August - Part 1

I need to break August into two parts.

My first half of August was spent in Gansu. Gansu is different from Chongqing in so many ways. One of the best ways is that it was dry. Yes, it did rain a few days. But it was somehow better than Chongqing rain. Outside of the mountain area there was almost constant blue sky and if there is one regret I have, it's that I didn't pack long pants and a jacket. When I was told to pack warm clothes, I didn't fully believe that it would actually be cold. If you go to Gansu, pack warm clothes.

Manic
You can also see the "Yellow" river in the background. It was red/brown. Liars.

When I arrived in Lanzhou, I went directly to the hostel and met a girl named Manic. The entire first day I was with Manic, she spoke Chinese the whole time. It was a good boost of confidence for me. After she got tired of talking to herself, we started speaking English. We went sightseeing together one day. She insisted on climbing this mountain. We got to the top around 2:00. Then she announced that she wanted to watch the sunset from the mountain top. We waited there 5 hours. Just as the sun started to approach the horizon, about 1 hour after the sandstorm, the clouds came in and Manic says, "What a pity! We can't see the sunset. Let's go before it gets dark." Yes. Let's.

Xiahe, Gansu

One main street runs through Xiahe. All of the buildings are colorful.
It seems to be becoming more touristy based on the new shopping areas being built outside of the monastery.

I left Lanzhou and went to Xiahe. Lonely Planet described Xiahe as an "alluring monastic town." IF YOU ARE IN GANSU, DO NOT MISS XIAHE. There have been few times in China when I say, "Wow! That exceeded my expectations." This was one of those few times. We stayed in the Tibetan Overseas Hotel. It was good (Clean, quiet, and hot water. Refreshing after Huar Hostel in Lanzhou). The people working the front desk were also helpful. If you can, take the outer kora and if you intend on renting bikes to go to one of the grasslands, reserve them the night before.

Friendly faces and bread.
It doesn't get better than this.

A view from the outer kora down to the monastery.

Since we couldn't get bikes, we walked to the grasslands.
The trail ended and we needed to cross the river. 

Short of swimming or turning around, this was the only option.

The prayer wheels around the monastery.

 I could have stayed in Xiahe for the rest of the trip, but it was time to move on. After the train ride from hell, we arrived in Dunhuang. Dunhuang should have a blog post of its own. Dunhuang is known for the Mogao caves. These caves are the largest collection of buddhist art in the world and are particularly impressive because of their age and how well they have been preserved. If you have more time to stay in Dunhuang, you can also take camels out into the dunes and spend the night in the desert for about 400 kuai (see Charlie Johng's Dune Guesthouse). 400 is pretty cheap when you consider you're going to pay 120 to get into the park to see the dunes anyways and it covers the guide and food.

A view of the dunes from the Silk Road Hotel.

Mogao caves
Getting here was an adventure. We were informed that tickets had to be bought online only.
Internet-less, we called Caroline, she got the tickets, we picked them up, hitched a ride from
 some other tourists to the caves, and then realized
we could have bought the tickets at the visitor's center AND the caves.

 We then went to Jiayuguan and I saw the Great Wall for my first time.

Great Wall

To get to our hostel from the street we had to walk through this restaurant.
There were 2 poster-sized Maos in this restaurant.

 Our last leg in Gansu was Zhangye. Seeing the Danxia landforms was my priority. Scenic spots like this can't be accurately photographed. It was more incredible than any picture could show.

We said a sad goodbye to Gansu (its diversity, cool weather, and bread) and it was time for Sichuan province.

July

I have been so terrible at keeping up with this blog. I should just give up. I’m much too proud for that.

I didn’t bring my computer while traveling this summer, but I did take notes on things I saw or things for the blog. And by “notes” I mean that I wrote 2 stories down. One of those stories was a scathing piece on Dove Beauty White soap, which I had assumed included bleaching ingredients like many popular cosmetic products in China, addressing the betrayal I felt from a company that claims to support natural beauty. I then did some research and Beauty White soap is sold in the United States as well and includes no bleaching agents. Luckily I abandoned that soapbox before I ever got on it. Pun intended.

Will you be cleaner after using this? Probably.
Whiter? Nope.

So now I have massive chunks of unaccounted-for time, which some people have asked about, and I’ve got nothing. So, I’m going to select a few pictures from July and August and write about those.

My summer began with a short trip to Guiyang and Xingyi in Guizhou province and Kunming in Yunnan province. Although these provinces are south of Chongqing, the temperatures are more mild year-round.

Some folks in Guizhou

While I was in Guiyang, I was reunited with some lovely volunteers. My hosts treated me to pancakes and countless treats from home and we even went to a real brewery to celebrate the 4^th of July. Guiyang was a beautiful city with personality, trees lining the wide streets, and blue skies. I must admit that I’m a little jealous of the volunteers there.

Some monkeys were just hanging out on the hiking path.

I then went to visit Jon in Xingyi. Xingyi is the southernmost volunteer site in China. We biked through minority villages, rice paddies, and mountains. We hiked a bit. We woke up early to watch the terrible Brazil-Germany world cup match. I wish I had had more time because Xingyi is a beautiful little city.

Biking in Xingyi: the cheaper and less-touristy Yangshuo

 In Kunming, I met up with my friend Caroline. Caroline is a girl I met at school. I was in the cafeteria one day for lunch and she walked up to me and said, “I want to practice English. Do you want to practice Chinese? We can help each other.” I miss her this year.

Caroline

Our first meeting we had decided to bring pictures that we would try to explain (her in English and me in Chinese). She brought pictures of a trip, to Tibet and Nepal then through Gansu, she had taken by hitchhiking. She is now one of my best friends in China. I’m already planning on visiting her again in January.

This was a Sani village, in Shilin county, a branch of the Yi people.

When we arrived in the village, it was eerily empty.
We followed the loud music and found the funeral march just behind this ox.

Shilin County, 2014

The next morning I hopped on a train and bought this bread because it looked good.
Whenever I buy bread in China, I am disappointed, due to my expectations.
I expected something cinnamon-y and sweet. I got savory and peppery.
Also, my 18 hour train ride turned into 23 hours. Unrelated to the disappointing buns. 

After that trip, I had 3 days to prepare for Summer Project. In Peace Corps China, we train primary and middle school teachers. Like most experiences I have teaching in China, I probably learned more from students than they did from me. The location of our summer project wasn’t too shabby either.

Pengshui, Chongqing

On the weekend between our two weeks teaching for summer project, my school sent me to a conference in Lanzhou in Gansu province. It was the most nervous I have been to speak in a long time. I arrived in Lanzhou late on Saturday and left right after my presentation on Sunday. My entire 15 hours spent in Lanzhou were spent in the hotel.

This is me pretending to be professional.

My abstract was printed and distributed in a book
with all the other abstracts from the speakers.
Best souvenir yet.

After the last week of Summer Project, it was time to flip the calendar page already.

The iPad

I’m going to share a true story. I still don’t know how to rationalize what happened. It doesn’t make sense. Maybe you’ll understand better than me.

I went to a city called Ya’an. This city is famous for its tea which is grown on the local mountain called Mengding Shan. Legend has it that Wu Lizhen, known as the father of tea, planted 7 tea trees in 53 B.C. “These trees have neither withered nor grown in over 2000 years,” says the sign next to the royal tea garden.

Grandpa and me in front of the royal tea garden.
Tea from this garden was given to emperors from the Tang to the Qing dynasties.

 Another family, a couple and their 8 year-old boy, accompanied us to Ya’an. The boy was attached to his iPad for the entire trip. The day we went to see Wu Lizhen’s house he complained so much about being separated from his iPad that he was left at the hotel with his mother so that he could play with it.

The next day we went to a famous gorge in Ya’an. It was beautiful, but like most tourist scenic spots in China had a hefty entry fee, one boardwalk path that runs through the park, and hundreds of other people.

Walking the boardwalk

We stopped at a little restaurant for lunch. My host grandma and grandpa had already been to the park many time and decided to sit it out yet they still met us for lunch. By the end of lunch, the little boy had decided that he didn’t want to carry the iPad anymore. He left it for the grandparents to take back in the car and we finished our tour through the park.

There were lots of waterfalls on the way back.

After being reunited with Grandma and Grandpa, the first thing the boy asked for was the iPad. They forgot it at the restaurant. They called the restaurant. I’m amazed that they could hear what the restaurant had to say over the royal fit that was raging just a few feet away. The iPad wasn’t there. They decided to return to the restaurant anyways.

It was a family restaurant and one little girl who had brought us our food said that she saw a different little boy playing with an iPad when we left. She had asked him where he got it, because she had a feeling it was the same one that our little boy had been playing with, and the dishonest little boy claimed it was his. Upon hearing this story the father called the police.

After searching security cameras in the area, and three hours of waiting for the lying and selfish family to return to their car, the police actually called and came with a car to take the father and my host dad to pick up the iPad. At this point I’m impressed. I’m thinking that all of the security cameras that I see each day might actually serve a good purpose. I’m thinking about how good justice feels and I’m wondering if the thief has any additional punishments coming his way, at the very least a strong rebuke from the cops to show the child that it that stealing is wrong (a message he obviously isn’t receiving from his parents).

About five minutes later the mother got a call. She seemed angry on the phone. Really angry. My host sister translated and told me that the thief requested 200 yuan (about 40 dollars) for returning the iPad.

They paid it.

This is the point where I’d normally give some commentary to rationalize what happened. I can’t this time. I’m speechless. I had sat in the car, mad, the entire way home. I know it’s not my iPad but the injustice was infuriorating. I’m not angry anymore; it makes me sad retelling the story. I only think about the dishonest family and how their child just saw dishonesty literally pay off.

One Year.

The end of June marked my one year in China. I knew when I was assigned to China that I would not have the "typical" Peace Corps experience. I'm not living in a hut. I have running water. Shoot, I have the luxury of complaining when my internet cuts out. Even though it's not "typical", I'm still living in developing country. I went traveling recently and seeing the range of landscapes, wealth, and lifestlyes in China never ceases to amaze me. I’ve been reflecting recently on my time spent in China, the people I’ve met, what I’ve learned about teaching; and I have learned some valuable things.

Marty
My sitemate, mentor, and friend is leaving for home today.
I love her and have learned more from
this woman than she will ever know.

I have grown.

I don’t like to travel with other people. When I travel with others, I am constantly thinking about the other person. Not in a completely selfless way, but in an if-I-don’t-pay-attention-to-your-needs-then-you-have-the-potential-to-make-my-life-miserable way. Coming to China with a group of volunteers was something that I have never experienced before. I also like to keep my distance from people at first, to observe, and then I make friends. I will never forget arriving in Bangkok. I was tired. We had already been traveling for 24 hours? Maybe? I waited for my luggage. And waited. And waited. A group of people thought they would be helpful by taking everyone’s luggage off the belt for them. The luggage that I was not-so-patiently waiting for was sitting on the other side of carousel. This kind gesture made me as angry as I was when grocery stores stopped selling Rice Krispy Treats cereal.

“I have been traveling alone since I was 16. Safely? Not always. But I learn from my mistakes. I DON’T need you to take care of me…” Blah, blah, blah.  Little did I know about Chinese culture. I had no idea what I was in for.

I not only endured the love of my host family all summer long, but I grew to find their concern endearing. Now, when a student tells me that “I’d better remember my jacket,” or when my supervisor told me to be careful after hearing that I had lost my wallet, I release a little chuckle and feel loved. Chinese people do things together. When you’re part of their family or are considered a friend, to our standards you are treated like a child. And I say that in the most loving way possible.

Each class, or group of students, has every class together.
They also sleep 5-6 to each dorm and it's always with other girls/boys from their class.
They stay in that same dorm room all 4 years of school.

 Just last week I ate dinner with a friend and was talking about how I watch the world cup every night. She says, “Who do you watch it with?” After telling her I watch it alone, she asked, “But don’t you get lonely?” The genuine concern that rushes over peoples’ faces when I tell them I live/travel/etc. alone is actually something I might miss by the time I go home. In some ways.

I have adopted some Chinese customs.

I will never forget visiting the Tex-Mex restaurant in Chengdu with my host family. It was my last day with them. We got milkshakes, enchiladas, waffle fries, and spaghetti, in that order. We also shared all of it. Imagine sharing a plate of spaghetti with 3 people. Weird.

Chinese-style Tex-Mex

I have started to embrace and love the family style eating. I like going to restaurant and not having to decide on one meal. Why? You can have it ALL!

I also use indoor shoes. I have no idea how things can get so dirty. But they do. I live 5 floors up and somehow massive amounts of dirt still inundate my apartment. I see more spit in one day than an entire season of wildland firefighting. I’ve seen numerous children pee and poop wherever they please. When I first arrived I didn’t understand why people were so scared of sitting on the ground, or even putting bags/purses on the ground. Now I get it.

I'm worse at accepting compliments and better at speaking my feelings.

The notes I get from students are incredible. The sentences are beautiful and would make most people with heart blush. With all of the expression of feelings going on around me, I think I'm better at saying how I feel about things. On the other hand, in China, it is rude to just accept a compliment. It is considered conceited to just say "Thank you" and move on with the conversation. I have always been awkward receiving compliments, but now I'm worse.

One class last semester wrote me these lovely cards.

In another class, each student made a different page in  this album.

I knew nothing about China before I came.

My host family would constantly ask me which dish was my favorite. I would always reply, "I like all of them." They had the impression that all Americans are "direct" and they interpreted my inability to commit to one dish as a favorite as "indirectness". They concluded that I was "American-Chinese". Our similarities far outweighed the differences and it was cool being able to share those similarities with my Chinese family.

Snuggies were invented in China.

I studied a bit about China in my world history and government courses. I learned about differences, not the similarities. I knew nothing. I still don’t know anything. I read a quote once, I don’t remember who said it: “The more you learn, the more obvious it becomes how little you know.” Fact.

I need nature.

I have already been planning my first few hours/days back home in the U.S. 1.) I will go to a park, lie in the grass, and look at the blue sky. 2.) I will go hiking on a path where my feet touch the earth, not pavement or stairs. 3.) I will walk along the beach for hours. And hours. I might even sleep there.

There's a river here, but the beach is rock.
See the sky? Me neither.

I will give practical gifts.

For New Years, my school gave me mushrooms, cleaning supplies, and toilet paper. As party favors for my Chinese grandpa’s birthday, they gave washcloths, soap, and cigarettes. People will always bring some sort of food when they visit your house, usually fruit. I liked to give thoughtful gifts before I left, but now I want to give thoughtful, practical gifts.

Practicality.

I will say, “No.”

In China, there are simply too many people with too many requests to say, “Yes,” all the time. I’m still working on this one, but maybe after one more year here I’ll have it down.

This is a very small sampling of this crazy, crowded, Chinese life. I’m looking forward to another year in China. My goals for this next year are:

1.)    To speak enough Chinese to claim a “basic” level.

2.)    To continue learning Guzheng and become an “intermediate” learner.

3.)    To travel more. I have only visited 3 provinces. This summer I will add 3 more, but I’m still missing out on so many!

Challenge me. Please?

When words are scarce, they are seldom spent in vain. - William Shakespeare (Richard II)

I love my country but its current state is breaking my heart. So, this is all said with all the love that I possess.

I teach a conversational English course. Today was the last day of the semester for one of my classes. A lot of teachers give final exams on the last day of class, but I like to give the final a little earlier so that I can spend the last class guiding reflection. I believe reflection is a skill and if more people spent time reflecting on their ideas we might have more meaningful conversations in this world.

My beautiful Monday morning class.
I had them share in groups one thing they've learned and one girl said, "I learned to ask questions."
I wanted to cry. 

Today we spoke about a few things that I’d like to share with a larger audience. Additionally, between posts on Facebook, "news reports”, and some frustrating conversations I’ve had recently, I would like to share a few things I’ve been thinking about. (I’m using the form of a list not because I love lists, which I do, but it seems to be the best way to communicate with people these days.)

1.)  In good conversation, listening is as important as speaking.

A conversation is a form of communication, recognized for its emphasis on interaction. I don’t care how loud you can speak. I don’t care many times you repeat a point that has already been said. In a good conversation, you listen to other people and respond.

2.) At least pretend to make an effort to understand differing perspectives.     

It is perfectly natural that people will not agree with you 100% of the time. If people around you are always agreeing with you, then you’re probably a bully or a dictator. If someone disagrees, follow bullet #1, then use your awesome reasoning skills to present a logical argument that the other person might be able to understand more fully and therefore relate to.

And sometimes it’s ok to agree to disagree. You didn’t lose anything because it was never a competition to begin with.

3.) Think for yourself. 

I don’t want to hear rhetoric. I want your well-reasoned opinion.

Be aware of the Ethos, Pathos, and Logos going on around you. All three can be indicators of a good argument, and at the same time all three can be manipulated to make seemingly-compelling arguments from bullshit.

Ethos: An appeal to the authority of the speaker. Just because one doctor, or one study, claims a link between vaccines and autism does not mean that you should believe them point-blank. I think this can also be used in reverse. Just because Obama does something does not make it evil and synonymous with end-of-the-world doom. On both notes, do your research. Consider the many sides, because there are always more than 2.

Pathos: An appeal to emotion. It’s everywhere. Please at least question facts and their sources, and if no facts are presented that should be a BIG red flag.

Logos: A logical appeal, or the simulation of it. Data can be useful, but it can also be falsified, taken out of context, or misrepresented. Skepticism can be your friend.

4.) Saying “I don’t know” does not make you look stupid. 

Unless you are defending a thesis, dissertation, or something you openly claim to be an expert in, admitting you don’t know does not make your opinion any less credible than it already was. In my book, I'll probably respect you more for it.

What does make you look stupid is repeating useless, canned lines and repeating yourself over and over.

5.) Correlation and causation are different. 

The sale of ice cream correlates to the number of drowning deaths. Does this mean that ice cream causes drowning? Well, I’m no expert. But it sure sounds improbable to me.

Use your common sense and be on the lookout for data claiming causation, when in fact only correlation can be proven. On the other hand, don't deny causation when it's obvious. If there's a correlation between the number of cars bought and the number of cars on the road today, there might be some causation in that scenario.

6.) If you want to shoot down someone’s idea, then at least have the courage to present your own. 

In junior high I needed to go to the school office to ask for a favor. I don’t remember what it was. My mother advised me not to go to one secretary because she was a “no-person”. There are “no-people” in this world who will tell you “no” just because it makes their lives easier. Don’t be that person. Propose a better solution.

I could go on; however, this is already too long. America, please use your brains. I don’t want to agree with every person in every conversation I read or hear. That's boring. I do want to be challenged. 

Chongqing's so humid...

How humid is it, you ask?

It's so humid that this is my second pair of shoes that have molded.

It's so humid that sometimes I will wake up wondering if I had a dream to lick my pillow. I know I drool sometimes, but not this much.

It's so humid that metals rust/tarnish at alarmingly fast rates.

It's so humid that sometimes it's like walking around in mist. 25% of people use an umbrella, but it really doesn't help because the mist isn't falling like rain. It's just all around you.

It's so humid that my deodorant has sucked up the moisture in the air
and now just crumbles into flaky little pieces.

 It's so humid that when doing laundry, dry has become a relative term.

It's so humid that my hair will look like this as I leave my house...

and after my 20-minute walk to school looks like this.

It's so humid that cleaning mold off of my walls has become a bi-weekly chore. It grows so fast that I've been considering doing some moldscaping. Ideas for fun shapes are welcome.

Eggs

Around Easter I was given a simple, yet beautiful gift from my sitemate. She has almost completed her 2^nd year of Peace Corps and will be leaving me in July. It really hit me when she gave me this Easter present. It also occurred to me that while I’m living abroad I frequently ignore holidays from home. I celebrate them on the surface. I will wish people happy holidays, but there’s no heart in it. I can’t promise that I’ll change quickly, but the first step is to acknowledge the problem, or so I’ve heard.

Marty's creation

Because her simple craft had such a great effect on my heart, I decided to do the craft with my class. That next morning I went out and bought 30 eggs. It seemed like a really good idea at the time, and my students loved the break from routine, but now I have 30 eggs that I need to use.

I had 2 of these glass jars full. You should start calling me “Gaston.”

Me.

Lucky for me, I’ve developed a new relationship with French toast.

French toast is a beautiful thing. You start with bread. So simple, yet a luxury in rural China. Eggs. I have a few of those. I like to put a little cinnamon in the egg mixture. In China, they like to use cinnamon with spicy things. Let me tell you, it’s delicious both ways; it’s cinnamon. Finally, if I’ve recently visited the big city, I might even use butter instead of oil to cook the French toast.

You might be thinking, “Ok, Keri Ann. So, French toast is your comfort food.” But it’s more than that. It’s my very own soul food. French toast gives me more than just a nostalgic feeling when I eat it. The relief it gives is better than simply scratching an itch. When I crave it, it’s a craving of my soul. Similar to when I wake up in the morning and my entire body physically craves coffee, but this is an inner calling. My soul cannot function without my French toast.

Unfortunately for my stash of eggs, and fortunately for my health, my soul doesn’t crave French toast every day. Everything in moderation, right? For non-French toast days, I’ll eat the wonderful Chinese dishes with eggs in them. Feel free to be jealous.

A Chinese crepe-like thing. Eggs required.

This dish is one of my favorites and I attempt to cook it frequently.

My jaozi turn out almost as beautiful.
 I like to put scrambles eggs and a type of green, grass-like vegetable on the inside.
Picture from closetcooking.com

But today was a French toast day.