This is PYP: Primary Years Programme

When I came to Suzhou Singapore International School I was confronted by a new teaching directive, PYP.  Primary Years Programme  PYP is an elementary program of interconnecting different areas of learning.  My elementary music colleague sat down with me on that Saturday before school had begun to outline and define the process for me.  I had used similar processes of teaching in Oregon and again in Guam but not to the extent that PYP would direct.  So, I really appreciated her helping me in the ways that she had.

Throughout that first week it was all a matter of getting to know the students and for them to know me.  I was this guy from somewhere in the Pacific Ocean that almost all of them had never heard.  So, I set about giving them a geography lesson combined with a music and language lesson.  I drew a rough map on the chalkboard of Asia on the left (west) and the United States on the right (east) and drew a little dot in the place where Guam was located.

Then, I got my guitar out and with the help of a large lyric sheet that I'd drawn on a 3' x 4' piece of paper, I proceeded to teach all my classes "Hafa Adai".
Hafa Adai on a Chinese website
I taught them the meaning of "hafa adai" and along with it who the Chamorros were along with other bits of cultural information that were in the song.  With that done the children were eating out of my hand.  Johnny Sablan would be happy to have seen those students, all 250 that I had under my tutelage,  singing out strongly and clapping their hands at the appropriate time during the chorus.

My job at SSIS entailed working with an elementary orchestra, as well.  The teacher that had preceded me in the job had come the first day of work, walked in the door, and within a 24 hour period had turned and disappeared, to be seen no more.  Why?  That was actually a mystery to me and remains a mystery.  I have my own thoughts which will bear out in coming blog posts, but I think these things should be drawn out as a story naturally unfolds.  For now, I was starting the elementary orchestra's performance year a month and a half late and it was time to get it moving.  I started to receive sign up sheets from students and within a week I would be giving one on one auditions for the instruments that were to be involved in the orchestra.  Prior to my involvement at SSIS the ensemble had been restricted to only strings, but that would begin to change.

I was a bit taken aback by the lack of music materials available in this school especially since it had been established for quite a few years.  I had been used to music texts, of different sorts both old and new, from which to chose songs and glean teaching ideas.  But, there wasn't a single music text to be found.  When I asked my colleague about this she said that she had acquired sheet music, texts, and materials over the seven years that she'd been at this school and they were her own.  Requests for books had been made, but nothing seemed to pass the administration for some reason.  I thought this was a bit peculiar.

I tried to rationalise this thinking about not having texts with my mind telling me, "perhaps it was because of the sense of being an international school and wanting to stay away from any particular countries traditions.  Was this the rationale?"  But, I was just beginning my stay in Suzhou and it might be explained as time went by.  For now, I had no materials except for the few texts that I had in my suitcase and some things which I'd left in Guam.

The week ended on a rather curious note.  The entire elementary wing of the school had an assembly each and every Friday with a common purpose, sharing things learned, and mini performances for the children.  This particular assembly had the fifth grade singing and dancing to a pop song with choreography and special clothes.  The principal and vice principal would gave a speech about what would be coming in the following week and, in this case, I was introduced to the body of children.

                                                                      Hafa Adai       Lyrics by Johnny Sablan

In the isle of Mariana A

You hear a lot of locals say

As you come along and visit us

Oh, well, hello, or hafa adai

With a happy smile on their face

And a friendly smile that stays in place

Really meaning what they say

It's time you simply say

Hafa, hafa, hafa, hafa adai

Chorus:

Hafa adai todu mahleg, how are you?

Hafa adai todu mahleg, thank you.

Hafa adai, hafa adai, hafa, hafa, hafa, hafa Adai

Let me help you friend say this word

You must promise me that you'll try

The letters I know you have heard

And it's spelling H A F double A D A I

It's as easy as one, two, three

Just pronounce it as in "half a day"

Sing it with a beat and say it every day

As in hafa, hafa, hafa, hafa adai

Chorus

The Chamorros say this word

And express it in many different ways

Like when you see a Chamorrita girl

Softly say, "hafa adai"

And if you ever need a helping hand

Or a friendly smile a long the way

Wear a friendly smile and talk Chamorro style

As in hafa, hafa, hafa, hafa adai

Chorus

Getting used to a new school in a new (an old) country

Within the first few days of work I experienced a workplace quite different from what I'd dealt with in the United States and Guam.

The nature of an international school is quite different than most schools, public or private, in the United States. The entire working staff, including the administrators are hired from overseas and that becomes their point of familiarity, for they are from somewhere else.  The teachers are expats or people away from their home countries who are in this country for a variety of reasons.  Some of these teachers might be intellectuals studying this exotic place, some might be adventurers with every place in the city and countryside an exciting adventure, some are spiritual or political proselytizers out to convert the world and some are near retirement age trying to roll teaching and living in a foreign country into a nice mixture.

The teachers and students that I met were in some respects very much like the students that I had left behind in Guam in their cultural mix.  But, just as their fathers and mothers were there in this place on assignment for some large foreign corporation the children were lacking permanence, in the same way.  In its entirety this school's teaching staff, students, and parents were all transient.  No one was permanent except for the Chinese staff who were hired locally.

What was odd for me was that I had just come from a school which had just taken on some of these transient teachers as a part of that staff.  With the inclusion of these new teachers the school on Guam had lost much of its feeling of locality.  Someone had come there with a view that that school was somehow an international school.  So I was now confronted with these same types of teachers in Suzhou.  How would I react to these people?

My first chance to meet the members of the staff, other than my musical colleagues, came in the morning break at 10:15 AM.  This was when the teachers would go to the over-sized break room and eat a morning snack.  The snack consisted of different items, depending upon the day of the week.  This second day, Tuesday, the break food was Chinese noodles (known to my colleagues as slippery noodles to the westerners) which had soy sauce or vinegar for toppings.  There was always coffee, tea, orange juice, and milk.

Around this table gathered the teachers who fared from the four corners of the world:  Australia, England, New Zealand, France, Germany, USA, as well as Japan, and China.  I was the new teacher at the school and generally the other teachers had already established their own circles of friends.  How would I fit in?

                                                                          

The second meeting of staff came at lunchtime.  The cafeteria was huge and in each of the four corners were separate serving areas with a variety of foods.  In one corner was a sandwich counter where people could concoct their own sandwiches in the way that one could at a "Subway" restaurant, in  another corner was the Italian counter where each day pizza, and some sort of pasta were served, in another corner was a Japanese counter with mizo soup, and a daily change of menu in Japanese foods, finally in the fourth corner was the Chinese counter where Chinese food was served strangely in combination with British cuisine.  How those two were combined is beyond my comprehension.  And at each corner display was a smaller salad counter, so vegetables could be added or be the mainstay for someone's lunch.  Whatever lunch might be chosen was priced at 11 rmb or slightly under 2 dollars US.

                                                                          

As I entered this place for the first time I somehow found myself gravitating to a table of Chinese workers.  I suppose I had been a bit turned off by the teachers who had invaded the school where I'd worked in Guam and I was now carrying this into this new work place.  It's a bit strange to have had this reaction, especially since I was now one of these teachers myself, an expat.  But, another factor that was in my mind was that I had had a whole lifetime living and working with English speaking peoples and now I found myself in a situation where I could learn about a culture from the inside out.  I  didn't really know the full length of time that I would be in China so I wanted to soak up as much knowledge, culture, and atmosphere as I could.  So, here I was sitting at a table where the occupants were English as a second language and that actually attracted me to them; being different than me.

After lunch I returned to my music room and took on the afternoon classes.  The schedule for school would take me and all teachers to 3:30 when all the students would get on their particular bus and make their way home.  This was followed by a wave of teachers who could elect to take the 4 PM bus (there were three buses for this trip), with a second bus caravan (this time five buses) leaving at 5 PM which included the Chinese workers who had a longer working day.  This was the daily work schedule at SSIS.

My First Day Of School

My alarm went off at 5:30 AM that first day of school in Suzhou, China.  I had given myself plenty of time to compose myself before my beginning at Suzhou Singapore International School.  Of course, I was still getting used to the apartment and waking up on the 16th floor was a bit of a thrill for me.  I woke then went to the balcony and looked at the view both close up, the avenue below, and the lake in the distance.  The view was pretty breathe taking.  There was a bit of a haze in the air from pollution (almost a constant weather condition) but other than that it was a lovely view of this very modern and well-kept city.

I sat down to my computer and checked email and Facebook.  This was going to become my new regular start of day routine.  I made some instant coffee and had some cereal.  I knew that the bus was scheduled for arrival at 7:23 AM but I wasn't really sure of how accurate that might be, so I went down to the gate of Chateau Regency 10 minutes early.

At the gate were the guards who greeted me with a nice Ni Hao.  There was a parade of people who walked by me as I stood on the sidewalk waiting.  My guitar and computer were giveaways that I was a little different from the other people gathered nearby.  A friendly Frenchman walked by me and said good morning which made me feel very good.  He was accompanied by a lovely Chinese woman who also nodded and said hello.

A woman walked by with her 2-3 year old son and he also said "hello" with his Chinese accent.  This seemed to be in a very friendly place.  He had a small carton of milk and would drink a little, pour some on the group, over and over.  His mother would tell him no, in Mandarin, and he just kept doing it.  I found this to be quite amusing.

This was day one of my working and it was a very good beginning.  At exactly 7:23 a very modern blue tour bus drove up and stopped while a thin Chinese woman, a Chinese man wearing wire-rimmed glasses, and I got on.  Those on the bus were all Chinese at this point with no westerners, but for me.

It's funny how you can go somewhere far away and still find someone who reminds you of a person you already know.  For me it was a young woman who was sitting in the front of the bus.  I found myself starring at her because she looked just like a young Japanese student that I'd known in Guam.

The bus began its journey zigging and zagging through the cross streets until we made it out to the main boulevard.  This bus driver seemed to be making tracks.  Was this the everyday of my going to work?  This was an exciting trip.

When the bus arrived we had filled it two thirds full, making stops along the way where employees lived.  In this international school all the workers, no matter what their income, would ride the bus together.  I liked this concept.

The day began with me going to the C wing and preparing my room for the first day.  I would plug in my computer, get my guitar out, tune, and make sure my lesson plans were ready to go.

I made it through my first day with no adverse problems and finished the day with the Monday all-school teachers' meeting.  The big highlight of this meeting was when I was introduced to the faculty.  I believe that everyone was very happy, especially my music colleague, to see me.  After the meeting I was introduced to the head of the Arts Department, an attractive Filipino woman.  On the spot she invited me to have dinner with her at Singa Plaza this evening.  I didn't have other plans, of course, and readily took her up on the invitation.

That evening I sat across from her and probably over drank.  I think she was intentionally prying me with liquor to open me up.  She was very open herself and she told me many things about the school and the interaction within the Arts Department, including the personalities that I might want to watch out far, etc.

When we finished dinner she invited me around the corner to a DVD store where she suggested that I purchase some good entertainment DVDs.  I found the entire series of "Lost" and "NCIS" and she offered to buy it for me.  This was so generous of her, I thought.

She put me into a taxi and with my direction cards made it home.  I paid the taxi, went upstairs through the darkened lobby, ascended through the elevator, and I was home to 1605, my apartment.  Again, I was very tired and I quickly changed and went to bed.  My mind was exhausted.

Setting up Communications: Can You Hear Me?

Sunday turned out to be a day of communications.  Well, maybe not.  I got up early to start the process of communications with friends and family on either Guam or in the United States.  I now had my computer which would be a huge tool for staying in touch with and staying sane while I was at such a distance from them.

I had foreseen the need to communicate the best I could when I was still on Guam.  When I'd announced my moving to China I had a number of Chinese students at my past school who were, because of necessity, experts at dealing with the Internet and they had given me some new information which I might need.

They had told me that certain sites which were common in the rest of the world were blocked by Chinese censors for a number of reasons.  My mentioning this has nothing to do with my own writings.  I am quite non-political.  My only purpose was and is to be able to communicate in the same manner as I had in the past as a person who lives in the US Internet systems.

My Chinese student friends had told me that when I arrived I should go on line to find sites called proxy sites.  This was a new concept to me.  Since a particular site is blocked, there are ways to circumvent that blockage.  The user connects to the proxy site and then through that site connects to the blocked Internet site.  What is an example of a blocked site?  Most notably Face book is blocked in China. That had been a mainstay in the US.

So, I sat down to my computer and.......I put in some of the names of sites that from my students.  Nothing happened.  Oh, great what should I do now?  So, I googled proxy sites and found a few and read through them.  It is a big business in China to create and maintain these sorts of sites, but most were pay sites.  So, I got out my credit card and signed up.  It was crucial for my own wits' sake to be able to communicate.

I found one which stated confidently that it was a superior proxy site.  I immediately had access to sites that were not allowed.  I turned to Facebook......and Yes!  Did I say yes?  Well, it was Facebook but it was very, very slow.  From this day forward this "slow" Facebook would be my friend.  This was my first adventure in Internet for China, at least trying to reach outside of China.  I would start my day with checking in on Facebook which is the regime of a person living alone, far from family and friends.

I think that my friends were surprised at my move to China.  But, this was now the beginning of their seeing my entries on Facebook and living vicariously through what I might post.  As I've said before, my Chinese friends especially were watching and reading my posts.  I suppose they wanted to see how I would react to the culture, the food, and their home country in general.  I was happy to make the first Facebook post from China.

Especially for this first day of internet I went crazy with its use.  The television was all Mandarin language programming except for the one CCTV English language news channel.   At this point I didn't know any better than to watch that one channel, so I accepted that to be "the way it was".  It was going to be channel 20 and internet.  CCTV English Channel

Late in the afternoon Linda called and said that she'd meet me at Walmart.  Suzhou Walmart  This meant getting out my direction giving cards and showing the driver "Walmart".  Again, a new experience.  I would see a Chinese Walmart store.  When I got there I found Linda by the rack of motor scooters outside.  She had ridden her motor bike to this place as many, many people do in China.  More about these bikes in the near future.

This Walmart was similar to what I'd dealt with in the states, but the mix of items was a bit different and that was going to take a bit of getting used to.  I needed two items specifically, one was an alarm clock so I wouldn't oversleep and the other was a cell phone.  The alarm clock was easily acquired.  Now Linda and I went to the counter for cell phones.  I needed a phone, but it didn't need to be fancy.   Linda helped me in that I still was not used to the exchange rate from US dollars to RMB (Chinese Yuan) especially when it came to large amounts.

I selected a phone that made me happy enough and asked the clerk to change its setting to English.  It took a whole conference of clerks to figure that out, but when they were through I had a working cell phone.  I just needed to buy some phone time which I would again need assistance for that procedure.  It's amazing how handicapped we are when we can't communicate clearly through the use of language.  I was happy to have my Chinese helper to assist me.

The day was moving by quickly and the next day was my first day of school.  Linda and I said goodbye and she set off on her motor scooter and I to my taxi ride home.  As the day wound down I ironed my clothes in my office room where I had an iron and ironing board and I laid my clothes out for my early morning rise.

SSIS: This is the team

I felt a bit like an infant that couldn't talk or communicate properly.  I woke up on Saturday morning and prepared for my first glimpse of Suzhou Singapore International School.  Suzhou Singapore International School     The principal again stopped by at the time he had mentioned and together we went downstairs to wave down a taxi for our trip to SSIS.  He also gave me a business card which had his information on it.  On one side was the address and name in English and on the flip-side was the same in Mandarin.  He said that I should use this should I ever need to get to the school quickly.

He also gave me an important paper which would be crucial for my everyday life.  It was the bus schedule for the SSIS teachers bus.  I was floored with this one.  As it turned out all the teachers and employees of the school were driven to school from different sectors of Suzhou using these buses.  When I say buses, I mean four or five high quality tourist-type buses which were kept in perfect working order by the Chinese driver/mechanics who were hired or driving only for the school.

So, exactly at 7:23 AM each morning I would be in place with others from the school and be picked up and delivered in about a 30 minutes drive through SIP (Suzhou Industrial Park).  The sector of SIP where I lived, and most of the other teachers lived, was to the west of the school and west of most of the corporations' assembly plants where the parents of our students worked.

But, that was to come at the first of the week.  For now, it was time to check out the school on this October Saturday morning.  We arrived in the taxi and the principal and I took a tour.  The school is huge and divided into three sections; elementary, middle, and high school.  My interest of course was elementary because that was where I'd be teaching.  We made our way down the hallways and he showed me bulletin boards where I would see important notices, the mail room, the dining hall, playing fields, playground, indoor swimming pool all laid out in an efficient manner.  Then, he took me to the middle of the buildings to what would be my home, the music department.

There before me was my new colleague who had been working on this Saturday awaiting my arrival.  She was a jolly woman from the mid west of the US.  Ni Hao! Welcome to SSIS.  Immediately we got down to work and discussed the whole department.  She had been at the school for a full seven years and knew all the history and changes that had occurred during that time.  She knew the other personnel and their strong points and weak points and we talked about how I would fit into this working group.  She didn't get into all things, but she did warn me about something I needed to look out for.  She knew that the high school orchestra leader was determined to have me take over the orchestra from him.  I had done this type of work in the school prior to this, but my new colleague said, "you are assigned to the elementary school, with elementary orchestra.  High school is not your turf.  You'll need to be strong and say 'no' to this man, as strong as his manner might be."

So, now I had something to look forward to; a confrontation immediately.  But, this was a new work environment and I was about to be thrust into a system that was already underway and I needed to adapt.  My Monday might be a bit to deal with.  I took a deep breathe and "here we go".

That rounded out my introduction except that the principal took me to the computer room where I was assigned a laptop for my use while working at the school.  I then went back to my apartment.

I still had some things to do before I slept.  Linda had assigned a young Chinese man who specialized in Internet installations and TV work to come by my place.  She came as well and her female colleague and also the young man.  So, here I was with my new young Chinese friends.  They kept saying that I was so different from all the other teachers , in a positive way.  This was and still is a mystery to me.  I'd like to think I'm special but I suppose I'm like most people and just see myself as I am and have been my entire life. I look in the mirror and think, 'I'm just another guy'.

With the internet working and the TV connected and giving me the best CCTV channels, I was done for the day.  Linda and the male co-worker asked me if I'd like to go eat somewhere.  They seemed fascinated with this new American teacher.  So, the one woman left on her own and the three of us went looking for food.  They asked if there might be some type of food which I would be interested in.  I thought, "Mexican".  Sure, why not?  So, we went to a wonderful outdoor Mexican restaurant next to one of the canals of Suzhou.   Neither one of them had every had Mexican food before, so this was my treat.  The fee was quite reasonable and the conversation worth every penny (rmb) paid.

I made another appointment with Linda for tomorrow, Sunday, to get a few more necessities before my first day of work, the day after, on Monday.  With that I bid them goodnight and made my way home in the taxi. 

                                                                      

Good Morning, China

I slept like a baby that first night.  I don't know what I dreamt that night, but I'm sure that my mind replayed the drive from Shanghai to Suzhou.  The architecture was uniquely different from what I'd seen before.  That's what stuck in my mind the most.

My mind's geographic radar was in play when I woke up the next day.  I had arrived at Chateau Regency in the dark, so when I got up I immediately went to the balcony of my new apartment and took in the view.  It was time to see exactly where I was.

I was on the 16th floor of a building with 22 stories.  My view out the window:  Straight down and out about 50 yards was a broad boulevard.  It ran east and west with four lanes on each side of the street with boxwood and other shrubs immaculately kept.  To the west (left) was another broad boulevard crossing this first boulevard at 90 degrees. The four lanes on each side were bordered by another grouping of shrubs and trees placed exactly 10 paces apart (I measured it later....exactly) outside this strip was a bike path on each side of the street 10 feet wide.  
Straight across from me was a large building which took up the entire block.  It was the same height as my building, but a little bit fancier.  
Off to my right (east) I could see another street which looked exactly the same as my street and between the buildings I saw in the distance, perhaps 1/2 miles, a lake, which I discovered later as called Jinji Lake.  
Over all this view hung a smog that was a bit grey and dulled what I hoped would be a clear picture.


It was mid-morning now on this first day and Linda appeared with yet another helper.  We finished the project of inventorying the entire apartment and then we made plans for going to get basic food stuffs and necessities that I might need.  Before we got out the door, however, the elementary principal of my school stopped by to greet me.  He gave me an interesting item.  He had what looked like a playing card deck with a metal ring holding the cards together.  These were direction giving cheat cards to help me get around Suzhou.  In Mandarin and English was written important name places, such as the supermarkets, banks, hospital, etc, etc.  The idea would be to show the appropriate card to the taxi driver who could then take me to any given place without the aid of Mandarin.

My principal told me he'd be by again tomorrow, Saturday, to take me to the school to get acquainted.  Then Linda, her helper, and I jumped into a taxi and set out for a gigantic grocery store, Auchon a short taxi drive away.  I do remember being taken with the look of SIP, with its wide and well landscaped avenues.  It was midday by now and we went into a Chinese fast food restaurant in the Auchon complex and the two women ordered food which I readily ate.  With this and other food which I would be eating I discovered that Chinese food had much more variety than appeared on most American Chinese restaurant menus.  But, that would be expected.

We then went into Auchon      and I began trying to communicate my needs to these two women.  They had a fun time trying to understand and interpret my needs and find them within the store.  Both of these women's English skills were rather low so we did a lot of wandering around for quite a while.  In the process I got to see the store and generally where different types of items might be, so the next time I could find most things by myself.

This was also the first time that I got to use Chinese currency.  The exchange rate kept going through my head as I read the prices of the groceries that I was about to buy.  But, I hadn't really dealt with trying to make a recipe that I would have made in Guam.  So, hunting for specific hard to find items was still to come.

The help of Linda from the relocation agency was to important to me in these first days.  I will be forever thankful to her and her company's helpers.  She created a list of things which I might need in the near future.  However, what must be remembered is that I had arrived to this school after the beginning of the school year, by nearly two months.  So, the other new teachers had been dealt with in early August.  I was their only customer now.

We would go out again on Saturday and take care of connecting my apartment to the Internet and setting up my television.  But, that was another day.

As the afternoon wore on Linda suggested that I join her and her colleague for dinner.  She gave me the address written in Mandarin on the back of her business card and I had my first lone taxi ride as I found my way to the restaurant at Singa Plaza.  Singa Plaza I appreciated that she had kept the distance rather close so even I wouldn't get lost.   The three of us had dinner together and after Linda flagged down a taxi and gave the driver directions for dropping me off.

I got home rather early and set about making the bed so that this evening I could sleep in a "real" bed and not just drop on the bed and pass out as I had the night before.  This had been the end of my first full day in Suzhou.

Tomorrow: SSIS

Arriving In Suzhou

The thoughts that race through your mind when you are by yourself going to a destination where you've never been tend to excite.  But, this departure from the Hong Kong International airport Hong Kong international airport was more than that, it was a change of life for me.  I was leaving a world familiar to me for my entire life, of which the last 20 years had been spent on Guam as a teacher, in private and public schools.  I was facing the unknown, with no going back.  I was beyond excited, but there was a fearlessness that somehow swelled up in my like this was going to be a great adventure like no other adventure that I'd undertaken.

In the Hong Kong airport I sat and waited for the flight to Shanghai.  I was flying on China Eastern China Eastern for the first time and the stewardess came around the waiting area with China Eastern frequent flier cards.  It struck me that I really had no idea if I wanted the card.  "Would I be using this airlines again and again into the future? Is it worth my while to keep it and accumulated miles for something that might be a short adventure and I'd probably just throw away the miles?"  That was the thought going through my mind.  Indecision!  Perhaps the future was China for me and I should just go with the flow and take it.  I took it.

My mind has always thought geographically.  When I travel somewhere I think about myself as if I were on a map.  I see myself from space moving over that grid.  Odd as this is its how I've always thought.  Maybe that goes back to the days when I was a kid and my family would go on a trip, for instance to California.  My father would hand me the map and say, "we're here on the map, tell me how far it is to this place."  Then, I'd tell my dad the distance given on the map to the next town and on and on like that till we got to the destination.

Now the plane took off in the dark headed north.  As I looked out the window I saw lights, lots and lots of lights, far beneath the place.  I saw a map of China in my mind and tried to think of what cities I might know of that we were flying over.  At this point I was a bit low on my China geography skills however.  But, it did occur to me that I was flying over one of the most populous countries in the world and so many, many lives were going about their daily business as I flew over them.

I arrived at Shanghai's Pudong International Airport late in the evening.  I was tired but also exhilarated by landing in China proper.  I made my way through customs with my luggage and guitar in hand.  Immediately upon leaving customs I stepped out in the huge expanse of the arrival reception area.  There in front of me was a driver with a sign which had my name on it.  Ni Hao welcome to China.  He took my largest bag and helped me get it and my other things into the black limousine.

Off we raced towards Suzhou which is about 60-90 minutes at this time of night.  I had arrived at midnight and now I peered out the window as we sped by modern building after modern building on the freeway.  My geographical mind was a bit messed up at this point.  I knew that I was going generally west from Shanghai, but I didn't know how far.  We had driven approximately 30 minutes when the driver took a call on his cell phone and handed it to me.  "Hello, this is Linda.  Welcome to China."  I didn't know this person, but she knew who I was and that was good enough for me.  This was the first person who really greeted me and I was thankful to be recognized.  "I'll see you when you arrive."

The entire trip had been without any speaking as my driver spoke no English.  He seemed to know where he was taking me so I was in his hands, whoever he was.  After driving for the longest time we got off the freeway and started down long straight well cared for avenues with large areas of open ground everywhere.  Once in a while we'd pass the entrance to a corporation's campus such as Gucci, or Bulgari, Fendi, etc.  This was my introduction to Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP)  Suzhou Industrial Park which I would learn more about in the near future.  At this point it was 1 AM perhaps, but the time wasn't a factor to me right now.  I was drinking it all in, like some new flavor of wine.

At around 1:30 we arrived at a hotel or at least what appeared to be a hotel.  The driver took my luggage out of the trunk of the car, put it by the front door step, got back in his car and drove away.  I was a little shocked and that would have to be an understatement.  I went to the front desk and the two Chinese clerks just looked at me.  I started laughing.  You know the expression LOL?  That was all I could do.  I laughed and laughed while these two Chinese men looked at me in amazement.   Here I was in Suzhou, China, 2 in the morning, I couldn't speak Mandarin, I thought this must have been the plan, but I couldn't communicated.....at all.

So, I did what everyone does.  I talked very loudly and slowly as if that would help.  Oh My God!  Who would help me with this situation?  I looked through my itinerary and gave it to the clerks.  They called a couple phone number and got nothing.  Of course who was going to answer the phone at 1:30-2 AM?

After about 30 minutes of frustration I motioned to the clerk that I would like to spend the night in their hotel.  I started to fill out the registry and was getting my credit card out when a young Chinese woman appeared through a doorway.  She introduced herself as "Linda".  OK, this was the Linda of the phone call in the limousine.  She was here to help me through my dilemma.   She immediately took a bag, asked for assistance from one of the clerks for carrying the other luggage and we went out the door.

Around the corner of the building were some other buildings as tall as the hotel itself.  She said "follow me".  So, I fell into line with her and the clerk and made it to the 16th floor of one of the other buildings.  I was home.  1605 in building 6 of Chateau Regency.

Linda had with her in the apartment another young woman who also was there to help me.  It was now 2-3 AM and I was about to settle in to my new place.  Linda went through a whole speech about her being my helper as a part of what all the teachers at SSIS receive.  She took out a list of items which were for my use in the apartment.  The list was three pages long and itemized each piece of furniture, each utensil for cooking, each fork, knife and spoon, each toilet paper roll, how to operate the television, on and on and on.  She also took out an envelope with 3000 RMB for me to use as my first money for living.

I remember being very hospitable and more than a little bit slap happy, but I was also very,very tired.  I think it was when Linda started counting the silverware that I said, "can we do this tomorrow morning?"  She could see that I was exhausted and after a nice good night she and her assistant went home.  After that all I remember was taking one of the blankets, curling up with it on the bed and quickly falling asleep; my first night in China.

Hong Kong: Tourist Visa

In years past I had landed in Hong Kong a few times.  In the early 1980s I had performed with "The Diamonds" in southeast Asia and had been at the old Hong Kong airport on the way, both going and coming from Singapore.  But, I had never really seen Hong Kong at the street level.  From the old airport all I had seen during my flights in the 80s were tall apartment buildings with black, or grey mold which looked very depressing.  I think that is the result of the wet tropical air and pollution which looked rather peculiar to a man who had only seen temperate zone weathering, mostly in Oregon and California.

But, now I was going to arrive at the new airport and follow the plan put forward by the SSIS human resource department.  Because I was coming "as soon as possible" to take on this job I would do it under the rules set forward by their elementary principal.

The school had paid for my flight to Hong Kong and a three day stay in a nice hotel while I went through the process of obtaining my Chinese visitor visa.  Of course this bothered me in that I was going to come into this foreign country and work for a month under a tourist visa which I knew was not kosher.  But, who was I to counter their orders.  I was this American with no background in working long term in China.  I assumed that this must be par for the course.

I landed at Hong Kong International Airport and retrieved my two pieces of luggage.  I had taken my guitar on the plane as a carry on, so I now had these two luggage pieces plus my guitar.  This was more tricky than I had thought it might be and I was all alone.  When you land in Hong Kong the first thing you must do, after going through customs is to exchange money.  So, off I went to the exchange counter to get a reasonable amount of Hong Kong dollars for getting around in the next few days.

My stay at the hotel was paid for, but I had to get there first.  The new Hong Kong International airport is built on an island and is quite a ways from the main part of the city.  So, the way to get there easiest is by way of the train, a part of the subway system.  Again, I had to maneuver my suitcases and guitar after I took them from the pushcart.  The nice thing about my luggage is that hey have great rollers on the bottom.  If that were not true I would be in having big problems with their bulk.  I set one right next to the other and propelled them forward with my guitar in my other hand.  I lucky that the speed train had not been crowded and that it had a luggage area on each car to stow my suitcases.  Airport Express

When I arrived at Admiralty Station  Hong Kong Transit Map  it was time to get off the train rails and trade them for taxi wheels. There was a queue for taxis and I had my hotel information on my itinerary which had the street address for my hotel.   That was where the awkwardness of my luggage and guitar got a bit too much.  I had to pull and push these items along avoiding bumps that might overturn them.  Let it be said that it took a little while to make it to my taxi for the trip to the hotel.

Old Hong Kong is built on hills and my hotel was in this district.  The roads twisted and turned until I made it to nearly the top.  I paid the taxi, and was assisted into the hotel, checked in, and went to my room.  The room I had was rather small which is quite normal for Hong Kong.  I wasn't there for a vacation, but rather for obtaining that all important visa.  Immediately upon arrival I had asked for information as to how to get to the Chinese visa building.  Because all, or most all of the taxi drivers speak Mandarin I had to have directions written down to get me to my destination the next day.

My view from the 9th floor of the hotel overlooked what?  The street and hillside of this part of Hong Kong was like a beehive of interconnected lives, businesses, and activity.  To the left from my window you could see the winding road from which I had arrived.  Above that was a steep hillside which was held back by a high concrete wall.  Slightly to the right of that were apartment buildings reaching 20 floors upward.  From my window I could see the goings on of some of these apartments with residents going about their daily lives.  There was a rooftop swimming pool on one shorter building and a tennis court on another.  Straight across from me was the beginning of small businesses which winded serpentine up  and to the right.  These included boutiques, barbers, small grocery stores, etc.  Some of these "stores" were not much larger than a door with their kitchen or working place spreading back into the interior.  

I set out to explore the area nearby the hotel.  I went to the front desk and asked where I might find some cafes where I could eat.  Walking the streets of Hong Kong was to be my exercise for the days to come.  This area of Hong Kong has features which are very curious.  About a hundred yards to the right of my hotel was a covered stairway/escalator which went down the side of the hill first one block down, then another, then another.  The hillside was nearly a 45 degree angle incline, so normal walking of this could quickly tire certain people.  The escalator was created to go down at one time of day when the foot traffic was going to work and upward when the foot traffic was returning home in the PM of the day.  Clever!  

The next day was my visa run day.  I got up early and, using my Mandarin directions on the back of the hotel's business card and took a taxi to the Chinese visa building.  When I arrived I was greeted by a long double line that almost went the whole block.  There were a host of different types of people who were in the line, but the first thing I needed to do was go to the front of the line and get a form from one of the Chinese attendants standing there.  I then returned to the rear of the line and proceeded to fill out the form with the help of my passport, etc.  The line moved very slowly which I didn't understand until I got into the active processing room.  Meanwhile I stood next to a Chinese man who had great American quality English.  He was from southern California and he had moved there years ago seeking work and now visiting his family in Shenzhen.  But, he was just one of many different stories that I overheard.  There were many British, Australian, Indian, and other nationalities who were visiting China for a host of reasons.  Chinese Visa Office in Hong Kong

I finally made it to the front of the line where all belongings were put through the security X-ray machine.  I picked up my change, watch, and other metal objects and went into the elevator to take me to floor five.  When I got there it looked a bit like a modern horse racing betting room.  There were 10 windows with professional looking Chinese women seated taking the customers as their numbers came up on the electric sign above there stations.  "Now serving # 104, etc, etc, etc" I had been told before arriving that I needed 8 passport sized photos of myself and would now give those, my passport, the filed document to one of these women when my number came up.

I've never been good for waiting, but this was an essential that had to be dealt with for my entry into China, so it was not my place to complain.  In the back of my mind was still the factor of my being a tourist but working full time.  Could this have negative repercussions?  But, now I left the Chinese visa office without my passport, to return 48 hours later prior to my flight to Shanghai and ultimately Suzhou, China.  As trusting as I am it was a little scary to have my all important passport taken from me, but that is part of the process.

I went back to the hotel and looked for ways to pass the time.  One thing that did creep into my mind was the fact that only a month later I was going to have to return to Hong Kong and do this whole procedure over again in order to secure a working visa.

I was lucky that good friends of mine from Guam had recently moved to Hong Kong from the same school that I had left.  They had found teaching jobs in an international school in Kowloon, a district to the north of Hong Kong.  So, the next day I set out to meet them at the school and get a guided tour of the facilities.  It was wonderful seeing them.  They are both musicians and we had worked many years together on many different dramatic and musical projects.  I was given a full tour of their beautiful school.  It was different from a US school in that the school was stacked upward with the rooftop space used for athletic courts and playgrounds.

We finished the evening with dinner and photos of ourselves reunited.  Then, it was back to the hotel in preparation for the next day of visa pickup and off to the airport.

I got up early and made my way to the hotel cafe where I made use of the free breakfast offered with the hotel stay.  The room was filled with mostly British people although I saw a tall elderly couple which was German.  After breakfast I prepared for the day, packed, and took my luggage down to the concierge to keep until I finished at the visa bureau.  I caught my taxi once again and this time got into the line for "pickup".  This line was much shorter than the long queue I had dealt with two days before.  I again went through security, up the elevator, and into the visa room.  I had been given a specific time to arrive and I now checked in with the Chinese visa official who gave me a number to be projected on the LED sign.  This whole process went much faster than the first day and I was happy to get my tourist visa prior to my flight in the afternoon.

With the visa in hand I now took a taxi back to the hotel, picked up my luggage, and using the same taxi went off to the train station for transporting to the airport.   Everything was in reverse of my arrival.  I was a bit nervous now knowing that I was truly on my way to China, by myself.

Leaving: Tears and Butterflies

Once I had decided to leave Guam and move to China to continue my musical teaching career the superb Chinese workers at Suzhou Singapore International School set to work to get me there with as much speed as was possible.  The principal for SSIS wanted me there "NOW", but I also felt an obligation to leave the school on Guam with as much notice as I could give them.  I had taught at the school in Guam for fourteen years and even if I had little respect for the headmaster and his decisions to harshly deal with my colleagues, I would try to make a change as smoothly as I could.  So, after obtaining my date of departure from the Suzhou crew I gave my notice.

As soon as the departure date was known it became high priority to take care of shipping my belongings to China.  SSIS arranged for a shipping company from Guam to come by, estimate the quantity of goods to be sent, and set up a date for packing and shipping.  I knew from the beginning that it would be months before I saw these goods again, so a reasonable amount of clothes and necessities for my work had to be thought of for inclusion in my luggage.  I would soon find out just how difficult it can be to be separated by an ocean and the confinement within China away from the United States of America.

Because I had been at the school on Guam for such a long time the students were almost like my own children and it was very difficult to say goodbye.  I made my announcement of departure to all my classes and the faces dropped.  Some children gave me artistic projects with their best wishes enclosed.  I had a few long-time friends who wanted to have a meal together and talk.  All the normal daily musical obligations which were a part of my job, such as playing in the school's chapel, were heart-rending experiences because now I knew that I wouldn't be doing this again and hearing these songs performed after fourteen years of being a fixture in that school.

I have to say that walking on the beach of Tumon Bay which was a common thing to do during a week was now a sight that meant so much to me.  When would I walk here again and would I find a place that might be like this in China?  This was one of many things that I had to live without going to this new place.           

I was talking to friends about information to the end that the place I was going to in China was a powerhouse of commerce.  Shanghai and the surrounding area was a magnet for western companies who manufactured their product in that place.  The stories were flying at me from anyone and everyone who had a Chinese connection.  And of course my Chinese friends, many of who I had met through my teaching at the Guam school, were all watching my every move and wanting to know how I might fare in their home country.  In some cases I would be only a short distance from their home cities.

My facebook account was going to be observed by people:  both friends and family.  Most Americans rarely have the experience of living overseas, let alone Communist China.  From an early age we Americans observe this place, another RED country, and fear for our lives for what might happen to us.  Personally, I had a different point of view about China than many of my friends.  I was an historian and tried to understand the world,even if I didn't agree with the differences.  Many people live differently than myself and my family and we all live together in this small blue world.

What I had observed was that China was always a country of living within its boundaries.  Through its long history there have been few times when it had felt compelled to invade a neighbor.  Its main concern was for itself and its people.  If one looks at Confucian teachings, the thinking is more towards an ordered society than domination of others around them, or world domination.  There will be more about this subject in the future.

So, what was this place like that I was leaving?  And what would my new place like?  I've always said to my close friends that "I live for a view" meaning that it's important in my life to see something, even in my daily life, that is beautiful in some way.  Beauty should be a part of  your life, not something that you have to go see.  It should be with you always.  The view from my window:

As I look out the window I see the full panorama of Tumon Bay, Guam.  To my left I see a good sized villa built by the owner of the Tumon water-slide.  He has his place surrounded by artificial adobe walls and a modern beautiful, and well-kept garden.  To my right I see the back of the Duty Free Shopping Mall and over it I see the water of Tumon Bay with the ocean's waves crashing on the reef 150 yards out from the shore.  Closer in and to right is another condominium complex, similar to where I live, painted white with its flat roof, a common architectural trait, and a part of my spectacle.  Straight in front of me, close in (perhaps 500 yards away) is the Guam Hyatt Hotel with its modern colonial exterior.  Further out past the Hyatt Hotel is Tumon Bay as it gently bends and stretches out towards the horizon in the center of my view.  A mile further along that stretch of beach from the Hyatt is the Hilton Hotel, which has been a fixture of Tumon Bay for many decades.  Beyond the Hilton is the end of Oka Point with its crashing waves against the rocks beneath its cliffs.
The sky above is azure blue  with billowy white cumulus clouds which is a regular sight in this tropical island paradise.  This is the view from the window that I leave behind.