Scary Drivers and Mexican Food!!

Drivers in Changsha are crazy.  They really are!  Friday, I watched as my dear friend and boss was nearly run over by a bicycle and then a bus.  We were running for the bus, and a bicyclist came out of no where and smashed into Teresa, she went flying and rolled a bit.  She tucked her feet up and nearly avoided being hit by the bus.  We were both shocked and she was quite hurt by the bike, which was ridden by a teenager.  She proceeded to ream him, quite appropriately.  He was like "i have to go to school."  She replied "You almost killed someone!"

Needless to say this put a bit of a damper on the afternoon, especially since she couldn't laugh due to the bruise that was forming.  But then my friend Garrick got into town.  He came up and smiled and said. "There was an accident in the parking lot"  I shrugged. "Oh ok."  "Someone drove into the plants"  "Oh really... China...  Oh Teresa almost died..."  Then I launched into the above story.  We decided to take a walk in the park due to the lovely lovely spring weather.  We walked out side and this is what I saw.

I was shocked! Needless to say.  And Garrick was like, "i was wondering why you weren't more shocked!  With that we went on to have a fantastic walk, followed by an evening of Mojitos and Mexican food.

Other Waiguoren

The first few months here, I was always excited to see other foreigners.  But now when I see them, there is a moment of "What are you doing here... here in my part of China?"  I am not sure when this shift happened.  I think it happened when I started to see tons of foreigners, and not just regular foreigners.  The foreigners who have Chinese girlfriends they treat like crap, the ones who clearly couldn't get a girlfriend in the states.  This is not to say that all foreigners in China are like that.  My fellow volunteers clearly don't fit into this group!  All my foreign friends do not fit into this group.

But as I may or may not have mentioned, I have become friends with the International Department teachers and students.  I was thrilled when I was invited to go to dinner in the country for a student's birthday party.  The whole department, teachers and students, went to this student's family's villa.  It was amazing!  Huge!  All the houses in that area screamed money, and were based off western designs.  Terrible for the rain though, slippery ass stairs on a rainy day.  They had tons of Shaokao (BBQ) for us to BBQ.  The students went crazy and cooking my own food quickly became impossible.  But if I hung around the students who were having more fun cooking than eating would give me food.  The parents immediately supplied the two foreign teachers, Nick and Lawrence, and me with cognac.  Very pleasant cognac.  The students went crazy 'toasting' Lawrence with Budwisers (expensive imported beer) that has materialized.  Lawrence was mostly saying no, but drinking a bit.
*Sidebar about drinking in China.  It is not really socially acceptable to just drink, people toast each other or play games*
Soon enough though both teachers were smashed, embarrassingly smashed.  I was mortified listening to them howl the Beatles and putting their arms around everyone.  Everyone else was just calmly watching and chuckling shaking their heads.  How do you not feel like Chinese people judge you based on the few drunken foreigners?

Liao and a student!

The evening was fun, the ride home with Liao was interesting.  He was quite drunk, sitting in the back seat with me.  Trying to get me to come work for his department next year.  Nice guy, I don't think I could cut it!  Too much work.  As he himself said "Right now you are free."

Sea Moon Water Palace

Women's day is celebrated all over the world, and in China.  The day is celebrated by giving some women a half day of work, and people buy flowers and presents for the women in their lives!  I am all for celebrating mothers, but how about those of us who don't have children or don't want them!  So my primary school invited me to a "Water Palace."  I said "Of course!"  Lucy was excited, and her excitement was infectious.  The next day I met her and we walked to the "Sea Moon Water Palace."  It was a fancy spa, after 3 attempts I finally got some sandals that fit.  Then we walked into ladies room, a big sign that said "Males Stop" in English was proudly displayed.  We went to our lockers and changed out of our clothes.  It wouldn't have been so awkward if the other teachers were trying to hide their bodies.  I shrugged and went with it.  There were showers, two giant baths with TVs playing soap operas.  One had water massage in it, beds with jets that you could turn on.  Then there was a sauna and a steam room.  Both with windows so you could watch TV!

"Do you want to have a hot towel massage?"  Asked Lucy with a smile, I looked confused so she immediately said the Chinese phrase of "You can have a try." This is what my dear friend Lucy says to me every time I look apprehensive about something.  So I get led to a massage table, the lady puts down saran wrap and tosses water over the table.  Then gestures for me to shed my towel and lay down.  I do so and she tosses water over me, opens a towel from a bag.  And starts to scrub the shit out of me, then I realize she is ripping all of my skin off.  With a hard scrubby towel!!  It hurt, and made me giggle, then made me really uncomfortable as I saw the rolls of dead skin accumulating on my arms and legs.  Then I got to flip over, and man, she did everything.  I felt like she had just rubbed off all my skin.  Which of course she had.  Then a shower and then into some pajamas.  XXL (and they were still a little small)  It was too early for dinner, so we went up to the 3rd floor.

The 3rd floor had low lighting and rows and rows of comfy chairs.  There were personal TVs for each individual chair. But Lucy and I chose to chat and eat watermelon.  Our conversation flew over all the place, talking about mothers and daughters.  And my teaching and my plans for the future.  Then to a buffet it was terrible... then home.  I was finally warm.

Cross Cultural Exchange

Little did I know how much I would enjoy today!  Today has been a very eye opening experience.  I went along with about 10 high school students from New York.  As they came into a class in Yi Zhong for a good cross cultural exchange.  Be prepared, parts of this had me hiding my face trying to avoid the train wreck.  Other parts were priceless.  But one thing is it put into sharp relief how immature Chinese students are by American standards.  Standing in front of these students the American students looked so mature, but they were all about a year younger than the Chinese Students.

The first minutes when the students walked up, I heard very clearly "black people" and the class erupted into laughter.  I wanted to hit my head against a wall.  But a moment to discuss Chinese people's perceptions of black people.  They are extremely racist, but not from a stand point of hate.  Their entire understanding of Western culture comes from movies and tv shows.  Then think about how they are portrayed, and how few black foreigners come to China.  The more that come, the less racist future generations will be.

But anyways, so the Americans were nervous and mumbling.  Which made it difficult for the students to understand.  They asked each other questions, some were interesting.  Some were awkward "Are you a boy or a girl?" was pretty awkward.  The Chinese students went crazy when someone asked "are you allowed to date?"  And two of the American students cozy-ed up to each other and said yes.  It was chaos.  It was hilarious.  There was also an awkward moment where a student was asking about basketball, directing it at the black student.  But overall a good exchange.

Laos Encounters

I want to back track and talk about an interesting person I met.  I was walking around the COPE center and learning about UXO's(Un-Exploded Ordinances) and what it is that COPE does.  If you don't know you should look it up.  It is a center that gives prosthetic legs and arms to victims of UXO's.  While I was walking around I couldn't help but hear the beach boys being played from a computer.  A western man was introducing a young Lao man to the Beach Boys.  It was my song "California Girls."  So I clearly had to go over and say hello.  As I walked up I became aware that the Lao man did not have hands, and was blind.  I introduced myself and hung out while they played music.  Then I wandered off to give them time alone.  Then I went back and talked to this man.

His name was Peter Kim, he is my brother's age.  I felt like I had been kicked in the chest when I thought of that.  What if something like this happened to my brother?  What if I lived in a country where my brother wasn't safe walking around, what if he could come across unexploded bombs?  How would that change how I live my life?  Peter seemed pretty optimistic about his life.  He was a break dancer.  He showed me a clip, and then teased me that I didn't believe him.  Which I totally did.  Now as I sit here remembering him, I am sad that I copied his e-mail down incorrectly.  I wish I could wish him happy birthday.  If by some reason he managed to find this, Happy Late Birthday man!  You changed my life!

Scary times in Changsha

I have learned a valuable less, that I never want to forget.  Chinese people are not all smiles, they never let their aggression out.  So when they get drunk sometimes they are mean.  And over the top.

Teresa and I had gone over to Jerreau's house.  We were sitting and there was a knock on the door.  We were expecting more people.  So he opened the door and saw 3 random Chinese people.  He was afraid they might try something, he didn't know them so he shut the door.  Jerreau has two doors, an outer "Steel" door that has bars and a lighter inner door.  So he opened the inner door and shut it.  The men started yelling and beating against the door.  They were kicking the steel door.  We were panicking and Teresa called the police, as Jerreau called his liaison to call the front desk.  The men broke the lock off the steel door and bent 3 of the bars.  Then they wandered off.

Michaela knocked on the door shortly there after, after securing who it was we ushered her in.  She said she saw three drunk chinese guys.  Then the police came and did a report, and said they would block the doors downstairs so the guys couldn't leave.  It was an unsettling evening.  We will see what happens.  Jerreau gets a new steel door tomorrow, hopefully one that is more solid!

Laos: All in Due Time

Fishing the Mekong (Vientiane, Laos) (mine Copyright me)

Things in Laos move at their own pace.  You can't rush them, there is no reason to get frustrated.  Life just is.  Take it or leave it.  Laos hasn't been corrupted by over-tourism.  But it is well on it's way.  There are many beautiful stops, I was only able to stop at two of them.  Vientiane, the capital, and Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Both I highly recommend.  Laos is the perfect place to relax.  Assuming you miss Vang Vieng.

I took the overnight train from Bangkok to Nong Kai.  That was fairly pleasant, there was a bed.  It never really got dark, which was ok because my tummy was unhappy with me!  We arrived in the morning.  I hopped on a tuk tuk with two travelers.  60 baht total to the friendship bridge.  He tried to drop us off at a place that did Visa's.  I said. "No thank you, we want to go to the bridge."  And he took us there, a bit grudgingly.  20 baht later I was across the Mekong and at the border. $36 dollars later and a swanky pink visa was stamped in my passport.  I went through with two teacher who lived in Vientiane.  They negotiated our price, we took a Song-Theay (sp?). 

Which is basically a truck with a covered back that is high enough to allow people to sit.  They put two benches in and call it public transport.  Then I was in Vientiane, being harrased by tuk-tuk drivers.  I followed the directions given to me.  Paused to take a picture of something and was yelled at by someone in uniform.  (Turns out the US embassy was right there, oops).  I kept walking, stopped for breakfast.  Fruit smoothie, baguette with butter and jam, hot tea.  I was so happy and surprised how well the woman spoke English.  I then walked around looking for a hostel or guest house.  I was told 200,000 kip at one place (Which is $25).  I kept walking and headed to a place recommend in the lonely planet.  Their prices were off, their book is 2 years old and was pretty much off.  50,000 kipp (about $6) for a dorm room.  The priciest I have paid yet, but the beds were warm, clean, and had a top and bottom sheet!  I could see 3 temples from the window.  I was down the block from the park pictured above.  The park was right on the Mekong.  Watching sunset there was so peaceful.  Watching the locals walk around, do aerobics in the park, children playing and riding bicycles.  Everything is so relaxed.  There was a night market but I avoided it.  The "Lady, you buy" of the Cambodians still ringing in my ears.  But later when I shopped, I found the Lao people to be much more willing to let you browse at your leisure.  I walked around, went swimming and read the first day.  I visited the "arc of triumph" for Vientiane, the famous Wat.  Although in the beginning of my trip I eagerly sought out wats, I now found that I was tired of them.  They all look the same after a while.  Then back to the hostel, where I played cards with 4 Australians.  I taught them hearts, they taught me drinking games.  We played with many people, and they went off to continue drinking and causing problems.  The law against gathering past 11:30pm definitely made the hostel quiet.  Later that 2nd night, as I packed to head to Vang Vieng.  I met my roommates and we talked.  Then, I broke out in a fever.  I shivered all night, canceled my bus the next day.  The guest house was trying to get me to change it so I wouldn't lose the money.  Something about my feverish look must have convinced them to drop it.  There is something about a fever in a tropical area that makes me really, really nervous!  After feeling sorry for myself I went to the doctor, and was seen quickly.  The English was amazing.  Better than in Changsha.  (I did go to the international clinic to be fair.)  They weren't concerned it was Dengue or Malaria.  It was just food poisoning.  Probably from the street bought Lap I ate.  Lap being a meat salad with spices, mint and cilantro (delicious although I will never be able to eat it again).  So I stayed two extra days and relaxed.  Vientiane is perfect for relaxing!  So a few days later I flew to Luang Prabang.  Skipping over Vang Vieng.

Vang Vieng's claim to fame is being a place to party, get drunk, do drugs and tube.  Tubing is where you rent a tube, get some alcohol and float down the river.  Many people die there from mixing alcohol and tubing or from trying the dangerous rope swings and jumps.  A man had died only 2 days prior to my canceling of my trip.  Tales of the buses whipping around on these bumpy jungle roads.  The man who said his mini-bus hit a scooter cemented in my mind that maybe I didn't want to bus it.  Also when you travel in Laos 6 hours could mean 12.  Plan accordingly!!  But my flight from Vientiane to Luang Prabang was cushy.  I was sweating when I saw the puddle jumper with propellers.  But that left to some place I have never heard of and a sweet giant Air bus pulled up.  The flight was 20 minutes.  But they gave us chips, water and I had more leg room than first class on Air Asia!

Luang Prabang was beautiful!  The whole town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It is tourist heavy.  ATMs, Guest Houses and Travel Agents are everywhere.  The beautiful palace turned into the National Museum was wonderful.  It was simple for a king, the size of a large house.  But the throne room was decked out with red walls, with mirror mosaic designs.  I was unable to take photos inside the museum but it was beautiful.

A temple in Luang Prabang (similar to the Throne room)

I stayed at the SpicyLao the first night, and left the next day.  Paying 60,000 at a guest house for my own room and the quiet that comes with it.  It was fantastic.  My favorite part was the waterfall I visited.  It was a pleasant climb and a pleasant swim.  I will return there some day to eat my weight in French Pastries!  But one morning I woke up and there was no power for the entire city.  Did this slow down the city.  Nope.. they kept moving along in easy Lao time.