Two Links

First is Joshua Samuel Brown's new blog, Stinky Tufu. I found him while trying to find a picture of the Shenzhen subway map. Awesome writing and a great description of our subways here. He writes for Lonely Planet. His blog basically has my theme, but it's set in Taiwan.... and he's more interesting 'cause he's being paid to, ya know, go see cool shit and write about it. And he's funnier. And he speaks Chinese fluently... ya know what, don't click that link. Please? Stay with me? Honey?

Second, I present you with The Six-Lesson Schoolteacher, a dark essay by John Taylor Gatto after receiving his third New York Teacher of the Year Award. He succinctly and clearly puts into words the thoughts that have been in my head for a long time and were confirmed while teaching last year. It almost reads as an intro to Foucault without ever name-dropping him and begs the question... just what are we trying to accomplish in the classroom? I'd love to hear a good rebuttal. Inspired by this MetaFilter thread.

Mahjong Cops

My 200th post :-) I've been writing seriously* for three years now. Dig around the archives if you'd like. Everything prior to July '06 are op-ed pieces written for the Spinnaker [my college newspaper] or the Folio Weekly [Jax alt weekly]. Mainly just liberal ideas I tried to present in conservative clothing with varying degrees of success. Everything since July has been my experience in China.

Thanks for reading.

* lol
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So as soon as I figure out how to get money out of my credit union and into my Chinese bank account I'm going to buy a new Sony Ericsson camera phone with a 2mp camera. I had my old phone stolen/lost and I'm not taking nearly enough pictures with my bestial FZ-30. I'm used to taking landscape photos. I'm really just too big of a coward to walk up to a stranger and start snapping away while they're at work cooking or begging. Cell phones are so omnipresent here that I can snap away fairly incognito.

What I would have taken a picture of today [and likely lost my new investment] would have been the 25-30 police officers we saw marching in formation down the street as we were scouting for caramel bananas. I went Chinese and jumped across a busy street to follow them. Sixty of my closest friends followed suite. Rubbernecking is a national sport here. It's high entertainment watching a firetruck pass and then see 300 Chinese running after it.

The cops turned a corner into a big alley and broke into a trot. All of them had their special batons in hand: short metal pipes with flattened wedged edges for a bruising whack on the flat side and a bloody whack with the edge. The only people that carry guns are the guys who bring cash to and from banks. They also have flak jackets and a real armored vehicle. Like one I'd feel safe driving through Baghdad in. They carry shotguns, which I suppose is the weapon of choice for mowing down cash-starved crowds. I've repeatedly been told to stop making hand gestures at them suggesting that they want to shoot the foreigner.

Back to the cops.

The turned another corner and sprinted into a small alley and began piling into an apartment building. By this time everyone who could possibly see what was going on had piled up to watch them. Easily 150 people, with me at the forefront. In fact, when they broke into the trot I was told to back off by a sergeant I hadn't seen. I waited to see what what happen... but nothing was immediately apparent. I walked back to Hou Li and asked her what happened. She wouldn't ask anyone and we walked off at her insistence. Being the alley rat that I am I walked us in a complicated circle right back to the scene of the crime.

I begged Hou Li to ask someone what happened. She blushed and refused but kept walking with me back to the scene of the crime. I took matters into my own hand, "nay ga sh she ma?" [not pinyin, but translates to "this is what?"]. An older man told us the story... turns out it was an illegal gambling den of high stakes Mahjong. Apparently the cops likely went in, took the cash, and left. Go figure.

Walking home later I saw another great photo-op and a first for me - I present you with the mental image of a paddy wagon bus. A full-sized city bus with lights-a-blazing [cops always leave their lights flashing here] and a cage fitted inside. It was about half full. Guess some people didn't make enough at the Mahjong table that night.


Tags: Treyopia stories current events cops police China Chinese law gambling weapons mahjong mahjongg

A Distant Thank You

I didn't even realize it was Thanksgiving till yesterday, yet this morning I found myself suddenly sentimental if not a tad homesick...

I'm thankful for all the students who've grown with me in this fascinating career. I'm thankful for the students of Greenwood who had to endure a very green and, at times, emotionally wrecked new teacher who still thought getting angry at a class was helpful. I'm thankful for the students who showed me that I'm good at what I do by showing me their growth and staying in touch with me. I'm thankful for my fellow teachers at Greenwood, who served as both close friends and mentors and held my hand through some tough situations.

I'm thankful for my family. I'm thankful I have a sister who's my best friend. I'm thankful I have a father who reminds me of why I am who I am. I'm thankful I have a grandmother who can say simple words that mean so much, like "I'm proud of you."

I'm thankful I have friends as amazing as they are. I'm thankful I have people like Izak who's never turned a deaf ear or a cold shoulder. I'm thankful I have friends like Natasha, Beth, and Joel who've stayed in touch in my absence. I'm thankful I had people like Nick in my life and I'm thankful I know DJ because of him. I'm thankful I knew Richard long enough for him to convince me I was indeed a writer.

I'm thankful for the people of the Middle Kingdom for being so respectful, warm, and only curious at their worst. I'm thankful for having met people like Lyndsey, Brian, Gary, Daniel, Reagan, Dru, Cody and all the other expats here. I'm thankful for my Chinese friends like John Laoshi, Lili, Hou Li, Jessica, Zhong Yu, Victoria and so many others for spending time with me and showing me just how wonderful and [uncomfortably] generous the Chinese can be. I'm grateful of the wonderfully random circumstances that led me to befriend Nina, who inspired me to come here.

I'm thankful for my mentors, the people who help guide me through these changing years, like Dr. Halsall, Dr. Schwam-Baird, and my father. I'm thankful for you and the other people who read my blog and keep my motivated to maintain my artistic edge. I'm thankful for my muses, all the artists - musicians, photographers, writers, and wanderers - who keep me in touch with my spiritual side and remind me of the absolute beauty of it all.

Finally, I'm deeply deeply appreciative of the staff and financial supporters of Baptist Hospital, particularly Wolfson Children's Hospital. Everything they did for Jacob, my little nephew, was an incredible feat. And today they have my full confidence as they work on Carson, my very sick little niece.

Arrghh, there's no Chinese word for "get", as in "I will get the money from the ATM" or "let me go get her."