Disasters

I would like to preface this post by stating plainly that I am safe and secure in Shanghai. I have not been to the hospital, nor have I been arrested. The situation I am about to describe is not intractable and I am hugely optimistic that everything will work out for the best.

That being said, here is the disaster. Unless something changes radically in the next few days, I will not be going to Shenzhen.

You read that correctly. I will not be going to Shenzhen.

I found out last night at 8:30 pm that the Foreign Expert's Bureau in Shenzhen denied my work permit application, and unless AYC can find the right person to muscle or bribe, I will not be getting a work visa from Shenzhen. The reason is extremely bureaucratic. Remember how I mentioned a test issued by the FEB? I had to take it along with the TEFL stuff online, and it was a joke. I was under the impression that the test was unimportant because my coordinator at Ameson told me so. Turns out she was very wrong about that. The Shenzhen FEB appears to be involved in a power struggle with the national FEB. I passed the test overall, which is what the national standard is, but apparently I earned too low of a score on either the general knowledge or Chinese culture section of the test. To be perfectly clear, both of those sections were utter bullshit. I would like to see the officials at the FEB try to pass the test then see how smug they are once I smack them upside the head. The questions were entirely random, and as a well-informed woman of the world I did not pass. I suppose I could have done better if I had Googled the answers as I took the test, but somehow that seemed unethical to me. Silly me. Silly ethics. I would like to state once again that I did pass the test overall, but the Shenzhen FEB has decided that all of their work permit applicants must pass each individual section of the test to get approved. No other branch of the FEB in all of China has this sort of requirement. Shenzhen is simply being petulant, as far as I can tell. There are currently eight other people in my situation.

Initially I was extremely upset, as you can imagine. It was one of those situations where the group's calm dynamic was hanging by a thread, and I was doing my level best to keep it together and rationally examine the situation while I was in public and then promptly burst into tears once I had some privacy. I frantically contacted people in the US and ended up pulling my mom from her morning spin class to come Skype me.

Ameson does have some options for me, however, so all is not lost. I could go to Yuncheng, which is a town of 5 million about three hours east of Xian (where the Terra Cotta Warriors are). Let's be honest, it's the middle of nowhere. I would be teaching high school, which is good, but I would probably be the only Westerner around. This would be great for my Chinese, obviously, but it would be harder to live there than Shenzhen. I mean, obviously. Everywhere in China would be harder to live as an expat than Shenzhen.

Like I said, the middle of nowhere. 11 hour drive from Beijing and Shanghai, easy flights to each.

The other option is to teach in the Ameson foreign language school in Shanghai or Nanjing. Of the two, I would choose Nanjing. Shanghai is pretty cool, but Nanjing is absolutely gorgeous. Also, Johns Hopkins has a foreign affairs satellite campus there. I could make lots of cool friends. Nanjing was one of my original preferences, as well.

Nanjing is incredibly picturesque. Case and point.

They both have really good aspects. Both Yuncheng and Nanjing have a lot of history. I think that I would learn a lot of Chinese in either place. I just think that living in Nanjing would be much, much easier, and my preference for either experience changes depending on my mood. I have a few days to decide. Ameson is keeping the nine of us in our current hotel until we figure out what to do.

I went sightseeing today, which was a lot of fun. I saw Lushan temple and the Lushan Revolutionary Martyr's Park and Museum, which from what I gathered was built on the sigh of a former KMT intelligence center and torture chamber. The museum is dedicated to the victims. It was extremely sobering. I couldn't help wondering what those idealistic young people would think about China's journey from the time of their deaths until now. Would they have seen their dream of communist equality in Mao's China? Or would they have been appalled at all the human misery of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution? Would they understand why China is the way it is today? There is rampant corruption and inequality but it's really a natural backlash to the kind of oppression Mao relied on. The museum is full of photos of the dead, and every face is so full of determination. I have a lot of sympathy for many kinds of idealism. These young people wanted to change the world because they believed the world could be remade. And the regime that resulted is pretty much as far removed from their ideals as is possible. It was a sobering experience.

 Back to the placement issue. I could really use some advice on this. What do you think and why? I'm pretty evenly torn on this, and I have a mental list of pros and cons that is pretty balanced. Please leave comments, email, or Facebook me. I would really appreciate any advice you all have because I truly respect your opinions. Look forward to hearing from you!

Heat

Saturday, August 24, 2013

7 am

Hello everyone! Let me start by saying that I made it to Shanghai in one piece. The flight was perfectly uneventful and I am all settled in to the Shanghai Everbright Hotel and Convention Center, which is where AYC is holding orientation. You will by now, of course, have noticed that this entry was certainly not posted on August 24. As it turns out, the VPN I paid for on my laptop does not work.  Blogger appears to be a blocked site in China, so I can’t update from my computer. The free VPN I downloaded on my phone works like a champ, but there is no wifi in the hotel, so I can’t update from the mobile platform.  So until I can get this whole situation sorted, I’m writing in journal fashion. I have not forgotten to post, I promise.

So...anyways...

Have you ever been so hot that you wish you could die? But you’re so hot that dying would take too much effort? That is how hot it is in Shanghai, with 95% humidity. Going outside is like stepping into a steam-injected oven, or a sauna, or a vegetable steamer. The streets seemed strangely empty, and I couldn’t figure out why until I realized everyone was inside with their air conditioning. There was a huge heat wave a few weeks ago, with temperatures in the 100s. I don’t want to imagine.

During the heat wave, the pavement was so hot you could cook meat on it. Another AYC participant told me a story about a woman and a car and a heat wave. In China, pedestrians do not have the right of way, but drivers have to pay damages to any people they hit. Unsurprisingly, this means a whole scam industry has sprung up around pretending to be hit by a motorcycle just for the payout. During the last heat wave, a woman tried to pull just that sort of stunt. However, the pavement was so hot she couldn’t stand lying on the ground to pretend to be in pain! When the police officer came, she said, “Oh no, officer, I was not lying. I was just resting.” Hardy har har har.

Fortunately, there is air conditioning in the hotel. My roommate hasn’t arrived yet, so I snagged the bed right next to the vent. Score. 

The hotel does a really interesting thing with the AC. In order to turn the power on in the room, you have to leave your room key in a specific little slot, and the power only stays on as long as the key is there. So when you leave, you have to bring the key, which turns off the power and saves the hotel money. I think hotels in the US should adopt this idea. Not only does it save the hotel’s energy bills, but also it’s a lot better for the environment. 

Today is a true blue sky day. There has been enough wind that the pollution has dissipated, and all you can see are gigantic, fluffy clouds racing across the skyline. It’s breathtaking. Ameson is taking us on a sightseeing tour of some sort today. I’m looking forward to it. Apparently the building where the first Communist Party meeting was held is in the same district as the hotel. I really want to go see the humble roots of this imposing system.

That’s all for now, folks. Time for breakfast.

Countdown

Tomorrow is the day! (Or, Tomorrow is the day. Entirely unsure of which punctuation is most appropriate.) 

Everything is packed. I have been poked, prodded, examined, safeguarded, insured, and advised. I have a book for the plane (thanks Judy!). I have packed well for most seasons. Cold weather clothes will have to come later, but hey, it doesn't get all that cold in Shenzhen anyways. 

I have a visa!

This is Eli. He's coming to Shenzhen as well.

After all the troubles with it, actually acquiring the damn thing was the easiest part of leaving.

My mom threw a lovely going away party for me. It involved tapas (more accurately, pintxos) and LOTS of sangria. 

 Then we sat around the fire pit and talked.

 I have been going for as many runs on the beach as I can. Running from stress is good for me, and it will be a long time before I get to hang out at Torrey Pines. There seem to be lots of runs for charity around Shenzhen and Hong Kong. I think I want to run at least a 10k in the next few months. Maybe I'll train for a half marathon by the end of the year?


Packing for this journey was like packing for college, but five bajillion times harder. I like to brag that I could fit all my worldly possessions into my Beetle, but that is nothing compared to a suitcase, carry on, and a backpack.

Before the cull.

And after.

I think I made the weight limit. I think. 

My emotional state is...more stable than it was when I moved to college! But still not entirely stable. On the one hand, I want to snap out of it because, as one highly sympathetic friend put it, "you're going away for a while, not DYING!" He is right, but on the other hand moving to the other side of the world is still scary. And so my moods swing between excitement and abject terror. I'm managing to keep myself in a forced middle at the moment. Breathing, calm and happy thoughts, blah blah blah. 

By this time tomorrow, I will be in another country. How wild is that??? This experience is going to change my life in ways I can't even comprehend, much less anticipate. The challenge excites the stubborn and obstinate part of me. You know the one. The one where I become more determined the more I hear "no." It's like this entire country is daring me to give up and little me is staring back defiantly with little more than sheer determination and a Mandarin phrasebook. I am going to have a blast.

I love you all. Write lots. 

Logistics

I really should have started this post months ago. 

Going to China was always going to be an adventure, but I had no idea how much of the adventure was going to be actually getting there! I want this blog to encompass most aspects of my time in China, and a true representation will include the ugly reality of pre-trip logistics. Chinese bureaucracy is famously complex (they practically invented it, after all) and the Ameson Year in China program is brand new, and thus is facing a steep learning curve. Communication between the different Ameson offices, the host schools and the teachers is spotty at best and completely non-existent at worst. With their powers combined, these two entities joined forces to create a logistical maze enough to drive your schedule-besotted author batty. 

The background check, TEFL, and SAFEA certifications weren't too bad. TEFL, the teaching certification, was pretty easy and SAFEA, the foreign expert certification with the government, was a joke (apparently it doesn't even matter if you pass), but I suppose I should have been put on my guard by the program's requirement for a doctor's note instead of a full physical. I was in a better situation than most because in my scantily-insured state, I was able to get the lovely people at the clinic at my university's Counseling, Health, and Wellness Services to complete a full physical (practically for free) that later came in handy. I turned in all my paperwork just as my final weeks of college ended and prepared to relax. Silly me. As it turns out, the Chinese government made a radical about-face on health requirements a few weeks into the summer which essentially made the physicals of every single AYC participant invalid. We needed another physical, this time on a specific form with very specific information and with an official stamp to seal the deal. By this time, I was home for the summer and since I graduated, CHWS no longer had my records. I called my mother's doctor and begged for an appointment with anybody, even the janitor would do. Fortunately, I get my healthcare at a teaching hospital, so they were able to set me up with probably the newest resident on staff. Fine by me.

*Note my oh-so-official stamp, and my doctor's note that the nurse should use the practice's return address as the "official" seal. I am ever so official.

Now, this new form was no joke. It was mostly in Chinese, accompanied by highly approximated translations, with requirements far beyond the standard American physical. I'm talking HIV test, ECG and chest X-Ray. Oh, and don't forget the full pelvic screening for the ladies. Ugh. To be fair, everyone was blindsided by the new requirement, it wasn't just Ameson. And they really did their best to communicate to everyone that the more extreme requirements would be satisfied at a later date, under the supervision of our host schools.  

But those big, scary boxes still caused a virtual panic on the program's Facebook page.

The next logistical nightmare many people are still facing is whether or not they are actually going. I was fortunate to get placed right on time. My school seems to be pretty great, and I think it will work out well for everyone involved. Some people, however, have yet to be placed, and are still clinging to hope, even though we're due to arrive in Shanghai in about two weeks. Ameson has not been very transparent about the placement process or very firm about its deadlines. This is probably entirely due to the fact that this is AYC's first year in existence. I am sure that by next year all of these kinks will be worked out. But until then, there are a lot of people who were led to believe that if they passed their TEFL exam, they were guaranteed placement. This is what I was told as well. Understandably, there are those who are now extremely angry at AYC, some going so far as to call the program a hoax. 

I feel for their frustration. As many of you probably remember, it was not all that long ago I was in a similar situation with Princeton in Asia, waiting and waiting and hoping to God everything would work out, only to be crushed at the last minute. Y'all were really understanding of my short temper and distracted behavior during that period, and I love you for it. The difference was that PiA was really good about informing the applicants about their prospects in a realistic manner. I was crushed because I was in denial, not because I was stuck with a ticket to China without a job waiting for me. I suppose the only lesson that I could take from the experience of others is that nothing is certain until you're there, and maybe not even then. It could have so easily been me that I really don't like to think about it.

Ameson is really going to have to create a solid, working handbook on how to handle the placement process for next year. It also should create a consolidated encyclopedia of all things logistics for the teachers. We have questions about everything from flight reimbursements, to healthcare, to banks, to where we're going to live, and our poor coordinators are overwhelmed by emails. I honestly don't know how they have any time in the day once all the emails are taken care of. Maybe this is something I should volunteer to compile, once I have it all figured out, of course. Can you say resume?

The last big thing I am waiting for is my paperwork certifying I am a foreign expert in teaching English (HA) and the letter of invitation from the Chinese government. Once I have these documents, I will be able to get my work visa from the embassy in LA. Once I have that visa my friends, nothing can stand in my way!! But I can't go get the visa yet, because my paperwork is languishing on the desk of some mid-level official in Shenzhen, just waiting for the right person to come along and give it a big 'ol stamp. No stamp, no go. It's really coming down to the wire now, and I'm starting to worry (which is one of the things I do best). While I wait, I'm trying to distract myself with the five billion other things I have to do, like selling my car, packing up my stuff, saying goodbye to everyone I possibly can, and cramming as much Mandarin as possible into my free time. If anybody has a recommendation for a good plane read, I could use a few. I still need a suitcase and travel vaccinations. A Chinese-English dictionary is probably a good idea. I should probably do something about my bank. The list and expense goes on and on. But even so, it's hard to ignore that tiny voice in my head yelling that you can't actually enter China legally yet, so what the heck are you doing? 

My AYC coordinator and my liaison with my school have assured me that if my paperwork doesn't arrive in time, I can get a tourist visa just to get me in the country and change it at a later date. I sincerely hope they're right. Without a visa, I can't go, and Xandra will be a sad panda. 

Like this guy. That is one sad panda.

Beginning

Beginnings have always been tough for me. Every paper I have ever written starts off with me staring blankly at my computer screen, willing words to appear and silently cursing my perceived ineptitude. Unsurprisingly, this blog has been no different. Until this point, I have been largely ambivalent about blogs. Not that I should judge from the sidelines, but I feel that many blogs are not much more than idle chatter adding to the dull roar that fills certain corners of the Internet. I had a Tumblr for like, two seconds, but it was short-lived because I got really sick of feeling pressured to photograph every single thing I cooked (it was a food blog). I want this attempt to be different, not just from my perspective as a hopeful non-cretin of the blogosphere, but because this blog will be my main line of communication with the people I care about who I would love nothing more than to grab a coffee with and tell you all about all the cool things I'll be doing in China. Think of this blog as our virtual coffee date. 

Oh yeah, for the odd reader I don't actually know personally (welcome by the way!), I am leaving in a few short weeks to go live and teach English conversation in Shenzhen, China for a year. After a brief orientation in Shanghai, I will be teaching at the Shenzhen Yaohua Experimental School with the help of the Ameson Foundation's "Ameson Year in China" program. If you read about my experiences and can't wait to try it for yourself, here's the website.

As far as I can tell, the Yaohua Experimental School is an elite institution dedicated to preparing Shenzhen's brightest for a college education. 

This is what the campus looks like. Pretty cool, huh? It's about the size of a small American university, but it's an elite high school. I think the fact that Yaohua is a college prep school actually makes me feel more confident about this whole teaching gig. High schoolers are older, therefore I can relate to them better, at least in theory. I also attended a college prep school. It kicked my butt like no other, but I was ready for the work load of college in a way most people I met during freshman orientation were not. This is to say that I understand the academic hell these kids are going through, and I am living proof that it can be survived and put to good use. I have to modify my expectations, of course. Most likely, I will not be the next Stand and Deliver guy, nor will I be as inspiring as Robin Williams in the Dead Poets Society, but I understand what it takes to thrive in a college environment and I can help teach them the tools I have learned. Maybe.

Where is Shenzhen, you ask? Well.



It is in the south, right across from Hong Kong. Strategically placed, I might add, to rival the capitalist success of the former British holding. 

After Mao's death and the downfall of the Gang of Four, Deng Xiaopeng, newly back in power, began the delicate task of steering the Chinese Communist Party away from the destructive excesses of Maoism to a more market-friendly version of socialism. Deng famously announced that "poverty is not socialism" and "to get rich is glorious," effectively sending China on its new long march towards great power status. Shenzhen was established as a Special Economic Zone in 1980. Its place was that of a capitalistic haven for business, strategically placed next to one of the biggest financial centers in the region. Until it became a Special Economic Zone, Shenzhen was a sleepy fishing village. Now, it looks like this:

Not bad for thirty years.

Shenzhen's history as an SEZ is the reason why schools like Yaohua exist. As far as I can tell, it is a rare phenomenon in China. I'll report more on the intellectual culture once I get settled in, but the website features photos of students in an art class alongside photos of the science facilities. Art seems to get short shrift in China because it is not part of the exit examinations every high school student must take, and it's impossible to standardize and test artistic ability. Even though Shenzhen is new and it does not have the same roots as say, Beijing, I am really excited to see what the impact the SEZ has on the city's willingness to support private education and free thought. 


I am also beyond ecstatic about the state of the food! I am a complete and total foodie, and one of my favorite things is Chinese dim sum. So where better to be than the region where dim sum has its roots? I cannot wait for my first order of har gao on Chinese soil.

Har gao: shrimp dumplings

Har gao are shrimp dumplings, technically named for the translucent wrapping of these exquisite creations. They are usually tinged the loveliest shade of pink because the wrappings are so thin that the shrimp filling shines through. 

Maybe this is just because it's late, but it seems to me that har gao are a perfect metaphor for what I know of China at this moment. It's a delectable and exciting prospect, with lovely presentation, but hidden delights are shining through, just waiting to be discovered. Or something. I probably just need to get to sleep so I can be properly embarrassed by that line in the morning. More to come, my friends. 14 days exactly until I fly to Shanghai for orientation. Love to you all.