Ni hao, China!

I awoke at 0555 this morning. I am an early morning person, so this was not an issue. The issue is that China is 12 hours ahead of the United States in regards to the time zone. The sleep that I got was the equivalent to nap time at a daycare. Mind you that last night I was so giddy with excitement that I could hardly sleep. I explored the hotel on my own and was up all night blogging, sending text messages and contacting my friends and family back home.

Since I had starved the night before, I was eager for breakfast. The language barrier was an apparent one, as I could not communicate effectively. I handed my cashier my breakfast ticket and she smiled. She then preceded to hand me one of everything on the menu. I was confused as to what I was eating, so I declined most of it. However, she handed it to me anyway and I took it, not wanting to be rude. It is the same in the American South. When someone prepares food for you, you smile, take the plate to your seat and eat the food that was prepared for you. I smiled politely and accepted the plates. It appeared that this restaurant was a community one, as there were more consumers than the restaurant could accommodate. I saw professionals, elders and children alike, all paying their yuan and filling up on the early morning delectables. I soon came to understand why we were told to arrive early. The food often ran out and a hungry mob accumulated around the empty buffet line.

     

On my plate, I tried what appeared to be a meat pie, an egg McMuffin, broth with rice, an omelet, and fried mystery strips of something bathed in soy sauce. I then discovered that what I thought was an omelet wasn’t, although it tasted fantastic with the meat pie. The egg McMuffin look-a-like was not bad, just bland. The dry mysterious strips bathed in soy sauce were incredibly salty, hard and cold. I knew China wasn’t the spice capital of the world, but table salt, pepper, and garlic would have been nice. I also sampled a spoonful of the pumpkin and rice soup with one of soybean and tofu soup. The latter actually had flavor. I know you’re probably thinking that this sounds disgusting. Don’t knock it until you try it!

The hour had come when we were to leave and travel to Hénán. We digressed back to the airport to catch the bus where we had to queue. Although late, I was relieved when the bus had arrived. It was generously packed with people anxiously waiting to get to their destination. This was your normal bus ride. However, I was impressed by the flat screen television enlisted for our viewing pleasure. From what I could deduce, it was a rundown of the weekly music news, with segments on Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Taylor Lautner and Taylor Swift, and Justin Beiber and Selena Gomez. There also appeared to be some sort of countdown, with the E-girls, “One-two-three” at number two and SHINee, “Sherlock,” at number one. To my surprise, there was even a short segment on the late Whitney Houston, God rest her soul.

The bus ride was mostly a smooth one, as the driver drove us through Beijing. There was a lot of construction and a lot of city beautification projects occurring. It was interesting to see adults and elders with shovels in hand planting flowers, grass and trees. Seeing the amount of smog was interesting as well. The longer we rode the bus, the more interesting things seemed to be. There was a lot more industrialization and high rises with much variety and variability. Some were newer than others, but all constructed differently. Upon leaving the bus, we were met with a pack of rickshaw drivers who were mostly aggressive women who did not want to take “no” for an answer.

      

We wandered through the city in search of something which was later discovered to be The Angel Restaurant. The alimentary selection was again, different from what I am used to.  We were given fresh watermelon juice and tea to begin. There was a spicy celery dish and spicy chicken dish that I thoroughly enjoyed. Likewise, there was tofu and a variety of fungi. There was an abundance of food to begin with and more courses coming every so often. The food was enjoyable and we left immediately following the meal to travel to the next destination.

  

So far, in China, I have walked, flown, ridden the bus, and traveled by car. Soon to come would be the train. The walk to the train station was an experience in itself, as I quickly learned that pedestrians do not have the right-of-way as in America and many other countries. We were advised to keep our belongings close, as there were many people in the railway station. Traveling up and down many ramps and floors, the crowded station accommodated many. There were stores and restaurants of various types. I even saw a KFC and McDonald’s. As with Grand Central Station, there was much crowding, pushing and shoving. It would have been easy to get lost in the see of travelers. The train was just as crowded as the bus. Not a single seat was left empty. Once settled, I embarked on the slow, nearly seven hour journey to Hunan. It was the slowest train I have ever traveled by, as it moved 152 km/hr as we were transported from Beijingxi to Zhengzhou. There was a vendor service with an assortment of snacks. I did not have yuan, so I could not purchase any of the snacks. I was only able to salivate over what I could not have.

Seven or so hours later, we arrived at our destination. Hénán was an overcrowded city with the neon lights of Las Vegas and almost as crowded as New York City. We eventually found our newest temporary dwelling.We settled in our hotel, a local Academic Exchange Center nestled directly inside the city’s security gate in close proximity to shops, vendors and the institute in which we were to study.

 

This hotel was like the one for the night before, a stiff bed with clean sheets. Likewise, it had a Western toilet and a scenic view.

After hours of traveling today, I am tired and can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds.

-         Sneaka

The Great Firewall of China!

It is that time of year again when I embark on a journey to a foreign land. This year’s designated summer study abroad trip is to Beijing, China. I have been to Asia before, but I traveled to Korea and that was nearly ten years before today. Any who, regarding my travels, I am a step ahead of where I was last year in that I have actually done my homework. By this I mean that I have frequented the BBC’s website to keep abreast of the current happenings in the land that is China. Don’t get me wrong, I have absolutely nothing against CNN, ABC or NBC. I was born overseas and just prefer the BBC. Although I am an American, this is just my preference. I think of things globally, not just locally.

One goal of this blog is to educate both myself and others. Therefore, I feel compelled to offer a bit of education. In mentioning this, I will give a brief synopsis of the current events relevant to the geographical location in which I will be traveling:

In case Locked Up Abroad isn’t your Wednesday night break from the infectious disease that is reality television, I encourage you to watch an episode or two. Having mentioned this, as of 23 March 2012, China will end its current practice of extracting viable organs from executed prisoners. I cannot help but wonder what will happen to said viable organs now. I am pro-donation. After all, if you are not using your organs, why not give someone else a second, third, or fourth chance to live? After all, by this point in life you wouldn’t need your organs because you’d be dead. Why let them go to waste?

On a different note in a different tone, Chinese dissident and human rights activist Chen Guangcheng has been at the center of diplomatic relation issues. It all began when he escaped from house arrest and sought refuge in Beijing at the American embassy. What has surprised most people is how this 40-year-old self-taught blind lawyer not only escape house arrest, but has continued to campaign against forced pregnancy terminations and the sterilization of women under Chinese law. (In case you did not know, the policy in China is one child per family.) In applying to study abroad, there were hopes that tensions amid the United States and China would resolve and end a tense diplomatic stand-off. I do, however, find it interesting that Mr. Chen was offered a fellowship at NYU and his family will accompany him. Many are concerned that his actions have overshadowed those of the high-level international relations talks between China and the United States in Beijing. Say what you want, but at least someone is standing up for women’s’ rights.

As a Southerner, I feel that food is meant to be enjoyed and not analyzed. However, in this case, I am willing to make an exception. It has recently been discovered that Chinese vegetable sellers have sprayed cabbages with a formaldehyde solution. Formaldehyde is an excellent preservative, if you could call it that, and does its job of keeping the food fresh in transit. I understand that many farmers do not have the resources to refrigerate and properly store their produce. I cannot fault them for this. However, I am concerned that because cabbage is a staple in China, food safety and security are at stake.

There are many other occurrences and current events going on in China as well. I chose the three aforementioned topics because they were the most relevant to my personality, concerns and interests.

There were three flights to get to China. Raleigh/ Durham to Minneapolis, Minneapolis to Seattle and then Seattle to Beijing. They were two hours, three hours, and eleven hours in length, respectively. With Spark Charts in hand, I began my quick crash course in simplified Mandarin. I have a knack for the foreign languages. Unlike mathematics, I can actually grasp and comprehend foreign languages, as they make sense to me. The human brain works in mysterious ways, or so they tell me. From the first page of my fold-out, I have gathered the following:

        

         Hello             Thank you      You’re Welcome     Good Morning    Goodbye

We arrived in Beijing at 2200 on 10 May. We had left the United States at 1130 on 9 May. We lost an entire day. The airport was a rather large one. After disembarking the plane, I acted in true tourist fashion and snapped pictures of absolutely everything that I saw. We then arrived at the immigration station and the pictures had to end, as I saw a sign that said no photography. I then saw cameras everywhere and knew that if I had, I could have possibly been locked up abroad. Also, I’d gotten in cahoots last year with the Department of Homeland security in Mexico for taking pictures at the immigration station after I walked across the border. I knew that this time, the consequences would have been more serious. Passport in hand, I gave the agent my documents and was then free to go.

     

After collecting my bags, I was free to leave the airport. By this time it was nearly 2245 and I stepped outside and inhaled what I knew wouldn’t be fresh air. At 2300 it was incredibly smoggy, and a thick layer at that. I’d learned about the Chinese environment before in my Environmental Health and Safety course, but what I was taught could not have prepared me for what was to come. There were balls of something cotton-like floating in and falling from the sky. I had no idea what it was. However, all I knew is that I was taking it all in, literally. I figured that with all the smoking, smog and mysterious things falling from the sky, I would need to see a pulmonary specialist upon my arrival in the United States at the conclusion of the trip. I think my insurance carriers will cover that.

It was a short bus ride down to the hotel in which we would rest for the night, the Beijing Lihao Hotel. From the outside, it appeared to be a nice place convenient to the airport and close to the highway. It is the kind of place that you would stay if you had just come in from a long flight and just needed a place to stay, sort of like an EconoLodge. If you can’t stand to sleep on the floor, stay somewhere else. The beds are as hard and stiff as the floor, but nonetheless, something to sleep on.

      

Eager to get in contact with my friends and family, I discovered how to get on the internet, with what I deemed “the Great Firewall of China.” I had read that Facebook and other websites were blocked, but I thought the ban had been lifted. Silly me! I could not access my blog or my Facebook profile, but I was able to get access to my university’s e-mail system and an online text messaging system. At least I could communicate with everyone back home. I wonder what other interesting experiences I’ll have here.

-         Sneaka

Dictionaries at Dinner!

Today was the day that I left the United States to embark on my journey to Guatemala. I was more than excited about the things to come, as I had not been out of the country in five or so years.

I made sure that my bags were packed and that I still had enough room left in them to put the things that I intended to buy. As I am a female, I do not fully know the meaning of the expression, “Pack lightly.” Though my suitcase was overflowing with things that I both needed and things that I did not, I contemplated what my next move should have been. Peering on the floor, I noticed that I had four bags of medical supplies to take with me. In a small amount of distress, I bargained with my peers for space in their suitcases. Believe you me, had someone told me that I could have brought an extra suitcase with me on this trip, I would have done so!

After a hug and a kiss, Joseph, mi novio gave me a hug and a kiss as he escorted me to the security check point. After all, he was illegally parked, and was on the verge of having his car towed.

As I walked up to the security check point, I noticed that everyone was instructed to strip down to their shirts and pants while all jewelry and other metal items were removed. Once I looked on the floor, I noticed that everyone was taking off their shoes. I thought it was some sort of bad joke being played on me! I was confused as to why I had to take off my shoes. In an attempt to bargain with the security guard, he quickly alerted me that if I did not, that I would have to leave their air port and not fly to Guatemala. Needless to say, I had to “suck it up” and place my bare feet on the floor. Did this security guard not know that there are germs on the bottoms of people’s shoes? I am assuming that he was also unaware that many people do not keep their feet clean, and I would have to walk on the floor after them. I was disgusted, none the less, but ran through the check point and cleansed my feet before putting my shoes on. The worst was over, or so I had thought.

I walked over to the one of the restaurants and was at the counter purchasing food when I heard my name being called on the loudspeaker with a request to answer the airport’s courtesy phone. After answering, I realized that I had Joseph’s phone in my pocket, and he had no other way to retrieve it from me other than for me to go outside the airport and hand it to him. Being the fantastic person that I am, I agreed to walk outside an give him his phone. After doing so and turning around, I realized that I would have to go back through the security check point and take off my shoes again. All I could think was “Why me?”

To make a long story short, I had to go through the entire process again and the security people laughed because apparently there was a look of discomfort all over my face. Needless to say, I was NOT happy! My microbiology courses had scarred me. I knew the sorts of things that we on the underside of shoes.

By this time, I only had a few minutes to catch my flight, so I had to settle for 2 ounces of crackers and a bottle of water to satisfy my hunger. I was starving!

The plane ride to Atlanta was short. The plane ride to Guatemala City, however, was not! It was three and a half long hours, most of which I slept through. Sleep felt awesome because I had only had 1 hour of sleep within the days prior to this one. I will admit this: I was surprised at how many Latinos were on the plane. Then again, I had to consider exactly where I was going…

Our arrival in Guatemala was peaceful. The immigration office stamped my passport and I was on my way to retrieve my bags. All of the signs were in Spanish which was fantastic for me. However, not so much for my peers, as most of them did not speak any Spanish at all. A few students asked me to translate things, which I was more than happy to do. I’m pretty sure that they were 90% correct.

As we walked outside, we met our host organization for our stay in Guatemala. The staff was incredibly welcoming and made us feel right at home. It was an hour drive from Guatemala City to where we were going, so we conversed with the staff and they helped everyone with their Spanish, or lack of it, on the ride over. On a side note, I was excited to see that there was a Wal-Mart in Guatemala City. From that point on, I knew I would like it here! I also saw an abundance of McDonald’s restaurants and Domino’s Pizza restaurants. These were good signs. If all else fails and I can’t find a job in the United States after graduation, I do have experience as a delivery driver for Domino’s, and would be more than happy to transfer my skills here!

After an hour of transit, we arrived at our destination. What a beautiful city it was! There was so much history and rich culture. It was evident that there was a lot to learn here. We went on a walking tour of the city and marveled at it’s beauty. Everything was amazing, that is, until I LOST MY CAMERA!!! In a panicked frenzy, I frantically searched everywhere. Distressed at how careless I had been, I was more than happy once a friend found it on the bus. I would have given her a hug, but the bus was crammed and I am sure she did not want one. It was hotter outside than you could imagine.

The tour of the city ended, and it was time to meet our familias de acogida (host families). As we approached the door to the house, I did not know what to expect. From the outside, the house was gorgeous, but I was not sure who was going to answer the door. When it opened, a small lady with brown eyes peered out at me and was very warm and welcoming. She escorted us around her two-story, six bedroom house. It was better than something you would see on MTV’s Cribs. This was an actual home that people lived in versus one that people filled with rented things to be ostentatious.

She summoned us for dinner after we became settled in. My roommates and I all had our dictionaries in hand at the dinner table as we were at a loss for words. Our host mother laughed because she had never seen such a thing before. Now that I come to think about it, my family was a host family for exchange students, but our exchange students never carried a dictionary to the dinner table.

The conversation went well and I am proud to report that our host mother can actually understand my Spanish. She also said that she found it amusing that I would rather write her a note than actually let her suffer through my mispronunciations. Her husband also thought it was funny. They encouraged me to talk. They told me that I speak very well, but they would like for me to talk more. On another side not: in primary school, my teachers always told me parents that I talked to much. My parents agreed. Now in Guatemala, my host family thinks that I don’t eat or talk enough. (I find this hilarious because I talk and eat all the time when I am at home).

Exhausted and excited for the things to come, my roommates and I called it a night. We ended up going to bed about 8:30 pm and were satisfied with the events of the day!

- Sneaka

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Respectfully,

Sneaka