Ok, now for a history lesson. The topic of todays lesson will be "The life and times of Daniel Clough". Oh, wait...

You will all be glad to hear that I am doing very well in my search for employment and stable living in China. (I can say this because I am sure my enemies do not bother reading my blog)

In a stroke of fortune a friend knew of a place that was opening up the day before I had to move out of my apartment. Not only am I lucky to have found a place on such short notice for a good price, the landlord is her friend and she talked him into letting me pay only for the first month instead of the normal 3 months plus deposit. This is crucial because I do not have money for 3 months plus the deposit.

The search for gainful employment is also going well. So far I have one class teaching in a kindergarten so far and an endless stream of people calling, texting, emailing, msning, qqing or offering me work at random restaurants. I have 1 interview and 3 sample classes this week. Each sample class is pretty much a guaranteed placement, but they are all one on one classes once or twice a week. The interviewer seems desperate. It's a kindergarten looking for a full time morning placement. They were offering 100/hr and I said "No way! I wouldn't wake up ass early in the morning for less then 150/hr!" The next day they called me and said they could pay more!

On top of all that I am also doing piece work for HHS in exchange for Free Chinese Classes. Well really the lessons are free conditional on my friendship with the boss and the piece work is free offered as a condition of my desire to hang out in the office, use the internet and chat with my friends there...

Ok. Here is a blog I wrote for HHS and posted today.

My month as an au pair.

In preparation for HHS sending au pairs to Lan Zhou I have been given the unique opportunity of staying with a family for one month!

I was picked up at the air port by the mother and the customer service representative from HHS. The drive from the airport was surprisingly long. As we drove I got briefed on the town, the family, and the local HHS branch. When we arrived at the house workers were setting up my room. The family had to buy a bed and a desk to convert a hallway ‘room’ into a bedroom. It is a nice room, a little small, but big enough. I usually practice yoga and kung fu before bed and when I wake up and Bob, the 9 year old son comes into my room to practice with me. There is enough room for the two of us and it is so cute.

If have not seen the chart of the au pair adjustment chart I suggest you take a look at it. The first week is called the Pink Cloud Phase, or something like that. Having traveled and adjusted myself to many new situations I am well aware of this curve. The pink cloud phase is great. My first week was perfect, as expected. The family was so excited that I was here and the kids were excited to practice their English and learn! Walking around town everything is new, and being in a smaller city people always look at me and often shout “Hello!” as I pass by, and the family is so happy to show me their home. We ate out every day, trying all of the best foods that Lan Zhou has to offer, and let me tell you, Lan Zhou has a lot to offer. The most famous food is Beef Noodles or 牛肉面. All of my friends in Beijing have asked me, “Have you tried the noodles!?!” Yes, they are that good. I look forward to trying them when I get back to Beijing to taste the difference. Apparently it’s the water here that makes them so good. The best beef noodle shop in town is not that impressive, not like the fancy restaurant that we went to the next night. We met some friends and sat around a traditional round table with a spinning center piece. The food is set in the center and everyone eats either directly from the center or loads their plates from there. The setting was exquisite, the food was divine, and we had three waitresses to fill our cups and care for our every need. After dinner I ran around the restaurant with Bob, Sam, and their friend from school. We played hide and seek and other games as the adults talked.

Good food, nice people, interesting life… What more could I ask for?

P.S. I tried the beef noodles here in Beijing at two restaurants... Not so good.

After three months.

I have been in China for three months now. I have been fairly lazy about writing blogs. I have written several articles that I will post over the next few weeks. Some of them have been written for the company I work for and are fairly toned down when compared with my usual or at least often sardonic tone.

Today is my last day of work at HHS Center. I have decided to teach English instead. For almost half the amount of work I can make Double what I can make at HHS. I do not have a job yet but I am told that it will not be difficult to find one. Actually I have an offer in Xi'an but the pay is only mediocre. I really liked the guy who runs the place. He is a Frenchman who has been in China for 9 years.

I guess I will post the upcoming blogs in Chronological order. Today I will put up two short ones.

The first is one that I wrote for the HHS website. HHS tries to portray a sweetness and light image of the program. All of my blogs for them are attempts to show a more realistic difficult but positive side of China. I wrote the second post immediately after the first because I had to water down my feeling and experience so much during the first post.

I have been traveling for years, for my whole life in a way. Like so many Americans I moved a lot when I was younger. As my mother went to school and looked for work and a good place to raise children my sister and I came along for the ride. Due to moving, or some other strange circumstance, I was constantly changing schools until high school. I learned that moving - traveling - is largely about people. A move across town can be almost as large of a move as to a new country, if they speak the same language and have similar cultural heritage.

A friend asked me the other day, “Why do westerners like to travel so much?” This was after a long discussion about world politics and American vs. Chinese views on foreign affairs. Having been in China for only 3 weeks my mind was (is) still opened to wonder, and thoroughly confused. This openness is why a travel. At the time however I could only think of superficial reasons for travel, the reasons I had thought of before. None of those reasons seemed adequate. The question was like a koan. It has been like a koan to be sure. I have asked myself many times in the past 10 years, “I love this place, I love these people. Why not stay?” In the past few days, every time my mind had a chance to rest the question comes back. This time it was not just for me, but for my people. “Why do ‘Westerners’ like to travel so much?” I have come up with so many new answers; but none of the answers have been as profound as the openness I felt on the subway, about an hour after she asked me that question. Going home, looking around, and wondering “Who am I, and what the hell am I doing here?”

China is an interesting place.

I mean, it’s on the other side of the world, and everybody walks around upside down! Everything is backwards... They drive the wrong way on one way streets, constantly weaving around traffic, and then they park on the side walk. That’s why I don’t drive. I take the subway to work. When I get on the subway someone behind me will always think there is room for one more person. I have learned here in China how much people can squish. The Chinese concept of personal space is very interesting. I have never been so close to people I don’t know before. On top of all that everyone speaks gibberish. No one knows how to talk properly and their writing is just as bad, or worse. They don’t even know the alphabet! Trying to buy food is nearly impossible. I go into a restaurant and point at something on the menu. Then they start with their nonsense. Eventually they realize that I don’t speak gibberish and they bring me some food. The food is OK, I guess. Chicken necks and bugs are not my idea of a good meal, but everyone is starving here and my only other option is rice.

I don’t want to seem ungrateful.

I am happy to be here...

After all…

I could be in Africa.