China's Perks

 There are some genuinely wonderful things about living in China.  This is just a beginning list - I've been trying to write down some of the things I love about life here...

1.  Nearly every day I get to see something that makes me laugh out loud (i.e., on the way to class this week I saw a little kid pooing into a plastic bag... nearly unbelievable).  Things like that just don't happen at home.

2.  I regularly get to interact with people from all over the world.  On a daily basis I hang out with friends from 5 continents.  I'm pretty sure if I were still in the States, that wouldn't be the case.

3.  Having white skin, although frustrating at times, also has serious benefits.  I can understand when people are talking about me on the bus and they just assume I have no idea what they're talking about.  It's fairly entertaining every time.  I also get extra luggage allowance because the airline figures it's less troublesome to let me have 20 extra pounds than try to explain it in Chinese!

4.  Going to the park at night and watching people dance or exercise or stand around in a circle and sing.  Most people here are so uninhibited and I find that very refreshing.  I just can't imagine hundreds of people back home feeling so comfortable in public, so unaware of the people around them.

5.  Going to the park during the day... watching hundreds of people just living life.  Whether it's playing a game, singing, taking grandkids for a stroll or just enjoying the fabulous weather, everyone congregates at the park - to experience a sense of community, I guess.

6.  Most things are cheap...  $2 to get curtains made... Can't beat that.

7.  Along the same lines - it's cheaper to eat out than it is to cook at home!  So, it means eating out comes pretty much guilt-free.

8.  I get to learn a foreign language... not the equivalent to a few years of high school Spanish or French to pass a college entrance exam.  I really, really get to learn a language (and, theoretically a culture) well.  Not many people have that privilege.

9.  Chinglish...  on t-shirts, signs and sometimes coming forth from my very own mouth.  It's hilarious to see some of the things that people wear, or signs that businesses post.  One of my favorite names is this trendy little boutique called "Unsightly and Peculiar."  And I am increasingly losing my ability to appropriately use prepositions when I speak English.  Such a lovely influence of studying Mandarin.

10.  My neighborhood is really close-knit.  I love feeling truly "known" every time I step outside.  It makes home seem not so far away.

11.  China has a 5000 year history - and the people take so much pride in their history.  It's amazing to live in a place, amongst a people, who have so many stories and years of experience to draw from.  As a history lover, I find it to be one continuous learning curve.

12.  Having cultural experiences every day, from holiday celebrations to examining worldviews and just hanging out with my Chinese friends.

13.  I appreciate people back home a heck of a lot more.  I know that isn't actually living in China that makes that happen, but it is definitely one of the results of being here.  When my family and friends are thousands of miles away, I am even more grateful for their presence in my life.

14.  Eating at McDonald's is exciting.  Yep, even the smallest little things bring me a ton of happiness...  From enjoying a Cherry Coke every couple of months to finding my brand of chapstick at Carrefour - it's nice to have something so small bring such a huge smile to my face.  Oh - and check it out - I had my very first Big Mac - EVER - in China last week.  I love the irony!

Currently Listening Grace Like Rain By Todd Agnew see related

YuanXiaoJie

Today marks the 15th day of the first lunar month.  And apparently it's a pretty big celebration here in China - marking the end of the Chinese New Year.  I thought that after fifteen days, people wouldn't be quite so excited to celebrate New Year's, but man alive was I wrong!  As I type this, there is an incessant "Pow!" "Pop!" "Crackity-Crack-Crack-Crack!" outside my window.  Fireworks and firecrackers unlike anything I've ever seen before.  Apparently it is the "Lantern Lighting Festival," and although there are a number of red lanterns hanging everywhere, I haven't actually seen anyone light any lanterns yet.  Maybe tomorrow I'll ask my teacher about that one...

This evening I went out with a family from the neighborhood.  We went to this fabulous restaurant for dinner - we toasted about five different times - and honestly I have no idea what we toasted to... but I sipped the red wine with a huge grin on my face, in apparent agreement with whatever was just said.  And there was food enough for 15 people, in spite of the fact that there were only 8 of us sitting around the table...  the entrees included a huge fish (the entire thing), the vast majority of a chicken, goat cheese (one of my favorites!) and enough tofu soup to fill everyone's bowl ten times over.  It was amazing; I sat jaw-dropped at the amount of food that kept coming out.  Course after course of uber expensive, fancy food.  We also had to eat "tangyuan" - which is a sweet sticky rice dumpling... everyone had to eat four - one for each season of the year.  After I had declared "chi bao le" (I'm full") about 10 times, the head of the family put enough bacon-like pork in my bowl to go alongside my pancakes every morning for a week!  I thought I was going to burst open, and let me tell you, that last bite went down pretty rough, but I sit here, still alive after the whole ordeal.

After we finished eating (a two-hour event), we headed over to the big park near our house.  I go to the park often, because I think it's tons of fun... but this was undoubtedly the largest number of people I have ever seen there at one time.  It was incredible - hundreds upon hundreds of people standing around watching fireworks.  And fireworks there were in abundance.  It was like watching a 4th of July extravaganza without any safety regulations... that's right, everyone had bought their own *huge* fireworks - like the big ones we have in the States.  And individuals were lighting them off left and right.  It was wild.  At one point I ran into some American friends who have 4 little kids - and we quickly became the event of the evening, as 20-30 people surrounded us, just standing there watching us talk.  Apparently, for a moment or two, we proved to be more exciting than the light show going on all around us.  Even after 10 months I am still find it fascinating that so many are fascinated by the color of  my skin.

We made our way from the park back to my friend's house where we ate more food... yes, yes, the dad walked in with the world's largest watermelon.  Panic came over me, as I thought, "I will surely explode if I put an ounce of anything else in me."  Well, I managed to eat two slices of watermelon, and eventually someone believed that I could actually be full.  So thankful for whoever that dear soul is!  We then proceeded to have one of the most bizarre conversations I have ever had in Chinese.  For the next hour or so we talked about animals - in nearly every fashion you could think of.  It started out with a conversation about pigtails and ponytails (yes, the hairdo), which was strange enough... but then it moved to the 12 animals of the Chinese calendar, to stories of animal attacks in our province.  Lovely.  Did you know that China apparently still has wild elephants?  Well, I sure didn't, and was made fun of mercilessly for this lack of knowledge.  And apparently these wild elephants had a stampede last year and killed 20 people.  I'm still a bit gobsmacked about the whole thing...  Wild elephants in China.  Who knew?  Everyone but me, or so it seems...

So, tonight I received a whole new experience, celebrating another holiday in China.  And I am thrilled that yet another family took me in as one of their own tonight and allowed me to spend YuanXiaoJie with them, doing what most Chinese families probably did tonight: ate lots of food, watched some fireworks and sat around talking.  It's really a precious gift to be taken into someone's home, and to be made a member of the family during "the holidays."  Lovin' it!

Currently Listening Very Best of By Louis Armstrong see related

Mickey's Merry Christmas

This morning I called my parents to wish them a fabulous trip to Mexico... as I write, they are driving to the airport, on their way to a week of sitting by the ocean relaxing - I'm trying (rather unsuccessfully) to not be jealous.  As we talked, my mom relayed an event that had happened earlier in the day.  My niece came downstairs (she lives with her parents in the upstairs of my parent's house) today and had the "Mickey's Merry Christmas" in her hand.  My mom asked why in the world she wanted to watch a Christmas movie in March.  My niece responded by saying, "Well, if we watch a Christmas movie, maybe we can trick Ashley into thinking that it's Christmas, and then she'll come home."  As my mom told me this story, which was just enough to break my heart, my niece and nephew came downstairs to say "hi' to me... And Avery told me that she had watched "Mickey's Merry Christmas" that day, and that when I come home, we can watch it together...  assuring me that it is "okay to watch it then, too."  She then proceeded to sing me every song that she could remember from the "Sound of Music."  And I discovered that her favorite song from that movie was the same as mine when I was little... unfortunately the only words she knows is, "I am 16 going on 17..." Just like me when I was little.  In spite of the slight broken heart I have from missing out on the lives of both my nephew and niece, I'm so thankful for web cams (we *love* making faces at each other) and Skype and all of the other handy-dandy techy things that make them seem not so far away...

Currently Reading Great Short Works of Leo Tolstoy (Perennial Classics) By Leo Tolstoy see related

Coming down from the Mountain

Today I attended my second class since our two week break for Chinese New Year.  Let me tell ya', it's been somewhat painful.  It feels like I haven't really been in school for a month or so, because I had kind of "checked out" a week or two before vacation started.  So I have a lot of catch up to do.  I'm amazed at how much my listening comprehension has risen - I feel like I was living in darkness before, but coming back after 9 days of hearing primarily Chinese, I'm doing all right.  And my characters are actually coming all pretty well, which I don't quite understand because I didn't study them at all while I was gone...  But my spoken Chinese has gone down a TON in the last 2 weeks.  "Shuo-bu-lai" (I can't speak it)...  I think it's probably because I did so much listening while I was away, and didn't do a ton of speaking.  Even so, I thought that hearing so much Chinese would help me with speaking.  :)  My roommate has assured me that the benefits of listening to such vast amounts of Chinese will come out in my language in the next week or so...  I'm still waiting for an increased sense of fluidity in speaking.

Since coming back to the big city, I've been thoroughly enjoying the little pleasures of life here.  Taking a shower every day has proven to suit me quite well...  although I'm still amazed at how little it bothered me that I didn't shower for 9 days.  Getting back in touch with the "outside" via email and cnn.com has been uber fun and I enjoy knowing what's happening beyond my tiny little world.  I've also eaten a ton of Western food - pizza, burritos, and lots of chocolate.  My morning cup of coffee has become even sweeter for the many days I went without.  Yes, for 9 days I had no coffee.  That still amazes, and even impresses me, a little bit.  I've been reading like a fiend and have treasured my privacy.

It feels good to be back, but I am, in some ways, mourning the loss of the life I was able to get just a tiny taste of.  Mostly I miss just sitting down with people, hearing their stories and sharing life with them in a way I don't often get to do in the city...  I guess I just need to enjoy the people and things in my life right here.  In a few weeks I'm moving into a new apartment which I'm thrilled about.  I live in a great city with fabulous weather, I have wonderful friends here - and we are learning to love each other well... and every morning I get to wake up to a fresh cup of coffee (Thanks for the Starbucks, Mom!)...  Life is pretty darn good!

Currently Reading Humility: True Greatness By C. J. Mahaney see related

Always a Student

We sleepily crawl out of our beds-on-a-bus as the driver announces that we've arrived at our destination.  After 24 hours we have finally made it to the middle of nowhere.  We are going to spend our holiday traveling around the "outback" of China, discovering even more of the beauty of this country.

Entering into the actual countryside I am immediately struck by the silence.  City life is filled with incessant noise: honking horns, people yelling, construction, neighbors.  Out here, though, there is very little to listen to, except for the silence.  Sweet, precious Silence.  It is a wonderful thing that I take for granted far too often.  We hike through the mountains and I quickly come to realize the beauty of the area we were going to was far understated.  Everything around me provokes my senses and I am tickled pink at the privilege of just being in this place.  After all the traveling (32 hours in total) I still can't believe that I'm here, standing in the midst of such awe-inspiring scenery.

After hiking up the mountain for a while, we arrive at this fabulous house.  I had prepared myself for the most dire living conditions, and in all reality I am more than pleasantly surprised with what we find.  Everything is very comfortable - the beds, the living room, even the kitchen.  I am already feeling more excited about the next few days.  I still can't fathom what it's going to look like, but I now know that it won't be quite what I had pictured.  Upon our arrival we feast like kings on some seriously amazing food... most of it far better than what I eat on a daily basis back home.  Our hosts are more than agreeable, full of laughter, sweet smiles and generosity unknown by many Westerners.  It is cold outside, but the warmth of the kitchen is enough to make me believe that I can't actually see my breath indoors.

The next few days are filled with a ton of hiking.  We trompse around the mountains as if we are made for nothing else.  We play frisbee, take a lot of pictures and sit around just talking.  The weather is a bit overcast and it's still cold, but none of us mind... we're just so happy to be in this place with these people for this moment in time.  Everywhere we turn there are rice terraces or farm fields - and somewhere in the midst, houses are tucked away into this landscape of mountains and valleys that take my breath away.  We listen to a lot of stories as we walk... the history of the area, the lives of the people and all the memories that have been stored up for entire lifetimes.  It is mind-boggling to think that although we come from completely different worlds, we are able to share such rich times together.  In fact, I'm not sure that I have ever felt such natural inclinations and affections for people overseas as I do in this place.  It seems that we have been friends for years instead of hours.  What a beautiful gift.

The hospitality is overwhelming.  They treat us as if we are royalty...  I struggle with this, wishing that they would let me help them - I long to wash some dishes, cook some food or help clean something, but I am repeatedly shot down.  I very slowly learn that this sort of hospitality is expected of every host(ess), and I can do nothing about it... I begin to understand that it would be an offense to them if I were to help out in some way.  And each time we pass someone's house they invite us in for a small snack, or even a meal.  So opposite to my way of thinking, but I have to learn... and to realize that the same is expected of me when it is my turn to play hostess.  It is a frighteningly high calling, and one that I fear I have failed at a million times over the last year.

We continue to enjoy life in the countryside.  I don't shower at all over the week or so that we are gone, but I do have the fabulous experience of washing my hair outside, in the sun.  And I find something so natural, and almost beautiful about the whole thing, and for a moment I feel as if I am made to live in this place.  I also have the unfortunate experience of a bad bout with diarrhea - and of the two bathrooms available to me, one is filled with chickens and the other has a pig's face staring at me behind a fence (about a foot away)... I choose the pigs.  :)  I learn how to roast red peppers and turn them into spices that season our food.  Our friends also make their own noodles for breakfast and they are absolutely delicious... perhaps because they are so fresh.  My hosts are notorious for filling everyone's bowl with rice or noodles or extra goodies while they are not paying attention.  Involuntary gluttony - for to leave anything in your bowl is a bit offensive.  I quickly learn to protect my own rice bowl ferociously, as I am afraid I will burst open from being so constantly full.

Each morning I wake up to the sound of cattle, pigs and these amazingly annoying geese.  So loud, so squawky.  Every day I wish these birds were dead, because we all know how I feel about birds.  Well, one day I come out of my room to see one of the men chopping off the goose's head.  Okay, I feel a little bad about my feelings towards this dead goose, but in all honesty, I just wish he would kill both of them, because somehow, the living goose now compensates for the partner he no longer has... plenty enough squawking for 10 birds.  So sad.  They also kill a goat for us... yes, the cute little goat that was frollicking around the house just the day before is now on the dinner table.  Such a jolt to my city-girl mind which does not like to face death in any form... so different from my new friends - for them, death is simply a part of life.

Of everything I experience over these few days, the thing I most appreciate is undoubtedly the sense of community that flows forth from everything they do.  It is such a switch from my daily life, in which I jealously guard my "alone time."  Every meal feels like a huge event that everyone is invited to, each hike is an opportunity for many to join in along the way, and nighttime means sitting around in a circle talking about life or singing or just being together.  Their sense of love and commitment to one another is deep, precious beyond anything words can adequately express.  These beautiful people understand what it means to humbly serve and to sacrifice on behalf of another, they have mastered the art of laughter and enjoy life in spite of less than favorable circumstances.  They may be "simple farmers" but by the time we hike down the mountain to head home, I am convinced that they understand what life is all about far more than I do.  I realize that over the last week, in spite of all my education and experiences and travels, these unassuming, uncomplicated people have become some of the best teachers of my life...  I miss them already.