Welcome to another edition of my RyanGoesToChina.com.  I went to Hong Kong last weekend.  You’ll be able to see pictures on my Flickr account from the zoo, the history museum, the ferry from Kowloon Peninsula–this is where the train from Guangzhou takes you–to Hong Kong Island, and more.  You can find the pictures at the bottom left of this blog.  See the pictures?  Below the last one, there’s a link called “More Photos.”  Check it out!  I wrote some observations and I will share them with you.  Some people asked for better and cleaner pictures of my apartment.  Well, it’s cleaner now, so you can take a look and tell me what you think.

At first glance, Hong Kong is just like home.  Well, not my home.  It looks just like New York City.  I honestly thought that I was in New York City.  I knew I wasn’t but if I closed my eyes, I could smell and hear The City.  Even the bus engines sounded and smelled the same.  The good and bad smells were the same.  The various brands of available food and clothing are about the same.  I walked a little further and started to tell myself that I was crazy and, of course, I found many differences.  Though, I’m sure if I tried, I could have walked a mile thinking “Hmm, New York looks a lot like Hong Kong” and not the other way around, before I remember I was actually IN Hong Kong.

I checked into my hostel, the Dragon Hostel, where I found everyone speaking English–the receptionist who studied four years at Michigan State, 5 Filipino women speaking English with Spanish accents, and some Europeans I didn’t formally meet.  I jumped on a public computer in the lobby and went on Facebook even before checking e-mail.  It was not blocked, of course, and I needed to see that.  Finally, I left, and headed to the Hong Kong Museum of History.  This shows Hong Kong’s beginnings and modern history in eight exhibits, starting 400,000,000 years ago and ending in present time.  I even got to see the famous speech where Hong Kong was officially ceded from the UK.

As it turns out, Hong Kong is one-third granite, and this is because of all the volcanoes.  I think most aren’t even capable of having activity these days, but Hong Kong was once covered in lava.  The hundreds of various islands formed from melting ice two million years ago that flooded the valleys.  Also, all the activity caused some geological changes that are quite amazing.  If you know about rocks and their use in studying the age of a region, you know that you can look at horizontal lines on some rocks.  Basically, the different color rings can tell you something.  I’m not sure what.  Well, in Hong Kong, in the New Territories, some of those lines are vertical, because whole mini-mountains, as I call them, have vertical lines because these mini-mountains were turned almost 90 degrees by underground activity pushing rock up from underneath the Earth’s crust and, of course, moving the existing rock out of the way.  I didn’t have time to visit the New Territories on my trip, but I’m sure to go back to Hong Kong again.

I learned a lot about various dynasties and trade between them and with Europe and India.  The most interesting were all the things that are distinctly not native to Hong Kong but were found in Hong Kong.  This is unique because it shows that people from the mainland were settling in Hong Kong a lot earlier than researching previously had thought.  In combination with geological history, we were able to find out who settled where and perhaps why they were leaving the mainland and how often they were able to commute back and forth.  Given all the fighting between kingdoms and the dynasty ruling about immigrating outside of one’s kingdom, the move to Hong Kong was likely done secretly, similar to the way Cubans come to Florida these days.  For Han and Nanyue mainlanders, Hong Kong was the next big thing or an escape from poverty, respectively.  The latter practically bordered Hong Kong so it was an easy trip.

Hong Kong was the biggest trading port to Asia.  Travelling on land through central Asia was harsh so getting to China was nearly for the Europeans.  Also, having to encounter Muslims cultures was a big deterrent.  Other nations were able to take advantage of their better proximity to Hong Kong, but eventually, Vasco de Gama’s sailing around the Cape of Good Hope was marked as a great beginning of trade between Europe and Hong Kong.  Though other people had supposedly gone before him, the museum gives him the credit for creating the most trade with Hong Kong at the time.  de Gama’s motivation was that going through the Middle East was quicker but likely a diplomatic problem in that relations with the Muslims nations in the area were either nonexistent or unfriendly.  Hong Kong became the most famous port at the time in all the known world.  Everyone from as far as Western Europe and the UK and as close as south China saw no better place.  The UK eventually won the right to rent land and build property, originally serving as places for storage and sleep for the frequent traders.  As we all know, this eventually turned into the UK’s colonization of Hong Kong.

The UK occupation wasn’t always easy.  The other thing I found interesting that I didn’t know was that, on Pearl Harbor Day, Japan also bombed Hong Kong.  The following events were far different from that of Hawaii.  On December 8th, 1941 (it was still December 7th in Hawaii due to the timezone difference), Japan bombed Hong Kong.  Rather than just planes, they were able to bring warships and eventually come on land.  The English governor eventually ceded to the Japanese general in charge of the raids, marking Hong Kong as a Japanese state.  The propaganda began right away.  While genocide was not a formal practice, the culture of Hong Kong was eliminated practically overnight.  All the street signs, advertisements, and buildings had to be replaced with Japanese-language equivalents.  Students in schools were forced to learn Japanese language, culture, and government tenets.  I believe I read that only about 4,000 kids were formally enrolled in any school so this didn’t cause a big problem, but I imagine that the Japanese government wasn’t interested in building more schools for them either.

During this time, there was never enough food for the citizens.  While I don’t believe the Japanese planed to colonize Hong Kong to make the people’s lives a living hell, this is often what happens anyway.  The Japanese did seem to have a well-developed long-range plan.  Furthermore, coordinating strikes on both Hawaii and Hong Kong on the same day is impressive, which shows the discipline and technical knowledge of the Japanese military at the time and of the current culture of modern-day Japan.  However, many Hong Kong residents in the newly Japanese region weren’t going to give up.  Independent and apparently very young people who were brave and patriotic formed infinite militias that were eventually able to kill both Japanese travelers and government workers.  After about 3 years, the same English governor that once ceded to Japan regained his position as Governor.

Eventually, in 1997, Prince Charles of Wales, in an emotional speech, returned Hong Kong to China.  The UK flag was pulled down to the UK national anthem and the Hong Kong flagged was raised to its anthem.  Of course, what ensued was a battle between Beijing and Hong Kong over many iterations of “independence” between the mainland and the islands.  Not totally independent, Hong Kong does have distinct power, though the mainland does have final say on many things: which countries’ ships can dock there, who can lead Hong Kong’s various government agencies, and so forth.  I don’t know how often Beijing asserts this power, but I would imagine it’s more of a scare tactic, leverage to scare them into keeping ties, rather than Beijing totally controlling Hong Kong on specific issues.

So!  Enough history.  I also went to the zoo and botanical gardens.  I saw primates, birds, FLAMINGOS!  The flamingos were actually some neon orange color, but the zoo directory called them flamingos.  The stood on one foot and tucked their heads and long necks into their back feathers when resting, as flamingos do.  So, I think I saw flamingos, which is amazing.  I love them.  The jaguars apparently weren’t at the zoo.  I assume they didn’t leave on their own terms.  Haha.  I didn’t see any running around town.

I took notes whenever I could.  I’ve listed them below.  Enjoy!

1.      From the History Museum, I learned that the Punti were the earliest people in Hong Kong.  This literally means “local people.”  Throughout history, the Punti viewed everyone else as visitors or immigrants, even if they were born there but their great-grandfather immigrated from the mainland or somewhere else.
2. Like many parts of China, religion was important, but so was ancestral worship.  Instead of worshipping a god, they worshipped their ancestors.  The people of Hong Kong, especially the Punti, lived in clans.  They lived in walled cities.  There were annual ceremonies to induct new members of the clans.  These were people born anytime after last year’s ceremony.  They called it a ”lighting lantern ceremony.”  You guessed it.  During the ceremony, they lit a lantern.  Fifteen days later, the put out the light in a “Closing lantern ceremony.”  It seems to me like a club similar to the Elks or other “lodge” groups.  Of course, they were much larger and influential because they ran cities.  Ancestral worship is something like worshipping people as if they were gods but not treating them as having divine power.  I don’t think you worship them before their death, but rather you follow all their rules under the impression that you could be killed at any moment if you don’t unquestionably follow.  This is where, I think, the Chinese government’s dirty version if Communism comes from.  They tell people they will be punished for not following even the littlest rule and could be killed.  Also, communism, with a lowercase “c” is simply the idea of living in groups and living your life first and foremost for the benefit of the group and only helping just yourself whence everyone else is taken care of.  The dirty version takes out that last part and says you can never do anything but help the group.
3. A little more about newborn’s initiations into the clan, I made a tiny connection to baptisms in Western religious cultures.  It’s not a great connection, but it seems that many cultures east of the Suez worship ancestors rather than Gods.
4. The importance of paper designs in Chinese culture goes back to the times when people used to cut paper in the shapes of things they thought the recently deceased would want or need to have in heaven: pots and pans, animals, books, etc.  They cut the paper into those shapes, burned the paper, and let the smoke float to the heavens and presumably reach the deceased.  Before paper, they burned the actual items they thought the deceased would want.
5.  The Nanyue Kingdom (203-111BC) was the first to unify South China.  Present-day South China still refers to Cantonese as Yue-yu, or Yue’s people’s language.  In Guangzhou, people call Mandarin Guo-yu, or the country’s language, seeming to separate them from the rest of the country, which they often do in half-joking plugs in social settings about how I should learn Cantonese instead.  They know it’s a futile attempt, but they still try to revolt in this small way.
6. Present Day Panyu, now one of the terminal stations of the Guangzhou Metro, was the original center of Guangzhou.  There is also a recently restored 3rd century town that I should go see when I have town.  Apparently, it’s not modernized at all.
7. The Metro in Hong Kong says “mind the gap” like the tube in London.
8. The Metro in Hong Kong has signs about hygiene, washing hands and face, etc.  They also have signs on the escalators that say they disinfect the handrails hourly.  I think it said this is not manually once a day and automatically hourly.  I don’t know how it’s done automatically, but I think that’s what the sign said.
9. The exchange rate at Hong Hum station on Kowloon Peninsula is 125 Hong Kong dollars to the Chinese yuan (RMB).
10. On each Metro, there’s a first-class car and coach cars.
11. My hostel had two elevators, one going to odd floors, the other going to even floors.
12. Hong Kong, as well as mainland China, doesn’t have a problem with the number 13.  HOWEVER, anything number with a 4 as a digit is a problem because it sounds like “to die.”  It’s a different, but I guess it’s close enough.  That, I guess, is similar to Japan, as our foreign exchange student living with us when I was in sixth grade pronounced his name differently to avoid saying the part that sounded similar the Japanese word for “to die.”
13. The Star Ferry is the one to go to and from Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island.  I took many people from the ferry.
14. From the ferry, Hong Kong Island looks like a bouquet of buildings.  I can imagine plucking one.
15. In Hong Kong, the metro card is called the Octopus card.  You can use it everywhere in the city: small shops, vending machines at the ferry and elsewhere.  Sometimes the vending machines don’t have slots for paper money, just coins and the Octopus card.
16. People in Hong Kong obediently and respectfully stand to the right on the escalators for walkers can get by on the left.  This doesn’t happen in Guangzhou.
17. Hong Kong is more crowded than Guangzhou but it’s easy to get around because people walk around each other instead of through each other.
18. In Hong Kong, they drive on the left and sit on the right, like in England.  With many one-way streets, I was still a little shocked when I found out.  Historically, it makes obvious sense, but I completely forgot about it.

So, that’s it for now.  I hope you enjoyed everything.  The pictures are amazing.  You’ll notice I took several pictures of the same hot air balloon.  I was trying to get a good picture of it because it’s a DHL balloon.  I thought it was clever that they advertise that way.

As always, if you have questions, comments, or suggestions to make my blog better, let me know!

Talk to ya’ll later.

Ryan (day 116)

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for answering my poll.

I figured I’d leave some facts that I learned today.  I’m trying to remember to write things down as I hear/see them, but it’s tricky.  Here’s what I remember.  Most are from today.

By the way, in case you missed it, scroll back up.  There’s a poll at the top, asking you to take it…

- I think the military boys can run a 5k in 19 minutes as a routine.  I found some guys in camouflage shirts and black shorts, all matching each other, and I figure they are military, though I forgot to ask.

- Chinese men will make sure they treat you to a meal and even squabble amongst themselves about who will pay more.

- The students have to write apology letters in English to if they are bad in my class.  Their head teachers tells them to.  And then a few students are selected to read the letter to me.

- Students, teachers, government and hospital employees (doctors included) take naps every workday for at least one hour, at their job.  The emergency room always has staff awake though.  Not everyone is sleeping at the same time.  The students take naps in all grades.  I haven’t witnessed naptime for grades 9 through 12, but I’m told they do this, too.  They students have lunch at noon, and if I get back to school before 2, I see them sleeping on cots with blankets or on several desks with blankets.  Also, the teachers are sleeping on cots in the teaching offices or with their heads on the desks.  They’re snoring.  This is not resting.  It’s sleeping.  They say the government tells them this is good for their bodies.  In exchange for the extra time, the students are in school longer.  For various reasons, including this, the students start school at 7:30 and finish around 6:00.  Don’t forget tutorial sessions on the weekends, which, so I’m told, aren’t really voluntary.  My theory: the government wants to take a nap and doesn’t want any funny business while they’re sleeping.  My other theory: if you keep people at work longer, they won’t have time to plan a revolution.  Perhaps a little presumptuous, but that might be why.  So, there you have it, the hard-working, disciplined Chinese people, too, have a siesta.

- The students have uniformed that include options to wear (anything can be worn at any time in the year) shorts, jackets, pants, thick shirts, button-down shirts, etc.  Shoes are not part of the uniform.  I’ve seen kids without uniforms, though rarely.  So, I don’t think they get sent home for not having their uniform, but I don’t know what kind of excuse they need to give.  The uniforms, except for the white button-down that’s like a dress shirt with a wide V-neck, so no top button or button below the top button, are kind of like athletic warm-ups designed to keep you warm.  They appear to be very warm for temperature over 25 degrees Celsius, 77 F, but I’ve obviously never worn them.

The students’ uniforms double as gym uniforms.  They don’t change for gym.  After gym class, they were the same uniform until they get home.  This doesn’t seem healthy.  It seems many people in China, especially in Guangzhou, have skin problems, ranging from typical infections, rashes, spots, fungus, and those that lead to amputations.  I imagine sitting in sweaty gym clothes after gym class, even with the fan on, is even worse for people who are already sensitive.  The students have some exercises between classes, maybe twice a day, and they also have a P.E. class that lasts the length of a regular class period.

- I get to know all the bad secrets.  Some female teachers have told me things that they don’t tell their coworkers.  For example, one of my teachers told me that she’s hesitant to get married because she was married once before.  She was married to a man in the U.K.  She doesn’t want anyone to know because she thinks they will judge her poorly for having lived with a foreigner.  I don’t know if they will judge her poorly for having had a divorce.  She thinks correctly, as the Chinese have a saying that once you live with a foreigner, no Chinese man will want to live with you so you’ll have to always live with foreigners or live alone.

- The major hairstyle for the female students is bangs and longer hair on the sides of the front, if that makes sense.  It looks like a helmet.  Picture a woman with hair hanging in front just behind her cheeks, in line with her neck.  Looks pretty good, right?  Add bangs that touch her eye brows.  Now it look like a helmet.  Oddly similar to the helmet of some historical Chinese military figures.  The face is completely open so they can see.  Not the best look for females but I think that’s a sign of respect here.  Not everyone has this, and it’s vastly different for women older than school age.  Oh, it looks like the picture of the cat with the lime on its head.

- A slight majority of my students this afternoon said the preferred doing homework instead of having my lesson.  And they actually DID do their homework.  They didn’t just say they wanted to do it to avoid a lesson.  I tried helping them with their math homework, but they were word problems.  I’m not an expert, and it’s harder when the words aren’t English.

- There’s a 40% discount on the Guangzhou Metro for each leg of each ride once you use your Metro card more than 16 times in a calendar month.  The count does not include transfers.  My commute to and from work is 6 legs.  I add 2 rides if I only go to work and back home.  Going to lunch adds another two rides.  After 4 days, it’s 40% off, and you don’t have to wait behind 10 people to use the Single Journey Ticket (SJT) machines.  It’s very worth it.

- They use the lunar calendar for holidays, but not always.  They use it for the big ones: Spring Festival, QingMing (sometimes translated as Tomb Sweeping Day, but having many other translations), and some other holidays.  Some that are not on the lunar calendar are the first day of the Gregorian calendar (January 1st) and May Day (always May 1st).

- Students stand up when they are called on.  They won’t sit down until you command them, even if you turn away and start talking to someone else.

- A male political science teacher told me at lunch that he thinks the Chinese government should model themselves off the American government.  He thinks we do things the right way and that we always help people.  He’s getting a political science book in English and wants to study political science vocabulary.

- Another teacher complimented my country’s human rights.

- A guy in my neighborhood says that the Chinese government is kind and does not execute its citizens like I told him they do.  I said that China executes more citizens than the rest of the world combined.  He said that I was confusing China with Japan.  Not sure what that’s about.  I think HE’S confused.  He says the USA kills people worldwide and that China is a brotherhood and sisterhood of love for everyone.  Maybe he’s talking about the US citizens right to keep and bear arms.  Compared to China, US citizens probably have a very easy time obtaining a gun.  Although it varies by state, I assume based on my experience, on the whole, that China would probably never think about giving an ordinary citizen a gun, even with training.

- Most people are happy to teach you Mandarin and, because Cantonese is very common here, Cantonese.  They don’t usually say which they are speaking, but it’s getting easier to tell the difference.  They’re all very happy that you want to learn their language(s).  For example, I asked a customer at 7-11 how to read the Gatorade label, the cashier, with a smile, quickly told me the answer before the customer could tell me.  I’ve learned some language words, partly because I work at a language school, so that helps.  I know how to say verb, grammar, participle (well, I think so, whatever word you use to categorize words like “had, would, could.”  Not helping or linking verbs, but like words that go there maybe not always for grammar but they basically have to be there for the sentence to be correct.  Maybe participle.  Anyone know this one?), and some other words.  So, that means I can also ask if a word is NOT a verb because I know how to say the word ‘no.’  That helps, too.  Knowing how to ask if something is the same as something else is quite useful too.  It’s easier than saying synonym or antonym.  It’s best to say words for ‘almost’, ‘same’ and ‘different.’

That’s all for now.  I had no idea this post would be so long.  Sorry.  Perhaps I’ll take notes and only post a little at a time.  I initially said I’d post at least weekly so perhaps I could actually keep to that schedule.  I might be going to Hong Kong this weekend, and I’m definitely staying overnight in Shenzhen next weekend.  Hopefully going to the Shenzhen museum and maybe a park.  There’s some interesting things to see.  Look for pictures coming near the last week of May of Shenzhen.  Perhaps sooner for HK.

Ryan ( day 99)

Hi Everyone,

Sorry it’s taking so long between posts.  Everything changes around here, because of me and because of the situations here.  I won’t have Internet in my apartment until May because I won’t get a full paycheck until 4/20, which will be for the period 3/1 to 3/31.  I guess I get the prior month’s pay 20 days after that month ends.  There’s a lot of new things or things I didn’t want to see before.  This Tuesday, I get about 25% of what I thought I’d get.  I think I can manage.  There’s a stand at the Carrefour grocery store that can give me rice, mutton and a veggie for 7 yuan, or about $1.10.  They also offer pork for your choice of meat, but I can’t choose that, of course.  I won’t be eating like I used to, which was probably too lavish anyway.  Eating at restaurants all the time in the States isn’t the best financial choice, either.  Going to the bakery everyday to buy fresh bread isn’t necessary, but my alternative, Oreo’s at the 7-Eleven on the way to work, is more expensive, so I think I’ll continue at the bakery.  Actually, I can buy 1.5 kilograms of Barilla spaghetti in the Import section of Carrefour for 41 yuan.  That’s about 3.3 pounds for about $2.20.  If I can eat a half-pound for dinner, that’s 6 dinners right there.  I’ve been spending 33 yuan for one meal at this restaurant called “Enjoy Fishing.”  Free tea, though!  Haha.

I read an article about why China will fail, and it talked about culture.  I’m experiencing the same tug of war with my company as the article claims many people experience.  It also claims that companies experience this push/pull with the government.  My coworkers at my school don’t recommend that I ask for things from my company but tell them what they should give me because some employers only give you what you want, even if the contract says they have to, unless you are very assertive.  It’s a good read, though it really doesn’t express my opinions or have much to do with what I want to talk about here.  http://haunty.hubpages.com/hub/Conditional-Convergence-And-Why-China-Will-Fail-In-The-Long-Run

I’ve noticed that everyone is happy.  We all know about people who are always happy and say that everything in their life is perfect, and we wonder if they’re afraid to speak out.  This is not a trait of the few here.  It’s not just a trait of most people, it’s something that the Chinese are taught to live by.  They are taught to fall in line, disagree with creativity and free thinking, and always respect their elders.  I admit that some of what I just said comes from that article, but I agree with the part about the government being the ultimate “elder” in the society, and that you must, even if you are a giant company, respect and obey all orders of the government.  Most of what is done here is based on culture and ancient societal rules similar to that of street family structures and, even the Lost Boys from Peter Pan.  Very clever and sometimes even smart enough to have what modern people would call a normal life but not daring to ever break the chain of command.  Everyone has a place, and whether you have a skill that can make the system better doesn’t matter unless you are the decision-maker, which is usually just one person.  I agree with a society of respect, but I think that the society can’t respect people without respecting their ideas.  If someone finds an idea in someone beneath them, he or she should implement this idea.  I doubt that China could be encouraged to give credit to that “lower” person, but the important part is to make sure the best ideas are implemented, even if it disrupts the power struggle that seems to be heavily based on age and family trees.

The people are also very nice here.  I think that people are usually a reflection of yourself.  People treat you the way you treat them.  However, I have found that people in some parts of the world and in the States don’t always do this.  Here, most people look out for each other.  They are not interested in choosing between helping someone else or helping themselves.  It’s ingrained that they are part of a group, not an entity trying to break free from a group.  Most Americans are in the process of breaking free and trying to be their own person, but most Chinese are interested in group life.  Therefore, I’ve found some very generous people.  Coupled with the government’s notion that learning foreign language and culture is a necessity for growth of one’s life and one’s country, many people have been interested in conversations about culture, teaching me their language and learning mine, and making sure I’m happy.  If one person in the group is unhappy, everyone feels a responsibility to help him or her.  I’m going on a trip to climb Baiyun Mountain, which is the near the airport, on Sunday with some people I met and talk with often.

I’m still sick, probably because, like most homes in Guangzhou, my apartment doesn’t have heat.  I also haven’t been sleeping as much as I should.  Also, my camera seems to eat batteries like brownies.  The whole thing in a second.  So, I also won’t be travelling anywhere else this weekend because I don’t want to go somewhere special if I can’t take pictures.  Last weekend, I went to three places.  I’ve decided to go to one place on each of at least Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  I get out of work at 4:05 on Thursdays, and I don’t have to run or lift that day, so I might go somewhere Thursday nights.  If wasn’t sick, I would have gone to the Changlong Night Animal Park, which is best from 6:30 to midnight.  Many animals there are nocturnal.  Of course, few pictures, so being sick hasn’t been too much of an issue.

Before I talk about what I did last weekend, I want to say that I haven’t found a way to load all my pictures to my blog at once.  At one place, I took 283 pictures, so I’m not interested in loading them one by one.  When I figure out a better way, I will try it.  I apologize for the inconvenience.

On Friday, I want to Shamian.  There’s an island called Er’Sha’Dao (二沙岛), which has the White Swan Hotel.  Apparently, many American have stayed here in the past.  It’s closed for renovations until at least 2013.  I bought some gifts there.  I bought a panda and a robe.  The recipients of these gifts know who they are.  I also took some video of people doing some weird dance.  I showed the video to some friends here, and they said they don’t know what those people were doing either.  It was some weird Tai-chi using Badminton rackets and balls, fluidly passing the ball from the racket in your left hands to your right hand.  I don’t know.  It wasn’t that interesting.  I took some many pictures of British architecture, as this island used to be owned by England.  It was interesting to see European style buildings with Chinese writing.  I also saw a French restaurant called the Oriental Express, which was an old rail car turned into a restaurant.

On Saturday, I went to the Guangzhou Sculpture Park (雕塑公园), which was definitely a treat.  That’s where I took 283 pictures of sculptures and their name plaques.  I was starting to get sick and it was certainly full of stairs and tons of walking, but I made it through in about 3.5 hours, taking a picture of, I think, every sculpture and its name.  Many were of former leaders, mythical figures, and daily life in different periods.  Hopefully I’ll be able to share those photos with all of you soon.

On Sunday, I went to Guangzhou Tower.  This promises to have many great things, including a 30-meter free fall, two great restaurants, a museum of 2,000 years of Chinese history, and an observation deck at 450m, or about 1,500 feet.  I was only able to ascend the tower to the very top and take pictures of the city below.  This ascent cost 150 yuan, money I wouldn’t mind having back right now.  I don’t think it was worth it, but I didn’t go on a day with the best weather.  I hope to go back and spend the whole day there.  I really want to see the museum.  I didn’t want to spend the whole day there Sunday anyway, but I do hope to only visit a place once and see everything, as I have a list of 272 things to see, which I found on Trip Advisor.  I’m sure there are duplicates, but still, if it’s 200+, I have some work to do.

I’m almost done with the math portion of the GRE practice.  I wasn’t able to finish the Verbal because I lost my flashcards.  Maybe I’ll look for something free online.  I made it through O, so I have 11 more letters in the alphabet.  I think I should practice some grammar, too.  I guess anyone who reads this can provide some feedback.  Haha.  I start teaching grammar in 2-3 weeks.  Maybe that will help.  Once I’m done, I can hit the books.  Since I have some friends here and I’m interested in learning Chinese, I’ve probably learned to read 20 characters.  I don’t know how many I’ve learned to write, but I know that I’ve probably re-learned 50+.  I hope to fly through my old books and get to new stuff very soon.  I have so much grammar I can learn, and obviously, so many characters.  Once you learn the characters, it’s not that hard to figure out words.  It’s not that easy, but it’s easier than English in that no character is ever pronounced in more than one way.  It’s like if the A was always pronounced the way it is in the word Gate, but of course, we all know it’s different in the world Apple and Talk.

The weather is getting warmer here.  I want to note that the weather in the United States been unseasonably warm because I’m not there and Guangzhou is unseasonably cold because I’m here, but it’s getting warmer here.  March’s average is 70, but I think we’ll hit 65 this year.  It should be high 60s, low 70s for the next week or so, and then always above 70 until mid-November.  I’ll be running 4 days a week, twice a day, and lifting twice a week at Total Fitness, so warmer weather should be really nice.

That’s all for now.  Let me know if you want to hear something different in my blog.  More culture, less personal stuff, more Mandarin?!

Ryan (day 44)

Hey!  I finally have Internet, and time to make a post, and something solid to say!  For a while, I had no idea what was going on.  I even ran away for two days.  The company gave me two days to decide if I wanted to follow their regulations or lose my visa and get onto a so-called “blacklist,” which, so they say would deny me a job in China in the future.  So, I ran away to a Sofitel for one night, which was $275.00 for one night on the 28th floor of the very fancy French hotel, which I could not afford.  I thought I was not going to get a job so I wanted to make sure I had Internet so I could contact people in the United States and look for new jobs in China and other countries in Asia.  I thought that was not going to get paid.  They also told me that they would tell Immigration if I did not comply with my contract’s regulations to pay money if I do not follow the contract to the letter.  After visiting with an American Consulate lawyer, I realized that everything is okay.  However, the contract is very strict, as are many employment contracts in China.  As in some countries in Europe, contracts can require employees to pay money if they do not comply with a company’s regulations.  Anyway, I like my job.  I’m teaching middle school (ages 10-14, I think), and it’s really not bad.  The lesson planning takes only a couple hours for all levels (Junior 1, 2, and 3), and I only work 4 days a week.  Wednesday ends at noon.  Actually, right now, I’m at Starbucks using free Wifi during my 3 hour lunch break.  Not too shabby.

I moved into my apartment, which is near Shayuan metro station on Line 8.  This is close to a track.  I don’t know if it’s a 400 meter track, as I could not find the entrance after walking everywhere.  That is very common here.  The interior of many buildings is complicated shapes, kind of like the language!  So you can follow a sign to a location and never get there.  I found a park, but the median between roads is actually a metal, white fence, and it goes on for at least a half mile.  So, I don’t know how to cross the street and get to the park!  The internet says it has a water park and roller coasters.  If I can get in, that’ll be fun.  My apartment is maybe 400 square feet (between 40 and 50 square meters).  It has beautiful hardwood floors; plenty of closet space; and a bathroom that is the size of a shower stall but with a toilet, a sink, a shower head, and a drain in the corner.  So the bathroom is quite small!  Again, this is very common.  I have a Western toilet, though.  That’s a must.

Guangzhou is a very beautiful city.  It’s dirty like any other place here, but it’s amazing.  The bridges to cross the street; the tall buildings in Tianhe District, near the Guangzhou World Trade Center, and by the American Consulate, are very amazing.  I even found a gold-colored glass building near another 100+ story building.  Everyone should come and check out this place.  Be prepared for food with bones in it and monkey-hands on a stick (a picture will be posted later), and some really sketchy atmosphere, but also be ready to be amazed.  And of course, the ice cream at McDonalds and KFC is less than $0.50.  What can be better than that?  Just one thing…sheep on a stick!  Haha.  But seriously, 3 skewers for about $1.25 and another $0.50 for a pita-shaped thing to wrap them in.  Very delicious, very filling, and very inexpensive.  Easy on the stomach, too.

I ran twice yesterday and once this morning.  I plan to run this afternoon.  Let’s see if I can do two-a-days 5 days a week.  Right now, just 2 miles for each run.  It’s a real timesaver to have no endurance!  Good thing I was lazy the past year and a half.  Go me!  Haha.  After a run, walking 3 stories in the subway and being pushed into and out of crammed sardine cans (subway cars) isn’t very comfortable, but you have to do what you have to do!  I haven’t found a gym yet, though I’ve found plenty of people to point me in a direction.  Not the right direction, but that’s okay.  Ya know, they just tell you to walk 10 minutes and point to which way.  I suppose they can’t literally mean that the gym is that way unless they say “the gym is…” before telling me the way and how long it takes to get there.  They aren’t lying.  I say “where’s the gym?”  They say “walk straight for 10 minutes.”  I guess they’re not REALLY lying or forgetting to tell me that they don’t actually know if it’s up that way.  Even the English-speaking people do this.  I would think you could say “I’m not sure, but….”, however, they sound very sure of themselves, until I get to the location and guess what, no gym.

I’ve been studying for the GRE in my spare time.  I will get to the math portion in a few weeks or a month, hopefully.  When I’m done, I hope to find a place here or nearby to take it.  Otherwise, I’ll have to take it in summer time wherever I plan to visit, perhaps Singapore or Nepal.  Who knows!  I can’t wait to start studying Mandarin writing and reading.  I’ve only been studying listening and speaking, since I’m here and I have to communicate with people.  I hope to take the HSK, a 5-level Mandarin exam that is probably offered once a quarter in China.  I’ll probably go to Beijing for that, but that won’t happen for at least a year.

Some random things: I have to walk through a terrible-looking ghetto-ish place to get to my apartment, but my apartment is awesome.  I survive on these little bread bags for breakfast each morning (they were out today, so I had cake!).  The bread is delicious.  Airy and buttery.  The McDonald’s is almost always 2 stories and usually has 10-piece nuggets that are cheaper than 5-piece nuggets.  I don’t think that “mistake” is on the Chinese menu, just the foreigner’s English-written menu.  They’re trying to make us fat!  Haha.  I have yet to go to the zoo, but I can’t wait to see a panda!  People sometimes use the sidewalk as a turning lane.  You usually get 3 ounces of hot water when you ask for water at a restaurant.  Everything is made locally.  The students sometimes say that they are Made in China.

I guess that’s all.  This blog might not always be the most serious or organized, as I’m making the most of my time here and am very busy.  BUT, if you have any questions/comments, please post a question/comment, and I will always get back to you.  I haven’t uploaded pictures yet because I don’t have a lot, but I will do so.  I have a picture of the monkey-hand on a stick.  I said to myself “Oh my god, that’s a thumb…and a palm!”  Not what I expected to see at a food market.  I also have some other pictures, but not many yet.

Talk to ya’ll soon!

Ryan (day 20)

Hey Everyone,

     I’m finally moving to China.  My first visit to China was with American University’s Washington Semester Program in 2006.  Since then, I’ve returned to such places as Tibet, Chengdu, Beijing, Yantai, and Qingdao, the beer capital of China.  I look forward to revisiting a couple of those cities, and I plan on visiting many more.  I’ll be “stationed” in Guangzhou, near Hong Kong, Macau, and Shenzhen, some of China’s biggest and most modern metropolitan areas.  This should be different from the outer ring of Beijing, the beaches of Yantai, and the helplessness of Tibet.  I won’t know until I get there.

     Before I go, I must do a few things: call insurance companies and banks, get an international driver’s license, pack, buy translation software, get electric adaptors, see friends, and many other things.  If you ever plan to vacation outside the country, there’s a lot you need to know.  If you ever plan to LIVE outside the country, there’s even more to do.  If you want to know, just ask and I’ll give you the rundown of all the necessary tasks. 

     I booked my ticket last night on Continental Airlines, Asiana Airlines, and China Southern Airlines, and I’m already planning more trips around Southeast Asia and that part of the world to 42 cities in over 20 countries.  I plan to learn Mandarin while I make some money teaching English.  I plan to get back in running shape and have a lot of fun before I come back to the US and start graduate school.  This is my one time in life to explore, to take pictures, and to experience the world, seeing all its accomplishments and all its failures.  I think I like Asia because it’s not just a little different.  It’s so different that it makes you realize how different we are and how much we need to learn about each other.  There are very few similarities between Cleveland, Ohio and Guangzhou, China.  I can’t wait to figure out the differences and keep track of everything I see and hear.

     The goal of this blog is to keep a journal of everything I do and to make sure I keep in touch with everyone from other parts of the world.  I want to upload pictures, videos, links to related websites, and anything I can think of that will help me remember my trip and help others share it with me.  I hope to post descriptions with everything I post.  If you are interested in seeing something, make a suggestion and maybe I can take a picture for you.  If you just want a better description, let me know.  If I’m lucky, I’ll get to speak with locals about their views of the world, their local customs, and anything else I can learn.  If I’m able to record these conversations in English or with subtitles, I hope to upload them.  Most of what you’ll see and hear is standard–food, music, new friends, buildings, bars, beaches, sports, animals, and nature–but some things may surprise you.  

     Stay tuned!  If I can keep this blog going, I should have tons of information and media on here by the time I get back.  I will provide contact information to whomever asks me.  However, I won’t know that information for a while.  The organization that invited me has to train me and give me an apartment.  I will purchase a smartphone or a prepaid cellphone, which might not always work perfectly, but we can use Skype, too.  Sometimes, Facebook and Gmail are not accessible.  Therefore, Skype and my phone are our best options.

34 days and counting,

Ryan