This blog is my thoughts on many things and about my adventures of living and traveling in China.
Name: Carole Morris
Living in China for more than 6 years, I have had the chance to travel far and see much. I love to share what I have seen and experienced as well as every day life in China as an expat, with all those who wish to read my blog.
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I just uploaded some pictures of Xiangfan on Photobucket. I thought they had uploaded earlier...my apologies if you went there and no pictures. I double checked and the pictures are there now.
As I went out this morning to do my morning exercise, I was pleasently reminded why I really like Xiangfan. It was on the nippy side, but that is okay. The sun was shining and the air had the promise of warmth. Xiangfan was named "Tenth Most Beautiful Ciry in China" and it showed why this morning. The sky was that wonderful robin egg blue., a few wisps of clouds. Half a moon was still visible in the sky. Now it is noon and the clouds are moving in. But this morning it was wonderful to walk along the river. The Han River is clear, not so polluted as the bigger rivers in China. I watched a man do a martial arts routine with an ancient styled weapon. He was good. I wandered by the farmers carts with the fresh vegies. The red radishes were very red, the mustatd greens and spinach were very green. I did my tai chi and decided to go thru a market area just for the walk. I love the markets, they are filled with piles of very orange carrots, green peppers, red tomatoes, dirty sweet potatoes and cabbages piled high. Every kind of spice you need is there and the air is filled with the aromas of pepper and cinnamon and anise and many more flavors. Garlic and ginger-root are piled up, too. Meat is hanging from hooks and people are buying. Chickens sit in crowded cages looking their very best hoping to end up as someone's dinner. Fish hawkers are trying to convince you that their fish is the freshest and it was caught in the river and not in a pond. Some of the fish were right down big....I kept thinking, I wish I had a kitchen, I would love to cook some of that white fresh cauliflower, build a spinach salad and call my friend on how to cook this fish. Instead I just smiled to myself, said hi to those wanting to be friendly, bought a comb, some soymilk and ran into an old friend. I know I get frustrated as do most westerners with China's banking...and other things that are very different than our countries. But then there are those wonderful reminders of why we love living in China. This morning, I had mine....till next time.
China's role as a world leader....China's booming economy.... All kinds of things are written about China in the news....makes one think that it has caught up with the rest of the world and is a modern country.... but don't sell the farm to make a bet on that. Let me tell you about my merry adventures with banking in China. First of all, personal checking accounts are all but unheard of. Travelers checks are not accepted except maybe in the eastern corridor, being Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. I dont know of anyone in Xiangfan that has been able to cash one. Visa and Mastercards are only accepted at a couple of the hotels here and maybe (newly opened) Walmart. You don't go out to dinner and put it on a card. China is a cash society and everything must be paid up front. The school I last taught at in Guangzhou used Bank of China...Bank of China, Guangzhou. The agency I write for wanted to wire my earnings to me. First of all, the gentleman who does the paying thought I should open an US acccount. After all, that bank could send me a visa debit card and things would be easy. I explained, I cannot use a atm card from the US in China. I know of foreign teachers that traveled all the way from Wuhan to Shanghai just to use their USA bank atm card at Citibank. And since I live in China, why not just Western Union wire it to me? It would be immediately available and I could get it anywhere in China. Well, he doesn't like Western Union. It never accepts his credit card and the fees are high. I said, bank fees are high. I am paying the fee, so that shouldn't worry you. No, he didnt want to deal with Western Union. So finally he decided that he would wire the money to Bank of China, Guangzhou. I was able to get him the swift codes, and told him I was leaving soon to go to another part of China. And if the funds could not be there before I left Guangzhou, I had no access to them. He put off wiring it for a couple days, and I had to leave Guangzhou. This all started back in July. Now it is almost November. I should have had the money months ago. I went to Bank of China, Xiangfan. They politely told me that I could not get information on my B o C, Guangzhou account here. They suggested I write a letter asking B o C, Guangzhou to let my friend have my banking information. I did that. My friend went to the bank and they told him the money had arrived and I had to come and get it. Now, isnt that fun. I am half a continent away...I dont know who I feel more frustration with...the man sending the money or Bank of China. The money does not show up on my balance...because it is in US Funds. My friend is suppose to call the manager tomarrow and see what can be done to get the money out and posted to me. I am not holding my breath waiting for the money. Bank of China, anywhere is not known for its customer service. I appreciate my friend's efforts. As far as the agency that I write for sending funds to me again, I will ask that they be sent to my family and they can Western Union wire them to me....The irony is I cannot put my BofC atm card in the Bank of China machine here and get anything, it rejects my card. I have a card that can be used for purchases, so I put my Bank of China card in another bank's atm and it shows my balance. I think People's Bank of China needs to bring itself out of the days of Mao and into the present. The bank manager here said point blank, "Oh we are not linked together......" Till next time......
First order of business, my friend's sister not going go to be operated on today, there are a couple of doctors that have been called in to confirm before things happen.... so that is good. Please keep those kind thoughts headed her way....I have a feeling it will be awhile before this battle is won.
I am learning how to mount pictures in the traditional Chinese way .....in other words, hanging banners as opposed to just framing. It is quite the process...and when I know more about it, I will tell you more about it. You see, one of these days I will quit playing in China and go home. But no way do I ever want to enter corporate America ever again. One of my ideas is to sell traditional style Chinese paintings and calligraphy. I have access to many artists in the local area through a friend. They are not well known except maybe in the Xiangfan area, but their paintings are beautiful and affordable. So maybe that is I will do....sell Chinese art. I, also, have access to wonderful porcelin and ceramic things...harder to ship home..but I am working on that idea, too.
When I lived in Xiangfan before, I usually did tai chi with my friend that has now moved on to Guangzhou. He used to jokingly complain that his practice would be interupted many times or his breakfast would interupted because people would stop and ask him questions about the foreigner if I was not with him. Well, the shoe is now on the other foot. I have gone out to do tai chi these past few mornings.... and I have been interupted many times by people wanting to know where he is. Will he come back to Xiangfan? Why doens't his wife come here after they are married? One man told me he wanted my friend to come back so he could learn more tai chi from him. Another one said no good basketball players are here since my friend left. So now I know how he felt....On the other hand, it is good to see so many familiar faces. One of the tai chi players I had not seen for along time and I was afraid she had gotten sick or worse...you see, she is in her mid to late 80s...yes, i said 80s. For the first time in a long time yesterday, I saw her leading her little group....and it felt good to see her. This lady can still do the splits all the way down....she is that agile. It also, seems to me that there are many, many new tai chi players....The park seems much fuller with every group being big. The weather in Xiangfan, has been really great. Very warm in the days, dont really need a jacket...then cooling off at night so one can sleep like a bear in hibernation. Hope your sleeping is as good...till next time.
I watched the husband of my best friend in China yesterday....he had just received the news that his 30 something year old sister would have back surgery on Friday. Having back surgery is bad enough, but this is one is almost life threatening. Cancerous nodules have been found on her spine. From what I understand, parts of her spine will be removed and steel parts will be put in to support her. I don't understand all of this...I have questions, like what happens to the spinal cord...but wisely kept my mouth shut. I am not a doctor, so why ask. I admire my friend's husband...my friend was visibly upset by the news and she cried. She admonished herself because she had chastized the sister-in-law for not doing more exercise and all things that an older sister would say... I told her not to be so hard on herself because she didnt know at the time how serious the girl's backache was. My friend's husband is being very stoic....I thought of an old saying, "a mother's work never ends"....only changed it a bit, to say "an older brother's work is never done." I guess the sister has not been told everything about her condition. Her husband called my friend's husband...He immediately took over many things. He called his wife and other sister and told them to get ready to go to Beijing. The cost of operation is 100,000 reminbi. This is China, health insurance is all but unknown. And everything is paid up front...so before the girl can enter the hospital, the money must be paid. My friend's husband got the money...dont ask me where, I didn't ask...posted it to the girl's husband and told him not to worry about the money. My friend and the sister that lives here, will be arriving in Beijing in a few hours. My friend's husband has chosen not to tell his 80 plus year old father until they know more. His mother died about 10 years ago. He has taken over caring for every detail. He wants the gril's husband not to worry, but to only care about the younger sister. He is shouldering the financial end so that worry is taken away. In a sense, an older brother's worry never ends.... Keep good thoughts for a lovely girl with the intials LJW, living in Beijing on your Thursday, my Friday, that she will come through this and find that the cancer has not spread.....till next time.
I am on my fourth day back in Xiangfan. My friend and former collegue, Brian asked me what kind of changes do I see in Xiangfan. Besides the fact that it is growing, there are subtle changes. When I first came here, more than 5 years ago there were street vendors on every corner. You could buy just about anything on the street. Not so many street vendors now, and one has to look for them. Gulo Square used to be full of people and life. Now it is empty. Once upon a time in the center of the walled city was a huge, huge market. One could go there, buy a chicken, vegetables fruits, fish, beef, the pot to cook it in and every kind of spice and flavoring. Now that area is a huge unfriendly department store and super market....Not nearly as much fun. Many of the streets were very narrow, and paved with bricks or large slabs of rocks. Now, they are paved with concrete or asphalt. Takes away from the personality. And the vendors have given way for parking spots. Behind where my friend lives, is an old factory building. The factory was closed a few years back when the Chinese government reformed the way it was supporting factories. Many people stayed living in the rooms they had had when the factory was open. Some of them opened little drink shops where one could buy beer or Coca Cola or water, whatever. Now, those little hole in the wall shops are gone. The building is being torn down and new building put up..... When I first came to Xiangfan, most of the cars on the streets were taxis. Now there are as many or more private cars. But some things remain the same. Some of the gate keepers are still doing their jobs. A couple of bus drivers recognized me. The lady who sold sweet potatoes from a street oven was on her corner selling the best sweet potatoes.......McDonalds is still on one corner of Gulo...A shoe store owner I kind of knew in days past came out of his shop to greet me. The city walls are still standing. The afternoon swimmers still swim. Although I think the river flow has changed a little.... If I remember right, there used to be a huge eddy that circled well up under the Number 2 bridge. That eddy seems to me to have moved slightly down river and not up under the bridge. Men are still fishing and still catching very little. And the very best thing that is the same, is early in morning, one can still buy very fresh vegies from the farmers directly. You just have no idea how good turnips are that are just fresh from the dirt....or how good a salad is made from spinach that has only been picked for a couple hours. How do I know that it came from the farmer....very easy, the mud is still on the roots.... so till next time.
I am in Xiangfan, visiting my mei mei...(Chinese little sister). She was my co-teacher when I taught here, now she is just one very good friend. It was many days of traveling to get here. I saw something in the Xining train station that made me feel sick inside. As I walked through the terminal to the Soft Seat Waiting Room, I noticed that there were lots of German tourists there. I guessed (and I was right) they were waiting for the train to Lhasa. Some of them were walking around having a view of the many Tibetan travelers as if the Tibetans were in a zoo. The Germans would stand and point at the Tibetans and comment among each other. It was plain sickening. My God!, the Tibetan people are a proud and beautiful people. Some of the Tibetans I saw in Yushu were more regal than Queen Elizabeth. In fact, they were right down gorgeous in their traditional dress. Yes, I have been guilty of staring, but only out admiration. I wanted to yell at the Germans. Thankfully, my train came very soon and I did not have to witness their rudeness. I did comment to a lady sitting in the waiting room about how rude those foreign people were looking at the Tibetans. Her face turned a little pink and she said yes. Please, when you travel, experience the culture and people.... dont look down on anyone and goodness sake! Dont treat the locals like they are on exhibit.
Back in Xiangfan, I have noticed a lot of changes and I was just here in April. For those of you who read this on my blog site, \Xiangfan is my Chinese home town. I really like this small city. It is ancient yet modern. I have many friends here. So in away it is my home away from home. Dont have too much to write about....so till next time.
I maintain that I am very lucky to have found Zhao Hai to travel with. That fact was drove home the other day. I had traveled for 14 hours on a bus the day before. By the time I got to the hotel, had a shower and something to eat, it was nearly 2 a. m. I thought, since I had no where to go, except to buy a train ticket, I would just sleep until I woke up. I did wake up after 9 a. m. I did not hurry, I had some breakfast, checked my email and finally between 1030 and 11, I left for the train station to buy my ticket. It had to be nearly 11 oclock when I bought the ticket...it said 11:13 as departing time. I asked the lady in my limited Chinese if it was for 11 that night and she answered yes. Either I didnt understand her broken English or she didnt understand my limited Chinese...because she sold me a ticket for a train that was already boarding passengers. When I went to the station that night, i was flabbergasted and very upset that my ticket was no good. I called Zhao Hai to translate, and he told me that my ticket was for that morning. I, started to cry, so I hung up from him and left the station. I stood in parking lot and sobbed until I could get myself under control. Then I called a lady that I had corresponded with on the internet that lives in Xining. She came my rescue... I have stayed with her for a couple days. Jan saved my skin.
I could not believe that the lady had sold me a ticket for a train that was leaving in a just a few minutes. I still dont believe it. That happened to me once in Wuhan, a fews ago. I asked for a ticket fo the afternoon train and the lady sold me one for a sold out morning train...in other words, no seat. I was fairly new to China then, and didnt notice it. I went to the afternoon train, and the ticket lady said I had missed the train and very nicely explained what was going on. I went to buy another ticket, I put my money and the train ticket in the window of the same lady that had sold me the seatless ticket... she looked so surprised, and then she gave me a ticket for the next train which was the 6 pm train...and gave my money back to me. That ticket was only 40 yuan...not so much. So when the Xining train people wouldnt give me my money back, I felt a little cheated. The silver lining is I got meet my online pen pal face to face...We have spent a couple of days talking and laughing. Went out to lunch got to see some of Xining...So now, I am getting ready to leave for the station and the next part of journey. I have learned lessons these past few weeks, really ask questions of an employer about visas and pay....and I have to get my Chinese speaking and understanding level up so I dont do this again.
Not only did I have to go back and buy a new, ticket, I lost nearly 500 yuan buying the first ticket. Since I wasnt paid my full salary, my funds are terribly limited and I really couldnt afford to lose that. I realized just what a blessing traveling with someone like Zhao Hai was. One stupid mistake cost me time and money. So I am thankful for having him as a guide many times. I really realized how easy he made traveling for me. I went with Jan the next day and bought another ticket. She has lived in China nearly 10 years and her Chinese is very good. My ticket is for tonite....and I will go to Xiangfan and see my Chinese little sister. And maybe have a rest. I am sure I will find something to write about.
So ....till next time.
I posted new pictures on Photobucket......
Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, Girls and Boys and whoever else reads this. I have a couple of pieces of unfinished business....
First, my buddy that was still at Red Horse Lake, emailed me that he was leaving for the Czech Republic, and the other two teachers were headed out soon. So maybe by the end of December, there will NO foreign teachers at RHL except the general manager. Doesnt sound like he has endeared himself to those who are left and maybe, that is the reason they are leaving. Not sure. Just guessing. I understand they have not found any new teachers either. Too bad...it could have such fun.
I left beautiful Tibetan Yushu. If you go out to any of the forums where foreign teachers post and exchange information, you will see jillions of posts where some ft is telling the woes of teaching on an illegal visa or not getting paid. Well, my adventure to beautiful Yushu turned a little sour when i got there and was told that the school did not have the license to have foreign teachers. But I was assured because Yushu is very remote and the government official told me I could, I agreed to teach on an illegal visa as long as the school tried to get the right visa. After the first of the month, I inquired about when my salary would be posted. My friends in Guangzhou had lent me money to go to Yushu and to live on, I really didnt want to have to borrow money from them again. Noone would give me a straight answer. So I asked again...a little more succinctly...and was told ....we do not pay monthly...you will not get paid until the end the term. I replied, oh by the way, my contract says monthly. Employing agency says, out of our control, we use another NGO to handle the money and they will not pay monthly. Borrow money from friends or family and you can pay them back at the end of the term. I wrote them a letter and told them I was leaving and I left. I am sad about the kids. I am sad about leaving Yushu and not being able to live among the Tibetans. But nowhere did I sign to work for nothing. So I boarded the bus, rode for more than 14 hours and came to get on the train, which I will do tonite.If there was silver lining to this, it would be meeting Kunga Rinpoche, a Tibetan Monk. He was in the seat beside me. He really was a blessing in disguise. He told me so much about Tibetan customs, stories, history and little facts that made the trip interesting and much shorter. Such things as a story about 2 men who claimed to be king of Tibet. They held horse races and many challenges to prove who was right. In a high mountain pass, there are these beautiful golden water birds of some kind. (I dont know their names. ) And there are these song birds that he told me are trapped and sold for hundreds of Yuan. One of the king wannabes had wonderful magic and he created those birds. The song birds sing every morning at the same time and they are beautifully marked. A sad note about the water birds, is that the ones we saw were late hatchers and would probably perish in the cold. They were not strong enough to leave when the parent birds did and they dont know where to go without the flock. Tibetan homes are colorful and decorated so beautifully on the outside. Kunga Rinpoche, told me that it used to be only monasteries were decorated as such. Now, everyone does. The maypole looking prayer sites are put up, where ever Tibetans feel the need to pray...If they are erected along the road, probably someone died there and the family is sending prayers skyward. There are three groups of Tibetans and they cannot understand each other. And some of their clothing traditions are unique. You see a lot of Tibetan ladies wearing turquoise, jasper and other precious stones in their hair...He said it was strictly for looks. I asked if that is the way to show wealth, he said not really. The Tibetan lady just wants to look beautiful. We stopped for lunch about half way to Xining. My monk friend told me that the fish was extra delicious there. Some Tibetans have sky burials. The group in this area put their dead into the rivers...the fish eat the bodies and in return, the fish make sure they are sweet for the people as thanks. He told me about the waters in Tibet and Qing Hai flow to the great rivers...three of them (in English) Yangtze, Yellow and Mekong....and he told me which of the streams we passed would go to which great river. I am sure there are many other little tidbits that he told me that i cannot bring to mind. He was delight to sit next to. His English was limited, so we had a few little English lessons...but I think I got the best deal. I told him, I really wanted to come back when everything turns green. He said he goes to his hometown in the mountains every summer. He gave me his email address and told me he would be my guide or if my friends wanted to come too, he would be our guide and he would show us the Tibet, few people see. You know, I just might take him up on it. Till next time.
More pictures posted at www.photobucket.com......carolenchina
I feel sorry for all you city dwellers. If you could see the night sky here in Yushu, you would understand why. It is very dark at night, few if any street lights shine and there are hardly any neon lights around. So the stars come out… stars that stay hidden to you in other locations come out in brilliance here. I went out to dinner with a friend last night, and as I was walking home, I noticed the starlight was bright enough, I could easily see where I was going. The heavenly show was beyond description. Pleidies hung like a huge ball suspended from a ceiling. The
Speaking of luck, I think, I have had my share when it comes to seeing many things. I read in the China Daily that the Tibetan nomads will be moved into towns and they have to give up their herds of yaks, sheep and goats.
I just witnessed something that put a lump in my throat. Here in Yushu, it just stormed a dandy storm. More wind than thunder but it rained. We even had a beautiful rainbow appear across the sky and the sun shining after the storm on the mountain-side made it look golden. For the past couple of days, I noticed that a dog laid in the same place next to the sidewalk. I don’t know if the dog had been hit or why it was laying there. But today, I figured it must be hurt cause it never changes positions. At home, or other places in the West, we have dog catchers or animal control officers, who would be called and the dog would be picked up and probably put to sleep. Here, there is no such safety net. And noone cares. Well, maybe someone cared. I was looking at the beautiful rainbow, when I noticed some students headed home from class. It was raining then, and the some of the kids lifted the dog onto the sidewalk out of the water that was gathering along side the street. The dog never yelped, so I imagine that its spinal cord is damaged…and it feels no pain. One of the kids walked across the street to a little shop where you can buy water and drinks, got a cardboard box and covered the dog as best he could. Somebody cared enough to try to make the dog more comfortable, and that made me cry.
I smile everyday at the contrasts I see. I am met most days coming home by three of the cutest little Tibetan girls. I don’t imagine they are more than 2 years old. They are always standing in front of, I am guessing, their grandmother. They have the tell tale dirty little faces, but they have smiles that would stop a locomotive. I hope to remember to take my camera and catch those smiles next time. They always tell me hello and goodbye. The only English, they and grandma know. Maybe I need to carry the camera all the time. I was coming out of the drink shop and when I stepped out on the street, I was met head-on with a herd of yaks. They are something to see in a crowd face to face, not exactly friendly, but not like they were going to charge. It would have made a dandy picture. I was down town Yushu getting some papers copied. I was getting ready to cross the street when I noticed a very tall man. His height would have been enough to stop traffic. He was one tall dude. But he was dressed in what I am guessing, his tribal garb. It was very different than any other clothing I have seen here. Beautifully embroidered jacket, reds and greens and yellows. He had on almost knee high boots and a scarf flowed from his shoulders. Even from the distance and at his back, it would have made a beautiful picture. And of course, I almost forgot his distinctive hat. Some of the ladies have elaborate hair dos. Some are braided and interlaced with turquoise and jasper and amber. Looks heavy enough to give one a headache. Some have braids clear past their butts. I wonder how they wash their hair. A student was telling me that his grandmother washes her hair once a week….with no running water in this place, it is a chore to wash one’s hair. Having hair clear down past where one sits, has to be hard to do. The ladies must have help.
It is nearly 8 p.m. The monks are chanting away. I think it is time to go and just listen. So till next time.
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