Goodbye China

Well, this is it. I have left China to spend the summer in Washington DC before I go on to pursue an MBA at Schulich Business School in Toronto, Canada. I am not going to write a summary of my time in China, because that would simply take too long. What I will do however is talk about what I think were the highlights of my 6 months here.

The top highlight of my time here has been making new and unexpected friends, and so the first thing I have to do is thank the people who made this experience so memorable. The friends you make and the relationships you form are the most important things in life, and I am extremely thankful to have been around an amazing group of people while in China. So thank you to Fran, Joel, Abbie, Ben, Rose, Sybille, Yoyo, Lily, Maggie, Jenny, Becky, Iris, Daisy, Tracy, Cherry, Nancy, Monica, Liz, Erica, Aaron, Georgia, Diane, and everyone else I forgot to mention. You guys are awesome, and I will always remember our times eating, drinking, and laughing together. Xie xie.

I am also thankful for the students I had the privilege of teaching. There was a lot of frustration along the way, but it was always outweighed by the kindness, joy, and occasional brilliance exhibited by the students. It was unexpected, but when leaving I realized that I had completely fallen in love with these kids. Youth truly is beautiful, and something that I think I will appreciate more thanks to this experience. The young mind is extraordinary, and I can say in full honesty and confidence that in my time teaching I have encountered some of the smartest people I will ever meet. The next generation is in good hands.

Lastly, I have to mention the food. People always say that Chinese food in the West pales in comparison to the original, and my experience here has only affirmed and reinforced that belief. I will miss the food dearly, and make it my mission to find the most authentic Chinese food I can when I get home. I will also miss the ease with which one can eat authentic, beautiful food at a cheap price. Fast food in the US doesn’t hold a candle to Chinese street food in terms of standard of quality. Everything is homemade, authentic, and fresh. It doesn’t get any better than that.

This being a blog about my time in China, I think it pointless for me to continue writing in this space. I don’t know if I will start a new blog at some point, but for now I will retire from the blogosphere and enjoy the summer with my family. Thanks for reading. Until the next adventure,

Sebastian

Hockey Musings

I guess it's been a while since I posted anything. Honestly, there isn't much terribly interesting happening at the moment. I have become much more accustomed to life here. I have more friends, including Chinese ones, and that alone has allowed my daily life to evolve beyond the work-gym-sleep routine. However, I know that many of you miss listening to me pontificate about hockey, so I will dedicate this post to just that. I have watched every minute of the Washington Capitals' playoff run thus far, and would like to share some of my thoughts with you.

1) Holtby

The number one story for the Caps this postseason has been the play of Braden Holtby, who in the first round managed to outplay reigning Vezina and Conn Smythe winner Tim Thomas. Was this a surprise? No, I saw it coming. Just kidding. Of course it was a surprise. Not one of the Caps' goaltenders was expected to outplay Thomas, let alone the 3rd stringer. I will say this though. Last season, when the Caps were platooning Neuvirth and Varlamov, I did get to watch a bit of Holtby. He went 10-2-2 with a 1.79 GAA and a .934 SVP. And from what I saw, he's not much different of a goaltender now. He's big, he's aggressive, he's pretty fast for his size, and he's calm. He gives up a lot of rebounds, but most of those seem to end up in relatively safe areas. The question now is whether he is simply the updated version of 2009 Varlamov or the long-term solution in goal the Washington Capitals have been missing since Olaf Kolzig.

2) Defense

This should be the number one story. How in the hell are the Caps blocking shots so effectively? The penalty kill has stood out the most to me. Yes, Holtby has been great, but the saves he is being asked to make are rarely spectacular. The defense is doing a great job blocking shots and not allowing any second chances off rebounds. It's a refreshing change from the days of watching Jeff Schultz get dangled by 3rd liners. Alas, Mike Green still makes at least 2 bone-headed passes per game that get picked off, but oh well.

3) Backstrom

Yeah Ovechkin isn't getting much ice time. Blah blah blah. Who cares. He's stil leading the Caps in points, he still plays on the powerplay, all that jazz, so he'll be fine. More importantly, Backstrom is back. Make no mistake, Backstrom is the best player on the Washington Capitals. He's the only center who seems to be able to motivate Semin. His return allows Marcus Johansson to move to the wing, a position to which he is better suited, creating a strong first line. Having two good scoring lines helped a lot against Boston, as it forced Seidenberg/Chara/Bergeron to play against Ovechkin, leaving the Backstrom/Semin/Johansson line relatively free to do some damage. Backstrom missed much of the regular season with a concussion, and the Caps were written off come playoff time. His importance to this team is paramount, and a healthy Backstrom makes the Washington Capitals much better than your typical 7 seed.

Pictures!

For the Facebook impaired (i.e. old people), here are pictures from my life. Included are pictures from work and from my trip to Thailand. Enjoy.

P.S. The pictures from Thailand come first.

Binge Eating

I suspect you are like me. There are certain foods that, once you start eating, you can’t stop. The old Pringles mantra comes to mind: “Once you pop, the fun don’t stop” (ironically enough I don’t really enjoy Pringles). In the spirit of binge eating, I humbly present my top ten foods that I simply cannot have 1 reasonable serving of.

10. Dumplings

Seriously. Can you eat just like 6 dumplings? Is that even possible? I treat them more like potato chips and just keep going.

9. Sushi

This is why any sushi that isn’t all you can eat is a bad (and expensive) idea. I mean who the fuck is full after 6 pieces of sushi?

8. Peanut Butter

Yeah I know. Gross. But I fucking love peanut butter. Me, a movie, a jar of peanut butter, and a spoon. Good times had by all.

7. Potato Chips

Have you ever started a large bag of chips and not finished it? Yeah, me neither.

6. Chicken Nuggets

McDonalds, is that a joke? 6 piece nuggets is a meal? That would have fed me when I was 3 years old. I once ate 40. They are delicious.

5. Fried Chicken

Yeah, I’m the asshole who orders the bucket. For me. No sharing. I don’t care if I pass out from a food coma right after. Those 12 pieces of chicken were worth it.

4. Bacon

            Do I really need to explain this one?

3. Popcorn

“Hey, I’ll share this popcorn with everyone and make it last the whole movie!” Fuck. No. My large popcorn is gone by the end of the previews.

2. Anything on the McDonalds value meal

McDouble. McChicken (or junior chicken if you’re Canadian). 4 piece nugget. Nothing is better than taking 15 bucks and mixing and matching. The haul is better than trick or treating.

1. Pizza

Nothing tops Pizza. I can’t share pizza. I can’t save Pizza. I have to eat it all. It’s the only way. 

Update

I guess it's been a little while since I last posted. My new year in Thailand was amazing, thanks mainly to some great friends and the warm weather. I would recommend to everybody to make the pilgrimage to Thailand at some point. The people are friendly, the food is awesome, the weather is warm, the parties are crazy, the beaches are white, and the water is clear. Is there anything more one could ask for? I think I'll post pictures at some point as well.

Because I live in China, I got to experience a second new year as well. The Chinese new year is the biggest holiday here, by far, and it was a lot of fun. Well, by fun I mean that it seemed like every man, woman, and child in Wuhan was involved in a city wide competition to see who could set off the most firecrackers and fireworks. Chinese legend (so my students tell me) has it that there is a monster that appears at the end of each year, and that the sound of the firecrackers scares it away. The result was that it sounded like I was in a war zone. Also, they obviously don't have any sort of firework safety restrictions, so it was commonplace to see fireworks launched from the side of the road or sometimes even out of windows. New years eve was amazing in that there were fireworks lighting up the sky from multiple directions, which was really cool to see.

Other than that, my life has been pretty mundane. I'm currently busy with applying to graduate school and applying for jobs (I'll decide later which of the two I want to do) for the fall, so cross your fingers. We are nearing the end of our term, so I have to make sure the kids are prepared for finals (they are because I'm an awesome teacher). I finally bought an iPod and registered at the gym. All in all my life now consists of a pretty smooth routine.

The only question now is when to break it.

A Day In My LIfe, Part IV

Part IV

Making Moves

I think it’s safe to say that human beings crave routine. Routine means certainty, and certainty seems to be something we as a species value dearly. But what if you don’t like your routine? What if the only certainty available to you does not fulfill your hopes and dreams? This is essentially the key question. We have to balance our love of certainty, our fear of the unknown, with how much we are willing to risk in order to pursue our dreams.

I hop on the bus to Aston 1. Aston English Schools is my employer, and has four campuses throughout Wuhan, referred to as Astons 1, 2, 3, and 4. Kids come there after their regular school hours for extra English lessons. This is the reason I teach mainly weekends.

Aston 1 is where I spend most of my time. Friday afternoon is when the Aston classes start, and I have class at four. The bus from DFH takes about ten minutes or so, which gives me about an hour to have some food and go over my upcoming lessons. The bus is packed, as always. The usual stares. A blind man gets on the bus. No one stands up to offer him a seat. This is standard practice in China. Although it annoys me, I don’t think it’s fair to criticize them for this. It’s simply a cultural thing.

Eat street. Or at least that’s what we call it. My favorite place. I wave at the lady making wraps. Not today, I say to myself, but she returns my smile nonetheless. I’m in the mood for some ma la tang, which I think literally translates to numb hot soup. It’s essentially a spicy noodle soup, except you pick your own ingredients. And there are a lot of them. The guy knows my order by now. Very meat heavy compared to the average Chinese order, and therefore relatively expensive. $1.50 well spent. Next I go to a small coffee shop on the same street. The lady working there remembers me as well, because of both my size and my order. Coffee, black, no cream or sugar. A decidedly un-Chinese coffee.

I’ve retreated to the teacher’s lounge (lounge is a bit strong of a word) and am enjoying my food. The other foreign teachers working Aston 1 today are also here, and the usual banter ensues. Some of our Chinese assistants, all young women (hooray!), are also present, and the room is alive with chatter. I look down at my watch. Only 5 minutes until my C3 class. Yoyo, my assistant for this particular class, tells me it’s time. “Bu yao shang ke,” I reply, which means, “I don’t want class to start.” Nevertheless I gather my things and follow Yoyo down to classroom A2, ready to impart wisdom.

Day In My Life, Part III

Part III

Belly of the Beast

Children love at the drop of a hat. It is by far their most beautiful quality. They aren’t skeptical, or wary. They recognize that love should be given to a person who brings them joy. It is the only condition they know, and really, it is the only condition that matters.

Class is 40 minutes long. I spend most of these simply saying words aloud and having the kids repeat them. Anytime I involve any students in what, for China, would be considered an “unusual” classroom activity (i.e. getting them to stand, play games, etc.), their excitement level immediately spikes. Today’s game is no different. Almost all of the students are standing and yelling so that I may call on them. I oblige most of them, and by the time I’ve done that class is over. On my way out they follow me all the way to the school entrance, some giving hugs, some demanding high fives. I wave one last time and then walk home. It’s 9:20.

My next class isn’t until 11:30, which gives me some time to eat and have more caffeine. I make some coffee and some eggs, and then sit down in front of my computer to check my email. I lose track of time, and then realize it is now quarter to eleven. The bus only takes about half an hour to get to DFH, the other Chinese primary school I teach at, but I enjoy getting there early and catching the kids during recess. Recently I’ve been trying to teach a group of boys how to play basketball during this time, but this invariably degenerates into me running around and playing with half of the school’s student body. I don’t mind though. It’s not every day you get to make a lot of people happy.

As a student, you try to convince yourself that teachers are impartial arbiters of academia, simply there to preside over and guide the fair and equal education of all. Shockingly, I have learned that in my case this hypothesis does not hold. I have favorite classes, and I have hated classes. Some students I would consider adopting, some I want to fail just out of spite. In a sense I have come to admire my former teachers for their ability to even make it somewhat believable that they didn’t have favorites. It is fucking hard.

            Luckily for me, the two 3^rd grade classes I teach at this particular school are my favorites, and I am filled with energy. We play games, we laugh, we sing. This lesson is based on ‘I can (verb), I can’t (verb).’ The smart kids get it immediately, and the dumber kids follow their lead. Soon they are one-upping each other with ridiculous things they claim to be able to do, and everybody is in stitches. One boy claims to be able to stand on his head. I decide to call him on it. I march him to the front of the class, and demand that he stand on his head. He gets really quiet and mumbles something in Chinese. He looks embarrassed. I then grab him by the ankles and hold him upside down, with his head barely touching the ground. I express astonishment that he can indeed stand on his head. He roars with laughter, and the other students right along with him. Even the stern Chinese teacher helping me breaks into a smile, then a giggle. As soon as I put him down, everyone else wants a turn. I tell them later. They reluctantly sit down, but they are still beaming. This is when I love the job. This part is fun.