I don’t know about you, but 2015 seemed to fly by pretty quickly. Thinking back to what I did throughout the year, it’s easy to see why. If I wasn’t prepping for class then I was in class. If I wasn’t prepping or in class, then I was grading essays. After summer was out, I was on my way travelling again and added three new countries to my passport book (though one was just a stopover).
January: First New Year’s Eve celebration in China. Opted not to do much and instead see what happens on campus. Result: nothing much. Had a cigar, watched the students chime the big bell in front of one of the cafeterias and then went to bed. Also the month I discovered the craft beer scene in Beijing. Oh, and finished my first semester in China.
February: Chinese New Year. Stayed put in Beijing and opted to read and explore the city if I felt like it. Result: Decent. Read quite a bit, especially fiction which is something I don’t do very often. Also saw how Beijing celebrates their New Year, Year of the Horse. Spent New Year’s at Houhai Lake and watched the place explode with fireworks. Also bought my own fireworks and nearly took my own head off.
March-June: Back into classes and focus a little more on learning Chinese. Result: pretty good. I was given a 24-hour per week course loud, including one new course that took up much of my life. Allowed one of my students to try to teach me Chinese which didn’t work out. Hired a private Chinese teacher and results were much better. Also read Paul Theroux’s The Great Railway Bazaar which puts the idea in my head to do the overland journey from Beijing to Lisbon, Portugal. I only made it as far as Almaty, Kazakhstan before flying to Paris for a week.
July: Travel. Reading Mark Twain’s Innocents Abroad, I decide to break out of my non-travel shell, pack my bags, and get on the train out of Beijing. Result: realization that train tickets do, indeed, sell out weeks in advance during the summer months. I end up taking the slow “PW / YW” trains from Beijing to Urumqi seeing mountains, deserts, practicing my Chinese while tasting as many local dishes as I can.
August: I abandon my original travel plans and opt to expedite my travels so I can visit family in Canada for a bit before returning to China once again. My overland journey takes me to Urumqi by train and then buses or cars through Kyrgyzstan and into Kazakhstan. I then fly to Paris for a week before flying to Western Canada for a wedding, both of which accomplish the goal of completely travelling around the world. After Vancouver, I head back home for a week before returning to Beijing for another year.
September: Back into Beijing for my second year here. I feel at “home”, which both scares me and encourages me. I leave my old backpacks in Canada and opt for a larger suitcase and a new backpack. Given another 24-hour per week course load, including another new course and FOUR new teachers to work with. Also find another two more Chinese teachers so I can practice twice a week.
October-December: Busy. Result: not as stressed out as my first year and the year is flying by fast. I find out that some of the new teachers aren’t happy and wished they were given more information about what to do in class. I remember back to my first term here and all of the stress that went into understanding and preparing for classes. Not much I can do to help. Chinese classes continue and I’m given a few compliments by former students, my teachers and co-workers. I’m considering “HSK 2”, on the 5-band scale of Chinese proficiency. Not bad for one and a half years of study.
And that is my year in a nutshell. I’m currently looking forward to winter vacation, although I think this year’s will be busier than last as my parents are planning to visit; it’s their first time to Asia. Looking forward to the new year and to continue my Chinese language study if only to see how far I can get in a few years.
All the best and happy new year! 新年快乐！(xin nian kuai le – Happy New Year in Mandarin Chinese.)