There were people who worked hard putting our Hanban workshop together, and many of them took LOTS of photos and videos. Here's one of the group shots they took on the first day! We were told there were 110 of us from 10 countries. What a great opportunity to be able to network with so many other Chinese teachers from all over the world!
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I had been thinking of how fortunate I was to not have suffered the effects of jetlag on my trip. I was fine the whole time I was in Beijing--slept fine, and didn't have difficult waking in the morning. (In the morning, I had "Skype Dates" with my family before I went to breakfast, so that was incentive to wake up on time). :-) However, once I came back, I thought the adjustment would be equally smooth...and I was sorely mistaken. I've felt exhaustion throughout the day, and when I get home, if I recline on the couch to rest a bit before dinner--I'm completely asleep in no time. I always thought that jetlag was more difficult traveling East because you lose time going over, and that it was a little easier to deal with going West because you gain time. Not so for me, in this case. I seem to be far more tired now that I'm home, even though I gained a day back. I thought it was amusing that I left Beijing at 6:25 PM on Sunday evening, and arrived in Washington DC at 6:45 PM on Sunday evening--a very long 20 minutes, indeed! :-) At any rate, I'm adjusting back to my home time zone...and it's taking a little longer than anticipated. But, time doesn't wait, and neither does the rest of the world, so I'm plodding ahead. On another, brighter note, I've been able to get back in touch with some of my counterparts from our workshop on Facebook! It really is a cool communication tool--and I'm glad to be able to access it again, now that I'm back home. Speaking of back home...there are quite a few things that I'm really grateful for, and appreciate even more now that I'm home. Here's one thing that I feel I really need to address (and makes me even more glad to be home)... Guess what this is?
I have to say, after spending a week in Beijing, I truly have developed a new appreciation for Western toilets. In case you haven't guessed, this photo is of a typical Beijing commode. This one, by the way, is located in the "International Conference Center" in our hotel. (In the Ladies' Room in the conference area of our hotel, there are NO Western toilets)! Fortunately, though, our hotel rooms DID contain western toilets. My husband showed this photo to my daughters and they wondered how one uses it? Well...let's just say you develop strong thigh muscles. I had been warned about commodes in Asia that were basically "holes in the ground" and once used one at a train station in Japan (different style), but have never seen so many that are consistently styled like this...and that flush! It was definitely an adjustment to learn to use this (and to remember NOT to throw paper in it)! I'm so glad to be back home where we have our Western style toilets! Sometimes it's the little things that sometimes make the biggest difference! _ In my short visit to China, I observed Beijing to be a city of contrasts. Modern high-rise buildings sit right next to ancient buildings. There are many attempts at free enterprise, even in the line to view the father of Chinese Communism. Vendors sell religious themed souvenirs (quite a few of the vendors sold souvenirs like crosses and images of Jesus) in a country that does not advocate religion of any kind, including Christianity. A dumpling shop sits right across the street from a KFC. There are lines of three-wheeled bicycles heavily laden with goods ride on the road alongside new cars. I went to Beijing thinking that it’s a capital city of a superpower country…so I guess I expected to see most of the modern conveniences that I’m accustomed to. In many ways, this is true. However, in many ways, even my friends from China tell me that in many parts of China—it still is a third-world-country. Beijing is a large city with a growing population in a changing country that’s part of a changing world. And Beijing is full of contrasts, but the contrasts are what make Beijing such an interesting place to be, especially viewing this through the lens of an outsider.
Coming home, I found some of the little things that I didn’t think make such a difference—really ended up having an effect on me. Being able to sit out in the sun…and breathe in fresh air. Actually being able to SEE the sun – the smog/haze in Beijing was such that while we were there, I couldn’t see the sun the way we do here at home. I kind of saw a vague bright spot in the sky—round and brighter than the rest of the sky, but without the clear definition that we might see on a clear sunny day. Because Christmas is a religious holiday, it is not celebrated or recognized in China. In the USA it’s become so secularized that you will see Christmas themed things everywhere. Not so in China. Our hotel did make a concession for Christmas—there were a few small decorations in the lobby, including a small tree and a couple other figures—maybe a toy solider and a reindeer (I can’t remember). They were rather small and nondescript. And definitely no ubiquitous playing of Christmas carols! I know how people here in the US get tired of hearing them because they are played so much (and it does get a bit much to hear Christmas songs the day after Halloween). However, I joyfully listened to the Christmas songs playing at the neighborhood cafe this morning—it was another welcome reminder that I was home. On the last day of the workshop, the best session of the day was one that discussed and featured many websites for teaching Chinese--most of which I had never seen or heard of—but were really cool and ones that I might be able to use in my teaching! Sessions like these are the ones that I find most helpful and worthwhile. Unfortunately I was having trouble getting an internet connection in the conference room during a major portion of her talk, so I missed out on some of the websites that were discussed. We were also a little late coming back from lunch, but that’s another story...
Where the locals go to eat and shop… My roommate and I took our lunch hour and went over to a local shopping market called 金五星百貨店 (jīn wu xing bai huo dian), which translates into Gold 5 Star Hundred Products Market. This place was kind of like the place we were yesterday (Silk Street) only not as upscale…and with much better prices! We found some really good bargains! I bought some really nice calligraphy pens, and 2 sets (8 books total) of calligraphy practice books. A few other things too...and my roommate Hong bargained for me. She talked the vendor down from 202 RMB to 170 RMB! It’s one of those places you could get lost in for days. And end up spending lots of money…though you’d definitely get a lot of stuff! Since it was lunchtime, we walked out through a Chinese food court! We ate dumplings (these were pork and a special kind of vegetable that is very much like dill) and lamb on skewers, and drank hot soymilk. It was really yummy and very reasonably priced (the dumplings were only 7 yuan or RMB per big bowl)! Graduation! After the end of the sessions, they had a graduation ceremony for the participants of the workshop. We all received a certificate of completion and an additional 50 RMB (which I wasn’t expecting)! We were all exchanging e-mails and contact information afterward…I know some of us felt a little wistful to leave friends that we had just met – especially because for many of us, as Chinese Language teachers, we don’t find too many others around us with whom to share ideas and experiences. That, I have to admit, was probably the most valuable thing I gained from the workshop—having the opportunity to network with so many other Chinese Language teachers from all over the world. The Famous Tea Shop We gathered with a few friends and went to a very famous tea house called老舍茶馆, lăo shè chá guăn, or “Old Building Tea House http://www.laosheteahouse.com/. We ate a pretty good dinner, and got to watch a musical group made up of four young ladies, three of whom played traditional Chinese instruments (the guzheng—like a plucked dulcimer, the pipa (a little like at 2 stringed ‘cello) and the dizi (Chinese Bamboo flute). The fourth young lady played the synthesizer/ keyboards. Later on, they had a traditional shadow puppet show. Because it was performed using the traditional Chinese affected voices (that go up and down and are kind of squeaky), so none of us understood what the dialogue was about. All we could tell was it had something to do with a man and a snake and what happened three years later, three months later, and three days later. It was really cool to watch, though, just for the experience. I did record a video of it as well. We all enjoyed some very special tea at this Tea Shop, an entire tea blossom with the flower inside, and once you add hot water to the clear glass, you can watch the blossom open up as the tea flower steeps. It is very pretty, and also very delicious tea, which is a good thing, because it cost about 40 RMB, or about $7. It’s equivalent to the price of a glass of wine. After that, we walked along the main road until we got to a shopping area known as 前門大街qián mén dà Normal 0 0 2 false false false EN-US ZH-TW X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-font-kerning:1.0pt;} jiē, or “Front Door Big Road.” I was told that it was the main road going through Beijing that was used in the ancient days that led up to the entrance of the Forbidden City. It’s now a pedestrian mall, with lots of shopping, including a Starbucks, Hagen Dazs (which wasn’t translated into Chinese), and lots of shops. Some of the architectural style was preserved/restored from the ancient buildings, which made this a really enjoyable place to take a walk after dinner. It was a nice way to end a nice day. Cash is King in Beijing
Note to all: If you travel to China, make sure you bring CASH. Lots of CASH. It's not at all like the United States, where you can use credit cards for everything. Anyhow, I was doing OK on this trip...until yesterday. I thought that, going to all the different landmarks, that we would be able to pay the entrance fees with credit cards, like we do in the States. Not so here in China. Cash is king and nothing else matters. Anyhow, after the adventures yesterday, I was totally out of cash. I had exchanged $250US before coming to China. After yesterday, I was completely broke...and only had $25US left (not enough to exchange for more Yuan or Renminbi--also known as RMB). I called my husband and asked for the PIN for our credit card to withdraw money, from an ATM, to find out that we don't have a PIN. However, he found out that Bank of America partners with China Construction Bank and will give cash advances. There is a branch not far from my hotel, but before I ventured out to find the bank branch, an angel came to my rescue! My husband's co-worker's wife happens to be living and working in Beijing right now, and she was able to come to see me...and loan me some RMB until I get home. She truly saved me! I was worrying about how I was going to eat...and get to the airport! I can't do any of that here in Beijing without cash! Thank goodness! Trek to the Forbidden City Anyhow, since my angel saved me, i was able to join some of my colleagues to go to the Forbidden City . We thought we would try to go to the Forbidden City over our lunch break. 5 of us squeezed into a 4 person taxi, and after a roundabout drive, the taxi driver dropped us off at the north gate (exit) of the Forbidden City. Problem was, you can't enter the Forbidden City from the north gate. So...we needed to walk all the way around one side of the perimeter of the Forbidden City in order to get to the entrance. (By that time our lunch break was over…needless to say…we didn’t make it to our afternoon sessions). If there’s one word that comes to mind first when describing the Forbidden City, it’s “WOW.” After that, I would have to describe it as BIG. If I thought that the Summer Palace kept on going…and going…and going…well, it would also be an apt description for the Forbidden City as well. The Forbidden City was originally built to have 980 buildings and 9999 rooms. However, the grandeur of the Gates and Palaces really cannot be described in words. The photos describe it better, but the “Wow” effect can only be experienced fully in person. I have seen the photos, and even in videos and movies. It’s a stunning sight, and awe-inspiring just to see in photos and videos. However, it’s nothing like seeing it in person. I appreciated it even more after reading the two books about the Empress Dowager (Empress Orchid and The Last Empress, both by Anchee Min)—as I could see the palaces that were written about in the book. As we pass through halls, and walk past palaces, we start to get a feel for the size of this complex. There are so many palaces and buildings to the sides—they start to look the same…one looks much like another. We joked about the fact that as we passed another set of buildings, we could count down--“four down, 976 to go…” We saw one the palace of the Dowager Empress Ci Xi (Tzu Hsi) 慈禧太后 when she was first selected as one of the Emperor’s concubines. We also saw the Emperor’s palace. We ended up being so tired by the time we reached the Emperor’s gardens that we decided to go ahead and leave, rather than going to see the palaces on the eastern side of the Forbidden City. This side was where most of the children and concubines of the Emperor lived. One can try and imagine what life might have been like back in the Ming and Qing dynasties—and thousands of concubines of the Emperor—most of whom might never have the opportunity to see him…beautiful birds in gilded cages. The Emperor’s garden was interesting…there were many rough looking grey rocks of odd shapes, perhaps made of coral. In the winter, the plants were not in bloom, so we wondered what the Emperor’s garden back at the height of its glory and magnificence. We walked out and were immediately accosted by hawkers selling guidebooks and other cheap souvenirs. We had one Caucasian in our group—the rest were Chinese. Guess who the hawkers accosted? You guessed it! They looked right past me, but kept talking to the “Tall American Guy.” It was about dinner time by now, so we decided to go to a popular shopping area known as “秀水街” xiu4 shui3 jie1, or “Silk Street.” To get there, we were not able to catch a taxi, so we opted to take a bus. It was the most crowded bus I think I’ve ever been on. One thing I’ve noticed is that the sense of personal space that most of us have developed growing up in the United States is different from the sense of personal space (or rather, lack of) they have in China. To say we were stuffed into the bus like sardines doesn’t necessarily describe it fully. The bus was most definitely packed! It was an interesting experience – and something that many people in Beijing go through every day. Shopping, Food Courts, and Lost and Found… Silk Street was a multi-level building with shopping and food on every level—and I can only compare to a cross between a department store and an upscale flea market. On the lowest level, there was a food court, but not just any food court—it was a Chinese food court—with all the food being Chinese (or other Asian styles). It was so cool! Dumplings, meat filled pancakes, noodles, soups, stir-fry…they had everything! I ended up enjoying a seaweed soup and a steamer basket full of pork buns. (Pictures to follow). The shopping was pretty cool too…you definitely could negotiate the prices with the various vendors. There was so much to see—they sold different types of products on each level. At one point I stopped to buy some gifts, and got separated by my group by the time I finished with the transaction. I looked up and down the staircases where we were looking at vendors, but couldn’t find the group I was with. Fortunately, after a few inquiries, I was able to find out that they had a loudspeaker for the whole building—and we could use it ourselves to make an announcement to meet our friends. The PA system was in the guard office, but they didn’t seem surprised and rather disinterested (though helpful) when I asked to make an announcement to my friends. Fortunately, my friends heard the announcement and we were reunited. All’s well that ends well! One more day of sessions…we “graduate” from our workshop tomorrow. Until then… Today (11/24) was an amazing day...saw some sights that I've only ever read about and seen pictures and videos on the web, and even taught about to my students. It's really cool to be able to really experience them...and realize that I actually know more than I realized. We did so many things that it's taken me 2 days to finish my blog entry for 11/24 (my birthday and Thanksgiving--even though it's not a holiday celebrated in China)D
First, this morning, we were picked up at 6:00 am and head out to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. (When I get back to the USA, I will upload photos). We got there so early that we practically had the place to ourselves at first. It was awesome. We were so excited that the closer we got, we could see the Wall off in the distance. Once we purchased our tickets, we set off...or rather up...toward the Wall. Steps, steps, and more steps. We knew we had to walk up toward the Great Wall. We can see it off in the distance. So we started up the steps at a brisk pace. Soon after, we realized that the steps kept going...and our group started to separate--some were in much better shape and could keep up the pace...others (including me) were needing to stop frequently just to catch our breath. (Do any of you know "Thousand Steps" in Bonaire? It's a little like that...times about 10). Got to a landing and were able to rest a bit...and kept going. The steps up kept going...and going... going. It wasn't straight up so we couldn't see the distance up to the Wall itself. The excitement quickly waned and we started to just count each each step up as a small victory. However, with each step, we could see that we were indeed, getting closer to the Great Wall. Finally...there it was...right in front of us! The Great Wall. A few more steps...and we were one it! The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is one of the sections that was built during the Ming Dynasty. It is made of stone and brick, is wide and has guard posts paced at regular intervals. The one thing about the Great Wall, is it is built across the tops of mountains. So...there's a lot of climbing up and down just to go along the wall. You need to climb steps to get up to the guard posts, and along the wall, a lot of the walkways are either ramped, or small steps have been built go to go up an incline. One thing we joked about--the Great Wall is definitely NOT ADA (American with Disabilities Act) compliant! ;-) One thing that you realize when you're up on the Great Wall is that it keeps on going...and going...and going...(it would be great to film an Energizer commercial with the bunny walking along the Great Wall...but they'd have to find a flat stretch that doesn't include steps)! :-) You can look off in the distance and see the Wall as it stretches over the tops of the mountains...as far as the eye can see. It's mind-boggling to consider the incredible feat it was to build this wall...and how many millions of people and how many years it must have taken to build this awesome feat of engineering. Engagements and Small World Moments One really cool event that occurred during our tour was that one couple that was in our tour group and workshop got engaged while on the Great Wall! How cool is that? He apparently planned this--he brought the ring with him and everything! So...恭喜, 恭喜 gong xi, gong xi, to the happy couple! (Congratulations, and many happy wishes)! Also, in our group are two teachers from Utah. As we we encountered a few others (not from our group) on the Wall, we met two other Americans on the Great Wall. It turned out that they also were Chinese teachers from Utah! Amazingly enough, the teachers from our group were not acquainted with the teachers that we met on the Wall, one of them actually works only about 30 miles from one of the teachers in our group! It took being half a world away to meet someone that works only 30 minutes away from their home. Pretty amazing! (Another possible small world moment was at the Summer Palace--when a young lady came out of a doorway in one of the buildings. She and I looked at each other with a look of tentative recognition. Then she said, "老師好" (lao shi hao)! At first I thought she might have been one of the teachers in our workshop, but she was with a young man...then I realized that she must be one of the International students at our school. It was just wild to run into someone in a place so different (and far) from where you're used to seeing them! Summer Palace/Stone Boat We went to visit 頤和園(yi2 he2 yuan2) or the Summer Palace. It was the palace built by (or for) the Dowager Empress Ci Xi (Tzu Hsi) 慈禧太后 during the Qing Dynasty. When we first went in, we were in a courtyard area, with a main building opposite us, and side buildings to the right and left. There were sculptures all around. We thought that was it...until we walked through to the next section...and the next....and the next...the buildings just kept on going! Then we got to the water's edge, and asked where a certain gate was where we were to meet our driver. We were told to continue straight to the end and then turn right. It turns out that we walked through something called the "Long Corridor," which is kind of an ornately decorate breezeway. It was definitely appropriately named! We kept walking...and walking...and walking...and we still couldn't see to the end of the corridor. Then we finally reached the end of the Long Corridor, turned right, and started heading north, towards the gate we were to reach our van. As we walked up, we found the famous Stone Boat. It was something that the Dowager Empress was supposed to have built from funds that were pilfered from the Navy Budget. In fact, the entire Summer Palace was reported to have been built under the Empress’ directions instead of improving the military infrastructure, which ultimately led to the demise of the Qing Dynasty. (Empress Orchid and The Last Empress, both books by Anchee Min provide a more sympathetic perspective of the Dowager Empress, if you’re interested). Amazing Race Moments, and Beihai Park We were supposed to be meeting our van at 2:10 after touring the Summer Palace. While we didn’t dawdle anywhere in the Summer Palace grounds and did keep moving at a brisk pace, we realized that we had not yet reached the van, even though our watches read 2:10. We began to run towards the gate, since we didn’t want to be late (we were threatened with having to buy dinner for everyone if we were late). As we were running, I had a feeling that this was what the teams felt like in the TV Show Amazing Race. We did make it to the van at 2:15, and were the last “team to arrive.” Fortunately, this was not an elimination round, so we were still able to continue with the tour with the group. ;-) We had a second “Amazing Race Moment” when we arrived at the Forbidden City. Our driver dropped us off at a side gate for the Forbidden City, but we could not buy tickets or enter there. We needed to go around the inside of the moat and up and outside the south corner of the Forbidden City to reach the ticket office. We were told that the ticket office closed at 4, and it was about 3:25 so we began walking—briskly, but we didn’t run. Then our driver came running up to us to tell us we needed to hurry, as the ticket office closed at 3:30 instead. So, we began to run for all we could (though it was somewhat difficult for some of us who had sore legs from climbing the Great Wall in the morning)! It definitely felt we were in an episode of “Amazing Race”! The fastest of our group ran all the way in to the ticket office, and reached it at the moment the man who ran the ticket window closed down. He would not sell us tickets for anything! It was a big disappointment. However, our driver, not to be deterred, made some inquiries as to which scenic attractions were still open. He was quite creative and clever, and talked us into Beihai Park, which is one of the largest Chinese gardens. It definitely was a beautiful, scenic place to be. However, by this time we were tired and hungry, so we may not have enjoyed it as much as we could have. We took a few more pictures (though by this time all the Chinese gates began to look the same, as did the tile-roofed buildings)! Beijing Duck We ate at the most famous Beijing Duck restaurant in Beijing. http://beijing.etours.cn/food/ The food was yummy, and we took pictures of all the food! This restaurant also prepared and served all the parts of the duck, down to the gizzards, hearts, intestines, and head. They also took the bones and made soup. We also got to watch the chefs carve the ducks, and at the end of the meal, they gave us special cards that had the ID tag for the ducks we had just eaten. It was an interesting experience, to be sure-- and one that we’ve been told one must try when going to Beijing. Well, that was a very full day…and even got to Skype my family and send them some of the pictures from my day! Still catching up…until tomorrow… I can't wait until I get home and I'm able to upload my photos of my trip. I've taken lots of pictures of food. One of the things we've done here is to try to experience what the locals eat. That means not eating in the hotel restaurant (except for the breakfast which is included in our package) or places geared for tourists. There’s been some pretty great meals.
We've eaten at a couple places near our hotel that are small storefronts that are...utilitarian at best. Each one we've gone to has been successively smaller. They seem well populated by the local folks, and the food has been delicious and quite inexpensive (my favorite being the big plate of dumplings -- over 20 small dumplings, for 10 or 12 yuan (less than $2 for the whole plate). Other people who ate with us were also quite happy with their meals. Tonight, for dinner, we ate at the scariest place yet. It was down a street that was a little darker, but I have to admit, the thing that drew us to the place was its name-- 牛肉拉麵 niu2 rou4 la1 mian4 (beef pulled noodles). I've wanted to try pulled noodles since I've only ever watched the noodles being made on videos. Also, beef noodle soup is one of my favorite foods ever. Well, this place we went to really qualifies as a hole in the wall. In fact, some holes in the wall would be insulted at being compared to this place, I think. (When I post the photos, you can decide for yourself whether you would have walked in that place). But, we’ve heard so many stories of how scary hole-in-the-wall places end up being the best. So….the four of us decided to try it. I have to admit that the cleanliness in the place was suspect...but I figured the steaming hot soup would be hot enough to sterilize or at least sanitize the tips of our chopsticks if we put the chopsticks in right away. Anyway, the food came, and it looked fine enough. We took photos, and began eating. One of our party started tasting her noodle soup, and then stopped shortly thereafter, saying that the flavor was way too strong for her. I tasted mine, and it tasted all right, so I began eating it. However, shortly thereafter, I felt a tingling on my tongue and my lips. As I continued to eat, the tingling got stronger. It began to worry me, so I stopped. I only ate a few mouthfuls of noodles, and a few bits of vegetables. After stopping, the tingling went away. I have no idea what was in the food, but it was truly scary. And in this case, we all agreed that a hole-in-the-wall is sometimes just a hole-n-the-wall…and one should just walk on by. First day of my workshop! We have 110 teachers, from 10 different countries! It's been a very cool experience so far! And yes, all of the sessions have been exclusively in Chinese. It's cool to be in an immersion environment. I've been using my iPad application called Pleco to translate words that I don't understand (I input the Pinyin and it comes back with the definition). Very cool.
In between workshop sessions, I thought I'd put down a few things that I've noted about being here in Beijing--that I didn't quite expect... Bring your own towels. Or at least your own washcloth. Our hotel is utilitarian but far from posh. So if you want a nice washcloth, you'll be better off bringing your own. I've learned that it's better to bring your own toilet paper when you go out. There's no guarantees that there is going to be toilet paper where you might find yourself in Beijing. Make sure you bring a power/voltage converter. Our room has become quite a popular hangout because we have the voltage converter that I brought. Finally, don't assume you have wi-fi where you are. We don't have it in our rooms, but do have it in our conference room (a different building). At least we do have wired Internet access. However, I haven't been able to do video Skype with my family using my iPad because I don't have wi-fi in my room. But at least I've been able to do Skype instant messaging, so I have been able to stay in touch with my family. It's cool to learn about different ways of approaching teaching Chinese. There's many different textbooks -- and publishers' representatives are showing off the best of their products. Lots of cool stuff to be sure...but I have to resist spending all my money on books! Well...the next session is about to start... |
About MeChristina has been a Chinese language teacher for the last 5 years and now teaches "Think Tank," a Critical Thinking class to elementary students. She is also mom to two amazing girls, wife to a wonderful husband, violinist, and Christian (not necessarily in that order). Archives
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