China 35: Back in Xi'an
Weird food:Camel Tendon
So we just got back from Chengdu which is in the Sichuan province of China. As usual I don't have time to post pitcutes or even write much. I have to say the trip was very fun, but we had to go w/ our tour guide everywhere so we really didn't get much opportunity to go off on our own. Actually we didn't get any. We spent a lot of time going to Buddhist temples which apparently are the main point of interests for Chinese tourists. They visit millions of Buddhist temples w/ their tours and outnumber the monks at the temples by far. We visited so many temples we've got to the point that we use "buddhist" to describe anything boring. (in our boredom the group also developed a lot more slang words) Anyway, the food too was disappointing b/c I think our guide didn't believe we could handle Sichuan spiciness so we had the same thing for every meal pretty much.
So cool things we did was: see pandas who are the cutest most amazing things in the world. they just sat in front of us on their back chewing bamboo and chilling. We went to e'mei mountain which was amazingly beautiful. and we saw Sichuan opera for tourists which featured a man who could make really good shadow puppets.
the 15 hr overnight train rides got tiresome but we enjoyed the humid, hot experience. it's good to be back. I don't have any time and tomorrow i'm going away again w/ my host family (which i just found out) for the may 1st holiday.
China 34: Back in Xi'an
# of Homes:2
Next Trip:Sichuan
I'm back in Xi'an. To be honest I really didn't feel like going back to Xi'an after seeing such a beautful mix of west and east in Hong Kong. My last meal in Hong Kong consisted of fried calamari, fried chicken, and pizza. It'll be another month or so until that can be an option again. I was also disappointed to leave my Wang family. It was really nice to see my dad and brother (who is nearly my height now!), and it was even cooler to be with family that I hadn't seen for five years. Family is something that I don't think I totally understand yet, but I think this trip to China has really helped me begin to feel what family means.
Anyway, I didn't want to come back to Xi'an all that much. But when I was driving back to my apartment w/ my host parents I saw Xi'an much like I see Boston after coming back from a trip. Just as seeing the Prudential and John Hancock in the cityscape when you return from Logan is soothing, so seeing Xi'an was soothing. I guess that's the definition of a home, A place that relaxes when you get there instead of stressing you out.
Getting together with the group was also really cool. Apparently I missed out on a pretty cool week. They didn't have much school last week b/c the chinese students had midterms so they got to go out and explore Xi'an. Last night we all went out to Karoake. We got a private room for about 2 hours and $20 which was bad. They had all kinds of english songs from the Beatles to Ricky Martin. It was a blast.
This monday I'm already taking off again. We're going to Sichuan province in the south of China. Everyone is really pumped. It's really great to be part of such an enthusiastic group. After doing a lot of research for my paper, I've discovered that our group dynamic is somewhat unique. We basically do everything together and get along. Other groups have split into 2's or 3's. I can't wait to see what Sichuan has for us to do together.
Right now, I'm in an internet bar working on my paper which now totals eight pages single spaced. I'm estmating when finished it might be fourteen single spaced. The paper's supposed to be 10 pages double spaced! C'est la vie. At least I like my topic enough to write so much.
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China 33: Hong Kong
Weird foods in HK: Chicken feet, duck feet, and eel
Right to free speech: Now that I'm in Hong Kong I can finally see my own blog instead of just posting on it. Before I couldn't visit it b/c China was censoring it. I'm not that cool though b/c I think they censor all sites created on blogspot.com
Anyway, I'm in Hong Kong using a little of my precious computer time to update my blog. This is my third visit to the city, so I was not too amazed at how it would beat out Xi'an anyday. It truly is an amazing place. Like New York, but better. What I've found so far is that the city would be great to explore with the group. A lot more than it would be to explore with your dad and little brother. So this trip has been more about family than the city.
I guess the purpose of this trip was to see my Chinese grandparents and aunt who I haven't seen in five years. I have to admit it is frustrating sitting with people who are supposed to be your family but you can barely communicate with them. The speak primarily Cantonese, but know more Mandarin than me. So they were impressed with my Chinese, but communication is still frustrating.
Nevertheless, I've learned a lot. My Aunt Winnie, who speaks English perfectly has helped me understand a lot about my family. Last night after dinner, me, my dad, Winnie, and my grandfather discussed his stories and their stories. I'd like to write it all down but I don't have time right now. But by the end of the night I felt like I understood myself better. Even though a lot of stuff had to be translated for me, I sensed that the Wang family shared a lot of the confusing emotions and tendencies that I seem to constantly deal with and that I usually can't find anyone who can relate. I guess that doesn't make a lot of sense, but it kind of helped me understand what a family is: A family is a group of people that understand each other because they share very unique things.
That's a definition in the works.
p.s.- As may 1st approaches, it looks more and more like Pomona will be where I'm headed next year. They upped their scholarship offer after we told them that Carleton was giving me more. Now the question is how much $ will Davidson give me. If they end up giving me a big scholarship after my interview with them, college might once again be thrown up into the air.
China 32: Pudgy Crushes
Staff Restructuring: The maid who cleaned the apartment and cooked for my family apparently was fired. I walked in yesterday to find some woman who acted like she knew me making dinner. I thought I was going insane. "She does look like her, but she acts like her...?" Anyway, I was disappointed. I liked our old maid she was nice.
Procrastination Technique #42: Write on your blog whenever you should be working on your paper. Honestly I have some really good ideas for my paper, but I'm yet to articulate them on paper. I've never written a 10 page paper before. I wonder how long it takes?
Yesterday, LeYang's (the student I hosted in America) mom came over to give me gifts to give to my American parents when I go to see my dad in Hong Kong this Saturday. She gave me more stuff than I think I'll be able to fit in my bag. It's gonna be a choice between clothes and presents. I'm constantly amazed by the freaky amounts of hospitality the Chinese offer. (Then again I'm beginning to think it's a signal of how much they truly know you. The more gifts they give the less they know you.) She brought a wrist watch that plays MP3's, an inflated soccer ball (which, knowing soccer, runs for a good $45 in the states), a cashmere sweater, a book, another book, and pictures. (This isn't including the presents my own host family has given me to give.)
The pictures are of the groups expedition to the peach blossoms on the mountain. Upon inspection of my lovely pink-trimmed flowery photo, I realized that I've gained weight. This was not entirely unexpected, but I didn't expect to see signs of it in my bulging cheeks. I'm exagerating, but after comparing a photo of me playing soccer last fall and this picture of me lounging with flowers I appear to have gained a good deal of wait. I might be able to classify myself as pudgy now.
I blame me family; my mom constantly demands that I "dou chi dianr" (eat a little more) at dinner, so when I get home my mom will be "so happy that her little 'hai zi' has 'pang yi pang'ed (fattened up). I guess the Chinese and American versions of weight gain are drastically different. I'm embarrassed to admit how I was almost deathly afraid that I'd gained a unloseable amount of weight, and it can't've been more than 10 lbs. I'm so brainwashed by the media.
Anyway, if you're wondering about the rest of the group. I have to say, except for Isaiah (who actually lost literally 10 lbs. when he was sick) and Gaelen (who's lunch card is still full), all of us seem to have gained a decent amount of pudginess. Once again I apoligize for not having pictures of our faces and pink mountains, but then again I'm not too sure anyone would appreciate me posting their pictures after saying they gained weight. Once again, the american media.
Moving on, I'm not sure if I've mentioned this yet, but Isaiah set up a kind of "English Corner" every Thursday night at Northwest University. (His host cousin goes to the university so she asked Isaiah to help out) He's been going three weeks now, and I joined him after the first week. It's truly an amazing experience to be surrounded by thirty people all asking you questions. It's also weird how I like hanging out w/ these college kids a lot more than the 10th graders at Gao Xin, maybe because they're closer to our age and Chinese kids seem to be a little less socially mature than their age suggests. Anyway, on the first visit we were greeted by Isaiah's cousin and her friend at the gate of the university. Both were pretty cute. (once again no pictures)
The next visit Celine, Edna, and Christina came too, and they stole all of us men's attention. This left me talking to Isaiah's cousin and her roomate/friend, Emily(that's her english name, there's no way I can remember her chinese name. I'm sorry about that). Anyway, by the end of the night I had developed a minor crush on Emily and we even exchanged numbers. Today, the next Thursday, English Corner was canceled so I'm here at this internet bar I found writing this blog. But I digress, Emily called me a few times and I've called her in about 20 second conversations. I originally invited her to join the group at karaoke this Saturday, but I realized that I'm going to Hong Kong. Anyway, it's just a pudgy crush who's purpose is more of a fun story than love. It provides great discussions for the group. I hope we do get to hang out w/ Emily and Isaiah's cousin before we leave though. We don't have much time in Xi'an left!
I'm off to research college. What does the world think: Pomona, Carleton, or Davidson?
China 31: Working on the Questions
Weird food: pig feet. no meat, just fat and skin.
Air Freshener: Pineapple peels. My mom brought them into my room last night on top of some newspaper. It actually has a really good scent after about a day. Then again I probably just stink too much.
So for the climatical academic endeavor of our experience here, we are expected to write a research paper about anything from modern China. I guess it had to modern b/c we're supposed to use our experience and connections in China to help us in the research process which usually wouldn't be the case back in Brookline. However, when picking my topic, I also realized that we wouldn't have the literary resources that we would in Brookline. All we really had were 4 or 5 history/culture books, a travel guide, and a bunch of novels (thank Buddha the internet is available too!). As a senior my paper would have to be 10 pages long, which for me is really no big deal, the longer the easier is my philosophy. I probably could've wrote the entire 10 pages w/o any research and BS'd it all with personal semi-fabricated anecdotes based off of prior knowledge. I mean footbinding!? How easy is it to form a thesis about how binding the foot was an example of the tyranny of men? The idea of the "auto-A" is derived directly from the fact that all papers with theses condemning racism, sexism, or George Bush have consistently been awarded complement and honors.
And yet (and I fear this is where an Asian stereotype is only supported) I decided I wanted do some work on this paper. So I decided to research something that I myself was interested in and was causing enormous ponderance (is that a word?)in my young mind: Why am I on this trip? But the thesis had to be broadened a little more to answer: Why are we here? What is the purpose of cultural exchange?
And here I sit typing my blog instead of working on it. I've a lot of my research which was focused more on interviews than staring at books. So far I've interviewed all the kids and teacher on this trip, the Brookline High headmaster, some students from previous trips, some of the parents of the kids on this trip, the Chinese Exchange Initiative, the Newton Exchange, and a school in Saugus, CA planning on creating another exchange w/ GaoXin. (I say only some of the parents and previous students/teachers b/c I did a email interview to them and only a FEW have responded.) If anyone has ideas about "why we are here" please let me know. (celtics186@hotmail.com)
Anyway, I think I'm going to publish the paper I'm writing on this blog as I'm writing it b/c it might be interesting and I don't really have anywhere else to save it. If I do do this, please bare in mind that like all my posts, they're first drafts. Very first drafts. But feel free to comment.
yours truly,
david chin-fei wang, 18.5 years old, left-handed, right-footed, 5'10", student, artist, writer, sleeper, dreamer, traveler, athelete, PROCRASTINATOR, impatient, critical, quietly loud, loudly quiet, left eyed, dog friend, romantically crude, favorite phrases:"wingless angels" "Time, collared and leashed...", color: grayish bluish redish green, movie: "Many", music: "ecletic", GPA: who cares anymore, race: yellowish white, hair: beaver, eyes: oak, prefered deodorant: right guard power stripe, book: Dante and Catcher in the Rye, address: Earth, prefered ketchup: heinz?, prefered word: merde, prefered phrase: c'est la vie, africa, he ping, such is the life of david wang,
"anna begins" by the counting crows
my friend assures me/ she says its all or nothing/ but i am not worried/ and i'm not overly concerned/ my friend implored me/ just one time only/ come on make an exception/ but i am not worried/ wrap her up in a package of lies/ you send her off to a coconut island/ am not worried/ and i'm not overly concerned/ with the status of my emotions/ oh she say hey your changing/ but we're always changing/ and it does bother me to say/ this isn't love/ cause if you don't wanna talk about it/ then it isn't love/ and i guess i'm gonna have to just live with that/ and i'm sure/ something in the shade of grey/ or something in between/ i can always just change my name/ if that's what you need
my friend assures me/ she says look it's all or nothing/ but i'm not really worried/ i'm not overly concerned/you/ you trry to tell yourself the thing/ you try to tell yourself/ just to make/ yourself/ forget/ i am not worried/ i am not overly concerned/ cause if its love/ she said that we gonna have to think about/the consequences/ b/c she can't stop shaking/i can't stop touching her at this time/ kindness falls like rain and washes her away/ anna begins/ to change her mind/ in these seconds/ when i'm shaken be shuddering/ i'm not ready for this sort of thing/ but i'm not gonna break/ i'm not gonna worry about it anymore ..........
China 30: Arch Rivals
Memo: Next trip bring a digital camera. Sorry I haven't had any pics lately.
Chinese: xi guan ("she gwan") - connections. In China your "xi guan" is a mark of status. Everyone who is anyone has xi guan and tries to show it you as much as possible. My host mom's xi guan got me a plane ticket to Hong Kong for half off.
I can't believe it's already Saturday; the last week went by so fast. There's nothing that really stands out, and if I really think about it the classes are only getting slower and slower, but the days are becoming faster and faster. I guess as we get more used to our schedule the faster it seems to go by.
Last night we went out to Dong Da Jie (East Street) which is about the equivelent of Newbury St. in Boston. Gaelen came this time because we were going to have dinner and then meet up with the Newton North HS students who were visiting Xi'an. Because we weren't even on American soil, we put all rivalries away and became good old hosts.
The Newton groups exchange is based in Beijing. This year they only have three students as opposed to the usual 5-6. Also, Newton sends two teachers as opposed to Brookline's one, so these three students has 2 teachers with them. We met them at their hotel on Dong Da Jie. They were about an hour late, but that was cool b/c me and Lauren had some intense cell-phone game competition. (I currently hold the record in "Snake" with a high score of 2287.)
When they showed up, we sat around in the lobby for a few minutes before deciding to split off from the teachers and show the kids around. Their group is made up of 2 boys and a girl and two female teachers. We took them across the street to the club that we went to last week but it turned out to be a bust. It was a little before 9 so nobody was dancing, and we didn't feel like sitting around doing nothing. So we took them to the Muslim corner and showed them around. We were able to compare our experiences which was fun and useful for my research paper which is on the history of the BHS exchange w/ Xi'an.
I have to admit after talking to them, I was very thankful to be with this group. First of all, I got the impression that the student-teacher ratio was a little to intense. And yet, I also realized how engaged, if not studious, this group is about being IN China. I heard how they do much at school, and how the boys in the group had only gotten worse at Chinese if anything. It also seemed that the school and families in Beijing didn't take as much initiative in showing the Newton kids China as GaoXin does. After hearing about their trip, I felt a lot more secure to be with the kids and teacher that I'm with who keep us concentrated on really making the best out of our stay in China. So, in by biased Brookline mind, I find the Brookline Exchange to be the better program despite the Newton Program's longevity. Then again, I'm hardcore Warriors fan not a Tigers fan.
Today, Saturday, we went to Ban Po Village which I guess was a matriarchal village a few thousand years ago. It was lame. It was entirely reconstructed. The village was made up of concrete buildings covered in sticks and dried grass. The roofs of these huts had clay relif sculptures of naked women with gigantic breasts getting eating by wolves and snakes. There also was a marine exihibit there and silk for sale. Celine, Gaelen, and Sara all bought some silk scarves and pajamas. I wasn't very impressed by any of this "historical" BS.
Tonight I think we're gonna see if we can find a Chinese movie theater. I think we all kind of miss that atmosphere, yet somehow I can't see a Chinese movie theater being anything like AMC theaters.
China 29: Springing into Summer
Food: "Yang Rou Pao Mo" a delicacy of Shaanxi province where before anything is served you break bread into bitty pieces and drop them into your bowl. They take your bowl away and put in some more effects including boiling water, noodles, and lamb. It's served steaming hot. We've had this soup whenever anyone takes us out for a dinner because its so "authentic", but to be honest there's much better food in Xi'an.
Temperature: Today must've hit 90
Yesterday, I got a call during lunch from my host mom. She told me that the plans for the weekend had been changed. Before the student who I hosted in the US, Leyang's, mom couldn't take us to see the peach blossoms on the mountain side on Saturday as planned. Instead, she wanted to take the whole group out that night! Well, this caused a lot of confusion during our afternoon English Lit. class as literally everyone was plugging an ear and ducking into a corner or out the window to ask their host parents if it was alright. Eventually everyone got official clearance except for Gaelen who seems like she has every single second of her day planned. I guess that's what it means to the only teacher on the trip.
So right after school we scuffled to my apartment complex where my mom and leyang's mom were waiting for us. We jammed all 8 of us into my mom's Kia and Leyang's mom's VW. Edna, Ian, Lauren, and I travelled w/ my mom. I think they've really taken a liking to my mom ever since we made dinner for here; truly she is a playful human being. She offered to take Lauren to go dress shopping, then offered to take us dancing together sometime, then invited Edna to go shopping for a teaset with her, and would later invite Lauren to come to the Buddhist temple w/ me and her. During our little trip to the mountains we asked to turn on the AC because it was HOT. Really hot. So we rolled up the window, and Edna flipped on the vents. Immediately a huge gust of cold wind spewed out a huge cloud of dust choked the air. My mom went hysterical w/ laughter and choking, and I have to admit that I was on the verge of tears. Whether it was from the laughter or the dust I don't really know. Eventually, Ian had the presence of mind to tell us to roll down the windows.
The amount of dust there is in Xi'an is incredible. It's absolutely amazing how quickly we've switched out winter. Yesterday was probably around 85 degress! It seems like we entirely missed out on spring. One day the trees were bare and the next they were green and flowers were beginning to bloom and beautify this the city which had been a little barren before. Yet, without spring rains and with the immediate entry into summer, dust is rampid. Everyday when I get home, I put my finger in my nose as is a common habit of mine, and discover the inside of my nostrils to be blackened.
But anyway, we made it to the mountain and saw rows of peach trees. Their branches were clustered with pink flowers. It was truly an amazing site to see the sun setting beside these giant mountains and over the peach trees which themselves were somewhat slanted into the mountains. We climbed and climbed until we got to a Buddhist temple. We climbed to the top of the deserted building and were presented with an amazing view. We were inbetween to towering mountain looking down on rows of pink and white. To the left the sun had begun to disappear casting a dark red light into the clouds of dust which revealed the each ray.
We concluded our trip with bowls of Yang Rou Pao Mo and meat on a stick (Kao Rou). Ian and I had a contest eating the Kao Rou (which can be pretty spicy). I won something like 30 to 25. Recently Ian has really been an amazing member of this group. He gets along with everyone. At the start I was unsure because he kept quiet, but that's just part of his low key attitude that everybody likes about him. And it's that attitude that makes his comments all the more funny. Lauren's dubbed him the "muffin man" because one day he randomly interupted the conversation to state that he had "Do you know the muffin man?" stuck in his head all day.What a card.
Anyway, I guess spring has come and gone in the period of day. I think spring went by as quickly as this trip has gone by. In less than two weeks I'll already be going to Hong Kong, and after that I'll get back and we'll go to Sichuan for a week, then we come back and have a week off of school, then go to Shanghai for a week, come back to Xi'an for three days and then we'll be on the way back!
i'm not sure how I feel about that
China 28: Saturday, College, and Travel
Time left: 7 weeks
Approximate life left: 60 more years
Yesterday was Saturday and jammed full with stuff to do. We had to meet up at 830 to go to the Shan'xi history museum. A teacher and a principal from Saugus, CA accompanied us as well. They're apparently planning on creating another exchange with Gao Xin High School so that Gao Xin can have a west coast contact as well.
At the museum, we managed to disclude these two by getting our tour guide to talk to us in Chinese instead of English. I got bored and began taking photos of random people.
We then went out to a truly western lunch at some hotel. The lunch was officially hosted by Madame Wang the head of pretty much everything that has to do with all the Gao Xin schools. But she was only there to talk to the Saugus people, and get them to sign the contracts. The lunch was good though. I ate bacon and had my first real cup of coffee in a long time.
Then we went to Da Yan Ta or the Wild Goose Pagoda. We climbed all the way to the top in the 80 degree weather and found a nice view in all directions. At this point my throat began to get a little soar from all the dust in the air. This was the last "official thing" to do w/ the school.
After words we headed to Xiao Zhai where all the college kids are and hang out. It's mainly women's clothing, but here and there me, Ian, and Isaiah could walk into a store w/o millions of eyes staring at the kid with no hair, the kid with a lot of hair, and the kid with black skin who were all boys in a women's underwear store. We decided it'd be better to split up, girls and boys. I managed to buy a badly needed belt. My pants have been falling off for months now.
My throat remained sore, but the sunny day was nice as was the fact that I didn't get into Brown or Yale or Williams. Bastards. But I never got my hopes up which I discovered might be the best way to face the world. Anway, after walking around feeling our feet die, isaiah and sara left for home. We all met rendez-voused and sat around for awhile. Ate dinner.
At this point I was getting cranky. 80 degrees, a lot of walking, and shopping with your primarily female exchange group can do that. Anyway, somehow they found an Italian gelatto place with couches and spent about an hour and half there. I kind of sat in my own world while they got high of the "Ice Cream Hot Pot."
I even forgot to buy flowers for my mom for spending all this time getting me tickets to Hong Kong and back. I really should do that. She got them almost half off though I'm still paying around $400 for the flight! Anyway, the rest of the trip will have a lot traveling.
After the ice cream place, a rarity in China, we ended up deciding to go to a club that Celine's older brother had been to four years ago when he went on this trip. I was neither enthused nor defused, so I hopped in the cab. Yet upon entering, for free I might add, I started girating to the music and had a grand old time. Some guy tried to dance with me, and I got the feeling it was a little more friendly than good old guy time. I just danced away my bad mood with the rest of the group, and was sweating profusely after 20 minutes. I tried to buy a water, and found out how this place gets all this money. They charged $4 for a bottle of water. I didn't get any. I'd rather die of dehydration. Anyway, the night went well and we got home by 11. My ears were ringing. So the night was good.
Anyway my family has been waiting for me for the last 30 minutes I think so i shouldd go. Goodbye world. I feel so... i'm not really sure.
Our exchange coordinator, Jane, is in the middle. She'll be coming to Sichuan with us. She gives us Chinese lessons and comes on our field trip. And she still organizes everything else. She never sleeps. 
