The third week dawned into a stuffy morning with a cloudy sky and it felt like a typhoon might soon hit us. The news said that the storm had already passed and is now doing damage in Taiwan.
I got up early today and went to morning exercise with the kids. A quick run and some stretches did wonders for my mood and gave me an energy boost, so I guess it's a good idea to attend morning exercise in future.
The weekend was well spent. We rented bikes yesterday and went for a 2 hour bike ride exploring Jinju's riverbank. It felt great to have all that exercise and I also got a few nice photos of the city.
After we returned our bikes, we bumped into a group of Koreans who were water-skiing on the river. They invited us to join them and have a go on the skis. Well, one of us did and she did a really fine job! I might try next time, but it'd be my first time on water-skis.
In the evening we had pizza and red wine at an Italian place. It's so nice to eat anything that doesn't come from the campus cafeteria.
Early to bed ready for the challenges of the new week.
Sunday, 9 August 2009
Friday, 7 August 2009
Monday, 3 August 2009
Week Two and Counting
The first week of torment by children was surprisingly tolerable, at times it was even fun.
Generally, our students have a positive attitude towards the teachers and studying, so are usually a pleasure to teach. It's the 12 hour work days that are so draining. The other teachers are an interesting and friendly mixed bunch of old Korea hands, mercenaries (like us!) and real career teachers from overseas. Apparently we even have one physicist among us, although this does beg the question, 'why are you here?' This guy talks constantly and loudly about his many skills, including his multilingual ability, his unmatchable teaching and his prowess in science.
Portia and I are roommates and we share a large and quite comfortable dorm apartment. In the first week of camp, at 6.45 every morning, the camp director's voice (accompanied by music) blared a jolly morning greeting out of a loudspeaker embedded in our wall. Considering that work didn't start until 8.30, this was a step too far. Later that week, we disconnected the speaker with a screwdriver and a Leatherman. Ah, peace at last.
At the weekend, when our precious single day off came around, Portia and I went for a mountain hike with some of the other teachers. Korea has some stunningly beautiful natural scenery when you get outside the city. Clean and green, it reminded me of home. Not China home, real home.
Generally, our students have a positive attitude towards the teachers and studying, so are usually a pleasure to teach. It's the 12 hour work days that are so draining. The other teachers are an interesting and friendly mixed bunch of old Korea hands, mercenaries (like us!) and real career teachers from overseas. Apparently we even have one physicist among us, although this does beg the question, 'why are you here?' This guy talks constantly and loudly about his many skills, including his multilingual ability, his unmatchable teaching and his prowess in science.
Portia and I are roommates and we share a large and quite comfortable dorm apartment. In the first week of camp, at 6.45 every morning, the camp director's voice (accompanied by music) blared a jolly morning greeting out of a loudspeaker embedded in our wall. Considering that work didn't start until 8.30, this was a step too far. Later that week, we disconnected the speaker with a screwdriver and a Leatherman. Ah, peace at last.
At the weekend, when our precious single day off came around, Portia and I went for a mountain hike with some of the other teachers. Korea has some stunningly beautiful natural scenery when you get outside the city. Clean and green, it reminded me of home. Not China home, real home.
Sunday, 26 July 2009
Does Korea have a soul or just Seoul?
Ah, my third visit to the beautiful land of kimchi has begun.
We arrived on the boat from Dalian and disembarked into a different world, where we truly felt like foreigners. With no language skills and little chance to develop much cultural understanding, we relied on the kindness of Koreans to help us reach our destination. The general good manners in Korea are a welcome change after so long in the etiquette wilderness of China. But after feeling fluent in the language of your present country, it was challenging to be totally incompetent in the language of this one. Even the simplest tasks, which we would take for granted in China, became a complicated issue in Korea. Nevertheless, we successfully and smoothly navigated our way from Incheon Port to a bus station containing buses that would take us to our final destination: Jinju City. Four hours and some beautiful Dunkin' Donuts later, we'd arrived in Jinju. A tricky taxi ride took us onto campus and we landed up outside our dorm room. The campus of Gyeongsang National University reminds me a bit of Exeter Uni; clean, green and pleasant. But GNU has a exciting special feature, WiFi everywhere! I was able to use Skype to call China from the middle of the grounds. Korea is rightly known as one of the most wired countries on the planet.
We arrived on the boat from Dalian and disembarked into a different world, where we truly felt like foreigners. With no language skills and little chance to develop much cultural understanding, we relied on the kindness of Koreans to help us reach our destination. The general good manners in Korea are a welcome change after so long in the etiquette wilderness of China. But after feeling fluent in the language of your present country, it was challenging to be totally incompetent in the language of this one. Even the simplest tasks, which we would take for granted in China, became a complicated issue in Korea. Nevertheless, we successfully and smoothly navigated our way from Incheon Port to a bus station containing buses that would take us to our final destination: Jinju City. Four hours and some beautiful Dunkin' Donuts later, we'd arrived in Jinju. A tricky taxi ride took us onto campus and we landed up outside our dorm room. The campus of Gyeongsang National University reminds me a bit of Exeter Uni; clean, green and pleasant. But GNU has a exciting special feature, WiFi everywhere! I was able to use Skype to call China from the middle of the grounds. Korea is rightly known as one of the most wired countries on the planet.
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
Zaijian
Today is my penultimate day in China. I'm surrounded by the accumulated remnants of my time in Dalian. It's chaotic, but gradually becoming more organised as I get brutal and throw out/give away even more of my stuff. Soon I'll have very little left, but it will still be more than enough. The value of travelling light is not truly appreciated until you find yourself comfortably and easily transporting your luggage from airport to train station, ferry to bus stop, without breaking sweat, viciously kicking the suitcase, or slipping a disc. I get a smug feeling of being an experienced and smart traveller when I can move my own luggage with ease. I bought a new suitcase yesterday to replace the old black behemoth with the dodgy wheels. That thing is so cumbersome and really makes me mad every time I have to deal with it. It will be staying in China this time.
As the time of departure draws nearer, I'm feeling quite sad and am thinking of my favourite places in Dalian, thinking that it's the last time I'll see them. Leaving friends behind is even worse, especially Chinese friends who can't easily travel and visit me in Belgium or elsewhere.
Part 2:
The last day in Dalian has been and gone. I said goodbye to the last of my friends, packed up the remains of the apartment and handed the keys back to the landlord. There's one person I'll especially miss, but he'll be going to my country soon and may even be there when I arrive home. This melancholy feeling about leaving people/places behind seems to increase as I get older, this semi-transient lifestyle is painful at times, but I know that I'm happier this way than I would be with some of the alternatives. I've been very lucky to meet some fascinating people and live in some great places. That's going to continue for a few more years yet!
I'm off to Korea on a ship.
As the time of departure draws nearer, I'm feeling quite sad and am thinking of my favourite places in Dalian, thinking that it's the last time I'll see them. Leaving friends behind is even worse, especially Chinese friends who can't easily travel and visit me in Belgium or elsewhere.
Part 2:
The last day in Dalian has been and gone. I said goodbye to the last of my friends, packed up the remains of the apartment and handed the keys back to the landlord. There's one person I'll especially miss, but he'll be going to my country soon and may even be there when I arrive home. This melancholy feeling about leaving people/places behind seems to increase as I get older, this semi-transient lifestyle is painful at times, but I know that I'm happier this way than I would be with some of the alternatives. I've been very lucky to meet some fascinating people and live in some great places. That's going to continue for a few more years yet!
I'm off to Korea on a ship.
Friday, 10 July 2009
Diplomatic Mission
It was a Sunday afternoon and a motley bunch of travellers were meeting outside Dalian railway station. A South African, a Pakistani, one American and one Brit. Together they boarded a sleeper bus bound for Beijing. After a restless and bumpy night in the small bunks, and 13 hours later, they staggered off the bus into the early hours of a Beijing morning. The city was quiet at 5am and the air felt unusually fresh.
Waiting for the subway to open, they went into a McDonald's to eat and freshen up. Some of the McD's customers that morning were a little strange. They stared at the foreigners and made obnoxious remarks in Chinese, not knowing that most of us could understand perfectly. When the remarks turned into insults the foreigners began to reply, utilising a few of the prime Mandarin curses taught in good humour by friends in Dalian. It is said in China that a foreigner can only speak Mandarin when he can be understood in Beijing. I'm proud to say that we've finally achieved that lofty linguistic level. The waitress came to us and explained that these three dressed-up girls were drunk and had 'brain problems' (her exact words...) Soon after this we left the restaurant and headed on our way.
Sanlitun:
This is the bar and embassy area of Beijing and the place to find a LOT of other foreigners. We booked a dorm room at the Sanlitun Youth Hostel, which I'd highly recommend for its prime location, good service and comfort/cleanliness. Great if, like us, you come to Beijing on a mission for visas. The hostel is within easy walking distance of many embassies, though we relied on taxis for convenience sake.
Most of us had our own missions, but the first part of my personal one was to get the Korean work visa. I went to the Korean embassy and although I was missing two important documents, they were happy to accept copies sent by email from Korea. The girl behind the desk was helpful and we spoke in Chinese throughout. I successfully submitted my visa by Monday afternoon and was told it would take four days to process. 'Can it be sent to Dalian by post?' - No. 'Can a friend in Beijing collect it for me?' - No. The only option was to wait in Beijing. Bad news for someone with a full-time job, fortunately not me at the moment.
My friends had varying luck with their missions to the Spanish and Canadian embassies. Getting visas can be an extremely frustrating and uncertain process, even for citizens of the UK and USA. There seem to be no central set of requirements, meaning that different embassies are free to insist on seeing documents that you never knew were needed. It's almost impossible to contact an embassy worker by phone to get advice, they rarely answer emails promptly if at all, and have many rules seemingly designed to irritate and inconvenience honest people who are simply trying to travel. I could talk about embassies for a while, there are so many things about their workings that simply don't make sense to an outsider like me. Suffice to say, by the end of the week some of us had done as much as we could for our applications.
In between all the panicking and rushing around, we managed to relax and eat out at some cool places. We found Pakistani, Mexican and Vietnamese places, making a pleasant change from Dalian's rather limited selection of cuisines. One evening I met a potential classmate from the course at HU Brussels, Eva, and her friend Belinda. They're both Beijingers and were very nice company that evening.
My week had been going smoothly until Thursday when I was due to collect my Korean visa. Actually, the visa was no problem and I picked up my passport on time. After collecting it, I went to buy my ticket for the Trans-Manchurian train to Moscow in August. The ticket cost 4400 RMB, but my overseas bank account stopped after withdrawing 3000 and declined my card. Panic! Luckily my South African friend saved the day by loaning me the rest of the cash, but it was a tight squeeze as I raced to the ticket office and bought the ticket with 15 minutes to spare before closing. We'd already booked a train out of Beijing that night, so missing the ticket office would mean delaying my departure from Beijing or coming back again next week, neither option would be cool.
It was a great relief to have both passport and train ticket in hand, and to know that we were leaving Beijing that night. By this point, my other two friends has returned to Dalian, so the American and Brit were left to manage alone. Which they did very well, settling down to wait for the night train with burritos and margheritas on Sanlitun bar street. A quirky Belgian guy with crazy hair joined our table, seemed quite excited when I told him I was going to Brussels, then gave me his parents' number saying I could live with them. Rather odd guy, but it was nice of him to buy us a mango margherita.
Later we headed back to the hostel one final time, showered (you should try to shower as much as possible before getting on overnight transport in China...) and left for the train station. One comfortable night on the train later, we landed in 'beautiful' Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province and a place I usually get out of asap. I left my friend to continue her embassy mission there and got on a bus to Dalian, where I arrived four hours later feeling relieved to be home.
Waiting for the subway to open, they went into a McDonald's to eat and freshen up. Some of the McD's customers that morning were a little strange. They stared at the foreigners and made obnoxious remarks in Chinese, not knowing that most of us could understand perfectly. When the remarks turned into insults the foreigners began to reply, utilising a few of the prime Mandarin curses taught in good humour by friends in Dalian. It is said in China that a foreigner can only speak Mandarin when he can be understood in Beijing. I'm proud to say that we've finally achieved that lofty linguistic level. The waitress came to us and explained that these three dressed-up girls were drunk and had 'brain problems' (her exact words...) Soon after this we left the restaurant and headed on our way.
Sanlitun:
This is the bar and embassy area of Beijing and the place to find a LOT of other foreigners. We booked a dorm room at the Sanlitun Youth Hostel, which I'd highly recommend for its prime location, good service and comfort/cleanliness. Great if, like us, you come to Beijing on a mission for visas. The hostel is within easy walking distance of many embassies, though we relied on taxis for convenience sake.
Most of us had our own missions, but the first part of my personal one was to get the Korean work visa. I went to the Korean embassy and although I was missing two important documents, they were happy to accept copies sent by email from Korea. The girl behind the desk was helpful and we spoke in Chinese throughout. I successfully submitted my visa by Monday afternoon and was told it would take four days to process. 'Can it be sent to Dalian by post?' - No. 'Can a friend in Beijing collect it for me?' - No. The only option was to wait in Beijing. Bad news for someone with a full-time job, fortunately not me at the moment.
My friends had varying luck with their missions to the Spanish and Canadian embassies. Getting visas can be an extremely frustrating and uncertain process, even for citizens of the UK and USA. There seem to be no central set of requirements, meaning that different embassies are free to insist on seeing documents that you never knew were needed. It's almost impossible to contact an embassy worker by phone to get advice, they rarely answer emails promptly if at all, and have many rules seemingly designed to irritate and inconvenience honest people who are simply trying to travel. I could talk about embassies for a while, there are so many things about their workings that simply don't make sense to an outsider like me. Suffice to say, by the end of the week some of us had done as much as we could for our applications.
In between all the panicking and rushing around, we managed to relax and eat out at some cool places. We found Pakistani, Mexican and Vietnamese places, making a pleasant change from Dalian's rather limited selection of cuisines. One evening I met a potential classmate from the course at HU Brussels, Eva, and her friend Belinda. They're both Beijingers and were very nice company that evening.
My week had been going smoothly until Thursday when I was due to collect my Korean visa. Actually, the visa was no problem and I picked up my passport on time. After collecting it, I went to buy my ticket for the Trans-Manchurian train to Moscow in August. The ticket cost 4400 RMB, but my overseas bank account stopped after withdrawing 3000 and declined my card. Panic! Luckily my South African friend saved the day by loaning me the rest of the cash, but it was a tight squeeze as I raced to the ticket office and bought the ticket with 15 minutes to spare before closing. We'd already booked a train out of Beijing that night, so missing the ticket office would mean delaying my departure from Beijing or coming back again next week, neither option would be cool.
It was a great relief to have both passport and train ticket in hand, and to know that we were leaving Beijing that night. By this point, my other two friends has returned to Dalian, so the American and Brit were left to manage alone. Which they did very well, settling down to wait for the night train with burritos and margheritas on Sanlitun bar street. A quirky Belgian guy with crazy hair joined our table, seemed quite excited when I told him I was going to Brussels, then gave me his parents' number saying I could live with them. Rather odd guy, but it was nice of him to buy us a mango margherita.
Later we headed back to the hostel one final time, showered (you should try to shower as much as possible before getting on overnight transport in China...) and left for the train station. One comfortable night on the train later, we landed in 'beautiful' Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province and a place I usually get out of asap. I left my friend to continue her embassy mission there and got on a bus to Dalian, where I arrived four hours later feeling relieved to be home.
Saturday, 4 July 2009
Beijing by bus
In general, public transport in China is pretty damn good.
Dalian has a comprehensive network of buses and trams, plentiful taxis, and even a few ferries. Prices are cheap and service adequate, if not luxurious. I greatly admire the national train system. Most of China is well-covered by trains, there is even a train to Tibet. Considering the huge distances travelled, prices are very reasonable and certainly compared to the UK, where a trip hour trip from Exeter to Reading can cost over one hundred pounds. Ordinary people can afford the train in China, indeed, it's usually their preferred form of travel. I was looking forward to a nice overnight train trip to Beijing tomorrow, safely perched on a top hard-sleeper bunk. But the trains are so popular, and the Chinese people so many, that tickets often sell out days in advance. There were no tickets left for Beijing this evening, so my three friends and I had to resort to another form of transport - sleeper bus.
I had never seen sleeper buses before coming to China. They're strange and somewhat dangerous, with their three-bunk high interior they're prone to tipping over when driven in strong winds or by careless, reckless drivers. I've ridden Chinese sleeper buses before though, and it's a tolerable if not desirable way to travel. I much prefer lying down to sitting upright for long periods, especially overnight as I can't sleep in an upright position. Fellow travellers on sleeper buses can be rowdy and raucous, drinking baijiu and smoking, taking their clothes off and walking around with beer bellies on display. Smelly feet and lack of on-board toilet also present problems for the hygiene sensitive western traveller. Luckily, many years living in China have hardened me to these situations.
Dalian has a comprehensive network of buses and trams, plentiful taxis, and even a few ferries. Prices are cheap and service adequate, if not luxurious. I greatly admire the national train system. Most of China is well-covered by trains, there is even a train to Tibet. Considering the huge distances travelled, prices are very reasonable and certainly compared to the UK, where a trip hour trip from Exeter to Reading can cost over one hundred pounds. Ordinary people can afford the train in China, indeed, it's usually their preferred form of travel. I was looking forward to a nice overnight train trip to Beijing tomorrow, safely perched on a top hard-sleeper bunk. But the trains are so popular, and the Chinese people so many, that tickets often sell out days in advance. There were no tickets left for Beijing this evening, so my three friends and I had to resort to another form of transport - sleeper bus.
I had never seen sleeper buses before coming to China. They're strange and somewhat dangerous, with their three-bunk high interior they're prone to tipping over when driven in strong winds or by careless, reckless drivers. I've ridden Chinese sleeper buses before though, and it's a tolerable if not desirable way to travel. I much prefer lying down to sitting upright for long periods, especially overnight as I can't sleep in an upright position. Fellow travellers on sleeper buses can be rowdy and raucous, drinking baijiu and smoking, taking their clothes off and walking around with beer bellies on display. Smelly feet and lack of on-board toilet also present problems for the hygiene sensitive western traveller. Luckily, many years living in China have hardened me to these situations.
Friday, 26 June 2009
Juice Feast - Day 3 - Breaking the Juice Feast
I woke up on day 3 again feeling fine. I made three bottles of juice; 1# bananas, water, honey, ginger. 2# watermelon and honeydew melon. 3# Chinese pears, green leaves, ginger, lemon. I felt very irritable this morning, but that could be hormonal as I'm due to start menstruating next week.
The first juice was a good choice for breakfast, as the bananas and glucose will give me an energy boost and I can burn them off throughout the morning. I went down to the harbour to buy a ticket to Korea and didn't take any juice supplies with me, so needed something that would keep me satisfied for a few hours, backed up with lots of water. I got hungry again pretty soon, and with a whole party schedule ahead of me this weekend, I decided to break the juice feast. This has to be done gradually, so I started off by drinking a pulpy juice, then eating a whole raw carrot. Later on, at the beach, I had some naan bread from the Xinjiang BBQ stand.
Tonight there's a Mexican all-you-can-eat networking buffet at the Swisshotel, free of charge! It'll be the last time I can attend, sooooo...you can see the decision was made for me. Over the weekend various friends are holding leaving and birthday celebrations, which won't be any fun if I have to carry around juice bottles and can't join in with the tasty food. This mini-juice feast was an interesting experience, one which I'll probably try again in the future. At the very least, over the last 2.5 days I've taken in a huge amount of fruit and veg - which certainly can't be bad.
The first juice was a good choice for breakfast, as the bananas and glucose will give me an energy boost and I can burn them off throughout the morning. I went down to the harbour to buy a ticket to Korea and didn't take any juice supplies with me, so needed something that would keep me satisfied for a few hours, backed up with lots of water. I got hungry again pretty soon, and with a whole party schedule ahead of me this weekend, I decided to break the juice feast. This has to be done gradually, so I started off by drinking a pulpy juice, then eating a whole raw carrot. Later on, at the beach, I had some naan bread from the Xinjiang BBQ stand.
Tonight there's a Mexican all-you-can-eat networking buffet at the Swisshotel, free of charge! It'll be the last time I can attend, sooooo...you can see the decision was made for me. Over the weekend various friends are holding leaving and birthday celebrations, which won't be any fun if I have to carry around juice bottles and can't join in with the tasty food. This mini-juice feast was an interesting experience, one which I'll probably try again in the future. At the very least, over the last 2.5 days I've taken in a huge amount of fruit and veg - which certainly can't be bad.
Thursday, 25 June 2009
Juice Feast - Day 2
So far it's only day 2 and I've already been struggling to maintain my discipline.
I woke up at 7am and drank some juice from yesterday (watermelon, banana, ginger, mango, kiwi). I didn't notice any change in sleep patterns, nor any strange dreams. I had plenty of energy for a morning game of tennis, but the 35 degree heat, not the juice feast, soon sapped it. Yesterday's sunburn didn't help either. I have been drinking a lot of water because of the heat but also to keep my stomach feeling full. Quite often I think I'm hungry when actually I'm just thirsty, also want to avoid possible dehydration in this heat.
Around lunchtime I was out shopping when hunger pangs suddenly struck. I had to buy juice on the street, so they may have added sugar syrup to it. I had two glasses; one honeydew melon, the other watermelon. Throughout the day it got increasingly harder to control my food cravings and even the nastiest stuff began to look appealing. I felt like grabbing Portia's Big Mac out of her hand and gobbling it down.
Now it's 5pm and I've just beaten back more hunger pangs with three juiced bananas with honey. I already had a mix of Chinese pears and green leaves, so that was my first green juice! It was quite palatable thanks to the sweet pears. I also made one with carrots, mango and orange, which I stored up for later use. It smelt pretty good and should be palatable, maybe even tasty.
So far, I haven't experienced any notable side effects. I had sudden diarrhoea this afternoon, but more in the sense of things being cleared straight out, no stomach pains etc. I've been feeling a little irritable, but that's probably more due to the heat and the food cravings.
I woke up at 7am and drank some juice from yesterday (watermelon, banana, ginger, mango, kiwi). I didn't notice any change in sleep patterns, nor any strange dreams. I had plenty of energy for a morning game of tennis, but the 35 degree heat, not the juice feast, soon sapped it. Yesterday's sunburn didn't help either. I have been drinking a lot of water because of the heat but also to keep my stomach feeling full. Quite often I think I'm hungry when actually I'm just thirsty, also want to avoid possible dehydration in this heat.
Around lunchtime I was out shopping when hunger pangs suddenly struck. I had to buy juice on the street, so they may have added sugar syrup to it. I had two glasses; one honeydew melon, the other watermelon. Throughout the day it got increasingly harder to control my food cravings and even the nastiest stuff began to look appealing. I felt like grabbing Portia's Big Mac out of her hand and gobbling it down.
Now it's 5pm and I've just beaten back more hunger pangs with three juiced bananas with honey. I already had a mix of Chinese pears and green leaves, so that was my first green juice! It was quite palatable thanks to the sweet pears. I also made one with carrots, mango and orange, which I stored up for later use. It smelt pretty good and should be palatable, maybe even tasty.
So far, I haven't experienced any notable side effects. I had sudden diarrhoea this afternoon, but more in the sense of things being cleared straight out, no stomach pains etc. I've been feeling a little irritable, but that's probably more due to the heat and the food cravings.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Juice Feast - Day 1
I woke up at 4.30AM feeling very energetic and lively in anticipation of the first juice feast day.
A morning walk round Labour Park kick-started me for the day ahead, watching the usual fan dancers, joggers and tai chi enthusiasts. I bought a large amount of mixed produce from the street vendors and headed home to juice it up. Before starting with the juice, I made a bottle of 'Master Cleanser' which is hot water with honey, pepper (I substituted cayenne for black) and lemon juice. Drinking this will start the flushing out process, getting a head start on those tasty buckwheat noodles I ate last night at the Japanese place. Then I checked out the fridge and yesterday's stored juices. The carrot one looked and smelt pretty bad, but the watermelon one seemed ok, so I drank about half of that. Then it was time to make some new juice. This morning's breakfast recipe was: 3 Chinese pears, 1 apple, ginger and celery. After blending it together I was left with the usual pulpy mass. The juice feasting websites often mentioned using a 'nut milk bag' to strain out the pulp. I tried straining pulp through a tea towel, which surprisingly worked perfectly (although messy). I was left with a lovely bowlful of clear juice. This one tasted deliciously refreshing and went down smoothly. I feel really good now, and am going to spend at least two hours today lying on the beach listening to podcasts and working on my tan. Life in China does have occasional moments of luxury.
In the afternoon things weren't quite so rosy. I had a sunburn for starters. Then I made my first veggie juice for lunch (carrots, green leaves, ginger, celery) but it smelt foul. I even added some watermelon in an attempt to improve matters, but it didn't work and now this juice is sitting in the fridge while I'm still building up the courage to drink it. I met a friend at Starbucks and by this point was craving FOOD, any food at all as long as it was solid. Even grease-ridden Chinese dishes were immensely appealing. I temporarily suppressed the cravings with a cup of herbal tea. When I got home, four bananas with honey soon fixed the problem. Now my stomach feels peaceful and relaxed, like it's in hibernation. It's a very comfortable feeling which I hope will last. I'm going to meet friends and go to a massage place now. I need to be distracted from possible thoughts of food. Tomorrow should be interesting, as many experienced juice feasters report that the second day is the most uncomfortable because the body starts pushing out all the toxins, which may cause some side-effects like headaches or nausea. I really hope I'll have enough energy for an early morning tennis game.
I'll see what happens tomorrow, and post another update.
A morning walk round Labour Park kick-started me for the day ahead, watching the usual fan dancers, joggers and tai chi enthusiasts. I bought a large amount of mixed produce from the street vendors and headed home to juice it up. Before starting with the juice, I made a bottle of 'Master Cleanser' which is hot water with honey, pepper (I substituted cayenne for black) and lemon juice. Drinking this will start the flushing out process, getting a head start on those tasty buckwheat noodles I ate last night at the Japanese place. Then I checked out the fridge and yesterday's stored juices. The carrot one looked and smelt pretty bad, but the watermelon one seemed ok, so I drank about half of that. Then it was time to make some new juice. This morning's breakfast recipe was: 3 Chinese pears, 1 apple, ginger and celery. After blending it together I was left with the usual pulpy mass. The juice feasting websites often mentioned using a 'nut milk bag' to strain out the pulp. I tried straining pulp through a tea towel, which surprisingly worked perfectly (although messy). I was left with a lovely bowlful of clear juice. This one tasted deliciously refreshing and went down smoothly. I feel really good now, and am going to spend at least two hours today lying on the beach listening to podcasts and working on my tan. Life in China does have occasional moments of luxury.
In the afternoon things weren't quite so rosy. I had a sunburn for starters. Then I made my first veggie juice for lunch (carrots, green leaves, ginger, celery) but it smelt foul. I even added some watermelon in an attempt to improve matters, but it didn't work and now this juice is sitting in the fridge while I'm still building up the courage to drink it. I met a friend at Starbucks and by this point was craving FOOD, any food at all as long as it was solid. Even grease-ridden Chinese dishes were immensely appealing. I temporarily suppressed the cravings with a cup of herbal tea. When I got home, four bananas with honey soon fixed the problem. Now my stomach feels peaceful and relaxed, like it's in hibernation. It's a very comfortable feeling which I hope will last. I'm going to meet friends and go to a massage place now. I need to be distracted from possible thoughts of food. Tomorrow should be interesting, as many experienced juice feasters report that the second day is the most uncomfortable because the body starts pushing out all the toxins, which may cause some side-effects like headaches or nausea. I really hope I'll have enough energy for an early morning tennis game.
I'll see what happens tomorrow, and post another update.
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Juice Feasting in China
China can be a toxic place, with MSG, oil, salt and sugar rampant in most dishes. So for the next 5 days I will consume nothing but juiced fruit and veggies.
Aptly named 'juice feasting' this will be a small attempt to counter-act China toxins and flush out some of the nasties that have built up in my system. The original juice feast idea came from an American guy who studied nutrition and then developed the detox programme. Steve Pavlina tried the juice feast and blogged about it, but he didn't make it to the recommended 92 days. I won't be feasting anywhere near that long, my goal is 5 days. I want to see if I have enough self-discipline to spend a large portion of each day blitzing fruits and cleaning the blender (arrgh! I hate doing that...)
According to the internet, juice feasting can do a lot for you, from increasing energy levels to reversing a number of serious diseases. After reading the blogs, I immediately went out and bought three large plastic bottles (you need to drink at least a gallon of juice every day). Then I visited my usual fruit and veg sellers and came away with an extraordinary amount of stuff. The fruit lady asked me why I needed so much fruit, so I translated the concept of juice feasting to her in Chinese. Hauling the produce home, I put the blender into action and made the following juices:
#1: Veg Juice. Carrot, celery, tomato, ginger and garlic.
#2: Fruit Juice Type One. Watermelon, ginger, mango, kiwi.
#3: Fruit Juice Type Two. Mango, banana, kiwi, apple, orange.
The original plan was to kick off the feast tomorrow morning, but I gave into juice temptation and finished off the whole bottle of #3. Today doesn't count because I already ate some of the IKEA cheese and the jam biscuits that were languishing in the fridge. I'll give the rest of those to Carol, she'll be pleased ;-)
My juice adventure starts tomorrow with #2 for breakfast. I'll let you know how it goes over the next 5 days.
Aptly named 'juice feasting' this will be a small attempt to counter-act China toxins and flush out some of the nasties that have built up in my system. The original juice feast idea came from an American guy who studied nutrition and then developed the detox programme. Steve Pavlina tried the juice feast and blogged about it, but he didn't make it to the recommended 92 days. I won't be feasting anywhere near that long, my goal is 5 days. I want to see if I have enough self-discipline to spend a large portion of each day blitzing fruits and cleaning the blender (arrgh! I hate doing that...)
According to the internet, juice feasting can do a lot for you, from increasing energy levels to reversing a number of serious diseases. After reading the blogs, I immediately went out and bought three large plastic bottles (you need to drink at least a gallon of juice every day). Then I visited my usual fruit and veg sellers and came away with an extraordinary amount of stuff. The fruit lady asked me why I needed so much fruit, so I translated the concept of juice feasting to her in Chinese. Hauling the produce home, I put the blender into action and made the following juices:
#1: Veg Juice. Carrot, celery, tomato, ginger and garlic.
#2: Fruit Juice Type One. Watermelon, ginger, mango, kiwi.
#3: Fruit Juice Type Two. Mango, banana, kiwi, apple, orange.
The original plan was to kick off the feast tomorrow morning, but I gave into juice temptation and finished off the whole bottle of #3. Today doesn't count because I already ate some of the IKEA cheese and the jam biscuits that were languishing in the fridge. I'll give the rest of those to Carol, she'll be pleased ;-)
My juice adventure starts tomorrow with #2 for breakfast. I'll let you know how it goes over the next 5 days.
Monday, 15 June 2009
Change of Pace
Do you know that nervous frozen up feeling that comes when you're waiting for life-changing news to arrive? It struck me so badly last week that I couldn't open my inbox for a whole evening. When I forced myself to click the mouse the next morning, prepared for failure but with a glimmer of hope underneath, the news was good. I got accepted by the university in Brussels for the biz course in September! I was SO relieved by this. Rejection would have meant studying in the UK (as this year WILL be the year Sam goes back to school) and piling up a heap of debt. Tuition is heavily subsidised for EU students, a bargain at 540 euros per year. My course in International Business Economics and Management sounds rather a mouthful, and will certainly be challenging to cram into one year.
Should I wish to, I can continue for a further year and finally graduate with an MBA. I'm thrilled at the thought of living in Belgium as it will be everything China isn't. After almost four years here I'm pining for things like; cheese, real bread, tasty beers, proper chocolate, peace/quiet, personal space, politeness on the streets, no staring/name-calling/laughing, stylish clothes/shoes readily available, beautiful old buildings, reliable hygiene/safety standards. My standards have dropped so much that the smallest, pokiest student room in Belgium seems like heaven compared to some of the apartments here in Dalian...But I know I'll miss many things about Dalian. It's been a major part of my life and I've had lots of really worthwhile experiences here, also made some exceptional friends. When leaving a place forever becomes imminent, you begin to look upon everything with sentimental eyes - "the last time I'll ever walk down this street/eat at this restaurant/get stared at on this corner" etc.
Should I wish to, I can continue for a further year and finally graduate with an MBA. I'm thrilled at the thought of living in Belgium as it will be everything China isn't. After almost four years here I'm pining for things like; cheese, real bread, tasty beers, proper chocolate, peace/quiet, personal space, politeness on the streets, no staring/name-calling/laughing, stylish clothes/shoes readily available, beautiful old buildings, reliable hygiene/safety standards. My standards have dropped so much that the smallest, pokiest student room in Belgium seems like heaven compared to some of the apartments here in Dalian...But I know I'll miss many things about Dalian. It's been a major part of my life and I've had lots of really worthwhile experiences here, also made some exceptional friends. When leaving a place forever becomes imminent, you begin to look upon everything with sentimental eyes - "the last time I'll ever walk down this street/eat at this restaurant/get stared at on this corner" etc.
Monday, 8 June 2009
Serious Business on the Border
Note: I planned to illustrate this post with a photo of the China/North Korean border at Dandong, but Chinese censorship means I'm still accessing my blog through a proxy, where some of the options have disappeared.
When I lived on the North Korean border I was never worried about the possibility of being kidnapped. The quiet barren wasteland over the river just didn't seem threatening. We all knew that armed guards sometimes lurked in the long grass, but we saw them as part of the vague thrill that came from living on the border of the hermit state. When we went to 'one-step crossing' and waded through the shallow water to touch DPRK soil, there was a small sense of apprehension, but it was never based on reality. After all, we were citizens of the free world and that kept us safe, right?
But this week two American reporters were caught by North Korean guards and sentenced to 12 years hard labour, in a gulag with horrific conditions. They were reporting from the Chinese border city of Yanji, which is further north than Dandong, and were apparently trespassing on North Korean territory when they were picked up. However, this can't be confirmed, and surprisingly no-one trusts the word of North Korea. They may have even been blatantly kidnapped from Chinese soil...After a matter of days, they were put on trial, found guilty of 'grave crimes' and sentenced almost immediately. I have never seen a court move so fast! If only we could convict rapists and child molesters within that short space of time. Of course it just shows that the North Korean 'justice system' is an absolute farce. Speculation about North Korea's motivation is rife. This new aggression could be an attempt to assert authority in the face of the new Obama administration, or a way to blackmail the US into giving diplomatic and monetary favours. North Korea's recent behaviour, since Kim Jong Il suffered a stroke last summer, has been increasingly erratic. His sons are jostling for position as his successor, the youngest one is currently favourite. Kim's government has tested another nuke, closed a major joint-owned South Korean production facility and now pulled this out of the hat to shock the world. They have become more aggressive, seem unconcerned about appeasing anyone and have refused to participate in the six-party talks aimed at peacefully resolving the nuclear testing issue and improving North Korea's relationship with the outside world. It's difficult to guess the next twist in their unpredictable behaviour, seemingly designed to shock everyone and alienate themselves still further. The US have already mentioned putting North Korea back on the blacklist of terrorist-sponsoring nations and tightening existing sanctions. I can't imagine the effect this must be having on the North Korean citizens, who live in bad enough conditions already. Having potential foreign aid cut off because of reckless government jockeying is the last thing they need.
When I lived on the North Korean border I was never worried about the possibility of being kidnapped. The quiet barren wasteland over the river just didn't seem threatening. We all knew that armed guards sometimes lurked in the long grass, but we saw them as part of the vague thrill that came from living on the border of the hermit state. When we went to 'one-step crossing' and waded through the shallow water to touch DPRK soil, there was a small sense of apprehension, but it was never based on reality. After all, we were citizens of the free world and that kept us safe, right?
But this week two American reporters were caught by North Korean guards and sentenced to 12 years hard labour, in a gulag with horrific conditions. They were reporting from the Chinese border city of Yanji, which is further north than Dandong, and were apparently trespassing on North Korean territory when they were picked up. However, this can't be confirmed, and surprisingly no-one trusts the word of North Korea. They may have even been blatantly kidnapped from Chinese soil...After a matter of days, they were put on trial, found guilty of 'grave crimes' and sentenced almost immediately. I have never seen a court move so fast! If only we could convict rapists and child molesters within that short space of time. Of course it just shows that the North Korean 'justice system' is an absolute farce. Speculation about North Korea's motivation is rife. This new aggression could be an attempt to assert authority in the face of the new Obama administration, or a way to blackmail the US into giving diplomatic and monetary favours. North Korea's recent behaviour, since Kim Jong Il suffered a stroke last summer, has been increasingly erratic. His sons are jostling for position as his successor, the youngest one is currently favourite. Kim's government has tested another nuke, closed a major joint-owned South Korean production facility and now pulled this out of the hat to shock the world. They have become more aggressive, seem unconcerned about appeasing anyone and have refused to participate in the six-party talks aimed at peacefully resolving the nuclear testing issue and improving North Korea's relationship with the outside world. It's difficult to guess the next twist in their unpredictable behaviour, seemingly designed to shock everyone and alienate themselves still further. The US have already mentioned putting North Korea back on the blacklist of terrorist-sponsoring nations and tightening existing sanctions. I can't imagine the effect this must be having on the North Korean citizens, who live in bad enough conditions already. Having potential foreign aid cut off because of reckless government jockeying is the last thing they need.
Sunday, 7 June 2009
The Unfriendly Skies
Flying scares the crap out of me. I first stepped onto an aeroplane in 2001. It was a short flight from Exeter Airport to Palma, Majorca. Before that, I'd only ever travelled abroad by long-distance coach to Europe (and one aborted trip to the Canary Islands on my dad's yacht when I was four). I remember feeling a bit apprehensive, not knowing what to expect, but still reasonably confident. It was a relief when we landed safely, but the overall experience wasn't particularly traumatic. Plus, I was travelling with my boyfriend, who (back then) I saw as a Michael Palin-style seasoned world traveller thanks to the time he spent living in Australia. Of course, I wanted to maintain a brave face. The second time I flew, in 2004, was a little more ambitious. This time, I travelled solo from London to Brisbane. Yep, 24 hours in the air, with a stopover in Tokyo. This was probably the most happy and confident I've ever been about getting on a plane. I don't remember being afraid.
Then a few years later I began flying to/from and within China. I can pinpoint the exact moment when I started being afraid in the air. It was a domestic flight from Shenzhen (Hong Kong border city) to Dandong (North Korean border city) with one stop in Shanghai. On the second leg, I dozed off. I woke up with a violent start, feeling the plane descending and hearing no engine sound in the cabin. This brought on a panic attack which lasted several minutes. I'd also been having some weird nightmares about air accidents which made the situation worse. Anyway, it was fine, the plane was simply coming in to land in Dandong. Dandong has a tiny airport that looks like a collection of farm huts, not somewhere I'd choose to fly to again.
After this incident, although it was minor and nothing to do with the plane, I've become a nervous flyer. Up until now, I've still been able to fly, but it doesn't get better with experience. Then came the news of Air France Flight 447. This awful tragedy started with a full Airbus taking off from Rio de Janeiro and ended when the plane vanished four hours later above the dark Atlantic ocean. In the week since the incident, there has been daily news coverage following the findings of experts, as they try to solve this horrible mystery. Yep, it seems the plane just fell out of the sky and plunged into the ocean. 228 people were on board, and so far only 17 bodies have been recovered. This is my worst nightmare brought to life. I think about this exact scenario every time I sit on a plane and I'm sure it's an image that often haunts the minds of many other nervous fliers. It was a creepy feeling to see the arrivals board at Charles de Gaulle flashing 'retarde' next to AF447. I can't imagine how those families and friends must have felt, even worse - and I don't want to let myself imagine - how the doomed passengers felt. Teams of experts are still trying to find the cause of the accident. The black boxes might never be retrieved from the bottom of the ocean.
This incident will put many people off flying for a while. Like some journalist said in his article yesterday, usually we hear news of air crashes and think 'oh well, that was an African/South American/Russian airline. It was probably an old plane, badly maintained and with poor safety standards.' Air France is a First World top-notch carrier using the most modern planes available, of which Airbus is the safest and most technically advanced. I know one thing for certain, I will travel to Korea by boat this summer, and then I will ride the Trans-sib all the way home...
Then a few years later I began flying to/from and within China. I can pinpoint the exact moment when I started being afraid in the air. It was a domestic flight from Shenzhen (Hong Kong border city) to Dandong (North Korean border city) with one stop in Shanghai. On the second leg, I dozed off. I woke up with a violent start, feeling the plane descending and hearing no engine sound in the cabin. This brought on a panic attack which lasted several minutes. I'd also been having some weird nightmares about air accidents which made the situation worse. Anyway, it was fine, the plane was simply coming in to land in Dandong. Dandong has a tiny airport that looks like a collection of farm huts, not somewhere I'd choose to fly to again.
After this incident, although it was minor and nothing to do with the plane, I've become a nervous flyer. Up until now, I've still been able to fly, but it doesn't get better with experience. Then came the news of Air France Flight 447. This awful tragedy started with a full Airbus taking off from Rio de Janeiro and ended when the plane vanished four hours later above the dark Atlantic ocean. In the week since the incident, there has been daily news coverage following the findings of experts, as they try to solve this horrible mystery. Yep, it seems the plane just fell out of the sky and plunged into the ocean. 228 people were on board, and so far only 17 bodies have been recovered. This is my worst nightmare brought to life. I think about this exact scenario every time I sit on a plane and I'm sure it's an image that often haunts the minds of many other nervous fliers. It was a creepy feeling to see the arrivals board at Charles de Gaulle flashing 'retarde' next to AF447. I can't imagine how those families and friends must have felt, even worse - and I don't want to let myself imagine - how the doomed passengers felt. Teams of experts are still trying to find the cause of the accident. The black boxes might never be retrieved from the bottom of the ocean.
This incident will put many people off flying for a while. Like some journalist said in his article yesterday, usually we hear news of air crashes and think 'oh well, that was an African/South American/Russian airline. It was probably an old plane, badly maintained and with poor safety standards.' Air France is a First World top-notch carrier using the most modern planes available, of which Airbus is the safest and most technically advanced. I know one thing for certain, I will travel to Korea by boat this summer, and then I will ride the Trans-sib all the way home...
Saturday, 6 June 2009
Spouse Market
Thanks to the government enforced one-child policy and the traditional preference for boys, China now has an awful lot of young bachelors who just cannot find a bride. Today I read an article in WSJ about a village boy who finally found the perfect wife. His family helped him to pay the dowry or 'cai li', which can be many years worth of farmer's income. This girl wanted 38,000 yuan (about 3,800 GBP) for cai li before she would accept his marriage proposal. Less than two weeks later, the new bride had vanished, leaving behind everything except the money. Apparently, this 'runway bride' scam has recently become more common in China. It counts as fraud, so the women will spend time in jail if caught.
I have noticed that Chinese parents really put heavy pressure on their kids to get married. My friend Nancy is my age, 26, and got married last year to a soldier. She used to say that she wasn't sure about marriage, and even talked about starting a career in Shanghai. But her parents were strong-willed and kept badgering her until finally she gave in and found a husband. Although she seems happy now, previously this year she told me she'd already considered divorce, because some of her husband's opinions and habits were completely out of sync with her own, and she felt she couldn't tolerate the differences. Nancy is an English/Mandarin teacher and speaks excellent English. Her husband's family, dislike non-Chinese people, and her husband hates the Japanese (although this is certainly not uncommon). I believe that living within this small-minded attitude is sometimes challenging for Nancy, with her open nature and multi-cultural social circle. Divorce, although a quick and easy process in Chinese society, still carries stigma. This is especially so for divorced women, who may find it harder to remarry in future.
On Sunday morning in Labour Park, I stumbled across an interesting event which I'd often heard about but never seen. I call it 'Spouse Market'. A large group of people had gathered in the park and were crowding around some pieces of paper pinned to trees and displayed on the pavement. Taking a closer look, this is an example of what I saw:
男士 (male)
1981年11月出生 (date of birth)
身高：180 (height)
东北财经大学学生 (occupation: Dongbei University student)
专业：会计 (subject: accounting)
想找女士 (would like to find a girl)
22-26岁 (22-26 years old)
身高：170一下 (no taller than 170cm)
聪明，漂亮。(clever, attractive)
电话：87909568 (phone number)
These are advertisements made by parents to help their child find a husband/wife. The example above is made up, but it's a fair sample of what is included. Some ads stated work and salary details, even the desired salary level of the potential spouse. The area was crowded with people, mainly older folk, but I spotted a few young guys copying down telephone numbers from the ads. I suppose this system works, like a combination of arranged marriage and internet dating.
I have noticed that Chinese parents really put heavy pressure on their kids to get married. My friend Nancy is my age, 26, and got married last year to a soldier. She used to say that she wasn't sure about marriage, and even talked about starting a career in Shanghai. But her parents were strong-willed and kept badgering her until finally she gave in and found a husband. Although she seems happy now, previously this year she told me she'd already considered divorce, because some of her husband's opinions and habits were completely out of sync with her own, and she felt she couldn't tolerate the differences. Nancy is an English/Mandarin teacher and speaks excellent English. Her husband's family, dislike non-Chinese people, and her husband hates the Japanese (although this is certainly not uncommon). I believe that living within this small-minded attitude is sometimes challenging for Nancy, with her open nature and multi-cultural social circle. Divorce, although a quick and easy process in Chinese society, still carries stigma. This is especially so for divorced women, who may find it harder to remarry in future.
On Sunday morning in Labour Park, I stumbled across an interesting event which I'd often heard about but never seen. I call it 'Spouse Market'. A large group of people had gathered in the park and were crowding around some pieces of paper pinned to trees and displayed on the pavement. Taking a closer look, this is an example of what I saw:
男士 (male)
1981年11月出生 (date of birth)
身高：180 (height)
东北财经大学学生 (occupation: Dongbei University student)
专业：会计 (subject: accounting)
想找女士 (would like to find a girl)
22-26岁 (22-26 years old)
身高：170一下 (no taller than 170cm)
聪明，漂亮。(clever, attractive)
电话：87909568 (phone number)
These are advertisements made by parents to help their child find a husband/wife. The example above is made up, but it's a fair sample of what is included. Some ads stated work and salary details, even the desired salary level of the potential spouse. The area was crowded with people, mainly older folk, but I spotted a few young guys copying down telephone numbers from the ads. I suppose this system works, like a combination of arranged marriage and internet dating.
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Caonima! Alpaca to the Rescue.
Today is just another sunny day in Dalian. As I walk down the street I'm enjoying the sunshine and watching the bustling activity of street vendors, deliverymen, school children and other ordinary Chinese people going about their daily lives. However, the means by which I accessed my blog today quickly reminded me of the realities surrounding this country.
Today is not just another ordinary day. It's the eve of the 20th anniversary of the 1989 events the West calls 'The Tian'anmen Square Massacre'. I was only seven when Deng Xiaoping's People's Liberation Army violently suppressed pro-democracy protests in Beijing, killing hundreds of students and civilians. The story is well-known in the Western world, but the Chinese government still tries to keep it quiet within China. One method they use is internet censorship, which has tightened up considerably in the weeks preceding the anniversary. Now a number of popular social networking/blogging/personal video sites are inaccessible. Of course, the government is afraid of word getting out. Youtube has been blocked for the last month. Recently, Twitter, Blogger and Flickr fell victim to the 'net nanny', 'great firewall of China' and other tags referring to the government's censorship mechanism. I have been accessing this blog through a proxy server, which I discovered through a friend. Usually a simple Google search for 'free proxy server' produces a whole selection of options. This time it was a difficult task, because each one I tried, even the old stalwarts, failed me. Sneaky old sneakme was the answer, and I have been 'sneakily' sneaking onto my blog since yesterday. But oddly enough, foreign news sites with front-page headlines such as my current homepage, "Survivors Confront Legacy of Tian'anmen' (Wall Street Journal) are freely accessible. This morning I watched a whole 5 minutes of archive video footage showing the PLA tanks chasing and shooting people in the backs as they tried to run away. It was unreal and I felt detached, as if this wasn't the same Beijing square where I'd often strolled with friends on tourist trips to the capital, watching the dragon kites drifting in the breeze and the happy families playing with kids and photographing each other.
It makes me wonder how much the average Chinese person knows about these dreadful events. I have always been hesitant to ask my Chinese friends, fearing to make them uncomfortable. Those educated in foreign countries usually have some knowledge of 1989's events. However, most of my English-speaking Chinese friends, because of their greater exposure to Western cultural sources, do not really represent the average 'lao bai xing', or common citizen. I wonder about the fruit sellers in the marketplace, the young girl doing my manicure while we chat in Chinese about trivial subjects, and the guy sweeping the streets - do they know anything about 1989? More importantly, do they really care? Sometimes I believe that people are perfectly satisfied with their government, for it has given them a society where they have a roof over their heads and food on the table. Maybe our lofty Western ideals of 'free speech' are lost on a more practical kind of folk, who feel they can do nothing to control the government and anyway, have families to feed.
But there are Chinese people who know full well what happened in Beijing. They want to shout about it, they want to protest about the government's continuing bad behaviour, they want everyone to know the truth. Unfortunately, these advocates of freedom are continually repressed and can suffer all kinds of punishment from house arrest to torture. In an attempt to subtly vent their opinion, people have resorted to satire and irony. Today I discovered the real saviour of media freedom, national hero 'Cao Ni Ma'. This phrase has two distinct meanings; Grass Mud Horse, or an expletive - Fuck your Mother. The Grass Mud Horse takes the form of a cute alpaca. It has popped up all over China as a cult symbol of defiance against government censorship and repression. I'm currently trying to buy my own little Caonima on taobao. It's cute and would be an interesting souvenir of three years living in a police state.
Today is not just another ordinary day. It's the eve of the 20th anniversary of the 1989 events the West calls 'The Tian'anmen Square Massacre'. I was only seven when Deng Xiaoping's People's Liberation Army violently suppressed pro-democracy protests in Beijing, killing hundreds of students and civilians. The story is well-known in the Western world, but the Chinese government still tries to keep it quiet within China. One method they use is internet censorship, which has tightened up considerably in the weeks preceding the anniversary. Now a number of popular social networking/blogging/personal video sites are inaccessible. Of course, the government is afraid of word getting out. Youtube has been blocked for the last month. Recently, Twitter, Blogger and Flickr fell victim to the 'net nanny', 'great firewall of China' and other tags referring to the government's censorship mechanism. I have been accessing this blog through a proxy server, which I discovered through a friend. Usually a simple Google search for 'free proxy server' produces a whole selection of options. This time it was a difficult task, because each one I tried, even the old stalwarts, failed me. Sneaky old sneakme was the answer, and I have been 'sneakily' sneaking onto my blog since yesterday. But oddly enough, foreign news sites with front-page headlines such as my current homepage, "Survivors Confront Legacy of Tian'anmen' (Wall Street Journal) are freely accessible. This morning I watched a whole 5 minutes of archive video footage showing the PLA tanks chasing and shooting people in the backs as they tried to run away. It was unreal and I felt detached, as if this wasn't the same Beijing square where I'd often strolled with friends on tourist trips to the capital, watching the dragon kites drifting in the breeze and the happy families playing with kids and photographing each other.
It makes me wonder how much the average Chinese person knows about these dreadful events. I have always been hesitant to ask my Chinese friends, fearing to make them uncomfortable. Those educated in foreign countries usually have some knowledge of 1989's events. However, most of my English-speaking Chinese friends, because of their greater exposure to Western cultural sources, do not really represent the average 'lao bai xing', or common citizen. I wonder about the fruit sellers in the marketplace, the young girl doing my manicure while we chat in Chinese about trivial subjects, and the guy sweeping the streets - do they know anything about 1989? More importantly, do they really care? Sometimes I believe that people are perfectly satisfied with their government, for it has given them a society where they have a roof over their heads and food on the table. Maybe our lofty Western ideals of 'free speech' are lost on a more practical kind of folk, who feel they can do nothing to control the government and anyway, have families to feed.
But there are Chinese people who know full well what happened in Beijing. They want to shout about it, they want to protest about the government's continuing bad behaviour, they want everyone to know the truth. Unfortunately, these advocates of freedom are continually repressed and can suffer all kinds of punishment from house arrest to torture. In an attempt to subtly vent their opinion, people have resorted to satire and irony. Today I discovered the real saviour of media freedom, national hero 'Cao Ni Ma'. This phrase has two distinct meanings; Grass Mud Horse, or an expletive - Fuck your Mother. The Grass Mud Horse takes the form of a cute alpaca. It has popped up all over China as a cult symbol of defiance against government censorship and repression. I'm currently trying to buy my own little Caonima on taobao. It's cute and would be an interesting souvenir of three years living in a police state.
Kiss my arse, Chinese censors
Those pesky little scamps have been at it again. Blogger.com has been 'mysteriously' inaccessible for the last three weeks...Blocked, yes blocked, by the Chinese gov. internet censoring policies. This summer sees the 20th anniversary of some rather sensitive events, involving a certain large public four-sided area in Beijing. The internet police have become more vigilant and have blocked a number of websites; Blogger, Twitter, Youtube to name a few. But now I fooled them, I FOOLED THEM. HAHAHAHHA!
It's been a mad couple of weeks. I've had ongoing 签证 hassles, random '德国人' incidents, borderline abduction by my 学生, the amazing discovery of 梅酒 meijiu (lit. beautiful alcohol..made from plums), being asked out multiple times, daily trips to the 水果 market to load up on ingredients for my wicked smoothies and juices...etc...
But after all that madness, even after having finally accessed my blog, I feel drained, lazy and completely demotivated to continue writing. Time for a 啤酒(beer).
It's been a mad couple of weeks. I've had ongoing 签证 hassles, random '德国人' incidents, borderline abduction by my 学生, the amazing discovery of 梅酒 meijiu (lit. beautiful alcohol..made from plums), being asked out multiple times, daily trips to the 水果 market to load up on ingredients for my wicked smoothies and juices...etc...
But after all that madness, even after having finally accessed my blog, I feel drained, lazy and completely demotivated to continue writing. Time for a 啤酒(beer).
Monday, 11 May 2009
Hot Steamy Fun
Last night Sara and I decided to sleep in a Chinese sauna. Every Chinese city is scattered with these places, where you can steam yourself silly, eat dinner, get scrubbed down with salt and even spend the night in a comfy bed (useful when travelling as cheaper than a hotel).
At this sauna, I confronted and overcame a personal boundary (mentioned in an early post) about being naked in front of people. I'm not shy because I have body issues, on the contrary I'm reasonably confident about my body. I just find the idea of being publicly naked uncomfortable in China, because people here don't need ANOTHER excuse to stare! When I went to saunas in the past, I always made a big deal about remaining fully clothed at all times. This time I was determined to try the full body salt scrub, which is rumoured to be amazingly good for your skin. Unfortunately it requires being fully naked and allowing a Chinese lady to rub you all over. Feeling brave, I took the plunge. She looked at me in astonishment when I said I wanted to have the salt scrub, but commanded me to get naked. Which I did, and then stood there waiting while she prepared the scrubbing equipment (all the time thinking 'why didn't you do this BEFORE I took the clothes off, lady!') Once things got started, it was fine and I quickly got used to the sensation of being roughly scraped and scrubbed with salt. The lady also massaged me, which hurt quite a lot! Twenty minutes later it was over and I was sent off to take a shower. The experience wasn't nearly as bad as I'd always expected it to be - and I'm quite pleased with myself for having the confidence to go for it.
At this sauna, I confronted and overcame a personal boundary (mentioned in an early post) about being naked in front of people. I'm not shy because I have body issues, on the contrary I'm reasonably confident about my body. I just find the idea of being publicly naked uncomfortable in China, because people here don't need ANOTHER excuse to stare! When I went to saunas in the past, I always made a big deal about remaining fully clothed at all times. This time I was determined to try the full body salt scrub, which is rumoured to be amazingly good for your skin. Unfortunately it requires being fully naked and allowing a Chinese lady to rub you all over. Feeling brave, I took the plunge. She looked at me in astonishment when I said I wanted to have the salt scrub, but commanded me to get naked. Which I did, and then stood there waiting while she prepared the scrubbing equipment (all the time thinking 'why didn't you do this BEFORE I took the clothes off, lady!') Once things got started, it was fine and I quickly got used to the sensation of being roughly scraped and scrubbed with salt. The lady also massaged me, which hurt quite a lot! Twenty minutes later it was over and I was sent off to take a shower. The experience wasn't nearly as bad as I'd always expected it to be - and I'm quite pleased with myself for having the confidence to go for it.
Streamline Your Life
Buy a netbook instead of a standard size notebook. Netbooks are ultra-portable, with lots of hard drive space and all the functions of their heftier cousins. I use an s10 by Lenovo.Get a multi-purpose PDA style phone. One iPhone can replace your plain old phone, camera, mp3 player and all your books! I didn't go for the iPhone, but bought a Nokia e71, which looks beautifully business-like (think
Blackberry) and has all the useful features including a camera, ebook reader etc.
Throw out your library and replace it all with ebooks. These can be downloaded, many for free, from the internet and stored on your computer or phone. As mentioned above, the best devices for reading ebooks are Nokia e-series, iPhone or Blackberry.
Never, ever, own any CDs. Are you mad? That's what mp3s are for. CDs are heavy, annoying wastes of space. Wait until you own a house to start building up a large physical music collection. Chances are anyway, by that time we will all be using a brand new format to store our music, and CDs will be totally obsolete.
Downsize your clothes frequently - at least every season, go through your wardrobe and be brutal. If you haven't worn it for the last year, it's never going to be worn. Get rid!
Buy a good sturdy washbag with lots of compartments for different things. Keep an eye on your bathroom and cosmetic products and don't allow them to amass out of control. Travel sizes might be a good idea for saving space, but they're not very economical.
Avoid carrying round large amounts of paperwork. Store important documents online. Make scans/digital photos of them and email them to your Gmail account, or use an online vault like www.humyo.com to keep them all safe. Alternatively, storing them on your laptop is ok too, just don't forget to keep backups.
Don't buy souvenirs, just take photos, write blogs and make friends.
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
Early Riser
After reading Steve Pavlina's blog posts on the benefits of early rising, I've been trying to incorporate this idea into my life. Needless to say, I haven't been totally successful. Steve suggests that 5am is a good time to aim for.
But it's haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrd! I'm not really a fan of staying in bed late, but 5am was just a step too far. Today, though, I was awake at 5 without even trying. Deciding to make the most of this, I got up, put on some running gear and headed for Lab
our Park with my camera. The day was already warm, and quite a lot of people were out on the streets. In the park, groups of elderly people were strolling around, dancing in formation, doing tai chi, stretching out their limbs and exercising their lungs by yelling loudly. A few joggers were doing laps of the park, and I followed in their wake. Running meant I missed the chance to observe my surroundings more closely, so I soon gave up and relaxed into a walk, taking in all the activity buzzing in the park. Just inside the entrance to the park was a large display to commemorate this year, 2009, as the 50th birthday of the People's Republic of China.October 1st will be the real time for celebrations, as on this day in 1949 Mao Zedong stood in Tian'anmen Square and declared the country a communist People's Republic. This isn't the only event in Chinese history for which 2009 marks a significant anniversary; 20 years ago,
Tian'anmen Square became infamous as a scene of chaos, terror and bloodshed. In the Western world, most of us know what happened, so I don't need to discuss further here (Big Brother may be lurking... ;)There may also be an important Tibet-related anniversary, but I'm not certain. So far this year, Tibet has been closed to foreign travellers because of ‘security issues’ (read: fear of protests and chaos making China look bad). I heard it will reopen soon, or has already done so.
I digress...
Back to Labour Park, I hiked up to the viewing station and looked out over downtown Dalian. The view includes the giant football that signifies Dalian's past as a national football champ. There is a whole fairground incorporated into the park, with random rides scattered around the place and a cable car that goes up the hill to a place I have never been. An important feature is the rollercoaster that seems to be dormant at the moment, but will come to life in the summer months, when crazy people ride on it. Not forgetting the Ferris wheel, just like the one I once saw across the Yalu River on the North Korean shore - but much better used...
At one point I tried to take a short cut to get out of the park, but found myself stuck behind a spiky iron fence. China certainly likes to keep its citizens under control, not too much free roaming for us. Jackie Chan recently got in trouble for saying that 'Chinese people need to be controlled', but it seems the remark was taken out of context and he was actually referring solely to the entertainment industry. With the iron fisted government approach, I don't think we presently need to worry TOO much about lack of control.
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