American Stuff I'm Looking Forward to

With my upcoming trip back to the USofA, I have been thinking A LOT about what I want to do, where I want to go, and what I'll get to eat. In that I'm going back during winter vacation I'll be around for all the major holidays. It's been five years since that's happened, so of course there is plenty to look forward to! Just to name a few, there's turkey, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, pie, Christmas trees, singing carols, turkey, gravy, sugar cookies. Did I mention turkey? Those are all very normal (holiday) things and there's plenty more in the line of everyday American stuff (like English everywhere)!

What I'm looking forward to, however, are things you might not expect. These are things that I took for granted until I started living in Asia. They may not make a lot of sense, as they truly are the little things in life. If I make it to your house while I'm in the U.S., you'll probably understand why I might stare at the TV or stand over your shoulder when you cook. Don't worry, I'm just making lots of memories for the next time I'm sitting in a hot, crowded Chinese bus missing home.

Recliners. If you have a recliner, I'm coming to your house. I might steal your spot. That's the risk you'd be taking by having a recliner devotee back from a two-year absence sleep on your couch. Which reminds me, I'm also looking forward to couches!

Sandwiches. Not any one in particular, but rather the concept. Two slices of whole wheat bread, not cut in half or stacked on top of one another. Just two plain slices of bread, toasted. Real Mayonnaise, not any of the sweet variety. Fresh tomatoes. Pickles! Mmm, mustard. Any kind of meat and/or other veggies will do, as long as it's not corn. All this should be served with potato chips (although sometimes a soup, french fries, or a salad will do) at lunchtime. Unless it's breakfast time, in which case, I'd like to change my order to a breakfast sandwich. Makes sense, right?

 

Free access to sites like Google, Facebook, Blogspot, etc. This is a given. The second I'm allowed on Narita's network in Japan during my layover, my digits will be all over their proxy-less hand-helds.  

Salty popcorn. Again, it's the concept. I'm not saying I'm going to be microwaving popcorn every night for three months, but once I catch a sniff of hot, buttery movie theater popcorn, you bet I will be savoring each kernel!

Carpeted floors. I don't even care what might be squished between the threads, I just want to feel softness under my feet when I walk around in my own home.

Dryers. It would be nice not to have to wait a whole day for clothes to dry. Plus, I just really love the smell.

 

Stars. Sunsets. Real dirt. Mountains you can actually hike. Nature you can get messy in. No crowds. No cheating stairs. And in Arizona there are bound to be magnificent lookout points. Little pollution. So much sky you can make a blanket out of it.  

Football--American style. I know I'll be getting to the U.S. right at the tail end of football season (especially for high schools, which are the games I enjoy), but I am still looking forward to seeing those neckless hunks and all the other fabulous entertainment. Can someone say marching band or half-time shows? Is it obvious that I don't have a team to root for? If you're hosting any tailgating parties or at-home game nights, do count me in! 

TV. Commercials. Even the reality shows. I think it's finally my turn to hold the remote! Although I'll probably get tired of this within a week of being home, I really do enjoy watching TV on a big screen, in a language I can understand, and preferably, with the ability to DVR two shows at once. I also shamelessly like to tune in to almost every marathon of The Nanny or any other 70's-90's sitcom on TV Land. When it comes to reality shows, it's not that I particularly like them, but unlike other visits to the U.S., this time I am curious what's on and who's making it big. Plus, in my house, it's a cause for good, old-fashioned family time.

As you can see, I have some things to catch up on once I'm in the U.S. If I can do it with friends, it will be even better, so don't be shy about writing me a line or giving me a call! Lastly, chances are another similar list will go up soon after I get back: What I miss about China. Looking forward to that, too!

"The Sound of Youth" Radio Show Interview

Through the International Students' Association, I had the opportunity this week to participate in a radio interview. The show is called "The Sound of Youth" and is a daily program focusing on activities and stories from Changchun's plethora of universities. In our interview, three Chinese students from our association as well as another foreign student, Hadi, and myself discussed life in China and the importance of our club's activities for foreign students. Our hostess particularly enjoyed asking Hadi and I about our experiences studying Chinese and living in China. At one point, she even asked the other students to talk about both Hadi and I as individuals. If it had been television, you would have seen me blushing profusely.

The whole time I kept imagining Changchun's taxi drivers joining in the program. "Not bad," they'd think. "They speak Chinese pretty well," their passengers would reply. Maybe one of the millions out there would wonder, "Have I driven these Lao wai before?"  

Unfortunately for my readers, this interview was all done in Chinese (with the exception of my little English side notes). Nevertheless, if you'd like to listen to it, you can visit their webpage and click on 2013-10-24. (In case you can't remember what my voice sounds like, I'm the slow one that stutters). You might want to skip ahead five or ten minutes past the commercials, or even three-fourths of the way through where they have me sing a song in Chinese. Otherwise, enjoy all the incomprehensible rhythms and the tones! Also, my various tunnels past the Great Firewall have all been failing me lately, so pictures will have to come later.

 

 

The China Dream

Something's happening underneath Changchun. A subway system is on its way. The ground rumbles with approval. Traffic is happily diverted. Progress won't be stalled, but it's not a pretty sight. So they decided to decorate. 
 

 

 

A new campaign has made its way north called Zhongguo Meng: The Chinese Dream. Culture boards all over the country have submitted one or more slogans with beautiful artwork attached. Street by street, the effect is like an outdoor museum of propaganda.
 

 

 

Reading most of the posters is simple enough. Paired with the art, it isn't difficult to understand (or at least guess) their meaning. When a few of them started to trump me and my dictionary, however, I called on Jin Jin. Some have historical references to poems or songs that I hadn't heard of. Some of them include contemporary poetry. They are all concise and poignant in their simplicity. The artwork adds a warmth and aesthetic beauty to the idealistic thoughts shared. It might be propaganda, but it's very moving. Here are a few of my favorites with their translations and Jin Jin's helpful explanations where necessary.

 

 

 

 

Filial Piety

The Chinese bloodline

 

 

 

 

Store every grain

Treasure grains and use them prudently

Jin Jin says, "When Xi Jinping [China's new president] came to office his "Chinese Dream" advocated for less waste. In homes and hotels especially, people need to take appropriate measures, so think that "Ke li gui cao" goes along with this idea." 

 

Get yourself to work

Be well-clothed and well-fed

 

 

The nation's dream

A crane circling towards the heavens

 

This particular poster had my brain all twisted for how to translate its poetic sense. First of all, it uses the word "Zhong hua" instead of "Zhong guo" to mean China. Zhong guo is a modern term whereas Zhong hua is an ancient poetic form. According to Jin Jin, it also exudes a more patriotic connotation. In ancient times, the phrase was used to describe the nine states within the nation. The second half of the poster provides an image of a crane, an animal that symbolizes propitiousness in Chinese rhetoric, circling towards the "nine" heavens. As Jin Jin explains: Since "Zhonghua" has nine states, it is only fitting to infer the nine heavens above them. Lastly, instead of just using "meng" to say "dream," they used the term 圆梦, "yuan meng." Jin Jin tells me that it points to the way that China rose up both in ancient and recent times to stand on their own feet, and to the promise that they can continue to rise.
 

 

The Communist Party is good

Socialism is good

"Reform and Opening" is good

This is one of my favorites simply for its boldness. It's frank, simple, and full of faith. "Reform and Opening" refers to China's 1978 policy to open its doors to the outside world again.

 

A spring breeze and a return to green

The China Dream

 

If you look closely at the poster you can see people doing the dragon dance, a tradition after the Chinese New Year, also referred to as the "Spring Festival." At this time of year, the frozen land begins to thaw, trees are graced with leaves again, and flowers begin to bloom. Jin Jin informs me that the first line refers to a famous poem that starts: "A spring breeze and a return to green along the banks of the southern Yangtze." Here, "The Chinese Dream" is written in place of China's famous river, implying that China's dreams are easiest to come by in the spring when everyone is happy and living the sweet life.

 

 

My keeping fit

My foretelling

 

There's that "yuan meng" again. It can literally mean a prognostication by dreams, which when combined with the idea of a "Chinese dream," one can understand that it can mean a foretelling of one's rise to success. Here the rise would be through fitness.

 

Sing of the homeland

"The five stars on ou red flag welcome the wind to make it flutter..."

 

 

Hardworkers

have a lot of luck

 

 

China--Onward and up!

China's spirit of youth lies in high aspirations

 

Jin Jin informs me, "China has a famous saying: When the young are strong, the country is strong." In the pictures, children are flying kites, symbolizing both their youth and vigor as well as their ability to soar.
 

 

Socialism is good

Hundreds of happy children

 

 

 

Why is China strong?

Because it has the Gongchangdang! (a.k.a. Communist Party)

 

 

China will live on endlessly

 

"Cool" China: "Out of the Inferno" Movie Review

 

Out of the Inferno

 

Do you remember that scene in She's All That or My Fair Lady where the former awkward social reject comes out dressed in the latest, fitting fashion? Everyone is struck dumb because no one ever thought the ugly duckling might just be a swan under all that beastly fuzz. In that moment (with all of these stories going through your mind), you lose no time in catching the moral: never judge a book by its cover. 

Minus the obvious moral, that's exactly what I felt watching Out of the Inferno this past weekend.  No longer the nerdy social outcast, China's movies have gotten to the point where they could pass for any given blockbuster.

First of all, this is not the kind of Chinese movie that is typically released in the U.S. It's not a classic Chinese epic, a Kung fu masterpiece, nor does it star Jackie Chan. It doesn't compare at all to films like Red Sorghum, one I also watched recently, the likes of which feature exquisite cinematography and get nominated for international awards. Whether it's the clothes, the history, a Chinese martial art, a specific tradition, or an ancient legend, these films all portray distinctly Chinese elements. Inferno doesn't do that. Taking place in a mega city with themes circling around family, selflessness over greed, and glorifying public servicemen, this movie could easily take place in any big city with very few changes to the script.

In the movie two estranged brothers, both firemen (one formerly and one presently), get called on to save people from a burning building. This is not just any building, but a Guangzhou skyscraper in the middle of the city. The fireman's pregnant wife is in the building doing a checkup where she runs into her brother-in-law preparing a welcome presentation for his new line of firefighting equipment. A maintainence man on the first floor throws a cigarette but onto the floor in the air-conditioning room and the mix of sparks and moving air starts the fire. Soon the fireman brother and his team are called to the rescue. Luckily, the former fireman hasn't lost any of his skills and quickly saves many on the upper floors, including his new fiancée. Lastly, the two firefighter brothers reconcile and work together to save not only the pregnant wife, but quite a few other people as well.

Although this is a story that could take place in a number of cities, it does not mean that there aren't any discrepancies particular to China. Too many movies here "tell" rather than "show." It wastes precious time, is unrealistic, and has the tendency to want to wrap every emotion and event up in a nice-looking, complete package. China's more artsy movies don't usually have the same defect. Shower from Heaven, for example, ends with the young lead character begging her caretaker to shoot her after she realizes that her scheme to sleep with the men who promise to take her back to her parents is a total fraud. Her caretaker does eventually shoot her and then himself in an action that bespeaks his desire, not unlike his peers', for her body, as well as his guilt for actually going through with it. There is no unlikely happy ending or even a monologue to heroize either character. Blockbusters are a different breed, however, and especially in China where, according to my friend Caixia, people like to feel the point or moral at the end of a story, there seems to be little promise of change.

On the other hand, something must be going on behind the scenes. Most movies made for large audiences in China are now in 3D, keeping up with the same trends in other markets throughout the world. This means that special effects are especially well-done. In Out of the Inferno, one particularly frightening scene involving a construction crane and the rescue of a group of people leaves you feeling the impossibility of a rescue so high up. Another element of change is the environment. I've seen two new releases this year, both of which take place in one of China's megatropolises. As more and more movies are filmed in and portray urban stories, China inevitably looks "cooler" to the outside eye. Now all they need are fewer movies with disjointed storylines and implausible turn of events. That being said, Inferno, for the most part, stayed away from these weaknesses as well, focusing more on the strong human relationships being saved along with victims of the fire. 

Lastly, Out of the Inferno featured a very strong and moving score. This score ultimately made the movie review-worthy since it did two things. First, it is noticeable. The audience only vaguely remembers the name of B-list movies, let alone their scores. Yet every award-winning or blockbuster movie also features a great, memorable score. Second, the music worked to underscore firemen's duties in the saving of lives. It also undeniably emphasized their need for a heroic public image. There was a point when, as skeptical of the movie as I was, I looked at that line of firemen in full uniform walking in slow motion toward an urban disaster with this magnificent music in the background and I got chills. "Bugger," I thought. "They got me. I'm convinced. Now I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the movie." One final point I'd like to make is that I ended up discussing this movie with a friend on a number of the same points I've talked about here. Ultimately, isn't that the mark of any "cool" movie.

Never in Yanji

I arrive in Yanji at 6:52 am, just as my train ticket says I will. My friend Cui is waiting to pick me up. We drive to her house where homemade kimchi and a soup of homegrown pumpkins waits for breakfast. Right away, Cui and I begin a string of conversation that won't really end until I leave. We regail each other with happenings from the last few months, letting our hands do the necessary morning routine activities automatically. By nine, Cui, her dad, her brother, and I reach the office. Although it's Sunday, Cui has two meetings. I tag along because I'm tired of eating and sleeping, which I've been doing all week in Changchun during China's "Golden Week." 

Our conversation continues well into the time when my stomach starts to rumble. Cui's biggest question for me: What can we do so you won't get bored? I answer with another question. What haven't I done in Yanji?

Since I lived in this small town for a year in 2010-2011, and have visited many times since, there's not a lot I haven't done. Cui suddenly gets the idea to see a movie. When I lived here there was only one theater that I never patroned for reasons beyond me. Now there are two or three cinemas and I'm finally going to go see a movie! We decide to see Out of the Inferno, a Park Brothers film starring Gu Tianle and Liu Qingyun. The movie is about a skyscraper in Guangzhou that catches fire and the brother firefighters (Gu and Liu) who rescue a lot of people. I'll save my review for another post, but sufficient to say, I quite enjoyed its 3D, action-packed, heart-wrenching story.

I decide to use the restroom before leaving the theater. All six stalls are occupied so I wait. The first stall that opens a young woman comes out and I pass her to go in. "Whaaaaaaat!" We both say as we pass. As we each get a good look we realize that we know each other! It's my former student Tian Hwa! We had a one-on-one class when I lived in Yanji, at which time she was preparing to go to New York to study. Up until now, all my Facebook statuses told me she was still there. She thought I was in Changchun, so the bathroom stall of the movie theater where we had just watched the same movie was the last place we expected to see each other.

Cui and I went back to her house where Cui's mom was already busy preparing a Korean BBQ dinner. Everything is so fresh and perfectly spiced. The pictures may not do it justice but they will just have to do.

 

 

 

 

 

Cui the cook

 

The next morning, Tian Hwa and I meet up for brunch at a newer bakery-slash-coffee shop. We end up chatting for over four hours. She has a lot of interesting insights into life as a foreigner in the U.S., especially as a Chinese citizen. Unfortunately, we got so caught up in our conversation we forget to take a picture together. Hopefully we'll get to meet up in the U.S. sometime, though!

In the afternoon I do some shopping. This is NOT something new for me in Yanji, but I happen upon some good deals. Later, another friend and I have decided to get a group together to go bowling. I've never done that in Yanji either! Cui, who has never bowled before, luckily gets off work just in time to meet us for a few games. It takes me ten sets just to get warmed up (putting me in last place for the first round), but I step up my game and end up winning the next round by one point. In the end, however, my fingers gave out on me before my spirit does, and I finish the last round at third place. It's pretty good considering that by this time none of the other girls are playing. After bowling we go out for more Korean food. Most of those students are medical majors, so conversations with them can take a gory turn, but mostly we all just goof-off and get to know each other. The next morning Cui and I are up early to get me on a bus to Changchun.

 

 

 

Winner with a score of 124!

 

 

Cui and I after her first bowling adventure

 

 

An hour outside of Yanji the land bursts into a yellows canvas ranging from dandelion white to mustard. Every now and then it bursts into hot pink and crimson. Any leftover green is all the more stringent for not having succumbed to autumn's inevitable demise. A thought crosses my mind for the first time ever. What if we looked at old people the same way we looked at trees in the fall? With every new wrinkle we would "ooh" and "aah." When black or blonde hair silvered with age we'd all rush to take pictures and gather it in our hands. If only we looked at our own selves growing old with the same awe with which we view the change from summer to autumn. Soon my thoughts become memories, the landscape drifts past in rolling gold, lulling me into a pleasant, deep sleep.

 

 

 

 

5 Things on Pinterest You Won't Find in China

 

October 1, 2013: The 64th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. I woke up to the memorial ceremony at Tiananmen Square where Xi Jinping and the other top-tier CCP members walked around the People's Monument to pay their respects to those who died building the country. On CCTV News, the English channel, they held a Dialogue special where a few of China's top universities' professors came together to debate the "Chinese Dream." During these programs, reporters posed the question, "What does it mean to be Chinese?" 

Although I don't believe that the Chinese public is anywhere near as perplexed by the question of a national identity as some news programs might suggest, I would still like to put in my two jiao. The following are 5 things you will find on Pinterest that you will be hard-pressed to find in China. 

 

 

1. DIY and crafts

 

 

Pinterest DIY's

 

 

Pinterest is full of DIY projects and crafts. Whether you're trying to keep your kids busy while you refurbish a vintage dresser or trying to organize your home in twenty steps or less, you won't need to scroll down far before you find exactly what you need. Of course, in China, we call that "hiring someone" (see below). Send your kids to English classes (or calligraphy, or painting, or piano). Hire the company down the street for the remodel. Where will you be, by the way? Oh, that's right. Work.

 

 

Chinese LSEDIFY's (let someone else do it for you) 

 

 

 

2. Teaching tips

 

 

Chinese math textbooks

 

I'm using context clues here, but I'm assuming that a lot of teachers use Pinterest to plan and share lessons. If they lived in China that would be completely unnecessary. With the whole country on one system, all they'd have to do is follow the curriculum. Easy as yi, er, san!

3. Anything Weddings: Wedding party, Self-planned color and design schemes, Announcements/invitations, and Cake
 

 

 

A Pinterest wedding party

 

Wouldn't getting married be easier if you just had to pay one company for one of their wedding "sets," banquet included, and just show up looking pretty? Yet I'm sure many of you are thinking, "What fun would that be?!" Simply put, Chinese weddings typically don't involve any of the above.

4. Frosting, Chocolate, and Ryan Gosling

 

 

It was only a matter of time before someone thought of this

 

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of sugary sweets and breads to go around in this country. However, almost none of them can be claimed to be 'homemade.' Also, they are not cream-cheese-frosting sweet. The chocolate isn't anything to brag about either, especially given that their most expensive brand is Dove. Speaking of sweet, is it any wonder that when I search "shuai ge" [handsome men] in Chinese on Baidu (China's Google), the majority of the search results are foreigners (i.e. K-pop stars, Tom Cruise circa 1988, David Beckham)?

5. Internet Memes
 

 

The way a Pinterest addict might choose clothes

 

 

 

The way a Chinese student would choose clothes

 

These things are everywhere these days. Well, not everywhere as the only ones I've seen among Chinese friends are more sappy than silly, more cutesy than cool, and more informative than funny. If memes are any inkling of what a given culture is thinking, it only takes one to see how very different thoughts Chinese have from Americans.


You can make of this list what you will. Ok, so you won't find typical China among the how-to's and the grumpy cat memes throughout Pinterest. From the ideas I've posited you might gather that there is a lack of creativity in China, creativity being what Pinterest really boils down to, and which then cannot accurately portray a whole country other than the United States. It doesn't mean that China is all red lanterns and kung fu or even this article. China is only 64 years old! In terms of political states, it's still a baby. How about we at least let it get to it's adolescence before we start deciding which clique it belongs to (I'm talking to you, too, CCTV). Jiayou, China, keep it up!

Fall Dance Party

 

The International Student's Association held it's second annual dance party on Saturday. They had me teach two dances. I chose the Macarena and the Cotton-Eyed Joe. Just four months ago I taught the Electric Slide and the Funky Chicken. Once I teach the YMCA and the Hand Jive (probably in another six months or so), I don't know where that will leave my resevoir of 80's group dances!



 

 

 

The "sexy" dance that began the event

 

 

Slowing it down with a partner dance

 

 

The Koreans brought a new hit--"jumping, jumping, jumping..."

 

 

As Chinese dance parties go, a group first performs and then teaches those who want to learn that dance. Everyone else just watches. Talk about wall flowers. Who knew China would be a whole garden?

 

 

Waka Waka by a girl from Mali.

 

 

The Association has some talented Taiji athletes. This girl flew!

 

 

The star in yellow.

 

 

Two Russian girls in traditional garb doing a fun quick-footed dance.

 

 

Near the end, one of the boys from the Association got down on his knee with a huge bouquet and "proposed" that this girl be his girlfriend.

 

 

DA3 got to the campus just before the dance party finished. While I waited for him a boy and a girl approached me and asked me for a favor. They said their club was having a welcome party for their new students. They had asked a couple of foreigners to come, since it's an English club, but now they couldn't get in touch with them. They practically begged me to come to the event, which had already started, to introduce myself, talk with them, and to play games. I told them I'd have to see if DA3 wanted to go and to wait a few minutes for him to come. After a long day, DA3 was not particularly enthusiastic about postponing dinner, but he agreed anyway. We gathered our things and went to the meeting. We were warmly welcomed and immediately rushed on stage. When it was all over, they thanked us profusely with candy and two bottles of Coke. It was kind of fun saving the day!

 

 

 

After the introductions and some games, a group of us sang an English song together. Can you guess which classic 70's hit it was?

 

 

 

Ignoring my Charlie Brown singing face, I'll tell you we were singing The Carpenters' "Yesterday Once More" (hence the Peanuts face).

 

 

DA3 had no intention of getting up, but they kind of forced him, so he went and introduced himself. Afterwards he said he was really nervous. The poor guy did a fantastic job playing charades in English, though! (Even if he did forget the word "cry" haha).

Fortunately

Sometimes things just don't go your way. Sometimes it's not just a one day thing. But whether it's by the minute or by the year, things always turn around. Inspired by one of my favorite books growing up, Fortunately by Remy Charlip, here is what's been happening with me since we last met.

Unfortunately, someone was not very nice to me.

Fortunately, I found a new place to exercise. I had to pay a little money, but now everything I want to do is all in one spot not too far from home. I go five or six times a week for an hour or more each time. I figure with every workout I burn at least 500 calories. In the last three weeks, I've lost almost three kilograms, about five pounds. My goal is to lose six more kilos before I go home in November. Six more weeks!

Unfortunately my neck and shoulder are on the fritz again. 

Fortunately the doctor is still seeing me. Adding stretches and yoga is helping. Also, I've learned that it might be a symptom of gallbladder issues, which may seem like an "unfortunate," but I'm actually happy to know the connection. As I've experimented with some suggestions on what to eat, I believe I'm feeling a difference. The biggest help so far? Fresh ginger juice! Mmm, spicy!

Unfortunately, I didn't do my yearly tradition of buying a nice, fancy box of mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival. 

Fortunately, for once I was given a box of fancy-shmancy mooncakes! Giving and receiving the tasty treats is typically done in Chinese society. I look at the fact that I received some as achieving some sort of clout among my local friends.

Unfortunately, tutoring has been canceled a lot lately, which means my funds are considerably lower than I would like.

Fortunately, this has given me the time I needed to do more in-depth research for my thesis. I'm feeling good about the direction it's heading. 

Unfortunately, it took DA3 two months to get his new passport.

Fortunately, with its arrival we could get his U.S. visa application started! Wish him luck for his interview!

Unfortunately, due to a dumb mistake on my part, I'm unable to listen in on a particular writing class for Chinese.

Fortunately, I have been writing anyway. Just this week I started writing a short story in Chinese. Hopefully that can get finished in the next 10 years. I'm only slightly joking. There's no deadline and I am notoriously inept at keeping my own. However, I had a breakthrough while brainstorming for it and the more I write, the more excited the story makes me. On a side note, I usually read and write while riding the bus, and although I ride the bus often enough, it is still a contributing factor to why this might take a while to get finished. 

Unfortunately, in the last couple of weeks I had a few bad days. I lost some sleep and felt bodily pain. 

Fortunately, things are looking up. Why, at this very moment I am making whole wheat, tuna-olive bread. Later, I'm making Borsch. Life is fine.

What do you think? After reading my list, do you think it might all be connected somehow? Also, did you run into some bad luck this week? How have you seen it start to turn around?