Sunday, November 1, 2009
A Speed-Date style Interview
Last Friday morning, I went for a second round of interviewing at 新东方 (New Oriental), one of China’s largest foreign language schools, as I hope to start working a couple of hours a week and then complete my internship there in the Spring (focusing on the business side of running a school, contacting parents, recruiting students, etc). The first time I went for an interview it was typical of foreigners wanting to teach in China. They invited me in to teach a class, almost completely unprepared. I personally thought it was a huge failure, but my handler Queenie said I did fine. For this second round though, there would be many teachers present. I took this to mean there would be many teachers present in the class I would be teaching, but it actually meant I would be teaching a classroom full of teachers! I prepared a simple lesson on weather that basically included about ten vocabulary words and a song with a funny dance—the kids are only six and barely understand a word. I arrived early to prepare and patiently awaited the moment the clock struck ten. Queenie led me downstairs to the classroom and I found there were many Chinese teachers all sitting in desks and one was standing up teaching a lesson on family, holding up a picture of a woman and repeatedly saying “mommy”. After just a few moments, one very professional and cold looking woman who was sitting in the back holding a grade sheet interrupted her. “That’s enough. Do you have anything else?” she said. The teacher quickly explained the rest of her plan in Chinese and sat down. Another teacher stood up and began the “mommy” chant as well but in a slightly different fashion. She drew pictures. It continued this way until the other foreigner who was interviewing that day as well arrived and then we began our little performance. I went first and once I finished guiding the class in a little song and dance, the cold woman asked me how I would teach a dialogue to these children who barely understand English and cannot recognize the alphabet. I explained that the lyrics in the song formed a question and answer dialogue that the children could memorize, although it was admittedly very simple. I replied in Chinese, so I think that impressed her. At the very least it wiped the smirk off her face. I think it also helped that the other guy had no idea what he was supposed to do and arrived without a lesson to teach. Once he finished we were escorted to another room where they explained a couple things, and then I was told that I should come back next week to do this again. Apparently, New Oriental hiring policy, as a way to ensure that potential hires are committed, requires the multiple rounds of “practice teaching”. And, the last “Kevin” they hired ran out on them, so they just want to “make sure”. (No, really. They said that.)
Monday, October 26, 2009
White Pandas of Shaoxing
This week we were sent an email about a “Free Trip to Shaoxing”, which would include a one-night stay at a 4-star hotel, free lunch and dinner, free transportation to and from Shaoxing, a tour of a famous Huangjiu (a type of rice wine) Museum, and a visit to Lu Xun’s house (a famous 20th century writer and critic). Oh, and did I forget to mention the Textile Expo? For some reason, I thought it might be a history of textiles or something that was lost in translation, but I was wrong. (I should mention, though, this trip was definitely worth it. The following is just a reflection on something that is probably very common in China’s drive for international recognition.)
Meeting at a Nanjing Hotel early Saturday morning, I was surprised to find that there were probably over a hundred people that I had never met all waiting around the front door and lobby. I assumed they were going to another venue or that even this hotel was a junction for long-distance busses. Then I ran into some other students from UM that weren’t in the flagship program but were also going to Shaoxing. It seems this information was sent through various channels to almost all the foreigners at Nanjing University and even attracted some random foreigners just simply living in Nanjing. Although I was definitely confused, I thought “the more, the merrier” and boarded the bus. Five hours later, we were touring a wine museum in Shaoxing, visiting the famous street by Lu Xun’s house and then finally making our way to the hotel. Each bus had stopped at different places and arrived at different hotels. Our driver was lost (a phenomenon that occurs all too often in China), and we were searching for our four star diamond in the rough for more than an hour. Once we arrived though, I realized why we had been shipped so far away from home: the textile expo. Before dinner we were all given a big orange bag stuffed with books, pamphlets and contact information for purchasing vast amounts of high quality, low priced textile products! At dinner I met some foreign teachers working at one of the most prestigious (and most pricey) school in Nanjing. They had come on the very same trip the previous year (also for free) and apparently the entire point was to show off a bunch of jinfa biyan laowai (a set term used to refer to foreigners that literally means “blond hair blue eyed foreigner”) at the textile expo so that the local government could appear to regional business leaders as being successful in attracting an international business crowd. At least there was free beer with dinner!
Meeting at a Nanjing Hotel early Saturday morning, I was surprised to find that there were probably over a hundred people that I had never met all waiting around the front door and lobby. I assumed they were going to another venue or that even this hotel was a junction for long-distance busses. Then I ran into some other students from UM that weren’t in the flagship program but were also going to Shaoxing. It seems this information was sent through various channels to almost all the foreigners at Nanjing University and even attracted some random foreigners just simply living in Nanjing. Although I was definitely confused, I thought “the more, the merrier” and boarded the bus. Five hours later, we were touring a wine museum in Shaoxing, visiting the famous street by Lu Xun’s house and then finally making our way to the hotel. Each bus had stopped at different places and arrived at different hotels. Our driver was lost (a phenomenon that occurs all too often in China), and we were searching for our four star diamond in the rough for more than an hour. Once we arrived though, I realized why we had been shipped so far away from home: the textile expo. Before dinner we were all given a big orange bag stuffed with books, pamphlets and contact information for purchasing vast amounts of high quality, low priced textile products! At dinner I met some foreign teachers working at one of the most prestigious (and most pricey) school in Nanjing. They had come on the very same trip the previous year (also for free) and apparently the entire point was to show off a bunch of jinfa biyan laowai (a set term used to refer to foreigners that literally means “blond hair blue eyed foreigner”) at the textile expo so that the local government could appear to regional business leaders as being successful in attracting an international business crowd. At least there was free beer with dinner!
Lights, Camera, Action!
Susan’s landlord has been very helpful in connecting us with tickets to watch some shows at the Jiangsu Broadcasting Station here in Nanjing, and last week she called me with a request to help her director friend who has been providing us with the tickets. Upon her request he had written a script that had a part for a (barely) Chinese-speaking foreigner and was under a deadline to quickly find an actor for the part so that filming could be completed. I contacted the director right after she called and he asked that I come to the station as soon as I could, so I changed clothes and rode my bicycle to the TV station around 7:30pm for a meeting. Apparently I made a decent first impression and he decided on the spot that I would be perfect for the part. Filming would start next week! With the script in hand, I peddled back and reviewed the story: a young Chinese girl goes to America to study abroad and starts dating a foreigner who drops in for a surprise visit and sparks a huge uproar when the mother finds out. Scandalous!
Last Wednesday and Thursday we filmed at various locations in Nanjing for 12-13 hours a day—pure slavery—but I was fed and paid 400 RMB for my troubles. It was an incredibly interesting and worthy experience as I met some really neat locals and learned some phrases in the Nanjing dialect. According to the director, I performed “not badly” since all the actors were amateurs and 80% of my lines were in Chinese (although he repeatedly had to remind me that I needed to act like I didn’t speak Chinese and purposefully mess up my tones and rhythm).
It’s interesting to see Chinese media from the inside. The script was written in about two weeks, which is “slow” by Chinese standards. Typically a script is written in a few days, but since the director wrote it himself, the process took considerably longer. The filming, which is usually a three day process, was completed in two days so that the cameraman and director could attend a meeting with some foreign media representatives. What that all means is that an hour-long “short movie” can be dreamt up, written, filmed, and sent for processing in less than a week’s time. It felt like the fast food of TV mini-drama. I’m guessing that with the amount of “short movies” and TV drama’s I’ve seen on TV lately, this is the Chinese equivalent of the endless reality TV spinoff shows we have in the States. Some people have argued that Chinese TV isn’t that creative, but I’m pretty sure that the problem is that Chinese TV isn’t made for us (foreigners, youngsters, intellectuals, and whatever group “us” might fit into). Chinese TV serves that select group of middle-aged housewives that have time after doing dishes in the afternoon or late evening to watch an hour of two of some other family’s drama. From that perspective, it makes more sense that the majority of these shows are not like the typical shows coming from the States. The youth get on the Internet. Mom watches TV.
--The above was a journal entry I've written as a part of the Flagship documentation requirements for being abroad. I hope to be posting those on this blog as well as a way to keep up with anyone else (family most likely :P) that wants to know what I'm doing. Luckily, Mrs. Qiao was gracious enough to document the whole filming process and the links below point to her blog which have all the pictures from those two days. Enjoy!
Day 1, Day 1, Part 2, Day 2
Last Wednesday and Thursday we filmed at various locations in Nanjing for 12-13 hours a day—pure slavery—but I was fed and paid 400 RMB for my troubles. It was an incredibly interesting and worthy experience as I met some really neat locals and learned some phrases in the Nanjing dialect. According to the director, I performed “not badly” since all the actors were amateurs and 80% of my lines were in Chinese (although he repeatedly had to remind me that I needed to act like I didn’t speak Chinese and purposefully mess up my tones and rhythm).
It’s interesting to see Chinese media from the inside. The script was written in about two weeks, which is “slow” by Chinese standards. Typically a script is written in a few days, but since the director wrote it himself, the process took considerably longer. The filming, which is usually a three day process, was completed in two days so that the cameraman and director could attend a meeting with some foreign media representatives. What that all means is that an hour-long “short movie” can be dreamt up, written, filmed, and sent for processing in less than a week’s time. It felt like the fast food of TV mini-drama. I’m guessing that with the amount of “short movies” and TV drama’s I’ve seen on TV lately, this is the Chinese equivalent of the endless reality TV spinoff shows we have in the States. Some people have argued that Chinese TV isn’t that creative, but I’m pretty sure that the problem is that Chinese TV isn’t made for us (foreigners, youngsters, intellectuals, and whatever group “us” might fit into). Chinese TV serves that select group of middle-aged housewives that have time after doing dishes in the afternoon or late evening to watch an hour of two of some other family’s drama. From that perspective, it makes more sense that the majority of these shows are not like the typical shows coming from the States. The youth get on the Internet. Mom watches TV.
--The above was a journal entry I've written as a part of the Flagship documentation requirements for being abroad. I hope to be posting those on this blog as well as a way to keep up with anyone else (family most likely :P) that wants to know what I'm doing. Luckily, Mrs. Qiao was gracious enough to document the whole filming process and the links below point to her blog which have all the pictures from those two days. Enjoy!
Day 1, Day 1, Part 2, Day 2
Monday, February 16, 2009
New Year, Old Me
It's been a while since I've posted; but, in the spirit of the recently passed Chinese New Year, I will post some thoughts about life this semester. I'm disappointed with returning to America. While I was in Hangzhou studying, I really thought that coming back to the States would be an awesome occasion. Instead I found that sometimes I felt more comfortable living in China (and ironically it has nothing to do with the cost of living). It may be the difference between city and country life. Oxford, Mississippi is such a very rural place to call "home", as it feels more "home" than "home" really does. Sometimes that's good: the slow pace of weekends, sunny afternoons with not a lot to do, watching squirrels fight in the yard or birds chasing each other through the bushes. The call of nature can be relaxing for sure.
But the pace of the city tugs at me. I never thought my personality fit in such a "small" place like Mississippi. Of course that's not to say my personality is "big" (because that would be too easily egotistical), but alas I miss the city. My mind often wanders back to China, what my friends or loved ones are doing there, and when I can definitely return. I worry it might be detracting from my school work, but that's another topic altogether.
I've never really liked schoolwork...
Ever...
So I guess it's a new year with new hopes, dreams, and ideas... and the same old me.
But the pace of the city tugs at me. I never thought my personality fit in such a "small" place like Mississippi. Of course that's not to say my personality is "big" (because that would be too easily egotistical), but alas I miss the city. My mind often wanders back to China, what my friends or loved ones are doing there, and when I can definitely return. I worry it might be detracting from my school work, but that's another topic altogether.
I've never really liked schoolwork...
Ever...
So I guess it's a new year with new hopes, dreams, and ideas... and the same old me.
Monday, October 13, 2008
"Farmer in Chief"
An article in the New York Times today entitled "Farmer in Chief" posed some very interesting ideas regarding our nation's food supply system, and it raised some very common-sense alternatives to our current addiction to using fossil fuels during food production.
Did you know
- that we currently use 10 calories of fossil fuels to produce one calorie of food,
- that 40% of grain grown in the U.S. is used to feed animals in feedlots,
- that putting plants and animals on the same farm reduces needs for pesticides and herbicides,
- and that polyculture farming is more productive and more healthy than monoculture farming?
I also found out that when Eleanor Roosevelt publicized her "Victory Garden" in 1943 as a way to help sustainably feed ourselves and support troops overseas, it led to the creation of 20 million family plots--people growing organic food in their own backyards!
In China, I've become very accustomed to local farmer's markets. In fact we have a pretty large farmer's market behind our school. Inside I can find anything from fresh, hand-pulled noodles or rice cakes to fish caught earlier that day, from tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce, to apples, oranges, and other fruits and vegetables I've never even seen before (papaya, dragon fruit, pomegranate, and many types of melons). I can buy eggs or the chicken (both fresh although I doubt the eggs came from that particular chicken...).
I also often find trucks parked by the side of the road loaded down with oranges (since we're in the wet, Florida-like south), or a wagon filled with vegetables hitched to tricycle. Presumably all this food comes from the surrounding area and its all fresh (within days of being picked... sometimes on Monday a seller's oranges start out green but by Friday they're more yellow...) but they never seem to run out (which leads me to believe the bountiful fruit farm must be close!).
I write all this to ask: How can a "developing country", like China, have ubiquitous access to organic, locally grown foods and farmer's markets (even in a dense city of 10 million), while the United States, whose citizens struggle with a very poor, corn starch heavy, bad calorie, junk-food diet, has erected barriers to the development of local, organic foods and food markets?
I can't remember the last time I saw a farmer's market in America. Moreover, I can't remember the last time I saw someone buy an animal that looked like an animal (I grew up knowing meat was packed and that's that!). The fact is that local, organic food not only reduces carbon emissions, supports local economies, and protects our food supply from terrorism (... living in America it seems you almost have to add that one as a selling point these days), but it's healthier. Healthy diets lengthen lifespans, fight disease, and naturally support our bodies' inherent chemical and biological functions. Healthy diets that rely on good calories (from fresh fruits and vegetables, not fats and oils) can reduce long-term medical costs and relieve some of the financial burden from government funded programs like MediCare and MedicAid.
Maybe it's time we all start our own little victory garden, for our own health and the health of our nation.
Did you know
- that we currently use 10 calories of fossil fuels to produce one calorie of food,
- that 40% of grain grown in the U.S. is used to feed animals in feedlots,
- that putting plants and animals on the same farm reduces needs for pesticides and herbicides,
- and that polyculture farming is more productive and more healthy than monoculture farming?
I also found out that when Eleanor Roosevelt publicized her "Victory Garden" in 1943 as a way to help sustainably feed ourselves and support troops overseas, it led to the creation of 20 million family plots--people growing organic food in their own backyards!
In China, I've become very accustomed to local farmer's markets. In fact we have a pretty large farmer's market behind our school. Inside I can find anything from fresh, hand-pulled noodles or rice cakes to fish caught earlier that day, from tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce, to apples, oranges, and other fruits and vegetables I've never even seen before (papaya, dragon fruit, pomegranate, and many types of melons). I can buy eggs or the chicken (both fresh although I doubt the eggs came from that particular chicken...).
I also often find trucks parked by the side of the road loaded down with oranges (since we're in the wet, Florida-like south), or a wagon filled with vegetables hitched to tricycle. Presumably all this food comes from the surrounding area and its all fresh (within days of being picked... sometimes on Monday a seller's oranges start out green but by Friday they're more yellow...) but they never seem to run out (which leads me to believe the bountiful fruit farm must be close!).
I write all this to ask: How can a "developing country", like China, have ubiquitous access to organic, locally grown foods and farmer's markets (even in a dense city of 10 million), while the United States, whose citizens struggle with a very poor, corn starch heavy, bad calorie, junk-food diet, has erected barriers to the development of local, organic foods and food markets?
I can't remember the last time I saw a farmer's market in America. Moreover, I can't remember the last time I saw someone buy an animal that looked like an animal (I grew up knowing meat was packed and that's that!). The fact is that local, organic food not only reduces carbon emissions, supports local economies, and protects our food supply from terrorism (... living in America it seems you almost have to add that one as a selling point these days), but it's healthier. Healthy diets lengthen lifespans, fight disease, and naturally support our bodies' inherent chemical and biological functions. Healthy diets that rely on good calories (from fresh fruits and vegetables, not fats and oils) can reduce long-term medical costs and relieve some of the financial burden from government funded programs like MediCare and MedicAid.
Maybe it's time we all start our own little victory garden, for our own health and the health of our nation.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
My sense of the market
Well there are one of two things going on right now. Either my gut feeling about the market is really in tune to the ebb and flow of our global economy, or there is a worldwide conspiracy to stoke investors back into a market that is sitting at historic lows (some stocks are as low as they've been in 25 years!!). Two updated links on the right (Historic Lows & and Stock Valuation) both point to the fact that companies' stock value are insensibly low. Most of these companies are still very healthy and profitable, but because of various reasons people are pulling out of the market and stock prices continue to fall.
Of course if our economy is really headed into a "global recession", then companies stand to make smaller profits in the near future; however, an investment now (or within the next few weeks) will surely yield profits in the next couple of years.
Of course if our economy is really headed into a "global recession", then companies stand to make smaller profits in the near future; however, an investment now (or within the next few weeks) will surely yield profits in the next couple of years.
Here's a quote from James Grant, editor of Grant’s Interest Rate Observer and the author of the forthcoming book “Mr. Market Miscalculates.”:
“People keep on stepping on the same rakes because money, like romance, is only partly an intellectual experience. Money, like sex, brings out some thought — but also much heavy breathing and little stored knowledge. In finance, the process is cyclical. Some people learn from their ancestors, but mostly they repeat the same mistakes. Thus it has always been and thus it will always be.”
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
If I had some cash...
So I've been watching the market lately, I know everyone thinks "What a horrible time for investors", but let me tell you... If I had some cash...
I'd buy.
Why? Because a lot stocks right now are sitting at historic lows. Since I started my portfolio two and half years ago, I've been watching some pretty strong stocks do some pretty strange things. I'm sure people remember the "Shanghai Slip" in February of '07 when some computer glitches in China made the markets skip a beat for a day. A lot of US stocks slid hard and fast hitting 52-week lows in one day, but the Chinese stocks stopped dropping after the 10% cap (in China stocks can only move up or down 10% per day). This is when I bought in Apple, Inc (NYSE:AAPL) at around $85/share. As of today, Apple sits at around $90/share. Outside of these recent market malfunctions, the company is sound. Their product line lures brand loyalty like no other and every year they consistently grab a larger share of the market and beat earnings projections (although to be fair, their earnings estimates are rather conservative in comparison to the company's dynamic expansion in recent years). Two weeks ago I sold my shares of Apple at $140/share, but until six months ago their stock was rated by various companies to have a value of approximately $200/share and even peaked at $212/share (knew I should've sold then...). My point: low is the best time to buy; and, if the percentage gained is high enough to make a nice profit, sell! I made approximately 60% profit and could've made more had I been willing to settle with 110% profit six months ago.
Other stocks that I've watched crawl to speculative lows recently are a few multinational companies I invested in earlier (and when I say invested I mean made money from trading). One of them is iShares Trust FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Fund (NYSE:FXI). Although now almost all the charts I can find show that FXI never hit over $200, I found my account history online and know for a fact I sold my shares at $200/share in October 2007. In February I bought them at $104/share. Now FXI is $28/share and from what I can see FXI's top 10 holdings are all strong companies in China (Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China Mobile, China Construction Bank, CNOOC, China Unicom, etc.) They list 25% holdings in IT, 25% in Manufacturing, and almost 50% in Financial Services. Although the United States' financial system is in shambles right now, I can say that if any country is in a decent position with finances-- it's China (with over one trillion dollars in federal reserves in 2006 and a savings rate of approximately 30% of houshold income). The Chinese financial system is not suffering from a lack of liquidity like the United States, but unfortunately investor confidence is just as low here. Many people I've talked to have lost a lot of money on the open market, real estate prices are still falling from mad speculation and gross profiteering; however, the companies listed on FXI's top 10 are still showing signs of successful growth! If I had to guess, in a few months FXI will tack a gain of at least 50% or $42/share (which is comparable to August's share price).
I'll post some information on OTCBB's later in my next post... "If I had $1,000 to day-trade"
I'd buy.
Why? Because a lot stocks right now are sitting at historic lows. Since I started my portfolio two and half years ago, I've been watching some pretty strong stocks do some pretty strange things. I'm sure people remember the "Shanghai Slip" in February of '07 when some computer glitches in China made the markets skip a beat for a day. A lot of US stocks slid hard and fast hitting 52-week lows in one day, but the Chinese stocks stopped dropping after the 10% cap (in China stocks can only move up or down 10% per day). This is when I bought in Apple, Inc (NYSE:AAPL) at around $85/share. As of today, Apple sits at around $90/share. Outside of these recent market malfunctions, the company is sound. Their product line lures brand loyalty like no other and every year they consistently grab a larger share of the market and beat earnings projections (although to be fair, their earnings estimates are rather conservative in comparison to the company's dynamic expansion in recent years). Two weeks ago I sold my shares of Apple at $140/share, but until six months ago their stock was rated by various companies to have a value of approximately $200/share and even peaked at $212/share (knew I should've sold then...). My point: low is the best time to buy; and, if the percentage gained is high enough to make a nice profit, sell! I made approximately 60% profit and could've made more had I been willing to settle with 110% profit six months ago.
Other stocks that I've watched crawl to speculative lows recently are a few multinational companies I invested in earlier (and when I say invested I mean made money from trading). One of them is iShares Trust FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Fund (NYSE:FXI). Although now almost all the charts I can find show that FXI never hit over $200, I found my account history online and know for a fact I sold my shares at $200/share in October 2007. In February I bought them at $104/share. Now FXI is $28/share and from what I can see FXI's top 10 holdings are all strong companies in China (Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China Mobile, China Construction Bank, CNOOC, China Unicom, etc.) They list 25% holdings in IT, 25% in Manufacturing, and almost 50% in Financial Services. Although the United States' financial system is in shambles right now, I can say that if any country is in a decent position with finances-- it's China (with over one trillion dollars in federal reserves in 2006 and a savings rate of approximately 30% of houshold income). The Chinese financial system is not suffering from a lack of liquidity like the United States, but unfortunately investor confidence is just as low here. Many people I've talked to have lost a lot of money on the open market, real estate prices are still falling from mad speculation and gross profiteering; however, the companies listed on FXI's top 10 are still showing signs of successful growth! If I had to guess, in a few months FXI will tack a gain of at least 50% or $42/share (which is comparable to August's share price).
I'll post some information on OTCBB's later in my next post... "If I had $1,000 to day-trade"
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