how does one eat a dragon fruit?

Last night, my roommate's friend brought over some fruit for us...one being a dragon fruit. I have always heard about these odd looking things...but have never had one. Anyone know how?








**i would ask my roommate...but she's gone home to visit her parents...**

a weekend away from the city

A couple of us spent this weekend away from Chengdu and out in a Tibetan village near the town of WenChuan. It was about half a day's drive from Chengdu...and the trip was quite windy and bumpy. We entertained ourselves either by sleeping or by playing simple word games. There were 11 of us in all. 2 of our program administrators, Li Juan and Pang Laoshi, Pang Laoshi's daughter, 2 graudate students who work as assistances in our program, the driver, and Tabitha, Sarah, Matt, Ben, and me.
Everything outside of the city is so different...one of the most noticeable things is the sky. It's hard to find blue skies in Chengdu. Once in a while you'll see it peek through the dense smog and clouds...but out of the city, the sky is absolutely amazing. We stopped to eat in a town on our way to our final destination. I don't know what it is...but the food here is just always so good. For dessert, me and Sarah each bought this pastry from a street vendor. It's sort of like a pancake mix that's been cooked in this pan and then you add all sorts of sweets in it. I got whipped cream and chocolate whipped cream. Very sweet...but very good. We arrived at around 3 in the afternoon. The roads now were no longer paved so the dirt road made us all a bit car sick. The best part of our entire trip, besides the scenery, had to have been our trip up the mountain and then down the mountain. We took tractors. They hurt so much...especially if you are sitting at the inner most seat cause they rails jam themselves into your ribs and legs from the weight of all of the other people sitting along your side. But it was so much fun. All of us couldn't help but laugh. Imagine a wooden roller coaster but no hand rails or anything...and the seat is wood. Yes...very dangerous...but one of the best rides in the world!
The Tibetan village we stayed at had a population of 180. Their main souces of income come from both selling napa to buyers in Chengdu as well as tourists like us. Well...I take that back. I suppose we were tourists...but not in the usual sense. In the past few years, this place has had more and more outside visitors. Some people have felt that this place was becoming too much of a tourist place...but by the looks of it...tourism has been kept out for the most part. Most of the visitors are like us...people who know about this place from word of mouth and then decide to come and visit via our own transportation. Others come here to camp out on this plain up on the top of the mountains. *there's a picture of this plain up on the top of the blog entry* We would have loved to have camped there overnight if we knew about it and actually brought camping gear. However, we didn't so we spent the night in a villager's house.
Here, I want to add a small section about ethnic minority and Han majority interactions. The reason why I thought this trip was so great was that we were visiting in a way that's not so traditionally touristy. In my opinion, it wasn't as exploitive. However, there were times during this trip that I still felt uncomfortable with...that is...how some of the people in the city treat minorities. With anything that is done...there's this expectation that it gets done. Man...I dont really know how to explain this. It's just that sometimes...Han people can really treat minorities as subordinates. Yes, we are paying them for a meal and for lodging...but that doesn't mean that one should treat them as though they are "servants" and service is demanded. I don't know. Does what I'm saying make sense? I'll have to think of something and try rephrasing this later. I don't know. I think the best part of being here in China is having the opportunity to embrace someone's culture and strive to learn something...rather than go in, snap pictures, and then leave.The next morning, me and Sarah got up early to watch the sunrise. However, despite it being 7, it was hard to actually see the sun because it was still behind the mountains and there was a layer of morning fog around. So...we decided to head down a portion of the mountain by foot and see if we could find some of the locals to chat with. Several people were already out tilling the soil and gathering napa. One of the ladies we talked to said that they began to plant in May and that they harvested in October. However, this year was a bad year in regards to climate cooperation...so they are relying more on tourism to provide them with their financial needs. I snapped the picture above as we were heading back to our lodgings.
We headed up the mountain a bit later that morning to visit the Tibetan temple. The only person there that early in the morning *8 AM* was an elderly Tibetan lady saying her prayers. This temple actually has a Lama from Tibet...however...he doesn't come to the temple until 10. We walked around and talked to the lady some. She said that the temple had only been there for about 30 years. Behind the temple, we visited the resting place of one of the previous Lamas.
Overall, the trip was great. Hopefully, I'll find myself in more of these places...and stay longer than just 2 days.

SU's "Olympics"

On Friday, we had the day off because Sichuan University was hosting an athletic competition among the different departments on campus. I'm not really a track kind of person...so I didn't sign up for any of the events...but I decided to participate in the opening ceremony. Honestly, I feel like this event is going to be the closest I'll ever come to knowing what it's like to be in the Olympics. The ceremony was set up such that when you walked into the stadium, you actually felt like you were representing your group, this being the Overseas School, like you were in the Olympics. Each group department set up such that when we got to the middle of the stadium, we did something special. Our signature were these huge confetti canons. I'm not kidding...they were just like a overblown popper. You have the peel the safety tape off the bottom and then when it was time, you twist the bottom until the canon pops and releases this huge amount of confetti. It was great. Only me and Sarah participated from among our UW friends...but we had a blast. All of the overseas students got these jump suits...sort of funny actually. On the back of the jackets, it says "overseas". How perfect to draw more attention to foreigners. :)
Some of the other groups used balloons, others had flowers, while some just danced.
The competition was to last for 2 days...with events from running, high jump, triple jump, to hurdles, shotput, etc. Not many of the students from the overseas school were competing in the morning, so we just hung out and watched the other events, cheering whoever on. It was a rather cold day however. Sarah, Ewan (a student from the Carribbean who just graduated from pharamacy school), Aaron (a guy from NY who has been in China for the past years), and I climbed up onto the reserved seats and hung out there. Most of the seats were not being used...so we decided that we would put them to use.
For lunch, Li Juan, one of the overseas administrators, arranged for Laura and me to be surveyors of this new type of instant noodle. It was rather interesting...we were going to treated to lunch for doing this. I guess they wanted to see if we could help them target foreigners with their noddles. They weren't that bad actually. Lunch, though, was superb...of course! It was Sichuanese food. I don't know why...but I never really liked eggplant that much in the States. However, since being here, I can't help but love them. Must be the way they are prepared because they are absolutely delicious.

In the afternoon, Sarah did her 3000 meter run and came in 2nd!!! Her race was crazy...in her grouping, she ran so much more ahead of everyone else...and alot of the girls collapsed as they reached the finished line. The first place winner was only ahead of Sarah by 4 seconds...but she was in the 2nd grouping.

Team Awesome & Some Pumpkin Fun

The past week has been quite busy. On Monday, we met with Andrea during our weekly meetings to discuss how we should structure these meetings in the future. In the past, it has mostly been about announcements and sharing our everyday experiences here in Chengdu with the rest of our class. Now, every other week we will have mandatory meetings where we will present our research projects, discuss articles, poems, etc. and share with the group a language tidbit we have learned in the past two weeks. During weeks when we don't have these mandatory meetings, Andrea has arranged for us to participate in activities together. For example, not this weekend but the next, she will take us to SW China's largest herb market. It is near the train station up in the norther regions of Chengdu. Especially after going to the Chinese herbalist last week and then going again Wednesday, I am rather excited about seeing this place. There is also a large tea market near this herb market. :)

On Tuesday, we had a meeting with some visiting UW professors from the Asian Languages department. In our 1 1/2 hour meeting, we talked with them about our experience so far in our language classes and our cultural class. It was interesting to sit and talk with UW people again. That night, Team Awesome struck again at the Chengdu Bookworm. Every two weeks, this foreign bookstore holds a Quiz Night. We came in last the last time we played...but the topics were really hard! European literature? European Geography? etc. I believe we were the only American team...and the youngest I might add. There was also one Canadian team. This week however, we came in 2nd to last...and even tied for our spot. Not bad. We are hoping to slowly make our way up...and eventually win the prizes: 2 bottles of red wine for the 2nd and 3rd places and a bottle of whisky for first place.

The trip to the herbalist on Wednesday was short. Sarah went back and had another appointment with the doctor, resulting in another herb regiment which she was to take for week. Rather than buy the materials needed to make this second concoction, she's going to wait until after she gets back with Andrea.

Thursday was a rather kick-back day. Besides classes, there wasn't much else going on during the day. I did my 2 hour English language session with my "student". I'm not sure if I really introduced him...but he's this guy I met through Tabitha. We are sort of taking turns being his language partner. He's probably in his early to mid-30s. He works for a company doing architecture of some sort...in various projects around China. His background is pretty interesting. His grandpa is Tibetan while his grandma is Cheung, or one of the ethnic minorities in China. Our conversations varies from his childhood growing up in a Tibetan village to my thoughts/comparisons between China's education system and the United States'. He's an interesting guy to talk to...and I learn Chinese vocabulary from him too. In the evening, I met up with Sarah and Matt and we headed on over to Shamrock's, the foreign bar here. They had a pumpkin carving event going on that night. I'm not a huge fan of Halloween, but I thought it might be fun. After dinner, we each grabbed a pumpkin and started doing our thing. I don't have very much experience in this field of melon art, being the only second time I've ever carved a pumpkin. I think for me, it turned out okay. I had some trouble with the teeth...I kept on over cutting and ended up with a pumpkin with only 3 teeth. Haha, oh well. We didn't want to stay very late, so after we finished, we headed out.

it's been 2 months now...

Today was a rather uneventful day. I sort of enjoyed just staying at home doing some of my own things. Granted...there were times I wished there was something else to do besides sitting at home reading, checking my e-mail, or watching Chinese soap operas. After today, I will have been in China for 2 months...man, time sure does fly by. This past month has been full of new discoveries or reconsiderations...and a few adventures and tragedies. I suppose there really isn't much to say today. The weather has finally come to its senses and realized it was October. We had drizzles throughout the day...and now since night has fallen, it has begun to rain more heavily.
I read my Chinese politics book today...I guess I could write about my views on Mao...but I'm not really feeling it right now.
I think the highlight of my day had to be browsing NPR's website and listening to my favorite radio show, "Wait, Wait - Don't Tell Me!"
I heard that Madonna adopted a baby from Africa. Sort of starting to look like it's the trendy thing to do in Hollywood.
America had it's 300 millionth person sometime last week...baby or immigrant...experts aren't sure.

Well, that's about it.

...

There is no appropriate title for the entry I am about to write. I therefore leave it to whoever reads it to come up with a way to summerize what happened today...
I woke up this morning around 6, hoping to make it in time to meet my ta and my friends at the north gate at 7. It is always pleasant to walk along the streets of Chengdu at a time like this before the streets and the roads are filled with the daily crowd. After enjoying a morning meal of some baked goods and dates courtesy of Andrea, the five of us (Andrea, Sarah, Ben, Matt and I) grabbed a taxi and headed on over to bus station. We were in search of a soy sauce factory outside a city called LeZhi. What was so interesting about this particular place was that it still made soy sauce the traditional way. Andrea had read about it in a book called Salt, a book I would suggest reading for anyone who is interested in how salt has played a role in world history. I personally haven't had the chance to read it, but I hope to sometime in the future.
We sat in the last row of seats on the bus. Our trip would take about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Being the usual person who just can't not sleep, I slept for the first 45 minutes to 1 hour of the ride. I woke up to find on some sort of a dirt road where there were markets on either side of us selling meats, fruits, and vegetables. The five of us began to chat about movies and were thinking about having a movie night sometime. At that instant, for what reason I really don't know, I directed my attention to watching the road ahead of us. A motorcycle carrying three peoplewas crossing into our path, seeming as though it was going to make it across the street before we would pass. I suppose these things slow down in time but as I watched them something seemed wrong. They were not speeding up and our bus wasn't slowing down. As I watched one man look straight into the bus, we crashed into them. The sound of the contact was and still is frightening. I couldn't see what was happening because for one, the entire windshield became fragmented with some areas completely shattered, and two I instinctively closed my eyes. When I opened them, I glanced outside to see why someone kept repeating "Oh my god." One of the guys on the motorcycle was lying outside our window with what looked like a serious, serious head injury. Blood was spilling onto the streets, streaming from this head, his nose, and his ears. His lips had turned blue and had labored breathing. The other two didn't seem to be hurt as bad as this guy...but then again, they could have had major internal injuries. People began to gather. Some with cell phones and with some familiarity of the place called for help. Soon, an ambulence came and took the men away. We decided to hail down the next passing bus and head home to Chengdu.
In writing this entry, I am not sure what youwill take away from it. It's not as though I hope everyone walks away having had learned a lesson. I guess it's hard to even say anything but that this was a great, great tragedy.
China's traffic is unlike anything in the U.S. Over the past two months, I feel I have gotten more and more courage to charge into traffic like the locals do here. After this incidence, I am reminded that safety is so important.
I suppose other personal reflections about what happened is hard to write about...so I will leave it at this.

I pray for these men and their families.

bike expenses

These past few days have been rather frustrating for me. With my bike, its a love-hate relationship. When it cooperates and stays intact, I love it! It's a great way to travel. However, when the chain comes off the gears, the barrings need to be changed, the tire blows up and goes flat, the chain breaks in 2, I just hate it. So...I have decided to make a tally for myself and for anyone interested to just see what sort of investment my bike actually is. Hopefully, by the end of the year, I can say that it was worth it. So far, it ain't worth all the frustration, time, money, and effort. So here we go.

Bike Expenses (so far...)

60 RMB - bike itself
30 RMB - changing the back tire, inner tube, and inner tube lining
10 RMB - new chain
19 RMB - new barrings for the pedal section and for back wheels
~1 RMB - air, random fixes here and there

10.24.06
10 RMB - another NEW chain. Supposedly, the last chain that I bought got screwed up cause I of my later pedal problem...so yeah...more money.

11.11.06
I can happily report that my bike has been doing really well. Ever since the new chain, I haven't ran into any huge problems. Yeah, it squeaks and rattles once in a while, but I am able to ride *sometimes even quite fast* without the whole bike coming apart. :) yay.

this is kinda cool...

create your own visited country map
or check our Venice travel guide


gotta increase my percentage! 6% or 15 countries is way too little.

LeShan Giant Buddha & shadowing a Chinese Herbalist

Hey,
I would have posted last night, but because of our field trip I decided to wait until today. Yesterday, the Overseas Student Department arranged for us a field trip to LeShan, the world's largest Buddha carved in stone. The trip was alright, definitely not as un-durable as my last trip to Juizhaigou. Not only was the trip short, but I meet a few people and chatted with them. Not living at the student dorms makes meeting other overseas student alot harder. The trip to Leshan took us only about 2 hours. Most of the trip I spent either sleeping, listening to my i-pod or chatting with some of the people sitting in front of us. Two are Americans and the other African. It was a bit harder speaking with the guy from Africa because he only understood and could communicate in Portugese and French, neither language I have too strong a grasp of. One of the guys I actually met at church. Leshan was amazing...but despite it being a Tuesday afternoon, there were still alot of people. We practically waited in line for over an hour just to get to the small, narrow stairway down to the Buddha's feet. I have always wanted to come see this Buddha. When I was younger during my first trip to Disney World, my parents discovered this park called Splendid China. It was the most beautiful place. The entire park held miniature replicas of China's most well known landmarks and tourist attractions, including this Giant Buddha. Ever since I was there, I had a strong interest to visit all of these places. Some, I already have like the Terra Cotta, the Great Wall, the Forbidden Palace, the Summer Palace, the Stone Forest, etc. and now, the Giant Buddha. The sad thing is, a couple of years later my family and I went back to Orlando. This time we took our grandparents and my uncle. We discovered that the park was still open, but it looked as though they gave up on taking care of the place. Weeds were growing everywhere...and there werent many people around to really watch what the tourist did with their replicas. A few months ago, I looked up the place, wondering if the place even still existed. I read from a local newspaper online that the place was sold to someone who was going to tear down the park...I think. I am not too sure...but I know that this park no longer exists. My parents said during our first time there that this wasnt a good place for such a park. First, it was in Orlando...the main attraction here would be Disney World. Plus, the Chinese-American population here was not as large as say L.A. I agree. The two times we went there, there were very little people in the park. But I thought it was such an awesome place to go and do a quick run of all of China's attractions. Too bad its no longer around. So, this third photograph is me trying to hug Buddha's foot. In China, there's this saying "To hug Buddha's foot." This saying is usually applied to children who are in school. For those who don't usually study but study at the last minute and only when there is an exam or an assignment, lots of times their parents would say "Child! You are hugging Buddha's foot." I guess it would sort of relate to those who pray right before an exam, asking for a good grade and such. I tried to get as close to his foot as possible...but it was rather hard. So...this was my closest try.

Today, I went and shadowed a Chinese doctor/herbalist. It was amazing. I think in the one hour session that we went to, there were 13 patients. He checks your pulse, looks at your tongue and then asks what was wrong. From that, he can diagnose what is wrong and prescribe you the correct herbal concoction. I am planning on going back again soon, so until then, and when I learn a bit more about Chinese herbs, I'll write more.

the weekend

Nothing too much went on this weekend. I spent most of my time working on homework and on watching a tv series based on a famous novel called: 红楼梦。It was recommended to me by my roommate who just absolutely loves it. Here in China, they even have a entire field dedicated to studying this story. From what I have watched so far, I find it rather interesting. I do have to say that nearly half of what they are saying I don't understand completely. That's cause they are using a more ancient way of talking. So, from using context and the Chinese that I do know, I get the gist of what's going on. Of course, if there is an entire field devoted to this novel, then there must be meaning beyond what I am getting from my first encounter.

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

有一点优郁。。。

所有的都不是像我想象的.

时间过的还真快。

the Mosque, an Earwaxing, & mahjong in the park

Today was quite the day for adventures. After classes today, Sarah, Matt, Ben, & I grabbed a route 55 bus down to ChunXi Lu and then went on exploring the area. We were in search of the local mosque. Using the map that I picked up from the hostile, we weaved around several streets and even found ourselves in an underground shopping street. It was quite the scene. The way our usual adventures go is that you walk in a direction for a few minutes, stop and ask for direction to make sure you are going in the right direction, and then continue walking until you find the next friendly looking individual to question. So...I'm guessing we walked for a good fifteen to twenty minutes in this underground shopping street. Ever couple of minutes, we paused to be certain that we weren't off the supposed trail. Actually, it was rather "fateful" that we ended up in this shopping street. Since we were planning on visiting the mosque, Sarah and I thought it would be respectful and maybe even necessary to buy a scarf to cover our hair. So, we each got a green scarf that will prove to be handy when winter rolls around. Matt got himself an American flag bandana...I'm not sure what he's planning on using it for....but...yeah...he got one. After walking quite a distance, we finally emerged at a street that led directly to the mosque. We could tell as we were walking along that we were getting closer and closer. More and more Xinjiang people appeared, most of them were men with these bicycle-carts full of dried fruits. They are some of the most delicious dried fruits I've ever had. In addition to buying some dried apricots, we shared a box of spicy noodles and a type of bread/pastry. After eating our fill *Matt and Ben, of course, got sheep-on-a-stick*, we headed into the mosque to look around. There weren't that many people around...but we took a quick tour around the place. It was a pretty decent sized place...although, I would have to say, I really have nothing to compare it to since it was my first time into a mosque. There were a few people in the main area of the mosque praying and a few Xinjiang people sitting outside in the corridor chatting. I snapped a picture of the room upstairs where no one. It was interesting to see the chart they had out in the front. It had the times and directions as to when they should pray. We weren't too sure what we could or could not do as no one in the mosque really took too much interest in us. Not too long after getting there, we headed out and walked across the street to RenMing Park. This was where the real fun began.




We started to meander around...and found ourselves in this section of the park next to a tea house where there were alot of elderly and middle aged people playing mahjong. What could we do but find out how all these people got their mahjong sets? We went into the tea house and found that if you bought a cup of tea, mahjong was complementary. So, the four of us, with our 10RMB cup of tea found ourselves in the midst of all of these people trying to figure out how to play. Well, it wasn't like none of us knew how to. My grandparents taught me a couple of years ago...but it had been quite a while. So, as we were figuring out this game, this guy walks up. Right away, Ben and I knew who he was. I'm not sure if many of you guys know who Anthony Bourdain is...but he's on the Travel Channel and does what people on the travel channel do...talk about the places they visit. Well, when I was in Texas, one of the episodes was on Beijing and Chengdu. In Chengdu, he went to RenMing Park *when we headed over to this park, we had no idea it was the same park that Bourdain went to,* sat around watching people play mahjong, and...get this...had his ear cleaned! Yes! There are actually people here who go around and ask if people want to get their ears cleaned. Okay, this was when I found out that I had a childhood experience that, now it seems, not many other people experience. I am not sure whether it's a Chinese thing or an Asian thing, but when I was a kid, my mom would often clean out the wax in our ears with a special earpicking tool. Well...when I told this fact to my friends...they just looked at me. Haha...it was hilarious. Well...like I said, Ben saw this episode. So as we were sitting down to play, he said that he was hoping to get his ear cleaned and was looking around for any of the ear cleaners. After a few minutes into our first game...lo and behold! The ear cleaner guy. :) So, the three of them all got their ears washed, picked, and cleaned for 25 RMB. Crazy isn't it? Well, not so crazy. I, having had this experience before, didn't feel like I needed the experience again. It was quite funny, especially when each of them had their turn and gave the most hilarious faces. Honestly, it doesn't hurt. Their squirming looks and im-being-tortured nervous laughter were more from the weirdness of it all. It can be, as they commented, quite enjoyable.
After that whole ordeal, we got back to playing. The most interesting part of playing is the fact that 30 minutes into our game, we literally had an audience of 20 watching us play. What probably drew them over was the fact that 1. we are young...most of the people who play mahjong in China are middle aged or elderly people. 2. we are foreigners...well, most of the time people thought I was a local and was trying to teach my friends how to play. So...this was what was so great about the whole thing. Not only were they helping us with our game, but they sometimes began to argue among themselves how we should be playing and which tiles to deal out. It was awesome. Oh, so me and sarah were the winners, I think for all of the games. Here is us with our victory-thumbs-up and our winning tiles. Overall, we had quite the afternoon.

In the evening, I went and met Maxim. I am his conversational partner...usually we just chat about anything that comes to mind in a mix of Chinese and English. Most of the time it's in English...so I help him with this grammer and his vocabulary. We talked about Chinese vs. American culture. I won't go into the details...cause that in itself is an entry in itself. I do want to share with you guys a feeling that I always get here in China though. At least once a week, more often now that I'm teaching English and going to Western styled resturants, I get this feeling of two worlds. Imagine this: going to eat lunch and your environment being much like it would be in the States. But then, when you walk out of the resturant....the door acting as some sort of portal, you are back in China. It is the strangest and most awing feeling. It feels as if 2 worlds are being connected by a simple door. :)

a recommended read

Tonight, I went to the Bookworm with Sarah and Andrea to listen to a book talk by John Pomfret. He just published his new book called "Chinese Lessons." To go into deeper about what this book was about...I'll grab what the Bookworm newsletter had to say about his visit and book. And I quote "A rare opportunity to hear from John Pomfret, an award winning journalist currently firmly positioned at the top of the hotlist of China commentators. John Pomfret came to China to study at Nanjing University in 1981. Immersing himself in Chinese society and culture, he gained a unique insight into China at a time when few foreigners had the opportunity. His brand new book, 'Chinese Lessons', published in August this year, tells the stories of his classmates at Nan Da, recounting how their lives have been shaped by the rise of 'new China' over the past thirty years." I really enjoyed the talk...but I didn't end up buying the book. Not that I didn't want to...but it was 220RMB. I don't even usually pay that much for a leisure book in the states! So...I might visit the Bookworm more often and see if it's a book I can just read at the store. After the talk...Sarah, Andrea, and I got to talking about a whole range of issues regarding China. For me...what struck me the most was what he had to say about my generation of Chinese. Not many people really want to hear much about what their parents went through...or learn about their grandparents' era...at least they don't seem to interested on the outside. What they are more interested in is what can be seen as the economics of China. How can I get a good job and a good pay? Could I go to America? Money, money, money. And I'm not here to judge my generation of Chinese...but the whole money issue here is so prevalent among everyone! My roommate and I had a really long conversation about how money has driven people to do some really shameful things. It seems like people are willing to give up tradition, culture, family, parents, friends for the sake of money. Granted...this is only a generalization of the situation. I can not be certain that this is the case for everyone. But at the same time, it does seem like it is everywhere. I am not sure if I am one to talk though...not having been raised entirely in this culture and in this society. Certainly alot of things here in China and the US are very different. Sometimes, I wonder if even I, if I were in their shoes, would act the same way.

Not only was this observation, in my opinion, applicable to my generation of Chinese...but I also see it prevalent in my own family. None of my cousins or my brother seem really interested in their cultural roots...even when all of us, with the exception of my oldest cousin, my brother, and me...were all born in Taiwan. There isn't so much of a strive to maintain strong ethnic, cultural, or traditional ties. They...are Americanized. When I say this though...what are the standards for being Americanized? Am I only saying this because I feel like I have a stronger interest in finding my cultural roots? Although any of this might be so...none of my cousins seem to want to leave America and even visit China or Taiwan. They all of family now...and to a certain degree...realized the American dream for their parents. Some are landscapers, some teachers, some are researchers with a Ph D. I, though, feel like there is such a large gap that has yet to be filled. I want to be out there, learning more about my family, learning about our history...our struggles, our successes. But...in my family, I am alone in that journey.

One of the other things that Pomfret brought up was the issue of Taiwan and China. Prior to coming to China, I really had no understanding of where my family was in terms of political sides. Sometimes, though, as Sarah and Andrea both mentioned, you just get tired of bickering about the same issue over and over again. World citizen. Sounds pretty easy enough.


I was going to write an entry that was sort of personal...but, time has passed by...and some of the anger and frustration had passed by. In the midst of all of that though...I was having a hard time just even understanding the basis of why I was here. Being Chinese American has, in alot of ways, been really good. I feel that I am able to enjoy two cultures...accepting and taking as my own the qualities from the two that I feel is most applicable to who I am and what I am to become. However...there has also been downfalls. One of the reactions I get mostly from the Chinese here is just that I am Chinese. I may not speak the dialect that they speak here...but I'm Chinese from another place. Sure..I am. I'm HuaQiao...meaning that I'm ethnically Chinese...but I'm living outside of China. Therefore...in being Chinese...there are expecations. The basics being being able to read and write...2 things I have yet to master. When they figure that I can't...their first exclamation is WHAT! YOU CAN'T READ?!? I then have to explain to them that yes...I am Chinese American...I am here in China to learn. Then they smile and say..Ahh...Chinese-American. HuaQiao. Usually...they start talking to me...asking me about my family backgroud...where my grandparents are from...where my parents are from, etc. Here then starts the first round of uncomfortablness. First...I reply that my parents were born and raised in Taiwan but my grandparents are originally from China. They reply...oh, Taiwan. *A look* I have come to accept this look...the look of "you are KMT." Among some of the Chinese here, then, following this claim, there is a sort of understanding and then I get this feeling. I don't know how to describe it. It is a feeling of obligation...or rather..expected obligation of kindness. I am sure, and I know, that this feeling doesnt happen with everyone...but there's this feeling that...my grandparents went to Taiwan...and then my parents were able to immigrate to the US. Now...you are back here...you should help us...financially. This is a feeling that I am not unfamiliar with. My grandpa was of a family of, I think, 9 kids. When he "fled" to Taiwan, he had to leave his family behind. Several years ago, he made contact with his younger brother and went to China to visit. Their relationship as brothers soon became strained as this relationship itself became a burden...a burden of having to give his brother money. It's not so much that my grandpa was unwilling...but the want of money soon became all that was making this relationship even a relationship. My grandpa soon made the decision to cut off all relations...knowing that this relationship was doomed to end in tragedy anyways. This is just one of the feelings I myself experience sometimes. The other is living up to expectations. I grew up being told to respect elders...whether or not they are wrong. Although now I don't fully accept this sort of thinking...I still do follow it for traditions sake. However, one of the most frustrating things about being here for me has been the expectations the Chinese have for me. They expect that being a Chinese-American who can speak and understand Chinese that I completely and totally understand all of the customs and mannerisms of the people here. At these moments, it seems like they forget the American part of Chinese-American...totally disregarding the fact that I, for the past 20 years, have been in an American society and was educated with Western ways. The expectations sometimes just makes me feel so useless. No matter how hard I try to respect my elders, I can not because they see me as someone I am not. I can not be the Chinese they think I am. Not only that though, they become frustrated with me for "not knowing better."
*Sigh* My desire to "seek thyself" has not only been fulfilled on a daily basis...but it has really made me stop and re-evaluate my identity. For all of those I talked to before I left...yeah. I am here...and it's happening. I am starting to know more about myself...in a deeper sense than even I would have imagined. I am not only reaching the more basic levels of self...but I am facing issues that is forcing me to think in ways I did not think I would be doing.

All in all though...I feel like regardless of how I may feel...everything, I know, will work out. I am so glad to have the friends that I do have...both here in Chengdu and back in the States.

:) Enough about personal reflections...I should get started on some reviewing and some homework. There are still a huge amount of stuff I should get to...but...step by step, no?

the pet market!

After classes today, Matt, Sarah, Sunny & I went on an adventure in search of the bird, fish, and plant market. Did we hit the jackpot or what! We took the 55 bus down to Chunxi Rd, the most popular shopping street here in Chengdu. From the bus stop there, we walked for about 2 blocks in search of Qingshiqiao Market. Matt was hoping to buy some fish while we wanted a glimpse of what a pet market was like here in China. Not only were there shops and shops of fish of all kinds *some, I think, were obtained illegally...like baby puffers,* but there were stands selling puppies, squirrels, chipmunks, mini pigs, birds, turtles, snappers, crabs, snakes, and even chinchilas! I was thinking...how did they get some all the way to China? Anyways...it was quite the scene. :) I even found myself a Sharpei that I absolutely just fell in love with. However, despite all of the amazing animals we saw...the place was rather sad. Alot of the puppies were locked up in cages, some of the tanks looked like they needed to be cleaned, and there were places were you could see some of the dead animals. In one cage of chipmunks, there was one flipped onto its back...just lying there. Sometimes, it's hard to accept things as both awing and depressing...this place, well...yeah, it was both.

Holiday Festivities

Just came back from spending Mid-Autumn Festival with Sarah, Laura, Matt, & Sunny. We felt that since we arent with our families, we might as well spend it with our friends. We first ventured to a resturant near West gate that specialized in making MaPoDoFu or spicy numbing tofu. Besides ordering this speciality, we also ordered a fish dish, a green dish, a eggplant dish *which we just absolutely love*, and a pork dish. It was quite the meal! After everything, we were also given mooncakes and fruit. What would the Mid-Autumn Festival be without these "delicious" treats? Actually...not many people like mooncakes, including me. It's not that it's absolutely terrible...it's just not exactly the best dessert you can have. Some of my friends aren't exactly fans either...especially the mooncakes with the egg yolk inside. That's what we were given today: mooncakes filled with prune paste with an egg yolk inside. :) To keep with the old tradition, we ate it anyways.After dinner, we *Matt, Laura, Sarah & I* rode our bikes from West gate to East gate to visit the Jinjiang River. There is the tradition of floating paper lotuses with a candle inside on the river. We each bought a candle and set it afloat. The river was full of these floating lotuses. Chengdu being the cloudy city that it is, we weren't able to see the moon in its bright and glory. I tried to take the best picture I could of the moon...but this is the best picture I got. I snapped it at the moment it showed itself briefly. Here are a couple pictures of us buying our candles and then each of us sending it off into the still waters. We walked along the banks of the river just chatting about our tours and sightseeing. Matt, Laura, and Sarah had a great time on the Yangtze. Make sure you check out some of their photos in their blogs. They came back only this morning.



Well, that's it! Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone! Hope everyone had the opportunity to take a break tonight and look up at the moon. I'll leave this entry with a poem that I was reminded of tonight by looking at the moon. It is a Tang poem written by Li Bai. The translation is:







Night Thoughts

Before my bed
There is bright-lit moonlight
So that it seems
Like frost on the ground:

Lifting my head
I watch the bright moon
Lowering my head
I dream that I'm home.

In Chinese it is:Good night everyone!

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!!!

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone! This week has been quite the week. Not only is today August 15 according to the Lunar Calendar (meaning that the moon is its roundest and that the Chinese celebrate by eating mooncakes with their families), but this past week I have been on break for the National Holiday which was on October 1st. All seven of us went to different places around China. Ben and Sunny went to LeShan & EMeiShan; Laura, Sarah, and Matt went on a 3 day cruise down the Yangtze River; and Tabitha & I went to JuizhaiGou and Huangshan up in the northern part of the Sichuan Province. Our trip started on Monday at 5:30 AM. Both of us met up at West gate and then headed on over to East gate where the tour company sent a van to pick us up. Our first day was long and tiring. We rode the bus up until around 4 in the afternoon. In between, we stopped off and did some touristy stuff, like, me riding a camel. To think of it, I think this camel ride was the first time I have ever been on an animal. Nope, not even horses. So, it was sort of exciting. However, the entire time I was on this trip, I couldnt help but think that tourism is so exploitive of the culture and the socieities. One of the ethnic minorities that lives in the area we visited the Zang, or the Tibetans. Tourists dress up in their traditional for a photo opportunity...but all the while not really understanding the culture or what their clothing represents. I fell into this too as you will see later on in this blog.
On the other hand, the people here have sort of accepted this and have even begun on tourism to make a living. We went to a "Ethnic Minority" show. They had all of these re-dramatizations of their customs and festivities. During the entire thing, although really appreciating the culture and their dress, I had an uneasy feeling that I was contributing to an exploitation. I began to wonder, as I do whenever I partake as a mere tourists, what do these people really think about us being here? Is the situation here accepted? Or is it simply just tolerated?
I am currently reading a book entitled "Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice." It is my Mark Plotkin and it discusses his expeditions to the Amazon to work with Shamans of the native peoples so that their knowledge of traditional herbs used for medicine doesnt become lost. Part of the book discusses how the outside, more modern world has contributed to the loss of culture. I see that happening here in China too. I am just hoping that all of this doesnt come to a point where thousands of years of history and knowledge just...disappear.

Well, asides from my own contemplative insights, my trip was amazing. The world, nature, people just never ceases to amaze me. Juizhaigou was a place my mom has always wanted to go. After being there...I can say that anyone who appreciates natural beauty can not but fall in love with this place. From pools of aqua and royal blue to waterfalls and the mountains, this place was definitely the place to spend the holidays. Granted...I wasnt the only one thinking that. JuizhaiGou and Huanglong receive so many visitors everyday...but the greatest numbers come during the holidays. It took quite the effort to take pictures of the scenery without catching a tourist in the photograph. We spent an entire day at JuizhaiGou...and let me tell you...a day was barely enough time. I was highly impressed by how well the place is protected and preserved. There are, of course, occasional instances where visitors violate rules and touch some of the formations...but for the most part...I didnt find anyone smoking in the park *maybe it was the 500 RMB penalty that came with this violation* or people littering. The park itself is enormous. There are low pollution buses inside Juizhaigou that take you to all of the points of interest...from the tops of the mountains to the lower regions of the area. My favorite part of Juizhaigou was just walking through the mountains and forests. Autumn is usually the best time to go. Although it is a bit chilly during this time of the year, the forests of trees are spotted with yellows and reds. Occasionally, as you are walking along the paths, you come across a vast area of reeds and grassland surrounding pools of magnificently colored water. The most famous and most beautiful pool is called the Five Colored Pool. Upon reaching its waters...you are just completely blown away with the deepness and virbrantness of the blue. And all of the water in this park are so clear that you can literally see all the way to the bottom. Tiny fish swimming around can be seen from afar.

Huanglong was our destination on our trip day traveling away from Chengdu. It was very cold both at the bottom of the mountain and at the top. In order to save time, given that we only had 4 hours to climb and descend the mountain, a couple of us bought tickets to travel up the mountain via cable cars. That saved us nearly 3 hours of walking. After our lift, we walked for half an hour to visit the most celebrated part of Huanglong. As we began to walk and take pictures, it began to snow! Hard too! The snow and the changing autumn colors only added to the beauty of this place. It was difficult to restrain myself from taking so many pictures. Everything, it seemed, was worth pausing and photograhing. The lines of people climbing the wooden pathways was quite a scene too! People were gathered around the temples, snapping pictures of the flora. Sometimes...we literally had to stop, walk, stop, walk just because so many people were trying to take pictures on the narrow paths. :) Me included.
Overall...the trip was great. There were a couple of downers to traveling with a Chinese touring company...such as the rooms and the food. But when we travel...its more about the destinations, no? The journey itself can be rough...and it was...especially with all of the windy roads and my car sickness...but I have to say...the trip was well worth it!

I have many more pictures of this trip over in YahooPhotos. The link is in my blog...titled "Additional Photos of China."

:) I do have to say that despite the amount of photos that I did take...they only begin to express truely what a magnificent place these 2 places were. I guess you will just have to go and visit them for yourself!