Tress Tribulations

Most of my friends and family wouldn’t consider me to be “high maintenance,” or at least I hope not! However, I’m definitely a “girly” girl at times. I even admit I occasionally go by the motto, “pain for beauty.” So having to “rough it” (as I so affectionately call it) in China has rather cramped my style...at least in some aspects...

When we first arrived in Guangzhou, it took only two days for my curling iron to kick the bucket. It flat lined while trying to adjust to the Far East electrical outlets. Meanwhile, my hairdryer was (and still is, for that matter) only able to work on the “low” setting, so the time to dry my hair is about equivalent to the time spent teaching one period (okay, so that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but humor my frustration, please!).

Furthermore, it has been a more recent revelation for me to go makeup free. While I never did cake it on, I’ve always liked to “touch up” my natural beauty (ha, ha, ha). But what can I say, I’m a girl! The reasoning behind my newfound desire to go “au natural” is Guanzhou’s terrible humidity! It is totally pointless to wear much makeup because by the time I walk down from my third floor apartment, beads of sweat are already collecting on my face (and it’s not even 8:00 am yet!). Going makeup free is a preventative measure...preventing me from looking as though I’ve just rolled out of a crowded mosh pit during a sweltering summer concert series (not that I’ve ever done that, it’s just the image I’ve conjured up).

So, it has officially been two months since my last trip to the beauty salon. Being a woman, I truly enjoy my bi-monthly cut, color, and style. Before I left America I so strategically placed my final haircut only days before my departure date, making sure my mane would be up to par for as long as possible. As you can imagine, I’ve been getting quite antsy, wanting to trim up my two month’s worth of split ends. Simply unable to take it any longer, I went to the salon today...
Accompanied by my American friend (and cooperating teacher) and three Chinese students, I ventured to get my hair trimmed. The salon had two floors, one just as crowded as the other. I was led to the top floor to get my hair shampooed. While sitting in the chair, the stylist put shampoo into my dry hair, only using a small bottle to squirt water onto my hair, creating the lathering effect. So, if you can picture this, my hair was being washed as I sat upright in the chair. This process took about ten minutes because she did a little scalp massage as well. Next time I will enjoy this part more, as my mind was consumed with nervous thoughts and “what if” questions in regards to the outcome of this venture. Secondly, I was led to a sink to have my hair rinsed. This process was a lot more comfortable than that in America. There were no neck breaking pains as are often felt in American salons because the chair in this Chinese establishment was lying down (again, I will enjoy this all more next time!).

Next came the scary part...The actual cut! I was led back down to the first floor and as is apparently universal, sat face to face with the mirror. Being the only blonde-haired, blue-eyed client in the place, the stylists were fighting over who would cut my hair. Finally, one male stylist won the prize ;). My Chinese friend explained to him that I wanted “a one centimeter cut all the way around, leaving the same style.” I’m sure you can visualize the color going from my face at this point...But anyway, he began to snip the tips...my stomach was turning at, as every girl has had the “terrible haircut” experience at least once and even though I’ve already had a couple such experiences, my mind was wandering...

However, I am happy to report that there was a happy ending! My haircut turned out great! All of my worrying was only trivial after all. The whole experience was interesting to say the least. First of all, I felt like a celebrity because all eyes (all 100-some pairs) were on me the entire time. Plus, all of the stylists came over to run their fingers through my blonde hair...it was quite comical from my point of view because I am definitely not worthy of all the hoopla! Furthermore, I paid 25 yuan (or about $3.50) for the entire process. How about that! Pretty cool!


The finished product ;)

Savoring Small Successes...

Long time, no update, right? Sorry about that guys! My internet connection only works part of the time...which is frustrating! Plus, I have been very busy. But, I will do my best to keep you up-to-date from now on!

After about three weeks of sight-seeing, I finally began to teach! I teach in a junior college that is best known for preparing primary and English teachers. My students are VERY hard working. They spend nearly every waking hour studying or in class. It is very impressive. However, they make me feel as though I was a bit lazy in high school...

Chinese teaching styles are much different than the American teaching styles that I have been taught for the past four years. The teachers and students here rely on rote memorization. They often memorize their textbook readings word for word! While they can repeat a typical textbook story, they have difficulties in the area of application, since they are not learning from real-life situations.
It has been a challenge to get the Chinese teachers to see the benefits of our strategies. The students, too, are at times resistant to my ideas because they are under a lot of pressure to do well on their big examinations. Because of the expectations they put on themselves in regards to their exams, they are afraid to try new ways of learning, afraid that the new styles will not be worth it come test time. Oh, and the examination is this Thursday, which means I’ll finally see how the strategies I’ve put into place are working...Everybody, keep your fingers crossed!

With all this in mind, I relish small successes: students working in groups and actually enjoying learning, student creativity shown through illustrated vocabulary flash cards, and the wonderful sound of students’ laughter filling the classroom. Overall, I have been able to build great relationships with my students! They ask me to accompany them on weekend outings, they stop to talk to me on campus, they even offer to take me for sweet treats just outside the school gate! It is refreshing to feel their appreciation and friendly nature – it is something I will definitely miss!

Guangzhou Highlights

Mallory has shared an album with you. To view the album, copy this URL and paste to your internet URL bar space, then click "Guangzhou Highlights."

http://utk.facebook.com/p.php?i=12911816&k=SZM326VRW2TBVJBFWG4Y

Feb. 19 posted by Huang on behalf of Mallory

Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed my last journal entry, though I apologize for its brevity and generalization (as I only had a short amount of time to write). However, this time I have all the time in the world...I’ll set the stage for you: I am sitting on a nice comfortable chair, sipping my hot milk tea and eating my “skinny” blueberry muffin, listening to some barely audible music- all enjoyed in the fabulous coffee shop we know as Starbucks. I am able to connect to the wireless internet capabilities Starbucks has to offer, and I believe I will be ever grateful to this chain of expensive pastries, teas, and coffees!

It took me about thirty minutes to get to Starbucks. I walked from my apartment to the metro, navigated through the metro, and then arrived at this glorious site (all on my own, I might add). I believe I am finally getting used to the surroundings and feel comfortable in adventuring out in them solo. Furthermore, I must add that I am very careful and take all safety precautions (okay, Mom?). While it is interesting coming from the fields and back roads of Sinking Spring to the hustle and bustle of a city populated with 100,000,000 people (more than I originally thought), I have enjoyed it and am slowly becoming a “big city girl” ;).

Now, I would like to rewind a bit. I would like to describe many of my experiences in detail, so brace yourself for information overload!

2-5-08: We arrived in the Guangzhou airport at 10:15 pm. I had been awake for about 30 hours at that point. So, I probably don’t need to project too much detail about my feelings at that point, I’m sure you can get the picture. Believe it or not, it was pretty easy navigating through the airport. We were picked up by LiWenge and her friend. They took us to our home for the next week or so- apartments located on the campus of my school, Guangdong Teacher’s College of Foreign Language and Arts. While the conditions were a bit rough, we were all glad to get a shower and finally sleep! Jess and I didn’t go to bed until about 2:15 am...33 hours awake and counting.

2-6-08: My birthday! I almost forgot about it! My mom sent a couple of presents with me, so Jess and I had a mini birthday party. We (the SSU clan) were met by Han and Evan (graduate students at South China Normal University), Mary (LiWenge’s 12 year old niece), and Andrew (Prof. Qiang’s 20 year old nephew, who is an undergrad in Shanghai). They all were eager to “practice their English” with us, “the experts”. They took us to a traditional Chinese breakfast and then to the New Year Flower Festival. The festival was very busy and very beautiful. There were so many different kinds of flowers and plants.

Knowing that we would need the necessities in our apartments, our Chinese friends took us to the supermarket to buy the staples for survival. Okay, talk about shock...Black Friday in America has nothing on a Chinese supermarket any day of the week! It was so chaotic! I felt dumbfounded at times, but we made it through with all of our needs in hand. We ended the evening with a New Year dinner at LiWenge’s home. The food definitely takes getting used to!

2-7-08: We met our new Chinese friends again, with the addition of Zhu (a graduate student at South China Normal University). They took us to Baiyun Mountain. It is tradition and considered good luck to climb the mountain. They Chinese say climbing the mountain will provide success as well. So you better believe I’ll have a great year ;). Altogether, it took us about 3 hours to go up and then back down the mountain. There were so many people on the mountain, but then again, there are so many people EVERYWHERE! We had dinner at LiWenge’s again. She is such a gracious host and is very kind. During dinner our Chinese friends decided it was easier to call me Mal, which sounds like Meow, which became my new nickname! Ha ha ha! Everyone now calls me Meow...It could be worse, I suppose.

2-8-08: Today our Chinese friends took us to a place I only know as “a famous garden in Guangzhou” (sorry about that!) It was very beautiful with ornate structures and flowers. Jess and I agreed that it was “when we think of China, this is what we think of” (if you can follow that!) We also ate a wonderful lunch! Next we went to the riverfront in Guangzhou. It was very lovely and would be a good place to go on a date! We bought sugarcane from a street vendor, which was actually very tasty. You take a bite, suck the sugar out, and then spit the roughage out. It wasn’t a very lady-like thing to do, I assure you. We spent the evening at LiWenge’s and ate supper. I taught Mary and Andrew the card game called Spoons. They really enjoyed it!

2-9-08: We got off to a bad start - no electricity! That means no shower, no miniature heater :(. We met Sharon, another graduate student today. She took us to an ancestral temple from the 1800s. It was very ornate and beautiful, of course. We had lunch at the house of a former student of Prof. Qiang’s. She then took us to her workplace, a kindergarten. At this particular kindergarten, 3-6 year olds live on the campus Monday-Friday! Can you believe that! It is reserved for government officials’ children only. The campus was incredible. I would have loved to go to kindergarten there (all except for having to live on campus). In the afternoon we went to the “biggest park in Guangzhou” where we saw the famous Five Goat Statue. It was a very nice park. I will enjoy going there when the weather is warmers. We went to LiWenge’s again for supper and we finally washed our clothes! On this night Mary wanted me to help her read a selection fro her school book, she is a very sweet child.

2-10-08: BAD DAY!! My debit card was eaten by the ATM machine! Talk about an internal freak out! Thankfully I was able to act swiftly by calling my mom and asking her to take the precautions needed to put the card on hold. THANKS TO MOM AND DANDAN FOR FIGURING EVERYTHING OUT! To be completely frank, I can’t remember much from this day other than losing my card, so sorry about that!

Okay, so my fingers are tired! Look forward to an additional post in the near future describing the rest of my days. I shall enjoy the comforts of Starbucks for a bit longer...

China is like girl scout camp...

(Note: Mallory is having some difficulty with her access to this blog. She sent me the follow entry via email to ask me to post it on. So here it is! We are so excited to hear from you Mallory. -- Huang).


Sorry it has taken me so long to post my latest experiences in China! I do not have convenient access to the internet just yet, so I have asked my faithful professor, Dr. Huang, to post this for me! I will be unable to view your comments, so if you would like to contact me or respond to my posts, please email me directly (mallory_reed@hotmail.com). Where there is a will, there is a way, right?!


Obviously, I have made it to Guangzhou, China. The flight was alright, but there aren't too many good things a person can say about 30 hours without sleep! The important thing, though, is that we made it (and with all of our luggage as well!)! So far, the most difficult thing to adjust to has been buildings without heat...I've had to bundle up with many layers everyday. There have been many wonderful people (including primary students, secondary students, undergrads, graduate students, and professors) who have accepted the invitation (or have taken on the task) to accompany us as guides throughout the Guangdong province. They are all eager to practice their English with us through conversation. I simply cannot say too many good things about their hospitality and willingness to help. Their kindess has kept me from becoming homesick! I feel like I already have my own little family in Guangzhou!

I have been very busy traveling and sightseeing since I arrived in China. I visted Guangzhou's New Year flower festival, many famous parks and gardens, and the zoo (pictures soon to come!). I have climbed a mountain (!), conquered the infamous turkish toilets (!!), and continue to learn more of the Chinese language everyday. Most importantly, I am building lifelong friendships and professional relationships.

In my attempt to describe my thoughts and feelings about China as well as my experiences with the culture, I express the following: China is like girl scout camp. It is certainly unlike home. It is even uncomfortable for a while. But once you develop a routine and embrace it for what it is, it exceeds your expectations and you inevitably have a blast! You develop friendships and memories that last a lifetime. Did I mention that I went to girl scout camp annually for about six years?!


Until next time...

Catch You on the Flip Side!

I can't believe that the only thing separating me from China is about 2 days! It seems like only a few weeks ago that I learned I would be a part of this journey! Time certainly flies. I have to say, though, that I'm ready for our departure. I'm ready for all of the planning and theoretical scenarios to finally take shape.

Thanks to our wonderful support system in Guangzhou, Jeff, Josh, Jess, and I will have a fun-fill first two weeks! We will be doing a lot of sight-seeing while getting to know the people who have helped to make our student teaching possible. They have already gone "above and beyond". I think it will be a great way to begin our immersion in the Chinese culture. I'm looking forward to adding a lot of pictures, which you all will be excited to see, I'm sure! ;)

The past two weeks have been exceptional for me. I have been amazed by the outpouring of thoughts, kind words, prayers, gifts, and well wishes. I know that I have a wonderful support system consisting of family, friends, church family, SSU faculty, and community members. My support system has enabled me to embark on this adventure and assuredly will help me to make it a success!!

...I'll catch you on the flip side...

Ready, Set, Go!

Hello. My name is Mallory and I am about to embark on an opportunity of a lifetime! I (along with three other students from Shawnee State University) will leave on February 4, 2008 to student teach in China. I will be teaching at Guangdong Teachers College of Foreign Language and Arts, located in Guangzhou, China. For those of you who are not geography buffs, Guangzhou is in the southeastern part of the country and is relatively close to Hong Kong. I will be teaching an intensive reading course to 16-year-olds.

With less than three weeks until our departure, I have been incredibly busy writing lesson plans (I am shooting for 50, to be exact), trying to learn Chinese, and thinking about what all I should pack! Overall, I'm very excited and a little nervous, but I am looking forward to what lies ahead.

This blog will document my experiences while living, learning, and experiencing China. I hope you follow along with my journey....