I don't blame China for hating blogger. I blame blogger for not being savvy enough to get around China's communism. So I made a new blog over at wordpress. For those of you who still check up on this blog here's the address. http://bananapancakes37.wordpress.com/
So catch me over there from now on. It works in America and hopefully it'll be communism proof once we get to America.
Thanks!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Because China hates blogger/blogspot
Does anyone know of a relatively easy/good blogging device that I can use and still access in China? I want to be able to update about lots of the things going on and want to continue doing that when I head back over to China. I'm fully aware that this blog as well as Livejournal DUN WERK in China for whatever reason. Also as far as it looks facebook updates will also be out of the question since China hates facebook.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Food needs to stop tasting so good!
I ammmm faaaaaattt. I am not liking this. Yeah I know this all comes with being pregnant and whatnot but I think I finally reached the point where eating all the American foods that I missed has finally lost its charm and I'm realizing that my ass needs its own zip code and my stomach will never be the same again. I know that this is normal but I dunno I have my doubts. Luckily like six 4-5 months or so after the baby's born I'm we're heading back to China and mumma is gonna let China do what it did for me when I got over there when I got over there the first time (lose this feckin' weight!) so I'm excited. I just don't want to be one of those women who gains like 80 pounds and then has to lose it all.
Also I needs a job. Any ideas? If anyone reads this still. I know I've abandoned it but I figured I should start it up again while I've got time. If I go back to China it might freak out and China will take it away again so I'll have to figure out a blogging alternative for updates as there will be many.
Dear self - two naps in one day is not good for you. Now you will up til 4 in the morning. Congrats.
Also I needs a job. Any ideas? If anyone reads this still. I know I've abandoned it but I figured I should start it up again while I've got time. If I go back to China it might freak out and China will take it away again so I'll have to figure out a blogging alternative for updates as there will be many.
Dear self - two naps in one day is not good for you. Now you will up til 4 in the morning. Congrats.
Monday, April 27, 2009
I get up in the morning bout 6 am......
Chinese weather is cruel lately, it'll be hot and beautiful on all the weekdays and then rain as soon as it's Saturday and straight on through to Monday.
I just watched Princess Mononoke in Chinese with Chinese subtitles last night and understood the entire thing. (This may also be because I have watched that movie over 50 times in three different languages.)
Facebook feed makes me want to punch infants. Yes, it's THAT annoying. I don't care that you ate a banana and went to bed early.
When the kids have to ride past me in the little walk way when they go home, instead of forcing them to get off their bikes and walk, I jump up on the fence so they can ride past. I always get big smiles cuz of this. I think they like that I'm not a teacher all the time.
My bed has become so uncomfortable that I now sleep on the floor on a blow up mattress that I borrowed from Brendon.
I have watched so many fantastic Chinese comedies on tv but I will never know what they were because the titles are in Chinese or I forgot.
Finished Eragon. I'm angry. The concept of the book was great, Dragons, okay I dig it. But sadly the kid basically ripped a bunch of stuff off of Lord of the Rings (of which I am a huge fan) and also threw some Star Wars nonsense in there. The main character lacked common sense, which yeah you could chalk it up to the fact that he was 16 but no that's just my opinion. I like my main characters to at least be smart enough not to get themselves trapped or ambushed every 15 pages. I guess I just have to face the facts that the author was what, 12 when he wrote the thing? Thank you Aunt Shelly for thinking of me, but the only good thing about the book is that it's given me a huge push into wanting to write so that I can make something better than that.
I buy too much candy for my kids. I've completely spoiled them for next year's foreign teacher. Good luck!
We're supposed to evaluate our coordinators this and the past week. This is something that I desperately want to do and don't want to do at the same time.
I don't know why but every time I go into class seven there seems to be more and more plants. I think they reproduce in the night.
I realize I'm starting to be able to recognize most of my kids faces and put them in distinctive classes. I like this fact. I think I've connected with the most kids in the group of teachers.
I am starting to think in Chinese. Even when no chinese people are around. This is so wrong. Haha.
Went to get massages with Brendon and Li the other day. We went up the stairs and there was a room with two beds (literal beds) and a room with one. And the man was like "okay, the lady can go in this room and the two men can go in this room. And I was like, no fuck you, I am not letting a scantily clad basic hooker look-a-like feel up my boyfriend's bicep and more while I sit in another room. They looked perplexed but after telling Li "either it's me and you or I go home" they put us in the same room and Brendon in the single. Everything was fine after that although I think that the girls they sent in were a little confused. (They literally walked in, looked at us and walked out) and Brendon's girl apparently was waiting to have sex with him after the massage but he was like "k, thanks, bye, see ya." Some massage parlors double as brothels. So you just have to be careful, I guess. Let's just say we won't be going back there.
Lately I'm addicted to orange juice and potato chips. Couldn't tell you why. Li is addicted to toast.
-peace!
I just watched Princess Mononoke in Chinese with Chinese subtitles last night and understood the entire thing. (This may also be because I have watched that movie over 50 times in three different languages.)
Facebook feed makes me want to punch infants. Yes, it's THAT annoying. I don't care that you ate a banana and went to bed early.
When the kids have to ride past me in the little walk way when they go home, instead of forcing them to get off their bikes and walk, I jump up on the fence so they can ride past. I always get big smiles cuz of this. I think they like that I'm not a teacher all the time.
My bed has become so uncomfortable that I now sleep on the floor on a blow up mattress that I borrowed from Brendon.
I have watched so many fantastic Chinese comedies on tv but I will never know what they were because the titles are in Chinese or I forgot.
Finished Eragon. I'm angry. The concept of the book was great, Dragons, okay I dig it. But sadly the kid basically ripped a bunch of stuff off of Lord of the Rings (of which I am a huge fan) and also threw some Star Wars nonsense in there. The main character lacked common sense, which yeah you could chalk it up to the fact that he was 16 but no that's just my opinion. I like my main characters to at least be smart enough not to get themselves trapped or ambushed every 15 pages. I guess I just have to face the facts that the author was what, 12 when he wrote the thing? Thank you Aunt Shelly for thinking of me, but the only good thing about the book is that it's given me a huge push into wanting to write so that I can make something better than that.
I buy too much candy for my kids. I've completely spoiled them for next year's foreign teacher. Good luck!
We're supposed to evaluate our coordinators this and the past week. This is something that I desperately want to do and don't want to do at the same time.
I don't know why but every time I go into class seven there seems to be more and more plants. I think they reproduce in the night.
I realize I'm starting to be able to recognize most of my kids faces and put them in distinctive classes. I like this fact. I think I've connected with the most kids in the group of teachers.
I am starting to think in Chinese. Even when no chinese people are around. This is so wrong. Haha.
Went to get massages with Brendon and Li the other day. We went up the stairs and there was a room with two beds (literal beds) and a room with one. And the man was like "okay, the lady can go in this room and the two men can go in this room. And I was like, no fuck you, I am not letting a scantily clad basic hooker look-a-like feel up my boyfriend's bicep and more while I sit in another room. They looked perplexed but after telling Li "either it's me and you or I go home" they put us in the same room and Brendon in the single. Everything was fine after that although I think that the girls they sent in were a little confused. (They literally walked in, looked at us and walked out) and Brendon's girl apparently was waiting to have sex with him after the massage but he was like "k, thanks, bye, see ya." Some massage parlors double as brothels. So you just have to be careful, I guess. Let's just say we won't be going back there.
Lately I'm addicted to orange juice and potato chips. Couldn't tell you why. Li is addicted to toast.
-peace!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
I has been lazy
I guess I'm not used to writing in a blog that people actually read so I tend to neglect them a bit. Sorries.
I am hungry. I am going to eat KFC again today once Brendon's awful driver gets us to Luohu. And I don't care!
For those who are interested (family) I have not been placed on the list for returning teachers next year. Do not fear, this does not mean I am a bad teacher for I have seen the returning list and well.....really? That's all I can say about that.
Of course today I don't feel like much of a teach because I let my only class of the day watch a movie all day. I had too. Last week I only taught two days a week due to Qing Ming festival and exams so three of my classes were ahead of everybody else. I needed a way to get them all even again. Movie worked. They didn't seem to complain.
Exactly TWO months til I return to America. Restaurants.....get ready.
One of my students saved my life today. The movie I wanted to play refused to comply with chinese outdated movie software so I ran up to the fourth floor to class eight and asked the kid in the class who had purposefully downloaded the movie if he could lend it to me. He did. He's fantastic. He gets candy later.
I always want to write more exciting things but I find that I can't think. Maybe more later. Oh and do not fret, just because I won't be coming back with this company doesn't mean that I won't be coming back at all. My plan is definately to return in the future but maybe with a different company.....
I am hungry. I am going to eat KFC again today once Brendon's awful driver gets us to Luohu. And I don't care!
For those who are interested (family) I have not been placed on the list for returning teachers next year. Do not fear, this does not mean I am a bad teacher for I have seen the returning list and well.....really? That's all I can say about that.
Of course today I don't feel like much of a teach because I let my only class of the day watch a movie all day. I had too. Last week I only taught two days a week due to Qing Ming festival and exams so three of my classes were ahead of everybody else. I needed a way to get them all even again. Movie worked. They didn't seem to complain.
Exactly TWO months til I return to America. Restaurants.....get ready.
One of my students saved my life today. The movie I wanted to play refused to comply with chinese outdated movie software so I ran up to the fourth floor to class eight and asked the kid in the class who had purposefully downloaded the movie if he could lend it to me. He did. He's fantastic. He gets candy later.
I always want to write more exciting things but I find that I can't think. Maybe more later. Oh and do not fret, just because I won't be coming back with this company doesn't mean that I won't be coming back at all. My plan is definately to return in the future but maybe with a different company.....
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Old habits die hard
It seems that I am procrastinating. It's now March and I suppose Spring fever of sorts is setting in. I realize that I haven't been writing a lot and many of you are worried or concerned but don't be. I don't write when I'm happy. It's a weird sort of tick. That doesn't mean that I'm not happy right now, I'm writing right now because I'm waiting for a power point to download and it's taking a ridiculously long time.
The big question. No, I still don't know whether or not I'm coming back to China. I will tell you when they tell us which I'm sure won't be for a little while. If I come back I come back, if I don't I don't, I'm not exactly worrying about it right now. I have other things to think about.
To take a page from Calvin and Hobbes "these days are just packed" so it would seem, and packed in good ways. I have 78 days left after tonight turns into tomorrow. Which means 13 more lessons to plan (actually multiply that by two because I teach both Junior 1 and 2 and they're not always the same lessons.) When I'm not teaching I'm running around Bao'an with Brendon or Li Shuai Qiang and getting up into mischief, or cooking or taking injured friends to the hospital or watching them dance at the Guangchang or avoiding certain Chinese people.
Brendon and I have decided that 95% of Chinese people are annoying. The other 5% are cool. In those 95% are people who want to you to teach them English, take you out to dinners constantly (which are awkward), ask you about business propositions, introduce you to other Chinese people (who are usually just as annoying) or go out drinking. And now recently we have a guy who needs to borrow some cash, which Brendon and I are a little leary of doing. The other 5% are some of the people I'm friends with at the University, my boyfriend (of course, I wouldn't date him if he was in the majority), and a few teachers. I'm not trying to sound like I'm complaining it's just it gets on your nerves sometimes. Chinese people like to assume that they are your only and best Chinese friend and you should always make time for them even though there are 800 other Chinese people out there that you know that are vying for the same attention. Well, at least Brendon has it worse off than I do, haha.
There are emails that are floating around about people who have been stolen from and we realized that nearly every person in this damn program has either A. been mugged/burglerd B. been attempted stolen from (i.e. me) or C. lost their cell phone in either (bathroom, taxi, hole, i dunno). People this is sad. This is just lack of common sense. Yeah I know China is not the safest place in the world but there is no reason why EVERYONE has nearly had this happen to them. And no I won't hear the defense's case because I have SEEN girls hang their purses over the backs of chairs in stead of tucking them behind them or on their laps. I have seen money sticking out of loose hoodies or ipods or cell phones for that matter. Or wallets in back pockets. I have seen people just abandon their items in bars in the good faith that the barkeeper will watch it. I dunno where everyone is from of course. And while me and my brother live an hour from detroit and not actually IN the city, we're not stupid. I'm not saying that the people who've been mugged or lost cell phones are dumb, maybe careless. Of course I say this and watch tomorrow mine will fall down a china hole or something. Whatever I needed to talk about it cuz it was bugging me. Everyone?! Psh. Ridiculous.
The big question. No, I still don't know whether or not I'm coming back to China. I will tell you when they tell us which I'm sure won't be for a little while. If I come back I come back, if I don't I don't, I'm not exactly worrying about it right now. I have other things to think about.
To take a page from Calvin and Hobbes "these days are just packed" so it would seem, and packed in good ways. I have 78 days left after tonight turns into tomorrow. Which means 13 more lessons to plan (actually multiply that by two because I teach both Junior 1 and 2 and they're not always the same lessons.) When I'm not teaching I'm running around Bao'an with Brendon or Li Shuai Qiang and getting up into mischief, or cooking or taking injured friends to the hospital or watching them dance at the Guangchang or avoiding certain Chinese people.
Brendon and I have decided that 95% of Chinese people are annoying. The other 5% are cool. In those 95% are people who want to you to teach them English, take you out to dinners constantly (which are awkward), ask you about business propositions, introduce you to other Chinese people (who are usually just as annoying) or go out drinking. And now recently we have a guy who needs to borrow some cash, which Brendon and I are a little leary of doing. The other 5% are some of the people I'm friends with at the University, my boyfriend (of course, I wouldn't date him if he was in the majority), and a few teachers. I'm not trying to sound like I'm complaining it's just it gets on your nerves sometimes. Chinese people like to assume that they are your only and best Chinese friend and you should always make time for them even though there are 800 other Chinese people out there that you know that are vying for the same attention. Well, at least Brendon has it worse off than I do, haha.
There are emails that are floating around about people who have been stolen from and we realized that nearly every person in this damn program has either A. been mugged/burglerd B. been attempted stolen from (i.e. me) or C. lost their cell phone in either (bathroom, taxi, hole, i dunno). People this is sad. This is just lack of common sense. Yeah I know China is not the safest place in the world but there is no reason why EVERYONE has nearly had this happen to them. And no I won't hear the defense's case because I have SEEN girls hang their purses over the backs of chairs in stead of tucking them behind them or on their laps. I have seen money sticking out of loose hoodies or ipods or cell phones for that matter. Or wallets in back pockets. I have seen people just abandon their items in bars in the good faith that the barkeeper will watch it. I dunno where everyone is from of course. And while me and my brother live an hour from detroit and not actually IN the city, we're not stupid. I'm not saying that the people who've been mugged or lost cell phones are dumb, maybe careless. Of course I say this and watch tomorrow mine will fall down a china hole or something. Whatever I needed to talk about it cuz it was bugging me. Everyone?! Psh. Ridiculous.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Lil homesick
Yellow maple leaves
Hungry Howie's pizza and coke in the afternoon
Driving around late at night listening to Fall Out Boy
Sitting on the dock at Hubbard Lake and skimming my feet in icy water
Being excited about wearing new clothes to school
Digging feet into the sand while sitting on a towel at the beach and letting the body drip dry
The smell of mom's spaghetti and meatballs and dad's spare ribs and homemade french fries
Granma's piano and color coded keys and oreo cookies
Matt putting water in the wine bottle and thinking it would pass
Scrub pants being the most comfortable uniform in the world
Small talk with patients and the way the ultrasound department smelled
Walking around campus in the fall and sleeping in the library
Hungry Howie's pizza and coke in the afternoon
Driving around late at night listening to Fall Out Boy
Sitting on the dock at Hubbard Lake and skimming my feet in icy water
Being excited about wearing new clothes to school
Digging feet into the sand while sitting on a towel at the beach and letting the body drip dry
The smell of mom's spaghetti and meatballs and dad's spare ribs and homemade french fries
Granma's piano and color coded keys and oreo cookies
Matt putting water in the wine bottle and thinking it would pass
Scrub pants being the most comfortable uniform in the world
Small talk with patients and the way the ultrasound department smelled
Walking around campus in the fall and sleeping in the library
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