Sunday, May 18, 2008
Price Comparison
In my bag everyday, I carry a cheap watch. I say cheap because it is cheap by American standards; $25 is not much to pay for a watch. It does what I want it to, in that in keeps the time accurately and has a stopwatch so I can time myself when I go running.
In America, as we all know, the currency is the dollar; in China, it's the RMB; in Thailand it's the baht; in Cambodia (where I am right now) it's the riel. There are approximately 7 RMB to the dollar, 30 baht to the dollar, and 4000 riel to the same dollar.
Now consider the price of a bottle of water. In China, the average cost of a bottle of water is 1.5 RMB. In Thailand, it's 6 baht. In Cambodia, they use the dollar anyway (since their own currency is so unsteady), so it costs $.25, or 1000 riel. In America, to be optimistic, I could theoretically spend $1 and get a bottle of water. However, I have been told that prices have sky-rocketed while I've been away, so I cannot claim that my information is current.
Here is what I have concluded.
In Thailand, my watch can buy me 125 bottles of water.
In China, my watch can buy me 116 bottles of water.
In Cambodia, my watch can buy me 100 bottles of water.
In America, my watch can buy me absolutely no more than 25 bottles of water. On a good day.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
One more time… One more time… One more time… One more t…
I’m currently in Thailand but way behind on my posting, so I’m still talking about China. Not to worry, I will definitely tell you all about Thailand, but probably not until I make it back to America and have a chance to upload my photos (seriously, Thailand without photos? That just wouldn’t be any fun at all).
One of the things that I find very interesting about Chinese culture is how deeply engrained the concept of repetition is. Everything is repetition. Any kind of physical or mental exercise is centered around repetition. For example, there was a little park by my apartment complex and every morning when I woke up, I could hear the Chinese version of “Livin’ la Vida Loca.” And I do mean every morning; not a day went by without being graced by a Chinese Ricky Martin. The same people were doing the same dance to the same song every single morning.
At the gym I went to, there existed a similar phenomenon. For all the exercise classes, they listened to the same music and repeated the same moves over and over again. I remember this one particular hip-hop routine – I think the instructor even wore the same silly clothes to all of the classes (you know, red warm-up suit, some bling hanging around his neck, one pant leg rolled up, baseball cap worn at a 45-degree angle; all this and he was still a terrible choreographer). In any case, they would play the same song over and over and over again and do the same dance. If the class was lucky, some moves might be added on to the routine they had already learned. It was interesting, though – they never would work on specific parts of the routine. It was just the whole thing, again and again.
Another example is how all my Chinese classes have been structured. Class can be a bit boring because of the mind-numbing amount of repetition. We read the vocabulary out loud, twice for each vocab word; we read the whole dialogue out loud two times; we do similar exercises for every chapter; we write out each new character at least five times so we memorize it. The focus is on reading and writing. Oral speaking tends to be kept to a minimum (which has always bothered me). Every once in a while we’ll go around the room and come up with examples using some particular grammatical structure. Mostly, though, we focus on what is on the page in front of us – which requires no independent thought at all.
It gets you thinking. First of all, if those dance classes were happening in America – well, they just wouldn’t. All of the dancers would be bored out of their minds. Dance is by nature a creative process and so each week you listen to different music and do different exercises than you did the week before. But then education in America is largely about learning how to be creative and thinking for yourself, whereas in China I feel like you’re learning to be just like everyone else. It seems to me that the Chinese educational system does not encourage creativity. I suppose with such heavy governmental censoring, that’s a necessary by-product. It’s hard to feel free to think for yourself if you’re constantly afraid the government is going to exile you for it.
So anyway, my theory is that the reason there’s so much repetition in everything people do in China is that that’s the way the educational system is structured. In a sense it has to be; the writing system is so complicated that if you don’t practice the characters over and over again until you want to lose your mind, you won’t be literate. So repetition is the heart and soul of everything.
I have heard previously that all of the well-known Chinese-speaking pop stars are Taiwanese – from what I’ve seen of China, I believe it.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Safe and Sound
A quick note to everyone: I am alive and well here in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I am still upset about the earthquake in China, especially since it was so close to where I spent the past four months of my life. I have friends in Chengdu that I still haven't heard from, despite sending messages as well as I am able. However, I heard phone lines and such things are down, which is probably why I haven't heard from them.
I also heard that the tremors could be felt as far away as Bangkok, but by the time the earthquake hit, we had already left Bangkok and were in Chiang Mai (despite being closer to China, we didn't feel a thing). In any case, again, Sofia and I are fine. We didn't even know there had been an earthquake until we read the news.
An Update on Rebekah
This is Rebekah's sister. I'm sure by now you've all heard about the quake in Chengdu. As you know, Rebekah left Chengdu a few days ago, and she's totally fine - she's currently in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Despite the news reports that buildings in Bangkok were shaking from the quake, she didn't feel a thing. I wanted to leave a message here so that you all knew, since we haven't gotten any blog posts lately.
Friday, May 9, 2008
The End
Well, this is it. This is The End. Tomorrow night I will be leaving China, ne’er to return (truth be told, I highly doubt that will be the case, but at the very least I won’t be coming back for quite some time). Quite soon I will find myself in Thailand. After Thailand, I’m going to Cambodia. My last stop before returning to America is Japan. Stay tuned, though – I’m not through with this blog yet. I’d like to write up posts about all the countries I will soon be visiting, and I have some more posts about China that I’d still like to put up.
As the time of my departure draws ever nearer, I find myself more and more melancholic. Don’t get me wrong – I can’t wait to go home. I miss so many of the American commodities that can’t be found in China. I miss being able to breathe clean air and see the sun shine in a sky that is truly blue. I miss walking barefoot in the grass and not being yelled at when I sit in it. I miss ovens and running outside. I miss being able to drink fresh 1% milk and eat fresh fruit like strawberries, grapes, blueberries, and apples with the skins intact. I miss my delicious British tea that I used to drink every morning. I miss seeing the stars at night. I miss swing dancing. I imagine I’ll even be happy to drink water out of the tap. Most of all, I miss the people that make America worthwhile to me – my family, my friends, my cat.
But despite how much I’m looking forward to all of these wonderful things, I know I’m going to miss China terribly. Truth be told, I’m tearing up even as I write these words. This country has been my home for the past four months. It’s seen my ups and downs. I’ve made friends and deepened my understanding of Chinese language and culture. I’ve fallen in love with the food.
One by one, the people that make up our little community of expatriates are leaving. Mario left last week; Sol leaves tonight; I leave tomorrow. These people have been my lifeline, my friends, my companions for the past few months. It makes me sad knowing that we are all going back to our old lives and we may not see each other again for a very long time. I lived with them, cooked with them, shared meals with them, studied with them, hung out with them on the weekends. We shared birthdays and the novelty of being in a foreign country together.
I can’t believe this time has come already – it seems just yesterday I arrived in China, totally unaccustomed to life here and reveling in the umpteen new experiences that came with each day. Every day that passes brings me closer to home, and I become more and more elated. At the same time, though, I feel terribly heartbroken. I am leaving China. I am leaving the home and life that I have created for myself. In a sense, I am leaving my home.
中国，我爱你。我已经想你了。
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Permission to Leave
It’s official. I am now allowed to leave China since I have climbed the Great Wall.
For the International Labor Day holiday (May 1), a couple friends and I made our way to Beijing. Let me just say – I know Chengdu is polluted, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Beijing. I read in my Lonely Planet that breathing the Beijing air is the equivalent of smoking seventy packs of cigarettes – a day. The plane landed in a haze of smog so thick that despite the cloudless day, nary a shadow was to be seen. Also, when you blow your nose in Beijing, it comes out black. The same is true in Chengdu, but the particular shade of black is less striking.
Although the city is putting a huge amount of effort (and expense) into cleaning Beijing up for the Olympics, there’s no way they’ll actually have clean air. I’m very curious to see if the pollution will affect the athletes’ performance and if the Chinese athletes will fare better since they’re more used to it. I’m also interested in whether Chinese athletes perform better than average when they’re in other countries.
Anyway, that aside, we only had a few days, so we pared down what we wanted to see to a handful of the most famous sites. That is, the Temple of Heaven, the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace. I was a bit disappointed in the Temple of Heaven since it was impossible to get a good look at anything. There was no interior lighting and you weren’t even allowed inside any of the buildings (which is a shame, since the ceiling of the Harvest Temple is what everyone goes to see).
The Great Wall was everything I imagined it could be – except for the weather. Again, the smog was so intense that the sun didn’t seem to make it down. I found out later, however, much to my dismay, that smog does not block out UV rays. So even though I couldn’t see the sun, I still got a sunburn from it. Bah.
The Forbidden City was quite an adventure, with weather to match. That day we rose plenty early so we would have the whole day to explore. Tiananmen Square is attached to the Forbidden City (which, by the way, is where the emperors lived), so that was our first stop. As we crossed the street to the Forbidden City, though, one ominous roll of thunder sounded from the clouds above. Aware that we were about to be caught in a deluge, Traci, Shay, and I made a quick purchase of cheap ponchos. We made our way to the ticket booth, and I kid you not, when we turned around, it looked like the middle of the night. Clearly we were in for a nasty storm.
As soon as we crossed the threshold into the actual city, the rain started. And oh, did it rain. Regardless of the precautions we took, we were all soon soaked through. It didn’t help that the ponchos were even more cheaply made than what we bargained down to. My bottom button wouldn’t stay buttoned, so I had to hold it with my hand. On top of that, I very quickly developed a large hole all the way down my arm – Traci had to tie the plastic in a knot so that my clothes didn’t get totally soaked. But still, every time I took a step, water squished out of my shoes. My hair was so wet it looked as though I’d just stepped out of the shower (and yes, I did have a hood).
Eventually the rain abated, so we were actually able to explore a bit. But almost immediately the temperature dropped about twenty degrees and the wind started blowing so hard that it buffeted and pushed us along on our way. And then it started to rain again. We ended up cutting our visit short so that we could throw our shoes in the dryer (and prevent ending up with hypothermia).
Our last few hours in Beijing were spent at the Summer Palace, when we were actually blessed with the first nice weather we’d seen in Beijing. The sun shone, the sky was blue, and the heat was delicious. Mostly as a result of the favorable weather (finally), the Summer Palace was our favorite place we visited.
In conclusion, I like Chengdu better. The food is better and the pollution is less intense. On the other hand, it was nice to actually understand what people were saying for once (by way of an explanation, the dialect spoken in Beijing is considered the standard, and it’s what all foreign students learn).
Chairman Mao once said, “You are not a real man until you’ve climbed the Great Wall.” At least I can rest easy now, knowing that I am indeed a real man.
Photos:
1. The Temple of Heaven, the outside of the Harvest Temple
2. Did I not tell you it was as dark as night? This was taken at about ten in the morning.
3. The Forbidden City
4. The largest rock carving in... some area... not really sure. Anyway, the steps were beautiful and that huge rock carving got rolled halfway across China (remember: no cars).
5-7. The Great Wall of China!
8-9. The Summer Palace
For the International Labor Day holiday (May 1), a couple friends and I made our way to Beijing. Let me just say – I know Chengdu is polluted, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Beijing. I read in my Lonely Planet that breathing the Beijing air is the equivalent of smoking seventy packs of cigarettes – a day. The plane landed in a haze of smog so thick that despite the cloudless day, nary a shadow was to be seen. Also, when you blow your nose in Beijing, it comes out black. The same is true in Chengdu, but the particular shade of black is less striking.
Although the city is putting a huge amount of effort (and expense) into cleaning Beijing up for the Olympics, there’s no way they’ll actually have clean air. I’m very curious to see if the pollution will affect the athletes’ performance and if the Chinese athletes will fare better since they’re more used to it. I’m also interested in whether Chinese athletes perform better than average when they’re in other countries.
Anyway, that aside, we only had a few days, so we pared down what we wanted to see to a handful of the most famous sites. That is, the Temple of Heaven, the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace. I was a bit disappointed in the Temple of Heaven since it was impossible to get a good look at anything. There was no interior lighting and you weren’t even allowed inside any of the buildings (which is a shame, since the ceiling of the Harvest Temple is what everyone goes to see).
The Great Wall was everything I imagined it could be – except for the weather. Again, the smog was so intense that the sun didn’t seem to make it down. I found out later, however, much to my dismay, that smog does not block out UV rays. So even though I couldn’t see the sun, I still got a sunburn from it. Bah.
The Forbidden City was quite an adventure, with weather to match. That day we rose plenty early so we would have the whole day to explore. Tiananmen Square is attached to the Forbidden City (which, by the way, is where the emperors lived), so that was our first stop. As we crossed the street to the Forbidden City, though, one ominous roll of thunder sounded from the clouds above. Aware that we were about to be caught in a deluge, Traci, Shay, and I made a quick purchase of cheap ponchos. We made our way to the ticket booth, and I kid you not, when we turned around, it looked like the middle of the night. Clearly we were in for a nasty storm.
As soon as we crossed the threshold into the actual city, the rain started. And oh, did it rain. Regardless of the precautions we took, we were all soon soaked through. It didn’t help that the ponchos were even more cheaply made than what we bargained down to. My bottom button wouldn’t stay buttoned, so I had to hold it with my hand. On top of that, I very quickly developed a large hole all the way down my arm – Traci had to tie the plastic in a knot so that my clothes didn’t get totally soaked. But still, every time I took a step, water squished out of my shoes. My hair was so wet it looked as though I’d just stepped out of the shower (and yes, I did have a hood).
Eventually the rain abated, so we were actually able to explore a bit. But almost immediately the temperature dropped about twenty degrees and the wind started blowing so hard that it buffeted and pushed us along on our way. And then it started to rain again. We ended up cutting our visit short so that we could throw our shoes in the dryer (and prevent ending up with hypothermia).
Our last few hours in Beijing were spent at the Summer Palace, when we were actually blessed with the first nice weather we’d seen in Beijing. The sun shone, the sky was blue, and the heat was delicious. Mostly as a result of the favorable weather (finally), the Summer Palace was our favorite place we visited.
In conclusion, I like Chengdu better. The food is better and the pollution is less intense. On the other hand, it was nice to actually understand what people were saying for once (by way of an explanation, the dialect spoken in Beijing is considered the standard, and it’s what all foreign students learn).
Chairman Mao once said, “You are not a real man until you’ve climbed the Great Wall.” At least I can rest easy now, knowing that I am indeed a real man.
Photos:
1. The Temple of Heaven, the outside of the Harvest Temple
2. Did I not tell you it was as dark as night? This was taken at about ten in the morning.
3. The Forbidden City
4. The largest rock carving in... some area... not really sure. Anyway, the steps were beautiful and that huge rock carving got rolled halfway across China (remember: no cars).
5-7. The Great Wall of China!
8-9. The Summer Palace
Nasty Buggers
Monkeys – you think they’re cute, but really they’re pint-size devils in disguise.
This weekend, a few friends and I took a trip to 峨眉山 (Emei Mountain), one of Sichuan’s jewels as far as touristry goes. Being one of those important Buddhist mountains (there are plenty of them here in China), it’s more or less a beacon for pilgrims and tourists alike. And at 3,077 meters, it’s no slight undertaking. We were roughing it, just like real, tried and true backpackers – that is, if you consider having a bed to sleep in, not needing to carry all our food on our backs (myriads of mountainside cafes to be found), and being armed with iPods to be roughing it.
Since we were pressed for time (darn those classes we have to attend), we cheated a mite. Our starting point was not the true bottom of the mountain; instead, we shaved off three hours of hiking by catching a ride to 中山段, or what they consider to be the middle of the mountain.
Thus began our epic ascent of Emei Shan. The scenery was lush and green and beautiful, but once again we were blessed (ha!) with suboptimal weather. Apparently it’s not just Chengdu that’s cloudy all the time.
If I haven’t mentioned it before, keep in mind that Chinese nature trails have very little that’s natural about them. They tend to be paved and involve a lot of stairs – heaven forbid we should actually walk on an incline, since the world is flat after all. The one exception to this is Tiger Leaping Gorge, which far too soon will be no more.
So now picture a large mountain and an ascent that consists entirely of stairs, continuously and without pause. Now imagine climbing those stairs for nine hours non-stop. If you have an active imagination, you may come close to visualizing our first day on Emer Shan – and when we stopped that night, after all that, we had only made it two-thirds of the way up the mountain.
On the second day we made it to the top. The original plan had been to watch the sunrise from the summit, but we were too far away and it was much too haze in any case. After hiking for three solid hours, we cheated yet again and took a cable car to the Golden Summit. Despite the cheating, I was thrilled to have made it to the top. But what am I going on about? Back to the monkeys!
EXHIBIT A: Sofia mistakes one of the foul fiends as “cute”
During a brief pause en route at a temple, Sofia espied a monkey. “Oh, it’s so cute!” the poor, naïve Sofia proclaimed. She wanted to document it’s misleading cuteness on film, so she put down her backpack (at which point big red “WARNING!” signs started flashing behind my eyes) in order to remove her camera. Nasty monkey #1 seized the opportunity to seize her backpack – he darted over and started unzipping it. Of course Sofia objected and so attempted to regain control of her backpack, at which point the not-so-friendly monkey bared his teeth and started climbing on her instead. Fortunately, being at a temple, we were not alone; one of the inhabitants (human, this time) grabbed a long pole and shooed the monkey away.
EXHIBIT B: Darn you if you want to take a bathroom break
At a different temple, Jessica decided it was time to make use of the facilities. She entrusted her backpack (WARNING! WARNING!) to Sofia, who safeguarded it to the best of her ability. Regardless, a big monkey waltzed on over, walked into the bathroom, and made for the backpack. Once again, upon recovery of the backpack in question, Jessica got climbed on. The residents scared the monkeys by throwing bricks at them and then, since monkeys always come in droves, they threw two packets of crackers at them. This resulted in all the other monkeys (maybe four total) chasing the one with the goodies. Suffice to say, I went to the bathroom with my backpack on.
EXHIBIT C: The great banana caper
For our one night one the mountain, the three of us stayed at 洗像池, or Elephant Bathing Pool, an old monastery. Our accommodations were rustic at best, but a bed is a bed no matter how you slice it. The next morning, as we started our hike for the day, I was munching on a banana – and you know how monkeys go bananas over bananas (ha ha ha! Groan). Sure enough, two of them started stalking me. I ran behind Jessica, but to no avail – the banana-sighting was official. I was absolutely not going to give them my banana, so Sofia suggested throwing them the peel. I tore off one section, threw it, and upon the blank stare from the monkey, said, “Go get it!” Which he did. But there was still one hungry monkey prepared to pounce, so I peeled off another strip and tossed it at him. He caught it. And ate it. The three of us ran for cover in a nearby café, where the owner was lying in wait with a slingshot at hand.
Three girls, three monkeys, three incidents.
Monkeys sure are nasty buggers.
Photos:
1. One of our first views of Emei Shan
2. Sofia and Jessica, my fellow hikers, on the trail (or steps)
3. I'm not sure this one requires explanation.
4. Another stunning view of the beautiful Emei Shan!
5. One of the nasty buggers, mother and child
6. Victory! A view of the Golden Summit
This weekend, a few friends and I took a trip to 峨眉山 (Emei Mountain), one of Sichuan’s jewels as far as touristry goes. Being one of those important Buddhist mountains (there are plenty of them here in China), it’s more or less a beacon for pilgrims and tourists alike. And at 3,077 meters, it’s no slight undertaking. We were roughing it, just like real, tried and true backpackers – that is, if you consider having a bed to sleep in, not needing to carry all our food on our backs (myriads of mountainside cafes to be found), and being armed with iPods to be roughing it.
Since we were pressed for time (darn those classes we have to attend), we cheated a mite. Our starting point was not the true bottom of the mountain; instead, we shaved off three hours of hiking by catching a ride to 中山段, or what they consider to be the middle of the mountain.
Thus began our epic ascent of Emei Shan. The scenery was lush and green and beautiful, but once again we were blessed (ha!) with suboptimal weather. Apparently it’s not just Chengdu that’s cloudy all the time.
If I haven’t mentioned it before, keep in mind that Chinese nature trails have very little that’s natural about them. They tend to be paved and involve a lot of stairs – heaven forbid we should actually walk on an incline, since the world is flat after all. The one exception to this is Tiger Leaping Gorge, which far too soon will be no more.
So now picture a large mountain and an ascent that consists entirely of stairs, continuously and without pause. Now imagine climbing those stairs for nine hours non-stop. If you have an active imagination, you may come close to visualizing our first day on Emer Shan – and when we stopped that night, after all that, we had only made it two-thirds of the way up the mountain.
On the second day we made it to the top. The original plan had been to watch the sunrise from the summit, but we were too far away and it was much too haze in any case. After hiking for three solid hours, we cheated yet again and took a cable car to the Golden Summit. Despite the cheating, I was thrilled to have made it to the top. But what am I going on about? Back to the monkeys!
EXHIBIT A: Sofia mistakes one of the foul fiends as “cute”
During a brief pause en route at a temple, Sofia espied a monkey. “Oh, it’s so cute!” the poor, naïve Sofia proclaimed. She wanted to document it’s misleading cuteness on film, so she put down her backpack (at which point big red “WARNING!” signs started flashing behind my eyes) in order to remove her camera. Nasty monkey #1 seized the opportunity to seize her backpack – he darted over and started unzipping it. Of course Sofia objected and so attempted to regain control of her backpack, at which point the not-so-friendly monkey bared his teeth and started climbing on her instead. Fortunately, being at a temple, we were not alone; one of the inhabitants (human, this time) grabbed a long pole and shooed the monkey away.
EXHIBIT B: Darn you if you want to take a bathroom break
At a different temple, Jessica decided it was time to make use of the facilities. She entrusted her backpack (WARNING! WARNING!) to Sofia, who safeguarded it to the best of her ability. Regardless, a big monkey waltzed on over, walked into the bathroom, and made for the backpack. Once again, upon recovery of the backpack in question, Jessica got climbed on. The residents scared the monkeys by throwing bricks at them and then, since monkeys always come in droves, they threw two packets of crackers at them. This resulted in all the other monkeys (maybe four total) chasing the one with the goodies. Suffice to say, I went to the bathroom with my backpack on.
EXHIBIT C: The great banana caper
For our one night one the mountain, the three of us stayed at 洗像池, or Elephant Bathing Pool, an old monastery. Our accommodations were rustic at best, but a bed is a bed no matter how you slice it. The next morning, as we started our hike for the day, I was munching on a banana – and you know how monkeys go bananas over bananas (ha ha ha! Groan). Sure enough, two of them started stalking me. I ran behind Jessica, but to no avail – the banana-sighting was official. I was absolutely not going to give them my banana, so Sofia suggested throwing them the peel. I tore off one section, threw it, and upon the blank stare from the monkey, said, “Go get it!” Which he did. But there was still one hungry monkey prepared to pounce, so I peeled off another strip and tossed it at him. He caught it. And ate it. The three of us ran for cover in a nearby café, where the owner was lying in wait with a slingshot at hand.
Three girls, three monkeys, three incidents.
Monkeys sure are nasty buggers.
Photos:
1. One of our first views of Emei Shan
2. Sofia and Jessica, my fellow hikers, on the trail (or steps)
3. I'm not sure this one requires explanation.
4. Another stunning view of the beautiful Emei Shan!
5. One of the nasty buggers, mother and child
6. Victory! A view of the Golden Summit
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