Voice of Will: Holidays

2006-12-31 - 1:00 p.m.
I love this time of year, and I also loathe it at the same time. I remember how important christmas was to me as a kid. Seeing family, visiting with friends, and of course getting presents.

As an adult, it has changed some, and having kids it has changed a lot. And yet, it hasn't changed too much. I look forward to hearing from family members, being with the kids, and now giving presents. In fact, I gain more pleasure from seeing the kids faces light up, and having crissy smile when I have given a good present.
This year it was a christmas tree that brought the smile.

You see in our family we have a tradition of having a "little tree" that we get, and it magically transforms into a full sized tree on christmas eve. Now the tradition started when the kids were all really little. In fact it started when Will Jr. was 3. (so zeb was 18 months, and rae was newborn). We had a little fake tree in the house. We were living in family housing at NAU and absolutely broke. (college, three kids you do the math). On christmas eve I went to walmart to pick up some kids cold medicine, and they were giving away their last few quasi charilie brown christmas trees that they couldn't sell. I picked one up, and brought it home. That night Criss and I set it up. It wasn't a big deal. That morning brought Will jr running into our room yelling that "Santa made the tree grow!" It was precious, and adorable.

And since that time we have made our tree grow ever christmas eve. The kids all still get up early and have wonder in their eyes and voices. I don't expect this tradition will remain much longer though. Will Jr is actively questioning the idea of Santa (good boy to question it, but it does kind of remove some of the fun). Zeb is on the border of whether he believes in santa, and Rae still does and argues with Will jr about it.

So we were trying to make the tree grow here. Finding a christmas tree was an adventure. And it isn't a real tree. But we did find really nice fake trees that come fully decorated. The japanese do know how to do it. They sell the tree, with all of the decorations in the box. So after the kids were asleep, criss and I opened the box and built the tree. It is about 2 meters high (6 feet). It came with plastic glossy balls, 2 beaded strings, a sting of colored lights, a large ribbon. When we were out we picked up some decorations for our little tree, and they got put on the new one, and it was topped with our christmas star. It is beautiful. In fact it is the prettiest tree we have ever had. It made criss cry, and smile, and cuddle me. So I guess it was a success.

Tomorrow is Zeb's birthday, so last night we let him choose where we would go for dinner. he could choose Coco's, Denny's, or sushi. He chose sushi. Our kids are amazing. They have adapted so well to Japan, it is scary at times. Sushi was a fun blast.

What I thought was fascinating was the shinto priests were out last night. They were walking through the neighborhoods, beating wooden sticks that make a tremendous CLACK noise. this is apparently in advance of new years. The shinto priests go through the neighborhoods, clacking and chanting to drive away evil spirits. Well as we walked to sushi, the priests turned a corner behind us, and their route followed our exactly. IN fact they were about 10 meters behind us, chanting and clacking all the way to sushi almost from our house. So for a nice 10 minute walk we were being driven out! It was too funny, the idea that the shinto priests were driving us out, cuz we are evil spirits. well they drove us to sushi anyways.

Voice of Will: Tokyo vs China

2006-12-17 - 2:41 a.m.

on some levels tokyo is better than china, and on some it is worse..
the quality of life is so much higher here than where we werein henan china (pronounced like you are hacking up a lung HHHgggguuuu nan) we lived in the poorest most populated province of china.so the quality of life in china was extremely low. many people had broken windows, holes in walls etc.. and the temperature would bet to 10 degrees Fahrenheit in winter.

Simple things like weather stripping was non existent, insulation was a joke.most people would have to travel about 1/2 mile to get "safe" water (or they would drink it from the tap (you think the US has lax standards under republican for water safety, us water by comparison is the fountain of youth)yet in china we lived like kings. Criss made a US professors salary (low for professor, but 10x more a month that the chinese made) and I was making chinese professors wages and that was 4x higher than the average chinese citizen.In china we lived like kings (lots of money, lots of personal items, really easy job that I loved). but it was soul draining seeing people literally scratching their way from nothing to get nothing. watching them work and work and knowing they were going to die early. Looking at the pollution and knowing lung cancer, skin cancer, and all kinds of other things awaited them. It made me very glad to be an american with opportunities around the world.

I miss the freedom that i had with having excess money in china.

I would give 1/4 to 1/3 of my salary to different causes.

There were several ways. our school was exceedingly expensive. we had 2 kinds of students, the super rich and arrogant, and the kids from poor villages where the whole village would put them into school. but they wouldn't' have enough money to eat. i supported 4 students from orphanages, or who had parents who died.
One of the worst things about china was the corruption.
if you give money to organizations, the money disappears, unless you get signed receipts and a paper trail to different places. and that is almost impossible to get.

i also helped set up things to make the students who wanted to make it out to america easier. GRE, TOEFL, GMAT, LSAT test prep. writing centers.

I got copies of all the study books, and made copies for the students and ran weekly study groupsmost want america, but the visa is a major issue. america and china keep it very stringent.chinese need a promisary letter (ie if they bail, this person is responsible) and the hard part is they have to hold 400,000 RMB in a bank escrow for 6 months untouched at all to prove they ahve the money to come. that is $50,000.exactly. so only the richest can afford the visa on their own. if you are a good student (not great) an dno one offers you a scholarship, you are stuck in china. to get into the graduate school is damn near impossible in china.
and to top it all off, it is also based on relationships. so for example you might get into graduate school because your parents have money, own a big potatoe chip factory (I literally ment you) because the school would want theri moeny, but a student from a village would hav eno such pull. think nepotism but 100x worse.in japan it is so clean. so nice. so rigid. I kwow the people clean up after themselves. the quality of life is fantastic. but it is at a price of $, and in a way freedom.

there are so many expectations, so many unspoken rules and conventions it jsut can weigh on you.
how does that statement go... death is light as a feather, but duty is heavier than a mountain.

just organizing my thoughts on china vs japan. where is my home. my home is with my criss and the kids. still looking for home.

Moving to the UAE

Moved to Japan but on my way to the UAE.

I moved out of China. Moved off to Japan and moved out of Japan. Moved out of the far east into the middle east.

Am now living in the UAE.

I will try to update more now that I have a better position to chat about. But there is no need for me to do ground work in the UAE. TESOL Arabia is a hot and happening entity.
If only JALT had been that exciting.

Or for that matter, if anything could have been done with Tesol in China.
But if the former president of TESOL himself couldn't instill the goodness of that fine organization, there is no way that some small time English teacher in a backwater school could do so. Could only help others get better.
And I did.

So proud of myself for all my fine work with the teachers in China.
You should see them all now
One is teaching at a major university in Shanghai.
Another is happily installed in a major university in Beijing.
yet another is very happy in his beach front location in the far south, loving the sun and the proximity to Thailand!

And they all write to me regularly to tell me about their great students and how much more fun they are having now that they have had some training to back up what they already knew in their hearts as good teaching.

Eventually I will go back for my PhD and become a fully qualified teacher trainer, helping to ensure quality teachers rather than the fly by night backpackers that still plague this field.

Enough of my rant.

I just finished with Tokyo Disneyland for my vacation. Now I am headed to Hong Kong before planting my feet firmly in Dubai.
Yeah! Dubai!

Voice of Will: Observations on Tokyo

2006-10-12 - 9:51 p.m.
some more observations on tokyo.
this place is expensive. No, I mean REALLY EXPENSIVE. Think american prices, and then add in about 20%.

We knew it would be expensive coming here, but WOW! i was not prepared for it.

food prices are about the same. We have been having a lot more veggies and fruit, and with every dinner there is either pasta, potatoes, or rice as fillers. Lots less meat (about 1/2 of what we were eating in the states). But when you think about that, it isn:t a bad thing to decrease the intake of animal flesh, so I guess it is ok, and we aren:t suffering so it works out.

Prices on veggies are similar to US prices, and so we are eating lots of broccoli, spinach, potatoes, asparagus, eggplant, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, mushrooms, cabbage. Now if I could only learn how to make use of the leeks and lots of this "japanese" veggies. Oh well, i am trying to learn to cook japanese sytle, so we will see how it works out.

Seafood is another issue. I know how to deal with trout, and I can bbq squid, but there are SOOOOOO many different types of fish, i:m not sure what they are, how to cook them, can I eat this raw, etc??? And the price of the seafood is close to chicken, so I have just been getting chicken, and some seafood. You:d think it would be cheaper being closer to the ocean, but not where we are.

speaking of where we are, it must be a real pricy neighborhood. within our block there are 3 mercedes, 3 BMW's, a Hummer, a ferrari, and 2 porches. There are also lots of houses that don:t have cars, so i think it would be compared to a historic district in any major US city, and you have homes worth millions, but are using coupons to live there. not sure, but I will try to figure out more as time goes on.

Christine is trying to get me ajob teaching at an english camp over the winter break, you know english through film (basically teach what I taught at SIAS for 2 years and can rattle off the top of my head) and Geology of the planets (thank you dr morgan for the ppts with the images on them, they will be invaluable)

It looks like we will be sending the kids to japanese public schools starting around december 1. I am a little worried about them, because it is a very sink or swim culture. they do not do ESL classes in schools. the kids will have to try to pick up japanese by immersion. We will also be starting japanese classes next week, to try to help this transition.

I hope they don:t hate us for draggingg them around the world, and making them undergo these challenges. I don:t think they will, but you never know. especially after china, i am very gun shy about this issue.
oh well enough for now, I have homework that I am busy ignoring that i have to go back to work on. ttfn

Will

Voice of Will: What are they thinking?

2006-10-05 - 11:05 p.m.
have you ever had one of those moments when you are thinking, "WOW, people look up to me" followed by a "WTF are they thinking?"

Well I got 4 letters in the past week all from people I know who have told me they admire me. me? huh? what did I do? appaerently just being me.

3 were from former students in china. they all said I was the best teacher they ever had. Wow. That I "changed my life" so deeply they now are working to get masters degrees because they now believe in themselves. I just told them how special they were, and showed them. I tried to provide concrete examples, and tried to show them to think outside the box. Apparently by doing that, it makes me a "fantastic" teacher.

lets get this straight, i:m a good teacher. I am enthusiastic, and I try my best to teach the material I have to the students because they DESERVE it. But that is what I expect from my teachers, so how is that so different? I guess it is because most teachers in china dont do those things. If that is the case then I pity the students there. But I appreciate how my former students still listen to me, still ask for advice. I feel like the character in Kurasawa's madadaio, where the students come back to their professor every couple of years to ask for advice.
The other compliment was from a friend who told me he admired being a parent in a foreign country and all the things that implied. My reply wask, I am doing what I have to, and that I admire him for his family and support in the states. But I guess we see what we want to see in our friends, and we gloss over our own strengths.
but it does feel good to be recognized.

Will

Voice of Will: Birthday Baseball

2006-09-30 - 10:39 p.m.
My wife is so AWESOME!! She bought me a baseball ticket about 10 days ago and didn:t tell me until today. She handed me a ticket at noon and told me to have fun at my first Japanese baseball game. She sent me with 3 of her coworkers to the game.

These folks are fun, about my age, and great to hang out with. So the idea of going with them to a baseball game was really exciting.
We got to the stadium about 20 minutes before the game started. A few notes to those who want to watch baseball in japan. Be short, and skinny.

The seats are like the seats on the buses in china. They are designed for people who are no more than 5'10", and have skinny butts. What makes this worse is there are moulded plastic arm rests between each seat. In no way am I under 5'10", nor do I have a skinny butt (as many of you can attest.) So it was a tight fit with 4 foreingers all of whom are over 6' tall. In fact I was hoping I could get some japanese person to take a picture of us all squished into the seats. It would be similar to how all those clowns fit in a VW beetle. But I digress. After a half inning of my ass gripping the seat for dear life, I decided I had enough of hurting my rear and my dignity. So I moved into the aisle and sat on the step. Now in china I never would have done that, but because everything is so clean I figured why not. This let one of the other three shift over into my seat, and then there was quasi leg room.

The game was between the Hiroshima Carp and the honomuri Giants. When the game started I was very underwhelmed. The Carp (damn that was hard to write, i wrote crap 3x) pitcher seemed unable to pitch his way out of a wet paper bag. he gave up 2 runs on 4 hits, and 3 walks in ONE inning. At the beginning of the 2nd inning he was facing the lead batter again. The Giants looked very tough, and I was wondering of there was a mercy rule in japanese baseball because I thought the Carp would need it. Well apparently the Carp pitcher just needed one inning more of prep. He went on to throw 3 hitless innings.

Meanwhile the Giants who looked so impressive gave up a 2 run homerun in the fifth inning leaving the game tied 2-2. The Giants got a long home in the bottom of the fifth inning leaving Giants ahead 3-2l. The score stayed stable as each team held the other hitless until the top of the 8th inning. The Carp had gottten a runner to first because he was hit by a pitch. The next batter was the same one who hit the 2 run homer in the fifth. He hit a line drive down the third baseline ino the corner. The runner from first accelerated all the way around third. At that point the left fielder managed to get to the ball. When the runner turned third I said there was no way the throw would be in time. The runner huffing and puffing towards home as the throw was on the way. It was like the Meatloaf song. Here's the throw, the play at the plate, It:s gonna be close! It's in the dirt at home, it's out.... NO safe, Safe at HOME! The runner beat the tag at the plate to tie the game. Awesome play. The crowd goes wild for the visiting team. The batter who hit it managed a triple, with no outs. He was stranded there. Going into the top of the 9th inning, the Carp get a man on first because he outran the throw. Next batter plays textbook baseball and bunts him to second. The coach decides to walk the next hitter (i would too .325 average) to put men on first and second. The next batter is the 2nd baseman who has a .217 average. 1 home run on the season that is almost over, and 5 RBI:s. What happens?

The second baseman hits a blooper over the outfielders who were playing very close. The runners on first and second manage to score, and viola the score is now 5-3 Carp. The game ended with that score.
Wow. It was fun (expensive fun 3700 yen, or about 35 dollars), like watching a college baseball game, and the atmosphere was electric. Some of the players are VERY good, but when the starting right fielder for the Hiroshima Carp has a .185 batting average for the season it tells you the variance in the caliber of players. There are very few Ichiro's playing in japan, but there are lots in the Domincan Republic. But I digress.
The game was awesome. I managed to make about a dozen japanese friends who speak very limited english. but I manage to make friends everywhere I go, it:s a gift and a curse. Lots of fun, lots of excitement, and booing at the umpire was fun, and watching the crowd was intreguing (and so is my spelling)

Voice of Will: Internet Bar

2006-09-29 - 10:58 p.m.


like always I find myself wandering when I should be focusing on homework. Here I sit with a 6 page paper due tomorrow and only limited interent access (about 2 more hours before I lose it) and instead of working, i:m busy listening to outkast via the myspace music section. and letting my eyes wander over the internet bar.
some of my more intersting observations, the sign should say NO SMOKING, not NOT SMORKING. It should also say please pay attention to your stuff so it is not stolen, not Your stuff needs attention to not be stoled.

what I have also noticed and wonderd about is the prices here at this internet bar. 30 minutes is 250 yen. If I want 3 hours it is 950 yen. but if I want to stay here from 10pm until 6 am it is only 1400 yen. So the price goes down the longer I stay here. Ok, I get that. but why overnight? And then it hit me, people are actually LIVING in the internet bars because it is cheaper than renting an apartment. (a month is 45000 yen, as opposed to 75000 for a cheap apartment.) that explains why there is a place to lock your cell phone, wallet, and to refresh your shoes and give you house slippers for 200 yen. I knew tokyo was expensive, but I didn:t realize how expensive.
we are doing fine. I am learning how to feed a family of 5 on 2,000 yen a day (think about $20.00). that is my daily budget, and we have been within that pretty well. Lots more veggies and fruits, less meat and cheese. But the kids eat it up, and criss says YUM most day without having to force it out. So I guess I:m doing well.
Other than that the mosquitos are horrible (on par with SIAS), but the repellant here works well. The weather has been great, (except for the 2 typhoons that have HIT japan. then it rains for 3 days. but aside from that it has been really nice. Not too humid, not too hot almost perfect.

Will

Voice of Will: Wandering Tokyo & Intelligent Design

Tuesday, September 26, 2006
intelligent design and wandering tokyo
Current mood: bouncy

So for all of those out there with intelligent design theories, I have one for you.
Whenever you go to the bathroom in japan, you will notice there is a little pipe sticking up out of the top of the toilet. Now it is up on top of the toilet tank, so it is not a bedux (a pottie that squirts you back). So what is it? well when you have finished your business and you flush the toilet, water starts flowing out of this pipe, and down a hole in the top of the toilet tank. So they have designed a way to wash your hands using the water that fills the tank fresh from the pipes. That way you don't have to actually use the sink. Now that is intelligent design for you! Very efficient.

So we have been here about 2 weeks now, and are coming to grips with lots of things. Like traffic is on the WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD. Why do the Japanese us the british system? I am so used to looking left, then right , then left when crossing the road, i have almost been hit like 3x. And all because I don't look right 2x. We conquered Japan. The US. We insisted that their emperor was a mortal man, and made him admit that to the japanese. We gave them baseball (and that is pretty awesome, more on that in a different post), baseketball, pro wrestling (not sumo, I mean like fake moves, bad soap opera drama, WWF hulk hogan stuff), and a love for hamburgers, but we couldn't get them to drive on the right side of the road? WTF?
Sticker shock is definately wearing off. I just have to get used to the idea that I'm buying american stuff in america. Not China. (too bad that would make this perfect). DVD:s from the states are like 3200 yen. (that is like 30 bucks). We have found the local DVD rental place, and we will be friends. (and when I go to china over winter break, i:m bringing back like a suitcase full of DVD:s and PS2 /xbox games)

japanese tv is hypnotic. More so than barney and the teletubbies. Their kids shows are interesting, full of bright colors, and easy to understand even in a foreign language. Why doesn:t china have that? The kids are dying to learn japanese. We have learned 25 or so of the hiragana (japanse alphabet) and know about 50 words by sight now. I can only count to 6, but the kids are rattling off japanese numbers fast. It took me about 4 months to learn 1 to 10 in chinese. But there is no haggling at stores, so I guess the numbers aren:t that important. Everyone is so helpful.

We have a tropical depression hitting the coast right now, so it is raining, and will be for the next 3 days. But that doesn't even slow anything down.

We were here for 4 days and then asked to participate in some sort of kids day parade. One of our neighbors walked over and told us in perfect english there was some sort of kids day festival. So we took the kids, and were asked to participate in the parade. It consisted of young kids towing a shinto drum around the block with a shinto priest banging the drum, and adults carrying some sort of parade float on their backs and it looked like some sort of wooden structure that was topped with a brass phoenix looking bird and a carp. I have no idea what they were, but we were in a parade!

One of the other interesting things about tokyo is that unlike china, we are not an exhibit in a zoo. We have some people look at us, but for the most part, they say "hello" and then wander off. I:m amazed. the people are so helpful.

Voice of Will: More Tokyo Stuff

2006-09-20 - 9:20 p.m.
More stuff from tokyo
The kids are starting to enjoy exploring tokyo. we found an awesome toystore yesterday, and have been looking there 2x. US prices and some higher, but an awesome selection of toys to look at, and play with in the store. WE have been homeschooling since we got here, and have finally hit the groove (we brought stuff with us, and good thing too, the people we order the our stuff from doubled their prices since last year, so we have to wait about a month before we can get their *official* stuff.) The kids are also enjoying having futons to sleep on. we have a foam rubber mattress that is about 2 inches thick, and then the futon, and then sleeping bags on them. Pretty comfortable (better than china), and loads of fun to fold and put away.

criss is extremely excited about this job. They will be teaching 8 90 minute classes a week. So the students will be getting 4 90 minute classes per week per student, that means the students will get 6 hours of extensive english preparation as opposed to the normal 2 to 3 one time a week hours. This is one of the first of its kind programs in japan, so if it works (and it should) then it could go on to be adapted for the whole country. they measure success by TOEFL scores (500 is passing, that would be someone who could have a normal conversation with you about typical things like the weather, fashion, food. But may have difficulty with more specific terms or ideas, and someone who can write an indepth paragraph on one topic, but not at the 5 paragraph essay (or close to there, but nothing more)) and all the students going into the program score about 250 (which means they have a bout a 1000 word vocabulary, very limited reading/writing skills, and limited conversational skills.) so they have their work cut out for them. But if they can improve them from 250 to 500 in one year, (that would be a definte success) they are thinking to make the about 400-500 level this year, and get them above 500 next year.
I think the job is awesome, she only works about 30 hours a week, so she isn:t gone all the time.

Voice of Will: Loving Tokyo

2006-09-15 - 12:23 p.m.

Ah tokyo.
What can I say to describe the feelings and the place? It isn't china!!!! That is a good start.
This place is so different from China, and america, and yet it is so similar. I have been to some large cities in my time (chicago, LA, Shanghai, beijing) but I must say Tokyo is the BEST.

There isn't just one thing I can point at either. This city is so clean. There is NO garbage on the streets, and the people pickup the front of their houses every day. There is very little noticible pollution. The sky is clear and crisp (when it isn:t raining). The people are very polite and nice (especially if you try to speak japanese first. even if you can only say I don't understand, or I speak only a little japanes, the people then switch to english and try to help.) There are tons of people who speak at least some form of english.

The city is a maze of little roads winding through the houses, businesses, and subways. There are businesses in the middle of alleys who do brisk businesses.

My favorite place so far is the local fruit/veggie place. It is in a back alley, next to a cemetary (they are all over the place) with thislittle old man who is trying to teach me the names of the veggies in japanese. He is awesome. More later have to do homework.

Voice of Will: Back in Flagstaff

2006-07-21 - 3:23 p.m.
Lets see an update. Ok. We got back to flagstaff on July 1, and found out the apartment we had ordered had been ordered for July 7. So we had to spend 6 days with friends and family until it opened up (I would rather have eaten my own spleen, but it did work out ok). I went in to ask about a job for the summer working in the mental health field, and before I made it out I was offered a full time job w/out an interview, and w/out my resume. I turned them in and am now attending orientation, and then start in the middle of next week. Not going to argue, with $10.50 an hour for about 40ish hours, and overtime for the summer. so I'm working in a group home with 2 men who have alone time, full time employment and very involved families. CAKE.
The apartment is a 2 bedroom 1 1/2 bath townhouse, and is very nice. The kids are in love with the swimming pool, and in fact we spend about an hour a day in the pools. The kids are also doing some gymnastics (but money is tight). They are also finishing up their homeschooling right now, and will be on their appropriate grade level when we get to Tokyo.
We leave for Tokyo on Sept 1, and the job starts Sept 14, so we will have about 2 weeks to get used to the city. The school found us an apartment on the west gate of the school. The apartment is 62 square meters, and we don't have to pay for anything. 3 bedroom 1 1/2 bathrooms. so that is nice. The next year is looking promising, and we are looking forward to it.
It is amazing how much the color of the sky, the clouds, the trees actually hurts to look at. The vividness of the color, and the clarity after china almost make me want to weep. I feel like a sponge that is just soaking up the beauty in the country around us.

Voice of Will: Going Postal

2006-06-27 - 5:53 p.m.
Have you ever had a postal or nuclear moment? If so then you can understand this story.
We have had to leave china. If you are a reader of this blog, then you know what has been happening and the "Why?' of the story already.

Well yesterday we actually had finished packing, mailing stuff, and left to the airport to fly to Beijing for 5 days before we leave China.
Now lets paint this picture. 11 full sized suitcases weighing in at about 50 lbs each. (international weight limits are 50 pounds per suit case), 5 large carry ons (could be considered suitcases if people actually look carefully, since they actually weigh more than our suitcases in 2 cases), 3 children, wallets and purses. So the day starts out, and it continues this way. we get up at 6 am (after being up to 1 packing) and then have to load our luggage in the van the school brought. That is nice, but when we got here, the school loaded it for us. you can tell we aren't welcome any longer because the help has officially ended.

We get to the airport and find out that our domestic luggage allowance is 20 kg per bag (44 lbs) and we ahve to pay a fee for the extra weight. 1600 rmb ($200) for the extra weight. It doesn't matter that we are taking an international flight, because the domestic flight has this limit. Ok. we have to pay this fee.

On the plane some local yokels decide to start making fun of me, staring at me, making jokes at me. I am already starting to boil, but this helps. In fact I believe the statement I made was something about minding own business or I'd make their faces my business. I'm sure they didn't understand it, but they got the message.
We get off the plane in Beijing and start gathering our stuff. All 11 bags make it fine, so we have 4 large baggage carts full, and now have to get them to from the airport to the hotel. And I need cash to pay for this since the 2000 RMB I had in the Zhengzhou airport is now gone. So I have my friend Dean call the hotel to find out about their shuttle, and have another friend Carrie ask about ATMS. WE find out there is a bank of beijing ATM (which does me no good, only bank of China will take an American debit card), and the shuttle is to take the city bus. Dean says he found a Bank of China ATM, so we go off to check. No. Bank of Beijing. Which accepts bank of china atm cards, but not American debit cards. So we are stuck at the airport, w/no way to get cash from the debit, and having to transport the bags to the hotel.

I manage to find a currency exchange machine and cash in one of my $100 bills. For 10% fee. We go to the shuttle, and it is a glorified city bus, that I have to load the luggage on, while being yelled at by the local Chinese bus driver to move "faster", only to find out there isn't enough room. I completely loose it when my youngest son stands on the bus steps going "it's too heavy" and not even trying to lift his sisters bag. I'm holding a 60lbs bag full of our stuff, after getting half way through our luggage (and filling the underside of the "shuttle) my back is killing me, and here is my adorable son being a shit. I believe my exact words were "LIFT THAT F*ING BAG AND GET YOUR A** ON THAT F*ING BUS!!!"

Not one of my better moments. at that time, Dean (he is really only trying to hlep) tells me that I need to stop using "THAT" word because everyone in beijing understands that word. I will say my next statement also is a classic of "You don't F*ING say? REALLY, they f*ing know what that f*ing word means? Well f* me. If they don't have a good idea that I'm f*ing pi*ed off, then f* them!" Again, I can only really plead insanity caused by stress.

it doesn't get better. we get the bus loaded (by we, I mean I get the bus loaded while the kids whine, criss gets in the way, and dean and carrie flounder around and get in my way w/out really helping with the physical work) The bus doesn't go to the hotel. No. It goes to the train station where we have to "find a way" to the hotel. So I then have to unload all of my stuff, stand there in the sun while Dean tells me we need to find TAXI's to get to the hotel. for 11 full suitcases, 5 carryons, kids, students, and us. I finally completely melt down. And unfortunately I go off on dean. It wasn't his fault. he isn't used to travelling with kids, or luggage. To his credit, when he travels he worries about himself, his bags, and he rides the bus, or takes a taxi.
We did manage to find a hustler who was somewhat honest, and he helped us find a large van to carry our baggage from the train station to the hotel, and we will be using these same people to take us to the airport tomorrow. That will save a repeat of my meltdown.

Once we made it to the hotel, it was all better. In fact I have enjoyed my last 3 days in china tremendously.
It is unfortunate that I may have terribly insulted a friend who only wanted to help. After the melt down he decided to go and stay with his cousin, and then took the next train back to zhengzhou even though he was supposed to travel with us for 2 days. I really hope that my anger at this situation and the surrounding issues hasn't ruined a friendship.

Voice of Will: All Wet

2006-06-11 - 10:38 a.m.
Ahhh..... so I am done howling at the moon, and the unfairness of how we have been treated. I'm done with the righteous indignation over how this has been so unprofessionally handled. We are moving to tokyo for a better location, a better working environment, a better environment and a much higher salary. phew. glad to get that out. It does make it better to say it.

The other thing that helped me realize this and let it go was yesterday. The kids ambushed me with water guns and completely soaked me. at first I was realllllly angry, but I decided that I had been way tooo up tight lately, and needed to relax.

So I went inside and got my "daddy's squirt gun" a 5 gallon supersoaker. My supersoaker outranges the kids, and I have a lot more water. Needless to say they got the cummuppance they deserved!!! (but everytime I ran out of water I was also soaked.)

I must admire the kids, they worked well together, and used team work to soak daddy. (I just used cunning and experience to soak them.)
Good wet sloppy fun, and the kids were still wet 2 hours later.

Will

Voice of Will: Leaving China

2006-06-06 - 11:49 a.m.
Well I haven't written in a while, and you all deserve an update.

 We have been asked to leave SIAS for "academic" reasons. Under that auspice it means we are bad teachers. NOT! We have found out that the dean of the BGS department, and 2 other department deans went to the owner of the school and threatened to quit if Christine and I were not removed. Well these deans have been at the school for about 5 years, and it came down to personal vendettas and we have been asked to move on. These vendettas come from the extreme chrsitian right wing who want to use SIAS as a base for their "mission." If you want something scary go to www.plugintoyours.com and read it. These are the people completely responsible for academic hiring for the next couple of years at SIAS. There is absolutely no way a buddhist, a mormon, a catholic, jews, or muslims will go there to come to this school. Now that seems like an EEOC violation, as well as a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. I may have to check into an attorney to look in to this in the states. SIAS GROUP is incoroprated in LA, and therefore they have to abide by American Laws for employment practices.

I love this place, but I really hate the people who are hypocrites and lie about why they are here, and for what. I will miss my students, and my job, but I won't miss the rest of this.

This leads to the second point. We are going to Tokyo next year. Christine has accepted a fantastic job from Toyo University. They have an international partnership with the University of Montana Missoula, and they send students to the University of Montana for masters degrees, and christine will be an intensive oral english prep class for these students. She will have 5 collegues who are all working in the same program. They pay about 2x what Christine makes here, they will pay for 42 square meters of floor space in an apartment (we need about 65, so we will pay the difference, but it is TOKYO man!!) We are working on the Visas now, and will be leaving for Tokyo on about August 1st (classes start September 1st.)

This leads to the third point. What do we do between then and now? Our Visa's in china expire on June 15th, (we are trying to extend them, but they are being very difficult) and even if we do extend them we can only stay until july 15th. We still have to pass about a month somewhere. So we are probably going back to the states for a month or so, then off to Tokyo.

Voice of Will: Unhappy in China

2006-05-13 - 4:49 p.m.
Here is what is happening (as far as we can figure it out). A group called the tentmakers (a missionary group) has volunteered/been hired to recruit individuals to work at SIAS. One of their big things is being Christian missionaries (obviously).

Now this year started out pretty well. We had 92 teachers and about 30 of them were either non christian, or non religious. These teachers were not going to take the same stuff that the 10 non christian teachers took the year before. They were pretty upfront about their beliefs and views. Well apparently I became the focal point of a "war of the SIAS" I invited these non christians to form a community for support and friendship.

What i didn't realize is that by doing this many of the more zealous christians felt that we were "splitting" SIAS. Now I spoke to David m, dave P, nigel and a few of the more prominent christians who were here and let them know I was just trying to make the non religious people feel they had a community and that they didn't have to feel ostracized (sp). Well they didn't tell the newer christians, and so we had this split in the faculty.

In october, the advisory committee (run completely by the zealous christians, no non christian, no ethinic minority, no first year teachers involved) had jammed down the throats of the first year teachers lots of "rules/suggestions" and it all came to a head around me. the first year teachers (especially the non christian ones) often heard things from this advisory comittee and would come to me to ask for opinions, beliefs, or to vent. Because of this, in october they tried to get me fired from SIAS. Things got so bad at one point there was a threatened boycott of a staff meeting (there were 35 teachers who were going to refuse to come). Shawn Chen heard about it and came to SIAS.

In his address to the faculty he told us all to "Quit it. and Get a long." He told us the head of ICED was being used for petty issues, and she would be removed because of it (megan wang), he also told us the advisory comittee was being disbanded.

Winter break starts about 3 weeks later. 10 teachers don't return (5 christian and 5 non christian) over winter break we have an attempted petition to have me fired, and banned from china by Albert Kenney. This petition (actually spelled partitition) accused me of having secret 2 am meetings in the computer lab to "steal peoples identities", lying to students, slandering christians, and even hinted that I wrote a letter to the PSB about the religious issues here (I didn't do any of these items, and albert was asked to leave, while Wanda developed "medical" problems in the states.") Instead of having albert on a plane the next day, SIAS let him stay for 2 weeks having free reign of the place, meeting with numerous people further slandering my name. I was told that SIAS would address this issue when school started in the Spring. It was never mentioned.

With the start of the spring semester several intersting things happened. The first was this lack of anything said about Alberts letter of "partititon". The second was a shifting of peoples duties and responsibilities. A great example is that 2 young women here (both are very pretty) were asked to write a pronounciation textbook for sias. They work with the TENTMAKERS group. They were supposed to have a PhD in Davis CA to help them, but the PhD stopped answering their emails in February (after only 2 weeks). neither one of them have any real experience in teaching a foreign language, and not only do they not have a masters in TESL, they don't even have the simple TESL certificate. They don't ask Criss for any help or suggestions.

David M, and the powers that be have decided the biggest issue at SIAS is pronounciation, so they have the teachers doing 30 minutes of pronounciaton per class (long a, short a, long e, short e) but they have removed all writing in the classroom. teachers can no longer give written vocabulary tests, and they have to give oral exams, and the test is compromised. (without a doubt, and they know about it). The fourth example would be this group the tentmakers. they have a recruiting video that is at www.plugintoyours.com This video was shot at SIAS, and uses stock footage taht was compiled when Ryan Coyle was here as well as current footage that was filmed over winter break. Their website states get ready to go to "spiritual bootcamp" and get a TESL certification and go to SIAS (doesn't say SIAS, but the video is pretty easy to tell they are here. My last example is a direct quote from David M. "SIAS is a travesty, a sham, a mockery. We like to call that a traveshamockery." At the same time he told some teachers here about an issue he had his first year where he gave a student who had earned an F an A so he would leave him alone. This is the person leading the "direction" sias is going.

now at the time the school stopped the full staff meetings, and broke things down by what the teachers teach. There is no longer an advisory committee, and this semester has gone by great. No real issues.
There are a lot of people who come to christine for advise, but NONE Of the current "leaders" ever speak to her or with her and yet she is the only one who has any experience or training to make blanket predictions, and she has told them they are wrong.

We asked about next year in march when christine was going ot the TESOL confrence in Tampa, and they told us we would be coming back. Christine went there to learn the stuff in the field, and found out there are 3 schools in china that are doing what she suggested, and they are getting MA TESL/TESOL people for 4000 RMB a month. SIAS keeps saying we can't do that no one would come. the new president of TESOL is from a chinese school and Christine spoke to him at length.

So here comes the first of may. John Moll, Mary Alice Meeks (they decided to invite her back after telling her no for 2 weeks), myself, Christine, a US attorney named Les Harvel, and Lloyd Ringrose (he started out last year a very poor teacher, but Christine has been working him to become an average teacher (not great, but considering how bad he was, a vast achievement) are not invited back. what is more interesting is the group that is back has only one non christian (a jew who keeps to himself), and several of the younger more managable teachers, and LOTS of the zealous missionary teachers.

The only thing we can put together is that the teachers with experience, who know their stuff were being removed from any position at this school so they cannot undermine the "new direction SIAS is taking" by knowing how badly it is being done.

My last example. The young woman I mentioned earlier who is compiling the pronounciation textbook has just been put in charge of the SIAS speach team ahead of a VASTLY superior speach and debate individual. And they told Leslie Harvel during dinner one night, "oh you need to teach Katie how to do this." Unlike with us they waffled on whether they wanted Les back until yesterday. No word, no answers. maybe we want you maybe we don't.

In an organization you don't screw your employees around. If they had not wanted us they knew in march and could have told christine and myself and we would have made plans. But they told us we would be back. The same is true of les.

What adds insult to injury is the fact that since Christine is a Fort Hays Professor, Hays says where she can go. We can go to SNU or UIBE. But not really. SNU is parttime (we can't afford that) and no one at UIBE will come to SIAS. So by doing this stuff we have been effectively fired. This has been a constant state of discriminiation and harassment, and we are considering legal action when we get back to the states. This has effected our professions, and as we see it, it is because we are non christian and the christian missionaries don't want any competition for the SOULS at SIAS where they are actively breaking the law.

Voice of Will: Still in the Air

2006-05-11 - 9:23 a.m.
So 2 weeks ago we were told to get lost from SIAS. WE have written about 6 letters (together) to cindy and cheryl.

Cindy wrote us back yesterday with a very indifferent statement, "so what are you and will going to do"
and finally today Cheryl told Christine they want to renew her contract. What is it with people there? We are 6822 miles away from home, with 3 kids, visa's that expire on June 15th, and as far as we know, no jobs. And we are left twisting in the wind for 2 weeks, and Cindy is completely unreliable, and also appears to not CARE. Maybe 2 weeks isn't that big of a deal sitting in an office in Kansas where you can call the people you need to talk to, but to us here it is a world of difference. What the h* are these people doing all day? Sitting around, saying "up we are making a difference" and playing darts?

I understand that it is graduation there. Ok. Does it take more than 5 minutes to write a reply of, "we know what is going on and are working on it." Or, "we have decided not to renew your contract." Either one allows us to actually try to plan for the summer and beyond.

As of now we have been scrambling like mad to find ANYTHING because of the shitty timing of SIAS. Here lets wait until May and let them know they aren't welcome back. Wait until they can't find the "good" jobs, and have to scramble here. We have made a HOME in this place, we have teachers for the kids, activities lined up, and now with cr*y notice we have what feels like NO Support from Hays.

Right now I'm trying to contact UIBE and see if I can be the cinema CT there (if japan doesn't happen, or even if it does and we decide to stay in China).

Anywho, I'm off like a half cocked gun/prom dress to do other things, offend other people and generally make myself a pain in the rear.

Voice of Will: Not Welcome Back

2006-04-30 - 11:01 a.m.
So I am sitting here in shock. We were just told we are "not welcome" at SIAS next year because the school is "moving in another direction."

Now if we had been bad teachers I could easily understand this. But our teaching reviews have both of us listed as excellent teachers. So when I look at this, the only direction I can see is bad.
I know why it happened, I'm just shocked that this became such an issue. as Rodney king once said "can't we all just get along?"

In fact during the discussion I was told that if Hays keeps Christine here (they can, it is their call) that I am not welcome. In fact, I have no job, but if hays keeps criss, then the school can do nothing about it, but they would like us to "move on to something better."

Ah, and to think I actually like the school, just not the people. It is a very interesting list of people not being invited back, some are not great teachers (in fact about 4 are terrible teachers) but the majority are great teachers. (mary alice, john moll, jean whitt, nigel and jo brown, and now us) I honestly don't want to be here next year, but it would have been nice to be notified we don't have a job with more than a month left in classes.
I'm so tempted to go to classes now in cut off jeans, flip flops w/ beer in hand and say "I don't know what the f* we are doing today, so lets just watch some movie {hic}" and then stagger around and fall down. But I won't because I respect my students too much, and they deserve so much better than what they are getting from the "christian" majority here at SIAS. Well I can only see one direction the school goes, and unfortunately it is DOWN.

Voice of Will: 10 Year Renewal of Vows

2006-04-25 - 11:15 a.m.
I love this time of year. It is april, it is warm, lots of school work to do, lots of students who want to visit.
In three weeks criss and I are renewing our marrage vows. It will be a small private ceremony. You know, 100 foreign teachers, 13000 SIAS students. Tiny, cozy.

We have ordered 10 custom fitted tuxedos, 9 custom brides maid dresses, 1 custom white silk wedding dress. There will be more flowers than you can possibly imagine , we have arranged an amphitheatre on campus, we have the minister ( two of them actually, non demoninational using buddhist vows), we have the sound system, we have arranged the hall for the reception, and have dinner paid for for 100, we have a band, and we have a professional photographer. The damage? $2250 US.

Yes you read that right. I am amazed at how far the US dollar goes here.
so far a lot of students are getting very excited about this ceremony. personally I'm getting a bit anxious. I'm worried that criss will say "no" or "go away" or that my fly will be unzipped.
I'm pretty sure this will be very anticlimatic, but I'm worried about it.

I'm also worried about the plans for the future. Criss has not been offered that job contract from tokyo (yet), and we haven't been invited back here. So the waiting game is getting me a bit anxious.
Oh well. Just keep the chin up, and all things will work out, and the renewal ceremony will be beautiful and fun.
But I still worry.

Voice of Will: Should we go to Tokyo?

2006-04-07 - 10:05 a.m.
So while criss was away at the TESOL confrence in Tampa Bay she was offered a job to teach in tokyo.
In a way I am torn, do I want to stay here, or go to tokyo. At SIAS I knwo what to expect. It's the Devil I know. Simple work, large housing (albeit cold in the winter, but that is where the weather stripping comes in handy, and caulk too!!) Criss gets a incredible salary by chinese standards, and I get a very NICE chinese salary. WE can pay off student loans, and see china. I know all the foreign teachers and like about 25 of them enough to hang out with. WE have a gaming group and most of them will be back next year, and I don't have to see the people I don't like.
Now on the ohter hand there is TOKYO!!! OMG!! I would love to live there. In fact it was first on our list, but there were no jobs there that paid as well as here so we came to china. The unofficial job offer has 2x her salary, with housing included for less hours. Sounds great. but this is TOKYO and it is sooooo expensive, crissy didn't tell them about the family.
1. so housing included may only be a 1br flat. then what do we do? If we have to pay for a place, it will cost over 1/2 of her salary then we actually lose money to go there.
2. we also don't know about the kids schooling. Here we have hired a private teacher who teaches each kid for 2 hours a day (in english, our materials, all subjects) for 2000rmb a month ($250) out of my salary (which is 3600 rmb a month). NOt sure about the schools. Have heard horror stories, and have heard lots of praise. NOt the expat schools (we can't afford those) but local japanese public schools.
3. we have a cat named Jonas. Well in order to get a cat into japan you need writ from GOD basically. They need an ID chip implanted into them, they need about 6 different shot series 3 months before you want to go. Not so hard in America, but in ZZ china? this may be impossible to get. Not sure.
4. Hurricanes (typhoons) and earthquakes are very common in tokyo. Not sure I like that.

Voice of Will: Out of Sinc

2006-03-28 - 8:14 a.m.
Wow. Have you ever had one of thsoe weeks that just wont end?

So Criss goes to her convention in Tampa and that week and the following one seemed to last years. I now understand how people can pine away weeks of their lives. I know I was pining when crissy was gone.
She gets back, and we are so out of sync because of the time differences and jet lag. Last week was just a blur, and it made it really difficult to do anything except eat, sleep, and go teach because we had to. this week seems to be going much better, we are finally getting to sleep before midnight most evenings, and we are getting back into our rythym.
so lets see.

1. We have now gotten a full time teacher for the kids. William Jr does 2 hours of school work a day, and brings home math homework. Zeb also does 2 hours, and Rae gets only one hour a day, but her kindergarden stuff and first grade stuff. We are humming along nicely in the school department.

2. we have another foreign teacher here who was a boyscout pack leader in the states, and he would like to help us by running the boyscouts stuff for Will Jr, and Zeb. Rae really wants to join, but we will be starting girl scouts stuff with her soon.

3. The school has asked if we intend to return next year. We have told them we would like to. So we will see who they invite back, and see if they are the people we want to deal with.

4. Here is why, Christine was offered a terrific job in Tokyo Japan. The salary is 2x what she makes here (that includes my paltry 3600 rmb a month), it includes travel allowances to go to TESOL convention every year, and it is supposed to include housing. We will see about that part because she did not tell them about the family (she told them she was married, so a flat for a married couple is about 1/2 the size of a flat for 5 people. And this is tokyo we are talking about.) But we are hoping... ... ...

5. We have gaming group here. We managed to find 6 people who want to play D&D and Rifts. We play D&D on friday nights, and Rifts on Saturday. Sunday is our local Movie Night (watched donnie darko on sunday. OMG that is a fantastic movie.)

Will

Voice of Will: She's off to TESOL

2006-03-15 - 11:56 p.m.
So my wife has been gone for 2 days, and I'm so lonely I can't sleep, feel like crying over simple things, and then yelling at the kids for... well being kids. go figure.

My wife is a member of a professional organization and as such she attends their annual convention. Two years ago it was Long beach, last year it was San antonio, this year it is Tampa Bay.
We knew it was coming, we planned our classes so it was ok for her to miss a weeks classes. We had everything planned for. Well almost.

My wife gets motion sickness. Now I don't mean the simple, the car is going around curves, lower the window I can take a pill for this kind of motion sickness. No, she has to be different. She suffers from situational vertigo (I think it is a made up term, but she disagrees). Waht this means is she will get hit with motion sickness standing still, or moving and can't take the pills because she will vomit them up. So we need to get a slow release medicine on a patch for her to wear. Simple enough right? In the states it was go to the dr get a perscription and have it filled (you can't buy patches over the counter.. not sure why) In china? Get out of town.

If this were beijing we would be able to get them. In fact the last time criss was in beijing she got patches. but she has used them up. So we go looking in zhengzhou. Shouldn't be that hard in a city of 8 million people right? wrong. It took 3 weeks, and looking in over 50 different pharmacies to find one place that sold patches. And when we have a chinese person read the instructions they are for "muscles aches, or making hurt places feel better" not motion sickness. According to the doctor they are a "traditional" chinese medicine for motion sickness.... well we hoped it would work.

I found out today it did work... sort of. Crissy had a very turbulent flight from zz to beijing, and a lot of turbulence from beijing to newark. it seems that the gods of the weather were at work, very windy, and a massive cold front moving into new york area when she arrived. but she didn't vomit, or feel like she was dying. But she did get a real doozy of a rash on her tummy.... rash or motion sickness????
So right now she is in Tampa bay florida attending her confrence. I'm in china with the kids trying to fly kites. (we've been watching a lot of mary poppins......)

Voice of Will: Let it Snow

2006-02-28 - 12:54 p.m.
so the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful and since I've no place to go, let it snow let it snow let it snow.

Yes you read that right. Yesterday it snowed for the whole day. We had about 2 to 3 inches stick on the ground. It was fun. Now the fun is over though. Because it is now all ICE.

Now SIAS is a very beautiful campus (do a google search for SIAS and china and you will find pictures of our campus), but there is one major problem that the architect (a guy named peter from Auburn University) did not take into account. The weather.

We have a very nice administration building that looks over the center of campus (the quad) and the quad has a very large recessed fountain. It is a wonderful sight to behold when the water is running. The ground around the fountain (and leading to the administration building as well as the faux marble is used on every stairwell on campus) is a very intricate design that uses concrete, faux marble, and inlayed tiles. The design is very beautiful, and it helps the asetic feelings of the place. The only problem is that when the marble gets wet it is very slippery. And when it snows (or better yet freezes) it becomes as slick as an ice skating rink. To top it all off, the design is curving and you can't really tell where the concrete ends and the marble begins.

So walking across campus is a real challenge after a hard snow, or a heavy rain. If you know where the marble is you can try to make your way across it slowly, or you can try to "surf" on the ice. But usually after a snow you can't see the marble. What do you do? You follow some students across it. When you see them fall down, you know where the marble is. (I'm not joking about this)

I once asked someone in the administration about this and they deadpanned, "we sit up on the 7th floor watching it happen, and laughing our asses off." So I think they did it on purpose.
Earlier you may have noticed I also mentioned the stairs are made out of the marble. Yesterday I had the pleasure of watching a group of DRUNK chinese students slip, slide, fall, bonk themeslves as they tried to get home UP frozen marble steps. They are probably now wondering how the got so many bruises. I would teach them the english phrase "you should see the other guy" in order to explain the bruises to their friends.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Voice of Will: Winter has come

2006-02-24 - 12:01 a.m.
As I have been walking around I have noticed that the temeprature is rising here. Now I am just wearing a light sweater over my dress shirt, so I belive the worst of the winter is over.

Last winter it was freezing. Even during the day, with layers of clothes (4 layers of shirts/sweaters, 3 layers of pants, a jacket, a wool hat and gloves) on I was still freezing. Inside or outside it didn't matter. At times I thought I was going to get frostbite. But this winter was not like that.

It was very temperate (for the middle of winter in the middle of china) at least here. According to students this winter has been on of the coldest on record around china. You couldn't tell that here. It only snowed 3 times, and most of the snow was gone after 2 days. (read earlier journals about how china/zhengzhou deals with snow). And it has been very nice during the day.
I am wondering if it was warmer, or just felt warmer. Last winter we were not as prepared as we were for this winter. We were told we could buy any of our clothes when we got here, only to discover that I am way too big (size 48 x 32 pants. XXL to XXXL for shirts and sweaters) and christine is too tall (she is 6'0) so it was difficult to find "good" winter clothing. This ment when we could find things in our size we bought them. So the clothing wasn't as good as it could have been, and while were were in the states this summer we bought clothes for the winter.

We also managed to discover some wonderful stuff here last april. Weather stripping and window caulking. When we first arrived here I had asked about these items because it was painfully obvious that our windows didn't seal, and you could actually look out the cracks around our window moulding. We were told to buy some good 2" wide tape, and to put multiple layers of this tape around the moulding, and across the windows. What this ment was our room was DRAFTY when we first got here, and you could actually see the cold air coming in. Even taped it was a horrible experience.

So when we managed to find this stuff (with a great student/friend) I bought it up. The young man who was helping us looked it over, read the chinese on it, and did not understand what it was for. So I explained that you use these items to stop the cold air from coming into your room during the winter, and to keep the cold air in during the summer. His reply says volumes for many people in china. "why would you do this? You don't own your home." Now I love this young man. He is fantastic, but he also has the chinese mindset. Sometimes it is very difficult to understand (but I believe he must think the same thing about us foreigners) So I explained that I wanted a warm room for the winter, and that I would pay the price. he replied "I have never thought about it like that." So I have a warm room, and I believe I have helped a young man think more about his environment and his own comfort. Somethings are more important than just the cost in money.
so this winter our whole home was much warmer, and we were better prepared for the winter.
Of course the temperature for the weekend is supposed to be 30 degrees as a high for 2 days.... so maybe more snow.

Voice of Will: Street Vendors

2006-02-21 - 1:47 p.m.
Ahhhh the joys of street vendors.
Yes you read that correctly. Street vendors are fun, colorful and if you pay attention a great deal.
Let me give you an example. Street Food. Now when many foreigners get to china they look around, and notice the lack of sanitary conditions, the general ugliness of many peoples carts and how there appear to be NO SUCH THING as food preparation precautions. So most foreigners refuse to eat at street vendors. IT is their loss.

We have all heard the stories of "water in a first time tourist in mexico" and how if you go to a street vendor you will get sick. That is not true. You can go to eat at street vendors, get delicious food for a fraction of the cost, and share an experience that most people will not understand. How you ask? Simple my friend. You eat where the chinese people are eating. Yup. it is that simple. The chinese know where there is good food, and where you will get sick. So if there is a line to buy from a street vendor, get in the line. If you go to a vendor and there is no line (but all the neighbors have one) don't think "Ah, I have a quicker location" No. wonder why there is no one in line.

Some examples of the terrific food you can get from a street vendor. Ham bo bo (I will call it by the names I know) take one pita like flat bread. NOw choose out 5 skewers of vegatables and meats (this includes sliced potatoes, onions, green beans, carrots, cucumbers, several different types of mushrooms, tofu noodles, shredded chicken, and spiral tofu) now those skewers are deep fried for about 35 to 40 seconds, then dipped into a great curry sauce, and then placed in the pita. So in about a minute you are eating a very hot, very full pita with lots of vegatables, some meat, and some tofu. Ah messy, gooey 1.5 RMB goodness.
Then try the Bi jing moua (think a very nasal more.... make it new york nasal). This is another pita like flat bread, but they take slow cooked pork (It has been cooking in a stew pot for several hours, probably since early in the morning) they take this pork and slice/grate/mince it with a huge cleaver adding in the broth it cooked in while doing this. then add it to the pita. Great, juicy, and mouth watering.

How about Shar Bing. Think slow roasted turkey, that is shaved off while you watch, they mix it with shredded lettuce and a spicy sauce and again into a pita.

Or lastly the bbq mutton/beef/pork/chicken/squid/fish that is offered. This is cooked over a bbq pit on skewers, they are cooked, spices are added and you then eat them off the skewers.
Oh man... street food here is great. In fact, I'm salivating right now. Gotta go have some.
Talk more later.

Voice of Will: Winter Hot Tub

2006-02-17 - 12:35 a.m.
Ahhhhh..... HOT TUB. That is definately one of the nicest things at SIAS. Over last winter they started work on a Hot tub. They started the work in the middle of february, and had it looking finished by late april. But they never ran it.

The new teachers got here in September, and still the hot tub was not running. A petition circulated at the end of september, and the petition was removed, and still it was not running. But then in the end of October, they opened the hot tub.

It is nice. It will hold 10 people comfortably, and if you are "friendly" it may hold 20. Don't know we have never gotten that many people in it. I think the largest group I know of has been 8. It is a truely decadent pleasure.

Now I know what you are thinking, and you may be right. The water is colored. (sometimes slightly brown, or slightly rusty, but if you let it run for about 5 minutes, then drain the tub it is pretty clean) but it is hooked into the water system for the residence Hall we all live in. So it is the same water we take our showers in. we just have a very large "pool" to examine the water in instead of it running down the drain. If they kept it full it would be very nasty within about a week, but they don't keep it full. When we are finished using it for a night, we empty the tub. And add new water the next time.

The only real issue with it, is that it is supposed to be used only on the weekends (to save money, only fill it 3x a week, not 7 times a week) but that isn't too bad. It is reallllllly nice to be able to go outside, and climb in a nice HOT (almost scalding sometimes) tub to soak in. Very relaxing especially on a cold winter night with snow falling outside (been there, done that ..... heavenly). Usually the company is great because the people who use and enjoy the hottub don't think that relaxing with a brew, and friends is the "devils" work. So we have been able to relax with friends, unwind and have great conversations.

The hot tub almost makes everything worth it. Add the hot tub to the other benefits, and we are pampered pets at SIAS.

p.s. welcome to the zoo called SIAS, we are the prize exhibits, but the hot tub helps a lot.... theraputic

Voice of Will: I have changed

2006-02-15 - 6:58 p.m.
So I was looking over my entries from last year, and I have noticed that something has changed about me. And I think I know what it is. Last year China was new, interesting, different. it still is new, interesting and different, but I'm upset and depressed by the PEOPLE who I work with, and the overwhelming feeling of being BOGGED down by the history of where we live.

Many of the people who live here (in Henan) are the poorest of the poor. They have behaviors that are disturbing, superstitious, and often down right disgusting. The whole concept of self pride, or pride of place seems to have been bred out of the chinese people. When I tell students not to cheat because they are "better" than that, they look at me with confusion on their faces. They don't understand something about the issue of personal pride. This lack of pride, and lack of what appears to be ethics, or a code of conduct bothers me.

The other issue is how I have had to deal with the "politics" of being here. I have tried to reach out to the misfits (my misfits as it turn out) and to help them make the transition from the states to being able to enjoy china. I think I have succeeded because wheneve we hvae a get together I end up with 40 people at our house. But in the process, I have become a target for some groups. There are people who think I am STANDING for moral corruption, or immoral behavior. When all I am really doing is telling nosey busybodies to mind their own business. What a teacher does on his/her own time is their own business. If they want to go out drinking, taht is their stuff. As long as it doesn't effect their teaching, it doesn't matter. The same is true of teachers who have "relationships" with students. If they are not "their" students, who cares? Should anyone?

I have tried to stand up for decency, respect, and privacy and appear to have become a target because of it.
This feeling of being attacked by my "peers" is bringing me down, and making me negative in my posts here, and in my real life outside of cyberspace.
I found out that several of our teachers who came to china this year were reading this online journal last year, and that I am one of the reasons they came here. I would hate to think what people must feel about SIAS because of my journals this year.

I am sorry. I will try to recapture my old glee, and joy at being in china and being allowed to teach the best students in the best class in all of China. After all, that is why I'm here.

Will

Voice of Will: Depressing News

2006-02-12 - 11:35 p.m.
School is in session again. And I get some wonderful news, and some interesting and depressing news.
so I found out who was pushing to have me fired in october, and it was the LAST person I would have thought of. My boss was pushing to have me removed because I"m not Christian. Yes you read that right. It doesn't matter that I am the most popular teacher, and the 2nd best CT in all of china, and that her own teaching evaluation had me listed as EXCEPTIONAL. No, because i'm not Christian, she lied to my face, behind my back, and now had her husband Libel my name at SIAS.

so I discovered this when a letter of "partitition" was passed out by her husband. This "partitition" stated I was having secret 2 am meetings in order to steal peoples identity, and to cause harassment and other various nastiness. I even had "ilk" and "coconspirators." Wow. I feel so.... ... ... unsavory. I think I like it!!
Of course this stupid letter was ignored by everyone, and the school actually went into other teachers rooms to remove this letter before they returned. The school notified me about this, and this other teacher has been "asked" to leave. It isn't any big deal for him to do so, because he was already planning on leaving. But it does feel nice knowing that my fellow coconspirators have my back!!

I also found out that crissy and I are considered the bastion of most "normal" peoples sanity around here. That is very nice to hear, and to learn about. We have been told repeatedly that we are the only thing that makes many (about 20) teachers keep from telling the admin to go and fuck themselves. It is nice, but unfornately most of these teachers will not be coming back next year. Have to go through the effort again next year just to have "normal" people to hang out with.

Will

Voice of Will: Happy Chinese New Years

2006-01-30 - 5:13 p.m.
Happy Chinese Lunar New Year to everyone out there.
The chinese (among other cultures) use a lunar calander. So their new year is based on the cycle of the moon around the sun, and is not tied to anything as arbitrary as a simple 12 month calander. They use the precise movement of the moon around the sun. Because of the inherent precision of the celestial movments, they are much more "accurate" than our simple calander, and that is why their new year moves as much as a week each and every year compared to last years.
It is really very neat, but not my cup of tea. But it is really nice to be able to say happy new year 2x a year. So welcome in the year of the DOG.
Here is a short list of things to do, and not do according to the students I nkow.
don't
wash your hair within 48 hours of new years, or you will wash away your luck
use scissors within 2 days because you will cut your luck
cry within 2 days or you will cry for the whole year.
do
eat dumplings becuase they look like gold ingots, and it will bring you wealth
eat dumplings because it reminds you of your family
spend time at home, and do NOTHING that is not family related. they are your best link to your past, and your heritage.
shoot off fireworks because it scares away the evil spirits and ghosts, and scares away the devils and dragons.
clean your house, you should pay attention to your home at the start of the new year.
some of those are good pieces of advice anytime.

Will

Voice of Will: Traveling for the New Year

2006-01-21 - 10:38 p.m.
I am so tired. Exhaustion appears like someone who has had 6 cups of espresso right now.
I may have mentioned how Chinese Lunar New Year/Spring Festival is a very big deal right? I may not have explained it enough. Take fourth of july, thanksgiving, christmas, new years and roll them all into one holiday that lasts about a week. Ok? Alright. Now take people travling like it is thanksgiving and christmas, where everyone MUST get home for the holiday. Have you visualized that yet? Ok. Now make the number of people travelling the WHOLE population of the US. Are your eyes staring to water? Is blood starting to come out of your ears at this mind boggling visualization yet? No. Ok, now take away 1/2 of all the air flights, and 2/3 of all the rail traffic, and make the roads the consistency of a bad dirt road in a pouring rain.
That is spring festival in china. You may ask the whole population of the US seems a bit large. But consider this 30% of the chinese population will travel over 50 miles to see friends and family for the spring holiday. That is over 300 million people.

Right now in Zhengzhou there are 60,000 people who are camping at the train station trying to get train tickets. The ticket booths are refusing to sell any tickets because there are NO trains. The same thing is happening in Beijing. I wish I would have been informed of this before I snuck on a train to zhengzhou yesterday morning.

Yes you read that right. Yesterday, me and some friends go to the train station thinking "a week before spring festival, and a fweek after school got out, perfect time to travel." Well when we try to buy tickets, they tell us NO zhengzhou, and refuse to sell us tickets. Huh? so we go to the waiting area and ask if the train to zhengzhou is operating. They tell us yes they are getting on. Ok. So we get in the line and no one looks at a ticket.

Sweet. ONly one problem, you have to have a ticket to get OUT of the rail station on the other side. We decide we will deal with that problem when we get there.

the train pulls up, we get on, and there ARE NO SEATS anywhere. NOt just that, it is SRO (standing room only) in the aisles, and all the way out to the smoking platform (which is where you get on the train), and we are squished there. Ok. No problem. the train trip to ZZ is only an hour. No problem.
We go for about 15 minutes and the train comes to a slow stop. This is not a scheuled stop. By nwo we are talking to the people who in some countrys would be engaged to us because of their extreme closeness to us. We ask them (in chinese) what is happening. they reply "don't know, but this is common" We wait. and wait. and wait. after 30 minutes the train slowly starts back up, and goes at about 1/2 the normal speed. Ok. We go.... for about 15 more minutes, and we stop.

I look out the windows on the left and see a "parked" train with people on it. I look out on the right side of the train, and see another train pull up next to us in about 10 minutes and also STOP. Not good. Not good at all. we sit (actually, no place to sit, and the ground of the carrage is disgusing) for over an hour. They don't open the doors, and if the windows are open the temperature drops to under -5 Celcius.
Needless to say I was reallllllly wishing I had my spray on deodorant. Not for me, but for my new "friends". AFter an hour the train starts and gets back to full speed. YYYAAAAAYYYYY!!! and it goes until we get to the outskirts (not even 5 mintues from teh station) and we STOP. By now I am ready to kick open the door (I tried the handles already) and just jump the fence to take a taxi. noooooo. Another 35 minutes. So a simple easy 1 hour train trip took almost 4 hours.

We get off at the platform, and I make my way with a friend (drew) to a back exit I know of. And we get stopped by the chinese police and the station guards. (there weren't any there before.... no really) and they tell us that xinjiang is a 350 RMB train ride to buy a replacement ticket. We didn't come from xinjiang, but from xinzheng. but because the tones are wrong, they sound similar. xinjiang is a province in the far western part of china. We have to try not to get arrested for having no ticket, to not get ripped off with a ticket that is not from where we are at, and to get out of the station.

This is where I found out that there are 60,000 people there because one of my best chinese friends, and former student was trying to get to us, and couldn't. the guards were keeping people back 50 meters from the exits and the entrances, and using their clubs to make sure that happened.
Well we did manage to talk our way out, and went to where my friend was, and got it sorted out, but that was just the start. The day didn't get better.

It ended with us in a hostel for the night because the chinese are afraid of driving on icy roads (they should be, no snow plows) and taking a taxi back to SIAS the next day.
I will leave you with this thought. No snow plows, and a city of 6.5 million people. They physically dug the city out of the snow and ice. Apparently about 50,000 people work construction to clear the roads of snow and ice in the winter. How would you like that job? using a pick and a shovel in the freezing cold for less than $.30 an hour.

Will

Voice of Will: You didn't show up

2006-01-17 - 12:15 a.m.
So I was asked by a friend to arrange to pick her up from the airport tonight at 10 pm our time. This involved contacting one of our staff members brothers who owns a van (and is a complete imbicle btw).
She didn't show up. Wasn't on the plane, and I only found this out after waiting for her NOT to get of the plane. Here is my email to her, that I just sent
How are you? (It is will btw.)

Where are you? Because you weren't on flight 3761 out of beijing tonight at 10pm, because I was there. It was cold, and lonely. Joesephs brother doesn't speak enough english, and boy do I smell of cigarette smoke.
I'm assuming you missed the flight (you were probably stuck in beijing, and are now are the hotel, and will arrive here tomorrow at about 10 am)

Needless to say it was interesting. Taking the van (which has no heat btw, and no air sealant because it is a cheap chinese POS) through nice wind, at all of 20 kph so the 30 minute trip to the airport took almost an hour. But that was ok because your flight was over an hour late landing. Ah at least the timing was ok, I was worried you'd take a taxi and we'd pass each other.

I was then pushed and prodded like cattle when people ran to the railing to meet their "loved ones" that I finally pushed back with my elbows, and boy did it really clear out around me. I think it was my deodorant.
I waited 40 minutes after "your" plane landed, and finally gave up when they stopped the luggage rack for the flight and there was no luggage left over, adn they then started unloading a flight from Harbin. I even waited until that was through on the off chance you had stopped, fallen into a coma, and were being resucitated via yak breath. But still nope. You didn't show up.

Joesephs brother thought it was funny when I came back out w/out you and he tried to ask where you were. After the 3rd explaination he didn't understand, i told him you had been eaten by a pack of wild chipmunks who were even now descending on zhengzhou like locusts. He gave me a puzzled look and said "ting bu dong" then smiled like a maniac. I think he was envisioning what a horde of wild chimpmunks bent on locust like apocalyptic proportions would do to zhengzhou.

We had another 45 minute long cold van ride back while I determined that no one in this god forsaken country knows how to drive at night, or over rough surfaces, or around corners. But I can also tell you every single pothole on the road to and from the airport because my knees definately know where they are.
That would qualify as an experience that only cost me 80RMB. And to think there are people who pay LOTS OF MONEY for this experience. And I got off so cheaply, just my time, my body heat, my wonderful stench, and of course part of my sanity.

How has your trip been?

Will

Voice of Will: burned by a friend

2006-01-09 - 9:47 a.m.
Ok. I have been a bit slow updating my journal and for that I apologize.
Where to begin? This has been the semester from hell. NO doubt about it, no ifs, ands or buts about it. Thank the maker it is over.

We have been on winter break for 2 weeks now, and I'm just finally getting to relax.
To top all things off, I get yelled at at the end of term for something I didn't do, and had no control over.
Let me explain. I invited my friends to come to SIAS and teach. I never thought any of them would take me up on it, but one of them did. He was not very happy here this semester, and had made that fact very well known. He also had a tendency to try to fight other peoples battles, so he would see somethign that would bother him, and let it bother him, and go around with a chip on his shoulder.

So he decided not to come back to sias and break his contract. Ok. It happens. He leaves a week early when all the teachers are supposed to be turning in their grades. Ok that happens also. He doesn't turn in his grades. So where does everyone come to look for them? Me. I get blamed for "allowing this to happen" by 3 different people in the administration of the school. I am supposed to have provided better leadership to my friend. They even tell me they are thinking of cancelling his visa to have him arrested at the airport before he leaves.
Now let me explain how things work in china. Your reputation is all you have. People get to know you and get a relationship with you (they call it guanshi, think of it like networking but much bigger). Now because of my friend, my name is MUD. My recommendations are for shit, and when I open my mouth no one listens. A year of building relationships, and gaining respect gone because a friend of mine could not do the things he was supposed to.

To finish the story, I had to track this friend down in beijing, where another friend of mine was doing me a favor by showing him around before he left (you know never coming back so might as well see the forbidden city, the great wall, tiannamen square, etc...) and they wouldn't let him go on a tour until his grades were finished. apparently he yelled at my friend who was doing me a favor, and was then complaining bout having to spend money to move his bags, and other things to the airport.

All of this for friendship. Too bad my name is now mud, and I can't buy a friend when I need one now.

Will