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.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Guilin- Best and Worst
I arrived back to Shanghai last night after a one day trip to Guilin. Guilin is an awesome place, but in general, the people suck. I am almost overwhelmed by the amount of experiences I had in the last day or so, so I will try to hit the major points, but in general, my experiences in China have outgrown a blog setting.
We flew the 2ish hour flight to Guilin. After exiting the airport, we were, as usual, bombarded with taxi drivers who wanted to get the waiguoren (foreigners) to use their cabs. We saw a large lit sculpture that we wanted to photograph, and told them we didn't want a cab yet and that we wanted to look at the art. All they kept doing was following us in a group of about 10 and yelling at us that the hotel was WAYYY too far to walk and we should get their cab. It was extraordinarilly annoying and we eventually yelled at them that we don't want their cabs so leave us alone. After taking a few angry pictures, we cab driver approached us alone and asked if we wanted to take his cab. We did, despite our annoyance with the drivers, because we unfortunately weren't familiar with the bus system in the city.
On the way, we expressed we wanted to take a boat ride on the river to see the scenery. He took us to an agency (that we later discovered he is commissioned to do) and we bought tickets. The employees there clearly delighted in the fact that we were being ripped off. I mean this by the fact that we were required to buy tickets on the boats that spoke English- despite the fact that we were talking to the agents in CHINESE, they said we can't understand enough to ride the Chinese boats (which are 400 RMB cheaper).
We arrived at our hotel, dropped off our things, and wandered around the city for a while. We stopped at a restaurant and randomly selected food off the menu. I think we got some form of pigeon. It was terrible.
Despite our enormous spending already, we bought some KFC to suppliment our dinner. On the way we saw a bunch of cages outside a restaurant with a bunch of animals. Rabbits, turtles, crabs, sword fish, giant rodents, snakes, chickens, ducks, and more. They were on display to show that they were fresh for eating. To us, it was like a zoo, and despite the strange looks, we stood and took pictures of the animals outside the restaurants.
Guilin is a nice city at night- a little cleaner and better looking than Shanghai and less crowded. It was a little ghetto at times though, so we didn't stay out too long.
We woke up at 7:30 to check out of the hotel and meet the tour guide for the boat. We took a bus to the dock, were told the itinerary, and then boarded. From the time of 9:30 to about 3, we road a boat down the river and looked at the hills, agriculture, boats, and locals from the deck. At noon we were served a crappy lunch.
I must say, Ben and I were huge hits on the boat. A small group of Chinese girls thought that we were ridiculously good looking and kept standing near us while their friends took pictures. They didn't realize that we spoke Chinese. We heard them talking about our looks and our clothes for a while, and then eventually asked us in English to actually pose with them in pictures. When I answered in Chinese, they gasped and asked if I understood what they were saying. I said yes and they all squelled in embarassment and laughed at each other for several minutes. It was a mix of annoyance and great satisfaction to embarrass them by letting them know that the foreingers could speak their secret language. They insisted that we take pictures with them for a while. They asked for our phone numbers and QQ names (basically AIM) which of course we do not have. They hoped to take us to get drinks that night, but we were returning to Shanghai. One girl gave Ben a small cloth decoration, which we came to find out is a sign of engagement. They giggled and hovered around us the whole time.
We also met some American girls our age who were on a trip around the world. We were asking them about their trip when the Chinese girls got jealous and started asking me in Chinese if the Americans were our girlfriends. When we said no they backed off. The American girls thought it was very funny when I translated for them what the Chinese girls were worried about.
Meanwhile, some older people from Germany, Holland, and South Africa were watching us. We talked with them on and off throughout the day, and basically they all thought that me and Ben were the biggest ladies men of all time. Despite our reluctance to even talk to the annoying Chinese girls and the fact that the girls from the U.S. weren't particularly interesting, the Dutch particularly kept giving us winks every time we walked by. They thought we were quite successful players.
Anyway, we tried to spend most of the time enjoying the scenery, practicing Chinese with some of the tour guides, and taking pictures. We avoided the girls as best we could on the tiny ship.
At some points small 2 man boats would latch on to ours and start trying to sell fake jade products to the passengers. The first time this happened, we thought they were Chinese pirates, and from then on we called them "The Pirates" even though they were selling, not stealing.
It was a generally good boat ride, but we were mad at the general expensiveness for the thing. Everyone had paid the same- it isn't like we were singled out, but the whole system is racist if you ask me.
At they end they tried to talk us into an expensive tour of the countryside. We opted to take a bus back to Guilin and then head to the airport of our flight. They had some kind of deal with the taxi driver from the night before that he would take us from Guilin to the airport, but I didn't like this use and abuse the foreigner system, so I turned off my phone and we decided to find a cab on our own.
We wandered around the Chinese marketplace where they sold overpriced goods to foreigners and only mildly overpriced goods to locals. I didn't buy anything.
We bought a bus ticket back to downtown Guilin, and we each got a bottle of water. A local in front of us bought a bottle off water first. The woman took his 5, and then looked at me and Ben. She said to him in Chinese- I'll give you you're change after they leave. We came up, and Ben bought the same type of water that the first man did. She charged him 2 kuai. He paid and waited for me. I bought a vitamin water for 4 kuai. Then Ben decided to wait and see how much change she gave the local. He looked confused that we were waiting, and eventually the woman tried to sneak him his 4 kuai change. She had doubled the price for (at least Ben, but I couldn't prove it). Ben told her that he spoke Chinese and knows she owes him change. She got defensive and denied it. Then the bus driver came and insisted we get on the bus. It was a complete rip off and we didn't leave until we had told her that she was a terrible person. Chinese Racists.
We got the bus ride back to downtown. The traffic in China is stupid and Ben and I took some videos. When we got back, we had some time before our flight so we wondered around a bit. Guilin is one shady freaking town when you aren't in the nature area. Some funny videos insued.
We got in a cab to the airport. The driver refused to use the meter. He said it would be 100 kuai because of the meter plus the toll road. We said we will pay the toll road but use the meter. He refused. We got out of the cab.
The next cab driver did the same thing. Obviously standard proceedure for foreigners. This time we were tired and sick of it, so we agreed.
Finally, we flew back to Shanghai, and arrived at about 11. It was a long day.
I have mixed feelings about Guilin. The air is cleaner, the scenery is great, and it was very interesting seeing agriculture and real Chinese lifestyles outside of the cities. I was pretty disheartened, however, by the general way in which all the Chinese people we encountered on the trip were either dishonest, racist, or both. It was really agitating. Coincidentally, when I got back last night there was an article on MSNBC.com about how the Chinese are racists to black people, and how Obama might be treated poorly. Probably not directly to him, because heaven forbid the Chinese let themselves be seen for what they are- but you can bet the abundance of racists here will have some interesting thoughts about him. Too bad the Chinese won't let Obama's town hall meeting be broadcast live.
I'm really ready for some real American food. When I get back I will eat anything and everything. Can't wait to go for runs and only be stared at for being a stupid runner and not for being white. I need to buy Rosetta stone to keep my Chinese up when I get back though. I have a whole list of things I have to buy when I get back. I think I'm going to buy a Malkin or Fleury jersey too. And I can't wait to swipe into the Commons and get unlimited food. Woo.
Oh, I was about to post the pictures from the trip and some other stuff, but it was taking over 4 hours and then the Internet failed. So screw it. I put some of the good ones on Facebook. I might try again with the others later. I'll let you know.
We flew the 2ish hour flight to Guilin. After exiting the airport, we were, as usual, bombarded with taxi drivers who wanted to get the waiguoren (foreigners) to use their cabs. We saw a large lit sculpture that we wanted to photograph, and told them we didn't want a cab yet and that we wanted to look at the art. All they kept doing was following us in a group of about 10 and yelling at us that the hotel was WAYYY too far to walk and we should get their cab. It was extraordinarilly annoying and we eventually yelled at them that we don't want their cabs so leave us alone. After taking a few angry pictures, we cab driver approached us alone and asked if we wanted to take his cab. We did, despite our annoyance with the drivers, because we unfortunately weren't familiar with the bus system in the city.
On the way, we expressed we wanted to take a boat ride on the river to see the scenery. He took us to an agency (that we later discovered he is commissioned to do) and we bought tickets. The employees there clearly delighted in the fact that we were being ripped off. I mean this by the fact that we were required to buy tickets on the boats that spoke English- despite the fact that we were talking to the agents in CHINESE, they said we can't understand enough to ride the Chinese boats (which are 400 RMB cheaper).
We arrived at our hotel, dropped off our things, and wandered around the city for a while. We stopped at a restaurant and randomly selected food off the menu. I think we got some form of pigeon. It was terrible.
Despite our enormous spending already, we bought some KFC to suppliment our dinner. On the way we saw a bunch of cages outside a restaurant with a bunch of animals. Rabbits, turtles, crabs, sword fish, giant rodents, snakes, chickens, ducks, and more. They were on display to show that they were fresh for eating. To us, it was like a zoo, and despite the strange looks, we stood and took pictures of the animals outside the restaurants.
Guilin is a nice city at night- a little cleaner and better looking than Shanghai and less crowded. It was a little ghetto at times though, so we didn't stay out too long.
We woke up at 7:30 to check out of the hotel and meet the tour guide for the boat. We took a bus to the dock, were told the itinerary, and then boarded. From the time of 9:30 to about 3, we road a boat down the river and looked at the hills, agriculture, boats, and locals from the deck. At noon we were served a crappy lunch.
I must say, Ben and I were huge hits on the boat. A small group of Chinese girls thought that we were ridiculously good looking and kept standing near us while their friends took pictures. They didn't realize that we spoke Chinese. We heard them talking about our looks and our clothes for a while, and then eventually asked us in English to actually pose with them in pictures. When I answered in Chinese, they gasped and asked if I understood what they were saying. I said yes and they all squelled in embarassment and laughed at each other for several minutes. It was a mix of annoyance and great satisfaction to embarrass them by letting them know that the foreingers could speak their secret language. They insisted that we take pictures with them for a while. They asked for our phone numbers and QQ names (basically AIM) which of course we do not have. They hoped to take us to get drinks that night, but we were returning to Shanghai. One girl gave Ben a small cloth decoration, which we came to find out is a sign of engagement. They giggled and hovered around us the whole time.
We also met some American girls our age who were on a trip around the world. We were asking them about their trip when the Chinese girls got jealous and started asking me in Chinese if the Americans were our girlfriends. When we said no they backed off. The American girls thought it was very funny when I translated for them what the Chinese girls were worried about.
Meanwhile, some older people from Germany, Holland, and South Africa were watching us. We talked with them on and off throughout the day, and basically they all thought that me and Ben were the biggest ladies men of all time. Despite our reluctance to even talk to the annoying Chinese girls and the fact that the girls from the U.S. weren't particularly interesting, the Dutch particularly kept giving us winks every time we walked by. They thought we were quite successful players.
Anyway, we tried to spend most of the time enjoying the scenery, practicing Chinese with some of the tour guides, and taking pictures. We avoided the girls as best we could on the tiny ship.
At some points small 2 man boats would latch on to ours and start trying to sell fake jade products to the passengers. The first time this happened, we thought they were Chinese pirates, and from then on we called them "The Pirates" even though they were selling, not stealing.
It was a generally good boat ride, but we were mad at the general expensiveness for the thing. Everyone had paid the same- it isn't like we were singled out, but the whole system is racist if you ask me.
At they end they tried to talk us into an expensive tour of the countryside. We opted to take a bus back to Guilin and then head to the airport of our flight. They had some kind of deal with the taxi driver from the night before that he would take us from Guilin to the airport, but I didn't like this use and abuse the foreigner system, so I turned off my phone and we decided to find a cab on our own.
We wandered around the Chinese marketplace where they sold overpriced goods to foreigners and only mildly overpriced goods to locals. I didn't buy anything.
We bought a bus ticket back to downtown Guilin, and we each got a bottle of water. A local in front of us bought a bottle off water first. The woman took his 5, and then looked at me and Ben. She said to him in Chinese- I'll give you you're change after they leave. We came up, and Ben bought the same type of water that the first man did. She charged him 2 kuai. He paid and waited for me. I bought a vitamin water for 4 kuai. Then Ben decided to wait and see how much change she gave the local. He looked confused that we were waiting, and eventually the woman tried to sneak him his 4 kuai change. She had doubled the price for (at least Ben, but I couldn't prove it). Ben told her that he spoke Chinese and knows she owes him change. She got defensive and denied it. Then the bus driver came and insisted we get on the bus. It was a complete rip off and we didn't leave until we had told her that she was a terrible person. Chinese Racists.
We got the bus ride back to downtown. The traffic in China is stupid and Ben and I took some videos. When we got back, we had some time before our flight so we wondered around a bit. Guilin is one shady freaking town when you aren't in the nature area. Some funny videos insued.
We got in a cab to the airport. The driver refused to use the meter. He said it would be 100 kuai because of the meter plus the toll road. We said we will pay the toll road but use the meter. He refused. We got out of the cab.
The next cab driver did the same thing. Obviously standard proceedure for foreigners. This time we were tired and sick of it, so we agreed.
Finally, we flew back to Shanghai, and arrived at about 11. It was a long day.
I have mixed feelings about Guilin. The air is cleaner, the scenery is great, and it was very interesting seeing agriculture and real Chinese lifestyles outside of the cities. I was pretty disheartened, however, by the general way in which all the Chinese people we encountered on the trip were either dishonest, racist, or both. It was really agitating. Coincidentally, when I got back last night there was an article on MSNBC.com about how the Chinese are racists to black people, and how Obama might be treated poorly. Probably not directly to him, because heaven forbid the Chinese let themselves be seen for what they are- but you can bet the abundance of racists here will have some interesting thoughts about him. Too bad the Chinese won't let Obama's town hall meeting be broadcast live.
I'm really ready for some real American food. When I get back I will eat anything and everything. Can't wait to go for runs and only be stared at for being a stupid runner and not for being white. I need to buy Rosetta stone to keep my Chinese up when I get back though. I have a whole list of things I have to buy when I get back. I think I'm going to buy a Malkin or Fleury jersey too. And I can't wait to swipe into the Commons and get unlimited food. Woo.
Oh, I was about to post the pictures from the trip and some other stuff, but it was taking over 4 hours and then the Internet failed. So screw it. I put some of the good ones on Facebook. I might try again with the others later. I'll let you know.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Trip to Guilin
Tomorrow Ben and I are headed on a one day trip to Guilin. We bought plane tickets and hotel reservations last week, and will leave Pudong Airport at 6 pm. We will arevie at Guilin at 8:30. Guilin is famous for its steep hills/mountains, which are distincitive to China. It is also the home of a large river and lake type situation, and is considered super awesome for nature and so on. We return Saturday night (our flight leaves at 8:40 pm. We have been told that it is too short of a time to see everything, but I really just want to see the crazy hills. I don't need multiple days to do so. The weather may or may not be good. We'll see.
I found a park in Shanghai where I can run (and avoid the ridiculous Chinese traffic- though not the staring). I bought a one time entrance for 3 RMB, but a month's is only 10. I tried to buy that, but was informed that I also need a picture. Luckily I brought about 15 more pictures to China than I needed, so I can bring that tomorrow on my run. It is a little park and is primarily sidewalk around a big man-made lake. Why pay to enter? Because the surface is no worse than the Shanghai roads and the crowds are less. Also, the loop is exactly 3 miles from my dorm and EXACTLY 1 mile around. Basically I can do any run exactly at its distance. Sweet.
Despite the Chinese claim to the contrary, racism is a big part of my daily life. I am stared at by all levels of Chinese people, from the street sweepers to the business men. It is pretty annoying, and when I'm running (a time when I am most aggressive, which many of my running partners over the years can attest to) I tend to respond with loud "SHENME???"s (whaaaat??). It tends to make the rubberneckers avert their gazes from me for a moment, just to stare at me after I pass. I often turn and throw up my arms in a "what the hell do you care" manner. It makes me feel better.
My language partners claim that "All Chinese are used to foreigners." I beg to differ. I was lucky enough the other day to have just completed complaining to a Chinese friend when a group of construction workers passed by with their eyes glued to me. It was so obvious and obnoxious that my language parter (who had just finished saying that I was mistaken about the staring) laughed, turned red, and said "I'm so sorry... I'm so embarrassed- I didn't realize..."
I don't blame them so much for staring- less than 3% of the Chinese population is of minority races, most of which are still asian- just not Han Chinese. I am a rare find, even in a business city like Shanghai. I really just resent the claim that the racism doesn't exist. It is extremely obvious.
I found a park in Shanghai where I can run (and avoid the ridiculous Chinese traffic- though not the staring). I bought a one time entrance for 3 RMB, but a month's is only 10. I tried to buy that, but was informed that I also need a picture. Luckily I brought about 15 more pictures to China than I needed, so I can bring that tomorrow on my run. It is a little park and is primarily sidewalk around a big man-made lake. Why pay to enter? Because the surface is no worse than the Shanghai roads and the crowds are less. Also, the loop is exactly 3 miles from my dorm and EXACTLY 1 mile around. Basically I can do any run exactly at its distance. Sweet.
Despite the Chinese claim to the contrary, racism is a big part of my daily life. I am stared at by all levels of Chinese people, from the street sweepers to the business men. It is pretty annoying, and when I'm running (a time when I am most aggressive, which many of my running partners over the years can attest to) I tend to respond with loud "SHENME???"s (whaaaat??). It tends to make the rubberneckers avert their gazes from me for a moment, just to stare at me after I pass. I often turn and throw up my arms in a "what the hell do you care" manner. It makes me feel better.
My language partners claim that "All Chinese are used to foreigners." I beg to differ. I was lucky enough the other day to have just completed complaining to a Chinese friend when a group of construction workers passed by with their eyes glued to me. It was so obvious and obnoxious that my language parter (who had just finished saying that I was mistaken about the staring) laughed, turned red, and said "I'm so sorry... I'm so embarrassed- I didn't realize..."
I don't blame them so much for staring- less than 3% of the Chinese population is of minority races, most of which are still asian- just not Han Chinese. I am a rare find, even in a business city like Shanghai. I really just resent the claim that the racism doesn't exist. It is extremely obvious.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
American Relations
Although I’m obviously learning about China and the Chinese people by living here, I have also increased my associations with another group: Americans from the west coast. Three out of four of my classes are associated with the UC program, so I encounter Californians often. I always thought that I would like people from the west coast, but I am finding that I do not.
The best word to describe them is smug. Some of them are the definition of the “ugly American abroad,” but more importantly, they are completely dismissive about why they are here. The majority of them choose not to interact with the locals or the environment. Instead, they have private get-togethers to smoke, drink and smoke weed. They interact with no-one, and that includes the few of us from the east coast. This doesn’t bother me, mainly because I wouldn’t want to engage in their activities anyway, but their clear superiority complex is rather frustrating.
This extends beyond the social scene and their rejection of any attempt to learn about their surroundings. It is most evident in class. Most of the classes are relatively easy, probably in order to give us time to explore China (which they do not do). Because of the ease of the courses, they can become fairly boring, particularly when you have it for 2 or 3 hours. However, this is no excuse for how they behave in class. They are routinely extremely late. Students arrive up to an hour into class. Today, out of a class of 40, only 5 of us were in the room when the bell sounded. By the end of class, about 20 people were sitting at desks. They skip class more than I can handle. In the course of my high school and college career, with the exception of NASB, I have missed a total of four days. Three were freshman year of college due to a deathcase of the flu, and one was here because of a miscommunication of the schedule. 50% of the class showed up today. They talk and make noises all through class to an extreme. They use their laptops to Facebook, look up baseball results, and even Skype during class. A student snored noisily through an hour of class today. THE CLASS IS EASY FOR ME TOO, but I respect the professors enough to at least pretend to listen.
I think that what is most funny, however, is their attitude toward the few people not from the UC program. They look down on us like our respective schools are the riffraff of the academic world. Because my credits from China transfer back to W&J as pass/fail credits, I’m not too uptight about working hard in the easy classes. I simply need to pass. Most of the grades are comprised of essays and papers. Now the punch-line: UCLA and UC Berkley students can’t write worth shit. So far, with virtually no effort, I have routinely destroyed the UC students in regard to grades. They spent days on an essay that I wrote in an hour and a half. After that essay was graded, mine was given the highest grade in the class, and read aloud by the professor as an example of exactly how the essay should have been written. I do not say this because I think I’m a genius or particularly gifted. I’m not bragging. My essay was fairly poorly written and it was an extremely easy topic. I’m simply pointing out that the UCLA and Berkley kids think that they are fantastic students, but in reality, they are disrespectful and particularly sub-par writers.
Oh, and while I’m taking the time to whine and complain about the people, I should also mention that the Californians are complete babies when it comes to weather. They have been so spoiled with their constant 72 degrees and sunny atmosphere, that I have seen students in class wearing a winter coat, hat, gloves, a hoodie, long pants and SNOW BOOTS in 58 degree weather. My shorts and T-shirt may have left me a little chilly, but someone needs to show them that they look ridiculous.
In the unlikely event that a UC student stumbles across this post, please note, this is not a universal rule of the west coast students. It is, however, undeniably true that this is the common trend. Everything stated above is true, and you know it. I might make apologies on a case by case basis, but I find it unlikely. Most Californians here are too self absorbed to delve into the lives of the people around them.
The reason I went on such a tirade about the Californians is really not because they are the worst people ever. I have wanted to say most of these things piece by piece in other entries, but have neglected to do so. Now I put it all in one entry, and it looks like a big whine-fest. Sorry if it seems like that.
EAST COAST USA RULES
The best word to describe them is smug. Some of them are the definition of the “ugly American abroad,” but more importantly, they are completely dismissive about why they are here. The majority of them choose not to interact with the locals or the environment. Instead, they have private get-togethers to smoke, drink and smoke weed. They interact with no-one, and that includes the few of us from the east coast. This doesn’t bother me, mainly because I wouldn’t want to engage in their activities anyway, but their clear superiority complex is rather frustrating.
This extends beyond the social scene and their rejection of any attempt to learn about their surroundings. It is most evident in class. Most of the classes are relatively easy, probably in order to give us time to explore China (which they do not do). Because of the ease of the courses, they can become fairly boring, particularly when you have it for 2 or 3 hours. However, this is no excuse for how they behave in class. They are routinely extremely late. Students arrive up to an hour into class. Today, out of a class of 40, only 5 of us were in the room when the bell sounded. By the end of class, about 20 people were sitting at desks. They skip class more than I can handle. In the course of my high school and college career, with the exception of NASB, I have missed a total of four days. Three were freshman year of college due to a deathcase of the flu, and one was here because of a miscommunication of the schedule. 50% of the class showed up today. They talk and make noises all through class to an extreme. They use their laptops to Facebook, look up baseball results, and even Skype during class. A student snored noisily through an hour of class today. THE CLASS IS EASY FOR ME TOO, but I respect the professors enough to at least pretend to listen.
I think that what is most funny, however, is their attitude toward the few people not from the UC program. They look down on us like our respective schools are the riffraff of the academic world. Because my credits from China transfer back to W&J as pass/fail credits, I’m not too uptight about working hard in the easy classes. I simply need to pass. Most of the grades are comprised of essays and papers. Now the punch-line: UCLA and UC Berkley students can’t write worth shit. So far, with virtually no effort, I have routinely destroyed the UC students in regard to grades. They spent days on an essay that I wrote in an hour and a half. After that essay was graded, mine was given the highest grade in the class, and read aloud by the professor as an example of exactly how the essay should have been written. I do not say this because I think I’m a genius or particularly gifted. I’m not bragging. My essay was fairly poorly written and it was an extremely easy topic. I’m simply pointing out that the UCLA and Berkley kids think that they are fantastic students, but in reality, they are disrespectful and particularly sub-par writers.
Oh, and while I’m taking the time to whine and complain about the people, I should also mention that the Californians are complete babies when it comes to weather. They have been so spoiled with their constant 72 degrees and sunny atmosphere, that I have seen students in class wearing a winter coat, hat, gloves, a hoodie, long pants and SNOW BOOTS in 58 degree weather. My shorts and T-shirt may have left me a little chilly, but someone needs to show them that they look ridiculous.
In the unlikely event that a UC student stumbles across this post, please note, this is not a universal rule of the west coast students. It is, however, undeniably true that this is the common trend. Everything stated above is true, and you know it. I might make apologies on a case by case basis, but I find it unlikely. Most Californians here are too self absorbed to delve into the lives of the people around them.
The reason I went on such a tirade about the Californians is really not because they are the worst people ever. I have wanted to say most of these things piece by piece in other entries, but have neglected to do so. Now I put it all in one entry, and it looks like a big whine-fest. Sorry if it seems like that.
EAST COAST USA RULES
Names
After making a list of foods, I figured I'd make a somewhat shorter list of names.
Chinese students often choose English names. In turn, many non-Chinese make Chinese names. Although Yang Laoshi gave me a Chinese name for class, I refuse to use it here in China. My name is Andy, and where I am does not effect that. Anyway, I digress. The Chinese SUCK at choosing English names. Some are ok, but others are stupid nouns or adjectives. Here are some of the names of some of my local friends that are in my phone:
Leaf (girl)
Pephone (pronounced Payphone) (guy)
Smile (girl)
Bone (girl)
Noodle (girl)
The rest of the people in my phone are decent English names. Usually guy's names are really feminine and girls names (like Bone) are really masculine. They don't really have a concept of what the names mean.
It only makes it worse that the chinese word for "he/him" is the same as "her/she" so when speaking English, they often confuse the two, and call their mother "he" and father "her."
It leads to a lot of instances of me stuggling to not laugh in their face. I know I hate it when they laugh at my pathetic Chinese, and I'd hate to do the same to them about their English. But GOOD GOD its funny.
Chinese students often choose English names. In turn, many non-Chinese make Chinese names. Although Yang Laoshi gave me a Chinese name for class, I refuse to use it here in China. My name is Andy, and where I am does not effect that. Anyway, I digress. The Chinese SUCK at choosing English names. Some are ok, but others are stupid nouns or adjectives. Here are some of the names of some of my local friends that are in my phone:
Leaf (girl)
Pephone (pronounced Payphone) (guy)
Smile (girl)
Bone (girl)
Noodle (girl)
The rest of the people in my phone are decent English names. Usually guy's names are really feminine and girls names (like Bone) are really masculine. They don't really have a concept of what the names mean.
It only makes it worse that the chinese word for "he/him" is the same as "her/she" so when speaking English, they often confuse the two, and call their mother "he" and father "her."
It leads to a lot of instances of me stuggling to not laugh in their face. I know I hate it when they laugh at my pathetic Chinese, and I'd hate to do the same to them about their English. But GOOD GOD its funny.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Some Foods I've Eaten in China
Pig intestine soup.
Chicken on a stick.
Bread on a stick.
Fish on a stick.
Pea flavored ice cream.
Chicken gizzards.
A fried fish. (if that doesn't sound strange, its because you are assuming it was prepared in more ways than just catching it and frying it. be as minimalist as possible when imagining this fish.) (oh and it was on a stick)
korean bbq (awesome)
chao fan (fried rice)
chao mian (fried noodles)
Chips Ahoy cookies.
bananas.
tangerines.
tiny fish soup (it is soup with whole tiny goldfish-like fish in it. may or may not have been alive prior to boiling)
jiaozi. baozi. shalomba. and a million other things that ultimately means dumpling.
gelatinous bean noodles.
hundreds of cups of tea.
water.
gatorade.
solidified chicken blood.
KFC.
Fried chicken from the street guy.
various mystery meats selected at random from restaurants that only use traditional characters. (dog?)
sushi.
pizza in which tomato sauce was conspicuously absent, but did include corn, beef, pepper, cheese, and some kind of green pepper.
calamari.
RICE. LOTS OF RICE.
Oreos.
Magnum ice cream bars.
mushrooms that look like noodles.
slivers of mold and spices.
potatoes.
chicken bone soup.
mapou dofu (delicious spicy tofu)
I can't think of anything else right now, but my language partners have decided to introduce me to new foods, because they feel like I havent experienced chinese food yet. I'll let you know.
I'm beginning to take notice of a bunch of Chinese cultural things. They are all really hard to express in writing. I suggest reading this book my mother gave me called River Town. So far, it is dead on. Here is an excerpt about the Chinese honking car horns:
"They honked at other cars, and they honked at pedestrians. They honked whenever they passed somebody, or whenever they were being passed themselves. They honked when nobody was passing but somebody might be considering it, or when the road was empty and there was nobody to pass but the though of passing or being passed had just passed through the driver's mind... They did it so often... pedestrians were so familiar with the sound that they essentially didn't hear it. A honk in [China] was like the tree falling in the forest- for all intents and purposes it was silent."
Chicken on a stick.
Bread on a stick.
Fish on a stick.
Pea flavored ice cream.
Chicken gizzards.
A fried fish. (if that doesn't sound strange, its because you are assuming it was prepared in more ways than just catching it and frying it. be as minimalist as possible when imagining this fish.) (oh and it was on a stick)
korean bbq (awesome)
chao fan (fried rice)
chao mian (fried noodles)
Chips Ahoy cookies.
bananas.
tangerines.
tiny fish soup (it is soup with whole tiny goldfish-like fish in it. may or may not have been alive prior to boiling)
jiaozi. baozi. shalomba. and a million other things that ultimately means dumpling.
gelatinous bean noodles.
hundreds of cups of tea.
water.
gatorade.
solidified chicken blood.
KFC.
Fried chicken from the street guy.
various mystery meats selected at random from restaurants that only use traditional characters. (dog?)
sushi.
pizza in which tomato sauce was conspicuously absent, but did include corn, beef, pepper, cheese, and some kind of green pepper.
calamari.
RICE. LOTS OF RICE.
Oreos.
Magnum ice cream bars.
mushrooms that look like noodles.
slivers of mold and spices.
potatoes.
chicken bone soup.
mapou dofu (delicious spicy tofu)
I can't think of anything else right now, but my language partners have decided to introduce me to new foods, because they feel like I havent experienced chinese food yet. I'll let you know.
I'm beginning to take notice of a bunch of Chinese cultural things. They are all really hard to express in writing. I suggest reading this book my mother gave me called River Town. So far, it is dead on. Here is an excerpt about the Chinese honking car horns:
"They honked at other cars, and they honked at pedestrians. They honked whenever they passed somebody, or whenever they were being passed themselves. They honked when nobody was passing but somebody might be considering it, or when the road was empty and there was nobody to pass but the though of passing or being passed had just passed through the driver's mind... They did it so often... pedestrians were so familiar with the sound that they essentially didn't hear it. A honk in [China] was like the tree falling in the forest- for all intents and purposes it was silent."
Friday, October 30, 2009
A Long Freaking Walk
Last night I met with one of my language partners. She said she needed to find a building where she will be taking some graduate school test. So we walked for a while into Shanghai. After a while, she said we were going to head back because she understood where to go. At about an hour and a half, I asked her if she knew where she was going. She looked around and said, "Yes of course.
2 hours later I looked up and decided we were going the wrong way. I knew this because up ahead was the Pearl Tower. For those of you who don't know, it is in the dead center of Shanghai. We had been going the wrong way for 2 hours. We bought a map, and spent a total of 5 hours on this walk. I was about ready to strangle her.
Shanghai is full of stray animals. On the way back, a small dog started following us. It followed us for 3 hours. It was actually really funny. I named it Gutsy, and it made it all the way to Fudan with us. At the gate, the police scared it away. I was almost disappointed that it didn't follow me back to the building and then live outside all the time. I have some pictures that I'll put up later.
Ultimately, it was the most annoying walk of my life. At least I spent most of it speaking Chinese, and got some good practice.
2 hours later I looked up and decided we were going the wrong way. I knew this because up ahead was the Pearl Tower. For those of you who don't know, it is in the dead center of Shanghai. We had been going the wrong way for 2 hours. We bought a map, and spent a total of 5 hours on this walk. I was about ready to strangle her.
Shanghai is full of stray animals. On the way back, a small dog started following us. It followed us for 3 hours. It was actually really funny. I named it Gutsy, and it made it all the way to Fudan with us. At the gate, the police scared it away. I was almost disappointed that it didn't follow me back to the building and then live outside all the time. I have some pictures that I'll put up later.
Ultimately, it was the most annoying walk of my life. At least I spent most of it speaking Chinese, and got some good practice.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
A Interesting Dinner
Today I ate dinner at the cafeteria with one of my language partners and her boyfriend. Just thought I'd give you some parts of the conversation I had.
I talked to him about the Chinese system of government. I knew most of the things that he told me, such as how the "voting" system works, how party members are selected, and how officials are put in office. What was different is how he explained it.
First, when I asked why people vote if the votes aren't used for anything, he answered "It is because it is tradition to vote. It may have at one time meant something, but now it is meaningless to vote."
Second, he described the difficulty to gain access into the Communist Party. He said that because it takes a few years and a lot of writing, people who are members (about 6 percent of China) get hired for jobs more easily and are considered more reliable and trustworthy business people.
He said that he would like to have a different system of official selection, but "Change is dangerous, and the American system is wrought with difficulties also."
Most Chinese refuse to say negative things to me about their government. This may be because they don't want to be labelled as trouble makers, or it could be because they are too proud to criticize themselves in front of a foreigner. Whatever the reason, I found this conversation fascinating because it is the first one that I've had with a local that shed a negative light on the government.
Worth noting, however, is that every time he made a negative comment about the Chinese government or the Communist Party, his girlfriend would hurridly say to him in Chinese "Don't tell him bad things!!"
I talked to him about the Chinese system of government. I knew most of the things that he told me, such as how the "voting" system works, how party members are selected, and how officials are put in office. What was different is how he explained it.
First, when I asked why people vote if the votes aren't used for anything, he answered "It is because it is tradition to vote. It may have at one time meant something, but now it is meaningless to vote."
Second, he described the difficulty to gain access into the Communist Party. He said that because it takes a few years and a lot of writing, people who are members (about 6 percent of China) get hired for jobs more easily and are considered more reliable and trustworthy business people.
He said that he would like to have a different system of official selection, but "Change is dangerous, and the American system is wrought with difficulties also."
Most Chinese refuse to say negative things to me about their government. This may be because they don't want to be labelled as trouble makers, or it could be because they are too proud to criticize themselves in front of a foreigner. Whatever the reason, I found this conversation fascinating because it is the first one that I've had with a local that shed a negative light on the government.
Worth noting, however, is that every time he made a negative comment about the Chinese government or the Communist Party, his girlfriend would hurridly say to him in Chinese "Don't tell him bad things!!"
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Written 10/24. Nearly Halfway.
It has been a while. I know. Not too much has been going on. Classes are fine. I’m surviving and all that.
I’ve been missing Cross Country especially badly lately. I can’t wait to be at full strength and competing again. Bah.
I’ve decided that my Chinese, though progressing, is progressing too slowly. Therefore, I took two initiatives. I am making flashcards of every vocabulary word in all three of my Chinese books and reviewing them daily. Second, I refuse to speak English to anyone who understands Chinese. Even if their knowledge is limited, like my roommate and the other Americans, I will only speak Chinese if they can get the gist. All of this has made my life much harder, but by God if I come back to the U.S. anything but proficient I will jump off a bridge. I made a playlist on ITunes of all the music without English in it (this means a lot of Star Wars soundtrack and Bluray haha). I bought some Chinese movies (and dubbed Disney movies) and I watch them. I don’t want to break my train of Chinese thought.
I was just thinking: if anyone wants any Chinese products or objects, let me know and I’ll pick it up for you.
I officially haven’t shaved in a month, and it looks like shit.
I have 2 language partners now. I meet with one twice a week and one once a week. So hopefully that should help my Chinese also.
Ben and I went to the Shanghai Museum today. He had to go see some ancient bronzes for his class, so I tagged along. Pretty cool stuff from China’s history. It is apparently the best museum of its kind in China. A lot of bronzes, sculptures, paintings, currencies, and art of various forms. It also included some old furniture from different dynasties. I would have taken pictures, but most of the stuff is online, and the pictures are much better there than I could take through the glass, so if you want to see it, look there.
Oh, I forgot: above I should have mentioned that I also labeled everything in the room with their Chinese names so I can start learning everything. This has been my best idea of them all. I am currently typing on my 电脑.
My bike is falling apart. Like most things in China, it is constructed poorly and cheaply. Every time I leave it for the day, it ends up knocked over and something else loose or askew. My back wheel wobbles around so badly that it wears away on the runner above it. If this thing lasts 2 months I will be amazed.
I’m becoming increasingly pissed off at every local. They do not understand organization AT ALL. If I get cut in line for something by some rude person again, who brushes against me dramatically as he goes by, I will probably punch somebody. Yesterday I came out of a class room and ran smack into some guy because he was on the wrong side of the hall. He wasn’t even fazed. Accidents like that happen all the time, but the people don’t figure out that if you follow a regulation or rule you might actually not have as many problems.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Street Rumble (though Richie still has me beat)
I would like to discuss where I’ve been getting dinner the most lately, and why last night I ate my chaomein and chaofan on the curb.
At many corners in China, you will find people with carts on the street corners. On these carts they have buckets of burning charcoal, a wok, and a wide array of meats and vegetables. At these street venders one can get fried rice, fried noodles, dumplings of many varieties, skewers of meat, and an assortment of other Chinese style foods. Although this sounds like an unreliable place to get clean meals, it is arguably as clean as any reasonably priced restaurant (at least in my experience). These vendors are not only convenient, but they are cheap. I get fried rice and fried noodles with beef and chicken for about 1 US Dollar. I can then take it back to my room and eat it while I get work done.
Anyway, Ben and I have gotten into the habit of going to the street vendors on our street. I always go to the same middle aged couple who makes my food with just the right amount of spices. Ben gets the same food from a couple on the sidewalk who makes it less spicy for him. Our respective venders have come to know our orders and when we want it, so they are very friendly to us, and we can have short Chinese conversations with them before leaving.
So last night, we went at our regular time to get dinner (about 9 pm). This is when the street vendors arrive out of nowhere, and are instantly set up to cook. However, upon arrival, a new street vendor with an especially oversized cart had parked in the spot of Ben’s couple. We looked at each other like “OHHH shit is going to hit the fan tonight”
The regular vendors arrived, and instantly Ben’s couple, we’ll call them Couple 1, begin asking the 4 young guys with the new cart (New Cart Hooligans) to move out of their spot of business. The New Cart Hooligans respond by yelling about how there is enough space on the street for everyone and they should just move over. This is unreasonable, because the police prohibit the vendors from completely blocking off the sidewalk. Couple 1 responds with this statement.
Meanwhile, I am getting my food from Couple 2. In the middle of cooking my noodles, Couple 1 and the New Cart Hooligans begin shouting and getting in each other’s faces. The wife from Couple 2 turns around and gets into the fight. This disturbs the process of the cooking of my noodles, so my guy forgets to put in the spice. I finally get my food and retreat to the corner. Ben and I have decided to buy something from Couple 1 because they deserve it- they were losing business during the altercation. However, before we could do so, I was treated to a show while I eat my food on the sidewalk.
The New Cart Hooligans insisted not to move. Couple 1 insisted that they did. The woman from the couple got shoved by a young Cart Hooligan. The man from the couple yelled in response and shoved back. The argument continued at high levels and such speeds that I could not even begin to pick up what was said anymore. It lasted long enough for me to finish my dinner and be amazed while the security guards, who weren’t even 2 feet away, did nothing to settle the issue.
What surprised me the most, though, was that the New Cart Hooligans were about my age. They absolutely refused to budge a few inches for the middle aged elders who work there every night. They pushed and shoved them. They pointed their fingers in their faces. Hilariously, it seemed like the regulars to the street vendors didn’t buy anything from the new cart. The loyally waited for Couple 1, or bought from other regulars. Ultimately, Couple 1 did business in an illegal way by cutting of the passage to the sidewalk. Fortunately, China doesn’t really care about traffic laws so wandering in the street is common practice.
Ben ordered his food, though the usual friendly banter was conspicuously absent from the clearly upset couple. We left the street at about 10:15.
Those vendors stay out there until about 1:30. I wonder if anything changed when business died down. At any rate, I’m excited to see if they New Cart is still there tonight.
Oh by the way, that creepy girl that is obsessed with me has totally entered the mild stalker category. I’d go into detail, but she might be watching...
...just kidding. Maybe.
At many corners in China, you will find people with carts on the street corners. On these carts they have buckets of burning charcoal, a wok, and a wide array of meats and vegetables. At these street venders one can get fried rice, fried noodles, dumplings of many varieties, skewers of meat, and an assortment of other Chinese style foods. Although this sounds like an unreliable place to get clean meals, it is arguably as clean as any reasonably priced restaurant (at least in my experience). These vendors are not only convenient, but they are cheap. I get fried rice and fried noodles with beef and chicken for about 1 US Dollar. I can then take it back to my room and eat it while I get work done.
Anyway, Ben and I have gotten into the habit of going to the street vendors on our street. I always go to the same middle aged couple who makes my food with just the right amount of spices. Ben gets the same food from a couple on the sidewalk who makes it less spicy for him. Our respective venders have come to know our orders and when we want it, so they are very friendly to us, and we can have short Chinese conversations with them before leaving.
So last night, we went at our regular time to get dinner (about 9 pm). This is when the street vendors arrive out of nowhere, and are instantly set up to cook. However, upon arrival, a new street vendor with an especially oversized cart had parked in the spot of Ben’s couple. We looked at each other like “OHHH shit is going to hit the fan tonight”
The regular vendors arrived, and instantly Ben’s couple, we’ll call them Couple 1, begin asking the 4 young guys with the new cart (New Cart Hooligans) to move out of their spot of business. The New Cart Hooligans respond by yelling about how there is enough space on the street for everyone and they should just move over. This is unreasonable, because the police prohibit the vendors from completely blocking off the sidewalk. Couple 1 responds with this statement.
Meanwhile, I am getting my food from Couple 2. In the middle of cooking my noodles, Couple 1 and the New Cart Hooligans begin shouting and getting in each other’s faces. The wife from Couple 2 turns around and gets into the fight. This disturbs the process of the cooking of my noodles, so my guy forgets to put in the spice. I finally get my food and retreat to the corner. Ben and I have decided to buy something from Couple 1 because they deserve it- they were losing business during the altercation. However, before we could do so, I was treated to a show while I eat my food on the sidewalk.
The New Cart Hooligans insisted not to move. Couple 1 insisted that they did. The woman from the couple got shoved by a young Cart Hooligan. The man from the couple yelled in response and shoved back. The argument continued at high levels and such speeds that I could not even begin to pick up what was said anymore. It lasted long enough for me to finish my dinner and be amazed while the security guards, who weren’t even 2 feet away, did nothing to settle the issue.
What surprised me the most, though, was that the New Cart Hooligans were about my age. They absolutely refused to budge a few inches for the middle aged elders who work there every night. They pushed and shoved them. They pointed their fingers in their faces. Hilariously, it seemed like the regulars to the street vendors didn’t buy anything from the new cart. The loyally waited for Couple 1, or bought from other regulars. Ultimately, Couple 1 did business in an illegal way by cutting of the passage to the sidewalk. Fortunately, China doesn’t really care about traffic laws so wandering in the street is common practice.
Ben ordered his food, though the usual friendly banter was conspicuously absent from the clearly upset couple. We left the street at about 10:15.
Those vendors stay out there until about 1:30. I wonder if anything changed when business died down. At any rate, I’m excited to see if they New Cart is still there tonight.
Oh by the way, that creepy girl that is obsessed with me has totally entered the mild stalker category. I’d go into detail, but she might be watching...
...just kidding. Maybe.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
It’s Communism’s Birthday! (And No Ones Invited)
Extremely eventful week. Ultimately, it can’t be summed up in a blog entry. If you want thorough details, or if you have specific questions: we will have to hang out and talk about it. However, I am well aware that most of you (whoever is reading this) will not put forth that kind of effort. Therefore, I will enumerate the events that stick out the most powerfully from the trip.
Ben and I booked our trip with an agency that gets students discount airfare. We bought plane tickets to Beijing and a hotel reservation for 4 nights. We bought plane tickets to Xi’An and a hotel reservation for 2 nights. The agency informed us that train tickets back could not be purchased in Shanghai. They must be purchased in Xi’An, so we planned to buy train tickets when we arrived there.
October 1st is National Day. In the airport we watched (with many Chinese people) military displays and parades through Tiananmen Square. It was very communist and involved thousands of people.
We arrived in Beijing late in the afternoon. Our taxi driver had no idea where our hotel was (it was about 1 mile away from Tiananmen) so we went back and forth on the same road with the meter off for about an hour. In the process, he pulled a U-Turn in the middle of the road (a common Chinese practice involving a total disregard for any form of traffic regulations) and rear-ended some other car. He did minimal damage to the guys car, and after a bunch of bickering, he paid the guy 100 RMB (about 17 bucks) and it settled the problem.
Ben and I attempted to make it to Tiananmen for the gigantic performance (of an Olympic Opening Ceremony scale) to celebrate China’s 60th anniversary of existence. We were met with road barriers, hundreds of PRC cops and military personnel, and empty streets. Apparently, the celebration was “invitation only” and the people of Beijing were required to stay in their homes and watch the festivities on TV. Some people (like us) wandered the streets trying to get a glimpse of some fireworks, but failed. Basically, the party that the media showed internationally, that seems like it was for the people of China, was actually for the benefit of the TV cameras and the international audience. China doesn’t care about its people, it only cares about looking good. They wouldn’t want the lowly civilians to celebrate “their” government.
Apparently, the PRC made it rain on September 30th so that the haze of Beijing would be gone for National Day and the TV broadcast. Don’t believe anything China ever puts on TV. It was nice for us though, because it made the few days that we were there really clean and nice.
The next day, we toured Tiananmen. All of the floats from the parade were on display. There were huge crowds but it was fun to be there.
We spent the afternoon in the Forbidden City- the place where the Ming Emperors lived. It was a huge facility. My camera died part way through, so Ben has half of the pictures.
On the way out, we were halted in the street by the most enormous crowd I’ve ever seen. The PRC decided that it was going to close ChangAn Jie (Long Peace Street) for about a half hour for seriously NO REASON. We know it was meaningless because we asked a policeman. Anyway, it created a huge stop in pedestrian traffic, the sidewalk was overflowing, and people shoved against us and each other like sardines in a can. An hour later we were able to get moving (slowly) down the street and back to the hotel.
The hotel was ok, but everything cost something. The towels cost 5 RMB, and were hand towels- not bath towels. Nothing like the thrill of expectation one gets by wondering if the towel will be saturated in water prior to drying your entire body. The bathroom was a hall bathroom. There was a toilet, but it had no water. The shower was just a nozzle in the middle of the room. It sucked. Luckily, we spent most of our time out of the hotel.
We saw on cable a dubbed version of “Cars.” China decided to edit out two subplots: the car being friends with the pickup truck, and the car falling in love with the other car. It made no sense, and I wonder if China is against multiple plot lines for kid’s movies. Based on the TV shows on every other channel, they are definitely against good acting.
On the 3rd we took a guided tour to the Underground Palace tomb of the Wanli Emperor and the Great Wall. The Underground Palace was completely replicated except for the underground location. It was interesting to me though because I read a book this summer all about that Emperor and how the tomb was the only place he ever went that was outside of the Forbidden City.
The Great Wall was amazing. The day was awesome and we got a lot of good pictures. I posted some of them.
We decided we were going to ignore the danger signs and the restricted area signs. From these higher portions, we got some of the best pictures. Turns out the only reason it was restricted was because there was no side. One could easily fall to their death. It was worth the risk.
Sleppers- I wore the Batman shirt. Batman has officially been on the Great Wall.
Dave Chen knows that the scariest ride in existence is the ski lift from Kennywood to the parking lot. That same kind of lift takes everyone up to the portion of the Wall that I visited. I almost crapped my pants.
Awesomely, there is a way better way to get back down. There is a freaking Toboggan ride to get from the top of the mountain to the bottom! It was sweet as hell, and I have videos of it on my camera.
On the way there and back, the tour guide took us to some expensive places. The guides get commission if we buy stuff. Unfortunately, I don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend, so I bought nothing at these places. But I did see some amazing silk products at the silk factory. Among them included silk boxers with Batman on it. I also saw some jade sculptures that were crazy cool. One item is 3 times the price of my house. It is a jade wall. So I can trade everything I have for a jade lean-to to live under. Cool.
The next day we visited the Olympic Park in Beijing. It was the coolest thing ever! Check out the pictures. I have a million more too.
The track in the Bird’s Nest was restricted. This pissed me off so bad I almost found a brick in my pants. I wanted to do a time trial there soooo bad. Ben and I decided “Screw that, I’m going on the track. Take my picture while I do it.” I jumped the fence on the back stretch, hopped around a bit, pretended to line up on the 200 line, and then retreated back to the fence just as the guard came to remove me from the track. Then Ben and I made our way to the other side of the track and Ben did the same thing. Subsequently, we ran up to the upper deck so that they couldn’t find us.
After a lot of pictures in the Nest, we moved on to the slightly less impressive Water Cube. It was a lot more relaxed, and, unlike the track, we had no desire to get in the pool, so we just chilled there for a little bit.
That afternoon we headed down to the Temple of Heaven. This was a very nice place, and the pictures show that, but we were so sick of sight seeing that we stayed there only briefly. Chinese architecture gets fairly redundant after several days of examining it and taking pictures.
The next morning we flew to Xi’An. Xi’An is the dirtiest, haziest, most disgusting place I’ve ever been. We tried to find stores to get cookies for breakfast, but couldn’t really, because they only have drug stores, liquor stores, and cigarette stores. It sucks. Hard.
We paid a taxi driver a large amount of money to take us to the Terracotta Warriors for the day. We saw how they were made, taken around the overpriced souvenir shop, and then we got to tour the pits in which the warriors were found. There are hundreds and hundreds of these warriors (built for the first emperor of the Qin- of “Hero” fame). A pretty good day.
Oh, and remember how we were going to buy train tickets to Shanghai? Well turns out you have to buy overnight train tickets 10 days in advance. So with China’s system, in our situation it is physically impossible to get tickets back home. We bought expensive plane tickets and left early in the morning the next day. Xi’An sucks.
One never really gets used to having Chinese people take pictures of you and stare at you for being white. It’s really bizarre.
Sorry that I made this so long. Believe it or not, I am still leaving a lot out. This is just a shell of what happened. It was a really fun trip, and I saw a lot. I’m excited to chill now, though. I still have a lot of Chinese to learn.
Ben and I booked our trip with an agency that gets students discount airfare. We bought plane tickets to Beijing and a hotel reservation for 4 nights. We bought plane tickets to Xi’An and a hotel reservation for 2 nights. The agency informed us that train tickets back could not be purchased in Shanghai. They must be purchased in Xi’An, so we planned to buy train tickets when we arrived there.
October 1st is National Day. In the airport we watched (with many Chinese people) military displays and parades through Tiananmen Square. It was very communist and involved thousands of people.
We arrived in Beijing late in the afternoon. Our taxi driver had no idea where our hotel was (it was about 1 mile away from Tiananmen) so we went back and forth on the same road with the meter off for about an hour. In the process, he pulled a U-Turn in the middle of the road (a common Chinese practice involving a total disregard for any form of traffic regulations) and rear-ended some other car. He did minimal damage to the guys car, and after a bunch of bickering, he paid the guy 100 RMB (about 17 bucks) and it settled the problem.
Ben and I attempted to make it to Tiananmen for the gigantic performance (of an Olympic Opening Ceremony scale) to celebrate China’s 60th anniversary of existence. We were met with road barriers, hundreds of PRC cops and military personnel, and empty streets. Apparently, the celebration was “invitation only” and the people of Beijing were required to stay in their homes and watch the festivities on TV. Some people (like us) wandered the streets trying to get a glimpse of some fireworks, but failed. Basically, the party that the media showed internationally, that seems like it was for the people of China, was actually for the benefit of the TV cameras and the international audience. China doesn’t care about its people, it only cares about looking good. They wouldn’t want the lowly civilians to celebrate “their” government.
Apparently, the PRC made it rain on September 30th so that the haze of Beijing would be gone for National Day and the TV broadcast. Don’t believe anything China ever puts on TV. It was nice for us though, because it made the few days that we were there really clean and nice.
The next day, we toured Tiananmen. All of the floats from the parade were on display. There were huge crowds but it was fun to be there.
We spent the afternoon in the Forbidden City- the place where the Ming Emperors lived. It was a huge facility. My camera died part way through, so Ben has half of the pictures.
On the way out, we were halted in the street by the most enormous crowd I’ve ever seen. The PRC decided that it was going to close ChangAn Jie (Long Peace Street) for about a half hour for seriously NO REASON. We know it was meaningless because we asked a policeman. Anyway, it created a huge stop in pedestrian traffic, the sidewalk was overflowing, and people shoved against us and each other like sardines in a can. An hour later we were able to get moving (slowly) down the street and back to the hotel.
The hotel was ok, but everything cost something. The towels cost 5 RMB, and were hand towels- not bath towels. Nothing like the thrill of expectation one gets by wondering if the towel will be saturated in water prior to drying your entire body. The bathroom was a hall bathroom. There was a toilet, but it had no water. The shower was just a nozzle in the middle of the room. It sucked. Luckily, we spent most of our time out of the hotel.
We saw on cable a dubbed version of “Cars.” China decided to edit out two subplots: the car being friends with the pickup truck, and the car falling in love with the other car. It made no sense, and I wonder if China is against multiple plot lines for kid’s movies. Based on the TV shows on every other channel, they are definitely against good acting.
On the 3rd we took a guided tour to the Underground Palace tomb of the Wanli Emperor and the Great Wall. The Underground Palace was completely replicated except for the underground location. It was interesting to me though because I read a book this summer all about that Emperor and how the tomb was the only place he ever went that was outside of the Forbidden City.
The Great Wall was amazing. The day was awesome and we got a lot of good pictures. I posted some of them.
We decided we were going to ignore the danger signs and the restricted area signs. From these higher portions, we got some of the best pictures. Turns out the only reason it was restricted was because there was no side. One could easily fall to their death. It was worth the risk.
Sleppers- I wore the Batman shirt. Batman has officially been on the Great Wall.
Dave Chen knows that the scariest ride in existence is the ski lift from Kennywood to the parking lot. That same kind of lift takes everyone up to the portion of the Wall that I visited. I almost crapped my pants.
Awesomely, there is a way better way to get back down. There is a freaking Toboggan ride to get from the top of the mountain to the bottom! It was sweet as hell, and I have videos of it on my camera.
On the way there and back, the tour guide took us to some expensive places. The guides get commission if we buy stuff. Unfortunately, I don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend, so I bought nothing at these places. But I did see some amazing silk products at the silk factory. Among them included silk boxers with Batman on it. I also saw some jade sculptures that were crazy cool. One item is 3 times the price of my house. It is a jade wall. So I can trade everything I have for a jade lean-to to live under. Cool.
The next day we visited the Olympic Park in Beijing. It was the coolest thing ever! Check out the pictures. I have a million more too.
The track in the Bird’s Nest was restricted. This pissed me off so bad I almost found a brick in my pants. I wanted to do a time trial there soooo bad. Ben and I decided “Screw that, I’m going on the track. Take my picture while I do it.” I jumped the fence on the back stretch, hopped around a bit, pretended to line up on the 200 line, and then retreated back to the fence just as the guard came to remove me from the track. Then Ben and I made our way to the other side of the track and Ben did the same thing. Subsequently, we ran up to the upper deck so that they couldn’t find us.
After a lot of pictures in the Nest, we moved on to the slightly less impressive Water Cube. It was a lot more relaxed, and, unlike the track, we had no desire to get in the pool, so we just chilled there for a little bit.
That afternoon we headed down to the Temple of Heaven. This was a very nice place, and the pictures show that, but we were so sick of sight seeing that we stayed there only briefly. Chinese architecture gets fairly redundant after several days of examining it and taking pictures.
The next morning we flew to Xi’An. Xi’An is the dirtiest, haziest, most disgusting place I’ve ever been. We tried to find stores to get cookies for breakfast, but couldn’t really, because they only have drug stores, liquor stores, and cigarette stores. It sucks. Hard.
We paid a taxi driver a large amount of money to take us to the Terracotta Warriors for the day. We saw how they were made, taken around the overpriced souvenir shop, and then we got to tour the pits in which the warriors were found. There are hundreds and hundreds of these warriors (built for the first emperor of the Qin- of “Hero” fame). A pretty good day.
Oh, and remember how we were going to buy train tickets to Shanghai? Well turns out you have to buy overnight train tickets 10 days in advance. So with China’s system, in our situation it is physically impossible to get tickets back home. We bought expensive plane tickets and left early in the morning the next day. Xi’An sucks.
One never really gets used to having Chinese people take pictures of you and stare at you for being white. It’s really bizarre.
Sorry that I made this so long. Believe it or not, I am still leaving a lot out. This is just a shell of what happened. It was a really fun trip, and I saw a lot. I’m excited to chill now, though. I still have a lot of Chinese to learn.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
National Holiday Pictures
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2490349013/a=107468652_107468652/
pictures from my trip are posted. i only posted the best ones. i took over 600.
i'll update everyone with the trip soon. there is a lot to write.
pictures from my trip are posted. i only posted the best ones. i took over 600.
i'll update everyone with the trip soon. there is a lot to write.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
National Holiday Plans
Starting tomorrow, I will not have class for 8 days. This is because tomorrow is National Holiday. It is the equivalent of the Fourth of July for China. This is the 60th Anniversary of the People's Republic of China, so it is considered to be a big one.
Ben and I are travelling. We leave Shanghai tomorrow for Beijing. We will watch the festivities and the crazy amount of crowds in Beijing during their National Holiday night. We are then spending the next 5 days there, touring about. It is expected to be extremely crowded and chaotic due to the festivities, but it should make for a fun trip.
We are then headed straight to Xi'An to see the terracotta warriors and the Ancient sites of the city.
Finally, we will be taking the train back to Shanghai. I will not have computer access until I get back. Good luck to W&J XC this weekend at SRU. Run fast.
Ben and I are travelling. We leave Shanghai tomorrow for Beijing. We will watch the festivities and the crazy amount of crowds in Beijing during their National Holiday night. We are then spending the next 5 days there, touring about. It is expected to be extremely crowded and chaotic due to the festivities, but it should make for a fun trip.
We are then headed straight to Xi'An to see the terracotta warriors and the Ancient sites of the city.
Finally, we will be taking the train back to Shanghai. I will not have computer access until I get back. Good luck to W&J XC this weekend at SRU. Run fast.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Pictures!! At Last
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2392810013/a=107468652_107468652/
That link should take you to my Snapfish page. Email me if it isn't working properly.
I just uploaded everything. Even the crappy ones.
That link should take you to my Snapfish page. Email me if it isn't working properly.
I just uploaded everything. Even the crappy ones.
Friday, September 25, 2009
W&J VPN
Great News!!
I finally got access to W&J's VPN service! This allows me to bypass China's blocks on websites.
Pictures will be posted tomorrow and horray for time wasters like Youtube and Facebook!!
I finally got access to W&J's VPN service! This allows me to bypass China's blocks on websites.
Pictures will be posted tomorrow and horray for time wasters like Youtube and Facebook!!
My Birthday and Some Other Stuff
Alright. So. I haven’t updated in a little while. I have a lot of readings for classes. I’ve been doing my best to keep up.
Dannie texted me and told me that there was an event at the volleyball courts in which every club would have a table. I rode my bike through the rain for 10 minutes to find out that they cancelled due to rain. Sweet.
The next day I went back. Fortunately, they were actually there that time. Instantly I was bombarded with people shoving flyers in my hand and yelling “Welcome to (insert random name) Club!!!” Within moments I had over 25 pieces of paper in my hand. After a little struggling, I found a few clubs of interest.
I signed up for “Language Partner.” This is where some random Chinese student is assigned to hang out with me and practice English for half the time and Chinese for the other half of our appointments. I haven’t had one scheduled yet, but it should prove to be one awkward and lame (but necessary) blind-date-ish situation.
I also signed up for Running Club!! Basically some people meet at the track every night and go for an easy run. They also have races occasionally. Saturday they had a 3,000 competition involving over 100 people from around the city. I was ceded in the fastest heat. Although my best time is 9:25, because of my injury and lack of hard training lately I only signed up as a 10 flat. I then struggled in the heat and sucked up the track. I finished third overall (first for the college students) with a time so appallingly terrible that I will not write it here. Anyway, my Achilles felt fine so I’m easing back into training.
After the race, a few of us went to some professor’s apartment and had tea. (Drinking tea is the way that everyone hangs out here, I guess haha). Most of them can’t speak English well, but they all try. I honestly don’t want them to try, though. If they could just simplify their Chinese and speak slower I would be much happier because I’d at least be learning while I am left out of the conversation.
The president of the running club whose English name is Angeline has invited me to go running with her a few times since then. She is pretty slow, but I haven’t been flying around lately anyway.
The running club was the best idea ever because I’ve met a bunch of locals who call me to hang out. We played cards the other night, which is perfect because I practice numbers and colors haha. I feel like a kindergartener. They all speak really fast.
HEY! It was my birthday the other day! Thanks to everyone who sent me messages! Unfortunately I can’t reply on Facebook, but rumor has it that the PRC will unblock it in October! We’ll see.
So I’m 21 now. Holy crap... old. Everyone has some crazy stories about their 21st birthday. I can tell people that on my 21st my friends took me to a Mexican restaurant in Shanghai, China. They all bought me my meal and some drinks. Subsequently, I ended up dancing to loud music virtually by myself while my friends watched and took pictures. Pretty cool haha.
I’m still trying to schedule a trip to Beijing and Xi’an. My understanding is that during the National Day holiday Beijing will be cracking down on foreign visitors because they don’t want any terrorist activity. What that means is that getting a hotel may be really hard.
The Communism here is becoming more and more apparent to me. I was walking home late from running club and had to stop to have the police check my ID at 2 different gate checkpoints. They are friendly about it, but it still really bothers us Americans to have to “check in” with the government if we want to go somewhere after dark.
Also, I saw a weasel jump out of a garbage can last night.
Dannie texted me and told me that there was an event at the volleyball courts in which every club would have a table. I rode my bike through the rain for 10 minutes to find out that they cancelled due to rain. Sweet.
The next day I went back. Fortunately, they were actually there that time. Instantly I was bombarded with people shoving flyers in my hand and yelling “Welcome to (insert random name) Club!!!” Within moments I had over 25 pieces of paper in my hand. After a little struggling, I found a few clubs of interest.
I signed up for “Language Partner.” This is where some random Chinese student is assigned to hang out with me and practice English for half the time and Chinese for the other half of our appointments. I haven’t had one scheduled yet, but it should prove to be one awkward and lame (but necessary) blind-date-ish situation.
I also signed up for Running Club!! Basically some people meet at the track every night and go for an easy run. They also have races occasionally. Saturday they had a 3,000 competition involving over 100 people from around the city. I was ceded in the fastest heat. Although my best time is 9:25, because of my injury and lack of hard training lately I only signed up as a 10 flat. I then struggled in the heat and sucked up the track. I finished third overall (first for the college students) with a time so appallingly terrible that I will not write it here. Anyway, my Achilles felt fine so I’m easing back into training.
After the race, a few of us went to some professor’s apartment and had tea. (Drinking tea is the way that everyone hangs out here, I guess haha). Most of them can’t speak English well, but they all try. I honestly don’t want them to try, though. If they could just simplify their Chinese and speak slower I would be much happier because I’d at least be learning while I am left out of the conversation.
The president of the running club whose English name is Angeline has invited me to go running with her a few times since then. She is pretty slow, but I haven’t been flying around lately anyway.
The running club was the best idea ever because I’ve met a bunch of locals who call me to hang out. We played cards the other night, which is perfect because I practice numbers and colors haha. I feel like a kindergartener. They all speak really fast.
HEY! It was my birthday the other day! Thanks to everyone who sent me messages! Unfortunately I can’t reply on Facebook, but rumor has it that the PRC will unblock it in October! We’ll see.
So I’m 21 now. Holy crap... old. Everyone has some crazy stories about their 21st birthday. I can tell people that on my 21st my friends took me to a Mexican restaurant in Shanghai, China. They all bought me my meal and some drinks. Subsequently, I ended up dancing to loud music virtually by myself while my friends watched and took pictures. Pretty cool haha.
I’m still trying to schedule a trip to Beijing and Xi’an. My understanding is that during the National Day holiday Beijing will be cracking down on foreign visitors because they don’t want any terrorist activity. What that means is that getting a hotel may be really hard.
The Communism here is becoming more and more apparent to me. I was walking home late from running club and had to stop to have the police check my ID at 2 different gate checkpoints. They are friendly about it, but it still really bothers us Americans to have to “check in” with the government if we want to go somewhere after dark.
Also, I saw a weasel jump out of a garbage can last night.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Huangzhou
This Saturday morning a group of 28 students took the 2 hour train-ride to Huangzhou. We stayed there in a hotel until Sunday evening.
The train was really nice. It is sort of lame that the U.S. doesn’t use passenger trains more often. It is a relatively cheap, fast, and environmentally friendly form of transportation. I know that there are a lot of arguments as to why it isn’t particularly feasible for the States, but it sure would be nice.
We arrived in Huangzhou, and after a bit of struggling with herding 28 people around and deciding where to stay, we finally decided to follow some local to a hotel. The hotel required that we all fill out a bunch of passport info and crap, but after much adieu, we finally got to our rooms. Subsequently we toured the area.
Huangzhou is famous for its massive and ornate pagodas, temples, and natural surroundings. I’d elaborate on the coolness of the Buddhist temple that I visited, the water show on the lake, the boats and other Chinese style activities, or the way that the giant pagodas looked, but I’ll leave that to the pictures that I will eventually post.
Until the pictures arrive, I will tell you a few short stories that are harder to tell through pictures:
Ben was swarmed by Chinese people obsessed with hearing a blonde, white, American speak English.
A group of about 4 of us jumped into a picture of Chinese students, and ended up the center of a long series of photographs.
I decided it would be an awesome idea to join the hoards of old women in some elaborate line-dancing. A few of the UC students joined me after they saw that I was picking up the moves. I wish there was a video of our sweet moves, the old ladies laughing at us, or the other old ladies looking at us like we were ruining their culture. It was fun as hell, though.
Sunday morning we rode rented bikes around the giant lake. It was exactly what I felt like China should be. I even saw some stereotypical Chinese drifter (clad in rags, a walking stick, and giant fumanchu) being forcibly removed from the area by some PRC cops. Heaven forbid there be poverty in a tourist area... the western people might see!
Anyway, it was a super fun trip. Ben and I plan on visiting Beijing over the National Day holiday. It should be crazy, particularly since it is the PRC’s 60th birthday.
Oh! I bought a bike. It was pretty gay with butterfly stickers on it, which I promptly removed to find a pretty cool silver bike. I bought it for relatively cheap, and it cut 25 minutes off of my trip to class in the morning. Fudan is significantly bigger than W&J.
Today was Chang’s birthday. Chang is a friend of mine from UC. About 17 of us went to a Brazilian BBQ restaurant to celebrate. It proved to be the most expensive meal since I arrived: about 15 USD. Allow me to rub this in everyone’s face: Things barely cost any money here.
Tonight I was told: “Holy crap, Andy! I just realized how white you are!” Was this because I was doing the Carlton Banks dance to some songs on the Scrubs soundtrack? Maybe. But it still surprised me to look around and realize that I am in the extreme minority. By “still” I mean that I feel like I should be used to it by now. It isn’t that it bothers me: I consider it a really awesome experience. But even after this time I still look around and go “Holy crap haha I AM the minority... SWEET”
In this entry I was planning on doing a shout-out to Slepsky: What up, Sleppers. I hope you are still sane.
I thought of Sleperton today because I was wearing a super sweet vintage Batman teeshirt he gave me before departure. (fyi, Sleprock- everyone digs it... well I don’t know that, but I do)
I will also give a shout-out to Katie Mulvaney on account of I just received an e-mail from her: Hey. Keep the vow alive. I have been much regretting my failure to do so. (If you don’t know what that is about, you aren’t meant to)
Ok. Well that is all I have to say for now. I am not proofreading this entry, on account of the fact that it is 2:30 am here. (Coincidentally, that is precisely the reason why I SHOULD proof read it, but eh, whatever)
More to come.
The train was really nice. It is sort of lame that the U.S. doesn’t use passenger trains more often. It is a relatively cheap, fast, and environmentally friendly form of transportation. I know that there are a lot of arguments as to why it isn’t particularly feasible for the States, but it sure would be nice.
We arrived in Huangzhou, and after a bit of struggling with herding 28 people around and deciding where to stay, we finally decided to follow some local to a hotel. The hotel required that we all fill out a bunch of passport info and crap, but after much adieu, we finally got to our rooms. Subsequently we toured the area.
Huangzhou is famous for its massive and ornate pagodas, temples, and natural surroundings. I’d elaborate on the coolness of the Buddhist temple that I visited, the water show on the lake, the boats and other Chinese style activities, or the way that the giant pagodas looked, but I’ll leave that to the pictures that I will eventually post.
Until the pictures arrive, I will tell you a few short stories that are harder to tell through pictures:
Ben was swarmed by Chinese people obsessed with hearing a blonde, white, American speak English.
A group of about 4 of us jumped into a picture of Chinese students, and ended up the center of a long series of photographs.
I decided it would be an awesome idea to join the hoards of old women in some elaborate line-dancing. A few of the UC students joined me after they saw that I was picking up the moves. I wish there was a video of our sweet moves, the old ladies laughing at us, or the other old ladies looking at us like we were ruining their culture. It was fun as hell, though.
Sunday morning we rode rented bikes around the giant lake. It was exactly what I felt like China should be. I even saw some stereotypical Chinese drifter (clad in rags, a walking stick, and giant fumanchu) being forcibly removed from the area by some PRC cops. Heaven forbid there be poverty in a tourist area... the western people might see!
Anyway, it was a super fun trip. Ben and I plan on visiting Beijing over the National Day holiday. It should be crazy, particularly since it is the PRC’s 60th birthday.
Oh! I bought a bike. It was pretty gay with butterfly stickers on it, which I promptly removed to find a pretty cool silver bike. I bought it for relatively cheap, and it cut 25 minutes off of my trip to class in the morning. Fudan is significantly bigger than W&J.
Today was Chang’s birthday. Chang is a friend of mine from UC. About 17 of us went to a Brazilian BBQ restaurant to celebrate. It proved to be the most expensive meal since I arrived: about 15 USD. Allow me to rub this in everyone’s face: Things barely cost any money here.
Tonight I was told: “Holy crap, Andy! I just realized how white you are!” Was this because I was doing the Carlton Banks dance to some songs on the Scrubs soundtrack? Maybe. But it still surprised me to look around and realize that I am in the extreme minority. By “still” I mean that I feel like I should be used to it by now. It isn’t that it bothers me: I consider it a really awesome experience. But even after this time I still look around and go “Holy crap haha I AM the minority... SWEET”
In this entry I was planning on doing a shout-out to Slepsky: What up, Sleppers. I hope you are still sane.
I thought of Sleperton today because I was wearing a super sweet vintage Batman teeshirt he gave me before departure. (fyi, Sleprock- everyone digs it... well I don’t know that, but I do)
I will also give a shout-out to Katie Mulvaney on account of I just received an e-mail from her: Hey. Keep the vow alive. I have been much regretting my failure to do so. (If you don’t know what that is about, you aren’t meant to)
Ok. Well that is all I have to say for now. I am not proofreading this entry, on account of the fact that it is 2:30 am here. (Coincidentally, that is precisely the reason why I SHOULD proof read it, but eh, whatever)
More to come.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Friday Night
Hey! So I have been to all of my classes. Two of them turned out to not work. I will be dropping my two Thursday courses (Scenario of East Asia; Public Policy) and replacing it with a Wednesday class (Debating Globalization). Public Policy was really a class for people who are trying to learn English, so even the professor can barely speak English. Scenario of East Asia is mostly for students from Spanish speaking countries, and I don't speak Spanish, so that is useless. Hanner would probably have been running around jumping for joy in that class though with all the Spaniards and Mexicans.
I really want to talk about my International Organizations class. It was (and will likely continue to be) one of the most interesting classes in which I have ever been. It is contains about 40 students. There is one South Korean, two Russians, a person from Singapore (is that a Singaporean?) and one first generation Chinese American. The remainder of the students are Fudan University students who can speak enough English to take a course. My professor is an Irishman. He spent the first class asking us each loaded questions (in part to check our English skills) such as: "Is America the most important country in the world?" "What is the biggest problem the Chinese have caused?" "What is the biggest problem that the Chinese have?" etc. The course is about what you would imagine- international organizations. However, it evaluates them on a philosophical level as well as a historical level (typical poli sci class). The hook is that I will see first hand the opinions of students other than myself. I will be defending (or condemning) American foreign policy in a room full of non-Americans. I am most excited because I am tired of hearing the same off-the-rack patriotic answers in American poli-sci classes. I want to hear what other people think: people brainwashed by other governments and cultures.
Tomorrow morning a group of about 30 of us are travelling to Hangzhou. Hangzhou (about a 2 hour trainride from Shanghai) is famous for its lake, natural surroundings, and large pagodas. We are staying there Saturday night in a hostel or hotel (we have yet to decide). It should be a fun excursion. I know I haven't uploaded pictures yet. For some reason the proxy sites that I use to access this site doesn't allow me to upload pictures. I WILL figure something out eventually though. I'll keep you updated.
Good luck racing this weekend W&J XC!!
I really want to talk about my International Organizations class. It was (and will likely continue to be) one of the most interesting classes in which I have ever been. It is contains about 40 students. There is one South Korean, two Russians, a person from Singapore (is that a Singaporean?) and one first generation Chinese American. The remainder of the students are Fudan University students who can speak enough English to take a course. My professor is an Irishman. He spent the first class asking us each loaded questions (in part to check our English skills) such as: "Is America the most important country in the world?" "What is the biggest problem the Chinese have caused?" "What is the biggest problem that the Chinese have?" etc. The course is about what you would imagine- international organizations. However, it evaluates them on a philosophical level as well as a historical level (typical poli sci class). The hook is that I will see first hand the opinions of students other than myself. I will be defending (or condemning) American foreign policy in a room full of non-Americans. I am most excited because I am tired of hearing the same off-the-rack patriotic answers in American poli-sci classes. I want to hear what other people think: people brainwashed by other governments and cultures.
Tomorrow morning a group of about 30 of us are travelling to Hangzhou. Hangzhou (about a 2 hour trainride from Shanghai) is famous for its lake, natural surroundings, and large pagodas. We are staying there Saturday night in a hostel or hotel (we have yet to decide). It should be a fun excursion. I know I haven't uploaded pictures yet. For some reason the proxy sites that I use to access this site doesn't allow me to upload pictures. I WILL figure something out eventually though. I'll keep you updated.
Good luck racing this weekend W&J XC!!
Written 9/8
Yesterday morning I registered for classes. The system here was never fully explained, and it was a huge pain in the butt in order to know what classes are available to whom, but the actual registration itself was extremely easy. WebAdvisor sucks in comparison. Actually though, before we registered, every foreign student had to register for enrollment two days ago. THAT on the other hand, was a nightmare. There were crowds of people forming a bunch of lines everywhere and no one spoke English. We needed insurance from the government, which was another line (it was cheap, but I’m sort of pissed that W&J charged us for insurance if it doesn’t count in China).
Anyway, I signed up for 5 classes. I plan on taking only 4 of them, but I will decide based on which I like the least. I emailed Dr. Caffrey and he kindly got permission from the necessary department heads for me for each class. I am taking Sino-US Relations Rise of Asia; Chinese II, International Organizations; Public Policy; and the Regional Scenario of Asia Pacific. Each meets only once per week (except Chinese which is twice) so my schedule is not too full.
Yesterday was my first run in China. I had taken some time off for my Achilles tendonitis (which seems to be completely healed –knock on wood-) and I didn’t want to run until I was comfortable with the area. I went for an easy run from my dorm to the track and back. It was about a 5 mile run.
In order to avoid the heat of the day, I went at 6:30 am. By the way, the sun comes up very early here because there is only one time zone in China. The sun is up at about 5. I noticed that although the streets weren’t as busy and crowded as usual, even that early in the morning, there were scores of people out and about. I ran through the gardens on campus (which are extremely interesting and sweet). Both in the gardens and as I approached the athletic facilities I noticed hundreds of old people practicing taichi. Seriously, there are people doing taichi freaking EVERYWHERE.
I finally got on the main track, which is actually really nice, and there were a lottt of people running and walking on it. There didn’t seem to be any system of track etiquette like there is in the U.S. There were old men walking in lane 1 through 8. I also noticed that everyone was realllllly slow. It was amazingly funny to get weird looks as I leisurely passed all the aged joggers and young people struggling around the track. Occasionally some of the slow runners would stop to read a sign about the upcoming Shanghai Marathon in October. If there is a half, I will run it, but I can’t read the sign. It was funny to me that so many people were interested in it though, particularly having seen how slowly they run.
On my second of 3 easy laps around the track, an old man ran up beside me, poked me in the arm in order to urge me forward around the track, and yelled “Ni paobu hen kuai!!” (“You run very fast!!”) and then ran behind me. He was huffing and puffing unbelievably as I continued on my regular pace. I couldn’t understand if he wanted to race or just run with me, because every time I turned to ask him anything he just earnestly pointed down the track. After about 110 meters he waved me off and said laughing “xiexie xiexie” (“thank you thank you). Who knows what that was about haha.
I had my first class Monday. It seems fairly similar to a W&J class, particularly since one of the two cooperating professors is from the University of California. My classes have primarily UCLA, UCE, and UCSD students. My Chinese II class seems to be the right level for me, but my teacher has trouble with English so it will be hard defacto. She speaks very quickly. I thought she was asking me what my major was, but she was actually telling me that I was very handsome. I think it could be because I look so different from most of the other students. (97 percent of China is Han Chinese, and that makes me an extreme minority). Needless to say my friends ripped on me for being the white guy again after class. Hahaha its cool though.
One more note, Annie helped me get my bank card today so that I can get my monthly food stipend later. I owe Annie so much. She has been the biggest help ever since I arrived.
Pictures pending.
Anyway, I signed up for 5 classes. I plan on taking only 4 of them, but I will decide based on which I like the least. I emailed Dr. Caffrey and he kindly got permission from the necessary department heads for me for each class. I am taking Sino-US Relations Rise of Asia; Chinese II, International Organizations; Public Policy; and the Regional Scenario of Asia Pacific. Each meets only once per week (except Chinese which is twice) so my schedule is not too full.
Yesterday was my first run in China. I had taken some time off for my Achilles tendonitis (which seems to be completely healed –knock on wood-) and I didn’t want to run until I was comfortable with the area. I went for an easy run from my dorm to the track and back. It was about a 5 mile run.
In order to avoid the heat of the day, I went at 6:30 am. By the way, the sun comes up very early here because there is only one time zone in China. The sun is up at about 5. I noticed that although the streets weren’t as busy and crowded as usual, even that early in the morning, there were scores of people out and about. I ran through the gardens on campus (which are extremely interesting and sweet). Both in the gardens and as I approached the athletic facilities I noticed hundreds of old people practicing taichi. Seriously, there are people doing taichi freaking EVERYWHERE.
I finally got on the main track, which is actually really nice, and there were a lottt of people running and walking on it. There didn’t seem to be any system of track etiquette like there is in the U.S. There were old men walking in lane 1 through 8. I also noticed that everyone was realllllly slow. It was amazingly funny to get weird looks as I leisurely passed all the aged joggers and young people struggling around the track. Occasionally some of the slow runners would stop to read a sign about the upcoming Shanghai Marathon in October. If there is a half, I will run it, but I can’t read the sign. It was funny to me that so many people were interested in it though, particularly having seen how slowly they run.
On my second of 3 easy laps around the track, an old man ran up beside me, poked me in the arm in order to urge me forward around the track, and yelled “Ni paobu hen kuai!!” (“You run very fast!!”) and then ran behind me. He was huffing and puffing unbelievably as I continued on my regular pace. I couldn’t understand if he wanted to race or just run with me, because every time I turned to ask him anything he just earnestly pointed down the track. After about 110 meters he waved me off and said laughing “xiexie xiexie” (“thank you thank you). Who knows what that was about haha.
I had my first class Monday. It seems fairly similar to a W&J class, particularly since one of the two cooperating professors is from the University of California. My classes have primarily UCLA, UCE, and UCSD students. My Chinese II class seems to be the right level for me, but my teacher has trouble with English so it will be hard defacto. She speaks very quickly. I thought she was asking me what my major was, but she was actually telling me that I was very handsome. I think it could be because I look so different from most of the other students. (97 percent of China is Han Chinese, and that makes me an extreme minority). Needless to say my friends ripped on me for being the white guy again after class. Hahaha its cool though.
One more note, Annie helped me get my bank card today so that I can get my monthly food stipend later. I owe Annie so much. She has been the biggest help ever since I arrived.
Pictures pending.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Much Better
Ok, so my interent here has not been working. I'm getting it fixed tomorrow (hopefully). That is the reason I haven't been updating much. Also pictures are nearly impossible to do here because of all the blocking of sites. I'll try to figure it out though.
I met a bunch of people from the University of California program. We have been hanging out and eating together most of the time. Most of them are Asian Americans, so I remain the token white kid. It is kind of interesting being the minority for once. Dave Chen will be interested to know that the asians make as many white kid jokes to me as I make asian jokes to you. They aren't entirely comfortable with me yet so they are a little less ambitious with the jokes than me though.
I am finally over my food sickness or whatever. I feel much better. I finally am really enjoying walking around and realizing that I'm in freaking China! Constant reminders all the time, and not just the language. Its hard to describe but everything done here is very... well... chinese.
So I am scheduling for classes on the day classes begin. That is a pain. But at least I know how to do it. Hopefully everything will be approved though because I have a very small window to change classes.
Again, forgive the lack of posting. Forgive the lack of pictures. Forgive the lack of replies to emails. My internet will be functional full time soon. (Hopefully.)
Zaijian!
I met a bunch of people from the University of California program. We have been hanging out and eating together most of the time. Most of them are Asian Americans, so I remain the token white kid. It is kind of interesting being the minority for once. Dave Chen will be interested to know that the asians make as many white kid jokes to me as I make asian jokes to you. They aren't entirely comfortable with me yet so they are a little less ambitious with the jokes than me though.
I am finally over my food sickness or whatever. I feel much better. I finally am really enjoying walking around and realizing that I'm in freaking China! Constant reminders all the time, and not just the language. Its hard to describe but everything done here is very... well... chinese.
So I am scheduling for classes on the day classes begin. That is a pain. But at least I know how to do it. Hopefully everything will be approved though because I have a very small window to change classes.
Again, forgive the lack of posting. Forgive the lack of pictures. Forgive the lack of replies to emails. My internet will be functional full time soon. (Hopefully.)
Zaijian!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Orientation (except in the digestive region)
Orientation consisted of Bao Jun reading things that we already knew (or should have already known; thank you W&J). Ben and I met a bunch of California Students in our program. That was good because we chilled with them all day and found out about how much we should have known prior to arriving. Nothing tragic; we can still register, but it is a huge pain in the butt.
I'm back on a regular sleep pattern, but my stomach is still in shambles. I am keeping everything down, but I just feel completely awful after I eat anything but cookies. It is likely the combination of my body adjusting to the 12 hour time difference, not running as much as I usually do, being stressed, being hungry, eating very different food, and high air pollution. It is a great combination. I'll run out of my huge bottle of pepto at this rate...
By the way, although if you look off into the distance in the afternoon it gets a bit hazy, the pollution doesn't seem too bad to me. The big air quality problem is the nasty smell of stale food and sewage that eminates from the street drains.
I'm back on a regular sleep pattern, but my stomach is still in shambles. I am keeping everything down, but I just feel completely awful after I eat anything but cookies. It is likely the combination of my body adjusting to the 12 hour time difference, not running as much as I usually do, being stressed, being hungry, eating very different food, and high air pollution. It is a great combination. I'll run out of my huge bottle of pepto at this rate...
By the way, although if you look off into the distance in the afternoon it gets a bit hazy, the pollution doesn't seem too bad to me. The big air quality problem is the nasty smell of stale food and sewage that eminates from the street drains.
Written 9/2
I’ve never been so lame before in terms of ability to eat. I eat light meals and feel sick. I almost made it through dinner last night. So that is good. Every meal gets a little easier, but again, I’m pathetic haha.
I found a shop that sells movies for about 7 kuai yuan. That is approximately 1 dollar. I can buy the first 7 seasons of scrubs for the equivalent of 25 dollars!! That would be a 280 dollar value at home! I would be a fool not to buy it. I will. Later.
Orientation is today. I have about 300 million questions and problems so hopefully they can help. Most important of them is the following two issues: What classes can I register and how do I get the meal plan??? So far I’ve been buying my own meals. It is extraordinarily cheap (about 2 dollars for a really nice meal) but they should be paid for by my paid meal plan. When does that start??
I’ve only met a handful of Americans. No problem with that but it is a huge struggle to communicate. My Chinese is terrible.
I found a shop that sells movies for about 7 kuai yuan. That is approximately 1 dollar. I can buy the first 7 seasons of scrubs for the equivalent of 25 dollars!! That would be a 280 dollar value at home! I would be a fool not to buy it. I will. Later.
Orientation is today. I have about 300 million questions and problems so hopefully they can help. Most important of them is the following two issues: What classes can I register and how do I get the meal plan??? So far I’ve been buying my own meals. It is extraordinarily cheap (about 2 dollars for a really nice meal) but they should be paid for by my paid meal plan. When does that start??
I’ve only met a handful of Americans. No problem with that but it is a huge struggle to communicate. My Chinese is terrible.
First Arrivals (Written 9/1)
Greetings from the future!
Wow. Where do I begin. The beginning I guess.
Saturday morning I got up at about 8:45, showered, shaved, ate breakfast, and headed out to the airport with my parents. The flight to Detroit was generally uneventful- I sat next to a woman on a business trip and talked briefly. I had a window seat and saw us go over Lake Michigan.
I ate a buffalo chicken sandwich for lunch in the airport (Detroit’s airport is sweet) and then boarded the plane for Shanghai. There, I sat next to a woman who was recently divorced but seemed extremely young. Dave Chen probably would think that she was 50, but I think she was more like 25. Anyway, we watched 3 of the most TERRIBLE movies ever created: 17 Again, Monsters vs. Aliens, and The Soloist. Crappy plots, crappy actors, and generally no creativity. In between they showed a few TV shows, none good enough to mention. Dinner included shrimp cocktail, vegetables, chicken, and a brownie.
OH! Good news. Because I can’t count, this flight was actually only 15 hours instead of 18! Never-the-less, at about 4 am EST, I was subject to motion sickness for the first time in my life. It was partially because of three main causes. First, I hadn’t slept for one second. Second, we had some moderate turbulent air for a while. Third, they were cooking sausage for breakfast within 3 feet of my face. It smelled awful and for the remainder of the trip I spent with my head back and my nose pinched, hoping that I wouldn’t puke for fear that I would be sent back to the U.S. by Quarantine and Inspection. I had tea for breakfast.
At about 6:30, I arrived at Pudong International Airport. Customs and inspection was a breeze, which is a good thing because I was in no shape to struggle with something. I claimed my bags and had no trouble finding Annie, Yoyo and Gina. They handed me a tuna sandwich from Starbucks and we went to a bus.
Which leads me to Chinese traffic. Good. God. Chinese drivers weave in and out of traffic within inches of other vehicles. Our bus was so close to the nearest cars that I couldn’t even see their passenger side. The roads were full of potholes. The left turn lane was occasionally on the right side of the road!! I also learned quickly that cars have the right of way in China; not people. So we nearly killed about 1,000 Chinese people on the way to Fudan.
Annie, Yoyo, and Gina took me to Walmart before we went to the room. There I bought a pillow and a blanket in addition to the one provided by the dorm. Walmart, by the way, is nothing like ours. It is 3 floors, smells like fish, and is crowded with crazy people who are searching through random isles filled with a random assortment of Chinese made goods. Oh wait, the only difference is the quantity of floors.
Which reminds me, China smells. You know how when you are at the beach, EVERYTHING has a smell of the beach? Well, China is the same way, except exchange the smell of the beach with the smell of Chinese food that has been in the trash for 2 weeks. That is China. Shanghai is amazing, though. I have some random pictures, but I was tired and not really capable of taking good ones. I’ll post better ones later. There were people line dancing on all the sidewalks, crazy cool lights and buildings, and kids running everywhere.
Anyway, we took a cab to the International student dorm. I checked in with some fast talking and rude people at the desk, and they gave me my big freaking bag of sheets, pillows, and a thermos. Then came the surprise of the evening. We went to my room (on the 7th floor) and said “Hello” to my roommate! Fortunately, it was Ben Morrow from W&J, so he is cool. I was disappointed, however, that I didn’t get a single like I was promised. Good going, Viet.
After thanking Annie, Yoyo, and Gina profusely, they left and I showered. I finally went to sleep (on the hardest bed ever created, but I luckily had the extra bedding, which I stacked to make it softer). The next morning, I unpacked, took a long walk to Walmart with Ben to pick up some more stuff, and then met Annie at 1 to buy a local cell phone and eat lunch. Again, I was plagued with a bit of nausea after eating.
I decided I would take a short nap before dinner. So at 6, I went to sleep. I then woke up at 5 am the next day. So... fail.
I apologize for the length of this post. I don’t have internet yet, and I’m a terrible writer and don’t know what to leave out and what to include. I will hopefully get better. By the way, this site is blocked in China, so I have to use a proxy site just to access it. Sweet. Anyway, I hope the W&J Cross Country team is running fast. Send me updates.
Wow. Where do I begin. The beginning I guess.
Saturday morning I got up at about 8:45, showered, shaved, ate breakfast, and headed out to the airport with my parents. The flight to Detroit was generally uneventful- I sat next to a woman on a business trip and talked briefly. I had a window seat and saw us go over Lake Michigan.
I ate a buffalo chicken sandwich for lunch in the airport (Detroit’s airport is sweet) and then boarded the plane for Shanghai. There, I sat next to a woman who was recently divorced but seemed extremely young. Dave Chen probably would think that she was 50, but I think she was more like 25. Anyway, we watched 3 of the most TERRIBLE movies ever created: 17 Again, Monsters vs. Aliens, and The Soloist. Crappy plots, crappy actors, and generally no creativity. In between they showed a few TV shows, none good enough to mention. Dinner included shrimp cocktail, vegetables, chicken, and a brownie.
OH! Good news. Because I can’t count, this flight was actually only 15 hours instead of 18! Never-the-less, at about 4 am EST, I was subject to motion sickness for the first time in my life. It was partially because of three main causes. First, I hadn’t slept for one second. Second, we had some moderate turbulent air for a while. Third, they were cooking sausage for breakfast within 3 feet of my face. It smelled awful and for the remainder of the trip I spent with my head back and my nose pinched, hoping that I wouldn’t puke for fear that I would be sent back to the U.S. by Quarantine and Inspection. I had tea for breakfast.
At about 6:30, I arrived at Pudong International Airport. Customs and inspection was a breeze, which is a good thing because I was in no shape to struggle with something. I claimed my bags and had no trouble finding Annie, Yoyo and Gina. They handed me a tuna sandwich from Starbucks and we went to a bus.
Which leads me to Chinese traffic. Good. God. Chinese drivers weave in and out of traffic within inches of other vehicles. Our bus was so close to the nearest cars that I couldn’t even see their passenger side. The roads were full of potholes. The left turn lane was occasionally on the right side of the road!! I also learned quickly that cars have the right of way in China; not people. So we nearly killed about 1,000 Chinese people on the way to Fudan.
Annie, Yoyo, and Gina took me to Walmart before we went to the room. There I bought a pillow and a blanket in addition to the one provided by the dorm. Walmart, by the way, is nothing like ours. It is 3 floors, smells like fish, and is crowded with crazy people who are searching through random isles filled with a random assortment of Chinese made goods. Oh wait, the only difference is the quantity of floors.
Which reminds me, China smells. You know how when you are at the beach, EVERYTHING has a smell of the beach? Well, China is the same way, except exchange the smell of the beach with the smell of Chinese food that has been in the trash for 2 weeks. That is China. Shanghai is amazing, though. I have some random pictures, but I was tired and not really capable of taking good ones. I’ll post better ones later. There were people line dancing on all the sidewalks, crazy cool lights and buildings, and kids running everywhere.
Anyway, we took a cab to the International student dorm. I checked in with some fast talking and rude people at the desk, and they gave me my big freaking bag of sheets, pillows, and a thermos. Then came the surprise of the evening. We went to my room (on the 7th floor) and said “Hello” to my roommate! Fortunately, it was Ben Morrow from W&J, so he is cool. I was disappointed, however, that I didn’t get a single like I was promised. Good going, Viet.
After thanking Annie, Yoyo, and Gina profusely, they left and I showered. I finally went to sleep (on the hardest bed ever created, but I luckily had the extra bedding, which I stacked to make it softer). The next morning, I unpacked, took a long walk to Walmart with Ben to pick up some more stuff, and then met Annie at 1 to buy a local cell phone and eat lunch. Again, I was plagued with a bit of nausea after eating.
I decided I would take a short nap before dinner. So at 6, I went to sleep. I then woke up at 5 am the next day. So... fail.
I apologize for the length of this post. I don’t have internet yet, and I’m a terrible writer and don’t know what to leave out and what to include. I will hopefully get better. By the way, this site is blocked in China, so I have to use a proxy site just to access it. Sweet. Anyway, I hope the W&J Cross Country team is running fast. Send me updates.
Friday, August 28, 2009
My next post will be from Shanghai. I would not be shocked if my next post is something along the lines of:
"I'm about to die from exhaustion... People aren't meant to travel for so long and far at once... Now I'm off to lay comatose in my Chinese bed for about the rest of my life..."
-Future Me
At any rate I leave my house at 9:45 am, leave Pittsburgh for Detroit at 12:15, and then leave there at 4:25 to start my 18.5 hour leg to Shanghai.
Annie, Yoyo, and Gina are picking me up at Pudong International!! That is really nice of them, and I'm glad I'll see people that I know so far away! They are meeting me at the gate. Hopefully there are no mixups though, because I won't have a functioning phone in China haha.
So I have a long couple of days coming up. Wish me luck.
Goodbye, America! See you at Christmas!!
"I'm about to die from exhaustion... People aren't meant to travel for so long and far at once... Now I'm off to lay comatose in my Chinese bed for about the rest of my life..."
-Future Me
At any rate I leave my house at 9:45 am, leave Pittsburgh for Detroit at 12:15, and then leave there at 4:25 to start my 18.5 hour leg to Shanghai.
Annie, Yoyo, and Gina are picking me up at Pudong International!! That is really nice of them, and I'm glad I'll see people that I know so far away! They are meeting me at the gate. Hopefully there are no mixups though, because I won't have a functioning phone in China haha.
So I have a long couple of days coming up. Wish me luck.
Goodbye, America! See you at Christmas!!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
This Journal
I leave for China in less than 10 days!!
I have been informed that Facebook is blocked in China (along with Youtube and many other websites). I hope that this blog is not included in that list of blocked sites.
At any rate, For many of you, this will be my only form of communication with you! Please comment here so that I can hear from you! You can also email me at Howardar@washjeff.edu or you can skype me. AIM (RunningWars) may or may not be accessable, so if I am online, send me a message!!
Please do not try to call my cell phone while I am away!! It can only result in one thing: costing one of us millions of dollars.
Finally, I know that journals like these can become tedious, boring, and powerfully ego-centric. Because of this, I will do my best to keep my posts brief, informative, but most of all: at least mildly entertaining.
Have a great semester in the United States!!
Andy
P.S. In the event that this website is blocked in China, I will ask someone via e-mail to post any subsequent blog URLs to the Facebook group associated with this blog. Please refer to that if I seem to be not posting here!
I have been informed that Facebook is blocked in China (along with Youtube and many other websites). I hope that this blog is not included in that list of blocked sites.
At any rate, For many of you, this will be my only form of communication with you! Please comment here so that I can hear from you! You can also email me at Howardar@washjeff.edu or you can skype me. AIM (RunningWars) may or may not be accessable, so if I am online, send me a message!!
Please do not try to call my cell phone while I am away!! It can only result in one thing: costing one of us millions of dollars.
Finally, I know that journals like these can become tedious, boring, and powerfully ego-centric. Because of this, I will do my best to keep my posts brief, informative, but most of all: at least mildly entertaining.
Have a great semester in the United States!!
Andy
P.S. In the event that this website is blocked in China, I will ask someone via e-mail to post any subsequent blog URLs to the Facebook group associated with this blog. Please refer to that if I seem to be not posting here!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Summer Preparations
Today marks the end of what I would consider the first of two pre-departure preparation stages. I recieved my visa from the Chinese Embassy in D.C. I did this through the Travisa Company. I had requested a mulitple entry (X) visa, but only got a single entry (F) visa. This means that I will not be able to leave China and come back. Once I am there I can not visit neighboring countries because I wouldn't be allowed back in. Apparantly, every chinese embassy has the ability to decide if students can get an x or f visa case by case. I guess I am limited to only touring the fourth largest country in the world...
Anyway, I now have all of my paperwork required in order to be admitted- my passport, visa, admission notice from Fudan, and medical paperwork. I recieved all the vaccinations that are required. I purchased my plane ticket using kayak.com and cheaptickets (for over 13 hundred dollars!). I leave Pittsburgh in the afternoon on August 29, transfer in Detroit, and then arrive in Shanghai Pudong Airport at 7:00 pm local time on August 30. I leave Shanghai on December 24 at 9 am local time, transfer in Tokyo and Detroit, and arrive in Pittsburgh on December 24 at about 4 pm EST.
All I have left to do is practice Chinese and pack up my stuff!
Anyway, I now have all of my paperwork required in order to be admitted- my passport, visa, admission notice from Fudan, and medical paperwork. I recieved all the vaccinations that are required. I purchased my plane ticket using kayak.com and cheaptickets (for over 13 hundred dollars!). I leave Pittsburgh in the afternoon on August 29, transfer in Detroit, and then arrive in Shanghai Pudong Airport at 7:00 pm local time on August 30. I leave Shanghai on December 24 at 9 am local time, transfer in Tokyo and Detroit, and arrive in Pittsburgh on December 24 at about 4 pm EST.
All I have left to do is practice Chinese and pack up my stuff!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Hey! I'm starting this online journal about my semester abroad in Shanghai, China. I'm going to miss W&J this fall, especially Cross Country, but I'll be back for Intersession and Track! Today, this is really just a test post for my new blog. As the time for departure approaches, I will start posting more often. I'll be including pictures as they are taken. When I'm gone, look me up on Skype or AIM (RunningWars) so we can stay in touch!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)