Honestly, dear friends, I wish the Chinese government would make up its bloody mind. Either block  WordPress permanently or release it permanently. I don’t think that’s too much to ask, but “this is China”.

Anyway, I just wanted to give you a little update since I haven’t written lately.

This semester has turned out to be really light since I was taken off of the IELTS and put on to the referencing. I’ll be working every day again when my navigation students come back from training, but  I will still have a boatload of free time during the week. I picked up another class on Friday afternoons, an oral intensive. I was told it was another navigation group, but I was shocked to find a group of 13 girls when I walked into the room. Girls are supposedly not allowed to be navigation majors! They all had a “Oral English for Navigation Majors” text with them, though. Curious. They are like the boys in one regard: their English is so poor as to be almost nonexistent. The way the system works is that your major is determined by how well you do on the college entrance exam. They’re smart enough  to escape vocational school, but get put into navigation because they aren’t good enough overall for any other major. These are the people they’re sending out into international waters, people. They’re graduating soon, so my advice to you is to stay away from the sea. I can only do so much for your safety in the less than 18 weeks I’m given.

The referencing class I taught in April lasted only three days (9 hours), but I needed SO much more!!  I discovered that it’s not the “referencing” (I was was told that the students were not doing the bibliographic part of APA format correctly and that’s what I was hired to correct) that the students have a problem with.  It’s the whole process.  They have no idea how to evaluate resources. They have no idea how to analyze text. They have no idea how to pull out text for proper referencing and no idea what it should look like. They have no idea how to use their own words. No one has taught them any of this, and they are expected to pass in a master’s thesis to an international institution for review by the end of June in order to be awarded a master’s degree. Egad!  I’m going to discuss a better plan for next semester and show an outline for a program that I think will solve these multiple problems.  I’m also going to try to negotiate NOT having a camera in the room without my signing a release form first. They insisted on filming me the whole time (and y’all know how much I HATE having my picture taken, never mind having a roving eye watching my every move). I have no idea what they are going to do with it.  Watch for me on YouTube. Oh, wait. YouTube is blocked by the Chinese government. It’ll end up somewhere on Bai Du maybe…

I did one fun thing since I last wrote.  I finally got to the Forest Park Zoo. I will have some pictures up on Flickr. Not as many as I’d hoped, because I accidentally had the wrong picture card in. I could only take 40 pictures. Anyway, I was able to go with Sylvia and a new girl, Mary (Qian Qian). It was a lot of fun! I wasn’t really impressed by the animals so much. In fact there were two injured ones that were not being taken care of, everything looked dirty and there was no water for anyone in the heat. On the flip side, I did get a chance to ride a (dirty, uncombed) pony for 5 kwai. It was interesting navigating with a Chinese style saddle. There was also a dancing elephant show that was cool, with the audience allowed to participate. At one point, three people from the audience lay on the ground while an elephant massaged their stomachs. Something that would never happen at home, and I had to fight down the niggling animal rights thing in the back of my brain a few times because “this is China”. The park is actually split into two parts because there is a small mountain in between. We had to take the sky cable from one end to the other, which I loved. Sky cables are awesome!! I wish that the day was a bit more clear, because then I would have been able to see better views of the city, the sea and Bin Hai Lu. I think the thing that impressed me the most was the landscaping. The people there work really hard to make sure that certain parts of the place look great. I also loved the indoor habitats. There was one building that had different rooms for the tropics, the desert, etc. Really lovely and interesting. We arrived at the zoo just after breakfast and left to go to dinner. By the time we had gone through the whole thing, my Chinese girls were exhausted. I, on the other hand, could have done it all over again!

I am back on E-Harmony after a 2-year hiatus. I don’t know why I’m doing this again, since I only got to open communication with a total of 5 men and only got 1 date out of the entire 2 years I was on it the last time (7 matches a day x 365 days  x 2  = do not want to know), other than it’s lowering my stress levels.  China is a superb place to find a wife if you are a western male, but not the place to find a husband if you are a  western female. This is a society where, if you’re over-30 and female, no one wants to marry you because you’re WAY too old. Chinese or western makes no difference (if you’re over 30 and male, there are no such restrictions). Divorce rates are at 50% and climbing now that it’s legal to do that here, which frees up men my age, but 90% of divorces are being brought by women. Women are generally long-suffering here, and the mood is that one takes what one gets and lives with it regardless. So the first question that comes to mind upon meeting a divorced Chinese man is, “What’s wrong with him?”. Something that would never immediately pop to my mind upon meeting a divorced western man. Also, it’s difficult to tell if a Chinese man is married or not because they don’t generally do the ring or any other sort of thing that indicates that he’s off the market. Chinese men here are also notorious for trying to get a little secret nookie on the side before returning home to their wives and children (only after the child is born. Once a son is born, they completely lose interest in their wives.). Chinese or western nookie makes no difference. Anyway, this is my online, universal Internet love howl: If you know any men looking for  love, marriage and babies, send them my info.

I was searching for something totally unrelated to this blog when I happened to be able to access a wordpress website. I got out of IE and tried it again. I accessed it again! So I decided to try over here. After a few password problems, I was finally able to login from China for the first time in 16 months!!! So let me tell you what’s been happening before the Chinese government decides to block me again.

The new semester started for me in mid-February with two classes of IELTS (International English Language Testing System) students. Until the end of March, I taught task 1 of the writing portion (there are four portions: reading, writing, speaking, listening). Task 1 deals with analyzing charts and graphs. The two groups are both from governmental agancies (MSA: Maritime Safety Administration and ESSP. No one seems to know what that acronym stands for). Both groups were good. The MSA class I was supposed to have until the end of June, and ESSPP until the end of April. So why aren’t I teaching them now?

Well, I’ve recently been tapped by The Powers That Be to pilot a referencing class to the Navigation students, then to the ESSP group I was with before, and then possibly a class of captains. This excites me for four reasons. First, I’m actually using my expertise as a librarian for something in China. Second, I get paid more money. Third, this goes all the way up to the Dean of the university, who used to be the Dean of Navigation. Fourth, I get an extra challenge and people in the upper echelons of the university are beginning to know who I am.

This program is extremely important to the university because of plagiarism issues. Plagiarism is rampant in China at all levels, including PhD. China has a history of judging the quality of  work by how close  a person can imitate the master. The closer you are, the more respect and prestige you earn. People here are only recently being introduced to the idea of intellectual property because they have always maintained the group mentality. Your idea and my idea do not exist: they are OUR ideas. China has gotten into huge trouble with tons of  international organizations over this issue, and DMU (my employer) is no exception. If I can properly train these students in proper referencing and reduce the plagiarism issue, then the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the World Maritime University (WMU)will have more respect for DMU.

Other classes that I’m teaching include more Oral English, Oral Practice with the English majors, a literature class and a Reading Magazines and Newspapers class with English as Second Majors. I really like the English majors. They’re great. The ESMs are terrific, too. I’m glad that I have the weekend vacation (Qing Ming–gravesweeping) Festival to ramp up these last two classes a bit. I’ve been dragging lately because I’ve been floundering around trying to figure out how to best do these classes. I also still have my 14-year old TOEFL (Test of English as Foreign Language) student on Sunday afternoons as well; I’ll have her until June.
In addition to all of this, I’ve contacted Cathy Hsiao at AppleTree Foundation, and she wants me to do some consulting for the AppleTree library here in Dalian. ATF builds English language libraries in China. They opened one up here about 8 months ago near Ren Min Guang Chang and it’s basically being very underutilized. I’ve been over there with Joy, and it’s a beautiful (if not very accoustically appropriate) space, and the librarian, Shirley, has done some of her study in Britain. Her English is very good and she’s very nice (as a librarian should be).

For those of you keeping track at home, thank you so much for the 40th birthday wishes! It’s not easy spending such a milestone so far away from home. Things that made me happy: getting cards from Aunts Leona and Mary Jane, phone calls from Aunt Sara and Mom, e-cards from Anne, Sue, Mer and Mike, and wishes from Cheryl, Lark, and other Facebook friends. They really made my day special! Robyn upstairs bought me a beautiful fruit -filled sponge cake with a lotus candle (this thing is amazing! It plays “HBD”, and the petals all fall out to reveal tiny candles on the end of each one. Beautiful!).  She also  hung a banner outside on her ballcony so that the whole campus knew. Joy and I went out for dinner to a fantastic Indian restaurant complete with floor show. It’s on the fifth floor of the Zhong Shan Hotel. I have never tasted Indian food so incredibly fresh! I can’t wait to go back!

Even with all of this going on, my schedule this semester is much lighter than last semester, which is a huge relief. I had hoped that I could spend some real quality time with my body, getting it healthy and back into shape, which has been a haphazard thing for the past seven months. So I’m very happy to have the time to do this. I’ve got my Qi Gong and Fertility Yoga going every day, and lots of walking as well. Dave and Li are going to let me use the bike that Li’s mother  gave to her daughter (who will be going off to trade school next year), so when the weather gets better I will be doing some riding. I’ll also go back to swimming. Right now, the the water and the dressing room are frigid due to the fact that the gov’t has turned off the heat for the year. Who wants to walk through the cold air to undress in a cold room and dive into a cold pool, and then do the whole thing again in reverse? Not me. The only thing I’m really having trouble with right now is keeping my diet balanced. It’s hard when you live alone to cook for yourself, and the food downstairs is still ma ma hu hu and loaded with cooking oil (and probably MSG).

That’s all I can think of right now. I hope everyone is happy, heallthy and doing well!

I hope that my being able to get onto my blog is not a fluke.  In any case, ’til next time! Zai Jian!

Okay, people!

Here are the updates (there are 5 including this one, which has been modified since I first wrote it). I seem to be missing the Qufu ones, but you’re going to have to wait until I get back to Dalian to see if I still have them (I generally wait 2 weeks and then delete them, so I’m not so sure).

Aside from that, I hope these bring you up to date.  I am SO enjoying visiting everyone this year! I feel so loved, which is something hugely missing when one lives so far away!

Don’t forget to check out Flickr! 

Susan

Shei Dou Ni Hao!!!

Well, it’s all settled!  I will be arriving stateside on December 28, and going back to Dalian on February 14. I can’t wait to see everyone!!!  I will be landing in Philly and taking the train to Mom in Lancaster from there. I plan to spend about a week there and move around to New England, NY and Virginia. 

I feel very lucky that my university will pay for the round-trip tickets so that I don’t have to dip into my savings (which I could do. I have a ton of RMB in the bank because I’m a stinge). I have a really great contract! 

I’m going back two weeks early because I will be teaching some writing courses that are connected to the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exam. This is created by the British Council and is the acceptable standard pretty much worldwide (except in America) for testing English competency. I’m excited about this because it could be seen as a lateral promotion. I get to deal with people much higher up in the university heirarchy, and they will actually know who I am (I spoke to my “boss” at the Thanksgiving dinner, and he was much surprised to discover that this was not my first semester).  Will let you all know what happens with that when I can!

It’s going to be very weird getting behind the wheel of a car again. Since the Olympics, they’ve made it easier for foreigners to obtain a driver’s license here, but all I have to do is walk out any gate of the university to remind myself why this would be a hideous idea. I’ll walk or take the gonggongqiche (public bus), thank you.

Wedding bells are ringing throughout the building! Robyn and Simon will marry when she’s finished with her PhD. West and his girlfriend are also engaged to be married. Steven and his girlfriend (both now in Ningbo) are engaged as well. Jens and Joanna tied the knot this past summer, and Dave and Li did the same last week. Amazing.

Now it’s the fight to the death for visas for the Chinese nationals to visit their new families overseas.  They make it SO tough! In order to be allowed to go, you have to own property In China and have a certain amount of money in a Chinese bank. This prevents them from going over on a tourist visa and disappearing forever (a huge problem for Canada). In addition, you have to prove that you aren’t marrying a foreigner just so you can emigrate. Apparently, a Canadian or American can make obscene amounts of money by marrying a Chinese, planting that person overseas and then immediately divorcing them and setting them free to start a new life in a new land.

Dave, Li, Li’s daughter Ni and I went out last night for dinner at a local campus restaurant and then had dessert, drinks and dancing at the Kempinsky Hotel to celebrate Dave and Li’s marriage. We let Li choose the restaurant and I paid for the dinner. Dave and I decided that we would not eat there again.  I haven’t seen gnawed-on chicken parts and fish bones strewn all over the floor since I lived in Dan Dong. In addition, the food, unlike the rest of the restaurants I’ve eaten at on campus, was particularly “ma-ma hu-hu” (“so-so”. The direct translation is “horse-horse tiger-tiger”. My personal interpretation is: “It is what it is”). Robyn wasn’t there for dinner but joined us later at the K. Many places around town have nice, professional live music. Most of the bands are not Chinese but Phillipino. When Robyn arrived, I asked the lead singer to play a song for Dave and Li (Spend my Lifetime Loving You), and we all toasted.  It brought tears to my eyes to see Dave and Li dancing together and to see how happy they were. I hope someday I can have that for myself. We all danced until quite late, and I had a dificult time getting to sleep when we got back to the building. It’s always great fun ringing the bell and waking up the door family to let us in (everything gets locked up at 10:30). I had to put “80s Dance Party” on the radio until 2:30 when I finally collapsed. Needless to say, my Sunday morning activities were attended to in a slight fog. Luckily, I’m still able to pull it off without a problem and somehow build up a huge amount of energy for the afternoon.

The funny part of the evening was this group of Chinese men who kept staring at Dave with angry faces because he was sitting with three women and the five of them had none. One of the men, who looked like a bulldog, looked like he would have liked to have a fight over the situation. I suggested to Dave that we all start kissing each other just to see what would happen, and he burst out laughing.  Then, The Sexy Blonde Robyn showed up and sat with us. Now we were four to one, and the men got thoroughly disgusted and left. It was hysterical! A good time had by all!

 Hello Everyone!

Welcome to my new fall semester! At the moment, I have two level 1 oral classes, two level 2, and one level 3. I may be getting a third level 1 (all my level 1 freshmen start in October after the holiday), but we will see what happens. I love first semester freshmen because they’re so eager to learn and raring to go! Many of them also have never seen a westerner before, so they’re really curious about me and the US and are willing to work for a story. I also have a movie class full of lawyers (I’ve shown Big Fish and Dead Poet’s Society already. I plan to show the Maltese Falcon, All the President’s Men, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and possibly The Natural in the future. I’m not sure what else; other options include The Red Violin and The Untouchables and World Trade Center). Then there are the two sections of Introduction to Western Culture, where I’m spending WAY too much time in ancient Greece.  I hope to end that this week and hop on over to Rome after the break, then immediately into Byzantine, Medieval and Renaissance Europe after the midterm exam. I’m actually enjoying these last two classes very much. I’m putting a lot of work into it, but I get a happy buzz from it, which is great.

I’m back to swimming, although not as much as I’d like, having so many 4-5:35pm classes (swim time is from 3:30-7:15). I have to eat dinner really early, and get over my exhaustion enough to actually cross the street and jump in for my hour after class. I’ve been really exhausted lately and can’t wait for the week-long vacation in October. I’ve also been quite crabby lately also, which makes me more tired. I plan to add more walking during the October break, as it is also harder to get that done with a fuller schedule than I had last semester. In addition, the pool is much more crowded this semester than last, all the way till 7:00. Each lane has between four and six people sharing the space. Dave next door found nose plugs for me so that I don’t have to drink the wake of other swimmers and be forced to use the spittoons (aka “phlegm tins”) that are conveniently hung under the diving boards (blech).

After a bit of trial and error, I have finally found someone to help me to focus my Chinese lessons. Lin was Robyn upstairs’ tutor.  She’s learning to be a Chinese teacher for foreigners, and I’m giving her some practical experience.  She’s actually good enough to make me want to study on my own and work to get ahead of the lessons.  She’s also good at explaining things to me, which is nice. I feel more confident in my ability to master the basics at this point, especially since I have discovered that I am considered an “advanced beginner”. I’ve whipped through the 15 book lessons  in 3 weeks. Others on campus are also using this book, paying 4500RMB for a class and taking all semester to get through it. My reading and writing, while only partly functional due to a restricted vocabulary, has improved greatly, as has my listening skill. My speaking, on the other hand, leaves a lot to be desired.  I’m not too worried, though. I have very little problem with tones, which are the most difficult part for most people. It’s the creation of my own sentences that gets me, which is the same problem I had with French, if I recall correctly.

I am also tutoring a girl for college interviews.  Normally I like to keep my weekends sacred, but she’s a friend of Alice, and it’s only one hour early Sunday morning, so it’s okay. An extra 100RMB a week! So life in general is busy.

Someone was asking me about the milk issue the other day.  I want to tell a farce…I mean, story…that has, on the surface, nothing to do with milk, but beneath the surface has everything to do with it.

Jens upstairs and I were asked to record some dialogues for a textbook company from Beijing. We were told that it would only take a day, and that we would be paid 2 RMB for each recording. Not much, but hey, we decided that for such a little thing it wasn’t a problem. We arrive at the “studio” in the building next door to our dorm. We’re in a regular office with a single microphone for two people.  We are handed the script, which is hugely thick. We are then told that we are also expected to record these really long passages about international business and the list of new words as well. Looking at the script, Jens and I realize that it’s very poorly done and needs a huge amount of proofreading correction. So we begin to do the corrections.  After three hours, we’ve corrected three of the nineteen units and recorded two of the dialogues. The dialogues were tough, because the microphone was not only substandard in quality (read: muffled noises and a lot of “pppppp” sounds), but we had lovely moments reminiscent of “Singin’ in the Rain” (you remember the scene when the mike is hidden in the woman’s dress, and whenever she moves her head the sound is either too amplified or cut out completely? Yeah.), which required numerous tries to correct. Then there’s the huge fight between the Chinese girl and Jens over the existence of “Scottish brandy”, and her insistence that we pretend that it exists. I also fight with the Chinese girl over incorrect grammatical structure, which she insists is correct because “In Chinese we have this pattern”. In addition, she makes us do the conversations with more than one man or woman by insisting that we can change our voice to suit the recording (which of course does not work and makes me want to use my Betty Boop voice for everything. Jens’ voice has a very distinctive German accent, and it’s obvious that it’s him for both voices, especially when they follow one another). As for my own voice, the publisher in Beijing liked it, saying that it was not a “Typical American Accent”. I’m still not sure if I should be complimented or offended by this. I wonder if I can buy a Typical American Accent off the Internet (and what IS a “typical American accent”, anyway???)? By the end of the day, it’s obvious that we’re expected to do more than we bargained for, and we decided not to finish if we couldn’t have two better quality microphones and payment for time and correction of the text in addition to the recordings. The Chinese girl told us that it was no problem if the text had mistakes, that it could be sold anyway. She spent the next two days trying to get us to come back, without mention of more payment (she ignored us when we asked). We also found out that the people in charge of this whole thing treated Ying and  Anna Ma (the building manager downstairs) very rudely and unkindly from the very beginning, before Jens and I were even involved.

So what does this have to do with milk? As I told the Chinese girl: integrity and excellence. These are things that are at least given lip service in the US and other western countries, but are not things that enter the Chinese mind when they try to produce and sell a product.  The bottom line is that they simply do not care as long as they make money.  And they will make money regardless.  Why? Because theirs is a culture that is used to shoddy products, shoddy treatment by others, and shoddy back room deals when problems (like the milk scandal) arise. The people accept this completely as inevitable and generally consider trying to fight it or improve circumstances in any way extremely useless.  If China was still a closed nation, no one would have heard anything about the milk. Some low-level official would have been paid off to not cause any trouble, make the problem public or take it to any upper level officials. Repercussions would either not take place at all or would be handled internally and quietly. The suffering families would have gotten shrugs and turned backs. The first instinct of a Chinese when making any mistake, large or small, is to hide it and either hope that it goes away or hope that no one will ever notice or be able to place the blame. This is called “saving face”, and it is an important concept and an integral part of  the Chinese Way. The Chinese government is reacting the way it is at the moment because it knows that the eyes of the world are watching. Think about the kid that is so sweet, smiling and helpful when adults are around and cruel, vicious and sneaky when adult backs are turned, and you’ll get my meaning. It might also help to remind you all that this is not the first time. Newspapers mention other issues such as the dog food and toy issues of the past year.  Remember also in 2003 or 4, when tons of babies in China died because a milk powder company decided to replace some of the nutritious powder with flour, causing the babies to starve to death. The rationale was that they could make more money by replacing the powder with flour, which costs less to produce.

Getting back to my other news, there will be a blog entry on my trip to Qufu coming soon, when I have time to write it.  In the meantime, enjoy the pics of Shanghai on Flickr and keep in touch when you can!

Another blistering day in the city, and my last traipsing around. I decided that I would end my time by visiting the temples that were fairly close to Claire’s home (close by taxi, that is).

The first place I went was the Jing An Temple, which cost only $10 kuai to enter (and with good reason). The temple is new and under construction. I would not recommend going there, not because it isn’t nice (and you can see by my pictures that it is), but because of the jackal that met me at the door.

Immediately after I paid for my ticket, I was greeted by a nice, soft-spoken man who said he was a temple guide. His English was pretty good, and he wore one of those official-looking tags around his neck. When he said I needn’t pay him to show me around (you usually have to pay extra for the service), I should have known right then what I was in for. I followed him to the right, and he took me into one of the rooms. Inside was the gift shop.  I thought he would lead me there, but he took me up a lantern-decorated staircase instead. At the top, my eyes met the Good Stuff.  Ascertaining that I was American, he immediately took me up to where, if I was as rich as he assumed I was, I could purchase some very nice paintings, solid gold Buddhas, exquisitely made porcelain Guan Yins, delicately carved wooden and jade nature scenes, and paraphernalia of all (expensive) kinds. He went to speak with the person who was apparently in charge of the floor and left me there in the quiet. I have to say that the attendant there was doing his attentive best to carefully explain certain items to me while I looked around.  I only stayed a few minutes, just out of curiosity. When his back was turned, I made my escape back down the stairs and outdoors.  I took a few pictures of the main courtyard and promptly left.

Across the street was the Jing An Park. More my style, with no snoopy “guides”. Again, I get to take an extremely hot walk in the park.  However, I’m in luck because the parks in Shanghai are so pretty they’re worth the time.

The last stop of my day was to the Jade Buddha Temple. I have to thank the people who put the Lonely Planet Guide together because of their thoughtfulness in putting the Chinese translations of many of the must-see sights. It was very easy to hop into a taxi and just point to where I wanted to go and be taken there. The Jade Temple is off a very quiet side street visited by lots of bicyclers.  There are also little tourist stalls on the other side of the entrance, selling all kinds of trinkets.

The temple was fantastic, so pretty and quiet! I spent quite a lot of time there. It was built during that tumultuous time between 1911 and 1918, when China’s imperial system came to an end.  It’s listed as one of the small number of active Buddhist temples. I happened to walk by one room to see a group of monks sitting at a table and singing. The door was open for all to peer inside, but I didn’t linger, feeling like I was witnessing something very private. I also passed another little area that just had a plastic stool, a common thing in China. I walked in and it felt like being cut off from the rest of the world. The locked energy was like the air inside a cast  ritual circle. Amazing!

Two main attractions here are the Jade Buddha, and the Room of 1,000 Buddhas. The room was upstairs in the back of the temple on the other side of the cafe.  It was really powerful to walk into this room and see all of the  little Buddhas, each in their own little niche in the wall, surrounding the room. While I was there, I happened to see a couple of guys doing some repairs there and polishing the Buddhas. Talk about spending the day dusting! Definitely a labor of love. Each wall was covered in these statues, and to stand in the middle of this big, empty room and spin around was incredible.

Back inside the temple proper,  it cost 10  kuai to go upstairs to see the Jade Buddha. The story goes that a monk brought the statue all the way from Myanmar, then had to go begging for funds to build the temple around it. The Buddha itself is milk white, and covered in jewels. It’s also very far away from the path viewers take into the room. It sits way in the back, behind rows and rows of monks.  Each monk sits at a table and has a set of books.  They use a long stick to turn the pages of the ancient texts. The pages are folded in half and sewn into the bindings. You can see and smell the glue and ink they use when they find something that needs repair. The room is filled with the swift swishing of the turned pages. Oh, to be able to read!!!  I wondered what these monks are thinking as we filed past, since none of them look up at the group. I suppose they are used to living in a fishbowl day in and day out? I have no pictures of this part of the temple, because pictures are not allowed.  On the way downstairs, there is a wood carving of a Buddha with coins stuck all over for good luck.  I couldn’t see how they’re sticking there, but it seemed interesting.  Downstairs is another Buddha, this one in a reclining position, also milk white. I love the way the altars in Chinese temples are decorated. They are so beautiful!

After the temple, I walked three blocks to find food and water, returning to Claire’s in time for the arrival of Claire’s mother and son from Dalian. Claire came home early, and we went out to dinner. I slept with her mom on the bed, and Claire slept on the floor with her son. My final full day in Shanghai I stayed in the apartment and played with Claire’s son. He’s ten and very cute.  I got the sense that he was also really bored, as his grandmother made him do a lot of homework, and they did not leave the apartment all day. Of course, neither did I, but I needed my sleep.  I was SO tired!

I left on the train the next day (26 hours!!!). It was very easy to get to where I needed to be (from the taxi to the sleeping car), in spite of the fact that I spoke no Chinese. Claire bought me a top bunk in the hard sleeper, and I ended up negotiating a center bed, which took 3 Chinese men to help me into. LONG trip, I do not recommend that this be done alone. Luckily, I had my book, because the family that I was bunking with spoke no English with me until we were pulling into the station at Dalian.

On Monday, I did several things. I hopped the Metro (very easy if you can read a little Chinese) to Renmin Square and moseyed over to the park.  Renmin Park, like most parks in China, is quite beautiful. The Chinese really know how to sculpt a beauty spot (which makes me wonder why they like to put so much plastic everywhere and destroy it all; but that’s another story).  I found lots of little nooks where people—especially old people— were sitting to enjoy the shade, play cards and paint pictures. The park was surprisingly quiet, considering that it was surrounded by busy city traffic. I walked all around it, and it was very tranquil.

When it got too beastly hot, I moved out of the park and in search of the Shanghai Museum of Art. On my way, I met up with a group of young Chinese who were entertaining friends from Haerbin.  They practiced their English on me and invited me to a morning of “tea culture”. We walked several blocks until we found the right nondescript building.  Going inside, we went up the stairs to the second floor and down a long, nondescript hallway that seemed to lead nowhere (this is not unusual for China.  All the best stuff lies hidden on the upper floors, not out where people can easily find them). Inside, a young woman led us to a very tiny room and we all sat down.  On the table were several kinds of tea in little glass jars and the tools for making the tea. Each type of tea came in a different type of cup, and the process for each changed slightly depending on the cup.

First, you put the tea leaves in the pot with a little wooden spoon.  Then pour hot water into and around the outside of the pot to warm the outside. While the tea is steeping, take each tea cup and pour hot water over each. Roll the cup in the water, then turn upside down to drain. Take each cup and pour a little tea. Always dump the very first cup out and refill. Serve. To properly drink tea, one must use the thumb, index and second finger to steady the edge of the cup, while the ring finger supports the bottom. Lift the cup so that the index  finger hides your lips from your companions as you sip. Slurping is good, but you must put the cup down silently.

Afterward, my companions and I exchanged emails and I went back to the park area to finish my search for the museum.  The museum is really nothing to write home about, in spite of the fact that the building is a wonderful piece of late 19^th century architecture.  It had a post-impressionist exhibit on the first floor, and on the second floor was an exhibit of national art contest winners.  The work was interesting but not really that inspiring or innovative, which is why the government probably gave the artists awards.  I have to say that the iced coffee and sandwich I had in the cafe was really nice.  Real panini bread with grilled veggies!

When I ate my fill, I decided to go and find the foreign bookstore. I walked several blocks in the heat, ducking occasionally into air-conditioned stores to cool off. The bookstore itself was not that cool because the doors were open. However, the selection they had was marvelous!  They had a really nice, large English section, and there were also  French, Russian, German, Japanese and Korean sections. I bought three books for a total of 200RMB.  Then I went to a little shop that I had passed and bought a fruit drink. I read for about an hour, then took a taxi to pick up my new clothes.

On Sunday, Claire, Carol, Dominic and I spent the day together. I was dripping hot in my jeans (I had  washed and folded my one and only pair, but I forgot to pack them and left them lying on my bed) when Carol suggested that I have a pair made. She was going to the fabric market to pick up a pair of her own, and said she would help me get it done.  So we went.

The fabric market is awesome!  There’s one in Dalian, too, but I haven’t been there yet. Anyway, it’s an entire building jam-packed with little tailor booths and overflowing with all kinds of fabric and clothing.  Some places made fancy dresses, some made suits, some made regular clothes. Some places had bolts of bright colors and patterns that screamed at you from across the room, while others had very subdued colors that invited a contemplative browse. It was hot, crowded, busy and amazing!  We stopped at a place that had summer fabrics, and I admired Carol’s new rust and khaki shorts. In order to try them on, you undress behind a bolt of fabric that two other workers hold up between you and the people walking by.   Next, we picked out a nice wheat-colored linen for my shorts and a white cotton with flowers delicately outlined in silver for a skirt. I looked through a catalog and chose the style I wanted for each piece. The tailor took my measurements right there and wrote them down.  Then, she gave me a little business card with tiny swatches of the fabric for me to take with me. When I picked up my new clothes, they fit perfectly! 280 RMB! So inexpensive!  I have got to find a way to do this in Dalian!

On Saturday, Claire and I were finally able to spend a day together. We started out at Ren Min Square (I think every city, town and village in China has a Renmin Square). It’s a wide area that houses the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Museum of Art and another museum that has to do with the history of work and economics in Shanghai.  As we were walking around and admiring the square, it suddenly and torrentially began to rain.. Immediately, the crowds queued up for entrance to the main museum.  We waited, drenched to the skin, for about 20 minutes as the line slowly moved inside.  At the door, someone was  handing out long, narrow plastic bags for our umbrellas. 

Once inside the (extremely) air-conditioned marble hall, we were able to admire some really beautiful architecture. We made our way around to most of the exhibits on the first and second floors (there are three) before the museum closed at 5:00. We were even able to take a break for lunch and re-enter via a luminous stamp placed on our hands. The tour began with ancient Chinese artifacts and ended as we came out of the porcelain room. Instead of a PA system, the museum has a security force who rush around the exhibits, hallways and staircases at 4:45 yelling at people to hurry up and leave. I found this both annoying and entertaining at the same time.

After the museum, Claire and I walked a few blocks to Nan Jing Dong Lu (South City East Road), which, she assured me, must not be missed.  I was not really impressed by the street itself. This area is a pedestrian-only street that is home to THE most upscale shopping to be found anywhere in China outside of Beijing (and you all know what a huge shopaholic I am. I did entertain the fantasy of bringing an Armani home to to my brother, though). What impressed me was finding a large bin of jelly beans for sale. I had absolutely  no idea how much I’d missed having access to jelly beans until I saw them!  As I munched away on my tiny (and very expensive) bag of treats, we strolled along the street and watched the neon lights come on all around us.  This was wonderful, and I really began to enjoy the sights and people-watching.  The highlight of the walk occurred when a man with a saxophone came out onto a nearby balcony and began playing the theme song from “The Godfather”.  He played an eclectic selection of other songs as well, and drew quite a crowd of listeners. A few people even danced, including a guy in front of us who used a large green trash bag as his partner. Claire and I both thought this interesting and amusing, and I was quite charmed by the whole situation.

From Nanjing Donglu, we walked over to the Bund, another famous “’must-see” area.  The Bund is along the Huang Pu River, and has quite an impressive collection of European architecture that was all lit up for us. There were hoards of people everywhere along the street and entrance to the observation areas along the water. Unfortunately, most of the pictures I took didn’t come out. I switched to “night function”, but it didn’t seem to be working.  I did get a few that came out okay, though. The water looked  beautiful as it reflected the swirling kaleidoscope of colors from the nearby buildings and small tourist boats that swanned majestically back and forth.

After a late dinner at the neighborhood place near Claire’s apartment, we’re ready for a good night’s sleep on the bamboo blanket. This is an interesting thing to sleep on, not at all uncomfortable, and actually quite cool on the skin.

Hey, Folks!  Happy New Year!!!

I’m home for the holidays and am surprised to find that my last three or four posts (September to December) have not been put up.  Just so you don’t think that I don’t love you anymore, I will try to find out what the difficulty is.  Bear with me, I’m sure it’s something very simple. 

In the meantime, enjoy your holiday & eat tons of goodies!

Let’s face it.  There is really no outdoor place in the whole of China to get a good swim. The pollution is everywhere. In most places, it’s like walking through a landfill. There is “clean” water in some places, but you have to swim through the filthy “tub ring” area along the beach to get there.  What is interesting to me is my own reaction to this situation. The clean, well-bred American in me looks at  all the filth with germaphobic fear, loathing and disgust. The tiny part of me that is learning to be Chinese acknowledges the existence of the mess and tries not to think too hard about it. Here are some examples of real-life conversations that I have had with friends:

Conversation A at a public beach amid the most beautiful scenery in all of Dalian:

Chinese: “Aren’t you going to go touch the ocean?”

American: “Not if I have to cross that beach to get there.” (did not say stinking, filthy and disgusting       out loud; did not mention the scantily-clad beach goers sitting amid the blowing trash)

Chinese: “But the water is clean!”

Conversation B at a river, under a bridge near the railroad tracks outside of the city (different Chinese person):

Chinese: “Don’t you want to swim?”

American: (knee-wading very slowly through the murk, then stopping)“There are so many rocks! I         can’t see my feet on the bottom. I also have a plastic bag wrapped around my ankle.” (does not        mention other dirty, unidentifiable things floating by and dark, amorphous things waving in the     water    after being caught by large rocks.)

Chinese: If we keep walking, maybe there will be cleaner water over there” (gestures to a group of        swimmers about 100 yards away, who paid 30 RMB to swim there).

American: (Turns and heads back to shore, and almost loses her beach sandal in the thick, smelly           sludge   emanating from a large pipe).

Conversation C back at the ocean, at a nearby public park:

American: (exasperated, after conversation B earlier in the day)“Isn’t there any place in China that isn’t polluted?”

Chinese: “This is okay, I think. It’s cleaner out further”

(we both watch pieces of plastic, snack bags, styrofoam  and small, unidentifiable brown things surf by)

American: (Dripping in sweat, gazes at a dirty something-or-other, does not mention the trash washing    up onto the rocky shore.  Wading past the tub ring, she discovers a patch of clear water).

            “Okay, I give up.” [Plunges in].

No consequences yet, aside from sunburn.  And the occasional dream of giving birth to a six-headed child with scales and foot-long fingernails (this is the first time in my life, since I was nine years old, that I am glad not to be pregnant).  I can’t wait for classes to start so that I can go back to the chlorinated pool!

I have a number of thoughts to express here, and I hope that I can do it in a coherent manner.

Firstly, I can’t express the depth of my pleasure in the fact that Team Iraq has made it to China and to the Games.  Political relations and views aside, the people of that nation have had more than their share of rough times. I’m  very glad that the IOC saw to it that they arrived here. They absolutely deserved to be here. I believe that having as many committees as we did here (204!), from all over the globe, can only cement the issue in our brains that it is of vital importance to stop fighting each other, listen to each other and try to find ways to peace and healing together.  Although it is the longest, and to many the most boring aspect of every opening ceremony, I feel that the Parade of Nations is extremely powerful and important. To me, it is more exciting than anything any host country could create—it is so awesome (the original definition, not our modern exclamation) that I actually get chills. One of the most powerful moments to me was when Iraq and Iran came out together, one after the other, and stood beside each other in the center of the ring. This is what happens when the host country lists the nations by how many strokes it takes to write their names in Chinese. No problem!

Also, I don’t think I am alone in my admiration for the Opening Ceremony itself.  This year was absolutely jaw-dropping! At twice the planned budget (and well worth it, I might add!), the world will probably not see something quite as stunning as this spectacle for a long time to come. As an aside, in case you’re wondering, the little boy next to Yao Ming was not his son, as was speculated by the foreign contingent here. His name is Lin Hao, and he is one of the survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake. I imagine that he never dreamed in all his short life that something like this would happen to him!  The final torch bearer and lighter was Li Ning, triple-gold medalist in gymnastics.  He won six gold medals in the Los Angeles Games. Because of IOC rules, CCTV International, China’s only English channel, is not allowed to broadcast the opening or closing ceremonies or any of the Games.  Therefore, I was able to watch the Ceremony with Chinese commentary.  It was interesting in that the commentators simply did not know when to shut up and listen to the songs and comments from the announcers.  Otherwise I found it very easy and entertaining  listening and viewing.

Next, I want to tell you about the luncheon that took place at noon on August 8. President Hu Jintao hosted a  luncheon banquet for all of the world’s top dignitaries who had arrived in Beijing to witness the Opening Ceremony. The  reception took place in the north end of the Great Hall of the People.  The GHTP is located on Tian An Men Square, directly across the street from the Forbidden City. As world leaders arrived at the Great Hall, they formed a receiving line. Cameras panned to the street outside, showing the long line of black  motorcades making u-turns across the wide street, which was obviously blocked off from everyday traffic. This line contained the largest group of world leaders to meet in China in its entire 5,000 year history.

Hu and his wife very graciously greeted and shook hands with everyone who came: prime minsters, governors, crown princes, and of course, presidents. George Bush, fifth from last in line before the former and present leaders of the IOC, presented himself  in a classic blue suit and  Laura accompanied him in a bright red skirt suit. Pictures snapped, clicked and flashed as Bush put his arm around Hu’s shoulder in a gesture of friendly camaraderie. It was amazing to see all of these global leaders standing comfortably together in one place!  I could see, feel, taste and smell the power right through my TV set. It was that palpable. As the IOC’ s leaders shook hands with Hu, he gestured behind him to a beautiful and gigantic painting of the Great Wall, entitled, “A Country Rich in Beauty”. A few minutes later, the painting split and slid apart to reveal a wide, red-carpeted hidden staircase.  This led up to the 7,000 square meter banquet room, first used by Mao Zedong when President Nixon visited China in 1972. The visitors were invited up to the banquet hall.  As the cameras moved in to record more historic moments, an interesting scene was caught on tape for posterity: as Bush climbed the stairs while holding his wife’s hand, a man came up behind him and gently grabbed him, pushing him forward and up to stand beside Hu, who was leading the way. I found this very interesting and it looked mildly amusing. Flanking Laura’s left as they traveled was Nicholas Sarkozy, the President of France. The two seemed to be having a very animated conversation—oh, to be a fly on the wall!  This deliberate placement, I’m sure, was not lost on anyone.

The banquet hall itself was magnificent! A formal, black-tie orchestra played soft, upbeat music while the dignitaries milled around finding their seats. There were dozens of round tables draped in white cloth and decorated with multi-colored blossoms. The blossoms formed the pattern of a pink and white peacock, tail down, standing on a bed of  flowery greenery and gazing into a small blue lake. The design was truly exquisite!  The walls were yellow (the color of the emperor) with a red border (the color of modern China). Liu Qi, the leader of the Beijing Olympic Committee, greeted everyone and introduced “His Excellency”, Hu Jintao. Hu rose to welcome the guests and to thank them for coming.  He expressed grateful thanks for the support that was lent during the Wenchuan earthquake. He said  as a peacefully-rising developing country, China has many opportunities and challenges. He hoped that  the Olympic Games would be an important piece in developing understanding and cooperation with the nations of the world. He also expressed the hope that  together we could accommodate each other, rise above our differences and develop solidarity through friendship and peaceful means.

CCTV-9 commentators evoked the voice of Confucius (also known as Kong Zi), saying, “Isn’t it a joy to have guests from afar?”.  After seeing all of this, I couldn’t agree more.

Now, for those of you who are angry about Bush being in Beijing, I do want to comment on that. My original thoughts on this were that he was making a grave mistake in coming here. I agreed with many who think that it is condoning China’s handling of  T*b&t and other similar issues. As time passed and I thought more deeply about it, I came to change my mind for several reasons. The Olympics, whether we like the idea or not, *is* a political event: it is about all of the things that we wish for, hope for and strive for in human relations.  It is a statement of peace and a statement of family. We share this Earth together and must continue to do so regardless of what we think or how we feel, and that is a fact. My president should support that in any form in which it happens to come.  Secondly, for China, it should be noted that she is not the first nation to be challenged by politics while hosting an Olympic Games. She probably won’t be the last. Putting the athletes, who are not soldiers or politicians, in the middle of it is cruel and unusual punishment. Who benefits from a boycott anyway? More importantly, who suffers? Being interconnected as we are, I think in general more people suffer than benefit. In addition, most businesses and governments aren’t moved one way or the other by them. Which brings me back to China.

Let me tell you something about the Chinese mind: The more you push, the more they will resist. At the end of resistance is the cold shoulder and the complete blockade.  These are very passive-aggressive people. The Chinese government is not unaware of what is going on inside and around it or how other people feel about it. The Chinese government is of the opinion that it, for better or worse, will deal with its issues in its own time and as it, not the rest of the world, sees fit. You have to remember that this is  a planned central government, a government that, for the most part, is supported by the people (at least all the people I know). They do appreciate the benefits of a changing society and a growing economy, and wholly believe that it is because of the government’s care and guidance that these things are so. They start very young (proudly joining the “Young Pioneers” at the age  of 8 or 10 is the highlight of a Chinese child’s life) with the idea that the glory of the state and the glory of the group is more important than the rights of the individual. On the other hand, Chinese people detest any whiff of trouble and will generally do anything to avoid confrontation of any kind, partly because they understand that interference brings personal disaster and trauma. For nations, or even individuals of nations, to push, to force, to cajole, to condemn is to invite a complete blockade of international relations and a tougher crackdown on the Chinese people.

The way to deal with China and its people is to go gently, diplomatically, and with great care, keeping the final goal in mind. Let the professionals deal with China’s global shortcomings. Let them speak for the people and work out plans and compromises.  That is the only way to win with China. The idea here is the idea of “face”. If you insult, embarrass or cause any Chinese, individually or collectively, to “lose face” in public, they will not play with you again. Ever. Lost face is lost respect. Keeping negative emotions under control is considered the highest form of personal as well as group character. Getting angry, throwing tantrums, staging  protests and boycotts, in the eyes of the Chinese, are cases of “lost face” for the people who participate and support these things (they are also fodder for official derision, an attitude which the people will agree with and follow). The Chinese do not and will not deal with people they do not respect.  That’s the way the game is played here.

Does this mean that I approve of the Chinese government’s actions on human rights? Absolutely not! What I’m trying to explain is that the way we “laowai” (“outsiders”) deal with things in the west is not the best way to deal with them in China, and is to a great extent completely unworkable. The Chinese believe that there are two kinds of people in the world: “Chinese” and “Not Chinese”. The “Not Chinese” must earn respect in order to get anywhere with the “Chinese”.  Do I support Bush in coming here? Absolutely! He’s doing our future presidents a favor. If he cold-shoulders the Chinese government, the government will react in kind, and this will affect future US administrations indefinitely. All bets for harmonious international relations would be off., and it will take a long time for things to right themselves again.