English Anyone?

How many college students can you fit into one room? I don’t know for sure, but about seventy students crammed into this classroom last week to attend the first ever English Corner. In this particular village, there are about 2 million people, four small universities and only one (that’s right-I said one) foreigner! Can you imagine being the only non-Chinese in a city of 2 million? Mind boggling!

Anyway, another American friend and I were asked to be guest speakers there and talk about America, Thanksgiving, and what our life is like as Americans. Everything was to be done in English (great for me!) and the students were also required to speak only in English as well. Because there are no native English speakers to practice with, many students are nervous about their speaking skills. They are afraid their pronunciation or grammar will be wrong and they will sound foolish. It’s the same way I feel speaking Chinese. It’s a big risk to speak aloud in front of a lot of people knowing how awful you sound to native speakers, but they did it! I was actually pretty impressed with how well they did, considering the lack of interaction they have with any foreigners.

My friend and I talked about the history of Thanksgiving and why we are grateful for our freedoms and our lives. We talked about the Thanksgiving celebration itself, the foods and traditions we have for this holiday. We also talked about our lives in American and tried to dispel some of the myths/stereotypes that many Chinese have of Americans. Think of the movies that they see…that we all see coming out of Hollywood. It’s horrible to think that the images portrayed about America and Americans have become reality in the minds of people all over the world! For most Chinese, all Americans are rich, own guns, are violent, promiscuous, selfish and arrogant. They are wasteful, don’t study hard, and family is not that important to them. It’s very difficult to change these ideas and is definitely not going to happen as a guest speaker at one English Corner; however I am hopeful that if enough Americans working or studying overseas will live decent lives, lives that contradict the world’s stereotypes, than eventually people will have to re-examine their ideas about what Americans are really like. It’s too bad that I always feel like I’m swimming upstream in this area, but it is one way I can make a difference in China.

How Much Do You Really Need?

One of my favorite words in the Chinese language is dongxi (pronounced dong-she) which can be roughly translated into English as “stuff/junk/things.” The great thing about dongxi is that it can mean literally tons of different types of objects. If you go to the local chaoshi (supermarket) you can get all kinds of dongxi, from toothpaste to DVD players. If you’re carrying a full backpack you can accurately say, “I have way too much dongxi in this bag.” No further explanation is needed. It might not be the same dongxi as you would find in your kitchen or bathroom, but it is dongxi nonetheless!

Dongxi is an easy word to remember and fun to say. If it’s “stuff” just say dongxi and you’re good to go. I asked my friend if I could say that I have a lot of dongxi to do today, and she said, “Definitely not.” Too bad! I was hoping for an easy connection between objects and activities. This leads me to the real reason I’m writing about dongxi. I last week I moved to another apartment and boy, did I have a lot of dongxi to move!

OK, I know I only came here 3 months ago and I shouldn’t have this much dongxi already, but setting up an apartment requires you to accumulate certain necessities. There’s kitchen dongxi, bathroom dongxi, cleaning dongxi, school/office dongxi, etc… but packing and moving all your dongxi is another matter althogether. In the States I had a car and I could always borrow a friend’s truck or van. Banana boxes were easy to come by if you camped out at the Meijer produce section on shipping day, but I found a whole new way of moving here.

First of all, boxes are not that easy to come by. Instead, most people stuff their dongxi into giant rice bags with zippers. It’s the Chinese equivalent of a suitcase. OK, so they smell like mold inside and they can only be used once before they break. I can live with that though because these bags only cost sixty cents each and the smell eventually fades with time and a good airing out…and you’d be amazed at how much dongxi you can fit into one of those bags!

A second “must-have” when moving is a ball of pink plastic twine. This is necessary for wrapping together boxed dongxi. If you’re Dutch like me you never throw out anything that could be potentially useful at some later date. That being the case, you will naturally have saved the original boxes your dongxi came in when you purchased it and you will have carefully repacked it in the original boxes. The essential pink plastic twine will hold several boxes together for easy transport. It never breaks and it’s also very cheap. Why bother with buying or packing cumbersome large boxes when you have pink twine?

The moving process is…Wow! I’ve never seen anything like it. Since I didn’t have another means of transporting my dongxi except to tie it all onto my bike and haul it down the road (which I’ve actually seen done) I hired a local moving company. They came and hauled all my dongxi from my second floor apartment into their truck, brought it to my new apartment, and carried everything up to the 5^th floor…including a washing machine! I couldn’t believe the amount of dongxi they could strap on their backs and carry at one time. I mean seriously! Who carries a washing machine on their back up to the fifth floor without giving themselves a heart attack?

The best part was the price! (Again, it's the Dutchman in me is coming out…sorry!) I actually felt a little bad watching them do what I have always done for myself and paying them so little, ($30) but they insisted that I stop trying to “help” them. I was getting in their way and messing up their system, so I had to stand back. Sometimes I forget that I’m not in the States anymore.

Now that all my dongxi is in my new apartment and I’m just about finished putting everything where I want it, I feel a lot more settled. It’s funny how familiar dongxi can make you feel at home even in new surroundings. Yes, I probably have way less than the average American in this 500 sq. ft. apartment, but I still have way more dongxi than I really need. I’m so very thankful for all the ways I have been provided for. The experience of moving in China is definitely something to remember every time I look around and think that maybe I’d like a little something new. Uhhhh…..no!

Long Johns and Laundry

The other day I went to pull out my long underwear as I prepared to face another cold day without the heat. In China most places don’t get the heat turned on in their buildings until November 15th and the days before then can be brutal. Just think about going home to an apartment without insulation made of concrete block and trying to keep warm. The worst part is coming out of the shower in the morning when you are naked, freezing, wet and standing on a wet cold bathroom floor trying hurriedly to dry off before going into a cold bedroom to get dressed. Yikes! Sometimes you wonder if you’re a person or a popsicle!

Anyway, I went to put on my qiu ku (long johns) and I realized that I didn’t have another pair available. Don’t get me wrong…I brought some with me from the States and I bought some from the store here (Men’s XXXL) but I hadn’t done my laundry in several days, so there was nothing clean for me to put on. By the way, do I look or feel like a Men’s XXXL? I didn’t think so!

Laundry is done different here than in the States. If you have money, you can purchase a decent washing machine for about the same price as in the US, but unless you want to spend an extravagant amount of money, you won’t have a dryer. That means you have to plan ahead. None of this, “I’ve got to have my favorite shirt for the party tonight so I’ll just quickly do a load of laundry and be done before it starts” stuff. Oh, no! You will have to wait a day or two before your laundry dries. You do it the old fashioned way- a clothes line or a drying rack.

Usually your apartment will have a balcony (yang tai) with a rope draped across it for hanging clothes, or you can buy a drying rack. I do have a balcony which I use for drying jeans or pants, but for the other more delicate items, I have chosen to use a drying rack which I put inside my living room….mainly because it’s the only place large enough for it to fit. I didn’t particularly want the neighbors looking out their ever-so-close windows and getting a load of my American sized skivvies! It’s hard enough being stared at for being as big and tall as I am, but having your drawers blowing in the wind for all the world to see would just be too much! Still, there seems to be something innately wrong with having all your undergarments hanging around in your living room with the rest of your decorations. It’s especially troublesome and embarrassing when you get unexpected company!

There is an old saying that goes like this: You’re lack of planning is not my emergency! In this case, my lack of planning was my emergency. At that moment I had two choices; either forego the long johns and freeze my touché off, or suck it up and put on a pair of “not so clean” ones. I’ll bet you can guess what I chose and I’ll bet you know what I was doing right after that…laundry!

Take a Deep Breath and Relax-Not!

Living in Michigan I've never really had to think about whether or not the air was clean. I just took it for granted that I would be breathing clean air without a lot of pollutants in it. Of course, I could always count on a little pollen and dust to kick up and irritate my allergies and asthma, but that's the case almost anywhere you go. Tianjin however is much different. I knew that I would be moving to a place that was known for dirt and pollution and I thought I was prepared. I packed allergy meds, a couple of inhalers, and called it good. For the most part, it's has been pretty good-especially since I came during the Olympics. All my colleagues were oohing and aahing over the beautiful blue skies and while I was enjoying them, I did not have the level of appreciation that they did. I was told not to get used to this kind of environment because it would not last long. They were right!

This morning when I got up I was amazed that he world seemed to be in a heavy fog and I couldn't see down the road very far. Even on my way to school, I kept wondering where the TianJin TV tower was hiding. Surely, someone had moved it because it was nowhere to be seen. Usually I have a pretty clear view of its massive structure. You really can see it from all over the city. I use it as a land mark when I'm out biking so in case I get lost I can always head toward it. However, today was a completely different story. No wonder I couldn't get my snotty nose under control yesterday and today! Hopefully, tomorrow will be better!

Jia You!

This week during National Holiday, a group went to the Great Wall to hike in a remote section called Simatai. There were 2 paths to hike. One was about an hour going east and the other was 3 hours going west. Now it might not seem like a 1-3 hour hike would be that difficult until you realize that the terrain is amazingly steep and the steps up and down the wall have been decaying for decades.

I was the oldest member of our group. Everyone else was from 25-35 years old. Yet, I was determined to once again experience this "Wonder of the World." The last time I had hiked it was in 2003 in a more traveled section. On our first day we went to the east and I was feeling pretty confident. It was a steep climb, but really not too bad. I was energized by the beautiful landscape and clean air of the countryside. I was looking forward to the next day.

We all stayed overnight at a roadside motel, (which is a story unto itself) and early the next morning the seven of us got up, ate breakfast and went right to business. We knew we would have a long day of climbing and we had to be back in time to catch the train from Beijing to Tianjin. It was a gorgeous fall day. The sun was out, the sky was blue and the view was breathtaking. I was definitely ready....or so I thought!

I’d like to say I am part mountain goat, part human, but the truth is that I am fully human, overweight, out of shape, and 47 years old! My idea of exercise in the past year has been exercising self control- limiting myself to one piece of cake instead of two! Yikes!! I found myself looking at treacherous slopes of winding rock and with each new peak and valley I climbed, I wondered how I was going to navigate the next. It was really high up and a really long way down again! We crossed a long chain bridge over a huge body of water and eventually we reached the 18th tower. A guard stationed there said that if we wanted to continue on we had to pay another fee. Actually, I was relieved. I felt quite accomplished in what had already been achieved, and totally satisfied with quitting.

Then it hit me. It wasn’t like stopping meant we were done. Once you’re on the path, there are no exit ramps, no bathrooms, and no way back except the way you came. It is impossible to reach the end of The Wall because it stretches across 2000 miles. It’s not like I could say, “Wow that was great, where’s the elevator?” I had to retrace all those steps and go back to the beginning! I was overwhelmed. I had made it to that point in the journey, but I really wasn't convinced that I could make it back without a physical revolt from my knees.

A popular Chinese chant during the Olympics was "Zhongguo, JiaYou!” It means “Go China!” but it’s literally translated “Add Oil!” At that moment, I knew I was going to need more oil for my journey. The problem was, I didn’t have any. Good thing my oil was only a whisper away! There have been other times in my life when I have been at the end of my resources and additional strength, energy and encouragement have been supernaturally imparted to me: Resources that are far beyond what I could’ve ever mustered up in my own strength... and that’s what I got! Runners refer to it as a second wind, but I refer to it as a wind from on high.
About 3/4 of the way down, we came to this zip-line cable that went across the large waterway we had crossed earlier . Using the zip-line would take you over the water and to a boat near the entrance of Simatai. I was so incredibly sore that I decided that this would be an exciting, dangerous way to end the trip. I figured I was half dead anyway, so if the cable broke, well at least I would go out dramatically. (HaHa) I got strapped in and enthusiastically waved and yelled "ZaiJian" (good-bye) to my friends as I took the plunge off the edge of the platform. It was exhilarating! I was flying through the air held only by a harness around my waist and legs and sliding down a cable that was, who knows how safe! I wasn’t actually brave...or a dare devil; just too stinkin' tired to walk one more step. I really was being carried by the wind from on high! (Youtube video soon to come-Don't freak out ya'all! Search for it with the name chinachick61)

It was a wonderful trip with deep conversations and new bonding relationships being forged.

With every step from the bus to the subway, to the train, to the apartment, I just kept repeating in my head- “JiaYou!” Sometimes the only thing to do is add oil and keep going!

Today if you have some time, read the whole of Chapter 40 in the book of Isaiah. It is a beautiful word picture of One who Is, and it’s great encouragement to those of us who believe. There will always be “Great Walls” in our lives, but there is an even greater One that who knows no boundaries! Jia You!!!

Are you Kidding Me?

Communicating cross culturally is challenging to say the least! Forget about the language barrier. Let's talk about the idea of social graces and acceptable verbiage. In the West, we find questions about profession, age, and martial status common, although for some mildly annoying. Other comments or questions are just plain "off limits." I would never ask a complete stranger or even a casual acquaintance about their weight, financial status or question their child rearing practices. Yet, this is a common occurrence in China.

A friend of mine was relaying a story about getting his tire pumped up by a local bike repair guy. During their conversation, a buddy of the repair guy stated,
"You're too fat! That's why your tire is flat. You shouldn't ride a bike. What do you usually eat?" Just this last week one of the Chinese interns told a male classmate of mine that his voice was cute and he sounded like a small Japanese girl! Ouch! Talk about crushing a man's masculinity!

These comments sound shocking to us, but believe it or not they are common ways to socially engage and show care, concern or affection for another person. It's called "Guan xin Talk." When someone asks about one's age, financial status, or physical attributes it is generally not to be nosey, but to gain information about another person so that the proper respect or care can be shown to them. For example, when someone is advanced in age or financial accomplishment they are shown special honor. Given that perspective, it makes sense, (sort of) but it still doesn't feel less embarrassing or intrusive. Westerners cherish our individualism and don't feel that anyone has the right to pry into our business, judge us, or give us advise on our weight, finances, or any other matter we consider personal.

That doesn't even start to cover the humiliation of Chinese people staring or laughing at, pointing to, or touching our physical body parts...which for most of us is even more challenging to handle. First of all, let's face the fact that most Chinese women don't have hips or bubble butts...we do! Arm hair in China is normally not present either, so it freaked me out a little bit when a Chinese student started "petting my fur" (arm hair) because it was so interesting to her. I really wanted to crawl in a hole when she bluntly asked, "Are all Americans fat and hairy?"

It's so offensive it's almost funny...except when you are the one in the spotlight. How should one respond when told that Americans should eat less bread and dairy products because it make us fat and smell like sour milk? I'm not really sure yet. If I try to remember that these comments and bits of advise are signs of care, affection and curiosity rather than malicious arrows aimed at tearing apart my formerly strong self esteem, then it's easier to take-most days. As long as they keep their hands off my "interesting" rear end!

Run, Lindy, Run!

After seeing the athletes compete in the Olympic track events, I was amazed. As a kid, I was never very good at running and certainly not running fast. However, I have now been officially admitted to the Chinese Traveler’s Club where occasionally running is essential. People in different regions have terms of endearment for this rite of passage. Some call it having Beijing Belly, the Shenyang Sh**tz, or what I have recently dubbed Tianjin Tummy. No further explanation is needed. You know when you are on the couch, listening to the loud gurgling coming from your mid-section and thinking, “This can’t be good!” ~then you probably are going to become the fasted sprinter on record. It really is part of being an overseas traveler and who knows what can trigger such a gastric revolt. It could be some water you didn’t boil long enough, or some street food that has been just fine for the last 2 weeks and has suddenly gone bad. In any event, it is an expected pitfall of being in a foreign country.

In America we have some very stringent rules about food preparation and about not leaving food out for very long before it is refrigerated. Not so here. Pretty much anything goes and refrigeration is the exception and not the rule. Most of my friends know that I usually have a cast iron stomach. Even after long periods of fasting, I can dive right into a plateful of food and never suffer ill effects. For as many times as I’ve been in China, I’ve never had a “crook in the gut” as my Australian friends say. This time it kicked my butt!

There is one good result of Tianjin Tummy. I have now officially lost over the 10 pounds since my medical exam 3 weeks ago. After losing 7lbs. the correct way through proper diet (whatever that is) and exercise, the Tianjin Tummy pushed me off of my weight loss plateau and into the next level of health. (?) Not that I still don’t need to take off some weight, (because according to Chinese stereotypes all Americans are fat, lazy slobs) but this method of weight loss sure isn’t going to be bottled and sold to anyone but the most desperate souls. I recommend the walking and biking. It’s a lot easier on your system and you won’t waste a lot of money on TP.