June 12, 2007
Dalian (CHINA)
A Job Opportunity and a Steamy Dinner With An Angel
As has become our habit, I headed out with my roommate, Ryan from Clarkson University, at 7:30am to grab breakfast on the way to work. We cross campus to reach the noodle shop district, but the baozi (dough stuffed with meat and juices) and egg pastries make the journey worthwhile each morning. One of the everlasting highlights of China is having a USD 12 cent breakfast on a daily basis.
It was another non-stressful day at the office, which was great because it gave me time to catch up with old friends and plan out my week. The REU students who are working in Qingdao (another Chinese city near Dalian) will be coming to visit this weekend. I decided to plan out their logistics to make sure nothing went wrong. Apparently, their trip hasn't been half as good as ours. So, I emailed them a step-by-step guide detailing how to travel by boat and bus to Dalian, book accommodations, and I created a "highlights of Dalian" itinerary. It was good stuff, if I may say so, and I hope it guarantees they will look after me when I visit them (likely the following weekend).
I spoke with Scarlett at lunch, and she told me about an opportunity to teach English for good pay. Ever eager to try new things (and save money for my upcoming year in Tokyo), we agreed to meet after work in downtown Dalian.
There is a bus station 50 meters from my apartment, which is fortunate because the university is roughly 40 minutes from the center of Dalian. I caught bus 23 and rode it to the last stop, getting off at Da Wai (a pleasant park in Dalian's ritzy downtown area). Scarlett and Michael, the 26 year old for whom I will be working, met me shortly after and we walked to the office to discuss the details.
The situation is perfect: I negotiated for 80rmb/hr (USD$10/hr), and will teach from 10:00-12:00 on Saturdays and Sundays. All teaching will be be done orally, and there is a lesson plan provided for me throughout everything. The students have all graduated from high school and want to improve their English before entering university (many students do one year in a Chinese university before trying to transfer to places like Hong Kong, Australia, the United Kingdom, or Singapore). Thus, they need to do a tremendous amount of preparation to pass exams like TOEFL.
Afterward, I headed out for dinner with Michael, Scarlett, and another girl to a famous hot pot restaurant. For any who may not know, hot pot (or "steam boat" as it is called in Singapore) entails cooking your own meats and vegetables in a large boiling pot of herbal water. It is an informal affair that is great for flowing conversations because everyone gets sweaty from the steam and reaching across the table to cook the food.
We
must have gone through 10 plates of food when Michael
had the waitresses bring out clams and wasabi. He mixed
soy sauce with the wasabi, began cooking the clams, and
explained the rules of the upcoming game. We were to do
rock-paper-scissors in the middle of the table, and the
loser had to dunk a clam in the wasabi, smear it around,
and endure the misery of eating it. For anyone who has
ever had a small amount of wasabi with their sushi you
can imagine the horrifying nasal effects of a wasabi-covered
clam! The picture to the left shows just how tough this
game was, but unsurprisingly none of us wanted to quit
playing!
I noticed Michael had several tattoos, which is a rarity for non-gang affiliated Chinese, so I asked him about it. He explained to me that each of them had a special significance. For example, he lived in Los Angeles for several years - hating it the entire time for the harshness of life there - while looking after his cancer-stricken mother. When she finally passed away he had the date emblazed on his upper arm as a form of remembrance.
After dinner we all agreed to meet again this Friday for a night on the town. Scarlett is an amazing dancer and singer, so perhaps I will finally learn the dance moves to match my unfounded confidence on the dance floor!