Beijing Retrospective

So, I haven’t done many updates from this city. Basically, that is because we have been so busy in the mornings, when I am best at writing and thinking clearly, and because I don’t have a computer at my easy disposal.

So, here is a quick recap:

We started Beijing with a day of rest then with dinner at a famous food street a few bus stops from our hotel. I was not feeling well, so I stayed behind. After a day of rest, I felt much better and ready to face the next two days seeing the major sites.

Tuesday:

Our hotel is just a short bus ride from Tiananmen Square and the South Gate of the Forbidden City.  We toured both sites and found the experience illuminating but not exhilarating. It was very crowded and so huge… without a tour guide, it was hard to understand everything we were seeing, but still worth the visit.

For lunch, we had Beijing Noodles on the North end of the Forbidden City, very near our hotel.  Then it was a few moments rest until our evening activities:

An Acrobatic show

Peking Duck for dinner

The Olympic Arenas

Sleep

Wednesday:

The Great Wall! Our tour guide, Mark, took us to a place off the beaten path, a section of the wall not visited by tourists. Basically, we had the wall to ourselves. It is a challenging hike but so wonderful to be out in nature. The section we were at crossed over a river and was settled into a canyon that reminded me of the canyon between Malibu and Thousand Oaks. The trees and foliage was very similar. It was a warm, clear day with blue skies.

Lunch at KFC.

Then a quick tour of The Summer Palace.

Dinner of lamb and chicken… And we even had a salad.

Thursday:

Most of the crew went to the Beijing Zoo to see the pandas. I went with Jiateng and Min to meet Jiateng’s cousin and girlfriend and have Peking Duck at the most famous place in Beijing… the same restaurant that hosted Nixon.  So… tasty! They spoiled me.

A quick stop at the Pearl Market.

Home for a nap… I started getting a cold this morning…

Debriefing with the team… our last night in China.

And now:

Most of the students went off on their own to the famous food street for one last “food adventure” in China. Lishan and I bought dinner at a wonderful Hu Tong food street around the corner (noodles with chicken and mushrooms) and I ate it in my hotel room, trying to get well. Lishan had come down with a cold too.

Jiateng and Min said good bye… it was so wonderful having them here.

Well… that’s the recap. Now, off to sleep in preparation for the LONG plane flight.

Blessings your way!

Beijing Day 1 Retrospective

It occurred to me as we leave each of our stays how attached we become to the ambassadors in each of the cities. A few nights ago, I realized what it was: The Stockholm Syndrome! We are entirely at their mercy here in these cities; in a sense, we are held captive to their ability to understand Chinese language and Chinese culture. It is an odd feeling.

**
We arrived in Beijing at 7:05 AM. All's well -- except:

In the Xi'an train station, I stood up and left my backpack on the seat I was occupying. Yep, you guessed it: I lost it. In it was the computer Shawn lent me (sorry Shawn!), my Nook E-reader, my cellphone from America and the two chargers for the cell phones I am using here in China. Dang! Fortunately, the group's money and my passport was strapped to me, so I didn't leave that behind.

The train ride to Beijing was a "Z" train; it went straight through, only slowing down at stations. That means the group got a little better sleep than the train into Xi'an. Our tour-guide, Mark, met us at the Beijing station and led us to a van waiting in the parking lot. It was about a 45 ride to our hotel and A LOT easier than trying to find cabs or take the metro/bus system with all of our bags.

Mark, our guide, told us that the other GFU group was leaving today. He was going to leave us after dropping us off at our hotel and go over to where they were staying then help lead them back to the airport. One of our team members, Nick, went with him to surprise that crew. Then Nick will make his way back to a famous food and shopping street near our hotel an we will meet him there. He will pick up the other GFU group's metro/bus passes for us to use during our stay here.

Jiateng and Min will be arriving today around 3 PM. They are the young women from here in China who lived with us during their Spring semester at Fox. They will hang out with us and travel to the Great Wall, the Summer Palace and the Olympic Center,  and join us for lunch of Beijing (Peking) Duck, which will occur on Wednesday. Tomorrow, we will go to the Forbidden City and Tienanmen Square and the Temple of Heaven. Thursday, we will try our hand at bargaining (Too expensive: "tài guì le") in the famous Silk and Pearl Districts. At some point we will be going to the acrobatics show  that is famous here.

This hotel is the most "American/Western" we have been too. A buffet breakfast comes with the room so we filled up on that today: eggs, bacon, toast with jam, hot American coffee and fried rice! We are easing out of full cultural immersion on into tourism and then off to America. We leave noon on May 25th and arrive at noon on May 25th! We all are wondering what it will feel like to travel, suspended in time.

Last day in Xi'an Retrospective

We are going to miss this place. It has been a  wonderful cultural
experience of food, sights and fellowship.

I started the day by sharing an "English Breakfast" with Sue V.: Two
poached eggs, toast, jam, bacon, and a grilled tomato. Add to that a
cappuccino and you have just described the western food I was craving
and was able to have!

Next, the group found our way to the Muslem Quarter and shopped, as
well as ate the food I described in an earlier email. We had the
afternoon to ourselves and then walked the half-mile to the city's
North wall. There, we rented bikes and biked the entire 8-mile wall
around the city. It separates the old and the new that is Xi'an. We
started biking around 5 PM, just as everyone else in Xi'an was eating,
so we pretty much had the wall to ourselves. We turned in our bikes
just as the sun was setting, the smog turning the sunset into a lovely
orange-yellowish glow. In the heart of the wall, where the troops
would get into formation before combat, a troop of a different kind
entertained us with war drums.

After the drum show ended, we braved traffic and walked back to the
Bell Tower in the center of town. Some of us went back to the Hostel,
but Nick, Lishan, Alex (a Chinese National who is from Xi'an), Aleaha
and I went on a "food adventure" to eat as much as we could in the
Muslim Quarter, known for its diverse and unique foods. I had
glutenous rice on a stick with strawberry jam, dried and fried
persimmons and then Chinese bbq. SO GOOD! (As Lishan would say.)

We got home around 10:30 PM. The rest of the group were up and
talking. We settled plans for today and then went to bed. Probably our
last night of sleep on actual "soft" Chinese beds.

Today we went to a Christian Meeting with other ExPats in the area.
There were about 40 of us stuffed (comfortably) in a living room
rented by a couple from England. Other nationalities: Australian,
Nigerian, Scottish, Indian, and Texan. It was a wonderful worship and
message. Reminded me of a Quaker... At the end we experienced Messy
Church: Find some people you don't know, chat with them, then pray.
They claim it is a British Original.

Next, English Corner and American food at the Village Cafe. We served
Alex pizza and hamburgers... his first real Western food.

We are waiting a few hours at the Hostel, just chilling, till we catch
our night train to Beijing.

Xi'an Days 2 and 3 Retrospective

China Update – Day 2 Xi’an – Yesterday:

First the food:

Breakfast was Cappuccino and milk biscuits. Yum.

There is a little restaurant across the street from our hostel (the HanTang Hostel – you can see it for yourself online) that serves a delicious noodle dish of spinach noodles, cucumbers in vinegar and cilantro, and sautéed mixed veggies. It is loaded with garlic and was perfect for lunch.

For dinner, we ate at a Szechuan restaurant: Kung Pao Chicken, Sweet and Sour Egg Plant, Orange Peel Pork, Mushrooms and Bock Choy, Tofu noodles. Szechuan tastes like the Chinese food we are familiar with. When eating, we eat “family style,” which means the dishes are brought out one-by-one (the table can start eating once the third dish is placed) and put on a large lazy-Susan in the middle of a round table. Everyone has a small plate and chopsticks in front of them, so we rotate the lazy-Susan and use our own chopsticks to pull food off the dishes as they spin by. It is a fun way to eat, and breaks down all food barriers, because, essentially, we are all eating off the same plate. We usually eat family style and our team loves eating this way.

About the activities:

Lishan and I let the group sleep in and have a lazy waking-up. We have been going-going-going, and this hostel has a ton of wonderful places to land, both as individuals and as groups, so we decided it would be nice to get rested and reconnected yesterday. This is the first place where unstructured group togetherness has been possible. There is a beautiful roof-top garden on the fourth-floor that offers a small green oasis within a brick and cement landscape that is a Chinese city. The HanTang is situated within an older, established neighborhood. We tried to meet at 10:30 AM  up in the peaceful, and warm, morning air, but our plans were thwarted by the persistent pneumatic jackhammer rehabilitating (tearing apart) one of the apartment complexes next door. So, we moved into the unheated sauna just off the garden and finished morning debriefing there.

Then, we met Alex, an architecture student at one of the local universities (he plans to study in Minnesota in the fall) who took us on a 1.5 hour bus ride to see the Terracotta Warriors.  Look it up on Wikipedia – it does a good job of explaining what we saw. The students were blown-away and thoroughly loved the history. I was so glad they were enthusiastic. So was I.

We planned on getting back to the city of Xi’an in time for English Corner at 7 PM. But, China did not cooperate – TRAFFIC is horrendously SLOW. We felt and still feel awful we let Xi’an down. But we learned a valuable lesson: don’t do two things in one day when there is a set schedule. So, we walked to our hostel, having dinner along the way.

That evening, we met up on the rooftop for a time of togetherness which included Nick playing a broken guitar and singing us Flight of the Concord songs, playing ping pong, and chatting about the day. We decided we liked the opportunity to be together like this and commented on how the other accommodations didn’t provide this opportunity.

Today, we are splitting up and exploring the Muslim Quarter, the Bell Tower, do some antique shopping and walking or biking the ancient city walls. It is supposed to get up to 90 degrees today, so we will be drinking  lots of water and taking it easy.

On Sunday, tomorrow, we will visit a bible study with only foreigners (Chinese nationals cannot join us) and then English Corner. Then, night train to Beijing.

Getting closer to actually seeing you all! 

Xi'an Day 1 Retrospective

Xiaogan Reflections -- Xi'an Beginnings

When we arrived in Xiaogan nine or ten days ago, the team was excited: blue skies and a hotel very near the university. In fact, the hotel was just across the street from the  college. We quickly got into our rooms and then a few of us joined Dorothy and the Teaching Abroad team for an English Corner session.

Okay, so I promised to talk more about English Corner. I guess this time is as good a time as any. English Corner is where students and community members  spend time chatting, interacting, and just simply practicing English. The Team China team really likes English Corner because it is more relaxed and the people who are there really want to practice their English. In some of the classes, students are not excited about learning English, some are forced into the major rather than choosing it for themselves.

That night, the team met with Dorothy, J., Joanna, and Julie to discuss the nine-day stay in Xiaogan. I wasn’t feeling well: exhausted, and my tummy was a little grumbly -- so I stayed in my hotel room and napped. The team came back energized from meeting the teachers. Dorothy had a written schedule and a plan for the team. They liked the structure and what they were going to be doing with the students: a performance, power point presentations, chatting at English Corner.

The week progressed nicely. Team China was getting to know students, their age, from Hubei Polytechnic Institute and loving the connections. The students went with us to lunch and dinner. We got to know the street food vendors that had the best food (and used fresh oil… if you don’t want to know about some of the food practices here… don’t research about the practice of reusing oil… it will scare the pants off you).

Street food – an overview:

Breakfast Burritos: Fried Egg on a dough-tortilla with onions, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes and “special sauce.”

Fry Bread: Just what it sounds like – oily and oh so yummy.

Boiled Eggs: One Q.

Fresh Fruit: Bananas, Oranges, Apples and other yummy interesting fruits I can’t name.

Fried Rice/Noodles: Egg, spice and “veggie” blend, noodles or rice, spice or not.

Tea: From the little place called: Family of Bear or Three Bear – green, plumb, or black  -- hot or cold

The first few days were filled with food, talking, getting to know the teachers and the students, and did I mention, food? Walking, honking, buses, taxis… Did I mention the honking? I must say, we are all getting VERY good at crossing the roads here.

***

Then the weekend arrived, and with it, Homestays. Students started getting nervous early on Friday morning. And, I didn’t blame them – they were going to be separated from the group, from inside information and easy conversation. They were going away from Xiaogan, some travelling as far as 5 hours away. What kind of food would they encounter? Would they offend their hosts? Sleeping? Showering? Squatty Potties… all of those questions.

But they left. I tried to see each one off as their host students ushered them to busses or trains for travel. Some team members had multiple students join them… Aleaha had a fifteen student entourage; Nick was led around Xiaogan by three young women (his girls he called them). Others were hosted by just one student. Off they went… coming back on Sunday.

And, the verdict? Was it worth it? All the stress beforehand, the exhaustion during? Was it worth the work for the payoff? YES! The students had amazing times. Some visited working farms with rice-paddies, water buffalo, gardens. Others made dumplings; some were fed chicken feet and hundred-year-old eggs (pidan). Others had funny shower stories. Not knowing how to utilize the bucket of water in the “bathroom,” some climbed in the bucket, other poured it over themselves. All were stretched and loved it. They feel so privileged to get to be a part of “real” China.

Sunday night we quickly shared stories then worshiped with the Teaching Abroad team of teachers. It was a loud and lovely time. Then back to work on Monday and Tuesday. We had movie night both nights, all of us sitting around and talking about the movie: 500 Days of Summer… a lovely experience: American culture in China. Something fun and unique about the experience.

Wednesday we left for Xi’an. Taking the sleeper train from Xioagan, we almost didn’t get on the train. Things are very changeable and unpredictable in China, and confusing. You have to sense your way through the system, not entirely trusting time tables, or signs. You ask people, watch people, ask some more, observe, and figure it out. Fortunately, we caught our train and got settled for the night. Personally, I like sleeping on trains. I read from my current novel: The Paris Wife, and slipped into sleep. I woke up around 4 AM. We got off the train around 5:45…

And now… here we are, in Xi’an. After a confused taxi ride, lots of honking, we are settled into a foreign student hostel. I am sitting in the common area and loving it. There is an American couple across the way, and I am sitting next to a Russian couple to my left. We are all foreigners here, and I love to see us and how different we look – even though we all look the “same”: Eastern and Western European, American… we will see a lot more foreigners here because Xi’an is a must see destination spot.

The students are napping upstairs… we will be meeting Chinese students for lunch and then off to the museum, purportedly one of the best museums in China. Tomorrow, we will visit the Terracotta Warriors and then partake in English Corner. Saturday is wide open… perhaps biking the wall that surrounds the city… and Sunday we are off to Beijing.

Students don’t know what to think about this trip. But the historian side of me is jumping with joy inside. Right now, I am going to order a second Americano and do some more research on the sites here in Xi’an.

Hopefully another update soon. Missing home; Missing you. But having a great time.

Xiaogan: Lauren's View

Ni Hao Friends,

On the long plane ride from San Fransisco to Shanghai, I had time to think and read. Something that stuck out to me was the sentence Open Your Eyes There is Much to See. I have found this to be true as we have journeyed through China, through the lively city of Shanghai, the crowded streets and buses of Wuhan and now  in Xiaogan.

     Our time here in Xiaogan is sadly coming to a close tomorrow, yet we have learned so much and seen God at work in this city. "God is doing amazing things through his Church everywhere. Our brothers and sisters all over the world give us a glimpse into how God is working." These words ring true as we have learned so much from our brothers and sisters here as well as those who do not know Christ. We have had many opportunities to talk with students, opening our eyes to their education system here, and the ways that relationships play out. They ask us a lot of questions during class, their favorite one happens to be 'what are your hobbies?' In most places it is uncommon for them to see foreigners and so we get plenty of curious looks and lots of questions.

     Another way that our eyes were opened here in Xiaogan was through homestays with students from the university here. Each team member was placed with a different student, and this past weekend we headed out to different cities around Xiaogan to experience the everyday life that many families in China live. I had the joy of going out into the country to a home that was a 2 1/2 mile walk from the road into a smaller village of homes. While there I got to experience pumping water, making traditional foods, and experience how  people farm. I also got to climb a giant hill (to them a mountain) in the rain, experience some Chinese shopping, and how to play a traditional Chinese game. My host student's mother was there, but her father and brother were away at factories where they work and live, only coming home every so often. This was a great time to interact with the students on a more individual level, and experience their life.

     We head out on a night train tomorrow to Xian, and will spend some time there doing some english corners, and taking in some of the ancient Chinese culture. Thank you for your support and prayers!

Grace and Peace,
Lauren Dodge
--
Grace and Peace,

Lauren Dodge

Xiaogan Retrospective Continued

Xiaogan Update:

Day 12 of our trip.  Weather cooler today. Patches of blue sky.

The student team members all went on Home Stay visits with a host student (sometimes students) to various towns around Xiaogan. One student will be returning today; the rest will get back tomorrow. 

Lishan, our interpreter/guide/leader took this opportunity to go home for a visit. He lives about 7 hours away by train. He will be back on Monday to help guide us the rest of the way. The Teaching Abroad teachers here are good enough at Chinese to help us get around as we need to. As the students get back to town on Sunday, we will have a chance to worship and debrief before classes start on Monday.

Daily, you will hear and see fireworks. They use them to celebrate birthdays, engagements, weddings, etc.  The first time I heard them, I thought we were under attack: the whistle and then the boom. But, I figured out very quickly that it was fireworks.

At night, the streets are filled with families eating and talking. People sit outside of the restaurants, on the streets. Stores are open late in the night… until about 10 or 10:30 PM. My 5^th floor hotel room overlooks the street, and the windows are not noise-reducing. That means I hear everything… every honk, every man singing Karaoke at the top of his lungs, every truck shifting to pick up speed. That also means that I am learning to sleep through anything.