Sorry there hasn't been a post yet about this weekend. I've been busy studying for finals WHICH START TODAY.
I'll try to post pictures from Jennings' surprise birthday party and karaoke tonight.
Wish me luck!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Oh China.
China China China.
Yesterday, we visited a "fishing village" that was supposed to illustrate the differences between the developed and developing areas of China. Little did we know that the directors of our Flagship Chinese program were actually brainwashing us with their Chinese propaganda. Thursday (see previous post), we went to a REAL Chinese fishing village. Yesterday, however, we went to a developed tourist city/tourist trap that they called a fishing village. We stayed in a hotel, ate a nice restaurant (that served awful food), and went on a boat tour of Rongcheng City, which happens to be one of the most polluted stretches of ocean on the Chinese coast.
The first night (Thursday), we had a "party" where we danced around a bonfire, sang karaoke and played some games. It was pretty fun.
The next morning, we ate a less-than-delicious (read: awful) breakfast that consisted of flavorless bread, white rice and flower roots (among other non-breakfast foods). Later, we took a boat tour around the city.
On the boat tour, we got the chance to pull mussels off of the anchor rope, which we ate. I ate two, just to be polite. I'm scared to death that I'm going to die of mercury poison now (Interesting sidenote: "mercury" in Chinese is 水银 or water silver).
The mussels weren't too bad, but like I said earlier, this is one of the most seriously polluted stretches of beach in China (and likewise, the world). The upside: they were the freshest seafood you can get.
Speaking of pollution, it was horrible. There were plastic bags and other debris floating around everywhere in the ocean, and most of the water was covered with a thin film of gasoline. There are some serious environmental issues that China needs to take care of, and their oceans should be one of the first priorities.
After the boat tour, we were bureaucratically forced to go to this smelly meat market and ask Chinese people how difficult their lives are. As if that wasn't awkward enough, we also had to walk around for an hour - we could easily have been the only foreigners most of these people had ever seen. It was gross, and I didn't take any pictures because I was nauseous the whole time, but imagine fish guts and pork tongues every way you turned.
When we got back today, we celebrated our classmate Richard's 22nd birthday. We went to a pretty good Japanese restaurant and then, of course, to our favorite late night spot Le Bang. It's been a good day, overall.
Tomorrow, we are celebrating the end of the program by taking our roommates out to dinner and then to karaoke. It should be a fun night!
Until then,
Matthew
Yesterday, we visited a "fishing village" that was supposed to illustrate the differences between the developed and developing areas of China. Little did we know that the directors of our Flagship Chinese program were actually brainwashing us with their Chinese propaganda. Thursday (see previous post), we went to a REAL Chinese fishing village. Yesterday, however, we went to a developed tourist city/tourist trap that they called a fishing village. We stayed in a hotel, ate a nice restaurant (that served awful food), and went on a boat tour of Rongcheng City, which happens to be one of the most polluted stretches of ocean on the Chinese coast.
The first night (Thursday), we had a "party" where we danced around a bonfire, sang karaoke and played some games. It was pretty fun.
The next morning, we ate a less-than-delicious (read: awful) breakfast that consisted of flavorless bread, white rice and flower roots (among other non-breakfast foods). Later, we took a boat tour around the city.
On the boat tour, we got the chance to pull mussels off of the anchor rope, which we ate. I ate two, just to be polite. I'm scared to death that I'm going to die of mercury poison now (Interesting sidenote: "mercury" in Chinese is 水银 or water silver).
The mussels weren't too bad, but like I said earlier, this is one of the most seriously polluted stretches of beach in China (and likewise, the world). The upside: they were the freshest seafood you can get.
Speaking of pollution, it was horrible. There were plastic bags and other debris floating around everywhere in the ocean, and most of the water was covered with a thin film of gasoline. There are some serious environmental issues that China needs to take care of, and their oceans should be one of the first priorities.
After the boat tour, we were bureaucratically forced to go to this smelly meat market and ask Chinese people how difficult their lives are. As if that wasn't awkward enough, we also had to walk around for an hour - we could easily have been the only foreigners most of these people had ever seen. It was gross, and I didn't take any pictures because I was nauseous the whole time, but imagine fish guts and pork tongues every way you turned.
When we got back today, we celebrated our classmate Richard's 22nd birthday. We went to a pretty good Japanese restaurant and then, of course, to our favorite late night spot Le Bang. It's been a good day, overall.
Tomorrow, we are celebrating the end of the program by taking our roommates out to dinner and then to karaoke. It should be a fun night!
Until then,
Matthew
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
A day of...Culture?
Today was one of those rare days where we did more than sit in class for four hours, study for a few more hours, eat mediocre Chinese food and go to bed. Today we ate dog.
Sorry Cosmo.
When I asked one of my Chinese friends where a dog restaurant was, he said he knew one that was pretty good. Good? The restaurant was called 狗肉饭馆, which translates literally to Dog Meat Restaurant.
It may come as a shock to some, but dog meat is really tasty. It's a lot like roast beef, except it's gamier and more tender. We ate it in a hot pot with vegetables, fried rice and various pickled side dishes. I liked it a lot; so did my roommate Eugene.
After the dog restaurant, we headed to the fishing village on the far end of Qingdao. It was disgusting. I always hear Chinese people make this excuse for why they shouldn't have to follow all the rules (concerning pollution, human rights, etc): "We're not developed yet." Until recently, I've only seen places in China like Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Qingdao. Sure, I've also visited some farms and some really poor cities in Henan Province, but the Mississippi Delta is just as bad as some of those Chinese cities.
I was shocked today, though, when I realized that Qingdao has a place like this. In my mind, I think Qingdao is China's version of Boston - it's a temperate coastal city famous for its seafood and noted for its relatively prosperous economy. But Boston doesn't have a district where I can't breathe and where the ground is littered with rotting garbage and seafood. The tide water in the "canal" beside the road was even worse; it was black and full of mud and dead fish. I guess China's not lying when they say they're developing.
The people in this village (and in all of China's less-developed/underdeveloped areas live really difficult lives. It's weird knowing 30 minutes away, people are driving Mercedes and Bentleys and BMWs, but here, people are "rich" if they have a motor on their fishing boats - or if they have a boat at all, for that matter.
Even if I could put the smell of this place on my blog, I wouldn't. I don't think most of you would be able to handle it. Even Eugene thought it was disgusting, and I think after our 30 minute visit, we were all ready to go.
Tomorrow, however, we're going to spend the night at a fishing village with our roommates. Fun? Probably not.
I'll be back Friday night around 7, and I'm sure there will be some interesting stories and pictures to share.
Until then,
Matthew
Sorry Cosmo.
When I asked one of my Chinese friends where a dog restaurant was, he said he knew one that was pretty good. Good? The restaurant was called 狗肉饭馆, which translates literally to Dog Meat Restaurant.
It may come as a shock to some, but dog meat is really tasty. It's a lot like roast beef, except it's gamier and more tender. We ate it in a hot pot with vegetables, fried rice and various pickled side dishes. I liked it a lot; so did my roommate Eugene.
After the dog restaurant, we headed to the fishing village on the far end of Qingdao. It was disgusting. I always hear Chinese people make this excuse for why they shouldn't have to follow all the rules (concerning pollution, human rights, etc): "We're not developed yet." Until recently, I've only seen places in China like Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Qingdao. Sure, I've also visited some farms and some really poor cities in Henan Province, but the Mississippi Delta is just as bad as some of those Chinese cities.
I was shocked today, though, when I realized that Qingdao has a place like this. In my mind, I think Qingdao is China's version of Boston - it's a temperate coastal city famous for its seafood and noted for its relatively prosperous economy. But Boston doesn't have a district where I can't breathe and where the ground is littered with rotting garbage and seafood. The tide water in the "canal" beside the road was even worse; it was black and full of mud and dead fish. I guess China's not lying when they say they're developing.
The people in this village (and in all of China's less-developed/underdeveloped areas live really difficult lives. It's weird knowing 30 minutes away, people are driving Mercedes and Bentleys and BMWs, but here, people are "rich" if they have a motor on their fishing boats - or if they have a boat at all, for that matter.
Even if I could put the smell of this place on my blog, I wouldn't. I don't think most of you would be able to handle it. Even Eugene thought it was disgusting, and I think after our 30 minute visit, we were all ready to go.
Tomorrow, however, we're going to spend the night at a fishing village with our roommates. Fun? Probably not.
I'll be back Friday night around 7, and I'm sure there will be some interesting stories and pictures to share.
Until then,
Matthew
Friday, July 31, 2009
KARAOKE
If you keep up with me on Facebook, then you noticed that my status a few hours ago was KARAOKE. Tonight, we went with some of our roommates to a KTV (karaoke) place across from our favorite night spot, Le Bang. Sadly, my roommate Eugene is visiting a friend this weekend in Weifang and won't be back until tomorrow afternoon. Next weekend, we are probably going to go to KTV again, though, so I'll be looking forward to that.
KTV in China is very different from American karaoke. When Americans sing karaoke, they usually require some liquid courage, if you know what I mean. China is fun, though, because they're so comfortable singing in front of other people and they just have fun.
We sang some American/Western classics like "Country Roads" and "Yellow Submarine," as well as some Chinese songs by Jay Chou and others. All in all, it was a really fun night.
This girl was really into it, which made it even more fun.
Tomorrow, my friend and Ole Miss classmate Jitin is DJ'ing at Le Bang, so that will be fun.
Until then,
Matthew
KTV in China is very different from American karaoke. When Americans sing karaoke, they usually require some liquid courage, if you know what I mean. China is fun, though, because they're so comfortable singing in front of other people and they just have fun.
We sang some American/Western classics like "Country Roads" and "Yellow Submarine," as well as some Chinese songs by Jay Chou and others. All in all, it was a really fun night.
This girl was really into it, which made it even more fun.
Tomorrow, my friend and Ole Miss classmate Jitin is DJ'ing at Le Bang, so that will be fun.
Until then,
Matthew
Monday, July 27, 2009
A boring few days
The past few days have been almost unbearably dull.
So, here's the rundown:
- Studying
- Studying
- Studying
- Test
- Studying
- Now
This weekend was pretty uneventful. I ate at the Diner at May Fourth Square too many times, but it was good, so whatever. I also got this picture of the Winds of May statue, which is pretty cool. So, I'll leave you with that.
So, here's the rundown:
- Studying
- Studying
- Studying
- Test
- Studying
- Now
This weekend was pretty uneventful. I ate at the Diner at May Fourth Square too many times, but it was good, so whatever. I also got this picture of the Winds of May statue, which is pretty cool. So, I'll leave you with that.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
"1+1" Party
Last night, we had a class-sponsored party with our roommates. The Chinese tutor program is called "1+1" because it pairs one native Chinese college student with one American college student, and they help each other understand their cultures and languages. At the party, there were balloons and watermelons and lots of Chinese games. My favorite, I must admit, was definitely the "Can you choose who broke the Chinese table manners?" game. Riveting and educational!
Srsly, though, the night was fun. We got to mingle with all the roommates. We played games like "Table Manners," musical chairs, balloon racing, etc.
Finally, I got a picture of me and my roommate. He's definitely the coolest of them all. His name is 孙宇 (Sun Yu) and his major is Classical Chinese, or something to that effect.
Last night, we also got to play with Sarah (aka Tian-tian or Laduzi Baby). Her parents own the restaurant beside our dorm. Success.
Srsly, though, the night was fun. We got to mingle with all the roommates. We played games like "Table Manners," musical chairs, balloon racing, etc.
Finally, I got a picture of me and my roommate. He's definitely the coolest of them all. His name is 孙宇 (Sun Yu) and his major is Classical Chinese, or something to that effect.
Last night, we also got to play with Sarah (aka Tian-tian or Laduzi Baby). Her parents own the restaurant beside our dorm. Success.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Beijing Picture Time!!
So, I got back to Qingdao from Beijing this morning at 8 am. That would have been convenient, except for this:
I will explain this soon...
When I got to Beijing Wednesday night around midnight, I stayed at a hostel right beside Beijing South Railway Station, which is where the D-Train (the fast one) stations. The next day, I moved to Peking University Youth Hostel, which is right across the street from Tsinghua University where the conference was held. I met Wang Ning and Helen Zhang, the two people in charge of the international participants, and then Helen took me on a quick tour of Tsinghua's really pretty campus.
Following my brief introduction to China's best university, I had some free time to explore downtown Beijing, specifically the Tian'anmen Square area. I visited the Forbidden City, which was covered in green mesh and bamboo ladders as China prepares for the 2010 World Expo. No surprise there. Olympics, take 2. Some woman walked in front of me while I was taking a picture with Chairman Mao Zedong, and I obviously was not happy about that. You'd think the photographer would have taken the picture when I wasn't casting a loathsome glance at an innocent passerby. Skillz? Perhaps.
I also walked around the Great Hall of the People. The National Museum of China is also closed for "renovations" or something like that. A shame.
The actual conference started on Friday with a meeting for all the international participants who were somewhat new to Beijing or even China. Saturday morning at 7:30, we hit the ground running to register for the event at Tsinghua University's main building.
The conference brought together a lot of students from around the world (every continent was represented, and a handful of participants had been to Antarctica). We talked about how necessary it is to make the older generations see what the future will look like if we don't take some serious steps to combat climate change.
The focus of the conference was China, but the organizers wanted input from all around the world. It was really exciting to see China's youth stepping up to push their agenda. One of the main themes of the conference was making sure China and the world's youth are represented in Copenhagen at the end of this year when a new environmental pact will be finalized.
It's hard to put the conference into the blog, but I'll write something about it for the Chickasaw Journal very soon. Before I left on Sunday, I went with some new friends to Tsinghua University's famous Tsinghua Park.
I guess this is my sad plea to everyone: Write to your senator and to the President andask demand that they do something to combat climate change. I saw some guy wearing a shirt on the first day of the conference that said "How old will you be in 2050?" (that's the year most countries are using as an achievement marker). I thought about it. I'll be 61. The next day, I was still thinking about it. My children will probably be in their thirties. My grandchildren will be in elementary school. My parents will be 90ish. And if we don't act now, we'll all be suffocating in our day-to-day activities. Not to mention we're killing everything natural that there is to love about our planet.
So now for the train story...When I bought my ticket Thursday afternoon, the service lady at the ticket counter told me that they were out of seats but that they had some standing-room-only tickets. "No, thank you. I'll spend a little more money and fly to Qingdao. I am not standing on a smelly Chinese train for 10 hours." However, she promised me that once I got on the train, I would be able to pay 50 or 60 RMB and buy an empty seat. "There are always plenty of empty seats," she assured me.
False. There were probably 2 people standing for every three people sitting. Not only was it a horrible fire hazard, I started to get claustrophobic. People were sleeping in bathrooms, in the luggage racks, on the floors, under the seats... The first seven cars were packed like sardine cans and I was in the middle of it all.
Not surprisingly, I was the only foreigner, which basically meant I was a zoo animal. I begged for a seat. I offered money for a seat. I would have danced for a seat. Needless to say, they were unwilling to give up their seats.
About 2:30 am, I started to get cranky. Children (why they were still awake, I will never know) were screaming and apparently had mistaken my hands for a warm carpet or a nice pair of socks - Note: I was one of those people who was trying to sleep on the floor, since I had class this morning at 8:30 am.
After giving a few menacing stairs, lying about my newly created assistant professorship at Fudan University and my degree in British Literature from Harvard, and yelling at a man in eloquent (read: not eloquent) Chinese about why he shouldn't sleep where I'm trying to use the restroom, the service lady realized that I might be better off in a bed. Ten minutes and 60 RMB later, I was on the third bunk of the number 12 car sleeping like a log.
Moral of this story? Fly when you are in China. Or buy your tickets as far in advance as you can. And don't believe what anyone tells you, because chances are they probably don't really know.
Beijing was fun. The conference was an awesome experience that opened my eyes to a new reality, as well as a lot of doors for the future. But I'm running off of less than 4 hours of sleep after a pretty exhausting weekend, so I'm going to take a nap for 10 or 12 hours now.
拜拜
I will explain this soon...
When I got to Beijing Wednesday night around midnight, I stayed at a hostel right beside Beijing South Railway Station, which is where the D-Train (the fast one) stations. The next day, I moved to Peking University Youth Hostel, which is right across the street from Tsinghua University where the conference was held. I met Wang Ning and Helen Zhang, the two people in charge of the international participants, and then Helen took me on a quick tour of Tsinghua's really pretty campus.
Following my brief introduction to China's best university, I had some free time to explore downtown Beijing, specifically the Tian'anmen Square area. I visited the Forbidden City, which was covered in green mesh and bamboo ladders as China prepares for the 2010 World Expo. No surprise there. Olympics, take 2. Some woman walked in front of me while I was taking a picture with Chairman Mao Zedong, and I obviously was not happy about that. You'd think the photographer would have taken the picture when I wasn't casting a loathsome glance at an innocent passerby. Skillz? Perhaps.
I also walked around the Great Hall of the People. The National Museum of China is also closed for "renovations" or something like that. A shame.
The actual conference started on Friday with a meeting for all the international participants who were somewhat new to Beijing or even China. Saturday morning at 7:30, we hit the ground running to register for the event at Tsinghua University's main building.
The conference brought together a lot of students from around the world (every continent was represented, and a handful of participants had been to Antarctica). We talked about how necessary it is to make the older generations see what the future will look like if we don't take some serious steps to combat climate change.
The focus of the conference was China, but the organizers wanted input from all around the world. It was really exciting to see China's youth stepping up to push their agenda. One of the main themes of the conference was making sure China and the world's youth are represented in Copenhagen at the end of this year when a new environmental pact will be finalized.
It's hard to put the conference into the blog, but I'll write something about it for the Chickasaw Journal very soon. Before I left on Sunday, I went with some new friends to Tsinghua University's famous Tsinghua Park.
I guess this is my sad plea to everyone: Write to your senator and to the President and
So now for the train story...When I bought my ticket Thursday afternoon, the service lady at the ticket counter told me that they were out of seats but that they had some standing-room-only tickets. "No, thank you. I'll spend a little more money and fly to Qingdao. I am not standing on a smelly Chinese train for 10 hours." However, she promised me that once I got on the train, I would be able to pay 50 or 60 RMB and buy an empty seat. "There are always plenty of empty seats," she assured me.
False. There were probably 2 people standing for every three people sitting. Not only was it a horrible fire hazard, I started to get claustrophobic. People were sleeping in bathrooms, in the luggage racks, on the floors, under the seats... The first seven cars were packed like sardine cans and I was in the middle of it all.
Not surprisingly, I was the only foreigner, which basically meant I was a zoo animal. I begged for a seat. I offered money for a seat. I would have danced for a seat. Needless to say, they were unwilling to give up their seats.
About 2:30 am, I started to get cranky. Children (why they were still awake, I will never know) were screaming and apparently had mistaken my hands for a warm carpet or a nice pair of socks - Note: I was one of those people who was trying to sleep on the floor, since I had class this morning at 8:30 am.
After giving a few menacing stairs, lying about my newly created assistant professorship at Fudan University and my degree in British Literature from Harvard, and yelling at a man in eloquent (read: not eloquent) Chinese about why he shouldn't sleep where I'm trying to use the restroom, the service lady realized that I might be better off in a bed. Ten minutes and 60 RMB later, I was on the third bunk of the number 12 car sleeping like a log.
Moral of this story? Fly when you are in China. Or buy your tickets as far in advance as you can. And don't believe what anyone tells you, because chances are they probably don't really know.
Beijing was fun. The conference was an awesome experience that opened my eyes to a new reality, as well as a lot of doors for the future. But I'm running off of less than 4 hours of sleep after a pretty exhausting weekend, so I'm going to take a nap for 10 or 12 hours now.
拜拜
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