Feb 5-10, 2010

Last Blog entry until the end of Chinese New Year
February 5 - 10 2010

Pretty much all the foods are steamed or fried in a pan. There is a wide variety of tastes. A lot of the food I've tried is mildly salty, the "spicy" dishes haven't been too spicy, there's been a few veggie dishes that are vinegary that I haven't been too keen on, but most of it has been really good. My favorite dish so far is a beef and yam dish. It's hard to describe the flavor but it's almost a mix of a curry flavor (although there is no curry in it) and the taste of beef broth. Frances had a few guests over the other day for dinner and her boyfriend, Alex, did all the cooking (and cleaning. Hint hint boys!) all the dishes were fantastic! Sweet pork, beef and ginger, beef and yam, egg and tomato, and two veggie dishes which don't translate; one looked like green spaghetti, it was really good, and the other was like a cabbage salad type dish…but steamed. (I didn't try that one) after the main dishes were worn down a bit he brought out hard boiled eggs. They were hard boiled the normal way, peeled and then boiled in a mix of spices, soya sauce and wine. I had a hard time trying it because it was brown, but I'm glad I did because it was sooooo yummy. Alex has agreed to teach me how to make these dishes. Hopefully our schedules aren't too busy that I miss this chance. I'm not sure when he leaves. :-S
The care and preparation that is dedicated towards the food here is incredible. I thought it was going to be gross and sloppy, rather, they are usually very attentive to how the food is managed. The fruits and veggies are very fresh at the beginning of the day if you are shopping at kiosks, but if you go to a grocery store it's fresh almost all the time. Just like home. I usually buy my groceries from the "Trust Mart" which is like a Wal-Mart. I haven't needed too many meal type groceries…it's almost always cheaper to eat out…plus they cook better food than I ever could. The water we use is ordered over the phone…just like "the Culligan Man" (I don't know if I spelled that right), the milk I have been drinking comes in juice boxes, and the coffee/milk tea I use comes in a powder that you just add water too. Really there's not a lot different in the way that groceries are handled, I could get normal milk if I wanted, it's just that I don't drink it enough to warrant buying a whole jug at a time.

I was able to participate in Jordan's (the school) Spring Festival Celebration. We went to a hotel banquet room where some of the teachers put on some performances and some prizes were given out. I didn't put on a performance or win a prize but I did enjoy myself. All the foreigners were sat at the same table, which was nice because then I had breaks from Chinese throughout the night.
The food that was brought out was: crab (I tried this one), clam type something that was bloody when you opened it (I didn't try that),chicken, a yummy thick soup with egg and mushroom, a yummy what I think was fish, but not really sure, that was in a sweet lemon sauce, Peking duck, a soup that was sweet and had papaya, dates, and frog eggs in it (I tried that one), some fruit (watermelon, grapes, cherry tomatoes, and something similar to a grapefruit but a little sweeter) and rice. Surprisingly, I didn't have any rice.
The performances were mostly popular songs that the girls chose to do, there was one girl who did a dance with fans (Chinese fans with fabric attached to the ends so it looked like scarves floating) it was very pretty. The last game they played for prizes was one were they had to chug a beer…the beers were the size of Big Bears…there was three girls and one really tall Chinese guy; he won but they all ended up getting prizes anyways.
It was a good night. :-)

I went for coffee with a girl from school the other day and she taught me a few phrases in Chinese which I've even put to use a couple times. I have also had a chance to wander through the market place a couple times and have made arrangements to hang out with some of the other foreigners before the new year festival.

I'm getting super excited for my family to come to China; they will be here in a couple of days.
YAYYYYYY! Well happy Chinese new year everyone and I probably won't have a chance to write until after the holidays; which end February 22nd. ^_^

Feb 1-4, 2010

Here are the responses to the followers of my blog:

Cindy: A Plate Vegetable is pretty much a really big potato but not as starchy. It's yummy and when I had it, it was sliced up and I think fried with some sort of sauce. I bet hoisen (sp?) sauce would taste really good with it.

Brian: I actually wouldn't mind painting the place because it is so dark all the time and a carpet would be nice because the stone floors are freezing all the time. In regards to the height, I am one of the tallest people…in fact when I come across a taller person than me I catch myself staring at them as they walk by. To my amazement I saw another foreigner who was probably 6' something and I was staring, I can only imagine how many people look at him throughout the day.

Elysse: I miss you like CRAZY as well. :'-( I thought you would appreciate the bit about acting. My apartment is fairly nice, just a little dark. Once I get paid I'm going to see about getting it painted. I laughed though…I brought sheets from home and they don't fit on my bed here…this bed is bigger than mine at home. Ha ha ha. Not as comfortable though…it's a piece of plywood over top of springs, I bet you're jealous about that hey! Before Brandy left we put some blankets underneath us but it still didn't do much. I'm still hunting for a foamy I can use instead. Oh what's your Skype name and your email?

David: I am 15 hours ahead of you guys, so usually I am in the next day.

Jessie: I will make sure to keep putting pictures up for you. :-)

Mark: I only brought one camera with me. I figured it would be cheaper to buy one here if I needed another one.

Well there is something to be said about the Chinese people's health. Frances found out I have a cold and has been telling me what I can and cannot have (in a motherly sort of way). Cookies is on the no-no list. I'm only allowed healthy food and hot water. And as a bribe to get better, she has given me a package of milk tea from Hong Kong to try.

All in all the days feel like they are just drifting away with not enough hours in a day to get anything accomplished.

I managed to walk around and explore the area for a bit the other day. I ended up down a street with a ton of flower shops; it smelled really nice and looked like spring. The next street was filled with kitchen stores. Not trinkets you find in kitchens, but stoves, cupboards, ovens, etc. There were lots of colors to choose from and lots of different styles, all the counters were really low though. I didn't see any kiosks that were selling anything in my price range and therefore didn't get to try talking to anyone.

I went to a little restaurant for dinner one night and tried asking for some dumplings and rice, the lady pointed at a pot of noodles and I said no and she said "oh ok ok" I got dumplings and rice noodles. Ha ha ha. They were good none the less.

I found a couple girls who are willing to help me with my Chinese and I will help them with their English conversational skills. I tried to offer to pay them for their help, thinking it might persuade them to be consistent about lessons but they said no because we are friends and I will be teaching them English at the same time. I'm hoping for the best.

Frances let me have some of her delicious mushroom and chicken soup and told me she will teach me how to make it as well. I'm very excited about that. :-)

I present my play on Saturday to a paying audience. I'm a little nervous because it's supposed to be 40-50 min's long and I think it's only 25-30. :-S Yikes!!! Elysse, any suggestions?

Well… I think that is all for now. Not much else is happening. Talk to you all soon.

Random 2

Just the other two photos

Random

The mustache pictures are a type of nut. You boil them to soften the shell and then bite the middle to crack it open. They are very tasty. There is a picture of the foreigners who came to the New Years Festival Celebration; from left to right: Simon, Eric (he’s from Taiwan, he’s the guy who was training the teachers how to act), Romanty (She’s the girl who helps all of us), Craig, me, Jeff, and Collin. There is a picture of the girl who did a Chinese dance with her fans, it was a beautiful dance. There is a picture of all the Chinese teachers doing a dance to a song that’s popular here…I think it’s called nobody but you. Anyways, they did a spectacular job. ^_^ there is a picture of the girls I work with in Story Forest from left to right, top row first: Susan, Apple, Mill, Pinky, Eileen, and Yoyo. There is one girl missing from the picture her name is Shirley.

Feb 1, 2010

January 28-31, 2010

I am cold almost all the time and because of the humidity it's making it hard to stay a constant temperature even in the apartment it sneaks in and makes everything feel damp. :-S. I have a cold now too and the cough is really becoming irritating; it just won't let up! :'-( I am getting a little tired of being stared at all the time and being ripped off every time I go to buy something. It’s funny too, I don’t think I’m too much taller than the average person until one of the teachers gives me a hug or comes right close to me…then I feel like a giant. It’s the strangest sensation because back home I am an average height with an average build and here I am tall and an XL in shirts and XXL in pants. Ha ha ha I know this entry is a little depressing but hey, you get the good with the bad right. And it's not even that bad so I'm pretty thankful.

The next bit of this blog will be dedicated to David Millican's requests. :-) His comments are in Purple:

Tell us about the environment. What are sunrises like? I haven't seen a sunrise yet, I've only seen the stars and moon once since being here. It's pretty cloudy and rainy which is making everything foggy, I'm sure there's a ton of smog mixed in with it too so it's blocking the horizon from sight on most days.

How the air smells. For the most part it just smells like a city. The exhaust from cars, the smells from restaurants, pee. Ha ha. Sorry I had to add that one. Every once in a while I'll pass a certain spot that smell gross, usually like urine or some nasty food. The men will just pee wherever they feel like; usually on the side of buildings or in the bushes, and the mothers will bring their kids to a convenient place to pee if the kid needs to go. Bushes, trash cans, and the side of buildings are all fair game.

The street sounds, continuous, loud or not. ALOT of honking. The cars will honk to let you know they are coming or that you are in their way. I live close to a main road so for me yes it's continuous, but not terrible. It dies down quite a bit in the evenings. When you're in the markets it's pretty standard: lots of people wandering around, some shouting, some browsing, most staring at the foreigner ha ha ha.

Can you hear nature, birds, the wind. Yup I hear birds hear and there, I'm not sure if they're peoples pets or not. Every once in a while I will see a flock of birds flying around. There's a few dogs wandering around, I think they have owners but I'm not positive on that one, I see chickens wandering around in this one area with a bunch of bushes, and cats…I've only seen a couple of them though, maybe they are preferred eats to dogs ha ha ha. Not too much wind yet…but the monsoons haven't hit yet either. I'm a little nervous for those.

The humidity. The humidity isn't as oppressive as I thought it was going to be, but it's still always there. It makes everything in my house damp.

What about how things are laid out? It's a bustling city like any other. Cars, buildings, and people everywhere. All the buildings I've seen are pretty much just cement towers; I haven't been to the wealthy part of the city so I don't know what those buildings look like.

Width of sidewalks, do pedestrians have the right of way? Not really…and the definition of sidewalk changes here. They have them and they're about the same size as back home, maybe a little bigger but the cars use them as well. So you'll be walking along and hear a honk behind you and just kind of wander to the side to let it pass and then you return back to the middle. It was a little unnerving at the start, but I'm pretty used to it already.

How many cars are there? Hmm good question…lots during rush hours and then it dies down to a normal amount during lunch and evening. It's comparable to Deerfoot I think.

Buses? Yup there are buses and I haven't been packed onto one yet, they come frequently enough that I've been fine on them. There are also the bike people…I don't know what they are called: it's a bike with a twin seat attached to it and the biker will take you where you need to go. As a foreigner though they try to charge you more. They are convenient but can be scary because they just weave through traffic.

Trains? Yes there are trains around…. I haven't been that far yet though so I haven't seen them.

Are planes flying overhead regularly? There are planes, but I'm far enough away from the airport that I don’t here them.

How clean is it? Cleanliness…for the most part it's ok. They have people that sweep the streets to clean up all the garbage, but Wenzhou seems to be such a dusty place that everything seems dirty all the time. I haven't seen too many pan handlers, but once again I haven't really gotten out too much yet.

What about colours? Grey…mainly because of the dust. Once night hits there are some buildings with neon lights, but not too many.

Advertising signage? Media, magazines, newspapers? Honestly, I haven't even paid attention to these… :-S oops. I'll try to keep my eyes open. Some of the advertisements you see are cartoonish. It'll be nice pictures of say people and then a gaudy color behind with cutesy font types.

Thank you David for helping me with ideas of what to write…I'm not very good at explaining everything. :-)

It did make me think of something else though…the fashion! It's crazy, there are women who wear these quilted pajamas out with makeup and high heel shoes. One of the bigger trends I've noticed is black tights or leggings with little black shorts, whatever kind of top and a waist length jacket. This outfit will pair with anything from hiking shoes to thigh high boots. I do give them props on shoes though; almost every girl owns some of the nicest shoes I've seen. There are bows on everything! I wore my white sweater one day to school and just tied the belt thing in a knot and the principal fixed it for me by re-tying it into a bow.

Arround my appartment

This is the view around my apartment.