This is an essay I wrote for history about my trip to Yunnan a month ago. We were supposed to pick a focus, and write a travel essay about it. I'm not going to post the sources, because there are way too many, but I do have them.
7:30 AM on a dark Monday morning. The sun is still rising, not even letting us, 51 American students in the middle of Jinghong, get a clear view of the Chinese high school we are about to attend. The cold of the morning touches every bit of my body not covered, and sets to work trying to freeze my still damp hair. Our teacher (马老师) calls out students names in groups of 4-9 and corresponding classroom number, points to the general direction our classroom is in, and sends us on our way, free into the madness of a Chinese high school. Once my group arrives in classroom 130, most of the 12th grade Chinese students are already there, studying for their next class. (Their classes start at 8 in the morning, and sometimes don’t end until 9:45 at night.) There is an awkward, pregnant pause as we enter, 9 foreign faces amongst 16 Chinese ones. There is only 10 minutes to scope out the “other side”: their clothes, their mannerisms, and their speech. It is awkward, watching everyone else, and what they are doing, and seeing who has the courage to make contact first: the Chinese in their matching blue, white and red uniforms, or us, 9 half asleep Americans. Then it is time to stand up, greet the Physics teacher, and begin the first class of the day in Jinghong #1 City High School.
We were in a 理科 (science oriented) class, as opposed to a 文科 (humanities/liberal arts oriented.) The science track takes Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Math, Chinese and English class, while the humanities class takes Chinese, English, Politics, History, Geography and Math (both tracks require Chinese, English and Math). As soon as students start their high school education, they have to pick which track (science or liberal arts) to study, but they do not necessarily have to follow that same track once in college. Generally, there are more boys in the sciences track, and more girls in the humanities and liberal arts track, and this is definitely true in Jinghong.
Jinghong #1 City High-School (or 景洪市一中 in Mandarin) is the 3rd best high school in Jinghong, a city in the extreme Southern corner of Yunnan, the province in China’s extreme Southwest corner (so overall, this is the “deep South”). Yunnan is a diverse place, with at least 25 out of 55 Chinese ethnic minorities living inside its borders . Yunnan’s total population is approximately 42.88 million , with an ethnic population of over 14.33 million (about 34%). Its temperate, tropical climate (described as 4 seasons of Spring) makes it the perfect place to grow tobacco, sugar cane, and tea, which are an important part of Yunnan’s economy. Indeed, it is in the county of Xishuangbanna (西双版纳)-in the southern most corner of Yunnan- that the famous Puer tea is grown, harvested, and sold wholesale.
Jinghong, known as the political, economic and cultural center of the Xishuangbanna prefecture, is the home to 10-13 ethnic minorities , and approximately 380,000 people . It borders the West bank of the Mekong River, just north of Myanmar and Laos. A very laid back place, Jinghong’s streets are lined with palm trees and plants, and it seems like every side walk in the whole city is under construction, by workers who are either taking a smoke break, or asleep by their wheel barrows. Down every street and alley way, there is a Thai man screaming at you to come look at his “real” jade bracelets, or someone inviting you into their shop to look at wood carvings of elephants and dragons.
While this is all new and strange for a foreigner living in China (especially one who lives in Beijing, Jinghong’s polar opposite) it is home (and therefore normal) for the school kids here, and they are quite unlike any other Chinese kids I have ever met (at least, the ones I have met in Beijing). Most of the high school kids we are with in Beijing are very school/study oriented, and have almost no time for anything else. Here in Jinghong, the opposite is true; this isn’t to say that kids in Jinghong don’t study or value school, but in Jinghong, they have a much more relaxed attitude about the Gaokao, which is the high school exit exam and College entrance exam. Most of them have accepted that they will not score high enough on the Gaokao to go to a really competitive school (such as Beida or Qinghua), so they use their time to enjoy their beautiful city.
The Gaokao (高考 in Chinese) is often likened to the SAT, but only because both tests are both required for college applications. That is about where the similarities end. As one journalist put it “ {The Gaokao is} China’s SAT, if the SAT lasted two days, covered everything you’d ever studied, and decided your future.” It’s an examination aimed at testing how much you can remember, and how well you test. When taking the Gaokao, every student is required to take a foreign language – normally English - (no speaking, just listening and writing), Chinese, and math. Students can then pick up to 3 other tests (at least one is required) to take, depending on what they feel strongest in. In China, every school kid begins to prepare for this test in the beginning of his or her high school career (although you could go as far as to say they start in junior high, as that is the basis for much of the information kids are tested on). Every school’s curriculum is aimed at preparing their students to take the Gaokao. Parents in the country side will send their children to better schools in a city for junior high and high school education, so that they will test better on the Gaokao.
罗优莎, or Rosa as she told me to call her, is one of these children. Her family is originally from a small Lahu ethnic minority village about 6 hours out of Jinghong, and her parents are still there (she has no siblings). She lives with her aunt (her dad’s older sister) an easy 2-kilometer walk from her school. Every day during the lunch break, she would walk home, eat lunch, take a nap, and then walk back to school to start class. A girl of about 5’7”, with a round face always ready with a smile, she was happy to talk to me, the foreigner who could barely manage tones in Chinese. She answered every one of my monotonous and boring questions as honestly as she could, especially the ones regarding the dreaded Gaokao (which students can only take once a year, adding to the already intense pressure.) When asked about her initial views of the Gaokao, she immediately said that it was fair and just. This was the exact opposite of the response I expected to get from her, as the Gaokao is extremely tough, and is biased towards certain students in special situations.
The Gaokao’s intensity has roots stretching far back into the past. Many scholars assert that the Gaokao is the modern version of the Chinese Civil Service Exam, which was in place for thousands of years (although it ended in 1905 just before the overthrow of the Qing dynasty.) The Civil Service Exam was a test that people had to pass to become a scholar or part of China’s gentry. It was based on Confucian teachings and values, requiring at least 10 years of study, and forced memorization of many Confucian classics, and long-winded poems (which would later have to be referenced in the test.) The score on the Civil Service Exam also determined what job in government a person would receive, as the test was a test of how well a person could govern. But it was not easy to do well on these exams. In fact, during the Tang Dynasty, the pass rate was only 2%. Candidates would be locked into an examination room with a bed, a desk, a chair, and the test, and not let out until they were done (which sometimes was not for 2 or 3 days.) This drove many of the candidates to death and insanity.
Although the Gaokao is obviously a big change from the Civil Service Exam, there are still many elements that were left over from the Civil Service Exam that the Gaokao still has. For example, the Gaokao is still a test based on memorization: the memorization of everything a student has learned since the beginning of high school (instead of Confucian classics.) Hence much of what is learned in high school is aimed at teaching students just for the test, not to prepare them for the real world. It is a major test at the end of the year, lasting for 3 days, all day long. Even the purpose is still the same: the score you get on the Gaokao determines what college you get into, just like how the score on the Civil Service Exam determined what sort of job a person would get in government.
Yet unlike the Civil Service Exam, many of the strategies implemented in trying to make the Gaokao unbiased in fact accomplish the exact opposite. For example, if the student taking it belongs to an ethnic minority (and they indicate that on the test) they automatically get 100 points added to their test (each test is graded out of 900 points ). This is in an effort to bridge the gap between minority and majority ethnic groups. But to Han people, who don’t get extra points, this is seen as unfair. There is also another, less advertised bias. If the student taking the Gaokao lives in Beijing (for example) and applies to Beijing University, then their required score to get into that university (one of the best in China) is far less (almost 100 points less) then it would be if a student from Yunnan, for example, applied to the same school. This is simply because that student from Beijing already lives in Beijing, and wants to go to college there. The flipside would also be true for a Yunnan and Beijing student applying to school in Yunnan (the student from Yunnan would be given preference –therefore a lower required score.)
I asked Rosa, my friend from Jinghong, why, considering all these things, she still thought the Gaokao was fair. The only answer I got from her was that in the end, it tested how well a student could test, and how much material that student could memorize (which she believed directly correlates to how smart a person is, and indeed is the main point of the Gaokao.)
Still confused, I turned to her classmate 刘茜 (Liu Qian), who quickly became my best friend. Liu Qian was a Dai ethnic minority student, living in Jinghong with her parents. Because her favorite class is math, she chose the science track in school, and excelled. Telling me that she wants to move to Chongqing and become a doctor, she’s nervous for the Gaokao, and anxious to get a good score. It didn’t help that she didn’t think she would do well, and was not ignorant of the fact that if she wanted to go to a good school, she would have to score much better then students receiving a better education than her (like students in Beijing, or Shanghai). She too believes that the Gaokao is a fair, and an impersonal judge of a person’s ability to succeed. She said she didn’t necessarily want to score high enough to go to school in Beijing, she just wanted to be able to go to her #1 school, which was in Chong Qing. They way she said it made it seem like this was her back up school, because she knew she couldn’t test well enough to get into a Beijing university.
As the day (and our trip) wound to an end in the tropical city of Jinghong, I realized just how much the Gaokao was a part of Chinese high schools students’ lives. Every night, when I went with my friends, they would always say that they could have fun, but later, they would be going home to study. Amidst the palm trees and jade shops was a struggle by students to further themselves in life, and to beat the system of tests that they are bound to. And as I walked out of the paved, palm tree lined way of the school, I couldn’t help but be thankful that the dreaded Gaokao would never be part of my life.
As a side note, I only got a B+ on this essay. 不好意思 I thought I did better then that. :(
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Walk Till You Drop
Today started out not looking too bright. I had to go meet the rest of my class at the Military Museum (军事博物馆) as a class field trip because we are reading the Red Sorghum right now. That is, in case you haven't read it, an extremely gory book that follows the accounts of one boy through the War of Resistance against Japan. Some of the stuff you read in this book actually makes me nauseous.
We went to see the exhibit for the Wars against Japan, but, of course, it was closed. Considering the planning, I am actually not at all surprised. We all thought it was extremely ironic, and no one could help but laugh when we realized that it was closed. I stayed my obligated hour, and looked around at the impressive display of old Communist weapons and statues, before my stomach got the best of me, and I encouraged the rest of my group that we should leave to go find something to eat.
We decided to head in the direction of the Animal Market, which is an amazing market selling all kinds of animals. A friend of ours, Warren, had gone a couple days ago, claiming it was pretty cool, so Jamie, Julia, George, Stephanie and I decided that we should check it out for ourselves, just to make sure. We found it after a short walk from the subway station, and started looking around. From the road, it just looks like a short section of a couple of shops, but in actuality stretches through the equivalent of 2 city blocks of hutongs. It's incredible.
The whole front section sold puppies and kittens and some fish. We saw a fight over something (by the puppy section) but none of us dared to summon up the courage to ask what. So we just kept walking. There were tubs on the ground filled with fish and lots of turtles, and tiny cages containing kittens and rabbits. Sometimes we came across someone with 2 puppies sticking out of their shirt, or a kitten cradled in their arms, but more often then not, these animals were contained in their cages, frightened half to death. It was pretty sad to see.
There were all sorts of fish, every kind you can think of, and a turtle that was probably as big as my leg, and much hornier (and not in the sexual way.) We saw a couple tubs full of maggots, which was absolutely disgusting. There were albino frogs (at least, it looked that way to me) and rabbits everywhere. It really was amazing. The pictures I take don't do it justice. When we got to the end of the labyrinth of hutongs, there was a small place with a lot of snack places, but none of us wanted to eat there, as we feared 拉肚子 (or spicy stomach... interpret that as you will.)
We were all getting hungry, and I could feel the affects hitting me (I was getting irritable, blunt, edgy, and tired. All clear signs I needed to eat, NOW.) We found a small place to grab some noodles (the hole in the wall places always have the best noodles) and Julia went out to try to find a Bank of China, because she was out of money. George left soon to go to some boarding school thing, and Stephanie, Jamie and I finished our noodles not much longer.
We met up with Julia, and as we were deciding what to do, Stephanie and I left to go look at dvds (I am a total dvd junkie. It is a problem) and left Jamie and Julia to decide what to do. I bought "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (it was 73 cents) and as soon as Julia and Jamie found us, we decided to go back to school to grab a little more food, go to a bank, and possibly get our hair cut.
That turned out to be one of our worse ideas. I got a jian bing and then dragged Stephanie with me to yet another dvd store, while Jamie pulled out his guide book. The guy that owns the dvd store and I are fighting, though. He won't let me buy just one movie out of a set (like, just one harry potter instead of all of them.) It is a problem. I have given that guy so much money, he should be able to make an exception for me. (For example, I bought one movie for 7 kuai, and Stephanie walked out of their with lots of dvds, and 84 kuai lighter. See what I mean?)
When we met up with Julia and Jamie again, they still hadn't decided, so I made an executive decision, and we decided to go to the zoo. We met Annie on the bridge as we were walking to the bus stop, and as she had locked herself out of her house, she decided to come with us. The more the merrier.
The bus ride was long, and crowded, but we got there, and paid an exorbitant 60 kuai ($8.77) to get a ticket. We can get it reimbursed though. I was on a mission to see the Giant Pandas, and made a beeline for them. Annie, Stephanie and I actually ended up going off on our own and losing Jamie and Julia. Oops.
We wandered off, looking at Pandas, lions, tigers, monkeys, bears. It is a very big zoo, and we covered as much as we could, before we wandered into the aquarium, where Annie and I both realized our shared connection of deeply wanting to be marine biologists. The aquarium was amazing. We spent 2 hours walking around, looking at the huge tanks, some holding fish that were easily twice my size. We lost and found Stephanie a couple of times, and at 5, 2 hours after we had gotten there, made a quick pass by the dolphin tank before racing to try to find the hippos and rhinos. Unfortunately, they were just closing, so we will have to go back later. Damn.
We conveniently met up with Jamie and Julia not too long after this, and it was obvious that we were all exhausted, after walking all day, and no breaks. Annie and I secretly admitted that our feet were killing us, and indeed, I felt like cutting my legs off at the ankles. Jamie and Julia (who I may start referring to as JJ, as that is easier to type. Haven't decided yet) took off in one direction for an exit, and Annie, Stephanie and I went to a another one. As soon as we found where we were, we just decided to take a bus back, which may have been a silly idea. We were all so tired, and our feet hurt (although Annie got a seat, and then Stephanie sat on her lap) the bus was extremely crowded, and hot. I think I may have gotten way over heated and dehydrated by the end of the day, as my head was killing me.
I got home just in time for dinner with my dad and sister, and then took a shower and got in bed to watch Benjamin Button, which, while being an excellent movie, may have been one of the saddest I have ever seen. I have started talking to my family more during dinner, which is good. I can actually have a conversation with my dad now, and I think he likes that. I know I do. My sister speak more Chinese to me now, instead of Chinglish. I think she just does that now because it is a habit. She is so funny.
I am so tired right now, and my feet are still killing me, of course. Goodnight all!
We went to see the exhibit for the Wars against Japan, but, of course, it was closed. Considering the planning, I am actually not at all surprised. We all thought it was extremely ironic, and no one could help but laugh when we realized that it was closed. I stayed my obligated hour, and looked around at the impressive display of old Communist weapons and statues, before my stomach got the best of me, and I encouraged the rest of my group that we should leave to go find something to eat.
We decided to head in the direction of the Animal Market, which is an amazing market selling all kinds of animals. A friend of ours, Warren, had gone a couple days ago, claiming it was pretty cool, so Jamie, Julia, George, Stephanie and I decided that we should check it out for ourselves, just to make sure. We found it after a short walk from the subway station, and started looking around. From the road, it just looks like a short section of a couple of shops, but in actuality stretches through the equivalent of 2 city blocks of hutongs. It's incredible.
The whole front section sold puppies and kittens and some fish. We saw a fight over something (by the puppy section) but none of us dared to summon up the courage to ask what. So we just kept walking. There were tubs on the ground filled with fish and lots of turtles, and tiny cages containing kittens and rabbits. Sometimes we came across someone with 2 puppies sticking out of their shirt, or a kitten cradled in their arms, but more often then not, these animals were contained in their cages, frightened half to death. It was pretty sad to see.
There were all sorts of fish, every kind you can think of, and a turtle that was probably as big as my leg, and much hornier (and not in the sexual way.) We saw a couple tubs full of maggots, which was absolutely disgusting. There were albino frogs (at least, it looked that way to me) and rabbits everywhere. It really was amazing. The pictures I take don't do it justice. When we got to the end of the labyrinth of hutongs, there was a small place with a lot of snack places, but none of us wanted to eat there, as we feared 拉肚子 (or spicy stomach... interpret that as you will.)
We were all getting hungry, and I could feel the affects hitting me (I was getting irritable, blunt, edgy, and tired. All clear signs I needed to eat, NOW.) We found a small place to grab some noodles (the hole in the wall places always have the best noodles) and Julia went out to try to find a Bank of China, because she was out of money. George left soon to go to some boarding school thing, and Stephanie, Jamie and I finished our noodles not much longer.
We met up with Julia, and as we were deciding what to do, Stephanie and I left to go look at dvds (I am a total dvd junkie. It is a problem) and left Jamie and Julia to decide what to do. I bought "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (it was 73 cents) and as soon as Julia and Jamie found us, we decided to go back to school to grab a little more food, go to a bank, and possibly get our hair cut.
That turned out to be one of our worse ideas. I got a jian bing and then dragged Stephanie with me to yet another dvd store, while Jamie pulled out his guide book. The guy that owns the dvd store and I are fighting, though. He won't let me buy just one movie out of a set (like, just one harry potter instead of all of them.) It is a problem. I have given that guy so much money, he should be able to make an exception for me. (For example, I bought one movie for 7 kuai, and Stephanie walked out of their with lots of dvds, and 84 kuai lighter. See what I mean?)
When we met up with Julia and Jamie again, they still hadn't decided, so I made an executive decision, and we decided to go to the zoo. We met Annie on the bridge as we were walking to the bus stop, and as she had locked herself out of her house, she decided to come with us. The more the merrier.
The bus ride was long, and crowded, but we got there, and paid an exorbitant 60 kuai ($8.77) to get a ticket. We can get it reimbursed though. I was on a mission to see the Giant Pandas, and made a beeline for them. Annie, Stephanie and I actually ended up going off on our own and losing Jamie and Julia. Oops.
We wandered off, looking at Pandas, lions, tigers, monkeys, bears. It is a very big zoo, and we covered as much as we could, before we wandered into the aquarium, where Annie and I both realized our shared connection of deeply wanting to be marine biologists. The aquarium was amazing. We spent 2 hours walking around, looking at the huge tanks, some holding fish that were easily twice my size. We lost and found Stephanie a couple of times, and at 5, 2 hours after we had gotten there, made a quick pass by the dolphin tank before racing to try to find the hippos and rhinos. Unfortunately, they were just closing, so we will have to go back later. Damn.
We conveniently met up with Jamie and Julia not too long after this, and it was obvious that we were all exhausted, after walking all day, and no breaks. Annie and I secretly admitted that our feet were killing us, and indeed, I felt like cutting my legs off at the ankles. Jamie and Julia (who I may start referring to as JJ, as that is easier to type. Haven't decided yet) took off in one direction for an exit, and Annie, Stephanie and I went to a another one. As soon as we found where we were, we just decided to take a bus back, which may have been a silly idea. We were all so tired, and our feet hurt (although Annie got a seat, and then Stephanie sat on her lap) the bus was extremely crowded, and hot. I think I may have gotten way over heated and dehydrated by the end of the day, as my head was killing me.
I got home just in time for dinner with my dad and sister, and then took a shower and got in bed to watch Benjamin Button, which, while being an excellent movie, may have been one of the saddest I have ever seen. I have started talking to my family more during dinner, which is good. I can actually have a conversation with my dad now, and I think he likes that. I know I do. My sister speak more Chinese to me now, instead of Chinglish. I think she just does that now because it is a habit. She is so funny.
I am so tired right now, and my feet are still killing me, of course. Goodnight all!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Are You A Kung Fu Master?
Packing time. Our trip on Saturday is looming, and I still haven't packed. But you know how it is when you have to do something: you just keep putting it off, and off, and off. Today was kind of like that. Except at about 4, I found something better than watching Ocean's Eleven to distract me.
I talked to Chris, and we came up with the idea of going to see Chinese Martial Arts. After securing Julia and Elle to come with us, we checked ticket prices, and decided to meet at Taiping Jiaozi guanr (太平饺子馆儿) for dinner. It's just a small, almost hole in a wall restaurant close to school that a lot of people go to for meals. I met Chris there, and Julia and Elle were on their way (meaning they came half an hour later.)
We took a taxi to the theatre, because we only knew the name, not where it was. As it turns out, when we got there, the tickets we wanted were 380 RMB, not 300, but there was a 30% discount if you had your student ID. Me, Elle, and Chris had ours, so we got our tickets for cheaper. Julia didn't, but it didn't matter. The math hurt our heads, so we all just paid 300. It worked out, somehow.
After a quick trip to the convenience store next to the theatre (to buy drinks, cookies, and banana chips) we went inside to get our seats. It was a pretty impressive theatre, and jut about all the seats were good seats (but our were really good.)
I talked to Chris, and we came up with the idea of going to see Chinese Martial Arts. After securing Julia and Elle to come with us, we checked ticket prices, and decided to meet at Taiping Jiaozi guanr (太平饺子馆儿) for dinner. It's just a small, almost hole in a wall restaurant close to school that a lot of people go to for meals. I met Chris there, and Julia and Elle were on their way (meaning they came half an hour later.)
We took a taxi to the theatre, because we only knew the name, not where it was. As it turns out, when we got there, the tickets we wanted were 380 RMB, not 300, but there was a 30% discount if you had your student ID. Me, Elle, and Chris had ours, so we got our tickets for cheaper. Julia didn't, but it didn't matter. The math hurt our heads, so we all just paid 300. It worked out, somehow.
After a quick trip to the convenience store next to the theatre (to buy drinks, cookies, and banana chips) we went inside to get our seats. It was a pretty impressive theatre, and jut about all the seats were good seats (but our were really good.)
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
人山人海 (People Mountains People Seas)
Today is now the 2nd day of the Chinese New Year. It goes all week long, counting from 1 to 5, and for this whole time, fireworks and firecrackers continue to go off, but with decreasing intensity (which is a relief) as the city slowly runs out of things that go boom. There are still a few good, startling bangs every once in a while, when you think that a building is falling down or something, but they are just less and less frequent.
Today, Chris came over for lunch. My family is really funny when Chris comes over, because I am pretty sure that they just don't know what to do. They tell us to sit down in the living room, and eat, and then just leave. It's a little awkward. But lunch is always good, and the conversation is good.
After lunch, I was dying to get out of the house. I was going stir crazy. This week, there are these things going on called Temple Fairs. I don't know why they are called Temple, because they are in parks and temples. Basically, they are just huge fairs, which an amazing amount of people, with small little things to buy (food, drink, toys.) It's incredible. It only happens once a year, so I really wanted to go see it, because we don't have this kind of thing in America. Chris had already gone to one with his family, but my family doesn't go, and he didn't mind going again, so off we went.
We went to Ditan park, which was the closest Temple Fair to my house. Even when we first got out of the taxi, there were people everywhere. Getting across the bridge was a struggle to cut through the crowds. Everywhere you looked, there was just a sea of black heads: there were so many people you couldn't even see their bodies. We bought tickets, and as we walked closer to the actual fair, people got more and more dense. That term (the title) People Mountain People Sea (meaning a lot of people) is really the only way to describe it.
There were times when there were so many people around, it felt like I was in a mosh pit for a rock concert. The only way to get through it was to grab your friends hand, and just start pushing along with everyone else. Trying to get to a stall was crazy, because there were people everywhere. I pushed my way through, and bought a small New Years red Cow, and a purple lantern, which is rather pretty. Chris and I made our way to the carnival section of the Temple Fair, and he won me a snugglable panda named Pete. I named the cow Jenny.
The biggest draw of the Temple Fairs is the people. So after seeing that (and feeling it) for about 2 hours, we called it a day, and went off to our respective grandma's house, as it is still New Years. I can't even do this Temple Fair justice, but just wait until I show you pictures.
Today, Chris came over for lunch. My family is really funny when Chris comes over, because I am pretty sure that they just don't know what to do. They tell us to sit down in the living room, and eat, and then just leave. It's a little awkward. But lunch is always good, and the conversation is good.
After lunch, I was dying to get out of the house. I was going stir crazy. This week, there are these things going on called Temple Fairs. I don't know why they are called Temple, because they are in parks and temples. Basically, they are just huge fairs, which an amazing amount of people, with small little things to buy (food, drink, toys.) It's incredible. It only happens once a year, so I really wanted to go see it, because we don't have this kind of thing in America. Chris had already gone to one with his family, but my family doesn't go, and he didn't mind going again, so off we went.
We went to Ditan park, which was the closest Temple Fair to my house. Even when we first got out of the taxi, there were people everywhere. Getting across the bridge was a struggle to cut through the crowds. Everywhere you looked, there was just a sea of black heads: there were so many people you couldn't even see their bodies. We bought tickets, and as we walked closer to the actual fair, people got more and more dense. That term (the title) People Mountain People Sea (meaning a lot of people) is really the only way to describe it.
There were times when there were so many people around, it felt like I was in a mosh pit for a rock concert. The only way to get through it was to grab your friends hand, and just start pushing along with everyone else. Trying to get to a stall was crazy, because there were people everywhere. I pushed my way through, and bought a small New Years red Cow, and a purple lantern, which is rather pretty. Chris and I made our way to the carnival section of the Temple Fair, and he won me a snugglable panda named Pete. I named the cow Jenny.
The biggest draw of the Temple Fairs is the people. So after seeing that (and feeling it) for about 2 hours, we called it a day, and went off to our respective grandma's house, as it is still New Years. I can't even do this Temple Fair justice, but just wait until I show you pictures.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Fireworks, Fireworks, and More Fireworks
春节, or Chinese New Year. You can have any idea of this that you want, but unless you have actually experienced the New Year in China, then you don't have an idea of it. Aside from the Lantern Festival that happens later on next month, it is probably the biggest, most celebrated holiday. It would not be an underestimation to say that the whole city gets involved, and that at midnight, the whole city celebrates.
Today, it was family day, so to speak. We all had to stay up until 12, because it was New Years. Yesterday, we drove around and dropped off presents for all of the family members, and bought fireworks, and firecrackers, and lots of them. There are stalls everywhere around the city, bursting at the seams with fireworks. These things would never be allowed in America. It's funny, my sister demands that we all have to go buy fireworks, but she is scared of them. Sparklers it is.
My grandparents came over for dinner. New Years is a big family thing, and there are a bunch of tradtions that I am not used to. As it started to get darker, the fireworks started to increase, and the firecrackers got more intense. The huge bangs that shook the city set car alarms off, which only added to the chaos of noise that is Chinese New Years. I sat the window for at least a half an hour, just watching the fireworks (and listening to the firecrackers) that were being set off across the city. They were everywhere, as far as the ey could see. The only way to really describe it is that the city was celebrating.
I tried to stay up with my family, but they were just watching a New Years program on tv, and when you are tired, it is not the best idea to watch tv (that you can't understand) while on a very comfy couch. I kept going back to my room, until I finally just crashed on my bed and took a short nap. My mom and my sister woke up up at ten to twelve, and we went downstairs to watch the fireworks. I realized when I walked out of my room that I missed the making jiao zi thing, which everyone does. You are supposed to eat jiao zi (dumplings) at midnight, for good luck I think. I never actually got a straight answer.
Getting downstairs, when it was midnight, is something that I can't even describe properly. It was a frenzy, to see just how many fireworks could be set off in the shortest amount of time. The sky basically exploded. All over the road, fireworks were being set off, in a close proximity to each other. I am surprised that no one was killed from a firework going off in their face. Cars would weave in and out when the fireworks were done, only adding to the chaos.
Sometimes, you could have believed it was the middle of the day instead of the middle of the night, there were so many fireworks. The noise was incredible, as everything that could be lit was lit. People were standing around, watching and celebrating. There were fireworks bouncing off of buildings (doesn't seem like too smart of an idea to me) and at one point, fireworks that backfired all over the parking lot. One big flaming hunk fell on a bush and set it on fire, but people just ran over with blankets, beat it out, and kept setting fireworks like it wasn't a problem. Ambulances and fire trucks were circling around, waiting to pick up someone, or put a fire out. It was ridiculous.
The celebrations lasted at least an hour and a half, and easily hundreds of thousands of fireworks were set off. I didn't even know that many fireworks could be made, much less set off. My family and I went back upstairs at about 12:30 to watch fireworks from a better angle, and to eat jiao zi (饺子). In usual Chinese tradition, kept telling me to eat more and more until I was stuffed. I was wired, by this point, and stayed up until at least 2, watching fireworks and movies. My family went to bed, but after a celebration like that, how could I?
It really was amazing. I have never seen anything like it, and unless I keep coming back for Chinese New Year, I doubt I ever will. All the fireworks that had been set off just got left in the street for someone else to pick up, and walking through, it is staggering how many empty, massive boxes there were. This has not done this festival justice at all, but I gave it a go. Happy New Years, everyone!
Today, it was family day, so to speak. We all had to stay up until 12, because it was New Years. Yesterday, we drove around and dropped off presents for all of the family members, and bought fireworks, and firecrackers, and lots of them. There are stalls everywhere around the city, bursting at the seams with fireworks. These things would never be allowed in America. It's funny, my sister demands that we all have to go buy fireworks, but she is scared of them. Sparklers it is.
My grandparents came over for dinner. New Years is a big family thing, and there are a bunch of tradtions that I am not used to. As it started to get darker, the fireworks started to increase, and the firecrackers got more intense. The huge bangs that shook the city set car alarms off, which only added to the chaos of noise that is Chinese New Years. I sat the window for at least a half an hour, just watching the fireworks (and listening to the firecrackers) that were being set off across the city. They were everywhere, as far as the ey could see. The only way to really describe it is that the city was celebrating.
I tried to stay up with my family, but they were just watching a New Years program on tv, and when you are tired, it is not the best idea to watch tv (that you can't understand) while on a very comfy couch. I kept going back to my room, until I finally just crashed on my bed and took a short nap. My mom and my sister woke up up at ten to twelve, and we went downstairs to watch the fireworks. I realized when I walked out of my room that I missed the making jiao zi thing, which everyone does. You are supposed to eat jiao zi (dumplings) at midnight, for good luck I think. I never actually got a straight answer.
Getting downstairs, when it was midnight, is something that I can't even describe properly. It was a frenzy, to see just how many fireworks could be set off in the shortest amount of time. The sky basically exploded. All over the road, fireworks were being set off, in a close proximity to each other. I am surprised that no one was killed from a firework going off in their face. Cars would weave in and out when the fireworks were done, only adding to the chaos.
Sometimes, you could have believed it was the middle of the day instead of the middle of the night, there were so many fireworks. The noise was incredible, as everything that could be lit was lit. People were standing around, watching and celebrating. There were fireworks bouncing off of buildings (doesn't seem like too smart of an idea to me) and at one point, fireworks that backfired all over the parking lot. One big flaming hunk fell on a bush and set it on fire, but people just ran over with blankets, beat it out, and kept setting fireworks like it wasn't a problem. Ambulances and fire trucks were circling around, waiting to pick up someone, or put a fire out. It was ridiculous.
The celebrations lasted at least an hour and a half, and easily hundreds of thousands of fireworks were set off. I didn't even know that many fireworks could be made, much less set off. My family and I went back upstairs at about 12:30 to watch fireworks from a better angle, and to eat jiao zi (饺子). In usual Chinese tradition, kept telling me to eat more and more until I was stuffed. I was wired, by this point, and stayed up until at least 2, watching fireworks and movies. My family went to bed, but after a celebration like that, how could I?
It really was amazing. I have never seen anything like it, and unless I keep coming back for Chinese New Year, I doubt I ever will. All the fireworks that had been set off just got left in the street for someone else to pick up, and walking through, it is staggering how many empty, massive boxes there were. This has not done this festival justice at all, but I gave it a go. Happy New Years, everyone!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Below Zero Excursions
This blog probably won't be funny. I am more just writing it so I can remember the day. Just warning you before you invest a good 5 minutes of your life reading it. Don't want you to waste your time.
Today was a good day. Although for the most part it was below freezing, and I was ready to just curl up and die from the cold, I prevailed. As a little funny side note, because most people here at SYA are from the East coast, they are used to the cold, and are forever making fun of me and Jamie (the two Californians) for being so cold when we go outside. They think it is hysterical, but being cold is no joke. I can't help it if I start wearing 4 jackets, a hat, jeans, and am still cold. It's in my blood. I can't wait until it gets warm again.
Today, I didn't go out until after lunch, when I went out with Chris and Sterling. Originally, we were going to go to a place where Chris could get a backpack for our Yunnan trip, and then go to the Luxun museum to buy a couple of books for English class. We realized what time it was though, and just went to the Luxun museum first.
We didn't want to pay the entrance fee to get into the museum, so we just told the guards we just wanted to buy a couple books, and they let us go to the bookstore without paying. Once at the book store, we found Claire and Annie, some of our classmates. They had just bought the last copies of the books we needed for English, so Chris, Sterling and I waited while the lady who ran the book store went out and got some more for us, which was very kind of her. We told her a bunch of our classmates were going to be coming, and then left.
Walking back out to the main road, Chris and I decided that we should go backpack hunting, and Sterling wanted to come along. However, every free taxi that we saw simply waved us away, and wouldn't stop, even though they could stop. It was frustrating. I was freezing cold, and didn't want to move. When we did finally get into a nice warm taxi, and started to defrost, I could have kissed the taxi driver for stopping.
We had to go to a couple of store for backpacks, because Chris's sister had given him the names of a couple of good places. We went to a cheaper (but still real) Northface store first (for Chris.) He almost bought a bag, but decided he should probably check the other stores first. We went to another place, where I found a bag, but because I can't make decisions at all, I couldn't decide whether it was too big or not (55 liters.) This led to me getting so frustrated that I basically just gave up, and we left. But this second place also led Chris to the conclusion that he should have gotten the first bag. Ah well.
We decided to meet our friend Annie at a Xinjiang restaurant for dinner. She said she knew a good one close to her house (which was close to school) so Sterling, Chris and I got back in a taxi, and attempted to get to her house. It was a bit rocky, but we met up with her. It was still cold (I was also wearing an insane amount of layers, so everyone was laughing at me) and we walked quickly to the restaurant.
Walking into this restaurant is one of the awkwardest things I have done in my life. It was a little hole in the wall place, just for the locals. I was in front of a pack of 4 foreigners, and as soon as we walked in, every stopped what they were doing and just stared at us. I almost turned around and walked out, because I felt like I was intruding or something.
We sat down though, and ordered. It was really good food. Lamb Kabobs, noodles and vegetable dishes were good, anyway. And pretty cheap, which is an excellent, excellent bonus. Outside of the restaurant (when we were done) they were selling raisins (a big bag for 10 kuai, which is about a dollar and a half), so all of us except Chris bought a bag. They were basically frozen from the cold, but that only made them taste better.
On the way back to Chris's house (and the bus stop for me) we stopped in probably 5 outdoors stores, looking for backpacks again. It was fun, and a nice way to get out of the cold. I hate being cold, more than anything in the world. Even more than scary movies. At least those end. So overall, a very good night.
Today was a good day. Although for the most part it was below freezing, and I was ready to just curl up and die from the cold, I prevailed. As a little funny side note, because most people here at SYA are from the East coast, they are used to the cold, and are forever making fun of me and Jamie (the two Californians) for being so cold when we go outside. They think it is hysterical, but being cold is no joke. I can't help it if I start wearing 4 jackets, a hat, jeans, and am still cold. It's in my blood. I can't wait until it gets warm again.
Today, I didn't go out until after lunch, when I went out with Chris and Sterling. Originally, we were going to go to a place where Chris could get a backpack for our Yunnan trip, and then go to the Luxun museum to buy a couple of books for English class. We realized what time it was though, and just went to the Luxun museum first.
We didn't want to pay the entrance fee to get into the museum, so we just told the guards we just wanted to buy a couple books, and they let us go to the bookstore without paying. Once at the book store, we found Claire and Annie, some of our classmates. They had just bought the last copies of the books we needed for English, so Chris, Sterling and I waited while the lady who ran the book store went out and got some more for us, which was very kind of her. We told her a bunch of our classmates were going to be coming, and then left.
Walking back out to the main road, Chris and I decided that we should go backpack hunting, and Sterling wanted to come along. However, every free taxi that we saw simply waved us away, and wouldn't stop, even though they could stop. It was frustrating. I was freezing cold, and didn't want to move. When we did finally get into a nice warm taxi, and started to defrost, I could have kissed the taxi driver for stopping.
We had to go to a couple of store for backpacks, because Chris's sister had given him the names of a couple of good places. We went to a cheaper (but still real) Northface store first (for Chris.) He almost bought a bag, but decided he should probably check the other stores first. We went to another place, where I found a bag, but because I can't make decisions at all, I couldn't decide whether it was too big or not (55 liters.) This led to me getting so frustrated that I basically just gave up, and we left. But this second place also led Chris to the conclusion that he should have gotten the first bag. Ah well.
We decided to meet our friend Annie at a Xinjiang restaurant for dinner. She said she knew a good one close to her house (which was close to school) so Sterling, Chris and I got back in a taxi, and attempted to get to her house. It was a bit rocky, but we met up with her. It was still cold (I was also wearing an insane amount of layers, so everyone was laughing at me) and we walked quickly to the restaurant.
Walking into this restaurant is one of the awkwardest things I have done in my life. It was a little hole in the wall place, just for the locals. I was in front of a pack of 4 foreigners, and as soon as we walked in, every stopped what they were doing and just stared at us. I almost turned around and walked out, because I felt like I was intruding or something.
We sat down though, and ordered. It was really good food. Lamb Kabobs, noodles and vegetable dishes were good, anyway. And pretty cheap, which is an excellent, excellent bonus. Outside of the restaurant (when we were done) they were selling raisins (a big bag for 10 kuai, which is about a dollar and a half), so all of us except Chris bought a bag. They were basically frozen from the cold, but that only made them taste better.
On the way back to Chris's house (and the bus stop for me) we stopped in probably 5 outdoors stores, looking for backpacks again. It was fun, and a nice way to get out of the cold. I hate being cold, more than anything in the world. Even more than scary movies. At least those end. So overall, a very good night.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
"Are You Two Dating?"
I've decided to do things a bit differently from now on. No one wants to hear about how I wake up at 5:35 every morning and drag myself through freezing conditions to school. I will admit, that gets old after a while. Instead, I am going to write about my day, the interesting bits anyway. When I have them. I may be living in China, but there are not always stories I can tell that will be funny to others. So, here goes nothing. Cross your fingers!
We have a new Chinese teacher now. She has been at SYA for a while, but at every semester, the classes change. This year, Classes 7, 6, and 5 switched a lot (as in the students change classes), so the teachers for those classes didn't switch. However, only one student in my class moved up, and one student moved into my class, so we got a new teacher, so we could be exposed to new teaching methods. Which is good I guess. We had a really good teacher last semester, so it is hard to have anything else. I am working really hard with the new teacher though, which is nice. I like working hard, while complaining about it. It's just something all teenagers do.
We had Chinese tables (中文桌子）which means we all have to go to the cafeteria, sit with a teacher, and speak Chinese for all of lunch. I was originally sitting with Chris, and trying to get a teacher and one more person to sit with us. Ding Lao Shi (one of Chris's teachers) sat down with us, and started talking. Not more than 2 minutes into the conversation, she looks at us and goes "I have a question, can I ask it?" to us, but in Chinese. We told her of course, and she, all timid like, goes "Are you two dating?" We both burst out laughing, and neither of us could answer. She kept up with these questions, wanting to know, trying to get information, until we finally told her. All the teachers are surprisingly intune with who is dating who, and they think it is an absolute riot. I swear, they are more like kids than us teenagers are.
During lunch, there was another funny story. My favorite new word has become "bugger", which everyone here thinks is hysterical, and they make fun of me all the time. So today, I am at the lunch line, getting my food, and for some reason, something happened that caused me to say bugger. Both Zhang Lao Shi, and Li Lao Shi (male Li Lao Shi) were across the table from me. Li Lao Shi can speak English, and he looked at me and goes "Bugger" like he is trying to sound it out. And then he said "You always say this. What does it mean?" except in Chinese. I told him it was like a nice form of damn. Then that started a conversation on how I speak with an Australian accent instead of American (or Australian word usage, basically would be translation. Word habit? Something like that.) It didn't occur to me until later that I should probably not be teaching my teachers the word bugger. Hm. Oops.
Mr. Bissell has started showing us pictures of the places we are going to visit on our upcoming trip to Yunnan, whetting our appetite, so to speak. It looks like it is going to be amazing. Tough, physically, but amazing. We will be doing a lot of walking, through terraced rice fields and such, which look beautiful. I am so excited. I just want to skip the next couple of school weeks and just get to the vacation. Who wants to do Calculus when you have this fantastic vacation looming ahead?
We have a new Chinese teacher now. She has been at SYA for a while, but at every semester, the classes change. This year, Classes 7, 6, and 5 switched a lot (as in the students change classes), so the teachers for those classes didn't switch. However, only one student in my class moved up, and one student moved into my class, so we got a new teacher, so we could be exposed to new teaching methods. Which is good I guess. We had a really good teacher last semester, so it is hard to have anything else. I am working really hard with the new teacher though, which is nice. I like working hard, while complaining about it. It's just something all teenagers do.
We had Chinese tables (中文桌子）which means we all have to go to the cafeteria, sit with a teacher, and speak Chinese for all of lunch. I was originally sitting with Chris, and trying to get a teacher and one more person to sit with us. Ding Lao Shi (one of Chris's teachers) sat down with us, and started talking. Not more than 2 minutes into the conversation, she looks at us and goes "I have a question, can I ask it?" to us, but in Chinese. We told her of course, and she, all timid like, goes "Are you two dating?" We both burst out laughing, and neither of us could answer. She kept up with these questions, wanting to know, trying to get information, until we finally told her. All the teachers are surprisingly intune with who is dating who, and they think it is an absolute riot. I swear, they are more like kids than us teenagers are.
During lunch, there was another funny story. My favorite new word has become "bugger", which everyone here thinks is hysterical, and they make fun of me all the time. So today, I am at the lunch line, getting my food, and for some reason, something happened that caused me to say bugger. Both Zhang Lao Shi, and Li Lao Shi (male Li Lao Shi) were across the table from me. Li Lao Shi can speak English, and he looked at me and goes "Bugger" like he is trying to sound it out. And then he said "You always say this. What does it mean?" except in Chinese. I told him it was like a nice form of damn. Then that started a conversation on how I speak with an Australian accent instead of American (or Australian word usage, basically would be translation. Word habit? Something like that.) It didn't occur to me until later that I should probably not be teaching my teachers the word bugger. Hm. Oops.
Mr. Bissell has started showing us pictures of the places we are going to visit on our upcoming trip to Yunnan, whetting our appetite, so to speak. It looks like it is going to be amazing. Tough, physically, but amazing. We will be doing a lot of walking, through terraced rice fields and such, which look beautiful. I am so excited. I just want to skip the next couple of school weeks and just get to the vacation. Who wants to do Calculus when you have this fantastic vacation looming ahead?
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