I miss...

Well I'm starting my seventh week and there are a few things I'm starting to miss. Some are superficial, some have a bit more value, and part is just being away from home. I figure that because I am staying in one place as opposed to the last time I roamed a country. Here's the list (in no particular order):

1. dryers and fabric softener
2. kitchens and cooking

3. a soft place to sleep aka my bed
4. my family and friends
5. knowing what I am ordering at a restaurant, getting what I believe I ordered
6. driving my car (but not here, that would be crazy)
7. KFJM and NPR. Yes I have a stream, but it's not the same
8. Cold milk from the fridge and things with cheese




Here's what I don't miss:
1. weather
2. TV. Although I watch it here, it's all in Chinese so I consider it educational
3. our blandly colored US dollars
4. clutter
5. lack of public transportation

This is really off the top of my head, but I'll be home sooner than I want to I'm sure. Then I'll miss the food here and the way people mean mug me because I'm white. Being the minority, wow.

Happy Halloween, I forgot that it was today.

Settling in...

Things are starting to become more normalized and routine. I'm getting to know my classes better and they are really very friendly. I have many offers for them to take me to the best shopping places, and I guess I will eventually have to take them up on that. Many students, including those from English Corner, have offered to help me with my Chinese, so I use going to eat as an excuse to chat in Chinese and help me learn words for food.

Other than teaching, I've done some walking around the city and have found numerous excuses to people watch. This is fast becoming one of my favorite activities. The Bund (wai tan in Chinese) area of Shanghai is great because of the variety of tourists: Chinese, Western, wide-eyed, "I only came to shop, why am I seeing this?" and so on. It makes me smile and realize that I never want to be the ugly American tourist. On Sunday (the last time I saw the sun), I found a place that had dumplings to go and brought my lunch to the Bund and because I was eating like a local I only had one guy half heartedly try to sell me post cards. I know I don't blend, but this was an accomplishment in my eyes. Don't know if I could ever feel at home in this city but I like the sense that I know what is going on.

I've had news of visitor and new people joining the Shanghai adventure. No official plans for visitors but it looks as though there will be another professor joining the UND joint program. I look forward to new people seeing the country and what it holds.

Is there any news where you are? I can't get my podcasts to download, for some reason they are all timing out. I also want to remind you that coming up soon is the North Dakota Public Radio fund drive. If you listen to KFJM and NDPR now is the time for you to step up and make a contribution. This is one of the things that I really believe in, and I hope you will give it a listen and even make a pledge. www.kfjm.org

Do I like being the center of attention…?

I had an interesting experience last night. One of my students invited me to English Corner, where Chinese students can get together to practice their English. Being that English so happens to be my native tongue, I decided to take a stroll by. There were a few other foreigners there so I was not the only one, but as soon as I opened my mouth, I had a crowd around me that did not subside for two hours. Not that I normally try to be the center of attention, but I found myself edging toward the edges of the circle when I could feel others at my back. Several students asked for my email and mobile number and I had to laugh every time I needed a light to write 5 mobile phones would appear over my notebook. The students I was talking to had a better command of the language than my students. This made sense because some were English majors and others were older than my freshmen. I could tell because some of my dry humor actually got a few laughs. I was asked many questions and my favorite was “What do you think is the biggest difference between China and America?” I couldn’t help but give my first answer as “Well, the language for starters,” and then did give an actual answer. I was enthusiastically invited by one of the organizers of English Corner and now that the novelty has worn off a bit, maybe I can hear them talk more than I do.

Might as well face it…

I don’t know what it is about some new things in a country, but lately I keep finding things and have a two week obsession with them. When I first came to China it was dumplings. A Chinese dumpling is akin to a pasta outside and a meat and or vegetable inside. They are boiled, steamed, or fried but I prefer the two former to the latter. You dip them in vinegar and away you go. I’ve seen the characters translated into “Chinese Ravioli.” Whatever you call them, I think I went for about a week straight having them at every meal and with that I include breakfast. I’ve taken to only having them on occasion, but there is always something new to replace it.

This week’s obsession is Miranda. It is Pepsi’s answer to Fanta (and you know that will always hold a special place in my heart). The closest thing I’ve come to an explanation is that in The States they use high fructose corn syrup and in China and everywhere else I’ve traveled, they use real sugar (cane sugar?) and therefore it is sweeter. A few of you may have heard a soap box moment or two on how I do not drink soda in The States, save an occasion or two where it finds a way into my adult beverage. Although this is entirely out of character, there is actually a 2 liter bottle of Miranda (or in China pronounced may-nan-da) Orange. Since I’m drinking more soda than usual I find myself brushing my teeth about twice per day so they don’t feel fuzzy. This may come as a surprise, but next week I could move on to something different, like huo guo AKA Hot Pot.

Many have asked how my classes are going. I will definitely say that things are going well considering I’ve gone from zero to teacher an about a month and a half. Though I was warned that Chinese college students acted different than American college students, I’m still adjusting. I don’t recall any class that I have taken where the teacher has to admonish his students repeatedly for talking as much as I do. I feel sometimes that they may not be listening so have resorted to one of the oldest teacher tricks in the book, asking the talkers for the answers to my questions. Definitely catches them off guard, but no true result yet. Each class has its own personality and the fact I have 6 means lots of change each time. I have several classes that are either only boys or only girls, some about half, and some that lean more to one way. This creates some interesting dynamics. I can say that I have more respect for my professors and am going to put this on its own line because it’s important (Graham I know it's your idea, you do get the credit for it):

I am sorry for coming to class unprepared.

The assignment for today was a one minute presentation and there were a handful that had obviously written them since class had begun. Though I have done the same myself, not on anything like that. We shall see what next week brings. Overall I am into what I’m doing and determined to do a good job.

F1 baby! Love it...

I don't know how many Sundays I spent watching NASCAR with my dad. We would always talk about how cool it would be to see a race live. I could count on him saying "The noise, I just can't imagine how loud that would be." I think that would be the first thing I would have said to him after yesterday. The noise is unbelievable. Don't worry Mom and Grandma; I did put earplugs in after the first two laps. After imagining myself with nonexistent hearing for the next day, it was a no brainer.

Ok, the morning started out with a debate weather I would take the bus or taxi. I couldn't figure out exactly where I needed to transfer (as my map is in Chinese exclusively) so I opted for a taxi. This ended up being a good choice as I went right to the venue and was able to catch a nap as we waited in traffic. I arrived at the shuttle pick up point where I met Dan, another friend in Shanghai and also from Larimore. I arrived a bit early and was hustled by ticket scalpers before I even got out of the taxi. One even opened the door for me, but as soon as I said "Wo you piao (I have tickets)" he quickly left. The spectacle had begun even before I stepped foot on a shuttle. Watching all the people decked out in their team's gear, chatting with each other, buying tickets from the scalpers; everyone was in an excited state that I would not have expected to see. When Dan arrived we set off for the shuttles. I expected that it would take some time to get to the racetrack as it is in the northern part of Shanghai, but it took nearly an hour to get there. We didn't want to go to our seats right away, so Dan and I wondered around the plaza area that was full of displays for each driver.

The big fan favorites were Renault and Ferrari for teams, but for drivers it was Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raumlik Koumlnen. The amount of people decked out in their team or driver's colors and merchandise is mind blowing. This makes sense to look at the westerners, but the Chinese people that I saw were very into the F1 experience. One wouldn't have thought that many Chinese would have that much disposable income to be able to afford the whole package, but then one would be wrong. Dan made the comment that Ferrari must be so big because of their colors (red and gold/yellow) corresponding with China's national colors. Good job with the marketing on their part.

Then came the race itself. The track is shaped like the first character in the city’s name “Shang” and our seats were on turn 6 I believe, which is a pretty awesome hairpin turn. There were some ceremonies and a few parade looking things that passed by our section. I don’t know much of what went on then because even though we had a loudspeaker in front of us, no one bothered to turn it or see if it worked, so Dan and I were left to guess what was happening in other parts of the race. The whole thing was 56 laps and that’s on a 5 km track, so even though it wasn’t very long there was a lot of action and it was quite the sight. For the first 10 laps or so I didn’t have any comments much past “Wow. Did you see that? Man that’s fast/loud/amazing!” The dumbstruck-ness did wear off and I enjoyed the race quite thoroughly. There was what I would call a super fan. He was head to toe in Renault gear and every time Fernando Alonso came by he would wave his large team flag wildly and give a thumbs-up or pump his fist in the air. I think he only missed 1-2 laps near the end, but was elated when Alonso won the race. It looked like all he was barely able to keep himself in the stands near the end of the race.

It was a little bittersweet that I ended up seening a race without my dad, but the whole day was amazing. I went into the day a little blind, but was able to transfer some of my race car knowledge and not be totally lost. Big props to Dan for helping me out during the day. I would definitely go to another F1 race and recommend it to any race fans or just car fans in general. The race qualifies as the most expensive ticket to an event that I have ever bought, but it was well worth the price of admission.

Adventures in banking and auto racing...

Tuesdays I don’t teach any classes, and this Tuesday I had a mission. I was going to open a Chinese bank account and I was going to buy tickets for this weekend’s Formula 1 race. This was, as things always are, easier said than done. I enlisted the help of my department’s secretary to call and see if tickets for the race were available. The tickets were available although slightly more expensive than I would have hoped. No matter, this is a special occasion and I have never been to an F1 race before. Since the race was so close, I couldn’t have the tickets delivered and must go to a ticket counter to purchase them. I made my way into town and found the ticket office with not much trouble at all. It did take me about 2-3 minutes to find the right counter. Just slightly embarrassed after realizing it was likely the one with F1 and then a bunch of Chinese writing. Capitan Obvious strikes again. I was mentally reviewing how I would ask for tickets when a woman behind the counter got my attention and asked me what I needed, in English. This gave me a twinge of regret for not being able to hammer out the details in Chinese, but made the process go smoothly.

Before the ticket business was taken care of, I had gone to accomplish my first task of opening a Chinese bank account. I wanted to deposit my salary for teaching, as carrying that much cash is never a good idea. My first attempt was with Citibank, a US company and a preferable option. As I walked in the door, the kind lady at the info desk informed me that this branch only handles minimum deposits of 10 thousand dollars, depending on the account. This was out of the question so I asked if she recommended another place. She said to try the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. Seemed like a good idea, and it was even right next door. I walked and got my number in line, slightly inspired by the number-giver’s good English. The line was short and I only had to wait a few minutes. Tellers at a Chinese bank must cringe a little bit inside when the see an obvious westerner coming. They can’t know the level of language proficiency or what they could possibly want. I decided to start small and see what I could manage. I greeted the teller with a friendly hello and asked “Can I open a savings account?” She seemed confused and said no. I asked if I could deposit money in the bank. This seemed to make more sense and she asked for my passport and money. I produced both and she asked if I wanted US dollars. “No I just want to put money in the bank…open an account.” This turned into a flutter of activity behind the glass windows. She ran around to a few of the other tellers and dragged another young woman back. I restated my request and she said yes. I was handed forms that I’m pretty sure I filled out correctly. Asking such hard questions such as my address (ran out of space, but got in the important info) and ID (used my passport number) I felt a bit uneasy signing it as I could not read parts of the agreement. After much more fluttering around she printed a savings passbook and a piece of paper for me to sign denoting all the information was correct. I read as much as I could and took a look at the last item, which I believed to be the interest rate. It seemed a bit high, so I asked about it. After another 5 minutes of conferring with colleagues, drawing some interesting diagrams, we did come to an agreement that was what it was. Even though I was still a bit uneasy about the whole deal, it could be expected with the language barrier. However, it was easier that trying to deal with Greek and Czech postal systems.

Thus far I feel I accomplish both tasks. My opinion may change, but I think the F1 is a sure bet. Dan and I are sitting right on a hairpin turn, so there is sure to be some good action.

That may just be the coolest thing I've ever seen...

Some of you may have seen them, the Shanghai Acrobats. Now it is a fact that there are many troupes of them, but I saw quite an incredible show last night. I went to Shanghai Circus World and once you get past the title and the fact that it looks like the Epcot Center, you can get into it.

I have seen the Acrobats before, but with another group in another venue. At Shanghai Circus World there really aren't bad seats because it's a huge ball. There was a lot of production value in the performance. The title of the show was "ERA-A Multimedia Experience." A large white backdrop that served as a production screen that enhanced each performance. I enjoyed the tie ins for each act. A man came out riding a bicycle where he was towing a trailer with a large clay jar. He stopped the bicycle in the middle of the stage and girls in colorful costumes that one would believe to be snakes came out. There were 4 of them in this jar. I guess you have to be fairly comfortable to be in that close of quarters. The all waked away on their hands to come out later to do their act. The man turned into a police man and two gangs spread out on the stage West Side Story style. These young men jumped through several hoops that were on the platform that once held the jar of girls. And so on...

The big capper to the evening was the Metal Ball of Death. I don't know if that's the real name, but I'm guessing that you may have seen one. A metal ball that people drive motorcycles in. Before last night the most I'd ever seen in one of these balls was 3. This one had 8. Yes that's what I said. Eight! It was the biggest metal ball of death I've ever seen and they just kept adding in until all eight were in the ball. It was pretty amazing and a good finale in my book.

No oranges for you....

There hasn't been much for news here. I survived Golden Week and even took a day out to visit a few places around Shanghai that I had been looking foreward to seeing. I had tea at the Old China Hand Bookstore. The place has a 1930's type vibe and I enjoyed taking some time and just reading and drinking tea there. I also found the arty type street that Victoria had takend me to and found all kinds of funky things that were right up my alley. I bought a few scarves and did a bunch of window shopping.

I had something new happen. Because the vacation is so long for National Day, the school decided to make up classes. Therefore, I was at my first Saturday class. Everything went fine, but it threw me off enough to think that Saturday was Monday and then I had Sunday off. Not that it's a uncommon thing that I don't know what day it is, but I would say this is a strange reason.

It drives me crazy when I am here that I would do something the American way full well knowing that it won't work in China. Case in point: I wanted to buy oranges. I had been to the supermarket and was excited at finding a different type of yogurt. I got to the check out to pay for my groceries. The lady is very nice and tells me how much I have to pay, but also holds my oranges in the air and says something to me. It dawns on me what she is saying without understanding a word. You can't just take a bag of fruit up to the counter. First one must weigh and put a sticker on the bag in the produce department. I was too dissapointed in myself by that time so the lady held the oranges up to me again and then put them under the counter. No luck and I had to find another breakfast food. The sad part is that I was really craving oranges that day. Next time, next time.

That's all the news that isn't.

Happy Birthdays!!

There are two people for which these are special days:

My Grandma Ginny, she turns 85 yesterday and continues to live on the farm and make the best meals and treats in the world. (Sorry mom, you're good but it's hard to beat all those years of experience.) I wish her a happy day and look forward to talking to her soon.

The newest addition to the day (to me at least) is Anneli Ryan who will be the big 2-1 and joins me in the select few who turn 21 overseas. Yes it's strange but if you're creative you try to have your power hour when your 24. No one really gets it and you can laugh haughtily with all your friends and think of the days of yore.

Hope you both are well and don't do anything too silly like decide to have cake at 1:30 am. (Seriously now, who does that?)

***Just wanted to note that this post was written with no spelling errors per the spellchecker on this thing. Definitely a first***

What is that? Oh yeah, I remember those....

So it's kind of embarrassing, but as we've all learned there are times when it's just best to get it out in the open. Hagel and I were walking across Shanghai because it seemed like a good idea at the time. We ended up by the American consulate and were perusing some of the fine establishments around it. We stopped at The 88 Bar for a place to sit and watch the rain and grab a small snack. After ordering the usual fare of dumplings, we were deep in a discussion. When the waitress brought our dumplings she also put two metal things in the dish. After at least 3-4 seconds of staring at them lightbulbs went on and we said, "Oh yeah, a fork!" I think it's been the first time I've used a fork since the airplane. Now it's not that I actually forgot, but it was a little startling to adapt to something else so quickly without thinking about it.

Hagel has been busting my chops because of my fast food stance. When we were here this summer I made a big deal about the fact I wouldn't eat at a US fast food restaurant. Now this time I have ordered ice cream (my international passion) two separate times at the convenient McDo's walk up ice cream window. It seems to be his badge of honor that he has not yet eaten at one of these places. He will crack, some time, and the tide will turn ;)

Well it happened, I've gotten into podcasting. I kind of knew that it would happen but was waiting to get an iPod before I finally made the plunge. I've been troubled as of late with the fact I can't seem to find a 100% reliable online news stream from a public radio source. This was the impetus behind the whole expedition. I've got my iTunes lined up and have had some success with downloading programs. Now all I have to do is get that Nano that I've been looking for....