Now that I've returned home, I haven't decided whether or not to continue blogging. I'm sans camera for the time being. Perhaps I will write intermittently, I don't know.
These are the current things on my decision plate:
- If the UofW grants me credits to, I will go back to China for study in Sept.
- If not, I will try to get my tesol certificate (not that you really need one) and teach English in China.
- Maybe I will take one semester at the UofW before going back. This would allow me to attend my brother's wedding, but would be very inconvenient for my degree given that I would not be able to take any six credit hour courses, many which I desperately need (prerequisites) to keep my degree plan moving along smoothly.
- Maybe I will not go back at all, I really don't know. But I'm not stressed, I feel very well taken care of.
6.29.2008
6.24.2008
Huan Ying Hua Jia
I landed in Vancouver, a smiling Andy was there to pick me up. His friend's dog peed in the airport. We met up with old Jacob and went to the beach! I had such a great trip, it's tough to describe the fun that I had, the people I met, the things I learned.
JP and Lulu, she is wearing my clothes, because that's how she rolls.
JP and Lulu, she is wearing my clothes, because that's how she rolls.
6.17.2008
Rush Hour 2: Starring Jackie Chan
I'm not sure if I've posted these or not, but I took these when I was lost during rush hour
A nervous tic motion of the head
I bicycled North to the edge of Kunming, it was a difficult ride, and it wasn't until I arrived at nearly the top of a giant hill that I realized why. I thought the bottom bracket of my Chinese-whip had seized, or some cheaply made bearing in the back wheel. Turns out it was just the elevation that was hindering my speed.
That which goes up must come down, and I did so in a hurry.
On my decent I plummeted with a velocity greater than that which my legs could produce in the highest gear of my 10-speed. I nearly died when a truck cut me off in the bike-lane, forcing me to decide whether to collide into the bike-lane divider, or scoot sans shoulder-check into the big-kids lane. I chose the latter, closed my eyes, and opened them a short time later thankful to be alive.
That which goes up must come down, and I did so in a hurry.
On my decent I plummeted with a velocity greater than that which my legs could produce in the highest gear of my 10-speed. I nearly died when a truck cut me off in the bike-lane, forcing me to decide whether to collide into the bike-lane divider, or scoot sans shoulder-check into the big-kids lane. I chose the latter, closed my eyes, and opened them a short time later thankful to be alive.
6.16.2008
Stretched out on a tarmac.
Hello all;
I've spent the last few days in; intestinal pain, Chengdu, love, longing, Kunming.
Intestinal pain:
My carefree diet is punishing me in the form of traveller's 'rhea. The medication for which I chose to ignore prior to leaving. Murphy. Lulu took care of me yesterday, and now I have to consume an abhorred elixir. But my 'doutza' and 'peegoo' have never been better because of it.
Chengdu:
Lulu needed to get some passport info straightened out in Chengdu. She's going to France. We were far away from where the earthquakes wake was greatest felt, which is a little too bad. We (JP and I) had been invited to do some disaster-relief, but those plans were kyboshed four days ago. That same evening Lulu proposed we go with her, so we ended up in Chengdu anyway, just with a different purpose. I'm really happy that we did, because I met some incredibly amazing people.
Love:
For this country, these people, this language, life, His provisions, His promises.
Longing:
To cook dins with Meg, to hold Norah, to congratulate my bro and sis'n'law, to know how many hundredth's of an inch it's rained, to listen to records, skate, film, to bicycle with a single gear, to dance, to eat Monday Madness, to engage in physical
labor, to make witty jokes at music videos.
Kunming:
I've been here for the last two weeksish, this Wednesday we are bound to head back to Nanning. They call it the Spring City because of the moderate temps. Well lately the Spring City has sprung a leak so to speak. It's been squalling for the past three days. When I arrived from Chengdu, I took a taxi el solo from the airport to our apartment here. There was no room for air between the bed of the car and the lake upon which we drove. On the ride I noticed an auto flipped over, and bike-lane dividers demolished by hydroplaning motorists. It was frightening, especially when the taxi driver reached a fork in the road, and asked me where he ought to go. "Wo bu zhidao" I said, and sent up a silent word. I am hopeless at orienting myself in a city unless I study a map. Usually I have a seasoned linguist with me should I find myself a-mute, but I was by myself.
Somehow I ended up 20 meters from my doorstep. Incredible. In the time it took me to walk that 20 meters, myself, and all the luggage (no, not my own) I was carrying was waterlogged. It was an awe-inspiring amount of water, the heavens were open, both in the form of precipitation and blessing.
I've spent the last few days in; intestinal pain, Chengdu, love, longing, Kunming.
Intestinal pain:
My carefree diet is punishing me in the form of traveller's 'rhea. The medication for which I chose to ignore prior to leaving. Murphy. Lulu took care of me yesterday, and now I have to consume an abhorred elixir. But my 'doutza' and 'peegoo' have never been better because of it.
Chengdu:
Lulu needed to get some passport info straightened out in Chengdu. She's going to France. We were far away from where the earthquakes wake was greatest felt, which is a little too bad. We (JP and I) had been invited to do some disaster-relief, but those plans were kyboshed four days ago. That same evening Lulu proposed we go with her, so we ended up in Chengdu anyway, just with a different purpose. I'm really happy that we did, because I met some incredibly amazing people.
Love:
For this country, these people, this language, life, His provisions, His promises.
Longing:
To cook dins with Meg, to hold Norah, to congratulate my bro and sis'n'law, to know how many hundredth's of an inch it's rained, to listen to records, skate, film, to bicycle with a single gear, to dance, to eat Monday Madness, to engage in physical
labor, to make witty jokes at music videos.
Kunming:
I've been here for the last two weeksish, this Wednesday we are bound to head back to Nanning. They call it the Spring City because of the moderate temps. Well lately the Spring City has sprung a leak so to speak. It's been squalling for the past three days. When I arrived from Chengdu, I took a taxi el solo from the airport to our apartment here. There was no room for air between the bed of the car and the lake upon which we drove. On the ride I noticed an auto flipped over, and bike-lane dividers demolished by hydroplaning motorists. It was frightening, especially when the taxi driver reached a fork in the road, and asked me where he ought to go. "Wo bu zhidao" I said, and sent up a silent word. I am hopeless at orienting myself in a city unless I study a map. Usually I have a seasoned linguist with me should I find myself a-mute, but I was by myself.
Somehow I ended up 20 meters from my doorstep. Incredible. In the time it took me to walk that 20 meters, myself, and all the luggage (no, not my own) I was carrying was waterlogged. It was an awe-inspiring amount of water, the heavens were open, both in the form of precipitation and blessing.
6.07.2008
Everybody loves Kung-Fu fighting.
'English Corner' is a very popular event here in China. It's a multicultural gathering that takes place at various designated venues throughout the city. Chinese people attend to practice English, Westerners attend to help them learn. It's really fun. Yesterday I went.
After English Corner a bunch of us went to some Chinese/Muslim restaurant that was a part of a strip-mall. JP and I parked our bicycles just outside of the restaurant, on the strip. By the time we finished our meal, it was dark out, and we all decided to visit a neighboring DVD shop (Where every DVD is the equivalent to $1.20 CAD). When we came out of the DVD shop, our bicycles were gone. Bummer.
We walked the strip once over before realizing that the owner of the restaurant we dined at had taken them inside his long-closed business. He was simply standing by them making sure they would not be taken, waiting for us to return.
The kindness and consideration of these people is neat.
After English Corner a bunch of us went to some Chinese/Muslim restaurant that was a part of a strip-mall. JP and I parked our bicycles just outside of the restaurant, on the strip. By the time we finished our meal, it was dark out, and we all decided to visit a neighboring DVD shop (Where every DVD is the equivalent to $1.20 CAD). When we came out of the DVD shop, our bicycles were gone. Bummer.
We walked the strip once over before realizing that the owner of the restaurant we dined at had taken them inside his long-closed business. He was simply standing by them making sure they would not be taken, waiting for us to return.
The kindness and consideration of these people is neat.
6.06.2008
Home Alone: Lost in China
JP he wo, Zuotian dao shicheng qule. Women do maile yifu. Mei Chong-guode yifu do hen pianyi.
It's silly to even attempt to write pinyin (The english phonetics of Mandarin) because I am incapable of indicating which tone belongs to each phoneme. However, if I were able to do so, the above would read: Yesterday, JP and myself went to the market. Both of us purchased some clothes. All of the clothes made in China are very cheap.
Until now I've been wearing basically one pair of clothes, and throwing them in the wash was in order, so I had to buy something to wear. I bought an XXL shirt that is by no means too big for me.
We had lunch with a 30-something's couple. He was a plastic surgeon, and she a family doctor. Do doctor's have an outside-of-work dress code? Graham can you help me with this one? They all wear light North Face jackets, relaxed fit slacks, shoes that are bordering on hiking boots, but not quite. They probably straighten the spine. Glasses are a must, and a generally calm demeanor.
I thought of my brother.
I also thought of the how their combined knowledge infinitely exceeds mine, however, in their current field of study, Chinese, they are not much better than I. haha, it was bizarre. I'm sure by next week they will be fluent though.
JP asked Scott, the plastic surgeon..."When did you realize this is what you wanted to do?" (referring to plastic surgery)
He responded..."Don't you mean, when did I realize this is not what I want to do?" (Jokingly referring to his moving to China to learn the language nullifying what he was in school 14 (or whatever) years for)
_________
By the time we started biking home from the market it was rush hour. It's not entirely uncommon that I will lose sight of JP dodging in and out of autos. Usually when this is happens, he will notice I'm not behind him, and back-track.
-So I lost him, and just stopped and waited. And waited. And waited. For an hour.
There are very few times in my life where I have felt so helpless.
I had absolutely no idea how to get home, no way to contact anyone (no phone or phone #'s), no way of communicating, and the sun was falling.
(I guess that's not entirely true, I asked a bunch of people where 'Bei Chen' was, they all told me to go back the way I came, therefore I didn't believe them, turns out they were right though. For drama's sake, I couldn't communicate with anyone hah.)
I sent up some words, and Dad provided an angel in the form of a stunningly beautiful young Chinese lady. I was able to tell her where I needed to go, and she offered to just walk me the entire way. I was quite relieved. Shortly thereafter, JP, breathless, intercepted us. "What Happened???"
Turns out he was waiting for me too, just around the corner.
Tomorrow, I'm going to bike to the edges of the city, get lost on purpose, and navigate my way back home. It's the only way I'll learn. Wish me luck.
____________________
- It's great to hear thunderstorms again.
- In Chinese, to ask if somebody is lying you say: Ni chuai neo ma? (3rd tone, 1st tone, 2nd tone, neutral tone)
The literal English translation is, "Are you blowing cows??" Which I think is funny, maybe you will too? Maybe not.
Zaijian.
It's silly to even attempt to write pinyin (The english phonetics of Mandarin) because I am incapable of indicating which tone belongs to each phoneme. However, if I were able to do so, the above would read: Yesterday, JP and myself went to the market. Both of us purchased some clothes. All of the clothes made in China are very cheap.
Until now I've been wearing basically one pair of clothes, and throwing them in the wash was in order, so I had to buy something to wear. I bought an XXL shirt that is by no means too big for me.
We had lunch with a 30-something's couple. He was a plastic surgeon, and she a family doctor. Do doctor's have an outside-of-work dress code? Graham can you help me with this one? They all wear light North Face jackets, relaxed fit slacks, shoes that are bordering on hiking boots, but not quite. They probably straighten the spine. Glasses are a must, and a generally calm demeanor.
I thought of my brother.
I also thought of the how their combined knowledge infinitely exceeds mine, however, in their current field of study, Chinese, they are not much better than I. haha, it was bizarre. I'm sure by next week they will be fluent though.
JP asked Scott, the plastic surgeon..."When did you realize this is what you wanted to do?" (referring to plastic surgery)
He responded..."Don't you mean, when did I realize this is not what I want to do?" (Jokingly referring to his moving to China to learn the language nullifying what he was in school 14 (or whatever) years for)
_________
By the time we started biking home from the market it was rush hour. It's not entirely uncommon that I will lose sight of JP dodging in and out of autos. Usually when this is happens, he will notice I'm not behind him, and back-track.
-So I lost him, and just stopped and waited. And waited. And waited. For an hour.
There are very few times in my life where I have felt so helpless.
I had absolutely no idea how to get home, no way to contact anyone (no phone or phone #'s), no way of communicating, and the sun was falling.
(I guess that's not entirely true, I asked a bunch of people where 'Bei Chen' was, they all told me to go back the way I came, therefore I didn't believe them, turns out they were right though. For drama's sake, I couldn't communicate with anyone hah.)
I sent up some words, and Dad provided an angel in the form of a stunningly beautiful young Chinese lady. I was able to tell her where I needed to go, and she offered to just walk me the entire way. I was quite relieved. Shortly thereafter, JP, breathless, intercepted us. "What Happened???"
Turns out he was waiting for me too, just around the corner.
Tomorrow, I'm going to bike to the edges of the city, get lost on purpose, and navigate my way back home. It's the only way I'll learn. Wish me luck.
____________________
- It's great to hear thunderstorms again.
- In Chinese, to ask if somebody is lying you say: Ni chuai neo ma? (3rd tone, 1st tone, 2nd tone, neutral tone)
The literal English translation is, "Are you blowing cows??" Which I think is funny, maybe you will too? Maybe not.
Zaijian.
6.04.2008
Goong wei sheng
It's rainy in Kunming this morning, but the air is much lighter than in Nanning, both literally and metaphorically. Nanning is jungle-humid and oxygen abundant as it lies 8000 ft below my current coordinates. Kunming is temperately very comfortable.
The apartment I'm staying in smells like urine. Lost in language was the responsibility to pay the water bill. The toilet's contents are ever increasing without much needed rejuvenation. Plastic bags now plunder our defecatory habits. Public squatty-potty's seem a million miles away when lychee and deadly nightshade are screaming through your intestines. It may be for the better though, the squatty-potty's leave a lot to be desired.
They are called squatty potty's because that is the dainty way of saying 'Just a hole in the ground leading to a poopy abyss'.
Chinese folks literally squat on Western toilets too. They will not sit down on a seat to do their business. There are even depictions of it on prohibitory signs.
By the sounds of it, The Mansion isn't doing so hot either...Pigeon mites?? Seriously? Bummer.
Thanks to everyone who's sent me little encouraging messages from back home, it's always great to hear from you.
The apartment I'm staying in smells like urine. Lost in language was the responsibility to pay the water bill. The toilet's contents are ever increasing without much needed rejuvenation. Plastic bags now plunder our defecatory habits. Public squatty-potty's seem a million miles away when lychee and deadly nightshade are screaming through your intestines. It may be for the better though, the squatty-potty's leave a lot to be desired.
They are called squatty potty's because that is the dainty way of saying 'Just a hole in the ground leading to a poopy abyss'.
Chinese folks literally squat on Western toilets too. They will not sit down on a seat to do their business. There are even depictions of it on prohibitory signs.
By the sounds of it, The Mansion isn't doing so hot either...Pigeon mites?? Seriously? Bummer.
Thanks to everyone who's sent me little encouraging messages from back home, it's always great to hear from you.
6.02.2008
Battle Commander/Axe
Because I am a big baby, and cry myself to sleep every night because I can't skateboard, I've decided the best way to console myself is with...material possessions!! Obviously???
But for real, bicycling is the next best thing, and I have a growing problem with bicycle purchases.
So I bought this bicycle because it was the one that looked the most like a spaceship. Hah, just kidding. It's exponentially more enjoyable than the bus, besides, there's enough pollution here as is. I have a feeling though, that the Chinese workmanship I paid 700 yuan ($100 CAD) for will eventually bite me in the tukkus.
Me and JP went on a bike trip to the edge of the city with my fresh whip and his similarly styled spacecraft. I can't begin to explain how fun and hectic it is. Lane-splitting two-way traffic hillbombing is ill-advised but unavoidable. I'm thankful for gears. Traffic lights are merely suggestive, and motorists are dangerously tolerable of your antics. It feels similar to biking in Winnipeg rush-hour, except every hour is rush hour. The only difference is here the motorists are watching out for you.
-Which reminds me, dear roommates: Have I received any goods in the mail??
-Dear Evan and Andrew: I left my computer on in hopes that you would never need my password, what happened? I'm really not keen on letting my password float through zero's and one's right into the hands of the Chinese governing forces. It would mean I have to change every password I have. Really sorry. I'll have to explain when I get home...
But for real, bicycling is the next best thing, and I have a growing problem with bicycle purchases.
So I bought this bicycle because it was the one that looked the most like a spaceship. Hah, just kidding. It's exponentially more enjoyable than the bus, besides, there's enough pollution here as is. I have a feeling though, that the Chinese workmanship I paid 700 yuan ($100 CAD) for will eventually bite me in the tukkus.
Me and JP went on a bike trip to the edge of the city with my fresh whip and his similarly styled spacecraft. I can't begin to explain how fun and hectic it is. Lane-splitting two-way traffic hillbombing is ill-advised but unavoidable. I'm thankful for gears. Traffic lights are merely suggestive, and motorists are dangerously tolerable of your antics. It feels similar to biking in Winnipeg rush-hour, except every hour is rush hour. The only difference is here the motorists are watching out for you.
-Which reminds me, dear roommates: Have I received any goods in the mail??
-Dear Evan and Andrew: I left my computer on in hopes that you would never need my password, what happened? I'm really not keen on letting my password float through zero's and one's right into the hands of the Chinese governing forces. It would mean I have to change every password I have. Really sorry. I'll have to explain when I get home...
6.01.2008
Eating Habits.
The food here is delicious. I've never eaten so many things that I anticipated regretting. Lotus root, lychee, tongue, lung, red-bean everything. Hah, it's all worked out though. It's funny that the easiest Mandarin word for me to remember is 'ledoutza'. (pinyin sp??). Which means diarrhea. I've managed to avoid ledoutza thus far...so bring on the ethnicity!
Once in awhile though, you just feel like eating a delicious quarter pounder. McDonald's here is great. They have coconut pies instead of apple pies, and the birds are actually hot! Shocking.
The picture below (I think) is a pretty common breakfast. The drink is milk-tea, and it is dangerously tasty. In Mandarin, milk tea is called 'nigh cha', which sounds similar to, 'Deadly Nightshade'. Well not really, but it's just a humorous substitute. I drink the deadly nightshade everyday, it will be the death of me. The other foodstuffs pictured are sweet buns with red-bean stuffed inside of them (red bean is in nearly everything here), a misleading tart with lemon inside, and a deep-fried piece of sweet bread. Wait, I'll change the latter to being the death of me.
Once in awhile though, you just feel like eating a delicious quarter pounder. McDonald's here is great. They have coconut pies instead of apple pies, and the birds are actually hot! Shocking.
The picture below (I think) is a pretty common breakfast. The drink is milk-tea, and it is dangerously tasty. In Mandarin, milk tea is called 'nigh cha', which sounds similar to, 'Deadly Nightshade'. Well not really, but it's just a humorous substitute. I drink the deadly nightshade everyday, it will be the death of me. The other foodstuffs pictured are sweet buns with red-bean stuffed inside of them (red bean is in nearly everything here), a misleading tart with lemon inside, and a deep-fried piece of sweet bread. Wait, I'll change the latter to being the death of me.
Yong Mei
One day we took a bus to this remote rural town called Yong Mei. The whole community relies on primitive farming to sustain themselves. Not much has changed in the town since the Ming Dynasty, it was a total time-warp-mind-freak being there. So far it's topped the 'Real live National Geographic' moments, hah, which are plentiful enough. Old ladies hunched over with chronic back pain made me feel silly for my self-pity. All the buildings were made of eroding brick, livestock had free-range, and the old men gambled amidst the fumes from a nearby "barn".
I'm ashamed to post the pictures that I have, because I didn't actually capture a single thing that characterizes Yong Mei. Maybe I'll steal some of JP's later. Also, I got swindled into buying batteries from an already-opened package that died five minutes thereafter hah. So I had very little time to document. I really really hope I can find some pictures of the farming/fields. It made me think of how Dad would've appreciated it much more than I.
I'm ashamed to post the pictures that I have, because I didn't actually capture a single thing that characterizes Yong Mei. Maybe I'll steal some of JP's later. Also, I got swindled into buying batteries from an already-opened package that died five minutes thereafter hah. So I had very little time to document. I really really hope I can find some pictures of the farming/fields. It made me think of how Dad would've appreciated it much more than I.
Fashion; Turn to the left
We went to this fabric market in Nanning. It's a warehouse roughly the size of the seed plant (sorry city slickers) JAM packed with fabric of every color/texture/pattern etc. It's incredible. You can get them to make you an entire wardrobe of anything ever always in history. Whatever you want, make a design, get measured, choose your fabric, and it's yours. For pennies too. JP got his entire pin-stripe suit made for roughly $45.00 CAD.
Fashionistas dream.
Fashionistas dream.
Phil
These pictures are from our supper with business shark Phil. Sorry vegans, featured on my plate is an entire fish, some pig lung, and a bunch of other once-living-now-dead stuff.
University
This is the GuangXi University where we go to skate, and practice Mandarin with the students.
Get learned.
I'm going to try to post pictures in small increments, maybe it will work this way.
Trial #1
This is the classroom where I learn Mandarin, it's right next door to the apartment in Kunming.
Trial #1
This is the classroom where I learn Mandarin, it's right next door to the apartment in Kunming.
Bus's And Bikes
Hiyo,
I'm going to try to put all of my pictures on this post. Would somebody please message me and let me know if they work or not. Thanks!
So here is the bus we took from Hong Kong to Nanning. It's a poor picture
Bicycles:
I'm going to try to put all of my pictures on this post. Would somebody please message me and let me know if they work or not. Thanks!
So here is the bus we took from Hong Kong to Nanning. It's a poor picture
Bicycles:
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