Class at Jingyuetan

Every spring semester my supervisor, Wang Laoshi, holds a seminar-style class for his PhD and Masters students. For our last class he planned a picnic to Changchun's Jingyuetan, a large man-made forest and reservoir just outside the city. It was my first time to the park and, albeit the pictures don't show it, I was excited for the outing.

 

 

 

 

While waiting for everyone to arrive at the meeting point, Wang Laoshi took out his camera. I could see him pointing it in my direction, so I turned away awkwardly. Really, the following pictures are not my best, but I felt embarrassed at having the camera pointing at me and not knowing how much he had zoomed in on my face.

 

 

Our picnic location in a meadow overlooking the lake.

 

The women lagged behind, with each step lamenting their quickly dirtying shoes.

 

 

As per some unspoken rule of Chinese picnics, there had to be a tent.

 

 

No one had called or texted me...just avoiding the camera again.

 

 

 

Wang Laoshi's idea of a picnic is to hold regular class with each person giving a short presentation on some aspect of the reading from the semester. Not surprising, I was chosen to read mine first. Oh, the expressions of my avid followers!

 

 

"Ting de dong ma?"

 

 

Can they even understand what I'm saying??

 

 

The tent stands alone, the tent stands alone, hi-ho-the-dairy-o...

 

 

 

Wang Laoshi handed off the camera

 

 

I'm not sure what I wrote after all.

 

 

Attentive much?

 

 

 

 

I just had a feeling I was unnecessarily included in some photos.

 

 

 

Quite to my surprise, one of our department's secretaries showed up to get some papers signed. I wonder if he had to pay the entrance fee for the ten minutes he was in the park. He took our signature group photo, had one piece of chicken, and left.

 

 

The glory of my day: being the only one to enter The Tent with my half-eaten cucumber.

 

 

Aha! The picture we have all been waiting for. Wang Laoshi and I--minus the cucumber, which a classmate graciously offered to hold for me. After eating I proposed some games. Eventually I suggested "Do You Love Your Neighbor?" and we ended up playing that for the better part of an hour. Whenever someone lost they had to eat something as punishment. Once all the cherries and strawberries were gone, the women moved on to tomatoes. One girl ended up eating at least two as her "punishment."

 

 

 

Not a clue.

 

I'm it!

I made a few friends, got a sunburn as well as class credit, taught one of my favorite games to a new group of people, and hung out in nature all day. As my student says religiously, "Class Over!"

Flea Market or Free Market?

 

Every year since I've been at NENU, I've witnessed graduating students line the avenue stretching from the cafeteria, past the volleyball courts, to the administration building, to sell their unwanted goods before packing up and going back to their homes. In Chinese we'd say the scene is very "re-nao," or quite lively. Although I'm not graduating until next year, I did some spring cleaning and took my goods to market.

 

 

 

 

In a moment of self-consciousness, I dressed up for the occasion. I figured as a white foreigner I'd be just as much on display as the items I wanted to sell--better to take advantage of it. Meanwhile, I practiced my best bargaining language, making note of what vendors have said to me in the past. For once I'd be on the other side of the transaction!

 

 

 

 

I was supposed to meet my friend, Dandan, who said she had a classmate that also wanted to sell some things. They wouldn't arrive until later, however, so I headed out on my own. Luckily I found Caixue, my friend from the International Students' Association. Without hesitation, she stopped hawking her shoes and helped me get set up, asking me how much I wanted for each item. Most of what I wanted to sell was jewelry. She loaded her fingers with my rings and dangled bracelets on her wrists. With a loud cry, she wailed to passersby, "Ten kuai, ten kuai! Foreigner's jewelry, ten kuai!" 

 

 

Dandan and I watching the buyers

 

 

Like a school of fish to a piece of bate, people began to migrate to the sound of Caixue's voice. For the next hour, all I saw were fingers, long and short, fat and slim, male and female, rummaging through my jewelry. I soon discovered I had grossly overestimated my asking price.

 

 

Dandan's friend and her suitcase of clothes.

 

 

Despite the market being on a university campus, the majority of visitors were grandmas and grandpas, middle-aged people, and some families. They were out for a morning stroll on a Saturday morning, although I'm guessing they knew to pass through the university campuses at this time of year for some great steals. I soon cut my asking price in half. At only 5 kuai (not even 1 USD), people were still asking 3 kuai for decent jewelry. I was reminded of the time I participated in a garage sale after graduating from ASU. I ended up selling textbooks that had cost me $20-30 to people who wouldn't part with more than $1. It was a comfort to me knowing that whether in a front yard or on a sheet on the street, all people want is to pay as little as possible for as much as they can carry.

 

 

 

An interested customer.

I stayed until lunch time, a total of about two and a half hours. After lunch I came back to find that Dandan and her friend were packing up because of the dark, looming clouds overhead. I only had a couple of pieces of jewelry left, plus a pillowcase that everyone kept saying was too big. So I packed up and went back to my dorm. As I counted my earnings, I considered the exchange of value in which I had participated--the bargaining down to less than fifty cents, the return of seeing someone pleased with their purchase, the letting go of items associated with memories or comfort, the experience gained of having bought used jewelry from a foreigner, also that of having sold second-hand jewelry as a foreigner in China--it is all relative. With my practically free money, I treated DA3 and I to dessert at Mr. Suger (yes, that's how it's spelled) and enjoyed every bite.

Free Ride to Dalian

Because of my participation in last spring's Exploring China competition, I was given one free school trip. Last year I wasn't around for their winter outing, so I decided to go to Dalian with them this spring. Dalian is a port city on the southern-most tip of Liaoning province. It's known for being the site of the Russo-Japanese war in the early 1900's and as a colonial hub for the two warring countries from then until the end of World War II. For students like us, Dalian offers a great weekend getaway location, especially now that the high-speed train makes it possible to get there from Changchun in three hours. Luckily for us, we had a weekend of perfect weather waiting for us.

 



 

 

Mandatory hotel shot

 

 

 

Night market behind the hotel

Day 1: Discovery Land

 

Lolli-- lolli-- oh, lollipop!

 

 

Waiting for the "Splash Mountain" ride

 

 

The moment we shell out 5 yuan to stay dry

 

 

All that plastic only half-worked

 

 

Near Aladdin's food court (all Chinese food)

 

 

Lots of Russians in their street parade

 

 

One of the rides Tavj (blue hair) just managed to handle. So proud of him!

 

 

Ethnic something show. Never found out where the performers are from. Could be southern Chinese, could be a minority...could be Filipinos for all I know!

 

 

This is my "losing face" face.

 

 

No books were harmed while shooting this fabulous picture of myself.

 

 

At the American Street, all I could find was dried squid and knock-off leather.

 

 

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!

 

 

Day 2: Aquarium

 

I've already posted all of my good aquarium pictures on Storehouse. I'm posting this one because not long after it was taken I lost my sunglasses. I was in the bathroom, getting ready to leave the stall. I had just grabbed my bag where my sunglasses were hanging. They fell off, hit the ground, slid under the wall to the next stall, and landed right in the squatty potty. As I stood just outside the stall wondering if I should go in for them, and old Taitai came in, spotted my glasses and said, "My mother! What are these doing here?!" She reached into the basin, fetched the shades, and tossed them aside. She then closed the door and proceeded with her business. I left, not knowing what to do. I decided if she could touch them, then so could I. So I marched back into the restroom only to find that they had disappeared.

 



 

 

At the New People's Square we rented a quadracycle for 60 yuan, about $3 per person. We spent the hour navigating traffic, yelling "Push, PUSH!" at each other, and getting chewed out by various police men for driving in all the wrong places. Tavj eventually blared his phone's playlist and we jammed to JLO while I drove us back to the rental station.

 



 

 

Lastly, we had to change our plans because the 30 km stretch of coastal road was closed due to a walking marathon happening. To make up for missing the tiger park and aviary, the tour guide took us to the Russian street, where we bought Dalian's famous dried squid, rip-off Russian chocolate, and where I unsuccessfully searched for a hat. At last, we made it to the train station, where I took a nap on the floor. By eleven that evening we were back in Changchun just in time for the rain to start again.

 

Me, my new fake Gucci, and some Chinese dude

Tricksters Find their Paradise

 

The culturally aware tourist knew the polite way to treaty with a man on a donkey. 

 

 

"When will this silly girl stop drinking all my wine?" the man thought as he poured her another glass.

 

 

 

It had taken a lot of practice and daring journey into the space-time continuum, but our twenty-first century heroes finally found their way to the log-rolling competition of 1849. 

 

Despite the fear electrifying his every cell, the dentist felt a strange calm overcome him as he beheld the sheer magnitude of his task.

 

 

 

Meilin could not understand why the strange white lady wanted to run across a broken bridge just to hide underneath the very creature looking to sink its jaws into their flesh.

 

 

 

Fido did not appreciate his owner's entering him in this year's Extinct Pet show. 
 

 

The owner's wife, however, was determined to show up the neighbor's Sabertooth Tiger.

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. and Mrs. Smith inadvertently gave each other the same anniversary gift.

 

 

 

 

Isabelle had had another thing in mind when she said she wanted to learn how to use a knife.

 

 

 

The man could finally rest at ease knowing the giant knots in his shoulders had a pair of giant hands to take care of them.

 

 

 

"Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown."

 

 

 

The patient thinks maybe her approach with the cute nurse hasn't been thought through.

 

 

 

"I'll take a mini dry red to go with my giant bread."

 

 

 

 

Michael Jackson had just one mind-blowing performance left...

 

 

 

 

 

They say you can lead a camel to water, but you can't make him get up after he's had his fill.

 

"I think I overslept," she said as she stepped out of her warm crypt.

 

 

 

It's a lovely day to drink from a dragon well.

 

 

 

 

The pair realized too late that their pirate experience was lacking.

 

"Please, tell me again how I'm the first foreigner you've ever seen!"

 

 

 

Model citizens are 'selfies' incarnate.

 

 

 

All things that go up must come down.

 

 

 

The delivery boy remembered too late that he had left his rope at home.

 

 

Yet he could not understand why the uproar over a few boxes.

 

 

 

The Angry Birds were furious at having to be flung on their off-day.

 

 

 

He meticulously coated each toenail in a bright red, careful not to lift his head for fear of what she would do to him if he did.

 

 

 

They followed the middle way and had discovered each other on the same path.