Ni hao,
Living in Shanghai is like living in …China. Well, sort of. Today I took the bus to campus because really, what else was I going to do? I need to prepare my class for students I don’t know, and find more articles, and have the librarian make copies for me.
Yesterday I ate at the Faculty Club hotel cafeteria, again. Here are a few food photos. Watermelon, pastry, poundcake, salty boiled egg, squash cooked in water, cabbage cooked in water with flat black mushrooms, cubes of plum gel. All very good.
Yesterday I walked around my campus a bit. I met Yaping at 7:45 so she could give me a flashdrive.
Back to today. The bus should take 4o minutes but it rarely does. I went out at 8:30 to wait for the 9 am bus. The bus was already there and just about full. I got on and the driver started driving away. I saw no seats and was going to tell him to stop, but then I spotted one seat way in the back. I sat in a 6-seat back row between a Chinese man and a large white lady. She did not say hi. Geez! People pick up Shanghai ways immediately. No white people say hello to me or smile. Just like the Shanghai natives.
I reached over the Chinese guy and opened the window a bit. The Chinese are still wearing coats and sweaters, although it will be 75 degrees today. Marsha told me they don’t take off their coats until a certain holiday. Wearing short sleeves now is weird to them.
I listened to Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me on my Ipod and was laughing so hard I had to stop for a bit. Everyone either sleeps or looks at their phone on the bus. Well, a few just sit patiently. It’s very quiet and still. No one moves, coughs, eats, or talks. Maybe they are respecting everyone’s space?
There was a breeze from the window for about 2 minutes, and the Chinese guy did not like it, but we spent the next hour in rush hour, almost at a stand-still, so then the open window was fine.
Got to campus, knew when to get off the bus and where to walk to, and found the computer lab where Honza showed me I could work. I opened MS Word, and was going to open my flashdrive when I realized all the commands are in Chinese.
I went down the hall to get Honza. He said “Oh, I did not know you would come in today.” Which I think maybe meant, “You should have told me you were going to come in today.” Oh well. I asked him to open my document and save it. He said he does not know if these computers have English. He called the IT tech guy who said no, they would have to buy MS Word in English. He said “I can start that process if you like.” I was thinking, “Why did you show me this computer lab on Monday and tell me I could use it if it’s all in Chinese?” I said, “So, when Lonny was here, what did he do?” He said Lonny just brought his lap top. (Lonny has been here 3 times recently, so SJTU is not used to anyone else.) I asked how I could use the internet, since they will not give me an internet account while I am here. He showed me a plug under the table. So I guess he meant I could use the computer desk just to plug in my lap top. Kind of a waste of the computer, sitting there but I guess foreigners are few here, or maybe “everyone” just brings their own laptop. The PhD candidate who also uses this room was using his laptop, too.
Again, why did Honza tell me to bring a flashdrive if I am going to use my laptop? Hmm… Oh, to give to the librarians so they can print my stuff for me. I guess I will have to go to campus Monday to print out my assignments.
I created my lesson plan for the first two weeks, then went to the library to make copies of magazine articles. There I ran into Helen Yan. She was at Highline 10 years ago and recognized me right away. We talked for awhile and she said she would call me soon.
I read more articles and got more copies made, then Julai Ma came to take me to lunch. She is good friends with Shelley, so Shelley asked her to take me to lunch. Julai showed me the 6 cafeteria areas at Canteen 2, then we ate at the faculty cafeteria. I asked who she teaches and what, and she asked what I am supposed to teach. I told her what I was told and she said, “Oh, they are just trying to find something for you to do.” Geez, I feel so patronized!
(I am supposed to teach a 10 week course to English graduate students majoring in translation. I should help them understand the American Culture behind readings on our economy, and help them write some essays, and learn more American culture. It sounds like fun, but I have to find some articles that are not too boring and that use some American cultural references. I am also asked to help another instructor, Wenjie, to translate road signs into English. Obviously he will translate and I will double check. I told my boss here that I would help fix the translation here at my hotel. He said, “Great! I will tell the manager!” We will see if anything comes of it.)
After lunch Yulai Ma walked me over to a great coffee place and bought me a tall latte. She told me her passion about rhetorical anlaysis, which she has studied in depth. It is almost exactly what we teach now with genre, purpose, audience. We were happy to talk shop. I also asked her what teachers know and do here, so Wendy and I can pitch our symposium presentations appropriately to the audience of university teachers.
I took the bus home at 1:50 and got home at 3:15. Traffic is really bad here! I am getting familiar with the landscape. I pass Ikea every day on the bus. Took this photo of just a few of the apartment buildings we passed on the bus. Have to put 24 million people somewhere.
Yesterday Marsha took me with her on a walk to the Train Ticket Station, then on the metro on an errand. It was great to tag along and have social company. Here are some pictures.
Ok, I am going to try to go out to dinner. I saw a restaurant in a mall window. I will bring my sign Shelley made me: “I don’t eat pork, beef, or lamb.” Last night I had cup-o-noodles, which was not a very good one, but got the job done.
Bye For Now!