mariewillman

Home Sweet Home Away from Home – Part 1

Well, another weekend is coming to an end and I must say we spent it well. A good portion of our time was spent in coffee shops, where I was either working on my blog, organizing pictures or finishing up some test corrections. This may not sound very adventurous, on the surface, but it was all about the location this weekend! We’d been hearing about a cafe that had several cat occupants for a while now, so we decided to go hunt it down on Monday. As an animal nut, I’ve gotta say I was pretty stoked to spend my day off surrounded by purring and fur 🙂

Favorite shot of the day. This sweet girl became our bestie when I gave her some kitty treats :) — Favorite shot of the day. This sweet girl became our bestie when I gave her some kitty treats 🙂

She has the softest fur and the bluest eyes!!

This little man came over for a visit shortly before we left.

Although it is great going on adventures and discovering new things, it’s also just so fantastic to sit down and relax like we did this weekend. The whole time I was finishing my degree, we worked like mad so that we could get our butts to China and slow down. I feel like this is one of the only weekends where we’ve actually done that…slow down….since we got here. It was well deserved and very appreciated! And best of all, it was relaxing but still productive! I had time to go through several hundred photos and figure out exactly what I wanted to show you about our apartments in Guiyang. It turned out there is A LOT I want to show you, so this is probably going to turn into two posts. I’ll make sure that they are posted closely together though, so that you don’t have to wait 3 weeks before the comedy portion of my story (SPOILER: this post is the tragedy portion ;))

First off, I need to give a bit of back story for those of you who don’t already know about our first apartment in Guiyang. We moved in our second day here (after spending our first night at a hotel) to find the place moldy, damp and spider infested. It was a beautiful apartment, and had so much potential if the land lord had been willing to maintain the place, but unfortunately, that hadn’t been the case.

5 Upstairs bathroom mold — The upstairs bathroom was particularly bad. There was mold everywhere and the entire room smelled of sour yogurt and rotten fish. We spent a great deal of time trying to pinpoint what exactly we were smelling…

6 Upstairs bathroom mold — the same counter after an hour of scrubbing, done by yours truly.

We tried to make the best of it, and did our best to clean the place up. The apartment did have some wonderful features, including a balcony and a rooftop terrace (SO BEAUTIFUL!!). It looked like it was all going to work out in that big apartment. We had to climb 10 flights of stairs to get to our bedroom, but the exercise was doing us some good. The spiders were terrible but were improving as we cleaned the place up. We spent hours cleaning up the terrace and bringing the plants up there back to life… I actually started to like the place…

But then it started raining…

7 Leaky Ceilings — And the rain started coming in…. It didn’t take long for us to realize why half the lights in the place didn’t work…

8 The results of that leaky ceiling — And the ceiling started to crumble…

9 - A growing problem — And then it got worse….

As a result of our ceiling starting to fall apart, our land lord decided to increase his efforts in selling the place. He’d spent a small fortune trying to fix the apartment’s many problems already, and he wasn’t willing to spend anything more. So he started showing the apartment 4-5 times a day, several days a week. He was really friendly with us, so we put up with it for a while…

Then the mold started coming back…

That was my final straw. I broke down and told the school how awful the place was and asked them to move us to a more suitable apartment. We were fine with a smaller space and we were perfectly ok giving up the rooftop terrace. After all…what good is a rooftop terrace, if you’re battling fungal pneumonia?? (2 of the teachers who’d lived in this apartment in the past couple of years had developed lung problems as a result of that mold…)

My boss felt awful about the whole mess, and began searching for a new apartment for us right away. After several days of searching, she found us something that had 2 bedrooms (a requirement so that Dave could work from home) and that was in the school’s price range. And that’s how we ended up where we are now!

I have to admit…it wasn’t love at first sight. The stairwell left a lot to be desired, but I’d already learned in Xiamen that stairwells hardly ever reflect the individual apartments that they lead to. So as I climbed the 3 flights (only 3 flights!!) to my new apartment, I kept that in mind.

10 Stairway to Our New apartment — The stairs leading up to our apartment

11 The entrance to our new place — Apartment 302. The outside of our door also has lots of red banners on it, presumably for good luck.

Step 1: Remove Current Inhabitants…

The place was much smaller than the 3 story ‘rooftop-terrace’ space that we’d been occupying for nearly 2 months, but it was mold-free and had a lot of potential. My first task was originally to wash the walls, because the previous tenants had been smokers, and the walls were all stained yellow…

Yum...right?? They had about 20 posters and banners up all over the apartment and this is what the wall looked like behind each of them... — Yum…right?? They had about 20 posters and banners up all over the apartment and this is what the wall looked like behind each of them…

Of course, my priorities quickly changed upon our first night-time visit to drop off some of our things (when you are moving everything down 10 flights of stairs…you do it bit by bit!). We opened the door and turned on the lights, only to see about 10 cockroaches scurry under the furniture and into nooks and crannies. I’d gotten used to cockroaches in Xiamen (they were EVERYWHERE there!), but in Guiyang we’d only seen a handful in 2 months, so this came as a surprise. When we witnessed the same thing the following evening, we knew that the apartment we’d agreed to move into was far dirtier than we’d originally thought.

At this point, I definitely just wanted to curl up into a ball and cry…but I’m a ‘doer’, so instead of giving up, we found some heavy duty cockroach killer and got rid of the little monsters…

There are many ways to kill a cockroach, but the quickest and most effective way is to smoke ’em out. You buy this stuff that sort of looks and acts like incense: you light the end, wait til the thing actually catches, and then blow it out. The smoke does the rest! It’s very important to get out of the apartment quickly after lighting the sticks, because they can seriously damage your lungs, but they work amazingly well at killing the roaches. You basically let the stuff work for a few hours, come home, open the windows and sweep up the carcasses…yummy…I know….

Step 2: Declutter!!!!

Now, I realize that there is value in keeping things and fixing them when you can…but the Chinese take that to a new level. When we moved in, there was so much stuff left over from the previous tenants, that we filled between 5 and 6 big black garbage bags with trash. Among the things we found are:

A stack of broken plastic stools
Teddy bears and children’s pillows that were stained with cigarette smoke (I should also add that no children actually LIVED in this apartment)
Large buckets with stagnant water sitting in them.
Old ceramic pots that had (at some point) held plants. They were still filled with dirt…
A total of 4 desks (2 of which are broken)
Mounds of old Chinese magazines and books
Several broken dishes
Drawers full of fish food, newspaper clippings burnt out extension cords
Several broken lamps
soooo much more….

This was how the spare bedroom was originally set up. There were several desks , and many many broken stools in the room.

15.2 Decluttering — It’s still a little cluttered now, but it’s all neat and actually clean. The water dispenser you see was left here by the previous tenants. It’s listed as one of the items that are covered by our damage deposit, so we can’t throw it out…

The other side of the room, which Dave uses as an office. I really like the way we set up this room. It looks so much better!

We also swept up a garbage bag worth of dust, hair and dirt from behind and under all the furniture and spent hours wiping everything in the house down, because pretty much everything was covered in a layer of dust (and in some rooms, everything was covered in a layer of grease AND a layer of dust). I don’t know if the people who lived here before us had ever cleaned anything…ever…

Our very cluttered bedroom. It started off with teddy bears, pillows and a tonne of old books (that were missing pages and covers...). We also found a gigantic hanger in this room...shoved behind the armoir. Not sure why they didn't just throw it away.... — Our very cluttered bedroom. It started off with teddy bears, pillows and a tonne of old books (that were missing pages and covers…). We also found a gigantic hanger in this room…shoved behind the armoir. Not sure why they didn’t just throw it away….Oh…and btw…that’s Timore 🙂 She is the Chinese Staff Manager.

I never got a before picture of this side of the bedroom, but this is how it looks now. Pretty standard as far as bedrooms go...except of course that we've bought like 4 different pads for the bed so that it doesn't feel like we're sleeping on a piece of plywood. Chinese beds suck!! — I never got a before picture of this side of the bedroom, but this is how it looks now. Pretty standard as far as bedrooms go…except of course that we’ve bought like 4 different pads for the bed so that it doesn’t feel like we’re sleeping on a piece of plywood. Chinese beds suck!!

Our very cluttered kitchen. To be fair, it looked like this because we’d moved one of the broken desks into here as well as the water cooler…we were a little tight on space until we got the place organized!

Our kitchen now. Once more, there are certain things we couldn't throw out because of the damage deposit. We needed counter space anyway, so one of our broken desks became just that :) — Our kitchen now. Once more, there are certain things we couldn’t throw out because of the damage deposit. We needed counter space anyway, so one of our broken desks became just that 🙂 Of course there is more to our kitchen’s new look than simple decluttering…but I’ll get to that in a moment….

Step 3: Paint! (Because washing the walls just wasn’t an option!!)

After killing all the cockroaches, and getting the dust and dirt out of the place, our next mission was to wash the walls. The light switches were all filthy and the walls all had tape stuck to them and stains everywhere. Of course, when we started to wipe down the walls, we quickly realized that our apartment had never actually been painted. Instead of paint, a thin layer of plaster covered the concrete walls, and as we wiped away the dirt, we also wiped away the plaster. This why we had to paint…it was honestly not in our original plans….

The light switch outside our 'sink room' before I cleaned it... — The light switch outside our ‘sink room’ before I cleaned it…

The same light switch after approximately 30 seconds of work... — The same light switch after approximately 30 seconds of work…

On top of the damage we did to the place while trying to WASH it…the previous tenants had stuck posters and banners on the wall with scotch tape, and as we tried to remove all these ugly posters, a lot of plaster came off with them… It’s probably for the best that we painted the place. I don’t know if we would have gotten our damage deposit back if we hadn’t…

The living room wall before we painted... — The living room wall before we painted…

The other side of the living room. I love how much warmer this place got with a bit of paint, and some replaced light bulbs...only 1/5 of the light bulbs in the living room worked when we moved in... — The other side of the living room. I love how much warmer this place got with a bit of paint, and some replaced light bulbs…only 1/5 of the light bulbs in the living room worked when we moved in…

4.) Scrub…Scrub….Scrub…..

So, I’ve already mentioned that there were a lot of cockroaches here when we moved in, and I also mentioned that cockroaches aren’t a huge problem in Guiyang so their presence indicated a problem with the cleanliness of the apartment, right? Well…step 4 was the most unpleasant of all the steps we took to making this place livable. Yes…it was worse than the cockroach carcasses and even more gross than finding old, moldy underwear hiding in a closet (that actually happened at the first apartment, but still…). I’ll let the pictures do the talking…

Dave, wiping the mold and grime off of the bathroom ceiling... — Dave, wiping the mold and grime off of the bathroom ceiling…

Our bathroom before....(we actually had them replace the toilet because there was NO WAY I was sitting on that thing!!) — Our bathroom before….(we actually had them replace the toilet because there was NO WAY I was sitting on that thing!!)

24 Bathroom After — Our bathroom now. Notice that there is no shower in the room. That’s normal in China. Instead, they just have a shower head in the middle of the bathroom. We added the shower curtain so that our toilet paper would stop getting wet…

The 'sink room' that's right outside the bathroom. We put up a shower curtain here as well...mostly to hide the ugly, rusty pipes that we simply couldn't get clean.... — The ‘sink room’ that’s right outside the bathroom. We put up a shower curtain here as well…mostly to hide the ugly, rusty pipes that we simply couldn’t get clean….

After spending an entire day scrubbing these two rooms so that they were useable, we decided to wait a while before tackling the kitchen. Eating at restaurants is cheap here anyway, and we weren’t in a hurry to cook yet. Of course, we did eventually have to open that door and deal with the grease and filth. Once more, I will let the pictures do the talking….

What our kitchen originally looked like. Notice the grease stains on the far left wall? Yeah...that was basically everywhere... — What our kitchen originally looked like. Notice the grease stains on the far left wall? Yeah…that was basically everywhere…

31 A Greasy Kitchen — Some wonderful ‘mid way through’ pictures. Notice the wall in the right part of the picture has been wiped down. I still hadn’t gotten to the left side yet…though it made for a good visual….

32 A Greasy Kitchen — It took us several weeks to get the kitchen completely clean. We had to stop and take a picture as we finished up on the first day. And yes…this is all just grease. What bothered us both the most is how easy it was to clean all this…All it really took was some degreaser and some hot water, and most of it just wiped off. Apparently the previous tenants weren’t up to that task though, so they’d just let the filth build up instead. I don’t even understand how they cooked in there…

And some of my favorite pictures….

Our hot water tank, before we cleaned it... — Our hot water tank, before we cleaned it…

And after. Oh, and yes...our hot water tank is in our kitchen. We don't actually get any hot water IN our kitchen, but there just wasn't enough room for it in the bathroom, I guess... — And after….

The hood to our range before (at this point I actually thought that the glass was frosted...) — The hood to our range before (at this point I actually thought that the glass was frosted…)

And after...well...kind of in between...I just took a picture at this point because I couldn't believe that the glass had just been that dirty!!! — And after…well…kind of in between…I just took a picture at this point because I couldn’t believe that the glass had just been that dirty!!!

The ceiling above the range... — The ceiling above the range…

You can feel free to be grateful for the way damage deposits work in Canada now... — You can feel free to be grateful for the way damage deposits work in Canada now…

Step 5: Fix what you broke while you were cleaning!!!

In addition to the grease and dust and cockroach poop (yup…lots of it…in the kitchen…..Bleach anyone!?!?!?), we also had a lot of lime build up that needed to be cleaned off the pipes. Of course, we didn’t realize that the only thing keeping these old pipes from leaking was that very build up. So after a day of scrubbing, we had to laugh when the pipes started leaking, making a mess in the kitchen. Luckily the school fixed it quickly, but I never thought that cleaning a kitchen could actually MAKE a mess!!!

The pipes above our kitchen sink. They carry the water from the hot water tank to the bathroom.

42 Woops! — The pipe closest to the wall began to leak at the joint when we had the audacity to… GASP…clean it!! lol!!!

In total, we spent nearly 3 months making this place home. It was a lot of work, but it was all worth it in the end because now this place is ours.

As I finish this post, I want to leave you with 3 thoughts:

1.) China is a crazy place. Their cleanliness standards aren’t the same as they are in the west, but this apartment is not the norm for foreigners living in this incredible country. I happen to live in a poor part of the country and our boss was trying to get us out of an even worse apartment, that could have made us sick if we’d stayed there much longer. So PLEASE don’t think that Chinese people are all this filthy, or that schools here don’t care where they put their foreign teachers. We just had some bad luck…

2.) I’m not writing about this all to gross you out, or to make you never want to come see us…I’m writing it to show you that the things you take for granted in Canada just aren’t ‘a given’ here. When you move out of an apartment in China, you don’t lose your damage deposit if the place isn’t clean. That means that you sometimes have a massive mess to clean up when you move into a new place.

and 3.)

I wrote this to show you what you are capable of (and to remind myself what I’M capable of), with a bit of determination. A lot of people I know would have refused to live in this apartment, but we worked with what we were given. This whole “China Experience” is about confronting all the difficulties of living in a foreign culture after all…it can’t all be trips to Guilin and walks along ancient walls!!!

So that concludes the ‘drama’ part of my Apartment Post. Stay tuned for my next post, which will show you all the nutty ‘quick fixes’ that are common place in China! This apartment sure has character!!!

Merry Christmas and ????

I’m baaackk!!!

I had hoped to write more often during the month of December, but I also knew it would be difficult. Between Holiday parties, the school Christmas event and New Years, life has been pretty hectic in Guiyang city!! But I’m back here now and that’s what matters most, I think! Also, it is my goal for 2015 to write 50 blog posts, which means I need to be very dedicated all year long…or I’ll end up having 35 posts to write next December!!!

Dave and I are currently sitting in a small cafe on You Yi Lu, because the internet is down at our apartment again. It happens a lot but it’s been pretty frustrating lately, because it’s been happening at such inconvenient times. On Boxing day, the internet went down just as Ellie was opening her Christmas gifts from us. I’ve never been so upset to have a Skype call drop!! But tonight we refused to let the lack of internet change our plans, so after enjoying some fantastic Fish Hot Pot for supper, we headed on down to Meet Cafe where the wifi works and where I can enjoy some delicious Nai Cha (milk tea…my favorite drink here)

Fish Hot Pot! We go here at least once a week :) — Fish Hot Pot! We go here at least once a week 🙂

The only this restaurant lacks is proper tables and chairs. Like many restaurants in Guiyang, you are given tiny chairs and tables to eat on! — The only this restaurant lacks is proper tables and chairs. As is the case in many restaurants in Guiyang…the furniture is designed for children…

This is basically soy sauce with chilis in it. You dip the fish in when it's done boiling in the hot pot, and it adds such a great flavor to the meat!! — This is basically soy sauce with chilis in it. You dip the fish in when it’s done boiling in the hot pot, and it adds such a great flavor to the meat!!

Our holiday festivities began the Monday before Christmas, at the Kempinkski Hotel in downtown Guiyang. They have a huge western food (and wine!) buffet there, so we got dressed up and met our friends from the school for a night of wining and dining. I am fairly certain I ate my own weight in Sushi while we were there (omg…I missed Sashimi!!!!!!) and our wine glasses were probably refilled more often than was necessary (or wise), but I think we all had a magnificent time!

Later on in the evening...you can walk around with open liquor here...it's the funniest thing!! — Later on in the evening…you can walk around with open liquor here…it’s the funniest thing!!

David (left) and Andrew (right). I don't see it, but these two are mistaken for one another constantly at the school! David is crazy tall (6'7 I think) so I'm not sure how he can be confused for anyone...ever lol! Also...Andrew was being a goof. He usually doesn't look like that :p — David (left) and Andrew (right). I don’t see it, but these two are mistaken for one another constantly at the school! David is crazy tall (6’7 I think) so I’m not sure how he can be confused for anyone…ever lol! Also…Andrew was being a goof. He usually doesn’t look like that :p

Maggie (from the JinYang branch) and I. She was my sous chef during the cooking event in November and we was so great that she joined us for the evening at the Kempinski! — Maggie (from the JinYang branch) and I. She was my sous chef during the cooking event in November and it was so great that she joined us for the evening at the Kempinski!

After a day off to recuperate, the Interlingua staff were back into the Holiday Spirit at our school Christmas party. Of course this time, the party was more ‘fun focused’ and less ‘wine focused’, which was probably for the best! Dave and I were in charge of face painting, which turned out to be a total blast! We were also told that our face painting skills were the best the school had seen in several years, which was pretty awesome 🙂 After the activities and games, Santa and Mrs Clause (David and Lexie) handed gifts out to all the students, which was very exciting for them! I was really stoked that so many of my students were there. Watching each of their faces light up as they saw me was so awesome! Teaching HAS to be the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done!! (Aside from being an Aunty, of course!)

IMAG1101 — David and Lexie as Mr. and Mrs. Clause. If you’re wondering what exactly David is using as a beard, it was formerly a rabbit puppet. We realized at the last second that Santa was beardless, so Mauricio…the doer that he is…grabbed his Swiss Army knife, gutted the puppet, beheaded the puppet and tied it to David’s face. Yup…that’s how we roll at Interlingua!!

Steven and I. This kid is so sweet... — Steven and I. This kid is so sweet…

One of my youngest students, Smile. I especially love Ouyang's photobomb lol! — One of my youngest students, Smile. I especially love Ouyang’s unintentional photobomb lol!

Me and one of my students at the party. Barbie is such a sweet girl :) She's one of the first students I met here and we've been besties every since! — Me and one of my students at the party. Barbie is one of the first students I met here and we’ve been besties ever since!

Our Christmas day was a little uneventful, other than some Skype calls to family back home. We did treat ourselves to some Starbucks though, and spent the day walking around downtown, which always interesting! For supper, we went to Romeo’s (we’ve now named our favorite hot pot place after the cat who lives there) and enjoyed Doache. Sweet little Romeo came and hung out in our table, which was a wonderful Christmas gift in of itself! It’s so nice being around an animal that loves me as much as I love him! Most pets here are afraid of people so having him jump up into my lap for pets puts me through the moon mood-wise!

Here he is under our table! Hot pot tables usually have two layers so that you can keep food down there if your table is full. We leave that level empty so Romeo can chill with us

Our next Holiday adventure took place in our very own apartment. After a lot of hard work, Dave and I managed to clean the grease and dust out of our kitchen to a point where we could actually cook in there. We scoured Tao Bao and Carrefour for all the necessary ingredients (cranberry sauce, stuffing, gravy etc…) and put together a Christmas feast for all of my colleagues and friends at Interlingua. Nearly the entire Guiyang staff were there and a good portion of Jinyang’s staff, and I think everyone enjoyed the food. David’s girlfriend, Yolanda, even entertained us with her lute. She had an exam the following day so it was a good opportunity for her to practice, and we all enjoyed the live entertainment (she’s REALLY good!!!). It was great eating western food, and introducing mashed potatoes to our Chinese friends. I was thrilled when Ouyang went back for seconds as soon as he was done his first plate! My boss, Huang, even came and loved my honey dill carrots 🙂 She even said she was going to have the cook make them at work she liked them so much! The dinner was a lot of work but I’m so glad we held it for everyone. It was a lot of fun to prepare and even more fun to eat it all!

My deviled eggs 'a la Guiyang'. I switched the paprika my mom uses for La Jia. They went over very well! — My deviled eggs ‘a la Guiyang’. I switched the paprika my mom uses for La Jia. They went over very well!

Jumoke made sure nobody else would drink out of his cup. It was an effective method!

Yolanda, playing her loot — Yolanda, playing her lute

Manny in his snuggy-type Christmas gift. He was thrilled to receive it, because he'd wanted to buy one for himself anyway! haha! — Manny in his snuggy-type Christmas gift. He was thrilled to receive it, because he’d wanted to buy one for himself anyway! haha!

IMAG1159 — When dinner was done, most of the guests went off to do their own thing, but a small group of us head down to Trip Smith, a local Brittish-style pub. Among us were the Jin Yang crew (who I couldn’t get a proper picture of due to lighting) and the four of us from Guiyuang: (from left, Me, my dear friend Lumi, Lexie and Ouyang)

Once Christmas was over, and our classes were back in full swing, it was easy to forget that there was another day to celebrate on its way. New Year’s Eve arrived before we knew it and it was time to plan another evening out in Guiyang. Other than Naveed and his wife, Sherry, I don’t quite fit in with the Interlingua staff. I’m quite a bit older than the rest of them (I’m 28 while my coworkers are mostly 22 or 23). They are all single and living up life in Guiyang city, so we weren’t really involved in their New Year’s Eve plans. But when Naveed sent me a We Chat message at 11 oclock, asking why we weren’t at the Paullaner bar yet, I was pretty excited to go out. We hopped on the scooter and arrived about a half hour before midnight. I got to spend my last moments of 2014 with good people and listening to good music.

Naveed, Sherry and I at Paullauner Bar. Nav was pretty stoked to hear some Metal (Enter Sandman....we don't get a lot of rock out here!) — Naveed, Sherry and I at Paullauner Bar. Nav was pretty stoked to hear some Metal (Enter Sandman….we don’t get a lot of rock out here!)

New Year Selfie!! I love this picture...mostly because it looks like my head is just floating there :P hahaha! — New Year Selfie!! I love this picture…mostly because it looks like my head is just floating there 😛 hahaha!

On our way out of the bar, we shared an elevator with a European man who had lived in Guiyang for 8 years. The number of Lao Wai we saw New Year’s Eve was probably the highlight of the evening. As much as I love being here, I miss striking up random conversations in elevators that aren’t just about ‘where I’m from’. Also, the people you meet while traveling are like minded. They are adventurers and they are interested in culture and new experiences. It was great meeting so many people that night.

This picture was taken once we got onto our scooter to go home (don't worry...we'd each only had 1 drink in the hour we were there!). The man we met in the elevator made our day when he said "You drive a scooter!? You're basically locals!!" — This picture was taken once we got onto our scooter to go home (don’t worry…we’d each only had 1 drink in the hour we were there!). The man we met in the elevator made our day when he said “You drive a scooter!? You’re basically locals!!”

So that’s what the holidays are like in China. Both Christmas and New Years are celebrated here, but only in a superficial way. Still, there are things you can do to make yourself feel less ‘far away’ from everything normal during the holiday season. The biggest thing for me was cooking that dinner for my coworkers. I know that not everyone may have enjoyed it like I did, and I know that not everyone appreciated the work it takes to put something like that together, but I do know that Christmas can’t be Christmas without mashed potatoes.

I’ll be writing again in the next few days about our little Chinese apartment and all the ways we’ve turned it from a cockroach infested dump, to the cute little place we now call home 🙂

Rugged Guizhou / Rugged Health

First off, I must apologize for my 2 week WordPress hiatus. I hoped I’d never go so long between posts, but between trips to northern Guizhou with the school and terrible flues and colds, I haven’t had much time to sit in front of a computer. But it would appear that I’m back into the swing of things today! We have all but finished cleaning our (terrifying) kitchen, and our Christmas tree is up and glowing 🙂 We even made time to visit Grandma’s kitchen today, where we enjoyed some fantastic western food. It’s been a good weekend 🙂

Dave's Super Burger — Dave’s Super Burger from Grandma’s tonight. It’s fully loaded with ham, bacon and an entire fried egg…

Meitian is too small to be included on a map like this, but it's right above Zunyi. Guiyang, where we live, is right in the center of the province — Meitian is too small to be included on a map like this, but it’s right above Zunyi. Guiyang, where we live, is right in the center of the province

So I suppose I’ll start this post on the more positive topic: our trip to Meitan, Guizhou province. Meitan itself is a tiny town that is famous for its red tea production. After spending a year in Xiamen, where Oolong and Green tea are most popular, I was eager to learn about the red tea of Guizhou province.

We made several stops in the area, viewing gigantic tea pots and statues built to honor the tea making traditions of Guizhou province. We were especially happy to get out of the school bus that transported us 4 hours north of Guiyang. Although the bus meant a free trip to the hot springs, it is designed to transport 8 year olds and even the shortest of us (myself included) couldn’t sit with our knees facing forward. It was a bit of an uncomfortable ride!!

This is the same school bus that greeted us at the airport in August 🙂

The whole foreign Interlingua crew (minus Naveed, who couldn't come). — The whole foreign Interlingua crew (minus Naveed, who couldn’t be there)

The lady who answers the phones at Interlingua. She doesn't speak any English but she always laughs at my jokes when I try to make them in Chinese. — The lady who answers the phones at Interlingua. She doesn’t speak any English but she always laughs at my jokes when I try to make them in Chinese.

One of many gigantic tea pots around town. One of them is actually a hotel!! — One of many gigantic tea pots around town. One of them is actually a hotel!

Our bus driver must have been a tour guide in another life-time, because he knew all the best places to stop. After having some lunch in downtown Meitan, we headed for the tea fields, which I hadn’t seen since my time in Fujian.

Turned to get a shot of this field and saw Jumoke way out in the distance haha! His eccentricities are what make him a good teacher. His students adore him :) — Turned to get a shot of this field and saw Jumoke way out in the distance haha! His eccentricities are what make him a good teacher. His students adore him 🙂

Of course, he did need to find his way back afterward, and he didn't want to damage the tea leaves, so he sort of flipped over each line until he made it back — Of course, he did need to find his way back afterward, and he didn’t want to damage the tea leaves, so he sort of flipped over each line until he made it back

This was a natural point for us to stop and try some of Guizhou’s finest tea. Manny, the recruitment guy for all 3 Interlingua Branches, knows how much I love tea, so he made sure to let me know we’d be doing it all traditional style. I was pretty excited, not only because I love tea, but also because a lot of the Mandarin I know is useful in a tea shop. I spent a lot of time in them in Xiamen, and being in them now always makes me feel so fluent! I don’t think anyone there noticed that I knew what she was saying (other than the poor saps who were stuck sitting beside me, listening to me yammer excitedly…Sorry Dave and Lexie!).

Lexie and I....notice the look of giddiness on my face....that's what I refer to as my 'caffeine face' lol! — Lexie and I….notice the look of giddiness on my face….that’s what I refer to as my ‘caffeine face’ lol!

The boys, waiting patiently for their tea :) (From front to back we have Jumoke, Andrew, Daid and Mauricio. I even got Ouyang in the shot, although he isn't paying a whole lot of attention! — The boys, waiting patiently for their tea 🙂 (From front to back we have Jumoke, Andrew, Daid and Mauricio. I even got Ouyang in the shot, although he isn’t paying a whole lot of attention!

After making some purchases at the tea shop, we head out to our hotel, which was located quite remotely, but was clean and quite nice. It even had indoor heating, which didn’t work in everyone’s rooms, but still! It worked in some!!!

After the all you can eat buffet (where Ouyang had us try some fermented tofu…which tasted like you might think rotten tofu should taste…), we got into our bathing suits and headed down to the lobby for the main reason for this trip: Hot Springs!!! Unfortunately I couldn’t get many pictures because the steam didn’t allow for much, but I did get a few of the entertainment. Not only were there girls waving their arms (aka:dancers) to watch, but there was even a male performer who came up and serenaded unwilling females. And of course, he came over and welcomed the lao wai to the hotel!

Lexie, Lumi and I enjoying the heat :) — Lexie, Lumi and I enjoying the heat 🙂

Tried to get a pic of the boys but Dave's hotness was steaming up the picture :P — Tried to get a pic of the boys but Dave’s hotness was steaming up the picture 😛

One of several performers that entertained us while we soaked

Things were going well for the Interlingua clan at this point. We were all relaxed and enjoying the steamy baths. It felt good to unwind in the ‘wine pool’ (that smelled like sulfur and alcohol) and the ‘rose pool’ (which sounded like sulfur and flowers). But then David’s stomach started to go south…(not my David…Brittish David). By the following morning, 3 of the crew had been throwing up (including MY David) and several more of us felt under the weather. It was a long 6 hour bus ride back to Guiyang, including the hour we stopped for lunch (when Huang took the opportunity to have Ouyang find stomach meds for her ailing teachers). Of course, Chinese medicine is a tad different from ours. Dave was told to quickly drink this little vile of liquid and that it would help his nausea.

IMAG1000 — They also told him that it would taste like crap. Seeing as he couldn’t even keep things that tasted GOOD in his stomach, the meds never stood a chance…

Several days later, Dave was feeling better, but then of course my time came to be sick. After a trip to the doctor to get a sick note (my first sick day in nearly 3 years…) and a trip to the pharmacy to get something to help with the vomiting, I came home and realized that I had no idea what I was even ingesting. My best guess is that one of them was ground up ginger. Other than that, all I knew was what Naveed though to ask (how many does she take?). I’ve gotta say that I’m extremely glad he was with me, because I never would have thought to ask myself!! haha!!

Here's a different type. How much of this do you understand? Yeah...we understand about the same amount!! — Here’s a different type. How much of this do you understand? Yeah…we understand about the same amount!!

Being sick sucks…but being sick in another country is a completely different experience. My hope is that I don’t have to deal with anything as awful as that flu again while I live in the Orient, but in case I do, I’m sure glad my mom already has Gravol on the way!! You never know what you’re going to miss from back home until you have it!!!!

And that sums up my last week!! Nothing particularly exhilarating but they were experiences I won’t be soon forgetting nonetheless.

Thanks for checking in! I’ll be back with a post about what it’s like living in a Chinese apartment soon! (A request from my nephew 🙂 Super pumped to know people are interested in even the mundane stuff here!)

Zhenyuan: Guizhou’s Eastern Gem – Part 2

This weekend was a little exhausting, but still managed to be a lot of fun! I think I’m FINALLY getting over my 4 week cold (the joys of teaching my little germ infested monkeys!), and I finally got to participate in the school’s cooking activity Sunday night! I made deviled eggs, Guiyang style. I substituted paprika for La Jiao and boy were they a hit! I had a couple of hecklers in the front row (kids can be so cruel!!) telling me they smelled bad and were going to be gross, but BOTH of them tried coming back for thirds, so I was pretty pleased with myself!!

The event involved all of the teachers cooking western dishes for the students; A brilliant marketing activity on the part of my boss! Not only did the kids learn some new words, but they got to taste western food they’d never heard of before. A full western experience!

1386014_10152817209946488_475755466912213924_n — My sous-chef, Maggie, and I. She is a teacher at the JinYang branch, and she is lovely 🙂 Behind me, you can see a fellow Canadian Lao Wai…I keep telling him his face is going to get stuck that way….

As much as we would have loved to spend another weekend in another corner of Guizhou province, Dave and I opted to spend this Monday and Tuesday recovering our health and tackling the daunting task that is ‘cleaning our kitchen’. We still haven’t gotten around to cleaning it since we moved in a month and a half ago. It took nearly a week to get the rest of the place sanitized, and we needed some pretty heavy duty degreasers to get the layers of filth off the walls, so until now, we’ve just kept the door shut and avoided that room.

Of course, cooking on Sunday made me miss having a kitchen SO much that we’ve decided to make that our project tomorrow. So here I am, doing the next best thing to actually traveling: writing about traveling!

After a gorgeous and relaxing night in Zhenyuan Ancient town, we set off for our River Cruise Tuesday morning. A van picked us up at the hotel at 8:30am and we traveled to the Wuyang River dam with 2 other couples (both Chinese), which is located about an hour from the Ancient town. The road there was bumpy and pretty scary at some points, but we got there in one piece, perhaps thanks to our Chinese friends in the van, who continually told the driver to slow down because they didn’t want the Lao Wai to think badly of Chinese roads or drivers! One of them spoke English, which was great. I’m very proud of the amount of Mandarin I can speak (Dave told me about a month ago that he was SHOCKED when we got here…all of a sudden I could speak a 3rd language!), but it’s so nice getting a bit of a break now and then as well!

A pagoda with Guizhou mountains in the background :) — The pagoda where our boat docked

We were the only La Wai on the cruise, which was both nice and a bit of a nuisance. It was nice being the only westerners because so many of the people we’ve met on cruises in China have been very closed minded and extremely judgmental of the Chinese. But on the other hand, because we were the only light skinned occupants on the boat, we became a tourist attraction ourselves. Although the views from the boat were terrific, people seemed to be more interested in snapping photos with US…instead of with the scenery. We obliged for a few people (the ones who had been in the van with us), but then hid away from the crowds, where it was warmer and where we could enjoy the views, just the two of us 🙂

The most famous rock formation near Zhenyuan.

Beautiful Guizhou mountains, and our boat's flag :) — Beautiful Guizhou mountains, and our boat’s flag 🙂

Roughly 3 and a half hours after the van picked us up, we were dropped off at our hotel, where we had to check out. The hotel’s owner was kind enough to hold our luggage for us while we walked through the ancient town once more. This time, we viewed the south side of the Wuyang River during the day time, which turned out to be just as beautiful of an experience as it was at night!

The gorgeous pagoda we’d visited the day before

Steps lead into the water all over the ancient town

My favorite shot of the whole trip. I nearly dropped my camera in the river while taking it…but it was worth the scare!

This was the first time we’d felt sunshine in about a month. We were so excited that I quickly snapped a picture! The sun is a wonderful thing!!!

We had supper on the other side of this bridge the night before. Like I said…just as beautiful as during the day 🙂

Eventually, we found the old city wall, that was built around 2000 years ago, and has since been restored. As the sun shone down on us, we walked along the clean path and enjoyed the gardens and the sounds of the river.

We took the north side of the river back to the hotel and enjoyed such a contrast in environment! After our serene walk along the old wall, we were met with the hustle and bustle of a Chinese city.

A construction site. Notice the lack of any safety gear…

Chickens…they’re everywhere. Today, in Guiyang, we saw a woman carrying a live on in a bag over her shoulder…oh China!

There were children playing under this mess of wires. I can’t help but cringe, and wonder what the stats are on random electrocutions due to an insane lack of safety regulations in the country!

Squatter toilets for sale!! Get your squatters here! On discount, today only! Get your squatter toilets here, ladies and gentlemen, you won’t regret it!!

Still, as we wound our way down alleys and smaller streets during our final hour in Zhenyuan, we enjoyed unique sights and absorbed all the ‘new’ we could. There’s nothing quite like traveling, and I feel so incredibly lucky to be in a situation where I can just pack up for the weekend and experience something like Zhenyuan Ancient Village. I’m living the dream 🙂

Another one of my favorite shots from Tuesday. This was the view between two random buildings on the way back to the hotel. Just beautiful.

An alleyway we explored, in search of a hostel we'd seen a sign for. We have every intention of returning to Zhenyuan (there's so much we didn't have time to do!), and although we'd love to stay at the same place again, a traveler knows that back up plans are a must! — An alleyway we explored, in search of a hostel we’d seen a sign for. We have every intention of returning to Zhenyuan (there’s so much we didn’t have time to do!), and although we’d love to stay at the same place again, a traveler knows that back up plans are a must!

I can't be certain...but I'm pretty sure Bowser is waiting to fight me on the other side of this door....unfortunately for him...he has NO IDEA how many hours I spent learning how to defeat him in my youth!!! — I can’t be certain…but I’m pretty sure Bowser is waiting to fight me on the other side of this door….unfortunately for him…he has NO IDEA how many hours I spent learning how to defeat him in my youth!!!

Thanks again for tuning in, and check back soon! I still have so many posts to write!

Zhenyuan: Guizhou’s Eastern Gem

There’s nothing quite like sitting down to some tea after a productive day. Guiyang saw sun and blue sky today for the first time in over a month and the whole city seemed uplifted. The scooter ride to work had less honking than normal and it seemed that anyone who was able to, spent their day outside, soaking in the vitamin D! Thursdays are my ‘get stuff done day’ though, so I spent most of my day indoors cleaning the teacher’s office, chatting with my fabulous coworkers and then teaching my wonderful kindergarten students whom I love very much!

This little monkeys are my heroes :) Not only are they a tonne of fun, but they are incredibly sweet too. I went into a coughing fit today in class and little Sufei (the cutie in the middle) came over and put her hand on my arm and asked "Marie, are you ok?". Teaching is just so.......rewarding!!! — This little monkeys are my heroes 🙂 Not only are they a tonne of fun, but they are incredibly sweet too. I went into a coughing fit today in class and little Sufei (the cutie in the middle) came over and put her hand on my arm and asked “Marie, are you ok?”. Teaching is just so…….rewarding!!!

What is this sudden shift in mood, you might be asking yourself? My last few posts have been centered around how I’ve been ‘getting through’ this part of living overseas. October and the first half of November were tough. Culture shock, finding my ‘place’ at work and being constantly sick had definitely been putting a damper on my mood. Dave is my rock, but even the best couples get nippy with each other when stresses run high for long periods of time, so we decided to do what we do best: travel! What better way to improve moods and remind us WHY we’re here! So Monday morning (I teach all day Saturdays and Sundays so my days off are Monday and Tuesday) we packed up, hopped onto a train and headed down to Zhenyuan Ancient Village!

Zhenyuan is located in the eastern part of Guizhou province. This is roughly the route we took by train to get there. The trip took just over 4 hours but the scenery was beautiful and time fly by

We arrived shortly after noon, and caught a taxi to the old part of town, where our hotel was located. After a few minutes of waiting to check in, a woman arrived to show us to our room. I took out my passport so that she could match my reservation but she just laughed and told me that ‘she knew’ (as it turns out, not many Lao Wai visit this town).

She lead us outside and down an alley, to a locked door. She called for someone who was cleaning his mop in the river, and he came and unlocked it for us. As it turned out, he was the hotel’s owner. He had just finished cleaning our room (which was spotless!) and he came up to welcome us to the hotel. He spoke roughly 10 words of English, but he’d gone ahead and written down several things for Lao Wai to do in the town in English. Judging by the way it’s written, he probably copied it down from something he translated in Google, but it was such a thoughtful thing to do and it really impressed us because China isn’t exactly famous for its customer service.

He wrote this all out in English, after translating it all through a website. Such amazing service! — He’d memorized it as well, so he could point to thinks when we asked questions.

Dave, sitting on our room's balcony, overlooking the river — Dave, sitting on our room’s balcony, overlooking the river

A little girl being taught how to row a boat by her grandfather. This was happening right under our balcony :) — A little girl being taught how to row a boat by her grandfather. This was happening right under our balcony 🙂

After planning out our days in Zhenyuan with him, we sat down and had some lunch at a local restaurant and then set off to explore the town a little. I can’t really say we did anything terribly exciting, but there were so many beautiful things to see that it all felt like such an adventure! Zhenyuan is a 2000 year old town, and the buildings have been built and rebuilt in the Miao minority style. We wandered down cobblestone streets and eventually found our way to the busier part of town, where citizens there work, go to school and shop. It was such a beautiful mix of old and new.

One of many stone archways in Zhenyuan. This one led to an area where several tour boats (built in traditional Miao style) were docked for the evening.

A woman loading up her horse with gravel. She was one of several people we saw with horses in downtown Old Zhenyuan, where taxis also cruise the roads

This bridge was the object of many of my photos. It connects the north and south ends of town, which are divided by the Wuyang River

After our stroll in the afternoon, we head back to the hotel for a much needed nap. After all, what is a vacation if you don’t get to rest a little?? The view that greeted us as we left our room to find supper was incredible. I’ve told my family and friends more than once that China, at nighttime, is too beautiful to really explain. Here are some photos to back that up.

The same pagoda we walked by during the afternoon, lit up for the night. All the red lights on the right are lanterns and the blue lights are of the boardwalk along the river

Fishermen's boats under the bridge — Fishermen’s boats under the bridge

For supper, we enjoyed one of Guizhou’s most popular dishes: Sour Fish Soup. It came with an assortment of vegetables, tofu and of course, rice! We enjoyed Chinese beer, a spectacular view and fantastic food. I’d recommend this restaurant to anyone…if for no other reason than the location!!

Our view while we ate — Our view during dinner

Our waiter was kind enough to take a photo while our food was being prepared 🙂

After this feast, we head back to the hotel, taking the North side of the river back. We got up close to the Green Dragon Cave (which is actually a temple..not a cave), and got to see the pagoda to the west of our apartment lit up. No pictures could ever really capture the beauty we saw in Zhenyuan Monday night, but I think my camera did alright in showing what it was like 🙂

The west pagoda. Behind it, is a mountain. Guizhou is famous for its rugged countryside, and its mountains are stunning.

We met fishermen all along the path back to our hotel. I thought of my dad every time I heard a line hit the water :) — We met fishermen all along the path back to our hotel. I thought of my dad every time I heard a line hit the water 🙂

Stay tuned for part 2! I always think I can fit it all into one post, but I want to share so many pictures so I always run out of time! I suppose I’ll have to get my butt back online soon to tell you about our Wuyang River cruise and our lovely afternoon walking along an ancient wall 🙂

It’s the little things that help…

The last week has been fantastic! The atmosphere at the school has been far more positive this week, we got out of the city last weekend and had a mini adventure and today, I got to hang out with an adorable kitten at my favorite restaurant:)

Meet Romeo...the sweet kitten that Kevin and Loman took in a few weeks ago. He's a confident boy now, and he spent most of supper today curled up in my lap, purring. Talk about comfort for the soul!!! — Meet Romeo…the sweet kitten that Kevin and Loman took in a few weeks ago. He’s a confident boy now, and he spent most of supper today curled up in my lap, purring. Talk about comfort for the soul!!!

But I think the biggest thing that’s made this week awesome, is the little bit of extra money we’re making tomorrow doing overtime for the school. We save this money so that we can treat ourselves to some of the little things we miss from back home. Of course, we can’t find everything we miss from Canada in Guiyang, but the things we can find are always a big deal. A chocolate bar can make up for missing some of the things you can’t buy on Tao Bao or at Carrefour…

Seeing our Maple turn red in the fall, for example... I miss that! — Seeing our Maple turn red in the fall, for example… I miss that!

We officially hit Month 3 in Guiyang on November 15th (My brother’s birthday!), and the end of this first quarter abroad is notorious among travelers for being when you really begin to miss things. I’ve mentioned some of those things in previous posts, but today I’d like to focus on the things we HAVE managed to find in Guiyang, that have made our stay here a little less ‘homesicky’.

If you listen very closely, you can hear the cushion on this chair whispering 'I'm pointless...I'm pointless..'. We still have not discovered comfort in China, to my dismay... — If you listen very closely, you can hear the cushion on this chair whispering ‘I’m pointless…I’m pointless..’. We still have not discovered comfort in China, to my dismay…

1. Western Stores

I’ve mentioned in past posts that Guiyang is home to several North American food chains, such as Dairy Queen, Pizza Hut, KFC and Mcdonalds. But we’ve also found some western stores that have made our stay here easier. Walmart is common here, and Guiyang now has 4 locations. Walmart has come in handy for household items, such as: spray bottles (couldn’t find one anywhere else…), soft pillow cases (the ones that we originally had actually hurt my face), drain cleaner and stationary supplies. Carrefour is a weekly lifesaver as well. We were able to find everything we needed there when we left for China while our luggage stayed in Vancouver. Carrefour also has a fantastic ‘foreign foods’ section, that sells Cuban rum, Perrier sparkling water and salty popcorn.

We also found these babies in the import section last week. Too bad we didn't find them 2 months ago...could have saved my mom sending me a box full of them from Canada!!! lol!!! — We also found these babies in the import section last week. Too bad we didn’t find them 2 months ago…could have saved my mom sending me a box full of them from Canada!!! lol!!!

And there are even many western clothing stores here! H&M was a lifesaver during our first week in Guiyang. The biggest problem I had when our luggage went missing, was that I had no clothes. I’d been smart enough to pack some deodorant, my tooth brush and dental floss in my carry on…but I only had 2 pairs of tights and 3 shirts (that did not work with tights!) with me, so when I had to start work the next day, I would have been screwed if it weren’t for H&M. Women in China are tiny, so finding clothing that fit my Canadian Curves was a huge deal. I’ve since learned that China’s gained weight (probably from all the western fast food that’s popped up in the last 8 years), and it isn’t as much of a problem to find clothes that fit now, but at the time I had no idea where else to go, so it was a relief to find a familiar store, with familiar clothes.

2. Coffee: The Nectar of Life

There are many small cafes in Guiyang that make excellent coffee; definitely more than there were 8 years ago in Xiamen. There are times when my monthly Venti Caramel Machiato with an extra shot of espresso is my reason for living, and although I’d love to have this wonderful liquid more often, it’s monthly for a reason…coffee costs the same here as it does in Canada. That’s ok, for someone who’s making a Canadian salary, but for me…well, I just can’t justify it. So coffee is one of those things that we do rarely, and only when we’ve stuck to our budget for a while. Don’t get me wrong…I’m paid well here in Guiyang…but we are trying to save our pennies (or jiao, rather) so that we can do as much traveling as possible, so daily coffee is out of the question. But we do treat ourselves when we can!

Today's Caramel Machiato at Void Cafe. PS...Denara...this is ALL YOUR FAULT!!!!! (She got me hooked about 4 years ago on the things...) — Today’s Caramel Machiato at Void Cafe. PS…Denara…if I go broke, it’s ALL YOUR FAULT!!!!! (She got me hooked about 4 years ago on these things…)

Any time I work overtime I save my money for coffee. No matter how crummy my week has been…1 whiff of that delicious espresso and it all fades away. We actually spent 4 hours at Void Cafe today, here in Zhong Tian. We sipped our coffees and I corrected my students tests. It’s funny how such a seemingly boring day can be such an amazing one. Plus…correcting tests is always more entertaining than I expect it to be…

It would appear than in order to empty the trash, a Cheshire Cat must first be found....(it was suppose to be 'trash can' — It would appear than in order to empty the trash, a Cheshire Cat must first be found….(it was suppose to be ‘trash can’

3. Online Shopping

I’m not sure how many people in Canada are aware of Alibaba, or it’s extremely popular shopping site, Tao Bao…but for us…it’s a life saver. Last week was China’s ‘Single’s Day’. Some students in Beijing decided to name November 11th (11.11) singles day, so that people who have no significant other can feel justified to buy something for themselves one day a year. Of course, online shopping companies turned this holiday into a money making monster and this year’s Single’s Day broke records. Over 80 billion RMB was made on Tao Bao and other Alibaba sites, and I have to admit, we took part in that great feat.

This was a postal sorting sight the day after 11.11 in 2012. The real accomplishment here is that I've received any of the things I actually ordered! Some items came in 2 days after they were ordered. China's a neat place... — This was a postal sorting sight the day after 11.11 in 2012. The real accomplishment here is that I’ve received any of the things I actually ordered! Some items came in 2 days after they were ordered. China’s a neat place…

Online shopping is a huge industry worldwide, and it’s easy to see why. You can shop from the comfort of your living room and you can find almost anything you could possibly need online. And you don’t even need to lug all your items home…they come right to your doorstep!! But online shopping is even more awesome for Lao Wei living in China. Here’s a breakdown of why Tao Bao is a lifesaver for the expat:

One of the items we bought was a foot warmer for Dave. There’s no indoor heating in Guiyang, so while he’s at home, working on the computer all day, his feet get very cold…even with slippers and an area rug to help. But to find a foot warmer in China isn’t as easy as just going to the store and getting one! First, you need to find a store that sells them. This isn’t always easy, as was proven during the month it took us to find a spray bottle in Guiyang. Then you need to find the right product IN the store. Once more…it might seem simple from where you’re sitting, but in China, finding the right product is an ordeal. The packaging on most items is in Chinese so you have to base everything off of the picture on the box . When looking for something of good quality (that’s actually going to warm your feet without catching fire), you can’t even rely on brands here, because all of the brands in China are foreign to us.

This is almost the exact footwarmer we ended up buying. And this is what kind of information you're given on the box....not overly helpful... — This is almost the exact footwarmer we ended up buying. And this is what kind of information you’re given on the box….not overly helpful..

Buying things online is just SO…MUCH…EASIER. For starters, you can punch what you’re looking for into Google translate, and search websites in Chinese. Then, Google Chrome translates the entire page for you so you can find out the wattage and other important stuff, and even check reviews online from other buyers. Best of all though, is that you don’t have to deal with a Chinese sales person trying to help you. They try so hard to be helpful, but they hardly ever speak any English (retail doesn’t pay well here either, so if you speak English, you’re most likely working somewhere that ISN’T a store…), so they talk to you in Mandarin…constantly…no matter how many times you tell them that you don’t understand. It gets very frustrating, and I often end up walking out of stores as a result. On Tao Bao…I don’t have to worry about that!

My absolute favorite thing ever, is when a sales rep or waitress is trying to tell us something in Mandarin and we tell them they don't understand. Then they pull out a notepad and start writing it out in Chinese, thinking that maybe we'll understand THAT! It happens all the time...I'm unclear on the logic... — My absolute favorite thing ever, is when a sales rep or waitress is trying to tell us something in Mandarin and we tell them they don’t understand. Then they pull out a notepad and start writing it out in Chinese, thinking that maybe we’ll understand THAT! It happens all the time…I’m unclear on the logic…

And when Google Translate or Chrome fail you, it’s easy to bring your laptop over to someone at the school and ask for help. The Chinese staff at Interlingua are great, and they are always happy to help translate if we need. One girl in particular, Lumi, has helped me on several occasions. Just this morning she called a number that had been calling me all morning to find out what they needed (It was about a tao bao delivery haha!). Today is her day off, but she was happy to help. So I try very hard not to abuse that help and I can tell you this: It is much nicer to bring your laptop over to Lumi while she is at work, than it is to have her play translator via cell phone on a Monday afternoon!!

She may seem sweet, but Lumi is kinda terrifying when she gets angry! So far I've been lucky and have never been on the receiving end of her rage. I'd like to keep it that way, so I shall keep translation requests via telephone to a bare minimum!! — She may seem sweet, but Lumi is kinda terrifying when she gets angry! So far I’ve been lucky and have never been on the receiving end of her rage. I’d like to keep it that way, so I shall keep translation requests via telephone to a bare minimum!!

So there you have it folks; 3 of the things that make our lives in China easier. Now I need to head to bed because I’ve gotta make some coffee money first thing tomorrow morning!!! Goodnight, my lovely friends!!!

Xiamen – Part 3: Gulang Island

I never had a chance to write this weekend, and I regret it but also know that it couldn’t be helped. We had to pack up the rest of our Christmas presents and bring them down to the post office so that they make it to Canada in time for the Holidays. This may seem simple: buy presents, pack them up, and ship! But in China, nothing is simple. It takes hours sometimes to find even the most basic things. When everything is unfamiliar (from language to brand names), finding the ‘right stuff’ can be difficult.

There's no lack of selection in China, but when all the name brands are unfamiliar, and when there is little English on the packages, it can be a little overwhelming. It's much better now than it was 2006, but still...to find drain cleaner, we had to look at each individual bottle until we found a label with a drain on it. The most simple tasks in Canada can be a nightmare out East — There’s no lack of selection in China, but when all the name brands are unfamiliar, and when there is little English on the packages, it can be a little overwhelming. It’s much better now than it was 2006, but still…to find drain cleaner, we had to look at each individual bottle until we found a label with a drain on it. The most simple tasks in Canada can be a nightmare out East

We purchased a lot of our Christmas shopping in Guilin, while we were on holidays. So it might seem like all we had to do was stick it all in boxes and ship it off to Canada. But customs can be quite difficult…so if they decide to open our box up, everything might end up a mess when it arrives. I experienced this in Xiamen, so this time I labeled everything as best as I could, so that our friends and family on the receiving end know whose gift is whose. I also included a letter with each box detailing which item was for which person as a back up.

Oh...and when I say I made '46 labels'....this is what a 'Marie' label looks like. I don't half-do anything lol! I got paint...construction paper and glue (2/3 of those items too ages to find!) — Oh…and when I say I made ’46 labels’….this is what a ‘Marie’ label looks like. I don’t half-do anything lol! I got paint…construction paper and glue (2/3 of those items too ages to find!)

Then, we had to go to the post office and ask for boxes and wrapping materials (in Chinese). Of course, this should have also been simple, but the women there sold us boxes that were too small for their labels, so in the end, we had to pack everything up twice (as well as buy a second round of boxes). Oh China!

Just some of the boxes we have left to ship/have left over. In total, I had 46 labels to make, including all of our nieces, nephews, siblings and our close friends. Our living room looks like the cardboard monster threw up in there!!

Then, of course, there’s the long list of items that cannot be shipped anymore. Although we were careful with our purchases, knowing that they’d have to be sent via China Post, several items were removed from our boxes, leaving certain family members and friends with half-gifts. Some things in particular were especially confusing. Milk products aren’t allowed to be shipped. We were told this rather abruptly today, however, we have no idea which of the gifts we were sending contained milk! They didn’t take the item out. They left it in and scolded us instead. It is all terribly confusing.

This is a blank copy of the form we had to fill in before we could ship each box. Behind it are 8 carbon copies. When I finished writing it all up, (after we'd already been there for an hour), the guy told me to fill in the right side of the page in Chinese. I looked at him, pointed to myself and snapped 'lao wei!!' He got the point that I wasn't happy and said 'Ingwen ye hao da' (English is okay too). — This is a blank copy of the form we had to fill in before we could ship each box. Behind it are 8 carbon copies. When I finished writing it all up, (after we’d already been there for an hour), the guy told me to fill in the right side of the page in Chinese. I looked at him, pointed to myself and snapped ‘lao wei!!’ He got the point that I wasn’t happy and said ‘Ingwen ye hao da’ (English is okay too).

But have no fear, we will manage to ship the rest of them before too long. Tonight, I’m taking a break from that stress so that I can finish writing about our last 2 days in Xiamen! I bet you thought I’d never get around to it, eh??

We only had 3 days to enjoy in Amoy city, so we had to spend them wisely. We woke up early on Friday October 3rd and checked out at the hostel. We weren’t too terribly sad to go, as the hostel wasn’t the greatest we’d stayed in. It’s only redeeming quality was the excellent bartender who was both friendly and nearly fluent in English.

Unlike the sheets in our room... — Unlike the sheets in our room…

Our first stop was Nanpu Tuo or “The South Temple”. The location of this temple goes back 2000 years, and it has been called Nanputuo since the 1600s, when it was rebuilt. It received another facelift since I’d seen it last, and it now has even more elaborate wood structures and its old stone statues have been replaced by newer ones.

Nanputuo Temple from afar. Years ago, I climbed the mountain behind it. This year, it was too busy and crowded so we decided to skip the trek up.

One of the new structures. It is very well painted and the woodwork is beautiful.

Our next adventure in Xiamen was an overnight stay on Gulang Island. I’ve already written about the insane experience getting there, so I’ll keep this post short (er) by leaving that info out. (You can read about it in my post: Chinese National Day). Once we arrived at our hostel, and checked into our room, we set off to wander the island. What I was most looking forward to showing Dave, was the view of Xiamen Island from Gulang. At night, the buildings are all lit up and it’s absolutely beautiful.

From here you can hear the crowds and the music on ZhongShan Lu.

This is my favorite of the night shots I took (our camera didn't do the view justice, which is why I included a professional pic as the feature image for this post). In the foreground, you can see a small boat. It is carrying supplies either to or from Gulang Island, most likely for one of the many restaurants there — This is my favorite of the night shots I took (our camera didn’t do the view justice, which is why I included a professional pic as the feature image for this post). In the foreground, you can see a small boat. It is carrying supplies either to or from Gulang Island, most likely for one of the many restaurants there

As our stomach’s began to grumble, we made our way into the island’s center, where there are shops and food vendors waiting to be explored. I had my heart set on some fresh Xiamen Seafood, so we spent some time looking for just the right place.

The live seafood is kept outside restaurants on GulangYu. You can choose your fish, eel, clam, oyster etc…

mmexport1412784023570 — The fish we chose. It may not look like much, but it was very tasty 🙂

We spent the rest of the evening drinking beer, journaling and relaxing after a hot day in the sun. We did get adventurous at one point and tried to find some wine to enjoy out on the terrace. We did find some wine, but it was a tad difficult to enjoy. I love many things about China: the food, the beer, the people….But I do not enjoy Chinese wine!! We called it quits at around 1am and jumped in the most comfortable bed we’d slept in since we arrived here in Mid August (a western style bed is a HUGE selling point for any hotel in the Orient!!)

The terrace where we sat writing and enjoying some Chinese beer :) — The terrace where we sat writing and enjoying some Chinese beer 🙂

A view of the hotel from where we were sitting

Gulang Island is beautiful any time of day

The following morning, we set out to explore the island some more, but with 80,000 people in such a small space, it was a bit rough to get anywhere. We did manage to enjoy some very good skewered potato as well as some steam dumplings and other treats as we walked the paths and squeezed through the crowds

I pity all those who do not 'do street food' — I pity all those who do not ‘do street food’

Eventually, we began to feel the effects of the sun, so we set off down a shaded path that was mostly empty. The lack of tourists lead us to believe that there wouldn’t be much to see, but I can say that the time we spent in that shade was the best I had on our last day in Xiamen. There is so much interesting architecture on Gulang Island, and it’s all so well kept! We took our time, taking photos of the beautiful walls and the winding path. Eventually we found our way into a mini-shopping area, where we discovered a bar with free Wifi. We spent about an hour in there, trying a Chinese iced cream dessert and chatting with Dave’s brother William on Skype. This was definitely another highlight of our day!

Nice place to stop for a photo :) This tree was growing up against a wall — Nice place to stop for a photo 🙂 The tree behind us was growing up against a wall

This quiet path eventually lead us back to our hotel, where our bags were waiting to be taken with us to the airport. It was time to leave. But this time, at least I left Xiamen on my own terms.

I can’t say enough times how lucky I felt to visit this hometown of mine. Part of me has always stayed in Xiamen, and it’s hard to put into words how much this trip meant to me.

Stay tuned! I’ve got many more stories and pictures to come!!

Culture Shock: An Experience of Growth

After spending the last hour or so organizing our Christmas presents for loved ones back home, it’s time to sit down and visit my good old neglected blog. I’ve been wanting to write all week, but I always try to write when I’m feeling positive. Unfortunately, I haven’t been feeling too positive as of late. But thinking about it today, I realized that my blog is suppose to be story about Adventure and Growth. And maybe some of my readers would like to hear about the bumps we’ve had during our first 3 months in Guiyang.

I think this picture shows it best. Adjusting to a new culture is such a crazy mix of emotions!!

Culture shock can be rough. According to the text books, the worst stage is when the honeymoon is over, usually around the 3rd month. Things aren’t exciting anymore, and although your routine keeps you sane, you sort of resent the routine because it means the adventure is over (well, on the surface anyway). Around month three, you begin to notice the little things that annoy you about the new culture you find yourself in.

Like rat poop...in your desk and on the school's bookshelves. That's getting REALLY annoying... — Like rat poop…in your desk and on the school’s bookshelves. That’s getting REALLY annoying…

Aside from the small annoyances I’ve been feeling, I’ve been missing certain things from home too. Some days I just want to hop on a plane and go hug my nieces. Some days I want to close my eyes and wake up with Hobbes wrapped around my head. I miss his purr. Most days though, it’s the little things I miss. A comfortable place to read, a soft bed with soft sheets, good hairspray…

Our couch. This is an improvement from the couch in the old apartment, which had no cushions. The back isn't angled at all, and the cushions don't really help much, so 20 minutes after sitting down, your bum is completely numb. I miss comfort — Our couch. This is an improvement from the couch in the old apartment, which had no cushions. The back isn’t angled at all, and the cushions don’t really help much, so 20 minutes after sitting down, your bum is completely numb. I miss comfort

What’s made my last month difficult though, isn’t the culture shock or home sickness. These are things I expected. I knew that I ‘d get sick of hearing people spit. I knew that the beds were hard, and I cherished my last nights in Canada accordingly. I even knew that Skype could never replace a hug from Ellie, or seeing Addyson crawl towards me the first time. What’s made it difficult is the amount of negativity I’m surrounded by at work.

The school where I work has a lot of great things going for it. I work with some REALLY awesome people. The visa process was also done properly and the owner here takes great pride in her 100% legit team of teachers. Last month, 19 Lao Wei were deported for having the wrong visas in Guiyang, so to work for a company where those legalities are taken seriously is a HUGE win for any teacher.

The foreign staff at Interlingua :) — The foreign staff at the school where I work

Lexie and I hiding behind a counter at the Halloween party. We stayed hidden and jumped out at the kids as they entered the cafeteria :) — Lexie and I hiding behind a counter at the Halloween party. We stayed hidden and jumped out at the kids as they entered the cafeteria 🙂

My wonderful TA Talia and I. She is really great. I never need to ask for things twice and she's always there when I need someone to translate for a parent. She's also super sweet and so nice to my students :) — My wonderful TA Talia and I. She is really great. I never need to ask for things twice and she’s always there when I need someone to translate for a parent. She’s also super sweet and so nice to my students 🙂

But Z Visas and great coworkers aren’t always enough. When your work atmosphere is a negative one, it can be hard to overcome that negativity, no matter how hard you try. When you are overseas, missing your nieces and worrying about a friend’s health, that negativity is magnified a hundred fold. When you do your very best, coming in early to make sure the Halloween party is a success and staying late so that each of your students’ parents feel heard, you expect a certain degree of gratitude from your boss. But in China, that’s not how things are always run.

One of the haunted houses I came in to finish on my day off. I can't complain too much, seeing as how I love arts and crafts :) — One of the haunted houses I came in to finish on my day off. I can’t complain too much, seeing as how I love arts and crafts 🙂

China is all about ‘saving face’. When I got a flat tire on the scooter, and the thing fell over as I tried to get it to a fence where I could lock it up, nobody helped me. This wasn’t because they were mean people. This was because they didn’t want me to ‘lose face’. Similarly, tipping isn’t a norm in China. To tip a waitress implies that the owner of the restaurant doesn’t pay him/her enough. This makes the owner ‘lose face’. This is also why verbal appreciation doesn’t come naturally to many people in China. Your paycheck is the ‘thank you’ you receive for doing your job. Anything more than that is to imply that you NEED your staff, which means you aren’t in control of your business. This makes the owner lose face. I think a lot of the negativity where I work is due to that culture norm.

Apologies are hard to come by here... — Apologies are hard to come by here…

But there’s more to it than just that. If I simply not being thanked for going above and beyond, I wouldn’t be struggling like I am. I work for a Chinese woman. It’s harder for women to ‘make it’ here, in the business world. The culture is very sexist and women here are basically dolls; they wear high heals and are always dressed to the nines. A teacher who used to work at the school summed up China with the 3 Hs: Honks, Horks and Heels. The men in China are a whole different story though. There is a very clear difference in expectations where the sexes are concerned. Women are dolls. Period. They aren’t suppose to be much more than that…

Even Police Women wear skirts! Appearance here is so important for women, that I worked with a girl who had been rejected from a Chinese airline when she applied for a job as a flight attendant. The reason: her ears stick out too far from her head.

So for my boss to have made it to where she has, running a VERY successful English School, I know that she’s had to work HARD! I respect that about her, I really do. But her success also means that she has to be taken seriously ALL THE TIME. Even in Canada this is still a bit of an issue. My 5 years as a retail manager taught me that women are not treated the same way that men are. My boss didn’t shake my hand, like he shook the boys’. He’d go in for a hug…and I am NOT a hugger. I had to be better than the boys to be noticed, and my boss has to deal with that same sexism in a country where equality is even more of an issue.

ARG1087.pvw — Rule with an iron fist, ladies…

So when someone at work steps out of line, or doesn’t do what they’re suppose to do, I know that my boss has to yell louder to be heard. I know that she thinks that the only way she can be taken seriously, is to be serious all the time. This creates a very negative atmosphere. To only ever hear the bad (because saying the good can mean losing face) and to be jumped on for every small misdemeanor (even the ones you didn’t realize were a faux pas until it was too late…) becomes exhausting. Add the fact that the honeymoon phase is over, and it’s a pretty raw deal.

So why don’t I just pack up and move home, you might ask? Well, there are two reasons.

I am able to recognize that many of these issues I’m having at work are due to cultural differences. I recognize that my boss isn’t just a bad person. So much gets lost in translation here, and so many other things get mixed up because we have different expectations of what the boss/employee relationship is suppose to be. At the end of the day though, KNOWING THIS is what gets me through.

To help you understand my second reason, I need to tell a little back story here…

In 2006, when I left Xiamen, it wasn’t on my own terms. I was working for a school where the visas were not legit, and I was caught working with that bad visa. After 5 days at the immigration bureau, signing papers and answering questions in an interrogation room, I was handed back my passport with a big red stamp across my visa: REQUESTED TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY WITHIN 5 DAYS. It was heartbreaking. I was kicked out of a country that I’d learned to love so much.

When I returned home, my family and friends couldn’t understand why I missed China so much, after I’d been treated so badly here. People couldn’t see why I’d want to return to the cockroaches and language barriers and uncomfortable beds. But the thing is…once you’re back home for good…you miss everything about your life overseas; cockroaches, deportation and all!

Knowing that one day I’m going to miss every moment of this helps a lot. In a few years, I’m going to look back at my time in Guiyang and see how these bad days shaped me into the person I’m going to become. We’re all growing after all…we’re all becoming new versions of ourselves. My most important goal in life is to make sure that my next ‘version’ is an upgrade from the last.

Marie V.28.4 - The 'in control' edition — Marie V.28.4 – The ‘in control’ edition

So I’ll take these experiences in stride. Hopefully, the school will begin to see me for the teacher that I am: a hard working, caring and dedicated educator who wants what’s best for her students above all else. And if that doesn’t happen, well, I’m all about growth and moving forward. The best thing about Marie V.28.4 is that she’s been in these situations before. My experience and my determination will get me through any rough patch that shows its ugly face 🙂

I got this tattoo as a grad gift to myself. In spite of how terribly painful it was to have done, I love what it means to me. Grow, no matter what is trying to keep you down. Oh and of course, I'm a musical junkie :) — I got this tattoo as a grad gift to myself. In spite of how terribly painful it was to have done, I love what it means to me. Grow, no matter what is trying to keep you down. Oh and of course, I’m a musical junkie 🙂

I haven’t forgotten to write about my last few days of holidays! They’ll be coming soon, I promise!

My Love/Hate Relationship with Guiyang City

It’s a green-tea-drinking, guitar-music-playing and blogging type of night! After a fabulous day off spent scooting around Guiyang with Dave, I’ve decided to postpone my final piece of the National Holiday Saga for a night when I have less recent events that need telling. So today, I shall write about Guiyang, the city where I am living 365 days of my life.

Guizhou Province is the poorest province in all of China. People who know about Guizhou province don’t have very fond opinions of the place, and while we were on vacation we received quite a few negative reactions from Chinese people when we told them where we live. However, the majority of westerns have no idea where Guizhou even is. It’s sort of like Saskatchewan in Canada…internationally, it isn’t very well known, and within the country, nobody really wants to talk about it!

For the kind people who are following my blog, but whom I have never actually met in person, THIS is Saskatchwan. They are really only known for two things: flat, endless fields and an insane obsession with their CFL team, the Roughriders. We drove through there last summer and passed towns named "Elbow" and "Eyebrow". We kept waiting to see if we'd find 'armpit' but we sort of already felt like we were there :P Just joking my Sask peeps! Your province in lovely! — For the kind people who are following my blog, but who may not know of the lesser known prairie provinces in Canada, THIS is Saskatchwan. They are really only known for two things: flat, endless fields and an insane obsession with their CFL team, the Roughriders. We drove through there last summer and passed towns named “Elbow” and “Eyebrow”. We kept waiting to see if we’d find ‘armpit’ but we sort of already felt like we were there 😛 Just joking my Sask peeps! Your province in lovely!

We live in the capital of Guizhou province: Guiyang. And although it definitely has it’s flaws, we feel safe here and I most definitely never scoff at it’s scenery. Guizhou may not be as rich as Xiamen city , or as scenic as Guangxi province but the scenery here is so ruggedly beautiful.

There are dozens of minority villages in Guizhou province, and many of them are nestled in the mountains. — A minority village nestled in the mountains of Guizhou province.

This was the view from our living room window in our last apartment. Guiyang has basically been carved into the mountains. Today we scooted through 3 tunnels as we explored the city. If a mountain is in the way of progress...they carve a hole into it — This was the view from our living room window in our last apartment. Guiyang has basically been carved into the mountains. Today we scooted through 3 tunnels as we explored the city. If a mountain is in the way of progress…they carve a hole into it

Still, Guiyang does have its flaws.

It’s an up and coming city…In the last 6 months, there’s been a huge influx of western restaurants and stores. As of now, Guiyang has many KFC and Dairy Queen locations, a Burger King, a Starbucks, 3 Walmarts (with another being built), a Carrefour (a French Grocery store chain) and most recently, a Subway (it opened here last week). There are even western clothing stores in Guiyang, such as H&M and designer stores like Diesel and Calvin Klein. Guiyang is moving up in the world! The only problem is that many of the citizens of Guiyang haven’t caught up to their city’s progress!

Imagine living in a city where everybody is 'new money'. They've gone from eating possum, to eating Beijing Cao Ya (Peking Duck) and gone from taking transit everywhere, to driving BMWs. It's a pretty interesting place... — Imagine living in a city where everybody is ‘new money’. They’ve gone from dog, to eating Beijing Kao Ya (Peking Duck) and gone from taking overfilled buses, to driving BMWs. It’s a pretty interesting place…

I know that Guiyang will eventually be fabulous in all ways, but the city is currently very lacking in the sanitation department. Parents allow their children to urinate in the streets (they sometimes hold them over sewers so they can relieve themselves…but often it’s done on the sidewalk), and people spit constantly. It’s not pleasant to hear, and it’s not pleasant to see on the ground. Walking in Guiyang is a fun little game…you need to watch where you’re going, but at the same time, you need to have your eyes on the sidewalk so that you can dodge spit, urine and loose or uneven tiles in the ground. How so many women here walk around in 3 inch heals is beyond me…the sidewalks are an obstacle course!!

a normal sight in Guiyang. I saw it in Xiamen too, but NEVER to the extent it's done here. It also happens indoors. One of my coworkers scolded a mother for allowing her child to pee on the mall floor, when the bathrooms were within eyesight. — A normal sight in Guiyang. I saw it in Xiamen too, but NEVER to the extent it’s done here. It also happens indoors. One of my coworkers scolded a mother for allowing her child to pee on the mall floor, when the bathrooms were within eyesight.

These signs are necessary. People spit everywhere, and although it's becoming less common in the more tourism-minded places, in Guiyang, 'horking' is alive and well. Littering is also a problem, as proper trash cans were only set up around the city a few years ago. Many people aren't used to having to throw their waste in bins and find it inconvenient to have to do so. The result...a lot of garbage on the streets — Although spitting is banned in Hong Kong, it is commonplace in Guiyang. Littering is also a problem because trash cans were only set up around the city a few years ago. Many people aren’t used to having to throw their waste in bins and find it inconvenient to have to do so.

Surprisingly, there aren’t many cockroaches in Guiyang. When we first moved into our new apartment, they were a HUGE problem, but since we got the place cleaned up we haven’t seen a single one. Rats, on the other hand, are an issue. The school is infested. My desk often has poop in it, and I find myself constantly wiping everything down with sanitary wipes. We find chew marks in our books and we sometimes see them running along the pipes above the teacher’s office. Worst of all, I can often hear them moving around in the walls behind my desk. Lexie and I will just look over at one another and shudder at the sound.

If rats were all this cute, it wouldn't be a problem. I can't imagine Remy pooping on my notepad, or chewing threw my spare La Jia (the spicy condiment that has replaced my love for salt)... — If rats were all this cute, it wouldn’t be a problem. I can’t imagine Remy pooping on my notepad, or chewing threw the La Jia stash (the spicy condiment that has replaced my love for salt) that I keep in my desk.

And Guiyang’s lack of sanitation isn’t its only problem. The queue situation isn’t quite as bad as it was in 2006, (the main issue in Xiamen was that queues didn’t even exist…), but still, people often cut in line. Just today, I had a women cut in front of me at Carrefour. She had a cart full of items, and all I had was a bottle of MeiJiu in hand but still, as soon as I looked away, she pushed her way past me. The smug grin she gave me after made me so angry I wanted to backhanded her. But the Canadian in me took over and I just gave her a passive aggressive dirty look instead.

And took a picture of the back of her head, because at that point I already knew I wanted to include her in my blog tonight! — Annnnnd took a picture of the back of her head, so that I could blog about her later.

But there is something even worse than urine on the streets, or people cutting in front of me at Carrefour. Traffic in Guiyang is insanity. The infrastructure here is so bad that it makes Winnipeg’s streets look logical, but even THAT isn’t the worst of it! People here have absolutely no regard for other drivers on the road, to the point where signaling isn’t done (EVER!) and instead of doing shoulder checks, everyone just honks to let others know that they are there. Guiyang is a LOUD city!

Can you feel my road rage from where you are?? — Can you feel my road rage from across the ocean?

Just today, we saw someone make a U turn from the far right lane of a busy 6 lane road. I should add, that this U turn was NOT made at an intersection. We were driving in the lane to his left and had to swerve and slam on the breaks to avoid T boning him. Did he look scared or regretful, you might ask? Nope! He just kept driving. I’m not even sure he realized that there were other vehicles on the road, or that a beautiful white scooter had nearly been injured due to his insane expectations of what driving should be.

This is our scooter. She's swell :) — This is our scooter. She’s swell 🙂

So why, you might be wondering, am I still living in this city? Why do I continue to work in a rat infested building and continue to navigate horribly designed streets under fear of sudden insanity brought on by road rage? Well…that’s the thing. Amidst all this craziness, we both find ourselves happier than either of us have ever been.

These are two very happy people standing on the corner of a busy intersection, waiting for the light to turn green.

This is Dave, happily holding up a statue of Chairman Mao.

Me, happily hanging out on the back of the scooter, a few minutes before Mr. Brilliant did his world class moronic U turn

There are so many things here that contribute to this happiness. The food is a big one…everything here is flavored with an abundance of spice. The only bland food I’ve had has been when Chinese cooks try to prepare dishes for the western palette. Hot Pot is especially delicious and we’ve found several restaurants that have really made living here a tasty and fantastic experience.

Our favorite restaurant in Zhong Tian Hua Yuan (the closed community where we live) happens to be a Hot Pot restaurant near the bus loop. The dish is incredibly spicy and just gets tastier as you make your way through the meal

This is what it looks like when we are done. A pot of soup is put on an element (that is built into your table). You add ingredients as it boils (pork liver, seaweed and mushrooms happen to be our favorites) and the soup cooks these items for you. By the end of the pot, there are bits of everything left over. The soup takes on the flavor of everything you've put in, and as the water evaporates, the mixture gets stronger. Our first time here, we couldn't make it through the meal. Now we pick through the final bits, hoping to find one more mushroom or one more piece of tofu! — This is what it looks like when we are done. I’m planning a whole post on local food, so I’ll explain more about how Hot Pot is done then 🙂

Even better than the food at this restaurant, are the people who work there. Their restaurant is always clean and well maintained, and the staff work very hard. The owners, Kevin and LoMan, greet us by name every time we arrive. They are two of the nicest people we’ve met here and I hope our friendship grows. I always told everyone back home that the two things I missed the most about China were the People and the Food. At our hot pot place, we get the best of both 🙂

Kevin and Loman. They are so nice to each other! Most couples here aren't overly romantic but these two are adorable. I love being around them :) — Kevin and Loman. They are so nice to each other! Most couples here aren’t overly romantic but these two are adorable.

IMAG0495 — I believe that you can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat animals. This kitten strolled into their restaurant 4 days ago, looking for a home. They took him in and he’s already made himself very comfortable 🙂

But honestly, I think even more than the people and the food, what makes me so happy here is how much I LIVE!! Every day is an adventure…every adventure is a challenge. Whether we are trying to mail post cards or trying to find some western ingredient for a dish we are craving…every moment of our lives here is interesting. Seeing the way people drive here is interesting. The cultural norms here, that are so drastically different from our own….are interesting! We went to Walmart today to look for a Halloween Costume for Dave, and saw the funniest things. We saw strange meat, and asked what it was. The woman replied that it is rotisserie rabbit. You can also find stools at Walmart, that have the middle section cut out. These are built this way so that they can be placed over squatter toilets so that you can sit comfortable instead of crouching, while trying not to get pee on yourself!

Smoked pork fat, sitting in a wooden crate.

So I suppose what I’m trying to say here, is that I love my life. I love that everything is difficult. I love that I’ve learned so many new words in the last 3 months. I love how exciting it is to say something in Mandarin and have the other person understand what I’m saying! I love how the people here can be so amazing! Our waitress at the hot pot place didn’t speak a word of English when we first started going there. Now, she has a friend teaching her so that she can ask us simple things in English, even though we know how to ask for them in Mandarin.

I love how I’m building meaningful friendships here. I’ll never be able to talk about those rats with anyone like I can with Lexie!! I’ll never be able to stand on a street corner in the rain and rant about work and students and craziness like I can with her, because she’s going through the same things I am!

I love what I’m discovering about myself, and what Dave and I are discovering about our relationship. We are learning what we are like under the most stressful circumstances, and I’ve gotta say…I am SO happy to be here with someone I love so much!!

I love my life here…Urine and Rats included…

Xiamen – Part 2: Parks & Shopping

Another day is coming to an end here in Guiyang. On Wednesdays I teach 2 kindergarten level classes; one at 5:30pm and one at 7:00pm (each are an hour long). I can’t say I enjoyed teaching these groups for the first few weeks. I’ve never been particularly fond of teaching kindergarten (I find it’s more nose wiping than it is teaching), but these students have come a long way in the 9 weeks that I’ve been their teacher. Their behavior has improved greatly and they learn new words every class. In the last two months I’ve taught them 10 occupations (policeman, doctor, mailman etc…), 12 locations (library, park, hospital), how to use 5 pronouns properly (he, she, it, I and you) and I’ve even taught them a couple of phrases (Where does the policeman go? He goes to the police station!). More importantly though, these students have been building the confidence that is SO necessary when learning a new language. I had parent teacher interviews this weekend, and one parent made my day. He told me that he’s noticed a HUGE improvement in his son’s confidence since I began teaching them this semester. Jason even approached a Lao Wei while on vacation and struck up a conversation with them. His father was so impressed that he asked if I could stay in Guiyang forever. This…my friends…is why I’ve spent the last 8 years of my life telling you all how much I miss teaching.

My first class of the week! They can be pretty rowdy...but I have to admit they're a lot of fun. — My first class of the week! They can be pretty rowdy…but I have to admit they’re a lot of fun.

IMAG0074 — The little girl in the front came in today with a monkey on her sweater. She gave me a big smile and pointed to it. I always call them my funny little monkeys. She apparently understood!!! I love that kid so much!!!

No matter how much I love teaching though, holidays are pretty grand as well! The last 3 days of our National Holiday in China were spent in Xiamen city where we drank tea, shopped to our hearts’ content and enjoyed the hot sun.

Our first stop on Thursday October 2nd, was Zhong Shan Gong Yuan. Our hostel was located right next door to this large park, so when we got outside our first day, we walked through the park to get to our bus stop. ZhongShan Gong Yuen is famous for its pristine condition, it’s beautiful palm trees and it’s lovely man-made creeks, where you can rent a paddle boat and enjoy the views from the water.

Retirees playing mahjong and card games in the park. I think this would be a lovely place to spend my retirement!!

Well kept gardens and lawns. Lots of trees shading us from the hot October sun

Another beautiful path. There are plenty of benches, where you can enjoy the view, read a book or take a break from the crowds after a busy day of shopping on Zhong Shan Road

Nice little bridge and a paddle boat. We never had time to rent one, but I've always been impressed at how clean they keep this water. Very unusual for China! — Nice little bridge and a paddle boat. We never had time to rent one, but I’ve always been impressed at how clean they keep this water. Very unusual for China!

After a peaceful walk through the park, we head downtown so I could show Dave all the places where I lived and worked back in 2005/2006. We didn’t find any of the restaurants or tea shops where I spent my time then but we did find a new tea shop where we sat for over an hour, trying different leaves and chatting (as best we could) with the owners. We left with two very nice red teas, and head for ZhongShan Lu…the shopping street of Xiamen.

Fujian is famous for its tea. This is an Oolang Tea Plant harvest, just out side Xiamen. Tea is taken VERY seriously in Xiamen. In Guiyang, we've walked into several shops and had nobody even look up at us. In Xiamen, we walked into each shop, and within 30 seconds, we were being served tea each time. Tea tasting was one of my favorite pass times in Amoy City — Fujian is famous for its tea. This is an Oolang Tea Plant harvest, just out side Xiamen. Tea is taken VERY seriously in Xiamen. In Guiyang, we’ve walked into several shops and had nobody even look up at us. In Xiamen, we walked into each shop, and within 30 seconds, we were being served tea each time. Tea tasting was one of my favorite pass times in Amoy City

Zhongshan Lu is interesting in several ways. First, it should be noted that it is a pedestrian street. The lack of cars means it’s much safer to weave in and out of shops, and it’s no problem to run to the other side of the street if something catches your eye. Zhongshan Lu is also interesting because you can find both designer brands as well as knock offs, all within feet of one another. There are more stores than you could possibly visit in a day, and it’s a struggle just to pick and choose which ones to stop and see. Finally, Zhongshan Lu comes to life at night. We were there during a major holiday, so this was especially true during our visit. For as far as you can see, there are people walking from stores to street vendors, and from tea houses to restaurants. There’s an abundance of strange foods to try, and often, there are shows put on as well. I saw some neat puppet shows years ago, and this trip, we saw some street performers and a photography show.

The view behind us on Zhongshan Lu that night

I do have to say that my favorite part of ZhongShan Lu though isn’t the shopping or the way the buildings are lit up at night. My favorite part of Xiamen night life is the food! We had various dishes from street vendors both on the main road, and off onto side streets. We ate some fantastic dumplings at a small wooden table with pink plastic stools. The location left something to be desired perhaps, but the food was delish! We also got something similar to popcorn chicken while we were there. The key to eating street food is to eat where the locals eat. We weren’t worried about buying meat from this street cart because she was running out before the stuff she brought from her freezer had had time to thaw!

I never got a picture at the time (I don't like having my camera out when it's that crowded...always scared someone's going to snatch it!) but this is a street similar to the one where we ate supper on Zhong Shan Lu — I never got a picture at the time (I don’t like having my camera out when it’s that crowded…always scared someone’s going to snatch it!) but this is a street similar to the one where we ate supper on Zhong Shan Lu

My favorite street food dish that night happened to be crab. Whole crabs are coated in a batter and deep fried on a skewer. People huddle around garbage cans to eat the meat and throw out the shells, so we joined them after ordering a skewer to share. Of course, we soon realized, standing over that garbage can, that we were as much of a tourist attraction as the street itself. People started flashing pictures of us eating this (rather messy) crab on a stick, so we decided to finish our delicious snack back at the hostel, which was only about a 15 minute walk away.

We took a quick picture as we were getting away from the crowds, because I wanted to be able to show you the crab! I could have eaten 3 skewers myself! haha!

Now, this wouldn’t be a blog written by Marie Willman, if it didn’t have a cute animal story or two, so here’s one from this day that we spent in Xiamen:

Back at the hostel, we sat down at an outdoor table to enjoy our crab and put down our numerous bags for a while, before heading up to our room. Two minutes after sitting down, we heard frantic meowing and saw a white ball of fur charging toward us. This cat had been somewhere on the grounds and smelled our food. He came running, hoping that we’d share. Of course, Dave and I are total softies when it comes to animals, so we began throwing him scraps. Before we knew it, the meal was gone, but our friend stayed. He took a bath (as cats tend to do after a delicious meal) and curled up on one of the empty chairs at our table. He looked healthy, so I went over to pet him and sure enough, he was purring up a storm. I miss my “Hobbsiecat” so much…and it was so great to meet a furry friend in Xiamen. I saw him the following day and he came running over and rubbed up against me. Cats in China aren’t usually friendly (because people in China aren’t usually very friendly to cats), so for this guy to come up and give me some loving was pretty cool!!

He got downright cozy with us! Shameless, Mr. Kitty!! As you should be :) — He got downright cozy with us! Shameless, Mr. Kitty!! As you should be 🙂

Also, here's a picture of Hobbes because I miss him and happen to think that everybody should see his face now and then...I know he brightens my day, so I hope he brightens yours too :) — Also, here’s a picture of Hobbes because I miss him and happen to think that everybody should see his face now and then…I know he brightens my day, so I hope he brightens yours too 🙂

The rest of our night was spent sitting in the hostel bar, sipping beer and talking to fellow travelers, as well as our bartender, Wesley. We sat there for hours, eating BBQ and relaxing after a long day in the hot Xiamen sun. Hostels aren’t always the nicest places to stay, but I’ve always met interesting people at them, and I always look forward to my next hostel experience as a result 🙂

The hostel where we stayed our two nights on Xiamen Island

BBQ as it's done in Xiamen. They do something similar in Guiyang, but they deep fry everything before throwing it on the grill (to save time, I suppose). It isn't nearly as good. I was so happy to have Dave try proper Chinese barbecue, as I'd always enjoyed it. He agreed...it's much better this way!! — BBQ as it’s done in Xiamen. They do something similar in Guiyang, but they deep fry everything before throwing it on the grill (to save time, I suppose). It isn’t nearly as good. I was so happy to have Dave try proper Chinese barbecue, as I’d always enjoyed it. He agreed…it’s much better this way!!

Next time, I’ll be writing about our adventures at the South Temple and on Gulang Island!