Part J - Teaching in China - from Jerilderie to Jiangsu

I don't live in Jerilderie, but it's a lovely sounding word, and along with Jindabine and Jan Juc, when I hear it, I know I'm home! 

Did you know Australia has its own Great Wall of China? It's a natural rock feature in the Flinders Ranges in South Australia, and whilst not on the scale of the man-made Chinese one, it's pretty impressive. 

The photos here are of similar rock formations in a nearby area.

It's dry country, harsh and unforgiving. Plants and trees thrive in their own way, but they're not lush - they've adapted to the climate extremes - the interior of Australia isn't always hot, and nights can be below freezing. Spindly leaves cling to often bare branches. Grasses tend to be dry, unfriendly, spiky, and tussocks, well separated from each other so they don't compete for elusive moisture, struggle from sandy soil which is strewn with vicious prickles.

In stark contrast, the people in Jiangsu province live in a rich fertile area. The massive plane is generously graced with hundreds of flowing rivers, and there are also many natural and manmade lakes and reservoirs. The canals we passed had barges and boats chugging purposefully along and seemed to be transporting goods downstream. There were ducks, geese, and kilometer after kilometer of mixed crop production, huge areas undercover, many more open to the elements. We drove for around 5 hours and even when we left the freeway to turn off to Xuzhou the abundant patchwork crops were still growing prolifically.

The 102,600square km province supports a population of around 80 million people, roughly 4 times that of Australia. This is rich land, and while agriculture is of less importance now than in the past, it still produces a wide variety of crops including rice, wheat, cotton, oil seed, fruit, and lush vegetables. Efforts are being made to produce more organic foods and I often saw watermelon in stalls so fresh that the leaves on the stems hadn't wilted. 

There was a constant heat haze when we were there, which seemed to stretch for hundreds of kilometres, making distant mountains indistinct and gauzy. And everywhere, there's construction - I've never seen so many cranes!

How is it possible to explain to people whose whole life experience is of rich land, reliable rainfall and abundant crops, that the bulk of Australia's vast interior has nothing remotely resembling what they live with. It's their norm, what they've grown up with. Until you've driven day after day through the nothingness that is Australia's interior, it's hard to comprehend.

A dry riverbed would be un-understandable to many people. This feature is called a river on the signs and maps ... surely rivers have water in them ... don't they?

I'd asked my students what kinds of things they wanted to learn about Australia, and geography and history were high on the list. Thank goodness I had lots of photos and a good general knowledge to be able to discuss the things they were interested in, including the Great Artesian Basin, rainfall, floods, drought, population hubs and animals, as well as the British acquisition of the country and the decimation of aboriginal people with white settlement. They kept asking questions and were genuinely interested. 

Why on earth hadn’t I thought of taking a map of Australia, a world map, and a globe? A piece of chalk and uncertain drawing of the country and landmarks had to suffice! 

My previous posts about Teaching in China were our Arrival, Banquets, Culture and Comfort Foods, Driving, Exercise, Fabulous Food (revisited!), Games, History and Illness. The next one will be about Kenny!

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Part I - Teaching in China - Illnesses

Where possible, prevention is better than cure! We had constant reminders to keep up the fluids, and bottles of water were tucked into our bags and backpacks constantly. It's hot and you sweat profusely, and we weren't going to be allowed to become dehydrated! Warm water is also common at meals rather than jasmine or other Chinese teas - it makes sense and is welcome. But adequate water intake can't prevent some problems arising.

Having been quite ill some years ago when in China, I was very cautious this time and had been to my doctor before I left to get antibiotics for a respiratory infection as well as for acute diarrhoea (ie the sort that's still there complete with violent, painful stomach cramps and the inability to absorb fluids even after taking a maximum dose of off-the-shelf medication). 

It's not fun being ill overseas and being unable to explain the symptoms. Non verbal communication is all very well - up to a point. One thing I hadn't thought to do was to ask a Chinese friend to write my allergies down in Chinese - just in case. I have a severe allergic reaction to penicillin and wouldn't want to be prescribed that in any way shape or form.

So last time, there I was, pretty crook and in pain with severe abdominal cramps. I'd experienced 5 days of not eating and obviously needing something more than gastro-stop, and decided medical assistance was necessary. The hotel has a doctor on call! Taa daa, all will be well! 

But no, no one spoke English. Drat.

After a while we managed to communicate my need to the concierge, a taxi was called and instructed to take me to hospital. I was whisked in to see a doctor, clearly Western trained, but with no English. The taxi driver accompanied us in as interpreter (well, he was able to say hello adequately!), a couple of nurses appeared, along with another doctor or two. This is chummy! But wait! We're on the ground floor, and the window is open! Clearly an invitation for passers by to lean in and check out what was going on - (but thankfully not to offer an opinion!) Sometimes you just need to go with the flow, smile, be gracious and make the best of an awkward situation. 

Better prepared this time, complete with
names of good local medications!

Now this is where thinking ahead would have been smart. I mentioned my body doesn't take well to penicillin. How would I know if the fluids prescribed contained it or related compounds? Fluids you ask? Yes. In China it's standard for many medications to be administered by IV drip. It's quick, efficient and there's little room for misunderstandings about dosage. Patients are prescribed medication and sit together in rooms with drips held up with sticks of bamboo and needles in their hands. It works, and takes a couple of hours. But it's not something I was prepared to do. I was confident the doctor was good, it's not that, but I wasn't confident that a mistake couldn't happen with the medication, especially with the uncertainty of translation. 

So back to the drawing board and a local pharmacy where the dispenser had reasonable English - I described my symptoms and was given traditional medicine which worked wonders. 

......

I mentioned in a previous post that one of our colleagues became ill. I got a concerned phone call early one morning from Candy. Could you come down as soon as possible Sue? Something's up with Lacey. 

What on earth could be the problem?

In hindsight, my reaction of "Oh shit" may not have been the most reassuring or tactful. Sorry Lacey! But the poor kid looked dreadful. Her face and lip were badly swollen and she couldn't close her mouth normally. Not good, not good at all. There was really nothing to do but encourage Candy to phone Bonnie our interpreter, and ask her to take Lacey to get medical assistance. Of course Candy would go as well - it'd be stressful enough without a familiar friend to offer masses of support.

Naturally Ian and I would divvy up both classes and sort out something for the extra 30 teacher-students per room! No problems! 

Expect the unexpected, be flexible, smile, act confident and pretend you're not stressed - that's the way to go! But it's certainly not how I felt inside.  

I acted super confident and reassuring, (I hope) but I was quite concerned for Lacey. I knew going to the hospital was likely to be a confronting experience, though I was sure she'd receive the best available attention. But an IV drip is something we reserve for emergencies, not standard care. Maybe I should have warned her, but it seemed she had enough on her plate without pre-empting that experience. 

As she said to me via email recently, the experience of having the drip still makes her cringe. But the medication worked, and worked well. By the time we saw her later in the day, there was a marked improvement, and by the following morning she looked good! She needed to go into the hospital for the following two days for more IV treatment, with each visit taking 1 1/2 to 2 hours - that's the downside of not having convenient pills to take!

Lacey's comments about the experience are as follows:

"As for how I was treated, everyone was very nice and quick on my diagnosis and treatment. I feel that may have been because of me not being Chinese though. I never felt uncomfortable, but seeing the nurses talking to the other patients made me so glad that I wasn't a local.

And getting an iv was intimidating!! We only get those for surgery in the US. The cart that they rolled around in the room was rusted and full of old needles and bags. That was less than comforting. Also, the bathrooms in the hospital were less sanitary than the ones at our lunch restaurant. No soap and no paper. "

No matter now well prepared we are for overseas travel, there could be something lurking in our bodies waiting for the right time to become evident. Appendicitis, dental problems, all kinds of things can't be foreseen, and sometimes you need to accept the medical support that's available at the time, no matter how confronting or how much you'd prefer not to. 

Our hosts did everything possible to reassure, encourage, and support us all during this unexpected time, they were wonderful. Medical treatment is supported by the state in China, and as such only costs a few Yuan (a dollar or so).  I sincerely hope that people visiting Australia who become ill are treated in an equally caring manner and that our good Medicare system isn't eroded by shortsighted, greedy politicians and their cronies.

My previous posts about Teaching in China were our Arrival, Banquets,  Culture and Comfort foods, Driving, Exercise, Fabulous Food and History. The next one will be - From Jerilderie to Jiangsu!

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Part F -Teaching in China - Fabulous Food

You don't know what you've got till it's gone.

Now there's an apt line from a song. I hadn't realised how much I'd miss cheese until there wasn't any around! Or cold beer, or any one of a number of items. 

Pretending that the egg is on a piece of crunchy toast.
Add purple potato, melon and a spinach dumpling & it's kind of like Eggs Benedict!
Oh, ok, it's not really, but a person can pretend can't they!

But it got me thinking some sobering thoughts: I can't imagine what it'd be like to have to flee your country of origin and leave behind everything you've ever known, all that's familiar and comforting, to make a life in a new and strange land ... especially one that's hostile to your role as an asylum seeker and vilifies you constantly. I missed some foods for a few short weeks ... that's nothing in the scheme of things.
...

The food was amazing. Our hosts were keen for us to try dumplings (above) and then Peking Duck, (below) but the day they'd planned happened to be an auspicious one for weddings, and everywhere was booked out, so we had to wait. 

Wedding - with a band and fire crackers!

The wait was worthwhile!
The resounding cry was - "The duck did not die in vain!"

Above L-R. ducks being barbecued, Lacey and Candy enjoying slivers of perfectly cooked and presented duck. Bottom - the chef cutting wafer thin slices from the bird.

Below was a lovely, light, delicate dough, shaped a bit like an oyster shell, toasted on the outside and soft inside. The intended filling was laced with chilli which made my eyes water freely as it wafted past on the lazy-susan, so this Aussie made it into a burger-like item with deliciously spiced egg and beans. When you're missing home food - improvise!

I was even given a cooking lesson in the restaurant kitchen. Lack of a common language wasn't a major issue and I've got an idea how to make another delicious dish with flat bread and greens. The skillet could be a bit of a problem though ...

You want a change? How about Korean Hot Pot! Emphasis on hot, so the foreigners (without the cast iron stomachs) were given the tasty, and more or less chilli free broth. 

A wibbly strand of tofu being unwound and
lowered into the boiling liquid. Delicious!

Our school hosts had arranged for our lunches to be eaten at a lovely local restaurant. Every lunch was a generous banquet! We found the massive daily amounts of food wastage a real challenge, and kept asking for fewer dishes to be presented for us. None of us are big eaters at home and simple lunches are the go when teaching. While we managed to eat large quantities at first, we all ate less and less as the time went on, as fronting up to classes requiring a lot of energy, with an uncomfortably fully stomach, added an extra layer of difficulty. It seemed rude, but we were there to teach, not eat!

The restaurant was in a large undercover area, complete
with fish in the moat around the eating area, and budgies
and other birds singing in cages hanging from the rafters!

Fruit signals the end of the meal.

Until the last few days, all our polite requests for "less" fell on deaf ears. But after two weeks working closely together, our genuine need for more simple foods was accepted - I hope without us appearing to be overly crass or rude, and that we haven't wrecked international relations between our countries forever!

Doggie bags are becoming more popular and common, but in the 30C+ heat, it’d be unsafe to take food home unless it was able to be refrigerated on the journey.

I'll continue with the food theme when I get to I - Illness and U - Unfortunate events ... what would a trip be without them?

My previous posts about Teaching in China were our Arrival, Banquets,  Culture and comfort foods, Driving and Exercise. The next one will be on Games!

  

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Part A. Teaching in China. Arrival: Off to teach summer school in Jiangsu Province.

I've just returned from teaching teachers during July summer vacation in China with JESIE - the Jiangsu Teachers' Training Summer Program.

The Jiangsu Teacher's Training Project started in 2003 and is sponsored by the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education and supported by the Municipal Education Bureaus of Jiangsu Province. The goal is to provide opportunities for Chinese teachers in primary and secondary education to improve both their listening and spoken English language teaching skills and strategies. So far, over 171,000 local teachers have been involved! Many of them have been taught English by Chinese teachers and may have never had the opportunity to interact verbally with a native English speaker. Some won’t have had conversations in English for 5 or more years since they graduated, and know that their pronunciation is likely to be poor. Even though they are teaching English, most of it is written, and their skills in that area are good. Understandably however, many lack confidence in speaking with us because they've had so little exposure to natural conversations. 

Teaching in China is something I'd thought of doing many years ago, but the timing was always wrong and so I hadn't researched any further. However this year everything lined up and I applied, was interviewed and accepted! 

I promptly went into a flurry of activity to prepare teaching materials, visa, insurance, prescription medications that I might need, and assorted official paperwork. I also wanted to arrive in Shanghai a few days ahead and explore the French Concession area and arrange to enjoy a short holiday afterwards in Cambodia. Even though I'm one of those people who allows generous amounts of time to complete tasks, the time demon seemed to be at work removing hours from the day! Hotel and flight bookings are stressful at the best of times, then there are bills to be put on an auto payment cycle, mail to be held and working out appropriate work-style clothing and shoes to squeeze into a small travel bag. Check and double check that flights line up, and hotels coincide with flights - it's a massive relief when it works out!

We met up with the Canadian and US teachers at a hotel near the Bund on a humid Shanghai morning. It was hectic! There seemed to be hundreds of foreign teachers, with those from the US sporting bright red caps and tee shirts. Watching the massive mounds of luggage being wedged, tetris-like in the bowels of the bus was entertaining, but try as they might, the staff couldn’t work magic, and eventually many large, heavy and awkward suitcases, backpacks, general paraphernalia and teaching materials  were balanced on the back seats of the bus for the long drive to Nanjing.

From that moment, all essential on-ground expenses were covered. Anyone who regularly cooks, knows that to have a break from planning, shopping and preparing meals is welcome! No cooking for 2 weeks! None at all! Along with accommodation, breakfast, lunch and dinner are all supplied. 


In Nanjing we were welcomed with a kit of teaching ideas and a gift of beautiful brocade; there were formal greetings, a tour and general orientation. It was here that the size of the group was evident. One hundred and twenty three teachers came from NZ, the UK, the US, Canada and Australia. There are more teachers involved from the northern hemisphere because it's their summer vacation. In Australia, it's mid winter, mid term. 

I was perplexed to be constantly asked if I was "with" the Americans or Canadians. Some teachers really struggled to comprehend that to be involved in the programme, you don't need to be from the US or Canada. Lots of other countries have native English speakers too! 

On Saturday in the heat and torrential rain (more suited for paddling than touristing) we sloshed and slipped through a small selection of interesting historic sites in Nanjing. Note that the Chinese do great cheerful umbrellas - there's no anxiety about colour or frills for either men or women. Not only does it make wet weather photos look better, but is so much more lively looking than dreary, boring corporate black.  Take note Melbournites - we need to lift our game! Bring on some brolly colour!!

I would love to have had more time to explore Nanjing at leisure ...

Then on Sunday, four teachers allocated to our school met with our host school interpreter and official representatives, said goodbye to our colleagues, and almost squeezed the luggage into the car ready for the five hour drive to our hotel in Xuzhou.

Almost? Some of the luggage wouldn’t fit so was relegated into a minivan also heading to the city of Xuzhou where we’d be located for the next two weeks. Travelling light isn’t necessarily high on the agenda for some well prepared teachers!

Life is never boring!

The next post related to teaching in China is about Banquets, followed by Culture and Comfort foods, then Driving, Exercise, Fabulous Food, History, Illness, From Jerilderie to Jiangsu, Kenny (which is about toilets!) Lists, Misunderstandings and Non-verbal communication

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