Lifestyle Affected

I realized that since I have moved to China, I have gotten extremely lazy about the following things:

• Showering. Yes, I know...gross. I pretty much shower when my hair is greasy (in the winter...in the summertime I am still a regular showerer). But in winter, low water pressure=having to be in the shower for a while=having my clothes off for longer=cold. The hot water is not really so hot here.


• Shaving my legs. See above. I still shave them in the summer though....so haven't gone totally native.


• Doing laundry. Most of my friends re-wear outfits (economical). They may not have many clothes...I have adopted this habit as well.


• Doing my makeup. I ride my bike most places, hence the wind will mess up any hairdo or makeup job that I undertake. Wow, I am really starting to sound like a wreck, huh? I do wear mascara some days so that I don't look dead.


• Writing. I used to find a good deal of pleasure in intellectual writing as a hobby....now I find myself just wanting to turn my brain off at the end of a day.


• Going to the store. Yep...going to the store here is just exhausting. I'm not sure why....the stares....the not having a car to throw things into at the end of a trip? I prefer stopping into a small, local shop to grab most things....but unfortunately it is sometimes necessary to venture into the HEB of China....which is chaotic.

On the other hand, there are some things I have improved at:

• Carrying reusable grocery bags (they charge you for plastic bags here)
• Exercising. Part of this is just because I find I need more energy to function here, and part of it is that my lifestyle naturally incorporates more exercise (I ride my bicycle almost everywhere)
• Knowing where I am...still not great at directions...but I've gotten a little better
• Taking care of my skin. The dry air here mandates better attention to skin care
• Being comfortable singing in front of strangers. Thank you KTV.
• Drinking more green tea (it is good for you, and really tasty here!)
• Eating protein (hoorah for tofu!)

Things that I SHOULD have improved at by now...but haven't:

• Being comfortable in front of cameras
• Ignoring being stared at (I still get uncomfortable)

For those of you who have lived overseas, how did you notice that your lifestyle was affected?

The Joys of Karaoke

So...there is not a lot to do in the city where I live...but, the nice thing about China, is that an abundance of karaoke places are to be found. Unlike in the U.S., karaoke here (called KTV) is not done in a bar setting in front of strangers...instead, a group of friends will rent a private karaoke room to belt their hearts out.

When I first visited China a few years ago, I was a little shy about singing. One way that I have changed since coming to China, is that I am no longer shy about singing (although my voice is still not very powerful). Honestly, who doesn't have a secret pop diva fantasy? Well, in China you can live that out any time you want. :-)

English Corner

Many foreigners in China are asked to do English Corners. These are usually just gatherings where people (usually university students or young professionals) can practice English. Myself and a classmate lead one, and I have to say, I really enjoy the opportunity to meet Chinese students, and *gasp* to speak English. I spend most of the week attempting to speak Mandarin, so it is honestly nice to have easier communication for one evening a week. Also, it ends up being helpful with Mandarin because we try to practice a bit as well (I usually learn some things trying to explain English phrases).





Also, some of my closest friends here I have made through English Corner...we have some really interesting discussions...these have included:

-family

-politics (although, as a foreigner, I usually just listen to their opinions and don't contribute many of my own)

-spirituality

-societal pressures of China

-dreams, goals, and what brings people here hope

-random get-to-know-you questions

-dating, sex, and love

-ebonics/slang

-the environment

-movies, music, and pop culture

...and really anything and everything in between!



What about you? If you have experience interacting with international students, what are some topics you've found interesting to discuss?

The Story of 狗不理

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Tianjin, a city that is a 30 minute fast train ride from Beijing. Tianjin is famous for its snacks, and a specialty dish called 狗不理 (Gou Bu Li) dumplings.

We also were excited to get to try it at the most famous GouBuLi restaurant in Tianjin (hence, our friend explained, we had eaten at the best GouBuLi restaurant in the world).

The restaurant gave us a brochure with the story of GouBuLi, so here it is:

Goubuli first appeared in 1858, when a farmer in the countryside of Tianjin's son was born when he was forty. He named the baby Gouzi (Baby Dog) for the sake of safety. Gouzi went to Tianjin to study his skill when he was fourteen. He was an apprentice in a steamed food shop. His skill was great and he improved very quickly because he was hard-working.

He didn't desire to become employed by others, so he began to run a stall of Baozi (steamed stuffed bun). He invented watery filling and half-leaven dough. This kind of baozi was attracting, soft, and fragrant. It looked like a chrysanthemum. Its special color, fragrance, taste, and shape was attracting many people to eat it. His business was very good. He was so busy that he had no time to talk with people. The people said: "Gouzi isn't talking when he is selling his baozi." This situation lasted for a long time, so the people started to call him "Gou Buli". (By "buli" it meant paying no attention to the people). Some soldiers eventually brought Goubuli baozi to the Empress Dowager. She was very happy after eating it and said "Goubuli is more delicious than the wild beast in the forest, the fowl in the sky, beef and lamb in the field, and sea food in the water. People will live long if they eat Goubuli baozi often."

From that, Goubuli became a famous brand in China.

(The other food was delicious too, like these tofu wraps!)

Top 10 Places I Want To Visit

I've been blessed to get to see many different places in China (Beijing several times, Shanghai, Chengdu, Hong Kong, and a handful of cities in Inner Mongolia). I have plans in the works to visit Tianjin, Kunming, and other destinations. But my top 10 places I want to see next are as follows (and these are just a taste of the diversity that China has to offer):


1. Harbin Ice Festival



2. Xi'an



3. Urumqi, Xinjiang



4. Lhasa, Tibet



5. Chifeng, Inner Mongolia

6. Manzhouli



7. Macau



8. Yangtze River



9. Qingdao, Shandong



10. Chengdu, Sichuan
I have technically already been there, but I want to go back in order to officially hold a panda. :-)

What about you? What would be your dream destinations in China?

元宵节 (Yuan Xiao Festival)

(the glow of red lanterns in neighbors' windows...decorations for the new year!)

The Yuan Xiao Festival in China marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebration. People will display colorful lanterns and eat glutinous rice balls (also called 元宵 yuan xiao).

It seems I am always coming across a new festival previously unknown while living here in China. I didn't participate in the city-wide festivities for this particular festival, but I did go to a demonstration of yuan xiao and paper lantern making held at the local museum (and consequently appeared on tv and in several newspapers for being a whitey that showed up at the event).

People will also try to solve riddles written on lanterns...the kids really got into this at the museum and were given prizes (I was also given a prize, but not because I answered...just because I was there, ha).

Movie Review: The Green Hornet

During my recent travels in Thailand, The Green Hornet was released in Asia...so, of course, I went to see it the very first day that it came out (as a dedicated Jay Chou fan).

Let me just say, seeing a movie in Thailand is interesting anyway...you stand for five minutes at the beginning of the movie in honor of the king while they play the anthem and show video footage of him. But anyways....we really liked the movie (and in fact went to see it again the next evening and later bought a bootleg DVD of it...hey, I did my part in supporting it in the theatre).

So, my review is as follows:

While I am a big fan of Jay Chou, I honestly didn't know what to expect...I knew I would think his English was cute, but honestly didn't expect for it to be great, and didn't know if he would really be able to pull off the subtle humor that the dialogue required....but he definitely did.

I am also not a big Seth Rogen fan, but I found him pretty funny in this movie. The movie itself is an anomaly, and I think a very good one, in that its treatment of Kato as a character is really positive for Asians....without turning him into a flawless martial arts god, they made Kato the "cool guy" and true hero of the film, while still allowing him character flaws (though admittedly not to the extent that Seth Rogen's Britt Reid displays as he deals with some major insecurities of playing second fiddle to the "sidekick".

The dialogue and fight scenes were entertaining and actually really funny, and the chemistry between Jay Chou and Seth Rogen is great. Cameron Diaz also is limited in screentime, which is probably good as she wasn't exactly super-convincing as the brainy Lenore Case.

Britt: "Sit with me Kato. Tell me your tale."

Kato: "I was born in Shanghai. You know?"

Britt: "Yes, I love Japan!"

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Apparently there are already talks of a sequel...which I fully support. It's about time Hollywood featured a cool Asian...not the stereotypical "funny guy with accent".