Aventuras

1st picture was my first dinner here in China. The guy who...

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:00:08 -0400

1st picture was my first dinner here in China. The guy who picked me up at the airport got me settled in at the hotel, then left. Great. I was starving and had no way to communicate. So I went back to the school and asked if he could help me out. He took me to this giant place in the basement of a mall that has tons of Chinese food. You load up money on a card, then when you want something, you just tap the card against the machine and it deducts the costs and they serve you your food. Besides the sweet/sour chicken with rice, I had no idea what the other 3 bowls were.

Sometimes I know what I’m getting, and other times, I don’t. For example, the yellow stuff in the bottom picture came with what I ordered and it was like a gelatinous tapioca pudding without any flavor. After struggling with chopsticks and rice, I asked my buddy what the Chinese word for ‘fork’ was and he said, “They’ll just give you chopsticks anyway”.

This is the view from one of the treadmills. After asking around...

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:54:35 -0400

This is the view from one of the treadmills.

After asking around and a lot of hand motions, I found a legit gym with an underground Muay Thai area, ring included. Now if learning how to count in Chinese were only this easy.

Good morning from Beijing, China! Nothing like opening my door...

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:24:55 -0400

Good morning from Beijing, China! Nothing like opening my door to these. Went out in search for a gym by doing exercise motions in front of the valet of hotels. Luckily, one guy said, “Hey man, I speak English, Gym is on the 4th floor.” Although expensive, it’ll do for now.

So it’s 6am and I’m up. My internal clock is still...

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:28:50 -0400

So it’s 6am and I’m up. My internal clock is still not used to the time difference and I have just managed to steal somebody’s wifi because my hotel has “No no no, no wifi”. 20 minutes after landing I find myself inside of a bank, signing endless amounts of paperwork after which my Chinese companion tells me, “Now, you have bank account”.

After having spent 15 hours on airplanes yesterday, I thought to myself, “What could be worse than that?” THE CHINESE LANGUAGE. I will never again say anything about how tricky Spanish can be. It’s going to be a long year in China, that’s for sure, but I’m quite excited.

Goals for the day:

1. Find a gym

2. Learn to count to 10

Yep, 2 just of them. I’m sure they’ll be challenging enough.

Whatup Widdit..

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:19:00 -0400

It’s that time again. I’m off to a foreign country in 2 days and as always, to those who send me their address, I will send you something authentically “MADE IN CHINA”. E-mail me at: Degenh@hotmail.com or send me your name and address through my question box. It’s that little area that says, ‘Preguntas’.

It’s going to be a busy year for me whilst in Beijing. Not only will I be teaching English, I’ll also be working on grad school applications along with Muay Thai training, in which I plan to take some fights. So stay posted and let the adventures begin.

Welcome to the grind

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:50:24 -0400

Welcome to the grind

So close...

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:23:55 -0400

Leaving for China early Sunday morning. Working and training until then. Boise is a boring place when transitioning between 2 countries.

Spring break..Summer..Similar in so many ways.

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:02:52 -0400

Spring break..Summer..Similar in so many ways.

It’s a reggae kind of day

Sun, 12 May 2013 14:54:21 -0400

It’s a reggae kind of day

After complaining repeatedly about the lack of beer choices in...

Thu, 09 May 2013 23:01:30 -0400

After complaining repeatedly about the lack of beer choices in Arequipa, Peru, I suppose I should show what I was comparing it to. This is part of the beer aisle in a Fred Meyer in Boise, Idaho. Choices for days.

10 days....

Thu, 09 May 2013 12:04:00 -0400

Until I leave for China and I keep hearing the strangest reactions from people when I tell them I’m going.

“Wait, China? As in like, Asia?”

“China? Aren’t they like Communists?”

“China huh? Dude, I hope you don’t eat dog on accident”

“Umm, why would you ever leave America?”

“Are you going to wear one of those little mask thingies too?”

I suppose at this point I should probably just not mention where I’m headed. These questions are getting out of hand.

Photo

Sun, 05 May 2013 19:40:23 -0400

I leave for China in under 2 weeks and I couldn’t be more...

Sat, 04 May 2013 10:32:12 -0400

I leave for China in under 2 weeks and I couldn’t be more excited. Minus the fact that I’ll be taking my Muay Thai shin guards and they aren’t exactly a ‘space-saver’.

I do apologize that my blog has been boring due to the fact that I’ve been in Boise, Idaho for the past month or so, but I assure you, once I’m in China, it won’t disappoint.

hahaha my friend Abby who teaches these hooligans had them do...

Wed, 01 May 2013 21:20:09 -0400

hahaha my friend Abby who teaches these hooligans had them do the Harlem Shake today

Shoutout today goes to Jamie, a Boston girl I lived with while...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:41:07 -0400

Shoutout today goes to Jamie, a Boston girl I lived with while in Peru. We drove each other crazy, but I hope all is well y que estés realizando tus sueños!

This would be extremely profitable in Peru.

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:25:08 -0400

This would be extremely profitable in Peru.

RRRRReggaeton

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 15:28:26 -0400

RRRRReggaeton

Went and saw this clown last night. Worth it. It’s nice to...

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:04:24 -0400

Went and saw this clown last night. Worth it. It’s nice to be back in the States and finally hear some sarcastic humor. Sarcasm, from my experiences, isn’t too prevalent in Spanish.

English slang can be challenging, not only for my Peruvian...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:20:12 -0400

English slang can be challenging, not only for my Peruvian students, but I’m pretty sure my Padre doesn’t know half of these either.

Boom Shakalaka!! Got my Chinese Business Visa in the mail today....

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:18:16 -0400

Boom Shakalaka!!

Got my Chinese Business Visa in the mail today. Doin big things