Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Hooray for pictures!
I finally created a shutterfly account and put some pictures up. Here's the link: share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZuW7Zo2ZNmLjo
Sunday, May 27, 2007
The worst meal ever....
Friday started out as a normal day. We got up, ate breakfast, checked our email, ate some cold cafeteria lunch, (no, this was not the worst meal of the day...) then went to meet the other UND students who were coming to campus for the UND/USST graduation. We met them along with some of our USST students. We all split off into groups. Elizabeth and I went off with a girl name Tracy and got a look at her dorm room. The room was about the same size as the one I had my first two years of college. The difference was, hers was meant to hold 4 girls and mine seemed crowded with 2. But actually, Tracy was quite lucky because her room only had 2 girls in it. The other two had graduated and moved out. This won't last long though...the room will be filled come August or sooner. The bathrooms were also quite different. The ones in our dorm rooms seemed like a spa compared to these. That's one thing I won't miss when I get back to the States...normal toilets and shower water that doesn't smell like it came from a pond.
Next, we all met at the new library on campus for the graduation. The ceremony was held in both Chinese and English. There was a very good translator who was actually one of the graduates. It was quite small, maybe 70 students or so, and lasted a bit over an hour. Then we walked over to the gates to take some pictures. After the pictures, Dean Wang invited us all to join the graduates for their banquet. We all said we would. I asked the Dean if it was going to be held in the same place as we had lunch the first day we arrived. He said it was. So I lead the group over to the cafeteria/restaurant. The entire way there, people kept asking me if I knew where we were going. I said yes, but in my mind I was thinking, "Of course I know where we're going...I've only been living here almost 2 weeks!" When we got there, no one was in the place. Dean Wang and our teacher, Victoria Beard, were chatting away and slowly mosied in. The Dean was quite surprised to see the place empty. Even he didn't know where this banquet was! I told Elizabeth, "Let the record show...this wasn't my fault. I took us to where he said it would be." She laughed and smiled and shared the same sentiment as me. So now I let the Dean take the lead. He finally found the place where the banquet was and thus began the worst meal ever.
To preface this: I am a fairly adventurous eater. I was very picky when I was younger and still am so some extent, but I will try almost anything once. Doesn't mean I will like it, but I will at least try it. The cold dishes that were set out in front of us looked straight out of the second round of Fear Factor. There was this cold watermelon soup with some indistinguishable white gelatinous blobs in it, cold meat with plenty of bones still in it, some sort of boiled duck egg that had been soaked in soy sauce or something like that so it turned black, a dish that looked like pickled olives, some beans, and a dish of peanuts. I tried the white gelatinous watermelon soup and the cold, bony meat. No thanks. I also tried the beans. After I ate my second or third (which took me quite a while because they were extremely hard to chew) one of the students laughed at me and said, "you don't eat the whole thing, you just eat the seeds inside." That information would have been helpful 5 minutes earlier. Needless to say, I pretty much kept to the peanuts, hoping the hot food would be more appetizing. Think again! There were these nasty deep fried cheese sticks, except picture it with an awful breading and something I don't even think was cheese, a dish that I'm pretty sure was all fat with some sort of glaze on it, a duck soup with all bones and cold broth, and several other just as unappetizing dishes.
So far, the food was awful, but that was okay. I wasn't especially hungry to begin with. So, why then, you may be wondering, was this the worst meal ever? Let me tell you...the Chinese do not hold their liquor very well. They get drunk very easily and very quickly. Plus, in their culture, if someone gives a toast, it is expected for everyone to drink their whole glass. There were three things to drink at the table: Coke, Sprite, and beer. Since I don't like beer, I opted for Sprite. Since it was their graduation and the beer was free, almost all the Chinese students opted for the beer. They were all getting a bit silly and tipsy which was actually quite entertaining. Then, one guy took it upon himself to chug a whole bottle of beer. Again, in China, things are a bit different. Their beer bottles are about 3 times the size of ours. And again, they do not hold their liquor very well. Everyone was cheering him on and taking pictures. Now, my fellow students from UND, not to be outdone, grab bottles and start challenging the Chinese to chugging contests. My friend Matt challenged a guy at his table. Everyone was kind of milling around all the tables at that point. I was at another table taking some pictures. I did not see this chugging contest going on behind me. Matt won quite easily. The Chinese student not only lost the contest, but he also lost his dinner...all over my skirt. He immediatly started apologizing profusely and I started gagging and running to the bathroom. I almost lost the handful of peanuts I had eaten from the meal, but managed to get myself under control. When I saw that the sink alone was not going to clean me up, I bolted for my room to change and Elizabeth came with me. I got some very strange looks from the people I walked past, so we power-walked the whole way there. Elizabeth threw my skirt in the wash and I headed straight to the shower. After I got all cleaned up, Elizabeth bought me some ice cream at the store downstairs and we walked back to the dinner. We were half grossed-out and half laughing.
In the words of the infinitely wise Señora Lang, "It will make a good story."
Next, we all met at the new library on campus for the graduation. The ceremony was held in both Chinese and English. There was a very good translator who was actually one of the graduates. It was quite small, maybe 70 students or so, and lasted a bit over an hour. Then we walked over to the gates to take some pictures. After the pictures, Dean Wang invited us all to join the graduates for their banquet. We all said we would. I asked the Dean if it was going to be held in the same place as we had lunch the first day we arrived. He said it was. So I lead the group over to the cafeteria/restaurant. The entire way there, people kept asking me if I knew where we were going. I said yes, but in my mind I was thinking, "Of course I know where we're going...I've only been living here almost 2 weeks!" When we got there, no one was in the place. Dean Wang and our teacher, Victoria Beard, were chatting away and slowly mosied in. The Dean was quite surprised to see the place empty. Even he didn't know where this banquet was! I told Elizabeth, "Let the record show...this wasn't my fault. I took us to where he said it would be." She laughed and smiled and shared the same sentiment as me. So now I let the Dean take the lead. He finally found the place where the banquet was and thus began the worst meal ever.
To preface this: I am a fairly adventurous eater. I was very picky when I was younger and still am so some extent, but I will try almost anything once. Doesn't mean I will like it, but I will at least try it. The cold dishes that were set out in front of us looked straight out of the second round of Fear Factor. There was this cold watermelon soup with some indistinguishable white gelatinous blobs in it, cold meat with plenty of bones still in it, some sort of boiled duck egg that had been soaked in soy sauce or something like that so it turned black, a dish that looked like pickled olives, some beans, and a dish of peanuts. I tried the white gelatinous watermelon soup and the cold, bony meat. No thanks. I also tried the beans. After I ate my second or third (which took me quite a while because they were extremely hard to chew) one of the students laughed at me and said, "you don't eat the whole thing, you just eat the seeds inside." That information would have been helpful 5 minutes earlier. Needless to say, I pretty much kept to the peanuts, hoping the hot food would be more appetizing. Think again! There were these nasty deep fried cheese sticks, except picture it with an awful breading and something I don't even think was cheese, a dish that I'm pretty sure was all fat with some sort of glaze on it, a duck soup with all bones and cold broth, and several other just as unappetizing dishes.
So far, the food was awful, but that was okay. I wasn't especially hungry to begin with. So, why then, you may be wondering, was this the worst meal ever? Let me tell you...the Chinese do not hold their liquor very well. They get drunk very easily and very quickly. Plus, in their culture, if someone gives a toast, it is expected for everyone to drink their whole glass. There were three things to drink at the table: Coke, Sprite, and beer. Since I don't like beer, I opted for Sprite. Since it was their graduation and the beer was free, almost all the Chinese students opted for the beer. They were all getting a bit silly and tipsy which was actually quite entertaining. Then, one guy took it upon himself to chug a whole bottle of beer. Again, in China, things are a bit different. Their beer bottles are about 3 times the size of ours. And again, they do not hold their liquor very well. Everyone was cheering him on and taking pictures. Now, my fellow students from UND, not to be outdone, grab bottles and start challenging the Chinese to chugging contests. My friend Matt challenged a guy at his table. Everyone was kind of milling around all the tables at that point. I was at another table taking some pictures. I did not see this chugging contest going on behind me. Matt won quite easily. The Chinese student not only lost the contest, but he also lost his dinner...all over my skirt. He immediatly started apologizing profusely and I started gagging and running to the bathroom. I almost lost the handful of peanuts I had eaten from the meal, but managed to get myself under control. When I saw that the sink alone was not going to clean me up, I bolted for my room to change and Elizabeth came with me. I got some very strange looks from the people I walked past, so we power-walked the whole way there. Elizabeth threw my skirt in the wash and I headed straight to the shower. After I got all cleaned up, Elizabeth bought me some ice cream at the store downstairs and we walked back to the dinner. We were half grossed-out and half laughing.
In the words of the infinitely wise Señora Lang, "It will make a good story."
You can take the girl out of North Dakota...
...but you sure can't take the North Dakota out of the girl! I'm beginning to have a whole new outlook on why people from out of state ask everyone, "HOW CAN YOU LIVE HERE?!?" when it's 30 below outside, because it's the same astonished face I have when it's 30 above Celcius with 99% humidity here! Born and bred in Larimore...I am not built for a warm climate! Elizabeth is from Hillsboro, so we're both suffering together. Earlier today, we were debating if it were better to be extremely hot or extremely cold...we didn't come up with a clear winner, but we decided that at least we knew how to deal with the cold. Stepping outside and immediately sweating is something new to us. It makes us want to stay in the comfort and air conditioning of our room. Which we did for most of today. We decided today could be our lazy day after everything we did yesterday. Which brings me to...
Yesterday: (where else?) We (Elizabeth, our teacher Greg Patton, and I) took a long taxi (94 yuan...about $12...which is an expensive ride) to the Shanghai Zoo. We all really wanted to see a panda. After almost getting killed three times on the way there, we made it unscathed. Relax Grandma, they were only near deaths... ;) We saw all sorts of animals at the zoo...ostriches, other birds, flamingos, they actually had a lake called 'Swan Lake' and there were tons of swans, geese, and pelicans on it, lions and tigers and bears, oh my!, giraffes, hippos, (although all we saw was his nose because he did not want to get out of the water) deer, zebras, elephants, and finally....PANDAS! We saw one giant panda who was born in 1980, so he was pretty old. I got a great video of him splashing around in his pool. He was surprisingly active while we were there, which was great! Pandas generally spend almost half their time sleeping, the other half eating, and about 2% of their time playing...so we timed it juuuuuust right! We also saw some cute red pandas which actually look like raccoons. They are small and have long bushy tails.
After the zoo, we hopped a taxi over to Jing'an temple, but didn't go in. We were starving and our teacher really wanted some American food. So we went to an Irish pub called Malone's and had a really great hamburger. Not quite the same calibur as Dad used to make, but still good. Mine had mozzerella and pineapple on it...I recommend the combination! Next, we hopped the subway to the Bund and bought tickets for a river boat cruise. When we arrived at what we thought was the place to load the boat, we weren't really sure what to do. We weren't 100% sure this was the place or what our boat looked like or anything. Our boat was supposed to leave at 8:30. At about 7:50, a boat pulled up to the dock. It looked nothing like what we were told it should look like, but we went through the line anyway. The lady taking tickets ripped ours, looked at it again, but let us go through. When we got on the boat, it was very small and fairly crowded. We also thought we were boarding awfully early. We tried to communicate this to one of the workers. Finally, we pointed at the time on our ticket and somebody realized we were on the wrong boat. So they told us to hurry and get off and then made us wait for the next one. Thank goodness we did! The next boat that pulled up was more like the one we expected. It was enormous! There were about 5 floors that I could see, and I'm sure there were more than that. It was so big you couldn't feel it rocking, unlike the other boat. We had a great time and saw some really cool views of Shanghai and Pudong at night. After that, we took the bus back home and called it a night.
Yesterday: (where else?) We (Elizabeth, our teacher Greg Patton, and I) took a long taxi (94 yuan...about $12...which is an expensive ride) to the Shanghai Zoo. We all really wanted to see a panda. After almost getting killed three times on the way there, we made it unscathed. Relax Grandma, they were only near deaths... ;) We saw all sorts of animals at the zoo...ostriches, other birds, flamingos, they actually had a lake called 'Swan Lake' and there were tons of swans, geese, and pelicans on it, lions and tigers and bears, oh my!, giraffes, hippos, (although all we saw was his nose because he did not want to get out of the water) deer, zebras, elephants, and finally....PANDAS! We saw one giant panda who was born in 1980, so he was pretty old. I got a great video of him splashing around in his pool. He was surprisingly active while we were there, which was great! Pandas generally spend almost half their time sleeping, the other half eating, and about 2% of their time playing...so we timed it juuuuuust right! We also saw some cute red pandas which actually look like raccoons. They are small and have long bushy tails.
After the zoo, we hopped a taxi over to Jing'an temple, but didn't go in. We were starving and our teacher really wanted some American food. So we went to an Irish pub called Malone's and had a really great hamburger. Not quite the same calibur as Dad used to make, but still good. Mine had mozzerella and pineapple on it...I recommend the combination! Next, we hopped the subway to the Bund and bought tickets for a river boat cruise. When we arrived at what we thought was the place to load the boat, we weren't really sure what to do. We weren't 100% sure this was the place or what our boat looked like or anything. Our boat was supposed to leave at 8:30. At about 7:50, a boat pulled up to the dock. It looked nothing like what we were told it should look like, but we went through the line anyway. The lady taking tickets ripped ours, looked at it again, but let us go through. When we got on the boat, it was very small and fairly crowded. We also thought we were boarding awfully early. We tried to communicate this to one of the workers. Finally, we pointed at the time on our ticket and somebody realized we were on the wrong boat. So they told us to hurry and get off and then made us wait for the next one. Thank goodness we did! The next boat that pulled up was more like the one we expected. It was enormous! There were about 5 floors that I could see, and I'm sure there were more than that. It was so big you couldn't feel it rocking, unlike the other boat. We had a great time and saw some really cool views of Shanghai and Pudong at night. After that, we took the bus back home and called it a night.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Things that make you go hmm...
So far on this trip, there have been many things that have surprised me and made me think. One of the first of these was Japan. Flying over it, it was nothing like what I expected. I pretty much had it in mind like it was one big city on an island. Actally, there was a lot of farmland! It really threw me off. We flew over what I'm assuming was Tokyo at night and that was more like what I expected, sprawling city lights.
Observation #2: I don't feel as tall as I thought I would. Considering Shanna is a good 4 or 5 inches shorter than me and she said that she felt tall here, I was expecting to feel like the Jolly White Giant. But really, I feel about average here...maybe a tad bit on the tall side. Mostly I just feel white. Not that it's a bad thing. I just get stared at a lot. But it also has its perks. Tonight, we have VIP tickets to this dance show on campus. That should be quite interesting. Details to follow...
Observation #3: It's smoggy here! The pollution is more or less what I expected. Some places, like campus, are very clean and meticulously well kept. Other places...not so much. The Huangpu River is a lovely shade of mud and when I asked a girl about the beaches, she just kinda laughed.
Observation #4: Even though the beds are about as soft as a slab of marble, I sleep quite well. Although...I can pretty much sleep anywhere, anytime, on anything, so maybe this shouldn't come as a surprise.
Observation #5: The greatest bargaining tool I have is my feet. If I'm not getting a price I like, I start walking away. Then they starting singing another tune pretty quickly. I got a $5 Chanel wallet last night. Elizabeth got a $15 Coach purse. Mom...you may need to send more money...and more suitcases...
Observation #6: We are way too dependant on our cars. I love public transportation! You meet the coolest people on busses. All the people our age are so eager to learn English. They all want to come to America, but can't afford it. This one guy we met last night really wants to improve his English so he can get a better job one day. Also, walking is fun. Pretty sure Elizabeth and I walked 6 miles or so yesterday and we would have done more if we didn't have to be back at our hotel before 11pm when they lock the doors.
All for now...
Observation #2: I don't feel as tall as I thought I would. Considering Shanna is a good 4 or 5 inches shorter than me and she said that she felt tall here, I was expecting to feel like the Jolly White Giant. But really, I feel about average here...maybe a tad bit on the tall side. Mostly I just feel white. Not that it's a bad thing. I just get stared at a lot. But it also has its perks. Tonight, we have VIP tickets to this dance show on campus. That should be quite interesting. Details to follow...
Observation #3: It's smoggy here! The pollution is more or less what I expected. Some places, like campus, are very clean and meticulously well kept. Other places...not so much. The Huangpu River is a lovely shade of mud and when I asked a girl about the beaches, she just kinda laughed.
Observation #4: Even though the beds are about as soft as a slab of marble, I sleep quite well. Although...I can pretty much sleep anywhere, anytime, on anything, so maybe this shouldn't come as a surprise.
Observation #5: The greatest bargaining tool I have is my feet. If I'm not getting a price I like, I start walking away. Then they starting singing another tune pretty quickly. I got a $5 Chanel wallet last night. Elizabeth got a $15 Coach purse. Mom...you may need to send more money...and more suitcases...
Observation #6: We are way too dependant on our cars. I love public transportation! You meet the coolest people on busses. All the people our age are so eager to learn English. They all want to come to America, but can't afford it. This one guy we met last night really wants to improve his English so he can get a better job one day. Also, walking is fun. Pretty sure Elizabeth and I walked 6 miles or so yesterday and we would have done more if we didn't have to be back at our hotel before 11pm when they lock the doors.
All for now...
Monday, May 21, 2007
My feet thank me
Today was a much needed and deserved R&R day. I slept in until a leisurely 8:30am. Elizabeth and I got ready and caught the bus to downtown. On the bus, we met two girls from Georgia who were also here tutoring at a different university. We chatted the whole way about this and that...how much people honk their horns here, how we both weren't given as many hours as we were promised for tutoring, the best place to get such-and-such...it was really fun. We got off at the same stop and we helped give them some directions. They are leaving tomorrow. So we went to the bank and exchanged some more money, then headed over to Yu Gardens again for a foot massage. We found the lady who approached us the first day and went up to the 3rd floor to her store. We got an hour long foot massage and then a 30 minute back massage for less than $10 each! I love China! Afterwards, I felt as if I could walk 20 miles. We decided this might be a weekly thing... We shopped for a bit longer, then caught the bus back home just in time to do a quick email check and go out to eat with our professors and a professor from Central Michigan. I am still absolutely stuffed! We had green beans, eggplant with potatoes, curry chicken, duck soup, pork, and a chicken/bamboo/onion sandwich.
Now to back-track a bit. Saturday, Elizabeth, Carlson, and I went downtown and walked along Nanjing Road during the day. It was fun, but it's much prettier at night. We window shopped for a bit, then Elizabeth and I each bought a single pearl necklace for $5. Did I mention I love China?!? We had lunch at this place that served excellant pork chops over rice and Japanese dumplings. Then, we went to the Shanghai Museum. There were all sorts of exhibits, Chinese calligraphy, jade, currency, bronze and stone work, minority costumes, paintings, you name it. There was also a traveling exhibit. It, ironically, was 'Art in America.' There was some Andy Warhol works along with other contemporary artists. We headed home after that and relaxed in our rooms for a while, then went out to eat. We had this green bean in oyster oil dish that was very good, sauteed lettuce, a spicy beef soup, spicy chicken, and a ham, mushroom, and shredded beef dish. I thought I wasn't going to like much Chinese food. Boy, was I wrong!
Yesterday afternoon, we rode the bus to a place called Forest Park that's a couple miles away. I've never seen a park with so much stuff to do! One corner had an amusement park with a rollercoaster, train rides, a mechanical bull, and other carnival-type rides, another corner had horseback riding, you could rent either rowboats or electic boats and take them down the lake and little streams, there was kite flying, people were fishing for crayfish...and much more! We saw about 10 sets of brides and grooms getting their pictures taken, you could overlook the Huangpu River, and you could also do a cable slide. I convince Elizabeth to do it with me. Imagine parasailing, but on a big cable instead of behind a boat. The guy strapped us in a big sling underneath a kite. He also motioned to this cord and said something about 'stop.' We weren't sure if we had to pull it to stop or if that was the emergency stop cord or what. So, he slung us backwards over this lake and all the Chinese people on the boats below us were laughing and taking pictures. When we neared the other tower, Elizabeth and I looked at each other and debated about whether we were supposed to pull the cord. We didn't pull it, but it stopped anyway and started moving forward. Then it stopped again, so we screamed and everyone below us laughed again. Now, when we watched the people before us, they had all come barreling in at high speed and slammed into this bungee thing which stopped them. So now on the way back towards the tower, we again debated about whether or not we should pull this cord. We decided on no and held our breath as we neared the tower. But, the guy who was running it knew that we didn't understand exactly what was going on, so he brought us in much more slowly than the others, much to Elizabeth's relief and my disappointment. I will definately be doing that again! We walked around the park for at least 3 or 4 hours and probably only saw 2/3 of it. Later that afternoon/evening, we walked around the farmers market that's a couple blocks from campus. We borrowed Monty Python from Patton (our teacher) and fell asleep about 3 skits into it. This tourist thing is hard work!
Now to back-track a bit. Saturday, Elizabeth, Carlson, and I went downtown and walked along Nanjing Road during the day. It was fun, but it's much prettier at night. We window shopped for a bit, then Elizabeth and I each bought a single pearl necklace for $5. Did I mention I love China?!? We had lunch at this place that served excellant pork chops over rice and Japanese dumplings. Then, we went to the Shanghai Museum. There were all sorts of exhibits, Chinese calligraphy, jade, currency, bronze and stone work, minority costumes, paintings, you name it. There was also a traveling exhibit. It, ironically, was 'Art in America.' There was some Andy Warhol works along with other contemporary artists. We headed home after that and relaxed in our rooms for a while, then went out to eat. We had this green bean in oyster oil dish that was very good, sauteed lettuce, a spicy beef soup, spicy chicken, and a ham, mushroom, and shredded beef dish. I thought I wasn't going to like much Chinese food. Boy, was I wrong!
Yesterday afternoon, we rode the bus to a place called Forest Park that's a couple miles away. I've never seen a park with so much stuff to do! One corner had an amusement park with a rollercoaster, train rides, a mechanical bull, and other carnival-type rides, another corner had horseback riding, you could rent either rowboats or electic boats and take them down the lake and little streams, there was kite flying, people were fishing for crayfish...and much more! We saw about 10 sets of brides and grooms getting their pictures taken, you could overlook the Huangpu River, and you could also do a cable slide. I convince Elizabeth to do it with me. Imagine parasailing, but on a big cable instead of behind a boat. The guy strapped us in a big sling underneath a kite. He also motioned to this cord and said something about 'stop.' We weren't sure if we had to pull it to stop or if that was the emergency stop cord or what. So, he slung us backwards over this lake and all the Chinese people on the boats below us were laughing and taking pictures. When we neared the other tower, Elizabeth and I looked at each other and debated about whether we were supposed to pull the cord. We didn't pull it, but it stopped anyway and started moving forward. Then it stopped again, so we screamed and everyone below us laughed again. Now, when we watched the people before us, they had all come barreling in at high speed and slammed into this bungee thing which stopped them. So now on the way back towards the tower, we again debated about whether or not we should pull this cord. We decided on no and held our breath as we neared the tower. But, the guy who was running it knew that we didn't understand exactly what was going on, so he brought us in much more slowly than the others, much to Elizabeth's relief and my disappointment. I will definately be doing that again! We walked around the park for at least 3 or 4 hours and probably only saw 2/3 of it. Later that afternoon/evening, we walked around the farmers market that's a couple blocks from campus. We borrowed Monty Python from Patton (our teacher) and fell asleep about 3 skits into it. This tourist thing is hard work!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
The Courtney-bird has landed!
Hello from the beautiful city of Shanghai! Sorry this first post took a while, but my days have been jam-packed with too many sights to see instead of being cooped up in an office on the internet. My journey began on Sunday. After getting a whole 45 minutes of sleep, Mom drove me to the airport to catch my 5am plane to Minneapolis. I sat next to a very nice lady who was in ND for a wedding in Hatton. She was from Alaska and it was her first time here. She couldn't say enough good about it. When I got into Minneapolis, I took the lightrail to a stop where Shanna picked me up. We went back to her place for some breakfast and lounging around. I fell asleep for a bit. She woke me up and we went to a nearby church. Sleeping at Shanna's only made me more tired though. They had this adorable kid's play about Daniel in the Lion's Den and I stuggled to keep my head up. Shanna thoroughly enjoyed poking me every chance she got. :) Next, we wanted to go to a place called Auntie Em's, but it was closed in honor of Mother's Day. So we muttered under our breath and blamed mom (hehe!). We went to another shop, had lunch, and then she and Sarah dropped me off at the airport.
At the airport, I met up with Steve Carlson (my professor) and Elizabeth Hams (my friend who is tutoring with me). We left for Tokyo. The plane ride was 12 hours long. We sat next to Joe from Indiana. He was on his way to the Philippines to visit his family. He hadn't been home in 18 years. He was a really nice guy. I slept most of the flight. I missed the first movie, then they played Charlotte's Web and Music and Lyrics. The airplane food was actually quite good. When we arrived in Narita/Tokyo, we were one of the last ones to go through security and almost missed our plane to Shanghai! Needless to say, we were a little worried, because Carlson went through way before us, and he was our ticket to the university. But, we boarded just as they were announcing last call. We both slept almost the whole way to Shanghai because it was dark out. All of our bags made it through, so that was a relief. We met with Jessica from USST (University of Shanghai for Science and Technology) who took us to campus. By the time we got our room key and unpacked a few things, it was past 11pm which made it over 30 hours since I left home. So I was very glad to see a bed, even if it was hard as a rock.
I woke up the next morning at 7am, which if you have ever tried to wake me up in the morning, is pretty astounding. We got ready and went on a campus tour with the graduate teaching assistant. She helped us get a meal card and showed us where class would be. Then for lunch, we met up with some students from Central Michigan University. We had some interesting dishes for our first meal. There were several that were pretty awful, but many that I liked. My favorites were the Peking duck, the sweet and sour fist, and the dumplings. Let's just say the liver pate wasn't too popular. We also had our first encounter with a public bathroom. Scary. After lunch, we lost our teacher. So we joined the CMU students and visited with some USST students. That evening, we ventured off campus for a bit and took in the sights. We were so tired that we fell asleep at about 9.
Wednesday morning, I woke up at 6:50!!! My schedule was so goofed up at home that I'm actually an early riser here! We got ready and Carlson took us downtown to Yuyuan Gardens. The streets were lined with more stores than you can shake a stick at...and that's saying something. We haggled over a few small items. I bought a magnet and Elizabeth bought this outfit that you put over a bottle. Then we were lured into a jewelry store where I bought a real pearl necklace for $10. It was so much fun bargaining with everyone! We made a few more small purchases and then had lunch. Then we went into the actually garden part. It was very beautiful. I will try to make a Shutterfly account so you can see them all. Next, we came back to campus and picked up Greg Patton (another UND professor teaching Management) to go to dinner. We went to a place a couple blocks from campus and had another delicious meal. There was this excellant baked corn dish, shredded beef, spicy beef in clay pot, and duck soup. Yummy. After dinner, we went home and fell asleep before 10 again.
Thursday. Got up at 6:30 and got ready. As I was looking out the balcony, I noticed some people doing tai chi below me. So I went down there and joined in. This one old guy was very happy to see me. "Welcome welcome!!" So I tried my best to follow along and ignore all the students who were staring at me as they walked to class. It was fun and interesting. Afterwards, the one guy smiled at me and told me to come again tomorrow. Then I went to class. It goes from 8am-11:30. Carlson introduced us. The classroom was very crowded and very hot. We talked with a few of the students around us. It turns out the students in our class had Shanna as a teacher last year. After class, we ate and went downtown again. After exchanging some money, we went to the Oriental Pearl Tower where we saw a great view of the city and ran into the Central Michigan students (small world!), the Shanghai Historical Museum, walked to the People's park where we waited for it to get dark. Then we walked down Nanjing Road. Think Las Vegas strip with every other person trying to sell you something. "Hello lady sir. Looky. Watch, bag, shoes, dvds. Gucci Prada. Cheapa-cheapa." Then we took a cab home and called it a night.
Friday. I woke up early and did tai chi with the old folks. School was cancelled because it was All Sports Day on campus. Several other schools came and there was a big opening ceremony and many events to follow. It was mostly track and field, but there was also dancing, basketball, volleyball, martial arts, and other events. We watched the opening ceremony where each team paraded around the track. When they got in front of the judges, they each did something different. Some released balloons, some shot off confetti, others had flags and rings, but the coolest one was the team that released birds. They had to have been holding them for at least an hour. It was pretty impressive. Then, Elizabeth and I set off on our grand adventure. We braved going out by ourselves. We took the bus from a local grocery story to downtown, then caught a cab to Sun Yat Sen's former residence. After that, we went to Fuxing Park and Xintiandi, and back to Yu Gardens. Now that we had some money, we REALLY shopped! We got some good deals on a few gifts and some things for ourselves too. I got this beautiful silk purse! When we were all shopped out, we caught the bus back home and showed off our purchases to our teachers. I bought my first bootlegged DVD. It was Spiderman 3...unfortunately, it was a bust. It was all in Chinese with no subtitles. It cost less than 50 cents, so I'm not too worried. We went to dinner with our teachers and two other professors. One from Central Michigan and another from Pennsylvania. I bought 'The Terminal' from a different store, and this time it was a success! We watched it and fell asleep.
The first couple days in China have been full of amazing sights, good food, and sore feet. I am thrilled to have this opportunity. I miss you all and will keep you posted!!
At the airport, I met up with Steve Carlson (my professor) and Elizabeth Hams (my friend who is tutoring with me). We left for Tokyo. The plane ride was 12 hours long. We sat next to Joe from Indiana. He was on his way to the Philippines to visit his family. He hadn't been home in 18 years. He was a really nice guy. I slept most of the flight. I missed the first movie, then they played Charlotte's Web and Music and Lyrics. The airplane food was actually quite good. When we arrived in Narita/Tokyo, we were one of the last ones to go through security and almost missed our plane to Shanghai! Needless to say, we were a little worried, because Carlson went through way before us, and he was our ticket to the university. But, we boarded just as they were announcing last call. We both slept almost the whole way to Shanghai because it was dark out. All of our bags made it through, so that was a relief. We met with Jessica from USST (University of Shanghai for Science and Technology) who took us to campus. By the time we got our room key and unpacked a few things, it was past 11pm which made it over 30 hours since I left home. So I was very glad to see a bed, even if it was hard as a rock.
I woke up the next morning at 7am, which if you have ever tried to wake me up in the morning, is pretty astounding. We got ready and went on a campus tour with the graduate teaching assistant. She helped us get a meal card and showed us where class would be. Then for lunch, we met up with some students from Central Michigan University. We had some interesting dishes for our first meal. There were several that were pretty awful, but many that I liked. My favorites were the Peking duck, the sweet and sour fist, and the dumplings. Let's just say the liver pate wasn't too popular. We also had our first encounter with a public bathroom. Scary. After lunch, we lost our teacher. So we joined the CMU students and visited with some USST students. That evening, we ventured off campus for a bit and took in the sights. We were so tired that we fell asleep at about 9.
Wednesday morning, I woke up at 6:50!!! My schedule was so goofed up at home that I'm actually an early riser here! We got ready and Carlson took us downtown to Yuyuan Gardens. The streets were lined with more stores than you can shake a stick at...and that's saying something. We haggled over a few small items. I bought a magnet and Elizabeth bought this outfit that you put over a bottle. Then we were lured into a jewelry store where I bought a real pearl necklace for $10. It was so much fun bargaining with everyone! We made a few more small purchases and then had lunch. Then we went into the actually garden part. It was very beautiful. I will try to make a Shutterfly account so you can see them all. Next, we came back to campus and picked up Greg Patton (another UND professor teaching Management) to go to dinner. We went to a place a couple blocks from campus and had another delicious meal. There was this excellant baked corn dish, shredded beef, spicy beef in clay pot, and duck soup. Yummy. After dinner, we went home and fell asleep before 10 again.
Thursday. Got up at 6:30 and got ready. As I was looking out the balcony, I noticed some people doing tai chi below me. So I went down there and joined in. This one old guy was very happy to see me. "Welcome welcome!!" So I tried my best to follow along and ignore all the students who were staring at me as they walked to class. It was fun and interesting. Afterwards, the one guy smiled at me and told me to come again tomorrow. Then I went to class. It goes from 8am-11:30. Carlson introduced us. The classroom was very crowded and very hot. We talked with a few of the students around us. It turns out the students in our class had Shanna as a teacher last year. After class, we ate and went downtown again. After exchanging some money, we went to the Oriental Pearl Tower where we saw a great view of the city and ran into the Central Michigan students (small world!), the Shanghai Historical Museum, walked to the People's park where we waited for it to get dark. Then we walked down Nanjing Road. Think Las Vegas strip with every other person trying to sell you something. "Hello lady sir. Looky. Watch, bag, shoes, dvds. Gucci Prada. Cheapa-cheapa." Then we took a cab home and called it a night.
Friday. I woke up early and did tai chi with the old folks. School was cancelled because it was All Sports Day on campus. Several other schools came and there was a big opening ceremony and many events to follow. It was mostly track and field, but there was also dancing, basketball, volleyball, martial arts, and other events. We watched the opening ceremony where each team paraded around the track. When they got in front of the judges, they each did something different. Some released balloons, some shot off confetti, others had flags and rings, but the coolest one was the team that released birds. They had to have been holding them for at least an hour. It was pretty impressive. Then, Elizabeth and I set off on our grand adventure. We braved going out by ourselves. We took the bus from a local grocery story to downtown, then caught a cab to Sun Yat Sen's former residence. After that, we went to Fuxing Park and Xintiandi, and back to Yu Gardens. Now that we had some money, we REALLY shopped! We got some good deals on a few gifts and some things for ourselves too. I got this beautiful silk purse! When we were all shopped out, we caught the bus back home and showed off our purchases to our teachers. I bought my first bootlegged DVD. It was Spiderman 3...unfortunately, it was a bust. It was all in Chinese with no subtitles. It cost less than 50 cents, so I'm not too worried. We went to dinner with our teachers and two other professors. One from Central Michigan and another from Pennsylvania. I bought 'The Terminal' from a different store, and this time it was a success! We watched it and fell asleep.
The first couple days in China have been full of amazing sights, good food, and sore feet. I am thrilled to have this opportunity. I miss you all and will keep you posted!!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
News from outside the bubble...
Great news for all of you who followed my adventures over '05- '06. I'm going back to Chiner!!! How exciting right. But wait, there's more. I'm going to be adding my sister Courtney as a guest correspondent. Super duper exciting, I know.
I dropped Courtney at the airport and was able to gauge her excitement level by the fact she could not speak English. A direct quote would be "EEEEEEE fasldfj;asijfoiahgg CHINA. EEEEEE!" She may deny it, but two people heard it so therefore it's true.
Look for upcoming posts from her and new anecdotes about recovering from jet lag, Chinglish and assorted other adventures that could only happen in my home away from home.
Peace,
Shanna
I dropped Courtney at the airport and was able to gauge her excitement level by the fact she could not speak English. A direct quote would be "EEEEEEE fasldfj;asijfoiahgg CHINA. EEEEEE!" She may deny it, but two people heard it so therefore it's true.
Look for upcoming posts from her and new anecdotes about recovering from jet lag, Chinglish and assorted other adventures that could only happen in my home away from home.
Peace,
Shanna
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