Originally uploaded by penglisha
Check out my facebook account for more photos of Jinyun:
http://middlebury.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2029367&l=8f9f9&id=4403142
I am traveling again this weekend, so expect more pictures next week.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
山村 Mountain Town
Originally uploaded by penglisha
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Weekend in the Mountains
This weekend, Qingli, my roommate, invited me to the town she grew up in. It is a small mountain town outside the city of Jinyun south of Hangzhou. So on Friday morning, I left Hangzhou with my roommate, Chynna, and her roommate. First we took the bus to the bus station, then we took a long-distance bus to Jinyun. Then we took a cab up some windy roads into the mountains. Qingli's town is basically a narrow road that leads up into the mountains with houses on either side. Qingli's grandmother lives in a small house that is considered very nice because it has real floors (as opposed to dirt or concrete floors), two televisions, and a seperate building across the street for cooking. Apparently, it is common for some people to have their living quarters in one house and their kitchen in a seperate building.
When we arrived, we just walked up the street to get a feel for the town. People sat outside their front doors peeling oranges, crunching on sunflower seeds, and staring at us. Chynna received the most stares because of her blond hair. A few people called out to us, but we could not understand their local dialect. Qingli told us that when she was little, she only spoke the local dialect; she learned Mandarin in school. She stopped to talk to a few people as we walked. Although she had not visited the town in many years, everybody knew her grandmother, so they knew who Qingli was.
On Saturday morning, we made pancakes with Qingli's grandmother. Chinese pancakes are thicker, more like flat rolls, and they have meat inside them. Then, Qingli's aunt led us on a hike up a mountain path. Chinese hiking trails are not actually for hiking. Most of them are farmer's trails that literally go straight up the mountain. The four of us breathed heavily as we climbed the steep path, but Qingli's Aunt kept up a quick pace and was not eve out of breath when we reached the top. At the top there was a Buddhist temple, where an old man burned incense. Qingli's Aunt chatted with him for a while in their local dialect while we ate our lunch and looked at the view. The we walked back down.
My visit to the country showed me just how serious the pollution problem is in China. Even in the mountains, the smog was so bad that we could not see very far. Also, the littering is a serious problem. Nobody sees it as a problem - they just throw their trash out the window onto the street or into the river. When we were walking down the mountain, I was carrying the plastic bag that had held our lunch. Qingli's aunt told me to just throw it in the woods. I told her I didn't want to litter, and she looked very confused, but she just kept walking. It made me sad to see such a beautiful town littered with plastic bags, wrappers, metal parts, boxes, old car parts.
I am currently writing this from an internet cafe in Jinyun. It is Sunday, and we left Qingli's Grandmother's house early this morning to get a bus back to Hangzhou. However, the earliest bus does not leave until 5 p.m. There are no real restaurants here - only stores and street stands. There is not even a McDonalds! I think this is the first place I have ever been to that does not have any fast food chains. So, the four of us are just hanging out until 5. All in all, it has been an amazing weekend. Everything I have seen in the past 48 hours is completely different from anything else I have ever experienced.
When we arrived, we just walked up the street to get a feel for the town. People sat outside their front doors peeling oranges, crunching on sunflower seeds, and staring at us. Chynna received the most stares because of her blond hair. A few people called out to us, but we could not understand their local dialect. Qingli told us that when she was little, she only spoke the local dialect; she learned Mandarin in school. She stopped to talk to a few people as we walked. Although she had not visited the town in many years, everybody knew her grandmother, so they knew who Qingli was.
On Saturday morning, we made pancakes with Qingli's grandmother. Chinese pancakes are thicker, more like flat rolls, and they have meat inside them. Then, Qingli's aunt led us on a hike up a mountain path. Chinese hiking trails are not actually for hiking. Most of them are farmer's trails that literally go straight up the mountain. The four of us breathed heavily as we climbed the steep path, but Qingli's Aunt kept up a quick pace and was not eve out of breath when we reached the top. At the top there was a Buddhist temple, where an old man burned incense. Qingli's Aunt chatted with him for a while in their local dialect while we ate our lunch and looked at the view. The we walked back down.
My visit to the country showed me just how serious the pollution problem is in China. Even in the mountains, the smog was so bad that we could not see very far. Also, the littering is a serious problem. Nobody sees it as a problem - they just throw their trash out the window onto the street or into the river. When we were walking down the mountain, I was carrying the plastic bag that had held our lunch. Qingli's aunt told me to just throw it in the woods. I told her I didn't want to litter, and she looked very confused, but she just kept walking. It made me sad to see such a beautiful town littered with plastic bags, wrappers, metal parts, boxes, old car parts.
I am currently writing this from an internet cafe in Jinyun. It is Sunday, and we left Qingli's Grandmother's house early this morning to get a bus back to Hangzhou. However, the earliest bus does not leave until 5 p.m. There are no real restaurants here - only stores and street stands. There is not even a McDonalds! I think this is the first place I have ever been to that does not have any fast food chains. So, the four of us are just hanging out until 5. All in all, it has been an amazing weekend. Everything I have seen in the past 48 hours is completely different from anything else I have ever experienced.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year was officially on February 7, but the celebrations started about 4 days before and only just stopped, 10 days later. The night of Chinese New Year's Eve, people set off fireworks in the street. I do not mean little firecrackers - I mean the really big, professional fireworks. From my hotel window in Shanghai, I could see about five different sets of fireworks being set off all over the city. Cab drivers stopped in the middle of the street and got out to watch.
The next morning, people set off more fireworks. And then again that night, there were more. The morning after that, there were still more fireworks. Don't ask me why - you can't even see fireworks during the day!
Now, 2 weeks after Chinese New Year, I am awoken every morning to the sound of fireworks. I feel like I am living in a warzone. Everybody has been assuring me for the past week, "They will stop tomorrow."
The other night, Steve and I walked around downtown after dinner. The streets were crowded with people just stolling around and buying street food. We covered our noses as we walked past the Chou Doufu (Stinky Tofu stand) - seriously, the worst smell in the whole world. A lot of people wore lit-up devil horns on their heads. I don't think they were meant to symbolize the devil, but I have no idea what they were meant to symbolize. My roommate said that people like to buy them because they are festive. When we finally got back to the school, people were setting off fireworks right in front of the entrance to the school. As we stood, about to walk through the gates, the fireworks exploded just above us.
The next morning, people set off more fireworks. And then again that night, there were more. The morning after that, there were still more fireworks. Don't ask me why - you can't even see fireworks during the day!
Now, 2 weeks after Chinese New Year, I am awoken every morning to the sound of fireworks. I feel like I am living in a warzone. Everybody has been assuring me for the past week, "They will stop tomorrow."
The other night, Steve and I walked around downtown after dinner. The streets were crowded with people just stolling around and buying street food. We covered our noses as we walked past the Chou Doufu (Stinky Tofu stand) - seriously, the worst smell in the whole world. A lot of people wore lit-up devil horns on their heads. I don't think they were meant to symbolize the devil, but I have no idea what they were meant to symbolize. My roommate said that people like to buy them because they are festive. When we finally got back to the school, people were setting off fireworks right in front of the entrance to the school. As we stood, about to walk through the gates, the fireworks exploded just above us.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Hangzhou
Hangzhou is beautiful! It is much smaller than Beijing and has a more intimate, friendly feeling. The first day, I walked around West Lake. Check out the pictures on my facebook account:
http://middlebury.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2029048&l=873b5&id=4403142
I started class on Monday. I am taking a Literature class, a film class, a 2-on-1 drill class, and then a 1-on-1 class where I am working individually with a teacher and studying Chinese 20th Century history. I am really excited about my classes. The classes are also teaching me to use Chinese to express real ideas about topics I am interested in.
My roommate's name is Qingli. She is really sweet and protective of me. The first few days, she was so concerned with making sure I got settled in that she started unpacking for me, folding my clothes more neatly than I ever do! When she started folding my underwear into neat quarters, I gently told her that I appreciated her help, but I could handle this on my own. When we cross the street, she holds onto my arm and practically pulls me with her to dodge the oncoming cars, which do not stop despite the crosswalk. I really like talking to Qingli because she is very patient with me and makes sure I understand everything she says. I really enjoy chatting with her, and I am sure that after living with her for 4 months, my Chinese will definitly improve alot! She also shows me around the campus and helps me find the good places to eat. Right outside the backgate of the school are small alleys full of street vendors and food stores. You can find anything back there - milk tea, fruits and vegetables, jiaozis, fried rice, noodles, soup, Hangzhou specialty dishes, Chinese pancakes...In the market, I even saw a huge tub of eels swimming around!
http://middlebury.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2029048&l=873b5&id=4403142
I started class on Monday. I am taking a Literature class, a film class, a 2-on-1 drill class, and then a 1-on-1 class where I am working individually with a teacher and studying Chinese 20th Century history. I am really excited about my classes. The classes are also teaching me to use Chinese to express real ideas about topics I am interested in.
My roommate's name is Qingli. She is really sweet and protective of me. The first few days, she was so concerned with making sure I got settled in that she started unpacking for me, folding my clothes more neatly than I ever do! When she started folding my underwear into neat quarters, I gently told her that I appreciated her help, but I could handle this on my own. When we cross the street, she holds onto my arm and practically pulls me with her to dodge the oncoming cars, which do not stop despite the crosswalk. I really like talking to Qingli because she is very patient with me and makes sure I understand everything she says. I really enjoy chatting with her, and I am sure that after living with her for 4 months, my Chinese will definitly improve alot! She also shows me around the campus and helps me find the good places to eat. Right outside the backgate of the school are small alleys full of street vendors and food stores. You can find anything back there - milk tea, fruits and vegetables, jiaozis, fried rice, noodles, soup, Hangzhou specialty dishes, Chinese pancakes...In the market, I even saw a huge tub of eels swimming around!
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
MIA
Sorry for not posting in a while. I successfully finished J-term in Beijing, and now I am currently in Shanghai with my mom before I have to start classes again in Hangzhou on February 14.
After getting through J-term with no health issues, the day my mom arrived after I finished class, I got sick. After suffering for a few days, I decided it might be a good idea to try to get some medicine. So one day, while riding in a cab, I asked the cab driver where I could find a pharmacy. He drove me to a pharmacy, but instead of going in, he led me around the corner to a window. He talked to a man standing inside and told him my symptoms, then handed me a box of pills and some cough medicine. The labels were all in Chinese. Unfortunately, my Chinese lessons have not covered the names for chemicals put in common cold medicines, so I had no idea what this medicine was. However, after taking it for three days, I made a full recovery!
The cabdriver gave me his card and told him to call him whenever my mom and i want to go somewhere, so we basically had a chauffer in Beijing! Also, when we left he gave us extra cards to give to people in the US so that when they come to China they can call him up. "I have lots of foreign friends" he assured me. He also showed me a picture of a blonde couple with a baby. "See, these are some of my foreign friends," he said, "When they come to Beijing they call me up and I drive them everywhere!"
So if any of you would like a reliable, very friendly cabdriver in Beijing, let me know and I will give you his phone number!
After getting through J-term with no health issues, the day my mom arrived after I finished class, I got sick. After suffering for a few days, I decided it might be a good idea to try to get some medicine. So one day, while riding in a cab, I asked the cab driver where I could find a pharmacy. He drove me to a pharmacy, but instead of going in, he led me around the corner to a window. He talked to a man standing inside and told him my symptoms, then handed me a box of pills and some cough medicine. The labels were all in Chinese. Unfortunately, my Chinese lessons have not covered the names for chemicals put in common cold medicines, so I had no idea what this medicine was. However, after taking it for three days, I made a full recovery!
The cabdriver gave me his card and told him to call him whenever my mom and i want to go somewhere, so we basically had a chauffer in Beijing! Also, when we left he gave us extra cards to give to people in the US so that when they come to China they can call him up. "I have lots of foreign friends" he assured me. He also showed me a picture of a blonde couple with a baby. "See, these are some of my foreign friends," he said, "When they come to Beijing they call me up and I drive them everywhere!"
So if any of you would like a reliable, very friendly cabdriver in Beijing, let me know and I will give you his phone number!
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