Proctor & Party Week

Monday, November 10, 2008 to Sunday, November 16, 2008:
杭州 Day 49-55

中国 Day 60-66
Asia Day 63-69


• Student midterms (Monday/Tuesday/Thursday)

This past week was a bit stressful, due to the students having midterms. My midterms were structured as individual oral exams - I would ask one of my 20-30 questions related to the unit or things we have discussed in class. There are 90 minutes and 32-42 students per class, so each student had roughly 1-2 minutes to answer my question. It was really stressful to test each individual student in a constrained time frame. My first four classes went well, in that the students would usually know how to answer the questions (although I sometimes ran out of time). I did not have to select a different question for most students. However, I was shocked that some students did not know how to answer certain questions, as they did not study the vocabulary. In my last two classes, I had to select at least three questions to ask (until the student knew how to answer it) - it was frustrating because it was apparent that these students either did not study and/or their skill levels were too low to understand anything at this level. Below are some entertaining incidents that happened during this testing period.

1) There is a shy student in one of my classes. He thinks his spoken English is not that good, but he is one of the better English speakers. I asked him about his strengths and weaknesses for the career unit. He said his weakness is that he's a "shy boy," which is hilarious because he's not a boy, he's a 22-23 year old male. Then, he told me his strength is, "I am handsome." I laughed and asked how it helps and he said it helps him make friends.
2) There was another student who called himself a shy boy. I need to stress in class that they are NOT BOYS anymore! (Not a boy...not yet a man??)
3) One of my students did not understand what I was saying, even though I gave him the easiest question. It was apparent that his skill level was quite low. When he apologized for not knowing how to answer my question, I told him to go study with friends. I tested student #2 and then told student #2 he could leave. Both of these male students were standing together, when I told student #1 to study with a friend. Student #1, who allegedly failed, said to me, "I want to study with YOU!"
4) Two students tried to spy outside of the door to see what I would ask. In one instance, one was peeking and when I opened the door, he (accidentally?) rammed himself against the desk, stupefied and embarrassed. I was laughing so much that I did not think to punish him. On another day, a male student held his book rolled up like a telescope/spyglass. He aimed it outside the door and when I opened it, he yelled, "AIYO!" and said something along the lines of "oh shit" in Chinese. It was hilarious. I did not penalize them...it was just too funny to make them feel embarrassed, to discourage students to do such things in the future.


• 11.11 = Single's Day in China

Single's Day was November 11, or 11.11. The four 1's in the date signify four single people, while the period is just a dot. On that day, a student texted me to say, "I think you are easygoing and kind-hearted! By the way, today is 'ruffians' day :-)." I guess to be single is to be a ruffian? The night of ruffian-ship, I made no new man-friends.


• Lunches (Monday/Thursday)

I ate lunch with Romain in the cafeteria on Monday. Dare I tell him it was my first time there? No - I was embarrassed because I usually do not go out to eat alone. I would rather boil something simple at home and feast, even though it is a bit of work. It was a cheap, decent lunch, I suppose.

On Thursday, I ate with Michael and we recounted our fabulous Shanghai-wonder-filled weekends. He spoke of going to his classmate's wedding. I want to attend a Chinese wedding one day!


• Potluck (Tuesday)

Jamie, Zhang Yong (Aaron), Vanessa, Romain, Jason, Zicheng, and Jessica went to Tuesday's potluck. I brought steamed buns (that were actually crunchy because I put them into the oven to heat). It was a very carb-y meal - steamed buns, bread, and baozi were served. Jamie and Zicheng made some delicious dishes, as usual. After the potluck, Jason, Zicheng, Romain, and I went clubbin', which will be recounted below under the barhopping headline.


• Joy's House (Friday/Saturday)

Michael is awesome. On Tuesday, I emailed him with my problem - for my Master's program, I had to stay at a Chinese family's home for at least one night. I did not personally know anyone with a family well enough to ask them if I could stay over one night. It was an awkward thing to ask an acquaintance whether I could stay over to see what a Chinese household is like. I felt like I would burden my host and disrupt their daily activities. On Thursday afternoon, I found out Michael came through *cheers* and he presented me with two options. I was extremely thankful, of course. Michael does so much for me and the other foreign teachers. Additionally, I was so thankful that both of Michael's colleagues extended a warm welcome.

On Friday evening, Patricia and I headed to Joy's apartment in Xiasha. Joy works in the foreign affairs department - she is one of Michael's co-workers. She actually did Michael's job about a year ago. She lives in a comfortable apartment with her husband, baby boy, and mother-in-law. After she fetched us from downstairs, she presented us with some grapes to munch on, while she finished her last two dishes. I had brought a drink and some small gifts, including a stuffed toy, a CD, and a USA map. Not too long later, Joy's mother-in-law and Joy's son came back from their walk. Joy's son is Nicky - he looked at us confusedly for several minutes, trying to decipher who we were and what we were doing at the house.

Then, we feasted on five types of popular Chinese dishes. We ate stir-fried eggs with tomatoes, mixed green vegetables, eggplant, potato-like veggies, and a seaweed-egg soup. It was a delicious home-cooked meal, the first one I have had since I was in Guangzhou. After dinner, we took a stroll around the neighborhood.

We saw an "English Yard" at a student-run teashop and found it was a gathering place for English-learning students during the weekend. We also explored a student-run night market. They sold apparel, USB drives, small furniture, and other accessories. How did these students get the money or permission to open small vendor shops and was the profit for the students or something else, I wondered aloud. Joy told me that the students got capital from their part-time jobs or family, then invested it in the inventory. She thought the students did not have a lot of money invested, as prices were low and profit margins would probably be pretty low, as well. Joy also told me that the city or district gives permission for students to open such stores and students usually keep the profit. I thought back to the idea of vendors who ripped people off and an idea excited me. This might be the basis of my thesis, I thought.

We got back from the stroll and rested for a bit. I finally caught a Friday-night show I have been meaning to watch for weeks, but I was severely disappointed. The channel marketed the show as an interesting mystery. Because I did not understand some of the Chinese and the format of the show was different than what I expected, I did not enjoy it very much. Joy's husband was in the kitchen chopping away and preparing tomorrow's breakfast/lunch/brunch. I worked a bit on some homework until midnight, when I decided to join Patricia in bed :P...

We got up around 10:15am, after my alarm clock had gone off once at 8:30am. We overslept, which was a bit embarrassing as a guest. After getting ready for the day, Joy presented us with some dumplings. We asked her about her family life and marriage. It was great to learn about her life and her ancestors' histories. Around 11:45am, we left the house so that we would catch the bus back to Wenyi on time.

Patricia remarked that she loves that we're always rushing somewhere. It's true. We almost missed the train the last time we were in Shanghai and this time, we were rushing back from Xiasha.


• Rugby Tournament (Saturday)

After spending time at Joy's and coming back from Xiasha, Patricia and I rested for about an hour. I productively worked at my homework. Then, we headed out to watch Patricia's friend's rugby game. It was located on the Yuquan campus of Zhejiang University. We took a taxi there and walked to the stadium.

Rugby is the most manly sport I have ever seen (with the exception of some men who wore short shorts). There is so much sweatiness and tackling that I can only wince when I imagine the player's pain. Men push each other, pile up, and cause bruises. There was even one brave girl who played with the boys. Cool, a tough cookie. Most people did not wear helmets or any sort of "guard." Some guys did wear mouthpieces, though.

After the game, Patricia and I got some quick dinner (noodles with old duck for me). It was rush hour, the time when taxis had to switch drivers, so I decided to have an adventure alone and walk it. It took about 40 minutes to walk from the Jazz Bar (Yugu Road) to my apartment. I completed some homework and then went to a bar with Patricia and Min; the story will be told below.


• Barhopping: Tales of Smoky Wonder and Alcohol Avoidance (Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday)

- Tuesday night: Coco Club (11.11)

Neon and flashy, this is a true nightclub. Decor is hip and bright. The center of the club houses the square-shaped bar. The club has a mix of Chinese northerners (and weirdos/druggies, from an unnamed source) and some foreigners. Drinks are priced moderately low.

I went to the club with Zicheng, Romain, and Jason via taxi. We sat down and the masquerade-mask-donning waiter promptly took our order. At first, there was a man and woman singing popular requested songs. I recall that they sang "Jian Dan Ai" by Jay Chou. It was the only song I really knew. The man and woman would take a break and then random dance music would play.

That's when I noticed a crazy dancing king. He was really good at popping and locking. He was a crazy dancer who only danced when Asian music played. I wanted to get his number so I would have another dancing buddy, but I was not brave enough to approach him. He made new friends with some male breakdancers. Oh, and he was kind of cute, but he smoked. Danced with Zicheng and Jason. Slow-danced-8th-grade-style with Zicheng, hahaha.

Single's Day was quite festive, as people were given masquerade masks. The DJ called everyone to the bar and we saw the bartender skillfully juggle flaming bottles. Impressive! Later, he stacked cups of alcohol into a castle and lit the shot glass at the top. Then, he poured some alcohol on the top of the castle. The liquid cascaded down the shot glasses and formed a fiery waterfall. Then, the bartender put out the fire with some other liquid (water?) and distributed the drinks to some women. At the end of the festivities, two new couples were brought to the front of the stage and given alcoholic drinks with two straws and a large soft-looking stuffed animal. Love was in the air. The couples were pressured to kiss. One guy kissed his new girl on the lips (as far as I could see) and the other guy kissed his new lady on the hand.

After the couple initiations was when the real party began. The music got more western after the Chinese festivities were over. Danced wit' mah boys. It was funny. The DJ started to play classics like "The Bad Touch" by Bloodhound Gang and some rap songs ("Low" by Flo-Rida and "Yeah" by Usher). It turned into a westerner's club - laowais started coming in and freaking each other. Lots of Chinese people were still there.

Oh, I danced on stage (though I was scared at first). Throughout the night, some of the Chinese people allowed us to join their circle, so we just showed them our moves. One gal even grabbed me while I was on stage and pulled me down into her circle, so I could bust moves for the center. Fun. China is all about dancing with strangers ^_^...

We left the club around...1am or so. One of our friends got so drunk that we helped him go upstairs. Later, Zicheng and I took a walk in the quiet of the night, then I coerced (hah, not really, he was willing to do it) him into playing hotel626.com, the horrifying Doritos game with awesome graphics. It was scary (just a tad), but we beat it (he did most of the work, though). Slept around 3am.



- Thursday night: Fire Cicada Bar, 1999 Bar

Crazy night. After Patricia's teaching duties, she joined me on another quest to body roll with drunkards and make new inebriated friends. I actually put effort into my appearance that night. Around 9:30pm, we headed to Fire Cicada Bar.

As expected, our favorite live band was playing. We swooned for hours as the men played great songs like "北京一夜," "童话," a mellow version of Bon Jovi's "It's My Life," and some other Chinese and American classics. Of course, Miss Pat took pictures with the band members again :)

Once, a drunk man spoke to me to ask me something. I don't remember what he asked, but I responded in English. He looked confused and walked away. SCORE. Another man clinked his beer bottle with my can of Coca Cola and Pat's drink. He loitered at our table for awhile. The doofus put his beer down on the table near my bag...and then somehow managed to knock over his beer -_-. Because I hadn't been drinking and wasn't planning to, my reaction time was quick. I jumped up and grabbed my bag. As a result of this incident, a few drops of alcohol splashed onto my pants. Later, this guy left our table. Thankfully -_-.

The fun really started when we got into Advanced People-Watching 101. We noticed that there was a woman who was with a man. Let's call her "woman" and him "gyro." They looked snuggly enough together, but there was something bizarre about their relationship. Next, there was a man wearing a white blazer who was quite drunk. Let's call him "white blazer." He went up on stage to sing a song played by the band, while the lead singer (<3) looked a bit perplexed, but smiled nonetheless. *Girlish giggle.* Then, there was "black t-shirt"...a man who joined the aforementioned couple, "woman" and "gyro." Once, when "woman" was sitting down, "gyro" put his hand on her shoulder, and she brushed it off. She seemed to be flirting with "black t-shirt." "Woman" also came over to ask if Patricia could speak Chinese, and I told her she could speak a little bit.

Patricia encouraged me to dance with the drunks, so I did. While the band rested, I went next to the dancing group. They urged Patricia to join us, but Patty shyly declined. I just danced in a...shape (circle? oval? square?) with "woman," "gyro," "white blazer," and "black t-shirt." Later, "woman" said, "Let's dance"...so I danced with "woman." Once, "black t-shirt" came by and pushed her into me, causing much girl-on-girl action to be had. I suppose I just "caught" her like a foul ball...'twas it. I also somewhat danced with "black t-shirt" and "white blazer."

Let me outline each dancer's unique style. The drunk "white blazer" kept showing off his signature Michael Jackson crotch grab, but his rhythm was surprisingly excellent. There was another guy who accompanied "white blazer," but he was gone at the end of the night. "Woman" danced with slight gyrations of the hips, but she was madly grinding on "black t-shirt" (but wait, wasn't "woman" with "gyro"? Yeah...). She pushed him down onto the floor a few times (like a bully), while she and "gyro" laughed. "Gyro" said that she was so fun, i.e. "很好玩." "Gyro" himself should have been born a Latino man. His hips gyrated with the force of a sultry tornado. Any woman in heat would have jumped him, I'm sure. Thus, our study of Chinese drunkard dancing on the 13th of November concludes.

I holla'd at the band a few times, saying "whoo" to acknowledge them for their great job. Of course, I taught Patricia to say, "很好听！" (Sounds great!)

Near the end of the night, I asked both "gyro" and "woman" if the other was his or her significant other, for Patricia and I were so severely confused. It seemed as though "woman" had both men in her possession. I asked "woman" if "gyro" was her boyfriend and she nodded. I asked "gyro" if "woman" was his girlfriend, and he said, "No, she's my wife." WHOAAAA. "Gyro" allows his wife to grind on bar men. I learned bits about them throughout the night, but did not get to piece it together until the end. "Gyro" was lamenting his wife's behavior (I didn't pick up the word he used), but said that he allows her to do whatever she wants and said something about it being the same in Taizhou. I believe she was in her late 20's, while he was in his mid-30's, or possibly a bit older. This "husband controlled by his wife" and "husband allowing his wife to do whatever she wants" attitude is a relatively new, possibly liberal, concept I only stumbled on ONCE (this time) during my stay in China.

Now, what was "white blazer"'s story? While dancing with him, he told me that he was from Guangdong. I said in Chinese, "我也是！" (Me, too.) He didn't believe me ("不可能！")...even though I insisted. Later, he asked me where I lived in Guangzhou and I told him where my dad lives. Then, he said, "你的爸爸住在广州，你妈妈是外国人。" (Your dad lives in Guangzhou, your mom is a foreigner.) I told him, no, I was born there, and a glint of understanding flickered in his drunken pupils. "哦，你是在广州出生的，美国长大的。 啊，我知道。" (Oh, so you were born in China and raised in America...I knew it.) He was here in Hangzhou on business, I believe.

Near the end of the night, Patricia and I bid the band goodnight. We also bid our new drunkard friends goodnight. I shook hands with those I danced with tonight. I shook hands with "white blazer" multiple times, so many times that I lost count. After I shook the hand of "black t-shirt," he kissed me on the back of my hand (*gasp*, like a real gentleman!). I guess I should be flattered; in fact, I was amused, as I always am. "White blazer" and I exchanged business cards. I wouldn't be surprised if he already forgot who I am. He added me on his phone and said he'd call me; he also asked me to call if I was in town (Guangzhou). It was a fond farewell. We left around 12:30am.

Oh, but before I left, I told Patricia I thought one of the waiters is cute. Like the true homie she is, she encouraged me to go take a picture with him. I asked him for a picture and before we took it, I told him, "你很帅"...and he told me, "You are beautiful" in a fobby accent. HAHAHA. Cute-ism! I was amazed and asked, "You speak English??" He said, "A little bit." Yet, my "white blazer" buddy spoiled the Kodak moment by being in the picture. I took out my business card and wrote my number on it. When I walked up to the waiter, he looked as though he were TRYING to look busy cleaning up. Then, I took another picture with the waiter. I gave him my card and ran away. Patricia told me about his reaction - he reportedly blushed (he looked embarrassed and looked down)...hahaha. HOW CUTE. Gutsy move, but I don't expect anything out of it. I don't even know his name, hahaha.

After this bar, Patricia and I attempted to find more open bars. However, the night was a bit dead. We tried to check out Bernini, a bar that Zicheng had played at, but it was closed. We walked down the road and found the 1999 Bar still open. The uniformed male waiters beckoned us ladies into the bar; the area by the main door contained a small waterfall for decor. We walked in and we were directed into a medium-sized bar with heat lamps. Outside of the bar was an open courtyard that was probably used for summer entertainment sessions.

We sat down in this tropical environment and looked at the drinks and snacks. They were somewhat overpriced. Drinks started from about 20 RMB (for juice, while alcohol was at least 35-40 RMB) and food started around 38 RMB.

Patricia and I split fried spring rolls, which were delicious. The entertainment consisted of a crooning, portly man, whose voice was so emotional that I could feel it right here *pats chest*. Next, a man whose shirt was halfway unbuttoned and a woman dressed like a Casablanca actress went onto stage and sang a few nice songs. During their set, I got a salute or some other type of gesture from the man, but I was pretty sure he was gesturing to Patty. *Shrug*. Later, he came over to talk to Patricia and ask where she is from. Here's where the invisibility cloak comes in. Being Asian in Asia means no one else knows you exist. I was fine, but I was like, eh?? LOL. Oh well, I'll make sure to hold back my greetings next time and wait for people to say hello to me. After the guy went back on stage, Patricia said to me, "I want to take a picture with that guy...he's sexy!" HAHAHA...couldn't agree more. Actually, employees in that bar were above average looking.

Then, another act came on stage. Oh, I forgot to mention that it was live music, but the keyboard player did most of the work. A talented woman came onto stage and sang some songs. In fact, all of the singers were excellent. I was confused as to whether everyone could sing songs in a live-karaoke fashion, or if all these singers were entertainers/employees who worked here?

We took a picture with the half-of-his-shirt-unbuttoned guy later. I told him I am also American; he asked if I am from Los Angeles and I said I am. He lamented that he had a chance to go there to visit a friend awhile ago, but he was so busy he couldn't make the trip. Later, he handed me his business card and told us to come back to "play" if we had time. After taking pictures with the waiters with the cute hats and outfits, Patricia and I hailed a cab and returned home.


- Saturday night: Traveller Bar, Homie (Bar?), Reggae Bar

On a nice Saturday evening, Patricia, her friend Min, and I went to Shuguang Road for some alcoholic action. This was my second time meeting Min. I re-discovered that he is a Harvard grad and majored in biology. He's also an adventurer who likes to travel alone. He is going to climb Mt. Himalaya and go to Tibet for about two months as a graduation gift to himself for finishing his doctorate! WOW. What a high-achiever. He's leaving soon...

Our first stop was Traveller Bar. It was a sailor's-pub styled bar, with many a leery foreign man casting a glance my way (okay, it was only one, but still...yuck! Talk about staring...I know I'm FOINE, but it doesn't mean you should stare o.O). We were seated upstairs, which had a great view of the overall building and decor. On the stage, a woman played her guitar and sang in English; she had a good voice, but I did not enjoy the music as much. The wall murals seemed to be an ode to dictatorship. Bush, Putin, and Hussein were on the same wall. From the other wall, Teresa Teng, Yao Ming, and Lei Feng smiled at the masses. The drinks were moderately priced, but the service was slow. We waited for 15 minutes before we decided to leave. Also, from when I first entered the bar to when I left the bar, my lungs and throat felt an uncomfortable itching. I coughed inside the bar, outside the bar, and even after I arrived home. This bar is not recommended on Saturday nights, if at all.

So Min said my picture looked cute. Noice. Also, as I left the bar, the leery man stared at me again *shudder*...please, let them be younger and more handsome.

We walked for a few minutes when something strange caught our eye - "Homie." It was lit up in the dark of night with orange letters. What could this be, we thought to ourselves. We approached the place and found a key phrase, "Let's get high," on one of the windows. Paired with this catchphrase was a picture of a black man smoking weed - this picture was repeated and layered over itself. Patricia and I could not believe the ridiculousness of it all. We just gave in to our picture-taking desires. We decided to go into this bar or whatever it was...

Inside, we found a DJ spinning techno/dance on a little platform. The DJ who was spinning wore a beanie and giant earmuff-like-headphones and a plaid shirt. Not your average DJ. This guy played lots of danceable music and some chart toppers (like Dido's "Thank You" and One Republic's "Apologize" remix). There was another DJ who played hard beats and some trance.

After we sat down, I ordered a cheap snack. The waiter told me they didn't have any. I chose another cheap snack. Again, the waiter told me they didn't have any. I thought third time was the charm, but my third selection was out, too. The waiter probably got tired of trying to take my order, so he brought another waiter to help me. He listed off everything that was available, so I finally chose 18 RMB 哈力克(popcorn - I don't know where the translation is from). After our orders were brought to us, we chilled and conversed a bit, taking in the sights of the bar.

Even though Halloween was long gone, there were still decorations hanging. Many Carlsberg beer promotional materials were hung up, including Carlloween signs, pictures of pumpkins filled with beers, and a spider hanging from a web. The bar itself...is hard to describe. It had the feel of a rebel's hideaway or emo child's hangout. There were posters of Spiderman 3 or The Dark Knight. On the other side of the wall was a poster with a man who looks like he is pointing at 'you.' On the top of the picture, it says, "I'm gonna kick your ass..." and on the bottom, it says, "...and get away with it." I did not waste the photo opportunity.

Later, a few more people started pouring in. I saw a tall, blonde, glasses-wearing, young man about my age; I deemed him to be Dusty's evil twin. Then, on our left side was a mini-birthday party. I caught one of the waiter guys (or was he just a friend of the birthday guy) doing a freaky dance move at his table and I "WOOO"'d at him; he got embarrassed, HAHA.

Min said he never learned how to dance, so I taught him basic steps and taught him how to feel the rhythm. I also asked him to loosen up. I was so proud of my student *tears*. He improved by a lot over a period of a few hours. I also taught him the Harlem Shake; this was hilarious because he didn't isolate his shoulders. The DJ watched us and laughed a bit. He was cute, too, but he smoked. -_-...

Anyway, the birthday boy cut his cake as the DJ played some dancey version of Happy Birthday. Patricia pouted and said she wanted some cake. A few minutes later, a guy from that table brought over a large slice of delicious cake. All of us were pleasantly surprised. Wishes are granted everyday in China. We enjoyed the cake. Then, another guy from that table brought over a large cantaloupe slice. We asked if there was a knife, but the guy said that the main waiter guy left, although there was a knife in the back. Min consumed part of that melon. Not soon after, we left. I waved goodbye to the DJ.

By this time, poor Min was getting tired, but he was a good sport for staying out longer than he normally stays out (he was shocked that we wanted to go to three different bars and stay out until 2am). At last, we went to the Reggae Bar. The bar itself had a Reggae feel, with black-and-white pictures of Bob Marley plastered over walls. The food and drinks were comparatively cheap - food started at 15 RMB. This included hamburgers and cheeseburgers (28 RMB), pizzas (40 RMB), and various Chinese and Western snacks. Alcohol was moderately priced, but there was a great selection of mixed drinks. Earlier in this bar, they played some R&B and rap. Later, they finally played some reggae. It was relaxing - I liked the atmosphere very much.

A man sitting next to us offered to take a picture of us once and we found out he went to Zhejiang University and his name is Yuelai. He offered us a cigarette. His girl date was very drunk and barely cognizant. They left shortly after meeting us. Perhaps we'll see this man (and his friend?) again.

A black man walked into the bar and looked back, then instantly did a double-take when he saw Patricia. Then, he saluted at her, she saluted back, and the man shook hands with each of us. That was entertaining. We decided to head back home around 2am. It was a good night.

In fact, it was a great week...