Archive for April, 2009
Back in Wuhan
April 24th, 2009 | 
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So I made it back from Shanghai this morning by train, and here’s a fast update on what’s going on.
I was commissioned to write an article bout family related travel and another about traveling in Shanghai (not to mention having to write/podcast something for my own site). I’m working on those now, but after having returned from Shanghai, I strongly believe that China isn’t meant for a family with young children. I’m having a hard time writing the family related travel article because I don’t think I would ever bring my family to China. I do, however, feel that if my parents came to visit me in China that think they’d love it.
Lily lost her job at Rise and I’m going to find out why it happened by talking to my boss when I go into work this weekend. Her trainer is a mean person, so getting her trainer’s boss to rehire Lily would be poetic justice for me, as I personally have never liked this person (who’ll rename nameless, as some of my co-workers read my site).
After having traveled a few times since moving to China, Shanghai was my first time traveling alone. I feel much more confident in my own ability to make decisions, and think that solo travel is much better than group travel because you can do what you please. Along the way, I met many amazing people that made me experience unforgettable. In the end, I’m glad I didn’t take the job in Shanghai with English First because I feel it’s not a place I could ever feel comfortable calling home. In fact, being away from Wuhan (and my girlfriend) made me appreciate it.
As an aside, I managed to not get hurt on this trip! 
Ok, I’m quite busy preparing my articles for these other websites. My Shanghai pictures are up. I want to say thank you to my friend Simon for letting me use the amazing pictures he took using his Canon Digital SLR. The first 40 or so pictures are mine and the rest are his.
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Trip: Shanghai
I’ve added the votes from my co-workers and friends to the ones on my website, making Shanghai the winner. I’ve just come back from buying the train tickets: Wuhan to Shanghai 239rmb ($35), Hangzhou to Wuhan 274rmb ($40). They told me I had to buy the Shanghai to Hangzhou train ticket when I arrived in Shanghai.
Now you may be asking yourself, “why is he going to Hangzhou?” The answer is that I am going to teach in Hangzhou for a 7 day spring camp, so I am going 5 days early to see Shanghai (because you voted for it) and Hangzhou before the camp begins. I will leave the night camp ends in order to be back in Wuhan for work at 9:30am! I know it sounds crazy, but I love my job so I don’t want to miss 2 weekends in a row!
I will try to continue posting while I’m gone, but there might be a few days where the website is silent.
I am going alone and bringing only a duffel bag with clothing, my camera, and a notebook. I hope you are as excited about reading the posts as I am about experiencing something new!
Is there anything specifically in Shanghai or Hangzhou you think I should do? Let me know by commenting below!
Spring is Here!
As you can tell, I’ve been working hard to update my website and provide better content. I felt that my site looked like a blog and was unprofessional. As a result, I’ve moved all my personal posts about what’s going on to the “Daily Life” category. These will still show up on the main page with my travel posts, but then people can read about a certain category because I’ve created a drop down list with my categories in it.
I’ve applied to work at 7 different universities in Wuhan and am awaiting a reply. I’m still working at RISE, even though there’s been a few times where I’ve wanted to quit on the spot. I learned that using food as a reward for good behavior and participation is a good way to keep both my stress level down and the kids happy. I’ve been there almost 6 months now!
Things are going well with Lily. We’ve been together a month, which to be honest is pretty long for one girl. I’m not saying that because I’m bragging, but because I haven’t had a real relationship in almost 5 years (for whatever reasons). We get along well in and out of work, which makes for a good relationship (seeing how each other works in different situations). If she signs a contract with RISE, they will send her to Beijing for 20 days, and I might go there to visit her.
Things are going well with my poll: so far online there have been 15 votes, and my friends and co-workers have given me another 15. In addition to that, I’m going to teach at a spring camp in Hangzhou for a week at the end of April, and I’ll go 5 days early to see Shanghai, so that’s most likely the winner of the poll!
I’m currently editing my prior posts about individual trips to be submitted to companies in hopes of getting a freelancing contract. That’s another reason why my site is more professionally designed; when companies are online they will most likely google the applicant’s name. Then they’ll find my website, and if what I submitted doesn’t match the style of my website, they might think it’s not the same person, and then I lose the job. I bet they’re going to read this article too. Hello [insert company name here]!
I know in the past I’ve said I hated Wuhan and wanted to leave, but now that I’m saying, “yes” to things, life is more interesting. Sorry if that sounds like a shameless plug, but it’s the truth. Looking forward to things I’ve never done before makes me excited.
The sun has been out most days，putting me in a great mood! The average temperature has been 72F (22C) with a great breeze! I’m trying to enjoy it while it lasts, as summer is right around the corner and last summer we averaged 95F (35C)!
I got a massage last night for the first time in almost a month, and they had a new option available: goldfish bath! They brought in a nice looking foot bath complete with cute little goldfish that sucked the dead skin off my feet for 20 minutes. It tickled like hell but was totally worth it!
Look for more changes to come and keep the comments up! I love hearing what you have to say.
Home Cooked Meal
In my last post I mentioned the movie, “Yes Man”, and my desire to say “yes” more often. One of the things I mentioned saying “yes” to was having dinner with my girlfriend’s family, and thus meeting her mom. She approached me last week and said that she and her family have been trying to get her cousin to learn English, but to no avail. They thought having him meet some foreigners would get him interested in learning, so her uncle invited my roommate and I to his house for dinner. Below is a picture of our meal:
From bottom right to the left: spicy chicken, a Chinese vegetable called ‘bo cai,’ fish and tofu stew, glutinous meat rice balls, beef and a mix of vegetables, and pig’s feet.
It turns out her uncle is a self-motivated businessman and mostly does day trading (or something of the sort regarding investment). He has this suave, cool, and nonchalant yet humble attitude that makes him very likable. He cooked the meal himself and was very gracious for us to visit him in his home. I, in turn, was very gracious for a great meal and his hospitality. Had I said no to meeting her family, I think my girlfriend’s mom would have a bad idea about who I am as a person, and that’s the last thing I want because I really care about my girlfriend. In addition to that, I would have also missed out on the chance of going on a picnic and going fishing with her uncle (again, things I said yes to)
** Special thanks to Lily’s uncle for taking these amazing pictures on his professional Canon!