Coming back from China and adjusting to “normal” life in America has been way more difficult than I ever expected. I see everything through new eyes. Things that used to be extremely important to me suddenly no longer are. Friends that I used to hang out with just aren’t any fun anymore. I get irrationally angry. I think that no one understands and never can.
My priorities and life goals have changed, and I have trouble finding a balance.
When I first came back, I was so excited to tell people about what I learned and experienced. I discovered quickly that summing up my time in China is impossible. The way I tell my friends about China is a gradual process that occurs mostly through short anecdotes but also through extended rants about extremely personal and powerful topics.
At other times, I feel that I never want to speak another word ever again about my time in China. Partly because everything I learned is so personal and partly because I feel almost emotionally scarred by many things, I don’t want to be misunderstood by those who I know will never understand.
When I do feel like talking about China, sometimes its fun to tell exciting, adventurous, and ridiculous stories- of which I have many. But I’m extremely thankful for my friends who listen when I talk to them about difficult memories.
I know that all of this is a journey and a process. It’s what I signed up for.
30 December 2008
28 September 2008
Writer's Block
So I said I was going to post a lot... but I just haven't felt like writing for a while now. I especially don't want to write about China. It's way too large of a task.
Sometimes I miss China and sometimes I think that I never want to go back. It just depends on the day and my mood.
I thought I wasn't having to deal with reverse culture shock, but the fact that my mood is something that affects how I live each day is new to me. I'm not used to being emotional or sad or frustrated. I would have thought that these feelings would have come up while in China, but coming back home is way more difficult than going there and living there.
Sometimes I miss China and sometimes I think that I never want to go back. It just depends on the day and my mood.
I thought I wasn't having to deal with reverse culture shock, but the fact that my mood is something that affects how I live each day is new to me. I'm not used to being emotional or sad or frustrated. I would have thought that these feelings would have come up while in China, but coming back home is way more difficult than going there and living there.
11 August 2008
This is Not the End
The longer I am home, the more I will have processed my trip: Stay tuned for blogs summing up different aspects of my semester, telling about getting re-adjusted, and discussing issues that I didn't feel comfortable bringing up while under the watch of the government!
I'm home, but it's not the end.
I'm home, but it's not the end.
The Flight Home
I flew from Beijing at 4 p.m. on Sunday, August 10th. Because of the time difference, I arrived in Chicago at 4 p.m. on Sunday, August 10th. Pretty cool.
In fact, it was not just "pretty cool," it was very cold. For some reason, the flight attendants wanted the plane to be under 65 degrees. They give passengers those blankets, but many- myself included- were curled up in the fetal position to keep warm. It was that cold. I couldn't feel my toes.
Because of the frigid temperature, I didn't sleep at all.
I flew from Chicago to Columbus and arrived at nine in the evening. When I got home my family and I talked and looked through some of the gifts I brought home. By the time I went to bed, I had been awake for 32 hours straight.
This turned out to be a good situation because I went to bed around midnight, woke up at eight, and had a normal first-day home without any jet lag whatsoever.
In fact, it was not just "pretty cool," it was very cold. For some reason, the flight attendants wanted the plane to be under 65 degrees. They give passengers those blankets, but many- myself included- were curled up in the fetal position to keep warm. It was that cold. I couldn't feel my toes.
Because of the frigid temperature, I didn't sleep at all.
I flew from Chicago to Columbus and arrived at nine in the evening. When I got home my family and I talked and looked through some of the gifts I brought home. By the time I went to bed, I had been awake for 32 hours straight.
This turned out to be a good situation because I went to bed around midnight, woke up at eight, and had a normal first-day home without any jet lag whatsoever.
Beijing
The only word that I can think of to describe Beijing during the Olympics is: facade.
Honestly, my least favorite part of my entire trip to China was Beijing the past few days. I remember what it was like when I flew in in February, and almost everything was unrecognizable.
Small shops and street vendors had been closed down, and I wonder what those people do now for a living. Everyone was attempting to speak English and it was awkward. It was too crowded to see anything in the city. The city looked pristine and fake.
Also, the air was bad. I know they say they cleaned it up, and I believe they did. But I lived in Lanzhou, "one of the most polluted cities in China" for five months with no problems. In Beijing I had difficulty breathing and I coughed often. I still have my cough.
It was neat to be in Beijing during the Olympics. It was an exciting atmosphere. I got to see the cycling street race which was a great opportunity.
But I didn't get to talk to any locals, except friends that I already knew who live in Beijing, and I didn't get to experience what Beijing is actually like.
I prefer small Chinese cities to large ones.
Honestly, my least favorite part of my entire trip to China was Beijing the past few days. I remember what it was like when I flew in in February, and almost everything was unrecognizable.
Small shops and street vendors had been closed down, and I wonder what those people do now for a living. Everyone was attempting to speak English and it was awkward. It was too crowded to see anything in the city. The city looked pristine and fake.
Also, the air was bad. I know they say they cleaned it up, and I believe they did. But I lived in Lanzhou, "one of the most polluted cities in China" for five months with no problems. In Beijing I had difficulty breathing and I coughed often. I still have my cough.
It was neat to be in Beijing during the Olympics. It was an exciting atmosphere. I got to see the cycling street race which was a great opportunity.
But I didn't get to talk to any locals, except friends that I already knew who live in Beijing, and I didn't get to experience what Beijing is actually like.
I prefer small Chinese cities to large ones.
03 August 2008
Why So Many Posts at Once? Here's Why...
I'm not allowed online at public internet cafes anymore because I'm not Chinese.
True story.
While traveling alone, I never get bored because I can always write. I have been writing a lot, mostly in my journal. And I have written all the blogs I just recently posted.
I was able to post them because I happened to meet a nice couple here in the city if Dandong, and they invited me into their home. They do not care that I am not Chinese, in fact, it is one reason they like me, so they have graciously permitted me to use their computer.
I am beginning to realize how free America truly is.
True story.
While traveling alone, I never get bored because I can always write. I have been writing a lot, mostly in my journal. And I have written all the blogs I just recently posted.
I was able to post them because I happened to meet a nice couple here in the city if Dandong, and they invited me into their home. They do not care that I am not Chinese, in fact, it is one reason they like me, so they have graciously permitted me to use their computer.
I am beginning to realize how free America truly is.
Trains
I spend an excessive amount of time on trains. It’s getting ridiculous. I’ve tried to break up my traveling, going from nearby city to nearby city so that I’m not on a train for more than 24 hours at a time.
When I have a long distance to cover overnight, I try to get a sleeper car, but sometimes there aren’t any. Surprisingly, spending the night on a hard seat surrounded by the 134 other people in the car isn’t quite as bad as expected. Maybe I’m just an optimist.
Ok, it’s pretty bad, but not unbearable. For some unknown reason (er… check out one of my previous posts called “Coal”) Chinese people won’t open the windows on the trains. So not only does it get a little toasty, the smell is overwhelming. And the bathroom on the train doesn’t make things smell any better, either.
The worst part about trains, other than grime and foul odors, is getting bored. I try to alternate between reading, listening to music, writing, talking to children, and avoiding talking to creepy old men. Chinese children are great to talk to. And they’re so cute. The creepy old men are just creepy and old and have never seen a foreigner before so they ask me strange questions. Real examples:
“What language is spoken in America?” I just thought everyone knew.
“Are there fields in America?” How do you think the population gets fed?
“At what age do girls get married in America?” Everyone gets married at exactly the same age… not.
But trains are part of what I love so much about China. The Chinese rail system really brings out the true nature and character of the people.
On the train, strangers talk and laugh together. They share their food and trade seats so families can sit together.
But trains definitely bring out the bad side as well. Many Chinese people don’t understand the concept of waiting in line. I always get pushed and shoved and stepped on. I’ve been knocked over on several occasions. And no one apologizes. This is all just waiting for the train to arrive. Actually getting on the train can be worse.
On my way from Hohhot to Baotou, the aisles were filled with people who didn’t have seats. At every stop, more people would get on than would get off. Upon arriving at Baotou, I grabbed my bag and tried to get off the train. But twenty or more people were trying to get on. And it was like a mosh pit.
I just started pushing people and asking them to let me off. Then the train attendants tried to help me get off by pushing other people and then by pulling me. Nothing worked. Finally, I just started yelling, “Let me get off the train! You’re all crazy!” I’m not sure if the people getting on were alarmed simply by a foreign girl calling them insane, or if they were shocked that I was speaking Chinese. There was a lot of exclaiming going on.
And they thought I was Russian. Do Russians yell a lot?
When I have a long distance to cover overnight, I try to get a sleeper car, but sometimes there aren’t any. Surprisingly, spending the night on a hard seat surrounded by the 134 other people in the car isn’t quite as bad as expected. Maybe I’m just an optimist.
Ok, it’s pretty bad, but not unbearable. For some unknown reason (er… check out one of my previous posts called “Coal”) Chinese people won’t open the windows on the trains. So not only does it get a little toasty, the smell is overwhelming. And the bathroom on the train doesn’t make things smell any better, either.
The worst part about trains, other than grime and foul odors, is getting bored. I try to alternate between reading, listening to music, writing, talking to children, and avoiding talking to creepy old men. Chinese children are great to talk to. And they’re so cute. The creepy old men are just creepy and old and have never seen a foreigner before so they ask me strange questions. Real examples:
“What language is spoken in America?” I just thought everyone knew.
“Are there fields in America?” How do you think the population gets fed?
“At what age do girls get married in America?” Everyone gets married at exactly the same age… not.
But trains are part of what I love so much about China. The Chinese rail system really brings out the true nature and character of the people.
On the train, strangers talk and laugh together. They share their food and trade seats so families can sit together.
But trains definitely bring out the bad side as well. Many Chinese people don’t understand the concept of waiting in line. I always get pushed and shoved and stepped on. I’ve been knocked over on several occasions. And no one apologizes. This is all just waiting for the train to arrive. Actually getting on the train can be worse.
On my way from Hohhot to Baotou, the aisles were filled with people who didn’t have seats. At every stop, more people would get on than would get off. Upon arriving at Baotou, I grabbed my bag and tried to get off the train. But twenty or more people were trying to get on. And it was like a mosh pit.
I just started pushing people and asking them to let me off. Then the train attendants tried to help me get off by pushing other people and then by pulling me. Nothing worked. Finally, I just started yelling, “Let me get off the train! You’re all crazy!” I’m not sure if the people getting on were alarmed simply by a foreign girl calling them insane, or if they were shocked that I was speaking Chinese. There was a lot of exclaiming going on.
And they thought I was Russian. Do Russians yell a lot?
The Magic Slope
Just outside of the city of Shenyang is a “magic slope” which, as you could probably guess, is not magic. But of course, I had to go check it out.
Everyone I talked to about it in Shenyang described it as an anti-gravity hill in which you effortlessly go up, but going down you must work as if you were going up. I was picturing a road on a grassy hill, but was bracing myself for another Chinese-ified tourist attraction.
As I neared the entrance gate to the magic slope, I was pleased to note that I was in a hilly, grassy region that smelled like summer in Ohio. But actually at the magic slope I found a flat track only about 20 meters long. They had bicycles to use, but the first time through the track I walked.
I didn’t notice anything.
On the bike, half of the way I had to pedal, the last half it felt like I was rolling down a hill. Not only did I not have to pedal, I was gaining speed.
So I guess it was pretty cool, but it was not a slope whatsoever. And I never for a second imagined it to be magic.
Everyone I talked to about it in Shenyang described it as an anti-gravity hill in which you effortlessly go up, but going down you must work as if you were going up. I was picturing a road on a grassy hill, but was bracing myself for another Chinese-ified tourist attraction.
As I neared the entrance gate to the magic slope, I was pleased to note that I was in a hilly, grassy region that smelled like summer in Ohio. But actually at the magic slope I found a flat track only about 20 meters long. They had bicycles to use, but the first time through the track I walked.
I didn’t notice anything.
On the bike, half of the way I had to pedal, the last half it felt like I was rolling down a hill. Not only did I not have to pedal, I was gaining speed.
So I guess it was pretty cool, but it was not a slope whatsoever. And I never for a second imagined it to be magic.
Mongolia
This week, for the first time, I successfully made a joke in Chinese.
With my Chinese friends, if I ever say something I think is funny, I have to explain in English why I said it. And by then, it’s definitely not funny anymore.
So, what I said definitely isn’t funny in English, but I can’t say “I told a joke” and not tell it. I’m not expecting you to laugh.
I was in a taxi and my driver was pretty cool. We talked about why I’m in China and what I like about it here. I told him that I really liked traveling in Inner Mongolia.
I asked him to clarify the Chinese names of Inner Mongolia, a province in China, and the actual country of Mongolia. The name for Inner Mongolia is like “Mongolia inside of China” and Mongolia is “Mongolia outside of China.”
When he said this, I smiled and he asked why.
Of course Mongolia is outside of China! Why not “USA outside of China” “England outside of China” “Saudi Arabia outside of China?” (Much more concise in Chinese.)
I think the driver laughed for a good minute or so.
I’m still laughing because China thinks it owns everything, including Mongolia, Genghis Khan, Mount Everest, Kazakhstan, the color red, and North Korea.
With my Chinese friends, if I ever say something I think is funny, I have to explain in English why I said it. And by then, it’s definitely not funny anymore.
So, what I said definitely isn’t funny in English, but I can’t say “I told a joke” and not tell it. I’m not expecting you to laugh.
I was in a taxi and my driver was pretty cool. We talked about why I’m in China and what I like about it here. I told him that I really liked traveling in Inner Mongolia.
I asked him to clarify the Chinese names of Inner Mongolia, a province in China, and the actual country of Mongolia. The name for Inner Mongolia is like “Mongolia inside of China” and Mongolia is “Mongolia outside of China.”
When he said this, I smiled and he asked why.
Of course Mongolia is outside of China! Why not “USA outside of China” “England outside of China” “Saudi Arabia outside of China?” (Much more concise in Chinese.)
I think the driver laughed for a good minute or so.
I’m still laughing because China thinks it owns everything, including Mongolia, Genghis Khan, Mount Everest, Kazakhstan, the color red, and North Korea.
My Chinese Dress
I’ve been meaning to buy a qi pao or Chinese dress for a while now. I’ve been looking around at different silks, and until today I hadn’t found exactly what I was looking for.
I found a black silk with subtle red dragons on it. The effect is maroon.
The dressmaker fitted me for the dress. She was taking measurements and I was standing in my underwear in front of a mirror with several Chinese women watching. And then an anorexic Chinese girl came in to get fitted too.
Beside her, I felt fat but good about it.
I found a black silk with subtle red dragons on it. The effect is maroon.
The dressmaker fitted me for the dress. She was taking measurements and I was standing in my underwear in front of a mirror with several Chinese women watching. And then an anorexic Chinese girl came in to get fitted too.
Beside her, I felt fat but good about it.
The Dreaded Phrase
A few months ago, I learned a Chinese phrase that I really liked. It’s jia you and it’s used kind of like how we use “let’s go” or “go, fight, win.”
I like the phrase because of what it actually means. Jia means to add. You means oil. And the idea is “add oil to the fire.” Like… keep on going, keep on burning. Get it?
And, interestingly, the word for gas station is jia you zhan with zhan meaning a stop or a stand.
But because of the Olympics, I never stop hearing jia you. It’s getting exceptionally annoying. No one says anything else. In English, we have several phrases to convey this same idea. In Chinese, they only use one. And they use it often.
I don’t want to hear it again… so much so that I’m not proofreading this post because I can’t bear to even see the words again.
I like the phrase because of what it actually means. Jia means to add. You means oil. And the idea is “add oil to the fire.” Like… keep on going, keep on burning. Get it?
And, interestingly, the word for gas station is jia you zhan with zhan meaning a stop or a stand.
But because of the Olympics, I never stop hearing jia you. It’s getting exceptionally annoying. No one says anything else. In English, we have several phrases to convey this same idea. In Chinese, they only use one. And they use it often.
I don’t want to hear it again… so much so that I’m not proofreading this post because I can’t bear to even see the words again.
Jeans
Do you have something that you can’t let go of and you don’t quite know why?
That sounds like a deep, philosophical question, but I’m just referring to my jeans.
I’m trying to travel as light as I can. I keep throwing things away. Last week I left behind my sweat shirt. It’s summer, even though it gets a little chilly up north. I’m doing fine with just three shirts to wear. Tomorrow it will be two. Socks and underwear? They’re washable, so why need so many?
I don’t need my jeans. It’s really hot, so I’m wearing shorts. But I can’t throw out my jeans.
They even have holes in them. One big hole in the crotch and two small holes by the butt pockets. The legs are frayed and gross.
But they have traveled with me around China for six months and I love them. They are coming back to America with me, no matter how much room they take up in my bag (a lot).
It’s kind of like how I’m possessive of my train tickets. When I got here, I thought it would be cool to keep all of my train tickets. I was thinking, “All four of them.” But now that I have almost 20, what’s the point? One time I was getting off the train and the attendant took my ticket. It upset me. I have so many, but I can’t throw them away. I just can’t. They took me all the places that I’ve been to with my jeans.
That sounds like a deep, philosophical question, but I’m just referring to my jeans.
I’m trying to travel as light as I can. I keep throwing things away. Last week I left behind my sweat shirt. It’s summer, even though it gets a little chilly up north. I’m doing fine with just three shirts to wear. Tomorrow it will be two. Socks and underwear? They’re washable, so why need so many?
I don’t need my jeans. It’s really hot, so I’m wearing shorts. But I can’t throw out my jeans.
They even have holes in them. One big hole in the crotch and two small holes by the butt pockets. The legs are frayed and gross.
But they have traveled with me around China for six months and I love them. They are coming back to America with me, no matter how much room they take up in my bag (a lot).
It’s kind of like how I’m possessive of my train tickets. When I got here, I thought it would be cool to keep all of my train tickets. I was thinking, “All four of them.” But now that I have almost 20, what’s the point? One time I was getting off the train and the attendant took my ticket. It upset me. I have so many, but I can’t throw them away. I just can’t. They took me all the places that I’ve been to with my jeans.
Hotels
I arrived in Tongliao by train at 4:30 a.m. on July 31st. I found a run-of-the-mill, cheap hotel near the train station and immediately took a nap in my room. I woke up, did some laundry in the sink of the community bathroom, checked to see if there was a shower (none), hung up my clothes to dry in my room, and went out to discover what Tongliao was all about.
I came back to my room in the afternoon to grab a few things. I checked my drying clothes, and that’s when I noticed the cockroaches coming out from the door frame.
Alarming? Not to me anymore. I’m used to this. It’s just a normal Chinese budget hotel.
I came back to my room at night. As I was brushing my teeth, several people were trying to wash large planks of some sort in the sink next to mine. They stared at me because I’m a foreigner, but they were the ones washing two-by-fours in a little sink, not me.
Luckily, it was hot in my room so I didn’t have to use the unwashed comforter provided for me. In fact, I even wanted the fan blowing on me (there was a fan!!!). After I got in bed, I realized there was no light switch in the room.
It was in the hallway.
I woke up in the middle of the night. Half a minute later, I heard several loud Chinese men yelling in the hall. And I noticed my fan was not working. The power had gone out.
In the morning, I used the light of my cell phone to make my way to my door. Out in the hallway, I hit the light switch. I had forgotten about there being no electricity.
So, I used my cell phone to get ready and to pack up my bag. I took a train to Shenyang and arrived that afternoon. I splurged and spent Y40 on a hotel with a shower. A community shower. But it was worth it.
I came back to my room in the afternoon to grab a few things. I checked my drying clothes, and that’s when I noticed the cockroaches coming out from the door frame.
Alarming? Not to me anymore. I’m used to this. It’s just a normal Chinese budget hotel.
I came back to my room at night. As I was brushing my teeth, several people were trying to wash large planks of some sort in the sink next to mine. They stared at me because I’m a foreigner, but they were the ones washing two-by-fours in a little sink, not me.
Luckily, it was hot in my room so I didn’t have to use the unwashed comforter provided for me. In fact, I even wanted the fan blowing on me (there was a fan!!!). After I got in bed, I realized there was no light switch in the room.
It was in the hallway.
I woke up in the middle of the night. Half a minute later, I heard several loud Chinese men yelling in the hall. And I noticed my fan was not working. The power had gone out.
In the morning, I used the light of my cell phone to make my way to my door. Out in the hallway, I hit the light switch. I had forgotten about there being no electricity.
So, I used my cell phone to get ready and to pack up my bag. I took a train to Shenyang and arrived that afternoon. I splurged and spent Y40 on a hotel with a shower. A community shower. But it was worth it.
31 July 2008
Inner Mongolia
I took a train to Hohhot from Datong. Online I happened to find a youth hostel in Hohhot. It looked really nice and there were reviews posted from just the day before.
I like to stay in youth hostels because not only can I meet other travelers, youth hostels have great services that Chinese hotels don't have like, oh, I don't know, clean bedding and bathrooms! I can also do laundry and get online at youth hostels.
Anyway, I had the address of this youth hostel as well as some rough directions from the website. When I left the train station in Hohhot, I got a taxi and told the driver the address. We started driving, and it was a good sign that he was going along with the directions I had from the website.
But that address didn't exist.
The driver was really nice and asked some shopkeepers nearby about the hostel and the address, but it really wasn't there. I don't know where it actually is.
I was disappointed and ended up staying in an expensive hotel (ok, it was cheap but not compared to a youth hostel!).
Maybe it was this incident with the hostel, or maybe I truly didn't like Hohhot, but my stay there was pretty lame. I walked around and talked to some Mongolians about their culture and language and I visited the Inner Mongolia Museum. Both of these were fascinating, but I really just wanted to leave. I felt ready to stop traveling and go home to my family and friends.
When I went to the train station to buy a ticket out of Inner Mongolia, I remembered on my way in that I had seen a ton of trains coming from a city called Baotou, also in Inner Mongolia. On a whim I bought a ticket to Baotou.
It was raining when I left Hohhot and when I arrived in Baotou, the air was fresh and clean. The streets of Baotou are wide, and so are the sidewalks. I have never before seen streets like this in China. And, the population of Baotou is low, so it's not so crowded. Buildings aren't so close together, I didn't get shoved around on the buses, and people were more friendly and personal.
And the sky was blue. It would be a lie to say that the skies in China aren't blue, but it brought tears to my eyes because I had forgotten that blue skies could really be that blue.
While in Baotou I went to a Lamasery about 60 kilometers outside the city. It was gorgeous and colorful, and the landscape reminded me of home. (And, it was a Tibetan site; aren't those off-limits to foreigners? I had no problem getting there. What are you going to do about that, China?)
Anyway, tomorrow I'm leaving Baotou for another city in Inner Mongolia, Tongliao. It's small, and I can't find any travel information on it online. I like places like this because I can truly learn about the people who live there; they want to talk because they don't often see foreigners. (In fact, I haven't seen a foreigner since I was in Datong!)
I'm really glad I didn't leave Inner Mongolia after Hohhot. I think I was getting burnt-out, but the reminders of home in Baotou have brightened things up for me, and I'm ready to face these last two weeks in China and get everything out of them that I can.
I like to stay in youth hostels because not only can I meet other travelers, youth hostels have great services that Chinese hotels don't have like, oh, I don't know, clean bedding and bathrooms! I can also do laundry and get online at youth hostels.
Anyway, I had the address of this youth hostel as well as some rough directions from the website. When I left the train station in Hohhot, I got a taxi and told the driver the address. We started driving, and it was a good sign that he was going along with the directions I had from the website.
But that address didn't exist.
The driver was really nice and asked some shopkeepers nearby about the hostel and the address, but it really wasn't there. I don't know where it actually is.
I was disappointed and ended up staying in an expensive hotel (ok, it was cheap but not compared to a youth hostel!).
Maybe it was this incident with the hostel, or maybe I truly didn't like Hohhot, but my stay there was pretty lame. I walked around and talked to some Mongolians about their culture and language and I visited the Inner Mongolia Museum. Both of these were fascinating, but I really just wanted to leave. I felt ready to stop traveling and go home to my family and friends.
When I went to the train station to buy a ticket out of Inner Mongolia, I remembered on my way in that I had seen a ton of trains coming from a city called Baotou, also in Inner Mongolia. On a whim I bought a ticket to Baotou.
It was raining when I left Hohhot and when I arrived in Baotou, the air was fresh and clean. The streets of Baotou are wide, and so are the sidewalks. I have never before seen streets like this in China. And, the population of Baotou is low, so it's not so crowded. Buildings aren't so close together, I didn't get shoved around on the buses, and people were more friendly and personal.
And the sky was blue. It would be a lie to say that the skies in China aren't blue, but it brought tears to my eyes because I had forgotten that blue skies could really be that blue.
While in Baotou I went to a Lamasery about 60 kilometers outside the city. It was gorgeous and colorful, and the landscape reminded me of home. (And, it was a Tibetan site; aren't those off-limits to foreigners? I had no problem getting there. What are you going to do about that, China?)
Anyway, tomorrow I'm leaving Baotou for another city in Inner Mongolia, Tongliao. It's small, and I can't find any travel information on it online. I like places like this because I can truly learn about the people who live there; they want to talk because they don't often see foreigners. (In fact, I haven't seen a foreigner since I was in Datong!)
I'm really glad I didn't leave Inner Mongolia after Hohhot. I think I was getting burnt-out, but the reminders of home in Baotou have brightened things up for me, and I'm ready to face these last two weeks in China and get everything out of them that I can.
Coal
On my way from Taiyuan to Datong, my seat on the train was by the window. It's hot on trains and there are so many people, so I opened the window wide and stuck my head out the whole five hours. The scenery was great, and it felt like the other 134 people in my car weren't even there.
When the train was close to Datong, I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. My entire face was black from coal. You can imagine how dirty my clothes were. I tried to wash my face in the little sink on the train, but I think I just spread the coal around some more. There was really nothing I could do.
I talked to my mom on the phone later that night and I told her what happened. I said, "But I took a shower and washed my clothes, so it's ok."
And she said, "But what about your lungs, which you can't wash?"
Oh snap. Thank you, China.
When the train was close to Datong, I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. My entire face was black from coal. You can imagine how dirty my clothes were. I tried to wash my face in the little sink on the train, but I think I just spread the coal around some more. There was really nothing I could do.
I talked to my mom on the phone later that night and I told her what happened. I said, "But I took a shower and washed my clothes, so it's ok."
And she said, "But what about your lungs, which you can't wash?"
Oh snap. Thank you, China.
27 July 2008
Travel Update
It's hard to get online while traveling! Here's a quick update of what I've been up to and where I plan to go:
After staying with my friend Bei, I took a bus to Yulin where there is a cool section of the Great Wall as well as some rock gorges that have Buddhist temples in them. From Yulin I took a bus to Taiyuan where my friend Lei lives. We visited the ancient city of Pingyao together.
From Taiyuan I took a train to Datong and saw the "hanging temples" on a mountainside as well as more Buddhist caves. I arrived in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, where I am currently, by train from Datong yesterday afternoon.
This afternoon I'm taking a train to Baotou, also in Inner Mongolia. From Baotou I would like to take a train overnight to Tongliao, then on to Shenyang, and then to Dandong. Dandong is on the border with North Korea and seems like a very interesting city. After Dandong, I plan to go to Beijing and stay for a few days before flying home!
Based on the past few weeks of traveling, I'm sure these plans will change!
19 July 2008
At Bei's House
Right now I am in Fugu, Shaanxi, China at the home of my friend Bei. In just a few days, I hope to travel to Yulin, just south of Fugu, and see a few things there. Yulin has some unreconstructed sections of the Great Wall as well as some Buddhist caves. From Yulin I want to take a train back to Xi'an so that I can take a train to my friend Lei's hometown.
Fugu is not quite as I remembered it from when I came in February. The local government has been working hard to improve the conditions here. Fugu has new parks along the Yellow River, new apartment buildings, plans to build a bridge, and the city seems a little cleaner.
It is great to be with Bei's family again. They are so kind to me. The last time I was here, I of course could not speak any Chinese. But even though I can now, they won't let me speak it. I understand when her mother says to Bei, "Tell Caiti in English that..." and Bei tells me in English. It's slightly frustrating. Bei's family does speak a local dialect, but it is similar enough to standard speech for me to understand.
When I leave Bei's home, I hope it's not the last time I see her and her family.
Fugu is not quite as I remembered it from when I came in February. The local government has been working hard to improve the conditions here. Fugu has new parks along the Yellow River, new apartment buildings, plans to build a bridge, and the city seems a little cleaner.
It is great to be with Bei's family again. They are so kind to me. The last time I was here, I of course could not speak any Chinese. But even though I can now, they won't let me speak it. I understand when her mother says to Bei, "Tell Caiti in English that..." and Bei tells me in English. It's slightly frustrating. Bei's family does speak a local dialect, but it is similar enough to standard speech for me to understand.
When I leave Bei's home, I hope it's not the last time I see her and her family.
16 July 2008
Hua Shan
When I flew into Xi'An on Sunday, I met up with Dustin who I studied with in Lanzhou. His brother flew out here from Canada, and the three of us spent two days climbing a mountain. Hua Shan is about a two-hour bus ride east of Xi'An and is a beautiful rocky and tree-covered mountain.
We started climbing at about 8 a.m. on Monday morning, and we reached the top that evening. At the bottom, we walked up an incline, which turned into stairs, which turned into footholds in the rock with a chain to hold on to. The precipices were almost vertical.
We spent the night at a monastary at the top of the mountain. After climbing all five of the highest peaks and using harnesses to traverse some difficult parts, we headed back down the mountain to take a bus back to Xi'An.
Hua Shan is beautiful. When we were climbing the mountain, we were practically the only ones around. But we discovered that there is a gondola from the very bottom of the mountain to the very top. So after a day of rough climbing, we were tired and looking forward to enjoying the scenery. But it was difficult with throngs of Chinese tourists in high heels, dresses, and parasols, yelling on their cell phones. I think the gondola was a bad idea. Also, the beauty of the mountain was partly destroyed by litter. These same make-up clad tourists threw their custard pie wrappers where ever they pleased. It's slightly upsetting.
Even still, I enjoyed Hua Shan and the company of my Canadian friends. But my legs are extremely sore...
We started climbing at about 8 a.m. on Monday morning, and we reached the top that evening. At the bottom, we walked up an incline, which turned into stairs, which turned into footholds in the rock with a chain to hold on to. The precipices were almost vertical.
We spent the night at a monastary at the top of the mountain. After climbing all five of the highest peaks and using harnesses to traverse some difficult parts, we headed back down the mountain to take a bus back to Xi'An.
Hua Shan is beautiful. When we were climbing the mountain, we were practically the only ones around. But we discovered that there is a gondola from the very bottom of the mountain to the very top. So after a day of rough climbing, we were tired and looking forward to enjoying the scenery. But it was difficult with throngs of Chinese tourists in high heels, dresses, and parasols, yelling on their cell phones. I think the gondola was a bad idea. Also, the beauty of the mountain was partly destroyed by litter. These same make-up clad tourists threw their custard pie wrappers where ever they pleased. It's slightly upsetting.
Even still, I enjoyed Hua Shan and the company of my Canadian friends. But my legs are extremely sore...
A Whole New World
I couldn't get train tickets from Chengdu to Kunming like I had wanted. I contacted some of my Chinese friends and was invited to return to my friend Bei's home, so my traveling is looking a lot different than it did a few days ago.
I flew from Chengdu to Xi'an on Sunday. Flying in China, for me, is not preferable. Because China is so diverse, it is shocking to step off an airplane into what seems like another world. By train, I can watch the countryside change and I have a day or two to get used to the differences in the regions.
In fact, staying in Chengdu made me truly realize how diverse China is. Some example are the food, the spoken language, and the habits and customs of the people. When I first came to China, I liked the food, but it was so different that I didn't want to eat much. When I arrived in Sichuan, it was the same. The food is so different from the Lanzhou food I am used to that I didn't have much of an appetite for the first few days, even though the food was delicious. The spoken language in Chengdu was difficult to get used to as well. For instance, the "sh" sound is pronounced more like a simple "s" which caused much confusion for me. And, in Chengdu, the people are more relaxed and laid back. They are more wealthy than in Lanzhou, their city is more western, and they are more concerned with safety and sanitation. The differences between the provinces are enormous, and traveling is very eye-opening and educating.
As for Xi'An, I not only have been here before, but it is fairly similar to Lanzhou. It feels more like home! Going to Bei's home will be like home as well; when I first came to China, I stayed with Bei and her familiy. At that time, I was unable to verbally communicate with them. Now that I can speak Chinese, I will be able to truly express to them how grateful I am for their kindness to me.
I flew from Chengdu to Xi'an on Sunday. Flying in China, for me, is not preferable. Because China is so diverse, it is shocking to step off an airplane into what seems like another world. By train, I can watch the countryside change and I have a day or two to get used to the differences in the regions.
In fact, staying in Chengdu made me truly realize how diverse China is. Some example are the food, the spoken language, and the habits and customs of the people. When I first came to China, I liked the food, but it was so different that I didn't want to eat much. When I arrived in Sichuan, it was the same. The food is so different from the Lanzhou food I am used to that I didn't have much of an appetite for the first few days, even though the food was delicious. The spoken language in Chengdu was difficult to get used to as well. For instance, the "sh" sound is pronounced more like a simple "s" which caused much confusion for me. And, in Chengdu, the people are more relaxed and laid back. They are more wealthy than in Lanzhou, their city is more western, and they are more concerned with safety and sanitation. The differences between the provinces are enormous, and traveling is very eye-opening and educating.
As for Xi'An, I not only have been here before, but it is fairly similar to Lanzhou. It feels more like home! Going to Bei's home will be like home as well; when I first came to China, I stayed with Bei and her familiy. At that time, I was unable to verbally communicate with them. Now that I can speak Chinese, I will be able to truly express to them how grateful I am for their kindness to me.
11 July 2008
...Still in Chengdu
I'm still in Chengdu, but I did go to Leshan and Emei Shan like I wanted.
When I arrived in Leshan, I met a high school girl who showed me a place to see the giant Buddha from the city. So I didn't go to the park. Suckers, haha.
I climbed part-way up Emei Shan and stayed overnight with a family who lives on the mountain. The mountain is full of bamboo, waterfalls, animals, and insects. The noise is almost deafening and the insects are huge. For example, the butterflies are as big as birds. The next morning, it was pouring rain. I was obviously soaked from head to toe as the climbed the mountain, but the worst part of the rain was that the monkeys didn't come out. I was pretty disappointed that I didn't get to see any. I even had a bamboo stick to hit them with in case they attacked me, which apparently is what they do to mountain climbers.
I came back to Chengdu hoping to immediately go to the city of Kunming, to the south of Chengdu. I found out that there are no train tickets to Kunming for ten days. I'm working on a plan involving air travel, but traveling by plane in China is no fun and is expensive.
When I arrived in Leshan, I met a high school girl who showed me a place to see the giant Buddha from the city. So I didn't go to the park. Suckers, haha.
I climbed part-way up Emei Shan and stayed overnight with a family who lives on the mountain. The mountain is full of bamboo, waterfalls, animals, and insects. The noise is almost deafening and the insects are huge. For example, the butterflies are as big as birds. The next morning, it was pouring rain. I was obviously soaked from head to toe as the climbed the mountain, but the worst part of the rain was that the monkeys didn't come out. I was pretty disappointed that I didn't get to see any. I even had a bamboo stick to hit them with in case they attacked me, which apparently is what they do to mountain climbers.
I came back to Chengdu hoping to immediately go to the city of Kunming, to the south of Chengdu. I found out that there are no train tickets to Kunming for ten days. I'm working on a plan involving air travel, but traveling by plane in China is no fun and is expensive.
08 July 2008
Chengdu
I have been in Chengdu for a few days now. My first two days here were great. I walked around the city, ate Sichuan food, went to a tea house, visited a Buddhist monastery where I made friends with a monk, and hung out with the other students staying in the hostel I'm staying at. But on Monday I got really sick and couldn't even leave the hostel. So for the past few days I've been reading books. When I get better, I want to go to Leshan where I can see a giant Buddha statue, and then go to Emei. Emei is a holy Buddhist mountain that takes two or three days to climb. And there are monkeys there!
04 July 2008
Independence Day
My plans with Dustin fell through. We were stopped by the police from going to our intended destination and had to return to Lanzhou.
It's Independence Day so I'm exercising my independence by traveling to Chengdu this afternoon.
Goodbye Lanzhou, goodbye friends, goodbye studying and classes... I'm on my own.
It's Independence Day so I'm exercising my independence by traveling to Chengdu this afternoon.
Goodbye Lanzhou, goodbye friends, goodbye studying and classes... I'm on my own.
01 July 2008
Almost a Plan
Here’s the closest thing to a plan that I have: I leave Lanzhou on Thursday with my friend Dustin. We’re not sure yet where we’re going. Dustin is meeting his brother back in Lanzhou after that, so from wherever we go, I’m going to travel by myself.
I don’t know where exactly, but I’ll go south first (Chengdu? Kunming?), then head east (Guangzhou?) and work my way up the coast. I’m avoiding Beijing, but will end up there in August. Dustin and another American friend, Ellen, are flying out of Beijing within a few days of when I do, so we’re planning to meet up and see each other off.
I know you’re probably thinking it’s not a good idea for me to travel alone, but I want to and I feel safe. Plus, I know I won’t be alone. Every foreign student in China will be traveling like me, so I’ll meet other westerners in the hostels, on the trains, and in the cities. And, wherever I go, I never have any problem meeting Chinese students.
Also, I’m going to keep in close contact with my Chinese friends. I hope to meet up with several of them, and their families all want me to stay with them for a few days.
I’m so excited to travel…
I don’t know where exactly, but I’ll go south first (Chengdu? Kunming?), then head east (Guangzhou?) and work my way up the coast. I’m avoiding Beijing, but will end up there in August. Dustin and another American friend, Ellen, are flying out of Beijing within a few days of when I do, so we’re planning to meet up and see each other off.
I know you’re probably thinking it’s not a good idea for me to travel alone, but I want to and I feel safe. Plus, I know I won’t be alone. Every foreign student in China will be traveling like me, so I’ll meet other westerners in the hostels, on the trains, and in the cities. And, wherever I go, I never have any problem meeting Chinese students.
Also, I’m going to keep in close contact with my Chinese friends. I hope to meet up with several of them, and their families all want me to stay with them for a few days.
I’m so excited to travel…
Goodbye, Aidana
My roommate Aidana and I know that we have to say goodbye soon. After exams this week I’m leaving Lanzhou to travel, and Aidana is going back to Kazakhstan.
It always takes me a while to open up to people. I think of myself as outgoing and extroverted, but for me to share with others about my personal life is a different matter. I like my space and I make sure I have it. I feel like I’ve finally opened up to Aidana, though, and now I have to leave.
This past month we’ve had more fun than ever. We’ve had crazy dance parties in our room, we took funny pictures, we went shopping and out to eat together, and sometimes we would just talk.
Aidana is more than just my roommate; she’s my close friend.
“Things are changing/ It seems strange and I need to figure this out/ Yesterday we were laughing/ Today I’m left here asking/ ‘Where has all the time gone now?’/ I’m left alone somehow/ Growing up and getting older/ I don’t want to believe it’s over/ Don’t say goodbye/ ‘Cause I don’t want to hear those words tonight/ Maybe it’s not the end for you and I/ And although we knew this time would come for me and you/ Don’t say anything tonight if you’re going to say goodbye/ I wish we could be laughing/ Instead I’m standing here asking/ ‘Do we have to end this now?/ Can we make it last somehow?’/ We both know what we gotta say/ Not today/ ‘Cause I don’t want to leave this way/ And if it’s over/ It hurts but I’m giving you my word:/ I hope that you’re always happy like we were/ Happy like we were...”
~Skillet, Say Goodbye
29 June 2008
The Roommate Dialect
My roommate Aidana and I always do our best to speak in Chinese- it's easier since she speaks Russian and I speak English. Aidana is knows much more Chinese than I do, but is just half a level ahead of me in the Chinese courses here at Lanzhou University, so there are tons of words that we don't know how to say. Chinese grammar is simple, but I'm sure we make many mistakes.
Also, we have this bad habit of not looking up how to say the names of objects. Instead, we use an adjective and then the Chinese word for "thing." Sometimes we add hand motions. At one point we didn't know the word for hairdryer, so we said (translated) "hair-dry-thing." The actual word for hairdryer translates to "blow-wind-machine," and I think our description is much better. The thing is, though, if we used our made-up word for hairdryer in a store, they would think for a second and then point us to the hairdryers, so I think it works just fine.
Maybe it's not really Chinese, but our own dialect. Our "Roommate Dialect" has English and Russian accents, odd grammar, and objects usually don't have actual names.
Also, we have this bad habit of not looking up how to say the names of objects. Instead, we use an adjective and then the Chinese word for "thing." Sometimes we add hand motions. At one point we didn't know the word for hairdryer, so we said (translated) "hair-dry-thing." The actual word for hairdryer translates to "blow-wind-machine," and I think our description is much better. The thing is, though, if we used our made-up word for hairdryer in a store, they would think for a second and then point us to the hairdryers, so I think it works just fine.
Maybe it's not really Chinese, but our own dialect. Our "Roommate Dialect" has English and Russian accents, odd grammar, and objects usually don't have actual names.
24 June 2008
Teaching English
As a native English speaker, I find myself giving mini English lessons to people all the time. I also regularly tutor some Korean friends, and I've seen incredible improvement in my roommate's English (her native languages are Kazakh and Russian).
I've realized that if I hadn't learned English as a child, I don't think I would be able to study and learn it. I believe that English is a more of a spoken language and that grammar rules have been applied after-the-fact in an attempt to try to explain the language. You're welcome to disagree with me, but I've been around polyglots from a dozen different native languages and backgrounds for the past four months. They have all studied English at some level, and we're all studying Chinese together. We're very interested in languages, in methods for learning languages, and methods for teaching them.
Some of my friends have been studying English for over 12 years, but with no one to practice with and no one to correct them, they mostly know only vocabulary. I highly commend them for their hard work studying, and it's so rewarding to help someone learn when they really want to work hard.
Some difficult concepts that I've failed at explaining about English include: using the present tense to talk about definite future plans ("I fly home in August" instead of "I will fly home in August."), the very clear but subtle difference between "about to" and "going to," why the present perfect tense is so important ("I have lived here for two years" means you still live here), and when to use which preposition. One of my Korean friends made up a song to help with prepositions. It's to the tune of that West Life song: "You are so beautiful to me, I am so jealous of you, I am so happy for you, etc." Also, I had a discussion with my roommate about how "I'm up for that" and "I'm down for that" both mean you want to follow through with the suggestion that was just made!
One beauty of the English language, however, is that when a mistake is made, the speaker's meaning is still easily understood. Maybe an incorrect verb tense was used, the verb was unnecessarily made plural, an article was left out, or an incorrect preposition was used, but the listener still has a full understanding of the speaker's meaning. That's the point of a language, anyway: to communicate. In contrast, when I make a mistake in Chinese, the listener usually has no clue about what my meaning is. Maybe they don't try to understand me, but the nature of the language is very different from English.
On a related note, I've notice that in China, English is taught as a skill, not as a means of communication. Some Chinese students want to practice their English on me, and it's difficult not because their English is poor, but because they don't want to communicate with me. They want to spit out English sentences. This isn't communication!
So, to all of my foreign friends: keep studying English. I'm proud of you. I don't think I could learn the language!
I've realized that if I hadn't learned English as a child, I don't think I would be able to study and learn it. I believe that English is a more of a spoken language and that grammar rules have been applied after-the-fact in an attempt to try to explain the language. You're welcome to disagree with me, but I've been around polyglots from a dozen different native languages and backgrounds for the past four months. They have all studied English at some level, and we're all studying Chinese together. We're very interested in languages, in methods for learning languages, and methods for teaching them.
Some of my friends have been studying English for over 12 years, but with no one to practice with and no one to correct them, they mostly know only vocabulary. I highly commend them for their hard work studying, and it's so rewarding to help someone learn when they really want to work hard.
Some difficult concepts that I've failed at explaining about English include: using the present tense to talk about definite future plans ("I fly home in August" instead of "I will fly home in August."), the very clear but subtle difference between "about to" and "going to," why the present perfect tense is so important ("I have lived here for two years" means you still live here), and when to use which preposition. One of my Korean friends made up a song to help with prepositions. It's to the tune of that West Life song: "You are so beautiful to me, I am so jealous of you, I am so happy for you, etc." Also, I had a discussion with my roommate about how "I'm up for that" and "I'm down for that" both mean you want to follow through with the suggestion that was just made!
One beauty of the English language, however, is that when a mistake is made, the speaker's meaning is still easily understood. Maybe an incorrect verb tense was used, the verb was unnecessarily made plural, an article was left out, or an incorrect preposition was used, but the listener still has a full understanding of the speaker's meaning. That's the point of a language, anyway: to communicate. In contrast, when I make a mistake in Chinese, the listener usually has no clue about what my meaning is. Maybe they don't try to understand me, but the nature of the language is very different from English.
On a related note, I've notice that in China, English is taught as a skill, not as a means of communication. Some Chinese students want to practice their English on me, and it's difficult not because their English is poor, but because they don't want to communicate with me. They want to spit out English sentences. This isn't communication!
So, to all of my foreign friends: keep studying English. I'm proud of you. I don't think I could learn the language!
He, She, and It
Chinese speakers consistently make mistakes with "he," "she," and "it" when speaking English. I have unsuccessfully been trying to understand this phenomenon since I came here, and I think reason must come down to the psychology of language.
In Chinese, the three pronouns are all pronounced the same way: ta1. They have three very clearly different characters, though: 他，她，它. I can't understand why all Chinese people would mess these up, because don't they picture the character in their minds as they speak? This question has led me to believe that Chinese people do not associate spoken Chinese with written Chinese; when they speak they do not picture the characters in their minds. I therefore assume that when they speak and say "he," "she," or "it," they do not differentiate between them. So, when they switch to English, they still do not differentiate between these pronouns.
Since I started learning Chinese, I have come to think of it as two different languages: the spoken language represented by pinyin and the written language represented by characters that give no clues for how to pronounce the word. Sometimes I encounter a problem where I attach the English word to the Chinese character. So I see a character and know the meaning, but I forget the pinyin and therefore cannot say the word in Chinese. In reverse, but not so much of a problem, is when I know how to say a word but have never seen the character so cannot recognize or write it.
I am beginning to believe that all literate Chinese separate the spoken and written languages. Because they don't picture the characters as they speak, they may only use the characters for reading. It would be more than possible for some or most Chinese to read characters and think of the meaning of the word without the pinyin pronunciation crossing their minds.
And then, what about those who are illiterate? How do their minds process the language?
These concepts are difficult for me to grasp and I obviously need to do some research- but the Chinese firewall keeps blocking me from viewing research articles! I am fascinated with this subject and I wanted to share my thoughts on the topic.
In Chinese, the three pronouns are all pronounced the same way: ta1. They have three very clearly different characters, though: 他，她，它. I can't understand why all Chinese people would mess these up, because don't they picture the character in their minds as they speak? This question has led me to believe that Chinese people do not associate spoken Chinese with written Chinese; when they speak they do not picture the characters in their minds. I therefore assume that when they speak and say "he," "she," or "it," they do not differentiate between them. So, when they switch to English, they still do not differentiate between these pronouns.
Since I started learning Chinese, I have come to think of it as two different languages: the spoken language represented by pinyin and the written language represented by characters that give no clues for how to pronounce the word. Sometimes I encounter a problem where I attach the English word to the Chinese character. So I see a character and know the meaning, but I forget the pinyin and therefore cannot say the word in Chinese. In reverse, but not so much of a problem, is when I know how to say a word but have never seen the character so cannot recognize or write it.
I am beginning to believe that all literate Chinese separate the spoken and written languages. Because they don't picture the characters as they speak, they may only use the characters for reading. It would be more than possible for some or most Chinese to read characters and think of the meaning of the word without the pinyin pronunciation crossing their minds.
And then, what about those who are illiterate? How do their minds process the language?
These concepts are difficult for me to grasp and I obviously need to do some research- but the Chinese firewall keeps blocking me from viewing research articles! I am fascinated with this subject and I wanted to share my thoughts on the topic.
Don't Get Me Wrong
I've been getting a few emails and comments that make me want to clarify some points about my blog.
First of all, I love it here in China. I can understand how my blog could perhaps seem critical of China, but I am simply trying to share with all my readers the major differences and oddities that I've come across in this country. I'm loving every second here and I'm enjoying everything strange that I encounter. I think I've personally done a good job of balancing my feelings- I haven't spent my time and energy missing home because I know I'll be home soon. I've been enjoying China while I'm here, living in the moment and appreciating my semester in Lanzhou. On the other hand, I really, truly miss my family and friends, and I know I'll value American life more than I used to when I return.
The second subject I'd like to clarify is the purpose of my blog. My entries are written in the first person as my own thoughts and feelings and observations about what I am experiencing in China. I believe that because of the nature of this country, no one person can gain an accurate understanding of China as a whole, so I am not attempting to. The people, culture, geography, government, etc. are so unique and various. Once again, I am writing about my own experiences here.
And thirdly, I am not angry or upset as I am writing this particular entry. I just thought it would be a good idea to explain where I'm coming from. So keep the emails and comments coming!
First of all, I love it here in China. I can understand how my blog could perhaps seem critical of China, but I am simply trying to share with all my readers the major differences and oddities that I've come across in this country. I'm loving every second here and I'm enjoying everything strange that I encounter. I think I've personally done a good job of balancing my feelings- I haven't spent my time and energy missing home because I know I'll be home soon. I've been enjoying China while I'm here, living in the moment and appreciating my semester in Lanzhou. On the other hand, I really, truly miss my family and friends, and I know I'll value American life more than I used to when I return.
The second subject I'd like to clarify is the purpose of my blog. My entries are written in the first person as my own thoughts and feelings and observations about what I am experiencing in China. I believe that because of the nature of this country, no one person can gain an accurate understanding of China as a whole, so I am not attempting to. The people, culture, geography, government, etc. are so unique and various. Once again, I am writing about my own experiences here.
And thirdly, I am not angry or upset as I am writing this particular entry. I just thought it would be a good idea to explain where I'm coming from. So keep the emails and comments coming!
18 June 2008
Asian Beauty
In my last post, I talked about how the Chinese girls are afraid of the sun. Wanting whiter skin leads to a much larger issue that I've noticed in China.
It's a global phenomenon for girls to be dissatisfied with the way they look. Women of every culture use cosmetics, wear jewelry, and want the perfect figure. But I get the feeling that in China, girls are unhappy with looking Asian. It's not just that they want to be prettier; they want to look western.
Ads and models are Caucasian girls with blond hair. The girls want whiter skin. Women have surgeries to change their facial features such as their eye lids. Girls dye their hair brown and blond. They wear colored contacts.
Everyone tells me that I'm so beautiful and that they envy me. I hate it.
Whenever I'm told this, I get so angry inside. I want to scream at the girls and tell them that they're beautiful. Just because I'm from America doesn't make me any better or any prettier than they are. Why can't they believe that Asian features are also beautiful? Sure, maybe they're just giving me a compliment, but I think this is part of their underlying thought pattern.
There are so many gorgeous Chinese girls, but they don't see it. They think western is pretty and Chinese is not.
*Obviously, not all Chinese girls have this attitude. These are generalizations from my personal thoughts and observations from living in China.
It's a global phenomenon for girls to be dissatisfied with the way they look. Women of every culture use cosmetics, wear jewelry, and want the perfect figure. But I get the feeling that in China, girls are unhappy with looking Asian. It's not just that they want to be prettier; they want to look western.
Ads and models are Caucasian girls with blond hair. The girls want whiter skin. Women have surgeries to change their facial features such as their eye lids. Girls dye their hair brown and blond. They wear colored contacts.
Everyone tells me that I'm so beautiful and that they envy me. I hate it.
Whenever I'm told this, I get so angry inside. I want to scream at the girls and tell them that they're beautiful. Just because I'm from America doesn't make me any better or any prettier than they are. Why can't they believe that Asian features are also beautiful? Sure, maybe they're just giving me a compliment, but I think this is part of their underlying thought pattern.
There are so many gorgeous Chinese girls, but they don't see it. They think western is pretty and Chinese is not.
*Obviously, not all Chinese girls have this attitude. These are generalizations from my personal thoughts and observations from living in China.
Sunshine
The sun in Lanzhou is pretty strong even though the air is polluted. Most of the Chinese girls carry parasols with them at all times because to them, the whiter their skin, the more beautiful they are.
These parasols cause pedestrian traffic jams when coming in and out of buildings, turning corners, and especially at the gates of the university. They're quite a nuisance. I am constantly getting decked in the head with umbrellas. I'm in the process of perfecting the art of ducking and dodging so I don't have to resort to wearing a helmet and goggles.
I created a scene the other day when I decided to study for my exams outside in the park. Most of the university's park is covered in trees, but one small section is a grassy lawn. Ignoring the signs to "keep off the grassland," I spread out a blanket and began to study.
The Chinese students walked by with their parasols, staring at me and exclaiming to their friends. One elderly lady yelled at me to put on a hat.
I can't imagine being worried about the sun in the way that these girls are. I certainly don't want to damage my skin, but to not be able to step outside without a parasol seems ridiculous. Don't they want their Vitamin D?
These parasols cause pedestrian traffic jams when coming in and out of buildings, turning corners, and especially at the gates of the university. They're quite a nuisance. I am constantly getting decked in the head with umbrellas. I'm in the process of perfecting the art of ducking and dodging so I don't have to resort to wearing a helmet and goggles.
I created a scene the other day when I decided to study for my exams outside in the park. Most of the university's park is covered in trees, but one small section is a grassy lawn. Ignoring the signs to "keep off the grassland," I spread out a blanket and began to study.
The Chinese students walked by with their parasols, staring at me and exclaiming to their friends. One elderly lady yelled at me to put on a hat.
I can't imagine being worried about the sun in the way that these girls are. I certainly don't want to damage my skin, but to not be able to step outside without a parasol seems ridiculous. Don't they want their Vitamin D?
The Zip Line
I got stuck in the middle of a zip line the other day.
Some friends and I climbed a mountain and we decided to take the zip line across to a second mountain. Dustin went first and had no problem. I went second but was too light for my momentum to carry me all the way across.
So I hung about several dozen meters or more above a valley for about ten minutes while the people working the zip line figured out how to get me the rest of the way across. Not to state the obvious, but this is China: Nothing is the same as in the west, such as testing equipment or emergency procedures beforehand. They tried many times using several pieces of equipment to get me the rest of the way across. Magnets, carabineers, yards of rope and wire, and an electric pulley system were all involved. Obviously they succeeded or I wouldn't be writing about this now, but it was quite the ordeal.
I wasn't scared because I knew that there was little danger of the line breaking or me being injured in any way. I was more concerned with how long I'd have to wait before they figured out what to do with me. It was definitely neat to be dangling between two mountains- the view was incredible, but I was also eager to make it to the other side!
After I finally made it across, the other friends I was with came across the zip line without any problems.
Afterward my friend Travis and I discussed fear. Neither of us can imagine living a life constantly afraid of various situations. We decided that although it's good that we don't become easily frightened or worked up, sometimes a little more caution is necessary. We're glad that we can rationalize our fears away, but we know we're not invincible.
Another Foreigner
I thought I knew most of the westerners in the area, but I was wrong.
My roommate and I were out on a walk, deep in a conversation when a swarm of Chinese students came out of a building about 50 yards in front of us. Nothing unusual. But then I saw a western guy in the middle of the crowd. He was also deep in a conversation with a Chinese friend, but he saw me too.
No matter where I am in China, it's strange to see another foreigner. And to see a young western guy that I had never met, right here on campus, is extremely unusual.
As we walked toward each other we tried to pretend that we weren't staring at each other. But we kept looking up at the same time, so that didn't work too well. Finally he passed me and I turned my head once to look at him again.
Yep, he was looking back, too.
I know what he was thinking, because I was thinking the same thing. We westerners try to analyze each other and guess why we're here, what we're doing, and whether we like it here. I can't get over how much I have in common with people I don't even know just because we're westerners in the middle of China.
Two end notes: I would have said hello except that we were both in the middle of conversations. And please don't think I'm a creep- I'm writing about this because it's an example of how strange it is sometimes to be in China. Just seeing another foreigner is weird to me!
My roommate and I were out on a walk, deep in a conversation when a swarm of Chinese students came out of a building about 50 yards in front of us. Nothing unusual. But then I saw a western guy in the middle of the crowd. He was also deep in a conversation with a Chinese friend, but he saw me too.
No matter where I am in China, it's strange to see another foreigner. And to see a young western guy that I had never met, right here on campus, is extremely unusual.
As we walked toward each other we tried to pretend that we weren't staring at each other. But we kept looking up at the same time, so that didn't work too well. Finally he passed me and I turned my head once to look at him again.
Yep, he was looking back, too.
I know what he was thinking, because I was thinking the same thing. We westerners try to analyze each other and guess why we're here, what we're doing, and whether we like it here. I can't get over how much I have in common with people I don't even know just because we're westerners in the middle of China.
Two end notes: I would have said hello except that we were both in the middle of conversations. And please don't think I'm a creep- I'm writing about this because it's an example of how strange it is sometimes to be in China. Just seeing another foreigner is weird to me!
12 June 2008
Normal
Since my American classmates have come, I've realized how much I've gotten used to China without even realizing it. It's actually strange to hang out with them. I had forgotten all about college humor, I forget that I don't have to speak English slowly to them, and I hadn't even realized that some things in China seem strange to them.
They often make fun of me, but I certainly deserve it. I have forgotten many English words and my grammar is unusual. I often word sentences oddly and end up saying something I didn't mean.
I wonder if I'll ever be "normal" again...
They often make fun of me, but I certainly deserve it. I have forgotten many English words and my grammar is unusual. I often word sentences oddly and end up saying something I didn't mean.
I wonder if I'll ever be "normal" again...
Chinese Pop and Children's Books
My classes have been pretty lame lately, and I'm so thankful that I only have about three weeks or so left. I love learning Chinese, but my classes just aren't helping too much.
So instead of studying for class, I studying on my own.
I just got some Chinese pop music. It's not good music, but the songs are catchy and I hear the same ones everywhere I go. I've learned a lot of new words and characters, as well as grammar.
I also bought a children's book with short narratives and descriptive pieces and it's been really fun to read. Even though the stories are written by and for Chinese, I relate to them. It makes me remember my childhood and is a reminder that no matter from what country or culture a person is from, people love, need, and want the same things.
So instead of studying for class, I studying on my own.
I just got some Chinese pop music. It's not good music, but the songs are catchy and I hear the same ones everywhere I go. I've learned a lot of new words and characters, as well as grammar.
I also bought a children's book with short narratives and descriptive pieces and it's been really fun to read. Even though the stories are written by and for Chinese, I relate to them. It makes me remember my childhood and is a reminder that no matter from what country or culture a person is from, people love, need, and want the same things.
Unplanned
I finally found out when my exams will be. There is no syllabus or academic calendar here, so up until this week, they've been saying vague things like "the end of June" and "the middle of July" which gives almost a whole month of leeway. I'm glad that I wasn't counting on any of this information to book train and plane tickets!
My exams are the final week in June, and I know they're going to be easy. Not only do I know the vocab, characters, and grammar that I'm responsible for, the university wants their program to look good. From what I've heard, they don't fail anyone. And, my grades here transfer back home as pass-fail. I'm just not worried at all.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do after my exams. "Unplanned" describes everything about this semester, and I intend to keep it that way. I fly home from Beijing August 10th, so between exams and then I'm going to travel. Some of my non-plans include traveling with my friend Dustin for a week or two, visiting some Chinese friends at their homes, and... ok, that's all. I think it will be more exciting to look at a map for some ideas, go to the train station, and then see what happens. I just want to travel all over China by train, and planning ruins the surprise.
My exams are the final week in June, and I know they're going to be easy. Not only do I know the vocab, characters, and grammar that I'm responsible for, the university wants their program to look good. From what I've heard, they don't fail anyone. And, my grades here transfer back home as pass-fail. I'm just not worried at all.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do after my exams. "Unplanned" describes everything about this semester, and I intend to keep it that way. I fly home from Beijing August 10th, so between exams and then I'm going to travel. Some of my non-plans include traveling with my friend Dustin for a week or two, visiting some Chinese friends at their homes, and... ok, that's all. I think it will be more exciting to look at a map for some ideas, go to the train station, and then see what happens. I just want to travel all over China by train, and planning ruins the surprise.
The End Is Near-er
Last week, several dozen international students took their final exams early and returned to their home countries. As far as I understand it, the early exam was allowed because of the earthquake. Regardless, Zhuan Jia Lou is much quieter and I miss the friends who left.
Normally, I wouldn't think about leaving until it's time to leave, but since some friends have already left, it's been on my mind.
It's going to be so difficult to say goodbye to some of my friends here. I'm really going to miss my western friends, especially Dustin. We have similar goals and reasons for coming to China, we traveled all over together, and he's taught me so much. It's going to be even harder to say goodbye to some of my Korean friends. How do you thank someone for being patient enough to make friends with you even though you can't speak the same language, for staying up until two in the morning several times a week to teach you Chinese, and for teaching you about the culture, history, and customs of another country? It might be most difficult, though, to say goodbye to my roommate Aidana. When I first got here, she showed me everything I needed to get settled in Lanzhou. She took care of me when I was sick, listened to my horrible Chinese as I talked for hours, was always up for my ridiculous ideas, and put up with my crazy music and my messy side of the room. She isn't just my roommate; she's my good friend and I love her.
I don't have to say goodbye quite yet, but the end of the semester is getting closer and closer.
Normally, I wouldn't think about leaving until it's time to leave, but since some friends have already left, it's been on my mind.
It's going to be so difficult to say goodbye to some of my friends here. I'm really going to miss my western friends, especially Dustin. We have similar goals and reasons for coming to China, we traveled all over together, and he's taught me so much. It's going to be even harder to say goodbye to some of my Korean friends. How do you thank someone for being patient enough to make friends with you even though you can't speak the same language, for staying up until two in the morning several times a week to teach you Chinese, and for teaching you about the culture, history, and customs of another country? It might be most difficult, though, to say goodbye to my roommate Aidana. When I first got here, she showed me everything I needed to get settled in Lanzhou. She took care of me when I was sick, listened to my horrible Chinese as I talked for hours, was always up for my ridiculous ideas, and put up with my crazy music and my messy side of the room. She isn't just my roommate; she's my good friend and I love her.
I don't have to say goodbye quite yet, but the end of the semester is getting closer and closer.
04 June 2008
The Greatest Gift
"There's the strangest excitement today. If you're awake then you're welcome to hear. I got a gift and it blew me away. From the far eastern sea straight to here... My voice is as lonely as loud, as I whisper the joy of this pain... I'll make your fear melt away and the world we know disappear..."
~The Gift, Angels and Airwaves
So that whole bit about not being able to cry was cured today.
My best friends recorded little messages for me and sent me the audio CD in the mail. Altogether, it was over an hour long. I listened to it two times straight through, back to back.
I, a writer, am completely unable to express any of my feelings with words. I've been trying to write about it for hours. I've tried multiple times and it's definitely 3:00 in the morning.
I love and miss you all. There's no way to thank you enough... what I mean is, how could I thank you for loving me? I can only love you back. Know that I do.
~The Gift, Angels and Airwaves
So that whole bit about not being able to cry was cured today.
My best friends recorded little messages for me and sent me the audio CD in the mail. Altogether, it was over an hour long. I listened to it two times straight through, back to back.
I, a writer, am completely unable to express any of my feelings with words. I've been trying to write about it for hours. I've tried multiple times and it's definitely 3:00 in the morning.
I love and miss you all. There's no way to thank you enough... what I mean is, how could I thank you for loving me? I can only love you back. Know that I do.
I Thought This Was A Blog-Worthy Accomplishment...
I wrote a journal entry completely in Chinese today.
Speaking Chinese
My knowledge of Chinese language is at the point where I am able to get almost any message across to whoever I am speaking to. Of course, there are thousands of words that I don't know, but "this," "what," "thing," "place," etc. combined with hand motions go a long way.
Since two weeks ago, I have been determined to only use Chinese. It's working very well. I rarely am unable to express myself and I see so much improvement with each conversation I have.
I love it so much more here now that I can talk to anyone and everyone. Sometimes I just go for a walk and talk to some of the street vendors. They have interesting stories and they love to hear about why I'm here and what it's like in America. Some of my friends are ready to go home, but I'm starting to enjoy it more and more now that I can successfully communicate. I thought I loved it before, so now everything is absolutely wonderful.
Before I came to China, my goal for learning Chinese was simply to study hard and do my best. I didn't expect to be able to speak half as well as I am able, let alone be able to write and recognize Chinese characters. (I am not able to speak well, and I'm not able to read much, don't get me wrong!) But now I have to reevaluate my goals, and it's confusing and stressful.
I am at the point where I know enough Chinese that it would be a waste to not continue to study the language. But at the same time, I still have two more years before I finish my degree in the states. Chinese language classes are not taught at my college, and during the school year I am too busy to take Chinese classes off campus.
I know there are ways to continue to study Chinese when I return, but it seems impractical. Also, what am I ever going to do with knowledge of the Chinese language? I'm studying journalism, and I'm happy studying journalism. Of course there are ways to combine the two, but is that what I want?
Since two weeks ago, I have been determined to only use Chinese. It's working very well. I rarely am unable to express myself and I see so much improvement with each conversation I have.
I love it so much more here now that I can talk to anyone and everyone. Sometimes I just go for a walk and talk to some of the street vendors. They have interesting stories and they love to hear about why I'm here and what it's like in America. Some of my friends are ready to go home, but I'm starting to enjoy it more and more now that I can successfully communicate. I thought I loved it before, so now everything is absolutely wonderful.
Before I came to China, my goal for learning Chinese was simply to study hard and do my best. I didn't expect to be able to speak half as well as I am able, let alone be able to write and recognize Chinese characters. (I am not able to speak well, and I'm not able to read much, don't get me wrong!) But now I have to reevaluate my goals, and it's confusing and stressful.
I am at the point where I know enough Chinese that it would be a waste to not continue to study the language. But at the same time, I still have two more years before I finish my degree in the states. Chinese language classes are not taught at my college, and during the school year I am too busy to take Chinese classes off campus.
I know there are ways to continue to study Chinese when I return, but it seems impractical. Also, what am I ever going to do with knowledge of the Chinese language? I'm studying journalism, and I'm happy studying journalism. Of course there are ways to combine the two, but is that what I want?
25 May 2008
Tears of Strength
The only time I've cried since coming to Lanzhou was when I was sick in March. And these were only a few tears when I was on the phone with my mom.
Since then I haven't even felt like crying. Until Friday.
My friend Mac and I climbed the highest mountain in Lanzhou. I looked out over the city and tried to find landmarks. For a while, I couldn't recognize very much. Then I found my university.
I saw the main gate, the building where I have class, the park in the center of campus, the library, the track where I run, and finally, my beloved Zhuan Jia Lou where I live. I was so high up that I could barely make out these structures, but I was sure this was what I was looking at.
I felt so small. Looking down on the entire city of 5 million people, stretched before me like a map, where I could hardly recognize the places that are so familiar to me, it finally hit me how awesome it is that I'm in China. I'm out in the middle of no where, in a small city nestled between two huge mountain ranges. There is nothing for miles around Lanzhou. I finally thought about the fact that I'm so far from home and that I have been here for three whole months- but this is only half-way.
I wanted to cry.
I think these tears are built up inside from being tired of being strong. It's hard to be so strong for such a long time.
I have to be strong every day, but it's just part of being here. Lately, though, I've had to be stronger than ever, and it's wearing me out.
It's easy to be strong for myself. But to be strong for other people is hard. I have to be strong for the other Muskies here and I have to be strong for my roommate Aidana. When my roommate is scared of another earthquake, when she wants to sleep outside or push our beds together so we're nearer, it's hard to stay strong. When she hugs me and won't let go, when tears stream down her face, I have to be strong and let her know that everything will be ok.
But standing on the top of the mountain looking down on Lanzhou, I didn't cry. I wanted to, but I couldn't.
Maybe when I can bring myself to cry, it will be out of true strength.
Since then I haven't even felt like crying. Until Friday.
My friend Mac and I climbed the highest mountain in Lanzhou. I looked out over the city and tried to find landmarks. For a while, I couldn't recognize very much. Then I found my university.
I saw the main gate, the building where I have class, the park in the center of campus, the library, the track where I run, and finally, my beloved Zhuan Jia Lou where I live. I was so high up that I could barely make out these structures, but I was sure this was what I was looking at.
I felt so small. Looking down on the entire city of 5 million people, stretched before me like a map, where I could hardly recognize the places that are so familiar to me, it finally hit me how awesome it is that I'm in China. I'm out in the middle of no where, in a small city nestled between two huge mountain ranges. There is nothing for miles around Lanzhou. I finally thought about the fact that I'm so far from home and that I have been here for three whole months- but this is only half-way.
I wanted to cry.
I think these tears are built up inside from being tired of being strong. It's hard to be so strong for such a long time.
I have to be strong every day, but it's just part of being here. Lately, though, I've had to be stronger than ever, and it's wearing me out.
It's easy to be strong for myself. But to be strong for other people is hard. I have to be strong for the other Muskies here and I have to be strong for my roommate Aidana. When my roommate is scared of another earthquake, when she wants to sleep outside or push our beds together so we're nearer, it's hard to stay strong. When she hugs me and won't let go, when tears stream down her face, I have to be strong and let her know that everything will be ok.
But standing on the top of the mountain looking down on Lanzhou, I didn't cry. I wanted to, but I couldn't.
Maybe when I can bring myself to cry, it will be out of true strength.
Muskies in China
On Saturday, eight students from my college came to Lanzhou University. I made them a sign that says "Welcome, Muskies" and I even drew a picture of a Muskie, our school mascot. So cheesy, I know.
Even though I didn't know most of the students before they came, we have so much in common and I feel like I know them already.
It's fun to show them around the city and just hang out. We've been staying up much later than is necessary... what's new? And they're really psyched that a bottle of beer costs about 30 U.S. cents.
A Muskie is a fish and can drink like one, too.
Even though I didn't know most of the students before they came, we have so much in common and I feel like I know them already.
It's fun to show them around the city and just hang out. We've been staying up much later than is necessary... what's new? And they're really psyched that a bottle of beer costs about 30 U.S. cents.
A Muskie is a fish and can drink like one, too.
Earthquake Part III
When I turn on the television or listen to the radio, everything is about the earthquake. All around Lanzhou there are signs, billboards, posters, banners, etc. all having to do with Si Chuan.
There are pictures of bodies. There is video of small children screaming for their mothers. There are pictures of children's drawings saying "I miss my family" underneath. And of course, there are pictures and video of the destroyed buildings.
It's almost like propaganda, and I can't figure it out. Who is behind it all? Why are they inciting fear? Who is benefiting from this?
All of the Chinese people here at the university are scared. They sleep by the hundreds in tents on the field of the stadium, the only place relatively safe if buildings were to fall.
The people say that "the earthquake is moving closer to Lanzhou" and that "the aftershocks are coming sometime tonight," etc.
They won't listen to reason, and every day the panic seems to grow.
Last week there were three days of mourning. It was eerie. China is always loud and busy and crazy and fun. For three days it was quiet and scary.
I wonder if people will resume their normal lives any time soon. What if they're afraid of another earthquake all summer? I can't imagine living in fear like they are.
There are pictures of bodies. There is video of small children screaming for their mothers. There are pictures of children's drawings saying "I miss my family" underneath. And of course, there are pictures and video of the destroyed buildings.
It's almost like propaganda, and I can't figure it out. Who is behind it all? Why are they inciting fear? Who is benefiting from this?
All of the Chinese people here at the university are scared. They sleep by the hundreds in tents on the field of the stadium, the only place relatively safe if buildings were to fall.
The people say that "the earthquake is moving closer to Lanzhou" and that "the aftershocks are coming sometime tonight," etc.
They won't listen to reason, and every day the panic seems to grow.
Last week there were three days of mourning. It was eerie. China is always loud and busy and crazy and fun. For three days it was quiet and scary.
I wonder if people will resume their normal lives any time soon. What if they're afraid of another earthquake all summer? I can't imagine living in fear like they are.
16 May 2008
Earthquake Part II
As I was trying to fall asleep the other night, I noticed a massive crack in my ceiling. It runs the whole way across the room and is definitely fresh...
13 May 2008
The Earthquake
Yesterday there was a major earthquake just south of where I live in China. I am going to give my personal account of what I experienced without attempting to compete with the news reports that are being updated hourly.
On Monday afternoons I tutor a Korean friend because he wants to improve his English. Usually we meet at 3:00, but yesterday he had an appointment so we met at 2:30. We study in a classroom on the second floor of Zhuan Jia Lou, the building where I live.
We were studying negative prefixes for adjectives. I would read the words and he would repeat them. As I was reading "impatient... dishonest... incorrect..." I began to feel extremely dizzy. I ignored it.
Then my friend, instead of repeating the words, gave me a funny look. I scanned the room and realized the whole building was moving. That's when I knew it was an earthquake.
At this point, the vibrations were strongest. The desks we were sitting at undulated as if they were ocean waves. We could feel the building sway.
We had to decide whether to immediately take cover or to go outside. The vibrations became calmer and we quickly walked outside. Some other students and all of the workers at Zhuan Jia Lou were outside as well.
After a few minutes we went back inside because there was nothing we could do. My friend and I continued our lesson: "unusual... abnormal... unforgettable."
On Monday afternoons I tutor a Korean friend because he wants to improve his English. Usually we meet at 3:00, but yesterday he had an appointment so we met at 2:30. We study in a classroom on the second floor of Zhuan Jia Lou, the building where I live.
We were studying negative prefixes for adjectives. I would read the words and he would repeat them. As I was reading "impatient... dishonest... incorrect..." I began to feel extremely dizzy. I ignored it.
Then my friend, instead of repeating the words, gave me a funny look. I scanned the room and realized the whole building was moving. That's when I knew it was an earthquake.
At this point, the vibrations were strongest. The desks we were sitting at undulated as if they were ocean waves. We could feel the building sway.
We had to decide whether to immediately take cover or to go outside. The vibrations became calmer and we quickly walked outside. Some other students and all of the workers at Zhuan Jia Lou were outside as well.
After a few minutes we went back inside because there was nothing we could do. My friend and I continued our lesson: "unusual... abnormal... unforgettable."
05 May 2008
Thank You!
When I got back from traveling to Dunhuang and Hami, I got a package from my family and a ton of letters from friends back home- thanks, guys. It's great to hear from you and it means so much to me that you would take the time to write to me!
Hami
During our holiday that began last Tuesday, my friends and I traveled to Dunhuang. By Friday, we had seen everything we had wanted to in Dunhuang, so we pulled out a map of China. We decided to travel even further north into Xin Jiang Province to the small city of Hami. We took a bus for six hours from Dunhuang and arrived in Hami at nine in the evening. Because all of China is on Beijing time and Hami is quite west, it was light out until about ten.
When we first got to Hami, my friends and I got a hotel room. We left our backpacks there and went out for dinner. At dinner, we met a young Xin Jiang girl and ended up talking with her until about one in the morning. We walked back to our hotel room to find that they were kicking us out because we're not Chinese!
I was so angry because I didn't think it was fair. We had paid for a room and were given a receipt, and now they were putting us out onto the street at 1:30. I yelled at one of the workers in Chinese. Really. I said that in America, there are tons of Chinese people and they can stay at any hotel they want. I told her that she's a person, I'm a person, everyone is a person; we're all the same. How inhumane of her to put us out onto the street! (Ok, so I don't know the Chinese word for "inhumane," but I think she got the idea.)
To be fair, it wasn't a personal dislike that these people at the hotel had with us- they wanted us to stay but they didn't have the right paperwork, apparently. It was an issue with the Chinese government and the hotel not having the right paperwork to house foreigners, but it makes me wonder what would lead a government to discriminate in this way. And anyway, they let us have a room and we paid for it, so how can they take it away?
So there we were, on the streets of a strange city at two in the morning. We were tired, frustrated, offended, upset, and more. Luckily we found another place to stay, but it cost twice as much.
We slept in the next day and got over our outrage at the previous night. We met up with our Xin Jiang friend and spent the day learning from her about the culture and language of the Xin Jiang people. We also learned a lot about the interactions between the Xin Jiang people and the Han Chinese. She showed us around Hami. We visited several parks, rode some rides, ate Xin Jiang food, and took too many pictures.
Our train left at nine that night, and we had to say goodbye to our friend. It was a strange feeling. I doubt if we'll ever meet again. She was so kind and sweet and beautiful, and we really got to know her throughout the day. Because of her, my memories of Hami will be of the fun times we had that day, and I won't think about what we experienced the night before.
Dunhuang
Last week I did not have class on Thursday or Friday because of a holiday in China similar to Labor Day. For some reason, the school decided that Friday's classes would be rescheduled for Sunday. They can't do that, can they? Haha...
So my friends and I also took Wednesday off (as well as Sunday- who goes to class on Sunday?) to travel to the north of Gansu Province to the city of Dunhuang.
We took a sleeper-train on Tuesday night and arrived in Dunhuang on Wednesday morning. Dunhuang is a tourist city, which we're not used to. Luckily, it was the off season. The busy season started the next day, though. We saw some Buddhist caves as well as sections of the Great Wall.
The part of the Great Wall that we saw had not been reconstructed, which seems miraculous since everything else in China has been. We saw one pass of the wall which was pretty much a square boulder with a hole in it. There was a fence around it, so it wasn't that exciting. The second part of the wall we saw was made with mud, rocks, and hay. Because of the wind in the desert, some parts were only a few feet high. Most of the wall here was surrounded by a fence, but a small portion was not. It still wasn't that exciting, but how could I visit China without seeing part of the original Great Wall?
Thursday afternoon we rode camels out into the Gobi Desert and camped out in tents for the night. (Camels really do spit, and they smell bad, too.) The sand dunes were huge. We picked the highest one and climbed to the top. It took several hours and was extremely difficult because the sand was so soft. We climbed up peak after peak, gradually getting to the highest one. It was difficult to breathe at the top, but when we got there, we watched the "sunset."
That's in quotation marks because in some parts of China, it's not damaging to the eyes to stare directly at the sun. It looks like a bright, full moon, actually. As for the sunset, the sun disappeared in the polluted sky well above the horizon.
There are no words to aptly describe the Gobi Desert. It's how you might imagine it, though. Sandy, dry, few living creatures, etc. It's hot during the day and cold at night. In fact, when my friends and I climbed the sand dunes, we climbed along the ridges. One half of our bodies were hot from the sun, and the other half was cold. Some parts of the desert stretch for miles in complete flatness. Other parts, near the edges, are miles of sand dunes.
So we left Dunhuang on Friday tired and sore as well as sun burnt, sand burnt, and wind burnt. But it was definitely worth it.
So my friends and I also took Wednesday off (as well as Sunday- who goes to class on Sunday?) to travel to the north of Gansu Province to the city of Dunhuang.
We took a sleeper-train on Tuesday night and arrived in Dunhuang on Wednesday morning. Dunhuang is a tourist city, which we're not used to. Luckily, it was the off season. The busy season started the next day, though. We saw some Buddhist caves as well as sections of the Great Wall.
The part of the Great Wall that we saw had not been reconstructed, which seems miraculous since everything else in China has been. We saw one pass of the wall which was pretty much a square boulder with a hole in it. There was a fence around it, so it wasn't that exciting. The second part of the wall we saw was made with mud, rocks, and hay. Because of the wind in the desert, some parts were only a few feet high. Most of the wall here was surrounded by a fence, but a small portion was not. It still wasn't that exciting, but how could I visit China without seeing part of the original Great Wall?
Thursday afternoon we rode camels out into the Gobi Desert and camped out in tents for the night. (Camels really do spit, and they smell bad, too.) The sand dunes were huge. We picked the highest one and climbed to the top. It took several hours and was extremely difficult because the sand was so soft. We climbed up peak after peak, gradually getting to the highest one. It was difficult to breathe at the top, but when we got there, we watched the "sunset."
That's in quotation marks because in some parts of China, it's not damaging to the eyes to stare directly at the sun. It looks like a bright, full moon, actually. As for the sunset, the sun disappeared in the polluted sky well above the horizon.
There are no words to aptly describe the Gobi Desert. It's how you might imagine it, though. Sandy, dry, few living creatures, etc. It's hot during the day and cold at night. In fact, when my friends and I climbed the sand dunes, we climbed along the ridges. One half of our bodies were hot from the sun, and the other half was cold. Some parts of the desert stretch for miles in complete flatness. Other parts, near the edges, are miles of sand dunes.
So we left Dunhuang on Friday tired and sore as well as sun burnt, sand burnt, and wind burnt. But it was definitely worth it.
28 April 2008
Classes at Lanzhou
I am taking four different classes at Lanzhou University. I have Chinese grammar (yu fa) four days per week, spoken Chinese (kou yu) three times per week, Chinese characters (han zi) one time per week. My fourth class is a physical education class, tai ji chuan, that I take once per week.
The same students are in all of my classes because of the way the beginning Chinese classes were divided. I study with twelve students, most of whom are Korean. The others are Uzbek, Saudi Arabian, and Canadian.
There was a point a few weeks ago when classes were enjoyable. I had gotten to know my classmates and teachers, and I felt like I was learning so much each day. But now, I’m kind of in a rut. I feel like I’m not learning in class and that I could spend that time studying on my own or practicing speaking.
My classes are one hour and forty minutes long each and they begin every morning at nine. Sometimes I don’t think I can sit through another class.
I’m hoping things get better because I still have two and a half months of classes left.
The same students are in all of my classes because of the way the beginning Chinese classes were divided. I study with twelve students, most of whom are Korean. The others are Uzbek, Saudi Arabian, and Canadian.
There was a point a few weeks ago when classes were enjoyable. I had gotten to know my classmates and teachers, and I felt like I was learning so much each day. But now, I’m kind of in a rut. I feel like I’m not learning in class and that I could spend that time studying on my own or practicing speaking.
My classes are one hour and forty minutes long each and they begin every morning at nine. Sometimes I don’t think I can sit through another class.
I’m hoping things get better because I still have two and a half months of classes left.
Being Sick
Last week, five of my friends and I got food poisoning from a restaurant where we ate together. It only lasted one day, in which I slept in between having to throw up, but I realized that when I’m in America, I take for granted not being constantly ill.
Everyday when I wake up in China, I assess my health to see if I need to stay home from class. I usually miss about one class per week.
Sometimes I am not actually sick, but I have a sore throat from the air. I wear a facemask on these days, which usually fixes the problem.
And lately, I have been extremely tired. Sometimes I will finish class just before eleven o’clock and sleep until dinner. Later on that night, I have no problem falling asleep or sleeping through the night.
In America, it was a huge inconvenience for me to have a cold. In contrast to constantly thinking about my health while in China, my health was never on my mind while in America. I can hardly remember always feeling well…
Everyday when I wake up in China, I assess my health to see if I need to stay home from class. I usually miss about one class per week.
Sometimes I am not actually sick, but I have a sore throat from the air. I wear a facemask on these days, which usually fixes the problem.
And lately, I have been extremely tired. Sometimes I will finish class just before eleven o’clock and sleep until dinner. Later on that night, I have no problem falling asleep or sleeping through the night.
In America, it was a huge inconvenience for me to have a cold. In contrast to constantly thinking about my health while in China, my health was never on my mind while in America. I can hardly remember always feeling well…
Gifts
I visit an elementary school in Lanzhou once a week so the children can practice their English with me. I enjoy observing the children; they are always so happy and so eager to learn.
They are excited to get to know a foreigner. They ask me questions about myself and about America, and they teach me Chinese words and characters.
Sometimes they try to bring me gifts like their own stuffed animals or candy. I was even brought some live crabs in a jar. I can’t accept anything from them but am always touched by their sweetness.
Last week, though, one girl gave me a small origami box that she had made herself and filled with flower petals. And this week, a different girl gave me a card she had written: “Dear Caiti: I’m Wendy, it’s so good to have you to be my English teacher, you look so lovely and you’re so kind to us, I like English and I like you.”
I’m not one to cry, but if I were, this would be an occasion.
It’s little things like this that make me love living in China.
They are excited to get to know a foreigner. They ask me questions about myself and about America, and they teach me Chinese words and characters.
Sometimes they try to bring me gifts like their own stuffed animals or candy. I was even brought some live crabs in a jar. I can’t accept anything from them but am always touched by their sweetness.
Last week, though, one girl gave me a small origami box that she had made herself and filled with flower petals. And this week, a different girl gave me a card she had written: “Dear Caiti: I’m Wendy, it’s so good to have you to be my English teacher, you look so lovely and you’re so kind to us, I like English and I like you.”
I’m not one to cry, but if I were, this would be an occasion.
It’s little things like this that make me love living in China.
15 April 2008
Chinglish
I am fluent in Chinglish. So are most of the international students here at Lanzhou University. We are all studying Chinese at various levels, so our vocabularies are quite different. Almost everyone knows some English, so if there is ever confusion during a conversation in Chinese, English words are substituted.
It's actually a great system. If someone doesn't know English, someone else is able to translate from Chinese to English to Russian for example. Everyone is at least bilingual, but many of the students know three, four, five, or more languages. The students from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan especially impress me.
Chinglish also comes in handy with the Korean students. The Korean language has hundreds of cognates and near-cognates from English.
I am at the bottom of the totem pole as I only speak English and am just beginning to learn Chinese. As I mentioned in my last post, everyone likes me since I'm an American. Otherwise, I don't think I'd have many friends; it takes a lot of effort from both sides when I talk to some of my close friends here.
On the other hand, I surprise myself with how quickly I am learning Chinese. At first, I would study words for hours but not remember them the next day. Now I am often able to hear a new word once and be able to use it in conversation later.
As for the Chinese characters, it's awesome to walk down the street and recognize some characters and have an idea of what signs say. Before I came to China, the characters were just illegible scribbles to me. My first few weeks here I continued to think of them the same way. Now even characters I don't know or have never seen hold some sort of meaning because I can break the character down and recognize different strokes and their meanings.
While my Chinese is improving rapidly, my English is going down the drain. I am not speaking English regularly, and when I do speak it, I use hardly any of my vocabulary. I know I am forgetting many words and I often forget how to spell words. For example, I was studying with a Korean friend; he teaches me Chinese and I teach him English. He was saying that Korea's economy is "12" in the world. To correct him, I wrote "12th" but also wanted to spell it out... Only, I couldn't remember how it was spelled.
It's a joke now, so whenever I forget something in English someone says, "t-w-e-l-f-t-h."
Running
I found a place to run in China!
I was at a loss because it would be simply impossible to run on the streets. The parks here are small, crowded, and have hair-pin turns in the paths. I had given up on finding a place to run in China.
And then I found it, right in front of my face. Next to Zhuan Jia Lou where I live is a stadium. It literally shares a wall with my building. I did not know that it existed, and neither did anyone else in Zhuan Jia Lou. That sounds strange, but it's so crowded in China that the stadium wall was not obvious. Also, there are several abandoned buildings nearby, so it's a little sketchy to go exploring.
Anyway, it's strange to call it a stadium. Sure, it is outside, there are lights, bleachers, etc. But you walk in and it's just a large field of dust. There's not really a track, just a concrete oval as a guide for where to run. Also, few people use the stadium. It's a little creepy to run there, especially in the early mornings. There is some construction on the other side of the stadium, too, so the workers live under the bleachers.
I don't think that many Chinese people run. The ones who do always sprint past me but then walk after half a lap. They repeat this: sprint, walk for a while, sprint, walk, etc. And their "workouts" last only about 10 or 15 minutes. I don't claim to be knowledgeable about health and running, but this doesn't seem to be an effective way to accomplish anything, from speed to endurance or even weight loss. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Anyway, I always wear a facemask when I run. I could breathe in and swallow a significant amount of dust. With every step, I kick up a large cloud. When I'm finished running, I take off my shoes and socks, and there is a line on my ankle. I wipe my finger across my calf and my finger has a layer of dust on it.
It is a little difficult to breathe with the mask on. But between the higher elevation, the pollution, and the mask, maybe I'll have an awesome cardiovascular system when I get back to the states.
Compasses
Compasses in China point south.
Seriously. The word "compass" in Chinese translates to "the needle pointing south."
Yeah, I just don't know...
Seriously. The word "compass" in Chinese translates to "the needle pointing south."
Yeah, I just don't know...
Hotel
I went on a weekend trip to the near-by city of Tianshui with some friends from the U.S. and Canada. We enjoy going on trips; it's great to get away from classes and studying, and we all want to see as much of China as we can while we're here.
Train tickets are cheap, hotels are cheap, and food is cheap. We still like to get the best deals we can. In fact, during our trip to Tianshui, we stayed in a very strange "hotel" to save money.
For less than $3 per person, the five of us spent one night in an elementary school that had been turned into a hotel. What this means is that the desks were removed and beds were brought in. That's right- there were no bathrooms in the rooms. And the community bathroom in the building did not have a shower.
Furthermore, the lights in the hallways were turned off to save money on electricity. I don't even need to mention that this hotel was very dirty, do I?
The conditions may sound awful, but to my friends and I, the dirtier and stranger, the better. I sometimes compare it to camping: What fun is it to stay in a lodge when you could stay in a tent? It's the same for us in China. We could stay in nice hotels, but we might as well be back in America.
Train tickets are cheap, hotels are cheap, and food is cheap. We still like to get the best deals we can. In fact, during our trip to Tianshui, we stayed in a very strange "hotel" to save money.
For less than $3 per person, the five of us spent one night in an elementary school that had been turned into a hotel. What this means is that the desks were removed and beds were brought in. That's right- there were no bathrooms in the rooms. And the community bathroom in the building did not have a shower.
Furthermore, the lights in the hallways were turned off to save money on electricity. I don't even need to mention that this hotel was very dirty, do I?
The conditions may sound awful, but to my friends and I, the dirtier and stranger, the better. I sometimes compare it to camping: What fun is it to stay in a lodge when you could stay in a tent? It's the same for us in China. We could stay in nice hotels, but we might as well be back in America.
My Haircut
I got my hair cut in China last weekend. I was attempting to grow my hair out after it had been short for several years. As it had not been cut since December and was almost to my shoulders, I badly needed a trim.
I went with some friends to a hair salon. These friends are nearly fluent in Chinese, so we clearly explained to the young lady who was going to be cutting my hair that I was trying to grow it out and just wanted a trim. She repeated this information back to me and assured me that she would just cut the ends. I elaborated some more, just in case, saying that I did not want bangs or layers.
Although she understood, the hairdresser apparently knew that what I actually wanted, deep down inside, was a messy, short cut. I have had short hair for four years, but my hair has never been this short before. After "trimming" five inches, I also have bangs and layers.
Being the optimist that I am, I like how my new haircut looks on me. The hairdresser cut it very well and it will be easy to take care of and style. I will not complain except to say that I will probably be unable to grow out my hair for a few more years.
Before she started cutting, I knew what I was getting myself into. Most hairdressers in China only know three or four hairstyles. A short walk down the street in China proves this. Some friends and I have given the cuts our own names. "The blender" is the short choppy cut like mine, "the Cyclops" is bangs covering one eye, "the machete" is short hair all one length, and "the poodle" is a perm.
I'm sure you can guess how we came up with the names.
31 March 2008
Popularity
Maybe you don't realize how lucky you are to be an American. I don't say that to insult you, but I know I didn't understand. Really, I still can't.
You've heard it all before about how rich Americans are compared to the rest of the world. You've heard about all the opportunities that Americans have. You've heard about the freedoms in America. Well, it's all true, but I don't want to write about any of that. There's so much more...
In China, I knew I would stand out because I'm a foreigner. But it's not just being Caucasian with blue eyes, light hair, and straight teeth from braces. Some of the other international students fall into those categories.
Simply because I'm an American, people think I'm awesome and want to hang out with me. I don't even have to try to make friends.
Upper-level Chinese language students want to study with me and help me learn Chinese. Sure, they want to improve their English, but because I'm from America, my English is "perfect." Most other international students can speak English, but they spent years and years of hard work studying it. Really, they're still learning. I just naturally speak it.
I had dinner with some Chinese students, and afterward I had to visit each of their dorm rooms so their roommates, floor mates, and everyone around would know that they were super-cool to have an American friend.
On the street, people I don't know say "hello" (in English) to me. In America, strangers may greet each other, especially in small towns. But in China, this is very odd; my friends always ask if I know who said hi to me. It is also unusual that strangers in China give up their seat on the bus for me. People I don't know tell me I'm pretty, or talk to my guy friends about me. It's different in China; they don't have romantic intentions. But I always think, "Just because you've only seen, like, three Caucasian girls in your lifetime..."
A friend told me that my roommate is totally thrilled to be living with an American. I have done nothing to earn her adoration. I always feel guilty about little things- she cleans the room while I'm asleep because she doesn't want me to help, for example. She has made my bed for me in the morning while I'm taking a shower. She offers me everything she has. She would do anything to help me.
I can't stand myself sometimes. Everyone thinks I'm someone I'm not. And I didn't do anything to earn any of this.
My Birthday
My 20th birthday was on Friday. I'm so glad that I spent it in Lanzhou.
I woke up with a hug and an Islamic blessing from my roommate. Before I left for class, a couple from Kazakhstan stopped by my room to wish me a happy birthday. As is custom in their country on birthdays, the men give the women a kiss on the cheek. This is obviously not something I'm used to, and it was a little awkward that the guy came with his girlfriend and then gave me a kiss. I encountered several more Kazakh guys throughout the day, so I was a little less caught-off-guard.
On my way to class, I was wished a happy birthday in Chinese, Russian, English, Spanish, and Korean.
Appropriately enough, my Chinese speaking lesson dealt with ages and birthdays.
I went out to eat dumplings after classes with my western friends, and then I bought birthday cake for my party that evening.
All of my friends gathered together in Zhuan Jia Lou where I live for an evening of celebration. It was quite the multicultural event. I was sung to in five different languages. As everyone laughed and talked together, those same languages mixed into a beautiful cacophony.
The gifts I received also represented different cultures. Several gifts were from China, such as tea, but I also received Korean gifts, Tibetan jewelry, potato vodka from Norway, and western music (thankfully no pop music: Mae, Escape the Fate, Enter Shikari, Comeback Kid, etc.). Everyone was also excited about an "American" treat: Skittles. On the more humorous side, I was given a Chinese-comedy DVD and an air soft gun. My friends know me well!
Holy Cookies
I went to a Chinese bakery with two girls from America. We picked out some sandwich cookies and took them back to my room.
The cookies were very dry and crumbled everywhere. At first, we tried to contain the crumbs with our hands, napkins, and the trashcan. We finally gave up and let the crumbs fall everywhere.
Due to an ill-timed series of events, we had to leave my room without thoroughly cleaning up the mess. My roommate likes to keep the room very clean, but I knew she could forgive me this once, especially since I planned to vacuum up the crumbs as soon as possible.
When I got back to the room later, the first thing my roommate asked me was "Is this bread on the floor?" I began to apologize and explain that I was going to vacuum soon, but I saw she already had the vacuum cleaner out. She cut me off again with "Is this bread on the floor?"
This time I tried to explain that it was not exactly bread, but cookies. She didn't want to hear any of it. "Is this bread on the floor?" she asked again.
I gave up and just said that it was bread.
My roommate turned the vacuum cleaner on, and I tried to take it from her and clean it up myself. That's when she turned the vacuum cleaner off and explained to me what was going on.
In her home country of Kazakhstan, bread is considered sacred. My roommate said that from the time she was a child, she learned that bread should never be on the floor. I felt bad simply for leaving the room a mess, but the fact that I defiled her room made me feel terrible. And then she wouldn't let me clean it up so I felt even worse.
Sometimes I drop a few small crumbs of bread on the floor. You know the kind where they're too small to pick up, but you can still see them? Well, I rub them into the carpet so she doesn't know.
Am I a horrible person?
The cookies were very dry and crumbled everywhere. At first, we tried to contain the crumbs with our hands, napkins, and the trashcan. We finally gave up and let the crumbs fall everywhere.
Due to an ill-timed series of events, we had to leave my room without thoroughly cleaning up the mess. My roommate likes to keep the room very clean, but I knew she could forgive me this once, especially since I planned to vacuum up the crumbs as soon as possible.
When I got back to the room later, the first thing my roommate asked me was "Is this bread on the floor?" I began to apologize and explain that I was going to vacuum soon, but I saw she already had the vacuum cleaner out. She cut me off again with "Is this bread on the floor?"
This time I tried to explain that it was not exactly bread, but cookies. She didn't want to hear any of it. "Is this bread on the floor?" she asked again.
I gave up and just said that it was bread.
My roommate turned the vacuum cleaner on, and I tried to take it from her and clean it up myself. That's when she turned the vacuum cleaner off and explained to me what was going on.
In her home country of Kazakhstan, bread is considered sacred. My roommate said that from the time she was a child, she learned that bread should never be on the floor. I felt bad simply for leaving the room a mess, but the fact that I defiled her room made me feel terrible. And then she wouldn't let me clean it up so I felt even worse.
Sometimes I drop a few small crumbs of bread on the floor. You know the kind where they're too small to pick up, but you can still see them? Well, I rub them into the carpet so she doesn't know.
Am I a horrible person?
27 March 2008
No Distractions
My life in China is simple. I like it. There is a pattern and pace to each day and each week.
I brought my laptop and I have the option of having the internet in my room. I have decided to do without it. I can get online at an internet café down the street when I want. I enjoy not having the distractions of instant messenger, Facebook, email, and just generally being online.
I do wish that I could be more connected to family and friends back home. But this way, I'm not missing out on anything in China. I spend more time writing about my experiences here and I'm not distracted when I study (or should I say, I actually study!).
I'm even to the point where I dread getting online each week- it's almost like a chore.
I also don't listen to music as often as I did in the states, either. I must admit, I miss working at a radio station and being around friends who are so into music. I have nothing new to listen to (except my roommate's Kazakh hip hop and rap). But as with the internet issue, I'm better off without the distraction.
I brought my laptop and I have the option of having the internet in my room. I have decided to do without it. I can get online at an internet café down the street when I want. I enjoy not having the distractions of instant messenger, Facebook, email, and just generally being online.
I do wish that I could be more connected to family and friends back home. But this way, I'm not missing out on anything in China. I spend more time writing about my experiences here and I'm not distracted when I study (or should I say, I actually study!).
I'm even to the point where I dread getting online each week- it's almost like a chore.
I also don't listen to music as often as I did in the states, either. I must admit, I miss working at a radio station and being around friends who are so into music. I have nothing new to listen to (except my roommate's Kazakh hip hop and rap). But as with the internet issue, I'm better off without the distraction.
The Pick-Pocket
I encountered a pick-pocket today for the first time.
I have lived in China for over a month now, and I consider myself extremely lucky for having not had any issues with pick-pockets until now. When I first arrived in Lanzhou, everyone I met gave me helpful advice for me regarding various aspects of life here. And without fail, each person warned me of pick-pockets.
I have a small messenger bag and I wear the strap across my body. I always keep it in front of me and have one hand over the zipper. This afternoon I was walking down a wide, open street of fruit vendors when I felt a very light tug on the strap. A young teenager was trying to slowly unzip my bag without me noticing.
Pick-pockets like these have no intention of physically harming anyone. They become easily scared and run away, so I wasn't the least bit concerned. I actually had some fun.
As soon as I felt the tug, I put my hand on my bag and turned around. I stared at the kid for about 5 seconds, which I'm sure seemed like an eternity to him. He started to walk away and I held my glare. Everyone around me saw what happened. He couldn't take the embarrassment, so he ran away.
I felt victorious.
I have lived in China for over a month now, and I consider myself extremely lucky for having not had any issues with pick-pockets until now. When I first arrived in Lanzhou, everyone I met gave me helpful advice for me regarding various aspects of life here. And without fail, each person warned me of pick-pockets.
I have a small messenger bag and I wear the strap across my body. I always keep it in front of me and have one hand over the zipper. This afternoon I was walking down a wide, open street of fruit vendors when I felt a very light tug on the strap. A young teenager was trying to slowly unzip my bag without me noticing.
Pick-pockets like these have no intention of physically harming anyone. They become easily scared and run away, so I wasn't the least bit concerned. I actually had some fun.
As soon as I felt the tug, I put my hand on my bag and turned around. I stared at the kid for about 5 seconds, which I'm sure seemed like an eternity to him. He started to walk away and I held my glare. Everyone around me saw what happened. He couldn't take the embarrassment, so he ran away.
I felt victorious.
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