The Kunming Routine

I returned to Kunming at the end of February after an incredible trip through SE Asia. It was most difficult for I knew I would be on lockdown for the next five months due to work. Now that I’m a month in, I have a nice routine that I can’t really complain about. I have been able to do everything that I had wanted to do when I first came out here. From swimming to Kung Fu, reading to writing, studying Mandarin to teaching, I’m doing it all. Here’s a breakdown of my weekly routine:

Monday: I kick off the week teaching two classes that are full of less-than-excited students (mostly since my first class starts at 8am). I enjoy it though for my classroom has a wonderful view of the sunrise each morning I teach. Every one of my classes boasts 50 students or more who cram into the language lab classroom that I’ve been assigned. Each student has a computer monitor in front of them that is linked to my computer. I’m supposed to go through a CD-ROM that comes with their text book, but since nobody enjoys the boring exercises in the book, I primarily use the computer to show movies and PowerPoint’s. After executing my lesson plan twice over, I wrap up teaching around 11am and head back to my apartment to cook noodles for lunch. The school I teach at is an easy 10 minute walk from my apartment which is quite nice. At 2pm, I have a tutor, Hazel, who comes to the apartment and works with me for two hours on my Mandarin. She is a great teacher and really pushes me to study hard and memorize as many words as I can. Since I only meet with her once a week, we cover a lot during those two hours. Afterwards I usually take ten minutes just to lie down so that my brain (which has now turned to mush from the influx of Mandarin) can pull itself back together. My roommates, friends, and I try to cook as much as possible so there’s usually a market run sometime after 4. I spend a lot of my in-between time writing emails, reading the news online, or reading novels/writing. After going out or cooking dinner, we usually just kick back and watch a movie or drop down to a bar called Ganesh that is essentially on the first floor of our building (therefore I call it our basement). They have a Happy Hour from 2pm-9pm so it’s quite convenient. Since we live the life of old, retired people, I’m usually in bed around 10pm; besides, my body is now used to waking up early so naturally I go to sleep earlier.

Tuesday: I have Tuesday off from teaching at Kunming University and like to sleep in and catch up with friends back home on Skype. My breakfasts usually consist of oatmeal with cinnamon and sugar, topped with banana slices. It’s cheap and somewhat healthy. My roommate Chiara also likes to cook some bomb egg, bacon, and cheese sandwiches that we put on bagels. Those are a nice treat from time to time. We’ll also make pancakes from scratch which is my ultimate favorite! But day to day, I usually just do oatmeal. I like to workout sometime around noon and usually just jog for 15 minutes in our park close by. It’s fun to see the culture from a runner’s perspective. When you jog next to a cyclist going the same speed, you realize just how slow of a pace things here operate at. No doubt there are too many cars, motobikes, bicycles, and people everywhere, but they all move really slowly. It’s annoying since I usually waste no time walking anywhere and like to move fast. When I’m done jogging and stretching for a good while, I like to do pull-ups and dips at a jungle-gym like structure in the park itself. There’s a wide opening with a basketball hoop, the jungle-gym looking structure, and open space where the Chinese practice Taiji and Kungfu most every morning. They also set up badminton nets. It’s fun to watch them play while I do my workout there. It’s also incredible to see how un-athletic these people really are. I hesitate to say it’s a cultural thing but I truly haven’t seen one athletic Chinese brotha yet! It is cool to see people of all ages, wearing jeans and non-athletic clothes, out there doing their little workout routine. I think it is hilarious seeing guys in full business suits playing hoops, but they don’t even think twice about ruining a suit. They just want to play! After my workout, I head back to my apartment to do some sit-ups and push-ups. I like to listen to my home church’s sermon on the podcast while doing my sit-ups. It’s a good way to stay connected and keep my spiritual life in check. By the time I finish and shower up, it’s already 2pm. My roommates and I will either go for a nice stroll through the park or simply hang out until dinner. Then we do the same dinner routine as any night. Either go to the market to pick up food to cook, or just eat out.

Wednesday: I teach in the morning from 8-11 like on Monday. My classes this day have a little more energy and make class time more enjoyable for me. After teaching I head home to make lunch and study Mandarin a good portion of the afternoon. Then around 3:30pm I catch a bus that takes me to another campus a little further away. I teach a Speech and Debate class from 4:30-6pm every Wednesday which has actually become my favorite class. In total I teach seven classes. I teach the same lesson plan for six of those seven classes and this one Speech and Debate class is my only chance to mix it up a bit. With no textbook or aid to teach, I’m pretty much teaching my college Communications 100 class. Although it was five years ago, I still remember what we did and what we learned. My favorite thing to do is make the students stand up in front of the class and give impromptu speeches to practice not only their speaking, but also their fear of embarrassment. It is Chinese custom to save face, never make a big scene, and avoid embarrassment at any cost. Yet the students are so shy and reluctant to speak out that they lack any self-confidence (at least that’s noticeable). If they learn nothing else in the class, I hope they can at least overcome their cultural inheritance of fear of embarrassment. After class I catch the bus back, usually reading a book along the way. I stroll through the park on my way back to my apartment and enjoy the sunset and smell of the now blooming flowers. Then my evening is pretty much the same. We either cook for dinner, or eat out. We then follow it up with a movie, a drink at the bar, or some sort of board game.

Thursday: I’ve decided that this is the best day in my week. I teach my last two classes in the morning right next door to my roommate Ben’s classroom. It’s more enjoyable teaching when someone is right next door. The other day we switched classrooms for the fun of it and enjoyed watching the students try to cover their embarrassment after walking into the wrong classroom. When you teach the same lesson six times a week, you have to do something to entertain yourself. After teaching, Ben and I meet Tai outside the school gates (since he teaches at the same campus as well) and we all go out for lunch. Then we just relax the whole afternoon. I study, read, write, catch up on emails, or do all of the above. Thursday’s are nice too because it’s our payday. We only get paid once a month and when we do we’ll usually celebrate with a few drinks at Ganesh. Normal Thursday evenings follow the same nightly routine of dinner and… whatever. When we can, we try to get together to play a board game called Settlers of Catan. We’ve grown addicted to its strategic, yet simple nature. It’s a fun way to pass the time and much more social than just watching TV. It’s been a refreshing break living without TV. You connect with people so much more, especially during a nice round (or two) of Catan.

Friday: Just recently I’ve started Kung Fu lessons Friday mornings from 9-11. After jogging in the park one day I sat down in a grassy area to do some stretching. I noticed this Kung Fu guy who looked like Yoda (and who could kick anybody’s butt) performing some intense Kung Fu in the open area by the jungle-gym structure. I approached him and now I meet with him for two hours, once a week. I really enjoy diving further into the culture of China as well as learning such an art form. It’s very graceful, yet powerful. I now have an intermediary who interprets for my shifu (kungfu teacher) occasionally via email. She informs me that the Kungfu I’m learning is supposedly top notch and that I’m lucky he has agreed to teach me. She says that only special people get to learn from this guy and that I am not to let anyone watch me practice or take pictures of my movements when I practice. Rather intense. So to my brother, Mike… you better watch out! When I get back you’re going down! After getting worked all morning (it requires a lot of leg strength which I’ve lost since my track and field days), I have the rest of the day free to do as I wish :).

Saturday: I wake up early to catch a one hour and twenty minute bus ride down to a ‘school’ facility close to DianChi Lake. I make the trek because I get paid $50 to teach children ages 4-8 for one hour. The facility is also a Western owned putt-putt golf place that serves me nice American coffee and also lunch. It’s in an upper-class neighborhood and is also located next to an athletic training facility and a driving range. Teaching the kids has been a blast so far but it’s most difficult keeping their attention, especially when I’m not even speaking their language. It’s most enjoyable because a kid is a kid no matter where he comes from or what language he speaks. For that I am able to effectively connect with the children by becoming one myself :). Afterwards, I head over to the athletic training facility to pump some iron and swim. I love swimming for it not only keeps me in shape, but also provides a release from the frustrations that cultural differences can bring: and believe me, there are A LOT of cultural differences between the US and China. I have yet to hit the driving range but hope to soon. I spend most of my day down by the lake but get back home around 3pm. Then I just hang out with my friends for the rest of the day and night.

Sunday: Ahhhh, after four days straight of waking up early, it’s nice to sleep in. My Sundays are much like my Tuesdays where I have all day to do a number of things. I always study a little and try to get outside and enjoy the day. I’ve started joining the Ultimate Frisbee crew that’s formed here on Sunday nights. We meet around 5pm at a field close by and play for a good two hours or so. Once again, it’s a nice break from the Chinese culture and also a good outlet for my competitive spirit (not to mention a good workout). After eating dinner with some of the regulars who play, I head home to prepare my lesson plans for the week and get ready to do it all over again! That’s basically my life: I have roughly 13 more weeks of this before I am able to get out and travel again. Hopefully I’ll get a break in May but I’m not holding my breath.

After those 13 weeks are up and I’m all traveled out, I’ll be looking forward to seeing most of you back home in the US. Until then, stay posted in case the unusual story (which can happen at a moments notice in China) arises and I am so inclined to share… otherwise, you now know what I’m up too.