2006年12月25日星期一
2006年12月21日星期四
IKEA
This week has been great. It's been cold lately, and with that everything seems to have slowed down a bit. I'll be heading out this weekend to spend some time in the mountains. Along the way, we'll be stopping and soaking in some hot springs. It should be really fun. I'll let you all know how it goes after we get back.
And on to this week's news:
-I finally broke down and bought a pair of quilted pajamas. It's just too cold in my house to not own a pair. For those of you who have never had the pleasure of seeing what these look like, they are made out of the same fabric that the comforter on your bed is. They are thick and stiff, and fit well over any article of clothing. They're ugly but warm. In a nutshell, they're perfect. We don't have heat, so we spend most of our time at home in bed on top of the heating pad. The cold usually makes my nose run, and I can see my breath in the house. The showers are especially brutal: the hot water is no where near hot enough, and the pressure is next to nothing. The open window doesn't help things either.
-I bought some margarita mix and "Pepe Lopez" tequila. I think it'll go good this weekend when I'm sitting in the hot springs. We probably won't have ice, but I hear there's already snow, so we'll be having "snow-garitas."
-Christmas planning is moving slowly. My roommate and I are talking of hosting a Christmas brunch. What we'll make depends on what we can find. I want to make french toast, but finding anything thicker than wonderbread is proving difficult. We may end up just having eggs and sausage. Maybe a sno-garita on the side.
-Got my hair cut at this place:
It was the only place I've ever been that was literally a hole in the wall. You can see it there behind me in blue. The next photo is me walking up the stairs and through the "door."
I brought with me a couple of pictures to show the woman, but I was still nervous. Sarah and I were ushered into the salon where we were seperated for the hair washing. I was brought back to a dimly lit room where I was asked to lay down on a specially designed hair-washing seat. It was great! I was comfortable and warm, and the woman washed my hair for a good twenty minutes.
I sat down in the chair next to Sarah, and tried to calm my nerves. Here's the after picture, I think she did a good job. Let me know what you all think.
By far the highlight of my week was a trip to the newly opened IKEA. Several weeks ago, I heard from one of my classmates that the new IKEA had just opened. Someone had a brochure that had pictures of the IKEA cafeteria, and it looked like they served real hot dogs. When we saw that, we had to go if only for the food.
Several of my classmates took a preliminary trip to see what all they offered, and whether or not we could afford it. They found out that IKEA has a courtesy bus roaming the city everyday. We made our way to one of the purported stops and waited. Twenty minutes later the IKEA bus pulled up and we piled on.
The ride was short; IKEA is located just outside of the city center in the middle of some fields. Next to the monolith furniture store stands the Chinese equivelent: a large open-air market. One side of the parking lot was crowded with butchers, people pulling carts of fruit, tables spread with spices, and fruit salesman. The other side was full of Chengdu's young and hip, on their way to a day at IKEA.
The store was full, absolutely packed with people. We made a bee-line for the cafeteria on the second floor, and after ordering some Americanized Chinese food sat down to enjoy our surroundings. The food and furniture was cheap, everything had been knocked down to prices that are affordable to middle/upper middle class Chinese. This meant that we would be going away with a full load. You don't know what you don't need until you go to IKEA. I ended up with a blanket, a french press coffee maker, a picture frame, and some scented candles. I also ate a hot dog, an ice cream cone, some Americanized Chinese food, and a cup of coffee. It was all wonderful, and in the midst of my eating binge I discovered that IKEA sells some of the cheapest bagged coffee in Chengdu. I'll be back soon!
And on to this week's news:
-I finally broke down and bought a pair of quilted pajamas. It's just too cold in my house to not own a pair. For those of you who have never had the pleasure of seeing what these look like, they are made out of the same fabric that the comforter on your bed is. They are thick and stiff, and fit well over any article of clothing. They're ugly but warm. In a nutshell, they're perfect. We don't have heat, so we spend most of our time at home in bed on top of the heating pad. The cold usually makes my nose run, and I can see my breath in the house. The showers are especially brutal: the hot water is no where near hot enough, and the pressure is next to nothing. The open window doesn't help things either.
-I bought some margarita mix and "Pepe Lopez" tequila. I think it'll go good this weekend when I'm sitting in the hot springs. We probably won't have ice, but I hear there's already snow, so we'll be having "snow-garitas."
-Christmas planning is moving slowly. My roommate and I are talking of hosting a Christmas brunch. What we'll make depends on what we can find. I want to make french toast, but finding anything thicker than wonderbread is proving difficult. We may end up just having eggs and sausage. Maybe a sno-garita on the side.
-Got my hair cut at this place:
It was the only place I've ever been that was literally a hole in the wall. You can see it there behind me in blue. The next photo is me walking up the stairs and through the "door."
I brought with me a couple of pictures to show the woman, but I was still nervous. Sarah and I were ushered into the salon where we were seperated for the hair washing. I was brought back to a dimly lit room where I was asked to lay down on a specially designed hair-washing seat. It was great! I was comfortable and warm, and the woman washed my hair for a good twenty minutes. I sat down in the chair next to Sarah, and tried to calm my nerves. Here's the after picture, I think she did a good job. Let me know what you all think.
By far the highlight of my week was a trip to the newly opened IKEA. Several weeks ago, I heard from one of my classmates that the new IKEA had just opened. Someone had a brochure that had pictures of the IKEA cafeteria, and it looked like they served real hot dogs. When we saw that, we had to go if only for the food. 
Several of my classmates took a preliminary trip to see what all they offered, and whether or not we could afford it. They found out that IKEA has a courtesy bus roaming the city everyday. We made our way to one of the purported stops and waited. Twenty minutes later the IKEA bus pulled up and we piled on. The ride was short; IKEA is located just outside of the city center in the middle of some fields. Next to the monolith furniture store stands the Chinese equivelent: a large open-air market. One side of the parking lot was crowded with butchers, people pulling carts of fruit, tables spread with spices, and fruit salesman. The other side was full of Chengdu's young and hip, on their way to a day at IKEA.
The store was full, absolutely packed with people. We made a bee-line for the cafeteria on the second floor, and after ordering some Americanized Chinese food sat down to enjoy our surroundings. The food and furniture was cheap, everything had been knocked down to prices that are affordable to middle/upper middle class Chinese. This meant that we would be going away with a full load. You don't know what you don't need until you go to IKEA. I ended up with a blanket, a french press coffee maker, a picture frame, and some scented candles. I also ate a hot dog, an ice cream cone, some Americanized Chinese food, and a cup of coffee. It was all wonderful, and in the midst of my eating binge I discovered that IKEA sells some of the cheapest bagged coffee in Chengdu. I'll be back soon!
2006年12月19日星期二
Video: Take 5!
I've finally succeeded in uploading a video to the blog. In order to put the complete clip online I had to cut it in two. The first half of the video you will find just below this post. The second half just above. It may take a couple of minutes to load fully, so be patient. The second clip is funnier than the first, but they're both worth watching. If you watch carefully, you'll hear our fellow commuters shouting "Hello! Hello!", you'll see me come dangerously close to a couple of cars, while Sarah passes a bus on the right. Honestly, the day we filmed this was pretty mild, but don't think that means there is no excitement!
2006年12月16日星期六
Video!!
Here's a short video clip for you all. It's about 15 minutes long, and although the first couple of minutes are rough, it's worth sticking around until the end. The video was taken while riding to and from school. I was going to edit it, but decided that it is best in its raw form. If you watch closely you'll hear our fellow commuters shouting hello, and you'll see the sweeper ladies I've talked about. There's a couple of near-death experiences towards the end, so be sure not to miss those. Enjoy!
2006年12月15日星期五
A very short research update:
Sign language class is officially over for the year, and won't be starting up again until March. Being with my favorite Chengdu-ers in my favorite class in Chengdu has been fun, and I'll miss going. All is not doom and gloom however, I was assured that there would be deaf community events and activities that I would be invited to, so for now I'm just waiting for my phone to ring with a new text message.
Sign language class has been really fun. I'm learning it much faster than most of my fellow classmates, and I really love hanging out with the teacher and deaf students I sit with. They've been patient with my questions, and are always willing to teach me new signs. I've even talked to most of them about my research intentions, and asked if I could conduct interviews. All of them gave me an enthusiastic go-ahead, so I'm tentatively planning for the end of January and again at the beginning of March. I'm not fluent enough in CSL to conduct interviews in the language, I'll be getting my interview questions translated into Chinese.
I've also started a paper based on some of what I've learned at class. Although it's research based, it's not as long or detailed as my final research project will be (I hope!). I'll post it when I'm done, although it may not interest most of you.
I also had the opportunity to visit a school for deaf children in Chengdu. I won't be using anything from my visit in my research, but it was a fun experience and I was glad I had the chance to go. I was accompanied by someone in the International Office at SU. I was worried that she wouldn't find it interesting, but to my surprise she seemed more interested than I was. It turns out her graduate work was in education, so the visit wasn't something completely foreign to her.
That's all for now. Stay tuned for the next installment of "Research Updates."
Sign language class has been really fun. I'm learning it much faster than most of my fellow classmates, and I really love hanging out with the teacher and deaf students I sit with. They've been patient with my questions, and are always willing to teach me new signs. I've even talked to most of them about my research intentions, and asked if I could conduct interviews. All of them gave me an enthusiastic go-ahead, so I'm tentatively planning for the end of January and again at the beginning of March. I'm not fluent enough in CSL to conduct interviews in the language, I'll be getting my interview questions translated into Chinese.
I've also started a paper based on some of what I've learned at class. Although it's research based, it's not as long or detailed as my final research project will be (I hope!). I'll post it when I'm done, although it may not interest most of you.
I also had the opportunity to visit a school for deaf children in Chengdu. I won't be using anything from my visit in my research, but it was a fun experience and I was glad I had the chance to go. I was accompanied by someone in the International Office at SU. I was worried that she wouldn't find it interesting, but to my surprise she seemed more interested than I was. It turns out her graduate work was in education, so the visit wasn't something completely foreign to her.
That's all for now. Stay tuned for the next installment of "Research Updates."
2006年12月12日星期二
And again-
So you go to your favorite store again, the one that requires the precious discount card which you now hold in your wallet. After picking up your groceries, you head to one of the checkout lines confident that today's transaction will go smoothly. Picking the shortest line, you watch as the cashier asks the customer in front of you if she has a card. The customer replies no, and the cashier lifts her eyes in your direction. Upon seeing you, she turns and begins scanning the other lines (foreigners don't carry discount cards) for a customer willing to give up their card for a moment. You shuffle your basket on the counter, drawing the cashier's attention. You then pull out your discount card and hand it to her.
It's the little things, really.
It's the little things, really.
2006年12月8日星期五
More photos:
Here's some pictures from last week's photo opp at sign language class. The woman in the red coat is my teacher, the others are deaf students who are there learning as well. We all sit together in the back of the classroom and practice our skills with those who are fluent instead of paying attention like we should. It's pretty fun.
2006年12月7日星期四
More about driving-
Good Ol' Wikipedia with an article on how to drive in China. Always a funny read.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Driving_in_China
This is one of the funniest things I've read in a long time. Highly recommended.
http://www.bookofjoe.com/2006/11/driving_in_chin.html
Also, I just wanted to alert you all to a new link on the right hand side of the page. I've linked to SCOTUS blog, an interesting read if you have time to kill.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Driving_in_China
This is one of the funniest things I've read in a long time. Highly recommended.
http://www.bookofjoe.com/2006/11/driving_in_chin.html
Also, I just wanted to alert you all to a new link on the right hand side of the page. I've linked to SCOTUS blog, an interesting read if you have time to kill.
A Good Read:
This article was emailed to me earlier this week. Although it gives a decent explanation of the roads in China, there is really so much more. I've pasted the article below. It was taken from the Irish Times, authored by Fintan O'Toole (You just can't help but love a guy named Fintan) You can click this post's title for the link.
Motoring Madness Puts Spoke in China's Wheel
Letter from Beijing: For the benefit of intending travellers, here are some Chinese rules of the road:
1. Driving is like making cloth or baskets - the skill is in the weaving. If there is more room on the far side of a three-lane highway, your duty is to get into it as fast as possible. Lanes are for bowling alleys.
2. Sound waves are a powerful form of energy. If you blow your horn loudly and continuously, obstacles in your way will disappear, clearing the road ahead.
3. Seatbelts restrict the flow of blood to the brain and may be dangerous. Drivers may buckle up if they are approaching a police checkpoint, but the belt should be removed as soon as the checkpoint is passed. Passengers should on no account wear seatbelts, as attempts to find the buckles which have been carefully stored under the seat covers may distract the driver from an important mobile phone conversation.
4. When approaching a junction with a major road, enter the flow of traffic immediately and decisively. The drivers on the main road will be well aware of your presence, even at night, and stopping to wait for a gap may be interpreted as an insult to their sixth sense.
5. Remember that Kung Fu movies such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon are entirely realistic. Chinese people can sense at all times what is happening behind them, even without looking. They also have lightening-fast reflexes, so any momentary danger will inevitably be averted.
6. Overtaking is a spiritual quest, a homage to the gods of time, who do not like to see their precious gift wasted. The less time wasted and the more dangerous the manoeuvre (for example, overtaking on a hairpin bend on a mountain road with a ravine 5,000ft below) the greater the devotion demonstrated. You will get your reward in the next life, a destination which you may also reach sooner than everyone else.
7. Even the narrowest road has two sides - it is wasteful not to use both.
8. If you find yourself facing a head-on collision with another vehicle, it is vital to assume that the other driver will blink first and take the necessary evasive action. If everyone abides by this principle, then there can be no confusion. All drivers will understand their proper responses in this situation and there can be no danger of an accident.
I offer these rules as a cut-out-and-keep guide for anyone intending to travel to China, because, oddly, they are not published by the road safety authorities and can be learned only by observation. This might suggest that they are not rules at all, but they are universally observed in every part of China I've been to so far, and are presumably so well understood that they do not need to be made explicit.
So deeply entrenched are these rules, indeed, that they turn on their heads western perceptions of what is and is not good driving. In the West, for example, someone who swings out into the middle of the road while approaching a blind blend is a maniac who has no right to be on the road. In China, such a person is genuinely a good driver. If you assume that when you turn the corner, there may be cars bearing down on you (because they are overtaking on the other side of the bend), then it makes perfect sense to stay in the middle so that you have room, if necessary, to swerve to either side.
This kind of skill may explain one of two astonishing aspects of Chinese driving: the relatively low rate of accidents. It is not that the carnage on the roads in China is not appalling, even by Irish standards. It is. In China, injuries from road traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for people aged between 15 and 45. Every day, about 600 people are killed and 45,000 injured on the roads. But if you travel in buses and taxis for a while, these figures come to seem remarkably low.
I can hardly believe that I've seen only one bad crash in the last two months. (Though having my eyes closed most of the time may have had something to do with it.) The other amazing thing is the relative absence of road rage. In most other societies, driving would come to a halt because the roads would be filled with the bodies of drivers who had shot each other, or with the burnt-out wrecks of vehicles whose owners had spontaneously combusted. But I've only seen one episode of serious cursing, when a parked car suddenly and without any signal pulled out right in front of a taxi I was in, missing it by a centimetre. The taxi driver turned the air blue and the guilty party gave a sheepish smile and an apologetic wave, as if he had accidentally brushed up against an old lady's elbow.
When only the most egregious offences raise any objections, it seems clear that all the other offences are regarded as normality.
This all means that there's no point in asking Chinese people to explain the awful driving, since they don't regard it as awful at all. On long drives, when I've got tired of taking the holy name in vain, I try to calm myself by thinking up explanations. The most obvious is that mass driving is a new thing here and that China has gone from the ubiquitous bicycle to 130 million motor vehicles in the blink of an eye. But such an explanation would equally apply if Chinese drivers were slow and cautious.
I do think bicycles have something to do with it, though. Most drivers learned their road sense in the bicycle era, when weaving around obstacles made sense and the risks from a crash were small. Another, related, reason may be that the car is still a symbol of personal freedom, an escape from a communal rule-bound world into a private space where you can follow your own instincts. Or maybe it's just the peculiarly Chinese combination of fatalism ("If I'm going to die, there's nothing I can do about it") and optimism ("Sure haven't I survived worse?") that comes from a hard history.
This article tells it like it is. I especially liked his point about the seatbelts. I was in the front seat of a taxi once, reaching over to put on my seatbelt when the driver reached across and told me there was no need.
Motoring Madness Puts Spoke in China's Wheel
Letter from Beijing: For the benefit of intending travellers, here are some Chinese rules of the road:
1. Driving is like making cloth or baskets - the skill is in the weaving. If there is more room on the far side of a three-lane highway, your duty is to get into it as fast as possible. Lanes are for bowling alleys.
2. Sound waves are a powerful form of energy. If you blow your horn loudly and continuously, obstacles in your way will disappear, clearing the road ahead.
3. Seatbelts restrict the flow of blood to the brain and may be dangerous. Drivers may buckle up if they are approaching a police checkpoint, but the belt should be removed as soon as the checkpoint is passed. Passengers should on no account wear seatbelts, as attempts to find the buckles which have been carefully stored under the seat covers may distract the driver from an important mobile phone conversation.
4. When approaching a junction with a major road, enter the flow of traffic immediately and decisively. The drivers on the main road will be well aware of your presence, even at night, and stopping to wait for a gap may be interpreted as an insult to their sixth sense.
5. Remember that Kung Fu movies such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon are entirely realistic. Chinese people can sense at all times what is happening behind them, even without looking. They also have lightening-fast reflexes, so any momentary danger will inevitably be averted.
6. Overtaking is a spiritual quest, a homage to the gods of time, who do not like to see their precious gift wasted. The less time wasted and the more dangerous the manoeuvre (for example, overtaking on a hairpin bend on a mountain road with a ravine 5,000ft below) the greater the devotion demonstrated. You will get your reward in the next life, a destination which you may also reach sooner than everyone else.
7. Even the narrowest road has two sides - it is wasteful not to use both.
8. If you find yourself facing a head-on collision with another vehicle, it is vital to assume that the other driver will blink first and take the necessary evasive action. If everyone abides by this principle, then there can be no confusion. All drivers will understand their proper responses in this situation and there can be no danger of an accident.
I offer these rules as a cut-out-and-keep guide for anyone intending to travel to China, because, oddly, they are not published by the road safety authorities and can be learned only by observation. This might suggest that they are not rules at all, but they are universally observed in every part of China I've been to so far, and are presumably so well understood that they do not need to be made explicit.
So deeply entrenched are these rules, indeed, that they turn on their heads western perceptions of what is and is not good driving. In the West, for example, someone who swings out into the middle of the road while approaching a blind blend is a maniac who has no right to be on the road. In China, such a person is genuinely a good driver. If you assume that when you turn the corner, there may be cars bearing down on you (because they are overtaking on the other side of the bend), then it makes perfect sense to stay in the middle so that you have room, if necessary, to swerve to either side.
This kind of skill may explain one of two astonishing aspects of Chinese driving: the relatively low rate of accidents. It is not that the carnage on the roads in China is not appalling, even by Irish standards. It is. In China, injuries from road traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for people aged between 15 and 45. Every day, about 600 people are killed and 45,000 injured on the roads. But if you travel in buses and taxis for a while, these figures come to seem remarkably low.
I can hardly believe that I've seen only one bad crash in the last two months. (Though having my eyes closed most of the time may have had something to do with it.) The other amazing thing is the relative absence of road rage. In most other societies, driving would come to a halt because the roads would be filled with the bodies of drivers who had shot each other, or with the burnt-out wrecks of vehicles whose owners had spontaneously combusted. But I've only seen one episode of serious cursing, when a parked car suddenly and without any signal pulled out right in front of a taxi I was in, missing it by a centimetre. The taxi driver turned the air blue and the guilty party gave a sheepish smile and an apologetic wave, as if he had accidentally brushed up against an old lady's elbow.
When only the most egregious offences raise any objections, it seems clear that all the other offences are regarded as normality.
This all means that there's no point in asking Chinese people to explain the awful driving, since they don't regard it as awful at all. On long drives, when I've got tired of taking the holy name in vain, I try to calm myself by thinking up explanations. The most obvious is that mass driving is a new thing here and that China has gone from the ubiquitous bicycle to 130 million motor vehicles in the blink of an eye. But such an explanation would equally apply if Chinese drivers were slow and cautious.
I do think bicycles have something to do with it, though. Most drivers learned their road sense in the bicycle era, when weaving around obstacles made sense and the risks from a crash were small. Another, related, reason may be that the car is still a symbol of personal freedom, an escape from a communal rule-bound world into a private space where you can follow your own instincts. Or maybe it's just the peculiarly Chinese combination of fatalism ("If I'm going to die, there's nothing I can do about it") and optimism ("Sure haven't I survived worse?") that comes from a hard history.
This article tells it like it is. I especially liked his point about the seatbelts. I was in the front seat of a taxi once, reaching over to put on my seatbelt when the driver reached across and told me there was no need.
2006年12月6日星期三
Another Day in Trustmart--
So you go to your favorite store again, the one that still won't give you the discount card everyone else has. You're a regular customer, and the treatment you receive at the cashier has you doubting whether or not you'll come back. Each time you ask for the discount card, the cashier either borrows one from another customer for you, or tells you that you really don't need one.
Today's visit is going fairly well, the store isn't as full as it usually is, and the megaphones are blissfully quiet. After gathering your things, you make your way over to find a checkout line. Picking the shortest one, you lay your basket on the counter and wait for the inevitable question regarding the discount card. Do you have one? Nope. Just as you are about to ask where to get one, a petite woman appears and offers to help. She speaks English, and upon finding out you don't have the card, proceeds to poll everyone in line for one. You thank her for finding a willing customer, and then explain to her that you would like to obtain the card for yourself. Your new friend soon understands the problem, and agrees to take you to get the card. This is turning out to be a good day after all.
You pay for your goods and follow your new friend out the door and around the corner to a teller window built into the side of the building. In true Chinese fashion, you cut to the front of the crowd and watch as your friend issues a list of demands to the woman behind the glass window. The woman looks you over, and reluctantly agrees to give you an application form.
You and your new friend step aside and start filling out the form. Name? Check. Gender? Check. 身份证? Nope.
"What? You don't have a 身份证, the national ID card?" Your friend asks.
"Well, I'm not Chinese. Will my student ID work?"
"No."
"Oh. Well all I have is two student ID cards and a driver's license from the States. Won't anything else do?" Your friend turns back to the window and argues with the woman for several more minutes. Finally she announces that your passport will work as a suitable form of identification. Do you have it with you? You answer honestly that no, you don't have it with you. Your friend's look of disappointment at that response is almost more than you can bear. You look at her again, and make an offer hoping it'll work.
"I don't have my passport with me, but I know the number..." A few more tense negotiations later, the woman agrees to let you write down your passport number. Seizing the opportunity, you snatch the application from your friend's hands and proceed to start the acting bit of this little show.
"Hmm, what is my passport number again? Oh yeah... DVELL14766598-023. I think that's it. Yeah, that's it." In reality, you have no idea what this number is. You pass the application back as your friend orders you to get your student ID out again. The ID card is in a flip case that fits neatly inside your wallet. As you pull it out, it flips open to reveal the first page and these words: "Passport number" followed by your non-fraudulent passport number. You start to worry that perhaps this little charade won't be so successful after all. Will this woman compare the actual passport number to the one you put down on the application form? Does it really matter?
The woman takes the closed ID card and sets it on the desk beside her. "Could you repeat that number?" She asks you, "I can't read it."
"Uh... Er... Um..., it's DEV787-- Can you hand that to me? I'll just write it down for you." She passes the application form back to you and you finish scrawling in the numbers.
"And your phone number?" This time you give her a real number, but as you watch, she writes it down wrong. Oh well, one fake number for another. After ten minutes of inputting your falsified information, you hold in your hand a brand new discount card, and it feels like gold.
Today's visit is going fairly well, the store isn't as full as it usually is, and the megaphones are blissfully quiet. After gathering your things, you make your way over to find a checkout line. Picking the shortest one, you lay your basket on the counter and wait for the inevitable question regarding the discount card. Do you have one? Nope. Just as you are about to ask where to get one, a petite woman appears and offers to help. She speaks English, and upon finding out you don't have the card, proceeds to poll everyone in line for one. You thank her for finding a willing customer, and then explain to her that you would like to obtain the card for yourself. Your new friend soon understands the problem, and agrees to take you to get the card. This is turning out to be a good day after all.
You pay for your goods and follow your new friend out the door and around the corner to a teller window built into the side of the building. In true Chinese fashion, you cut to the front of the crowd and watch as your friend issues a list of demands to the woman behind the glass window. The woman looks you over, and reluctantly agrees to give you an application form.
You and your new friend step aside and start filling out the form. Name? Check. Gender? Check. 身份证? Nope.
"What? You don't have a 身份证, the national ID card?" Your friend asks.
"Well, I'm not Chinese. Will my student ID work?"
"No."
"Oh. Well all I have is two student ID cards and a driver's license from the States. Won't anything else do?" Your friend turns back to the window and argues with the woman for several more minutes. Finally she announces that your passport will work as a suitable form of identification. Do you have it with you? You answer honestly that no, you don't have it with you. Your friend's look of disappointment at that response is almost more than you can bear. You look at her again, and make an offer hoping it'll work.
"I don't have my passport with me, but I know the number..." A few more tense negotiations later, the woman agrees to let you write down your passport number. Seizing the opportunity, you snatch the application from your friend's hands and proceed to start the acting bit of this little show.
"Hmm, what is my passport number again? Oh yeah... DVELL14766598-023. I think that's it. Yeah, that's it." In reality, you have no idea what this number is. You pass the application back as your friend orders you to get your student ID out again. The ID card is in a flip case that fits neatly inside your wallet. As you pull it out, it flips open to reveal the first page and these words: "Passport number" followed by your non-fraudulent passport number. You start to worry that perhaps this little charade won't be so successful after all. Will this woman compare the actual passport number to the one you put down on the application form? Does it really matter?
The woman takes the closed ID card and sets it on the desk beside her. "Could you repeat that number?" She asks you, "I can't read it."
"Uh... Er... Um..., it's DEV787-- Can you hand that to me? I'll just write it down for you." She passes the application form back to you and you finish scrawling in the numbers.
"And your phone number?" This time you give her a real number, but as you watch, she writes it down wrong. Oh well, one fake number for another. After ten minutes of inputting your falsified information, you hold in your hand a brand new discount card, and it feels like gold.
2006年12月3日星期日
2006年12月2日星期六
Personal Space
In a country with a population of over a billion people, crowding and invasion of personal space are just facts of life. There are people everywhere, every time of the day.
Most of us Americans are not what is described as "touchy-feely" types. We don't hug often, only shake hands when necessary, and never, I mean NEVER hold hands. I've found many Chinese people are completely comfortable with the holding of hands. People I don't know often grab my hand as a sign of friendship. Others I barely know reach out and hug me as a greeting. I'm not offended by it and I'm not bothered by it; it's just a cultural difference. Most of the time when I encounter a "touchy-feely" moment, I'm just startled. Take for example my sign language class. I often sit in the back of the class and chat with a group of deaf and hard of hearing people. In this situation it's very common for someone to lean across me and place a hand on my thigh. They'll even leave it there after returning to their seats. I can live with this. I'm not offended by this.
Next week the sign language class will be taking their final test, and then the Saturday afternoon class will be finished. As with nearly everything else in China, this requires a photo or twenty. I was pulled from one side embrace to another, trying to keep up my smile. I was finally put into a pose with the teacher. We stood next to each other, arms down at our sides. Suddenly I felt her swat my back side. I could deal with this. I'm not offended by this.
I smiled at the teacher and turned to go back to my seat when I was grabbed by the arm.
"Just one more, please." A Chinese student stood in front of us poised with camera in hand. Reluctantly we all assembled into a line again. This time I stood next to one of my fellow classmates.
"1...2..."
SWAT!!!
There it was again! Some unknown person had just swatted my backside! I just continued smiling. I could deal with this. I'm not offended by this.
"...3" The picture was taken and we all hurried back to our seats.
The holding hands thing I can live with. The hugs I can tolerate. The hand on thigh isn't a problem. I just don't think I can get used to the swatting...
Most of us Americans are not what is described as "touchy-feely" types. We don't hug often, only shake hands when necessary, and never, I mean NEVER hold hands. I've found many Chinese people are completely comfortable with the holding of hands. People I don't know often grab my hand as a sign of friendship. Others I barely know reach out and hug me as a greeting. I'm not offended by it and I'm not bothered by it; it's just a cultural difference. Most of the time when I encounter a "touchy-feely" moment, I'm just startled. Take for example my sign language class. I often sit in the back of the class and chat with a group of deaf and hard of hearing people. In this situation it's very common for someone to lean across me and place a hand on my thigh. They'll even leave it there after returning to their seats. I can live with this. I'm not offended by this.
Next week the sign language class will be taking their final test, and then the Saturday afternoon class will be finished. As with nearly everything else in China, this requires a photo or twenty. I was pulled from one side embrace to another, trying to keep up my smile. I was finally put into a pose with the teacher. We stood next to each other, arms down at our sides. Suddenly I felt her swat my back side. I could deal with this. I'm not offended by this.
I smiled at the teacher and turned to go back to my seat when I was grabbed by the arm.
"Just one more, please." A Chinese student stood in front of us poised with camera in hand. Reluctantly we all assembled into a line again. This time I stood next to one of my fellow classmates.
"1...2..."
SWAT!!!
There it was again! Some unknown person had just swatted my backside! I just continued smiling. I could deal with this. I'm not offended by this.
"...3" The picture was taken and we all hurried back to our seats.
The holding hands thing I can live with. The hugs I can tolerate. The hand on thigh isn't a problem. I just don't think I can get used to the swatting...
2006年11月28日星期二
Another Urgent Update!!!!
What am I going to do??? I just realized that my update erased all the communist music and the video I had embedded at the bottom of the blog! ARRRGGGHHHH!!!!
An Announcement:
You'll notice the new color scheme on the blog. It is the unintended consequence of running some updates on my side of things. It took a lot of work to transform this template to the one that you normally see. I'm not happy with these changes and will be working to once again customize the look of the blog.
China
I've complained about learning Chinese before. Unlike easy languages (read: every other language on earth), Chinese requires several steps to memorize each word. You have to memorize the pronunciation, the tone and the character. Reading the characters is much easier than learning to write them, although with time the writing becomes easier. Predictably, one of the most frustrating aspects of the language is the characters. It's not so much that they are hard to read and write, it's that you cannot sound out characters that are unfamiliar. Signs read like this to me: Danger! Don't Touch the 鳄鱼! 警察要 Punish You Severely! I'm getting a bit better at guessing what these blank parts are, but it's still a challenge and I rely on context a lot.
Another problem I encounter when reading is that sometimes I remember the pronunciation of a character, I just don't remember the meaning. Other times I remember the meaning, I just don't remember the pronunciation. It's like this: blah, blah, blah, crocodile, blah, blah, blah. Don't know how to pronounce the word for crocodile, I just know the characters. A real example of this would be the two characters that mean something like, "don't do..." I see these two characters everywhere. Don't smoke, don't fish in the pond, don't honk your car's horn. The problem is, I can't pronounce them. I know the meaning, not the pronunciation. Some characters have phonetic parts to them, making it easier to guess what the sound might be. For example, take a look at the following characters:
方 fang
芳 fang
放 fang
访 fang
房 fang
坊 fang
纺 fang
旁 pang
As you can see, the first seven characters are pronounced "fang". The tones and meanings are different. The last character is pronounced "pang." If you saw one of these characters, you could guess the pronounciation based on the radical 方 which is found in every character (look closely). For these types of characters, the toughest part is remembering the tone. Also, some of them have similiar meanings, so remembering which one to write is a bit of a challenge as well.
Here's something that I can finally sort of read:
It reads: Chairman Mao is the red sun in our hearts
Another problem I encounter when reading is that sometimes I remember the pronunciation of a character, I just don't remember the meaning. Other times I remember the meaning, I just don't remember the pronunciation. It's like this: blah, blah, blah, crocodile, blah, blah, blah. Don't know how to pronounce the word for crocodile, I just know the characters. A real example of this would be the two characters that mean something like, "don't do..." I see these two characters everywhere. Don't smoke, don't fish in the pond, don't honk your car's horn. The problem is, I can't pronounce them. I know the meaning, not the pronunciation. Some characters have phonetic parts to them, making it easier to guess what the sound might be. For example, take a look at the following characters:
方 fang
芳 fang
放 fang
访 fang
房 fang
坊 fang
纺 fang
旁 pang
As you can see, the first seven characters are pronounced "fang". The tones and meanings are different. The last character is pronounced "pang." If you saw one of these characters, you could guess the pronounciation based on the radical 方 which is found in every character (look closely). For these types of characters, the toughest part is remembering the tone. Also, some of them have similiar meanings, so remembering which one to write is a bit of a challenge as well.
Here's something that I can finally sort of read:
It reads: Chairman Mao is the red sun in our hearts Literally: Mao Chairman is our heart center red sun
At first all I could read was the "Chairman Mao is our..." Later came the "red sun" part. Hopefully I translated this correctly. Who knows, it could have some other meaning that I don't understand yet, but I doubt it. My translation sounds sufficiently communist.
2006年11月27日星期一
What a beautiful day!
There's this friend of a friend of a friend who's now become my friend. Her English name is Connie. We get together about once every two weeks. Usually I go to her place, and her husband cooks while we practice Chinese and English. A lot of the other foreigners have taken Chinese culture classes either here or in their home countries, but there is nothing better than going out and meeting people. Living with a Chinese woman and spending time with Connie has given me some weird insights.
When I first met Connie, she told me that she had just recently started going out again. She had given birth to a baby less than two months prior, so this explanation made sense to me. Well, it made sense to me until she explained what she meant fully. You see, traditionally Chinese women will not leave the house for a month after giving birth. I know you're thinking, "yeah, so what?" It gets worse than that: only specific foods are allowed, nothing too spicy or cold. The part of this ritual I found most disturbing was the prohibition against bathing and washing of the hair. Apparently, the mother must restore her yin and yang, and washing will somehow throw this out of whack.
A lot of our conversations are just plain strange. A conversation I had last night went something like this:
"I told my husband that you like to eat fish. He wanted to cook some, but last night we ate this vegetable and it made our lips dry, so we can't have fish. We can have hot pot though." (Huh?)
"Oh, that sounds great!"
Another conversation:
"I've noticed that you Westerners wear less clothes than we Chinese." (It's cold here and the Chinese are big on long underwear and "I'm hiking Mt. Everest" jackets.)
"Hmm, I never noticed the difference. I suppose we do wear less layers."
"When you were little, did you only wear a little clothes? Maybe that's why you are used to it." (Huh?)
I have a lot of these strange conversations. I wish I could record them all for you. They always make me wonder if the things I say come across as weird to her as the things she says do to me.
When I first met Connie, she told me that she had just recently started going out again. She had given birth to a baby less than two months prior, so this explanation made sense to me. Well, it made sense to me until she explained what she meant fully. You see, traditionally Chinese women will not leave the house for a month after giving birth. I know you're thinking, "yeah, so what?" It gets worse than that: only specific foods are allowed, nothing too spicy or cold. The part of this ritual I found most disturbing was the prohibition against bathing and washing of the hair. Apparently, the mother must restore her yin and yang, and washing will somehow throw this out of whack.
A lot of our conversations are just plain strange. A conversation I had last night went something like this:
"I told my husband that you like to eat fish. He wanted to cook some, but last night we ate this vegetable and it made our lips dry, so we can't have fish. We can have hot pot though." (Huh?)
"Oh, that sounds great!"
Another conversation:
"I've noticed that you Westerners wear less clothes than we Chinese." (It's cold here and the Chinese are big on long underwear and "I'm hiking Mt. Everest" jackets.)
"Hmm, I never noticed the difference. I suppose we do wear less layers."
"When you were little, did you only wear a little clothes? Maybe that's why you are used to it." (Huh?)
I have a lot of these strange conversations. I wish I could record them all for you. They always make me wonder if the things I say come across as weird to her as the things she says do to me.
Trust(?)mart
So you go to your favorite store again, the one that still requires the mysterious discount card that you don't have. You know their prices are good and who knows, maybe you'll find a discount card hidden under the dried jellyfish. With this kind of positive thinking, you enter the store hoping you'll make it out again in one piece. It's noon, meaning everyone is on their two-hour siesta and the place is destined to be packed.
After loading your basket with an assortment of goods you push your way through the crowd to the row of cashiers. Picking the shortest line and the slowest checker, you rehearse what you are going to say. After all, you didn't find a card under the jellyfish, stomach, brain or duck blood and you are still hoping for one. You tell yourself today is your lucky day.
"Excuse me, where do I go to get that card?" The cashier looks at you, turns to the next person in line and takes the card from her hand. She scans it, thanks the customer, throws your stuff in a bag and tells you the total. You pay and leave, deciding on the way out that you should take a drive by the consulate.
Did she not hear you? Was she purposly avoiding my question? Why won't she give me that damn card?!
2006年11月24日星期五
3 Month Update:
This past week I passed the three month mark in China. Here's a short summary of what I've learned, what I love, what I hate, and what surprises me about living in the Middle Kingdom.
What I love: The food. It's by far some of the best food I've ever had.
The classes. They are interesting, if not a bit disorganized. I'm learning a lot.
My bike: It may be a piece of junk, but it's the best way around the city. I think mountain biking is in my future...
Making friends at CSL class.
The food. I know I said it before, but it's so incredibly good! It makes life in Chengdu worth living.
What I hate: Riding a bicycle/on the floor loogie spitters. The Chinese spit like no other people on earth. Most of the time this doesn't bother me, except for those two exceptions above.
The general disorganization of everything.
The foreigner tax.
General dishonesty.
Racism.
Chinese organized tours. They really suck.
What surprises me: The lack of hills in Chengdu. I've been riding my bike around the city for three months and have not encountered a hill yet. Not even a small one.
The awesome apartment I live in. I wasn't really expecting anything this nice, but we really lucked out.
Meeting another American who knows Chinese Sign Language.
The driving. Insane. Mad. Crazy.
What I've learned: The phrase "I don't eat innards, head or feet."
That you might not always get what you ask for when buying things. People take the liberty to give you more than you want, thus charging more(rounding up, of course!).
It's good to always back everything up with an email or three.
Flashing lights means: "MOVE!!!" Horns mean: "Don't make any sudden moves!"
Ignoring the crossing guards is perfectly acceptable.
Pretending that you don't speak Chinese can be very useful. It helps you get away with things you otherwise couldn't.
The clerks at Trustmart will under no circumstances give you the discount card. They won't even tell you how to get one.
People with sticks sell the cheapest fruit.
Anything sold on the street is good.
That's just a short summary. I'll be updating again at the six month mark.
What I love: The food. It's by far some of the best food I've ever had.
The classes. They are interesting, if not a bit disorganized. I'm learning a lot.
My bike: It may be a piece of junk, but it's the best way around the city. I think mountain biking is in my future...
Making friends at CSL class.
The food. I know I said it before, but it's so incredibly good! It makes life in Chengdu worth living.
What I hate: Riding a bicycle/on the floor loogie spitters. The Chinese spit like no other people on earth. Most of the time this doesn't bother me, except for those two exceptions above.
The general disorganization of everything.
The foreigner tax.
General dishonesty.
Racism.
Chinese organized tours. They really suck.
What surprises me: The lack of hills in Chengdu. I've been riding my bike around the city for three months and have not encountered a hill yet. Not even a small one.
The awesome apartment I live in. I wasn't really expecting anything this nice, but we really lucked out.
Meeting another American who knows Chinese Sign Language.
The driving. Insane. Mad. Crazy.
What I've learned: The phrase "I don't eat innards, head or feet."
That you might not always get what you ask for when buying things. People take the liberty to give you more than you want, thus charging more(rounding up, of course!).
It's good to always back everything up with an email or three.
Flashing lights means: "MOVE!!!" Horns mean: "Don't make any sudden moves!"
Ignoring the crossing guards is perfectly acceptable.
Pretending that you don't speak Chinese can be very useful. It helps you get away with things you otherwise couldn't.
The clerks at Trustmart will under no circumstances give you the discount card. They won't even tell you how to get one.
People with sticks sell the cheapest fruit.
Anything sold on the street is good.
That's just a short summary. I'll be updating again at the six month mark.
2006年11月21日星期二
It's almost Thanksgiving!
I've developed a real affinity for the American Consulate. I'm like a child with a special blankie. I just like it. I like looking at it. Having it around makes me feel good. In fact, if I could open up a consulate next door, downstairs, down the road, or in a storefront I would. I enjoy riding my bike past the guards, past the gates around gates, and the barred windows. I ride past the line of visa applicants snaking around the corner, and the Chinese guards who demand to know your business, and I feel a sense of pride. Pride and joy, pride and joy...
2006年11月18日星期六
Day 18
So far I've been pretty good about not eating sugar. I mentioned earlier that I was going to try and give up sugar until Thanksgiving. Although I eat things like bread and fruit, things like candy and cake is out. I've done fairly well.
I've had several surprises when it comes to the Chinese food. I bought what I thought was a fried potato thing, only to find it filled with sweet bean paste. I've bought what I thought were crackers, only to find them sweet like animal crackers. There was one overt violation, but by and large, all the other ones have been unintentional.
As to whether or not I'll continue my sugar fast after Thanksgiving: the answer is no. I love Almond M&Ms, and I don't think I can last much longer without them. The peanut ones are a good substitute, and a Snickers bar will do when nothing else is available.
I've had several surprises when it comes to the Chinese food. I bought what I thought was a fried potato thing, only to find it filled with sweet bean paste. I've bought what I thought were crackers, only to find them sweet like animal crackers. There was one overt violation, but by and large, all the other ones have been unintentional.
As to whether or not I'll continue my sugar fast after Thanksgiving: the answer is no. I love Almond M&Ms, and I don't think I can last much longer without them. The peanut ones are a good substitute, and a Snickers bar will do when nothing else is available.
While we're on the topic of names--
I should mention that I met both Fish and Sing A Song this week. I'm not sure about that last one, if it's Singasong or Sing-A-Song...
2006年11月14日星期二
What's your name?
The other day I was at one of the Western restaurants in town. My waiter's name was Elephant. Has anyone heard of the one dog policy?
It's hard to explain what living in China is like without giving you all an analogy or story.
On Sunday, my classmates and I had planned to take a trip to the Sea of Bamboo. One of our friends from the Yangtze River cruise, a man known simply as "The Judge", had given us an open invitation to tour the park with him. We sent a text message to him earlier this week explaining that seven of us would be making the journey on Sunday. We were told to take the bus from Chengdu, and it would only take two hours.
Early Sunday morning, Andrea, the onsight coordinator of our exchange program went to the bus stop to buy the tickets. When she asked how long the bus trip was, the cashier told her it was four hours. She called us, and we decided to go ahead and go anyway.
We got on a nearly empty bus and settled in for the journey. Two hours came and went. Three hours came and went. Four and a half hours came and went. Just as we were reaching hour number six, the bus pulled up to the park entrance at the Sea of Bamboo. It was now about three in the afternoon, and we had to get back to Chengdu that evening. Andrea asked the driver when the next bus back to Chengdu was and found out it was either in fifteen minutes, or the next morning. As we were discussing what to do, a man (hereafter referred to as "that bozo") approached and asked if we were willing to hire a private car for the return trip to the city. After some haggling, the price was still too high and we asked if he would just take us to a train station in a town called Yibin. We had passed through Yibin about an hour before. After some more haggling, we agreed to take his car to Yibin where he promised there was a night train back to Chengdu.
We bought our entrance tickets and started walking up the road and into the park. Pretty soon a car pulled alongside our little band of travelers and offered to take us on a driving tour of the park. We declined, and the driver drove off. Suddenly, we heard some shouting coming from behind. We stopped and turned around only to see our new friend, the bozo running up the hill towards us. "I'll give you a ride, only 200 kuai! You must take a driving tour of the park, you won't see the good sites otherwise!"
Another ten minutes was spent arguing with the guy. He backed off the driving trip idea in favor of following us in hopes that we would get tired and take him up on his offer.
We meandered into the park, stopping when we found a stream running parallel to the road. Several of us scootched down to the creek's edge and took photos. After living in Chengdu nearly three months, it's a real treat to be in such a beautiful park.
A little further up the road we came across a trail cut through the bamboo. The trail went straight up hill, away from other tourists and most importantly, the bozo. We started to ascend the steep hill, all the while wondering aloud where the trail would lead us.
"Hey! Hey! You won't see any of the sites here!" We looked behind us and discovered our friend was close to catching up. "Don't look at him and maybe he'll just go away. Pretend like he's not there."
The trail led us up to a small gathering of homes perched on top of the hillside. From the road below, you cannot see the fields and farmland that had been cultivated here. We continued past the houses and back out onto another street.
Dee-Dee-Dee-Dee-Dee!!!... Bozo's phone rang. "WEI!?" We started walking faster.
Further down the road we ran into a small row of shops. Stopping at an empty storefront, we bought ramen noodles and sat down at a small table. All through lunch, we watched as our new friend paced outside, hoping desperately that he would leave. His phone number had already been obtained by one of our group, and we still didn't want the driving trip. Walking would do just fine, thank you.
We continued down the road a ways until we came to another trail. This one appeared to be one of the stops on the tourist route. A large pagoda sat near the entrance, and a line of shops selling dried mushrooms sat nearby. Entering the trail, I was struck by how dark it was. The bamboo blocked out all traces of sunlight, and suddenly the world seemed damp. The trail zig-zagged up a steep hill, eventually leading to a waterfall.
As evening approached, it was decided that we needed to leave the waterfall and head back down the hill. It had been made clear that if we arrived in the neighboring city of Yibin before too late, we could catch a night train back to Chengdu. Bozo was waiting at the bottom of the hill. He had arranged for a larger car to drive us to Yibin.
The car pulled up to the train station an hour later. The train station was small and delapidated, the lobby nearly empty. We approached the single open window. The woman looked up from her schedules and barked into the microphone, "What tickets do you want?"
"We want to take the 9:00 pm train back to Chengdu."
"We don't have a train to Chengdu tonight, the only one is tomorrow morning."
Several young ladies gathered around to eavesdrop on our conversation. Realizing our problem, one of the ladies pulled Andrea aside and told her about a night bus to Chengdu. It only cost sixty kuai she was assured, and it only took three hours. The bus was scheduled to arrive at the train station in a few minutes, we would have to rush to get there. We bounded out the door, leaving the crowd of onlookers behind. The young woman who helped us was right, the bus pulled up just as we reached the curb and we all boarded.
The four and a half hour bus ride was uneventful, but like everything in China, was an interesting experience. There was spitting and smoking, littering, and Chinese movies. The woman behind me sat with her head out a half open window the entire trip. Perhaps the combination of smoke and karaoke music had finally gotten to her.
Pulling into Chengdu was a relief. The bus dropped us off at the edge of the city, from there we took a taxi to retrieve our bicycles. All in all I had a great time. I'll be posting some of the pictures later, although they are already posted to my webshots account.
On Sunday, my classmates and I had planned to take a trip to the Sea of Bamboo. One of our friends from the Yangtze River cruise, a man known simply as "The Judge", had given us an open invitation to tour the park with him. We sent a text message to him earlier this week explaining that seven of us would be making the journey on Sunday. We were told to take the bus from Chengdu, and it would only take two hours.
Early Sunday morning, Andrea, the onsight coordinator of our exchange program went to the bus stop to buy the tickets. When she asked how long the bus trip was, the cashier told her it was four hours. She called us, and we decided to go ahead and go anyway.
We got on a nearly empty bus and settled in for the journey. Two hours came and went. Three hours came and went. Four and a half hours came and went. Just as we were reaching hour number six, the bus pulled up to the park entrance at the Sea of Bamboo. It was now about three in the afternoon, and we had to get back to Chengdu that evening. Andrea asked the driver when the next bus back to Chengdu was and found out it was either in fifteen minutes, or the next morning. As we were discussing what to do, a man (hereafter referred to as "that bozo") approached and asked if we were willing to hire a private car for the return trip to the city. After some haggling, the price was still too high and we asked if he would just take us to a train station in a town called Yibin. We had passed through Yibin about an hour before. After some more haggling, we agreed to take his car to Yibin where he promised there was a night train back to Chengdu.
We bought our entrance tickets and started walking up the road and into the park. Pretty soon a car pulled alongside our little band of travelers and offered to take us on a driving tour of the park. We declined, and the driver drove off. Suddenly, we heard some shouting coming from behind. We stopped and turned around only to see our new friend, the bozo running up the hill towards us. "I'll give you a ride, only 200 kuai! You must take a driving tour of the park, you won't see the good sites otherwise!"
Another ten minutes was spent arguing with the guy. He backed off the driving trip idea in favor of following us in hopes that we would get tired and take him up on his offer.
We meandered into the park, stopping when we found a stream running parallel to the road. Several of us scootched down to the creek's edge and took photos. After living in Chengdu nearly three months, it's a real treat to be in such a beautiful park.
A little further up the road we came across a trail cut through the bamboo. The trail went straight up hill, away from other tourists and most importantly, the bozo. We started to ascend the steep hill, all the while wondering aloud where the trail would lead us.
"Hey! Hey! You won't see any of the sites here!" We looked behind us and discovered our friend was close to catching up. "Don't look at him and maybe he'll just go away. Pretend like he's not there."
The trail led us up to a small gathering of homes perched on top of the hillside. From the road below, you cannot see the fields and farmland that had been cultivated here. We continued past the houses and back out onto another street.
Dee-Dee-Dee-Dee-Dee!!!... Bozo's phone rang. "WEI!?" We started walking faster.
Further down the road we ran into a small row of shops. Stopping at an empty storefront, we bought ramen noodles and sat down at a small table. All through lunch, we watched as our new friend paced outside, hoping desperately that he would leave. His phone number had already been obtained by one of our group, and we still didn't want the driving trip. Walking would do just fine, thank you.
We continued down the road a ways until we came to another trail. This one appeared to be one of the stops on the tourist route. A large pagoda sat near the entrance, and a line of shops selling dried mushrooms sat nearby. Entering the trail, I was struck by how dark it was. The bamboo blocked out all traces of sunlight, and suddenly the world seemed damp. The trail zig-zagged up a steep hill, eventually leading to a waterfall.
As evening approached, it was decided that we needed to leave the waterfall and head back down the hill. It had been made clear that if we arrived in the neighboring city of Yibin before too late, we could catch a night train back to Chengdu. Bozo was waiting at the bottom of the hill. He had arranged for a larger car to drive us to Yibin.
The car pulled up to the train station an hour later. The train station was small and delapidated, the lobby nearly empty. We approached the single open window. The woman looked up from her schedules and barked into the microphone, "What tickets do you want?"
"We want to take the 9:00 pm train back to Chengdu."
"We don't have a train to Chengdu tonight, the only one is tomorrow morning."
Several young ladies gathered around to eavesdrop on our conversation. Realizing our problem, one of the ladies pulled Andrea aside and told her about a night bus to Chengdu. It only cost sixty kuai she was assured, and it only took three hours. The bus was scheduled to arrive at the train station in a few minutes, we would have to rush to get there. We bounded out the door, leaving the crowd of onlookers behind. The young woman who helped us was right, the bus pulled up just as we reached the curb and we all boarded.
The four and a half hour bus ride was uneventful, but like everything in China, was an interesting experience. There was spitting and smoking, littering, and Chinese movies. The woman behind me sat with her head out a half open window the entire trip. Perhaps the combination of smoke and karaoke music had finally gotten to her.
Pulling into Chengdu was a relief. The bus dropped us off at the edge of the city, from there we took a taxi to retrieve our bicycles. All in all I had a great time. I'll be posting some of the pictures later, although they are already posted to my webshots account.
2006年11月11日星期六
To what shall I compare thee, beautiful laowai?
You are a foreigner of foreigners, and I wish I was like you,
With your big hair and passive-aggressive smile.
But lo, if I stopped a car like that I would be run over.
We applaude you laowai. Thank you.
A Foreign Lady in Beijing
The top story at Nanfang Daily today was titled "Foreign Auntie Challenges Rule-Breaking Vehicle." The story was originally posted by blogger known as Lao An (老安, Old An). The original blog post was titled "A foreigner helps the Chinese to improve their civic quality."
Here is the translation of the text:
At around 8:50am on October 20, 2006, on the road from the Zhaoyang East bridge towards the Blue Island Building, a funny episode occurred: a foreigner acted as traffic police and made a small sedan which had gone into the bicycle lane move back out into the car lane.
By the time that I got there, a foreigner had stopped and held her bicycle in the bicycle lane in front of a silver car (license plate number HL ****). She was smiling and saying something to the driver while making gestures. At first I went past and I did not take any photographs. Then I saw the foreigner go past the car and stopped her bicycle in front of the car. So she was trying to get the car to go back into the car lane instead of being in the bicycle lane. This went on for a few minutes. The driver got mad and got out of the car to curse the foreigner. He even picked up the bicycle and hook it. Even so, the foreigner would not budge and she insisted that the car get back on the car lane.
Finally, the car turned back into the car lane. The foreigner then blocked the next car (a white Santana), which quickly retreated and went into the car lane.
The whole incident occurred in under 10 minutes and drew quite a few spectators. After the foreigner left, the spectators commented: "The Chinese really need to be educated this way!" Dear brother and sister readers, what do you think?
The foreigner catches up to the car and stops in front of it.
She holds her ground and maintains a smile.
She will not budge
The driver gets out and pushes the bicycle.
But the foreigner holds her ground.
The driver gets out again and demands: "Are you leaving or not?"
The driver picks up the bicycle and threw it on the side.
He said: "If you block me again, I'll throw it even farther away!"
"Go home and mind your own business!"
But she does not leave.
"If you block me again, I won't be polite anymore!"
(but he drives into the car lane all the same)
The foreigner now blocks a white Santana that entered the bicycle lane. This car quickly backed up and retreated into the car lane.
(This article was borrowed from http://www.zonaeuropa.com/20061027_1.htm)
You are a foreigner of foreigners, and I wish I was like you,
With your big hair and passive-aggressive smile.
But lo, if I stopped a car like that I would be run over.
We applaude you laowai. Thank you.
A Foreign Lady in Beijing
The top story at Nanfang Daily today was titled "Foreign Auntie Challenges Rule-Breaking Vehicle." The story was originally posted by blogger known as Lao An (老安, Old An). The original blog post was titled "A foreigner helps the Chinese to improve their civic quality."
Here is the translation of the text:
At around 8:50am on October 20, 2006, on the road from the Zhaoyang East bridge towards the Blue Island Building, a funny episode occurred: a foreigner acted as traffic police and made a small sedan which had gone into the bicycle lane move back out into the car lane.
By the time that I got there, a foreigner had stopped and held her bicycle in the bicycle lane in front of a silver car (license plate number HL ****). She was smiling and saying something to the driver while making gestures. At first I went past and I did not take any photographs. Then I saw the foreigner go past the car and stopped her bicycle in front of the car. So she was trying to get the car to go back into the car lane instead of being in the bicycle lane. This went on for a few minutes. The driver got mad and got out of the car to curse the foreigner. He even picked up the bicycle and hook it. Even so, the foreigner would not budge and she insisted that the car get back on the car lane.
Finally, the car turned back into the car lane. The foreigner then blocked the next car (a white Santana), which quickly retreated and went into the car lane.
The whole incident occurred in under 10 minutes and drew quite a few spectators. After the foreigner left, the spectators commented: "The Chinese really need to be educated this way!" Dear brother and sister readers, what do you think?
The foreigner catches up to the car and stops in front of it.
She holds her ground and maintains a smile.
She will not budge
The driver gets out and pushes the bicycle.
But the foreigner holds her ground.
The driver gets out again and demands: "Are you leaving or not?"
The driver picks up the bicycle and threw it on the side.
He said: "If you block me again, I'll throw it even farther away!"
"Go home and mind your own business!"
But she does not leave.
"If you block me again, I won't be polite anymore!"
(but he drives into the car lane all the same)
The foreigner now blocks a white Santana that entered the bicycle lane. This car quickly backed up and retreated into the car lane.
(This article was borrowed from http://www.zonaeuropa.com/20061027_1.htm)
I really am back!
Everything moves at such a fast pace around here. With the expansion of the economy in the last dozen years, everything feels rushed and half complete. Buildings were erected before there were tenants to fill them. I've seen quite a few in the Chengdu area that look abandoned or never completed. Although the pace of life may be slower than in the States, the rate at which things get done is not.
The apartment complex I live in is fairly new. If I were to guess, I would say it was built within the last five years. Despite this, there is constant construction taking place. I moved in, and a couple of weeks later the speed bumps were removed. Next there was an overhaul of landscaping, followed by the addition of spikes on the gutters to keep would-be climbers off. Last week they remodeled the showcase room at the entrance to the complex. Before this, they installed electronic gates at the front walkway (despite the fact that there are three guards on duty all day and night). This week they started adding and removing trees. Why? No idea.
Along with the building/remodeling/removing plants phenomena is the overabundance of labor. Let me give you a few examples:
The sweeping ladies: On every street, at every hour there are ladies sweeping. They gather in clusters of three or four, and with their long brooms and crooked dustpans fight a war on the Chinese pastime of littering. It's a 24/7 thing. They're sweeping at noon, they're sweeping at midnight. The sad thing is, there would be no need to sweep if people would stop littering.
I remember one night riding my bike home. Although most of the shops were closed, there was still a remarkably large number of people around. I rode through the intersection at Second Ring Road and past the yellow building where I get off the bus. There in the courtyard of the building were several dozen men and women. They were digging holes in the garden, and laying bricks for a pathway. Not that remarkable, right? It was well past midnight.
My apartment complex: My apartment complex is guarded at all times by a platoon of young teenagers. There are three stationed at the front gate: one interrogates drivers, one hands out bicycle passes, and the third stands around trying to look busy. Besides these three, there are several more riding bikes around the grounds, and a couple stationed at the back gate. The back gate is locked and leads to a construction site. Nobody comes in or exits through this gate. One afternoon, my roommate and I found ourselves locked out. We decided to go to the guard at the back gate to see if we could get some help. After hearing our plea, the guard took us to a first-floor surveillance room. This place was seriously high tech, with dozens of television screens lining the walls. These pubescent security guards take their jobs seriously. They wear camouflage, engage in bootcamp style exercises, salute entering cars, and stand in formation. The problem is, there's just too many of them! We live in a nice complex, do we really need three dozen fifteen-year olds on duty day and night?
The super markets: The worst offender in this category is Trust Mart. Every super market I have been to has at least three dozen more employees on duty than they need. If I look at something too long, I'll gather a crowd of bored, megaphone wielding clerks who are all too eager to help me find something. I try not to make eye contact, but it doesn't help much.
The Overseas School: The Overseas School at Sichuan University is housed in a small building in the far corner of the campus. Like everything else in Chengdu it is guarded by several young, vaguely official looking guards. One opens the gate to the bicycle parking lot, the other two sit behind a window and stare as the students enter the building for morning classes. The one with the keys opens classroom doors at the request of teachers or students. As far as I know, the other two just sit and stare.
Landscaping/Construction: Anything that can be done with a powertool is done by hand. I don't think this is because there is a lack of powertools but rather, is because of the abundance of physical labor. There's a quarter mile stretch of sidewalk near my house that has been completely redone in the past two days. The first day, workers removed the bricks with mallets. The second day, they laid new bricks. Voila! It was done!
Street vendors: China has 1.3 billion people. One would think this makes the ability to succeed in this society incredibly tough. I'm not sure this is totally accurate. Because there is such a large number of people, things that would turn people off to a business go largely unnoticed. Take restaurants for example; if a restaurant is bad in the US, I won't go back. If my experience is shared by others, the restaurant will lose business and will be forced to change or close. Not here. If I think a restaurant is bad, I may opt to never go back, but there's 1,299,000,000 other people willing to take my place. It's kind of like this with the street vendors. Although there is great diversity in what they sell, you'll often see two or three carts in a row selling the exact same thing. Why don't they spread out to try and maximize their business?
What is the deal with this?! Can someone explain it to me?
The apartment complex I live in is fairly new. If I were to guess, I would say it was built within the last five years. Despite this, there is constant construction taking place. I moved in, and a couple of weeks later the speed bumps were removed. Next there was an overhaul of landscaping, followed by the addition of spikes on the gutters to keep would-be climbers off. Last week they remodeled the showcase room at the entrance to the complex. Before this, they installed electronic gates at the front walkway (despite the fact that there are three guards on duty all day and night). This week they started adding and removing trees. Why? No idea.
Along with the building/remodeling/removing plants phenomena is the overabundance of labor. Let me give you a few examples:
The sweeping ladies: On every street, at every hour there are ladies sweeping. They gather in clusters of three or four, and with their long brooms and crooked dustpans fight a war on the Chinese pastime of littering. It's a 24/7 thing. They're sweeping at noon, they're sweeping at midnight. The sad thing is, there would be no need to sweep if people would stop littering.
I remember one night riding my bike home. Although most of the shops were closed, there was still a remarkably large number of people around. I rode through the intersection at Second Ring Road and past the yellow building where I get off the bus. There in the courtyard of the building were several dozen men and women. They were digging holes in the garden, and laying bricks for a pathway. Not that remarkable, right? It was well past midnight.
My apartment complex: My apartment complex is guarded at all times by a platoon of young teenagers. There are three stationed at the front gate: one interrogates drivers, one hands out bicycle passes, and the third stands around trying to look busy. Besides these three, there are several more riding bikes around the grounds, and a couple stationed at the back gate. The back gate is locked and leads to a construction site. Nobody comes in or exits through this gate. One afternoon, my roommate and I found ourselves locked out. We decided to go to the guard at the back gate to see if we could get some help. After hearing our plea, the guard took us to a first-floor surveillance room. This place was seriously high tech, with dozens of television screens lining the walls. These pubescent security guards take their jobs seriously. They wear camouflage, engage in bootcamp style exercises, salute entering cars, and stand in formation. The problem is, there's just too many of them! We live in a nice complex, do we really need three dozen fifteen-year olds on duty day and night?
The super markets: The worst offender in this category is Trust Mart. Every super market I have been to has at least three dozen more employees on duty than they need. If I look at something too long, I'll gather a crowd of bored, megaphone wielding clerks who are all too eager to help me find something. I try not to make eye contact, but it doesn't help much.
The Overseas School: The Overseas School at Sichuan University is housed in a small building in the far corner of the campus. Like everything else in Chengdu it is guarded by several young, vaguely official looking guards. One opens the gate to the bicycle parking lot, the other two sit behind a window and stare as the students enter the building for morning classes. The one with the keys opens classroom doors at the request of teachers or students. As far as I know, the other two just sit and stare.
Landscaping/Construction: Anything that can be done with a powertool is done by hand. I don't think this is because there is a lack of powertools but rather, is because of the abundance of physical labor. There's a quarter mile stretch of sidewalk near my house that has been completely redone in the past two days. The first day, workers removed the bricks with mallets. The second day, they laid new bricks. Voila! It was done!
Street vendors: China has 1.3 billion people. One would think this makes the ability to succeed in this society incredibly tough. I'm not sure this is totally accurate. Because there is such a large number of people, things that would turn people off to a business go largely unnoticed. Take restaurants for example; if a restaurant is bad in the US, I won't go back. If my experience is shared by others, the restaurant will lose business and will be forced to change or close. Not here. If I think a restaurant is bad, I may opt to never go back, but there's 1,299,000,000 other people willing to take my place. It's kind of like this with the street vendors. Although there is great diversity in what they sell, you'll often see two or three carts in a row selling the exact same thing. Why don't they spread out to try and maximize their business?
What is the deal with this?! Can someone explain it to me?
2006年11月9日星期四
I'm Back
Hello again! I'm nearly done with midterms, and I think I lost a pound of brain weight in the process. Midterms here are a long and painful process. Every class I take has a seperate exam or paper (five language classes, one history class), leaving me with very little free time. My last exam is tomorrow, so wish me luck. I'll be blogging more then. I have a lot to catch up on, but for now what I need is sleep. stay tuned, there is more to come.
Oh-- After a bit of tinkering, my proxy is up and happy again giving me full access to the internet.
Oh-- After a bit of tinkering, my proxy is up and happy again giving me full access to the internet.
2006年11月2日星期四
So you go to your favorite store --the one that requires the special card-- to pick up a few things. So far, you've managed to get by without the card. Whenever you approach the cash register another person always lets you use theirs. Not a big deal, right? But let's say you want that card. You know that one day people won't be as friendly. You ask the cashier, "Where do I go to get the card?"
"You don't need the card, this isn't on sale."
"I know but where do I go to get the card?"
"You don't need the card. There is no sale."
"But I want the card... Where do I go?"
"You don't need the card, this isn't on sale." At this point, the cashier swivels the computer screen in your direction to show you exactly what "not on sale" means. In your frustration you say, "I know, I know, I know! I know it's not on sale, but I just want the card!"
"Well, borrow one from someone in line."
"You don't need the card, this isn't on sale."
"I know but where do I go to get the card?"
"You don't need the card. There is no sale."
"But I want the card... Where do I go?"
"You don't need the card, this isn't on sale." At this point, the cashier swivels the computer screen in your direction to show you exactly what "not on sale" means. In your frustration you say, "I know, I know, I know! I know it's not on sale, but I just want the card!"
"Well, borrow one from someone in line."
2006年11月1日星期三
Day: 1
I would like to announce that I made it through day one relatively sugar free. As predicted I woke up in the morning with a severe hankering for something sweet. Instead of indulging my craving, I decided to follow one of the twelve steps I posted earlier: eat protein at breakfast. I munched on some chicken wings I recovered from the fridge and proceeded to down my coffee.
Sarah and I often cook at home, although we rarely make enough to have leftovers. Today was unique as it is the day after the day of Li Juan's birthday party.
Several days ago while I was getting ready for school, Li Juan announced that her birthday was coming up. "Ooohhh, we will eat hot pot-huo guo- with my friend. Okay? You are willing?"
"Sure! That sounds like fun? When is your birthday? Where are we going?"
"A traditional restaurant. Very good. You will like, I am sure."
I discussed the proposition with Sarah, and we agreed that we could free up our schedule in order to make the party. She also asked me to make some spaghetti like I had done for a few friends of mine.
The day of the party approached and nothing more had been exchanged between us. I was beginning to think the party was off. Monday afternoon I recieved a text message:"Hi honey. We are eating at home. Two friends are coming over to prepare the food. Please make pasta and tell Sarah."
I rounded up the ingredients I would need at a Western goods store near campus. It costs a fortune to make these kinds of meals, even more than it would in the States, but it was her birthday and spaghetti was sounding good.
That evening I pulled up to my apartment building, and was escorted into the building by the sounds of "Who Let the Dogs Out?" My neighbors are pretty quiet, and I started to wonder just where that sound was coming from. As I reached the front door, the music became much louder. I pressed my ear against the door which was now vibrating from the sound, put my key in the lock, and turned. Sarah was supposed to be home, but I doubted she would be playing music full blast.
The door swung open, and I stood frozen in the entry. There were already half a dozen people at the house, and by looking at how much food was already spread on the table, I was guessing there would be more. The tv was on; two microphones placed on the floor for later karaoke. I placed the cake I was carrying on the table, and proceeded to push my way into the kitchen. The kitchen was a mess of pans and bones and vegetable scraps. A man I didn't know stood in the corner peeling a kiwi onto the floor. No one seemed to acknowledge my presence as I pulled pans off of shelves and proceeded to make the spaghetti.
Soon enough I heard Li Juan's footsteps out in the hall. The feast was spread out over the dining room and coffee tables. The pan of spaghetti sat in the center.
Li Juan entered the room and screamed.
The party lasted well into the evening. One of the girls at the party told me that once they discovered our bedrooms, they had to close the door. I knew the house looked cleaner than I had left it!
I know I've mentioned this before, the way things happen around here is all kind of mysterious to me. I'm usually not in on the planning stages of things, I'm just made aware of the results. It's pretty funny and makes life interesting.
Sarah and I often cook at home, although we rarely make enough to have leftovers. Today was unique as it is the day after the day of Li Juan's birthday party.
Several days ago while I was getting ready for school, Li Juan announced that her birthday was coming up. "Ooohhh, we will eat hot pot-huo guo- with my friend. Okay? You are willing?"
"Sure! That sounds like fun? When is your birthday? Where are we going?"
"A traditional restaurant. Very good. You will like, I am sure."
I discussed the proposition with Sarah, and we agreed that we could free up our schedule in order to make the party. She also asked me to make some spaghetti like I had done for a few friends of mine.
The day of the party approached and nothing more had been exchanged between us. I was beginning to think the party was off. Monday afternoon I recieved a text message:"Hi honey. We are eating at home. Two friends are coming over to prepare the food. Please make pasta and tell Sarah."
I rounded up the ingredients I would need at a Western goods store near campus. It costs a fortune to make these kinds of meals, even more than it would in the States, but it was her birthday and spaghetti was sounding good.
That evening I pulled up to my apartment building, and was escorted into the building by the sounds of "Who Let the Dogs Out?" My neighbors are pretty quiet, and I started to wonder just where that sound was coming from. As I reached the front door, the music became much louder. I pressed my ear against the door which was now vibrating from the sound, put my key in the lock, and turned. Sarah was supposed to be home, but I doubted she would be playing music full blast.
The door swung open, and I stood frozen in the entry. There were already half a dozen people at the house, and by looking at how much food was already spread on the table, I was guessing there would be more. The tv was on; two microphones placed on the floor for later karaoke. I placed the cake I was carrying on the table, and proceeded to push my way into the kitchen. The kitchen was a mess of pans and bones and vegetable scraps. A man I didn't know stood in the corner peeling a kiwi onto the floor. No one seemed to acknowledge my presence as I pulled pans off of shelves and proceeded to make the spaghetti.
Soon enough I heard Li Juan's footsteps out in the hall. The feast was spread out over the dining room and coffee tables. The pan of spaghetti sat in the center.
Li Juan entered the room and screamed.
The party lasted well into the evening. One of the girls at the party told me that once they discovered our bedrooms, they had to close the door. I knew the house looked cleaner than I had left it!
I know I've mentioned this before, the way things happen around here is all kind of mysterious to me. I'm usually not in on the planning stages of things, I'm just made aware of the results. It's pretty funny and makes life interesting.
2006年10月31日星期二
A Short Interlude:
It's true! Your favorite blogger is unable to view her own blog! I can post things, but I can't load the page. Your Favorite blogger (The "YFB", pronounced: why-eff-bee) is also taking mid-terms this week and is very busy. So, between now and whenever the Great Firewall decides I'm not a threat, the blog is going to change focus a bit. It will be a short interlude between blogging about how weird China is, and blogging about other stuff.
I only have two addictions: coffee and sugar. In the States, I drink at least a pot of coffee a day. When I finish the pot, I often take to drinking Diet Coke and tea to satisify the constant caffeine craving. I want it because I need it. I want it because I like it. I want it because I'm bored. I want it because I'm thirsty. I want it when it's cold out. I want it when it's warm. I take coffee instead of tylenol. I take coffee instead of food.
This addiction came to a head when I realized I had stopped drinking water. I never drank it. Not even once. I knew that by coming to China, I would have to give up this addiction or at least severly curb it. I wasn't giving up without a fight though, I brought a can of instant coffee in my carry on, and received a coffee maker on my birthday.
The coffee maker is half the size of the one I have at home, and I drink half the pot. I've cut down signifigantly on my caffeine intake, now I'm feeling the need to cut back on my sugar addiction.
According to some so-called "scientist", sugar withdrawal is sometimes marked by symptoms similar to those of drug withdrawal. I'm not sure how much validity there is to this argument (they don't either), but I intend to find out. Starting tomorrow, I will be kicking the sugar habit. I ate three bags of M&M's today, two pieces of banana bread and a piece of cake. I'm craving the stuff like I've never craved it before, and I think it's time to stop. For the pleasure of all those out in blogland, I will be documenting my detox.
In order to start this thing off right, I looked up a twelve-step program. Here they are: (I'm a big fan of number 12.)
1. Stick to foods that are closest to their original form. Instead of eating corn from a can, eat corn on the cob. Banish white bread and embrace wheat bread. Forget fruit juices; go for the actual fruit. The closer a food is to it's original form, then less processed sugar it will contain.
2. Eat protein with breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but do you know why? Breakfast is the meal that will make or break you for the rest of the day. Your first meal must create blood sugar stability that will carry you to the next meal without sugar cravings.
3. Eat protein with every meal. As soon as your blood sugar is thrown out of whack, you will be off the wagon again. Eating protein with each meal prepares your body for the increase of seratonin production and keeps your blood sugar stable throughout the day.
4. Read Labels! It's incredible how many things we put into our mouths without the slightest idea what is in them. The longer the list of ingredients, the more likely sugar is going to be included on that list.
5. Don't starve yourself in order to reward your restraint with a donut or a Twix. Not only is this bad for your body, but you won't lose weight. Your body will just go into starvation mode, storing all your calories as fat. So that slice of chocolate cake you eat after a seven hour fast is going straight to fat.
6. Keep a journal of what you eat. You will be surprised, and probably shocked, by the amount of sugar-filled snacks and extras involved in your diet. Write down everything, down to those five M&Ms or that tablespoon of teriyaki sauce.
7. Brown is beautiful: brown rice, wheat bread, brown cereals, etc... Brown foods give your body the positive effects of carbohydrates without unbalancing your blood sugar and creating cravings.
8. Be active and keep busy. Most of us snack the most when we are bored and inactive. Go for a walk. Go shopping. Organize your entire house. Anything to keep your hands busy and away from the cookie jar.
9. Eat a potato before bed. Before your head explodes from the thought of eating a starchy, carbohydrate-filled potato right before bed, consider this: when taken with the right vitamins, that spud will increase your production of seratonin, balancing your blood sugar levels. Besides, it's better than eating ice cream before bed.
10. Try a detox program. Detoxing isn't just for yoga yogis and Enya junkies anymore. There are dozens of detox programs designed for health enthusiasts of all levels. Some last two days, some last two months. But they all have one thing in common: after the initial overwhelming sugar cravings, your body adjusts and you won't even want the sugar anymore.
11. Drink water constantly. The more water you drink, the more your body will be fooled into thinking it is not hungry. Plus, you can rest assured that there is not a grain of sugar in water.
12. Don't get down on yourself if you slip and eat a desert every once in a while. It's okay to reward yourself, just don't start the addiction all over again. There are always healthier options for deserts. Eat berries with some low-calorie whipped topping. Snack on a couple of graham crackers. Maybe you would be healthier if you cut out sugar altogether forever, but people who do things in moderation get the best of both worlds. Enjoy your life, but don't overdo it.
There's a couple of these steps that I am going to skip. I am NOT keeping a journal. I am NOT eating a potato before bed. I won't read lables, and I'm NOT going through a real detox program. That cancels out four of the steps, making my job a third of the way easier. I'd tell you all how much I weigh, but the only scale in the house is in kilograms.
I'll let you know how tomorrow goes. Once again, I apologize for the irregular blogging of these past few weeks. Things will be getting back to normal soon.
I only have two addictions: coffee and sugar. In the States, I drink at least a pot of coffee a day. When I finish the pot, I often take to drinking Diet Coke and tea to satisify the constant caffeine craving. I want it because I need it. I want it because I like it. I want it because I'm bored. I want it because I'm thirsty. I want it when it's cold out. I want it when it's warm. I take coffee instead of tylenol. I take coffee instead of food.
This addiction came to a head when I realized I had stopped drinking water. I never drank it. Not even once. I knew that by coming to China, I would have to give up this addiction or at least severly curb it. I wasn't giving up without a fight though, I brought a can of instant coffee in my carry on, and received a coffee maker on my birthday.
The coffee maker is half the size of the one I have at home, and I drink half the pot. I've cut down signifigantly on my caffeine intake, now I'm feeling the need to cut back on my sugar addiction.
According to some so-called "scientist", sugar withdrawal is sometimes marked by symptoms similar to those of drug withdrawal. I'm not sure how much validity there is to this argument (they don't either), but I intend to find out. Starting tomorrow, I will be kicking the sugar habit. I ate three bags of M&M's today, two pieces of banana bread and a piece of cake. I'm craving the stuff like I've never craved it before, and I think it's time to stop. For the pleasure of all those out in blogland, I will be documenting my detox.
In order to start this thing off right, I looked up a twelve-step program. Here they are: (I'm a big fan of number 12.)
1. Stick to foods that are closest to their original form. Instead of eating corn from a can, eat corn on the cob. Banish white bread and embrace wheat bread. Forget fruit juices; go for the actual fruit. The closer a food is to it's original form, then less processed sugar it will contain.
2. Eat protein with breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but do you know why? Breakfast is the meal that will make or break you for the rest of the day. Your first meal must create blood sugar stability that will carry you to the next meal without sugar cravings.
3. Eat protein with every meal. As soon as your blood sugar is thrown out of whack, you will be off the wagon again. Eating protein with each meal prepares your body for the increase of seratonin production and keeps your blood sugar stable throughout the day.
4. Read Labels! It's incredible how many things we put into our mouths without the slightest idea what is in them. The longer the list of ingredients, the more likely sugar is going to be included on that list.
5. Don't starve yourself in order to reward your restraint with a donut or a Twix. Not only is this bad for your body, but you won't lose weight. Your body will just go into starvation mode, storing all your calories as fat. So that slice of chocolate cake you eat after a seven hour fast is going straight to fat.
6. Keep a journal of what you eat. You will be surprised, and probably shocked, by the amount of sugar-filled snacks and extras involved in your diet. Write down everything, down to those five M&Ms or that tablespoon of teriyaki sauce.
7. Brown is beautiful: brown rice, wheat bread, brown cereals, etc... Brown foods give your body the positive effects of carbohydrates without unbalancing your blood sugar and creating cravings.
8. Be active and keep busy. Most of us snack the most when we are bored and inactive. Go for a walk. Go shopping. Organize your entire house. Anything to keep your hands busy and away from the cookie jar.
9. Eat a potato before bed. Before your head explodes from the thought of eating a starchy, carbohydrate-filled potato right before bed, consider this: when taken with the right vitamins, that spud will increase your production of seratonin, balancing your blood sugar levels. Besides, it's better than eating ice cream before bed.
10. Try a detox program. Detoxing isn't just for yoga yogis and Enya junkies anymore. There are dozens of detox programs designed for health enthusiasts of all levels. Some last two days, some last two months. But they all have one thing in common: after the initial overwhelming sugar cravings, your body adjusts and you won't even want the sugar anymore.
11. Drink water constantly. The more water you drink, the more your body will be fooled into thinking it is not hungry. Plus, you can rest assured that there is not a grain of sugar in water.
12. Don't get down on yourself if you slip and eat a desert every once in a while. It's okay to reward yourself, just don't start the addiction all over again. There are always healthier options for deserts. Eat berries with some low-calorie whipped topping. Snack on a couple of graham crackers. Maybe you would be healthier if you cut out sugar altogether forever, but people who do things in moderation get the best of both worlds. Enjoy your life, but don't overdo it.
There's a couple of these steps that I am going to skip. I am NOT keeping a journal. I am NOT eating a potato before bed. I won't read lables, and I'm NOT going through a real detox program. That cancels out four of the steps, making my job a third of the way easier. I'd tell you all how much I weigh, but the only scale in the house is in kilograms.
I'll let you know how tomorrow goes. Once again, I apologize for the irregular blogging of these past few weeks. Things will be getting back to normal soon.
2006年10月30日星期一
Testing...
Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3... If you can see this, please post a comment. I've been unable to get around the Great Firewall, and am not sure if this is actually posting or not.
2006年10月29日星期日
It's Sunday!
"But Laura," You ask, "Where have you been? It's been nearly a week without a new post, and we're starting to get worried."
So am I, so am I. The truth is, I think I've been b@nn3d. I'm having a hard time accessing the blog to post anything. Some b@nn3d websites work on my computer, some don't. My pr0xxy hasn't totally failed me, but I'm not really sure what to do at this point. I can get onto blogger.com, but viewing anyone's blog is out of the question. If anyone knows of a way around the Great Firew@11 of China, please send me an email. For now, I've written a poem to commemorate this sad failure of my proxy:
B@nned, schmanned!
If only I had planned!
I would like to have manned
the pr0xyy with my hand.
B@nned, schmanned!
Hopefully, this will actually post. Someone please write a comment (blogger emails me when you do this), and let me know if you can see this post. I've written another poem:
Comment, schmomment!
You folks are my abutment!
Do you know what abutment meant?
How 'bout additament?
Comment, schmomment!
There's a bunch of interesting articles about the Great F1rew@ll. There seems to be a lot of debate about how it works. Some argue that the Great Fir3wa11 isn't there at all; it's really the result of government pressure on different internet companies causing them to moniter themselves. Others argue about the technicalities of how it works. Still others are constantly working to circumvent it. Here's some links to articles I found particularly interesting. You should all read the article about Google mirror. Type that into your Google search box, and click the first link. You'll see what I mean...
Read this first.
Google Mirror If you want to search anything, remember to type the words
backwards.
This isn't my favorite news site, but it's a good article.
Why this blogger loves the USA.
So am I, so am I. The truth is, I think I've been b@nn3d. I'm having a hard time accessing the blog to post anything. Some b@nn3d websites work on my computer, some don't. My pr0xxy hasn't totally failed me, but I'm not really sure what to do at this point. I can get onto blogger.com, but viewing anyone's blog is out of the question. If anyone knows of a way around the Great Firew@11 of China, please send me an email. For now, I've written a poem to commemorate this sad failure of my proxy:
B@nned, schmanned!
If only I had planned!
I would like to have manned
the pr0xyy with my hand.
B@nned, schmanned!
Hopefully, this will actually post. Someone please write a comment (blogger emails me when you do this), and let me know if you can see this post. I've written another poem:
Comment, schmomment!
You folks are my abutment!
Do you know what abutment meant?
How 'bout additament?
Comment, schmomment!
There's a bunch of interesting articles about the Great F1rew@ll. There seems to be a lot of debate about how it works. Some argue that the Great Fir3wa11 isn't there at all; it's really the result of government pressure on different internet companies causing them to moniter themselves. Others argue about the technicalities of how it works. Still others are constantly working to circumvent it. Here's some links to articles I found particularly interesting. You should all read the article about Google mirror. Type that into your Google search box, and click the first link. You'll see what I mean...
Read this first.
Google Mirror If you want to search anything, remember to type the words
backwards.
This isn't my favorite news site, but it's a good article.
Why this blogger loves the USA.
2006年10月24日星期二
It's Tuesday!
Yay! It's Tuesday, meaning it's sign language class day! I've been attending for a couple of weeks now, and find that learning a second sign language is much easier than the first one. Sign languages are hard to wrap your brain around, they force you to think of language in a completely different way. How can you convey the abstract in a sign language? What about subject-verb agreement? Is it as fast to use as a spoken language? Is it universal? Why not? All these questions and more are answered more through a trial and error process than from direct teaching. In order to use sign language effectively, you must learn to think in visual terms. You must learn to listen with your eyes, and shortcut the thoughts from your mind to your hands.
Sign language class has been good, so far. There are about a dozen native users who attend, and about 100 students. One thing I find interesting is that the teacher teaches word-for-word Chinese signs. My textbook has a small section on what is termed the "Natural Sign Language". As I follow along with the teacher, the deaf participants often interrupt me to show me the "real" signs. Even though these participants use a natural sign language, they still teach others the word-for-word Chinese. Trust me, there is a huge difference between these two sign systems. The Signed Chinese feels awkward and clumsy. It's slow and cumbersome, many signs consisting of three or four parts. The natural sign language seems to flow more smoothly. Some of the handshapes are hard for me (handshapes not found in ASL), but overall it feels okay.
I mentioned to someone at last week's class that I was in Chengdu conducting research. I mentioned that I wanted to research sign language, but I didn't go into any further details. Everything has worked out well, but now I'm feeling nervous about approaching with my research idea. I think I'll wait a few more class sessions, and then bring the topic up. I want to show that I am sincere, and that I am not trying to expose any wrongdoings or down sides of this community.
Sign language class has been good, so far. There are about a dozen native users who attend, and about 100 students. One thing I find interesting is that the teacher teaches word-for-word Chinese signs. My textbook has a small section on what is termed the "Natural Sign Language". As I follow along with the teacher, the deaf participants often interrupt me to show me the "real" signs. Even though these participants use a natural sign language, they still teach others the word-for-word Chinese. Trust me, there is a huge difference between these two sign systems. The Signed Chinese feels awkward and clumsy. It's slow and cumbersome, many signs consisting of three or four parts. The natural sign language seems to flow more smoothly. Some of the handshapes are hard for me (handshapes not found in ASL), but overall it feels okay.
I mentioned to someone at last week's class that I was in Chengdu conducting research. I mentioned that I wanted to research sign language, but I didn't go into any further details. Everything has worked out well, but now I'm feeling nervous about approaching with my research idea. I think I'll wait a few more class sessions, and then bring the topic up. I want to show that I am sincere, and that I am not trying to expose any wrongdoings or down sides of this community.
2006年10月21日星期六
Some Serious Health Concerns to Discuss--
Before leaving the States I made a first-aid kit. I hardly ever get sick, and I didn't want take any chances in China. I was given very detailed and graphic descriptions of the types of diseases I could get, and how I should prepare. "You'll be sick the ENTIRE time. Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Or my favorite, "A Pepto a day keeps the doctor away!"
With this motto in mind, I trudged off to Costco to buy a year's supply of Pepto, and whatever else I could shove into my new first aid kit. I bought enough supplies that I could probably care for half of China in the event of a bird flu outbreak. Then I packed the kit and lugged it half way across the world.
I haven't even felt a twinge of sickness. I eat everything, I drink boiled water, and I spend a lot of time in close quarters with other people. I haven't had reason to crack the first aid kit open. My good health aside, there is one thing I didn't count on being an issue: mosquitos.
The problem didn't start until my second week here, after I had moved out of the student dorms. At the apartment we leave our patio door and windows open-- there are no screens. I live on the third floor of the apartment building, and had not anticipated having a problem with the mosquitos. On my second night in the apartment, I slept with the blankets off. The weather had been unbearably hot, and the cool air felt good. The next morning I woke up with nearly twenty mosquito bites on my legs. Describing them as mosquito bites isn't quite accurate; they are mosquito welts, and they itched like hell. By the end of that week, nearly half of my anti-itch cream had been used and bandages covered my legs. I closed the window in the bedroom and made sure I ALWAYS slept under the blankets. That system worked fine for a couple of days. No new bites, and the other ones were finally started to heal.
About a week later I had another bout with the mosquitos. That time, I woke up with mosquito bites covering half of my face. I had one on my eyelid that made my eye feel heavy and swollen. I was a little more patient with these ones, and within a couple of days they were gone.
I spent some time that week looking up the Chinese words for mosquito bite, mosquito spray, and kill, kill, kill. After my Chinese roommate saw my face and realized the problem, she gave me a fan to use. If the fan was blowing on me at night, the mosquitos would be unable to bite me. This seemed to work pretty well for a while. The only problem is that they are ever present during the day. Every morning when I take a shower, there is the inevitable mosquito flying around the bathroom. (Ooh, I just love killing them with the shower spray!) Everyday when I eat meals or do homework, there is always a mosquito buzzing just out of my reach.
What make this situation all the worse is that I seem to be the only one with this problem. Oh, others do get bit, it's just that their reaction is much smaller, if noticable at all. My mosquito bites are huge, and last for days on end.
I finally went shopping and bought a mosquito killer plug-in. I'm not sure if it really works or not, but having it on makes me feel better. I still use the fan and refuse to open my window, so it's hard to know what to attribute my reduction of mosquito bites to.
The week before last was the first week I didn't have any new bites. (I've taken to counting them to see how many new ones I get everyday.) I thought that I was finally on the road to a mosquito free existance, when it happened again. I was shopping for some bootleg DVDs at the time. The DVD stand was in the shade, and as I stood there reading the labels, I could feel pricking on my legs, and an intense itching. I must have been absorbed in whatever I was reading, because for some reason it didn't register in my brain what was going on. It was only when I started using one foot to scratch at the other leg that I realized there was a problem. I looked down: at least a dozen mosquitos had already attached themselves to my calves and were happily sucking in my blood. Back to wearing long pants again...
AAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've developed a method recent days to deal with the mosquitos that bite me at night. Whether I see them or not, they seem to be always present. When I'm ready to go to bed, I lay back and wait. In the evenings, the mosquitos get hungry. If I lay still I can watch as they come out of their hiding places and land on my wall. I just know they're waiting for me to close my eyes. I've found that heading them off at the pass has been the best method. I wait until they're on the wall, and then I take a DVD case and proceed to smoosh 'em. I've chosen the DVD "Patton" to do the job. Patton is a pretty tough guy, and the mosquito blood--my blood--blends in with the red on the picture. I wouldn't want to mess with Patton; he's a man carrying a crop-whip.
My other method of mosquito deterance has been a daily dose of vitamin B. Apparently, people who don't have enough vitamin B get mosquito bites more often. I was also told that people with blood type B also attract mosquitos. I don't know what my blood type is, but I now have a strong suspicion.
Oops, one just landed above my head-- gotta go!
2006年10月19日星期四
Wow! What great news!
I got this article in my inbox this morning:
Wal-Mart Said to Be Acquiring Chain in China
By DAVID BARBOZA and MICHAEL BARBARO
SHANGHAI, Tuesday, Oct. 17 — Wal-Mart Stores , the largest retailer in the United States, is laying the groundwork to become the biggest foreign chain in China with the $1 billion purchase of a major retailer here, according to people briefed on the deal.
The move represents a large step for Wal-Mart's strategy in China, allowing the American retailer to more than double its presence in a country that, despite its size and growing middle class, remains largely untapped by foreign retailers.
Though the size of the acquisition — of a Taiwanese-owned supermarket chain called Trust-Mart — may be modest for Wal-Mart, it is a critical one because the Chinese market is becoming much more pivotal in the retailer's overall international strategy. For Wal-Mart, China represents an opportunity to tap a vast and fast-growing market abroad at a time when the company's sales are lagging elsewhere and it has run into obstacles to expansion at home.
"China is the only country in the world that offers Wal-Mart the chance to replicate what they have accomplished in the U.S.," said Bill Dreher, an analyst at Deutsche Bank Securities.
Wal-Mart expects to close the deal for Trust-Mart by the end of the year, but it still needs approval by Chinese authorities, according to a person briefed on the transaction.
The acquisition is likely to trigger an intense battle among foreign and domestic retailers to gain a strong foothold in the world's fastest-growing economy.
The deal puts Wal-Mart neck-and-neck in China with Carrefour, the giant French retailer, which also bid for Trust-Mart. Wal-Mart, which has only 66 stores in China compared with Carrefour's more than 200, outbid not only Carrefour, but also Tesco of Britain and one of China's large retailers, Lianhua.
The purchase also highlights the staggering reach of the $300 billion Wal-Mart empire. The company started in rural Arkansas 45 years ago and has become the largest foreign retailer in Mexico and Canada. In numerous other foreign markets, however, Wal-Mart has been stymied, pulling out of Germany and South Korea, or has met strong challenges, as in Japan, where it has struggled to gain a share of the market.
By acquiring Trust-Mart, Wal-Mart will not only be able to match Carrefour, but also to compete with much bigger Chinese retailers, like China Resources and the Shanghai Brilliance Group, which are the country's largest retailers with more than $3 billion in sales and more than 8,000 stores combined.
Trust-Mart has more than 100 stores with 30,000 employees in more than 20 Chinese provinces, but it operates mainly at the low end of the supermarket chains. One challenge for Wal-Mart will to determine where it will position itself in the retailing market.
China's economy is expanding at a rate of 10 percent to 11 percent a year, making it by far the world's fastest-growing major economy. Retail sales are even more robust, jumping by about 15 percent a year for the last several years.
Big retailers are fairly new in China, which for decades has been dominated by small regional chains. Indeed, China has no dominant national players in the retail market, which is why Wal-Mart and other international retailers are battling aggressively to expand there.
"China's a very fragmented market and very diverse," says George Svinos, head of Asia Pacific retail at KPMG's office in Australia. "So in order to get any penetration into that market you'd need to make a big move."
China, however, is a tricky market for American retailers. Chinese consumers spend less than Americans when they go into stores, but they shop more frequently.
The average Chinese shopper spends about $4 at Wal-Mart, compared with $20 for the average American, according to Wal-Mart.
But Wal-Mart and other retailers hope to lure the middle-class Chinese, one of the fastest-growing segments of the population. Already, middle-class shoppers crowd into Carrefour, Wal-Mart and Ikea.
Other retailers, like Toys "R" Us, Home Depot and Best Buy, have just announced plans to open outlets in China.
The government has opened its retail market to foreigners, but at the same time, it has also encouraged Chinese companies to merge. In one example, the Shanghai Bailian Group struck a deal with Dashang, which operates the second-largest chain store group, to create new stores.
Moreover, China's biggest state-owned retailers and a handful of aggressive entrepreneurs are pushing to create national chains, like Beijing-based WuMart and Gome, the country's largest consumer electronics store, which is owned by one of the country's wealthiest men.
Carrefour, which is the largest foreign retailer in China by sales, with more than $2 billion, has been expanding much more aggressively than Wal-Mart. Carrefour plans to open 100 new superstores this year, which will raise its total to more than 300.
Analysts say that Wal-Mart's expansion has stepped up only in recent years. Up until now, they say, the retailer has not had great advantages over its bigger competitors. It has had high costs in China because systems for purchasing, transportation and distribution are clogged and complicated in a country that is still largely inefficient and without a strong national highway grid.
Wal-Mart appeared to smooth the way for expansion in China in July when, for the first time, it allowed employees to form a trade union, the company's first in China. The retailer has long battled unions in the United States, arguing they will make the company less efficient.
In the United States, where Wal-Mart has more than 4,000 mostly suburban stores, its performance has begun to trail that of major competitors, like Target, particularly in sales at stores open at least a year. And Wal-Mart has encountered growing resistance to locating new stores in urban areas.
A Wal-Mart spokeswoman, Beth Keck, declined to comment on the Trust-Mart transaction.
Wal-Mart entered China in 1996 with a supercenter under its own name and a Sam's Club in Shenzhen, near Hong Kong. In a departure from its practice of buying domestic chains with strong local name recognition, Wal-Mart started by building its business in China on its own.
But the pace of Wal-Mart's growth in China has been slow. A decade after arriving, it has just 66 stores, failing to crack the list of the country's top 20 retailers; hence, the move to acquire Trust-Mart.
Wal-Mart operates stores in 13 countries, including Brazil, Japan, and England, but foreign sales represent just $64 billion, or 20 percent, of its more than $300 billion in annual sales.
In several countries, it has discovered its American formula for success — rock-bottom prices, zealous control of inventory and a wide array of products — simply does not translate.
In Germany, for example, Wal-Mart never established comfortable relations with the powerful unions, which dominate retail in the country. In South Korea, it failed to satisfy the tastes of finicky local consumers.
Thus, in a stinging admission of defeat, Wal-Mart pulled out of Germany and South Korea this year after failing to turn around poor sales.
Wal-Mart, however, remains committed to Japan, where it operates stores under the name Seiyu, despite lackluster performance.
A major obstacle overseas for Wal-Mart has been building a big enough network of stores to compete with local chains and to secure low prices from suppliers. That may explain, in part, why Wal-Mart is eager to grow in China.
Mr. Dreher, of Deutsche Bank, expects Wal-Mart to expand aggressively there. By the year 2010, he predicts the company will have as many as 400 stores in China.
David Barboza reported from Shanghai, and Michael Barbaro from New York. Keith Bradsher contributed reporting from Hong Kong.
Wal-Mart Said to Be Acquiring Chain in China
By DAVID BARBOZA and MICHAEL BARBARO
SHANGHAI, Tuesday, Oct. 17 — Wal-Mart Stores , the largest retailer in the United States, is laying the groundwork to become the biggest foreign chain in China with the $1 billion purchase of a major retailer here, according to people briefed on the deal.
The move represents a large step for Wal-Mart's strategy in China, allowing the American retailer to more than double its presence in a country that, despite its size and growing middle class, remains largely untapped by foreign retailers.
Though the size of the acquisition — of a Taiwanese-owned supermarket chain called Trust-Mart — may be modest for Wal-Mart, it is a critical one because the Chinese market is becoming much more pivotal in the retailer's overall international strategy. For Wal-Mart, China represents an opportunity to tap a vast and fast-growing market abroad at a time when the company's sales are lagging elsewhere and it has run into obstacles to expansion at home.
"China is the only country in the world that offers Wal-Mart the chance to replicate what they have accomplished in the U.S.," said Bill Dreher, an analyst at Deutsche Bank Securities.
Wal-Mart expects to close the deal for Trust-Mart by the end of the year, but it still needs approval by Chinese authorities, according to a person briefed on the transaction.
The acquisition is likely to trigger an intense battle among foreign and domestic retailers to gain a strong foothold in the world's fastest-growing economy.
The deal puts Wal-Mart neck-and-neck in China with Carrefour, the giant French retailer, which also bid for Trust-Mart. Wal-Mart, which has only 66 stores in China compared with Carrefour's more than 200, outbid not only Carrefour, but also Tesco of Britain and one of China's large retailers, Lianhua.
The purchase also highlights the staggering reach of the $300 billion Wal-Mart empire. The company started in rural Arkansas 45 years ago and has become the largest foreign retailer in Mexico and Canada. In numerous other foreign markets, however, Wal-Mart has been stymied, pulling out of Germany and South Korea, or has met strong challenges, as in Japan, where it has struggled to gain a share of the market.
By acquiring Trust-Mart, Wal-Mart will not only be able to match Carrefour, but also to compete with much bigger Chinese retailers, like China Resources and the Shanghai Brilliance Group, which are the country's largest retailers with more than $3 billion in sales and more than 8,000 stores combined.
Trust-Mart has more than 100 stores with 30,000 employees in more than 20 Chinese provinces, but it operates mainly at the low end of the supermarket chains. One challenge for Wal-Mart will to determine where it will position itself in the retailing market.
China's economy is expanding at a rate of 10 percent to 11 percent a year, making it by far the world's fastest-growing major economy. Retail sales are even more robust, jumping by about 15 percent a year for the last several years.
Big retailers are fairly new in China, which for decades has been dominated by small regional chains. Indeed, China has no dominant national players in the retail market, which is why Wal-Mart and other international retailers are battling aggressively to expand there.
"China's a very fragmented market and very diverse," says George Svinos, head of Asia Pacific retail at KPMG's office in Australia. "So in order to get any penetration into that market you'd need to make a big move."
China, however, is a tricky market for American retailers. Chinese consumers spend less than Americans when they go into stores, but they shop more frequently.
The average Chinese shopper spends about $4 at Wal-Mart, compared with $20 for the average American, according to Wal-Mart.
But Wal-Mart and other retailers hope to lure the middle-class Chinese, one of the fastest-growing segments of the population. Already, middle-class shoppers crowd into Carrefour, Wal-Mart and Ikea.
Other retailers, like Toys "R" Us, Home Depot and Best Buy, have just announced plans to open outlets in China.
The government has opened its retail market to foreigners, but at the same time, it has also encouraged Chinese companies to merge. In one example, the Shanghai Bailian Group struck a deal with Dashang, which operates the second-largest chain store group, to create new stores.
Moreover, China's biggest state-owned retailers and a handful of aggressive entrepreneurs are pushing to create national chains, like Beijing-based WuMart and Gome, the country's largest consumer electronics store, which is owned by one of the country's wealthiest men.
Carrefour, which is the largest foreign retailer in China by sales, with more than $2 billion, has been expanding much more aggressively than Wal-Mart. Carrefour plans to open 100 new superstores this year, which will raise its total to more than 300.
Analysts say that Wal-Mart's expansion has stepped up only in recent years. Up until now, they say, the retailer has not had great advantages over its bigger competitors. It has had high costs in China because systems for purchasing, transportation and distribution are clogged and complicated in a country that is still largely inefficient and without a strong national highway grid.
Wal-Mart appeared to smooth the way for expansion in China in July when, for the first time, it allowed employees to form a trade union, the company's first in China. The retailer has long battled unions in the United States, arguing they will make the company less efficient.
In the United States, where Wal-Mart has more than 4,000 mostly suburban stores, its performance has begun to trail that of major competitors, like Target, particularly in sales at stores open at least a year. And Wal-Mart has encountered growing resistance to locating new stores in urban areas.
A Wal-Mart spokeswoman, Beth Keck, declined to comment on the Trust-Mart transaction.
Wal-Mart entered China in 1996 with a supercenter under its own name and a Sam's Club in Shenzhen, near Hong Kong. In a departure from its practice of buying domestic chains with strong local name recognition, Wal-Mart started by building its business in China on its own.
But the pace of Wal-Mart's growth in China has been slow. A decade after arriving, it has just 66 stores, failing to crack the list of the country's top 20 retailers; hence, the move to acquire Trust-Mart.
Wal-Mart operates stores in 13 countries, including Brazil, Japan, and England, but foreign sales represent just $64 billion, or 20 percent, of its more than $300 billion in annual sales.
In several countries, it has discovered its American formula for success — rock-bottom prices, zealous control of inventory and a wide array of products — simply does not translate.
In Germany, for example, Wal-Mart never established comfortable relations with the powerful unions, which dominate retail in the country. In South Korea, it failed to satisfy the tastes of finicky local consumers.
Thus, in a stinging admission of defeat, Wal-Mart pulled out of Germany and South Korea this year after failing to turn around poor sales.
Wal-Mart, however, remains committed to Japan, where it operates stores under the name Seiyu, despite lackluster performance.
A major obstacle overseas for Wal-Mart has been building a big enough network of stores to compete with local chains and to secure low prices from suppliers. That may explain, in part, why Wal-Mart is eager to grow in China.
Mr. Dreher, of Deutsche Bank, expects Wal-Mart to expand aggressively there. By the year 2010, he predicts the company will have as many as 400 stores in China.
David Barboza reported from Shanghai, and Michael Barbaro from New York. Keith Bradsher contributed reporting from Hong Kong.
2006年10月18日星期三
Leshan
On Tuesday, Sichuan University took us foreigners on a field trip to Leshan. Leshan is the site of the world's largest Buddha, which is carved into a cliff overlooking the Dadu river. The Buddah hasn't always been the largest, Leshan owes the Taliban for that favor.
We were asked to arrive at SU's East Gate at 8:00 to load up the buses. In the beginning of the sememster, we were given a list of places we could go free of charge on school sponsored field trips. This one was by far the most popular, with most of the foreign students turning out.
We drove several hours out of Chengdu before arriving at large park (I don't remember the name) in a small town (still don't know the name). In true Chinese fashion, we were given a half-hour to take pictures of the important stuff, and then rounded up for the next leg of our trip.
The Chinese have the Americans beat when it comes to parks. In the US, when you go to a park that is say, in the woods, it will look like the woods. Not so in China. Every park I have been to has been meticulously planned. The scenery is stunning, the plants are beautiful, and the buildings look as though they are a part of nature.
Leshan was still an hour away from the park, so after grabbing some snacks, we loaded into the bus and took off.
Leshan's only claim to fame is the giant Buddha. Construction was started in 713 AD, it took over a decade to complete. It is over 500 meters in height, and the cliffs on either side are dotted with smaller Buddhas.
In order to reach the Buddha, we had to climb down a switchback trail. Along the way, we could see hundreds of Buddhas that had been carved along the way. Some were very intricate in design, others had weathered away to mere stumps. When we arrived at the bottom of the trail, we were able to see the full scale of the Buddha. It was HUGE, and worth the hike!
Later that afternoon, I met up with one of my classmates, a Korean whose job sent him to Chengdu for language training. He and his wife invited myself and another classmate to join them for lunch on Sunday. It should be fun. I seem to be really busy with these kinds of get-togethers. I always appreciate that people are willing to take us newbies in. On Friday I'll be having dinner at one of my neighbor's homes, and Sunday evening I will be cooking spaghetti for a Chinese family that has taken me in.
We were asked to arrive at SU's East Gate at 8:00 to load up the buses. In the beginning of the sememster, we were given a list of places we could go free of charge on school sponsored field trips. This one was by far the most popular, with most of the foreign students turning out.
We drove several hours out of Chengdu before arriving at large park (I don't remember the name) in a small town (still don't know the name). In true Chinese fashion, we were given a half-hour to take pictures of the important stuff, and then rounded up for the next leg of our trip.
The Chinese have the Americans beat when it comes to parks. In the US, when you go to a park that is say, in the woods, it will look like the woods. Not so in China. Every park I have been to has been meticulously planned. The scenery is stunning, the plants are beautiful, and the buildings look as though they are a part of nature.
Leshan was still an hour away from the park, so after grabbing some snacks, we loaded into the bus and took off.
Leshan's only claim to fame is the giant Buddha. Construction was started in 713 AD, it took over a decade to complete. It is over 500 meters in height, and the cliffs on either side are dotted with smaller Buddhas.
In order to reach the Buddha, we had to climb down a switchback trail. Along the way, we could see hundreds of Buddhas that had been carved along the way. Some were very intricate in design, others had weathered away to mere stumps. When we arrived at the bottom of the trail, we were able to see the full scale of the Buddha. It was HUGE, and worth the hike!
Later that afternoon, I met up with one of my classmates, a Korean whose job sent him to Chengdu for language training. He and his wife invited myself and another classmate to join them for lunch on Sunday. It should be fun. I seem to be really busy with these kinds of get-togethers. I always appreciate that people are willing to take us newbies in. On Friday I'll be having dinner at one of my neighbor's homes, and Sunday evening I will be cooking spaghetti for a Chinese family that has taken me in.
2006年10月17日星期二
Wal-Mart!
I believe I've posted before about how much I like Wal-Mart. Oh, I know it's not the most well liked or politically correct place to hang out, but I still love it. The crowds of people, the cheap prices, the stuff scattered across the floor... It's just great!There's several Western type stores scattered about Chengdu. The one I frequent the most is called Trust Mart. Century Mart and Carrefour run a close second. Although all three of these stores have more of a "Western" feel to them than say, your average street vendor, they are still distinctly Chinese. Because of the crowds, these stores are almost overwhelming to shop in. This is only worsened by the sales people who shout the day's special using megaphones.
I'd read somewhere that Wal-Mart was advancing on China, but I had no idea there was one in Chengdu. Then, one day I was staring at my Chengdu map when I saw it: in the far corner, in the opposite direction of my house, there was a little notation, "Wal-Mart".
After assertaining that Sarah was indeed willing to come with me, we set a date. Wal-Mart is on the opposite end of town, but we figured we would just bike there and see how long it took us. Biking everywhere has helped me gain an understanding of how the city is laid out. For that reason, I like to bike whenever I get the chance. The day arrived, we pointed our handlebars in the right direction, and headed out.
It took us over an hour to get there, but we arrived in one piece and without getting lost (this is a feat in itself!). Wal-Mart was actually a part of a larger shopping complex, which included several Chinese clothing stores and a KFC. It seems wherever there is a Western store, there is a KFC nearby.
We manueverd our bikes toward the bicycle parking lot, noticing a group of Wal-Mart employees smoking near the entrance. I commented to Sarah, "The don't look too disgruntled." She agreed, and we made our way into the shopping center.
Wal-Mart was an escalator ride up, and a short trip around the corner to find the entrance. There were no Wal-Mart greeters, and all the employees wore bright red shirts instead of those silly vests they wear in the States.
Wal-Mart had the best variety out of all the grocery stores I've been to. I picked up some banana bread, spaghetti noodles, dried coconut, and a couple of storage bins. What made Wal-Mart nicer than some of the other stores was the lack of crowds. The aisles were wider, and although there were a ton of people there, you didn't feel suffocated like you do in Trust Mart. Best of all, there were no megaphones to be found. The prices were good, the variety was good, and the people were sort-of friendly. What more could you ask for?
2006年10月14日星期六
It's Saturday!
Ahh, Saturday. A day to relax and catch up on all the blogging I haven't been doing. I usually have a list of things I wish to blog about, but when I sit down to my computer, I only have the energy and time to blog one or two things.
It's been yet another exciting week in the good ol' PRC. My bike, "The Batmobile" has been holding up fairly well since I bought it. While I was riding my bike to school, a car actually scraped my front tire. I was riding through an alley way that I take (the "secret way" is what Sarah and I call it). When I came to the mouth of the alley, I stopped my bike to wait for an opportunity to cross the street. The mouth of the alley is on a narrow two-lane street. About fifteen feet from where I stood there is a sharp, 90-degree turn. That morning there was a large, overloaded truck trying to negotiate that 90-degree turn while the cars heading in the opposite direction either stopped or tried to use the sidewalk as a passing route. It looked like I would be able to make a clean break through the traffic as most of the cars had come to a stop. Horns were blaring, and people were yelling. I slowly pushed my bike out into the road when something caught my eye. A car was trying to squeeze around the right side of the truck. I pulled my bike back a few inches to let the car through. As he passed, the front wheel of my bike scraped along the side of his car. SCHREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! I stood in fascinated horror as the rubber from my tire painted a black streak across the new VW.
A little later that week, my front tire popped.
It's been yet another exciting week in the good ol' PRC. My bike, "The Batmobile" has been holding up fairly well since I bought it. While I was riding my bike to school, a car actually scraped my front tire. I was riding through an alley way that I take (the "secret way" is what Sarah and I call it). When I came to the mouth of the alley, I stopped my bike to wait for an opportunity to cross the street. The mouth of the alley is on a narrow two-lane street. About fifteen feet from where I stood there is a sharp, 90-degree turn. That morning there was a large, overloaded truck trying to negotiate that 90-degree turn while the cars heading in the opposite direction either stopped or tried to use the sidewalk as a passing route. It looked like I would be able to make a clean break through the traffic as most of the cars had come to a stop. Horns were blaring, and people were yelling. I slowly pushed my bike out into the road when something caught my eye. A car was trying to squeeze around the right side of the truck. I pulled my bike back a few inches to let the car through. As he passed, the front wheel of my bike scraped along the side of his car. SCHREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! I stood in fascinated horror as the rubber from my tire painted a black streak across the new VW.
A little later that week, my front tire popped.
2006年10月11日星期三
2006年10月10日星期二
WARDEN NOTICE: Possible Nucle...
That's what me and many other Americans woke up to find in our email inboxes. I've posted the contents of the email below.
WARDEN NOTICE: Possible Nuclear Test in North Korea
AmCitBeijing to undisclosed-re.
More options Oct 9 (12 hours ago)
On Monday, October 9, U.S. and South Korean intelligence services detected a seismic event at a suspected nuclear test site in North Korea. North Korea has claimed it conducted an underground nuclear test, but these reports are unconfirmed. The United States Government is monitoring the situation closely. As of the morning of October 10, the Embassy has received no information from any source indicating that there are health dangers that pose a risk to American citizens in any areas of China.
Actually, this was just an email from the consulate. I get them fairly often, but this one made me laugh. Honestly, the potential of a second head or glowing skin didn't even occur to me until today. And now I'm freaked out.
WARDEN NOTICE: Possible Nuclear Test in North Korea
AmCitBeijing
More options Oct 9 (12 hours ago)
On Monday, October 9, U.S. and South Korean intelligence services detected a seismic event at a suspected nuclear test site in North Korea. North Korea has claimed it conducted an underground nuclear test, but these reports are unconfirmed. The United States Government is monitoring the situation closely. As of the morning of October 10, the Embassy has received no information from any source indicating that there are health dangers that pose a risk to American citizens in any areas of China.
Actually, this was just an email from the consulate. I get them fairly often, but this one made me laugh. Honestly, the potential of a second head or glowing skin didn't even occur to me until today. And now I'm freaked out.
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