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March 28, 2006
Boudy
As I mentioned before, I decided to up the ante this semester and enrolled in an official Chinese course at the university next door to my high school. Despite being a beginner's class that has had three different teachers and a revolving door of students, I have definitely enjoyed it thus far. We even had our first test last week (I got a 94! Yes, I am patting myself on the back) in which I was forced to learn about 40 Chinese characters. At this rate it should only take me about 576 years to become fluent. Anyway, it's always a surprise who will be there but there are three of us who have been to virtually every meeting: me, a friendly Korean lady named Nancy, and a young Lebanese business man named Boudy.
Boudy always has a smile on his face and was immediately cracking jokes with both classmates and teachers right from the start of the first class. I think it's safe to say that I liked the guy right off the bat. There was another Lebanese guy named "Ali," (not to be confused with "Ari") who had been attending classes as well and the two of them used to chatter away in Arabic when something was unclear. Boudy speaks great English but Ali sometimes needed some help in his native language. I enjoyed learning some basic Arabic from them and found it interesting to compare basic words to their Hebrew counterparts.
Maybe it was unnecessary and maybe I was making something out of nothing, but I intentionally refrained from admitting my knowledge of Hebrew, my Jewish roots, and my travels to Israel and the Middle East. Beyond basic history lessons, experience has taught me that people around the world are not always so friendly to Jews (e.g. the time I wandered into a Parisian pub with neo-nazi propaganda on the bar). China feels eons away from antisemitism (hell, they think we're all rich and brilliant) but something in my gut told me to keep it to myself.
Regardless, we moved on in the class and I got to know Boudy a bit better. A couple weeks ago we figured out that he lives in the exact same complex where I tutor every Sunday. We made tentative plans to hang out sometime and I made a mental note to call him sometime after I finished. This past Sunday I finished giving lessons and was craving some food. I was going to just grab the bus and head home but I remembered Boudy was around. As it was around dinner time, I figured I'd give him a ring. It turns out he was heading back to his place with a business associate and would be there in 10 minutes. Sure, I'd wait.
Boudy rolled in with an older fellow named "Muhammed" who spoke about four words of English. Acting as interpretor, Boudy introduced us and explained that he was doing business with this guy, locating materials here in Guangzhou for the guy's three clothes stores back in Lebanon. They finished up and then Boudy and I headed out for some grub. I would have been happy with anything but Boudy wanted to play host so he took me to a place that advertises itself as a Turkish bbq joint. He quickly clarified that in reality it's a restaurant offering basic Arabic food and not really just a Turkish place. Either way, I was excited for Middle Eastern food. One thing I learned in Israel is that the food sure is tasty in that part of the world--very unique as well.
Boudy ordered up a feast in Arabic and we sat chatting while waiting for food. I asked him the basic question you ask a foreigner in China: What brought you to China? For me of course the answer isn't all that exciting--I wanted a new adventure and a new challenge. For boudy, however, it is much more complicated. He sort of laughed and asked me if I wanted to the whole story. This only piqued my curiosity further so naturally I asked for the whole 9 yards. He obliged and I was fascinated:
Boudy, given name "A Halim Bdeir," grew up in a small town in northern Lebanon amidst a family with three brothers. After attending university and studying business, he was obliged to spend a year in the military along with every other citizen in the country. Apparently he started in his first week and hated it right away. Having worked in a few high profile clubs while getting his degree, he made a few friends that you might consider VIPs. He made a couple of calls and managed to arrange a skiing "accident" where he could get sick leave to recoup. In reality he had an old ACL injury from basketball but it was good enough. The plan worked to perfection and he was given 6 weeks recovery time.
In that time, Boudy spoke to his cousin who was working in Dubai. He encouraged Boudy to pick up and relocate, promising to introduce him to some people who might give him work. Knowing that the government would forgive any required military service if you were abroad for five years, Boudy made the move. He got hooked up in the club scene once again and quickly made a name for himself as an excellent bartender and then manager. Being such a great people-person, he got a position as a mid-level manager at a high profile club hosting parties for movie stars, professional athletes, and rich moguls. In a word, he was living the life.
Before he knew it Boudy was surrounded by every vice you could think of: alcohol, drugs, women, cars, gambling, etc. He was getting paid big bucks by some of the major players in the gulf oil industry. He was good at what he did and made many connections in the process. His family, on the other hand, was not too happy with him. Without going so far as to tell him to come home, his father voiced his disapproval. Boudy was living a very non-Halal lifestyle.
Boudy explained to me that in Islam there are two basic categories for things: Halal and Haram. Halal is everything that is accepted, everything that is healthy, everything that is beneficial for both you and your surroundings. Haram is just the opposite. Not surprisingly, the nightclub lifestyle isn't exactly Koran-approved. After a couple of years, Boudy started to realize that the Haram lifestyle was catching up to him. He was making a ton of money and yet somehow spending even more. He was happy partying yet unsatisfied. Eventually bad things started to happen: a minor injury here, a small car accident there. Then they started to increase in severity: a friend getting beaten up, a bank reposessing a car. Finally, a good friend was killed in a DUI. Boudy wanted out.
He headed back to Lebanon, taking leave from his job and talked with his family. One of his older brothers suggested he get out of the nightclub world and start using his degree in business. He promised he could get him a job. Under serious time constraints, Boudy blindly agreed to take a position with his brother's import/export firm. The job? Working with suppliers in Guangzhou, China. He knew nothing of the language, culture, or history but decided that he needed to turn his life around. He wanted to live a more ethical life, a more satisfying existence. In a word, he wanted to be a better man.
While it was tough to leave the huge salary, the parties, and the flashy lifestyle, Boudy said that he felt better overall. After he poured his inner thoughts out to me, I felt I had to "come clean." I told him about my background and about my own experiences with Judaism. I told him about what I like, what I don't like, and about my own struggles to live as a good person. I really was slightly nervous admitting to him that I'm Jewish but he wasn't even slightly phased. It turns out he dated a Jewish girl for a long time in Dubai and had no problems with them. Much like most of us, he wants all people to coexist in peace and thinks that there must be a way.
By the end of dinner I was almost speechless, Boudy is one of the friendliest and most interesting people I have met in a long time. I venture to say that I have myself a new friend here and I look forward to hanging out with him again.
Posted by awolfe at 3:43 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 23, 2006
Big Brother?
Big brother is watching and I had no idea. This week I started a mini-unit on Reality TV in which my kids have to design and perform their own Reality TV program in front of the class. So far it has been a very fun topic because a lot of the kids enjoy American pop culture (you can even catch American Idol and Survivor here through the Hong Kong stations). I am quite excited to see what they do, be it in the form of imitation or something new. I was even asked to play the role of Simon Cowell!
But before we got to talking about the actual shows, I asked them (in the form of a writing prompt) to define reality and reality tv. I got some very interesting responses to both questions but I was totally caught off guard when one boy told me that reality tv was not actually a program but rather the feed from a close circuit camera. Woah, what? I asked him for clarification and he did one better--he showed me.
I had no idea what he was doing when he walked to the front of the room near the blackboard but I got my answer as he pointed to the camera that was in the classroom! I never noticed it before because it's very inconspicuous, covered in a dark glass sphere a la casino surveillance cams. I quickly sent him back to his seat and told him it was a good guess but incorrect.
As I walked out of the room at the end of class I glanced back at the camera. Why was it there? At first I had visions of the Communist powers-that-be spying on my classes but I realized this wasn't all that likely. The cameras are in every single classroom, not just the ones with foreigners teaching. So are the school authorities just peeping in to all rooms at random? Why? Why not just come in and observe? Are they looking in on the students more than the teachers? That seems like a stretch. These kids are some of the most well behaved students around so it's hardly necessary.
I have not come to any logical conclusion about the presence of the cameras. In fact, they have only raised more questions--are there microphones in the rooms? Should I be worried about what I'm saying or doing? Should I be annoyed? Concerned? I have no idea.
In other news, we are officially in the rainy season here in Guangzhou and it's super annoying. Everyday now is either raining or so humid that it might as well be. What makes it even worse is that China has quite the affinity for marble. Whenever possible they put marble (or marble imitation) on the sidewalks, stairs, and floors. It sure looks pretty but the corollary is that it also turns into a death trap when wet. Everytime I walk down the stairs in my apartment now I am clutching the handrails. Everytime I walk out across campus towards the main gate, I pray that I don't bite it. I look at it as the "China Marble Challenge" and award myself points for every successful trip down the stairs and walk across the sidewalk. All are invited to join me in my reality TV adventures of free-form walking.
Posted by awolfe at 3:38 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
March 21, 2006
Whirlwind
Todd and Nancy officially left this morning after a whirlwind tour of China. Major props to them for not only getting all the way out here, but also for making the most of their time. They rocked Hong Kong for two days, Guangzhou for 3 days, and Wuhan for 2 days. That's a major chunk of China experience right there and I hope they enjoyed their time. While it is impossible to for me to explain everything that they saw and did in their time here, I will give a few highlights.
Monday night- arrival, semi-sketchy unlicensed taxi back to the city from the airport, home-made fried rice & dumplings, and local beer. We chatted late into the night and I gave them the basics of being a tourist in a country like China.
Tuesday- Teaching, Qingping Market, gawking at scorpions and monkey skulls on sale, drinks by the river on Shamian Island, Sichuan hotpot with the Yalies, and more lounging. Todd and Nancy slept in but got up just in time to join me for lunch out on the town. After some tasty Uigher noodles, we walked around shipai, my district in Tianhe, and took in the sights of the city. They were good enough to come to class with me after lunch and actually did some teaching about American law! They detailed the famous case of Queen v. Dudley and asked the students if they thought the people there commited murder. It went so well that I decided to use their lesson the rest of the week! After that I took them through the obligatory wild section of Qingping market where you can buy snake skins, tiger claws, and other ridiculous and disgusting things. We ended over in the peaceful section of Shamian though and chatted at a little cafe. Kelly and Diana met us for hotpot and we singed our tastebuds with some yummy meats and vegetables in spicy broth.
Wednesday-Thursday- Off to Hong Kong. I woke up at the crack of dawn to teach (that's 7:30am to you folks in the real world) and saw Todd and Nancy already up. It seems the jetlag gods had frowned upon them the previous night and they were unable to sleep. So, instead of wasting the day away, they decided to head to Hong Kong for a few days while I taught in GZ. I wish I had gotten to show them around HK for as much as I know about it, but alas it was not to be. I dropped them off at the train station, waved goodbye, and hoped that they could figure out how to make it back to my apartment in a couple of days. As per my recommendation, they stayed at a hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui on Kowloon and saw the city from there. I think they got to see most of the big tourist sights and markets in those few days, which is pretty amazing given how big Hong Kong spans out.
Friday- Hunan Food, train stations, St. Patrick's Day celebrations, and sleeper cars. My guests made their way back after an inadvertant tour of the area and David joined us for a huge meal of Hunan food before our train to Wuhan. David is an excellent host and joined in on the bubbling conversation as we recounted funny travel stories. Our stomachs full and our bags packed, we headed to the train station where we met up with Kelly and the masses of people leaving the city on a Friday night. Let me just say that the main train station here in GZ has gotten a MAJOR face lift! There are signs! Rooms are lit up! It's no longer a guess as to where you need to go! They haven't gone so far as to have air conditioning in the waiting rooms, but the place looks eons better than it did the last time I was there. So we settled into our section on the hard sleeper car and drank a few bottles of Guinness in honor of Kelly's ethnic holiday. Oops--I meant to wear green.
Saturday- Tasty food, unfathomable enigmas of nature, Chinese metal bands, the Only Bar, and good company. We arrived in Wuchang bright and early and Tyler met us at the gate, excited to have visitors. We each got a bowl of "reganmian," or "hot & dry noodles," a Wuhan specialty. Yum. I could eat that stuff all day. Anyhow, we made our way back to his apartment where Rena, Tyler's girlfriend, was visiting from the states. We chatted for a while and then Kelly and I napped while everyone else went out to explore. Eventually we had a feast for lunch (where I ate myself silly) and headed off to the East Lake Park. Last time in Wuhan I saw a sign for an unfathomable enigma of nature and was intent on finding it this time around. Well it was there alright, and I must say I am puzzled. Lets just say that it involves UFO's, mountains, plants, and unanswered questions. After that we managed to walk a path through the park that led us astray for about an hour, but eventually we made our way out. After that we went out to grab some food and catch some live music at the Vox bar. The food at dinner was great but that wasn't the real story. About halfway through the meal we see the lady in charge run down the stairs from the 2nd floor and get on the phone to call somebody. We asked Kelly if she could understand what was happening and she said it was either a fire or a fight. Either way, I was somewhat nervous and very much intrigued. We began to hear screams and dishes breaking as well which just added to the confusion. About five minutes later we saw a bunch of guys walking down the stairs covered in blood and unable to walk. It was intense. As the police sirens got closer, they quickly shuffled the guys out the back door and that was the last we saw of it. Weird. The Chinese metal band was... interesting. They weren't too stellar musically and we couldn't hear anything so we headed across the street to the Only Bar, conveniently located next to a bunch of other watering holes. We chatted there and eventually headed back to Tyler's to watch some "Drawn Together."
Sunday- Breakfast buffets, markets, Taoist temples, english lessons, adidas stores, and train rides home. We woke up late and were hungry. I decided to try and help Tyler prepare a big breakfast for everyone so we went out and bought some eggs, peppers, garlic, onions, and pastries and cooked up a big meal. He even had some bacon so it was a straight-up American-style breakfast... except for the fact that we were using chopsticks to eat scrambled eggs. After breakfast we lounged around and packed up, though not before barely averting a minor disaster involving a lack of water pressure in Chinese bathrooms. Lets just say best friends come through in the clutch and I owe Todd bigtime. We toured the Taoist temple in the area and tried to save Kelly from the multiple people there who tried to get some free English lessons from her. I guess that's the risk you run when you are almost fluent in speaking Chinese as a native-English speaker. We made our way to the hectic Wuchang train station and had a nice meal before heading out. I can safely say that Tyler and Mallory are holding down the PiA fort well in Wuhan and that whoever ends up there next year is in for a treat.
Monday- Dimsum, naps, trinkets, food, and scotch. We got back at 6am to Guangzhou and decided that we should take advantage and go get the freshest dim sum available. I must admit, it really does taste better that early! I can't say I'll be setting my alarm for 5:30am on Sundays, but it sure was good! We headed back to my place, showered, napped, and then headed out to buy some souvenirs for friends and family. As per Kelly's recommendation, we headed out to Haizhu Guangchang, an area of the city I had never been to. It was definitely a tourist's dream as you could buy almost anything China-related for dirt cheap. I did my best bargaining for them and eventually we made our way back to Tianhe. On a side note, I finally purchased a new pair of cleats which is very exciting. I can finally retire my one-size-too-small Pumas that I have been using for approximately 9 years. May they rest in peace. We had a quick dinner of noodles and I was off to class. After learning some Chinese I came back and we chatted for a few more hours before heading to bed. We were all pretty exhausted and they needed to be up at 4:45am to catch a cab to the airport.
This morning I woke up with them before sunrise and saw them off, or at least I saw them to the taxi. As I haven't heard from them, I assume they made it there just fine and are currently in the air heading back to the States. I love having visitors, especially those I have known forever, and it was certainly a treat having Todd around. For all the rest of you, come visit! I may even have some pictures up in a few days.
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March 17, 2006
Best Friends & New Roommates
My oldest best friend in the world is officially in Guangzhou and that is super exciting. The illustrious Todd Siegel, my partner in crime since 2nd grade, is here with his awesome PiA-alum girlfriend and I am doing my best to show them the town in the limited amount of time we have. I picked them up at the airport on Monday night and bargained my way to an only mildly overpriced cab ride back into the city. At least the guy understood me when I said "uh uh--that's hella expensive."
So we chatted into the early morning Monday night and just caught up on things. I am extremely impressed by both Todd and Nancy being in the world of law, working serious with serious law firms in Connecticut. I have always considered Todd to be one of the smartest people I know and this has never changed. I know that he will do quite well for himself.
Todd's arrival works out really well in terms of timing because I was just starting to have some minor pangs of missing things home-related. I have officially been out of the country longer than I ever have before (7 months now) so it's nice to have an injection of the familiar. Todd knows me arguably better than anyone and from our days back at Solomon Schechter Day School to our adventures at Wesleyan, Cornell, or University of Edinburgh (where we both studied abroad), we have no shortage of ridiculous stories to reminisce about.
We had a tough time figuring out what to do this weekend but finally settled on heading up too Wuhan to crash with Tyler and Mal, the PiA rockstars there. Todd and Nancy decided to do a midweek Hong Kong trip in order to see the pinnacle of organization and modernity. It only seemed right to bring them to bring them to a city like Wuhan, the pinnacle of chaotic construction and progress towards modernity. If nothing else, the food rocks. Kelly decided to join me for the weekend adventure so the 4 of us are going to head out tonight on the sleeper train to Wuchang. Hubei Province- be aware.
I also got (semi-) official notification of my new roommate for next year which is very exciting. Steven is moving on to bigger and better things getting a masters in East Asian Studies from Berkeley so I get a rookie come August. I am unclear on whether or not he has accepted the fellowship yet, but from what I'm told he is a very cool guy. Here's hoping that he likes beer and movies! Matt, if you're out there reading, come to Guangzhou--it's awesome.
Finally, just a reminder to all of you out there who didn't make it to the end of the last blog that I now have a CT phone number that will reach me here. Feel free to call 860-967-3764 anytime, assuming it's not 4am here like someone did last night...
Posted by awolfe at 10:35 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
March 10, 2006
Delinquent Blogging
Okay, so I have been extremely delinquent in updating my blog--it's true. What gives? Well, It took me about a week to recover from the wild adventure of rural Hunan. After that the new semester began and I had a bunch of work to do. Then all of my expat friends started to return from their respective trips and they had about a gazillion stories to tell: being overwhelmed by portion sizes in American restaurants, getting chased by prostitutes leaving a Thai beach party, participating in an Egyptian-theme party, running into high school classmates in Taiwan, etc. So I got sidetracked and then had to play catch-up with my extensive journals from the trip. I am officially done with that though and will use this entry to serve as a collection of mini blogs in order to get back to the present. Enjoy...
Feb 10-12: Steven and I got invited out to the outskirts of the Panyu district by one of Steven's students for a weekend at their new house. Biggest revelation here? The suburbs do exist! I saw actual houses, strip malls, and open spaces (possibly scheduled for future construction but whatever) which was very cool. We were treated like kings by the family and had incredible food, including an all-you-can-eat buffet with food from almost every continent of the world. I think I had 7 plates of rack of lamb while Steven ate some exotic bugs. Seriously.
February 19: Happy Birthday, Dad! Can you feel the impending excitement of Spring Training??
February 20-23: My students received letters from the students of my good friend and current history teacher, Lauren Giunta. We spent this week talking about what they would want to tell/ask American middle schoolers and I had some very interesting responses. More than a few proclaimed that they wanted to write about the evils of Japan. Great. So, of course, I forced them into an impromtu discussion about how many times they've been to Japan, how many Japanese people they know, how long it's been since Japan invaded China, and other questions along those lines. I think it would be naive of me to think that I completely changed their minds, but I did get them to at least refine their statement to, "I really dislike some members of the Japanese government." Baby steps...
February 24: We had our first away game for the soccer team this evening and it was nuts. We traveled to some school about an hour across the city and had a nice solid game. About 10 minutes into the game the foreign teacher from their school, an Englishman, substituted into the game amidst roars of support from the entire student body. Thinking it was only appropriate, I was assigned to mark the kid on defense. I'd like to think it was because they had more confidence in me to guard him than anyone else, but really I think they just thought it was funny. Anyhow, we were tied 0-0 going into the second half when I got substituted out, replaced by soime older senior member of the administration. Pete, the Englishman, promptly proceeded to score a goal on their very first possesion. I was pissed. I got back in the game about midway through the half and we were down 2-1. I was terrified that I had killed a Chinese man with about 5 minutes to go when I slide tackled on a free ball (totally legal) and absolutely took out one of their strikers. He was slow to get up and I thought he was done for but it was all good. We ended up losing 3-1 but more than made up for it by drinking ourselves into oblivion at the banquet afterwards. Pete and I sat together and chatted, eventually getting up to make various toasts around the room. When I got over to toast the other team, the guy I slide tackled made me drink two beers. On the spot. Lets just say we were a rowdy bunch during the ride home.
February 26: I saw an incredibly ridiculous commercial for some new gimic here that made me crack up. Basically they are marketing a device where you stand up on a treadmill-looking thing that vibrates really really fast. Supposedly the vibrations will make you lose fat and tone muscle just by standing there and shaking vigorously. All I know is that it looks absurd and I can't imagine anyone doing it. Just go out for a run, for god's sake!
February 28: Blood, and lots of it. No, not mine, but one of the dudes I play basketball with got wrecked today and it wasn't pretty. I taught a bunch of the guys here how to hold the ball with two hands on a rebound and establish your pivot foot in order to create space when you're double teamed. Well, one of the bigger guys was doing this and caught his defender on the nose with a swift elbow as he was turning. The guy dropped and was bleeding everywhere. Meanwhile, everyone is just staring at him, crowding him on the floor. In broken Chinese I tried to get everyone to let him breath and I ran and got him a towel. It turns out he was fine and that it wasn't even broken, but you could tell that everyone was in shock. Much like my slide tackle though, it was legal and it's just part of the game. It does remind me though that sports can be dangerous and that I shouldn't go nuts playing recreational bball.
March 6: I am a student again! It didn't take too long, though I am surprised I managed to go 8 months without being in class. I get bored when I'm not in class--sad, but true. Anyhow, I registered for beginner's Chinese at the university next door to my school and today was the first class. I was a bit surprised to only have one other person there on the first day, but that's just fine by me! Since then we've had 3 other guys add in, but it's still a nice small size so there is quite a bit of personal attention. I'm a little bit disappointed that the class is focusing most on speech but it will certainly be useful. It just means that I have to make sure I am diligent on my own to learn characters or else I never will. So far, I think I get a B+ for my pronunciation and tones and a D+ for character recognition. It's so hard, it really is. Anyhow, for three days a week, two hours at a time, I am officially a student once again.
March 8: My friend Meggie had to leave to go back to Taiwan for surgery. Hope you're okay Meggs! We miss you in GZ and hope to see you back here happy and healthy as soon as possible.
March 9: Modern technology is absolutely amazing. I don't know why it took me this long to figure it out, but for a small fee, I bought myself an 860 number (that's Connecticut for all those of you who aren't fluent in New England) that I can forward to my China cell phone. That means all of you now have NO excuse not to call me! Put me in your cell phone as "Holy crap, this calls Ari?" with the number 860-967-3764. Just remember that there's a 13 hour time difference. Ahead.
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