Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Like A Drifter I Was Born To Walk Alone


P2190087
Originally uploaded by billmcgonigle.
Here I Go Again on My Own,
Going Down the Only Road I've Ever Known...

No, this post is not a tribute to Tawny Kittain, but my last as I head out my door for a week of adventure. When I come back I'll be brimming with stories from ShanDong province. I'll have visited a Chinese/Confucian verson of Plymoth Plantation/Williamsburg. I'll have climbed two mountains. I'll have spelunked. (Spelunking!) I'll likely have drunk a lot of beer. Mountains! Caves! History! Beer! Whitesnake! Hooray!

Send me some emails for my return, I'm curious what is happening stateside. Seriously. Till then, fare thee well.

Friday, April 22, 2005

Cats and dogs, living together, TOTAL ANARCHY!


Parade
Originally uploaded by billmcgonigle.
Many of you know that when gratuitious and harmless chaos breaks lose, I tend to get a little giddy. Last night as my school, I was rolling on the flooring like a school girl.

1. For some unknown reason, the lobby of our school filled with smoke. Not cigarette smoke. Not from some fire. We don't know where it came from, but it was tough to see across the lobby clearly.

2. Someone (don't know who, student, staff, or teacher) brought in a handful of baby chicks that were running all over underfoot. The situation got even better when our cook started scattering millet for them to eat.

3. I was trying to figure out the Chinese names of some old Kung Fu movies, and my TA kept trying to act out the scenes instead of actually helping me.

Oh, China. Hooray!

Thursday, April 21, 2005

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted...


I Dont Wanna Work...
Originally uploaded by billmcgonigle.
Get my first vacation starting next week. Yaaay! It was supposed to start on Saturday and run through the following Thursday, but the owner of my school did me a huge favor. I only have one class on Friday, a really annoying company class, and I get Thursday off every week. She knows how troublesome the company class is (and I think we don't really care about their business any longer as is... long story), so she convinced them to cancel next week's class. That means I get an extra two days of vacation!

I'm taking the opportunity to see some of China that I haven't seen. I came to China to practise my Chinese and see the country, my number one priority (well, not while teaching) is not to make money. So unlike some of my co-workers, I'm happy to get out of town and drop a little cash doing so.

From Harbin I'll be flying on a small prop to Qingdao, a city known for it's beer. Qingdao is supposedly a very pretty seaside town with a lot of German architecture and delicious seafood. Since I have more time now, I might make it to some sights outside of town.

From Qingdao I'll take a bus to Qufu, birthplace, hometown, and burial site of Kongzi, aka Confucious. I'm looking forward to honoring the man who found gave us great wisdom like "Man with hand in pocket feel cocky all day" and "Baseball wrong: man with four balls can not walk."

After Qufu, it'll be another short bus ride to Tai An, and the base of Tai Shan, China's holiest mountain. I plan on climbing the mountain one day, sleeping on the top, and then waking to see the sun rise. It is the first spot in China one can see the sun rise, and its supposed to be gorgeous and inspiring. After that, I'll climb back down, and jump on a bus to Jinan.

By the time I get to Jinan, there shouldn't be much time left in the vacation, so I'll hop a flight back to Harbin, and should be back in my apartment by 9 PM Thursday night. The following day will be a Friday with a Saturday schedule and then a Saturday with a Sunday schedule (I feel like I'm back in college). Then I'll have a day off to catch up on sleep.

I'm really excited, as I'm going to see a bit of modern, cosmopolitan China, some history, and some natural beauty. Plus, I'm sure, a lot of temples. Should be an adventure. Hooray!

On a side note, the picture above is from the Drum Tower in Beijing. Think I mentioned it in an earlier post, back in February. I was lucky to catch these guys at work, and it was quite cool. Each drum sends a prayer for some different nature of blessing, and the rhythm used exerts some influence as well.

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

White on Rice

Figured I'd write a little bit on real Chinese food. It is quite different from what one might find in the West, especially compared to what is traditionally served up here in the north. Also becaue I've lost 14 pounds or so, though I've still been eating quite well.

To begin, most of what the average Occidental considers to be Chinese food originates from Sichuan province (Szehuan). For those who didn't take Map of the Modern World (Eric Rahn and Jenny Cosco, you're being tested here) Sichuan province is towards southwest of Tibet, bordering on Tibet. I'm in Heilongjiang province, as far north and east as you can get. Food from the Sichuan school is traditionally spicier, obviously due to the warmer climate. Spicy foods, which induce a sweat, help people stay cool in the heat and humidity. Think about all the more equitorial cuisines (Thai, Mexican, Indian, etc.), thats why they are all similar in that regard.

Up here in the north it's all about solid, sturdy food that keeps you warm. Lots of starches, lots of cabbage, as cabbage is impervious to the frost and can not only transport easily but keep though the winter. But, as China has now modernized, you can find dishes from all regions almost anywhere.

Chinese food gets split into three categories: meat, vegetables, and food. Yes, I repeat: meat, vegetable, and food. I've gotten in many an argument over this. Meats and vegetable are not considered "food." All three have different characters. "Food" is what fills you up, "food" is the staple of the Chinese diet: rice, dumplings, pancakes, anything based off any sort of rice, grain, millet, or so forth. Meat and vegetables are to be balanced, just like the yin and yang. In a way, almost everything from the Forbidden Palace to meals to lesson plans are designed around the yin and yang. A meal without something from each camp is considered unbalanced. Meats stand as the male element of the feast and are usually spicy if not full of some other flavor. The vegetable, as the female element, is traditionally cooling in nature.

Here are some of my favorites:

JIAOZI: Hands down my favorite dish, a "food" of true utility. Jiaozi, or dumplings, we're popularized by the necessity of feasting with meat on festival days. A jiaozi consists of a small ball of ground meat and vegetables in the middle of a think noodle-like wrapping. As most Chinese were poor, this is the best way of making a little meat go a long way. Great with some ground red chili paste, soy sauce, and vinegar. Sometimes fried.

BAOZI: Similar to jiaozi, but the wrapping is more bread-like than noodle-like. Both Baozi and jiaozi can be bought right off the street. I picked up 6 baozi today for the equivalent of 18 cents and I couldnt finish them.

DISANXIAN: Literally "Three Treasures," disanxian is a vegetable dish of eggplant, potato, and green pepper stirfried a bit. Most foods are stirfried, usually heavily oiled.

CAOMAOBING: A wispy little pancake that you tear apart as you lather meats all over it. Quite good. Different from the usuall BING, or pancake, which you roll things up in. Everything is better in a pancake.

CHUAR: Mongolian BBQ. As I gave a 2 hour lecture on American BBQ, I now know the textbook difference. (First off, grilling burgers is not BBQ.) At a chuar restaraunt most of your food is served on wooden spires, like shish kebobs, and grilled oved a charcoal flame and seasoned with various hot spices. My favorites are the lamb, pepper, and potato sticks, and I tend to stay away from the silkworms (youre not supposed to eat the heart of the silkworm, and I cant figure out how to seperate it properly). The Chinese believe chuar, though delicious, is poisonous, and if you dont eat a healthy portion of garlic after you will die.

HOTPOT: Just like it sounds, very similar to fondue. You dip anything in that you want. I'm not a huge fan.

CHINESE BURRITO: I still havent figured out what this is called, but there are restaraunts that wrap anything in a huge pancake, like a burrito. I saw a guy with a beef, onion, and chocolate chip burrito at a bar two weeks ago. He didnt have many people sitting with him.

All the food in China is served family style, that is, to share. Eating alone is considered weird, really weird. Many times have I been dining alone and somebody will come in, see me by my lonesome, and sit with me to share food and provide company. Fine by me, as they are usually so amused by the fact I can speak with them that they pay for dinner and often get me drunk. Or try. I've left more than one Harbiner woozy with pijiou (beer) as the legendary McGonigle tolerance lays waste to a nation full of Rich Storys.

Saturday, April 16, 2005

China: Old and New


Sinoway Towers at HongBo
Originally uploaded by billmcgonigle.
I'm currently reading a book called "Mr. China," (as well as "A Tale of Two Cities" and "Myths to Live By" by Joseph Campbell) graciously shipped to Harbin in a care package organized by loving Mama McGonigle. Many thanks, Mom.

The book is fascinating, I'm burning right through it. It has inspired a number of questions to my Chinese staff, many questions to which they have no answer. I don't know if thats because the book holds such a strong Western view, or that the messier details of the book warrant national or individual censorship, or that they just honestly don't know. Either way, I'm spending more and more time now trying to analyze how China really works.

The best evidence is all that stands around me. Harbin, as mentioned, has been targeted for a major phase of development. And having been here only 8 years ago, this is quite obvious. There is a ridiculous number of buildings, if not entire districts (kinda like a burrough) that did not exist here in 1997.

I live in the center of the town, an area known as "NanGong," which means "South somethingorother." Right up the street, about 5 blocks away, one will find the very university I studied at during my previous trip. Small world.

A little bit further away, but still walking distance, is the heart of the town, HongBo Circle. In the middle of the circle is a massive glass pyramid that, due to the grime, comes off as more of an eyesore than a monument. The view I find more intriguing is the one you'll find in the picture.

You'll find elemements from three different periods in China's history in this picture. First look at the low-level building with the red dome. This stands as one of the older structures in Harbin, built by the Russians as the town first hit the maps circa 1900. The architectural style is disticntly NOT Chinese, and on top of that, it was built of such quality that it still stands today. Unlike most Chinese construction projects, which I believe are designed to crumble after a decade to keep 1.3 billion employed. More on that another time.

Next to that shop building, you can see the HongBo monument, a monument to the Socialist worker, one hand on the gun, the other proudly hoisting the star of the state. I don't think I need to explain the significance of this piece.

Finally, look towards the towers. Probably the first bit that caught your eye. This is the Sinoway Hotel, two massive spires that hold not only the glitziest accomadations in Harbin, but also offices for some of China's largest corporations, China Construction Bank and some car company. And while you'll find many empty rooms in the floors above, the basement below packs X-ed out ravers and horny businessmen into one corner, a geriatric-friendly swimming pool into another, and finally a bowling alley where the lanes are so lacqued that your ball holds no traction, can carry no english or spin, and frequently yells of "OVER THE LINE!" ring out as hopeless rollers slip across the floor on their overworn lane shoes.

This is the New China. Make sense of it.

Thursday, April 14, 2005

More On the Chinese Education System


This One Is For Ted
Originally uploaded by billmcgonigle.
I had a discussion with one of my Chinese TAs about the college system here in the Middle Kingdom. Mostly we concentrated on the application process.

High school students graduate in June, and shortly after participate in a 3 day examination. This harks back to the olden days of China where the first civil service exam in the history of man would test one's intellect, wisdom, and endurance for days on end.

Three or so weeks after the exam, maybe in late July, the students receive both their score and the name of the college they will attend. A little more than a month later, they matriculate. Thats is.

There isnt so much of an application process, certainly not like what we have back in the States. Before the high school students take this national exam, they submit a list of schools they'd hope to attend. There might be 4 or 5 levels of schools, and for each level a student may "wish" for 3. Depending on how high they score, they are fitted to the appropriate level of university, and after that, the government sorts them to one of their 3 requested institutions.

Seems very cold, not that that college process in the US is a happy fun time, but when you realize how many students they are dealing with here it is hard to consider any other method. Even so, I'd be nuts not knowing where I'd be studying for my degree until a month before I would have to leave.

Regardless, China does not have enough classroom space for the number of youth who wish to attend college. This method does the best it can to provide a logical solution to the problem.

On a slightly related note, seems like most Chinese are discouraged from holding any sort of job till they are done with school. I've recently been listing off the different positions I held throughout high school and college and ever since (dishwasher, stockboy, mechanic, pool boy, factory worker, cashier/manager, researcher, political consultant, bouncer, program director, legal assistant, teacher) and it amazes them that someone would ever want to work that much or hold such a variety of jobs. But I've always considered my jobs to be some of the finer points of my education, and they have also introduced me to some of my best friends. Either way, I'm happy they are as captivated by these stories as they were last week with my shoe size.

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Is There a Doctor in the Orient?


Night Penguins
Originally uploaded by billmcgonigle.
We're all familar with the expression that ignorance is bliss, and I often agree. Especially when it comes to certain topics, especially disease. I've taken a few classes on infectious diseases (at PA) and a few on bioterrorism (at Gtown) and the result is I'm rather nervous about any sort of outbreak. This is one reason I postponed coming to China, as when SARS entered the scene, I wanted nothing to do with the East.

China, with 1.3 billion people, has a shaky health care situation on its hands. With so many people, most of them crowded into the northeast cities, disease can spread quite rapidly. This fear in mind, I took a trip to the hospital the other day to get some innoculations taken care of. The upside is that the shots are cheap, as the government wants everyone to be able to afford them. A full battery costs about US$2.50.

The hospital (or clinic, I dont think it was a real hospital) was run like anything else in China: chaotically. We had to fight to make our way to pay for the shots, then fight for the doctors attention, then fight to get out. Once again, it was handy not only being a honky, but also having a police escort.

For this first visit, they only took some blood to test to see what antibodies I might still have floating around. Thursday I'll return to get the actual shots. But this is the real story:

The doctor told me after drawing the blood (don't worry, she used a clean needle, fresh from a sealed bag opened in front of my own eyes) that I was not allowed to shower for 5 days. I asked my companion to verify this, and to ask why. The explanation was over my head, so I called it in to one of my TA's who English is pretty good. She confirmed it: I'm not supposed to shower for 5 days after getting a needle of any sorts in China.

This bothers me, because, well, as some of you will attest (family and roommates) daily showers are a good idea in my world. FIVE days without a shower is, er, bad. Fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing? What do I mean by bad? I'm sure someone will post the answer below.

According to the doctor, the needle in the arm disrupts you circulation, and if you shower, you could come down with a fever. Which makes no sense to me. (BTW, according to the doc, a needle in the hand or the bum wouldnt cause the same problem.) I think this might be a trace of traditional Chinese medicine clinging onto the modern scientific world. Some sort of hold over of the "qi" philosophy.

I asked all my classes about it, got some confusing answers, but this is the one I like best: "Why can't I shower after my shot?" "You've lived in China for two months now. Haven't you realized it is filthy? The water could open the wound and let it get infected."

This is perhaps my brightest student out of all my classes, but I'm still calling bullshit. If there are any medically trained individuals reading this, please chime in. I'm specifically to the numerous relatives and freinds who graduated from GU's School of Nursing and Health Studies. (If you didn't know Aunt Roe, they changed the name of your alma mater.)

On last bit on Chinese medicine: a foot massage here is not just a foot massage. Nor is it some sort of Pulp-Fiction euphemism for sex. The foot massage is considered a legit practice of medicine, and many Chinese go for a rub to have their ailments diagnosed. And the parlors are everywhere. I'll visit one soon enough, though not so much for the medical advice.

Saturday, April 09, 2005

Before I Get In Trouble...

All pokes at Canada are made solely in jest due to the large percentage of Canadians coworkers here in Harbin. Don't take any of it serisously. But don't worry, fellow Americans, I havent gone poutine ("pooteen") on you.

French fries with gravy. (And cheese curd.)

Police Escorts and Seizures

I may have mentioned this, but the head honcho of my school use to be the biggest pig in all of Harbin. What I mean by that is prior to entering the private sector he reigned as the Chief of Police. What this means for me is connections up the wazoo, one of the best being a police escort.

Yup. For all of those who joked about Mr. Bill being thrown in a Red Prison, well, at the very least I'm spending a lot of time in a squad car. That in it self isnt too cool, as many are just Nissan's or Benz's, but what is cool when I walk in with an uniformed officer and get right to the front of any line. Most recently this happened just yesterday when I went to get some innoculations taken care of at a crowded vaccination clinic. Being in with the fuzz is slick. If I ever have a chance, I'm definately going informant in the future. Maybe someone out there still needs to finger a culprit for the Great Commons Food Fight of 1996. You know where I might be reached.

In related news, my mother has graciously shipped me a care package. I have no idea what is in the package, but for the last 14 hours it has been "delayed for inspection" in Beijing. Perhaps my plan to introduce bullfrogs to the local ecosystem has gone the way of chazzwazzers.

In unrelated news, I had to name a student today. As he wouldn't take his hand out of his pants, I bequeathed upon his glory the name "Ted." He said only stupid people were named Ted, and he wanted to be called "Tom."

In slightly unexpected news, bragging about a Red Sox victory over the Blue Jays means nothing to people from Saskatechewan or British Columbia, but who knows where ever the hell Saskatchewan or British Columbia are anyways?

Thursday, April 07, 2005

Bill: International (Disaster) Star

Awesome Burrito no longer has a monopoly in the 3800 crew as the only one to appear in an international commercial.

While putzing around my school yesterday putting some tests together (fun!), a film crew came waltzing in to shoot a commercial. None of us foreign teachers had any idea this was going to happen, and as such, only two of us were around. It should also be known both of us were rather hungover. But the crew wanted to work with us, as the management felt it important to showcase their foreign staff. So if anyone is in China anytime soon, look for me pretending to teach an imaginary class or welcoming you from our front desk.

Sure, maybe the Burrito's commercial was for Jack in the Box, and maybe he got paid, and he just might have had one of the best funny-because-its-so-lame lines I've heard in a commercial since the 80s ("I'm really jonesin' for a burger!" while hopping around a fountain in Italy) but I got... uh... my dignity? No, thats not it. Hmmm. I'll think of it later.

Spectacle


I too hate that Mart guy.
Originally uploaded by billmcgonigle.
If you can see the picture to the right, you'll understand that even though the Chinese have mastered the abacus and the foot massage, they are still a long way from mastering customer service.

This past Tuesday was a gorgeous 65 degrees F in Harbin, or as the rest of the world would say: a gorgeous 22 degrees C. I really need to learn Celsius. Dumb US for keeping to the F system. It doesnt make any sense and I cant spell it either.

Putting on my shorts and a short-sleeved polo (collar down), I headed out to check the new arrivals at my local DVD stores, hopefully find some sunglasses, and generally explore some more of Harbin.

It wasn't long after I left my apartment that I started getting a few stares. More than usual. I mean, there are only 400 or so Westerners in this city of 10 million, so you get stares every now and then. Maybe 1 out of 10 people. But on this day the ration seemed to sky rocket to 9 out of 10.

Soon enough some of the stares became points, laughs, and even inquiries that I couldn't fully understand. Eventually I pieced the whole big joke that was me together:

1. People in China not only dress according to the weather, but as to the season. That means that if it is Winter but the temperature were to go up to 70 degrees, they'd still wear their long johns and parkas. Shorts are not acceptable prior to June. For that matter, long underwear is worn through the end of May.

2. People in China are, for the most part, hairless. Now, I know I am closer to "hairy" than I am to "hairless" (I'm not talking about the head here), but I would not consider my forearms or legs to be anything grotesque or extraordinary. Well, here, they are a public interest. I've had waiters and shopkeeps stroke my arm and twirl the hair there, and one old man who at first thought I was crazy for wearing shorts corrected himself when he took a look at my legs. One of my students, a 5 year old, likes to call me "Monkey Teacher."

3. Large feet are the apex of Chinese humor. I wear a size 11 1/2 or 12, and a rather wide one at that. In China that makes me about a size 46 or 47. Most stores don't carry shoes larger than 44, and when I've wanted to go bowling, I've had to call ahead to ensure they'll have my size. But when the Chinese get a good look at my feet, they all burst out in uncontrollable laughter. I spent 10 minutes in each of my college classes this week just talking about my feet and shoe sizes.

Hooray for China!

Sunday, April 03, 2005

AND TOGETHER WE BURN!!!

Today is yet another festival in merry ol' China, this one being specifically dedicated to honoring one's ancestors. As such, the streets are lined with people burning money in hopes of their departed returning from the grave. I would have taken a picture, but I was told it would be considered very disrespectful. And as we all know I have great love for all things zombie (not in that way, sicko), I needed to blog something.

China, you should know, was the first civilization to invent paper. How long after I do not know, but I'm pretty sure they were also the first to introduce the concept of paper money. Now at first, as with most monetary shifts (look at the gold/silver/GNP standard in the US), no one paid any attention to this funny paper, deeming it worthless next to a coin of gold. But the wily emperor came up with a plan! First he staged his death. After laying low for a few days, during which his court attendents (probably eunuchs) burnt piles upon piles of paper money, just as he had instructed in his will. Then, miraculously, the emperor rose from his grave to reclaim his throne! And lo! The tradition of burning money was born. Or re-born. From the grave. I'll shut up now.

After one last note: they dont burn real money nowadays. Come on.

Saturday, April 02, 2005

Shenanigans

1. "WanXiao" is Chinese for "joke." The whole Winnie story was my lame attempt at an April Fool's Day gag. Not sure how many believed it, probably very few, but at the least my mother fell for it. Haha! C'mon, I would never broadcast something like that over a venue as impersonal as a blog. Well, not unless I had some really hot pictures.

2. The other post was not a joke, I did obtain Beck, scotch, and the "Spaced" DVDs. The new Beck is awesome. I believe "Guero" means "white boy" in Spanish, which I find somewhat humorous as I groove to it as a white speck in a yellow tide. "Spaced" is also hysterical, I've found myself laughing out loud while all alone several times.

Friday, April 01, 2005

Noble Pursuits All

After doing a tad bit of cleaning up around the ol' flat this morning, I headed over to the school to do a little prep for my usual Friday afternoon company class. Actually, a lot of prep, as there is no book to use for this class and I need to make up two hours of material all by myself every week. And it needs to be Grade A quality material too, as the class is only three students small, so if an activity fails the energy in the room drops like Ted Burke's pants in the local Target's pre-teen apparel department.

But lo! Upon arriving at my institution of better education my office manager informed me that all of my students were out of town on a business trip and today's class would be cancelled! Filled with unexecpted glee I turn to Winnie and I say:

"Winnie," says I, "this boon is surely a sign of Fortune smiling warmly upon this day of days! When her wheel turns in such a beneficial nature it is in one's best interest to make towards all unheeded wants and desires in a hope of acquiring such grails. Come! Be my guide! For it is of the utmost importance and necessity that I possess both scotch and Beck before this day is done!"

After dumbing it down a bit (and explaining what scotch and Beck were) Winnie set forth the plan for this unexpected day off. We started out taking a bus to one of the further edges of Harbin, one of the many areas quickly developing as the central government targets the northeast for future providence. It is here where we find METRO, which is basically China's version of Costco, Sam's Club, BJ's, or any such warehouse store. It is not a warehouse store so much in the abnormally large portions of the goods sold, but more so in the sheer size of the place. And they seem to have had anything one might want, including the largest selection of import items in Harbin. Bee-lining to the liquor section I was first greeted with glorious cases of royal Pabst Blue Ribbon, stalwart Budweiser, and Canadian Molson Ice. But the true joy harbored in their availability of Dewars, the drink of drinks. I picked up two bottles at 100 Y a bottle (about US$12, surprisingly cheap, cheaper than in the US at least) as well as a bottle of Stoli at 58 Y. Oh, and a jug of bleach, but that isnt so much for drinking as it is for cleaning.

After returning home to drop off the glory bottles we then began to scour music shop after music shop for the latest Beck, "Guero," or as Ted Burke calls it: "The Reason Why We Have Ears: The Album." For those out of the know, Beck is a modern recording artist and among one of my favorites. His previous albums, "Mellow Gold," "Odelay," "Mutations," "Midnight Vultures," and "Sea Change" are all on heavy rotation on my iPod. He rules.

Surprisingly, again, it did not take long to secure the elusive disc. Plus I found the entire run of "Spaced" on DVD. This was also a unexpected treasure, as "Spaced" is a British TV show done by the same guys who did "Shaun of the Dead," one of my favorite movies in 2004. Apparently "Spaced" is for sci-fi dorks what "Shaun of the Dead" was for zombie geeks. Being a good bit of both, I'm looking forward to it.

Feeling remarkably content, we then made a stop at Hemama's Kofehouse, a small cafe near my apartment owned and run by a man named Ronny from Papau New Guinea. Now I've had a lot of coffee in my time, but I will not deem myself a connoisser of any sorts. I will often default in saying Dunkin Donuts holds the greatest cup of joe ever poured, but I'll be damned if I've ever had a better mug than what Ronny serves up. When I have little to do but not too much time to really go out and explore, I often find myself heading here for a cup. They've also got a selection of books in English, though limited and rather odd, but there is something very comforting with relaxing with a hot drink and re-reading one of your favorite childhood novels (lately I've been picking up a dogeared copy of "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" while there) that I can only begin to describe.

So now I am home, and I do need to do some prep work for the next few days, but I am unbelievably content after all of today's graces. Hooray for me.