Blog 5

November 13, 2014

It is difficult to believe I am finishing my 4^th week in China (and in my 1st week of a new class).  The days are so busy, it really does fly by.  Monday morning I woke at 5:30 to get ready, ate a quick breakfast in the cafeteria and then walked a few minutes to catch the 6:50 bus that took me to my campus.  I usually return on the 5:10 pm bus to arrive back at my home campus around 6:30 pm, if all goes well.  I eat dinner off campus, then go to the room, grade some papers, Skype Bonnie, and go to bed about 9:30.  The routine is good for me.  I did teach 2 classes, one started at 8 to 9:30 am, and then the other at 1:50-3:30 pm.  In between, I talked to students about their English quizzes, papers, etc.  I usually have lunch with students to talk more English.   The students are great; sometimes they insist on buying my lunch, which is acceptable here and known by my superiors in the office.  On weekends I go out with students who give me a tour of someplace nearby, do lunch, then coffee with them.  So, seldom am I alone and bored. 

Everyone, including me, seems to be sad my time is so short here.  It is fun to do this, and I count it a privilege to be involved in so many lives, including one secretary’s family who hosted me for a homemade dinner. 

One fun thing I always enjoy is getting a haircut in a foreign country.  I know that doesn’t sound exciting to some, but for me it is another adventure and challenge. Two weeks ago I got a haircut (about $2.00), but not much was cut off; so today I went alone to a new place and got a better haircut and 2 shampoos for about $4.50.  Now, I look like I got a haircut, and it looks good.  No one spoke English, so I just chanced it and nodded my head in all the right places, I guess.  Anyway, it came out OK.  I also like going into restaurants alone and pointing at a picture of food or at what someone else is eating and trying it.  So far, so good.  Chopsticks and me get along just fine, thank you.   Well, this is a blog and not a novel, so more next time.  I have an early bus to catch tomorrow (Friday).  Ron

China Picture Gallery

They drive young here.  This little guy is going down the road
in comfort.  No pushing him around. (mom has the remote control).



"Come on mom, we're losing the suit case guy, faster."


Swan College, Changsha, Hunan Province.
(click on the picture for an enlargement)

 

The view from my apartment window.

 

 

 

University Cafeteria

 

 

 

Rice, rice, and more rice.

One of many menus.







 

My usual breakfast.

 

 Duck (very bony) for lunch.

 



 

 

 



Blog 4

Food is always of interest to most readers.  In China, rice and noodles are the basics.  Here Toni is having a rice with pork dish and a bowl of hot soy bean milk.  I am having what is similar to spaghetti but somewhat spicier with smaller and thicker noodles.  I also had hot soy bean milk in a cup and we enjoyed a type of dumpling on the side (mandoo).  Cost?  About 35 y, or 5 dollars for both our meals. 

 

 



What do you do after your friend leaves and you may not see her again?  Take a walk down "vendors lane."  I took many photos of vendors making and selling on the street.  The bread snack was very good.  It was rolled out into a flat dough, placed in a charcoal deep oven and stuck to the side of the oven; in about 1 minute it is brown and ready. You brush any paste of your choice on it from sweet to spicy.  I chose spicy since most were doing that.  Yes, it had a good kick to it, but it was tasty.   It cost me about 50 cents.  And, yes, I would do it again.  I do not think different cultures can be experienced unless the unbeaten path is taken and the traditional foods are tried from the street vendors.  One can find some great tasting foods that way, and it is usually very cheap since the natives eat it often.  Going alone might be a bit risky, but I watch carefully what is happening and how it is cooked before plunging in.  Yesterday, I had deep fried black tofu with spices, of course.  And yes, it was good.  I will try more "vendor lanes" foods in the future.  Oh, you can have the duck necks, too bony for me. 

 

 

Until next time -- Ron

 





Blog 3

Toni and I go back several years.  She and another Chinese student walked into my Korean English class in 2009 at Korea Nazarene University.  It is difficult to explain how sometimes when you first meet someone you know there is some character attraction present that quickly builds a good relationship.  Toni is one of those.  I spent time with her in Nanjing a few years ago while she and her cousin escorted me around the region.  We took the fast train to Shanghai and experienced Chinese culture at its best without all of the tourist trappings. She took care of everything--planning hotel rooms, taxis, restaurants, etc.  So, as you can see, we became good friends and have stayed that way over time. 

When she found out I was coming to Changsha in Hunan Province, it was just a matter of her booking a flight and visiting here for a few days.  She flew from the Nanjing airport to Changsha last Thursday and arrived in time for us to have dinner together at one of her favorite places: KFC.  Treat her to a KFC sandwich, and she is in heaven.  Since her birthday was the Tuesday before arriving, I knew where to take her for a special treat!  Bonne had made her a scarf as a gift which I presented to her. 

Saturday we spent time with another student visiting the first university in Hunan.  I think it was founded around 1500, but not sure.  I kept getting mixed signals on the exact date.  We spent our time in the oldest part of the university, and I hope Bonnie can put some of those photos on this blog for you.  Chairman Mao is from Hunan and he graduated from Normal University which is almost next door to Hunan University.   There is a statute of Chairman Mao on campus, and since he wrote a famous poem for the school, it is displayed in a famous pavilion.  I have that photo too, but of course, it is in Chinese. 

Sarah and Toni

Normal University

 

I guess the best time of the day was having lunch.  Toni and Sarah wanted me to taste traditional Hunan food, so, we had a fish dish with hot peppers and spice all over it (see the photo).  I admit it was the hottest food I have had in a long time, hotter than Korean.  I started taking photos of Toni’s expression.  She looks sick.  But, she ate it and loved it, while saying how hot it was and physically showing signs of suffering.  All of our taste buds were numb for some time.  We all admitted our lips were numb, literally. 

Toni survived eating the spicy fish.

Toni and I will spend Sunday together as she will show me computer tricks to help me send large photo files and how to use my iPad better before taking the fast train home. She has already found some good, cheap restaurants close by where I can get noodle and rice dishes since I am tired of the campus cafeteria (for many reasons).  She has now made at least 4 new good friends just by visiting me.  So, everyone is very happy!  She will soon go to the Ukraine to teach Chinese.  Her visa should come in about 2 weeks.  There, she will experience another new culture and meet more new friends.  Maybe someday I will knock on her door in the Ukraine, and we’ll go find a KFC.  Who knows?  (Enjoy the photos).

Until next time -- Ron

Blog 2

“Connections are everything.”  So I have heard.  Perhaps today’s events in China put validity to the statement.  Yesterday, one of my students invited me to lunch.  This happens often here since students want to practice English with me and introduce their foods.  Sarah took me to her favorite place near the campus.  The food reminded me of Korea--spicy and in hot pots with rice.  Sarah took photos with her iPad and sent the photos to Toni, a former Korea Nazarene University student, who is visiting me for a few days.  I didn’t realize Sarah also sent the photos to her friend here on the campus where I stay and where Toni remained.  When I got off my bus, Toni met me and bragged how good a student Sarah is.  She then explained that Sarah contacted her friend here and told him to show Toni around and find a good place to eat tonight.  So, Toni walked me to a nearby restaurant and we met Sarah’s 2 friends.  The four of us had a great meal in a very nice and fancy place.  All because Sarah contacted her friends about Toni, and the evening and meal was graciously set up by them.  Tomorrow (Saturday) Sarah plans to join us for a tour of the city area.  I think one of the “cool” things about travel is the relationships you build and then you realize many people who did not know each other are now good friends for a lifetime.  Connections are everything, especially in foreign countries trying to feel your way around the culture. 

 

 

Two new friends, Toni, and myself enjoying dinner in a very nice restaurant.

 

Until next time -- Ron

 

China -- 2014 -- Blog 1

October 22

It took about 4 months to get me here but I landed in China a few days ago (seems like a week already).  I wonder why I do these things sometimes; especially after the long flight, tired, stressed out, and arriving in the night to a strange place. Let’s just say this is not Korea.  Maybe this is similar to the Korea of 20-30 years ago.  Of course the traffic is like most Asian countries I have had the displeasure of plodding through with horns blaring because there is room for only 2 cars and 6 or more are vying for the same spot playing chicken with each other to see who gives in.  In 2 days I have seen 1 car on its side, apparently the victim of playing chicken and losing due to misjudgment and a steel barrier he failed to successfully negotiate.  And, in another incident,  I saw a cyclist down sitting in the middle of the road looking somewhat dazed next to his demolished vehicle of choice.  I assume he, too, misjudged the close encounters on the crowded road.  Of course, I did not mention the concrete truck broken down in the middle of a big intersection with everyone doing anything to get around.  I guess that is why in this kind of traffic my vehicle choice is the big bus with the loud horn that seems to maneuver where no one else dares to try.  He sticks he big nose where it does not belong (or fit) and keeps pushing with horns blaring and brakes squealing from drivers who know better than to challenge.  There really seems to be choreography in all of this madness as most arrive at their destination unscathed.  To make matters worse pedestrians with heavy looking baggage go running across the road as if their smallness will prevent them from being hit.  I guess it works.   I do hate sitting in the front of the bus because of the view. I prefer sitting in the middle just to avoid eye contact with the pending disasters.  My hostess thinks I need the leg room, so, the front is where we sit.  I don’t mind cramped legs sometimes.   I catch myself saying, “Wow!”, quite often when the wrecks seem inevitable. 

Cultural shock appears in many ways.  It takes time to settle down to this and calmly accept it as a way of life.  This way of life adds new meaning and emphasis to the act of kissing your wife goodbye each morning and saying, “see you later (maybe)”.

 

The shuttle I catch at 6:50 every morning.

 

Trash buggies -- a most common sight.

 

 

These guys slow done traffic.

 

 

Typical traffic jam.

 

Until next time -- Ron

 

I tip my hat

I just happened to turn on the TV moments after the crash in San Francisco.  I sat spell bound, having flown that same flight on several occasions from Seoul.  Asiana Airlines has been one of my favorite airlines to fly.  I have flown on it to Beijing, Je Ju Do Island, and even to Singapore.  Our last flight from Seoul was on that airline to Chicago in the Boeing 777.
  
This crash reminds me of not only the risk of flying (however slight) but also, and especially, the professionalism of the flight crews.

The flight attendants can be seen as only high altitude waiters and waitresses who deliver food and drinks with a smile even to the most unruly flyers. I remember a man on my flight to Africa who kept giving the flight attendants fits:  "When will we eat (moments after take off)?  Where is my food?  My ear piece doesn't work! Why are we late? I want to change my seat because the kids bother me...."  He was a classic crank.  He went on like that all night. The flight attendant kept smiling and doing everything possible to make him happy.  He wanted a form to fill out to protest the flight and the treatment he was getting. (I wanted to throw him off the plane, that is why I am not a flight attendant).

I have watched them clean the toilets as they overflow and mop the wet floors.  I have seen them hold babies in their arms as they walk them up and down the aisles to give parents a break.  I have seen them clean up vomit on their hands and knees from an air sick passenger and then check on her throughout the night to be sure she was comfortable.  And always with a smile.
  
But dealing with food and cranks is only a small part of their training.  What the passengers of flight 214 witnessed was nothing more than high professionalism at its best.  The flight attendants we take for granted saved many lives Saturday.  They are literally the first responders in a crash.  While the ground emergency crews were rushing to the scene the flight attendants were already in the middle of it all thinking of their passengers first. When things went wrong they kept their heads and literally hacked their way out of a bad situation.
 
The reports say they were calm and efficient.  Even with a broken tail bone one flight attendant kept working to save as many as she could.  The crew was the last to exit the burning plane. I tip my hat to all flight attendants who make flying as comfortable and as safe as possible.  Without them and their training and their poise in crisis, many more families would be grieving today.

So the next time you fly and you get tempted to chew on a flight attendant, just remember, that person may save your life in a crisis.  They are more than meets the eye.  Thankfully, not many of them have to use their crisis training skills in the public eye, but when they do it is awesome to behold.  I  make it a point to always thank the crew when I exit a plane.  To me it is no different than thanking a fireman, or a policewoman who looks after my safety. To flight attendants everywhere, I salute you and tip my hat to you in the highest respect.