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The Diaries |
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July 7, 2009Flight homePosted by Stewart SielemanIt was sad to leave, but the night before we got one more chance to hang out with some of the Chinese students. It was a great way to end our time in Dalian. The next morning came way to fast and we were all loading our things on to the bus. Something changed with our flight to Shanghai, which we didn’t learn about until a couple hours before we had planned to leave for the airport. We all hurried onto the bus and took off for the airport. On the way the bus driver stopped off for gas. I know, you would think that getting gas should have been on the drives to do list before picking us up but that’s just wishful thinking. We got to the airport on time despite the detour and said our good byes to our generous hosts. Checked our luggage and flew to Shanghai without incident. After a few hours in the Shanghai airport we boarded our flight to Chicago. I had been dreading this flight even since I stepped off of the Chicago to Beijing flight 3 weeks earlier. After everyone was boarded and all of the passengers and flight attendants were ready to go… we waited…and waited. Finally the pilot announced that the planned flight route had too much turbulence and that they were working on another flight plan and as soon as they had a new one we would take off. So we waited…and waited…on the plane in the seats with no legroom… the seats we would be sitting in for 13.5 hours once the plane took off. It took 2 hours to get approval for the new flight path, which meant that we had the pleasure of being on the plane for 15.5 hours. It was sweet! I watched a couple of the in-flight movies, all chick flicks, and got about an hour of sleep, none of it consecutive. Finally, when we were about an hour and a half away from Chicago I had to get up and I spend the rest of the trip standing in the back of the plane next to the bathrooms. The persistent inconvenience of telling people I was not in line for the bathroom was a small price to pay for being released from my cell, which some would call an economy airline seat. We landed and made it through customs. As soon as we entered the “general population” of the airport I began feeling like everyone was talking to me. Everyone around me was speaking English. For 3 weeks the only people speaking English around me had been someone speaking to me or to someone in our group. It took a few minutes to readjust and resist the urge to turn and look in direction of every hello that hi heard. Strange I know. We got back to Cedar Rapids late as a result of the delays. Then we discovered that half of our bags did not make the flight. We drove back to Cedar Falls with the promise that they would be delivered to us the next day. We got back into town and Nick and I went straight to the OP, where our friends were waiting for us as well as a real pizza (with sauce, something that Chinese Pizza seems to have none or very little of) and an American beer. As much as we loved China and the people that we met there, it sure felt good to be home.
Golf lessons in ChinaPosted by Stewart SielemanChen Wang, a Chinese businessman and former ISU grad, offered to take Nick and I with him to his golf lesson. Being golfers, Nick and I jumped at the chance to 1. Hit some balls at the driving range and 2. Pick up some golf tips for free. Chen’s instructor was a Korean man who was extremely talented. We estimated that in the States, 1 hour with an instructor of his caliber would cost around $150-$200 USD an hour. In China, however, the cost is around $30 USD per hour. I’m jealous… It would still take a small fortune to make me a scratch golfer but I’ll take what I can get. Like I said, the instructor was Korean. Chen did not speak Korean and the instructor’s Chinese was not that strong. As a result, a lot of the instruction was done via hand gestures and demonstration, which meant that Nick and I were able to follow along with what, was being taught fairly easily. They worked on keeping your head still, snapping your wrists as you swing through an iron shot, and creating backspin on your ball. Afterward, Nick and I tried to put the lessons into practice… not sure how successful I was. It was a great day regardless of my inability to correct my slice.
June 14, 2009City Tour, SlingShot and lots of “Měiguórén!”Posted by Stewart SielemanStarted a little later today so we got to sleep in an extra hour. We took the tour bus to a monument which features a long stretch of foot prints from various Dalian citizens to commemorate the city’s founders. It leads to a giant stone book which you can walk on. The area also has a small amusement park with rides and places to take pictures. All but one of the rides were for little kids: the SlingShot. It took a little convincing but we managed to talk several people into trying it out. Even Samantha, who yesterday passed on the zip line, agree to go after relatively small amount of persuasion. We even managed to get Chris Schrage, the faculty member responsible for the trip, to go after convincing her that Alex wanted to go but had no one to go with. Of course Alex had to be coaxed into going and could really have cared less if he went or not. They strap you in and then pull the bungee cables tight and then hit the release. At the top the entire cage spins which somehow I was completely unprepared for despite the fact that I had seen others do it before. Samantha was nervous as we were getting strapped in and then let out a wicked scream as we were launched into the air. The original plan was for Nick and I to go together but going with Samantha, with all the nerves and screaming, was much better. Then we drove to Tiger Bay, the same place as yesterday but on the other side of the bay, and walked around and took more pictures. Then lunch at a cafeteria style Chinese restaurant. After lunch we went to the Russian Street which features Russian architecture, stores and street vendors selling random stuff. It was a cool street but by that time I was getting sun burnt. One of the side effects of the malaria medication is extreme susceptibility to sun burns and when they say extreme apparently they mean it. Luckily we were able to jump from one vendor’s covered booth to another. Samantha found some pig’s noses in a convenience store... not sure what else to say about that. After the Russian Street we headed back to the hotel to rest up for Karaoke. Some of the Chinese students were nice enough to take us out. We had a great time, even though they were much better signers.
June 13, 2009Měiguórén!?! Měiguórén!?! (MAY-GOREN)Posted by Stewart SielemanToday we went to the aquarium and upon entering the park, Nick and I had our photo taken with this bird. Don’t ask why, it just felt like the right thing to do. This was a long day but it had a number of highlights. Most of the photos I took today were of were ancillary to the activities that we were supposed to be participating in. For some reason I was in the mood to look for “Dan Wagner” photo opportunities. Dan is known for his passion for capturing images with his cell photo of strange moments; people wearing ridiculous clothes, doing just stupid things, etc... The second image I took today was of this woman wearing sweat pants with the word “FUNNY” across the back of her pants. Disregarding fact that there is a marketing genius out there that decided to manufacture this product, why would anyone want others to associate the word “FUNNY” with their ass? Maybe something was lost in the translation. In a shoe store we saw a large Adidas banner featuring the marketing slogan “Impossible is nothing.” My grammar leaves a lot to be desired but seriously, “Impossible is Nothing?” We went inside and were greeted by this welcoming committee composed of a whale and three dolphins. We have a inside joke about whales and dolphins with a friend of ours who is a HR major so we decided to take a photo with foursome. In class we watched a video of Guy Kawasaki in which he refers to HR managers as whale and dolphin lovers (click the link and skip ahead to the 71/2 minute mark). We went through the aquarium and saw a performance of a some whales and dolphins in a stadium that was packed with people. There was no where to stand, let alone anywhere to sit, yet that didn’t stop latecomers from futilely searching the stands on the off chance that the other 3000+ people in the stands failed to find a coveted seat. Dump people are universal. After a great show in the aquarium we walked through the rest of the park taking pictures of the bay and the mountains around it. When we first arrived we had seen a big screen TV showing footage of a zip line ride so we set out to find it. As we approached it I took this photo and at the same time Melinda, one of the Chinese students explained to me that our guide for the day and the Chinese students were afraid for us. Having experienced a zip line ride in Mexico, I was undaunted but in hindsight I wonder if they knew something that we didn’t. Perhaps, in there minds, the safety standards were suspect, in which case they should have been equally suspect in ours. Nevertheless, we proceeded to cross the bay on the zip line and lived to tell about it. Next on the agenda, a sea lion performance. Again it was packed and a great performance. Didn’t manage to get any good photos but I did take a moment to capture what a lot of us thought was a cookie. A vendor was walking around before the show selling snacks. Someone in our group bought one and discovered in was made from fish. After the aquarium we went to a traditional Chinese opera. There are videos that will give you an idea of what the opera is like on YouTube but I can’t link to them directly due to the “Great FIRE-Wall” of China. Instead, the link will take you to a Google search. Click on any of the videos with “Beijing Opera” in the title. They should be the same thing (at least I think they will, I can’t watch them so I don’t know for sure.) Afterward, as we were leaving I spotted the second Dan Wagner photo of the day. This guy was wearing a surgical-type face mask, something that you often see people in China wearing in public to prevent breathing in smog, germs etc... He proceeded to remove if, exposing himself to caustic air the rest of us were breathing in order to have a cigarette. It’s really quite smart, if you think about (apply sarcasm liberally to the preceding sentence.) The rest of the afternoon was filled with shopping at an underground mall. A few of us were not in the shopping mood so we set out for a place to hang out. As we were walking down the street Deeds, one of the faculty members on the trip, wanted to stop into a tea shop. When you ask about a specific tea they actually invite you to try it for free instead of just telling you about it. So we had an impromptu tea party on Deeds. The tea was ok, not a tea fan. Then we went to a small dumpling restaurant on a crowded little street before going on a night sight seeing tour. This town is lit up like you won’t believe. Entire buildings, bridges, and even guard rails in some parts of the highway are all wired with LEDs. BTW, we often get strange looks from some people when we go out in public, especially when there are a larger numbers of people around. We have even been stopped by a few brave Chinese people who have asked to have their picture taken with us. These people are very friendly and we oblige them of their request. At other times though we get the ‘what are they doing look’ because we are doing something strange or don’t know where we are going. After I struggled with the harness at the zip line, one of the attendants just said “Měiguórén!” in a derogatory tone while shaking her head. Měiguórén in Mandarin means ‘American’ a word that I actually recognized. At the time I was so shocked and amused that I failed to respond with any of the Mandarin phrases we had learned but the look on her face would have been priceless if I had responded. Subsequently, when ever we begin to get funny looks from people we just shake our heads and say “Měiguórén!?! Měiguórén!?!”
June 11, 2009What day... year is it?Posted by Stewart SielemanToday we had class and then went to lunch in the cafeteria. It was our third day eating in the cafeteria where the Chinese students eat. The school provides meal for the students at discounted prices. A full plate of noodles is Y5, less than a dollar. You can’t even eat a full plate, for two reasons: first, they just give you a ton and second, they are spicy as hell. At first they are just a little warm but it builds and builds as you eat. By the time you’re done your lips are on fire. But its worth it. After lunch we took a short nap and then headed off to a Chinese painting class. Our instructor taught us how to write our Chinese names in Chinese characters and then how to paint gold fish in the traditional Chinese style. After 5 or 6 really bad attempts I got lucky and managed to paint two decent fish. The instructor was pleased and made me sign it and take a picture with it. Apparently, I forgot what year it was because, as you can see from the picture of my signature, I signed it 2006.6.11.
June 10, 2009Windows is Windows in every language.Posted by Stewart SielemanThat title is not a grammatical error. Our Chinese teacher doesn’t speak any English in class, forcing us to figure out what she is saying to us on our own. She also use Power Point and MS Word to show us how the words we are learning are spelled and the items they describe (pictures of an apple, banana, etc...). During class our instructor’s computer froze up. Should have bought a Mac!
June 9, 2009Ni Hao Ma?Posted by Stewart SielemanNi hao ma?... How are you? We have had two classes of Chinese Mandarin and tomorrow our instructor Grace says that she will stop speaking English. Not sure if we are ready for that but i guess it is sink or swim. We have done very well with little or no Chinese to this point, having gone out three separate times with nothing more than the point and gesture methodology to get us by. Yesterday we visited the Port of Dalian which was amazing. Earlier this year I visited the Port of Milwaukee, which pales in comparison to Dalian’s. Twenty-five years ago this city was a small fishing village and has since been transformed into a massive metropolitan international shipping hub. We visited a warehouse that stored Intel processor. Every corner and exit is monitored by security cameras. Thousands and thousands of containers everywhere you look. Rail lines and highways funnel into the port to off-load and load materials and products. They are currently in the final stages of construction on the third loading yard. Today we went to a local look out point with statue of a giant bull being ridden by a baby. Not sure what it was or why we went but the view was amazing. It gave us a chance to see what will soon be the new “Gate to Dalian.” It is a small bay or possibly a large cove which will feature an entrance type plaza that will lead into the city. The land for this gate is being reclaimed from the Pacific Ocean by cutting into and leveling nearby mountains to be used as fill. This is the same technique they are using to build the Port of Dalian. As in many Asian countries, large portion of Chinese believe that cold drinks can make you sick and as a result it is difficult to get cold water. If you ask for a water at a restaurant they will bring a tea pot with straight hot water, not appealing when you are already sweating ridiculously. So nick and I have made it part of our daily routine to buy cold water from the hotel before we go to any meal. We have had Chinese for 14 straight meals in a row. Even breakfast is Chinese and it varies very little, at least from what I can tell, from Chinese lunch or dinner. We have been dying for some familiar food and have been talking about pizza since we reached Dalian. We finally had a chance to go this evening. We had been told that it would not be the same as the American version but that didn’t quash our cravings. We walked for about 10 minutes before reaching what in China is a relatively upscale restaurants. While still cheeper than in the US, it was significantly more expensive than other restaurants. Ordering was a challenge and we didn’t get exactly what we asked for but it was still good. They use a lot less toppings and very little sauce. In fact, the thin crust we ordered had little or no sauce on it. The menu also included and large number of other items that you wouldn’t expect to see at a Pizza Hut. After Pizza Hut we walked to a Starbucks so the coffee drinkers could get their fix. Then on our way back to the hotel we stopped at a McDonald’s. They even had a dollar menu which was actually cheeper than that of the US McDonald’s. It was a 6 Yuan menu, which is a little less than a buck. So happy to have familiar food for a change!
June 7, 2009SundayPosted by Stewart SielemanArrived in Dalian today and were picked up at the train station by our hosts for the rest of the trip from Dalian Nationalities University. Had another Chinese breakfast and then got cleaned up and relaxed in our room for the first time on the trip before heading to lunch. After lunch we took a tour of campus and returned to the hotel just in time for dinner. Guess what we are having... For dinner we went to a restaurant on a cliff over looking the Yellow Sea. Our host, Sen Tian, brought a special bottle of “White Wine” which most certainly was not wine. It was 100 proof, given to us all in shot glass sized wine bottles. There were multiple toasts and tons of food.
SaturdayPosted by Stewart SielemanIt was lightly raining today. Street merchants were obviously more prepared than we were. They were well stocked with rain ponchos and umbrellas. But in our infinite wisdom, Nick and felt like the rain would not last and so we passed on the 5 yuan (about $0.70)umbrellas that we offered to us outside of the entrance to the Forbidden City. It was the winter home to the Emperor and was our first stop of the day. We got our tickets and went inside; the rain continued. Once inside there are no vendors since there is an admission fee and as a result we got soaked. It is a huge place with smaller courtyards and compounds within it for the Emperor and the royal family. These two lion figures are present in a lot of Chinese architecture. They are a pair: a female who always has a cub under paw to symbolize the next generation of the royal family and a male who represents the Emperor. The male always has a ball under his paw which symbolizes power. Throughout the Forbidden City and other buildings from this time period your find awkwardly tall thresholds that the Chinese believed would keep out ghosts. Ghost are apparently very short and can not jump over the threshold. I’m not sure if we were told why but men are supposed to step over the threshold with there left foot first and women are to use their right foot first. Trying to observe this traditional practice was easier for some than others and became a constant source of amusement. The lower photo shows nick about to walk through a doorway with a ghost threshold where a couple or Chinese men are doing renovation work. Nick caught himself using the wrong foot to step over the threshold in mid-step. By this time the amusement had worn out but apparently the Chinese workers still found it hilarious and began laughing as Nick played it off and kept walking. I was not about to let him off that easily. When I gave him a hard time about it he said “I wondered if they were laughing at me.” Later in the day we went to a silk factory and walked through the process of harvesting the silk fibers and turning them into, among other things, silk comforters. The photo on the left is a basketful of used silk worm cocoons. They feel like a cross between the fuzzy texture of a tennis ball and the structural integrity of a ping-pong ball. Tangent: Nick and I watched a ping-pong match on TV the other day. They were dropping some major Forrest Gump moves! It’s called a silk factory but it is really a tourist trap. They don’t actually make any product there beyond that which is produced as a byproduct of demonstration. As we were waiting for everyone in the lobby of the silk factory I saw these strange looking fish. Apparently the did not listen to their parents when they were told not to sit so close to the TV screen. After a number of other stops we were off to the train station to leave for Dalian. We looked like idiots trying to bring 3 weeks worth of luggage through the crowded station and down the stairs to the train platform but we made it. We had “soft sleepers” which are small compartments with two sets of bunk beds. We left around 9:00 pm and arrived in Dalian the next morning.
First day in BeijingPosted by Stewart SielemanFirst functioning day in Beijing. We did a lot of stuff. None of us were quite recovered from the flight yet but we took a couple naps on the bus between locations. We started with a tour of the Jade Factory, then the Great Wall, a pottery factory, lunch at market/restaurant place, then the Ming Tomb, a tea tasting, drove past the Olympic Stadiums “The Bird’s Nest” and “Water Cube”, and finally when to dinner at a restaurant that also provided a show.
June 5, 2009A monster post! (Future post will not be this long... I promise)Posted by Stewart SielemanThe trip started out smoothly. Going through security and flying out of Cedar Rapids was uneventful as it always is. But that was only a quick up and down flight to Chicago. O’Hare to Beijing would prove to be a different story altogether. Keep in mind that flying, in general, does not bother me. I have never experienced motion sickness or been claustrophobic in the handful of flights I have taken in the past; this trip would prove to be different. During the flight & trip to the hotel I blogged on my phone (which was in airplane mode for those giving me a hard time for posting to Facebook while waiting for takeoff) about the experience. Here is the account of the worst flight I have ever experienced. Wednesday June 3rd 11:40 am 12:00 pm 1:53 pm 2:00 pm The stewardess asks me “Chicken or Beef?” 3:12 pm 8:30 pm I think I have developed a wicked cold since we took off. Sinus congestion and irritated eyes. I even had to take out my contacts. Haven’t been able to sleep. Every time i start to fall asleep I have to blow my nose, cough, or change positions due to what now seems to me an even more confining airplane seat. I want off this plane! 2:00 am-ish The approach was not the smoothest I’ve ever witnessed. About 45 minutes of roller-coaster up and downs. Not good for my stomach. In addition, the passenger directly behind me decides that the in-flight meals were, in retrospect, not to here liking and begins ‘refunding’ into a air sickness bag. It’s all i can do to prevent myself from joining in her protest. The look on the stewardess’ face was of a young child being force to eat peas, beats, asparagus...fill in your own vegetable nemesis. But at least we have landed. However, we are not done yet. We are informed that the health inspectors will be boarding the plane and taking our temperatures as a precaution against swine flu. We filled out cards at the beginning of the flight disclosing the types of symptoms we had been experiencing. I checked none of them since i felt fine before we started this torture flight. I hear a stewardess quip “if they find anyone who is sick we will be here for two hours!” Whether it was an accurate complaint or an exaggeration, I did not want to be ‘that guy’ that turned everyone’s 13.5 hour flight into 15.5 hours. Just then 4 health inspectors boarded and began pointing what looked like mini radar guns at everyone’s forehead. It was surprisingly fast but what was even more surprising was that I didn’t have a fever. Eventually they let us off and we proceeded through customs. I get to the desk, trying my best to look ‘not sick’, and the attendant begins going over my health disclosure card. I thought I was in the clear when we were allowed off the plane but apparently that was just the first line of defense. Just before I stepped up to the desk, Nick had recounted his health disclosure card experience. He told me how after disclosing that he had a soar throat a stewardess said “you don’t want to put that” in a sly and experienced manner. So when the desk attendant, after performing a detailed review of my health card and passport, pointed to the list of unchecked symptoms and asked “which ones?” I became suddenly even more self-conscious , now noticing the strangely large number of officials wearing face masks and just standing back and watching all of us. As i began to feel the beginnings of a violent coughing fit come on, I forced myself to repress the reflex and in my best ‘I’m not sick’ voice I say “none of them.” She cleared me and I proceeded, without incident, past the other officials. After standing in line to have our passports checked yet again. we were on our way to the shuttle, our luggage and eventually the hotel. 5:00 pm Everyone is very helpful. Our guide picked us up, provided a mini tour and history lesson on our ride to the hotel, and then checked us in, made sure we found our rooms and that the bellhop got our bags to our room. She was very hospitable and I tried to be appreciative of her extra effort despite my irritated condition. Once we entered our room, Nick being just as tired as myself and also sick, collapsed onto the bed. He quickly discovered that Chinese people (or at least the Chinese hotel industry) believe that an extremely firm bed is best for your back (and in doing so ignore what is best for mine and Nick’s sleep.) Nick hit the bed, his entire body dead wieght, like a WWF wrestler jumping of the top rope. After testing the bed myself, albeit with a more cautious methodology, I can only compare it to sleeping on a park bench with one or two ineffective blankets to soften the surface. Dinner was planned for 7:00 but was moved up to 6-6:30 since everyone was worn out. The unappealing thought of food and a lack of sleep necessitated that i sit this one out. Nick intended to eat but succumbed to the siren that is our twin park benches and failed to get up when the rest of the group knocked on our door. As a devote and practicing optimist, though you may find my optimism suspect after reading the litany of gripes that to this point compose this blog, I can take comfort in the fact that tomorrow can only get better. After all, a day without a 13.5 hour flight is a day worth living.
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China DiariesKellyChina TourSamanthaNickStewartJoeAlexFaculty MembersChristineGordonDavidMap of ChinaJuly 7, 2009Flight homeJuly 7, 2009Golf lessons in ChinaJune 14, 2009City Tour, SlingShot and lots of “Měiguórén!”June 13, 2009Měiguórén!?! Měiguórén!?! (MAY-GOREN)June 11, 2009What day... year is it?June 10, 2009Windows is Windows in every language.June 9, 2009Ni Hao Ma?June 7, 2009SundayJune 7, 2009SaturdayJune 7, 2009First day in BeijingJune 5, 2009A monster post! (Future post will not be this long... I promise)Syndicate this site (XML) |
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Maintained by the College of Business Administration Updated: March 9, 2006 |
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