christmas in china

Celebrating Christmas in China was not that different actually. It was still a holiday (though the Chinese don't celebrate it) and I got to spend it with the ones I care about. Franck and Chris were the only ones that didn't go somwhere else. Sarah went to Singapore to see a friend, Albert had to go back to England and Davide went to Thailand. So, the three of us hung out with our friends and went to a French restaurant for Christmas Eve dinner. It was really nice and relaxing. We had great food and better wine. And of course, we all made Christmas toasts and such. I had almost forgotten that I was in China. The fact that I was in a foreign country that does not celebrate Christmas at all didn't strike me at all. All of us just hung out for the rest of the night, drinking some more wine. Christmas in China wasn't bad.

What struck me was a weird was the fact that everywhere in Shanghai has Christmas decorations. My school, other schools, shops, office buildings and et cetera. Like I said before, this is a country that doesn't celebrate Christmas. The obvious reason is that there is a strong Western influence in Shanghai. But I was kinda hoping that I wouldn't see as many Christmas decorations; to really feel like that I was in a foreign country. There are even Chinese people who don't know how to say "Hello" in English, but will say "Merry Christmas" to you. There are cookies in the shape of Christmas trees in bakeries. This was not foreign at all. It felt just like home.

Has Shanghai become home for me? Am I that comfortable here? Hmmm.............

a weird but awakening experience in a chinese hospital

I forgot to mention this, but I was hospitalized about three weeks ago. I started a really bad sore throat; worse than I ever had before. I just thought I got a really bad strep throat. So, I visited a doctor that was educated in England, and he examined me. As he was examining me, he got this extremely apprehensive look on his face. He said, "you are on your way to getting tuberculosis; at this stage, you have glandular fever." I literally freaked out. Basically it was, oh shit, the worse sickness I've had ever had. I had no idea how to react, it could actually get worse than how I felt at that point. Next thing I knew, I was being rushed to the hospital for "aggressive treatment" he called it. I was on a bed for an ultrasound to see how progressed my glandular fever was. When the nurse was doing the ultrasound, she kept getting this worried look on her face looking at the screen. Next thing, I was on a different bed getting hooked up to an IV and taking so many pills and receiving shots in my ass. Believe me, this was not comforting, especially for a first experience in a Chinese hospital.

That was when it hit me. I was actually in a hospital in China. It was the weirdest feeling ever, a little scary as well. Of course, I stayed at the hospital to rest for a while and it was just really odd. No one ever leaves you alone. A nurse sits there with you at all times. Plus, you only see the doctor for no more than five minutes at a time. Only nurses. The technology is definitely outdated. But at least I saw the needles go into me. It was definitely sterilized. I was a little worried about that. The worst part was the smells. I have no words to describe the smells. It was just terrible, like death almost. I have never smelled anything like it. My first experience in a Chinese hospital, but unfortuantly, not my last.

Today was my second experience. Franck's friend, Mathieu had gotten meningitis and we were all exposed. I just found out today that he was hospitalized for bacterial meningitis and it is very contagious. So, Franck and I ran to the hospital to get the immunizations for it and make sure it is out of our systems. Great, I thought I might get sick again and it will be even worse this time. But then, I remembered that I have already gotten a vaccination for bacterial meningitis. So, the doctor told me I was good. Franck, however was not as lucky as me. Don't worry, he is not sick, but he has to take pills for three days to make sure he doesn't get sick. I just really hope those pills can help. Christian and our friend Francesca has to take them as well. But being in the hospital was quite an experience as well. Though, I know more what the hospital is like; but it was still different. I was with all French-speaking people and Chinese doctors speaking French. A little strange considering my location right now. On top of that, all of the French people were freaking out thinking they had gotten meningitis. It was almost like a mob against the poor French-speaking Chinese doctor. "We are not leaving until we get the pills!" they said. Wow. I was the only non French-speaking person trying to make sense of everything while I see sick people going by on gurneys in the Intensive Care Unit. Of course, there were smells; but not as bad as the other hospital.

But at the same time, I was wondering about Mathieu. Will he survive? Meningitis is a pretty serious illness. It's really an awakening experience on how I come close to death often. Even when I walk in the streets of Shanghai, I have seen dead bodies on the sidewalk. Only twice though. Both times when I walked by the dead people, there was always someone next to the body praying. It's quite an experience, but in a bad way when you are very near to diseases and death. When you see Shanghai, you see more First World kind of places because of the strong Western influence in Shanghai; but you also see the Third World feel to it, the high risk of various diseases and seeing dead bodies in the street. Sure, I've learned all about the high mortality rates of countries in class when I was in college. But you don't really know anything until you've seen it for yourself. China is not the worst country to be in in terms of diseases and death. But you will never see anything like this in the US. Now I'm just realizing on a different level of what is it like to be in a non-First World country. Now I am also realizing that Africa is probably about 10 times worse. Firsthand experience with stuff like that, nothing you will ever learn in a college class.

expats

There are many, many foreigners in Shanghai. I just didn't realize how many until I left Shanghai when I visited Nanjing. When I was in Nanjing, I had seen maybe about two other white people and I actually spoke more Chinese than English. It had just really hit me how many Westerners there are in Shanghai. Shanghai has always been known for the strong Western influence, but there still isn't that many. Shanghai is a city of 17 million people and only about 800,000 are foreigners. And they all tend to live in the same area. The area of Shanghai that I live in, Jing'an District, has a lot of expats. Expats (short for expatriates) is a name that Shanghainese people like to call foreigners. In Jing'an, I see about a good mix of whites and Chinese. Plus there are many, many Western cuisines around the area. Like I said in my last entry about Christmas; Shanghai is not starting to feel all that different from home anymore.

However, there are things from the US that I definitely miss. Bagels with cream cheese is probably number one on my list. In a foreign country, the first thing you miss is food and you will never stop missing it. Plus, I also miss being able to find books in English (kind of shocking
that it's hard to find books written in English in a city with a strong Western influence...). But there is one thing here that is very American. Fast food restaurants. I think there are actually more McDonald's here in Shanghai than there are in the state of Maryland. The number of KFC's is unbelieveable too. Starbucks, Costa Coffee, Subway, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Papa Johns...you name it, it's here in Shanghai. And their food is nasty. Even a McDonald's Big Mac from America is a delicacy compared to these shit burgers here. I was actually watching a YouTube video that a Hong Kong KFC serves food from the garbage. It had grossed me out so much that I will never eat KFC again, no matter what country I'm in. All of these writing has actually gotten me hungry. Time for some ramen noodles and sushi. Hmmmm, Japanese food. My favorite food in Shanghai!

chinese kids are spoiled rotten

What class doesn't go by when a glue stick, scissors or paper airplane doesn't get thrown at me? Not a one. Ok, what about a class when kids don't try to climb on the whiteboard or the computer. Not a one. A class when a kid doesn't stand on his desk or scream his head off. Not a one.

Ok, I'm being a little facetious. Just a little. I love teaching. Really, I do. It's wonderful for me to see them producing the English language and at my expense! But managing 15 screaming seven-year-olds is easier said than done. Even when the class is a zoo, but some kids scream in English. They always do their work, but you have to enforce it. Also, if you keep the class fun with games and coloring activities, they are happy to be there. It isn't too bad all the time. Sometimes, I have to keep in mind that these kids are raised by their grandparents because their parents both have jobs. Plus, they are usually the only kid in the family due to China's one-child policy. It is an experience and I am more than happy to be doing this. I am actually thinking about staying for longer than a year, maybe even two years. I am really enjoying life in Shanghai. It's becoming home for me now. :-)

Nanjing

For the first time in China, I visited a city other than Shanghai. Yesterday, I went to Nanjing, which is two hours northwest of Shanghai by train. It is still in the same province, Jiangsu. Nanjing is a really cool little city, what I mean by little--only five and half million people. Nanjing is next to Purple Mountain, which I spent the entire day on. It was beautiful and it was so nice to get back out to nature after being in Shanghai for almost two months. Purple Mountain has some famous sites, such as the Masoleoum for Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Dr. Sun Yat-sen was a well known revolutionary in the 1910s-1920s against the growing Communist power. His forces was eventually taken over by Chiang Kai-shek of the Nationalist party. It shows that Nanjing was a stronghold for Chinese nationalists. Also, Nanjing, especially Purple Mountain was also a site where the Japanese forces took over and killed around 600,000 people, around early 1900s. Many people were buried in Purple Mountain.





Besides learning about Nanjing's history, I took lots of pictures of the amazing fall foliage. I never wanted to leave that mountain. But I know this mountain is only small compared to those in Western China, which I plan to see next year. I will post pictures of Facebook! I would go back to Nanjing, but for nature, not for city. I thought the city was a little blah to be honest, but there is so much nature and history to make up for it. Just not great nightlife or much to do. Also, in Nanjing, I finally got a taste of "real China," as tons of people say that Shanghai is not real China. In Nanjing, I saw traditional Chinese stone townhouses all over and in the true Chinese architecture. There was a much bigger language barrier in Nanjing; I struggled to get around quite a bit. I actually spoke more Chinese than English.

languages and making sense of it all

So, I was just having a conversation with my roommate Albert about languages of the world. As well as learning more about Chinese culture and trying to make sense of it all. Last night, I was in a cab trying to tell the driver in Chinese where I needed to go. No luck. I sent a text message to my friend to tell me where to go in Pinyin and in Mandarin and I showed it to the cab driver. The cab driver took me in the wrong direction. Then I tried to argue with him in Mandarin. Needless to say, it was not a successful argument. I eventually gave up and just called a friend who knew Chinese to tell the cab driver for me. For those who doesn't know what Pinyin is, it's a system of letters of the alphabet written out for those who can't understand characters. It can be really useful since it gives you a better idea of how to pronounce it. Though many of the letters are pronounced differently. Anyway, after trying to struggle on my Chinese with the cab driver, I became more determined to learn Chinese. I have been taking a Chinese class provided by my school every Wednesday morning.

Talking about the Chinese language is very interesting to me. I have been struggling trying to read Pinyin, but I hear it takes years of practice to learn the pronounciations. There are certain sounds in Mandarin that can be impossible for someone of a Western language to say. But that goes both ways. The Chinese also have difficulty with sounds of some letters or words in English. This is good for me to keep in mind when I teach to my students. I have gotten frustrated when some of my students don't say the words right, but Albert told me that it's not that they aren't trying, it's just that they probably can't make that sound. Also, I learned more about the Japanese language. It has more simple sounds and it's more difficult to learn than the Chinese language. Plus, it is harder for the Japanese to make the sounds in English.

There is also more about the Chinese culture that I'm trying to make sense of. The relationship between a husband and wife in Asia. I have this perception that men are very old fashioned and women are totally submissive to them. I may sound very judgmental, but the way China is progressing in terms of economic and military might; I would think that it's societal norms would progress that way as well. But the dominant husband-submissive wife relationship is the most prevalent in Japan. In China, while that type of relationship is still present, but women are gaining more equality in this generation. I notice a huge difference between the older generations and this generation. Men in China tend to objectify women more than elsewhere in Asia and more similarly to Westerners; but the Chinese women can "take" it better than other Asian women. Chinese women of this generation seem like other Western women in my view; and the older Chinese women act like that they are so much more inferior and subservient to men. I've learned about all of this in my classes at college, but you don't really learn anything until you experience it yourself.

I just find this a little appalling and how different parts of the world are compared to home. Culture shock is everywhere and nothing about the world can be learned in a classroom. I'm really happy that I came out here in China. After being here for more than 6 weeks, I have more of a desire than ever before to see and travel everywhere. I want to go all over China; and I also want to go to India, Thailand, Cambodia, Mongolia and Japan. After I finish teaching, I think I may travel around China and southeast Asia; and then take the Trans-Siberian Railway from Beijing through Mongolia to Moscow. I just have this feeling that I won't be satisfied with teaching English abroad; I need to travel around as much as I can with the money I have to see this part of the world.

Another thing I am trying to make sense of here in China. The drinking age. I have been noticing that I have never seen any kind of ID check anywhere when it comes to alcohol. Albert told me that there isn't a drinking age in China. Even a 10-year-old can buy beer, assuming that he is buying for his parents. I was kind of surprised when I heard that, but not really. The Chinese don't really get wasted here. It's more of a Western kind of thing. However, with the next few years coming and people in Shanghai are getting richer, the younger generation probably will have too much money from their parents and piss it all away on alcohol (and probably drugs soon enough). Drugs are getting more common than ever before in the past few years, due to people earning more money and the more curious younger generation. I wouldn't be surprised that in the next few years, there will be laws enforcing a drinking age. But as of right now, drinking is not a problem in China, hence the no drinking age.