To all four of my blog readers, my apologies for not posting the past few weeks. Between the flood, trying to sort out apartment life and having to work on Sunday to make up for the eight-day holiday that starts on Oct 1, life’s been a little hectic. And to add the madness, China has decided to take internet censorship to the next level by blocking the use of proxies and VPNs (I don’t know what they are either. All I know is that I was using them to access already blocked sites... But now China’s gone and blocked those too). They’re really cracking down on us “revolutionaries” exposing life in China through Facebook, Twitter, blogs and youtube. I’m actually having to have a friend post my blog topics now, Thanks Jen. And in case you’re wondering I’m going on day six of no Facebook... That’s all I’m going to say.
Anyway, the reason behind all this censorship started with the riots in Western China, but the recent crack down is because of China’s 60th Anniversary. Yes, China is actually much older than 60, but it’s been 60 years since the Communist Party took control. Congratulations China Communism for making it this far. And to further congratulate themselves, a grandiose parade will take over the streets of Beijing October 1st. For those of you who thought the Beijing opening ceremonies was quite the spectacle, China’s outdone itself for the 60th anniversary parade.
I’ve been amused reading the news articles in both Chinese and foreign media about how China’s turned on their weather fans to make sure that it won’t rain, put the soldiers and parade participants through rigorous training (and mental health evaluations), ensured Beijing residents not “selected” to attend the parade keep from standing outside or on their balconies to watch the parade and, if you can believe it, restricted flight over the city, even from the pigeons. An article in the NY Times described the ridiculousness of it all pretty accurately ( HYPERLINK "http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/world/asia/29beijing.html?ref=global-home" http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/world/asia/29beijing.html?ref=global-home). This should give you a deeper insight to the Chinese mindset. And no, this article is not an exaggeration.
And the preparation for this demonstration of militaristic power and cultural appreciation has been going on for weeks. I was watching TV at Ellen’s house (my Chinese neighbor) when a special program came on about the parade. They were featuring some of the soldiers marching in the parade and part of their training program. I was shocked to see that the training for these puny, completely unintimidating Chinese guys was merely standing on a small platform balancing the equivalent of books for “a few hours.” Was this a joke? Their army “soldiers” were talking about the rigorous training of standing for a few hours balancing some junk on their heads? I’ve heard of fraternity hazing that makes this look like a kindergarden cake walk. And while this was being presented through Chinese media (which has motives other than giving unbiased, truthful news), I’m not so sure that if I was Chinese I’d be all that proud of men who are supposed to fighting for my country showing off their balancing abilities... But who am I to judge.
And while this may be the parade of a lifetime, the more sensible Chinese think that it is kind of over kill. Whether its been in articles (not from Chinese media, of course) or in conversations with coworkers (mostly just Cheryl), there are those who think the parade is unnecessary. Which was kind of a relief to me. If every Chinese person really thought that the prospect of pigeons with bombs strapped to their legs was a legitimate threat, I’d probably have to get out while I was still sane... Or relatively intelligent.
On the other hand, you have to give the commies credit. It's not that I am I saying that I agree with their system of government, but a country that can progress economically as rapidly as China, that can govern over a billion people relatively peacefully (minus the conflict in Tibet and XinJiang) and that has more and more of its population joining the middle class deserves a little credit. I would say more than a little, but since they took away my Facebook, Twitter and Blogspot they’re only getting a little credit from me. And while people have their opinions of China, its not the “red country” it used to be that was scary and inhibiting (only when it comes to the internet and social media). I know I’ve said it before, but most days I forget most of the governmental differences between this country and my own, except for... well you can probably guess what I’m going to say.
So as the National Day approaches I’m looking forward to seeing how this whole parade goes, how all those hours of standing with books on their heads paid off for the little Chinese soldiers in the parade and, most importantly, how the pigeons fair after being kept free from flight (You really need to read the NY Times article... The whole thing). And I will give a half nod to China for the progress they’ve made in 60 years. From poverty to prosperity, I hope the next 60 years continue to be ones of progress... And ones where people can enjoy their internet, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Blogspot and every other site freely.
Sep 29, 2009
Sep 23, 2009
Gifts and griping.
Just when you think you’re getting used to life in a completely different culture, you quickly get put back in your place of not really knowing what to do. Sometimes I wish there was a culture guide that had every answer to all my questions right at my finger tips. Things like “appropriate gift giving” or “why do I have to cheers everyone at the table every 5 minutes” would really be helpful sometimes. For now, I just have to guess
The first story for my “what do I do now” moment came after a relatively catastrophic event last weekend. Long story short, my apartment flooded on Sunday when I wasn’t at home. My neighbor, Ellen called me in a panic Sunday afternoon telling me I must return home -“ 你家有很都水” - your home has a lot of water. I came home to an apartment a half inch deep in water in some areas, and my neighbor Ellen, her mom and another friend helped clean it all up.
So to thank Ellen and her mom, I went over later with some fruit and told them I wanted to treat them to dinner. They said I didn’t need to that and wouldn’t let me. I think this is partly because Grandma is living with them now and she looks a little old... But you’re never too old to enjoy a good meal out. Instead of letting me treat them to dinner, they invited me over the next night... This wasn’t how this was supposed to work. So I was left without a proper way to thank my Chinese family for their help. I decided I would take them a gift the next night.
So I asked Cheryl a proper gift to take them. I had decided on flowers, but when the only arrangements available at the super market were almost half the size of me, I knew I needed a new plan. With the October Holiday, or Moon festival (yet another blog topic), just around the corner, Cheryl approved my idea of taking them some nice mooncakes (a common Chinese delicacy during this holiday). I was ready to win over my Chinese family, but when I arrived that evening bearing my gift they said “no.” It wasn’t that they weren’t appreciative, but Ellen translated that since they are Chinese, they wanted to give me mooncakes to celebrate the holiday. They were happy to accept the gift, but I still felt like I had kind of failed. I didn’t bring a lot of American gifts to share with potential Chinese friends, and I can’t just take them a bottle of wine, an easy gift-giving solution back home. It isn’t traditionally for a woman to give alcohol... Too bad.
So along with my feeling as a failure to give proper gifts in China, I’m still getting used to going to typical Chinese lunches with big groups of coworkers. Basically it’s about 12 people around this table eating all kinds of Chinese food. There’s usually more than you could ever eat at these lunches, but I much prefer going with 3 or 4 coworkers, ordering about 4-5 things I know I’ll like and relaxing during my lunch break. But occasionally I’m asked to these big lunches or dinners that are really more of face time for the treater than anything. And for me, it is anything but relaxing. It seems like every 3 minutes there’s cheersing and speeches. There’s usually an assortment of “what is this?” food that I usually don’t feel like trying. I mean, I’m all about being adventurous, but digesting what looks like moldy eggs just isn’t something I’m too keen on, especially with everyone waiting for the foreigners reaction. Don’t get me wrong, I like being treated to lunch, but sometimes it’s just uncomfortable and awkward going through Chinese pomp and circumstance.
I probably sound like a brat and I don’t mean to complain. Even after two months here I’m still getting used to this switch in cultures and still find myself somewhat lost at times. I guess I could say, “screw it, I’m American, I’ll do what I want,” but I don’t think that would be well received. And even though I don’t get it right, don’t want to do it and don’t know what to do, Chinese appreciate the effort. So for now, I'll just keep trying.
The first story for my “what do I do now” moment came after a relatively catastrophic event last weekend. Long story short, my apartment flooded on Sunday when I wasn’t at home. My neighbor, Ellen called me in a panic Sunday afternoon telling me I must return home -“ 你家有很都水” - your home has a lot of water. I came home to an apartment a half inch deep in water in some areas, and my neighbor Ellen, her mom and another friend helped clean it all up.
So to thank Ellen and her mom, I went over later with some fruit and told them I wanted to treat them to dinner. They said I didn’t need to that and wouldn’t let me. I think this is partly because Grandma is living with them now and she looks a little old... But you’re never too old to enjoy a good meal out. Instead of letting me treat them to dinner, they invited me over the next night... This wasn’t how this was supposed to work. So I was left without a proper way to thank my Chinese family for their help. I decided I would take them a gift the next night.
So I asked Cheryl a proper gift to take them. I had decided on flowers, but when the only arrangements available at the super market were almost half the size of me, I knew I needed a new plan. With the October Holiday, or Moon festival (yet another blog topic), just around the corner, Cheryl approved my idea of taking them some nice mooncakes (a common Chinese delicacy during this holiday). I was ready to win over my Chinese family, but when I arrived that evening bearing my gift they said “no.” It wasn’t that they weren’t appreciative, but Ellen translated that since they are Chinese, they wanted to give me mooncakes to celebrate the holiday. They were happy to accept the gift, but I still felt like I had kind of failed. I didn’t bring a lot of American gifts to share with potential Chinese friends, and I can’t just take them a bottle of wine, an easy gift-giving solution back home. It isn’t traditionally for a woman to give alcohol... Too bad.
So along with my feeling as a failure to give proper gifts in China, I’m still getting used to going to typical Chinese lunches with big groups of coworkers. Basically it’s about 12 people around this table eating all kinds of Chinese food. There’s usually more than you could ever eat at these lunches, but I much prefer going with 3 or 4 coworkers, ordering about 4-5 things I know I’ll like and relaxing during my lunch break. But occasionally I’m asked to these big lunches or dinners that are really more of face time for the treater than anything. And for me, it is anything but relaxing. It seems like every 3 minutes there’s cheersing and speeches. There’s usually an assortment of “what is this?” food that I usually don’t feel like trying. I mean, I’m all about being adventurous, but digesting what looks like moldy eggs just isn’t something I’m too keen on, especially with everyone waiting for the foreigners reaction. Don’t get me wrong, I like being treated to lunch, but sometimes it’s just uncomfortable and awkward going through Chinese pomp and circumstance.
I probably sound like a brat and I don’t mean to complain. Even after two months here I’m still getting used to this switch in cultures and still find myself somewhat lost at times. I guess I could say, “screw it, I’m American, I’ll do what I want,” but I don’t think that would be well received. And even though I don’t get it right, don’t want to do it and don’t know what to do, Chinese appreciate the effort. So for now, I'll just keep trying.
Sep 14, 2009
Shanghai: Better City, Better Life?
This weekend was a real treat for me. JT recently moved back to Shanghai for a few months with the start of his new job, so I decided this past weekend was a perfect time to escape the back woods of Nanjing and get a little “big city” life. Now when I first arrived in China almost two months ago (can you believe it’s been that long!) I only spent a day in Shanghai, and I was really too jet lagged to know what was going on. So upon arriving on Friday night to one of my favorite cities in the world I was ready to enjoy my weekend.
I expected a lot to change. In some ways it has, in others not at all. I guess the first, and most notable, difference was the people in Shanghai. The people in Nanjing are all pretty regular. You don’t see girls walking around in bizarre outfits (i.e. leggings with shimmery blue shorts and 3-inch heels) like you do in Shanghai. Even the kinds of foreigners in Shanghai are different than Nanjing. Here in Nanjing, the majority are teachers who, to me, are really laid back and very relaxed. In Shanghai, it’s definitely more of the rat race scene. While I’m not making the big bucks in Shanghai (which is kind of a cop out because I’d dare to say there’s a sizable faction of foreigners without “real” jobs who are just partying in Shanghai) I’m not spending like crazy either. Over the course of the weekend, I had some looks of shock when I told people I was living in Nanjing and working for a non-profit. I even had one wanna-be charmer tell me “You must have a big heart.” Whatever that means.
The clearest depiction of how this city is so entirely different than the rest of the country was when I met up with an old friend from my internship at the magazine. She’s a year older, from a city in northeastern (?) China and now works for a German architect firm. Her office was having a little party for colleagues, clients and friends on Friday night, so we thought it would be a good way to get the night started. I hadn’t seen Zhen in two years so it was a nice reunion, but I was kind of surprised to see how much she had changed. When we interned together she was still in university. University, or college, is much different in China. There are no frat parties and all-night drinking binges like back home. She had her first alcoholic drink ever at a party for the magazine when we were interning together. However, I just kind of watched in amazement as this girl chatted and flirted with these guys, foreign and Chinese, at this party. She was confident, self-assured and completely different from any of my Chinese girl friends in Nanjing. But I guess that’s what happens... We all grow up.
And it wasn’t just friends that were different. While there was a growing number of foreigners in the time I was in Shanghai two years ago, there’s even more now. I didn’t even feel like I was in China. As I rode around the city with JT and his friends going through old neighborhoods where he and I used to live, I was stunned to see foreigners walking around everywhere. For example, the street JT used to live used to be quiet with a few random shops here and there and you rarely saw foreigners walking around. When we were driving around on Sunday, there were all kinds of shops open and foreigners were everywhere. I kind of felt over protective of the city and was a little territorial. “No, this is my city. I was here first. Go away.” I mean, I guess I can’t say that because I don’t live there now, but that’s how I felt.
There’s this expo that’s happening next summer, so the city is in complete renovation in order to prepare. There’s signs and advertising where, even in Nanjing, with a debatable quote “Shanghai: better city, better life.” I’m not too sure I’m sold on that statement. I guess it was still like this two years ago, but it seems all is lost in trying to make it even somewhat resemble China. Other than the fact that there were a lot of Chinese people, I felt like I had escaped China for a few days. Even the workers at McDonalds spoke decent English.
Despite the changes, and I’m not saying they’re bad, it was great being back. Even better was spending time with old friends and, best of all, JT. While I’m enjoying Nanjing and not interested in leaving anytime soon, I would love to move back to Shanghai. I think if I moved there I could stay there for a long time. Maybe it was just the fact I had been away for so long and the weather was incredible that I’m seeing the sunny side of Shanghai. Oddly enough, it feels kind of like home. Like an Atlanta or a Gainesville. And one day I hope it is home again.
I expected a lot to change. In some ways it has, in others not at all. I guess the first, and most notable, difference was the people in Shanghai. The people in Nanjing are all pretty regular. You don’t see girls walking around in bizarre outfits (i.e. leggings with shimmery blue shorts and 3-inch heels) like you do in Shanghai. Even the kinds of foreigners in Shanghai are different than Nanjing. Here in Nanjing, the majority are teachers who, to me, are really laid back and very relaxed. In Shanghai, it’s definitely more of the rat race scene. While I’m not making the big bucks in Shanghai (which is kind of a cop out because I’d dare to say there’s a sizable faction of foreigners without “real” jobs who are just partying in Shanghai) I’m not spending like crazy either. Over the course of the weekend, I had some looks of shock when I told people I was living in Nanjing and working for a non-profit. I even had one wanna-be charmer tell me “You must have a big heart.” Whatever that means.
The clearest depiction of how this city is so entirely different than the rest of the country was when I met up with an old friend from my internship at the magazine. She’s a year older, from a city in northeastern (?) China and now works for a German architect firm. Her office was having a little party for colleagues, clients and friends on Friday night, so we thought it would be a good way to get the night started. I hadn’t seen Zhen in two years so it was a nice reunion, but I was kind of surprised to see how much she had changed. When we interned together she was still in university. University, or college, is much different in China. There are no frat parties and all-night drinking binges like back home. She had her first alcoholic drink ever at a party for the magazine when we were interning together. However, I just kind of watched in amazement as this girl chatted and flirted with these guys, foreign and Chinese, at this party. She was confident, self-assured and completely different from any of my Chinese girl friends in Nanjing. But I guess that’s what happens... We all grow up.
And it wasn’t just friends that were different. While there was a growing number of foreigners in the time I was in Shanghai two years ago, there’s even more now. I didn’t even feel like I was in China. As I rode around the city with JT and his friends going through old neighborhoods where he and I used to live, I was stunned to see foreigners walking around everywhere. For example, the street JT used to live used to be quiet with a few random shops here and there and you rarely saw foreigners walking around. When we were driving around on Sunday, there were all kinds of shops open and foreigners were everywhere. I kind of felt over protective of the city and was a little territorial. “No, this is my city. I was here first. Go away.” I mean, I guess I can’t say that because I don’t live there now, but that’s how I felt.
There’s this expo that’s happening next summer, so the city is in complete renovation in order to prepare. There’s signs and advertising where, even in Nanjing, with a debatable quote “Shanghai: better city, better life.” I’m not too sure I’m sold on that statement. I guess it was still like this two years ago, but it seems all is lost in trying to make it even somewhat resemble China. Other than the fact that there were a lot of Chinese people, I felt like I had escaped China for a few days. Even the workers at McDonalds spoke decent English.
Despite the changes, and I’m not saying they’re bad, it was great being back. Even better was spending time with old friends and, best of all, JT. While I’m enjoying Nanjing and not interested in leaving anytime soon, I would love to move back to Shanghai. I think if I moved there I could stay there for a long time. Maybe it was just the fact I had been away for so long and the weather was incredible that I’m seeing the sunny side of Shanghai. Oddly enough, it feels kind of like home. Like an Atlanta or a Gainesville. And one day I hope it is home again.
Sep 8, 2009
The "R" word...???
While I’m still working on a good title for my dating series and engaging in some “research,” I’m going to switch it up because this is a blog topic I’m excited about. Religion. I’ve been alarmed at the number of people, Chinese and foreigners, asking me about my religion. In the few weeks I’ve been in Nanjing, I’ve had more people ask me about my religion than I did in four years of college.
Growing up in the “bible belt,” religion has pretty much just been a way of life... And by religion, I mean Christianity (with a splash of Jew). One of the most memorable effects of reverse culture shock from when I came home from China the last time was the number of churches I saw driving around. To be honest, religion was pretty nonexistent in Shanghai. Sure there was a foreign church, but you had to have a foreign passport in order to attend. Not to mention there was a mission trip group on their way to China on the same flight as me who kept very quiet about the fact that they were a church group on a mission trip to China.
Now, it seems the mood has changed. According to coworkers and friends, in order to promote membership in the Communist party, the party claims that members are able to have their own religion. I wouldn't quite call it "religious freedom" as we like to call it in the US, but that's kind of the idea. In words that fit so well with the Chinese government, they want those of different religions to have "peaceful and harmonious" relationships. On top of that, there are actually legitimate churches in Nanjing that don’t require a foreign passport; they are for both Chinese and foreigners. The flip side is that most Chinese don’t really know they have this “freedom,” or where to begin when choosing what religion they want to be a part of. So this point is relatively useless because, I guess, most people don’t really even know where to begin with “religion.”
My roommate asked me just the other night if I had a religion, and I told her “yes.” “The one with Jesus?” she asked. Again, I said “yes.” Trying to be careful and not wanting to shove my religion down her throat (as many Christians are often times perceived), I told her it was something important to me and something that had been a part of my life since I was a little girl. Her response kind of shocked me. “I wish I had a religion. It seems really nice to have a religion.” Wow. I had never thought of that. My entire life I have been involved (some years more active than others) in the church, and, more importantly, my religion. On top if being able to have a “religion,” I feel somewhat knowledgeable about other religions. The thought of not knowing these important aspects of other cultures and never having a religion, period, really shocked me.
And to top all this off, I was even given a Chinese Bible. The story of how I attained this Bible is a little too.. “brave” (in the words of those involved)...to share on my blog, but, nonetheless, I have one. While I don’t think I’ll use this as my main source of learning to read Chinese characters, I am glad I have it. And even though Chinese people can apparently go to church and check out an English version of the Bible at the library, Chinese Bibles are not for sale in your average bookstore. Honestly, I’m still a little confused about how far you can and can’t go with the “religion” word in China. At least I’m allowed to have my Bible and there are Chinese Bibles available in the country (and not through the black market). When my Chinese gets really good, maybe I’ll be able to tell what exactly is printed in this Chinese Bible...
Religion in China may be a far cry from what I’m used to with a church on every street corner and the TV preachers with terrible hair (no offense). But the communist party seems warming to the idea of “harmonious” relationships between people of different religions. Sorry preacher man shouting in Turlington and every other college campus in the South, you can’t come to China. But religion, and Christianity, are the not the underground institutions they once were. Progress is a process.
Growing up in the “bible belt,” religion has pretty much just been a way of life... And by religion, I mean Christianity (with a splash of Jew). One of the most memorable effects of reverse culture shock from when I came home from China the last time was the number of churches I saw driving around. To be honest, religion was pretty nonexistent in Shanghai. Sure there was a foreign church, but you had to have a foreign passport in order to attend. Not to mention there was a mission trip group on their way to China on the same flight as me who kept very quiet about the fact that they were a church group on a mission trip to China.
Now, it seems the mood has changed. According to coworkers and friends, in order to promote membership in the Communist party, the party claims that members are able to have their own religion. I wouldn't quite call it "religious freedom" as we like to call it in the US, but that's kind of the idea. In words that fit so well with the Chinese government, they want those of different religions to have "peaceful and harmonious" relationships. On top of that, there are actually legitimate churches in Nanjing that don’t require a foreign passport; they are for both Chinese and foreigners. The flip side is that most Chinese don’t really know they have this “freedom,” or where to begin when choosing what religion they want to be a part of. So this point is relatively useless because, I guess, most people don’t really even know where to begin with “religion.”
My roommate asked me just the other night if I had a religion, and I told her “yes.” “The one with Jesus?” she asked. Again, I said “yes.” Trying to be careful and not wanting to shove my religion down her throat (as many Christians are often times perceived), I told her it was something important to me and something that had been a part of my life since I was a little girl. Her response kind of shocked me. “I wish I had a religion. It seems really nice to have a religion.” Wow. I had never thought of that. My entire life I have been involved (some years more active than others) in the church, and, more importantly, my religion. On top if being able to have a “religion,” I feel somewhat knowledgeable about other religions. The thought of not knowing these important aspects of other cultures and never having a religion, period, really shocked me.
And to top all this off, I was even given a Chinese Bible. The story of how I attained this Bible is a little too.. “brave” (in the words of those involved)...to share on my blog, but, nonetheless, I have one. While I don’t think I’ll use this as my main source of learning to read Chinese characters, I am glad I have it. And even though Chinese people can apparently go to church and check out an English version of the Bible at the library, Chinese Bibles are not for sale in your average bookstore. Honestly, I’m still a little confused about how far you can and can’t go with the “religion” word in China. At least I’m allowed to have my Bible and there are Chinese Bibles available in the country (and not through the black market). When my Chinese gets really good, maybe I’ll be able to tell what exactly is printed in this Chinese Bible...
Religion in China may be a far cry from what I’m used to with a church on every street corner and the TV preachers with terrible hair (no offense). But the communist party seems warming to the idea of “harmonious” relationships between people of different religions. Sorry preacher man shouting in Turlington and every other college campus in the South, you can’t come to China. But religion, and Christianity, are the not the underground institutions they once were. Progress is a process.
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