wo shuo de bu hao

Doris

2015-07-03T06:23:00.000-07:00

Last week we were lucky enough to interview our friend Doris, who is hard working and totally hilarious! It's one thing to write about these amazing people that we are spending so much of our time with, but why just write about them when you can meet them yourselves? Presenting a new section of Ting (bu) Dong where we will focus on the people we have met and their thoughts on life, work, and everything in between.

Doris is an amazing, opinionated woman. We were extremely excited to interview her and curious about her thoughts on what it's like to be a woman in modern day China. We asked her about societal and parental expectations, her thoughts on both, and her personal plans for the future. She is a small business owner, as well as a manager, translator and jack-of-all trades at our school. So we felt that she bucked the trend of most women we see her age. We also asked her about the future, and how the expectation of women today might change. She was very candid, and for that Ben and I are so grateful. Please meet Doris, our incredible friend and co-worker.

Dramatic Turns

2015-06-25T23:22:00.002-07:00

An unexpected part of our job, especially early on, involved a lot of performing. In a way I guess, teaching itself is a bit of a performance. Lesson planning acts as a rehearsal and every class is its own show. Ben the teacher is a heightened, slightly altered, version of every day Ben. Fortunately for Torie and I, we have four plus years of training in the theatre that had us equipped to handle any dramatic responsibilities that might be bestowed upon us. At our school it meant making teaching videos, sometimes as the characters Princess Alphabet and King Monkey. Those sound like some exciting characters right? The characters can be best summarized as equal parts horrifyingly exuberant and excruciatingly redundant. So a solid children's show. We try to make up for it with loud voices and a lot of energy. We made an hour long video teaching the alphabet, one hour straight, every letter, pronunciation, repetition, singing, and dancing, all in a small area of our break room. The video was actually so long that it had to be split up into six ten minute videos. Who knows, maybe some day soon you guys will get to see them...After we made them we actually thought they turned out pretty well, but after recently revisiting them they seem more like a catastrophe. Inexplicably, our bosses were so happy with the characters that they approached us with the possibility of developing an educational T.V. show for the school. Turns out that takes quite a bit of time and energy and as we are already working full time it was not really plausible. Who knows though, we may have not seen the last of Princess Alphabet and King Monkey, though all of me hopes we have.

But the performing did not stop there, oh no. It isn’t only Torie and I performing either, sometimes we have to step out of the actor’s skin and into the director’s chair and these responsibilities are not taken lightly. Torie and I, along with another teacher Steve were asked to work with the kindergarteners on Christmas performance pieces for the Christmas show. Torie’s group went with a performance of the Beatle’s classic, “All Together Now,” a-capella in English. No small feat. Steve’s group sang “Jingle bells,” which ended up being a lot of mumbling for the verses and then a power ballad for the chorus. My group did “The Electric Slide,” except our dance was set to a funky tune called, “Too Hot To Stop,” by The Bar Kays. Except on the day of the performance whoever was in charge of the sound messed up our music and we ended up doing the Electric Slide to the Beegees' “Stayin’ Alive.” It probably would have been a train wreck if it weren’t for the fact that those little kids are the cutest things in the universe and I was dressed in a fat suit with a big white (not a fake!) beard. I was Santa Claus for Christmas. At one point up there on the stage I think my fake fluffy belly flew around and decked poor little Mark. He played it like a champion though and improved a dance on the ground that looked like a mix of the worm and the robot. Absolutely nailed it.

While our performances with the kindergarteners for the Christmas show were more cute than anything else, what they did with their regular kindergarten teachers (not English teachers) were unbelievable. Rather than rehearsing a mere once or twice a week, they stepped it up to a whole different level. Every day rehearsal at least an hour and a half long, even for the little Snoopy’s! It was intense. There was a tightly choreographed dance to Shakira’s “Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)”, a military regimental dance/performance piece that involved cartwheels and flips, and an all boy dance to One Direction’s, “What Makes You Beautiful.” There was also a video game themed dance with the little kids dressed up as little Marios and Luigis. I had my jaw dropped the entire time. It really is too bad that we couldn’t get a video clip of any of these.

Standing there watching these insanely high quality (even the hair and makeup was top notch) performances, I couldn’t help but think about my own childhood school performances and how they compared to what I was witnessing. In 5^th grade we did the Macarena. And that’s it. 5^th grade! Don’t get me wrong, my 5^th grade class absolutely crushed the Macarena, but these kids are barely out of infancy and it looks like they’re auditioning for Cirque Du Soleil. This was one of those moments where it definitely felt like we were in a different place. Needless to say, I was damn impressed. High fives and hugs for everyone. Though based on the quality of the performances and the amount of time and effort put into them, maybe it would have been more appropriate to hand those kids a fat check.

We would have to wait a few more months before we got the chance to take the stage again, this time for the Children’s Day Performance on June 1^st. And that’s where the foreign teachers (us) really had to step up their game. On top of all the children’s performances that day, the foreign teachers were asked to come up with their own performance and it could be anything we wanted. But how could we possibly top the majesty of the kindergarten Christmas show? Turns out we couldn’t. That show was unbelievable and will never be topped. But what we could do is dress up like superheroes and dance to “Uptown Funk.” So we did. And there is a video of that. And here’s that VIDEO.

Surely there will be more performances to come, and when they do we will make sure to keep you all posted.

In the meantime, pictures of the kids on Children's Day!

KTV

2015-06-18T06:59:00.002-07:00

You know all of those massive palaces in Las Vegas? I actually don’t cause I’ve never been there, but I have seen some pictures and I’ve definitely seen Oceans Eleven at least four times. Anyways, imagine that those casino place complex behemoths were all dedicated to one thing: karaoke. “Absurd,” they’d say! Well over here in Zunyi it’s not absurd at all. It’s the real deal. Here it is known as KTV. Not all KTV spots are quite as lavish as I just described but the average KTV is at the very least the size and scope of a huge nightclub back in the U.S. Some KTVs are a little seedier than others, offering escorts and other shenanigans, and some are the classiest of joints. One thing they all are is loud. They’re also crazy packed. It’s unbelievable how passionate the Zunyi population is about offering their renditions of…well actually a lot of the selections are kind of unexpected. For example, and maybe I totally missed the boat on this in the States, but Westlife is insanely popular in the KTV scene. Westlife? Yes. A Westlife song comes on at the KTV and the room explodes with joy. Everyone then proceeds to sing every lyric to any Westlife song you could dream up. Even some of the Brits in our company were blown away by the overwhelming passion for Westlife.

But even the majestic power of Westlife cannot come close to the absolutely bonkers popularity of one single song in China right now. I don’t know the official Chinese title but I know that the English translation is “Little Apple.” This song is everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Not just KTV: schools, restaurants, public restrooms, there is no escaping “Little Apple.” I’ve heard it so much that even I can sing the chorus in Chinese. From new born babies to oldies in their 90’s, the lyrics of this song are known by all across the land. According to my students the song was made to replicate the success of “Gangnam Style.” I’m not sure if it achieved that goal worldwide, but there’s no question it created a frenzy on the mainland.

On the first (and as it turns out the only) night that we went to KTV we were fortunate enough to be in the company of a fantastic individual named Rob, a former employee of our school who was soon on his way back home to England. In fact, the occasion for this KTV visit was in celebration of Rob’s 30^th birthday and as a sendoff of sorts. Unfortunately we didn’t get much of a chance to spend time with Rob while here was here in Zunyi, but from the time that we did share and from the accounts of everyone who knew him he was an absolute hero and a damn fine teacher. One thing we can say for sure about Rob that we know first hand is that he is a phenomenal singer. Honestly, when we first walked into the private KTV lounge that we would call home for the subsequent four hours, I thought that the Chinese didn’t understand karaoke like we do. Why, when we walked in, was there just a recording of Billy Joel singing “Piano Man?” Weren’t we supposed to be the ones singing? Oh wait, that wasn’t Billy Joel’s voice. It was Rob’s, and it was melting hearts. Rob had a passion for music and for KTV and he had a voice from the heavens. Compared to Rob’s, my voice is average at best, and Torie’s far worse. But what we lack in vocal ability we more than make up for in theatrics and awesomeness. I don’t mean to brag here, but we brought the house down with a run that included no less than three Backstreet Boys songs, “My Humps” by the Black Eyed Peas, and Eminem’s classic “Without Me.” In reality we probably butchered every song on the list, but dammit we were on fire! The Brits and the Chinese in our company were impressed. It was a good way to let the group know what it is we are all about.

I’d have to say though, the highlight of the night came when all of the Brits, who up until that point (with the glorious exception of Rob) had been extremely shy about participating, all got up and delivered a performance of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” that tore the roof off the joint. They were kind enough to let us Americans join in just in time for “I see a little silhouette of a man,” and at that point I think both Torie and I knew we had made a wise decision to come to Zunyi. It was also at that point that I realized that we had been at KTV for almost two hours…and we ended up staying two more! Four straight hours of karaoke. Can you dig it? Perhaps that’s why we haven’t been back, that or an acute fear of being sucked into a “Little Apple” on repeat vortex from which there is no escape. In any case, it was a night to remember.

The Tao of Snoopy

2015-06-15T09:37:00.002-07:00

This is a new section of Ting (bu) Dong where we give you a more in depth look at the kids we teach and the people we have met here in China. We will start it out with the cutest bunch of them all, the snoopys! The Snoopys are the youngest group of our kindergarteners. The oldest, the Mickeys are between 6-7, the middle Nemos are 5-6 and the youngest are anywhere from 2-4, and man are they cute! We’ve highlighted here in “The Tao of Snoopy” three of our students and their rules for being amazing. Obviously they can’t speak English, they hardly know Chinese, but we’ve spent enough time with them to fill in the blanks. Enjoy!

The Tao of June

Things June can say in English:

What’s your Name?

June will either answer you correctly, or she will smile at you and then say ‘no’. This isn’t because she doesn’t know her name, oh she knows her name, it’s because she loves to coax you into tickling it out of her.

What’s my name?

I ask every Kindergartener this question because it’s better that they call me Torie Teacher than just plain teacher, and the Snoopys love to answer incorrectly. Again, this isn’t because they don’t know my name, but they love hearing me go, “That’s not my name!” and then tickle them until they give up. June is the queen of such games, and she happens to be a master of not giving into the tickle.

Rules to Live By: According to June

Giggle hard, and giggle often

Sass is a person’s best friend

The bowl cut will never go out of style

The Tao of Mark

Things Mark can say in English

What’s your name?

When you ask Mark his name he always responds quickly, correctly, and so effin’ cutely.

What’s my name?

Same answer as above, you should hear him say Benjamin, it would literally melt your heart.

Rules to Live By: According to Mark

Always go for seconds

Don’t be afraid to show off your guns

Hug like you mean it!

The Tao of Terry

Things Terry can say in English:

He can only say ‘no’ because he is two and a half years old, but he knows the universal language of smiling and laughing. What he can’t say he more than makes up for in cute factor, his head is a third of his body!

Rules to Live By: According to Terry

If your head is a third of your body, and your total height is a foot and a half, your set

The only word you need to know is “no”

A smile is worth a bajillion words

More photos of these amazing little kids!!!

Chengdu

2015-06-09T07:32:00.000-07:00

Ting (bu) Dong

2015-06-08T06:38:00.000-07:00

Hello to everyone out there wondering if there was ever going to be a written aspect of this blog (that would be our parents and maybe two or three other people).

Welcome to the first edition of “ting (bu) dong” a section of our blog that we hope will be fun, enlightening, maybe a little educational and ultimately a way to bring us a little closer together, because isn’t that kind of the end game for any worthy endeavor?

No? Well, okay. We think it’s a noble cause. If anything hopefully this will ease the pain that our absence has caused for all of our friends and family back home. Guys! Remember us? We’re still here in China!

The idea behind this section of the blog is to provide some insight and perspective on what life is like as an English teacher overseas, particularly in a smaller, relatively untouched-by-the-outside-world city in the heart of China. Quick important side-note: words like “small” and really any measurement of scale, especially concerning population, over here is strictly relative. Our quite small city of Zunyi is around 8 million. So you know…almost New York City. If you’re thinking about journeying across oceans, mountains, rivers, fiery plains and battling the dragon Smog that flies over all of China (Smog is never far away and you can feel him just about everywhere, he’s really hard to defeat, mostly you just have to learn to live with him), hopefully this will help you make a decision. For the record, we think it’s completely worth it. It isn’t easy, but it’s rewarding, and it gives you some great perspective and opportunities. Things over here are different no question about it, but one thing we’ve come to find is that these differences change in both severity, for lack of a better word, and specificity depending on who you are and where you are. Every expat in China brings their own experiences and perspective to life here and no two cities in China are the same. We have only our own experiences to bring to the table, and even these are limited as we’ve only been here for about 9 months. With that in mind, we thought it would be a good idea to bring in some other voices to the blog, ours can get super annoying, to talk about their own feelings and experiences. Man, I feel like I’m using the word “experience” way too much. But that’s what this is! A truly unique, unforgettable, crazy experience made up of smaller truly unique unforgettable, crazy experiences. Some are really funny, some are enlightening, some are hard, some happy and some sad, but as in life they are all essential to making it what it is.

As you guys can see the title of this section is “ting (bu) dong.” If you don’t speak Mandarin, you’re probably wondering what this means. It actually took us a distressingly long amount of time to figure out what it meant ourselves. The first few weeks of class were basically defined by these three words. Our school, like many of the English learning schools in China, is fully immersive meaning that the teachers are expected to use only English in the classroom and the students are to do the same. This means a couple of things. One, of course, the kids still speak Chinese, especially to each other and about you. Two, the teachers will often start teaching with an extremely limited, or in our case nonexistent, knowledge of Chinese. Figuring out how much the students can understand is a gradual, somewhat grueling process involving a lot of repetition. More often than not, the initial response when talking to the kids is a vacant stare and the three words “ting bu dong,” which of course you cannot understand. You stare back at them and repeat, “What’s your name?” Or, “How are you?” And they reply in perfect English, “ting bu dong.” It’s an endless cycle of misunderstanding. Which is ironic…because “ting bu dong” means “I don’t understand.” “Bu” is the word the Chinese use to signify a negative, so “ting bu dong” is literally translated as “hear, no, understand.” We put the bu in parentheses though because after a while that cycle of misunderstanding evolves into a wonderful exploration of understanding. Not just in language but also in culture, in society, in tradition, and in life. When you first arrive in China, the differences can be jarring, and sometimes extremely frustrating. But over time, if you keep your mind and your attitude open and available and you allow yourself a sense of both humility and adventure, you will “ting dong” and it will be amazing. I’m not trying to romanticize the transition into life over here because it is difficult. In fact it takes a while to settle down and get used to things and some things we are still not used to. But it’s hilarious and rewarding going through everything to get to that point.

May Day Vacation

2015-05-18T23:05:00.003-07:00

Finally! Here are our May Day vacation pictures!!

We went on an absolutely mesmerizing hike through Tiger Leaping Gorge, then crammed ourselves in a van and rode unpaved roads to the magnificent Lugu Hu. We ended our Yunan (the province we spent all vacation in) adventure in Dali, a quaint little town-- of 10 million or so. We spent all of our time in Dali's Old Town which reminded me a lot of the French Quarter!!

Tiger Leaping Gorge was a force to be reckoned with, we spent the first night in a hostel in the village of Qiatao at the easternmost point of the trail and set off the next morning, finishing our day 2,5000 meters high in a hostel built into the face of the mountain, and ate some delicious yak meat pizza, yummmy! We made friends with this super cool, and super cynical french guy named Julien and his girlfriend Olea, and a young Chinese-American guy named Jeff, although we didn't snap any photos with them :(

The second day we climbed down to the end of the trail and spent the night there, getting up finally on the third day to trek into the gorge-- which was, my goodness-- astonishing! Check out the video I took of the rapids! Then we took a bus back to Lijiang, a touristy town situated in a valley of rolling hills, unlike any other Chinese city we have seen owing to it's lack of high rises and smog. The whole city is built in the old style, so all the building are not more than three to five stories high and beautifully painted. I didn't get any pictures of Lijiang but I suggest you look it up!

The next day we took the ride of our life, speeding on unpaved cow paths at 70mph, round mountain curves with no barriers-- good thing I slept for most of that one. We spent three days in what can only be properly described as heaven on earth. The bluest skies and clearest water I've ever seen, so calm and such delicious food! Why did we ever leave!?!?

Then we made our way to Dali, which was so great the first day-- until Ben and I ate too much cheese (neither of us have had access to cheese in 9 months, so we got a little too excited) and had serious tummy aches for the last two days. Apparently Dali has a reputation for giving people food poisoning, luckily ours wasn't too severe but watch out! The food we did eat was amazing though! We both agreed that the donuts at this little diner we had breakfast at were the best we've ever had. Simple buttermilk donuts and coffee, yes please!

Alas, all good things must come to an end so here we are back in Zunyi dreaming up our next adventure, only 8 more weeks left in the semester!! Enjoy :)

Love,

Torie and Ben

What is happening to my face in this picture?^^^^^^

That hat though...^^^^

Chengdu Sneak Peak

2015-03-27T06:55:00.003-07:00

Koh Lanta

2015-03-11T19:38:00.002-07:00

Thailand!!!

Finally, thank you all for your patience. While there are plenty of pictures here, the picture gods were against us. We had a little situation wherein the airline lost our baggage and would not return it to us for our whole trip (GASP! I know.) The charger for my camera's battery was in my checked bag so unfortunately it died before we were able to get pictures of some other very cool stuff that we did. Those memories will have to be shared in person I guess! Enjoy :)

(In the photo above, there is water between the camera and the sand, yes that is my foot--- UNDER THE WATER!!! It's sooooooo clear)

Zunyi

2015-03-11T02:26:00.002-07:00

This is Zunyi, our home for the last 7 months.

Keep updated to hear more!

This is Halloween

2014-10-26T06:34:00.003-07:00

Things I learned when Dayang threw a Halloween party:

1. Chinese children are extremely photogenic and they know how to pose for a photo.

2. Scaring small children is thrilling, and amazing.

3. I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever ever, ever ever ever, do an arts and crafts activities with 200+ children with sugar highs.

Enjoy!!

(Plus a few gems from our hometown!! More of Zunyi to come soon)

Love,

Torie & Ben

Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces

2014-10-11T00:49:00.002-07:00

Yangshuo

2014-10-10T09:06:00.001-07:00

Li Pu

2014-10-09T08:28:00.001-07:00

Guiyang

2014-10-08T21:33:00.000-07:00