A Trip to the Fruit & Veggie Stand

This will be a short one. I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while, but it’s slipped my mind on many occasions. Oops! 

Many of you know that I can’t really eat wheat/gluten and since I’ve been here I’ve done pretty well; no Chinese noodles for this girl! Instead, I’ve been eating a lot of rice, salmon, chicken, and fruit and veggies! In Canada, produce is quite expensive, and I’m happy to say that prices are different here in China! 

Any time that I need one tomato or all of my fruit and veggies, I head to the exact same place. No it’s not a grocery store; I go to a fruit and vegetable stand just down the alley. I set out with my backpack on and walk up the street a couple meters and take a left down an alley.

On my way, I see the man cutting hair (he’s there all the time): 

Then I take a right and there it is: 

I just load up on fruit & veggies and I’m set! One week this is what I got: 

 

All together this costed between $15 and $20 … a steal of a deal I’d say! 

It’s 10:25 am on Monday, September 30th and I am just vegging today because we are on vacation; it’s the National Holiday in China! I spent the weekend working in my classroom and getting everything done for next Monday and Tuesday so I don’t have to do anything else for the rest of the week. As a matter of fact, It wouldn’t even matter because there’s no way I would be taking my school work to the PHILIPPINES! The excitement I feel when I get to travel is like no other feeling; without a doubt, I have the travel bug! Whether it’s traveling inside of Canada or across the world, I love it! Tonight, my friend Kate MacLeod and I will take a taxi and bus to the Hong Kong Airport, where we will be staying in a hotel nearby for the night. Then … tomorrow morning at 8:25 we fly out for Boracay in the Philippines! I cannot wait for a week of relaxation and new adventures. 

I hope everyone at home had a wonderful weekend! Expect a post when I’m back on Sunday or Monday! 

Love from Shenzhen! xo

My (Not So) Green Thumb

Last weekend was a long weekend and with it came not one, but two trips to Ikea, lots of food, drink and some chocolate, an overwhelming amount of “How I Met Your Mother” episodes, a full moon, a typhoon, and some sangria. Needless to say it was an eventful weekend. The two trips to Ikea were necessary. The first trip was justified because I felt that I needed to make my space look a little more home-y and I think I’ve slowly started to accomplish that. The second trip, well … during the first trip I thought I could do without new bedding, but I guess I thought wrong. I went back, got some bedding and now I feel even more cozy in my room. Again, it was necessary.

I had never EVER been to an Ikea … then I came to Shenzhen. I spent half of my very first full day in China at Ikea … not only does it have EVERYTHING, but the prices are also quite reasonable. I am now a HUGE Ikea fan! Not to mention when you’re on your way out, you can buy an ice cream, which was most definitely the cherry on top for me. 

I purchased several things that I thought would make me more comfortable in my new home. Some of these things included plants. I bought three bamboo stems, which I was so excited about because I had some bamboo at home. On my second trip to Ikea, I had to make the toughest decision I had made in days… do I buy a bonsai tree or a cactus? I ended up buying a bonsai tree thinking hey, this will be great to have in my room … all I have to do is water it. Well, let me tell you, I definitely should have bought the cactus. It’s been a week … I’ve watered it almost every day. However, she’s not looking so healthy. It finally clicked in that perhaps I should Google it and find out exactly how to take care of one of these suckers. I didn’t think when I purchased this thing that I’d have to treat it like a pet, but turns out I might as well give it a name and take it for a walk too. To my grandmothers, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ve inherited either one of your green thumbs. As much as I would LOVE to be able to keep this thing alive, I don’t know if it will make it. I’m going to continue doing research, but am preparing for the worst. Here’s a picture of the tough little guy:

In other wonderful news, IT’S FRIDAY!!!! This means, I have three more days until I leave for Hong Kong, and four more days until I leave for the Philippines! I’m so excited to experience yet another different culture and lifestyle. I’m also excited for the beach and some of the most beautiful sunsets in the world. My apologies for being so late with this post, there hasn’t been anything too interesting happening in my life; the week went by quick enough and I was really busy with planning and prepping for my classes. Everything seems to be going pretty well and I still have a lot to learn! I’m looking forward to a relaxing vacation before we have to pour on the coals and work until December. 

Later Days! Expect another post soon!

Love from Shenzhen! xox

PS: Here’s a photo of my new bedding! I love it! 🙂

A Real Chinese Restaurant

Last week I asked Hea Jung if she wanted to join a few of us for supper. The only hitch was, she had to take us somewhere new. She chose somewhere close by, and said she was taking us to a real Chinese restaurant … which meant that she was taking us to a joint that served Szechuan food. I didn’t know much about Szechuan food at all, but in the two hours we were there, I think it’s safe to say I learned a lot. 

When dining at most Chinese restaurants, the first thing you do when you sit down is wash your dishes in the tea that they provide. There’s a certain order and a method to the dish-washing madness so that you can clean everything and dump the remainder of the tea in a large bowl. After this is done, you order. Ordering can sometimes be the hardest part and it’s not because of the language barrier (well it is sometimes). Often, they give us menus with pictures and if we’re lucky, there is an English translation. We ended up ordering six or seven different dishes and some rice. The dishes come out at relatively the same time and are put on a lazy susan in the middle of the table. Then, you spin the lazy susan and take whatever you want. This style of dining is much more relaxing than home and you end up talking with those around you much more than at home. 

The only bump in the road that was our first Szechuan food adventure was that despite the fact that we said “less” spice … one dish was OUT OF THIS WORLD SPICY. So much so that we couldn’t eat it. Instead, we ordered an extra, more mild dish. It was a kind of hilarious moment – there we all were, eating as much rice and drinking as much water as we could to drown out the spice. The other dishes had some kick, but were really quite good! I really enjoyed myself! 

Here’s a photo of us at dinner! (Kate, Lexuan, Caroline, Pat, me, & Hea Jung)

Hea Jung brought some chrysanthemum tea along with her and gave it to me afterwards – it’s delicious!

 

Yet again, here I am feeling so grateful for those I have met and the adventures I have had thus far. I haven’t even been here a month … I can’t wait to see what the next 9 months have in store. 

Here’s a photo of the tea that Hea Jung gave me:

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It is finally the long weekend! We have tomorrow (Thursday) and Friday off for the Moon Festival. One of my students gave me a moon cake yesterday (it has bean paste and egg and other things in it) and unfortunately (or maybe not?) I wasn’t able to eat it because of the wheat/gluten. From what I hear, I’m not missing out on much! 

Just wanted to share with you the food adventure I had last week! This weekend I’m looking forward to trying a couple new restaurants around the city and maybe even squeezing in a hike with Hea Jung, Kate, Pat, Caroline and Ross. For now, I’m off to a friend’s place down the street for some wine and a movie! Cheers!

Love from Shenzhen! xo

Stars, Mountains, Waves, Tunes, and Good Friends

This past weekend was the ISNS beach retreat weekend; all of the ISNS staff hopped on a bus on Friday afternoon and went to Tai Long Wan Beach. It took just about two hours to get there and when we arrived it was quite dark out. That night we had a potluck, socialised, and listened to music on the beach. Perhaps one of the biggest highlights from the weekend: I SAW STARS for the first time since I left Canada. Let me tell you, I was beyond excited! Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, I saw what I thought were gondolas going up a mountain only to find out they were Chinese lanterns that people were releasing. This sight is perhaps one of the most beautiful things I have seen since I have been here and it is definitely on my list of things to do while in China! 

 

The next morning I woke up to this … 

 

We were at a beach where the sand was white and the water was clear … just like the Dominican or Cuba. I cannot express how lucky I am to be here! It was a wonderful experience! All day Saturday we spent our time lounging on the beach and swimming in the water. As many of you know, I get cold quite easily at home and don’t last more than 15 minutes in the water … if you need someone’s opinion on this, ask Ginny … I’m sure she’d been fed up with me on occasion because she loves to swim and I do not because of the cold. However, I lasted way more than 15 minutes in the water! It was absolutely beautiful! 

Saturday night, we were all pretty tired from being out in the sun; however, many of us gathered on the beach for some late night music. As this was happening, there were several Chinese people who came over to listen and watch us. More Chinese lanterns went up in the air that night; I still cannot believe how beautiful it looks! 

Sunday morning, we got up at a decent hour and headed back to the beach to catch some more rays and lay in the water before it was time to leave. After lunch, we packed up our bags and headed back on the bus to Shenzhen! All of our meals this weekend were cooked over a fire pit and were absolutely delicious! Here is where we stayed: 

 

Here are a few more photos from the weekend: 

 

It’s 10:30pm Monday night and I’m looking forward to Wednesday as we have a long weekend coming up! Thursday and Friday are holidays so we have a four day weekend. I’m hoping to do some exploring around Shenzhen and getting some rest. In a little over two weeks I will be on my way to Boracay in the Philippines for a week’s holiday! While it may seem like we’re living the dream here in China (because we really are), I can assure you that our hard work during the week warrants holidays filled with traveling. 

I hope everyone at home is doing well! A friendly reminder to all of you out there, please send me updates on your life (hcrgc@stu.ca) … I want to do my best to keep up to date with your lives at home! 

Lots of love from Shenzhen! xo

Kat

My China Luck

Luck: success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one’s own actions.  (Thank you Wikipedia)

 

In the few weeks that I’ve been in China, I’ve had lots of luck … some good and some (what many would call) “bad” luck. I could make quite an extensive list about the seemingly not so great luck I’ve had here in China with the latest piece relating to the upcoming October vacation. Two days ago I booked a trip to Boracay, Philippines thinking hey, this will be a great week long adventure. Well … my passport/visa/paperwork stuff will not make it back into my paws until three days after my flight leaves. Dang. When I found this out … I had a mini-meltdown consisting of an abundance of frustration and lack of appreciation for those who helped me with this visa/passport process and I’d like to say I’m sorry for that. 

I guess you could say I had a western moment. Us westerners, we have a tendency to expect things to be ready by yesterday and if something’s late, well someone else is going to do something about our “bad luck” and fix the problem. I’m a pretty laid back person, but there are times when I’m in a rush or want something quickly so I can follow through with my plans. The whole process of applying to work in China for a year gave me a taste of what was to come and how I should deal with things here. When I found out I wouldn’t be moving to Shenzhen until about a week later than I was supposed to, I decided then that I would roll with the punches and let things happen; there’s no point in worrying about something I cannot control. So, with that being said, I’ know that I can control my flight to Boracay (I can re-book my flight) and I can also control my perceptions of this situation.  The processing of my paperwork, however, is out of my control and therefore is something I’m choosing not to worry about.

I actually wouldn’t even classify this situation as “bad luck” because frankly, that kind of attitude could eventually put a damper on things and I’d rather avoid it. Instead, this wrinkle is an opportunity for me to explore my city before relaxing on a beach. Take that luck.

This past week has been filled with LOTS of school work, planning, organising, and so on. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around this whole teaching ESL thing, but I’m hoping it will come eventually. There are many resources, strategies, and programs to use, which can be quite overwhelming. Despite all of this, I’m truly enjoying my job and working with the kids that I do; they’re the perfect challenge for me during my first year of teaching. Not to mention, the A-Ha moments and successes I can share with students. 

This weekend was filled with new experiences ranging from a teacher appreciation dinner, a trip to KTV (where you rent a room to sing karaoke), and a walk to Shekou to have some breakfast. Needless to say, it’s easy for me to sometimes focus on the “bad luck” and leave the “good luck” trailing behind. Sooo … I’d like to show you all what makes me so so so lucky in China … we could call it my “China luck.” 

I’ve been lucky enough to get to know some pretty great people in the short time I’ve been here. I’ve been lucky enough to interact with people who take the time to show you around, give you suggestions, and make you feel at home. I’ve been lucky enough to make connections with people and feel like I’ve known them for much longer than a few weeks. I’ve been lucky enough that they really like to cook, and I like to supply food and clean up. I’ve been lucky enough to have movie nights and late night chats. I’ve been lucky enough to feel supported, encouraged, accepted, and appreciated. I’ve been lucky.

I’m ready for the “bad luck” … in part because I’ve decided to let things go and also because any “bad luck” I have will most definitely be trumped by my good luck here in China … i.e. all of the things I’ve experienced and the people I have met and will meet on my journey. 

I’ll leave you all with a little something that I saw on my Sunday walk. I think we could all use a little of this … 

 

Lots of love from Shenzhen! xo 

Kat

“I have two boyfriends: tea and mountains.”

Today I had a date. A tea date that is. Instead of staying in my classroom to do things like planning, organising, and other teacher-y things, I accepted an invitation for tea in Hea Jung’s room. She lives on campus like I do and has been teaching at ISNS for 9 years. When I first met Hea Jung last week she told me she had two boyfriends and then waited for my reaction. Of course, in my head I was thinking about how I should respond to her statement, but she cut in telling me not to look so shocked. Her two boyfriends, she said, were tea and mountains. Let me tell you, her dorm room is FILLED with Chinese tea: old, cooked, uncooked, and so many other types of tea, and she knows EVERYTHING there is to know about Chinese tea, the process tea leaves go through, etc.She has also been on lengthly treks around China and even in the Himalayas – talk about impressive!

I was at her place for an hour and half and in that time I got to know one of the most inspirational human beings I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. The wisdom she shared with me was meaningful, heartfelt, and she said it with the most brilliant smile. When I left, I was given a hug and was told that she’s great at keeping secrets and will always listen if I need someone to talk to. An hour and a half of tea and I have a wonderful new friend; needless to say I feel so incredibly lucky and excited (she’s going to take me to a tea market)!

The tea process started with putting the tea leaves in the small dish (on the right) and letting them steep in hot water momentarily. Afterwards, the tea is poured in the small tea pot, and tea is poured in our cups. You do not drink the first cup of tea as it is used to purify or clean the dishes. The tea is then poured over the ornaments and figurines you see in the middle. As more tea is poured over them, they become darker and some more colourful. Hea Jung introduced me to two different Chinese black teas: an uncooked tea and an aged tea that was at least 11 years old, if not much older.

I just finished some planning and prep for tomorrow; I’m still settling in, which is a-okay with me! All in all, today was a great day thanks to Hea Jung and her love for life, tea, and mountains. I look forward to learning so much more from this wonderful woman.

Love from Shenzhen!

The Whirlwind: Week 1 in Shenzhen

Ni Hao!

I’ll apologise in advance – this post may be a doozy! I have been in Shenzhen a little over a week and have been so busy that posting wasn’t as much of a priority as I had hoped it would be. However, after this week I figured I should definitely make time to post and update you all on the craziness that has been my first week in Shenzhen!

I’m not sure where to begin – China has been absolutely amazing thus far and I’m so excited to be living here! I arrived on Friday, August 23rd, which meant I had Saturday and Sunday to get over jet lag, get somewhat settled in my room, and start planning for school (which started on Monday). After a trip to Ikea on Saturday, I feel pretty settled! I’m looking forward to going to the art market to pick up some things for my wall; as you can see, they’re pretty bare …

Saturday afternoon I got the keys to my classroom and got to see it for the first time. All of the furniture was pushed in the middle of the room so I was able to put things where I wanted. It’s still hard to believe that I have my own classroom and this is the real deal! I’ll upload pictures of my classroom  later. I’m still trying to get a bit settled there and get materials ready for my students to use.

This past week was the first week of school but I did not have to teach on Monday. Instead, I was able to continue to organise my classroom and meet with the rest of the ESL team. I received my schedule on Tuesday and I’m teaching most of the kids who are within the French School at ISNS. I teach kindergarten, a 2/3 split class, 4/5 split class, grade 6 and have the 7/8 split class once a week. On top of that I also work with grade 5 ISNS students starting tomorrow. My week was really busy as there was some scheduling issues and I was still trying to get settled; this has reinforced how important it is to be laid back and flexible here and I’m getting used to it. I think that I am really going to enjoy the challenge and rewards that will come with working with the ESL students; I have mixed ability levels and my kindergarten kids speak next to no English. My year is sure to be filled with many adventures in the classroom!

I have been getting around the city fine and have found a grocery store, fruit stand, department store and smoothie place with the help of some of my friends. I’ve also visited the more western district called Shekou and have eaten at an Irish pub where they played Great Big Sea.

Perhaps one of my most interesting excursions was my trip to the Nanshan Hospital for my Chinese medical. Talk about interesting. There were several “stations” I had to go to; I was sent from room to room to get an ECG, eye test, chest X-ray, blood work, etc. I just went with the flow and eventually got everything done. I did have to use my first squatter and to be honest it wasn’t as bad as people make it out to be … I think it has something to do with my experiences in the woods and having to pee. Turns out a small town girl can survive in the city. Who knew? Then I had to get my blood taken (sorry if this grosses anyone out) … but let’s just say the blood wasn’t flowing. Eventually it all worked out, until I saw that the nurses were searching through all of the viles of blood … as if my nurse had misplaced mine. Before I knew it, they were pouring one vile of blood into the other and said I was good to go. Here’s hoping! Haha Also, because of this blood work debacle, I was left with a pleasant reminder of my experience:

It’s hard to put an entire week into one post, especially when it’s been such a whirlwind. Honestly though, despite the chaos and newness, it’s been great and I’m really enjoying myself! I’m looking forward to exploring the city a little bit more and getting familiar with my surroundings! The people I work with have been really helpful showing us newbies around and helping us learn the ropes. I’m so thankful for great new friends and am excited to get together with my other friends around Beijing and Wuhu during the October break! I hope to post more frequently as things die down and I have more free time!

I hope everyone at home is doing really well and has had a wonderful end to their summer!

Love from Shenzhen! xo