Psychology 101

What are they interested in hearing about?

Write me messages you guys, otherwise I don't think anyone checks out my blog.  What do you want to hear about (if anything?)  I am considering writing about shopping next (but need more photos) and then a bit about traveling maybe.  What else would you like to hear about?


xx,

Shanghaisuz

Wildlife in Shanghai

This week I thought I would write about the wildlife in Shanghai.  Those of you who know me well will be very clear on why there are not many pictures this week.  I am very wary of anything that has more legs than I do!  (Luckily I have not seen any spiders - yet!)

I mentioned the cicadas earlier.  They have died down somewhat and now very seldom begin their chorus.  However, there are plenty of other beasties to notice.  

Frogs?  Toads?  Whichever, there are plenty about and as you can see, they swim in the canal on occasion.  On land they are often around in the evening on the sidewalk, jumping swiftly into bushes as you walk by.  Unfortunately they are also  to be found very flat on the road as I walk to school!  Not pleasant - very dried up and very froggie.  

Speaking of canal swimmers, the other day Katrina was telling me she was walking home from school and she saw something swimming frantically in the canal.  At first she thought it was a cat, so she looked again and then thought it was a small dog.  Upon further inspection it turned out that it was the biggest rat she had ever seen.  Needless to say we are now very cautious walking at night with bushes either side of the sidewalk!

Mosquitoes are a fact of life here and I brought some strong repellant with me, which I have not even used.  I found that everyone I know has been bitten to death and they haven’t touched me!  Until yesterday, that is, and even then they don’t seem to do any damage, unlike the others who have big, red welts.  I am not sure what I have done to deserve the hiatus (because New Zealand sandflies eat me alive!) but they don’t seem to like me.  

In the evenings, all you need to do is walk outside to see the little bats flitting here and there.  They seem very friendly and sweet - only tiny, really.  As long as they know their place is in the sky and mine is not!

Wally

There are cats everywhere!!!  Many are tiny - only a matter of a week or two old and others a bit older, but by then generally thin and mangy-looking.  My friend was handed a tiny kitten by a little girl who then ran off.  She had taken it home and her mother would not let her keep it, so she was desperate to find a home for it.  Needless to say my friend could not bring herself to turf it out, so it has become “Wally” and a part of their family.  It took 3 adults, a child and an iPhone to find a vet for Wally’s first checkup, but that is another story!

There are a lot of pet dogs here in the compound but it is not a good idea to pat them as rabies is quite rife here.  

Last but not least I must sneak this in as it is not strictly wildlife.  I BOUGHT MY SCOOTER TODAY!!!!  It’s beautiful, isn’t it?  I must say I even went down to the basement tonight when I got home from a party, just to say good night and make sure it was still there.  It is electric and on full charge will go up to 70 kilometers in distance but until I feel more confident about the roads (and that could take years!!!!) I will only ride it to school and back or early in the morning before there is much traffic.  Traffic here is hectic and everyone turns on red lights every which way.

So, there you have it for this week.

xx,

Shanghaisuz

My School

Main entrance

I am loving my new school for all sorts of reasons so this week there will be lots of photos of the school.

The British International School of Shanghai (quite a mouthful but it is no longer known as BISS) is only a 10 minute walk from my apartment.  Each morning as I walk to school, I encounter people riding their bicycles on their way to work.  Nearly all wear a light green uniform and often coolie hats and they are most likely street cleaners.

Security guard checking my temperature

Workers on their way to work

Looking towards the senior school

Looking towards the infant block, where I work

Main reception area

As you come in the building from any entrance, there are security guards.  You can see we have to wear identity badges at all times, as do visitors.  Some mornings the guards check your temperature (yes, that is what he is doing, not shooting me).  If your temp is too high, you are sent home - as simple as that!  I think this has been as a response to bird flu and swine flu.  Also, knives are locked away in stores and you have to sign to buy them.  My understanding is that there have been several incidents of teacher stabbings in this country, so this is a protection measure, too.

One of the play areas

My classroom

It consists of various blocks with the Theatre being closest to the main entrance.  A Sports Hall is just beyond that with a swimming pool.  Main reception is  part of B Block where most of the primary (Years 2 - 6) have classrooms.  Block A is next as you go anti-clockwise and this is where the infants are - including my classroom.  There is an astro playground and an all-wether base playground for the children.  Moving on anti-clockwise is Block C, the senior block.  I think total enrollment is about 1150.  

My classroom is large and looks out at a residential area.  I have a HUGE storage room off the main classroom which has yet to be cleaned and organized.  So I will leave you with lots of photos this week.

From a Yr 1 art class I taught

Learning body parts

xxx,

Shanghaisuz

Out and About

This seemed like a topical issue for today.  At the moment the ways I get around are by walking, tuk tuk, taxi and metro. Right hand traffic is the order of the land so I have to rethink trying to walk on the lefthand side!

Tuk tuk

Walking is hot work here because of the humidity.  I find that in general I walk a lot faster than everyone else and maybe that is why I arrive places flushed and with perspiration dripping down my back!  However, it seems that to get from A to B in the quickest fashion, walking quickly is the ticket.  However, I am finding that the Chinese people are very laid back and patient.  They expect things to take a long time, so I guess hurrying is not important to them.  When I can get away with it, I wear my running shoes, but going to and from school I usually wear my sandals.

Tuk tuks are all right for short distances and if you have a load of shopping.  Our compound does not let them in, so they have to let you off at the entrance and you walk from there.  It is not a great distance so it really doesn’t matter.  Most tuk tuks are electric, although I did see some traditional leg-powered bicycle versions in Beijing last year.  Those drivers must keep very fit!

Taxis are cheap and plentiful so I have used them frequently.  There are several sorts and you have to know the difference.  The surest is to take the metered taxis which are like taxis the world over - apart from the white sheeting they cover the seats with, which looks like fitted bed sheets.  Some of the taxis have a small TV screen behind the front passenger headrest for people in the backseat to watch.  Mostly it is advertising and in Chinese, so not very useful to me!  Then there are the illegal taxis.  You have to tell them where you are going and then negotiate a price for the trip.  To do this, you really have to know the metered cost or you will be taken for a ride (literally and figuratively!)  Finally, there are local taxis.  In our neck of the woods these are orange and I don’t exactly know the radius they stretch to.  

The metro has got to be the best value for money!  It is amazingly clean and efficient, particularly in rush hour when the roads can be very gridlocked.  (Of course the metro is packed like sardines at those times of the day, but that is another matter!)  The cheapest ride is 3 ¥ ( about NZ $ 0.60) and the most expensive - to the other side of the city - would be 8 ¥ (about NZ $1.75).  It’s a real bargain and if you miss one, there is usually another there within 3 minutes.

I have yet to tackle the buses, but I will do so at some stage to get to the metro station (which is sadly quite far away).

Entrance to my compound with guard

My compound is not gated, but has two guards on duty.  They also patrol around on bikes at all hours of the night and day.  I was told not to worry if I am walking alone and they follow me.  They are just making sure I arrive home safely.  Quite sweet.  They do get to know us as we wander past to work and back every day.  

There is a little old man and his wife who often bring a stool out and sit on the sidewalk with their baby grandson.  I stop and coo over him and so far could only say “hello” although after my Mandarin lesson yesterday I did attempt “good afternoon” which got me a huge grin.  

Oriental Pearl Tower at night

A friend and I were at Pudong the other evening and the area near the Oriental Pearl Tower (used for radio and TV transmission), the SWC Building (third highest int he world with 101 floors) and the Jin Mao Tower (an amazing building that has a central core you can view by leaning out over perspex and looking straight down) was all lit up.  Most of the shots were too dark, but you can see how beautiful and futuristic the Oriental Pearl Tower looks.  

In our local canals there are small fish and I have put this photo in to show you how they catch them.  There are two rods, I assume made of bamboo, with a net hooked between them.  The lower them into the water and wait until they think there are fish in there, then they pull them up.  They take them home in buckets tied to the side of their bicycles (although this man has his in a basket on the side of his bike).  I took this photo from my balcony.  

Man fishing in the canal

Well, that’s it for today.  It is raining so it has been a good day to write.

xx,

Shanghaisuz

My Apartment

The living room

Colourful bedroom decor

Dining room / Kitchen

I thought you might like to see what a Shanghai apartment looks like.  It is larger than I expected, consisting of a living room, dining / kitchen, 2 bathrooms and 2 bedrooms.  The decor is quite modern and sleek - at least the main rooms are.  The bedroom linen is....interesting!






The floors are all hardwood and tiles in the bathrooms.  They are mopped twice a week and my contract stipulates no hard-soled shoes.  This is fairly normal.  Among other things you don't want to drag into the house all the nasties that lurk on the streets outside.







In the kitchen, instead of a conventional stove, there is a gas wok stove.  with 2 deep indentations just the right size for a wok and vents along the top rim.  Quite ingenious, really.  No oven of course so I am thankful that I have my little oven arriving with my shipment.  In fact, it will be interesting to see if I can fit everything in.  If not, I have lots of storage space at school and I will put school things there.  Sue had a great idea which I may use - I may pull the refrigerator out and put it next to the water dispenser and get shelves made for the refrigerator cavity.  That way I can get the microwave off the countertop and have a bit more space.  We will see what I can find when the time comes.

No news on my shipment yet.  I had hoped it would arrive before the October vacation, but my documentation will not be ready yet by then, so it has not yet been sent off.  I am learning to be minimalist!

I did buy a couple of things yesterday (besides groceries) - a wok and a rice cooker, neither of which I have in my shipment (there was no point brining coals to Newcastle)!  A nice man helped me carry some of the things up the stairs.

xxx,
Shanghaisuz

Pudong, Shanghai

It has been a long time between postings. It took quite some time to get my internet up and running, and then I had to sort out a way to get to my blog / Facebook / Youtube and so on. It has been 3 weeks of wonder, learning, excitement and new experiences.

I am enjoying China, despite being currently in the middle of a typhoon. We were advised last night that school would be cancelled today by mandate from the Shanghai local governing body. Today was to have been the first day of school for the local schools (but we have been going a week). The children looked pretty happy to have another day off!

My school is fantastic. There were 3 people (with a bus!) to meet us at the airport and take us to our apartments. I have a two-bedroomed apartment which is decorated in a fairly modern style. There are two bathrooms and two balconies which overlook several canals. The compound is sentried at our entrance, and in other areas there is a barrier. There are always two men on duty at each entry / exit point and many others who patrol. There are security cameras everywhere!

During the day there are street cleaners who use brooms made of branches and men who empty the garbage bins. Also men who come along to each apartment entrance and uplift the garbage that you leave out for them to take. The ayi (aunties) are the house cleaners or maids. Mine started 4 days after I arrived and she comes twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. At this stage she mops the floors, washes and hangs out clothes, orders water and cleans the bathrooms. Once I have my things I will get her to shop for and prepare some meals. At the moment it is hard since I only own 1 plate, bowl, glass, etc....

I love my little class. I have 17 Year One children and boy, is it an eye-opener teaching girls again!!! I have had daily compliments on my skirts, jewellery, hair, etc. And the gender differences are very marked. The school is run with great efficiency and although I have a lot to take in, I am loving it. Oh yes, I applied for the senior teacher's position for Year 1 and was appointed as Year Group Leader. Needless to say I am thrilled about that!

Today I had my first hairdresser's visit. It was interesting - 3 hours long! After that I walked over to the supermarket and stocked up on groceries in case the weather really closes in badly.

There will be much more to report, along with pictures as things progress.

xxx,

Shanghai Suz