People in China

Today I decided to go exploring on my electric bike. I had a great time, with wind blowing past my cheeks, listening to Katy Perry as I drove past fruit stands and workers digging ditches. Then I met up with Sierra and had a delicious bowl of fried rice with veggies.




I was on my way home, taking a route that I knew for certain would get me to my destination. This may or may not involve me pushing my rather large heavy bike and squeezing my toosh that is the size of Texas (or so my family tells me) past a barricade. I was not being discreet, in fact I was making quite a scene, what with me pressing my horn on accident and frequently dropping the bike on my ankle, which led to me muttering some choice words under my breath that my momma best not catch me saying ever. I am in my own world, and then suddenly I hear someone talking behind me. I jump up in surprise and half expect to see a cop (you really dont see them do much here, but hey,  I was about to go through a street I shouldnt due to construction).



I look over my shoulder, and there is this Chinese lady trying to help me fit through the small space. She has to be in her 50's, and she looked at me with a very concerned look on her face. She was talking, and I told her I dont speak Chinese. She kept jabbering away as she pushed my bike. I said the one Chinese phrase that I know, the one I say daily-"xie xie". It feels insufficient for what she did
for me, so I look to see if she needs help getting her bike through. Its a cycling bike that she picks up easily. I say my thanks one  more time, and we ride our seperate ways.




My experience with her was maybe 2 min, but it is something I have been thinking about all day. She was an absolute stranger, and she just had a smile on her face the whole time she was helping me. She reminded me of the taxi driver who tried to console me when I was miserably lost, the man who let me get on the bus before him (a big deal in China), or even when my students see I need help to open up my USB drive before class.




Moving to a foreign country is definitely not for the faint hearted- I admire those in my group who are here with me now. They seemed to handle it all so well from the beginning, and I feel like I am just now starting to catch my breath. But I have had so many experiences comparable to the one today that I can't help but fall in love with China. There's a million reasons why, but it all revolves around the people.


This is a really long story for me to say that right now I really love my life.


MOMENTS OF AWESOMENESS:
-Random Chinese dude on the bus last night told me I was gorgeous and added me on QQ
-As I walked through Sierra's school, a student stopped me and told me IN ENGLISH that he really liked my hat (the boy hat that I possibly wear everyday because it is so warm). Absolutely made my day
-Going to church!
-Meeting the Ferney's, playing Ticket to Ride (even though I lost...), eating American food, and feeling loved by so many people at once
-Delicious street food! (the real kind of delicious, not like when Chinese people are trying to talk you into eating fish eye" "Its very delicious! Maybe you try it now?" (no I will not thank you very much)
-KTV with my "teacher friends"
-Making new Chinese friends (Sheldon and Raymond who know Neo!)
-Skyping Ty and hearing all about the happenings of Rexburg
-Brother Meik is helping me get a longboard! *insert happy dance here
-One of my student's names is Lucifer. This adorable, tiny Chinese girl chose the devil as her English name. The only one I have heard that is better is a friend who has a student called Tequila.




**Shout out to my Momma- Happy Birthday! I am sorry I cant call you but when I get back to the States we will go to Seattle for a weekend to celebrate :)

"I'm alive! And I dont need a witness... To know that I survived"

Listening to: The Resolution by: Jack's Mannequin


The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience.  The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him.  He goes "sight-seeing."  ~Daniel J. Boorstin




Well I survived my first week of teaching! I am excited for the upcoming weeks. My teaching load is incredibly light, I teach 2 (40 min) classes a day, no teaching Saturday-Monday. This gives me plenty of time to explore the city, if it only wasn't so cold outside! But anyways, I teach whatever I want which is a hard concept for me to grasp because of the common core in America. So if anyone has any ideas let me know!


Taking a shower in China is quite the experience. I took off my ( 4 pairs) of socks and decided to just go for it. Baaaaaad choice. I thought since it was warm last time I took a shower that I would be okay. No such luck. I think I was the last person to take a shower that morning, and allllll the warm water was gone. But I already had the shampoo in my hand, so I felt committed. So I stood on the very edge of the shower to wash my hair as my head felt like it was dunked in an ice bucket. And that one spot on my back gets rained on because of course, my shower head has a leak. But wait- it gets better. I am walking around in my flip flops (call me a germaphobe, whatever- I am not walking barefoot in that bathroom) to get to my clothes and I almost lose my footing. In nothing but my towel. My heart was racing because my floor is verrrrry cold with no padding, so it would not have been a pleasant way to start my morning.  Learning my lesson I have since decided: take showers at night. ONLY at night. Never take showers in the morning. Ever. And I have my clothes piled up outside of my bathroom door so that I don't have to walk far before I am clothed again.


I am feeling much more optimistic about life then I was over the weekend. Over the weekend: I had no idea where to get boiling( clean) water, I couldn't get my bike to turn on, and was feeling very anxious about not having PowerPoint on my computer. I was having issues downloading it, and had no idea how I was going to teach, I like to use visuals. Well, all of my problems have been taken care of thankfully.


The best part of my class this morning was their reaction to seeing the picture of my family. It took a while to get the concept of siblings across, but when I told them there was six of us, they all said "WHOAH" really loud and dramatic, like only middle schoolers can. But that was just the beginning. Then I showed them a picture of my whole family (two years old, so we are even missing some peeps) and I thought they were going to pee their pants. It was fantastic. And atleast three of them asked me if I knew Justin Bieber (like KNEW him, not knew of him) and I didn't have the heart to tell him I hate JB.


I am already noticing major culture differences. I realize these students aren't very old, but none of them had ever been out of their provinces, so they thought it was super weird when I said I wanted to travel to all 50 states in America. They also thought the hamburger sounded disgusting (but would gnaw on a chicken leg no problem) and wouldn't be caught near a concert. I just laughed inside. Its a weird concept, thinking your life is great and others thinking is weird.


This weekend a group of us are going to Nanjing! We  are going to climb Purple Mountain,(so excited to finally hike something) then go to lunch, then KTV! I haven't been before, but everyone keeps raving about it, so I think it'll be fun. Especially for how many people are coming! Then we are going to spend the night at some member's homes and go to church on Sunday. All in all, its shaping up to be an excellent weekend.


MOMENTS OF AWESOMENESS:
-my students asked for my QQ number :) (basically China's version of Facebook)
-while I am waiting for my class to settle down before I move on, one student yells "Shut up!" and it catches me off guard, so I laugh my face off. Then the whole class is giggling because I laughed.
-I found my new favorite snack here- honey covered sunflower seeds!
-Going one full day without getting lost
- Meeting "Turkey" who is a bigger student of mine, and sits in the front row
-Possibly going kayaking in Montana this summer when I get back from China (still in the works)
-Going to sleep with warm feet from my the hot water bottle. Best 9 rmb I spent here.

Now You Will Start To Make Your Own Story- Kung Fu Show

On Wednesday I rode a train for the first time, and it was great. Probably a good thing, since that's basically how people travel from city to city around here. Anyways, we had to meet up in the lobby of King Joy Hotel at 6, which wasn't too bad. I've become accustomed to waking up early again, so its not as painful as it used to be. (I am sure my family is laughing right now... at home I sleep in late if I don't have anything to do).


Anyways, we have to say goodbye to some very good friends, which was hard. Even though I only have known them for two weeks, you just bond when you travel to a foreign country. You do things together like eat weird foods, use squatters, get food poisoning, share food, get lost and talk about how well you bartered for something on the street. I got onto the train and I realize that I am the only person who speaks English in my bunk. There is a very nice Chinese boy who helps me put my luggage away, which is very nice because its embarrassing how heavy it all is. After that we realized that we didn't have a single thing to say to each other, so I settle in to read. And get stared out by the other 5 people in the bunk. Oh well. After a few hours, I wander next door to a bunk full of China Horizon people. We cram 12 or so people into the bunk meant for 6. It was fun and still roomy. We played 20 questions, Scum, and a random assortment of games. People trickled in and out of bunks, and no one really sat in their designated spot. People took your spot, and that was okay, at least for this train anyways.




So my liaison (from here out known as Ivy) picked me up from the bus on Wednesday night. It was a mad dash out of the parking lot, but I had no idea what the rush was for. They pushed me to the front, which I thought was weird. In our family, the oldest people sit in the front. Being the baby of the family, I am quite comfortable sitting in the back. But I quickly realized I would offend them if I didn't sit in the front. Ivy and her husband speak English very well, something I will be eternally grateful for. Ivy casually asked me if I was hungry, and I was operating on one bowl of insta noodles and lbs of candy ingested on the 8 hr train ride. I am so glad I said yes, because apparently they were planning on taking me to dinner. With her sister's family and another teacher from my school. All in all there was about 15 people at the table. They took me to the fanciest restaurant I have ever been to in my whole life. We are talking Davenport Hotel and nicer.
Small indications: beverages were served, along with a wet cloth and a special dish for the wet cloth. Our waitresses kept a constant patrol to make sure our drinks were filled and brought out special courses. I got watermelon!!! I was so excited about fresh fruit. Any ways, overall it was a very interesting experience. I sat there, trying every dish while everyone spoke in rapid fire Chinese. Periodically Ivy would translate or ask me a question, but I am quickly becoming used to not understanding what people are saying around me, just knowing that they are talking about me. And I am okay with it. I wasn't at first, but I am now.
Some random things from dinner:
- I ate fish from the Yangtze River (delicious), sea cucumber (NOT delicious), mutton, bacon, and this fishy soup noodle thing that Zhenjiang is famous for. Ivy did not believe me that I was stuffed. "You must eat more! You hardly eat anything!" Chinese people are always telling me to eat more Chinese food and get fat, its weird because I am already bigger then everyone...
- I received my Chinese name. I don't know how to spell it in Chinese, but it sounds just like my name. You just emphasize the "y" part.(Like MollE, kind of said in two syllables).  Supposedly it means Jasmine, so I am okay with it.
-I have quickly discovered that finding cold drinkable water is not common here in China.( At my apt, I boil it hours before I actually want to drink anything so it has time to cool.) They served this hot orange juice, and later I got to try Walnut juice. I preferred the walnut juice, it was actually pretty tasty. You just have to watch out for the chunks.
- We had our own room for our dining party, fancy table, and then mounted on the wall was... a giant TV. It gets better. Playing on the TV was the Chinese equivalency to SpongeBob. And that played the whole time, while the three little boys at the table watched. They were so engrossed in the show that their mothers got the noodles are ready on this special spoon and shoved it into their mouth. It was similar to when I watch my sister Abby feeding her child who cannot feed themselves. It was baffling to watch.


After dinner I was exhausted. Then Ivy told me she was actually taking me to another hotel to stay for a few days because no one was at my school, and it is kind of far away from town. At first I thought "seriously? I just want to unpack, be in my own space, and get into a routine."( It turned into a huge blessing because the Wanda Plaza was a perfect place for our group to meet up, as it was fairly central and had excellent wifi and hot showers, my favorite part. ) Anyways, they took me to my room and made sure I had everything I need. Ivy tells me if I have any questions to just call her and then they leave. "You in room one eight one two! Boss man in one three one zero!" I walk down with them to see where the ATM is. Then I return up to my room, only to realize I have no idea how to open my door. Its an old fashioned key and lock, and takes a certain amount of pressure and jiggling and praying to get open. I couldn't get it open, so I start to panic, and then "boss man" (hotel maintenance guy) is coming back to replace the light bulb in front of my door, not doubt Ivy told him to do it. Anyways, he didn't speak any English, but could figure out I was struggling. Then he showed me what to do. I was so grateful, because I was about to lose it. Three minutes into being all alone in a foreign country and I couldn't even open my own door. Embarrassing.


Random moments of awesomeness in Beijing:
- Dancing at the summer palace with all the old people
-Listening to Chinese music on the way to the Kung Fu show (The Kung Fu Show was great, I really enjoyed it. The whole thing is a story, so there was lots of contemporary dancing mixed with this angry dude breaking things with his head. My favorite scene was when this boy and girl were dancing in the air, holding onto chords of fabric. It was absolutely beautiful. It doesn't get more legit then watching Kung Fu in Beijing, or anywhere in China for that matter.)
- Attending the international branch for church in Beijing, and overhearing some ladies in Relief Society "Yeah, I was thinking of going to Thailand in April, but if you are busy, don't worry because we can go another time." I want that life! Ha
-The Lama Temple. Its the largest Tibetan Monk temple outside of Tibet, and its a big deal to go. It was quiet, and China smelled good for once. It was great. People burn their incense, and kneel before all these different statues and offer their prayers. The second you left the parking lot, then you can hear and smell China again. On the way back we picked up Tibetan flags! So excited to put them up when I get back to the States.
- When Jinelle took a picture of some random dude peeing in a corner on Tien'amen Square in broad daylight.
- Mosh pit: Asia style at the Forbidden City
- Chair ice skating at the Summer Palace (this seriously needs to become a thing in the States, one of the most fun things I have done on this trip)
-Talking to Shelby and Kelsie about the "Chopstick Diet"
-Every time I get on a bus or taxi, there is an adrenaline rush. People cut you off, there are no blinkers- only horns. Or they flash their lights at night if they think you are going too slow. Taxis stop in mid traffic to get a potential customer. Two cars attempt to occupy one lane of traffic. And yet- through all of this- I have only seen one car hit another and it didn't even hurt anyone. I am now comfortable crossing the street, even with cars approaching in both directions. Yay me

At the Summer Palace. SO MUCH FUN. This must become a thing in America.

The Mannequins here are weirrrrrrd

Squid

At the silk market

Weird food night market 

Tienanmen Square 

The Lama Temple

The Great Wall

Standing on top of a tower on the Great Wall. I had to do it Momma, had to.

Lewis! Love this adorable kid, his English was so so good

The Forbidden City, it was so cold!

Outside The Forbidden City

Olympic Center

                                   

The China Diaries: Getting lost

So I haven't posted anything else about China because I was having issues uploading pictures. But I do not want to forget to write about tonight's experience so I will go back and write about the other things later.


Today I was able to move into my school at Zhenjiang  #1 Foreign Language Middle School. Its pretty far out there. For those who know, its comparable to where my parents live and where we go to church. I thought I was being all hardcore this afternoon, getting on a bus and not knowing when I would get off. I found my way downtown just fine, pretty proud I only spent about .30 cents in American cash. I go to find my way home after my fun in the city and... my bus stopped running an hour ago. I start to panic. I didn't know what to do but all at once I wanted nothing more then to be cuddled in my uncomfortable bed, under my pale pink comforter that my school picked out for me. So I get on the next bus that comes along, hoping it would put me at least a little closer to my school then the taxi wouldn't cost as much.


I start to panic as I am sitting on this overcrowded bus, feeling guilty that I am sitting while many are standing. But I needed to focus my eyes on the direction the bus was going. Across from me, three Chinese boys about my age keep peeking at me and I know they are talking about me, they just wont talk to me. In a spur of the moment judgment, I get off at the same stop as them, deciding I wasn't going to get any closer to my school. I ask if they speak English, and mercifully they do. They tell me I am "far far far away" from my school address and I should take a taxi. At this point I am extremely disappointed. I am disappointed that I have to waste money on a taxi, but also that my sense of direction was so poor. I was also terrified to get into a taxi by myself at night. These sweet boys flagged down a taxi for me and made sure the old man driving could take me there. They opened my door and said goodbye and good luck. The cab driver could tell I was distressed and even though we did not speak the same language, he tried to comfort me with gestures and tone of voice. He could have totally ripped me off, it was clear I was a lost, distressed foreigner who is getting used to things. But he didn't.
Now I am sitting in my apartment, safe. (Feeling a bit defeated, but I'm gonna give it another go this week.)All thanks to friendly Chinese people who did their best to help a stranger. Yet another reason I am falling in love with China.


THINGS THAT MAKE MOLLY HAPPY:]
- Making a new friend, Mary.
-PHONES. They make communication soooo much easier.
-Skyping my old roommate Taylor! So good to talk to people in the States
-The old people that dance in public squares, with blaring music from their portable speakers.
-My school has a track!
- Zhenjiang's pollution is not as severe as Bejing, so my lungs are keeping it together
-Finally got my hands on some lotion, so they wont look so cracked and nasty in a few days
-Chocolate. It makes any situation look easier.
-Found a Big Bang Theory DVD in my computer:) You have no idea how happy this one makes me...