Chengdu Week 26 - The start of break and the Spring Festival

Feb. 15-16, 2015

    Sunday was a really relaxed day. I just enjoyed the nice weather and made curry. I really enjoy the quiet days. Monday began as it normally does, with coffee and class. Class went alright, though it’s kind of a bummer that we will run through an entire chapter before break. The chapter is on finances and stock market. The words weren’t particularly difficult, but to be perfectly honest it’s not something that really peaks my interest. Our history professor was smart and switched our Tuesday class for Monday. Though I must admit having our apartment so close makes life so easy, I came back for a quick lunch. History class is as usual a trial to get through, just a lack of new information (I have been Chinese history major for 3 years). Her information is very carefully selected and it doesn’t offer me any really new perspective except the one of how Chinese people view their own history. The weather today has been so lovely. It’s finally warming up into the sixties and there is sun. even on non-polluted day the sun is often hidden by the clouds. Every break offered by our history class all the year-longs just went outside and absorbed then sun. It was so nice to actually feel the sun on my skin. It was so fantastic that the entire apartment after history class went out to the little fountain area and sat together doing homework until the sun finally went down. Overall it was a lovely day.

Feb. 17, 2015

    Last day before break. Class was rough to get through. Talking about finances and such is literally the least exciting thing I can think about learning. Since I didn’t really care about the dialogue I was kind of a deep during class. I was not the only one, however, and together track four made it through. After that Jesse and I went home for a quick lunch and then off to Trust Mart, which was madness. Imagine the Saturday before the Superbowl, but in a country of 1.1 billion. Lots of people everywhere, Jesse and I all but ran through. Then there was a quick run to our vegetable lady. We had fun exchanging greetings she gave me one is Sichuanese that I then copied. It was a good time, she also made a point to inform she would be closed for the next couple days. Tomorrow is Spring festival eve, so everything is essentially shutting down, which was the cause for the rush to retrieve food.  By Sunday, according to Wentao, everything should be back up and running. The city is really quiet right now, many people have left to go back to their home towns in rural China. The noise level is at the equivalent of what I am used to back and Reno (I think so anyway, it’s a bit hard to remember). The next couple of days will be filled with celebrations. Hopefully I will be able to get some pictures of the city lit up with celebrations. 新年快乐！


Feb. 18, 2015

    First day of break was meant to be a busy day. But in the end we ended up generally staying inside. It wasn’t as sunny as it had been before. Instead we stayed in and had some apartment TV time. Though we are all friends, we don’t hang out as a whole simply due to different schedules. However, after dinner Jesse and decided to go check out the Temple and Jinli street. Today is Spring Festival eve. Now to explain, this is Chinese New Years but the name of the festival is the Spring festival. China was based off a lunar calendar so traditionally this was the start of the new year, though the celebration was also something of a celebration of the end of winter. The temple, as you may remember, was in the process of being decorated when Jesse and I visited two weeks ago. It was 30 RMB to get in and once inside it was well worth the money. Everything was decorated in lanterns and there was a carnival like atmosphere. We walked around and enjoyed the decorated area. Unfortunately the pictures I took were a little blurry because the lanterns were the only source of light. Overall a lovely was to spend the evening. When we came back we ended up watching the Spring Festival variety show on CCTV 1. This is the national show that a good portion of China watches every year. It was actually pretty fun. I was also pleased that for somethings I could keep up and for some things I was utterly confused. People would speak so fast a slur their words I’d have no idea. Overall it was an interesting night of Chinese nationalism. Every few songs was one that had very similar meanings to American nationalistic songs but obviously for China (yay for parallels).

Week 25 - Tests and Bamboo Park

Feb. 10, 2015

    Tuesday was a quick class, it was the first time we ever had a review as part of the class. We talked a bit about certain phrases that people often confuse. The word 来 is used in a lot of phrases, it denotes transient action or change of state. It’s useful but often can be confusing, so that was really nice right before the exam. It’s kind of interesting as the last chapter was about the environment and how to conserve energy. Then we had a discussion about such a thing. It’s nice to be able to at least understand better the topics that are actually news worthy. Watching the Chinese news is becoming easier to do though their are definitely sections I still am unsure of, even with the newsreels. The second half of the day was history class. It was pretty… interesting I suppose is the word. She has started using movies to help talk about modern history, but the movie failed today. Then the class sort of descended into chaos. All the while Jesse was trying to fix the audio and video, it was a pretty strange situation. I have a hard time focusing in that class most days, though the student presentations are always fun. Class finally ended, Wentao had asked me and Cassidy to come to the office. She will be heading to the States soon to give a USAC presentation. She’s been using Cassidy and I to spit ball ideas for the presentation. It was actually quite fun, Wentao is such an interesting lady. She really seemed to like our ideas so I look forward to the finished product. The rest of the day was spent just relaxing and going over test notes. Dinner went as it usually does and now I am just sipping tea enjoying the evening. A good way to the end the day.

Feb. 11, 2015

    Wednesday is the usual free day. It actually turned out to be a really nice day. jesse and I had a bunch of errands to run. First I needed to send off my post cards, and Jesse needed to get some postcards. So first we went to Panda Post. It wasn’t too busy so that part went really quickly. Then we were on a rather long bus ride over to work. I needed to pick up my paycheck and get some coffee. I was told that I could buy Chinese grown coffee. We found it, oddly enough, at an import store that most carried American goods. I think they had it because Americans tend to drink a lot of coffee. There was then a period where Jesse and I had to wait for my bosses to return from lunch. So we holed up at the 85 degrees coffee shop for about an hour. There was some shenanigans in people watching and goofing around with our Wechat app. I finally got my paycheck and we were able to walk back home. This day was probably the nicest, warmest day we’ve had in a while. I think spring is finally around the corner. Before heading home we grabbed some veggies and lunch. This whole adventure actually took much longer than we expected but I think it was worth it. I made dinner with some of the veggies we bought and studied for my exam tomorrow. A very good free day if I do say so myself.

Feb. 12-13, 2015

    The exam was the first thing on the agenda for Thursday. All in all I think it went very well. I was done around 11 so I took the full amount of time expected for the exam. I left with a satisfied feeling so I’m counting it for a win. I will have two days of class next week before the break so we’ll finish another chapter. The rest of the day was spent lounging around and making curry. Not really much to report. Friday was a bit more interesting. After Jesse had finished his exam we went to Trust Mart. I have noticed that Chengdu is beginning to empty. No surprise though, the Spring Festival is around the corner. Many people are beginning to travel back to their hometowns, so the Trust Mart crowd wasn’t too bad. It was Jesse’s birthday on Thursday and he said he wanted lemon bars. I though that actually sounded pretty good, and it’s not that hard to make. So I spent the afternoon baking. It turned out pretty well if I do say so myself, though the crust is a bit thick. It’s amazing what a little toaster oven can do. I also made a stop with Wentao to help her organize her thoughts even further for the presentation. Jesse and I then went over to Raphi, and played a few rounds of Chinese chess. Then with Brennan and Cassidy we went to a Tibetan restaurant for Yak and potato pies. It was really strange when we walked in as everyone just stopped and stared at us. The dinner was then spent just catching people’s eyes staring at us. Also there was a little girl who was absolutely adorable, I got a picture with her in the end. We finished the night with Big Trouble in Little China, a fantastic movie. So begins the weekend.

Feb. 14, 2015

    Today was a pretty awesome. Jesse, Raphi and I all got out of the house around 10:30 am and walked to Bamboo park. The walk took an hour, but we simply followed the river. Some people really dislike walking but I really enjoy it because it helps me orient myself. So we walked and chatted then finally arrived at the park. There is a section of this park that has some really interesting old buildings, but it cost 20 RMB to get in. It was worth the money, we wandered around and got some really awesome pictures. Chengdu, for all of it’s city-ness, has beautiful places to escape. After we had wandered around for about an hour we went to the open area. The open area is the actual park and there were people just enjoying a Saturday in the park. The weather is finally getting warmer, so it was a perfect day to be out. Eventually we all settled on a tea house in the park. Everyone ordered some tea, which was amusing. I asked the lady how much it would cost and she answered in Chinese. I said ok, then she began to speak about where we would sit. However, another Chinese lady scolded the witness, saying we didn’t understand. I then informed her that we could understand. I might have enjoyed to look of surprise on her face, it’s great occasionally breaking through the stereotype of foreigners not understanding Chinese. We  were settled under a large tree, we first played Chinese Chess, which was funny because a Chinese man started telling Jesse and I how to play. It was magic. Then we played card games and chatted for a couple of hours. It was a super relaxed day, it felt really nice to do something like that. We walked home, and by the time we made it back it was 4:30. There was a quick jaunt for some dinner/lunch. None of us had really eaten that day, but we weren’t doing too much either.

That's not fog...

City Art

Along the River there were random old structures

The sign said not too...

Week 24/25 - Life and Wuhou Temple

Feb. 6, 2015

    My morning errand was going to the doctor’s one last time. The session was a little bit noisier than usual. Morning time is apparently acupuncture time. The doctor was super nice but she was pretty harsh with the electricity. Her explanation for it “Getting better means feeling a little pain.” I survived though and got some more medicine. If I feel pain will go back on Monday, but I suspect I will be ok. The rest of the day involved not doing too much. I have a test coming up, then we have a week off to celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival. I’m not really sure what I am going to be doing on those days, but I will figure it out. I think picking famous places around Chengdu and walking to them, just to see different parts of the city will be fun. I am officially feeling better with my back I hope it will remain that way, though now I need to to go pick up my check for work. Not as big as I would hope but money is money. Life is good but moving at a steady pace.

Feb. 7-8, 2015

    Saturday was a day of homework and nothing important. So much lazing around, it was nice to not have to rush off to work or go do something with someone else. The water heater wasn’t working so there was also a distinct lack of shower. Our landlady informed us that we needed to change the batteries in the water heater. Contraptions in China do not always make sense but with new batteries there is warm water, so I will not complain anymore. Sunday was a bit more fun. Normally I stay in as much as I can on Sundays, it’s China’s shopping day, as most people have it off. But on this day Jesse and I wished to escape from the confines of the small apartment. We decided to go to Wuhou Temple, which is right next to Jinli street. It actually wasn’t too crowded, and it is all decorated for the Spring Festival. The temple is dedicated to the Three Kingdoms era, and also acts as something of a museum in conjunction with Jinli street. It was fun wandering around and just enjoying the different gardens. I really liked all the lanterns they had hung up. Jesse and I will both return at night to see then all lit up, and to get more pictures. I did take some photos of the temple, before my camera died so enjoy the look around. After we headed back it was dinner and study. I almost totally forgot about the last study part of my homework, but now it is done. One more week until break.

Feb. 9, 2015

    Class went as it normally does. I have those weird moments where I realize that I can comment on things in Chinese, such as the discussion we had about the retirement age in China. Every once and a while it blows my mind just a little bit. Tomorrow we will hopefully have a review before we have the exam. Yin laoshi isn’t always good about that sort of thing, I am worried she will start the next chapter. Either way I really need to read over the dialogues again and make sure I am up to speed with all the words and grammars. She isn’t a hard tester, but if you don’t study then there is nothing good in your future. After class Jesse and I made a run to Trust Mart, it was shockingly busy. People are moving through Chengdu as their last stop before they head out to the countryside for the Spring Festival. I bought some decorations to bring home. The year of the sheep is nearly upon us, and now I have some paraphernalia to prove it. I will probably hand the good luck charms out as souvenirs. Once home I did my homework and cooked dinner. Cooking food is a nice relaxing thing in my life, I really have begun to enjoy it. I can’t wait to come home and have others try my cooking, though the spicy food is what I am all about. Tomorrow will be busy, Tuesday I have Chinese and history class.

Week 24 - Science Class and Chinese Medicine

Feb. 1-2, 2015

    First day of the month was the only break I will get in this insane ten day course. Most of it was spent doing absolutely nothing. It was lovely. Monday however, was rough. There was an oral presentation, which went alright. I get nervous speaking in another language, so I end up reading my presentation instead out saying it. But Laoshi said I did well so I will not complain. Almost immediately after that I needed to go to work. The theme of the day was soap. I think it went fairly well, generally speaking. We actually made some soap, a recipe I got off the internet. The kids are doing alright. I am now trying to send them home with worksheets that show what they are meant to learn. That way the parents can feel like their child learned something while in my class. It’s frustrating that the English portion of this class is such a joke. I wish I could just have an interpreter, at least then the kids could learn something useful. After work it was a bit of a mad dash back home. I had a significant amount of homework to do and not enough time to do it. I managed through and was rewarded with a bowl of jaozi (dumplings). It’s cold here, wet and cold. I find it hard to get warm except to curl up under coats or blankets. Drying laundry is an experience as it never actually gets dry, just less damp. Nothing to do but to put on cold, damp pants, always a cheap thrill in the morning. Speaking of mornings, tomorrow’s is coming quickly. Good night!

Feb. 3, 2015

    I woke up with a miserable back, my sciatic nerve is doing the weird pinch thing again. If I move the wrong way it causes a shooting pain down my back and right leg. I didn’t really notice it too much during class but as the day progressed it got worse. then on the bus ride to work I jerked it too hard. So it was aching by the time class started. The theme of the day was water. First part of the class involved discussion of the water cycle, which the kids understood exactly nothing. It’s amazing that they can sit through a short cartoon but not understand anything. Then right before break I had them line up. Now Chinese children mirror their culture and queuing is not an orderly process. Today they managed to ram my back into a doorknob. And now my back is gone. I had to lie down for a good thirty minutes and then stretch before I could even go back into the classroom. You’ll see the pictures of me helping the kids make candy, I am in a silly amount of pain there. I managed to get home and proceed to die on the couch. Wentao will be taking me to a doctor tomorrow, who will be able to help my poor back. This does mean however, that I will not be going in to work, which is a bummer. However, it’s a section on the human body so it shouldn’t be too hard for anyone to sub with. I have two coloring sheets and easy to follow directions, we’ll see how it goes. For now I am taking it easy and resting. Tomorrow I will hopefully be right as rain.

Feb. 4, 2015

    So no class in the morning which left me with TV and computer for most of the day. My back is most definitely killing me so there really wasn’t much I could do. Then at 3pm I was off with Wentao, she took me to nice area of town. There we went to a traditional Chinese medicine doctor’s office, where I met Dr. WangLi. Within a few moment of talking with her it was decided that I would have acupuncture and fire cupping. The acupuncture also came with a treatment of electricity, it was actually pretty relaxing. Wentao being there helped because I could communicate clearly what was going on. I was also prescribed some traditional Chinese medicine, twice a day four pills each time for the blood flow. The fire cupping was less relaxing, it actually hurt quite a bit, but I endured it. When it was all said and done I was able to get off the table without hardly any pain. The doctor said I needed to come back for two more treatments, then I should be good. It was pretty amazing how well everything worked. I still have a little pain when I stand and sit but hopefully that will clear up as I continue the treatments. I have pictures of me on the table, but I won;t be posting them due to some nudity. Over all the treatment and the pills cost me 200 RMB ( a little less than 40 USD). I was able to make dinner and relax for the rest of the evening. Now it is be time for bed, hopefully I will feel even better.

Feb. 5, 2015

    Class went generally well. Next week we have our first test, then a week off for Chinese New Year. I don’t know what I will be doing for the Spring Festival yet, probably traipsing around Chengdu and getting some touristy things checked off the list. After class I dashed home for lunch. After waiting a little while I caught a bus over to the doctor’s office. Once there I got to nervous to explain how my pain was. The doctor spoke a little English but not really enough to understand each other. Eventually we got it worked out, one of things about learning a new language is people are going to think you don’t know what’s going on even when you do. So I’m lying there behind a curtain, sans my pants and I can hear the doctors making fun of my Chinese. I let it slide because it happens and I knew I had messed up. Then this lady walks in and she starts asking Dr.Wang if she can understand something written down. Then the two of them start trying speak english. “May I ask you some questions?” was the sentence, they botched it a bunch times so I finally said it in my teacher voice. The lady come over and exclaims in Chinese “You are a foreigner”. Then she starts trying to speak to me in English, I tell her to speak to me in Chinese. Then I had a conversation with her in Chinese. We exchanged numbers so I could talk to her daughter, who is studying English in a different province. After she left Dr. Wang comes over and is like “You speak Chinese, you understand Chinese!” Then we talked a little bit, and I felt extremely accomplished. After this session I felt really good, I am really pleased with the treatment. I headed home and just relaxed. I need to start studying for my exam. Dinner was a quick affair, and then Jesse and proceeded to watch bad movie. The night ended with Conan the Barbarian and it was pure magic. I love making fun of bad movie, we were all in stitches before the night was over. It was a nice apartment night for all of us.