Pictures!

  Well, I just returned from Yunnan Province, where I had some of the best (hiking and beautiful cities) and worst (transportation) experiences of my life!  Two days later I'm still tired as a dog... it was quite a week!  I have decided to start something new, and try to upload one new picture onto the blog every day or two.  It is tough for me to find time to write these longer posts, but I hate to have nothing new for long stretches of time!

This might as well be the Yunnan Foreigners Club!  My group, plus our new found friends at the Stone the Crows bar in Lijiang. 

From left to right: Marie (with the owners pup), Carrie, myself, Barry (from North Ireland), Wayne (from South Africa), Sonya (from Scotland), Jess, Cliff, Ben, and Greg.

Barry, Wayne, and Sonya are all English teachers also, with Wayne just now finishing his contract.  We ran into them 5 times in 2 different cities!  It was always great to see them, like we were coming home to familiar faces, and we shared many a beer with them.

I'm Goin' Out West Where the Wind Blows Tall...

Next week is the National Day Golden Week here in China, and we have an entire week off school. October 1st, 1949 was the founding of the People’s Republic of China under Mao Zedong, making It the equivalent of our 4th of July. As typical in China though, they go all out for it! Everyone gets October 1st to 7th off of work and school, and can use that time to travel. Many people make the long trip to Beijing, where in Tiananmen Square they have a fireworks and military demonstration that dwarfs all others. As great as that would be to experience, we are headed out to Western China to do a little wandering.



Seven of us are headed out to Yunnan Province, which lies on the mountainous borderland between the massive Tibetan Plateau and the southern lowlands, which I live in now. We will take a 25 hour overnight train ride to the city of Kunming, which sits over 6,000 feet above sea level…higher than Denver. A large and historic city of 5 million people, we will actually spend very little time there, as our goal lies further west. I wish we had more time to explore this city. Kunming has a very unique history and beautiful landscape. It also has the distinction of being the location of exile of political dissidents during Mao’s later years, as well as the #1 city for drug smuggling in China given its proximity to Southeast Asia.

From there we will head to our base, the city of Lijiang. Lijiang’s old city is a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will see much historic architecture, and many ethnic minority groups not found elsewhere in China. We will then spend 2-3 days hiking the Tiger Leaping Gorge.




The Tiger Leaping Gorge


The Tiger Leaping Gorge is a massive river gorge that is over 6,000 feet deep…arguably the deepest in the world depending on what the definition of “gorge” truly is. At the bottom is the mighty Yangtze River, which flows all the way to Shanghai on the eastern coast. The river is incredibly rough and powerful here, and many people have died trying to raft it. Up from the river are the massive cliff sides, in some places nearly sheer. We will hike the trail that winds through the gorge, staying in small guesthouses that are tucked into the cliff sides along the way.

…that is assuming we make our train in the first place. The problem with traveling on a national holiday in a country of 1.4 billion people is that they are all wanting to do the same thing! The trains will be packed for sure.

So, if something goes wrong, we will be spending the week in Guangzhou, Shenzhen’s neighbor and the 3rd largest city in China. That still beats working and would be a lot of fun, but I can hear that gorge calling my name…

I'm Turning Chinese...

Well, I’ve settled into my home in Shenzhen almost a month now, and I can feel the Chinese way of things slowly soaking in. I am now basically unshockable after the last 2 months… I’ve witnessed, eaten, and smelled some of the strangest things I ever will, and many have now become the commonplace events of everyday life. Right now I’d like to focus on one particular phenomenon that ends to stand oout more than the rest – Children pooping in public places.

You read that right. All the children here, up to age 4 or so, wear these special pants that have a large slit down the back, exposing their butts. They just walk around all day, butts in the breeze. When it comes time to do business, they simply stop wherever they are at, and let it all go. If they are younger, the parent/grandparent with them will hold them out in the air by the waist, as one would hold a leaking trash bag. I see this probably 4-5 times a week, and in some pretty interesting places….

- On a moving subway train in the Shenzhen metro. The mother held the child over a plastic grocery bag.

- Next to the outdoor seating at a restaurant while we were eating (that was ugly).

- In the middle of the sidewalk.

- On the beach.

- Being held over a trashcan on a street corner.

My friend Trevor saw a child pooping in the flowers in front of the Forbidden City. It is everywhere.  Also, I got these pictures off the internet.  I have yet to snap a photo of the elusive split pants baby.  It seems like every time I have my camera there are none to be found.

A Day at the Beach

So, I haven’t updated this in quite a while because we have been so busy! Sorry everyone… I am safe and sound here, just swamped in teaching and the like.  We have 2 major holidays here around this time of year, and it has thrown everyones schedule into a mess....plus we have been preparing for a trip on October 1st that I will write about later this week.


These pictures are from the first week I was in Shenzhen, so this was a while ago. This is one of the beaches of Shenzhen, Da Mei Sha! It is in the Yantian District, on the opposite side of the city from me, so it is quite a hike by bus. The beach itself is beautiful… cleaner than just about any beach I have ever seen in the U.S. It is definitely “Chinafied” though. All over the beach are these 50-foot tall armless, colored angel statues and other assorted and strange Modernist sculptures. The water of the South China Sea I extremely warm and is fairly clear, but probably super polluted. With the 3rd largest port in the world and Hong Kong just around the corner, it’s definitely not pure. Ah well, that’s the norm here. If you are worried about cleanliness, China isn’t your place.


My buddy Garrett.  Lovin' it.


Also a sight are the Chinese bathing suits! In a strange twist the girls are more covered than the guys, who all wear tight, multi-colored Speedo-esque numbers. The girls’ suits are frilly, dress things that are always the brightest and wackiest combination of colors imaginable. On the beach there are food stands everywhere, including fresh coconuts to drink. For 11 kuai ($1.75 or so), the vendor chops the top off with a machete, stick a straw in, and presto! Your coconut drink is prepared. They also have parasailing which I have yet to try… but soon…

I had an interesting “China moment” while out in the water too. Out from the beach was a line of buoys which we were told was the shark net. I’ve seen these before… it is a long, weighted net that hangs down in the water to keep all the sharks from entering the swimming area. We decided to swim out to it and back, and when we got there, we found that it was just a rope floating in the water. No net. Honestly, I wasn’t even surprised.

My buddy Adam.  Lovin' it with coconut drinks.

Oh, and I’ve eaten a lot of weird things since my last update, but the weirdest was water snails. Have you ever gone into a creek or lake, and seen the small, black snails with the spiral shells stuck all over the rocks? Well, just imagine that exact same snail, only 3 inches long. They come cooked in their shells, and you have to suck them out with your mouth. You suck on the opening, and this squishy blob comes flying out. Pretty tasteless overall, and not a texture that can be easily enjoyed. I had to eat more than a few because it was at a dinner with my other Chinese teachers and they were watching.

Welcome to my 'Hood, Y'all...

I have arrived in Shenzhen! After 3 days in a hotel I have moved to my new home! I will be living and teaching at Zhuo Ya Xiao Xue, a primary school in the north portion of the Nanshan District of Shenzhen. I will teach grades 4-6 (roughly 10-13 year olds) in 16 40-minute classes per week. This is the CTLC placement map, showing where we all are throughout Shenzhen, so you can find my name on the side bar and click on it and it will show you my school:




http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=109597081755874189179.000471bcdb6ed892a2d54&ll=22.566464,114.064865&spn=0.322742,0.441513&z=11



The location is wonderful. I live in the center of the largest organized neighborhood in Shenzhen, Tao Yuan Cun. It really feels like an actual neighborhood, with all the great neighborhood qualities you would find in the States, except it is 50,000 people and all high rises. The reisdential section is all elevated into high rise apartments, which frees the street to become a bustling movement of people. There are parks with children playing, people excercising, and old men arguing. There are grocery stores, and food stands, and tea shops everywhere. There is even a neighborhood book store with plenty of English books available. People are constantly out and about no matter what time of day it is. I got home at 2:30 AM the other night, and there were still old men sitting in the park!

Tao Yuan Cun, my home sweet home!  50,000+ people.

Zhuo Ya Xiao Xue, where I am a laoshi!

The school seems like it will be a great place to work. It is the primary school for the entire neighborhood, and about 900 kids attend. This is relatively small by Chinese school standards. I live on the campus, which consists of a large class and living building, athletic buildings, and outdoor sports areas. Right outside my door is a large courtyad with a garden and palm trees at the bottom. My contact teacher, Mary, has been wonderful in helping me get accustomed to the new surroundings. I have also begun playing badminton with the other teachers. Badminton is the favorite sport in China, and the teachers play every day after class.

My room is fairly standard to U.S. dorm rooms in size and quality, but its all I really need. I have a good sized bed, 20-something inch TV (with 2 English channels!), fridge, "kitchen", porch area, and bathroom. The porch area is where I hang my clothes to dry, and also where my kitchen is. I have a hot plate, Chinese microwave, and rice cooker, all 3 of which I need some practice with. My bathroom has a western toilet with no toilet seat. The shower is just in the corner of the room and sprays all over everything, so you have to stategically arrange everything that can't get wet. Overall, a pretty awesome place!

Mi casa.

My toilet has no seat.  That circular thing on the wall is my shower, it just sprays all over the room.

I have been living here a little over a week, and I think I will really like it.

3 Chinas, 1 Long Day

So, the last day in Beijing was quite the experience. I was tired on a level that is on par with any given architecture finals week. In it I got to experience three different stages of China -




Dynastic - The Forbidden City

20th Century - The Tian'anmen Square Flag Raising

Modern - Clubbing in Beijing



- while also taking the aforementioned 24 hour long train ride. Whoo boy...



So the day portion was spent in class like any other day while I was in Beijing. In the afternoon, the kids all did a talent show in which each class performed a small English skit. Our juniors did "I'm a Little Teacup" flawlessly. That evening, we all gathered together for a farewell banquet in which we recieved out TEFL Certificates, stating officially that we were teachers! It then came around that in a few hours everyone was going out to a club in Beijing, and I knew I couldn't miss it. I had to see what it would be like.



For the last few days we had been discussing going to Tian'anmen Square to see the flag raising, and as we all sat around drinking pijiu it came up again. This was the last chance I would probably ever have in my life to see something like this, and I wasn't about to let something like sleep get in my way. We decided before leaving that we would do it. 4:15 AM wake up call, here I come.



We went out to a set of twin clubs in Beijing called Mix and Vic's. I never even made it over to Vic's, but I had more than enough insanity at Mix to keep me satisfied. There were hundreds of dressed up Chinese people all pulsing under flashing, jumping lights. The girls all had on very skimpy outfits, while the guys ranged all the way up to some in suits. Foam and bubbles periodically fell from the ceiling, and the DJ shouted to the crowd in Chinese. By 1 AM, my head was pounding and we took off.



The cab ride back got us to the hotel by about 2, and I realized sleep was not going to happen. I still had to pack my bags to get on the train that afternoon because we would have no time once we left in the morning, and I had to be in the hotel lobby by 4:15 AM. I slept about 30 minutes, which proved to be more of a mistake than just staying up.

The Great Hall of the People, Tian'anmen Square

3:45 AM. "Beep Beep...." I staggered down to the hotel lobby and met Carrie, Matt, and Colin to grab a taxi. The cab was super expensive due to the far drive from Bei Da and night prices charged by the driver, but it was worth it. The Tian'anmen Square Flag Raising happens every morning at exactly dawn, and is attended by thousands of Chinese from all across the country. On this clear Tuesday morning, it happened to be at exactly 5:28 AM. We got to Tian'anmen around 5:00, and I was instantly amazed at the crowd of people. Tour busses were parked on every slot of free space, and flag waving tour guides gathered up thier flocks of people. These people had traveled far distances just to see this event. As we approached Tian'anmen Square, I was blown away by its true size. I had seen it earlier in the week, but it was night time and in the Beijing smog I couldn't even see to the other side. The police had completely cleared the area closest to the Forbidden City, where the flagpole stood. The crowd pressed up against the barrier, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of what would soon take place.

The Chinese police force waiting before the flag raising.

As it got lighter, the procession began as military members marched forth from the entrance to the Forbidden City. They marched out to the flagpole and performed some military formations, and then began raising the flag. Flashes from cameras went off everywhere. As the flag slowly raised, the Chinese national anthem played across the square. I remember seeing a little girl on her father's shoulders right behind me waving a small Chinese flag and singing along. After it ended, most of the Chinese instantly bolted for The Mausoleum of Chairman Mao, to wait in line to see his preserved body. We made a bee-line for the metro, to get back to the hotel in time to catch the bus with everyone back to the Forbidden City.

<>

Me, really damn tired.

The Forbidden City was truly overwhelming. I walked through portal after portal, only to find another massive courtyard in front of me. The buildings were incredibly lavish, with carved dragons and bright colors adorning them all. While wandering, we came across the actual room where dynastic China ended. It was where the last dynastic ruler of China resigned power to what became the unified Republic of China. Sadly, Chinese history is where I probably have the least knowledge, and so as impressive as it all was, I'm sure I would have had an even greater impression if I knew more about what I was looking at. That, and by this point I was a walking zombie.

After a short lunch, we traveled back to the hotel just to get on another bus and then the impossibly long train ride. By that night, when I finally laid down on the train to go to sleep at 11:00 PM, my brain had been thoroughly fried. When i woke up, we were crossing the Yangtze River and crossing into a totally new part of China.

The Train Kept-a-Rollin...

So here I am, on a Chinese railway train rolling across the country. We have now left Beijing, and are headed towards Shenzhen, 27 hours and thousands of miles away. We jut passed Nanchang and the Yangtze River, about halfway, so I figured this would be a good time to catch up on all this writing.

My buddies Cliff and Colin in their spacious and luxurious Chinese train beds.  This was us at the beginning of our 27 hour trip.  Those smiles faded quickly.

This train is the most cramped and compact thing I have ever experienced. I am on top bunk, and I literally cannot sit up. The roof of the train is about 18 inches from my bed, and we are stacked that way 3 high. All the loud, obnoxious Meiguorens (Americans) are on top, and all the Zhongguorens are on the bottom two. Many of them have screaming children, which further complicates the situation.

Leah attempting to get something out of her bag.  The bed to roof space was about 18 inches or so.

We have made friends with a young Chinese girl, Liu Ma, who was thrilled with my camera, and she took some of these pictures. Then we taught her "go fish," but of course had to play in Chinese. "Bu you san?" "Bu you..."

Cliff and Carrie with Liu Ma.  She and the fellow on the bunk behind kept us entertained by teaching us Chinese.

This train ride is a really great detox... we have now left Beijing and I can clear my mind and get ready for Shenzhen, which may be a starkly different place from Beijing. Well... only 10 hours left to go....





oh, and also, new weird things I have eaten recently:



Jellyfish - Like cold, see-through spaghetti. Not quite my thing, but still edible enough that I could choke them down if I had to.

Thousand Year Old Eggs - I have no idea how they make these, but they are horrible.  It is an egg that has soliidified into this greenish, weird gelatinous texture.  Really pretty awful all around.


Pork Liver - Very spongy and kind of dry. Not especially exciting...a little bland.

A thousand-year-old egg.  More like brown, crappy jello.