Updates, part 2

Anonymous

If I had to choose one single complaint about living on the tiny Micronesian island of Pohnpei, it was my lack of privacy.  The roaches, the constant steam-room climate, the constant diarrhea...after a while, your body stops fighting all that.  You can't keep up a struggle against an unrelenting environment, no matter what American folklore says.  Eventually you accept what you can, deal with the rest, and move on.

On Pohnpei, there was no anonymity.  The homogeneous culture, the small population--if you are not 5'5" and brown, you are NOTICED.  In the absence of entertainment, gossip is king, and as an outsider, I was the most obvious target, as well as the safest (no blood family to seek retribution for loose lips).

The lack of privacy nearly drove me crazy.  It never stopped.  My actions were discussed unceasingly.  Five times a day people asked me where I was going, undoubtedly so they could share with a friend.

In Shanghai, as in most large cities, no one cares who you are.  This anonymity can be refreshing at times.  I was one of the hundreds (thousands?) of ex-pats living in the city, and yes, being white may have earned me a few glances, but no one asked where I was going--or cared. 

They cared even less about personal space--if I had to choose a single complaint about living here, that would be it. 

As an American from the western US (and of northern European descent), I care about personal space--a lot.  Even with close friends, I usually like an arm's length in all directions--my own bubble, if you will. 

However, leaving 12", then 6", between me and the person ahead of me in any queue did nothing to deter the "cutters".  Frustrated, and unwilling to lose my spot in a long line at the grocery store at the end of work, I once put my toes right up against the heels of the customer in front of me--who did not flinch.  And a Chinese lady still hovered at the "gap", eyeing each of us in turn, waiting for someone to twitch or show some sign of weakness.  I kept my elbows out, shifting my weight subtly back and forth, not making eye contact.

No way, lady, I thought.  No way.

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Names

Here are some English names my students have chosen.

Males                                                    Females

Scalpel                                                  Stanley (yes, a female with a male's name)

Whale                                                   Decade

Ocean                                                   Silence

Invoker                                                 Yummy

                                                               Icy

                                                         Nolan

                                                         Dan (yet another female with a male's name)

                                                         Orange Tang (her real surname)

                                                         Bubu

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Teacher Day

From my company I got this present:  a pen-sized device that would turn the slides in my PowerPoint lesson presentations, with a built-in laser pointer.  When it works, it's my favorite thing ever!  I feel slick and in charge, like a suit-wearing corporate type.

The sliding glass door to the teachers office was plastered with notes from the students, some signed, some not.  One of them said:  "I hope the female teachers more more sex."  A female Chinese co-worker and I laughed over it and then pulled it down.

From a great student, I got this message:  "To Heather:  Thank you for being such a wonderful teacher.  You are my favourite teacher, Heather.  :)  Wishing you a HAPPY TEACHER'S DAY!"  She signed it with her English name--the same as one of my cousins.