Observations (观测), Part 2

Hey, gang! 

I can't believe I am already in my third week here in China! In catching up with friends and family back in the States, it seems crazy to be able to use the phrase "a few weeks ago..." -- time sure has flown!

Since my last entry, many things have happened -- things that have not only kept me busy, but also things that have given me much inspiration to write! I have been wanting to write a new post, but there are so many different things to write about, I'm not sure where to start. I've therefore decided to begin simply with a part 2 to my first post of Observations from last week. Ready? Let's go!

15. Mandarin/Communication. After just three weeks of barely studying the language, I am now fluent! Wow! Everyone understands me all the time! .....Just kidding. (Again, I'm hilarious.) I do know some helpful phrases now, though. I can tell taxi drivers where to drop me off when I am going home; I am starting to get a grasp on numbers, which is helpful when paying for things; I am slowly memorizing more vital phrases for the day-to-day; and I'm really good at telling people "Ting bu dong," which means "I hear, but don't understand." (I should probably just make that my Chinese name.) The thing is, though, as well as I say some of these phrases, most Chinese people see my foreigner face and automatically assume they will understand nothing I say. So, even if I state my community name to a taxi driver in perfect Mandarin or request to buy three apples without a bag from a vendor, many Chinese will still look at me like I'm an idiot. (The jury is still out on that one.)
16. Curiosity about foreigners. I mentioned in my last post that people stare, but my understanding of why they stare has evolved a bit in the last week. Sure, some will stare because I stick out like a sore thumb and clearly do not belong here. Others, however, will stare at me not so much because I look odd but because they are trying to figure me out. I've met a couple new Chinese friends in the past week who ask me right away where I am from and where my parents are from. They seem very interested in knowing what I am. In fact, many people are fascinated by my being half Mexican. (Fun fact: to be a "mix" makes you really cool, at least among the people I have met.) One friend, Lincoln, thought that I might be part Chinese because of my dark hair. "Well...no."
17. Ethnicity/Background. When I told Lincoln that my mother is Mexican and my father is German among other things, he asked where my parents are from. Upon that my mother was born in Mexico and that my father was born in Illinois, Lincoln became confused. "But he is German?" It took a few minutes for me to explain that my father's family is German (again, making a generalization for simplicity's sake) but that we have lived in the United States for many years. It seems to be an odd concept to many Chinese people, to be one ethnicity but live in a place different from your ethnic homeland. 
18. Individuality. Although the younger generation is starting to deviate from this convention, many Chinese people don't like it, and they don't want it. Most want to be the same, and it is strange and distasteful if you strive to be different. (Baby, I was born different. ^_^ ) I'm thinking this has a little bit to do with a certain way the country is g0verned...
19. Rain. Yinchuanren have such an aversion to going out into the rain that you'd think they were afraid of it. 
20. Meals. You know the grandma characters in family sitcoms or movies who always ask and say "Are you eating enough? You barely ate anything! Here, let me make you a sandwich," when they see a younger relative/person? Yinchuan is FULL of 'em! Honestly, I think there must be a conspiracy to get me to gain weight here. No one will ever let me be finished with my meal! I understand it's out of love and concern, but I'm telling you, ain't nobody wanna see my stomach explode.
21. Manly "protection." Ugh. This one is unfortunately going to take some time. The men here see it as their natural duty to protect women -- and not in a charming, chivalrous way. To me, a foreigner, this show of care and safekeeping feels more like babying! Even if I am several meters away from the traffic lane, a male coworker will literally put his arm around my outside shoulder to bring me farther from the traffic, as if I am unable to sense when there is a giant blob of metal hurdling towards me. And, even if I love the cold and also have a brain that can not only sense when a cool breeze becomes too much but can tell my arms and hands to put a jacket on myself, my male coworkers will instruct me to put on my jacket. "It is cold, Megan. Please put on your jacket." Literally. Again and again until I actually put my jacket on. At meals they will offer and continue to grab food from a dish for me when it is physically right in front of me and I don't want any yet. I'm sure the women here are used to it, but as a strong, don't-need-no-man-to-protect-me, independent woman, I am not a fan of this incidentally patronizing show of care. TYFL. (Thank you for listening.)
22. Traffic, part 2. Traffic signals and designated lanes are merely suggestions.
23. Pedestrian Lane. You know that saying, "Dance like there's nobody watching, love like you'll never be hurt, and sing like there's nobody listening"? If that were a popular motto in Yinchuan, they would have to add "walk like nobody's watching." I am thankful to have played my commuter card in Chicago for several years, both by walking and bike-riding, because that experience has trained me well to survive in the pedestrian lane. See, on the busiest streets of Yinchuan you have your normal car lanes, and then you have one big side lane separated by a big curb. My fellow Chicago bicyclists would rejoice at this...until seeing a horde of motorcycles, shopcarts, and sometimes a car coming towards them in the same lane. There is no order to this lane, only disorder. But the thing is, this disorder is normal and impossibly harmonious. Disorder is the standard. There are no expectations of people riding or walking in a straight and consistent line. If a motorist suddenly stops to check out the fruitstand or bucket of fish on the side of the lane (#drivethru), it's not a big deal to other motorists and cyclists. They show no emotion; they simply slow their vehicle and find another way around. Fish in a river, I tell ya. But it works!
24. Transportation/Efficiency. In another post I'll have to tell you about the lack of efficiency in the Yinchuan p0lice station and medical center (oy vey), but when it comes to getting multiple people from point A to point B, Yinchuanren mean business. One time I saw three people and two dogs on one scooter alone. Why make multiple trips in comfort and security when you can defy gravity and safety standards in one?

^^An extreme of the human stacking I see every day.

And, for those who have been wondering, yes, the loogies are still disgusting. 

I've got a couple days of freedom ahead of me, so in my next post I'll catch you up on my first few days of teaching, my adventures at the hospital and police station, and the time when I hosted my first dinner and devotion night (spoiler: it was great!). Thank you all for reading, and talk to you soon!

**

Mandarin Word of the Day: unique 
Chinese characters: 独一无二 (独 = single, alone; 一 = one; 无 = without, nothing; 二 = two)
Pinyin pronunciation: dúyīwúèr

Observations (观测)

I have been wanting to write another post for a few days now, but I have thankfully been very busy! I have been exploring the city, meeting new people, and doing some good ol' fashioned learnin'. Since many of my readers (hi, guys!) have never been to Yinchuan, let alone China, I thought I would use this post to talk about some of the cultural differences I have observed so far. Let's begin!

1. Loogies. I don't know if this is a "small" city thing or a general China thing, but the men here hock loogies like it's their job. The louder the hock, the better. On the bus, in the car, walking across the street -- wherever there is ground, there is loogie potential. It is, in short, disgusting.
2. Traffic. To no one's surprise, it is crazy here. Traffic flows like fish in a river. When a driver wants to turn into traffic, he doesn't wait. He makes the turn, assuming that other cars will make space for him when he enters the lane. People are used to it here...but they still honk. Oh, do they ever honk. (Had I never lived in Chicago and been exposed to various degrees of chaotic traffic patterns, I would probably never leave my apartment.)
3. Parking. There is no curb too tall for a car to drive over in order to snag (and often create) a parking spot.
4. Bathrooms. Public toilets are holes in the ground. The nice ones will have a porcelain frame around them, but even that would be flat and flush (hyuck hyuck) against the ground. Some places do have Western toilets, like my school and my apartment, for example. #thighsofsteelhereicome
5. Toilet Paper. Plumbing is bad in smaller cities like Yinchuan, so, if you want to keep your toilet in working order, you better throw that used TP in the trash bin after you wipe yer tushie.
6. Street signs. There is some English on street signs here, actually -- major street signs, anyway. There is also Arabic. Yinchuan, the capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, is one of very few parts of China where an ethnic minority (Hui people) hold the power of governance. The Hui people, a Muslim minority, composes one-third of the local population. Drive up any street in Yinchuan and you will likely find a Halal restaurant or a mosque or both.
7. Staring. You likely already know this, but it's very, very, very weird for locals to see foreigners in such a small Chinese city like Yinchuan. I actually haven't had an enormous problem with this so far, but I have indeed noticed several people turn their heads around to look at me when we pass each other. (A few of these people have been on bicycles or scooters when turning their heads around to stare at me. I have decided that if I end up causing an accident, I will take it as a compliment.)
8. Grocery Shopping. Oh, there are plenty of small differences in grocery shopping, but they aren't anything major. I will mention two things, however: 1) there is a separate checkout line for people with Halal items, so as not to contaminate any food with counters that have touched non-Halal items; 2) the ladies at my grocery store must always be either super bored or working on commission. If I am in any beauty aisle, multiple clerks will hover around me like a helicopter parent, gesturing to various products and rambling in Chinese, undoubtedly trying to get me to spend more money. It's a little obnoxious, but so far I have just smiled at them and continued searching for a good brand. It's hard to decide when everything on the bottles is in Chinese! (But "shampoo" and "conditioner" are written on the bottles, thankfully.)
9. Fruits and vegetables and other things. There are many different fruits and veggies here! I have seen sunflower seeds still in their giant sunflower heads, and I have seen several fruits and veggies I don't even recognize. I have tried: agaric mushroom, enokitake mushroom, lotus root, and a few other roots. The textures are all very interesting. That being said, I will not be eating enokitake mushrooms again any time soon. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
10. Dairy. Milk and yogurt in China have magical powers and can survive outside of the refrigerator for an extended period of time. 
11. Kitchen. If you want an oven or a microwave, you have to go buy those yourself. Ovens are small and portable. My boss equipped my apartment with a microwave, but the first and only time I used it, I noticed smoke coming out of it after 2 minutes. I will no longer be using my microwave.
12. Hot Water. You know how you are served cold water in a glass when you sit down to a meal in the States? In Yinchuan (and most of China, I expect), you are given a small cup of hot water. Alternatively, sometimes you are given hot drinking soup. People here believe that drinking hot water is good for you. Even my roommate offered me a mug of hot water when I complained of a small stomach ache last week. At first it seemed strange to drink hot water with no flavor, yet here I am, typing away with a mug of hot water next to me...
13. Schooling. Kids here have it way harder than kids in America. They have longer hours, more homework, and what seems like greater pressure to do well. There is no expectation that they should have time to play outside. There aren't even any playgrounds here. The other day I shadowed a teacher as she taught her last English Literature class to high school students. (Side note: I will be taking over this class and am very excited for it! These students have a great grasp of English and it will be refreshing and fun to discuss literature with them.) Before we began class, my coworker made conversation with the five students and asked them about their homework loads. You see, I work in an English Training Center. That means that students who come to us have already attended a full day of school. And, as implied before, the Chinese school system is very strict. Case in point: a real sentence that one of the students said was "I am lucky, I only have 26 pages of homework tonight." Oy. 
14. Kids. No difference here, they are still adorable. What makes them even more adorable, however, is the fact that many kids know more English than adults -- because they are learning English in school -- so they will leap at the opportunity to practice their English if they see a foreigner. I was walking around in a park the other day and had the following encounter with a group of Chinese girls:

(Chinese girls and Megan have already walked past each other.)
Chinese girls: "Hai-looooo!"
Megan: *turns around* "Hello!"
Representative of Chinese Girls: "Where are you from?"
Megan: "Chicag--err, America!"
RoCG: "Ohhh! America. You are very pretty!"
Megan: "Wow, thanks! So are you!"
RoCG: "I do not speak English. Sorry." (Note: she said this in perfect English.)
Megan: "Oh, but your English is really quite good!"
RoCG: "Bye!"
Megan: "Oh, uh, ok! Bye!"

This will become a very normal conversation for me, I think. 

And to think I've only been here a week! Just think what more I will have to say after a year...or even just a month! Stay tuned. ^_^

**

Mandarin Word of the Day: different 
Chinese characters: 不同 (不 = not, no, negative; 同 = alike, together, same) 
Pinying pronunciation: bùtóng

Welcome! (欢迎!)

I gotta say, it's pretty amazing what a good night of sleep can do. Yesterday was a full day of meeting people, opening a Chinese bank account and phone plan, and continuing the settling-in process. By the end of the day I was exhausted! But after a solid 8 hours of sleep, I'm feeling pretty rested this morning. The cup of coffee sitting next to me definitely helps. ^_^

Speaking of which, my apartment is pretty cool. It definitely has a unique and fashionable Chinese flair to it! My room overlooks some trees and a couple of outdoor exercise machines (which is a thing in China, btw). I have loved waking up to the sounds of people starting their days and greeting each other in Chinese. My room looks pretty put together, now that I have unpacked everything and have put a few decorations out. I didn't bring much, just a few things to remind me of home.

admiring the new neighborhood

I am very fortunate to have a LOT already in my apartment. I have inherited countless appliances (helloooo coffee maker!), books, shelving units, school supplies, and kitchen utensils from two of the other American teachers who will be leaving Yinchuan to head back to the United States very soon. I'm sad to see them go, as they are my strongest "lifelines" here, but I am very grateful for all the immense help they have already provided!

One thing in particular which Anna and Becky have been helping me with is simply knowing what to call things. The community in which I live is called Jintai Huayuan, located along Kangping Lu (Lu means "road"). Last night they took me to a cheap restaurant nearby and were of immense help with the menu. I really have to figure out my favorites quickly so that I will have at least one thing I can say when ordering...!

noodles, beef, and greens...can't go wrong!

On the topic of knowing what to say... You know that G0d REALLY has something in store for you when you are given a roommate who does not speak English. Ha! I didn't know what to expect, but Yang Yang is very nice and has a good attitude about our situation. All I can say is thank goodness for technology and translation apps! Here is what one of our conversations looked like on our first night together:

Me: I am going to bed now.
Yang Yang: [Chinese phrase] Ah... *pulls out phone* *types* *shows me phone*
Me: "I teach you Chinese." Oh! That sounds great. And I teach you English!
Yang Yang: Yes...but first I learn you Chinese.
Me: It's that bad, huh.

As I mentioned, yesterday was my first day of going out into town. My boss drove me around when we were going to the bank and the phone store, so I was able to get an idea of how the city looks. It really is pretty small, despite being the host of some 2 million people. There are a few main roads by which people can orient themselves, and a lovely view of some mountains to the northwest. Right now I am most concerned with making sure I enter the correct apartment, let alone the correct apartment building, but I am confident I will eventually be able to use natural roadmarkers to make my way around town.

I'm still on my "you just arrived in China and are probably crazy tired and confused" break, but tomorrow I will be going into school to shadow some of the morning classes. I will be shadowing for a little while (perhaps a week?) but then will get around to teaching my own classes. I don't really know what to expect, but time will tell.

As for today, I'm going to do a bit of guided exploring with Anna and Becky. We will incidentally be making our way past the brand spanking new Starbucks, so I might have to check it out...you know, for research. Will report back later! :) Until then, here is a good summary of some information about Ningxia, the region in which Yinchuan is located, for those of you looking for some basic facts about my home for the next ten months (taken from this website)!

Ningxia is one of the five autonomous regions in China. It is the only provincial-level ethnic Hui region and the best place to experience the country's Muslim culture. The capital, Yinchuan, is not only the political, economic, and cultural center of the region, but also a famous historical and cultural city.
◆ Geography
Ningxia is located on the northwest Loess highlands pierced by the Yellow River. The Great Wall runs along its northeastern boundary.
Ningxia borders Gansu Province to the south, Shaanxi to the east and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the north.
It is a relatively arid region, including the Tengger desert in Shapotou, but the ancient Yellow River irrigational system ensures the northern part is well watered – earning it the nickname of the ‘land of fish and rice’ in the North.
◆ Administrative Divisions
Covering an area of 66,400 square kilometers (about 25,600 square miles), Ningxia is divided into 5 prefecture-level cities (Yinchuan, Shizuishan, Wuzhong, Guyuan, Zhongwei).
◆ Economy
Ningxia has one of biggest pastures in the country. It boasts rich mineral resources, such as sodium, magnesium, ammonia, lime nitrogen, tantalum and niobium. The Shan Gan Ning Natural Gas Field is one of the largest in the world.
Its GDP in 2009 was 133.46 billion yuan (US$19.5 billion), with a per capita GDP of 21,475 yuan (US$3,143). Ningxia is the principal region of China where wolfberries are grown.
◆ Diversity
Ningxia is home to Hui people who make up about 36 percent of the regional population of 6 million and Hui people mostly live in Tongxin, Guyuan, Xiji, Haiyuan and Jingyuan counties as well as Wuzhong City and Lingwu County irrigated with water diverted from the Yellow River. There are also many other ethnic minority groups in the region.
◆ Climate
Ningxia has a temperate continental climate of long, cold winters and short, hot summers; temperature is lowest in January, averaging from -10 to -7 degrees Celsius and highest in July, averaging from 17 to 24 degrees Celsius. Annual rainfall averages from 190-700 millimeters.

**

Mandarin Word of the Day: adapt 
Chinese characters: 适应 (适 = to suit, comfortable; 应 = to accept, to respond)
Pinying pronunciation: shìyìng

Home (家)

(I wrote the following post last night -- err, at 4am China time.)

Although it still doesn't seem real to me, I am officially moved in -- and currently snuggled up in the bed of -- my new apartment in Yinchuan, China. My flights went smoothly, I slept sporadically, I'm pretty sure I had three dinners in one evening (whatever my body currently thinks a single evening is), but praise be, I got here safe and sound. My new boss came and picked me up at the Yinchuan airport, after which he treated me to (third) dinner at 2am. (Now accepting pr@yer requests for my internal clock / body.)

As I wait for the melatonin to kick in, I wanted to write about something I thought of the other day. On Saturday my dad and I went to see the new Star Trek movie. I don't really follow this new series, but something struck me with this one. At the beginning of the film there is a montage of scenes depicting life on the USS Enterprise. Over this montage you can hear Captain Kirk (voiced by Chris Pine, who just has such a nice head of hair, you know?) give a little spiel during a captain's log entry about how, essentially, he is three years into a five year mission, and he's starting to have some doubts.

The more time we spend out here, the harder it is to tell where one day ends and the next one begins. It can be a challenge to feel grounded when even gravity is artificial. But we do what we can to make it feel like home. ... As for me, things have started to feel a little episodic. The farther out we go, the more I find myself wondering what it is we're trying to accomplish. If the universe is truly endless, then are we not striving for something forever out of reach?

"If the universe is truly endless, then are we not striving for something forever out of reach?" How depressing, right? Kinda makes you feel bad for the guy.

The captain's entry made me think about my own mission in Yinchuan. There are a lot of people in China -- far too many for so few of us to reach all of them. Just like Captain Kirk's, our task seems endless. But the difference here is attitude. Captain Kirk is viewing his mission as a job, a quest of obligation. Our G0d-given mission here on earth, however, is one of love. It is not a task, it is not a chore, and it is certainly not hopeless. It is our privilege, our joy, and one of the most important instructions we will ever get, straight from the Big Guy himself: "Therefore go and make discip1es of all nations" (Matt 28).

There's an old magnet on my parents' refrigerator that reads: "G0d put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so far behind, I will never die..." Is this not an attitude completely opposite of Captain Kirk's? How uplifting is this outlook! What a blessing it is that the Big Guy Upstairs gives us a spirit of productivity and provides lifelong work for us to do -- work that pleases Him, and work that will bring others to Him. This is our joy! Cultivating His fields, as it were. Sure, we do not know how far out these fields go or how long it'll take to reach all of them, but we'll never know how tall any of His plants may grow if we do not tend to them one by one.

It is easy to lose hope and to seemingly float away from your cause when the future is unknown. It is easy to question what you're even trying to accomplish when it seems like your job will never be done. But that's the thing. If we delight in the L0rd, what we do to praise Him will never seem like work. He will never forget us; see, He has written us on the palm of His hand! Our work will never be done, and that is a blessing. And in serving and loving the Father all the days of our lives, we are working towards the ultimate paycheck: one day joining Him in the perfect and eternal home He has prepared for us!

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the L0rd, because you know that your labor in the L0rd is not in vain. (1 Cor 15:58)

G0d is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. (Hebrws 6:10)

That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living G0d, who is the Savi0r of all people, and especially of those who believe. (1 Tim 4:10)

**
Mandarin Word of the Day: mission
Chinese characters: 任务 (任 = to appoint, assignment; 务 = a matter, to be sure of)
Pinyin pronunciation: rènwu