pjMumblings

A China story soon to end

pjscheck — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:05:00 GMT

What is there to say? China's been great, I've been learning so much, enjoying my life here, and staying thoroughly occupied - as the lack of journal entries might have already indicated...but when it's time to go home, it's time to go home.

I will have fulfilled my contractual obligations by the 25th of May. At that time I'll be packing my bags and coming home. Maybe I'll have the opportunity to return to China in the future, but for now I need to be with my family.

Please keep my mother in your prayers in her fight against breast cancer.

With love to all,

Gallery: The Panda Flop

pjscheck — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 10:06:00 GMT

These are the floppiest, laziest, cutest freakin' animals on the planet.

Gallery: My Place

pjscheck — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 23:43:00 GMT

Notice the sticky notes on everything. Yup, evidence of my attemps to learn Mandarin.

China Update, Part 2: Communication Foils

pjscheck — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 22:16:00 GMT

Chinese is not easy. In fact the very idea of it makes my head spin. It’s the tones. And the characters. And the classifiers. And the pronunciation of ‘ü’ and ‘r’ and ‘e’ and the nasal ‘n.’ And those damn tones.

Case in point: today I ran out of drinking water and needed to call up the water-delivery service to get a new container - of course this simple task is not easy. First I practice what I need to say with my trusty foreign friend - as if a fellow foreigner is the best person to ask (no offense, man)…anyhow, I’m hoping I can just get through what I need to say without any interruptions, receive recognition and confirmation from the person on the other end, let the delivery dude in when he arrives about 5 minutes later, pay him, say goodbye, and then congratulate myself for this little success. Of course, things are never so simple. Mid-way through my tentative and stuttering request the lady on the other line starts asking questions. I repeat “I don’t understand,” and “I don’t know,” a few times as she continues to ask questions, finally a silent confusion sets in. Next I hear “hǎo,” and she hangs up. What the heck just happened?!? A minute later my phone rings. They’ve called me back, but this time there’s a man on the line, asking more questions. Not understanding anything he’s asking, I start trying to repeat my building and apartment numbers, experimenting a little with my tones in the hopes that I’ll eventually hit something recognizable to him. After several minutes of this he says “hǎo,” and hangs up. Does this mean I finally got it right, or did he just give up on me? Confused but hopeful, I figure that if no water-delivery man shows up within the next 15 minutes, I’ll call a friend for help.

Somehow, however, I must have managed to utter some slightly discernible words, as a cheerful water man was at my door five minutes later. Victory!!! Smiling at me, the first thing he says is “Nǐ bù hǔi shūo.” Knowing very well that I cannot speak Chinese, I nod my head in agreement and say, “Wǒ bù hǔi shūo.” After commenting on how clean my apartment is (Yea!!) and telling me how much I owe him, he begins to tell me what I should have said on the phone (I am able to figure out that this is what he is trying to communicate when he starts saying my building and apartment numbers). Knowing I will never remember this, as I can’t even understand much of it, I run for my vocab book and thrust it at him with a pen, saying “Kě yí...?” (Can you…?) as I imitate a writing motion. He obligingly writes it down in Hanzì and reads it to me before we repeat it together and have a mini-celebration of big smiles and happy hand gestures. I pay him the ¥8, confirm his suspicions that I am indeed an American, thank him, and say goodbye. An overall positive experience, despite a few confusing minutes here and there.

Thank goodness the people here are usually very kind and light-hearted, even while they are telling you that you suck at their language. Nonetheless, I am determined that in three weeks from now, when I need my next water-delivery, I will nail that phone call.

Gallery: Chengdu

pjscheck — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 22:37:00 GMT

My new home

China Update, Part 1: Toilet Adventures

pjscheck — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 02:41:00 GMT

So I live in China. That might be a surreal statement coming from a shy and anxious blue-eyed art dork, but it feels completely perfect and natural. Well, maybe not completely...but to say, 'I'm making a seamless transition' might be a more appropriate and accurate description.

Today marks my third week in Chengdu. I'm mostly settled. Classes are up and running - much to my under-qualified dismay. Friendships are developing - the people here are so helpful and excited to get to know you (Or, 'play with you' as they like to say). I'm a bit of a novelty around here as well - their idea of an American is, well, not short and thin and dark-haired like me.

Food is happily spicy and dairy-free; the meat-free meal is a little more difficult to come by, but with the help of friends, I've managed to eat a mostly vegetarian diet here. (A word for the wise: next time you are enjoying your spicy sichuan hot pot - beware of the 'sichuan specialty;' this mystery food is actually the lining of an ox's stomach. It's quite unpleasant. Also, do not say, "Hm, that was interesting" when your host asks your opinion of it, for another serving will quickly be tossed your way.)

My apartment is quite nice. I've had my little mishaps with it - but all in all it's been very comfortable for me. The biggest adjustments are with the bathroom, the kitchen, and the laundry situation.

My washing machine is in the kitchen, and until a few days ago, would flood the kitchen with every load. Wet kitchen floors are gross, just so ya know. Then there is the dryer issue - or rather, complete lack thereof. The air is so damp here, in fact, that I don't think my clothes ever dry out, and there has been many a load that I have begrudgingly decided to re-wash because the clothes had stayed wet for so long that they lost that 'freshness' I so snobbishly value. Now I've taken to placing a few items at a time in front of my electric heater to assist with the drying process. Not the most efficient, but effective nonetheless. Yay heater!

The kitchen is all cute and little, with a tiny fridge and hot plate as the primary appliances. It's working well for me though.

And my favorite part: Le Toilet. My shower is not really a shower. Ok well it is, but it's right beside my toilet (Yay!), which is to say that it is not separate from anything else in my bathroom, no curtain or divider, nothing. Thus, after each shower I have to squeegee down the walls and mirror, wipe off the sink and toilet surfaces, and mop up the floor. So it's a bit of a nuisance in all honesty, especially doing all of this wrapped in a towel. But hey, my bathroom is quite clean!

I'm also not allowed to flush my 'paper waste.' Luckily my apartment has a maintenance lady. So the days waste is thrown into the hallway each night before bed (it's in a bag, sicko), and the next morning she takes care of it. This is actually one of the most convenient things about this place, because really, who likes taking the trash out?

Then there is the issue of leakage. First, and still, it was the sink. I had the maintenance man come over to check it out. He decided that when I was using the mop basin (yes it's built in beside my sink), I splashed too much water onto the floor, and this was actually where the water was coming from. This is all, of course, explained to me over the phone by a translator. Ok, um, I've never used said mop basin. I tell this to the translator and again explain that the water is clearly coming from the sink. Phone is handed back to maintenance man. Loud voices, pointing at mop basin, more loud voices....finally the phone is handed back to me.

"Ok, the maintenance man will get you a special hose to twist onto the mop basin faucet so that you don't get water onto the floor anymore."
"Ok, but that's really not necessary because like I said, I've never used the mop basin, the water is leaking from the sink."
"Ok, so he will get the hose for you this week then ok?"
"Ok but that's not the problem. I don't use the mop basin, it's the sink."
"Oh I see. So when you use the mop basin it is leaking onto the floor and that is where the water is coming from, so he will get the hose for you this week, and then you won't have a problem anymore."

In frustrated resignation: "Right, sure, ok." Fast-forward two weeks: sink still leaks, meanwhile mop basin has extra-special hose to prevent my 'spillage.'

But the most exciting part: directly above my toilet is a pipe. This pipe belongs to the toilet in the apartment above mine. This pipe is mean and scary. It started leaking. I was frightened. I could not sleep the night I saw the first few drips, as I was seized with much anxiety - images of total pipe malfunction haunted my mind. The maintenance man and company came the next day. I tried to concentrate on grading papers, suppressing that previously mentioned fear, while they tinkered about in there. After some time a bucket was brought into the equation. Minutes later the foulest of foul stenches consumed my apartment. I thought I was either going to vomit or pass out, or both. It was quite wretched, but for now the problem seems to have been fixed. I hope the pipe behaves itself from now on. I'm very grateful, however, that things were not worse.

Contrary to what these last few paragraphs might suggest, I'm actually loving it here, and I can't wait to write more about it. For now, however, I'm off to bed.

Yours,

Gallery: Macau and Coloane

pjscheck — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 11:07:00 GMT

This city is one of my favorite's - as a travel companion so aptly described the rooftops: "It's quite picturesque."

Airports and Taxis, China-style

pjscheck — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 11:00:00 GMT

To catch up on the past week or so....

From Tokyo I flew to the Guangzhou airport, where I spent a chilly night, that morning I journaled the following while waiting for the bus to Zhuhai:

They don't heat the Guangzhou airport. Thus, it’s cold inside, very cold. My flight arrived close to 10pm on the 13th; I wanted to catch the first bus to Zhuhai in the morning, as well as save some money, so I camped out at the airport instead of a hotel or hostel. At first the cold wasn’t too bad, I was able to fall asleep for short periods of time, my head resting on my backpack, one arm around my shoulder bag, and another holding onto my duffel. Finally at about 3am I couldn’t handle the cold anymore, I walked around for a few minutes to get my blood going, made a stop in the restroom - no more heated toilet seats (Oh how I was missing Tokyo at that moment)...or hot water...or toilet paper for that matter - and then returned to the cold hard seats. The walk must have done my brain some good as well, because I remembered that a) I had a sleeping bag in my duffel and b) I had little toes pads that heat up when they are exposed to air. Victory! I pulled them out, got situated, and was able to get two hours of warm, mostly undisturbed, sleep. At about 6am the airport began to wake up, by 6:30 I had forced myself to put the sleeping bag away and start my day. After brushing my teeth and washing my face in the restrooms I went on a short and sadly unfulfilled coffee hunt. Begrudgingly, I sat myself down in front of the bus ticket counter and waited for them to open while I practiced the phrases I would need to buy the ticket. But of course, this is an airport, so the ticket lady spoke to me in English. I was slightly disappointed that I didn’t get a chance to practice the language, but I have this feeling that I will have plenty of opportunities in the very near future."

Getting to my destination in Macau was a bit of a pain in ones backside. The bus ride wasn't bad, other than the bus driver's incessant honking, it was customs that was the painful part. One should be advised not to travel right before, during, or right after the Chinese New Year. The crowds and lines are endless, especially when tugging a 55lb duffel - thank God for wheels.

I had a wonderful stay in Macau, though. I'll quote myself when I say: I'm surpised by how much I like this city. Plus I met some awesomely cool people. Definitely check out the pics, i think they tell a nice story! After a week in Macau I headed back to the Guangzhou airport to catch my flight to Chengdu.

Along the way I had a lovely encounter with a cab driver. It was probably about 1am when the bus arrived at the Guangzhou central station, and I needed a taxi to the airport. The first available driver didn’t understand me when I said the name of the airport, so I pulled out my handy dandy phrase book, found ‘airport,’ gave it to him to read the characters (since apparently my pronunciation is too poor to be understood), then we both made plane-taking-off gestures, nodded at one another and went about loading my luggage into the trunk.

“How much money?” I asked in Mandarin. No answer. No matter, I think, he must not have understood me, yet again. Once in the cab I ask again, he asks the same question back. We do this back and forth about eight times before I start pointing at the meter saying, “Meter, meter!! Is it on? Go by the meter!!!” “Two hundred.” “Two hundred?” “Yes, two hundred RMB.” “No, meter, is it on?” “Two hundred.” “I don’t have that,” I replied in Mandarin - we were using a mix of both languages. “You don’t have? How much money?” Not being quite sure what to do here, I started counting. “One hundred fifty.” “No. Two hundred.” “I don’t have it....ATM?” “Ah, ATM!! Yes, ATM!”

Ok that was a stupid thing to do, show the taxi driver who is clearly trying to rip you off that you can get more money for him. Think, Paloma, think. He quickly pulls up to an ATM and tells me to get more money. Deciding I didn’t want to deal with him anymore, nor did I want to pay some ridiculous sum for the ride I said, “How much? I’ll pay now, find a new taxi.” “New taxi?” “Yes, how much?” Not liking this new turn, he decided to lower the price. “One hundred fifty?” “That’s all I have.”

He drove on. I quickly pulled my phrase book back out to look ‘stupid’ up, wanting to say “I’m not stupid,” in an attempt to force some honesty out of him. He started asking me questions though, in a mix of chinese and english, and so I gave conversation a try, hoping to charm him into a higher conscience. We had established that I was American, so I wasn’t particularly surprised when he said, “You American, you have money.” “No, student, no money.” “Why?” “Student.” It wasn’t entirely a lie...at the time I thought I'd be taking an english course here at Sichuan Normal. He proceeded to tell me that I don’t speak Mandarin. Really? That’s very insightful of you. “I know, I want to learn.” I quickly found ‘learn’ in the phrase book and repeated “I want to learn,” in Mandarin. He laughed at me. “Why is that funny?” No response. “Why China?” “I’m interested.” More laughing.

The broken exchange continued from time to time; apparently my presence in his country was highly comical to him because he laughed at every answer I gave him, during breaks in the conversation he would look back from time to time in order to refresh his amusement . I remained impervious to this and continued studying my phrase book. “You go to America from airport?” “No, Chengdu.” “Chengdu?” “Yes, Chengdu.” More laughing. “Why there?” “Teach and study.” Continued laughing. “Why not back to America?” Responding with sincere excitement I replied, “I just got here!! Why would I go back?!?” He had turned around to look at me as I said this, and witnessed the excitement in my eyes. I don’t know how much he understood, as I said it all in English; but I think he may have realized my sincerity, as his laughing subsided. Maybe he was finally taking me seriously as well.

Once at the airport I checked the meter and gave him its listed amount: ¥88. He handed me a slip for an additional charge, which I tried to inquire about: an absolutely worthless pursuit. Realizing we were never going to get anywhere and uninterested in continuing the dispute, I handed him the cash, feeling that it was likely a legitimate charge anyway.

Together we removed my duffel from the trunk. I repeated ‘thank you’ in Mandarin several times, he turned to look at me, nodded, and was off.

Anyhow, I'm settling into my life in Chengdu these days, but more to come on that later...

Yours,

I'm a Barbie Girl

pjscheck — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:01:00 GMT

Tokyo has been fun. My first night here, my buddy and host, Travis, took me to hang out with a Japanese family. They first treated us to a ramen dinner, then we played with their two young sons in English to help reinforce what their mother, Shinobu, has been teaching them at home, and finally spent some time chatting with Shinobu while the boys got ready for bed. It was great to see how a typical Japanese family interacts - a good introduction to the culture and society.

The next day Travis and I ate sushi for breakfast at the fish market, then walked to Mori Art Museum to check out the local art scene, the jet-lag was really setting in at this point though, so I can hardly remember anything except for an exhibition by the Japanese sculptor, Kaodama. It was one of those exhibitions that draws out your inner child and amazes you with its sheer imagination and humor.

That night my college roommate, Corrie, arrived in Tokyo. It was awesome to finally see her again (she’s been teaching english here in a small town in the country for a year and a half). We met up with another college friend, a Tokyo native, and spent the night on the town - which actually lasted until about 5:30am. He took us around to several pubs and clubs that we otherwise wouldn’t have known about, we were all absolutely exhausted the entire night, but it was good times.

The next day we slept the entire day, went out for a Korean dinner and an hour of karaoke - which is ridiculously fun, i had no idea - then it was back to bed because we had to catch an early train up to Nikko the next morning.

We spent a day and a half in Nikko, which was beautiful. The shrines were so intricate and colorful in their decoration. It was too bad that I couldn’t read the information posted about them though, there was something lacking in the experience in not knowing the history and meaning behind them. They were beautiful nonetheless, and I enjoyed being ‘artistic’ with my camera (check out some pics in my photo gallery). The hostel we stayed in was very comfortable, and the staff was equally as friendly. They served us a vegan dinner that night that was to die for, especially the main course: a marinated slab of tofu. I was so full I crawled into bed and passed out soon after we finished the meal.

The next morning we did a little more sight-seeing before Travis and I parted ways with Corrie to head back to Tokyo. It’s been pretty laid back since. That night we joined three of his friends for a meal of unagi goodness, then perused the nearby mall before taking our time walking back to the apartments. It was a beautiful night, and the company was light-hearted and compassionate. The people you meet ultimately leave the strongest impression - according to me - and I’ve really been in some good hands for the entirety of this trip.

Okay, enough with the boring itineraries, here are a few top fives:

Top 5 ‘this is awesome!’ moments:

1)Heated toilet seats. Wow, I want one in my house.

2)Heated train seats (do I detect a reoccurring theme here?)

3)Private karaoke rooms = all fun and no stage-fright.

4)Food. Food. Food. Chopsticks. Food. Rice. And more rice.

5)Kaodama - best ceramic heads EVAR.

Top 5 ‘what the....?’ moments:

1)Girls in short short skirts and high heels in 30 degree weather (Fahrenheit). Maybe over time they’ve killed off all of the feeling in their legs and feet. Either that or ‘beauty’ trumps common-sense in this town.

2)The lack of waste receptacles in public places. Everyone must hold onto all of their trash, because it’s not on the streets, which is quite nice. Still, who likes carrying around their apple core for two hours?

3)Everyone wearing those paper particle masks in public to prevent the spread of yucky germs - is this good practice or a lil’ case of paranoia?

4)Guys who spend at least an hour purposefully placing every hair on their head in it’s place - I don’t think I use that much hair product in a month....that and it looks kind of silly.

5)Toilets that do everything. They’re more complicated than my iPod, I could spend a half hour in there just pushing buttons, no joke.

Top (and only) 5 Japanese words I know:

1)Arigato-gozaimas (thank you)

2)Konnichi wa (hello)

3)Sumimasen (excuse me)

4)Hai *repeat two or five or ten or more times (yes)

5)Su *repeat until you have to listen again (oh I see)

Ok. Tomorrow I’m off to Macau, but not before one more night out...

Yours,

Gallery: Tokyo and Nikko

pjscheck — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:37:00 GMT

A selection from the 300+ photos I've taken in Japan. Yes, I'm that girl. Enjoy!

international travel...or not.

pjscheck — Tue, 5 Feb 2008 21:26:00 GMT

*Sigh*

I was so close. I had boarded the plane, settled and buckled myself into my ridiculously small seat, taken out my Chinese character study materials, ignored the flight attendant as he gave his usual instructions, and had just obligingly turned off my iPod when then the pilot began his announcements. But it wasn't the 'we hope you enjoy your flight with us today' kind of speech, it was the 'yea weather in Seattle sucks, so we can't leave' kind of speech. Then came the, 'how about you all wait in the terminal instead of the plane' speech.

Back in the terminal I was informed that the tiny aircraft I was just sitting on would have been knocked off its ass by the winds in Seattle, so we were stuck in Portland for the time being. Thus the giant plane headed to Tokyo would be taking off without me. The ticket agent lady then proceeded to give me my new flight info: same times and connections as before, just 24 hours later. Hehe, um...no thanks. Some negotiations later, we arranged for me to fly to LA, where I am currently camped out. Yay for dingy, sparse, poorly-lit airports!

I'll be boarding a plane for Seoul in several hours. Sometime tomorrow afternoon I'll hop on a quick flight to Tokyo, finally arriving at my destination 22.5 hours late.

Ah there's nothing like the unpredictability of travel!

Yours truly,
P.