Quick Notes

I cut my hair today, it now looks like Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction. It took two hours, it was the most meticulous haircut I have ever received. He was amazing. I wish I could take him with me to Chongqing.

Tomorrow I move into a hotel with the other volunteers in downtown Chengdu. We have a few days of meetings and then I move to Chongqing on Wednesday. It's about 4 hours away by train. Our new school helps us move, I am crossing my fingers they bring a car or some strong men to help! My suitcases are hella heavy.

We had a banquet last night for our host families. The power went out so we ate in the dark, and then we decided to move to a restaurant next door where dinner started all over again. It was a very China evening. I will post pics asap.

Fun with the letter 'R'

One of the Peace Corps volunteers is named Holly. About 18 times a day I want to call her "Horry." I know it's wrong, but I still want to.

But we do say (to each other), "It's dericious!"

Time Out

I have a sad heart right now. I know the quality of this blog isn't high right now and the sad heart is why. I'll get over it, we always do, but in the meantime to those that read this blog, I'm sorry! I will hopefully have something fun to say soon.

Seeking Out Information

One of the most striking differences between Western and Chinese culture is the way in which we get information. For example, in the West we take the initiative to seek out information from qualified sources. In China, most people do not think it is necessary to seek out information from experts because whatever is important for them to know, they will be told. As a result, information is not made public, without major complaints. (Our Peace Corps country director tells the story of consulting the USGS after the earthquake because it was difficult to find information locally. I often seek out Western resources that have no counterpart here.)

This has a huge impact on teaching because our students are used to being told information and repeating it back. This is what they consider learning. Asking them to research a topic and report on their findings, or come up with their own unique ideas, is unheard of. That process just does not exist here.

I never realized before the general sense of optimism we have in the West. We grumble and complain because we expect things can be better, because we expect if we seek out truth, eventually we will find truth. I took that optimism for granted. Now I am learning to treasure it.

The Tenor in Chess

I love musicals in general, but especially the tenor part. This man's voice when he sings "How can I leave her? Where would I start?" never fails to send a chill through me. One of my all-time favorite pieces of recorded music. (Anthem, from Chess.)

My New Home

Chongqing (pronounced 'chongching'), China: home to 32 million people (around 10 million in the city proper). The city straddles the Yangtze River, with several bridges connecting the two sides. I live in a thriving neighborhood of skyscrapers, restaurants and shops, only a few stops from the city center by metro. I look forward to exploring my new city and taking pictures along the way. I love bridges! (These pics are not mine, they are from the city tourism site.)

My New Home + More Bridges

Chongqing (pronounced 'chongching'), China: home to 32 million people (around 10 million in the city proper). The city straddles the Yangtze River, with several bridges connecting the two sides. I live in a thriving neighborhood of skyscrapers, restaurants and shops, only a few stops from the city center by metro. I look forward to exploring my new city and taking pictures along the way. And I love bridges! (These pics are not mine, they are from the city tourism site.)

Cultural Confusion

Here are some things that the Chinese have a hard time understanding about Americans:

1. Our independence from our parents at an early age
2. Our reluctance to accept help in our daily life with small tasks we can do ourselves
3. Our need for a schedule and desire to make plans in advance
4. Our ability to be very direct without getting our feelings hurt
5. The individual is usually more important than the whole

And from talking to my fellow volunteers, here are some things we have a hard time grasping about Chinese culture:

1. When people want to help you do even the most basic of things, it is because they care about you
2. No schedules and no need to tell anyone in advance of your plans
3. Constantly reassure people you are pleased with everything
4. If it is for the good of the family, the school, or the country, you don't complain or protest, you accept it.
5. Lack of conflict is the most important goal in everything. As a result, never tell anyone what you are really thinking.

Rainy Afternoons

2:00 PM, kitten tummy, dark and rainy day, curled up in a soft blanket, afternoon nap. The best.

Legs

Two girls whose legs I covet:

Rihanna (click here to see video)

Paulina Rubio (click here to see video. Also check out her outfit!)

Seriously, they have perfect legs. How many more miles do I have to run to get those legs? Probably infinity, but a girl can dream!

A Christmas Story moment

Remember at the end of A Christmas Story, when they are at the Chinese restaurant and the host brings out the whole roasted duck and the mom jumps and squeals? Well, I didn't squeal, but I did jump a bit when this bowl was placed in front of me. All I could think of was Speedy, my cousin Cade's pet turtle. I didn't have to eat it, though. Hooray for being a vegetarian! (The Chinese think being a vegetarian is cuckoo, but they respect it.)

My New Apartment

In a word: SWEET.

I live on campus in the foreign teacher's apartment building. It's a converted hotel so I have a balcony, too. The apartment is in a very safe location behind two school gates, a manned foyer, a locked entrance to the stairwell, and then my front door. They are very serious about our safety.

The university location is amazing as well, it is a block from the main shopping avenue in the area and the metro stop. There are skyscrapers and neon lights and people everywhere. It is like living off of Times Square. But then when I get back behind the school gate, there are trees and manicured lawns and grasses everywhere, very peaceful. It is the best of both worlds. I could not have asked for a better assignment. I hope you will think seriously about coming to visit! Here are some pictures:

Bedroom:

Living room:

Kitchen:


Western style bathroom:

Too Fancy?

An article today on CCTV, the Chinese news agency. (I like to read CCTV, CNN and the BBC to compare how China news reporting vs. Western reporting.) This is a very consumer driven culture from what I have experienced. I didn't realize ornateness of packaging could be a government issue. There is still so much I don't understand about China.

China's top economic planner, along with several other ministries, has issued a joint notice, saying "no" to luxury packaging for moon-cakes. Over the past years, China has issued standards to limit wasteful packaging for the traditional Chinese delicacy. But some hotels and restaurants still use elaborate presentation as a way to add value. The joint notice directs all local authorities, including quality control and pricing departments, to strengthen product checks for the up-coming Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on September the 14th. Special attention will be paid to luxury hotels and restaurants, and pricey mooncakes with excessive packaging will be banned from the market.

CCTV Link

FAQ

A handy FAQ for questions I am often asked:

Q: Can you go to church in China?
A: Yes, as long as it is a publicly approved church building. Right now that means Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, Daoist etc. Anyone, Chinese or others, can go to these churches. If I want to meet privately to talk about religion, i.e. a bible study outside of a church, ONLY foreigners can be there, no Chinese nationals. And no public announcement, no public site, no recruiting to attend the meeting etc.

Q: Can you have/receive religious materials?
A: Yes, but only one copy of each item.

Q: Are internet sites blocked to you?
A: Yes, many sites are blocked. If you can get a proxy server to work, you can access the sites through the proxy server. A few sites were unblocked for the Olympics and others work some days but not others. It's just trial and error to see what you can access.

Q: How is your Chinese language coming along?
A: It's average. According to my teachers, I am right about where they would expect me to be. I can get along okay. I usually understand at least a few words in each sentence and can make out what they are asking. If not, I just tell them I don't understand. I carry a dictionary with me. The Chinese are very patient, they know their language is tough.

Q: Is it safe for my health to be here?
A: The Peace Corps takes good care of us. I had 6 weeks of weekly vaccinations and weekly health classes on topics such as how to find and prepare clean drinking water and food, avian flu, air pollution, malaria and other health concerns, drugs and alcohol, and mental health. We have two doctors on staff (1 American, 1 Chinese) and a 24 hour medical hotline. Someone is always on call. Our Chinese doctor went to a prestigious medical school and has many contacts (very important in China) and access to very good care for us. The Peace Corps has a medivac company on call as well. We receive medications as needed, we just have to call the office. We received a well stocked First Aid kit.

They provide us with the following for our apartments: water distiller, air purifier, smoke alarm, CO detector, smoke hood and fire extinguisher.

My First Chinese Friend

The girl on the right is one of my teachers and my first Chinese friend. We go shopping together and look for good places near the school to get facials and massages. Tonight we are watching 30 Rock on my computer. This picture was taken at a Hot Pot restaurant near campus, where a few of us met one night after school for dinner. (More later on Hot Pot.)

She is a University teacher in another province nearby during the school year, but works in the summertime as a Chinese teacher for the Peace Corps. She will move back to her home province in a few weeks, but I have invited her to come to Chongqing to stay with me for a weekend. I will miss her when we move in a few weeks.

Holding Hands

It feels good to have someone with you whose hand you can hold, someone you trust to be good to you. I love holding hands while walking, on the subway, watching a movie, and especially in the car. It's very sweet to silently hold hands on the way home from anywhere.

I also love it when little kids reach up and hold your hand. It makes me feel needed. It's the perfect compliment from a child: "I trust you to take care of me."

Chinese Bathroom

Eastern-style bathrooms are very efficient. This is the bathroom in my host family's apartment. The washing machine drains directly into the squat toilet, eliminating the need for extra pipes and hoses. The washing machine spins like a dryer, seems to work better than western agitation washing machines, my clothes come out very, very clean. (They are dried on a line outside the window.)


The mops behind the toilet are used to squeegee the water on the floor from the shower into the squat toilet. The squat toilet sits a few centimeters lower than the rest of the room and eventually everything drains into it. They only use hand-size towels (I think because of the size of the washing machine, but I am not sure).


I miss taking baths!

Aftershocks

It's too early for me to be awake, but there was another strong aftershock about two hours ago and the adrenaline rush of being awakened in such a manner is making it difficult to sleep. These happen quite often and I still wonder each time "Is this going to escalate? Do I need to run?"

So far we have had no damage, only shaking. I have been reassured that in the city center the buildings are more stable and I don't need to worry, but my adrenaline has obviously not gotten the message.

Students

Here are some questions my students asked me about America:

1. Do Americans spend a lot of money on exercise?
2. Do Americans kiss each other when they say hello?
3. Is it hard to for a foreigner to get into American universities?
4. What is the 3rd largest city in America?
5. Who do I think will be the next President?

And here is a picture of one of my students. They often give this 'peace' gesture in photos. I am not sure where they learned it, but it is very popular with students.

Pijiu Wednesdays

A few of us get together on Wednesday nights to kickback and drink pijiu at an outdoor beer garden ("pee-geo" = beer). After weeks of cramming Mandarin into my head, eating new foods, walking new streets and generally facing the unfamiliar every day of my life, Pijiu Wednesday is an oasis. And I always laugh really, really hard- my friends here are hilarious. The best mental health medicine ever.

I snapped this recently about halfway through the night. Guess which drink is mine? (And that's my new phone on the table, which I also love. Seriously.)


P.S. Today is Chinese Valentine's Day. I love you all!

Indiana Jones in China

One of my favorite movies is Raiders of the Lost Ark, including the part where the girl blinks "Love You" on her eyelids. (I always wanted to try that on a date, except mine would say "Kiss Me Hard.")

One of my fellow volunteers is Hottie McHottersons and the girls here LOOOVE him, it's all very Indiana Jones-ish. His classroom is across the hall from mine and I love peeking in and seeing the swooning expressions on the girls faces as he teaches them. After class was over he popped into my room to see how things went and I was asked later by some of the girls, "Miss F., is he your boyfriend??" I told them no, they all sighed and said they were sorry. I am not sure what they were sorry for, but I got a kick out of telling him that story later. Today we were trying to leave the building and got delayed 10 minutes or so while they took pictures with him, one by one.

So in case you ever wanted to know what it's like to teach with Indiana Jones, I can tell you. I'm going to start checking the girls' eyelids for messages!

Snakes

We call snacks 'snakes' because one of our volunteers was asked by a local if he wanted to have some snakes. He said yes, but soon realized the local meant 'snacks' not 'snakes.' The terminology stuck though, and it's common to hear during language class, "Hey, do you have any snakes in your bag?" We are unabashed snakes scavengers.

I love that we are living in a reality in which it is totally reasonable to think someone asked you if you wanted to go eat snakes. And totally reasonable to answer "yes."

P.S. we lost the first volunteer from our group, someone went home. Sad! She was really neat. I hope no one else leaves.

Snakes

We call snacks 'snakes' because one of our volunteers was asked by a local if he wanted to have some snakes. He said yes, but soon realized the local meant 'snacks' not 'snakes.' The terminology stuck though, and it's common to hear during language class, "Hey, do you have any snakes in your bag?" We are unabashed snakes scavengers.

I love that we are living in a reality in which it is totally reasonable to think someone asked you if you wanted to go eat snakes. And totally reasonable to answer "yes."

P.S. we lost the first volunteer from our group, someone went home. Sad! She was really neat. I hope no one else leaves.

Peanut Butter

Want to make a Peace Corps Volunteer ecstatic? Give them peanut butter. I found Skippy peanut butter in a large grocery store downtown. I think I could trade it like cigarettes in prison for goods and services amongst my fellow volunteers. Of course I shared for free.


Other American stuff I love:

Fountain Diet Coke
Cheese
My Bed
Family and Friends
Directness
Cold Drinking Water
Hot Showers
Confidence
Clif Bars

Chinese stuff I love:

Garden-fresh fruits and veggies daily
Dumplings
Neat Paper and Calligraphy
Technological goods
Instant Friends
Hopefulness
Jasmine Tea
Public Markets
Neighborliness

KTV is a popular pasttime in China, and the best way I can think of to describe it is "Disco Brothel Karaoke", so you know I am all over it. The place we went to last night had Roman columns on the street marking the entrance and red neon lighting down a long faux-marble hallway leading to the basement front door. There is no overhead light, just floor lamps, the walls are covered in red brocade, the couches are deep, plush and plentiful, and there are red light disco balls in every room. And, air conditioning! It's like being in an old-fashioned brothel, but nicer. You can rent a private, soundproofed room (with a window in the door! The window is very important!) for 100 RMB (about $14.00) an hour. This includes one free round of drinks, fruit and popcorn snacks. Or, you can stay in the main room with a big screen for 15 RMB.

We stayed in the main room last night because the private ones were all taken, but the bartenders and doorman were very nice to us and played three English songs after every three Chinese songs. We basically swapped off with the couch of Chinese patrons next to us. International sing-off! Our set list included Bob Marley, Britney Spears, Abba, Grease and Barry Manilow, so you know it was a good night.

Five Things

1. This "Hello Hitty" shirt. I would so wear this shirt if it were my size.

2. I sent this picture to my computer via bluetooth. I always thought bluetooth was just for looking like a dork talking to yourself in public, but using it to send pictures wirelessly to my computer? Awesome!

3. I made it through my first week of teaching. We get observed by Peace Corps staff and I did not get sent home for being a sucky teacher. Phew!

4. Yesterday I said something in Chinese and didn't think about it first in English. My (albeit simple) thought just came out of my mouth in Chinese. Shocking, but encouraging.

5. It's the rainy season here so it rains almost every afternoon, but I woke up this morning to a thunderstorm. I love thunderstorms. A great way to start the day.