Busy Two Weeks

Hey! Sorry for the delay in posting a blog. It has been a busy two weeks as well as having intermittent problems with Internet service here.

My Chinese classes continue to challenge me, and require between 2-3 hours of study each day to keep up (though I am sure most Chinese would say that is still not enough time spent on studying - more about that in a few minutes). I do feel like I am still progressing with my language comprehension, though there are days that I feel like my brain is mush when class is over. At least once a week I, along with my Western friend (mentioned in last week's blog) and our teachers go to lunch after class, where my friend and I are challenged to use our Chinese to order or to ask for something. It has been good practice, but I still struggle with the Chinese concept of getting the waitress/waiter's attention to ask for something, such as the bill. In the States when you are trying to get the waitress/waiter's attention, you either make eye contact to signal that you need something, or subtly use another method. Well, here in China when you want something you literally yell for the waiter to come to your table. I feel like it sounds like you are mad at the waitress/waiter and that you are demanding that you are the only customer needing something. It may be silly, but I try to wait until the waitress/waiter comes by the table and then I ask for whatever I need. In my opinion they are still a person who deserves to be treated with respect and courtesy.

Ok, so to get to the Chinese concept of studying. Since being here, I have noticed many nights that children are out on the playground in my neighborhood playing at 9 and 10pm. I was a little baffled by this, as obviously in the States children play during daylight hours, so I asked my teacher about it. She proceeded to tell me about the typical amounts of studying for different age groups of children - I thought that you might be interested too, so here is a run down.

• A 4 year old child typically has 2 tutors to teach them each week for a few hours a day.

(This next group of children goes to school from 8am - 5pm, with a 2 hour break from 12-2 for lunch/nap time)

• A 6-11 year old child studies from the time they get home from school until 9 or 10pm, plays outside for 30 minutes to an hour and then goes to bed. Sometimes the child even studies in the morning before going to school.
  
• A 12-13 year old child studies from the time they get home from school until midnight and then goes to bed. Sometimes the child even studies in the morning before going to school.
• A 14-18 year old child studies from the time they get home from school until midnight or 1am and then goes to bed. Sometimes the child even studies in the morning before going to school as well as during the nap time in the middle of the school day.

Tonight I get to join 38 other foreigners at a movie theater here to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D for $5. A business company here, whom one of my friends knows, gets tickets for half price for movies shown in English, so I am excited to go see a movie that is not one of my DVD's and is also not Chinese television. Well, I am going to close here for now. I hope that you all enjoy your weekend.