Global Jim's China Adventure II

Two Years Ago in China

2009-05-25T10:59:00.003+08:00

skip to main | skip to sidebar Sunday, May 24 2009 Two Years ago in China Well...I've been back in America for 2 years now and just recently I've been having China dreams.And I went to a Chinese buffet the other day. I got to try out my Chinese for the first time since I've been back. The woman

A year later

2008-03-21T00:28:00.003+08:00

VickyOkay... It seems to me that I've been thinking about China a lot lately.I was chatting with Vicky ( favorite Chinese teacher) this morning on yahoo messenger. And decided to check out my blog and see exactly where I was and what I was doing a year ago.What a difference a year makes!Here it is...A year ago in China!BLOG........................................

Misty China colored memories

2007-09-18T01:57:00.000+08:00

Favorite memories of China.Xi'An...Terra-cotta soldiers.Xi'An tour group.Old man in small village.Medicine man in small village.Buying my China birds.Karaoke with my friends Gary and Mr. FishbirdAnd JaerAnd Angel.Meeting the new teachers in town.My Monk.Mr. Ma La TangAnd his family.KennyChangxing Middle School Administrators.Karaoke night (again).Dinner with friends, Lilly and Jenny.Teaching

Life in the Big City

2007-09-10T02:33:00.002+08:00

Well this is my city....Indianapolis. It's the capitol of Indiana.The population is about 3 million (last time I checked). Thats about the size of Huzhou.It's really a great place...very clean.We have a canal (like a river) running through it.It's a great place to ride bikes, go for a run or just take a walk.This is a monument in the very center of the city.It has lots of water fountains around

Life in American

2007-07-30T10:25:00.001+08:00

Hello to all my friends back in China.As promised I am going to post some pictures of my life back in America.But first I have a few more pictures of my last days in China.Here I am having lunch with my good friend Gary and his family.And you can see Mr. Fishbird has joined us.Here is Gary's girlfriend Angel and his mother.They all thought my beard made me look old.On one of my last trips into

Back Home Again in Indiana

2007-07-07T20:20:00.001+08:00

Okay....I'm back home.It sure is good to be back!I forgot how good the air smells here.Never really thought about it before.Next week I'm going to visit my father and his wife down in Mississippi.Maybe stay for a week or two before I start work as a tour director.I'll be posting some pictures in a week or two of my friends, family and my hometown Indianapolis for my Chinese friends to see.I hope

525,600 minutes in China (1 year)

2007-06-22T10:07:00.002+08:00

Well as of June 24th I'll have been here in Changxing China for one year.And what a year it's been!I've been to a lot of exciting places.Met a lot of wonderful people.Ate a lot of strange food.And learned what it's like to live in a different country with a different culture.You don't learn as much about a place just visiting it for a couple of weeks.You live there for a year and you become part

New Friends and the Count Down

2007-06-03T14:49:00.001+08:00

Well my time here in China is just about up.I haven't got an official day as to when my last class is, but I just take that in stride...China you know.Anyway, I am looking forward to coming home.It's been one of the most interesting years of my life, to say the least!Last week when I was in Huzhzuo, I bought a DVD called "The Painted Veil."http://wip.warnerbros.com/paintedveilIt takes place in

The Comprehensive "You know You've Been In China Too Long..." List.

2007-05-25T13:17:00.001+08:00

My Canadian friend Paul from Hainan, sent me a list the other day.This is a list to let you know when you've been China too long.I found it quite amusing.These are some of the cultural differences between China and the rest of the world.Things that you just get used to here in China.You may not get some of them unless you've spent some time in China. Those who have, will get a kick out of

Almost a Year

2007-05-19T12:42:00.001+08:00

Well, as of May 24th I'll have been in China for 11 months.Almost a year of teaching English.The only thing I have taught before coming to China was sculpture.I would like to take this moment to apologize to all of the teachers that have tried to teach me anything in the past.There is such a thing as KARMA. I've found that out first hand!I was not an ideal student when I was young(big shock...I

Hainan, a Week in Paradise

2007-05-07T09:56:00.001+08:00

WOW...What a week!Last week the school had it's annual spring break.Another week free of teaching.I had talked with Denise, the gal that I hung out with in Yang Shuo. She was talking about going horseback riding near Lhasa. That sounded like a great adventure. After I spent some time on-line doing some research on the various companies that provided this type of adventure, I found that most

Hu Zhuo trip

2007-04-13T15:14:00.001+08:00

Well, Spring is here, and China is just as beautiful as America when it is in full bloom!Here is a photo my friend Harry took. I borrowed it from his website.A couple of weeks ago the students had a singing competition.They really like this kind of stuff...No classes!Each class took their turn and preformed a song that they have been practicing in their spare time for weeks.Here they are waiting

Weekend in Wu Xi

2007-03-26T15:52:00.002+08:00

Well, last weekend Eric and myself took a trip to a town called Wu Xi. It's about two hours away by bus.It's located right on Tai Lake...just like ChangxingBut it's much larger and much more developed.We met up with a friend that I made in Yang Shou. Her name is Claudia and she's from Austria.She is teaching German and English in a school about an hour and a half away from Changxing.Claudia went

Kung Fu II

2007-03-18T10:28:00.001+08:00

Today I went to meet up with my friends Eric and Jaer for lunch.During lunch we decided to go to the Kung Fu school to visit Irene and check out the school.They are in the middle of building onto the school.The new addition includes a temple and a learning center that is more like a museum.But that didn't stop the school from it's daily routine.We went to visit Irene, but she had gone into

I'm back from Yang Shuo...Continued...V

2007-03-10T22:05:00.001+08:00

Long Shen was such a beautiful place, I could have spent a week there.I'll probably come back here again some day.I mean, look at this place!!!After hiking up and down these amazing mountains for two days we decided to make our way to Guilin.So we headed back to the cabin where our hosts were preparing the chicken for this evenings dinner.At least here you know where your chicken has been.Not on

I'm back from Yang Shuo..Continued...IV

2007-03-04T21:54:00.001+08:00

Like I said..."Travel in China this time of year is just CRAZY!!"On our way to Guilin from Yand Shuo, the bus would stop and pick up people along the way. When we ran out of seats they would hand out little plastic stools to the people as they got on and they would sit in the isle. Nobody seemed to mind.Even this little melon head had to mess with the foreigner."What are you looking at?"Another

I'm back from Yang Shuo..Continued...III

2007-02-28T21:53:00.001+08:00

The next day...Bikes again.And...Hot air ballooning!Again...very cheap...80 yuan. (10 bucks)In America you can't even get in a hot air balloon for $10.This was my first time in one of these things.Because of the karst mountains, they couldn't just let us float around.They kept us attached to a rope and took us up about 1,500 ft. or so for about 15 or 20 minutes.Later on we ended up down by the

I'm back from Yang Shuo...Continued...II

2007-02-28T00:26:00.001+08:00

After a while in the Jade Dragon Village, we decided to head down the road to a place called Shangri-La.There are a lot of places called Shangri-La in China.But not before grabbing a shot of the town water buffalo and her calf.We caught some rain on the way, so we pulled over at a bridge and hung out under some trees until the rain subsided.Shangri-La is kind of like a Chinese amusement park that

I'm back from Yang Shuo..Continued

2007-02-27T10:20:00.001+08:00

So in Fu Li, they have a local market that I just had to check out.It was similar to the Fear Factor market in my hometown.Fresh chicken in a basket.Picking out dinner.Bundled up tight.Another local market. This one had clothes and other goods.Fu Li is supposed to be a great little town. I prefer great little villages.This place really didn't have too much to offer.I was trying to be

I'm back from Yang Shuo

2007-02-25T18:43:00.001+08:00

Hello everybody.I just got back from my 2 weeks vacation.Traveling in China this time of year is just CRAZY!!This is the time of Chinese Spring Festival or the Chinese new year.Everybody in China is traveling to see their relatives.Many people work in different cities to support their families.So the trains are bus stations are packed with people trying to get tickets to go home.I was planning to

English Competition and Oops, We Did it Again!

2007-02-05T20:30:00.001+08:00

Today the school had it's annual English competition for the Chinese English teachers.We had 28 teachers from from the Junior 1 2 an 3 grades.It took about 2 and a half hours.It started about 9am.I teach the junior 1 students, so some of these teachers I haven't had the chance to talk with very much.So this was the first time to hear some of them speak (English).I was very impressed to say the

Chinese Spring Break

2007-02-04T11:33:00.001+08:00

OK...The exams are over and all the papers have been graded.So, the headmaster of the school invited some of the teachers out for dinner.One of the favorite pass times here in Changxing is to go out to dinner with friends and family.I've managed to get by for 7 months here in China without doing much drinking.And I mean serious drinking where everybody had to slam their drinks and then they fill

Another weekend at Hangzhou

2007-01-29T11:13:00.002+08:00

Well, this week we have final exams at school.I spent about 1 minute with each student asking them questions from the last 5 units.I then gave them grades based on their pronunciation and speaking ability in general.Most of the students did very well.I am quite impressed with the grammar and spelling abilities of these kids.The only thing they lack is the knowledge of how to pronounce some of the

Xi'an and Beyond: Final

2007-01-09T16:28:00.002+08:00

That night, on the way home we saw a wake that had been going on for three days.But tonight they had priests doing a ceremonial thing.Right there in the street, next to the Kodak shop.The next morning I was up with the sun, taking more morning photos.Laundry time.Someone is taking an early morning bamboo boat ride.Boats heading up river.I love the effect of the morning fog on the river.A shot

Xi'an and Beyond: Continued

2007-01-03T14:07:00.001+08:00

We made one last village stop on our trip down the Li River.The people were so nice and glad to see us.These people had a pool table in their front yard.I think they used it more as a dining table.Home grown bacon.When we got back to the boat, our captain was sitting on a bamboo raft with another guy.He motioned for us to get on.I wasn't sure what was going on, so I called Jerry.He said to hop on

Xi'an and Beyond: Planes, Trains and Bamboo Boats

2006-12-30T21:36:00.001+08:00

Well, last week we took a trip to Xi'an to see the Terra Cotta soldiers.We left from the Changxing train station at about 4pm Friday for a 24-hour train ride through the Chinese countryside.We booked what is called a soft sleeper. It has four bunks and a small table with a widow.It also has a sliding door for privacy.This is the ONLY way to travel by train, as far as I am concerned.The bunks

Gloria and the Frozen Shoulder

2006-12-09T09:08:00.001+08:00

Well I haven't posted anything new on my blog recently...not much new happening.Until today!Gloria is in China!Well, last Monday my girlfriend Gloria came to China to visit me.Bill drove me to Shanghai to pick her up Monday after school.We didn't get in until almost 2am.She brought me some of my favorite things from America...well at least some things that I can't find here in China....

Blog Problems (again) and A Chinese Thanksgiving

2006-11-24T12:27:00.001+08:00

Okay...As usual I have been having problems with my blog.This time the Great Firewall of China was back up for a while and I have had to post the past few posts on my first blog.So if you want to see my trip to Shanghai and Nanjing...Click on the link on the right side that says "Global Jim's China Adventure I".Anyway...Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!Last night I had Thanksgiving dinner with

A Country Ride

2006-10-28T12:45:00.001+08:00

Well today I decided to take a ride on the scooter and get some fresh air.The weather here has cooled off considerably and it is time for the farmers to harvest their rice crops.From my window and I have noticed some farmers out early in the morning...till dark.Growing up on a farm I know that when it time to "make hay"...you "make hay"!!So I thought I would take a ride down this road that I

Sports Events Day Three

2006-10-28T12:22:00.001+08:00

Well today was the last day of the sports meet .I walked around chatting with everybody for a while and took some pictures.This was a pile on the teacher shot!Then it was back to the games...I hope I win...I hope I win...The girls did the high jump/giant hurdle.A little warm up stretching.And they're off at the sound of the starting gun.Working out cramps.Today the girls showed what the were made

Let the Games Begin

2006-10-25T15:31:00.001+08:00

Well today is the first day of a three day sports marathon here at school.I took a few minutes and walked around this afternoon and cheered MY kids on.These are the time keepers.The announcers.Young sports casters in the making.Run Jenny, Run!!High jump...sort of.This is my tall friend Bob...I joked with him that all he has to do is run up and step over the bamboo pole.Keeping track of every

New Pets

2006-10-23T19:42:00.001+08:00

Well today I was out and about and decided to break down and buy a pet.On the game farm I grew up on we had lots of exotic birds, so I opted to get me a little tweety bird.Turtles are like pet rocks that you have to feed...Cats are lovable but tend to smell up the place...Dogs are for eating here...sometimes.Same goes for fish.As I stopped in at my favorite little market street pet shop I

A Little More School Stuff

2006-10-20T16:20:00.001+08:00

When I was getting ready to come to China I was wondering how many clothes I should pack.I thought maybe I would pack light and buy clothes as I needed.Someone said that I may have a problem finding clothes that fit me in China.Chinese people are small...usually.This is Michael...he is 15 years old...And I thought I might have trouble finding clothes that fit.I really enjoy teaching at this

School Stuff

2006-10-18T21:59:00.001+08:00

OK...My new schedule is keeping very busy, but I really like working at this school.The teachers are first class and very nice.And they have a huge cafeteria.Here was what I had for lunch today...It not very tasty but it is cheap and it will fill you up.They don't serve any drinks, you just drink the soup they serve with eggs and stuff in it.I have been staying in Mikes apartment at the Changxing

The Gym, Chicken Feet and New Friends

2006-10-17T15:56:00.001+08:00

Well I've been pretty good about going to the gym lately.Up until now I've had plenty of time for it.With my new schedule I haven't had much time for...well anything.The gym hours are from 9am till 9pm.My first class is at 9am and my last class is at 8:30pm.With travel time from the school that gives me about 15 minutes to work out.And by then I'm just too tired anyway!The gym here is just like

Pictures Are Back !!

2006-10-13T21:43:00.001+08:00

Ok...I got my computer back...Thank God!!I have a bunch of pictures from the past week or so.Here you go!Last week some friends took me to the country. Guess where we went?You got it...The Buddhist Temple.I got to visit my old friend..."The Monk".He had shake a container with little wooden sticks in it till one fell out. Then he told my future with the number on the stick...#22.This is the

Computer down

2006-10-04T12:10:00.001+08:00

Well my computer that I brought from America died the other day.The school gave me a loaner to use but their IT guy is on vacation so I am having to navigate using Chinese characters...NOT easy!! When he gets back he can download the English version for me.Maybe he can fix mine too?The loaner is not letting me download pictures, so until I get that figured out this is all I have.No much new going

KTV, Michael, Aaron and a Walk Around Town

2006-09-25T15:20:00.001+08:00

The other night after school, the new Chinese teacher, Gary asked me if I wanted to go to KTV with him and meet some of his friends.What do you think I said?By the way...This is Gary. He's a new english teacher at the Hope International School of language.So we went to this KTV(Karaoke) place around the block from the school and went into our room and guess who I saw...Jaer.She's a pretty good

Indiana Jim and the Temple of Buddha

2006-09-21T21:07:00.001+08:00

Wow...What a day!!Jaer (the other donkey) was back in Changxing this week.Her school in Hangzhou didn't start for another week so she was back in town with nothing to do.We went riding bikes Monday and she told me about a Buddhist Temple not far away so we made plans to visit it today.What a day trip!We met at KFC and got a taxi to take us to the countryside.I took my bike because there was a few

Hangzhou and The Other Donkey...Jaer.

2006-09-18T12:05:00.001+08:00

Well this weekend I decided to head back to Hangzhou...such a lovely city!So I got up early Saturday morning, packed a few things then grabbed a taxi to the bus station.After getting my ticket I went to the waiting area and and had a seat.Soon it was time to board the bus and I noticed a young Chinese girl looking at me so I said "Hello".I could tell she spoke English...I'm getting a feeling for

Weekend Trip..Starbucks and Germans in Hangzhou

2006-09-11T15:47:00.001+08:00

Well Nina and myself took a trip to a nearby city called Hangzhou.What a beautiful city.It is situated on a lake called West Lake.We set out Saturday around noon and got there about an hour and a half later.The bus ride was great...It was very nice bus and only cost about $4.00.Take that Greyhound!As soon as we got into town we saw a Starbucks and made a B line for it.I haven't had a Latte' in

Bull's Penis and Crocodiles

2006-09-08T15:54:00.001+08:00

I went to the Rainbow school yesterday for lunch with Nina and the gang.As they would bring each dish to the table I would ask what it was...the usual stuff...duck, fish,chicken.These are just meatballs made from pork...I was afraid to ask what part of the pig they used.DumplingsAfter we had been eating a few minutes they brought in another dish...it looked good.I asked them what it was and they

There's a New Teacher in Town...Ya'll Be Cool Now!

2006-09-06T17:03:00.001+08:00

Well today the Rainbow school got their new teacher.Her name is Nina and she is from Germany.Jeff''s contract was up so he went off to some far away place in China to teach.I stopped by the Rainbow school around 11:00am...Just before lunch....Big surprise!!And had lunch with Nina, Bill and his parents.She seemed to do pretty well with a set of chopsticks and wasn't freaked out about any of the

American Makes Ass of Himself on Chinese TV

2006-09-01T10:28:00.001+08:00

Yes...I did.And this is how it all started.Well last weeks cold turned into bronchitis. So I asked my little Chinese sister Sophia if she would accompany me to the hospital.I've had bronchitis before and knew that some antibiotics would fix me up.The hospital its self was quite an adventure.First you check in and pay a couple of yuan...25 cents. Then I go into an examination room where the Doctor

Lunch-Factory-Dinner

2006-08-26T20:13:00.001+08:00

Well the past few days I've been down with a cold.Yesterday Sophia and Chad brought me some fruit and accompanied me to the pharmacy to get some cold medicine. Then we went to the store to buy some food...It sure helps if someone can explain what everything is.Today I'm feeling a little better so they invited me to go with a friend for a drive in the country and meet some other people...I can't

Chinese Lunch and American Dinner

2006-08-22T23:04:00.001+08:00

One of the perks of being adopted my multiple Chinese families is that the feed you.And feed you well at that!Sophia's mom invited me to have lunch with them today. I had class this morning but was done by 11am. I asked if I could take some pictures while they prepared lunch and they said "sure" but were a little curious as to why.I told them that the food in China was very different than the

New Family

2006-08-21T14:02:00.001+08:00

Well, once again I have a new family here in Changxing.You might remember the dad...He was the guy I me making the fried yo-bings in the street.The fellow in the right is his son. His Chinese name is You Bing. He didn't have an English name but wanted one...I named him Chad. He reminds me of my brother Chad.And this is Sophia.And Mom.Her Aunt owns a little clothing store near by.When the usual

Long Day on the Bike

2006-08-19T19:21:00.001+08:00

Well today I didn't have to teach and the weather was not nearly as hot as it's been lately so I decided to hit the gym and had a bite to eat. Afterwards I decided to see if couldn't get myself lost a little bit.First I ended up down by this river walk. Kind of like the one in Indy but not in the middle of town.Here's a statue...It looks like bronze but it was fiberglass.I saw this man and his

New Pictures

2006-08-18T23:36:00.001+08:00

Ok...with my new and improved blog I can finally post some pictures that I couldn't before.Here they are.Lunch with my new Chinese family.Kevin was eating some pickled duck eggs. They wanted me to try one. I told them that back in America we had pickled chicken eggs and I wouldn't eat those either!So as not to offend anybody.In my office.Out and about on my new Chinese ride.Now this guy kept

Dinner at the Lake

2006-08-18T10:29:00.001+08:00

Back in buisness...OK...It wasn't easy but I did it. I had to download Firefox and go to Beta...And start a new blog...But we now have pictures!It seems that my photos weren't too big...just that blogger was having trouble downloading with Internet Explorer.Anyway, here are some pictures from my dinner at the Tai hu(Tai Lake).Kevin's mom, Liu Dong Fen, Kevin and Na Na.Yours truly, Mom and Na