Inner Mongolia

I am now in the city of Baotou, Inner Mongolia. Taught a summer camp in Beijing and they offered me one in Inner Mongolia. The money worked out better that way and I thought that going to Inner Mongolia might be interesting, so here I am.

For those who are unaware, Inner Mongolia is a province of China. I expected there to be at least some remnants of Mongolian culture here, but alas no. It's a fairly standard Han Chinese city here. We are teaching in a middle school, 60 students per class and 6 hours teaching a day. It's fairly gruelling cos the classes start at 7:30AM and continue til 11:10, when we go back to the hotel for lunch and siesta until 3PM, when classes start again. We finish at 6:40PM and have dinner at 7:30PM. So, by the time dinner is over, the day is more or less gone! On the other hand, the students are very enthusiastic and eager to ask questions and participate in activities. They are the most creative students I have taught in my 3 year teaching career here. They also seem a lot more in touch with foreign culture. This is all very encouraging.

We finish this camp on July 31st and the plan is to return to Beijing and teach another camp. I have a ticket to Ireland booked for the 20th of August.

Well, no rest for the wicked: must have a look and see what I will teach tomorrow.

Teaching In Beijing

Arrived in Beijing last Thursday morning. First impression on landing – wow, the visibility is crap! Must be the pollution. I used to think Chengdu was polluted, but it’s nothing like Beijing! Then again, Chengdu is in a basin, which is prone to fog, so sometimes I wasn’t sure if it was fog or smog in Chengdu. The Chinese media are also saying not to assume that the haze in Beijing is due to smog – they are saying that it could be due to fog too.

So, other impressions: wow, everyone speaks crispy-clear Mandarin – where’s the fun in that? Half the challenge of Chengdu was figuring out what the hell they were saying in Sichuan dialect! Another impression was that things are a lot pricier in Beijing, except for buses and the subway, which are still cheap!

After a weekend of relaxing and navigating the vastness of the city, I started in my summer camp job today. Teaching secondary school students English in summer camp. Turned out better than I thought – most of them are really into it! Most of them are not from Beijing at all, but are mainly from the surrounding provinces. Some of them are better than some of the university students I have previously taught! These students seem more au-fait with foreign culture and I was surprised about how much they new about other countries and cultures. All this is a good thing for China’s future.

Leaving Chengdu

It is with a great deal of sadness in my heart that I must say goodbye to Chengdu for the time being. Well, owing to the fact that my student visa runs out on August 24th, I would have had to leave the country anyway. Chengdu has grown on me so much. I don’t know why I like it so much. I love Dalian too, but I think Chengdu is close to my heart, probably because of all the peoples I have met, Chengdu people are closest in attitude to Irish people. We both enjoy life and try not let work take over. Chengdu people also have a great sense of humour and a light-hearted approach to life. Some people think the pace of life is too slow here, but I like it.

I need to earn some money, so I am off to Beijing for a few weeks to teach a summer camp. I may hang on a few days after and visit Dalian. After that, it’s return to the fair emerald Isle!

My plan? Well, I need to rejoin the real world and find a proper job. I’d like to stay on here in Chengdu if I can find a good job. Otherwise it’s Beijing or Shanghai or head home. The strictening (I know it’s not a real word) of the visa system in China won’t help matters, so I don’t know when I can actually come back.

Aside: owing probably to the Olympics, the government has really tightened up on visas – no longer can you convert from one type to another while in China. You have to leave and re-apply – possibly in your home country. Also, tourist visas require return air-tickets and pre-booked hotel accommodation for your full stay. I also hear that work visas aren’t being issued but who knows. It’s rumourville central!

I will be sad to leave Chengdu, but it will also be nice to see some friends in Beijing (and maybe Dalian, if I can get there). I hope I am lucky and will get the chance to come back to this great city again!

Oh, on a good note, I fluked a scholarship from the school here, allegedly for “overall performance”. Don’t know how I managed that. Maybe it’s cos I actually went to class! The scholarship was in the form of cash. It will come in handy to put towards the expense of getting.