It's hard not to make some comparisons between the two, either: 1) yes, I am teaching the college courses this time around, but don't think that means I'm not also learning. Learning the language, learning the culture, and learning the best way to avoid unintentionally purchasing, as food, the various parts of animals available for purchase in China--the aversion to which is a result of my ingrained American notion that such items wouldn't necessarily be considered acceptable for human consumption and therefore wouldn't possibly be stacked in a bin next to fruit snacks (hint: in a store, a food's edibility is directly proportional to its distance from the bin of chicken feet); 2) like college five years ago was a brand new world, being here in China is, in a much truer way, a whole new world as well; 3) I'm quite helpless much of the time here in China, much like I was in 2005, and finally; 4) I live and work and learn all in the same place: the college campus.
I rather enjoy living in the "apartment" I have on campus, although it really feels just like a dorm room. Mostly, I favor the location, which is right next to many of the student dormitories. I've always liked being "in the middle of the action," and I certainly get my wish as the area is always buzzing with students doing what they do best: giggling, smiling, and staring at the tall foreigner, and perhaps, given the necessary courage, attempting to talk to the foreigner. I enjoy being around all the people, even if they are chatty 19 and 20-year-olds. The convenience of living five minutes from where I work is not bad either.
The campus itself is an appropriate size for the 7,500 or so students, and I've been given enough room to explore but not too much to be an inconvenience. There are some attempts at aesthetics (i.e., spaces at the main entrance and in between buildings that are crammed with flowers), although the campus in general is fairly so-so. I do appreciate the efforts to add life and color though. The five or six academic buildings aren't much to look at--just light blue blocks of cement, essentially, but the dorms are interesting enough in their own way. I'll toss in a few photos to give you an idea:
On the right, the new building for foreign students and teachers that also has a separate section to serve as additional student housing. Supposedly, the construction will be done in about a week or two, at which point I'll be moving in. Enjoy the colorful paint now--it will fade to junk in about three months.
Looking the other direction now, you see some of the other dorms, as well as the basketball courts where I really enjoy playing with students and random locals, mostly because their skills (or lack thereof) make me feel much better about my own. Never played before? No problem. You'll fit right in. To be fair though, you can't be too tough on a nation whose first lasting exposure to basketball came just a few years ago with Yao Ming's arrival to the NBA. That man has single-handedly made basketball (and therefore, the NBA, the Houston Rockets, and for some reason Kobe Bryant) the most popular aspect of American influence in all of China. That and Michael Jackson. That man is gold over here.
The frontage-type road (for lack of a better term, since it simultaneously serves as a road, parking lot, sidewalk, and all-puspose garbage receptacle) that runs along the campus' south end. On the left is the Lucky Do Do hotel, which we of course pronounce as the Lucky Doo Doo.
Academic buildings
One of the many oddities I've discovered so far. While the need for such doors escapes me, I have decided it is a type of fire escape--at least that's what I tell myself. Unfortunately, no such escape exists for the dorms (as this is an academic building). Each night, after curfew is in effect, the front (and only ground-level) door to each dorm is chained shut and locked with a pad-lock. Some of the newer dorms, including my building, do have a fire escape, although I believe its potential has eluded the attention of the Chinese, as the doors on each floor leading to the fire escape are--you guessed it--chained and locked. If it's any consolation, every building, ever, in the history of China was, is, and will be made entirely out of cement. I think it's safe to say that no fire will really be able to burn much, so I won't really need to leave my apartment in the event of a fire. Also, there are no fire alarms or smoke detectors from what I've seen--but that's probably irrelevant.
The numerous building projects on campus have given me a front-row seat to the world of Chinese construction. Here we see the, ah, well...I don't know. They're man-holes of some kind, likely for the sewer, but possibly for the sole purpose of consuming every brick in the city. I do believe the purpose and layout of these sewer structures was conceived by three drunk men the day before.
Communal dryer. The sight of hanging clothes, everywhere, has been a perennial sight since the arrival of students.
The reason volleyball is only the sixth most commonly played sport in China, behind ping pong, basketball, badminton, soccer, and that one game where you just stack a whole bunch of stuff onto the back of a truck:
Photo courtesy of some other person. Thanks Google. (And since I'm in China, I am almost certain that taking anything that I want from the internet and claiming it as my own is perfectly legal and acceptable. So, got that going for me too.)
And now what you've all been waiting for: bad English translations.
One of the many signs at the campus. Ironically, classes in the top building were delayed one week.
But not really. I just thought that would be an appropriate thing to say.
The entire campus is covered with these little proverbs, hanging from the street lights. Most are fairly normal, but I can't help but wonder what Emerson quotation website they got many of them from. What's most ironic about the bad translations is that this is a college for foreign language. I'm not especially knowledgable on the influences of advertising, but I'd say this doesn't bode well for future enrollment.
Most signs with garbled English are usually discernible, but this one's totally lost on me.
There are other signs inside the buildings that are meant to deter smoking, even though many boys still do it anyway, inside the buildings. I didn't get pictures of them, but I'll share them anyway because, well, because they're awesome:
"Off cigars! Ignite your future instead."
"To smoke or not to smoke. That is a question."
Can't argue with them there.
