Is it really already time for that ending, wrap-up-all-your-feelings blog? How can 5 months go by so slowly and yet so quickly? At once, I feel that I have been in China forever and also that I have barely just arrived!
The past month I have been remiss in blogging. With my time spent researching Beijing Opera and writing an extensive research paper (30+ pages, baby!), as well as preparing for graduate school applications, I have taken every available chance to leave my computer and explore the city. Sitting down to blog when I could go to the beach…well, what would YOU pick?
After successfully combining play with work for a solid couple weeks, I completed a draft of my paper and was rewarded with what essentially vacation in Qingdao. Accompanied by Madison, Lauren, and Hunter, I headed off to visit all those places I wanted to see but hadn’t gotten around to yet!
I consider that last month to be one of my favorite times during my stay in China. Buying fruit in an extended street market, discovering the hidden slums within view of skyscrapers, strolling through the lantern-lit park at night, wandering around the German area of town, bartering for tea-pots on the street—this was the China that I discovered.
I enjoyed life in China much more in the past month than I did in the first 4 months I was here. To be honest, I was conflicted about China for quite a long time. It was a new and exciting adventure that challenged and stretched me, but for a long time I wasn’t sure if I actually LIKED China. I always liked travelling and sightseeing, but when it came to day-to-day life, I just wasn’t sure how I felt.
China is always crowded. For a long time, it was too cold for anyone to be comfortable outside, and yet there were still crowds. I couldn’t communicate. I didn’t like people spitting, shoving or snot-flinging. I couldn’t communicate. Children pee on the sidewalk. The air was polluted. I couldn’t communicate. Added to these frustrations was relationship drama among fellow Missourians, and it made for a stressful experience.
But, gradually things began to shift toward a more positive perspective. Even though I still don’t like many of the things previously pointed out, I learned to be more accepting, adopting the common expat phrase, “Well, it’s China.” The weather grew warmer, so I was able to see more of the city instead of huddling in my room. I also developed language skills that allowed me to converse and be more independent. And I said “goodbye” to those involved in the drama—some as friends, some not.
Then I really got to see Qingdao for myself, not through the eyes of my teachers, classmates, or fellow international students. A little raw from the combination of lingering culture shock and losing friends, I set out to redefine this study abroad experience for myself. I played in the ocean with strangers, watched a Chinese movie projected in the street at dusk, made friends with a tailor and a tea-seller, won arguments with shop-keepers, and took strolls around the city. In the process, I learned to like China and developed a deeper affection for the Chinese people.
Now, I still think that Chinese people are a little strange sometimes. I consider that women’s fashion of wearing panty-hose socks with all types of shoes is weird, as well as the ever-present heels with sweat pants combination. I don’t like that all the men seem to smoke. I’d rather no one forcibly propel me into their store or toward a camera. But these surface things aside, I consider Chinese people to be intrinsically kind. Everyone is connected to each other, resulting in a large community-family mindset.
This idea is easiest to see on trains, where strangers chatter away and the whole car becomes best friends. While I initially didn’t like being approached, and saw it as yet another example of my white skin failing to fit into China, I realized that I was being invited into the community when someone asked where I was from and how I enjoyed China. As soon as I attempted to respond in Chinese, I was in the family—heck, even if I didn’t understand what was being asked and only smiled! While many times I preferred my silence, not wanting to enter into the commotion that would inevitably last the whole train ride, I enjoyed watching the close interactions among people.
In addition to the extended family that exists in China, I was also privileged to gain a host family. My Sundays with the Wang family led me deeper into the reality of Qingdao, introducing me to aspects that I probably never would have discovered as a foreigner. Whether sightseeing, playing in a park, learning card games, or lounging on the living room floor playing checkers, I loved my time with my host family because I really felt that I was living in China, instead of just being a tourist. When I had to say goodbye to my family, we shared presents. My阿姨 (“aunt,” affectionate term for woman of similar age as one’s parent) gifted me a ring that was once her mother’s. It is a tradition to give this ring from mother to daughter; she only has one son and instead of giving it to his future wife, she gave it to me.
The kindness and warmth of the Chinese people is immense. I believe it is what I enjoy most about China, and the people’s affection inspires my own.
I could feel regret that I only developed this mindset toward the end of my time (and indeed, I do—a little), but I am appreciative that I reached this outlook at all. Almost all the international students struggled to adapt to China, with varying degrees of effort and success. Certainly, many of my classmates never got to the point of affection for China, some counting the days until their return to the States and others even leaving early. I’m glad that I outlasted the bad elements and chose to live life in Qingdao.
And it really was just life, no matter how “cool” or “exotic” the idea of my trip may seem to some. I laughed, got sick, studied, lost friends, made friends, found a family, ditched class, discovered foods that I loved, avoided foods I couldn’t stand, cried, watched movies, got scammed out of money, went on dates, worked a job, travelled, went shopping, had a birthday, got lost, gave in and asked for directions, took pictures, passed tests, and became a regular at a restaurant.
At the end of it, I am still myself, if perhaps a little stronger or more independent. I know how I operate and what I value.
I’m forever going to remember experiencing this time with my sister, Madison, who I also get to call friend. We may have bickered occasionally, but I couldn’t have done it without her, and wouldn’t have wanted to! So here’s to her, and here’s to China, for providing us with stories to tell for years!
And here’s to whoever is reading. Thank you for following along. I’m planning to continue using this blog to share stories as I remember them, as well as work through feelings upon my return to the US. You’re welcome to keep reading, though I make no promises about how often I’ll write, or how interesting my thoughts will be. Maybe I’ll see some of you and can share recollections in person. Just be prepared for the inevitable moment when I pause, shake my head and chuckle, “You just had to be there.” Elements of China are simply indescribable. So don’t get annoyed if that happens; go and see for yourself!
再见！
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Guess My Nationality
I love overhearing discussions between Chinese people that are attempting to deduce my nationality. If they’ve heard me speaking English, the list includes Canadian, American, English and Australian, with each person sneaking glances at me and then submitting an opinion. I am frequently Canadian. Once I was even asked if I was Irish, a guess that made me smile!
The guesses are more entertaining if I have been silent or only spoken in Chinese. Then the choices are broader, including all of the nationalities previously mentioned, as well as commonly guessed German, Dutch, and Swedish.
And the nationality most often settled on? Russian. Why? No idea. To illustrate this strange occurrence, consider the most recent examples.
A conversation in Chinese while at the train station, boarding a train to Beijing:
Chinese woman: You have quite a lot of luggage.
Me: Yes, I am going to Beijing, then I 回国 (phrase literally meaning, “return country”).
Chinese woman: Russia?
Me: Um, no. USA.
Chinese woman: (pause) Oh. I thought you were Russian.
A few hours later on the train, a conversation in English between Madison and the girl sitting next to her:
Chinese student: Excuse me, where are you from?
Madison: The US. (when the girl looked confused, Madison added in Chinese, 美国)
Chinese student: Oh, at first I thought you were Russian.
???
The guesses are more entertaining if I have been silent or only spoken in Chinese. Then the choices are broader, including all of the nationalities previously mentioned, as well as commonly guessed German, Dutch, and Swedish.
And the nationality most often settled on? Russian. Why? No idea. To illustrate this strange occurrence, consider the most recent examples.
A conversation in Chinese while at the train station, boarding a train to Beijing:
Chinese woman: You have quite a lot of luggage.
Me: Yes, I am going to Beijing, then I 回国 (phrase literally meaning, “return country”).
Chinese woman: Russia?
Me: Um, no. USA.
Chinese woman: (pause) Oh. I thought you were Russian.
A few hours later on the train, a conversation in English between Madison and the girl sitting next to her:
Chinese student: Excuse me, where are you from?
Madison: The US. (when the girl looked confused, Madison added in Chinese, 美国)
Chinese student: Oh, at first I thought you were Russian.
???
Tai'an and Qufu
With free time between leaving Qingdao University dorms on July 20 and our plane home on July 26, Madison and I had one last opportunity to travel. While I initially contemplated a stay in Beijing, Madison proposed a quick journey to Tai’an and neighboring Qufu. A few of her friends from Missouri State were working at an English school in Tai’an for the summer; only 6 hours away by train, we were practically next-door neighbors in expansive China!
We decided to make the trip, securing our train tickets and, surprisingly, return tickets—saving us from having to buy return tickets once we arrived in Tai’an, a risky venture that rarely involves procuring the train tickets you actually want! Leaving our luggage with Hunter in Qingdao, we set off. After arriving in Tai’an at night, our taxi driver dropped us off in a place where there was no hostel in sight, swearing it was right around the corner and he couldn’t drive there! We were leery, but he refused to take us any further, so we exited the vehicle and asked some security guards for directions; they ended up escorting us to the hostel located on a pedestrian street that was, indeed, right around the corner.
On our first full day in Tai’an, we spent most of the day…sleeping! After having trouble sleeping in our mold-filled dorm room, it was so nice to be able to breath (as well as have air-conditioning) that we made up for lost time! Upon waking, we wandered around the small city, finding that it held everything that large cities have, except on a smaller scale. No offense to Tai’an, but I really wasn’t impressed with the city. The dirtiness and subtle stink, combined with few sidewalks (which meant walking on the edge of the streets) made wandering around unpleasant. The streets themselves were filled with potholes and, as we discovered later, easily flooded.
Tai’an mostly exists because it sits at the base of Tai Shan, considered one of the five sacred mountains in China and a place where emperors traditionally traveled to worship heaven and earth. In addition, local legend claims that a person who climbs Tai Shan will live to see 100 years! Despite the impressive history, Madison and I passed on the mountain, largely because we didn’t think the view would show anything except pollution. Also, after having climbed Huang Shan’s 1873 m, Tai Shan’s 1533 m didn’t seem as spectacular!
Instead of climbing, we met up with Madison’s friends Weston and Courtney, as well as a couple of other Missouri State students teaching at Camp China. They introduced us to “California Beef Noodle King,” a fast-food type restaurant that provided excellent (guess what?) beef noodles! Madison and I liked the place so much that we returned for dinner the next evening. :)
Thursday morning found us on a comfy air-conditioned bus to Qufu, an hour and a half trip for the low-low price of 20 RMB (about 3 US dollars). Qufu, the birthplace of Confucius, is smaller than Tai’an, but just as hot and dirty. Prior to visiting, I had learned that many people in Qufu will try to cheat tourists, so we were on our guard. The first example came immediately upon arrival to the city, where our first order of business was to buy return tickets; the teller tried to tell us tickets for 44 RMB, but we balked and headed for the next teller, who gave us an accurate price of 21! With the blog post proven, we continued to be careful, avoiding taxis and opting for the bus instead. Of course, we then ran into trouble with badly-labeled English signs, but at least we weren’t cheated!
Eventually, Madison and I found our way into the Confucius temple, which held a multitude of stone tablets mounted on the backs of gigantic turtle statues, as well as the Da Cheng Palace, where people offered sacrifices to Confucius. I most enjoyed the family temple (originally intended for the eldest male direct generational ancestors to worship in private) and the stone tablets inscribed with the family tree.
Confucius’s Cemetery, also called Confucius Forest, was also enjoyable. Entering, I couldn’t help thinking it looked like a scene out of a Tolkien book; Madison agreed, remarking, “Look out for Orcs!” Towering trees shaded us from the sun and cast shadows on the mounded earth covered with grass and undergrowth. It was only a little creepy to realize that each mound was a tomb, and the pleasant forest around us was the largest family graveyard in the world. While many of the graves are unmarked, some of the more important descendants (or richer!) have markers of varying sizes. Confucius’s tomb is particularly large, with a large stone marker indicating the huge grassy mound. His son and grandson are nearby, along with a particularly dedicated disciple.
Leaving the tourist groups at Confucius’s tomb, Madison and I went walking along the main path circling the forest. While dodging tourist vans speeding along, we enjoyed seeing parts of the forests that everyone else bypassed. The Ming tombs were especially interesting, guarded by pairs of stone lions, rams, horses and soldiers. During our stroll, we only saw 2 other people that had opted to walk around the forest, and one was white! The Chinese either rode buses around, or just saw Confucius’s tomb before leaving. What a shame.
Returning to Tai’an, we found that attempting to rip off “those white tourists” was not confined to Qufu. Attempting to return to California Beef Noodle King (doesn’t that name just make you smile?), I got into a spectacular fight with a taxi driver. Though the driver claimed he was driving by the meter, I could see from the passenger seat that the price started too high and climbed too high to be accurate. In Chinese, I pointed out the problem and asked for an explanation, which he could not provide. He eventually stopped the car to try to explain his “accurate” meter to me, but I pointed out that the meter had jumped while we were sitting still and Madison and I opened our doors to leave the vehicle. At that point, he offered me a flat fee of 10 RMB to get to our destination. Considering the meter was already at 9.5, I considered it an indication of guilt, but decided to go along, as 10 was very reasonable for the distance and it’s really hard to find taxis in Tai’an! Considering we hit traffic jams and had to take a lengthy detour, Madison and I definitely got the better end of the deal! The driver had turned off the meter when it hit 10, but I would have been curious to know how much it racked up by the time we finally got to the restaurant!
After eating and returning to the hostel, I went out to the pedestrian street to see if a movie was being projected on a screen, as it had on previous nights. As the first night I watched part of a Tom Cruise action movie, while the next night there was a Chinese drama playing as I walked by, I guessed it was a nightly tradition. Little more than a homemade screen in the middle of the street, the evening movie gathers a crowd, with people sitting on benches, stools, and between the parked mopeds. Old men smoke, children skateboard in the back, and mothers sit with sleeping babies. Workers in the restaurants that line the street even pull tables and chairs outside so patrons can eat or drink while they watch.
That evening, the movie was a Chinese martial arts film. Equipped with plenty of water to counter the sweltering heat, I settled onto the ground to watch extraordinary fight scenes and a story-line simple enough for me to follow once I differentiated between the “good guy” and the “bad guy.” At the end of the film, the good guy had lost his girl and turned into a drunk, somehow winding up drunkenly fighting in a boxing ring: Chinese vs. Westerners. To my amusement, the owner of the Western team was American, meaning that I could understand his English while the lack of subtitles meant my fellow viewers couldn’t, leaving them in the same boat I was in during the Chinese sections! A girl of about 6 who had steadily inched closer to me throughout the film, shyly asked what the man said. It was quite fun to translate threatening one liners like “If you lose, don’t come back” （如果你不赢的话，就不回来）and “A Chinese man can’t win.” （一个中国的人不能赢）. I didn’t quite manage “Finish him,” but I don’t think my friend really cared.
Participating in the movie event was my favourite part of Tai’an (and ranks among my best memories in China), though Tai’an is also memorable because of the Daoist Temple we visited on our finally day. After seeing many Buddhist Temple and a Confucius Temple, we were excited to finally see a Daoist Temple. Of course, it looked like most of the other temples, except with more nature! A drizzly day meant a lack of tour groups, so we wandered under trees and through gardens at our leisure. When rain poured down, we took shelter under umbrellas, archways and pagodas as we slowly made our way back to the entrance. Damp, we made our way through flooded streets to the train station. Even though I enjoyed parts of the Tai’an trip, I can’t say I wasn’t happy to go back to beautiful Qingdao!
We decided to make the trip, securing our train tickets and, surprisingly, return tickets—saving us from having to buy return tickets once we arrived in Tai’an, a risky venture that rarely involves procuring the train tickets you actually want! Leaving our luggage with Hunter in Qingdao, we set off. After arriving in Tai’an at night, our taxi driver dropped us off in a place where there was no hostel in sight, swearing it was right around the corner and he couldn’t drive there! We were leery, but he refused to take us any further, so we exited the vehicle and asked some security guards for directions; they ended up escorting us to the hostel located on a pedestrian street that was, indeed, right around the corner.
On our first full day in Tai’an, we spent most of the day…sleeping! After having trouble sleeping in our mold-filled dorm room, it was so nice to be able to breath (as well as have air-conditioning) that we made up for lost time! Upon waking, we wandered around the small city, finding that it held everything that large cities have, except on a smaller scale. No offense to Tai’an, but I really wasn’t impressed with the city. The dirtiness and subtle stink, combined with few sidewalks (which meant walking on the edge of the streets) made wandering around unpleasant. The streets themselves were filled with potholes and, as we discovered later, easily flooded.
Tai’an mostly exists because it sits at the base of Tai Shan, considered one of the five sacred mountains in China and a place where emperors traditionally traveled to worship heaven and earth. In addition, local legend claims that a person who climbs Tai Shan will live to see 100 years! Despite the impressive history, Madison and I passed on the mountain, largely because we didn’t think the view would show anything except pollution. Also, after having climbed Huang Shan’s 1873 m, Tai Shan’s 1533 m didn’t seem as spectacular!
Instead of climbing, we met up with Madison’s friends Weston and Courtney, as well as a couple of other Missouri State students teaching at Camp China. They introduced us to “California Beef Noodle King,” a fast-food type restaurant that provided excellent (guess what?) beef noodles! Madison and I liked the place so much that we returned for dinner the next evening. :)
Thursday morning found us on a comfy air-conditioned bus to Qufu, an hour and a half trip for the low-low price of 20 RMB (about 3 US dollars). Qufu, the birthplace of Confucius, is smaller than Tai’an, but just as hot and dirty. Prior to visiting, I had learned that many people in Qufu will try to cheat tourists, so we were on our guard. The first example came immediately upon arrival to the city, where our first order of business was to buy return tickets; the teller tried to tell us tickets for 44 RMB, but we balked and headed for the next teller, who gave us an accurate price of 21! With the blog post proven, we continued to be careful, avoiding taxis and opting for the bus instead. Of course, we then ran into trouble with badly-labeled English signs, but at least we weren’t cheated!
Eventually, Madison and I found our way into the Confucius temple, which held a multitude of stone tablets mounted on the backs of gigantic turtle statues, as well as the Da Cheng Palace, where people offered sacrifices to Confucius. I most enjoyed the family temple (originally intended for the eldest male direct generational ancestors to worship in private) and the stone tablets inscribed with the family tree.
Confucius’s Cemetery, also called Confucius Forest, was also enjoyable. Entering, I couldn’t help thinking it looked like a scene out of a Tolkien book; Madison agreed, remarking, “Look out for Orcs!” Towering trees shaded us from the sun and cast shadows on the mounded earth covered with grass and undergrowth. It was only a little creepy to realize that each mound was a tomb, and the pleasant forest around us was the largest family graveyard in the world. While many of the graves are unmarked, some of the more important descendants (or richer!) have markers of varying sizes. Confucius’s tomb is particularly large, with a large stone marker indicating the huge grassy mound. His son and grandson are nearby, along with a particularly dedicated disciple.
Leaving the tourist groups at Confucius’s tomb, Madison and I went walking along the main path circling the forest. While dodging tourist vans speeding along, we enjoyed seeing parts of the forests that everyone else bypassed. The Ming tombs were especially interesting, guarded by pairs of stone lions, rams, horses and soldiers. During our stroll, we only saw 2 other people that had opted to walk around the forest, and one was white! The Chinese either rode buses around, or just saw Confucius’s tomb before leaving. What a shame.
Returning to Tai’an, we found that attempting to rip off “those white tourists” was not confined to Qufu. Attempting to return to California Beef Noodle King (doesn’t that name just make you smile?), I got into a spectacular fight with a taxi driver. Though the driver claimed he was driving by the meter, I could see from the passenger seat that the price started too high and climbed too high to be accurate. In Chinese, I pointed out the problem and asked for an explanation, which he could not provide. He eventually stopped the car to try to explain his “accurate” meter to me, but I pointed out that the meter had jumped while we were sitting still and Madison and I opened our doors to leave the vehicle. At that point, he offered me a flat fee of 10 RMB to get to our destination. Considering the meter was already at 9.5, I considered it an indication of guilt, but decided to go along, as 10 was very reasonable for the distance and it’s really hard to find taxis in Tai’an! Considering we hit traffic jams and had to take a lengthy detour, Madison and I definitely got the better end of the deal! The driver had turned off the meter when it hit 10, but I would have been curious to know how much it racked up by the time we finally got to the restaurant!
After eating and returning to the hostel, I went out to the pedestrian street to see if a movie was being projected on a screen, as it had on previous nights. As the first night I watched part of a Tom Cruise action movie, while the next night there was a Chinese drama playing as I walked by, I guessed it was a nightly tradition. Little more than a homemade screen in the middle of the street, the evening movie gathers a crowd, with people sitting on benches, stools, and between the parked mopeds. Old men smoke, children skateboard in the back, and mothers sit with sleeping babies. Workers in the restaurants that line the street even pull tables and chairs outside so patrons can eat or drink while they watch.
That evening, the movie was a Chinese martial arts film. Equipped with plenty of water to counter the sweltering heat, I settled onto the ground to watch extraordinary fight scenes and a story-line simple enough for me to follow once I differentiated between the “good guy” and the “bad guy.” At the end of the film, the good guy had lost his girl and turned into a drunk, somehow winding up drunkenly fighting in a boxing ring: Chinese vs. Westerners. To my amusement, the owner of the Western team was American, meaning that I could understand his English while the lack of subtitles meant my fellow viewers couldn’t, leaving them in the same boat I was in during the Chinese sections! A girl of about 6 who had steadily inched closer to me throughout the film, shyly asked what the man said. It was quite fun to translate threatening one liners like “If you lose, don’t come back” （如果你不赢的话，就不回来）and “A Chinese man can’t win.” （一个中国的人不能赢）. I didn’t quite manage “Finish him,” but I don’t think my friend really cared.
Participating in the movie event was my favourite part of Tai’an (and ranks among my best memories in China), though Tai’an is also memorable because of the Daoist Temple we visited on our finally day. After seeing many Buddhist Temple and a Confucius Temple, we were excited to finally see a Daoist Temple. Of course, it looked like most of the other temples, except with more nature! A drizzly day meant a lack of tour groups, so we wandered under trees and through gardens at our leisure. When rain poured down, we took shelter under umbrellas, archways and pagodas as we slowly made our way back to the entrance. Damp, we made our way through flooded streets to the train station. Even though I enjoyed parts of the Tai’an trip, I can’t say I wasn’t happy to go back to beautiful Qingdao!
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