i take claim to my week and scattered days backpacking in beijing and vietnam. it really wasn't much, compared to the other travellers that i had met in hostels and on buses. my trips weren't months of waiting for space on trains, bed space just to be next to impromptu lovers, fans of landscape that spand and spand and spand. for me, it was limited to weeks at a time.
like these travellers, i was looking for something. for me to go, literately, to the other side of the world was the extreme. i needed out for some reason. after years of deliberation and research, i found my way to the airport for the first time to go overseas.
teaching was central, a mode to pay for expenses and plant myself steadily for months at a time. however, i quickly learned that it was not only the experience of the ever fascinating "teaching overseas opportunity", but the access i had to see and experience more.
a month in living in Jincheng, Shanxi, we had our first trip to Xi'an. from there, it would start a series of planned small excursions. even just being in the city and visiting a friend's family home, or eating grilled Muslim food and drinking beer in the street with a local teacher (my favourite), or going to the park or shopping with students in the vasts selection of Chinese merchandise, enlighted and opened my eyes.
i should admit, i never realized that anything could surprise me. furthermore, the bug that had enticed me to leave home, was mostly initially just for air. who would have thought that the life we see at home, could not only look different but feel different.
i always recall the moment i got off the plane in Beijing from Toronto, i was almost paralyzed. i couldn't figure my way out. the way people move, was different. you'd immediately see this when you walk in another city.
the first time i backpacked was unfortunate, at least at the beginning, i made the bad choice of rooming with a friend who was in beijing for a different reason. we came to staying in a newly renovated, but badly planned space where to get a shower, we had to leave the main building. before using the shower, we had to call someone to turn on the shower water heater, wait a half hour, go to the shower room and hope that no one was looking through the window or walked into the door. that was the concern of a foreigner in a place like that, privacy stands tall for them. if you've been to china, privacy means something totally different. mosquitoes were also a killer in the room they provided us. after about three nights of that, i packed, wished my girl luck, and went to another hostel. that hostel was 35 yuan, that is $5.25 cdn a night.
i landed at a "foreigner-friendly" hostel. it was pretty cheap, but i quickly realized how they made their money. while their beds were $6 cdn a night, their service prices were way up there. for foreigners who've been backpacking for months, $4 cdn for a western breakfast was nothing. knowing the actual local costs for making western breakfasts, i am appalled how this hostel charges. in any case, i buy in 'cause i crave it. for living in china for over half a year, i deserve to treat myself to "home" food. however, the last time i was at that hostel, i found that they have increased prices for almost everything. they did this except for laundry where they had to compete against the new cleaners that were charging less for laundry a few steps away.
that was all the backpacking i did really in China, in Beijing. i met some hardcore backpackers who were all pretty interesting. some were interested in making friends, and others just mostly stuck to themselves. i did also meet a local friend there visiting a friend at the hostel. it was nice to meet someone who lived there.
my next and last backpacking experience was in Vietnam. i travelled from Saigon (south) to Ha noi (north) on a bus. it took two days one way, and because of the day trips i signed up for, i only ended up staying one and a half day in hostels. with backpack, i started from saigon. we spent evenings on the bus. i thought the charter buses in Vietnam were much better and roomier than the ones in Canada. i believe it depends on the company you go with. i should say that it cost peanuts one way, $24 cdn.
at every major city, we stopped for a few hours at the company office. the bathrooms were not spectacular, but what do you expect. on the way north, i met this lovely local girl from mid-Vietnam who was going to get her papers to study abroad in the big city. we had time in between buses, so we got to see parts of Hue. i had actually seen it already, but it was a treat for her. it was fun doing this with a local Vietnamese person, or even just another traveller. it was random and we weren't sure how safe we were on the back of these two motorbike taxis. she treat me to some nice local dishes and it was good.
there seems to be a great deal of trust when you are in the hands of another traveller. we both don't know where we are going, but we will get there by any means possible. i recall the time my new friend Thor and i were trying to get a taxi to drive us to a certain location in Beijing on a English-ridden map. there seemed to be no way getting there, especially after 4 taxis told us that they "just didn't know". i think back at how Thor was dealing, when i was negotiating with the driver. he must have realized to trust me, or there was no going to chill with other new friends at new hostel.
anyway, back to Vietnam. when i got to the north, i was frazzled. two days on a bus wasn't as bad as i had thought. later after dodging all the pesky motobike taxis, i thought i'd brave the map and navigate myself to my travel company office. however, that backfired and i worked the nerve to ask a driver to help me get there. i was warned about pricing, so i claimed a fixed price with him. i realized i was walking the wrong way.
navigating down the street with a bunch of knock-off agencies with my travel company's name and logo, i bumped into a sweet guy advertising a hostel to stay for about $10 a night. i knew i had an overnight stay out-of-the-city so i just kept the business card and continued on my way.
after registering at my agency, i decided to return to that $10 a night hostel and stay for the afternoon. i realized that i was beat and opt to stay and have a good nap. i did bargain with them, which was such a local experience, at least something i wouldn't do in north america for anything.
the evening i actually stayed in a hostel, i stayed at another "foreign-focused" location. they were cheap, but incredibly unfriendly. i didn't get to meet anyone really, however, i did talk to some guy who was at the bed at my feet, thanking him for turning on the light.
when i was there, i also did get to walk around the area. this was something i wasn't really keen on doing when i was in Vietnam the first time with a tour group. i walked right into a small shop and ordered a plum drink. it was great. i also got to talk to the local shop owners.
from the perspective of a South Vietnamese person, with family telling her that Northerners were not as friendly and to be careful, i terribly beg to differ.
in looking for a a net cafe near the hostel (the hostel had only two free internet computers), i bumped into a local young 20-something who helped me into some dark alley into a small internet show (with a bunch of kids). he then paid for it, too. i was fascinated and in total shock. this was one of many good encounters i had with people in Vietnam. i'll write more about the Vietnam trip in detail in another post.
okay, i lied. i did stay one more night in a various place when backpacking in Vietnam. i bumped into this girl when i was going south. we hit it off when we chilled in Nha Trang with a new local friend for a night. we stayed in the same hotel room, where our new friend helped us get a deal. he was a guy who worked in the travel company we were with. it was totally random.
now, with the backpacking episode done for a long time, i'm taking little adventures here in Canada. i wasn't sure as to what i should call it. i had inquired and taken rides from strangers between Toronto and Ottawa quite recently. i found these willing drivers from craigslist. after personally debating on whether this is hitchhiking or backpacking, i've decided it was more like backpacking. it was structured, a service, yet in some way random, sorta like the mediocre backpacking trips i had taken in Asia.
20071115
20070610
preview: restaurants, an incident
i actually can write a whole new site about restaurant service in china. since having worked in a resto in toronto for more than i year, i have an idea of the busyness that entails. of course, it's a little different here, -in many aspects.
i will just give you a preview, since i'm pressed for time. i'm leaving taiyuan tomorrow morning, and i have a dinner date with a friend in a while. and, i haven't collected all my thoughts on this topic yet. i will do so in full detail when i leave china, that day comes the end of this week. (on a tangent, i will return to china, but not anytime soon.)
an incident
about two weeks ago, i took my friends to a mall-ish food court to eat. as i was waiting for them to get their food, a overtly loud man is growing a fit, yelling at an employee. i look over, and at that instant, he pushes her from behind as they are walking to the food counters. no one flinches, but i.
i will just give you a preview, since i'm pressed for time. i'm leaving taiyuan tomorrow morning, and i have a dinner date with a friend in a while. and, i haven't collected all my thoughts on this topic yet. i will do so in full detail when i leave china, that day comes the end of this week. (on a tangent, i will return to china, but not anytime soon.)
an incident
about two weeks ago, i took my friends to a mall-ish food court to eat. as i was waiting for them to get their food, a overtly loud man is growing a fit, yelling at an employee. i look over, and at that instant, he pushes her from behind as they are walking to the food counters. no one flinches, but i.
20070511
in the "old country" & water
i lay on my friend's bed, tired and exhausted, watching her handwash her sweater. to us westerners, it's apparently something we would do if we couldn't do it in a machine. though, as i was there in my friend's bedroom, in about 10 minutes of her time, she is handwashes her sweater because that's what she has been doing for all of life, handwashing her clothes.
my girl, grace, does the same in toronto. of course, now i realize the absurdity of her not using a machine is not really absurd. grace is from malaysia, and i assume now that that's what people traditionally do there, as do people china, also. hell, they probably do it in some parts in canada, -i don't know. washing all your clothes by hand.. yikes.
i had mentioned this before.. about washing feet before you go to bed. it's customary for chinese people to do it in a small plastic tub. there's something more i gathered since being here. i had been in china for 14 months already. of course, being a foreign teacher, i have a 3 piece bathroom. in china, it's a luxury. bathrooms are luxury.
i had stayed at a student's home in a village where all they had was the village outhouse. i really couldn't use it, especially in the dark at night, and i'm sure smelly, so i just didn't. don't ask me how, but i relieved a lot later on.
i didn't wonder how they had to clean themselves then, but i found out a lot later on. on a walk to my favourite muslim grilled food in jincheng, my dear good friend wei chi explained to me that in some family homes, there is no bathroom. if they wanted to bathe themselves, they'd have to fork out money to go to the public bathhouse. if they want someone to help them scrub themselves down, they'd paid extra.
i recalled something else that i had mentioned in a previous entry. being at the community swimming pool, everyone was cleaning themselves down rigourously. and i had mentioned how ms. du asked me if i wanted a scrub? well. to me, i always prefer to shower at home. so i would wait, but these chinese ladies would do the whole works in the women's shower area in the centre. soap and shampoo and whatever.
having stayed at ms. du's when visiting jincheng two weeks ago, i understood more about the "phenomenon." for some people, they just don't have a modern shower at home. this was the case at ms. du's. actually, i lived a few nights there relieving myself in the outhouse in the back. it was humbling and i dare not sit. the outhouse wasn't as smelly as it could be, but it wasn't entirely comfortable half-way standing over a questionable modern toilet.
the sink i used was in the kitchen, which was just a room with a table. her produce was in the shelf under it. i didn't shower for a few days, until i returned to taiyuan.
for one of those nights, i stayed at a former student/girl friend's room. she had rented it for about 120 yuan (which is about $17 cdn) per month. i had actually seen a place like this before of another former student. it wasn't as nice, but it was only 50 yuan ($7.50 cdn) per month. anyhow. this traditional courtyard style home didn't have a full bathroom. it had a squat toilet room, but very well maintained. i still don't get how people clean themselves. probably in a way with warm water and a towel. it's very different here, in the "old country."
i had been to homes where if they had bathrooms, it would have a sink, a toilet, and a shower area. it is rare for a family to have a bathtub here. for me, the first city i was in, i was happy with the bathroom they gave me. now, in another, i'm stuck with a small room; toilet and shower. the bathroom sink is, for some reason, in another area of the house, but next to the washing machine. i have a separate kitchen sink which is good. in addition, the bathroom floor is unfinished. i just wear plastic slippers in there when douching. fun times.
my girl, grace, does the same in toronto. of course, now i realize the absurdity of her not using a machine is not really absurd. grace is from malaysia, and i assume now that that's what people traditionally do there, as do people china, also. hell, they probably do it in some parts in canada, -i don't know. washing all your clothes by hand.. yikes.
i had mentioned this before.. about washing feet before you go to bed. it's customary for chinese people to do it in a small plastic tub. there's something more i gathered since being here. i had been in china for 14 months already. of course, being a foreign teacher, i have a 3 piece bathroom. in china, it's a luxury. bathrooms are luxury.
i had stayed at a student's home in a village where all they had was the village outhouse. i really couldn't use it, especially in the dark at night, and i'm sure smelly, so i just didn't. don't ask me how, but i relieved a lot later on.
i didn't wonder how they had to clean themselves then, but i found out a lot later on. on a walk to my favourite muslim grilled food in jincheng, my dear good friend wei chi explained to me that in some family homes, there is no bathroom. if they wanted to bathe themselves, they'd have to fork out money to go to the public bathhouse. if they want someone to help them scrub themselves down, they'd paid extra.
i recalled something else that i had mentioned in a previous entry. being at the community swimming pool, everyone was cleaning themselves down rigourously. and i had mentioned how ms. du asked me if i wanted a scrub? well. to me, i always prefer to shower at home. so i would wait, but these chinese ladies would do the whole works in the women's shower area in the centre. soap and shampoo and whatever.
having stayed at ms. du's when visiting jincheng two weeks ago, i understood more about the "phenomenon." for some people, they just don't have a modern shower at home. this was the case at ms. du's. actually, i lived a few nights there relieving myself in the outhouse in the back. it was humbling and i dare not sit. the outhouse wasn't as smelly as it could be, but it wasn't entirely comfortable half-way standing over a questionable modern toilet.
the sink i used was in the kitchen, which was just a room with a table. her produce was in the shelf under it. i didn't shower for a few days, until i returned to taiyuan.
for one of those nights, i stayed at a former student/girl friend's room. she had rented it for about 120 yuan (which is about $17 cdn) per month. i had actually seen a place like this before of another former student. it wasn't as nice, but it was only 50 yuan ($7.50 cdn) per month. anyhow. this traditional courtyard style home didn't have a full bathroom. it had a squat toilet room, but very well maintained. i still don't get how people clean themselves. probably in a way with warm water and a towel. it's very different here, in the "old country."
i had been to homes where if they had bathrooms, it would have a sink, a toilet, and a shower area. it is rare for a family to have a bathtub here. for me, the first city i was in, i was happy with the bathroom they gave me. now, in another, i'm stuck with a small room; toilet and shower. the bathroom sink is, for some reason, in another area of the house, but next to the washing machine. i have a separate kitchen sink which is good. in addition, the bathroom floor is unfinished. i just wear plastic slippers in there when douching. fun times.
20070507
taking in the view by taking the bus
upon taking the bus to see my good friends in my first city in china, i thought that this would be nice to write about.
i remember my first bus trip in china. from jincheng, we traveled to xi'an in another province. it was a 9 hour long trip with washroom pit stops that would ward me off from long-distance travel in china forever. in any case, the scenery was beautiful. and, when i say beautiful. it was more than that.
traveling between montreal and toronto all my life, i didn't realize how beautiful land can be. especially, in that part where everything was mostly flat.
my trip between xi'an and jincheng was breathtaking. even though we would take quick turns along the mountainsides and almost fall off the mountain, we could see the majestic course that nature took all these thousands of years. "it is past bodies of water, that makes the ridges in the land like that." there would be layers and layers of earth with perfectly grown grass on each layer. and it would be land after land of this for miles.
there's more. i remember mud, lots of mud/clay homes. i wondered if people actually lived in them still. i looked for traces of life, but didn't find any. knowing now from what i have seen, i wouldn't rule it out.
in vietnam, the scenery was beautiful also. except, it was rivers and green everywhere. going north from saigon, near hue, palm trees filled the land. we went by beaches and through valleys.
travel like this is precious.
i remember my first bus trip in china. from jincheng, we traveled to xi'an in another province. it was a 9 hour long trip with washroom pit stops that would ward me off from long-distance travel in china forever. in any case, the scenery was beautiful. and, when i say beautiful. it was more than that.
traveling between montreal and toronto all my life, i didn't realize how beautiful land can be. especially, in that part where everything was mostly flat.
my trip between xi'an and jincheng was breathtaking. even though we would take quick turns along the mountainsides and almost fall off the mountain, we could see the majestic course that nature took all these thousands of years. "it is past bodies of water, that makes the ridges in the land like that." there would be layers and layers of earth with perfectly grown grass on each layer. and it would be land after land of this for miles.
there's more. i remember mud, lots of mud/clay homes. i wondered if people actually lived in them still. i looked for traces of life, but didn't find any. knowing now from what i have seen, i wouldn't rule it out.
in vietnam, the scenery was beautiful also. except, it was rivers and green everywhere. going north from saigon, near hue, palm trees filled the land. we went by beaches and through valleys.
travel like this is precious.
20070316
vietnam trip 2007 - part 4 - more on social poverty.
i should have written this in the last posting, but i forgot. triggered watching a friend's vlog on youtube about his time in india. the vid is called "hardest part" on www.youtube.com/zzolaman, if you're interested.
before i came to vietnam, i had already been told by my friend rita about the poverty there. she mentioned a story about a woman asking for money carrying a baby when she was there. of course, this was under the blistering vietnam sun. rita's immediate reaction was telling the woman that she should get the baby indoors, into the shade. probably anyone's first reaction.
so, that was the story that i thrived and regurgitated on when i talked to people about my then, impending trip to vietnam. now of course, seeing it for myself, including my own experiences mentioned earlier, the depth of this problem is apparent, it just burns a hole at the bottom, even further.
i had also seen the woman that rita spoke of. this time, her child was not a baby anymore. by the looks, probably 3 or 4 or 5, still breathing, i imagine, flung over her shoulder. skinny. malnutritioned. even if you give this mother money, it's evident, it's not going to her child. it's seemingly hopeless unless the people are educated or made to understand that you can't do this to a being. this child is used a prop. it's sad. and true, it exists in this part of the world.
before i came to vietnam, i had already been told by my friend rita about the poverty there. she mentioned a story about a woman asking for money carrying a baby when she was there. of course, this was under the blistering vietnam sun. rita's immediate reaction was telling the woman that she should get the baby indoors, into the shade. probably anyone's first reaction.
so, that was the story that i thrived and regurgitated on when i talked to people about my then, impending trip to vietnam. now of course, seeing it for myself, including my own experiences mentioned earlier, the depth of this problem is apparent, it just burns a hole at the bottom, even further.
i had also seen the woman that rita spoke of. this time, her child was not a baby anymore. by the looks, probably 3 or 4 or 5, still breathing, i imagine, flung over her shoulder. skinny. malnutritioned. even if you give this mother money, it's evident, it's not going to her child. it's seemingly hopeless unless the people are educated or made to understand that you can't do this to a being. this child is used a prop. it's sad. and true, it exists in this part of the world.
20070312
vietnam trip 2007 - part 3 - social poverty.
one afternoon, we went to a religious site. i really didn't know until i got there. my viet is pretty good, but when the tour guide goes into highschool level viet, i get lost. i'm not sure if i was the only one. after all, i didn't get an itinerary in paper form. basically, i was just following the guide around. anyway.
the religious site. the cathedral was one of two in vietnam. the other was in saigon. it was terribly mashed up during the war. there was this grand structure of this fantastic site. it was a tree. i forgot the name, but it was so strange. along with the middle part of the cathedral/tower, it was not destroyed. it has godly-like branches and stemmed out to mushroom like umbrellas. there was a service going on.
there was this bin of water that had the words "nuoc duc me." hey, to me it was funny. literately, that meant "virgin mary's water." it was in a solar power heater thing. ya.
this site was probably the poorest we saw the folk. not only poor but some had such physical disabilities. such as in pain staking, burns, inactive muscles, blindness.. this was where the people on my bus gave them money. it's not that i don't think it's a good cause, but i believe it's not anybody's responsiblity but the government's to take care of these people. i'm sad and slightly upset at this.
this stands next to the encounter of children working in the sand dunes at mui ne. immediately when we get off the bus, children come up and tell us if we want take a slide down the sand, we'd ask for them and donate for their plastic mat. before we got off the bus, the guide warned us about these children. they were young and giving them 5,000 dongs would suffice. that's 30 cents. another thing, don't give just for giving. there was this sweet girl, very smart alec. she tailed me and the aussie guy for a while. these children were from ages 6 to 14. basically, this is what they do on their time off, away from school, if they go to school.
i talked to a boy and that girl about themselves. they told me that 1 out of 10 children have the luck to go to school. i wasn't sure if they were exaggerating, but seeing that these children were out there, i doubted that less. we were near the best resorts in vietnam, and i can see that work in the resorts was totally the thing for everyone. everyone who lived here was part of that industry. these children will grow up to do the same.
the girl said that we can donate for services at any price. i was very relunctant. i don't think it's right, for some reason. anyway, she finally convinced the aussie guy to give it a try. which he did. apparently, a fellow child got angry that she got the money. and at 32,000 dong from the suggested 5,000 dong, that girl was extremely ecstatic. 32,000 dong is 2 bucks.
the religious site. the cathedral was one of two in vietnam. the other was in saigon. it was terribly mashed up during the war. there was this grand structure of this fantastic site. it was a tree. i forgot the name, but it was so strange. along with the middle part of the cathedral/tower, it was not destroyed. it has godly-like branches and stemmed out to mushroom like umbrellas. there was a service going on.
there was this bin of water that had the words "nuoc duc me." hey, to me it was funny. literately, that meant "virgin mary's water." it was in a solar power heater thing. ya.
this site was probably the poorest we saw the folk. not only poor but some had such physical disabilities. such as in pain staking, burns, inactive muscles, blindness.. this was where the people on my bus gave them money. it's not that i don't think it's a good cause, but i believe it's not anybody's responsiblity but the government's to take care of these people. i'm sad and slightly upset at this.
this stands next to the encounter of children working in the sand dunes at mui ne. immediately when we get off the bus, children come up and tell us if we want take a slide down the sand, we'd ask for them and donate for their plastic mat. before we got off the bus, the guide warned us about these children. they were young and giving them 5,000 dongs would suffice. that's 30 cents. another thing, don't give just for giving. there was this sweet girl, very smart alec. she tailed me and the aussie guy for a while. these children were from ages 6 to 14. basically, this is what they do on their time off, away from school, if they go to school.
i talked to a boy and that girl about themselves. they told me that 1 out of 10 children have the luck to go to school. i wasn't sure if they were exaggerating, but seeing that these children were out there, i doubted that less. we were near the best resorts in vietnam, and i can see that work in the resorts was totally the thing for everyone. everyone who lived here was part of that industry. these children will grow up to do the same.
the girl said that we can donate for services at any price. i was very relunctant. i don't think it's right, for some reason. anyway, she finally convinced the aussie guy to give it a try. which he did. apparently, a fellow child got angry that she got the money. and at 32,000 dong from the suggested 5,000 dong, that girl was extremely ecstatic. 32,000 dong is 2 bucks.
20070311
vietnam trip 2007 - part 2 - sites & beautiful children.
well. i knew before heading there for a month, that it would not be enough. i had planned this "homecoming" for about 4 years, since 2nd year university. initially, it was my destination for teaching abroad, but that obviously wasn't. i don't know if i will go there for teaching english, but i will definitely return to visit. hence, this july. re: i just came back spending all of february there.
i took a tour from saigon up to mid-vietnam/hue'. and. it was life learning. if you want to see ancient buildings that have not become "renewed" by paint, but are essentially dilapidated, mid-vietnam is the place to go. everything is just as is. very little is invested in the upkeep. i do have to say, it's pretty impressive for vietnam. where china has sites that are well sponsored by the government, vietnam has mausoleums that are quite unique. they probably exist in china, but i haven't seen them. not near beijing, nor xi'an.
there was the 2nd last emperor's mausoleum where the "house" above the body was completely made of porcelain. pieces put together, to make a beautiful colourful montage to every corner of the room. also, for an emperor that reigned closer to the beginning of the nguyen dynasty, i recognized the similarity of the tomb being on a mountain, but on this mountain, there was place for people to chill, and study. there were lakes and houses where folk would pose poetry and literature. of course, this was for the people of high status. but, to have this sort of thing just steps away from the buried dead, i thought was interesting. an answer was that death, was natural. it was common, buried, but exists around us. i really like that. i guess that has some spiritual relevancy.
when we spent our 3rd night of the tour at quy nhon, a small city somewhere between saigon and hue, i didn't expect to have such an impression. after inquiring about the internet at the hotel i was staying at, the attendent's answer of "$2 U.S. an hour", i snubbed and went out to take a look at the folk opera playing outside. (at the other hotels, it was 5,000 dong per hour/30 cents an hour.) i went out snapping pictures here and there, making lots of flashes, people were staring. i wanted the moment, and i did make a video. i will put it up sometime. it was in traditional viet, which was even harder for me to get the gist of.
there was a group of kids. they were so beautiful. they asked me a lot of questions. at that point, i really didn't want to say that i was foreign. i just said that i was from saigon, but teaching in china. this is what i can do, communicated to children in vietnam, since my viet vocab is just up to there. i don't like to take pictures of children if i don't have permission, but they begged me. they were really cute. they were so innocent. the eldest offer to visit my hotel room, which i explained was a big no-no. to visit a stranger in their hotel room is no good. another boy repeated after me that it wasn't so good. brings to show, if you tell kids, they'll learn and function with that. they asked me if i would return with the pictures. that boy says i could be in the lobby (sometime?) and they can come by to see them. how even more beautiful. unfortunately, i lost those photos, due to my stupidity with my camera the night after. the boy did asked me if i will visit again, the eldest knew i may not. i said i would, sometime in the future. for them.
well. more later on vietnam.
i took a tour from saigon up to mid-vietnam/hue'. and. it was life learning. if you want to see ancient buildings that have not become "renewed" by paint, but are essentially dilapidated, mid-vietnam is the place to go. everything is just as is. very little is invested in the upkeep. i do have to say, it's pretty impressive for vietnam. where china has sites that are well sponsored by the government, vietnam has mausoleums that are quite unique. they probably exist in china, but i haven't seen them. not near beijing, nor xi'an.
there was the 2nd last emperor's mausoleum where the "house" above the body was completely made of porcelain. pieces put together, to make a beautiful colourful montage to every corner of the room. also, for an emperor that reigned closer to the beginning of the nguyen dynasty, i recognized the similarity of the tomb being on a mountain, but on this mountain, there was place for people to chill, and study. there were lakes and houses where folk would pose poetry and literature. of course, this was for the people of high status. but, to have this sort of thing just steps away from the buried dead, i thought was interesting. an answer was that death, was natural. it was common, buried, but exists around us. i really like that. i guess that has some spiritual relevancy.
when we spent our 3rd night of the tour at quy nhon, a small city somewhere between saigon and hue, i didn't expect to have such an impression. after inquiring about the internet at the hotel i was staying at, the attendent's answer of "$2 U.S. an hour", i snubbed and went out to take a look at the folk opera playing outside. (at the other hotels, it was 5,000 dong per hour/30 cents an hour.) i went out snapping pictures here and there, making lots of flashes, people were staring. i wanted the moment, and i did make a video. i will put it up sometime. it was in traditional viet, which was even harder for me to get the gist of.
there was a group of kids. they were so beautiful. they asked me a lot of questions. at that point, i really didn't want to say that i was foreign. i just said that i was from saigon, but teaching in china. this is what i can do, communicated to children in vietnam, since my viet vocab is just up to there. i don't like to take pictures of children if i don't have permission, but they begged me. they were really cute. they were so innocent. the eldest offer to visit my hotel room, which i explained was a big no-no. to visit a stranger in their hotel room is no good. another boy repeated after me that it wasn't so good. brings to show, if you tell kids, they'll learn and function with that. they asked me if i would return with the pictures. that boy says i could be in the lobby (sometime?) and they can come by to see them. how even more beautiful. unfortunately, i lost those photos, due to my stupidity with my camera the night after. the boy did asked me if i will visit again, the eldest knew i may not. i said i would, sometime in the future. for them.
well. more later on vietnam.
20070310
vietnam trip 2007 - family in the native land.
it has been a while since i wrote. since last, i had a wonderful chance to go to vietnam for a whole month. mostly, i stayed at my aunts. we'd go into the city on her motorbike (very cool, by the way). we'd stop by her old house to park the bike and go grocery shopping. food galore. i was full every minute i was there in the country.
i got to see both my grandparents' old homes in saigon. i feel like everyone i know in china. i mean, in canada, we all live slightly oblivious to the history that our parents had when they were younger. how they lived, what they enjoyed, and the pains they took when they were our age. as a child to newcomers in canada, i finally got to see the life my parents left and brought upon them, the hardships that went on when they did so, even when they landed in canada. i love vietnam.
i met family that i never knew existed until recently. they lived in the same house my father did when he was young. it was humble and no new renovations, or any at all. they were working hard to make ends meet. i met two cousins that i didn't know existed. all in a world of their own. they had their problems and life, part of my family that i didn't know too much of. these aunts were very chatty compared to the rest of my dad's family in canada. which was real nice. and how my mom's side was very interlocked with my dad's side in vietnam. they knew each other pretty well.
well. that's just part 1 of my vietnam adventures. i loved vietnam. i will go again in july before i head back to canada.
i got to see both my grandparents' old homes in saigon. i feel like everyone i know in china. i mean, in canada, we all live slightly oblivious to the history that our parents had when they were younger. how they lived, what they enjoyed, and the pains they took when they were our age. as a child to newcomers in canada, i finally got to see the life my parents left and brought upon them, the hardships that went on when they did so, even when they landed in canada. i love vietnam.
i met family that i never knew existed until recently. they lived in the same house my father did when he was young. it was humble and no new renovations, or any at all. they were working hard to make ends meet. i met two cousins that i didn't know existed. all in a world of their own. they had their problems and life, part of my family that i didn't know too much of. these aunts were very chatty compared to the rest of my dad's family in canada. which was real nice. and how my mom's side was very interlocked with my dad's side in vietnam. they knew each other pretty well.
well. that's just part 1 of my vietnam adventures. i loved vietnam. i will go again in july before i head back to canada.
20070130
net bars in china.
i'm good now. at the net bar in taiyuan. it's actually in a tea house. a nice one. i was in a shitty one the other day. i set out looking for the net since the earthquake in taiwan had caused problems with the servers for weeks on boxing day. first, i went to the world trade hotel. after being discouraged by their absurd prices of 1.5 kuai a minute, i went to a nasty net bar for 2 kuai an hour. i can literally feel my skin burning off. i'm sure it was not only because i had this face wash thing done the day before, but it was just the nastiness of college aged bums and some nasty guy hacking beside me. i totally held my breath for the longest time. for my 2 kuai/30 cents worth of net time, i will never step into a net bar in china again. of course, this net bar is in a nice cafe, so it's okay. but man..
20061215
mornings
well, since i have mostly afternoon and evening classes, i could sleep in in the morning. for a while, i did.. but even that.. sleeping in meant sleeping in until 8am. i do watch movies at night, but sometimes i don't have the urge to. and when i get to bed at 10 or 11, i won't fall asleep until past midnight. it's kinda sad.. but yes.. my mornings..
when i first got here, i realized that it could be pretty noisy living in the school residences. there is a tape that plays at 8am every morning, people running up and down the stairs (staircase next to my room), and older folk doing tai chi in the main courtyard. one thing about china is everyone's understanding about how important exercise is for their body. in the mornings, in parks and other spaces, people do tai chi together. everywhere. in towns. cities. also, in the parks they set up these gym equipment that would remind the westerner of the jungle gyms in the west. or you can think of gym equipment made of metal, in the simplest form. people hop on and move their thing. the government really invests in stuff like this for the people, which is great i think. oh yes, i had been meaning to tape the older people doing taichi outside, but i have forgot so many times. then, a cold day in november, they stopped doing it. i lost my chance.
hmm.. at certain times of the day, there is a man going through the residence's garbage bins, looking for useful things for himself. in jincheng, in taiyuan.. very common in china, i think. also, there is a nice man that i recognize who uses this twiggish like broom to sweep the ground, also the grounds for the running track. the workers would take their broom and make a big sweep from one side to the other. then, another big sweep, on side to the other. one day, i was very insensitive and laughed (in my head) when leaves fell to the ground where he had swept.
those are some mornings of mine.
when i first got here, i realized that it could be pretty noisy living in the school residences. there is a tape that plays at 8am every morning, people running up and down the stairs (staircase next to my room), and older folk doing tai chi in the main courtyard. one thing about china is everyone's understanding about how important exercise is for their body. in the mornings, in parks and other spaces, people do tai chi together. everywhere. in towns. cities. also, in the parks they set up these gym equipment that would remind the westerner of the jungle gyms in the west. or you can think of gym equipment made of metal, in the simplest form. people hop on and move their thing. the government really invests in stuff like this for the people, which is great i think. oh yes, i had been meaning to tape the older people doing taichi outside, but i have forgot so many times. then, a cold day in november, they stopped doing it. i lost my chance.
hmm.. at certain times of the day, there is a man going through the residence's garbage bins, looking for useful things for himself. in jincheng, in taiyuan.. very common in china, i think. also, there is a nice man that i recognize who uses this twiggish like broom to sweep the ground, also the grounds for the running track. the workers would take their broom and make a big sweep from one side to the other. then, another big sweep, on side to the other. one day, i was very insensitive and laughed (in my head) when leaves fell to the ground where he had swept.
those are some mornings of mine.
20061209
crossing paths
every week, i brave twice walking diagonally off my living block to a student's house for dinner. when i say diagonally, i mean, walking diagonally through the intersection to her block. i had never walked across like this in jincheng. apparently it's quite common in this city to do so. there is even a green arrow for people to do just this. every time i cross, i cross with her, arm in arm. can you believe it? it's a little crazy, i think. in the west, it's so unheard of, at least in canada. so yes, when there is a green light arrow, we walk diagonally left, cars turn left. they have their own rules and such. i guess, perhaps they do this also because the streets are sometimes just too wide and it would be tedious for people to wait for two lights or something. i haven't figured it out, but that is my guess.
i went for a walk. it was good. i discovered that ingze road doesn't become any more busy, as busy as i hoped. but, from what remember, and realized, was it was the next street east that was. i found the street that i remember from the week that richard visited and his friend drove through it (syntax?). i saw a mcdonalds. i'm a little relieved, but am more excited about the fact that it is there. i had enough in beijing when i went that week in september :S. in any case, there are lots of kfc's, which i'd prefer, but try to stay away from anyway.
so i discovered that the streets in taiyuan are not as gridlike as i thought most chinese cities would be. there was a road. it had some shops on a street that went on a little tangent. i was at points where i was swear i thought i'd be lost. so yes, small shops. i was half looking for a yarn shop. i saw one that sold scarves, but no yarn. there was a tibetan jewelry shop, that i totally must visit again. i didn't stay too long, 'cause then i'd want something. my bargaining skills are okay, but i'm not so confident with my chinese, and i can wait until when i could go with a friend. excuses.
just across there was two stalls selling muslim food. god, i love muslim food. it made me think of my eating buddy in Jincheng. here, i have to cook on my own. i got no new friends here. just, really, one student from Jincheng college that doesn't eat too much. it.. doesn't work with me.
so, for the exploring and going up to foreign folks and networking, i decided not to do it anymore. i did that once, and the person was only visiting on business for a few days. today, i saw a young [white] foreigner, with her asian friend. i held back and just walked on. i guess, i didn't want to be disappointed again. she probably was a teacher, and whatever. i'm fine i think. i think. it bothers me a bit that i don't have any more contacts here, but i'm not too bummed. i'm pestering people on the net, and somewhat keeping myself busy. it seems that other foreign teachers are plenty here anyway. in two months, i've bumped into one every one or two weeks. i'm not dying. i got my movies.. i need to implode somehow.. onto another subject, get my creative juices flowing. generic. how lovely. that's writing, by the way.
went to meet-all supermarket. got more movies. and!! tao zhe's new cd. i love his voice. unburnt, that's the best part.
i went for a walk. it was good. i discovered that ingze road doesn't become any more busy, as busy as i hoped. but, from what remember, and realized, was it was the next street east that was. i found the street that i remember from the week that richard visited and his friend drove through it (syntax?). i saw a mcdonalds. i'm a little relieved, but am more excited about the fact that it is there. i had enough in beijing when i went that week in september :S. in any case, there are lots of kfc's, which i'd prefer, but try to stay away from anyway.
so i discovered that the streets in taiyuan are not as gridlike as i thought most chinese cities would be. there was a road. it had some shops on a street that went on a little tangent. i was at points where i was swear i thought i'd be lost. so yes, small shops. i was half looking for a yarn shop. i saw one that sold scarves, but no yarn. there was a tibetan jewelry shop, that i totally must visit again. i didn't stay too long, 'cause then i'd want something. my bargaining skills are okay, but i'm not so confident with my chinese, and i can wait until when i could go with a friend. excuses.
just across there was two stalls selling muslim food. god, i love muslim food. it made me think of my eating buddy in Jincheng. here, i have to cook on my own. i got no new friends here. just, really, one student from Jincheng college that doesn't eat too much. it.. doesn't work with me.
so, for the exploring and going up to foreign folks and networking, i decided not to do it anymore. i did that once, and the person was only visiting on business for a few days. today, i saw a young [white] foreigner, with her asian friend. i held back and just walked on. i guess, i didn't want to be disappointed again. she probably was a teacher, and whatever. i'm fine i think. i think. it bothers me a bit that i don't have any more contacts here, but i'm not too bummed. i'm pestering people on the net, and somewhat keeping myself busy. it seems that other foreign teachers are plenty here anyway. in two months, i've bumped into one every one or two weeks. i'm not dying. i got my movies.. i need to implode somehow.. onto another subject, get my creative juices flowing. generic. how lovely. that's writing, by the way.
went to meet-all supermarket. got more movies. and!! tao zhe's new cd. i love his voice. unburnt, that's the best part.
20061030
swimming
so, have you been swimming in china? well, i went to a pool that is known in this province. the province of Shanxi. where the nationals or provincial trials were held. i did a lot of swimming with various local teachers in jincheng. so.. points that are different than those at home in canada.
there is a little snack bar at the side of the pool. people don't wear their towels into the pool area. they just bear it cold until they hit the shower. there are spit buckets at the side of the pool, lined up perhaps 7 buckets per length. must wear bathing caps, which is sooo positive and good i think. hahaha.. my english. the kiddie pool is all yellow and warm. gross, i thought the whole time.
now, for the strangest part. the locker room. changing out and into my clothes, i felt all iffy. everyone here has learned at a young age that nudity is fine with your own sex group. i guess, that's okay. but then, we hit the showers. and then, at that time, i'm happy not to have my glasses on, 'cause ladies not only wash up in the nude as they should, i guess.. but to my own surprise, my own witness, my lovely local coworker, asks me if i want my back scrubbed. at that point, after all the months of coaxing myself to understand, accept, and take on, breathe in the culture, that is where i draw the line. i will not have anyone, not even my best friend, probably not my hot lover, to scrub me down. jesus christ. with a rag. i had to let that go, express that. remember that. no scrubbing cathy.
oh yeah, i had to take my.. piercing out. i don't want the shock over a belly ring. i saw 2 ladies with tattoos on the leg and on the back, but i didn't want to risk it. dresswise, perhaps i should write more about that later? basically, in the smaller cities, it's unheard of two wear skimpy stuff/more revealing stuff unless you work as a hostess in a ktv (karaoke lounge). whatever you like, it's better to where it in the city.. but yeah.. there's a lot to it. i will write more about it another day.
there is a little snack bar at the side of the pool. people don't wear their towels into the pool area. they just bear it cold until they hit the shower. there are spit buckets at the side of the pool, lined up perhaps 7 buckets per length. must wear bathing caps, which is sooo positive and good i think. hahaha.. my english. the kiddie pool is all yellow and warm. gross, i thought the whole time.
now, for the strangest part. the locker room. changing out and into my clothes, i felt all iffy. everyone here has learned at a young age that nudity is fine with your own sex group. i guess, that's okay. but then, we hit the showers. and then, at that time, i'm happy not to have my glasses on, 'cause ladies not only wash up in the nude as they should, i guess.. but to my own surprise, my own witness, my lovely local coworker, asks me if i want my back scrubbed. at that point, after all the months of coaxing myself to understand, accept, and take on, breathe in the culture, that is where i draw the line. i will not have anyone, not even my best friend, probably not my hot lover, to scrub me down. jesus christ. with a rag. i had to let that go, express that. remember that. no scrubbing cathy.
oh yeah, i had to take my.. piercing out. i don't want the shock over a belly ring. i saw 2 ladies with tattoos on the leg and on the back, but i didn't want to risk it. dresswise, perhaps i should write more about that later? basically, in the smaller cities, it's unheard of two wear skimpy stuff/more revealing stuff unless you work as a hostess in a ktv (karaoke lounge). whatever you like, it's better to where it in the city.. but yeah.. there's a lot to it. i will write more about it another day.
20061026
taiyuan
hey! so i'm in taiyuan now. i've been here for 3 weeks. i just got regular internet in my office in the last week. before that, i had this superslow computer that made me cry when trying to do my usual to sending an email to important people. took 1.5 hours.
well, so far. at the beginning, i was very "shocked." i guess, i did have some expectations before coming here. i didn't plan everything out, but i had some idea that i would have the same reception as i did in jincheng. the local teachers at a middle/high school ain't to free here to chill with me, or even chat with me. i do have my own office, ie, i don't meet anyone new really. the net i have is just in my office. i guess i could ask for it to be installed at home, but that would cost me.. and personally i know it would waste a lot of my time not going out there to visit the city. everyone is friendly but have no time for me.
so the students at a middle/high school are younger than the college students i had at the last school. i guess my activities with them are a bit more limited, ie. drinking. not that i should. well.. last week, i decided that i would never drink. well, of course, that cannot be done.. so, i settled with that i would think twice about it. i went out to dinner with richard (he visited) and friends. we drank, and of course, chinese liquor goes down easy, but leaves to crying throughout the night. the next day i was supposed to hang with the senior 1/1st year students bike riding to the park, lunch and shopping. i could only do the bike riding to the park and visit in the park. one of the students had to haul me behind her home. apparently i was green. i just told them that i had bad food at the resto, spicy, which it was. but yeah, i learnt it the hard way.. drinking (and not being sober) leaves you to shit. hahaha... sorry.. leaves you out of good sober time, especially the next day.
i did get to walk around. taiyuan in 2003, was coined as being one of the most polluted in the world. since, then coal mines had been closed. i felt it biking to the park. of course.. while feeling awesome that it was my first trip on a bike in china, in asia! i felt the heavy musty air.
oh yeah.. so biking. it's liberating.. you just follow people. of course, you have to get used to thec constant honking here, but it's awesome. i just am not brave to go biking anywhere by myself. and it's a pity that winter is coming. i wonder what north chinese people do in that case, since biking is the thing in asia. probably bike.
so did i talk about honking before? if you travel to china, get used to the constant honking. people here honk for the reason of "i'm coming through," not really for "you, get out of my way." i'm totally almost desensitized to it here. that may be dangerous when i get back home, whenever that is.
well, so far. at the beginning, i was very "shocked." i guess, i did have some expectations before coming here. i didn't plan everything out, but i had some idea that i would have the same reception as i did in jincheng. the local teachers at a middle/high school ain't to free here to chill with me, or even chat with me. i do have my own office, ie, i don't meet anyone new really. the net i have is just in my office. i guess i could ask for it to be installed at home, but that would cost me.. and personally i know it would waste a lot of my time not going out there to visit the city. everyone is friendly but have no time for me.
so the students at a middle/high school are younger than the college students i had at the last school. i guess my activities with them are a bit more limited, ie. drinking. not that i should. well.. last week, i decided that i would never drink. well, of course, that cannot be done.. so, i settled with that i would think twice about it. i went out to dinner with richard (he visited) and friends. we drank, and of course, chinese liquor goes down easy, but leaves to crying throughout the night. the next day i was supposed to hang with the senior 1/1st year students bike riding to the park, lunch and shopping. i could only do the bike riding to the park and visit in the park. one of the students had to haul me behind her home. apparently i was green. i just told them that i had bad food at the resto, spicy, which it was. but yeah, i learnt it the hard way.. drinking (and not being sober) leaves you to shit. hahaha... sorry.. leaves you out of good sober time, especially the next day.
i did get to walk around. taiyuan in 2003, was coined as being one of the most polluted in the world. since, then coal mines had been closed. i felt it biking to the park. of course.. while feeling awesome that it was my first trip on a bike in china, in asia! i felt the heavy musty air.
oh yeah.. so biking. it's liberating.. you just follow people. of course, you have to get used to thec constant honking here, but it's awesome. i just am not brave to go biking anywhere by myself. and it's a pity that winter is coming. i wonder what north chinese people do in that case, since biking is the thing in asia. probably bike.
so did i talk about honking before? if you travel to china, get used to the constant honking. people here honk for the reason of "i'm coming through," not really for "you, get out of my way." i'm totally almost desensitized to it here. that may be dangerous when i get back home, whenever that is.
20060908
heels
as i was walking to school the other day, in my lovely black heels and stockings under jeans, i thought this might be a good topic to right about. i don't know about other cities or what not, but in this city, ladies.. uh.. women (more on this later) like to wear heels and dresses. at home, where i'm extremely comfortable in jeans, capris, sometimes skirts, i'd never wear dresses, nor have i yet bought any here. i will near the end of my stay. i actually think they are quite endearing. i mean, most of the dresses i would not wear at home. they're kinda really girly and i'm a bolder girl. i think. but yes, dresses and heels. no matter the function. teaching, the female teachers are all in heels, and mostly dresses, or at least skirts. some in soft pastelly colours, some the generic pink, red, blue-green, green that come for all dresses and fashionable wear. i love the shoes they have here. which reminds me.
their fricken market is huge. china is the place of product. everything is majorly cheap compared to canada, of course. but they have tonnes here. if you have been to warehouse, think of a warehouse times like, 8 or even 10, with many floors, of course. i remember the first day i was in my first chinese supermarket. i was in beijing with hongmei. the thing with the supermarkets is that everything tantalizes you. there is just so much. you get flabberghasted by the amount of merchandise, you totally get visually lost and really forget why you are there in the first place. apparently this happens when you are in a market that is not in your own country. just, everything is completely different. like every box, every package in the shop is different than your no frills, your loblaws.. hahaha.. or other..
so yes, the heels i wore. they're quite low, and i really like them. i wore stockings with them that day. they made me blister. i only walked to school, then took the bus home after being stood up by a friend (*cry). i could have walked to the market if i felt more better in my shoes. nonetheless, i really like heels now. i mean, i like them better. and dresses. i'm going to buy some before i return. i do want to be a girl, though a comfortable girl..
oh yeah.. "women." women here don't like to be called a "woman" here. it means that they are old, married, and something else i'm sure. i find that fact so strange. they all want to be called "girls" or "ladies." well, then.. okay.
their fricken market is huge. china is the place of product. everything is majorly cheap compared to canada, of course. but they have tonnes here. if you have been to warehouse, think of a warehouse times like, 8 or even 10, with many floors, of course. i remember the first day i was in my first chinese supermarket. i was in beijing with hongmei. the thing with the supermarkets is that everything tantalizes you. there is just so much. you get flabberghasted by the amount of merchandise, you totally get visually lost and really forget why you are there in the first place. apparently this happens when you are in a market that is not in your own country. just, everything is completely different. like every box, every package in the shop is different than your no frills, your loblaws.. hahaha.. or other..
so yes, the heels i wore. they're quite low, and i really like them. i wore stockings with them that day. they made me blister. i only walked to school, then took the bus home after being stood up by a friend (*cry). i could have walked to the market if i felt more better in my shoes. nonetheless, i really like heels now. i mean, i like them better. and dresses. i'm going to buy some before i return. i do want to be a girl, though a comfortable girl..
oh yeah.. "women." women here don't like to be called a "woman" here. it means that they are old, married, and something else i'm sure. i find that fact so strange. they all want to be called "girls" or "ladies." well, then.. okay.
20060901
Sanitation
i think i have food poisoning. it's not uncommon here for a foreigner. i bravely ate out, even though my stomache was in pain, from god knows what. lately, i've been feeling low. perhaps it's the weather here? well, actually, also because of some of the people here. i realize that the foreigners to the town all have different motives for being here. i found out something that morally effects the way i think about that person. it's only a little. it's only confirmed even more how i prefer distance away from this person. then, it makes me think about other negative people. i let these people effect my mood here. it's kinda sad. plus the weather. now, it's only the students that i relate to most here, as they are finishing the term, looking for work for the next term. when you're far from home, you're far..
my friend is right, i'm the foreigner, but i must trust everyone here. keep at distance here, but recognize that there are truly genuine people here. i'm realizing more of the negative recently, but have been trying to surround myself with the good, which keeps me from.. argh!
so, i got off topic. sanitation. yes, my diarrhea shots wore off exactly three months that i was here. i paid those two days.. and now i'm constantly paying more. my tummy is in pain. i have to eat less out. i think my mood has effected my interest in cooking or something. i know i must go to the supermarket tomorrow.
having a full blown tummy ache, i get to the department office. of course, this is china and people smoke everywhere. i'm extremely sensitive to cigarette smoke, coming from toronto, where smoking is banned almost everywhere. it immediately makes me feel worse, i could feel it in my blood. where people spit in the street, cab drivers hork it out out of the window, where tots pee and defecate on the streets, .. it's a huge reason, i'm not staying here more than i have to.
i had trouble on bus number 4. as soon as i got on, the driver asks me where i'm going.. something something "nar." i had prepared myself for something like this, but know that my accent is shit. "she yweh," i say. he says "what," and i go sit. he asks me three more lines. i can't say anything, but i'm not too burdened. i get up to leave and he says something something "meo," which means nothing. so, that experience led me to sleep in my office at school for the rest of the lunch period next day. the day after, i was ready for the bus again with a note hongmei wrote for me. i love hongmei.
with a tummy ache and hoa tcha, i'll sit and relax my tummy now. going to beijing with mona during the holiday. i wish i could be more excited. only 3 more days left. to freedom.
my friend is right, i'm the foreigner, but i must trust everyone here. keep at distance here, but recognize that there are truly genuine people here. i'm realizing more of the negative recently, but have been trying to surround myself with the good, which keeps me from.. argh!
so, i got off topic. sanitation. yes, my diarrhea shots wore off exactly three months that i was here. i paid those two days.. and now i'm constantly paying more. my tummy is in pain. i have to eat less out. i think my mood has effected my interest in cooking or something. i know i must go to the supermarket tomorrow.
having a full blown tummy ache, i get to the department office. of course, this is china and people smoke everywhere. i'm extremely sensitive to cigarette smoke, coming from toronto, where smoking is banned almost everywhere. it immediately makes me feel worse, i could feel it in my blood. where people spit in the street, cab drivers hork it out out of the window, where tots pee and defecate on the streets, .. it's a huge reason, i'm not staying here more than i have to.
i had trouble on bus number 4. as soon as i got on, the driver asks me where i'm going.. something something "nar." i had prepared myself for something like this, but know that my accent is shit. "she yweh," i say. he says "what," and i go sit. he asks me three more lines. i can't say anything, but i'm not too burdened. i get up to leave and he says something something "meo," which means nothing. so, that experience led me to sleep in my office at school for the rest of the lunch period next day. the day after, i was ready for the bus again with a note hongmei wrote for me. i love hongmei.
with a tummy ache and hoa tcha, i'll sit and relax my tummy now. going to beijing with mona during the holiday. i wish i could be more excited. only 3 more days left. to freedom.
20060820
love
i went out with Richard yesterday for breakfast. we ate at this place near main campus, but not near enough in that i didn't miss the bus. anyway, we walked about 2 blocks away on our side of the street, into an alleyway to a residential area. the alley was filled with the usual in a local Chinese market. veggies, some fruit, and some stands for food. Richard asks me what i want to eat, i say whatever, then he points to soft tofu. at the moment, my face cringed. that the worst kind of tofu i don't like. he quickly sees this and pulls me away. i promised him that i will try it next time. we walk back and i settle for 7-item porridge and steamed bun. it was good. i had been craving them.
we were sitting, and i saw a familiar man, in shorts and a jersey/tank. i recognized him as ms. Yong Yan Feng's husband. he saw me, i think. i tell Richard, and we later see [the couple] walk together. i realized that they are both in running clothes. it made me think of all the couples i knew in China. from what i see, they are so in love. i mean.. well.. in North America, we are so inclined to see couples do things separately. one person has their interests in own thing, and the other does other things. i mean, this is what we see on t.v. we have some need for personal independence.
i realize to do something together has great benefits. last week, i spent time with a local friend. they invited me to their house. i watched them cook together. even if she knew she wasn't as strong a cook as her husband, she still prepared [it with him]. i thought it was beautiful. time together doing something together is so wonderful. and i knew they really want to do it together. they were cooking for me, but they were cooking for each other, too.
it was the first time i had witnessed a couple like this. i don't think i have enough.. experiences to see this, or, i know couples, but, i just don't see people at home like this at all. it takes so little, and it's so special, you know? very simple.. reminds me.. that there is always time for everything together..
marriage on the other hand is different. more on that later..
we were sitting, and i saw a familiar man, in shorts and a jersey/tank. i recognized him as ms. Yong Yan Feng's husband. he saw me, i think. i tell Richard, and we later see [the couple] walk together. i realized that they are both in running clothes. it made me think of all the couples i knew in China. from what i see, they are so in love. i mean.. well.. in North America, we are so inclined to see couples do things separately. one person has their interests in own thing, and the other does other things. i mean, this is what we see on t.v. we have some need for personal independence.
i realize to do something together has great benefits. last week, i spent time with a local friend. they invited me to their house. i watched them cook together. even if she knew she wasn't as strong a cook as her husband, she still prepared [it with him]. i thought it was beautiful. time together doing something together is so wonderful. and i knew they really want to do it together. they were cooking for me, but they were cooking for each other, too.
it was the first time i had witnessed a couple like this. i don't think i have enough.. experiences to see this, or, i know couples, but, i just don't see people at home like this at all. it takes so little, and it's so special, you know? very simple.. reminds me.. that there is always time for everything together..
marriage on the other hand is different. more on that later..
20060819
my diet
so. i quit phys-ed in grade 10, and starting gaining weight. not too much, but not as tiny as i was before. i did take part in tennis, badminton and track. which. i was not so good in. but tried.
in 4th year uni, i started workin' at a restaurant. i had to be up most of the time. meaning, i was standing for long hours. not as much as when i worked at hmv music store, but. this also included running around. by the 2nd summer, i was pretty toned and slimmed down, having worked at the bar for 12/13 hours a day.
now, this is in my china blog because my diet has also changed since i got here. for one thing, i anticipated a big change in my diet. i thought i would not eat eggs or chicken. well, in the first morning that i was in beijing, i had egg. i also had mutton for the first time. yeah, and now i'm eating tofu and eggplant (food that my mother prepares totally differently, and not to my taste.)
didn't each much meat since i came. usually, well, all the time, my mother made meat. whenever she made a vegetarian dish,.. i went off to go find my ration somewhere else. since i knew that i'm not home, aware that my diet must change, i surprising have no strong inclination for meat. it's challenging to cook anyway. another factor in my change in diet.
after the first 2 months in china, i realized that i was slowly gaining some weight again. after the first unsuccessful running initative, i started to run. now i'm running about 1.6 km every other morning. it started off with 1.2 km (3 laps) but now it's 4 laps. i tried to do 2 km to make it even, but it was too much for my legs. i really enjoy it now, and am pretty motivated to do it.
it's nice to wake up, know i have to run, and run out. sometimes i think it's good that way at 5:30am in the morning. at that time, you're so groggy that you probably don't realize that you're up. you're just moving your weight. hahaha.. it's so true.
what is strange here is.. that when i'm up that early, there are about 3 people in the vicinity who are up also. i started to get up that early to avoid the students who get up at 6am. even though there are no students for the summer term at this campus, i like to keep the habit.
yes, so people have told me i lost weight. it's okay. i'm eating and exercising now, so it's not bad. i'm average, as usual. maybe just a little toner.
oh yeah, and i can see my blog online now, for some reason.
in 4th year uni, i started workin' at a restaurant. i had to be up most of the time. meaning, i was standing for long hours. not as much as when i worked at hmv music store, but. this also included running around. by the 2nd summer, i was pretty toned and slimmed down, having worked at the bar for 12/13 hours a day.
now, this is in my china blog because my diet has also changed since i got here. for one thing, i anticipated a big change in my diet. i thought i would not eat eggs or chicken. well, in the first morning that i was in beijing, i had egg. i also had mutton for the first time. yeah, and now i'm eating tofu and eggplant (food that my mother prepares totally differently, and not to my taste.)
didn't each much meat since i came. usually, well, all the time, my mother made meat. whenever she made a vegetarian dish,.. i went off to go find my ration somewhere else. since i knew that i'm not home, aware that my diet must change, i surprising have no strong inclination for meat. it's challenging to cook anyway. another factor in my change in diet.
after the first 2 months in china, i realized that i was slowly gaining some weight again. after the first unsuccessful running initative, i started to run. now i'm running about 1.6 km every other morning. it started off with 1.2 km (3 laps) but now it's 4 laps. i tried to do 2 km to make it even, but it was too much for my legs. i really enjoy it now, and am pretty motivated to do it.
it's nice to wake up, know i have to run, and run out. sometimes i think it's good that way at 5:30am in the morning. at that time, you're so groggy that you probably don't realize that you're up. you're just moving your weight. hahaha.. it's so true.
what is strange here is.. that when i'm up that early, there are about 3 people in the vicinity who are up also. i started to get up that early to avoid the students who get up at 6am. even though there are no students for the summer term at this campus, i like to keep the habit.
yes, so people have told me i lost weight. it's okay. i'm eating and exercising now, so it's not bad. i'm average, as usual. maybe just a little toner.
oh yeah, and i can see my blog online now, for some reason.
20060810
you wanna what?
dammit. i just get more and more excited about the day. i think it's the sunshine that i didn't have for 3 weeks. today is the 2nd day of sunshine. i'm truly.. like up and up.
i did wake up and run. i hurt myself running. i had pain. i think i'll start to run everyday. i really am up for it. i'm more awake and energetic for the day. i did take a nap today, more because i was full and satisfied from the food a fellow co-worker made. man.. pork. i can go to china, but i can't ask for meat behind the counter.. or anything behind the counter.
haha.. my co-worker mentioned how she had to ask for vaginal wash the other day. "yeah! you have to show them.. do the movement, you know, Cathy?!" hahaha, and she proceeds to show me. man, china.
20060803
the "city"
i was out with richard two days ago doing some errands with him. he wanted to get pants, so we did some shopping. we went into a jeans store near hao shang hao restaurant, in the brand name district. the attendents were very nice and asked me questions in english, of course. i saw some things i liked there, but had no money. there were these overalls, lovely skirt.. about 180 yuan. i'm sure i could get a nice one, cheaper somewhere else. but ... really the thing i want to report.
that day, there were these children performing body conforming acts. there were about 7 children, all about 4 to 8 years old, panhandling. i couldn't look at them. richard thinks it's sad to and tell me not to look. the little girl she was performing upsidedown with a thing she had to put her mouth on to keep her up. it seriously made me feel really, really bad. out of all things. one time.. we saw these men maltreating some local monkeys, making them perform tricks, abusing them. i saw a child who was just bones panhandling, couldn't get up, used a skateboard-like apparatus to pull himself around, very weak. another time, a man with no arms. it's really sad. i don't know. seriously, there is more to life.. we are very lucky, some of us just don't know it
the bus. i found finally the character that will signal the north or south direction. richard told me how. yay bus number 4.
that day, there were these children performing body conforming acts. there were about 7 children, all about 4 to 8 years old, panhandling. i couldn't look at them. richard thinks it's sad to and tell me not to look. the little girl she was performing upsidedown with a thing she had to put her mouth on to keep her up. it seriously made me feel really, really bad. out of all things. one time.. we saw these men maltreating some local monkeys, making them perform tricks, abusing them. i saw a child who was just bones panhandling, couldn't get up, used a skateboard-like apparatus to pull himself around, very weak. another time, a man with no arms. it's really sad. i don't know. seriously, there is more to life.. we are very lucky, some of us just don't know it
the bus. i found finally the character that will signal the north or south direction. richard told me how. yay bus number 4.
20060718
bus number 4
well, today is day 10 of our 10-day school cycle. i'm happy. it's only our first cycle, but i'm.. still dreading the rest of the summer. i guess it's alright for the teachers here, but for the students. where they have to wake up at 5:30 then go to class, with lunch and dinner breaks, until 9:30 at night is really, really stupid.he students had an opportunity to vote if they wanted two 5-day cycles or the full 10-cycle. so far, my two classes since yesterday said, the first. for me, i prefer the 2nd.. but i sympathize with them, so, really, whatever is better for them.
i took the bus today from west campus to xin tai hang supermarket. of course, for me, that is totally impossible for me to do if i was at main campus. there are two number 4 buses that run from main campus, one takes longer to go downtown than the other. but yeah.. i thought it would be easier than to walk to the market near main campus. i'd be carrying a big bag of rice so whichever is nearer to a bus stop is good.
i'm on the bus. i sit in the back, where there is the only seat left waiting for me. i think, "yes, homefree." i sit and recall the route as mary and i have already sat through this. i realize that there is a tv at the front of the bus, with a station on. i think, wow.. so impractical. people could be late watching it. there are people living in shacks in the city and there are flat tv screens on the public bus.my next worry is getting off at the next stop. initially, i was planning to go to feng zhan supermarket, not xin tai hang. i am more familiar with the stops near xin tai hang, so i change my mind and get off earlier.
a little disoriented, i get off the bus. i look around, and recall some of the stores. oh k. now a street. i stand at the side of the street trying to figure out how to cross it. jincheng streets are friggin' deadly. ok, i'm from canada, and that means rules and rules. the streets here seems disorganized to me. it takes me awhile. i stand, then ready to make my move, retreat, get ready.. then cower. i walk closer across the supermarket and see my chance. whenever you see a way, an opportunity, just do it. and cross the street. damn, it's a piece of accomplishment.
things in the market seem familiar. check my bag, get my ticket, find my goods. of course, i look chinese, so at least one person asked me if i needed help with something. i shake my head and slowly, casually walk away. i get almost everything i wanted. i realize the veggies at xin tai hang are not so good, so i will have to go elsewhere next time. i see my strawberry nectar for 4 yuan less than the market near my house, which is awesome. i have to get some next time.
i wanted to get some dried vermicelli, and decided to get it later. i gotta focus on the task at hand, dammit. got almost everything on my list, except for.. .. well, 2 out of 5 things. missed out on veggies and eggs. got some jello, potatoes, etc.what more do have to ramble on about?so my bus trip downtown is good. i just can do it from my campus. oh yeah.. i can't 'cause i can't read which number 4 bus i need to go on. on tai huan road, one number 4 turns right and the other turns left. i have to think about this when i'm moving about. i'm not yet brave to take the taxi by myself without a note. so far, i think i can ask for some places.. but of course.. a little shy. blah.. so, i'm shy.
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