Welcome to Air China. (01/03/11)

Hi all...

Again. Not feeling too hot today. I don't have any idea what the problem is, but I seem to be a little worse than last night. Luckily we didn't have an early morning today; we just had to get our things together and transfer ourselves to the airport. Interesting to note: you can take pictures in front of a backdrop of a plane and they'll make it into a keychain or calendar or whatever. It was neat. So, of course, we did what we do best: took a group photo. I took one by myself to give to my grandpa when I get back. I hope he likes it. :)

I'm for real though, I could only eat some rice and soup for lunch today. My appetite that was flourishing on this Chinese food has finally died. Guess it's nervousness about the plane? Having to say good-bye to my love, Mr. Money? Leaving behind a place that started to feel a little like home? (Staying in one place for more than a night will do that to you!) I don't know why...but I'm having a hard time coping.

It didn't help that the flight to Xian was so rough. I asked Conrad why he thought it was like that and he mentioned that there probably wasn't a lot of luggage under the plane to weigh it down and steady it. Slow and steady...that's how I need my flights, and this one to Xian wasn't either one of those. Then, when we landed, we couldn't see the ground until we touched down because it was so smoggy and dirty. I'd never seen anything like it. So strange...

Either way, I went to the store with Vendula to get some jello for jello shots on our last night here. We're saving them for when we need to wash down this fire water...ick! It just sounds like a bad idea (but great night) in the making. I'll let you know more about the city when it's daytime and I can see things around me.

Still feeling like poo,
Whitney

Adventures with Mr. Money (01/02/11)

Hey all....

So I'm feeling kind of sick and under the weather today. I'm not sure why, but I've been getting really car sick lately, which is weird since the driver here is better than the other ones (I wouldn't say good, but not nearly as reckless...?) Maybe I'm coming down with something or maybe I just need a break. Either way, I'm really under the weather. It didn't help that we got snowed out of our trip to the Three Gorges Dam. I mean, I would rather stay safe in the city than drive forever away and maybe not see the Dam either way only to have to drive all the way back--with my car sickness. Didn't sound like too much fun. So I was with the group when the majority of us voted to stay in the city today.

So what did we do instead of going to the Three Gorges Dam? We went to a few different locations around the city, starting with the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng. I mean, it was interesting and important, I'm sure, but I just couldn't concentrate on many of the things Eric was saying this morning...and it was so cold! And my shoes were sooo wet! Once we got through the main exhibit, all I wanted to do was go sit down upstairs in the cafe with the girls and relax (like I said, I wasn't feeling all that well.)

The walk up was treacherous. I think some of us may have wiped out.

Mr. Money. Adventurousness part 1.

After de-thawing, we moved on to the Yellow Crane Tower. Can you say: Beautiful?? It was full of history and this complete stillness that only comes with centuries (and I mean quite a few, since it was built in 223 AD) of reflection by religious men and poets alike. We took our time walking through the walkways leading up to the tower, listening to Eric tell us all about the many writers who competed on completely describing its beauty. It looked almost ethereal with all the snow falling around us, undisturbed by the lack of tourists during that time of year. 

Entrance to the tower ticket area

Look! I find Asian twiiin seeestaaa!

Engraving of cranes on the wall

Serenity of the area with the falling snow

Beautiful pagoda area

Eric walked us up the the actual tower, where everyone handed him their camera. I swear, he was so adorable switching all of them from hand to hand. Then he asked to take a picture with me! Me personally! I love Eric, so that's not a problem in the least. :) He was absolutely one of my fave's from the whole trip. 

Group shot. (we like those!)

Yeah... I don't get the pose either.

Yellow Crane Tower. It looks imposing, but it was really amazing.

We were left at the foot of the tower to make our own way up, to stay at the bottom and freeze, or to shop around the little stores that had merchandise. Vendula and I decided to take a walk on the wild side and climb all the way to the top. It was a workout and I think if I didn't already have heart palpitations, then I developed them then and there. But what I got from that 15 minute trek to the top were some gorgeous photos of the surrounding area. 

View of the courtyard

Hey! I think I can see the bar from here!

He must not realize that there's good food at the bottom and down the street.

Another pagoda in the distance

Again with the weird poses! Must have been the illness.

So, we got done gazing at the city skyline and had a little bit of time to spare, so we thought it would be a great idea to walk down a path that we didn't get to check out on the way in. Needless to say that we strolled idly on and talked about everything, not noticing the time. It didn't help that we'd heard the wrong instructions on where to meet. So, after realizing that we were running late to meet the group, we rushed back toward the entrance to find everyone--except no one was there. Vendula and I were positive that everyone had left us (which honestly didn't make any sense, because we would not be the first two I would pick to vote off the island...) Eventually we realized that they were probably back at the tower, so we made the climb back up to find them, and, sure enough there they were.

The rest of the day was a blur to me. We went to a bonzai garden where they had all of these cool gems and rock formations on display in a museum. It seemed like Dr. Kung's area of interest, because it seemed like he knew absolutely everything there was to know about anything in that museum. 

On the way back, I was feeling rougher than ever, but had Eric to talk to. We talked about everything: music, fashion, China as an economic power, China's political pull in the younger generations...etc. I think my favorite part of the conversation centered around Miley Cyrus not being a good role model and how ridiculous Justin Bieber is--although it was good to hear that many Chinese don't agree with North Korea politically.

Final note: We ate with one of Dr. Kung's friends--who graciously treated us to dinner on our last night. I passed out in my shortly after...

Curse you travel-sickness!

Whitney

All the Things You Should Teach a Chinese College Kid... (01/01/11)

Hubei University. That's where we spent all of our day today.

The day started off like any other general, "Here, let's give you a tour of a campus!" kind of tour-a-campus day. We met up with the directors of the programs in this nice little meeting space where they told us their names, we told them ours, we all said nice, brief introductions, Dr. Kung made his speeches, we all said what we were looking to gain from the experience, etc, etc. Not that any of that is bad, mind you. I love listening to the different things each student is studying and why each person decided to come to China. It's really interesting to me how the relationships between the two schools are forged. As well as, the benefits that students in the future will receive from that exchange of knowledge and good will. But, either way, it all started off the same way any other college tour would go.

Setting up for the meeting

Then we took a tour of Hubei's museum of Chinese history. They had soooo many different exhibits that really spanned the entirety of China's history and covered everything from coins to handcrafted bowls, plates and statues from different eras. We also had great tour guides and were able to see a collection of insects from the area and then this beautiful work of art made completely out of butterfly wings.

Intro to the museum

Talking about paintings and artwork

Pottery

Pottery

Moving to another area

Old school coins

Buddha statue 

Picture made of butterfly wings

Group shot

Me with Eric (Mr. Money) and Vendula

Superstaaaaaah. We were being silly.

After that, we went to lunch, which was fun. I don't know if I mentioned this in an earlier post, but when you eat dinner (or even lunch!) with your host, you have to go up to them and toast. We had the pleasure of experiencing this for the first time at a dinner with the Director of the the program in Nanjing. There is some kind of rice liquor that they drink--that is supposed to be sipped, but that we somehow got coerced into shooting with our hosts. So here we are, college kids from a dry campus coming up to these guests and taking shots of what we dubbed "fire water" and also wine....at lunch! Dr. Kung told us that the whole goal of each of these lunches and dinners was to get the hosts drunk. If we could do this...we won! Man, gotta love China! Haha.

Anyway, so we finished eating and moved onto the part of the tour that this post is titled after. We got to walk around and talk to the students. It. Was. Epic! So....what are all the things you should teach a Chinese college kid?
1. Musical exchange that involves dance is always a good move. (Haha! Get the pun?? :D ) That said...we taught them the Soulja Boy dance, how to dougie...and also the stanky legg. It was great. We exchanged music and found out all of the artists they liked. (I just wish the Creep had come out before we left...)
2. Teach them some slang. You never know when it might come in handy. Key phrases to propose: "Let's do this!" "That place looks like it's under lock-down." "Watch out, you might get shanked." All phrases that refer to individuals as "home-slice" and "G-Dogg." Does it matter if their name actually starts with a G? Nah. They're just a G in general.
3. Show them that catcalling guys is socially acceptable when you plan on being a dominant female, or when they can't speak the same language as you. To do this, be sure to know how to reference a man's ability to play sports and then follow with words of encouragement or heckling as needed.
4. Teach them how to sorority pose for photos with numerous people. Also show them that hugging and throwing your head backwards in happiness is an okay pose for showing that you're having a good time.
5. Say hello to everyone you pass, even if they look like they're sad and sulking, or if they're a grumpy security guard. It will make their day...no matter what language you're speaking in.

There were many more...and of course I can't remember all of them. But we had a great time and even got to see the dorms the girls lived in. It was amazing to see the difference in their living quality versus ours here. It probably seems great to move into Carpenter as an exchange student from China. They didn't have any hot running water, so if they wanted to shower they had to go to a different building. They don't have high enough power outlets in their rooms to dry or straighten their hair, so they have to do that downstairs. There isn't any heat in their rooms, so they sleep with water heaters under their blankets. It sounds like a rough life, but they all seem so happy and excited about their days and everything they're doing. They seem hungry for life, which is something I think a lot of American students are lacking.

Dorm room

More dorm room

Getting hot chocolate...it was coooold!

We convened in a warm library area where students were studying and passing their time by covering material for classes, which struck me as interesting since it was a Saturday and the day after New Year's Eve. Weren't these kids supposed to be enjoying their time? Or at least recuperating? Guess not...? Either way, our guides gave us a chance to relax and then we went to see everything Chinese culture offered. It encompassed a tea ceremony, calligraphy writing demonstration and then numerous theatre performances by local troupes. It was fabulous!

Tea ceremony. (I didn't realize I wasn't supposed to take pictures. o.o)

With Conrad right before the performances

Ka-chow!

Eat your heart out, Kill Bill.

Strike a pose. --Cue Madonna music--

I only got videos of the performances. No photos. Sorry :/. If you want to see more pictures of me and other students with silly poses, you can check out my Facebook page and see the tagged photos of me. Until then, enjoy the photos here and know that Wuhan is where it's at!

I miss you guys! (not that you can read this... :/) 

Whitney

Happy New Year, China! (12/31/11)

It's New Year's Eve everyone! And I'm in China. :) It's so exciting. You know, they say that what you do on New Year's Eve is what you'll be doing for the rest of the year... So let's see how I spent mine:

We spent the morning touring Dr. Sun Yatsen's Mausoleum. This is a beautiful example of what China does for the leaders who heavily influence the country (he's considered the founder of the Republic of China.) The walk up to the mausoleum was lovely, sided by trees and plant life. You come to the first gate, which stands rather imposing. Then to get to the top, where the mausoleum is located, you have to walk up 392 stairs. Now, this trek isn't for the faint of heart and there isn't an elevator or escalator to help you on your way up. I actually asked Dr. Kung about how people with disabilities climb it, and he told me, to my surprise, that they had to hire someone to carry them up the hill. Needless to say, the two older women with us didn't make it all the way up, but once you got up to the top....oh my. The view was absolutely spectacular. you could see all of Nanjing from there. The mausoleum was huge and had the Chinese constitution written on the wall. Then you could enter the burial area. There wasn't much there except for a hole, but it was still ornately decorated. We got to see all that and then on the way down we made some friends who wanted to take pictures with us. It was a lot of fun.

Group photo at the beginning of the stairs

View from the top

View of me at the top!

We couldn't pick it. Too heavy.

New friends!

Then we took the train to Wuhan. That in itself was an experience. We sent our baggage through a scanner (which no one even checked...) then left it with some gentlemen to put on the train for us. The trip to Wuhan seemed short, even though it was around 2 hours, because I spent the whole trip talking to Shannon about the Chinese language and comparing it to Japanese and German. It was interesting to talk to someone who is so into the language and culture of another country. It makes me feel good to know I'm not the only one who immerses herself in what she's doing. Some people many think it's weird, but I really enjoy experiencing and respecting the culture of the country I'm in. It's actually been kind of hard on me that some of people on the trip are constantly making fun of and mocking the things our tour guides and other people say.

Then, the unimaginable happened. We met the one, the only.... Mr. Money! Aka Eric Qian. You'll get a whole post dedicated to him in the near future. But let's just say that he is, by far, my favorite tour guide. The first day I met him he was wearing a turtle neck shirt with a black leather jacket and had a man purse. He is ah-mazing. Love, love, love. So! Some of us went exploring before going out for the evening...I'm telling you now that wasn't me. I took a quick nap and then decided to join the group for dinner later. We ended up going to a fun place and trying to order everything ourselves for the first time since we got there, which ended up working out nicely.

Brittly and Shannon

Christian and Vendula

Tremaine

Me and Laura

Conrad

After that the group went out to see what kinds of night life we could find--which there was plenty of, but not anything we wanted to get too involved in (we had to be up early in the next morning). So we decided to go to this small bar on the main strip. We sat down and ordered drinks, listened to some good Lady Gaga remixes and then....a guy stepped on stage...with a violin...and played sad, depressing music...for an hour. I don't know how you book a sad, violin-playing Asian on New Year's Eve....but this bar did it. Anyway! We figured out that all the people around us were playing some sort of dice game that was kind of like a mix between Yahtzee and BS. We wanted to know the rules to play, but didn't have the courage to ask anyone around us. About that time, Vendula and I had to use the restroom and at the original misgivings of peeing in a hole in the ground, we went in search for a bathroom upstairs. They were still holes in the ground, but at least they were clean ones....is that possible? I don't know...ask the Chinese... 

We came back down and I finally rustled up the courage...after another drink and endless, mind numbing violin solos...to ask the table next to us if they could teach us how to play. Between their broken English and our 2 words of Chinese, we figured out how to play the game and ended up sitting at the table with these wonderful guys for almost 2 hours. Long enough that the party poopers who didn't want to stay and learn the game left us to our fun. So we ended up learning how to play the game--ask me for details if you want to know how to play and found out, while hanging out with them, that only one of the had an English name. Now, let me clarify, it seems like everyone we ran into in China had an English name that they picked when they were in grade school. Well, only one of these guys had one. So we decided that it would be a really fun idea to make one up for them. So we had Cloud (the one that had already picked his name), Lawrence, Alan and Richard and they all loved it and we became great friends, watched the ball drop (in China!) Who would have thought we got to do that and then saw them set off fireworks on the bar. Cool huh?

From left: Lawrence, Richard, Cloud, Vendula, Tremaine, Me, Alan

Fireworks at the bar

After all that we left to head back to the hotel, because, as I mentioned earlier, we had to be up pretty early the next morning. But on our way back, we ran into this lady who was selling lanterns. And this is the first lesson of going to another country: learn how to say at least the numbers 1-10 and some general all purpose phrases. We didn't understand a word she was saying to us and she didn't have any clue what we were getting at either. Luckily, this little guy, who couldn't have been more than 10-12 years old came over and explained the whole situation to us and helped us buy these lanterns. Our next bout of conversation went something like this:

-Him: So, do you have fire?

-Us: No...?

-Him: So do you have a pen??

-Us: No....??

-Him: Ugh. All right. Hold on a minute...

He then went to gather some of his friends and after a lot of hard work and some odd frozen hands later, we all had our dreams light up the night sky and float away to do their job (mine of getting me to graduation with honors....which worked!) Who knew....kind of creepy, huh?

My lantern going up. :D

So! To wrap it all up! Be sure to do something exciting on New Year's; it's what you'll be doing for the rest of the year... I think my year is going to be amazing....

From me to you, 新年好!

Whitney

Confucius Always Said.... (12/30/10)

So, today we're off to Nanjing! We had the early part of the morning to spend in Suzhou, but after that it was a hop, skip and a bus ride to a new city. What all was there to do in Suzhou today, you might ask?? Well! We got to see how silk is made. Yes! Sweat shop workers! No, I'm just kidding.

The silk factory welcomed us with open arms! See:

Entrance to the Silk Factory

Our tour guide, Barbara, was our tour guide for the facility, too. So she took us into this back room and explained all the steps that the worms and workers go through to make silk. I mean, it's a fairly obvious process: you have an egg, it hatches, it grows, it turns into a cocoon, they take the cocoon, stew it, pull it apart to extract the silk, then use the larvae in hand cream and things like that. It sounds icky! I know! But it's actually really good hand cream (I bought some for my roommate's mom.) An interesting fact that stood out to me, though was that the Chinese really believe in coincidences....coincidences involving love and luck. One example of this is some silk worms mate and end up wrapping themselves up in the same cocoon. This thread is twice as strong--because there's twice as much of it, of course--and these silk worms are never separated in the extraction process. They were bound by love and should stay together for that reason. Kind of romantic, huh? All I'm thinking is there must not be a lot of room to move around in that bed....and what if it gets hot in there with two people? Either way, congrats to the silk worms that find their life-long partner! 

Then I went shopping...and bought waaaaay too much stuff. It was super cheap, though, and good quality. If you have the chance to go to China and buy gifts for friends and family, I would highly suggest you give it a try. ;) Then you get to throw out the random China shout-out when people ask you where you got your gear. "Oh my! Where did you get that beautiful scarf??".... "Oh, you know, I went to China for a few weeks and thought I'd pick something up while I was out there... Super cheap. You should make a trip sometime...." :D Yep. That's what I'll be saying....

Old school silk making

Inside of the factory

Hard at work

Making a pillow toper for a mattress

Threading the silk out / separating it

This is separating the silk from the husk

So after we went to the Silk Factory and went to see the Master of Nets Garden, which was lovely. I bought a silk scroll for my grate grandma (told you I had been doing a lot of shopping...) :) Here it is: 

View of the pond

Conrad getting stuck in a rock. Hahaha!

Watching everyone from a mirror

Then we had our two hour drive to Nanjing, which we slept most of the way through. We did get to stop at this nifty gas station....where I saw my first ever....pickled crabs!! Ew. Then we were greeted by our new tour guide when we got there...he wasn't nearly as exciting or bubbly as Barbara. His plain blue flag said it all... 

We piled off the bus and headed straight to the Temple of Confucius, which isn't really for worshiping, but rather more to pay homage to Confucius for all of his accomplishments and his encouragement to his students as a teacher. I think George prefaced everything he said at the Temple with: Confucius always said... kind of like we do with trite sayings here. I would hate to think that Confucius turned into some kind of trite saying, but I guess when you say a lot of intelligent things in your life, people are going to quote you more than you ever expected them to. 

River on the way to the city wall

Temple of Confucius

Temple of Confucius

Cards with the names of students and their wishes to do well on exams.

Then we went to the old city wall, which was beautiful even though quite a bit of it had been destroyed. We were able to see where the city wall stood in previous dynasties, before all the sieges and wars and then got to walk along a little ways. You could say we got a little practice in for the real thing...the big one...the GREAT WALL!! Yeah right.... 

Well, at least I got a great picture of Vendula while I was there:

Well! That's about it for today. Off to dinner! Gotta keep eating all this fabulous food! :)

-Signing out,

Whitney