What to expect at the Chinese grocery store

I have been to several grocery stores in my few weeks of living in China. For everyday items I go to the local store on campus. Once a week I join the other foreign teachers on a trip to Metro, a supermarket that carries many hard to find western items. Today I ventured into the city to Vanguard, by far the largest supermarket I've been to. Between these stores I can get most everything I need. I also get the chance to see things I never imagined would be for sale at a grocery store, let alone purchased or consumed. Below are some of the more unique items I have run across so far.

SNACKS

Bite-sized crabs. Still in the shell of course.

Chicken feet. Comes in red and white.

Chicken wing and chicken heart. No cooking or refrigerating necessary.

Seasoned quail eggs.

Whole fish in light sauce.

Smaller fish in light sauce.

Crispy fish skeleton.

Corn jelly. Individually wrapped and shaped like corn.

THE MEAT DEPARTMENT

Several cuts of pork. Bottom middle is pork ear.

Chicken is a black and white issue in China.

You can also opt for unpackaged chicken.

This was the only frog left in the tank. About half the size of the chickens.

PRODUCE

I dont know what this fruit is, but its the size of a watermelon and covered in thorns.

Black fungus? Do you mean mushroom or...

Dragon fruit.

MISC

This toilet paper doesnt quite live up to its name.

America is renowned for her Ginseng Buccal Tablets.

Chinese products often have english on their packaging. This one reads "CHINES FOOD: This wife cake  has carefully produced and crafted with proper condition and enjoy the finest things"

The beauty of China at night

From what I have seen so far, China is a very beautiful country. However, its beauty can be hard to appreciate during the day due to the ubiquitous pollution. I did not expect to find Xi'an to be so polluted because it is not one of the major cities on the coast. I have learned that in recent years the government has moved many industries to Xi'an and other western cities. Xi'an's topography is like LA; it is in a basin surrounded by mountains and hills which trap pollution in the city.

The TV tower in the middle of Downtown

The modern downtown is outside of the old city

Siyuan University is in the hilly countryside of Xi'an well beyond the third ring road (outermost beltway/expressway). Even so the pollution here is very heavy. Most mornings I cannot see more than ten feet out my window. In the mornings, trash from the previous day is incinerated in the streets all across the city, making the smog particularly thick in the mornings.

The sun rising above Siyuan. Most days it is safe to look directly at the sun.

A particularly clear day at Siyuan. You can make out the city in the background.

Left: Siyuan's stadium complex as seen from the fifth floor of an academic building

More of Siyuan's campus

The beauty of China, at least in the urban areas where pollution is prevalent, belongs to the night. Colored lights are ubiquitous in China. At night everything is illuminated with strings of multicolored lights. Unfortunately my phone's camera is not optimized for capturing the beauty of colored lights at night, but here are some of my better pictures.

The main academic building at Siyuan. All buildings on campus are lit up in this fashion. The lights cycle different colors--red, orange, yellow, green--every five seconds

The Bell Tower

The South Gate of the old city

Even the things that aren't covered in strings of lights are more beautiful at night. The pollution becomes more damp at night making it feel more like fog and less like smog. It gives everything a glow that is eerily beautiful, like London at night.

Trees outside the Foreign Teacher Complex

Lanterns on the roads at Siyuan

One of the many basketball courts at Siyuan

The highs and lows of teaching english

I have now taught all but two of my classes. I have a good idea of what the students need to learn and how I'm going to teach them. Because my classes are diverse in both the content I'm required to teach and the level of English comprehension of the students, my teaching experience has been similarly diverse.

The Lows

My first class was on Tuesday afternoon (my morning class had been canceled for my health examination). This class was more of a two hour private tutoring session than a typical college class. I had two students, a boy and a girl, who required remedial English instruction in order to keep pace with their major program. Because I know no chinese and they know almost no english, teaching them was nearly impossible. This was also one of the class which the university did not provide me with teaching materials or a lesson plan. Fortunately I will not be teaching this class again until the university works out some scheduling issues. I plan to request a chinese speaking instructor for these students when the scheduling issues are resolved.

My Thursday afternoon class was my first class in the Sino-Canadian program, which I was very excited to teach. When I arrived at the International campus I realized that my teaching schedule did not list the room number for this class. Luckily I was able to find one of my students from an earlier class and borrow her phone to call my supervisor (I still dont have a cell phone). When I got to the right room, I began with my usual introductions, and because the students were freshmen I began assigning them English names. About 30 minutes into class a chinese man came into my classroom and asked me why I was teaching his class. We both stepped outside and we sorted out that he was supposed to teach from 2:30 to 4:30 and I was to teach from 4:30 to 6:30. The teaching schedule had been changed, and he had a new calendar that reflected that. The calendar I had been given (after he had received his, mind you) had me teaching during the 2:30 slot. Together we called my supervisor again. She apologized for the mistake. When I returned at 4:30 to teach my class I jumped in where I left off. When everyone had an English name I moved into teaching a lesson from the textbook (this was a class where I was provided teaching materials). About halfway through my lesson, a student stopped me and said the lesson was not in his textbook. Indeed it wasn't; I had been provided with the wrong textbook to teach the class. I made up a few activities on the spot, but without the correct materials I had little choice but to dismiss class early.

The Highs

Despite the two dismal class experiences listed above, my overall experience thus far has been smooth and successful. Both of my classes on Wednesday were for Sophomore 4-year English majors. Although the level of English comprehension varied in the classes, they were strong enough to understand my instructions and deliver on the tasks I provided. Both classes were roughly 35 students in size and almost entirely female. The classrooms had a blackboard, podium, computer and projector for my use.

Class 2, Grade 2. 8:00-9:50 AM

Class 1, Grade 2. 10:10-11:00 AM

The lesson plan I developed for these classes followed this structure:
-Introductions
I introduce myself (as Mr. J) and tell the students where I am from, and my hobbies.
I ask my students to make plackards with their english names so I can easily call on them.
I have the student introduce themselves one by one with their english names, hometown, years learning english, and hobbies.
-Activities
I choose two or three activities from the textbook for the students to do--usually involving group-work, speaking or listening.

For my Thursday and Friday classes I was not provided with a textbook or class materials with which to teach. I used the introductions to gauge the level of my students and adapted activities from my other textbooks to fit their needs. This has worked quite nicely. I have also ended each class with a questionnaire asking students what they find difficult about English and what they want to take away from my class.

My Thursday classes were for third year students in the 3-year English major. Most intend to find jobs teaching English when they graduate in the spring. These classes had about 25 students. My Friday class was for third year students in the 5-year English major. This program is similar to an accelerated degree in america; students enter as high school students and complete high school and their English degree in 5 years. I have discovered Siyuan is something like a community college or junior college because it mainly offers the equivalent of associate degrees. Students in the 4 year program spend their fourth year studying for an exam that places them into another university. Students in the Sino-Canadian program are the only ones I'm aware of that receive a bachelor's degree (and it is from Mohawk College in Canada).

Class 1, Grade 3 (Five year English major)

Siyuan is structured very differently from universities in america. Students have a very rigid schedule: they begin class at 8 AM, have a lunch/siesta break from 12-2:30, and resume class until 6:30, and then have mandatory study hall until 8 PM. Also, students remain in the same classroom all day every day, with the same students. I dont know how this affects degree specialization, but with 30,000 students I guess they can make it work.

Health examination most important!

This morning I found out that my first class was canceled because I needed a health examination to remain in China. At 8:30 am two of my foreign companions and I were taxied to the Shaanxi International Travel Heathcare Center. After getting photographed and filling out paperwork, we were subjected to a series of health examinations. Some, like the blood test, seemed quite standard; others, like the x-ray and eye tests, seemed a little excessive; and others, like the ultrasound, were plain bizarre.

Reception desk. Paperwork, blood, and cash are taken here.

Radiology department

An explanation of the examination procedures (in chinese of course)

Eye examination. I used the eye test as a chance to practice my chinese numbers, which may have  led the nurse to suggest eyeglasses, but i'm not sure because her prognosis was in chinese

After we left the health clinic, we were taken to Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (SPD) to open an account. I was disappointed because I wanted to open an account at China Construction Bank (CBC). CBC has a partnership with Bank of America (BOA) which allows me to use my BOA card at their atm's and transfer money across banks with no foreign bank fee. However, SPD has a partnership with Siyuan University that allows students and faculty to open accounts without depositing a cent. So now I have an account at SPD bank and a bank card that will put me in the red if i mistakenly use it.

By the time we finished banking it was 12 pm and none of us had eaten all day (we were not allowed to eat before the health exam). We stopped at a fast food restaurant called Best Food. It was on par with McDonalds in terms of offerings and quality, so I wouldnt exactly call it the best food, but it got the job done. Afterwords we stopped into Dunkin' Donuts for coffee.

Most normal doughnut: Boston Creme. Least normal doughnut: "Pork Floss"

The Muslim quarter of Xi'an

Yesterday I ventured into the city for the second time. This time I went deeper into the old city to see some of the more famous sites in Xi'an. At the center of the city is the Bell Tower and Drum Tower. It costs 40 Yuan to see both towers, and for an additional fee you can ring the bells or beat the drums. I decided I would save these monuments for another trip.

The underpass beneath the bell tower. The halls are lined with vendors selling souvenirs. 

North of the Bell Tower is the famous Muslim quarter of Xi'an. The Hui people (chinese muslims) are the most visible and famous minority in Xi'an, despite there being only 30,000 in the city. The Muslim quarter is know for its narrow streets lined with vendors and delicious street food.

The entrance gate to the Muslim quarter

The streets of the Muslim quarter

While in the Muslim quarter I bought a new wallet and sampled fried quail egg and pear tea. I stopped into a restaurant for dinner where I ordered a dish that Xi'an is famous for. I'm not confident I can spell its chinese name, but it is essentially bread and lamb soup. When you order the dish, you are given two disks of tough bread which you break up into little pieces into a bowl. When you are done your server takes your bowl and fills it with broth, noodles and lamb. The broth is very flavorful and is absorbed by the bread. The dish is served with chili paste and pickled garlic on the side.

Lamb and bread soup, side of pickled garlic

My teaching schedule

Yesterday I was finally briefed on my teaching responsibilities. I met with the Dean of the International School who emphasized the importance of encouraging students to speak in class. My supervisor gave me my weekly teaching schedule and my class materials.

Class Schedule. I teach Tuesday through Saturday for a total of 22 hours/week.

All of my classes except for the one on Friday are in the Sino-Canadian program. These students take classes here at Siyuan University, but graduate with a degree from Mohawk College in Canada. It is one of the more rigorous programs offered at this university. The Sino-Canadian program has its classes on a different campus that is about a ten minute walk from my dorm. The other class is on the main campus.

The main building on the International campus, home of the Sino-Canadian program. The other campuses have distinctly chinese architecture.

 I will have a text book to work with for my Tuesday and Wednesday morning classes and my Thursday afternoon classes. These students are Sophomores and Freshmen with basic english skills. My Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning classes have not textbook and are with upperclassmen who are more advanced. My Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon classes are one-on-one tutoring sessions with two freshmen students who I met with yesterday.

My first trip into the city

Yesterday I ventured into the city of Xi'an for the first time. According to wikipedia, Xi'an had a population of 8 million in 2005, so it is probably nearing 9 million today. When i got off the bus at the second ring road in south city, I was struck by how modern and busy Xi'an seemed.

Looking north across the second ring road. The short building on the left is Xi'an's massive public library.

Looking west along the second ring road.

I opted to see the old city first. The old city is the center of Xi'an; it took me about 45 minutes on foot to reach the south gate of the old city from the second ring road. The old city is surrounded by huge stone walls and a moat that date back thousands of years to when Xi'an was the imperial capital of China.

The moat and city walls that surround the old city

The bridge into the old city

This is a gate to a neighborhood just inside the city walls

Straddling either side of the wall is very expensive real estate. The blocks leading up to  and  in to the old city were lined with very high end retail like gucci, prada, and others. There were many high end hotels crawling with BMW's and private security guards.

I didn't have enough time to really explore the old city, so I headed back to the second ring road where I was meeting a friend. On the way back I noticed the many Xi'an metro stations on the street. Xi'an's metro is still under construction so I could not use it to get back, but the line on this street should be finished while i'm here. Xi'an is the first city in western China to have a metro system.

Metro station under construction

While I waited for my friend I explored the 'upstairs downstairs' market. It is a cross between a bazaar and a strip mall with over 200 shops selling everything from clothing to guitars to school supplies. I got many stares at this market, because I was the only white person in a sea of thousands of chinese shoppers. I bought a pair of sunglasses so I could more discreetly stare back at them.

Upstairs downstairs market

I met my friend outside of McDonald's. I encountered more foreigner's here than in the rest of my five hour journey into the city.

Pizza Hut - a fine dining restaurant in China