tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73253385154118965582024-03-13T20:04:20.503-07:00Life AbroadNatashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-15560385096794966682013-11-04T05:30:00.000-08:002013-11-04T05:30:07.067-08:00Korea<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eYLyUxZSM6Y/UnegYIrVjCI/AAAAAAAAAj4/leRaIYeUKiU/s1600/1395892_3661999726418_1681411479_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y7WAiEWTW8s/UnegZUUBoeI/AAAAAAAAAkI/6HEpcBc7xyQ/s1600/522000_3662021446961_679659504_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eYLyUxZSM6Y/UnegYIrVjCI/AAAAAAAAAj4/leRaIYeUKiU/s1600/1395892_3661999726418_1681411479_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eYLyUxZSM6Y/UnegYIrVjCI/AAAAAAAAAj4/leRaIYeUKiU/s320/1395892_3661999726418_1681411479_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My trip was great, my friend was a
fabulous host. For a couple days we went down to this island called
Jeju where he had a good friend, and this island was amazing. The air
was so fresh, the water so clear, the beaches so beautiful and and
the sand so nice. What I'm basically saying is, I want to move to
this wonderful island and spend the rest of my life. Yes, it was that
great.
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I could bore you with details of my
trip, but instead I will go over some of the cultural aspects of it,
in my opinion I found it so completely different from China, and
actually slightly more similar to American culture, but that's coming
from Chinese perspective, not American perspective ;)</div>
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As I begin my analysis, I have a
feeling it won't be completely satisfactory for a couple reasons.
One, I'm going to compare it to Chinese as well as American culture,
and I was only there for a week, which is really just a toe in the
ocean of culture.</div>
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First thing, age, is really important
in Korean culture. About a two/three year age gap can make all the
difference, about whether you can befriend this person or not, and
what words you will use when speaking to them. In China, we don't
really have that. Age is still more important that America, but not
to the extent of Korea. In China, I should respect my elder's, and I
shouldn't date an older guy, I should be married before I turn 30,
but otherwise age is not so big.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m3qMtR_s5Yk/UnegWvWAfII/AAAAAAAAAjs/awKXYKRdzyg/s1600/1383330_3653718439391_1930276069_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m3qMtR_s5Yk/UnegWvWAfII/AAAAAAAAAjs/awKXYKRdzyg/s320/1383330_3653718439391_1930276069_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Politeness. America has a pretty polite
culture, not to the extent, of perhaps, England. But in America, a
lot of people use the word “sorry” when you bump into someone, or
“excuse me” when trying to get by, and of course we ALWAYS say
“thank you”. Korea is also a very polite culture, especially with
the word “thank you”! If I had been coming from America, I could
have gotten that one down fine, but in China we don't have these
“polite words.” So, Chinese may come across as rude, but the
thought is (unless your talking to a superior), you don't really need
them. If my friend has something I can say “Give it to me” and
its not considered rude. If I'm at a store and someone hands
something to me, I don't need to say thanks, in fact I can just grunt
and its acceptable! But I'm pretty nice, I usually send a smile.
Anyways, this drove my friend crazy. He kept asking me, “Why aren't
you saying thank you?!” And he would have to whisper it in my ear,
to remind me if someone was doing something especially nice.
Hopefully any lapses on politeness were forgiven, since I am a
foreigner.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y7WAiEWTW8s/UnegZUUBoeI/AAAAAAAAAkI/6HEpcBc7xyQ/s1600/522000_3662021446961_679659504_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y7WAiEWTW8s/UnegZUUBoeI/AAAAAAAAAkI/6HEpcBc7xyQ/s320/522000_3662021446961_679659504_n.jpg" width="180" /></a>Bowing. In Korea you bow. In China you
don't. Maybe for martial arts, but I don't know anything about that.
Again, age can come into this. You don't wave at someone older, but
you can wave at your friends. Also, when I was introduced to guys
(closer to my age), they would shake my hands and we would keep
shaking until the greetings were over. I can't say much about this,
but I noticed it with others to. So the hand shake is different than
America, but in China we don't ever shake hands.
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I think for me one of the nicest things
was not getting stared at, and people talking to me like I might know
the language. Of course I don't, I couldn't even remember “thank
you”, but I know the language in China and everyone always assumes
I don't, and it gets tiresome. I think this just reflects how Korea
has been opened to foreigners way longer than China has.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2hXRz_Ni7a8/UnegXjm9WdI/AAAAAAAAAj0/QLQ_VqJ3QWM/s1600/1382895_3648809076660_216554417_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2hXRz_Ni7a8/UnegXjm9WdI/AAAAAAAAAj0/QLQ_VqJ3QWM/s320/1382895_3648809076660_216554417_n.jpg" width="213" /></a>Do I recommend going to Korea? Yes, I
do, it is a wonderful country. What if you don't know Korean? I can't
say much on this, since my friend is Korean, so pretty much babysat
me all week, but my experience was not a ton of people speak English.
At the shopping places that many people go, they have translators and
people willing to give directions (wearing red clothes) to any who
need, and at the airport many people speak English and they have
translators too. But I think if you go, you just want to make sure
your a little prepared before hand, with a map, your hotel written
out (in the Korean language-you could probably print it) and things
like that. Korea is wonderful, go.</div>
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Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-10168478247541305682013-10-18T02:22:00.004-07:002013-10-18T02:22:55.657-07:00When Follow Through is Too Much<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Most people would consider
follow-through and dedication a good trait to have and I have them in
abundance. So, most people would consider me perfect, right? Well, as
close as I may be, it is completely wrong. When I commit to
something, I am committed 120%, for better or for worse. When I say
something, no matter how wrong it is I will stick to my guns until I
have everyone convinced. When I do something, I will follow it
through, no matter what direction it takes, until it is too late. Let
me share a little story.
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My story needs a foundation, that
foundation is anger problems. I don't need to go into details, all
you need to know is I had them. I don't think I have them any more,
but every now and then a bit of that old anger will emerge,
thankfully it gets better and better, not the anger, but the lack of
anger. Living in a country that is not your own, will bring out your
anger whether you have a history of anger problems or not. My anger
just happens to show a little more than others, probably because of
this history. Again, I should say it is not as bad as it once was.
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In the city that I live I look
different, than the Chinese people. No big deal, usually, but it
means I have people stare and shout “HELLO!” in my face as I walk
around doing my own business. For the most part, I try and have grace
and go on with my life.
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Yesterday evening, traffic was bad, the
bus was crowded and I was slightly annoyed. When I got to my stop, I
had traffic literally stopped because a taxi driver and his passenger
were staring at me. Normally I would move on, but this time, out of
no where and totally uncontrollably and with a mind of its own my
right arm lifted up and my fist slammed the top of the taxi, then I
walked around it.
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The taxi driver got out of his taxi and
started yelling at me, so I made some rude gestures and yelled back,
“Why the hell are you staring at me!” As this was going on, in my
mind I knew two things. First, I knew I shouldn't have hit his car,
he was just looking at me because I'm beautiful. Second, I knew if he
walked over to me I would follow through with my actions even if that
meant a fistfight. I waited, part of me a little concerned at what I
had done and what I might do, part of me hoping I could show this
staring man what a pretty girl is made of, in a not so nice way.</div>
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It ended with him getting back in his
car and me walking away. Major mistake avoided, minor mistake too
late to fix. What will happen next time you ask? Hopefully next time
I won't hit the taxi, but if I do, all I know is this follow-through
problem is not going to be fixed any time soon.</div>
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Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-17667913917939456102013-10-03T04:05:00.001-07:002013-10-03T04:05:41.703-07:00Emergencies and Accidents<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yesterday I sat here staring at my screen wondering what to write, today I come with stories.<br />
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Our house is unintentionally becoming a party house, not like crazy black out party nights, but a place where people are coming to connect. And its great to be at the center of it, or at least host it. Living in another country as a single person can be hard, while its still possible to be friends with married people, its just a different lifestyle. Oddly, right now in my city there are a bunch of single people and we have now thrown our second "party" with great success. The singles come flocking! (Leaving the awkward Single 'Meet and Greet' behind.)<br />
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Last night was a bonfire, I was expecting rain or police and neither came, for that I'm grateful. When we went out I thought our fire would last an hour if we were lucky, it went a solid two hours and we managed to keep it up for the third. By then some of us were getting cold so we invited people into our house if they wanted to continue the 'party' (which for me meant drinking coffee and trying not to all asleep in conversation). Again, another pleasant surprise, people like us! About half came into our house-about 12 people.<br />
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We crammed into the elevator, no beeping occurred, the doors shut, one floor up and DROP! After some screaming and mild profanity we all laughed. Twelve people and a dog crammed into an elevator during holiday with no cell service. Luckily, other's did actually have cell service and we were able to get ahold of some of the people who left and they got us help. We were stuck for almost half an hour, with a dog who had terrible gas. If any of us had died, it would have been for lack of oxygen. For 12 people crammed in an elevator with little breathable air we all looked happy, laughing and smiling. I can't post the video (too many people to get permission from), but someone did take a video and we all look like we are having the time of our lives! Just part of living in China.<br />
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That was the emergency, today the accident occurred, this one a little less funny. My dog jumped, snagging his nail and it ripped off. While it heals it will be painful to sit through because, even though he may be pug, he is far from sedentary and I wont be able to take him running for probably a couple weeks.<br />
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Living abroad when emergencies and accidents occur what do you do? Hope for the best and laugh at the rest.</div>
Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-50627989108398943722013-09-26T18:37:00.001-07:002013-09-26T18:37:37.810-07:00Having A Dog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />As I'm sure all my readers know by now, I have a dog, I bought him about a year ago. In fact right around Halloween, I gave up my costume money for my dog. When I bought him I promised myself so many things. I promised myself I would never compare having a dog to being a parent. That I would never let him get away with things. That he would always just be a dog. Well, less than a year later and I have broken all of those promises I made to myself.<br />
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I should have known I was going to break all these promises immediately, but denial is a sweet nectar to our guilt. Just a couple days after getting Otis, my dog, I was at a friends house and we were eating dinner. I had Otis on my lap while I ate. And one of my friends turned to me and said, "Oh! Your that kind of dog owner!" I tried to deny it, explain it away, no he has a lot of energy right now, he's not potty trained yet, I don't have a leash.... excuse ... excuse ... excuse. I felt the truth of the statement, but I kept telling myself, he is JUST a dog, I am master. I <i>own</i> him.<br />
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The first promise to slowly start eroding away was my promise to not compare owning a dog to parenthood, but its hard when all the mother's around me compared my dog to their kids. I promise, I didn't start it! Perhaps, it was a way I could connect with friends, my friends who are married with kids while I am single with dog. (Sounds like the beginning to a sad story.)<br />
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So, as all my peers started to call me Otis's mother so did I. I will confess it was painful, but liberating. I will influence this creature's habits from now on out! But if you take this first step, you can never let him be JUST a dog again. Which began my downfall into letting him behave very un-dog-like.<br />
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At first this wasn't a problem because he had some other dogs in the house, but when they left he began some curious habits. First, when I would sit down to eat at the dinner table he would jump on the chair next to me and sit there too. Step one, thinks he's human. After doing this for awhile I started to find he had jumped on the table, step two; he knows he's not human, so what is he-cat?<br />
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I'm happy to say I killed that habit (after a looong time), but I couldn't bring myself to tell him no to jumping on chairs-it was so cute! Which is where my final downfall lay, letting him get away with things.<br />
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I tried to tell myself that I had to be stern, if you want your dog (or child) to create good habits, you have to be consistent and I was always one of those single people who couldn't believe it when parents weren't consistent with their kids. Now, I understand. Sometimes,<br />
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I catch Otis chewing on pillows and I look away and think "Yes! A moment to myself!" Sometimes he jumps on the couch (which he is technically not allowed to do) and I think "How cute!"<br />
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My conclusion is this; I am a terrible parent, but the same as any other. I am completely biased towards my creature and think all others suck. Mess with my stuff (dog/child), you mess with me, angry mama bear.<br />
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Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-90478957558000409652013-09-17T23:41:00.000-07:002013-09-17T23:41:04.231-07:00What does Riding the Bus and Street Dancing Have in Common?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I begin this blog with a question; what does riding the bus and street dancing have in common? If you look at specifically China, not much. Or specifically America, the same answer. But if you decide to switch the question to what does riding the bus in America and street dancing in China have in common? A whole lot. Or the other question; what does street dancing in America and riding the bus in China have in common? Way too much.<br />
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Riding the bus in America, is a fairly comfortable, if not sometimes long event. We get on, we find our seat, we have our space, we observe people and sometimes we may chat with someone else. But usually we find our own thing to do and we avoid eye contact, unless a friend is with us. China's street dancing is surprisingly similar. <br />
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We go to a large square or park where there are many other people we don't know. You find your space, not touching any other person, you observe and follow. Maybe if we are feeling open or bold we will chat with our neighbor, or if we have been going for awhile we will at the very least nod at the people we know. While this is the norm, I will say, when I went I broke all the social conventions. And let's just say we had quite the crowd.<br />
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Let's move onto the other comparison we are making. Now American street dancing can look many different ways, it could be awesome break dancing in your little square with a big crown around you and I wish that's how it was on the bus, but I'm thinking of something different. I'm thinking more club style and before you say that doesn't happen on the streets I would like to disagree; have yous seen the new footloose? Yes well there is bumping and grinding out in public, and the movies never lie. The point I'm trying to make is street dancing in America, or if you must make me say it, club dancing in America is eerily similar to riding a bus in China...its scary!<br />
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I first noticed this experience two years ago, when I moved here. I haven't written about it because I simply didn't know how to, but this analogy gave me a good opening. Now, riding the bus is not always so intense, only mostly. When the buses are over crowded and you are slipping by every single person, body rubbing against body. This might be sexy, if the people were mostly clean, perhaps your own age and if there was something other than the Chinese radio station playing.<br />
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In America, I didn't go clubbing much, the idea of shaking my booty for a stranger didn't appeal (for some reason), but now after living here I feel all clubbed out. I have never grinded on people so much in my life (by accident of course), been grinded on (hopefully by accident), given and been given lap dances like this in my life (which happens when the chairs face the aisles of the bus and it is so crowded you are pretty much sitting in that person's lap).<br />
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I know there may be quite the diversity of ages reading this and I hope it doesn't scare you, while for those who understand, hopefully this makes you laugh. But this is my almost daily experience, not street dancing, but riding the bus, which as you can see is much scarier than street dancing.<br />
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Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-59553730010002037962013-09-10T23:14:00.000-07:002013-09-10T23:14:40.189-07:00A Post to Bring You Up To Date<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sorry for not writing for so long, but after living here for two years something terrible has happened... life has become normal.<br />
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The last two or three months have been filled with thoughts of "I should write, but..." I have gone out, I've seen things, I've lived life, I've met people, I've had conversations (English <i>and</i> Chinese I'm proud to say), but it now takes a lot of imagination for me to write something that I think will interest people. My mind has moved forward, to doing other things and my blog about China has been left in the dust. Having said that I will try to continue to write semi-consistently for the next 6 months. Why for 6 months? Because that is how much longer I have in China, then I move back to the States to begin an even scarier journey...(imagine scary music playing) University! Full-time! The horror! The expense! I can't talk about it too much or I might scare myself away from it.<br />
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I will give you an update to what has happened in the last few months, then hopefully my future blogs will be more relevant to now time or not relevant at all, but at lest humorous and perhaps enlightening to my life.<br />
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Last Spring I went home for 6 weeks, during that time my sister got engaged. When I returned to China, life was slow, not much going on, so I tried to work as much as I could (which unfortunately didn't happen as much as I would have liked) cuz I then had to go back to the States to attend a wedding. During my couple months back home in China I got sick, I literally lost my voice for 2 weeks. Crazy.<br />
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At the end of July I started my journey back to Seattle. It took me about 3 days to make it to there. An hour bus to the train station, 5 hours delay, a 22 or 23 hour ride (on a hard seat nonetheless), an hour bus ride to my hostel and overnight at the hostel and a 12 hour flight to Seattle, where I was greeted by my beautiful family.<br />
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I was only in Seattle for a week, the first two days were spent on mostly dealing with my visa stuff (had to apply for a new visa before going back to China), the next couple days after that, seeing a couple friends, the next couple days dealing with wedding stuff (which was beautiful by the way) and the last few days was spent with family. I then flew back to China with a friend.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ecVcVVED08k/UjAIUR4qSrI/AAAAAAAAAhE/ZC5jEgM27go/s1600/1174346_10201577925226949_60531533_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ecVcVVED08k/UjAIUR4qSrI/AAAAAAAAAhE/ZC5jEgM27go/s320/1174346_10201577925226949_60531533_n.jpg" width="240" /></a>My friend and I spent two busy, busy, busy days in Beijing, ran to the train station (made it with only a few minutes to spare), went to Xi'an (stayed with one of my friends there) for a few days, then flew to Xining (my current city) for a week. The day after my friend left, one of my Xi'an friends came and visited for a week. After she left two new roommates moved in, the following week my part-time online school started up again. And my weeks since then have been full of helping some things other people already have going, doing school and taking care of dogs (did I mention I was taking care of 3 dogs for 3 weeks? No I thought I forgot that ;) But now its me and Otis, two cool new roommates and an exciting 6 months to look forward to.<br />
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Life has been full and busy, but manageable and fun. I'm excited (and scared shitless-excuse my french) for my move back to America, but I am so happy to have 6<br />
months left in China. Hopefully my last 6 months of blog<br />
posts will bring you plenty of enjoyment as well. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Above a pic of my two friends that visited</span><br />
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My new haircut (I'm trying to bring ya up to date): <br />
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Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-88528658339671838262013-06-24T05:38:00.002-07:002013-06-24T05:38:16.646-07:00The Clash of Two Cultures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When you live in a culture that is not your own you are unnaturally bringing two cultures together. When I say unnaturally, I mean it feels odd. It seems off, it is weird for your home culture, it is weird for your host culture. But it is also natural, I mean natural in that it naturally happens, you usually can't help it.<br />
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One of the most obvious ways it happens is in language. You learn a word for something new and you like the sound of it, so you throw it in to your day to day life. Other ways you bring together cultures can be in your eating habits, in the way you dress, and in the way you organize life. The longer you live in another culture the more "You know you live in (insert place) when...(blah blah blah) happens." <br />
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Recently I went home and while I was home my sister, Nadia, bought me a WSU lanyard to represent my school and to compete against Nicole (she goes to UW-the schools are rivals). I don't know how you wear lanyards, but I noticed the cool thing to do in Seattle was to tuck the key part in your pocket and let the lanyard hang free to show your allegiance to whatever (at least I'm assuming that's why you do it). So, being part of the cool crowd myself, that's what I did. And I tried to bring that practice to China. I had quite a few instances where my students or even strangers would come up to me and tell me something was hanging out of my pocket. The first couple times I tried to explain "Oh no, I do it because it looks good." Well, after so many times of blank looks and confusion, its just not worth it and you tuck it in for the time being.<br />
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I recently realized why some things in cultures are like water and oil-they don't mix. Once, while I was running for the bus my lanyard snagged on a bush and I almost missed the bus by running back to get it. That was the warning, but enlightenment came when I tried to get off the bus. First, the bus slams on the breaks, so four people fall on me. Then I fight my way through the crowd to get off, cuz in China the bus don't wait for no one. Well, I successfully slide through the crown and am about to hop off the bus when I notice my lanyard has attached itself to a high school girl's backpack.<br />
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So I go back and try to pull it off, but its stuck. The driver is tired of waiting for me, so he starts to shut the doors, but I stick out one foot and hold it open and am still pulling on the girls backpack with my lanyard, while saying some embarrassing English words. Finally, I lose patience and let the stress get to me and I pull hard and my lanyard comes lose, but the bus is moving now, no time to wait. So, I jump off the moving bus and the doors slam shut behind me and I look at my lanyard, I had pulled the poor girl's zipper of her backpack.<br />
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Lesson learned, sometimes cultures don't mix. <br />
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Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-91798406718278174682013-06-20T21:06:00.001-07:002013-06-20T21:06:53.249-07:00Back in China<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This spring I went to the States for a six week trip. It was a busy time, but great to see everyone and always funny when facing reverse culture shock (I had the hardest time remembering to flush the toilet paper). While I was home my youngest sister, Nadia, got engaged (to Sam)! The wedding is planned for August third. I couldn't stay over the summer because I had responsibilities here, but I'm planning on another quick two weeker for the wedding. It will be perfect timing cuz I will need a new visa as well!<br />
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This summer is going along slowly, but its been nice to slow it down and breath for a little while. I have a feeling things will pick up quickly in the fall, so I am appreciating this season of "chill" (not cold, but slang for calm). Its nice because with the extra free time I have been able to study Chinese a bit more, practice playing Ukulele, writing (not on my blog) and some other random things that I haven't had time for in awhile.<br />
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This month I turned 23 and my dog turned 10 months old! He is doing good, he is full grown and quite big guy, but still very pupyish which is cute and annoying as most pet owners will understand.<br />
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While I was home this last time I made a quick 3 minute video that is a recap on my last two years in China (yes this month makes it two years-wow) and my update for the future. If you are interested in watching it you can contact my other sister, Nicole.<br />
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But for those not interested, here is the news that I was waiting to broadcast until I was (first of all) sure and (second of all) had told my friends here in China... next year I will be moving back to the States.<br />
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When I moved to China I thought it was going to be about two or three years, this last January I started processing my time here and what I wanted the future to look like. I love China and there were so many reasons I wanted to stay and I could think of so many opportunities. But when I broke down what my priorities were, one was finishing my University education. Since coming to China I have started going part time online to WSU. It has been good, but at this point I want to finish it up and do something with it. Which led me to going full time to school back in Washington. So next year (most likely Spring or Summer) I will move back and start going to school full-time in the fall. It will take about three years to finish, and after that? Only God and time can tell.<br />
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Although I should warn you, I doubt it includes spending too much time in America ;)</div>
Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-48339281801440054672013-03-24T06:44:00.001-07:002013-03-24T06:44:35.228-07:00Some observations from Nepal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So I always said I would revisit Nepali culture, but never really got around to it, now I will. One thing is: Nepal is very different from China or the States.<br />
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In Nepal, based on what someone said, the people are rich but the Government is poor. And at least in Kathmandu it appears to be that way. The houses are beautiful, spacious and big, while the electricity is turned off for most of the day and the roads are usually dirt. If they are paved, then the pavement is very old and in need of much repair with potholes everywhere. Which makes the driving even that more interesting, on top of already being a bit crazy.<br />
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While I was there I used public transportation to get around. Public transport in Nepal is different from America or China in a lot of ways. One, there aren't real buses. The "bus system" usually consists of 15 passenger vans owned by private individuals who simply run the route to make cash. There is the driver, then usually a smaller helper, the age of the "helper" can range from 7 to 27, but the helpers tend to be small slim boys. The helper is the one who opens and shut the door, collects the money, convinces people to get in "his" van and tells the driver where to stop.<br />
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Another thing about Nepal is the street dogs. They are everywhere! I know a popular thought in America is that its inhumane to kill dogs that no one wants, but after being in Nepal and seeing the dirty starving, bug infested dogs, I can't help but think that maybe its inhumane not to kill them. The street dogs keep on breeding, the only thing that keeps the numbers low is probably being hit by cars, starvation and sickness. Yes I know its sounds terrible, it wasn't meant to sound nice.<br />
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Another aspect is food. I am often asked if I like Indian food and my usual response is "Not in Nepal or India" (Nepali and India food have some similarities). The reason for this is because the common meal is rice and dahl. Dahl is a soup like substance that usually goes over your rice. If your lucky you might get some lentils or cilantro in your dahl, if your not lucky it'll be just another name for flavorless soup. It's not bad, but when you eat it for lunch and dinner for a week or more straight, believe me it gets old. <br />
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When you go to Nepal many senses go on overload, smell sight, sound, etc. But one thing that sticks out more than anything else is the kindness of the people. You smile and they smile back, you try and communicate with them and they try back (and most of the time, especially with the younger generation they can speak very good English) I will be the first to confess that Kathmandu is not my favorite place, but Nepal is. If you get a chance to go, I definitely recommend it.</div>
Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-9403837196427318592013-03-19T00:30:00.000-07:002013-03-19T00:30:01.651-07:00Tattoos in China<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I got a new tattoo with my friend and it was interesting because of how its changed. Two years ago I got a tattoo in this same city. My friends and I searched high and low for a whole day before we found a reputable tattoo artist that I didn't think would pass on herpes. Then we offered him a price and he took it. Now two years later, the whole process has changed. On one road, close to where we both live we found three really clean shops with talented artists and system of pricing. The only reason we didn't stop at the fist shop was cuz the prices have gone up!<br />
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In America tattoo artists charge by time and usually have a $50 limit, no matter how small the tattoo may be. What I found in China is, tattoo artists usually charge by size, centimeter to be exact, and some have a limit, it seemed 200 RMB was normal (about $30). We were able to talk one guy down to 150 RMB each person (about $25) and mine is about 2in by 1in, not too big, but considering the new system of charge it was a deal!<br />
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Other differences are how the tattoo artist went about doing it. This could strictly be his style, not necessarily a Chinese things, but first he drew the tattoo on my arm, himself, then outlined the words with an ink-less tool and eventually filled it all in with black ink. This was so when the ink was wiped away (they wipe away the area every so often to clear the blood and ink) he would still know the basic outline. He also seemed to take way longer than I though was necessary. But there could be a number of factors that play into this, perhaps his tool was not as good as other ones that I've been tattooed with, or maybe its part of the thinking - if you take longer its better work.<br />
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All in all it was interesting to see this change in China. To me is was a sign of how the country is changing and the people who were on the fringes are now being able to open a place of business with relative ease. One last interesting thing I noticed was of all the tattoo artists I saw (four in total), only one had noticeable tattoos. I just wanted to make note of it, because from the outset it would appear tattoos are becoming more culturally acceptable, but I wonder if within family circles they still may be considered an an object of shame. <br />
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Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-62491741087634583012013-03-11T23:55:00.001-07:002013-03-12T00:00:58.724-07:00"I Wish the Real World Would Just Stop Hassling Me"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Do you remember those lyrics? I recently discovered them on my Ipod by accident while listening to it on shuffle. It's the song <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwJazZIWNgg" target="_blank">"Real World"</a> by Matchbox Twenty, released in 1996. I was 6 years old when it came out (I know some of you are thinking "Wow! You're so young!"-I get that a lot). I remember my mom blaring it on the radio or from a CD (maybe even a tape cuz those were still around then) while we were cruising on our boat on Washington Lake in the summer time.<br />
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At 6 years old I had no idea what these words meant. I didn't know where I was going in life and I didn't know that 16 years later I would feel the words of this song so deeply - "I wish the real world would just stop hassling me".<br />
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By nature I am a very adaptable person. In fact, if I'm not adapting then I'm usually getting bored. I need those random twists and turns in my life, which is probably why I thrive while living in China. I love when opportunities come up and I have to make a yes or no decision right then-are we going to Thailand...YES! Are we going to jump in the lake...YES! Okay, sometimes I do say no, but to be honest without spontaneity I would wither up and die, it is my nectar of life and health. Schedules, to do lists and societal norms all drag me down.<br />
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Obviously one reason you can't just say yes to every whim is money. But that also means money is a good indicator of how badly you want it - are you going to work for it, or was it really not worth it? I can honestly say money is a good problem to have, it helps you pace yourself, but societal norms don't help me. Everyone always says, oh you can do whatever you want-your young, your single, you don't have kids. But that's not true, especially in Western culture because I am expected by my peers and society to plan and commit. I have to know the year before what I'm going to do, and when people don't have those plans laid out, because of their cultural upbringing they feel a bit like failures.<br />
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So, you might think I'm free within China because Asian society is a little more lax. Not true. Actually, in this regard Chinese society follows Western society a little more closely. In China, plans and schedules and organization are all very important. You go to school until your 22ish, by then you should have a boyfriend, shortly after that you should be married, within a year you should be pregnant, then working so your child can do the same.<br />
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My question is "Why?" Why are we so stressed about the future, why are we so stressed abut our plans? Why can't we just relax? When I heard this song I remember enjoying the moment and loving life. And that's what I want from my future. Yes, I want to see good things happen in our world, I want to see the bad guy brought down and the hurt and broken risen up. I want to enjoy the moments and love life and I want to help create a world where others can do the same. So, why can't the "Real World just stops hassling me?"<br />
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Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-67270038936550287672013-03-04T06:27:00.002-08:002013-03-04T06:27:18.372-08:00A Little on Life<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I still want to put up something on Nepali culture, but to tell ya the truth, I just haven't been in the mood. Part of it might be I'm "back in school" now. If you don't know what that means, it means I do part time classes online at Washington State University. Even if I've mentioned it before, its easy to forget, and I guess who cares if you live in China, right? That's way cooler. I do love "going" to school though. Right now I'm taking a class on writing and a class on World History, neither are my passion, but I am enjoying both of them. But even part time school ends up being so time consuming! <br />
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I just got done teaching a semester of English, that was also time consuming, and tiring. Man working 9 to 5, who can do it! ;-) I'm just joking, I think that might be another misconception about living abroad, sometimes people think its all fun and no work. Your just out there drinking coffee with gifted money from back home, playing mazhong with your local friends and sleeping in all the between time. I mean that's part of it, I think to have a good life in a foreign country and to make it really feel like home you have to have local friends. Not just one or two, but circles of them. In real life we have our close friends, our work friends, our acquaintances and so on. Right now I don't have that, and it makes it harder. In my last city, I did have that, which I'm thankful, I will be visiting soon! But to get back to my original point, while I live in China, my life is going to look much different than America. In both countries my time will be full and challenges will come my way, but it looks differently-and that's okay.<br />
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You know, everyone has the funny things that happen in life, for me that was rescuing a puppy! I was out walking my dog in my xiaoqu (apartment complex) and my dog found a puppy under a car. So I waited around to see if anyone would come back for her and no one did. It took a lot of work to get her out, but I did. I don't know what happened, she kind of looks like a Tibetan Mastiff, but shes way too small to be one. So I wonder if someone bought her thinking she was, then when they found out she wasn't, they dumped her? I don't know, but she's been abused, so shes scared of me. But having the other dogs around has helped, because she warmed up to them much faster and she can see how I treat them. I'm hoping once she becomes a bit normal I can take her to the park and sell her to a good family, having three dogs in our house would just be a tad excessive.<br />
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Well, I'm done teaching for awhile, so working on online school and some other things, rescued a pup and now that my life is slowing down I'm looking forward to making this city I live in home and working on some things I haven't had time for in awhile (like Chinese!). In about a week I'm visiting Xian, it will be amazing to see old friends again. Then in April I will be coming home for six weeks! So get ready for a visit!</div>
Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-29205947263061311682013-02-11T00:31:00.002-08:002013-02-11T00:31:45.515-08:00Chinese New Year, Year of the Snake<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Another New Year in China, and I am feeling the jovial spirit! It's the best of all worlds, I get to enjoy the fireworks, get to go to parties, but don't have to hand out presents or red envelopes*.<br />
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Yes we have all seen fireworks, but not all of us have seen or experienced them on the scale the Chinese bring it. On New Year's eve, the whole sky explodes with light. The air becomes smokier and smokier, the air gets warmer minute by minute from all the explosions and as the night goes on, the fireworks are, simply put, amazing. <br />
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Gunpowder was invented in China in about 850 AD, during the Tang Dynasty. It's original use was for fireworks (although the Song Dynasty did use it for military purposes), and let's just say China has still not let us down. In America we see cool shows for holidays, but in China fireworks are such a huge part of life. When a new store opens, firecrackers are let off; for a wedding, there are fire-poppers; and during any holiday, fireworks are a must.<br />
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While for the most part there is no organized show, there are still hundreds, if not thousands of people letting off fireworks all on one night, usually within the same hour, all over the city. Imagine that, if you can.<br />
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The next day all you see is the carnage of the leftover firecrackers and fireworks, spread out all over the ground. Most cleaning people have the week off, so they will be around for awhile.<br />
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It's a cool night. One that's fun to celebrate with the people you are living among. There are definitely inconveniences (most stores close down and transportation become a bit harder). But in my opinion, its so worth it,<br />
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*People put money in red envelopes and hand them out during the New Year<br />
*I did not take any of these photos, googled them and borrowed them from <span class="irc_iis" id="irc_hd"><a class="irc_itl" data-ved="0CAQQjB0" href="http://www.hdwallpapersarena.com/chinese-new-year-2013-wallpapers.html" id="irc_hol"><span id="irc_ho">www.hdwallpapersarena.com</span></a><span id="irc_dim"> and </span></span><span class="irc_iis" id="irc_hd"><a class="irc_itl" data-ved="0CAQQjB0" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&docid=m3zbGYaLhItDZM&tbnid=AnPQ6kxzDQKS6M:&ved=0CAQQjB0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fworld-asia-21400329&ei=basYUZzEFs7XigKohYHABQ&bvm=bv.42080656,d.cGE&psig=AFQjCNFSmprL9zbGR_iM9rOsjuejYLNiQA&ust=1360657437468017" id="irc_hol"><span id="irc_ho">www.bbc.co.uk, </span></a><span id="irc_dim"> </span></span></div>
Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-44935958715086411552013-02-10T23:55:00.001-08:002013-02-10T23:55:34.631-08:00Indian Visas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As I mentioned in my last post, I was in Nepal for two weeks. What I didn't mention was the goal was to go to India.<br />
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About a month or two before leaving we checked all the information. We called, we read blogs, we visited government sites and all told us that we could get our Indian visas at the India Embassy in Nepal within about 5 days. Ok, no problem. We show up and find out that everything has changed. <br />
<br />
From what I understand a couple years ago an American-Pakistani man took advantage of a tourist visa and did some bombing in Mumbai, India. Then India tightened restrictions on all tourist visas. Last year they loosened some of the restrictions (one being the 2 month wait period in between visits), except for some nationalities (Afghanistan, China, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan, Bangladesh). Rather than taking 5 days, it actually takes 7 working days. On top of that you have to fill out the application online, which more often than not the website is being funky and you have to fill it out the day before going to the embassy AND on top of ALL of that, they are very picky. So we went back three days in a row before we actually got it right and could finally submit our applications. <br />
<br />
But as Americans we had it easy, we ran into a Chinese guy who had been waiting there for 50 days! He told us Nepal was a terrible place to go for Indian visas, especially for Chinese, the best place to go was Bangkok, Thailand. The one hold-up is, if you are a carrier of the new Chinese passport, then you are only able to get visas within China because of the border disputes between China and India.<br />
<br />
In the end, we didn't go to India because one girl wasn't able to get her visa. It was a bummer, but Nepal is great. In a future post I will write more about Nepali culture. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Some more stories on the Indian Visa situation:</b><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>http://www.eturbonews.com/32588/india-relaxes-tourist-visa-regulations</li>
<li>http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/01/24/david-headley-gets-35-years-for-role-in-mumbai-terror-attacks/</li>
<li>http://tribune.com.pk/story/435573/visa-to-india/</li>
</ul>
<br /></div>
Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-31027572450033913352013-01-25T04:01:00.001-08:002013-01-25T04:01:48.270-08:00Culture Shock, but not in China<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm sure you are all very disappointed in me for not writing for two months and I'm pretty disappointed in myself. You get busy, then when your schedule does free up you have to overcome the hurdles of starting again. Once I get this out there, the plan is to keep them rolling in weekly, like I did before I had my little break.<br />
<br />
One of the excuses I have that will cover at least two, maybe even three weeks is my trip to Nepal. I went two years ago, but its funny how your life circumstances can really change your impression of a place. Going to Nepal showed me how normal China is for me now. I know how to get the price down, I know how to speak the language. I would feel totally comfortable traveling to a new city by myself without knowing anyone, but not Nepal. Driving form the airport to where we were staying and just be shocked by how different it was, was the first sign.<br />
<br />
Driving in Nepal is crazier than China. What one person told me is if someone hits you, they will kill you because it is cheaper for them if they just kill you rather than having to pay for any hospital bills. While in China, its crazy, but not that crazy.<br />
<br />
I love Nepal, but I don't really care for Kathmandu, the capital city, two years ago I also didn't really care, but I loved west Nepal, unfortunately this trip we had to stay in Kathmandu because we were doing visa stuff, which I will describe in my next blog. The thing that struck me most was how much I missed China. Two years ago I could have lived anywhere. This trip I met a girl who had just moved to Nepal and I thought to myself, "I couldn't do that. China is my home." I used to think I was such a hardcore nomad, but I'm becoming domesticated and its slightly frightening. The one thing I know is I love China and as of right now I could see myself here much longer than my original plan (hold that loosely because life changes very fast).<br />
<br />
Another thing I had forgotten about Nepal is the driving is different. America and China are the same, but in Nepal they drive on the left side of the road. Two years ago it didn't phase me because I had just been in Hong Kong where they also drive on the left side of the road. <br />
<br />
Nepal is a great place and I plan on writing more about it, but this was just an expression of how normal China is to me and how weird Nepal seemed. Love you all!<br />
<br />
Ps. I'm a blonde again! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-64249784779559081962012-11-25T01:26:00.001-08:002012-11-25T01:26:29.302-08:00Go for Weird<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When you live in another country you
get used to doing weird things. And eventually those weird things
just get normal. But once those things become normal, other things
happen that are, hmmm how do I put this? Well, they are weird. You
want stories?<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I have a blonde streak that goes
through my bangs and it desperately needed a touch up. I can cut my
own hair, but dieing my own hair is another story, so thankfully
there is a girl here who can. So I was at her house and we decided
to get it done. Problem, was we didn't have foils, but we did
have...plastic bags! Yes, so we went for weird and we used plastic
bags. It worked! Not as well as foils would have, but that doesn't
matter. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O_uNsiCx27E/ULHj8zxGG1I/AAAAAAAAAYc/3nahbeM_L8E/s1600/IMG389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O_uNsiCx27E/ULHj8zxGG1I/AAAAAAAAAYc/3nahbeM_L8E/s320/IMG389.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The other odd things within all of this
was what the bleach said. So as I mentioned in my last post Chinese
prefer lighter skin and whitening creams are not uncommon. But this
bleach said, “Hair and Skin whitening”, at first we thought it
was some funny Chinglish. But then the scary thought hit us...what
if it was fairly correctly translated? Ahhh!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Other weird things are movies. Movies
take on a whole other meaning. When you buy a new movie or if you
stream a movie/show skipping, pausing, no English and the like are
all common. The longer you live in another country the better you
get at guessing. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Along with guessing comes a certain
smile. Everyone gets it. It gets tiring to continually say you
don't understand. Especially after awhile the meaning of one
sentence doesn't matter if you can understand the rest. So you
develop a very polite smile a nod that you hope communicates “Oh
yes, wow, very interesting!”, while underneath you are thinking, “I
have no idea....”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So living in another country means you
go for weird, you hope things come out okay and you learn to laugh at
all the bumps along the way.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-27690530500587637722012-11-18T08:31:00.004-08:002012-11-18T08:31:40.165-08:00Culture Differences<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There are so many things that make up a
culture. Culture is defined as "<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">the</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">behaviors</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">and</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">beliefs</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">characteristic</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">of</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">a</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">particular</span> social, ethnic or age group"<span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #0055bb; cursor: pointer;"></span></span>. When we live in our own
“culture” never experiencing another we don’t realize what “my
culture” means. When you go somewhere new and something
surprises you because its different or weird in your eyes, its a form of culture shock.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
America. For me, until I really
started to travel, I didn't know we had culture. I mean we have many
cultures, but what is <i>American culture</i>? I can't define it,
but I can give examples and I know we have one. Unfortunately while writing this blog I've forgotten so many things I've noticed just this week, but I'll make sure to document them for another post in the future.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Example: We use forks and knives. Asians use
chopsticks. Indians use hands. South Americans and Islanders use
spoons. With our multicultural identity for some, this might not surprise. But it is truly an easy example of culture. It is a form of our behavior we have learned our ethnic group.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Another example: In America we want our skin to get as dark as
possible. In Asia, they want their skin to get as light as possible. This is even seen in what our societies sell... lotions. Many of ours has darkening agents and many in Asia have
whitening agents. Again this is a learned behavior. Their is actually some interesting history behind this, but I don't want to bunny trail. If you are interested in knowing it, comment on this blog post and I'll make sure to tell the story in the next one.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Culture is learned, it is not genetic
or ancestral. When a Chinese baby is adopted by a Chinese family,
that baby is Chinese only in heritage, but American in every other way. Hopefully you know by now, but I'm taking classes online through Washington State University and hoping to double major in Anthropology and Sociology. Well, in both these subjects we learn about culture, but one class described it this way: A couple gets stranded on an Island. The woman knows how to make fires and cook food, so that's what she does. The man likes to walk and collect berries, so that's what he does. When they have kids, the man takes their sons with them and teaches them what he does, the woman takes the daughters and teaches them what she does. The only reason they chose these roles was because they enjoy them. So generation later the woman still cook and make fires and the men still walk and gather. But now no one really knows why this is, but its become the culture and if people try to change it, its very strange and feels ridiculous. A very simple narrative, but one I thought explained culture well. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I
heard a story of an American couple who went to China and lived in a
village, disease swept through killing both of them, but leaving a
newborn baby. Another family (Chinese) in the village raised the
baby as their own. He grew up and learned how to walk, talk and act
like the villagers. As an adult he went back to America and it was
too weird for him, so he returned to what he knew as his “home”,
that being China.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I experience culture everyday,
sometimes its new to me and sometimes its normal. In fact, when I
go back to America I often struggle with confusion of whats normal
and whats not.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A couple weeks ago I was with a friend
and we had some snacks out. She's Chinese, I'm American. There was
some spicy peanuts that we had just finished, so she put her finger
in the container to lick it clean. I started to laugh cuz it seemed
so ridiculous to me. A little while later there was some peanut
butter that was nearly finished. So I put my finger in it and
started to lick it clean, she started to laugh and me because it just
seemed so ridiculous. Then we both laughed, cuz we realized it was
just culture.</div>
</div>
Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-77483910985430819782012-11-13T17:21:00.000-08:002012-11-13T17:21:16.271-08:00Take Me To A Place Where They Know My Name<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
“I been around the world...feeling
out of place really feeling strange. Take me to a place where they
know my name, cuz I aint met nobody that looks the same...I need my
people, my people. Take me to my people.”
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Shortly after arriving in Xinjiang and
as we start to explore the city of our visit my friend turns to me
and says, “Natasha, here you are not special, I think I am
special.” It sounds rude, but in part its true. Xinjiang is a
Northwest autonomous region of China with a lot of different minority
groups, some being Kazakh, Kyrgyzstan, Uighur and Han. That means
when I arrived I saw people with my skin color, or at least my skin
tone, sometime even blue eyes, light colored hair and people with a
bit of plump and curve to them, like me. Living in this country I'm
ued to standing out and even enjoy it. But there was something
wonderful about going there and when I was by myself so many people
would come up to me and start to speak in their native language (many
minority groups and certain parts of China speak their local dialects
or language other than mandarin). But at the same time it made me
feel uncomfortable. Going there showed me how much I've adapted to
Chinese lifestyle, going there was definitely some culture shock, but
it was also beautiful.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
One of the days we were wondering
around the city and I could see some men were selling carpets. They
saw me and start to wave me over, I know they want to sell carpets,
so I start to make the universal sign for money (rubbing your thumb
and index finger together) and tell them “Meiyou qian!” (I have
no money!) But no matter how many times I said it, they kept waving
me over. So I went over. Once I promptly said I couldn't buy
anything cuz I had no money, they asked if I was Kazakh. I said no,
American. Then the old man who was obviously in charge said, “Well,
if you marry Kazakh, you will be Kazakh!” I agreed with him. So
he points out his eligible younger friend. I tell them thank you,
but I'm not living in that city, so it might make relationships a bit
difficult, maybe if I move there I'll consider it.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
One of the things that I loved while I
was there is the day we walked through the park. There was dancing
and lots of it. We were invited it and it was so much fun. In
China, many people dance in the park, usually woman who want to get
some exercise. But here we had from young to old, men and ladies,
even dancing together! And it was also the local style dance which
is a bit different than that of other styles. Either way, all I'm
trying to say is. It was fun.</div>
</div>
Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-81527624853386858752012-11-04T05:45:00.000-08:002012-11-04T05:45:25.148-08:00Corbon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I walk down the crowded streets
confused and disorientated. What's with the mob of people and the
animals being herded down our city streets? On the right and the
left you can see yaks, cows, bulls and sheep being auctioned off and
bargained for. I joke about buying one to get around the city and
find out that they can go from about 10 thousand to 20 thousand yuan
(the equivalent of 1585 to 3175 USD), so I guess I wont be doing
that. I live in a city and while in some cities around the world
herding animals might not be uncommon, here it is. So what is it
for? Why are all the road barriers taken down with the cars swerving
out of the way of freaked-out, bucking bulls? Its a Chinese Muslim
holiday called Corbon.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e1UjtulbWfM/UJZttXEQZfI/AAAAAAAAAYI/ZO6FrMFwUw0/s1600/IMG387.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e1UjtulbWfM/UJZttXEQZfI/AAAAAAAAAYI/ZO6FrMFwUw0/s320/IMG387.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NGI12Ux8vJQ/UJZtIoyRFfI/AAAAAAAAAX4/lej2UrmLqew/s1600/IMG383.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NGI12Ux8vJQ/UJZtIoyRFfI/AAAAAAAAAX4/lej2UrmLqew/s320/IMG383.jpg" width="240" /></a>Its true name is Id al-Qurban, which
means “offering sacrifices”. It's common name is Adha. It's the
once a year festival of animal sacrifice to atone for sins. There
are many different minority groups in China that practice this
festival, but the main one in my city is called the Hui People, a
minority group that is similar in appearance as the Han Chinese, but
mostly Muslim.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D85l-rMpHdU/UJZta3f9w5I/AAAAAAAAAYA/NIxAANelveo/s1600/IMG386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D85l-rMpHdU/UJZta3f9w5I/AAAAAAAAAYA/NIxAANelveo/s320/IMG386.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Corbon is a four day event that starts
on the 10<sup>th</sup> day of the 12<sup>th</sup> month of the
Islamic calendar. For us, that meant two weeks ago. Within the
celebrations, you will mostly see men. To tell you the truth, I
don't know a lot about this celebration, even after some research, so
I can only say what I've seen. And that did not include women. The
men swarm the streets to buy an animal. Some even buy theirs ahead
of time and keep them for a few days until the celebration. I went
by one of the mosques in my city and there were thousands there;
inside, in front of and on the street of. I didn't see how they
celebrate, but I've heard of dancing, music being played, fireworks
and I'm sure meals are probably involved. Again, I don't know how
they sacrifice the animals or what they do with all the meat
afterwards, but I did see a lot of blood, a lot of skins and the
heads were usually burned with a blow torch afterwards, for what
reason I'm not sure.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AtQwcwUoUoM/UJZst53EMTI/AAAAAAAAAXw/znBo2gKGK9w/s1600/IMG277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AtQwcwUoUoM/UJZst53EMTI/AAAAAAAAAXw/znBo2gKGK9w/s320/IMG277.jpg" width="320" /></a>I wish I would have had more time to
watch the proceedings, to ask questions and to take pictures, but I
was unfortunately busy. There is always next year.</div>
</div>
Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-65127941314577161532012-10-28T08:03:00.001-07:002012-10-28T08:03:37.111-07:00Otis, my new pug puppy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I must apologize because I didn't write
last week, and I should warn you I probably wont write next week. My
goal is to get a post up once a week, but if you are wondering why
I've missed you will soon discover from the following.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you are reading this blog and are my
friend on facebook, you probably know about Otis. My new pug puppy.
And if I say so myself, he is so stinking cute. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UJ7oM2jljd0/UI1H7cbajfI/AAAAAAAAAWE/a5GyoE4Zqis/s1600/100_4153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UJ7oM2jljd0/UI1H7cbajfI/AAAAAAAAAWE/a5GyoE4Zqis/s320/100_4153.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
But he came with some problems. Now
would be a good time to mention, how if you get a puppy, there is
only a 50-50% chance of him living. So, every time I came home there
was a bit of fear I would find him dead. Thankfully a little over a
week has proven it not so. Where am I going with this? Every thing
that might have been a problem freaked me out. Then on top of that
I'm leaving on a 2 week trip tomorrow, so my puppy will be staying
with some friends. Because of that I was pretty urgent in wanting to
fix any problems immediately. That lead to 4 vet visits, plus a few
phone calls. Thankfully getting your dog checked out is free, so as
far as money goes it was no problem, but it was a bit straining on my
time.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
When Otis came he had some major
dandruff issues. That lead me into a search for home remedies on how
to moisturize his skin. That lead me to a lovely mite known as
“walking dandruff”. They are mites that crawl under the skin
scales of that animal creating dandruff, and if you look closely it
looks like the dandruff is moving, thus the name. Of course that
freaked me out, so that was the first vet call. Thankfully, the vet
said unlikely! Because his dandruff was everywhere not just confined
to one spot.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
After a couple days of applying baby
oil, Listerine and warm water combination (odd I know!) his skin
became normal!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Then he started scooting on his butt,
and crying in ridiculous pain. Another vet call. This one taught me
about pin worms (they live in the big intestine and at night lay eggs
on the anal hole causing severe itching) and clogged anal sacs (
apparently pugs are prone to them). That led to a vet visit.
Thankfully it wasn't clogged anal sacs, and according to them not
worms. But he did have ear problems.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
After medicine, further watching and
more calls and visits I came to this conclusion. My puppy is
healthy, but has dry skin. The only thing really wrong with him is
ear mites (I know random), which is why he was crying in pain. After
applying some medicine his pain has gone away, but it will take a bit
longer to get rid of the ear mites. As for the scooting, a cause of
dry and itchy skin. So I will be applying some of my home remedy to
his back end.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Thankfully that's all. He knows his
name and hes great with kids. But because of the vet visits I have not
had time to work on potty training....that will be the next goal.</div>
</div>
Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-8745094953014753632012-10-14T03:48:00.002-07:002012-10-14T03:49:20.400-07:00A Friend's Note<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hey this is Rebekah! I have been in
China since I was born! After 26 years, my Chinese is pretty good,
the reason I say this is because I have only been learning English for
4 years, so please forgive me if I use the wrong words or grammar!
:-) I'm sure you will need to do that!<br />
<br />
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Anyways, as a 100% Chinese girl I have
always had pride in my culture. But things started to change when I
was at University majoring in Marketing English. That's also where I
met my American teachers for the first time in my life and they
taught me a lot about American language, culture, history,
beliefs...etc. These things somehow stirred up my desire to learn
more about America.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
After I graduated from school, I
started working in a language school for foreigners to learn Chinese.
To my amazement, 90% of my students were American and we became
friends quickly! I guessed the reason was because I was such a smart
teacher and such a nice friend to them! That explains everything! :-)</div>
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During that time I was spending with
them, I noticed that there are a lot of differences between American
girls and Chinese girls. One thing in particular is, “personal
space”.</div>
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Chinese girls love intimate
relationships more than any other girls in the world (in my opinion)! We
enjoy clasping hands with our female friends while wondering around,
going to the bathroom together, feeding each other taking showers
together! These kinds of things are quite common in China! Without
a doubt!</div>
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So one time I told one of my American
friends that the whole of last winter, I didn't have heat in my
house, so me and my three other roommates took a shower together in
order to keep warm.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Yes! Three naked Chinese girls
crowding next to each other, shaking in a small cold bathroom! I
know its weird in American culture, but, my American friend …...
actually didn't say anything when she heard it. Not because she
thought it's no big deal, but because her mouth opened so wide and
couldn't close up!!</div>
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As you can see, Chinese girls don't
really have the concept of “personal space”. Sometimes I do
enjoy it, but sometimes it drives me crazy, even though I'm a Chinese
girl! I love my American friends because they taught me that I can't just
grab their butts because I want to, I can't just rush to the
bathroom when they're taking a bath even though I'm gunna pee my
pants! I can't just... I can't just...</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Yep. This is me, a normal Chinese girl
who loves America and my own motherland! Once again, I love
you...all my American friends! See ya!</div>
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<br /></div>
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PS. I am heading out to India in January, and right now I am facing economic crisis... so if anyone wants to help me, please feel free to contact Natasha :) Thank you!</div>
</div>
Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-42478569671025175332012-10-08T05:48:00.001-07:002012-10-08T05:48:46.865-07:00Stolen Bikes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So, here in China its not exactly uncommon to get your bike stolen. You could even say its part of the cultural experience. Despite it being "part of the experience", its one that I really did not want to have. Last year in Xian, around the New Year I knew 3 or 4 people who got their bikes stolen. It happens more often around the New Year because people are trying to get money to go home and all that. But that doesn't mean it can't happen other times of the year...like for instance now.<br />
<br />
I rode my bike over to a friend's house a few weeks ago and left it there. Locked up, but not locked to anything. I knew it was stupid, but I was busy and if I'm being honest...a little lazy.<br />
So Sunday, I go over to say hi and I notice my bike is gone. My stupidity caught up with me.<br />
I tell my friend, who feels super bad, but it's my own fault. I knew I should have moved it, I even checked the other floors in case the person who stole it just moved it to another floor temporarily (which I know from a friend's experience has happened).<br />
<br />
I don't find it. Later I run into my friend's husband and tell him, he's also very sorry, but I explain its my own stupid fault. Then he tells me he had moved it into the stairwell and did I check there? I didn't remember, so there's hope.<br />
<br />
Later that night my friend calls me and tells me that her brother might have some news to brighten my day. So, he gets on the phone and tells me that he got the text my bike was stolen. Anyways, he's walking around later and sees a guy riding a bike that looks just like mine. What's the coincidence, right? So he goes up to the guy and says, "Hey where did you get this bike, its my friend's bike, give it back to me" and the guy responds, "No this is my bike". And again my friend says, "That' my friends' bike, give it back" and again the guy says, "no its mine" So this goes back and forth a couple times and finally, my friend tells me he just physically takes it from the guy and rides away on it! So he got my bike back! I was screaming and hollering through the phone! Man I was pumped. <br />
<br />
Then he tells me, "Ok so now here's the real story. It was in the stairwell the whole time and never left the apartment building." Wow, he got me good. Either way it was good news, so I'm happy :)<br />
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My bike is not stolen. <br />
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Above is a moon cake, the popular dessert for the Moon Festival, which we just celebrated last week.<br />
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Above is a picture of butter! Crazy I know, but its true.</div>
Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-88777005385216303422012-09-30T01:54:00.000-07:002012-09-30T01:54:13.161-07:00Stalkers in China<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I had a stalker for awhile, at first it seemed just like a random coincidence, but he started showing up whenever I went to a coffee shop. Then my roommate started getting stalked! But that's died down now, I haven't heard of him for a little over a week. So I won't be lying when I say, the title of this blog post was mostly to get your attention. And if your reading right now, I'll assume I did my job right. But stick around I think you will be entertained.<br />
<br />
This week encompasses two holidays in China. One is National Day, similar to our Independence Day, but they get about a week off school or work. They other which just happened to fall in around the same time is Mid-Autumn Festival, which is celebrated by good times with the family and eating lots of moon cakes! Which Starbucks gives away for free (not that we have one in this city).<br />
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Some other monumental news, is our kittens are growing, cuter and cuter by the day (Really I just wanted an excuse to post more picture of them).<br />
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<br />
Now that we have the basic updates out of the way I can let you in on a funny little story. Yesterday I went to buy some dongxi (things) with my Chinese friend. So my friend and the store keeper were talking and I had kinda zoned out, then my friend says, "Oh she says your pretty", so I turn to the store keeper and say "Xie xie" (thank you). At that point I zoned back in and I hear the store keeper say, "Yi dian pang, danshi high piao liang", which means, "A little fat, but still pretty". At that I just started to laugh, cuz the store keeper didn't think I understood Chinese and that's the moment I had chosen to start listening again! It was great moment. My Chinese friend, said sorry to me, but I told I've improved cuz in Xian I was "Really fat" and here I'm only "A little fat".<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WmD-zP-SJaA/UGgEWKumhvI/AAAAAAAAAUU/ag5wmDEiZck/s1600/IMG288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WmD-zP-SJaA/UGgEWKumhvI/AAAAAAAAAUU/ag5wmDEiZck/s320/IMG288.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K5EvJKCKxUM/UGgFW08vDaI/AAAAAAAAAVE/Aa7HuyVB0Z8/s1600/IMG317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K5EvJKCKxUM/UGgFW08vDaI/AAAAAAAAAVE/Aa7HuyVB0Z8/s320/IMG317.jpg" width="240" /></a>Here it is pretty common to buy fruits or veggies out of trucks.<br />
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Last blog post I mentioned two coffee shops, well I took pics of them, so you could see the fronts of them and where I was spending 20 hours a week. (Now we have internet at our house, so that time has gone down).</div>
Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-61875117479875365332012-09-23T05:47:00.001-07:002012-09-23T05:47:24.683-07:00Sick, Bikes, Food and Coffee<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's funny cuz after I had been back
for about two weeks I called all my family and told them how great I
was and was very healthy and just went on and on. The next day I got
hit with some sort of stomach bug that just tore up my stomach.
Could barely eat for a week and when I did start eating again my
stomach totally rebelled. While I was writhing in pain on my bed, my
good friend told me I should take Chinese medicine. She said, “Its
better than Western medicine cuz its more natural”, so I told her,
“And Westerners would say Western medicine is better than Chinese
medicine!” Its interesting how you can find culture everywhere. I
ended up taking it, more for the experience, it did actually help (I
think), but it was nasty. I had to swallow about 30 tiny brown balls
with warm water. Eeeggh. Then about two days after feeling fine I
got hit with a head cold...still battling that one!
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<br />
</div>
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So as I mentioned in my last blog I was
looking for a bike. Well, I got hooked up pretty well in my opinion.
I had a budget, but when I moved to this new city of mine all the
bikes were way above my budget. So I was gunna bight my lip and suck
it up. Luckily I didn't have to, I ended up finding a used bike, for
the price I wanted! I've ridden it around some and it works great.</div>
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During this last week I've also gotten
to try an abundance of new food. As I briefly mentioned in my last
blog, the food here is different. And I've heard it was better. I
wanted to deny it, I wanted Xian to be wonderful and the best (as a
true Xianren would want), but if I'm gunna be honest, I think the
food here is way better. First of all, there are way more options.
Second, it cheaper. Third, the taste is very good. One reason I've
heard for there being more options is because this city has so much
cultural diversity. It seems its about 1/3 Tibetan, 1/3 Hui Chinese
(a minority group that is usually Muslim) and 1/3 Han Chinese (the
majority in China). Which means we have about 3 times the amount of
local options than we did in Xian (which is Han mostly, except for a
small portion of the city that has Hui Chinese). Xian, I love you,
but the food is better here.</div>
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</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9BVJralB9Os/UF7_dBH5ucI/AAAAAAAAATg/aLjqX4sqwFk/s1600/IMG280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9BVJralB9Os/UF7_dBH5ucI/AAAAAAAAATg/aLjqX4sqwFk/s200/IMG280.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--Xk6zjSG78s/UF8DqSaWzII/AAAAAAAAAT4/vX_kheJCags/s1600/IMG285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--Xk6zjSG78s/UF8DqSaWzII/AAAAAAAAAT4/vX_kheJCags/s200/IMG285.jpg" width="200" /></a>One other thing that has become a major
component of my life is coffee. Now as a true Seattle-ite, that
really should not surprise any readers, but I mean more than coffee,
I mean environment as well. For those who do not know, I am taking
two online college classes. It started about a month ago, and we
still do not have internet in the house I'm staying, which usually
means I spend about 2 full days at a coffee shop because I need the
internet to turn in my homework. This city has a lot of coffee
shops, but there are two very popular ones, GreenHouse and Taza.
They are both on the same street and are both about a 30 minute walk
from my house and they both offer WiFi. Taza has a stronger WiFi
connection and was started by a local, so its cool to support that
business. GreenHouse is also great though, the way they have
decorated and the feel you get is awesome. I'm more impacted by my
environment, plus GreenHouse offers drip coffee, which Taza does not,
so I've been going to GreenHouse, which means I have built pretty
strong relationship there already! All the waitresses and waiters
know me, I've met the owners and so on. Just cuz I'm there about 20
hours a week. Anyways, today I had a skype date so I went to Taza
for the internet connection, when I passed GreenHouse one of the
waitresses waived to me....I felt like I was betraying them!</div>
</div>
Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7325338515411896558.post-25812315995573137762012-09-15T23:12:00.000-07:002012-09-15T23:12:05.719-07:00Moving, Hellos and Goodbyes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have now been back in China about three
weeks, and it has been eventful. My first week I returned to Xian,
where I got to say a “Hi” and “Bye” to all my Chinese
friends. While it was sad and too short, it was still good. As a
group we went to Hot Pot and the next day KTV (karaoke). After a
week I moved on to the next city where I will be living for at least
a couple months. Xining.
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I have 4 roommates, with another on the way! But its ok, I like my roommates, its
fun to meet new people who are doing the same things I am. They also
have two cute kittens, Abner and Mr. French, which I'm loving.</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This city is so different from where I
come from, when I meet new people they ask me, “What do you think?”
and I tell them I love it, but I'm still “Xianren” (which
technically would imply its where you grew up, your culture, similar
to the idea of a hometown, it literally means Xian-person). The city
is up higher (in elevation), so my lungs are still adjusting and is
smaller. But because of both of those facts, the air is much fresher
and as my Xian friends told me, “The sky is blue in Xining!” And
so it is, the weather is also cooler, but sense I've gotten here we
have had really nice weather!
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One thing that is a lot of fun, is the
coffee shops. There are two here which, I think, could do well even
in Seattle! So its kind of nice to have that. Right now we have no
internet at my house, so when I need to do something I can walk down
to the coffee shop to get stuff done.</div>
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The food here is very different from
Xian food, all the Xiningren say its better, but we will see. So far
what I've had is very good. I'm also hoping to buy a bike soon, will
make going around the city a lot easier and more fun. I rode my bike
all the time in Xian and in my opinion it was a form of hell, but
here I think it will be more enjoyable, so hopefully I can find one I
like soon!</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
One other big difference I've found,
the people here are so much nicer. People still stare at me, but
when I ask them a question, they respond, if someone drops something,
a stranger is more likely to stop and help them. It's strange, but
its been a bit of a culture shock because that's not how it is in
Xian. It could be the difference of big city verses small city,
could be the difference of mid China verses west China or it could
just be different. But I think this is a difference that I can
easily become accustomed too.</div>
</div>
Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15206741890000572602noreply@blogger.com0