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December 30, 2006
Da Mainland
Day 5 meant a quick train ride back to the mainland of China and a return to Guangzhou, Ari's hometown. There was some confusion before our journey, because the earthquake of the previous evening off the coast of Taiwan had knocked out communication wires and ATM's were inaccessible to foreign cards. [Ed. note- this also meant that the internet was crawling along at a sloth's pace.
Making the best use of our vacation time, Ari and I headed out immediately after to meet his some of his GZ friends, the Yale-in-China crew. Now I could put faces to the names of people with whom Ari celebrates all major holidays, birthdays, and un-birthdays. In essence, I met Ari's family at one of their local hangouts. The bar, called "Sleeping Wood," was located in what seemed to be downtown behind a holiday inn. We sat outside and enjoyed a few pitchers of the local brew while the bar played surprisingly hip reggae music through a couple of speakers. Good times, good people.
Day 6 meant dim sum for breakfast! Delicious! We happily stuffed ourselves full of yummy treats in Ari's favorite dim sum restaurant. Unlike last year, our white skin did not frighten off the hostesses and we were allowed to sit with all other restaurant-goers. [Ed. note- it's true. I often joke that whenever we show up to a restaurant with more than a few waiguoren (foreigners), they immediately try to stick us in a side room as a sort of quarantine. Of course in reality they think they're just being nice by putting us in a private location but we almost always prefer the chaotic atmosphere of the main room.] It's quite an experience to sit near regulars who sit and chat over plates of delicious treats and multiple pots of tea. But again, no rest for the Wolfe family and we were off to do a quick run through the Qingping Market. Here we made a stop at a tea store and sat through a tasting of several high quality teas as Ari tried to translate the sales pitch of the women serving. Afterwards we popped our heads into a storefront winery where I was thrilled to be able to see such delicacies as snake penis wine, cock testis wine, and pit viper wine. I was even more thrilled to try some Chinese medicinal tea (at a different locale) in the hopes that it would clear up my hacking cough. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep this scrumptious drink down and spat most of it out onto the sidewalk (sorry GZ municipality!). Maybe it was the crocodile parts in the tea that made me throw it back up. Who knows. Magically though, my cough disappeared by the next day. [Ed. note- no joke. I swear by this stuff. Sure it tastes like death, but you pretty much always feel better after you chug it.]
After a quick Thai lunch on Shamian Island, we hopped in a taxi and went across the city to Ari's school where we were the special guest stars for the second year in a row. We introduced ourselves and then answered some interesting questions from Ari's kids. It's always a highlight to meet more great students with EXCELLENT names such as Trousers, Silent, and Easy. Again, China rocks! [Ed. note- I've been meaning to blog about this. It seems that I have lost all perspective on what's weird in China because Ilana was so fired up about the names and they all seemed normal to me. Even "Black Sheep," and "Virgin." Not quite sure what that says about me.]
More classes and more questions marked day 7 of the vacation. More interestingly though, this was the day my dad and I had been waiting for. It was hot pot day, a meal we had missed out on during our first adventure in China. There had been so much build up by Ari and his roommate, Nick, that the anticipation was just about killing me. After waiting forever to be seated at the restaurant, Ari did a masterful job of ordering way too much food, including two kinds of meat, three kinds of mushrooms, tarot root, "frozen" tofu, noodles, and potatoes. While waiting for everything to cook we began working on one of many bottles of beer. Once the broth came to a boil and we began to place food in the bowl, the true experience began. It was a race to stuff our faces as quickly as possible, perhaps in an attempt to keep the spice to a minimum. For the first time in my life, I unbuttoned my pants after eating our feast. A picture should have been taken to commemorate this occasion because it might have been once in a lifetime!
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December 27, 2006
Wolfe Invasion '06
[Editors note- the following few blogs are courtesy of the illustrious Ilana Wolfe, my older sister and guest blogger extraordinaire. Many thanks to her...]
Yes ladies and gentleman, back in China by popular demand (or by demand of Bonnie and Joel to see their son), it's the Wolfe family! Joel, Bonnie, and Ilana decided to make the long (20 hour trek) back to the far east in order to see their favorite son and brother, explore more of Hong Kong, and have a hot pot meal on the mainland. Here are some highlights of our whirlwind trip, from my own very (Ilana's) distinguished point of view.
Hong Kong: Part 1
This year the Wolfe family traveled separately over to Hong Kong (on much more comfortable planes than last year, I might add). Bonnie and Joel arrived one day before me and had the chance to explore Lamma Island with Ari. I hear it's beautiful and serene and chock full of beaches and island walks. Unfortunately, I was in the air and missed day one of the vacation. [Ed. note- it was awesome. I highly recommend the falafel at the Bookworm Cafe, in addition to the Lonely Planet walking tour. Good times!] I arrived the night of day one and after arriving at the Kowloon Hotel in busy TsimShaTsui, Ari and I headed straight for food and beer at the hotel lounge. Delicious!
With no time to sleep in, day two brought the entire Wolfe family to Ocean Park on Hong Kong Island. In desperate need of some awesome fun, we headed for "The Dragon" and "The Abyss." As the sign for "The Abyss" said, "Ride it! Feel the Depth!" In between chasing the dragon and testing our limits of fun and fear, we saw two adorable pandas, the largest fish tank in the world, and Santa swimming with the sharks. Ocean Park offered us an excellent theme park, Chinese style, complete with people pushing in line, having to pay separately for some theme park rides, and kiosks selling octopus on a stick. What could be better? [Ed. note- it's true, you can still legally chase the dragon in Hong Kong, though it is in the form of a roller coaster. Also, I had no idea Santa was Chinese and certified to scuba dive with sharks.]
Day 3 brought our second attempt to visit the island of Macau. Of course, all ferries were booked. Instead of feeling down, we booked tickets for the next day and quickly made the decision to head to ShaTin in the New Territories to see the 10,000 Buddha Temple and do some shopping across the border in Shenzhen. We hopped on the MTR and rode up to ShaTin, where we quickly found ourselves following a tour group of Chinese Christians, with the hope that they were going to our destination. We weren't so lucky and ended up taking a quick detour up the side of a mountain, which did have some amazing views. After this brief interlude, the family finally arrived at the 10,000 Buddha Temple and was greeted with the warning, "Don't feed the wild monkeys." Wild Monkeys? Sure, whatever you say. On our short climb of over 400 steps, we made sure to count the many Buddhas lining the path. 31, 32 . . . 128, 129, 130. . .428, 429, 430. Ari and I stopped several times to take culturally inappropriate pictures with the statues and give our parents a chance to rest. (See flickr for our photographic masterpieces) Once we finally reached the temple, we realized that the 10,000 Buddhas were not on the path up but actually inside the main temple building and we were quickly blown away by the view of so many golden statues. After a brief exploration of the temple grounds, we made our way back down because there was no rest for the jet-lagged & weary. To our amazement, two monkeys crossed our path and jumped up into the trees right in front of us. Thank goodness I read the sign commanding me to refrain from feeding the monkeys! Always on the move, the Wolfe family got back on the train and ventured to the mainland. Ari kept preparing us for the craziness that was about to greet us in Shenzhen, but even he had no idea what was waiting for us.
After walking outside of the train station to get money at an ATM, we began to walk back towards the shopping center. "Hey, what's that animal over there?" I only wish I could have been prepared for this. After hearing my dad ask this innocent question, we all looked at the scene about to unfold behind a restaurant. There on a tiny chopping block, was a skinned and roasted dog about to get its head chopped off with a cleaver. Appalled at the scene unfolding before my eyes, I turned away in time to miss the final blow, which was followed by the butcher throwing the decapitated head jokingly at his friend. Man, China rules! Still laughing about this incident, we quickly began to laugh harder as we entered a shopping mall and were immediately met with shouts of "Missy! Missy! DVD! You like buy DVD? CAMERA?!" Our white skin stood out just a little, and the whole family attracted hawkers selling everything from fake LeSportSac bags to fake Rolexes. "Missy! Missy!" Did they really think I would be drawn in with that call? Hilarious! Even more hilarious was the salesman who climbed INTO the ceiling in his search for the size jeans that I wanted. Where else would you keep your surplus merchandise? Certainly not under the counter or in a box, but in the ceiling! Again, hilarious! After a few hours of shopping, the Wolfe family walked away with an assortment of fake watches, bags, and two orders for hand-made clothing at Sally the tailor's. This all made for an exhausting, but quite eventful day. [Ed. note- I really need to gear up for the Shenzhen experience because it can be overwhelming. I have taken to being overly sarcastic sometimes in order to not be offended when they grab my arm. "A Rolex you say? Is it real?? Wow--that's an amazing price! I'll take 100!"]
On day 4, we all got up bright and early and hopped on the ferry to Macao. Not quite sure what to expect, we were met with long lines in customs and a heavily polluted sky. Ready for an adventure, we hopped on a bus with the hopes that we would find the starting point of our Lonely Planet walking tour. Even though we understood neither Portuguese nor Cantonese, we made it to Largo de Senado and began to explore. The architecture was beautiful and very Portuguese. We saw many churches, a fortress, and even some random street art. The most inspiring site was the façade of the Church of St. Paul. I can only imagine what the rest of the church might have looked like. After two previous attempts to visit the island, we were happy to have been able to explore Macau for the day. So happy in fact, that Ari and I went over to the Peninsula Hotel back in Hong Kong for a "high-class" drink. We rode up in the nicest elevator we had ever seen and were greeted with a spectacular view from the bar at the Felix Restaurant. This spot is highly recommended by both Ari and I. [Ed. note- It's true. Just don't wear shorts. And make sure you check out the bathroom. Amazing!]
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December 15, 2006
Recommendations
Though it seems like ages ago to me now, we are once again approaching the deadline for college applications in the U.S. While my own experience in the undergraduate college application dates back to a good eight years ago, it was only two years ago that I was living and breathing applications back at Boston University in the office of admissions. For a while I was left out of the process entirely, but this year I have been ambushed with a deluge of recommendation and editing requests. I guess I just can't escape!
I am more than happy to help my Chinese students here attempt to decipher the quagmire of the American system, but there are a few things that either don't exist in Chinese etiquette or have been largely ignored by my students. I can't count how many times I've had students come up to me and say (not ask) "I need you to write me a recommendation for tomorrow." Tomorrow?? Wow. Now, having been a student myself and found myself in dire circumstances requiring a letter of rec for jobs, grad school, etc., I know the pressure they are under. However, when I've put a professor out to write a letter in 48 hours, I literally begged for it. It's not pretty, but it's sort of what you have to do. I remember my teachers in high school announced that they required four weeks notice for anything. Maybe my mistake was in not saying anything.
The other thing is that I guess the tangible thank-you doesn't really exist here either. I was always taught in the States that when a teacher (or anyone else) goes out of their way for you to write a recommendation, you give them some sort of gift to show your gratitude. A book. A gift certificate. A pen. Something. Here I get a sincere vocal thanks but that's about it. Now don't get me wrong--I'm not complaining that the kids don't shower me with gifts; rather, I think it's an interesting cultural difference.
As I've mentioned, teachers here are very close with their students. Head teachers, the closest thing to a homeroom teacher and/or advisor, follow their kids for all three years of senior middle school until they finish the college entrance exam. They go on day trips together with the class on the weekend. They check in on them at night in the classroom, even when they're not on duty. They're almost like an extension of the parents, especially for the large chunk of students that live on campus. So in this respect, it's almost like asking your dad to take care of an errand for you--you thank him, but you certainly don't go and buy him a gift (though I'm sure parents would appreciate that). I guess it's just expected and assumed to be part of your responsibilities as a teacher.
In this sense, I'm very happy to help and excited to see the results in a few months. I have a bunch of students, both from this year and last, that I'm really pulling for to get into top schools. It's tough though, and I know that they're not holding their breath. Participating in this whole process with my students has also made me realize that I'm just another teacher at the school. That may seem obvious to people reading this, but it's actually a major accomplishment that I've been striving for the past year and a half.
When I walk around campus, it's very rare that any students stop and stare at me. Instead, I get a smile and a hello from current students and former students alike. Co-workers do not interrogate me anymore about my personal life and history. We don't have awkward conversations about obvious cultural differences. Instead, I now get questions like, "how come you didn't play basketball yesterday?"
This also extends to the city as a whole. Though some people may still stare at me, I really don't notice anymore. If I happen to lock eyes with someone on a bus, I stare right back. I am probably more comfortable than I should be throwing elbows to get on the bus. Getting around the city is second nature now, using either buses, taxis, or the subway--I barely have to read the signs. I know exactly where to go for whatever I need, yet I am still discovering new and fun things (who knew there was such an amazing arcade at the top of Grandview?).
Though my Chinese is still miles away from being fluent, I am fully functional. I don't let cashiers give me ripped bills for change because I joke with them and ask them to change it. I can order the house special at a restaurant. I can shoot the breeze with the ladies in the copy room enough to know when they're poking fun at me and Nick. I can't understand a whole Chinese movie, but I can read the schedule to know when they'll have English subtitles!
All in all I think I've settled in and assimilated into a part of both the school community and the city as a whole. It feels great to be so comfortable in what used to be so foreign, but there a couple downsides as well. My tolerance for the basic conversations with strangers is almost non-existent, e.g. Can you use chopsticks? Your Chinese is amazing! How do you get around the city? Have you ever heard of mid-autumn festival? etc. I also have to watch myself when I respond to students who ask the same questions that I've gotten millions of times: no, everyone in America does not like George Bush; yes, I know how to say "hello" in Chinese; no, it is not acceptable to copy your classmate's homework; yes, high school students in America have boyfriends/girlfriends; etc.
I guess since I feel right at home here, I just assume that others will view me in the same light. Unfortunately having white skin automatically precludes me from ever being just another Guangzhou citizen. That's a tough realization to swallow, but I knew it going in. I'm just happy that I've come as far as I have...
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December 2, 2006
Gaydar
In Chinese class a couple of weeks ago, we were learning a grammatical construction that roughly translates to "my [adj] [noun] is not only [adj] but also [adj]." It was pretty basic and actually the second such construction I had learned in Chinese, but the more the better, right? My class is small enough that the teacher goes around and asks everyone to come up with an example and say it out loud for the class. Basic stuff.
The example she chose was for all the guys to say, "My ideal girlfriend is not only [adj] but also [adj]." It seemed like a decent enough choice--relatively funny, not too boring, etc. We started going around and I think I said something silly like, "My ideal girlfriend is not just attractive but also rich." It got more and more complicated as we went along because you weren't allowed to repeat any adjectives.
As we got to the back of the room, I suddenly realized that there was a potentially awkward situation coming up with one of the Thai students. Klahan is a guy in his younger twenties that came to Guangzhou to learn Chinese in order to expand his father's import/export business from Bangkok. Though I've only talked with him a handful of times outside of class, he was definitely one of my favorite classmates due to a quick wit and interesting sense of style. Oh yeah, and he's very gay.
Okay, I don't know that for a fact, but he fits virtually every stereotype I can think of for an effeminate homosexual man--he dresses gay, he talks with a gay affect, he walks gay, and he has never ever mentioned females in any context other than family. Put it this way, if he comes across as obviously gay in my book, then he's almost definitely not straight. Though far from being an expert, I honed my "gaydar" a bit during my four years at Wesleyan and feel that I can usually pick out the easy ones.
I was curious to see how he'd respond to the question and he didn't disappoint. When the teacher got to him, he simply answered (in Chinese), "I don't know."
Not one to give up, our teacher pushed the issue a bit further. "Well do you have a girlfriend right now?"
"No."
"Well... have you had a girlfriend in the past?"
"Not exactly."
"Oh, that's okay! You will someday."
"Umm, I'm not really worried about that."
This just goes to show once again that Chinese people seem to be a bit behind when it comes to discerning whether or not people are homosexual. They just don't seem to be able to pick up the more obvious signs. I'm guessing this has to do with the complete repression of gays and lesbians in Chinese society and the fact that it was still illegal to be openly homosexual up until about ten years ago.
Along these lines, I also find it somewhat ironic that Chinese people tend to be pretty homophobic, despite being quite a bit more openly affectionate than American guys. It's very common to see male friends walking around here arm in arm, arm around shoulder, or even holding hands. I see guys sitting on each other's laps all the time and giving back rubs while on the bus. Yet if you were to ask the average guy their opinion about gays, they would most likely tell you that it was sickening, much like their American counterparts.
Besides the issue of gays and lesbians here, I've noticed that there is still a fair amount of sexism and gender norms in Chinese society that seem mostly unintended. Perhaps it is once again the Wesleyan in me that still has an internal alarm that goes off at the first sign of this sort of thing, but my Chinese textbook is appalling when it comes to gender norms. In every dialogue, the male speakers are overwhelmingly dominant. The man talks about going to get a job and the girlfriend talks about raising children. The male students talk about training for the big football match and the girls talk about going over to cheer them on. The boys play with basketballs as children and the girls play with dolls. I started to bring this up to the teacher but my vocabulary was definitely insufficient to convey my point. Plus she probably wouldn't have known what I was talking about.
In a totally unrelated note, I'd like to give thanks for the fact that I live on the second floor of my twenty two-story building. Not only is it nice to get the exercise of walking up (not too many) stairs, but we also never have to wait for the elevator, whose lines are sometimes out the door. The elevators frequently break down as well, which seems mildly disconcerting. I feel that I am often gambling with my life when taking elevators here--you never know if, when or how they were ever examined and certified. The other day I came down and the doors of the one of the elevators was open. Inside I saw a couple of workers replacing the chain for the elevator car...that had almost rusted away. Scary.
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