Jerod In China

The stock market in China reached over 5000 and people are going crazy.  Everyone is watching the stock market like their lives depended on it or some type of new age horse race.  There are entire rooms filled with tickers form the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Marekts.  It is the new national pastime.

Another pastime I've noticed is the taking and dividing up of things that used to be collective.  If you asked someone years a go what the space in front of their apartment was for they would say for trees.  Well the new China has seen fit to pave alot of the areas between buildings for parking spaces.

Among the new additions to the neighborhood are orange parking devices.  The devices raise and lower to allow cars to pass over and park.  The owner has to have a key to the orange device to lock and unlock.  They are everywhere around China.  Now I have them here at my apartment. 

I don't know how they determined who gets one and who doesn't.  There must be a fee to park your car.  If not, let me say whole heartedly, "Let the games begin". 

Another day goes by and I'm reminded of all the things that I should do on a regular basis.  I try very hard to watch where I spend my money and hope someday to have a routine of exercise.  It is good for the health.

My schedule teaching is regular.  Every night I am not home because  I'm at some branch teaching.  This week it is every morning.  The irregularity comes when they need me to fill in for someone who cannot take a class at a particular time.  It is too much sometimes.

The internet has been causing me problems as has my schedule.  They don't seem to make the right kinds of decisions about scheduling and I feel that I have to spend time filling in for teachers who just don't want to work.  Maybe they make bad decisions on who to hire.

The expression "leave me the F%#K alone" doesn't register in many people's minds because we've perfected the art of being nice and kind.  I'm afraid that I won't get the same respect if I decline these petty jobs.  They become less favors and more the routine.

Some of the foreign teachers are mean and take it too far and abuse some of the help.  Some of the help mistreat some of the foreign teachers.  I know people like this.  They are called A$$h@!e$ in the states.  We've got two kinds here, import and domestic.

As far as the life in China, there are a few measure where stop gaps have been installed.  I no longer accept the canned answers such as "my English is very poor", "I hate that food because it is too sweet", "I want to study abroad", etc.  The list of Chinese canned expressions can be questioned for the regularity of use and commonality in expression.  It is always the same words.  It defies the law of averages.  They must have all read the same book.

There is little space to escape from the life in China.  Books are a good measure.  Just for that good measure I've purchased several books and will do it some more when the check clears.  Work can be pretty crappy sometimes.  I need the release.