On Sunday, our school had a "Sports Day," and all the parents came to see the students (and the teachers) take part in some running events. Even I got roped in to a three-legged type of event. Only it was a seven-legged race, as there were six of us tied together. There were three teams, each with three teachers and three parents. Our team came in dead last. We were co-ordinated enough to reach the finish line without falling over, we were just too damn slow.
The park near my house.
I'm glad of the break, as it will give me some time to get ahead on my lessons. I want to add more than just me talking and pointing to things on the board or the Smartboard, which is what the students are used to, but not quite Canadian style.
I want to start doing a once a week class that will introduce them to some elements of the "Canadian lifestyle," so they won't be quite at sea when they get there. I know more than most how difficult it can be to make the transition to a new country, and I'd like to give them a little heads up.
The city hall for that part of Harbin north of the river.
So let me tell you a little bit about Harbin, which is China's northernmost city, with a population of about 10 million, with over 4 million in the city centre alone. The area where I am in is north of the river, and more sparsely populated. A lot of new development (including my school) being built.
The city was founded in 1897 as a camp for Russian engineers surveying the Trans-Siberian railway (see my earlier posts about my trip). The city takes its name from the original fishing village, which means "a place to dry nets." It kept on growing throughout the 20th Century, enduring occupation by the Japanese during the Second World War, and being fought over during the Chinese communist revolution after that. It is now a major city, a major player in China's economy, as well as the capital of the province of Heilongjiang.
Walking down by the river.
People keep warning me about the cold winter that is coming, but I just come right back with tales of Canadian winters, and tell Harbin's winter to "bring it." I have a fairly warm coat.
So there.
Getting around is pretty easy. Cabs are plentiful and cheap. I took one from the south end of the city to my place for 30 yuan, which is about $5 Cdn. The buses are even cheaper. The one I take to the market costs about 1 yuan (around 16-17 cents. The buses are very similar to the ones I used to take in Korea. Old, uncomfortable, and driven by maniacs who race each other down the street, laying on the horn the whole time.
My first trip to the downtown area took me to the Zhongyang Dajie, or "Central Street," which is blocked off to vehicular traffic. It was Saturday, and the weather was good, so everyone was there. I saw the monument to Flood Control, which commemorates the several times the Songwha River has broken its banks.
A lot of the buildings are in the Russian style, and most of them have been kept up, though they have a variety of different kinds of stores and shops in them now. We found a bookstore where I got a map of the city (all in Chinese), and passed by several beer gardens. There is a beer festival every August, and the local brew is not too bad.
Of course, the big festival occurs in winter, when the main park on Sun Island becomes home to various ice sculptures and houses of ice. I'm looking forward to it.
Tour boat on the river
I am studying Chinese, with a course from Pimsleurs, and I already know a few phrases, enough to get me around somewhat.
There is a Walmart on the central street, and there are various Carrefours, but the selection of foreign foods is limited. There is only one medium sized market in my area, and there are no open air markets at all. The one special treat that we had was an ice-cream bar that is particular to Harbin. There was a steady stream of people going to the various kiosks set up. The ice cream is not bad, kind of a cross between vanilla and white chocolate.
There were a lot of street foods available, from fresh fruit to barbecued meat on a stick. I also saw a lot of stalls that reminded me of the odang stalls back in Korea. Very thick noodles and fried dough. They also do a mean hotpot, and the Russian influence is still seen in the offerings of sausage and bread.
Near the market I go to is a string of restaurants that I have yet to sample. Nearer to my con-apt is a dumpling restaurant (dim sum) which cooks up some really good food.
I've read that there are some Korean restaurants in town, which might be good. I miss Korean food a lot. And when I get desperate, there are a couple of western style buffets at hotels like the Holiday Inn.
All of these things still have to be found and evaluated, the which task I am looking forward to.
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