Chinese Idiom and Discover Xi'an

The Chinese idiom waiting by a stump for a rabbit. This story cautions against relying on luck when you should be working hard. I don't think this applies so much today but then again maybe it does. The story goes like this. Long time ago there was a farmer who was out one day caring for his crops when he saw a scared rabbit running frantically. The rabbit was not paying attention where it was running and ran right into a tree stump and killed itself. The farmer was so happy he went over to the tree stump and picked up the rabbit and brought him home. That night the farmer's wife cooked a great meal with the plump rabbit. She asked him "Where did you catch the rabbit?" Then he told her how he did it without out even having to lift a finger. She then told him "I will cook a great meal every day if you can bring home a rabbit". So the farmer went to the stump every day waiting for a rabbit. He neglected his crops and they became overgrown with weeds and worthless. There never was another rabbit and the farmer became the laughingstock of the area. The story refers to someone who does not want expend any effort in order to obtain something. Basically a very lazy person. The point of this story is to not depend on luck in order to make it in life. I think this story dates back many hundreds of years ago but it still applies to today. 

Xian is one of the oldest cities in China and is the home of the first Emperor of China. In Xi'an there are many wonderful things to see and do. Xi'an has a city wall which many years ago was used to protect the city against invasion. Being the home of the emperor you know this had to be an incredible wall. The wall measures 15 meters high and almost 15 kilometers around. Xi'an was also home to 13 dynasties including Zhou, Qin, Han, Tang, Sui etc. Xi'an is also the oldest city in the world with over one million population it is more than 1200 years old. It is also home to the Terracotta Warriors which is another must see when in Xi'an. UNESCO has identified Xi'an as the "city of world history" that is a nice identification. It is relatively easy to get to Xi'an from Beijing here is a link. http://dujia.qunar.com/p/slist?sight_id=27311&ex_track=auto_5260cf78&tf=sg_tu_1  Tomorrow discovering the cuisine of Xi'an. If you would to be a favorite link or you would like information on teaching jobs or teaching programs in China contact me here tanukichamptranslation@gmail.com

Shenzhen, China

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I got out of the station that day and was a little overwhelmed with all of the people there. Shenzhen Station is a very busy station since it is a gateway Hong Kong. At Shenzhen Station you can actually walk to Hong Kong. It is also very easy to go there with signs all over the place leading you to Hong Kong. As I exited the station I wanted to catch a taxicab to go to my hotel. I had an address for the hotel on my phone so I was not worried about getting to the hotel. It was difficult to find the taxicab area being that it was my first time to Shenzhen. I wandered around looking for a cab and I was approached by a man saying "taxi"? I said sure! actually not a very good idea. He takes me away from the station and to a private car where someone else was waiting. Then he tells me just 100 RMB to the hotel. I did not know any better and still took the cab. We got to the hotel relatively easy and quick so I was not so disappointed. Later on when I took a  real taxicab to the station and it was only 25 RMB I was extremely disappointed. I know now I will never take an unofficial taxicab again. Not so SMART!!

Shenzhen is a wonderful city in China that is filled with many conveniences. Shenzhen not so long ago was just a small town and now it is a prospering metropolis. I really enjoyed my visit to Shenzhen. The city has many good parks, shops and malls that are also foreigner friendly since they have much English signage. The neighborhood that my hotel was in was very conveniently located. The neighborhood had a Starbuck's a great shopping mall many restaurants and my bank, Bank of China all within walking distance from the hotel. Shenzhen also has a great public transportation system which I enjoyed during my stay. I took a city bus which was directly outside the hotel and I was able to see most of the city for only 2 RMB. Two RMB in U.S. currency is equivalent to about 40 cents NOT BAD!! Shenzhen also has a subway system which I did not experience when I was there but there was a station just a block away from my hotel. Shenzhen also has 7-11 convenience stores which I like for cheap coffee, beer and chips, great for the hotel room. When I was checking out of the hotel I asked about a bus that could take me to the train station. And sure enough there was the #1 bus that went to the train station. No need to pay 25 RMB for a taxi I took the bus and saved 23 RMB. If you are thinking of going to China I highly recommend Shenzhen. This link shows an example of Shenzhen 30 years ago and how it is now. http://twistedsifter.com/2012/02/picture-of-the-day-shenzhen-china-30-years-later/

Sleeping car to Shenzhen

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I took a trip from Handan to Shenzhen one time by sleeper car train. This was quite a memorable experience with the length of the trip and with all of the people that I met. I took a T-train to Shenzhen from Handan and it was a 18.5 hour trip. A little lengthy ride but a comfortable one. I had a middle bunk with plenty of room for myself and my bag. Everyone in my berthing was very friendly and courteous which helped even more for a smooth journey. I think Chinese travel long distances very well. They were all so well prepared. So many had very large bottles of water, plenty of snacks and large containers of instant ramen. Needless to say I was not so well prepared for the journey. I had brought with me a myriad of snacks ranging from peanuts to chips but really it was not enough. I was hoping to get a meal from one of the meal carts on the train but nothing was appealing and I did not understand what most of it was. There was one young gentleman who could speak good English and he offered me one of  his ramens. I said yes and it was very good. Instant ramen in China is different than instant ramen  in America it actually tastes really good. I had a good conversation with this man and found out he made this trip many times a year. He told me he was from Tianjin and he advised me to go there sometime. From what he told me about Tianjin I would like to go there sometime. 

When I made this trip from Handan to Shenzhen there were no direct trains to Shenzhen. Now at Handandong Railway Station you can take a G-train directly to Shenzhen. For this trip I had to transfer at Guangzhou station. Guangzhou is a little less than an hour train ride to Shenzhen. This is where things get a little funny for me. I got off the train and I had a piece of paper with me that read" train to Shenzhen please" in Chinese. I saw a man yelling something about Shenzhen so I approached him. I showed him my paper and hurried me off to a train. When we got to the train it was a D-train and it was dining car. I tried to the explain to the gentleman that ushered me to the train that I did not have a ticket. I was using hand gestures and facial expressions and finally he just told me in his best English "it's ok!'" Then he gently pushed me onto the train. Then I wandered around on this dining car trying to find someone to purchase a ticket but I found no one. So I took  a seat next to this gentleman who insisted that I sit there. I ordered a bowl of shrimp dumpling soup and a soda and wondered if I was going to be able to buy a ticket for this train. Well we got to Shenzhen and it turns out I did not get a ticket before arriving there. When leaving Shenzhen station you have to show your ticket. Well I did not have one and this was going to be interesting. I approached the man at the gate and again tried to explain with hand gestures and facial expressions except this time it did not work. He just looked at me confused and not so happy. Then out of frustration he just opened the gate for me and pushed me through, then waved GOODBYE to me. I was a little disappointed because I was ready to pay. I wanted to pay. Well I thought next time I will double pay. hahahaha! Well now for Shenzhen. If you would like to be a link on my blog or you would information on English teaching jobs in China contact me at tanukichamptranslation@gmail.com

Guest Teaching in Wu'an County, China

I met a woman one night on QQ who said she was a school owner in Wu'an County. Her name was Tina and at first I did not really believe her. She chatted with me several times on QQ and kept asking me if I could teach at her school. I was still uncertain about this school plus I did not know where Wu'an County was. hahaha! Then one evening she video chatted with me from her school. That is one thing really great about QQ you can video chat with it very similar to Skype. I got see some of her school that evening and I was very impressed but I still wanted to meet her in person. She offered to come to Handan and buy me lunch and talk. That of course was great to me especially since Handan is filled with great restaurants. We met a few days later at a hot pot restaurant just a few minutes walk away from Zheng Tong my community. I met with Tina and her husband and we had a great!! lunch and a good conversation. We also took many pictures. 

We decided I would and come and teach the following week. She came and picked me up a week later and its about a 50 minute drive from Handan to Wu'an County. Before we got to Wu'an County we stopped for lunch. At the restaurant they had made a reservation for the restaurants best private dining room. I really liked Tina's style and her way of showing me she appreciated me. We had some great chicken for lunch that day and I was so full I wondered if I could teach in a couple of hours. At first we went to Tina's house and I rested there for two hours before I went to teach at her school. When I finally went to teach at the school I  was met at the entrance of the school with an almost life-sized photo of myself. I was a little shocked. Above my photo was a sign that read "Welcome To Our School Aaron Pierson". That had to be one of my better moments in my ESL teaching career. Seriously ESL teaching overseas can be so rewarding. I taught a short lesson that day on the months of the year in English. We mainly played games and I took pictures with just about all of the children that day. That evening after school we went out to dinner at a hot pot restaurant and again I ate so much I could hardly move. That was not so good because later on we went to K-TV for singing and dancing. K-TV in China is karaoake. I will never forget my time teaching in Wu'an County and hope to do it again someday. I still stay in contact with Tina so maybe this can become a reality. 

Traveling by train to Shanghai

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I went to Shanghai from Handan I decided on few days off from teaching that I would go to Shanghai. I had always wanted to see Shanghai. And Shanghai was exactly what I thought it would be. I took a D-train to Beijing and then at Beijing I transferred to a G-train that took me directly to Shanghai. Trips on high-speed trains in China are always so comfortable and fast as this one was also. I stayed at a Hanting Express Hotel which is a business hotel chain in China but they are very comfortable and always have great bathrooms. I love their showers I don't know why. I'm a Hanting member also so there are a few perks with that also. The D-train from Handandong Railway Station to BeijingXi Railway Station took 3 hours and was smooth and comfortable. The service on the high-speed trains is very good and attentive I had a nice European style coffee on the train which was very delicious. When traveling by train in China it is always advisable to arrive at least 45 minutes before the departure mainly because there are always so many people traveling in China. I had a two hour layover in Beijing which gave me plenty of time to get a little something to eat and I needed to put some more money on my phone so I stopped at the Unicom shop in the station. Here is a link for trains around China. http://huoche.8684.cn/p_%B1%B1%BE%A9_%C9%CF%BA%A3 Huoche is train in Mandarin. 

One of the main reasons I went to Shanghai was to try Shanghainese cuisine and it was delicious of course. Shanghai cuisine is not spicy but I heard that it was a little sweet and flavorful. It was that exactly. In Shanghai seafood is exceptional and I had crab from Yangchenghu. Hu is lake in Mandarin so it's Lake Yangcheng. I also had a great walk around Yangchenghu when I was in Shanghai. The city also has an outstanding subway system which makes it so convenient to travel in Shanghai. Here is a link for the Shanghai subway. http://map.sogou.com/bus/subway&shanghai

I was able to travel all over the city very easily and enjoyed Shanghai to the fullest. Shanghai is also very foreigner friendly with some good English signage around the city. My trip to Shanghai was a memorable one and I look forward to visiting there again. If you would like to advertise on my blog or you would information on teaching positions in China contact me at tanukichamptranslation@gmail.com

Helpful Chinese Medical Clinics and a Chinese Proverb

I would like to start today with a Chinese proverb." A Hasty Man Drinks His Tea With His Fork". Meaning a man can be so busy that he gets nothing done. He just treads water and gets nothing accomplished basically he leaves all of his jobs incomplete. Myself I love Chinese proverbs they are helpful in life. In a way they can help you open your eyes a little bit. Ancient cultures have an interesting point of view. Now it is time to get back to my life and times in China. I went out this one evening and indulged a little too much on very spicy ramen. As a foreigner I should have been a little more careful eating too much of the red chili pepper sauce. I woke up in the middle of the night having to go the bathroom this was bad. I had an awful case of diarrhea and my stomach was just jumping around. I got up the next morning hoping my problem had been resolved somehow overnight.

Well I was very wrong as soon as I got up it was time to go the bathroom. I just continued to get ready for my day since I had 8 classes to teach that day I was going to be busy and would just have to deal with it. I went to school and taught that day and visited the bathroom multiple times. Later on in the day since the diarrhea was not ceasing I called the new assistant, Chen. Chen told me he would get some medicine for me and meet me after my classes at 4:30 pm. He meets after school before I get on the van to go home. Chen not only got me anti-diarrhea medicine but he also got me some cold medicine he said "just in case." The weather was getting a little cold. I took the medicine for two days but the diarrhea was not getting any better and I was getting a little concerned. I called Chen again and told him I have to go to the clinic. We went to the clinic the next morning. Luckily the clinic was only a 10 minute walk from my apartment in Zheng Tong I do not think I could have gone any further. I saw a doctor immediately and I was very thankful for that my situation was turning for the worse. Hahaha! The doctor looked at me quickly after Chen described my illness to her and she said "you need IV". She prescribed two 2 hour IV sessions. After the first session I was already feeling like I was getting back to normal but I was very tired and I still had classes to teach in the evening. I managed to get through the classes that evening like the TROOPER teacher that I am and did it with a smile. Needless to say after the next IV session the diarrhea was gone and I felt great!! The doctor at the clinic knew exactly what I needed. Come be a favorite on my blog or would like information on teaching jobs China contact me at tanukichamptranslation@gmail.com. I will get back to you immediately.

Chinese Cuisine (Hot Pot)

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There are so many different kinds of food in China it is amazing. Almost each province has it's own style of food and preparation. Each province will have it's own speciality food. In Handan one of my favorite kinds of food was hot pot. I love hot pot the boiled meat, fish, vegetables, tofu, etc. I especially like hot pot because it is so much fun to enjoy with friends boiling the food together with good conversation. Myself I love hot pot very spicy to where the broth is filled with red peppers and green peppercorns. Green peppercorns were different to me when you eat them they give your mouth kind of a numbing effect.  SO DELICIOUS!!!! The milder broth is also very good and maybe you can taste the food a little better. I just like spicy and Handan was a great place for spicy food. In my neighborhood in Handan there are several hot pot restaurants. I was very lucky to enjoy this type of Chinese cuisine with my friends many times. Have a look at the photos and you should try Chinese hot pot sometime! If you would like to advertise on my blog or if you would like information on English teaching jobs in China contact me here tanukichamptranslation@gmail.com

Banking in Shijiazhuang, China

I arrive in Shijiazhuang and Sam is right there waiting for me with a bottle of water. That is nice and thoughtful. Sam tells me one of his former students works at this bank and he should be able to help us. We exit the railway station and attempt to catch a taxicab but the traffic is so heavy that we cannot manage to get an open cab.  Sam says that's okay we can walk there it's only about a 15 minute walk. We arrive at the bank and Sam's student is there but he is busy with another customer so we had to wait a little. He finishes with the other customer and we can begin my bank transfer. Sam's student speaks English fairly well so this is going to be easy. I take out my passport and my bank information. ALERT About every bank transaction in China you will need your passport. I also hand him all the other information he needs my bank's swift code, account number, routing number and bank's main office address.

As a foreigner the largest amount you can transfer in a single day is 500.00 U.S. dollars. Chinese citizens other the hand can transfer 1000.00 U.S. dollars that is why it is important to have a Chinese friend assist you but they are also important for translation purposes. That day I only I was only transferring 500 so I did not need Sam's assistance with that. That process works like this. You deposit the amount of money you want to transfer into their account then change it to U.S. dollars. After this the bank clerk will transfer that amount from your friend's bank account to your bank account in America.  There is also a transaction fee for all of this of course and Bank of China charges 200 RMB for this which is about 32 dollars. Not too bad the money gets there over night. When we finished which was quite fast since Sam's student was such a great clerk we had time for Dairy Queen!!! Yes there is a Dairy Queen Shijiazhuang. I had a hot fudge sundae Sam had a large chocolate dipped cone and it was great! Sam showed me the city a little bit and then I headed back to Handan. Here are some nice photos. By the way dong means east in Chinese. I just had to have the picture of one of my cutest students of all in my blog today and the photo of my front door in Handan. If you would like to be a link on my blog or if you would like information on teaching jobs in China contact me at tanukichamptranslation@gmail.com

Hello Nice to Meet You

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Well it is the first day at Zhang Nan's home and this is going to take some getting used to. I get up and go out to the bathroom that is outside and the air is so fresh. Interesting to me compared to heavily polluted air of Handan. I do my usual morning routine except outside for a change of pace. I go to the family dining room for breakfast and I am presented with this massive bowl of porridge. And some very interesting fried bread that I have never eaten before. The whole family is there for breakfast and Zhang Nan has fairly large family. In Zhang Nan's family he has his brother, sister-in-law their two children and his father and mother. Actually quite a big gathering for breakfast. I am really not used to such a big gathering for breakfast. My family rarely ate breakfast together when I was growing up or at any time just not really our thing. So to me this is really unique that everyone gets together to eat breakfast. We all finish and everyone goes about their daily business. I ask Zhang Nan is there any coffee around here? He looks at me and says wait a moment I will be right back. When he returns he has five packets of instant coffee and its Nescafe not bad for rural China. I really was not expecting that. I really thought that he was going to come back empty handed. I asked him where did you get this? Zhang Nan tells me I got it from one of our neighbors. 

I thought that was so nice that a neighbor would give me five packets I was a little taken back. I was now going to be able to have my caffeine fix while in rural China EXCELLENT! Shortly thereafter the parade of guests start arriving. 

Beautiful Chinese saying and Banking in China

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There is a Chinese saying Autumn is the second Spring the leaves are just like flowers. I believe the meaning to be this the leaves change colors in Autumn before they fall. The leaves are also so colorful in Autumn. I got this saying from a very helpful Chinese friend of mine. I always appreciate her assistance she is a wealth of knowledge. Now on with my story.

It has been very hectic lately and I have not heard or seen Tammy in a long time. I was very curious about this so I decided to check on her and see what she is up to. I arrive a little early to the primary school this day and go to Tammy's office. I cannot find Tammy someone tells me she has gone home for the day since her daughter is sick. I am a little frustrated since the main reason I am searching for her is because I need her assistance with some banking. I need to transfer some money from my China bank account to my bank account in America. I need her to translate for me at the bank. I try her phone again since this is a little urgent and I get no answer. I continue onto my classes and start my teaching day. A few hours later I get a call from the director and he tells me Tammy is leaving the company and we will be having a party for her in  a couple of nights. Well that's a SURPRISE! I then tell him of my banking situation and he tells me to wait a couple of days and he will help me. I told him of course I will talk to you in a few days.

I am a little shocked about Tammy leaving but I have heard there is a new assistant and his English is good. I actually have to take care of this banking issue a little quicker than a few days cause I know it is more like 3 or 4 days. This is when I remembered my friend Sam in Shijiazhuang he told me he could always help me with my banking since he also banked with the Bank of China. I gave Sam a call and he said come over tomorrow or whenever. Shijiazhuang is a little over an hour away by train so I need to get a ticket. This is a slight problem but not really I just remembered the train ticket office by the English training center. I went there that night and got some assistance from one of the Chinese teachers at the training center and purchased my tickets for Shijiazhuang. It is good to be a foreign teacher in Handan everyone is always so helpful. I got T-train tickets to Shijiazhuang which is a lot better than a K which would take probably over two hours to get there. The T-train ticket fare was so reasonable I was very happy. The roundtrip fare cost me only 60 RMB which is just a little over 8 U.S. dollars. I am on my way the next morning to Shijiazhuang. I catch the T-train the next morning and it is 10 TIMES better than a K-train. The seat is comfortable and well cushioned and the train is not as crowded as the K-train also known as a cattle car. Next stop Shijiazhuang which is also the capital of Hebei Province. If you would like to advertise on my blog or you would like information on teaching jobs or teaching programs in China contact me at tanukichamptranslation@gmail.com I help you find a teaching job.

Helpful And Friendly People In My Neighborhood

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I am getting up in the morning for my usual routine making coffee and checking my email when there is a knock at my door. It is my landlord who lives downstairs from me and she comes to tell me that my electricity is very low. I have been so busy lately that I just did not pay attention to the meter. I am not so familiar with the process of charging the card and what slot I have to insert the card so that I do charge my electricity. My landlord is so helpful that after a few gestures and facial expressions she understands that I do not know what I am doing hahaha! Now my landlord speaks a little English and she is able to tell me that she will take me to the store to charge my card and help me with which slot to insert my card. We go and get into her car and go to the store. I pay 100 RMB which is a little more than 16 U.S. dollars and this amount is good for more than a month of electricity. I love the prices of utilities in China a much better deal than the average costs in the U.S. We get back to the apartments and she helps with charging my electricity and I am now good for a month or so of power. This has never happened to me before where my landlord would be that helpful.

Later on that day I am going to catch a bus to go to the training center when I stop by this drink stand. I am curious about this drink cause its hot and so many people are drinking it. The gentleman at the stand all of a sudden asks me something in English. Are you American? I tell him yes I am. Then he smiles so big it is practically ear to ear. I ask him how much? He tells me nothing it's free enjoy! Then he says please come here whenever you can foreigner is always welcome here especially American. This man made me feel so good and I was actually feeling a little lonely that day. Now this is not that unusual of an occurrence in China. Chinese are actually very friendly to foreigners and extremely helpful. As an ESL teacher in China this is welcoming since there are times when you can feel a little down. 

Some Photos of Handan and of My Neighborhood

Here are some nice photos of my neighborhood in Handan, China. Handan is one of the oldest cities in China and has many historical cites. Have a look Handan is a very interesting city. I have also thrown in some photos of my apartment and other places around Handan. If you would like to advertise on my blog or you would like information about teaching jobs in China contact me at tanukichamptranslation@gmail.com