What an interesting week this has been...
As it turns out, the hot peppers were not the worst thing in my "Hands of Hellfire Soup" (see previous blog post!). I'm sure you have all heard word about the current milk crisis in China. Thousands of infants have been hospitalized, and several deaths have occurred, due to baby formula tainted with the industrial chemical Melamine. Recently, it has been discovered that is is not only the milk powder that is tainted, but all dairy products from many major dairy brands.
In Hong Kong, officials conducted independent tests of milk products in stores and banned one brand in particular after finding traces of melamine in several of their products. It just so happens, that is the brand that we have been drinking for our past month here in China.
Do not fret, however - I have contacted the Poison Control Centre in Canada and there seems to be little to no risk to myself and Miss Lily, at this point (Daniel hadn't really been consuming the milk). Still, it's quite disappointing that I now have no way to get my required calcium intake.
Aside from slowly poisoning myself, things are mostly A-OK! We've booked a trip for our Fall Break to Shanghai and are looking forward to taking in the sights. Unfortunately, there is a slight chance that our trip will have to be cancelled due to visa issues. Our visas should have been processed quite some time ago now, but the lady in charge of that process quit very suddenly and everything came to a halt. We are assured that they are now working hard to get us our visas so we can be on our way to Shanghai come Sunday!
I am also happy to report that I am still completing goals from my list on a regular basis. So far, since my last update:
98) Celebrate Moon Festival - COMPLETE!
Also known as "Mid-Autumn Festival", the Moon Festival is a cultural celebration here in China which and is attached to many legends and stories. To learn more about the Mid Autumn Festival, you can visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Autumn_Festival.
For our celebration, we joined several friends on the beach, ate moon cakes, set off fireworks, and admired the moon. It was beautiful...
82) Enter a Writing Contest - COMPLETE!
One of my more exciting accomplishments this week is that I have joined an online community for freelance writers . Here members write articles, on a plethora of topics, which can then be entered into contests, submitted to publishers, and enjoyed by all via the the Internet.
This week, I have dedicated my writing energies to one of their contests, in which contestants submit articles to a variety of titles on a given topic. The winner in each category receives a cash prize at the end of voting. Thus far, each of the five articles I have written have reached the number one spot out of all of the articles written to that title. Combine, that puts me as the winner for this week's contest, if I can maintain my rating! If you're curious, you can visit my page here.
50) Make dill Pickles - COMPLETE!
The most exciting of all of my accomplishments thus far, I have managed to make myself three beautiful jars of homemade dill pickles! With the help of my neighbour Merilee (who assisted my supplying jars and dill) I spent part of my weekend making wonderful, delicious garlic dills.
I had almost resigned myself to the fact that I would not see another dill pickle until I returned to Canada when I realized that I could make them myself! I scoured the Internet for recipes and, much to my disappointment, found that any recipe required a waiting time of at least a month after canning. that would just not do - I wanted pickles now! So, I created a recipe for "Speedy Dills" which would be ready for eating in under a week. To my delight, it work! I am now rationing two jars of very yummy pickles (the third was given to the nice neighbour who supplied the jars and dill) and looking forward to the next batch!
Aside from that, it has been a relatively uneventful week, aside from a brief bought of fever. Baby Lily is very active and doing well, I go for my first visit to the hospital on Friday, and Daniel is still enjoying his job here in China!
I am happy to report that all is well, and I can only see it getting better and better!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Thank God we Brought a Med Kit!
Have you ever had a Capsicum burn? For your sake, I surely hope not. Let me tell you the tale of my day from hell...
Today, for lunch, I decided that I would make a Cream of Vegetable and Rice Soup. I proceeded to put my rice on and chop my cabbage, green pepper, tomato, and onion and put them all on to boil. About ten minutes later, after putting the finishing touches on my soup, I began to feel a strange sensation - one I had only felt one other time in my life. My hands began to burn like hellfire...much like they did the first time I ever cut up hot peppers and didn't know that I should wear gloves. Although I had touched no hot peppers or chili oil of any kind, this was a very recognizable pain. I proceeded to run my hands under water, wash thoroughly, submerged in ice water, submerge in milk, and dab with freezer-chilled wet clothes... All of which provided little to no relief.
Daniel came home as I was sitting on the bed, with my hands out in front of the fan, meditating away the pain. I told him my terrible story of woe while trying to deduce where the pain was coming from. First, I thought that perhaps one of the vegetables I had used in my soup had traveled with some hot peppers and gotten oiled. But I quickly remember that it was the inside of the pepper that was the problem. And then it came to me. Perhaps my green peppers weren't green peppers at all. My current terrible cold would keep me from telling by smell while cutting them up...
Daniel then went to eat his lunch and confirmed that there were, indeed, chili peppers in the soup. So, mystery solved; problem not-so-solved. My hands still felt like I was holding them over a Bunson burner. I browsed the internet for ways to treat a hot pepper burn (cause by the oil Capsicum) and came across a suggestion of using rubbing alcohol to soothe the pain. At that moment, I was ready to try anything. I went to our med kit containing about 100 alcohol wipes (which I swore when I packed them that I would likely never use) and got to rubbing. And "VOILA!" it did cut some of the pain. Lucky for me, the burning mostly subsided within a couple of hours. It seems a burn of this nature can often last up to 24 hours.
So, I went about my business, booked our holiday trip (more about this is my next post), and came home to get some more soup. While carrying my soup, my gimpy and still somewhat burny hands failed on me and my soup made it all over the kitchen floor. Although I did wear gloves while cleaning it, it still managed to seep through and my hands began to burn once more. This time, a soap and water scrub and alcohol swabbing did the trick quickly.
Later, it was time to make supper. I chopped and put potatoes on to boil and, while reaching for the cover of the pot, lost my grip resulting the glass cover flying across the room and landing in tiny pieces on the floor (and in my potatoes). This would not have caused me too much strife until I suddenly noticed that familiar sensation. My hands were, once again, on fire.
I though to myself, "What the hell?! I was only chopping potatoes!" and then I realized that in my haste to ease the pain of lunchtime, I had not washed the cutting board. As a result, my potatoes picked up the leftover oil and transferred it to my hands. This time, the alcohol trick did not work. Nor did a good washing. So, here I sit, typing with hands of fire.
The one good thing that came from this experience, was a wonderful soup! For anyone who would like to try it, here is the recipe:
Hands of Hellfire Soup (Clever, eh?)
Ingredients:
2 tomatoes
1 cup cabbage
1 medium onion
1 medium sized green chili pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 250ml bag of milk (could be substituted for canned milk if you're not in China!)
1/2 tbsp thyme
1/2 tbsp pepper (or to taste)
1 1/2 cups cooked white rice
Chop all vegetables and garlic. Combine chopped mixture and just enough water to cover in pot. Bring to boil on high heat. Add milk, thyme, pepper, and rice. Turn to low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve.
Contrary to what my story may portray, the soup is actually rather mild and very tasty. So, for all of you soup lovers - Make and enjoy. Just remember...wear gloves!
Today, for lunch, I decided that I would make a Cream of Vegetable and Rice Soup. I proceeded to put my rice on and chop my cabbage, green pepper, tomato, and onion and put them all on to boil. About ten minutes later, after putting the finishing touches on my soup, I began to feel a strange sensation - one I had only felt one other time in my life. My hands began to burn like hellfire...much like they did the first time I ever cut up hot peppers and didn't know that I should wear gloves. Although I had touched no hot peppers or chili oil of any kind, this was a very recognizable pain. I proceeded to run my hands under water, wash thoroughly, submerged in ice water, submerge in milk, and dab with freezer-chilled wet clothes... All of which provided little to no relief.
Daniel came home as I was sitting on the bed, with my hands out in front of the fan, meditating away the pain. I told him my terrible story of woe while trying to deduce where the pain was coming from. First, I thought that perhaps one of the vegetables I had used in my soup had traveled with some hot peppers and gotten oiled. But I quickly remember that it was the inside of the pepper that was the problem. And then it came to me. Perhaps my green peppers weren't green peppers at all. My current terrible cold would keep me from telling by smell while cutting them up...
Daniel then went to eat his lunch and confirmed that there were, indeed, chili peppers in the soup. So, mystery solved; problem not-so-solved. My hands still felt like I was holding them over a Bunson burner. I browsed the internet for ways to treat a hot pepper burn (cause by the oil Capsicum) and came across a suggestion of using rubbing alcohol to soothe the pain. At that moment, I was ready to try anything. I went to our med kit containing about 100 alcohol wipes (which I swore when I packed them that I would likely never use) and got to rubbing. And "VOILA!" it did cut some of the pain. Lucky for me, the burning mostly subsided within a couple of hours. It seems a burn of this nature can often last up to 24 hours.
So, I went about my business, booked our holiday trip (more about this is my next post), and came home to get some more soup. While carrying my soup, my gimpy and still somewhat burny hands failed on me and my soup made it all over the kitchen floor. Although I did wear gloves while cleaning it, it still managed to seep through and my hands began to burn once more. This time, a soap and water scrub and alcohol swabbing did the trick quickly.
Later, it was time to make supper. I chopped and put potatoes on to boil and, while reaching for the cover of the pot, lost my grip resulting the glass cover flying across the room and landing in tiny pieces on the floor (and in my potatoes). This would not have caused me too much strife until I suddenly noticed that familiar sensation. My hands were, once again, on fire.
I though to myself, "What the hell?! I was only chopping potatoes!" and then I realized that in my haste to ease the pain of lunchtime, I had not washed the cutting board. As a result, my potatoes picked up the leftover oil and transferred it to my hands. This time, the alcohol trick did not work. Nor did a good washing. So, here I sit, typing with hands of fire.
The one good thing that came from this experience, was a wonderful soup! For anyone who would like to try it, here is the recipe:
Hands of Hellfire Soup (Clever, eh?)
Ingredients:
2 tomatoes
1 cup cabbage
1 medium onion
1 medium sized green chili pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 250ml bag of milk (could be substituted for canned milk if you're not in China!)
1/2 tbsp thyme
1/2 tbsp pepper (or to taste)
1 1/2 cups cooked white rice
Chop all vegetables and garlic. Combine chopped mixture and just enough water to cover in pot. Bring to boil on high heat. Add milk, thyme, pepper, and rice. Turn to low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve.
Contrary to what my story may portray, the soup is actually rather mild and very tasty. So, for all of you soup lovers - Make and enjoy. Just remember...wear gloves!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Completing Goals!
Well, this week has been somewhat uneventful. We've been quite lethargic when it comes to "going out on the town" due to both of us having some soft of nasty clod virus. Daniel has mostly recovered from said virus and I certainly feel better than I did two days ago when I had o actually lay down on a bench in the mall because I COULDN'T continue to sit upright.
The one productive thing that has come out of our lazing around the house is that I'm well on my way to completing that big list of goals from my last post! So far...
21) Make a list of the top 100 books I would like to read. COMPLETE!
This, like many of my lists, actually became larger than intended. My list is now the list of the top 115 books I would like to read. For a anyone who is interested in see what my choices were, here they are:
Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Germinal - Emile Zola
Possession - AS Byatt
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
The Color Purple - Alice Walker
Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
Charlotte's Web - EB White
The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Alborn
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
The Secret life of bees – Sue Monk Kidd
Big Fish – Daniel Wallace
If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things – Jon McGregor
A Cup of Christmas Tea - Tom hegg
Life of Pi – Yann Martel
Silk – Alessandro Baricco
American Psycho – Bret Easton Ellis
Love in the Time of Cholera – Gabriel García Márquez
The Cider House Rules – John Irving
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
Life: A User’s Manual – Georges Perec
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – Hunter S. Thompson
2001: A Space Odyssey – Arthur C. Clarke
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Ken Kesey
A Clockwork Orange – Anthony Burgess
Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Truman Capote
Lord of the Flies – William Golding
Casino Royale – Ian Fleming
Animal Farm – George Orwell
Dracula – Bram Stoker
The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain
Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson
Ben-Hur – Lew Wallace
Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
Journey to the Centre of the Earth – Jules Verne
Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoevsky
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Life Among the Lonely – Harriet Beecher Stowe
The Scarlet Letter – Nathaniel Hawthorne
Wuthering Heights – Emily Brontë
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
The Count of Monte-Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby – Charles Dickens
Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Victor Hugo
Last of the Mohicans – James Fenimore Cooper
Frankenstein – Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
Dangerous Liaisons – Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
Gulliver’s Travels – Jonathan Swift
Aesop’s Fables – Aesopus
Note: After having to insert my entire book list here instead of having a nice tidy link that opens and closes that text, I have decided to add another goal to my list - LEARN BASIC HTML! Many years ago, I knew how to insert this "drop-down" style text and I feel if I am to be blogging regularly , it would be nice to know that and other HTML basics!
52) Make Singapore Noodles. COMPLETE!
I did decide to alter the preparation method, as Singapore noodles tend to be quite greasy. My concoction, while tasting fairly similar to the restaurant version, certainly did not have the same appearance or texture. I think next time I will actually follow proper preparation methods and see what happens. This goal will be revisited and re-accomplished at a later date!
I am also in the midst of designing our dream home. So far, I have completed the floor plans, but have not yet finished the interior fixtures, flooring, paint, etc. I have a wonderful program that will allowing me to have a 3D rendering of the entire program once the design is complete!
Of course, since it is perhaps the most time consuming goal on my list, I have begun the process of going through my reading list. I have started with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. So far, a great little read!
Anywho, while it has been a sick and lazy week, I have managed to make a considerable dent in my list of China goals! Wish me well - I'm off to complete some more!
The one productive thing that has come out of our lazing around the house is that I'm well on my way to completing that big list of goals from my last post! So far...
21) Make a list of the top 100 books I would like to read. COMPLETE!
This, like many of my lists, actually became larger than intended. My list is now the list of the top 115 books I would like to read. For a anyone who is interested in see what my choices were, here they are:
Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Germinal - Emile Zola
Possession - AS Byatt
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
The Color Purple - Alice Walker
Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
Charlotte's Web - EB White
The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Alborn
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
The Secret life of bees – Sue Monk Kidd
Big Fish – Daniel Wallace
If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things – Jon McGregor
A Cup of Christmas Tea - Tom hegg
Life of Pi – Yann Martel
Silk – Alessandro Baricco
American Psycho – Bret Easton Ellis
Love in the Time of Cholera – Gabriel García Márquez
The Cider House Rules – John Irving
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
Life: A User’s Manual – Georges Perec
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – Hunter S. Thompson
2001: A Space Odyssey – Arthur C. Clarke
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Ken Kesey
A Clockwork Orange – Anthony Burgess
Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Truman Capote
Lord of the Flies – William Golding
Casino Royale – Ian Fleming
Animal Farm – George Orwell
Dracula – Bram Stoker
The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain
Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson
Ben-Hur – Lew Wallace
Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
Journey to the Centre of the Earth – Jules Verne
Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoevsky
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Life Among the Lonely – Harriet Beecher Stowe
The Scarlet Letter – Nathaniel Hawthorne
Wuthering Heights – Emily Brontë
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
The Count of Monte-Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby – Charles Dickens
Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Victor Hugo
Last of the Mohicans – James Fenimore Cooper
Frankenstein – Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
Dangerous Liaisons – Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
Gulliver’s Travels – Jonathan Swift
Aesop’s Fables – Aesopus
Note: After having to insert my entire book list here instead of having a nice tidy link that opens and closes that text, I have decided to add another goal to my list - LEARN BASIC HTML! Many years ago, I knew how to insert this "drop-down" style text and I feel if I am to be blogging regularly , it would be nice to know that and other HTML basics!
52) Make Singapore Noodles. COMPLETE!
I did decide to alter the preparation method, as Singapore noodles tend to be quite greasy. My concoction, while tasting fairly similar to the restaurant version, certainly did not have the same appearance or texture. I think next time I will actually follow proper preparation methods and see what happens. This goal will be revisited and re-accomplished at a later date!
111) Make Spaghetti Sauce from Scratch. COMPLETE!
Now, when I say from scratch, I do not mean "One can of diced tomatoes..." and so on. I mean from market-fresh tomatoes to sauce on your pasta! If you're observant, you will notice that there is no #111 on my original list of goals. This is because it is a rogue goal that somehow got away in the process of being transferred from my word processor to my blog. It does exist, and now it is complete. Well...almost. It's cooking right now, smells fantastic, and will hopefully be tonight's supper!
I also have several of my goals currently in progress:
I am also in the midst of designing our dream home. So far, I have completed the floor plans, but have not yet finished the interior fixtures, flooring, paint, etc. I have a wonderful program that will allowing me to have a 3D rendering of the entire program once the design is complete!
Of course, since it is perhaps the most time consuming goal on my list, I have begun the process of going through my reading list. I have started with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. So far, a great little read!
Anywho, while it has been a sick and lazy week, I have managed to make a considerable dent in my list of China goals! Wish me well - I'm off to complete some more!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
China Goals...
The ending of my last post (the listing of my goals for this month) inspired me to be slightly more goal oriented while here in China. As a result, I have created a list of goals which I would like to accomplish during our two year stay. It was intended to be a list of 100 goals and somehow made it's way up to 110. It might be a little optimistic, but here it goes:
Travel
1. Go to the Beijing Zoo
2. Walk on the Great Wall
3. Go to a hotspring
4. Visit Tianamin Square
5. Visit the Forbidden City
6. Visit Ming Tombs
7. Visit Shanghai
8. See the Red Beach
9. Explore Jinshitan
10. Go to Thailand
Music
11. Learn to play Erhu
12. Learn to play Zither
13. Have a repertoire to be proud of on flute
14. Have a repertoire to be proud of on clarinet
15. Have a repertoire to be proud of on violin
16. Start a band
Learning and Self-Development
17. Learn Tai Chi
18. Do Yoga Regularly
19. Help someone learn English
20. Grow an indoor herb garden
21. Make a list of Top 100 Books I would like to read
22. Read all books on top 100 Books list
23. Learn to play Euchre well
24. Be able to do 20 push-ups
25. Learn Physic...or at least learn to not hate it
26. Learn my alphabet, and 100 words/phrases in ASL
27. Learn more about 5 different religions
28. Learn to play 5 new card/board games
29. Read the news and average of at least three times a week
30. Learn a form of Chinese divination
Socialization
31. Host a Holiday Party
32. Have a poker party and actually play
33. Host a potluck
Chinese Language
34. Read a full sign in Chinese
35. Read and understand the newspaper in Chinese
36. Become Literate in Chinese (Learn to read and write 2000 Characters)
37. Bargain with someone in Chinese
38. Learn to use at least 5 measure words properly
39. Become conversationally fluent in Mandarin
40. Go to a movie and understand a movie in Chinese
41. Write a letter in Chinese
42. Be able to navigate a Chinese website without translation
Cooking
43. Make homemade curry paste
44. Make dumplings from scratch
45. Learn to cook 3 Indian dishes
46. Create a cookie recipe
47. Make a custom hot chocolate blend
48. Make sushi
49. Make tempura
50. Make Dill Pickles
51. Make my own Salsa from scratch
52. Make Singapore noodles
53. Make steamed buns from scratch
54. Make lemon chicken
55. Grow my spice cupboard to an acceptable level
Organization and Planning
56. Completely finish a business plan
57. De-clutter my e-mail inboxes
58. Organize my computer favorites list
59. Find a dentist in China
60. Maintain my blog throughout our stay in China
61. Plan Our wedding
62. Make an address/important dates book
6. Correspond through mail with family back home
64. Successfully keep track of our budget
Luxury
65. Pamper myself at a Chinese Spa
66. Get a Chinese reflexology treatment
67. Get a Thai Massage
Daniel and I
68. Consistently do nice/romantic things for Daniel
69. Learn to dance with Daniel
70. Play a full game of chess with Daniel
71. Read a book aloud with Daniel
72. Teach Daniel to play an instrument
Creative
73. Sell a photo
74. Make a recipe book
75. Make a China Scrapbook
76. Learn to knit...again
77. Learn to Crochet
78. Write at least the outline for a novel
79. Design our dream home
80. Make a tabletop book of my photos
81. Enter a photo contest
82. Enter a writing contest
83. Design a dress and have it made or make it
84. Paint a painting off a photo I've taken
85. Write and illustrate a children's book
86. Mount art I've done on our wall
87. Paint at least 10 paintings
88. Get pictures of at least 5 new bugs
89. Learn a form or Chinese art (rope charms, calligraphy, etc)
New Foods
90. Eat frogs legs
91. Try some Chinese Snacks (the creepy looking ones in the snack isle)
92. Try Chinese Beer
93. Try Durian
94. Try Mangosten
95. Try Lychee
96. Try Bubble Tea
97. Try 5 new foods (not counting things I cook myself)
Culture
98. Celebrate Moon Festival
99. Go to a bathhouse
100. Go to a Chinese Opera
101. Shop for various loose herbal teas
102. Get clothes custom made
103. Go on the Giant Jolly-Jumper
104. Celebrate Chinese New Year in China
105. See a Chinese acrobatic troupe perform
106. Watch a Chinese made movie
107. Go to the movie theatre and see a movie in Chinese
108. Go for a horse and carriage ride
109. Go to a Chinese sporting event
110. Go to a Chinese concert
So, there we have it! I know that there is nothing baby-related on this list...I figured that would take up a whole list on it's own, so I would leave the baby-esque things off. I'm also aware that this is overly-ambitious, considering I'm about to have a wee little time grubber on my hands, but I think I can do it! Keep watch and you'll find out, one way or the other!
Travel
1. Go to the Beijing Zoo
2. Walk on the Great Wall
3. Go to a hotspring
4. Visit Tianamin Square
5. Visit the Forbidden City
6. Visit Ming Tombs
7. Visit Shanghai
8. See the Red Beach
9. Explore Jinshitan
10. Go to Thailand
Music
11. Learn to play Erhu
12. Learn to play Zither
13. Have a repertoire to be proud of on flute
14. Have a repertoire to be proud of on clarinet
15. Have a repertoire to be proud of on violin
16. Start a band
Learning and Self-Development
17. Learn Tai Chi
18. Do Yoga Regularly
19. Help someone learn English
20. Grow an indoor herb garden
21. Make a list of Top 100 Books I would like to read
22. Read all books on top 100 Books list
23. Learn to play Euchre well
24. Be able to do 20 push-ups
25. Learn Physic...or at least learn to not hate it
26. Learn my alphabet, and 100 words/phrases in ASL
27. Learn more about 5 different religions
28. Learn to play 5 new card/board games
29. Read the news and average of at least three times a week
30. Learn a form of Chinese divination
Socialization
31. Host a Holiday Party
32. Have a poker party and actually play
33. Host a potluck
Chinese Language
34. Read a full sign in Chinese
35. Read and understand the newspaper in Chinese
36. Become Literate in Chinese (Learn to read and write 2000 Characters)
37. Bargain with someone in Chinese
38. Learn to use at least 5 measure words properly
39. Become conversationally fluent in Mandarin
40. Go to a movie and understand a movie in Chinese
41. Write a letter in Chinese
42. Be able to navigate a Chinese website without translation
Cooking
43. Make homemade curry paste
44. Make dumplings from scratch
45. Learn to cook 3 Indian dishes
46. Create a cookie recipe
47. Make a custom hot chocolate blend
48. Make sushi
49. Make tempura
50. Make Dill Pickles
51. Make my own Salsa from scratch
52. Make Singapore noodles
53. Make steamed buns from scratch
54. Make lemon chicken
55. Grow my spice cupboard to an acceptable level
Organization and Planning
56. Completely finish a business plan
57. De-clutter my e-mail inboxes
58. Organize my computer favorites list
59. Find a dentist in China
60. Maintain my blog throughout our stay in China
61. Plan Our wedding
62. Make an address/important dates book
6. Correspond through mail with family back home
64. Successfully keep track of our budget
Luxury
65. Pamper myself at a Chinese Spa
66. Get a Chinese reflexology treatment
67. Get a Thai Massage
Daniel and I
68. Consistently do nice/romantic things for Daniel
69. Learn to dance with Daniel
70. Play a full game of chess with Daniel
71. Read a book aloud with Daniel
72. Teach Daniel to play an instrument
Creative
73. Sell a photo
74. Make a recipe book
75. Make a China Scrapbook
76. Learn to knit...again
77. Learn to Crochet
78. Write at least the outline for a novel
79. Design our dream home
80. Make a tabletop book of my photos
81. Enter a photo contest
82. Enter a writing contest
83. Design a dress and have it made or make it
84. Paint a painting off a photo I've taken
85. Write and illustrate a children's book
86. Mount art I've done on our wall
87. Paint at least 10 paintings
88. Get pictures of at least 5 new bugs
89. Learn a form or Chinese art (rope charms, calligraphy, etc)
New Foods
90. Eat frogs legs
91. Try some Chinese Snacks (the creepy looking ones in the snack isle)
92. Try Chinese Beer
93. Try Durian
94. Try Mangosten
95. Try Lychee
96. Try Bubble Tea
97. Try 5 new foods (not counting things I cook myself)
Culture
98. Celebrate Moon Festival
99. Go to a bathhouse
100. Go to a Chinese Opera
101. Shop for various loose herbal teas
102. Get clothes custom made
103. Go on the Giant Jolly-Jumper
104. Celebrate Chinese New Year in China
105. See a Chinese acrobatic troupe perform
106. Watch a Chinese made movie
107. Go to the movie theatre and see a movie in Chinese
108. Go for a horse and carriage ride
109. Go to a Chinese sporting event
110. Go to a Chinese concert
So, there we have it! I know that there is nothing baby-related on this list...I figured that would take up a whole list on it's own, so I would leave the baby-esque things off. I'm also aware that this is overly-ambitious, considering I'm about to have a wee little time grubber on my hands, but I think I can do it! Keep watch and you'll find out, one way or the other!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Pregnant in China...
Here I sit, on the couch, watching our lunch cook on the living room floor. Yes, you heard me right - I'm making lunch on the living room floor. Let me start this story a few days back...
In our apartments, we have gas stoves. I don't know if you've ever tried to cook rice on a gas stove...It can be done, but it's not pretty. The first time I made the attempt, I ended up adding 10 cups of water to the pot while cooking.
You see, there is no such thing as simmer on these stoves - the minimum heat setting still leaves you at boiling temperature. For day-to-day cooking, I've adjusted. Rice, however, is just plain annoying. So, I broke down and we bough a rice cooker. It was less that $20 for a 4 quart machine, but I do despise spending money.
We came home happy with our purchase and excited to be able to easily cook rice. Until we encountered rice cooking problem number two. Electrical outlets in our campus apartments are rather hard to come by, as is counter space. In the kitchen, we literally have no counter space whatsoever that will reach an electrical outlet. In fact, many of the outlets are in strange places you would never expect (i.e. above door frames) because they are cheaper to wire that way. Subsequently, our rice cooker now sits happy on our living room floor emitting the lovely aroma of curried rice and Chinese sausage. I think we get an A+ for being able to adapt!
Cooking lunch on the living room floor due to misplaced outlets is not the only strange thing about our living arrangements. There are plenty of other "quirky" things that make this a fun and exciting place to live! For example, we have a washing machine, but no dryer, which means the little sun porch off of our bedroom is now our very own Chinese Laundry!
- I am unsustainabley hungry and often want things to eat that are just plain impossible for me to have here in China.
In our apartments, we have gas stoves. I don't know if you've ever tried to cook rice on a gas stove...It can be done, but it's not pretty. The first time I made the attempt, I ended up adding 10 cups of water to the pot while cooking.
You see, there is no such thing as simmer on these stoves - the minimum heat setting still leaves you at boiling temperature. For day-to-day cooking, I've adjusted. Rice, however, is just plain annoying. So, I broke down and we bough a rice cooker. It was less that $20 for a 4 quart machine, but I do despise spending money.
We came home happy with our purchase and excited to be able to easily cook rice. Until we encountered rice cooking problem number two. Electrical outlets in our campus apartments are rather hard to come by, as is counter space. In the kitchen, we literally have no counter space whatsoever that will reach an electrical outlet. In fact, many of the outlets are in strange places you would never expect (i.e. above door frames) because they are cheaper to wire that way. Subsequently, our rice cooker now sits happy on our living room floor emitting the lovely aroma of curried rice and Chinese sausage. I think we get an A+ for being able to adapt!
Cooking lunch on the living room floor due to misplaced outlets is not the only strange thing about our living arrangements. There are plenty of other "quirky" things that make this a fun and exciting place to live! For example, we have a washing machine, but no dryer, which means the little sun porch off of our bedroom is now our very own Chinese Laundry!
But, as I said, we are happy to adapt. We do, however, have some very good news on the topic of housing. We found out yesterday that one of the up-downs (Two level, three bedroom apartments) will soon be empty! We're first on the list, so this means we will have room for our baby and guests very shortly!
There is also more good news - I have hit a personal milestone when it come to my experiences in China. No, it was not our trip to the meat restaurant during which we ate Ox Tongue - I have mastered the squatter! For anyone who's not quite sure what I'm talking about, public bathrooms in China are just one more thing that is not quite what you would expect. Instead of toilets, each stall has a hole in the ground (essentially an in-ground toilet bowl) with a foot hold on either side. You are expected to squat and do your business. Also, don't expect to find toilet paper or hand soap in a public washroom. These are items you must carry in your purse at all times.
Anywho, to begin with, I was not a fan of the squatter. I did give it a chance. I tried several times to position myself properly and decided, after much speculation, that there was no way I was going to be able to squat and not pee on my pants. My initial solution was to just take them off. This worked, but was rather time consuming. I later decided that a clever alternate solution was to go to wheelchair accessible washrooms only. This way, there was a guarantee that there would be at least one Western toilet. This was an acceptable solution until I realized that not all washrooms are wheelchair accessible and sometimes, you just have to pee. At this moment I made the decision that if millions of people could use a squatter each and every day, there was no reason I couldn't do it too! And I did! I managed to use the squatter properly and not even pee on myself! So there it is...my very strange - but exciting - milestone.
Unfortunately, there is also some disappointing news to share. Being pregnant in rural China kinda sucks sometimes. Now, there are the good points - people are really nice to you, you almost always get a seat on the train, etc. However, in my new, painful, irritable state, it seems very unfortunate to me that I can't just walk out the door and satisfy my hunger, for example. Here is the problems, in short:
- I'm starting to get big - my centre of gravity is off and it's hard to get up by myself.
- I get exhausted rather easily and get horrible stitches in my sides when I walk (just my uterus stretching -nothing to worry about)
- I am unsustainabley hungry and often want things to eat that are just plain impossible for me to have here in China.
You see, back home if I was too tired to stand up I could just order food or take a trip to a close by fast food restaurant. Here, I can order out, but it's terrible expensive and we all know how cheap I am. Home I could have things like ice cream, dill pickles, and olives on hand. Here, that is simply not an option.
I am, of course, making it work. I just do what I always to and keep on trudging through when I'm so tired that I feel like I can't even stand. I still cook our meals and clean everyday. I pretend that there is nothing that I would want at home that I can't have here. I walk to town to town to drop off drycleaning or shop. But still, I want pickles...and ice cream...and easily accessible food. *End Rant*
Now, back to the happy things! I've found out where several important things are in Dalian. Well...important in SarahLand, at least. I have now located the music store, and the art supplies store. My birthday money from my parents will go a long way here in China and I plan to pick up (possibly next week), an Erhu (a Chinese stringed folk instrument) and method book, music books for my violin, flute and clarinet, rosin and a mute for my violin, as well as canvas and paint! I figure I should spend sometime painting and playing music while I still have the time. I doubt I will have that luxury once Miss Lily comes!
Also, on the "Happy News" front, I have secured a tutoring job! I will be teaching two Korean children English. It's only once a week, but it adds up to enough to but groceries!
Another notable thing that has been happening this week is the multiple occurrences of us getting ripped off. Yesterday, we bought fruit. We got charged about 1/3 more that what we should have. We got pictures printed. We got charged almost double what we should have. This has lead me to realize that I really have to learn enough Chinese very quickly to let someone know that I'm aware that they are ripping me off. I can say "It's too expensive" and I know my numbers so I can bargain, but it still disappoints me that it happens at all.
Now, on the plus side, there are very few people that are trying to rip us off because we're not Chinese, and there are some merchants who are absolutely wonderful, for example, my vegetable lady. I continuously go to the same lady at the market to buy vegetables. On the exterior she doesn't seem like a friendly person, but she is quite nice and very fair. She gives me the same price as she would someone Chinese and she even takes me to to more fresh produce hidden away if I am looking at something that she has better stock of. She's so good to me, in fact, that I think I will bring her a present.
Last, but, not least, I need to mention our school clubs here. I think it's wonderful, the way they run extracurricular activities. Many of the clubs (movie club, yoga, softball) are for teachers and students alike and they all take part in activities together. I think it's a wonderful way to foster community spirit.
Yesterday, we decided to go to softball (an excellent example of me forcing myself to do something, even though I was dead tired!). Daniel went to play and I took our camera and took pictures of the event. Staff and students played together, everyone looked like they were having a wonderful time, and we are excited to go back again next week!
Overall, we're still enjoying our time here immensely! My goals for this month are to:
a) see more of what the city has to offer
b) Read one whole sign in Chinese
c) Learn to verbally communicate more effectively
d) Get more involved at the school
I'm quite proud of both of us for the progress we've made so far, but there is a lot more excitement and adventure to come! Keep checking back- We'll keep you posted!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Dalian Forest Zoo: Should We Call the WWF?
I have made it back unscathed from another shopping trip into Manjitan (the small village which is a ten minute walk from campus). This may sound easy, but it is no ordinary feat, considering that you have to cross a rather busy rotary to get there and back! If you don't understand why this would be a problem, please refer to the list of Chinese Road Rules in the previous post...
I quite enjoy having the village so close by. I am able to walk there, get all of my shopping done, and walk back - all in an hour! That's not the most exciting part, however. I'm quite pleased to announce that today I bought enough vegetables to last us the rest of the week for less than $2. I picked up onions, garlic, ginger, carrots, snow peas, mushrooms, cabbage, and potatoes all for that low, low price. I also splurged on six bananas for 70 cents.
However, my wonderful shopping trip is not really what I'm here to blog about today. As some of you may know, my birthday was on Saturday and, as a birthday treat, Daniel decided that he would take me to the Dalian Forest Zoo. We mapped out the shortest route the night before, which meant going to the second-last Chingway stop and taking a taxi from there. I learned how to tell the taxi where we wanted to go in Chinese, but it would seem that was not enough to convince him that were were not tourists. He proceeded to take us the most convoluted route possible around town until Daniel and I began talking amongst ourselves and muttering "It's too expensive" in Chinese. Our route suddenly got mysteriously more direct!
Upon arriving at the zoo, we were surprised to see that the admission price was almost as high as that of the Toronto Zoo. I suppose tourist traps are the same outlandish prices across the globe. The first exhibit we came across was the children's area containing a petting zoo. We wandered around to see the most unusual mix of animals ever spotted at a zoo - chicks dyed a variety of colors, ducks, guinea pigs, "fragrant pigs", zebras, llamas, horses, bunnies, and even dogs (who were very happy with all of the Chinese tourists feeding them sausage!).
We were quite amused after wandering through this odd petting zoo, taking pictures in the tropical flower house, watching people on elephant rides, and having a nice lunch of dumplings and soup at the cafeteria. It only got better from there - for a while, anyways...
We next found ourselves in the "free raising area". Upon seeing the signs, we were a bit worried about what we might be about to encounter. Would there be dangerous animals roaming free?? Not quite, but mighty close! There were zebras, giraffes, emu, and other various vegetarian critters all wandering about in their enclosures that were nothing more than a small wooden fence.
We continued on to the next section of the free raising area and were alarmed to see, as we walked down the stairs, two llamas, actually wandering about freely. We soon saw that they were not alone. There were more llamas, goats, dear, and other various creatures all wandering about amongst the tourists! At this point, we decided is was definitely worth the money and may just be one of the coolest zoos we'd ever seen!
Even once we had gotten out of the free roaming portion of the zoo, we were still very impressed. All of the carnivorous animals were enclosed but had a raised platform for viewing, ideal for taking pictures!
We made it trough the first half of the zoo, rather tired from the excessive amount of walking. Using Chinese, we asked directions to the cable car that would take us to the other section of the zoo which, according to the map we had, appeared to be on part way up the mountain.
For those of you who have never been on a cable car, I would describe this one as a distinct feeling of risking your life. It began with boarding the car - a process by which you jump in off of a platform while the car is still moving along. By the time we were half way up the mountain, listening the the creaking and groaning of the cables, and realizing that we were almost the only people riding said cable car, we began to question our decision. We were relieved when we we saw the top of the mountain (although a little nervous about whether disembarking would be as challenging as boarding). We reached the summit and breathed a sigh of relief until we suddenly realized that the ride was not yet over. The other half of the zoo was on the other SIDE of the mountain. It was at this point when we noted that the attachment holding our cars onto the cables did not, in fact, wrap around the wire. They merely say on top, with a six inch gap at the bottom.
We descended the peak as Daniel held onto the handle with white knuckles and I snapped pictures furiously. I suppose I figured if I was going to die, I may as well have documentation of the journey!
One might wonder why riding a cable car would be any scarier than riding, let's say, a roller coaster... You see with a roller coaster, the ride is over in minutes -if it's a particularly long one. Our grueling ride on the cable car, which turned out to be at least 2km long, took us almost 20 minutes.
We reached the other side safely, even after having to jump from the moving car (I felt like I should tuck and roll). We soon began to realize, however, that we had found our way to the extremely "sketchy" side of the zoo...
The contrast was...well...disturbing. The nice side had zoo workers everywhere, feeding the animals and cleaning; the sketchy side had not a single employee in sight. The nice side was full of tourists; sketch side was nearly abandoned. Nice side had cheery music playing everywhere; sketchy side was eerily quiet. Nice side was beautifully maintained with landscaping, sculptures, and even a waterfall; sketchy side was in a shambles. Nice side had happy animals frolicking about; sketchy side had sad looking animals in small, ill maintained enclosures, looking like they hadn't seen a happy day in recent memory. Even the weather got worse when we crossed to "the other side".
My theory as to why there was such a vast difference in the two side is that the nice side was right down by the Dalian tourist strip whereas the not-so-nice side backed on to Dalian's residential area. Whatever the reason, I almost wish we'd never found the cable car.
I won't talk much about what we saw there, as it was much too disturbing to dwell on. A few of the images that stick out for me are the parrot who had plucked himself nearly clean of feathers due to stress, the panda looking very dejected and turning his back to passers-by, and last - and most definitely worse - the monkey enclosure...
The monkey enclosure was probably the most disturbing thing I had ever seen. It was clear that several of the monkeys had the same bug as they sat one by one coughing and hacking. One monkey laid strewn out in another's arms - I was happy to see him move, as I though it might in fact be dead. One monkey was so thirsty that he was licking the water running down the wall.
I decided not to take pictures of any of the things I found disturbing, as I did not want them to be lasting memories...
The one plus side to visiting the sketchy side of the zoo is that, due to it's relative abandonment, there were several strange insects roaming about that I may never have seen otherwise. I got a fairly close shot of a cicada (which are usually hard to spot), a praying mantis was kind enough to pose for me, and I found a bug that looked like a walking pile of sticks (apparently a type of math larvae) which I was only able to identify by e-mailing an entomologist!
After some searching, we finally found the way out, which ended up being a .5 k trek before reaching the road. We taxied home, ordered an outlandishly expensive pizza for supper, and fell asleep partially happy with our visit to the awesome zoo, and partially scarred for life by it's "evil" side.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
China, So Far...
So, here we are in China! I know I'm slightly behind in my blogging, but that is due only to the fact that we have yet to get internet in our apartment. I'm now typing in word hoping that it will come by the end of the day and with a back-up plan of uploading my post via my neighbour's computer! Obviously, there is way too much to say so rather than try to recall it on a day-by-day basis, I will break it down into categories and tell you all a little about each one...
Travel & Transportation
The first leg of our journey (27 hours of travel to reach a layover in Japan) began early Wednesday morning when we were greeted by a $800 bill for overage fees at Air Canada. Because the school had neglected to book our two flights together, making our flight show up as an international flight in their system, our baggage allowance was at one bag each weighing 50lbs. Well, because we were moving our lives to China, we had 3 bags each mostly weighing somewhere near 70lb. We were charged for two second bags at $25, two third bags at $100, and five overweight bags at $100. Eeepp! Upon arrival in Vancouver, we got another $350 bill for overages, this time only paying for our two third bags. Luckily, the school is supposed to reimburse us for these charges, although it may take several months.
Our flight to Japan was very pleasant. Although long, it gave us time to watch Kung Fu Panda (how fitting),What Happens in Vegas, and Iron Man. I have to note the astonishing difference in service between Airlines. I have great respect for flight attendants on all airlines but EVERY attendant on Japan Airlines had outstanding customer service skills. On top of that, the food was wonderful (although there are some not so adventurous folk in our group who may disagree!).
The final flight to China was short, but rough. Luckily, during our entire flying time, I only got sick three times! YIPPEE!
Travel within China is quite interesting. There are a few ways to get around – taxi, train, and bus. So far, I haven't braved the bus system, but only because I have yet to have the need. I have mainly traveled by train (Chingway) to and from the Kaifa Qu (Development District) and Dalian. This is quite the interesting experience. I can only imagine it being quite the shock for some of the Vancouverites here who have never traveled on the Subway in Toronto of Montreal. It is actually worse than either of those, but at least the Subway begins to prepare you for the Chingway. There is literally no such thing as a line up. You get as close as you can on the platform to where the doors are and stand your ground so nobody pushes past you. You then sprint (seriously) for a seat or spend the rest of your ride standing. When it comes to the Chingway, chivalry really is dead. You will very rarely see a man get up for a pregnant woman or an elderly person. I have, however, been lucky enough to see several women give up their seats – most for older folk, and one for me (the pregnant lady hauling 100lbs of groceries all the way back from Dalian!). The one young man I have seen try to give up his seat to an older woman was pulled back down offer and over by the old man sitting next to him. He eventually fought him off and gave the woman his seat.
The other way we have traveled so far is by taxi. There is the option of the motorcycle taxi, which is cheaper, but I have yet to meet a North American who is that brave. We have travelled by good ol' car taxi thus far. Let me tell you – for the weak of heart travelling to China, I implore you to cover your eyes anytime you ride in a taxi. Let me tell you the rules of the road as I have seen them, thus far (no exaggeration, whatsoever):
1) The largest vehicle gets the right-of-way. If other vehicles aren't abiding by this rule, the largest vehicle takes the right of way.
2) Crosswalks are non-existent. A pedestrian wishing to cross the road shall choose a clear(ish) spot and walk. If traffic starts while you are in mid-cross, simply wait in between lanes until you are free to go again. Tip for New China Pedestrians: DON'T be afraid while crossing the road – the can smell it! Stroll casually and you are unlikely to be hit.
3) Horns are ever drivers best friend. One should use their horn to alert someone (another vehicle, a pedestrian, a stray dog) that they are nearby, to alert other drivers that they are passing, to tell someone to move, to let someone know that they have made you slow down, and any other time you see fit.
4) Speed limits are non-existent unless otherwise posted (I am very serious about this).
5) Red lights and traffic signs are merely suggestion. While driving through a red light simply honk a few times in case someone is coming in the other direction.
6) Any lines on the road are also merely suggestion. Feel free to drive in the oncoming lane, pass on the shoulder, or fit three cars (and maybe a bike or two) into two "lanes"
7) Merging is on a "first shove, first through" basis (much like line-ups of any kind). While merging, fit as many cars as humanly possible into the smallest number of lanes, drive on any surface that is drivable, and, of course, use your horns as much as possible!
8) Seatbelts are only decoration (if you can find them at all). If you feel the need to buckle up while in a taxi, you must first spend 20 minutes trying to find both pieces of your belt. By that time, you're likely to have arrived at your destination.
Now, with that said, I have to say that the drivers here, although extremely aggressive, are actually the best drivers I have ever seen. Where else can you get within two centimetres of someone's vehicle over and over and never even get a scratch?
Food
Let me start by saying that I am still undecided as to whether I like Japanese or Chinese food better. As I said before, our food on the plane to Japan was absolutely wonderful! While in Japan, we unfortunately could not find an open restaurant at the late hour that we were looking, but we did manage to find several conveinience stores (including a 7-Eleven) and get ourselves a wonderful meal of noodle bowls, dumplings, teriyaki chicken, and parfait. Never has conveinience store food tasted so good. I do have to question, however, their choice of snack foods. On the shelves, among other unidentifiable items, were dried squid, dried seaweed, and some sort of strange, green, gelatinous desert that looked like a giant booger. I stick with my parfait, thank you.
In the morning, before leaving for China, we had a wonderful breakfast meal. Daniel took the comforting North American choices, whereas I opted for fruit, mixed mystery vegetables, and miso soup, among other things.
The food in China has been equally as good. In fact, the couple of times we have eaten out (before we got groceries) were so enjoyable that I really have to force myself to cook everyday instead of walking to town for supper! This is also fueled by the fact that eating out is so extremely cheap (7-28 yuan or $1-4 for a dish)!
So far, we've not eaten out with adventurous people, but the most interesting thing we have had was "Broccoli and French Fries" - surprisingly, very good! We also ordered some "mystery dumplings, at some point. Pregnant lady was wanting dumplings and none of us knew our meats. We tried to tell the waiter that he could choose which kind but he didn't quite get it so I pointed to a completely forgein symbol and hoped it would work out. Luckily, I don't think cat of dog were among the options...
The other end of the food spectrum is the North American chains that seem to be quite prolific. So far, we have seen a KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and Dairy Queen. I am ashamed to report that we have tried both of the latter. McDonald's we tried because we were on a bus trip with the school, starving, and nearly out of time. If you are not a McDonald's fan now, you may be once you try Chinafied McDonald's. The food is much better – less greasy, more flavorful, and overall more edible-looking. Careful when ordering a combo though. If you think you're getting a soft drink (or maybe an ice cream float once you see the picture of icecream atop a dark liquid) you will be sorely dissapointed with you overly caffinated iced coffee!
Dairy Queen we tried because we had heard online over and over that the icecream there was much better than Canada. Also true. The icecream is less sickeningly sugary, more creamy, and the portions are much smaller. So far A+ for Chinafied North American food!
Another thing to note is that there are a few grocery items that are not quite what you would think:
Milk - Often kept out of refrigeration. This is due to most Chinese being lactose intolerant, therefor having extremely pasturized milk. Also, it generally comes in small bags of 220-500ml which you can buy individually or by the case.
Yogurt - Very thin – more like North American "Yop".
Bread - Much sweeter than you may expect, unless you can find a bakery that specializes in North American baked goods.
Beer - Yes, it is sold as a grocery item and, no, it is not what you'd expect. It looks like beer, it smells like beer, and it even tastes like beer (so I'm told). However, it is only 3% alcohol!!!! How dare they?
I'm sure there are more that I have either forgotten or will come across in the near future!
People
So far, the people both at the school and out in the community are extremely friendly. Everyone who works at the school is wonderful and treats each other like family. Unfortunately, we have yet to do much socializing, as we go to bed by 9:30 every night!
The people out and about in China are also very friendly. I have had someone help me get through the Chingway gate and also give up their seat for me while I was loaded down with groceries. It's also interesting to note that there will always be someone looking at you, talking about you, or laughing at you (all in a very nice way) because you are white. What can I say – we're interesting! Contrary to what some people tried to tell me, there is a very sparse cauccasian population in our area. I have managed to travel around for three hours and not see one other white person.
Living Arrangements
Let's just say that they could be better, but they could certainly be much worse! Unfortunately, the building manager was unaware that the new teachers were coming in two groups and gave the two bedroom apartment we had reserved to a single person. In fact, we were first given the apartment with the smallest amount of space possible. We then saw our neighbours apartments and asked to be relocated. We are now in a slightly larger one bedroom and waiting patiently for someone to move into Kaifaqu and out of their big apartment!
We have been very lucky in the sense that the building management staff is fantastic. Things seem to get fixed very quickly. On day one we had a river flowing into our bathroom everytime our upstairs neighbours used their water. It was fixed within minutes of reporting. On day two we realized that our door was sticking and nearly impossible to open – fixed within the hour. Realized that we had no propane for our gas stove – brought at 8 in the morning after reporting the night before. The one thing that is not so fast is hooking up services. It's been over a week and we only now have inernet and phone...
We had origionally planned to look into moving into the Kaifaqu but have decided that we actually quite like it on campus. It's quiet, the management is great, we're a short walk to the market, we're close to the beach and a couple of attractions, the air is cleaner, and it's only a twent minute train ride to get to the city. So, campus for us unless we find some pressing reason to leave.
Plants and Animals
I'll talk very breifly about vegetation first. It's interesting to see that, due to similar climates, most of that plants you see in our area you will also see back home. Upon arrival, it seemed like we were simply driving through a costal BC city. The one very nice thing to note is that, because it is a national tourist resort area, all of the hedges and gardens are kept in superb shape, making any trip a beautiful one.
Another interesting tidbit is that every spare pack of land seems to be covered in vegetable gardens. Even along the side of the highway, you will see people out farming their crops.
As for animals, there seems to be nothing yet that is much different from Canada. There are, however, some very large spiders, reaching up to three inches in diameter, with legs. They seem to be quite docile so far, and haven't minded me encrouching on their territory and taking pictures of them.
Appearently, there are also a large number of bird species in our area. There are two birders on Campus who have agreed to take my along on one of their birding trips. They say they have photographed 180 species of bird since being in Asia.
Language
Last year, when I was planning a trip around the world, I decided that it would be useful to learn some basics in a few extra languages to get me by. My list consisted of French, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, Arabic, and Mandarin. I happily learned my way through a week of learning each until I came to Mandarin. I spent ten minutes on an online lesson website and declared that Mandarin was a language I never wanted to learn, no matter how useful.
More recenly, I was looking through children's websites while building a homeschooling curriculum and came across a websitepromoting global awareness for children. It included a section on Madarin laguage. I got a far as number "5" when I switched it off and declared, "Never!" ... twelve hours later, Daniel was offered a job in China and I began my Madarin studies! The moral of this story is, "Never say Never!"
So far, the language has actually been much easier that I expected. In case you have no knowledge of Madarin, let me give you the basics. There are four different tones that you can use when speaking. One the is high and straight, one that rises, one that falls and then rises, and one that falls in inflection. There is also the neutral 5th tone which is, well, neutral. This is what origonally detered me from the language. I did not like the fact that, by messing up what tone you use, rather than telling your taxi driver you would like to go to Orient Road you can end up telling your taxi driver you would like to go to the bedroom. I think I'll just take my uncle Micheal's advice and avoid Orient Road altogether, just incase!
To my relief and suprise, I have actually been able to pick up the tones rather easily, due to my musical background. Once I had them, I was able to teach them to Daniel, so we're well on our way! So far, when it comes to spoken language, we have learned our numbers, pronouns, basic conversation phrases, opposites, and some verbs. I have also been learning to read and write a little and have learned my numbers, as well as the characters for call, big, together, give birth, name, writing, small, friend, people, and no. There are also several I can read but have not yet learned the proper stroke order to write them. I plan to learn five or so characters a day using my handy, dandy "The First 100 Chinese Characters" book and it's subsequent titles.
I have been using the language I do know as much aspossible while out and about. Our second day in China, I went out the the Market shopping for groceries. I was able to use "hello" and "thank you" about a hundred times that day! It was also when i realized that, if I was going to be out in town shopping and trying to communicate, I would be much better off accelerating my mandarin studies!
The proudest moment I've had so far (and when I began to feel like I was actually in China) was when I had my first full (although short) conversation with someone in Mandarin. The day we were to go get our medicals, I learned how to tell someone that I am pregnant, mostly due to the fact that I knew were were supposed to get an x-ray and I would not be able to. I did get to use it for the x-ray technician (and he understood me, which was great!) but that was not my crowning glory. The highlight of my week was when I went for my ultrasound. My very short conversation was as follows(but in Mandarin, of course):
Sarah: Hello
Doctor: Hell. Sit.
S: I'm pregnant.
D (to Ulrasound tech): Oh! She's pregnant!
We then proceeded with the ulrasound in which she told me "Daughter, Daughter" in English I could barely understand, even though that is terribley illigal in china. We figure it was ok for me because I am not yet a perminant resident and she was probably bursting to tell someone!
S: Thank you!
D: You're welcome!
I have had several mini-conversations since then, but I was extremely proud of myself that in under a week, I had had my first full conversation in a language I thought I would never be able to learn!
Daniel is also progressing very well and taking every opportunity to use the words and phrases he already knows. By the time we come to visit Canada, we may have forgotten English altogether!
Baby Related
Everyday, I am less and less concerned about having a baby here (although I was quite unconcerned to begin with). Before coming, I did some reasearch and found what I thought to be the best place to give birth in our area – a very nice Maternity Hospital in Dalian. I had read alot about iton forums from people who had given birth there and was quite happy with that. Now, I am even more happy. Just on our flight over, I met two returning teachers who have given birth at that hospital (one who is pregnant again and will be giving birth there a seconf time). There are also several others whom I have come accross since. All seem to speak very highly of it! I haven't seen the hospital yet, but I am planning a trip in within the next couple of weeks.
I also happy to relay that one factor in our decision to stay living on campus is that we're not the only family here! There are several others (at least 6 that I have counted) and many of those with babies!
As for baby items to be bough in China, Walmart was a pleasant suprise! While toys are only slightly under par, price-wise, everything else is considerably cheaper. We have found a beautiful two level adjustable crib and bassinette (complete with mosquito netting) for $100, strollers from $40-100, and outfits similar to thise we bought while in Canada, but for ¼ the price! Overall, I think we will be very happy with the experience of starting a family in China!
Shopping
Shopping in China is very interesting, even in large department stores. As soon as any employee sees that you are looking at something, they are right at you r side, rattling off in Chinese about said product and it's competitors. It is very helpful, while shopping, to know how to say, "Just looking..." or "I don't want it, thank you." This probably won't make them stop, but at least you've tried.
When it comes to shopping most places, barganing is the norm – people actually quote their prices a little higher because they expect you to do it. I, thus far, have not caught onto this particular custom. I find it very difficult to bargin for my onions, garlic, and ginger, when I am paying less than a dollar for them all to begin with.
It's important to note that prices to change according to the color or your skin. While shopping in the market, it can be useful to watch the person on front of you and see what price they get. Appearently, many people will double or triple prices if they think you are Russian. I think I aught to learn the phrase, "I am Canadian."
One other thing to note about shopping in China, especially in the market, is that you never know what you might see. During my first trip out alone, in a bin alongside the vegetables I was buying, were some very large moving creatures that looked distintly like very large larvae or some sort (I later found out they were worm larvae). I find that the best thing to do in these situations is just pretend to didn't see it, and continue with your business...
So, on the whole, we are both having a fantastic time in China and are extremely happy with our decision to come and our experience so far. We do, however, miss everyone back home and are looking forward to seeing you all soon!
Travel & Transportation
The first leg of our journey (27 hours of travel to reach a layover in Japan) began early Wednesday morning when we were greeted by a $800 bill for overage fees at Air Canada. Because the school had neglected to book our two flights together, making our flight show up as an international flight in their system, our baggage allowance was at one bag each weighing 50lbs. Well, because we were moving our lives to China, we had 3 bags each mostly weighing somewhere near 70lb. We were charged for two second bags at $25, two third bags at $100, and five overweight bags at $100. Eeepp! Upon arrival in Vancouver, we got another $350 bill for overages, this time only paying for our two third bags. Luckily, the school is supposed to reimburse us for these charges, although it may take several months.
Our flight to Japan was very pleasant. Although long, it gave us time to watch Kung Fu Panda (how fitting),What Happens in Vegas, and Iron Man. I have to note the astonishing difference in service between Airlines. I have great respect for flight attendants on all airlines but EVERY attendant on Japan Airlines had outstanding customer service skills. On top of that, the food was wonderful (although there are some not so adventurous folk in our group who may disagree!).
The final flight to China was short, but rough. Luckily, during our entire flying time, I only got sick three times! YIPPEE!
Travel within China is quite interesting. There are a few ways to get around – taxi, train, and bus. So far, I haven't braved the bus system, but only because I have yet to have the need. I have mainly traveled by train (Chingway) to and from the Kaifa Qu (Development District) and Dalian. This is quite the interesting experience. I can only imagine it being quite the shock for some of the Vancouverites here who have never traveled on the Subway in Toronto of Montreal. It is actually worse than either of those, but at least the Subway begins to prepare you for the Chingway. There is literally no such thing as a line up. You get as close as you can on the platform to where the doors are and stand your ground so nobody pushes past you. You then sprint (seriously) for a seat or spend the rest of your ride standing. When it comes to the Chingway, chivalry really is dead. You will very rarely see a man get up for a pregnant woman or an elderly person. I have, however, been lucky enough to see several women give up their seats – most for older folk, and one for me (the pregnant lady hauling 100lbs of groceries all the way back from Dalian!). The one young man I have seen try to give up his seat to an older woman was pulled back down offer and over by the old man sitting next to him. He eventually fought him off and gave the woman his seat.
The other way we have traveled so far is by taxi. There is the option of the motorcycle taxi, which is cheaper, but I have yet to meet a North American who is that brave. We have travelled by good ol' car taxi thus far. Let me tell you – for the weak of heart travelling to China, I implore you to cover your eyes anytime you ride in a taxi. Let me tell you the rules of the road as I have seen them, thus far (no exaggeration, whatsoever):
1) The largest vehicle gets the right-of-way. If other vehicles aren't abiding by this rule, the largest vehicle takes the right of way.
2) Crosswalks are non-existent. A pedestrian wishing to cross the road shall choose a clear(ish) spot and walk. If traffic starts while you are in mid-cross, simply wait in between lanes until you are free to go again. Tip for New China Pedestrians: DON'T be afraid while crossing the road – the can smell it! Stroll casually and you are unlikely to be hit.
3) Horns are ever drivers best friend. One should use their horn to alert someone (another vehicle, a pedestrian, a stray dog) that they are nearby, to alert other drivers that they are passing, to tell someone to move, to let someone know that they have made you slow down, and any other time you see fit.
4) Speed limits are non-existent unless otherwise posted (I am very serious about this).
5) Red lights and traffic signs are merely suggestion. While driving through a red light simply honk a few times in case someone is coming in the other direction.
6) Any lines on the road are also merely suggestion. Feel free to drive in the oncoming lane, pass on the shoulder, or fit three cars (and maybe a bike or two) into two "lanes"
7) Merging is on a "first shove, first through" basis (much like line-ups of any kind). While merging, fit as many cars as humanly possible into the smallest number of lanes, drive on any surface that is drivable, and, of course, use your horns as much as possible!
8) Seatbelts are only decoration (if you can find them at all). If you feel the need to buckle up while in a taxi, you must first spend 20 minutes trying to find both pieces of your belt. By that time, you're likely to have arrived at your destination.
Now, with that said, I have to say that the drivers here, although extremely aggressive, are actually the best drivers I have ever seen. Where else can you get within two centimetres of someone's vehicle over and over and never even get a scratch?
Food
Let me start by saying that I am still undecided as to whether I like Japanese or Chinese food better. As I said before, our food on the plane to Japan was absolutely wonderful! While in Japan, we unfortunately could not find an open restaurant at the late hour that we were looking, but we did manage to find several conveinience stores (including a 7-Eleven) and get ourselves a wonderful meal of noodle bowls, dumplings, teriyaki chicken, and parfait. Never has conveinience store food tasted so good. I do have to question, however, their choice of snack foods. On the shelves, among other unidentifiable items, were dried squid, dried seaweed, and some sort of strange, green, gelatinous desert that looked like a giant booger. I stick with my parfait, thank you.
In the morning, before leaving for China, we had a wonderful breakfast meal. Daniel took the comforting North American choices, whereas I opted for fruit, mixed mystery vegetables, and miso soup, among other things.
The food in China has been equally as good. In fact, the couple of times we have eaten out (before we got groceries) were so enjoyable that I really have to force myself to cook everyday instead of walking to town for supper! This is also fueled by the fact that eating out is so extremely cheap (7-28 yuan or $1-4 for a dish)!
So far, we've not eaten out with adventurous people, but the most interesting thing we have had was "Broccoli and French Fries" - surprisingly, very good! We also ordered some "mystery dumplings, at some point. Pregnant lady was wanting dumplings and none of us knew our meats. We tried to tell the waiter that he could choose which kind but he didn't quite get it so I pointed to a completely forgein symbol and hoped it would work out. Luckily, I don't think cat of dog were among the options...
The other end of the food spectrum is the North American chains that seem to be quite prolific. So far, we have seen a KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and Dairy Queen. I am ashamed to report that we have tried both of the latter. McDonald's we tried because we were on a bus trip with the school, starving, and nearly out of time. If you are not a McDonald's fan now, you may be once you try Chinafied McDonald's. The food is much better – less greasy, more flavorful, and overall more edible-looking. Careful when ordering a combo though. If you think you're getting a soft drink (or maybe an ice cream float once you see the picture of icecream atop a dark liquid) you will be sorely dissapointed with you overly caffinated iced coffee!
Dairy Queen we tried because we had heard online over and over that the icecream there was much better than Canada. Also true. The icecream is less sickeningly sugary, more creamy, and the portions are much smaller. So far A+ for Chinafied North American food!
Another thing to note is that there are a few grocery items that are not quite what you would think:
Milk - Often kept out of refrigeration. This is due to most Chinese being lactose intolerant, therefor having extremely pasturized milk. Also, it generally comes in small bags of 220-500ml which you can buy individually or by the case.
Yogurt - Very thin – more like North American "Yop".
Bread - Much sweeter than you may expect, unless you can find a bakery that specializes in North American baked goods.
Beer - Yes, it is sold as a grocery item and, no, it is not what you'd expect. It looks like beer, it smells like beer, and it even tastes like beer (so I'm told). However, it is only 3% alcohol!!!! How dare they?
I'm sure there are more that I have either forgotten or will come across in the near future!
People
So far, the people both at the school and out in the community are extremely friendly. Everyone who works at the school is wonderful and treats each other like family. Unfortunately, we have yet to do much socializing, as we go to bed by 9:30 every night!
The people out and about in China are also very friendly. I have had someone help me get through the Chingway gate and also give up their seat for me while I was loaded down with groceries. It's also interesting to note that there will always be someone looking at you, talking about you, or laughing at you (all in a very nice way) because you are white. What can I say – we're interesting! Contrary to what some people tried to tell me, there is a very sparse cauccasian population in our area. I have managed to travel around for three hours and not see one other white person.
Living Arrangements
Let's just say that they could be better, but they could certainly be much worse! Unfortunately, the building manager was unaware that the new teachers were coming in two groups and gave the two bedroom apartment we had reserved to a single person. In fact, we were first given the apartment with the smallest amount of space possible. We then saw our neighbours apartments and asked to be relocated. We are now in a slightly larger one bedroom and waiting patiently for someone to move into Kaifaqu and out of their big apartment!
We have been very lucky in the sense that the building management staff is fantastic. Things seem to get fixed very quickly. On day one we had a river flowing into our bathroom everytime our upstairs neighbours used their water. It was fixed within minutes of reporting. On day two we realized that our door was sticking and nearly impossible to open – fixed within the hour. Realized that we had no propane for our gas stove – brought at 8 in the morning after reporting the night before. The one thing that is not so fast is hooking up services. It's been over a week and we only now have inernet and phone...
We had origionally planned to look into moving into the Kaifaqu but have decided that we actually quite like it on campus. It's quiet, the management is great, we're a short walk to the market, we're close to the beach and a couple of attractions, the air is cleaner, and it's only a twent minute train ride to get to the city. So, campus for us unless we find some pressing reason to leave.
Plants and Animals
I'll talk very breifly about vegetation first. It's interesting to see that, due to similar climates, most of that plants you see in our area you will also see back home. Upon arrival, it seemed like we were simply driving through a costal BC city. The one very nice thing to note is that, because it is a national tourist resort area, all of the hedges and gardens are kept in superb shape, making any trip a beautiful one.
Another interesting tidbit is that every spare pack of land seems to be covered in vegetable gardens. Even along the side of the highway, you will see people out farming their crops.
As for animals, there seems to be nothing yet that is much different from Canada. There are, however, some very large spiders, reaching up to three inches in diameter, with legs. They seem to be quite docile so far, and haven't minded me encrouching on their territory and taking pictures of them.
Appearently, there are also a large number of bird species in our area. There are two birders on Campus who have agreed to take my along on one of their birding trips. They say they have photographed 180 species of bird since being in Asia.
Language
Last year, when I was planning a trip around the world, I decided that it would be useful to learn some basics in a few extra languages to get me by. My list consisted of French, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, Arabic, and Mandarin. I happily learned my way through a week of learning each until I came to Mandarin. I spent ten minutes on an online lesson website and declared that Mandarin was a language I never wanted to learn, no matter how useful.
More recenly, I was looking through children's websites while building a homeschooling curriculum and came across a websitepromoting global awareness for children. It included a section on Madarin laguage. I got a far as number "5" when I switched it off and declared, "Never!" ... twelve hours later, Daniel was offered a job in China and I began my Madarin studies! The moral of this story is, "Never say Never!"
So far, the language has actually been much easier that I expected. In case you have no knowledge of Madarin, let me give you the basics. There are four different tones that you can use when speaking. One the is high and straight, one that rises, one that falls and then rises, and one that falls in inflection. There is also the neutral 5th tone which is, well, neutral. This is what origonally detered me from the language. I did not like the fact that, by messing up what tone you use, rather than telling your taxi driver you would like to go to Orient Road you can end up telling your taxi driver you would like to go to the bedroom. I think I'll just take my uncle Micheal's advice and avoid Orient Road altogether, just incase!
To my relief and suprise, I have actually been able to pick up the tones rather easily, due to my musical background. Once I had them, I was able to teach them to Daniel, so we're well on our way! So far, when it comes to spoken language, we have learned our numbers, pronouns, basic conversation phrases, opposites, and some verbs. I have also been learning to read and write a little and have learned my numbers, as well as the characters for call, big, together, give birth, name, writing, small, friend, people, and no. There are also several I can read but have not yet learned the proper stroke order to write them. I plan to learn five or so characters a day using my handy, dandy "The First 100 Chinese Characters" book and it's subsequent titles.
I have been using the language I do know as much aspossible while out and about. Our second day in China, I went out the the Market shopping for groceries. I was able to use "hello" and "thank you" about a hundred times that day! It was also when i realized that, if I was going to be out in town shopping and trying to communicate, I would be much better off accelerating my mandarin studies!
The proudest moment I've had so far (and when I began to feel like I was actually in China) was when I had my first full (although short) conversation with someone in Mandarin. The day we were to go get our medicals, I learned how to tell someone that I am pregnant, mostly due to the fact that I knew were were supposed to get an x-ray and I would not be able to. I did get to use it for the x-ray technician (and he understood me, which was great!) but that was not my crowning glory. The highlight of my week was when I went for my ultrasound. My very short conversation was as follows(but in Mandarin, of course):
Sarah: Hello
Doctor: Hell. Sit.
S: I'm pregnant.
D (to Ulrasound tech): Oh! She's pregnant!
We then proceeded with the ulrasound in which she told me "Daughter, Daughter" in English I could barely understand, even though that is terribley illigal in china. We figure it was ok for me because I am not yet a perminant resident and she was probably bursting to tell someone!
S: Thank you!
D: You're welcome!
I have had several mini-conversations since then, but I was extremely proud of myself that in under a week, I had had my first full conversation in a language I thought I would never be able to learn!
Daniel is also progressing very well and taking every opportunity to use the words and phrases he already knows. By the time we come to visit Canada, we may have forgotten English altogether!
Baby Related
Everyday, I am less and less concerned about having a baby here (although I was quite unconcerned to begin with). Before coming, I did some reasearch and found what I thought to be the best place to give birth in our area – a very nice Maternity Hospital in Dalian. I had read alot about iton forums from people who had given birth there and was quite happy with that. Now, I am even more happy. Just on our flight over, I met two returning teachers who have given birth at that hospital (one who is pregnant again and will be giving birth there a seconf time). There are also several others whom I have come accross since. All seem to speak very highly of it! I haven't seen the hospital yet, but I am planning a trip in within the next couple of weeks.
I also happy to relay that one factor in our decision to stay living on campus is that we're not the only family here! There are several others (at least 6 that I have counted) and many of those with babies!
As for baby items to be bough in China, Walmart was a pleasant suprise! While toys are only slightly under par, price-wise, everything else is considerably cheaper. We have found a beautiful two level adjustable crib and bassinette (complete with mosquito netting) for $100, strollers from $40-100, and outfits similar to thise we bought while in Canada, but for ¼ the price! Overall, I think we will be very happy with the experience of starting a family in China!
Shopping
Shopping in China is very interesting, even in large department stores. As soon as any employee sees that you are looking at something, they are right at you r side, rattling off in Chinese about said product and it's competitors. It is very helpful, while shopping, to know how to say, "Just looking..." or "I don't want it, thank you." This probably won't make them stop, but at least you've tried.
When it comes to shopping most places, barganing is the norm – people actually quote their prices a little higher because they expect you to do it. I, thus far, have not caught onto this particular custom. I find it very difficult to bargin for my onions, garlic, and ginger, when I am paying less than a dollar for them all to begin with.
It's important to note that prices to change according to the color or your skin. While shopping in the market, it can be useful to watch the person on front of you and see what price they get. Appearently, many people will double or triple prices if they think you are Russian. I think I aught to learn the phrase, "I am Canadian."
One other thing to note about shopping in China, especially in the market, is that you never know what you might see. During my first trip out alone, in a bin alongside the vegetables I was buying, were some very large moving creatures that looked distintly like very large larvae or some sort (I later found out they were worm larvae). I find that the best thing to do in these situations is just pretend to didn't see it, and continue with your business...
So, on the whole, we are both having a fantastic time in China and are extremely happy with our decision to come and our experience so far. We do, however, miss everyone back home and are looking forward to seeing you all soon!
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