China, one year later...

Exactly one year ago today, I arrived in China. What is the difference between then and now?

last year; I loved the attention that I got from strangers in the street.
this year; I can't stand the attention I get from strangers in the street.

There are not many foreigners in Baoding, so sometimes people are curious. They generally ask questions, but the always ask the same questions. I get tired of answering 'which country are you from?', 'how old are you?', and 'how much money do you earn in a month?'. Generally, I ignore people in the street if I am able to.

last year; I couldn't stand the food
this year; my taste for food has changed a bit.

When I was still living in America, I was very picky about what I would eat. Shortly after arriving in China, I lost a lot of weight because I was unable to find suitable food to eat. Over time, I have found that my taste for food has changed. Today, I can handle some spice, and I eat soup now. Some of the flavors and textures that I disliked when I first arrived are okay now.

last year; I could not wander too far because I was afraid I would be unable to find my way back home if I did.
this year; I can go anywhere in China and make my way back home.

My language skills have improved. Because of this, I can read more signs, and talk to people. This has given me independence to do as I want while in China.

last year; I would see some new and interesting things in the street everyday.
this year; I see some new and interesting things in the street about once a week.

There are many things that are found in China that are not found in the United States. Sometimes, these are quite fascinating.

last year; I had no clue about how to teach Chinese students.
this year; I know what to expect, and have prepared for when these situation arise. I know the common mistakes that Chinese students of English make, and because I understand some Chinese, I know why they make these mistakes. Because of this, I can be more helpful.
---
Some differences between my life in China and my life in the United States
United States 美国 -I owned a truck, and I could freely travel as I wanted.
China 中国- I have to rely on public transportation, taxis, or walk. I have to ride on crowded public buses to get to where I want to go.

美国- People in the street, for the most part, are considerate.
中国- People in the street rarely think of other people. The traffic is insane. I will never drive here if I can avoid it. I feel it is very dangerous. When crossing the street, I need 360 degree vision. Cars, and bikes sometimes seemingly come out of nowhere, and they will not stop.

美国- I earn a lot more money, but costs are higher, and I have to pay higher taxes.
中国- As a foreigner, I will always have money in China. Chinese people don't have it so easy. I do pay some taxes, but it isn't much. The pay is poor, but in consideration to the cost of goods here, I am very wealthy.

美国- I could sometimes walk down the street and see no people or cars.
中国- The streets always have many people. The street near my apartment is near a University gate, so there are usually lots of people in the street. Many streets will have vendors selling all sorts of things, such as food, clothing, and small gift items. At the end of the day, the streets are filthy, with garbage everywhere.

美国- government buildings are well-maintained, and kept clean.
中国- Chinese people do not seem to appreciate the value of maintaining property. Buildings and parks are rarely tended to. The building I teach at needs repairs. Classrooms are messy, and the walls need fresh painting.

美国- building are required to meet certain safety codes.
中国- no one seems to care. Buildings are constructed in a seemingly random way. Besides some of the hotels I have stayed in, I don't think I have seen any smoke detectors. Most buildings don't have emergency exits. In fact, I know one classroom building at my university where they lock the doors from the outside. This in of itself may not be a problem, but the keep the locks on even when the building is open for business. Should an emergency occur, there would be only one way for people to exit the building. This is not the best idea, especially since this building is about 15 floors high.

美国- Cellphones are expensive. You get a bill at the end of each billing period. Usually, you are expected to sign a contract.
中国- Cellphones are fairly cheap. I bought mine for 200 yuan (about $30). It is my phone, and I can use it with any cellphone company I want to do business with. The service is 'pay as you go'. No contracts or anything. Simply add money to your account when you are about to run out. If you run out, you simply can't use your phone. If this happens, you can simply go to a convenience store and buy a phone card or you can go to your cellphone service providers store and add money there. No late fees, no reactivation fees, none of that nonsense. Oh, and it is very cheap. I think I have paid 500 yuan so far, and right now I have about 130 yuan still left on my phone.

美国- I normally worked 40 hours per week, if I was not in college.
中国- Last summer, I did not work at all. I spent most of my time traveling and studying Chinese. I still got paid by my university. Not a bad deal, I get paid while I explore a foreign country. In the next few months, November will be my busiest month. I will be working about 28 hours per week. September was very light, I didn't start working until the 19th. We get a week off on October. For December and early January ( or thereabouts) I will be working about 14 hours per week. Oh, and if I work more than 16 hours per week, it is considered to be overtime, and I get overtime pay. This is not true for all Chinese people, many of them work considerably more than I did when I was in America. I have one Chinese friend who has worked every single day since Spring Festival (during February), and she doesn't complain about it.

美国- If you look at me the wrong way, I will sue you.
中国- People just let things slide. I got hit by a bike a few months ago, and the guy who hit me simply shrugged and rode off.

-------
Some misconceptions about China -
- People do not eat catmeat, and very few people eat dogmeat.
- I can find almost all fruits that are found in the United states here in China, but there are some Chinese fruits that I have never seen in America.
- Not all Chinese people are short. In fact, many of them are quite big.
-------
Some observations about China-
- It is very noisy in the street.
- It is also very dirty, apartments are harder to maintain here in China than the ones in the states.
- Yes, there are lots of people everywhere.
- Certain things are difficult to find in China. Cheese is sometimes hard to find, and it is expensive. It is hard to find deodorant, good stationary products, and comfortable shoes. Shoe sizes are small here in China, which seems strange because I do see people with big feet.

This is all I feel like writing right now. Maybe I will write more later.

A very long summer

I have decided to stay in China for a 2nd year, so this means that I was permitted to keep my apartment through the summer. For the first part of the summer, I spent lots of time studying Chinese, and traveling locally. The second part of summer was spent traveling around the northeastern part of China. In one months time, I visited several cities in five provinces. I have seen many interesting things. I visited the city of Dandong 丹东 which is in Liaoning 辽宁 Province. It was right after they experienced a really bad flood. Because of the flood, there were limitations as to what I could do. I stood on a boardwalk and looked across the yalu river 鸭绿江, which was far narrower than I expected. I was able to see North Korea, the land that is so forbidden for Americans. I then visited the Friendship Bridge, walked to the end of it, and looking through binoculars, I was able to see North Korean people doing day to day tasks. I was hoping to take a boat ride to the banks of the North Korean side, but I was unable to on account of the recent flooding.

Many of the places I visited this summer were interesting, perhaps I may make additional comments about my trip in future entries, but for now, I want to stop. On the 25th, I will have lived in China for one year. I want to make a detailed entry describing my impressions after a years time.