30 Day Tourist Visa/To Work Visa/ Marooned in Hong Kong!!

One of the interesting things about a big school like Suzhou Singapore International School is that it has a budget for dealing with all aspects of teacher's visa needs.  Because I had arrived so late and because the principal rushed me to the school they used the quick route, a tourist visa, to get me into the country.  But, what that meant was that I would need to leave after 30 days, leave the country, and then reenter after obtaining a work visa with documentation which I had received through the human resources department of SSIS.

I was actually excited with this prospect because I do love to travel by plane, no matter where the destination might be.  For me the destination out was the same for entry, Hong Kong.  So, the school had booked a flight and a stay at the same hotel in Hong Kong.  Once there I would again go to the Chinese visa building and this time give all the documents needed and within a few days return and have the Z work visa necessary for the rest of the year.

So, I was driven to Shanghai's Pudong Airport by the school's hired chauffeur and got on the flight for Hong Kong leaving a day prior to the end of my tourist visa.  I arrived in Hong Kong and again took the train, and then the taxi to the same hotel that I'd used one month earlier.  This was like a little vacation for me.  I was even getting paid for this trip as well as all the expenses, so why complain?

The next day I went to the Chinese visa bureau and again went through the long line, as I had in October, early in the morning preparing for giving the documents to them and returning the next day to receive my work visa.  Everything went well as it had one month before and I returned to my hotel to wait for my visa the following day.

Shenzhen train station

                                                                                                        
I took the extra time to search out a special purchase for a friend of mine who told me a particular skin cream was much cheaper when purchased in Hong Kong.  I was only happy to get this item since I was in the district of Hong Kong where it could be obtained easily. Duty for certain products are very excessive when purchased inside China.  Also, that evening I made plans to visit a friend of mine who had just moved to Shenzhen, right over the border from Hong Kong.  It was merely a short train trip away.

That next day I went to the bureau and was very happy to pick up my work visa and I was on my way.  No one explained anything about the visa to me, but I figured I was secure in using it for visiting my friend that evening, in Shenzhen.  I was now the holder of a Chinese Z visa.

That evening I took a train to the border of Hong Kong and China at Shenzhen.  At this station were lots of shops and restaurants and my friend and I had made plans to have a little bit to eat and a cup of coffee.  At the border all the trains passengers had to go through customs in the normal way you would as if  you were entering China for the first time.  Of course I had my visa now and I was confident as I passed the guards and officials en route to where my friend had told me to meet him.  Actually, it was a little more complicated than that.  I had to call him when I arrived and he came to me.  We spent an enjoyable couple of hours talking and sharing since we hadn't seen each other since our time on Guam together.  Then, as it was getting very late I left and reentered Hong Kong and took the train back, followed by a taxi ride to my hotel.

The next morning I checked out and made my way to the Hong Kong airport once again.  This time happy that I now had my work visa and would now spend the next good part of a year without that to worry about anymore.  I strode up to the China Airline counter and took out my passport and ticket information.  Then came the shock of my life!

                                                                                                     
The China Eastern airline counter woman said, "I'm sorry sir, but you cannot fly today. You do not have a valid entry visa!"  I stood there absolutely stunned.  What was she talking about?  I had just gotten my work visa yesterday.  I remember another man being asked to assist me as I felt like I was going to have a heart attack or something.

What was she talking about?  I showed her my visa once again.  She said, "you used this 'once only' visa last night at the border going to Shenzhen, sir."  OMG.  It was a one use only visa and I had used it to see my friend for coffee and small talk.  Now what?

The airline assigned a young clerk to me to help get myself organized.  I really think that I was about to have a heart attack.  First, they said they would honor my ticket for days to come, so that was OK.  But, now what?  The clerk took me to a travel agent on the floor of the airport beneath the level where we were currently.  I went to the desk and they said they could get me a tourist visa into the country within 24 hours.  So, I paid the fee and gave them my documents and set out to spend one more night in Hong Kong.  This was Thursday and I would return on Friday to this counter, get my visa and get back to Suzhou.

Meanwhile I got back on the train and headed back to the hotel that I'd stayed in.  When I arrived I asked for a room only to find that they were full up and now I would need to find another hotel.  So, I sat down and thought a while for my next move.  The hotel was actually very good at finding me another hotel that would be reasonable for my extra day.  I decided on a Ramada Inn and so the hotel doorman flagged down a taxi and I was on my way.

The evening was quite uneventful accept for my contacting the school in Suzhou to tell them of my dilemma.  The school's human resources woman changed the flight to the next day for me and I was relieved to think that I would soon be on my way "back home."  I did economize on dinner by buying a few inexpensive fruits and Chinese foods (like a bao) which were quite tasty.

I got up early, paid my room fee, and again took my things to the airport via taxi, and train.  When I arrived I went directly to the counter where my visa was being processed.  The woman who had helped me the day before wouldn't look me in the eye.  She looked everywhere but at me and said, "sorry sir, but we cannot get you a visa."  I was furious!  I had waited 24 hours and given them this job to do and now what?  Was I not going to be able to return to China at all?  Again my mind returned to the evening with my friend and thought, "was that worth it?"  It was still morning at this time, so if I hurried I could make it to the visa bureau before the end of the working day.

I again took the train into Hong Kong and went directly to the visa bureau.  I got in line and waited and waited.  Time seemed to move very slowly.  There was a  special line for problems and I met what seemed to be the main visa bureau officer.  I pleaded with this man to give me another 30 day tourist visa, after I told him my story about using the one use visa to go to Shenzhen.  He laughed at me which did not endear him to me.  But, I hid my anger the best I could and waited his next best deal.  He told me that he would give me a seven day tourist visa and that was the best he could do.  What could I do?  I knew that wouldn't do the job, but I had to bet back to Suzhou.  I took my chances and said, "yes, give me the seven day visa."

Ramada Inn Hong Kong

                                                                                                                  
This was now the end of the day and I couldn't come back to pick up the visa until Monday morning, so I left once again to return to the same Ramada Inn for the weekend.  I felt truly marooned in Hong Kong.  I took long walks around the hotel district where the Ramada Inn was located.  I got to know that area of Hong Kong quite well.  There were lots of shops for all kinds of food, clothes, and Chinese herbal medicines.  I liked walking through the side streets and seeing the daily life of these people.  From my hotel window I had a great view of the Hong Kong harbor which has constant movement from sampans to large ocean going vessels.

Finally Monday arrived and I made my way once more to the visa bureau to pick up my visa and catch the plane.  YES!  The seven day visa was ready and again I made my way to the airport by way of taxi and train.  I was finally on my way back to Suzhou. I caught the plane and Hong Kong was in the past.

Starting Elementary Orchestra....Late

I had arrived at Suzhou Singapore International School the second week of October.  School had been going since the middle of August so all the classes that I had were late to begin.

The school is large enough for there to be two elementary music specialist.  The school year started with a traumatic beginning to the music department.  Whoever had been hired to be the second music teacher came the first day, walked in the door, and by the end of the first day had decided (for whatever reasons) to turn and walk away once more.  This left my musical colleague with double the load.  There were nearly 500 students and usually they were divided between the two teachers.  She had to have twice normal sized classes until I arrived.

So, when I did arrive she gave a sigh of relief that someone had come to ease the burden.  What I hadn't mentioned before was that each of us had a specialization of musical duties for this school.  She had the elementary choir and I had the elementary string orchestra.

                                                                                                           
My experience prior to SSIS was inclusive of many musical duties.  I had taught elementary choir, middle school choir, high school choir, middle school pop band, high school pop band, and middle and high school orchestra.  So, I knew what was necessary for starting the year with the elementary orchestra, but it was now two months into the school year.

That put a bit of a rush into my procedures.  Within a week of arriving I had put a notice out to all who had previously been in orchestra, but I also invited others to audition as well.  So, by the third week I was listening to auditions during all my breaks to make up for the fact that it hadn't been done in August.

Students would come in with their instrument and play a short passage as well as a little scale work to hear their facility on their instruments.  Those involved ranged from second through the fifth grade.  Most were placed in the orchestra, but there were a few who needed some further private lessons to play the musical arrangements which would be our repertoire.  One little girl, a Kindergartener, came in after only a few lessons on the piano and wanted to be the orchestra's accompanist.  Disappointed perhaps, but realistic, she had to be sent away to return later or even the next school year with more performance experience.  Many of these students, with only a short musical career, were actually quite advanced.  As can be expected there were more piano players than could be used, but I had a plan for their inclusion.

The music which was in the filling cabinet was a bit advanced for many of the youngest students.  That is a problem when it comes to young, young groups.  The first job of a good instructor is to see exactly what their group is capable of.  So, I set out to do just that.  As much as some of these students had auditioned they were young and inexperienced which showed in their playing.

                                                                                                           
In my work prior to SSIS I had created a considerable number of arrangements using Sibelius music software.  For the beginner musician this is a Godsend.  If the part given by the instructor is much too difficult it can be rewritten to allow for the student's personal growth.  After the student has improved the part can again be rewritten easily to a higher degree of difficulty.  This almost amounts to individual instructional materials, but that is a preferred alternative to the traditional way which leaves some musicians "lost".

So, rehearsals began in earnest.  Our first performances were going to be during the holiday time.  In China it was not a good idea to perform Christian songs, so my repertoire was confined to generic songs like "Jingle Bells" and things like that.  I suppose that's normal in American schools, too.  I had just come from a Christian school where there were no restrictions in this way.  When you think about how late in the school year I began working with the children it's a bit of a miracle to have gotten many pieces learned in time for those performances.  But, we did and as that began it was already time to look past January 1st to music for Chinese New Year which was a much bigger holiday than Christmas in China.  My work was cut out for me.

Visiting My Chinese Friends' Apartment

I had stayed in contact with my Chinese friend who had greeted me the first day in Suzhou.  That late night mishap was now a standing joke between us.  She, her fiancee, and their friends were having fun with this American man who had come to work in Suzhou.  People are keen on trying to improve their English skills in China by conversing at casual dinners and such and she and I had met a time or two to have a little dinner and conversation.  She and her friends were all recent graduates of the University and were very much interested in what I might teach them by way of our conversations.

One evening she suggested to come to her shared apartment for a meal which her boyfriend would prepare for us all.  She explained that he was much more the cook than she was.  I immediately accepted the invitation which would be for the following Saturday morning and into the day.  She wanted me to experience the whole preparation of the meal; from buying the food, to serving it, and finally a bit of entertainment in the afternoon.  So, I was set and ready to go with the directions which she had given me to show to the taxi driver.

Saturday morning arrived and I went down to the boulevard to flag down a taxi.  She had given me her cell phone number and helped guide me to the destination through the use of our cell phones.  The taxi drove me to the old section of Suzhou to one of the main streets.  As I looked around I saw the tower of the university and streets crowed with people, but no friend.  I had paid the taxi and now was abandoned on the street waiting for my friends.

Out through a small passageway came she and her boyfriend.  We didn't stay there but for a few seconds.  She led me, along with her boyfriend across the street into a little alleyway.  The alleyway led back between two buildings into yet another alleyway at right angles with the first.  Packed into this little space were people selling their goods.  These were mostly food stuffs such as eggs, live chickens, baby chicks, live fish, vegetables of every type that I knew, and more that I'd never seen before.  There were nuts, fruits, meat that was being cut for customers, etc, etc.  This was a virtual underground supermarket at cut rate prices.  This was how Chinese in this part of Suzhou shopped.

                                                                                                   
My friends were very familiar with this people's market and how it worked, but I was new to it and so I followed behind them gawking at all the variety of foods and how they were being sold.  I couldn't help but wonder about things like meat and items that spoiled.  Would the blood all on the ground and smell forever in that place?  This must be free enterprise at its most basic.  Does the government regulate this sort of thing.  Furthermore, is this common place throughout all of China?  For these people, is this their occupation, or is it a part-time thing which they do to raise a little extra money? It was a Saturday, perhaps this is the equivalent of a "Saturday Market" back in the US.  So many questions, but who do I ask for the answers?

When they had finished their purchases we walked back out through this maze of people and disorder to the street where I had been dropped off by the taxi.  We continued through the little passageway, which also had dealers everywhere selling things.  What I notice in this section was that there were book sellers everywhere.  We were walking toward the university housing.  There was a canal which we crossed via a nice modern bridge, but even on the bridge were book sellers with a variety of books including text books which would be sold to students as they passed.  On the banks of this canal were two fishermen, but they had no fishing poles.  These two men had birds which they were letting loose in the water.  This was Cormorant fishing, using birds to dive into the water to collect the fish and then retrieve the fish from their mouths.  I had heard of this from geography books but I'd never witnessed it.  What a concept!  This was a time tested system, but beyond my American heritage.

                                                                                           

As interesting as this was my friends were almost home now and they led to me to a grouping of apartments that were a bit more rustic than I'd seen in Suzhou Industrial Park.  These apartments resembled the row houses that I'd seen in travelogues of England.  The structures were all concrete and had some construction defects.  In fact, I hit my head rather hard on the overhanging door frame which didn't quite meet up to my height.  BANG!  And it did hurt for a while.

Their apartment was on the third floor.  They led me into a rather cool apartment and linoleum floors, rather rough furnishings, and a bedroom for the one couple, and two other bedrooms which were also occupied by two other couples.  The entire apartment couldn't have been more than 800 square feet.  But, these were recent graduates and they found this to be a fun life style, although crowded.

                                                                                                               
The boyfriend quickly began preparing the foods that had been purchased.  None of these things were what I had ever seen in my lifetime.  But, I was going to be a good sport and try all that was put in front of me.  Actually the meal was memorable in a positive way.  I think they enjoyed watching my face as I tried these dishes.  They wanted to see my reactions.  I don't really know all that I ate accept for the lotus root.  When I first saw the lotus root I asked my friend, "what is that?"  Her answer?  That is "snake."  I became very concerned, as you might understand.  She saw my shock and said, "what's wrong?"  I repeated what she said, "snake?" (with surprise)  She thought for a few moments and said, "Oh, snack! This is a snack."  My adrenaline subsided.....and I ate a piece with delight to know that it wasn't really a snake I was eating after all.

                                                                                                  
After this Saturday lunch the guy especially wanted to do something recreational.  So, they invited me to play basketball with them.  looked out the window and there no further than a stone's throw was a basketball court for students from the university.  We finished with the dishes and set out for the courts.  I think they were curious as to my physical abilities with this American sport.

It was the two Chinese men, the two ladies, and myself.  At first we played Horse.  They didn't know that game so I showed them how to play it.  All of us played and it was very enjoyable.  Then, one of the two men saw one of their male friends and it was now a two on two men's game.  My team won!  I seemed to be on fire for some reason.  I hadn't played basketball in years, but I'm sure I felt compelled to do my best against these young men.  They all gave me high-fives and the game was over.

This was the end of the day for me.  I was a bit exhausted, but exhilarated.  Again my friend took me to the main street where I'd been left off in the morning and flagged down a taxi for me.  This had been a very memorable day.




                                               

Going to Church in China

By the second week in Suzhou I had met a Chinese friend who invited me to go to church at a Christian church.  Let me say first of all that I was totally surprised by finding an outgoing Christian who would invite me to church.  This was like a hand of God reaching down and saying "I am God, alive and well in this place that you had thought I was not."   I jumped at this opportunity.  Being raised in a Christian family going to church, or being invited to go to church, had a feeling of belonging that is hard to describe.  In my mind being a Christian and sharing with other Christians has a commonality that is truly heartwarming, especially in Communist China.  So, I jumped at the chance to go to this service.

I had no idea where this church was located so I followed the directions of my Chinese friend and took the appropriate bus at the correct time and we met up that second Sunday morning.  The bus went for quite a long distance eventually coming to a university district with dormitories on each side.  We got to a particular intersection and disembarked.  At that point we walked for two very long blocks past an indoor sports complex, ending up near a beautiful lake which had a park along its shores.

                                                                                                 
The church was a huge edifice with a gigantic metal statue of Jesus in the church's courtyard.  A part of the church's grounds had Sunday School where the children were while the parents were in church.  This church was very new.  It was at most five years old and obviously created to satisfy the needs of SIP (Suzhou Industrial Park) and its ex-patriot foreign workers.  Peculiar as it might seem this church was paid for and built by the government of China.

The interior of these church was beautiful, although a bit clinical, in some respects.  Made of concrete, it was similar to the chancels of cathedrals in Europe with the shape being in the sign of a cross.  There was a central area, and to both sides were more pews.  There were TV monitors in multiple places within the church so that all who attended could easily see and hear what the pastor or song leaders were saying..  There were two flat screens on each side of the church at intervals, a large monitor in the front on each side.  Projected on these screens were lyrics of the songs being sung, the passages from the Bible being read as well as the liturgy which was to be read as the service progressed. 

                                                                                                              
Each Sunday there were two church services.  One service was the for foreigners which is what I attended with my friend that first Sunday visit, and also a service for the local Chinese Christians. The service for foreigners was restricted to only those who had a foreign passport.  The Chinese were kept out.  This gave us the impression that if the service by the westerners contained information opposing the Chinese government, the local Chinese would not be privy to these types of tainted words.  This particular Sunday, however, my Chinese friend managed to participate somehow.

I remember when the service was beginning the pastor asked where the visitors were from.  There were quite a few people who stood and told their country of origin. I stood up and said, "I'm from the island of Guam" which caused a murmur from the congregation....."where's that?"  Actually I don't really know what they murmured, but they did say something to each other when I was announced.  I found that to be a bit funny.  But, I wasn't surprised in that many people in the world have no idea where Guam is located.

                                                                                             
The service was nondenominational and very center field, nothing too fundamentalist, nothing too straight, either. I'm sure that the pastors that had been chosen for this job were selected to please as many parishioners as possible.  Again you must remember that this was all provided by the government of China.  The congregation was an interesting mixture of peoples; very cosmopolitan.

After the church service my friend and I took a walk along the edge of the lake.  Whoever had chosen the spot for the church had chosen well.  The edge of the lake was a huge park where many people seemed to gather on the weekend.  I was to find that the Chinese really enjoyed parks as places of solitude; places to "get away".

When I returned to work the next day I discovered that my music colleague had missed the service on Sunday but was a regular with the performing group who assisted the pastor for music.  She had been in China for seven years and was a part of the life blood of this congregation.

Beyond the church service and the building this experience had proved something to me.  The family of the Christian Church (although not spoken of much within or outside of China) was alive and well in this most populous country of the world.

                                                                                                        

On The Bus

The phrase "on the bus" means many things to people.  For some it might mean buying into a particular program, following while the leader steers you and others toward a destination which he or she feels fit to lead you.  I had a leader like that on Guam who felt compelled to drive his bus into a ditch and the wheels kept spinning while the people who were on the bus, out of desperation, got off the bus.  Who wouldn't get off the bus in those circumstances?

But, another meaning for "on the bus" is simply the true straight forward meaning.  To be "on the bus" was a way of life for those at this new school.  It was a meeting place or a beginning of the day.  It was a place where people met new friends who might remain the strongest of friends throughout their time together and into the future.

I, for one, have a long history of riding the bus.  When I was a child in Portland, Oregon the bus was a form of transportation which some in my family used regularly because we had only one car and further it was cheaper and more convenient when the bus took us to the exact place.

                                                                            
When I reached upper elementary age I took the bus to school across Portland to a private school, Trinity Lutheran School.  I got to really like the time on the bus because it gave me time to do homework before I returned home and I'd have the evening free for entertainment.  I met some interesting friends on the daily trek across Portland.

But, now in Suzhou riding the bus was a new experience for an American teacher.  All teachers and all workers rode the bus to and from the school.  It was a benefit of the job to not have to pay for transportation.  It was not necessary to have a car in Suzhou.  That could have added a whole level of expense that was unnecessary.

As I'd said in a past blog I would need to be at the entrance of my apartment, Chateau Regency, at 7:23 exactly to be picked up by the bus.  After a few days I became acquainted with the other SSIS employees who got on at my stop.  In my own apartment house building lived a Chinese kindergarten teacher.  Her claim to fame from my perspective was her ability to arrive exactly, and I truly mean exactly, at the time of the arrival of the bus.  7:23.....ah, yes, there she was walking not running across the street and never missing the bus once.  She'd see husband leave and her daughter to her transportation and there she'd be.

                                                                                           
Another person at my stop was one of the IT department Chinese workers.  He was a friendly young man who often would arrive walking backwards to the stop.  In China people do curious things and walking backward is thought of as a way of focusing the mind; something that is similar to other mind sharpening exercises.

As the school year would progress other short term employees would use this same bus stop.  I was literally always the first to the stop, a personality trait to be on time if not ahead of time. I would use the time at the stop to introduce myself and build on my Mandarin skills.

The bus would stop at the prescribed time and the women would be sent up the steps followed by myself and the Chinese IT technician.  I would greet the bus driver, after I practiced a few times, with Ni Hao and walk to the middle of the bus.  At this stop, which was near the end of the route, there were only about eight employees sitting on the bus before our stop.

Because we all worked at the same destination I eventually learned most everyone's job and where they worked within the SSIS building.  There was a Pre-K drama music teacher that I would work with in a very general way.  She was more to herself in the lower elementary school by the nature of the young students that she served.  Strange as it maybe she reminded me of a student that I'd had many years ago.

There was a woman who worked at the front desk answering the phone and other assorted assignments. Also, there was a quiet woman who was one of the best computer help desk persons that I'd met.  One day I happened to sit next to her and she shared her earphones with me.  She was listening to some American country pop music at the time and that impressed me.  I remember the song,  "You Look Beautiful In White" being one of the songs that I had heard that day.  I thought to myself, "I come all the way to China to hear an American song which I'd never heard before."

The ride to Suzhou Singapore International School took us by Jinji Lake, down a long boulevard and through a series of other large avenues until we reached the school.  The first time I rode this bus it became apparent that the bus driver was not the usual driver that I'd encountered before.  The Chinese style of driving was a bit of anything goes.  Even though we were on a large tourist styled bus he drove as if he were maneuvering a sports car.  I was to learn that this was not unusual at all for drivers in China.

                                                                        
We finally got to the school and all the buses drove up almost simultaneously.  We disembarked the buses in single file and entered the foyer of the school.  Welcome to SSIS.

Who are these students?

I've taught in a variety of situations in my musical teaching career.  A teacher learns something new from every group of students that they teach.  Beyond the curriculum that is to be dealt with, the students teach the teacher, especially about social and economic realities of a particular locale.

My first assignment was in southern Oregon in a suburban-rural setting.  The students in that school were considerably different from the environment that I had experienced where I lived in Ashland, Oregon.  Ashland, at that time, had 85% of its adult population college graduates.  That was a different situation from the surrounding cities and towns.

From this teaching situation I moved to Guam in 1990 and found myself in the southern part of the island.  Even on this little tropical island there were differences the student personalities due to sociology-economic differences.  The southern part of the island was quite rural and surprised me and other statesiders because people rarely left their villages.  In fact on a field trip that first year on Guam, although only 5 miles away from the more urban settings of mid-island left most of my choir students little lost as to how to act properly because they had never really been there before.

                                                                           
In 1994 I got a new job on Guam.  I became the music teacher of an elite school whose makeup was quite different than the school in the southern part of the island.  This school was primarily made up of students of upper middle to upper income business people.  The ethnic makeup of this school was also quite different.  Many Koreans, Japanese, Chinese, as well as some US mainland Caucasians and Filipinos made up the student population.  I was to learn the ins and outs of dealing with students whose parent language might not be English.  I would also use patience beyond what I'd dealt with in the past because of communication differences.

                                                                        
Now when I arrived in Suzhou, the students were sons and daughters of people who worked in SIP.   Suzhou Industrial Park

These parents were the factory executives of companies like Bosch, Samsung, Gucci, etc, etc, etc.  The working stays of these parents could be a two year stint, or longer depending upon the parent company and the benefits that they might receive while working in China.  The children knew that they were in Suzhou for a limited time and of course that affected their thinking.  Added to that was the parallel thinking of the administration and faculty.

                                                                         
Something that I found very unusual at SSIS was the department established in the elementary wing by the German corporation Bosch.  This was a German department who had its own German teaching staff and separate German curriculum.  I had these Deutsche kinder twice a week, two combination classes, and I had found myself using my high school German for the first time in my teaching career.  These children really appreciated the fact that I was of German descent and they liked hearing my family's history of coming to the United States from Germany in the 19th century.

It took a bit of time for me to understand and incorporate the PYP methodology, but I finally began to see that these students were thoroughly indoctrinated in this style of teaching and responded  easily to its methods and they were used to all the teachers tying their knowledge together and making a cohesion that wouldn't have occurred in other methodologies.  So, I was beginning to see the advantage of this overall method to educate with a consistency that I'd never seen before.

One thing that could be said for this school and other international schools is the way discipline occurs.  For one thing the ability to go to another school is very limited.  So, if there is ever a discipline problem with any student, parents really do enter into the discussion to straighten the child or they will find themselves without a school at all for their child to attend. That has its definite advantage over other situations where I'd taught.

I was now beginning to assimilate into this new school and its curriculum.  A good year was ahead of me.

Invited to old Suzhou

During the first week of work I had been assisted by my friend, Linda, who was part of the organization which was hired by SSIS to help teachers adjust to living in China.  But, Linda had shown more interest in me for some reason.  I was somehow different.  I still don't understand that being on the inside of me I can't see what she might mean by that.  But, she wanted to introduce me to her boyfriend, and another couple who were also curious about this new American teacher.

We made plans to go to the old section of Suzhou early Saturday morning I didn't really know where I was going so Linda had me call her on her cell phone and had me give the cell phone to the taxi driver to direct him to the correct location.

The taxi took me out of SIP (Suzhou Industrial Park where I lived) to the old city of Suzhou, which lay to the west of SIP.  There was a distinct difference when I entered this part of the city.  SIP was a designed city with well-manicure.

                                                                           
A little about Suzhou, China:  Suzhou is nearly 2,500 years old.  The old city of which I am speaking was built as a moated city using the river as its source of water for the moat.  Generally in the shape of a square or rectangle, the city had a tall wall around it until the second world war when the Japanese forced the Chinese to destroy their own city wall which had the result of angering the Chinese to the point that even in present times there is an animosity that has not dissipated.  History of Suzhou / Canals

I was meeting these two couples at the entrance to one of the oldest streets in Suzhou.  The street was more of a path than a modern street which was paved with stones in a design.  This street had on one side an old canal with gondolas and at intervals were stone bridges which arched the waterway with enough space for these vessels to go beneath.

One of these men had pretty good English and he was the person who told me the history of this street.  He also told me about the destruction of the walls of Suzhou by the Japanese.  I could see that this was the inside of a story, from the perspective of the Chinese, a story that I had never known.  We talked and walked along the canal for quite a while.  We passed boutiques, restaurants, and vendors on this bright October day.  Finally we came to a restaurant that specialized in Dim Sum where we went inside.

The restaurant was against the canal on one side and was two stories high.  It was a very old building with a very steep wooden stairway almost like a ladder, but much sturdier.  We sat in a large booth which had open windows, with no glass simply open to the outdoors.  I sat by the wall and looked down on passers-by as the food was served.  Conversation was centered on me; who I was, where I was from, and other factors of my being American in China.  My new friends were very, very curious.  They questioned me in their limited English.

                                                                                   
After the lunch we went outside and took photos with the canal in the background and a weeping willow tree for a background.  They were thrilled and so was I.  I had found some wonderful new friends.

We continued our walk down this ancient street and ended our walk at a busy street which also crossed this canal.  Later I would discover, on another day, that this particular part of Suzhou is the center of much tourism for Chinese as well as foreigners.

There was a small fruit stand at the street and my friends were quick to ask me what kind of fruit I might like as a parting gift.  This was so extravagant of them especially after they had paid for my lunch in the Dim Sum restaurant.  But, I was not about to turn down their hospitality.  They were very kind.

                                                                         
As we had walked the one male friend had questioned me about what sports that I liked to play.  That was a refreshing thought.  Perhaps I might get some exercise as well as meeting them....somewhere in the near future.

They hailed a taxi and with my card which said, "Chateau Regency" I was on my way home to my apartment.  What a lovely Saturday morning and now afternoon this had been.

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.