It's been a little while since I posted. I was doing well there for a while too. What can I say, things happen. I went on a staff trip with my school a few weekends ago. The school paid for the entire staff. Yep. Teachers, janitors, security guards, etc. Everyone. A fun little getaway. The place was located in the suburbs of Beijing. It was a decent place. There were various activities to keep us occupied during our stay. There was swimming, bowling, pool, ping pong, badminton, and some kind of standing shuffle board like game. The only downfall to all those activities was that you were limited to the amount of tickets you had for each activity. We were only given one for most, so once that was utilized, you were out of luck. I've never heard of such a thing. I suppose it could be useful during a really busy time at this place so that everyone there would have a chance to use what they wanted, but it was virtually empty besides us. I mean you saw people here and there, but nothing crazy. I think a time limit during each play would be a better alternative. But, what do I know? That was kind of beat. I was given a million tickets by other people for the swimming and no wonder. If I could jump around and maybe play with a ball or something like that, it might have been fun. It was just a big pool with nothing to do. I was in the water for a very short time with a few people. We didn't dare actually go in the pool. Too cold. Instead, we briefly entered the smaller pool next to it. It was a little warmer. Probably urine.
During the evening of our stay, everyone joined in one of the dining halls where we shared food and drink together. A wine bottle was immediately dispersed to each table. It didn't last long. You figure there were about 8 people to each table, so a little less than a full glass of wine for everyone and that bottle was finished. Beer followed after the initial bottle. The teachers at our table, and everyone for that matter, made it clear what they had in mind for my roommate and I. They intended to get us drunk. They succeeded. A lot of the people weren't even drinking, but they made sure there was always a beer bottle on standby for the two of us. If the bottle emptied, the waiter was quickly called over to get more. And there was no sipping on the beer. We had to chug nearly every glass in Chinese fashion. Everyone at the table was laughing and cheering and urging us to continue to drink. Being the good natured man that I am, I did not want to disappoint them. I was more than happy to get a little drunk. After all, I'm already the dumb foreigner, so if they want me to play that role for a night, sure thing. Haha. I'm half kidding. I did get drunk, but nothing too serious. It was a quick drunk that lasted a short while. In Chinese tradition, people, or entire tables, would get up and make their rounds to each table. They would offer cheers and then everyone was supposed to drink. You're supposed to drink your entire glass during this procession, but my roommate and I were some of the only ones that held true to this tradition. For that matter, we were some of the only ones drinking alcohol. The only time we didn't was when we made our rounds to each table because we needed the glass to last us until returning to our own table. It was fun. Everyone seemed to have a good, enjoyable time.
Shortly after the dinner, everyone was collected together for a big gift exchange with some other features as well. People were grouped together based on classes and other things. Remember, besides the security guards and my roommate and I, the rest are all girls/women. The security guards didn't have to perform, but everyone else did. I was able to sober up a little while watching. Groups typically performed some kind of rehearsed dance, some better than others, and a few songs. The original plan for my roommate and I was to have us sing all the Chinese songs with our group as well. Luckily, that thought was put down and the new plan enabled us to just sing one English song of our own. We didn't have to dance either, but had to put on some kind of display. We sang Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas. We also threw in kicks and punches timed accordingly with the song. It was pretty funny and people seemed to enjoy it. Since we were foreigners, I think we could have done anything and they would have appreciated it. The best part is that no one even understood the song. Hilarious. People had initially been given numbers and groups were called up to grab the gift that matched their number. Prizes were also given away. No, I didn't win any. I got some chocolates, though. Most were given away/stolen. I put one on the outside of everyone's door in my hallway, but a teacher I'm friends with went and picked all of them up and kept them for herself. Someone likes chocolate.
Overall, it was a fun trip I suppose. It was cool to get out and spend some time with teachers I don't normally get to spend time with outside of school. Got a little extra bonding in there, aside from the lack of communication. You have no idea how difficult it can be some times. There's so much I want to say, and yet I cannot. This is why I want to make studying Chinese my focus this next year. I'm just so limited. It's so frustrating. I can't even add any of my witty comments or make a joke or just express what I want to say most of the time. I still manage here and there, and I guess the teachers get a feeling of what kind of person I am, but the truth is that most really do not know the real me or understand me. How can they? The same goes for me when it comes to knowing them. I get to see a very small part of them at school so I hardly have a feel for what kind of person they are as well. I suppose it's just a small glimpse that may or may not have any real solidity in the truth. I think they get frustrated at times too. Some attempt to communicate with me at times. Most don't bother, though. Can you blame them? Bah. One day, I hope I can communicate freely with some of them.
Here is a dream I had. I remember it quite vividly, even to this day. It was one of the craziest and scariest dreams that I can recall. It was so real. I'll do my best to describe what I can remember of the dream and try to piece it together the best I can. I was at my aunt's house (Yes, that'd be you Aunt Jane), but the house I was in was different than their current house. The only real memory of the house that sticks out to me was all the fish tanks they had in one area of the house. They were stacked up in a section that was maybe 5 feet wide and maybe 7 feet high. In front of all these fish tanks was a nice comfortable chair for viewing. That's not really important, but that was the only thing I can really remember about the house. Now, I should mention that prior to having this dream I had gone out drinking for my birthday celebration and gotten a little drunk. In the dream, I also went out with family and friends and drank the first night as well. I remember sitting on the sofa and seeing some family members bringing in lots and lots of beer on the second day of this dream, after my night of drinking. I remember thinking to myself, I shouldn't have drunk the previous night because I still wasn't feeling great and wouldn't be up for drinking again on the upcoming night. From there, my memory of the dream kind of skips to the next part in my dream. I was outside, near some kind of high fence in a gated city. These hideous, brutish men were scaling the gates and rushing like mad at all the people. Everyone was getting killed – men, women, and children. The thing is - I don't recall too many older adults in the dream. It mostly consisted of the youth. Regardless, these men were shirtless and brandishing hand weapons like axes and things. They were crazed and covered in blood. Like everyone else, I was fleeing for my life. I remember picking up a thick, rusted chain at some point. I think someone may have killed one of them or it was just dropped in the frenzy. I had my first encounter with one of the brutes and defended myself. I'm not sure if I killed him, but I survived. Shortly after that, I came face to face with another one. I don't recall still having the chain at hand. I feared for my life. The fiend swung his huge, bloody axe at me over and over. I managed to dodge his attacks and was backing up to avoid his blows. I was begging him. I was repeating over and over in Chinese 'Bu yao'. It means 'don't want'. I was trying to tell him that I didn't want this; that I didn't want to fight and I found myself apologizing. Finally, he relaxed and ceased the swinging of his axe. He sat down nearby and oddly enough, he thanked me. He even tried offering me his axe for my own protection several times. I was tempted, but kept a little distance. I was distrustful and afraid that if I tried to take it, he would surely kill me. I backed up more before finally turning away and running. I then searched for a place to hide amidst all the madness taking place. Night became day, and I came across a tent lying in the grass on the outskirts of the city. I would have attempted to escape the city all together, but I could see a great wall looming in the distance. Soldiers were stationed on the battlements. They intended to keep anybody from escaping. I entered the tent. Inside, rags and dirty bits of clothing were scattered all over. I decided I would hide amongst them. I lay face down and covered myself the best I could. I remember just hoping for it all to end. I think I may have fallen asleep in the tent, but was awoken by a cousin entering the tent telling me that he had a question for me. I was wondering what he was doing there and found myself more scared that he was going to give away my hiding place and get us killed. Soon, my tent was filled with younger kids. The cousin informed me that he would ask me the question later. At that point, I got up and left the tent only to see the area I was in was being flooded with other fleeing people. I know I saw a young man struck down at some point as well as countless other people. Mostly, I remember seeing women and children. I ran into another cousin shortly after leaving the tent and asked about his brothers and or sisters. It was unknown. I then talked with somebody to try and get some information. I questioned what was going on and why it was happening. I was told the government and elderly were dissatisfied with the youth [and how they were voting]. It wasn't just about voting, but I think voting was like the final straw. This was the government and elderly making an example of people and punishing them for their ways. I think after that, there was just more fleeing and running. It gets kind of blurry there. Perhaps, I woke up shortly after. The dream was so real to me. I remember it so well, even now.
The only relation to real life that I can think of was the youth and their voting. I had just read an article about Chinese youth voting for an adult video girl and some male actor or something. It was done in a joking fashion to avoid voting for the real candidates. I did speak Chinese to the second savage I encountered, but I do not remember seeing any Chinese people. And even though he understood my Chinese, he thanked me in English.
Some of these events took a place a while ago, but they're lodged in my memory and I jotted names and such down to remind me when it came time to post a new blog entry. So, a while back, I was teaching occupations and things like that in school. At first I just told them the names, like fireman, policeman, doctor, nurse, etc. When they go that down, I was able to take it further with them and teach them a sentence like 'He is a doctor' or 'She is a nurse'. I know, so stereotypical, right? You know what I say? Stereotypes are based on realities. You don't see many male nurses besides Gaylord Focker. Anyways, I have this cute little girl Tina in one of my classes. She easily gets distracted and more often than not, she's fiddling with something or just not paying attention and not repeating what I'm saying. I constantly have to reprimand her in some form. During this particular incident, I simply moved her chair right next to me. Out of nowhere, she started spitting out the sentences of 'he or she is…' even if I didn't request them. If she didn't know what the person was, she would simply add that sentence after she learned what the person was. I was in shock. Sometimes, a particular student will just have a stroke of brilliance and completely blow your mind. This was one of those times. They're probably blowing their own mind as well. The reverse can also happen. You'll get geniuses that just aren't into it on a any given day or act completely dumb. Whatever took place in little Tina's brain, it was working for her and leaving me impressed. She continued to impress me for the rest of that unit, and I've kept her by my side ever since. Only problem now is, she hasn't done that well since then. Oh well. You win some, you lose some.
I also have this student named Bernie in one of my 'baby' classes. He's a funny little guy. I love tickling him, though I can't say he cherishes it all that much. He giggles, none the less. The best part about it is the caution he now exercises when approaching me. When I call him up to me to practice something with another student, he's very slow to walk over. He takes tiny, baby steps at a snail's pace and keeps his hand on his stomach. Half the time, he waddles hunched over protecting that precious little tummy of his. Hilarious. This is the same kid that used to say, 'My name is B-b-b-b-b…BERNIE.'
And then there's sweet Mary. I should call her Twitch or 'Ol shakey leg. Haha. Whenever she is asked to speak to another child, she'll stand there and one of her legs will continue to shake and she'll kind of bounce on it while bending at the knee. It's a nervous little habit of hers I guess. It's funny all the same. I'm chummy with the teacher in that class, despite the language barrier, so we can laugh together at things like this and others.
I'm sitting in a restaurant at the moment. It's pretty close to my apartment. Now, I wouldn't normally bring my laptop with me to a restaurant so don't think I'm one of those guys. I just happen to have it with me because I just came from tutoring, also nearby. It's a new gig I just acquired two weeks ago. I'm really happy with it too. I've wanted to tutor the two girls in this class for a while. They're both quite smart and are some of the better students in class. The mother of the one girl approached me as I was looking in on a new year's party prior to another class back in the beginning of the month. Hold that thought. Food just came, so I'll watch an episode of Seinfeld and eat. Naturally. Anyways, so far so good. Hope I can maintain it.
This news is getting old and it's time to get this posted with what I've got and we'll go on from there. I was so burnt out mentally, physically, etc. 22-24 hours a week of work a week will do that to you. Anyways, happy to be on my break and happy to be back in Beijing safe and sound from my Macau trip. That post will be up soon. I've got time, so I have no excuses. A quick preview of this to view my typing errors and I'll get this posted. They are few and far in between so it shouldn't take too long. I know, so modest.
-Jeff
