Some Wedding Traditions

Chinese weddings can be a lot of fun. And some of the traditions seem unbelievably strange to foreigners. And others just should be avoided. (I was fortunate enough to only endure the fun traditions.)

According to a recent online post (in Chinese), a bride went a little too far.

Part of the wedding tradition is that family and friends of the bride are supposed to make it difficult for the groom to pick up the bride and take her to the reception--I've heard of playful beatings, bringing gifts for relatives, hiding the bride's shoes, and other shenanigans. This particular wedding was held up by the bride who would not allow the groom to enter her home until he purchased a new flat-screen TV for their home, which he apparently promised to buy beforehand.

After being held out of the home to take his bride to the wedding, the groom gave up. Not only did he call off the wedding, he went out and found another girl he went to school with and proposed to her. And she accepted.

I guess some people can only push the wedding traditions so far before it all goes horribly wrong. At least the groom found someone new quickly.

No Holiday for You!

It sounded like an article from The Onion, but its writers would've added some amusing fake quotes. China Daily reported that some universities are postponing the October national holiday because of fears of H1N1 on campus. The universities, which were not named, will supposedly extend the already long Spring Festival holiday.

The logic behind this decision stems from students already contracting H1N1, and fears that if they go away for the week-long holiday more students will be infected. But, wouldn't more students become infected if they stay on campus? Wouldn't the universities be better off if they sent all the students home for a week and disinfected the dorms and classrooms?

I also wonder how many students already bought their train and bus tickets home only to have the university tell them that they can't go.

National Day Approaches

I was reminded by friends in China that the national holiday is approaching (most people get a week off). During my first national holiday, which happened to be during my second year because I arrived in China just after the holiday in 2005, Jia and I traveled to Zhaoqing--a three-hour bus ride from Shenzhen that felt a lot longer because the bus was in poor shape, there was a lot of traffic, and there was no toilet on the bus (something I expected because there's one on the shorter trip to Guangzhou, which meant I drank too much coffee prior to boarding the bus).

Other than the bus, Zhaoqing was an enjoyable trip. A large part of our time was spent at Dinghu Park, which was much less crowded than other tourist sites during the holidays. While not the most picturesque park in China, it is still quite beautiful (especially when there are fewer people). Unfortunately, it was also extremely hot and humid--it would be better to visit around December.

If Palin Speaks...

...in Hong Kong and reporters are supposedly barred from the event, does anyone hear it? Apparently, people do hear it. Worse, the quotes might not be accurate because there's no transcript and no reporters were present. And poor Sarah still sounds naive and incompetent on an international stage.

I'm still wondering why she was chosen to speak at an international investors conference in Hong Kong. Does she have any real knowledge of investing or Asia?

There are quite a few stories online about her speech:

From Time: She "expressed a conviction that the U.S. could help steer Beijing toward democracy." And, "according to many delegates, Palin's home state of Alaska dominated the talk." The last paragraph of the article makes a point of how little the Hong Kong press cares about Palin.

Some excerpts from her speech can be found on the Wall Street Journal blog (mentions of China are toward the bottom).

Of course, as of today, there is no mention of this speech in China Daily. I think we should adopt a similar approach to Palin--just ignore her.

Autumn Welcome

It's officially autumn. Jia reminded me that the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching and we should do something (my parents think we should go to Chinatown for a festival dinner). We mentioned this at dinner the other night and my brother mentioned he's never eaten a moon rock cake. The next day, Jia and I headed over to the Asian market for some supplies and found a large selection of moon cakes. I decided to be generous and buy a small box for the family.

I haven't kept it a secret that I don't like moon cakes--I think they're too sweet and feel like a brick in my stomach, but I'm willing to eat one every year. This box that we found was made in the US (I can't believe anything is made in the US anymore) and had three varieties: lotus, red bean, and date. Jia says that these moon cakes taste better than the ones we had in Shenzhen, and I have to agree (they don't feel like a brick in my stomach). I definitely think these are better because they're about half the size of the ones we usually got in China.

We still have a few left from the dinner and plan on saving them for the actually Mid-Autumn Festival.

Statistics

I was perusing Shenzhen Daily and came across a harsh reminder of the worst statistics of China--and it doesn't involve the environment. A sophomore at Shenzhen University committed suicide. Worse than just that single university student is the mention that two younger students committed suicide in Shenzhen in the past week--they were only 12 and 14 years old.

This subject has been discussed by colleagues and expats on forums for the last few years (that I've paid attention to). I've heard many stories of teachers who have taught students who committed suicide. I've been fortunate enough that all of my students were accounted for throughout the time I taught.

The statistics aren't good for China. According to the WHO the suicide rate in 2003 was 13 per 100,000 for men and 14.8 per 100,000 for women. This does not include Hong Kong, which also has a high suicide rate. Only Lithuania and Sri Lanka had a higher rate for women. An article on Asiaone from year ago claims that China has between 250,000 and 300,000 suicides per year.

I've heard a lot of talk about improving mental health services around the country, but I haven't seen any evidence. I hope stories like this force the government to put money into mental health services for everyone in China.

Southern Tastes

Last weekend was Jia's birthday--her first since moving to the US. Planning her birthday dinner was more difficult than I thought it would be as we're not familiar with the better restaurants in the area yet. I did manage to find online listings that were helpful. After some browsing, I decided we should check out Cucharamama in Hoboken.

This South American restaurant is off the main street through Hoboken, which makes it a bit quieter, but not necessarily less crowded. When we sat down around 6:30 there were only a few other patrons--it was nearly full when we left. The warm decor is inviting and adds to the soothing atmosphere. I was slightly worried after reading a few reviews that said the service was poor, but we found no evidence of this during our dining experience--the waitstaff was friendly and quick.

Rather than choose the main courses for each of us, we chose only two and ordered a variety of tapas to share. We ordered choritos (mussels) en salsa cuzquena, Argentinian chorizo, empanadas with onion and blue cheese, Chilean beef and chicken potpie, Bolivian-style braised beef, and Colombian rice with cheese. Everything was wonderful--and there was plenty more on the menu that we could've ordered.

The flavors of some of the dishes were difficult to describe as I've never had anything quite like it--the combinations didn't sound appealing, but worked beautifully together on the spoon. The raisins added a great sweet quality to the potpie. My least favorite of the dishes was the choritos, which had a great sauce (I'm just not that big a fan of mussels).

Cucharamama also has an interesting drink menu with South American liqueurs. I went with an Argentinian beer that didn't taste much different than Tsingtao. If I enjoyed mixed drinks more, I would've ordered something else.

Pagodas on a Lake

There were quite a few beautiful sights around Guilin and Yangshuo, most of which are natural. One of the few non-nature sights we were shown by our Red Army guide was the pagodas at Banyan Lake. Unfortunately, we did not have a chance to go into the pagodas--we had to settle for taking photos from a single location across the lake.

The only more impressive pagoda I've seen in China was the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, which was not as ornate as these in Guilin. I just realized I haven't posted any photos of the pagoda in Xi'an, so I will be sure to post a story or two soon. Until then, enjoy the pagodas at Banyan Lake in Guilin.

Moved in

Jia and I are fully moved into our new home. We even have a comfortable bed for the first time in four years.

As a follow up to the previous post about PSE&G, one of their employees did come to the apartment last Thursday. He didn't need to show up because the electricity and gas were on--the property management company even told us that PSE&G didn't know what they were talking about because they had been paying the bills while the apartment was empty. I didn't call to cancel the appointment because I didn't feel like waiting on hold for another hour. When the PSE&G employee showed up I told him what happened, and he wasn't at all surprised. He checked the meters anyway.

Somehow Comcast has improved its customer service--any problems I've had since getting set up were answered quickly. The only major problem is that they decided to change their sports package, which meant we couldn't watch the first Penn State game of the season at my brother's house--instead we had to go to the bar.

The New Leader

...in awful customer service is not a bank in China. Anyone who has dealt with anything more than a simple deposit or withdrawal at a bank in China knows that customer service is not even a thought. And yet, today I found something worse.

We need to have electricity and gas in our new apartment, which means we have to call PSE&G to open a new account and get everything turned on (though the lights are on in the apartment right now because they never turned them off). I've tried getting through to PSE&G, but it's not that easy to stay on the phone for 40 minutes while they tell you that they'll get to your call when they can.

While we would like to live in our new apartment tomorrow, I was told that they can't come to turn on the electricity or gas until next Thursday between 8am and 4pm. Even Comcast (also known as one of the worst companies for customer service in America) provides a smaller window for their service. Honestly, how difficult is it to turn on these services? I know it's not rocket science. Maybe PSE&G could take the money that everyone in the area HAS to pay them and hire some more staff to actually do some work.

To put this in perspective, when I lived in Colorado I had to go through Xcel Energy. The property management company told me to call and transfer all the bills to my name. I called, waited a short amount of time and set everything up in a few minutes. No one ever had to come to my apartment and I never had any disruption of service.

So, it appears that we can move our stuff into the apartment tomorrow; we just can't live there until sometime next week.

Moving On...

Jia and I are moving closer to New York City. This means we have to pack up our stuff. You never know how much stuff you have until you have to move. It's not that we have a lot of stuff, just a lot of little things that need to go in boxes or bags.

Someday I'll fix this problem by either buying a teleportation device or dumping all of my stuff in the middle of a field and building a house around it.

Anyway, I may not post much for next week as we get everything together (who knows when I'll have a home internet connection).

Moon Upon the Hill

One of the greatest sights in Yangshuo is Moon Hill. Unfortunately, the weather prevented us from going hiking and getting a closer look at this magnificent natural formation. Supposedly there aren't any times of year that the weather is fully cooperative for seeing such sights in Guangxi province--everyone I've met who has been there complained about the rain.

Improbable Tour (part II)

During our Red Army tour of Guilin, we were taken to Yangshuo via a five-hour cruise (our guide drove 45 minutes to meet us at the dock) that would have been much more enjoyable had the weather been more cooperative. (My post about the cruise.)

We were given the option of heading back to Guilin that night or spending the night in Yangshuo--not wanting to head back to our hotel in middle of nowhere in Guilin, we opted for the hotel overlooking the Li River in Yangshuo. (Technically, my room had no windows while Jia's room was twice the size with a balcony overlooking the river, which was very pleasant the next morning.)

After our cruise, our PLA guide drove us around the countryside for some sightseeing. As any traveler who has spent some time in Yangshuo will tell you, the countryside is not what it seems. Even the quaintest of villages in the area are prepared for tourists--they'll have souvenirs and food ready. Still, it's beautiful to see the mountains that jut out--it's typical of many Chinese paintings, including the hand-ink painting I bought at Chen's College in Guangzhou.

For dinner, our guide had a small surprise lined up for us--he found a local guide who spoke English. And they took us to a restaurant in Chinatown. Three years later and I'm still confused how there can be a Chinatown in a town in China, but that was what our English-speaking guide told us.

Part of why we wanted to spend the night in Yangshuo was to experience the nightlife. Also, by staying there our guide was without a superior officer present and, therefore, could drink with us. He spent the first few days of our tour talking about all the things former president Bill Clinton saw on his tour through the region, and he was eager to show this foreigner how much fun Guilin and Yanshuo could be.

The following day we were supposed to have a bike tour through the town with our English-speaking guide, but the rain make that idea a little less desirable. Instead we walked the streets with umbrellas in hand (I'm still thankful I brought my water-proof Campmor coat that was purchased for my stay in London years before). I enjoyed walking the narrow streets where very few cars were allowed--it was quite a contrast to the chaotic streets of Shenzhen. Every storefront was welcoming, though overly touristy. Still, I enjoyed some of the cheesy souvenirs being peddled in Yangshuo--this was my first big trip out of Shenzhen afterall.

This young man was making a ginger candy that you can only buy in Yangshuo (supposedly)--it was quite tasty.

American Lifestyle

...with Chinese characteristics.

Jia has grown accustomed to the American way of life. She still has trouble with driving, but she's learning. Recently she discovered the wonder that is the garage sale. She has become so enthusiastic about this part of America that she even checks out Craigslist for a list of places to go.

As we are collecting stuff for our new apartment, we're trying to find anything decent at the garage sales around town. Yesterday we got lucky with a microwave and new toaster oven for $5. This gets added to the 100-year-old dresser we found getting thrown out (it's heavy and only needed one drawer fixed) and numerous picture frames (because Jia loves hanging up photos). She is fascinated by what Americans get rid of--especially when they're selling new items.

Most Scenic...

I heard plenty of Chinese talk about Guilin as the most scenic destination in China. I have agree that it is quite scenic, but I did see much more appealing scenery in northern Sichuan and Xinjiang (I enjoy snowcapped mountains).

Here is one view of Guilin. Note: there was a constant light rain, that haze wasn't pollution-induced.

The mountains of Guangxi province are probably the most recognizable sights of China--they've been painted uncountable times throughout the centuries. Before visiting Guilin and Yangshuo, I had never seen mountains like these--I found them fascinating. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate and we were limited in our hiking efforts to the main tourist attractions that had stairs and railings.

Improbable Tour (part I)

My first big holiday journey in China was Spring Festival (Year of the Dog) 2006. Jia and I had been dating for almost two months, but weren't telling anyone about our relationship. She contacted some relatives who hooked us up with a People's Liberation Army tour of Guilin and Yangshuo. By the end of our stay, word had gotten back to Jia's mother that we were dating (but that's not the fun part of the story).

We landed late in Guilin and were greeted by an official in a suit and PLA soldier who would be our driver and guide. I hadn't been informed that I would meet anyone from the Chinese military, and they weren't informed that Jia would be traveling with a waiguoren. It certainly made for a nice surprise upon our arrival.

We were taken to a greasy spoon with only three walls to sample the Guilin's specialty noodles. I was exhausted and didn't care what we ate--no food would have been memorable at that time. I was much more excited about seeing our hotel rooms. I was certainly a little disappointed to see that my room was simple, yet clean while Jia was given a suite. The next day I realized how far out of the way our accomodations were--there was nothing nearby except for a very dirty Internet bar which we used a few times (it was a dark, smoke-filled concrete room with old computers that hadn't been cleaned in years). Every day we had private meals at the hotel--just Jia, myself, and our PLA guide.

On our last night we met the official who organized our tour of the area. He asked what I'd like to drink, and, being the naive foreigner at the time, I said I'd drink whatever he'd like. He got a bottle of some local baijiu (although it was not clear, but rather a slightly yellow hue) that tasted a bit like a smooth scotch. This was the only time in nearly four years that I can say I enjoyed drinking baijiu. Throughout the meal, we drank casually and my host and others toasted me. I remember dinner being very good, but not much afterwards. Jia says I was speaking Chinese the whole way back to the hotel.

The next day was painful. Even though it tasted better than other baijiu, it still produced that horrible day after result. To complicate matters, we were treated to dinner before our flight to Shanghai, at which time the official brought out a bottle of Moutai baijiu--which I still consider the worst tasting baijiu I have ever had despite it's great reputation in China.

American Grads in China

The New York Times ran an article about recent graduates looking to China for careers because they can't find anything at home. Since I have repatriated, I know how difficult the job search can be--I've had to look for freelance writing and editing gigs more than I ever intended because there aren't many full-time jobs around, and there is a lot of competition for those jobs.

The article can be misleading--it claims that many recent graduates are finding high-level positions at international companies. The fact is, the companies are hiring recent grads while repatriating the older employees so that they can cut costs. The reason that these jobs exist is because there aren't enough local Chinese qualified in these fields. But, there are plenty of Chinese studying these fields, and they will work for far less money than a recent American grad. As more educated Chinese break into the market, there will be fewer jobs for those expats.

The standard of living is mentioned in The New York Times as a driving factor for the migration, but it doesn't mention what the living situation is for these expats. Many new expats in such positions see the standard of living and become obsessed with the fact that they can afford anything and everything in China. This is an attitude that can be detrimental to expats living on much lower salaries (i.e. EFL teachers). I saw the way some expats lived in Shenzhen, and it was uncomfortable to me--it was as if they weren't living in China at all. These tend to be the people who don't learn much Chinese and don't bargain at markets, thus making things more difficult for those who don't live the same lifestyle.

Greener Pastures

I really do wish I was moving to greener pastures...

I finally got around to hooking up and using my old scanner. While I had it out, I decided I should scan some writing samples. Most importantly, I had to scan my short hotel reviews from Guangzhou. A few years ago I was commissioned to write about the three best hotels in Guangzhou (China Hotel, Garden Hotel, and the White Swan) for Insight Guides' Asia's Best Hotels & Resorts.

My copy of the book was sent to my parents' house while I was still living in China, so I never really had the opportunity to look through it until now. I'm amazed by some of the hotels listed in this book--I doubt I would be able to afford to stay in most of them (I'd rather not spend $400+ a night on room). But reading some of the information about the destinations reminds me of what I'm missing by no longer living in China--the ease of international travel. Now that I'm home, I have to make a lot more money in order to save enough to take a decent vacation.

Reading about these opulent hotels has at least provided me with a little more motivation to get writing in the hopes of making enough money to stay just one night in any of them. (Actually, I did get to stay at one of the hotels listed for Hong Kong because I stayed in my uncle's room.)

Heroes' Welcome

Euna Lee and Laura Ling returned to the US today after being detained in North Korea for the past several months. The news coverage of this story is astounding. I listened to them speaking at a news conference this morning along with former Vice President Al Gore. It sounded like these two journalists were being treated as heroes for enduring their imprisionment.

Why is America so concerned about these two journalists? Sure, they were convicted of trumped-up charges of espionage, which was ridiculous. But, they did enter North Korean territory without a visa. Entering a country illegally is always a criminal offense. Some countries just handle the legal proceedings in a different manner. The logical reaction from the North Koreans should have been to confiscate their cameras and notes and have them fined and deported. But, that's not the way that country operates.

Now, Euna Lee and Laura Ling will probably get a book deal and go on the talk show circuit. All this for knowingly crossing an international border illegally. Granted, some of the blame for their actions fall on Al Gore's news channel--and he should take some personal responsibility, but he probably won't. I won't deny that they endured hardships in a North Korean prison, but they don't deserve any sympathy.

Journalists also have to follow international laws. Journalistic integrity does not give anyone the right to flout the law.

More Scam Jobs

I got an email today from what appeared to be a recruiter via Monster.com. Only problem is that Monster always says that it's sent through their system--this email did not. But the subject line said, "Respectful company seeks new staff."

I began reading the recruiter's sales pitch--I could work at home for a few hours a day and make $2000 a month. The title of the job sounded promising: Money Manager Assistant. So, what would I need to do for a few hours a day to obtain such a pipe dream?

It seems I would have to process money. "You will receive payments (Direct Bank Deposits and wire transfers) from client within United States and send it by instant payment sistem such as Western Union."

So, this "job" would require me to provide my bank information so that I could receive "money" from "clients," and I would then send this "money" to someone else via Western Union. (I also like the misspelling of system.) Odd how this "job" sounds like money laundering. But it can't be illegal because they also say, "We do not ask any personal information and we run business according to laws of the United States of America."

Of course the company email addresses are on different servers. The one I got was through live.com and the one I'm supposed to respond to is on gmail.