Part Three: Work Life

 "Work Life? Like your job? Are you really using this blog to talk about your jorb? Everybody does something, what makes you so special?"

Hey there cynical sally, settle down. My school is a cool place where kids can do things and fun games can be had. Teaching is hard, and I didn't have the best or easiest time all the way through my practicums. However, with a good team, good resources and a good amount of preparation, it becomes a little easier every day (Write that down because that's a quote I intend to sell for money one day). Now, I don't intend to turn this into a pintrest-fuelled pink-coloured crazy teacher resource blog full of silly lists like "TWENTY NEW WAYS YOU CAN USE THOSE OLD POPSIGGLE STICKS" or "58 NEW MATH GAMES USING ONLY A STRING AND A CUP", although the latter would be so impressive I may just have to invent it myself.

So this work thing. So I really miss being a student, in a lot of ways (class four days a week, spending time with friends, being a goof but a manageable goof, hangs, nights out, etc. To some of my friends, I have said this about school (being a student, that is): You give them (the school) your money, quite a large sum. With that money, they put you in a building filled with people that are roughly your age. They have, roughly, the same interests as you, most of you live in the same neighbourhood, have the same time schedule, and the same kind of budget for going out & having a good hang. There are, however, a diverse enough group of you through your different personalities, interests and little isms that it makes for an entirely enjoyable group to hang out with almost relentlessly. Looking at this picture it makes my heart hurt thinking about how much I miss it.

 On the other side of things, there gets a point where it would REALLY be nice to afford, you know, proper groceries, a new pair of shoes now and then, or maybe put some money into a bank account to at least pretend you're saving for your future and not for that old Volvo you saw on kijiji. Besides the money factor (and arguably more importantly), it's nice to go out and practice instead of just prepare (notice how I didn't say work vs learn). For that, teaching is great. I learn new things about my kids every day, I get to know my co-workers, I slowly figure out what kind of things I need to do to be or stay energetic, active, creative, positive, prepared, etc. It's a slow but satisfying process, kind of like slowly untying a big big big knot. As you can see, physical organization of my desk is still something I'm working on...

But really, by the end of week three of this whole 'Teaching in Macau' thing, I feel like I've got a good grip of what's good, even though the novelty of working full-time has certainly not worn off. Basically, I walk into a building, I give little brains some exercise and fun, I walk out, and then they give me MONEY (and also a good working environment)! It's a fantastic system. I highly recommend it.

 Oh, and they call me 'Mr. Stuart'. That's a thing here with most teachers in that they go by their first names, unless you really don't want to do that. For me, that means I can bring back my famous 'Stuart Nickles' that were so popular and useful for campers (if a camper did a good thing or a silly trick I wanted them to, they got a Stuart Nickle. They could use that nickle for fun, or a vote on a game/activity, or maybe even a spot of candy at the end of the week. Being camp, where candy is hard to come by, this was a valuable commodity.) Next year I will be doing that for sure.

 In two days, I move into my new place (pictured here). There will be more frequent posts as I make more time for them and not silly things like wasting time on the innernet & dancing to jazz in the kitchen. Well I'll probably still do that.

Part Two: Living in Taipa

So I'm situated in a part of Macau called Taipa. Macau itself is currently divided into two parts: The northern portion, Macau proper, sits on a peninsula coming out of the Most-Glorious-And-Unquestionably-Perfect People's Republic of China. The southern part, divided into Taipa, Cotai and Coloane, was formerly two smaller islands that were filled in and joined into one. I live (for the time being) in Coloane in a large apartment complex, but the school where I work is in Taipa. This week's post is meant to show you some of the neat things and ism's that exist here in this greenhouse of a city that has become my new home. 

While Macau itself is more traditionally European/Asian (narrow streets, older buildings, more Portuguese), Taipa & Cotai have become a mix of Asia and North America (lots of big flashy buildings, a bustling entertainment industry. In 2004, the government decided to take a large pile of things, and push them into the sea. The result was that, because they pushed so MANY things into the sea, that they connected the two islands of Taipa and Colaone together with a flat, wide, build-on-toppable strip of land. They named it Cotai, a rough Chinese translation of "oh look at all the room we have for new casinos, theaters and mega-resorts. We're going to make a killing!". In the past decade, the economy, population and culture of Macau has significantly changed (China's breakup of the monopoly on the gambling industry there in 2002 further opened things up for lots foreign investment & development). But that's all dry stuff I paraphrased from wikipedia. You want to see the pictures and have me shout "MANGIA", so we'll move onto the next bit. 

Living in a country like this, I was expecting things to be different, but you can never really prepare yourself for what's in store (but having enough money and your VISA certainly helps. No, I brought neither of those things...). The school I've been lucky enough to sign onto has been nothing short of lovely. My class is full of typical 9-year olds; curious about new things, eager to help, and pretty great to spend a day with. The staff have been friendly and welcoming, I even get to plan with them (no, I don't just mean they let me into the meetings). I work together with the other grade 4 teacher when we make a week's lesson plans, halving the workload for both of us. It's the smartest idea since putting an eraser at the end of a pencil. I really think that it's a good fit for me.

This is the place I'm staying at until the end of this coming week, a large condo/apartment complex that's only a few years old. There have been a number of these kinds of 'urban communities' popping up around Taipa & Coloane in the last few years. This one has a free shuttle you can take you to the city center for free. They've also got a gym, a pool, a rentable mini-cinema (for about $30 you can have your friends in and put on your favourite film), a children's 'go nuts and play with all the toys including giant soft lego bricks you can use to make forts & stuff' room, and more. The frills cost a bit more to use, and I've been . Wanting to be closer to the school & city center, I'm moving to my own place in a different part of town, Old Taipa village.

The village is an older part of Taipa with more European influence, with lots of small shops, pubs and restaurants in a small area. I'm on the top floor of a 3-story building next to a place that makes Argentinian BBQ & pizza (I am not sure if that was a smart decision or not). The community seems really great, and the apartment I've picked out (while a bit pricey) feels like home to me, so this will be home for me for the next little while. More to come on the village later. 


There is one thing in particular I've got to mention about Macau & Taipa; The parks here are excellent. Really really really excellent. There will definitely be lots to share in the future about the parks & recreation spaces here. Last weekend, to get some moist fresh air and exercise, I went to the panda park nearby the apartment. I enjoyed myself so much I stayed too late and was locked inside my security staff who thought everyone had left (more of that later too). Combined with my hospital visit the previous day, it made for an eventful first weekend in China-not-China.

Overall in terms of life, by the end of week two, things are pretty good. I feel like I'm used to this place (the weather, sleeping properly, eating regularly) and getting the hang of this teaching-overseas thing. I also broke out my fresh version of Dutch Blitz for its first of many eventual rounds of furious, card-mashing entertainment.

I think I'm going to have to up the number of weekly posts, there's just way too much to share. It'd take me months just to write about what I've seen so far. Maybe a shorter bi-weekly thing might be in order (keep your eyes on on Thursday night). 

Part One: The First Week

Welp, I suppose this is the blog. After some fussing and indecision about how narcissistic or genuinely neat this might become, I've decided to pull the trigger on this ol' bad boy. While this isn't my home territory as far as innernet fun goes, I think it could be a good way to get away from facebook & whatnot, and perhaps give myself an opportunity to reflect on what I've seen & done. Writing isn't really something I've done much of, I never kept a journal when I was younger (I hated reading my own words), and I wrote a grand total of 6 essays during post-secondary. Even so, I'm finding it quite relaxing (especially with some palatable jazz & alcohol) so I might just keep on it and not cut it off. So here goes; the Macau Interlude: Part One

Arriving in Macau last week has been an experience unlike any other. I say that because I've been abroad before but I haven't been so worn out. After being processed at the airport, waiting for 20 minutes for my baggage before I realized I was at the wrong terminal, and being picked up by a friendly Birminghammish fellow named Dan, we exited the airport only to be be hit in the face with a wave of 30-degree moist-as-oatmeal city air (My body was certainly not ready for that). Since then, I've been around town a bit, eaten out once or twice, and wandered into a Casino to meet some fellow teachers for drinks. I even managed a hospital visit this week, after a bout with something that really did not agree with me (how rude). Overall, it's been a very damp but interesting learning experience, professionally, physically and personally.  Without further ado. Adeo. Adeuo. Audo? Audi? Achoo. Without any more words, here's a few pics I snapped this week to give you an idea of what this place is like. 

Many people here ride scooters around the city. Being a busy city-state packed into 30 square km (making it the 5th smallest country in the world), compact vehicles are the way to go. Surprisingly, there's not so much traffic that it makes transportation inconvenient or unpleasant (public transport is well-used throughout the city).

About half of the dedicated street parking spots look like this, lined with scooters, mopeds and bikes. I'll get my hands on one once I learn to ride (and on the opposite side of the road no less).

The climate here is, well, quite something. With temperatures orbiting 30 degrees, 90%+ humidity, and frequent rainfall, there's plenty of plant life in the city (the same cannot be said of critters, where even bugs have a hard time finding a home). I plan on focusing a future post on some of the plant life & geography of Macau. "ʷᵒʷ ˢᵗᵘᵃʳᵗ ᴵ ᶜᵒᵘᶫᵈᶰ'ᵗ ᵗʰᶦᶰᵏ ᵒᶠ ᵃ ᵐᵒʳᵉ ᵈʳʸ ᵃᶰᵈ ᵇᵒʳᶦᶰᵍ ˢᵘᵇʲᵉᶜᵗ ᶠᵒʳ ʸᵒᵘʳ ᵇᶫᵒᵍ⋅"

Most of where I am (Northern Taipa) looks like this. Lots of tall apartments with shops on the ground level. There's also a constant smell of city/sea/food mixed into the air. It's not bad, but not particularly fragrant either. Just a smell. Learning my way through the maze of the city (and Macau proper, the main part to the north of where I am), is my challenge for the next few months.





Looking back on my first week, I'm really excited that I've got the opportunity to work here and explore all the fun things that life has to offer in such a different place. While this week has been tough to get settled (in more ways than one), I think there is a cool challenge in this major upheaval. I still miss my friends and family, but working that into my life is part of that challenge. In the weeks to come, I'll show you around the city, talk about the school & class, and maybe even include a little bit of food here and there pour MANGIA.

Thanks for taking the time to check in. You'll hear more from me next week when I get some more pictures & see some more things.