. The sunny weather held up, and most of the time while Shannon was still sweating out her fever, I worked on my tan. Unfortunately, MaryBeth decided that she felt too ill to stay in Ireland, and left. So, by the end of the week, it was just Shannon and I, and quite fortunately, she was well enough to go to the "Glorious Twelfth" parade.

How do I describe the Glorious Twelfth? It's what I would imagine a mix of Fourth of July celebration with Southern Pride zealousness would look like. Except its not Southern Pride here but Northern. Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom, not a part of the Republic of Ireland, and the people who gathered in the town of Scarva (all some 100,000 of them) were proud to show it. The red white and blue for the Union Jack was everywhere, and part of the parade was shooting down a green flag and waving orange. Bands from all over the area and far away, even as far as Scotland, came to march and commemorate some ancient 1660 battle. But really, it was a Northern Ireland pride thing. It was really fun to see, but also so interesting to think that even though we were on the island of Ireland, and could hear Irish accents around us, it was not technically Ireland. Or at least, not the same Ireland that we had been in. Also, there is still a lot of animosity between Protestants and Catholics - Protestants being the Northern Ireland UK people, and Catholics the more traditional southern Irish. Every year, there are clashes in

Belfast for the Twelfth, but Scarva was perfectly safe. And things have gotten better, since the "Troubles" really ended around the new millennium, but after speaking with Shannon's cousins, it sounds like the two groups still have a long way to go.

It was a very fun time with her family; it was just another example of the greatness of Irish hospitality. I swear, I could not turn around if my glass was less than half full without another one appearing before me. And once they realized I liked Guinness - aka the Black Stout, aka Liffey Water - I was a goner. But who would have thought a one year old's birthday party could be so much fun?

After the North, we had to travel aaaaaaaall the way to the South. As in, we're ten minutes from Baltimore, the southernmost town in Ireland (if you don't count the islands). Once again, we lucked out completely and got seriously the nicest and most generous family in the world as our hosts. We have an apartment attached to the main house all to ourselves, and complete access to a kitchen stocked with food, a library stocked with books, and the biggest movie collection I have ever seen. It is amazing! We just work from around 9 in the morning until 1, helping in the gardens around the house and cleaning up the sheds and such.

Elaine is an incredibly busy woman, and no matter the weather takes her three dogs with her to go swimming in the nearby lake. We've had the opportunity to swim in this lake/lagoon, and while the water is very cold, it is absolutely beautiful. In our free time we've sort of lazed out and taken to watching movies/getting addicted to Game of Thrones, but at first we explored into the nearby woods and went swimming, went into the pubs in Baltimore, and climbed over hills searching for a rock pool. We just had a break and went to Sherkin Island, which was gorgeous and also gave us the chance to relax by a beach all to ourselves. West Cork is absolutely gorgeous, with its many islands and huge cliffs. Hopefully sometime this week well be able to visit some of the old Druid ruins in the area.

Man, it's hard to believe, but we only have one more week here and then it's so long Ireland! Probably should start working on my Chinese...