Andrew's Trip To China

US of A

2008-08-19T00:45:00.003+08:00

Hey all!

Sorry for just now posting this...I am safe and sound, back in the good US of A. It was a horrible trip though, I am sad to share. After missing my original international departure from Beijing due to a late connecting flight and sleeping on the floor of the airport...my second attempt out of Beijing resulted in faulty landing gear, a fuel dump, and an emergency landing. All of this was shortly followed by the third and -- thank God -- successful flight to San Fran. However, by this time my poor parents had been woken up in the ungodly hours of the morning and rescheduled my stateside connecting flights three separate times.

After a night in San Fran, and a brief delayed departure scare...I was back in good ol' Oklahoma. I must say I'm glad to be home...seeing these beautiful blue skies with amazing clouds...seeing friends and spending time with my family -- specifically Bryson before we moved him up on to school in Stillwater.

So, those of you who kept in touch and/or read this blog throughout the summer...thanks! I'm home and hope to hear from you all very soon.

Andrew

Last Night in the Du

2008-08-01T22:39:00.002+08:00

Tonight is my last night here in Chengdu. We had a goodbye dinner earlier tonight, where all the teachers and students came to say goodbye. I originally thought I was 100% ready with no reservations to be home. But now as I sit here, sharing last few tidbits of conversation with classmates...I realize I really am going to miss Chengdu. The places life takes us...the people we meet, the experiences we have. It is all happening, always. Anyway, enough "stream of conscious." I will be home in the states tomorrow after about 23 hours of flying and layovers and connections. My path home is as follows: Chengdu --> Beijing Beijing --> San Francisco San Francisco --> Houston Texas Houston --> OKC OKC --> Bed. Drop me a line, talk to you all soon. Andrew 孙安竹

"The Final Countdown"

2008-07-27T13:35:00.003+08:00

Yo,

As always, apologies are in-order for the lengthy duration of time since my last update. It is Sunday afternoon here and I find myself quite lethargic. I have a lot of homework due tomorrow, but it being the last week here and all...haha I am finding myself lacking in motivation to get anything done. It is crazy to think that soon I will be back home with family, friends, familiar food, video games, cars, and other important yet currently-forgotten amenities.

Thinking about coming home has been causing some mixed emotions. Classes here as of late...I have not been enjoying. I feel like USAC hasn't really been catering to my needs or expectations this second half of the summer. So I'm very ready to be done with these classes. Because of these dissatisfactions, I also find it hard to try to apply myself. However...living here for this summer and last...Chengdu has really begun to feel like a home away from home. I'm going to miss the city very much, and my handful of Chinese friends and acquaintances.

And this marks the conclusion of my very short and impromptu update. Hope to hear from you all very soon.

Andrew
孙安竹

Qingdao, Chinese Hospitals, and The Fourth of July

2008-07-07T06:45:00.015+08:00

Hello all!

My apologies for the haphazard rate of updates. I've got a lot to share. During the one week break between the two summer sessions, my friend Jon and I traveled to Qingdao. It is a port city -- in fact its where all the sailing events for the Olympics are supposed to happen this year. It was a good time...seeing all the beaches and interesting buildings, and visiting the brewery. Additionally, we traveled there with my teacher from last summer, Jessica / He Yue and her mother. Jessica is not much older than us, and fun to hang out with. The company, seafood and sightseeing was good. Yet, the weather was pretty inclimite, the beaches were covered by this green algae (search for it, there are lots of news stories about the Olympic seas turning to 'soup!')...and by this time I had developed some sort of respiratory infection. Also, Jon and I wanted to return early to try to do a small 1-2 day trip around Sichuan, to see some things we hadn't seen before.

So Jon and I returned a few days earlier than planned, and upon our arrival...I started feeling significantly more sick...coughing up a pleasant green substance and whatnot. Queue the Chinese hospital story. Upon realizing I was not getting any better out of sheer stubbornness, I called the assistant resident director, Janny. Janny helped me get to the hospital and translated my symptoms out for the doctors. I had to get X-rays of my chest, to see if/how much junk my lungs had in them. Results came back, and the doc said I had little to no stuff left in my lungs, and prescribed that I spend 2 hours there on IV that same day, and return the following day for 2 more hours of IV drip. Apparently in China, they believe IV drips of whatever medicine you need is more effective, and preferred to just normal medication. Well, I wasn't about to get a Chinese needle in my arm if I didn't have to...so I quickly requested oral medication. After a round of antibiotics, I'm feeling much better!

Now on to the next tidbit...the Fourth of July. Let me premise this section by saying...as the 4th drew nearer and nearer...I was almost 100% sure I would be disappointed by whatever we did. Every year my family travels to our lake-house, where we grill, swim, boat, and shoot off fireworks of a ridiculous quantity. So...needless to say, my hopes were not high for my Chinese 4th. Jon, another friend Paul, and myself decided that something had to be done about the lack of celebration for Americans in Chengdu, for the 4th. We ran to the nearby supermarket, and picked out fresh slices of beef, had it ground...picked up all the other necessities: ketchup, mustard, tomatoes, and BBQ sauce. We managed to procure a small charcoal grill, and some charcoal from some past-students still living in Chengdu. Everyone had been pestering us about whether we would have fireworks or not...and after pursuing a few disappointing leads...I was sad to report we wouldn't have any. A few new students refused to accept this news, and as we three were busy hurriedly preparing enough burgers to feed a small army, they went on an exodus of epic proportions...to find fireworks.

Getting the grill lit took quite some time, as none of us had managed to find lighter fluid...but we quickly decided to use some of China's most famous spirit...白酒 (baijiu)...a horrible concoction that is 40-60% alcohol content and can be substituted for things like nail polish remover, paint thinner, and maybe low-grade hydrochloric acid! So after drenching our briquettes in this Chinese liquor, the fire lit splendidly. Just as we finished grilling, and had finished feeding roughly 20 people the new students arrived from their journey...arm-loads of fireworks in tow! They found huge rolls of firecrackers, and artillery-style fireworks! Much to our delight, and dismay of our neighbors, the Fourth of July went wonderfully, homemade burgers, fireworks, and all! Security guards actually came up to the roof to admonish us about the noise...twice. Haha, but thanks to my excellent remorseful guise, and decent speaking ability all was well.

Random photos:

A shot of the Algae bloom that is plaguing Olympic planners right now!

A picture of Beach #1...as I said the weather wasn't that great.

Group-shot at arguably...the best meal the entire trip. We were eating kalamari rings, clams, squid-tentacle BBQ...among many other things. TASTY. Left to right: Me, Jessica, Jessica's Mom, our dinner host Mr. Zhang, and Jon.

St. Michael's Cathedral in Qingdao. Apparently during the cultural revolution the two crosses were torn off from the building, recovered by local Catholics, and hidden in the nearby hills till it was safe to reattach them!

A random building I thought was interesting. Pretty representative of lots of the Bavarian/German architecture in Qingdao.

Who better to expect in a city known for its brewery, than Dionysus himself?

A shot of Jon and I in the "drunk room," in the Qingdao brewery. The entire room is slanted...and entirely too much fun to walk around in.

Lastly...a shot of me in front of a castle. Yes, a castle. Various royalty have stayed there, as well as Chiang Kai Shek, himself. The leader of the nationalist party, AKA the Guomindang / Kuomintang.

Well, thats all for this update. I hope everyone had a fun, and safe 4th of July! Until next time.

孙安竹
Andrew

Finals, Haircuts, and Qingdao

2008-06-21T13:30:00.003+08:00

Hello all,

This morning has been a wonderfully lazy, slightly rainy day. Yesterday, Friday, was my last final for the first session. I ended up making an A on the final, and in my Advanced I class. Words can't describe how stoked I am about that! For our final we had to write a paper, interview Chinese people about their opinions regarding various aspects about the earthquake, prepare a powerpoint and deliver a presentation regarding said interview....and finally the actual written portion of the test. Altogether, it was a lot of work, and I am glad it is done!

I got my hair cut this past Wednesday, it was a fun experience! Little did I know, but here in China a haircut is more than just a simple haircut. All for roughly $2 USD, you get your hair washed, your scalp and head massaged, your hair cut, and your hair washed and head massaged again afterwards. My hairdresser, Lin Tao, was an affable bloke and his English wasn't half bad. I promised him I would pick out a book I thought would help him practice his English, and email him the title.

Tomorrow morning at 8:10 local time, I fly out to the coastal city of Qingdao. I'm traveling with my good friend Jon, and my instructor from last summer, He Yue. It should prove to be a great time! Qingdao used to be a German city, as it was ceded to Germany in 1897-ish...because of the killing of a few German missionaries. Germany used it as a naval port, and of course established the famous Qingdao brewery that still operates to this day. Although I'm hazy on the history, I know at one point in time Qingdao was also controlled by the Japanese, so I'm excited to see the part of town that has Bavarian storefronts side-by-side with Japanese and Chinese architecture. No worries pops, I'll take lots of photos for you. :) Moreover, Qingdao is supposed to have some incredibly beautiful beaches, Catholic and Lutheran churches alike, in addition to a few other sites of interest. I'm excited to spend some time lounging on their supposedly amazing beaches, with a world-famous Qingdao beer in hand. Today Jon and I are finalizing our sleeping arrangements -- deciding between a few hostels.

Thats all for now! Pictures of Qingdao to come soon!

孙安竹
Andrew

Togas, English Lessons, and Menus Galore

2008-06-15T17:06:00.002+08:00

Hello all!

I write to you, after just eating a very satisfying bowl of 番茄蛋面(fanqie dan mian) tomato & egg with noodles. My friend Jon and I scoped out this little whole in the wall joint, and it turned out pretty tasty. While there, I used a little "Sichuanhua," the local dialect, and it surprised the waitress much to my delight. :)

Yes, so this past Saturday evening some of the folks living in the apartment across the hall decided to host an impromptu Toga party. Shortly after the gathering's beginning, we decided to take a short walk to our favorite little shop, very much to the amusement of our friends the shopkeepers. They couldn't stop laughing and smiling, and asking if there was some sort of festival happening that night.

Today, Sunday, for the first time I met with a Chinese family I just recently met outside my favorite ice cream place, for the purpose of tutoring them in English. They also tutored me in Chinese. They all speak English very well, yet struggle a little with listening comprehension. The father, whose English name is John, picked a great text containing both Chinese and English side by side. I really enjoyed helping them with understanding the meaning of the English text, and helping them with pronouncing difficult words. They proved to be infinitely valuable, and patient teachers themselves. Their daughter, whose English name is Isabelle, spoke immaculate "putonghua," or standard/official Mandarin (as opposed to the local dialect as spoken by her parents, although still pretty understandable). She is 11 years old, and was serving as my pronunciation drill instructor, while her parents used their better command of English to help distinguish the intricate differences between some oral and written phrases, etc.

And finally, the launching of the "Chicken Spot," menu went incredibly well. All of the waitresses and chefs came rushing over to the ogle the English menu. Much to my delight, they told me that I had not mistyped a single character, which was a huge relief. Apparently the menu has already had significant usage. One waitress dutifully reported this to me today, whom we've given the name Chelsea after she asked us to give her an English name. Though I haven't received payment, or significant discount, it has been a rewarding and beneficial experience. Trying new, delicious dishes has been payment enough!

My first set of finals are looming next week, but I'm not too worried about them. I feel like my current professor has prepared me very well. Next weekend, and next week I have a break from classes, until the second summer "session" starts. Melvin, Jon, and I are currently discussing to where and when we want to travel. Current places up for debate are Ulumqi, Li Jiang, Jiu Zhai Go, Kunming, and some others.

I hope all is well at home! I'm looking forward to seeing friends and family in August...just not quite ready to come home yet. :) Wanderlust is great.

孙安竹
Andrew

Emeishan, etC.

2008-06-11T17:01:00.009+08:00

Update:

This past weekend we all went to Mt. Emei, or Emeishan. Roughly translated it means beautiful eyebrow mountain, because of the shape of the mountain. Always leave it to the Chinese for an interesting name. :)

This was my second time to travel to the city of Leshan, to see the Big Buddha, and to Emeishan to see the sights there. It was fun, even though I'd experienced all of it before. It afforded me the opportunity to get to know some of the people on my trip better. All in all, I consider it a success.

Other news, starting this weekend I am going to begin tutoring a Chinese family in English, and they me, in Chinese. I think it could be either a really great and rewarding experience, or awkward and frustrating. Only time will tell. More on that later.

This weekend there are no activities planned, and beginning the 23rd is about a week's length of time between summer sessions. I'm trying to brainstorm, and see where I could travel and sight see, what's affordable, etc. A friend is on his way into the country for the second session, so I and/or my friend Melvin may travel with him.

Random Pictures:

A picture of "Hailun" or "Helen," Wentao (the Resident Director)'s daughter. She was incredibly cute, and constantly entertaining during the trip, especially the long bus rides when she would pretend to be a tiger.

A few shots of part of the Buddhist nunnery we visisted.

A very kum ba ya example of "Chinglish."

And at last, I leave you with--of course-- a goofy photo of me in front of Dafo:

孙安竹
Andrew

Fighting, Friendly Cabbies, and Andrew's Translation Services

2008-06-04T18:27:00.003+08:00

Hello all,

Had some free time on my hands, decided to be extra-diligent and write up another blog update. Last night was my first night as an actual student with the Krav Maga crowd, and it was great. Really hard workouts, and the instructor knows how to push us in a constructive way. We worked on knife defenses, escaping choke holds, and finally had some fighting at the end. I fought the previously mentioned large Englishman, and I think it went rather well. He had quite some reach on me, so I couldn't go toe to toe with just hands, so I had to mix it up with some kicks, and eventually got him on the ground and ended the third round with a choke out. Felt great. I've really enjoyed training with these guys.

Next, lately I've been prone to taking solo-taxi rides to new areas of town and poking about, exploring new shops, restaurants, and such. So, I've had lots of time to practice my Chinese with the cabbies taking me to these places, and I'm pleased to tell you that twice within the past week the cab drivers actually charged me less than they were supposed to, I assume just because they enjoyed speaking with a foreigner in their native tongue. Was great to be able to hold anywhere from 10-20 minute conversation and understand almost everything they were saying.

Lastly in this short update...I'm pondering approaching some of my favorite places to eat around here, and offer to translate their menus into English, to promote better business with foreigners. I've been working on a mock-up of the infamous "Chicken Spot," today, to present to the manager tonight. I'm not going to ask for money, or free food....but I hope they offer it! :) Haha.

Starting Friday, we have a four day weekend! We leave Friday morning for Emei Mountain, and will stay until Saturday night. We then have that Monday off, for the "Dragon Boat Festival." Here's some copy-paste from Wikipedia to share some interesting details about the festival:

"The Duanwu (Dragon Boat Festival) Festival originated in ancient China. One traditional view holds that the festival memorializes the high official Qu Yuan (c. 340 BC-278 BC) of the ancient state of Chu (Warring States Period). Wut Yuen committed suicide by drowning himself in a river because he found out that Chu had lost a vital battle. The local people, knowing him to be a good man, decided to throw food into the river to feed the fish so that they would not eat Qu Yuan's body. They also sat on long, narrow paddle boats called dragon boats, and tried to scare the fish away by the thundering sound of drums aboard the boat and carved dragon head on the boat's prow."

Take care all!

孙安竹
Andrew

Israeli Martial Arts, Ice Cream, and Becoming a "Regular"

2008-06-02T16:22:00.002+08:00

大家好(dajiahao)Hello everyone,

Time for another updated look into Chengdu's goingson. Since I last wrote, things have been going well. I haven't done but a few noteworthy things since the last post. I've mainly just been going to classes, and getting into my schedule/groove. I've really been enjoying class, as my teacher is incredibly nice, and very very skilled at teaching Chinese as a foreign language. The reading/writing aspects have been really challenging for me, and thus beneficial.

Last week I started looking for new outlets for studying martial arts while here in China. A favorite web-site of mine (while here) is www.chengdoo.com. It is a local english magazine published to help people get acquainted with the city, all the places to shop, eat, drink, special events, and etc. I found a karate/jiujitsu, olympic tae kwon do, wushu, and a krav maga listing. Because I have done a litle jiujitsu, 2.5 years of taekwondo, and some wushu, I decided to give Krav Maga a go, because I had yet to experience it.

Krav Maga is an Israeli-made military hand-to-hand combat system. To call it a martial art, well might be a bit misleading. I believe it to be an incredibly efficient self-defense system, but with no art or cultural value. I contacted the instructor of the class (ex-Israeli forces guy), and he warmly welcomed me to come participate in a class, to decide if I wanted to join. The participants were comprised of the instructor, a guy from England, and another American. It was physically taxing to the 10th degree, but was great. We worked on a lot of joint-locking and manipulation techniques. I'm going to join, and work out with these guys twice a week.

Next up: I discovered an amazing ice-cream/smoothie place called "Ice King." Haha, we USAC'ers have been pseudo-religiously frequenting this place. My favorite thing to order is a 草莓沙冰(caomei shabin) strawberry smoothie. I think I'm gonna look up a few phrases, and upon my next visit suggest they offer a new strawberry/banana mixed smoothie. I think its got potential.

And finally, becoming a "regular." There are two restaurants near our apartments that we 外国人(waiguoren) frequent. We have affectionately dubbed them "Cantonese Place," and "Chicken Spot." However, I somewhat recently learned the latter is actually named 味美鲜(wei mei xian) or roughly...Beatiful and Fresh Flavor. Last summer, I was only able to grunt out what dishes I want, but I've been working on refining my restaurant etiquette and can now politely request dishes, certain ingredients, suggestions, etc. After an exceptional meal I told the waitress to please tell the 老板 (laoban) or owner that our meal was very tasty tonight. She in turn replied "Please slowly walk (away)." This is a polite/affectionate way of saying goodbye. Its like, please take your time leaving. It was the first time I had anyone say that to me. Needless to say, it made my night.

And this is where I leave you, until next time faithful readers. Take care!

孙安竹
Andrew

Chengdoodly Do

2008-05-24T19:33:00.003+08:00

Hey all!

Sorry for the haphazard rate at which I'm updating things. So, yes...arrived safe and sound and am all settled into my new apartment. I'm on the 9th (and top) floor and have an "office suite" which affords a wonderful view of the surround area of the city.

So far I have experienced about 5 aftershocks, ranging in the 4-5 range. In fact, the other day while skyping with my parents, an aftershock occurred. Perfect timing, right? :-P Classes here are going well. I started in the Intermediate II Chinese class, only to be told by the resident director here that she thought if I were in any class underneath Advanced I, I was wasting my time. So I owe mad thanks to the professors who helped me advance this quickly. The Advanced class has been great, learning really practical vocabulary and grammatical structures. Right now we're learning about technological/internet phrases.

I distinctly remember last summer...having to adjust to the culture shock...like being stared at everywhere and just well...being different. This summer though, this trip has felt like a return to a home away from home. So far my only regrets about the trip is missing my brother's graduation, and not being able to see a few friends.

The group of students on this trip is proving to be an interesting one. I guess I have a tendency to have the "back in my day" mentality, regarding my first trip here. I miss all my friends from last summer, yet am excited at the prospect of getting to know this new crowd as well. Last night we hit up a local club. It is a pretty new one, just opened this year. It was a lot of fun dancing and watching the first timers' enjoying themselves. I also got to meet a few of the club employees, who were very flattering in praising my Chinese abilities. They said should we ever come back, call in advance and they would have a VIP area ready for us.

I'll try to take some photos here in this next week to share with everyone...I've been doing a horrible job of having my camera on me. Since I was here last summer, it doesn't feel so new and exciting...I feel like my mentality this time is less of a tourist and more of someone trying to understand and blend in/imitate a culture.

Anyhoo, thats all for now! If you jump online in the early mornings, or in the evenings there is a good chance you'll catch me online, in AIM or skype.

Take care,
Andrew

Arrival in Chengdu...Summer 2008

2008-05-18T17:22:00.002+08:00

Family, friends and complete strangers on the internet,

I made it safe and sound to Chengdu! Sorry it took so long to update, there were issues with my internet connection.

The flights went relatively well. We almost missed our flight out of Beijing to Chengdu, due to some cancellations...and of course translation problems. :) But, it worked out in the end.

I know many were curious to the condition of the city...and I'm happy to say that Chengdu didn't receive much, if any damage at all. In Beijing, some of the airline staff were actually commending us for the desire to come to Chengdu. However, I don't think we deserve any special attention.

Anyway, I'm pretty jetlagged and tired...because I didn't get but 4 hours of sleep last night upon landing. We had an aftershock last night that woke many of us up. It was not strong enough to cause any damage anywhere, but we were all able to feel it. So, in favor of sleep-deprived rambling...I am off to eat some grub and rest. I will give a much more thorough and eloquent post later. Take care all!

Andrew

States-side

2007-07-02T19:35:00.000+08:00

Hey all! I've returned to the states, after my Beijing tour. Beijing was fun, very fun. I got to see all the noteworthy locations...Tienanmen square, the Summer Palace, the Ming Tomb, the Drum Tower...haha could list many more, but without context, or photos it feels pointless.

Overall I really enjoyed Beijing...but once again I encountered what I consider to be modern-day pharisees at the various temples I visited. Its like temples have become the pseudo-religious wal-marts of spiritual trinkets. I'm not Buddhist, but I don't know...I was offended by the way some of these temples were treated like an opportunity to rip tourists off.

Anyhoo, great overall trip, I loved it all! I just wanted one final post to let everyone know I'm safely back in Oklahoma...enjoying pizza, air conditioning, western toilets, and of course my family, and my own bed. ^_^ Take care!

Andrew

Finalizing the fiasco...

2007-06-22T16:02:00.000+08:00

Hey all!

I successfully finished all my finals! I don't know when I get my grades...hopefully soon. So I can put my mind to ease. My Intermediate I final....was a killer. It was kind of discouraging, as it was 100% geared to reading and writing. My strength is spoken Chinese. Oh well. I learned a lot.

Many people are packing up and flying out to different cities all over China this weekend, before our group tour of Beijing. Me, I'm excited to slum around Chengdu, exploring every nook and cranny of my foster-city...and lounge around, eat tons of food, and do nothing! Finals felt like they took a lot out of me. Its crazy to think I've been here almost 5 weeks. Feels like last week I was getting off the plane, into a smoke-filled, people-packed room of the Chengdu Airport. I'm really glad I decided to come study abroad.

China and its culture turned out to be significantly different than what I was expecting. I'm definitely going to miss my new friends here, American, Columbian, Mexican and Chinese alike. I'm kind of anxious about the flight home...my iPod broke. *gasp* Yes, tis true. Almost an entire day of flying, and...iPod is MIA. We shall see how the Silky handles it!

Man, I'm expecting some kind of reverse-culture shock to some degree upon my arrival home. Haha, clean streets...normal traffic...FRESH AIR...non-deadly tap water...and at the same time...all the hustle and bustle...and urban setting feels a little like home now. Le sigh.

Until next time!

--Andrew

Update

2007-06-17T13:00:00.000+08:00

Hello once again, everyone!

Its just a lazy Sunday here in Chengdu, watching movies, munching some food, and trying my darnedest to be unproductive. :) Speaking of movies....yesterday Jesse and I went to a building we have affectionately dubbed "Tech Tower." Its a 10 story building...that is full of nothing other than (yes you guessed it) miscellaneous technology. Laptops, cellphones, printers, pagers, cds, dvds....the works! I scored a huuuge memory card for my PSP...it will now hold like 5 full length movies. Soon, I'm going to get a memory card for my digital camera so big, I will never have to delete photos again! :)

Anyway, on to the main point of the story. Upon us entering the tower, we were swiftly bombarded with the question, "Nimen yao dvd ma?" Haha, which means Do you guys want dvd? There are entire office suites rented out, wheeling and dealing in less-than-legal dvd's. I bought 25 dvd's for less than $1 USD each. Faaaantastic! :) Any movies you guys want? Leave a request list, I'll see what I can do.

Last weekend we went to visit a panda reserve, it was alright. Not too exciting, actually. Pictures follow!

This little guy was one of my favorites. He was pretty energetic, climbing around, while all his buddies were just sleeping. I think this one's name might have been baobao, I could be wrong.

This is one of his sleepy brothers/cousins/friends. :-P

This is a red panda! They are somehow related to the others. They were pretty weird lookin'.

Bamboozle.

Well, this upcoming week I have my 3 finals, and on the 26th I fly to Beijing! I start the long flight home on the 30th, and should be home July 1st. A bunch of people are traveling around, between their last final, and the Beijing trip. I haven't decided if/where I want to go yet. I was pondering visiting the city where Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon was filmed, a place called Jiu Zai Go, or maybe Xian.

Last night, at a pub called Shamrocks, there was an air guitar competition. Haha, two of the girls from our group decided to represent America, and they did so outstandingly! They won the competition, by rocking out to Blur's "Song 2." (The woooohoooo song) It was great!

Anyway, thats it for this update. Keep checking back! Talk to you all later.

--Andrew

The Chengdu Weekly

2007-06-13T11:05:00.001+08:00

Hello family and friends!

It is time once more for another insightful glance into the happening life of Andrew Silk....haha...right. Anyway, things are going great over here, as usual! Recently I've met a lot of local students, and made some new friends. Its been a blast, learning cultural differences, and universal similarities. One of my roommates, Jesse, and I hang out with them a lot. We've been to a few legit restaurants, trying some foods we love...and some foods we never want to see/smell/taste again. :)

Last weekend almost all the American students went out to some clubs, and bars. It was a lot of fun! Our first stop was a club by the name of Babi Yi. (Or Babi One, as they are kind of a chain of clubs in China. We are at the original). Techno music is huge over here, so I'm sure you all know I felt quite at home. I wish I had taken my camera, as it was a crazy club scene for sure. We noticed that being white...is like instant V.I.P...we didn't have to pay to get in, or walk through metal detectors. Lots of people were treated to free drinks, etc. By far the most awkward experience of the club night, I think, are what we have dubbed the "Husband Hunters." They are Chinese girls trying to get a foreign husband, and that can prove for embarrassing/awkward situations.

Some of my friends had constantly been encouraging me to go to a western-style restaurant here by the name of "Zoe's." I have been refusing this entire time, with the mentality of "When in Rome..." However...about 3 days ago, I was craving some red meat like no one's business! Many Chinese dishes are skimpy on the meat portions. So, upon our arrival there, I was pleasantly surprised. I got a HUGE cheeseburger, fries, fresh garden salad with ranch dressing (rare, I might add) and a gigantic vanilla milkshake to wash it all down. It was gluttonously good! I think that was the most full I have been this entire trip. I have definitely shed some pounds since coming here. The food portions are smaller, and the lifestyle more active.

About 5 guys from the trip, late last week (armed with a translator), went to a tailor and ordered custom tailored suits! Haha, I guess thats the equivalent of a girls' day out, to the beauty salon or something. Anyway, we're all pretty excited about what our suits are going to look like. As soon as they arrive, I'll be sure to strike a pose for you all.

The program is kind of winding down...the professors are starting to mention finals...and I'm having mixed emotions about it all. Half of me is excited to conclude my travels, and see family and friends, and enjoy the privileges and freedoms of life in America once more. My counter-part dualistic half wants to stay here longer. I kind of feel like it has taken this long, just to get accustomed/adapted to Chengdu life, and the people. Getting outside to US, and seeing a different part of the world has been incredibly eye-opening. I think its very important, as not only an American (as I feel many Americans tend to be cultural isolationists), but as a world citizen, you know? Empathy, understanding. Putting yourself in a different pair of shoes, across the world. The warring wants inside me aside...I can pretty easily say I will be back in China sometime relatively soon. It feels like a home away from home, right now. Rich in culture, and friendly people. Its a fun place.

More to come soon! I know I've been awful with the regularity of my updates, haha, I will try to do better. I hope everyone's having a safe and fun summer, and I look forward to seeing you all soon.

--Andrew

Emeishan Excursion

2007-06-04T15:26:00.000+08:00

Hello all!

Old stuff: A while ago we went to the yellow dragon river, with Chinese students that were invited from our university. I'm not going to get much into description of this place...because it felt like a tourist trap. Nothing real worthwhile, everything was built to look ancient/interesting...but it was bleh. Photos!

A photo of me and some of my new Chinese friends, at the gate to the Yellow Dragon River.

A picture of part of the river, inside a small village.

Rickshaws! These guys were looking pretty bored, and slacking off. I thus decided to take a photo of'em!

NEXT: Leshan City & Emeishan Mountain

This past weekend, starting on Friday, our little group of Meiguoren (Americans), left to explore the rivers just outside Leshan City, and its giant Buddha...as well as Emeishan (Emei Mountain). It was an incredibly beautiful place, in not only a physical, but spiritual sense. It is regarded as one of the most holy Buddhist sites, in China. It is a site that attracts many pilgrims, and tourists alike.

Some of the students from the states, we were onboard a boat, about to see the Giant Buddha, or "Da Fo" of Leshan.

The "Da Fo" of Leshan. This thing was huge. We took our photos from the boat, but you can see the large stair case some were taking, down to the foot of the statue. To give you an idea of how huge this guy was...it can comfortably seat 100 people on the surface of his foot!

A photo of a small waterfall at the base of Emeishan.

Our group explored the "lower" areas of the mountain, including a nunnery and several temples. After eating lunch, most everyone opted to hike to the "Monkey Area," where there are TONS of wild, and mischievous monkeys. Now, when I say monkey, don't think of cute little fuzzy things...these dudes were hairy, huge, and had fangs. They would steal bags of food from sightseers, and bit some poor little boy! I...was actually so intimidated by these monkeys I didn't get close enough to get a good shot. I know, I know...hahaha I'm a chicken. But seriously, huge fangs.

A photo of the inside of a Buddhist temple.

Me outside the entrance to a Buddhist nunnery. This place was incredibly beautiful!

Inside the Buddhist nunnery.

An artsy-fartsy photo of a hallway.

A photo of Janny, the on-site assistant director, and a good friend of mine. She's in front of the last set of steps leading to the Buddhist Temple, on the lower side of the mountain.

The Buddhist temple we reached, after quite a hike!

One of the guard-lion statues outside the temple. Incredibly old stone, amazing to examine.

Now onto the pictures of the summit! After an incredibly long hike, Andy, Lauren, and myself reached the top. There are exactly 4,607 stairs between the base "camp" where we started hiking, and Jin Ding (the Golden Summit). It was the most difficult hike I've ever taken...as it was at 12,000 feet altitude!

A walkway, upon the summit.

If you look really close, you can see me at the base of the "Ten Thousand Direction Facing Buddhas" statue!

A great picture of the summit.

In this picture you can see (from left to right): The Golden Temple, The Copper Temple, The Ten Thousand Direction Facing Buddhas, and The Silver Temple.

Alas, I grow tired of uploading photos. More news, and more photos to come later! Take care everyone!

--Andrew

Daily Goings-on

2007-05-30T18:11:00.000+08:00

Hey all!

Time for another update! No pictures this time, I'm afraid though. Things are going great here. My friends and I have started finding our way around this huge city, a little better now. At first, we kept eating at only the same places, in fear of incredibly spicy local food!

The other night we had KFC! We managed to find one near our university, Xinan Mingzu Daxue, or the southwest university for nationalities. I'm happy to report KFC was delicious, if even significantly different than in the states. Fast food places are regarded as a cool place to hang out around here. Maybe, kinda like a starbucks. I've seen students studying there, or just hanging out and talking, etc.

It took me and one of my roommates, Jesse, two hours...but we successfully located bread, peanut butter, jelly, cereal, and the closest thing to milk we could find. Milk's kinda shady over here, so we're drinking like a soybean/milk powder mix. Yeah I know, you're probably all thinking...Silk...soy? And in turn I concede....its not that bad. Hahaha.

I continue to have thoroughly frustrating, and entertaining conversations alike, with people here. Overall, I really love it here. Its a very communal sense of living. Woops, thus communism, yes? Haha, everyone is very aware, and usually polite and helpful to everyone else. Common forms of address are younger/older brother/sister, etc. Anyway, thats all I can think to update for now.

I just wanted to throw up an update, and let everyone know I'm alright! I am taking two-day trip to Emeishan mountain this friday (thursday for all you slow-moving westerners). I'll be sure to post pictures after that! Take care everyone.

--Silk

P.S. Don't eat the pizza in China. It makes you sick. ^_^

Picture time!

2007-05-25T17:42:00.000+08:00

Picture time! This is a photo of part of a Taoist temple I visited yesterday, with a handful of my new friends. This building apparently had the best feng shui out of all of the temple buildings, because of its circular design, and the respect it showed to many of the elements of the Chinese Zodiac.

Next up is a picture with my new Taiji Quan instructors! The older gentleman has been practicing Taiji Quan for the past 22 years of his life. The lady in the photo is his assistant instructor. They are nice people!

This is a holy relic, at the Taoist temple. It is an animal comprised of all 12 zodiac animals. Mystics say if you rub on the animal, where you hurt on your body, your affliction will be remedied. It was really interesting to see swarms of Chinese people bumrush this thing and rub it all over. Actually, funny even. Very intriguing mysticism, though!

Here is a photo of my new friend, Mario, and I attempting to eat a local cuisine by the name of "Hot pots." You can see the big bubbling pot in the center of the table, essentially it has a propane burner underneath it! Absolutely, incredibly hot food. But, here in Chengdu they have "numbing peppers," which actually help you eat more hot food! If you can't handle the burn, you chomp down on some of these bad boys, and your tongue gets really numb and tingly!

Haha, a new friend Afroze, suffering through some of the worst of the hot pots! July, the girl to the right, seems to be getting a kick out of it!

Anyway, thats the end of my photo update! More to come!

--Andrew

Technical Difficulties!

2007-05-23T17:31:00.000+08:00

Hey guys, me again. My last message got cut off, because I was writing it from my sony PSP. Apparently it can only write blogs/emails of a certain length before it cuts me off. I'm using a laptop now. Anyway, to continue:

The city is incredibly large! About 8 million live here, and it is a very active lifestyle indeed. I bought a bike, and am doing my best to blend in with Chengdu traffic. You should almost need a permit/license to have a bike here, you gotta pay attention at all times. I've almost been hit by a few scooters, heh.

In the mornings, I usually wake up and watch a whole bunch of people gather outside my apartment complex to do Tai Chi. I think one of these mornings, I might go join them, and see how it goes. I've been learnings tons and tons of "isms" and vernacular around here.

Whenever we're out and about, we usually get a pretty generous amount of stares. :) Lots of people run up and say "Hallo," and are pretty histerical when we say hello back.

Yesterday, we had Tai Chi class in the middle of our host university...and we had tons of students gathered around us, smiling, laughing, taking photos and videos of the funny-looking Americans doing Tai Chi. Haha, being here is definitely a lesson in self-confidence and/or humility.

If any of you want to try to call, you would dial 0118615982840157 to reach me. I'm pretty sure normal international rates apply for you guys, but for me its pretty cheap. Additionally, if any of you guys are trying to contact me via facebook, my ability to successfully post on walls, or reply to messages will be limited, my psp doesn't like facebook very much. So it will have to be whenever I can snag someone's laptop, like now.

Well, thats all I can think to post for now. It'd be great to hear from you guys, if you want to leave comments here. Ask questions, anything. :) Help me brainstorm some stuff to write about.

Take care,
Andrew

Chengdu!

2007-05-23T13:52:00.000+08:00

Hello hello family and friends!

I made it here to Chengdu safe and sound. The plane ride to Beijing was about 10 hours...haha way too long! As for me just now updating, I apologize, I just got access to internet yesterday.

Anyway, the people here are really nice! Both the Chinese people and the group I am here with. The food is incredibly hot, but I surprisingly like it! I've been able to communicate marginally well here, not only because I'm still learning, but also the people speak a regional dialect

Packing!

2007-05-15T09:14:00.000+08:00

So its been a crazy past week getting everything in order for my trip! Be it finding out where ATM's are around Chengdu, having to completely switch where I'm living last minute...or ordering Chinese currency in advance...its been a handful! It really hasn't hit me yet that I'm about to embark on probably one of the coolest trips of my life!

I'm experiencing a little bit of anxiety, wondering if I know enough Mandarin to be in the Intermediate course. I'll find out soon enough, I'm sure! :) I've decided I'm not going to tell OU I studied abroad for actual course credit, unless my grades are good. Haha, then only Tulsa will know...and thus no repercussions!

Mmm...out of ideas of what to say...besides I leave on Thursday! You stay classy, America. Thanks for stopping by.

Preparations!

2007-03-03T05:09:00.000+08:00

My Trip To Chengdu

So, I got accepted by the Universities Studies Abroad Consortium yesterday! Now I'm only waiting on acknowledgement from the university, to approve my trip. Queue a huge mountain of paperwork for visas, flight schedules, insurance, proper identification for the Chinese government, papers to the Chinese Consulate, etc. Fun stuff.

I'm so excited for this trip...it almost feels like some sort of spiritual pilgramage. This trip is the culmination of years of longing to experience the cultural environment of Asia.
I can hardly wait to be emersed in the language, the arts, THE FOOD. :) You know, all lies aside, I'm very excited to be around that many Chinese girls at once. Haha, shutup, yes yes I know. But honestly, you had to expect a statement like that coming from me, yes?

So the nitty gritty: I'm taking a 2000 and a 3000 level course in the language...and I get to study Taijiquan! I hope that the instructor teaches Yang or Chen style...as they are the most interesting to me.

I'll keep you all posted as my plans develop. Hopefully while I'm over there I will have a working cell phone and internet access. But...chances are that I likely will not. Anyhoo until next time.