December 28, 2006

Internet Shattering Earthquake...
There was an earthquake near Taiwan not too long ago which literally shattered the internet. It destroyed some fiber-optic cables used for internet and telephone links between China (also Hong Kong, Singapore, and parts of Malaysia) and Japan, Australia, and the US. I can still access Google but I can't get to my email or any links that Google brings up. According to AlJazeera it could take 2 to 3 weeks to fully fix!
There's more news here, but I can't read it because most of the sites are based outside of China. Here's a story about it from inside China at the China Daily.
I had originally thought it was the Chinese government who had finally gone and censored anything that's not based on a server in China, but thanks to Sinosplice I found out it was just an earthquake of internet shattering proportions.

December 27, 2006

Random Emails...
We're hoping to make it to Beijing for New Year's Eve, so we thought it would be a good idea to reserve a place at Suzie Wong's, the bar/club we're thinking of going to. The foreign law prof has been trying to get in touch with the place, but who knows if the reservation will work or not. Read the email exchange to know what I mean:

I would like to make a reservation for 8+ people on New Year's Eve. Can you please let us know how much cover is, and confirm the reservation?

You must reserve.
Sincerely, Suzie Wong

Dear Suzie,
That's what I'm trying to do. I would like to make a reservation for 8+ people on New Year's Eve. Can you please let us know how much cover is, and confirm the reservation?

Which table do you want?

It doesn't matter, as long as it's inside.

December 26, 2006

Christmas in China...
I successfully completed my first Christmas in China! Needless to say it was different from Christmas in Canada or in France, but it was none the less memorable.
Lunch on Christmas Eve consisted of a wonderful spicy chicken burger and fries in an over-packed KFC, and dinner was spicy fried rice. But the best part was the foreigner's party at the big university in town. There was food, performances by the foreigners (dancing, singing, poetry, KTV, etc.), and some dancing right at the end of the night. I should add that a friend got stuck in a bathroom at the university during the Christmas Eve party, right before she was to perform. She closed the door and the button to make the door open broke so she was stuck. Luckily there was someone nearby who was able to break the door open!

On Christmas Day I went to morning mass at the local cathedral. I heard from a few people at midnight mass the previous day there were 200+ cops outside the cathedral, only letting in people with "Christian Certificates". Mass was interesting as it was all in Chinese with some Latin sprinkled in for fun. I was able to sing "The First Noel" in English though. Just before I went for lunch a student came up with a package for me from my parents that had just arrived in the mail. Talk about perfect timing! I had lunch with a group of foreign friends, then we spent the rest of the day chatting, walking, and drinking coffee/tea.

December 23, 2006

Xmas Merry...
Just thought I'd wish everyone a very "XMAS MERRY" before Christmas on Monday. Check out the big man in red below.

I wonder if he knows how to find me in China this year?
I was able to get the day off work, so there's a few things planned. There's a foreigners party at the university for Christmas Eve tomorrow, and a few things for Christmas Day.
There's also a new edition of "Sexy Beijing" from SuFei and, this time focusing on Christmas and Hanukkah as they're celebrated, or completely unknown, in China.

December 22, 2006

Dumpling Day...
Today is the winter solstice, called 冬至 (dong1zhi4) in Chinese, which is also celebrated as the 22nd solar term festival. The traditional (and still often used) calendar is based on the lunar cycle, and is divided into 24 seasons. I prefer to call it "Dumpling Day".
I was of course oblivious to the whole thing, wondering at lunch why every stand in the cafeteria was selling dumplings (饺子, or 水饺). On my way out to dinner one of the aunties in my dorm told me I must eat dumplings today. Turns out that in Northern China it's traditional to eat dumplings today, while in the South they prefer red-beans and glutinous rice. Who knew?

December 20, 2006

Food Poisoning...
I think I got a bought of food poisoning last night. I went to a restaurant I had been to before (金汉斯), which has Chinese food and South American BBQ (chicken hearts, duck, leg of lamb, ox tongue, squid, etc.), with 1800's German decor. They actually have forks and knives, a rarity in China. This time I didn't try the chicken hearts, and I passed on the raw beef which I figured would be a sure fire way to get sick.
I felt fine when I came home and went to bed, but in the middle of the night I woke up. I'll spare the details, but it's a good thing that I've got tile floors because I didn't make it to the bathroom. Luckily I only had two classes in the afternoon, so I could sleep in. The steamed rice I nibbled at for lunch has stayed down, and I'm drinking water and Gatorade to keep from getting dehydrated. Hopefully I'll be back to normal soon.

December 19, 2006

Xu Wei...
Here's a music video by Xu Wei (许巍) called "Gift" (礼物). It's not really rock per se, but you can hear a bit more rock influence compared to some of the other music I've posted. I've heard rumours of a more punk/rock Chinese band, but I'll have to find out more for next time.

December 18, 2006

French Nativity in China...
Last night I went to Hebei University to check out the French students' Christmas production. It was put together by the two foreign French profs (friends of mine) in only a month. It was quite impressive for a group of university students who have only been learning French for 1-3 years.
It started with a few long-winded speeches (welcome and applause for each prof, history of the French department, success in the past few years, introduction of each prof again, and thanks for coming) before the 1st years who recited a few poems. This was followed by the 2nd years who did a play of the Nativity, which I think was the highlight of the evening. The Nativity in French, by Chinese students. The top picture is Mary and Joseph, while the second is the whole group (angels, Mongolian shepherds, inn keeper/fuwuyuar, and the wise men). They sang a few songs, and even had candles which we were afraid would light the angels wings on fire.
The 3rd years did part of Les Miserables, including a few songs. It was pretty good, but most of the people who didn't understand French (at least half the crowd) got a bit antsy and started talking.

December 17, 2006

Random Conversation...
I have a lot of random conversations and I think I'll try to post more of them. Some can be very funny, others enlightening, and some downright bizarre. This is more on the funny side.
This is part of a conversation between a few Americans and Canadians. An American English teacher put forward the idea that Canada is like the US's little sister. According to him we're whiny, always searching big brother's approval, and count on big brother to protect us in a fight. He had some points, but this part is funny.
American: There's one thing that Canadians are better at.
Canadian: What's that?
American: Canadians are just more sexy. Americans need to learn how to be sexy from Canadians.
Me: Are you hitting on your little sister?!
American: I guess so, but in some states that's allowed.

December 15, 2006

Donkey Burgers...
One of the local specialties is the 'donkey burger'. I know it might sound a bit weird/gross but it's actually pretty good, if you don't think about the donkeys on the street pulling banana carts. There are a lot of places that sell donkey meat here, including my school cafeteria.
There is also a chain of donkey restaurants in Baoding called "Hao Zi Wei", as you can see in the photo. This is where I tried donkey for the first time a few months ago (but I didn't have my camera that time to take a photo of the donkey stomach I also tried), and where I most recently had it again. You can also get various other dishes made of donkey meat such as sausage and 水煮肉片儿.
Donkey might not sound all that good, but I actually enjoyed it. It's got more flavour than beef, in a sort of earthy way. It's quite fatty, which is maybe why it tastes good.
The meat is cooked first, then coarsely chopped on a wooden board, before being placed into the warm bun/bing. The burgers are served plain, without toppings, only the bread (饼 bing) and the meat.

December 13, 2006

Random Conversation...
I've been growing my beard out over the past few weeks, which has caused a bit of a stir at school. The students oooh and awhhh when I walk into class, with mixed reaction. It seems the girls think I'm more handsome without it, and the boys think it's cool. I ran into an English teacher (ET) at my school today that I hadn't seen in a while, and this is how the conversation went.
ET: Hello
Me: Hi, how are you?
ET: Fine thanks. Your face hair is getting, um, a little big?
Me: Haha, not too big yet.
ET: Are you Catholic or something?
Me: No, but it keeps my face warm.
ET: OK, goodbye.
Me: Bye

December 12, 2006

Zoo Unsafe, Except for Foreigners...
The workers at a zoo in Shenzhen, Guangdong went on strike last week to protest their low wages while their managers got huge amounts of pay compensation. According to the English language China Daily, the zoo was closed on Thursday because it was unsafe for visitors. Only foreign tourists were admitted! (Did they pay the foreigner entrance price I wonder?) However, the foreign tourists in the closed/unsafe zoo "said they saw monkeys eating weeds from lake."

December 11, 2006

Counting Down...
There's only 2 weeks until Christmas! I'll admit that I've been counting down for a couple of weeks already, decorating my room and listening to Christmas radio on the web. There isn't much here to remind me of Christmas except for the local DaRunFa (a grocery chain) which put up a huge sign outside saying "MERRY CHRISTMAS" that has blinking white lights in the evening.
The HuanYingGuangLin (欢迎光临 - Welcome) girl even wears a Santa hat that says "Merry Christmas". You see it coming down the ramp as she bows her head and says 'huanyingguanglin' every few seconds. They've even got a Christmas decorations aisle where I bought a Santa hat for 1.5RMB ($0.23).
I'm trying to get Christmas Day off since I'm supposed to teach two classes that Monday. I think that I'll be able to get it off, otherwise I might just be sick for a day.

December 10, 2006

Stupid School Guard...
For the past three and a half months, I've left the school through the side gate because it's much closer to my dorm. No one has ever said anything, and some of the students go out the side gate. Normally the guards nod or salute and say ni hao or hello as I walk by and nod. If the guards don't nod, it's usually because they're too cold to move their heads or they're engrossed in a book. One time the guard even offered me cigarettes.
I decided to leave campus this afternoon to get some groceries, so I went to the side gate as usual. A new recruit got up off his chair and came over and saluted me. I nodded, and he stuck his hand up to mean "HALT". He asked me in Chinese where I was going, but I answered back in English "Sorry, I don't understand". I took a step forward but he put his orange stained fingers up again, and opening his mouth to reveal red spotted teeth (I think it was from tobacco) he said in Chinese "I don't speak English, wait a second" and nervously gestured for me to move back towards the school. I said again "Sorry, I don't speak Chinese" and made a gesture to show that I wanted to leave and go on the bus.
The four long whiskers on his chin started to twitch (maybe he was jealous of my beard?) as he looked around frantically for someone who spoke English. He shouted at the kitchen workers leaving campus to get water because the water was broken, but of course they don't speak English. The guy I normally buy meat 'bing' from told him to ask a student.
So he calls over a student and after a short discussion the student asks me where I'm going. I tell him I'm going to buy food. Some more animated discussion (which I understood as the guard told the student to tell me I had to leave through the main gate) followed but the student couldn't translate it into English. Another student came up and translated what I had already understood about having to go through the big, middle gate.
But why do I all off a sudden have to go through the big gate? They pay even less attention to me there, and it's a much longer walk away. I know that the students must get a teacher's signature then the guard's signature before they leave the campus, but I'm obviously not a student. I also know they want me to enter through the main gate so that two or three guards can nod at me instead of just one guard at the side. My only identification is the colour of my skin (teachers have to do a thumb scan at the start of the morning and afternoon sessions). Honestly, do they think some other bearded white male (I know all 3 of them) is going to wander to the outskirts of the city to sneak into the school and steal everything? I'm sorry, but it was one of the students who stole the teacher's laptop and who stole things in the student dorms. Just let me leave by the closest exit.

On a semi-related note, there was no water at the school for about 10 hours, and the power went out twice in the morning.

December 08, 2006

Personal ID to to Blog in China?
I read a story not too long ago in Xinhua about how bloggers in China may soon have to show their internet providers a real piece of ID and register with their real names before they are allowed to blog or post online comments. However, people could still post anonymously or under a pseudonym and their ID would be protected, as long as they do "nothing illegal or harmful to the public."
You can read the whole story here.

December 06, 2006

Strange Popsicles...
There are a lot of things that I've eaten in China which I've never tried or seen before in Canada. In the summer and early fall I loved to eat popsicles -a great treat that helps to cool you down. I tried a few flavours that I've never seen such as tarot root (very good), and grape with real raisins in it. Browsing the varieties of popsicles, I had seen green pea and corn a few times but wasn't too keen on trying them. My curiosity finally got the better of me and here are the results of my scientific taste test:

Corn: This was better than expected, even with the kernels of corn in the popsicle. The corn flavour wasn't too strong, and it was a bit sweet. In a pinch, the researcher might try it again.

Green Pea: The researcher doesn't normally like peas, and he doesn't know why he thought he might enjoy a green pea popsicle. One bite was taken and the rest of the specimen thrown out. It's not recommended for human consumption!

Future research: Results indicate a mixed reaction to strange popsicles, but further new species of popsicle may be observed. However, the researcher will not be trying the "carrot fried bread and milk popsicle" that they sell in his school's shop.

December 05, 2006

Wanting a Mint Mocha...
Last night I had a dream about Starbucks Mint Mocha. Normally I don't remember my dreams, but I can remember relishing the smell and the taste. I have no idea what brought it on, other than listening to Christmas music and not drinking real coffee in a long time. I guess I'll have to go to Beijing before Christmas and get a mint mocha. The thought of a mint mocha has been plaguing me all day.

December 04, 2006

Jay Chou...
When I first arrived in China I asked my students what English music they knew. Next I asked them what Chinese music I should listen to -what was popular, and what were they interested in.
Without hesitation every student in 30 classes of 70 students shouted "JAY CHOU"!, whose Chinese name is Zhou1Jie2Lun2 (周杰伦). In case you want to know, and he has blood type O and his favourite food is chicken (you'd be surprised what you find on fan sites).
The first music video is called 听妈妈的话 or "Listen to Mother's Words". The first song is a bit slower compared to the second video called 夜的第七章 or "Night of the 7th Chapter". The second video has a bit of a story -a mystery killing and a blue rose. Without further ado, I present Jay Chou.
Ting MaMa de Huo:

Ye de DiQi Zhang:

I'll probably put up some more of his videos in the future.

December 03, 2006

Random Purchase...
I was in one of my favourite CD/DVD/VCD stores the other day, you know one of those quasi-legal ones, looking around and killing time. Listening to the music while browsing the newly arrived DVD's, I decided that I would buy the CD they were playing. I've never done that before, but extra money in my pocket and CD's being so cheap, why not? So now I'm listening to KanKan's CD 我是侃侃 (I am KanKan). It's quite mellow, and the lyrics aren't too fast so I can follow along with some of it.