Stephen

Ramblings of a seriously bored person in Hainan, China

Rub a dub dub, 6 men in a....sauna!

Once again, this is homey writing. I don't believe Stephen is going to be back so I've made a decision to change the name of this blog. I will do this next week, so be ready to make a change for the change.

Now, concerning  the title of this blog. Strange.....well kinda. You see, I went to Shenyang last week for a business meeting. Had a great time by the way, in case you're wondering. Anyway, another business associate and I were standing in the hotel lobby discussing the day's events. He looks over and notices that the hotel has a sauna. So we walk over to the front desk to make a few inquiries. After some sign language and using my poor Chinese, we were able to find out where it was. We head on up to the third floor and exit the elevator into a very well decorated waiting room. The staff was very friendly and extremely helpful as we tried our best to find out the prices and what all they had to offer. They also seemed a bit surprised to see two foreigners coming in and trying to ask them about the sauna.

I finally managed to ask one of the staff members if my associate could have a look at the sauna. He was really wanting to know if they had a chill pool. I decided to wait in the lobby while my friend goes to have a look. A few minutes later he comes out and says let's go. Not thinking much about it, we get back on the elevator and head back down to the lobby. Once we get there, I asked him why he decided to leave.

Now, neither I nor my friend have ever been to a sauna here in China nor in Asia so what I'm going to say (write) was a little shocking to the both of us. He tells me that when he entered the sauna area, he sees 6 totally nude young men sitting around the sauna. They see him enter the room and they all get up and approach him. There's no telling what he was thinking at the time; but I can imagine. He tells me that while he is looking around these guys are constantly trying to get him to take his clothes off. They even lead him to the change room and offer to help him get undressed.

I don't know nor does my friend know if this is normal; helping to get you undressed and so forth. Is this what they do in China and other Asian countries or is this....well...6 guys wanting to rub a dub dub in the tub!

Can anyone out there enlighten me? After this, as we say down south, "we ain't goin to one a dem again!"

posted by: stephenthegreat at 19:34 | link | comments (2) |
china, hainan, haikou city, teaching english

Question of Face

Homie writing,

First of all, I found a couple of news sites that were airing the CBS interview that I was in. I was cut out!!!!!! What a bummer!!!!!

Now, the "Question of Face." I pose this question from a book I'm reading to see how you would react, respond or retaliate. Depending on how you answer this question, determines how well you understand the term "face".

You are riding in a car that is being driven by a Chinese man. He is driving at a high rate of speed and is rapidly approaching a much slower vehicle. As the distance between both vehicles grows shorter and shorter, you begin to get really nervous. He is not slowing down nor does he really seem to care. Then, he suddenly swerves into the oncoming lane and begins to pass the slower moving vehicle. As his speed increases in order to pass the vehicle, you see another vehicle heading towards you in the oncoming lane. Now your really worried, but you manage, at this point, to stay quiet so as not to distract the driver; your life is now in his hands!

Both vehicles are quickly approaching one another....closer....closer..closer...and you start to pray and just when you begin to see a glimpse of heaven, your driver cuts back over in front of the vehicle successfully completing his mission.

What do you say?

posted by: stephenthegreat at 21:19 | link | comments |
china, hainan, haikou city, teaching english

Back to School

Homie writing again,
Looks like I'll be doing the posting from now on unless, of course, Stephen, shows back up. It would be nice to hear how things are going in the States.

Well, school is back in session and the freshmen are in step....learning to march that is. For the next few weeks they will be under the guidance of a military instructor learning to take orders and march. I really feel for these students. Marching in the hot sun, listening to the barking of some drill sergeant, and those camo's don't even look comfortable. But I guess, it is their duty.

Another thing that I'm finding out is how little a lot of teachers that come here do their homework concerning China. It's like they expected to find life here the same as being at home. On the contrary, in many ways, it is just the opposite. I've been here for a little over 4 years now, and I still have a lot to learn. I've been reading a book entitled, "The Joy of Getting Along With The Chinese" by Fred Schneiter. I highly recommend that if you are planning to come here and stay awhile to read this book. Or at least read something about where you're going.

It also seems that quite a few teachers only plan to come and stay a year or two and then return home. Kinda sad, because that seems to be the time it takes to get your bearing (culture shock) and at least begin to understand how life is here. Hopefully, there aren't that many teachers that have left with a bad taste in their mouth. Life is what you make it; so make the best of it...right!?

Life in a foreign country is not easy so don't expect it to be; it ain't home. We're a guest in another man's house. I'm amazed at the demands some teachers make on a school like the school is supposed to cater to the teacher. If I came to your house and told, ordered, your wife or mother to cook me a meal or complain how dirty the house was, what would you say or do. Why do we make the same demands on the host when we're a guest? No wonder schools continually make it difficult on teachers!

Hey, if the school ain't rippin you off, which I know some try and do, at least remember you're a guest and show some respect. It's hard enough living in a foreign country much less trying to clean up another teacher bad attitude!

So comment away!

posted by: stephenthegreat at 22:03 | link | comments (2) |
china, hainan, haikou city, teaching english

I Wanna CBS

I got a call from the CBS office in Beijing the other day letting me know that I was about to be aired all across the States. I was really shocked that they even remembered me much less call to let me know. Maybe I left such an amazing impression on the reporter that there was no way she could ever forget me. And then again, who am I kidding, this is vanity and she was just doing her job.

So  I emailed all of my friends, all three of them, to let them know I was going to be on nationwide t.v. either this past Thursday or Friday.

I received an email from my mom and guess what; yep.....didn't see it. I was so looking forward to some feedback on how I did. Why? So I would know whether or not I could ever show my face in the States again. I also thought this would give my mom something to brag about. "Hey, did you see my son on t.v.? Didn't he look good and didn't he do a fantastic job!" This would have really help out her in the arena of bragging rites because the last time my face was shown I made the front page of the local newspaper; I was being....well, enough of that.

Oh well.......maybe I can get another shot at being an extra in another Chinese movie!

posted by: stephenthegreat at 23:39 | link | comments |
china, hainan, haikou city, teaching english