The track meet wrapped up on Saturday and a few of us participated in some different events. I started off with the abdominal crunch competition against the other lady teachers and ended up getting third. Perhaps this is due to P90X and Coach Tony's insistence of AbRipperX three times a week. Then I ran the 800 and got third in that as well. It was quite a challenge and frustrating that the race was a lot more painful and a lot slower than it had been for me in high school and college track. There's nothing like a half mile sprint with college students watching to remind me that I am slowly creeping up to being thirty years old.


Ken ran the 800 as well and got first place while proudly sporting an American flag bandanna. Ken and Peter also participated in the push-up competition and both placed in the top five. This competition was especially hilarious as Chinese professors stripped down to their tank tops formed a small, cramped circle around the push-upping pairs on the floor. Muscles were flexed and there were several rather impressive displays of manliness along with much arguing and debates over correct form and what was considered a valid push-up or not.


The foreign language department scored fourth overall in the track meet which everyone was excited about. I am sure they are happy to have the foreigners' points count for their department and the word is that we will receive cash compensation for our participation and our places and finishes in each event.

This past week I did a lesson on how to argue, disagree, agree and express your opinion in English. We debated some issues in pairs and groups and then did a final opinion poll/survey called "Convince Me" in which students wrote down an opinion/belief that they held and asked their classmates how they felt about it. I had done a similar activity in classes with college students in the U.S. and the results were very hilarious and creative and ranged from the politically absurd to mildly offensive generalizations and stereotypes about a variety of topics. I was hoping that this would be an equally entertaining activity with the Chinese students but it was a little more of a challenge to get them to think of something creative and different to share and many just copied a version of their neighbor's idea.

After each student wrote down an opinion, they had to have a brief conversation with every other student in the class which included them reading the opinion, asking whether he/she agreed or disagreed and then requiring a reason why. Some of the opinions were kind of lame and boring like the following: (Results are shown as Agree / Disagree)

"Sleeping is more comfortable than studying" (27/1)
"Sunny is better than rainy" (22/4)
"Meat is better than vegetables" (8/10)
"Playing computer games is better than studying" (7/14)

But other opinions were actually kind of funny and interesting. It gave me a glimpse into what kinds of things are important and thought about by my students.

"There's no need for women to have a husband" (13/15)
"China is better than Japan" (27/1)
"Thinner is more beautiful and attractive than those fat persons" (22/4)
"Aliens exist in the world" (13/14)
"France is more romantic than any other country in the world" (19/7)
"China is stronger than Japan" (23/4)
"Chinese is the most beautiful language" (21/7)
"Getting more experience is more important than getting more knowledge" (23/0)
"Shirley is the most beautiful girl in our class" (15/7)
"Students should need less classes but more activities, right?" (20/0)
"Parents are more important than lovers" (20/3)
"Do some sports when you are free is very important" (22/3)
"Money is more important than love in modern society" (9/16)
"Chocolate is more delicious than cake" (8/19)
"Health is more important than fashion" (21/1)
"Milk is the most tasty drink" (14/15)
"It's more comfortable to live a independent live than live together with family" (14/3)
"Basketball is more exciting than football [soccer]" (19/5)
"English song is better than Chinese song" (9/12)
"Chinese food is more delicious than Western food" (21/0)
"Food in our cafeteria is the worst" (17/7)
"Snoopy is better than [Hello] Kitty" (18/10)
"Appearance is more useful than ability" (2/21)
"Parents are more important than husbands" (20/4)
"Bush is more handsome than Obama" (4/20)
"Western buildings are more beautiful than ancient Chinese buildings" (2/18)
"Edward [from Twilight] is more handsome than Harry [Potter]" (10/9)
"American English sounds better than British English" (15/3)
"Long hair is better than short hair for girl" (18/4)
"Chinese family is better than American family" (19/2)
"I think being single is better than having a boyfriend or girlfriend" (11/12)
"Looking after baby is the worst thing in the world" (11/12)
"Women is more outstanding than men" (16/3)

At about 5:15 pm Sean and I received an email from the Foreign Language Department that said all classes were canceled the following day, Friday, due to the "Sports Meeting." This is how things seem to work in China - news, changes, requests and cancellations are all relayed at the last minute. Not that it was bad news, however, and we were happy to be able to spend the day outdoors on the track joining in on the competitions and the usual elaborate and excessive ceremonies and celebrations that China is famous for.

A "Sports Meeting" is what the Chinese use to refer to the event more commonly known in America as a "Track Meet." Whenever I would ask a student if they were planning on competing in the track meet my answer would almost always be something like, "Huh? You mean the sports meeting?" But a sports meeting is no ordinary track meet in China. It contains most of the usual track and field events but includes a few more hilarious and unexpected additions such as (but not limited to) sit-ups, push-ups, rope skip, basketball shoot-out, soccer goal kick, ping-pong, shuttlecock toss, four-legged race, sack race, 20x50 relay, hacky sack, volleyball forearm passing and darts. Needless to say, the event made for an especially entertaining two days at Jiangsu School Teachers University of Technology.

I was awakened at around 6:30am on Friday morning by the loud, patriotic music coming from the track. I put on some dark, formal attire and Sean and I headed over to join the teachers in the parade of the opening ceremony. The Chinese take their ceremonies very seriously and this particular one was no different. There were flags, students marching in various uniforms, female students waving flowers, a dragon dance, balloons, student performances of some of their athletic routines while in their matching track suits, and of course, many speeches in Chinese by the higher-ups of the institution.
It was beautiful weather and all of the students seemed to be in a great mood. Many students participated in the events, others volunteered to help run things and still others came to cheer their classmates and teachers on. All of the teachers were allowed to participate in two events. Sean signed up for the high jump and long jump on Friday and I registered for the abdominal crunches and the 800m run on Saturday. Ken and Peter also signed up to participate in the 800m run and the push-up competition.

It was a great day for Sean and he ended up not only winning the high-jump competition but setting a new university record as well at 1.78m or 5'10". This caused quite a stir on campus and a crowd gathered, girls jumped and cheered and cameras flashed while watching the American jump. Sean didn't fare quite so well in the long jump as there was some confusion over where you actually had to jump from. Competing when you not only don't know what exactly is going on and can't speak the language always makes for a bonus challenge. The boys ended the day with a 4x100 relay (Steve, Peter, Ken and Sean) and managed to get fourth place against the other teachers and departments.

One of the most common questions that people include in their emails is, "Why do people in China always do the peace sign in pictures?" I had never really thought much about it until my friend, Emily, suggested I do a blog post about it. Since it was Thursday and I was heading to English Corner anyways, I decided to ask every student I talked with why Chinese people love making this gesture while being photographed. The answers weren't as exciting as I had hoped and for now I have not discovered a secret or deeper meaning to why they do it, but it was a funny and interesting topic of discussion anyways.


The V-shaped signal is not only ubiquitous in China but in other countries of Asia as well. Some people interpret it as the V for "Victory" and others conclude it is the universal sign for peace. Perhaps it is just a misunderstood and then borrowed western tradition of the "bunny ears." The interesting thing about asking different Chinese people why they do it is the fact that there is not one answer. In fact, most of them stop and think about it and many of them think it is a silly question. A lot of the responses I received were that it "was just like smiling" and "why wouldn't you smile for a picture and include a peace sign." This made for frustrating research.

First, I asked my supervisor, Teddy, who was at my apartment attempting to (once again) fix the wireless internet. Teddy informed me that it was a "popular pose" for the Chinese and that many people also use it here when saying "hello," "goodbye" and when they "agree" with someone. He also said that many Chinese also do the peace sign with both hands when they are really excited. He seemed to think that people do it here to show their "feelings of happiness.'' According to Teddy, this trend started in China around 1990 and that it is mainly the younger generation who participate (though older people can be seen flashing the V occasionally as well). He thinks that it is more common for girls to make the gesture than boys. Teddy's theory is that the trend started in Japan, moved to South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore before it made it to China.


When I asked my students I received a variety of answers accompanied by the usual flutter of nervous laughter and giggles. Some said they did it to look "cute" or "pretty" and others said that they like to make the sign when taking pictures just "for fun." Others said that they did it so that they wouldn't feel "awkward" or "uncomfortable" when they were in the spotlight. Many compared it to Americans saying "cheese" when we take pictures. When I asked whether it meant "peace" or "victory" most said that it did not hold any special meaning at all and that it was just to display "happiness" or that it was simply "just a common gesture." Some of my favorite answers were that the pose was for "mostly just girls and sissy guys," that it was to display "how lovely you are," or that it was to show your "ambition."


Well, it's not a very scientific or profound answer, but it made for a fun experiment. Let me know if you have any other questions or curiosities involving "why do they do that?" If you want to read more on the subject check out the blog post at "Stuff Asian People Like" with the similar style as "Stuff White People Like."

I didn't think my students thought much about my question at English Corner but I think some of them did. Today, while taking a picture with Edison and Percy at the track meet, our pose felt a bit strange as they awkwardly put their arms around me and at their sides. When we were finished saying "cheese" Edison said to me, "Did you notice? We didn't make the peace sign in this picture like we usually do." And to be honest, it made me a little sad.

The weather feels like Michigan in the fall. The temperature has dropped, the wind has turned brisk and the sun feels especially good on a body. I pulled out my scarf and vest for today - we haven't reached long underwear weather yet, but we're heading there soon. This kind of weather makes me think of home and typical Michigan Sundays in the fall.

If I were home today, I probably would have gone to church with Mom and Dad. Then we might have gone apple-picking at Cranes, or for a hike at the Saugatuck Dunes State Park. We might have even gone to one of the last outdoor antique fairs in Allegan and Mom surely would have stopped for a cup of hot flavored coffee on the way. Later in the afternoon, when there are still rich patches of sun that float through to our living room carpet, my Dad would have taken a nap with the dog on the floor, or maybe on the deck when there is plenty of sun, a view of the woods and no wind. Dinner would be something I am craving like Dad's Famous Chili and some of Mom's pumpkin or zucchini bread with apple crisp for dessert. One would be hard-pressed to find a more enjoyable place to spend the season of fall than on the shores of the lake in western Michigan.

But I am not in Michigan and Sean and I had been invited to spend the afternoon with a senior student and his family. On the way out the door as I grabbed my scarf and vest, I also filled a paper cup with instant coffee for the long walk to the school gate where he was picking us up.


The afternoon was fun and it was cool to see a typical student's house who lives a little outside of the city of Changzhou. We had lunch which was one of the best homemade meals I have had here. It consisted of gingered duck, beef and peppers, pork and wax gourd, rice, peanuts, spinach and eggs and chicken claws, of course. Then we were ushered in to the nicest room of the house and served tea. They turned the television to the NBA and told us to relax. We spent the next hour or so resting on the couch, watching TV and chatting with the family.

Then we went fishing in a river next to the house. While the boys fished, grandma took me around and showed me the different crops that they were tending around the fields in the back of the house. She prattled on continuously in rapid-fire Chinese as if I understood her even though I told her endlessly that I didn't speak much Chinese.

Finally I just gave up and started nodding. Although we didn't catch any fish, we went home with a bag of fresh spinach and another of cilantro. Although it wasn't the same as spending a fall Sunday at home, I liked seeing how one of the students spends a weekend in the fall with his family.

On Sunday night Sean, Zhao Min, Qin Chen, Qin Chen's cousin and I went to the Dinosaur Park. The Dinosaur Park is one of Changzhou's most popular attractions and is basically an amusement park with the theme of dinosaurs. In addition to the rides there were random dinosaurs towering above the trees around the park.


There are also many displays and information on bones and archaeology as well. During Halloween weekend the park adds decorations, a haunted house, parades and a concert with a Halloween show complete with Korean pop singers.


Upon entry, everyone was given a mask to wear and we were impressed by the amount of people in costume. We had a lot of fun with the masks/hats/costume as shown below.

Qin Chen and Zhao Min were adorable in their bat ears.


There were a lot of people in the park, however, and the lines were long for all of the rides. For this reason we waited until the concert started and after the first five minutes we bailed to ride the coasters line-free.
It was fun trying the "junk food" that the theme park had to offer. Instead of elephant ears, fries and pizza there were kebabs, popcorn chicken, noodle bowls and chicken wings on a stick. The night was pretty chilly and we all opted to buy the rain poncho for the log ride. We all pretty much got soaked anyways.

Surprisingly, Sean and I saw a lot more Halloween spirit in Changzhou than we were anticipating though we created a bit of our own as well. First, we carved pumpkins which were a bit different from American pumpkins. They are smaller and have thicker walls. We brought our pumpkins to class and to English corner which caused a flood of picture-taking.


Because it was Halloween, Sean got a haircut and shaved off his beard. It cost a total of $1.50.


Then we decided to go to Pizza Hut for dinner where the host was decked out in an orange cape and all of the watiers and watresses were foreced to wear red devil horns.


After consuming a declious bacon and cheese stuffed crust pizza and waffle fries, we headed to the only western bar in the city where we were greeted with an impressive Hallowen party complete with decorations, horror movies and a crowd of Europeans in costumes.

This is the bartender and owner of the bar who was obviously in the spirit of things.

Here are some friends we met who teach English at a different university - check out his spooky eyes.

I also ran into Edward Cullen who came to promote his movie, New Moon.

Sean also had a run-in with the vampire.

All in all it was a good Halloween and it's not over yet. Tonight (Sunday) we are heading to the "Dinosaur Park" (a giant amusement/theme park in Changzhou) to continue the festivities.