Chinese Students and Military

Hello everyone! Freshmen training is over. I saw the final military performance. About 4,000 freshmen in their military uniforms performed all the kung fu and gun moves they knew. If there ever was a war, I doubt using Kung Fu moves would do much. However, watching 4,000 military students running around the field was pretty impressive. Now that training is over I have 3 new classes: American and British culture for Freshman English majors, American Literature for Juniors, and the start of teaching 3rd and 4th graders English on the side for extra money. To celebrate the end of military training the school put on a concert outside. At first I thought, “concert? Wow!” Then I found out it was actually an orchestra that plays Disney music while people stand around and listen to Disney music. Literally, they stand in a huge crowd for hours outside. Sometimes, people here sure know how to have a good time here!

Girl Crazy

Here’s a fun quote from class. I asked my students if any of them had unusual habits. This really awkward boy in the front raised his hand and said, "I like to peep on girls." All I could do was laugh. I was the only one laughing. I couldn’t help it! Later we were playing heads up seven up. On this last day of class before break I decided to have a fun day. All the girls were choosing “Mr. Peeper” as the secret person who must have picked them when their eyes were closed. Everyone laughed at all the girls thought it must be him. He got all red in the face. So now I know who the class girl-crazy boy is.

Chinese National Week

This week is national week in China, a holiday in China to celebrate the founding of the PRC (People’s Republic of China). So Charlene, the other foreign teacher here, and two graduate students and I went to explore China's revolutionary past. It was great to have Charlene along because we both laughed so hard together at so much of the craziness and fun times, and of course, to cheat at cards. We played a lot of card games on the trip and it’s so easy to cheat when no one understands us talking in English to each other.

We all set off for an overnight train ride on “Hard seats.” Everyone in China has a week off for National Week and everyone wants to travel. It is impossible to get train tickets. Really, impossible. People who work inside the train ticket department set aside train tickets and sell them to other people for higher prices. You have to know someone who knows someone who get some tickets from the inside and you have to pay mark-up prices. If you do not do it this way you will not even get a seat and have to stand the entire time. It is next to impossible to get “Sleeper tickets,” which is so much nicer because you get a bed and they do not stuff people in the compartment who do not have tickets. We were happy to have landed seats at all. The train was the most crowded I've ever seen a train. In a seat for three people, five people were sitting on it. About 20 other people had their bodies in our faces. I even saw one person lying on the rack where bags were supposed to be stored but eventually a conductor made him relocate. We rode like this all night.

After playing cards for hours we tried to sleep but they never turn the lights off and music blares all night long. The music goes in and out of Kenny G playing old 50’s hits to the Happy Birthday or New Year’s Song. Plus, it is hard to sleep at a 90-degree angle with people all over the place so it was not the best sleep I have ever had.

Chinese Communist Caves

The next morning we arrived in Yanaan. We headed out for the caves where Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and other big communist leaders lived and wrote from various different times during the Civil War, and the War against Japan Aggression, as it is called. We got to see the harsh conditions they lived in, living in caves, struggling for the party, and where they gave famous speeches and had important meetings. One such meetings was where Mao was confirmed the leader of the party and the revolution. We got to see revolutionary collections of old uniforms, weaponry, photographs, a stuffed horse that Mao maybe rode on. You could also pay money to rent a PLA (People’s Liberation Army) outfit for a picture wearing it! Now that's in the revolutionary spirit! The spot is a major communist pilgrimage site. We also saw where Mao used to sleep and there was a cigarette on his bed, a touch to make you feel the presence of Mao’s existence in his cave room.

The next day we spent 5 hours on a bus to get to some famous waterfalls on the Yellow river. You could get right up to the edge of the cliff if you wanted. There was no protection. I was worried because Mr. Lee, one of the guys we went with, is the clumsiest man alive. He took his glasses off and stood right next to the edge for a photograph with a million Chinese all around him and I thought to myself, “He is going to fall into the water!”

There was a man who looked exactly like Mao Zedong there. He wore the old blue Mao suit and offered his services for a picture. I paid 10 Yuan ($1. 22) to get my picture with him, which I know is a total rip off; but I really wanted to have my picture with him. Hao Lee, the other guy we were traveling with, later told me he thought that the man was insulting Mao Zedong by asking money and he was a profiteer. Hao lee is a member of the communist party. I felt bad when he said that because I do not want to insult to my traveling companions.

Saving Face

Then we hired a taxi minivan to take us, and three other travelers we met along the way, to the next point of interest, which was only 60 kilometers away. Driving in china, however, with the bad roads, makes it about 5 hours away. After 10 minutes we got pulled over by a bus. A lot of yelling went on and the next thing you know we were put onto a really crowded bus. Our taxi driver just rode away. I still don't know why that happened. I tried to ask Hao Lee or Mr. Lee what the problem was, but no one would tell us. Sometimes you can't ask. You just let things go. They were probably embarrassed about what happened. I’ve noticed that even if they did tell us, they would tell a different story. This incident will always be a mystery to us. The concept of “saving face” is the reason for this. They did not want to appear like they did not know what was going on or made a bad deal so they would not say anything in front of us. Sometimes when you ask Chinese people for directions they will give you fake directions and pretend that they do know where to go just so that they will not look like they do not know and this way they can save face. It makes asking simple things like directions hard because you have to ask a few people to get an idea of where to go in case one person didn’t tell you the truth.

But we were on that next bus for about 3 hours. There were no seats. We just stood in the aisle and took turns sitting on little stools. I heard some man talking about me and I heard him say, "Ta ting bu dong," which means, “She does not understand,” and I turned around and said, "Wo neng ting dong," which means, "I can understand." He was shocked and so was everyone else. I really didn't understand what he said but I did hear him say "waiguoren" and "Ta ting bu dong" which mean "foreigner...she doesn’t understand," and that was enough to make me understand he is talking about me. So I felt good after I said that.

Bargaining for Food and Hotels in China

We finally arrived in this tiny little city, spent about a million hours bargaining for a room. They take so long to bargain for something and only save a few Yuan. I know it's just a game for them, but it's annoying when you are tired and just want to stay at any hotel! We had to pretend to leave, walk down the street, get chased, go back, pretend to leave again, etc. This happens at every restaurant we go to as well! When I am hungry and tired I get annoyed at the yelling and bargaining going on all the time. People just yell at each other. At least it seems like yelling to me. You will think, “is there a fight going on?” However, it's just a casual conversation about the weather or something. I am not used to it yet that’s all.

Buses and Pollution in China

The next day we visited the Tombstone and temple site of the first emperor of China. I saw the oldest Cyprus tree in the whole world. They said it was 5000 years old. I don’t really believe that but it was pretty old. Then it was time for another 160-kilometer trip back to Xi'an that really took 6 hours on a crowded bus. My behind is so sore after this weekend!

Charlene and I were the only ones reading on all of the buses we took. Hao Lee said reading in the bus is bad for your eyes and Chinese people never do it. That’s kind of funny because it seems that I’m the only one in this country who does not wear glasses and I've always read in a moving vehicle.

The last 2 hours of the trip got so smoky. So many people were smoking on the bus, and people were burning things in the fields that putting the window down did not do much. My eyes were burning and I could hardly breath. When we got to Xi’an, the bad air was all around. Even though it was still daylight it looked like it was nighttime, as if there was a big fog covering the city. It was all of the pollution and smoke. I had heard the stories about the pollution but I never thought it was bad until our return to the city. All of the sudden it hit me that my new home made it impossible to breathe and made my eyes sting. It was very strange when a whole city smells bad, looks bad, and makes your eyes sting. I guess I hadn’t noticed it before.

Then Hao lee and Mr. lee took us out to dinner. As a final celebration of our trip we had Sprite, and we ate chicken feet and pig's knuckles. Yes, it was not the most delicious thing I have ever eaten, but Hao lee and Mr. lee wanted it to be a special last dinner. Even though the air here is bad, the food here is not processed, so it’s healthy, good for you so-to-speak, and yet still so delicious. That makes up for it when you think about all the horrible food we eat back in the US.