Last Days in Huangdao

Well, we are finishing our last day in Huangdao, China at the University of Science and Technology. Jimbo arrived two days ago from a 4 day bike ride along the eastern Chinese coast. Since then we have been busy introducing him to students and other teachers, climbing a mountain at the south end of our campus, introducing him to our town with shopping and local restaurants, eating lots of Chinese food, and he even got a trip to the local police station unaccompanied by either of us!

Below, Jimbo is tesing his free climbing skills on a local mountain a short walk from our school.

We reached the top! In the distance you can see our school campus.
The Torch Relay is arriving in Qingdao on Monday. They are very excited about it with lots advertising. Even you can be a torch bearer in the local bank!
When dad arrived on campus, he was outfitted in his full bike riding regalia. As soon as he arrived, I got a phone call from one of my students wanting to take pictures together. So Jimbo got to meet several students and plug JB Outdoors and bike riding at the same time. They still think its incredible that he rode that far! Below are two of my English major Freshmen students, Brad and Slinda. They asked if this kind of clothing was fashionable in the U.S.!
This is a classic Chinese pose by the lake at the University. We are posing with our student Joey who is a Mechanical Drawing major but took an English discussion class with both of us.
Our last night in Huangdao we had a wonderful Chinese banquet with the Tang family. We have tutored their son Patrick for the past year and we have become very close with them over that time. They are our liasons with the Chinese culture and dad met a kindred spirit in Lu, the dad over this meal. Below are all the boys toasting with traditional Chinese spirits called Baijiu and Jenny, the mom, and me.

Saying goodbye over the last week or so has been hard! We will miss so many things about China, but most of all our students and the friendships we have cultivated. But right now its still hasn't sunk in that we will be back in the U.S. in 1 week!

We are heading to Dunhuang tomorrow which is in Gansu Province in the Gobi Desert. We are going to see the famous Mogao Buddhist caves, sand surf, ride camels, and sleep in the desert. We will write more about that on our return to the US.

We just wanted to say thanks to all our loyal readers! We will post a final blog on our return.

DB&KM

Welcome to our neighborhood

All done! We're basically just chillin' until Wednesday when Jimbo shows up. Since there's not much to report, we thought we'd give you another glimpse of the normal, daily life of a Chinese person (or, a foreigner living in China).

For some reason, if you walk down any street in China, you're likely to see at least one hair salon. I would guesstimate that hair "stylists" make up about 30% of the work force in China. The greatest part of the hair salons in China is that they go the extra mile - massages and all. Another entertaining aspect of the hair salons are the hair stylists' hair styles. The overwhelming majority of hair stylists are male, and their hair styles usually look like something you'd find in mid 80's MTV video. To demonstrate that point, check out below:
Yes, that's a girl, but there isn't much gender differentiation in hair style. If you're wondering what a shampoo and cut go for here, I bought 15 haircuts for 100 Yuan, which comes out to a little less that $1/cut. We don't want to bore you to long, because after all, we are talking about hair cuts here, but below is a video Darbie shot while I was getting clipped.

Close listeners might have been fortunate enough to hear Kendall's poor but adequate Chinese.
That's just one of the 10 or so hair salons on campus. Across the street is a very popular restaurant section of campus. Since it has gotten warm, it has become even more popular. We ventured over there to see what was up, and came across Kabobs! While there's no doubt that this meat has been sitting out for a while, and eating it is basically a gamble, kabobs never disappoint. They'll put anything on a spear, from bread and peppers to...
What are those? Chicken FEET! Which are really popular by the way. Darbie and I think it's because, compared with a lot of other measly Chinese cuts of chicken, the feet do have an ample proportion of meat. Here's Darbie with more!


So, if you come to China, ignore the inevitable diarrhea and painful stomach cramps, and eat a kabob! At least their good going in!


DB&KM


P.S. We're not lying about strange Chinese cuts of meat. To prove our point...

CHICKEN HEAD!!! At least it looks like the chicken went peacefully.

Bringing the USA to the PRC (People's Republic of China)

We are happy to report that we have finished all our classes. The only thing we have left to do is grade a hundred or so exams. Chinese exams aren't like United States, however, they prefer a lot of multiple choice, matching, and true/false to essays.

During our time in China, we've managed to acquire a lot of stuff that we can't bring back with us. Darbie came up with the idea that we should have a yard sale, and we did just that. Our students had never heard of such a thing; so, it became a learning experience as well as a shopping opportunity. We told our students that a little bit of everything would be on sale anywhere from 1 kuai ($.68) to 3 kuai ($2.04). If you remember back to the Christmas extravaganza, our students love to build up our possessions in their head (they thought we would be giving them Nintendo Wii's and Gucci Purses for Christmas gifts), so the same frenzy whipped up again. So, even though the "yard" sale officially started at 10:00, we had students ringing the buzzer and dying to get in 2o minutes early. You can check out a few of the goodies below:
All the DVDs and books were gone within the first 10 minutes. Of course, any yard sale that Darbie's involved in will have fashionable clothes, and this one was no exception.
At 10:00, we pressed the buzzer and they all ran up the five flights of stairs to get first pickings. And they bought...
I love 007's (James Bond, the only guy in the pic) expression in this picture. He's absolutely blown away by something. And then more came, and bought...
Rummaging through the DVDs and books. They came up with some pretty funny questions too, like in Jesse's picture below.As you can see, he's already got a death grip on the badminton set, but he came and asked about The Old Man and the Sea. "I've heard that first editions are very expensive in America; is this a first edition book?" I told him sorry, and then he said, "Is it at least all in English?" I assured him that it is indeed all English, and is the original version of the book, just not the very first edition of the book. This is why we love of our students. Darbie also shot a video of the opening moments of the sale, and you can check that out too.


It was a lot of fun, and we learned one thing: The Chinese love yard sales. They just about bought everything out within the first half-hour. Students that hardly talked in class during the semester were coming up to us asking how much for this gravy mix, Iron Man DVD, or basketball. They would hand us the money for some thing or another and then ask, "What is this thing, and what does it do?" It was pretty funny, and from the looks on their faces, a highlight of their freshman year. For us, we made a total of 280 yuan which equates to about $40!

For most of the students it was the last time we'd ever see each other and so they gave us gifts. One class all signed the school's official t-shirt, while another gave us a photo album with all their pictures complete with special notes on the back. We were very touched by their gestures of appreciation. It was very similar to the end of a summer camp.

Now we're just trying to stay cool (yes, it's finally hot here) in our non-AC apartment, and bumming around for a little over a week until Jimbo bikes in and we whisk him off to the Gobi Desert.

There's still time for you, too!

DB&KM

Whoa, Nelly.

We thought we should include this as a mini-update.

Qingdao has a large, green problem on its hands. Darbie and I were in Qingdao last weekend picking up some airplane tickets and visiting small "antique" street markets. Unfortunately, we didn't bring our camera along. I say unfortunately because, along the way we encountered the most disgusting/disturbing ocean event we've ever seen. It has just recently gotten hot in Qingdao (mid 80's), and the sun and heat have combined to give Qingdao a present, look below. Yes, that's the ocean. This gives new meaning to "rolling fields of green." The majority of Qingdao's coastline is covered in an algae blossom. And, it really, really stinks. This is, of course, where the sailing events for the Olympics are supposed to take place. The Olympic organizers have demanded this be cleaned up somehow. So, as we were riding on the bus along the coast, the road would back up all due to massive heaps of algae being scooped out of the ocean onto the roads. The stacks of algae were at least four feet tall, don't believe me? Here's an even taller one below.Yep, that's a large conveyor belt dumping algae into a giant, smelly pile. Besides not really having anything to do with all this algae, it doesn't look like they are really making a dent in it. I've seen algae in stagnant lakes and rivers, but never the ocean! Some part of us believes that pollution is playing a larger role in this than the government is admitting. The citizens of Qingdao are also down on the beach with shovels scooping up the tide. Let's hope they get this issue resolved soon.

If you're still interested, or just want to see more amazing pictures, check out this great article from the NY Times.

Stop polluting!

DB&KM

P.S. These pics are courtesy of AP Press. No, we didn't take a helicopter ride over the city.

Chinglish Illustrated

During our time in China we've seen many, many signs that attempt to convey English messages. However, these signs are usually botched beyond recognition, and the signs end up being more funny than helpful. What you're about to witness is lovingly referred to as "Chinglish." Below you'll find a collection of some memorable Chinglish signs that we've encountered so far in our trip. This is only a small sample; Chinglish signs can be found everywhere here, even above the urinals - "Step Forward for Civilization"- reminding Chinese men the often forgotten fact that the urinal is there for a reason.

We'll start with some good attempts and get more absurd as we go along. First we have one of the most common Chinglish sayings: Indeed, when one is slipping, they should want to be careful about it. The most frequent error in Chinese sign is of course, spelling. Jimbo spotted this in Beijing:What's funny is that spelling errors and Chinglish can be found on official documents, national tv and print ads, and even in one of the most recognized and touristed areas in China, the Forbidden City.
Oooo, so close, but we were looking for "Imperial" there, sorry. Now we'll get to the signs that make you stop and admire just how bad or confusing they are. First up, we saw this sign as we were walking up a mountain:
We're guessing they wanted "Confirm Stones Ahead" which is pretty weird by itself, but anytime you forget to print the first two letters and decide to go with "nfirm" it takes it up a notch. Next is a classic over-translation trying to impress the foreigners.

In other words, don't go over the hand rail unless you want to die. Another Chinglish-ism is to choose the oddest word possible. For instance, instead of just writing "No Climbing" we have:Yet another good example is this trashcan that separated recyclables and non-recyclables.

But at least for the most part you can get some idea of what the sign is actually there for. However, the best Chinglish leaves a native English speaker baffled, like these signs below:I still have no idea what "steon" is supposed to be. But the next one takes the cake, and is in the running for the best Chinglish sign ever. WHAT IN THE WORLD? Some nights when I can't sleep I think of all the possible meanings for this sign, and I haven't centered on one logical translation yet. I guess it could just be compassion, but then that raises an entire new set of questions. It just dawned on me that I should get one of our students to help us translate this difficult (and disturbing) sign. We'll keep you updated on this situation. Perhaps what happened is similar to the example below. It is one of Darbie's favorites. It is a light switch in a hotel room, and apparently they couldn't decide whether they wanted to label the switch "reading" or "ceiling" light so they compromised.
"Ceding". Not all attempts at Chinglish are bad, some can be quite cute. We found the next one on a lawn in Sanya, and it is rather sweet.

Next we have evidence that it is possible, if not rare, to come across a well translated sign.

Perhaps you'd like to make up your own Chinglish version of this sign. Although it can never be as good as the real thing, here's my attempt:

"If you lve the munkeys extra very, accidentl must be prepared. Your ojbects gotten will be, take danger, and forelasting good harmony ."

Hope you've enjoyed this beginner's lesson on Chinglish. Some say it takes 12 years study to master Chinglish, and that even then one must keep up-to-date with new and developing trends.

I've saved the best Chinglish sign for last. This is displayed at the National Zoo in Beijing. Hope you enjoy.

Sometimes it's hard to resist reading Chinglish signs in a Yoda voice.

DB&KM

Passing Time

With school winding down we've had to find some interesting ways to amuse ourselves besides playing ping pong. We've judged a 5 hour long speech and debate contest, attended as the VIPs to a series of English plays performed by the foreign language school (which interestingly enough was all in English with one Japanese play), been interviewed for the campus radio station on Father's Day and American college life, attended various lunches with the university hierarchy, proofread the dean of the foreign language school's new text book, and gone to the beach with some students.

We don't have many pics from the beach but here is a picture of the whole class trying their skills at the grill. They rented the grill and brought 3 cardboard boxes of raw meat to cook, no cooler or ice. Needless to say, we were a little nervous but it ended up being pretty good except for the random parts such as chicken hearts, feet, and necks. They asked us, "Do you not eat animal organs?" It was an adventure!

As for the rest of the time, Chinese students just call it "play" so we played soccer and other various games they invented. Here is a video of one of the more unusual games.

One of the other places we decided to visit recently is the local zoo. We have all heard of the horrible conditions of the Chinese zoos from the animal rights activists so we were more than a little nervous. One of the little boys that we tutor wanted to take us with his father so we couldn't refuse. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the Huangdao zoo is located in a valley between 2 mountains and is actually a pleasant area. The animals are given space to run around, well at least the big animals are. The zoo is small but contains all the normal animals for a zoo. Chinese zoos tend to like to build bridges above the enclosures so you walk above the animals and look down into their living spaces. There aren't a lot of animals but the favorite of the locals by far are the big cats. But just watching the tigers hang around and cool off is not enough for the Chinese tourist. There is a man standing next to the enclose with live chickens in cages that you can purchase to throw down to the fierce beasts and watch what happens. At first I was horrified, but its like a train wreck and you just can't look away. Luckily, these tigers were in a more playful mood. Watch for yourselves below.





But our favorite part of the zoo were the bears. These bears are remarkable and will do all sorts of tricks so you will throw them a piece of carrot. They stand, dance, and wave.





So after visiting this zoo, we were a little prepared for what we experienced at the next zoo we had to visit with the school. First we were surprised to see a large exhibit of white tigers. Aren't they supposed to be rare? They had at least 5 at this smallish zoo in the middle of nowhere. Then the most interesting part appeared. This interesting yet uninformative sign. Can you guess what's inside?


Inside you will find several hyenas, a leopard, and a dog living harmoniously. I don't know about peaceful aspect, but I sure felt sorry for the dog!

So Happy Father's Day dads! Sorry we couldn't take you to the zoo or the beach this year, maybe next year!

DB&KM

I think Benjamin Franklin put it best when he said "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."Inspired by those great words, we recently set out for Qingdao's famous "Beer Street." Each August, Qingdao is home to the massive International Beer Festival featuring many different types of global brews. Beer Street is where it all takes place, and it is also home to the largest and most famous brewery in Qingdao, Tsingtao Brewery. (they are actually pronounced the same, just two different systems of the romanization of the Chinese language - complicated).

or...
Tsingtao Brewery was established by the Germans in 1903. The Germans were occupying Qingdao because every Western country wanted a piece of China in those days. When two German missionaries were murdered, that was apparently enough reason for the Germans to seize the town. The Germans brought modernity to the city (electricity, trains, architecture, beer), and then handed it and the brewery over to the Japanese (who are detested by the Chinese). The Japanese controlled Qingdao - and other parts of China - until 1945.

Enough history. Qingdao folks are very proud of their brewery. Each city/town in China is famous for something (even if it is pickled lettuce), and you might not be surprised that Tsingtao Beer is everywhere here. The brewery is available for tours, and its well worth the trip if you ever get to Qingdao.The brewery is pretty large. There are huge neon signs all along Beer Street, but above is my personal favorite. Earth is dunking into a big mug of Tsingtao, and the sign says something like "makes the world happy." The street outside the brewery is decorated with tons of beer-related paraphernalia:
I'm not quite sure what the purpose is of the large cans of Tsingtao in the pictures above. They are on a lot of the buildings in the brewery. Below you can see trash cans that look like beer kegs and benches in the shape of beer bottles.
Very prominent throughout Beer Street are these manhole covers with cartoon animals drinking beer. They have a different covers for each animal in the Chinese Zodiac. As you can see, Tsingtao Beer likes to get 'em young!
Last and most disturbing, the artistic beer bottle statues that look more like Salvador Dali's version of dancing male genitalia! Hooray!The inside of the brewery takes you through the history of the brewery. It has some really cool stuff like old Tsingtao brewery ads from the early 20th century. Some of the old German influence can still be seen, like these stained-glass windows.You also walk through the beer making process from step one to the packaging. But what brewery tour would be complete without the samples? They're also kind enough to hand out free peanuts!
One of the coolest rooms in the brewery is the packaging plant.
It got me really excited and reminded me of that show on Food Network, Unwrapped.* So, I pretended to be Marc Summers for a little while so that we could bring you this video.



Whoa! Mindy Mann shout-out, surely that warrants a comment! I think I still need a little work before my audition.


Lastly, one of the funniest exhibits at the brewery was one of those illusion-type rooms where you walk in and the floor is slanted. I guess it's showing you what you feel like after too many Tsingtao's. The best part is that they have a TV on the outside of the booth so that viewers can watch the people inside stumbling around. I thought it would be a good opportunity to take a Darbie video.




The end of the tour ends in the Tsingtao bar where they serve all ages, at least until they fall asleep. I'm not joking; looks like those cartoon manhole covers do the trick after all!

Does anyone still read this anymore? Don't worry, we're almost through here.

DB&KM


*Disclaimer: Kendall only watches the Food Network when he's with Darbie or his Mother.