New, unfamiliar destinations (again)

I woke up Saturday morning with news in my email inbox. It was a contract. If you read the previous post, you'd know this.

What you didn't know: I accepted the position.

I've been considering my reasons for coming to China quite a lot recently. The obvious reasons exist from my personal life and all that happened in the past few years, and I've been able to find some comfort and a community here. Others were professionally based... I hadn't been teaching for a year and came to the conclusion that I needed to get back into it some way, some how, if I wanted to pursue the career further. Financial reasons were also important, as I wasn't getting ahead in the "game" back home because of high living costs and lofty student loan bills. And finally, I wanted... no, I needed to be selfish. I needed to do something for myself that was mine alone and for me alone. I'd had the travel bug buried inside my brain since Europe in 2002 and now had a million different reasons why China was a good idea. So, I hopped on a plane. I wanted adventure, to get some more experience in the job that I spent thousands of dollars learning to do, and I wanted to stop spinning my tires in Canada. China was the answer to all of these things.

It has been awesome having the support of my friends (who suggested the job in the first place) since arriving, and I probably would've gone bananas out here if it weren't for D & M. They have been my saving grace and still, to a big extent, retain that title. They're my escape on weekends, my own private booster club for any jobs at the school, and an endless amount of help and support no matter what the topic/issue/need.

But I rely on them too much. I partially wanted to come to China to reassert my independence after feeling like I lost that independence. I know they don't mind, but maybe this position in Tianjin is exactly what I need... something where I'm completely left to my own devices and I don't simply fall back on the help of these friends who have done a ridiculous amount for. Maybe it'll be something I have to fight for... to wrestle with... and to conquer on my own. Maybe next year will be the start of my real endeavour into an independent life.

Maybe I'm being melodramatic or exaggerating. Whatever the case, I have a job that's going to exponentially speed up my student loan repayment plan, finance more adventures through Asia, provide me with new teaching experiences with a new staff and new kids and new admin, and will give me a chance to solidify my sense of self after being so uncertain for the past few years. Other than my attachment to my life and world here, it might just be the answer that I'm looking for.

I'll be honest... if I'm offered a position here in Dalian, I plan to take it. But I don't need it. Five days ago I did. I was reluctant and frustrated and jaded about why everything doesn't work out the way I want. But I'm over that self-pity trip and am looking at this opportunity like the potentially amazing adventure it could be. Now that I've had a chance to stop wallowing in my own pity party, I know it would simply be convenient and enjoyable. Not necessary.

So whatever the next few weeks bring, I'm ready to take it on. "It matters not how straight the gate..."

T

Rollercoasters (and pictures)

First picture from the jungle in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia with Mr. Peters.

From the tea plantations in the Cameron Highlands as well as one of the workers harvests the crop.
On the trail, Day 1, on the way up Mount Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo. A two-day trek up to 4095m, the highest peak between the Himalayas and New Guinea. Legs were trashed and had a terrible sunburn to show for it!

At the top of Mount Kinabalu after summiting at sunrise. Life above the clouds is pretty amazing.
The 8km marker near the top of the mountain. Amazing views from the top.

Now onto more annoying, daily things...

I wasn't speaking about actual, literal rollercoasters. I'm talking about metaphorical ones. The ones that make you feel like you're swallowing your stomach because of anxiety, excitement and stress.

All year, I've been applying for and seeking a position as an academic teacher at the high school here in Dalian for our company. Teaching ESL has been enjoyable, but the money is only so-so, and I live in an extremely secluded area of the city. I've met and talked to a number of different administrators, teachers, and anyone else who could potentially help me acquire a position in more urban and more foreigner-populated high school. Any time rumours begin to fly about relating to potential jobs, I get on the phone and start talking to whoever might be able to substantiate such things. Finally, a few weeks ago, positions at the high schools for our company were posted online and I had my application in the next day.

After applying and after having my resume sent to a number of administrative places, I finally got a reply, had some correspondence with the man in charge of hiring, and was offered a job... in Tianjin. When I put in my application, I clearly applied for a job at the high school here, as I will know the kids, the other teachers, some of the admin, and I know the area. I could secure an apartment before the end of the summer, I could begin to start coordinating my planning with the other returning teachers, and I could begin to get my life in order. But now the recruiter wants to send me to another city where I don't know anyone.

I emailed him back in hopes of getting some more consideration for a position here. I don't know if I want to move across the BoHai Sea to another city after staying out here in the boonies for a year and feeling isolated, just so I can experience that weekly isolation again. It's more than an overnight train away and I'd be starting all over again. Story of my life it seems, I know, but something that I'm hesitant to do. Do I have the energy to begin again?

It's like experiencing great news while being punched in the gut. The good thing sounded so good, but the reality is something painfully uncomfortable. I'm not sure what I'll decide, but I sure haven't said yes... not yet.

T

Morning notes and words from the back of a taxi

I woke this morning to an eerie, orange sky and rain drip, drip, dripping outside my windows. No floodlights were on outside my apartment... simply a strange and leering sky that seemed to hide something... something beyond the streelight-like glow flooding in through my drapes and lightly flicking at the wood of my living room floors. As I took a glimpse outside, I was trying to figure out what, exactly, the sky was trying to hide. The spring rain was falling lightly, so what was being concealed?

Upon my departure, I learned what it was: snow. More particularly, snowflakes the size of beachballs. It's March 20th. And there's a tangerine-coloured blizzard outside my door.

I hopped in the back of the car that was taking a few of the teachers into the city. Normally we're on a minibus, but because of the small numbers and the terrible roads, we rode in luxury in the Passat.

The clouds weren't the only orange-hued actors in this morning drama. As the snow built up on the windshield and the wipers pushed them aside, the brownish tinge was unavoidably obvious on the car's glass. All that lives in the sky was soon being absorbed and sent to the earth. In China, this is not a positive thing. If you don't believe me (although I'm sure you do, considering you all know what happens to the air quality in a country of 1.35 billion people), check this out.

Luckily, even with the eerie omens and messages from friends assuming it was the apocalypse, we made it into town without any 2012-ish happenings.

After sorting out getting some new clothes made (I've had some good success with a tailor suggested by none other than DS), running some errands and making a trip to Ijea (Ikea), I found a cab driver, bartered a price to get me back to school, and hopped in the back seat. Typically I just take the bus back home, but I had a bag full of sundries (and new dinnerware) from my excursion and didn't want to fight the Saturday crowds on the 40ft limo. It was going to be worth the investment.

Once we began driving, the driver got on his phone to confirm how to get to the school. Although I have the address written down in Mandarin and can point him in the right direction, most drivers don't have the faintest clue where the school is. A minute later, he hung up his phone and started pulling over, explaining that the fare should jump by about 20% because it was farther than expected. Knowing how much it should cost and knowing that the price was more than fair, I just told him he shouldn't have quoted me the price, and I wouldn't budge. I was polite but stern, and after a minute of arguing, the guy laughed and said okay. Some would've just kicked me out, so I was having a bit of luck. So, we were on our way.

He reached for his stereo to get some tunes going. And what, my friends, was the first feature from the CD in his deck??? Michael Jackson's Christmas Album. Yes. It's March. And the King of Pop's holiday tribute began pumping into my ears over the sounds of my IPod. The driver looked back at me grinning, asking me if I like MJ. "Of course!" I reply, laughing at the absurdity. He probably didn't know it was a Christmas album. I just embraced the weirdness. MJ was followed up quickly by some Chinese techno music (he was SERIOUSLY pumping the jams. I don't think the tinny speakers could've handled too much more juice), and the techno kept us occupied the whole way (35 minutes) back to the school. And it was awesome.

I successfully survived Armageddon, navigated my way through the nutty Erqi market, was able to communicate what I wanted for my clothes (2 dress shirts and a pair of dress pants for about $50 Can., perfectly fitted. Awesome), bartered with a cabby and got home all the way to Daheishi with money in pocket and sanity in tact. And just a few minutes ago, I glanced outside my window again to see more orange, but this time it was the orange and red of a brilliant sunset over the BoHai Sea. Life in China, March 20th.

T

Inspiration from a friend

Today, I was railroaded into changing my teaching plans for tomorrow as our school hosts some visiting Chinese teachers. They would like to observe some classes and I, being the lucky guy that I am, was asked/suckered into changing my writing activity for something more active and engaging so the teachers could observe the effectiveness and the positive influence of the foreign teachers on the Chinese students. I'm a sucker and said okay. Now I'm getting ready to spend most of my night in the city (it's our weekly night for our shopping bus), and I have sort out a teaching plan for one single class tomorrow. And it's my class of hooligans. What am I getting myself into?!?!?

On a brighter note, a friend of mine recently changed her FB status to reveal a cheerful Dr. Seuss quote. So, I thought I'd do the same. I found this one to be particularly good for inspiring me to face this small challenge:

"I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready, you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me."

- Dr. Seuss

Omens, omens, omens

I can't figure out if these omens are rising on the winds or blowing in from the seas, or are even potentially riding into view with the Ides of March. Should I have anything to worry about? It seems hard to say at this point. I have heard birds chirruping in the trees lately, but I have also felt the cold wind's sting on my face and hands as I attempt to run through all that blows and attempts to drive me indoors when I know I need to escape my apartment and the school.

I'm currently wondering what my life will look like in six months. I've been begging for an academic positions at the high school all year and none have materialized. Some have appeared, but since our company was overstaffed, they didn't actual make any new hires but rather just transferred people from other schools to fill the jobs. And finally, job postings have come out and I sent in my resume to the superintendent. Writing resumes and applying for jobs is probably one of the things I despise most in the world. Although I have the option to stay on as an ESL teacher, I am not guaranteed an academic position (even thought I'm qualified). The difference between the jobs, you ask? A doubled salary, teaching what I've been trained to teach in University, having my own apartment NOT on campus and having the freedom to participate in a school community the proper way (by living where my friends are). But in the meantime, I wait. I wait to plan my summer, my autumn, my life. Funny how that's become such a major trend for me in the past 2 years. What do these Ides of March bring, I query?

?

On a totally unrelated topic, I sometimes miss vacation because of the fact that I force myself to read. Reading has always been one of my favourite hobbies (you can insert any one of a million nerdy criticisms here), but I absolutely love exploring stories and characters. Going on a trip allows me the time and head space to do just this. During my winter holiday, I ploughed through 4 books altogether and kept the trend going for the first week back in China (by tackling a lofty 5th). But now I can now feel my focus drifting away as my mind fills up with concerns about paragraph marking, term teaching plans, job applications, and the rest of real life that always lingers on the porch as we return from more frivolous times spent experiencing the world. During my trip to SE Asia, I was able to read:

The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

Pilgrim by Timothy Findlay

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (finished here in China last week... Maggie, how I love you so)

I find that I try to take on more challenging reads with a few classics mixed in since I have the time and energy to dedicate to their subject matter. And I have to say I wasn't disappointed in any of the adventures. I read Cat's Cradle while in Europe the first time, so it was a bit like a flashback read... but it was much different the second time. Oscar Wao was entertaining and well written, but I think I would've appreciated it more if I knew some Spanish (as a bunch of the internal dialogue was in Espanol). Pilgrim, as with all of Findlay's books for me, was great. Dark, but awesome. East of Eden was definitely the most dense and took me a while to plough through, but Steinbeck has this casually rolling sort of rhythm to his writing that isn't pretentious or hard to access... it takes it's time and doesn't hurry anywhere. Extremely quotable, too. And Oryx and Crake is by Margaret Atwood. Enough said. If you know me and my literary tastes at all, you'd know that I'd take Atwood out for a steak in a heartbeat. She may be married and she may be 70 years old, but I've love to chat up that huge, beautiful brain of hers. You may think this strange... but I've come to grips with my fascination for this woman's writing. You'll just have to deal with it.

Otherwise, I'm finding myself buried under a pile of 200 notebooks that I collected from my students over the past few days. I have a lot of marking ahead of me. Now, if I can only find some ambition to match it. Summertime, where are you?

T

A day set aside

To the women in my life,

For all the passion, intelligence, beauty, understanding and insight you bring into my life, I want to say thank you. You challenge me in a number of ways, whether it's through the demands to be a better friend, better teacher, better mate or better man. Whether you're encouraging me in my personal and professional life, or you're inspiring me to think that all women are just a little bit crazy*, I still thank you for challenging my worldview, my opinions and my suppositions about life. My world is a more beautiful place because of all of you. A quote I saw that I think I should share:

Women really do rule the world.  They just haven't figured it out yet.  When they do, and they will, we're all in big big trouble.  ~"Doctor Leon,"

Happy International Women's Day.

T

* (Something cheeky was necessary.)

Recounting the ridiculous

I'm just about ready to call it a night. The week at school has come and gone and I think the new semester, though riddled with new challenges, will be a positive one. Just as I finished up a movie, I thought about all the challenges that I encountered between my final day of school in January and my arrival back in Dalian on the 25th of Feb. So, in order to make my loyal readers feel better about their lives and their luck, this is the anti-highlight reel of my adventures in SE Asia! :)

1) Two days before I fly to Hong Kong, I lose my wallet in a taxi. No amount of calling or inquiring will rescue it. So, I'm forced to deal with life without debit cards, my Visa, my BC driver's licence, my health care card, my school's food card, 600Yuan cash and a number of other important pieces of plastic. Awesome.

2) After an enjoyable time in Hong Kong and an uneventful time in Bangkok I arrive in Ayuthaya, Thailand. Seeking out my guesthouse as I read my Lonely Planet map, I walk DIRECTLY into the end of a 10ft long metal rod weighing down a sign overhanging the sidewalk... for the guesthouse I stayed at. I start bleeding profusely and need to be patched up by the guesthouse manager. I have a scar to prove it.

3) Because of the wallet incident, I ask my parents to wire some money to me via Western Union while in Chiang Mai. I choose a location which I believe to be close to my guesthouse, and because I have wonderful parents, they do this for me. The next morning, I realize that the address is about a 40 minute walk away. I arrive and I find out that the branch is closed. I was directed to another branch... and it's computers were down. Finally I reached a branch and received my money. All this after nearly 2 hours of walking around in 33 degree heat with no hat (the gash on my forehead prevented such head gear).

4) I arrive in Borneo and hiked up an amazing and monstrous mountain. Before climbing, I was told it would be cold at the summit. Considering myself a rustic Canuck, I prepared by carrying many layers but disregarded the advice to wear gloves. It was 5 degrees at the top. Wind. Granite. It took 4 hours AFTER our descent to have full feeling return to my fingers. (I realize this is more stupidity than bad luck, but it seems to fit).

5) Upon attempting to leave Kuala Lumpur for Cambodia, I arrive at KL Central Station to catch a bus to the airport. I ask for a ticket for the 9am bus. I pay, take my ticket and wait. And wait. At 9:05 I inquire about when we're leaving, only to learn that there is no 9am bus that day, only 9:30. I arrive at the airport too late to check in and miss my flight.

6) After attempting to book another flight to Cambodia and realizing it's fruitless I ask for a ticket to Vietnam for the same day. No Cambodia for me this trip. I arrive upstairs to check in again, and am told I can't board the flight without a visa for Vietnam which I have to get at an embassy or online. I don't have one. I have to rebook for the next day. Rushed visa cost: $75USD + another night in a g.h. and travel back and forth between the airport with 20kg of gear. 

7) Arriving at the Saigon airport, I went to pay the final $25USD for my visa. They don't accept Malay currency. I went down to the money changer, and they more or less steal nearly and extra $10 for the exchange. And they mention they're doing me a favour.

8) Generally got hustled for street food and cabs fares at a variety of places. No big deal.

9) Tried to find my flight reservation for my Vietnam Airlines flight from Hue to Hanoi in my email inbox. Can't find it. Try contacting V.A. with no luck. I had encountered some internet problems the day I booked, so I assumed the payment didn't go through (as I never got an online acknowledgement of my booking). So, I booked another ticket. The day of the flight, I realize that the confirmation did, in fact, get sent to me, but was in my junk mail folder... which I can't see from my normal email window. I bought two flights for the same day at different times.

10) I already told the story about Beijing and the girl I call GG. If you haven't read it, scroll down.

My mother laughs at me a lot when I recount such stories, and has, on a number of occasions, called me a poor little Schleprock. I always had an idea that this wasn't good, but here's the definition of Schleprock provided by Wikipedia:

"Badluck Schleprock is a character from the 1970s Hanna-Barbera animated television series The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show and The Flintstone Comedy Hour. He was voiced by Don Messick. The character has since been assimilated into popular culture and become an icon and stereotype for unlucky or hapless individuals."

I don't know if I should be allowed to leave my apartment ever again. Happy Friday, all.

T

Those closest to me are beginning to wonder if I'd be a good partner in the Amazing Race... looking at this track record, I don't blame anyone for wanting to stay far, far away.

Bits and Pieces

The cold wind is blowing the iciness of the Daheishi winter into the floors and walls of my apartment. The place is a post-vacation disaster, as I have clothes strewn about, along with the dishes from the previous few meals which have been haphazardly eaten while attempting to upload photos, organize my laundry and stay warm. My newly acquired painting is giving itself a nice stretch on my living room floor after being cooped up in a piece of PVC pipe for a week. I can almost see frost on my floor near the windows (again), and I'm dreaming about warmer places. Fireworks blast outside my apartment windows again, even though the Chinese Spring Festival was supposed to finish yesterday. I guess some people didn't get the memo.

I haven't told all the stories of my trip, but I dealt with being hustled quite regularly. Asia is a place of "Buyer Beware" and, in my case, "Buyer Use Some Common Sense". Now, I think I'm a pretty sharp guy, but I got ripped of in a few places. Most of the time it was a pittance of cash. I was charged double for an airport shuttle coming into Hanoi, but I had an idea and it was the equivalent of about $2. No problem. I got charged double in Saigon for street noodles. Total ripoff price above normal: $3. Suckered into a "drink" with two beautiful Chinese girls in Beijing? 410RMB! This translates into over $60Can.

Now, in my defense, I was exhausted. After the previous two weeks travelling from KL to Saigon to Nha Trang to Hoi An to Hanoi and then to Beijing (including a missed flight and two overnight buses), I was spent. 

I arrived in Beijing in the later part of the afternoon and was leaving the following evening. All I had time to do that day was book a train ticket, get some dinner, and make an action plan for the following day (wanting to see the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square). I entered the Wangfujing Square near my hostel and started seeking out the train ticket office using the crude map drawn up by my friendly hostel employees. As I strolled, in no hurry as I just wanted to soak in the sights and meander, two girls approached me and started chatting me up about where I was from, etc. They were really friendly, and the one girl was an absolute knockout. Maybe the most beautiful girl in China. After talking for a few minutes, they asked me where I was heading. I mentioned the ticket office. The gorgeous girl said she needed to find a washroom, so the other girl showed me where the ticket office was for the train. After acquiring my ticket to Dalian, Girl #2 asked me if I wanted to join her and her friend for a drink (since I was going to go eat anyway). I obliged, we found Gorgeous Girl (GG), and went to a pub.

The pub wasn't too far away, and although the prices seemed ridiculously high, I just wanted to have some food and go to bed. The chitchat was enjoyable and I had a good time. Then, the bill arrived.

For 410 RMB. 

Neither girl made a move. I asked, "Do you expect me to pay the whole thing?"

They responded: "Of course. The man always pays in China!"

Well, I knew this was BS. But I started analyzing the situation and the bill. GG ordered a pot of normal Chinese tea. Charge? Over $35Can. Everything else was exorbitantly priced. We were in a basement pub. There were no other customers. And I suddenly remembered that there was a big bouncer-ish dude at the bottom of the stairs between me and freedom. And the look on the faces of the girls was obvious: I got hustled.

So, knowing that I wasn't going to get out of this (even though I'm a strong, intimidating guy), I paid the bill and headed out, screaming at myself in my head for being daft. I didn't even have the nerve to lose it on the girls. You couldn't have written a more epically hilarious script for an easy mark and easier take. So I swallowed my pride and walked back to my hostel.

DISCLAIMER: I realize that this girl being so beautiful should've been a red flag, my friends, but between my fatigue and traveler's mentality that any time is a great opportunity to meet people (and maybe some unknown egocentricity that made me think, "Of COURSE these gorgeous girls wanted to talk to me out of the blue!"), I was an easy mark.

I actually returned to the square the next day in hopes of bumping into the girls again, snapping their pics, and then going to the nearby police station. I didn't end up finding them, but it's amazing how many other cute, friendly girls invited me out for a drink that next night. And I did a good deed... I saw a 30-ish, single guy walking in the square when he was approached by some girls. Knowing the outcome, I ran over and told him my story... in obvious earshot of the two girls he was with. Even if I didn't get any sweet revenge on GG, I helped a fellow traveler who could've been hustled like me. It helped me sleep a bit better. 

Alas, it didn't change the light nature of my wallet.

T