so what have i been up to in SH, let me break it down for ya:
academics // classes started about 2 weeks ago. i took a placement test the day after i arrived and they placed me in advanced level 1 (高一). they made a rough estimation of my chinese ability based on a short conversation, then had me take last semester's final exam for a level that they thought was appropriate, and told me that they would place me one level higher if i passed that exam. i ended up getting a 65, which is barely passing, and they placed me in the higher level. i was pretty nervous about it at the time, but now i feel like it's a good, if not great, fit for me.
there are a total of 5 classes: writing (写作), speaking (口语), reading (阅读), intensive reading (精读), and listening (听力). here are all my lovely books costing a whopping 250RMB...ok $36 might not be considered much for textbooks in the US but it's a lot to spend in china!
and there are 2 different times/teachers for each class, so i spent the last 2 weeks shopping around for the best teachers, and i think i'm pretty happy with my schedule.
wednesdays are a bit hectic but i wanted to have thursdays free because wed nights are ladies night =P but also for a variety of other scheduling reasons that are too complicated to explain. worst comes to worst, i will stop going to intensive reading wed afternoon because that teacher creeps me out =\ all in all, i have 2 GREATTTT, WONDERFULLL teachers (writing and reading), 1 decent but gay, flamboyant, overly-optimistic-to-the-point-of-sounding-like-a-cheap-infomercial teacher, not to mention he's only 24 (speaking), 1 boring and awkward teacher with an annoying, ear-piercing voice who likes to talk about suicide in a giddy tone, which, coincidentally, makes me want to kill myself (intensive reading), and an amusing teacher who is just confused/stoned (listening). i like my writing class to the extent that not even an 100 degree fever prevented me from attending or finishing my essay yesterday morning. it was entitled MY FRIEND - KEVIN LIANG (我的朋友- 梁兆维) muahahah check that!i also started calligraphy this afternoon. but what is there to say really? we practiced 2 strokes the entire class, and i swear he paid 10000000x more attention to the caucasian students. but maybe it's because they were just having more trouble.....aka sucking at life. n00bzors. i might stop going if it doesn't pick up soon. at least i got a cute little bag out of it:
girls got pink and guys got blue/black. they really take time to think this stuff through...ok that's enough about school...
social life // i'm not sure if i can say that i already have a steady group of friends here but there are definitely a few people that i tend to hang out w/ regularly. first and foremost, sy and nevin, for obvious reasons that need not be explained. other than those 2, i've met a good amount of asian-europeans...many of which are from the same chinese province as i am. i must say that i was surprised to find so few asian-americans. maybe they all left, maybe i just havent met them yet, who knows. i dont mind at all though, because it is much cooler and more eye-opening to meet people with different backgrounds/viewpoints. i say this, yet i still tend to gravitate towards other chinese people. they might be european, but in the end, they're still chinese haha. on the other hand, if you asked me whether i could become good friends with native chinese people, i would have to say no. language-barrier aside, the difference in mentality and cultural upbringing is just too great. i'm not saying i can't get along with them just fine, if not wonderfully, but to fully understand each other and establish a meaningful bond, that is something i cannot see happening.
so onto more lighthearted topics...i've gone out the past 2 weekends, both of which resulted in some plastered action, so to speak. mostly my fault, but partly the fault of chinese clubs for having all you can drink policies. this past friday was especially bad, and probably the main cause of this sickness. it was fun while it lasted...based on what i could actually remember. and it was nice to meet more people and hang out with the ones in my building:
in addition, i made the mistake of going out again on sat night to do something more "relaxing" -_-, aka pool and ktv. too bad we sang until 4:30am....yea not exactly what i'd call relaxing. it was quite fun, but im not sure if it is worth having to deal with this fever... i think i'll reserve this coming weekend for some real relaxation...assuming i'll have completely recovered =\miscellaneous // so before my crazy night on friday, nevin and i went to help his chinese friend tutor some elementary/middle school kids:
the session started out pretty well, as i was able to help some 4th graders with their english and math homework. they really looked up to us and even had dinner ready for us. but once the middle schoolers started to pile in, we began to feel completely inadequate. i thought that i might be able to help them out with some chemistry or physics problems as long as they explained to me what the question was asking but no such luck. one girl couldn't do a question involving the solubility of compounds. i knew what it was asking but no way would i still remember those solubility rules. all i did was memorize them for the MCAT and erased them from my mind the day after the exam. i tried to explain to her that it's a straightforward problem and all she needs to do is go look at the solubility rules, but that didn't really satisfy her. even middle school english was a pain. i don't know enough chinese to explain why a sentence should say "they were playing football on the field" rather than "they were playing THE football on the field." and as sad as this may sound, i wasn't even sure if one of the sentences should've read "what would you suggest the tourists do?" or "what would you suggest the tourists to do?" yea yea...i know now but it confused the crap out of me at the time -_- at least i fared a little better than nevin did; he got ridiculed by a 4th grader who was amazed at how slowly he reads chinese and said that he must be breaking some kind of world record hahahhaha...and then that kid proceeded to pwn nevin in chinese chess:
cute huh? really quirky and mischievous little boy....reminds me of filippo hahahahasocial commentary // at the request of my aunt and cousin, i went to a chinese hospital last night to see a doctor about my fever. the moment i stepped inside, i knew that i had made a grave mistake. what i saw was not a hospital but a loud and chaotic madhouse, not to mention completely unsanitary:
yes, that would be the sight you witness right when you walk in the entrance. and yes, that pile of blankets is on the floor, and im quite sure that a person was laying there getting IV infusion not too long before i took the picture. to be honest, i was pretty scared of catching something much more serious while i was there. the trip was a complete waste of time because all that chinese doctors want to/can do is give you IV infusion, and all i wanted was some tylenol, which i could've gotten easily at the pharmacy down the block. even after i declined the IV, the doc asked if i wanted a shot to suppress my fever. once again, i declined, and i must say that i am extremely happy that i did so because i found out later that the shot is given in the rear....yea would have been quite an experience to say the least.i do think that when it comes to something like your health, you have to do what's best for your body, regardless of discomfort, cost, inconvenience. and i grew up in china so i've gotten plenty of iv infusions and needles to the buttocks. it's not the pain that i'm worried about but rather the safety of the treatment and the cleanliness of the medical equipment here. chinese ppl prefer shots because they enter the bloodstream and act much more quickly than oral medication. i'm not well-versed on this topic and have no concrete evidence stating that iv infusion is more harmful than tylenol/advil, but i just feel a little uncomfortable at the thought of putting medicine straight into my veins. i'd also rather avoid needles in this country as best as i can. there is a reason why china's health system was ranked 144 out of 190 countries by the WHO...
one of the reasons that i wanted to improve my chinese was so that i could spend part of my time doing medical volunteering in rural china once i become a doctor. i was under the impression that rural areas were the only places that needed help, but after seeing the condition of a top shanghai hospital, i can say that i was clearly wrong. but as my health policy professor used to say: doctors aren't the ones who make decisions regarding the direction of healthcare. in the end, everything lies in the hands of the government. it's true in the US, and it remains just as true in china. and in my opinion, the chinese political system has many more issues that most westerners can't even begin to comprehend...
so yea......that definitely took a good 2 hours haha. the "mini" in the title might be a misnomer. this is why i dont blog often. but maybe if i did more often, the entries would be shorter.....hmmm who knows. i just want to sleep early and rid myself of this fever =\
goodbyess, hope you are all well!
