wo zai wuchang wuhan

You know you've been in China too long when....

2008-12-28T10:24:00.001-08:00

This post is absolutely necessary.

As my time is nearing to an end here, I think about China and how I've changed. It's not that my personality has changed, but I think my perception on things and how much easier it can be to live life without all the extra clutter has definitely transformed since my arrival.
However, it's not all meaningful and serious. Some of these changes are hilarious to me as I think about how I can't bring back some of this culture home... for the benefit of everyone's sake.

My friend and I stumbled across a list of "You know when you've been in China too long when..." examples on the internet and I thought I would share some that really hit close to home. I hope you enjoy.

You have grown used to the picture quality of pirated DVDs
A June 2001 Great Wall Cabernet (mixed with Sprite) is your vintage of choice
Badminton and ping pong are your main forms of exercise.
You find yourself "getting back to nature" in a park that contains nothing but concrete and a giant revolutionary statue.
All white people look the same to you.
Open spaces make you feel like something must be wrong
Other foreigners seem foreign to you.
You throw your used toilet paper in the basket (as a courtesy to the next person).
You think that the heavy air pollution actually contains valuable nutrients that you need to stay healthy (so true)
You draw characters on your hand to make yourself understood.
You can't put a proper sentence together in your native language.
It's OK to throw rubbish, including old fridges, from your 18th-floor window. (I'm not going to say this hasn't happened)
Thanks to karaoke, you know who has the most singing talent in your building.
You believe that pressing the elevator button 63 times will make it move faster.
You are not surprised to see your tap water run dark brown.
You are not surprised to see 85-year old ladies pushing tons of garbage up the streets of the financial district.
You use the word "Ayyiieeaaahh" every few sentences to convey surprise, pleasure, pain or anger.
You believe you are really tall when you are only 5'8".
You finally decide to eat at McDonalds to put some solids into your body.
You watch an American movie on HBO, with sub-titles, and try to read them.
You eat a kebab on the street and call it "Rat on a stick" and keep eating. (word-for-word this has happened)
You believe that the cure for all ailments is to drink more water.
You think that a $7 shirt is a rip-off.
Your buddy taps you on the shoulder to talk to you, and you say "Bu Yao" (don't want!) out of habit.
You always leave your tray and trash on the table when you are in Starbucks and McDonald's because you insist that is the way to keep everyone employed
You take large sum of cash whenever you go to the hospital
You are no longer flinching every few seconds in a Taxi ride.
You have no reservations about spitting sun flower seeds on a restaurant floor.
You start reaching for a piece of fish with your chop sticks and don't even notice the fish looking back at you.
Walking across the street, against the light, and in and out of traffic is a piece of cake.
You think it's okay that your girlfriend has a chinese boyfriend too, cause she doesn't like him.
You relish the thought of Pizza Hut, but only go on special occasions.
When refusing someone something they expected or counted on you just say "Sorry" (buhaoyisi) with no explanation whatsoever.
When you take a cab, you give play-by-play driving directions to the driver
You feel cheated if you don't receive a full head and shoulder massage when getting a haircut
You eat three regular meals a day: lunch, dinner and night snacks
When you go to the toilet you start bringing your own toilet paper (so true)
You can pick up any type of food using just your chopsticks... even peanuts.
You no longer wait in line, but go immediately to the head of the queue.
It becomes exciting to see if you can get on the lift before anyone can get off.
You accept the fact that you have to queue to get a number for the next queue.
A T-Bone steak with rice sounds just fine.
You regard traffic signals, stop signs, and counterfeit watch peddlers with equal disdain.
You have developed an uncontrollable urge to follow people carrying small flags.
You regard it as part of the adventure when the waiter correctly repeats your order and the cook makes something completely different. (can't count the times this has happened)
You would rather text someone than actually meet to talk 'face to face'.
You honk your horn at people because they are in your way as you drive down the sidewalk (pedestrians are fair game on the sidewalks)
You regularly fumble for five minutes to find 10 jiao despite 10 people waiting in line behind you.
You start to describe delusional thoughts and fantasies as "healthy passions."
You get your first case of bronchitus and you have never smoked a cigarette in your life.
You forget that the other person needs to finish speaking before you can start.
You think Pizza Hut is high-class and worth queueing for.
When having conversations with your friends you start leaving unnecessary words or letters out of sentences and end up talking like an imbecile
In the rain, you spot a vacant taxi which is 10 minutes away and you have already planned how you are going to jump out with great enthusiasm in the road, elbow everyone else trying to claim it, and wave your hands everywhere in a 'look at me I'm a goal keeper' kind of fashion (definitely happened)
You have learnt how to detect someone is in a hurry behind you, and now have the ability to not only walk very slowly but also grow eyes in the back of your head, so when they start to overtake on the right hand side, you automatically cut in and walk very slowly directly in front of them
You see people outside wearing shower caps in the rain, and instead of thinking what a freak, you actually understand the practicality behind it. The same with clipping pegs on your trousers when riding a bike
Your eating manners in restaurants are now totally shot. Elbows on tables and spitting food out onto your plate is now seen as being dead classy. (definitely true)
You start picking at other people's dinner plates before they even offer you a taste. (this might become a problem back in the States)
It seems entirely sensible to take a cab across town for 12 yuan in each direction to buy something that costs 4 yuan, that they sell right outside your house anyway.
Chinese fashion starts looking hip.
The last time you visited your mother, you gave her your business card.
You ask fellow foreigners the all-important question "How long have you been here?" in order to be able to properly categorize them.
You speak putonghua better than the locals.
When looking out the window, you think "Wow, so many trees!" instead of "Wow, so much concrete!"
You stop enjoying telling newcomers to China "all about China".
You think "white pills, blue pills, and pink powder" is an adequate answer to the question "What are you giving me, doctor?"
Someone doesn't stare at you and you wonder why. (we're all worried for this when we go back to the States)
You see three people on a motorcycle and figure there's room for two more. (I laugh because it's so true)
Looking at a dog makes you hungry. (sorry, mom)
Your family stops asking when you'll be coming back.
People who haven't seen you for months don't ask where you've been.
It becomes a tradition that at least part of Christmas dinner is stir-fried.
Metal scaffolding at construction sites seems much more dangerous than bamboo scaffolding.
It has been at least 18 months since you used the word "tacky" to describe anything.
You start expecting the rice at the end of a meal (I still don't understand why it works that way)
You can make elevators go faster by boarding first and taking over the controls.
You think of "salad" as diced apples in mayonnaise.
You don't recognize a bowl of chicken soup unless there are feet and a head in it.
You only wear a suit when you dig ditches or do home repairs.
You have a purse and you are male.
You get offended when people admire your chopsticks skills.
You cannot say "Call me." without making a pretend phone with your fingers and sticking to your ear.
You think your nose IS kind of big.
Grown men and women often say hello to you, and when you reply they run away giggling.
You start enjoying the taste of the "meat flavour beancurd" Lays Chips.
You see nothing wrong with standing on a white stripe in the middle of a highway while cars whiz past you at 90kph.
You don't blink an eye when a complete stranger wants to take a photo of you with his family.
You eat soup with chopsticks. (I definitely do this)
You use Kleenex for table napkins.
You drink warm sodas and find them refreshing.
You can't find face lotion or cleanser that does not bleach your skin white....
You have ten different responses to the question, "Do you like China?"
You're looking forward to blending in with the crowd.
You point out foreigners to your Chinese friends even though you're foreign yourself.
You know words in Chinese for which you don't know the translation in English.
You eat cake with chopsticks.
You answer 'So is mine.' when people say their English is so poor.
You answer 'Into what?' when people say China is developing.
You convince yourself that it doesn't matter how dirty the cooks' hands are or how long the raw meat has been sitting out, cooking will fix it. (I can't express how many times a day I think this)
You start saying 'play computer' 'I very like' and other assorted chinglish.
Everyone wants to be your friend - all you have to do is teach them English for free.
Everyone wants to teach you Chinese by speaking to you in English.
Groups of people find it fascinating to watch you buy an orange at a fruit market. Commentary is provided in case some people don't know exactly what's going on.
You have no qualms that someone who thinks you're stupid and gullible has total control over your life.
Only five minutes of prep time for an unannounced class no longer fazes you.
At English Corner (aka English Speaker Cornered) a person asks you how to "improve my oral English" and when you tell them the only way is to continually practice they walk away dejected and sad. (Hahaha!)
You begin to question your own pronunciation.
You can use "face" as a weapon.

***The examples my friends and I made up:

You find that everything you owned that was once white is now permnantly yellow
You begin to like it when the waitress denies you what you want and tells you what you really want
You start to think that raw hanging meats look delicious
You don't care when people call you ugly and a bad student
Shop owners start learning English for you
When parents holding their peeing babies over trashcans doesn't faze you anymore
When you realize everyone in your phone is named something like Mall Girl 1, Mall Girl 2, Mall Girl 3, B-Day Boy, Person that cut my hair, etc.
You find yourself comparing pollution to a blanket
Your favorite China band only knows how to play "Yellow" by Coldplay
You break out into song and dance in public places and don't even care
When people you've never seen before come up to you and show you that they have your number in their phone
Your only reaction is "duoshaoqian?" (How much does this cost) when the shopkeeper pulls a knife out on someone
When you go to the clubs at 8 or 9 just so you can catch the bus there and not have to pay the extra money for a cab to go later
When buying fabric softener becomes and all day event and you go to bed still not having any
Your answer to every question or statement becomes "keyi"
When you think its funny that people put turtles or hamsters in plastic bags after they buy them
When soup replaces drinks during meals
When your idea of ironing is leaving something on a hanger for months

Hairdressers really move this fast.

Chapter 4: The Zoo

2008-12-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

I know I've been really slow to post these pictures, I apologize. I guess there's always so much going on in China that I forget things like my blog. Anyway, here's the zoo...

Cool bird:

Sweet pool...

The lake in the zoo:
On a land bridge:
Stump home:
The most colorful thing in the zoo:
Check that rack:
Kind of sad:
Engrish:

I'm not sure if we're suppose to see his ribs...:
Pretty wilderness:
Donkeys are exotic here:
This one wanted a lot of attention, loved the camera:
We weren't suppose to feed the monkeys, but people did anyway:
Group reaction to the zoo thus far:
The "small beast house" contained dogs...
Why doesn't he live in a home?

We were literally that far away from this creature (no zoom was used):
PANDA:
Fake Panda claw:
Cuddle puddle:
Bored:
Classic:
Hmm, which animal escaped from this one?
The most surreal part of the zoo:
Abandoned fairs are creepy:
If I were given a nickel for every sign I edited in China I could be a billionaire (in American dollars, that is):

If only it had said "cannibals" instead:
Oops:
Exiting the zoo:

Chapter 3: Out of the Ghetto

2008-12-20T11:44:00.000-08:00

After we left that street we walked into a part of Hanyang where everything seemed weird and out of place. It was trying to develop but looked more like a Midwestern sprawl ghost town. I just took pictures of the weird things:

It must be hard trying to grow things in rubble:

A city in construction:

Dinner.

Just a worker:

A big Communist building surrounded by madness:

Chinese dorm: (just kidding)

Just a worker working hard:

Bike. In China.

Truckin'

Workers working hard:

Meats:

Hanging dinner/meat art:

Check those scales:

Meat storm:

I like the hanging meats?

Don't judge:

Chinese Drive-Thru:

Purple is really "in" this season:

Turtle + Chicken = Dinner

Rubble:

Chapter 2: Hanyang

2008-12-08T01:41:00.000-08:00

This area of town is pretty self-explanatory. What can I say? I like laundry pictures.

Prelude & Chapter 1: Finding the Wuhan Zoo

2008-11-28T06:17:00.000-08:00

Thursday my friends and I went on a big adventure to Wuhan's Zoo. Because of its epic nature, I have 很多很多 pictures to share; however, posting them all in one entry would take too long to make and enjoy so I shall divide it into photo essay chapters. Enjoy.

Chapter One

All of us were unsure of how to get to the zoo. We had one Chinese map of Wuhan and a Belgian who knew that Bus 401 went to a place near our destination.
This is where we were let off:

After being let off at a temple, we continued to walk down the street into what some foreigners would call "real China." We received a lot of strange looks and random hellos; who could blame them? They probably felt like their life was invaded by tourists with cameras. Living conditions seemed to become worse the further we went.

A doctor watching two of her patients play cards:

Spices:

Banana bike:

Cart of something:

Shed market:

Different kinds of rice:

Then a baby fell down and everyone was more concerned with what we were doing:

I wish oranges were always sold in piles in the back of trucks:

Need a washing machine?

Restaurant:

Entering the sketchier part of Hanyang:

Left for looks perhaps:

-To Be Continued-

华中师范大学

2008-11-25T05:23:00.000-08:00

It is typical for people in China to show you their campus, so I took a walk around Huazhong Normal University and noted what I see on a daily basis. Here are a collection of pictures for you to get a better idea of what my school life is like:

This is the 国际留学生宿舍 or the International Student dorm or what I've been calling "home" lately. It is said to be the nicest dormitory on campus.

Here's my dorm's backyard. I think they're planning to clean this mess up and make more buildings... at least that's what we're told. I probably won't be around to see it though.

On the way to class:

Here is a standard dormitory:

This is the building where I have most of my classes (aka Building No. 6)

Flower displays in front of the building

Leaving class - people play wooden flutes here at night in the dark (it's kind of creepily awesome):

Pretty pavilion in the middle of campus:

This picture reminded me of my job back in Kansas:

Here's the sketch food hut outside our dorm where I promised myself I would never eat there because of their missing dog, noodles washed in dirty water, and just plain awful sanitation - alas - the longer you live here the lower your standards become:

The shortcut home:

And we end the tour with a fantastic picture of the main entrance to my campus. Fancy, huh?

And some Engrish that was posted right outside of my dorm... hmmm, with that grammar I'm thinking he shouldn't be too picky on hair color.

Tomorrow I will be checking out the local zoo. If it's not too depressing I will make a post about it this weekend (with the Pizza Hut Thanksgiving pictures that I'll be taking on Thursday).

可以...

2008-11-13T01:07:00.000-08:00

I guess some of you all have been patiently waiting for an update. I'm sorry it's taken so long. I'll use midterms as my excuse.
I really want to write some interesting thoughts but it's getting late and I know you all only read this blog for the sweet pictures, so here you go!

I mentioned in my last entry about how Chinese people food stack at Pizza Hut and I wasn't sure why. Well my friend and I decided that maybe we could food stack too, so here's our work:

I think next time we could work on height, but I think it turned out well considering we didn't use any salad dressing to keep it in one piece.

The top view... gorgeous!

You all may be thinking that "wow, you're really good at food stacking" but the truth is this is nothing compared to some of the work I've seen. Plus, we only spent 15 minutes on it, as opposed to 45 minutes. Most of the time was spent stacking one cucumber slice at a time. Unfortunately, as we walked our food stack back to our table some Chinese people laughed at us, maybe because ours wasn't impressive, or because we were pretending to be Chinese. We'd probably do it again.

This next set of pictures is from my school's Southeast gate, Dongnan men as it were. In this area you can find many convenient stores, street performers, restaurants, night markets, and tasty Chinese snack stands:

You get used to crowds after some time.

很多中国菜

Sanitary? Probably not but the rule of thumb on dining in China is "the sketchier, the better"

Seems so much cooler when it's made in front of you.

I only buy fruits that peel.

Cart full of duck parts... yum(?)

Tentacles on a stick anyone?

VIP view of snack production

Bakery

I like this one

Here's a special video I made, and by special I mean that I gave the musicians a few kuai to let me video tape them a little. The music is really good, totally worth the kuai. Enjoy!

Sorry

2008-11-07T19:36:00.000-08:00

Sorry for lack of posting the past three weeks. I will be making a post after I take my midterms, so sometime Tuesday or Wednesday.
Thank you.

Is it me or were we just American for a second?

2008-10-15T06:46:00.000-07:00

Maybe I don't have the slightest idea about this culture or what it means but I've noticed a few things that I want to document, so I can remember.
The most noticeable thing about being here is how androgynous the people are. I feel like in America there are set gender rules for everyone and if you happen to step outside of them you are ridiculed or accused of leaning towards a particular sexuality. In China, I feel that their gender roles are completely different and perhaps hard to identify. From what I've noticed, there seems less pressure to be a "manly man." Not only do I think a lot of men's fashion here tends to be more feminine but certain mannerisms are more accepted here than in America; for example, crossing legs, singing cutsie pop songs aloud in public areas, physical interaction with fellow male friends, talking about the latest romance comedy, etc. I feel that if boys my age back at home acted like boys my age here it would be surprising if a passing fellow didn't accuse him of being gay. A lot of my male Western friends have said that it's easier to be a man here because they don't feel as much pressure to act like badass all the time and that it's easier to go work out because there isn't a fear of being teased. I like walking down the street and seeing tomboys holding hands with pretty boys - you don't see much of that in America.
Another weird thing I've noticed is artistic food stacking. The three times I've gone to Pizza Hut here (a birthday tradition the international kids have started) the Chinese people stack food into intricate designs at the salad bar. I don't know, it's weird. They take their bowl and place each vegetable one at a time in a particular pattern and the last time I was there, one couple was food stacking for the length of time it took for us to order, wait, and finish our pizza - this is not a lie. I don't know if this will ever be something I'll understand.
When they were done we kind of wanted to ask them to get a picture with it since strangers always want pictures with us.

Anyone in the mood for some Engrish?
Here are my dorm's rules:

P.S. Cucumber and Blueberry flavored chips

2008-10-09T04:47:00.000-07:00

I told you. They are real.

National Holiday

2008-10-08T01:30:00.000-07:00

National Holiday was filled with a bunch of little adventures and I'd rather show with pictures than tell.
Here are some pictures from Mo Shan. It is a famous mountain in Wuhan - basically it big tourist trap.

A view of the mountain from East Lake:

In front of the waterfall you can't really see:

View of the whole park:

Boat ride on East Lake:

We had to row apparently (note the BA rower behind us):

Activities on the island we rowed to:

Island shots:

A pavilion on top of the mountain:

Group shot:

Cute baby we found on the mountain:

New Chinese friends:

A view from the top of the mountain:

Dinner afterwards:

Karaoke!:

Mostly been occupied with homework and studying. I'll keep everyone posted the next time something interesting happens.
Cheers.

Not what I expected

2008-10-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

My vacation plans were canceled. The school had to take everyone's passports to the police station so they could get residence permits. The school doesn't have mine because I am only staying a semester but my friend who I was suppose to go to Hainan with didn't have his passport which meant he couldn't board an airplane which meant we couldn't go on our vacation.
I am disappointed but these sort of things seem to frequently happen here in China. Bad karma? I don't know. Maybe I can spend this time getting karma points.
Although I am upset, I've been having a good time here with some friends - we go on mini-local adventures. I've also had a lot of time to think about where I am and what I've learned.
This is a clip from a movie called Waking Life. The part about "the holy moment" really stuck out to me when thinking about living in Wuhan.

A lot of these happen here - maybe because of the language barrier or just constant curiosity.

I'll be making another post this weekend of pictures from my Mo Shan adventure.

A week and a half later...

2008-09-24T05:36:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for not updating sooner. It's not because there's nothing to say, but because there's too much to say and picking a starting point is proving to be more difficult than I thought. Hah, ever since I came to China the word "difficult" has probably made it's way into the top 20 most frequently used words.
Classes are getting better. I'm starting to realize the content is probably a little easy for me but my listening skills are still lacking. Luckily, that is getting better too. It seems like now I don't need to make much of an effort to understand what's going on in class. It's nice to hear phrases, words, and numbers naturally without having to translate it back into English in my mind. I won't lie, classes are very exhausting. I hate how scheduling works here. I miss the 50 minute class periods back in America. I hate having an hour and 40 minute class periods, one after the other.
This past weekend I had my first opportunity since I arrived here to play tourist. A group of us went to see the famous Yellow Crane Tower. Although the tower is not that old, compared to China's extensive history, it was still fun to be shown around and have an opportunity to take too many pictures. Two Chinese girls went with us and they were really friendly and helpful even though they had never seen the tower before. Here are some pictures I took:

Later back on campus, I ran into another good Chinese friend at the cafeteria. We ate dinner together and she told me she had a class that night (a Saturday night class) about the Communist party. I guess it's required to take the class once you've become a Communist Party member. She was telling me how to qualify to be a party member and it was really complicated and interesting. She didn't have enough time to really explain it to me but I'm sure she will later - I'm kind of curious. She was saying that it's easier for college students to become members than it is for professors and business men. I guess I can understand the business men but why not professors? When I get these questions answered I'll write a blog post about it.
The next day my friend Gao Qing and her friend took some of us to see a really famous college in this province called Huazhong Science and Technology College. It was probably the biggest university I have ever seen, really beautiful too. For dinner we went to a dirty little restaurant outside of the gates and it was the best meal so far.
What I really enjoyed about these outings was that I was able to get familiar with the bus system. I've heard some bad stories about riding the bus, but I've found the experience to be the opposite. Perhaps these stories occurred on the buses that run through Hanyang (the poorer part of the city). I was surprised to find them extremely cheap, convenient, and air conditioned. Just yesterday I rode all the way out to Hankou (the business district of Wuhan) to go to a bank to exchange traveler's checks all by myself. The whole process took three hours but it went without a problem. It helps that almost everyone is patient and nice to foreigners.

Things I love here:

Chinese bands posing to be Western bands at the night clubs for foreigners

The fact that you can't judge a place by it's appearance because I've found the sketchier it looks, the better it is
Families of three riding mopeds together (this is a very frequent mode of transportation for families) especially when the baby is sitting up front
My new electronic Chinese-English dictionary that I got cheaper than my friend because I am kind of good at bargaining
The fact that Chinese people are pretty upfront and tell you exactly what they think of you when they meet you
If a Chinese threatens to kill you it means you just became good friends
Regardless of our residence permits, Chinese friends still treat us like guests
National Day vacation - it is a holiday that occurs next week for the whole week. I will be traveling to a tropical island province called Hainan with my friend. http://www.sanya-adv.com/abouthainan/jingdian.htm
Studying at 8:30 am with my Chinese friends on the weekend and then being called "very Chinese" because of it
Coffee that comes in a juice box and peach juice
Engrish dating ads posted by hopeful Chinese boys looking for blonde ladies
My plywood bed. I won't lie, I'm getting used to sleeping without a mattress and my back never hurts.

Things I don't love here:

Being told what I want by Chinese whether it's about meals, clothes, colors, styles etc.
Being stared at everyday
When people laugh at my friends and I when we are struggling to communicate with waitresses
Being harassed and chased for money by the lady at the North Gate
Humidity
The difficulties of trying to tell how I'm feeling
Going out to dinner with the people from Poland
Shopping for clothes and shoes. It is probably one of the most humiliating things one can do in China - or at least in this city. Every shop is a tiny room with three people working and they surround you while you're browsing. Then if you like something and take it off a rack to look at it the fuwuyuan will take it away from you and put it back if THEY think it'd be ugly on you or if they just don't want you to have it. Sometimes this can attract the attention of everyone in the store.
The fact I have class on Saturday and Sunday this coming weekend since they're giving us the whole next week off from class. This will be the first time I've ever had class on the weekend.

Things I am undecided on:

Chinese green tea toothpaste
Green bean beverages
Taxi drivers
Inexpensive travel agencies that wake you up from your nap and yell at you in Chinese because they are driving their motorcycle through the city to deliver your plane tickets to you
Crotchless baby trousers
Conversations that go like this:
Person1: "So, what do you guys feel like for dinner?"
Person 2: "Hm, I don't know."
Person 3: "Anyone up for Chinese food?"
Person 1: "Like we ever had a choice..."
Chinese Discovery Channel
The people who sell baby animals on the streets - who knows what happens to those critters; sometimes they leave in cages, sometimes they're just gone

On that note.... next post will display how amazing my vacation was with pretty pictures of the beach and Monkey Island. Stay tuned?

Mid Autumn Moon Festival Weekend

2008-09-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

Ni hao ni hao! This past weekend was a Chinese holiday called "Mid Autumn Moon Festival." This is a time where people tuan tuan yuan yuan, have family reunions, exchange moon cakes with friends, and look at the full moon while thinking of their loved ones that they are unable to be with at the time. I would say this holiday is the Chinese Thanksgiving. The actual holiday was celebrated on Sunday so all the students got Monday off from school. In the afternoon my friend and I went out to buy a milk tea from the usual spot and the women working there actually gave us a moon cake. This moon cake flavor seemed to be spicy mixed nuts. I just want it to be on the record that the milk tea ladies did not give any of the other customers moon cake.

I was then lucky enough to be invited by my American friends' Chinese teacher, who taught them a year ago in America, to her house. We all were invited to eat dinner with her husband and daughter. I felt going to her house truly demonstrated Chinese hospitality. It was probably a ten course meal, which I must say was the most hao chi meal I've had in China so far. The meal included home-made dumplings, pig feet, chicken, celery with lotus, chicken soup, the famous Wuhan eggplant dish, cabbage, etc.

Her husband spoke no English but he was extremely friendly and I later found out he is an artist. After dinner we were shown around their apartment and given a tour of his studio. Here are some pictures of his finished works, works in progress, and environment (click on the pictures to enlarge):

Sup Dylan?

Here is a real pomegranate tree outside of their apartment. It's not a good quality picture but it's the first time I've ever seen a pomegranate tree so I thought I'd share:

Overall, the night was a lot of fun and an interesting cultural experience I would've missed out on had I not been lucky enough to meet these people.

Here are some pictures just for your viewing pleasure:

This one is for Tracy: We found Jackie Chan at our local grocery store!

A legless man painting on the sidewalk about the holiday. He's getting up because he doesn't want pictures being taken of him... oops

I love seeing this on a busy street in the shopping district. A good mix of old and new China.

My view from my table at the milk tea cafe:

The shops right outside my dorm. Usually this is where I buy water and send faxes to America so I can vote:

I'm sure you all have been waiting for some Engrish:

A group picture from the Mid Autumn Moon Festival dinner:

Not so many pictures this time

2008-09-12T17:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I've had an interesting first half week of classes here at Huazhong Normal University. The levels of Chinese classes are a lot different that in America. They divide it up into 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year and within each year they divide it into grades: 1, 2, 3, 4, or xia, which means that you are more advanced than all the grades, but not skilled enough to be placed in the next year. Considering I didn't know jian ti zi, or simplified characters, I think I did fairly well on the exam because I was placed 1st year grade xia. Normally I would be upset that after two years of Chinese I was only placed in first year, but after attending classes I realized I'm in the right class.
We, the international students, have to take Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Comprehensive Chinese class. This class load is 18 hours of Chinese a week. I have experienced all the classes these past three days and some are better than others. First of all, all the classes are in complete Chinese - there are zero spoken English words in my class. This is expected; however, I have difficulties listening and speaking in Chinese since University of Kansas insists that writing and reading are more important. It is all especially hard when the teachers talk in Chinese at a normal day-to-day conversational rate. The first class I had, Comprehensive Chinese, scared me. I felt lost the whole time and worried if maybe I was placed in class too advanced but near the end of the class I finally figured out what was going on and found the homework to be easier than the homework I was given at KU. Listening class is probably going to be the hardest class I have, not only does my teacher talk too fast but she also has a speech impediment which makes it even more difficult for me. I think the only way I can do well in this class is if I review the book for a couple hours the night before. My speaking class wasn't too difficult because I had reviewed the dialogue a few days before I had the class. Last but not least, Reading was very easy. I probably won't be challenged in this class because at KU we read academic articles and Chinese poetry in Chinese - in this class we are only reading short, cutesy stories. Apparently this class is hard for everyone else so that makes me feel a little bit better. I realize that the content of all the classes aren't hard, maybe it's easier than at KU, but the most difficult part is understanding what the teachers are lecturing about and being able to participate. I feel lucky if I can figure out what the homework assignments are. I suppose all I can do is practice - I know this course load isn't impossible. Actually, I found in my comprehensive class, which I have everyday, that I often get so frustrated trying to find out what my teacher is saying that I just give up and sit there, but all of a sudden I'll subconsciously know what's going on and what the lecture is about because I'm not thinking so hard.
Learning a language that is so fundamentally different from English has been one of the most difficult and weirdest experiences I've ever had in my whole life! I'll get headaches from trying to think in two different languages simultaneously. Sometimes it gets so overwhelming that I'll accidentally speak in half Chinese and English without even realizing it till I receive a confused look from whoever I'm speaking too. I know I've only been here 10 days-ish and it usually takes 3 weeks for someone to get somewhat comfortable with the language, but it's just frustrating that I can't fully express myself making it difficult for me and the other person. Luckily, there are at least 5 of every store and they're all on or close to campus that I can pick regular spots (such as the store I buy my water at, the cafe I go to get nai cha, or the lunch lady who makes my meals) so they know who I am and they understand it's difficult for me. Because of this they help me learn the names of everything even though they don't know a word of English and they've all been extremely patient.
I have to say the highlight of my week has been this Friday evening. The university hosts an event called "English Corner" every Friday night where a lot (hundreds) of Chinese students can go to practice English amongst themselves or if they're lucky, with some foreigners who know English. It’s such a big deal that students from neighboring universities will go, or in one case, a boy I met had to go on a thirty minute bike ride at night through Wuhan’s INSANE traffic just to attend English Corner. My friends and I went even though we were warned against it because apparently it gets so crowded and "the Chinese will surround you and ask silly questions." I found it to be a great experience and I made so many new friends. Yeah, it's true, the Chinese kids did crowd and surround my friends and I but it was somewhat flattering to be treated like an American celebrity. I'm sure by the end of the night fifty people got my phone number.
What was really interesting though were the questions they asked. They weren't silly as much as they were intimidating. They were really curious who I was going to vote for, who my parents are going to vote for, how the economy in "my city" worked, how welfare was distributed in America, what my impressions of China were before I came and now that I'm here, if I think the quality of their products is bad etc. One person even wanted me to tell them what I learned about Tiananmen Square in America. I found that they are very curious about what other countries think about them. My favorite questions were, "tell me about the Statue of Liberty," "What do Americans think about interracial marriages," "why do you wear three necklaces," "tell me about (insert name of really obscure American movie director)," "will you sing the song from the Olympic opening ceremony," and "do girls in America really like chocolate?" Overall, I met some really nice people and two girls I met are going to take me around tomorrow night for the Autumn Moon Festival. Everyone I met was in disbelief when I said I would hang out with them.

Here is a picture of an Adult Jungle Gym in China - yeah they have those. This is my silly friend getting a little work out before dinner:

This is a sign that can be found all around the city; it either means "don't play your trumpet in this area" or "don't honk your horn in this area." I'd like to think it's directed at the trumpet-ers :)

Here is a video my friend worked on a little bit of different scenes in Wuhan. Note the dramatic music and the scene in the taxi cab when our friend couldn't close the door:

More to come...

Just some pictures and little commentary

2008-09-09T01:02:00.000-07:00

I just fixed the settings on my blog so anyone who wants to leave a comment on an entry can - I didn't realize I had my settings otherwise, sorry!
Class starts tomorrow so I'll wait till Friday to make a post but for now I thought I'd share some pictures.

Here's a view of downtown Wuchang:

Here's the city lit up at night - this view is from my balcony:

I don't know why Taxi drivers have to be caged in their area, it makes me wonder...:

This is how they drive - no such thing as yielding or lanes:

This is how close buses drive downtown while going as fast as they can - literally the most nerve wrecking event to watch while in a taxi:

Common breakfast (liang mian, cold noodles and bing zi, a fried spicy pancake-like thing):

This is a Wuhan specialty, re gan mian, which means hot and dry noodles:

This is Gao Qing eating dou si, which is rice noodle soup. It's really good minus the big yellow egg in the middle:

Nine course dinner at a shady little restaurant by the South Gate:

Wo de tong xue...

2008-09-05T06:04:00.000-07:00

It seems that the next day is better than the last in this city. I've been fortunate to make some good friends that know a few Chinese in this city. They've given us tours, helped us go shopping, helped us buy cell phones, and have given us sweet tips.
Today was an interesting day. All the international students had to get up at 8 and go to the new student welcoming ceremony. All the new Chinese freshman had to wear their communist outfits and sit on little baby stools while all of the Westerners looked like we just woke up and got to sit in big fancy chairs. We get fancy treatment here. I included a picture (even though it's a little blurry) because it's funny to see how insane and how many of those uniformed kids there are:

My new Chinese friend, Gao Qing told me that for the first 21 days in school all the freshman have to march around in their comrade outfits for 10 hours a day to learn discipline. Poor kids! It's extremely hot and humid here (just like Kansas).

I've learned to really like my campus. It's so convenient, fang bian, to live here. There are stores, cafes and restaurants on every corner so there is no reason to leave campus unless you want to do some serious shopping or clubbing. However, the number one favorite thing I love about China is how they have the best drinks. I love milk tea, nai cha, and how they have a million flavors. The food here is also good but la si le, extremely spicy. Here's a picture of the dinner I had, tu dou fen, with my new Chinese friends:

More later.

[edit] I forgot to post the funniest picture I took today. Here are some of the treats Chinese people like to eat in the summer?? Corn and pea popsicles? Where do they get these ideas?

I have yet to take a picture of their blueberry Lays potato chips... no joke.

Beaurocratic Overload

2008-09-02T03:48:00.000-07:00

I wish I had the energy to write the entry I want to write but for now all I can give you are the highlights and some pictures. The flight to China was actually amazing; I was asleep for probably 75% of it. Staying up the whole night before really put me on a good schedule, so I'm not jet-lagged. The only thing I had to worry about was who was going to pick me up from the airport. According to my study abroad adviser some Chinese lady (Yan Yan) associated with the university was going to pick me up so I was looking for some tiny, cute, Chinese lady. After 30 minutes I was losing hope and tried to find a Chinese to help me figure out the phones. A woman who had tried to get me to ride her taxi let me use her phone but I guess Yan Yan's number didn't work. Because of this I was attracting a crowd of confused Chinese people and then a tall African American guy and a petite latino girl approached me - they were my ride. All they were told was that I was from Kansas and I'd be a "tall black guy." The whole thing was kind of funny. They gave me a lecture about foreigners looking out for each other because the Chinese will just "leave you to rot." I felt like they were pretty bitter at China but I later discovered Wuhan is a love-hate city.
The ride from the airport to the university completely blew my mind. I guess I was expecting Wuhan to be similar to Beijing or Xi'an but it isn't at all. I can't say I've ever been to a more third world city before - everything looks like it's falling apart. Even entering campus was a shock. I was feeling completely out of place and slightly regretful; however, life can change after a good night's sleep and a shower. Wuhan seemed better but still not what I was expecting. The girl who picked me up from the airport came by my room to show me around campus and by accident we found out I had to go get an medical examination done with the rest of the new international kids. For everyone's information, NO ONE wants to get a medical examination in China EVER. It was probably one of the most frustrating events in my life. Total I had to get a chest x-ray, eye test, ECG exam, sonogram, blood drawn, vaccination, and some sort of test to see if you've ever had surgery before. There were probably 200 people there for the same things and about 9 doctors total. This entire process took 7 hours. As you may know, there are no such things as lines in China. Things got dramatic every once in a while. While waiting in the epic ECG line about 10 Chinese men cut this Chinese woman and I. She yelled and yelled at them in Chinese and it got pretty out of hand. They ended up shoving her and her daughter around and pushed passed her. I was shocked. To make the hospital experience even more frustrating is the fact that no one in Wuhan except for a small population knows English. Doctors were yelling orders to me all day and I couldn't understand a single one. I feel lucky that my exam even got finished. I know my parents probably don't want to hear this but I wonder if any of that equipment was even sterile (save the needles). The hospital was pretty gross. There were cigarettes all over the floor.
Everything at this university is completely unorganized and frustrating. I feel that no one knows what's going on and if they do they don't know when and if they have an idea of when it's only a rumor. I'm sure once classes start everything will fall into place. Word is, the placement exam is tomorrow.
My first day is over and though this all seems pretty negative I've had a few highlights:

The new international students seem really friendly
My mom snuck a photo album and notes from Tony and dad in my suitcase
My dorm room has an incredible balcony and view
and I successfully purchased some computer equipment and bought lunch with my poor Chinese skills

Here are some pictures of the main drag from the South gate entrance of the university to the main supermarket and of the view from my dorm room.

The last night in America-freedom-yeah

2008-08-30T17:08:00.000-07:00

In nine hours I will be embarking for my journey to Wuchang, Wuhan, Hubei province in China. I will be attending Huazhong Normal University to take Chinese language classes and possibly one culture class taught in English. Until then I will continue to remember things to pack and weigh my suitcase (only a 50 lb limit). This evening the family and I ate Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner and wrote prayers on Shou Gui paper. We're still not clear as to what it's for but my mom says you are suppose to write your own prayer on it and burn them. Tony is lighting the prayers in our fireplace in the picture.

More later. Zai jian.