Monday, January 09, 2006
MMM DOG, CHINESE YOUTH & A NEW PLAN
As tasty as dog is, I've observed that many Chinese people keep dogs as pets too. Now, you might be wondering how one can distinguish between an eating dog and a pet dog. Here, it's easy. Pet dogs wear sweaters. These sweaters, put on by the owners scream "don't eat me" to any hungry passersby. As much as I hate dogs wearing sweaters, this seems to be a good way to demarcate what is acceptible food and what is not. However, none of the pandas wear sweaters and I'm still not allowed to eat them.
The 2 classes I'm currenty teaching are the 11 and 12 year-old classes. 6 year-olds are hard to manage, but these kids aren't. The best part is they are under 14. In China you are a child until age 14, at which point you become an adult. There are no teenage years, no rebelliousness, just a swift transition from youth to adult. This is great for me because while a 14 year-old adult is expected to be reserved and serious, the 12 year-old children are not. I can still sing and dance and play with them in class, making it easier to teach and more entertaining for both me and them.
I have a new plan for my next months here. While I was going to take a month in the middle and travel, I think it will be more effective learning Chinese for a solid 3 months, then travelling. May will be Southeast Asia including Burma, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. I will begin my intensive studies again at the start of February, after Chinese New Years (CNY.) The plan for the next 3 weeks consists of going to Thailand for 10ish days (real cheap to get there and I already have $50 in Thai Baht - enough to last me a week,) then returning to China and going to Shanghai for New Years (Jan 28th.) If the biggest CNY party is in China, the biggest CNY party in China is in Shanghai. I don't kow what to expect except that there are 16 million people there and it should be crazy.
As tasty as dog is, I've observed that many Chinese people keep dogs as pets too. Now, you might be wondering how one can distinguish between an eating dog and a pet dog. Here, it's easy. Pet dogs wear sweaters. These sweaters, put on by the owners scream "don't eat me" to any hungry passersby. As much as I hate dogs wearing sweaters, this seems to be a good way to demarcate what is acceptible food and what is not. However, none of the pandas wear sweaters and I'm still not allowed to eat them.
The 2 classes I'm currenty teaching are the 11 and 12 year-old classes. 6 year-olds are hard to manage, but these kids aren't. The best part is they are under 14. In China you are a child until age 14, at which point you become an adult. There are no teenage years, no rebelliousness, just a swift transition from youth to adult. This is great for me because while a 14 year-old adult is expected to be reserved and serious, the 12 year-old children are not. I can still sing and dance and play with them in class, making it easier to teach and more entertaining for both me and them.
I have a new plan for my next months here. While I was going to take a month in the middle and travel, I think it will be more effective learning Chinese for a solid 3 months, then travelling. May will be Southeast Asia including Burma, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. I will begin my intensive studies again at the start of February, after Chinese New Years (CNY.) The plan for the next 3 weeks consists of going to Thailand for 10ish days (real cheap to get there and I already have $50 in Thai Baht - enough to last me a week,) then returning to China and going to Shanghai for New Years (Jan 28th.) If the biggest CNY party is in China, the biggest CNY party in China is in Shanghai. I don't kow what to expect except that there are 16 million people there and it should be crazy.
