the curse of the raven hair

yesterday i had my first chinese class. andy has been going to classes for a good few weeks now. compared to me, he's a pro at it. he loves to study it. me, i generally enjoy it but not to the same extent of his enthusiasm. plus, i'm the biggest procrastinator in the world, so i blame this condition for learning it at snail-pace.

the shitty thing is, that when we're in restaurants or out shopping, most of the time the chinese attendant looks at me and asks the first question. because of my black hair and semi-asian-looking-ness, they either assume i'm chinese or i know how to speak the language. so they're usually dumbstruck when tall, lanky, blonde, white guy busts out with some mandarin, and i look completely lost. i feel like i'm dishonouring my asian heritage or something (hey, apparently my great-grandfather is chinese). shame on me. but seriously, it's getting a tad annoying, the whole, 'assumption i'm chinese' thing. i was over the moon the other day when a chinese english teacher thought i was pakistani or indian. ha.

kar-a-o-ke

2nd May '07

tonight we were invited out by margaret's family for the second night in a row. it was margaret's 20th birthday and we attended an intimate dinner with her close family. very strange to be invited to such a private gathering, considering we only met them the previous day. anyway, once again they put on major feast and once again, we were forced to drink. fun fun.

after dinner we went to karaoke. i've seen so many k-tvs (k-tv means karaoke establishment) in songyuan, even though it's only a city of allegedly 300,000 people. i get the feeling they really dig it. the karaoke lounges are very luxe. the main problem is that good quality english songs are scarce at these venues, and you find yourself often faced with a songlist that is very bland and repetitive. britney spears and the backstreet boys are most common. but tonight we were lucky to get away with a bit of the eagles, the beatles and simon and garfunkle. oh, and i busted out to a bit of mariah at the end. very therapeutic. all in all, karaoke gets the thumbs up from me.

city tour

1st May '07

we had a day off today to mark labour day. in the morning we went to a fresh fruit and vegetable market. it was huge. everything was so cheap. we bought a heap of produce aswell as some breakfast, which was made in fast-food type vans lined up opposite the market area. all the breakfast foods were painfully oily. it seemed as though the main ingredients used were: oil, flour and sugar. we bought one sweet floury patty which was deep fried in oil and dunked in sugar. the first bite was heaven, but i felt that with every subsequent bite, i was adding another layer of fat to my arteries. my hands ended-upcovered in grease too. i ditched it halfway through eating it. a yummier and slightly less oily alternative we purchased was a big pancake with bits of vegetable mixed through it. not a fluffy pancake, but picture something akin to the texture of roti indian bread. delicious.

leaving the fresh food markets we spotted some gorgeous rabbits in cages. next to the rabbits were tiny dogs, probably some chihuahua cross. the sad thing was that the tiny dogs were being held captive in tiny cages. cages not much bigger than the size of the dog itself. there was pretty much no room for the dog to move. as I write, these dogs may be sitting in a restaurant's freezer as meat, but let's hope they're playing ball in some apartment with a chinese kid.

after the markets adventure, we went on a city tour with dora (from uzbekistan), harry (switzerland), sam (one of the heads of our foreign studies school), margaret and nicole (two chinese girls from out of town). it was a fun, very touristy day. first we went to see some buddhist temples. the place we went to was like this buddhist temple megaplex or something. there must have been more than 10 huge temples in close proximity to one another. on top of this more temples were under construction with huge cranes sticking out their roofs. the funny thing about this place was that you'd often see an oil pump juxtaposed next to a temple. paradoxal to me - pillaging the same land that sacred buildings lie on. religion and business in harmony.

we went inside one modern temple. we had to take off our shoes when entering the "prayer room" and put some money in a box out the front. the prayer room was large, cool and uncluttered. the silence was deafening. colourful cushions were placed on the floor in rows. at the front of the room was a large shrine to buddha. so colourful, beautiful and elaborate. all of the temples i've visited so far in china have been kaleidoscopes of colour. it's so refreshing to see a religion that celebrates their beliefs in such a luminous way. walk into a church and it's usually so drab and depressing. i don't blame myself for dreading chapel visits during high school.

in the temple i knelt on a cushions and made a few wishes in my head. the chinese girls and dora prayed with their hands in a prayer position and their heads bowed to the ground. after about five minutes we left the temple, but we had to leave by walking backwards. apparently it is bad to turn your back to the God.

we also went into one of the temples that was under construction. it was absolutely awe-inspiring. inside was an incredibly high roof with three giant buddhas sitting inside, each more than 10 metres tall. seeing them was such a spine-tingling experience.

on the ride back to songyuan for lunch at a restaurant i saw some chuckle-worthy sights out the van window. a large pig and ducks eating from the same scrap heap. chickens roaming free on the streets. men with their shirts pulled up over their bellies (all the rage in China). and babies with squares cut-out from their pants' behind, to reveal their asses (made for easy shitting straight onto the street).

sometime during the day we discussed with sam, our idea of getting a 3-wheeled peasant truck (pictured below). our initial plan was to buy a motorbike and travel around china. i was nearly all for the exhilarating idea, except for one major issue - safety. i can't even begin to imagine how dangerous it would be for andy (whose most extensive experience on a two-wheeler was a short and unsuccessful stint on a scooter) to ride a motorbike in china of all places. not to mention he's had almost no experience driving on chinese roads. it's like they not only have their own set of road rules here, which are completely different to ours, but also some type of unspoken understanding on the roads. i'm sure it would take years of experience to master it. so, after many deliberations between the two of us, we decided on a 3-wheeled peasant truck. now at least this would also make for a good yarn. but sam, a classy, "millionaire" by chinese standards, was dumbfounded by the idea. he could hardly conceive of this crazy notion. the thing is, modes of transport in china are very representative of class. rich chinese flaunt their black, shiny audis, the middle-upper class have their middle-priced cars and the poorer chinese go on foot or bike. 3-wheeled trucks are exclusive to farmers. so while the foreign teachers like us saw the comical undertones of the idea, sam simply didn't understand where we were coming from. ultimately, he gave us a list of "10 good reasons why getting a peasant truck is a bad idea". some of the ideas included on this list were, "police will stop you and fine you for no reason", "you can't drive peasant trucks into the big cities" and "these trucks are ONLY for peasants!". we decided that another major reason that should have gone on the list was that sam and bill (our bosses) would majorly lose face if their foreign english teachers were seen driving around in such a shame-mobile. so out went that idea.

after lunch we went for a drive to a place called chagan lake. we went on some bamboo rafts (pictured) which were really fun because we were so close to the water. so close in fact that water actually seeped through the bottom of the raft onto our feet. sam and i had to swap places because two men sitting one side was making the raft sink. i had genuine concerns for my satchel in case we sunk. i really should have left it in the car.

after the raft foray we scoped out some souveniers. there was a huge section of stalls lined up facing the lake. many of the stalls sold the same items, and the sellers communicated with each other and usually settled on the same price. they sold things like jewellery, intricate boxes, buddhas, old mao memorabilia and weapons. yes, weapons. huge machetes, knives, mean-looking slingshots, tasers and fake guns. crazy shit. i bought this thick red wooden bangle with dragons carved into it. at first i was quoted 20 yuan with my chinese friend, but when i went back by myself, the lady told me 35 yuan. majorly ripped-off on account of being a westerner. so i gave her a sour look and walked away. i think in the background i could hear her shouting "20 yuan" in chinese, to make me come back. i ignored her on principle and kept walking. i complained to nicole, so we went back and she helped me purchase it for 20. i gave the seller a smug look. ha.

at one point our souvenier shopping was disrupted by this huge ruckus. at first it began as shouting between two women - one behind a stall and one customer. i think it was about negotiations on some item. in no time, things really got nasty. the seller came out from behind her stall and the two women really got physical. there were slaps and punches and maybe a bit of eye-gouging and hair-pulling - a catfight at its finest. i get the feeling a lot of nasty words were exchanged in chinese. they got really close to nicole and i at one stage, nearly bowling us over. it was more scary than robert xiansheng's driving. then the men became involved, there were fisticuffs and men chasing other men. every one stopped what they were doing and watched the spectacle. the incident must have gone on sporadically for about half an hour.

after seeing chagan lake we were invited to have dinner with margaret's parents and her aunty and uncle. a free meal, we gladly accepted. i sometimes think that the rich chinese are using us as a way to become more respected and admired in their circles. foreigners are rarely seen in songyuan, there must be less than 20 in the city. and i think it's like some sort of badge of sophistication if you know one.

so here we were, trophies at this dinner. the occasion was generally nice, but at many times uncomfortable. especially the times where we were required, actually let's say FORCED, to drink baijiu. god damnit, you can't even use religion or feeling sick as an excuse not to drink! dora is muslim, and despite her pleas about it not being allowed in her religion, she still had to drink. i told them i was feeling sick (i genuinely was from sheer amount of food and beer in my stomach) and it was not good enough a reason. also, the amount of food they order is sickening. it's a sign of wealth to order as much food as you can and waste it. i'm not exaggerating here when i say the food we left uneaten on the table would have been enough to feed ten starving children for a few weeks.

anyhow, that was the 1st of may. you can see more pics in my photobucket. link is at the top of the page.

city tour pics

the day we dug ... pics

28th april '07

- some more pics from andy's camera of the village/farm day.

the day we dug

28th april '07

i got up at 3.45am that morning to be at the foreign studies school at 4.30am. andy, harry (swiss teacher) and i were to be off on a positively magical road trip to a wondrous and mystical village two hours outside of songyuan to do some farm work. but there was somehow a slight miscommunication, and we waited for the driver at the school until about 5.30 or 6am. my weary head was cursing the fact that i could've gotten another hours and a bit sleep. i'm glad i had interpol to listen to otherwise i would've been in thrice as much of a crappy mood. anyway, when robert xiansheng our crazy driver arrived we crammed ourselves into the van and set off. and, i mean literally CRAMMED. picture 10 people in a nine-seater people moving van, zooming down an unlevel road at 120kmh. absolutely true. and i was not scared one iota. robert's driving technique is so dexterous, words don't do it justice. i bet he could drive this van on a snowy day with his feet on the steering wheel whilst balancing an egg on his forehead. the way he weaves in and out of traffic (sometimes leaving a hair's width between us and the next vehicle) is poetry in motion. it's art. it's both graceful and electrifying. sorry, i digress. so there we were, sardines packed into robert's tin can of a van, flying down a bumpy strip at turbo speed. now i thought THAT was exciting, but things really got interesting when we hit non-bitumen territory. we drove along a long, long minor road (probably not mapped on any songyuan street directory) that looked as though it was hand paved. but really badly hand paved. it reminded me of the yellow brick road, perhaps after a small hurricane. the ride on this road was insanely turbulent. i think i was airborne off my seat for about 30% of the 10 minute journey. it was an awesome joyride.

we arrived at our destination not long after the yellow brick road saga. i was eager to get my hands dirty after a comment by bill (the headmaster at our teaching college) that the farm work "was not the type of work for girls". i'll show him, i thought. the "farm" was not really a stereotypical farm. it was a couple of tiny houses with a largish block of land out back. the land consisted of a hell of a lotta soil with slender tree trunks forming pergolas protruding from the ground. under the soil were grapevines that were buried underground to prevent them from dying during the winter. the idea was that we had to dig up the vines and drape them over the wooden structures. the abodes at the front of the property were small shanty dwellings, one made of clay and hay, the other of bricks and large concrete slabs. both had thick steel doors. the clay house that we were allowed to enter consisted of only two small rooms. a "kitchen" with a dirt floor, a large wok placed in one corner, a portable gas stove top on the opposite side, and a tub of dirty water to wash in. the second room was a dining/bedroom, again with a dirt floor and a "bed", which was a raised platform with a hard surface. lino lined the top of the bed, with a layer of sawdust underneath, and beneath that was a hollow section which connected to the kitchen cooking fire to warm up the bed from below.

we had breakfast first before starting the hard yakka: steamed bread formed in a twisty shape (the bread was the same type that's used in dim sum steamed bbq pork buns), an array of pickled vegies, rice in hot watery soup and fresh tofu. it tasted so much better than what it sounds. so after that, we started the work. we dug. we dug. we dug. and we dug some more. the digging was easy to start off with, easy in fact for about two hours, then it got ball-busting. i began to feel muscles working that i didn't even know i had. luckily i had gloves, because i took them off for a while and tried digging, but i could feel blisters forming on my hands. overall the work was quite fun, except for the amount of dust and soil i swallowed and got into my eyes. we had to go on the windiest day, didn't we?

we had a fantastically authentic lunch and dinner too. rustic, traditional (or so it seemed) chinese food. an old chinese woman and chinese girl prepared the food for us in this mega-sized wok with a fire underneath that they kept aflame with twigs and scrub. altogether we consumed fish (one gargantuan fish head and two smaller whole fish), egg and leek, tofu again, cornbread, an eggplant dish and a potato and snowpea dish. plus fresh leafy vegies and spring onions picked straight from the ground that you dip in a salty, thick dark sauce. what it is exactly, i have no idea. verdict: divine and extremely gratifying.

in true chinese fashion, drinking accompanied the dining. andy's voice trembled in fear when he saw bottles of baijiu carted through the door. now, andy is a seasoned drinker and can handle large amouts of booze. so this illustrates how terrifying baijiu is. baijiu is evil. it's an evil, sordid chinese liquor. the alcohol content isn't much more than vodka but somehow the effect is extremely potent. the smell and taste is foul. but alas the goose was coaxed into downing shot after shot (glasses were slightly larger than your standard aussie shot size) of the stuff during both lunch and dinner. it was an entertaining yet cringeworthy display to witness. and the chinese love their toasts. they make a toast about every 15 minutes. and apparently it's impoliteto take a sip of your drink between toasts. you must drink when everyone else does. there's so much dining etiquette involved in chinese dining - it really does your head in sometimes. part of the drinking festivities involved an armwrestle battle. robert xiansheng emerged victorious, defeating andy and one other chinese guy. the strength of that man is baffling. such a strong man for such a tiny package. hats off to you robert xiansheng.

the last most notable tidbit to report from the village was the "toilet". it was a concrete hole in the ground that dropped down not too far from your behind. you could see EVERYTHING that was left from people before. smell was nauseating and the sight was horrid. so i didn't breathe, nor look after the first encounter.

during the trip back to songyuan, i felt incredibly inspired by the scenery. we left in the evening when it was dusk. the landscape looked ethereal and serene, blanketed in twighlight. spindly, fragile trees stood somberly in single rows for kilometres on end, lining vast, otherwise bare fields. every now and then a lonely, haunting house would appear. the countryside was often lunar-like, earth's imitation of the moon's surface. the natural beauty was intensified by the sounds of sigur ros playing in my ears. i stuck my head out of window and felt the nippy breeze bite my face and breathed in relatively fresh-smelling country china air.

pity goose was completely drunk and missed the majestic spectacle. he fell off his seat twice on the way home - the first whilst wearing a seatbelt, and the second, somehow with a seatbelt on.

dico's

22nd april '07

a few weeks ago we checked out the north side of the river (jiang bei). the shopping was really good there - infinitely better than what i had encountered on our side. my first few shopping trips on the south side were almost fruitless, save for the purchase of a pair of thermals that turned out to be way too tight. but on this more recent occasion, the northside bore a top, a sweater, a cute pair of tan leather ballet flats, a bag and slippers for less than $100AU. fantastic, i say. although, i must say i was quite lucky this day, as i've found generally that shopping in songyuan is a challenge. first of all, i seem to be an XL here. in australia i'm a size 8-10, sometimes a 12 if the sizing is on the smallish side. but here i've tried on a lotta larges and extra larges, and emerged from myriad fitting rooms downcast and attempting to mime and/or enlist the services of translator andy to utter "too small! too small!" in chinese. after one wash, two of the extra large blouses i've bought seem to be too tight for me now. something else about chinese shopping that provides me with a conundrum is the over-embellishment on garments and shoes. they love their embroidery, sequins, diamantes, sparkles, glitter, trimmings, lace, graffiti, studs and chains, adorning almost anything and everything. ok. so maybe i exaggerate a tad. i think it just seems a bit too much for me, the girl that loves her simple, basic t-shirts. i feel like such a fussy shopper when i say i don't like every second garment i see here. the truth is that i'm used to a certain taste in clothes. i'm not quite ready for a pair of jeans with an embroidered cartoon flamingo on the rear pocket, surrounded by glittering shooting stars and with the sentence "cool fashion flamingo style star" emblazoned down the outside leg. that said, for every 100 items, there's always a pearler somewhere in the mix. you've just gotta be patient in scouting out the gems.

speaking of gems, we discovered one in the realm of fast food that day. we discovered dico's. kind of like a version of kfc, with a few meat burgers and a couple of token touches of asian influence (like miso soup). this fast food joint (where the food isn't actually served fast at all) is a quality example of westernisation of chinese tastes. images printed onto the walls feature all-american families with angelic blonde little girls tucking into dico's golden french fries or a non-greasy (lie) battered drumstick. naturally, these pictures are superimposed onto images of stars and stripes. even better, look towards the tv screens and you will see a reel of dico's propaganda showing ads galore, promoting and flattering the very food the diners are eating, interspersed between chunks of old school tom and jerry episodes. crazy stuff. it's quite a hypnotising thing they've got going there. now the food, is super-greasy, super-yummy and super-addictive. when we need a western food fix (which is quite often as i'm getting sick of the eating the same old vegetarian dishes week after week) and are on the north side, we high-tail it to dico's and order a zinger burger clone or a delectable deep fried prawn fritter sandwich (tastes immensley better than it sounds).

on a less-appetizing note, andy spotted a girl in our travels that day pulled down her pants, squatted and peed in the middle of a wide and busy shopping mall street. he was not impressed with the moon, nor the sight of pee not flowing in a unified stream. as shocking as it was, i'm sure we ain't seen nothing yet.