Business Proposal & Entrepreneurship Class

A student came into the teacher's office today and approached me with an interesting proposal. In return for compensation, she asked me to attend her boyfriend's business opening tomorrow. I would not have to do anything except talk with guests and say that I worked with the owner. This PR stunt is intended to give the impression that an English-speaking foreigner works at the business. Apparently, this allows Chinese businesses to charge more for their products and services by improving their image of quality.

This was not the first time I was asked to do this. Last night, in fact, another friend asked me to do the same for her interior-designer friend.

Although I admire the PR ingenuity and leveraging of foreigners, I wonder whether or not they considered the ethics behind being intentionally deceptive and misleading.

Entrepreneurship Life Club. Weeks into the course, today we jumped into the wonderful world of marketing. The task I gave the students was to join 3 teams of 6 and develop a marketing strategy to introduce tanning salons and women's razor blades into China.

First, I had to explain to them the cultural difference that American women, generally, see tan skin as beauty, which is completely opposite of Chinese culture where pale skin is beautiful.

Second, students learned that American women shave their legs and armpits. It's the opposite for a vast majority women here, once again.

With the cultural lesson completed, it was time to tackle the case study. Students divided into groups and they had to elect a project manager to delegate work and manage their limited time. It was a blast to see them work together, creating strategies for pricing, placement, and promotion. One group suggested that they should hold a PR event at a large mall in Shanghai, where beautiful women would model how to shave one's legs, and then onlookers could come close and touch the silky-smooth legs of a Goddess. Needless to say, we were on the verge of tears from laughing so hard at their wild promotion ideas.

Why I Love My Job

Over the past months working at EnglishFirst, I've had the opportunity to interact and learn about a wide array of people. From accountants and doctors, to software engineers and factory managers, I feel lucky to be connected with my students.

One of my students is a senior partner at a corporate law firm, where he specializes in M&A, private equity, contracts, and privatization of state-owned enterprises. During our weekly conversations, I teach him English through natural conversation and, in return, I learn about the Chinese business and legal landscape. We've also talked about personal matters.

Growing up in rural Communist China as a child, his family of 6 never got enough food rationed from the government and consistently lived with a half-empty stomach. Times were tough and he wanted a better life, so he packed his bags and moved to the big city to study at China's top law school in Beijing.

In June of 1989 his life changed; he was there the day of June 3rd when Tienanmen Square became highlighted on the map to the Western world. Because he was there, furthermore, the government restricted him from leaving the country for 10 years. Knowledge of that event is scare, particularly among younger people because it's been systematically erased from the collective memory of the people. With that said, however, I must (temporarily) give kudos to the government because I could search (in English) for pictures and articles online about it, even opening the Wikipedia webpage.

It's through conversations where I learn about these type of personal histories that make this job fulfilling. Each day I'm gaining a greater appreciation for how China is changing and growing.

Weekend in Hangzhou & Elena visits from America

Day 1, Hangzhou: We arrived late-morning in Hangzhou and took a bus into town to find our hostel. After settling down into the lackluster sleeping quarters, which had beds that made sleeping on pavement feel comfortable, we hit the road and started walking around Xi Hu (West Lake). Something was different from about this city of 1.69 million--it was quiet. Although there were cars around Xi Hu, there was an absence of jackhammers pounding away, people yelling, and cars honking. It was peaceful.

We quickly found the nearest bike-rental place, and armed with a hot-pink bike and an impotent ringing-bell to alert pedestrians, my spirits were high for the bike ride to come. Onward! We traveled across a long land bridge that connected the lake, peddling up-and-over bridges, weaving through pedestrian traffic as if we were Olympic snow-skiers brushing past the gates. After a couple of hours, we handed over our beastly bicycles to the proper authorities in search of another activity.

Map of Hangzhou

A view of Xi Hu (West Lake)

Hailing a taxi to Longjing mountain village that day was about as likely as finding the free press here in China. So, my friend, Frey, called one of his customers in the area and he was kind enough to pick us up at a hotel we found. I didn't know exactly what was happening, but on the trip up the mountain into the serene forest area, I learnt that his customer's parents own a tea house and field.

We pulled into the village and a sense of relief overcame me, "This is what I've been looking for in China!" With big smiles, the parents waved from the porch of the tea house, greeting the foreign travelers. We sat down at a table on the porch, and quickly had local tea and food brought out to us. The bare-chested father pointed at me saying (in Chinese), "He is very young and handsome." Pointing to the half-naked, jolly fellow, I asked my friend to reply, "No, you are very young and handsome."

After a tea tasting the quaint Longjing Village

We eventually made our way down the mountain and back to the hostel after having dinner in town and walking around the local outdoor bazaar. Elena, Frey, and I went to the pirate-themed bar next door for a brewski, while Sunshine hit the sack. With a mini-keg of beer sitting on the table, we played a drinking game that was new to me and that allowed us to disproportionately share the beer. And after a couple of beers, I asked Frey to see if I could join the band for a song. Elena was outside, sadly, and could not here me butcher an inebriated version of "Fly Me to the Moon" by Frank Sinatra with my Chinese cohorts on stage. On the upside, nobody understood the words coming out of my mouth...and neither did I.

We soon departed for our beds and upon touching the room's door handle, Frey and I looked at each other with a silent-stare that said, "We haven't had enough to drink." We (slowly) made our way back down the stairs and into the other bar next door, which felt like a library in a way. Going nowhere with the small talk and sign language at the bar, I turned my attention to the pianist, who happened to be playing a familiar tune called "Home," from my favorite singer Michael Buble. I quickly approched the man after his number and requested a duet. With his blessing, we were to sing "Fly Me to the Moon"...I needed redemption. This time things went great and we sang a fun and entertaining duet!

Tea tasting

On the train home from Hangzhou.

It's popular to sing in the parks.

Food poisoning & toe trouble

As if the toe trouble wasn't enough, yesterday I got food poisoning and I began feeling the unpleasant effects at work (which I will spare you from). Now, I'm on a balanced diet of water and bread without oils or butter. Perhaps the diamond in the rough is that this situation has motivated me to learn Chinese at a faster pace because I realized how dependent I am on others for translation and because it's frustrating to be incapable of expressing my basic needs.

On a better note, I've seen the depth of friendships in the past week as students, co-workers, and friends have gone out of their way to help out. Whether it's my roommate who helped when I was sick at home, the student who's a doctor and helped translate at the hospital, co-workers hailing a taxi ride home, or students just calling to check up, my friends have been amazing.

I've also learned the importance of staying positive and finding the humor in things. Month three in China is coming up on the 19th, and studies show that people typically begin entering the homesick phase of living abroad during months 3-5. Events during the past weeks could be the catalyst to enter that phase, but I just need to keep things in perspective and be patient.

Toe Trouble

Ingrown toenails are quite the inconvenience to say the least. After a month of walking on a sensitive and painful toe, I decided to pay a visit to the hospital. One of my students is an ER doctor, and he was kind enough to take me to the hospital's podiatrist who happens to be his best friend.

After discussing potential treatments, a solemn look became painted across the podiatrist's face, which was a little disconcerting--he suggested complete toenail removal. Needless to say, this shocked me and I begged for mercy to have partial toenail removal. The painful parts of the ordeal have been 1) the injection, 2) the first 5 minutes of surgery, and 3) having the bandage changed.

Putting the gruesome details aside, this experience has taught me a lot about the importance of building friendships and a network. I feel very lucky and honored that my student took the time to help me on his days off.

Costs:
Taxi fare to/from: CNY 22
Pain killers: CNY 8
Medical treatment: free because the student knows the podiatrist
Hobbling around Shanghai attracting inquisitive stares: priceless