“Internet, Global Gal 1976, Good Morning.”

“Good Morning, Global Gal 1976, Go ahead.”

“Global Gal 1976, We will require a delay of several days in posting to blog due to imminent ICAO Aviation English exam and realization that we do not know how to talk on the radio. Request radiotelephony cramming sessions.”

“Approved, Global Gal 1976. Take several days to study and report exam complete.”

“Cramming commenced. Report when exam complete, Global Gal 1976.”

“Global Gal 1976, Confirm date and location of exam the 17th in Guangzhou.”

“Affirmative, Global Gal 1976, and good luck!”

“Global Gal 1976, Thanks!”

What a day. It is cloudy and rainy. The perfect day to be at home in bed. I have been tempted multiple times today to just put my head down and sleep. Instead, I have been researching ticket options for our upcoming trip to Spain. I am always astounded by prices. But what can you do? In all my years of buying tickets, I still find the best prices directly on the airlines’ web pages. How about you? We will be traveling Shanghai to Madrid with a two day layover in Amsterdam. Damage? 9000RMB per person. Yikes.

Here at work it is b-o-r-i-n-g. The weather is not conducive to flight today and with no airplanes flying it is unnaturally quiet. When you are used to airplane engine’s running up and airplanes buzzing around, the quiet is enough to drive you crazy. The DH is freaking out. He hates being stuck on the ground with nothing to do.

We’ve been told we have a company dinner at 1830 this evening. I really have no idea what the dinner is for, but it might be to celebrate our school receiving permanent certification from the CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China). Our school is only the second in history to receive this certification, so it does seem to be a dinner-worthy accomplishment. Something tells me I am going to have to “empty my glass” a few times tonight, toasting to continued “harmony and cooperation.”

Wow, have I not blogged anything since Wednesday? I certainly did mean to blog more this past week. Then my Internet connection at home crapped out and I was <get ready for it> actually expected to do work at work! </what a shocker>. What is this concept? Teach classes? Plan classes? Research library applications for school library? Edit teaching syllabi? What?!! No blogging? No endless news surfing? No Facebook time? 

The nerve. 

Yea, my job is normally quite relaxed and cushy. I can’t deny it. But I’ve been busy lately and have had to sacrifice a little blogging time in favor of spending my after work hours stretched out like a couch potato watching episodes of Medium and/or vegetating. I’m sure you understand. 

Oh, btw, I’m on my lunch break at the moment. Wouldn’t want to give the impression I am shirking my work duties.

This morning while I was whining about headaches and cold feet, the DH was in the airplane with two students flying the third cross country flight in our school’s history. (And I have a feeling they were not too warm, either!)

A cross country flight is a necessary part of Private Pilot License training where the student plans and flies a flight of more than 50 nautical miles before landing and returning to the original airport. In any country where flight training has been going on for a long time cross country flights are really no big deal, except to the student, of course. But this is China and everything is just a little bit more difficult here. As I’ve mentioned before, flight training is a new concept and getting permission to fly VFR (by looking out the window and referencing checkpoints rather than flying by instruments and ATC) even around our local airport can be a challenge. Cross country flights in China are even more of a pain due to multiple logistical problems, military control of airspace and weather concerns.

But today it all came together beautifully, as it did two days ago, and the flight from Linyi to Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province, went off without a hitch. They even flew right by Tai Shan! I’ve got pictures to prove it!

Linyi From the Air – Looking Southeast

Linyi From the Air – Looking North

Linyi From the Air – Looking Northwest (Yi Meng Lu Bridge)

Further Afield – Who says there is no solitude in China?

Just Another (Happy) Day at Work for the DH

So You Believe They’re Really There in a Cessna 172 – Tai Shan

Probably the Best Way to See the Summit of Tai Shan!

Lots More Mountains

Yep, that’s the “landing gear” and are those terraces?

Back to Linyi and Back to the Airport
View of the so-called first and second bridge roads

This is why we’re here! It is exciting to watch the students  make progress. The weather in November and December this year has been strangely clear. Last year there was very little flying at all during this time due to poor visibility and fog. I don’t know what to make of this, but I should not complain! A flying pilot is a happy pilot!

You can see all the photos at SmugMug.

Whew, I just experienced the scariest 20 minutes of my life. The electricity in our entire apartment complex just went out.

It’s -12 outside right now. That’s 10 F. That’s seriously cold. As I lit every candle in our apartment, all 4 of them including my new Christmas tree candle, which I was thinking was more for decoration, all I could think about was a night huddled under every blanket we own, all 4 of them. And then I realized that this is what I get for wondering how my neighbors live without heat – I was going to experience it first hand.

Thank god or buddha or gaia or chairman mao or whoever managed to reconnect the electricity!

At work recently I’ve been editing a document that was translated from Chinese to English. The document is part of a training syllabus for a pilot course and it uses a lot of standard aviation phraseology. This makes editing the Chinglish a little easier, but I still find some strangely translated words and phrases. Having a good imagination is necessary.

I actually like the work, however, especially when I come across Chinglish like this: “The instructor trainee will properly demonstrate land abortion procedures.” Land what?! And with a smile I change it to aborted landing.

I’m swamped! No time for blogging. I’ve got three term papers to write, other assignments to do, a trip to Hong Kong and classes to teach at work.

If you have not received emails from me or were wondering why I am not blogging, well that it is why.

Hope you are all well!

Everyone loves a monkey. Didn’t we all go to the zoo and stare at the monkeys as children, mesmerized by their furry faces, their near-human acts, their funny grooming behavior? I’ll never forget how I laughed when the DH told me of the time he and his friend M. went to see the monkeys in the Houston Zoo, and how they proceeded to torment one poor monkey by pretending to give him a peanut. The monkey became so enraged that they’re pretty lucky they didn’t end up with a face full of monkey poo.

So what’s with the English Monkey? Maybe you can really only understand this idea if you’ve lived in China, but I’ll try my best to explain. An English Monkey is usually an English teacher, or token foreigner, who gets “displayed” for English school promotional purposes. As in, “Step right up, folks and look-ey here! Our English school has got us a real, live FOREIGN English teacher!” What normally happens is everyone walks by, looks the English Monkey over and shouts, “Hello!” or “How are you!” before running away, snickering. You don’t even have to be an English teacher to be an English Monkey. Sometimes, just walking through downtown you unwittingly become one, as crowds of people gather around, trying to snap photos with you and trying out their best English. Sometimes being an English Monkey can be fun, but you have to be in the right mood for it. Other times you just want to hurl poo.

Today I was asked to visit a job fair with our human resources staff and conduct some English interviews. I was worried that I was going to be the English Monkey. Fortunately, it turned out to be a fun experience, as I chatted with different people interested in our flight school. I was also kind of dreading it because I am really shy, especially around total strangers. As I spoke with potential employees about their backgrounds, English studies and hobbies, I realized how scary it must be for them. They’re probably nervous enough about finding a job, it is really competitive here, never mind that they are forced to make small talk with a monkey!

Luke – First Solo at JTFA (the force was with him)

Yesterday was an exciting day at JTFA – we had our first ever solo flight by a student! The first solo is a momentous occasion – the student is alone in the cockpit for the first time. Other than communication with the air traffic controllers, they are on their own! Luke’s first solo consisted of flying a circuit around the airport – the traffic pattern – and making several landings. He made two touch and go’s – touching down on the runway and then taking off again – and three circuits of the airport.

Once he had taxied and parked the aircraft, he practically floated over to the group waiting for him. There is still a lot of training to complete before he will start working for the airlines in China, but he is one step closer!

Fall is here. (Even though by the Chinese calendar we are in mid-autumn already.) I’m wearing a jacket. It is windy and cool. It is even cool enough for my favorite treat – green tea oatmeal. (It’s way more delicious than it sounds!) How long will this last?

As predicted by our local meteorologist, September is turning out to be sensational flying weather. Despite the fact that today is a little rainy, visibility is great and the planes are in the air. The DH has been flying everyday for the past week. This is what we came to China to do, and it is a huge relief to see the instructors doing it!

I’m writing some posts about the challenges of flight training in China and some other aviation in China themed stories. I should be posting them this weekend or next week, and then on a regular basis after that. It’ll be my “Aviation in China” series.

In the meantime, I’m swamped with lots of reading and studying. When I left my last nursing job, I was so burned out that I never wanted to see a hospital or a sick person ever again, but I have to admit I’m really enjoying my medical librarian courses. I’m reading about infectious disease for a course, instead of my own pleasure, (I know, I’m twisted.) which is a huge change. I’ve never enjoyed reading a textbook before. Does this mean I have found my career? What I want to be when I grow up? I’m even watching medical dramas for fun. (House – Season 1) And sometimes, when I’m deep into an episode of House, and I have to turn to the DH and translate some of the medico-speak, somewhere down in a corner of my mind, I actually miss the hospital, just a little, tiny bit.

It is a little frustrating that I am studying about libraries in a country where I can’t actually read a book. In Linyi, there is no public library, and even if there were, I’m sure the English section would be minute. It’s times like these when I wish I was in a big cosmopolitan city like Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong. There I might have possibilities of working in a library. Still, I have some outlets here. I want to build a virtual aviation library for our school and I’ve been reading about an interesting library project going on in China. Library Project is an organization that donates books and libraries to school and orphanages in developing countries. If there is a way I can be involved in this project, I’d love to be. More on that later.

Have a great weekend, wherever you are!