Purple

'Teacher, are you cold? Your lips are purr... er... purrp...'. 'Purple?', I say, forcing my frozen lips into a smile. 'Yes!', my student happily replies. 'Yes, I'm very cold. I think I'll go running up and down the stairs after class'. Three pairs of eyes look at me in confusion. 'Why?', one of them dares to ask. I shiver with cold and say:'To become warm'. My students nod in agreement. 'Good idea!', one of them says.

Today, I taught English at New Start for the last time. As you can read above, it was quite a memorable lesson. Since yesterday, it has become very cold in Yangshuo and according to the weather forecast, it'll stay cold for at least a week. Oh no! I'd hoped to be able to enjoy my last week in Yangshuo in warm weather. It's cold outside and inside and it's very difficult to warm up. Even yoga class tonight didn't help. Everybody had their coats on during class!

I don't have any special plans for my last week here. I'd like to go to Guilin for a day, which is 1 hour by bus from Yangshuo. I need to sort out my stuff and send some of it back to Holland, so my suitcase will be lighter when I leave next Friday. And I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that I can use my bank card again tomorrow... That would really lift a weight off my shoulders.

I'm going to make another (plastic) cup of jasmine tea. Enjoy the rest of the day and keep warm!

Change of plans

'Change of plans' - a phrase often heard at McK, but this time I'm both the consultant and the assistant.

I've decided not to go to Shenzen this week. Instead, I'll be teaching from Monday to Thursday (afternoons only) with Thursday being the last day of my teaching career in Yangshuo. From Friday, Nov. 13, I'll have one week to prepare my departure. I can't believe time has gone by so quickly! I consider it a good sign. On Nov. 20, I'll leave Yangshuo and start my long journey to Hong Kong. I'll leave Friday night, Nov. 20, spend Saturday in Shenzen, continue my journey to Hong Kong Saturday night and fly from Hong Kong to Tokyo on Sunday, Nov. 22. I'll spend a week in Tokyo, fly back to Hong Kong on Nov. 29, spend two nights in Hong Kong and then I'll fly to Auckland on Dec. 1.

No idea if it'll work out as described above - perhaps I've heard the phrase 'change of plans' too often? - but this is my plan for now.

Have a great week!

Strange Chinese robber....

I've got my wallet, bank card and driver's licence back (didn't even know my driver's licence was in my wallet...), but my money is gone. The police had already told me that robbers in Yangshuo usually only take the cash and throw the rest away. They don't even try to use a foreign bank card. Too much work, according ot the police. It's a pity I've lost between 250 - 300 RMB (25 to 30 euros, but worth a lot more here), but I'm very happy I've got my wallet and driver's licence back! Hopefully, the bank can un-cancel my bank card on Monday. Would save me - and them! - a lot of trouble. Please keep your fingers crossed they will!

Ik heb mijn portemonnee, bankpas en rijbewijs terug (ik wist niet eens dat mijn rijbewijs in mijn portemonnee zat....), maar mijn geld is weg. De politie had al gezegd dat zakkenrollers in Yangshuo meestal alleen het contante geld meenemen en de rest weggooien. Ze proberen 't niet eens om een buitenlandse bankpas te gebruiken. Volgens de politie is dat teveel moeite. Het is spijtig dat ik tussen de 250 en 300 RMB kwijt ben (omgerekend zo'n 25 tot 30 euro, maar hier veel meer waard), maar ik ben erg blij dat ik mijn portemonnee en rijbewijs weer terug heb! Hopelijk kan de bank maandag mijn bankpas deblokkeren. Zou mij - en hen! - een hoop gedoe schelen. Duimen jullie voor me dat de bank dat wil doen?

Not so happy....

This morning when I woke up and looked out of the window, a sunny world greeted me. It was even warm enough to wear a T-shirt! Kathy and I had lunch together outside, so we could enjoy the sun. When I wanted to pay for my lunch, however, I noticed that my wallet wasn't in my purse... I knew 100% sure that I hadn't left it in my apartment, so that could only mean one thing: it was gone. Lost? Stolen? My bank card and some money were in my wallet. Last night, I'd used my wallet for the last time when I'd bought fruit at the fruit market. What had happened between last night and lunch time today? I don't know and I'll probably never know.

I spent the rest of the afternoon sorting things out. I went to the police station with Nancy, my former room mate, to report a stolen wallet. Nancy had to translate my statement from English into Chinese. I also had to call my bank in the Netherlands to block my bank card. I couldn't use my Chinese cell phone, so I had to use a phone in a phone house to make an international call. I was able to dial the number, but when the voice on the tape started listing the options and I pressed 1 for 'reporting a stolen bank card' nothing happened. Help! I couldn't call my parents, because they were both at work. I remembered Anique's office number in Amsterdam and luckily, she was able to help me. [i]Thanks, Anique! You're a star! [/i

My bank card has been blocked and I received my salary today, so I'll be fine for a while. For a while, because without a bank card, I don't have access to my bank account and I can't withdraw money from an ATM machine either. Argh!!!

I was really looking forward to going to yoga tonight, but unfortunately, both evening classes were cancelled, because it was the first Friday of the month.... Bummer! Apparently, the first Friday of each month is a talking and singing session instead of practice. Oh. Maybe my Chinese will be good enough for that next month...

Anyway, it hasn't been a very good day so far, but the day isn't over yet, so I can still try to give it a happy ending by going dancing with Kathy. It's our last weekend together, so I'm not going to sit inside and feel sorry for myself. The most important thing is that I'm okay. It's party time!

Have a great weekend!

Koud!

In Dutch this time - good for English speakers who are trying to learn Dutch! Let me know if you'd like to receive an English translation of the text below.

Sinds afgelopen zondag is het in Yangshuo een stuk kouder geworden. Brrr! Tussen 11.00 en 17.00 uur bereikt het kwik zo'n 25 graden, maar tussen 17.00 en 11.00 uur is het nog maar zo'n 8 graden.... Als je, zoals ik, 35 graden gewend bent, is dat verschrikkelijk koud! Ik ben erg blij dat ik mijn windjack mee heb en m'n handschoenen. Het probleem in Yangshuo is dat niemand verwarming heeft. In restaurants, winkels, huizen en appartementen is het dus net zo koud als buiten. Het enige waar ik me aan kan opwarmen is een kopje thee - en dat helpt niet echt, kan ik je uit ervaring vertellen. Het is dus een beetje afzien voor me. Op dit moment schijnt de zon volop (het is nu 12.30 uur), maar vannacht heb ik liggen klappertanden in m'n thermische nachtkleding en met m'n sokken aan! Ik snap wel waarom veel buitenlanders hun heil in Thailand zoeken tijdens de wintermaanden. Je wordt gewoon niet warm hier! Mijn volgende stop is Nieuw-Zeeland, maar daar is het nu nog niet echt warm. Heel misschien ga ik eerst nog naar Japan voordat ik naar Nieuw-Zeeland ga. Ach ja, ben nu toch in de buurt! Volgende week ga ik nog een paar dagen naar Shenzen met Kathy. We moeten dan 9 uur in een bus zitten. Pffft! Shenzen is een moderne Chinese stad die nog niet zo lang bestaat. Je schijnt er goed te kunnen winkelen. Yangshuo is niet bepaald een winkelparadijs, dus ik kijk er erg naar uit. Er zit echter ook een schaduwzijde aan het uitstapje naar Shenzen: het betekent afscheid nemen van Kathy. Kathy vliegt op 11 november naar Belgie om haar familie te bezoeken. Op 4 december is ze weer in China, maar dan ben ik als het goed is in Nieuw-Zeeland. Kathy heeft echter ook een visum voor Nieuw-Zeeland, dus wie weet zien we elkaar volgend jaar in kiwiland!

Morgen hoef ik weer geen les te geven. Ik vind het prima om een lang weekend te hebben, maar het betekent ook dat ik maar voor 4 dagen betaald krijg (ik heb overigens nog geen cent gezien!). Volgende week dinsdag en woensdag ben ik in Shenzen, dus dan werk ik alleen op maandag- en donderdagmiddag. Ik ben ook door andere scholen gevraagd om les te geven - vanwege de kou hebben veel buitenlanders Yangshuo al verlaten -, maar daar heb ik vriendelijk voor bedankt. Het lag niet alleen aan Amsterdam: ook hier ben ik geen ochtendmens...

Dit weekend hoef ik me niet te vervelen: vrijdagavond is er een feestje ter ere van de opening van club Blue en zaterdagavond vieren Joanna, Deense Naomi en ene Sid hun verjaardagen in The Alley Bar. Voeg daar een massage, wat yogalessen, fietstochtjes en een schoonmaaksessie aan toe en m'n weekend is weer gevuld!

Ik wens jullie allemaal een zonnige dag!

Bruised & battered

The result after my 3-day weekend: a severe cold, a cut in my thumb, a burned knee, a bruised right foot (a girl wearing stiletto's stepped on it) and a bruised left foot (a girl wearing high heels stepped on it). The good news is: no more back pain!

On Thursday evening, Kathy and I went out for dinner to celebrate the start of my weekend. We went to a restaurant in the center of Yangshuo we had never been to before. The food was very good. After dinner, we went to bar 98 for a pot of ginger tea. The Chinese believe that ginger can cure a cold. My cold was still there the next morning, but at least, I'd slept very well!

On Friday, I had lunch at school at 11.30 am, followed by a meeting. The meeting was attended by Joe and David, two Chinese staff members of the school and New Start's foreign teachers: Tom, Adam, Vanda and me. The outcome of the meeting was that I'll continue to use the ready-made lesson plans and the other teachers will start using them in a couple of weeks. The outcome of my personal meeting is that I'll still be teaching this week, but I'm not sure about next week. After the meeting, I had a foot massage at a massage salon I'd never been to before. I found it a little bit weird that a Chinese guy was massaging my feet and I found it painful as well. When I left, I had sweaty palms from fighting the pain. Ouch! Around 3 pm Kathy and I cycled to the Giggling Tree. The Giggling Tree is a guesthouse that's run by Paulien and Karst, a Dutch couple. It's located 5 km outside Yangshuo. It's a beautiful, peaceful place. Kathy and I had a drink on the terrace and we had a chat with Paulien. Unfortunately, Paulien's 2-year old son Pelle was having a nap when we arrived and he still hadn't woken up by the time we left. We wanted to leave before dark. Bicycles in Yangshuo don't have lights and there aren't many street lights either.

On Friday evening, we had dinner with Alex, a Chinese guy whom we had met at bar SiHai. I was reluctant to accept his dinner invitation, because he'd told Kathy that he wanted me as his girlfriend. No way! Kathy persuaded me to have dinner with him and finally I gave in. When we arrived at the restaurant, Alex was already drunk - and really nervous. He'd invited some Chinese friends, but unfortunately, none of them spoke English. Kathy and I tried to have a conversation with Alex, but since that didn't really work, we ended up talking with each other. After dinner, we went to The Stone Rose, a competitor of bar SiHai. Kathy and I didn't really like the music, so after a while, we said goodbye to Alex and went to bar SiHai. Alex wasn't pleased. Kathy and I were warmly welcomed at SiHai (we are considered regulars!) and with a free drink in hand, we enjoyed ourselves on the dance floor. Around midnight, Alex showed up. He was extremely drunk and he shouted that he didn't like the music at all. 'Do you like the music, Carola?', he shouted in an angry voice. When I said yes, he shouted 'I hate you!'. I wasn't impressed at all by his words. Apparently, that pissed him off so much that he left. Kathy and I looked at each other, lifted our shoulders and continued dancing. Bye, Alex!

On Saturday morning, Kathy and I went to yoga, had lunch with Tom, Naomi, Joanna and Sinan and did a bit of shopping. On Saturday evening, Tom and Kathy threw a dinner party . They'd invited Adam, Sinan, Joanna, English Naomi, Danish Naomi and me. Tom impressed us all with his pasta sauce and Kathy's Belgian fries and salad were also very good. After dinner, we all prepared ourselves for Halloween by making ourselves and each other ugly and scary. We used glue, paint, make up and lots of hairspray (see my photo album for the result!). It felt a bit uncomfortable to walk down the streets looking the way we did and we really scared a lot of Chinese people. There was a Halloween Party at bar 98, but Kathy and I really wanted to go dancing, so we went to SiHai. Our students were there as well and they didn't even recognize me!
We had a lot of fun, but to my surprise, there were still people that came up to me and said:'You are so beautiful!' I received a red rose as well. I felt really tempted to say:'You definitely need a pair of glasses'....

On Sunday, I had lunch at Kathy's place. Kathy and I went for a bike ride, visiting the Outside Inn (a guesthouse run by Nadine and Michael, a Swiss-English couple) and the Giggling Tree (this time, Pelle was awake). After a bowl of delicious pumpkin soup (made by Tom, Kathy's flatmate), we went to a massage salon where all the masseuses are blind. We both had an extremely painful massage there, but according to Kathy, it was worth the pain (I'm still not convinced....).After the massage, we cycled back to the center of Yangshuo, where we had dinner at Hollywood Cafe. Hollywood Cafe used to be owned by Roland, my Dutch contact person.

Today, I woke up late, taught English in the afternoon, had dinner at school and went to yoga class.

That's it for now. Have a great day/evening!

Pictures!

Sorry you had to wait so long, you should be able to take a look at my photo album now.

Excuses voor het lange wachten, als het goed is, kun je nu een kijkje nemen in mijn fotoalbum.

Enjoy! / Veel plezier!

Weekend!

At the risk of making you jealous: my weekend has begun, hooray!

When I arrived at school for lunch today, Joe said:'The students will have a test tomorrow afternoon, so you don't have to teach. You can take a break'. My initial reaction was 'yippee!'. Teaching this week was extremely exhausting. Because of the warm weather? Because of the tired students? I don't know, but what I do know is that I was really looking forward to the weekend. And now my weekend has started one day earlier than exzpected! At the same time, it made me wonder: is this the Chinese way of saying I'm not a good teacher....?

Last week, I started with 7 students on Monday, but on Wednesday, there were only 5 left. This week, I started with 6 students and today, only 4 showed up. Chinese students will stay away from class if they don't like it. Last week, the students complained about my methods of teaching. The Chinese love to complain (even more than the Dutch!), but in particular Chinese adult students.... Ooof! They never express their complaints directly to me, so I always have to guess what they think. Chinese people are afraid to lose face, so they're very difficult to read.

On Monday after class, Joe gave me a complete lesson plan for the next day. She told me the school wanted to try a new approach. All I had to do was check the English used in the lesson plan, then she would correct it and give it back to me the next day. She'd also make copies for the students. The big advantage of this way of working is that it saves me a lot of time. I don't have to prepare my classes in the morning anymore. A big disavantage is that I don't have to do much at all. My role as a teacher has become extremely passive. I spent the last three afternoons counting down the hours! I can tell you that 2,5 hours felt a lot longer than 150 minutes...

Tomorrow, there'll be a short meeting to discuss this 'new approach'. I was used as a guinea pig; none of the other teachers have used this method so far. I'm curious to hear the outcome of this meeting. Meanwhile, I'll have a meeting with myself as well: should I stay or should I go? Teaching English at New Start doesn't seem to make me very happy. Or is it teaching English in Yangshuo? Teaching English in general? Hmm, this could be a long meeting!

Happy Halloween and have a great weekend!