Tuesday, September 04, 2007
International Misfit Has Landed
Now that our new life has begun, I realized the writing bug was nibbling again. It's funny, as I go about my day, I am mentally blogging in my mind. When I sit down at the computer however, I suddenly become blog-averse. Really writing is just like everything else in life. Even if you love expressing yourself, it requires tremendous discipline to consistently do so. So I decided, as a form of discipline and as a form of expression, that I should write again. It's especially sensible since we just made a huge transition in our life, from China back to the US. I plan to write about anything that pops into my mind because I'm writing for me. Sometimes I imagine it will be more of a diary - "I did X today", but rather than adhering to a rigid formula of what the blog will be, I'm just going to write and see what happens. Given my China blogging track record, that may mean little to nothing, but we shall see!
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Catching up....
No posts since May 28. Not a good record! However I think it's because we've been too busy the last two months. If our first semester in China was learning the ropes of living in a strange land, our second semester was building relationships with real friends. This term we've been going out with many teacher friends - to dinner, or out for drinks. We discovered a community where we could discuss our China experiences, and because they were here too, we could quickly relate about the ups and downs about every day life in this amazing but frustrating nation.
So what's been happening since June? Not too much.
-C and I have been getting up at 5am at least two days a week to go for a 3.5 mile walk around our local area. We provide oodles of free entertainment to those enterprising Chinese souls that are up at that hour. Despite not enjoying the stares, it has contributed to a shrinking waistline.
-I discovered numerous students in my writing class cheating. I was reading their essays when I realized they were using expressions like "hone your craft" that couldn't possibly be written by a native Chinese person. A quick google search revealed the essays they'd copied. This experience was a tremendous letdown for me. I had come to rate my writing class very highly until blatant plagiarism struck. It reminded me how rampant cheating is in Chinese society. If a student performs poorly or fails a class, there is always a way to remediate the situation in Chinese culture. Money, relationships, and gifts grease the wheels of academic success in this country. One of our friends, who was also teaching a Writing class had this experience. After class, a girl approached him and noted that her essay grades had been low. She wanted to know if there was anyway she could get better marks in the future. Our friend indicated that writing better essays would be a good start. The student then said..."Is there anything else I can do?". Although sexual favors seem unlikely in this case, the student may have been thinking about money or gifts. The implication was clear.
-We and our close friends had a barbecue on the roof of our buildings. It was a delightful evening, grilling marinated chicken and sipping some beer on a beautiful summer evening. We had a lovely view of the campus from up there. You certainly feel above it all. The grill we used wasn't particularly spectacular and it took a good hour to light the charcoal, but it seemed nothing could affect the enjoyment of the evening.
So what's been happening since June? Not too much.
-C and I have been getting up at 5am at least two days a week to go for a 3.5 mile walk around our local area. We provide oodles of free entertainment to those enterprising Chinese souls that are up at that hour. Despite not enjoying the stares, it has contributed to a shrinking waistline.
-I discovered numerous students in my writing class cheating. I was reading their essays when I realized they were using expressions like "hone your craft" that couldn't possibly be written by a native Chinese person. A quick google search revealed the essays they'd copied. This experience was a tremendous letdown for me. I had come to rate my writing class very highly until blatant plagiarism struck. It reminded me how rampant cheating is in Chinese society. If a student performs poorly or fails a class, there is always a way to remediate the situation in Chinese culture. Money, relationships, and gifts grease the wheels of academic success in this country. One of our friends, who was also teaching a Writing class had this experience. After class, a girl approached him and noted that her essay grades had been low. She wanted to know if there was anyway she could get better marks in the future. Our friend indicated that writing better essays would be a good start. The student then said..."Is there anything else I can do?". Although sexual favors seem unlikely in this case, the student may have been thinking about money or gifts. The implication was clear.
-We and our close friends had a barbecue on the roof of our buildings. It was a delightful evening, grilling marinated chicken and sipping some beer on a beautiful summer evening. We had a lovely view of the campus from up there. You certainly feel above it all. The grill we used wasn't particularly spectacular and it took a good hour to light the charcoal, but it seemed nothing could affect the enjoyment of the evening.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
C - My Long March
Last Saturday, I took part in the "5th Annual Dalian International Walking Festival", an event organized by a Dalian travel agency to promote walking, health, peace, and communication. There were four paths to choose from: 5K, 10K, 20K, and 30K. I'd heard my friend Lizzy complain a few weeks ago that none of her friends were willing do the 30K walk with her last year, so I told her I'd be willing to give it a try.
We met at 7 am on Saturday morning and took the tram to the walk's starting place, the enormous Xinghai Square. The tram was packed with people wearing the same t-shirts and hats as us, which was my first clue that I would be part of quite a large herd for the day.
When we arrived at the square, we had to search for the student group from our university that Lizzy had arranged for us to walk with. This was more easily said than done, because Xinghai Square is supposedly the largest public square in Asia and everyone was wearing the same shirt and hat. We finally found the students and I was introduced to them. I attracted quite a bit of attention, as there were some law students in the group who were really interested in studying law in the United States and seemed to think that because I am going to law school in the United States next year, I could give them some tips on how to make it more accessible and affordable for them. No such luck, however.
I also got some attention from a reported who was interested in a U2 quote I'd written on my tag (those things runners have pinned to them with their number on it, I'm not sure what it's called!) saying "What you got, they can't steal it, no, they can't even feel it; walk on." Lizzy translated it for the reporter as I quickly whispered to her not to mention that it's actually a song in support of Aung San Suu Kyi, a Burmese pro-democracy activist.
We eventually got underway at about 8:10 a.m. Lizzy and I had an interesting conversation that made the time pass quickly, but the crowd was so large that we were forced to trudge along at a snail's pace. After about four hours, we stopped at a small restaurant for lunch. I didn't know that lunch would be provided, so I'd brought granola bars, apples, and raisins. It was a good thing that I did, though, because the lunch consisted of rice and whole fishes that had been chopped coarsely and fried in the usual Chinese brown sauce - fins, head, bones, and all. I had a bone lodge itself in my throat a few weeks ago while eating similarly prepared fish, so I really wasn't interested in trying this batch.
After lunch, the leader of the student group announced to Lizzy and I that they were done walking for the day and that their bus would be arriving any moment to take them back to the university. Lizzy and I decided we weren't ready to quit; except for some blisters, we actually felt quite good. The group leader told us that there were only seven or eight kilometers left, which surprised me but sounded good nonetheless.
We soon learned, though, that we were just barely halfway there. We came to a point that we thought was the end until we saw a sign that said "You have finished 18 kilometers." Although that information was quite the morale-killer, we pressed on as the trail got steeper and the sun got hotter. Lizzy and I talked much less, and I was less polite to the strangers who approached me. The crowd thinned out substantially, and we made it to the end at about 3:30 in the afternoon. Not counting the 45 minutes for lunch, it took us six hours and thirty-five minutes to walk 30K. We then had to walk a bit further to find a bus and then a taxi, so by the time I got to sit down, I was quite tired!
Overall, I enjoyed the walk, even though the concept seemed a little silly to me. One of the random people along the way who wanted to speak with me asked me if we had similar events in the US. I told her that there are many competitive races and charity events that are somewhat similar but that I'd never heard of an event being held simply for the purpose of walking. As I feasted on Indian food that night with David and friends, though, the walk felt more than worthwhile!
Here's Lizzy at the two-thirds mark:
And here's me:
I'm already thinking about taking the same walk next Saturday!
We met at 7 am on Saturday morning and took the tram to the walk's starting place, the enormous Xinghai Square. The tram was packed with people wearing the same t-shirts and hats as us, which was my first clue that I would be part of quite a large herd for the day.
When we arrived at the square, we had to search for the student group from our university that Lizzy had arranged for us to walk with. This was more easily said than done, because Xinghai Square is supposedly the largest public square in Asia and everyone was wearing the same shirt and hat. We finally found the students and I was introduced to them. I attracted quite a bit of attention, as there were some law students in the group who were really interested in studying law in the United States and seemed to think that because I am going to law school in the United States next year, I could give them some tips on how to make it more accessible and affordable for them. No such luck, however.
I also got some attention from a reported who was interested in a U2 quote I'd written on my tag (those things runners have pinned to them with their number on it, I'm not sure what it's called!) saying "What you got, they can't steal it, no, they can't even feel it; walk on." Lizzy translated it for the reporter as I quickly whispered to her not to mention that it's actually a song in support of Aung San Suu Kyi, a Burmese pro-democracy activist.
We eventually got underway at about 8:10 a.m. Lizzy and I had an interesting conversation that made the time pass quickly, but the crowd was so large that we were forced to trudge along at a snail's pace. After about four hours, we stopped at a small restaurant for lunch. I didn't know that lunch would be provided, so I'd brought granola bars, apples, and raisins. It was a good thing that I did, though, because the lunch consisted of rice and whole fishes that had been chopped coarsely and fried in the usual Chinese brown sauce - fins, head, bones, and all. I had a bone lodge itself in my throat a few weeks ago while eating similarly prepared fish, so I really wasn't interested in trying this batch.
After lunch, the leader of the student group announced to Lizzy and I that they were done walking for the day and that their bus would be arriving any moment to take them back to the university. Lizzy and I decided we weren't ready to quit; except for some blisters, we actually felt quite good. The group leader told us that there were only seven or eight kilometers left, which surprised me but sounded good nonetheless.
We soon learned, though, that we were just barely halfway there. We came to a point that we thought was the end until we saw a sign that said "You have finished 18 kilometers." Although that information was quite the morale-killer, we pressed on as the trail got steeper and the sun got hotter. Lizzy and I talked much less, and I was less polite to the strangers who approached me. The crowd thinned out substantially, and we made it to the end at about 3:30 in the afternoon. Not counting the 45 minutes for lunch, it took us six hours and thirty-five minutes to walk 30K. We then had to walk a bit further to find a bus and then a taxi, so by the time I got to sit down, I was quite tired!
Overall, I enjoyed the walk, even though the concept seemed a little silly to me. One of the random people along the way who wanted to speak with me asked me if we had similar events in the US. I told her that there are many competitive races and charity events that are somewhat similar but that I'd never heard of an event being held simply for the purpose of walking. As I feasted on Indian food that night with David and friends, though, the walk felt more than worthwhile!
Here's Lizzy at the two-thirds mark:
And here's me:
I'm already thinking about taking the same walk next Saturday!
Thursday, May 24, 2007
D - Gotta Go to Gou?
Last weekend, we went to a "resort" in Liaoning Province known as BingYuGou, which translates as "Ice Cavern Valley". It's northeast of Dalian towards the city of Dandong. The closest town is known as ZhuangHe. If you ever visit the Liaodong peninsula, where Dalian is located, you will very quickly notice that it's actually quite rugged. The peninsula is covered in green sloping hills and small mountains wherever you go. Dalian has some lovely sights where you can see the urban environment mixed in with smooth green peaks. Essentially BingYuGou is advertised in China as the mecca of these small mountains, scattered around small lakes in rivers. It's also known as "Little Guilin", Guilin being a famous city in southern China known for its beautiful scenery. After hearing about this place, a number of foreign teachers at our university were interested in going. Our friend W, who is the most advanced in his Chinese (he studies constantly), took it upon himself to organize a trip there with a Chinese touring company. With only a small assist from one of our Chinese friends, he booked a 2 day, 1 night from Dalian to BingYuGou and back. The trip included transportation and driver, tour guide (not English-speaking), admission to the park, lodging, 4 meals (lunch,dinner,breakfast,lunch), and a side trip to a local hot springs on Sunday. All of that cost only 300 RMB per person (about $39).
Early on Saturday morning, the "bus" arrived. When I say bus, I actually mean extended minivan that could in theory hold 12 people. The van had 2 seats up front (occupied by driver and guide), and 4 benches. To give you an idea of the spaciousness of the seats, it was literally impossible for me to sit down where my legs had a seat directly in front of me. The hip-to-knee portion of my leg was longer the space between seat back and seat front. Fortunately each bench featured a fold out seat, which allowed me to angle my legs to avoid amputation. We departed around 8:30 and arrived at the BingYuGou area around 12:30. Strangely our driver seemed to insist on taking the most remote roads possible, despite our route paralleling the DaZhuang expressway. The journey of course featured the usual insanity of Chinese driving. On narrow country roads, the driving experience is essentially an extended game of "chicken", as vehicles refuse to allow someone in front of them to slow them down at all. I can't imagine cruise control ever getting heavy use in China...
Our catered lunch at a local Chinese restaurant outside the park was less than delightful. It's a little difficult to eat family-style with 9 people. In addition, the food in northeastern China is very heavy on sauces and oils. When food is hot, it can be really delicious, but as soon as it gets cold it becomes unappetizing smothered in a salty brown sauce. And of course, we are a sight to the very common people and tourists in the area. Getting stared at is par for the course.
From the restaurant, we drove another 30 minutes to the park. To get in, you take a short boat ride from the entrance gate. While in the boat, some people tried to take a picture of us sitting next to their friend but we held up our hands and said "No!". Chinese people need to learn that foreigners, while interesting, are not zoo animals. We don't mind genuine curiosity, but no one wants to be part of a freak show.
Here's the entrance to the park: The full set of pictures can be found in our online photo album.
Overall, BingYuGou was a strange experience. The scenery was quite lovely, but it was filled with chincy tourist attractions. One such attraction I took advantage of was a zipline that you could take to zoom from one side of the river to the other. I may be posting a movie of that soon. But there were many other things like this. Lots of cheap Chinese trinkets, a fake waterfall, swinging Indiana Jones bridges, etc. There were no hiking trails and no real sense of connecting with nature. It was overprogrammed to say the least. I think most of us were disappointed. After about 5 hours, we returned to the small town just outside the park to get cleaned up and then go to dinner.
C and I paid a little extra to get our own private room with private Western bathroom. Another couple did the same, but the remaining five members of our gang shared a room, and had a bathroom out in the hall (no shower, no western toilet). The beds were slats with a thin sheet on them. Ah, touring in the Chinese fashion. I truly felt like one of the common people. Somebody get me a Mao suit and a bouffant Kim Jong-Il hair style please! Dinner was a slight improvement on Lunch. The rest of the evening was split wandering around the truly tiny town and then downing a few beers in the hotel with our group.
The next day we got up bright and early for a quick Chinese breakfast. Now I know my blog entries are more on the negative side, but Chinese breakfast is awful. I really do like China overall, but let's face it, focusing on the differences is more entertaining. Your average Chinese breakfast consists of a boiled egg, and something called "baozi", which is essentially the most tasteless piece of dough man has ever intentionally concocted. It's a steamed bun. I think the plywood on our backbreaking beds probably had more flavor. Anyway, from breakfast, we proceeded to our final tourist destination of the trip, a hot springs for which we brought our swimming attire. In my mind, I pictured a beautiful cave full of elegant stalagtites and stalagmites, with gently steaming waters and winged Chinese women gently strumming the Chinese harp and perched upon rocks like the Sirens of Odysseus. Perhaps that description is a bit overblown, the phrase "hot springs" inspires fanciful thinking. I also briefly considered the famous Blue Lagoon of Iceland. What I got was a massive locker room full of naked Chinese men scrubbing each other down. I was a bit out of place wearing my baggy bathing suit, but I tried to block it out. When I finally got the courage, the hot spring pool was actually quite nice. My skin turned bright red with all the heat, but it was indeed relaxing. For those seeking a more co-educational experience, you could also emerge from the single sex area to a general family pool that used significantly cooler water.
After an hour or two, we departed the hot springs and headed back to Dalian. Using W's rudimentary Chinese, we begged the driver to take the highway. We eventually did so, but not before driving on the countriest of country roads. The plus side was that we got to see a lot of Chinese farms and farmers. There were people plowing with mules, and with donkeys pulling carts along the roads. Unfortunately for the people, the land appeared quite dry. I think of Dalian as being a wet city, but I think there's an overall drought in Liaoning province.
We forwent our final lunch on the way back, and survived another death-defying drive. All in all, it was a worthwhile trip, if only to experience touring Chinese style. If you're thinking of going to BingYuGou, you'll get no objection from me. Just don't think you're getting the natural experience. BingYuGou is all about the new China, custom tailored to the interests of unadventurous Chinese tourists seeking a weekend distraction.
Early on Saturday morning, the "bus" arrived. When I say bus, I actually mean extended minivan that could in theory hold 12 people. The van had 2 seats up front (occupied by driver and guide), and 4 benches. To give you an idea of the spaciousness of the seats, it was literally impossible for me to sit down where my legs had a seat directly in front of me. The hip-to-knee portion of my leg was longer the space between seat back and seat front. Fortunately each bench featured a fold out seat, which allowed me to angle my legs to avoid amputation. We departed around 8:30 and arrived at the BingYuGou area around 12:30. Strangely our driver seemed to insist on taking the most remote roads possible, despite our route paralleling the DaZhuang expressway. The journey of course featured the usual insanity of Chinese driving. On narrow country roads, the driving experience is essentially an extended game of "chicken", as vehicles refuse to allow someone in front of them to slow them down at all. I can't imagine cruise control ever getting heavy use in China...
Our catered lunch at a local Chinese restaurant outside the park was less than delightful. It's a little difficult to eat family-style with 9 people. In addition, the food in northeastern China is very heavy on sauces and oils. When food is hot, it can be really delicious, but as soon as it gets cold it becomes unappetizing smothered in a salty brown sauce. And of course, we are a sight to the very common people and tourists in the area. Getting stared at is par for the course.
From the restaurant, we drove another 30 minutes to the park. To get in, you take a short boat ride from the entrance gate. While in the boat, some people tried to take a picture of us sitting next to their friend but we held up our hands and said "No!". Chinese people need to learn that foreigners, while interesting, are not zoo animals. We don't mind genuine curiosity, but no one wants to be part of a freak show.
Here's the entrance to the park: The full set of pictures can be found in our online photo album.
An example of the scenery...
Overall, BingYuGou was a strange experience. The scenery was quite lovely, but it was filled with chincy tourist attractions. One such attraction I took advantage of was a zipline that you could take to zoom from one side of the river to the other. I may be posting a movie of that soon. But there were many other things like this. Lots of cheap Chinese trinkets, a fake waterfall, swinging Indiana Jones bridges, etc. There were no hiking trails and no real sense of connecting with nature. It was overprogrammed to say the least. I think most of us were disappointed. After about 5 hours, we returned to the small town just outside the park to get cleaned up and then go to dinner.
C and I paid a little extra to get our own private room with private Western bathroom. Another couple did the same, but the remaining five members of our gang shared a room, and had a bathroom out in the hall (no shower, no western toilet). The beds were slats with a thin sheet on them. Ah, touring in the Chinese fashion. I truly felt like one of the common people. Somebody get me a Mao suit and a bouffant Kim Jong-Il hair style please! Dinner was a slight improvement on Lunch. The rest of the evening was split wandering around the truly tiny town and then downing a few beers in the hotel with our group.
The next day we got up bright and early for a quick Chinese breakfast. Now I know my blog entries are more on the negative side, but Chinese breakfast is awful. I really do like China overall, but let's face it, focusing on the differences is more entertaining. Your average Chinese breakfast consists of a boiled egg, and something called "baozi", which is essentially the most tasteless piece of dough man has ever intentionally concocted. It's a steamed bun. I think the plywood on our backbreaking beds probably had more flavor. Anyway, from breakfast, we proceeded to our final tourist destination of the trip, a hot springs for which we brought our swimming attire. In my mind, I pictured a beautiful cave full of elegant stalagtites and stalagmites, with gently steaming waters and winged Chinese women gently strumming the Chinese harp and perched upon rocks like the Sirens of Odysseus. Perhaps that description is a bit overblown, the phrase "hot springs" inspires fanciful thinking. I also briefly considered the famous Blue Lagoon of Iceland. What I got was a massive locker room full of naked Chinese men scrubbing each other down. I was a bit out of place wearing my baggy bathing suit, but I tried to block it out. When I finally got the courage, the hot spring pool was actually quite nice. My skin turned bright red with all the heat, but it was indeed relaxing. For those seeking a more co-educational experience, you could also emerge from the single sex area to a general family pool that used significantly cooler water.
After an hour or two, we departed the hot springs and headed back to Dalian. Using W's rudimentary Chinese, we begged the driver to take the highway. We eventually did so, but not before driving on the countriest of country roads. The plus side was that we got to see a lot of Chinese farms and farmers. There were people plowing with mules, and with donkeys pulling carts along the roads. Unfortunately for the people, the land appeared quite dry. I think of Dalian as being a wet city, but I think there's an overall drought in Liaoning province.
We forwent our final lunch on the way back, and survived another death-defying drive. All in all, it was a worthwhile trip, if only to experience touring Chinese style. If you're thinking of going to BingYuGou, you'll get no objection from me. Just don't think you're getting the natural experience. BingYuGou is all about the new China, custom tailored to the interests of unadventurous Chinese tourists seeking a weekend distraction.
Friday, April 27, 2007
C - give and take
A few days ago, D and I went downtown to pick up a package his mother had very generously sent him for his birthday, and as we approached the downtown area, we both were struck by the skyline and bustle of the city we've been living in for nine months now. Obviously we don't get downtown often enough! Our life here has become rather routine: eat, sleep, teach, etc.
I'm hoping to be more active in the next few months before we leave, as there are a few important Dalian sights we haven't seen yet. There's a holiday coming up next week, although I'm not entirely sure what it's commemorating. Something about labor, I think. That's probably the only aspect of communism left in China. Well, that and the authoritarian government, I suppose. We don't have any exciting travel plans for the week, mainly due to the last-minute way in which the university notifies us of the holidays and which days' classes will be rescheduled. It's hard to book plane tickets when you have no idea which days will be holidays and which won't!
I'm hoping to be more active in the next few months before we leave, as there are a few important Dalian sights we haven't seen yet. There's a holiday coming up next week, although I'm not entirely sure what it's commemorating. Something about labor, I think. That's probably the only aspect of communism left in China. Well, that and the authoritarian government, I suppose. We don't have any exciting travel plans for the week, mainly due to the last-minute way in which the university notifies us of the holidays and which days' classes will be rescheduled. It's hard to book plane tickets when you have no idea which days will be holidays and which won't!
D - Feature Debut
Without further adieu, I present my feature debut as China's newest and undoubtedly hottest voiceover artist. Try to restraint your glee at the sexy images of container ships, ore carriers, and hard-hatted shipyard workers.
To fit the constraints of YouTube, the video has been broken into two parts. In total, the video is 11 minutes long.
PART 1
PART 2
To fit the constraints of YouTube, the video has been broken into two parts. In total, the video is 11 minutes long.
PART 1
PART 2
Sunday, April 15, 2007
D - The New Voice of China
And it's me. After a two week hiatus, IM is back to talk about my latest experience of note here in China. First, however, a little background is required. Dalian is uniquely positioned in China's northeast as a port. As an ice-free port, Japan, Russia, and China fought many battles over the peninsula in the last two centuries. Now that the city is free to do business, the Port of Dalian has evolved to become one of the Top 20 ports in the world. Naturally such a venture is interested in attracting foreign investment, and that's where I came in. The Port company has a public relations video they produce to inform people about the capabilities of the port and to advise of future plans for expansion. The video is reworked about every 2 years or so in Chinese, Japanese, and English. Most recently, the voiceover for the English version was done by an Australian foreign teacher that the FAO of the Port company ran into on the street. This year however, no such chance encounter was forthcoming, so they called up DMU (whom they have a partnership with) to track down an English speaker. For whatever reason, she called me and offered me the opportunity to work with the Port company.
The Port company FAO sent me over a working script for the eleven minute video and I edited it to improve the grammar and vocabulary. Then on Wednesday of last week, he picked me up and brought me to the training center of the company, where they had a small recording room. For the next three and a half hours, one paragraph at a time, they would play the video and I would read. Sometimes I would nail the paragraph in a single take, but more often it required two or three readings. The script is filled with long words that are necessary to describe seaport operation. Combined with the fact that the Chinese version of the script can be read about 1.5 times faster, the unwieldy vocabulary made it difficult to say all the words clearly and yet within the time constraints of the pictures on the screen. Although Chinese can seem like caveman speak to a foreigner if literally translated, its pictographic nature gives it remarkable expressive power in a short number of sounds. We had to edit the English version on the fly several times to make the words fit within the confines of the video.
From a humor standpoint, there were a few moments of interest. When we first started, I apparently wasn't giving the rather dry material enough emotional impact. In the event of an insignificantly dramatic performance, the head of public relations for the Port (who joined us in the recording studio) would say something to the FAO and the recording guy, and the FAO would then translate for me. "More emotion! Stronger! Faster! Slower! More passionate!" I did my best to keep a straight face given the unenviable task of making "The Port of Dalian was founded in 1899..." into an Oscar-worthy performance.
Here's a few snippets of the video script:
"The Port of Dalian is planning to build a new crude oil terminal with draft of -27 meters and capable of accommodating 500,000 dwt ULCC tankers. The capacity of crude oil storage will increase to 9 million cubic meters and the refined oil storage will increase to 1 million cubic meters. By the year of 2010, Dalian Port Xingang District will become an international trans-shipment hub and logistics and distribution center for oil products and liquefied chemicals with an annual volume of 80 million tons."
"In August 2006, the State Council approved the establishment of the Dalian Dayaowan Bonded Harbor Area. This is the most preferential policy for port development. Taking this as an opportunity, the Port of Dalian will speed up port construction, develop the Bonded Harbor Area into the logistics hub of Northeast China and contribute to the revitalization of the old Northeast Industrial Base. In 2006, the throughput of Port of Dalian made a record of 200 million tons and became one of the Top 20 ports in the world."
But the absolute best part of the video is the end, when the documentary is brought to a stirring conclusion....
"Holding the Seas and Harboring the World, the Port of Dalian, now over a century old, is still full of dreams and ambitions."
The Port company FAO informs me he will provide a copy of the video with my performance for my records, at which point I will certainly YouTube it for the world. All in all, it was a good job for me to take. I was paid 2000 RMB for my trouble, and I have to say I liked it more than teaching Oral English. A few more jobs like that and maybe we could actually go to South Korea for the May holiday after all.
The Port company FAO sent me over a working script for the eleven minute video and I edited it to improve the grammar and vocabulary. Then on Wednesday of last week, he picked me up and brought me to the training center of the company, where they had a small recording room. For the next three and a half hours, one paragraph at a time, they would play the video and I would read. Sometimes I would nail the paragraph in a single take, but more often it required two or three readings. The script is filled with long words that are necessary to describe seaport operation. Combined with the fact that the Chinese version of the script can be read about 1.5 times faster, the unwieldy vocabulary made it difficult to say all the words clearly and yet within the time constraints of the pictures on the screen. Although Chinese can seem like caveman speak to a foreigner if literally translated, its pictographic nature gives it remarkable expressive power in a short number of sounds. We had to edit the English version on the fly several times to make the words fit within the confines of the video.
From a humor standpoint, there were a few moments of interest. When we first started, I apparently wasn't giving the rather dry material enough emotional impact. In the event of an insignificantly dramatic performance, the head of public relations for the Port (who joined us in the recording studio) would say something to the FAO and the recording guy, and the FAO would then translate for me. "More emotion! Stronger! Faster! Slower! More passionate!" I did my best to keep a straight face given the unenviable task of making "The Port of Dalian was founded in 1899..." into an Oscar-worthy performance.
Here's a few snippets of the video script:
"The Port of Dalian is planning to build a new crude oil terminal with draft of -27 meters and capable of accommodating 500,000 dwt ULCC tankers. The capacity of crude oil storage will increase to 9 million cubic meters and the refined oil storage will increase to 1 million cubic meters. By the year of 2010, Dalian Port Xingang District will become an international trans-shipment hub and logistics and distribution center for oil products and liquefied chemicals with an annual volume of 80 million tons."
"In August 2006, the State Council approved the establishment of the Dalian Dayaowan Bonded Harbor Area. This is the most preferential policy for port development. Taking this as an opportunity, the Port of Dalian will speed up port construction, develop the Bonded Harbor Area into the logistics hub of Northeast China and contribute to the revitalization of the old Northeast Industrial Base. In 2006, the throughput of Port of Dalian made a record of 200 million tons and became one of the Top 20 ports in the world."
But the absolute best part of the video is the end, when the documentary is brought to a stirring conclusion....
"Holding the Seas and Harboring the World, the Port of Dalian, now over a century old, is still full of dreams and ambitions."
The Port company FAO informs me he will provide a copy of the video with my performance for my records, at which point I will certainly YouTube it for the world. All in all, it was a good job for me to take. I was paid 2000 RMB for my trouble, and I have to say I liked it more than teaching Oral English. A few more jobs like that and maybe we could actually go to South Korea for the May holiday after all.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
D - The English Corner Mafia
Almost every Chinese university is blessed with a variety of clubs known as "English Corner". English Corner consists of university students and ambitious locals (who may not be attending the school) that want to practice their English. The idea is that people can come and speak in an informal environment. All you do at an English Corner is just chat. Many universities in China consider this to be a formal part of a foreign teacher's job. Thus, English Corner responsibilities are written into the work contract and the teacher is obligated to go to English Corner every week. For C and I however, there is no such stipulation. All and any English Corner visits are from the goodness of our hearts as we take pity on the under-Englished masses of China.
Or at least that's how it seemed until this week. Then we met the English Corner Mafia. Last semester, C and I had avoided English Corner. You see, teaching students here can be mentally exhausting. You spend 90 minutes trying to rip English from the mouths of students who are too shy or too english-inept. Consider an analogy for Oral English: I get the mental picture of a dentist, putting his feet on a patient's chest, while trying to yank out a particularly stubborn molar that needs extraction. There are of course, successes when we get students talking and have some brief satisfaction, but more often we keep our pliers handy. Silence is truly golden.
Despite such frustrations, we did go to an English Corner last Fall. Essentially students (usually at least 10-15 per teacher, sometimes more) gather around the foreign English teachers in a massive huddle and they ask the same questions over and over again. Where are you from? What do you think of China? Why did you choose Dalian? How do you think of Taiwan? Do you love NBA? Who is your favorite NBA player? Do you like Yao Ming? And on and on it goes. Of course we try to ask students questions as well, but that often creates awkward silences for the students that lack English ability and they are inevitably interrupted by some English star who wants to move on to a discussion of Western movies.
For the first 30 minutes or so, I greatly enjoyed English Corner. It was a good time to get to know the students and learn about their backgrounds. After awhile I found it to be a drag. C had a better time although she shares my frustrations. She has a strong sense of obligation, so she returned to English Corner the next several weeks until the end of the year. Now in the second semester, we received an email from the English Corner coordinator inviting us back. C went the first week, and she was swarmed because there were only two foreign teachers there. She was the only white teacher though, the other was our friend M who is a Chinese-American that teaches here. Needless to say that a 20-something girl with blonde hair and blue eyes was more of a sensation than a 60-something Chinese man.
Well, this week on Wednesday night we were invited out to dinner by our friends from Canada, L and T. So C decided to give English Corner a raincheck. She even sent text messages to students telling her she couldn't make it. We went out and had a nice dinner at our favorite local Chinese place ("The One with the Blue Steps"). We returned and within about 20 minutes there was a knock at the door. I opened it and there were two Chinese students who wanted to come in. One of them was A, who C had gotten to know last year at English Corner. They came in and described the pitiable conditions of that night's Corner. Only 3 foreign teachers came and they *GASP* only stayed for about an hour, and then they left. C usually gets roped in to staying for 2 or 3 hours! The students wanted to make sure that C had not permanently forsaken the Corner. They were incredibly emphatic that she come next week and practically bullied her into it. I was personally appalled. C said that they are "a little needy". I'll say! "WHY DIDN'T YOU COME? WILL YOU COME AGAIN? PLEASE COME NEXT WEEK." Believe it or not, it's not our moral duty to go to English Corner. But that wasn't all. About an hour later, a different student called C to again confirm she would come next week. Then this girl tried to keep her on the phone to practice her English.
You know, it's really a shame how things work out. In class, students are very shy and don't take chances to learn English. Then at English Corner, people are almost rabid in their desire to learn and practice. It's ironic and a little sad that the people who most want to learn never seem to be in our classes. But I also think it was inappropriate how the students stalked us to try and ensure C would be at English Corner next week. Of course such pressure is always wrapped politely in China but it felt like extortion to me. I'm sure the next time we need a student's help they will say..."Of course, but someday....I may ask you to do me a favor...."
And the favor will inevitably involve English Corner.
I love Yao Ming
Or at least that's how it seemed until this week. Then we met the English Corner Mafia. Last semester, C and I had avoided English Corner. You see, teaching students here can be mentally exhausting. You spend 90 minutes trying to rip English from the mouths of students who are too shy or too english-inept. Consider an analogy for Oral English: I get the mental picture of a dentist, putting his feet on a patient's chest, while trying to yank out a particularly stubborn molar that needs extraction. There are of course, successes when we get students talking and have some brief satisfaction, but more often we keep our pliers handy. Silence is truly golden.
Despite such frustrations, we did go to an English Corner last Fall. Essentially students (usually at least 10-15 per teacher, sometimes more) gather around the foreign English teachers in a massive huddle and they ask the same questions over and over again. Where are you from? What do you think of China? Why did you choose Dalian? How do you think of Taiwan? Do you love NBA? Who is your favorite NBA player? Do you like Yao Ming? And on and on it goes. Of course we try to ask students questions as well, but that often creates awkward silences for the students that lack English ability and they are inevitably interrupted by some English star who wants to move on to a discussion of Western movies.
For the first 30 minutes or so, I greatly enjoyed English Corner. It was a good time to get to know the students and learn about their backgrounds. After awhile I found it to be a drag. C had a better time although she shares my frustrations. She has a strong sense of obligation, so she returned to English Corner the next several weeks until the end of the year. Now in the second semester, we received an email from the English Corner coordinator inviting us back. C went the first week, and she was swarmed because there were only two foreign teachers there. She was the only white teacher though, the other was our friend M who is a Chinese-American that teaches here. Needless to say that a 20-something girl with blonde hair and blue eyes was more of a sensation than a 60-something Chinese man.
Well, this week on Wednesday night we were invited out to dinner by our friends from Canada, L and T. So C decided to give English Corner a raincheck. She even sent text messages to students telling her she couldn't make it. We went out and had a nice dinner at our favorite local Chinese place ("The One with the Blue Steps"). We returned and within about 20 minutes there was a knock at the door. I opened it and there were two Chinese students who wanted to come in. One of them was A, who C had gotten to know last year at English Corner. They came in and described the pitiable conditions of that night's Corner. Only 3 foreign teachers came and they *GASP* only stayed for about an hour, and then they left. C usually gets roped in to staying for 2 or 3 hours! The students wanted to make sure that C had not permanently forsaken the Corner. They were incredibly emphatic that she come next week and practically bullied her into it. I was personally appalled. C said that they are "a little needy". I'll say! "WHY DIDN'T YOU COME? WILL YOU COME AGAIN? PLEASE COME NEXT WEEK." Believe it or not, it's not our moral duty to go to English Corner. But that wasn't all. About an hour later, a different student called C to again confirm she would come next week. Then this girl tried to keep her on the phone to practice her English.
You know, it's really a shame how things work out. In class, students are very shy and don't take chances to learn English. Then at English Corner, people are almost rabid in their desire to learn and practice. It's ironic and a little sad that the people who most want to learn never seem to be in our classes. But I also think it was inappropriate how the students stalked us to try and ensure C would be at English Corner next week. Of course such pressure is always wrapped politely in China but it felt like extortion to me. I'm sure the next time we need a student's help they will say..."Of course, but someday....I may ask you to do me a favor...."
And the favor will inevitably involve English Corner.
I love Yao Ming
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
D - Parody of a Chinese Student Interviewing with an American Company
I wrote this faux dialogue to help my students understand what NOT to do if they interview with a Western company. It's intended to be ridiculous. Believe it or not, there are some students that might actually do some of these things...
Interviewer: Good morning, my name is Mark and I’m a manager here at Dell Computers in Dalian.
Student: Good morning, nice to meet you, I’m <> but you can call me <>.
Interviewer: Okay, great, good to meet you too. Let’s get started with the interview. First, I’d like to know what your major is at Dalian Maritime University, and why you chose that major.
Student: My major is <>, and I picked it because I didn’t really know what else to choose.
Interviewer: Uh, okay, I see. Well, why are you interested in working for Dell Computers?
Student: Dell is a very famous American company, so I think I want work here.
Interviewer: Yes, Dell is very well known in the world, but I want to understand your interest in our company. We like to hire people who have a strong passion for computers and helping our customers. How do you feel about the computer industry?
Student: I like computers. On the weekend, I usually play World of Warcraft all day long. How do you think about Warcraft?
Interviewer: I don’t really want to talk about hobbies right now, I want to understand why you are a good fit for Dell. Tell me about your favorite class that you’ve taken at the university.
Student: My favorite class is Oral English with my foreign teacher, D.
Interviewer: Interesting - Your spoken English is very good.
Student: Oh, no it’s not. My English is very poor.
Interviewer: No, really, I am pretty impressed with your English.
Student: Sorry, my English is really terrible. But I like my English class because my teacher never gives me any homework, and I think foreigners are very funny. They do many strange things. Especially Americans like D.
Interviewer: Okay, let’s discuss something else. Why should Dell hire you? What qualities do you bring to the table?
Student: Which table?
Interviewer: Uh, it’s just an expression in English. What I mean is, tell me about your strengths, how you can help Dell.
Student: I will work very hard. I will do whatever you tell me.
Interviewer: We do like team players at Dell, but we also want people who can think for themselves. What goals do you have for this job, if you are hired?
Student: I want to make money. Then I will marry a beautiful Chinese girl and I will have a son. Do you like Chinese girl?
Interviewer: Sorry, that’s not really an appropriate question. I think I have learned everything about you that I need to know. Do you have anything else you want to say?
Student: Do you think China and Taiwan are one?
Interviewer: I beg your pardon?
Student: I want to know your opinion on Taiwan.
Interviewer: I don’t think that’s relevant to this position. But thank you very much for your time. We will be in touch.
Interviewer: Good morning, my name is Mark and I’m a manager here at Dell Computers in Dalian.
Student: Good morning, nice to meet you, I’m <
Interviewer: Okay, great, good to meet you too. Let’s get started with the interview. First, I’d like to know what your major is at Dalian Maritime University, and why you chose that major.
Student: My major is <
Interviewer: Uh, okay, I see. Well, why are you interested in working for Dell Computers?
Student: Dell is a very famous American company, so I think I want work here.
Interviewer: Yes, Dell is very well known in the world, but I want to understand your interest in our company. We like to hire people who have a strong passion for computers and helping our customers. How do you feel about the computer industry?
Student: I like computers. On the weekend, I usually play World of Warcraft all day long. How do you think about Warcraft?
Interviewer: I don’t really want to talk about hobbies right now, I want to understand why you are a good fit for Dell. Tell me about your favorite class that you’ve taken at the university.
Student: My favorite class is Oral English with my foreign teacher, D.
Interviewer: Interesting - Your spoken English is very good.
Student: Oh, no it’s not. My English is very poor.
Interviewer: No, really, I am pretty impressed with your English.
Student: Sorry, my English is really terrible. But I like my English class because my teacher never gives me any homework, and I think foreigners are very funny. They do many strange things. Especially Americans like D.
Interviewer: Okay, let’s discuss something else. Why should Dell hire you? What qualities do you bring to the table?
Student: Which table?
Interviewer: Uh, it’s just an expression in English. What I mean is, tell me about your strengths, how you can help Dell.
Student: I will work very hard. I will do whatever you tell me.
Interviewer: We do like team players at Dell, but we also want people who can think for themselves. What goals do you have for this job, if you are hired?
Student: I want to make money. Then I will marry a beautiful Chinese girl and I will have a son. Do you like Chinese girl?
Interviewer: Sorry, that’s not really an appropriate question. I think I have learned everything about you that I need to know. Do you have anything else you want to say?
Student: Do you think China and Taiwan are one?
Interviewer: I beg your pardon?
Student: I want to know your opinion on Taiwan.
Interviewer: I don’t think that’s relevant to this position. But thank you very much for your time. We will be in touch.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
C - Net Nanny says...
We're blocked in China again! We can post entries in China but we can't read them... Arrgh.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
D - Keeping It Real
We have now completed two weeks of our 18 week semester here in DMU's spring semester. Both C and I had a tough time moving from full time vacation for two months to the partial vacation that we have while teaching. The two of us have different causes for our frustrations. C, never one to impose her will, did not request anything specific from the English department in terms of classes. Her reward was a full complement of maritime engineering students, who are either starry-eyed at her blonde hair, or trying to demonstrate that Chinese kids have ADD as well. I on the other hand, have quiet, dutiful students and a nice mix of guys and gals, because I specifically requested NO martime students. The trouble for me is the common tendency of students to remain stone faced and stubbornly unwilling to talk unless called upon by their esteemed teacher. There are times that one wants to grab them by the collar and yell "Good God man, say something! anything that's not completely predictable and boring!" Thus, although I occasionally scowl at two boys in one of my classes for their ridiculous chosen English names of "X-Boy" and "Butcher", I must confess that they make class a little more interesting. Finding a lack of conformity in this culture, even in the form of class clown behavior can make class more rewarding. So while C is shouting over the din in her classes, I'm trying to stir the pot. One of my most recent efforts included rapping "How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" to demonstrate the importance of speaking rhythm. Eminem is not impressed.
Despite our frustrations and the slight adjustment period, things are going better now. We've slipped back into the routine of lesson planning and dealing with the students as they are. Although I am not particularly thrilled about the teaching component of our adventure here, it's excellent for making me better on my feet and significantly less nervous about public speaking. So while my enthusiasm for the work itself may be reduced a bit, I am also much confident. On balance I would say things are better than last term. Knowing what you're doing to an extent makes it a lot easier.
In addition to feeling more comfortable, I am also teaching a Writing class for English majors. They can actually speak and write a good bit in that class and although I'm no English professor, I'm enjoying throwing new things at them. For example, in my first class we read Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-tale Heart", which is a charming story about a psychopath who kills an old man because he has a diseased eye. Horror stories exist in China of course, but Poe gets inside the mind of terrible people like no one else, so it was a little shocking to them. My second class we started using the book, which was written in the US and isn't half bad. Our first chapter is about the compare and contrast essay. To begin our practice, I had them describe pictures of a Dachshund and a Bassett Hound together with me in class. Next, we wrote basic sentences describing each dog breed, and finally we added transitional expresions such as "while", "although", "on the other hand", and so on. It sounds silly to use dogs for a compare and contrast essay, but I think it went rather well. They were probably just relieved that I didn't break out a Stephen King short story next. I found it amusing when a majority of students in the class described Doxies and Bassetts as "ridiculous looking". I also enjoyed when one girl said Bassett Hounds look "miserable". But of course they are. That's why we love them.
Despite our frustrations and the slight adjustment period, things are going better now. We've slipped back into the routine of lesson planning and dealing with the students as they are. Although I am not particularly thrilled about the teaching component of our adventure here, it's excellent for making me better on my feet and significantly less nervous about public speaking. So while my enthusiasm for the work itself may be reduced a bit, I am also much confident. On balance I would say things are better than last term. Knowing what you're doing to an extent makes it a lot easier.
In addition to feeling more comfortable, I am also teaching a Writing class for English majors. They can actually speak and write a good bit in that class and although I'm no English professor, I'm enjoying throwing new things at them. For example, in my first class we read Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-tale Heart", which is a charming story about a psychopath who kills an old man because he has a diseased eye. Horror stories exist in China of course, but Poe gets inside the mind of terrible people like no one else, so it was a little shocking to them. My second class we started using the book, which was written in the US and isn't half bad. Our first chapter is about the compare and contrast essay. To begin our practice, I had them describe pictures of a Dachshund and a Bassett Hound together with me in class. Next, we wrote basic sentences describing each dog breed, and finally we added transitional expresions such as "while", "although", "on the other hand", and so on. It sounds silly to use dogs for a compare and contrast essay, but I think it went rather well. They were probably just relieved that I didn't break out a Stephen King short story next. I found it amusing when a majority of students in the class described Doxies and Bassetts as "ridiculous looking". I also enjoyed when one girl said Bassett Hounds look "miserable". But of course they are. That's why we love them.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
C - the lesser of two evils
A few months ago, I purchased an innocent-looking 10-pack of pocket-sized Kleenex®. I'd learned to carry at least one pack of tissues at all times during my first trip to China, because toilet paper in bathrooms (and napkins in restaurants, and papertowels next to sinks) are an extremely rare delicacy. I was horrified to learn, however, that each and every tissue in this 10-pack was perfumed, and not with good perfume, either. I am very sensitive to strong smells -- they can give me a headache nearly instantly -- so I relegated these tissues to the back of my closet to be used in case of emergency only.
Before we took off for Shanghai, I noticed that my purse was low on absorbant materials and threw several packs of the smelly tissues into my purse. I never removed the tissues from my purse when we returned to Dalian, and it actually came in handy today when I had to use a restroom on campus during a class break. The bathrooms on campus can be smelled from 30 feet in either direction, and I always try to avoid using them, but today I had to go somewhere right after class and was therefore forced to use them. And they smelled so awful that I was extremely thankful for the perfumed tissues, and gratefully held them up to my nose the entire time I was in the bathroom.
Before we took off for Shanghai, I noticed that my purse was low on absorbant materials and threw several packs of the smelly tissues into my purse. I never removed the tissues from my purse when we returned to Dalian, and it actually came in handy today when I had to use a restroom on campus during a class break. The bathrooms on campus can be smelled from 30 feet in either direction, and I always try to avoid using them, but today I had to go somewhere right after class and was therefore forced to use them. And they smelled so awful that I was extremely thankful for the perfumed tissues, and gratefully held them up to my nose the entire time I was in the bathroom.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
D - We're falling behind!
In my last two posts I forgot to express my concern about how the US is falling behind China in key areas. For example, as the photo below demonstrates, China is in the process of creating "advanced three-dimensional transportation networks"!!! In the US, we only have two-dimensional networks! You've heard of the missile gap from the Cold War, well now we have the dimensional transportation network gap...
Well I sure hope they make it 3-D because otherwise only people from Flatland could use it.
Well I sure hope they make it 3-D because otherwise only people from Flatland could use it.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
D - Rolex, anyone?
No, we haven't gotten into the fake rolex business I promise. But if you're looking for a good fake, I can tell you where to go. Stop by any one of Shanghai's classy tourist traps, and you'll be offered watches faster than you can say 不要 (that's Chinese for "go fly a kite" [which itself is my-mother-speak]). C, who has a better nature than most people I've met, is never one to be rude to anyone, even aggressive and annoying hawkers. Nonetheless, after awhile, even she put on the blinders and started pushing more quickly past the Shanghai entrepreneurs. I will say this for the salesmen - they use a colorful, laminated poster with pictures, as opposed to a guy in New York who would probably just open his jacket and have them hanging. Yes, inkjet technology has revolutionized the illegal goods market on the Shanghai streets. So if you're in Shanghai and you're heading for Nanjing Lu or the YuYuan Gardens, gird up to deal with China's tribute to street capitalism.
But I digress - Shanghai wasn't all bad. For one thing you can more styles of Western food there than anywhere else in China. C and I, knowing we were returning to Dalian where our only Western cuisine respites are KFC, McDonalds, and Pizza Hut (is that an unholy trinity or what) decided to take advantage of the food diversity. One evening we dined on spanish tapas at a lovely place called Azul Tapas. For lunch one day we had Japanese. Another night we hit TGI Friday's. And on the third night, and this feels like a confession even writing this - we went to Hooters. Yes, you read that correctly. Hooters is now in China. Upon discovering this fact during our initial day in the city during a walk in the Pudong district, I remarked to C that they might have trouble finding qualified applicants. After seeing the restaurant from afar initially, we resolved that we would not go there. The truth is, I'd never been to a Hooters restaurant in the US, let alone China, and I wanted to keep the streak alive. Our steadfastness was shaken by a craving for chicken wings (which Hooters is somewhat known for), and a lovely ad we saw in a taxi. In case you didn't spot it on our photo album, I am pasting it below:
The decision to go to Hooters was a joint one, I must add, a unified husband and wife choice. Perhaps you think I jest, but maybe you're not aware my wife is from the home of chicken wings (Buffalo, NY). How could she resist?
To be honest, Hooters was actually quite good. My chicken sandwich was excellent, the wings were good, and C's caesar salad was also quite tasty. The conversation with the waitress was also a highlight. They all spoke good english, and our server related how some American men explained the double entendre nature of the "Hooters" name. Apparently prior to his revelation, the Chinese girls working there thought the name was merely an innocent reference to a cute and friendly owl. They were a little taken aback but they didn't stage a walk out or anything. I guess the biggest culture clash for them was when some other Chinese came into the restaurant and asked them why they were wearing tight fitting tank tops and short shorts during the dead of winter.
Anyway, you haven't learned much about our trip to Shanghai in this post. That's okay, I'm getting to it. The truth is it's hard to summarize museums, exhibitions, and architecture which is what we primarily experienced. I would say our primary activity was walking around the city. Compared to most Chinese cities, there are a lot of interesting buildings left over from the European heyday, so it's enjoyable to take a stroll and enjoy the variety. There's even a hip section of town (Hengshan Lu) where trendy looking bistros, bars, and cafes coexist on tree lined streets.
In terms of cultural experience, we visited the Shanghai Museum which is filled with cultural artifacts from China's incredibly long history. That's interesting but 5 floors of old bronze pots and sculptures of Buddha eventually wears out its welcome. We also stopped in the Shanghai urban planning exhibition, which details Shanghai's transformation from backwater to modern metropolis. The exhibition was a self-congratulatory brouhaha essentially praising the wisdom of the government in how it has planned the city. There was however one redeeming feature of the exhibition: a full scale model of the entire city that filled a gigantic room. See our photo album towards the end for some examples. I wouldn't want to be the guy that tripped while they were putting the last tiny wooden skyscraper in the place. Finally, we also went to the Shanghai City Temple. We were there during the Spring Festival, and it seemed like everyone was in a traditional mood. People were burning incense to the ancestors, and they also would go up to the innumerable idols, er, statues in the temple, press their hands together as if to pray, and bow their heads for a moment. Coming from Christianity, it's strange sight. People here are so areligious as a whole, but once a year they certainly put on a performance to get the blessings of those who have gone before.
One final note on Shanghai before I sign off. If you're going to visit and you don't know anyone locally that can guide you to cheaper pastures, make sure your bring your wallet. The city is very expensive, more so than New York in many cases. The cultural attractions and so on are priced at a standard Chinese rate, but the restaurants and cafes are quite pricey!
But I digress - Shanghai wasn't all bad. For one thing you can more styles of Western food there than anywhere else in China. C and I, knowing we were returning to Dalian where our only Western cuisine respites are KFC, McDonalds, and Pizza Hut (is that an unholy trinity or what) decided to take advantage of the food diversity. One evening we dined on spanish tapas at a lovely place called Azul Tapas. For lunch one day we had Japanese. Another night we hit TGI Friday's. And on the third night, and this feels like a confession even writing this - we went to Hooters. Yes, you read that correctly. Hooters is now in China. Upon discovering this fact during our initial day in the city during a walk in the Pudong district, I remarked to C that they might have trouble finding qualified applicants. After seeing the restaurant from afar initially, we resolved that we would not go there. The truth is, I'd never been to a Hooters restaurant in the US, let alone China, and I wanted to keep the streak alive. Our steadfastness was shaken by a craving for chicken wings (which Hooters is somewhat known for), and a lovely ad we saw in a taxi. In case you didn't spot it on our photo album, I am pasting it below:
The decision to go to Hooters was a joint one, I must add, a unified husband and wife choice. Perhaps you think I jest, but maybe you're not aware my wife is from the home of chicken wings (Buffalo, NY). How could she resist?
To be honest, Hooters was actually quite good. My chicken sandwich was excellent, the wings were good, and C's caesar salad was also quite tasty. The conversation with the waitress was also a highlight. They all spoke good english, and our server related how some American men explained the double entendre nature of the "Hooters" name. Apparently prior to his revelation, the Chinese girls working there thought the name was merely an innocent reference to a cute and friendly owl. They were a little taken aback but they didn't stage a walk out or anything. I guess the biggest culture clash for them was when some other Chinese came into the restaurant and asked them why they were wearing tight fitting tank tops and short shorts during the dead of winter.
Anyway, you haven't learned much about our trip to Shanghai in this post. That's okay, I'm getting to it. The truth is it's hard to summarize museums, exhibitions, and architecture which is what we primarily experienced. I would say our primary activity was walking around the city. Compared to most Chinese cities, there are a lot of interesting buildings left over from the European heyday, so it's enjoyable to take a stroll and enjoy the variety. There's even a hip section of town (Hengshan Lu) where trendy looking bistros, bars, and cafes coexist on tree lined streets.
In terms of cultural experience, we visited the Shanghai Museum which is filled with cultural artifacts from China's incredibly long history. That's interesting but 5 floors of old bronze pots and sculptures of Buddha eventually wears out its welcome. We also stopped in the Shanghai urban planning exhibition, which details Shanghai's transformation from backwater to modern metropolis. The exhibition was a self-congratulatory brouhaha essentially praising the wisdom of the government in how it has planned the city. There was however one redeeming feature of the exhibition: a full scale model of the entire city that filled a gigantic room. See our photo album towards the end for some examples. I wouldn't want to be the guy that tripped while they were putting the last tiny wooden skyscraper in the place. Finally, we also went to the Shanghai City Temple. We were there during the Spring Festival, and it seemed like everyone was in a traditional mood. People were burning incense to the ancestors, and they also would go up to the innumerable idols, er, statues in the temple, press their hands together as if to pray, and bow their heads for a moment. Coming from Christianity, it's strange sight. People here are so areligious as a whole, but once a year they certainly put on a performance to get the blessings of those who have gone before.
One final note on Shanghai before I sign off. If you're going to visit and you don't know anyone locally that can guide you to cheaper pastures, make sure your bring your wallet. The city is very expensive, more so than New York in many cases. The cultural attractions and so on are priced at a standard Chinese rate, but the restaurants and cafes are quite pricey!
Sunday, March 04, 2007
D - Levitation without Meditation
C and I returned Friday night from a visit to Shanghai, in south central China. We arrived Tuesday morning and spent 3 nights and 4 days. From a pure tourist standpoint, that's too long for Shanghai. It has often been noted that up until the 20th century Shanghai was a tiny fishing village. Then, the decline of the Qing dynasty and its concessions to Western powers began radically transforming the city into a hub of commerce and banking for southeast Asia. Britain, France, and even the US setup various operations in the city. With the end of World War 2 and the rise of the Communists, the foreigners were kicked out of the country and Shanghai again became a quiet place (albeit with European architecture and buildings). In the next stage of Shanghai's history in the 1990s, the PRC's government chose Shanghai as a place to demonstrate the new power of China's opening economy. Billions have been invested turning Shanghai into a world class city. Thus while Beijing can be considered the cultural capital of the country with its Forbidden City and Heavenly Temple, Shanghai is China's economic stake in the post-modern world of the 21st century.
Perhaps most symbolic of Shanghai's most recent transformation is the Shanghai Transrapid Magnetic Levitation (maglev) train that runs from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to suburban Longyang station on the Shanghai Metro (subway in NYC terms). Maglev technology has been around for 60 years but there are few implementations of it. It allows for incredibly fast speeds but is currently extremely expensive to build. To China's undemocratic government however, cost is no barrier to demonstrating her entrance on the world stage. Like a model on the runway, China struts her stuff with all the confidence of the emperor's new clothes. As C observed on our trip, the maglev is a colossal waste of money - but it sure is fast. Reaching a top speed of 431 km/h (267 MPH), the maglev scorches the 30km distance in 7 minutes. Compare this to a Boeing 747 which needs a take-off speed of only 180 MPH. Despite my distaste for huge government projects (and China's heavy-handedness at pushing them through), I have to say that the technology itself is impressive. As a child, one of my favorite books was called "Trains". I loved the different kinds of cars and locomotives. To ride on something like the maglev (which I've read about longingly for years) was in many ways a dream come true. The train is fairly smooth at top speed, but getting there takes more vibration than I expected. Additionally, the train is rather loud while it's accelerating. It's not any louder than a jet engine during takeoff, but doesn't sound effortless. I should note that despite the adrenaline rush of traveling so fast, it's not particularly practical from location standpoint. Longyang Metro station is on the far east side of Shanghai in the Pudong development area, far from any tourist hotel. Once you arrive there, you need to take the Metro into the city, or a taxi to your hotel. We took the taxi, which was about 35 RMB to the Bund area. Cost wise however, depending on where your hotel is, the maglev may make sense. It's 40 RMB one way if you have a same-day airline ticket. Add in 30-40 RMB to your hotel and you're looking at 80 RMB. This is compared to a likely 140-150 RMB taxi ride if you go straight to the airport.
So without further ado - here are two crude videos I filmed while on the maglev. The first shows the train getting up to speed, and the second is a brief one showing the top speed of 431 km/h. No doubt if you have further interest in the subject you can search YouTube and get a more professional take.
Ramp-up:
Top Speed:
I will continue my thoughts on Shanghai in a future entry of IM. Don't forget to check out our web photo album for a sneak preview.
Perhaps most symbolic of Shanghai's most recent transformation is the Shanghai Transrapid Magnetic Levitation (maglev) train that runs from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to suburban Longyang station on the Shanghai Metro (subway in NYC terms). Maglev technology has been around for 60 years but there are few implementations of it. It allows for incredibly fast speeds but is currently extremely expensive to build. To China's undemocratic government however, cost is no barrier to demonstrating her entrance on the world stage. Like a model on the runway, China struts her stuff with all the confidence of the emperor's new clothes. As C observed on our trip, the maglev is a colossal waste of money - but it sure is fast. Reaching a top speed of 431 km/h (267 MPH), the maglev scorches the 30km distance in 7 minutes. Compare this to a Boeing 747 which needs a take-off speed of only 180 MPH. Despite my distaste for huge government projects (and China's heavy-handedness at pushing them through), I have to say that the technology itself is impressive. As a child, one of my favorite books was called "Trains". I loved the different kinds of cars and locomotives. To ride on something like the maglev (which I've read about longingly for years) was in many ways a dream come true. The train is fairly smooth at top speed, but getting there takes more vibration than I expected. Additionally, the train is rather loud while it's accelerating. It's not any louder than a jet engine during takeoff, but doesn't sound effortless. I should note that despite the adrenaline rush of traveling so fast, it's not particularly practical from location standpoint. Longyang Metro station is on the far east side of Shanghai in the Pudong development area, far from any tourist hotel. Once you arrive there, you need to take the Metro into the city, or a taxi to your hotel. We took the taxi, which was about 35 RMB to the Bund area. Cost wise however, depending on where your hotel is, the maglev may make sense. It's 40 RMB one way if you have a same-day airline ticket. Add in 30-40 RMB to your hotel and you're looking at 80 RMB. This is compared to a likely 140-150 RMB taxi ride if you go straight to the airport.
So without further ado - here are two crude videos I filmed while on the maglev. The first shows the train getting up to speed, and the second is a brief one showing the top speed of 431 km/h. No doubt if you have further interest in the subject you can search YouTube and get a more professional take.
Ramp-up:
Top Speed:
I will continue my thoughts on Shanghai in a future entry of IM. Don't forget to check out our web photo album for a sneak preview.
Friday, February 23, 2007
D - 过年好 (Commence the detonation)
Contrary to the title of the post, 过年好, Guo Nian Hao is a traditional Chinese greeting heard during this season meaning Happy New Year. Needless to say we've been hearing it regularly in Dalian this past week. We've also experienced a different type of greeting recently - the explosion. Apparently the Year of the Pig is so fortunate, everyone in Dalian has taken to setting off their fireworks at all hours of the day. Our second night back I was awakened at 4am by a cacophony of cannon shots. And I do mean cannon shots - I think they have a cannon on campus that can shoot blanks. In China, fireworks are more about sound than sight (but there's plenty of light as you'll see), thus the ongoing orchestra of black powder.
All of this is a tremendous contrast to places like New York or your favorite nanny State where giving your children a sparkler could get Social Services called and your kids in foster care. In China on the other hand, if you're not handing out bottle rockets by age 6, you are probably being delinquent in your parental duties.
Given all the fireworks, we decided that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Thus on Monday evening we decided to attend the Dalian City fireworks show at Xinghai Square. We took two brief videos with C's camera while there. The first is just a quick panorama of our spot at the Square. The second is the beginning of the fireworks show. Not being a fireworks aficionado I couldn't tell you if it was a good show or not. C wasn't that impressed, so I will defer to her experience.
Panorama:
Beginning of the show:
And if you're really interested in getting a good feel for the fireworks around the city, click here. This is a video made by another Dalian resident, as found on YouTube. Our video taking/editing skills are not up to this standard, so check it out as you'll see a lot more.
After the fireworks were over, we had to somehow get back to our apartment. We went with some of the other foreign teachers though who wanted to eat first. It turned out that it didn't really matter. The crowds were huge and we couldn't get across the street to the 202 tram line. So instead we walked a couple of kilometers down to Heishijiao where our local McDonald's is. Now Xinghai Square really isn't that far from our campus, but it seemed a lot longer when we were walking. Fortunately, it wasn't overly cold (high 30s). After a couple hamburgers we were able to catch the tram there, and get back to campus. I felt bad for the girls working at McDonald's because the place was mobbed and they seemed woefully unprepared for such a huge crowd. I doubt they've ever been that busy at 9:30pm because people here don't really like to eat late.
All of this is a tremendous contrast to places like New York or your favorite nanny State where giving your children a sparkler could get Social Services called and your kids in foster care. In China on the other hand, if you're not handing out bottle rockets by age 6, you are probably being delinquent in your parental duties.
Given all the fireworks, we decided that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Thus on Monday evening we decided to attend the Dalian City fireworks show at Xinghai Square. We took two brief videos with C's camera while there. The first is just a quick panorama of our spot at the Square. The second is the beginning of the fireworks show. Not being a fireworks aficionado I couldn't tell you if it was a good show or not. C wasn't that impressed, so I will defer to her experience.
Panorama:
Beginning of the show:
And if you're really interested in getting a good feel for the fireworks around the city, click here. This is a video made by another Dalian resident, as found on YouTube. Our video taking/editing skills are not up to this standard, so check it out as you'll see a lot more.
After the fireworks were over, we had to somehow get back to our apartment. We went with some of the other foreign teachers though who wanted to eat first. It turned out that it didn't really matter. The crowds were huge and we couldn't get across the street to the 202 tram line. So instead we walked a couple of kilometers down to Heishijiao where our local McDonald's is. Now Xinghai Square really isn't that far from our campus, but it seemed a lot longer when we were walking. Fortunately, it wasn't overly cold (high 30s). After a couple hamburgers we were able to catch the tram there, and get back to campus. I felt bad for the girls working at McDonald's because the place was mobbed and they seemed woefully unprepared for such a huge crowd. I doubt they've ever been that busy at 9:30pm because people here don't really like to eat late.
Monday, February 19, 2007
C - an unusual Chinese New Year celebration
Who would've guessed that a great Italian meal could be had in Dalian, even during the height of Chinese New Year? We've been eating pretty sparsely at home, with peanut butter, oatmeal, and yogurt being our staples, but last night had a feast at a restaurant called Olive Garden (not the Olive Garden, however.) I had discovered through Dalian XPat that this restaurant was open all week despite it being Chinese New Year, and talked D into going there over the Paulaner Brauhaus.
Our Danish friends were interested but the lady of the house was ill, so just one of them, our retired professor friend, came along. Nearly the first thing he said to us was "I'm so glad you came back!" (Apparently some of the other teachers have abandoned ship over the holidays). But the real bombshell came next -- he said "You've scored yourselves a free dinner!" and then explained "I found out an hour ago that I'm going to be a grandfather!" He was all smiles and had obviously been crying a few happy tears not long before. So we were of course elated for him, and enjoyed celebrating the great news with food and wine and the non-stop fireworks of Chinese New Year.
The food was good indeed -- our friend had an Australian steak that was done perfectly to his liking, D had a margherita pizza that smelled wonderful, and I had a salmon cream penne pasta dish that was so good that I had the leftovers for breakfast.
My movie binge has kicked off again. We bought five DVDs at the grocery store on Saturday: Casino Royale, Borat, Crank, Pan's Labyrinth, and The Last King of Scotland (all illegally copied, of course).
So our Chinese New Year has consisted of 1. lots of sleep, 2. lots of movies, and 3. Italian food. But hey, I'm trying:
"福" essentially means that we wish the best for all of you in the coming year. And we do!
Our Danish friends were interested but the lady of the house was ill, so just one of them, our retired professor friend, came along. Nearly the first thing he said to us was "I'm so glad you came back!" (Apparently some of the other teachers have abandoned ship over the holidays). But the real bombshell came next -- he said "You've scored yourselves a free dinner!" and then explained "I found out an hour ago that I'm going to be a grandfather!" He was all smiles and had obviously been crying a few happy tears not long before. So we were of course elated for him, and enjoyed celebrating the great news with food and wine and the non-stop fireworks of Chinese New Year.
The food was good indeed -- our friend had an Australian steak that was done perfectly to his liking, D had a margherita pizza that smelled wonderful, and I had a salmon cream penne pasta dish that was so good that I had the leftovers for breakfast.
My movie binge has kicked off again. We bought five DVDs at the grocery store on Saturday: Casino Royale, Borat, Crank, Pan's Labyrinth, and The Last King of Scotland (all illegally copied, of course).
So our Chinese New Year has consisted of 1. lots of sleep, 2. lots of movies, and 3. Italian food. But hey, I'm trying:
"福" essentially means that we wish the best for all of you in the coming year. And we do!
Saturday, February 17, 2007
D - Eating our way to China
Home sweet home! Well, sort of. We are back in Dalian China after an epic 29 hour journey. After many days of uncertainty when we would return, we finally picked February 15 as our departure date. To make the trip to China a little more pleasant, I decided to utilize some of our Continental miles to upgrade from Economy to their BusinessFirst class. They had previously denied the use of the miles for reserving a one way flight, so I was amazed when they said we could actually do it.
Despite having never experienced Business or First class on my previous 4 international flights, I was pretty sure what to expect. We'd get big cushy seats that almost lie flat, lots of free drinks, and a half decent meal. The seat is worth its weight in gold. You can adjust almost every aspect from an extendable footrest to lumbar support. If you're like me though, you can't sleep unless you're totally flat. So "lie-flat" (which is really at an angle and not entirely flat) is not flat enough for me. The most interesting thing though was the huge amount of food we got.
Some examples of the food:
Appetizer of pork and lobster
Mesclun Salad
Champagne with lunch
Steak as the main course
Port wine and chocolate for dessert
Second meal of chicken noodle soup (more like chicken noodle stirfry actually)
Third meal of fresh fruit, omelette
Interestingly, I found the food passed the time more than movies or my futile efforts to sleep. The first 6 hours breezed by thanks to the initial meal service. The flight attendants were a little nicer in BusinessFirst but I still wasn't overwhelmed by the service. I guess it's hard for anyone to sound pleasant repeatedly asking "Coffee, Tea, something to drink?" 500 times a flight. Oh and I don't recommend the Oscar nominated film "Babel". I'm a sucker for artsy make-you-think kind of movies but I just didn't get it. It's also over the top depressing, which probably isn't the best choice for people who are trapped inside a small cylindrical shell for 13 hours.
After our cushy 13 hour flight to Beijing, the less pleasant part of the journey began. Primarily it consisted of waiting in lines for everything. It took forever to get through the customs line. We had to wait 5 hours for our connecting flight to Dalian. The plane was packed. Getting out of the baggage claim in Dalian was an exercise in human osmosis. The taxistand was a mad house. But finally we made it back to Dalian Maritime University. Note to self - try not to travel on the verge of Chinese New Year again.
Upon waking up the next morning, we decided to go looking for groceries. Normally we get basic things like water, coke, oatmeal, and snacks at a variety of "little stores" on campus. Being Chinese New Year however, this place is a ghost town. Around every corner I keep expecting to see a creaking saloon fluttering in the breeze and a cow skull half buried in the sand. Fortunately international capitalism came to the rescue in the form of Trustmart (a large Chinese grocery chain, now owned by Walmart). It's not in reasonable walking distance but it's not far on the bus so we were able to get our groceries there.
After a taxi back to the apartment and carrying a couple gallons of water up 5 flights of stairs, we had a lunch of peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Then we promptly took a nap, which lasted from 3PM Saturday to 4AM Sunday morning. And that's why I'm writing this blog entry at 6AM our time. Needless to say we caught up on our sleep, but I am not sure we're adjusted to the time zone just yet. My next mission is to avoid going to bed at 6PM!
Despite having never experienced Business or First class on my previous 4 international flights, I was pretty sure what to expect. We'd get big cushy seats that almost lie flat, lots of free drinks, and a half decent meal. The seat is worth its weight in gold. You can adjust almost every aspect from an extendable footrest to lumbar support. If you're like me though, you can't sleep unless you're totally flat. So "lie-flat" (which is really at an angle and not entirely flat) is not flat enough for me. The most interesting thing though was the huge amount of food we got.
Some examples of the food:
Appetizer of pork and lobster
Mesclun Salad
Champagne with lunch
Steak as the main course
Port wine and chocolate for dessert
Second meal of chicken noodle soup (more like chicken noodle stirfry actually)
Third meal of fresh fruit, omelette
Interestingly, I found the food passed the time more than movies or my futile efforts to sleep. The first 6 hours breezed by thanks to the initial meal service. The flight attendants were a little nicer in BusinessFirst but I still wasn't overwhelmed by the service. I guess it's hard for anyone to sound pleasant repeatedly asking "Coffee, Tea, something to drink?" 500 times a flight. Oh and I don't recommend the Oscar nominated film "Babel". I'm a sucker for artsy make-you-think kind of movies but I just didn't get it. It's also over the top depressing, which probably isn't the best choice for people who are trapped inside a small cylindrical shell for 13 hours.
After our cushy 13 hour flight to Beijing, the less pleasant part of the journey began. Primarily it consisted of waiting in lines for everything. It took forever to get through the customs line. We had to wait 5 hours for our connecting flight to Dalian. The plane was packed. Getting out of the baggage claim in Dalian was an exercise in human osmosis. The taxistand was a mad house. But finally we made it back to Dalian Maritime University. Note to self - try not to travel on the verge of Chinese New Year again.
Upon waking up the next morning, we decided to go looking for groceries. Normally we get basic things like water, coke, oatmeal, and snacks at a variety of "little stores" on campus. Being Chinese New Year however, this place is a ghost town. Around every corner I keep expecting to see a creaking saloon fluttering in the breeze and a cow skull half buried in the sand. Fortunately international capitalism came to the rescue in the form of Trustmart (a large Chinese grocery chain, now owned by Walmart). It's not in reasonable walking distance but it's not far on the bus so we were able to get our groceries there.
After a taxi back to the apartment and carrying a couple gallons of water up 5 flights of stairs, we had a lunch of peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Then we promptly took a nap, which lasted from 3PM Saturday to 4AM Sunday morning. And that's why I'm writing this blog entry at 6AM our time. Needless to say we caught up on our sleep, but I am not sure we're adjusted to the time zone just yet. My next mission is to avoid going to bed at 6PM!
Thursday, February 15, 2007
D - One more time
Our vacation in the US is over. A major benefit of teaching english in China, at least in our university is the ridiculous amount of vacation we get. We left China after finishing semester 1 on December 16. We're flying back tomorrow (February 15) but we don't actually start the new semester until March 5!
We had a lovely time in our homeland, traipsing from Doylestown to Buffalo and back. We've spent a wonderful amount of time with our families, but we are definitely ready to have our own place again. The absence of family is really what makes you appreciate it the most. In July, when we return, we will be overjoyed to come back. But after a great visit, it's time to begin the adventure again. A few weeks ago I was inclined to stay in the USA. A part of me thought about breaking our contract (or buying it out) but in recent time I've experienced a renewed sense that there is more for us in China. We have more to see and more to learn. And so we begin our trip tomorrow morning on an icy, cold day in Pennsylvania, and will finally end it in Dalian, China about 29 hours later.
See y'all on the other side
We had a lovely time in our homeland, traipsing from Doylestown to Buffalo and back. We've spent a wonderful amount of time with our families, but we are definitely ready to have our own place again. The absence of family is really what makes you appreciate it the most. In July, when we return, we will be overjoyed to come back. But after a great visit, it's time to begin the adventure again. A few weeks ago I was inclined to stay in the USA. A part of me thought about breaking our contract (or buying it out) but in recent time I've experienced a renewed sense that there is more for us in China. We have more to see and more to learn. And so we begin our trip tomorrow morning on an icy, cold day in Pennsylvania, and will finally end it in Dalian, China about 29 hours later.
See y'all on the other side
Saturday, January 06, 2007
D - Livin' in America
C and I are alive in well in Buffalo, NY but it's been awhile since we wrote, so let's recap since December 16 (our most recent day in Dalian).
We left on a snowy December morning in Dalian. What started out as a light dusting appeared to be turning into a full blown blizzard by 6:30am (our flight was to Beijing was scheduled at 8am). For a few worried hours we gazed out the windows of our gate watching Chinese men in camoflauge form a giant shovel and dig out the planes. In the US, you would see snowplows doing this in work, but in China it's more efficient to throw manpower at almost any problem. To be fair, snowplows were clearing runways, but I assume that's only because runways are so long. Anyway, our flight was delayed from 8am to 11am, but it wasn't a problem because our flight from Beijing to Newark was at 5pm. Both flights were uneventful and a lot easier than the trip over to China. Let's face it, going back home is a lot easier than throwing caution to the wind and hitching a ride to a foreign country.
First stop on our US journey was my parents home in southeastern Pennsylvania. We spent December 16 to December 28 there and had a great time.
Highlights of PA part 1:
-Indulging my sentimental side and watching Rocky Balboa with my brother
-Playing with our dachshund Cody, who turns from jolly socializing to teeth-bared growling when he gets ahold of a rubber steak toy with a squeaker. In this state of mind he is referred to as "Fang".
-Gaining at least 5 lbs feasting on Western cuisine. Pizza. Hamburgers. Baked Beans. Grilled Salmon. Coffee. Did I mention pizza?
-The usual antics representative of our family dynamics. Difficult to describe but I love my family to pieces and wouldn't trade it for anything.
-A bed not featured on "World's Most Infamous Prisons" (our China mattress is a little stiff)
From PA we have now traveled to C's stomping grounds in Western New York state, up in the Buffalo area. It was a quick flight from Newark and now we are enjoying the company of her family.
Highlights thus far:
-Seeing C's cousin's 10 month old child. Her cousin moved to Spain a number of years ago to teach english and ended up marrying a Spanish girl and becoming a permanent resident. Their offspring is incredibly cute
-Tonight's euchre game with her father. Euchre is a card game played principally in Western New York and the rest of the midwest - places where German ancestry has traditionally been prevalent. Of course it's also quite popular on Yahoo! games, which I don't have an explanation for.
-Anticipation of chicken wing consumption at one of Buffalo's traditional establishments (e.g Duff's or Anchorbar).
-Chowder making on New Year's Even. C's father has since 1982 (I believe) been making what people outside of WNY would call "thick soup" - but it's a rather large injustice to do so. It's an all day extravaganza of cutting carrots, potatoes, celery and grinding meat, followed by standing in the cold and stirring the chowder in a 30 gallon drum. There are always large numbers of people that stop by for a bowl or two (31 in 2006).
Tomorrow we are going to Rochester to catch up with some old friends and watch a RIT hockey game. RIT of course is my alma mater. Next week we are driving to Chicago to check out the city and visit the law school, as that's C's next stop on the life express. Towards the end of January we will return to Pennsylvania for another week or so and then it's back to China in early Februrary. From there we have many possibilities for travel but we would like to get a good view on the Chinese New Year.
Anyway, that's the story from the City of Lights. Til next time...
We left on a snowy December morning in Dalian. What started out as a light dusting appeared to be turning into a full blown blizzard by 6:30am (our flight was to Beijing was scheduled at 8am). For a few worried hours we gazed out the windows of our gate watching Chinese men in camoflauge form a giant shovel and dig out the planes. In the US, you would see snowplows doing this in work, but in China it's more efficient to throw manpower at almost any problem. To be fair, snowplows were clearing runways, but I assume that's only because runways are so long. Anyway, our flight was delayed from 8am to 11am, but it wasn't a problem because our flight from Beijing to Newark was at 5pm. Both flights were uneventful and a lot easier than the trip over to China. Let's face it, going back home is a lot easier than throwing caution to the wind and hitching a ride to a foreign country.
First stop on our US journey was my parents home in southeastern Pennsylvania. We spent December 16 to December 28 there and had a great time.
Highlights of PA part 1:
-Indulging my sentimental side and watching Rocky Balboa with my brother
-Playing with our dachshund Cody, who turns from jolly socializing to teeth-bared growling when he gets ahold of a rubber steak toy with a squeaker. In this state of mind he is referred to as "Fang".
-Gaining at least 5 lbs feasting on Western cuisine. Pizza. Hamburgers. Baked Beans. Grilled Salmon. Coffee. Did I mention pizza?
-The usual antics representative of our family dynamics. Difficult to describe but I love my family to pieces and wouldn't trade it for anything.
-A bed not featured on "World's Most Infamous Prisons" (our China mattress is a little stiff)
From PA we have now traveled to C's stomping grounds in Western New York state, up in the Buffalo area. It was a quick flight from Newark and now we are enjoying the company of her family.
Highlights thus far:
-Seeing C's cousin's 10 month old child. Her cousin moved to Spain a number of years ago to teach english and ended up marrying a Spanish girl and becoming a permanent resident. Their offspring is incredibly cute
-Tonight's euchre game with her father. Euchre is a card game played principally in Western New York and the rest of the midwest - places where German ancestry has traditionally been prevalent. Of course it's also quite popular on Yahoo! games, which I don't have an explanation for.
-Anticipation of chicken wing consumption at one of Buffalo's traditional establishments (e.g Duff's or Anchorbar).
-Chowder making on New Year's Even. C's father has since 1982 (I believe) been making what people outside of WNY would call "thick soup" - but it's a rather large injustice to do so. It's an all day extravaganza of cutting carrots, potatoes, celery and grinding meat, followed by standing in the cold and stirring the chowder in a 30 gallon drum. There are always large numbers of people that stop by for a bowl or two (31 in 2006).
Tomorrow we are going to Rochester to catch up with some old friends and watch a RIT hockey game. RIT of course is my alma mater. Next week we are driving to Chicago to check out the city and visit the law school, as that's C's next stop on the life express. Towards the end of January we will return to Pennsylvania for another week or so and then it's back to China in early Februrary. From there we have many possibilities for travel but we would like to get a good view on the Chinese New Year.
Anyway, that's the story from the City of Lights. Til next time...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)