I’m hoping by posting this goal I will have more accountability with achieving it.

Drum roll please . . . Study Mandarin for 60min each weekday.

Yes I get the weekends off because lets face it if I don’t set a realistic goal I’m never going to reach it. Besides then if I do study on the weekend I will have an added sense of accomplishment. Yes it is like giving a two year old a cookie for using his manners but still I need that sense of accomplishment if I’m ever going to get this language.

So far 2 for 2!

Katie and Thomas’s University plans weekend trips for their Foreign teachers. Their Wai Ban was kind enough to invite us along with their teachers. Along with us Americans, came the Japanese teacher, the Korean teacher and his family and the French teacher Jimmy.

Today we went to a cultural park above Weifang. Originally the area was home to poor farmers who lived off the land and were barely making enough to survive. They banded together and decided to open a cultural park a monopolize on tourism. The project seems to be flourishing and has created quite a niche for itself. The various minority groups of China are represented throughout the park along with various amusements that seem rather disconnected at points. Some of these attractions include, a monkey exhibit, bear boxing (no joke, we didn’t make it in time for the show, can’t say I was too depressed about missing that one), as well as large swing rides.  

View from the entrance of the park. Its a sprawling wooded complex on a rise above Weifang.

One of the many attractions, a monkey exhibit. There were no signs reading "don't feed the monkeys" so anything and everything was being thrown in by the spectators.

A shrine to the ancestors. There was a well next to it that was suppose to detect coming earthquakes as it was connect to a water source that connected with the sea. (I have no idea how that is suppose to predict anything)

This sign attests to the great translation abilities of the modern era. Obviously someone forgot to hit spell check.

Dai dancers, the resemble Thai dancers in my opinion, which could have been an influence as this miniority group comes from the south of China.

More Dai dancers

A view across the large river running through the grounds.

Three large water wheels, although the water was too low for them to function I couldn't figure out what they were suppose to connect to anyway.

As we were wondering we stumbled into a private residence on the grounds. The greenhouse and gardens were beautiful.

Banzai Trees were being cultivated in the garden.

 

This picture is for Dad. The greenhouse was huge!

 

Us girls! The weather was perfect.

 

A pleasant garden.

 

Beijing Opera was another venue we were able to see. I would love to go to one next year. I will never understand a word but it would be an interesting expierence all the same.

 

After a morning of activities we ate lunch there. The entire meal was made from produce and meat grown and prepared on the grounds. 100% organic! It was delicious.

After lunch we leisurely strolled back to the entrance. I had a rather interesting conversation with Jimmy on our stroll back to the van about the perceived stereotypes of both our countries. I had to laugh when he asked why American’s always thought of France and French to be so romantic. I blamed it on the media hype of Paris as “the Honeymoon” spot. It was a pleasant day all around.

 

Well, I guess I was wrong, I wasn’t dying and apparently I still have a few good years ahead of me.

As I sat and finished watching the final Conference Session for my Church I couldn’t help but be startled to look out my window to find it pitch black outside at 6pm. Not just dusk but pitch black, should be asleep or at least tucked in bed with a good book black.

So here’s a quick post for Chinese daylight savings.

As I have mentioned before, China is one time zone! Anyone who can conceive that 3040 miles is the span of a single time zone should be brought in for questioning!! So while I’m on one end of the time zone I guess I will get the extremes of this ill advised Jerry-rigging of time allotment.

This is not to say that the Chinese do not emloy a Daylight Savings of sorts, I just can’t make heads or tails of how it makes a difference.  At the end of Mid Autumn festival all afternoon activities shift a half hour up. So if you had class at 2:30pm it now begins at 2:00pm. If your lunch break ended at 1:30 it now ends at 1:00. Okay problem solved, everyone things are once again right with the world, we have gained a whole half hour in our afternoons!

Yeah doesn’t make much sense to me either. But hey I’m done with classes on Wednesday at 5:30 instead of 6:10 that’s a plus. Another thing that doesn’t make much sense though is that the students have to be in their dorms an hour earlier now not just a half hour earlier.

Freshmen are required to be in their classrooms from 6:0opm to 8:20pm. They are released at 8:20 then have 20min to bunker down for the night for lock in at 8:40 with lights out at 9:00pm. Yes, I live on a college campus with a bed time and lights out before most 10year-olds are in bed in the States. There are no loud parties, no drinking and no rowdy students to compete with for sleep around here.

So the sun goes down early but seems to rise even earlier with the sun up and streaming fully into my room by 6am! Boy will I be happy to once again live a properly timed city!

I really don't have any words for these pictures.

I know there are diapers here, I’ve seen them in the stores. Why the mothers around here don’t use them completely blows my mind. Convenience is the number one reason that comes to my mind. I always thought cloth diapers were pushing the limit but hey if you want cloth you go girl, but just letting it all hang out, goodness gracious, who is really benefiting here?

Some of the cutest kids clothes I've ever seen, then there's the slit?!?!

Every class seems to follow this tradition. Some of these kids look like they are wearing designer clothes, yet, no diaper! Many children here are taken care of by their Grandmother so in that sense I understand the old ways are best mentality but the young moms wouldn’t it just be more convenient when traveling to slap a diaper on the kid. I have yet to see a child let lose on the train but to be honest I hope that day never comes.

No wonder squatty potties come naturally to the Chinese they start at a young age. So why do they do this, I have no idea. To be fair they are saving their dumps millions of diapers no doubt but you still must ask the average citizen is it worth it? Let me tell you, not that us foreigners’ opinions really matter but we vote no!

Wouldn't you think the draft would bother the kid?

Packages of Moon cakes from the school.

For the Mid-Autumn Festival it is tradition to pass out and eat moon cakes, it is considered a real treat. Yesterday, October 3rd was the Mid-Autumn Festival.

I really think they need to rethink TREAT status. Why is any cake excepting Birthday Cake just awful. Think about it, fruitcake, carrot cake , moon cake, mud cake, you get the picture.  So apparently every culture has its fruit cake, that tradition we just can’t give up but no one wants to admit to absolutely detesting.

What is even inside?

 Mid-Atumn festival celebrates the moon at its fullest. Moon cakes are distributed between family and friends. This is one of the three most important holidays in China.  

Sorry but that is just not appealing to my taste buds.

I’m still trying to figure out what is in a moon cake. From the looks of it, it is everything and the kitchen sink. So I think I’ve identified, mint, bean paste (which I have come to loath as it is added to everything), ground nuts, and so much more.

That is not ground beef!

I can’t even describe the smell. I will give it this, from the outside it is a beautiful pastry. Oh and thank goodness they only come around once a year.

This morning six students came over and watched the big National Day parade with me.

Chairman hu jin tao

Air Show above the parade

View of troops passing Tienanmen Square

Amphibious Tank procession

Military Salutes throughout the parade

Floats and Dancers comprising the second half of the parade.

I just couldn’t get over all the colors! This was a great year to come to China. Only on the 10 year anniversaries are the celebrations as large and spectacular as this.

Some side notes, the troops who marched had practiced for an entire year for this parade. The soldiers were all selected based on height so that the rows were perfect. It was an amazing parade.

Sunday night we were invited to attend a Reception for Foreign Visitors in Weifang. It was quite an event to say the least. We each received a formal invitation and official name tag to wear to the event.

Name tag and Formal Invitation

Inside of the Invitation

The Banquet Hall

We found our table and were slightly surprised at the seating arrangements. I had been seated next to Adam with Dantzelle across the table, not really sure why but as seating is assigned and has traditional significance none of us were going to switch seats around.

My name translated into Chinese.

I would like to take a moment to brag about our Wai Ban*. James bends over backwards for us and I don’t thank him enough. He is especially kind when it comes to banquets and our drinks. China is the land of Tea and toasts I have come to discover, which can be slightly difficult as a Latter-Day Saint as I neither drink tea nor alcohol. James always kindly sorts out the necessary accommodations prior to the meal and substitutions are made. Sprite for the toasts and my new favorite, hot water instead of tea. I must admit I’ve never appreciated abstaining from alcohol more in my life then when attending banquets. The goal of a good host is to get the guests as drunk as possible. (please see the toast section on the Uniquely China page) 

Traditional Chinese music.

 

Now for my favorite part of all banquets the parade of food that is only consumed on special occasions. I wonder if they serve these things at banquets because no one really likes them but every one is to afraid to say something so they just put it on the banquet list so they only have to to eat them a few times a year.

 

Rather than bore with a long list of foods I just touched on the two highlights for the evening. . .

Fish, this dish signals the near ending of the dinner.

 By now whole fish no longer surprises. I’m still not great at getting any meat without the bones, it seems that if I go shallow and I get only skin and if I dig deep I can’t help but  get the bone. Chopsticks are NOT convenient for everything, I don’t care what the Chinese say on this subject.  

A Chinese Delicacy?

Will someone please tell me how slugs made the delicacy list! Wait Sea Cucumber that’s right if we give something thing a nice name with a vegetable word that makes it edible.

I can now officially say I’ve eaten a Sea Cucumber. Boy am I glad I started eating before I knew what it was. This is a rather expensive and highly prized delicacy ergo a real TREAT! Yeah let me please define treat for the Chinese, something delicious, mouth watering and something you might crave in a dream. The pictured food does not belong in any of the a fore mentioned categories. I did eat half to be polite. I’m sorry when I eat it is all about texture and slugs just don’t cut it!

The Head Table

Our table was right in front which is nice because we got a clear view of all the entertainment. At the head table were all the big leaders, Mayor, Communist Party Representative, Korean, Russian, British Big Businessmen and off course the big hitters from Weifang Business.

I don't want to know how many toasts they did.

Toasts to all. Toast after toast was made at each table. Each table joined in on the banquet toast then had their own table toasts.

During the meal the Mayor and a few other head table members circulated the room and had toasts with each table individually. I don’t even want to count the number of drinks they had that night. Thank goodness most of us take taxis home.

Our Table - James, ?,?, Adam, Dantzelle, Me, Russian - Soccer Coach here in Weifang, Soccer team manager, Foreign Affairs Officer

*Wai Ban – the person directly responsible for the foreign teachers, our go to man for EVERYTHING!

I’ve put off writing this post in hopes that my rage would simmer down some, so now’s as good time as any. As today, 0:06am, is the official National Day of China and the reason I should be enjoying a relaxing week in Beijing, wait I’m sitting at my computer in Weifang, Shandong. So here’s the scope.

Today is October 1st and the 60th Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. Talk about a great Happy Birthday, not only do they get amazing fireworks they also get one whole week off for celebrations. Unfortunately, I will not be participating in these festivities. I’m not going to sugar coat it, I was so looking forward to this week. I had plans and dreams of all I wanted to do and see.

This all came to a screeching halt last week with two little words, SWINE FLU! There have been a few, which means no one really knows how many, reported cases in Weifang, so just to be on the safe side our school has joined the ranks of, let’s just shut all the students in and prevent them from going out! I must admit having to work this week really isn’t that bad it is more of the fact that my vacation has been taken away. We all agree that Americans really have a hard time with the statement, ‘You can’t do that’. It is like most things, when told you can’t have it, that is all you want.

We will have today off! But like everything here it comes with a price tag, we have to make up classes on Saturday. Can I just volunteer to work today? I mean really come on we were suppose to have the WEEK off and now we have to make-up the Thursday class. Is anyone else seeing the flaw here?

Actually I have to admit to knowing the reason but to be honest it is so sad I really should just leave it out. I was told that Saturday is the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is a big family festival. To prevent students from going home, to possibly infected areas, school is mandatory on Saturday, with heavy punishments for those caught ditching. Sorry kids we know you want to be with your family and all for this very traditional huge holiday but wouldn’t you rather sit in a poorly ventilated classroom inhaling chalk dust that will most certainly screw up your lungs?

Long story short, I’m still here in Weifang, dreaming of Beijing and Shanghai. Oh and now that the swine flu has hit, most definitely carried over by some horrible westerner I am again viewed as a walking vile of virus! I don’t know if I will ever get use to people covering their mouths and noses when walking past me. I know I’m spiteful, I’ve never denied that, but sometimes I just want to cough at them and really give them something to cover their mouths about.

This may seem like an odd post but it is something I feel needs to be noted. I noticed the following dilimma in Argentina, I had thought I had learned my lesson there but apparently not.

This is 3 days!

 Americans some how produce an abundance of waste. It is just part of our culture. We grow up in a culture of  to-go, dispensable, no clean-up, no-hassle products. In Argentina my family of seven had a kitchen trash can the size of your average bathroom can. In the States, most families fill a kitchen trash on average once a day, in Argentina it would take 2 to 3 days to fill. Karri ( American sister in Argentina) and I had a mini trash in our bedroom which we some how managed to fill daily. We never could figure out what we were throwing away? We just always produced trash.

So China seems to be the same. The trash out put here is extremely lower than Americas yet I am still managing an American amount. People here reuse EVERYTHING! Every scrap of paper is used and reused and reused, no joke. I feel guilty at times but just don’t know how to reuse like non Americans.

I’m not saying Americans don’t recycle it just seems like outside the US they don’t have as much to throw away. I think a lot comes down to packaging. Why wrap when you can just carry?  And why two boxes when one will work if you have your cloth grocery bag?

So this year’s goal, decrease my trash output and learn to reuse as much as possible.

I have no idea how I missed this sight when we were riding home the other night but I did. We were in a cab on the way home from dinner and Dantzelle asked if I had seen the lady shucking corn. It was late evening and what people do on the streets here really doesn’t surprise me much anymore. It wasn’t until the next day did I realized why it had caught Dantzelle’s attention, she wasn’t just shucking corn she had been SHUCKING CORN!

All hand shucked.

When I went out with Wendy I asked her about the corn. It is currently harvest time so this is a common scene all over Shandong. She said when she goes home to visit, the corn will line the roads for miles each family having their allotted space.

From stalk to ear to kernel!

Wendy comes from a farming community I believe in the south west of the province. She says she remembers hand shucking all the corn when she was younger. After it has been shucked and dried all the kernels must be removed by hand, she also remembers how terribly her hands would hurt after it was all done. I can’t imagine. Machine are then used to grind the kernels into corn powder. The good quality goes to food and the rest to animal fodder.

For the record it turns out I live in the Suburbs of Weifang, I’m 6 bus stops from downtown, for crying out loud!