Friday, August 31, 2007
10 Minutes on the Interwang
Yesterday, we sent Jenn to Lyon, France for her next study abroad program. When she gets there, she's going to meet her Mademoseille mom, huan ren min bi to Euros, and meet cute French guys. Yesterday, before Jenn left, we visited practically every school that each person attended in our group, Geraldine's Bei Shi Da, Jenn's Bei Yu, and Ling and my future Bei Jing Da Xue. I love Peking University. Jenn says if Tsinghua is the MIT of China, then Peking University is the Harvard of China, because it is related to humanities and Tsinghua is engineering. I love my campus. The lake is so pretty, and there are alot of trees. The people can even speak English, like American English. We saw a group of people jogging, and we knew they were foreigners. Chinese people don't jog. Our Tu Shu Guan is the size of a mansion. I love my campus. Close by, there is a place to cut hair. I don't know if I want to dye my hair again. It's cheaper here, but I don't want to be considered feng kuang for Nancy's wedding in December. Out of time, time for brunch!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Back at the Youth Drum Hostel at Jiu Gu Lou Da Jie!
Wow! So in less than one week, I traveled to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, and Beijing. I literally stayed in each hostel for one night, and I think its enough to appreciate each city. In Shanghai, Ling, Jenn, Geraldine and I finally reunited after I missed my train at Beijing Zhan. I ended up buying a ticket for a train two days after because I wanted to spend more time with Thao and Steven, and it was a good choice (without considering that I paid 800 kuai for Ruan Wo), because on Ruan Wo, I had a private bathroom, a TV, comfortable beds, and my roommate was a really interesting French person. Also, Thao is like a breath of fresh air. I also got to walk through houhai while I was in Beijing, which is always memorable.
After I arrived in Shanghai, we went to the Yu Gardens, where we took lots of scenery pictures. I kept running to those rosewood fans mom wanted, only that they were really expensive on the wallet, so I didn't buy them. We went to an empty restaurant for lunch, where the fu wu yuan was kind of a cartoon character, nice but really not the typical waiter. Literally, we walked into the restaurant and all the fu wu yuan were asleep. It was probably because of the time. At our hostel, we met an English couple who recommended we'd go cycling in Hangzhou. When we went to Hangzhou the day after, we ended up meeting them a second time. Its surprising when you think you won't see people again, and you do. I think I should start taking down contact information.
When we went to Hangzhou, we went around the west lake. The west lake and Lei Feng Ta are so pretty at night. We got to see the sunset and catch up with what we've been doing with our lives.
I learned the word for ABCs (Hua Yi), zoning out (fa dai), and receipt (mai dan). I learned so many cheng yus in my program that I missed the basic words.
Nanjing was by far the best city on this trip! There are stores everywhere and the prices are reasonable. I actually bought more clothes in Nanjing in one day than this entire trip altogether. That's because their clothes are so much more western and affordable! I really wanted to visit the Nanjing Massacre Memorial. We spent 6 1/2 hours trying to get there, only to find out it is under construction. What the hell. (I got a pirated dvd of High School Musical 2 for 10 rmb right next to the Sunflower Youth Hostel, and the movie was just as good as the first!) Then we had bao zis at night (mine was hong dou and cai bao), and went to this Taiping Memorial site. It was so funny because the Taiping site has been modernized for tourists. There are Christmas lights on the gu lao building and green neon lights to make the plants more striking. There was a skit at the end of our tour where they had three bachelors about to get married to a Chinese women. The third bachelor ended up being a lao wai who didn't speak chinese and that's what made it funny. These bachelors were from the audience so no one knew what to expect but he was a good sport. I have it on my camera! I will upload it when I get my shou ti dian nao from Jiang Ma Ma. But there is so much of the city I haven't explored yet, so I plan to make a trip back there soon (especially cuz I missed Hu Nan Road and a river where alot of fish died, long story)
This morning I watched Hotel Rwanda. Good movie! Totally recommend it.
Jenn is leaving for Lyon in five hours, Geraldine is going back to the states, Ling and I are about to start our term in Peking University. That is insane. There are so many Peking Universities, just will different campus names. I hope I have more time to travel, but I hope I don't spend so much on transportation costs. My English grammar is so poor at this point, but I the benefits of the trip definitely exceed the cost. Its weird to go from Meiguo to Zhongguo, because food is so cheap. It's like winning the lottery. But I learned that if I don't keep count of how much money you spend, its easy to lose it all by making convenient choices instead of thinking alittle bit more about how I want to spend money.
Immediate Plans
1. Figure out how to get to campus.
2. Go to Xi zhi men to read books.
3. Buy a DVD player.
4. Get some more hong dou bao zis!
Songs from Jenn's Ipod (in random order)
1. Hong Dou- Wang Fay
2. Superstar- SHE
3. Wang Lee Hom- Kiss Goodbye, Hua Tian Cuo
4. Shan Hu Hai- Jay Chou
5. Xi Shua Shua (love this song)
Something random: People keep looking at us, like for extended periods of time! I've just decided to stare back. Jenn and I also have started talking about people openly on the train, we are more chinese by the day. Oh while we were on Yin Zuo to Nanjing, we talked to a teacher who looked really young, but she's only 22. She said that Americans look older because we eat KFC and McDonalds, so our diets affect the way we look. Besides Steven who eats kuai can food like everyday, that isn't true. But interesting view of Americans, because she said thats what her teacher told her.
Oh my hour is up. I am at a Wang Ba. I paid 2 kuai for an hour, as much as my Wa Ha Ha water bottle. I hope we're going to KTV tonight before Jenn leaves =D, I haven't heard Jenn, Ling, or Geraldine sing before.
After I arrived in Shanghai, we went to the Yu Gardens, where we took lots of scenery pictures. I kept running to those rosewood fans mom wanted, only that they were really expensive on the wallet, so I didn't buy them. We went to an empty restaurant for lunch, where the fu wu yuan was kind of a cartoon character, nice but really not the typical waiter. Literally, we walked into the restaurant and all the fu wu yuan were asleep. It was probably because of the time. At our hostel, we met an English couple who recommended we'd go cycling in Hangzhou. When we went to Hangzhou the day after, we ended up meeting them a second time. Its surprising when you think you won't see people again, and you do. I think I should start taking down contact information.
When we went to Hangzhou, we went around the west lake. The west lake and Lei Feng Ta are so pretty at night. We got to see the sunset and catch up with what we've been doing with our lives.
I learned the word for ABCs (Hua Yi), zoning out (fa dai), and receipt (mai dan). I learned so many cheng yus in my program that I missed the basic words.
Nanjing was by far the best city on this trip! There are stores everywhere and the prices are reasonable. I actually bought more clothes in Nanjing in one day than this entire trip altogether. That's because their clothes are so much more western and affordable! I really wanted to visit the Nanjing Massacre Memorial. We spent 6 1/2 hours trying to get there, only to find out it is under construction. What the hell. (I got a pirated dvd of High School Musical 2 for 10 rmb right next to the Sunflower Youth Hostel, and the movie was just as good as the first!) Then we had bao zis at night (mine was hong dou and cai bao), and went to this Taiping Memorial site. It was so funny because the Taiping site has been modernized for tourists. There are Christmas lights on the gu lao building and green neon lights to make the plants more striking. There was a skit at the end of our tour where they had three bachelors about to get married to a Chinese women. The third bachelor ended up being a lao wai who didn't speak chinese and that's what made it funny. These bachelors were from the audience so no one knew what to expect but he was a good sport. I have it on my camera! I will upload it when I get my shou ti dian nao from Jiang Ma Ma. But there is so much of the city I haven't explored yet, so I plan to make a trip back there soon (especially cuz I missed Hu Nan Road and a river where alot of fish died, long story)
This morning I watched Hotel Rwanda. Good movie! Totally recommend it.
Jenn is leaving for Lyon in five hours, Geraldine is going back to the states, Ling and I are about to start our term in Peking University. That is insane. There are so many Peking Universities, just will different campus names. I hope I have more time to travel, but I hope I don't spend so much on transportation costs. My English grammar is so poor at this point, but I the benefits of the trip definitely exceed the cost. Its weird to go from Meiguo to Zhongguo, because food is so cheap. It's like winning the lottery. But I learned that if I don't keep count of how much money you spend, its easy to lose it all by making convenient choices instead of thinking alittle bit more about how I want to spend money.
Immediate Plans
1. Figure out how to get to campus.
2. Go to Xi zhi men to read books.
3. Buy a DVD player.
4. Get some more hong dou bao zis!
Songs from Jenn's Ipod (in random order)
1. Hong Dou- Wang Fay
2. Superstar- SHE
3. Wang Lee Hom- Kiss Goodbye, Hua Tian Cuo
4. Shan Hu Hai- Jay Chou
5. Xi Shua Shua (love this song)
Something random: People keep looking at us, like for extended periods of time! I've just decided to stare back. Jenn and I also have started talking about people openly on the train, we are more chinese by the day. Oh while we were on Yin Zuo to Nanjing, we talked to a teacher who looked really young, but she's only 22. She said that Americans look older because we eat KFC and McDonalds, so our diets affect the way we look. Besides Steven who eats kuai can food like everyday, that isn't true. But interesting view of Americans, because she said thats what her teacher told her.
Oh my hour is up. I am at a Wang Ba. I paid 2 kuai for an hour, as much as my Wa Ha Ha water bottle. I hope we're going to KTV tonight before Jenn leaves =D, I haven't heard Jenn, Ling, or Geraldine sing before.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Nanjing - August 30th
We're finally in Nanjing! It's awesome! Our hostel is right in the middle of a business area so we went shopping all day and I found clothes I liked. These clothes look so western and I just went crazy buying $1-10 USD shirts. We sat on yin zuo seats for seven hours and my behind is still very sore from the experience. Not as bad as the overnight ride from Hangzhou to Beijing, but still yin zuo can get irritating very quickly. I can't get that Xi Shua Shua song out of my head. I listened to Jenn's Ipod today and learned to appreciate Wang Lee Hom's music, I think its called "Hua Tian Cuo", but you know I still like Jay Chou. I can't believe in three days we traveled through Shanghai, Hangzhou (to pick up luggage and experience the west lake where I pung dao Jiang Cong AND Zhang Fan), AND Nanjing. People at Penn are about to start school. Hahaha. I'm glad I will be here for another four months. I really enjoy learning more about China and I just need a longer break from the Wharton curriculum.
I like staying at new hostels everyday. There's something to appreciate about the fu wu and the location. Yesterday, at the West Lake Youth Hostel, they treated me like family. They were like, "You're back!" and we recounted memories on how my mom lost her passport and how my parents left me at Zhejiang University of Technology a month before. Last month I ordered the vegetable omelette, this month I ordered the chicken curry. I like Indian food. It tastes like my mom's ga li and is flavorful. I eat too much bread and Hong Dou. Hong Dou is also a really good song by Wang Fay. I can't get that song out of my head either.
Tomorrow we're going to the Ming Tombs and explore the historical sites of Nanjing (Nanjing Da Tu Sha Memorial). I have more to say about Shanghai and Hangzhou but I think my 5rmb/hour on blogger is over. So the next time I fu qian, I will write! Au revoir.
I like staying at new hostels everyday. There's something to appreciate about the fu wu and the location. Yesterday, at the West Lake Youth Hostel, they treated me like family. They were like, "You're back!" and we recounted memories on how my mom lost her passport and how my parents left me at Zhejiang University of Technology a month before. Last month I ordered the vegetable omelette, this month I ordered the chicken curry. I like Indian food. It tastes like my mom's ga li and is flavorful. I eat too much bread and Hong Dou. Hong Dou is also a really good song by Wang Fay. I can't get that song out of my head either.
Tomorrow we're going to the Ming Tombs and explore the historical sites of Nanjing (Nanjing Da Tu Sha Memorial). I have more to say about Shanghai and Hangzhou but I think my 5rmb/hour on blogger is over. So the next time I fu qian, I will write! Au revoir.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Lack of Better Titles- August 24th
Today is my last day at the Beijing Drum Youth Hostel at Jiu Guo Lao Da Jie at the Xicheng District of Beijing. Once in a while I think about Hangzhou, because they sell mantous and bao zis (still at 5 mao), but the difference is the conspicuous construction projects that go on around the city. The fourth line is about to be open next month, so I won't have any trouble getting to Beida or Beiwai. I'm going to make it at effort to memorize the lines on Er Huan because this will be my home for the next four months and if not now, I'll have to figure it out later. The weather is beautiful, its not humid, its warm and gan.
Yesterday we walked through Houhai. Again alot of Budweiser advertisements and I could tell the prices would be close to American. I think Beijing is really beautiful, granted that there are alot of tourists. You don't see Hei Zhong ren or that many bai zhong ren in Hangzhou, but once in a while you see them strolling along Beijing. Kind of diverse, and kind of lacking diversity. Lacking diversity in the sense that traveling through different provinces in China you see similar buildings, food, and culture. I took alot of scenery photos yesterday, but they are very gu lao. I also went to a Pirated DVD store and got rush hour 3 and the uncensored version of the Ex with Zach Braff. I need time to see it but my shou ti dian nao can only process audio and I can't watch DVDs. I need to buy a dvd player.
Yesterday I kept thinking all day that Taiwan is going to declare independence during the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Isn't that scary?
I hate people who smoke in my face.
Yesterday we walked through Houhai. Again alot of Budweiser advertisements and I could tell the prices would be close to American. I think Beijing is really beautiful, granted that there are alot of tourists. You don't see Hei Zhong ren or that many bai zhong ren in Hangzhou, but once in a while you see them strolling along Beijing. Kind of diverse, and kind of lacking diversity. Lacking diversity in the sense that traveling through different provinces in China you see similar buildings, food, and culture. I took alot of scenery photos yesterday, but they are very gu lao. I also went to a Pirated DVD store and got rush hour 3 and the uncensored version of the Ex with Zach Braff. I need time to see it but my shou ti dian nao can only process audio and I can't watch DVDs. I need to buy a dvd player.
Yesterday I kept thinking all day that Taiwan is going to declare independence during the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Isn't that scary?
I hate people who smoke in my face.
August 23
Last night I went to a Jiu Ba with Ling and Jenn. It was kind of surreal cuz I was just playing with my PDA and immediately when I looked up, there they were. I haven't seen them for more than a month and it felt like yesterday when we left for China. We danced, the music was ok, but I liked just chatting with them afterwards.
I realized that Beijing has alot of underpasses and they use more paper money than coins.
So today I went to CET Beijing and ate "Hua Hua X Jia" s food. I haven't had the chance to savor xi fang de cai (western food). Now that Siwen is asleep, I'm going to explore the city. I hope I don't get lost cuz I don't have a map, but today is the perfect day to understand the Beijing culture before my Friday trip to Shanghai. My roommates in my youth hostel are nice. One is from Nanjing, the other from Wenzhou, the other from Shanghai, one is from Tai Yuan (mei kuang / coal mine- actually she's from america but she worked there as a teacher), and they are really interesting. One came to Beijing to see her friend play in a band, the others are travelers.
I like Beijing, it looks really easy to navigate but I need to look for a map.
I miss Caoyin so much, XiaoHuangDi come to Beijing soon!
I realized that Beijing has alot of underpasses and they use more paper money than coins.
So today I went to CET Beijing and ate "Hua Hua X Jia" s food. I haven't had the chance to savor xi fang de cai (western food). Now that Siwen is asleep, I'm going to explore the city. I hope I don't get lost cuz I don't have a map, but today is the perfect day to understand the Beijing culture before my Friday trip to Shanghai. My roommates in my youth hostel are nice. One is from Nanjing, the other from Wenzhou, the other from Shanghai, one is from Tai Yuan (mei kuang / coal mine- actually she's from america but she worked there as a teacher), and they are really interesting. One came to Beijing to see her friend play in a band, the others are travelers.
I like Beijing, it looks really easy to navigate but I need to look for a map.
I miss Caoyin so much, XiaoHuangDi come to Beijing soon!
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
I can't sleep
Ok. So I reread my blog. God I write alot.
Something that I remember that bugs me about China.
1. Their view on Darfur. They think its a developing country problem, and they don't think of it as a genocide. They want America and the rest of the world to help Darfur develop, and they don't understand that slaughtering is going on.
2. How corrupt the government is and how they control the media. Dai Jie, a tong wu, told me that he didn't even know Tian An Men Square in the 90s occurred until he watched an American documentary. Because of the censorship of websites in China, some students don't even know this happened. And if they do know this happened, they don't know why it was wrong for the government to kill students. I think people are educated in this country but they are taught to memorize and they don't ask why it happens and infer why these actions are wrong. There are exceptions like Zhang Fan and Dai Jie. But very few.
3. The clear distinction between poverty and prosperous territory. Generally speaking, Hangzhou is prosperous. Just walk down Yan An Jie and you'll know the Bi Sa Bing (Pizza Hut) and the Xing Ba Ke (Starbucks) exorbitant prices are clearly alot higher than the Xue Xiao Hou Men's Xiao Chi (5 mao to 2 rmb per dish). That's because the rich pay off the government so that this kind of corruption can continue.
4. Did you know how many people died under the communist regime?
5. On a lighter note, How beauty is "cute".
Ever since I started speaking English after the language pledge, since most people are IR majors in this program, we just talked about the problems existant in this developing nation. Sorry for the China bash.
Random: I've grown to love dresses and I've bought alot. I can't wait to buy more!
Zhong wen zhuo zi would've been helpful had they taught us to order food the first week. I still can't order food. Sometimes I don't even know my dish is fried until it comes out.
Random Rant: Ri, I'm sorry for not talking to you. But you exacerbated the situation by calling me inconsiderate that how am I supposed to react? How can I talk to you if every word you say offends me? Please stop and let me go. THAT'S WHY I CAN'T SLEEP.
Something that I remember that bugs me about China.
1. Their view on Darfur. They think its a developing country problem, and they don't think of it as a genocide. They want America and the rest of the world to help Darfur develop, and they don't understand that slaughtering is going on.
2. How corrupt the government is and how they control the media. Dai Jie, a tong wu, told me that he didn't even know Tian An Men Square in the 90s occurred until he watched an American documentary. Because of the censorship of websites in China, some students don't even know this happened. And if they do know this happened, they don't know why it was wrong for the government to kill students. I think people are educated in this country but they are taught to memorize and they don't ask why it happens and infer why these actions are wrong. There are exceptions like Zhang Fan and Dai Jie. But very few.
3. The clear distinction between poverty and prosperous territory. Generally speaking, Hangzhou is prosperous. Just walk down Yan An Jie and you'll know the Bi Sa Bing (Pizza Hut) and the Xing Ba Ke (Starbucks) exorbitant prices are clearly alot higher than the Xue Xiao Hou Men's Xiao Chi (5 mao to 2 rmb per dish). That's because the rich pay off the government so that this kind of corruption can continue.
4. Did you know how many people died under the communist regime?
5. On a lighter note, How beauty is "cute".
Ever since I started speaking English after the language pledge, since most people are IR majors in this program, we just talked about the problems existant in this developing nation. Sorry for the China bash.
Random: I've grown to love dresses and I've bought alot. I can't wait to buy more!
Zhong wen zhuo zi would've been helpful had they taught us to order food the first week. I still can't order food. Sometimes I don't even know my dish is fried until it comes out.
Random Rant: Ri, I'm sorry for not talking to you. But you exacerbated the situation by calling me inconsiderate that how am I supposed to react? How can I talk to you if every word you say offends me? Please stop and let me go. THAT'S WHY I CAN'T SLEEP.
Tuesday August 21st
Headed off to Beijing in a couple of hours. Siwen went to sleep (not sure if its because of his narcolepsy or if its because he anticipates our 16 hour ride sitting down is going to be HELL). I think I'll sleep too. We're going to stay at a Youth Hostel for two days at Huohai in Beijing, in a mixed dorm, so I'm excited and nervous.
I'm going to miss Hangzhou. I visited most of the places with the exception of the Silk Museum and Zhejiang University (the campus three times as big). My legs are sore. With all of these blisters, eek! Jiang Cong and Xiao Zhu came today to say their good byes. They don't understand that I'm not coming back. LOL. They kept saying come visit next year or before they get married. I decided to take a few photos so they can be in my thoughts. After all, Xiao Zhu helped me do my homework (albeit the bubble tea most nights isn't exactly healthy but its mian fei) and Jiang Cong's convoluted life made hanging out in Caoyin's fangjian all the more memorable. I used to tell them we can make time. But its the expenditure and the fact that my future isn't in China. At least I'm 95% sure. So what if my dormitory looks like a crapshoot? It's been my home for a month.
Au revoir, Hangzhou!
I'm going to miss Hangzhou. I visited most of the places with the exception of the Silk Museum and Zhejiang University (the campus three times as big). My legs are sore. With all of these blisters, eek! Jiang Cong and Xiao Zhu came today to say their good byes. They don't understand that I'm not coming back. LOL. They kept saying come visit next year or before they get married. I decided to take a few photos so they can be in my thoughts. After all, Xiao Zhu helped me do my homework (albeit the bubble tea most nights isn't exactly healthy but its mian fei) and Jiang Cong's convoluted life made hanging out in Caoyin's fangjian all the more memorable. I used to tell them we can make time. But its the expenditure and the fact that my future isn't in China. At least I'm 95% sure. So what if my dormitory looks like a crapshoot? It's been my home for a month.
Au revoir, Hangzhou!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Monday August 20th
Yay!
Finals have been over since Friday. I'm still at 11th Lou at Zhejiang University of Technology this time living with Aya (who's leaving with Jonathan tomorrow afternoon), and its been so relaxing. I can officially say I'm on vacation. This morning I woke up to watch "Jia You Er Nu" ( a kid's show that I can understand 80% of the conversation) and then I hung out uploading pictures and walking to Xi hu. There are still a couple of people here (The Tang's, Aya, Jonathan,Siwen, and two tongwus,Shibingkun and lady friend) so the atmosphere is still very Xingbake Ru Ci. In fact, today I stopped by XingbaKe to get a Red Bean Frappaccino and a muffin. Cost me 50 RMB (5USD), still alot but I was in that kind of mood.
You know, finally I can listen to English music without the feeling of persecution, talk English while getting a foot massage, and get to know people. I love the language pledge because it was effective in establishing a sense of self confidence when speaking to other people and make talking in a different language a habit, but there are just certain topics that are harder to talk about in Chinese than English, and I'm glad I have the choice in which language I choose to speak now.
Tomorrow I'm going to Beijing and writing out part two of my crazy life. I think I got frustrated easily in this program and I might have to edit some entries, but I also think I'll be mildly entertained 5 years from now when I read it. I'm writing this for me, kind of for you, but more for me. The most scandalous thing I've done in Hangzhou, nothing. I don't drink after all. But one thing I wish I did was keep up with American news. I just found out yesterday that a bridge collapsed in America. I also saw pictures of my dance group at Dorney Park. I just realized oh my god, a month ago, I was in a hip hop dance group. I didn't forget, but I haven't seen them for a long time. It brought back a flood of memories.
I bought rosewood fans today. It smells like a Yue Nan house. I love it. I also got three umbrellas from Xi Hu, which reminds me of Ann's Dance that we did two years ago in VSA. I've been practicing it for a week and yep, its still in my noodle. I don't know what I'll do with that information, I just appreciate that I can recreate it during my free time.
Man tomorrow I'm leaving Hangzhou. Siwen and I bought tickets to the 10:58 PM one with HARD SEATS. 16 freakin hours of hard seats. That's basically the plane ride from Philly to Shanghai. The day after we're picking up Caoyin from the airport. Somewhere between Wednesday and Friday I will meet up with Jenn, Ling, and Geraldine. Wednesday night we should be going to a Jiu Ba with foreigners. Yay dance music that I'll recognize.
When I get to Beijing, I am going to learn Taijiquan. I've been completely inspired by MengXue. I'm also going to play Badminton and learn how to play better like those crazy teachers from the XiaoXue in Hangzhou. The Guzheng might be hard to purchase, so I don't know if I can really do it in Beijing. I dunno if I want to learn PingPong. I'm definitely going to focus on the fluency of speaking Chinese because I'm no longer on a language pledge and that's what I came here for. I'll also definitely learn some Chinese songs to sing at Nancy's wedding. Man its coming up fast. My sister's getting married!
I saw the Gaginang Conference. Go cousin Fong!
My hands are sleepy. I don't know why I feel so lethargic after finals. I mean I've already crashed and burned. I bought my dad a cd today. He's going to love it because I love it. Its a fusion of chinese instruments and a girl with a heavenly voice sings it. It gave me incessant chills when I listened to it at the store. Actually I've gotten multiple gifts for people. Nancy gets a qipao for her wedding and Judy gets a compass like 50 year calendar. Its amazing cuz you turn it to the month, the year, and the date, and it will tell you the day of the week it is. That way, you will always know what day it is.
Tomorrow I need to buy a luggage case because I have too much crap to bring to Beijing. Definitely a ma fan.
Twice today people asked me if I was a Hang Guo Ren. Do I look Korean? Is it the accent? Is it my lack of agressive bargaining nature when I'm lethargic?
I've been walking through the city for the past two weeks and I can recognize the difference between fa da and fa zhan. There are alot of concentrated prosperous places and alot of crap shoots in China. Like in America, they are much farther away, cuz the city and the suburbs are just that far. In China, you can walk to a really expensive place and two streets later, your mantou can be 5 mao (.5 RMB). I like hanging out on Ya Nan Road though. Reminds me of Shanghai and alot of shopping opportunities with reasonable prices. Hushu Road is cool too cuz I love XingBaKe and their western toilets. Crouching ones just smell bad and sometimes they don't have toilet paper.
The only places I haven't been are the silk museum and Zhejiang DaXue, the other college in Hangzhou that is three times as big. Do I regret anything about Hangzhou? I should've surrounded myself with more TV and took chances talking about something not in my norm. There is still alot I need to learn. OK I NEED MY SLEEP.
Finals have been over since Friday. I'm still at 11th Lou at Zhejiang University of Technology this time living with Aya (who's leaving with Jonathan tomorrow afternoon), and its been so relaxing. I can officially say I'm on vacation. This morning I woke up to watch "Jia You Er Nu" ( a kid's show that I can understand 80% of the conversation) and then I hung out uploading pictures and walking to Xi hu. There are still a couple of people here (The Tang's, Aya, Jonathan,Siwen, and two tongwus,Shibingkun and lady friend) so the atmosphere is still very Xingbake Ru Ci. In fact, today I stopped by XingbaKe to get a Red Bean Frappaccino and a muffin. Cost me 50 RMB (5USD), still alot but I was in that kind of mood.
You know, finally I can listen to English music without the feeling of persecution, talk English while getting a foot massage, and get to know people. I love the language pledge because it was effective in establishing a sense of self confidence when speaking to other people and make talking in a different language a habit, but there are just certain topics that are harder to talk about in Chinese than English, and I'm glad I have the choice in which language I choose to speak now.
Tomorrow I'm going to Beijing and writing out part two of my crazy life. I think I got frustrated easily in this program and I might have to edit some entries, but I also think I'll be mildly entertained 5 years from now when I read it. I'm writing this for me, kind of for you, but more for me. The most scandalous thing I've done in Hangzhou, nothing. I don't drink after all. But one thing I wish I did was keep up with American news. I just found out yesterday that a bridge collapsed in America. I also saw pictures of my dance group at Dorney Park. I just realized oh my god, a month ago, I was in a hip hop dance group. I didn't forget, but I haven't seen them for a long time. It brought back a flood of memories.
I bought rosewood fans today. It smells like a Yue Nan house. I love it. I also got three umbrellas from Xi Hu, which reminds me of Ann's Dance that we did two years ago in VSA. I've been practicing it for a week and yep, its still in my noodle. I don't know what I'll do with that information, I just appreciate that I can recreate it during my free time.
Man tomorrow I'm leaving Hangzhou. Siwen and I bought tickets to the 10:58 PM one with HARD SEATS. 16 freakin hours of hard seats. That's basically the plane ride from Philly to Shanghai. The day after we're picking up Caoyin from the airport. Somewhere between Wednesday and Friday I will meet up with Jenn, Ling, and Geraldine. Wednesday night we should be going to a Jiu Ba with foreigners. Yay dance music that I'll recognize.
When I get to Beijing, I am going to learn Taijiquan. I've been completely inspired by MengXue. I'm also going to play Badminton and learn how to play better like those crazy teachers from the XiaoXue in Hangzhou. The Guzheng might be hard to purchase, so I don't know if I can really do it in Beijing. I dunno if I want to learn PingPong. I'm definitely going to focus on the fluency of speaking Chinese because I'm no longer on a language pledge and that's what I came here for. I'll also definitely learn some Chinese songs to sing at Nancy's wedding. Man its coming up fast. My sister's getting married!
I saw the Gaginang Conference. Go cousin Fong!
My hands are sleepy. I don't know why I feel so lethargic after finals. I mean I've already crashed and burned. I bought my dad a cd today. He's going to love it because I love it. Its a fusion of chinese instruments and a girl with a heavenly voice sings it. It gave me incessant chills when I listened to it at the store. Actually I've gotten multiple gifts for people. Nancy gets a qipao for her wedding and Judy gets a compass like 50 year calendar. Its amazing cuz you turn it to the month, the year, and the date, and it will tell you the day of the week it is. That way, you will always know what day it is.
Tomorrow I need to buy a luggage case because I have too much crap to bring to Beijing. Definitely a ma fan.
Twice today people asked me if I was a Hang Guo Ren. Do I look Korean? Is it the accent? Is it my lack of agressive bargaining nature when I'm lethargic?
I've been walking through the city for the past two weeks and I can recognize the difference between fa da and fa zhan. There are alot of concentrated prosperous places and alot of crap shoots in China. Like in America, they are much farther away, cuz the city and the suburbs are just that far. In China, you can walk to a really expensive place and two streets later, your mantou can be 5 mao (.5 RMB). I like hanging out on Ya Nan Road though. Reminds me of Shanghai and alot of shopping opportunities with reasonable prices. Hushu Road is cool too cuz I love XingBaKe and their western toilets. Crouching ones just smell bad and sometimes they don't have toilet paper.
The only places I haven't been are the silk museum and Zhejiang DaXue, the other college in Hangzhou that is three times as big. Do I regret anything about Hangzhou? I should've surrounded myself with more TV and took chances talking about something not in my norm. There is still alot I need to learn. OK I NEED MY SLEEP.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Burnt Out
i've had a pretty awesome weekend after viewing Jay Chou's "Bu Neng Shuo De Mi Mi", Huo Guo (hot pot), KTV (loved all the songs), and buying more dresses and a pair of shoes. Today I feel cuoruo. I only have three more days but why an I just not in the mood? Tomorrow will be better, but tomorrow, I have a skit and a debate. This is so draining.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Fourth Week
I haven't been writing much since I've finally gotten used to Chinese culture. One day I just woke up and said, I get it. "If you can't beat em, join em" and its been happy go lucky since. We went to Wenzhou where we got to enjoy the beach scenery and Carribbean temperature. The highlight of my trip was doing a skit with Siwen and Caoyin. My baimawangzi and huangdi were so cute up there! It's all on CD, so you can watch it when I get back.
Let's see there were three consecutive birthdays this week. Meng Xue's birthday, I ended up staying at my su she to study for our weekly exam. Ye lian's shi you's birthday was next. We went to a chinese nightclub! Unfortunately all the songs were just trance, I didn't recognize songs. I love watching chinese people dance. They just nod their heads. But everyone in C ban was hot! Who knew they could dance after drinking alittle Haerbin. Haha. Rong wan's birthday was somewhat fuza because of alittle romance going on between tong wu's. Funny if you aren't involved in a love triangle.
I went to XichengGuangChang last week and rediscovered my love for DDR. Sure its not four directional buttons, there are 3. You also swing your hand at some point. Its relatively easier than US DDR, but these events always attract crowds. So I played and kicked ass. Yep.
I plan to watch Jay Chou's new movie. When did I realize I have an obsession for Jay Chou? I literally have his entire sticker collection. Who could blame me? It was less than an American dollar. It was really funny because the other day I was really mad at Xiao Zhu for breaking a promise, but I didn't say I was mad. When he invited me to watch a Jay Chou performance, I said I was busy. Then he bought me Zhen Zhu Nai Cha and asked me to forgive him. That has never happened before. I think Chinese people are very perceptive.
I found badminton courts. I played against Xiao Zhu, Si wen's tong wu, and Jiang Cong, Shi Bing Kun's tong wu. I can tell Xiao Zhu has alot less experience, but he learned how to smash after 30 minutes, so point wise he beat Jiang Cong. But Jiang Cong is definitely more skilled. We played and it was tons of fun. Then a couple of old geysers came in and showed us how to really play. Literally, they did clear shots with no opportunity to smash. I was really excited to see real Badminton players play Badminton.
I think I am falling in love with China day by day. Everyday I see reasons why the atmosphere is good for me. Sure its a little less convenient than America, but there's so much to learn about people and the culture. I think I'm becoming better at bargaining and you know what, I'm starting to wear Chinese clothes. Not the biggest thing, but my image is changing. Caoyin and I are going to Shanghai during the weekend. Its going to be fun!
I've gone to a massage parlor twice within the past two weeks. Its called an mo, and if you only want a foot massage, its zu yu. It costs 8 US dollars for 70 minutes. Oh my god it is just amazing!
This weekend we're going to KTV. I don't think most students in CET recognize the songs, but its ok. We'll read the words that we recognize and murmur the rest. Luckily I grew up in an environment with chinese music. I just love karaoke.
Ok I gotta purchase my train tickets to Shanghai and somehow fit in my guzheng lessons. Its gotten harder nowadays but I think its because the music is alot more traditional and I appreciate the modern songs.
Apparently I have some visa troubles back in the states. Don't deport me!
Let's see there were three consecutive birthdays this week. Meng Xue's birthday, I ended up staying at my su she to study for our weekly exam. Ye lian's shi you's birthday was next. We went to a chinese nightclub! Unfortunately all the songs were just trance, I didn't recognize songs. I love watching chinese people dance. They just nod their heads. But everyone in C ban was hot! Who knew they could dance after drinking alittle Haerbin. Haha. Rong wan's birthday was somewhat fuza because of alittle romance going on between tong wu's. Funny if you aren't involved in a love triangle.
I went to XichengGuangChang last week and rediscovered my love for DDR. Sure its not four directional buttons, there are 3. You also swing your hand at some point. Its relatively easier than US DDR, but these events always attract crowds. So I played and kicked ass. Yep.
I plan to watch Jay Chou's new movie. When did I realize I have an obsession for Jay Chou? I literally have his entire sticker collection. Who could blame me? It was less than an American dollar. It was really funny because the other day I was really mad at Xiao Zhu for breaking a promise, but I didn't say I was mad. When he invited me to watch a Jay Chou performance, I said I was busy. Then he bought me Zhen Zhu Nai Cha and asked me to forgive him. That has never happened before. I think Chinese people are very perceptive.
I found badminton courts. I played against Xiao Zhu, Si wen's tong wu, and Jiang Cong, Shi Bing Kun's tong wu. I can tell Xiao Zhu has alot less experience, but he learned how to smash after 30 minutes, so point wise he beat Jiang Cong. But Jiang Cong is definitely more skilled. We played and it was tons of fun. Then a couple of old geysers came in and showed us how to really play. Literally, they did clear shots with no opportunity to smash. I was really excited to see real Badminton players play Badminton.
I think I am falling in love with China day by day. Everyday I see reasons why the atmosphere is good for me. Sure its a little less convenient than America, but there's so much to learn about people and the culture. I think I'm becoming better at bargaining and you know what, I'm starting to wear Chinese clothes. Not the biggest thing, but my image is changing. Caoyin and I are going to Shanghai during the weekend. Its going to be fun!
I've gone to a massage parlor twice within the past two weeks. Its called an mo, and if you only want a foot massage, its zu yu. It costs 8 US dollars for 70 minutes. Oh my god it is just amazing!
This weekend we're going to KTV. I don't think most students in CET recognize the songs, but its ok. We'll read the words that we recognize and murmur the rest. Luckily I grew up in an environment with chinese music. I just love karaoke.
Ok I gotta purchase my train tickets to Shanghai and somehow fit in my guzheng lessons. Its gotten harder nowadays but I think its because the music is alot more traditional and I appreciate the modern songs.
Apparently I have some visa troubles back in the states. Don't deport me!
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