Just About Finished

I have taken all of my exams for this semester. They weren’t so bad, partly because I was the only person in my class to take them early. The teachers are grad students and I feel like they didn’t put too much effort into making up my exams. They were still hard… just not what I was expecting.

It feels good to be done and to have a few days to relax and finish up last-minute things before I come home.

On Saturday I’m flying to Beijing and meeting a friend there- Yuan Guo who studied at Muskingum during the 2007-2008 school year. We plan to go to the Great Wall and some other famous places on Sunday. (I’m amused to find out what places security allows me use my video camera…) Then on Monday afternoon I will make the 13-hour flight to the states. Back home, once again.

The Fight

So my last post was basically to introduce a cultural custom that culminated in a fight in my dorm that my friend Rustam broke up. Here’s the story.

I was coming back from eating dinner with my friend Lily when a huge, bloody brawl broke out at my doorstep. Lily and I climbed the back stairs up to my floor, and at the top of steps were about 30 of the guys from Central Asia. They were blocking the way to get to my room. We had heard them yelling as we came up, but when I saw their faces, I was scared to death. I grabbed Lily and turned the other way, going straight to Rustam’s room for safety. But Rustam’s door was wide open and no one was inside. We went back into the hallway, but in the opposite direction of the fight.

It suddenly got really, really quiet. Then Rustam marched down the hallway into his room. He went to his bathroom and started washing his hands, but not before I saw all the blood going down the drain. There was blood all over his shirt, too. I took Lily’s arm and we tried to go back to my room, but all the guys were still there and wouldn’t let me through. I just starting pushed them aside and went through anyway. At my door, there was blood smeared all over the hallway floor and wall. I felt sick.

Later, Rustam came by and told us the story. A guy from Kazakhstan went to shake hands with a guy from Kyrgyzstan, and he intentionally shook his hand “the wrong way” showing disrespect. They yelled at each other for a few minutes, then all the Kazakh guys came to defend their country, and the all Kyrgyz guys did the same. The Uzbek guys obviously wanted to watch. While they were yelling, Rustam was doing his evening prayers. Needless to say, people started throwing punches, and a bloody nose made everything messy. At this point, Rustam went out to break up the fight. He said two guys were fighting, and the rest were just watching. Disgusting. Rustam also said that when Lily and I came up to the floor, the guys were mortified. And they didn’t want to let us go through when it was over because they didn’t want us to see the blood. While they can be pretty wild and like to fight, they always keep a sense of respect for women. When I see them now, some act ashamed. Rightfully so.

Hello, culture shock.

Shaking Hands

The male students from Central Asia are big on shaking hands. It’s a cultural tradition that is extremely important to them. When they meet each other across town, on campus, or even outside their own dorm rooms, they shake hands and greet each other. It doesn’t matter if they just saw this person 2 minutes ago, if they are really busy, or if there are 20 guys to shake hands with. Not shaking hands is a major form of disrespect.

When I go somewhere with one of these guys, I usually allot an extra 10 minutes or so because they will inevitably encounter some of their pack along the way. And, when they are all shaking hands, I stand there like an idiot the whole time. Really, what am I supposed to do while this is going on?

Chopsticks

I do not remember not being able to use chopsticks. I know that’s not true of everyone, and for some people learning is really difficult. But it sort of came naturally to me.

Chinese people have this idea that foreigners do not have the ability to use chopsticks, and also are not capable of learning. My friends are so surprised by my abilities and that I prefer chopsticks over a fork or spoon any day of the week. It’s annoying to try to find a way to explain that it’s never been a problem and that they should not be surprised.

At the Christmas party last week, the international office set up this game where we used chopsticks to move mandarin oranges and grapes from one cup into another. What a cinch. That game did not go over well because they completely under-estimated our fine motor skills.

Speak of fine motor skills, I have always been particular about handwriting; I enjoy cursive, calligraphy, and just plain writing nicely. I wonder if this is related to chopstick use… You see, writing Chinese characters can be difficult and painstaking. Chinese people start writing characters and using chopsticks from their childhood. Their fine motor skills are awesome. Those with bad handwriting, have you been able to use chopsticks without practicing? If you have good handwriting, do you still have trouble? Please comment.

Love, Love, Love

I’ll have video of the Christmas celebration up in about a week… wait for it…

Christmas, maybe

Chinese students keep asking me how I’m going to celebrate Christmas. I say I’m probably not going to because… how would I celebrate it? Christmas is a family and community holiday, and even if you observe it by yourself, you can’t really call that a ‘celebration.’

When I’m asked about Christmas, the students always get really excited and say we should celebrate together (um… I don’t even know you!). I ask how they would want to celebrate, and they just want to go out to eat at a ‘western’ restaurant, or one that is ridiculously expensive. Celebrating Christmas in China means you’re hip and cool, because westerners celebrate Christmas. I think that’s missing the point.

I asked one of my teachers about why Chinese students want to celebrate Christmas, or pretend that they do. She said because everywhere else in the world, people celebrate Christmas (not true). I asked what they were celebrating, since it’s certainly not Jesus. No response.

Then, the office sent out a decree that each class must put on a Christmas performance for everyone. I don’t think the office realizes that at least 90% of the international students here are Muslims and aren’t excited about celebrating Christmas.

My class put me in charge of our performance. Why does this always happen? So, thanks to my eclectic skills of audio editing, cheerleading, and Chinese karaoke, we are going to be doing a combination song and dance to a famous Chinese song (“Love, Love, Love” by Jolin, anyone?). Please note that this has nothing to do with Christmas. So, we are going to wear Santa hats. Very festive.

I went to a supermarket today to scout out some hats, and it was reiterated that Chinese people really have no clue about Christmas. I found the Santa hats on display with Halloween costumes and Mardi Gras masks. It’s not that China is celebrating these three holidays together, they just don’t know the difference. Also, Christmas in China this year is sponsored by 7Up. (Take THAT, Sprite!)

12 Degrees and Smoky

On my Google homepage, I have a weather gadget that tells me the current weather conditions in Lanzhou, as well as the three-day forecast. (I also have a gadget to convert Fahrenheit and Celsius. Much easier than all that 9/5 then adding 32 stuff.)

Sometimes the weather gadget tells me it’s “cloudy” or “overcast,” but more often than not it says “smoke.” That’s right, smoke.

I think this must mean that the air is so polluted that the instruments read it as the air being like smoke. Is that possible?

International Festival Follow-Up

One of the Uzbek students here is a reporter for the news station in Uzbekistan’s capital city, Tashkent. He made a news package about the international festival and posted it on this Chinese video site, so you can get a feel for what the festival was like.

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTM1ODk2NjQ0.html

At about one minute into the video, there’s a short clip of me speaking Uzbek. I’m just saying the normal greeting, “Assalomu alaykum.” Nothing complicated.

These Foreign Names!

There's an international student here from Uzbekistan whose name is pronounced "horse sh*t."

I can't look him in the eye, and we don't ever speak because I'm afraid of laughing.

The Number 8

Another anecdote from class…

We were discussing lucky numbers according to Chinese culture. We all know that 8 is lucky, but we were told why: because 8 (八，ba) sounds like “fa” (发) which is a character sometimes used to mean “get rich” (发财，fa cai). There are at least two problems with this reasoning.

1. Fa 发 is used in tons of different ways.
头发 – tou fa, HAIR
发票 – fa piao, RECEIPT
发现 – fa xian, TO DISCOVER
发光 – fa guang, TO SHINE
发电 – fa dian, TO PRODUCE ELECTRICITY
发霉 – fa mei, TO BECOME MOLDY
发展 – fa zhan, TO DEVELOP

Need I go on? Maybe the number 8 actually means that you discover mold on your shiny hair after it develops static electricity from the receipt. (Not so lucky, is it?) In other (Chinese) words, 你发现你的发光的头发发霉了因为发票把你的头发发电了。That’s a lot of “发 fa.”

2. Ba 八 does not only rhyme with ‘fa’ 发, but it also rhymes with pa, ma, na, la, da, ta, ga, shall I go on? I could list out all of the possible meanings of these words as well, but I will spare you (and myself).

Why is 8 a lucky number? I’m still not sure.

Dog Fur

Dog fur is sold on the street, right outside my university gate.

The sellers throw a small blanket down on the sidewalk, have a little sign that says “dog fur,” and put out their wares.

The fur is attached to articles of clothing, and the purpose is to keep warm for winter. Obviously, dog fur is abundantly available for it to be sold as a cheap way to keep warm.

Are you re-thinking that plate of beef? I’m not.

Hating This Place Is Fun

As you have probably noticed, my attitude toward China and my studies is much different than during my first semester here. I’ve realized that hating this place sometimes is okay, and is, in fact, part of the fun of being here.

My friend Andy has a similar attitude. By similar, I mean his attitude is: “Hating this place is fun.”

In class today, Andy complained about how all of our lessons are the same: MaLi and DaWei visit a Chinese family. WangFeng and TianZhong go out to eat. MaLi and WangFeng go to the hospital.

Andy says he’s tired of learning about these things. “Why don’t we have good lessons, like ‘Our system of government sucks,’ or ‘We are totally racist’?” he asked.

Then, during our class break, Andy and I went to a little shop on campus for a snack. “Oh, do they have today’s China Daily?” he asked me. “I’m all out of toilet paper.”

Bones to Pick

I’m surprised by certain attitudes I come across in China. Attitudes are hard to explain and describe, but this past week my teachers said some things that make certain Chinese attitudes very clear.

Example one.
During my Chinese speaking class, the teacher started talking about China’s Taiwan. “If you go to China’s Taiwan this, and in China’s Taiwan that, and China’s Taiwan is very whatever.” My English classmate Andy, who is not afraid of anything, said, “China’s Taiwan? What about Taiwan’s own Taiwan?” (Andy is my hero.) The teacher said, “China’s Taiwan. Do you have a problem?” Yes, I do.

Example two.
During my Chinese listening class, we were discussing the Chinese phrase for “world famous.” The teacher asked us to give some examples. We mentioned the Great Wall of China, the Terracotta Warriors, and Qingdao beer. Then one student said, “And Jackie Chan!” The teacher frowned a little and then completely straight-faced said, “No, Jackie Chan cannot be considered world famous. See, in Africa they don’t know about him. In Africa, they have no movies and no TV. They are very poor. Jackie Chan is not world famous.” WTF??? My teacher is a graduate student.

I’m not even going to comment on these examples… I will leave that up to you.

Zhong Guo Hua (Chinese)

Most of the time, I feel awkward as a foreigner in China. Chinese students aren’t satisfied with their country and culture, and they think I’m amazing because I’m an American. They all study English so hard (with no avail…), and they envy my blue eyes and light hair, my pale skin, and “western” facial features. Not cool.

But sometimes, I see Chinese students who are proud of who they are. I was listening to an old song by a pop group with lyrics about the Chinese language. The verses talk about how in London, Moscow, New York, and Berlin, people are being exposed to Chinese culture. (Women wear Chinese-style dresses, eat Lanzhou noodles, pair the electric guitar with an ancient Chinese instrument, etc.) The chorus says, “The whole world is learning Chinese. Confucius’ words are becoming world culture. The whole world is speaking Chinese. People of the world: You’d better listen up!”

My favorite part of the song, though, is “How long have we painstakingly studied English pronunciation and grammar? For a change, it’s their turn to get their tongues in a knot. Chinese people are smart, and our language is beautiful.”

The rest of the song is a series of tongue-twisters that are also really deep riddles. And, the language used is beautiful. Point proven. I’m proud of you for being proud of who you are and where you’re from.

And, let’s be honest, I’ve been listening to this song for over a year and just last week was able to understand the lyrics.

The International Festival

The International Festival was actually great. My part was not, but the other students really went over-the-top.

My display board was pretty sharp. I had some graphs comparing the U.S. and China’s economy, geography, people, and military, as well as map of the U.S. with China placed on top (I got these materials from www.mint.com). I also had some pictures of famous places in America, President Obama, and U.S. symbols.


Me with my display board... lame.

I had made a pretty good PowerPoint presentation, too. I skipped a whole day of classes to work on it, in fact. I even rehearsed giving my presentation in Chinese. But, welcome to China, they told us at the last minute that we didn’t need the presentations because it would be too bright outside for people to see and there would be no screen, anyway. Thank you, Lanzhou University.


Korean students perform Tae Kwon Do

The main participants in the festival were Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan, and all of the Arabic-speaking students worked together for a good performance. Because these groups each had 20-50 students, I felt really left out standing beside a poster board by myself talking to Chinese students about politics and economy. I ditched my display and instead learned about the cultural differences between the Central Asian countries.


A young man and lady from Kyrgyzstan dance together


Girls from Uzbekistan wear traditional dresses and dance

During the festival, sometimes I felt extremely happy and sometimes kind of sad. I felt happy when I watched my good friends sing and dance, wearing traditional clothes. They are so proud of their countries and cultures. On the other hand, I felt really awkward because America is so lame and we don’t know it. I felt a really intense longing to be part of a distinct culture and to have such a strong national pride. These Central Asian countries only recently became independent from Russia (most around 1991) and they really have a lot to celebrate. Many of my friends remember when their countries were part of Russia and how hard life was for their families.


Me being interviewed by the Tashkent news station

Preparing for the International Festival

A previous post was about university communication and random meetings. Two weeks ago a meeting was called, and at the meeting, we were told that we needed to prepare a presentation about our countries for an international festival. Since I’m the only American, I thought this was quite a large task for one person, but nothing I couldn’t handle. We were told to speak for a few minutes about our country, and make a large display board. No problem.

The next week, another meeting was called, and I had to cancel plans with a friend to attend. There they told us we had six requirements to finish in a week:

1. Wear your country’s clothes and carry a flag across the stage.
2. Prepare a short performance, like a skit.
3. Sing a song or dance.
4. Prepare a powerpoint presentation about your country.
5. Make two large display boards with pictures of your country.
6. Prepare some of your country’s food to display.

Here are my responses to each of these:

1. Crap, I left my cowgirl costume at home!!! Also, I don’t have a flag.
2. I could imitate an American president and talk about things like stamping out Communism, the merits of democracy, and defending human rights…
3. Over my dead body. Do they want me dancing in a bikini or rapping about murdering people?
4. Ok, I can make a powerpoint. It’s going to be sarcastic, though. You can count on it.
5. Yes, I can do this. No problem.
6. Macaroni and cheese? Hot dogs? Gross.

The festival was supposed to be this Saturday, and I stayed home from class on Thursday to prepare. That afternoon, and third meeting was called. They are moving the festival to next Saturday because this Saturday is too cold. Excuse me, but doesn’t the weather get colder and colder as winter approaches?

Insanity. I’ll let you know how it goes next week…

The Gym

I joined a gym last week. My good Chinese friend LiLi told me about it because she started taking yoga classes there.

The gym is about a 15 minute walk from the university. I walk down a dirty, crowded street, past a poor area of town, and into a dingy building. The elevator is broken, so I climb up to the fourth floor in a dark, damp stair well. The lights are sound-activated and are off until I clap, stomp my feet, or cough.

When I reach the fourth floor, I slowly open the door and find, to my surprise, a completely normal-looking gym. It’s clean, has new equipment, and the people working out seem very western. American pop music is playing. I always breathe deeply and pretend that I’m back in America for just a few minutes. The contrast shocks me every time.

My first day, I had a complete exam, including body composition and strength tests. I found it fascinating, but I was surprised that I can have a nearly fluent conversation in Chinese about things like blood pressure, physical injuries, nutrition, and muscle mass. Using technical words like these is great for my Chinese. When I go to classes, it’s the same. We talk about breathing, body parts, direction words, and motion words.

Recently I had been feeling a little glum and tired; working out has been great for me. I have more energy, and when I get back from a full day of classes, it’s actually relaxing to go for a run or practice yoga.

University Communication

Communication between professors, departments, the offices, and students at Lanzhou University is ridiculous.

My Chinese friend LiLi is about to graduate from the university with a degree in economics. She told me yesterday that she received a message on QQ, the Chinese instant messenger program, that by next week she must decide on a topic for her undergraduate thesis paper. I know professors in the U.S. sometimes use Facebook as a form of communication with students, but it’s for more casual conversation. A mass QQ message about such a serious topic? Seriously, guys.

LiLi also tells me that she gets random phone calls from classmates saying “So and so told me to tell you that we don’t have class this afternoon. The professor called so and so who told so and so who told me.”

It’s always the same: No emails, no notices. Nothing concrete, written down, or from someone in authority.

It’s the same with us international students. My teachers often receive text messages or phone calls during class, and then they say, “This afternoon at 4:00, you all need to go to the office,” or “Bring your passport, student ID, and 400Y to class tomorrow.” We ask why, what for, etc., but our teachers don’t know either. It’s frustrating, especially if we already have plans.

Last week, a teacher called me twice about a meeting the next afternoon. I showed up at the office and there was no meeting. As I was leaving, I encountered this teacher in the lobby. She said, “Oh, it was cancelled. Please come back tomorrow.” Sheesh…

I joke with friends that I’m going to play a prank and tell everyone to go to the office a certain day and time. The office, obviously having no clue, will be flooded with students and won’t know what to do. Or, I could text everyone saying there is no class one afternoon.

I would never, ever play a prank like this, but it’s the principle. None of our information is credible or reliable. Sometimes I get angry, especially if I must cancel prior plans. And other times, I remind myself that this is China, this is what I signed up for, and I shouldn’t let it get to me.

HSK

There is a standardized Chinese language test called the HSK; it’s like the TOEFL is for foreign students wanting to study in the U.S.

“HSK” stands for the Chinese words for Chinese Level Examination (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi). The highest score is a 9, and I don’t know if many Chinese students could get a 9 on it. The lowest score is a 2 (no, I don’t know what happened to 1).

I’m taking the HSK in two weeks. I’m not nervous about it, because I actually don’t care about my score. I’m fine with getting a 2, and would be absolutely elated to get a 3. The important thing for me is not what my score is, but that I have a score. I can try to describe my Chinese proficiency all I want with words, but having a score is like a pass to getting a job or getting into a Chinese grad school.

I took a practice exam last week and I thought I did horrible on it. Then I talked to some other students and I’m actually ok with getting a 42/120. I’m not sure what HSK score this correlates to… possibly a 3, but I don’t know how the scoring actually works.

I bought my “HB” pencils (there’s no #2 here), got my picture taken for my HSK ID, and am studying grammar every day. Now I’m just waiting…

H1N1, Part II

I already mentioned how H1N1 has been a big deal here, and how my temperature is checked by my dorm staff. Well, a few weeks ago, the H1N1 vaccine was made available to all university students.

I happened to be taking a nap when my friend frantically called me and said we had to go to the university hospital immediately to get vaccines. I stumbled out of bed and was not prepared for the chaos ensuing at the hospital. Hundreds of students were pushing and shoving, waiting to fill out some papers and get their vaccines. Nurses were injecting people as fast as they could.

Since my friend and I are foreigners, we always get special treatment (not fair, but, hey, I’ll take it!). We went to the front of the “line” and tried to fill out the papers. We only wrote our first names and the name of our dorm; the other blanks were irrelevant since we are not Chinese.

Then we got our vaccines, and the nurses said not to shower for three days. My only guess is that the hospital doesn’t want to be responsible for thousands of students with infections from the unclean water…



That night I started feeling sick. For three days all I did was sleep. On the third morning, I went to the hospital, but they just gave me some cold medicine. That night my fever was ridiculously high, so I went back to the hospital. They tried to take blood, but because I had only been sleeping for the past few days, they could not get any blood from the vein in my arm. This was not a fun process of being poked, prodded, and having to squeeze my fist, move my arm, etc. Finally they were able to get a small amount of blood, just enough to run some tests.

I ended up getting some more shots. After that I was fine except for being tired. I stayed home from class for four more days to rest. I’m completely fine now. I’m pretty sure I was sick because I reacted to the H1N1 vaccine; it was the poor-quality Chinese one, not the standard western one. Once again, great job, China!

I’m not sure if this counts as having H1N1… I think it does, and when I am old, I will tell my children that I went to China, got H1N1 during the 2009 pandemic, and survived.

Solar-Powered Tea Kettle

I climbed a mountain the other weekend with my English friend Andy. The scenery was pretty, the weather was ok, and climbing was fun, but the best part of the trip (besides finally speaking English and freely complaining about teaching methods at the university) was visiting an old man who lives on the mountain and keeps up a Buddhist temple.



Andy and I stopped to say hi to this guy, and we ended up sitting and talking to him for a while. The main subject of our conversation was this cool contraption that the man has set up. Since he has no electricity, he has this reflector panel that concentrates the sun’s rays on the bottom of a tea kettle, and this is how he boils water. (And I thought frying ants with a magnifying glass was BA…)

It just so happened that as we arrived at his home, he was putting the kettle on. As we finished our conversation, the water was just starting to boil. Perfect timing.

This man was really baffled as to why I kept asking about how he boils water, and Andy also doesn’t think it’s cool as I do... What do you think?

H1N1

Everyone in China is freaked out about the swine flu, and rightly so. China is crowded and dirty. Several people live together in apartments the size of some U.S. families’ living rooms. Many apartment buildings have shared bathrooms that are, needless to say, filthy. And friends share food and drinks all the time.

Universities are especially concerned. Students are housed six or eight people per tiny dorm room. Libraries, dining halls, and classrooms are all crowded and thousands of people use them every day.

The number one in Chinese is “yi” so everyone says H-yi-N-yi, which I find very funny. If they say “H” and “N” (not Chinese) can’t they also say “one”? Actually, I’m wondering what other countries say in their languages… for example in Russian, what looks like an “H” says “N” and they don’t go around translating the name of the swine flu into н-один-N-один. No, no one does that. H-uno-N-uno, H-eins-N-eins, H-un-N-un? Anyone?

But back on topic, last week I entered Zhuan Jia Lou - where I live - and the desk workers stopped me and checked my temperature. Beside my name and room number they carefully recorded my temperature to the thousandths decimal place.

And just today, all the international students met in an auditorium, and the police talked to us about safely and sanitation. (I’m not sure why it was the police who came… that doesn’t really make sense, does it?) Then they gave everyone a fairly large bottle of disinfecting solution. As soon as I had hot water tonight, I cleaned everything in my room. I’m not so worried about getting the swine flu; I just like to clean things, especially in China.

I would also like to mention that the cleaning solution they gave us was produced and bottled in Lanzhou, by the Lanzhou Numerous Sterilization Products Company. It’s “galloping horse” brand, and is called 84. Impressive.

Water

Water has such a huge impact on the way I live my life in China. First of all, I have to boil water before I can drink it. There is no such thing as clean water here. I try not to think about the things that are killed when it’s boiled…

Not only that, but I only have hot water from the faucet certain hours per day: 7-8:30 am and 9-11 pm. Unfortunately, since I live on the top floor of the building, I don’t get water until about 30 minutes after it’s supposed to start. And I can’t take a shower in the morning because I’ll be late for class. Every evening I eat a late dinner with my friends; we keep a close eye on the clock and leave to take showers around 10:30. Sometimes we all come back to hang out some more after 11.

A few times there has been no water at all, hot or cold. On these days, I wash my face in bottled water. I think about how ridiculous this is to both extremes. On one hand, I feel spoiled to be using bottled water, like those people who give their pets bottled water to drink, or who water their plants with it. Seriously, guys? But on the other hand, I’m in freaking China and I don’t have a single drop of water from the faucet, and if I did it would be contaminated. So either way I look at it, I can’t believe I wash with bottled water…

Anyway, I’m used to washing my hands, etc., in cold water now, but showers are another matter. I’ve had my share of cold showers this semester. I thought I was getting pretty tough, until I realized that every time I get a cold, it’s the day after a freezing shower. Wives tales? Listen to them.

Islam

My friend from Uzbekistan, Rustam, is teaching me about Islam. I’ve taken two classes on Islam at Muskingum, and I’ve read several books and numerous articles dealing with the religion, but seeing how one Muslim lives his life every day is a whole different matter.

Rustam prays five times every day. He knows the Koran well. He doesn’t drink or smoke. He’s not allowed to hug or kiss a girl. One time Rustam told me, “I am human. Of course I want to do these things. But living my life the way that I know is right is the most important thing.”

I know many other Muslims who are not so strict about their lifestyles. I appreciate learning about Islam from someone who is not only a close friend, but is someone who knows what he believes, why he believes it, and lives accordingly.

We have talked about what Christians think of Islam, and what Muslims think of Christianity. Basically, one simply has to decide which teachings to believe. Both sides think the other started out correct, but then went down the wrong path.

I can’t stop thinking about one thing… Both Christianity and Islam cannot be right. If what I’ve been taught my whole life is true, does God not hear Rustam’s prayers? Why would God listen to me, a horrible person, and not Rustam, who is so pure and sincere in his faith? My heart hurts when I think about this, and I have to believe that God does listen.

Aidana

My roommate last time I was in Lanzhou is a girl from Kazakhstan named Aidana. Aidana is studying at another university in northern Lanzhou, so of course we decided to get together.

She surprised me one day by coming to my university in between my classes, and we had lunch together. We were so happy to see each other, and we had so much to catch up on.

I went to her university this past weekend and had a great time. Aidana’s boyfriend is from Korea and studies at her school. Even though I had just met her boyfriend, and Aidana and I haven’t seen each other for over a year, we all laughed and joked around like best friends. I guess we are!

Aidana’s boyfriend told me that Aidana has talked about me every single day for over a year. Once, Aidana was sick and he took care of her. But she cried and told him to go away, and that she wanted me there instead!

I think I will go visit them a lot- probably every weekend. Aidana and I both feel pretty lonely and out-of-place at our universities, and being together again is so great.

My Uzbek Friends

I met my first real friends here while in the kitchen. Rustam and his sister Shokhina are from Uzbekistan and prefer their country’s food to Chinese food. Rustam and I speak Chinese to each other, and Shokhina and I speak English. To each other, Rustam and Shokhina speak Russian or Uzbek. Each of us acts as translators at some point during every conversation. It’s a pretty good system.

The night we met, Shokhina was cooking soup with lamb, carrots, and rice. We talked for a long time since it took a while for it to cook. They invited me to eat with them, so in Rustam’s room we talked for an hour more.

Since then, we often hang out and go places together. I really enjoy being with them even though the cultural differences are significant. Many American girls would be offended by the way Rustam treats me; He doesn’t want me to walk anywhere alone, I’m not allowed to pay for anything when we’re together, and he often suggests things I should or shouldn’t do based on how life in Uzbekistan is. I remind him that things are different in America, that I am very independent, and that I have been living my life my own way for over 20 years. It’s just too hard for him to accept sometimes, and it’s never a big deal to me, so he usually gets his way.

For example, one time our taxi driver wouldn’t accept a large bill from Rustam. I had smaller change and paid before Rustam could object. Later, Rustam insisted on repaying me in 1 and 0.5 denominations. We argued about it for several minutes, and there was nothing I could do but take it. Another time, I hung out with Rustam and Shokhina after I had taken a shower, and my hair was still damp. Rustam handed me a hairdryer and made me blow dry my hair because he thought I would get sick otherwise.

I’m learning so much about Islam, Central Asia, and Uzbek culture from Shokhina and Rustam. I’ve watched Rustam perform his ritual hand and head cleansing, get out his prayer rug, face west, and spend five minutes praying out loud, standing, kneeling, and bowing. I’ve learned how sacred bread is to them. “You can stand on the Koran to reach bread, but you can’t stand on bread to reach the Koran.” Shokhina is getting married soon, so I’ve also learned about their wedding traditions and family life in Uzbekistan.

In addition, Rutam has started teaching me Russian. Last time I was in Lanzhou, I wish I would have taken more advantage of all the things I can learn from my classmates. So, I’m going to first learn to read Russian, and then learn to speak it. I don’t expect to learn very much since Chinese is difficult enough, but I hope to get a good background in the language.

Holding Hands

I was running some errands, walking very quickly down a street near the university. I was about to pass a young Chinese girl when she turned and looked at me. Her face lit up and she said hello. Then she told me how happy she was to meet a foreigner and that she thought we should be friends. We walked and talked for about ten minutes, discovering that we’re both 21 years old and in school. Then, she asked for my phone number. I lied and said I don’t have a phone. In China, hundreds of people will ask for your number, and for obvious reasons, I don’t like to give it to people I don’t know.

But we kept walking and I told her I was looking for a place to buy some cooking utensils. She asked if she could come with me. The girl seemed really genuine and sincere, and I didn’t mind having her along so I said it was fine. We were near a huge market that was extremely crowded. In China, friends hold hands all the time, especially in crowded places. It’s commonplace, and even guys hold each others’ hands, but it’s something I’m not used to. So, this girl – naturally – grabbed my hand. We were holding hands the entire half-hour or so we were at the market. I felt really weird about it because I don’t know her.

While I was making a purchase, I received a text message from a fellow international student. Luckily, the girl didn’t hear the alert tone! Soon after, we went our separate ways. She wrote down her phone number for me, though. And I think I will call her soon. (“Hi! I finally got a phone!”) You can never have too many Chinese friends, right?

Blue Skies

I used to think that seeing a blue sky every once in a while was an inalienable right of every human being on the planet. Blue skies, cumulous clouds, seeing the stars at night… what luxuries!

It’s always gray outside. And it’s hard for me to decide if it’s completely overcast, or if I just can’t distinguish the clouds from the hazy, polluted sky.

The dust and dirt don’t help the city’s complexion, either.

My friend Tracy told me that when she first got to Lanzhou in 2007, she took lots of pictures of the city and emailed them to her family. Later, Tracy realized her camera was on the black and white setting. She emailed her family back saying, “The pictures are all in black and white, but it’s actually not that different in real life.” So true!

Classes

When I got to the university, I took a Chinese language placement exam. I thought it was pretty difficult, and I expected to test into the beginning-level second-semester course. I guess I tested better than I thought, because I’m in the third-semester course. This course has listening, speaking, reading, and comprehensive Chinese classes. I’m also taking a class to prepare for the HSK, which is the Chinese level examination. I will take the HSK in November. Additionally, I am taking a physical education class called tai ji chuan. This is similar to tai chi, but not the same.

My class has about 15 students, and 10 are from Kazakhstan. A plurality of the international students, however, are from Uzbekistan. There aren’t any other Americans, but an English guy named Andy is in my class – we’ve been trying to keep each other sane through this first week of classes, which is hard. We haven’t really hung out, but we’re both really glad that there’s someone else in Lanzhou that we can relate to.

Anyway, my classes are difficult. Every week I am responsible for over 100 new characters, as well as memorizing grammatical structures. I have lots of reading and lots of homework. The hardest part of my classes, however, isn’t the actual material. It’s understanding what my teachers are saying! They speak quickly and, of course, only use Chinese.

I think I’ll do fine in the classes as long as I study every day. In the U.S. (I hope none of my professors are reading this!) I never study. Maybe possibly just before a test, and only a little before final exams. In China, I have class from 8:30 – 12:30 and sometimes again from 2:30 – 4:00. And I spend the entire afternoon and evening studying. Hopefully as my skills improve this semester, I can cut the studying down to 1 or 2 hours per night, but right now it’s kind of ridiculous.

AND one of my teachers rescheduled a class for this Friday night from 7-9 because she can’t make our regular class time. It’s not optional, especially for me since I’m an exchange student. Great.

Arrival in Lanzhou

I’m here safely!

My flights went well, and I got to Lanzhou on Wednesday night and went straight to the university. It was a rough introduction to campus because they weren’t exactly ready for me to come. I stayed in a random room with some girls from Uzbekistan just for that night. The next day I went to the International Office to get everything settled. I wouldn’t have been able to do it if my Chinese friend Lili hadn’t come to my rescue. Lili kept me from getting stressed out, interpreted complicated dialogue, and let me use her internet to call my family over Skype.

This semester, there are tons of international students. So many that two international student housing buildings are completely full! Consequently, I am in a single room in Zhuan Jia Lou, where I stayed last time I was here. This year, Zhuan Jia Lou is all male housing… but it’s hotel-style, so it doesn’t matter that I’m there. The female housing is full, and it doesn’t have a kitchen or laundry room. I am certainly living the good life.

As nice as a single room is, I wish I had a roommate. I’m in a room on the top floor of the building, all the way at the end of the hall. I feel isolated. I know I’ll meet people, but it’s so much easier when you live with someone.

I feel really comfortable and at home here in Lanzhou and at Lanzhou University because I know my way around. It’s fun to help out the other international students, especially those who don’t speak Chinese (yet!).

Heading Back

I'll be back in Lanzhou on Wednesday. I'm excited for the semester, and planning has been much more low-key since I know more of what to expect this time around.

I already know how different this coming semester is going to be compared with the Spring 2008 semester I spent in Lanzhou. First of all, I know exactly what to pack (and what not to pack!). The first item on my packing list this summer was instant coffee! The Chinese are, not surprisingly, big tea drinkers. They have instant coffee, but it's already sweetened and has whitener in it. I plan on drinking my fair share of tea, but some mornings I'm sure I'll just want my coffee! I'm also taking some boxes of macaroni, a jar of nutella, and a box of CoCo Wheats. The macaroni and nutella are more so I can share them with other international students, not because I will miss them. The CoCo Wheats are because it's an easy breakfast that I enjoy, especially on cold mornings!

I also think I better planned out the clothing I'm taking. Layering is so important, so I packed colors that go together and items I can wear on top of one another. For anyone planning on traveling, I can't stress the importance of layering!

Another difference I am expecting is in the international students I will be studying with. Sometimes I have an irrational fear that my classmates won't be as cool as last time. What if they're all jerks and we don't get along? On one hand, I know that I can never make friendships exactly like the ones I formed with Dustin, Ellen, Tracy, Travis, and all the other good friends I made last time. But that's the nature of friendship. This semester, I know I will make strong, lasting friendships with new people. Of course it won't be the same, but it will be just as great. By the way, my roommate from before, Aidana, will be in Lanzhou at the same time as me. She's studying at a different university, but she's only a bus ride away! And, my Chinese friends Lili and Ming will be in Lanzhou with me, too. These two were exchange students to Muskingum this past year.

I also know I won't travel quite as much as I did last semester in China. One reason is that I have to be back at Muskingum in January for the spring semester, so I don't have the luxury of traveling for a month after my classes. Since I will be limited to weekends and short breaks, I will have to take trips to nearby cities.

Lastly, because I'm fairly familiar with the city of Lanzhou, I will be spending less time learning the city and walking around taking it all in. Instead, when I go out, I will enjoy visiting the places I remember and trying to find new things to do.

I am really looking forward to my semester in Lanzhou. The city feels a lot like home to me.

Phonetics

I taught a woman how to read today. She has been in the beginning English class all summer, and I just started working with her this week. I realized immediately that she could not read, but for a few days we just worked through the class material verbally. She copied from the board without understanding what she was writing, and she repeated sentences after me not knowing what she was saying.

But today, we started at square one. I showed her how to hold a pencil. Then I wrote a capital A and made her write it correctly (I’m really into writing properly after having to write Chinese characters in proper stroke order; it really does matter!).

Then, I did a major throwback to when I was about three years old and would sit on my mom’s lap and do Hooked on Phonics every evening (Thank you, Mom!). Over and over, I had my student repeat “A, ah, apple; B, buh, ball; C, ck, cat, etc.” We went through the whole alphabet, learning to write, learning the names of the letters, learning the sounds each letter makes, and learning new words, too.

Next, I used a random worksheet the student had from class. It happened to be a lesson about health. I circled a word. First she said each letter: S-I-C-K. Then she slowly made the sound of each letter. Next, she put it all together.

She learned to read!

I had her read several words, and after each one she squeezed my hand and thanked me. After class, she gave me a big hug and kissed me on the cheek. Teaching her took a lot of patience. But she was so attentive and persistent. I’ve never seen anyone so happy before. I was pretty happy, too.

Scandal in English Class

Last week in English class (see TESOL), we were discussing how to introduce oneself in English.

The main teacher began asking some of the students to introduce themselves to the class. A married couple from Africa introduced themselves together, and it was discovered that they were married when the wife was 14 and the husband was 26.

Scandal? That’s what the main teacher (from Russia) thought. This teacher stopped class and interrogated the 30 or so African students about their countries’ and cultures’ practices.

“You mean small girls – children of 14 - they marry grown men? They have babies? But they don’t know - they can’t think - they don’t understand what they’re doing!”

These African students can barely introduce themselves in English, but they gave a pretty fabulous rebuttal: “In America, 14 year old girls have babies and they’re not married. In Africa, the girls are married. In Africa, it’s better.”

It was also clarified that prearranged marriages and girls getting married in their early teens is not common any more. The aforementioned couple has been (happily) married for 25 years, and their situation would not likely occur today.

During this 15-minute discussion, I wasn’t really sure what to do. At first, I wanted to stop the teacher; rebuke her, really, for being insensitive to different cultures. Then, I wanted to try to help the African students defend themselves. I decided against both, and just watched, listened, and learned. After it was all over, there were no hard feelings. Class continued with a discussion of grammar, rather than have more students give introductions.

Indecisive? There's help (kind of)...

If you can’t decide what to drink with your breakfast this morning, what type of keyboard to purchase, or which gesture to use, there’s help. Don’t know whether to break up with your significant other? Can’t pick out the perfect book to read next? Need a snappy quote for your Facebook profile?

Well, all of these (and thousands of other) conundrums can be solved through the use of my now-favorite Web site, hunch.com.

Users sign up for a free, no-strings account (they don’t want your money) and answer some questions about their preferences. The main part of the site, though, is thousands of “topics” that users choose to “play” and see "results." Users are encouraged to give lots of feedback, add their own results, and even create their own topics. Don’t get it? It’s like a decision-making, advice-giving combination of Wikipedia, Facebook, and Match.com.

Some topics are serious, some are educational, and some are simply for fun.

Not for you? You might be surprised at how much you learn from and have to teach Hunch. It’s for everyone; that’s the point.

Follow me!

TESOL

(Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)

This summer, I’ve been volunteering teaching English in Columbus. The free classes are offered four days a week at a community center. They are sponsored through a federal grant, and any adult who wants to learn English as a second language can attend.

Most of the students are from various countries in Africa: Sudan, Senegal, Guinea, Mauritania, and Ghana. (I had to study a map after my first day of class!) The students generally can speak their African languages and French – and I’ve become pretty decent at BS-ing my way through French.

Each class is two hours and is taught by a teacher employed by the community center. My job is to work one-on-one with the students who need extra help in the class.

Teaching is hard work. Not only do the students have no English skills, some of these adults are illiterate in their native languages. All of the students work hard; the class is free, and they wouldn’t be there if they didn’t want to come. But how do you explain English sentence structure to someone who doesn’t know what a verb is? How do you describe the difference between “we” and “they” if their language doesn’t distinguish between them the same way English does? How do you make them copy off the blackboard when they don’t know the alphabet? These are things I am learning how to teach. (It’s not impossible!)

Every day is a new challenge. But I’m learning a comprehensive method for teaching English. When I go back to China in September, I plan on offering free, elementary English courses. I taught English last time I was there, but I had no method… and I think I failed. But this time, I’m determined to succeed.

Bridge to No Where

Last August I visited Dandong, China, on the border with North Korea. I took a boat on the Yalu River, which separates Dandong from a North Korean city (Sinuiju is its Chinese name). Seeing North Korea was possibly the most memorable part of my trip to China.

I took some video there and here is some of the footage, set to a song by A Rotterdam November. (It's also on Youtube if you're having trouble viewing it here.)

Xinjiang and Current Events

While in China, I traveled to the Xinjiang province. I met several of the Muslim minority of Uighurs*, and even became good friends with a Uighur girl about my age. Moreover, Lanzhou has a high Uighur population, whom I interacted with on a daily basis. During my time in China, I learned about the daily struggles of minorities in China.

A good friend of mine who is Han Chinese surprised me one day. This girl is extremely intelligent, sensitive, and kind. She has lived in America (albeit not-so-diverse Muskingum) and speaks English. We were saying goodbye as I was about to take a train to another province. One of the last things she said to me was, “Watch out for the minority people. They are dangerous.” I kind of laughed and asked why, and her reason was that they are allowed to carry knives on trains (unlike everyone else, I guess). I’m not sure if I believe her excuse, but that is beside the point. I understand her concern for my safety, and, yes, there had been recent riots involving minorities. The problem here, in my opinion, is that the Han Chinese fail to see how they and the Chinese government provoke these riots. The minorities aren’t innately riotous and violent. The monkeys at the zoo aren’t either, until you start throwing your trash at them and banging on the glass.

Minorities in China have no way to peacefully express their opinions. There is no organization, and it’s not because they are incompetent. It’s because the government moved massive amounts of Han Chinese into minority regions. The minorities used to be the majorities in their provinces, but were overtaken by the Han (Voice of America).

The government, without fail, cites its generosity toward minority and autonomous regions whenever problems arise. “We gave you billions of dollars and you should be thankful,” the government storms (Associated Press). It reminds me of parents who try to buy their way into a good relationship with their children. The kids don’t want another video game or more candy; they want love and understanding. So it is with the minority regions in China. They may be thankful for the new infrastructure and bolstered economies, but what they really want is independence. And, my opinion is that the government has poured money into these regions partly because a ton of Han Chinese moved there and insisted on more development.

These problems in China have no obvious solution. I disagree when westerns cry for China to give these regions their independence; it’s more complicated than that. China believes that Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Tibet are and always have been part of China. And the minorities want their freedom and independence. If China lets one area go, the rest will follow. This would create a disaster for China, and an international disaster for the rest of the world to deal with. Probably even more minority deaths would occur. I see China’s side, but I don’t agree with their methods. If the government could be more understanding toward the minorities instead of trying to control them and make them conform, the problems of unrest might diminish. Instead of teaching children to distrust minorities, teach them to get along, share, and play nicely.

Lastly, the western world has been all up-at-arms about Tibet; why are the Uighurs and Xinjiang less important (My Sinchew News)? I know, they are lesser-known and the nature of their culture is different, but I just wanted to throw that out there for some thought.


* “Uighur” is just one of several English spellings for this people group, and is pronounced /wee′ -gher/.

Tian'anmen Today

CNN has an article about how young people in China don't have any opinions on the 1989 massacre at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing. The article asks whether their apathy is real - that they just don't care, or if it is in line with the Chinese concept of putting up a front - for everything.

Sure, CNN did some interviews of students saying that politics in China is dirty and everyone wants to stay away. But I think it's obvious that the government doesn't want it's young people to know what happened...

Suggesting that Tian'anmen is anything but a community square for Mao-worship and hanging out with the family (one child per, please) is like treason. Don't talk about these things, people.

This past year, I informed a young Chinese friend of what the rest of the world associates with Tian'anmen. It was a rough evening for both of us. He couldn't believe he had never, ever heard of this before. He was outraged that it has been so covered up in his country. And I felt really weird for showing him that almost everything he's known his whole life might possibly be a conspiracy.

Of course the young people don't know. And if they do, why should they care, because no one else around them has ever mentioned it before.

Europe

Europe had never before intrigued me. While I was certainly excited to go to Germany and Italy, if I could choose anywhere in the world to visit, Europe would be at the end of the list (followed only by Antarctica).

In spite of this skeptical attitude, I have come to appreciate Europe a little more. I love Germany in particular.

I like the character of German people. They can seem harsh and cold, but they are just getting down to business. I also like the language. It's made fun of for the gutteral sounds, but I found that it is often spoken sweetly and tenderly.

The German landscape is beautiful. The blue skies, blue lakes (and even white ones!), green mountains, yellow fields... Germany feels very open and fresh.

As for Italy, though, I was unimpressed by the general atmosphere. Italy is dirty and covered in graffiti. It seems not well taken care of. The Italian countryside is certainly different, with the vineyards, quaint houses of all colors, and beautiful mountains. But the cities are not places I wish to be.

As for German cities, I laughed when I heard that Munich is called "cozy." How could the capital city of Bavaria - large, important, and formal - be so often described this way? I didn't feel that Munich was cozy until after visiting Venice and Rome. After contrasting the impersonal, busy, and dirty qualities of the Italian cities, I would definitely describe Munich as gemutlich!

Rome

There are so many cliches and expressions about Rome, but please keep reading - I promise not to use any.

Rome is, of course, old. It is also hot, dirty, busy, dusty, and rugged. It's hard for me to call it pleasant or beautiful, although I do believe it to be. Rome's character is difficult to describe.

The ruins give Rome a rough, dry, and decrepit flavor. The Vatican's intricacy and beauty are in stark contrast. The empty, half-demolished Colessium reminds me of a ghost town, but this is off-set by the large amount and liveliness of the tourists.

While Wade and I had three days in Rome, this was not enough time to see everything we wanted, and certainly too short to accurately get a feel for the character of the city.

"Surprisingly, it's just like you thought it would be."

That's how my guidebook introduced the city of Venice. Not very encouraging! It became a huge joke between Wade and me as we traveled together.

Venice conjures up images of gondolas, with handsome, singing drivers in striped shirts. The waterways are busy. Little footbridges jut out above the watery streets. The sights, the sounds, and the colors are, in fact, just as I expected and hoped they would be.

I found, however, that Venice is way more touristy than I imagined. Wade and I were badgered about taking a gondola ride, and we simply wanted to explore on foot. When we were on main streets near some of the sights, the amount of people was unbearable. Tourist shops were everywhere, and prices were high. Call me naive, but it's not what I expected.



I was also not prepared for the amount of dry land on the islands that make up Venice. We found some wide streets, courtyards, and piazzas. It was good to get away from the swarms of people at Piazza San Marco and the Rialto, but the quiet areas had few waterways.

Instead of spending a relaxing afternoon at the square, the church, or a waterside cafe as I had expected, Wade and I walked and explored. We got completely lost one time, which was an adventure on the rambling islands.

Venice was beautiful, and although there were some surprises, I guess the biggest one was that the guidebook was mostly right.

Munich

During my three days in Munich, I walked all over the city while eating pretzels- the best in the world. I saw some churches, went to some museums, and learned a lot about the city's history. I visited the Dachau memorial - one of the first concentration camps, and one used to test methods for use elsewhere. I also went to some infamous sites in the old part of Munich dealing with the rise of Hitler and the creation of the Nazi party. Beer hall putsch, anyone?




Some other travelers mentioned how in Berlin, memorials are everywhere, and they can't be missed. In Munich, however, memorials for the atrocities against the innocent during World War II are hidden, cryptic, or even unmarked.

For example, a sign on a busy street corner reads something to this effect: "Until 1935, a department store stood here." What? Oh, yeah... the department store was Jewish-owned. That's an important detail left out. A brick side street with upscale shops has some gold bricks in it. There's no sign, but it's a memorial for those who took this alternate route to avoid having to salute to the Nazis one street over at Odeonsplatz. The side street is nicknamed Dodger's Alley.

People I talked to think of Munich negatively because of how hidden and uninformative the memorials are. I agreed with them at first.

But now, I think the memorials mean more since they are not so in-your-face. I like the Muchener approach to Nazi history. The history of a place cannot be easily separated from the place itself, especially the dark history that Munich has. So why force it? Obvious and numerous memorials will not make people care more. I could make them numb.

On My Way to Munich

Today I’m flying to Munich. I will be there for about three days by myself. I’m excited to just walk around, look at architecture, see some history, and eat pretzels. I’m sure I’ll take more than enough pictures, and I also plan on spending my evenings writing. When I was in China, that’s what I did when I didn’t want to be out alone at night. And writing is very rewarding.

Also on my agenda:

1. See Neuschwanstein, a castle near Munich that the Disney castle was modeled after. The Bavarian king Ludwig II built it because he was cracked out.
2. Go to a soccer match at the Allianz Arena with some German friends. Go Munich!
3. Meet some international students at FH-Deggendorf.
4. Venice.
5. Rome.

I don’t think those last two need any explanation.

Planning It Out

While I studied abroad at Lanzhou University and traveled around China immediately following my semester there, I hated to plan. I was by myself and could do what I wanted, when I wanted.

When plans are made, they often fail, so why make them???

Well, when I’m in Germany, I’ll be with my friend Wade for most of the two weeks. This means I must plan. Wade is the most understanding, patient, and easy-going person I know, but I believe that no one can put up with my capriciousness.

So I’m pulling out some tomes on travel in Germany. You know, light reading for the weekend.

Hello... Germany?

Yes, I’m going to be going to Germany in May. Once again traveling alone. For the most part, anyway. I’m flying into Munich and spending a few days there, then meeting up with my friend Wade, who is also a Muskie.

Don’t worry; I’m not running away again. Not yet, at least. I won’t officially run away until I leave for China this fall.

Don’t be confused. Here’s the break-down: I finish the current spring semester at Muskingum. I go to Germany for two weeks. I return to Ohio for the summer. I leave for Lanzhou, China in late August. I spend the fall semester studying once again in Lanzhou. I will return in January of 2010, in time to finish up my journalism degree at Muskingum. Whew!

The Berlitz Method

Berlitz is a German guy who came up with a method for teaching languages. I picked up a copy of The Berlitz Self-Teacher: German at a used book store over Christmas break. Just a random buy. I figure if this German guy came up with a method for teaching languages, learning his native language from him would be right-on.

I’m still actively studying Chinese, but my goal with Berlitz was for a basic knowledge of German. I plan on moving on to French and Italian, brushing up on that high-school Spanish, and then working my way through whatever languages catch my eye as I go about living my life.

So, over Christmas break, I eagerly worked my way through about half of Berlitz. Just for fun, you know. I’d like to add that the copy I purchased was published in 1950. Handkerchiefs and pocket watches play large roles in early chapters.



...Little did I know at the time of the purchase that I would be making a trip to Germany five months later...