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I have tried to think of a unifying thread to tie together everything that has happened since my first report, and the most coherent one seems to be that my experiences outside the classroom have become much more significant. This is not to say that the high school has played a smaller role in my life. I have continued to meet challenges and find rewards in my work as an English teacher, and in many ways I have become even more involved with the school during this time. However, our class schedules became much less *ahem* predictable than they were during the beginning and middle of the semester, and several things happened in December to focus my attention outside the classroom.
I should say that even with our schedules' variability during December, I feel that my teaching still benefited from a little bit of extra training at the end of November. The weekend after Thanksgiving, the school took all the English teachers (Katie and myself included) to the big city: Shanghai. In addition to sightseeing, shopping, and eating sweet food, we were able to sit in on a class at a special and very expensive privately run English language-specialty school. The teacher we observed had been an ESL instructor for the past seven years and was very good. It was wonderful to have the chance to watch another westerner teach, and this opportunity came at a great time during the year as well. By this point in the semester, I was becoming more comfortable in the classroom, so observing another instructor helped get my creative juices flowing and pushed me to take my newfound confidence further rather than simply staying in my comfort zone. I still have lots of ideas that I am eager to implement; sh
ortly after returning to Nanjing, our schedules at the high school became quite
Unpredictable
One expectation I had when I arrived here in August was that I would have to be flexible. I had read previous reports and talked to people who had been here before me. Every source seemed to indicate that flexibility would be an important, if not necessary, quality for surviving the year. However, after the understandable period of adjustment towards the beginning of the semester when Katie and I got used to the school-and the school got used to us-I assumed things wouldn't change too much. For the most part I was right; in October and November we would occasionally find out about cancelled classes only when none of our students showed up, but aside from these occasional surprises, our work schedule did not change very much. At least until December. During the last month of the semester, classes were cancelled left and right. I couldn't even give the final exam I had prepared nearly a month in advance to two of my classes because of our increasingly erratic schedule. (I'm sure my students were terribl
y upset about that). The festivities responsible for our ever-changing schedules definitely helped limit any frustration, though. It would have been hard not to enjoy the Art Festival, Christmas Show, and all the other school-sponsored events, unexpected though they were.
Sometime at the end of November or the beginning of December, Katie and I had been told we would be participating in the Christmas show. This seemed like a perfectly fine request at the time; I had enjoyed demonstrating the American versions of other holidays and saw this opportunity as a way to cope with being away from home for the first time over Christmas. By this point in the year, Katie and I knew enough to expect some kind of a catch, but at least had a rough idea what would happen when the time came. We knew the dust-caked Santa Suit from a box in the library would be involved somehow, and that we were also expected to perform "Do, a Dear" a la Josh and Kasia of 2001-2002. Although I was not at all excited about having to sing in front of the school, I had at least become less intimidated by the size of our audience through the monthly speeches Katie and I had given thus far, and drew a measure of confidence from my experiences with theater at Grinnell. However, I was not at all prepared for how
quickly things ended up coming together.
Katie and I were told the first Friday of December that we would be performing the following Wednesday, i.e. in five days. Since I thought "Do, a Dear" somehow classified as a "Christmas" kind of performance, I asked Fang Laoshi "but aren't we going to perform that during the Christmas Party?" She smiled from behind a cupped hand and responded, "Oh, no-that's when you will be Father Christmas. I think you and Katie will sing your song during the Art Festival next Wednesday." Our Song? Art Festival? Next WEDNESDAY? Not only was this the first time I learned the date we would be performing, but it was also the first time I had heard there would be an Art Festival at all.
After a few practices with the school's music teacher and some timid run-throughs in our rooms, Katie and I found ourselves at the dress rehearsal where we finally heard some good news: because of the Art Festival the following day, we would not have to teach any afternoon classes. This was definitely okay with me, and I thought, "that's one less thing to worry about." After one or two quick run-throughs with Katie that night, I laid down to bed with visions of the von Trapps dancing in my head.
We showed up the following day as planned only to discover ten minutes before the first performance that the Art Festival was cancelled due to rain. I almost asked if there was a rain location but dismissed the question before it even passed my lips-where on earth would we be able to squeeze 3,000 or so people indoors? After a moment of thought, I decided that this change of plans was also okay-it would at least give Katie and myself a few extra days to practice and psych ourselves up for the eventual performance. Mulling this over in my head, I climbed the stairs to our fifth-floor office to collect my things and go home. As I was about ready to leave, I noticed that some students had gathered in the hallway outside our classrooms. I also noticed that several of them looked suspiciously like the students we would have taught if it hadn't been for the Art Festival in the first place. I ran downstairs to see what was going on, and had my suspicions confirmed: "Didn't anyone tell you? I think you will te
ach your normal classes this afternoon." I should have known. We were going to teach a class that was scheduled, cancelled and then re-scheduled again in the span of about 24 hours. I had become much better at dealing with this type of surprise, so I just grabbed a back-up lesson plan and headed into class.
A few days later, on the bitingly cold day when we finally had the Art Festival, Katie, myself and the other students involved with the "Do, a Dear" performance did what I thought was a pretty decent job, especially for only having had a week of practice. Thankfully, we were only one in a series of performances, which included songs, dances, and culminated in what I found to be a very amusing teachers-only fashion show.
Grab Bag
December was also the time that Katie and I sat on the interview committee for the Nanjing Special Scholarship. Definitely a departure from our normal duties until that point, it was also the first time I had ever sat in a formal interview where I was the one asking, rather than answering, the questions. The experience confirmed my long-held suspicion that it can actually be quite difficult for people on both sides of the selection process; this was probably my least favorite duty during November or December. After the last interviewee left, I remember wishing that we had just one more scholarship to give away; so many outstanding students in China who want to go to school in the states will not be able to because of prohibitive costs. I tried to keep a positive outlook on the situation by reminding myself that we did have, at least one, to award. I definitely feel that I learned a great deal from the experience and hope that any other interviews I come across in the future will run that much more smooth
ly.
The Christmas festivities at the end of the month were lots of fun as well. On the 24th, I dressed up (yes, in the dirt-caked Santa Suit) as Father Christmas and then Katie and I threw peanuts, oranges and candy out to cheering crowds of eager students. After the candy ran out and things finally settled down, Katie and I helped judge what I understand to be the school's first annual English-speaking contest. I think it's a great idea, and will be a nice tradition in the years to come once the logistical kinks have been worked out. Before we were allowed to leave at the end of the evening, Katie and I were called up on stage again, this time to be practically buried alive with gifts from our students. It was very touching and made for a great Christmas Eve. Thankfully the powers that be had granted Katie and I the day off on Christmas this year, so I celebrated the 25th by sleeping in and spending time with friends during the day.
Another holiday-like event that I feel the need to mention was one of the most memorable birthdays of my life so far. It all started when Grace, Romeo and Fang Laoshi took Katie and I out to lunch courtesy of the school. We went to a nice restaurant, ate some hotpot, and had birthday cake. However, (as I was soon to discover) the cake we were eating was no ordinary birthday cake. When I blew out the candles, one of them-a nice, big flower candle-exploded. And when I say, "exploded" I mean the flower opened up and fire shot out the top; about a foot of fire. Apparently, it was supposed to be special, though not necessarily a trick candle. For some reason, when the waiter lit all the small candles at the top, he must have missed the larger, gout-of-fire wick. I suspect that when I blew out the other ones, the smaller candles' flickering must have lit the larger wick, which ignited the big flame when my face was almost directly overhead. I'm doing fine now that my eyebrows have grown back, but my heart
still skips a beat when I see anyone use a lighter.
Another similarly exciting distraction from our regular class schedule was the visit that professors Andrew Hsieh and Todd Armstrong paid Nanjing during the middle of December. It was wonderful to see their familiar, Grinnellian faces halfway through the year and all the baijiu-chugging banquets thrown in their honor were welcome additions to my work schedule as well. Although their visit was brief, it was definitely memorable. I think the only thing that could have made me happier than seeing them was if my own family came to visit me. Luckily, this is exactly what happened.
The Fam
I would be lying if I said that I hadn't been looking forward to their visit since the moment our plans were finalized a few months before. And I would be lying again if I said that their visit wasn't one of the biggest highlights of my second quarter; it was. After living in China for almost four months, I started getting a little homesick, and seeing my mother, father, and four younger sisters was a great mid-year boost. They arrived with a tour group, which did a better job of showing them the major attractions in China than I could have, and also gave me the excuse to join them for sightseeing in Beijing and Shanghai over two weekends. I got to be a tour guide myself when they came to Nanjing, and was even able to use them in my final lesson plan. Katie and I combined our classes for that week, which turned into something like a cross between a show-and-tell and question-and-answer session. It ended up being a great way to end the semester-the students, once they actually started talking, asked some
very insightful questions, and many lingered in our office, talking to our guests long after class was over. Some of the younger students seemed to have trouble understanding my sisters when they spoke too quickly (which I can identify with myself) but I was impressed by how engaged the majority of the students were. Now all I have to do with the rest of break is figure out how to command as much attention next semester with a brand new group of students…
Before my family returned to the states, they were introduced to Chinese Hospitality when the school invited us all to the end-of-year staff banquet, complete with a room full of hundreds of toasting teachers and performances galore. True to form, we were asked to "sing for our supper," so we all climbed up on the stage when it was our turn and belted out a verse or two of "Jelly Man Kelly" by James Taylor. It was the first time I've felt comfortable performing in front of so many coworkers, though I wonder if the floodgates have now been opened, and I'll be expected to do so again come next semester. Although my sisters by no means ate everything they were served (the pork-skin-soup and chicken-feet-plate were particularly untouched) I think everyone had a good time just watching the evening unfold. Later that week we tried to return the favor and took some of the teachers out to a western restaurant where we-quite by accident-discovered one of the only dishes I've seen my Chinese friends shy away from.
The platter that induced such wide-eyed shock was nothing other than a plate of "raw vegetables," that is to say, "salad." I admit to being a bit surprised that salad was the main thing left at the end of the night, but everything else disappeared pretty quickly in the spirit of cross-cultural exchange.
Seeing my family was the best Birthday / Christmas present I could have asked for, and it helped me in many ways. They brought familiar music, warm clothes (even ones that fit!) hugs and chocolate. They helped to curb my homesickness and gave me a large dose of encouragement and confidence in my ability to navigate Chinese society. The only thing I regret is that they had to return to the states and resume their normal lives. Fortunately, I didn't have too much time to dwell on their absence because as soon as they left I turned in my grades and rushed off to meet a friend in Yunnan.
Traveling
…was absolutely wonderful. I had decided to spend our entire between-semester break in China, mostly within and around Yunnan province; the most southwestern one. Although still in China, Yunnan was far away-a 58-hour train ride, to be exact-and it showed. The weather, while still a little cool (especially in the mountains) was much nicer than it was in Nanjing. And Kunming, the provincial capital, had air that was fresh, clean and quite breathable. During the day the sun shone and at night the stars even came out. I never stayed in one place for very long, but kept on the move so I could see all the things I had wanted to: mountains, rivers, a World Cultural Heritage Site and lots of minority groups to name some. Without going into too much detail, since I'm sure future fellows will be anxious to have their own experiences during the break, I will say that my time in Yunnan was fantastic, and provided a much-needed change of scenery halfway through the year. I could have spent even more time there, b
ut also feel like the time I did spend was at least adequate. Thanks to all the people who helped me decide to venture down to Yunnan; it was a great decision.
I was actually amazed at how well things ended up working out even though I was traveling during the Spring Festival. There were the usual number of expected delays, but I was always able to stay on the schedule I wanted, and consider myself very lucky in that respect. I attribute a lot of the "luck" I've had so far to traveling with people who have a better command of Chinese than I. Because of the uncertainty at the end of the semester and the craziness of hosting my family, I wasn't able to coordinate my travel with Katie, but I was able to join a friend from New Zealand who had been living in China for the last two years. She was a great traveling partner, especially because my inability to communicate as well and often as I would like is one of the most constant and recurring challenges I have had to meet here in China. In terms of learning the language, I sometimes feel that I have made great strides in comprehension and even speaking. However, there are also times that it seems like the progress
I have made in the past few months is miniscule compared to the amount that I still have left to go. I usually tell myself to be patient and remember that even my friends who have been studying Chinese for several years still run into trouble being understood. Usually this helps; I can't remember a single time that getting frustrated has ever aided me in communication. If there's one thing that being a teacher and living in a country where I don't know the language has taught me, it's a greater capacity for patience.
Chinese New Year
Okay, I lied. There's one thing about my travels that I just HAVE to talk about; Chinese New Year. I have had some time to think about what it means to be an American during the first five months of living in China, and at the risk of making a sweeping generalization I'll tentatively say that compared to people from other countries, Americans seem to do things bigger. However, after having lived in China during the past few months, it seems that Chinese do things big even by American standards. For the sake of argument, completely disregard the story about my birthday and the exploding candle, and just consider this year's Spring Festival (New Year's celebration).
I was in Jinghong, a small city by Chinese standards, feeling a little disappointed that there wasn't going to be a "big" city-sponsored fireworks display to kick off the New Year. I shouldn't have worried. It was true that there was no officially sanctioned display. It was also true, however, that the locals more than made up for this. A friend explained to me shortly before the festivities really moved into high gear that people light fireworks on New Year's Eve not for the pretty display, but to scare away the demons of the old year, and start off the new one fresh. In other words, the fireworks are mainly there for noise (after having lived here for five months this doesn't surprise me at ALL). As one might imagine, the demons of the old year take quite a bit of scaring before they will just up and go, so everyone coordinates their efforts to ensure that every last one is gone. Beginning a few minutes before midnight and not dying down for at least two or three hours, the city was full of almost co
ntinuous noise as people seemed to launch small munitions batteries from the top of every roof. I had thought to bring earplugs with me but even with them in, it was LOUD!!! I hope that's the closest I'll ever come to being in a war zone. I was never actually injured, but large firecrackers sometimes exploded about a foot or two away from me along my walk back to the hotel. This year definitely came in with a bang.
Speaking of New Year's, Happy Year of the Monkey!!! Since the monkey happens to be my Zodiac animal as well, I am supposed to have either a very good year, or a very bad one. I've been trying to load up on good luck during the break through red clothing and jade monkey charms. But even without these, I'm optimistic that the upcoming year will be a very good one. My first semester of teaching was a great experience and I'm hopeful that the second one will be even better. I have a better grasp of how things work in China, am more confident in my teaching abilities and can occasionally predict the kind of things that will happen ("occasionally" being the operative word). As always, though, I feel like I do even better when I receive advice, encouragement and correspondence from afar. *hint, hint*
torrence@grinnell.edu
Justin Torrence
Nanjing University Xi-Yuan, Room 1701
20 Jin Yin Jie
Shanghai Lu
Nanjing, China 210093
Thanks again to the people who have sent me anything; it brightens up my day like nothing else. Good luck to everyone applying for Grinnell Corps programs this time of year and to those responsible for selecting Fellows. And remember to be nice to any monkeys you know; they deserve it; I promise.
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