Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
100 Days
I could write 1 million words a day, but I won't.
I tried to summarize what I've learned, but I can't.
There is just too much information to relate.
I guess that is why studying abroad is better than reading about it in a book. There is no way a book can encompass everything about living in a foreign country.
I've learned a lot. I won't classify them as good things or bad things. They are simply things. All of them are important.
Right now, though, all I want to do is come home. I'm exhausted with this place. I'm so glad I lived here, but thank goodness that it is almost over. Last 18 days.
"Best experience that I don't want to have to do again."
...At least that is how I view it right now.
I tried to summarize what I've learned, but I can't.
There is just too much information to relate.
I guess that is why studying abroad is better than reading about it in a book. There is no way a book can encompass everything about living in a foreign country.
I've learned a lot. I won't classify them as good things or bad things. They are simply things. All of them are important.
Right now, though, all I want to do is come home. I'm exhausted with this place. I'm so glad I lived here, but thank goodness that it is almost over. Last 18 days.
"Best experience that I don't want to have to do again."
...At least that is how I view it right now.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Shanghai International Half Marathon
Today was Marathon day in Shanghai. Way back at the beginning of the semester, I signed up for the Half. After struggling with my tendonitis for the first month or so, I got back into training by November. This week I finished out at about 50. Its not as high as I wish I was by now, but it is nice to be back at 100% health and running consistantly. My runs for the past month or so have been going well, but it is still to early to consider myself in "good" shape.
Anyway, today was my first long run over 10 since early fall. For that reason I decided not to pound too hard. I went into today's race resolved to run it like any other long run, and just enjoy the fact that I was participating in a cool race.
The "Running Club" that I am a part of on campus (which incidentally doesn't actually do very much running) arranged for a bus to take us to the starting line. I woke up at 5 am, at my usual China breakfast of Chips Ahoy and 2 oranges, and ran the easy mile to the pickup point.
The temperature was in the upper 40s. I consider this pretty warm, so I was wearing a long sleeved shirt and shorts. The "Running Club" kids arrived in winter coats and jeans. They all laughed at me for wearing shorts. I would laugh later.
We boarded the bus. It was sort of cool- even though none of the runners on the bus were serious runners nor was it a real team or a group of people that I care about, it ALMOST felt like getting on the team bus before a meet. Everyone was thinking and talking about the race.
The bus got to the starting line in People's Square at about 6:50. The race started at 7:30, so I felt like we were late. There was not really time to warm up or anything. Fortunately for me I wasn't too worried about performing well or I would have been madddd. The Fudan students were in a panic because they had to find a place to put their winter jackets and jeans. I laughed at them as I lined up for the race.
The race was really big, and all the Chinese runners felt that they were world class athletes who deserve to be all the way at the front line. I found a spot in the first 3rd of the crowd, and decided not to force my way up further. I stood stationary, locked my elbows, and became an immovable object. Rude (and OBVIOUSLY slow) runners tried to force their way past me by pushing, shoving and elbowing. Fortunately, I'm a cross country runner and know how to respond with a solid elbow right to the meaty part of the bicep.
Other than the over anxious Chinese runners, the start's atmosphere was pretty cool. They had a dj and stuff very similar to the start of American marathons. The "Director General of the Athletics Administrative Center of the General Administration of Sport of China" gave a brief introduction, the Chinese national anthem was played (and all the old men in the crowd stood tall and shouted it loudly), and they shot the gun at exactly 7:30. It took me a little over a minute to cross the starting line. EVERYONE was pushing and shoving, and being generally uncooperative to the common cause of getting strung out. My first kilometer was so incredibly slow, I didn't even look down at my watch. It took until 4k before I felt that I had enough space to accelerate. Splits were virtually impossible to get because the kilometer markers weren't always displayed, and when they were, they were small and hardly noticeable.
Eventually, I settled in and began enjoying the run. The natural process that happens in races occurred, which is the runners in your general vicinity become your own personal community. You begin to know their running styles, who you really want to break, who is trying to break you, and you get the general desire to move up to the next community.
The crowds were pretty good. Every time I go for runs in the park in the morning, I see various groups of old ladies practicing dances with fans and silk scarves. (this is nearly as popular as taichi). It seemed like EVERY group of these ladies had desided that this event was their time to shine. Almost every kilometer had at least one long line of these ladies, flinging their fans, scarves, and other props around and yelling "jia you!!" (go- give a greater effort) to the beats provided by drums and cymbols.
Because I wasn't flying at a real race pace, I got this feeling that I always get of ubercompetitiveness. In order to satisfy it without getting into heated races, I began proving the ease of my pace by trying to rile up the crowds. I raised my arms and yelled enthusiastically to the crowds. All the Chinese spectators thought it was hilarious and went CRAZY. It was pretty cool to be the center of attention for something other than my race for once.
The course was pretty flat, well marked, but not through the particularly scenic parts of the city. Traffic was regulated fairly well, though some cyclists on their way to work kept crossing the course at inconvenient times. Oh, and they used almost no cones or race markers. China has so many people, that staff and police were lined up everywhere acting as traffic cones. I thought it was pretty funny.
Well anyway, I finished the 21.09 kilometer course in 86:22. That is about 6:36 pace. I was sort of disappointed that it wasn't faster, but I suppose it isn't too bad for the effort I put in. Ordinarily I can run that on the way to 18 miles. I also count the fact that the first few kilometers slowed down the average a little. I was a little more tired afterward than I would have liked though. Still have a lot of training to do...
After the race, they put us through a series of lines. We returned our chips, and in exchange, we got a few advertisements (including a tutorial about obesity with RIDICULOUS cartoons), an orange, a nasty "Ion Water," a piece of chocolate, 2 Orion cakes, a certificate of completion, a medal, and a cheap (but super cool) pair of China-brand running shoes. They are super cool looking even though they are mechanically a nightmare.
I was hoping that there would be a bunch of shops and stuff like after the Pittsburgh Marathon, but there wasn't. I found a warm spot inside the stadium to wait for Ben. Ben was trying to get to the finish to get pictures, but naturally the Chinese cab system and metro system failed to deliver him even remotely close. He ended up arriving 2.5 hours after I finished. I waited wet and cold for him to show up with my stuff. He took some pictures of the race as he came, so at least I'll be able to put a few pictures of the event.
What really sucked is that it then took 2 more hours to find a cab back to the dorm. I was cold, wet, tired, and dehydrated. I got back, and napped for a while. I hadn't slept very much, being that was up till about 12 am and woke up at 5.
Overall, it was a pretty good day. Oh, and I was 65th in the Half. I suspect that a majority of the people who beat me were foreigners, because the farther up in the race I progressed, the fewer Chinese I saw and more foreigners. I felt a certain amount of satisfaction with this, and was glad that I had decided to pin a small U.S. flag to my shirt. There were a few really old chinese guys that beat me, though, which surprised me. In fact, I was outkicked in the last five yards by a really old man from China. Granted, I wasn't kicking (I was trying to get all the people at the finish to go wild) but I was still surprised when I saw him sneak by.
Can't wait to start doing real racing!!!
Anyway, today was my first long run over 10 since early fall. For that reason I decided not to pound too hard. I went into today's race resolved to run it like any other long run, and just enjoy the fact that I was participating in a cool race.
The "Running Club" that I am a part of on campus (which incidentally doesn't actually do very much running) arranged for a bus to take us to the starting line. I woke up at 5 am, at my usual China breakfast of Chips Ahoy and 2 oranges, and ran the easy mile to the pickup point.
The temperature was in the upper 40s. I consider this pretty warm, so I was wearing a long sleeved shirt and shorts. The "Running Club" kids arrived in winter coats and jeans. They all laughed at me for wearing shorts. I would laugh later.
We boarded the bus. It was sort of cool- even though none of the runners on the bus were serious runners nor was it a real team or a group of people that I care about, it ALMOST felt like getting on the team bus before a meet. Everyone was thinking and talking about the race.
The bus got to the starting line in People's Square at about 6:50. The race started at 7:30, so I felt like we were late. There was not really time to warm up or anything. Fortunately for me I wasn't too worried about performing well or I would have been madddd. The Fudan students were in a panic because they had to find a place to put their winter jackets and jeans. I laughed at them as I lined up for the race.
The race was really big, and all the Chinese runners felt that they were world class athletes who deserve to be all the way at the front line. I found a spot in the first 3rd of the crowd, and decided not to force my way up further. I stood stationary, locked my elbows, and became an immovable object. Rude (and OBVIOUSLY slow) runners tried to force their way past me by pushing, shoving and elbowing. Fortunately, I'm a cross country runner and know how to respond with a solid elbow right to the meaty part of the bicep.
Other than the over anxious Chinese runners, the start's atmosphere was pretty cool. They had a dj and stuff very similar to the start of American marathons. The "Director General of the Athletics Administrative Center of the General Administration of Sport of China" gave a brief introduction, the Chinese national anthem was played (and all the old men in the crowd stood tall and shouted it loudly), and they shot the gun at exactly 7:30. It took me a little over a minute to cross the starting line. EVERYONE was pushing and shoving, and being generally uncooperative to the common cause of getting strung out. My first kilometer was so incredibly slow, I didn't even look down at my watch. It took until 4k before I felt that I had enough space to accelerate. Splits were virtually impossible to get because the kilometer markers weren't always displayed, and when they were, they were small and hardly noticeable.
Eventually, I settled in and began enjoying the run. The natural process that happens in races occurred, which is the runners in your general vicinity become your own personal community. You begin to know their running styles, who you really want to break, who is trying to break you, and you get the general desire to move up to the next community.
The crowds were pretty good. Every time I go for runs in the park in the morning, I see various groups of old ladies practicing dances with fans and silk scarves. (this is nearly as popular as taichi). It seemed like EVERY group of these ladies had desided that this event was their time to shine. Almost every kilometer had at least one long line of these ladies, flinging their fans, scarves, and other props around and yelling "jia you!!" (go- give a greater effort) to the beats provided by drums and cymbols.
Because I wasn't flying at a real race pace, I got this feeling that I always get of ubercompetitiveness. In order to satisfy it without getting into heated races, I began proving the ease of my pace by trying to rile up the crowds. I raised my arms and yelled enthusiastically to the crowds. All the Chinese spectators thought it was hilarious and went CRAZY. It was pretty cool to be the center of attention for something other than my race for once.
The course was pretty flat, well marked, but not through the particularly scenic parts of the city. Traffic was regulated fairly well, though some cyclists on their way to work kept crossing the course at inconvenient times. Oh, and they used almost no cones or race markers. China has so many people, that staff and police were lined up everywhere acting as traffic cones. I thought it was pretty funny.
Well anyway, I finished the 21.09 kilometer course in 86:22. That is about 6:36 pace. I was sort of disappointed that it wasn't faster, but I suppose it isn't too bad for the effort I put in. Ordinarily I can run that on the way to 18 miles. I also count the fact that the first few kilometers slowed down the average a little. I was a little more tired afterward than I would have liked though. Still have a lot of training to do...
After the race, they put us through a series of lines. We returned our chips, and in exchange, we got a few advertisements (including a tutorial about obesity with RIDICULOUS cartoons), an orange, a nasty "Ion Water," a piece of chocolate, 2 Orion cakes, a certificate of completion, a medal, and a cheap (but super cool) pair of China-brand running shoes. They are super cool looking even though they are mechanically a nightmare.
I was hoping that there would be a bunch of shops and stuff like after the Pittsburgh Marathon, but there wasn't. I found a warm spot inside the stadium to wait for Ben. Ben was trying to get to the finish to get pictures, but naturally the Chinese cab system and metro system failed to deliver him even remotely close. He ended up arriving 2.5 hours after I finished. I waited wet and cold for him to show up with my stuff. He took some pictures of the race as he came, so at least I'll be able to put a few pictures of the event.
What really sucked is that it then took 2 more hours to find a cab back to the dorm. I was cold, wet, tired, and dehydrated. I got back, and napped for a while. I hadn't slept very much, being that was up till about 12 am and woke up at 5.
Overall, it was a pretty good day. Oh, and I was 65th in the Half. I suspect that a majority of the people who beat me were foreigners, because the farther up in the race I progressed, the fewer Chinese I saw and more foreigners. I felt a certain amount of satisfaction with this, and was glad that I had decided to pin a small U.S. flag to my shirt. There were a few really old chinese guys that beat me, though, which surprised me. In fact, I was outkicked in the last five yards by a really old man from China. Granted, I wasn't kicking (I was trying to get all the people at the finish to go wild) but I was still surprised when I saw him sneak by.
Can't wait to start doing real racing!!!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thanksgiving in China... and the Worst People EVER
Everyone in America should be thankful this Thanksgiving that they get to eat real Thanksgiving food and not KFC. That is the closest Ben and I could come to real thanksgiving. Lame.
Lately I've been pretty busy with school stuff, but Ben and I got out this week to do some souvenier shopping. We went out twice. Once last Saturday and once today. I'll begin with last Saturday.
We headed down to a neat old Chinese style market place near the Yu Gardens. This place had old curved roof architecture, which was cool. As foreigners, we have become accustomed to being bombarded with salesmen who try to get us to by their crap. In market places like this, we are particularly targeted. However, we have mastered the strategy of saying in Chinese that we don't want their stuff and to go away. Usually that is all that is necessary. Shop keepers intentionally race the initial prices of things because we are white. Our Chinese helps us to lower the prices. They try negotiating in English with us, which would give them the advantage, but we pretend to be German and that we can't speak any English. This usually helps the price drop, particularly when we say we are Fudan students. They respect that.
Anyway, we got a bunch of crap on Saturday. Negotiating with those people is exhausting, but not nearly as exhausting as it was today.
We headed out to a different market this time. At this one, outside they were selling their usual crap, but they also were selling puppies, and what seriously looks like weed. Who knows.
At any rate, upon entering we were bombarded by the usual sales people. This time though, they were much more agressive. Here is the tale of just ONE of the many that followed us:
He approached us and asked "Buy a watch? Buy a bag?"
We said "Bu yao, xie xie" (don't want, thanks)
He said "Well what do you want, I can find it for you"
We replied (in Chinese) "Sorry, we don't speak English well because we are German. We don't need your help. Goodbye"
He continued to follow us. He spoke primarily in Chinese to us after that, but kept reverting to English, as the common assumption is that white people ALWAYS and ONLY speak English.
We asked him to leave us alone. We told him we were just looking around. We told him we don't understand him.
He countered by insisting that without his help, we are hopeless to find anything that we are looking for. He said "I am your friend, I will help you find it for very cheap"
I said "You are NOT my friend. I do not know who you are. Please leave."
He laughed. He kept following. He poked us and tapped us and yelled HALLO to get our attention. We tried to lose him but he would stay up with us.
I checked my heart rate. It was about 100 bpm- which is rare for me, even after some hard miles. After about an hour of extreme harassment (not just from him) we had enough. Ben and I spun around on the man. Ben looked as big and as mean as he could. I did likewise. Ben shouted "GO" I shouted "GO AWAY! NOW. YOU ARE NOT OUR FRIEND, WE DON'T KNOW YOU!"
Shopkeepers in the area stared and laughed. The man, clearly a little frightened, backed away. Both Ben and I are significantly bigger than all the little Chinese people, and I think we startled him.
He didn't stop following us though. Occasionally, he yelled up to us from a short distance away "You'll never find it without me!" We ignored it, but kept thinking "you don't know what we are looking for...ASS"
Eventually we left the building completely. He and the other people stalking us followed. We entered a different market building. They followed. At this point, we had bought nothing, but were already exhausted. Another man approached with the same bullshit. We said, nicely as if we had been defeated "please. pleaase go away. We don't need your help." He laughed and said "No, we are friend and he can help us find what we are looking for." Ben and I both turned on our heels and left. About 10 guys followed us out of the building, down the street. Waited as I angrily bought some squid on a stick, and CONTINUED to follow until we were across the street and leaving the market area completely. They really don't realize that their pestering made them LOSE MONEY. We had every intention of buying things, but we refused to be hassled. Further, they weren't pestering locals. Only us. This is natural, because tourists usually buy more, but the judgement is made completely by race. They insisted on speaking English. We asked why. They said because that is our language. We lied and said that it wasn't, which could be true, but they make judgement based on race. As we walked through the streets on our retreat, we were stared at on all sides by workers, salesmen, police, shoppers, and everything else- because of our race. Students approach us to teach them English- because of our race. What is the worst is that they INSIST that race relations are perfect in China and that there is no racism. They believe that only America has race issues. It is complete and utter bullshit.
Anyway, after all that crap, I couldn't go shopping any more. I couldn't do homework or eat. I went back to the room and took a nap, during which I dreamed that various friends and family members were stalking me through the streets of Shanghai, ordering me around. It was annoying.
I woke up for Thanksgiving dinner. We took a rickshaw out to the cool plaza near campus where all the western style restaurants are. We found KFC, ordered the largest feast we could find, and ate fried chicken, corn, and mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner. Then we hit up Dairy Queen and got Oreo Blizzards (with crappy Chinese ice cream) for dessert. This was a very high point in the day. I'm very glad that I will be in America for Christmas.
Lately I've been pretty busy with school stuff, but Ben and I got out this week to do some souvenier shopping. We went out twice. Once last Saturday and once today. I'll begin with last Saturday.
We headed down to a neat old Chinese style market place near the Yu Gardens. This place had old curved roof architecture, which was cool. As foreigners, we have become accustomed to being bombarded with salesmen who try to get us to by their crap. In market places like this, we are particularly targeted. However, we have mastered the strategy of saying in Chinese that we don't want their stuff and to go away. Usually that is all that is necessary. Shop keepers intentionally race the initial prices of things because we are white. Our Chinese helps us to lower the prices. They try negotiating in English with us, which would give them the advantage, but we pretend to be German and that we can't speak any English. This usually helps the price drop, particularly when we say we are Fudan students. They respect that.
Anyway, we got a bunch of crap on Saturday. Negotiating with those people is exhausting, but not nearly as exhausting as it was today.
We headed out to a different market this time. At this one, outside they were selling their usual crap, but they also were selling puppies, and what seriously looks like weed. Who knows.
At any rate, upon entering we were bombarded by the usual sales people. This time though, they were much more agressive. Here is the tale of just ONE of the many that followed us:
He approached us and asked "Buy a watch? Buy a bag?"
We said "Bu yao, xie xie" (don't want, thanks)
He said "Well what do you want, I can find it for you"
We replied (in Chinese) "Sorry, we don't speak English well because we are German. We don't need your help. Goodbye"
He continued to follow us. He spoke primarily in Chinese to us after that, but kept reverting to English, as the common assumption is that white people ALWAYS and ONLY speak English.
We asked him to leave us alone. We told him we were just looking around. We told him we don't understand him.
He countered by insisting that without his help, we are hopeless to find anything that we are looking for. He said "I am your friend, I will help you find it for very cheap"
I said "You are NOT my friend. I do not know who you are. Please leave."
He laughed. He kept following. He poked us and tapped us and yelled HALLO to get our attention. We tried to lose him but he would stay up with us.
I checked my heart rate. It was about 100 bpm- which is rare for me, even after some hard miles. After about an hour of extreme harassment (not just from him) we had enough. Ben and I spun around on the man. Ben looked as big and as mean as he could. I did likewise. Ben shouted "GO" I shouted "GO AWAY! NOW. YOU ARE NOT OUR FRIEND, WE DON'T KNOW YOU!"
Shopkeepers in the area stared and laughed. The man, clearly a little frightened, backed away. Both Ben and I are significantly bigger than all the little Chinese people, and I think we startled him.
He didn't stop following us though. Occasionally, he yelled up to us from a short distance away "You'll never find it without me!" We ignored it, but kept thinking "you don't know what we are looking for...ASS"
Eventually we left the building completely. He and the other people stalking us followed. We entered a different market building. They followed. At this point, we had bought nothing, but were already exhausted. Another man approached with the same bullshit. We said, nicely as if we had been defeated "please. pleaase go away. We don't need your help." He laughed and said "No, we are friend and he can help us find what we are looking for." Ben and I both turned on our heels and left. About 10 guys followed us out of the building, down the street. Waited as I angrily bought some squid on a stick, and CONTINUED to follow until we were across the street and leaving the market area completely. They really don't realize that their pestering made them LOSE MONEY. We had every intention of buying things, but we refused to be hassled. Further, they weren't pestering locals. Only us. This is natural, because tourists usually buy more, but the judgement is made completely by race. They insisted on speaking English. We asked why. They said because that is our language. We lied and said that it wasn't, which could be true, but they make judgement based on race. As we walked through the streets on our retreat, we were stared at on all sides by workers, salesmen, police, shoppers, and everything else- because of our race. Students approach us to teach them English- because of our race. What is the worst is that they INSIST that race relations are perfect in China and that there is no racism. They believe that only America has race issues. It is complete and utter bullshit.
Anyway, after all that crap, I couldn't go shopping any more. I couldn't do homework or eat. I went back to the room and took a nap, during which I dreamed that various friends and family members were stalking me through the streets of Shanghai, ordering me around. It was annoying.
I woke up for Thanksgiving dinner. We took a rickshaw out to the cool plaza near campus where all the western style restaurants are. We found KFC, ordered the largest feast we could find, and ate fried chicken, corn, and mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner. Then we hit up Dairy Queen and got Oreo Blizzards (with crappy Chinese ice cream) for dessert. This was a very high point in the day. I'm very glad that I will be in America for Christmas.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
On Hygiene and Safety...
Ok, so China isn't the cleanest place on earth. Apart from its abissmal record for air quality, liter and other varieties of pollution, China's people do a pretty good job of making the place gross.
Before leaving for China, I was advised by most Americans to stay away from the street food. Despite this advice, however, street food has become my main source for dinner. This is for a number of reasons. The vendors are generally kinder than waitresses (that don't receive tips) and reward loyal customers with speedy and quality service. Also, the mystery of the cleanliness is removed. I see them dig their dirty hands into the food that has been sitting out all day, but at the same time I SEE this dirt going into it. Restaurants likely have the same practices going on here (which I witnessed through a window into a kitchen) but what I don't know is what animals, including rats and cats, are living in the kitchen and feasting on my food. A certain couple on the street that makes my fried rice and noodles have memorized my order and start making it for me as soon as they seem me approaching. Another advantage of the food from the street vendors is that about every other night I get to see a fight or altercation of some variety. (the other day I saw a fight between a rickshaw driver and a fat nerdy guy- after a series of shoves and girly kicks, they went at it hockey style and pulled each others shirts up their backs. it was hilarious how the street vendors didn't try to intervene, they just blocked their food from the scuffle).
Sorry, I digress. Food isn't the only hygiene issue of course. A public place would not be complete here without the sound of snot rockets being launched and powerful hocking of loogies. I mean freaking EVERYWHERE. Haha it is hilarious to me. I laugh every time- so I'm pretty much laughing all the time.
I've described before the smell of crap and stale Chinese food that permeates the streets. I've discovered that this is primarily eminating from the man holes. The sewars smell awful. A couple times Ben and I have seen street workers sticking giant long laddles into the man holes, pulling out a steaming soup of nasty water and what looks like spaghetti, and pouring it into a giant paint bucket. Don't ask me what they are doing, but it is weird.
Speaking of manholes- when they are open, or construction is being done, they use a few small orange barriors and that is all. Giant gaping holes litter the city. It would be really easy to fall in and die if you aren't paying attention. Bulldozers operate with no guard or protection. Today when I was running my head was about 6 inches from a bulldozer's shovel as it swung around suddenly...which was...cool...
Traffic. Makes. No. Sense.
Personal hygiene is probably the worst though. Fortunately I have been able to keep up my own American standard of personal hygiene, but the Chinese are different. Nearly everyone has teeth that look like yellow crayolas and fuzzy stumps. Showering is optional, particularly because dorms here are not equip with shower rooms. Showers for local students can be found in a separate building. Therefore students choose to only shower when they "need" to. Hair is greasy, skin is wrought with acne, and BO is rampant. Also, shaving isn't particularly common. For anyone. I have chosen to not shave while in China (and it looks quite awful) but most Chinese students try their best to grow something. Chinese people fail miserably at doing so (even worse than me) so all they get are nasty little mustaches and some random realllly long hairs out of their chin. Girls all have small faint moustaches (which is GROSS). They rarely shave their legs or armpits either, so some of them are growing some thick forests. I was told my my stalker (who has finally stopped stalking) that I, along with all the Americans she has met, have a good smell. I was weirded out by the fact that she sniffed me, but at the same time I was thinking "Well...that would be because I shower every day."
One side note- today while running I saw 3 different brides posing for pictures. 2 of them were in the park where I run and one was on Fudan's campus in front of the history building. It seems like the Chinese love having weddings at places that have a few trees. By American standards, the park is an urban garden. By Chinese standards, it is the wonderful world of nature.
Before leaving for China, I was advised by most Americans to stay away from the street food. Despite this advice, however, street food has become my main source for dinner. This is for a number of reasons. The vendors are generally kinder than waitresses (that don't receive tips) and reward loyal customers with speedy and quality service. Also, the mystery of the cleanliness is removed. I see them dig their dirty hands into the food that has been sitting out all day, but at the same time I SEE this dirt going into it. Restaurants likely have the same practices going on here (which I witnessed through a window into a kitchen) but what I don't know is what animals, including rats and cats, are living in the kitchen and feasting on my food. A certain couple on the street that makes my fried rice and noodles have memorized my order and start making it for me as soon as they seem me approaching. Another advantage of the food from the street vendors is that about every other night I get to see a fight or altercation of some variety. (the other day I saw a fight between a rickshaw driver and a fat nerdy guy- after a series of shoves and girly kicks, they went at it hockey style and pulled each others shirts up their backs. it was hilarious how the street vendors didn't try to intervene, they just blocked their food from the scuffle).
Sorry, I digress. Food isn't the only hygiene issue of course. A public place would not be complete here without the sound of snot rockets being launched and powerful hocking of loogies. I mean freaking EVERYWHERE. Haha it is hilarious to me. I laugh every time- so I'm pretty much laughing all the time.
I've described before the smell of crap and stale Chinese food that permeates the streets. I've discovered that this is primarily eminating from the man holes. The sewars smell awful. A couple times Ben and I have seen street workers sticking giant long laddles into the man holes, pulling out a steaming soup of nasty water and what looks like spaghetti, and pouring it into a giant paint bucket. Don't ask me what they are doing, but it is weird.
Speaking of manholes- when they are open, or construction is being done, they use a few small orange barriors and that is all. Giant gaping holes litter the city. It would be really easy to fall in and die if you aren't paying attention. Bulldozers operate with no guard or protection. Today when I was running my head was about 6 inches from a bulldozer's shovel as it swung around suddenly...which was...cool...
Traffic. Makes. No. Sense.
Personal hygiene is probably the worst though. Fortunately I have been able to keep up my own American standard of personal hygiene, but the Chinese are different. Nearly everyone has teeth that look like yellow crayolas and fuzzy stumps. Showering is optional, particularly because dorms here are not equip with shower rooms. Showers for local students can be found in a separate building. Therefore students choose to only shower when they "need" to. Hair is greasy, skin is wrought with acne, and BO is rampant. Also, shaving isn't particularly common. For anyone. I have chosen to not shave while in China (and it looks quite awful) but most Chinese students try their best to grow something. Chinese people fail miserably at doing so (even worse than me) so all they get are nasty little mustaches and some random realllly long hairs out of their chin. Girls all have small faint moustaches (which is GROSS). They rarely shave their legs or armpits either, so some of them are growing some thick forests. I was told my my stalker (who has finally stopped stalking) that I, along with all the Americans she has met, have a good smell. I was weirded out by the fact that she sniffed me, but at the same time I was thinking "Well...that would be because I shower every day."
One side note- today while running I saw 3 different brides posing for pictures. 2 of them were in the park where I run and one was on Fudan's campus in front of the history building. It seems like the Chinese love having weddings at places that have a few trees. By American standards, the park is an urban garden. By Chinese standards, it is the wonderful world of nature.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Shanghai when it is cold
Here are a few things about Shanghai at this time of year.
Shanghai is at the same latitude as Florida. Therefore, winters here are mild. Up until very recently, we have had weather in the 60s and 70s.
This week, however, has dipped into the 30s and 40s. This is particularly rare for Shanghai at this time of year. Temperatures like this are usually only around in January and February. At any rate, it isn't scary cold, just colder than what we are used to. The Californians are basically slitting their wrists in agony. So are the Chinese, though. It is sort of pathetic to see them all in their giant winter coats, scarves, hats, mittens, boots, etc etc etc. But I've already ranted about this, and I am generally not botthered by it any more.
The heating unit in our dorm room is extremely weak and does nothing. This wouldn't be that bad in this kind of weather, except for the fact that the giant window/door that opens onto our balcony does not come close to sealing. Air leaks in in gusts, and we are consigned to doing our homework in hoodies and whatnot. Classic Chinese products: windows that don't seal and heaters that don't heat.
I went out to buy an extra sweatshirt today. I wanted one that says Fudan University on it. They had such things, but the XXL was extraordinarilly small on me. The sleeves barely reached my wrists. In the U.S. I am too skinny for most clothes because Americans are generally too fat. In China, I am too tall for most clothes because Chinese are generally poorly fed and therefore extremely short. I can't win.
At least I don't expect to see snow until I return to the U.S.
Oh, and I realized that these entries have been leaning more and more toward lists of grievances. According to W&J's extremely helpful (or nooot) packet on how to adjust to a foreign country, I am in the phase of resistance to the culture. I plan on making a conscious effort to shift to a more positive outlook on the country. Believe it or not, I'm actually very much enjoying my experience here. I just hate everything about it. If that makes sense. I know it doesn't.
OK BYE
Shanghai is at the same latitude as Florida. Therefore, winters here are mild. Up until very recently, we have had weather in the 60s and 70s.
This week, however, has dipped into the 30s and 40s. This is particularly rare for Shanghai at this time of year. Temperatures like this are usually only around in January and February. At any rate, it isn't scary cold, just colder than what we are used to. The Californians are basically slitting their wrists in agony. So are the Chinese, though. It is sort of pathetic to see them all in their giant winter coats, scarves, hats, mittens, boots, etc etc etc. But I've already ranted about this, and I am generally not botthered by it any more.
The heating unit in our dorm room is extremely weak and does nothing. This wouldn't be that bad in this kind of weather, except for the fact that the giant window/door that opens onto our balcony does not come close to sealing. Air leaks in in gusts, and we are consigned to doing our homework in hoodies and whatnot. Classic Chinese products: windows that don't seal and heaters that don't heat.
I went out to buy an extra sweatshirt today. I wanted one that says Fudan University on it. They had such things, but the XXL was extraordinarilly small on me. The sleeves barely reached my wrists. In the U.S. I am too skinny for most clothes because Americans are generally too fat. In China, I am too tall for most clothes because Chinese are generally poorly fed and therefore extremely short. I can't win.
At least I don't expect to see snow until I return to the U.S.
Oh, and I realized that these entries have been leaning more and more toward lists of grievances. According to W&J's extremely helpful (or nooot) packet on how to adjust to a foreign country, I am in the phase of resistance to the culture. I plan on making a conscious effort to shift to a more positive outlook on the country. Believe it or not, I'm actually very much enjoying my experience here. I just hate everything about it. If that makes sense. I know it doesn't.
OK BYE
Sunday, November 15, 2009
guilin pictures
i got them all up. they are crappy, unedited, and i didn't cut any out. for a shorter more engaging gallery, check facebook. otherwise, here they all are:
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2872208013/a=107468652_107468652/
please ignore my disgusting beard and wind blown appearance. china has a tendancy to make you look like garbage.
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2872208013/a=107468652_107468652/
please ignore my disgusting beard and wind blown appearance. china has a tendancy to make you look like garbage.
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