Follow the Leader (听从领队)

Commence overdue post about recent China adventures.

Three weeks ago, a whole buncha American teachers based in Shanghai, Beijing, Wuhan, Hangzhou, and Shaoxing descended upon Yinchuan. We hung out in my city for a day or two and then continued on to Shapotou, where some much anticipated camel-riding in the desert took place. This is an annual trip, and it always happens the first week of October, during the National Day Golden Week (aka holidaaay!). Yinchuan is the closest to the desert (well, it's sort of in the desert already), so everybody always makes their way here to group up, first, and then they all get on a bus and head into the desert together -- a 4 hour ride south west.

The trip was awesome before I even left for it. While I am the farthest away from any of my fellow teachers, I had the luxury of not having to take a 15+ hour train ride to get here. My fifteen compatriots arrived in Yinchuan at different times on different days, so those who had already arrived had time to kill. I am still far from an expert tour guide of this city, but it was pretty neat having visitors here and showing them the new stomping grounds. 

Seven girls ended up staying in my apartment. Only one ever slept on the floor. Much four star, very comfort. Wow.

We left on a Tuesday and most of the group arrived on Sunday, so we spent that Monday exploring. Honestly, our sans-plan meandering was one of the biggest highlights for me. We saw some of my favorite street vendors, I showed the gals where I work, and we ended up meeting the other half of the group at Zhongshan Park for frisbee in the afternoon. The frisbee was fun, but the real entertainment happened when all we were doing was sitting on benches and waiting for a few latecomers to arrive. As I've stated previously, many people see my dark hair and think that I am part Chinese -- or at least not completely foreign. Some stare at me, but seem not to give me much thought. Throw in 7 or so other foreigners with blonde or light brown hair into the mix, however, and there was definitely more attention.

MUCH more attention.

I knew this park had a zoo, but by golly, I never thought I’d ever be one of the exhibits. 

I actually think this picture is really cute.

So much shade.

Anyway. As mentioned above, we eventually played some frisbee, and then we found a stadium in which to play some football. It was a lot of fun and actually got pretty intense for touch football. I was exhausted by the end of the day, but my heart was happy after being surrounded by friends all day long. 

Thus brings us to Tuesday morning, when we left for our desert camping adventure. On our 4-hour bus ride we saw a couple touristy areas — lavender fields and sand hills and decorative arches, oh my! — as well as arguably the crudest toilets in Ningxia. We finally did get to the desert, though, and it was pretty cool. Some of the group played frisbee in the sand upon arrival, and others decided to take a walk across the dunes. I was part of the latter group. Please note that I felt no regrets in my decision to break from the frisbee tradition as it enabled me to sing and dance to songs from The Lion King while standing atop the highest sand dune in the area. It was a very special couple of moments, I assure you.

Tuesday night we had dinner, and then we went to Inner Mongolia’s version of Medieval Times. It was fun and weird and unforgettable.

Waiting for the black and white knight.

Following the show, a bunch of us drank beer and played Catchphrase at the local “saloon.” Soon after, half of us went to bed while the other half walked across a few dunes and found a spot on which to lie down and stare up at the stars. We were quiet for some time, each of us lost in thought and awe-struck wonder. It was an incredible moment. Before long we had a pπayer circle. I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced a more perfect moment in its simplicity. To be so exposed to G0d's creation, all at once humbled by the sheer size and depth of his masterpiece and desperate to soak up every ounce of its awe-inspiring grandeur. It was a beautiful, beautiful hour.

Thanks for capturing this awesome shot, Heidi!

Fun fact: that Tuesday was, in fact, my birthday. I neglected to tell anyone on my trip up until the pπayer circle because I didn't want to be that girl making a big deal out of her birthday. It made me feel a little off at times (especially when I kept forgetting it was my own birthday), but it was strangely peaceful and humbling, knowing this lovely thing was going on around me and I had good company and I could just enjoy it as is. My day had already been pretty spectacular.

Wednesday came and so did the camels. That morning we took a trolley, of sorts, to an area of the desert where we were to begin our camel excursion. Camels are HUGE. They are very tall and have very round bellies. It is a slightly nerve-wracking and hilarious moment, when your seated camel stands up with you on its back. Suddenly you are five feet taller, and at the mercy of a desert creature, no less! Luckily all these animals really do is follow each other and expel gas (among other things), so any nerves you feel are generally those of excitement and surprise.

We rode on the camels for four long hours. Any longer and I’m not sure our butts or thighs would have forgiven us. But it was most certainly an incredible experience. 

Kyle the Camel

After riding the camels, we wandered over to an area of the “entertainment zone” of the desert that offered a scenic view of the Yellow River with mountains in the background. There was plenty to do in that area: one could zip line, bungie jump, sled down a giant sand dune, or duck into a few of the shops for some souvenirs. Some of the gang and I decided to zip line across the river while two of the guys bungie jumped. When in China… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

For dinner that night we ate an entire smoked lamb (WHOA), a traditional delicacy of Inner Mongolia and Ningxia. It was quite delicious. I also tried lamb brain that night. Definitely not bad. (Alex, I think you would like it — it reminds me of pâté!) Once we were full and satisfied with dinner, we retreated back to our tent area. For the rest of the night we lit Chinese Paper Lanterns, drank terrible Chinese liquor, and played Mafia. Having not slept very well the previous week, I was definitely hoping it was me every time the narrator of our game announced a new murder victim. ...Pretty sure this is the only time I've ever been able to say that. (Not to mention the only time I've ever publicly wondered, "But why did the medic have to save me?")

Yellow River lookout point. Genghis Khan chilling on the right.

The next morning we got up, organized our belongings, took one last walk to the scenic outlook, then bounded back onto the buses for our four hour ride "home." Upon arriving back in Yinchuan, we showered up, did some laundry, and went out for one last group dinner. Everyone had left by the next day. I was sad to see my friends go, but felt spiritually and mentally rejuvenated by their visit. The good feels during and following our time together just means I need to take some time to travel to other F0C cities, I think...!

It was a great trip. The first of many great trips during my time in China, I'm sure. I'm so thankful for the experiences I enjoyed with my friends, though, and for the important reminders they provided me.

One thing that stood out to me in particular during the trip was how the camels moved; or, rather, how they followed each other. I couldn’t help noticing that, even when the terrain changed, the camels never looked at their feet. I’m sure there’s some physiological explanation for it (not to mention the fact that they were all connected by reins tied to their faces), but our camels didn’t seem to watch where they stepped. They never looked down, opting only to look ahead and follow their leader without fear. The imagery of this really resonated with me. How admirable is it that these creatures continue onward, placing their trust and faith in the one leading them (even when their riders are afraid)? Sure, there was the occasional steep sand dune that challenged the elegance of their steps, but the camels never hesitated and never stopped. If their footing was ill-placed, they simply corrected themselves based both on how the leader was walking and on how the leader was leading them. Because they trusted in the one that had gone before them, their own steps were sure and confident. 

Is this not unlike the way we should follow our Sav¡or? He has walked this earth, he has sacrificed his life for ours, and he has gone ahead to prepare a home for us in Heaven. The B¡ble tells us so. We need only have faith and trust in his love and the journey he has taken before us, for us -- then and only then will our steps be sure and confident, because we know our path will lead us to Him.

"For we live by faith, not by sight." (2 Cor 5:7)

Like I said, man. It was an awesome trip.

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Mandarin Word of the Day: follow (me)
Chinese characters: 跟我来 (跟 = with, to follow; 我 = me; 来 = to come)
Pinyin pronunciation: gēn wǒ lái

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. ^_^

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