Changed Perspectives

Living in another country, any country, is bound to teach you new things, open your eyes to new ways of living and change your perspective on who you are and what your role is in this world. If it doesn't, then you're not truly "living" in another country.

We learn small things every day here that alter our preconceived notions of how daily activities must be performed.

• We were surprised when we first went to purchase trash cans at the store and all they sold were really small ones. But it makes sense now...first, this allows us to monitor how much we really are wasting and tossing out and reevaluate what we're consuming. Second, we take our trash out on a regular basis now...it doesn't really smell and the house stays cleaner because waste stays in the apartment for less time. Third, the "trash man" makes his rounds to our apartment at least 3 times a day. He rides his pedicab cart around the neighborhood and sorts through everyone's "trash" to pull out recyclables. This way, the recycling is done for everyone and there is never a pile of waste or a dumpster of stench sitting outside our apartment building.
• Grocery shopping is done almost daily by the Chinese. You buy what you need for that meal/day and that's it. Every trip to the grocery can be done using the little hand baskets...rarely have I seen a local with a cart full of goods (exceptions = rice and oil). I have still yet to master this and often shop only once a week, but I see the value and meaning in this shopping ritual and I have high hopes to master it in due time. 1) While more and more Chinese are purchasing cars, many still rely on bikes, buses, foot, or taxi...buying a load of groceries at once is illogical for someone who can't fit them all on their bike. 2) Buying too many groceries at once means the food is that much less fresh the longer it sits in your kitchen. Why buy Friday's groceries on Monday when you can buy them on Friday and they'll taste that much better? Plus, there are so many fresh, local fruit and vegetable markets around...why would you want anything less than fruits/veggies picked that day? 3) If the food sits too long, it rots and is wasted. There aren't the level of preservatives in foods/produce in China as there are in the States. The food tastes more natural and subconsciously I feel better about what I'm eating, knowing that it wasn't genetically enhanced or altered to look nicer or last longer. But it also means it goes bad quicker. No sense in buying your eggplant for next week when it will be floppy and soft way before then.
• I have never been more content NOT having a car. Actually, I've never been "without car" in my life until now. Since I was 16, I've owned a vehicle and relied on it to get me everywhere. I never realized the stress that comes along with it. Yes, it is convenient...and in most of the U.S. it is unfathomable to be able to get around without your own car (we have SO much to learn in terms of public transportation). But along with the freedoms having your own car brings, there is the cost of gas/insurance/car payments/maintenance, the stress of being SO dependent on something that could pop a tire, blow a belt, or do any number of things to completely alter your daily activities...not to mention the fact that you always have to have a DD or other plans when you're out for the night having some drinks :) While it's somewhat alarming to see the transition of the Chinese culture to a car consuming society, they still have public transportation that will do you just fine if you want to avoid the chaos of driving yourself around. Buses, pedicabs, taxis, eBikes, walking, subways, trains. You can get anywhere in this enormous country (and for very cheap) without your own car. I have so enjoyed riding my bike, getting my very own Chinese bus pass, and just walking to get where I need. It has definitely changed my perspective on where I want to live and work if/when we move somewhere else...living somewhere close enough that I can bike to/from work/grocery/restaurants/friends is a priority. (Fort Collins, I never appreciated or made use of your wonderful bike-friendliness until now :) )

Oddly, while living in a country that has a reputation for it's unregulated pollution and lack of personal hygiene (I can't argue against either of those claims...both unfortunately very true), I have come away with a stronger desire and appreciation for a more sustainable way of life. Less waste...buy/eat local and fresh...use public transportation. I admit this is not something I imagined I'd learn here. I thought after living in Fort Collins, CO that I already knew, understood and appreciated how to live "greener"...but honestly, I didn't embrace it as fully as I should have or could have. I sometimes imagine life back in FoCo and how amazing it would be to ride my bike everywhere, shop at the farmer's markets, and be a part of a CSA...why wasn't I doing more of that when I actually lived there???

I guess all I can say is "Thank You, China" for this change in perspective.

Home is Where the Food Is

A few weeks back, a local friend of ours, Jacky, invited us over to his home to join in on a traditional Chinese feast of foods. Upon arrival, we got the grand tour of his new apartment, were treated to teas/beers, and lookedat engagement photos of he and Zhou (his fiance)...which by the way, the Chinese don't kid around about. These photos were bono-fide professional, straight out of an advertisement or high fashion photo shoot. Apparently, ALL of the Chinese do this when they get engaged. We've seen them out with their entourage on nice days...make-up artist, costume changes, trunks of photo equipment...it's fabulous :) Anyway, they looked like rock stars and we are so excited to be going to their wedding on April 24...another post about that I'm sure.

Back to the food though. As we sat at the table with Zhou and her sister, table FULL of bowls with delicious little treats (some identifiable, while others remained a mystery hiding under sauces and breading). Prawns, fruit cakes, edamame, corn, rice noodles, bamboo shoots...we barely had room for a small bowl to eat from. Using our manners, we let our mouths salivate as we waited for the host, Jacky, to join us from the kitchen. After awhile, Zhou, who speaks little English, yelled into him, which prompted him to tell us to PLEASE start eating, he would be in the kitchen awhile longer cooking the rest of the meal. THE REST? "You mean there's more?" We inquired. Sure enough, as we ate to our hearts content, large bowls were condensed to small bowls, small bowls were emptied and taken from the table, only to be replaced by more large bowls of hot food. Fish soup, sweet, sticky rice, cooked green vegetables, shrimp...the mound of disembodied/inedible seafood parts was growing in front of Erich each time I looked over. I was pleasantly surprised to see that as I glanced at Zhou's small-framed sister, that her pile was twice as tall as Erich's :) And since Zhou is also somewhat of a vegetarian (who only eats seafood), there were vegetable options galore. By the end of the meal, of course, we made room for a few beers and card playing, but I don't think you could've fed us another bite.

Something about that night made it feel like home...a home away from home. Granted, the food was different than what most American families would cook for a get-together, but the love and care that went into the meal was there. It was the best meal I've had since we've been here and it wasn't necessarily because of the food (which by all means was absolutely delicious...I made Jacky promise to give me some lessons so that I could cook some proper Chinese meals for our family/friends this summer). The spirit of friendship and family was there.

And now, with Cup O' Joe up and running, we hope we can offer the same sense of belonging, family, and support to locals and expats that our friends in China offer to us. Week one has passed and the cafe has easily become a go-to spot for many locals to grab some fresh bread, get their caffeine fix, or use a non-squat toilet :) They even got a shipment of what I call "monkey bread" from the French bakery that the cafe purchase breads/pastries from. I never thought I could feel my grandma next to me when she is so far away...as I bit into a slice of the nutty, cinnamon-y, carmelized goodness, I closed my eyes and was transported to her kitchen early in the morning, with the smells of coffee and sounds of morning chatter in the background.

Food is universal. Love is universal. We are lucky to be surrounded by lots of both.

Little Business in Big China

I find it redundant to apologize AGAIN for belated blogging, so will skip that whole paragraph and hope that someone is still checking in occasionally to see what we're up to. Just know that this is not abnormal...expect random and monthly (or longer) updates.

Starting 2011 in China has been full of surprises to say the least. It's official that Erich and his local Chinese business partners are starting a small coffee/sandwich shop in Beilun! Construction is nearly complete and opening day is scheduled for early April. It's been an interesting process watching it all happen so fast and learning the intricacies of turning an empty storage space into a western cafe/community center in the middle of China. They're calling it "Cup 'O Joe", but I'm sure the locals will have a name they call it based on the food or look of the store front...just like we do with the local restaurants whose signs are all in Chinese. There's the "white tablecloth" place that has good qie zi (eggplant) and some crispy rice dish that Erich goes crazy trying to describe in broken Chinese because we still don't know the name...and the 2-story "spicy" restaurant on the corner...do I need to explain that one? I could go on for awhile, but the point is that I am just as excited to hear what the locals call the cafe as I am for the place to open. The overall concept is to create a "community center"/restaurant for expats and locals to interact. Along with the variety of deli cheeses and meats that you can't get unless you have time for a 4 hour drive to Shanghai for lunch, the cafe will have a DVD/book exchange wall, free Chinese and English lessons, a "craigslist-esque" message board, and resources for local hikes, explorations and guides to Beilun. So, yeah, it's like any other crunchy granola, poetry reading, web-surfing cafe in the States...but we're in small town China, so this is the one and only of its kind. Are the Chinese ready for this?...I guess we'll find out. So needless to say, Erich has been busy with designing the floorplans, pricing out a menu, schmoozing with the locals and expats, and recently they've been interviewing for employees. Wish him luck and we'll update you after opening day :)

Cheers to 2011

Happy New Year! Erich and I celebrated in true Chinese fashion...freezing half to death and hardly recognizing the day is any different from the one before or after it :) We did, however, depart from Beilun to explore some parts of China. I mean, how can you live here for at least 2 years and say you've never been to see the teracotta warriors or the Great Wall? We figured we might as well check it off of our list while all the Chinese locals are working and it's too cold for tourism to be very high. Boy were we right! Xi'an and Beijing were absolutely, bone chilling cold...but the days were crisp and clear, the air quality was at it's highest, and we had plenty of room to explore and see everything without other tourists elbowing us along the way.

The first leg of ourholiday journey was Xi'an. Here, we trekked to see the teracotta warriors...amazing. My favorite part of the whole trip by far. To see the massive task these people undertook thousands of years ago was beyond comprehension. And it's all still a work in progress...after all, the site was only discovered in 1974. We saw plenty of ruins still being uncovered and archeologists putting together the pieces as we visited. The most interesting thing to me was the personality and individualism put into each warrior. No two are the same and their stances/facial expressions tell a story about who these people were and the times in which they lived. We were in awe and spent enough time there to let our fingers and toes go numb before catching the bus back to our hostel. A truly amazing experience.

Xi'an is not just known for theterracotta warriors, the city was the old Western capital of China. The ancient city wall is still standing and surrounds the city proper. Erich and I bundled up, after a night of teaching local Chinese men how to play card games like spoons and mushroom, to rent bikes and ride along the top of this city's fortress wall. It took about 90 minutes to bike the entire perimeter and it was a refreshing way to see Xi'an from an elevated view. We had the opportunity to see the locals preparing to celebrate the Chinese New Year in a few weeks...we are so excited to see the elaborate decorations, fireworks and food!

The trip to Xi'an was short but sweet. We took an 11 hour train ride from there to Beijing for the next leg of the trip. The train was fine...nothing luxurious and we slept most of the way. The highlight was sharing a room with a man from Tibet who spoke some English and pardoned the little (and broken) Mandarin Erich and I try to speak. He was so calm and peaceful in the way he spoke and shared pictures and stories of his home. He kindly gave us a large bag of yak meat and a box of Tibetan tea...after which Erich and I panicked..."What do we have to give him in return? Our backpacks consist of dirty socks and toothbrushes..." Cultural faux pas #1: Never travel without small gifts to exchange in China. We offered a miniature terracotta warrior figure we boughtas a souvenir in Xi'an, and he (likely knowing it was a mass produced tourist lump of clay), "left" it on the train as he exited in a few stops. Kind man, kind heart.

Anyway, we arrived in Beijing fullof excitement...we had 6 days to see all we could, visit with Erich's aunt and uncle who were flying in for a few days, and compare Beijing to its rival Chinese city, Shanghai, which we have visited 3 or 4 times already. A friend of a friend kindly gave us a run down of the city our first day in. Among the many stops we made, she took us to the "meat street" vendors. You may have seen Anthony Bourdain or more likely Andrew Zimmern perusing these stands on TV. "Sir, some seahorse? Perhaps a centipede? These bull testicles are of the highest quality!" Needless to say, I ate some vegetable dumplings and steered clear. Erich, on the other hand, was in heaven. He tried a few meats and let Anna and I squirm at his considerations.

We were so happy to see some familiar faces the next day! We met up with Erich's Aunt Sheila and Uncle Bob, who were kind to brave the wind and cold to spend some time exploring with us. They really made it feel like the holidays for us and we cherished the 3 days we spent with them! First stop was the Forbidden City on what ended up being our coldest day traveling. Imagine being in a place where, only a few hundred years ago, only the emperor and his royal staff were allowed. We tried putting it in perspective and compared it to being allowed access to the private quarters of the Vatican or the President, but it still didn't compare. Some of the actions and decisions (for better or for worse) made in the places we were standing have changed Chinese and World history as we know it. Everything we saw and felt there was quite impressive.

New Year's Day was spent exploring the Summer Palace of the Empress and getting to the Great Wall. We could not have asked for a more perfect day...the sun was beaming down on us, the skies were clear as ever and blue as can be. It was still cold, but the wind had disappeared and made it bearable to be outside for more than an hour at a time. After a 2 hour drive outside of Beijing, we arrived at a section of the Great Wall. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was pretty dead there. I guess those are the perks of traveling to the Great Wall #1: on New Year's Day, and #2: in the middle of one of the coldest weeks in Beijing. I was expecting throngs of tourists and having a difficult time getting a photo without all of the people swarming...I was glad to be proved wrong :) As we approached the ascent, we were informed and saw photos that, yes, this was where Bill Clinton had also visited. (They love that man in China.) The view from on top was breathtaking. We could see rows and rows of mountains in the distance...made me wish I was back in Colorado. The wall meandered and wiggled its way on top of the peaks surrounding us and there was a peaceful calmness as we walked along this wonder of the world. It was magnificent and we are looking forward to going back and hiking it or maybe camping out along the wall.

A little mythbuster action (on behalf of Erich) concerning the Great Wall of China:

1) Yes, you can see the Wall from space. However, you can also see many other manmade structures...bridges, major highways, etc.

2) There are not a load of dead bodies (of those who constructed the Great Wall) buried under the wall. #1: If this were true, it would affect the structural integrity of the Wall. #2: Ewww, gross, who does that?

3) Much of today's current Great Wall was rebuilt in the 1980's. The original 2000 year old wall only exists at the base of the current wall.

4) There is no ONE Great Wall of China. It is in actuality several walls that branch off and separate from one another. If anyone has claimed to have hiked the entire Great Wall from end to end, they are lying to you.

Thank you, Erich.

Last days in Beijing consisted of exploring weekend markets, museums, temples and of course, Tianaman Square. I was hoping for some kind of action on the square...even if it was just street performers and vendors. Nope. It really is just a huge parking lot with an evil history...with Mao watching over (both literally and figuratively...his portrait is hanging at one end and his mummified body is on display for viewing on the other end). The security is more than I have ever seen in all of China combined. Guards everywhere, 10 cameras on each lamppost, metal detectors, police vehicles cruising the perimeter...you'd think Mao himself was about to rise from the dead and wreak havoc on the Chinese again. Was the security like this before 1989 as well? It was both the most uneventful and potentially eventful place we visited.

Returning back in Beilun, we really felt more "at home" than ever before. After seeing some more of China, we appreciated where we live and the people in our town. There is a comfort in small towns (of 600,000 people) that you don't get in the big cities. Yes, we got our fill of ethnic foods and consumerism in Beijing and Xi'an, but there's something about the smile of taxi drivers who know your name that we can't find anywhere but in good old Beilun :)

Ho Ho Ho

Christmas in China...never thought I'd be starting out a Christmas card with those words :) My apologies for waiting so long between posts. A lot has been happening since early October and I guess we've just been too busy living it to take a second and write about it. So now that we're on Winter Break and have plenty of time...here goes my attempts at highlighting some of our life and adventures in China over the past few months.

Let's move backwards...we spent Christmas Eve trying to conjure up some Christmas spirit in Ningbo. The Chinese do put forth some great efforts to try and make it feel like the holidays, despite the fact that almost none of them celebrate Christmas and the Chinese New Year is still another month away. The hotel we stayed in last night had a huge Christmas tree, staff in Santa hats and "Silent Night" on repeat all night long. Of course we missed all the Christmas traditions of the U.S. and our families/friends, but hats off to the Chinese for making our holiday memorable...we had a gingerbread house, chocolate santa, cookies, hot tea and a card signed by the entire staff delivered to our room...and we had a beautiful view of the city to keep us company all night long. I guess if you think about it, it's like if American hotels were asked to decorate, prepare foods and celebrate Chinese New Year in Jan/Feb. I have a feeling we would not do half as good as the Chinese do at pretending we embody all that the festivities mean.

Earlier this month, the local government also had an "Overseas Experts Friendship Party" for all the expats in honorof the holidays. This video is of Adrienne and George whenthey were brought on stage for part of the traditional Mask ChangingPerformance. Very cool. I was also asked to do some drumming for a "hot potato" type game, there was some hand shadow art and plate spinning ceremonies to ring in the holidays :) The Chinese do know how to entertain!

The snow gods also blessed us with an unusual gift for Beilun...2 inches of white, powdery loveliness that caused school to be closed for a day! Fortunately, we were able to welcome this winter "el nino" with several friends over many, many drinks and proper celebrating. After we all called it a night, Erich and Travis snuck out to the school grounds and built this massive snow man to greet the staff/students when we returned. The guards werethoroughly entertained as they watched the guys use a cardboard box to pack the snow, find a plastic vacuum attachment for the nose, and "borrow" some ornaments from the school xmas tree for finishing touches. We will be lucky to see this much snow in Beilun again this year, so we cherished the sight and feel of "real" winter for a few days :)

Amidst the cool and sometimes rainy days of winter, we've also had some really beautiful, sunny days to explore the surrounding area. I would never have the courage to blindly ride bikes, hike, or take the bus to these places by myself...but with Erich and friends as my guides, we have uncovered some amazing spots around Beilun. We took an amazing and breath taking bike ride into the mountains one morning...riding along the lakes and bamboo forests outside of town. I snapped this photo as Erich and Tim took a break to help a local man move huge poles of bamboo down the street. This other photo is us in front of one of our favorite temples/pagodas that we've explored. It is so peaceful, quiet and has so much to see and think about there...definitely a great place to spend a few hours and relax.

We're constantly stumbling upon surprises as we walk the streets and chat with locals. Little bits of American pop culture sneak into our lives in ways that sometimes we don't realize how weird and out of place they are. Take for example this...as we meandered out of the grocery store towards our bikes awhile back, we both began to sing the words to a familiar song. "Hey Mickey, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind..." huh? Where the heck is that coming from? As we turned around, we were greeted by a lovely show of song and dance. Three Chinese girls in cheerleading uniforms adorned with pom poms were doing high kicks and "spirit fingers" on a stage in front of a small crowd. I have no clue what the purpose of the staged performance was...Selling bloomers? Chinese "So You Think You Can Dance"?...we will never know.

The world is full of mysteries and we are lucky to be uncovering so many of them here :) We miss and love you all...Merry Christmas and cheers to a peaceful New Year...

China vs. Korea

First off let me start by saying that most schools in the states are missing out on a little thing we call "fall break". In China it's a 7-10 day celebration/holiday where everyone is off work and traveling and I am in love with it :) We just returned from 2 days in Shanghai and 5 in South Korea and I feel like a million bucks. American public schools could learn something by giving teachers a week off in October to refresh and regroup.

But back to the topic at hand, China vs. Korea. During our stay with Ryan, Erich's brother, in Suwon, we found that our 2 months in China have given us the ability to differentiate just what China has to offer and why we love it so much. Let me share our findings:

1. Hygiene. From the minute we stepped off the plane in Seoul, the first thing we both said was, "Man,this place is clean." It's like we had forgotten what a good mop (with cleaning agents instead of just water) and some windex could do for a place. Well groomed people all around us in Korea made us feel like farm folk in the city. The "phantom smell" that lingers around corners and whafts out of pipes in China could still be found in Korea, but not nearly as often or as potent. To round up the hygiene category, my bum had a toilet seat at every place I stopped to pee in Korea...and my first day back in Shanghai, I was welcomed by the squatting trough toilets with nothing separating me from my neighbors "business" except a thin stall and broken door. I want to give Korea a point here for creature comforts, but at the same time I am kind of loving the simplicity of China's ways...you gotta go when you gotta go...trash can, middle of the road, in a plastic bag in the check out line of the grocery (yes, it's happened, i'll let you decide if i did it or watched it).
2. Food. Meat is king in Korea, that is for sure. I have not seen more pig carcass in my life. Those people love their BBQ, screw the veggies and the rice. Pickled everything and lots of vinegar. Erich was in hog heaven, pun intended, and I learned to appreciate that I know how to say eggplant, potato, tomato, pumpkin and all kinds of fruits in Mandarin...but unfortunately they don't speak that in Korea :) Even the "vegetarian" items had a fishy taste and I learned to love rice and nuts for a few days. Neither country really understands what "vegetarian" is, and I still get slices of meat on my "no meat" noodle bowls in both places. China's foods (in our area) are a bit oily, but the veggie choices are hands down better and more plentiful.
3. Big people, Little people. China has one size person really...small. I have yet to see an overweight Chinese person unless it's a baby with some chubby cheeks. I am the average size and most locals are only a little taller than me or my height. One walk down the street in Suwon and I saw loooong legs, skinny emo college students, bulky wrestler looking men, and women with boobs. A totally different variety than we're used to. There is a lot more style in Korea too...mohawks, trendy fashion, boots...plastic surgery is common too. A far cry from little Beilun in China.
4. Price. Abit more pricey in Korea...I'm sure that has something to do with China devaluing the RMB to about 1/3 of it's actual price, but we have gotten used to a heaping mound of homemade food for $1/person and Korean prices aren't far from those in the U.S. We arespoiled and now we know it. That 10 cent steamed veggie breakfast bun will taste a lot better here now that we know it would cost 10 times that anywhere else :)

So I'm a little biased...I've been in China longer than I was in Korea and I love me some China. Really though, Korea was amazing and relaxing and we had a blast chilling out with Ryan. Hiking an ancient fortress wall, eating octopus for breakfast (Erich, not me), sitting in on Ryan's English university class (where I practiced my Mandarin with a Korean girl who also knows English), making our own patio and drinking beers in frontof the convenient store, cruising the markets to find all kinds of fun things, amazing cool and crisp fall-ish weather, and meeting some fun and interesting friends. Thank you Ryan for living in such a cool place and sharing a week of life in Korea with us...we loved every minute.

Beach, Bikes and Bare Chests

Just when we think we've found the best places in China, we find another. This weekend we ventured out to a chain of islands off the coast of Beilun. We spentmost of our time on Putoshan Island. From what I gather, this island is a popular destination for the Chinese as it is a Buddhist retreat and the only place in which the Buddha is represented as a woman? Because of this, Buddhists can pray and ask for things here, which is not the case at other temples. So there were many people with offerings and incense climbing the stairs to the temples to ask for their prayers to be answered. We were told that devout Buddhists will climb the stairs (about 1000 of them to the top of the main temple) and stop every 3rd step to kneel/bow down to the ground. We saw some monks around, but no one performing this ritual.

We also found refuge in the beaches of Putoshan. Interestingly, there were few people in bathing suits and most everyone (except some young kids, old men, and Ariana) was fully clothed just hanging out. The sound of the crashing waves, warm sun on our skin, sand in our toes and the feel of the water in the air was perfect. Erich and Rachel (the business administrator from our school) rented a four-wheeler on the beach and we all took a spin too :)

In a few weeks, there will be some kind of giant sand sculpture display, so I'm sure we will be back again soon.

I know the "bare chest" part of this post is what you're all really waiting for, so I thought an accompanying photo was in need to explain. Ariana, Matt (PE teacher), Jacky (Chinese staff at school), Erich and I have developed a kind of eating/drinking ritual on the weekends...this is when we have the best meals I can remember so far. Jacky can translate and knows the goods and we always leave fat and happy. Anyway, I digress...why does Erich have his top off? Simple, there was a Chinese man at the table next to us doing the same and Erich didn't want him getting ALL of the attention :) No really, it's not uncommon to see shirtless men any and every where here. But I think Erich struck up a bromance with this man the moment his chest hairs joined us for dinner. I'm sure we were entertainment for the whole restaurant that night.

With all the eating and drinking that's kept us busy, we decided bikes were a must. We just returned from purchasing the 2 beauties you see above. We are in love. Erich and I decided that if nothing else, Fort Collins turned us into beer and bike snobs. Those are the only 2 things we've really been picky about since arriving. We've found some good substitutes to the watered down Chinese beers to keep us satisfied...and we spent at least a week shopping around and then found the store we wanted to buy from and spent a good hour or two looking at, riding, testing and finding the bikes that were the perfect fit for the streets (and hills, and mountains, and half-constructed sidewalks) of China. Riding them home may be the most uplifting feeling I've had all weekend. Freedom from the hot humid air while WALKING everywhere. Now we will have a breeeeeeze :) Erich even worked his charm and got us some freebies to go with our rides (bells and lights). So many more adventures are now at our fingertips...