China Journey Sep.
17
We are in Chengdu finally after Beijing and Xi'an, which
included a lot of the routine sight-seeing trips to key places + the train
journey- which was almost like traveling in Europe, except the crowd and noise
at the train stations. Beijing, being the capital is more developed than other
cities. Unbelievable development everywhere!! In just three years, China has
moved on!
We are slowly
settling down to the rhythm of life here. Our apartment is on a busy road,
close to Sichuan University and comfortable. We are on the 8th floor with two
elevators… sort of a modern apartment.
For about 8 days we experienced breakdown of water supply as the water
tank broke and we had to ferry water from the first floor. Water supply was resumed
today and a hot shower felt really comfortable! The security guard and folks in
the building were very helpful and if they saw me lifting a bucket, they would
rush to help!
Believe it or not, there is a Wal-Mart on the first floor of
our building (they call it Trust Mart!!). You can buy anything under the sun.
Long lines at the checkout are an indication of how successful they are! I did
some of my initial setting up stuff and groceries a few times at the Trust mart.
Since it is in the same building and that you have to walk everywhere (which we
love) makes it convenient to carry stuff. We also shopped in some local
groceries for milk, vegetables, fruits etc. and a French chain for
butter/cheese and plain yogurt (which are not available in Trust Mart!!). The
French chain is not walking distance for us or accessible by metro or bus
easily. Cabs are cheap and in plenty. It cost us less than $2 by cab (10 RMB).
Metro and bus are also very cheap- only 30 cents to anywhere. Once we settle
down, we should be able shop in the local stores.
Trust Mart, I understand was a Taiwanese chain supermarket
which was bought out fully or partially by Wal-Mart. All of the employees wear
a Red shirt with Trust-Mart on it. But I also saw one or two
supervisors/managers who were wearing a blue "Wal-Mart" shirt. They
have Wal-Mart shopping carts. The store has only 2 floors and very cramped. If
you shop on both floors, you have to carry your baskets up and down the
stairs-a pain!! Unless you plan well and buy the light stuff first, you have to
lift heavy loads up and down. No elevator or escalator inside the shop. The
store is forever busy!
Well, there are so many observations on cultural aspects.
First, the people are very friendly. It is very hard to find an individual who
speaks English. If you are fortunate enough to find one, they will help you get
to your destination, help you find items in the supermarket and won’t leave
till they find all the help we need. They are ready to put their work on hold
to help you!
The place is extremely crowded, but there is some
orderliness to the chaos. The buses are neat and clean, the streets are broad
and clean, although you do find a few spitting on the streets! No one throws
anything on the ground! It seems like everyone eats out. They eat an
overwhelming amount of meat (hum.. vegetarians bias?). The crowd and noise
pollution to environment pollution is just unbelievable. The US Consulate
publishes the air quality index everyday to show the toxins in the air, as the
local gov. here may not be so open about sharing! It is really bad.
The university has four gates: north, south, east and west gates and we live close to the West Gate. Around all of the gates there are lots of restaurants and clothing shops, some fancy while others sell mundane things. Unbelievably busy area, particularly during lunch and dinner times! My favorite is the baked hot sweet potatoes. The shops and street vendors sell them! Cute little shops sell odd items like plastic pails, hanger and other items for household use. Around the gates there are also faculty and staff housing which look kind of old and I understand they are also very small. Maybe that explains why people spend most of their time outside/outdoors. The parks are beautiful and well maintained- very well used. People use the parks to do Tai-Chi, square, line and ballroom dancing, singing lessons and an endless list of activities- old and young alike participating in all of these activities. You can see the communities coming together.
The university has four gates: north, south, east and west gates and we live close to the West Gate. Around all of the gates there are lots of restaurants and clothing shops, some fancy while others sell mundane things. Unbelievably busy area, particularly during lunch and dinner times! My favorite is the baked hot sweet potatoes. The shops and street vendors sell them! Cute little shops sell odd items like plastic pails, hanger and other items for household use. Around the gates there are also faculty and staff housing which look kind of old and I understand they are also very small. Maybe that explains why people spend most of their time outside/outdoors. The parks are beautiful and well maintained- very well used. People use the parks to do Tai-Chi, square, line and ballroom dancing, singing lessons and an endless list of activities- old and young alike participating in all of these activities. You can see the communities coming together.
It is hard to spot children on the streets. But if you go to
parks (in plenty here), you do see some children. So far I have seen three or
four pregnant women and a few twins! In the evenings, you can find some
grandparents out with their grand kids. My first visit to a kindergarten school
is scheduled for Wed afternoon. It is very hard to get permission to visit a
primary school, so I have to satisfy myself visiting a kindergarten program
which is not part of the primary school. They are usually with childcare. I
will be teaching them some nursery rhymes……… I am really looking forward to it.
I am also planning an activity in the parks for children.. don’t know yet if
that will happen. We will see!
I had my first Multicultural Education class on Monday,
but my class is scheduled for Thursday. Just this week I was asked offer it on
Monday as this Thursday is a holiday. Today is Moon Festival and it is a big
event, almost like Thanksgiving. I had about 50 students. But the coordinator
whispered to me that most of them would drop as many do not understand or speak
English. We expect about 15 to 20. The classrooms have a teaching
station-basically computers and LCD monitor etc. They are locked in a chest that
retracts and the instructors have keys. Most buildings at the university have
four floors and there are no elevators or escalators. You have to climb! My
class is on the 3rd floor!
Our Western China guest lecture class on Wednesdays, which the PLU students
attend (sort of organized by PLU and so do I) is on the 4th floor!!
Wait, not done yet! My Chinese language classes are also on the 4th
floor! Whew!!! I hope I shed some lbs! You walk and climb everywhere!
This
morning when we rode the metro to see the biggest mall in the world, Miles and
I were standing. The security police walked past our car, she tapped on two
young men who were sitting and asked them to get up so we could sit! Made us feel very, very
old!! That gesture said a lot about the culture.. that people listen to
authorities, there is respect for age or maybe foreigners (I would like to believe
that)!
When people talk, they freely comment on each other without
any reservation! The concept of being politically correct is absent perhaps or
people just speak their mind at times! Maybe they are uncorrupted by the
outside world! When I introduce Miles to university professionals, they
immediately make fun of him as "so you are the servant" or “you are
the house husband who cleans and cooks." I am not sure if anyone can read
into it as "women are the servants in the family." There are plenty
of women in the work force!
The other
observation is- I was talking with a French national in one of the meetings who
had hairy arms (he was wearing a
short/half sleeve shirt), when the 20 year office assistant stopped and pulled
his hair and said in English- "the Chinese call this monkey." Maybe
"monkey" does not have the same negative connotation and neither did
he say in a derogatory manner. Both the foreigner and the young man laughed out
loud! There is some innocence in their comments! I like their openness and one
cannot get offended. If you made fun of them in the same way, they probably may
not take offense to it.
As a young
friend who has spent several years in China explained, the waves of immigrants have
heightened our sensitivity in the West. On the contrary, Chinese have lived
here for generations and their contact with foreigners or outside world
probably is very limited and restricted! Their comments certainly do not mean
any insult!
Food has
been the only problem for us. Because we are vegetarians, unless we go to
Buddhist restaurants (excellent food there though), you see a lot of meat in
everything. We have now started to cook at home!! Yeah!