Better Luck Tomorrow

9/19/08

So I’ve noticed that these posts are becoming more and more infrequent. But that should be expected; as I become more acclimated to my surroundings, I am less likely to point out the bizarre, fascinating and shocking things that I encounter. The formerly jolting aspects of everyday life here in China are becoming commonplace.

When taking bus rides through LianYunGang’s bustling downtown streets, I casually peer out the window with a bemused grin. Whereas a week ago, I might have been strained from doing double-takes as I watched the herd of bicycles and motor scooters engage in their relentless game of chicken with the buses and other autos on the road. The vehicles on the streets and the pedestrians in every direction weave an invisible tapestry of chaos. At any given moment, the threads can untangle in a snag and there you have it: the inevitable collision. I’ve yet to see one live, but I’ve witnessed the aftermath. For instance, the tow truck hoisting the front axle of a sedan with a shattered windshield—and judging from the glass all over the dash and interior of the car, the object shattering the windshield came from outside.

Yes, it’s always an adventure getting about.

It would be nice staying within the insulated bubble of Huaihai’s campus, but alas, my teaching duties require a bit of commuting. And this is local commuting, mind you. Two of my classes are at the outlying Donggang campus, which is a ten minute bus ride from the main campus. Sweet Jesus, what an uninspiring place. The bus is free, luckily, for teachers and other University personnel, so I’m not being taxed by making the trip. However, the psychological strain is hefty. So far, about fifty percent of my visits to that God-forsaken Donggang campus have been in vain. Twice in one day I made meaningless trips to Donggang, only to discover that the free shuttle bus back to the main campus wouldn’t be running for another two hours. This was frustrating to a point, but it did afford me some valuable time to think.

One of the classes I teach over at Donggang is called Business English. This is a rudimentary introduction of business-type lingo for the younger students. And in this particular class, it’s myself and about one hundred Chinese students. No audio-visual hookup, no listening equipment, no interactive multi-media whatsoever; just a spacious lecture hall and me. So I’ve been jotting down some good standup material to fill the time, but I find that most of these jokes go right over the heads of my students. Keep in mind their English is not that good. I may have to resort to physical comedy. This is not only for the benefit of the students, but for me as well. There’s only so much elementary grammar that you can tolerate in a ninety minute span.