boy, where you been!?

Well, I’m at home with a bit of a cold and its my day off. What better day then to finally give my family the long awaited update. Wow, I really let this go too long! Just yesterday I was having tea with a friend and realized that I had been in China exactly one month!
I apologize that my emails (this one especially) will not be near as good as a read or humorous as Bree’s “Live From South Africa.” I am playing mostly catch up in this addition of “What Ever Became of Beau Danner?”
Unfortunately, China is NOT the technology capital of Asia. Its simply far too big. So internet access has been a bit of a disappointment and that is the understatement of the century. No, for amazing tech one would have to go to Japan or especially these days, Korea. I read last week that Korea plans to have the majority of computers running on 100 MB/Sec internet speeds by 2010. Currently 95% run around 25 MB/sec… which is damn fast considering that the average speed in the States is 1.5 or 3.0 if your lucky. Sometimes my internet connection is SO slow that my computer thinks it does not have one and gives me an error message when say, I try to upload my email. However, I know that this is not true as I am surfing the web at the time. Currently I am trying to download an episode of my beloved Battlestar Galactica. A friend at work tuned me on to the show last week and I am completely addicted! Its not even funny. It also makes me miss acting so much and when an episode is especially good I’m depressed for a few hours because I am not on the show. I’m trying to download one of the episodes because one of the DVD’s he loaned me freezes and I can not continue the series. Current ETA to download? 65 hours. So, when I DO have internet its slow but it works so…
But I digress! No one wants to hear about my fanatic love for a silly TV show. How the hell is China Beau!? In short, its awful and I want to come home. HA, just kidding. I could not be happier and things have been going amazingly well. Seriously, everything that could have gone wrong didn’t! Things have been remarkably easy. Well, mostly. I have discovered that my body seems to put out a strange energy that fouls up any and all electronics that require computing skill. This has been frustrating. My brand new laptop that I bought to keep in touch with family before leaving the US of A already has mega issues. It does not want to recognize the CD drive…. Ever. Its like it does not exist. It freezes constantly and I always have to shut it down. I tell you this as a bit of an excuse as to my delay in contact. Combined with my internet connection it was just enough to get me out of the habit of being on the internet AT ALL and thus I don’t think about it nearly as often as I once did. I also bought a sweet new cell phone here a week ago but they are not required to insulate their electronics as the American FCC requires… thus my “body energy” has already required it to be replaced… twice. It keeps telling me to insert a SIM card 10 seconds into a call and will quit working. Oh, and I have to have this new one replaced tomorrow as it has the same problem. So, make it 3 times… in one week… its beyond frustrating. I am not joking when I say that I truly believe it is just “me.”
Again, I digress. BEAU, TELL ME ABOUT CHINA FOR GOODNESS SAKE!
Okay, I first arrived in Shanghai for a week of training. Shanghai is a BLAST. Such an awesome city and it’s a great way for a foreigner to be introduced to china slowly. So you don’t freak out. Cause you can really do that here. Freak out that is. Shanghai is amazing and beautiful. I loved it so much more the second time for some strange reason. The layout of the streets is easy and comprehensive enough and the best part is that they have a nice subway system! Oh, a must for any city of worth. I have come to love the subway more than…. Well, Battlestar Galactica! Its makes for such easy getting around and it encourages you to get out an explore. You are never far from home when you know where a subway stop is or get lost and have to find one. Very handy indeed when say, everything happens to be in some strange boxy language with….. No alphabet!? Are they mad?
So my first week in China/Shanghai was amazing! I arrived full of energy excitement and ready to take on this tonal nightmare of a language. I loved going exploring on my own which is something that I never thought I would discover about myself. I truly preferred to be alone and just getting by with the Chinese I knew. I would leave my hotel room (ahem, closet) and just walk. When I got hungry I would hop into a little dive (my favorite places to eat!) and get some chow. All the time enjoying there confusion of why a Waiguoren ( pronounced why-guo-ren; foreigner) walking into their shop on purpose and why is he speaking to me in Chinese! Striking up a conversation with the locals in a divvy place is one of my favorite things to do. They always ask the same questions and you have the answers in your back pocket. So its great practice for high frequency Chinese. The questions are like: How do you speak Chinese, how long have you been studying, why are you here, and have you tried dog yet its excellent top the charts.
I made friends fast in Shanghai. I was delighted and star struck to go to Chinesepod headquarters. Quick breakdown on Chinesepod. They are daily podcasts in learning Mandarin Chinese and I have listened to their broadcasts nearly since the beginning of their company a year and a half ago. Oh, and they are based out of Shanghai. So I sent them an email telling of my move to China and wanted to buy their staff a drink or 7. I got a reply from one of the interns and I visited their office. They even let me be on one of their shows! I was totally geeked! I’ll get a link for you all if you would like to hear it.
So the time came to say goodbye to Shanghai and hello to Ningbo. Needless to say I peaked a bit too early in Shanghai and the reality of being in China began to kick in. Apparently Shanghai had been hit with a freak heat wave the week I was there and for the life of me I could not figure out why, despite being more south of Shanghai it was cold as balls in Ningbo!
So, there I was in Ningbo. I had no friends, I did not know my way around, it’s a bit less impressive architecturally speaking, I started a full day of teaching almost right away, and I had no hot water for 3 days in my new apartment, and NO subway L I was… less than happy.
My heart goes out fully to my mother for enduring the role of “teacher” for so many years. The first class of kids I faced was unbelievably stressful! 14 young minds all looking at me waiting to be molded. Thank god china’s educational system does not have the discipline problems America does. I would freak out and wail on a kid. Its very humbling to see all of these children learning English. Some of them are damn good too. This is a problem. I feel a bit like I’m aiding the enemy or something! Haha. Does no one else see a problem with 300,000,000 Chinese learning English? How many people do YOU know learning Chinese? 300 million? That’s the population of all of America people. They for sure have a head start. I agree though. Their language is impossible. ;)
So, things were rough for me in the beginning. I really enjoy my place now but at first I really loathed it. Especially once I saw how beautiful the apartment one of the other teachers got hooked up with. But one should never compare. it’s the surest way to pure misery. Someone somewhere will always have better than you.
Oh, funny fact. There reason I did not have hot water for 3 days is because most places (if you are even lucky enough to have hot water) run on natural gas. Yes, the same tanks you use for your BBQ only a bit bigger. So, in the beginning my gas tanks for cooking and shower were empty. You have to call and have someone deliver a tank to you. This takes only minutes… if you speak Chinese well enough and know your address. I knew neither. The school thankfully handled this for me. All I had to do was be home when the little Chinese man arrived with the tank strapped to his back. He charges depending on what floor you live on by the way because its an extra flight he has to walk up carrying that damned tank! Haha
So I finally got the gas but then how do I work it? All the instructions were in Chinese! After much trial and deliberation a Chinese colleague from my school came over to help me. Turns out the contraption that heats the water was out of batteries so could not generate a spark to ignite the gas. And ignite it does! I gotta tell you people. Its better than western water heaters! You open the gas valve, (if you bother to tighten it off… sometimes I don’t) turn on the water and the water leads up to the burner. The flow of the water automatically triggers the sparker and WHOOMPH! The “furnace” kicks in. Scalding hot water in 15 seconds and that baby don’t run out so long as you got gas and fire. It’s a good thing I never had such a contraption as a kid as I already had a problem getting to school on time for falling asleep in the shower in the morning! If mom didn’t wake me up the hot water literally running out would. Hehe
I have come to really enjoy Ningbo in the 3 weeks I have been here. Sure there is no subway but it has a lot to offer and the people here are SO friendly. Smaller town equals friendly people world wide as it turns out. Ningbo does not have the blatant charm of the city streets that Shanghai does but they de exist. Just harder to find. However that makes finding your favorite hole on the wall restaurant that much better when you do find it… cause it took a little effort J . in fact I am craving dumplings and beef noodle soup from one place in particular as I write this. OH, and food in china is stupid cheap. I can get dumplings, soup, and be full for 75 cents American. Add a beer? 25 cents extra. Awesome. It makes making such a low salary (comparatively speaking to what I have been paid in the states.) possible and bearable. I have to be careful with my money however as I must return to the states someday! That requires a nest egg of savings.
Interesting fact of Ningbo number 2. Its one of the cleanest cities in China. And its for a reason. Ningbo has outlawed all gas powered anything that is not a bus or a car. Most of you know that scooters here are the preferred mode of transportation. Wow, there are a lot. So what do they do? They have electric scooters. They are sweet! And fast too! Most cost less than $200 USD to boot. Its seriously a great idea to be triple careful crossing the street at night. They are fast, silent and many Chinese run without the headlight as so save battery power.
Fun fact of Ningbo #3. Ningbo just so happens to be the self proclaimed textile capital of China. Textile means fabric for all you momo’s like me out there. They take fashion very seriously out here. I know, a bit of an oxymoron I know. Chinese and fashion!? But its true! I have never seen so many cool outfits and men and women alike! Many times I have wanted to snap a picture of a gang of trendy Chinese rockers hanging out on a corner smoking cigarettes. But China is also the birthplace of a little thing called Kung-Fu and I don’t want to get my ass kicked by China’s version of a hair band. Once I can sneak a pic however I’ll be sure to post it. I bought the sweetest jacket too that I cant wait for you all to see. Its seriously dope.
Okay, I seriously have to be done for now. I have to get in the habit of creating short updates more often and not long winded novels that people are too scared to read.
Love You All,
Beau