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(New posts and photos when I get to Korea!)
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Hanguk Bound
Long time no post.
Since the last post, I've finished/turned in/passed senior thesis, graduated with two BAs, and found me a job in Korea, as the change in image above clearly shows. I've got a contract from Suwon Avalon which looks to be a professional working environment with genuinely good English teachers staffing the place. I've met one of my colleagues who will be arriving around the same time as me. She's from Tennessee, so there'll be at least one other southern soul around with whom I can complain about missing grits and barbecue and Tony Chachere's and all that good stuff.
Other than that, not much to report. I'm expecting to be in Korea by August 1st, so there will be more updates (and PICTURES!) then. And maybe one more before I fly out.
Later!
甯
Since the last post, I've finished/turned in/passed senior thesis, graduated with two BAs, and found me a job in Korea, as the change in image above clearly shows. I've got a contract from Suwon Avalon which looks to be a professional working environment with genuinely good English teachers staffing the place. I've met one of my colleagues who will be arriving around the same time as me. She's from Tennessee, so there'll be at least one other southern soul around with whom I can complain about missing grits and barbecue and Tony Chachere's and all that good stuff.
Other than that, not much to report. I'm expecting to be in Korea by August 1st, so there will be more updates (and PICTURES!) then. And maybe one more before I fly out.
Later!
甯
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Oh, By the Way, I made it back to America
I've got some 'splaining to do.
(This may be a really long post.)
I pretty much dropped off the map after last December and for several reasons. First, my final exams for the semester were coming up and I was getting more and more serious about studying. I had a ton of stuff to read and not enough time to prepare. Second, I was reaching a point of no return with my studies; I expected to receive less than the amount of credit I wanted for that semester, so I had to decide between staying and risking another slow semester or returning to the U.S. and focusing on graduating in time. I chose the latter option and have been back in the U.S. now for almost eight months. And finally, last semester and this summer had me mired in schoolwork... I basically had to "make up for lost time" while chillin' in Shanghai.
Anyway, now I'm back and comfortably settled at my American university, where I still have a semester and a half to complete before graduation. So... why am I revisiting this blog? (Here's the exciting part...)
I'm leaving the country again!
One thing I've grown to understand better and better as I progress through college is that I will die/lose my sanity if I become a corporate slave/government drone as soon as I graduate. Who wants to do that when they're 21?
Not this guy. So I've decided that I'm going abroad to work for a year.
My destination? Korea.
"But Zhen Ning!" you cry, "You're a sinophile! A Confucius, nay, a ZHUANGZI wannabe! A hard-boiled egg! 半个中国通! Why would you go anywhere except China??!"
While I can't disagree with any of those accusations, it's simple: I just want a change of scenery. Here are the major reasons I want to go to Korea, in order of importance:
So how am I going to survive in Korea? Well，since Korea has a lot of white people and a much smaller population than China, I won't get nearly as many brownie points (or beers) simply because of my ethnicity. No, in Korea I will have to work for a living, but with my dashing good looks and natural talent, I'll soon be making MILLIONS of Korean won per year!
What talent, you ask? Why, speaking English, of course! (A million won is about 900 US dollars.) Though I've never had a burning desire to teach English, it looks like my only meal ticket in Korea. But hey, it'll be fun, and I'll definitely learn a thing or two in the process (besides soju drinking games). More updates soon! (a.k.a. within the next six months)
안영!
真甯
(This may be a really long post.)
I pretty much dropped off the map after last December and for several reasons. First, my final exams for the semester were coming up and I was getting more and more serious about studying. I had a ton of stuff to read and not enough time to prepare. Second, I was reaching a point of no return with my studies; I expected to receive less than the amount of credit I wanted for that semester, so I had to decide between staying and risking another slow semester or returning to the U.S. and focusing on graduating in time. I chose the latter option and have been back in the U.S. now for almost eight months. And finally, last semester and this summer had me mired in schoolwork... I basically had to "make up for lost time" while chillin' in Shanghai.
Anyway, now I'm back and comfortably settled at my American university, where I still have a semester and a half to complete before graduation. So... why am I revisiting this blog? (Here's the exciting part...)
I'm leaving the country again!
One thing I've grown to understand better and better as I progress through college is that I will die/lose my sanity if I become a corporate slave/government drone as soon as I graduate. Who wants to do that when they're 21?
Not this guy. So I've decided that I'm going abroad to work for a year.
My destination? Korea.
"But Zhen Ning!" you cry, "You're a sinophile! A Confucius, nay, a ZHUANGZI wannabe! A hard-boiled egg! 半个中国通! Why would you go anywhere except China??!"
While I can't disagree with any of those accusations, it's simple: I just want a change of scenery. Here are the major reasons I want to go to Korea, in order of importance:
- Korea is not part of China. (Despite what the Chinese would have you believe.)
- Korean is a language critical to national security and business that doesn't have many speakers.
- Korea is like having your Japanese consumerism cake and eating it, too.
- Korean food is really spicy, and pretty delicious.
- There's tons of history to see of the kind that was destroyed in China during the (real) Cultural Revolution.
So how am I going to survive in Korea? Well，since Korea has a lot of white people and a much smaller population than China, I won't get nearly as many brownie points (or beers) simply because of my ethnicity. No, in Korea I will have to work for a living, but with my dashing good looks and natural talent, I'll soon be making MILLIONS of Korean won per year!
What talent, you ask? Why, speaking English, of course! (A million won is about 900 US dollars.) Though I've never had a burning desire to teach English, it looks like my only meal ticket in Korea. But hey, it'll be fun, and I'll definitely learn a thing or two in the process (besides soju drinking games). More updates soon! (a.k.a. within the next six months)
안영!
真甯
Friday, April 9, 2010
My Meeting with the North Korean Ambassador
My university is installing a new chancellor. The official ceremony is today, and I may or may not go, but for me, the most exciting part already happened. The reason I’m mentioning any of this is that the new chancellor spent a significant amount of time in Korea, and made several friends from both the North and the South. At least one of his friends has risen to a position of authority; he is now the North Korean ambassador to the United Nations. Since I’m a student of International Relations, I was chosen as one of the few allowed to meet with him.
Ambassador Han Song-ryol, or “Ambassador Han” as we were instructed to call him, is the closest thing the United States has to an official representative from North Korea. This man is a representative of a nation that is still openly at war with the United States, and so he was understandably tight-lipped and diplomatic when it came to answering questions. I also heard that he’s generally not allowed to travel more than 25 miles from the U.N. building, but got a special waver to come to our school, and is also prohibited from speaking or commenting in front of group larger than 40 people. With so many restrictions I can’t imagine the job feels very worthwhile (though I’m sure he wasn’t given much choice).
Now, my actual impressions of the meeting. In attedance were Ambassador Han, Counselor Pak, an aide, and the (American) CEO of some multinational, infrastructure-building NGO, as well as a two professors and fourteen students (including me). As is usual for a college setting, the beginning of the conversation was all about thanking people for their time, exchanging empty invitations, etc. When we finally got to the actual discussion, I have to say I was slightly disappointed but not surprised. The CEO did most of the talking, as the ambassador’s English was a bit labored, and kept the conversation focused on his NGO. Nobody (myself included) was really comfortable with asking anything political or economic in nature, but finally one guy mustered up the courage and asked about progress in the construction of the Ryugong Hotel. Ambassador Han handled the question well and gave a straightforward answer explaining the situation. Since I was meeting with an ambassador, everything I heard was very glib and diplomatic; the only slightly edgy implication was that US-DPRK trade is impossible because of UN sanctions, which I would agree with.
Anyway, it was really neat to meet this guy! I wanted to get a picture, but unfortunately it wasn’t allowed. Maybe next time we’ll get someone from China over here!
甯
Monday, December 28, 2009
The Return
With some help from a certain cousin who works in IT, I can now get through the Great Firewall and semi-regularly update my blog again! So after this long, long hiatus, I present to you another list of stuff about China, this time in line with the title of my blog:
Auspicious Learnings from Wise and Ancient Middle Kingdom
1. Cultural Sensitivity
When speaking Chinese, I no longer have a subonscious urge to say "please," "thank you," "hello," or any other polite phrases. Also, I reflexively replace my shoes for plastic slippers when entering a home.
2. Spirituality
I have attained a zen-like state. When crossing the road, my eyes glaze over and I walk at a slow, even pace while cars whizz past me; when walking down Huaihai Road, I no longer see or hear the vendors trying to sell me "bag, watch" or "hasheeshmarijuana."
3. Physical Health
Dumplings fried in a crusted, ash covered wok and manhandled by a man with grubby hands don't faze my stomach. Sometimes I even drink a glass of water, too (not the hot water, its cloudiness scares me).
4. Energy Conservation
The mystery of when there is and isn't hot water no longer bothers me. Cold showers are fine, too.
5. Artistic Appreciation
I spend several minutes marveling at the magnificent Shanghai skyline on the rare day it's not obscured by yellow smog.
6. Frugality
Spending over $3 on lunch or over $6 on dinner is a wild splurge, and more than a $1.50 for any kind of beer is horrible gouging. Also, I spend an extra five minutes just to bargain something down from $1.25 to $1.00.
7. Marketing
In the true Chinese tradition, when selling things (English lessons, for example) I can instantly come up with a litany of indignant complaints and reasons why I can't work cheaper, and then make a convincing argument that I'm actually doing them a favor by giving them a special low price.
8. Martial Arts
I can push and elbow my way into or out of a People's Square subway car without breaking a sweat, and sometimes I'm even able to get a seat.
9. Assimilation
I ride a rusty bicycle with a basket on the front.
10. Multitasking
And I can ride it through traffic in the rain while holding an umbrella.
~fin~
That last one took me a while to perfect... it's harder than it looks, especially when there are a dozen other cyclists eight inches from you banging their elbows into yours. Anyway, Shanghai's been good these few months. My classes aren't too hard and none of the professors ever take role, so this is a relative vacation from the non-stop pressure of Croft. My zither-ing is getting slightly better; I've been taking lessons for about two months now and I'm getting slightly better. I can shoot toothpicks right now, but my teacher promised that if I work hard I should be able to shoot swords in about a year.
I recently started tutoring English to three businessmen in their mid-20s. One of them is super serious and wants to talk about things such as global warming and the housing shortage in China. The second likes to talk about music, drinking, tell jokes, and ask what life in America is like. The last guy likes to look desperately lost and nervously utter sentences in broken English while scribbling down English words with notes in Chinese. So it's a pretty eclectic bunch, especially considering my zither teacher is there half the time because she's married to the nervous guy, and kind of a surreal setting (we meet in the corner booth of a greasy downtown McDonalds). But I get $25 bucks a week (that's only about $8 an hour), so it's extra money for the weekend. They want to be my friend (which is fine but they ain't gettin' free English lessons) so they invited me out to a bar two weekends ago. It ended up being pretty unique place; the decor was Tibetan, the music Michael Bolton, and the menu beers and hookah. Hoping to impress them with something new, I ordered a hookah and taught them all how to smoke. There was a fatal flaw in my plan, though; hookah's like breathing air when you smoke a pack of Chinese cigarettes a day. At least they said it tasted nice.
It started at 7:40 AM. My chest and face were being tenderized by the
elbows and knees of schoolgirls and businessmen alike as we swayed to
and fro while riding Line 3 into the city. From there, I disembarked and
changed to Line 8, where it took all my strength to cram my way into a
subway car; the interior gave no respite, however, as wave after wave
of Chinese continued to push their way into the car until there was literally
no room left for another person. After the doors opened and closed
several times, chewing on the passengers closest to the door before
spitting several back on to the platform, the train rolled forward. Twenty
minutes later we reached my destination, and I finally was able to take a
deep breath, though not too deep lest I further injure the ribs that had
cracked under the extreme pressure.
With the worst part of my trip behind me, I slogged my way through the
rain to Krispy Kreme. It was 9:30. I took a seat on the second floor,
but only briefly, as the corpulent, sideburn sporting assistant manager
tersely ordered me in broken English to wait in line downstairs.
Untill 11 AM. Waiting in line was not all that big of a deal. It was in the
30s and raining, but this was Krispy Kreme we were talking about,
and in a land where rice pap and bean paste are the tasty desserts
around, this was nothing to take lightly. I kept my self occupied by
reading Haruki Murakami's "Kafka on the Shore."
Some time later, a guy with a weird smirk showed up and tried to cut
in line. Everyone had a number (the first 200 people got a FREE
SURPISE!) so nobody had any patience with this guy. Soon, some
Krispy Kreme clerk was summoned, no doubt questioning his decision
to work there if he was gonna have to deal with this BS every day, and
started yelling at the guy to leave. The Chinese aided in the poor clerk's
efforts by ignoring the guy and whispering "diu ren" and "I blame society"
and stuff until finally a real security guy showed up and roughly escorted
the guy away. Like I said, Krispy Kreme in China is serious business.
Around ten someone set up a white tarp/tent thing and tied red and green
balloons all over it, and photographers and boring-looking Chinese bureacrats
began to gather under the tarp and stand around in their stuffy, dull manner.
Then out of nowhere, a young woman with a mic appeared dressed in Krispy
Kreme regalia, the same woman with the same voice who hosts all of China's
corporate events and mid-Autumn festivals and mall publicity stunts and tries
desperately to interact with the crowd with cheers and countdowns and with
the microphone amp turned up way too high. Anyway, the woman's there and
she proceeds to introduce a representative from the Jing'An district government,
the balding and stressed-out store manager, some more Chinese people who look
like investors, the leader of the Shanghai Coffeeshop Commission (Donuts Divison),
several members of the Politburo, and Hu Jintao. Then the manager gave a listless
speech in English that the Chinese people all talked over, and retreated back into
the store to brace for impact.
The MC girl's shenanigans were followed by something I like to call a Chinese drum
roll. It's a bunch of Chinese people in traditional dress standing on what looks like a
parade float. The way they're arranged, they could be mistaken for some sort of choir,
except instead of singing they used drums, gongs, and cymbals, and instead of delicate
harmony there's raucous noise (think of the instruments the Whoville children get in the
Grinch). After that cacophony subsided, the hyperenthusiastic MC lead a dramatic
"SAN!"
"ER!"
"YI!"
countdown, which culminated in the traditional Chinese grand opening, the confetti-
filled cannon blast. The MC went nuts in rapidfire Chinese as the cannon went off and the crowd's ears rang as little bits of red and green plastic fluttered down through the acrid
smoky air. Then the doors opened and it was near-riot mode as people nervously shoved
each other through the donut shop's tiny door.
And that's the story of the first Krispy Kreme opening in China.
elbows and knees of schoolgirls and businessmen alike as we swayed to
and fro while riding Line 3 into the city. From there, I disembarked and
changed to Line 8, where it took all my strength to cram my way into a
subway car; the interior gave no respite, however, as wave after wave
of Chinese continued to push their way into the car until there was literally
no room left for another person. After the doors opened and closed
several times, chewing on the passengers closest to the door before
spitting several back on to the platform, the train rolled forward. Twenty
minutes later we reached my destination, and I finally was able to take a
deep breath, though not too deep lest I further injure the ribs that had
cracked under the extreme pressure.
With the worst part of my trip behind me, I slogged my way through the
rain to Krispy Kreme. It was 9:30. I took a seat on the second floor,
but only briefly, as the corpulent, sideburn sporting assistant manager
tersely ordered me in broken English to wait in line downstairs.
Untill 11 AM. Waiting in line was not all that big of a deal. It was in the
30s and raining, but this was Krispy Kreme we were talking about,
and in a land where rice pap and bean paste are the tasty desserts
around, this was nothing to take lightly. I kept my self occupied by
reading Haruki Murakami's "Kafka on the Shore."
Some time later, a guy with a weird smirk showed up and tried to cut
in line. Everyone had a number (the first 200 people got a FREE
SURPISE!) so nobody had any patience with this guy. Soon, some
Krispy Kreme clerk was summoned, no doubt questioning his decision
to work there if he was gonna have to deal with this BS every day, and
started yelling at the guy to leave. The Chinese aided in the poor clerk's
efforts by ignoring the guy and whispering "diu ren" and "I blame society"
and stuff until finally a real security guy showed up and roughly escorted
the guy away. Like I said, Krispy Kreme in China is serious business.
Around ten someone set up a white tarp/tent thing and tied red and green
balloons all over it, and photographers and boring-looking Chinese bureacrats
began to gather under the tarp and stand around in their stuffy, dull manner.
Then out of nowhere, a young woman with a mic appeared dressed in Krispy
Kreme regalia, the same woman with the same voice who hosts all of China's
corporate events and mid-Autumn festivals and mall publicity stunts and tries
desperately to interact with the crowd with cheers and countdowns and with
the microphone amp turned up way too high. Anyway, the woman's there and
she proceeds to introduce a representative from the Jing'An district government,
the balding and stressed-out store manager, some more Chinese people who look
like investors, the leader of the Shanghai Coffeeshop Commission (Donuts Divison),
several members of the Politburo, and Hu Jintao. Then the manager gave a listless
speech in English that the Chinese people all talked over, and retreated back into
the store to brace for impact.
The MC girl's shenanigans were followed by something I like to call a Chinese drum
roll. It's a bunch of Chinese people in traditional dress standing on what looks like a
parade float. The way they're arranged, they could be mistaken for some sort of choir,
except instead of singing they used drums, gongs, and cymbals, and instead of delicate
harmony there's raucous noise (think of the instruments the Whoville children get in the
Grinch). After that cacophony subsided, the hyperenthusiastic MC lead a dramatic
"SAN!"
"ER!"
"YI!"
countdown, which culminated in the traditional Chinese grand opening, the confetti-
filled cannon blast. The MC went nuts in rapidfire Chinese as the cannon went off and the crowd's ears rang as little bits of red and green plastic fluttered down through the acrid
smoky air. Then the doors opened and it was near-riot mode as people nervously shoved
each other through the donut shop's tiny door.
And that's the story of the first Krispy Kreme opening in China.
I got a dozen donuts and ate almost all of them myself. Other than that those fun misadventures, there's not too much to report. I'm heading back home on January 26th, and I'll be there for about three weeks. I hope to be heading up to Oxford for a visit on an early February weekend. After that, it's back to China with my Dad to do a bit of travelling. My camera's broken, but I've taken a few pictures that I need to upload and post on here, so hopefully those will make it on here before I head back to the States.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
The Rising Sun
I've been here for a little over 24 hours now, so it's time for a blog post. First of all, to those not in the know, my time studying in Qingdao is over, and I'm now spending a week in Japan in Fukuoka, the capital of Kyushu. Now, for my Flagship friends who read this blog's enlightenment, and for my friends and family at home's entertainment, here are my first impressions of Japan.
First, let's start with the non-China people. Let's imagine China, so we can better understand these comparisons. Think of a big American city. Now, think of the Chinatown in that city, with grungy looking vendors all over the place trying to sell you fake bags and watches, dilapidated Chinese restaurants, litter, narrow alleyways, and the smell of sweat, exhaust, and weird, foreign animals and vegetables (and probably minerals) permeating the air between the acutely angled alleyways and nooks that serve the area's thoroughfares. Now, imagine that the big city was actually one big Chinatown, except there's a single road with skyscrapers on it, and 2/3 of them are banks. (There's another road with skyscrapers, but every building on that road is under construction, and so is the street.) There's your basic Chinese city. Oh, also there are people, cars, and mopeds EVERYWHERE.
So now that we have a decent picture of what a Chinese city is, how do we compare it to a Japanese city? What's the difference? Aren't they both full of signs covered in squiggly symbols and slanted tile-roof houses that sell noodles?
Well, yes, actually. But there are some notable differences. Now, here's my guide on how to turn a Chinese city into a Japanese city.
1. Erase the smog layer blanketing the city.
2. Plant trees along every road.
3. Convert every roadside peddler into a vending machine.
4. Cut the population by 70%.
5. Force everyone to obey traffic rules perfectly.
6. Remove all parasites and carcinogens from the tap water.
7. Pick up all the litter, but leave the cigarette butts.
8. Remove 90% of the banks.
9. Triple the number of post offices.
10. Teach citizens to stare less.
11. Make everything about 3 times as expensive, except...
12. ...make public transportation 10 times as expensive.
13. Triple the number of bus routes, and screw up bus maps so only Japanese understand them.
14. Make everyone drive and walk on the left side instead of the right.
15. Sell pornography in random and inappropriate places.
Voila! A Japanese city! And now, since I'm making lists, here's another one I've been thinking about:
Habits I've Gotten from Living in China
1. I jump when I hear a car horn and look behind me to avoid the oncoming moped.
2. I look at my clothes after touching a wall to brush off any paint or soot.
3. I feel uncomfortable when the cashier/driver/sales clerk says "Thank you," or anything at all.
4. I gauge how much time it will mean in the bathroom later before eating anything,
5. I automatically assume someone wearing a suit is ungodly rich.
6. I compulsively buy bottled water.
7. I make sure I have a pocketful of change at all times.
8. I ignore all traffic signals and run across roads, dodging cars.
9. I instantly divide the price of anything by 7.
10. I loudly say "tai gui le!" (too expensive!) if I think something is.
11. The zero-second rule.
So as you can see, with my western background and my Chinese quirks, adjusting to the way of life in Japan has been interesting. Now, for some pictures...
This was my communal bedroom on the ferry. You get a blanket to spread out, a sheet, and a black foam brick that is supposed to be a pillow. Also, it's not air conditioned and they wake you up at 6 am everyday. Well, they didn't say it was gonna be a luxury cruise...
The Qingdao shipyard.
More Qingdao shipyard.
Me in the luxury suite area that I'm supposed to stay out of. Oops.
A cigarette vending machine on the ship. My life really wouldn't be as joyful if I couldn't have a piece of cigarette every now and then.
38 hours later... Shimonoseki! Not exactly the Shanghai skyline, but it's somewhere other than the boat!
Shimonoseki is kind of industrial. Which is most of the reason I opted to go to Fukuoka instead.
On the bus, just leaving Shimonoseki on my way to Fukuoka. This sort of reminds me of driving through Hawaii or something.
Crossing the Shimonoseki bridge.
Here's the bay Shimonoseki was built around.
We went through half a dozen tunnels on the way there.
"When this baby hits 88 miles per hour..."
The mountains in Japan are beautiful. I wish I could hike here.
An agricultural town. The Japanese use black, oddly shaped tiles while the Chinese use the red square ones.
A park near my youth hostel. So nice and peaceful that I had to stop and snap a picture in the sweltering heat. Well, that and it was shady there.
After getting to my hostel, working out some minor/major kinks, and getting settled, I headed out to the nearby mall of sorts, Yodobashi camera, to look around and grab some food. They had three floors devoted to electronics, toys, CDs, DVDs, games and home appliances of all kinds. Needless to say, it was pretty cool.
A flashback to my childhood...
This was an interesting find in the (incredibly huge) video game section. A game about the WWII Pacific theater? In Japan? That's odd... until you notice that the planes are Zeros, and they're shooting at American aircraft carriers. I guess some shrewd game company managed to turn a national defeat into a marketing victory. Needless to say, this game is "Only in Japan."
I found this gem in between two DVDs about crunch routines. "Sexy Exercise with Pole Dance" must be a cross genre film. I'm not sure how this has been selling, but I'm guessing poorly, since I, for one, need to be totally focused when exercising.
Oh look, cool keychains. Wait...
Why anyone would want to have this swinging on their keychain, I do not know. Oh Japan.
Then it was off to Canal City, a shopping area near my hostel that I'd heard a lot about. Every Japanese that I talked to recommended it, so I went to check it out. They had a Wendy's there. I ate lunch at it, and cried.
Me at Canal City, Hakata:
Yes, this is an honest to God Pokemon Center. While I was watching the water show, I got so excited that I blacked out and woke up here. All my Pokemon were healed but half my money was gone. Go figure. Sadly, all they sell here are cards, food and candy with Pokemon on them, and stuffed animals. I was hoping I could access my home PC to store some of the stuff I bought.
I can't remember the name of this store, but I remember it was billed as "Western goods." Here's an interesting section...
...and another...
...and another?? I guess that's all they think we do here.
While in the Canal City bathroom, I was excited to see my first ever robotic toilet.
Now, do I want water sprayed on me or a seat warmer...? You can even adjust the pressure! And oh look, they have braille on it, so even blind people get to feel uncomfortable for a few minutes! Though I suppose it would've been worse without the braille.
After Canal City, I rode the bus back to the hostel. Now, navigating Chinese buses can be confusing and intimidating, what with the characters and the crowd and people staring at you like you're from Mars, but at least when you get on and pay money, it's straightforward. Not so in Japan.
Note that I'm standing in the back of the bus here, with the rear doors to my left. THAT'S where you're supposed to get on. After getting on, you pull a ticket from the ticket box with a number on it. This number corresponds to a price on the electric fare board, which increases at mysterious intervals along your route. Finally, to get off, you walk up to the front of the bus and drop your coins in a box, with the driver supposedly watching, but you're basically on the honor system since he has to watch a million people a day put money in and nobody shows their ticket. Makes sense to you? Me neither.
Sooo, this morning I got up and was pretty hungry. After making the long journey to the Chinese consulate to get my visa done for Shanghai, only to discover they'd closed 15 minutes early that day, I hit up a neary Mos Burger for lunch. Mos Burger is like a Japanese McDonalds, except with better food, service, and color scheme. The tradeoff is that it's more expensive (maybe that's just because it's in Japan?). Anyway, here's my Mos Burger meal.
Oishii.
A typical Japanese backstreet, seen on the way to the consulate.
Well, that's all I got for now. I should have a few more blog posts up soon (I promise), this time with historical sites instead of shopping malls. Stay tuned.
Jen
First, let's start with the non-China people. Let's imagine China, so we can better understand these comparisons. Think of a big American city. Now, think of the Chinatown in that city, with grungy looking vendors all over the place trying to sell you fake bags and watches, dilapidated Chinese restaurants, litter, narrow alleyways, and the smell of sweat, exhaust, and weird, foreign animals and vegetables (and probably minerals) permeating the air between the acutely angled alleyways and nooks that serve the area's thoroughfares. Now, imagine that the big city was actually one big Chinatown, except there's a single road with skyscrapers on it, and 2/3 of them are banks. (There's another road with skyscrapers, but every building on that road is under construction, and so is the street.) There's your basic Chinese city. Oh, also there are people, cars, and mopeds EVERYWHERE.
So now that we have a decent picture of what a Chinese city is, how do we compare it to a Japanese city? What's the difference? Aren't they both full of signs covered in squiggly symbols and slanted tile-roof houses that sell noodles?
Well, yes, actually. But there are some notable differences. Now, here's my guide on how to turn a Chinese city into a Japanese city.
1. Erase the smog layer blanketing the city.
2. Plant trees along every road.
3. Convert every roadside peddler into a vending machine.
4. Cut the population by 70%.
5. Force everyone to obey traffic rules perfectly.
6. Remove all parasites and carcinogens from the tap water.
7. Pick up all the litter, but leave the cigarette butts.
8. Remove 90% of the banks.
9. Triple the number of post offices.
10. Teach citizens to stare less.
11. Make everything about 3 times as expensive, except...
12. ...make public transportation 10 times as expensive.
13. Triple the number of bus routes, and screw up bus maps so only Japanese understand them.
14. Make everyone drive and walk on the left side instead of the right.
15. Sell pornography in random and inappropriate places.
Voila! A Japanese city! And now, since I'm making lists, here's another one I've been thinking about:
Habits I've Gotten from Living in China
1. I jump when I hear a car horn and look behind me to avoid the oncoming moped.
2. I look at my clothes after touching a wall to brush off any paint or soot.
3. I feel uncomfortable when the cashier/driver/sales clerk says "Thank you," or anything at all.
4. I gauge how much time it will mean in the bathroom later before eating anything,
5. I automatically assume someone wearing a suit is ungodly rich.
6. I compulsively buy bottled water.
7. I make sure I have a pocketful of change at all times.
8. I ignore all traffic signals and run across roads, dodging cars.
9. I instantly divide the price of anything by 7.
10. I loudly say "tai gui le!" (too expensive!) if I think something is.
11. The zero-second rule.
So as you can see, with my western background and my Chinese quirks, adjusting to the way of life in Japan has been interesting. Now, for some pictures...
This was my communal bedroom on the ferry. You get a blanket to spread out, a sheet, and a black foam brick that is supposed to be a pillow. Also, it's not air conditioned and they wake you up at 6 am everyday. Well, they didn't say it was gonna be a luxury cruise...
The Qingdao shipyard.
More Qingdao shipyard.
Me in the luxury suite area that I'm supposed to stay out of. Oops.
A cigarette vending machine on the ship. My life really wouldn't be as joyful if I couldn't have a piece of cigarette every now and then.
38 hours later... Shimonoseki! Not exactly the Shanghai skyline, but it's somewhere other than the boat!
Shimonoseki is kind of industrial. Which is most of the reason I opted to go to Fukuoka instead.
On the bus, just leaving Shimonoseki on my way to Fukuoka. This sort of reminds me of driving through Hawaii or something.
Crossing the Shimonoseki bridge.
Here's the bay Shimonoseki was built around.
We went through half a dozen tunnels on the way there.
"When this baby hits 88 miles per hour..."
The mountains in Japan are beautiful. I wish I could hike here.
An agricultural town. The Japanese use black, oddly shaped tiles while the Chinese use the red square ones.
A park near my youth hostel. So nice and peaceful that I had to stop and snap a picture in the sweltering heat. Well, that and it was shady there.After getting to my hostel, working out some minor/major kinks, and getting settled, I headed out to the nearby mall of sorts, Yodobashi camera, to look around and grab some food. They had three floors devoted to electronics, toys, CDs, DVDs, games and home appliances of all kinds. Needless to say, it was pretty cool.
A flashback to my childhood...
This was an interesting find in the (incredibly huge) video game section. A game about the WWII Pacific theater? In Japan? That's odd... until you notice that the planes are Zeros, and they're shooting at American aircraft carriers. I guess some shrewd game company managed to turn a national defeat into a marketing victory. Needless to say, this game is "Only in Japan."
I found this gem in between two DVDs about crunch routines. "Sexy Exercise with Pole Dance" must be a cross genre film. I'm not sure how this has been selling, but I'm guessing poorly, since I, for one, need to be totally focused when exercising.
Oh look, cool keychains. Wait...
Why anyone would want to have this swinging on their keychain, I do not know. Oh Japan.Then it was off to Canal City, a shopping area near my hostel that I'd heard a lot about. Every Japanese that I talked to recommended it, so I went to check it out. They had a Wendy's there. I ate lunch at it, and cried.
Me at Canal City, Hakata:
Yes, this is an honest to God Pokemon Center. While I was watching the water show, I got so excited that I blacked out and woke up here. All my Pokemon were healed but half my money was gone. Go figure. Sadly, all they sell here are cards, food and candy with Pokemon on them, and stuffed animals. I was hoping I could access my home PC to store some of the stuff I bought.
I can't remember the name of this store, but I remember it was billed as "Western goods." Here's an interesting section...
...and another...
...and another?? I guess that's all they think we do here.
While in the Canal City bathroom, I was excited to see my first ever robotic toilet.
Now, do I want water sprayed on me or a seat warmer...? You can even adjust the pressure! And oh look, they have braille on it, so even blind people get to feel uncomfortable for a few minutes! Though I suppose it would've been worse without the braille.After Canal City, I rode the bus back to the hostel. Now, navigating Chinese buses can be confusing and intimidating, what with the characters and the crowd and people staring at you like you're from Mars, but at least when you get on and pay money, it's straightforward. Not so in Japan.
Note that I'm standing in the back of the bus here, with the rear doors to my left. THAT'S where you're supposed to get on. After getting on, you pull a ticket from the ticket box with a number on it. This number corresponds to a price on the electric fare board, which increases at mysterious intervals along your route. Finally, to get off, you walk up to the front of the bus and drop your coins in a box, with the driver supposedly watching, but you're basically on the honor system since he has to watch a million people a day put money in and nobody shows their ticket. Makes sense to you? Me neither.Sooo, this morning I got up and was pretty hungry. After making the long journey to the Chinese consulate to get my visa done for Shanghai, only to discover they'd closed 15 minutes early that day, I hit up a neary Mos Burger for lunch. Mos Burger is like a Japanese McDonalds, except with better food, service, and color scheme. The tradeoff is that it's more expensive (maybe that's just because it's in Japan?). Anyway, here's my Mos Burger meal.
Oishii.
A typical Japanese backstreet, seen on the way to the consulate.Well, that's all I got for now. I should have a few more blog posts up soon (I promise), this time with historical sites instead of shopping malls. Stay tuned.
Jen
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The Forgotten: Scenery
So it's been a while since I've updated. I guess a massive update is in order. I'll try to break this thing up into sections so it's easily readable, because I'm about to vomit as much as I can about the last month (!) onto this paper. Alright. Deep breath... here we go.
Three weekends ago on a clear, sunny Saturday morning, I hopped on a bus with the A-level Chinese class to Laoshan (or Mt. Lao, "shan" being the Chinese word for mountain). Laoshan is a smooth, rocky Pacific mountain that sits on the coast of China's Shandong peninsula. The mountain and its foothills (footrocks?) surround the small fishing village that we arrived at before starting our trek. The village was yet another example of how technology and tradition coexist in China; people in the foreground zipped around on mopeds and pickup trucks while fishermen on dozens of hand-made wooden junks cast their nets into the sea. If there's such a thing as a second world country, China is the definition.
Disembarking from the bus, we started up the mountain. The first forty five minutes were mostly pleasant, with flat or slightly sloping trails cutting through the thick, aromatic pine forest, and occasional clearings that allowed for spectacular views of the ocean.
About an hour into the hike, the trail became less a trail and more an endless stone staircase that stretched up to the peak. Water and conversation became scarce. But suddenly, around the bend of the trail I spotted one of my favorite parts of Laoshan...
These characters have to do with Daoism, though I'm unsure of their meanings and whether or not they're actually used outside of the world of cliff-side calligraphy (or whether the Chinese government carved and painted them... more discussion on that when my posts aren't being scanned by the internet police). There're aroundtwelve of these massive characters in the area, but this one's the largest. One can only wonder how many monks it took to cut this into rock, considering the average Chinese shoe store has about a 1:1 customer to sales clerk ratio. Government subsidised labor aside, the characters were neat.
Me and several classmates sitting in front of a shrine to mountain spirits, posing as Bodhisattvas. And mixing Buddhism with Traditional Chinese religion. A rookie mistake...
Taking a rest after winding through more pristine, unspoiled forest, punctuated by the occasional tent stall selling Coke, ramen noodles, and assorted produce. No wonder the Chinese are all so thin.
And finally, after almost two hours of walking, we made it... sixty percent of the way to the top. In order to continue on, we had to make our way through a cavecalled Xi Tian Dong, or "Looking for Heaven Cave," which kind of sounds like a place that high school couples hang out and lie to their parents about. The jury is still out on whether the cave's name comes from a wise monk and his quest for longevity, or a claustrophobic monk and his quest for fresh air, as the cave can be around two feet wide or high in some place, and it's pitch black to boot.
But before you enter, some rules. Thank you, Vanna...
I have to be honest, when I'm on Laoshan, I really do feel fairyland, and very much on the scoop.
This was the most spacious part of the cave. The camera flash and the pen flashlight in Robert's hand are all that light up this scene. None of the other pictures I took really captured how creepy it was in there, especially when the flashlight was off.
I think Laoshan has some of the prettiest scenery in China. I love the fog, it makes everything seem more mysterious.
The next order of business, immediately after exiting the cave, was to cross a delightfully rusty chain bridge. What one can't see in this picture is that the bridge is suspended over a sloped chain link barrier, which drops off over the edge of the mountain, affording the imminently deceased a stunning view before splatting on a rock.
"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto Laoshan, and few there be that find it."
Breathtaking. This about eighty percent of the way up.
Just don't do it.
On the edge of the trail was this giant pillar of rock that stuck up in the air, with a boulder on top of it. On the other side was a drop of over one hundred feet onto a slope that would have rolled you down and into and even deeper chasm. Scary.
Needless to say, I had to get a picture on top of it.
And doing something dangerous and stupid is only fun if you have someone to do it with.
Robert's quite the mountain goat. (And I'm quite the photographer).
And here we are, on the top-most area of the mountain, taking a breather. Again, the view of the countryside is incredible. We're done. Well, almost...
I needed to go to the actual peak, or it didn't count.
Riding the cable car down. I'm obsessed with that little village.
The turely feeling, indeed.
So that was Laoshan. It's one of the five famous mountains in ancient China. As of this posting I've climbed three of them (Laoshan, Taishan, and Huashan), and Laoshan is still my favorite. Tune in tomorrow or the next day for another post and another huge batch of pictures!
Three weekends ago on a clear, sunny Saturday morning, I hopped on a bus with the A-level Chinese class to Laoshan (or Mt. Lao, "shan" being the Chinese word for mountain). Laoshan is a smooth, rocky Pacific mountain that sits on the coast of China's Shandong peninsula. The mountain and its foothills (footrocks?) surround the small fishing village that we arrived at before starting our trek. The village was yet another example of how technology and tradition coexist in China; people in the foreground zipped around on mopeds and pickup trucks while fishermen on dozens of hand-made wooden junks cast their nets into the sea. If there's such a thing as a second world country, China is the definition.
Disembarking from the bus, we started up the mountain. The first forty five minutes were mostly pleasant, with flat or slightly sloping trails cutting through the thick, aromatic pine forest, and occasional clearings that allowed for spectacular views of the ocean.
About an hour into the hike, the trail became less a trail and more an endless stone staircase that stretched up to the peak. Water and conversation became scarce. But suddenly, around the bend of the trail I spotted one of my favorite parts of Laoshan...
These characters have to do with Daoism, though I'm unsure of their meanings and whether or not they're actually used outside of the world of cliff-side calligraphy (or whether the Chinese government carved and painted them... more discussion on that when my posts aren't being scanned by the internet police). There're aroundtwelve of these massive characters in the area, but this one's the largest. One can only wonder how many monks it took to cut this into rock, considering the average Chinese shoe store has about a 1:1 customer to sales clerk ratio. Government subsidised labor aside, the characters were neat.
Me and several classmates sitting in front of a shrine to mountain spirits, posing as Bodhisattvas. And mixing Buddhism with Traditional Chinese religion. A rookie mistake...
Taking a rest after winding through more pristine, unspoiled forest, punctuated by the occasional tent stall selling Coke, ramen noodles, and assorted produce. No wonder the Chinese are all so thin.
And finally, after almost two hours of walking, we made it... sixty percent of the way to the top. In order to continue on, we had to make our way through a cavecalled Xi Tian Dong, or "Looking for Heaven Cave," which kind of sounds like a place that high school couples hang out and lie to their parents about. The jury is still out on whether the cave's name comes from a wise monk and his quest for longevity, or a claustrophobic monk and his quest for fresh air, as the cave can be around two feet wide or high in some place, and it's pitch black to boot.
But before you enter, some rules. Thank you, Vanna...I have to be honest, when I'm on Laoshan, I really do feel fairyland, and very much on the scoop.
This was the most spacious part of the cave. The camera flash and the pen flashlight in Robert's hand are all that light up this scene. None of the other pictures I took really captured how creepy it was in there, especially when the flashlight was off.
I think Laoshan has some of the prettiest scenery in China. I love the fog, it makes everything seem more mysterious.
The next order of business, immediately after exiting the cave, was to cross a delightfully rusty chain bridge. What one can't see in this picture is that the bridge is suspended over a sloped chain link barrier, which drops off over the edge of the mountain, affording the imminently deceased a stunning view before splatting on a rock.
"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto Laoshan, and few there be that find it."
Breathtaking. This about eighty percent of the way up.
Just don't do it.
On the edge of the trail was this giant pillar of rock that stuck up in the air, with a boulder on top of it. On the other side was a drop of over one hundred feet onto a slope that would have rolled you down and into and even deeper chasm. Scary.
Needless to say, I had to get a picture on top of it.
And doing something dangerous and stupid is only fun if you have someone to do it with.
Robert's quite the mountain goat. (And I'm quite the photographer).
And here we are, on the top-most area of the mountain, taking a breather. Again, the view of the countryside is incredible. We're done. Well, almost...
I needed to go to the actual peak, or it didn't count.
Riding the cable car down. I'm obsessed with that little village.
The turely feeling, indeed.So that was Laoshan. It's one of the five famous mountains in ancient China. As of this posting I've climbed three of them (Laoshan, Taishan, and Huashan), and Laoshan is still my favorite. Tune in tomorrow or the next day for another post and another huge batch of pictures!
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