Pancakes for Two

I apologize for having so many posts about food, but when you're in a strange country, it's one of those things that affects you everyday. There are adventures in eating new things, and amazing comforts in eating familiar things. Thanks to a gift basket full of goodies from my teammates that included baking powder, I now have all the ingredients needed to make pancakes. And so that's exactly what I did this morning- and they were glorious! I am not lying when I say that these were the most perfect pancakes I have ever made- in America or in China. Golden brown, fluffy, and delicious! The only thing missing was the syrup, but I have a recipe for that too-just didn't have the time today. But pancakes were fun for another reason- I had an audience. A new cat has been coming around the past couple of days, and this one is different- still meowing, but at least he's a little more social. He likes to jump in my windowsill and rub on the screens. It was all I could do not to give him some of my flapjacks. I don't want to create a monster.

So instead, I just named him Pancake.

Can you blame him? Look at that thing!

My little pancakes- all 4 of them!

In other news, my freshmen classes started this week. Teaching them is a little different, because they aren't really sure how to act, their English is not so good, and most of them have never had a foreign teacher before. The one class definitely clapped for me the other day, simply because I walked into the room. Also, most of them are now calling me Shamblee, since that is how I was introduced to them at their English club meeting. It's pretty cute.
Next week we all have off for the National Holiday. Upcoming events: Sports Day (I'm doing shotput-HA!) and the Langfang Hot Air Balloon & Fruit Picking Festival. Always an adventure! OHH, China!

Mooncakes and Magnum Bars!

This weekend was a busy one, but it was a fun one, full of celebration. Sunday was the Mid-Autumn Festival here in China, but the celebrating started on Friday after work and continues through tonight. It's a lunar holiday, so it changes dates each year, but it's always the day of the full harvest moon. There's a traditional tale about a woman who lives on the moon and looks down lovingly on her husband who is still on earth. Or something like that. Either way, the Chinese celebrate by getting together with loved ones and exchanging mooncakes. Lots and lots of mooncakes. These are no moon pies, mind you. They're more like a really dense and giant Fig Newton. They taste "sweet" and come in all kinds of delightful flavors- sesame seed, bean paste, egg, fruit, and even chocolate/peanut butter. They are not my favorite, which is unfortunate because I have received 12 of them. The good thing is that they are easy to re-gift. So don't be surprised if you get a mooncake from me for Christmas :)

This is the sugar/seed/nut/fruit version of the mooncake. Click on it for a closer look.

Sunday also happened to be fellow teacher Shannon's birthday. We celebrated with a great dinner, gifts, games and Magnum bars instead of cake. They do have western style birthday cakes in the supermarkets here, but Peter decided to stick a candle in a Magnum bar instead. What is a Magnum bar, you ask? If mooncakes are a poor imitation of Fig Newtons, then Magnum bars are an improvement on the Klondike bar (especially here, where tasty sweets are hard to come by sometimes). Yum!

Saturday was our day trip into Beijing. We discovered that Mid-Autumn day is not the day to take a train, as everyone is going somewhere. But in spite of the crowds we had a great time getting out of Langfang and hanging with our students Cassie, Melinda, Forrest and Vivian. The trip to Ikea did not happen, but it's not going anywhere anytime soon. Forrest, Vivian, Brad, the Jess's, Melinda, and Cassie.

Our dear friends Helen and Lily. Lily is due in 3 weeks!!

My Giant Shower

It cannot be said enough; EVERYthing in China is different. People look different, buildings look different, the food tastes different, schedules are different, priorities are different, methods are different, and heaven knows that they sure do drive differently here. What I'm slowly learning and coming to realize is that different isn't always better, but different isn't necessarily worse. It's just different. Besides the language, none of the differences really pose any problems. And even the language barrier can be overcome with universal gestures and facial expressions. Everyone understands head nodding and finger pointing. A smile can often say much more, and say it better (especially since my Chinese is so limited).
And so my perspective has changed on how I see the differences between my life as it is now and as it used to be. I'm actually starting to see many of the changes in a positive light. Mostly on things that are "lacking" in my life here. I'm not missing a car; I have gained an active lifestyle. I'm not lacking an extensive wardrobe; I've found freedom in not worrying about what I wear. I'm not missing my over scheduled hectic running around; I'm savoring a slower pace. I don't have the world's smallest bathroom; it's actually a giant shower with lots of extras. And I love my giant shower!

So those are my thoughts for the day (thanks for asking!) Nothing too exciting has happened in the past week. Our final 2 teammates, Shannon & Peter, arrived on Saturday so we are now ready to kick this semester into high gear. Tuesdays are the night we've set to hang out with students, so tonight we'll be taking a group of them to the "fish restaurant" (there's a picture of a fish on the sign). I've asked my new friend Victory to join me. She's in my sophomore English class and is very sweet and friendly. I happened to mention wanting a map of Langfang, and 2 hours later she was putting one into my hands. So thoughtful! I took pictures of all of my students with their English nametag to help me learn and remember their names, and here's Victory:

And I'm already looking forward to this weekend- Brad, Jess and I are heading into Beijing on Saturday to help our Chinese friends Tony and Lily run an English club for 30-50 of their friends who want to learn and practice English. We'll have games, skits, and a discussion- a lot like what I'm used to back home. We'll take the train in and make a day out of it. Jess and I have already decided that a side trip to the Beijing Ikea is in order. I guess the Chinese also appreciate Swedish bargain furniture :)
Love and Blessings to you all!!

What I See

It's been a pretty good day here, and I finally pulled out the camera. Here's my day, the way I've seen it:

There are wild cats everywhere. This one was meowing on my windowsill. We're not talking the cute kind of meowing here, but more of a very loud crying/yelping/angry howl. I'm pretty sure I won't be feeding or petting them anytime soon.

After days of clouds, smog and rain, we woke up to a gorgeous day with a gorgeous blue sky! This is the street leading up to our alley- which is right across from the streetlight.

We had our Sunday meeting, then went to lunch at a place they call Bruno's. It and most of the places we'll go are on this main street in Langfang.

After lunch we did some shopping around. There are tons of these tiny shops along the street, with all kinds of stuff, from shoes and clothes to school supplies, to trinkets and toys, to hardware.

This is the sweet lady who took pity on me when I went to buy a hammer and some nails. She sent her helper to the back to find the hammers, let me have my pick, and then gave me the nails for free.

Here's our "grocery store". It's in quotations because there are groceries on the first floor and then clothes, shoes, toiletries and housewares on the second floor. This was my third trip in four days, but I took my time to really look up and down the aisles and get some more essentials. Reading the translated labels is very amusing. My favorite simply said: Man Cream. Who knows?

This is my favorite purchase of the day. It's literally a bug zapping tennis racquet! Notice the outline of a mosquito/bird in the wiring. You charge it up, turn it on, and swat at any bugs you see. It makes a lovely popping noise and leaves a faint trace of smoke in the air. Touch it with your hand, and it will supposedly bring even the manliest man to tears. Best $6 I've spent in a while.

The decorating has begun, and my Steelers stuff was the first to go up (obviously!). This is a wall in my living room/office. Here we go Steelers!!!

I did my first load of laundry today. I can't read any of the labels on the washer, but I turned some knobs, threw some towels and Tide in, and let 'er rip. There were some strange noises and lots of rattling, but it appears to have done the job. Believe it or not, I've never hung my laundry on a line before now. So there they are, my towels drying out in my sunroom/porch.

So there you have it. That's been my Sunday so far. Classes start tomorrow, so I need to get to my lesson planning. More on classes in a later post. For those who have been asking, I do finally know my mailing address:

Jessica Shamblee
Foreign Language School
Langfang Teachers College
No. 126 Aiminxi Rd.
Langfang, China 065000

Obviously, any mail will be a treat!! :) Have a great week!!

The First 24 Hours

This is it, folks- I'm actually in China. And I LIVE here! The reality and craziness of that statement is slowly starting to sink in. I've only been in the country for about 24 hours now, but much has happened already. The plane ride over was thankfully uneventful and empty enough for me to find a row all to myself. We were greeted at the airport by our Chinese friend (and IECS co-worker) Tony, along with Wayne, who's one of the deans of the English department. A one hour van ride got us to our apartments on campus. After a bit of unpacking, we went to dinner at a local place called Happy- or maybe Happy Happy, I can't remember. Then it was off to the grocery store to pick up some essentials. We found TP, but not a fan. You might know that I really like (need) to sleep with a fan- so hopefully we'll find one at Wal-Mart later today. Today I have been given tour of the campus, met some students, and now we're getting ready to meet Wayne and get our class schedules for the semester.
Getting used to the apartment and the Chinese style of living has been the biggest adventure so far. The toilets aren't exactly equipped to handle toilet paper, and while I knew that, I figured I could get around it. I was wrong- and stopped the toilet up within my first 4 hours here. We pre-pay for our electricity on a card, and when it gets too low, it shuts itself off as a warning. And that happened during my cold shower (I didn't know how to turn on the water heater). But I am so blessed to have Brad and Jess here with me to help me through all of the details, and all of that has been resolved. Now I'm having fun setting everything up and rearranging this former bachelor pad. I'll try and get pictures up soon- my laptop is not currently hooked up though.

Your fun Chinese fact of the day: toilet paper in China does not come on a roll. It's rolled up, but without the cardboard tube in the middle. Just makes life a little more interesting!

I felt the need to add a picture- my family at the beach!

The Final Countdown!!

So sorry that it's been a while- there really wasn't any China news for a while, and then all of a sudden things got crazy busy and information started flying all over the place. The latest news is that I'm leaving for China on Wednesday- THIS Wednesday! Ahhhh! It's exciting and terrifying at the same time. Exciting because the time is finally here, and I can't wait to get over there and start doing what I've been talking about for so long. Terrifying because the time is finally here! Not to mention that I have not started packing just yet. First I have to make it to my parents' house with all my stuff, then unpack it all, then re-pack the best 100 lbs I've got. We'll see how that goes!
Please keep me in your thoughts over the next week- and especially next Wednesday as I fly from Charleston to DC, and then on to Beijing. The next time you hear from me, I'll probably be in China!!