** Update

A quick google search of Richard Tyson Rigg has revealed that he shares a patent on a dermatological product which customizes foundation to a woman's facial skin. Sweet.

And I wonder what am I doing here...?

Alright, this may just be the funniest thing that has ever happened to me. On Sunday night I got a phone call from a woman at the school here asking me if I'd fill in for someone and accept an award on his behalf on Monday at lunch time. I agreed. Things began to snowball really quickly. Nobody knows this guy or what he does. And nobody told anyone that I'm accepting on his behalf. Before I knew it I was on tv shaking hands with important politicians, I was taken to a fancy lunch where I was made to give a toast on behalf of Canada. Then I was whisked off to the capital (Changchun) where I was a guest of honour at the fanciest banquet I've ever seen. I was introduced to a room of about 300 people and I sat at the head table, all of the time under the guise of one "Richard Tyson Riggs". At first I was very uncomfortable with being an imposter but as the day wore on I decided to just have fun with it. By the end of the night I was proposing toasts at the head table and doing shots with all of these Chinese dignitaries. It was hilarious. Completely impossible. The craziest part was that I was never told what was coming next. I just did what I was told and at every step of the day it kept getting more and more formal and prestigious. I still don't know who Richard Tyson Riggs is, what he does, what the award was for or how I ended up there. It was definitely an unforgettable experience though!

Frustrated Incorporated...

I believe the honeymoon is coming to a close. Today was a pretty frustrating day. For all of the wonderful experiences there are definitely some things that are tough to deal with...like the staring and pointing for example. I feel like a celebrity without the benefits. I swear Chinese people don't think it's rude to point and stare. I had to physically force myself out of a childish staring contest with a 40 year old woman at 30 yards. We were both standing still, me with a briefcase in hand like Michael Douglas on the cover of Falling Down, her with a slack jawed expression straight out of the Clampett family. I was just so sick of people staring at me I started staring back, you know?

But I'm determined to stay positive...so...tonight I head to the airport to meet my boss. His visit last week was delayed by, get this, the NDP government in Nova Scotia. Haha. Thy arm is long Darrell. My co-worker, John, and I are both hoping he'll be suitably impressed with the amount we've accomplished so far. With it being a new program very little was actually in place when I arrived. Since then we've made the learning environment a lot healthier, made big strides with the students (including adaptations for one of our 5 students...I know the teachers reading this will love to hear that!), made the staff office bearable, found a printer (a HUGE victory, believe it or not) and the coup de grace...acquired a coffee maker!

Also exciting is that I found the ingredients to make homemade garlic cheese bread...damn it's tasty after a day of Chinese noodles and tofu!

Pictures to follow before too long.

It's Been One Week...

Well! Here I am in China. It's been a bit over a week and I've finally figured out how to circumvent the Chinese government's blocking of my blog. I guess they were concerned that www.duncanharviesblog.blogspot.com may contain some inflammatory material. Like Andy.

This past 10 days has been insane/amazing. Describing me as a fish out of water would be a huge understatement. Fortunately I have the support of a great group of people in the foreign department here at Jilin #1 High School. If not for them I don't know if I'd still be here. It's really hard to articulate how little I know, how difficult it is to do the simplest tasks, and how frustrating it is not being able to talk or read but it's certainly a humbling experience. I'll never look at a foreigner in Canada the same way again.

So, I'm here safely and the adventure has begun. Now that I know how to get to my blog I'll update it more regularly. Thank you to everyone for sending emails; they are precious.

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

The long and drawn out departure appears to be imminent. I have a flight to Ottawa booked for Wednesday wherein I will get my visa processed in person. At that point I plan to catch the first flight to the Orient and get my China on. This has been a very long and stressful month, I'm very relieved that the end is in sight. Or the beginning, I guess, depending on how you look at it.