Farewell to Xi'An

We woke up on Monday (our last day in Xi'An) and decided an immediate trip for coffee was in order.  Since Starbucks was right in the heart of town and situated on our way to our first destination it seemed to make sense.  Here I lingered over whether I should buy a Starbucks Xi'An coffee mug.  I decided against it, although it should be noted that later on I kicked myself over not buying it there.  Why?  Because I've decided I love the Starbucks coffee mugs and that they make great souvenirs...so moral of the story...next time you are debating whether or not to buy that souvenir...do it!  You probably won't be back!

Rodney with a local Xi'An Policeman

O.k. after our coffee we decided to head down to a more artsy district of town.  We had seen this portion of the city on our walk about the city wall and decided it would be a good morning trip before our flight back to Beijing.  The little district was great in that it was a local place with almost no tourists.  This provided us with less of the usual tacky touristy items and more authentic Chinese cultural items.  Rodney searched around for some lions and Mao memorabilia and I just pretty much browsed the calligraphy and took in the local art.  After a peaceful morning here we headed back to the hotel to check out and start our journey to the airport and back to Beijing.

At checkout the staff highly recommended for us to take a taxi to a certain part of town and then take a bus from there to the airport.  So we got in the taxi and told him where we were going.  The taxi driver starts talking a little and between the little amount of Chinese we knew and the fantastic sign language type hand flapping he was doing we were able to communicate very well.  He was trying to talk us into letting him take us all the way to the airport.  We played it cool until he finally hit a price that sounded great...and we took it.  Sometimes you just have to love bartering in China.  It is hard to describe, but without speaking the same language...without anybody getting mad or even really confused even...we both came to a deal that made everyone happy!  Gotta love that.  I think Comcast should learn to do the same :-)

It was once we got to the airport that the excitement for the day really happened.  Rodney and I had both decided to take just carry on items so we wouldn't have to check baggage.  I told Rodney I had some chapstick in my bag and they might get mad so I might be a second, so he got into a different line.  My bag went through just fine and I start looking around...but no Rodney.  There is a small commotion going on at the security line next to me...wonder what that could be.  Wait, isn't that Rodney in there?

Turns out Rodney had purchased a couple of long army knives for gifts while in Xi'An and completely forgot that they were in his carry on.  Needless to say...security was not going to let him go through with those.  All in all, it wasn't too bad though as they were super nice and took him back to the front and allowed him to check that bag and proceed.  Phew...disaster averted!  I can only imagine the ruckus that the U.S. airports would have raised over something like that!

Once safely on the airplane we made it back to Beijing in no time at all (sidenote:  flying domestic China really isn't bad at all.  They always provide meals for you on the plane and you can check two bags for free...the only downside...no phones whatsoever!  Even if you just use your iPod touch as a music player...that's a no go...but otherwise...very pleasant!).  Now comes the real test, can I get the taxi driver to get us back to campus?  Well...turns out with a map it isn't too bad.  Next time, I will try it with just words.

Back safely now in my apartment I can't help but think what a great opportunity this semester has been.  I'm very thankful for this time in China, and the ability to explore a little bit on my own.  I can't wait for future adventures...now that I know I can travel pretty well with my limited language skills!

Zaijian for now,
Gary

Xi'An Part San

After a long day of sightseeing yesterday we decided to start out our morning a little slower by walking around downtown a bit and getting breakfast at Starbucks :-)  After some caffeine and a muffin we had a plan for the day and headed out to the city wall with the intentions of renting a bike and riding completely around the top.

Yep, Starbucks is pretty much the same :-)

Once at the wall our hopes were soon dashed as we discovered they had banned bikes on the top of the wall for the month of December in order to finish some construction on one portion of the wall :-(  O.k., no problem (may murrr!).  The bikes were appealing because this city wall goes around the entire city and the bikes would have allowed us to get a 360 of all of Xi'An.  However, we soon discovered that wall is wall is wall :-)  We strolled along about 1/4 of the wall and took in the relatively quiet city (not a big tourist season right now) and scouted out some areas to perhaps try later in the day.  It was a little chilly...but not too bad (well for me at least...I'm pretty sure Rodney froze his butt off!)

On top of the City Wall of Xi'An

After our adventure on the wall we decided to try to find a couple of the more local attractions we had searched out via Rodney's trusty travel guide.  The first item on Rodney's list was a local flea market/antique fair which is only held on Sundays in Xi'An.  I have to admit...I had little faith that we would find the right alley for this market (or even if it still existed given the book was published in 2007)...but...Rodney had faith and we soon found ourselves smack dab in the middle of a pretty cool local antique market.

Local Antique Flea Market in Xi'An

I wasn't really sure I was looking for anything here but Rodney had his heart set on finding some swords/knives for a relative.  We bartered some and looked around and eventually I spotted a pair of walnuts I thought would make a good stocking stuffer.  (O.k. it is hard to describe the fascination with walnuts here...but...you see them all over the place, people buy them in a set and twirl them around in their hand...I think it is supposed to help circulation or something??)  I asked how much...200 RMB!!  What?  Here's the other thing about these walnuts, depending on (apparently the sellers opinion) they can range in price from pretty cheap...to outrageously expensive.  Supposedly the more expensive ones are almost identical in size, shape, weight, and markings.  I quickly moved on to the guy right next to him where I got a set for 20 RMB.  Good enough for me!  Rodney bartered for awhile and soon had himself a couple of nice knives and a bracelet of some sort...all in all, a pretty good find!

As Rodney was finishing up one final transaction I wandered out and noticed a temple nearby...and heck...that seems touristy right?  So we went and visited what apparently is a pretty famous Taoist temple.  Here's the thing with me and temples though.  In China...there are a LOT of temples.  And to some extent...a temple is a temple is a temple.  So it was cool to see the Taoist temple...but, we didn't linger for long.  The one thing I found fascinating about this one is that you could buy fake money outside of the temple to leave for the temple Gods apparently.  I had a pretty good laugh about this.  For 10 RMB you could buy 10,000 fake RMB to leave for the temple Gods.  Why not leave the 10 RMB?

An alter and statue where you can leave fruit and fake money.

After the temple we decided to hit up the Big Goose Pagoda.  We weren't really sure what to expect...other than a Pagoda, but it turned out to be a really good choice.  The area around here looked almost like a Disneyland of Pagodas.  Tons of vendors, outdoor fountains going off, rides and of course the usual pagoda and towers to explore.  We decided to make our way to the huge tower and start our way to the top.  After what seemed like 25 flights of stairs we finally arrived to the top!

The Big Goose Pagoda in Xi'An

We got to the top just in time too!  There was a window at the top where you could look out upon the whole square and just as we reached the top they started a fountain show in the square below (very similar to the fountain shows in front of the Bellagio).  After enjoying the fountains we headed back down and explored the square a bit more before deciding it was time for a little dinner.

I had my heart set on a local dish, Yang Rou Pao Mo.  This is essentially pita bread that you tear up really small into a bowl and then they pour either beef or mutton soup over top and let it soak into the bread.  I had found the 'best' place in Xi'An to find this dish (supposedly it has been serving the local specialty since 1897...there was even a famous poem and song written about it that basically says something like everything in the world is changing, but once we go home to this restaurant in Xi'An the Yang Rou Pao Mo never changes) and armed with iPhone pictures I had taken of the address in Chinese and the dish name in Chinese we set off on an adventure.

Turns out, the photos helped immensely and we found the restaurant, no problem!  Once inside we ordered up our soup and tried to order several other dishes because we were starving.  But each time we were brutally rebuffed and directed to a counter where cold unappetizing dishes laid.  We soon got the picture, as foreigners we were allowed to have the soup...and pick dishes that were already made...but not order anything else...lol.  O.k. no problem, we came for soup anyways.  As we sat painstakingly tearing up our bread a young Chinese boy joined us at our table.  We seemed to get along just fine...well the conversation was a little lacking (him not speaking any English...Rodney using 'Wei Wei' to convey everything from excuse me to go straight ahead and myself knowing only food words and numbers...lol)...but I do enjoy how they do it in China...if there is room at your table...sit somebody else there!

Our soup soon arrived, and it was worth the wait.  If you should ever find yourself in Xi'An you will certainly need to try out this local specialty :-)  After dinner we were pretty exhausted so we headed back to the hotel and called it a night.  Tomorrow we shall return to Beijing, but will have a little time to explore the artsy part of Xi'An and perhaps do a little more shopping.

Zaijian for now.
Gary

Xi'an Part Deaux-The Terracotta Warriors

We arrived late last night to Xi'an after our plane had been delayed a few hours because of a light snow in Beijing.  After catching a bus from the airport near Xi'an to downtown we bartered with a taxi/random van driver to get us to our hotel (turned out he was a little crooked...oh well...they always are).  Once in the hotel we made a rough plan for the next day and hit the sheets shortly thereafter.

One of the many Terracotta Warriors

Bright and early the next morning we met Patrick, a driver recommended to us by several faculty at ICB who had previously visited Xi'an.  Since the Terracotta warriors are a great distance away from downtown Xi'an, a private driver or a vast knowledge of the local transit system is needed.  Since Peter quoted us a price of $50 for the entire days worth of driving...we decided to go with that option :-)  Once in Peter's car he asked us if we would like to visit a Bamboo village.  Rodney was very non-committal about it...but I was excited...YEAH!!  Bring on the Bamboo village!

After a short while we pulled into the 'Bamboo village' and I realized why Rodney had been so non-committal.  Turns out Peter wasn't talking about a Bamboo village...but rather the Banpo village, an archeological site of sorts where they think the oldest Chinese civilization once lived.  Hmm...still I guess when in Xi'an...might as well see all the sites right.  Anyways...we roamed around looking at the outlines of old huts and visited the museum with tons of old pottery and weapons and stuff of that nature and it was pretty cool.  Probably the most eventful happening was when Rodney and I were actually looking for Peter after we were done at the 'village'.  Rodney was down on the path looking around and I was on top of a set of stairs looking for Peter.  Apparently I decided to walk while not looking at the ground and fell face first off the set of 6 stairs...right on my face...yep.  Rodney saw the whole thing and in his defense only laughed a bit.  Bam...nothing like falling on your face to wake you up and get you ready for the rest of the day right.  Right.  O.k. we found Peter and were soon off again.

Banpo Village...no Bamboo to be found

After the Banpo village Peter drove us to 'the official Terracotta Warriors souvenir place.  I think this stop is mandated and helps keep the cost of his services down.  Rodney and I looked around and actually did barter a few items.  I found a little teapot Christmas tree ornament for my mom for Christmas and was pleased with the price...and then back on our way to the actual warriors :-)

In Pit 1 with the football field full of warriors :-)

Peter dropped us off for a quick lunch on the outskirts of the Terracotta Warriors and then we were off inside to start our viewing of the three different pits.  For those unfamiliar with the Terracotta Warriors (the 8th wonder of the world), an ancient Chinese emperor believed that an individual could take with them all items buried with them into the afterlife.  So he had his people construct an entire army out of stone to bury with him for him to have in the afterlife.  Crazy right!  Football sized fields full of soldiers, horses, carriages and regalia...all handcrafted with the most intense detail you could ever imagine.

They are still working on unearthing some of these warriors here

There are three pits of soldiers and each was incredibly impressive and well worth the trip to Xi'an just to see the warriors.  Lighting was a little low so the pictures didn't turn out that great...but it was the type of experience that one can never forget.  If you want to read more about the warriors click on Terracotta Warriors :-)

These are all life-size warriors...incredible!

On our way out of seeing the warriors Rodney and I stopped and bartered quite a bit.  It was here that I had my first bartering experience where the ENTIRE transaction was done in Chinese...from start to finish.  It was a great feeling to know that I actually could barter the whole way through without the seller flipping over into English (which they will do in a heartbeat if they feel your Chinese isn't good enough)...so woohoo!!  Ended up buying some shadow puppets as Christmas presents, some ginger taffy, and some other local Xi'an treats.

After our bartering we found Peter and he graciously took us back to our hotel (seriously if anyone is going to Xi'an this guy was fantastic).  By the time we got back it was 5:00 and we were feeling like another adventure.  This time we wanted to find and explore the Muslim Quarter of Xi'an.  Rodney's impeccable directional skills quickly got us there and we were soon immersed in the lights, sounds, smells and vibrant nature of the street life here.

Mmm...muslim food...BAA!!

Food was the #1 priority on our agenda and Rodney soon found a restaurant with great smelling food out front that we had to try...but one small problem...they spoke neither English...nor Chinese!  And there were no picture menus...uhh...I'm about ready to abort mission when Rodney and the waiter start in on some sort of baaaaing mooing routine and before we know it Rodney has successfully ordered us mutton, beef, and lamb chuar, bread, and rice...score!  The food was delicious...and the experience was even better.

Slightly out of focus...or perfectly capturing the mood?

We left with our bellies full (well not full enough to prevent me from trying many other great street food items...yum) and began to just stroll and do some light bartering.  I found a set of China dolls for another Christmas present that I liked and some other novel items...but decided that rest was important than bartering and we were soon back to the hotel to wrap up a GREAT first night in Xi'an.  I'm looking forward to tomorrow where we will get to explore the rest of the town, the city wall, and many of the pagaoda's around.  If the weather is nice we hope to bike around the entire city wall...so fingers crossed.

Zaijian and Wan An (Good night)
Gary

Xi'An or Not to Xi'An

With only one week of classes left (and then finals) my friend and fellow faculty member Rodney came up with the idea (on Monday) to take the upcoming weekend and head to Xi'An.  Since I've been meaning to get out of Beijing and travel a bit...I decided this opportunity could not be missed.  Within a day the plan was set, plane tickets were bought, a hotel was secured and lesson plans and grading were caught up.  Friday rolled around and I found myself slightly queasy as I overheard Rodney saying something about me being the one who spoke Chinese...'gulp'.  This could be interesting...

Traveling in China is something I certainly want to do and I believe this trip will be great for giving me confidence in doing that.  It is just that there are so many things that come up that are hard to deal with if you do not have good language skills...we will see how we do :-)

Xi'An Bell Tower at Night

What is in Xi'An you may ask (and I asked some students as well).  Well, Xi'An is home to the Terracotta Warriors...one of the greatest sites in China and considered the 8th Wonder of the World.  In fact, most people say if you have not been to Xi'An to see the warriors...then you have not even been to China!  They also have a very vibrant Muslim Quarter, a huge city wall that goes around the entire city, and several other temples, pagodas, sites and food to explore and see.

Big Goose Pagoda

As I sit here in the Beijing airport waiting to catch our delayed flight (it snowed today for the first time in Beijing...and apparently snow stops planes in China) I have a few main thoughts running through my head.  1.  We managed to get from our apartment to the airport without a hitch (thanks to a student who helped me write out in Chinese 'Please take this man to the airport Terminal 3 :-), 2.  I love Burger King!  The airport has all sorts of delicious American food...and by delicious I mean they have real meat!  3.  The internet here is FANTASTIC!  Way better then on campus or in our apartments.  4.  I am thankful for this opportunity to get out and explore a country with such vast history as China.  It should be an epic weekend :-)

Zaijian,
(Learn Chinese:  T-San-Terminal 3)
Gary

The Silk Market

Today I woke up and realized that there is almost no time between now and when I head home for Christmas!  Woah!  Where did the semester go!!  More importantly...where am I going to get Christmas presents??  I've wanted to go to the Silk Market for some time now; both for the experience and to try to get some presents for my family.  However, I felt as if I shouldn't go for the first time by myself.  For one reason or another I kept missing others who went to the Silk Market and finally woke up this morning and determined...it's now or never.

I made up my mind and threw a map in my newly acquired satchel (well man-purse...so to speak...or maybe more appropriately 'european bag thingy which everyone in Asia seems to have') was out the door and hailing a taxi before I had time to talk myself out of it.  I told the taxi driver Silk Market and we were on our way...and still on our way...and still on our way.  O.k. finally we are there.  (Woah...much longer taxi ride then expected...probably should have taken the subway...but that's o.k. I'm here now and ready to bargain!).

The two scarves I bought for my sister Mary

I step inside the building and am immediately confronted with the sound of yelling, bartering, and people running to and fro.  This place is no joke.  Serious bargainers only.  I realize quickly I need to put my bargaining fears in the past.  I tried out some simple bargaining strategies at the Jin Ma markets and bartered a scarf down 10 RMB (from 40 to 30) and a satchel down 10 RMB as well.  So...yeah...not so great.  But...at least I had tried...and had a little taste of what to expect.  This place is overwhelming...what should I do first...find the scarves.  I drew my sister Mary's name for Christmas and I know I want to buy her two scarves from China...so might as well start there.  I start my way through the first floor and this is certainly different then any of the other markets I've been to in China.  Everyone you pass is speaking English to you begging you to come in...some are reaching out and grabbing you and trying to get you to come in and almost EVERYONE is reaching out and patting my belly.  What?  No lie.  As I walk by it goes like this. 'You like bags'-belly pat. 'You need jeans'-belly pat. 'You like t-shirt'-double belly pat.  Woah...need to find scarves stat!!!

I zoom through floor one...up to floor 2...up to floor 3...up to floor 4...up to floor 5.  I zoom in and out...darting away from belly patters and walking quickly and diverting my eyes to try to stay out of their grasp.  I survey the floors.  It looks like scarves are on floor 3...and I'm off.  I'm walking by stand after stand all with thousands of beautiful scarves and girls yelling at me.  Which one do I stop at?  This lady pats my belly...definitely not stopping...the next lady is yelling at me...nope...next lady says nothing...score!  I'm looking here.  The thing about China is you have to look and decide...quickly!  Two things I'm NOT good at.  But I need to be.  I quickly survey...she thinks I'm looking for myself and I quickly dispel that by pulling out a beautiful purple scarf.  This seems like Mary.  Or at least a good option.  I ask how much in Chinese.  210 RMB.  WHAT!  Holy Moly.  No WAY!  I instinctively start bartering and it goes like this:  210...no...20...no...150...no...50...no 80...no 70...no 75 o.k.  Thirty seconds of bartering and I have the scarf for 75 RMB.  $12.  Good?  No!  That was way to easy.  That was bad bartering Gary...Bad Bad Bad!  But...I know I had to go through this learning experience to do better.  I need to start lower...slow the pace...not go up...let her keep coming down...o.k.  Slower...slower.

You want HOW much for this Adidas Jacket??

I move on.  I come across a shop selling Adidas wear.  I'm a sucker for a black sports jacket and am badly in need of a new one.  Those of you that know me can attest to the fact that my black Nike jacket is old and needs to be tossed.  I go in and she is lively from the beginning.  Smelling a sale she wants to know what I'm after.  An Adidas jacket...what color...black of course.  Of course she has 'just the thing I'm looking for under 18 piles of junk'.  She pulls it out and it is a set of an Adidas track jacket (black) and matching pants.  It looks great.  Will it fit?  Asian clothes generally don't fit me.  So she pulls out the tag XXXXXL is what it says.  Lol...what!  I try it on.  It is a snug fit...but fits well.  I'm definitely not a 5XL...but o.k. whatever...it does look good...I might as well at least barter.  I like it...but won't be heartbroken if I leave without it...probably a good item to practice bargaining with.

I ask how much in Chinese.  She says...oh well originally 2700 RMB but special price for you because you speak Chinese 1850 RMB.  I laugh.  Deal!  No just kidding.  1800 RMB...I am so taken aback by this outlandish price...something like $290.  I laugh.  I know I can practice my bartering here.  I draw it out...I complain in Chinese how it is 'too expensive'.  I hemm and haw...oh so expensive...oh too much.  She goes on and on about quality blah blah blah...finally o.k. special price 1500.  This is ridiculous I'm ready to leave...she pulls me back...you name the price...how much you want to spend.  I need to joke with my price because she joked with her price.  10 RMB.  She laughs...o.k. o.k. she starts coming down a little.  The process goes on and on and on and on.

And on and on and on and on.  I go up slowly and she is coming down...but still way too much.  Eventually we both know I'm going to buy.  But...for how much...after about half an hour we reach a decision 330 RMB.  That is actually a little more than I probably would have wanted to pay...it is maybe $50.  But...maybe it was worth it...it took FOREVER to get the price down that far and she didn't want to do it....and in the end she shook my hand and said you are a great barterer my friend.  (maybe she is just joking because she got lots of money).  But still I think it was good...my friends who barter a lot seem to think it was insane to get them to go down more than 50%...so I'm happy.

Anyways...this gave me confidence.  Now I'm in the game.  What else do I want??  I've made several laps where I've had my eye on this certain pair of mittens.  They are Ugg mittens...black...and look super warm.  Beijing is FREEZING in the winter and I need a good pair of gloves.  Finally I go in.  Duo Show Jian?  250 RMB.  OMG!!!  Are you serious.  This time I'm in it to win it.  I barter hard and fast...40 RMB nope he's not going to do it...I leave...he comes running after and says 'give me your money...don't let anybody see'.  O.k.  Now I really know I've gotten a good deal.  Excited about this success I decide to move on for a second scarf for my sister.  I've heard that with GREAT bartering you can get it to 35...maybe 25 if you are Chinese.  That's my goal...35 RMB.

What do you think?  Is the one on the left worth twice as much?

I find a shop and the lady drags me in.  I tell her I'm looking for my sister and I need a scarf that is bright and colorful.  She brings me a silk scarf that is yellow and orange and super bright.  'Oh everyone loves this...traditional Chinese scarf.'  No that is way too bright...my sister won't like it.  So she says...I know just what she wants and brings me a black scarf.  Umm...no...this is way to dull...let me look around.  At this...the lady loses it.  NO!  YOU LEAVE!  You don't know what you want!  You stupid foreigner!  You not going to buy because you don't know what you want!  Stupid white man!

O.k. the 'stupid white man' crack struck a chord.  I'm not saying I should be proud of what I did next...but it happened.  I tell her that no I am going to buy a scarf for my sister...today...right now!  And that I'm going to pay full price...at the store right next door!  She screams something in Chinese and I'm off.  The next store lets me look around (something the other sales lady was not willing to let me do) and I find a scarf I think Mary will like.  I ask how much and again they start at 210.  This time I hold firm to my bartering and don't budge...keeping 35 as my goal.  Eventually the lady cracks...'you crazy...you want to pay only amount that is enough for a small child ice cream'.  I tell her she needs to find a new place to buy her children ice cream...and she laughs and lowers the price a bit.  I hold firm and eventually...finally...get the scarf for 30 RMB!  YES!!!!!!!! Now that was a great deal.  But I'm not done...oh no.

I take my new scarf back to the shop with the mean sales lady.  She's not there...I ask for her and they go to the back and find her.  She comes out and I show her the scarf.  I say 'Look!  I just purchased this...it is beautiful...and I see you have the exact same one!  I paid full price 210 RMB!'  The sales lady gets all red and is about to lose it...she cannot believe she kicked me out and I overpaid for a scarf she had.  You can see the anger rising.  She screams a high pitched squeal and then starts saying something to herself in Chinese and then says 'Oh that scarf is SOOO Ugly! Your sister must have UGLY face to want to wear such an ugly scarf!!'  I laughed and said goodbye, Merry Christmas and she shrieked and went into the back room seriously miffed that she missed such a sale.

Nothing could top that experience so I was soon on my way out the door to the subway and back home.  First trip to the Silk Market...a raging success!
Zaijian,
(Learn Chinese:  Jiada-FAKE!! Very helpful in bartering)
Gary

Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner??

O.k. so here is my question for you.  Judging by this plate of food in front of me...which meal was I eating?  Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner??

So I'm guessing the egg is probably the dead giveaway right?  This is part of a traditional Chinese breakfast...well...at least the part I took from the buffet I was at.  The soup is a conjee sort of thing (not my favorite...sort of like a rice porridge).  The bun is called mantou and is probably my favorite part of these type of breakfasts because you can either dip it into the 'soup' or sometimes I'll tear it in half and put my hard boiled egg between the halves and have a little sandwich.  The rest of the plate here is just some type of noodles, some green beans, and pickled bamboo.  Usually there is a huge selection of vegetables...often even a vegetable salad (at 7:00 a.m. it is hard for me to eat a vegetable salad).  They will also often put their version of coffee on the buffet (don't be fooled...get just the regular hot water instead...trust me).

So there you have it...a traditional Chinese breakfast.  So what do I eat you may be asking?  Well...I've fallen in love with these things called jian bing.  They are kind of like an egg pancake sort of crepe thing.  They start with a batter they put out on a crepe machine.  Then they take and crack an egg or two in it and spread that around.  After they flip it they put on different spices, lettuce, onions, a huge pork rind (I think that's what it is...it is really crunchy) and I have them put a stick of processed meat in it too.  Sounds disgusting right?  Nope....delicious!  Love em.  Chris and I often dream of starting a jian bing stand in the U.S.  They only cost about 4 RMB here...but they are HUGE and delicious...mmm!

O.k. enough about food...off to teach :-)
Zaijian,
Gary

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

In Denver, the Thanksgiving Holiday is always engulfed in our Fall Break...meaning we have the entire week off from work and school to enjoy cooking, eating, being with friends, shopping, watching football, etc.  In Beijing...there is no such thing as Fall Break...or Thanksgiving!!  What this means is that I had to teach all day today :-(  However...I had plans to make it a special day even if I had to teach for 10 hours :-)

The day started out pretty normally with tons of last minute prep and office hours with students coming in to ask all sorts of questions.  Several also were aware it was Thanksgiving and made sure to wish me a Happy Thanksgiving (although it was clear they did not understand the holiday).  Before teaching I made plans with my office mate Rob to make the most of our Thanksgiving and do something special.  We both have to teach from 2-4 and then again from 7-9 so we decided to have Peking Duck at the restaurant on campus in celebration of Thanksgiving.  With the plan in tow I headed down to start my walk to class.

On the way out of the building I was met by three different students (two of whom I didn't even know) who came bearing roses and cards wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving (all of the students here at ICB show such great respect toward their professors...even one's they don't have!).  How could this not be a great day?  I got to my classroom and decided to start class by explaining to the students a little about Thanksgiving.  Hmm...well...o.k.

They certainly did NOT understand the part about parades...yeah...not at all.  Oh and everyone LINING UP and WAITING IN LINE for half a day EVEN ALL NIGHT to go SHOPPING...they didn't even laugh...they just couldn't comprehend.  Remember, there are really no such things as waiting lines here...so the fact that they could see pictures of people lined up for miles around stores was just beyond comprehension.  They understood the 'be thankful' part and had somewhere along the line been told a story about pioneers and Indians that vaguely resembles our Thanksgiving holiday.  But...what they really grasped onto was my description of how in the States everyone usually eats something delicious.  They could certainly get on board with that. 

After class I walked back to the office and received 4 more roses...wow!  I also think it is funny how EVERYONE knows I'm a professor here...students I've never seen...but I guess I do kind of stick out like a sore thumb.  Anyways...it was a very pleasant day so far and our dinner hadn't even begun!  I went to the office and found Rob and then went down the hall looking for others to join our festivities.  I found one of our English Faculty Christine in her office and talked her into joining as well.  Soon Christine, Rob and I were sitting down to a huge feast of Peking Duck, Absolutely wonderful sow-thistle salad (seriously delicious), spicy tofu, spinach greens, and these other seriously delicious treats called cereal dumplings (although they are not dumplings and do not contain cereal...you will just have to come visit me in China to find out their true deliciousness!).  We had a wonderful feast and great conversation and it was truly wonderful to be with such kind and wonderful people on Thanksgiving.

Dinner wrapped up and Rob and I both had to teach at 7:00 so we were soon on our way.  I had one last mission to accomplish before class.  Patrick (unfortunately) introduced me to the most wonderful, delicious, incredible cream-puff stand.  I decided as a Thanksgiving treat I would buy my students cream puffs.  I go up to the man and order 10 RMB worth of cream puffs.  Not a lot of money...but a WHOLE LOT OF CREAM PUFFS!!!  I'm half running to class because I think I might be running a little late when I start hearing 'PROFFFFFESSSSSSOR'.  It is one of my students from a different class.  She is running to catch up with me and shaking her finger at me and scolding.  What did I do?  What is wrong?  I finally begin to understand her.  'YOU CANNOT EAT ALL THOSE CREAM PUFFS!'  'Professor...no!!  You will get so sick...they are bad for you!'  Oh I get it now.  I try so hard not to laugh.  She is so concerned and scolding me like a mother would do her 2 year old child who is getting into the cookie jar.  I try my best to explain to her they are for all of my students...not myself...that I am bringing them a Thanksgiving treat.  She half-way believes me and lets me go on my way.

As I'm running into Building 3 I get to the elevator just as two of my students are climbing in.  They both gasp in unison at my bag of Cream Puffs!  'NO!!'.  'Too much cream!'  'Professor...you will get so fat!!!  You cannot eat all those!  No!  Do not buy so many...they are bad for you...professor you cannot eat all those!'  I'm just about dying of laughter and this makes them more concerned.  We are to the classroom soon enough and everyone else is soon tuned in to the large bag of cream puffs...the look of awe is too much.  I yell out Happy Thanksgiving and it takes them awhile to understand and then everyone gets it and they begin to enjoy their delicious treat.  Several mentioned that we should have Thanksgiving more than once a year :-)

All in all, there was no turkey, no family, no soup and games Friday, no Black Friday, no It's A Wondeful Life, no week off from school, and no football...but it was a pretty incredible Thanksgiving.

Zaijian,
Gary

Needing an 'American' Day

Today I woke up bound and determined to get ahead on my grading before the weekend officially starts and to enjoy some American pleasures that I have resisted for so long here in the 'Jing'.  I can only be talking about one thing...going to Starbucks to grade!

Yes, there are Starbucks in China...lots of them...and there is even one decently close to where I live.  The only problem is that it is extremely expensive (o.k. it is probably only a little bit more expensive then in the states...but it seems like it is so much more expensive then the states because relative to China prices...Starbucks is ridiculous!).  So I have held out...until today :-)

And it was...glorious!  Oh the coffee was delicious...I ordered something like an Almond Cherry Latte...mmm (for about 37 RMB or something like that...which is a little more than 6).  With coffee pumping through my veins I was able to get all my weekend grading done and catch up on my lesson planning for the week.  Hmm...maybe I should come to Starbucks more often :-0

Zaijian,
Gary

A Dinner Party (Finally!)

So if you know me at all...you know I love to cook...and have people over.  The lack of a kitchen and entertaining space was KILLING me in the guesthouse where I previously lived so I figured now that I've been in the new apartment for 2 weeks it is by far time I've had some people over.  The only real question...what am I going to make???

I went to the farmers market(ish) bizarre this morning and came home with some great spoils:  tons of green chiles, red onions, potatoes, carrots, fresh garlic, lettuce, cilantro, tomatoes, pumpkin, chicken bouillon (of all things) and salt and pepper (all for about...oh $4).  I brought them home and frantically cleaned my apartment (to have official guests over) and began planning a menu.  I knew I wanted to make a nice salad since those are hard to make in the guesthouse and aren't common to be ordered at the restaurants around.  I also decided on some roasted pumpkin with a little olive oil and honey, a spicy meatball soup, breaded chicken fingers (since I had chicken to use up), and roasted asparagus.

Giving the Asian sign for excitement!

Cooking in China has been a little difficult so far just since I haven't fully decided to 'stock' my kitchen yet.  That means that I really only have a wok and a very small sauce pan to cook in (although I do have a rice cooker and a blender as well...wohoo).  Beijing also doesn't have ovens...but Rob lent me a little toaster oven so that will have to make do.  Everything actually came together quite nicely with the only real challenge being that the soup I made was a smaller pot then I usually make for 4 people.  It did turn out DELICIOUS though!  I originally wasn't sure what type of soup it was going to be.  I was thinking potato (ish).  But I kept adding to it and then eventually decided to make some meatballs to go with it and...boom...it was was a winning combination.  At 7:30 on the dot (even though we planned on eating at 7:00...lol) Chris, Enoch and Brenda showed up at the door hungry and demanding food!  So we all sat down to eat :-)

My first dinner guests :-)

I soon realized the other slight challenge I have in this new apartment...dishes and utensils!  Oops...I only really have enough for 3 ish...but we made do!

Chris giving Brenda the Googely eye.

Chris enjoyed the soup and Brenda enjoyed the pumpkin!!

Afterward Chris went home because he wasn't feeling well (it wasn't from the food...I swear!!!) from a cold he caught the night before.  Then Brenda, Enoch and myself sat down to watch Freakanomics with a few pots of tea and some leftover ginger taffy from PingYao...mmm!  What a great night.

That's all for now,
Zaijian,
Gary

Why I Won't Be Eating Turkey on Thanksgiving

So today I came across my first turkey since coming to China...

And from a different angle...

Now does anybody question me for giving up my hopes of a turkey dinner here for Thanksgiving?  Yeah...I didn't think so.  In fact, the only question I think we really should be asking is, "what exactly is wrong with these turkeys?"  Any guesses?

Zaijian,
Learn Chinese:  Neo Rho Mian-Beef Noodle Soup (The pinyin is Gary spelling of course).
Gary

A Trip to Zhong Guan Cun-Think The Electronics Mall of America

Today Chris, Bobby (English teaching Irish guy with an accent so thick I only understand about every 3rd word he says) and I ventured out to Zhong Guan Cun.  This is a 'legendary' portion of Beijing which I had heard much about.  It is the electronics mecca of China and has everything Apple/Best Buy/Amazon could ever even imagine to sell (and all their clones :-)

Chris really wanted to go but I told him I had no idea where it was...so I was not confident in going out just the two of us.  So we knocked on Bobby's door and luckily he was up for a little outing (and he also speaks quite a bit of Chinese...which is useful).  We headed to a cab and Bobby simply says 'Zhong Guan Cun'...well...I guess that was easy, well as long as you know how to pronounce it correctly that is.  As we pull out I begin to wonder if I've actually been to this place.  Eventually the cab is taking a route which I am very familiar with and he ends by pulling in front of a subway station which I am very familiar with.  The place that I go on Sunday mornings is near here and the taxi drivers will never take me all the way there...instead they always insist I want to go to this place.  I never had any idea what it was or why the taxi drivers always dropped me off here instead of at chrch.  But now I get it...this place is a huge attraction so they just always assume the 'tourist' will be going here.

At any rate we get out and are faced with two huge Mall type buildings.  We head in and we are met with floor after floor after floor of every electronic gadget/gizmo you could ever imagine.  One floor of headphones...one for computer parts...one for computers...one for tablets...wow!  This place is a techies dream come true!  Chris is looking for computer batteries and I'm sort of/kind of looking for an external hard drive.  Enoch sold me a piece of crap external hard drive for $50...which is cheap...but it only works half the time.  So I'm sort of in the market.  I take my time to practice some Chinese and even some bartering...I finally have started using the terminology for 'how much is it' and this seems like a good place to just get practice with that.  I end up bartering a few but nothing is really in my price range so I decide not to buy.  Chris barters FOREVER in English...but eventually changes his mind from 3 computer batteries for his laptop to a fancy charger gizmo that he can use to charge his zune and computer on the plane.  He is looking at getting a really heavy duty one and tries it out on his zune when...kablooy...it destroys the Zune...well that marked the end of our trip to Zhong Guan Cun.

Chris and Bobby in the background...Can you spot them? 

We leave the electronics superstores with nothing...but I have an idea...'Bobby...is Carrfour near here?'  Bobby responds, "elkj dkhe jeidh.  ejkldjfi right here."  And he takes off.  I take this as a good sign that it is close and he is leading us to it.  Carrfour is a foreigner grocery outlet with many coveted items that you cannot find in any of the markets/stores around us.  I've heard that it may even have tortillas...and real cheese!  Two items I've been craving like nobody's business!  We head in and the place is PACKED!  But we are determined.  I head out and quickly find tortillas (yes!!!!!!!!!), all sorts of real cheese, butter (score!!), a nice bottle of wine (woohoo!), and a loaf of zucchini bread (my favorite!).  I was unsuccessful in finding coconut oil...but that's o.k. I've chalked that up as an impossible find in Beijing already.  We check out (after waiting FOREVER in line...surprisingly since this is a foreigner grocery store...they actually do wait in lines here :-) and head home after the long day.

The drive home was rather interesting because we came upon a small traffic jam (not unusual for the 'Jing') but unusual because a man is outside his car YELLING at another car.  The man then reaches out and opens the car door of this car and continues yelling.  He then reaches in and grabs the man and pulls him out!  They are both screaming at each other...the man gets back in his car...and the guy reaches in and pulls him out again!  No punches were thrown but many words were exchanged...our taxi pulled on through and I'm not quite sure what came of that showdown...but it was certainly something I'd never seen before.

That night I made up a batch of pseudo taco meat and had 'tacos'!  Oh they were so delicious!  The next morning I had breakfast burritos and then tacos for lunch and supper and alas...the tortillas were gone.  What a welcome change to my vegetable and rice diet.  Carrfour...I will be back :-)

Zaijian,
(Learn chinese:  shen ma-what?  Very good one to know)
Gary

Catching Up A Bit

So it has been a very long time since I last blogged (although I'm going to make it look like it was just about a week by changing the date of this post and therefore bribing myself into trying to catch up and fill in the blogs I've been missing the last couple of months).  The problem is the internet here in the PRC.  Every time I try to post a blog I am kicked off multiple times and it just became too time consuming...but with a renewed push from friends to continue writing about my adventures I have developed a new method for blogging which will hopefully help to remedy this situation.

So here goes nothing...my attempt to catch up on the last 2.5 months of life in the PRC and my vacation back home :-)

(Above:  A picture of me with Chris and Enoch enjoying duck)

Zaijian,
Gary

Merry Christmas...Already!!

Those of you that know me are aware of the fact that I LOVE Christmas time and everything associated with it.  I'm not really quite sure as to why...but I always have.  The music, the food, the decorations, Christmas movies...especially Christmas movies.  So that is why I was especially pleased to hear Jingle Bells when I walked into Merry Mart today and saw this...

Oh the Christmas wonderland has already started here in China!! 

My students also asked me to play Santa Clause in the school Christmas Play.  That really made my day when that happened.  They said...you are so jolly...you must be Santa!  Unfortunately I will be home at that point in time so won't be able to :-(  Oh well...I think having a copy of It's A Wonderful Life and Elf will help.

Zaijian,
Gary

Beijing Duck

Before coming to China all of the tour guide books said, "you must try the Beijing Duck".  Therefore, it has been the one dish that I've been super excited to try...but for some reason I haven't up until this point.  However, now sounds like as a good a time as ever to remedy that :-)

On Saturday night Chris, Enoch, and I met up with a couple of local Beijingers (Grace and Terry) who were going to take us to a restaurant for Beijing Duck and a dish that Terry labeled 'the best kung pao chicken ever'.  Our adventure started with a bus ride.  Yep...I decided to try out the bus system again even after my last experience where I felt for sure I was going to be plastered against the wall and fossilized like an ancient leaf due to the stampeding Chinese filtering in and out of the cramped space.  Thankfully this time went much better...and I realized that I have a distinct advantage over every one else in that I'm tall and can see over the masses.  My 'skills' were utilized and I became the 'spotter', keeping track of our group and relaying information back and forth to Chris (the other resident tall guy) about the location of our group members.

Five bus stops later and my job soon transitioned to offensive lineman.  Getting off the bus is perhaps the most difficult part.  There are hoards of people trying to go all different directions and always seemingly hundreds trying to get onto the bus.  All of those people trying to get out run into the wall of people getting on and there is no system for allowing people to exit first...so it is mass chaos as two tidal waves of people meet.  Therefore, I'm supposed to put my head down and move forward and create a hole for my running backs...I mean friends....to exit as well.

After making it off the bus we were excited to find out Terry had actually made reservations (didn't know that was possible here) so we were able to go right in.  We had Terry take control and he ordered us up a feast including the duck, the kung pao chicken dish, my favorite spicy long beans, jellyfish (which are surprisingly chewy and taste JUST like you would expect jellyfish to taste...if you can imagine that), spicy cabbage, and I'm sure other things that I am forgetting.  We feasted on the dishes and then finally...it was time for the duck.  First they bring out a little tiny plate with a tiny amount of duck.  This was supposed to be the special duck breast meat that you dip in a little tiny bit of sugar.  WOW!  These little pieces were AMAZING.  Then the rest of the duck came and Terry gave us all a demo on how to properly enjoy the duck :-)  If you are interested...here is Terry's explanation.

(Oops...apparently videos don't load well here...I'll try again later).

After enjoying the delicious duck they bring out these...

Yep...that's our ducks head (and beak).  Apparently the brains of the duck are considered a delicacy here...and you wouldn't want to let them go to waste...right.  Our brains just sat there...in the duck heads as Grace and Terry weren't big 'brain' fans either :-)

All in all...a great night!  I hope that everyone gets to experience Beijing Duck at least once in their life!

New Apartment

A couple of days ago I told Patrick (the assistant director here) that I was interested in moving into the apartments if one opened up.  The next day...one opened up!  Then I had to decide whether I really wanted to move in or not...lol.

It was a tough decision because living in the guest house is free...and my roommate who I was going to move in with bailed with me at the last moment.  However, in the end I decided to go for it because it meant I would have a kitchen and a spare bedroom and bathroom for when visitors come in the Spring :-)

So what does it look like (note:  these pictures don't do it justice...but they are the best I have)...well it has two bedrooms...

(This is the Master with a king size bed...which in theory is nice...but still way hard and uncomfortable).

This is the spare bedroom (who's coming to visit me?  Who?)

Here is my glorious kitchen!  Yes, it is small...but it is wonderful to be able to cook again!

It has no oven...but two great gas burners and two sinks...yay!  I have since put one of my three desks in the apartment in the kitchen against the wall I am standing by to use as extra counter space...and it works quite well.  Top that with my friend Rob lending me a toaster oven, wok, small pot, and a tea pot...and I'm pretty well set!

There are also two bathrooms...one in the master and a guest bathroom.

The thing that is a little different about these Chinese bathrooms is that there are American Toilets...yay!  And of course the showers...just run everywhere...You can see that more in the picture of the other bathroom...

Yep...there's a shower in there too...where?  Oh right on the left of the toilette...a little different...but it gets the job done.  This is WAY more apartment then I could ever need...as it also has an office...

A living room...

A dining room...

A Laundry room...

And a couple of sunrooms.  Yes, I think this place will be good :-)

Zaijian,
Gary
(Learn Chinese:  May Murr-No Way)