Byron's first "China Day"

When in a foreign country with limited to no language skills, bad things are bad to happen. And sometimes they happen all at once...

In my case, I missed my first day of chinese class because:
- My ride dropped me off at the wrong location
- I couldn't find the nearest subway station to get to the actual location
- I ran out of phone credit and couldn't call my driver
- Phone battery was dying
- Still can't speak Chinese, so calling my driver wouldn't (and didn't) help
- The China Mobile store did not cell phone credit for its own service...

But obviously I survived and tried to make this an optimistic experience. The good things?
- My Chinese vocab has dramatically increased with terms such as subway, phone credit, and basic directions
- I know where the correct place is, so this won't ever happen again

When abroad in an awful experience you hear the phrase "I've learned so much today." Well, I learned a helluva lot and glad my daily education is a little less intense than that...

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Byron Yee
TEFL English Teacher - Shenzhen, China

Zhong qiu kuai le!

Happy mid Autumn day!
This is a day meant to celebrate a beautiful full moon, and a successful harvest. There are a handful of legends and myths behind this holiday, but the gist is to have a relaxing dinner with family, stare at the moon, and eat moon cakes.

My fridge currently still has 14 of those (down from about 17). So, I have enough moon cakes to last until next year's festival, or have to find a way to subtly pass these onto friends and neighbors.  My next door neighbors have kindly adopted me into many of their family gatherings and such, so I was able to celebrate Mid Autumn and learn even more about my fascinating culture and history.

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Byron Yee
TEFL English Teacher - Shenzhen, China

Teacher Day

Last weekend was China's national Teacher Day.

Although I'd only been an official teacher for about 1.5 weeks at that point, all 300+ staff at our school were invited to an extravagant banquet dinner at a nearby hotel.  My colleagues informed me that other teachers would be performing, so naturally I agreed to do a little somethin.

Those performances consisted of blaring karaoke music and even louder singing. It was epic. Then I got up with a guitar and performed a live version of "We Are the World" by Michael Jackson. Of course they loved it (I actually really hate that song).

That morning in school, I was showered with flowers and cards from my students - all of whom were teenage girls who are apparently in love with me. *Sigh* Being a working man is tough ;)

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Byron Yee
TEFL English Teacher - Shenzhen, China

Famous for the US government

Being a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) has its perks. The biggest of which is that my current experience is a vacation compared to what I just went through.

But sometimes it also means an occasional claim to fame. My country director just sent me this link:
http://www.peacecorps.gov/

Click on picture number 2 and you can find me! Proud as ever to have served as a volunteer for the US government.

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Byron Yee
TEFL English Teacher - Shenzhen, China

Opening Ceremony

Every Monday morning, the entire staff and student body (3000+) dress up in their Monday best and attend a flag raising ceremony. This past Monday was extra special as it was the first Monday of the school year. So in front of the entire school, all the new teachers were introduced, then they announced a speech was to be made by the new foreign teacher - me.

Luckily I knew about this beforehand (many times I don't know what to expect when I'm called to go somewhere). More fortunately, I was allowed to make my speech in English. Pictures coming soon, but I should warn you, it's much more difficult spotting me out in a school in China vs. a school in Senegal...

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Byron Yee
TEFL English Teacher - Shenzhen, China

A Lesson in English Grammar

Did you know that "3 times bigger than" and "3 times as big as" are NOT the same?!

After much debate (in both English and Chinese) and several browsed websites, I confirmed this to be true. Americans general use them interchangeably, but of course Chinese are a little more mathematically wary than others...

Never have I thought more about the English language than since I started teaching 2 weeks ago...

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Byron Yee
TEFL English Teacher - Shenzhen, China

Authentic Seattle Gifts

It is tradition for a foreign teacher to offer gifts to the headmaster and other important teaching partners when starting the school year.

Before leaving the states, I found some nice, small, and simple souvenirs with pictures and images of Seattle, my hometown. I thought that this would be a pretty and appropriate gift because of the authenticity and beauty of the city. Local goods make great gifts.

However, right before giving these gifts, I looked to make sure there were no price tags. Good thing I checked. I didn't find any price tags, but rather I found stickers that said 3 little words you've seen many times "Made In China."

Well, it's the thought that counts, right?

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Byron Yee
TEFL English Teacher - Shenzhen, China

Chinese street cleaners

My friend pointed out a scary looking truck to me and asked "how do you call this in English?"

It was a street cleaner. However, they are a little different than the ones I'm used in the US. Two things:
1. There is a very violent jet stream of water shooting out of a hose, which gets the street very clean, but ironically makes all the cars next to the truck very filthy.
2. They play music! In this case "It's a Small World," which makes the thought of nasty street goo on your car a much more pleasant experience.

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Byron Yee
TEFL English Teacher - Shenzhen, China

Why China needs English lessons

I went to a very cheap and tasty restaurant with some buddies. We were lucky enough to be presented with the English menu, which had a few confusing mistakes (but direct translations from Chinese). Our dinner consisted of:

"Small foul child" with a side of "acid cowpea mince river powder," then followed by "three little gorgeous face." Like I said, it was delicious, but strange. Funny enough, that first dish did weirdly have a foul odor to it. But I've never eaten child, so not sure how the texture compared...

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Byron Yee
TEFL English Teacher - Shenzhen, China

Universal Sign Language

One of my teaching colleagues was trying to tell me that it was lunch time. So he used the universal sign for eating. Well, sort of...

In the US, people used two rounded hands to symbolize eating, as if consuming a hamburger.
In Senegal, people signal eating by stuffing their fingers in their mouth (we eat with our hands there).
So naturally, many Chinese people sign eating by mimicking the use of chopsticks over a bowl of rice.

Is this sign language "universal?" Clearly there are still gaps in pantomime and signs. Just goes to show that even when communication is inherently clear, things can still get "lost in translation."

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Byron Yee
TEFL English Teacher - Shenzhen, China

Welcome to Sha Jing Middle School

Last Friday, I was informed that I should attend a meeting for new teachers to the school. Okay, no sweat...

NOT quite true. All 26 of us had to introduce ourselves, which isn't a big deal - unless you DON'T speak Chinese. That was probably the poorest public speaking performance ever. But people know that I'm the foreign teacher, so they were all rather patient and understanding. Then the headmaster said "now we're going out to dinner!"

Now, a dinner banquet party in China is exactly that - a giant feast and party. I've been raving about the good Chinese food, but I spoke too soon. Actually, I didn't eat a whole lot as we were all busy giving and receiving toasts in the name of anything to sip more hard Chinese liquor. I lost count after 3 shots. I lost the ability to count after 5. But I somehow managed to hold my own; it helped that 22 of the 26 new teachers were skinny girls. That night was by far the most fun I've had in this country. So here's to a fun new community and a great cultural integration.

BTW, that whole "Asian glow" thing is totally real (luckily not for me). If you don't know what I'm referring to, buy an Asian friend a beer and time how many minutes it takes before they are beet red.

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Byron Yee
TEFL English Teacher - Shenzhen, China

How many Chinese does it take...

How many Chinese does it take to install internet, TV, and a phone line?

The correct answer is 5: 2 technicians from China Telecom, 1 school network specialist, 1 who doesn't speak a word of Chinese, and 1 bilingual translator.

The good news is that all of these things are currently running smoothly and problem free in my super sweet apartment. I even discovered WWE on demand this afternoon! Life is so good right now...

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Byron Yee
TEFL English Teacher - Shenzhen, China

An afternoon at the salon

What better way than to get to know your new staff members and score some cultural integration points than going out for Chinese foot massages!

I was too overwhelmed and excited to relax, but it was still a very enjoyable experience. It involved a lot more slapping and punching and was overall more violent than past massages I've had. The static TV, leaky A/C, sleeping attendants, and general shady atmosphere of the place just added value to the experience.

Would I do it again? Um, eventually my answer will be...absolutely.

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 Byron Yee TEFL English Teacher - Shenzhen, China