Addiction

So...I have certainly found my absolute favorite thing to eat here in China...and I might be slightly addicted...

These are Huang Fei Hong peanuts which I translate as Hot and Numbing (although I have no idea what it really translates to).  They are perhaps the most amazing taste experience I've ever had...and they are super cheap at 8.8 RMB a piece from the local convenience store.  I find myself secretly plotting how I am going to get a whole suitcase of these things back home to the states.

The thing about these peanuts that makes them so great is they come with a TON of two different types of dried peppers mixed in.  The first is the long skinny one which you see on the picture which is really HOT!  The second is called ma pepper (pronounced ma ah if that makes sense).  This pepper is little teeny tiny and is a numbing pepper which literally numbers your lips, tongue, etc.  I try not to eat this pepper directly but inevitably 'accidentally' get a few...which makes the whole experience even better.  Today I discovered that enjoying with a carton of almond milk makes for pretty much the most amazing snack ever.

Other than that, the only other thing I typically buy at the convenience stores these days  are these...

Now you may be saying to yourself...isn't that just Ramen Noodles?  And the answer is 'yes'...but 'no'.  The Ramen Noodles here are about 3 RMB (maybe about 45 cents...so more expensive then ramin in the states...and more expensive then a huge bottle of beer!) and worth every penny.  The ramen here is done RIGHT.  These are always full of spiciness and dried meat that actually tastes decent once it is boiled...the flavors cannot be compared to that in the states...not a bad dinner if I do say so myself.

The other exciting food news is that I found an Italian Restaurant...Luigies!!!  It is ON CAMPUS too!!  AND the best part is that it is open all day (because of my teaching schedule I like to eat at around 2-2:30...and NOTHING else seems to be open anywhere at that time...but Luigies is!!).  It does its best to represent Italian food with the restraint that cheese is very rare and hard to come by...but they do have it!!  I would say their Italian dishes are probably on scale with a very very low scale Italian restaurant (probably wouldn't eat at it in the states)...but it is a nice treat to be able to enjoy those dishes at all here.  The other thing is they make a type of dish almost like risotto that is DELICIOUS.  It is basically a cooked/baked rice with pizza toppings and cheese...mmmm!  Oh and one more great amazing hugely awesome fact...they know their audience.  The menus come in ENGLISH as well...so you always know what you are eating (or at least their best English translation which is really cute) and they are super nice.  O.k. yes, new favorite restaurant.  Is it sad I've already been there three times this week?  (Do keep in mind it is almost impossible to eat in our rooms so we have to eat out a lot...and it is rather cheap...the rice dish I like is about $2.20.)

O.k. I think that's enough about food...you people are going to think all I ever do is eat...but that is something that all of the faculty have in common...we all have to eat.  So it is something we can bond over.  The other happenings here involve the Chinese National Holiday.  Apparently, everyone in China gets the ENTIRE NEXT WEEK OFF.  Brilliant!  The U.S. seriously needs to discover this concept.  It is awesome because families can really travel together because their kids in college and in regular school get the holiday off, they get the holiday off, their grandparents get the holiday off.  It really is a great idea.  I just have to figure out what I'm going to do with my holiday.  Any suggestions?  I did finally get my passport back (multi-entry...wohoo).  But by the time I got it back it was too late to plan any exotic vacations.  So I'll have to think of some fun things to do around here.  Maybe the Summer Palace.

Well, I better run...I'm the only faculty member who has class tomorrow (so my students are the only ones with class the Friday before Holiday...might make for some crankiness...I hope not).

Zaijian,
Gary

Learn Chinese:  Jega-This One  Niga or Nega-That one (Very useful when ordering food).

A Whole Lot Of Pink

I haven't had a lot to say in the last couple of days but did find something that I think many of my friends from back home will appreciate...(or laugh at...one of the two).

Yes, that is right...any home appliance that you could ever want or need comes in Hello Kitty pink here.  It should be noted that these are not intended for little kids...these are items for grown adults (coffee maker...egg poacher...etc.).  This is the only picture I could find that accurately depicts the obsession with pink and Hello Kitty here.  So...if anyone over there in the States just absolutely needs a pink toaster...let me know :-)

Zaijian,
Gary

The Forbidden City/Tian'anmen Square/Getting Ripped Off-All in One Day!

The last few days here I sort of got myself into a little rut and a little negative thinking.  Getting sick didn't help matters out and I was pretty much Mr. Kranky Pants all day on Friday.  I was just feeling defeated by China...defeated by the language, the cultural differences in politeness etiquette, the crazy drivers/bikers...defeated by my bike which blew a tire during my first ride...just plain beaten down and defeated.  However, I woke up on Saturday morning (about 10:30) feeling much better!  My sore throat was gone and I decided it was my time to just take on this darn city.  I'm good at meeting people and relying on people to help me out.  That I guess would be one of my modes of survival.  I can get along with just about anyone and so this first month I have made it a point to go with groups everywhere.  The problem with always going with groups everywhere is that you never get any practice on your own.

So today I woke up and was determined that I was going to conquer my fears of this city and go do something on my own.  I had three main goals for the day.  1)  Take a taxi on my own.  This means that I would hail it on my own...tell the driver where I wanted to go...actually get to that destination, pay and leave.  2)  Figure out the subway system and take it home from a complicated destination and 3)  Explore a touristy site that I haven't been to yet.  Around 11:00 I was dressed and ready to go...the conviction that I had to conquer the city had come to me upon waking up (around 10:30) and I wanted to go and make it happen before I lost my confidence.  So without looking up anything online, without calling any friends, and without even grabbing a map...I left my room as soon as I was dressed and was at the South Gate hailing a taxi within 2 minutes (trust me...if I had given myself any more time to think about this...I certainly would have talked myself out of it...I would have convinced myself that careful preparation is the best way to ensure a successful trip...there is not an ounce of spontaneity in my entire body).

I left my room thinking I was going to the Summer Palace...and then decided on the Forbidden City...within seconds of raising my hand there was a taxi...I open the door and what pops out of my mouth...Tian'anmen Square.

What?  That wasn't the plan...o.k. I guess a little spontaneity.  Tian'anmen Square it is.  After about a minute the driver was convinced he knew where I wanted to go and I got in and left my safe world behind...off to who knows where (literally...the taxi driver could have been driving me to ANYWHERE...and I would have had no idea if it was right or wrong...if I was being driven to my execution or a tourist site...but as with most things in China...I just went with it).  But about 20 minutes later my driver was dropping me off and I had seen a sign for Tian'anmen Lu (road)...so I knew I had accomplished my first goal...score!  Only problem is this...where is the square?  I step out where the taxi driver left me and immediately am bombarded with people yelling at me 'Sir' 'Sir' 'Sir' everyone wants a piece of the white man.  Not just yelling at you though...grabbing you...shoving things in your face...dragons...water...souvenirs...tour guides....boo yao (I don't want)...they are grabbing again...boo yao (a little louder)...finally I turn in their face (BOOO YAOOO).  Another comes (BOO YAOOO)...another I get even louder with my screams (BOOO YAOOO).

It is not considered rude here to do that.  It is the ONLY way they will leave you alone.  Trust me.  I am not the type to EVER yell in someone's face.  But, when you are the only white man at a tourist destination...you might as well be a wounded zebra that has fallen in the middle of a pack of lions...they are out to pounce on you and they won't take anything but yelling directly in their face and quickly walking away as an answer of no.

O.k.  That took a bit of learning...but I quickly adapt...what's next...oh yes...where is the darn square.  Well, I think it is across this busy street that must have 16 lanes of traffic.  Yes, I'm pretty sure it is over there...but there is NO WAY anyone could EVER cross that street.  Plus, there is a herd of people headed over in the opposite direction.  Let me follow the herd...although every instinct is telling me to find a way to cross that street...the herd beckons me.  Quickly I find where the herd has headed.  We are at a mecca of shopping.  It is an awesome display of shops and people that reminded me SO MUCH of Diagon Alley from Harry Potter.  You can buy anything here from silk to pearls to sweets and clothes.  There is a poor white man who has been suckered into a 'tour'.  I hear him being told all about how on your left is a very famous pharmacy in Beijing and I make a mental note to NEVER accept a tour from any of the million offers that you get.

After exploring the shops for awhile and realizing that I wasn't in the market for buying anything quite yet I decided to head off to the actual square (because I had determined by now that this wasn't what I was looking for).  I headed back to that big street that I knew I had to cross and on a hunch headed down to the subway tunnel near it.  Apparently you have to go in through the subway tunnel to go underneath the street and come out on the other side...clever!  Oh yes...I am finally here!  But wait...there is not much to see here.  Maybe it is because of the incredible smog that was out today or perhaps because there just isn't much to see at the actual square itself.  But at any rate there aren't many people there...just a couple of Chinese men taking pictures of themselves with the square in the background.  I offer to take a picture of the both of them and they agree and then take a picture of me.  They state that they are on their way to the Forbidden City and we can walk together if I want.

Dilemma.  I was raised in Montana.  I was raised to believe that people are good, friendly, and that you should be friendly in return.  I also know that any white person is an incredible target for scams.  But these guys are tourists themselves...we met because I offered to take their picture.  I make a judgement call and decide to go with them.  Here's the other thing...I wasn't entirely sure where the Forbidden City was.  Remember, I didn't look at a map or anything...just headed out into the unknown...at any rate...they seem nice it couldn't hurt to walk with them.  We walk through the whole Tian'anmen Square and I don't see much of anything...surely the Forbidden City has got to be more exciting.

(This is the famous part of Tian'anmen Square...a better picture of it at least).

So we head off together to the Forbidden City.  To make a long story short I ended up being scammed by these guys for $110.  What was the scam...it doesn't matter.  The only thing common about the scams they pull on the white people here is that you never see them coming and you often don't even know you were scammed until later on when you have recapped all of the details.  I was unsure until I actually got all the way home later that night that I was scammed.  I felt terrible about it.  So embarrassed because you read all the things NOT to do...but they are always just one step ahead of you.  Then I found out I was not alone.  Three others here had already been scammed and the people who have been here for years have seen a million of them.  Like what?  A rickshaw ride that they say is 3 RMB and then they won't let you leave until you pay them 150...a taxi ride that should be 10 RMB but they don't start the meter and charge 600 RMB...going out to dinner and the bill comes to Thousands of RMB for what should be say 50...getting a cup of coffee together and the bill coming to 1500 RMB.  Stuff like that.  So...it happens.  I guess you learn from it.  I need a few weeks before I can trust anyone on the streets again...at all.  The whole rest of the day when these people would come up to me I would just bolt away or yell immediately at them to get them to leave me alone.  The best policy...if you are out by yourself DO NOT EVEN TALK TO ANYONE THAT YOU MEET UNLESS YOU ALREADY KNOW THEM.  It sounds harsh and unfair...but the numbers here don't lie.  Unfortunately this has completely turned me off to wanting to see any more tourist sites...AT ALL.  Maybe I will get over that...hopefully...because Saturdays are great days to explore.

O.k. back to my adventures.  After these guys scammed me (and I didn't REALLY know it at the time) they STILL walked me over to the entrance of the Forbidden City (ha...maybe I'll just think of it as purchasing two personal tour guides for $110...really they weren't bad company at all...they even invited me to come stay with them in Shanghai if I ever visited there...MUAHAHAHAHA they were great liars).  So I'm finally at the Forbidden City and I'm happy that they have finally parted ways with me.  I was able to successfully manage the ticket line, purchase my ticket and get where I needed to go without the use of a 'private tour' which I was offered about 25 times.

Above:  A picture of the moat surrounding the entrance to the Forbidden City.

Once inside I was really glad I came.  This whole place is just magnificent.  The architecture is very similar throughout but it is just HUGE.

I took a couple of hours to explore within the Forbidden City and then decided it was time to head home.  I knew of several subway stops I had seen near Tian'anmen Square so I headed back that direction and quickly found a stop that seemed suitable.  I bought my ticket (2 RMB...super cheap) and headed off to figure out how I was going to get home.  After some inspection I realized this was going to require three separate trains and two transfers...but that is exactly what I was hoping for...something complicated to prove to myself I can get anywhere I want with the subway.

Turns out, the subway was super easy to navigate, even though it was incredibly busy.

I eventually found myself where I needed to be at the Wou Dau Ko station...which is about a 45 minute walk from where I live.  I was going to take a taxi home from there, but got busy exploring the shops nearby and eventually just walked the rest of the way back.  It was a long day and I was completely and utterly exhausted from all of the walking, emotionally drained from dealing with being scammed, and was coughing up a lung from breathing in all of that pollution for 9 hours...but overall, I considered it a success.  I tackled many of my fears of getting out and about and saw a little bit of the city.  Next time I will know more on how to avoid the scams...and have confidence that I can get around.  That is more than enough for tonight...Monday morning comes a lot earlier here than in the States :-)

Zaijian,
Gary

A Little Pick Me Up

This weekend was a VERY rough weekend for me.  I think perhaps I hit some sort of a wall as the newness of things is wearing off and the frustration of certain things that I just cannot figure out is weighing heavier.  Top it all off with being scammed by a couple of Chinese 'tourists' for about $120 and I was in a pretty foul mood.

I reached my breaking point and realized it was time to cash in my get out of jail free card and figure out how to call to the U.S. from here (non-Skype).  Why?  Because it is just so much easier and certain people I need to talk to refuse to use Skype.  So I broke down and called my friend Ryan and was able to vent some of my frustrations.  I'm not sure it made me feel much better about living here...or the situation...but it was just really good to talk to an old friend.  I also wrote a Blog entitled 'What You Really Need To Know About China'.  It was really good.  A poetic masterpiece some might say.  But I sent it away to a few editors who advised me to keep it in my back pocket for awhile.  At least until I was 100% certain that it was what I really wanted to say.  So I'll let that one ruminate awhile...you might see it some day...but for now I'll stick to safer subjects.

Like I said, talking to Ryan helped a little...but I was still in a funk...so I did what every parent would do when their child is cranky...I went to bed.  I woke up this morning feeling better...and then I looked over at my desk and felt a lot better...I saw this

For those of you that have been deprived all of your lives and don't know what that item on the right is...it is a French Press...a glorious French Press!!!  Not only is it a coffee maker...it is my favorite type of coffee maker!  And right next to it...a coffee grinder...and to its left...coffee beans!!!  In the badness of the weekend I almost forgot...my friend Rob (who really has been too good to me since I've gotten here and has taken care of me like nobody's business) GAVE me the French Press and the sack of coffee beans.  Wow!  What an amazingly nice thing to do.  Apparently he 'inherited' them from somebody who was here until the end of last Spring and doesn't drink much coffee...so he passed them on to me.  Can we all take a moment and say THANK YOU ROB!!!

The coffee grinder is not mine but Arielle (who lives right down the hall) had her friend send it to her...so now we have all the key components to make coffee!!!  I also found that I can purchase more fresh coffee beans at a Starbucks which is close...they are not cheap...but worth it in my book :-)  Now all I need is a nice mug for my coffee.  All of the mugs here are so small.  They couldn't hold a good cup of coffee if they tried...and plus...the majority of them around here come with Hello Kitty on them...not going to work.  So I went out and splurged.  There is one type of coffee mug that I love...and I knew where to get it...

O.k. so 90 RMB is a little pricey for a coffee mug here (but at $12 is about what it would cost at Starbucks in the states)...but it will also make a great souvenir...right?  Yeah, totally worth it.  And now I have a mug big enough to make tea in as well...yes!!!  So with this incredible pick me up staring me in the face, how could I not have a better start to the day?  Yes...today will be a better day :-)

Above:  The French Press in action at 8:30 P.M. tonight...yes that's a little late for coffee...but that is when I got all the pieces together...the beans, the grinder, the press...and I figured...I had some blogging to do, so why not?

Zaijian,
Gary

Bonus:  Learn Chinese.  No-Boo or Mayo (as in no we don't have).  Two good words to know.

Something Edible...

Part of the great adventure here in China is trying out all of the different cuisines and finding what is good and what is less desirable.  Since we've been finding a lot of foods that don't agree with our stomachs we decided to go out on the hunt for something from home...or home-ish.  Our stomachs led our little group out a little beyond the campus gates to something readily available in Denver...Korean BBQ!

We were all particularly excited for Korean BBQ because we have been lacking protein in our diets.  It is really hard to find meat here for some reason...and once you do...you are never quite sure what kind of meat it is.  So this place will definitely do the trick.  We sat down...and even better...picture menus!!!!  Yes!!  These are coveted items around here...seeing a picture of something before you order it is worth a thousand words.  We ordered up an array of meats that we recognized (mostly different parts of beef) and they soon came out with a little 'oven' for our table with hot coals and a rack to cook the meat, see...

We were busy grilling all sorts of meats and vegetables and when they were done you wrap them all up in a lettuce wrap with some other spicy vegetables and kimchi and radishes and other deliciousness until they look like this...

And then you eat them.  Mmm...they were pretty good.  Not really as filling as I had hoped for (unless you order plates and plates and plates of meat).  But Kelcey (our lone exchange student from UCD...who's pink hair has gained her much fame from everyone in China) seemed to enjoy :-)

After dinner Enoch and I set out on a search for the perfect dessert.  Now in China it is very hard to find anything with sugar...or anything sweet...so this was not going to be easy.  But...together...we could make this happen.  Earlier in the day he had purchased some 'cake crust' from the local CBD (Central Business District...or in other words...tiny little shops right behind where we live).  Where the actual cake goes...I don't know.  All we can ever find are the cake crusts (think the ends of the cake that a cake artist would cut off if they were sculpting it or something).  So he brought over his cake crusts to my place and I busted out the Nussa (Nutella essentially but Nussa is the name from whatever country that I found it in the international aisle for) and some long wafer sticks.

Idea...use a chocolate wafer stick as a knife and scoop out Nussa and spread it on the cake crust!!!  Below is Enoch happily modeling the delicate, yet delicious procedure. 

Everyone we introduced this new treat to declared it to be the winning Chinese dessert.  Sweet, chocolaty, delicious...and fun!!  I guess if you look closely enough you can see a big bottle of beer on the left (ee ping pegio).  Just a sidenote...these are like 30 cents here...cheaper than the water.  I think America has a tax problem on their alcohol...because according to the Chinese...it is dirt cheap to distribute (I think about 20 cents of the price is due to the bottle).

Anyways, it was a good food night.  A much needed one...off to see if I can find more cake crust...mmmm.

Zaijian,
Gary

A New Set of Wheels

One thing that has become apparent during my short stay here in Beijing is that there is only so far my feet can take me.  I decided about a week ago (after 3 hours of walking to get to the subway and back and do a little shopping) that a bicycle was quickly headed to the top of my list of necessities.  But not just any bicycle would do.  My friend Laurent was looking for a beautiful fold up bike that you can take on the subway with you and even on the plane back to the states.  Those cost about 5000 RMB.  Another friend got a nice racing bike that he can take to the Olympic Stadium and ride to his hearts content.  My dream...a piece of crap bicycle with a basket, brakes that work, and a lock.  A bike that works well enough to get me to the subway station quickly...but looks rundown enough that people would not have the urge to steal it.  A bike that is cheap enough that if it gets stolen...no tears are cried.

Well, today was my lucky day.  Behold my beautiful new set of wheels

So how did I happen to get a bicycle today?  Well, I was headed to dinner when I saw Enoch coming back from class.  He mentioned his bicycle chain was broken and he was going to go get it fixed...the perfect opportunity for me to tag along and check out any bikes that the little repairman may be selling.  While Enoch was negotiating a new chain I was allowed to take the two bikes for sale out for a spin.  One did not have a basket...so it was pretty much out of the question right off the bat.  (In America I realize that baskets are almost never put on a bicycle and if they are...it almost always references a girl's bicycle or a child's bike.  However, here a basket is really essential.  When you go to the market, or to class, or even just to a friends apartment it is essential to have a place to put things that you are taking along...or have just bought.  So no basket = no sale in my book).  The other one I took out for a test drive...and I'm not sure if it was a combination of not having ridden a bike in years or perhaps the fact that the seat was way too low...but I could not ride that bike to save my life. 

However, this man was anxious for a sale so he told me to get off and he took it over and raised the seat as high as it would go.  Another test drive...and it seems like I will be able to ride it o.k. I then check out the rest of the bike.  One wheel looks pretty good...the chain looks old and rusty...but you know whatever...there's a basket...oh and wait, there is a lock that comes with the bike too.  Score.  I'm pretty sure it is a women's bicycle...but who cares.  It is exactly what I'm looking for.  It works and I would not be heartbroken if it is stolen.  (Plus...would anyone want to steal it?)  So I'm thinking about price...not sure if you are supposed to barter with this little man and his tiny little business run out of the side of a broken down van.  But I've done my research.  Enoch bought his bike here for 100 RMB plus he bought a lock for 20 RMB.  Tianwe bought her bicycle here two weeks ago for 150 RMB.  What should I pay?  I'm thinking I certainly won't pay over 150 RMB for the bicycle and lock combined.  Preferably I would like to get it down to 100-120 RMB.  So the man tells me his price.  Baa-Sure.  What?  Did I hear that right?  I ask Enoch...80 RMB for the bicycle and the lock?  I look at Enoch and say to him in English (of course)...I really never thought I'd even be able to barter it down to 80 RMB...he said he thought it was dirt cheap too.  So we decided no bartering...80 RMB seems like a good price to pay (about $12). 

It was night-time when I bought it and we hadn't eaten dinner yet so I haven't got to take it out on much of a test drive yet.  But, I have high hopes for the weekend and perhaps a bike ride to the subway station.  At any rate, I couldn't be more pleased with my purchase.  I'm excited for the opportunities it will open for me.

Zaijian,
Gary

My Great Wall of China Adventure

(Disclaimer:  The following post is aimed at describing one of the most amazing days of my life…I only hope to do it the justice it deserves.  

Last night a student named Marco (the President of the Senior Class of Economics majors here at ICB) asked me, Enoch, Rodney and his wife Jessica if we would like to join a group of students on an excursion out of the city.  In Denver, this is the type of thing that I would have surely avoided partaking in…because it would involve fraternization with students.  However, as I have been told by administration several times already…in China…things are different; so…why not!

He asked us to meet him and his fellow classmates at the south entrance to campus at 7:45 a.m. and told us simply to bring 300 RMB to cover the costs of the entire day.  (Sidenote:  The budgeting skills of this student group was AMAZING…everything was accounted for in the budget…right down to the last dime).  The previous night I had decided to partake in my first Asian karaoke experience (which is another post in and of itself) so I got much less sleep than normal…thus 7:45 rolled around very early!  But Enoch and I showed up right on time and there was a group of our students with three cars lined up packed and ready to go!  

(This is the best picture I have of the students...minus one student and with the addition of Rodney).

Upon arrival we first had some paperwork to take care of.  Apparently the students decided that they should purchase insurance for each of the faculty members (all in the budget), so we signed a few forms and then divided ourselves up into the cars.  We were asked to only sit one faculty member in each car in case of an accident (this way if something happened they wouldn’t wipe out half of the ICB faculty in one car crash…these students REALLY thought of everything).  I chose the car which one of my students named Daniel was driving.  He told me I made a good choice as the driver of one of the other cars just got his license two weeks ago (phew!!!).  We piled in and were on our way…or so I thought.

We drove a couple of blocks and pulled into a KFC parking lot where two of their classmates were waiting for them with bags full of food…they had purchased breakfast for everyone!  And not just breakfast…coffee!  Oh glorious coffee!  This was my first cup of coffee since coming to China and it was MUCH appreciated after a late night and not much sleep.  After breakfast was distributed we redistributed everyone in the cars and were really on our way.  We drove for a couple of miles and then pulled into the Olympic Stadium.  Are we going to explore the stadium too?  I was getting excited as I LOVE the Olympics and have been wanting to come here…but apparently no.  We had lost a car…our inexperienced driver was lost.  Oops.  After a few phone calls and a little bit of waiting he caught up to us and we decided he should probably be the middle car from here on out.  Once he found us…we were off again.

After about an hour we came to our first destination, a place which translates in English to something like ‘The Lavender Fields’.  Apparently these are just huge fields of Chinese Lavender (different then American lavender with almost no smell whatsoever) with different ‘objects’ placed throughout for photographic moments.  There were benches, pianos, flowing curtains, classic cars, words like ‘LOVE’, windmills, etc.  A photographers dream.  We saw many people taking wedding pictures and lots of professional photographers.  The students insisted we all take some photos…so we obliged.

(Note:  If I become a famous Chinese Pop Star I think this should be my album cover).

After our photo shoots we were back in the car and headed toward lunch.  All the students were very concerned about me.  “Professor are you hungry?”  “You are hungry aren’t you?”  “We brought you an extra hamburger…just let us know when you need it.”  These are probably the most thoughtful people I have ever met in my life.  Their mission was to take care of us professors in ALL regards.  I assured them I wasn’t hungry and that they should just choose the place to eat that they thought was best.  So about another half an hour or so into the drive we pull into a place which is translated as a ‘you-fish’ restaurant.  Essentially, you catch the fish that you want to eat, and then you bring it to the restaurant and tell them how to prepare it for you.  The first place we stopped was deemed “not delicious enough looking” and we were told we would find somewhere “more delicious rated”.  

A couple miles down the road we pulled into another place that was rated highly.  We stopped and immediately the students went to work grabbing fishing poles.  According to them we would need about 5-6 fish to feed us all so we better start the fishing.  This area is known for having some of the best Golden Rainbow Trout in the world (You all know my eternal loathing of all things fish related…so the phrase ‘best fish in the world’ doesn’t hold a lot of clout in my book…but…I was certainly going to give it a try).  A few of us took turns ‘fishing’ and before we knew it we had 5 beautiful fish in the bag in front of us.  I use the word ‘fishing’ cautiously as these fish didn’t stand a chance…but nonetheless, the students loved it! 

After they came over and killed the fish with a stick, the students told them how to prepare the fish and ordered what turned out to be a HUGE feast!

We all went inside and sat at a huge table and we taught the students how to play Uno (something they were dying to know the ‘real rules’ for.  (Sidenote:  I taught them the rules for killer Uno…I secretly love that killer Uno may slowly spread through China).  Before lunch came the students brought over gifts that they had purchased for us and toasted the new professors and thanked us for coming to teach them.   They wanted to make sure that they welcomed us to China in style…and they certainly did :-).  Lunch came and we feasted on what was seriously DELICIOUS fish.  And yes…I just said that.  I cannot believe how good the fish tasted.  It was absolutely amazing.  Once we thoroughly convinced the students that we could not eat another bite we loaded up into the cars and headed back on the road toward the Great Wall.

(At the base of the hike to the wall...this is going to be quite a hike!!)

After another half an hour or so we came upon the Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall of China.  This section is a little further away then the heavy tourist section near Beijing and also involves a little more serious of a hike…but the students all said it was definitely worth the extra effort (and I agree!).  We left the car and headed up on the path toward the wall…this involved basically stair after stair after stair.  Apparently the students were all worried about whether I was going to be able to ‘make-it’ and during the beginning they kept asking if “professor needed to stop and rest”.  But, after awhile they soon discovered that they should not have been worried…and started asking me to slow down (Sidenote:  14ers in Colorado are certainly a good enough preparation to hike the Great Wall :-)  

After what was a very good workout we finally made it to the Great Wall…

Once on the Great Wall we decided to walk a good portion of it.  This essentially involved another set of about a million stairs…but every single one of them was worth it.  This time of year the mountains and surrounding area were green and lush and beautiful.  The students did their best to describe how on one side of the wall were the Mongolian invaders and how the different lookout posts were positioned with men in arrows to keep them at bay.  We came across ancient cannons and look outs and sleeping quarters and basically just marveled at the amazing structure we were walking upon.

Throughout the entire walk the students split themselves up into groups to ‘protect’ us.  Enoch and I weren’t winded by the stairs so two of the students went ahead with us while the others fell back with Rodney and his wife.  We were cautioned to ‘be careful professor’ whenever the steps got large or the terrain was a little rocky.  The students were so caring and helpful, it was truly amazing.  I was deemed the photographer of the group so took as many photos as I could for this once in a lifetime experience.  After a few hours of exploring on The Great Wall we made our way back down and passed through the little merchants who set up their trinkets to try to sell to foreigners.  The students were impressed with two phrases that I apparently say really well ‘Boo yaou’ which means, ‘I don’t want any’…and ‘Tai Gui La’…”Too Expensive”. 

(This is at the end of the hike on the wall...Rodney, Jessica, Enoch and Myself).

We all loaded back into the cars and finished off the trip by heading to dinner at a restaurant on campus.  We used the remainder of our budget to order a feast and recount the details of the amazing day we just had.  I left the feast feeling like a different man.  Teachers in China are treated with so much respect.  These are students that I will see in class again on Tuesday.  Some will work hard and gain A’s.  Some will inevitably earn grades less than their liking…but all of them have such a respect for their professors and a kindness toward us that it is absolutely incredible to behold.  I am truly appreciative for them welcoming us to China and helping us to experience their culture and letting us in on their lives.  I will do my best to heed their advice and ‘relax’ and ‘have fun’ as much as I can while I am here.  

I’m sure I left out many of the amazing events that made today so great…but I’m left feeling drained, exhausted, and grateful that I took a chance, stepped outside my comfort zone, and embarked on a journey to China. 

Zaijian for now,

Gary

Passport Craziness and an Invitation...

When I originally applied for my Visa to come over here I applied for a 12 month multi-entry Visa (since I am staying until the end of May and hoping to go home for Christmas).  What I received was a 6 month one entry Visa.  While I was thankful to get my Visa so quickly I was quite disappointed with the one entry part...basically it means that once I leave China...I can't come back.  This effectively ruled out any grand plans for adventures to Thailand, South Korea, Japan, India, Hong Kong, etc.  A major bummer to not be able to travel once you are already on the other side of the world.

So with that in mind I inquired about potentially getting a multi-entry Visa at our first faculty/administrative meeting here in Beijing (which literally translates to Northern Capital...hence the word for north in Mandarin is Bei...see I am learning!!).  They said it might be possible and that I needed to talk to Stone.  Stone!  Remember Stone?  He was the man who met me at the apartments here on my arrival...he for lack of better words is hard to understand and hard to communicate with...so I was a little worried about this.  At any rate, I called Stone and I think I understood that he needed passport photos (ugh...I didn't have passport photos at the time...but Enoch helped me remedy that) and copies of my passport and Visa.  I got him the necessary information about a week ago and then on Thursday passed him in the hall.  He mentioned that I should bring 956 RMB to his office on Friday a little before noon.  O.k. I can do that.

So Friday comes and I prepare my money and head to Stone's office.  On my way there I run into Enoch and Rodney (another faculty member here) who are headed there as well...maybe we aren't just dropping off money?  So we get to Stone's office and he is talking about something in Changlish (half Chinese, 1/16 English)...I catch that he has ordered a car...o.k.???  Next thing I know we are outside and loading ourselves into a car that he has arranged for us...where are we going...I don't know.

The driver takes us out of the campus...and then on quite a long journey across the city...hmm...o.k...I'll go with it...strange thing about China is you just learn to go with the flow on things like this.  Don't ask questions, just trust that you are doing what needs to be done.  Finally, the driver stops alongside the road...Stone says 'otecbh' which I envision meant to get out...so we all get out.  We are supposed to go to some passport place...but Stone is not really leading the way...it is clear from his actions that he wants us to lead...Stone, we have no idea where we are going...please lead the way.  'Americans first' he says.  Umm...Stone, please...we don't know what the heck is going on.  "o.k. o.k." he finally takes the lead and leads us on a winding path to a building that is marked in Chinese from the outside.     

Once inside Stone grabs numbers for us all and notes that I am first.  He then digs into a manilla envelope and grabs huge stacks of paperwork for each of us.  I take my paperwork and my Passport and my money and my number is called and I go sit down.  The lady starts rattling something off that she wants an answer for...umm Stone...quit joking with everyone else...we need you here...please.  He finally comes over...apparently there are dates that don't match on the paperwork...they just erase one date and replace it with a different one.  O.k.  now they want my passport.  They take it.  Now they want money.  They take it.  Stamp, stamp, stamp.  Type, type, type.  Then they are motioning to leave.  O.k. Where did Stone go?  I don't have my passport?  What just happened?  Is that right?  The other two go through the same process and Stone says 'back to the car'. 

We ask Stone, "What just happened?"  No clear response.  "Were we supposed to give up our passports?"  No understandable response.  "When will we get our passports back?"  He says, "When I get them."  O.k.  Next question.  "Stone, is this going to give us a full year's Visa."  'No'.  "Well, multi-entry then?"  'Maybe'.  So in other words...we have no idea if what we did is going to change the status of our passports at all.  Hmm...o.k.

After getting home I talked to someone who has been through the process.  He mentioned that we would almost certainly get multi-entry through the process that we did and something about that if we left the country for Christmas and came back it would extend the Visa for another 6 months.  So this could end up being exactly what we needed.  I guess today was an example of why the Chinese are always saying...'just relax'.  I'll admit perhaps I should just relax a little bit more and go with the flow.  But it is days like today when I have no idea what is going on and am giving over important documents and lots of money with no idea what is happening to them that kind of makes me miss speaking the language and having a clear system for how things work.

But overall, I consider today a success.  Not only could I end up with the correct Visa...but on my way back from the Passport place I was with Rodney and Enoch and we ran into two of my students (and their students too).  Apparently they are planning a big trip to the Great Wall tomorrow along with a few other attractions...and invited us along!  We decided to go...I can't wait, this should be a great adventure!

Zaijian
Gary

Feeling Like a College Student

These first three weeks have seemingly thrust me back into life as a college student.  Our 'rooms' I've discovered can best be described by the word 'dormitory'.  We live in a dormitory for faculty.  My 'hall' is all UCD faculty who are here teaching for ICB.  It is interesting getting back into the swing of 'college' life...but it is also fun (I'm also the youngest in my hall...so that makes it kind of funny that we are all reliving our college days).  We often leave our doors open and go back and forth, in and out, trading movies and food, etc.  We knock on each others doors and gather friends to go with us to the cafeteria, walk to the store, or even our new favorite place...the faculty lounge.  We live right in the middle of campus and hear music blaring out the lunch and dinner hours here (noon and 6 p.m.).  I study my butt off in order to prepare lectures for my class (Calc III is a new prep for me...and harder to teach than most classes because it has a 3D visual component that is REALLY hard to portray on a 2D blackboard)...and root like crazy for the weekend to come!  So all in all...it is like I'm living 1999 over again, but this time I'm determined to enjoy my freshman year of 'college' a little more :-)

Today we discovered a great perk of being faculty here...the faculty lounge.  So the college I teach at (ICB) is a smaller college right in the middle of a very large Chinese University (Chinese Agricultural University).  So we have most of our buildings very close together.  This is very true in the fact that I live in the same building as my office (wow...that is an amazing perk...you just can't beat the commute!), all the administration offices are in the same building...and now we have discovered the faculty lounge which is on the roof of the same building.

It is hard to tell from this photo...but this is on the roof and the left hand side of the photo looks out upon the campus of ICB.  There is a great breeze up here (and again...I am perpetually hot...so the breeze is amazing!)  Then inside the faculty lounge is a mecca for ping pong players.  Two ping pong tables (which are each carefully covered to protect them...tons of paddles, ping pong balls...and even a divider so you can play tournaments and not have hinderance from the other side.  We played a few matches today...to assess the field.  Here are Enoch and Chris in an epic battle.

Chris won with sweet shots like this...

Which of course...was not staged at all for the camera.

After table tennis we decided to all get together and go out for dumplings tonight...I hear that karaoke may be on the agenda for after dumplings, if so I better run try to get a little nap in.

Zaijian,
Gary

Pizza!!!

The last couple of days I've been trying to brave the cafeteria again.  I figure...once a day really isn't going to be too bad right?  And besides my stomach is finally feeling a little better, so I figure it is time to find some foods I like.

Today's lunch looked like this...

Yes, that's right...I found pizza!  And it is actually really good!  The kind they have is kind of like a deep dish Pizza Hut pizza...I've only ever seen Canadian Bacon...but that's o.k. by me!  I finished it off with a couple of my safe staples here...a big bowl of wontons and some melon.  That should be enough food to tide me over until...well, tomorrow!  I've begun taking a little tupperware with me when I go to eat and that way I can bring the leftovers home for dinner or breakfast.

Just one last picture of part of the cafeteria hall (not a very good one...but I didn't want to look like that weird American guy...especially since most of these students know me...so I snuck this picture in).

After lunch I tried going to the CBD (really close to the cafeteria and my office) to get some canned coffee drinks (perhaps the coffee maker will have to wait).  But really, I was determined to try to pay by listening to the cashier (rather than just sticking out a really large bill and getting tons of change).  Well, I thought she said 'shure'.  I thought that was the word for ten (although it didn't sound exactly like it...I couldn't think of anything else close).  So I gave her a ten.  Then she said again, 'She'.  Uhh....I don't know...here's another ten...that better be enough.  Sure enough it was eleven so I ended up getting 9 RMB in change.  I guess hearing actual people speak it is different then learning it...just something I need to get used to.  I thought it would sound like 'sure eee' for eleven.  But hers sounded more like 'she'.  Just need to get used to the quickness of it I guess.  I will try again tomorrow.

Zaijian,
Gary

The Office

Last Friday at our faculty meeting we finally got the keys to our offices.  While this may not seem like an exciting part of the journey to some, it was certainly something I had been looking forward to.  There is just something about trying to work in the same little room that you live in that just doesn't do it for me.  While working on a paper or trying to prep a Calculus lesson...having a bed not two feet from where you are at is certainly not the way to increase productivity!  I'm really not sure how those artists in those little studios in New York do it...I've taken more 'naps' in the last two weeks than I have in the last 20 years combined. 

So after the Holiday weekend I was excited to get into my office this Tuesday and start to really 'work'.  I'll be sharing my office with the other math professor here Rob and we get along great so I certainly can't complain about that.  Also, my office is actually in the same building that I live.  A far enough walk away that I'm not tempted to 'nap' but close enough to run back to my room and grab lunch.  Here is a picture of Rob's desk in the office.

Even though I needed to prep a Calc III lecture I decided my first order of business was to make my office 'livable'.  Which for me in the office pretty much means that my desk allows me to face the door when I'm sitting in it (and thus my computer faces away from the students), I can plug my computer/laptop in...and I have a fan.  The fan is probably the most important part.  Those of you that have worked with me know that my fan is essential to my productivity.  Not only does it help counterbalance the fact that I am perpetually 10 degrees hotter than the normal person, but it also drowns out all the other 'noise' of the office that could potentially distract me.

So after an initial browse of the office I knew right away a run to the Central Business District (CBD) was going to be necessary.  Sidenote:  My students told me that they call the little shops right behind my office building CBD...it is kind of like a joke because they are just little shops, but really they have quite a bit of stuff!  At CBD I found an adaptor for my computer that also doubles as a power strip to allow me to plug all my 'essentials' into.  The same store had a pretty decent looking little fan...so I completed my little trip in about 4 minutes total...score!

After a little rearranging I found only one ethernet cable, but a quick run up to my room allowed me to steal the one that initially came with my room (I ended up buying about a 15 foot replacement so I could take my computer anywhere in my room...this allowed the 5 foot original to be dispensable).  I also discovered an old printer/copier that the old office occupant left and tried it out (slightly works...that is what can be said about many things here...they 'work' but not really the way you would hope they do).  All in all I finished it off with a nice little UCD banner to remind everyone that we really work for UCD (I think some people here forget...and it reminds me a bit of home). 

Here is a picture of the finished product for my little 'area' (note the computer is up...currently with this Blog that I am writing!)

Now, I know what many of you are thinking (he blogs at work!!).  Well, not really...I don't teach today or have students...so if I come into the office today it is to work on what I want to...although I did spend a few hours prepping this morning and will work on some other work stuff for the rest of the afternoon.  Now I know what the REST of you are thinking.  How can this be Gary's office with no access to coffee?????

Well, I've pondered this same question myself.  I had decided earlier that upon my move to China I wouldn't drink coffee because they just really don't drink it here (and so far I haven't).  But, what is that you are saying?  It will increase my productivity by ten fold...yes that is true.  What?  It will also make me happier and more pleasant to be around...probably also true.  You think my students would appreciate it if I bought a coffee maker and coffee from the international section of the Merry Mart and kept it in the office.  I think you might be right.  Well, by golly I think for the students....I better get myself a coffee maker.  Maybe...I just might make a little trip to the Merry Mart today.

That is all for now...I need to do some actual work.

Zaijian,
Gary

A few more interesting foods...

Perhaps the title of my blog is a little bit misleading...I realize I have blogged almost nothing about mathematics and a whole lot about food!  But, I'm sure the food stuff is much more interesting to the majority of my friends...so with that in mind I thought I'd share a few more pictures. 

In honor of Mid-Autumn festival I decided I needed to buy one moon cake.  Again, it is like a crap shoot so I took my chances...rolled the dice...and came home with this little guy.

I carefully wrote down the symbol for beef and looked all over on the packaging and didn't see it...so I thought I was safe...but then I got home and Enoch let me know that you have to look ON the actual cake itself for the symbol...oops...let's see...

Well...umm...still not sure...guess we'll just have to bite in...SCORE!  It is not beef!  Not necessarily delicious...but certainly not beef.  More like a really non-sweet peanut butter coconut flavor.  Kind of like a really thick bland cookie.  But not to bad. 

The other thing that I have not been able to get over are these little items...

They are just on the shelves of the supermarkets and convenience stores (no refrigeration).  I bought one so that I can try it...not sure how a non-refrigerator hamburger will taste...but I'm going to give it a go...the students all like them, so...why not. 

O.k. it's bed time for me, can't believe tomorrow will start another week of teaching...AHHHHH!

Zaijian,
Gary

Old Summer Palace...and Happy Teachers Day :-)

After the gloom and rain of Saturday it was nice to wake up to sunshine and gorgeous upper 70's weather.  Enoch and I decided to check out the International Church today, so that meant a slightly earlier than had anticipated morning.  We headed down to the South Gate and hailed a taxi (my first in Beijing...yikes).  Enoch speaks Chinese so it went smoothly...not sure how smoothly it would have gone on my own.  He had a map of where the church was and that seemed to be good enough for the taxi driver, who got us to where we needed to go :-)

The International Church is a little strange.  You have to show your passport and prove that you are a foreigner in order to attend service.  But it was really nice to be in the presence of other believers and to understand what was being said all around me (English!!).  Overall, I thought the experience was pretty good.  Enoch didn't like it as much and I think he is going to look for something else, I might look for something else as well...but this won't be a bad alternative. 

After we took a taxi home (taxi's are pretty cheap...it was under $3 for a taxi ride there and that included quite a distance to travel) Rob called to see if anyone wanted to go to the Old Summer Palace today.  It was perfect weather so Ariel, Rob and I decided to head out (by taxi again...big taxi day for me) and explore.  Here is a picture of us in front of some ruins there that the French and British destroyed

There were lots of great photo opportunities from the Old Summer Palace and I will try to share a few (well as many as this internet connection will let me). 

Below is one of the 'water lilies' pictures...apparently we just missed the blooming season...but it was still pretty cool to see this massive collection of them...(p.s.  yes, that's a boat trudging through).

At some point we came across some Black Swans...(much cooler than the movie by the same name).

We stopped for lunch in the park and I had one of the best things that I've eaten since I moved here.  It was a crepe maker that they put a type of egg batter on to make a really thin egg layer...then they put in green onion, a spicy layer of sauce, some other stuff, and then a crunchy thing which I envision was pork skin or something like that and wrapped it all up.  It was DELICIOUS!  And it didn't give my stomach any problems :-)  Finally we weaved our way out of the park...well I should say they weaved along while I was quizzed on how to do numbers from 1-999 and simple directions in Chinese...I'm trying hard...but it is not easy, but Rob and Arielle both speak it well so they try to help me as much as they can. 

After arriving home I took a much needed nap!  I awoke to people knocking at my door to go to dinner at the cafeteria.  What...I can't!  I've been on a cafeteria strike for the last 4 days because it just doesn't agree with me.  But they insisted that they were going to the graduate student cafeteria...and that it was better...so I decided to tag along.  I'm sure glad I did because the food was MUCH better.  I had two of these calzone looking things that were filled with cabbage and vegetables.  They were DELICIOUS...and only one RMB a piece!  Now that's a steal (think like 15 cents each).  I also had a type of egg mcmuffin sandwich that had meat in it as well (for 4 RMB) and another type of wrap thing with cumin chicken (or beef...one of the two) inside for 4 RMB as well.  That's the general trend here...things with vegetables...cheap!  Things with meat...a lot more expensive...dessertish stuff...a lot more expensive...but still cheap in American terms.  All together this meal was 10 RMB...maybe $1.65 or so.  (Note:  An easy way to think of the conversion is to divide by 6...or think in multiples of 6...each multiple of 6 RMB is about $1.  So 12 RMB would be about $2 because 6x2=12...60 RMB would be about $10 because 6x10 =60...now that conversion isn't quite exact because really you should divide by more like 6.35...but you get the idea).  At any rate...this meal was MUCH better than the other cafeteria and I was glad to leave with my belly actually satisfied :-)

After dinner we were invited to a fellow faculty members apartment to celebrate the Midautumn Festival (we get Monday off for it here).  All I know about this festival is people go CRAZY for these things called moon pies.  Moon pies are these little cake like things that you can buy almost anywhere and they all come with a different filling inside.  Since I can't read the chinese characters it is like a crap shoot.  Some are really good...even a little sweet (don't get many sweet items here) others are DISGUSTING!!!  Again, sort of like the Harry Potter Every Flavor jelly beans...the Chinese are big on this theme...for instance...beef in a cake...NO!  NO NO NO!  That just does not taste good...but if you don't read Chinese...you are bound to get one with beef...and trust me...it is BAD!

At the celebration some people invited us to go up to the roof...I can't remember ever going up to the roof of a building in the middle of a huge city...so I thought this would be a good idea...and it was!  You can climb this little ladder right up to the roof of the apartment building and look up at the sky and the buildings all around.  It was gorgeous and the perfect ending to a good night.  We went back down and enjoyed some more fellowship before heading back to our rooms....but wait!  Shoot!  Have I mentioned we have a curfew of sorts?  Is that strange?  Apparently our keys won't let us in the building where we live from midnight until 6:00 a.m.  We got home from the celebration about 12:45 and were locked out.  Apparently when this happens you ring the door bell...cross your fingers, and hope that the night security guard who's job it is to sleep in the building right by the door wakes up and lets you in.  He did let us in...but didn't look necessarily happy about it.  Guess I'll have to try to remember that curfew thing next time.

Overall it was a good day...tomorrow I really need to prep some Calculus lectures.

Zaijian,
Gary

A Gloomy Rainy Saturday

So today I had grand ambitions of getting over my fear of exploring the outskirts of the city (and using taxis).  I was intending to visit the old Summer Palace...apparently beautiful this time of year.  But I went to bed last night to rain...and woke up this morning to rain :-(  Mind you, rain in Beijing is a little different than rain in the states...mainly it brings down all the pollution with it.  So, you really don't want to be out and about in the rainstorms here.  So my plan to be outside all day at the Summer Palace...ruined.  Also, it is almost impossible (so I've heard) to get a taxi when it is raining out...especially if you are a lei wei (not sure if I say that right...it is meant to mean foreigner), so I decided to postpone my braving the city until some other day (maybe Monday...apparently it is a Holiday here in China). 

I ended up just being lazy pretty much all morning...I sort of cleaned my room...ate pretty much the last of my food that I had (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches) and looked out the window hoping for it to stop raining.  I did get a chance to see my parents on Skype a little bit also before they went to bed...so that was a good morale booster.  But, I began growing stir crazy so decided to brave the Merry Mart again when the rain let up...this time with camera in hand. 

On my way to the Merry Mart I always pass this building.  It is the graduate dorms and the 2nd floor has the great little Hot Pot restaurant (that makes my stomach burn). 

Every time I think to myself...I should get a bike.  It is hard to see from this picture...but there are TONS of bikes out in front of that building...it seems every single graduate student has a bike...and many of the undergraduates too...if they are lucky enough to have a place to store it.

In order to get to the Merry Mart you have to pass over top of a pretty busy street...it looks like this (mind you not busy at all today because of the rain).

Approaching the Merry Mart there is a building that looks kind of like a Las Vegas hotel to me...the locals say it looks like a Roman Bathhouse...at any rate...here it is.

O.k, now I've had several of you tell me...it should be easy to figure out what things are and what people are saying...just carry a dictionary.  So for those of you I have taken this picture.  It is just a typical shop in Beijing.  It is now up to you to tell me if this is a place that sells groceries?  foot massages?  electronics?  haircuts?  bootlegged DVD's?  coffee?  Maybe I'll tell you sometime...

O.k. so once inside the Merry Mart there are tons of great things to take pictures of.  I kept trying to get a picture of another sign that had an English translation that said something like 'pinch please'.  I'll see if I can get that next time.  But one thing I wanted to show was the milk.  If you were to go to a market and look for milk...where would you go?  Refrigerator section?  Dairy section?  Bean Products?  Yep...bean products it is...and don't look for cartons...or even containers...what you should be looking for are bags like this...

Also, those of you egg people out there...you would LOVE the Merry Mart.  There are probably 20-25 different types of eggs to buy.  Everything from huge eggs to little teeny tiny eggs that I used to find in the birds nests growing up.  Here is a sample (this was as close as I could get...they are REALLY protective of the eggs here).

And apparently my internet connection cannot handle any more picture loads today...so this is where I will end my post.

Oh wait...almost forgot.  Had my first bargaining experience today even though I didn't know what was going on.  As I was leaving the Merry Mart with my bags of groceries sometimes they stop you and ask for your receipt...it is always a very stressful time for me as I have no idea what they are saying.  But anyways...unfortunately today I was stopped...the guy took my receipt...and was looking for answers.  Crap.  I can't figure out what I did wrong...what do you need from me?  My passport?  Here...see...I'm legal.  No...not good.  He brings in back-up.  Some lady comes and says, 'No Chinese'.  And then she starts speaking in Chinese.  Yes...good...I don't speak Chinese.  They keep pointing at my tennis shoes.  What?  I didn't steal these I swear.  Then all of a sudden I start hearing prices.  68 Kuai.  What!  68 more kuai.  NO!  I already paid more than enough for my groceries...they understand I am telling them no.  Wait...34 kuai.  You have got to be kidding me.  No kuai for you.  25 Kuai...still no, give me my receipt back and please don't send me to jail.  One lady says, 'You're killing me!' 15 Kaui.  NO! 10 Kuai!  And they are pointing at my feet.  Oh!!!  I get it.  I'm not in trouble and they are not trying to get me to pay more for my groceries.  They are trying to sell me a foot massage!  Ha...10 kuai...pretty good bargaining if I do say so myself.  A little more than a dollar to massage my feet...no way!  I hate people touching my feet.  And then I am off and on my way. 

Off to try to watch a movie. 
Zaijian,
Gary

A Couple Luxury Items

Last night Enoch and I decided to brave the Merry Mart together while everyone else was going to Hot Pot again.  I indulged in Hot Pot on Monday night and learned two very important lessons:

1.  My chopstick skills are at such a low level that a process like Hot Pot is not the 'best' idea for someone with my 'skillz'. 

2.  The spiciness in the Hot Pot will just wreck my stomach! 

So with the above two lessons learned we decided to skip out on the excursion tonight.  For those of you unfamiliar with Hot Pot, essentially you go into a restaurant and it is all you can eat and all you can drink (beer, tea, soda, etc....all fair game) for a little less than $5.  They bring a little pot to your table and put it on an induction burner.  You can choose spicy, mild, or non spicy.  We actually got half non spicy and half mild (and my stomach is STILL on fire).  You bring the little pot up to a boil and then choose from the myriad of vegetables, noodles, meats, etc. to put into the pot and boil until tender and done.  Everyone else just LOVED this, for me it was good food...and a good price...but my hand literally ached from trying to use the chopsticks for so much...and my stomach burned.  It is definitely something I will go back and do again...but after a bit more tempered practice with the chopsticks.

Back to the Merry Mart.  I have discovered that Enoch and I make a pretty good team at the Merry Mart and just in general around Beijing.  He is first generation American and his parents are Chinese.  So growing up his parents spoke Chinese and he can speak it and read some.  (He says he doesn't speak well...but he speaks well enough...and really well in my book).  So his skill set there is definitely complementary to my complete failure to speak the language.  So what do I bring to the table...hard to say, but I would call it just general know-how.  I seem to always land on my feet in tricky situations and can maneuver pretty well by picking up on social cues (something most other academics DO NOT UNDERSTAND).  There is a general common sense thing that can provide a lot when doing certain tasks.

So early today Enoch helped me get my passport photos taken (note to anyone traveling internationally...apparently it is a good idea to have like 10 extra passport photos when traveling...yeah one or two won't cut it...so don't leave home without them!!) I found the right building where it could be done (or at least I conjectured it could be done based on the yellow kodakish sign above the building...Enoch was less sure...but sure enough when we got there...they do Passport photos!!).  His Chinese helped make the process a synch and I was hugely relieved to have the passport photos I needed.  At this point we decided to tag team the Merry Mart tonight.

I set out knowing what I was going to get...but needing his Chinese to help me get the right size...this is what I came home with...

That's right...a mattress pad.  My bed already had one...but this was the best I could think to do to try to help out my back.  I ended up getting the King size (for my Queen Bed) but it ended up working pretty well in terms of strapping onto the bed.  I wanted Enoch to help me get the right size (Queen) but it turns out he didn't know the word for 'Queen' so he told the sales lady 'a mattress cover as big as him'.  She was pretty adamant that the King was the only one that would do...I laughed a lot when I found that out...the Chinese think I am so huge!  At any rate, I used it last night and I honestly can't say I noticed much of a difference.  But, I hope in the long run it will help.  I think my back is slowly getting slightly more used to these beds...so that is a good thing.

After finding the mattress pad I showed Enoch my secret supply of foods that will sustain you from your room without having to go to the cafeteria for every meal.  I've recently added frozen chicken nuggets and popcorn chicken to the rotating items in my fridge (along with yogurt and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches...lol).  We both agreed I should invest in a toaster oven...perhaps next week.  We also had several long debates about what several products were.  You would think his Chinese would give him an advantage here, but I think I hold my own in this contest.  As always, when the debate turns to food versus cat food...we know it is time to go home.

Our other spoil from the night...

I just drank it while I was typing this blog...and it was...juice...but beer...but juice...yet beer.  It was...strange.  I think I'll stick with the regular old sing tao for now. 

After our Merry Mart exploits Enoch, Chris, and I FINALLY figured out how to watch movies on the t.v.'s in our rooms.  We have these nice flat screens...see..

but they have been impossible to figure out.  Enoch gets credit for sitting there and watching me be frustrated with the t.v. for long periods of time and Chris gets credit for letting me borrow his external hard drive which we finally successfully got to play.  I get credit for pushing every single combination of buttons possible on the face of the Earth until the settings first changed from Chinese to English and then allowed for a search of the USB device.  I don't know how I will watch movies on this as I do not have an external hard drive which the t.v. recognizes and it also won't recognize my computer :-( But...I have faith I can download some movies and put them on a thumb drive and watch from there.  These are the little chores that keep me going.

O.k. that is more than enough for tonight.  Tomorrow is an early day of teaching.
Zaijian,
Gary