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?

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.

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.

Bing Ling Si


I went on a day-trip on Saturday with my friend Dustin from Canada. Dustin planned out the excursion: Starting in Lanzhou, we would travel to the city of Liu Jia Xi where we would take a boat to our final destination of Bing Ling Si.

Bing Ling Si is a Buddhist community southwest of Lanzhou. The main attraction is hundreds of small caves with Buddhist carvings.

Dustin and I met at 7:30 in the morning and took a bus from the university to western Lanzhou. Finding the west bus station was a journey of its own, so it was a good thing that our next bus didn't leave until 9:00.

The bus ride from Lanzhou to Liu Jia Xi was two hours. Public buses in the cities are dirty, crowded, and uncomfortable for long distances, but this bus was clean and had padded seats. The ride was quite enjoyable, especially because of the beautiful views of the county side.

Liu Jia Xi is a small city. Dustin and I think we were the only foreigners there, not to mention that few foreigners ever visit. Foreigners are more common in Lanzhou because it is the capital of the Gansu province and has several universities. We still get stares and "hellos" in Lanzhou, but in Liu Jia Xi we were met with gasps, pointing fingers, and people yelling "wai guo ren" (foreigners). A young girl even approached us with an offer for us to visit to her home. She recited some English sentences she had memorized, but it was apparent that she knew no English.

Dustin and I walked around Liu Jia Xi and had lunch. Then we took a taxi to the marina. We could have easily walked the distance, but we didn't actually know where the marina was. We had walked to the Yellow River at the south end of town but couldn't find it.

Unfortunately, Dustin and I were the only patrons of the marina on Saturday, so the boat ride was expensive. On the positive side, we had the 12 passenger boat to ourselves so we were able to take many pictures, and in my case, video.

The boat ride was one hour long and took us south on the Yellow River. The river is surrounded by mountains and is stunning.



Bing Ling Si is even more stunning. It would be an injustice to attempt to accurately describe the landscape. The mountains, the river, the walkways, the bridges, the caves, the Buddhist carvings and statues are all gorgeous. Bing Ling Si is a photographer's dream. Between the two of us, I think Dustin and I took over 300 photos.

As I previously mentioned, I brought my video camera along. I shot plenty of cover video and B roll, but the neatest tape I have taken so far in China is of Dustin and me being attacked by women and children selling jewelry and trinkets when we entered and left Bing Ling Si. The only English they know is hello, beautiful, and fifty (dollars). We spoke to them in Chinese and bargained with them for jewelry made by the Buddhist monks. (They kept saying "monkey" in English. Dustin and I know "monkey" in Chinese, so we said that back to them. Until we figured out that they meant "monk" both sides were confused about why the other would be talking about monkeys!)

We stayed at Bing Ling Si for just over an hour, and then Dustin and I took the boat back up the Yellow River to the Liu Jia Xi marina. We knew we were cutting it close on time- the last bus back to Lanzhou leaves Liu Jia Xi at 5:00. Buses are usually late, so we weren't too concerned that it was a few minutes before 5:00 by the time we docked. We speed-walked back toward town, but gave up and hitchhiked. On the way, we saw our bus to Lanzhou coming at us. The driver of our vehicle stopped in the middle of the road, honked, and waved the bus down. Luckily for us, the bus stopped to let us on.

This bus was crowded. Dustin and I didn't have actual seats, but we sat in the aisles and the front of the bus by the driver. Whereas the first bus ride seemed shorter than two hours, this one seemed longer. But we made it safely back to Lanzhou and to the university.

Because of recent events in China, traveling has been heavily restricted and is ill-advised. But because of the proximity and demographics of Bing Ling Si, Dustin and I felt it was safe to travel. Other popular destinations near Lanzhou, however, are closed to travelers. Hopefully things will calm down soon, because I'm already itching to go on some more weekend trips. Travel in China is easy and affordable because of the public buses and trains, and it would be a shame to stay in and study every weekend, especially as the temperature warms up!

Just a Thought...

Thanks for reading my blog! I'm glad that you're interested in what it's like for me in China. And it means a lot to me that you care about how I'm doing.

But honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about blogging.

It's a good way to share my experiences. The journalist in me tries to write objectively about what it's like in China. Some of my blog entries are more personal, though, and those are the ones I feel especially weird about posting.

I think of myself as an open person. Say anything to me, and I probably won't get offended. Ask me anything, and I'll answer. Everyone here is curious about Americans and life in the states, so I get asked very personal questions on a daily basis. I'm glad to answer and elaborate on the subject, even.

But volunteering personal information on a blog is a different story. I'm learning to be transparent, but it's weird to know that all of you are reading about my life and learning about me.

Like the title of this post, it's just a thought.

21 March 2008

Homesickness

I have been in China for a month and I haven't been homesick. I don't even miss anything from America. Sure, the ice cream, chocolate, coffee, and bread are pretty lame here. I rarely hear English. It's dirty everywhere. I can't drink the water or eat fruit. But I don't care.

Really, I don't.

If I said I didn't miss my family, that wouldn't be true. But it's no different than when I'm at college in America. Last semester in the states I went home three times, during breaks. This semester I'm just not going home.

I know it's harder on my family because they worry about me more here than when I was in America. But in some ways, I feel safer here. For example, there are so many people on the streets at all hours that I can go out at night if I want. And I didn't like walking around campus after dark in the U.S...

Maybe the reason that I haven't been missing the U.S., though, is because I've been with other westerners a lot lately. It's awesome to be in China with people from so many different countries, but I get really excited about talking with other people from America. We have so much in common just because of where we're from. There's a basic understanding and common ground between all of us, and it's so refreshing.

18 March 2008

On the Streets


Walking on the streets of China is dangerous. No, not what you're thinking. While there may be thieves and the like, I have yet to encounter any. What I mean is, walking on the streets is dangerous.

No one looks where they are going. At first, I thought it was inconsiderate to walk straight at someone and then dodge them at the last split second. After constantly zigzagging through crowds, I realized that I was walking about three times are far as the people I was with. Now I just walk straight ahead like everyone else.

I get run into and I run into other people, but it's just the way it is in China. I'm getting used to it.

And if walking on the sidewalk is dangerous, imagine trying to cross the street. I never cross alone, and my friends and I always hold hands or link arms when we cross. I'm serious.

Traffic in China is ridiculous. Even at a cross walk where the pedestrian light is green, there is a constant flow of traffic. Consequently, I'm not sure what the green light indicates. I have been narrowly missed by bicycles, buses, taxis, and cars while attempting to cross the road even in a large crowd. And it's not because I'm not paying attention or because I failed to see the vehicle. They come from nowhere and swerve.

On the subject of transportation, most people walk everywhere. Buses and taxis are used for longer distances instead of cars. In taxis and cars, though, no one wears seatbelts. Several taxi drivers have gotten offended when I put one on. Often, the seatbelts have been removed. Even now that I'm pretty used to it here, I usually reach for a seat belt out of habit. I always wear a seatbelt in America where drivers follow some sort of traffic regulations, but in China where anything goes, I can't wear one because I'll offend the Chinese.

13 March 2008

Chinese Medicine

Because I became ill from eating raw vegetables, I went to a Chinese hospital. This might be a scary thought for you, as it was for me at first.

What made me the most nervous was the language barrier. A faculty member from the University took me to the hospital, so I tried to describe to her in English what was wrong. She told the doctor in Chinese and tried to translate his questions and instructions for me.

Not much was said to me. After she explained to the doctor what was wrong, I was given medicine- two types of pills, and told how many times per day to take them.

The medicine isn't anything weird. I've been thinking about how scary Chinese medicine seems to foreigners, especially Americans. But really, one quarter of the world's population lives here. They go to these hospitals and take this medicine. Just because China is different doesn’t mean they are wrong. Maybe we have better solutions in America, but the Chinese ones work fine, too.

Oh, and my doctors bills were less than 15 yuan, or $2.10.


P.S.- I'm FINE, don't worry!!!

Forbidden Fruit

Because fruit and vegetables in China are grown in unsuitable water, westerners are not supposed to eat them raw. Supposedly, my body will get used to it over time and I will be able to eat uncooked produce in the future. I mentioned my friend Tracy in a previous post. She is also from America and has been in China for about seven months, so I asked her if she eats uncooked fruit and vegetables. She does and has had no problems. I decided to take my chances, and I ate a raw tomato with some rice one evening. I should mention that I had had no adverse reactions to any of the food in China until this point. And, all because of a tomato, I was sick for three days. I'm now wondering why I didn't enjoy a banana, apple, pineapple, pear, or other tempting fruit I walk past every day at the local markets. I now know how Adam and Eve felt.

Chinese Water

The water in China is not safe to drink unless it has been boiled. It contains bacteria and other contaminants, so even the native Chinese cannot consume it.

Water is obviously very necessary for life, so everywhere I go I see large thermoses for transporting and storing water that has been boiled. Strangely, I've only ever seen one model of thermos. Someone must have a monopoly on the industry in China. Anyway, students walk around campus with the thermoses, I see them on the city streets, in the train stations, in bathrooms, and in restaurants. The images in my mind of China will always have these multicolored thermoses.

I personally do not have one of these ubiquitous Chinese thermoses. In my room I have a device for boiling water. I'm guessing that the name of it is obvious, but I can't think of what it might be. Anyway, it's like a hot plate attached to a liter pitcher. It boils the water in a minute or so and keeps it hot all day. My roommate and I drink so much tea, though, that we refill it multiple times every day.

In restaurants, boiled water is served to drink. I have gotten used to drinking plain hot water all the time. I actually can't remember if that's considered weird in America, so I thought I'd mention it. And, drinks are not served with ice. It seems counter-productive to boil water and then freeze it just so a drink is a little colder. I don't miss ice. It now seems unnecessary, like shower curtains, hot water at all hours, and western toilets. Go ahead and laugh at me.

Bathrooms

The questions friends ask about most often have to do with bathrooms. I'm guessing everyone is wondering, so here is a whole blog entry on the subject.

The dorms at the university do not have bathrooms. Because I live in the International Guest House, aka hotel, I have a bathroom in my room (yep, I do know how lucky I am!). But the Chinese students must shower in a public bath house. Every weekend, I see students walking around campus with sandals and wet hair, holding a towel and a bottle of shampoo. (Side note: I'm not sure if they only take showers on weekends or if I just don't go out at the right time to see them on weekdays.) Anyway, the shower in my room is the kind with the removable shower head. But there is no bathtub or actual shower space, and no shower curtain. The bathroom is just a room with a toilet, a sink, a shower head on the wall, and a drain on the floor. At first, I thought the whole room was going to get wet when I took a shower. But it doesn't. The only negative thing I can think of about the shower is that because there's no curtain, roommates don't use the bathroom at the same time.

As for hot water, it is available only at designated times in my building. The times are from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and then again from 6 p.m. to midnight. Like the shower situation, the hot water is not a big deal. Who takes a shower at three in the afternoon anyway? Maybe every once in a while it might be nice. But really, either wait a few hours or plan out your day better. And yes, this means there's no hot water during the day to wash your hands with, but in America, do you always wait for the tap water to get hot before washing your hands? I know I didn't.

I have a western toilet in my room, but the public toilets are very different here. The rumor is that they are "just holes in the ground." That's only partly true. So here is some clarification. The toilets are made of white porcelain, like in the west, but you don't sit on them. There are places for your feet on either side of the toilet bowl and you just squat. There is no structure above ground-level. So in a sense, the toilets are holes in the ground, but that doesn't mean there is no plumbing, or that you squat on a dirt floor, or whatever else you may have imagined. In some respects, the Chinese toilet is more sanitary. How many people sit on the same public toilet in America every day? In China, no one touches the toilet. On the other hand, some people in China miss the toilet bowl and the toilets aren't cleaned very often.

And, it's true: Toilet paper isn't provided in the bathrooms. I keep tissues in my pocket at all times, although I rarely find myself in need of a public toilet.

I think I covered every aspect of a bathroom, so maybe you all can ask me about something else! I welcome your questions about life in China!

07 March 2008

Say My Name

All my life I've been called different names. Caitlin, Caiti, Cait. In high school I was Caiti. In college I'm Caitlin. At home I'm any of the three. And two of my good friends consistently call me Caiti-Caiti.

In high school I preferred Caiti but would often say that I liked to be Caitlin every once in a while. I said that it meant a lot to me when someone took the time to say my full name.

At my college, I am only known as Caitlin. It's my real name. It's who I am.

For the Chinese and most foreigners, "Caitlin" is very difficult to pronounce. So, they call me Caiti but spell it the normal way: Katie. During class in China, my name is Kai Di.

The first week of classes, I introduced myself to the only other westerner in my group. I asked Dustin his name and he said, “You're Katie, right?"
I said, "Nope, you can call me Caitlin."
"Alright, Caitlin.”

Being called by my name for the first time in weeks was one of the greatest feelings ever. I never thought it would make a difference as to what I am called. Now that it does, I find it ironic that in China, a person's name is almost sacred to them, but I can't be called by mine.

What does your name mean to you? Have you thought about it what it would be like to not be called by your name?


"It won't be long before you forget my name. Can you tell that I'm losing myself? I think I'm trying too hard to let it show, to let you know. Don't trace your footsteps back to me... Well I thought I would never leave anything behind. I also never thought I'd say... It won't be long before you forget my name." ~New Found Glory, Forget My Name

Westerners

I have met two other western students. One of them is Tracy from New York. She is in an intermediate-level Chinese class, but I met her because she stopped by my room to say hi. We went to dinner and grocery shopping together and talked about studying abroad and funny things we've noticed about China. Tracy has been here for seven months and she said she wished she had written more of her thoughts and impressions down.

I write several times per day. I'm filling up a notebook very quickly, and sometimes I wonder why I write so much. As I'm writing, I feel that much of what I'm recording is mundane. Tracy says to keep writing! I know she is right- when I get back to America, I will want to remember the everyday things about life in China. I hope that as the semester moves along, I will still write as much as I do now.

Anyway, the other westerner I have met is named Dustin, from Winnipeg. He is in all of my classes.

Usually conversations with international students begin with "What's your name?" in Chinese. We all have Chinese in common, so after that we can easily figure out each other’s native languages. The next question is "What country are you from?" and I am always asked what state. Not many foreigners know about Ohio, though. (Is it near California?) When I met Dustin, our conversation went like this:
“I'm from Winnipeg. You?"
“Columbus, Ohio.”
“Awesome.”
“How'd you end up at Lanzhou?”

I find it interesting that three westerners are at Lanzhou University. The first thing we wanted to know about each other, other than names and where we are from, is how we got to Lanzhou. Tracy was randomly placed here. She received a scholarship from the Chinese government and they decided she would study at Lanzhou. Dustin and I are both exchange students.

I have heard that there are one or two more American students who haven't come back from break yet. I wonder if I will be able to pick them out easily and I am curious as to how they came to Lanzhou.

04 March 2008

International Students

I can't say for sure what it's like at other American colleges and universities, but at my home college, the international students stick together. It's not that they don't want to meet Americans or that none of their friends are Americans. But they spent their first days in America together, they live together, they go to class together, etc.

Well now I'm one of “them."

I have made several Chinese friends, but I spend much more time with the other international students. We all live in the same building and are so different from those around us that we have much in common. We talk about learning Chinese, traveling in China, our impressions of the country, missing our family and friends, and what it is like in our home countries.

Also, the way Chinese language classes are set up isolates us from the other students. Most of my classes are in a classroom on the floor where I live. The other students in my class are beginning Chinese international students as well. My roommate and the other girls we hang out with took the beginning courses last semester, so are taking the intermediate courses together now.

And, finally, many of the Chinese students are too shy to speak to me. Many stare at me and laugh if I say hi to them, but not nearly to the degree I experienced while in Fugu.

Hopefully I will get to spend more time with the Chinese students as the semester moves along. But honestly, I enjoy learning about Korea, Africa, Russia, Kazakhstan, Japan, Mongolia, Australia, and Uzbekistan while enjoying the culture and customs of China. It's the best of both worlds, or should I say, the whole world?

Aidana


My roommate is from Kazakhstan and speaks Kazakh, Russian, English, and is now learning Chinese. Her name is Aidana and she has been at Lanzhou University for about 7 months. She has been so helpful to me by showing me around the campus and city. We went to the supermarket, the bank, and out to lunch together my first day here.

Aidana is a Muslim, and luckily for her, Lanzhou has a large Chinese-Muslim population. The most common meat served in China is pork, but there are many halal restaurants in Lanzhou that serve mutton and beef instead.

Aidana and I get along very well. We are both neat and quiet, and we study a lot, but we also like to go out in Lanzhou and have fun.

English is Aidana's third language, so she learns new words every day and fixes her grammar as we speak. I learn the Chinese words for the English ones I teach her. I forget most of them, but I have started writing them down. Also, since classes have started, I'm picking up Chinese more quickly.