Awww...

Here is a letter I received from one of my students the other day:

Hi Kitty! This is the last journal. And the examination is around the corner. I don't worry about the examination. But I do know, after the examination, you won't come to see us. Is that right?

What I want to say is I will miss you in the future. You have brought us much happiness, and we all consider you as a good teacher and a good friend. You have a shown us what an optimistic an American girl is.

Since you have accepted my invitation to be a judge last time, I came to know how kind you are. To be honest, I was touched. On that evening, we talked a lot. I was so excited that I was full of energy for following several days. It's very comfortable to be with you. So, extremely, I want to make friends with you. Maybe we have been, all right? That's why I telephoned you to make sure you are ok on the earthquake day. You are my friend.

I don't know if you wonder why a Chinese boy would think so much for just a simple help. If you do wonder, I would say it's the different between Chinese and American. One is inner and the other is outer. I don't know if each American girl, or boy is so straightforward, but as your character has impressed me, my dream that studying in US few years later is more resolute. I want to make friends with more straightforward American. At that time, if have chances, I will go to Minneapolis to drop at my first American friend's home. Will you welcome me? :)

But we have another problem to work out. If we don't keep in touch with each other for four or six years, we will just be strangers.

So I will reveal the main purpose of the whole passage. I want to keep in touch with you in the future. If you consider your Chinese student I is ok or just not bad, please promise me. I want it very much. And on the other aspects, you can get accurate information about China from me, it is free! :)

In the end, I want to represent all my classmates to say, you are a good teacher, a good friend, we all love like you, we will miss you forever!

I'm really going to miss all this undeserved admiration.

Something to Chew On

An interesting article about the future of meat consumption (and food, in general) in the face of growing global demands and climate change.

Being over here has made me think a lot about not only what kind of effects food has on my body, but also the consequences of my food choices both locally and globally. The food situation in China has gotten a lot of attention lately (at least in the foreign media) with the Olympics, the problems with tainted exports, and the effects of pollution on food and agricultural land. But overall, China is facing the same kind of problems that the U.S. has faced in the past or will face in the future. Both countries need to take a serious look at an agricultural system that is suffering from economic and environmental problems.

Here is a great website that shows you what agricultural products are in season in your area (U.S. only). It also has links to recipes for those who need some extra help. Eating locally not only supports the local economy but also cuts down on greenhouse gases caused by transporting produce hundreds or thousands of miles. If that doesn't convince you, it tastes better too.

I think that's enough raving for today.

More Earthquakes and Chinese Buildings

Since the first major earthquake a couple weeks ago, there have been various aftershocks occurring, and even more common is the constant threat of aftershocks. At least once a day, I get a text message (from who, I'm not exactly sure) notifying me about the current state of the seismic plates and whether or not I should be concerned. Last week, the entire country was warned there would be another earthquake between the hours of 10pm and midnight, and everyone was thus advised to go outside their homes and any other building they might be occupying. This whipped up enough paranoia so that the entire student body (or it seemed) moved outside to camp in the streets or other open areas. Here is a picture of the badminton courts that night, just outside the hotel .


I chose not to spend the night outside because a) I'm pretty sure you can't predict when an earthquake will happen and b) the first one didn't do any harm in Xi'an, so an aftershock is even less of a threat. Altogether it wasn't worth the trouble of sleeping outside when I had to look chipper in front of 30 students the next day.
However, some students are rightfully worried about staying in their dormitories. I was told by Ma Jing that one dormitory on campus had even moved -a whole inch!- and the students of that building are staging a "sleep-out" protest as I write this. I'm not entirely sure that's ture, but, there has been a lot of controversy recently about the schools that collapsed in Sichuan province, which killed thousands of children, and all the while buildings that stood right next door were relatively unharmed. Here's a NY Times article for more information about the problem. The schools, apparently, were not properly reinforced, made from substandard concrete, and were not even up to the lax building codes of China.
The building standards have been a source of constant wonder during my time in China. Most of the construction is done by peasant laborers who seem to have no formal training in building, and there seems to be little or no leadership in completing projects. Witnessing the progession of construction on the new campus of NWPU is a little bizarre: one thing gets completed, and then destroyed by subsequent progress, and then needs to be rebuilt. One example is when a construction vehicle smashed the newly formed concrete curbs because no one thought to put down some ramps for the truck to drive over. And apparently, the cracks that happened on the teaching buildings on campus after the first earthquake were not due to the ferocity of the shaking, but instead, the fact that during construction someone tiled over some parts of the building that were supposed to move - in case of an earthquake (This was pointed out by another foreign teacher who is training to become an architect).
In many cases with new buildings here, they look very classy and expensive when they are first built, but because of lack of upkeep or the use of shoddy materials, they very quickly look like crap. I recently learned that the hotel where I live was built just 4 years ago. Now, it really is not a bad place to live, but to anyone who has seen my apartment up close, it is amazing the kind of damage this place has sustained in just 4 years. Almost equally amazing is the fact that the hotel still charges $100 per night to stay in a room like mine.

The sink faucet

The shower curtain- It is held up (kind of) by some string.

The carpet- My mom refused to walk on it with bare feet.

Update

The death toll has reached a staggering 10,000 people, including 900 children that were trapped inside of a collapsed high school. Thousands are still trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings. At least 20,000 have been injured. Thankfully this area of the country has escaped any serious damage, but hundreds of thousands of people in Sichuan province are without shelter and basic necessities. If you can find it in your heart, many charities are now accepting donations to help with disaster relief. Contributions can be made at the Red Cross or Mercy Corps. Every little bit will help.

I'm okay!

I'm safe and sound after the earthquake that struck China this afternoon. The center of the quake was actually not far from Xi'an, in Sichuan Province, just south of here. The tremors actually interrupted a game of kickball I was having with my students (to teach them about American baseball culture.. or something). I thought I was just a little dizzy from shouting too much and from the afternoon heat, but it took my students a few minutes to remember the word "earthquake!" (even though we studied 'Natural Disasters' less than a month ago), and we all dropped to the ground. Students and faculty were forced out of all the dormitories and classroom buildings and afternoon classes were canceled. This gave my students an extra two hours to appreciate the finer points of kickball (which, by the way, they thoroughly enjoyed-pictures to follow soon). In typical China fashion, we were left sitting outside on the pavement for the next couple hours without any updates on the situation, when we would be allowed back inside, or even why we were sitting outside for so long in the first place. So I decided to cut my losses, cancel my evening classes and catch the next bus back to my apartment. We've been really fortunate here and haven't witnessed any major damage, although one of the new buildings on campus is sporting some serious cracks in the facade. A few of my students, as well, were trying to get in contact with their families who live not far from the center of the quake. Fortunately, they are all okay. Yet, the death toll is already at 190 and some estimates have gone as high as 5,000, so please keep us all in your thoughts as the real extent of the damage is sorted out.

Happy Mother's Day!

In honor of the holiday, I want to talk a little about the best mother of all.. Mother Earth. (Sorry Mom, I love you!)


Here's an interesting article about China's ongoing battle with the environment. I've talked a lot of global warming with several of my classes and the results have varied between bemused condescension and genuine concern. Yet, none of them seemed to care very much that China is now the largest producer of carbon emissions. The most shocking thing to me was that many of my students couldn't think of any way that they could personally contribute to stopping global warming. Not one. Granted, these were my freshman who are, in general, the worst students on the planet, but I mean, come on.. Anyway, the article is really informative, but if you don't have the patience to read it (it's pretty long), I'll quickly summarize the most interesting points.

• 400,000 people in China die prematurely each year from respiratory illnesses.
  
• Four-fifths of the length of China's rivers are too polluted for fish.
• China now rivals North Africa as the world's leading producer of border-crossing dust (as my friend Min living in Korea has generously pointed out).
• China's GDP is growing at a rate of about 10% per year. But it is estimated that the result of China's environmental damage (everything from crops lost to health care costs) is costing 10% of its GDP. In essence, all of the economy's celebrated growth.

Another important thing to note is the consequences of our own choices as consumers (yes, I'm talking to you all the way across the world!) The article rightly points out the fact that our demand for cheap goods is fueling this environmental destruction that, whether we like it or not, will come back to get us one day. The wood furniture we conveniently purchase at Ikea is manufactured in China with illegally logged wood from Siberia and Indonesia. Deforestation accounts for 18% of the world's greenhouse gases. That's only one example, but I could go on. The fact is that, even though we have strict(ish) laws in the U.S. about pollution and emissions, the material goods that we desire have to be made somewhere. Unfortunately for the Chinese people, their government officials are not beyond the draw of all the dollars they get in manufacturing these goods. Indeed, the author elegantly states that China is merely following the American economic model. And as I've heard my students say, developed countries have polluted the earth for hundreds of years in order to become powerful, now it's our turn.

But the Chinese people are not taking this lying down. The article highlights that pollution and environmental damages caused an estimated 50,000 disputes and protests in 2005 alone. However, these protests have all met with the same response: government crackdown resulting in lives lost, in one case even, a 13-year old girl. As one demonstrator in Zhejiang province said, "They are making poisonous chemicals for foreigners that the foreigners don't dare produce in their own countries. It is better to die now, forcing them out, than to die of a slow suicide."

Have you ever been to English class... on weed?

Yesterday before class, I was enjoying a nice summer breeze that was coming through the window when I was suddenly overcome by the smell of marijuana smoke. (Not that I have any reason to know what marijuana actually smells like, but I saw a movie about it once, and it gave me a pretty good idea.) I was stunned.. was I somehow emitting this smell? Were my students having a little fun before class..? No, of course not. (Incidentally, drug addiction is pretty unheard of in China, especially among college students.) It was everywhere in the room! I walked over to Shelby's classroom to check with her, and on the way over the hallway was absolutely filled with smoke. Shelby came out and confirmed what we were smelling. I ran downstairs to check with Ali, and yep, he had noticed the same thing. Where was it coming from? Was NPU unwittingly growing a field of marijuana? The peasant laborers doing the landscaping had no idea what it was and just decided to burn it...? Or could they be playing a great trick on the entire campus?! The point was, however, that my classroom was basically hotboxed the entire night, turned into a giant marijuana steam room! Not that I can really complain.. My students were so interested in my lesson (about Genetically Modified foods) and were laughing maybe a little too much when we sang "Apples and Bananas" by Raffi. Finally, they had to come up with their own genetically modified foods, and I really think the atmosphere helped them think a little "outside of the box." Some of my favorites: parrot DNA put into a flower to make talking flowers, a fruit that can change your gender from male to female and back again (or vice versa), a cow or pig that can regenerate its body parts when they're cut off-like a lizard.

As an interesting side note, the character for marijuana in Chinese (麻 ma) means plant that are grown inside a building, and as my Chinese teacher put it, "What kind of plants would you need to grow indoors?"

Pictures, etc.

I've updated my pictures to include a bunch of shots from the various facets of life here, including all the Christmas photos that I never posted before.

On a more entertaining note, one of my students is currently reading Lolita as sort of an investigation into Western culture and ethics. Here are his thoughts from the first part of the book: "Half of the words are talking about Humbert's eccentricity again and again. The other half? Depicting young girls' backsides and thighs in a hundred ways." I couldn't have put it more elegantly.

My Life as an Orphan

I'm all alone again since my mom and Rod left after a very short stay in Xi'an last week. They were only here for three days (after spending a few days in Beijing), so I tried to show them everything that was good and exciting about my life in Xi'an.
The best part of their trip was just spending time with them, since it had been over seven months since our last meeting. We had a lot of interesting conversations about life in China and differences from the West, which gave me a good opportunity to vent about certain things that remain frustrations. The really interesting part for me was the incongruities they noticed that I had long since accepted or forgotten about. Here are a few examples:

• The fact that there is no organized system of lines.. anywhere. It's first come, first serve, and even if you are surrounded by a gaggle of old ladies trying to make their way on to the bus, an elbow to the ribs would not be out of place to get yourself to the front.
  
• The lack of heat in most buildings. Unfortunately, my mom and Rod arrived here a few days after March 15, the day the heat was shut off by the central authority in Beijing. This is a country-wide policy and has nothing to do with the actual weather conditions. (In fact, only a few days before the shut-off, I was running the air conditioner along with the heat, because it was so warm outside). During my mom's stay, however, the weather was anything but pleasant. It was cold and rainy, so we were forced to do as the Chinese, that is, wear more clothing.
  
• The excess amounts of food. I got used to this a long time ago, that there is always too much food at banquets and other dinner parties with friends. It's a way to show your generosity and prosperity. My mom and Rod just saw it as a waste.
• My favorite thing and something I have been meaning to write about for a long time: crotchless baby pants. Until the age of 4 or 5, children walk around with a huge split in their pants, exposing their bums and nether regions. At any given moment, you may see a child squatting at the side of the road or next to a tree, relieving themselves for someone else to clean up later. Lily, my Chinese friend, also informed me that parents can train their children to pee at the sound of a whistle, sort of a Pavlov's dog thing. I was happy to learn, however, that diapers are used at some occasions when I was sitting next to a mother and child during a two-hour flight.
  

My mom and Rod's arrival at the airport. The flowers are from Ma Jing.. I'm not that thoughtful of a daughter.

Taken at the starting point of the Silk Road.

Some old Chinese guy who commented on Rod's youthful appearance and made Rod feel his strong thumb muscles.

New Teacher

This semester, I'm teaching one section of freshman students, the only class that I didn't also teach last semester. The first week, I spent some time introducing myself and getting to know the class. For their journal assignments, some of the students shared their first impressions of me:

"Our new foreign teacher is a lovely, beautiful girl and also a three-quarters American. It really make me feel friendly that she told us a quarter of her blood is Chinese. Her name, Kitty Hallin, had caught much attention because Hello Kitty is a world-known cartoon role."

"Kitty, it's very nice to meet you, my new English teacher. I have listened to your class for just one time but your special teaching skill slay me."

"Slowly but surely, the first English class of listening and speaking came. To our surprise, a new teacher turned up in the class. Of course, she is Kitty Hallin. Kitty Hallin really looked short. [. . .] As a whole, our new teacher is very interesting and smart and she would come up, with some new idea to improve our English skills. Am I right, Miss Hallin?"

News travels fast here

This past Saturday, I picked up a copy of China Daily, the English language newspaper published by the Communist Party. It's not a very reliable source of news (one travel book called it a "propaganda sheet"), but it syndicates the New York Times crossword puzzle, so I shell out the 1.5 yuan a few times a week to get it. This particular issue carried a headline saying, "Xi'an safe for foreign tourists, mayor says". The story went on to explain how a bus carrying ten Australian tourists was hijacked by a man with explosives strapped to his chest. The hijacker was eventually shot dead and none of the tourists were hurt. This happened on Wednesday. The news came out on Saturday, four days after this occurred. There was no other mention of this event, before or after it happened, and the reason for this attack is still unknown. After asking all my students about it this week, only a few had even heard about what happened.

This is just one example of the extremely censored media that I have access to in China. While vacationing in Cambodia, I read about a mine that collapsed in Shanxi province in December 2007, killing 147 workers. This happened only a few hours away from Xi'an, yet there was never any news about it. Part of the problem is that I don't speak Chinese, so anything I hear comes from the English websites that I can still reach through the Great Firewall (BBC not included), from word of mouth, or from publications like China Daily.

Still, I'm constantly amazed by the kind of information my students receive (read: completely biased). A few months ago, a student asked if I had ever heard of the student demonstrations in 1989 in Beijing i.e Tiananmen Square. He had only chanced upon this information by watching a documentary that had been officially banned in China but that he had downloaded from the internet.

Re-conversion to Vegetarianism

I found this disturbing news item in a paper in Bangkok when I was on vacation:
"When an American caterer working for the U.S. Olympic Committee went to a supermarket in China last year, he encountered a piece of chicken - half a breast - that measured 14 inches. 'Enough to feed a family of eight,' said the caterer, Frank Puleo, who has traveled from New York to China to handle food related issues.
We had it tested and it was so full of steroids that we never could have given it to athletes,' Puleo said of the chicken meat that measured about 35 centimeters. 'They all would have tested postive.' "

So with the knowledge that I've been unwittingly bulking up for the past 6 months, I've decided to rededicate myself to the life of an herbivore. Although with the language barrier, I'll have to be less than strict about my vegetarian diet. This change, however, has the added benefit of giving me a valid excuse to avoid eating some of the very strange delicacies in China.
In honor of that fact, I'm giving you a list of all the exotic morsels I've indulged in and my amateur culinary opinion.

Pig's feet: Not much to eat, mostly skin, and very hard to hold with chopsticks. Overall, lacked flavor.

Cow's stomach: Texture is the main appeal. Feels like bubble wrap.

Chicken feet: After accidentally ordering this, I was too scared to actually eat it. Chicken feet look surprisingly like huge pieces of ginger.

Duck intestines: Probably one of the most unappetizing things I've ever had. Imagine eating an anus. That's what it tasted like.. with peppers!

Duck brain: A lot like foie gras. I definitely recommend this one.

Hundred-Year Old Egg: The egg is not actually one hundred years old, but marinated in some sort of brine for a few weeks, giving it a murky appearance. Kind of an acquired taste.

Ox Lung: Looks like beeswax, feels like a tennis net. Overall, not bad.

Sheep's testicle: A silken texture that feels amazing on the palate. Definitely a must.

Me and the threatening chicken appendage.

Lily and Shelby enjoying sheep genitals as part of our Christmas feast.

Back to the Grind

Well, almost. Class doesn't officially start for another five days, but I've been using my last days of freedom to finish all the tasks I left hanging for a month while I was off cavorting in exotic locations. The weather in Xi'an is not as cold as I expected, but it was a little shock to the nervous system after all the time spent on the beach. My tan is definitely out of place in this climate and where "whitening cream" can be found in almost any skin care item.

I posted the rest of my pictures from my vacation which can be viewed here. For a more graphic representation of where I was, you can look at this map. I also put up some pictures of my week spent in Shanghai after New Years, which you can see here.

I'm looking forward to getting back to work and seeing my students again, although I might be taking on a few extra hours, due to the fact that four foreign teachers left this semester and have yet to be replaced. Hooray.

Pictures and Cambodia: Updated

Sorry for the fact that I haven't kept you all better updated on my travels. I made it out of China before the big snowstorm hit, and I've been very happily avoiding the cold weather in Vietnam and now Cambodia. Apparently, the hotel in Xian has been without power and heating, and the temperature was -8 celsius the last time I checked! I'm staying warm in the town of Siem Reap, just outside the ancient city of Angkor Wat. After spending a few days here, I'm off to Thailand where I fly home February 19th. I just wanted to share a few pictures I uploaded from my time spent in Chengdu and Kunming. There will be more to follow.. just as soon as I get the chance.

Update: I put up more pictures of my time in Vietnam. I spent all of today wandering the ruins of Angkor Wat, and I'm still not done! I'm going back for more tomorrow before heading on to Bangkok on the 9th.

Hello from Kunming

My travels have been successful so far; no major accidents or inconveniences. But it has been quite an adventure.


I managed to fall ill the night before I left for Chengdu. Because of the snow in Xi'an, we had to leave super early (4am) for the airport to catch our 8am flight. While I was still groggy from the Nyquil I took 4 hours before, we mangaged to catch a cab to the airport without too much hassle. Chengdu was a really nice city; the public buses were easy to navigate and there was lots to see and do. However, the weather there and my sickness contributed to me hating Chengdu with a passion. It was rainy and damp the entire time we were there, and because of it's position south of the "North-South" line in China, there is absolutely no heating indoors. The only source of heat they have is their supremely spicy cuisine which can't help but warm your insides. Our first day there, we were treated to a bowl of chilli peppers and duck heads (pictures to follow). It wasn't all bad, though, for our trip to the Panda Research Base and Breeding Center was the highlight of my short life. We had to get there early (between 8:30 and 9:30) to catch the pandas while they were feeding and before they fell asleep for the rest of the day. There's no words to describe the cuteness of the whole spectacle (especially the panda cubs), but I'll post pictures as soon as I get the chance.


Kunming has been really enjoyable so far, and it definitely buoyed my spirits after our stay in Chengdu. The weather here is much nicer, and you can actually see the sky! (as opposed to Xi'an) The first day here, we got our Vietnamese visas sorted out, which will be finished on Monday afternoon. Monday evening we're taking a loonng bus ride (there's no train on the Chinese side) to Hekou, the last stop in China before reaching Vietnam. The plan from there is to catch a train into Hanoi, where we'll stay for a few days. In the mean time, I'll be exploring Kunming's numerous parks and temples and enjoying all the coffee and Western food available.

Winter Wonderland

It snowed in Xi'an yesterday, just in time for me to head south for the winter.



Tomorrow I'll be heading on a grand tour of Southeast Asia via Southern China. Here's my itinerary so far:
January 14-15: Chengdu, China
The highlight of this stop will be the Panda Research Base and Breeding Center (ie. baby pandas!) and the spicy cuisine typical of Sichuan province.
January 15-19: Kunming, China
The main reason for this stay is to acquire visas from the Vietnamese and Cambodian consulates located in the city, but I've heard the coffee in Yunan province is especially good.

From there, I'll be heading into Vietnam, either by train or plane, but I'll try and keep you posted as I move. Until then, enjoy this picture of a snowman from the street behind my house. It looks a little pathetic, but I guess they couldn't spare the coal.

Off to the Big City

I'm leaving today for Shanghai, and I'll be there for about a week. I'm looking forward to catching up with the family, exploring a city even bigger than Xi'an and shopping, of course. (The Chinese all say that Shanghai is only good if you like to shop, since there's no 'culture' to speak of.) I'll be back briefly on the 9th before heading on vacation for real this time, but you can expect another post before that.

Sorry Excuse for a Blogger

I really meant to post sooner, but I got caught up in the whole Christmas season (ie. eating and drinking lots). In addition, my computer, which has been slowly breaking down for a couple years, refuses to recognize the internet connection in my apartment, meaning I have to come to my (unheated) office to go online. Needless to say, my blog may become even more sporadic. What's more, I am hopelessly tech-un-savy, and I can't get any of my pictures to load onto this computer. So while I was going to treat you all to the tale of my Christmas adventures, it will have to wait until I can get my visual aids to work.

In more positive news, tonight I'll be ringing in 2008 China-style. No word yet on what that means, but I'm sure it will include (lots of) baijiu. My TV interview will also air tonight at 11:50 pm, so hopefully no one will be at home to watch.

Happy Birthday to my mom who turned an unspecified youthful age December 30th and is now officially engaged to a wonderful man. Congratulations to the both of them and Happy New Year to the rest of you! 新年快乐!

Obligatiory Political Rant

To be honest, I'm not really in the ranting mood, but I suggest you read this article about America's continued "War on Drugs".

To promulgate more of my personal ideology (just in time for the holiday season), I'd like to recommend this website where you can find locally produced foods in your area. Good for local farmers, the environment, and your conscience (which will make it taste better too)!

Check back tomorrow for more about the Christmas season in Xi'an, attempts at festivity and my apparent mission to spread Christmas cheer.

Too Much Recycling is a Bad Thing

A few weeks ago, I came across this article. It tells that certain ingenious entrepreneurs in China have been recycling used condoms into colorful hair bands resulting in a much cheaper product than the traditional methods. I forwarded the article to a few other foreign teachers in China, and we all had a good laugh. China's recycling system is above and beyond anything found in the States. Every trash bag is sorted to remove all plastics, papers, metals, and... condoms?

Today, while shopping for some Christmas gifts in an open market, I spotted a package of hair bands that looked suspiciously like those pictured in the online article.


My curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to buy them. When I got home, I took one of the hair ties and unwrapped the thread only to find this:


A further internet search revealed that "local entertainment venues" may contribute a large number of the condoms.
Gross.