the Vids Have Descriptions

The vids I post have descriptions, it says me leaving work. The one with the KFC is in our apartment. There seems to be some kinda confusion that we live at the school, this is inacurate. we live about 15 minutes away by foot, also the "school" is on 2 floors of an office building. It's not very elaborate at all. I have more vids but they are all jumpy like the one with KFC I will put them up though. Things ave become tense over here, there are certain things happening within the company that are not possitive. I am not happy about it at all and I am having to deal with it when it really isn't my problem. I have gotten through this month a little easier than last month so far but it's still like anoter 25 days till payday, I will be buying a cheap computer. Nothing to pretty but it will do the job.
We had our halloween party tonight and I got some footage, it's dark and jumpy but it should work. I will be recording my vids a different way that should fix the jumping problem, and maybe in another month I will get a DV cam. and a better still camera, I am now convinced that you have to have allthese things seperate, together is nice but all the things suffer in combo units. Anyhow it's late I promis I will get videos up and give more info soon, night all

More vids

Couple more vids for you guys, kinda busy today so I will have to update from the Cafe later, but enjoy while you can.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhqqeVOUx6k An interview just for yuou guys from my bedroom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IzwiOKRLHg Me eating some KFC was having trouble so the video is jumpy and not in sync but the topic gets across.

Video's!!!!

They aren't much guys but here are a couple vids that I took personally. One of me walking around outside work, and a small feature on food here. I really do plan to expand that one though. Kinda a busy day today, but hey one step closer to days off and our next payday. It's nice to know that I can literally buy a computer myself next month without much trouble, and then I will have some better AV equipment than this thing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ6cixhxVW4, me walking around WuHan outside work

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PASUT6lnmqc FREE MEAL!

Will have video and pics available soon.

I bought an mp3, video camera, digital camera combo today. I am trying to talk Tom into doing an interview for you guys but he seems very uninterested, and he won't interview me so we will have to see. I already have a couple of vids for you though, as we have decided to wait yet another month until we buy a PC I will have tough work of getting everything up but I will try my best. You guys may be proud to know that the Chinese government has blocked both our blogs. Very hard to get to them for viewing here, Something is going down around here. There was an airrade siren the other day and since then there have been cops everywhere stopping nearly everyone. A bit worried that something may have gone down with Korea, but they aren't ina hurry to get us out of the country so for now I can only assume this happens every year. Anyhow work ha been light but I did get a talking to from our manager recentlly, frankly it's not even really my problem, but he thought it was. Anyhow early day tomorrow guys gotta run, vids will be up on youtube soon.

No traffic

Tom is getting an awful lot of comments and such on his blog, I go to the effort to update mine nearly every day? Yet other than dad and linda I get nothing but crickets? Is there anything in particular you guys would like to hear about? Please let me know. By the way here is the second back to the 80's episode for you guys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Sr-fOAgpiQ

enjoy

Day off suprise

Some jerk didn't show for his class and I just happend to be at work on my day off using the internet. So i ended up doing it, thing that really sucked is I had to walk home and change first then all teh way back to school with a total of 15 minutes to prepare for the class. It was just a study advisor but still. Just got back from the club I met the girl at, we seem to like each other but it's going to take time. And as usual she seems to like Tom, but this time I am not worried. I hope I don't have to be, anyhow it's like 4 am and I don;t want to burn up my day off tomorrow, promissed to go by the club again. Later all.

Day off

Well today is a day off to rather than giving you a long post this one will be short and sweet with a few pictures and a video for you guys to enjoy. I have to find some money to go on a date tonight so I am in a bit of a hurry. Up above is Meiko, my kitty. She's a sweet heart and I hope she is doing well. Her eyes are crossed because I am pointing something at her, funny I used to think she was such an ugly kitten and she turned into one of the most beautiful cats I have ever had the pleasure of calling my friend, she has been with me a long time, has had plenty of opportunities to run away, but she has always wanted to be with me. She's like a daughter to me, love her dearly. She also looks very cute when she sleeps, don't all cats?

Now here is a video for you guys, the younger of you may be more into it but really this guy is pretty smart, and nearly entirely self educated. He does a series on youtube called back to the 80's. If you have 10 minutes to kill it's worth a look. May give a further update tonight and I will try my best to get the rest of the back to the 80's episodes on. For some reason I can't embed vids like Tom can, we can't figure it out so you gotta click the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?V=RJ9j__3-qmY

Things I wanna do when I get home

Vegas!-have some fun, see some shows, and have some alchohol that doesn't taste like feet. IN and Out Burger without question and prolly several times.

IHOP-Western breakfasts aren't popular here as soon as someone picks me up at the airport I wanna go here

Palmetto Inn-Do I really need to explain this? It wouldn't be hard for me to gain 40 pounds this way

Dr. Pepper-Not my favorite soda but i have been craving one like crazy, along with Root Beer and Mountain dew. Also diet drinks would be nice to try again.

A Steak-Texas roadhouse, no if's, and's, or but's.

Burrito's-and plenty of them, 2 for a buck.

Driving-hopefully a little, may be buying a car for all I know

Tom's right

To a certain extent Tom is right, he and plenty of you don't understand me so I feel I should Explain myself.

Wealth-Back home I had no money even though I made more than I am making here, again we are talking about basic economics here. Things are cheaper, therefor I can save more money and still go out and do things. 5,500 RMB is a shitload of money here, your average college grad only makes about 2,000 a month and that would be considered a fairly good salary around here. Even so if I plan everything right and do a little part time work here and there putting money away won't be any trouble at all. Not to mention people aren't asking me for money all the time here. Back home I would get my paycheck and it would be spent within an hour, I would work my ass off for semingly nothing. Yeah maybe this wasn't a good move for Tom, He made twice as much as me. Still though out of 5500 RMB I could live on 2,000 with paying bills no problem, in fact after bills I could prolly live for about 150 a week, it's just that right now I am covering most of the basic living for both Tom and I, he helped me get here so I promised him certain things. Although this is not etched in stone when we g get fried noodles or rice, I usually pay, Ice cream, I pay, Internet cafe, I pay. Tom covers the cost for some things, but he still has cash, I'm broke. Yes I bought a guitar but I need to play, anyway enough about money.

The Job-yeah it's frustrating, what job isn't? and yes Tom is right about certain asspects of the business. Lets face it some people out there just aren't cut out to be teachers in the states or otherwise. No one wants to go to a class where the teacher odviously has no wish to be there, I know I never liked that. Yeah, the school is trying to make money but that doesn't mean the students can't learn something, it doesn't mean that curcumvention of the system isn't possible. I do it all the time and I get results, if children are bad "naughty" then tell their parents that. Their parents want them to learn english, that's why they are here. The onyl reason they want their kids entertained some is so they will come, chinese kids usually have 5 and a half days of school, sometimes 6 and a half and they are comign here for another couple hours. They have tons of homework and we are giving them more. So am I more accepting? No, not really I have just been a student a really long time, and I try and be like the teachers that I liked.

Leaving at gatherings and slamming the door-Well if your eating at a lazy susan and there are onyl 4 dishes, they all look like garbage, and they aren't on our side of the table, I'm sitting there registering my disgust. I don't really think there is any reason to say anything especially when I have already metioned I have a class to plan for. I have explained this to several people already and if it's an issue still ... then to bad, I hardly ever do it. And our door is hard to close sometimes you have to slam it but other than that Tom is a frustrating guy to live with, I know I am but half the time I ask Tom a question he just shruggs his shoulders or says something completely incomprehensible, I am willing to go out and I can tell it upsets him when I do so. It's just normal sibbling stuff why any of it is being mentioned in our blogs is beyond me really. Tom does however tell me that women that are quite beautiful have "Dog Faces", he'll be lying if he tells anyone otherwise. The price of high standards I suppose, they may nto be gorgeous

China-Yeah it's China, people do Illogical things all day. Again sometimes it's frustrating and sometimes it's just the way things are done. That doesn't mean I can't question it? The way I learn most things is by questining them, regardless of weather I find them frustrating or not. Seems like I may be the one that thought this was going to be more like home than we thought, and I turned out to be right.

Anyway I hope that clears it up.

Met a girl!!!!

I knew hanging out in seedy smoke filled clubs would pay off at some point. Met a girl last night, her name is Ola and although she isn't the most gorgeous Chinese girl I have seen, she certainly isn't bad at all. Someone like Tom would probably say she has a dog face or something unkind like that, which she doesn't. She is short, thin (again by chinese standards she may be considered a little bigger, but plenty of girls back home would be happy to be as thin as this girl), my fingers don't quite touch when I put my hands around her waiste, and yes I did put my hands around her waiste :). She has shorter black hair, haha of course it's black it's the only hair color around here. By the way I remind everyone that it is genetically impossible to have black hair, if ya don't believe me look it up. She wears glasses, I have always kinda liked that.
It was very odd, we were sitting in myth last night and I was dancing with a couple friends of mine and when I go sit back at the table there is this girl standing there talking to another friend of mine, apparently she kept asking him to dance and he didn't want to dance with her. She asked me and I decided "What the hell why not." luckily she dances almost as bad as I do, did I mention she also has healthy boobs for being Chinese, not ultra important but she isn't bad on the eyes in many ways. Her English isn't bad either, it could be better but I am sure I could help her with that, and of course she could help me learn Chinese. We played dice for a while, had some drinks, but soon it was time for us to go and she was working. She got done at 2 am and I asked if she wanted me to come back and meet her so we could go get some food or something and she said that work really wouldn't like to see her leaving with me. This is her way of saying that she is shy, I like this too, I don't want this relationship to go to quickly. I will see her sunday or monday night and I will call her in a few days, I am not going to sound desperate because I am not, at the same time the last thing I want to do is scare her off. Just have to take it slow and easy. Anyhow that is all for right now may make another update from teh cafe tonight if I can afford to go, 5 days till payday and I am already down to spending Jiao (Chinese Dimes).

Are the shackles really broken?

Home calls to some people, it seems as though it's to hard to be away from something so familiar, so welcoming as home. What is home really? Is home where your family is, is it where you hang your hat? I don't know and even if I did I am sure it is different in the hearts and minds of every human being out there. I don't presume to know what makes other people tick, but I do know my own feelings. My feelings tell me that home is where your happy, I'm sorry to say I was not happy in Harlingen. Now that I think about it I haven't been happy in Harlingen since Carrie left, she was the only thing that really made it worth while. I love all of you, but you all moved on with your lives and I was just sorta ... Stuck, not really knowing what I should do or where I should go. Living with dead end jobs left and right that tried to pass themselves off as careers. That may not be a big deal to everyone else but it's a big deal to me, if you aren't;t happy with what your doing, or where your living, what do you have really? Sure I had some furniture and some appliances that were mine, a couple computers, a few instruments. You add it all up and my net worth was about 2 thousand dollars. My bank account was always overdrawn, I never had enough money to even enjoy my hard work, or even really afford my electricity. Things were simply dismal for me, I needed a change but couldn't afford to really go anywhere else, I would have had to sell all my things at a loss, and that would have been all the money I have. I have promised all of my living room furniture to Carrie should she need it, I wonder now why I have done this as she won't respond to my emails, I keep trying to tell myself she wasn't just trying to get my cat from me. Until I have some type of contact or can find a way to call her I have no idea though, I suppose that her caring for Meiko is worth a few hundred bucks worth of furniture and if I move back to the states I would rather have new stuff.
Anyhow, I think I have determined that for right now WuHan is home, I have a good job, I make great money for where I am, and I actually have a bit of a life. I go out and do things with my friends, I like the people for the most part. Once I start getting past the language barrier things should get much easier, I don't have much family and the family I do have isn't always as enthused about being here as I am. Even if I didn't have tom here any longer I think I would be alright, if this school will hire me another year I will pretty much be the only teacher left from our current group as everyone is going elsewhere. After a few years of being in Asia I may have enough money saved up to build a small house somewhere, or even afford a small mobile home. Not exactly 609 south Lewis, but it's something at least and it will be mine. I should have enough money saved up after my contract to purchase a vehicle of some type that will also be mine. Something I will have to show for all my hard work, I don't know how long I'll be gone or weather I'll even be able to adapt to living back in the states easily, this is part of the reason that I want to come home for a few months at a time. Anyhow I have spoken my piece for today I may put another post up later tonight, sometimes thoughts come to me late at night that make allot of sense

My new city ... Gotta love her

here is some scenery driving through the streets of Wuhan, this vid brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it. I'm not sure why, I recognize a few places here and there so I think this may be near where we live, then again it's a little industrial so it may be Hanyang You will need broadband, can't figure out how to do it like tom did because I can;t read chinese, just click the link and it will take you to another site, then just let the vid load.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROI7S7bT65Q

Here is another vid of a family doing some things in Wuhan, Notice the babies pants have no crotch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJc6ENCW9EU&mode=related&search=

Tattoos in China

Tattooing is not really something that is socialy accepted, however it is becoming more so and there are several tattoo parlors in the Hankou portion of the city. Apparently they are quite clean and what you would expect of a western shop. One of the teachers in Hankou has several tattoos and has been to see their operation. He says he would have no qualms about getting one done there. I believe I am going to go check them out over a couple of days around payday and see what things look like, there are several things I want to get done, so if they look good I may have them do them. Apparentlly the quality is great and it's very cheap, I already have to cover up for one so I may as well get everything I want. Tattoos are something I have always liked, so I will likely have many.
Nice and cool today seems like we may have had some type of front move through so it's been nice over the last couple days. Went out with my coworkers for a bit last night so I may do the same tonight, almost broke again. Luckily pay day is close and we are that much closer to a PC, so no more internet cafe's. Well I will probably still have to go but at least I will save money in a way, I am afraid once we get a PC and the internet at the apartment I won't be able to get Tom away from it. AS much as he stays home he may as well have something there to entertain him I suppose. Anyway, I just got some really bad feedback from my boss, I need to put a couple hours of preperation into my class tonight so I must go.

Best layed plans ...

Planning again is something I want to get down in my life, I'm in a country where no one cares about planning. I was supposed to talk to Dad and Patrick today but low and behold they dissapearred and never came back. Sat around in a bunch of smoke for over an hour waiting, never came back. Perhaps there is a good reason for it but at the same time it's aggravating trying to communicate with everyone. I have no wish to be in the internet cafe at 2 in the afternoon, it's busy, everyone is smoking, and the network in there is really slow. Everyone needs to realize that just showing up somehwere on time is very hard for us, we manage but it isn't easy.
You can say all you need to buy is this and this and your set, I AM IN COMMUNIST FUCKING CHINA!!!!! Nothing is as easy as it is back in the states, I can't always go to wal-mart and get something. Back home it was 3 miles away and I had a vehicle, here it's allot farther and I have to walk or pay for transport and frankly they don't have all the same stuff. It's harder to get things done when you have to walk and it doesn't make things easier when we plan to do something and it doesn't work out.

I think I'm done for today.

The Key Broke?

Yeah that does happen now and then, Tom was trying to open the door yesterday and the key seared off at the hilt and got stuck in the lock. There was an emergency that required entry so Tom managed to dig the keys blade out of the lock and we used mine to get in. This sucked because I had to go out and get a key made today, again one of these things that is easier said than done. There is this guy that sits in the little square across from Hong Shan Park. Took me a while to communicate what I needed, I was a little concerned when I saw him carving away at the new key by hand and figured it prolly wouldn't work, lucky me this guy is a craftsman. He was a little upset when I paid him 10 yuan all in coins though. You see there are bills for one Yuan and there are also Coins for 1 yuan. People hate the coins so whenever you buy something they always try and give you a few back as change, thusly people who get these are always trying to give them back to shops, because we hate carrying so much of them around. All I really did today I got a really bad headache that sent me to bed I only just got up.
Now a word on my old pal Nemo. At some point regardless of how much you may love one of your pets at some point you realize that you may not be doing them any good by having them. I came to this realization about Nemo. He as been on my mind allot lately because honestly I am not sure weather he is even still alive. A large part of having Nemo was me just wanting a dalmation, I liked him and all but I don't think I was ready for the responsibility a dog like that requires. He always had skin problems and frankly was a flea magnet, when his flea allergy was confirmed by our family vet I knew I was going to have continued trouble with him. As the years went by I had to watch Nemo decline from a beautiful fun loving guy that liked to pay fetch into some mutt that could only concentrate on how many fleas he had on him and how to get them off even at the sacrifice of his own fur and skin. His constantly wanted to come in but I had to battle fleas in my house once because of him and I wasn't about to do it again. Constant bathing just wasn't doing the trick, nor was treating the yard. I found a good home for Nemo but my father is untrustworthy in many cases and was unwilling to allow me to give him to a nice old Mexican lady that would have given him leftovers and tortillas every night, Nemo would have enjoyed that. Upon further reflection he was my dog and I should have just made the call, I love my Dad but I am a big boy. So time went on and I was going to be coming here and Nemo was just getting worse and worse and it got hot and the flea's were rampant again. I had allot to do and hadn't been doing more than feeding Nemo, so I looked in on him one day and he was in infested, he hadn't been eating, and Lex had no wish to be around him. I sensed trouble, but thought that he may just have gotten tired of the food so I went to the store and got him two pounds of meat, cooked it for him and let him in. Normally Nemo would have devoured this stuff but he just seemed uninterested and turned is nose up at it, I made him eat some but he just threw it up. I looked at some of his stools out in the yard the next day and they were awfully black, my fears were confirmed, it seemed somehow he had gotten parvo. This disease had killed one of our dogs before and was highly contagious. I had to make a decision, neither my parents nor I had the money to take him to a vet and get him treated, not to mention they would be asking me allot of questions about his general health. So I bathed him up as best I could and took him to the humane society. I figured on two things, one they would have ways to treat him assuming he wasn't to far gone, and Second if he did have to be put down it would be far better than dying a very slow death in my back yard. Guys I love/Loved Nemo and at some point you have to try and do the right thing, and I know my dad would have tried but frankly e has enough trouble with his own dogs and there is no cure for parvo short for an injection and that often doesn't work. They assured me tat they would have a vet look him over in the morning and if e had any hope of survival they would see what they could do, otherwise he would be humanely euthanised. I have no idea what Nemo's fate was and honestly when I signed him over to them he wasn't mine anymore, I can only hope that he is well and has found a new loving family that can take better care of him than I ever did. However if he was euthanised I at least tried to give him the best 6 years I could. So I hereby dedicate this post to my loving canines

Nemo if your still around and well good luck with the fam, if they have kids be good to them and I'm sure they will scratch you in all the places you like, I hope they have a deflated basketball for you to play with. Otherwise all dogs go to heaven buddy and I'll see you when I get there.

Lex, your a good girl. Thanks for keeping an eye on Dad for me and I can't wait to see you when I get home. Try and stay in the fence it worries me when you get out.

The h key stick on this board sorry about that.

The great pumpkin

Well maybe back home anyhow, or even on Tom's blog. Hardest day of the week is over, thank God. Wasn't so bad this time around, our boss observed one of his harder classes and that can make anyone un easy. He is in a fowl mood and has decided not to join me at the cafe again. Since I haven't slept in a couple days I have decided to stay here as long as I can to ensure that I am very tired when I get home. I need some serious sleep and refuse to burn through my days off sleeping, those are rpecious and should be spent with as many waking hours as possible. Many people seem to enjoy simply sleeping these prescious days off away, nay I say.
Funniest thing about Chinese people in general, say they all need a book filled out or have to hand a card in or something like that. There is never any order to it, I have to fill out these small books at the end of every class and enevitably I will be sitting at my desk and I will have no less than 8 books shoved in my face at once. The poor girl at the counter just got the student rush and must have had 25 cards shoved at her at once. This may explain the occasional lack of courtesy here and there. This time pay day is our first day back at work, going to have to get some purchases done before work over the week so we will be sitting pretty by the weekend. Going to take tomorrow in stride, hope you all are well.

So here I sit

Alone in this internet cafe, it's hot like an oven again and filled with smoke. Like the people of China don't have enough in their lungs already. Tom is nowhere in site because he has trouble getting up early, I plan on being up at around 6 AM to shower and go to the nightmare that is saturday. For me saturday consists of 2 2 hour classes and 1 160 minute class, I know that doesn't sound like much, but it is. The 160 minute class is actually 2 classes I co teach the same day with someone else, teach 40, 10 minute break, teach 40, switch teachers over 10 minutes, teach 40, 10 minute break, teach 40. Some of these kids have no knowledge of the english language what so ever, it's not something I look forward to. It's agravating and tiring at the same time, by the time I get to my night class, I like these students too, I can hardly do anything with them, my brain barley works. I'm just really tired to, my voice is cracking from saying "Don't worry about what's wrong on the floor JUST LISTEN TO ME!!!", Weekends suck, just like they did back home. Sunday will be a little more full than usual but I have a free chat with adults, I really like those and I think that these do far more than teaching sometimes. We pick a topic and just talk about it, no activities, no lesson plans, just a group of people having a conversation about something. I liek talking to people here, they aren't pampered in any way like most americans have been, they are just trying to get to tomorrow. I feel as though everyone should try and do that now and then, they don't plan to far ahead. Life doesn't always have to be a game of chess, these people are good people. I like allot about them, of course there is stuff I can't stand about them too but it's really pretty superficial when you get down to it.
I have to get my ass in gear and start getting my degree done, I have to finish my english cert. I know all these things sound easy but it's not like I can really get it done at school or an internet cafe. I showed dad more or less where we are, spoke with him again today and he could show most of you on google earth. I am going to be pretty busy tomorrow so I don't know if I'll be leaving a post until late night here again. I would love to hold a chat session in a room and answer everyones questions by voice but we are having trouble finding a place to do it, if we could arrange it for perhaps early monday morning here, late sunday night for you it would be best. Eww I am sitting by an open window and the wind just changed, smells like a corpse left in the sun for 3 days, anyhow we could also do it earlier in the day on say a wednesday afternoo tuesday night there, not sure. One thing is sure I won't do it if I have to go to class in a couple hours unless we are already at the school. I am thinking of buying a simple USB web cam to take back and forward between home and school.
Can't believe my student's think I am the fattest person in WuHan, Just goes to show what they know about american's. One of our teachers gave them a blank world map, they couldn't even find China on it, most of these kids think Japan is bigger than China. Not sure what they are teaching in school around here, allot of it is the students they care more about killing a fly in the classroom than what is going on. If you tell them to leave the fly alone they all sit down for about 30 seconds then they are back up again. You may as well let them just kill it because class will not resume until it's dead. Don't even think of leaving the flys body in the room either. It's gotta go or they will all just look at it for an hour and squah it multiple times. Anyhow later guys I need to think about getting home, it's an early day.

Chinese kids are little gremlins

Yep, born problem solvers and occasional causers. For instance if there is a problem going on with the classroom all of them are right on top of either making it worse or fixing. They like to cause a problem and then try thier best to fix it, and often they can. Chinese people are very clever, often the things they make don't make much of a point ... like a fan that blows as you when you peddle your bike. Not going to really do you much good in the middle of summer in WuHan but neat that they made it work. I ever get trapped somewhere that seems perilless gimme a Chinese person any day.
Spoke with Mom, Dad, Stoerm, and Baaska today. Was fun but it was a little early in teh AM for those guys, Dad had to bail. I do appologize for living in the future but it can't be helped ya know, Granddad, just wanted to let you know not to worry. We appreciate the concern but frankly things are kinda going as we expected, this was always going to be for a future not really fun. Althought we both have some fun now and then (Although Tom would hardly admit it) we are more or less on track. Things will be better once we staret getting our whole salary, and once some of our family comes here to visit, and don't feel silly about any of the questions asked in the comments. Jesus if I told you all the silly things I have seen since coming here. We will try and get a chat together in some kinda room one day soon but either us or you guys will all have to be up at a very "Unfavorable time".
Only had an hour class today, not looking forward to saturday but oh well. We all have to do things we don't like in life and teaching 6 year olds is one of those things for me. Anyhow I deffinitly want to meet up in Vegas as planned, I can't wait to get home and enjoy my time with all of you, even if it is only a few months.

I do have occasional wisdom

And I am not settling for the way things are, I am simply not saying anything about it. I'm tired of being told no is all there is to it, Just because they tell me the way they want it done doesn't mean I am going to do it that way by any means.
It's polluted like crazy especially the last few days, I can barley see across the street and I am starting to understand why people spit so much around here, after a while you can just taste fuel in your phlem and it isn't pretty, has to be gotten rid of. I am the kinda guy who likes to occasionally criticize others and I must say that as much as the Chinese try to be American, they aren't at all. They are Chinese and the way they act is Chinese, it's rather funny to see what they think American's do, all their t shirts are misspelled. It's hilarious really, well busy day gotta run.

Sick Again

I get over one cold just to get another, I know the student that did it this time and I could kick the little bastards ass for it. I told him to get away from me in class but he insisted on sitting right by me! I am getting about one cold a week now and it sucks, my blood came back fine so I know I don't have HIV or anything like that but my immune system isn't as strong as I would like it to be. Wonder if there is an inexpensive way to boost my immune system, I can't keep going to work sick as a dog. This is our last day off for this week and then it's more or less back to normal. The next holiday coming up will be thanksgiving but I don't think we get a day off for that at all, and yesterday was Canadian thanks giving. Being that almost the entire staff is canadian they all got together last night and had a get together. I am not canadian, feeling well, or particularly into hanging with the Hankou staff so I took a pass.
Things have not been going well with my co workers at all for the most part, most of them have been in China longer and have allot more experience being here. Still though it's hard to make them understand that we have very little money right now and, and going out and buying expensive food isn't really an option. I don't want to spend all my cash on taxi's so if they decide to do something different all of a sudden and I have to take my own taxi home I am stuck with the whole ride cost. Not to mention I get in a taxi and say the name of my street (Which I have been told I say perfectly) and the taxi driver either looks at me blankly or sks follow up questions. I have no idea what he is asking so often i end up having to walk back home. This is often a very long walk and depending on the time of night very dangerous for a westerner.
They fail to see why I am often frustrated with them and have ceased even trying to understand me. Most of them are just kids and act like it, the only one that is my age and goes out with us is a condesending prick most of the time. I had a friend back in the states that would always shoot my ideas down and generally make me feel inferior, I get the same thing from most of the staff here but especially from this guy that's my age. Not to mention that friend of mine back in the states is still very into making me feel less than human as often as possible. The only answer has to be that my ideas really are shit, I mean it's been verified in two different countries now. So I officially throw in the towel on trying to be creative in any way, from now on I just want the people in charge of me to tell me the way they want it done rather than fight with them and in the end just saying "Look tell me how you want it then!" The little creativity I seem to have will be delegated to my music and photography when I get a good digi cam, I guess I just don't like other people that much. Most of the staff from the school thinks this is all about fun and games, and it's not, not for me anyway. I am here to work, get a degree, and change my life. I don't want to get shit faced every night and go to work hung over, this just seems to be what people here do. Not to mention thee are very few american's around, mostly canadian's so I have very few people that know anything about where I am from.
As Tom mentioned I did make Tacos, wish they were better but that again is just the way it is here. I may buy a small grill and try making some steaks some time but I will have to do them out in fron of the apartment and then take them up to our place I guess, sounds a little difficult but hopefully worth while. Corn tortillas are impossible to get in this country, so I can't make my famous enchlada casserol, next time I make soft tacos I am going to try making the tortillas myself. I may have to get my gas stove working or find a better hotplate though because I dunno if what I have now will really work. It's just induction with presets and I can't vary the temp from what the presets are, maybe Stoerm's friend can help me find a better one. You can afford to go out and eat everyday here if you want but sometimes I really like cooking.
My guitar is Hideous but ti works and that's what matters right now. I hope to have a little studio set up and maybe record some music. Blue sea is a very nice music store and they try their best to be helpful to the one westerner that comes in. Strings are pricy so I am going to try and make them lst as long as I can, trying to keep them clean and such. My coworkers can't understand at all why I bought one, and "I need to play guitar." just seems to go right over their heads. Anyhow this is turning into one of those depressing posts that you guys don't like to read so I will talk at you tomorrow, sorry about the mis-spells BTW but I can't spell check from here this whoe system is in chinese.

Birthday's are such simple things ... one would think

I already had a picture of a birthday party in the book, and I more or less have them understanding what a party is, and that that time of party is a birthday party, and that the birthday party is for Carmen, and that Carmen is 7 years old. What i don't appear to be able to drill into their heads is that this is the "day" that carmen is turning 7 and that is what the party is for. The Chinese way to say birthday is "Shenu Ri" with a long e and a decending I, I didn't know this at the time and if I did I would simply have written it on the board next to the word birthday and they would have gotten it. I can't just say "Your borthday is the day you were born." because they have no fucking clue what the word born means, I also can't say "It's the day your mother gave birth to you." You have the same problem and the birthing process isn;t something I should eb discussing in a room of 6-8 year olds, not to mention they wouldn't understand most of what I am saying. So you see they have no real way to associate Shenu Ri with Birthday. They know how to sing happy birthday but they have no idea what the song really means, even if you ask "What day do your parent's sing you thing song?" And hand them a calander they just look at you like a deer in the headlights. I believe the only answer is to use a little Chinese in the classroom, with children this young there is hardly a way around it. It would be the only way for me to convey what I am trying to say to them, if they never have a real way to associate Shenu Ri and birthday then they are jsut repeating what your saying. Just because a student can say something doesn't mean they understand what they are saying, they're just mimiking you and that doesn't mean shit. I am not trying to teach them to be a parrot I am trying to teach them another language. This is the hardest thing about EFL teaching, sometimes there just isn't a way to effectivley keep their mother tongue out of the classroom, that's what I believe and I'm sticking to it. It shouldn't be used heavily, but when you hit that brick wall what do you do? Anyway guys I may have more later.

PC at home

well in 17 days we should have a PC at home and won't have to go to the school or internet cafe any longer, well maybe I will. We will have a PC at home and we are even toying with the idea of setting up a 24/7 web cam so you guys can see us on our couch all the time. Since I sleep on our couch you will be able to watch me sleep for a while I suppose. Today was China's national work day, sorta the opposite of labor day, if you have a job you have to be there working. It means that parents don;t have time to get their kids to any extra classes so we more or less had a day off. "Funny old world idn't it?" Anyhow we went bowling, I didn't want to as it was just a photo op for the school, but I actually found that I had a pretty good time at it. I had the coolest shoes and prolly the biggest too, got a few strikes but in the long run my team lost. I should have known better than to go up against Tom, Had some great pizza at a place called Giano's. It's about a mile walk from the apartment but well worth it, it may be just a tad more. Pricy to but it beats the hell outta pizza hut, even back inthe states. I am telling you someone is going to have to take me to in and out when we meet in vegas. Hot as fuck in this internet cafe, I am sitting here with my shirt unbuttoned and my shoes off, other people are walking around in their undies practically. Another thing about china, you can smoke anywhere. There are butts all over the floor in here, so where is everyone, no comments lately? My co workers have been a bit of a problem lately, they're alright but sometimes a bit condesending and unhelpful, anyhow that's it for now.

Sorry about earlier

Things got a little crazy at work today and I was really tired and frustrated. One of our teachers is out on vacation and I have had to take her classes, they suck. Can you imagine not being able to teach someone the concept of a birthday? Just not being able to convey the thoughts in any way that the people your trying to teach can understand. If i could just write the fuckinh pinyan on the board, it would solve everything. But no I have to use english at all times, funny enough this isn;t the best way to teach another language.
In the internet cafe again as we only have a teachers meeting and bowling tomorrow and then a couple more days off, i really need it to. Guys the truth is this is very hard work, and I knew it was going to be. There was never a doubt in my mind that this was going to be rough. Living in WuHan is cool but it's starting to become like living anywhere else, I get up, Go to work, get frustrated with work (far less so than before), go home, watch a movie with Tom and go to sleep. I work far more than 40 hours a week. These are all things I expected and frankly if I wasn;t somewhat wealthy here and hated the job more I might just come home.
The fact is, I like my job and as much as these little bastards dissrespect me and hate me at times, I know I am doing them some good most of the time. If they take one or two things away from my calsses and hold on to them, then it's better than nothing. It ahrdly matters if they pass their tests or not as the school won't fail them anyway, if they do that then they don't make any dough and they wouldn't want that to happen. So for the most part aside from the normal Bullshit I'm happy I suppose and I like where I am, I gotta run guys talk at you tomorrow.

Nothing to say

I am so tired a frustrated that I have little to say. I will say it all tomorrow.

Nowhere Man

Nope didn't go anywhere outside of WuHan for the vacation, but lemme tell ya WuHan was hoppin. We really don't have much money right now as the school is still withdrawing our flight and we didn't work a whole month. So we didn't go anywhere, however we did go to a bar called Keke Xile (co-co shelay), lots of eye candy and poll dancers believe it or not. The one we saw was about my age and had a bad scar on her belly, but the canvas was in good shape. (Even got a peek under the undies, my my my.) Also went to a bar called SOHO, and a bar called Cafe Brussels. Good cigars but allot of westerners there, French westerners. But a nice place to hang out it's in Hankou so it's expensive to get there. Anyhow all, I have had a couple classes added because someone is on vacation so I must go.

Sorry it's been a while

Sorry it's been a while guys, but the internet was on the fritz at school, and frankly still is. I am at an internet cafe right now paying for the internet, sitting in a room filled with smoke. My head phones don't work so all the stuff I have been trying to listen is silent, frankly it's convenient but sucks. BTW about 98% of Chinese men smoke and about 2 % of the women. That may seem odd but that is just the way it is. I have had many Chinese guys try and get friendly by sticking a smoke in my mouth and lighting it. Say no all you want but it never works, I have decided to grow my hair back out as maintaining a shaved head has become awfully expensive. We are not getting our full salaries yet so things can be a little tight at times, but in 6 months there will be some PHAT cash coming in.
Carrie and I had decided to attempt to rekindle our relationship before I left, however with no communication from her in any way shape or form I have little hope that this will pan out. It may not be a bad thing but it's a little sad. Carrie hates where she is but she would love it here, yes certain sacrifices would have to be made, The whole thing about finding women in china for westerners is complete and utter bullshit (sorry Stoerm), but it is. I haven't had a woman give me a second glance yet. Sure skanky whores ask me to pay for it all the time but that isn't me and most of the whores here are dirty as a mop if you get my meaning. Regardless of what may be said I have no wish to sleep with a hooker, thusly I am just as much if not more sexually frustrated than before. I am in a city where most of the women up to my age are just smokin hot, hard to deal with.
I purchased an Electric guitar during the Holiday, it's a Chinese brand called pearl river and is one of the most hideous things I have ever owned. It has a very funny shape some where between a fender telecaster and that ibanez Iceman I left at my parents place. It's coloring makes it look like something that should be floating in a toilet in SoHo, the frets are starting to raise off the neck, but I have been playing the hell out of it. If you go here http://www.pearlriverpiano.com/eprp/guitars.html#Electric%20Guitars and look for the EG-9 model it's the one on the far left. I bought it second hand for 600 Yuan. That's the cool thing about music stores here in china, they have used instruments and you can talk them down on the price. Honestly the shape is begining to grow on me but the color is just awful. I will make a few repairs and trade it back to the store next month and get another second hand one they have there. Or who knows if I repair the frets and it's a nice instrument I may just keep it and get myself something else like an amp or an acoustic, maybe a bass. I think I should be able to hammer the frets back down without doing much damage and all will be fine. But we shall see, as we are purchasing a computer things will be tight again, may make sence to live with it for a while and put a little cash into it, that way I can get closer to what I paid and Blue Sea can sell it for a little more.
Made some tacos the other night, Tom has pics I hope he will post. Ground beef here tastes like it came from a cow that was like 3 years old, and it has lots of gristle. So much so that I lost another piece of one of my molars (I have to see a dentist soon). They only have red onions and the bell pepers have seen better days. Not to mention I know nothing about cooking black beans and screwed that up too. But I know better next time. Also the only thing you can get like a tortilla here is Muslim flat bread, it's better than you may think.
Got over that damn cold finally, it wasn't pretty but only 3 days. I hate teaching sick because I have to talk at half speen anyway, and when I am talking through my nose I can barley be understood. I have gotten a couple of complaints from parents lately. They seem to feel the need to watch the class from outside as I am teaching and it bothers the hell out of me. Anyhow I have been here way to long I hope the internet will be working at school tomorrow. Oh Linda I know they have get togethers for the students but I dunno about fundraisers, remember it is a business, not a school really. I will try my best to find out though.