Now that I have been here for almost a month, there are so many things that I have found peculiar, awesome, rewarding, funky and downright odd. One thing that I have come to learn is that our experience here is whatever we make it to be. With that being said, we are making this everything we want it to be. Now that we are back from my birthday weekend adventures there is so much to tell, and a ton of excitement with pictures as well. I really wish I had an outlet that is not blocked for me to upload such things, but everything is heavily blocked due to National Week which starts on Thursday. Why are the Chinese so worried about losing their secret fried rice recipe?
Classes have definitely been an adventure full of laughter, the slaughtering of English as well as Chinese, and some rather slanted stories of history. It is amazing to see the perspectives of various countries in relation to world events such as the World Wars. Within the past two days alone, we were taken on two field trips. One trip was to a 1,200 year old temple, and another to the post office to send a post card. Supposedly I was the Champion and received a Beijing Olympic Medal for my post card sending skills. I guess the $36,000/year at Messiah is finally paying off. I hope that one day I can make a commencement speech on my accomplishments in life.
Yes, Friday was my birthday, and was one of the most interesting days and weekend for that matter of my life. This weekend was a series of adventures, accomplishments and a basic test of our Chinese Skills. Our program directors Chinese wife took us to a local Chinese medicine practice that happens to be the oldest in the nation and before the PRC was only practicing on the Emperors and their families. Four needles, a wicked massage, and some miscommunication later we were feeling great. The doctor told me I needed a little more Ying since my Yang was high which boiled down to needles in my hands and feet. Oh my wordI mean who would pay for such things.Besides me, I have no idea since it is by far the weirdest sensation in my life to have all four extremities shooting signals up my nerves into my brain. When I started to levitate and see through the walls I knew something was wrong..but the doctor said it was a normar side effect.well, actually he said Ting Kung Pao Chicken Bing Dong, and Yili translated it for us. Dinner that evening after we navigated through the alleys of a seafood market purging fish guts and crud water into the street, a residential area and some dark unmentionable areas that struck fear into our hearts was rather delightful. Who else could say they ate on the 24th floor Pizza Hut which is like the Ritz of Xiamen.Weird huh? Yeah, it was definitely weird, but happened to be an incredible evening, view and experience. Dont ask what happens after you eat cheese pizza with cheesy crust after a month of no dairy. On this note.ever been to a country that eats dog, snake, pork, chicken, and more but has no dairy.they even dare to sell Oreos without milk.which is completely against UN protocol.
As usual in China our adventures seem to continue. Early the next morning five of us guys packed our bags and hopped on a bus for Chogwu, a fishing town over two hours away. Did we have any idea where we were going? Nope. Did we care? Nope. Did we have any plans? Not really.but it is all part of the adventure. This was the first time I had been off Xiamen Island, so it was great to see more of Fujian Province. The bus ride was mind blowing. As we drove on our private Haggy bus with only 4 others, we were marveled at huge buildings and infrastructure projects halted, nice buildings surrounded by rubble and people everywhere. Or course, we finally arrived in Chongwu, got out of the bus, and still had no idea where we were or what we were going to do. I brought along two sheets of notes that had some ideas like an ancient wall, a beach you could sleep on and a sculpture garden, however the directions were extremely vague. As we walked in search of the walled city we were confronted with the unthinkable. There she was, clothes-less, mangled hair squatting in the street picking weeds..first thought was that we just got off a long bus ride, but when the naked women looked up at us it became real very quickly.Where the heck were we and what was Chong Wu. Luckily she was just an adventure in the beginning of the trip and we had not actually taken a bus to a nudist colony.what a blessing.
Chongwu is an ancient fishing village that has a 7meter high stone wall completely encircling the ancient part of the city which was built in 1378. Inside the wall, were run-down stone houses, walk ways, open sewage lines, and street mazes. Ok.who would ever think to just drain the toilets into an open sewer line that runs into a troth along the street.what a great ideaI just thought it was extremely aesthetic to watch the local meals flow through the streets. Ha Americayour streets may be lined in Gold, Chongwu is lined in fertile poop. We continued our quest to find the beach, with the potential to sleep on it after we played colonial soldier marching along the wall, looking out to the ocean and playing with old canons. When we finally broke through this ancient wall, we rode motorcycle taxis to a local restaurant. Its not every day that you have a pick of motorcycles to ride through a city that does not have traffic laws. It was an incredible sight to see the only 5 westerners in the city on the back of these bikes blasting through the city. Though we almost lost Hoover to a bus and fruit stand, it was the time of our life.
Turns out that the area we were visiting speaks a different dialect of Mandarin, so communicating with the locals was a trip. There was one point, when I realized that we were up against impossible odds of finding a tent to rent. Before we knew it, we were handed a piece of cardboard with written characters in Chinese. It didnt take long to find ourselves in the land of Narnia with over 200 statues, finding a random man who took us to a building, handed us two tents and set them up on the beach..Basically we rented out this 9 hectre sculpture garden with our own private beach. Now, it was definitely not Ocean City or Avalon for that matter, but it was pretty cool. Did I tell you that at night they turned on carnival rides and sold us fireworks to blow off the beach? Now, we were either being tapped for Hollywoods Pinocchio II or this place was just awesome. Sleep was nonexistent due to a random trumpet, fireworks, the melody of Chinese songs and the snaps of some type of firecracker being used in the nearby temple.but it was worth it If we had only knew peak firework sales times were between 11 pm and 1 am..There was one point I was either going to buy all the womans fireworks to stop others from blasting them off or shooting bottle rockets out of ours towards her. Not only did we lack sleep, we were woken up by the tug of our toes at 6:30 am. At first we had no clue, but then we put the pieces together .when all the people disappeared, the man put our tents away, shut the metal garage door on the store front and time seemed to stop.lets just say the sky wasnt too pretty and we finally got the thought that maybe a Typhoon was coming in. These are typically not fresh thoughts in our mind back home, but definitely are common here. The day ended up being gorgeous and our adventure was amazing.
Needless to say, my birthday was incredible and my times here in China are going really well. National week starts later this week which celebrates the PRCs 60th anniversary which is big in China. Due to the 12 animals and 5 elements used in the Lunar Calendar, after this year the cycle starts over.on that notehats off to communism and all of its wonderful advancements. Before I go to dinner, I have one more story from this afternoon. There I was, running along the beach with Aaron, gazing into the beauty of ocean and mountain backdrop, when we hear Firer in the Holre and a huge explosion.
Life is good!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
A Kung Pow Chicken Birthday
There I am, sitting in my room, gazing into the Taiwan strait at the vast mountains, shipping boats and small fishing rafts, when I hear “Firer in the Holre” and a huge explosion. There I am, walking to the CSP office, passing a row of homes, when I hear “Firer in the Holre” and a huge explosion. There I am, concentrating during Taiji, breathing slowly and self reflecting, when I hear “Firer in the Holre,” a huge explosion, and the building shakes. Time after time again we duck for cover and run for the closest hideout in fear that Taiwan has invaded again or that Japanese Pirates have taken over the waterway in front of campus. Unfortunately, it is nothing of the sorts, just the Chinese building a tunnel by using dynamite, straw hats and manual labor. I have a multitude of stories that will just make you shake your head. Here is a quick one. Brad and I went out with some Chinese friends last night and they took us to a fruit smoothie place for desert. While we stood and waited, we heard this harmonious bong of a gong slowly getting closer. As we gazed into the distance there was nothing to see, but we were expecting the Buddhist Monastery to be making a nightly march down the street. Needless to say, as we reached for our smoothies, we were abruptly pushed by a man with a bicycle suited with two back saddles the size of barrels loaded with “something unknown.” As he pushed through the unnavigable sidewalk filled with people, marketers and pillars he played his gong and marched on. As with many things here, I could not resist from laughing, the man caught my eye and began to yell something in Chinese. Terrified I offended him, I asked my Chinese friends what he said, and they translated: “You there, try, good rike popcorn.” Life here is different to say the least.
My time here has been fun filled and adventure packed. Last weekend we took a hike up the beach and ate at a restaurant called the Red Armadillo. Burritos and burgers are glorious after a month of Chinese food. We also were able to take a hike around Xiamen which included the South Putuo Temple which sits next to campus. We are waiting for it to cool down to go hiking and biking around campus….it is still way too hot to do those types of things. Sunday we went to church in Gulang Yu which is a local island. It was great to roam around the island and explore. The island was built up with western houses from overseas Chinese who made profits offshore. It was a pretty cool place. Visitors wanted our pictures because we were white and shop owners wanted us to buy, buy, buy. These stores had secret rooms with secret rooms of pocketbooks, watchy, and wallets. Polos and knockoffs were everywhere!
So far, this week has been extremely busy with class, field trips and quizzes. Learning Chinese is not easy. Wednesday our Chinese Business professor took us to a Chinese company called Silver Data that operates the same technology as Google Image but on a more advanced technological satellite aspect. I am still not quite sure what they did, but it was really cool and we got some great pictures. We are in the process of planning our Coca-Cola tour and our I-Phone touch screen factory. This is the kind of stuff I like.
In reference to the big 21st tomorrow…celebrating birthdays in China is great because it last two days. Tomorrow (Friday) is my birthday in China and Saturday is my birthday in the States….I love it. Word on the street is that tomorrow morning the guys are delivering a gift and breakfast in bed. As long as it is not a “Massagey” or a possible future bride, I will be ok. It happens that Pizza Hut is one of the nicest restaurants in Xiamen. When you want to take a women on a nice date to propose or just something special…Pizza Hut is the white table cloth affair. I am told tomorrow evening we will be dining over Pizza Hut….reservations at 7 pm for the 24th floor downtown “Paradise in the Sky Pizza Hut.” What a memory this will be. Saturday we plan to pack our “backpacks” (Just for you Tedd) and go to an adventure to Chongwu which sits a little bit North on the coast about 2 hours from Xiamen. I never thought I would be spending my 21st at a Chinese beach resort with a walled fortress and fishing village…I guess not many people can say they spent it as we plan to. Only in China….
Though I do miss aspects of home, I am really enjoying my time here. I think I have definitely gotten over the anger of culture shock. Many of us were hit like a brick truck the past week with frustrations on life. Culture is much different here, and the language barrier is a huge factor. For instance, we typically do not get drinks with meals which is different than home. They just don’t drink with meals here besides the small glass of tea to start. Like what the heck??? There are some things I probably shouldn’t blog about, but there sure are some wonders here. No worries mom, I am trying to not come home married. I think we all could probably get married at least once a day here….they seem nice like nice ladies though. As I prepare for my second Chinese exam tomorrow and our business weekend, I hope you all are doing well. I miss having you all in the various aspects of my life, and cannot wait to share my journeys with you all. I hope you are enjoying this fall weather and are preparing for a wonderful October. One thing I can say is that time is flying by here in the People’s Republic of China.
Until we meet again, live well!
Larry
My time here has been fun filled and adventure packed. Last weekend we took a hike up the beach and ate at a restaurant called the Red Armadillo. Burritos and burgers are glorious after a month of Chinese food. We also were able to take a hike around Xiamen which included the South Putuo Temple which sits next to campus. We are waiting for it to cool down to go hiking and biking around campus….it is still way too hot to do those types of things. Sunday we went to church in Gulang Yu which is a local island. It was great to roam around the island and explore. The island was built up with western houses from overseas Chinese who made profits offshore. It was a pretty cool place. Visitors wanted our pictures because we were white and shop owners wanted us to buy, buy, buy. These stores had secret rooms with secret rooms of pocketbooks, watchy, and wallets. Polos and knockoffs were everywhere!
So far, this week has been extremely busy with class, field trips and quizzes. Learning Chinese is not easy. Wednesday our Chinese Business professor took us to a Chinese company called Silver Data that operates the same technology as Google Image but on a more advanced technological satellite aspect. I am still not quite sure what they did, but it was really cool and we got some great pictures. We are in the process of planning our Coca-Cola tour and our I-Phone touch screen factory. This is the kind of stuff I like.
In reference to the big 21st tomorrow…celebrating birthdays in China is great because it last two days. Tomorrow (Friday) is my birthday in China and Saturday is my birthday in the States….I love it. Word on the street is that tomorrow morning the guys are delivering a gift and breakfast in bed. As long as it is not a “Massagey” or a possible future bride, I will be ok. It happens that Pizza Hut is one of the nicest restaurants in Xiamen. When you want to take a women on a nice date to propose or just something special…Pizza Hut is the white table cloth affair. I am told tomorrow evening we will be dining over Pizza Hut….reservations at 7 pm for the 24th floor downtown “Paradise in the Sky Pizza Hut.” What a memory this will be. Saturday we plan to pack our “backpacks” (Just for you Tedd) and go to an adventure to Chongwu which sits a little bit North on the coast about 2 hours from Xiamen. I never thought I would be spending my 21st at a Chinese beach resort with a walled fortress and fishing village…I guess not many people can say they spent it as we plan to. Only in China….
Though I do miss aspects of home, I am really enjoying my time here. I think I have definitely gotten over the anger of culture shock. Many of us were hit like a brick truck the past week with frustrations on life. Culture is much different here, and the language barrier is a huge factor. For instance, we typically do not get drinks with meals which is different than home. They just don’t drink with meals here besides the small glass of tea to start. Like what the heck??? There are some things I probably shouldn’t blog about, but there sure are some wonders here. No worries mom, I am trying to not come home married. I think we all could probably get married at least once a day here….they seem nice like nice ladies though. As I prepare for my second Chinese exam tomorrow and our business weekend, I hope you all are doing well. I miss having you all in the various aspects of my life, and cannot wait to share my journeys with you all. I hope you are enjoying this fall weather and are preparing for a wonderful October. One thing I can say is that time is flying by here in the People’s Republic of China.
Until we meet again, live well!
Larry
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Life in Xiamen
Life in Xiamen is moving along, and I am enjoying it. My classes with Chinese professors started Monday, and it has been an incredible experience. Our Chinese professor is a Chinese Techno loving type. Our first official lessons started off with learning the word sexy and having a 10 minute disco dance break. I must say, it’s much different than Messiah professors, but I think we could institute some changes in Grantham. Shortly after our lesson, we were off to have our first of many experiences with our Contemporary Society professor. She is an overenthusiastic laser pointer happy woman. Besides the choppy English, fast power points and the laser pointer all over the room, we are staying in tune to her lectures.
This morning we had an incredible visit to a local factory that Dr. Jay scheduled for us. He knew the owner of the business as an incredible business man and an influential “Church Worker.” Basically, he runs his company with a business as missions structure where he can freely evangelize throughout his working day. The company was absolutely incredible and seemed to be a viable, profitable and self-sustaining business. Meixei was the name of the actual business, which was a mere parent company to the various divisions within the manufacturing building. The building itself was a 5 floor building with only one of the floors rented out. Turns out, the floor rented out is to a leather company that really took off when President Obama was pictured boarding one of the Presidential Helicopters with a leather bag that he was given at a debate produced by that very company…. Small world, huh?
The owner of Meixei, Bill, was an incredible man. In his eyes, success in Chinese business involves constantly updating his production line with new products that have larger selling markets. He currently has 200 some employees but has had up to 600 before the recent economic downturn….You must be wondering what types of products we saw being produced. Well, I wish I could have brought some home. His main industry is reproduction of stained glass products. He is the largest and sole producer of reproduction Tiffany and Frank Lloyd Wright Stain glass pieces in the world. His company is actually contracted by the Metropolitan Museum and the Tiffany museum headquarters in Florida to reproduce miniature versions of these famous pieces. The company also produces other items on smaller scales for worldwide retailers. Another floor of the factory that housed a branch of MeiXei produced Kevlar and resin bushings to replace bearings. He was producing these products on contracts for many companies throughout the US and Europe. This venture was really interesting for Bill’s involvement in improving the manufacturing process using lean production principles. His US counterpart could pump put 7.5 million units a year, and with a little reconstruction, Bill was able to pump out 21 million units of even better quality using what he called “Phenominons” such as using gravity to move materials and a process to rotate the bushings that was designed off of 7-eleven hotdog cookers. Lastly, we saw his newest venture that begins full production tomorrow and first shipment leaves Xiamen on Friday. This new department Bill will produce cement and fiberglass table tops used for decks and outdoor eateries in addition to the fire pits and pots made out of similar material. I enjoyed this one the most, for it was a product I have seen in the states. Interestingly enough, he sells these products which then get marketed under various names depending on the US buyer. Makes you wonder….do we really know what we are buying or at least the brand? I do now…
This afternoon I have my second class in Tai Chi, which has been incredible. It is a form of Chinese relaxation that involves the control of our bodies through breath, mind and our muscles, and happens to be much harder than I thought. It does feel good to be settled in and learning the language. I am beginning to be able to order more easily and communicate a little better. I guess when you need to survive you learn to adapt quickly. Emersion is the only way to grasp understanding in my eyes. It is almost as if chopsticks have become an extension to my fingers, but I like it. This week looks like yet another busy one, so I hope to post a blog in the coming days but it may not be until the weekend.
As someone close to me always says…..God Speed.
This morning we had an incredible visit to a local factory that Dr. Jay scheduled for us. He knew the owner of the business as an incredible business man and an influential “Church Worker.” Basically, he runs his company with a business as missions structure where he can freely evangelize throughout his working day. The company was absolutely incredible and seemed to be a viable, profitable and self-sustaining business. Meixei was the name of the actual business, which was a mere parent company to the various divisions within the manufacturing building. The building itself was a 5 floor building with only one of the floors rented out. Turns out, the floor rented out is to a leather company that really took off when President Obama was pictured boarding one of the Presidential Helicopters with a leather bag that he was given at a debate produced by that very company…. Small world, huh?
The owner of Meixei, Bill, was an incredible man. In his eyes, success in Chinese business involves constantly updating his production line with new products that have larger selling markets. He currently has 200 some employees but has had up to 600 before the recent economic downturn….You must be wondering what types of products we saw being produced. Well, I wish I could have brought some home. His main industry is reproduction of stained glass products. He is the largest and sole producer of reproduction Tiffany and Frank Lloyd Wright Stain glass pieces in the world. His company is actually contracted by the Metropolitan Museum and the Tiffany museum headquarters in Florida to reproduce miniature versions of these famous pieces. The company also produces other items on smaller scales for worldwide retailers. Another floor of the factory that housed a branch of MeiXei produced Kevlar and resin bushings to replace bearings. He was producing these products on contracts for many companies throughout the US and Europe. This venture was really interesting for Bill’s involvement in improving the manufacturing process using lean production principles. His US counterpart could pump put 7.5 million units a year, and with a little reconstruction, Bill was able to pump out 21 million units of even better quality using what he called “Phenominons” such as using gravity to move materials and a process to rotate the bushings that was designed off of 7-eleven hotdog cookers. Lastly, we saw his newest venture that begins full production tomorrow and first shipment leaves Xiamen on Friday. This new department Bill will produce cement and fiberglass table tops used for decks and outdoor eateries in addition to the fire pits and pots made out of similar material. I enjoyed this one the most, for it was a product I have seen in the states. Interestingly enough, he sells these products which then get marketed under various names depending on the US buyer. Makes you wonder….do we really know what we are buying or at least the brand? I do now…
This afternoon I have my second class in Tai Chi, which has been incredible. It is a form of Chinese relaxation that involves the control of our bodies through breath, mind and our muscles, and happens to be much harder than I thought. It does feel good to be settled in and learning the language. I am beginning to be able to order more easily and communicate a little better. I guess when you need to survive you learn to adapt quickly. Emersion is the only way to grasp understanding in my eyes. It is almost as if chopsticks have become an extension to my fingers, but I like it. This week looks like yet another busy one, so I hope to post a blog in the coming days but it may not be until the weekend.
As someone close to me always says…..God Speed.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Only in China...
There are many things in China that I could honestly say….”Only in China.” The fact that I have to bypass the Chinese Communist Government to post a blog for family and friends about my experiences in this country is a start. Instead of allowing me to educate the world on such an interesting culture, they try to block me from the outside world. Well China….I got through. Or at least I think I did. Mom if you get a call saying I am gone, you can assume that the Communists took me away. I mean think about it….Dr. Jay has advised us all to watch what we say, assume our rooms are tapped and put our cell phones in the other room during class so we can speak a bit more openly. As I keep on saying to my roommates, “We are not in Kansas anymore.” Xiamen is much different than Hong Kong. Dr. Jay was right to say that HK would be a good transition, and now I believe him. There is absolutely no English here, stuff is so cheap, the city is much dirtier and the scenery is just….well…..Chinese like. Some of the things that we take for granted such as eating, are harder work than usual. Besides using chop sticks, spicy food and the rush of being pulled into restaurants to eat, we have the daily task of a method I call “Pray, point and eat.” Yeah, we know a little Chinese, but not enough to order a simple meal. Wonton Soup and General Tso’s chicken is obsolete. I did see pickled chicken’s feet, mush with mystery on top and the occasional fish head or unknown seafood. Did I mention yet that people poop on the sidewalk if they cannot make it to a bathroom? I mean don’t worry, they bring a bag to pick it up….hence why our shoes don’t enter the room, and one reason why we bleached our floor last night…..
This leads me to a funny story…or at least we try to keep it as a funny story in our minds. Basically, we were kicked out of our rooms last night. Here is how it works….They say something we don’t understand, and we nod until they start moving our stuff……Just kidding……We arrived with reservations for university dorms to stay in double rooms on the same floor. Lucas from Santa Barbara and I decided to stay together. We set up our room all sweet, bought some things to make it feel like home and got all settled in. Then one morning we woke up to our air conditioning leaking all over Lucas’s bed. Ever try to get something fixed in another language? I have…and let me tell you…besides laughing so hard then having a veil of anger consume you still doesn’t make you understand a lick of what is happening. Yesterday we were told by our leaders that we would be moving to a different room where the air worked, but then we were told there were no open rooms so we were going to chill. Not a big deal, we rearranged the room so it didn’t drip on us and continued with life. Well…..at least we thought so. By 8 pm last night we were all rounded up for a meeting. Basically….we were all leaving and moving rooms. Only in China as I like to say. Turns out that Xiamen University has contracts with countries to guarantee housing and schooling including India and Africa, which we don’t have. So…..as a group, we packed our bags and went on a big move. For Lucas and I we moved to the six floor with Aaron and Matt to a 4 person suite with an ocean view. Though we are split up as a group, we have a pretty good gig you could say. Not every day you look out your window at islands, smog and cargo ships.
I can honestly say I am still enjoying China. Classes are enjoyable and life outside of class is an adventure. The business professor is incredible, and we all really enjoy his classes. For reasons that I can explain when I get home, we cannot talk much about our program including the classes and professors. Now I know why I didn’t hear much about the program before I came. Top Secret CIA training, but don’t tell anyone. Life here is much different than the states. Last night after the big move, we went to the English corner which is a place where Chinese and Westerners can congregate and practice English, build relationships and enjoy life. It was a lot of fun, but we were pretty tired after the busy day. Now that we are semi settled in, we find ourselves trying new things. Funky fruit, unknown snacks, odd flavors and traditional teas. Tonight was marked by the hysterical sight of Lucus and Matt break dancing with 4 Chinese near our local lake. I guess they brought a “New Styr(L)e to China. Ra Ra Ra. All fun must come to an end at some point, so I must be off to study….I guess it is for my benefit to know if I am ordering seafood, dog or chicken.
Miss you all.
Larry
This leads me to a funny story…or at least we try to keep it as a funny story in our minds. Basically, we were kicked out of our rooms last night. Here is how it works….They say something we don’t understand, and we nod until they start moving our stuff……Just kidding……We arrived with reservations for university dorms to stay in double rooms on the same floor. Lucas from Santa Barbara and I decided to stay together. We set up our room all sweet, bought some things to make it feel like home and got all settled in. Then one morning we woke up to our air conditioning leaking all over Lucas’s bed. Ever try to get something fixed in another language? I have…and let me tell you…besides laughing so hard then having a veil of anger consume you still doesn’t make you understand a lick of what is happening. Yesterday we were told by our leaders that we would be moving to a different room where the air worked, but then we were told there were no open rooms so we were going to chill. Not a big deal, we rearranged the room so it didn’t drip on us and continued with life. Well…..at least we thought so. By 8 pm last night we were all rounded up for a meeting. Basically….we were all leaving and moving rooms. Only in China as I like to say. Turns out that Xiamen University has contracts with countries to guarantee housing and schooling including India and Africa, which we don’t have. So…..as a group, we packed our bags and went on a big move. For Lucas and I we moved to the six floor with Aaron and Matt to a 4 person suite with an ocean view. Though we are split up as a group, we have a pretty good gig you could say. Not every day you look out your window at islands, smog and cargo ships.
I can honestly say I am still enjoying China. Classes are enjoyable and life outside of class is an adventure. The business professor is incredible, and we all really enjoy his classes. For reasons that I can explain when I get home, we cannot talk much about our program including the classes and professors. Now I know why I didn’t hear much about the program before I came. Top Secret CIA training, but don’t tell anyone. Life here is much different than the states. Last night after the big move, we went to the English corner which is a place where Chinese and Westerners can congregate and practice English, build relationships and enjoy life. It was a lot of fun, but we were pretty tired after the busy day. Now that we are semi settled in, we find ourselves trying new things. Funky fruit, unknown snacks, odd flavors and traditional teas. Tonight was marked by the hysterical sight of Lucus and Matt break dancing with 4 Chinese near our local lake. I guess they brought a “New Styr(L)e to China. Ra Ra Ra. All fun must come to an end at some point, so I must be off to study….I guess it is for my benefit to know if I am ordering seafood, dog or chicken.
Miss you all.
Larry
Monday, September 7, 2009
When in Rome....
Today marks my last day in Hong Kong. As each day goes by, I feel like I experienced one of the most interesting things in my life. As of today, yesterday happened to be a day full of interesting things. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, I saw the biggest of the biggest. Not only the biggest Buddha, but the longest escalator and the world’s largest light and sound show in the world.
Even a day later, I am not sure what I saw exactly. An incredible part of this program is freedom. We have been traveling the entire city of Hong Kong on our own trying to find some of the most bizarre and “Un American” wonders of the world. Though some are not suitable or at least reportable to the whole world, I plan to share them all at some point…maybe not. Between the message parlors, fraternizing with the Chinese and worshiping idols, we have been keeping a tight tourist schedule.
Here is the true down low. The past few mornings we have been studying Chinese hard core. I guess it is about time I figure out what I am eating and stop ending up in the women’s room while in search for a toilet. My past week in Hong Kong has been quite an adventure, however yesterday was the icing on the cake. Aaron, Tyler and I set out on an adventure that turned out to be a journey of wisdom, laughter, spiritually, pirates and a few surprises. After about an hour train ride past Disney Land, we hopped on what we thought was a reputable bus company. Well, let me just say that we pay for such adventures in America…..It is called Six Flags and the ride is El Toro. The bus ride was the best roller coaster ride of my life. Hair pin turns, 80 kilometers an hour, shear drops, stone walls less than an inch away from the window, and huge mountains…just an incredible 45 minute tour out of the city. No Buildings. No people. Just tropics…..clouds….sun…..and rolling hills. We eventually got to the big Buddha after two pairs of underwear, but what adventure isn’t complete without extra pairs. After an unbelievable Zen walk in the middle of nowhere was this golden egg. The Tian Tan Buddha. completed in 1993, was located at Ngong Ping, Lantau Island and sat 110 feet tall weighing 280 tons. After 268 steps, heart failure, and a blister I was one happy camper… I mean who wouldn’t be…I got to gaze at a $68 million hunk of metal, or was it the view that cost that much. Either way, I will have Tedd start working on building me one in the backyard. I did always want one.
Shortly after yet another 20 minute trip on the roller coaster, we found ourselves in an incredible fishing village. As always we got talking to this elder who had a fantastic story that had something to do with Pirates, politicians and funny houses leading to the ancient history behind one of China’s ancient villages. PS....They call it the Rome of Hong Kong. ???? Whether he was a voice of truth or not, it was an incredible story and gave us some great laughs.
Fast forwarding, our evening begun with the world’s largest enclosed escalator. Who wouldn’t want to ride a $38 million, 25 minute ride, escalator consisting of 20 escalators and 3 moving pavements for a total of 800 metres and climb of 135 vertical metres. I have never seen anything like it, but when in Hong Kong do as the Hong Kong people do. Even better, was the world’s largest light and sound show on the Hong Kong Island’s waterfront. Look it up. It was an adventure.
So much to say, so many pictures to post, but not enough time. We catch the first plane to mainland tomorrow. Dr. Jay is getting us ready for the culture shock. One thing I do know is Blogs and face book are blocked…we are working to try to “fix” the issue but we will see. All I can say is that my time here has been incredible and I am enjoying every day!
Thanks for reading and hope to have more….some day!
_Larry
Even a day later, I am not sure what I saw exactly. An incredible part of this program is freedom. We have been traveling the entire city of Hong Kong on our own trying to find some of the most bizarre and “Un American” wonders of the world. Though some are not suitable or at least reportable to the whole world, I plan to share them all at some point…maybe not. Between the message parlors, fraternizing with the Chinese and worshiping idols, we have been keeping a tight tourist schedule.
Here is the true down low. The past few mornings we have been studying Chinese hard core. I guess it is about time I figure out what I am eating and stop ending up in the women’s room while in search for a toilet. My past week in Hong Kong has been quite an adventure, however yesterday was the icing on the cake. Aaron, Tyler and I set out on an adventure that turned out to be a journey of wisdom, laughter, spiritually, pirates and a few surprises. After about an hour train ride past Disney Land, we hopped on what we thought was a reputable bus company. Well, let me just say that we pay for such adventures in America…..It is called Six Flags and the ride is El Toro. The bus ride was the best roller coaster ride of my life. Hair pin turns, 80 kilometers an hour, shear drops, stone walls less than an inch away from the window, and huge mountains…just an incredible 45 minute tour out of the city. No Buildings. No people. Just tropics…..clouds….sun…..and rolling hills. We eventually got to the big Buddha after two pairs of underwear, but what adventure isn’t complete without extra pairs. After an unbelievable Zen walk in the middle of nowhere was this golden egg. The Tian Tan Buddha. completed in 1993, was located at Ngong Ping, Lantau Island and sat 110 feet tall weighing 280 tons. After 268 steps, heart failure, and a blister I was one happy camper… I mean who wouldn’t be…I got to gaze at a $68 million hunk of metal, or was it the view that cost that much. Either way, I will have Tedd start working on building me one in the backyard. I did always want one.
Shortly after yet another 20 minute trip on the roller coaster, we found ourselves in an incredible fishing village. As always we got talking to this elder who had a fantastic story that had something to do with Pirates, politicians and funny houses leading to the ancient history behind one of China’s ancient villages. PS....They call it the Rome of Hong Kong. ???? Whether he was a voice of truth or not, it was an incredible story and gave us some great laughs.
Fast forwarding, our evening begun with the world’s largest enclosed escalator. Who wouldn’t want to ride a $38 million, 25 minute ride, escalator consisting of 20 escalators and 3 moving pavements for a total of 800 metres and climb of 135 vertical metres. I have never seen anything like it, but when in Hong Kong do as the Hong Kong people do. Even better, was the world’s largest light and sound show on the Hong Kong Island’s waterfront. Look it up. It was an adventure.
So much to say, so many pictures to post, but not enough time. We catch the first plane to mainland tomorrow. Dr. Jay is getting us ready for the culture shock. One thing I do know is Blogs and face book are blocked…we are working to try to “fix” the issue but we will see. All I can say is that my time here has been incredible and I am enjoying every day!
Thanks for reading and hope to have more….some day!
_Larry
Sunday, September 6, 2009
The Vegas of Hong Kong
So I officially survived my first and only weekend in Hong Kong. Our program director, Dr. Jay, has been around the world, and to him Hong Kong is one of his favorite cities in the world. He also warned us that it’s a good transition into mainland. . .reasoning being is because it looks like the US just is covered in Chinese symbols and language…therefore the sites of Xiamen won’t be as foreign. Am I scared? Yeah I am terrified…..just kidding….I like to keep my parents on the edge of their seats. I really enjoy it here in Hong Kong. For those who have asked where exactly I have been in Hong Kong my answer is everywhere. I am trying to soak in as much as I can while I am here. Our home base is at a YMCA camp in the New Territories right down the street from Ma on Shan on the East rail. Much of our play has been down in Kowloon. That is where we spent time going out to eat and to the night market the other day…which I must say was incredible. Lucus and I took an adventure down to the night market. It is called Men’s Street because of all of its products for men. There was a lot of cool stuff, but the sights were even more stimulating. The China you always thought of was exactly what we saw. Olden signs, bikes, fish, traffic and people everywhere were the main event. Best part was walking into a restaurant containing no English. Lucus and I pulled the old pray, point and order. With open minds and hardy stomachs we went to town on whatever it was. Dog, pig intestine, frog, or possibly even worse.
Now that you have an awful taste and may feel a bit sorry, pull out your check book and send me a monetary present to dine at the finest of the finest where I could possibly get pig’s feet under glass. One thing that is for certain is that the diet here is much different than expected....for instance....there is no fiber. Thanks mom and Tedd for the Ducelax….I have become the trip pill pusher to get things moving throughout the group. We still are wondering if it’s worth the sleepless nights on the toilet (Which are Squatty Potties….I will let you guess)…..This is the part of the blog where you put another zero behind the number on the check in front of you….
Our trip or at least my trip, since we make it what we want it to be has been adventurous. I love our group and since many of us are business majors we have a lot to talk about. We did get to go through a wet market yesterday which was a lot of fun. As you can imagine….it was wet. ..Wet meaning the floor was covered in water from the plethora of seafood, veggies, hanging meat and the “unknown" dangling from the ceilings. To be honest, it was a bit over whelming to see all the action in the market, but it was quite the experience.
Yesterday was an adventure to be much appreciated for years to come. . . The Vegas of Hong Kong. We took an hour ferry from Hong Kong Island to an island known as Macau. Macau was once a Portuguese controlled island now home to Casinos, architecture, fun and Fernandos (The world famous meat restaurant). The buildings were absolutely amazing and we had a blast just looking around. Don’t tell anyone but we did have the opportunity to play a little Roulette over tea and coconut cake. After a few bets we were off to check out the ruins from the olden days of Portuguese control. The streets around Macau were littered with Portuguese signs complimented by Chinese characters and English with the feel of Europe. The ruins of the old church were incredible, but the excitement afterwards was even better. No sooner did we leave the ruins, we noticed an infiltration of Macau Police around the ruins and shut it down. Then we noticed the presence of some type of foreign secret service scoping out the local area. It was clear that someone special was about to visit the ruins. Though we did not end up seeing anyone special, spotting 4 sniper teams on roofs was by far a blatant sign. Definitely a Jason Bourne experience and view from the 360 degree lookout of the city.
Time in Hong Kong will come to an end on Wednesday and may mark the end to the freedom of Facebook and blogging. We will see when the time comes…
For now….Life is Good.
Now that you have an awful taste and may feel a bit sorry, pull out your check book and send me a monetary present to dine at the finest of the finest where I could possibly get pig’s feet under glass. One thing that is for certain is that the diet here is much different than expected....for instance....there is no fiber. Thanks mom and Tedd for the Ducelax….I have become the trip pill pusher to get things moving throughout the group. We still are wondering if it’s worth the sleepless nights on the toilet (Which are Squatty Potties….I will let you guess)…..This is the part of the blog where you put another zero behind the number on the check in front of you….
Our trip or at least my trip, since we make it what we want it to be has been adventurous. I love our group and since many of us are business majors we have a lot to talk about. We did get to go through a wet market yesterday which was a lot of fun. As you can imagine….it was wet. ..Wet meaning the floor was covered in water from the plethora of seafood, veggies, hanging meat and the “unknown" dangling from the ceilings. To be honest, it was a bit over whelming to see all the action in the market, but it was quite the experience.
Yesterday was an adventure to be much appreciated for years to come. . . The Vegas of Hong Kong. We took an hour ferry from Hong Kong Island to an island known as Macau. Macau was once a Portuguese controlled island now home to Casinos, architecture, fun and Fernandos (The world famous meat restaurant). The buildings were absolutely amazing and we had a blast just looking around. Don’t tell anyone but we did have the opportunity to play a little Roulette over tea and coconut cake. After a few bets we were off to check out the ruins from the olden days of Portuguese control. The streets around Macau were littered with Portuguese signs complimented by Chinese characters and English with the feel of Europe. The ruins of the old church were incredible, but the excitement afterwards was even better. No sooner did we leave the ruins, we noticed an infiltration of Macau Police around the ruins and shut it down. Then we noticed the presence of some type of foreign secret service scoping out the local area. It was clear that someone special was about to visit the ruins. Though we did not end up seeing anyone special, spotting 4 sniper teams on roofs was by far a blatant sign. Definitely a Jason Bourne experience and view from the 360 degree lookout of the city.
Time in Hong Kong will come to an end on Wednesday and may mark the end to the freedom of Facebook and blogging. We will see when the time comes…
For now….Life is Good.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Alone in the City
Today I had quite an adventurous morning. For starters, I woke up at about 5 am and hoped to spend some time journaling. By 6 I was ready to get some fresh air, so I strapped on my sneakers and went out for a run. Ever run along a beautiful lake in Hong Kong? Well, I was rather impressed, and as you guessed….I have run along a beautiful lake in Hong Kong. Once my lungs got used to the deep breaths of smog I was on a role. As with any day, I learned a lot today. Firstly, I was amazed by the amount of people awake at such an early hour. Dr. Jay tells me that when Marco Polo, “a world traveler of sorts,” first came to China, he noticed the people were early risers. I was amazed at all the runners, walkers, bikers and Tai Chi “relaxers” that were along the path. Also, I was amazed at the mindset of the elderly to stay fit….meaning that canes and all were apart of these morning activities. Secondly, I was intrigued by the sense and possible spirituality of fitness and overall health that is instilled in these people. Not only did the various activities structure this viewpoint, but the focus of Hong Kong dollars to build a beautiful fitness trail, Zen environment and overall “health club” along the sea had a lot of influence.
My day continued with hopes of attaining an Indian Visa for my trip to India. Dr. Jay allowed me to skip class this morning to get my visa. It takes about an hour and a half to travel to where I needed to go. See, Hong Kong is made up of many small islands, so maneuvering amongst them takes ferry rides and trains. (Cleanest most advanced subway I must say). Interestingly enough was the first half was like riding a school bus surrounded by uniforms and the second half was a black tie affair. Travel alone in Hong Kong is fairly safe, but I just enjoyed the adventure of maneuvering around a city that I could not speak the language….or at least a lot of it. Long story short I was unsuccessful in attaining a visa and need to wait until I get to Beijing. I did in fact meet a nice Chinese and later a British man who were interesting to talk to about current business trends and economic/political difference in China and America. I guess no trip of mine is complete without a little fun, adventure and a conversation!
Lastly, I must warn that come Wednesday my use of facebook and possibly blogs and e-mail may become rendered useless. Dr. Jay has warned us that in preparation for a National Chinese holiday in October, Mainland China has blocked access to such websites. Though rather disappointing, it is culture and I guess the point of the program is to experience culture. Who needs facebook anyway right? Some might attest including myself. Regardless, life in China well at least Hong Kong has been an adventure. Tomorrow we will be spending time traveling to a Portuguese influenced island called Macau….Not only is it famous for Fernando’s and Casinos, it happens to be a large North Pole for Santa.
Hope I am keeping it interesting!
_Larry
My day continued with hopes of attaining an Indian Visa for my trip to India. Dr. Jay allowed me to skip class this morning to get my visa. It takes about an hour and a half to travel to where I needed to go. See, Hong Kong is made up of many small islands, so maneuvering amongst them takes ferry rides and trains. (Cleanest most advanced subway I must say). Interestingly enough was the first half was like riding a school bus surrounded by uniforms and the second half was a black tie affair. Travel alone in Hong Kong is fairly safe, but I just enjoyed the adventure of maneuvering around a city that I could not speak the language….or at least a lot of it. Long story short I was unsuccessful in attaining a visa and need to wait until I get to Beijing. I did in fact meet a nice Chinese and later a British man who were interesting to talk to about current business trends and economic/political difference in China and America. I guess no trip of mine is complete without a little fun, adventure and a conversation!
Lastly, I must warn that come Wednesday my use of facebook and possibly blogs and e-mail may become rendered useless. Dr. Jay has warned us that in preparation for a National Chinese holiday in October, Mainland China has blocked access to such websites. Though rather disappointing, it is culture and I guess the point of the program is to experience culture. Who needs facebook anyway right? Some might attest including myself. Regardless, life in China well at least Hong Kong has been an adventure. Tomorrow we will be spending time traveling to a Portuguese influenced island called Macau….Not only is it famous for Fernando’s and Casinos, it happens to be a large North Pole for Santa.
Hope I am keeping it interesting!
_Larry
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
A Country Hidden Behind Masks
For starters this blog entry is a mix between travel, the first day and posted the morning of my second day!
Flying thousands of miles, multiple airports and a day in Hong Kong is best ended by a hot shower and rejuvenating rest. I have absolutely no idea where to start talking or even processing my journey to a nation hidden behind masks. For starters, meeting in LAX was an adventure in itself. Trying to group together 12 students in a central location can always be an exciting time. Even better is handing them passports and leaving them to sit for a four hour waiting for our flight out to Hong Kong. It was an incredible time to get to know each other and at least have a preview of what to expect in weeks to come.
The flight was as always a typical 14 hour waiting game in a surprising spacious seat. At least I was able to trader and sit new to Lucas who is one of the CSP students from Boston going to school in Santa Barbara, Cali. It was an enjoyable flight and a nice landing in Hong Kong.
Some Lessons so far…..Well, it is clear that Hong Kong is very much its own entity in relation to China. It is a more advanced, wealthy and free nation where China is suppressed by regulation and an overlooking eye. It is also known as one of the wealthiest cities in the world. Do to the lack of space, people find ways to show wealth in smaller sizes. Cars, watches and luxuries take place of McMansions and huge estates.
Some adventures:
-Nearly getting hit by a car but thanks to a gracious Chinese Conrad who put out his hand and yelled "Ho" my life was saved
-Walking into a ally to find a restaurants to eat at that consisted of pointing at rather interesting Chinese characters hoping for a delightful meal
-Oh and did you know that sweet and sour chicken here has bones in it? Or that everything has bones in it for that matter. I guess we are truly blessed to have boneless chicken in our country.
-Breaking an escalator
-Having a Monk try to convert us to Buddhism
-Having the afternoon to ourselves to roam Hong Kong and try to get ourselves back to camp
-All time favorite.....Myself making up skits of bathing and drying off in hopes of finding a towel to buy with friends...I think the best part is when a women pointed, said Japan, and handed me a notes which I later learned said wash cloth instead of a store name.
All in all, my time in China or at least Hong Kong has been incredible. I now sit in a Library courtyard listening to the ring of calming Chinese music watching crowds perform Tai Chi as a morning relaxation...
Weather is hot and sticky. Almost 90, and the skyline is always covered by I light smog. At first I was disappointed with pictures, but I guess it is exactly what I see with my eyes.
Life amongst the smog.....is still a good life.
Flying thousands of miles, multiple airports and a day in Hong Kong is best ended by a hot shower and rejuvenating rest. I have absolutely no idea where to start talking or even processing my journey to a nation hidden behind masks. For starters, meeting in LAX was an adventure in itself. Trying to group together 12 students in a central location can always be an exciting time. Even better is handing them passports and leaving them to sit for a four hour waiting for our flight out to Hong Kong. It was an incredible time to get to know each other and at least have a preview of what to expect in weeks to come.
The flight was as always a typical 14 hour waiting game in a surprising spacious seat. At least I was able to trader and sit new to Lucas who is one of the CSP students from Boston going to school in Santa Barbara, Cali. It was an enjoyable flight and a nice landing in Hong Kong.
Some Lessons so far…..Well, it is clear that Hong Kong is very much its own entity in relation to China. It is a more advanced, wealthy and free nation where China is suppressed by regulation and an overlooking eye. It is also known as one of the wealthiest cities in the world. Do to the lack of space, people find ways to show wealth in smaller sizes. Cars, watches and luxuries take place of McMansions and huge estates.
Some adventures:
-Nearly getting hit by a car but thanks to a gracious Chinese Conrad who put out his hand and yelled "Ho" my life was saved
-Walking into a ally to find a restaurants to eat at that consisted of pointing at rather interesting Chinese characters hoping for a delightful meal
-Oh and did you know that sweet and sour chicken here has bones in it? Or that everything has bones in it for that matter. I guess we are truly blessed to have boneless chicken in our country.
-Breaking an escalator
-Having a Monk try to convert us to Buddhism
-Having the afternoon to ourselves to roam Hong Kong and try to get ourselves back to camp
-All time favorite.....Myself making up skits of bathing and drying off in hopes of finding a towel to buy with friends...I think the best part is when a women pointed, said Japan, and handed me a notes which I later learned said wash cloth instead of a store name.
All in all, my time in China or at least Hong Kong has been incredible. I now sit in a Library courtyard listening to the ring of calming Chinese music watching crowds perform Tai Chi as a morning relaxation...
Weather is hot and sticky. Almost 90, and the skyline is always covered by I light smog. At first I was disappointed with pictures, but I guess it is exactly what I see with my eyes.
Life amongst the smog.....is still a good life.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
I AM HERE!
With only 2,298 miles left to Hong Kong I figured there is no better time than now to write the first blog entry of this journey. Traveling, needless to say, is always a pleasure. Who can resist sitting in a chair for 15 hours, dry air, solidified food and the joy of sitting on top of a complete stranger? For me, I got lucky and quickly switched seats to be next two one of the other China Studies Program students which gave us an opportunity to get to know each other better. So far….this China Experience has been a blast. We all met in spurts inside LAX and ended up at the gate 4 hours before departure. Much laughter, introductions and names were thrown around as we waited for time to pass and to break some of the initial awkwardness.
Nothing more than excitement and curiosity floods my mind. I am sure the exhaustion will kick in at some point but for now, I am ready to go!
**************************************************************************************
We just arrived in Hong Kong and are sitting in the airport waiting for our charter bus. We made it through the airport and past the heat sensing lasers that zap any with fever in fear of swine flu. We only lost a few students in that process.
The airport is a huge and extremely advanced....if it wasn't for the masks and foreign symbols I may think I was in NYC or still LA.
With me luck as our journey begins and we continue in our first ten days in Hong Kong!
Nothing more than excitement and curiosity floods my mind. I am sure the exhaustion will kick in at some point but for now, I am ready to go!
**************************************************************************************
We just arrived in Hong Kong and are sitting in the airport waiting for our charter bus. We made it through the airport and past the heat sensing lasers that zap any with fever in fear of swine flu. We only lost a few students in that process.
The airport is a huge and extremely advanced....if it wasn't for the masks and foreign symbols I may think I was in NYC or still LA.
With me luck as our journey begins and we continue in our first ten days in Hong Kong!
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