My China Musings

This blog is my thoughts on many things and about my adventures of living and traveling in China.

March 30, 2007

Have you ever watched hand pulled noodles being made? It is quite a talent.  A big blob of dough is worked and pulled back and forth until these wonderful noodles appear.  Some noodles are very small and look like spaghetti. Other noodles are fatter spaghetti. And still others are flat, in varying widths. Some noodles are shaved off with a knife. Near the school, where I teach, are a number of  noodle shops.  Most of them are run by Moslems and the food is wonderful. Moslem foods are a little different than Chinese.  Maybe a little spicer and they use more goat meat.  Men are noodle pullers. I have not seen any women doing it. If I started with a blob of dough, it would still be a blob  when I finished. It  is amazing to watch the noodles come out of that hunk of dough.  My favorite noodle dish is called Chou Mian...tomatoey and with vegies, they are a epicurean delight. And cost only 5 yuan...less than a dollar US. I usually get it to go, so I can have more than one meal, one plateful is more than I can eat at a time.  Chinese noodles with soup and beef are good, too. Great for breakfast. 

I was going back to Guangzhou from Shiqiao yesterday morning. I could ride on the subway, but opt to ride a  bus. I was rewarded by a gorgeous, gorgeous sunrise over the Pearl River. It was breathtakingly beautiful. I am not much of a city dweller. I would rather be in country any day.  I do, however, try to see beauty no matter where I am. Guangzhou is a huge city. I read where there are more beggars here than Hong Kong. Crime is supposedly bad, although I haven't experienced or witnessed any.  If everyone could have seen that sunrise, they wouldnt believe anything bad about Guangzhou. Personally, I don't think things are any worse here than Seattle or Portland....or any other large city. Maybe, proverty is worse here, so that makes for more beggars. So far, my biggest complaint is the humidity. It is very, very, very  humid. I lived once upon a time in Illinois. It was humid there too...along with tornados...so I will try not to complain about the humidity too much. At least, we dont have funnel clouds. Till next time.

posted by: CarolenChina at 10:48 | link | comments |
living in china, guangzhou, guangdong

March 24, 2007

I went this afternoon to get my hair cut. One thing the Chinese do right is head massage. One goes into a beauty salon and for an half hour to forty-five minutes, you are treated to a shampoo, extraordinaire. Your head is massaged and caressed and lightly scratched....and it feels wonderful. One can have a dry massage, with the magic fingers doing their thing on a head with just shampoo. I like the wet one, I can lay on the table and close my eyes as my head is being babied. Afterwards, the haircut seems a little of a let down.  I would miss this if I moved back to the U S.

A couple of  things I do miss about the U S, besides my family, are books and libraries. I do a lot of reading for research. I miss the availabilty of printed word.  Reading everything on the computer is very hard on one's eyes.  I am grateful for this resource, however, I do miss being able to hold magazines  or whatever in my hands.  Not to mislead you, Guangzhou has a wonderful foreign language bookstore that does carry a limited group of books in English, German, Russian and so forth. I do go get the latest novel ever now and again. But no Time Magazine, or National Geographic or their ilk are sold there. I tried for a while to have them sent to me in the mail. I got one every 3 or 4 months. Out of a years subscription, I got 6 magazines. So I gave that up.

Springtime in Alaska can mean lots of snow. Springtime in Guangzhou brings back the humidity.  We have been lucky and the air has been dry. Today, unfortunately, the air is back to wet. Makes  flowers beautiful, but makes people wilt. Till next time.....

posted by: CarolenChina at 10:14 | link | comments |
living in china, guangzhou, guangdong, panyu

Traveling....to China

People amaze me. I write for an computer travel magazine. So I do a lot reading, travel related. Just for fun, I read a forum of questions on one of the travel guidebooks website. Many people do not do their research before asking questions or maybe even coming to China.  One person said they had five days to see China. They would be in Beijing and Shanghai but wanted to go Xi'an.  This person has no clue how big China really is. One piece of advice given to this traveler was to stay in either Beijing or Shanghai and forget the rest. I think I agree with that. There is plenty to see in Beijing. More than enough to fill five days. Let's see, The Palace Museum, aka The Fobidden City is huge and can easily fill up a long afternoon. The Temple Of Heaven, The Summer Palace, Lama Temple, Ming Tombs  and The Great Wall are but a few of the big attractions. Include the museums and most of the 5 days are used up.That is just seeing historical Beijing.. I havent even touched on the modern city or shopping.  Shanghai has it's own set of attractions. Not as numerous as Beijing, but too many for just a day.  I guess the uninformed traveler could take a night train to Xi'an and see the Terra Cotta Warriors and the Muslim Quarter, but that is about all he would have time for.  Hopefully, return tickets would be available. Even if  he flew between cities, I am sure time would run short. This person needs to reevaluate where they are traveling and why. Dont come to Beijing or Shanghai and say; "I have seen China."  It would be like saying; " I went to New York City and saw America, or I went to Paris and saw France." You are missing out on what makes China fun and interesting.  It doesn't matter where you travel, home or abroad, find out what is there. You will see more and have a much better time. Till next time.

posted by: CarolenChina at 06:29 | link | comments |
china, travel, living in china

Another day in Paradise.....

First, let me say "thank you" to those who leave me such wonderful messages. I appreciate them very much.

Third world China reared it's head the other day. I was on the bus from Guangzhou city to Shiqiao. We passed an intersection where there is a concrete casement of somekind. I think it might be where the water mains are located, but I am not sure. This place is near where the bus stops to pick up people. I watched a child, couldnt have been more than 10...climb out from a hole in the side of this concrete thing. A child! A child! A child  barely dressed, barefoot and hair, wild. I couldnt believe my eyes. One hears stories of such people living like animals, but this is  the first time I have seen it with my own eyes. This child was carrying a bag of plastic bottles to recycle. I wanted to look away, but something would not let me. My heart lurched. I didnt want to believe what my eyes were seeing. A disposable child, one just left. What is this child's story. Where are parents? Is this child one that is deaf or mute or in some way less than perfect so it has been abandoned? Maybe, this child has lost his parents to aids. In China, children of people who have died of aids are usually left alone. No family member will touch them for fear of the disease.  I wanted to help the child I saw, but what could I do?  China has no safety net for such victims. If I were to inquire to the government, what could be done, they would deny that I saw this child. So in this respect, there is nothing I can do, except give thanks, that I have never had to live that way.

It has been in the mid 40s here, that is Farenheit. Very cool weather, not hot. For a few days, temperatures stayed in the 40s F. This is sub tropical China. This is below the Tropic of Cancer. It is not suppose to be this cold. And it is March...not Janurary. What is going on with the weather?

A friend from Xiangfan has been here for few days.  Some other friends and I took her to see sunflowers blooming as well as many other kinds of flowers...fields of beautiful flowers. I got separated from the group. When I realized I was alone, I almost panicked. I can speak a little of what is called Putonghua, or common language, Chinese. I cannot speak any Cantonese. I felt like a little kid that has lost its mother in a department store. I couldnt ask for help, cant speak the language. A tall handsome stranger came to my rescue and let me use his mobile phone to call my friends. So, sometimes, one doesnt need to speak the language. People can communicate with their hearts. I guess this man just knew I needed to use a mobile phone. Till next time.

posted by: CarolenChina at 08:35 | link | comments (2) |
living in china

March 3rd

Today is the fifth anniversary of my arriving in China. I landed in Wuhan, Hubei Province full of wonder and excitement. I was on my way to be a teacher at Huanggang Normal College.  And I couldn't quit smiling.  My gawd, I was actually in China!  That day is now history.  I have seen many changes in China since I first came here. Many little things, but together they seem to have made big ripples. To go to Wuhan from Huanggang, we had to cross the Yangtze River on a ferry.  Cars, trucks, people, motorbikes and buses would all line up and then fight for a spot on the  boat. If it were a busy day, one might set in line for more than 2 hours. But if you wanted to cross, you waited. In September of 2002, a beautiful looking expanision bridge opened to traffic. Ferries were no longer needed, and one day I saw them all lined up on the river side in Wuhan. All looking proud, but no longer useful.  I saw traffic lights go up in Huanggang. There had been no traffic lights in the city before I arrived. Then,  I moved to Xiangfan. When I first went there, street markets were every where. There had been a big market where not only vegetables, fruits, but fish and meat were available. Now that site is a huge modern supermarket. Not many street markets are left. Farmers are discouraged from selling on the street corners. During my stay in Xiangfan, the new cross China expressway opened, cutting travel time from 6 hours by car to Wuhan from Xiangfan to less than 4. I have made some wonderful, wonderful friends here.  I no longer live in Xiangfan,  but my "Chinese little sister" is there and we are still close. I have been the most lucky person, I have had the opportunity to travel all over central and western China. My guide just happens to be one those special friends I mentioned. Together, we have gone far and seen much. I have seen more than most westerners will ever get to see. I have had the pleasure and honor to teach extraordinary students. I stand in admiration of any student here that gets through school. Conditions in which Chinese students live and go to school, would break your heart. Schools have no heat or air conditioning, and neither do the dorms.  In most of China, there is real winter. Can you imagine sending your child to school in 10 degree weather to a room without heat? Being a teacher is not fun under those conditions. I learned how to wear layers of clothing. Leadership in Beijing has changed. Most of my Chinese friends were hoping the new would bring welcome change. So far, most of my friends are still waiting. Some things have changed, but not sweeping changes that were hoped for.  Things are getting better in China, by degrees for the Chinese people. I was asked when I would go back to the United States.  I said; " when China is no longer fun."  Well, China is still fun, so who knows, maybe I will be here on the 10 year mark. Till next time.

 

posted by: CarolenChina at 07:18 | link | comments (2) |
china, living in china

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