Thursday, June 17, 2010

Dragon Boat Festival

In Guiyang, this turned out to be a pretty relaxed festival- people
ate zong zi, sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves, and had a few days
off work or school. After getting Saturday and Sunday off of work, we
had to make it up by working Monday and Tuesday. So this week has been
pretty non-stop busy, and now we're all preparing for another full
work weekend.

It's surprising to me how into the World Cup Chinese people have been.
I know that my friends, who are British guys, would be really into it.
They are always watching "football" anyways. China isn't even
competing in the World Cup, but our students are really into it.
Everyone's watching it, and the bar streets have had crowds of people
sitting outside on the street, with a big TV put outside for people to
watch the games. I've even enjoyed it a bit despite not caring about
soccer- it's a festive atmosphere. Although the other night when we
were watching, one guy was celebrating boisterously because he'd just
won a lot of money betting on the game. Another reason for the
festivities.

Speaking of sports: If any American is reading this who might go to
China, I have a tip that I can't believe I haven't mentioned before.
When people ask where you are from, mention your NBA team. People
might not know Arizona, but they know the Phoenix Suns and Steven
Nash. Believe me. Try it.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Quick Update

Another weekend has gone by, without too much excitement. I have been
trying to study Chinese a bit more (writing characters), and relaxing
by reading in coffee shops and cafes. Until today, when we finally got
some sun, it's been pretty cold, cloudy, and rainy. Especially
considering it's summer!

Next Wednesday is the Dragon Boat Festival. In one sentence: A famous
scholar drowned in the river, and people threw rice in the river so
the fish wouldn't eat his body. Now they celebrate by eating zong zi,
sticky rice wrapped in bamboo. Technically we don't get any time off,
but our Saturday and Sunday classes will be moved to Monday and
Tuesday. This is exciting for us because we never have been out on the
weekend. It sort of feels like having a week off: this week I'll only
have Starter class, my favorite, 1 hour on Wednesday and 1 on Friday,
and I won't have to worry about lesson planning for a while.

I can't believe I only have 3 paychecks left and 2 months. By the way,
if anyone has any requests for souvenirs or something you want, please
let me know! I'm happy to bring home some Chinese tea and other
goodies.