Well, I’m currently back in the states on vacation. The blog posting here stopped because wordpress became blocked once again and I still haven’t gone ahead and done the VPN thing.
I started writing at a posterous blog here, also called 破釜Sink the Boats沉舟. I’m digging posterous set-up and if it doesn’t get blocked, that’s where I’ll be doing my blogging for now.
Come say hi.
I’m just going to go ahead and ramble a bit. Cathartic.
Shanghai is going well. I like being in this city and it’s good changing up my environment.
The job? It’s okay. It’s definitely not the professional teaching experience I was hoping for, but it pays the bills nicely. I am, however, already thinking about my lack of job satisfaction and that’s no good after not even 2 months!
I’m going to start looking around for something that utilizes my Chinese. Start looking around and considering options.
If nothing comes up, I may start looking for another teaching gig. This time with Chinese students. I need more Chinese in my life. It’s funny, I already get quite a bit, but I’m at the point where I have a strong desire to use my Chinese in a productive way. Hmmm…
I should be starting up with a tutor next month though and that should satisfy my itch for the time being.
Well, wordpress has now been unblocked in China for about month. I switched over to blogspot and renamed the blog, but now that wordpress is unblocked, I’ll keep blogging here. I like wordpress dashboard system considerably more than blogspot’s. I have recenly starting using twitter though which I think has made me blog a lot less. 140 characters and all that…
I’ve also decided to just go ahead and use the name I made for the other blog here. ‘Over and Out’ never had any real meaning anyway, it just seemed bloggy. To be honest though, 破釜沉舟 doesn’t really have any special meaning for me either. I just like the sound of it. In case you’re wondering, it’s a 成语 or chéng yǔ, a four character Chinese idiom that derives its meaning from a historoical or literary story. In this case, the literal meaning is ‘break the pots and sink the boats’ and is a reference to going into battle without looking back or planning on necessarily coming out alive. It’s used kind of like ‘burning bridges’.
Anyway, I’ve changed themes out of boredom. Maybe someday I’ll get around to making a real damn website. But yeah…probably not.
I’ll continue ranting about studying Chinese and talking about my pipe dreams in the near future.
Well, the title of the blog finally has some real meaning!
This will probably be my last post here. I’ve started a blog at blogspot and I’ll be doing my writing there. It’s not that I don’t like wordpress. In fact, I think wordpress is superior in a lot of ways (particularly the dashboard and the commenting systems) but alas, wordpress is blocked in China. You can use a proxy to get around it, but then that means I have to use Firefox and I’ve been using a lot of Chrome lately.
This blog will stay up and if wordpress ever gets unblocked (it does happen) maybe I’ll move on back over.
So, update your RSS feed and your bookmarks (the few of you that actually read this blog) and get your ass over there!
Random thoughts…
Living directly downtown for a month before the move. Really enjoying it.
The move should be quite insane. I’ve got friends to bunk up with while I find a place and get sorted, but regardless, it should be a bit hectic.
Fortunately a good friend Matt (缪) offered to drive me and all my stuff down to SH rather than take the train and therefore also have to send some boxes via post. Very grateful. I’m also looking forward to the trip. First ‘road trip’ like experience in China.
I’ve been playing way too much guitar hero these days. I see bars and dots.
I need to live near line 2 in SH and on the West side of town. I’m thinking Either Jiangsu Rd., Zhongshan park, or Loushanguan Rd, stations. Curious as to prices tho…
Study habits have taken a hit with all the moving around.
I’ve packed my life into 2 boxes, 2 suitcases and a duffel bag. This makes me very happ
Coffee…I’m going to go get a cup of coffee.
Today is the anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre (南京大屠杀). Every year on this day at 10:00am the sirens go off for about a half an hour, taking short breaks here and there. There are multiple sirens coming from different places that seem to respond to one another. It’s eerily life-like.
Before I had any plans to live in Nanjing, I wrote my undergrad thesis about the importance of narrative history and a huge part of my research was about the treatment of the massacre in textbooks. It would be easy to come to Nanjing and not realize you were surrounded by very tumultuous history, but if you look, there are reminders everywhere.
Of course there is the Massacre Memorial near Mochou lake, but it’s mostly the little things. Little plaques and statues, blocks of texts on the city wall. If you talk to cab drivers about it, they’ll remind you that historically, the people of Nanjing have been through a lot. The city has been the capital about six separate times and almost every time it’s status has been removed by some sort of invasion or violent revolution. On that same note, I think it’s easy for a lot of tourists to come through Nanjing looking for it’s history and miss the subtle charm that comes along with the people who inherit such a crazy past.
I love having a president who actually knows how to use a computer!
So, I’m at a bit of a crossroads again. Usually once a year, I like to change things up a bit. Either move apartments or cities, get a new job, that kind of thing. Call it adventurous, call it a fear of commitment. I think it could go either way.
Recently, after a long conversation over drinks with a friend, the opportunity to work at a Chinese company came up. It’s an international trade company and the position would be along the lines of helping with the organization and management of trade fairs and dealing with foreign clients needs, complaints and ideas. It’s not a shoe-in, but given the friend’s relationship with the company, my resume will probably get a little preferential treatment. This being my first ‘real job’ after uni, the pay won’t be great, but it’s enough to get by in China for sure. (probably a couple thousand RMB more than I’m making teaching English semi-full time now.)
Now, I’ve never really been a ‘business’ kinda guy and working for a trade company is most definitely not a dream of mine, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing good about the position. I’d be getting some really valuable experience that I could take with me as I continue making a life in China. I would be learning how a Chinese company operates first-hand and I’d be using a lot of Chinese while doing so. Also, I fit the ‘middle man’ position quite well. It could be fun.
Before this came up, however, I was already in the process of planning a different course for myself. I’ve been thinking about moving back to Shanghai and continuing to teach English. Which, although wouldn’t be directly furthering my ‘career’, would also have it’s benefits.
With the set-up I’ve been considering, I’d be making quite a bit of money and not working very often. (especially compared to a 9-5) Doing this would allow me to continue studying Chinese in my free time and make me all the more ready when an opportunity I’m actually really excited for comes along. I’d probably shop around for some translation jobs and just continue my Chinese studies. Also, I like Shanghai. I’d be excited to move back and I’ve got a lot really good friends there who I’d love to be around more.
In the end, the dilemma is this:
Stay in Nanjing and work a busier job for a company I’m not super stoked about for the sake of good experience and a first step into the world of ‘real jobs’,
or,
Move back to Shanghai where I’d have more free time to study Chinese and look for other opportunities, more money to pay off loans and a more enjoyable social life.
On the one hand, the latter seems like an easy way out, but remember, I’m trying to get really good at Chinese. The free time would be well spent (at least until the sun goes down) and enjoyable.
So, I ponder…
*Note: everything will be made easy and clear if I’m interviewed and am not given an offer or the position has already been filled. So, this could all be moot.
I’ve been a bad blogger lately! I’ve been around on twhirl and facebook a bit, but I’ve essentially neglected this blog. I was traveling for 3 weeks and a bit busy, but now I’m mostly back in the swing of things.
What does that call for? A completely unorganized string of thoughts.
While traveling, we ended up going to the countryside in Jiangxi. I loved it. I love the countryside in China. We spent one whole day on motocabs (sometimes driving) through the hills and valleys, stopping at the waterfalls, small villages and places to eat. It was awesome. We befriended our drivers and swam with them too. I miss it already.
I was basically a translator for 3 weeks. I forgot how insane it seems for a foriegner not living in China to hear another one speak Chinese. My friends were amazed and I got to feel cooler than I am for awhile.
After being asked "Where do you come from?" so many times, a few of my friends had me teach them, "我来自未来" or, "I come from the future". This eventually came to include, "我是个机器人", or "I am a robot". Their final request was "My time moves backwards" to which I could only come up with, "我的时间在倒走“, but I don’t think that really comes out right. They definitely got some looks from people.
I’ve been studying the reading books for HSK prep and damn, my vocab sucks. I don’t know about 25% of the characters in each reading. I can read fast if I skip the words I don’t know though!….
My cat is a lunatic.
It was so nice to travel again, even if it did make me flat broke.
I’m considering moving back to Shanghai in the next few months. I’m looking for a change, I have a lot of good friends there I miss and I can certainly make a hell of a lot more money there. (I know, I know. It costs so much more there! I’ve lived there. Thing is, you can make 2x as much teaching English…but it doesn’t cost 2x as much as Nanjing. Not by a longshot.)
I watched a Chinese movie the other day that was actually pretty damn funny. 十全九美。With no English subtitles I missed a hell of a lot, but the characters and the situational humor are great.
I’ve done small amounts of translating, but I really enjoy it. Lately I’ve been considering putting myself out there more for some freelance stuff. I’m a nerd…
Oh, and I love video games. I wish I could work in video games…in China…that’d be rad.
That’s all for now!
With some friends visiting in August, I’ve been thinking lately about what kinds of things I want to make sure they experience in the relatively short time they’ll be here.
The big things are obvious. Travel, see sights, get outdoors, a temple or two, etc. But the little things are what I really don’t want to leave out.
Well, actually, I wouldn’t really call food a little thing. Maybe sometimes a bit overlooked, but definitely a big ass deal.
For me, trying new foods is a serious joy. I, however, have a pretty high tolerance for new and strange flavors and a stomach that has kept me virtually untouched by the evils of 拉肚子。 (chopsticks crossed…)
This doesn’t mean, however, that I sit around cataloging every new food I eat and memorizing every dish. So, I’ve been trying to write down the names of a few dishes and specialties that I think are a must.
Here’s a few off the top of my head. (okay, fine, the list just started now)
*I won’t mention things like 饺子, 拉面 and common Chinese dishes because those things are a given.
汤包，生煎包，小笼包，锅贴
Tang bao, sheng jian bao, xiao long bao and guo tie are some of the best examples of dumplings filled with soupy deliciousness. Can’t miss em.
鸭血粉丝汤
Yaxue fensi tang is a local specialty here in Nanjing. It’s a clear noodle soup with congealed duck blood, (yes, I love that stuff. and no, I don’t have the bird flu…yet. I should probably look into whether or not that’s a leading cause of…nah), duck intestine, duck liver (which I usually hold off on due it’s extreme saltiness) and little bread pieces. All topped off with a bit of cilantro and crushed red pepper oil. I was wary at first, but man, this stuff is good.
醉虾
Ah, drunken shrimp. Although it’s a bit weird eating shrimp that haven’t fully died yet, I gotta say, the wine sauce in this stuff is phenomenal.
火锅
Admittedly this is a pretty obvious one, but some people aren’t so fond of it (craziness…). It’s a perfect meal to have with friends.
新疆菜
Alright that’s a big category, but a trip to a good Xinjiang place is mandatory. Some of the dishes don’t compare with what you can get out there, but I’d say the mutton pizza (羊肉比萨？ Hey that’s what it is in English） and the tomato and lamb soup are authentic enough.
蚂蚁上树
The peanut butter-less Chinese ants on a log (er, tree). An easy to find dish, but I have to mention it because I love it so much.
Alright, now I’m going to go because I’m getting hungry, but there are plenty more I didn’t mention.
Any suggestions? I don’t want to miss anything. My friends are going to hate me…(or love me)
