Chinglish sign of the month

Here's a little gem that I found on my trip to Qiandao Lake this weekend. I don't know where they came up with the word "speel." Your guess is as good as mine.

Oh, hello blog

You may have wondered if I forgot about NYAFC. Well, I haven’t. Between a crazy work schedule in November, a Thanksgiving getaway to Hungary, I let my blogging fall by the wayside (And I missed it!) No longer, though. I got some advice from an esteemed journalist in Shanghai, who blogs here, and he strongly recommended I blog. So there you go. Straight from a fellow journos keypad - I need to blog more.

There’s much to blog about too. And I missed a lot of things to blog about - Shanghai fire, NKorea, all this wikileaks stuff and the lengths the Chinese are going to prevent people from going to the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. But I just returned from a weekend retreat with my colleagues and have plenty of stories to share. That starts on Monday.

I do want to share one anecdote from my trip to Hungary to visit my boyfriend, who I met in China and who lived in here for five years. While in Budapest we stumbled upon a Christmas bizarre in the center of the city that attracted locals and visitors alike. We were really excited about trying and food and as we sat down to eat our kebab and pretzel a group of Chinese tourists sat down at our table. They were chatting away in Chinese and luckily they spoke in accents we could understand. It was funny listening to them as we were sure they figured we didn’t know what they were saying.

They didn’t reveal anything too interesting - just talked about the food. But as they were leaving we both said “Zai Jian” (goodbye) and “man zou” (walk slowly - a common add on to goodbye). They giggled and were a bit embarrassed that the whities sitting with them knew pretty much everything they were talking about. How ironic that when I try to leave China they seem to find me anyway.

Happy Journalism Day

I had to find out via Shanghaiist that today is apparently “Journalist Day” in China – whatever that means. Not a word was mentioned about “Journalist Day” in my “newsroom,” but that could be that they were to busy gossiping and eating to really care. Plus they kind of know better than to give credence to this obviously superfluous holiday.
 
“Journalism Day” does seem like a bit of a cop out. Investigative journalism is risky and dangerous. While a reporter in the US could risk their repoire with a company or the government or a publication could risk advertising revenue, investigative reporters here risk their safety and lives to uncover the wrongdoings of corporations or local governments (but never the central government; never, never, never)
.

While I haven’t necessarily tried to bring down a company, I still have had difficulties getting information that I needed for a story. People just didn’t want to share how much they had spent (wasted) on all those pretty Haibaos (the Expo mascot) littered throughout the city. And when a Chinese colleague tried to help me she even said they were wondering why we wanted to know this information. In her words “I don’t think this is a sensitive subject, but they seem to think it is.” Ah well, I didn’t want to devote a whole article to that joke of a mascot anyway.

I don’t know what the point is for “Journalism Day” but I don’t think it is to encourage investigative (or any kind of) reporter to search and try to dig out compelling stories, ask the hard questions and try to change or shape the dialogue for important issues. Nope, instead they just want us reporters to take that Hongbao and be grateful.

Here is another story worth a read.

See you later Expo

When I opened my window on Monday morning the most telling sign that Shanghai’s six month party, otherwise known as “the Expo” was over was not the fewer commuters on the metro; it was not the shorter wait times when I went to lunch; it was not the slight ease of getting a taxi; it was the brown, stagnant haze that lingered over the city… for about three days.
 
Well, at least it’s over. Shanghai’s party/fair/waste of billions of dollars finally ended on Sunday. (I know, I’m a little late for a post-Expo blog post, but I will blame it on my Internet – or lack there of –in my apartment.)
 
Anyway, it’s kind of a relief that this thing is over. While its “success” is arguable, it was undoubtedly a nuisance to Shanghai residents and travelers. Subways were packed almost all day long. And when my dad’s hotel reservations were messed up during his trip to Shanghai his options were to pay close to $1,000 for a hotel room, stay in a “flea bag” Chinese hotel or stay with me. Now I know I need to get a more comfortable sofa.
 
And now I don’t have to edit any more superfluous articles that are Chinese journalistic feats – oh wait yes I do.
 
I really liked this NY Times article about the Expo ending and thought it was pretty spot on. But then there was this post from another American correspondent in Shanghai who I thought was also correct in his analysis of how US media missed the mark on covering the Expo. What is important to the Chinese is not always in line with what Americans (or foreigners in general) think should be important when it comes to China. But of course the angles that he proposes would have been perhaps a little too tricky for my paper.
 
I realize most of you readers are in the US and your only knowledge of the Expo was from this blog (or maybe a clip on TV? I don’t know). But it was a big deal for China and the Chinese. And while I wouldn’t necessarily like for it to come back tomorrow, I would like the fresher air and bluer skies to return.

Full of Pride

Apologies for the lack of posts as of late; October hasn’t slowed down for a second with work and the Smith boys were in Shanghai off and on the last two weeks. Family time is great, but coupled with 9-10 hour workdays (and leaving even though there’s more work to do), but it’s nice to have some me time again.

For those of you who aren’t facebook friends with me and didn’t see my shameless self-promotion, I’m going to post my article here, too. It’s really exciting to see your byline in the newspaper (and I realize this gives up my attempts of anonymity on the site so know “big brother” has figured me out).

I was really, really excited to cover this year’s ShanghaiPRIDE festival for the paper. It’s only the second time that a LGBT event has been hosted in China and acceptance of this community has a long way to go, but the reasons are much, much different in the US.

I don’t think I’m going to go out on a limb when I say this, but much of the “debate” over gay marriage and DADT in the US stems from religious reasons. There really is no religion here influencing the attitudes of the Chinese. I think the main issue here is that parents have narrow ideas of what their children are supposed to do in life. Children are supposed to get married (preferably before 25), get good jobs, make babies and then support the parents. Being gay doesn’t fit so well in this picture.

It was really neat talking to some of the people in the gay community, and it’s really exciting seeing an event (rather series of events) in a country that lacks a bit with human rights. And it was even more exciting to be able to cover it for the country’s largest English language newspaper. They’re not covering it in the Chinese media (or so far they haven’t), but as one person I talked to said “as the younger generations who would want to cover this gain positions that can make decisions there will probably be more coverage.”

Whatever your opinions on gay rights/marriage/military service may be, there’s no denying that ShanghaiPRIDE is a step in the right direction for China.

Noble Nobel

Just want to give a shout out to Liu Xiaobo, an important human rights figure in China for being awarded this year’s Nobel Peace prize. I’ll let you know if they run anything in the Chinese media - it’s doubtful.

My new love: Moganshan

Views from Moganshan Mountain. I was in love!

So yesterday I talked all about Hangzhou, so I’m going to devote today’s post to Moganshan, arguably one of my new favorite places in China. Typically, I have fallen in love places here that evoke a sense of culture, history and untarnished, authentic “Chinese-ness” (however, those places are fewer and farer in between). I can’t really say that Moganshan screams “China”, but it is definitely historical and for about 72 hours I forgot I was in China.

Moganshan used to the destination of choice for foreigners living in Shanghai and surrounding areas back in the early 1900s, before the commies came to power. Most of the architecture isn’t your typical Chinese temples or pagodas – it’s actually a lot of Western-style mountain homes. I guess Mao like this area too much to completely rid it of its capitalists influences so the houses stayed intact.

I think the area kind of dropped off the radar for foreigners (but stayed popular for some Chinese tourists) until a few years ago, when the influx of “laowei” really got going. Even with the increasing popularity, it’s still got a small-town, mountain village feel with the restored stone houses that have been converted to guest houses and the few hotels dotted along the one paved road going up the mountain.

We stayed in a bread-and-breakfast type house a little ways up the mountain. It’s run by the wife of a former “mini-media mogul” in Shanghai, Mark Kitto, who started the first series of expat mags in the city - only to have them taken away by the CCP (that’s another interesting story which should make a good blog post later). While his wife is busy with their mini-hotel, he runs “The Lodge”, a restaurant/coffee shop that has AMAZING food. We ate there the first night and loved it so much we were squeezed in for a meal the next night too. The staff (and Mark and his wife) were super hospitable, a nice change of pace from the usual Chinese sub-par service. It was fun talking to Mark and getting his opinion on writing and media, particularly in Shanghai. In a way it inadvertently helped me distinguish which path to continue to strive for.

Being surrounded by blue skies and ever greens on the mountain was just what mom and I needed to escape from Shanghai. At night we could see every star in the sky – most nights in Shanghai or any other major Chinese city you’re lucky to spot 5 (and even then, they could just be satellites). We went hiking (more like walking along paths and up some stairs) for most of the day on Monday and even stopped off at a “tea plantation” for lunch. All the food on the mountain is locally grown and our lunch of farm-fresh veggies and pork was one of the tastiest meals I’ve had in a while. Just to give you an idea of how fresh the meat is we saw a chicken go from walking around with its head on, then with its head off, then with its feathers plucked and then on someone’s plate. Mom was worried about the sanitation, but as I told her, if people aren’t getting sick and its recommended by the house then I’m sure we’ll be ok.

By the time we left on Tuesday afternoon, we were both exhausted. Four days of walking, biking and hiking had done us in. Now, I’m not out of shape (I don’t think) but muscles were hurting in my legs that I hadn’t used in quite a while. Perhaps it was all the hills on the mountain.

Anyway. I’m kind of sad to be back at work and not on holiday, but if there was a time to need a break and a place to go, Moganshan in October was just what I needed!

Weekend away!

Just a glimpse of the crowds in Hangzhou....

But totally worth it for views like this!

It’s amazing what a little time away from work and the craziness of Shanghai will do to the spirit! My mom and I got home yesterday from a great four-night trip to Hangzhou and Moganshan. Despite it being a national holiday, it was the perfect time to go - the weather was, for the most part, great and we spent the holiday walking, biking, hiking, reading, drinking wine and eating. So today’s post will be about Hangzhou because I have too much to say about both places to keep it to one post!

I was borderline paranoid that our days in Hangzhou were going to be disastrous. Hangzhou is probably the most popular place to for the October National Holiday because the fall is probably the best time to go. But for the two of us, we almost enjoyed the hoards of people. As my mom said, “it added another dimension to the experience.”

The most famous attraction in Hangzhou is the West Lake, which is in the heart of the city. Luckily for my mom and me, we were staying at a hotel practically on the West Lake. Despite the fact that it took more than an hour to get from the train station to the hotel, once we were there we could walk (or bike) almost anywhere. Friday night when we arrived we just took a little stroll along a path along the lake, but on Saturday morning we decided to join the, literally, thousands of visitors and try to see it all.

We rented bikes that morning and set off on our journey around the lake. It started out alright with dodging the masses, but by noon the lake and sidewalks were so packed with people we could barely ride our bikes. And then there were all the “country bumpkins” who had most likely never seen foreigners before (at least a blond foreigner). There were countless “hello’s”, stares and people wanting to take a picture with the foreigners. It’s really funny the stark difference between Chinese people who do this kind of stuff who mean it in a polite way, those who can be rude about it and those where you can’t really tell. I think my mom finally gets why most of us foreigners get so annoyed with the shouts and stares.

I tried to mentally prepare for this leg of our trip, but I was worried the plethora of “China days” I’ve been having would get the best of me. I was also worried it would be too much for Mom to handle. Despite the massive amounts of people, we really had a fun time exploring the lake and a little bit of the city. Mom was such a good sport, too. She just kept laughing about all the people. If it was any other person I would have just given up and gone back to the hotel to take a nap - but she kept wanting to go out and see stuff.

And the lake was really spectacular and beautiful. Even with crowds of people, it was calming and relaxing to be surrounded by water a greenery.

After a long morning and afternoon of bike riding and exploring, we went to an outdoor show on the lake called “Impression of West Lake” directed by China’s Stephen Spielberg, Zhang Yimou, that night. We had seen another outdoor waterfront show that was directed by this guy in Yangshou last December, but the one in Hangzhou is much better. For anyone reading this blog in China who is debating whether or not to see the show - go. It was a neat story and the lighting, effects and backdrop were all beautiful! The only downside was that it rained the whole time, but, clad the poncho they gave us, we sat in the rain and enjoyed the show, once again laughing at our uber-Chinese experience.

After an eventful day and half in Hangzhou, the next morning we had a little time to go exploring another part of the lake that we hadn’t seen the previous two days (it’s a big lake) before heading off to Moganshan! We finished off our Chinese holiday with even more people than the day before arriving to the mountain were we would find the isolation and quiet we were ready for!

How to win a Chinese girl

The other day I went to lunch with two guys from the paper. One is the only other foreign reporter in the office and the other is a Chinese guy who is a long-time editor with the paper. During lunch the foreign guy was talking about how Chinese girls aren’t into him. It was kind of surprising because this guy is tall, buff and not unfortunate looking. I would think Chinese girls would probably throw themselves at him. He said this is not the case.

His reason was that he wasn’t rich – ok fair enough. Shanghainese women are notoriously known for being gold diggers of sorts, but there are plenty of non-Shanghainese women in the city looking for a nice foreign guy. Well the Chinese editor pipes in with some advice for our foreign friend about how to woo the ladies next time he’s at the club. Of course, all the advice was for material possessions.

First is a nice watch. He said that a nice watch – even if its just a fake Rolex – will help make that first impression a memorable one.

Next was the shirt. He told the foreign guy he needed to get some nice shirts made. Oh, and a pair of nice-looking cuff links would also be worth the (maybe as cheap as 50 kuai) investment.

Third on the list were nice shoes. He said that women always look at guys’ shoes, adding that they also need to be well polished.

Last on the list was a nice car, which is obviously a little out of price range for someone earning a comparable salary to an entry-level reporter in the US and who is living in a country where taxes on imported luxury cars can make them at least twice as much as they cost at home.

The foreign guy just started laughing at the funny (and superficial) advice our Chinese coworker was offering. He jokingly asked “Can I just get a car key so she thinks I have a car and then I’ll just tell her it was stolen later in the night?” Ha. Problem solved.

All this talk from my Chinese coworker of fake watches and fake appearance of money made me glad I’m not a foreign guy trying to impress a Chinese girl.

Fall is on the way! Yay!

It’s started! The weather is cooling down and there’s a slight crisp in the air. Fall is one of my favorite seasons in China... It’s really one of about two good times of the year for weather in China. Summer is blisteringly hot and the winter is damp and cold. There’s about four weeks in fall and in spring (although we missed out on spring this year) when the skies are blue and the temperature is just cool enough to really enjoy the outdoors.

While I love this weather, some people think its too cool. I got a message from a Chinese friend just the other day saying “The weather is starting to change and get cold so take care!” Take care? This is the best weather we’ve had in a while! I told her that this was my favorite time of year to which she responded, “Really? When I was riding my bike I was cold!” Chilly? Maybe, but cold? Come on!

She’s not the only one. One my Thursday/Friday weekend, I took advantage of the cooler weather and rode my bike around some of my favorite parts of Shanghai. As I rode I saw some outdoor vendors were already selling scarfs! Keep in mind it’s like in the mid 60’s. Where I come from 60 degree weather doesn’t warrant a scarf! I was especially shocked to see some of these vendors wearing semi-heavy coats (not quite “winter coats” but they seemed a little too warm for the weather). To put it in perspective I was in shorts, T-shirt and a little light weight jacket.

I thought it was a Chinese thing, but then this afternoon I went to a little coffee shop to spend a little time studying Chinese and there was a group of foreigners some of whom were wearing fleece jackets and scarfs! In 60-degree weather! Again, I was in shorts and had brought along a long-sleeve shirt because it was a little windy! Maybe it’s just me wanting to get one last use of my warm weather clothes, but I thought fleece jackets and scarfs were a little unnecessary.

One a side note, it’s amazing what a little two-day break from any work (no editing, no freelancing and no teaching) and some fantastic weather will do! I’ve been having a some frequent “China Days” but this weather and this break where I actually had time to do things I wanted to do, like bike ride, get a pedicure, go running and spend some time studying Chinese, have put in me in such a better mood! Yay for fall and for not overworking!

The holiday that wasn't

It’s that time of year when the weather starts to get a bit cooler and the government changes up the work week for a few holidays. They do this a few times throughout the year and, in a word, it’s so annoying. These next few weeks seem to be even worse.

There’s the Mid-autumn Festival which was on Wednesday (yesterday) and changes every year because the holiday changes according to the lunar calendar. Then there’s the National Day (think Independence Day in China) which is always on Oct 1st. It’s pretty problematic to follow a calendar that changes every year for holidays and combine it with the Western calendar (you know, the one the whole world follows), but I try not to ask why much these days in China.

So the government gives people three days off for Mid-autumn and 7 days for National Day, but then people have to work on the weekends to make up for it - so basically its like having one day off for Mid-autumn and about 5 days for National Day. Last year, luckily the two holidays fell on the same week, but this year, the whole system is really screwed up. Here’s a look at the year’s worth of Chinese holidays and readjustments. Even the Chinese people think its an unnecessary inconvenience.

Luckily (or even more confusing) for me since I work for a newspaper we are able to follow our own schedule. However, this also got screwed up because of lack of planning. I was supposed to have off from Tuesday to Saturday, but of course that was changed (because some people decided to not turn in stories on time). And my weekend turned out to be Thursday and Friday and then I have to work on Saturday through Wednesday. So stupid.

I just try to go with things and not ask why, because asking “why” in China will just make you even more angrier than having to work on a weekend. At least for me, what was supposed to be 5-days off will be three extra days of annual leave I can take at my leisure.

Goin to the chapel

I love weddings, especially Chinese weddings. They're kind of kooky with lots funny traditions, but it’s neat and fun to watch. This past weekend I got to go to (and actually be a part of) a friend’s wedding!

Before I share about my funny weekend at the wedding, I should first clarify that in China, getting married and having a wedding are two pretty different things. Typically, when a couple decides to get married, they go to what is essential the courthouse and sign a few papers. Tada, they’re married. The wedding doesn’t usually come until a few months later. And it’s not a religious ceremony by any means. It’s just a banquet style dinner, with an MC, some decorations, family and friends (who don’t wear anything particularly special) and lots and lots of Chinese food.

The events before the wedding are really the best part. My friend Sam had asked me to come along for the whole shindig to I guess play a more sisterly role and make sure the hoard of boys were doing what they were supposed to be. So I got there at 7 in the morning (it was an afternoon wedding), ready to help on Sam and his soon-to-be wife Jenny’s special day. Sam, his groomsmen and I got to Jenny’s house at about 8:30 am and the fireworks were already going off, literally. It’s a tradition to light a bunch of fireworks off for weddings - any occasion is a good occasion for fireworks in China.

So Sam goes up to Jenny’s house and starts giving “hongbaos,” or red envelopes filled with money, to neighbors so that they’ll let him pass to get to her house. Then once he gets there, he has to continue to bribe family members and Jenny’s friends to let him inside to get to Jenny, who is waiting inside. After about 10 minutes of bribing and pleading, they let him in where Jenny is waiting for him.

There’s a few ceremonious type things, where Sam gives her parents tea to signify they’re a part of his family, where Sam and Jenny have to spit seeds into the other’s hand and when everyone at Jenny’s house has to drink this fruit-like soup. When the couple was ready to go, Jenny hoped on her male cousin’s back, shoeless, and was carried down to the car (that was adorned with all kinds of crazy flowers). The bride has to wear a new pair of shoes after she leaves her house, which I think is representative of her not bringing dirt into the new marriage.

Anyway when we got to the venue and were waiting for other guests to arrive, Jenny realized that she needed one more bridesmaid. I guess the selection of other people was pretty limited, so she asked me, “Hey MK, will you be my third bridesmaid?” I was shocked...and slightly embarrassed because I felt pretty under dressed. I thought I was just going to be a casual observer, so I just wore a sundress with some flat shoes. Meanwhile the groomsmen were all in suits. But I felt so honored that she’d ask me to be a part of their ceremony, so of course I enthusiastically said yes.

It was a really nice wedding that was a good mix of Chinese and Western traditions. While they did all the traditional Chinese things with Jenny’s family, but they also said traditional vows in English at the ceremony and had a first dance. It was really, really sweet, and I couldn’t help but get a bit teary-eyed. Most of all, it got me really excited for a few friends’ weddings going on next summer.

Lady Gaga's little Chinese monsters

I didn’t watch the VMAs but saw plenty of pictures from the show to know that Lady Gaga has once again put herself in the spotlight. And the dress? Gross. But I’m not here to talk about Lady Gaga’s choice of costume.
 
Much like in the US, Lady Gaga’s popularity in China has and continues to explode. And to think when I used to hear that Just Dance song I was sure she was just another one-hit-wonder. Anytime I go out to any sort of bar or club, which is about once a week for those curious about my social life, Lady Gaga is always, always, always a crowd pleaser.
 
I also live down the street from a few weird clubs, and on an almost nightly occasion, usually about 11:30 pm, here comes Gaga. It’s not so loud that it disturbs me, but I can definitely tell it’s her. It’s usually Bad Romance or Paparazzi blasting through the speakers and carrying down the street – you’d think they’d get with the times and play something a little more current but I guess they think if it ain’t broke don’t change it.
 
Just the other day, before Eva finally moved out off of my couch, she was telling me about Chinese people’s impressions of the Fame Monster. She said they thought she was “kind of like a monster” but that she liked her because of her creativity. And then she told me that all the cool kids have a new saying. The old, outdated and overused “Oh my god” has been replaced with “Oh my Lady Gaga”. I started busting out laughing. I thought it was pretty funny. Only in China.
 
So I googled it and found some articles about the expression. Nothing was very concrete, but I did see one commenter giving a bit more of insight:
 
A possible other reason, is "Lady" sounds like "Lei"(character "雷") meaning being surprised or shocked. Originally "雷" carries a very slight negative meaning since it describes sth not very common. But nowadays it is used everywhere and become neutral. The pronunciation "Gaga" is also used in virtually every language. In particular, in Northeastern Chinese dialect (辽宁方言)it is a modal particle, meaning "very very much". Usually it carries a positive meaning and used as an agreement. e.g, if someone likes the food, they could say "gaga xiang (香, delicious)".


Therefore, "Oh my Lady Gaga" usually is a cute way of saying "this is funny (in the good case)/or/ this is odd(in the bad case), I am so surprised".
 
So there you go, straight from a native speaker’s hands typing on his keyboard. I don’t know if the phrase will take off at home, but one thing is for sure: Lady Gaga’s got quite a population of little monsters growing over in China!

No more anonymity

So, I've decided to no longer allow anonymous comments. Sorry if you liked commenting anonymously. But if you want to comment please indicate in some way who you are. And if you like this blog please follow it (so I know people are actually reading it). Thanks! Happy Hump Day (aka Wednesday)!

The best (no wait, worst) of the Expo Pavilion themes

In the last four months of polishing article after article about the glorious Expo, I’ve come across some pretty strange pavilions with even stranger themes. As if “Better city, better life” wasn’t a weak enough theme, I thought I’d present a list of the top 5 “best” pavilion themes in the Expo Garden. And by best I mean worst, most contradictory and most ironic. So without further ado, here we go.
 
5. In at number 5 is the Oil Pavilion and their theme “Petroleum stretches urban dreams.” Hmmm. Considering the fact that the Expo is supposed to be centered on green technologies, I’m surprised they let this one through (no, not actually surprised). I guess they didn’t have time to change the name or the idea of the pavilion, especially not after the April 20 Gulf oil spill or the one in China in July. They might need to rethink just how this petroleum is “stretching.”
 
4. Taking the number 4 spot on the list is none other than sanction-ridden Iran at the Iran Pavilion. Their theme of “Blending of diverse cultures in the city” is pretty... interesting(?). “Blending” – that’s a very interesting word choice. Last time I read the news, Iran wasn't really known for being open to blending cultures. Maybe that’s just the news I'm reading.
 
3. Third on the list of most absurd pavilion names is the Information and Communication Pavilion with their theme of “Information and Communication - Extending City Dreams.” Well, considering the pretty widely known (at least in Shanghai) censoring of many web sites in China, this is probably the most contradictory theme. Free information and communication in China? Try again next time, maybe after you unblock facebook, Twitter, Youtube and that Wikipedia entry about 1989.

2. The runner up for today’s countdown goes to a country I’m actually dying to visit. It’s the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Pavilion with their theme of “The paradise for people.” Yes, when I think of North Korea, the first thing that comes to mind is paradise. I’ll leave it at that.
 
1. And the winner of the worst, most absurd, most contradictory and most ironic pavilion theme (and inspiration for this top 5 list) is the China Railway Pavilion and their theme “Harmonious railways expand spaces for better life.” Because when I think of harmony, I definitely think of train travel in China. Nothing is quite as harmonious as hours spent in a smoke-filled train surrounded by screaming children, absurdly loud ring tones, even louder people yelling into their cell phones, nose-pickers, hawker and spitters, squawking chickens and train staff who could care less about you wanting to buy a bottle of water. Yes, so harmonious.

Progress in learning Chinese

After more than a year in China, I finally feel like my Chinese is improving. It’s taken a few months with my Chinese tutor, and I still need to devote more time to studying. But I finally feel like I’m making progress. I’ve told Eva to only speak Chinese with me for the remainder of her time at my place and I even spent much of my Saturday evening practicing with my old coworker Cheryl and another old colleague. While I feel like I’m on Chinese people overload, it’s been fun and challenging.
 
That’s not to say it hasn’t come with its embarrassing moments. Just when I told my roommate to only use Chinese with me I used a very wrong character in a text message to her. She had sent me some text message about how she needed to use the balcony to hang clothes and that she folded my clothes and put them on the table. It was not big deal to me so I just said (in Chinese) “Ok, no problem.”
 
The only “problem” with my message was my use of “ok.” There’s so many ways to say “ok” – hao de, shi de and xing are the most commonly used. Well I thought I’d use “xing” because I’m trying to use as many sayings as I can. So when I typed it in with pinyin (the phonetic spelling of Chinese characters) I just chose the first one that was there. Sine  I have used that word somewhat frequently on my phone I figured it would remember and give me the right “xing” as the first choice. Nope.
 
She sends me a message back saying something to the effect of “that ‘xing’ is not a good word.” Ut oh. So I race to my Chinese dictionary on my iPhone (that thing has paid off in China if only with the Chinese dictionary I have) and look up the word. Apparently the character I used for xing has something to do with sex. Yikes!
 
Obviously I was mortified, apologized and clarified what “xing” I had meant to use. Luckily, we’re good friends and she’s patient while I learn the language. I’m sure there will be other instances when I say something drastically wrong, but that’s been one thing that’s held me back from practicing speaking with my friends and coworkers. I really need to get over that fear. And while that little mishap definitely proved my fears, I think it helped push me a little in the right direction of getting over my personal fears of sounding like a fool in order to improve my Mandarin.

Finally going to get some R&R

For those of you who are curious about my little houseguest and the potential ones, the situation is almost resolved. Eva found a place to live and is moving in to her new place on the 15th... Less than 10 days away. And apparently Ellen came to Shanghai this weekend with her mom. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to meet up with them, but two sources of stress have since been resolved... Thankfully.

And for a little extra R&R I’m excited to go with my mom to Hangzhou and Moganshan for October holiday. While they’re really close to Shanghai and I’m not going far for the holiday, I’m already looking forward to a few days out of Shanghai. I’ve always wanted to go to Hangzhou and Moganshan. Hangzhou is famous for this really pretty lake, but I have a feeling its going to be overloaded with Chinese tourists. So after two days bumming it with all the 2308234098324 tourists, my mom and I are going here for a few days of solitude, nature, bamboo forests, long strolls and some book reading (and maybe article writing). While it’s not home, it’s certainly a much needed holiday and trip out of Shanghai. We both need it, for sure.

Happy Labor Day!!!

More (unwanted) houseguests.

In the same night dear, sweet Eva, my old Nanjing roomie, finally realized that my sofa is not her new bed, I had yet another issue in unwanted/uninvited house guests. On Friday night, after a long week at work, I got a phone call from my old neighbor in Nanjing, Ellen. She called excited to tell me that she’s coming to Shanghai for the Expo.

So, I asked her when she was arriving. She said Tuesday. I asked her if her parents were coming with her. She said “No, I’m coming by myself.” Ut oh. I could see where this was heading. She wanted to stay with me.

I told her that next week wasn’t a good time to come. I can't take off days from work to go with her to Expo, and Eva is very busy with work. Then there was the issue of where she would sleep. My apartment is not big. The sofa is probably barely enough for Eva, let alone Eva and Ellen to share, which Eva suggested  – again with the uncomfortable, unusual sleeping arrangements. And this might sound a bit snotty but I’m not about to share a bed (a small bed at that) with her. I mean we’re friends, but we’re not that good of friends.

Finally after some back and forth banter I told her we'd have to wait a few weeks to plan this trip to Shanghai for the Expo. I felt awful because I’m sure Ellen was extremely disappointed. But, at the same time, she did spring this on me last minute.

I don’t know how I feel about this situation. It seems to be very “Chinese” to just invite yourself to someone’s home to spend the night. I remember editing articles about unwanted house guests staying with friends and family in Shanghai for weeks on end so they could go to the Expo. Eva also “extended” the time she stayed with me a while ago from “2-3 days” to almost a week back in the beginning of August.

But I’m not Chinese. And I don’t feel like “being Chinese” right now. But at the same time I’m torn about how to handle this. While I do feel a little put out that Ellen has just invited herself to stay with me, I do feel like I’m indebted to them because of the kindness they’ve shown me with taking me to Changzhou, my birthday dinner and a going away dinner.

However entertaining Ellen for a few days or a weekend is a lot! If she came with her mom or dad and stayed at a hotel, I could easily and happily accompany them to the Expo, pay for their tickets, treat them to dinner and show them the same hospitality they’ve shown me. But does this include opening my home, entertaining and essentially babysitting Ellen? I don’t know and it’s quite the conundrum.

Oh China (and Chinese people) – I need a break!

Girl Crush Pt. 2

Many of you readers (ok... two of you) have asked about the “stage 5 clinger” who has seemed to latch herself on to me. Well, luckily I was able let her down gently that I was not going to move and she couldn’t continue living on my couch. So here’s how it went down.

It was confirmed that I would in fact have to jump through all kinds of hoops and probably have to pay all kinds of fees in order to change the address that is on my work permits and certificates – I had my legitimate excuse.

So we went to dinner together on Friday night and I had rehearsed how I was going to break the news. I told her about my work and that I just going to be able to move. She seemed to understand when I told her, but five minutes later was back to saying, “when we find an apartment together.” I had to stop her and say, “but we’re not going to live together.”

She looked at me puzzled. So I told her again, “I can’t move until my lease is up.” So she asked, “When will that be?” and I replied, “not until April…next year.” I had only told her this about 5 other times. Then the look of sadness and “but I really was hoping to live with you.” Oh the guilt!

I told her that I just couldn’t move, but that she could stay with me a while longer until she was settled and found something on her own. Then she started saying, “Well let me pay you rent. Let me pay the utilities.” At first I wondered why was she saying this. I had told her she didn’t need to and that she could stay with me while she saved some money. And then I realized that she was thinking she was just going to continue living on my couch.

I should interject here and say that Chinese people have very different living expectations than that of most foreigners. They are perfectly content to living in small quarters and in seemingly comfortable places. My sofa is ok for sitting on for a movie and napping on in the afternoon, but it is not a sofa I would want to sleep on for an extended period of time. Yet, Eva seemed perfectly content to do just that.

So my mind started racing about how I was now going to have to tell her that she couldn’t do that… and why she would want to do that. So I kept saying “After you find something for you” and “you can stay a few more weeks.” I wasn’t getting anywhere.

Finally I found my out. I’d like to think that she could tell from my concerned face that I was a little weary and she finally goes “but do you think the apt is too small for two people?” There it was – my reason that she couldn’t live there. “Yes, yes. You know I really think it’s too small for two people.”

Maybe she was feeling the same, I don’t know. All I know is that she finally understood that she can’t live on my couch forever. And I told she didn’t need to rush. I reiterated that I wanted her to find a home where she felt comfortable – either on her own or with roommates – and that she had some time to do that. Luckily, this time she got the message because she came home later in the weekend saying, “I think it’s going to be really easy to find an apartment.” Thank goodness.

It’s a huge relief and I think it’ll be good for her. I’m still one of her only friends in Shanghai, and I felt a little bit like a mother bird giving that little push to baby bird saying, “spread your wings, fly away from the nest.” I’m sure she’ll be able to find something and maybe with other foreigners. I know that when she does move we’ll still stay good friends, and she’ll be welcome to come hang out anytime. And now I can have my apartment back, without all her black hair, and can still feel like I’ve done my part as a friend.

How to cure a migraine - Chinese style

As I mentioned before, my old roommate is staying with me and it’s been nice to have someone to chitchat with when I come home after work. But I’ve been under a bit of stress lately with my boyfriend of a year leaving China, trying to adjust to new responsibilities at work, starting a part time teaching job to help earn some extra dough and working on some freelance design projects. It finally took its toll on my body when I got my first-ever full-blown migraine. I’m prone to painful headaches, especially in the summertime, but this was the first time it was this bad.

Anyway, when she got home later that evening, I thought I’d test my Chinese skills and tell her that I got a migraine. This conversation quickly turned into clear cultural (and intellectual) differences about how to take of oneself. Her initial response to me telling her about my migraine was “Oh my gosh! Why?”

I thought “why?” was a peculiar question, but didn’t dwell and told her I thought it was from stress and emotions, and that I had been busy with work and I’ve been upset about my boyfriend leaving. And then she said something to the effect of “you’re still upset about that?” To which I thought “Why are you surprised about that? He’s only been gone like 6 days so yeah... I’m still upset/sad/thinking about that.”

So then she says “Did you take any medicine? I don’t think you should.” Ok, you try telling that to the girl who feels like a nail is being hammered into her head. I told her, “Yeah, I took medicine. I had to.”

Then she asked about how much I work out, which lately has been about once in the last two weeks. So she suggested “You should do yoga. It helps stress and muscles.” Ok, fair enough. That’s some logical advice. But then the kicker. “Next time, you probably just needed some fresh air.” Sigh. I wish that the “fresh air” would have cured my migraine, but it’s doubtful.

I don’t know how I feel about Chinese medicine compared to Western medicine, but I know her diagnosis of no medicine and fresh air wasn’t what I was looking for.

I love me some me!

Waiting for the train is the perfect time to take pictures of yourself! Duh!

So in my many travels back and forth from Shanghai to Nanjing I saw quite an assortment of people – everyone from smelly old guys with dirty, long fingernails to screaming children behind me kicking my seat. But I couldn’t help but notice one young woman waiting to board the train who spent about 15 minutes taking pictures of herself with her camera phone.

Now, at first I thought, “Oh she’s just doing it because she’s excited she’s going to the take the new train.” But the longer I tried to not-so-noticeably stare at the probably 30-something, professional-looking women the longer I realized, “Nope, she just really likes taking pictures herself.”

I don’t know if it’s a Chinese thing, an Asian thing or an-everyone-but-me thing, but I don’t really like taking “solo shots,” as us sorority girls used to call them. I mean, if I’m at a particularly neat place with a particularly photo-worthy landscape then sure, I’d love to have a picture of me there by myself to document the experience. But taking head shots while you’re waiting for the train to Nanjing? Come on.

It’s not like this doesn’t happen all the time either. The other day while I was eating lunch I saw this guy and girl pair (they looked like coworkers) where the girl was taking a picture of the guy with a half-eaten plate of food in front of him. This was not a special restaurant, and it was during lunch. What was the photo opp? The only picture I’ve had taken with food in front of me was back in college when we were going for pizza at 2 in the morning and probably wouldn’t remember the picture (or the pizza) the next day.

The tip of the iceberg came the other day when I was at this new teaching job and one of the students was talking about the picture BOOK she had made that were all pictures of herself. I’m not talking about a portrait to hang on the mantel or a few pictures to give to friends and family or to use with her resume. I’m talking about an entire book with nothing but pictures of herself posing in most likely gaudy dresses with silly backgrounds.

I guess I shouldn’t judge, after all it is reminiscent of when my mom made me and brother have our pictures taken at Olan Mills when we were little. And then there’s also Glamour Shots, where (usually) little girls would get all dolled up in grown-up make-up and put on fancy outfits to have their picture made. However, I never had them made, never wanted to have them made and would judge someone over the age of 13 who went to have them made.

I wonder if I’m alone on this? Do other people like having “solo shots” at any random occasion? Or is it just the Chinese (and maybe even all Asians)? I mean, I guess I am judging. I really value interesting photographs that are “in the moment” or bring about feelings of "Oh I remember that time." But, in my opinion, head shots at the Shanghai train station just doesn’t make the cut.

Game addictions and gender issues

This week in my daily news reading, I saw that China Daily posted two surprising articles about divorce, marriage and gender discrimination. I often find it unexpected when I see these kinds of articles, but since they're happening with more frequency, maybe those proofreaders in Beijing and the party members in charge of the paper are bending a little when it comes to discussing social issues.

China's one child policy may have been good for population control, but with the pre-existing notions that male children are better, especially in China’s more rural areas, it’s proved problematic with too many males and too few females. Worst of all, it's jeopardized women's safety with increased numbers of kidnappings and more cases of being sold into marriages. I've read many historical fiction books about China pre-1900s and what's going on in these more remote places seems more like "imperial China" than "improving China".

On a not-so-serious note, it's also produced a generation of (self-centered, selfish, self-absorbed and any other negative word with self) only children. I really couldn't help but laugh when I saw that a study showed that 20 percent of respondents cited an "over-indulgence in Web games" as a cause of their divorce. Really? Only in China.

But at least the people interviewed in the article knew what had gone wrong, could admit that they rushed into the marriage and that being an only child made it “difficult to live with others” – points of which I have made on NYAFC before. And as long as they're able to identify these points and talk about it, maybe it will help younger generations to not make similar mistakes when marrying. Hopefully it will also address some of the underlying social issues that still face the country.

All I know is I'm happy to not be one of them. If I was Chinese my grandma would be hounding me because to get married and not focus so much on my career. Thankfully, mine doesn't.

Girl Crush

I love friends, but I’m finding one friendship in particular especially challenging as of late. I don’t know if this is just how some Chinese girls are or if this is just one case in particular, but I’m struggling with how to deal with it.

I should preface this with saying that for those of you who don’t know me, I enjoy being independent. I rarely make life choices around someone else or what other people think. Sure, I take advice, but I treat it as just that – advice. So now that my roommate from Nanjing has moved to Shanghai she seems adamant that we must once again live together.

It started when I first moved to Shanghai. I mistakenly told her that if she moved to Shanghai maybe we could live together; the keyword being maybe. Well a few weeks ago when she was job searching in Shanghai she kept talking about how when she found a job we would live together. Again, I kept saying maybe. She even asked if I would move outside the downtown area. That was a flat out “no.”

Well now she’s found a job in Shanghai, and I’ve agreed she can stay with me for a few weeks. To try to get myself out of this situation where she thinks we will most definitely live together permanently, I told her the day she arrived that I didn’t know if I could move. First of all, my permit and visa are all registered to my Shanghai apartment. Second, I’ve paid for various amenities for the apartment through the end of the year. Third, I don’t know if we’d be able to find a suitable apartment given the rather large disparities in our incomes (And I’m not about to downgrade to an old “Chinesey” apartment. I did that in Nanjing, thank you). She kept insisting that we’re going to find an apartment together.

She was driving me crazy! So, I just told her straight forwardly, “please don’t make these decisions around me. You need to do what is best for you. You need to decide if you want to live closer to your work (which is an hour metro ride away). Let’s not make decisions now.”

She was still either not budging, not understanding or just not listening to what I was saying.

Finally, I pulled the last card that I could think of. I told her there was a possibility that I might have to move to another city. My work responsibilities have changed and I’m working on an English-language newspaper that is released in a nearby province. Much of the reporting and editing is done in Shanghai, and it’s proving to be somewhat inconvenient. The prospect of moving hasn’t even come up yet at work, but I’m not discounting the idea.

Her response: “Oh, you were part of the reason I moved to Shanghai. If you move, then I will follow you.” AHHHHHHH!

I really do like the girl. She’s really very sweet and has been a good friend. But I just can’t handle her dependency on me. I like living alone. I like doing things when I want to do them. I don’t want to have to “adopt” her and include her in all my plans. Selfishly, I like just deciding things for myself. Most of all, I just like being by myself.

So I don’t know what else I can do to get the point across. It isn’t that I don’t want to live with her. I just don’t want to have to find an apartment, move, sublease my apartment, risk losing my deposit on the apartment and go through all the other hassles. I’m settled. I don’t want to uproot. But I also don’t want to hurt her feelings.

Is this a cultural thing? I just don’t know! China, you’ve stumped me on this one.

Expo Expedition.

I finally got to go to the Expo the other week. I’ve only been editing articles for weeks on end about it, and I was so excited to finally get to go only to be severely let down. Ok, “severely” may be an overstatement, but it was kind of disappointing.

In the taxi over the bridge, I could see most of the Expo Garden and my emotions were high. All the pavilions, especially the China Pavilion, looked really pretty. It was kind of like Disney World, only without the rides and the magic.

Anyway, I was going to an interview at the US Pavilion, so after the interview I got the see the pavilion. It was just a bunch of movies of life in the US, which were clearly promos for the pavilion’s corporate sponsors - GE, Pepsi (BOOO) and surprisingly Habitat for Humanity (maybe they weren’t a sponsor, but they were featured). It was nice to see so many American faces and sit down in an air-conditioned room, as I had mistakenly worn a high heels and a pencil skirt to what is essentially a theme park on one of the hottest days of the summer.

After a few short films that, in my opinion, weren’t really all that reflective of life in America, I went off to the Brazil and Canada pavilions. The US’s was fantastic compared to these two let downs. I left both somewhat confused and thinking  “what was the point of that?”

While I didn’t really enjoy the pavilions, per say, there’s no denying the Expo is a huge deal. After all these uninspiring pavilions I attended this press conference where they talked about how the US Pavilion will see more visitors in 6 months than Disney World sees in a year. That’s pretty cool.

And while I still don’t really get the point of the Expo, there’s a lot of people (mostly Chinese) are going. And I think the US Pavilion is pretty good (comparatively) if only because you get to sit down inside in a cool building.

好久不见! That means long time no see.

I’m not going to lie. August has been a crazy month, hence the lack of postings. Between switching responsibilities at work, my old roommate staying with me in Shanghai for a week, the arrival of my mom in Shanghai and saying goodbye to two close friends and a boyfriend who have all moved away from China, I’ve had little time for myself let alone NYAFC. So readers, I’m sorry.

I’m excited for the upcoming months though. Hopefully there will be some improvement in my Chinese (I’ve been taking lessons since June – yay!), a bit of travel, funny stories from Mom as she adjusts to living in Shanghai and a trip home in the near future – I’m more than ready to see old friends. Anyway, stay tuned and keep commenting.

What I like about you: straight talking

I should probably clarify what I mean. No, they’re not too open about “alternative lifestyles” or what they really think of the government. But when it comes to finances or well-being, they’re very blunt.

I used to be caught off guard when Chinese people used to ask me how much I earn, and now I alarm my friends when I ask them how much they make (sorry if I’ve ever made you feel uncomfortable). As awkward as I feel telling Chinese coworkers or friends how much I make because of the huge salary disparities, I am always inquisitive about what other foreigners are earning in China. If anything, it lets me know where I am in the scheme of things and how much more I could potentially earn.

Chinese people are always curious about how much you paid for something – be it your new knock-off handbag or the cost of your rent. At first, I didn’t really like being that open. I mean, I don’t want these people to think I’m overly privileged. But as time’s gone on, I’ve found myself inquisitive about how much people are paying for things and I’ve lost my shame in asking. In fact, when I found out a friend was paying 150+ more for her apartment that’s in the same building is the same size as mine, I felt pretty good about my bargaining skills.

I have also come to appreciate their honesty when it comes to how people look. When coworkers or friends see old pictures of me they will say “Oh you’ve lost your baby fat” or “You’re much thinner now” whereas my mom would just say, “You’ve always looked good.” And if I ever do get a little pudgy, I’m sure they’d let me know that “Oh you’ve gained weight, you should just eat fruit.” While some could argue this behevaior could trigger eating disorders in some, I think it’s good that people aren’t afraid to be honest.

On the flipside, I almost lost it one time a coworker commented on my skin. For whatever reason, I was going through a 6-month phase where my skin was going crazy and was completely broken out. She said something along the lines of “what is wrong with your face?” and told me I should “stop eating spicy food.” To which I quickly told her that she shouldn’t say things like that – not to Chinese people and especially not to foreigners. And I let her know that spicy foods did not actually cause breakouts. It felt good to dispel that ridiculous idea to at least one Chinese person.

What I like about you: The food

As you know, I just celebrated my one-year anniversary with China, actually it was on the 24th. Again, I can’t believe it’s been a year. And while it pains me to be far away from friends and family at home, I really, really, really enjoy it here (especially Shanghai). So to all the curious minds wondering why I am not ready to hop on a plane back to the US, I’d like to present to you a few reasons why I like living in China. Some are obvious, the others may surprise you.

I’m going to start with the food.

Ok. This is obvious. Any foreigner will say one of the first things they love about China is the food. While China’s food safety is somewhat questionable, Chinese dishes are awesome! They can be spicy, sweet, flavorful and even fresh. And this isn’t your General Tsao’s chicken or sweet and sour pork (although they do have that here). It’s enough to make you hungry… and now I am hungry.

There’s also fresh fruit on almost every street corner. Long gone are the days when I would snack on chips, crackers or even quakes (Oh how I miss you quakes). I’m very happy to say that I can easily and cheaply get fruit anywhere, anytime in this city. And it’s also in season. While I miss not having strawberries and grapes year-round. At least I know they’re giving me what’s been grown nearby and not what’s been flown from across the globe.

I also love the veggie markets. I’ve found my new veggie dealer and they have great tomatoes, carrots, broccoli and peppers and I can usually get all of this stuff for less than $5.

Did I mention I love how cheap things in China are?

One year and counting...

Can you believe that it has been a year that I moved to China? I can’t either. This year has flown by! It’s been a good one, no great one, for the most part. I’ve survived in “real China” aka Nanjing for 9 months, traveled to a few new places, met some great new friends and landed an awesome job in a city that I love more and more every day.

So to switch it up, and since I know how to use the feature now, I thought I’d share a few photos of my journey so far in China. It’s been one year, but I’m not ready to go home just yet. And I look forward to see what's in store for the next year!

Mom, Brother and me in Yangshou.

Riding an elephant in Thailand. Coolest thing I did all year. 

Playing with two little kiddies who used to crash our weekend BBQs in Nanjing.

Teaching my roommate the art of the "Asian tourist" pic mixed with the classic "kissy face" pose.

Chinese Character Challenges

Today, in my daily news scouring, I found this really interesting article about how more and more young Chinese people are having difficulty handwriting characters. With the invention of pinyin, the phonetic spelling of Chinese characters with Roman letters, and the use of cell phones and computers, it’s almost unnecessary to handwrite Chinese characters.

The article talks about how it’s a national and significant problem that people are forgetting how to handwrite characters. They’ve even hired teachers specifically to teach handwriting. It’s actually kind of sad because it’s a big part of their culture. Writing Chinese is like creating art, and calligraphists can actually make a lot of money. Ellen’s dad taught calligraphy and it seemed to keep the family afloat. It was really neat seeing him write out the characters in fluid, waving motions.

As a Chinese language learner, I think handwriting characters is one of the hardest things about the language. First of all, there characters are made up of many “radicals”, which are basically mini characters that are combined to make new characters. There is a specific order to writing each radical. And for each radical, there is a specific stroke order. It’s not easy.

My Chinese teacher in university stressed the importance of “stroke order” and could usually tell if we weren’t following it. It really does make a difference to how the overall character looks. Despite the tediousness of it, I enjoyed writing characters in college. It was like making mini pictures.

Unfortunately, I’ve kind of given up on learning to write Chinese characters. If I was studying full time then I would put in a little more effort, but I have a tough time as it is fitting in the time to study my oral and computer-written Chinese. In fact, my Chinese tutor was surprised when I told him I wanted to learn the characters. He kind of looked at me like “Why?” and said “most of my students only want to speak Chinese, learning the characters is much harder.” Yeah, I know.

I guess its kind of like forgetting how to spell. I’ve never been a great speller. In fact, I remember teachers talking about how much they hated spell check on computers. You had to go in and change the settings in Word on computers in the J-school labs in order to enable spell check – that’s how much they hated it. But I can’t imagine forgetting how to write!

Chinese isn’t easy. Native speakers will even tell you that. At least I know that they have trouble with their own language and they grew up with it, giving a glimmer of hope to all Chinese language learners out there, or at least this one.

I can't teach young dogs new tricks.

I really hope this doesn’t come out racist/rude/etc., but I marvel at how many of my Chinese coworkers have a hard time learning new things. Mostly, it’s just how they keep on doing one thing even though you’ve said to do something different.

I’ve already run into a few issues of plagiarism, where “reporters” have taken entire paragraphs from web sites and only changed a few words. My foreign boss and I have told the editor who communicates and manages reporters’ stories to keep a look out for this. Yet not much has changed.

I’ve also asked this editor to make sure reporters adhere to the word limit on their stories. Sure, cutting out an extra 150 words isn’t too difficult, but when the reporters have added an additional 500 words to their usually unimportant story, it gets a bit annoying.

And then there was the time I sent a reporter some suggestions for how to write quotes. You know, I get that the English language is difficult, especially news-style writing. But when a native English speaker sends you some guidelines on how to write quotes when you are writing them incorrectly, you should probably readjust your writing. Did she? Nope. The 20-minutes I spent writing that email to essentially help her in her English must have just fallen by the way side. Her next story after I sent that helpful, polite, nice email offering some suggestions and guidelines was riddled with the same errors.

Some people say that Asians are so smart. Sometimes I really doubt the Chinese. Sure, they study hard and can regurgitate information, but when it comes to adjusting and taking criticism, a lot just can’t do it.

But then there are those Chinese like one of the interns here, who, rather than take a nap at her desk when the day is slow, is busy reading books in English about news writing. Go figure, this is one of the few soon-to-be reporters who has lived abroad and can think critically.

Trains – no planes or automobiles.

When I moved to Nanjing almost a year ago I kept hearing about this elusive “fast train.” I had a hard time figuring it out when it would open, but finally a few months ago the date was set for July 1st. Of course it would open after I moved from Nanjing. But lucky for me, I was one of the first people to try out the new train. I left Thursday night for my last trip to Nanjing for a while.

What used to be a 2.5-hour train ride now ranges from 73 to about 110 minutes with this new fast train. It also gets to cities close to Shanghai, like Kunshan and Suzhou, in minutes. And since more and more people are moving out to surrounding cities to avoid absurdly high housing prices in Shanghai, it probably takes about the same traveling on the fast train to get to work as it would if you were living in the outskirts of Shanghai.

And did I mention it runs off electricity? I’m all for the fast train?
 
Anyway, this description of train travel in China comes with a point: for domestic travel, I think China has got it right with its extensive train routes. By 2012, China train routes will be greater than the whole world combined. It’s efficient, cheap and reliable. And figuring the time it takes to formally check in, check bags and go through the potential hassles at the airport, train travel, in some instances, train travel could actually be faster than air travel.

And when it comes to car travel between cities, I would love to have had the option to travel by train than by car. Take Florida as an example, I can’t remember the number of times I traveled from Gainesville to Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville and Miami (just to name a few). Think of how convenient, and more environmentally friendly, it would have been to have train travel as an option? Sure there’s Amtrak, but that pales in comparison to what the Chinese have done in train travel.

That’s not to say that I don’t think air travel is a waste. How else would I be able to fly home? And would I take a train from Atlanta to New York or California? Probably not. I’ve spared my thoughts on the on-going oil spill, but in a time when the need lower dependency on oil couldn’t be any clearer, I think considering adopting fast train technology and trying to use it at home in the U.S. is a good start.

Happy America Day!

I'm feeling a little homesick today. I'm a few weeks away from my one-year anniversary in China, and would love nothing more than to be home for the summer. The intense summer of Shanghai is in full swing. I'm getting ready for a season being hottest I've been in my life. This year's a doozey!

Of my 23 4ths of July, I have spent 21 of them at the beach. The only other time I wasn't at the beach for the 4th was when I was in Shanghai in 2007. I have to say its much more fun at the beach than in the hot, humid, sticky, gross, hazey Shanghai summertime. I swear I really do like this city.

But Happy Birthday America! Love and miss! I'll see you soon(ish)!

Chinglish, renting white people and what's amusing about China.

I love reading news about China. There’s a lot of it out there (duh). And lately I’ve discovered some good stuff, especially a WSJ blogging site devoted to China. And while most of the time the media coverage is covering important things – like currency reform, meetings with Chinese officials, etc – there are a few gems out there that really get me laughing and thinking “Is this really news?”

My brother and I were hanging out the other day when he got an email message from a friend. This guy was sending him and some of their friends a funny news story about China. He read the headline out loud: “Chinese companies rent white foreigners,” he said laughingly. He kind of had a shocked look on his face like. So I asked, “Have you not heard of this before?” This is a point that I’ve mentioned on my blog before, thinking it was pretty much common knowledge in China.

Surprisingly, he hadn’t heard of this. So I told him a few stories from friends in Nanjing and how they’d been rented out. I couldn’t believe this. He’s lived all over China and in smaller cities where this type of thing happens a lot. He said that while this was the first he’d heard of this, he didn’t find it surprising.

Yet if you google “China rents white people” there are all kinds of news stories. The CNN article was really a hit and other publications are reporting and commenting on this as well. I was certainly not the first to write about this, and I was really surprised that is was reported on in the US.

And Chinglish. The past few months I’ve seen a ton of Chinglish (Chinese to English mistranslations) articles and photo slideshows on reputable news sources. Even the usually informative China Real Time Report has been posting recently on Chinglish. Just to put things into perspective – Chinglish has been joked about and was considered “over done” back when I was here in 2007. Chinglish? Really? There has to be better things to write about than Chinglish.

Mostly I think “Hey, I can write this garbage.” Honestly, it's not news. Maybe it’s entertaining, maybe it’s just another reason to do the eye roll about China. But I’m interested to hear what you all, the few who read my blog, think about these articles! So in an attempt to get some commenters, I ask you all to tell me what you think. Thanks for posting!

The China I know (and love?)

Oh the Expo. The love-loathe relationship continues, but I just had to share something with you all. I stumbled up on this gem while searching the latest in Expo news. These people will do just about anything to not wait in line! Forget the traditional cutting in line. They are faking being handicapped! That just takes it to a whole new level.

Pushing, bumping and even shoving are almost everyday occurrences here. And while the Shanghainese are much more polite, considerate and aware that this doesn’t fly in the modern world, some of the “country bumpkins,” as a Hong Kong coworker called them, have some bad habits. It’s funny though because once you kind of push and fight back, they realize what they’re doing and stop.

But then, just this morning on my way to work, I saw some guy physically move this girl out of his way to get off the metro. The metro hadn't even arrived at the destination. She just kind of looked down and let this guy move her out of his way. I was a bit shocked and if I could have said something I would have.

It hasn’t just been how they try to skip lines that has been in the news but they way they act in the pavilions and treat the exhibits is also newsworthy. I was a bit amused when editing a story the other day about how exhibits are being ruined because the Chinese visitors aren’t paying attention to the “Don’t Touch” signs. They insist on touching, feeling and “exploring the items further.” They ignore fences or ropes that keep them at a distance from some of the fragile pavilions. Pavilions are even having to replace items on exhibit because the Chinese, and their love for napping any place possible, have almost destroyed some of the seating and lounging areas of the pavilion. Some how I’m not surprised.

Forget all the fancy restaurants. Forget the plethora of high-end labels. Forget the expensive cars on the highway. I know I’ve talked about how much more modern Shanghai is, but the way the some of the Chinese have torn up exhibitions and have cheated out of waiting in line, I can’t help but think: This is the China that I know. I just don't love their behavior.

Lamien Love: Material Girls

If the stereotypical Shanghainese girl had a theme song, there’s only one song that accurately captures it. And it’s loud in clear in the chorus: “We are living in a material world, and I am a material girl.” 

I stumbled upon this LA Times article and couldn’t help but think about how accurate it was – Well at least in Shanghai (and probably Beijing). I’m amazed at how materialistic some of these people in Shanghai are. I never saw it like this in Nanjing.

Shanghai's changed a lot and the love of high-end goods is a little out of control. What used to be my favorite Japanese noodle restaurant is now Tiffany’s. And where a street of random Shanghai shops once stood Hermes will soon take its place. The two blocks I walk from the metro station to my office I pass Coach, Cartier and Louis Vuitton, the bane of my existence. 

It’s like urban sprawl; only the sprawl is donned with hefty price tags.
   
And I feel bad for these Chinese guys, I really do. Some of these women’s expectations are just plain unrealistic. Prior to the move to Shanghai, I remember a coworker saying that he couldn’t live in Shanghai. “Why?” I wondered. “Because in Shanghai women won’t date you unless you have a car,” was his response.  
This isn’t the first article I’ve come across that shares this same idea. Women will waste a good half of their monthly salary just to carry around a designer label. A ball-park average salary for a woman in her mid 20’s in Shanghai is about 5,000 RMB. A handbag at one of these stores is at least 3,000 RMB. You can do the math. Granted, they probably live at home so they don’t have quite as many expenses, but still. You could have saved that 3000+ for a down payment. But oh wait, that’s the guy’s responsibility.  

With this kind of attitude it’s no wonder why guys are so desperate. And having to go to mom and dad for the money? I can already see the looks on my parents faces if I (or my brother) were to ask for large sums of money to put a down payment on a house just so a guy (or in my brother’s case girl) would marry him. My parents love me, but shelling out that kind of cash isn’t love... it's stupid. 

As it did a few short years ago in the US, I’m sure the housing bubble will burst in Shanghai. And when it does, maybe then these young guys can finally afford the homes of their dreams (with the dream girl inside). Until then, I wish all you Chinese out there looking to marry the best of luck. Guys – good luck finding a girl who is not just looking for a roof over her head. And girls – the only thing I can say to you is good luck (and keep dreaming)! 

The Chinese and the infamous "international"

Back when I was working in Nanjing, my boss (the Chinese one) used to love the word “international.” By hiring me and other foreign staff as non-teachers he wanted to make the organization more "international." When I first started, my job was to put together a template for a student newspaper that looked “international.” He even wanted our office to look “international.” It kind of became a running joke.

This is not an uncommon concept in China, however. Chinese companies always want to appear more “prominent,” “foreign” or “international,” and sometimes they go to great lengths to give off such appearances. A few friends have told me some stories where they were literally hired for an evening or the day just to pal around with the boss man of the company to make it seem like the company was in fact “international.” They’d usually go to some big dinner with a client or customer of the company and kow tow to the boss man, give him a little toast from time to time and make it generally look like the boss man was buddy-buddy with the foreigner. Then, after the charade was done, it was back to normal life.

Granted, I’ve never had to do anything like that, but I came pretty close the other day when I was asked to go to a press conference. The morning my boss asked me to go, her exact words were, “They just want to make it seem more ‘international.’” And here I thought my days of adding an “international flavor” were over. I am, after all, working for one of the country’s largest newspapers.

I get to the press conference with my coworker. We’re trying to get where we’re supposed to be for this conference when this crazed looking Chinese woman comes at me saying something about “the foreigner, the foreigner.” She rushes us to the room where the conference is being held and proceeds to tell my coworker (in Chinese) that I’m supposed to ask a question. I realize, I’m getting more than I bargained for. I’m the foreigner in the monkey suit making the boss man look good.

The conference wasn’t for anything that exciting. And since it was all in Chinese, I didn't really understand what was going on. Nonetheless, I read the question and everyone was happy. I even got a nice “hongbao” (a envelope of money). It goes against all the ethics I was taught back in university – sorry UF J-school – and my personal ethics, but what can I do? I’m not gonna refuse almost $100 for asking a question and going to the conference.

It’s funny how things work here. Staged questions at press conferences, using “laowai” to make themselves seem more “international” and even offering gifts to journalists (a common practice that they don't mind being completely unethical). I’m pretty sure they know that this wouldn’t fly in any Western country, and they really only do this stuff in front of their fellow Chinese. It’s all about “face.” And luckily for me, I have a face that makes them look good and earns a little extra cash.

Chinese drivers are the worst!

The inevitable has happened. After almost a year straight in China and all the times I’ve been here before, I’ve finally been in a taxi accident. It’s a bit overdue, and I feel as though its a right of passage to really "living" in China. That’s not to say it wasn’t one of the most terrifying things that’s ever happened to me.

I was on the way home from a fun party with some old SH friends and about a block from my apartment when the incident happened. We were stopped at a stoplight just before the turn to my apartment when WHAM, my head knocked against the side of the car and just outside my passenger door window was a blue construction truck ramming the side of the taxi. My memory is blurry, but I even think the side of the car came of the ground. I was sliding to the other side of the cab when the truck finally stopped. I was terrified. All I could do was sit and make sure my head was OK and then, in girly fashion, start crying. I can count on one hand the number of car accidents I’ve been in, but being in one in China was a lot different.

Still in shock, the taxi driver asked if I was ok and if I “had time.” I guess he wanted me to stick around and talk to the police. I sat in the car for about 5 minutes unsure of what to do. Once the cab driver realized I just wanted to go home and that my Chinese probably wasn’t too good enough to talk to anyone, he said I should just go home. Luckily I was totally fine. But the experience was a definite reminder of what I’ve thought all along – that a lot of Chinese drivers are idiots.

The quality of drivers is definitely better in Shanghai – mainly the taxi drivers. They obey traffic signs and seem to know what they’re doing when navigating crowded streets more so than in Nanjing (+1 Shanghai), but you also get a lot of out-of-towners who have no clue what they’re doing, probably like that moron truck driver.

On the way to Changzhou and the dino amusement park with Ellen and her family, I remember fearing for my life a few times. Her dad is the worst driver I have ever ridden with, and that’s saying a lot with some of the idiots I’ve been in cars with. Her dad got lost and reversed on highways, stopped for minutes at a time on exit ramps to read maps and even drove without headlights for much of the night on the way back to Nanjing – a surprisingly common mishap among drivers. Seriously, I don’t know how more people don’t die in car accidents in China.

One time, a taxi driver asked if I ever drove in China. I replied with a strong “No way.” I tried to explain that Chinese drivers are much different than American drivers. He seemed to know and understand what I was talking about. If even the taxi drivers know that Chinese drivers are bad, then all the more reason to stay off the roads.

Back from a respite!

Well I have been a very busy cookie lately, hence the lack of posts. From adjusting to the new job, doing some freelance, starting Chinese lessons and now teaching a little Chinese girl, there’s been little time for blogging. Now that the summer seems to have arrived and its so humid that you start feeling sticky within 5 minutes, I’ll probably be spending more time indoors.. Aka blogging.

So, I’ve been back in Shanghai almost 2 months now. I’ve been back to Nanjing a few times to see the significant other and, you know, I’m torn on what city I like better. There are some aspects about Shanghai that make life so much more convenient, but there are a few things that I miss about Nanjing. So, in light of the World Cup and the fierce competition going on (OK - yall probably aren’t watching the World Cup) that I thought I’d have a little series to see which city is really better for me. May the best city win.

First on the score card, and the most important, is the food selection. I have felt (almost) like I’ve been home for two months with the food selections in Shanghai. The foreign grocery stores have a great selection of foreign foods (they even have turkey – no Chinese people don’t eat turkey) and cheap fresh veggies, bread and fruits. And there’s almost every kind of restaurant. There’s good Chinese, Indian, Thai, Italian and even a Mexican place that is somewhere between a Mexican place and Moe’s. There’s no queso dip to be found, but I’m dealing. The only downside is its expensive. And while Nanjing really only had a handful of tasty restaurants, they were always good and cheaper than in Shanghai. There’s also the variety issue. There was pretty much one of everything in Nanjing that was good. Here, there’s almost too much variety. But I have to say having more variety beats out the price. There’s always 5 kuai noodles to balance the budget.
+1 Shanghai

Next on the list is the esteemed DVD selections. While you at home are spending who knows how much on cable, DVRs or movie rentals, here in China I can get the latest movies and TV series for a steal. And now that I’m in Shanghai, the selection and quality are tip-top. I got season 5 and 6 of Lost and season 6 of The Office for about $20. And had I been in Nanjing it would have probably been like $10. While the quality and selection of DVDs is far better than in Nanjing, they are much more expensive here.  And for something that I’m not likely to watch over and over again, I’m going to have to say I’d prefer to pay less for my DVDs even though the sound tracking maybe off from time to time.
+1 Nanjing

The nice thing about living in a country of more than one billion people is there is plenty to do. Nanjing, in particular, has some great historical sites, pretty scenic areas and even those hot springs. It’s really an interesting city that has been through a lot. But being in China’s business center, has its advantages. While it doesn’t have the historical aspect going for it, there are fun concerts, art galleries and museums that are always changing. And as far as sporting clubs, Nanjing’s only big one was a running group. Shanghai has an entire league for dodgeball, basketball, flag football and even volleyball. So while Nanjing’s history may be more interesting, there’s a lot more to do in Shanghai.
+1 Shanghai

Today’s winner is Shanghai. Despite the humid, sticky weather, Shanghai and I are really getting along right now. However, there’s only so much muggy, wet, rainy season I can handle. So Nanjing still has a chance to come back. We’ll have to see for next time.

Anytime is a good time to cut your fingernails!

I’ve decided to lighten the mood with NYAFC, steer away from rants and bring you closer to my everyday life in China. Today I start with the ever-popular topic among expats (yet probably unknown to yall back home) that any time is a good time to cut your finger (and toe) nails.

So there I was. On the subway on the way to work and I see this middle-aged Chinese women hanging out cutting her fingernails on the subway. Now, it looked like there was a device on the finger nail clippers to catch fallen fingernails. However, one cannot guarantee there was not a fly-away fingernail here or there. (I’m sure we’ve all had to search for that one clipped fingernail that got away). Thank goodness I was not within shooting distance of a potential nail. And thank goodness I’m not the person cleaning the metro cars at the end of the day. Ick.

But, honestly, I was not caught off guard watching (and creepily capturing) this woman going at her nails. In fact, there is not a place that isn’t appropriate for a little trimming of the nails. I heard my boss the other day snipping away at her nails in her office. I’ve seen old men on the street hanging out on a bench clipping at their thick toenails. I even saw this one gay (in Nanjing mind you) find a pair of fingernail clippers on the floor of the bus, pick them up and start using them for his nails. Wow.

Only in China is any time is a good time to cut your finger(or toe)nails!

Mucosolvan – country or cough syrup?

So I realize that I’ve been making maybe too serious of postings. So I decided to lighten the mood with a random China story.

So there I was. This morning before work I decided to see about getting some medicine to cure this on going cough that’s left me with a raspy voice for the past three days. Although the 80s themed roller skating party I went to Friday night probably didn’t help – only in China would they allow copious amounts of alcohol, roller skates and a bunch of rowdy foreigners looking to party during the weekend to all merge. Luckily, I survived. But my throat didn’t.

So anyway I’m in the drug store telling the who I assume was the pharmacist (or closest thing to it in China) my symptoms: coughing, sneezing, sore throat, the basics. She then decides that I need about four different medicines. Nope, I don’t think so. I decide on the one that seems to be the equivalent of Tylenol Cold and Sinus and this cough syrup.

As I was looking at the name of the syrup, I couldn’t help but laugh at the name of it – Mucosolvan. Maybe it was the drowsiness kicking in but as the day wore on Mucosolvan sounded like more of a Eastern European country than a cough medicine. Luckily, I could tell from the name that this stuff would cure my sickness with brute force.

Although the “brute force” of Mucosolvan and the other meds were not the best choice for 10 am. I mean, I asked the pseudo-pharmacist if they were going to make me want to go sleep (keep in mind this is in my very minimal Chinese), and she quickly knew what I meant and assured me they wouldn’t. Well, she was wrong.

About an hour into the work day it was all I could do to keep from passing out at the computer. And it didn’t help that I had to edit the most awful articles for a supplement today. Straight Chinese to English translations that not only required my attention to rewrite them but were incredibly unexciting. Of course it would happen the day I was drugged up on Chinese meds.

Why I like the Expo (Part 2)

In the last post, I ranted on why the Expo is good for China because China is so “misunderstood” (sounds kinda like a high schooler, no?). So today, I thought I would share why the Expo is good for Chinese people. Because just as people in the West may not get China, the Chinese certainly don’t get the rest of the world.

My boyfriend has a theory that if the U.S. and China ever get in a war (which believe it or not, some college-educated people are convinced there’s going to be some massive WW III kind of war between the U.S. and China soon) that the U.S. only needs two teams of people. First, send in the “blonde brigade” where heaps and heaps of blonde haired, blue eyed men and women (preferably Pamela Anderson types) parachute in, distracting and awing the Chinese. Then you send in the big, tough guys with guns. Problem Solved.

My point in that kind of silly anecdote is that, generally speaking, the Chinese probably have the most narrow-minded idea of America, and the rest of the world, of any other people in the world. I cannot recall the number of times I’ve had a conversation with a black friend, Chinese friend or any other person who isn’t caucasian where a Chinese person has almost refused to believe that they are from America. The common response is, “You can’t be American, you don’t have blonde hair.”

You can’t really blame them - all that makes it to China from American pop culture is Sex and City, Prison Break and the leftover bad pop music that doesn’t make the cut at home. But I hope the Expo is a good way for Chinese people to see countries, not just the U.S., in a new way and is a start to ending their misperceptions of the rest of the world.

I am also excited for Chinese people who get to go to the Expo because the majority of Chinese people will never be able to leave their country. One of the things I have come to appreciate and love is my blue passport with that gold eagle. It is so hard for the Chinese to get visas to Western countries, especially the U.S.. It’s also incredibly expensive. In 2006, the World Bank reported that the average annual salary in China was just more than $2,000. To put into perspective, a round trip ticket to the U.S. costs about that much (maybe $1,000 if you get a good deal). So no, your average Chinese person or family is not in the position to afford a trip aboard unless they save for a long, long time.

With the Expo, Chinese people are able to at least get a glimpse into the outside world. They can see traditional clothes from Europe and South America, they get to see Mexican art and they get to try foods from places they may have not known even existed. And for all the hype in China that’s been surrounding the event, I say let them be excited to see life and cultures from so many other countries. I remember how I felt when I finished the “Around the World” beer challenge at my favorite bar in Gainesville. I had tried beer from 30 different countries - I was proud, accomplished and cultured (and no this was not in one sitting)! So I really can’t roll my eyes when I see all these excited and curious people anxious to see as many countries as they can.

So, for the sake of the Chinese, and the sake of any American not of white skin and blonde hair, I hope that the Expo helps Chinese people understand the world and the people that live in it a little more. Hopefully after seeing the U.S. Pavilion and the many diverse faces that make up the country, they won’t be so quick to disagree with my Asian-looking friend when they say they’re American because they’re not a member of the blonde brigade.