Disbelief

I can't believe November is next month! Crazy!!!

Last week was uneventful :) at home. I was told yesterday that our water will get cut from 11 pm to 5 pm. It hasn't happened yet, but I am prepared! I got home last night at 10:30 and started wash. My washing machine is so slow filling with water, so I helped it out a bit. I was also informed that on Wednesday, we will lose our power 9 am-5 pm. That really won't affect me. Oh the joys of living downtown where they are doing construction on the metro.

Last week, a student really disrespected me so I kicked him out of class. I was trying not to make a scene, but it ended up becoming a scene because he refused to give me his cell phone (I saw him using it so I take it and then give it back at the end of my class.) The class was extremely well behaved after that!

Yesterday I gave my culture lecture to a group of 220 freshmen. My topic was American food. My favorite part of the presentation was explaining what a fortune cooke is! There was a picture so it made it much easier. The kids applauded when I answered a cell phone. They thought it was hilarious when I answered in Chinese, "Hello? in class! I am the teacher. I'm not happy. Goodbye."

I bought the first 5 seasons of The Office. My DVD player won't read them, but it seems so anti-Peace Corps to buy a DVD player.

Halloween is on Saturday. I still don't know my costume. Right now, I'm thinking a construction worker.

The sun is shining! Oh happy day!!

Busyness

One time in Mali, I went 5 months without paying my water bill. It was a rough few weeks without water, but it was a collective effort to get everybody to pay (one bill, 5 households). I am 14 days late paying my internet, and poof...gone. I didn't do that deliberately. I just assumed (incorrectly) that I would receive a bill. I was wrong. But for the environment, it's probably a good thing. Lots of trees are being saved.
I went to the school where I began volunteering. They had a beautiful bouquet of flowers for me! It was so sweet of them! The students were so curious! Everybody had to get a glance of this lǎo wài (foreigner). It was a little bit like Mali. It's nice being adored. My college kids are so over having a foreigner as a teacher.

I have been a paper grading fool! I made a dent. It's just not big enough! My weekend was spent grading papers. I also went out with friends Saturday night. We had a good time. We are still deciding what to do for Halloween.

This week was so busy, but less eventful than the previous week. I still open my kitchen door quite cautiously....

Shenanigans

I received a call on Sunday night to go sightseeing with a coworker. He was a host family for another volunteer. I readily accepted. Yea! I'm integrating! He failed to mention that along with sightseeing, he told another school (unknown to me) that I would teach at their school. I didn't even get the heads up! I can't accept money, so I am taking this on as a secondary project. I spoke to my tutor and asked him how he would handle it. He would have handled it like "non-sensitive" American Katie, not Chinese Katie. Oh, well. I told my teammate, and he told me I'm "too approachable." I never thought that would be a bad thing...the next job interview I get, when asked my weaknesses, I guess I can say I'm too approachable.
A volunteer who was training at my school gave me a few contact numbers. I finally got around to calling on of the numbers on the list. We went shopping together. I bought a purse for 3 dollars. It's funny going shopping with someone so thin (I like to think I looked like her in high school.) She is funny without trying. She asked if I were shopping for clothes and I said I don't China has clothes for me. She looked me up and down and said my mom's fatter than you. Then we went into a little store and the salesperson said something and she translated "This store caters to fat people." Thanks! So good to know.
On Wednesday, I went to hot pot with the Dean and her husband. Her husband went to America several years ago and had lots of memorable experiences. Her husband is a huge Ryan Reynolds fan and talked a lot about his movies. He was really funny. You could tell the Dean already heard these stories a few times before... That evening, I went to my kitchen to turn on my gas (to take a hot shower) and a rat scurries out. You can ask any of my fellow friends in Mali, but I tend to become hysterical when I see rats. The same thing happened in China. I called Andrew (teammate), and he came to investigate. Then the rat disappeared! He assured me that the rat wasn't in my house anymore.
The next morning, I am walking out of the bathroom, and that little POS is trying to come in! The rat took my breath away. We both kinda froze, and he left. I called Andrew again, but he was asleep. I called my tutor, but he was asleep too. So, I hid in my room with the door shut. An hour or so later I texted Andrew that I really needed his moral support. He returns and I tell him that I'm going to be brave today and not scream. Unbeknownst to me, there are drawers at the bottom of my bookshelf. Andrew opens the draw, and it is full of peed soaked paper, rat poop, and peanut shells. Sigh. I told him I think we (i.e. you) should open all the drawers. The next drawer he opens, a rat is in it! I broke my promise and screamed. Whoops. With some teammate work (I shook the couch and Andrew put 2 rat traps beside each other), we caught it! SUCCESS! I was a big girl and made a "rat sandwich" out of 2 of the sticky pads. I took it out to the garbage (with gloves on of course.) I then ran out the door because I was going to have lunch with my homestay family. I told them I was running late. It turns out, the whole family was waiting on me! Oh Chinese! I'm inconveniencing them so much, but not a word was said. I thought we were having a quiet lunch at home when in reality, grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, mom, dad, and sister were all waiting on me. We ate duck. It was fabulous.
I went back to work yesterday. I also have to go today (it's Saturday). It was a much needed break.
I hope next week is less eventful.

A Story of Inspiration

I saw this on the BBC, and it honestly gave me the chills. THIS is how develop will happen.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8257153.stm

School Days and Holidays

(The road in front of my apartment. The metro is going to change transportation in China.)

This past week (3 days) of teaching was tough. Some weeks are like that.

Last Sunday we had to teach to make up for Wednesdays class. I taught Sunday and Monday. (I don't teach on Tuesdays). On Wednesday, I was delighted I was able to sleep in. My home phone rang, and I didn't bother to answer it because, hey I'm on vacation! I heard my cell phone buzzing (it's on vibrate always), but again, why should I answer it? Well 5 minutes later, my teammate Andrew pounds on my door. I answer it in my pjs, and he's like get some clothes on, we missed class. We have to be on the bus in 10 minutes. Sigh. So I scramble, but we make it. Apparently (but unapparent to the 2 foreign teachers), our holiday starts on THURSDAY not WEDNESDAY. My bad. I missed the first class, but in the second class, the first 2 phrases they learned were "I messed up" and "I blew it." I called the Dean in the afternoon and apologized for inconveniencing her and the other teachers. She understood it was miscommunication, and informed me that we will indeed, make up the class.
Andrew, Mandy, and me at Hot Pot
Walking around Mandy's "small" town (pop. 6 million)
October 1st is China's Independence Day. Andrew and I went out with a colleague. The whole day I thought we were driving around in a Porsche, but it ended up not being one (shows you how much I know about cars!). Our colleague invited us over to her parents house for lunch. This is another cultural misunderstanding. I always think we are actually going to eat at individuals house when really we go out to eat. We ate hot pot, and I do believe it was my favorite hot pot ever. I recogonized a lot of what was put in the pot, and the seasonings were terrific. That afternoon, we went to a tourist place (I told my mom China Town and she just laughed but it really was like China Town!)
Doesn't this look like a legit China Town?
Walking across the bridge
Afterwards, we went to a Monastery.

I totally committed a faux pax because I took a picture of Budda. Apparently, you should not take pictures of Budda. I always obey the signs, but because I didn't see one, I thought it was okay. One of our colleagues' friends says it's like going to a cathedral and not being able to take pictures of Jesus. Andrew then says "You can take pictures of Jesus." I then explained that a lot of times you can't take pictures to protect the artwork, not because it's unlucky. I of course apologized. There was this design on the wall, and you are supposed to walk towards it with your eyes shut. If you touch the design, you will have luck. I missed. Sigh.


Next week, we are on holidays because the solar and lunar calendar ended up making the Independence Day and the Midautumn Festival fall right next to each other. Don't get me started on the rules, but I am forbidden to travel. I will spend this upcoming week cleaning and visiting some sites around Chengdu. My host sister is also coming home, so I will make another trip out to visit the homestay family.