Well, this is my last week in China.
I'm exhausted, and my brain is full of Chinese, and exhaustion, so I'm not going to write a lot.
http://www.danwei.org/media/hu_yong_interview.php
This is an interesting interview with a Chinese journalism professor about the Chinese media and the internet. I think it also describes clearly and interestingly other elements in current Chinese culture and society. It touches on a lot of the contradictions I've noticed this semester, and questions I've been asking myself. So...I'm not sure how interesting it would be to a person with no China background, but either way, if you are intrigued, give it a shot.
I'm not going to say for sure that this is the last post. There may be a few pictures or reflections left, there may not. Once I have decided to close the blog for sure I'll let y'all know.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Twice in One Week, What Even?
Today I am going to go visit Yanan. Unfortunately, the donut shop closed down because rent was getting too high, so Yanan had to find another job, and I no longer get to eat donuts every two weeks or so. Now she works in a shopping mall department store selling expensive imported men's shoes from Italy or France or something--Pierre Cardin? It's good for her because she now has coworkers, when before she was often in the donut store alone. (Wow Molly, you are right about my sentence structure being all crazy). One thing I learned from working at Camille's Sandwich Shop in Pittsburgh, is that crappy jobs are ten times crappier when you are there all alone, and actually kind of fun when you have crazy people working next to you.
Last time I visited Yanan at her new job, I got to hang out with the new coworkers too. They couldn't believe I was using my left hand to write characters, and then they told me I held the pen wrong. Well lately I have been practicing writing holding the pen the way they told me to. It's not only more comfortable, but the ink flows better out of my pen. Weird! Here is a strange thing: Chinese people are always shocked by left-handed people because almost no one in China uses their left hand to write. But after the initial shock they will always say, oh but left handed people are very smart. Well if your culture thinks left handed people are smart, why make all kids write with their right hands? Yao? Anyone?
This week is midterms (bleehhhh), and then next week we go to Chengdu in Sichuan for a week. I owe you guys a picture blog--hopefully I'll have some good ones from Chengdu!
Love,
Jen
Last time I visited Yanan at her new job, I got to hang out with the new coworkers too. They couldn't believe I was using my left hand to write characters, and then they told me I held the pen wrong. Well lately I have been practicing writing holding the pen the way they told me to. It's not only more comfortable, but the ink flows better out of my pen. Weird! Here is a strange thing: Chinese people are always shocked by left-handed people because almost no one in China uses their left hand to write. But after the initial shock they will always say, oh but left handed people are very smart. Well if your culture thinks left handed people are smart, why make all kids write with their right hands? Yao? Anyone?
This week is midterms (bleehhhh), and then next week we go to Chengdu in Sichuan for a week. I owe you guys a picture blog--hopefully I'll have some good ones from Chengdu!
Love,
Jen
Monday, February 23, 2009
Things That Happen In China
Well as this is a new semester, and I've been in China for a good five or so months, my life is feeling more like routine and less like a new adventure, so sometimes I forget to post. But I am still having experiences, and it's been too long since I've shared them with you all, so here goes:
My research project is about tourism in hutongs, traditional alleyways in the center of Beijing. Many of these guys have been demolished for development, while others have been developed into commercial tourism streets. I think this is interesting because on the one hand, people are sad hutongs are disappearing, and on the other hand, one of the only ways to preserve them, tourism, is drastically changing them. So I spent last semester interviewing people who live in the hutongs about how they feel about this phenomenon, and this semester I am interviewing people in the tourism business about their attitudes toward it. So lately I've talked to a guy who designs nifty Beijing T-shirts, a hostel owner, and a coffeeshop owner.
Hmmmm what else--there was a huge fire in an unfinished hotel due to extreme fireworks set off by the hotel company next to the hotel. I got to watch it because it was only ten minutes from my dorm. It was really frightening to see that many flames in one place--maybe 40 stories of disaster. There were hundreds of people watching. Kind of creepy. As far as I can tell 6-7 people were hurt and maybe 1 person died.
I really have no idea how to speak English anymore.
I am taking a cooking class once a week, so when I come home I can make you all delicious Chinese delicacies.
My research project is about tourism in hutongs, traditional alleyways in the center of Beijing. Many of these guys have been demolished for development, while others have been developed into commercial tourism streets. I think this is interesting because on the one hand, people are sad hutongs are disappearing, and on the other hand, one of the only ways to preserve them, tourism, is drastically changing them. So I spent last semester interviewing people who live in the hutongs about how they feel about this phenomenon, and this semester I am interviewing people in the tourism business about their attitudes toward it. So lately I've talked to a guy who designs nifty Beijing T-shirts, a hostel owner, and a coffeeshop owner.
Hmmmm what else--there was a huge fire in an unfinished hotel due to extreme fireworks set off by the hotel company next to the hotel. I got to watch it because it was only ten minutes from my dorm. It was really frightening to see that many flames in one place--maybe 40 stories of disaster. There were hundreds of people watching. Kind of creepy. As far as I can tell 6-7 people were hurt and maybe 1 person died.
I really have no idea how to speak English anymore.
I am taking a cooking class once a week, so when I come home I can make you all delicious Chinese delicacies.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Birthday and Chinese New Year
Well I had a pretty eventful past two days so here's a bit about it:
First, the night of the 24th, I went out with my friends for pizza and dancing.
Then on the 25th during the day I went to a temple fair (which was mostly stuff to eat and buy) with my roommate.
At five pm, I met up with four friends and headed to the Chinesebox Hostel, where Jake and I stayed when he was in Beijing. When Jake was here, we made friends with the owner, Joe (he's in his mid thirties), and he invited me to come back to celebrate New Year's with them. It was so cool! We met lots of Chinese people and we were in the hutongs, the traditional architecture area. We ate dumplings, which is tradition, and mutton and cabbage, which is also tradition.
People were setting off fireworks starting around sunset, but at midnight it was crazy. There were fireworks everywhere as far as the eye could see. It was a little scary cause people were setting off pretty big fireworks just about 20 feet away from us. But it was beautiful, and exciting.
We spent the night there because we stayed up late, not many taxis on New Year's Eve, also it was a hostel and they gave us a cheap price because we are friends. This morning, Joe made us a traditional Chinese New Year's Day breakfast and we drank good coffee.
After that, three of my friends went home and my friend Susie and I decided to explore a bit cause the weather was great. We went to a temple and saw lots of people there who were I guess doing their new year's praying.
Then, we went to a snack place and ended up sitting with two women from Beijing, a 55 or so year old woman and her maybe 75 year old mother. We talked to them for a long time, mostly about food, which was pretty exciting.
We wanted to go to a park after that, but we got on the wrong bus and ended up around one of the more famous shopping areas, so I bought a shirt that has a bus on it and says Donut Take Out.
Being here for Chinese New Year has been pretty great. Everyone is happy, friendly, fireworks have been going off almost 24 hours, and I don't have to study. It's hard to explain how I feel about it--but let's just say it was a very very good thing. Pictures soon!
First, the night of the 24th, I went out with my friends for pizza and dancing.
Then on the 25th during the day I went to a temple fair (which was mostly stuff to eat and buy) with my roommate.
At five pm, I met up with four friends and headed to the Chinesebox Hostel, where Jake and I stayed when he was in Beijing. When Jake was here, we made friends with the owner, Joe (he's in his mid thirties), and he invited me to come back to celebrate New Year's with them. It was so cool! We met lots of Chinese people and we were in the hutongs, the traditional architecture area. We ate dumplings, which is tradition, and mutton and cabbage, which is also tradition.
People were setting off fireworks starting around sunset, but at midnight it was crazy. There were fireworks everywhere as far as the eye could see. It was a little scary cause people were setting off pretty big fireworks just about 20 feet away from us. But it was beautiful, and exciting.
We spent the night there because we stayed up late, not many taxis on New Year's Eve, also it was a hostel and they gave us a cheap price because we are friends. This morning, Joe made us a traditional Chinese New Year's Day breakfast and we drank good coffee.
After that, three of my friends went home and my friend Susie and I decided to explore a bit cause the weather was great. We went to a temple and saw lots of people there who were I guess doing their new year's praying.
Then, we went to a snack place and ended up sitting with two women from Beijing, a 55 or so year old woman and her maybe 75 year old mother. We talked to them for a long time, mostly about food, which was pretty exciting.
We wanted to go to a park after that, but we got on the wrong bus and ended up around one of the more famous shopping areas, so I bought a shirt that has a bus on it and says Donut Take Out.
Being here for Chinese New Year has been pretty great. Everyone is happy, friendly, fireworks have been going off almost 24 hours, and I don't have to study. It's hard to explain how I feel about it--but let's just say it was a very very good thing. Pictures soon!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Update!
Hello people of the world but mostly America, and mostly Ohio and Pennsylvania in America, but also whoever, aliens, Google, China, etc,
Just wanted to let you know that I haven't given up on writing here. I had a really good winter break. I traveled and hung out with Jake and relaxed in Beijing. We started classes a week ago and I am trying to get back in the swing of the language pledge and studying.
Thankfully I am much more "used" to both ACC and speaking Chinese now, so I'm having a richer experience already. Tonight I had dinner with my Chinese family and I could actually talk to them and understand what they said back to me. Last semester I nodded and said mmm (嗯) a lot.
So anyway, if you find this interesting, keep coming back. I'll have more pictures, and more regular updates, as the semester goes on. Tonight I have to get back to work though.
More later,
Jen
Just wanted to let you know that I haven't given up on writing here. I had a really good winter break. I traveled and hung out with Jake and relaxed in Beijing. We started classes a week ago and I am trying to get back in the swing of the language pledge and studying.
Thankfully I am much more "used" to both ACC and speaking Chinese now, so I'm having a richer experience already. Tonight I had dinner with my Chinese family and I could actually talk to them and understand what they said back to me. Last semester I nodded and said mmm (嗯) a lot.
So anyway, if you find this interesting, keep coming back. I'll have more pictures, and more regular updates, as the semester goes on. Tonight I have to get back to work though.
More later,
Jen
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