Bodily Functions Are For Everyone, Even The Vaginal Ones

Most of you know Chinese culture views privacy differently than American culture, most easily explained as 'there isn't any expectation of privacy in Chinese culture.' I knew this affected personal space, family and friendly secrets, neighbors knowing what you're up to all the time, everyone always in your bidness, etc.  but I didn't realize it also extended to the body.

It does.

In my experience, bodily functions aren't considered private in China. Sneezing, burping, coughing, passing gas, peeing: all these things are viewed as natural functions of the body, so you don't have to say excuse me, you don't God Bless anyone, and you definitely don't feel embarrassed when they happen...if you're Chinese, that is! Many North Americans...it might take a while to get to that point. (I think this is also why babies and little kids pee everywhere and no one freaks out. Babies pee and poop...why NOT on the sidewalk?)

When you first get to China, you're probably going to get sick. I can't think of anyone in my group who didn't get sick, but we have doctors available 24/7 and they will ask you all kinds of questions about the quality and quantity of your poop and whether or not you see anything weird in the toilet bowl. After a while, you kind of get used to talking about these things. (Some more than others!)

I knew I had become pretty comfortable when I was handed a bag of medicine at our January training conference, just prior to my trip to Hainan Island. (Sidenote: before we went on vacation we had to submit an itinerary; the medical staff checked it to give us any special medications we might need before going to that area, like malarial drugs.) I was sitting with a bunch of my guy friends when I opened my bag, which included a box of Chinese brand vaginal yeast infection suppositories. I pulled it out to inspect more closely. "Um, why do I have this? Why did the medical office give me vaginal suppositories??" Now, usually the last thing a group of 20-something guys wants to discuss is vaginal suppositories, but they started firing questions at me:

"Let me see it...yup, that's what it is."
"Hmmm...DO you have a yeast infection?"
"Is there anything weird going on down there?"
"It includes a finger glove? Open it up, let's see it!"
"So THAT'S how you say 'vagina' in Mandarin!" (He was joking, he already knew!)

I wasn't embarrassed at all to be discussing what the medical office thought was possibly wrong with my vagina with a table full of guys I see on a regular basis. Thanks China, for giving me the gift of no shame.

(Endnote: my friend C., who is super awesome but lives in another province so I hardly ever got to see him, piped up with the correct answer: "Wait-- did they also give you malaria meds? You need the suppositories  in case the malaria medicine gives you a yeast infection." C. was the hero that day!)

It also made me laugh when a good friend went home and literally the first thing she said to me when she got back was, "I have diarrhea." Only in Peace Corps...

Chengdu Airport Adventures: This Is How You Make Friends!

My last day in China, I was flying out of the Chengdu International Airport, the first flight of the day to Shanghai. It was delayed (I'm pretty sure the pilot was still eating breakfast or something), so I was caught in a big cattle call of a waiting area. Every so often an employee would get up and yell into a megaphone about one of the 10 or so departing (late!) flights from that gate.

Chaos in China? I know, shocker!

So I pushed my way to the front of the crowd, and after about five minutes went by, I realized I was resting tmy arm and hand holding my boarding pass on the back of the guy standing in front of me. Like, my forearm and hand were full-on laying all over him. And it took me five minutes to notice I was doing this. And he never even turned around. And today this guy at the gas station was standing a full 8 feet behind the person in front of him in line, and it just annoyed me to no end. WHO NEEDS 8 FEET? It took all of my restraint not to cut in front of him in line and pretend I didn't realize what I was doing.

The other memorable thing that happened at the airport that last morning in Chengdu was when a French couple came up next to me in the crowd, but had missed what the megaphone guy said. I didn't want to be presumptuous that they spoke English, so I started repeating the announcement to them in Mandarin. The guy looked at me for a second and then said, "Excuse me, but do you speak English?" Haha, it was one of those cultural moments I miss.

Stress, Insecurity and Awkwardness: This Too Shall Pass?

It is harder to adjust to coming home than I imagined. A few things:

1. Reacclimating to American culture is stressful, because I don't always know how to act. And the cultural diversity I love so much (and missed so much) is unexpectedly stressful to deal with. R. and I have had some conversations about this and luckily I'm not just weird, it's hard for her too. It's comforting to know it's common, but still: it sucks. I'll write about some specific things when I have a chance.

2. I still dream every night I'm in China. My brain hasn't caught up with the fact I'm not going back to China. When this finally sinks in, I expect to have a little meltdown about it.

3. I'm on the road right now visiting friends out of state. I really needed this. Pardon my silence.

4. Some American friends I made in China have been very easy and natural to keep in touch with. Others have not. And without saying too much publicly, these categories are not populated exactly as I expected. I find it awkward and unsure to communicate right now with someone who was a really, really close friend in China. I didn't expect this, and it hurts.

5. I find it difficult right now to write about my experiences. Memories flood my brain constantly, but putting them down in writing eludes me right now. I need to give myself time and space to process what is happening, I suppose. So I'm trying to let myself do that.

6. One really good thing: I had a family reunion last week and it was wonderful to reunite with beloved cousins. It was also really nice to be with people who knew my dad. I love hearing my cousins (who are nearer to my dad's age than mine) talk about him. They knew him in a way I never will. And when I talk about him, they know exactly what I mean. It was comforting.

Culture Clash In Seat 46C

The last time I flew to America from China I took Air China, which has a Chinese flight crew. This time I took United, which meant we had an American flight crew.

The young Chinese guy in the row ahead of me brought a lot of carry-on luggage, and I watched through culturally enlightened eyes the way the flight attendant tried to deal with him. She was being so American! And he was being so Chinese! She kept telling him that it wasn't fair for him to have three bags, because it meant that someone else wouldn't have space for their luggage. And he kept answering in a very Chinese way: "But my bags are already here, and they fit." And she kept right on with her very American line of reasoning that the fair thing to do is to check some of his bags. And he wouldn't give an inch, because he didn't see why he should. In China, if you're first, you win. And that's that. And I'm watching this go on for 5 or so minutes and I want to tell this woman, "You're in charge! Just tell him you're checking some of his bags. You're the boss. He won't challenge you." And sure enough, after about 10 minutes of this back and forth culture clash, she finally told him, "I'm checking this bag." And he didn't protest at all.

An appeal to fairness rarely works in China. Hierarchy and rank, these are the things people respect. There is no such thing as 'fair.' It means you have to shove your way onto a bus, but there is a certain freedom in things not being fair (when it's in your favor, that is. So learn to throw those elbows!). Being a teacher in China is just about the easiest teaching job in the world as far as discipline goes because your students pretty much fall in line with just a mean look. You're the teacher, you have the power. Early on I confiscated students' ringing cell phones and took them home with me for a few days. This got the message across, and I rarely had cell phone problems after that. In fact, there was a Chinese teacher who threw a student's cell phone out a fifth story window! I never had the guts to do that, but if I had, it would have been totally okay.

I wonder if next time, the flight attendant will just take the bag.

Currently reading: The Gita, translated by Irina Gajjar
Currently watching: Seinfeld reruns
Currently cooking: artichokes
Currently shopping online for: work clothes and a cool, not-too-formal briefcase-type bag

I need to rename this blog, but I'm not sure yet what it'll be. Stay tuned, so exciting!

Home Is Where The Paper Plates Are

I made my way back to the USA this past weekend; I didn’t go straight to America after leaving Chongqing, but had a great final week with friends. I cried A LOT. Some people got the brunt of this, and because they are of the man variety, I feel a little bad. But the tears were in part because I would miss them so much, so hopefully they at least felt flattered I cared so much. 

Reverse culture shock? Yes, absolutely a real thing. Not just for me, but for my family having to deal with me. I’m sure at times they are thinking,”Who ARE you now?” It’s the little things here driving me crazy: personal distance, driving with RULES, small talk, concepts of time, American germaphobia, and the utter lack of people everywhere I go. I feel like I’ve survived a plague. Don’t get me wrong, it’s wonderful to have so much calmness around me, but it’s also really weird. I feel really socially awkward right now. I’m pretty sure I’ve been rude to a few people because I got all Chinese on them in the store. But hey, when it’s your turn next in line at the cashier, go! 

(Things I love about America: access to any internet site I want, clean food I don’t have to scrub before eating (although I keep forgetting and scrub it anyway), and unlimited corn tortillas and salsa in my belly. Yum.)

I’m staying with my mom temporarily. This morning I used a waxed paper plate for my breakfast and it was only a little dirty, so I told her not to throw it out and I’d use it again later in the day. A few minutes later she came over to where I was sitting: “You’re not in China anymore, you can have a new paper plate whenever you want it.” Me: “But I don’t need a new one, it’s still useable!”

To my mom’s credit, she didn’t throw it away. But I know she doesn’t understand why I’m hanging onto a paper plate.

I’m about 72 hours stateside; jet lag is a pain! Thank goodness for bad TV at 3 AM.

New Dress, Special Gift, and Buddhist Mountain Friends

I decided to have a traditional, formal qipao made for me before I left China. It's black with gold dragons, and ankle length. I picked out the fabric and the style and a local tailor made it:

And here it is from behind. See what I told you about my butt?? Oh well, I'll soon be leaving you behind, Chinese stairs:

The teacher at my school assigned to help me the last two years also became my friend. His father and grandfather survived the Cultural Revolution and have a collection of Chairman Mao pins from that era. It was important to show your allegiance to Chairman Mao, and one way to do that was to wear these pins. He gave me a pin from his family's collection as a going away gift; I was incredibly humbled by his generosity at giving me part of his family's history. I will treasure it always.

I went to a Unesco World Heritage Buddhist mountain site near my city. It was a very Chinese adventure! It took me 3 buses to get to the mountain top, and I was 'adopted' by an old man who was fascinated with talking to a foreigner; he even got on the mountain bus so he could keep talking to me, but the other people on the bus kicked him off so he'd leave me alone. It was such a Chinese thing, and something that would have freaked me out two years ago, but now was just what happens here. The old man turned me over to the care of the young guy in this picture, a random guy from Beijing who didn't speak English but spoke really good Mandarin (as they do in Beijing) and was backpacking across China. He was really cool! The two ladies are English teachers from a city southwest of me called Kunming and they approached me because I speak English. (Do you see how HUGE I am compared to Chinese ladies? No wonder I now have body dysmorphia from living in China.) They were so nice, and we all became mountain friends. Thus is the magic of the Buddhist mountain.

A few pictures of the mountain carvings:

My Favorite "Guess Where I'm Calling You From?" So Far

R. went to Tibet last week, and earlier this week I got a phone call from her: "Guess where I'm calling you from? Mt. Everest!" She was at Everest Base Camp, and China Mobile has a cell tower there. Now I can leave China with every experience complete.

(Have I mentioned I dread having to navigate American cell service again? I heart China Mobile.)

She came back to Chongqing for one day on her way to America, and as promised, we didn't say "goodbye"; instead, I stood next to the van taking her to the airport and bawled. It was really hard to see her go. Too many goodbyes these days! It's draining me. I cry a little bit, over something, literally everyday. I'm just exhausted. Sooo not ready for any more goodbyes, and I have some really difficult ones coming up. I have one more week in my city, then I go back to headquarters for a few days before I fly out. I need to make sure I stay really hydrated! 

I went to a Buddhist mountain this week. It was a really neat experience. I'll be writing more about it when the weekend is over. I need to download my photos from my camera, but I am just too tired to do it today. 

Back to packing. 

Saying Goodbye With My Favorite Shower Scene

I am heading out of town for a bit, not sure when I'll be able to post again. Let me assure you, I will be having a great time! However, I love you all too much to not leave you with a little yum yum.

I feel guilty for loving this shower scene, because maybe it is reinforcing gender stereotypes? But then again, the loosening of the tie! The wet shirt! The fingers in the mouth! His big, strong hands! And...now I have the vapors. Gender stereotypes can suck it. I just love this scene.

Have a great week/weekend y'all!

What Happens When You Make The Silliest Decision Ever?

I've been reflecting on my close-to-two years I've spent in China. How have I changed? How have I NOT changed? What have I learned? That sort of boring thing.

And I've mentioned this before, but it's been a stronger feeling for me now: this is probably the silliest thing I've ever done. There is nothing wrong with Peace Corps, or China; they are both worth experiencing. But ME in Peace Corps China? On paper: ridiculous.

I read a good book about grief after my dad died. It said you shouldn't make any major life decisions for at least one year, because basically you are too sad to look at anything objectively in your right mind. I applied for Peace Corps weeks after my dad died. It was just something I always wanted to do, and maybe I felt like life is short and fragile? So, yeah. That's how I ended up here.

I had my education completed, a good job with opportunities, a super cute apartment I still miss and feel sad I don't live in now (click here for pics!), and a good life in America. My friends have houses and/or children and are responsible, fun adults. I didn't have the house or kids, but I was slowly being indoctrinated (haha, kind of). My friends? Super supportive. Pretty openly thought I was mad for walking away from so many things and doing this, but super supportive. I could not have done it without them. But still...what was I thinking?

And I mention this because even though it was probably one of the silliest decisions of my life, these things have a way of working out for our benefit. I am intensely, intensely grateful for this experience. I had a chance to take a step back, take stock of my life, look at where I was going and where I want to be, and see more clearly my faults, my strengths, my blessings and gifts. Things in my future will be different because I did this silly thing. (I am not being facetious when I say silly. It was in fact silly!) And because I truly believe in the value of telling kids that what they can achieve matters. I had teachers who did this for me, and it's an honor to be able to give back.

I mention it out loud, in writing, for those of you who might not know where your decisions will lead you, and worry about that. And I'm here to say: make all the "right" or "wrong" decisions you might make, and if you want to find the good in life, you will be lead to find it, no matter what. I really believe it. Now, moreso than ever.

On a housekeeping note, I have about 70 days left here in China. I fear a lot of what I am going through right as I prepare to leave will be boring to read about (philosophical or administrative), so I will be posting less. But, still posting. I fly home August 7th (!!!).

Hiking and Biking In The Countryside

This past weekend I went to T.'s and we spent some time in the countryside. We biked to a mountain, then climbed up the mountain with the bikes, then stashed the bikes and continued over the mountain into a farmer’s valley. I felt so like Maria Von Trapp!  But I didn’t sing anything. There was a lake at the bottom of the valley, so we headed down there for some drinks and relaxing before hiking back out.

Here’s a picture of the valley we hiked into:

 

It’s hazy from humidity, but you can see the lake down there in the bottom, and white farmhouses dotting the mountain side. It’s amazing to me how they can farm on the steep slopes of the mountain.

We hiked past a farmhouse and the owners met us and brought us into their home. They gave us fruit soup to drink out of a pan— frozen apricot-like fruit that had been made into a sort of compote, then watered down and boiled. You could drink the fruit broth and eat the little fruits with a spoon. We sat on tiny chairs and took turns with the pan. I tried to get the name of the fruit from them, but they didn’t speak Mandarin and didn’t write, and I couldn’t understand their Chongqinghua name for it. Sad.

They wanted us to stay for dinner and spend the night on the farm, but we told them we needed to get home. That is just such Chinese hospitality, to invite strangers to stay at your home just because they are passing through. I am in awe of how giving people here are.

Here’s a picture of T. with the farmer’s dad hacking up greens with a machete-type knife. We’re not sure what they were going to be used for. I said I hoped not eaten, as they were all over the ground, but who knows! You can see T. holding the fruit soup pot:



They live in very humble circumstances. I felt like I was in another era of China, it was so different than life in the city. We stayed there with them for a little while, then finished hiking back out.

The path up the mountain was very muddy, and I must be part piglet, but it was this gorgeous, thick red mud and I wanted to lie down and roll in it! But I sort of got my wish because I kept colliding with my muddy bike tires, getting mud all over me. And on the downhill ride home, all that mud came flying up off the tires, splattering all over me. I took a shower when we got back, and T. was teasing me that it looked like Pig Pen had been in there. Ah, I was a happy little piglet, though. Here’s a picture of me when we got back to T’s apartment, many hours later. As you can see, I was wiped out, but it was a good feeling to have worked out that hard. And I’ve got mud splattered all over my face and clothes. It’s a good look for me, I think!



I slept like a dead person that night. It was a really good weekend.

Washington Heights, Luggage, Etiquette and Friendship

During our trip I found out my friend J. is going to Columbia in the fall to do a masters program, and asked me if I were interested in being roommates. Hells to the yes! J. is great, she is one of the nicest girls I know. I told her about Washington Heights*, which is where my cousin lived when he went to Columbia, and so we are officially putting WH on the table as a possible apartment location. Now, I have no idea if this will work out, or if I’ll be able to find a job in the area, but it’s fun to dream about. I have long loved Washington Heights, and even for just a year or two, would love the experience of living there. We agree living in China is great preparation for living everywhere else, because we have learned to live with so little. A crappy little apartment in Washington Heights? No problem. A couple of other people I know here are also going to NYC for work/school, so I would have some friends in the area as well. And we could go to Chinatown together and relive our crazy China days.

Two of my four-wheeled luggage wheels broke. Luckily they didn’t break completely off, but they wouldn’t spin properly and were all banged up. (Note to self: stop dragging the suitcase over curbs and stairs— pick it up!) When we got out of the taxi at the hostel, the owner greeted us and noticed my luggage wasn’t rolling properly. He offered to have it fixed for me, and the next day found new wheels for my luggage AND had his handyman repair the luggage for me. And he wouldn’t take any money from me at all for it. There are just good people in the world. (I bought him a nice bottle of liquor as a thank you gift when I left.)

I was reflecting on this trip about my friendship with E., which was near instantaneous and is a delightful part of my life here. She doesn’t live in my city so I don’t get to see her often, but I just admire and respect her and have so much fun with her. It was a treat being able to see her for a whole week. It’s amazing to meet people you feel like you’ve known for years. They are a gift. I’ve had the chance to make some really good friends like this in the Peace Corps, and it’s one thing I’ll take away as a lifelong blessing.

Thus ends this All In Rebecca’s Head post.

*A neighborhood in northern Manhattan, around 181st street.

Home From Vacation, Chengdu Hostel Recommendation

I am back in Chongqing after a full week away at my conference/music festival trip. It was great! I'm glad to be home, though. I got a sinus infection boo hiss, so I am laying low today while I wait for the antibiotics to really kick in. But, just wanted to mention a few things now:

1. Best taxi moment of the trip (and possibly of the last two years): our young taxi driver taking a few of us from the train station to our hotel asked me in Chinese if I like Lady Gaga. I said yes, knowing how popular she is here. The driver popped in her CD and started singing loudly to 'Bad Romance'; he had no idea what he was saying, but he was going for it, and it was covered in awesome sauce.  And of course I sang along, and when we got there he knocked five yuan off the meter! So my new nickname is 'The Taxi Whisperer.' I think I'm going to write a book just about about my taxi experiences in China.

2. The music festival was so much like a music festival in the U.S., we sometimes forgot where we were. As R. said, "I keep getting shocked by hearing people walking past us speaking Chinese!" It was a pretty cool park venue, and event. My new favorite band is Pet Conspiracy; they drink crazy juice for breakfast,  but they were a lot of fun. E. and V. and I worked it in the stage front mosh pit at another show, luckily no lost shoes or injuries. (We were laughing pretty hard imagining having to call our Peace Corps Chinese doctor and explain we got injured in a mosh pit; I could just hear her: "A what pit?" They love those kinds of phone calls, I know.) When am I ever going to be near a Chinese mosh pit again? So I had to do it.

E. took lots of pictures, I'll post a few when she sends them to me.

3. After the hotel (which Peace Corps paid for during the conference), those of us staying for the festival switched to the Sim's Cosy Guest House backpacking hostel, and it was really, really great. In fact, I liked it even better than the hotel. Our room was like a little cabin, with wood floors and furniture, a koi fish stream just outside, plants and trees and a little wooden porch with chairs. The garden, restaurant and bar areas were charming but spacious, lots of hot water, and there is free wifi everywhere on the grounds. And a free DVD screening room with couches. I'm pretty sure we'll go back another weekend, just to hang out. Chengdu is home to the Panda Sanctuary as well as being a major stopping city to get permits into Tibet, so it is a very popular stopover for travelers. There were backpackers from all over the world at the hostel.  We had such a great time, we even skipped the last day of the festival and hung out all day at the hostel, playing cards, watching movies, and chatting in the gardens. And all for about $6 a day. If you are going to Chengdu, stay here if you can.

I'm back on my own computer so I have access to my VPN again, so I'll be catching up on all of your exciting lives!

Ain't Just A G(irl) Thing, Bay-bay

Phone conversation I had today with T.:

(Ring ring!)

Me: "Hey."
T.: "I can't find the office."
Me: "What?"
T.: "I'm on campus but I can't find the office. Oh wait, is it by the bell?"
Me: "Wait, what? It's Rebecca. Did you mean to call me?"
T.: "Yeah, I meant to call you. Is the office near the bell, am I on the right road?"
Me: "My campus?"
T:. "No, Sichuan."
Me: "Oh, you mean the Peace Corps office?"
T.: "Yeah, I'm walking there now."
M.: "Oh, yeah, I guess maybe there is a bell there." (Sidenote: I've never noticed a bell, but whatevs.) "Is there a big track and basketball court to your left?"
T.: "Yeah, I'm walking past them now." (Sidenote: Why use a bell as a landmark when there's a whole block of track and courts!?) "Wait, okay, I see where it is. Bye."

My dad used to observe that I start conversations in my head, then start speaking out loud in the middle of them and expect people to know what I'm talking about, and that this conversational strategy is sometimes hard to follow. Other guys I know have said this, too. (One recently: "You use a lot of footnotes when you talk.") Although interestingly, my female friends have never noticed, or at least never complained. But apparently this phenomenon? Not just a girl thing.

(And yes, I knew he was going to Sichuan U. today but totally forgot in that moment he'd be there already. I'm not known for my attention to details.)

Btw, thank you for your comments on the video. I was quite nervous to post it. It's a bit long, if I do one again, I'll try to keep it down to 3 minutes. I might do one to show interesting Chinese beauty products.

Love and Hate and Trust: Eight Hours in the Life of a Peace Corps Volunteer

The Hate:

Last week I had to go back to Chengdu to get my permanent crown put in. I got up at 5:30 AM, caught the 6:40 AM bus for my 9:00 AM train, and all was well, until I realized my bus wasn’t going to the train station. The driver changed the route, for reasons that are still a mystery to me. In that moment, when I realized I had no idea if I were going to get to my train on time, I was filled with contempt for this place that can so haphazardly change things at the last minute with no notice and no concern for those affected. I really wanted to punch Chongqing in the face, and I felt like a Peace Corps failure for not being able to keep my cool in the face of this cultural crisis. The bus driver didn’t know which nearby bus went to the train station, but I did manage to find an empty taxi during morning rush hour (thank you, taxi guardian angel) and get the train station in time to catch my train. But it took me a while longer to get over that rush of anger and anxiety I felt.

The Love:

Later that day in Chengdu, I was riding the bus from the dental office back to the campus where I was staying. It was rush hour, and the bus was so crowded that people were jumping on through the middle doors. I noticed them passing down their electronic bus cards to the front of the bus to be scanned for their fare, and my American mind thought, “Oh, they are friends traveling together, and just got on through different doors.” But I soon realized that no, none of these people passing around bus cards knew each other. And I thought how wonderful it was that they trusted their fellow citizens enough to turn over a valuable bus pass, not just to one person, but to the 8-10 people it took to get it down the bus aisle and back (sometimes with wallet attached!). And I had this love in my heart for China and the Chinese people, that I could be a part of this kind of community. I started helping pass the bus cards for them, and because I am 5’10” in my shoes, my ability to reach over lots of heads made it go a little faster. They looked kinda tickled that a foreigner was getting involved in their ritual, and that made my whole day. 

During training our director told us something along the lines of, “If you find yourself wondering how you can stand to stay here one more day, wait half an hour, and something will happen that will make you never want to leave.”

It was a little more than a half an hour, but on this day, this was very true.

Shanghai and New York City and Me

Well, according to your comments, of those who stated a preference, half prefer window and half prefer aisle. You window people, I admire your bladder control!

In my last post I mentioned that Shanghai is more developed than NYC. I’ve never lived in NYC, only visited two or three times a year for work or pleasure. I’ve been once to Shanghai. So, that’s my background in both cities. Here are a few reasons I think Shanghai is more developed:

1. The maglev train. As of this writing, the maglev in Shanghai is the fastest train in the world. It runs 268 - 310 miles per hour. There’s a station at the airport, and it takes seven minutes to get from the airport to the city. Now, can you imagine arriving at JFK and getting to Penn Station in seven minutes, for $6.00? How nice would that be?

2. Transport cards. In Shanghai, you can buy one refillable card and use it to pay for the subway, buses, or taxis. So convenient! I especially love that you can pay for a taxi with them, I hate carrying a lot of change. And they use hot spot scanners instead of turnstile runners, a little faster and less error prone.

3. Bus stops on the street have electronic signs telling you how many minutes until the next bus on that line will arrive. Subway trains arrive every 5-10 minutes, every time. (Hello 6 Train, can you hear this?)

4. The subway is super clean, super brightly lit, and super safe. My favorite feature is the ceiling to floor glass walls separating you from the train. It’s quiet in the stations because the glass walls muzzle the noise of the train. It’s like being in a space station in 2001: The Shanghai Odyssey. (Quiet except for the people, of course.)

5. In every taxi, there is a sign for a city hotline you can call if you are having trouble with your taxi driver. They print the sign in English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean. Maybe NYC doesn’t have this because it would be overloaded? I wanted to write down the number and call it from Chongqing, but I forgot. Next time!

(I’m sure you know people in China don’t vote, so all of this is done based on what the government, not the people, choose.)

But despite how developed Shanghai is, here are reasons I still love New York City more:

1. Diversity. Shanghai does not have the diversity of foods, population or thought that NYC has. Until you can get falafel, tacos or hot dogs on a single street corner in Shanghai, NYC will always win.

2. Beauty. In Shanghai, they tear everything old down and build new. Historical preservation can be taken to an extreme, but I love the old architecture of NYC. If you haven’t seen my youtube video of NYC firehouses on the historic register, you can see it here. It’s still one of my favorite photographic collections I’ve done. And don’t even get me started on the NYC bridges: gorgeous. If you want to see my general NYC photo collection, click here.

3. Personality. NYC has an arrogant confidence that is appealing. It’s dirty. It’s crime-ridden. But it’s where millions of people from all around the world with little to their names came to start a new life. It’s where people still go to really succeed. It has a world renowned fire department and beautiful architecture. It’s one of the greatest cities in the world, despite it’s flaws and scars. (I also think it has more eccentric, crazy people, but maybe that’s just the romantic in me.)

I leave early tomorrow morning for the dentist, wish me luck!

Eight Things That Have Happened Since Leaving America

1. Just like I’ve heard happens with the pain of childbirth, I’d blocked out just how bad the air is here. When I landed in Chongqing, I couldn’t see the ground until we were right on it. It looked like Oklahoma during the Dustbowl. The locals call it ‘fog.’ I can’t figure out if that’s a mistranslation or wishful thinking.

2. But anyway, I’m home! It just feels good to be back in my own apartment, walking these familiar streets, back into my routine of veggie market, fruit market, bus rides to visit friends, crowded sidewalks to navigate, and of course, the really delicious, spicy street food. Yum. I start classes next week.

3. From Beijing to LAX I had the best spot on the airplane that is not first class: last row in the front section of the plane before the exit, aisle seat, right next to the bathroom. Lots of space, no one kicking my seat, and easy access to the bathroom, perfect! (I always request an aisle seat.) On the way from LAX to Beijing, I got stuck clear in the back, next to the window. Ugh. It was the worst. So glad to be off of that plane. What about you, are you a window or aisle person?

4. At LAX, I got racially profiled, in a good way; a TSA agent had a Spanish man talking to her in rapid Spanish (is there any other kind, really?) and she looked over at me and said, “Hey, can you translate for me?” I thought, YES, I still look Spanish! And no, sorry, I can’t. (I probably could have, but I knew she could find someone who definitely could have.) In China, I’m just an American; I miss the rest of my identity.

5. In the gate area for my plane from Beijing to CQ, I was the only foreigner, and this kid started at me for a full three minutes. (And by kid, I mean 18 years old or so.) Ah, I’m back to being a foreigner in Western China. On that plane I was also in the back, but on an empty row next to the bathroom. This girl came back to use the bathroom but it must have been her first time on a plane because she couldn’t figure out how to open the door. I asked her in Chinese, “Did you want the bathroom?” and pushed open the door for her. She was so shocked. I’ll never get over being shocked at how shocked the Chinese are that I can speak (some) of their language. It’s not Vulcan, after all.

6. Last night I managed to stay awake for three hours in a row (jetlag, you win) and went to a restaurant/bar with friends to celebrate our friend Elena’s birthday. The bar had tater tots! So random. We were sooo happy to have tots, though, it was like we won the tot lottery.  This is what I love about China: small things make us so happy. Btw, Elena is from Palermo, Sicily, and was here for 6 months studying Chinese law. She invited me to come visit her in Palermo. Um, YES.

7. I was watching the video for “Empire State of Mind” today and tried to imagine a song called “Shanghai State of Mind.” Nope, can’t picture it. NYC is not as developed as Shanghai, but it’s got a special something these other big cities don’t. (And no, it’s not as developed, but more about that later.) I downloaded the video to show my students, they are going to love it.

8. Every day I was in America, I ate corn tortillas with melted cheese and Frank’s Red Hot Sauce for breakfast. I miss them.

Dentistry Adventures

Next week I have to go to the dentist, so I thought you might like to hear about what that’s like.

The Peace Corps has a designated dentist we go to in Chengdu, the city where PC headquarters is located. They’ve verified her skills and credentials, materials and clean water supply, so that’s why we all have to go to her.

Here’s how the trip goes: I take the bus 1 1/2 hours to the train station in my city. (On a good day—one time it took 2 1/2 hours and I missed my train.) I take a two hour train to Chengdu (yay, high speed trains!). In Chengdu, I take a 45 minute bus from the train station to the university where Peace Corps offices are located. I walk 25 mins from the bus stop to the PC office, near the campus hotel where I check in to spend the night because I don’t have time to take the train back the same day. I walk 25 mins. back to the street, then take a 20 minute bus ride to the dental office. After my appt. is over, I have the evening to hang out in Chengdu. In the morning, I do all of that in reverse.
 
This is the kind of thing I mean when I say we only do one thing a day. It will take me almost two full days to see the dentist, and I’m lucky, I’m relatively close to Chengdu. Some volunteers have to travel for days for a dental appt.  

In China, this is called “Incovenient.”

Last year I had to have a lymph node removed from my cheek, so I went to the University dental hospital. I was in a sparse room of about 50 chairs, no privacy at all. A doctor operated on me while another dentist held my mouth open with his fingers, because there was no tool to keep my cheek open. I was really hoping his fingers didn’t slip while that scalpel was in my mouth! Goodbye, tongue.

This was the best care I could receive there. The conditions shocked me, but for my part of China, it’s perfectly acceptable. And hey, my lymph node was removed and I’m fine, so it worked.

Junk Food, Plus My Fantasy Makeover

I started packing to go back home, and here’s what it looks like so far:



I left most of my clothes in China, so I don’t have a lot to take back. So hey, why not candy, pretzels, bacon bits and pudding? Underneath all the candy etc. there are jars of salsa, jalapenos and hot sauce wrapped in bubble wrap tucked inside Ziploc bags.

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So, completely changing gears, here are the deep thoughts of my late night mind: you know that moment at the end of the movie when the slightly awkward girl gets a makeover and wows everyone away?  And then sometimes, she turns around and walks away, leaving That Boy who didn’t like her enough for who she is in her high-heeled dust?

I love that moment.

(Watch from about 7:45 in this video for a great example.)

It’s not politically correct to love that moment, but deep down, I still have my own little fantasy makeover moment, where That Guy I just wasn’t girlfriend material enough for realizes how girlfriend-material I really am, as externalized by my new awesome haircut, jewelry, tight pants and sexy shoes*, and will for the rest of his life remember me as the one who got away.

It’s immature, narcissistic, and petty. I know. I blame my repeat viewings of this part of Grease as a child.  Just call me PopCulture Victim Rebecca.

*ACDC’s Shook Me All Night Long will be the song that starts playing spontaneously in the background.

American Guilt

I get this question a lot: "Are you so sad you have to go back to China?" Umm... no. I'm  not sad. But I don't feel like I can say this (especially when it's family members asking me). I feel guilty telling them I don't mind living in China, like I'm a traitor to my home culture Those who have been following this blog know that this was not always the case. My first year was awful; I was very overwhelmed and unhappy. But somewhere along the way, I adapted and adjusted, and it became my home. I think it's wonderful that we, as human beings, can be so adaptable.

I've mentioned over different posts the things I like about my life there: the low crime rate, the fresh food, the exercise, the friendships I've made, etc. But the biggest reason is this: every day I learn something new, and every day is mentally and physically stimulating . I love studying Chinese because it keeps my brain working constantly in that environment. And besides the language challenges, you are constantly bombarded with smells and sights and tastes and physical challenges that remind you how much of your physical body is tuned to be aware of your physical surroundings. And to enjoy them. I feel *alive* in China.

Some days, it *does* get overwhelming. Some days I have to go home and shut the door and be done with China for that day.

But here's the other challenge: in America, we are taught that our culture is the best one in the world. So I feel guilty when there are aspects of Chinese culture I really like, because somehow this makes me 'Un-American.'  I love our Constitution. I'll always be an American. My home culture will always be the status quo and default for me. But, right now, I'm enjoying this challenging ride I'm on. I'm sad to leave my family and friends again, but I'm not sad to get back to a life that, even with all of its inconveniences and hardships, I've grown to enjoy.

Vegas! Poker! My Birthday!

This weekend it’s my birthday (go Pisces!), so I’m heading to Vegas for a long weekend. One of my best friends, FloJo, also has a birthday this weekend, and it’s tradition for us to celebrate together; we missed last year because I was in China, but this year, it is ON. She lives in Vegas, so this is an easy and fun trip for me. Our big plans are to shop and eat (sorry T., no poker, you forgot to give me money!) and perhaps see a movie. Did you know Sephora gives you a free gift on your birthday? They do! So we’ll be hanging out there as well. (Sephora ties with Target as my happy place—I’m a make up and skincare junkie.) I love the shops along the Strip. I can’t afford anything, but it’s fun to look. And speaking of looking…


…thanks to The Hangover, I can’t think of Vegas without thinking of Bradley  Cooper. He’s not even really my type (I'm usually not attracted to fair, blue-eyed guys, although there was a big exception), but there is something about him that is really attractive. I don’t know that I’d want him to be my boyfriend, but I do think he’d make the best personal concierge ever. “Bradley, please draw me a bath.” Yup, I can feel it. And have you seen the A-Team trailer where he blows up a plane from a falling tank? I so hope this movie is released in China so we can go see it!

I love the Olympics, so I’ll be watching the men’s figure skating long program Thursday night. Johnny Weir is my pretend best friend, love him. If you haven’t seen this video of him skating to my favorite song of 2009, “Poker Face,” it’s worth watching. And have you noticed there are a lot of good looking male figure skaters? This is Stephane Lambiel, not too shabby. And boy, can he spin! But he’s no Johnny.

Hope you all have a great weekend! If anything fabulous happens in Vegas, I’ll post it.