Chopsticks and Spaghetti

Final Week: Z

2010-09-07T05:50:00.000+08:00

I've been back from my 11-month adventure for a few weeks now, and I've had time to reflect on what I've learned.

1. Whether you worry about it or not, things tend to work out in the end.
2. In the summer, the weather in Alaska is much better than the weather in Japan or Kansas.

3. How lucky am I to have English as my native language! It not only helped me get employment all over the world, but also helped me communicate in airports throughout the globe.
4. Italy is still the most beautiful country I've ever been to.

5. You can never have enough ZIPLOC bags when you travel.
6. Even though they had explicit instructions not to do so, your nephews will grow taller than you when you are away.
7. As long as you can eat noodles or rice, you can travel almost anywhere.
8. One positive experience with a local makes up for five negative experiences (so be nice to tourists!).
9. The Internet (Skype, Facebook, Hulu, online billpaying, etc.) makes living abroad so much easier than it was 20+ years ago when I first went to Italy, but it is still necessary to have a worthy secretary at home. (Thanks, secretary....and I still owe you that lunch!)
10. We are more alike than we are different.
11. Austrian Air has ridiculous baggage restrictions and fees.
12. There's no place like home ... especially when ZINNIAS are greeting you in the garden.

There it is: A-Z twice over. Thanks for letting me share my year with you!

Week 51: Y

2010-09-07T05:13:00.001+08:00

This post is dedicated to my sister who is YEARNING for me to, for once in my life, finish a project.

YIKES! Upon my return home, besides weeds, weeds and more weeds, I also found a human head in my flower bed! Thanks to my brave brother-in-law who retrieved it for me (I thought it was a giant fungus and didn't want to deal with it), I now have an Easter-Island-worthy guardian of my back drive. But now I'd really love to know how it ended up in my garden.

I'm back in academic mode, so I thought I'd introduce some obscure Y words. Here are the precious little dears that I have been looking after the last two weeks. I'm happy to report that they don't YAFF (to bark like a snarling dog), nor, contrary to their appearance, do they YIP or YAP.

Mamma, whom I captured YAWNING in this action shot, did just vomit, though, as I was typing up this post. Oh, how many paper towels I will save when the girls go home to their parents tomorrow!

Somewhere in these trashcans full of my YARD detritus must be the poison ivy which is now making me YEUK (to itch or scratch).

Week 50: X

2010-08-21T22:09:00.000+08:00

Fortunately, we are not XENOPHOBIC, or we would have difficulties teaching the 550 nonnative English speakers at the Applied English Center at KU, located here in Lippincott Hall. Did my great-grandfather ever think that this great-granddaughter would have an office in this very same building where he attended law school?

After pulling weeds for two weeks I'm considering XEROSCAPING my yard. Should I include these sculptures in the back? Made of reeds from a nearby lake, it is supposed to represent the tornadic winds in Kansas.

Week W

2010-08-19T09:10:00.000+08:00

View of Seattle, WASHINGTON from the Space Needle.

WHALE WATCHING. The other people on my trip with telephoto lens had great pictures of these whales, I promise!

WEIGHT Gained on our cruise -- lots!!

WOW! WOW! WOW!

WEARING a jacket in August? WONDERFUL! Thank you, Alaska!

Week 48: V

2010-07-27T06:37:00.001+08:00

A VERY brief foray at the Milan airport justifies a brief return to Italy for V week.

VESUVIO: I took this picture of a VULCANO in Naples back in March just in case I couldn't find any other Vs!

This little guy looks out over Mt. Vesuvius every day.

La VALLE del Po. Bellissima!

VERCELLI: Home not only of my alma mater (Rosa Stampa, Istituto Magistrale), but also 700-year-old buildings hosting clothing stores. To prove my Italophile status, I have to say that I love this storefront more than any other building I saw in the Orient.

VIENNA: Does a layover at the Vienna airport count?

Week 47: U

2010-07-21T05:22:00.003+08:00

UMBRELLAS: When you have a rainy season, you learn to adjust. Stores have special umbrella stations at the door and a supply of umbrella wraps so that you don't drip everywhere. Naturally, the girls in our school embrace the rainy season with a lot of pink and cutesy designs.

UNIVERSITY: A few pictures of Sugiyama University, a campus for about 4,000 women (all commuters).

SAYONARA, Japan! Some things I will miss about you...

1. Respect for lines

2. School kids' uniforms--especially the 30's golf hats on the little boys

3. Gyozas at Lawsons 100

4. Flowers squeezed into open spaces.

5. The super-efficient grocery store bagging system.

6. Men wearing white gloves.

7. A fashion sense where anything goes

8. Being handed change with two hands

9. Ohio gozaimaaaaaaaaaas!

10. The Shinkansen -- bullet train

11. Cold Asahi beer

Some last signs of the times

2010-07-19T06:28:00.001+08:00

Dude, didn't you watch Lost in Translation before signing the contract?

Kristy, I think I found your host bar!

So, if I understand correctly, in case of an earthquake, crying fish have precedence over driverless cars?

I'm sure that the food is velly dericious in this Itarian place!

T-TRIP to Nagano!

2010-07-17T18:55:00.000+08:00

Nagano is TRULY TERRIFIC. I stayed on the grounds of the Zenko-ji TEMPLE, on these TATAMI mats.

But even the power of the TEMPLE couldn't save me from the storm clouds of TSUYU, or rainy season.

The TREES on the temple grounds seem other-worldly.

Did you want to see TREES? How about this line of cedar trees in TOGAKUSHI?

Or these TREES on the path to the Snow Monkey Park.

What? Did I mention snow monkeys? I kept trying to heed the warning and not make eye contact with the monkeys, but I'd be walking on a bridge and one would just pop out in front of me or, as you can see, one ran under my bench. (And yes, we really were that close to the famous snow monkeys who bathe in a hot spring.)

I love the mountains! What do I love most? The mountain range?

A mountain stream?

Or a mountain lake? (How about this one called mirror lake?)

Oh...and some icing on the cake: My favorite flower was in bloom!

Last Day of Classes!

2010-07-14T16:58:00.000+08:00

Which means....

1. Parties with plenty of junk food.

2. Games!

3. Tons of pictures with this pose.

4. Lovely origami farewell notes.

Week 46: T

2010-07-11T18:14:00.000+08:00

Happy Anniversary, M and D -- 45 years!!

How can you think of Nagoya without thinking of beleaguered TOYOTA? On our tour of the Toyota factory, we saw this robot playing "Somewhere over the Rainbow" on his automated TRUMPET.

TORI, TORI, TORI! (or maybe it was TORA! TORA! TORA!?) TORII are traditional Japanese gates found at the entrance to Shinto shrines.

Still my favorite, the floating torii in Miyajima.

Then, there are the famous lines of torii gates at the Inari shrine near Kyoto.

But, I'm happy with my simple tori gate at the shrine near my school.

TOILET seat, heated. After the filth of the bathrooms in my school in China, it was a pleasant surprise to land on heated toilet seats in the bathrooms at our university. I still feel weird walking into the bathroom with a camera, so I don't have a photo for you, but let me assure you that it is one high-tech masterpiece. My favorite element is the courtesy flush -- you push the button and it makes the noise of a flush to cover up any other noises emanating from the stall. Very proper.

Just TWO weeks until I return home!

Week 45: S

2010-07-04T19:18:00.000+08:00

SAKE: We tried it hot. We tried it cold. We tried it sweet. But in the end, SAKE SUCKS.

SMOKING is SEXY. At least I think that's what this ad is trying to say? Ever since I saw this poster I've been smoking Winstons instead of going to the gym, but it's not getting me the arms I want. What's wrong?

SHRINES: The Inari shrine outside of Kyoto.

And a shrine along the Philosophers Path in Kyoto.

And a shrine near my hostel in Kyoto. (Did I mention that Kyoto is famous for its shrines?)

SENTOKUN: Every town in Japan has its own little cartoon mascot. And, naturally, in the land of Hello, Kitty, each one has to be as cute as possible. I find this little Sentokun, the mascot for Nara, to be more creepy than cute.

Week 44: R-2

2010-07-03T07:17:00.000+08:00

RAMEN: Hakata Ippudo, you've ruined me for the cheap, packaged stuff. This is REAL RAMEN. The way it is supposed to taste. Amazing!!

And, even better when you add some special toppings.

(Ah, ha! And you thought my food beginning with R was going to be RICE!)

Happy Canada Day!

2010-07-01T05:37:00.000+08:00

Happy Day to our neighbors to the north! See you in a few weeks, Canada!

(Japanese Maple Leaves)

If I've learned nothing else this year abroad, I've learned that...

1. James Naismith invented basketball in Canada.
2. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in Canada.
3. The largest open-pit copper mine in the WORLD is in Logan Lake, BC.

Week 44: R

2010-06-27T13:44:00.001+08:00

ROOFTOP, blue.

RAIN. We are smack dab in the middle of rainy season, and any day without rain is to be appreciated. Of course, any day with rain is to be whined and complained about (so far it hasn't done any good, but you never know).

REFLEXOLOGY PATH. Who needs a Parcourse in the park when you can have a reflexology path?

Two food Rs coming up, but I'm going to have to go out to dinner this week to get the pictures! What I won't do for this blog.

What to drink

2010-06-23T05:09:00.001+08:00

Hmm...It's time for a little pick-me-up in the afternoon, but it's difficult to decide what to drink. Will it be (1):

or (2):

Week 43: Q

2010-06-20T10:41:00.000+08:00

QUAIL EGGS: Update! Since my post 26 weeks ago, I have eaten quail eggs (in a salad, in Japan), I just don't have any photographic evidence of the fact.

QUIET: A bridge in Gifu Park.

A cemetery in Kyoto.

QUEUE: As a tribute to our British officemate (and because I needed a Q word), let's talk about QUEUES in the subway station. Queuing is an art here. Can you imagine (Italian friends) allowing everyone off the train before you get on? And respecting the order of who arrived at the platform first? Now if we could just get people who are in the passing lane to walk up the escalator and not just stand there, the subways would be perfect!

Week 42: P-2

2010-06-19T09:18:00.000+08:00

PEACE PARK, Hiroshima. It's pretty remarkable that not even a year had passed since the atom bomb fell on Hiroshima when they were making plans for a community space dedicated to world peace. The Peace Park (of which I have no photos because it was POURING rain) and the peace museum are designed for learning, reflecting, and acting on the prospects of peace. 140,000 lives were lost in the bombing of Hiroshima and most of the buildings were vaporized. This is one of the few shells that remained standing.

PACHINKO. Now, a place where peace does not reign -- a PACHINKO PARLOR. Pachinko was created in Nagoya, so it is only right that we visited one of these famous ~~gambling~~ gaming locations. Gambling, of course, is illegal in Japan, so there is no gambling involved. In fact, I'm sure that the winners take their tokens and decorate their homes with them. They don't go to a secret location down the block and get a cash payout.

[In this photo: pretending that we understand the manager.] We went to a PACHINKO PARLOR last night, and it is now my most favorite game! I'm sure that we had beginner's luck, but a $10 pay-in left us with a $5 payout in cash, plus $9 in merhandise (which in the stores here would have cost at least $15). And how great will it be using the Pachinko toilet paper and shampoo?

Week 42: P

2010-06-13T17:12:00.000+08:00

A crane, PERCHED on a rock in a POND in a PARK in Kyoto:

A PAGODA in Nara:

More POSIES. This is the walk from the subway station to our university. Very wisely, some developer put in high-end clothing stores between transportation hubs and the all-women's university. About as clever as the marketing people who have cute boys handing out flyers at the subway exit.

The PHILOSOPHERS PATH in Kyoto:

PRINTCLUB PHOTOS. One step beyond mere photobooth pictures, Printclub lets you take the pictures then add all sorts of things like glitter! words in English=cool! bows and hats! and even fake eyelashes! When we ask our students to give us a photo on their student questionnaires we get loads of these unrecognizable Printclub photos.

I have some PLANS to go somewhere this week that will give me another P. Stay tuned!

Odd revelation

2010-06-11T05:48:00.000+08:00

So, as I was walking up the hill (no, not The Hill, but a hill) to school yesterday, I was noting all the girls who had dyed their hair a lighter color, which normally ends up a mousy brown. (You cannot dye your hair in high school, so they all go a little crazy in college.) At 9:00 in the morning, many of them had their parasols open so that they wouldn't darken their skin and I am sure that they had applied layers and layers of the whitening cream available in the stores.

What does all this skin lightening and dyeing their hair mean? Yip, they are paying a fortune in time, money and energy to look like .... me! I wonder how horrified they would be if I told them that in class today?

Week 41: O (okonomiyaki)

2010-06-07T15:43:00.001+08:00

OKONOMIYAKI: Say it once, and there's music playing. Say it soft, and it's almost like praying. Okonomiyaki, okonomiyaki, okonomiyaki, okonomiyaki......

Okonomiyaki is a specialty in Hiroshima, and we tried it not once, but two times when we were there. It has a crepe/pancake-like batter at the base, with cabbage, pork, and udon noodles, and is topped with a fried egg and special okonomiyaki sauce.

Have you ever seen anyone more genki for okonomiyaki?

Our special chefs whipped up the delight.

Round one:

The next day, we went to a place where they have 29 different okonomiyaki stands. (Actually, we couldn't find the place and, in the pouring rain, went up to some 20-something Japanese guy and just asked, "okonomiyaki?" He jumped up, opened his umbrella, and led us three blocks to get to the front door of the place. A great reminder how gestures like that leave a great impression on foreign guests!)

Here's our counter. As you can see, okonomiyaki is serious business.

Round two:

Week 41: O

2010-06-06T14:07:00.002+08:00

ORIX fans: ORIX is the team from OSAKA, and when we went to the Nagoya Dragons baseball game we just happened to get tickets right in the middle of their travelling fan club.

This is one of the yell leaders. The other ones had trumpets and drums, not to mention a giant flag. When your team is up to bat, you have to stand the whole time and sing chants. Each player has his own personal chant (with accompanying gestures) that you do during his whole at-bat. We were trying to approximate what the fans were singing in Japanese, but I'm pretty sure that it wasn't what we kept yelling for one guy's chant -- Conductor say, he so gay!

Hmm....what else is different about Japanese baseball? Certainly the concession stands didn't offer the same fare that they do back home. Some things, however, they have picked up from U.S. stadiums -- the beer was $7.50.

In the end, though, Japanese baseball is just as exciting as American baseball.

OSU KANNON -- Is a shrine and outdoor shopping arcade in downtown Nagoya. We went there today to search out a shop where you pay for clothing by the gram. My students (who are designer snobs) told me that it was "very too cheap," but I told them that I was very too poor. I left today with two skirts and four tops for about $20.00 total.

The maneki neko, or beckoning cat (no, that is not the Nazi salute) has its origins in our region of Japan. Makes you want to enter these stores, doesn't it?

Happy 六月!

2010-06-01T09:00:00.002+08:00

(Missing my garden.)

Week 40: N

2010-05-31T18:36:00.002+08:00

N brings us a NASTY, NAUSEATING entry: NATTO. [From Wikipedia]: Nattō is a traditional Japanese food made from soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtilis. It is popular especially as a breakfast food. Nattō can be an acquired taste because of its powerful smell, strong flavor, and slippery texture.

See this woman? Doesn't she seem sweet and jolly? She is not. She is the harbinger of despair. If you see her, run for your life!

Most of my students love natto and eat it every day. I would have to side with my fellow natto taster who said that she would rather eat her own vomit than ever eat natto again. It looks about ten times better than it tastes.

Naggy-town. Poor NAGOYA. I thought that if I took this picture from an artsy angle that you would look more exotic. I don't think it worked. (At least you don't have a lot of tourists clogging your streets.)

An old fishing boat on the NAGARA river in Gifu (about half an hour away by train).

NIHON (or NIPPON): My host country for this leg of my journey. It means the origin of the sun or, as we call it, the Land of the Rising Sun. I just wish the sun would rise a little later. Since they don't observe Daylight Savings Time here, the sun rises at 4:45 in the morning and it is already dark by 7:15 at night. I had to search for a long time to find a Japanese flag. Not many flying on the buildings here. (I know that the picture is backward, but I guess it doesn't matter with this flag.)

Signs of the times (2)

2010-05-30T18:31:00.001+08:00

This sign has bewitched me since the first time I saw it. I wonder what Samantha is trying to sell?

Obviously, I have to put nail & foot scuba diving on my list of things to do while I am in Japan.

I'm trying to get a job here.

Uhmm....this is a store for electronics ... really. Now, what kind of electronics I couldn't tell you. It is the sister store to Book-Off.

Maybe not so crabby after all.

Happy Birthday (to me)!

2010-05-29T08:33:00.000+08:00

Happy birthday, dear Debura. Happy birthday to you! (The Japanese don't like to see two consonants together.)

How sweet are these girls? (Yes, it is very, very important to always do the peace sign while taking pictures.)

Serenity Now!

2010-05-24T23:06:00.001+08:00

Sometimes I'll come across these beautifully serene scenes, and all that comes into my head is Jerry Stiller yelling, "Serenity Now!"

Week 39: M

2010-05-23T19:49:00.002+08:00

The L entry was a little LAME, so I traveled 2.5 hours away on the bullet train this weekend just to bring you M.

MIYAJIMA Island. Named one of the three most beautiful places in Japan by a Confucian scholar/traveler in 1643, Miyajima Island lived up to its reputation. It is famous for a few different things. First and foremost, the floating tori gate:

Next, the deer that roam free on the island.

Also famous for the world's largest wooden rice spatula (I'll spare you the picture) and sweets in the form of maple leaves filled with chocolate, bean curd, cream, cream cheese and other delights. Since we forgot to take a picture of these treats, I'll share a picture of a Japanese MAPLE tree.

(Thanks to the photographic stylings of Ms. J. MARTENS for the above two pictures.)

The background to the island is the sacred MOUNT MISEN (home of a Buddhist shrine). It took us just under two hours, but we eventually climbed to the top at 535 meters.

Wait! One more M! MURAKAMI: Since I arrived here six weeks ago everyone has been telling me to read at least one of Hiraki Murakami's novels. I finally got around to checking out one of his books from the library for the trip. I had never heard of Murakami before, and--as these things go--over the past six weeks I've been seeing his name everywhere. I've just started the Wind-up Bird Chronicle, and it is fascinating. Murakami seems to confound modern critics, because no one knows how to label his work. A post-modern humorous mystery writer fusing fantasy and reality while commenting on the social alienation and collective consciousness of a nation? Or something like that.

Week 38: L

2010-05-21T06:35:00.000+08:00

LICE, FLIED: Mystery solved! Do you know why the Japanese say "flied lice" and "Debola" and "happiry"? Because they don't have a sound in their language that sounds like an L or an R. Instead, they have a sound that falls somewhere between L and R. Therefore, they can't hear the difference. Here's a flog:

LEGGINGS, black. THE must-have item for university girls. (That and striped shirts, flowered skirts, and polka dot sneakers ... all frequently worn in the same outfit.)

Keep to the LEFT: The Japanese drive on the left side of the road. Crossing streets isn't a problem since everything is so regulated by crossing lights that you don't even have to look for oncoming traffic because they would never dare to go on a red, but I have been having problems with bicycles on the sidewalk. I'll hear a bell ringing behind me, and I freeze in panic. Then I have to think... move to the LEFT. I've started carrying my keys in my left hand so it will be a reminder which way to step. Same problem with going up and down stairways, passing people in hallways, going up escalators, etc.

Week 37: K

2010-05-10T20:50:00.001+08:00

(OK, Roberto, this one's for you!)

For K week, KAITEN Sushi. Kaiten sushi means sushi delivered on a conveyor belt. Fresh (one hopes) sushi is sent from the kitchens on a conveyor built throughout the restaurant. You grab what you want as it comes by. They figure the bill by counting the number of plates on your table and charging you a certain amount per plate. (In this case, about $1 per plate.)

These are takoyaki, commonly referred to as octopus balls. No, not what you think. They are balls of batter and fried octopus. Tasty!

Thanks to my dining companions who sacrified and came with me to the kaiten restaurant for K week!

A walk around my neighborhood in Nagoya

2010-05-09T15:27:00.000+08:00

The Kita Ku (Northern Ward). Famous for being only a few stops away on the subway from an interesting part of town.

Well, it's not purty, by it's (my temporary) home. Is it troubling that our school put us up in a building with prison stripes?

Some container gardens. When all else fails, go for volume.

Sometimes a container garden doesn't quite work...

Considering the fact that I've seen a lot of neighbors out working on the maintenance of their homes, putting a new coat of stain on their wooden fences and doing other projects, I can't imagine that they approve of this house. (I, however, am a fan of the blue gutters.)

The lights reflecting off the windows of this place caught my eye.

Some MEN I've been seeing in Japan

2010-05-07T06:25:00.000+08:00

Here are some men I've been seeing in Japan.

(Actually, one of the big fashion trends is the girls wearing dapper little straw boaters, but I've never seen a man wearing a hat like this.)

Kabuki-style manliness

If all goes well, we'll be able to watch some sumo matches in Nagoya at the beginning of July.

Signs of the times

2010-05-05T05:47:00.000+08:00

Does this sign mean what I think it means?

How can you not think that this is pronounced Take-a-shit-a?

Odd name for a clothing store.

You, too!

And, some more English ... which really isn't English.

Week 36: J

2010-05-04T21:33:00.000+08:00

Tokyo, JAPAN. Week 36 saw me visit Tokyo, Japan's capital, for the Golden Week holidays.

Tokyo was a JUST a little too.....

JUST a little too complicated. This is part of the subway map. With city lines and private lines intersecting the city, all with competing colors and fares, it is one complicated mess.

JUST a little too modern. I prefer seeing historical sites when I travel, so maybe Tokyo wasn't made for my tastes.

I was, however, able to find some older buildings and places.

JUST a little too disturbing. This sign for a doll store was our landmark to get us back to the hotel.

These girls engage in Cosplay, or costume play, where people dress up as characters from anime. We also went to a Maid cafe, where waitresses dress up as French maids and address you as master or mistress and serve you by drawing hearts on your food with ketchup. At the end of the meal they issue you a card with a certification of your majesty. All very odd and overpriced ... and all the rage in Tokyo.

This picture is from a street where they sell wholesale restaurant goods. Since many restaurants have these plastic models of what's available for dinner displayed in their windows, I guess that it is natural to see these items for sale, but it still seemed strange to see plastic roast beef and gravy.

JUST a little too crowded. Nothing like a little window shopping on a Sunday afternoon. There were actually two policeman outside a creperie stand to keep the lines in order.

By the way, it is a great idea to travel to Japan with a tall blonde (ours is in the bottom left of this picture). You can always find at least one member of your group when in a crowd.

JUST not very smart. Agreeing to meet up in Tokyo (and the world's) busiest intersection was not our wisest decision of the trip.

JUST friends. Even though Kristy and I shared this tiny bed in our tiny Tokyo hotel room, we are still just friends.

Week 35: I

2010-04-29T19:33:00.000+08:00

ITADAKIMASU: Japanese for "bon appetit"!

ITALY? A fake Italian village at Nagoya port.

I PRAY: At a Shinto shrine.

I WISH. Wishes tied to the wall at a Shinto shrine in Nagoya.

I DO. A wedding ceremony.

Why the Japanese aren't obese

2010-04-27T16:41:00.002+08:00

It's Sunday morning, and where are a group of North Americans in Japan going to go if not Denny's for breakfast? With visions of giant stacks of pancakes, French toast and egg/sausage meals dancing in our heads, we enter the restaurant.

We were met with this tiny portion of mango pancakes:

With no butter or syrup, and the middle part of the pancake cut out, it wasn't quite the pancake experience that we are used to. But, when we left in the end, we really didn't feel hungry.

Do you think the Japanese are disappointed when they go to a Denny's in America and don't find miso soup on the breakfast menu?

Week 34: H

2010-04-25T16:36:00.000+08:00

HISAYA-OODORI PARK. Located in the middle of the city, Hisaya-oodori Park offers a few moments of tranquility.

Poor Nagoya. One of their few big tourist attractions is the TV Tower located in the park.

Right across from the park you can find the futuristic Oasis 21, part bus station and part shopping mall.

HARBOR: The Nagoya Port features a ship that has actually been to Antarctica (the orange ship in the picture). Other than the Red Lobster in the background of the second photo, though, it doesn't have much to offer.

HOT and HUMID: I'm very worried about the summer months: "Nagoya, situated on a broad flood plain on the southern coast of central Honshu, is well known for its hot and humid summers, with the heat lasting from July to mid-September."

HORTICULTURE: The Bluebonnet Garden, a short ferry ride across from Nagoya Port, featured some lovely wilflowers.

HAPPY (early) May Day!

Sidewalk art

2010-04-24T15:15:00.000+08:00

So, I was walking down this street in downtown Nagoya:

And I came across these great tiles:

Guess which one caught my eye first?

Of course, I'm not sure if they can compete with the manhole covers on the sidwalk:

Yes, I did look up after taking this picture and see three cars of people pointing at me, but come on ... a monkey manhole cover? How great is that?

Here's some real sidewalk art. I have a major case of container-garden envy:

Week 33: G

2010-04-17T10:33:00.000+08:00

After a week in Japan I have yet to see GODZILLA, GEISHAS, or people playing GO. I did, however, eat some GYOZA, which are really just jiaozi.

I've met a lot of GENKI GIRLS. GENKI is a great adjective which means lively, fun and enthusiastic. Many of the 84 girls in my classes who are studying to be future elementary school teachers are very GENKI. (GENKI, according to the Urban Dictionary, also refers to a fetish of having sex with squid, but I won't share a picture of that.)

One day we had GREEN TEA floats and green tea sodas. The floats were very good, but they don't make up for the terrible GREEN TEA tiramisu I had in China for Thanksgiving.

GOLDEN WEEK: April 29 and May 3-5 are holidays in Japan, and we've made our reservations for three days in Tokyo. (Maybe I'll see Godzilla there??)

GOODBYE!

Week 32: F

2010-04-10T15:45:00.000+08:00

Week F brings us to Japan! Konnichiwa! I have arrived in Nagoya, the fourth largest city in Japan. With Toyota and Mitsubishi based here, it is called the Detroit of Japan (please insert Detroit-bashing joke here), but so far I have found it very pleasant. Today we went to the Nagoya Castle, the one big tourist attraction in town.

FIRST, a FEW F words in Italian, and then some in English.

FIUME: This little river and pathway is located just half a block from my apartment.

FOGLIE: We were so fortunate to arrive while the FOGLIE of the cherry trees were still in bloom. Rain is predicted for the next three days, so we raced out to take pictures of the cherry blossoms. You see that we were not alone in appreciating the blossoms. Whole families were picknicking in the park.

FLOWERS: Who knew that you could combine the treasures of Holland and Japan?

FISH, Koi. Well, I haven't had any fish (of the sushi variety) yet, so I thought I'd try to take a picture of the Koi fish in the pond.

FUTON: My (very) efficiency apartment features a futon, of course. I'm okay sleeping on the futon, but the jury is still out on the pillow. It is tiny and filled with what feels like beans. It is supposed to be good for my neck, but I'm not so sure.....

A walk to Maglione

2010-04-01T00:49:00.000+08:00

Just three kilometers away is the little town of Maglione. With just 500 inhabitants, it would seem to be little more than a small blip on the map. However, beginning in 1985 a famous director (who lived here with his even more famous wife, the singer Milva) started an initiative called the outdoor museum. He invited artists to create al fresco murals on the walls of the town and sculptors to create public artworks. Every year, artists come and add a few new pieces. It seems that every place you turn you see a new piece of art. There are, at last count, at least 115 pieces floating about the town. Here's a sampling.

Anyone care for an ESPRESSO?

Even/Especially one of the churches is decorated.

A little sculpture.

Drat the shadows. This is one of my favorites.

I love the mountains, so for me one of the prettiest sights in the town is the view of fresh snow on the Alps.

Week 31: E

2010-03-30T21:01:00.000+08:00

Le ELEZIONI. Sunday and Monday the elections for regional posts were held. 64% of the population voted, which is actually a huge decline from earlier years when over 90% of the population used to vote. Voting here is not easy. Look at the choice of political parties (appearing on the bottom row of the poster):

On the other hand, at least in this small town, voting is a nice social event. You go to mass on Sunday morning, and when mass is over you cross the piazza and go vote in the school. On the way, you get to greet some neighbors that you haven't seen for awhile.

I was amazed when I came across this campaign literature for the Lega Nord. Yes, this is a far-right political party, but I wouldn't call them fringe by any means. I can't see this artwork flying in the U.S. Can you? (Work must stay here! Enough with production in China and Turkey! With us, work remains in Piemonte! We are the only ones who side with the people!)

I don't think I've seen these types of caricatures since World War II-era propaganda.

CIGLIANO -- Redemption?

2010-03-29T00:18:00.000+08:00

After being hounded, berated, mocked, chastised, and ridiculed for two weeks, I've been forced to post different (hopefully better) pictures of Cigliano.

Here is the glorious campanile, with the main square in front of it.

Here is another view of the piazza centrale, with the municipal building behind it.

And the front of the main church, built between 1791-1820.

Mamma Loredana, mi perdoni adesso?

A walk to Moncrivello

2010-03-28T16:35:00.000+08:00

I took advantage of the beautiful spring weather to visit Moncrivello, the neighboring town. Just about a 30-minute walk away, it is nestled on the one little hill in the area. The castle was closed, but I did get a picture of this castle-like tower.

A 16th-century church, one of about five that I saw in this small town.

A nice campanile -- part of the main church.

And, of course, a deserted street. I don't know if people see me coming and they all hide, or if I just choose odd times to visit towns, but on my little walk I came across about 10 people out and about. Maybe there was an important soccer game on TV?

Buona domenica! (Happy Sunday!)

Week 30: D

2010-03-26T17:01:00.000+08:00

D is a little random this week.

Of course, there is the DUOMO in Milan.

Then, there is the greatest author, living or dead, of all time periods, of the East or the West: DANTE.

I so regret that I didn't take pictures of all the DOLCI that I ate in Naples, but when I first arrived I had no idea how famous Naples was for its sweets, nor how many of them I would eat in the span of three days. Neverthless, the cream-filled sfogliatelle were melt-in-your-mouth delicious, as was the zeppola, a specialty for father's day. The biggest surprise was the baba'. It was described to me as soft inside, and from the looks of it, I was expecting something like angel food cake. Well, I took a bite and -- SURPRISE! -- it is a soft cake infused with rum. Now, that is the way to start your morning -- rum cake and espresso. No wonder I liked Naples so much!

In lieu of a picture of the DOLCI, here is something that Naples is even more famous for, its pizza. This is my favorite, a pizza quattro stagioni (artichokes, prosciutto, mozzarella cheese, and mushrooms). And, yes, this pizza is for one person.

One other note: Naples is also known for its fried antipasti. Try this one when you need some comfort food: fried balls of macaroni. Just a little rich.

Week 29: CASTELLI

2010-03-24T22:43:00.001+08:00

A few CASTELLI from my trips to Milan and Naples. First, Milan, where I (and about 1,000 schoolchildren) visited the Castello Sforzesco. Built in 1450, it used to house the ruling family of Milan.

Then, Naples. Home to three important CASTELLI. In the distance you can see the New Castle or Maschio Angioino, as seen from Castel Sant'Elmo. For any opera lovers, right next to the large Galleria is the Teatro San Carlo, the oldest (1737) active opera house in the world.

They started building the New Castle in 1279. So, what then, is the old castle? Il Castel dell'Ovo (Egg Castle). The Normans started building the castle on this site in the 12th century, although important religious and political buildings had been located there since many centuries before Christ. This is a view of the castle from my friend's terrace. Grazie, amica mia!

Most astonishing for me, who has spent most of my tourist time in Florence, is that the entrance to these castles was FREE! Actually, most astonishing was that next to the castle were fishermen in their boats wearing swimming suits. Yes, it is hard to believe, but warm weather might actually be arriving!!!

Happy (Italian) Father's Day!

2010-03-19T00:26:00.001+08:00

March 19th (it is St. Joseph's saint's day) is Father's Day in Italy. Dad, in case I forget in June, Happy Father's Day. Hope Sherron, Cole & Company make it a great weekend for you. Rock Chalk!

CUCINE: A word from my sponsor

2010-03-17T09:00:00.001+08:00

Are you thinking about renovating your CUCINA? Are you engaged and shopping for that perfect first CUCINA to share with your loved one? If you are looking for a high-quality, custom kitchen, made with the greatest craftsmanship in Italy .... nay, Europe .... then come to Cigliano for all your kitchen needs.

A sample modern look:

Or, if you prefer a traditional style:

How about this gray look to make me happy?

Not looking for a cucina, you say? We can also satisfy all of your furniture needs. Look at this great deal:

How about a great investment opportunity? Anyone interested in buying some commercial space in the fertile Po Valley?

Week 29: More C's

2010-03-17T00:03:00.002+08:00

The newspaper columnist Beppe Severgnini wrote about his experiences living in the US in his book Ciao, America. He observed that one of the 50 reasons to love America is its cemeteries that are more like parks than resting places for the dead. Well, compared to Italian CIMITERI, what do you think?

CANESTRELLI (a specialty of this town) made of CIOCCOLATO. I have made myself so sick on these in the past that you would think that I wouldn't want to eat them anymore, but when I walked into the bakery this morning and smelled them, I just couldn't resist.

COLORI PRIMAVERILI: Even though snow is predicted for this weekend, you can still find some signs of spring around the town.

Can't have a C week in Italy without CAFFE'! This is a nifty little coffeemaker that makes bar-like coffee (you get the best coffee in bars), but this coffeemaker is small enough that you can have it in an office. (Sorry, I can't flip the picture on the computer I'm working on.)

Week 29: CIGLIANO

2010-03-16T21:19:00.000+08:00

CIGLIANO, the self-proclaimed CENTRO del mondo (center of the world). Cigliano is a town of about 4,600 lying in the province of Vercelli in the region of Piemonte. And the next time you eat risotto made of arborio rice, you have the great farmers of Cigliano to thank.

The red rooftops:

La piazza centrale:

The grand arcade. If you were in Bologna or Torino, this arcade would extend for blocks and blocks, but this is the entire grand arcade of Cigliano.

A little street corner:

La CHIESA:

I was told not to include this picture because it makes Cigliano seem too run down and desolate, but I said that I thought it was evocative. (Anyway, know that this was added under protest.)

B: BAGNA CAUDA

2010-03-15T18:41:00.000+08:00

When I was 17 years old I was an exchange student in Piemonte, Italy. While there, and on my many successive visits, I NEVER ate bagna cauda, a specialty of the region. Now, not eating bagna cauda is like living for a year in Kansas City and never eating barbeque--shocking and, yes, a little shameful. Well, 23 years later, this shameful gap in my Piedmontese experience has been closed. (Now, all I have to do is speak the local dialect, learn how to drive a stick shift, root for la Juventus, and avoid any air currents or drafts like the plague and I will move even closer to being a true Piemontese.) The season was right and, most importantly, my carissima sorellina was willing to make the dish. Grazie!

La bagna cauda is kind of like a fondue, except instead of cheese, the sauce is made out of anchovies, olive oil, garlic, and cream. You heat up the sauce:

You put the sauce in these special holders (note the little tealight keeping it warm):

Then, instead of dipping just bread into the sauce, you dip a variety of vegetables (cabbage, fennel, beets, potatoes, celery, peppers, etc.):

The next day, you heat up a little of the remaining bagna cauda and use it as a sauce for your pasta. BUONA!!

Week 28: B

2010-03-12T00:12:00.001+08:00

The BIG B is yet to come (Saturday night). No, it is not Berlusconi, although it does seem like he has been around for the last 23 years, nor is it a BACIO. A hint, it is a piemontese specialty. In the meantime, here are some more B's.

The view from the BALCONI of the apartment on the Italian Riviera (about 30 miles from Monte Carlo).

Some gentlemen playing BOCCE.

Here is a BARCA in a little square around the corner from the apartment.

Week 27: A (again)

2010-03-09T16:35:00.001+08:00

Ciao! sono ARRIVATA in Italia. Here is a view of the ALPI from my bedroom window.

A quick, three-hour trip to the south (fortunately, not in this AUTOMOBILE):

...and all of a sudden, we are surrounded by tropical vegetation and ALBERI:

AL LAVORO. And you ask me why I don't want to have an 8-5 job in a cubicle when this can be my office in Italy? (Yes, that is the Mediterranean Sea and, yes, I am aware how lucky I am.)

"B" is going to be BIG. Something I've been waiting for for 23 years.

Return to X

2010-03-03T07:47:00.000+08:00

XI'AN. Home of the terracotta warriors. As the self-proclaimed eighth wonder of the world, it is a must-see. I'm so happy that I went yesterday when the kids had just returned to school after the Spring Festival and the tourist season was not in full swing. I had the place to myself. I'm sure that it was quite a different experience from the summer when the average temperature is 100 degrees and it is packed with people.

A highlight of the trip: I saw the farmer who found the site while digging a well. They only paid him $4 for the land back in the 1970s, but now he gets about a $300 stipend every month. For that amount, he has to show up at the museum and autograph books. He must be the most famous farmer in the world, right?

Some amazing facts:

1. Approximately 8,000 warriors and horses

2. Dating from 210 b.c.

3. Archeologists believe that many sites still haven't been unearthed

4. All the the figures were painted at one time

5. Every figure has different facial features, facial hair, and outfits; they represented soldiers, archers, generals, musicians and acrobats

6. The project was completed in less than 15 years

7. The detail! The back of this archer even has treads on the bottom of the shoes

How was it kept a secret for so many years? After finding a mound of human remains, archeologists believe that the specialized craftsmen working on the project were burnt alive. And you thought your boss was bad.

Red Lantern Festival

2010-03-01T21:08:00.001+08:00

To mark the end of spring festival (a misnomer, to be sure, as I woke up this morning to cars trying to make their way up our icy, snowy hill), there are even more celebrations and FIREWORKS.

If you ever see a Chinese person on the Fourth of July who looks particularly sad or particularly smug, I know why. Last night I saw, by far, the best fireworks display ever. It lasted for 30 minutes and for every single minute of it I thought it had to be the grande finale. Fountains of lights going off on the ground, all sorts of beautiful combinations of different things going off over the sea. It was beautiful. Then, afterward, regular people set off fireworks in the street that would be the headline fireworks for a small town in America, I'm sure. Sorry, America, but you don't hold a (Roman) candle to China's fireworks.

Adorable Chinese kids

2010-03-01T20:58:00.000+08:00

It's true! Chinese kids really do all look alike!

How about these two (who aren't twins)? Cute and cuter.

Lucy 3, Lucy 1 and Lucy 2.

Another Lucy (posing as a dancer)

These kids were instructed, "Be old!"

I guess at 25, he is an adorable kid. One of my many heroes who helped me out during my stay...ordering food in restaurants (via the phone), writing out instructions to cab drivers, making hotel reservations ... he even offered to come to my apartment at 6:00 in the morning to carry my suitcase downstairs (only after the manager said he would be happy to do it as well). I don't recall any of my past coworkers offering to do that.

Week 26: Z

2010-02-26T23:25:00.000+08:00

ZEBRA: Can you believe that in all my years I had never realized that my name is just one letter off from zebra? Well, my students did immediately...and they find that fact hilarious! The really bold ones even write "Zebra" as the teacher's name on tests. Here's my namesake at the ZOO (did I mention that there is really close access to the animals there?):

ZAI JIAN (Goodbye)! It's time to bid farewell to China. It's my last full week here. I met a lot of great people, visited many beautiful places, saw a lot of fascinating things, expanded my palate, learned a little bit about myself and the Far East, and overall had a wonderful experience.

Oh, if only you could have heard the hip-hop music playing while these ladies were dancing in the park one morning! Let's pretend that they are waving goodbye.

Will the real China please stand up?

2010-02-25T18:40:00.001+08:00

In a country that is changing so quickly, it is difficult to figure out what the real China is. Here are some of the paradoxes I've witnessed (based on my limited stay in a modern, coastal city):

--Chinese people will tell you that they are a developing country, yet they are the ones buying our debt.
--A bus fare costs only 14 cents and most people don't own cars, yet I've seen about 15 different Porsche SUVs in this city.
--Few people can speak English, yet everyone says "bye-bye" as a farewell.
--Street signs like this don't seem too bizarre:

--According to the Chinese government, the Cultural Revolution caused the death of 30 million people, yet Mao is still honored and featured on every RMB note.
--Prostitution and dubious "bath houses" are prevalent, and the "family planning" section is at the front of every drug store and abortions seem almost commonplace, yet you don't see many young couples kissing in public. The Internet is censored for (among other things) sexual content.
--People dress their dogs in little raincoats and booties, yet dog appears on the menu in many restaurants.
--Manicures cost $1.40 and foot massages cost $4. (No paradox there; I just think that fact is awesome.)
--All students (even a med student I was talking to) have to attend mandatory "patriotism" classes, yet when I asked a class of 20 students how many provinces there were in China, not one could answer me. (Answer: 22 or 34 -- no wonder they are confused)
--Mere possession of firearms is subject to the death penalty, yet there are no fines for public spitting or public urination????????

One thing is for sure....China has a lot of people:
--Someone just told me that his "town" is only the ninth largest city in his province. It has "only" 1.9 million people.
--The largest city in the world? Shanghai, China (13.8 million)
--The largest municipal region in the world that you've never heard of? Chongqing, China (33.3 million [the population of Canada])
--...but China will have one fewer American in a week!

Things I've Eaten

2010-02-24T18:30:00.000+08:00

Well, I know that it is a value-loaded statement to say "strange" things I've eaten, so here are some things that I've eaten in China that I had never thought that I would ever eat:

Pig heart
Conch -- the snail-like substances in the conch shell
Jellyfish
Cicadas -- in a tangy marinade. Not bad, until you feel the little feet tickling your tongue
Squid on a stick
Ox tongue
Chicken necks
Copious amounts of seaweed -- Seaweed is one thing, but the cook at our school makes A LOT of seaweed dishes
Stinky tofu

DUCK NIGHT
boiled duck feet
duck intestines
duck heart
and, yes, four little duck tongues

All pretty tame compared to the things I've seen on menus and in the market.

I know I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth and I really do appreciate the free lunch, but this is a sample of the meals we get at the school. Yummy!

Sheep placenta, anyone?

2010-02-20T21:33:00.000+08:00

My stay in China is coming to an end, and it is time to buy some souvenirs. Would anyone like the sheep placenta that I just saw in the beauty goods store today? I hear it is an excellent anti-aging remedy.

A Romantic Sentiment?

2010-02-18T10:00:00.001+08:00

We had heard that Qingdao was the most romantic city in China, but this is ridiculous. Imagine coming across this map when you are walking hand-in-hand with your girlfriend. It would seem like the universe were talking to you, wouldn't it? Or is it just more Chenglish?

I'm sorry that I forgot to take a picture of the can of tea in the hotel room. They wanted to say that it wasn't free, but, instead, they had a big sticker on it that said "uncomplimentary." Loved it!

Week 25: Y

2010-02-16T22:43:00.003+08:00

I'm back from our trip to Qingdao and Shanghai, where we realized that visiting a summer seaside town in mid-February and Shanghai over the three days of the year when everything shuts down might not be the ideal travel conditions. However, we saw some new sights and learned some new things...and nothing got stolen, so I guess it was a plus/plus.

The YELLOW Sea. Beautiful Dalian is on the Yellow Sea, but so, too, is Qingdao--a big contender for the most beautiful city in China. Controlled by the Germans in the late 19th century, it has a real European flavor to it. This is the famous pier which appears on every label of Tsingtao beer:

A lonely winter beach, until we came upon a group of men doing a polar-bear dip. COLD!

In Shanghai, the buildings along the Bund are known as a museum of modern architecture. What do you think?

There was some old, along with the new:

The night lights:

Unfortunately, we saw a lot of this. World Expo 2010 opens on May 1, and they have a lot of work left to do.

The YU Garden. Here is a picture of the ubiquitous Expo mascot on a boat in the 17th-century Yu Garden--all sponsored by Pepsi, of course.

The YU Garden in the driving winter rain. The bridges are crooked to stop evil spirits from entering the homes.

I wanted to show you pictures of the YANGTZE River cruise I had planned to take during this holiday, but when I found out that there were three prices--one for Chinese people, one for foreigners, and one for American foreigners--the idea lost some of its appeal.

Wishing you all a Happy Chinese New Year, and that every day be a happy one.

Week 24: X

2010-02-09T16:30:00.001+08:00

**I reserve the right to return to X after I have been to Xi'an, the home of the Terracotta Army. I'll be there from March 1-3.**

In the meantime, a reminder of what relatively warm weather looked like at XINGHAI PARK in September. Just a 15-minute walk from my house, it is also the home of carnival rides, a zip line, bungee jumping, shell trinkets, an acquarium, and the slightly-creepy Asia Sun Polar World.

It's also where a colleague had this picture taken .... and, yes, I completely regret that I didn't put on the empress gear and have my photo taken as well.

Next to Xinghai Park is XINGHAI SQUARE. As I've been told about 50 times, it is the biggest square in all of China. In China, big=good. The easiest way to make our Chinese students lose respect for England is to have them look for it on a map. When they see how small it is, they are aghast.

[Photo source: bbker.com]

XIE XIE. It's hard to pronounce, but this is "thank you" in Chinese. I think I do okay with hello (ni hao) and goodbye (zai jian), but thank you is a killer.

Happy New Year!

2010-02-08T19:08:00.000+08:00

February 14th is Chinese New Year, and the festivities have already begun. They've put up decorations for the Year of the Tiger.

They've started selling decorations on the street. At this time of year, everyone cleans off their doors (a bit of spring cleaning for the Spring Festival), and then hangs new signs for the new year. The red signs welcome wealth and good fortune as well as guarding the home from evil spirits.

In most Chinese cities, fireworks are illegal....but not in Dalian. Here is a sampling of the fireworks for sale.

Not to say that we are overprotective of our children, but I'm pretty sure that they don't sell Mickey Mouse fireworks in the U.S.

Odd scene today

2010-02-03T21:50:00.000+08:00

So, I'm walking to work in about 30-degree weather and I pass the middle-school children running around the track, in perfect formation of little platoons, wearing their matching red track suits. And what is the music blaring from the speakers? Patriotic Chinese marching songs? No. "Bye, bye, bye" by 'N Sync. A little too bizarro-world for me. I hear that blasted song (and the theme from Titanic) so much in stores that I actually caught myself humming it the other day.

Week 23: W

2010-02-01T22:05:00.001+08:00

WALL, the Great: Did I mention that I visited the Great WALL when I was in Beijing? Truly a WONDER of the WORLD.

WHITE: Being white is much desired here (take that, Alex, for mocking my paleness before I left). The beauty stores have entire aisles dedicated to whitening creams. They tell me that the ingredients in the most effective ones come from birds' nests. When I first arrived I kept thinking that it was going to rain, because all the girls took their umbrellas (see: parasols) to go out in the sun.

The quest for white, alas, does not extend to one's teeth. I'm so perplexed by the students who attend our expensive supplemental English classes yet when they open their mouths, they have rotting teeth.

WET TURBAN: As everyone knows, before eating on an airplane, you sometimes want to clean your hands with a wet turban.

Why, you ask, would an airline provide such a lovely wet turban to its customers? Here's why, of course:

"Carring because of the love" is my new favorite slogan.

WIND: The Siberian wind sweeping down from the North and picking up power over the water was one of my least favorite surprises in Dalian.

WEDDING PHOTOS (not mine!!): Wedding photos are quite the industry here. Brides and grooms have their pictures taken months, sometimes years, before the wedding -- all in special complexes that do your hair and make-up and rent extravagant costumes and props that range from everything from traditional Chinese gear to Rhett Butler and Scarlett on a coach. Did I say the bride and groom take the pictures? I meant anyone and everyone does ... I guess having your picture taken on the beach is quite the exciting date activity. We walked near a popular beach for wedding photos this fall and saw eleven different couples frolicking in the surf for the perfect shot.

Week 22: V

2010-01-29T10:04:00.000+08:00

I knew it would be difficult to find anything beginning with V in Chinese. The "v" sound doesn't exist, which is why I keep hearing about wideo games. Oddly enough, I'm going to Italy next, where they pronounce their w's as v's. Come on world, can't we all just get along?

W will be a little shaky, too, but I promise an excellent X, Y and Z.

I still have two more days to find a better V, but in the meantime, I will show you preparations for what the Chinese will be celebrating on VALENTINE'S Day. February 14th just happens to be Chinese New Year this year. Here are some of the lights that they have put up near Olympic Square:

When you drive down the main street at night, every available tree is just draped in glittering lights. It's VERY beautiful.

2010 is the Year of the Tiger. (Picture from our VISIT to the zoo, where you could pay about $20 to throw a live chicken into the tiger area):

Spring Festival also means VACATION. I'll be heading to Qingdao (for those of you who learned geography by drinking beers from around the world, this is where they make Tsingtao beer) for two days and then Shanghai for a few days, beginning on February 11.

Week 21: U

2010-01-28T10:23:00.000+08:00

Feeling very UNINSPIRED by U. Actually, I've been trying to take pictures of some universities near my house, but my poor sense of direction and the weather have been foiling my plans.

This is a statue of an UNSKILLED worker in People's Square. (The same square that featured a giant statue of Stalin until a few years ago.) Unfortunately, you can't make out in the picture the same exact cart being used right in front of the little building in the background.

UIGHYR--Uighyr might make you think of ethnic unrest in Northwestern China, but for me, it means the restaurants with the best lamb kabobs in town.

Blog Title Update

2010-01-28T10:03:00.000+08:00

I've confirmed my travel dates, so now it looks like the new title to the blog should be:

Chopsticks & Spaghetti & Sushi & Spaghetti & Steak & Salmon

China--Italy (March)--Nagoya, Japan (April-July)--Italy (a few days, due to round-trip tickets)--KC (a few days)--Alaskan Cruise

What $2 buys

2010-01-18T15:59:00.000+08:00

Here's what $2 buys at my local market. I'm trying to remember how much fruit I could buy at home for $2. Better yet is the 50 cents for two roasted sweet potatoes that they sell on the streets -- the best take home food EVER!

Spit Police

2010-01-16T12:00:00.001+08:00

I'm thinking about moving to Guangzhou and living in this housing complex where residents can be evicted for spitting.

Week 20: T

2010-01-13T20:52:00.001+08:00

TELEMARKETERS: I just got a call from a Chinese telemarketer. How great that the phrase "I don't speak Chinese" actually helped me out today!

TAXI: Taxis are a dime-a-dozen here, and almost cost that much. When I'm feeling lazy, the ride from my apartment to school (which is about a 35-minute walk) costs 8 RMB, or $1. Almost all the taxis in town are VW Jettas.

TRASH: There is a lot of trash heaped up on corners and on the streets, but because Dalian is the cleanest city in China, there are also cadres of trash cleaners. And, yes, they all use brooms like this one.

TURTLES: The very first thing you see when you walk through the supermarket are the live turtles in a tank. (The next display is pig lungs. I wonder why I don't have much of an appetite going through the market.)

TREES in a park in winter:

Week 19: S

2010-01-08T13:43:00.002+08:00

Naturally, I was tempted to present you all with a photo essay of the many globules of SPIT that I see on the sidewalks as I walk to school or the lovely SQUAT toilets in the school or the SLUDGE that is composed of who-(wants to)-knows-what on a market street near the school or the dog S... well, you get the theme.... However, I've decided to look up rather than down and see what else is on display.

STATUES and SKYSCRAPERS. To celebrate the fact that Beijing was awarded the Olympic games, Dalian commissioned statues of Olympic sports all throughout Xinghai Square.

Most Chinese are actually pretty conservative in their dress and manners (the women's bathing suits look like they come out of an Annette Funicello movie), so I was a little surprised by this statue dominating Xinghai Park.

I took advantage of the balmy 23 degrees to take a walk today, and came across a giant indoor food market. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me, or I would have taken a picture of the giant row of SEA URCHINS and SPICES for sale. When I saw this bag of SUGAR in the market, I was hoping that they would be like STARBURSTS. Once I read on the package that they were "sandwich juice," I knew they had to be good.

Verdict: Yip, just like stale Starbursts.

STREET FOOD: In our orientation, they told us not to eat street food the night before we had to teach, because we would invariably become sick. For some reason, this turned me off of the idea of street food entirely, but it sure smells and looks good when I walk down the street.

SENIORS: I love how active the seniors are. Of the adults accompanying the children to our school, I would say at least half of them are grandmothers and -- most adorably -- grandfathers. Here's another park scene with some seniors. (Oh, and since I'm quickly approaching seniordom, I have a story to confirm what many of us suspect. My 23-year-old roommate just went to a job interview and they told her, "We're so happy you applied. We were looking for someone younger.")

Some things I miss from home

2010-01-05T11:49:00.000+08:00

Some things I miss from home:

Paper towels with perforations.

Double-paned windows. This ice is on the INSIDE of my bedroom window.

The smell of brewing coffee.

Recycling. I can barely live with the guilt.

Not eating off of cutesy dishes. In fact, I really miss not having to see cutesy things all the time. Hello, Kitty? How about Goodbye, Kitty??

Not having to boil water just to wash my strawberries or to wash the dishes.

Being able to say "stop" when the bus driver goes past my stop.

News about Jon and Kate...uh, not really.

Enjoy the special things, even if you don't think they're special.

Week 18: R (continued)

2010-01-01T11:29:00.001+08:00

Happy New Year! And RED is the color de rigueur here. Red is a symbol of luck and good fortune, so all the flower arrangements (these were all outside florists, but I'm not sure who buys them or what they do with them), calendars, etc. are in red. The Chinese don't celebrate the New Year with a massive countdown at midnight, but the schools and many businesses are closed today, and I've heard rumors of a fireworks display tonight.

Little RUSSIA? Yes! With its Northern ice-free port, Dalian has been a treasured prize of both the Russians and Japanese. Russia controlled Dalian from 1898-1905 and brought a bit of her architecture to a street right near the port. Although there are many Russians living in Dalian today (and most Chinese people assume that we are Russian when we walk down the street), the biggest traces of Russia that you will see on this street are the cheap nesting dolls for sale.

Week 18: R

2009-12-30T08:44:00.000+08:00

r u kidding me? We're up to R already?

ROCKS: Love the rocks on the "beach." (By the way, we've been trying to teach some Chinese people how to appropriately use air quotes, and the results have been hilarious. I think it might be one of those things that doesn't translate well.) My rock collection grows bigger every week. I hope that the people who have the apartment after us appreciate it.

ROOSTER: (No, not a picture of the dead rooster on the sidewalk.) I'm the year of the rooster, which means I like attention (which could explain why I have a blog??). After Spring Festival (Chinese New Year -- February 14 this year) it will be the year of the Tiger.

RED LANTERNS: These giant red lanterns were in RENMIN Square (People's Square). They tell me that in the summer here in Dalian people put candles in red lanterns and float them out to sea. It must be a beautiful sight.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T10:55:00.000+08:00

The Christmas decorations are a little lacking in atheist China, but I thought that this mother and child would do the trick. Best wishes for a joyous holiday and a wonderful new year!

The other day we were talking about the movie The Scent of a Woman. Has anyone seen it? Jerry was sure that Al Pacino danced the foxtrot in that movie. (He won the Oscar for it, didn’t he?) My friend, Sierra, on the other hand, was sure that it was the tango. I don’t know. Can any of you echo Jerry on this one? All I could remember from the film was Chris O’Donnell. I wanted him to be my own Romeo.

I’ve been reliving some of my Christmas memories lately. A vivid memory was driving to the downtown airport and meeting Mema and Pappy as they got off 4232 Charlie. Of course, when I was little, I couldn’t understand who this Charlie guy was. Then, someone explained to me that in the NATO phonetic alphabet "Charlie" actually stood for the letter "C." You can find all of the words in the phonetic alphabet here, if you are interested in it.

Over the last few years our family has enjoyed a tradition of partaking in a scavenger hunt/road race throughout the city. This year, the men in the family are going to head out to explore the spirit of giving. I guess they’ll need to know the name of the street they are heading to first, huh? I wonder if their aunt would embed a clue in her blog for them?? I know my Uncle Ed would get it, and I'm positive my Uncle Tom would get it. Happy racing, guys. I'll miss all the fun this year!

Happy Peace Night!

2009-12-24T16:49:00.002+08:00

Happy Peace Night! I was asking what all the apples and pears wrapped in cellophane were for that I had been seeing in the streets, and the Chinese Teacher looked at me funny. "They are to celebrate your Peace Night." "What?" "Your Peace Night, on the night before Christmas some people give pears and apples to their friends." So, they've appropriated Christmas as a fun (cool, because it is Western) holiday and made it their own. I like the name, though. I hope it is a happy Peace Night for everyone.

Here is what our boss gave us for Peace Night. So lovely, and so easy to pack! If it is the thought that counts, you kind of have to wonder what the thought was!

Week 17: Q

2009-12-21T11:00:00.016+08:00

Ha, ha! You thought Q would defeat me, but you forgot that I live in the land of QUAIL eggs. It's not a great picture, but I had my camera out one fall day to take pictures of the lovely street I take on my way to school and came across this selection of eggs.

QUEEN of the castle.

Before arriving in Dalian, I had seen pictures of this castle, and I was sure that Dalian would be full of historic, old buildings. Wrong! Not only is this a new reproduction castle, but here are its neighbors. New and modern. That is the mantra for Dalian.

Week 16: P

2009-12-17T09:05:00.000+08:00

PAVILLIONS: Can't get enough of the pavillions in the PARKS.

PANDA, Red: We did see a giant panda on our trip to the zoo, but it was a bit of a disappointment. It was just a big lump, sleeping in the corner of the cage, behind dirty glass. These guys, on the other hand, were thoroughly enjoying the fall weather.

PINYIN: For the people who were asking me how the Chinese use keyboards or send text messages, the answer is pinyin. Pinyin is a system used to write out Chinese in Romanized letters. They type in the word in Pinyin, and the computer gives them the option of several different characters. (Due to the tones and other factors, ni, for example, can be about 8 different characters.) I read somewhere that by using this system the fastest typist can only type about 30 wpm. Unfortunately, Pinyin was developed by two Russians transcribing in Cyrillic, so it just adds an extra layer of confusion for English speakers. Pinyin is the reason why the Zhu Zhuo hamsters that are all the rage this Christmas should be pronounced Jew-Jow.

PEDESTRIAN: As far as I can tell, pedestrians have no rights in China. I will try to cross the street in a pedestrian zone, with the little green man walking, and cars and busses still try to run me over. I used to try to cross with old people, thinking that they respect the elderly in China, but I was soon disabused of that notion. My new strategy is children. Cars actually slow down when a baby or child is trying to cross the street.

PEKING OPERA: Here is one of the performers preparing for the night's show. I enjoyed the costumes, and the acting, and the dancing of the Peking opera, but--Wow!--the singing style made my ears bleed. Made me race home and listen to some Verdi.

Parks

2009-12-10T14:07:00.001+08:00

In PREPARATION for P week, here is my tribute to Chinese PARKS. I love, love, love the parks in China. On the one hand, they feature tranquil, beautiful settings, and on the other hand, they are great social gathering spots.

A view from above. All around town you can find large groups of people gathering around a card table (sometimes the card table is just a newspaper thrown on the ground). This game is like hearts on steroids. You play it with three decks of cards. We were told to never, ever, ever try to play this with the park players because they would eat us alive. Serious stuff.

I don't know if this is a game or an artistic activity, but they are writing Chinese characters with charcoal dust. In the Summer Palace in Beijing, they had attached a water bottle to a hollow pole. After they created the characters with the water, the characters transformed into small, slightly raised ice forms. I'm sure a post-modern scholar would have an interesting comment about the ontology of the written language, but I was more concerned about the characters tripping me up and making me look ridiculous (oh, kind of like what they've been doing for the last three months!).

An impromptu musical gathering. This instrument is called the erhu, or the Chinese violin. As these men were playing, others just casually walked up and started playing, too. Then, when they finished their "set," everyone just naturally dispersed. The man in the blue jacket, with his fingers entwined, was the singer.

How happy does this picture make me? (Answer: very!)

Just one more picture. I can't choose between the pictures I have of senior citizens playing hackey-sack, badminton, croquet, tai-chi, ballroom dancing, disco dancing, fan dancing, sword fighting, doing military exercises or, here, I'm not sure what this is called, but it seemed to form its own sort of dance.

See you at the park!

Week 15: O

2009-12-07T14:25:00.000+08:00

OLYMPIC City: No picture of the Birdsnest, I'm afraid, as the bus just zipped by on the way to the Great Wall, but I do have some other pics from Beijing.

I thought Beijing was a wonderful capital city. Yes, it's huge and, yes, the traffic was terrible, but the subway was easy to navigate and the sidewalks are wide and (relatively) spit-free. You'll note from my pictures that the first week of December is a great time to visit. There were no lines and very small crowds. Most of the entrance fees were cheaper, too.

The Forbidden City. Unlike in other places where the signs were in Chenglish ("This stele is erection from 1644") there was no Chenglish here. All the graphics in English said "Made possible by American Express." If that isn't weird enough, there is a huge KFC across from Tiananmen Square and a Subway sandwich place at the base of the Great Wall.

Tiananmen was just a big, ugly square. I waited for this cyclist to go by to make this picture of the Great Hall of the People more interesting. There are so many cyclists in Beijing that, in addition to little green and red men for walking, the street lights also have green and red lights for bicycles.

The Great Wall! Everyone advised me to go to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall because it was more remote, more beautiful and less commercial (although, I can only imagine what Badaling is like!!). And they were right! On this blustery December day I only came across four other people on my walk up the mountain. You know when you arrive at the Leaning Tower of Pisa and it is a little disappointing? It's not as big as you had imagined? Or it doesn't lean as much as you thought it would? Well, the Great Wall doesn't disappoint at all. It is even steeper than I thought it would be (there is a part which is basically like climbing a ladder), scarier (no sue-happy handrails installed here) and magnificent. These pictures don't do it justice.

The Summer Palace. Another big, gorgeous park. I can only imagine what it is like in the summer when there isn't ice on the lake and all the boats are out. With an entire garden planted with peonies, it must be sublime in the late spring.

This is the famous marble boat that the Empress Cixi commissioned instead of using the funds for the Imperial Navy (which led to the eventual collapse of the empire). Amazing how travel shows you that almost every society has featured the rich and powerful spending lavishly to the detriment to the peasants/citizens of Main Street (as they like to call us on CNBC). On the other hand, their extravagance creates really cool tourist spots years later.

Thanks, especially, to Hongsheng, Xiaoming and family who took me out for regional (Northwest) food on Thursday night, and then to the Temple of Heaven and the Pearl Market on Saturday. Thanks, too, for trying to teach me how to make dumplings, even though I utterly failed at it. A city is always better when seen through locals' eyes. It just reminds me that if I meet someone from a foreign land, that I should open up my home to them and give them a glimpse of the America that most tourists don't see. Xiexie!

Week 14: N

2009-12-05T13:00:00.011+08:00

NOODLES: Ok, I was expecting the rice, but for some reason all the noodles surprised me. Not only are there wonderful noodle shops around, but also many of the students tell me that it is their favorite food. (By the way, never--not once--has a student told me that his or her favorite food is a dessert item. Some of the answers I get are meat, chicken, apples, etc.What are the chances that that would happen in the US?) The grocery store has a whole aisle dedicated to different noodle mixes. So, here I am, half-way around the world, and I'm eating Ramen noodles all the time. Feels like I'm back in grad school.

NESCAFE: Rumors that there was no coffee to be had in China were a little overblown. Granted, it is not a coffee-drinking society (yet--just imagine what will happen with this nation when they discover what a good cup of joe does for you in the morning), but you can find packets of Nescafe around. Every time I pour this magic mixture into my hot water, I think of my grandfather drinking his packets of Sanka. As for brewed coffee, for a hefty price you can find it at a few Starbucks around town, Amici caffe and, of course, at McDonalds.

NOT a good walk home. This week marks the midway point of my stay in China,* and I thought I was acclimating pretty well here. However, on my walk home I came within about an inch of stepping on a giant dead rooster on the sidewalk (my roommate came across it a little before I did and said that its legs were still twitching). I only stopped because the pool of blood caught my eye. Why was I carefully watching the sidewalk for liquids? Well, on an earlier part of my walk I saw several people spitting (of course) and two men and a young boy peeing. Yep, don't think I will ever get used to that.

*I'm writing this before I leave for Beijing and am experimenting with scheduling the post for later.

Week 13: M

2009-12-01T18:53:00.007+08:00

MARINA: A beautiful marina on the Yellow Sea. This marina is near Xinghai Square, a few blocks of land which, I've been told, is one of the most prestigious addresses in all of China.

MOONCAKES: Mooncakes are the traditional sweet of the Mid-Autumn festival (October 3). The stuffing can either be sweet or savory. A bit like our fruitcake -- everyone buys them and some are more elaborate and expensive than others--but not many people seem to like them. In the grocery stores beautiful women dressed up in long, red dresses and stood next to displays to sell them. I thought they were okay, a little dry, but okay (the mooncakes, not the women). Better than panettone.

MANDARIN oranges: I was amazed that Mandarin oranges were so plentiful and cheap until finally one day it hit me...duh...Mandarin oranges in Mandarin China. No wonder they are so cheap and plentiful.

MARKETS: There are open markets throughout the city. This one is about two minutes away from my house. If you look closely at the table in the middle part of the picture, you'll see a MAHJONGG board. I was so pleased the first time I saw a group of seniors playing mah jongg outside my apartment.

MAO! Mao is on all of the bills in China. The largest bill is 100 RMB (about $14). Since they pay us in cash, you can imagine the bulging envelopes that we get every month. It makes us feel ridiculously wealthy. I'm off to see the real Mao tomorrow as I head off for 5 days in Beijing. Bon voyage to me!

Week 12: L (continued)

2009-11-27T18:36:00.008+08:00

Last night we found LABOR PARK on our way to our Thanksgiving meal, but it was too dark to take pictures. I returned today and snapped away.

Downtown Dalian in the background. Has a certain Central Park feel to it, doesn't it?

Me, after the Thanksgiving meal last night.

This park is famous for the giant soccer ball.

Isn't this called Chinese purple kale?

This must be fun in the summer.

Just another day of me hanging out with old people in the park.

Week 12: L

2009-11-26T11:22:00.002+08:00

LU LAN: My Chinese name. After deciding that my first and last names have no Chinese sounds, we settled on picking my “family” name from my middle name (family names come first in Chinese). The lan means orchid, one of four celebrated plants in China, admired because it thrives even in adverse conditions. I thought that was a nice name to live up to. Lan is a pretty common name … think of the Disney movie Mulan.

This is a Chinese wall-hanging of a lan from my apartment:

As long as I am taking pictures in my apartment, this is our living room. As you can see, it is not all that different from a Western apartment. China seems to be like that....at times, it will seem like it is not that different from what we may see around the corner at home, and then in the next instant it will be completely different. In this picture, you can see the rocks that I collect at the beach of the Yellow Sea (exotic) that I have placed in a bowl I bought at Ikea (not exotic). While this living room looks pretty "normal," you can go into the bathroom where the shower is just a drain in the corner of the room, next to the washing machine, and in the kitchen the sink has no hot water and we have to boil even the water we use to wash fruit.

LAOWAI: Laowai means foreigner, and I have never felt more foreign than I feel here. We get everything from startled looks to stares as we walk down the street and ride the busses. In fact, the other day I was walking behind a midget with really bowed legs and I thought that at least that day I wouldn’t be the center of all the stares, but, would you believe it? I got more looks than the midget! Another day I was sitting at the beach when I heard a young child start wailing. I looked over, and what was the problem? It appears that the grandparents were forcing the child to come over and say “hi” to the foreigner, and the child was stricken. I waved and said “hi,” and that seemed to appease the family. Dalian is a pretty international city, with many Japanese and Korean immigrants as well as Russian students, so I can only imagine what the experience is in other Chinese cities. I can go for weeks in my neighborhood without seeing any other foreigners besides my fellow teachers.

LONELY day at the beach. I try to go to the sea at least one time a week. This day a biting Siberian wind was coming in from the north, so one old clam digger and I had the beach to ourselves.

Week 11: K

2009-11-19T11:04:00.003+08:00

KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN: Much more so than Pizza Hut or McDonalds or Subway, KFC has made great inroads in China. When I ask my students what a perfect world would be, they respond, "Eating KFC every day!" This is a picture of the delivery fleet in downtown Dalian.

KITES: The easiest way to find a park is to look up and follow the kites. These kites were for sale on a gorgeous fall day.

Look at this fierce kite.

Now, look at the sweet girl flying it.

Week 10: J

2009-11-18T11:52:00.003+08:00

Yowza, it's JIAOZI (it rhymes)! Jiaozi are steamed dumplings full of all sorts of goodness. I can pick up a take-out order for under $1 on my way home from work.

The evil JAPANESE: Good news for Americans....stemming from war-time atrocities, the Chinese hate the Japanese much more than they hate us.

As for Americans, we were talking about stereotypes last night and I asked what the Chinese thought of Americans. Are you ready? Racial discrimination, violence; they are strong and smile a lot.

Week 9: I

2009-11-09T07:37:00.002+08:00

INCENSE:

Incense outside a Buddhist temple. (Well, kind of a Buddhist temple. Another miscommunication on our part, but we still liked the park.)

ITLIAT: Of all of the counterfeit goods I've seen here (Louis Buitton, Ducci, Real Stars [Converse All-Stars]), my favorites are the Kappa (at times, Lappa) jackets that say ITLIAT on them. Viva Itliat! I'm not exaggerating when I say that one in 10 people on the streets wears some sort of Italia jacket or t-shirt. Ma mi trovo in Cina o in Italia? Forza Azzurri!

INNER-MONGOLIAN: I can't begin to tell you how cool I think it is that I share my office with not one but two Inner-Mongolians. (The other one didn't want to have her picture taken because she was having a bad-hair day, and as part of the international sisterhood, I had to respect that.) This is Nancy.

INDIGESTION: Last night we went to the wedding dinner for one of my fellow teachers. This was the spread that met us at our table. Since we are in a coastal town, much of the dinner was fish-based. We had been at the restaurant for about two minutes when the waitresses ran up with forks and knives for the foreigners. That still didn't help me figure out how to eat the crab or sea urchins.

Here are the bride and groom. (Guess if I was on the bride's side or the groom's.)

A tradition at Chinese weddings is that the bride has to light cigarettes for the male guests and she has to unwrap candies and feed them to female guests. Because, you know, nothing says everlasting love like cancer sticks and decaying teeth.

Week 8: H (update)

2009-11-03T09:59:00.000+08:00

HAIR: So, I bit the bullet and went to get my hair cut and colored, taking the Chinese Teacher with the best English with me. She talks to the hairdresser for a little bit, and then asks me, "Do you want the treatment that costs 70, 90, 120, or 150?" I was a bit confused and said that I'd just go ahead and pay for the one that works. Is that a crazy notion? Anyway, she talks to the hairdresser some more and tells me that the hairdresser will offer me a deal of a color treatment for 100, with a free haircut. Bargaining is everywhere in China, even, it appears, at the hairdresser's.

The end result is that I am here with a $14 color and cut. The hair is tingeing toward orange and the cut isn't as short as I wanted it, but the man I tutor said he liked it because it is smoothly. That can't be all bad, can it? Wouldn't you like smoothly hair?

Preparing for winter

2009-11-02T12:51:00.001+08:00

Lately, I've been noticing something new hanging on the neighbors' clotheslines--vegetables. Following a tradition that developed because fresh fruits and vegetables were difficult to acquire in the winter, everyone has been drying out and salting squash, cabbage and leeks for the long winter ahead.

Here is a particularly pretty set of curlicue squash.

I took this picture from my kitchen window. I probably see about 20 trucks with cabbage on my walk to school.

Just 30 minutes later...and look at the crowd he is attracting.

Now, you ask, where do they store all of this produce? In the windowsill in the stairwell, of course. I can't imagine that this is the cleanest area in the building. I'm really looking forward to the smell of rotting cabbage hitting me in the mornings.

It ends up that the preparations for winter were very timely, as winter hit us in a wave on Saturday. We are in the 30s now, and the state won't turn on the heat in buildings until November 15. Yikes! How hard will it be to type with gloves on?

By the way...our preparations for the winter? Well, my roommate found real cocoa in the Western supermarket the other day!

Week 8: H

2009-10-28T20:43:00.000+08:00

HAIR salons: Hair salons are everywhere. On our little street alone, there must be five or six of them. Each one advertises with bright, neon columns. Given my great ability to communicate in Chinese, I might be growing my hair out for the next four months rather than try to explain how I want my hair cut.

HORSES and female mounted police: I went to Xinghai Square twice to try to get a picture of Dalian's famous female mounted police officers, but they weren't around. These women have to pass a beauty requirement to be assigned to mounted patrol, and tourists from all around take pictures of them. I'll keep trying to catch them in the square....

HALLOWEEN: Well, I forced myself to go to Pizza Hut to see what their little Halloween give-away was all about. Yeah, that and to eat a personal pan pizza.

Halloween came a little early in my class today as we played the mummy-wrap game. (Notice the great uniforms on the kids. Wouldn't it have been great to have gone to school in these comfy clothes? The black uniforms are for a private bi-lingual school, but the blue uniform is what you see almost every child in Dalian wearing on the streets.)

Chinese: Technology to the rescue!

2009-10-23T10:09:00.000+08:00

Well, my Chinese hasn't improved at all, but I'm finding new ways to communicate.

Cameras: Last month was National Teacher's Day (what a great country!) and the school kindly gave all the teachers shampoo and conditioner sets. The problem, of course, is that I didn't know which was the shampoo and which the conditioner. So, I had to bring this picture into school and have one of the Chinese teachers read the bottles for me.

Texting: Last Saturday morning around 7:00 my roommate and I received text messages. It was our manager with the following message "Hi, teachers. Today is colder than yesterday. Dress a warm jacket, maybe better." How sweet is that? In the future I'll have to make sure that my supervisors have my cell number so that I can get clothing advice.

Cell phones: Last night--Dad, don't read this--I was in a car with a stranger. I had just had a private lesson with him, and the school asked him if he could take me home. The problem, we have discovered over the past few weeks, is that there are two parts of town that sound like my street. They've told us that we have to tell taxi drivers Taoshan and not Taoshan. (Yes, that is the same exact word, so it makes things a little confusing.) Anyway, he started going to the other Taoshan and so I had to call a Chinese teacher and she had to tell him where to go. Amazingly, she wasn't concerned when I called her and said, "Lily, I need you to tell this man where I live." When he got me home, he said, "I'm so reviled." I'm pretty sure he meant relieved!

Sometimes, you don't need technology. We've decided to only eat in restaurants with picture menus. Or, the other night, I tried another strategy. I walked up to a table where a man was eating a great-looking noodle soup and I said, "one!" Very "me...Tarzan, you...Jane" but it worked! And... you know what else? if you get up and start to leave a restaurant without paying you don't even need to learn how to say, "Please bring me the check." They will automatically take care of you!

Week 7: G

2009-10-15T10:10:00.000+08:00

GAP-toothed GRINS: How great are these smiles? No, I didn't give them their names, but the boy on the far left is called Tony and the boy next to him in blue goes by Romeo. Ol' Tony gets winded every time we play a rousing game of duck, duck, goose (or, as we play it: my mom, my mom, your dad). I have approximately 150 students, but I think this class is my favorite. The kids are about 7 years old and haven't learned to be self-conscious yet. (Melissa, do you think the boy on the right is wearing licensed Snoopy gear?)

GIRLS in pink. Just a generation ago the Chinese were wearing uniforms issued by the State, and now they look like they could be at home in any American mall. Isn't it odd how they have embraced the gender attributes of colors? It would be fascinating to see where they got the notion that pink is a girl's color. Can we blame this on Barbie, too?

I didn't know what to do in my level-9 class last Sunday, so I had them act out the new vocabulary. This was: "You shouldn't have climbed the ladder, you could have been electrocuted." Uh...did you know how to say that sentence in a foreign language when you were in middle school? I guess the kids really do learn a lot going to school from 7:30 in the morning until 6:40 at night. They attend school 240 days a years (180 in the US). Last week, they were off for a whole week for the Nation's Day Holiday...but the schools required them to come in on a Saturday and Sunday for make-up days. Hey, nephews, no more complaining about school!

Week 6: F

2009-10-12T18:11:00.001+08:00

City of FOUNTAINS? Rome, Kansas City and Dalian? This fountain in Renmin Square looks like it would be at home on the Plaza.

FOOD: Watching Jim and Pam get married on "The Office" on Hulu and listening to "This American Life" on my iPod, it is sometimes difficult to believe that I am in China....that is, until I walk into the supermarket. A young woman I met here told me that her grandparents spent some time in the US and hated it because there was so little variety in the food available. After wandering the aisles of the supermarket here, I can understand what they are talking about! I only recognize about 30% of the food on sale. Since I can't understand what any of the packaging says, I usually walk around aimlessly and end up leaving the store with some nuts and vegetables. My latest strategy is to follow old men around and pick up what they get. I'm working under the assumption that they are widowers and don't know how to cook.

Last week we went to a supermarket that features a lot of food for Westerners (in fact, we met a French couple standing in front of the butter!). The good news (and the bad news) is that a lot of their packaging was written in English, so I could finally figure out what some of the food was. A sampling:
--tiger skin chicken feet
--albacore fish candy
--pickled pickles
--an entire row dedicated to packaged seaweed
--an entire row labeled "MSG"
--pig lungs
--turtle meat (actually, you can buy live turtles and pigeons in the market near my school)
--meat floss. Meat floss is everywhere. What is meat floss? According to Wikipedia: Rousong is made by stewing cheap cuts of pork in a sweetened soy sauce mixture until individual muscle fibres can be easily teased apart with a fork. This usually happens when the collagen and elastin that normally hold the fibres have been cooked out of the meat. The teased-apart meat is then strained and dried in the oven. After a light drying, the meat is mashed and beaten while being dry cooked in a large wok until it is completely dry. Rousong is used as a topping for many foods. It is also used as filling for various buns and pastries, and as a snack food on its own.

FRUIT: I wasn't expecting all the gorgeous fruit stands around the city. This one is at my bus stop. I especially like the ladies with their persimmon stands.

FISH: [No, Lisa, no pictures of the squid-on-a-stick they sell in most markets.] I went to the aquarium on Saturday. It is the only one in China with a tunnel, so you can walk "under" the water and watch the turtles and sharks swim over you. There was also a UFO (with a TV showing a soccer game from 1994??) and a mermaid. Heavy on entertainment, light on education.

Week 5: E (continued)

2009-10-10T08:03:00.000+08:00

EXPECTORATE: (v) to discharge matter from the throat or lungs by hawking, coughing or spitting. Used in a sentence:
--It is a common custom to expectorate in China.
--Do you understand how crazy it is to blame a few Americans living here for the rapid spread of the H1N1 virus when everyone expectorates in China?
--The new alarm clock: everyone expectorating outside my window.
--Disgusting! Was that a young woman expectorating?
--When you hear someone beginning to expectorate, walk faster; you never know where the "discharged matter" will land.

Hi! I just had to "spit out" a quick post. Happy Saturday.

Week 5: E

2009-10-07T11:52:00.000+08:00

EYELIDS: On the first day of classes, three of my four-year-old students came up to me and started poking me in the eye. I, naturally, was a little alarmed at this behavior and asked the Chinese teacher in the classroom what was going on. She told me that I was probably the first Westerner they had ever seen, and that they were fascinated with my eyelids. Ah! This explains the ads in the taxicabs for plastic surgery to give you the appearance of having eyelids. And some of the guys here tell me that a successful pick-up line is, "You have such big eyes."

ENGLISH: Either I am forgetting my English or the translators here have created a new language called "Chenglish." Some examples:

--On my comforter cover: Happy day is time

--On a brochure for beach-side apartments: sunny smell, comfortable safety, and concretionary music

--Tasty meal square (This, I discovered, is a food court.)

--At the zoo: Don't stride over the fence.

--At the bus stop: Keep your manner and travelling safely

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see English anywhere (in fact, I'm just happy to see romanized letters), but I'm just not sure if this is English.

ELEPHANT: We had our pictures taken with the performing elephants at the zoo. This is my colleague holding on as the elephant rises on his hind legs. My picture might appear under "T" for terrorized or "U" for uncomfortable.

Week 4: D

2009-10-05T16:16:00.000+08:00

DALIAN: Lying at the tip of the peninsula in the Yellow Sea, Dalian is a city of 6 million people. To find it on a map, you go to North Korea and then head straight west. Nicknamed the Pearl of the North, it is one of the cleanest cities in all of China. It is full of giant squares, tranquil parks and lots of green areas. From what I've heard from others who had lived in other parts of China, I am very lucky to have landed here. I'm probably ruined for any other city.

These are the characters for Da lian, meaning big thoroughfare or big intersection.

As you can see from this map, Dalian is surrounded by the sea and has a large coastline.

DOWNTOWN. At night they light up this ball with green and purple lights and in the trees they have what we would call Christmas lights. It is beautiful. In fact, most of the buildings have "Christmas" lights on at night.

Not every building is brand-spanking new. Remove the Chinese characters and this building would be at home in downtown Naples.

DRUM CORPS: After watching this group, my new goal is to retire and become a member of the all-female drum corps.

DESIGNER DOGS: Before arriving here I was expecting to see a lot of mangy street dogs. While there are some of those around (and they all look like smaller versions of my old Tater-girl), there are a surprising number of breeds. So far I've seen Pekignese (of course!!), schnauzers, cocker spaniels, golden retrievers, and even a Dalmation. My neighbors across the way have a great dog that looks like a mix of bulldog and sharpei. He rules the terrace and terrorizes the chickens. I think that owning pets is probably a sign of the growing prosperity in this city.

Week 3: C

2009-10-04T00:05:00.000+08:00

CENSORSHIP and CAMERA (broken): A shattered camera and blocked websites delayed my start on this blog, but now that I've found a proxy server to circumvent the firewalls and I purchased a new camera (at a huge subterranean Walmart, no less), I should be catching up soon.

CHINA: Happy birthday, China! October 1 was its 60th birthday.

CHINESE: Did no one warn me that they speak Chinese in China? What an impossible language! It is very humbling not only not being able to say anything but also not being able to read or write anything. It takes all of our resources just to do the simplest things. For example, to catch a bus for our day trip the other day, we had to have someone text us the Chinese characters so that we could show a taxi driver where we needed to go. I wasn't sure what the text said, so I had to forward it to a friend who had to call me with the translation. The taxi driver, after much grumbling and pulling out his reading glasses to read our text message, delivered us to the right general area, but we couldn't quite locate the bus. I called our contact but her English wasn't good enough to tell us where to go (and our Chinese is pathetic), so we had to hand the phone over to a man standing near us and he told her where we were. She came and retrieved us like lost lambs. And tonight for dinner we tried to order on our own, but eventually had to call one of our colleagues and have him order for us. First, we had to ask him what the waitress thought we had ordered, then we had to have him clear up our mess. The three of us at dinner hold a total of eight degrees. Did I mention that Chinese was humbling?

CHOPSTICKS: The Chinese teachers in my office were laughing the other day because they said that only the foreign teachers use chopsticks. I looked up from my intense study of rice falling between the chopsticks to see that one of them was using a fork and two were using spoons--slackers. One good thing to know: Never stick chopsticks straight down into food. It looks like incense at a funeral and represents death.

CHEAP: Some things, especially the food, are really, really cheap here. My roommate bought enough CLAMS for five people and it cost under a dollar. Our full meal at a pretty fancy restaurant tonight cost 65 Yuan, that's about $3 a person. If only I were capable of ordering my own food, I would definitely eat out more often.

CARNIVAL RIDES at Xian Park.

Week 2: B

2009-10-03T20:54:00.000+08:00

BINGYU VALLEY: Yesterday, three of us took a long day trip to the Bingyu Valley (pictured above). This "oxygen-rich environment" (words from the promotional material) has lakes, towering cliffs and a waterfall or two. We think something historical happened here, but since our tour guide didn't speak any English, we were finding out information from a Japanese woman who understood Chinese pretty well who translated it into Dutch to her boyfriend who explained it to us. We were just happy when the bus didn't leave without us at the end of the day.

BEACH: Just a 30-minute walk from my apartment and a 10-minute walk from our school is Xian Park. It features a lovely seaside promenade (perfect to fare una passeggiata). It's not the biggest beach in Dalian and it doesn't have the expanse of sand that other beaches have, but it does have its own appeal. I went there one Monday morning and watched a group of senior citizens ballroom dancing while another group of senior citizens performed tai chi.

The little guy in this picture was wearing a shirt that said, "Guy Pratt Motors, Wichita, KS"

More evidence for my theory: Wherever you find water, you will find tacky souvenirs. Now, family, aren't you sad that I didn't get your name in the Christmas draw?

BUNGEE JUMP: Maybe, maybe if someone double-dog dared me I would do the bungee jump at the beach. We worry, however, that when they consider safety measures for these types of things they think, "In a country of 1.3 billion what's one or two lives lost plunging into the sea?"

BADMINTON: I love that the Asian news channel that we get on our satellite TV runs the badminton scores on the scroll at the bottom of the page. If you want to hear about the Japan Open results, just let me know. (Hint: a Chinese woman won.)

Week 1: A

2009-10-01T17:56:00.000+08:00

ARRIVAL in China: I knew that life was going to be different for the next six months when they served us Cup of Noodles as a snack on the airplane! After safely passing through the two H1N1 virus screeners, I was officially welcomed into the country.

AIRPORT in Beijing: The airport is a showcase. Huge, streamlined and sparking clean. It's a little odd to be sitting across from a TCBY and a Hugo Boss store while, at the same time, not being able to decipher any signs.

APARTMENT complexes: In a city of 6 million people, I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the rows and rows and rows of apartment complexes. There don't seem to be any zoning rules. So, on our block we have a liquor store with no entrance--just a walk-up window--a travel agency, and a welding workshop. Across the way someone is raising roosters and chickens on her terrace. This is a picture of my street. good ol' Taoshan Jie.