That's the date so many of you are asking about...the date I will be flying home to America. I'm flying in to New York and will go "home" to Connecticut first. I have no idea yet when I will be in Oklahoma. I'll keep you posted.
I have 8 more days of work and then almost a month of hanging out and taking a few short trips.
I have some pictures to post and stories to tell, but they will have to wait for another day.
2007/08/22
2007/08/05
one of those weeks
I've been out of touch. My home phone is not working, so if anyone's tried to call, I don't know about it.
My computer has died. Gone. Never to be used again. I'm sad it couldn't have made it just another 7 weeks or so, but it didn't. It did survive a semester of college, 3 trips around the world, and being hitby a bus so I guess I can't ask for much more.
My bike was stolen again. Good-bye number 4. It's not worth it to get another for the short time left, so I'll just walk and ride the bus.
I also pulled out my first gray hair on Friday.
I'm ready for a new week to start.
My computer has died. Gone. Never to be used again. I'm sad it couldn't have made it just another 7 weeks or so, but it didn't. It did survive a semester of college, 3 trips around the world, and being hitby a bus so I guess I can't ask for much more.
My bike was stolen again. Good-bye number 4. It's not worth it to get another for the short time left, so I'll just walk and ride the bus.
I also pulled out my first gray hair on Friday.
I'm ready for a new week to start.
2007/07/25
another thing I love about this country...
Anything can be fixed or repaired.
I really do mean anything. As an American, when something breaks, my first response is to throw it away and buy a new one. My motivation isn't because I like being wasteful, but because there isn't an option to repair most things and if there is, it's often more expensive than getting a new one.
Yesterday I had the blinds in my bedroom repaired. For less than $5. One of the strings broke at the top so they were all hanging crooked and couldn't be pulled up or down. I called Tracy to go with me to buy some new ones. On the way there she asked me why I don't just get them fixed. I really didn't think it would be possible to replace that string so we went to a few places. I realized quickly buying new ones was more than I thought....all of them have to be custom measured and installed. But the lady at the shop asked what was wrong with mine and after I told her....she gave me the phone number to a repairman. It saved me about $40.
As we were on our way home I was trying to explain to Tracy about this cultural difference...we as American being affluent and at times, wasteful, so our first response is to buy a new whatever and how we don't typically even think if something can be fixed. I tried to affirm how much I appreciate that they re-use things here, but she said they only have to fix things all the time because the quality of everything here is so poor. This factor is definitely part of it. The highest quality items are shipped to countries like ours and those that don't make the "export quality" cut stay here. But even still, there are things here that can be repaired for so little and I really think all the repairmen here are very skilled individuals.
Some other examples...
Bikes. You rarely replace bike tires or tubes or brakes or anything really. The old men who sit on the side of the road and repair bikes can almost always repair the tube or tire or rim or whatever isn't at its optimum performance. If you want a new one you have to do some pretty serious convincing.
Jeans. There are some ladies who sit outside on the main strip who must be the most skilled menders in the world. When your jeans get a hole, you take them to the ladies. When you get them back, it looks like the hole was never there. They don't just sew up the hole, they actually re-stitch the tread of the clothing so that you can't even see where the hole. It's amazing. And even more amazing when they sit there and do it without gloves on in the winter when it's -20.
digital cameras. I had two fixed. That guy actually made me angry because he charged me the foreigner price and not what the price should have been, but still, it was way less expensive to repair two cameras than to buy a new one.
Shoes. There are also old men who set up shoe shine/repair shops on the side of the road. My "shop" I mean they have a trunk with their supplies, a stool for themselves and a stool and a pair of slippers for the customer. I think one pair of shoes could almost last the rest of your life here. They can just keep repairing the sole over and over. These guys can also sew up your luggage when the airlines in Vietnam rip it up. I need to visit one of these guys today to sew a couple of straps back on a bag for me. (The one I was wearing when I got hit by the bus still hasn't been fixed).
I was riding my bike to work yesterday looking for a shoe guy but because it was still nap time no one was out. But, I saw a guy with a sign that said "Furniture Repair." I'm just trying to reiterate my point that ANYTHING can me fixed. It's a great thing.
我们应该向他们学习！
I really do mean anything. As an American, when something breaks, my first response is to throw it away and buy a new one. My motivation isn't because I like being wasteful, but because there isn't an option to repair most things and if there is, it's often more expensive than getting a new one.
Yesterday I had the blinds in my bedroom repaired. For less than $5. One of the strings broke at the top so they were all hanging crooked and couldn't be pulled up or down. I called Tracy to go with me to buy some new ones. On the way there she asked me why I don't just get them fixed. I really didn't think it would be possible to replace that string so we went to a few places. I realized quickly buying new ones was more than I thought....all of them have to be custom measured and installed. But the lady at the shop asked what was wrong with mine and after I told her....she gave me the phone number to a repairman. It saved me about $40.
As we were on our way home I was trying to explain to Tracy about this cultural difference...we as American being affluent and at times, wasteful, so our first response is to buy a new whatever and how we don't typically even think if something can be fixed. I tried to affirm how much I appreciate that they re-use things here, but she said they only have to fix things all the time because the quality of everything here is so poor. This factor is definitely part of it. The highest quality items are shipped to countries like ours and those that don't make the "export quality" cut stay here. But even still, there are things here that can be repaired for so little and I really think all the repairmen here are very skilled individuals.
Some other examples...
Bikes. You rarely replace bike tires or tubes or brakes or anything really. The old men who sit on the side of the road and repair bikes can almost always repair the tube or tire or rim or whatever isn't at its optimum performance. If you want a new one you have to do some pretty serious convincing.
Jeans. There are some ladies who sit outside on the main strip who must be the most skilled menders in the world. When your jeans get a hole, you take them to the ladies. When you get them back, it looks like the hole was never there. They don't just sew up the hole, they actually re-stitch the tread of the clothing so that you can't even see where the hole. It's amazing. And even more amazing when they sit there and do it without gloves on in the winter when it's -20.
digital cameras. I had two fixed. That guy actually made me angry because he charged me the foreigner price and not what the price should have been, but still, it was way less expensive to repair two cameras than to buy a new one.
Shoes. There are also old men who set up shoe shine/repair shops on the side of the road. My "shop" I mean they have a trunk with their supplies, a stool for themselves and a stool and a pair of slippers for the customer. I think one pair of shoes could almost last the rest of your life here. They can just keep repairing the sole over and over. These guys can also sew up your luggage when the airlines in Vietnam rip it up. I need to visit one of these guys today to sew a couple of straps back on a bag for me. (The one I was wearing when I got hit by the bus still hasn't been fixed).
I was riding my bike to work yesterday looking for a shoe guy but because it was still nap time no one was out. But, I saw a guy with a sign that said "Furniture Repair." I'm just trying to reiterate my point that ANYTHING can me fixed. It's a great thing.
我们应该向他们学习！
2007/07/17
the day we didn't see the lunar eclipse
This is a story from back in March that I didn't get to post because of internet issues and then forgot about. This post includes a shout-out to JFJ. And now you've made the blog twice.
March 24, 2007
It was a Saturday night and I was having dinner with the guys. I mentioned that I thought there was supposed to be a lunar eclipse in the morning but I wasn’t sure when since the article I read was from
We live in a city. Lots of tall buildings block the view of the sky. We decided the best place for viewing the eclipse would the Racetrack. The track itself is a big wide open field where we will have a clear view. And it’s on the outskirts so the lights won’t be as bright.
So it’s around
I arrive first and am trying to find a good place to wait for the gentlemen. The Racetrack is a Mongolian horse-racing track and has a restaurant where you can eat in Mongolian yurts. The complex is large with some Mongolian statues, a small grasslands scene with fake sheep and such, a large stage for performances, all the yurts, and the bleachers and track. It’s not a scary place during the day. Before daylight, however, it’s quite eerie. The statutes look kind of creepy, everything is dark, and there’s a guard dog. This is the really scary part. I can hear him barking like he is ready to eat me, but I can’t see him yet so I don’t even know how to plan for an escape. I go to the gate of the track and it’s unlocked, which is great. But it’s not at a very visible location so I need to find a better place where the guys can see me. I walk more towards the restaurant and that’s when I see it….the dog. It’s huge. It’s like the dog from Sandlot, only scarier. It’s a Mongolian dog. World Domination and a desire to ruthlessly conquer all enemies are naturally coursing through his veins. He is on a chain, but he is jumping around and barking like crazy. This is the part of the story where I start contemplating what I will do when this Khan of All Dogs breaks loose from his chain. On my left are the stairs to the stadium, but he can run up stairs too, so that’s no good. In front of me is the big stage that he’s chained to, but it’s not tall enough. He could jump up on it with no problem. There are the yurts on my right, which would provide refuge from the monster, but they are all locked up tight with padlocks. However, they have a small window with an air conditioner that could serve as a starting point for climbing on top of the yurts in case of chain-breakage. Yes. That’s the plan. I decide that I can indeed scale the yurt quicker than the dog could run from the stage to where I am standing. Then I start laughing at the thought of actually having to climb up on the yurt to run from the dog and how long I would have to stay there before some form of help comes.
Enter: racetrack night security guard who interrupts my little daydream. “What are you doing here?” he asks. He too has heard the beast going crazy and has come to check things out. I answer, “I’m waiting on friends.” I know this is going to be a difficult conversation. I don’t know how to say “eclipse” in Chinese.
“Why are you waiting for them here?” he asks. Here we go. “We want to look at the moon. You can see the sky clearly here.” That’s as close to “We hope to have a good view of the lunar eclipse” as I could get. He looks confusedly at me, then motions to the sky and says the equivalent of “You can’t even see the moon.” He’s right. And I’m sure he’s very confused about why some crazy foreign girl is at the racetrack at
Then I see the security guard do something absolutely crazy. He goes over to the monster and takes it off the leash. I get closer to the yurt and prepare for my ascent. But I see that the dog appears to be staying close by the side of the guard. I’m amazed. Then I see the guys arriving in the distance. I tell them about my encounter with the dog and how glad I am to see them. They could hear the animal barking as they walked and they too saw him with the guard. One of them makes the comment that with three of us, we don’t have to outrun the dog, just the other two. I still think my plan is the best possible escape.
We proceed to the track. The only things we can see in the sky are clouds. No eclipse. While we’re at the racetrack we might as well go take a look at the horses. We can’t find them either. It’s freezing cold outside so they must be in their warm stables and not out on a cold cloudy morning trying to see a lunar eclipse.
The guys take some pictures of things that we can convince people were the lunar eclipse. They’re really funny, these guys. The pictures involved a head lamp, their head, a window with a reflection, and other such nonsense. Some of the photos were pretty convincing and all of them were funny.
No eclipse and no horses. And it’s cold. We’re chilled to the bone at this point and begin the trek home. As we near the gate I give the gentlemen a full display of my “grace” by slipping on the ice and falling onto my tailbone. It was one of those falls where your feet cartoonishly fly out from underneath you, and the moment when no part of your body is touching the ground seems like an eternity. Then, my rear hit the ice. Hard. I didn’t move for a few minutes. I just lay there, half laughing from embarrassment and half crying from pain. The guys were great. No laughter and two hands immediately extended to help me up. I just needed to sit there a minute though and make sure nothing was seriously wrong. With their help, after a few moments I was able to get up, but my hip hurt for the next week or so. I felt like I was 77 and not 27.
And that’s the story of the morning we didn’t see the lunar eclipse. Or the horses. And I fell on my rear. What a morning.
2007/07/15
the desert
I went to visit a good friend over the weekend. She went to college here, but after graduation moved out to a village near the desert. I spent 6 hours traveling there and 5 hours to travel home just to be there for about 16 hours, but it was well worth it.
We had so much fun! We got to go boating on a lake in the desert, ride 4-wheelers, slide down the sand hills on a sled, go to an ostrich/exotic bird farm, and walk around a beautiful resort while we chatted about life. (sidenote: one of the nicest tennis courts I've seen in my life...just hanging out in the middle of nowhere at this random resort).
My friend is there because this area has some of the best de-desertification projects going on and that's an area she's interested in. Large numbers of folks come from Japan to plant trees in the area. Apparently it all started with an elderly Japanese man who moved there in 1990 and literally started bulldozing sand in order to start planting trees. He passed away in 2004 at the age of 99 but had created some foundation that continues his work. His story was really inspirational. One old man with this big dream and it's actually being fulfilled. They have a small museum about him with the pictures of the landscape when he arrived in 1990 and they in 2004 and you would never know it's the same place. I'm typically not the kind of person who can look at a desert and see the forest just waiting to waiting to happen, so I'm challenged and encouraged by the folks who can. I hope to go back in September and I'll take more (and hopefully better) pictures then.
2007/07/13
the breakfast of champions
I just had a bowl of cereal for breakfast which isn't something that is so easy to come by in this part of the world. (thanks mom!) However, the local breakfast of choice is something called a bei zi. It's like a.....pastry. sort of. They come in all shapes-round, triangle, or square. They are basically a bread-like-things with all diffferent kinds of filling. Some are sweet, made with brown sugar. Others are salty, made with...salt, I guess? Others are very plain. The little stands that sell them are EVERYWHERE. Every other block you can see the little glass case and the bucket of eggs next to it. The eggs. That's the other half of the breakfast. They are "tea eggs" which means they are boiled in tea. I'm not a fan, but some foreigners do actually like them. So, next time you're in town stop by the little glass cart on the street and pick up a bei zi and a tea egg. I don't eat the eggs, so I'm not sure how much they are, but a bei zi is only a few cents.
Here's a picture:
Here's a picture:
2007/06/26
Mondays
Why is it that the most annoying of circumstances ususally happen on Monday mornings? Here's what happened to me yesterday.
My toilet flooded my bathroom. Nice huh? It wasn't a flooding from the toilet bowl due to clogging...the water was coming out of the top of the tank. I took the lid off and all the parts seemed to be in the right places doing the right things. Thanks to many years on an all-female camp staff, I learned a think or two about toilet repair. But, this is China and nothing I pulled, pushed, turned, or moved made any difference. Water is still spilling over on to my floor. I'm almost late for work already and I don't have the time or energy to deal with a broken toilet. I know that a temporary solution is just to turn the water off completely and deal with it when I get back.
The problem is...the knob that turns off the water looks like it hasn't been turned in years and I can't budge it. Not even a little. I try to turn it to the right, no movement whatsoever. I know it should be righty-tighty but I try lefty just to see what happens. A little more movement than to the right, but not enough to do anything.
I don't know any of my neighbors really. (Here's where I regret not writing back that kid who lives downstairs who left the note on my door, because maybe he has a strong dad who would have been nice enough to come upstairs and turn off my water). I have seen a retired man in the stairway before and I think he lives across the hall so I try knocking on that door. No one answers. Water is still leaking onto the floor.
I know the gate man at my complex so I decide to go down and see if he will help me. I dread this because he speaks local dialect, not standard Chinese, and I can understand about one in ten words that he says. I walk down there. He's not there.
Some random guy I've never seen before in my life is washing his car. "Excuse me sir. Hi. I have a problem in my house and I can't turn off the water. Could you come up and help me. It will just take a moment." He agrees. I let the random man I have never seen before in my life into my house, give him some pliers, and let him do his thing.
I know that a great number of things in this country are backwards from the way they are in America so why I thought even for a moment that righty-tighty lefty-loosey would apply in this situation is beyond me. I watched Mr. Random Car Washer turn the knob left and watched the water stop spilling over the sides the toilet. I thank him for his service and get my stuff together to go to work.
Off to work. Because of all the rush of a flooding toilet. I forgot to bring a very essential item with me to work...a shirt. Of course I was wearing a shirt, but since it's Monday my suit had been dry cleaned over the weekend and I thought I had a shirt in my locker, but I didn't. And the tank top I'm wearing is not one I can get away with wearing according to their 4 star dress code. (This part of the story may be weird for America, but our hotel actually has an employee locker room where eveyrone changes. It's nice not to have to bike to work in a suit). I could go back home to get one, but that's at least 35 minutes round trip and I'm already short on time. I call an American friend who lives really close to the hotel and ask to borrow a shirt. Run from the hotel, to her house, and back and make it into the office only 5 minutes late.
Get off work and come home, knowing I now have to find some way to repair a broken toilet if I want to have water in the rest of my house. In all the stairways there are all kinds of numbers like stamped or graffittied, which doesn't look good, but useful in such a situation. I go out into my hallway. I see numbers for drain un-cloggers, real estate agents, and other services not useful to me. I find one that I recogize as the word for plumbing, but when I called I found out it was only for installing new plumbing. Not what I need.
I call information. They give the number to a plumber. The plumber's office give me some dudes cell phone. The number doesn't connect. I seriously need help at this point. I call a local friend. She calls the plumber number back and gets the cell phone of another guy. He can't come. But, he refers her to yet ANOTHER guy who then calls me to get directions to my house. Wow, this is getting long. He comes, looks at it, tells me he needs some part, leaves to get the part, comes back, fixes it, and we're done. Until it came time to pay. He says, "How about you not pay me for this and instead just teach my daughter English." No sir. How about you just tell me how much a 10 minute toilet repair costs. "She's a really good student." I'm glad, but I'm very busy and I have another job. How much. "I won't charge you anything. It won't even be like teaching. It will just be talking with her to practice her English." HOW MUCH?!?!? He accepts 50 kuai and I go back to eating the hummus I made for dinner and watching a DVD of The Office Aubrey sent me in the mail. That's my Monday story.
My toilet flooded my bathroom. Nice huh? It wasn't a flooding from the toilet bowl due to clogging...the water was coming out of the top of the tank. I took the lid off and all the parts seemed to be in the right places doing the right things. Thanks to many years on an all-female camp staff, I learned a think or two about toilet repair. But, this is China and nothing I pulled, pushed, turned, or moved made any difference. Water is still spilling over on to my floor. I'm almost late for work already and I don't have the time or energy to deal with a broken toilet. I know that a temporary solution is just to turn the water off completely and deal with it when I get back.
The problem is...the knob that turns off the water looks like it hasn't been turned in years and I can't budge it. Not even a little. I try to turn it to the right, no movement whatsoever. I know it should be righty-tighty but I try lefty just to see what happens. A little more movement than to the right, but not enough to do anything.
I don't know any of my neighbors really. (Here's where I regret not writing back that kid who lives downstairs who left the note on my door, because maybe he has a strong dad who would have been nice enough to come upstairs and turn off my water). I have seen a retired man in the stairway before and I think he lives across the hall so I try knocking on that door. No one answers. Water is still leaking onto the floor.
I know the gate man at my complex so I decide to go down and see if he will help me. I dread this because he speaks local dialect, not standard Chinese, and I can understand about one in ten words that he says. I walk down there. He's not there.
Some random guy I've never seen before in my life is washing his car. "Excuse me sir. Hi. I have a problem in my house and I can't turn off the water. Could you come up and help me. It will just take a moment." He agrees. I let the random man I have never seen before in my life into my house, give him some pliers, and let him do his thing.
I know that a great number of things in this country are backwards from the way they are in America so why I thought even for a moment that righty-tighty lefty-loosey would apply in this situation is beyond me. I watched Mr. Random Car Washer turn the knob left and watched the water stop spilling over the sides the toilet. I thank him for his service and get my stuff together to go to work.
Off to work. Because of all the rush of a flooding toilet. I forgot to bring a very essential item with me to work...a shirt. Of course I was wearing a shirt, but since it's Monday my suit had been dry cleaned over the weekend and I thought I had a shirt in my locker, but I didn't. And the tank top I'm wearing is not one I can get away with wearing according to their 4 star dress code. (This part of the story may be weird for America, but our hotel actually has an employee locker room where eveyrone changes. It's nice not to have to bike to work in a suit). I could go back home to get one, but that's at least 35 minutes round trip and I'm already short on time. I call an American friend who lives really close to the hotel and ask to borrow a shirt. Run from the hotel, to her house, and back and make it into the office only 5 minutes late.
Get off work and come home, knowing I now have to find some way to repair a broken toilet if I want to have water in the rest of my house. In all the stairways there are all kinds of numbers like stamped or graffittied, which doesn't look good, but useful in such a situation. I go out into my hallway. I see numbers for drain un-cloggers, real estate agents, and other services not useful to me. I find one that I recogize as the word for plumbing, but when I called I found out it was only for installing new plumbing. Not what I need.
I call information. They give the number to a plumber. The plumber's office give me some dudes cell phone. The number doesn't connect. I seriously need help at this point. I call a local friend. She calls the plumber number back and gets the cell phone of another guy. He can't come. But, he refers her to yet ANOTHER guy who then calls me to get directions to my house. Wow, this is getting long. He comes, looks at it, tells me he needs some part, leaves to get the part, comes back, fixes it, and we're done. Until it came time to pay. He says, "How about you not pay me for this and instead just teach my daughter English." No sir. How about you just tell me how much a 10 minute toilet repair costs. "She's a really good student." I'm glad, but I'm very busy and I have another job. How much. "I won't charge you anything. It won't even be like teaching. It will just be talking with her to practice her English." HOW MUCH?!?!? He accepts 50 kuai and I go back to eating the hummus I made for dinner and watching a DVD of The Office Aubrey sent me in the mail. That's my Monday story.
2007/06/24
pictures
Mandy and her mom left Friday morning. It was so good to have a few days away in the big city and great to have friends see my life here. Here's the first round of pictures.
2007/06/14
cute
Cute little girl, right? I thought so too.One of my American friends here just spent some time in the countryside. Here's what he had to say about the subject of the above picture:
"Things are going well here, but they can often border on the strange...and to date the strangest is that SHE is really a HE.
So I was out spreading manure on parts of the grassland with my neighbor and his little girl when IT happened. Mother nature called the little girl...Only I was shocked to realize that mother nature had called that little girl much more like it calls little boys. I pondered and I wondered about the meaning... and wondered if my eyes had deceived me... after all I was a ways away. But no, later Mother Nature called again, and my cute feisty little 4 yr old neighbor girl is really a ornery 4 yr old boy! Which did explain a lot about why he/she was such a daddy's girl and loved tractors, motorcycles, etc... so much. They do that because they don't want the spirits to know it is a little boy and harm it. I'd heard of that but I'd never actually seen it. "
I'm not sure what commentary to make so I'll just let the story speak for itself.
2007/06/08
the test scores are in...so much for language progress
我退步了!
I went by my old university yesterday to see if the test scores were in yet. They weren't. But, the teacher told me that you could access your scores on the internet. I got up the courage to check it out today. I actually made two points less on my overall score than last time, but my level rating was the same. Here are the section totals:
Listening 6 (compared with a 5 last time)
Grammar 6 (5)
Reading Comprehension 3 (4)
Comprehensive fill in the blank 4 (4)
Overall...I got a 4. (My goal was a 6).
So, I improved in two sections, but obviously my reading still needs some work. I would like complain at this point that one article was about blowfish. I, of course, did not know the word for blowfish but looked it up when I got home. I did not prepare for vocabulary related to aquatic animals.
Another day in life of a language learner.
I went by my old university yesterday to see if the test scores were in yet. They weren't. But, the teacher told me that you could access your scores on the internet. I got up the courage to check it out today. I actually made two points less on my overall score than last time, but my level rating was the same. Here are the section totals:
Listening 6 (compared with a 5 last time)
Grammar 6 (5)
Reading Comprehension 3 (4)
Comprehensive fill in the blank 4 (4)
Overall...I got a 4. (My goal was a 6).
So, I improved in two sections, but obviously my reading still needs some work. I would like complain at this point that one article was about blowfish. I, of course, did not know the word for blowfish but looked it up when I got home. I did not prepare for vocabulary related to aquatic animals.
Another day in life of a language learner.
2007/05/30
what's a girl to do??
Ha! As I typed the title, I realized some of you may think this post might be about the looming decision of what is next for me in life. It's not.
What I want to write about is a wonderful little thing called "xue gao."
Because I live in a city that is home to two large dairies, I have incredible access to high-quality dairy products. This is great when I want low-fat, high calcium milk which is difficult to find in some parts of this country. The yogurt is great too. The problem is with xue gao. You need to know at this point that I love ice cream...any flavor, any form, any time. That's why it's a problem that ice cream cones, ice cream-on-a-stick, and some kinds of ice cream in small, single serving cups are readily available for the low price of 12-20 cents. By "available" I mean you can't walk more than about 100 yards without passing yet another freezer full of it. You can purchase it at every grocery store, corner store, back alley internet cafe, 4 star hotel, flower shop, or bar in town. There are even little stands near all the shopping centers and at the parks that sell drinks and said ice cream.
It's not such a big deal for me the in winter, but now that the weather's warmer (87 F yesterday, probably due to global warming, but that's a topic for a different post) every time I leave my house is an opportunity to practice self control. I should tell you there are some flavors that I can easily say no to. For instance, you can find corn flavored ice cream, green pea, red bean, and some others that could never be marketed in the states. But, there are also great ones like a fudge-sickle, or chocolate/vanilla swirl on a stick, or coffee ice cream inside a waffle type thing, etc. They really are delicious. And they only cost 12 CENTS! It's one of the best things about living here.
But, we all know there are consequences to having constant access to 12 cent ice cream. Some days I purposely restrict myself from purchasing the ice cream in order to avoid the potential consequence. I tried that today. But, when I was in the Sales Department translating some advertisements for our restaurants, one of the guys went out and bought one for each of us in the office. It was really nice and if I didn't eat it, it would just melt. It's not like there's a freezer in the office. Yesterday was the same. I was on the way to the aiport to pick up some guests with the driver and the other airport pick-up staff when all of a sudden the driver pulls over, jumps out with the van running, runs into a store and comes back with 3 ice creams. Again, not eating really isn't an option.
12 cent ice cream. I love it. I wish I hated it, but the fact is...I think it's pretty great. So until I become lactose intolerant or can't fit into my clothes, I will probably continue enjoy this wonderful aspect of life here.
What I want to write about is a wonderful little thing called "xue gao."
Because I live in a city that is home to two large dairies, I have incredible access to high-quality dairy products. This is great when I want low-fat, high calcium milk which is difficult to find in some parts of this country. The yogurt is great too. The problem is with xue gao. You need to know at this point that I love ice cream...any flavor, any form, any time. That's why it's a problem that ice cream cones, ice cream-on-a-stick, and some kinds of ice cream in small, single serving cups are readily available for the low price of 12-20 cents. By "available" I mean you can't walk more than about 100 yards without passing yet another freezer full of it. You can purchase it at every grocery store, corner store, back alley internet cafe, 4 star hotel, flower shop, or bar in town. There are even little stands near all the shopping centers and at the parks that sell drinks and said ice cream.
It's not such a big deal for me the in winter, but now that the weather's warmer (87 F yesterday, probably due to global warming, but that's a topic for a different post) every time I leave my house is an opportunity to practice self control. I should tell you there are some flavors that I can easily say no to. For instance, you can find corn flavored ice cream, green pea, red bean, and some others that could never be marketed in the states. But, there are also great ones like a fudge-sickle, or chocolate/vanilla swirl on a stick, or coffee ice cream inside a waffle type thing, etc. They really are delicious. And they only cost 12 CENTS! It's one of the best things about living here.
But, we all know there are consequences to having constant access to 12 cent ice cream. Some days I purposely restrict myself from purchasing the ice cream in order to avoid the potential consequence. I tried that today. But, when I was in the Sales Department translating some advertisements for our restaurants, one of the guys went out and bought one for each of us in the office. It was really nice and if I didn't eat it, it would just melt. It's not like there's a freezer in the office. Yesterday was the same. I was on the way to the aiport to pick up some guests with the driver and the other airport pick-up staff when all of a sudden the driver pulls over, jumps out with the van running, runs into a store and comes back with 3 ice creams. Again, not eating really isn't an option.
12 cent ice cream. I love it. I wish I hated it, but the fact is...I think it's pretty great. So until I become lactose intolerant or can't fit into my clothes, I will probably continue enjoy this wonderful aspect of life here.
2007/05/29
language progress
My Chinese is worlds away from perfect. Some days it's not even good. But, I have been noticing some progress recently, which after more than 4 years of study is warmly welcomed.
I have a TV at my house, but I normally don't watch Chinese TV because after speaking Chinese all day at work, coming home to more Chinese is no kind of entertaining. But, for some reason Sunday night I decided to watch a little. I understood an entire info-mercial about solar water heaters. Why would I waste my time on such a subject? I watched it on behalf of my friend here, who has had continuous problems with hers, hoping to gain some information for her. I learned about the 6 major complaints all solar water heater users have. I think my friend has more than 6, but I hope it was encouraging to her to know she's not the only one with those issues. Then came Access Hollywood, the Chinese version. This was very entertaining. Here's the 10 most attractive men from the Chinese perspective: 1. Justin Timberlake, 2. David Beckham, 3. Matthew McConaughey, 4. Jamie Foxx, 5. Leonardo diCaprio (anyone who has been to this country knows he has to be on the list), 6. Orlando Bloom, 7. Will Smith, 8. George Clooney, 9. Brad Pitt, and 10. Patrick Dempsey. It was funny for me to listen to their description of these men. I'm sure we use the same kinds of descriptions in English, but when I hear it in Chinese then try to translate the meaning in my head, it somehow becomes more entertaining to hear things like, "he will satisfy your taste" or "he will make you excited" and I know they talked in detail about Mr. McConaughey not wearing a shirt.
I doubt I'll become a TV watcher, but it was nice to be able to understand what was going on.
I've been calling information recently. (I find it amusing that the number for infomation is 114 and the emergency number is 119). I'm sure I say things wrong, but I have tended to get the needed information without too much trouble. The internet guy showed up at my house, so that was successful. (This actually took calling 3 different service numbers for 3 days until I finally got the office that services my area of town). I called to get the phone number to a restaurant and I got the restuarant I wanted. I called to get the number to the movie theater then called them to see what was playing. Understanding the titles of the movies wasn't so successful, but we got the times right for the American movies. We ended up watching "Shooter" because it seemed like a better option than "Click." Calling to get the movie information was more successful that the actual watching of the movie. The general idea I could follow, but I'm still not sure who that oil company guy was or what his involvement was or what he said in that speech on the top of the mountain. Understanding or not, it was fun to watch a flick on the big screen. (Maybe Mark Wahlberg should have made the above list).
I know I've been reading better these days. My tutor tells me each time I'm getting better, but I still have a long, LONG way to go in this department. I'm at least reading like an upper elementary school student now as opposed to being completely illiterate.
Last week right as we were supposed to be starting the Front Office English training, I saw some of the Concierge guys trying to sneak past the door without coming in. I stuck my head out and asked in Chinese something like, "Are you coming or not?" A guy who works at the Front Desk who was already in class started laughing and said, "Jill, you've been here too long. You used to speak really standard Chinese, but that sounded just like a local person." We all laughed and then started class...without the Concierge guys.
These small victories in the past days have almost given me enough confidence to call the university to see if my test scores have come in yet. Maybe I'll just wait another day or two.
I have a TV at my house, but I normally don't watch Chinese TV because after speaking Chinese all day at work, coming home to more Chinese is no kind of entertaining. But, for some reason Sunday night I decided to watch a little. I understood an entire info-mercial about solar water heaters. Why would I waste my time on such a subject? I watched it on behalf of my friend here, who has had continuous problems with hers, hoping to gain some information for her. I learned about the 6 major complaints all solar water heater users have. I think my friend has more than 6, but I hope it was encouraging to her to know she's not the only one with those issues. Then came Access Hollywood, the Chinese version. This was very entertaining. Here's the 10 most attractive men from the Chinese perspective: 1. Justin Timberlake, 2. David Beckham, 3. Matthew McConaughey, 4. Jamie Foxx, 5. Leonardo diCaprio (anyone who has been to this country knows he has to be on the list), 6. Orlando Bloom, 7. Will Smith, 8. George Clooney, 9. Brad Pitt, and 10. Patrick Dempsey. It was funny for me to listen to their description of these men. I'm sure we use the same kinds of descriptions in English, but when I hear it in Chinese then try to translate the meaning in my head, it somehow becomes more entertaining to hear things like, "he will satisfy your taste" or "he will make you excited" and I know they talked in detail about Mr. McConaughey not wearing a shirt.
I doubt I'll become a TV watcher, but it was nice to be able to understand what was going on.
I've been calling information recently. (I find it amusing that the number for infomation is 114 and the emergency number is 119). I'm sure I say things wrong, but I have tended to get the needed information without too much trouble. The internet guy showed up at my house, so that was successful. (This actually took calling 3 different service numbers for 3 days until I finally got the office that services my area of town). I called to get the phone number to a restaurant and I got the restuarant I wanted. I called to get the number to the movie theater then called them to see what was playing. Understanding the titles of the movies wasn't so successful, but we got the times right for the American movies. We ended up watching "Shooter" because it seemed like a better option than "Click." Calling to get the movie information was more successful that the actual watching of the movie. The general idea I could follow, but I'm still not sure who that oil company guy was or what his involvement was or what he said in that speech on the top of the mountain. Understanding or not, it was fun to watch a flick on the big screen. (Maybe Mark Wahlberg should have made the above list).
I know I've been reading better these days. My tutor tells me each time I'm getting better, but I still have a long, LONG way to go in this department. I'm at least reading like an upper elementary school student now as opposed to being completely illiterate.
Last week right as we were supposed to be starting the Front Office English training, I saw some of the Concierge guys trying to sneak past the door without coming in. I stuck my head out and asked in Chinese something like, "Are you coming or not?" A guy who works at the Front Desk who was already in class started laughing and said, "Jill, you've been here too long. You used to speak really standard Chinese, but that sounded just like a local person." We all laughed and then started class...without the Concierge guys.
These small victories in the past days have almost given me enough confidence to call the university to see if my test scores have come in yet. Maybe I'll just wait another day or two.
2007/05/17
a month of blogging silence
It wasn't intentional. I tried to post many times. CONNECTION TIMED OUT. 3 all too familiar words that make my life a little less convenient than I would desire. Those words have been all to common recently. But today the China Telecom man came to my house and did something, so we'll give the blogging another go.
2007/04/17
2007/04/15
April 15th
The significance of this date has nothing to do with taxes for those of us who live in the Blue City. No my friends, today is significant because today is the day our heat turns off. It's been on since October 15th, but today it's time to say good-bye.
In years past, I have dreaded this day as temperatures outside were still cold enough to need the heating, but this year I'm ok to see it go. I'm sure we'll have another cool/cold spell or two, but I think winter is officially behind us now.
This winter was not as bad as any of the others that I experienced here. Al Gore really is right. And in honor of climate change, global warming, our heat being turned off and feeling ok about it, and Earth Day, some of us are watching An Inconvenient Truth tonight.
While I'm on the subject of the changing seasons, I have something else to say. I hate being cold. That's why I hate the winter here. But, there are some negative aspects of the warm weather also. First, spring brings the sandstorms. We've only had one so far, but more are likely. I'm from Oklahoma, so I can handle the wind, but when it's windy in Oklahoma, it's just wind...not trash and sand and other stuff blowing around too. And I'm normally in a car and not on a bike. I guess I should be thankful for the good opportunity to exercise as I attempt to ride my bike into the wind.
The other thing about temperatures above freezing means that things begin to thaw. Water I'm fine with. Sewage...that's another thing. One positive thing I will say about Old Man Winter is that when it's freezing (or below freezing) outside the stuff that normally smells disgusting is completely frozen for a good 5-6 months. Well, all that stuff has begun thawing in recent days. Spring is in the air.
In years past, I have dreaded this day as temperatures outside were still cold enough to need the heating, but this year I'm ok to see it go. I'm sure we'll have another cool/cold spell or two, but I think winter is officially behind us now.
This winter was not as bad as any of the others that I experienced here. Al Gore really is right. And in honor of climate change, global warming, our heat being turned off and feeling ok about it, and Earth Day, some of us are watching An Inconvenient Truth tonight.
While I'm on the subject of the changing seasons, I have something else to say. I hate being cold. That's why I hate the winter here. But, there are some negative aspects of the warm weather also. First, spring brings the sandstorms. We've only had one so far, but more are likely. I'm from Oklahoma, so I can handle the wind, but when it's windy in Oklahoma, it's just wind...not trash and sand and other stuff blowing around too. And I'm normally in a car and not on a bike. I guess I should be thankful for the good opportunity to exercise as I attempt to ride my bike into the wind.
The other thing about temperatures above freezing means that things begin to thaw. Water I'm fine with. Sewage...that's another thing. One positive thing I will say about Old Man Winter is that when it's freezing (or below freezing) outside the stuff that normally smells disgusting is completely frozen for a good 5-6 months. Well, all that stuff has begun thawing in recent days. Spring is in the air.
stress
The next two weeks at work will be my most stressful. I'm in charge of creating, administering, grading, and preparing training for our yearly English test for the hotel staff. The responsibility is compounded by the fact that their score on this test determines if they get a bonus on their paycheck every month or not...and it's all decided by me.
My parents are moving out of the house we've lived in for 16 years. With the exception of the 3 suticases of belongings I have here, all the possessions I've accumulated over 16 years (actually, some are even older than that) are also in the house. I have to decide from this side of the world what I want done with my stuff...leave it in Oklahoma somewhere or let them move it to Connecticut with them. And now I also have to learn how to say "Connecticut" in Chinese. My sister and her husband recently moved from NY to CT, but I've just been referring to it as "a state next to New York." Now that everyone in my family lives there, I should probably just learn it.
A few weeks back I registed to take the HSK, the standardized profieciency test for Chinese. I thought the test was at the end of May. I found out on Wednesday it's really on April 22. That means I have exactly one week from today to make sure I can read and use about 2500 Chinese characters.
My parents are moving out of the house we've lived in for 16 years. With the exception of the 3 suticases of belongings I have here, all the possessions I've accumulated over 16 years (actually, some are even older than that) are also in the house. I have to decide from this side of the world what I want done with my stuff...leave it in Oklahoma somewhere or let them move it to Connecticut with them. And now I also have to learn how to say "Connecticut" in Chinese. My sister and her husband recently moved from NY to CT, but I've just been referring to it as "a state next to New York." Now that everyone in my family lives there, I should probably just learn it.
A few weeks back I registed to take the HSK, the standardized profieciency test for Chinese. I thought the test was at the end of May. I found out on Wednesday it's really on April 22. That means I have exactly one week from today to make sure I can read and use about 2500 Chinese characters.
2007/04/09
I am such a jerk
After work today I met an American friend to deliver something to her. We were standing on the sidewalk talking. Well, I was talking and she was patiently listening to me vent about why I was frustrated with the hotel today (that could be a post all its own). So we're chatting and this very cute elderly man approaches us and asks where we're from, what we're doing in the city, how long we've been here...all the usual questions. He has one headphone in with a wire reaching to his shirt pocket. I'm thinking...what a trendy little guy walking around town listening to an mp3 player. So I ask him, "Sir, what music are you listening to?" This is where it becomes one of those moments where you want to reverse time and take back the words that just fell out of your mouth. "This thing," he asks? This is my hearing aid." I already feel bad but it gets worse...."I lost my hearing in the Cultural Revolution and suffered a lot of other injuries to my body as well." Now I realize that I am indeed the most insensitive person on the face of the planet. He takes it out, shows it to us and tells us how it works. And also tells us how China had to go through such a hard time in history to be able to develop to where it is today. Then he put it back in his pocket, thanked us for talking with him and went on his way. He didn't seem offended, but I felt like an idiot. I mean, what 77 year old Chinese man walks around with an mp3 player? It was a lesson in thinking before I speak and it had the added bonus of learning a little more about China's history and the nice gentleman.
2007/04/07
an outing
A couple weeks back some friends and I got somewhat out of the city. We rode our bikes out to the mountains to our north, climbed up, had a picnic, and came back home just in time for our aftenoon meeting. It was too smoggy/foggy/couldy to see the city well but it was nice to get out even if it was only for a few hours.
2007/04/05
so much to say
I'm still here. It's my lousy internet connection that has prevented me from posting lately. I have a few posts all ready to go, but when I'm finally able to post them they're not timely, funny, or insightful. They probably weren't any of those things in the first place.
I'll try to call China telecom and see what's up. Until then, I hope you are having a most meaningful Holy Week.
I'll try to call China telecom and see what's up. Until then, I hope you are having a most meaningful Holy Week.
2007/03/28
progress update
This picture was taken Saturday. This is the same used-to-be- building as below. I'm just amazed that in 12 days they can demolish an entire 3 story building with only sledge hammers. And now I have to find a new hardware store because I need some light bulbs.
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