What Happened to My Semester?

But seriously, what?

In less than two weeks, I'll be back in the good ol' US of A wondering where I can get some decent eggplant and dumplings. It's hard to believe that so little time is left and there's still so much left to do. It will indeed be a sad train ride to Beijing.

But speaking of Beijing, I'll be headed back to China in July to teach English at a MUN summer camp for Chinese middle and high school students in Beijing and Shanghai for a few weeks, so I'm hoping the opportunity will help me continue to use my Chinese and see a bit more of China before returning to San Antonio for the fall semester of my senior year (wait, what?!). I wish I could give you a more thorough and interesting post/update, but the reality of it is, I should be writing an essay, doing laundry, reviewing a multitude of material and contemplating the last few souvenirs I need to buy before departing at the end of next week.

Today my 一对一 (one-on-one) professor said I sounded like a native speaker. She obviously has been smoking crack. Chinese people can be way too complimentary sometimes.

I Went to North Korea. And Came Back. Alive. On my 21st Birthday.

Despite rain our first day in Dandong, our trip to the North Korean border went swimmingly (and no one got arrested! Or kidnapped! Or killed!)

We took the night train to Dandong on Thursday night and spent Friday tromping around in the rain, visiting a bridge that used to cross the Yalu River to North Korea, but had been bombed during the Korean War, attending a Manchu dance and drum performance (which was unfortunately cancelled half-way through due to the rain), eating a fire-roast lamb and making s'mores (in the rain) over the same fire. These were some epic s'mores though: lemon, apple and orange flavored marshmallows with dark chocolate and digestive biscuits. Super delicious!

The next day we took a boat ride on one of the lakes up there and saw some beautiful scenery as well as a thousand-year-old tree and some Buddhist landmarks (and climbed some super steep stairs. I mean seriously, who planned that? China must have awful civil engineers. I mean, I know I'm climbing a mountain, but if you're going to install stairs, try a little harder, mk?) That night we had a free evening in the city (relatively small by China standards, but still quite large by American standards) and we spent it restaurant-hoping (I ate dog), KTV (karaoke, which is super swank in China, btw), watching about 100 people dance in a city square (sort of impromptu, everyone knows the moves and it's like watching a musical or something) and wandering along the river comparing the pitch-black North Korea to the brightly-lit China. Never before had China looked quite so well off.

The next morning (MY BIRTHDAY! WHOA!), we headed off to the Great Wall! Thanks to a combination of how the Great Wall was constructed (connected bits and pieces of local walls) and the development, this stretch of the wall isn't as long as other portions, but potentially older, originally built to keep out those stinking Mongols and now acting as a less functional but equally symbolic barrier against North Korea. Our portion of the Wall was irritatingly vertical and I'd think defending it might be just as difficult as attempting to invade it but it was really cool to look out over China and North Korea at the same time. We also climbed around the mountain on which it was built and were able to jump across the border for a few minutes, beyond the fence and I'm sure the Korean military were happy to see us to this. But not as happy as they were to see the two guys from our program moon them!

This is China.

This is not.

After the Wall, we took a boat ride onto the river to come alongside the border, drawing the differences between China and Korea at a starker and starker contrast. On the Chinese side of the river, you've got huge buildings and loads of people, bright lights, commerce. On the Korean side, you've got a few factories, fishing boats and dated buildings. A few people on the shore who, for some reason, are all wearing the same clothing. However, everyone seemed quite friendly to us, waving and smiling, even the military men on a boat that passed by us. It was a very odd experience to see a place that is so closed to Western eyes at such a (relatively) close perspective. Certainly an odd, almost eerie experience and you find yourself spotting North Koreans and staring, as if they are animals you've only ever seen in the zoo.

After dinner at a Korean restaurant with an odd show involving women dressed in Korean-wear and playing electric guitars, we headed off the take the train back to Harbin, arriving around 4 am. Pretty memorable birthday weekend!

Oh hey, North Korea. WAT UP.

Also, I apologize that my blog has gotten progressively less cute with fewer fun things to click due to a) my lessened amount of time, and b) internet problems. Sorry!

P.S. I'll be back in the States in less than a month. Um. What?

Finally employed!

EMPLOYMENT!

Yes. I have a job. In Chinese (sort of). In China. Which pays. Woot!

So, I've gotten an English teaching position for this summer at a Model UN camp in Shanghai and Beijing this summer! It's approximately three and a half weeks from mid-July to the beginning of August, teaching English, public speaking and mentoring middle and high school Chinese students. So I'll be back for June and then heading back to China for a bit! Didn't really think I'd be coming back to China quite so quickly! I also didn't expect to have an interview to include speaking Chinese quite so soon, either!

And I'm totally using the fact I'm getting paid as much as 250 RMB (about $40) an hour.

Tigers, Exams and Chinese Hospitality

So I would like to apologize for my lack of updating lately; however, I have excuses! And I'm pretty sure they're good ones too. The last three weeks have been rather busy between exams and spring break. An no, I could not have updated y'all during break as I was down south without internet access (or spare time, for that matter).

So, first things first: tigers.

Yes, I went with my roommate and another classmate to 东北虎园(Siberian Tiger Park) and it's pretty freakin' awesome...if not also bizarre and slightly appalling. I'd basically equate it to one of America's drive-through Safaris but with a little more meat-eating. And more screaming adults. Pushing against you. All the time. I'm not sure if I was more frightened of the man-eating carnivorous beasts approaching rapidly on the other side of the not-really-reinforced van or all the Asians inside pushing towards the windows to get a good look. The Chinese have a thing for the 热闹. A group had purchased a sheep to feed the tigers, which is delivered by a truck to the tigers (who most certainly know what that truck means) while the van of tourists watches with a mixture of repulsion and cruel fascination as the tigers leap onto the helpless small sheep. I won't lie, it was fascinating to watch two tigers hold the sheep in their jaws until it was completely dead and had stopped kicking. They don't just immediately rip into it. However, the Chinese evidently were a little upset that they had paid so much for a sheep that hadn't had an opportunity to run about and make it a bit more of a show. Oh well. Regardless, the tigers are really incredibly beautiful and it's an odd experience to have them quite so near to you.

Next things next: exams.

They're over now. Let's all thank God together. Yay! Now, moving on.

Then things then: SPRING BREAK!

So for spring break, I went with four of my classmates down to Hangzhou for a few days. I'll try to make this brief, as compacting all these memories into a consumer-friendly blog could be a little difficult.

We flew out of Harbin Friday night, and I've just got to say, Chinese airlines have got it right. I don't know how they do it, but I dig free bags and a full meal on every flight. And I mean every flight. Including the 45 minute one. Awesome. Seriously. Anyway, we spent the next few days in Hangzhou seeing the local sights including West Lake, which is a really beautiful lake right in the middle of the city which is famous in China, famous enough that it is featured on the back of the 1 kuai note. We also took a boat ride (similar to a gondola) around the lake to that location, which

Throughout the Hanzhou part of the trip, we ate lots of local dishes (including dongpo pork, which is more or less lots and lots of delicious pork fat in a sweet, brown sauce), rode in lots of black-market cabs (not as sketchy as it sounds...sometimes) and drank lots of tea. Oh, and got attacked by loads of Chinese teenagers wanting to take pictures with us. I felt like a celebrity.

Following a few days in Hangzhou that included a day trip into the neighboring tea mountains, we headed to Moganshan, a mountain a few hours outside of Hangzhou/Shanghai best known for being Chiang Kai-shek's playground of sorts. When I told my parents the story of my break, this is when my mom started being glad I told her about this adventure afterward rather than beforehand. We took a train from Hangzhou to the small town closest to the mountain and, after experiencing what it's like to travel by cheap rail in China, got dumped onto a train platform in the middle of nowhere by ourselves. This is where our plan started to be very see-where-you-end-up. We left the train station to try to find a car to drive us to the mountain after having been told to find a local driver because ‘they won’t kill you!’ (We weren’t sure if we should take this advice sincerely as it was delivered with a laugh…) Yeah…we didn’t find a local. Regardless, we made it to the mountain and ended up climbing about half of it before we found someone to drive us up (this mountain was not designed for climbing). Once we finally made it to the top, we had some negotiation battles with hotel owners, went for a hike and realized we were effectively the only tourists on the mountain. We literally found one restaurant that was willing to feed us and we all crowded into the back kitchen as they laid out the few ingredients they had so we could choose a few dishes for them to cook up for us. I think we cleaned them out!

The next day we saw Chiang Kai-shek’s home and Mao Zedung’s ‘temporary lodging.’ He’s got this whole cool little house up in the mountain. You know how long Mao spent in this house that they built just for him? A whole 4 hours. Really, China? Why? At least Chiang Kai-shek spent a whole month living in his house...(the KTV was a nice touch, Kai-shek). That afternoon we headed down the mountain and took a bus to Wuzhen, a city known as the Venice of the East. Here, we really ran into that 'I don't know if this is a good idea, I heard about somebody who did this on the news and they turned up four days later in a dumpster, dead, with their head shaved' territory. So here's the story:

On our bus, we met a brother and sister from Sichuan who were also traveling, looking for a place to stay in the area. Somehow, don't ask me how, we ended up sharing hotel rooms with them (helping to make it cheaper for all of us, as the brother and sister would have needed to rent two rooms) and spending the evening wandering around the canals of Wuzhen, lit up for the evening. Wuzhen is a really old city built on a river with a very ancient feel about it, with old, dark buildings built close together along the river piloted by boats similar to gondolas. It's got a lot of interesting charm and mystery to it. Really, the pictures I posted on Facebook are about as descriptive as I can be here.

The next morning, we headed off to another part of the town to see the part of the city better suited to the daylight. But first, we hooked up with a local woman we also met on our bus into town and she offered to let us leave our things at her house so we wouldn't have to carry them around all day. Sound sketchy? Let's just say I kept all my valuables with me. We then went to explore the town, which is a really old town with lots of history dating back from before the Qing Dynasty (Well, probably much earlier as I know our local friend's family has been in Wuzhen since then...)
(see

For lunch, our local friend took us back to her home for lunch, where we had the incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience of sitting in the (tiny) front room of this family's house with a big table which is moved in and out of the house (there isn't enough space to leave it set up), loaded with 13 or 14 dishes for us (only six of us total). The more we ate, the more the dishes came flowing out of the kitchen. Our friend's mother just kept cooking and cooking and cooking! I just couldn't believe their generosity. Over the course of the meal, we learned a lot about how the Chinese government had decided to turn Wuzhen into a tourist area and how much it had changed since, how our friend's mother had been forced to move to the country and farm during her youth thanks to one of Mao's (less-than-perfect) policies, our friend's grandmother, who was sleeping in the bed in the corner of the room, was over 94 and effectively unresponsive, and how our friend's husband had left her and their son. It was touching to meet this woman who had lived a relatively hard life but was still so willing to befriend us and care for us. We, who were no more than strangers, and I, who had been so uncomfortable and suspicious of her intentions.

When we had just about finished eating (although you're never really finished eating at a Chinese meal), our friend's son came home from school, with a mixture of extreme excitement to have foreigners in his home as well as adorable embarrassment. It was through this ten year-old that the differences between Americans and Chinese were shown to be not that large. Although we had just experienced the hospitality of these wonderful people, a hospitality you would never see in the US, what did the little boy want to do when he came home? Certainly not homework. No, he just wanted to get on the computer and play video games. It was so interesting to see the little boy sitting on the computer playing an American war game right next to his very, very old great-grandmother while his mother sat with five American college students at a huge table spread with Chinese dishes galore. Before we left to head for the train station, their family even gave us a huge grocery sack of local snacks which lasted us for quite a few days. It was simply too much. We felt so bad for not having anything to give them in return, so all we knew to do was get their address so we can send them letters periodically to thank them for their hospitality. I now feel obligated to buy from every single student with a school fundraiser that comes to my door.

After leaving Wuzhen, we took a bullet train (talk about a totally different experience than we'd just left) back to Hangzhou, spent the night and then headed off to Putuoshan, a mountain island which is one of Buddhism's four sacred mountains. We spent the next day and a half exploring the island and having interesting conversations with monks and some random Chinese Viet Nam veteran who very clearly announced his hatred for Americans, very proud of the fact he had killed four Americans and declared China would go to war with America within the next five years. That was a little startling. Regardless, the island was an interesting experience as I know little to nothing about Buddhism so it was interesting to watch people practice their religion. Because the island is one of Buddhism's four sacred mountains, the people who come there are not really tourists, but more of pilgrims. We spent one night on the island at a tiny little "hotel" which resulted in an extremely enumerable evening due to an ant infestation which turned into a hilarious evening of people flipping out, spray poison while sounding like Rambo, and the building owner rushing to tend to the situation while wearing nothing other than sandals and very, very small, very, very tight boxer shorts. And this was not a small Chinese man. He was a big Chinese man and reminded us all very much of an Italian mobster. This story is best told fluidly and not in blog format and I haven't got time to write about it now, but I'd be happy to tell you and, if I have time, I'll write it out here a little later. You should ask me about it. ;-)

So after all that, we returned to Hangzhou and then to Harbin from there, after I promptly missed the last stair on our way to the airport (hey, it was dark and 4 in the morning, give me a break) and now have a sprained ankle. China's lack of ice has never been less convenient. So overall, it was an excellent break. I'm also disappointed that my depiction of my Wuzhen story doesn't sound nearly as sketchy as it actually way. Darn it.



Last things last:
- In China, you'll just see random chickens hanging out on the street. Random. Cool. Yes.
- I've found my calling. if you've ever watched Chinese professional basketball, you'll see the team has one white coach in addition to the head coach whose purpose is to communicate with the black, American players on the team. I'm gonna do the same thing for the white players in the Super League.
- Chinese is cool. They have lots of onimonopea. And that's cool.
- I have been struck with the desire to apply to London School of Economics. If I ever decide to go to grad school, I'll apply here...if only to prove I can get in. But really, I'd love to go there.
- Skype is censored in China.
- Don't eat durian. Just...don't.

Yes, this is purely horn-tooting.

So I'm posting this purely to toot my own horn. Sorry, I have to. This semester must pay off in some form or another, and right now, it's going to pay off in me posting my mid-term one-on-one essay. Run that thing through Google Translate like it's your job.


中国制造业蛙泳保发展过去，现在和未来
一． 中国成为世界制造中心的背景
中国的制造业外包的历史并不那么长，但是很复杂。在上个世纪，制造业变化很大，不但在中国，而且在全球。上个世纪50~70年代，欧美经济体出现第一次繁荣，欧美企业建立品牌，可是高的人工成本使得制造业转移到日本和亚洲“四小龙”（台湾，香港，韩国和新加坡）。进入60~80年代，欧美企业和亚洲的伙伴一起抓住了机会，经历了快速发展。但是很小的产能和很高的劳动力成本使得制造业寻求转移。但是中国的改革开放政策和劳动力成本低的优势使得中国成为世界制造业最好的选择。
二． 中国制造业外包发展的历史
由于中国政府颁布改革开放政策，中国的商业环境转变巨大。政府关闭了很多亏损的国有企业，所以城市有很多的下岗工人。同时，中国中西部贫困地方大量的农民来到东南沿海的外资工厂打工。这是中国发展制造业最有力的优势。
中国制造业情爱保发展是伴随着中国改革开反历史的发展，经历30年历史，大致有如下三个阶段：第一个阶段是来料加工阶段（改革开放初到80年代中期）。1978年8月，广东省签订第一份来料加工协议。在珠海创办中国第一家加工贸易企业。政府先后设立四个经济特区，在特区内实行特殊的管理和运行机制。第二个阶段是进料加工阶段（80年代中期到90年代初期）。第二个阶段是目前的阶段，1992年至今，从东南沿海地区向广大内地推进阶段。
三． 中国制造业的发展作用
中国制造业外包在中国经济的发展过程中也起到了不容易视的重要作用：吸纳了量劳动力，推护了社会稳定，促进了对外贸易的快速增长，改善了出口商品的结构，促进了的产业结构升级，对国际收支平衡影响显著。因为中国是一个劳动力比较过剩的国家，短缺资源，如资本，技术等。制造业外包，加工贸易提供就业机会，缓解中国的劳动力过剩所带来的就业压力。因为中国缺乏很多经济资源，如资本和技术，加工贸易也解决这些问题。外国投资和加工贸易入口对中国的经济发展做出贡献；提供就业机会，重要的资源。
珠江三角洲地区是制造业外包最发达的地区，占全国比重40%以上，它和长江三洲地区一起是外国投资工厂最集中地区，占全国比重90%以上。近年来，中国政府又大力开发环渤海湾地区。为了吸引外国投资，中国政府设立了工业园区，给予的殊的管理和税率。1994年，中国政府根新加坡政府一起设立苏州工业园区。这里环境优美交通位置方便经济发展迅速，是截止2008年6月底，吸引包括77家世界强跨国公司在内的洽商投资企业，3299家成为中国工业园区发展最成功的一个。
四． 中国者造业情爱宝发展的问题
中国制造业外包经历了30多年的发展，逐渐暴露出很多问题。首先，传统的海关监管模式已经很难适应加工贸易的发展，很难适应加工贸易的多样性和复杂性，难以满足新贸易模式的发展，很难适应加工贸易的多样性和复杂性，难以满足新贸易模式的发展需要。其次，加工贸易区域发展不平衡程度进一步加剧。东南沿海地区与内地经济差距日益拉大。其次，中国的加工贸易仍处在产业价值链的低端。只是零部件组装。再次，贸易摩擦越来越多。中国的加工贸易大部分是从其他国家或地区进口材料，在国内组装。从而中国与发达国家贸易顺差扩大。因为贸易顺差扩大，加剧贸易摩擦。按照中国政府统计，骄傲工贸易进出口额中的外贸进出口总额比重太高，所以降下加工贸易进出口额的比重可以帮江西贸易顺差和贸易摩擦。
五． 中国制造业的发展转型的迫切性
中国的便宜的劳动力有助于贸易顺差，但是那个根底劳动力的成本还会导致社会问题。2010年，富士康跳楼事件表示目前的制造体制有很多的问题，导致悲剧。中国传统代工出口模式的特点（严格管理，机械化生产和高效率地成本）和新一代农民工有矛盾（他们追求平等，尊严）从而社会需要制造业的改革因为转变经济发展方式与经济结构的调整迫在眉睫。
六． 中国制造业的发展未来
这种转变不容易，不但有社会压力，还有高业压力。因为东南沿海的成本越来越高，投资者现在找新的投资地方。东南沿海的发展优势正在消失。一位资本追求最有利润的地方，所以西部内陆，东南亚洲成为下一个投资热点。但是西部内陆缺乏产业配套，有高的运输成本和物流效率很低。没有很好的经济基础结构。所以为了吸引外勾投资，中国政府应该增强西部内陆的投入。
中国产业经济的发展经历了三个阶段。最初的几段，70年代是出口原料，附加值非常低。第二个极端是从改革开放开始国际怠工的阶段，现在就结束这种工业生产方式。中国没有自己的品牌，还要走一段路程。第三个阶段现在的经济转变，建立现代制造业和县大服务业。这个阶段是转变的阶段亚实现三个转变。第一个转变是消费结构的转变，不依赖出口。为了实现这个转变，要鼓励城乡消费和民间投资。第二个转变是供给结构的转变因为中国的经济要有技术，管理，以及市场的创新。这两个转变如果完成，第三个转变自然实现。第三个转变是产业结果的转变，降低工业比重，提高服务业比重。如果中国的经济能完成这些转变的话，我觉得中国经济的前景会很好。

My weekend was cooler than yours.

This is a teaser post. I'm just going to let you know now so that we're clear that I'm honestly just here to tease you. And make you want to be me.

So today I wrote a 1,500 character essay (about six pages, handwritten), watched tigers maul a sheep, described my model husband and reveled in Wayne Rooney knocking in a hat-trick in about 17 minutes against West Ham.

So what did you do this weekend?

More details to come when I shouldn't be studying (okay, that's not really fair. That time won't happen until June, but I'll try to find a time more conducive to procrastination that right now). Get excited!

Oh, here's also a shout-out to my big brother whose 23rd birthday was Thursday. He's almost as cool as me. :P

A Flat-Tax: I didn't expect that.

Today I had a discussion/argument/debate with my friend about whether or not the US should adopt a flat tax. How did this happen, you ask? I have no idea. Explaining my opinions on the matter is difficult enough in English, trying to explain that I don't feel, regardless of an individual's marginal utility, should be required to give money to the government. Now translate that into Chinese. I never did quite get 'marginal' figured out.

Here's my recommendation the next time you are tempted into having a politically charged discussion with another economist in a foreign language: avoid if at all possible. Why? Not because it isn't worth having, but because the intricacies of your argument will be lost thanks to a failure to translate.

Regardless, I'm proud of being able to hold such a discussion, even if it was sloppy and undoubtedly difficult for my roommate, who was not part of the discussion, to follow.

On the note of economics, I'm incredibly proud of my program. Of all the English language publications they could chose to subscribe to, what do they chose? The Economist. Excellent choice.




Oh, and props to that guy for getting 'Bad Boy Child' tattooed on his back. It really does take a man to do that...

真的吗，中国政府？真的吗？

So, the great Chinese government has struck again!

But seriously, this past week I got a taste of what it must be like to really be a Chinese citizen. I've never been more thankful to be an American with the Bill of Rights. I thank the Lord for the wisdom of our Founders and the value that they, and now we, place on freedom of information and the freedom of speech. I honestly believe you will never appreciate this freedom until you live without it and I've only barely scratched the surface of what it is like to lack these rights. Because of all the international hubbub at present (at least, I'm guessing it's the reason), the Chinese government has cracked down on internet access, blocking more and more websites which also produced an unexpected and very inconvenient interruption of my proxy server. Basically, I was completely cut off from the world; I couldn't access news, blogs or Facebook. I had no idea about anything that was happening in, was it Libya? The fact I don't know for sure is a testament in it self. You know that giant earthquake that happened about a thousand miles from my present location? Yeah, hadn't heard about it until Katie emailed me later to make sure I was unaffected. Thanks, Gov, you're a keeper.

Lesson to learn from China: Never belittle Pizza Hut for being class-less.

Have you ever been to a Pizza Hut with a hostess? Or how about one that serves wine? Or how about one that serves a surf and turf pizza? Yeah, me neither.

But oh my goodness, cheese is AMAZING! But seriously, I've missed cheese a lot. Most other flavors are covered if you know what to get, but cheese is sadly lacking, which makes a Hawaiian pizza absolutely amazing. And eating with a fork was oddly satisfying and foreign, all at the same time. Also, China has something America needs: Pizza whose crust is really a circle of pigs in a blanket. Better than stuffed crust? Possibly. There are also weird things with crusts involving shrimp puffs. We didn't order one of those.

I wish I had a slightly more interesting story for you this week, but sadly my week has been full of studying and such. I pulled something close to an all-nighter Thursday night studying for a whole lot of quizzes and such and it surprisingly paid off quite nicely. Sadly, though, I've been exhausted since yesterday afternoon and have thus had a slightly bland weekend thus far. Midterms start the week after this coming week, and they will be intense. All of my classes have spoken components, including presentations and such, which could easily kill me.

Today I went down to St. Sophia Cathedral with a few friends, which was really beautiful. The weather has broken and the snow is gone. It's so different to see that square full of people and little kids blowing bubbles instead of snow and ice! We also went to lunch at a nearby place recommended by the Chinese roommate that came with us and I think it's where we came up with 'spring rolls'. Basically, you wrap up different dishes (dishes you could eat otherwise) in little tortilla-like wraps. As they're name is 春饼 (spring pancackes), I'm tempted to think this Chinese fajita gave rise to the 'spring roll'.

This evening we went to dinner with the whole program to a restaurant that serves classic dongbeicai (local-style dishes) with an interesting Cultural Revolution atmosphere. The place is all made up, with the waitresses wearing military-style outfits like what was worn during Mao's time along with performances of Cultural revolution songs and choreography. Not gonna lie, it was hilarious. Then they came on with a modern sort of comedy/musical number that involved a male singer that reminded me of a Chinese cross between John Mayer and Justin Beiber who sang songs, put his feet behind his head and chugged beer. Hilarious? Only completely. Oh, and then there was this part where he licked his own nipple. Awkward? Yes. Hilarious? Also yes. Then he motorboated his co-star.

And now I'm sitting in my room trying to justify going to be early again and thinking that if I'm not partying it up with everyone else, I should be studying. Instead I'm watching a Chinese soap opera.

I apologize for this posts lack of photos or clever, fun links for you to enjoy, but for some reason my Google images is failing me and I'm too lazy/tired to upload any new pictures. :P

Yeah, so...

Oh, I'm going to HangZhou for spring break. It'll be legit. There will be pictures. And stories. And tea. Just hold on to your hats. Those rice-picker kind.

Of Fabric Softener and 猪肉McNuggets

But seriously, you don't realize just how much you love fabric softener until you wash your clothes in China.

Okay, in all fairness, that might be a little bit of an overstatement, but still. They don't really do dryers in China (reasoning? I assume it has to do with poor wiring, as that seems to be the reason for the ban on effectively all electronics and appliances), so all clothes must be hung to dry in your room (which takes a frustratingly long time). Regardless, that means none of those glorious dryer sheets that make your laundry so nice and soft (and I suppose the tumble dry doesn't hurt, either); until coming to China, I had vastly underestimated their effectiveness. Note to self: thank mother for using fabric softener.

Interestingly, this building had no doors (you can see the wooden slats
that served to cover the entrances), but did have glass in the windows.
Why? Couldn't tell you.

Oh, did I forget this is supposed to be a blog about important, study-abroad related blog and not a place for me to air my grievances related to stiff-as-a-board pyjamas? My bad.

So last Saturday we went hiking in Yaguo, which is a tiny little village, effectively, not too far from Harbin. (Aside: Yes, China also has toll roads.) It was a great day that was sorely needed, as the exercise cleared my head and the sights were beautiful. And I think I could see Russia from the top of that tower.


There were also some interesting bits of history along the trail (most of the time I'm convinced we were blazing our own, but that might just have been my view). Here you can see one of the various Japanese bunkers let from Japanese occupation of China during the late 1930's (more on the awful things they did while here to come next week. Tomorrow we visit the Harbin museum dedicated to the biological warfare and testing the Japanese inflicted on Harbiners).






Also, a random limbo contest during lunch. And Manny took off his shirt at one point. I think there was money involved. Manny also knows Chinese songs from the Cultural Revolution. Why? Because he's Manny.

One of my favorite parts of my program are, of course, the other students. While I'm sure you can see that a program like this is much of a self-selecting group, I've never had friends that translated Lady Gaga's lyrics into Chinese so as to avoid breaking the language pledge. Also, when sensing an awkward silence whilst hiking and not knowing any Chinese songs, what is the appropriate solution? Start lalala-ing My Heart Will Go On, of course!

Yes, I climbed it. And yes, it was shaky, old,
decrepit, you name it. I froze on the top step. The floor
had holes in it and the wind was moving
the whole tower. Do I regret it? Not exactly.
Would I do it again? Maybe not.

Sunday morning, I was able to go to my first church service. I cabbed it that morning to avoid running out of time making the walk (since I'd never been there before, I wasn't sure how long it would take to get there) and that went pretty well. It was about a 10 minute cab ride with Sunday traffic which cost 9 kuai (the minimum fare for a cab in Harbin) which is about $1.30. Fortunately I wrote down the name of the church for the cabbie as he didn't understand me the first time. Whoops.

Could that be...RUSSIA?!

I attended the English service (this church offers, I think, six services each Sunday) this week and hope to attend a Chinese service soon. I don't think I've ever seen a church so full, and the people just kept coming. The service is partly designed to help people learn English, so there is plenty of reading along with Scripture and saying things together and it's an interesting experience. Most of the people there are Chinese and ranged from young adults (college age) to women who were likely in their eighties. These women were the most amazing to me, seeing as they grew up in a China which didn't permit Christianity, so they have certainly chosen to come to church; this wasn't a place they were raised. And this was an English service. These women made a point of coming a service that I'd be surprised they could understand. These women were so hungry for knowledge, both of English and God, that they would come to this place to sit on the edge of their seats, drinking in the Word.

As I enjoy being at the front of the pack (no dog pun intended),
we ended up waiting in front of this 'farm' for the rest of the group.
Yes, this is the whole property. Yes, those dogs were not
particularly pleased by our presence.

By the way, pews in China have desks. Yeah, education is a way of life here. Also, if you've ever felt like your church takes way too long getting the Christmas greenery taken down after the season, you've got nothing on China. My church still has the greens up. it's the third week of March. Beat that. They also use greenery to form Chinese characters. Win?


In cooking class this week, we made a dish whose name I don't remember. However, Libby affectionately named it '猪肉McNuggets'. (猪肉 means 'pig meat', relating to all pork.) Basically, they were little chicken-fried pork cutlets. Delicious? OH MY GOODNESS YES. Yeah, pretty straight forward and delicious. Served without sauce but with salt, pepper and rice, only one of the most delicious things ever.

Random unrelated notes:

• My Chinese is improving (I know, you all said it would, but let me revel in my disbelief, mk?)! My professors have noticed, which is great. Also, apparently my ability to make some of the harder (read: weird) sound of 儿话 is pretty good (at least that's what one of the professors said). But honestly, I find the shapes my tongue making extremely odd.
• Russian bread is delicious.
• Russian bread with raisins is especially delicious.
• I love Russians.
• Pi Day and the Ides of march go unnoticed.
• It is extremely difficult 9read: fruitless and/or futile) to find pie in Harbin.
• Chinese women do not bathe whilst menstruating?
• Manchester united players have Chinese names. My favourite is John O'Shea's: Zhou Shei. Never again will I call him by his given name.
• The Chinese footy league is the Super League. I'm officially a fan.
• Because of my Conversation class, I'm now opening a bank account to save for the Brazil 2014.
• For some reason, when you Google image search 'poor wiring,' this photo comes up with the caption: causes of house fires. I think that's Tumnus. Could be wrong.

I also might be going to the Inner Mongolian Desert and the Silk Road for Spring Break. Should be pretty amazing! I'll keep you updated on those developments.

P.S. I love how, if you just type 'marchmadness.com' into your web browser's address bar, you are redirected to NCAA's bracket. Laziness ftw.

I Only Bowl at Hotels

So. Three weeks of classes down. Is it easier? Maybe a little. Has the stress level decreased? Not really. Nice of you to ask, though!

But really, though, things are getting better, but I do have the occasional freak out about once a day. The work load is really heavy and I spend pretty much every waking moment with flash cards in front of me. Last night alone I attempted to learn about 75 words (not characters, words, many of which were more than three characters each). Let's just say I was not entirely successful.

My roommate, Wanqin, and I

So, since my last post (which was almost two weeks ago, yes, I know, I'm an awful blogger. I apologize profusely.), I've really only done a few things, so I'll try to fill you in. Last weekend was spend studying. And I mean studying. This week began with two tests, which always makes for an awesome weekend, right? Can I get an 'amen'?! Honestly, the only thing I did for fun was to go bowling with my program. It was my roommate's first time bowling (not a traditional Chinese sport!) and I think she bowled better than I did, at least score-wise! I really am a depressingly poor bowler. :P The bowling alley was essentially the same as a Western alley, although they provide little footies to put over your socks when you wear the rental shoes. Also, apparently I wear about a 6 in Chinese shoes. My feet have never felt so small! The only real difference between this alley and a standard Western alley was its location. Never bowled in the basement of a swanky, first-class hotel? Well, you haven't bowled in China.

Tuesday evening was spent at my first cooking class, which takes place at a professor's home. In China, universities are even more of a city within a city than they are in the US. You thought the Trinity Bubble was bad? Just imagine your campus having all the standard amenities (giant three-story cafeterias (and countless of them), branches of every bank, hospitals, etc), then add in the fact that everyone related to the university lives on campus. This includes students, professors, faculty and their families. Ma Laoshi (my cooking teacher) is about 80 years old (and oh yes, you can totally tell) and has retired from teaching, but he and his wife still live in their campus apartment. I haven't yet had an opportunity to take a photo of his apartment or kitchen, but I hope at some point I will be able to show you what I perceive to be a standard Chinese home. Ever seen House Hunters International? And I don't mean the episodes when they go to the Bahamas and act all rich and stuff. I'm talking about the episodes where people are buying little hovels in Cambodia. Now picture their kitchens: small, lacking in appliances (and by lacking, I don't just mean a small, non-industrial-style oven, I mean no oven), having minimal counter-space provided only by a few mismatched cabinets at unusual heights, with an exposed gas line and dated and damaged tile. You know how you always wondered how people lived there? And you just assumed they didn't really cook? Yeah, you're wrong.

Ma Laoshi is an incredible cook, most remarkably because of the lack of space or resources he has in his possession. He's got one small cabinet (about 2'x2') on which he/we can lay out ingredients and prep, an oven which is only slightly larger than a toaster oven and a single gas burner which looks remarkably like a hot-plate upon which (likely permanently) sits a wok. The only modern piece in the kitchen was a surprisingly fancy electric hood (which has probably been installed to avoid burning the place down by way of burning oil). Regardless, for our first class, we prepared 地三鲜(di san xian), which roughly translates as 'Three Delights of the Earth', a traditional dongbei dish made of eggplant, potatoes and green peppers which are lightly fried and served in a slightly sweet and savory brown sauce. I've kinda started to become a fan of eggplant. I can't believe I just said that.

Outside of this, the last two weeks really have been a lot about school work. Oh! Evidence that China is definitely another culture: one of my dialogs to read for my Conversation class was the story of a boy and his dad in which the boy was really proud about his report card. That dad was going to give him a good chunk of money as a reward. Instead, the son asked for a promise. What was the promise, you ask? That the dad doesn't beat him the next time he gets bad scores. Good to know corporal punishment is still alive and well somewhere...

On that note, I'll be spending tomorrow on a bit of a hiking trip to Yaguo (don't bother wiki-ing it, it's not there), which is about an hour and half from our location in Harbin, but is known for its foliage (not that I'll be seeing any of that). It should be quite the day of it, with some good (and needed) exercise, and you all know I'm always one for hiking!  You can expect picture of the mountains and such next week!

Until then, um...I am laking a cute sign-off phrase. Leave suggestions in the comments.

Only a Week?!

So yes, it's only been a week (well, a week and a half, I suppose, but only a week of classes) and I can't believe it. It feels like I've been here for a month! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers regarding my last post. God really came through for me and they are opening up a lower level business course, so yes, my classes are still changing, but not subjects, so this is great! Really, it's the best case scenario. :D God is good and gracious. Things are getting a lot better and I feel a lot better about the semester than I did just a few days ago.

Saturday was a really good day. We had a scavenger hunt through the city and we were split up into groups for about three and a half hours. Some of the questions were simply questions (e.g. Who's calligraphy is the calligraphy of HIT's main sign styled after? How much does it cost to play a single game of ping pong? etc), some required us to take pictures (e.g. Take a picture with a worker at Wal-Mart. Take a picture of a team member in front of Cafe Russia. etc) and some required us to get certain items and bring them back (e.g. A pair of fake eyelashes, a loaf of Russian bread, a shrink-wrapped chicken claw, etc). We got to go all over the city and see the more famous parts of the city, including St. Sophia Cathedral and Zhongyang Dajie (pictured below). In case you didn't believe me, the city was built by Russians. Do you believe me yet?




I also got my furry Russian hat! At dinner, there were fresh tomatoes. I've been craving tomatoes. I think I ate way more than my fair share. But they were right in front of me!

Eating the chicken claw

Rammin' around on the frozen river (climbing on what looked to be the foundations of a giant ice building that has since been torn down)

Today I got a Chinese cell phone and that was...an experience. My roommate took me (I definitely couldn't have done it myself) and it was pretty overwhelming. Stores aren't nearly as organized here as they are in the US. There are hundreds of people all over the place without any semblance of order, pushing and shoving and very, very loud. I basically chose the cheapest phone I could find (226 kuai = $37.67), then we had to trundle up to the fourth floor of this building with one of the workers where I paid for the phone and ran around getting all these forms stamped (it seems like everything in this country has to bear some sort of red stamp). Then we had to wander down to another floor to buy the SIM card (sort of like a pre-paid card, which all cell phones use here), and that was by far the most confusing part of the morning as my roommate kept asking me questions about what I wanted and I didn't understand what she was asking so I couldn't respond. All I wanted was a cheap little phone that I can use to call and text my classmates! Regardless, it's done and I spent a mere 326 kuai ($54.34), which should last me the whole semester.

And on that note, I should post this and go do some studying, as I won't lie: I am procrastinating at present. I've spent the whole afternoon working and I get tired of it. :P I've posted photos on my flickr account (efriedme), so there are tons on there, although it looks like I won't be able to put all my pictures up there from the semester (I'll have way too many!). Regardless, they're up now.

Even in the winter (or in this case, the snow), someone is ALWAYS playing basketball on the courts opposite my dorm (and I'm really not exaggerating).

And, as promised, photos of Chinese squat toilets. :)

Please Pray

I really need prayer. I am struggling so badly right now and I don't know what to do. I have to switch classes because I can't keep up in my business class and I feel like such a failure. I don't know what I'm doing here anymore. Please pray. I need God right now and I'm having trouble hearing Him.

The First Few Days

So, as promised, I'm posting a blog post. I apologize in advance that these will likely be somewhat few and far between. My workload is extremely heavy this semester and I'm already exhausted. I've spent two days in classes and this will be my third consecutive night spent studying. Classes are extremely difficult and frustrating as my language skills are not up to scratch. I'm having a very difficult time expressing myself and understanding what my professors and classmates are saying, which makes every day, every class and every conversation very exhausting. I know it will get better and that I will slowly get used to it and improve, but right now it feels positively awful and I'm sick of it. I've been under the language pledge for a whole two and a half days and I'm already sick of it. Great.

So on the topic of classes, I take four: pronunciation drill, conversation, business Chinese and a 1-on-1 self-designed tutorial. My 1-on-1 is about the history and progression of sourcing and manufacturing in China for the United States and I've met my professor but not yet had my first class, which is tomorrow. We will meet twice a week for an hour and 45 minutes each time. As for the others, my drill course is just me and my professor going over vocabulary and dialogs for 45minutes four times a week. Conversation is an elective of four other students learning conversational vocabulary and grammar structures, meeting three times a week for an hour and 45 minutes. Both of these courses are relatively enjoyable and I feel like I'm doing decently in each of these. However, business Chinese is extremely difficult. The vocabulary is fine, but the pace is very quick and I'm lost half the time. I'm worried that I will need to switch classes (take a class like newspaper reading instead), as this course was one of the biggest reasons I chose this program. For you praying folks, please send up a prayer about this.

Otherwise, I got into Harbin on Friday morning (we took an overnight train from Beijing on Thursday night) and moved into my dorm. The dorms are nice and decently large, but sparsely furnished. It's a good thing I don't have much stuff!

 


We live in suites similar to ours at Trinity, but not as nice. Our bathrooms are pretty darn rustic, although western. When I get a chance, I'll try to get a picture of a squat toilet so you can compare. We have our own water heater, which means you have to start the water heating before you can shower and the toilet can't handle toilet paper or anything like that, so you have to chuck it in the bin. Awkward? Yes. Also, the shower hasn't got a stall, so you can't leave anything on the counter top without it getting wet and the floor perpetually has a puddle (and the room smells like mildew).

My roommate arrived last night (she had to arrive late; the other roommates arrived on Saturday) and she seems really nice, although I haven't had a chance to really get to know her yet. Mostly, what I know so far (there's a major language barrier right now) is that she's from Shandong (southern China) and she studies sociology. So far there has been a whole lot of pantomime and me pointing at entries in my dictionary.

On a more interesting note, Sunday we went to the Snow and Ice Festival! While I paid a small fortune (even in US dollars: 280 kuai = $40), I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I've been looking forward to that for quite some time and it was really legit. Basically, it's a giant festival of giant ice sculptures: life-size buildings lit up from inside the ice in bright, neon colours. Here are a few pictures, but there will be more on my flickr (efriedme).

I know at least Katie has been curious about the food here, so I figure I’ll say a little about that. In the north, there isn’t a whole lot of rice because it’s much drier here. Instead, most things are wheat products, but because my university has plenty of students from all over the country, they bring in plenty of rice to feed them. Local fare, however, is generally lots of jiaozi (dumplings) and baozi (steamed buns filled with bean curd, meat and/or vegetables).  Also, there are basically potatoes in everything and I’m getting kinda sick of them, to be honest. I had some for lunch and accidently also got them during dinner. Mistake. However, I could easily get used to how much I pay for meals! Everything here is exceptionally cheap. Between lunch and dinner, I spent 8 kuai. In US dollars? A whole $1.20. Oh heck yes.  When it comes to drink, they don’t drink a whole lot of tea here (at least, not as much as elsewhere in China), but the water isn’t safe to drink, so mostly people drink beer or boiled water. I’m starting to get used to drinking hot water and I think I like it, actually.

I'll add a picture of my dinner, which is composed of two large baozi filled with pork and cabbage (Good thing I like cabbage! There’s lots of it!), a sausage and a potato pancake. I paid a whole 30 cents. Win. Oh, and I couldn’t finish it either.

I’m actually paying four times as much for the cup of black coffee I’m drinking right now.

So I’d better go do some studying. I really, really don’t want to. The last thing I want to do right now is think about Chinese. Instead, I’d like to think in English as much as possible. Sadly, this does not facilitate excelling in/performing satisfactorily/passing my classes. Darn it.

Oh, I’d really appreciate prayers for my sanity and peace of mind. This whole experience is extremely overwhelming and difficult so I’m really depending on the power of prayer. Also, I hope to find a church here (I originally thought I had a great contact from home, but that seems to have fallen through which is pretty upsetting), so prayers for that (and that I can understand what is going on once I find one) would also be appreciated.

Until next time, peace, love and jiaozi.

我到达了！

Sorry about the amount of time it has taken me to update, but I've just now gotten internet!

I arrived safe and sound in Beijing on Wednesday and took the train to Harbin with my program on Thursday night, arriving Friday (yesterday) morning. I haven't really got the time to write a good, long, substantial post right now, but I will do this as soon as physically possible (either later tonight or tomorrow morning). I just wanted to let y'all know that I've arrived.

For you praying folks, I could really use some prayer. This semester is going to be very difficult and this is already evident. My language pledge kicks in tomorrow and communication is already a problem. I'm feeling in over my head, so I'd really appreciate prayer for this.

Oh! Good news that I'm sure all of you will be very excited to hear! My friend hooked me up with a free VPN (proxy server) that allows me to surf the web as if I were in the US so that means...*drum roll*


I can still be on Facebook!

I know. You're all just as excited as I am.

I'm Leaving On a Jet Plane

Pardon the cliché title, I just couldn't resist or think of a more appropriate title.

I'm currently sitting in a hotel in Chicago after having some lovely Gino's deep dish. :D I leave from O'Hare at 12:46 pm tomorrow afternoon for a 13.5 hr flight into Beijing. I don't know what my internet access will be like for the next few weeks, but I'll try to update y'all as soon as possible!

Hopefully y'all will want to keep in touch! (Please say yes, if only to boost my self-esteem and make me feel wanted.) If you've got Skype, my handle is efriedme. If you'd like my mailing address, give me your email address in a comment and I'll send it to you.

Finally, if you're über curious about Harbin (and can't wait for me to tell you myself, you impatient person, you), you can check out Anthony Bourdain's episode of No Reservations in Harbin. It's mostly about food, but very interesting nonetheless.

So that's that, I suppose. See you in China!

我总想要签证。

<--------Look! Hey, you! Yeah, you! Look! It's a visa!




So it's official. After waiting about two and a half months (since Thanksgiving, actually), I have finally received my entry visa and have permission to enter the People's Republic of China! I have gotten my schedule for the first week of my semester as well as a list of students in my program. There are 23 students, including me, travelling to Harbin for the Spring 2011 semester.


At this point, I should have pretty much everything I need and will begin packing in about 10 days (a week from today I'll be in San Antonio with my lovely Phi Delta Kappa sisters welcoming new baby butterflies!).


For all of you who are praying folks, I'd really appreciate your prayers. God has already blessed me with a multitude of gifts regarding this semester, but I pray these blessings continue! I'd appreciate prayer for:

• safe, preferably uneventful travel
• friendship with my classmates and roommate
• that all the Chinese I've learned over the last two and a half years will be at my fingertips
• that I don't feel completely overwhelmed by a new culture and heavy coursework
• culture shock, and
• finding a strong Christian community and that I remain faithful in prayer while abroad.

Also, because our host school (Harbin Institute of Technology: 哈尔滨工业大学) doesn't begin the semester until about two weeks after we arrive, we won't have internet in our dorms (and I'm not convinced we'll have 24-hr internet access, seeing as they boast quite highly of 24-hr water and electricity but not internet...) or elsewhere on campus. I'll do my very best to find an internet cafe near campus to inform y'all (and my undoubtedly impatient parents) that I've arrived, but I can make no promises!


Until then, God bless and 再见！