officialdom

the red stamp of officialdom

This red stamp validates and sublimely summarizes the last four months of my service as a visiting English Teacher, partnering up with EduChina and Shangqiu Experimental Elementary Schools of Henan Province.

Two months ago, I requested a letter of recommendation, and my superior insisted that a personalized recommendation could not compare to this certificate; it is the thing that employers will look for... and so be dazzled by.

Below is my 聘书 [pinshu, Certificate of Appointment] with EduChina, China's largest educational service provider:

it's official: my EduChina Certificate of Appointment

中国教育学会中育教育发展研究中心特聘JESSICA老师卫中国教育学会实验学校英语口语教学简直教师。

[Chinese Society of Education and Education Research Center for Educational Development distinguishes Teacher JESSICA as a part-time Spoken English Teacher for the Chinese Society of Education Experimental School.]

I am amused, in fact, for I fear that only Chinese companies will take it seriously.

But at least it's official.

critically

For obvious starters, my surname is missing; I am represented, in full, only by my given name.

I briefly imagine that I have a following who know me simply as "...Jessica..." -in a way that I am not confused for another Jessica, nor are others confused for me.

But this is not a reality, and I am thankful for it.

Secondly, 2009年9月20日, the date printed at bottom right (i.e., September 20, 2009) is actually a date before I had worked for, let alone heard of their organization.

Had I not started working for them until the end of October?

Thirdly, the certificate simply states that I have been appointed as an Oral English Teacher. It says no more about what I have contributed; it says not why they would recommend me in the future to others.

Have I left them speechless?

offense in no sense

No matter how convincingly or logically one may argue, it seems that a personalized and thoughtfully tailored recommendation letter is a simple frivolity.

I would take it personally, but I cannot.

This is standard business in China.

An easily reproducible certificate bearing a 盖章 [gàizhāng, an "official" red stamp] is the more desirable.

The red stamp has the final say.

Note: Access to Blogger is still blocked within China. Without access to a much appreciated VPN (proxy), I would be unable to publish to my blog from within mainland China. Thus, I am blessed and grateful to be sharing. With every post, I hereby protest the oppressive nature of the Chinese government blocking access to any part of the web.

tag: urinate!

October 1, 2009. National Day. The 60th Anniversary of the founding of The People's Republic of China.

As the capital city of Beijing's Parade and thus downtown were closed off to The People for the grand commemoration of the day, I turned my bike around in defeat and and stopped for a stroll in the park.

sidewalk sighting

the sidewalk is a urinal: urinate to commemorate?

地坛公园 [dìtán gōngyuán, Temple of Earth Park], downtown Beijing: a toddler* pees directly into the sewage.

This is a daily sight here in China.

No matter the [formal] education of the parents, the children urinate and defecate at will -mostly at the base of trees and in drain holes, but also directly on sidewalks and the street.

The practice is encouraged and thought to be normal, though no one will admit it upon questioning.

Just last week, I witnessed a 4-yr old defecating in the middle of a busy street that is closed off to cars - a street where, everyday, thousands of people roam and linger as they shop. And eat street food.

This collision [of lack of hygiene where there ought be hygiene] speaks not only of the role of the government in providing sufficient access to public bathrooms (there is a serious lacking here), but also the practical education and will of the people.

Any awareness of hygiene is overshadowed by apathy and disregard for one's impact on or the well being of any other living being.

word of advice in china

Watch where you walk and don't step in any puddles.

That puddle probably isn't rain-water, and that dog poo may not be canine.

*Interestingly, the mother (white shoes) pays no attention to her daughter and walks onward. The grandmother (squatting adjacent, right) had no part in helping the girl choose this location. The child chose this spot only as a second choice. Her first choice was the earthen ring surrounding a tree, but she hustled away in confusion when she touched the ground only to realize that it was not dirt, but concrete-set stones.