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.

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!).

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.

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.

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...

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."

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.

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!

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!

Registering for Classes

After a train ride from Xi'an to Lanzhou- this one was only 8 hours, I arrived at Lanzhou University at about 6 in the morning on Thursday. Mr. Li from the Foreign Affairs Office met me at the train station and took me to the International Guest House, where the international students live. The guest house doubles as a hotel for visitors, so my room is essentially a hotel room that I share with a girl from Kazakhstan.

I registered at the university, registered for classes, and bought my textbooks that morning. The Beginning Chinese program consists of Chinese grammar, spoken Chinese, and Chinese characters. My five books cost the equivalent of $20. In America, I probably would have spent between $300 and $500.

My classes start on Monday, but I looked over the books and they start out very basic with the Chinese words for hello, how are you, etc. Learning the characters will be hardest for me, I think. I only know about five characters because until now, I have been using pinyin, which is English characters that correspond to Chinese sounds.

Once classes start, my roommate and I will try to only speak Chinese with each other. I can't wait to learn more Chinese.