Xiamen – The Kinetic Canuck

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!!

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!

Xiamen – Part 1: Then and Now

After a long weekend of teaching my wonderful students, I am back on my blog and ready to finish up my posts about our holidays! Mondays and Tuesdays are my weekend here (I teach 24 of the 48 hours that make up Saturdays and Sundays), so tonight, instead of our typical ‘end of day’ tea, we’ve switched to some Cuban rum! We discovered a Havana Club white rum at Carrefour tonight and couldn’t help but get some. Due to Cuba and China’s communist bonds, the trade prices must be good, because we paid under $20 Canadian for a bottle! It’s closer to $30 Canadian for most other western bevies, so this was a grand surprise! But that’s enough about the rum….onto Xiamen!!

It tastes like our wedding! It's like drinking happiness :) — It tastes like our wedding! It’s like drinking happiness 🙂

I was fortunate enough to live in Xiamen city 9 years ago. It was the summer of 2005 when I arrived there. I was 19 years old, full of rebellion and wanting an adventure. I can definitely tell you that it was QUITE the adventure. I am a small town girl. I grew up in a farming town, where there is lots of space and where everyone knows one another. I always joke that St. Malo has a population of about 1000; and that includes the cows!

So, when I arrived in Xiamen city in 2005, I was blown away by pretty much everything. The smells made me nauseous, the crowds made me hyperventilate and the heat had me sick and in a constant state of exhaustion. Culture shock hit me hard, and it took about 6 months for me to really appreciate the beauty that is Amoy City.

Eventually I grew to love Xiamen. Since I left 8 years ago, I’ve missed her beauty and her endless potential for adventure. I’ve dreamt of her cobblestone paths, and her abundance of palm trees. I’ve missed the smell of street barbecue and an ocean breeze. I never really believed I’d ever make it back to Xiamen, so when we arrived on a late flight from Guilin on October 1st, the excitement I felt is really difficult to describe. I felt like I was home, in a sense. I felt like I’d returned to the place where I’d found myself, and become the person I am today.

Xiamen 2006 — A picture of me at Nanputuo (The South Temple), taken in February of 2006.

mmexport1412784047945 — Me in front of the same Elephant (well, an upgraded version of the same elephant), in October 2014. What strikes me the most is how much more comfortable I look in my own skin. Xiamen was a big part of that. I grew there. I became the strong, confident individual I am today, because of the crazy experiences I had there then

Xiamen has grown a lot in the last 8 years. When I lived there, the population was just over 2 million people. In 8 years, that population has more than doubled. Because Xiamen is an island, there is limited space, which means that there are 4 million people living on an island one QUARTER the size of Winnipeg, MB. This means that there are very high buildings, and the space here is used very wisely.

I worked in one building that was over 70 floors high. I taught conversational English to the employees of a company that manufactures hearing aids. We discussed everything from paranormal activity to Chinese traditions during those classes, but the best part about teaching there, was the view. I was up on the 68th floor and in a large room that had windows from floor to ceiling. When the blinds were open, I got a full view of Xiamen City. I’d often go in early, just to see that view. From that floor I could see old, dirty buildings, with rusted tin awning and school uniforms hanging off of balconies to dry (there are no driers in China…everyone hangs their clothes to dry). I could see new buildings, free of the weathering of typhoons and pollution. And I could see the buildings that were coming up. The green netting used to protect the new building from falling debris. I could see countless cranes, building up the city… the city that I was eventually able to see in 2014.

It is common to see several new buildings come up, all at once. We've seen up to 7 cranes side by side, adding onto Guiyang — It is common to see several new buildings come up, all at once. We’ve seen up to 10 cranes side by side, adding onto Guiyang

Xiamen has changed a lot since 2006. The city is much greener than it was then. More trees have been planted in the medians, and a greater effort has been put into beautification. Like Guilin, Xiamen is a tourist area so it is in the city’s best interest to stay clean and visually appealing. In 2006, people still spit and smoked indoors in Xiamen. Now, it is rare to see someone spit on the street, and many restaurants and stores have ‘no smoking’ signs posted in both Chinese and English. In 2008, Xiamen tackled its traffic issues by building a long overpass that is solely for buses. This speeds up the commute to the most popular places in the city (downtown as well as the big tourist attractions) and removes many buses from the streets. Traffic is hardly a problem now.

Still, some things have stayed the same. The most incredible part of my trip to Xiamen occurred our first day there. I took Dave downtown to see if any of my old hang-outs or apartments were still standing. We managed to find 2/3 of the places where I lived. I spent the final (and most enjoyable) 6 months of my time in Xiamen in one particular apartment, located right behind Wen Ping DaSha (a large apartment complex where many of the other foreigners lived). Amazingly, this apartment was still there! I was able to show Dave where I hung my laundry to dry, and the courtyard where I played badminton with the neighbors.

I lived on the third floor…so the second balcony you see there. I used to hang my clothes out that window. It was so surreal seeing it there again, and knowing that my old bedroom is on the other side of that wall!!

More incredibly yet, we found the small store where I bought my water every morning. These people were unbelievable sweet and always kept water in the ‘freezer’ (basically a fridge) for me, because they knew I enjoyed my water cold. In China (circa 2006), water was mostly served at room temperature, so I really appreciated their effort in keeping me cool. The same people were still working at this store. They are actually the landlords for the building. I remember the morning I left Xiamen, the woman there started frantically trying to show me other apartments that were for rent. She didn’t want us to go. She was so very sweet! And now here she was…8 years later…selling me water. Her husband was sitting on a chair in their house (behind the store). Neither of them recognized me, of course, but I sure recognized them! It was a moment of pure beauty, and I felt more linked to my past than I have in a very long time. I felt that Xiamen was no longer just a cool dream I had. It felt real again…

The small store, that was so significant to me, that it made an appearance in several of the non-fiction pieces I wrote while in University. It looks the same as it did then…

On our way out of the courtyard, I spotted another familiar face. She was around 16 then…the landlords’ daughter. She and I played badminton in the courtyard together several nights a week. She taught me the word for Cat (mao) in Chinese. She was so shy with me at first but we became friends. Friends that couldn’t really communicate, but friends nonetheless. Now, she is much older. She is probably married and may have a child. She didn’t recognize me, but she came up to us to ask if we were looking for an apartment. She’s apparently helping her parents with the business, which is really neat :). I was kind of sad that I couldn’t explain to her who I was because our translator app wasn’t working well in Xiamen. Still, I truly enjoyed the fact that I was seeing a familiar face 8 years later. A very large part of me just wanted to grab her and hug her but I figured that would be too strange…even for a Lao Wei! So, I smiled instead and we bid one another a good day. Dave and I continued on our way to see more of my past.

A tree outside the first apartment where I lived. I arrived at this apartment in August of 2005, at 11pm and walked past this very tree. In that apartment, I found several dead cockroaches (they killed them ahead of time but didn’t clean them up) and dealt with a slow gas leak and several break in attempts. This tree, in 2005, was small enough that I could get it all in one photo. Now, it is so big that I had to go as far back as I could to get the shot, and still couldn’t get it all in the frame. Both the tree, and I have grown quite a bit in 9 years…

The fruit stand where I stopped nightly for a fresh mango; one of the many perks of living on a subtropical island. This is also where I tried Lychee for the first time. It was love at first taste 🙂

In my next post, I’ll be telling you about our trip down Zhongshan Lu, our time at Nanputuo and our night on the beautiful Gulang Yu! Stay tuned, friends!!!

The Life of the Lao Wei

China is an interesting place to be for a foreigner.

First, let me begin by asking you: what do you know about China? Really? The fact that dog is eaten here may have popped into your mind, and perhaps you pictured deep fried ‘honey garlic’ something or other as well. Maybe you thought about the Great Wall. But really, for a country with 5000 years of written history, many North Americans know very little about life in the Orient.

Many of my friends and family assumed that I would be going to a country with more advanced technology than we have in Canada. Many people also assumed that I would be eating nothing but rice and chicken feet. But in reality, China is an incredibly diverse country. There are hundreds of local languages here, an incredibly diverse geology and every city has it’s own specialty cuisine. In short, China is so much more than you can imagine.

There are over 50 ethnic groups in China. They all have their own traditions, holidays, cuisine and language. How's THAT for diversity!! — There are over 50 ethnic groups in China. They all have their own traditions, holidays, cuisine and language. How’s THAT for diversity!!

But as little as you know about China, China knows less about you!

Eight years ago, when I lived on the east coast, in a beautiful little city called Xiamen, I was stared at daily. I had people point at me and yell “Lao Wei!” (foreigner) so that their friends might notice in time and get a look at me too. I had people come up to me and ask for my photo. More often still, I caught people sneaking photos of me. There were times when an interested man or woman would come up to me as I shopped, pulling things out of my cart to see what the strange ‘lao wai’ was purchasing. Everywhere I went in Xiamen, I was pointed at, shouted at and stared at. Whether I was taking a 2am stroll (the only time I found quiet in that small city of 2 million people), or walking up the path to my apartment, I was constantly met with stares and pointing. And of course, the ever-present sound of the words “Lao Wai!!!!”

Beautiful Xiamen City. My home in 2005/2006

I imagined it would be different in Guiyang. 8 years have passed, and thousands of teachers have arrived and left the country since I departed in 2006. Nearly every young person here now speaks at least a little English. EAL teachers are everywhere, working for private training centers (like I am), for private schools and even at public schools. There are easily a hundred of us in Guizhou province alone.

I live in the capital of Guizhou province; Guiyang

And if the presence of white teachers isn’t enough, Western culture has also permeated life here. Guiyang has several KFC restaurants, 2 Pizza Huts, 3 Walmarts, a Starbucks and H&M, just to name a few. English is everywhere! In their music, on their signs and on their T-shirts. Any company who aims to have a ‘cool’ image must have English in their name, even if no one within the company speaks a word of the language. People here are obsessed with Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber, and today I even heard “Criminal”, by Brittany Spears, blasting from a lingerie store. 8 years ago, this was not the case. Sure, there was a Walmart and KFC in Xiamen, but seeing English on signs and T-shirts was hardly an every day occurrence.

We have a Dairy Queen and a Baskin Robs by the school where I work

Yet, the sight of a foreigner is still shocking for the majority of Chinese people.

A few weeks ago, I was driving my scooter to school, when a bus pulled up beside me. I had to focus on the traffic and ignore the commotion that my presence had caused in that bus. Windows were rolled down, and people were shouting and laughing and saying ‘Hello!’. I sometimes feel like an un-talented celebrity when this happens! (Perhaps this is how the Kardashians feel?) When Dave and I went and visited QianLing Hill Park, we were in as many pictures as we took! Even the monkeys seemed to think we were interesting and strange!

A wild monkey, staring at the Lao Wei! (Lao Wei is 'foreigner'. We hear it everywhere we go! We are treated like celebrities because there are so few of us in Guiyang) — He’s looking at me, thinking to himself “Lao Wei!!!!”

On good days, this isn’t an issue. I laugh and smile and respond to their calls with ‘hello’. A simple wave, or greeting in response to their excitement usually results in further excitement. “Did the Lao Wei just say hello to ME!!! Oh My God!!!”. I waved at a child who was staring at me from a restaurant this week. Her entire family waved back. Some of them even stood up to get a better view of me! And this, I should add, was in Zhong Tian Garden, where I live. There are between 8 and 10 EAL teachers who live in this area, yet it’s still exciting for them to see one of us.

On bad days, this aspect of life in China is less enjoyable. Being stared at while you are fighting back tears after a particularly difficult day, is not a pleasant feeling. Having a crowd form around you, while you struggle to chain your scooter to a gate because it has a flat tire, is exasperating. There are some days where I want to shout: “What’s wrong with you! Didn’t your mothers ever teach you that it’s rude to point!!!”. But I don’t. I know that even if I did, they probably wouldn’t understand me anyway, so I keep my head down and try to blend in with the masses. I’m vertically challenged so that’s easy, but it’s certainly harder for some of the tall teachers at Interlingua.

Still, in spite of these bad days, I’d say life in Guiyang is more interesting than upsetting. More often than not, people here are curious, but kind. We’ve had people bring out dishes for us that other customers in the restaurant have paid for us to try. Most people thrilled when I greet them in Mandarin, and embarrassed but excited when I respond to their ‘Lao Wei!!!’ with a ‘hello’ and a coy smile. (Yes, I know that you are talking about me…).

I consider myself lucky to be in China in 2014, during such a time of growth. In the last 8 years, many things have changed: I now see English everywhere I go, I hear English Music in cars and in stores and I can shop at H&M (I can’t even do that in Winnipeg!). But in some ways, China continues to be its cut-off-from-the-rest-of-the-world self. The people here still marvel at the foreigner as though they are something special and interesting. I can’t help but wonder whether this will still be the case in 8 years from now.