tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67004589899405581342024-03-14T18:19:37.808+08:00T.J. in ChinaT.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-67046622958374509462010-06-26T20:26:00.008+08:002010-06-26T21:12:49.606+08:00Aunt AntTwo days ago I went for a run on the track here at the school. I brought my phone and my keys with me to the track and set them on the ground while I ran. Afterward, I headed back home, and I went to check one of my text messages when I noticed some curious movement on the screen.<br /><br />Turns out an ant had somehow crawled its way into my phone and was now stuck in between the LCD display and the plastic outer layer, with seemingly no way to get out. This was quite an interesting turn of events in an otherwise ordinary day, so Jean and I took some pictures of the little critter:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKE9BF1dXyfdSZJNTq65MClx30VWtvXzF_RRJV9PrkuiSRNS5hjJKy8mbS7zzCOkf9AeBFVGOJ7O_nssuZ4sS_1_zK5ZtKQuWPyy1ZjwnnY2XAxZD-7btb7gJVkjx5kLZJb5S1e29-oH6w/s1600/PICT0522.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKE9BF1dXyfdSZJNTq65MClx30VWtvXzF_RRJV9PrkuiSRNS5hjJKy8mbS7zzCOkf9AeBFVGOJ7O_nssuZ4sS_1_zK5ZtKQuWPyy1ZjwnnY2XAxZD-7btb7gJVkjx5kLZJb5S1e29-oH6w/s400/PICT0522.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487068301828820786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2a6OHJSVq5MV1iw_Ny2upfCnhJtMWz1shjrDxltNl5wx8JATSlSl2gdawJ_Tm2pNAVWHb0ebJUpEAF7LVVtwj-qM1W2JTX0QW1dtnSHil_hqCHmql4Z65xoxM3-dIw-2V2heFeIgLncAr/s1600/PICT0526.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2a6OHJSVq5MV1iw_Ny2upfCnhJtMWz1shjrDxltNl5wx8JATSlSl2gdawJ_Tm2pNAVWHb0ebJUpEAF7LVVtwj-qM1W2JTX0QW1dtnSHil_hqCHmql4Z65xoxM3-dIw-2V2heFeIgLncAr/s400/PICT0526.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487068297374935266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8f67uu3ufsGQ1gVVPx0MfeIp9cVoQTEOgzNdGEzbK85LXksNof3XKD-H1vzUU-3VDhebxtZ0NGlzvUMGowjhwHQRKdNYT1YSS4x9YzHKugwrPP_tT_EioUW_-Ms_PjAuRXdrTpPaK49g/s1600/PICT0527.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8f67uu3ufsGQ1gVVPx0MfeIp9cVoQTEOgzNdGEzbK85LXksNof3XKD-H1vzUU-3VDhebxtZ0NGlzvUMGowjhwHQRKdNYT1YSS4x9YzHKugwrPP_tT_EioUW_-Ms_PjAuRXdrTpPaK49g/s400/PICT0527.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487068287494825602" border="0" /></a><br />Over the next couple hours she remained in my phone until she somehow finally made her way out.T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-3437275842375367272010-06-26T07:01:00.018+08:002010-06-26T20:24:20.624+08:00Mmmm... Thousand Island Dressing...A couple weeks ago, Web International English (a school I work out part-time) was having some sort of promotion with BMW where some students and staff would take a weekend and go to a place called Qian Dao Hu, or "Thousand Island Lake." They wanted a foreign teacher to come along, and they asked me if I'd like to go, saying that all the expenses (travel, hotel, admissions, etc) would be covered. Since Jean had only just returned from a week visiting her best friend in Beijing, and having been gone for a month with her parents in Harbin before that, I wasn't really sure I wanted to spend a weekend without her. So, I asked them if it would be alright if Jean came along. It might not have been totally appropriate to ask that, but I figured, the worst they could say is "No," in which case I wouldn't go, and instead spend my time more happily with Jean.<br /><div><br />To my surprise they said yes, and so we went. When leaving the group of us crammed into 4 BMW vehicles and began the three-hour drive to Chun An, the town that Qian Dao Hu belongs to. We arrived on a Friday night (I guess that would've been June 11, because the first game of the World Cup was that night), went out to dinner, and then went back to the hotel, as we'd be getting up early the next day to sight-see.<br /><br />There's not a lot to say about the trip, but there was a lot to see so I'll put some pictures up here.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtWNoPjfOB3Lvij4GJT76BfrZwZyGp3_TnRQBjdYnhFPut_xSj62Cp3__-GHsEXZAqQfh1_3PI2pH6m8oFaBt8AWYEeqZUmGP0dlgGFU2tYih_QFD7wMtutINYnC1_u2R7qRHlYq_eYqF/s1600/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+005.jpg"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 300px; display: block; height: 400px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486861755626424642" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtWNoPjfOB3Lvij4GJT76BfrZwZyGp3_TnRQBjdYnhFPut_xSj62Cp3__-GHsEXZAqQfh1_3PI2pH6m8oFaBt8AWYEeqZUmGP0dlgGFU2tYih_QFD7wMtutINYnC1_u2R7qRHlYq_eYqF/s400/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+005.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2rh_ooDcDAt6KbDMjv8N_XEEMPd2cwTqEuYB_AFRreAa9HEpJKupOno-1e_KiJ6_1GE_uORdglZ8QJfCvASDE3uh026iKfbzcslFFK0PoeVd4Fe1v4nglGpl_IohhSV0uYb6XCbeWzQA/s1600/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+009.jpg"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; display: block; height: 300px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486861764819852706" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2rh_ooDcDAt6KbDMjv8N_XEEMPd2cwTqEuYB_AFRreAa9HEpJKupOno-1e_KiJ6_1GE_uORdglZ8QJfCvASDE3uh026iKfbzcslFFK0PoeVd4Fe1v4nglGpl_IohhSV0uYb6XCbeWzQA/s400/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+009.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUU846FbU2xtF1oCPyuu4ubdU_JVc1g80GPitUSJDasZCO_0EvzRGI80zVbLPS5W7hjHrFouXRUEAB0QA7i9-f9BS1pGCyJEK549Fq0sajgEtiyPpaNVR_ruyv8WYn9Dp_pv5kLobkpM78/s1600/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+011.jpg"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; display: block; height: 300px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486861768944796578" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUU846FbU2xtF1oCPyuu4ubdU_JVc1g80GPitUSJDasZCO_0EvzRGI80zVbLPS5W7hjHrFouXRUEAB0QA7i9-f9BS1pGCyJEK549Fq0sajgEtiyPpaNVR_ruyv8WYn9Dp_pv5kLobkpM78/s400/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+011.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_snmz-520wiwQKBaBLLBD-etzjF7WIno8V84XT_gekMwSVYQjNdog7C4xsGH9I1igNn2BevDyiWWOCWczi5uSiqxxtZSSBdt5IQB7F_CBByJoEkGCqh4cDL8Za-twy4_t3-40rIxmsR7/s1600/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+019.jpg"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; display: block; height: 300px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486861774556455058" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_snmz-520wiwQKBaBLLBD-etzjF7WIno8V84XT_gekMwSVYQjNdog7C4xsGH9I1igNn2BevDyiWWOCWczi5uSiqxxtZSSBdt5IQB7F_CBByJoEkGCqh4cDL8Za-twy4_t3-40rIxmsR7/s400/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+019.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcmiZJSC3fJBMTdH0UXQSwfINoDUJnaZ6fEckqWQ1E0Ta3VRxvcYsAIhJsSNhFJIQ_Trd4MfxVqbGQ0ZCzFpOaKLLOs5u3EDDV7ykM0TB1hq0yI9NZLxbxMkVsmAjQWBaTkb_Dc_hUH8R/s1600/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+052.jpg"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; display: block; height: 300px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486861785420210866" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcmiZJSC3fJBMTdH0UXQSwfINoDUJnaZ6fEckqWQ1E0Ta3VRxvcYsAIhJsSNhFJIQ_Trd4MfxVqbGQ0ZCzFpOaKLLOs5u3EDDV7ykM0TB1hq0yI9NZLxbxMkVsmAjQWBaTkb_Dc_hUH8R/s400/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+052.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-_MhGOUErKR5_oaMbR4hctm6Nfc-uiC8_392wugFD7xK1nNYjUq5Krj1DbI2Th_Dpfu3fSfIuDU5E_OpCJ2c9gGetX_pMJad7lBbGb7AsyUwpmKTi5EKCls3N1Uyr8EHyg7JIZ9-mZwk/s1600/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+021.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-_MhGOUErKR5_oaMbR4hctm6Nfc-uiC8_392wugFD7xK1nNYjUq5Krj1DbI2Th_Dpfu3fSfIuDU5E_OpCJ2c9gGetX_pMJad7lBbGb7AsyUwpmKTi5EKCls3N1Uyr8EHyg7JIZ9-mZwk/s400/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+021.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487039969886813554" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiViLZAkTdgyRABUYW-b6TE7eVv0s3kdiHvLZf9M3RI6nkwORO7PBO81USlwuXZenJ8OVkokN8otswgjcNyiG238ja-mIU5IX17NHvb4H-wmv2PLuP8vL4c3-0MSklTF-P4R-n8cxSRXgI0/s1600/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+023.jpg"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEileKr_62f4Fp0p8wH1vK0sM1nBt9bM9dlXVgGCe0ALPjO90Ipa-FjUojEB7BWm6IQblSyZQ7PCQlLTEXS7UyYgt_RZt9hNQ-M1AawKFy-7-fyPhQvvkMGkfiV2AF6ourik1mjUedM-MEmt/s1600/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+029.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEileKr_62f4Fp0p8wH1vK0sM1nBt9bM9dlXVgGCe0ALPjO90Ipa-FjUojEB7BWm6IQblSyZQ7PCQlLTEXS7UyYgt_RZt9hNQ-M1AawKFy-7-fyPhQvvkMGkfiV2AF6ourik1mjUedM-MEmt/s400/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+029.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487039949634086354" border="0" /></a><br />There are literally 1023 little islands or "islets" on this lake, and some of them are specialized. For example, there is a Snake Island:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtxq4u6k3tCbaM2T9ta5uYK5PYIaMoTPvCymdImbMFuLhgKb6WOfuJ7-tn0Pa47YFsYvCRfdw5X5ifShLZ8ZKdoBfnacwgYxAltsCCTSiYYSQiBY8k9V38TrBtmDJRjkGOgiLFq2-mtKvn/s1600/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+036.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtxq4u6k3tCbaM2T9ta5uYK5PYIaMoTPvCymdImbMFuLhgKb6WOfuJ7-tn0Pa47YFsYvCRfdw5X5ifShLZ8ZKdoBfnacwgYxAltsCCTSiYYSQiBY8k9V38TrBtmDJRjkGOgiLFq2-mtKvn/s400/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+036.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487039942500158482" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtyWnv0tkjpfYRL-1DpEQDswO1EySUlWS_85_RVvbo6lJOOGnURjQh2gUb19uQnFqdPdeIRAoKb638_b-ygBFcbiWAcbkOiWpGOgbgNQgMVetDvzhYX6kWYvRCytUmwWniHM8uLCYeNP5r/s1600/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+037.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtyWnv0tkjpfYRL-1DpEQDswO1EySUlWS_85_RVvbo6lJOOGnURjQh2gUb19uQnFqdPdeIRAoKb638_b-ygBFcbiWAcbkOiWpGOgbgNQgMVetDvzhYX6kWYvRCytUmwWniHM8uLCYeNP5r/s400/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+037.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487039932155775650" border="0" /></a>(In these two pictures above, if you look closely you'll see there are a lot more snakes than at first glance.)<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidUhfNUT86g-khTIvUzRMNZJ-WC8lJIYue412XAnLXfSgs4vHwKnsCmWuphL-ANttQNs8q5LxvGxEQ5HcleJY7cUbpmnk2l0u_YYC6TJRgjpo89Uj_rB-9Rmns5yXVsj1JxV2i3DpAujYX/s1600/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+039.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidUhfNUT86g-khTIvUzRMNZJ-WC8lJIYue412XAnLXfSgs4vHwKnsCmWuphL-ANttQNs8q5LxvGxEQ5HcleJY7cUbpmnk2l0u_YYC6TJRgjpo89Uj_rB-9Rmns5yXVsj1JxV2i3DpAujYX/s400/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+039.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487032958059446706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPh17mIGlTfJDdGFDqX7wxcP97hqdiTKCjeD6Xn0uoxf6AX1lkzEgMEvxhgdnOcEszVEbIxYyrHp7HpDUWlEMVmoBKFbRVvN47Dk4XDjbPqNOxstcoLAgl5mm-4iVXMttNVjwZdlRiPIY/s1600/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+040.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPh17mIGlTfJDdGFDqX7wxcP97hqdiTKCjeD6Xn0uoxf6AX1lkzEgMEvxhgdnOcEszVEbIxYyrHp7HpDUWlEMVmoBKFbRVvN47Dk4XDjbPqNOxstcoLAgl5mm-4iVXMttNVjwZdlRiPIY/s400/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+040.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487032947871429586" border="0" /></a><br />There is a Bird Island as well:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidUhfNUT86g-khTIvUzRMNZJ-WC8lJIYue412XAnLXfSgs4vHwKnsCmWuphL-ANttQNs8q5LxvGxEQ5HcleJY7cUbpmnk2l0u_YYC6TJRgjpo89Uj_rB-9Rmns5yXVsj1JxV2i3DpAujYX/s1600/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+039.jpg"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhleitxV3mJCb33VGKi01IETvzTUSzhgTG3_6_Dp0ntug9NtOWT56a0CDeLhmQC_5RhOmOs1cY7KZXL7dmr26D0YWtPEVzUgfT8L0eltnWvvjxpad-78LQ20NQgZd-GZmTK_Da4vCt-Oyd/s1600/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+045.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhleitxV3mJCb33VGKi01IETvzTUSzhgTG3_6_Dp0ntug9NtOWT56a0CDeLhmQC_5RhOmOs1cY7KZXL7dmr26D0YWtPEVzUgfT8L0eltnWvvjxpad-78LQ20NQgZd-GZmTK_Da4vCt-Oyd/s400/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+045.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487032943183814386" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMErMyPC4Co9RCt7QS6XogTvfrOHhJwJSdTZu59DvlKpCIdfQovRQUqMCa-QUrlsnkm23CvaAFopiHiA7dPkbqUuBSccddFiGDeiasaeZnFtLaZP5rqzTMh6hFaRrc-4jMxYEWj5vq0uC/s1600/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+047.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMErMyPC4Co9RCt7QS6XogTvfrOHhJwJSdTZu59DvlKpCIdfQovRQUqMCa-QUrlsnkm23CvaAFopiHiA7dPkbqUuBSccddFiGDeiasaeZnFtLaZP5rqzTMh6hFaRrc-4jMxYEWj5vq0uC/s400/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+047.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487032931030251330" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXGOn_loqPCevSq4LSsSxEjaU3PamYU8nnbPpWBeN9n3_oEVhWWLyZSoLTqOBBxSGiSvi3amIwFuPmAHmCRgrYNBKr9YBq1Fnf8nH8i5FaDrdG14GFsfVCUofP_SCNVoC1AVMGxJ6hWV-P/s1600/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+051.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXGOn_loqPCevSq4LSsSxEjaU3PamYU8nnbPpWBeN9n3_oEVhWWLyZSoLTqOBBxSGiSvi3amIwFuPmAHmCRgrYNBKr9YBq1Fnf8nH8i5FaDrdG14GFsfVCUofP_SCNVoC1AVMGxJ6hWV-P/s400/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+051.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487032927224919682" border="0" /></a><br />Also during the tour, on the snake island, we saw a show of some women dancing and singing, but they weren't exactly "women"... they were Thai lady-boys. It was a little weird (no photos allowed, unless you paid) and at one point one of them was singing a song, performing both the alto female part, and the tenor male part... disturbing.<br /><br />In all, though, Qian Dao Hu was one of the more beautiful places I'd seen in China, and I'm glad we had the chance to go.<br /><br />I did though come across a couple interesting instances of "Chinglish."<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">This was in front of the elevator in our hotel. Just a little incorrect grammar, but it still gets the message across.<br /></div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQE6FHV5Kg_RAWcV_r26MUItyx6RbX5qrJCwrT29Kij-TZ90bSi-acNFNFJ_q3M2ASyxCRjtVVRuIA9uRcqm5UY6keJ47T5uvjMsMnszh7t8ozHi3qc12vF1xW68c9F3U1_7yqqifon7Ny/s1600/moto_0072.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQE6FHV5Kg_RAWcV_r26MUItyx6RbX5qrJCwrT29Kij-TZ90bSi-acNFNFJ_q3M2ASyxCRjtVVRuIA9uRcqm5UY6keJ47T5uvjMsMnszh7t8ozHi3qc12vF1xW68c9F3U1_7yqqifon7Ny/s400/moto_0072.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487045655377700786" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;">This was taken on the boat on Qian Dao Hu. This one is not technically wrong. I looked it up in a dictionary, and "to speel" means "to climb, ascend, or mount." But I'd never heard it before and it sounds really funny.<br /></div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdtUz8-Q3sDf-w8ghZC4imret8z7fcyhbv59P31fpY_7nOMGoOQDuJARMbYylW7Dugru5SWfZpJi-7CwPpvVEIcLenJSH55excfhQOVBBA5TbuuXtRNSuDjaLrCuI9Gho8Tq-GZ5xZc2D/s1600/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+016.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdtUz8-Q3sDf-w8ghZC4imret8z7fcyhbv59P31fpY_7nOMGoOQDuJARMbYylW7Dugru5SWfZpJi-7CwPpvVEIcLenJSH55excfhQOVBBA5TbuuXtRNSuDjaLrCuI9Gho8Tq-GZ5xZc2D/s400/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+016.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487045640530283250" border="0" /></a><br />(I came across a similar situation to the one above when I visited a Dinosaur Theme Park last year. There was a notice that said "Burgling is Forbidden Here." Not wrong, just sounds funny.)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjiRGo7vmO1kqr9CitcFcdShZgsZg_2kIx_wj2Nvguf6JNLrxkE9UyNVXPqy0M4fLXrDfaSOAk0R_gTv-4peIchecUOQs0L5lrjKqtFRZQsvNFZWB-uK3ccz2yXF5exLQUFTkXkX-lcUBK/s1600/DinosaurLand+04-18-09+028+%28Custom%29.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjiRGo7vmO1kqr9CitcFcdShZgsZg_2kIx_wj2Nvguf6JNLrxkE9UyNVXPqy0M4fLXrDfaSOAk0R_gTv-4peIchecUOQs0L5lrjKqtFRZQsvNFZWB-uK3ccz2yXF5exLQUFTkXkX-lcUBK/s400/DinosaurLand+04-18-09+028+%28Custom%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487051342701007666" border="0" /></a><br />This was in the bathroom in our hotel. Consume the Green!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitkrL2FJlowXaCy8MQGqE2T50jLkM5mksJdDDzwkBNo0w8kpCrneR6The_noeDWGL8bVlgBRuwZXoOCQC6QDvDjnlEnDnW8yokAwefrdSur_Cp4GydWog366A_pD9Jvkt24BFZVYjy7kGD/s1600/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+003.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitkrL2FJlowXaCy8MQGqE2T50jLkM5mksJdDDzwkBNo0w8kpCrneR6The_noeDWGL8bVlgBRuwZXoOCQC6QDvDjnlEnDnW8yokAwefrdSur_Cp4GydWog366A_pD9Jvkt24BFZVYjy7kGD/s400/2010-June-%E5%8D%83%E5%B2%9B%E6%B9%96+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487045649978168962" border="0" /></a><br />This one we saw in the downtown area of Chun An. Many western stores' names becomes "Chinese-ified" in China. For example Adidas becomes "A Di Da Si" and Armani becomes "A Ma Ni." The store is supposed to be Manhattan (which in Chinese "should" be "Man Ha Dun") but as you can see here, its a far more hilarious transliteration.<br /></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH51R_HQiWmBQymNgwqLLJHKlKptIf_OM8ml4q7993kKmEfIWlW9fXRCRh2jbzYefuzJwDlMMYJxE8WWsN4Om1dBbXcz3X92SWjCFoyxYanYQo9klkwNITIxMdP79HWKa99butOfXg_92O/s1600/moto_0074.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH51R_HQiWmBQymNgwqLLJHKlKptIf_OM8ml4q7993kKmEfIWlW9fXRCRh2jbzYefuzJwDlMMYJxE8WWsN4Om1dBbXcz3X92SWjCFoyxYanYQo9klkwNITIxMdP79HWKa99butOfXg_92O/s400/moto_0074.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487045660197694514" border="0" /></a><br />This was not taken at Qian Dao Hu, rather in Huzhou. This is the name of a chain of stores that sells leather bags. I will make no comments.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQOinD8G4fD9YBXfzXihz7ux1n6MIRCnN8jekXcl4WLSwMaMrIyCUypeGhOHsO-Pm7a7Pgdi56VzTOk42wug6TKoKg_7hTP0d_olAmVDo1jMBCvfLIZ4LRleirw9zWtW7YrDU_05XuKOP/s1600/moto_0076.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQOinD8G4fD9YBXfzXihz7ux1n6MIRCnN8jekXcl4WLSwMaMrIyCUypeGhOHsO-Pm7a7Pgdi56VzTOk42wug6TKoKg_7hTP0d_olAmVDo1jMBCvfLIZ4LRleirw9zWtW7YrDU_05XuKOP/s400/moto_0076.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487051334579042754" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><br /></div>T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-43842282141195252872010-06-25T22:38:00.002+08:002010-06-26T07:01:49.620+08:00Sing It!So, about a month and a half ago I got a call from one of my Chinese friends named Annie. Annie is woman in her 40s and is married to a Canadian man named Paul. She has an 18 year old daughter named Susan. Anyhow she called me telling me (in Chinese first, because her English is so-so) that there was going to be a singing contest the next day at the TV station, and wanted to know if I'd like to participate together with her daughter. I wasn't exactly sure what this contest was about, but I said sure.<br /><br />The next day Susan contacted me at about noon saying that the contest would be at the local TV station at 2. At least we needed to be there at 2 that is. I met Susan at the Huzhou Teacher's College (about a mile from my school) at 1:30 and from there we walked the remaining half a mile to the TV station. On the way I asked her what exactly this competition was about. She explained to me that they would play part of a song, perhaps 30 seconds or so, and then they would stop the music and you would have to sing the next couple of lines. You didn't have to sing on key, only the lyrics mattered. I asked her if we'd be competing together and she said she thought so. She had a list of the 30 or so songs that they might give to the contestants to sing (about half English songs, half Chinese songs), but unfortunately I didn't have enough time to really study it. I only had even heard of maybe 4 or 5 of the songs, and beyond that only knew the words to 2 of them (Poker Face by Lady Gaga and Venus by some-band-in-the-80s-that-I-don't-know). I wasn't very concerned, however, because Susan knew the songs fairly well.<br /><br />When we arrived at the TV station we discovered that it was in fact NOT a team competition, but an individual one. Further we found that it would only be me competing and not Susan. Then I started to get worried because I had no idea about the vast majority of these songs and further I still wasn't clear on what exactly the format of this competition was. I did, however, learn that this would be broadcast on local Huzhou television that Saturday evening (this was a Tuesday), and that it would be posted for viewing online the following week.<br /><br />Then we entered the studio and I realized this was not some low-production, one-off competition. This was a real TV game show, with a full set and live studio audience and everything. This upped the ante a bit as now if I embarrassed myself, it would be in a more formal setting. There we learned there'd be a total of 8 contestants. As it turned out one of the planned contestants didn't show up, so they let Susan compete after all. When the show began we went back stage and they called out each of the contestants one-by-one to do a short introduction with him or her and the hosts. On a side note, I wasn't the only foreigner competing. There was a Filipino man also competing. I learned that he was a musician and had been living and working in China for about 5 years. He was currently working (with his fellow Filipino group) as the entertainment of a Southeast Asian style restaurant here in Huzhou. His English was great, but even more surprising, his Chinese was unbelievably good. Not only fluent, but really authentic sounding as well. My Chinese is alright, Ellis's Chinese is much better than mine, but in either case we still sound like foreigners speaking Chinese. This guy didn't.<br /><br />Anyway I was contestant #5 and Susan was contestant #6 and when I went up for my introduction Susan went out with me. There was a brief back and forth with the hosts and us, and... normally my Chinese is not bad, or when listening maybe I need a moment or two to process what was said to me. But in this on-the-spot situation, needing a moment to process instead looks like I didn't understand, and so Susan did a brief spot of translating for me (this ended up getting cut, thank goodness).<br /><br />When the competition began they had all the competitors standing in a row at about mid-stage, and whoever's turn it was would come up stage. At this time, standing there, I became increasingly aware of my hands, realizing I didn't know exactly what to do with them. This in turn reminded me of a scene from a movie called “Talladega Nights” where a character wins a race and is being interviewed and he keeps raising his hands to his face because he doesn't know what to do with them.<br /><br />When my turn came, I had an English song, but I'd never heard it before and thus had no prayer of being able to finish singing it. On my 2nd turn, it was a Chinese song, and I do know a select few Chinese songs, but this was not among them, so strike 2. On my final turn I again was given an English song which I'd never heard and thus failed again. After telling them I didn't know, the host asked me in Chinese “You really don't know?” to which I was thinking, “No, I've been holding out on you,” but actually replied, “I really don't know.” That was that and I was done. The most face-losing part of it was not that I didn't make it to the 2nd round or that I got all the songs wrong. In fact there were 3 other contestants who didn't make it to the 2nd round. The difference is that when the other contestants would answer incorrectly, at least they had a decent guess, something very close, but was perhaps off by a word or two. I was the only one who was completely ignorant on every try.<br /><br />Anyhow, I was done and off and my friend Susan actually ended up winning the whole thing, for which she was given a 2000 yuan prize. I received a stuffed “Haibao” as a parting gift. (For those that don't know, “Haibao”, literally “Sea baby”, is the mascot of the Shanghai 2010 World Expo. If you haven't heard of the Shanghai Expo, it's basically a World's Fair, except modern and the most expensive one by far in the history of World Fairs. In fact, setting up this expo in Shanghai was more expensive than the Olympics in Beijing.)<br /><br />Now I intended to post about this outing shortly after it happened but I was hoping to be able to provide a link to watch it. In fact, I didn't bother watching on TV, because I figured I'd watch it online a few days. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out how to watch it, and then ended up procrastinating on getting this post done. I'd asked some Chinese friends to help me find it to watch it, but to no avail. Finally today I asked Susan if she knew how to watch it. Turns out I had found the right link, but you can ONLY view it with Internet Explorer. So without further ado, here is my not-so-spectacular television debut:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.hugd.com/vod/2010-05/17/cms103710article.shtml">http://www.hugd.com/vod/2010-05/17/cms103710article.shtml</a><br /><br />Remember you can only use Internet Explorer to view this. Also, to play it, there is an image that shows a hand pointing to a play button and it says "PLAY" next to it. You don't click that, you click the Chinese words next to it, “我爱红歌汇 (十七)” to play it. The whole thing is in Chinese, and its kind of long, but I made my first appearance at 17:20, so if you want to skip forward to that, feel free to. Furthermore, I have no idea how fast or slow this will stream out of China, so if it's unplayable stateside, sorry.T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-81161305229333553172010-05-09T14:21:00.004+08:002010-05-09T14:59:38.985+08:00CarelessSeveral months ago, shortly after I had bought my bike here in China, I regretted not having spent more and gotten a multi-speed bike. Since going downtown from my school is a 5 km affair, I figured having a multi-speed bike would speed things up nicely.<br /><br />I secretly told myself that I wouldn't mind if my bike got stolen so that I could splurge and get a new one. However, after 19 months in China, it was never lost... until now.<br /><br />Thursday evening I rode my bicycle to Web (the English training center that I work at part-time) and parked it near the exit of the grocery store in the center of town, since I had a few things (like milk) that I needed to pick up before I went home. However, my plans changed because my American co-worker at Web, Brandon, would be leaving China in a few days. I decided to go out with him and have a few drinks. Afterward, I decided to go back directly and took a cab home.<br /><br />The next day I went to work at Web again, but took the bus to downtown since I didn't have my bike. Now at that point, it IS possible that my bicycle was still there, but I neglected to check. Anyhow, after work he and I and a few others again went out.<br /><br />When I went into town on Saturday to finally get my needed groceries, I found that my bike was gone. At first, I had looked in the wrong place, as I don't usually park outside the exit of the grocery store, but near the office building Web is in. But after tracing my steps, I went back to where it should've been, but still (maybe still isn't the right word... again? actually?) my bicycle was lost.<br /><br />So, in total, my bike was out in public for at least two nights. I shouldn't have been as careless as I had been. I had occasionally left it out for one night before and hadn't lost it. But on those occasions I had parked it in a somewhat more secure area. That's what I should've done Thursday night once I realized I wouldn't be riding it home.<br /><br />In any case, with just under two months left, I can't NOT have a bike, so now I'm gonna have to go buy a new one. The only other ways to get around are buses and taxis.<br /><br />Taxis would actually be a reasonable option (for two months) since the taxis here aren't terribly expensive (basically anywhere from $1 to $2 per trip depending on where I'm leaving from or going to). The problem is, my school is just on the outside of town, and finding a taxi isn't a very reliable proposition. Often the only way you can get a taxi leaving the school is to take one that had just dropped some returning students off.<br /><br />The buses are more regular, but the problem with them is that it's not so convenient. If I need to go to the center of the city (where Web is) and I take a bus, I need to allow about 35-40 minutes, because of walking to the bus stop, waiting for the bus (hoping I won't JUST miss one), going through traffic, taking an indirect route, and stopping at several stops in between. Conversely, riding my bike I can make it from my front door to web in 18-20 minutes (depending on traffic lights). Furthermore the buses stop running at 9 pm, so the evenings I work at Web, I'd have to catch a cab home anyway.<br /><br />But truth be told, perhaps the most significant reason I need a bicycle from where I'm living is this: The distance from my apartment door to the front gate of my school is about 0.65 km (about 0.4 miles). And that's if you wanted to catch a cab. For the bus stop the total is about 0.9 km (about 0.55 miles). Now I have to traverse this strip at least twice if not several times daily and if I had to walk it each and every time... It's not that I'm lazy; it's that I'm impatient. I'd get sick of wasting nearly ten minutes retreading this path so many times every single day. With a bike, even if I wanted to take a taxi someplace, I could at least hop on the bike and and park it at the front gate with the guards.<br /><br />Anyhow, I don't want spend a whole lot of money on a new bike because I'll just leave it or give it to someone after two months, but on the other hand, it's just WAY too inconvenient for me to not have it. And I don't want to buy a cheap one and have to suffer it for two months.<br /><br />A new bike will run me about $50 American, so it's not like I am going in to financial straits because of it... just not a wad of money I want to spend on something that I will be getting rid of two months later.<br /><br />On a lighter note, a student sent me an instant message today, just wanting to practice his English. However, at the time he was chatting with me I had gotten up to make a sandwich. During that time, because I hadn't responded to his message, he guessed I was busy and typed, "Your excellency is very busy?"<br /><br />Haha, now he just wanted to use a respectful address, and the equivalent translation of "your excellency" (阁下 ge2 xia4) in Chinese can be used to show respect with teachers, but he wasn't aware of the formality or "royal" tone of it. I told him "sir" would be just fine.T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-49101205513813364312010-04-25T08:34:00.003+08:002010-05-01T15:15:40.005+08:00Kids on the BusWell, last Friday Jean left for Harbin to visit her parents for a month before she leaves for America. In the meantime I've pretty much been going on business as usual.<br /><br />The World Expo begins in Shanghai today. If you haven't heard of it, it's basically a World's Fair kind of deal... except they really are doing it something special. I read they spent like $44 billion dollars preparing Shanghai for it... that's more than they spent on the Olympics.<br /><br />I'm not going to see it this month, A) because Jean's not here and won't get back till near the end of May, and 2) because it's going to be SO crowded. Shanghai is already a pretty busy, crowded city, and I don't want to think what it's going to be like for the early part of this Expo. In any case it lasts about 6 months so Jean and I should be able to go in June before we leave.<br /><br />Other than that, nothing really interesting has happened recently except something on the bus few days ago.<br /><br />So Jean and I were sitting on the bus heading for downtown Huzhou. As we drew closer to one of the stops along the way, a little girl, maybe 7 years old, got up from her seat and waited in front of the door so she could get off.<br /><br />While she was waiting she noticed me and said to me (in Chinese, in fact this whole exchange took place in Chinese): “Excuse me, are you Chinese or a foreigner”<br /><br />At this many of the other people on the bus around us chuckled and I replied to her: “I'm a foreigner.”<br /><br />She then said somewhat indignantly, “Then why have you come to our China, huh?”<br /><br />Everyone around us laughed again, louder this time.<br /><br />“I teach English.”<br /><br />And finally, with a sense of doubt about her she responded, “But... you don't look like a teacher.”<br /><br />As she finished her sentence the bus came to a stop and she hopped off, leaving the remaining bus passengers laughing; the woman sitting in front of me laughed and commented, “Naughty little kid.”<br /><br />I thought it was pretty funny, but Jean disagreed.T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-15064934083558291792010-04-09T13:47:00.004+08:002010-04-09T14:27:58.689+08:00C'est la visa!In February Jean got the letter of approval for her visa to come back with me to the states, which left only the "simple" matter of collecting the visa.<br /><br />As it turns out this is not as simple as it seems. She had her interview at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou back in January. To get an idea of the geography here, if Huzhou is a town about 60 miles north of Atlanta, and if Hangzhou is Atlanta (large city with an airport), then Guangzhou would be Miami. Not exceedingly far, but requires one to fly.<br /><br />Anyhow, the consulate "can" mail the visa to the visa applicant IF you live in select large cities (like Shanghai or Beijing), but if not you have to go down to Guangzhou to collect it yourself. Neither Huzhou nor Hangzhou can receive these visas, but Jean DOES have a cousin who lives in Shanghai who could receive it.<br /><br />HOWEVER<br /><br />Even if you have it mailed to you, you must FIRST go down to the consulate in Guangzhou in person to fill out the forms to have it sent to you. Then why, you might ask, would you ever choose to have it mailed to you? Well I'll tell you why. It's because after you go down to Guangzhou there is still some processing and then they mail it to a local post office, so you'd have to stay for at least 4 business days in total.<br /><br />That being the case, since we'd have to go down to Guangzhou anyway, we decided just to get it all done in one fell swoop, and have a nice long weekend vacationing in Guangzhou to boot.<br /><br />Jean actually left before I did, because the consulate is only open Monday through Thursday. That Monday was actually a Chinese holiday (Tomb Sweeping Festival) and so was only open three days that week. She left early so that she could get the processing started as soon as possible. I left a day later because I had to work, and was already taking off two days for the long weekend anyway.<br /><br />On a side note, my flight to Guangzhou was scheduled to leave Hangzhou at 3pm and arrive two hours later on Wednesday the 7th. Because I was starting out in Huzhou, not in Hangzhou, and because I was dependent on buses and bus schedules, I had to leave my house around 8am to be there in time. When I arrived at the airport, I was about 3 hours early, so I had to kill some time. As the time got closer I found that my flight was delayed to 4:30pm. No big deal, just more time I had to wait. We finally began boarding the airplane at 4:30, which would've put us in line for a 5pm departure, but unfortunately, even after everyone had boarded the plane, we were told that due to inclement weather in Guangzhou, we hadn't yet been given landing clearance in Guangzhou, and so would wait to take off.<br /><br />Flash forward to 8:10pm and we were finally taking off. Oh yes, about 3 and a half hours sitting waiting ON the airplane. You know it seems to me that nearly every, and I'd have to say all but maybe one domestic flight I've had in China has been delayed by some time. Maybe as little as 20 minutes to as much as 2 or even in this case 5 hours. The only flights that I haven't had this problem with are the international ones I've had going home. Then again, those were American air lines, not Chinese ones.<br /><br />Eventually I arrived in Guangzhou and Jean and I went back to the hotel.<br /><br />Getting back on track from that diversion, Friday the 9th, Jean and I headed to the particular post office where the consulate sends the visa packets are sent. We weren't sure if it would have arrived yet, but it would've been possible. To our delight, it was there! It'd actually arrived the day before according to the mail stamp.<br /><br />So finally, Jean has her visa and we'll be flying back stateside this summer!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj4_gvJ6Jd0CTldCVtOAHwmBbm7-vLZ9x7tPxumrbvUf6mB74r_Ij-BTuSNz-U9zNIO0IezXb249q2Jmk_ytpcVhlEyJnIM-yb9eI7nExIf8IFz-1KC2fTuDbg5Sqbz7PspXrVxqp9676A/s1600/IMG_1146+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj4_gvJ6Jd0CTldCVtOAHwmBbm7-vLZ9x7tPxumrbvUf6mB74r_Ij-BTuSNz-U9zNIO0IezXb249q2Jmk_ytpcVhlEyJnIM-yb9eI7nExIf8IFz-1KC2fTuDbg5Sqbz7PspXrVxqp9676A/s400/IMG_1146+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458019335670286722" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhsdpo1fwkLehFPU6F3xEZu-hbFSTTBNJK9Uo_mrS33ur1Tm8fwwmIqtbPWETouBg_3Pf3FIdt7FXpp-Dapx8ckc9-e5oWywjteylMlF2i3gZtDxjjAxyQrObkJQ8bBwxNfYaS9EZFwMnc/s1600/IMG_1147+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhsdpo1fwkLehFPU6F3xEZu-hbFSTTBNJK9Uo_mrS33ur1Tm8fwwmIqtbPWETouBg_3Pf3FIdt7FXpp-Dapx8ckc9-e5oWywjteylMlF2i3gZtDxjjAxyQrObkJQ8bBwxNfYaS9EZFwMnc/s400/IMG_1147+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458019338487939250" border="0" /></a>T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-39125526611060581062010-04-09T13:40:00.005+08:002010-04-12T07:47:09.406+08:00Let's Go Fly a Kite!A couple weekends ago Jean and I went to the grocery store for a few things and as we left we sawr a park across the street where some people were selling and flying kites.<br /><br />Having been in China this long (almost a year and a half now) and having not flown a kite here yet, I figured no time like the present, so we bought one, went home to put the groceries away and then went out to the school's field to have a go.<br /><br />One normally annoying thing about Huzhou is that it's often quite windy. If it's cold outside the wind makes it colder, and if you're riding a bike and can add quite a resistance to your ride. But for flying a kite it makes for pretty agreeable conditions.<br /><br />Here are a few pics and a low-quality video taken with my phone of our gusty goofiness:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmxnm3fY9XUT1GTD-9WDGB626FaBbv5xJkzuMvKwxM-urV_cUCCj4mbpgBxJcWxW11ePse83-dMweixkpB8vYRroLgTyq6XurgIbA79Tz5qIIIDG7bpX96g7GP4kWYc63uhj-eqzQFMvh/s1600/moto_0042.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmxnm3fY9XUT1GTD-9WDGB626FaBbv5xJkzuMvKwxM-urV_cUCCj4mbpgBxJcWxW11ePse83-dMweixkpB8vYRroLgTyq6XurgIbA79Tz5qIIIDG7bpX96g7GP4kWYc63uhj-eqzQFMvh/s400/moto_0042.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459029904344043154" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4lHx7m18kpjZSbkROpsPST458tymLVKiTRtzyejj1IhKjPnzMgciDPG3vmxsijlzwNoQItQuTyR0irEqMg_abGBfDaNJAEvc09D7RVsyFGRsIvKE2V5Yg4q8vCx5JG1WBaFHgd98EgjmS/s1600/moto_0044.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4lHx7m18kpjZSbkROpsPST458tymLVKiTRtzyejj1IhKjPnzMgciDPG3vmxsijlzwNoQItQuTyR0irEqMg_abGBfDaNJAEvc09D7RVsyFGRsIvKE2V5Yg4q8vCx5JG1WBaFHgd98EgjmS/s400/moto_0044.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459029909010925938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6lvh3kE9a6DKzj66z4YxSovwJM-gdaLukcv8xIVRUQRSOViHgSQhN3hbNNSDK-sWGgWjBmxm8DKDvVtO6lbDSg-XZiIAlV0J1t8NZzl0yL3pu4D2qnR_bwGm99mBfL4xgJp2uKWV-IRO/s1600/moto_0047.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6lvh3kE9a6DKzj66z4YxSovwJM-gdaLukcv8xIVRUQRSOViHgSQhN3hbNNSDK-sWGgWjBmxm8DKDvVtO6lbDSg-XZiIAlV0J1t8NZzl0yL3pu4D2qnR_bwGm99mBfL4xgJp2uKWV-IRO/s400/moto_0047.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459029915454246354" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikf3In6q62_NKmDWHXkZiIDiBL2KBy8lRqc9e3YwG8r_sKDYb4sOk8Y8keylmmwD9nrwR-mrcmrNybQ37ww4wd11LY8mnSm4dCZtPbzRIxwdgf3vqIcWi8Xwh5vXVebCVy8bAYT7x3l8F/s1600/moto_0051.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikf3In6q62_NKmDWHXkZiIDiBL2KBy8lRqc9e3YwG8r_sKDYb4sOk8Y8keylmmwD9nrwR-mrcmrNybQ37ww4wd11LY8mnSm4dCZtPbzRIxwdgf3vqIcWi8Xwh5vXVebCVy8bAYT7x3l8F/s400/moto_0051.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459029920518346850" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVZDeyGd3QYxt4xmY7J8GObvSZIMN87aSM9dpUJUrsD5cDkMyhBZHz-WgVU3IfPpivcmlzXY-082ChBTFwa8zgxegZZ8W5-2q-SKm5v2OsL12Lc39i6JBqnVANslbdhKFO_hxooxy86Gb/s1600/moto_0053.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVZDeyGd3QYxt4xmY7J8GObvSZIMN87aSM9dpUJUrsD5cDkMyhBZHz-WgVU3IfPpivcmlzXY-082ChBTFwa8zgxegZZ8W5-2q-SKm5v2OsL12Lc39i6JBqnVANslbdhKFO_hxooxy86Gb/s400/moto_0053.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459029930864505458" border="0" /></a><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-DFyXp2XYFk&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-DFyXp2XYFk&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />If the above video doesn't load correctly, you can also see the clip at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DFyXp2XYFkT.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-45008531836271177622010-03-31T14:01:00.007+08:002010-03-31T14:56:37.708+08:00Harbin, at LastFor those that have been following my blog, it has been awhile since I’ve posted an update. I got back from Harbin a little over a month ago, and that week after returning I did have some time, but just got lazy about posting and updating. The following week however, the new semester started and since then I have been fairly busy.<br /><br />But I do need to update this before I forget. On a side note, I never did finish posting about last summer’s travels with my uncle, aunt, and cousins. The difference between that and this, however, is that at that time I did Write the posts, I just didn’t take the time to edit them and upload and insert the pictures. BUT, those writings are saved, not merely lost to the abyss that is my memory. The Harbin trip however, is now a month gone, and I need to get it on paper, or on disk as it were, before the memories finally blend together into an ambiguous memory blob.<br /><br />So the flight was scheduled for Saturday, February 13 to go to Harbin. That day was actually itself Chinese New Year’s Eve, so we’d be arriving just in time. We bought the plane tickets well in advance, back at the end of November in fact, so that we’d have it squared away. Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year as many of you may know it, is the largest movement of people on the planet. Some millions of Chinese people head home for Spring Festival. It’s their BIG holiday, like Christmas to us in the West. The tickets to Harbin from Hangzhou ran a little on the expensive side for domestic flights in China, 3800 RMB for two tickets (about $560), but it was what it was and in buying them nearly 3 months early, we wouldn't have to worry about it later. <br /><br />Flash forward to February 9, four days before our scheduled flight, and Jean suggested to check and confirm the flight. After a discovering that our tickets were for a flight two days later, we scrambled to call the airline and find out what happened. As it turns out, that Saturday flight had been canceled and we were bumped to a Monday flight. What's more, this had happened back in the middle of January and no one had ever contacted us, either by e-mail or phone (the two contact methods available). The airline wouldn't refund the tickets because they weren't bought directly through them, so we contacted the online vendor through whom we purchased the tickets. The woman that Jean talked to said that if the flight had indeed been cancelled without notifying us that they would refund our tickets. The only problem was that the seller said their accountant had already taken leave and wouldn't be able to process the refund until after the holiday. In the meantime we searched for some other tickets to fly up to Harbin on the 13th. We did find some tickets, and despite the time being so short, the tickets were actually a great deal cheaper, 2800 RMB (about $415) for the pair. This was actually good news provided we could get the refund on the first set of tickets, because we'd save money. Fortunately, the return flight tickets had no such problems.<br /><br />So Friday, February 12 I left for Hangzhou and the next morning Jean and I made our way to the Hangzhou airport. We arrived that afternoon in Harbin without incident. We hitched a cab to Jean's parents and arrived some 45 or so minutes later. I met her mom for the second time and her father for the first. Her mother had bought some pajamas for both Jean and I so we could wear something warm and comfortable around the apartment.<br /><br />That night we all ate dinner together. Her father and I were the first ones to sit down and he offered me a glass of bai jiu (literally “white liquor”, pronounced “bye joe”). There are other variants of this stuff with SUPER high percentages of alcohol (70%), but luckily this variety was only 35%, not dissimilar to the alcohol content in vodka or rum. As it was served in a shot glass, I mistakenly thought that we were to begin with a shot, so I downed it one gulp, as did her father right after me. Walking into the dining room at that moment, Jean scoldingly informed me that it was to be sipped at, not shot. She asked her dad why he drank it like that, and he said he did it because I did it. I was actually kind of relieved to hear that it was to be sipped, especially seeing how quickly her father refilled our glasses. After that I sipped at it, drinking when her father drank. Near the end of dinner I had finished off my third glass and her father went to re-fill it yet again, at which point I had to decline. In all our subsequent meals (except breakfast) I drank with her father, but had to limit myself to only one or two shot glasses of the stuff, while he usually drank a little bit more. Bai jiu isn't the harshest or most terrible liquor in the world, but I'm not a big drinker to begin with, so it was something I had to adjust to. The Chinese, however, are generally big drinkers.<br /><br />On a side note, Jean's mother was such a generous cook; she had prepared so much food, and Jean and I ate so much at every meal that at no point during this trip did we ever feel even remotely hungry. Whenever the next meal time would approach, both Jean and I still were still kind of full, didn't really feel like eating, but did anyway. I think finally the 5th or 6th day we were there we (Jean and I) finally ended up skipping one meal, because we both had no room for food, and were fairly tired.<br /><br />After dinner the first night I hooked up the Wii to their TV, and we all played it for a little while. Jean's mom seemed to enjoy it, but I'm not sure her father has as good a time. After that we tuned to the TV to the “Spring Festival Celebration Gala,” an event held and televised every New Year's Eve, and is also a sort of modern tradition in China. It's a show where they hold skits, sing songs, and put on dances, and is watched by almost all the Chinese on New Year's Eve. As a result, the live viewing audience for this program is higher than for any other event on television in the world, including the Super Bowl. As the time grew later, we all made dumplings to be cooked and eaten. Eating dumplings (also known in the states as pot stickers) on Chinese New Year's is a tradition, meant to bring good fortune, and are eaten often throughout the holiday. At about 11:30 Jean's parents said they were tired and were going to turn in. Jean asked me what I wanted to do, and although I was tired, I felt we were too close to midnight to go to sleep. So, we stayed up and rang in the new year, followed by a steady cacophony of fireworks going off (maybe at least 15 minutes straight).<br /><br />The next day Jean and I went to downtown Harbin, saw the completely frozen solid river, did a bit of shopping, and ate some “bing tang hu lu”, something lik candied apples except there are a variety of fruits (grapes, bananas, strawberries, or most traditionally, Chinese hawthorn), and they are cut into small pieces and skewered. Also, they're not coated with caramel, but some other sugar-based liquid that hardens around the fruits shortly (like 10 seconds) after being heated and poured.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Here with a strawberry and a banana "Bing Tang Hu Lu"<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMJYqxNrLMPiShn0_SyQq6vP1c95sFH7prDSgr8Cg_tFTf_DwjsKH4TZeEMa2T9oWhwyFSy3tH-EOIBBDihsd_opzU9EKNcfauf4deNfo33puI-n7gb4uGEfasYfFDtM0Gj4vesBQ_JLT/s1600/IMG_1111+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMJYqxNrLMPiShn0_SyQq6vP1c95sFH7prDSgr8Cg_tFTf_DwjsKH4TZeEMa2T9oWhwyFSy3tH-EOIBBDihsd_opzU9EKNcfauf4deNfo33puI-n7gb4uGEfasYfFDtM0Gj4vesBQ_JLT/s400/IMG_1111+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454671741590007682" border="0" /></a>We walked along one of Harbin's most famous (and touristy) streets, Zhong Yang Avenue, and saw some ice carvings there, as well as a “hedge” maze made using blocks of ice instead of hedges.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkaGiQg-Jb6AGTLAGoflGRmP62X9PByYui5xGQzD_Li0Pq4KZJeuryhnKkVxUp7kdQo_x5MuK5vtvyqdgxRhVqCqxCjcS4rZCVip3_FWq95gLrBeiFnz6RIX87sGbdhHhECP5P-VxFoAC/s1600/IMG_1118+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkaGiQg-Jb6AGTLAGoflGRmP62X9PByYui5xGQzD_Li0Pq4KZJeuryhnKkVxUp7kdQo_x5MuK5vtvyqdgxRhVqCqxCjcS4rZCVip3_FWq95gLrBeiFnz6RIX87sGbdhHhECP5P-VxFoAC/s400/IMG_1118+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454682327783150226" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICZPaTyiFEkyRNnhEyRDVpuptmSE1fmbqZ8rl9h_gmotLOGljZGeQa-7d_Olz0rjIx9I-NmfqGVpn97ESdKHp-0zyYaCfaQGvZ5AfIXv0vs_pb0xy8vCS_y2O_AdR8ASpvhpJK7Ci19wy/s1600/IMG_1103+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICZPaTyiFEkyRNnhEyRDVpuptmSE1fmbqZ8rl9h_gmotLOGljZGeQa-7d_Olz0rjIx9I-NmfqGVpn97ESdKHp-0zyYaCfaQGvZ5AfIXv0vs_pb0xy8vCS_y2O_AdR8ASpvhpJK7Ci19wy/s400/IMG_1103+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454671727314954386" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNhKFTUZFE-aAn1zL8d3UrZVtEd00XafkV60Qc0oCgdPe-GIZovuc0L-HwW29WsUk5q5OiCnqHd_8PC1gzgQXc7zNVQs3Gtxl1uL4DYdO9L5VbdBx-fVqmSOreCNADGLlTkYqR-SbMmHRq/s1600/IMG_1105+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNhKFTUZFE-aAn1zL8d3UrZVtEd00XafkV60Qc0oCgdPe-GIZovuc0L-HwW29WsUk5q5OiCnqHd_8PC1gzgQXc7zNVQs3Gtxl1uL4DYdO9L5VbdBx-fVqmSOreCNADGLlTkYqR-SbMmHRq/s400/IMG_1105+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454671738744011234" border="0" /></a><br />I was fascinated by the ice blocks since they were so clear and so hard and so DRY. It's not as if I've never seen ice before, but whenever I see ice it has already begun melting, so at least the exterior is already or beginning to get wet. So, call me a bumpkin, but seeing such dry ice was a little unusual to me, as if it was just the solid form of any chemical we'd use in a chemistry lab.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKw8MCmlQxLi3qgf_hcsBL7hjMlWMWjDRKfugsQ-3ASUgmT6sqO1_FzD8HuHuG-DmMHwKOza8gtQwwORps7Jrlk4GxZX2VHLrsLzJLirTsYSA8_ABP2Yg4go4cDOhI6pa2gcUAZSnWxP0/s1600/IMG_1128+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKw8MCmlQxLi3qgf_hcsBL7hjMlWMWjDRKfugsQ-3ASUgmT6sqO1_FzD8HuHuG-DmMHwKOza8gtQwwORps7Jrlk4GxZX2VHLrsLzJLirTsYSA8_ABP2Yg4go4cDOhI6pa2gcUAZSnWxP0/s400/IMG_1128+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454677838742019298" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBbTWFACEqe3ayVHFiTzHv2DTq0vnX4SGQY7fAMHw9ZLplbpK23QPdN_1D_-BdfdjjmQ-c2sk95MhwammbDzNSMy1OHlIOLIOz0baLGtRDy0qskoJ4FIVGp_L0VVdWFF7gC4JP9VEXkB2/s1600/IMG_1129+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBbTWFACEqe3ayVHFiTzHv2DTq0vnX4SGQY7fAMHw9ZLplbpK23QPdN_1D_-BdfdjjmQ-c2sk95MhwammbDzNSMy1OHlIOLIOz0baLGtRDy0qskoJ4FIVGp_L0VVdWFF7gC4JP9VEXkB2/s400/IMG_1129+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454678106263386754" border="0" /></a><br />While out Jean and I also made our way to a Wal-Mart so that I could get supplies to make spaghetti as Jean had suggested to her parents previously. I didn't make it that night, but we wanted to have the stuff ready.<br /><br />When we got home we got we ended up watching the beginnings of the Winter Olympics, something we did quite a lot of during our stay, because it happened to coincide.<br /><br />The next day we spent most of the day warm inside at home, but that evening Jean and I left to go see the Harbin Snow and Ice World, a park where they had dozens of enormous and elaborate ice buildings, ice sculptures, and snow sculptures. It was quite impressive and my words will do it no justice, so here are some of the pictures. There would've been more pictures but both Jean's camera's battery and mine ended up dying on us while there.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The structure behind me here is made entirely of ice blocks.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OrXa9QSubY-fkyc0ugkOyx1uor7P_F60cuBhwxU250q71a8HL9-Sly98K0fMnysf2q7kjhfWwx8xb9nHFuHqbJnGD7xw-q3_sxjCB2YqnT89Y61yt0YLvCOun35XRUeTF2LDL8hr5KzQ/s1600/IMG_1122+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OrXa9QSubY-fkyc0ugkOyx1uor7P_F60cuBhwxU250q71a8HL9-Sly98K0fMnysf2q7kjhfWwx8xb9nHFuHqbJnGD7xw-q3_sxjCB2YqnT89Y61yt0YLvCOun35XRUeTF2LDL8hr5KzQ/s400/IMG_1122+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454677818227031906" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuaCIU-ZfwC4KvY6UnPZPAUSE6VKmx0_m-WkMWnaXZUtydgXa95HuoEXKr6VUXiKiRAsc7gbch_3fXvs-B-TEFvhBOAyVaTL3ZJ5aQ0s9Qh3Js_uJwJ5gUMoyk53GF-ZkUylbgxyNs6aZ/s1600/IMG_1125+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuaCIU-ZfwC4KvY6UnPZPAUSE6VKmx0_m-WkMWnaXZUtydgXa95HuoEXKr6VUXiKiRAsc7gbch_3fXvs-B-TEFvhBOAyVaTL3ZJ5aQ0s9Qh3Js_uJwJ5gUMoyk53GF-ZkUylbgxyNs6aZ/s400/IMG_1125+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454677826957032194" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">An ice terra cotta warrior<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioiCXN3zqOsPoGgFCTmIeRKRUpasgf7V5KMVgIlqquV4axGy-UwbhxhXEiOhqwvswjfB_a-8RgBV1pH1-1VGcGBwd3QLZ4_gDHy0i9mm3CMYmtW-s67bxCqNzVnp_wDqEERt_MONkH3F_G/s1600/IMG_1126+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioiCXN3zqOsPoGgFCTmIeRKRUpasgf7V5KMVgIlqquV4axGy-UwbhxhXEiOhqwvswjfB_a-8RgBV1pH1-1VGcGBwd3QLZ4_gDHy0i9mm3CMYmtW-s67bxCqNzVnp_wDqEERt_MONkH3F_G/s400/IMG_1126+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454677833133257986" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAj69LIOm54c_Yi_7xnAiRARBBduiTKpb8mRrAUpj8wQ13UGLkNrygsC6mUdvbjEaXC2wThsxw3LJ9m9fz4ur4je22bo-OHB0OWMn_x1K578Px0-Qrkwzf_41EUtRTidkMvEIUNGHTPnq9/s1600/IMG_1127+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAj69LIOm54c_Yi_7xnAiRARBBduiTKpb8mRrAUpj8wQ13UGLkNrygsC6mUdvbjEaXC2wThsxw3LJ9m9fz4ur4je22bo-OHB0OWMn_x1K578Px0-Qrkwzf_41EUtRTidkMvEIUNGHTPnq9/s400/IMG_1127+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454677834972245234" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">An ice sphinx and a beautiful girl.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZquek_2YRNnG5loHRrGB5oerJCoO41EYBm6v3wnDBBUblxJ7dbZFgErDu1PJKbc5hFy4m8RsVGLWp-ba3KsgN6iQBqFLAAPivIyQgXUCxHjMCYG662BlwBbYeAPSJaespd4oyyR0oIDNE/s1600/IMG_1135+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZquek_2YRNnG5loHRrGB5oerJCoO41EYBm6v3wnDBBUblxJ7dbZFgErDu1PJKbc5hFy4m8RsVGLWp-ba3KsgN6iQBqFLAAPivIyQgXUCxHjMCYG662BlwBbYeAPSJaespd4oyyR0oIDNE/s400/IMG_1135+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454678118941018210" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">These were two GIGANTIC snow sculptures<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilak481DJOkukqaoi__booJ9EOLCWO7-ufVibah8LSJwJRO3-BtMdVvS2QicJVkisuvYvQ6nLVROGgpoVQbhcce1RmPub9YtYKEb27SIi5c5VPrvR-CSLVtDXYiSkoUqcP_BiYk6hBOrD5/s1600/PICT0454+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilak481DJOkukqaoi__booJ9EOLCWO7-ufVibah8LSJwJRO3-BtMdVvS2QicJVkisuvYvQ6nLVROGgpoVQbhcce1RmPub9YtYKEb27SIi5c5VPrvR-CSLVtDXYiSkoUqcP_BiYk6hBOrD5/s400/PICT0454+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454678399443226290" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4XVIh3heO0v8LB6wF9XsPuPPgzoersXgeDst9K2IVSinidlXc55h2EvXF0iBnP4JGboGd-4RQn7NOnLQqSlzGmdJNBC7oJhxI0U5cEucggrOKVl02S9hDB2qjF0MmI24VJL8xVKdhUywo/s1600/IMG_1137+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4XVIh3heO0v8LB6wF9XsPuPPgzoersXgeDst9K2IVSinidlXc55h2EvXF0iBnP4JGboGd-4RQn7NOnLQqSlzGmdJNBC7oJhxI0U5cEucggrOKVl02S9hDB2qjF0MmI24VJL8xVKdhUywo/s400/IMG_1137+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454678122718973810" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">On the giant icy chess board<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21zlg6N9Y90LQ1i6FU2JDtWybwcc2jYrQda53-93MYJm_qozcDplj6b7Ol8JgZ_OsmdahmygZ1-oVT_6I8YAeXHRIfhxZSYta2go0FWrno9Yr5bCk3YRpZrYQTXzzpgNRgsD_NOcQDVoy/s1600/PICT0489+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21zlg6N9Y90LQ1i6FU2JDtWybwcc2jYrQda53-93MYJm_qozcDplj6b7Ol8JgZ_OsmdahmygZ1-oVT_6I8YAeXHRIfhxZSYta2go0FWrno9Yr5bCk3YRpZrYQTXzzpgNRgsD_NOcQDVoy/s400/PICT0489+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454678402961114162" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Mutual Photos through a Block of Ice<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKydEROjYtEUPD2NpXEZiaZ6FEh5AEfH7srWguej3bPofbWkIEjV9XaTWAbQm3tGGZgHqJrBEdXHcdc0uEWyyE7pFg7CQHkiW_QqGNDx2WF9cqN9TXtiNpq9y0RBItaVgpehsqGNxveQG/s1600/IMG_1131+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKydEROjYtEUPD2NpXEZiaZ6FEh5AEfH7srWguej3bPofbWkIEjV9XaTWAbQm3tGGZgHqJrBEdXHcdc0uEWyyE7pFg7CQHkiW_QqGNDx2WF9cqN9TXtiNpq9y0RBItaVgpehsqGNxveQG/s400/IMG_1131+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454678107999169426" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MTVOvAY1Pes9rLhUFMqosy3TmPc-IpQ_zcQrjHO-Cahml6tVyqMwduFAuwem2gVuAkAfzXyoKM8IKolonFay3kvJu8KggRdN2b5MJ5hJgTJ3oBhKNUvnCd9K6KDn38Xyt_-Abp_-Jtkz/s1600/PICT0453+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MTVOvAY1Pes9rLhUFMqosy3TmPc-IpQ_zcQrjHO-Cahml6tVyqMwduFAuwem2gVuAkAfzXyoKM8IKolonFay3kvJu8KggRdN2b5MJ5hJgTJ3oBhKNUvnCd9K6KDn38Xyt_-Abp_-Jtkz/s400/PICT0453+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454678396232299058" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">This one we saw on the side of the road in downtown Harbin.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqn9Dr7rezBcu1BEt60jYRFHim8NQzEZ2XARCsO6t5uIszAAR5WRwtO6srNOV1A6gllhLwdeRP9fl_FYO_2S9aqlytwIE8agvvWr6DhTw_pBkNA49Y-NEnaH0dcyg3Y22GBgPLw8YTBP7G/s1600/PICT0452+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqn9Dr7rezBcu1BEt60jYRFHim8NQzEZ2XARCsO6t5uIszAAR5WRwtO6srNOV1A6gllhLwdeRP9fl_FYO_2S9aqlytwIE8agvvWr6DhTw_pBkNA49Y-NEnaH0dcyg3Y22GBgPLw8YTBP7G/s400/PICT0452+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454678391688347698" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The day after that the four of us went out to a restaurant for lunch as we were going to meet with some of Jean's mother's aunts. All total there were 9 people, Jean's mom, Jean's father, Jean's mother's eldest aunt (on her father's side) with her daughter (40s) and granddaughter (perhaps 13), another of Jean's mother's aunts (again on her father's side) with her husband, and then Jean and I. <br /><br />An interesting point to note about Chinese is that while it is slightly complicated to explain these relationships in English (due to the ambiguity of the words “aunt” and “uncle”), in Chinese there is a different word to describe a variety of different relationships. There's a word for aunt who is your father's sister (gugu), a different word for an aunt who is your father's younger brother's wife (shenshen), and yet a different word for an aunt who is your father's OLDest brother's wife (dama), let alone the terms for your mother's sisters (ayi). While difficult to learn all these different terms, the nature of one's familial relationships is far clearer based on their addresses alone.<br /><br />At the meal, I of course had to use Chinese to try and communicate (with Jean translating when things got hairy), but I have to say it was so much more difficult for me to communicate then than even just at home with Jean's parents. Part of it could've been I was not as sharp that day, part of it could've been the vocabulary they were using, and part still could have been their accents and pronunciation. I have found that in China I have a FAR easier time speaking with younger people, under the age of about 40, than those over, especially so in the South (where I live). There are exceptions of course, Jean's mother thankfully being a notable one, and I am NOT saying that it is because they are older, but the fact remains that by and large pronunciation of the younger generations is a great deal more uniform and proper than the older generations. If I had to hypothesize as to why, I'd most likely go with the availability of television from childhood. It would make sense that uniform national programming serves not only to homogenize a nation's culture, but also a nation's speech.<br /><br />During the meal Jean mentioned that she and I were considering going skiing, and as it turned out, Jean's mother's cousin (the 40-something year old woman) was a tour guide. It so happened that she was arranging a group to go skiing the next day, and it was easy enough for us to join them. Jean also invited her best friend (a middle school classmate of hers) and her friend's friend.<br /><br />The next day we woke up early to meet Jean's mom's cousin's tour group. We met them at a hotel, boarded a large van (or small bus?), and set off. The ride was three and a half hours to the mountainside and the first place we stopped was a restaurant, as it was lunchtime, and it was included in the tour fare.<br /><br />After that we were taken to a ski resort where we didn't actually go skiing, but instead rode a cart down a metal track. They called it a luge, but really... if Uncle Jack or Aunt Mary are reading this, it was essentially exactly the same thing we rode to come down from the great wall except longer.<br /><br />After that diversion the tour group finally headed to a different place to go skiing. Jean, despite having grown up in the far North had never actually gone skiing, so it was her first time. The slope we were on was quite a gentle grade, but despite this, poor Jean, she was quite nervous and once she started sliding, she didn't know how to stop, save for simply falling... which is what she did... quite often. This was before she finally decided to give up entirely.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIlqmxKSFf3-nmwfCa14I9HINujIplzr7OjeyoB5wPK0tz7Tw45MGJ2H1HhAGcE6IltQ3xWTEn2CdLljuXSkplnwp_TVmp2Tgc9VNJqLr8EqkfBdV47KbpoqhRAL6YwljP5mUJtK3PeJJ/s1600/PICT0512+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIlqmxKSFf3-nmwfCa14I9HINujIplzr7OjeyoB5wPK0tz7Tw45MGJ2H1HhAGcE6IltQ3xWTEn2CdLljuXSkplnwp_TVmp2Tgc9VNJqLr8EqkfBdV47KbpoqhRAL6YwljP5mUJtK3PeJJ/s400/PICT0512+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454685438126672898" border="0" /></a><br />As for me, the slope was too gentle. I didn't fall one time. And believe me, I'm not saying I'm just so good that I didn't fall. I've only ever been skiing twice before in my life, so I'm no pro... which is in fact how I know that it was too easy. Unfortunately, the place we were at, there was only this slope to play on. Additionally, we were only there for about two hours before we had to leave, at which time we hopped back into the van/bus and spent the next four hours going back to Harbin.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">(The next week after we returned, Jean's company went on a ski trip to a mountain town in Zhejiang province, the province where we live. This time, I'm told, she did much better.)<br /><div style="text-align: center;">Jean skiing in Anji<br /></div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMtiqsZdYzC-hJam2mBb40n7G9fVcToSRVCPbh7P27vGevfVvFwi1XTC35D8N8-03ZOynYdbkvyuyNzyiFawTEiHrEh1mnE_r0C9KCTq59kLKHGBvryHNqG7wL6wSrK8g_mkZ78HD-nPpN/s1600/FILE0175+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMtiqsZdYzC-hJam2mBb40n7G9fVcToSRVCPbh7P27vGevfVvFwi1XTC35D8N8-03ZOynYdbkvyuyNzyiFawTEiHrEh1mnE_r0C9KCTq59kLKHGBvryHNqG7wL6wSrK8g_mkZ78HD-nPpN/s400/FILE0175+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454671722943004178" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The next day we rested a bit, mostly stayed home watching the Olympics, playing cards or mahjong, and playing Wii.<br /><br />The following day Jean and I decided to go skating and so Jean's mom went with us to show us where a park was where we could skate. The park was along the river and the ice-skating circle was actually on the river itself! We arrived there at maybe 10 o'clock and we were the only ones there, and skated for about 30 minutes before heading home.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgYWMQBCnlIv0UGN33DIJ5db-ULcAT2s-sDVpMmnCXoX5oZQVNIiquZbWwjNM24GUSihFEAsytz_5XlsKuXj-toZVusYXk7LVderMs8jqBW3tpVzurRSNR1v1uNNNE1TGC3wiyM9QXGN_/s1600/PICT0515+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgYWMQBCnlIv0UGN33DIJ5db-ULcAT2s-sDVpMmnCXoX5oZQVNIiquZbWwjNM24GUSihFEAsytz_5XlsKuXj-toZVusYXk7LVderMs8jqBW3tpVzurRSNR1v1uNNNE1TGC3wiyM9QXGN_/s400/PICT0515+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454678405235948194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOlqidK4yhVdOxIsC-j9RbJXcBLeQh_TLrBm0_YS6cu31orR14noeP4lr8U2SDDmsLpvYsAcVBWea0WQO0zYbAJRd8mkCYanBN2kZ3BQGCsVJjH5ptcMIJFkigrT08fwoWPzbQDLqHWhq/s1600/PICT0516+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOlqidK4yhVdOxIsC-j9RbJXcBLeQh_TLrBm0_YS6cu31orR14noeP4lr8U2SDDmsLpvYsAcVBWea0WQO0zYbAJRd8mkCYanBN2kZ3BQGCsVJjH5ptcMIJFkigrT08fwoWPzbQDLqHWhq/s400/PICT0516+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454678552823373074" border="0" /></a><br /></div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM10LwljOqUV9P0Ngz7BSMzf-3acoCq7UgkR79Zn5KA-Yo9jv62qxk_1yOWVsK59D-25zJonB0pP0wMLCb9Gd2ubwF_ja1I-IBfBVTBSQBjmjkAlzzSyRNJ2dkp1Y9qv2obzxPX72BgxqY/s1600/PICT0517+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM10LwljOqUV9P0Ngz7BSMzf-3acoCq7UgkR79Zn5KA-Yo9jv62qxk_1yOWVsK59D-25zJonB0pP0wMLCb9Gd2ubwF_ja1I-IBfBVTBSQBjmjkAlzzSyRNJ2dkp1Y9qv2obzxPX72BgxqY/s400/PICT0517+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454678557557272530" border="0" /></a><br />The next day Jean went out shopping with her best friend, while I stayed home, watched the Olympics with her parents, nursed a slight cold, and, in the late afternoon, began preparing the pasta.<br /><br />Jean's parents hadn't eaten Italian pasta before, so mine was their first, and they said it was alright, but it didn't really suit their tastes. I've found there're quite a few Chinese for whom this is the case. Luckily Jean likes it :D<br /><br />The next day we boarded a cab, headed for the Harbin airport and (after a flight delay, which seems to be the norm for me in China) began the journey home.<br /><br />Overall, my impression of Harbin was that it is culturally quite an interesting city, being both Chinese, but also having architectural influence from neighboring Russia. Quite a few buildings were not Chinese in style, but rather 19th century Russian, which was quite a departure from the rest of China that I've seen. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OrXa9QSubY-fkyc0ugkOyx1uor7P_F60cuBhwxU250q71a8HL9-Sly98K0fMnysf2q7kjhfWwx8xb9nHFuHqbJnGD7xw-q3_sxjCB2YqnT89Y61yt0YLvCOun35XRUeTF2LDL8hr5KzQ/s1600/IMG_1122+%28Large%29.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-JJBb1oJ-vSFVO0iozbu8tLl93W2kRUf0YeUn0QHRyCsNqeqYUkatN1f274k474Q8s5HWW9HXf58nn5WHFROYL-ajWP2fA4JmPYrGaBDXDgwWUQN4AGKn0UmcrIjiWMMPGngYDh978F5/s1600/IMG_1114+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-JJBb1oJ-vSFVO0iozbu8tLl93W2kRUf0YeUn0QHRyCsNqeqYUkatN1f274k474Q8s5HWW9HXf58nn5WHFROYL-ajWP2fA4JmPYrGaBDXDgwWUQN4AGKn0UmcrIjiWMMPGngYDh978F5/s400/IMG_1114+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454671744809912882" border="0" /></a><br />I have to say, finally, that while it was really fun to visit... I just don't know if I could handle winters like that. With daytime highs between -5 and zero degrees Fahrenheit, and lows even colder, it was always a big todo just to go out and fetch a simple something. Inside the house it was quite comfortable and warm, but after about 2 minutes outside, my face and ears would begin to hurt. I'm a southern kid, and I'm simply not cut out for that kind of weather. It never snowed very heavily while I was there, so I didn't have a chance to build my as yet unbuilt first snowman. Also, Jean's parents were quite inviting and very gracious and hospitable and I hope I'll soon have the chance to return their hospitality.<br /><br />Oh, and there was some good news both during and after the trip. A few days after we got back we contacted the ticket seller again and they did indeed refund our tickets. But more importantly, while in Harbin, Jean at one point received a phone call saying that she received a packet from the U.S. Embassy; this turned out to be her visa approval! So after we go down to Guangzhou again to fetch and affix her visa, she'll officially be headed stateside!<br /><br />And FYI for those that don't know yet, the tickets going back are purchased, and we'll be arriving June 29.T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-20341161992792114132010-02-08T07:01:00.017+08:002010-02-08T13:45:51.333+08:00MallratsOk, so finally, here is the story of Jean and I's trip to Guangzhou for her visa interview.<br /><br />This first part is irrelevent, just, the morning of the day I left for Hangzhou to go to Guangzhou, the fog outside was crazy. Again, not relevant to the story, but it was mad thick.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwT70kpH7fhdiICw7R1F4znTvWuZYxceNkwRYSCcIX2F0LvAt1GxOXrQtpCSAslPnSHYx_-bhmGk8I7zuXYBkJg5_hi78SdIXW_Z4W7IVnTqzeWWjeEksh_r6J9PXhn15RmpRFOw0I8iO/s1600-h/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+005+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwT70kpH7fhdiICw7R1F4znTvWuZYxceNkwRYSCcIX2F0LvAt1GxOXrQtpCSAslPnSHYx_-bhmGk8I7zuXYBkJg5_hi78SdIXW_Z4W7IVnTqzeWWjeEksh_r6J9PXhn15RmpRFOw0I8iO/s400/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+005+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435705505680047986" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItZuMi23hxns2FHz5zdOjIwMx-BZv-OWRn6wKPyiUZ_9aOWXAbfbGxWdsts4uJCxZBu7LK0lljpi1aIxCs5YKv0Tqyo94iq-XY1l3gUxGpRXEPneRVghIghY5Vu0drqwIJ70Hcs_jCZgo/s1600-h/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+003+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItZuMi23hxns2FHz5zdOjIwMx-BZv-OWRn6wKPyiUZ_9aOWXAbfbGxWdsts4uJCxZBu7LK0lljpi1aIxCs5YKv0Tqyo94iq-XY1l3gUxGpRXEPneRVghIghY5Vu0drqwIJ70Hcs_jCZgo/s400/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+003+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435705494718934850" border="0" /></a><br />When we arrived in Guangzhou, we first went to the hotel, which had been arranged by a woman who helps people coming to Guangzhou on visa matters. Jean asked her a few questions about it, and the woman answered to the best of her knowledge, and then Jean and I set out for a late lunch/early dinner. We searched online for a buffet and found one called the “Las Vegas Buffet” at a mall not far from where we were staying.<br /><br />The mall was called Zheng Jia Guang Chang (正佳广场) and was rather large. You could enter on the ground floor or outside they had an escalator that would take you directly to the 4th floor.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32-ilYXUcPk9o9e16FSIbnZnVOtcohp7DXNilAAwSQi5UL28Qkjvj-1wHB3zlfaMck3jbwcEFEO_T0LFi7JUHb6r4OyRydzSZQyTYljFEMrNdpptv7AW5Z5v_zZXAJHTFTI2jjOTxe90S/s1600-h/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+010+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32-ilYXUcPk9o9e16FSIbnZnVOtcohp7DXNilAAwSQi5UL28Qkjvj-1wHB3zlfaMck3jbwcEFEO_T0LFi7JUHb6r4OyRydzSZQyTYljFEMrNdpptv7AW5Z5v_zZXAJHTFTI2jjOTxe90S/s400/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+010+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435705494045958578" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIh7PqruKihszy2xTMQc_8dVQgVfhmHtbTBTsqjse1cplAhqL-N008zcFJWU3wsmTHIIrRJYibpUgYSSlv0bwH1tLMvKSwlGb2zTGjXzjJ_hMJe05XiPZUarn_F0gMcdevQX3uMpaFD_HT/s1600-h/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+011+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIh7PqruKihszy2xTMQc_8dVQgVfhmHtbTBTsqjse1cplAhqL-N008zcFJWU3wsmTHIIrRJYibpUgYSSlv0bwH1tLMvKSwlGb2zTGjXzjJ_hMJe05XiPZUarn_F0gMcdevQX3uMpaFD_HT/s400/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+011+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435705485837395842" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgotjyRc4zOXe4wsQT0onQGGZ0d52yvbXP8UV2oa4IL9a0tDi6yZIxMXEPeFnI1kP5ZdNXAZvTlA3zY5iPEmz7hxusHa0mdKOrkWbdv4p1tYb6iPxcNwiWlbxDU1NGDvSCjfrH70lAdS0Ff/s1600-h/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+012+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgotjyRc4zOXe4wsQT0onQGGZ0d52yvbXP8UV2oa4IL9a0tDi6yZIxMXEPeFnI1kP5ZdNXAZvTlA3zY5iPEmz7hxusHa0mdKOrkWbdv4p1tYb6iPxcNwiWlbxDU1NGDvSCjfrH70lAdS0Ff/s400/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+012+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435704556615662882" border="0" /></a><br />There was even an ice-skating rink inside the mall.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MhY5E6xn0TmQE5021Q-YgqQlmYa_gxIWRa1LnNecI9jy_jZGboPd_Wi89Y1HOpN-jv6QSpZV6rFqoQcPtxPCinn8f6BMfLU1CxFrfUm4YY8OQ5IcsojKqpm2DlcayXPTFfVcoQHEJmTX/s1600-h/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+016+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MhY5E6xn0TmQE5021Q-YgqQlmYa_gxIWRa1LnNecI9jy_jZGboPd_Wi89Y1HOpN-jv6QSpZV6rFqoQcPtxPCinn8f6BMfLU1CxFrfUm4YY8OQ5IcsojKqpm2DlcayXPTFfVcoQHEJmTX/s400/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+016+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435705477637580786" border="0" /></a><br />When we entered the mall we passed by an electronics store and walked by a 103” Plasma TV. The price tag was something like $100,000. Here's a picture of me standing next to it for some scale.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHkkfMNZ8NMpEeGwKkQS_eGXE0QRisDGAJtk5PZhMNhmhIGTDRozOUkutubr8OAjnR5mgkYWExI8yDrH1-s1iEpyea24TiDe8MqihyphenhyphenVMAfzSpVI2HrnGsRu62E8dgByOwcStvwtB4fSDw/s1600-h/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+014+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHkkfMNZ8NMpEeGwKkQS_eGXE0QRisDGAJtk5PZhMNhmhIGTDRozOUkutubr8OAjnR5mgkYWExI8yDrH1-s1iEpyea24TiDe8MqihyphenhyphenVMAfzSpVI2HrnGsRu62E8dgByOwcStvwtB4fSDw/s400/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+014+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435704552794148370" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDc_0lpVQxe1EI636NXn7cUppO-0Wo8dB0FMqNnYWY_G6NruU37p4AVHcPVUvxp8mUPPQCyewdYyAzX3gfUltuYBY-FbD2dCPHSDbveuRuli1O91YAdQZBJdBcX83TPoqlf5euaW2pha8E/s1600-h/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+015+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDc_0lpVQxe1EI636NXn7cUppO-0Wo8dB0FMqNnYWY_G6NruU37p4AVHcPVUvxp8mUPPQCyewdYyAzX3gfUltuYBY-FbD2dCPHSDbveuRuli1O91YAdQZBJdBcX83TPoqlf5euaW2pha8E/s400/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+015+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435704546739260274" border="0" /></a><br />We went to the Las Vegas Buffet for a late lunch (3:05pm) only to find that they were open for lunch from 10am to 3pm and open for dinner from 6pm till 10pm. We had just missed the lunch session. As we left, I grumpily made the comment “This isn't like Las Vegas. Las Vegas would be open 24 hours.”<br /><br />We decided to grab a small lunch, try and kill 3 hours there at the mall, and then go back for dinner.<br /><br />On the 7th floor of the mall we found a video arcade. We played a few games. They had “Drummania,” a Japanese drum game I had played before, but I kept failing because the machine's bass pedal was messed up.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mju-9tBjpKiNaXO7_Oq5nzOgPWJCApt-Mvd70gyOBEx25AQiOb9Wt-xt0xFxgchCBxUuXsfrHPPq2n9dcg22E8INovjGSl5colFMVBUz7EoVMBlhiL5OilcsOHYFoz4babTxsQDSshXo/s1600-h/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+018+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mju-9tBjpKiNaXO7_Oq5nzOgPWJCApt-Mvd70gyOBEx25AQiOb9Wt-xt0xFxgchCBxUuXsfrHPPq2n9dcg22E8INovjGSl5colFMVBUz7EoVMBlhiL5OilcsOHYFoz4babTxsQDSshXo/s400/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+018+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435704543544082658" border="0" /></a><br />There was also a Mario Kart arcade machine, and the game would take your picture while you were sitting there so you could see you as a Super Mario character. This is what I would look like if I were Super Mario's brother Luigi:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mju-9tBjpKiNaXO7_Oq5nzOgPWJCApt-Mvd70gyOBEx25AQiOb9Wt-xt0xFxgchCBxUuXsfrHPPq2n9dcg22E8INovjGSl5colFMVBUz7EoVMBlhiL5OilcsOHYFoz4babTxsQDSshXo/s1600-h/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+018+%28Large%29.jpg"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CEwt5mmX5ZSCRTKkx_NJqGG1rxxDIX-ckUPMQBdc7uWeyEATv-1VMnofzy6HzGRcRiHmlyN0rHlCSNn7meJu0PhHMHrHbkJn43PP-q4CiB5RK0A0B5kctkodpdBhAVBONJLqNBnCNExT/s1600-h/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+021+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CEwt5mmX5ZSCRTKkx_NJqGG1rxxDIX-ckUPMQBdc7uWeyEATv-1VMnofzy6HzGRcRiHmlyN0rHlCSNn7meJu0PhHMHrHbkJn43PP-q4CiB5RK0A0B5kctkodpdBhAVBONJLqNBnCNExT/s400/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+021+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435704538404310914" border="0" /></a><br /><br />When 6 o'clock came around we went back to the buffet. It was a little bit expensive, but it was a pretty decent buffet too, so it evens out. Overall the food was above average for a buffet, but not uber-fantastic. The pizza was your typical Chinese style fare: bread with an inkling of tomato sauce, topped with onions, carrots, peas, corn, mushrooms, and a sprinkling of cheese. Yeah, not the most appetizing pizza. They did, however, have these excellent chicken filets that they made right in front of you.<br /><br />After we ate, we were over-stuffed and we left the mall to return the hotel room. We turned in early because we would need to show up at the embassy at 7am the next morning. There were a lot of people already waiting there and they finally let people start to filter in around 7:30. The embassy was inside an office building, but you could only enter the embassy part with a letter showing that you have an appointment. As such I waited for Jean in a coffee shop in the office building, right outside the embassy, passing the time by talking with a guy from Nevada whose fiancee was also there that day for a fiancee visa interview.<br /><br />A few hours later, I guess it was about 11, Jean called me, said she was done, and asked me to meet her out at the front of the building. She told me the interview actually went really well. Her interviewer was a young woman, she guessed perhaps late 20s to early 30s. Near the end of the interview the woman said to her, "Well, everything seems in order, you don't have any problems with you case." Then she said, "Now, let's talk about your party membership."<br /><br />For those that don't know, by U.S. immigration law, if you are a member of the Chinese Communist Party, that is an automatic bar against immigration. When Jean was in her junior year at college she was invited to be a party member. Now, for some context, for a Chinese citizen, membership in the Chinese Communist Party is somewhat of an honor, only about 5% of the population is actually a member, so membership offers are generally only made to the best students. And not only that, but it can be advantageous in finding a good job, especially the stable and coveted government jobs, a fact not lost on imminently graduating college students. As such Jean accepted membership in 2007.<br /><br />Now, for immigration to the U.S., if you are or ever were a member of the Communist Party of China, waivers can be, and are often, granted. In those cases it is beneficial to both quit the party, and prove that your involvement with the party was relatively inconsequential. This was essentially the case for Jean; she merely did the minimum required which was basically to pay the monthly dues (about $1 a month). All she had to do was quit the party (which was easier than she had initially anticipated), provide proof of her resignation, and prepare a statement explaining her involvment with the party. And she could claim that it did indeed help her find a job, as she does have a government job (she works as a clerk at the Hangzhou city Uptown district Financial Office).<br /><br />Since she had these documents prepared and ready, they were able to immediately take them to be used in processing. Because of the fact that she had been a party member, it is policy that she could not get approval for the visa that day. However, the interviewer insinuated to Jean (I say insinuated because I don't remember exactly what Jean said she said to her) that it wouldn't be a problem and that we would be contacted by the embassy in a month.<br /><br />So, the interview was about 5 minutes total and it was finally done. Jean was relieved a bit because of how stressed she was leading up to the interview, but still felt a bit disappointed that she couldn't succeed that day. I told her not to worry about that, that the interview went as well as it could, and that there was nothing she could have said or done differently (short of lying about Party involvement) that would've resulted in approval that day.<br /><br />Neither of us had eaten breakfast that morning, so stuffed from dinner the night before, so by the time Jean left we were both ready to eat. We found a Southern style hot pot place to eat lunch. The meal was pretty good and Jean commented on how much cheaper it was here than it would've been back in Hangzhou.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDv2uCoxuLL0zQteZeOMJUCVD8MVJvstzlqGca6BHAYtGzOAPply7nbrMyUPBPqCbxOkiOtn5hrFe_vPlQROtrFppnezgaWDkDkRB95Mrx_DDE55kZrU0dyBRxAD2r0Wxdoa0GdniiowrP/s1600-h/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+034+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDv2uCoxuLL0zQteZeOMJUCVD8MVJvstzlqGca6BHAYtGzOAPply7nbrMyUPBPqCbxOkiOtn5hrFe_vPlQROtrFppnezgaWDkDkRB95Mrx_DDE55kZrU0dyBRxAD2r0Wxdoa0GdniiowrP/s400/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+034+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435703632178508322" border="0" /></a><br />Afterward, we wanted to relax for a bit so we walked around the block and found a StarBucks. The vanilla or creme or whatever it is they add to the top of these drinks made a heart shape, so Jean wanted to take a picture. Next to the coffee mugs is the photo album that Jean made in preparation for the interview. It was not required, but was something that would help to prove our relationship. Aside from that it was an extremely heartfelt effort on Jean's part, and I was quite moved the first time she showed it to me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-6jNdiqvyCsXqfVw3aw_YU7El9GGdyaTNjiN6_LzwlrbABIfVsxOtAZdLd9KhWoZOqvOrvI96C1ch6GD6lTD1vu4OSFPmslvifai0_3r7Qx-PEXTrRrSNgeaCh4kJJFS8cCYGYdPl-lCP/s1600-h/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+041+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-6jNdiqvyCsXqfVw3aw_YU7El9GGdyaTNjiN6_LzwlrbABIfVsxOtAZdLd9KhWoZOqvOrvI96C1ch6GD6lTD1vu4OSFPmslvifai0_3r7Qx-PEXTrRrSNgeaCh4kJJFS8cCYGYdPl-lCP/s400/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+041+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435703626416271970" border="0" /></a><br />While in the StarBucks, I did a bit of web surfing, and, knowing that Guangzhou was a fairly international city (not unlike Shanghai), searched to see if I could find a place nearby that sold genuine Wii games. Now I say genuine because, just as the movie and music industry and China are overrun with piracy, the video game industry is equally as copyright unfriendly. The end result is that it is difficult to actually find genuine video game discs anywhere in China because they out numbered by pirated discs by at least tens of thousands to one. With a price differential of $60 to $2, it's not difficult to understand why. In China, however, the video game systems must be modified to be able to play these pirated discs. My Wii was bought in the U.S. and was never modified, and so cannot play pirated games, only genuine discs.<br /><br />So I started searching and I found a message board of someone mentioning that they thought they had seen some genuine discs in a video game shop at the mall we had gone to the day before. It wasn't a sure thing, but since we had nothing else to do, and had some time to kill (it was then 3 o'clock and our flight back to Hangzhou was scheduled at 10pm), we caught a cab back to the Zheng Jia Guang Chang.<br /><br />Something we happened to see there that we hadn't noticed the last time we had come was one of those 3D sidewalk art pieces that you sometimes see in e-mails and such, and we took some pictures to share.<br /><br />From the wrong angles:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4mU_T_l-FmjDh7nFZkqZO8gBEeOkYun7blpAA_921IJnqXnRlH4NiVRjlNs0ufBHL6muFnzsBF4YzSCKK36GoymvRGf3-ug934TzS9xSfw_tMUiDDln8WVgsQkDId9yGY0sTJ-wgto14/s1600-h/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+048+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4mU_T_l-FmjDh7nFZkqZO8gBEeOkYun7blpAA_921IJnqXnRlH4NiVRjlNs0ufBHL6muFnzsBF4YzSCKK36GoymvRGf3-ug934TzS9xSfw_tMUiDDln8WVgsQkDId9yGY0sTJ-wgto14/s400/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+048+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435703617076623538" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRS7wzDeYtUED9Or0hbpyXfPQACW5KoJMa1I_gBVckOmmtqN0qS1zocY88ITXhxX7Sxpsze5O3qkHVl5P52mfuqqvK5OJjPOKTBVthxalM_tASOQwDzQxntyfh3NfCNilP1ZOmYBRBddFg/s1600-h/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+046+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRS7wzDeYtUED9Or0hbpyXfPQACW5KoJMa1I_gBVckOmmtqN0qS1zocY88ITXhxX7Sxpsze5O3qkHVl5P52mfuqqvK5OJjPOKTBVthxalM_tASOQwDzQxntyfh3NfCNilP1ZOmYBRBddFg/s400/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+046+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435703625210768770" border="0" /></a><br />From the right angle:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHUclx8f5XEUA6kmaHWL_hk-Taeh6ccG5gaFNavS0s2V3egOmPXwpJr2dzXhkcS1ir0GvkEsO8Jw0FRM_ossNbBmncRPaQ56YEDylGuqC2jOVwfA-4rZzCySUIit7Qgcj-bR5Ei1OhgkY/s1600-h/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+047+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHUclx8f5XEUA6kmaHWL_hk-Taeh6ccG5gaFNavS0s2V3egOmPXwpJr2dzXhkcS1ir0GvkEsO8Jw0FRM_ossNbBmncRPaQ56YEDylGuqC2jOVwfA-4rZzCySUIit7Qgcj-bR5Ei1OhgkY/s400/GuangzhouTrip_Jan2010+047+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435703620274389058" border="0" /></a>Anyway, we got to the mall, found the video game store, and they did indeed have some genuine Wii games. Three to be exact: Wii Sports Resort, Wii Mario Kart, and The New Super Mario Bros Wii. Luckily, the one I was looking for was the last of those three. The original price they had listed was 478 RMB, about $70, which I was a little hesitant about considering the price in the states is $50 + tax. Jean asked if they could discount it, and they were willing to go so far as to give me the membership price, a 10% discount, and so I did finally buy it for 430 RMB, about $62.<br /><br />Afterward we perused through the mall a bit more, and found a subsection that was more like a Chinese mall, and less like the American-style mall the rest of the place resembled. The advantage of these Chinese-style shopping centers are that you can often find some real bargains. <br /><br />After we finished there it was about 5 and we decided to head to the airport. Even though we didn't need to go back at that moment, we didn't really have time to go do anything else, especially not knowing where anything is in Guangzhou. We hunted for a cab for about 30 minutes, at which point we were sweating even without wearing our jackets, a welcome feeling in the dead of winter compared to Huzhou and Hangzhou. After finally getting one, we found our way back to the airport bus, then to the airport, and then to our gate. The plane was already a red-eye, 10 o'clock departure, and actually took off about 40 minutes late. When we landed back in Hangzhou, it was nearly 1 o'clock, we were exhausted and nabbed a cab back home rather than try and find the bus.<br /><br />Anyway, Spring Festival is coming up, the students here at campus have all already gone home, and this Saturday Jean and I will be flying up to Harbin to visit her family. It's going to be so cold. Harbin is latitudinally equivalent to Minneapolis. It's a city famous for its snow and ice sculptures. It's going to be a lot of fun, but it's going to be very, very cold, with daytime highs in the teens (Fahrenheit) and nighttime lows below zero. I have no idea what that will be like, but I will soon find out. To the Frozen North!T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-14874044331326903982010-02-01T16:28:00.005+08:002010-02-02T02:08:26.917+08:00A Decent ProposalOk well....<br /><br />I am QUITE late on this blog post, but here it is. And it is a doozy.<br /><br />Ok, SO, Jean and I had decided that we wanted to get married last year, and last July we first submitted the paperwork to apply for a K1 Fiance visa to the United States. However, even though it is something we had discussed at length, agreed upon, and both want very much, I hadn't formally proposed to her. Most importantly because I hadn't bought a ring.<br /><br />I guess it was last August or September, we went to a jewelry store one time to look at some rings. While there they measured her size, but that was all we did. In October Jean finally said to me, "We have so many big expenses coming up, with the visa, and the airplane tickets to Harbin and Guangzhou and back to America, and so many other things, you don't need to buy me a ring now. It's not that big a deal, I'm not that kind of girl, you really don't need to worry about it."<br /><br />So, at that point, I didn't mention it to her again. Of course that wasn't the end of it, just that was the last I talked of it with her. Of course I've to get her a ring.<br /><br />So at that point I began saving up, and then when I began working some regular part-time hours at Web International English, I was able to save up fairly quickly and then, Friday the 15th, the Friday before we would leave to go to Guangzhou for her visa interview, I went and bought the ring. I bought it at a jewelry store in Huzhou, and Apple, my co-worker at Web, went with me to help me look for a ring (my Chinese is ok, but really technical stuff I can't follow). The biggest problem in looking for a ring was not the price or the quality, the biggest limiting factor was finding one where I liked the style of the ring. Finally I found one that I felt suited her the best and bought it. Now, I couldn't remember exactly what Jean's ring size was, and I could tell that the ring was a little bit too big, but the store told me that we could bring the ring back later and have it re-sized at no charge, so it was not a problem. I figured the romantic element of surprise was more important than having it fit perfectly snugly the first time.<br /><br />Now, I had bought the ring on Friday night and had it sitting out in my apartment. Since I was working, unusually, at Web that weekend (to make up for lost hours while I would be in Guangzhou), Jean had decided not to come to Huzhou, since we'd really only be able to spend Saturday evening together, and we'd see each other Monday anyway.<br /><br />However, come Saturday morning, I sent Jean a text message telling her, "I love you and I miss you." and Jean replied saying "me too" and then asked if I wanted her to come to Huzhou that day. I said "Of course I do," and then she replied that she would. After that, however, I remembered that I had the ring sitting out in my apartment and I wouldn't be able to hide it before she saw it, since I was already at Web and wouldn't be able to go back home before Jean arrived. So I called Ellis and told her the situation and asked if she could get the key from the door woman of our building downstairs and hide the ring at her place. She said no problem, and she did, crisis averted, surprise kept. Being the shutterbug she is, Ellis couldn't help but to take some pictures of the ring, and so I'll post them here.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2I6SVlLREP412jg5MLIxvSTq8MZ5mwzbAthyphenhyphenSTP75PPjKBJf0T0tDML83qIB0xU-7Ji3f3G7n9fHrNB6nW0ixN5uskwHdqR2-i7adyLKkTUwmKXXipmsAosIxNRqq7Nr7accIfBxvg0S/s1600-h/DSC_7386+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2I6SVlLREP412jg5MLIxvSTq8MZ5mwzbAthyphenhyphenSTP75PPjKBJf0T0tDML83qIB0xU-7Ji3f3G7n9fHrNB6nW0ixN5uskwHdqR2-i7adyLKkTUwmKXXipmsAosIxNRqq7Nr7accIfBxvg0S/s400/DSC_7386+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433190622906928530" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3gqHzbuXEdIhT4hbzme1JMp44YZICzBDaasy5jS0707cddu2h5ovO2PdJSjn54kHgJdQMUmnMg8MDGSupFydk5xuMigsotnQZmcKMaITre7Q60X3U2JRiESPK0At1NL1PQlGO_pdNOuPQ/s1600-h/DSC_7390+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3gqHzbuXEdIhT4hbzme1JMp44YZICzBDaasy5jS0707cddu2h5ovO2PdJSjn54kHgJdQMUmnMg8MDGSupFydk5xuMigsotnQZmcKMaITre7Q60X3U2JRiESPK0At1NL1PQlGO_pdNOuPQ/s400/DSC_7390+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433190625675486338" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yQp-0Qo87tYzoWeULJNk2y8I18isz-SNBFbc6bU_kTFW3lXWMJlm9QgMANfsiQt5pDEEXMV16lTmcf3lfrKgH8XBwtoWPY1wV_a1WoUXjqM1c24RRzFlbUwGJXlOsvWoVCO6eBbZrb8y/s1600-h/DSC_7426+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yQp-0Qo87tYzoWeULJNk2y8I18isz-SNBFbc6bU_kTFW3lXWMJlm9QgMANfsiQt5pDEEXMV16lTmcf3lfrKgH8XBwtoWPY1wV_a1WoUXjqM1c24RRzFlbUwGJXlOsvWoVCO6eBbZrb8y/s400/DSC_7426+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433190632684385106" border="0" /></a><br />Now as part of my plan I also bought a suit, and Sunday night, the 17th, after working at Web, a few people from Web went with me to help me get a good-looking suit. Also, after buying the suit Sunday night, I told Ellis about it and she snapped a couple of me in my suit as well.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQu-LwN1vyermVSCuIXoL5j2VjE-Q4Un44S7SMa9axWsYGIT7cTvOq8HHlI_trHpSp0Y5HYnuwepmBLycrBuGq1h-NEeTYzUL5v49-u_i_Ry-EOyl0SEFRbsZdfa5R4MhVWhaRcwaFd5cQ/s1600-h/DSC_7453+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQu-LwN1vyermVSCuIXoL5j2VjE-Q4Un44S7SMa9axWsYGIT7cTvOq8HHlI_trHpSp0Y5HYnuwepmBLycrBuGq1h-NEeTYzUL5v49-u_i_Ry-EOyl0SEFRbsZdfa5R4MhVWhaRcwaFd5cQ/s400/DSC_7453+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433190646053604674" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEietHTtSD6uzGRaUmDBIzDo0ivDTHfutY6b8kvc9nOPZk3J-YS5BMHoAYwqDsNMf___PwHg-vz1IRJdMQigKyn_yIJzOab_fJbO1-5x8H9ETmBRYBPrSTCkU40MT73cl7xwPd3k_uMg9fjp/s1600-h/DSC_7450+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEietHTtSD6uzGRaUmDBIzDo0ivDTHfutY6b8kvc9nOPZk3J-YS5BMHoAYwqDsNMf___PwHg-vz1IRJdMQigKyn_yIJzOab_fJbO1-5x8H9ETmBRYBPrSTCkU40MT73cl7xwPd3k_uMg9fjp/s400/DSC_7450+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433190636741905330" border="0" /></a><br />So, Jean's interview was on Wednesday, January 20th in Guangzhou, and our flight to Guangzhou was to leave on the morning of the 19th from Hangzhou. So I had planned to meet Jean in Hangzhou the evening of the 18th. So, I packed the suit (as neatly as I could) into my bookbag, along with any other small things I might need for our trip. Then, Monday the 18th, I headed out to Hangzhou, and planned to meet Jean at Eudora, a nice western restaurant in Hangzhou that she and I frequent.<br /><br />So once there, I had my bookbag, which was not unusual since I had come from Huzhou just earlier that day, and Jean met me there after she finished work. Once they showed us our table, before I had a chance to sit down or set my bag down, I said I needed to use the restroom. Once there I quickly changed into the suit. It took a bit longer than it should've. Since everything was going according to plan, and since this was a big moment, I was a bit nervous, and buttoning the shirt buttons was trickier than it should've been.<br /><br />Then I came out, and walked back to our table. Jean saw me in the suit and her jaw dropped, she was completely surprised. Once I got to the table, not giving her a chance to say anything or ask any questions I pulled her seat out a bit to face me, got down on one knee, opened up the ring box, and said, "金嵩, 你愿意嫁给我吗?" (Jin Song, Ni yuan yi jia gei wo ma?)<br /><br />Now, earlier that day I had actually been going back and forth about whether I should propose in English or in Chinese. English was my native language and so it would've been more natural for me to say it, and her English is excellent... but she is Chinese and so maybe she as a little girl had imagined someone saying it to her in Chinese. I finally decided, "When in Rome..."<br /><br />It actually worked out great, because I proposed to her in Chinese, and then she said to me, in English, "I do!" I slipped it on her ring finger and it was a little too loose, so she then moved it to the middle finger, where it was still a bit loose, but wasn't falling off. (I then mentioned we could get it fitted later.)<br /><br />Even though because of our history and our plans I knew that she would say yes, this was still a really special moment for both of us.<br /><br />Ok, so that covers the first bit of big news. The second: Jean's visa interview in Guangzhou.<br /><br />Actually that could be a long story unto itself, so I think I discuss it in a separate, but imminent, blog post.T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-88777901433052076832010-01-18T00:06:00.006+08:002010-01-18T01:09:40.336+08:00Google, Guests, Guangzhou, and Good OnesOk, it's been a couple weeks, and I mightn't have updated my blog now, but there is just too much stuff that either has happened recently or that will happen soon for me to ignore.<br /><br />In case you didn't know, on Tuesday, Google announced that they are finished with censoring their searches on google.cn (the google portal for mainland China) and that they would try to work with the Chinese authorities over the coming weeks to see how they could implement an unfiltered search engine, if at all. This "if at all" is not only significant, it's likely, as the Chinese<br />government is not likely to compromise on this issue. So it looks like Google, and all of its widely used features such as google docs and gmail will soon be unavailable in China. Part of this was precipitated from what Google said was a highly targeted and sophisticated hacking attack originating from China. The implication was that it was the Chinese government behind these attacks, but wasn't expicitly stated.<br /><br />Later, VeriSign, an internet security company, looked into the matter and declared that the attacks were either done by "agents of the Chinese state or proxies thereof."<br /><br />After I first read this news I realized that this could have huge, if not in the short term, at least in the long term, economic and political ramifications. But I posited that it may hinge on what the other US-based internet players do after Google's withdrawal. I did read recently that there has been a bit of a revival of a bill on Congress that would ban US tech based companies from doing business in countries that digitally spy on their own citizens. There are a number of reasons why I think a bill like this probably couldn't pass, but it does show the renewed vigor of the argument.<br /><br />In the end, I think that in the long term, Google's move here is a good thing... for the Chinese<br />people. Google.cn was the #2 search player here in China with about 35% of the market. The leaer is Baidu.com with about 58% market share. However, an article I read recently suggests that while the Google-using Chinese population was smaller and younger, they represented, on average, a wealthier and more highly educated portion of the Chinese population... the kind of people more likely to make noise and effect change later on.<br /><br />Two of the more interesting articles I read were a San Francisco gate piece <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/16/BU151BIO84.DTL">here </a><here> and a New York Times piece <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/17/world/asia/17china.html">here </a>and I highly recommend them for a read.<br /><br />By the way, in all that I've been reading about this issue this past week, I did come across one extra interesting tidbit. Apparently using encryption of your internet connection (such as I do when I use my VPN to connect to my blog or facebook or youtube) in China is not allowed... unless you are a foreign national. So, I'm perfectly allowed to circumvent it using my current methods. :)<br /><br />The weekend before last, Jean and I invited Ellis to come to Hangzhou (only her 2nd trip to Hangzhou in over a year) and to stay with us for the weekend. On Friday night, we all went out to Eudora, a favorite Hangzhou hangout of ours, to eat some pizza.<br /><br /></here><div style="text-align: center;"><here>Us</here><br /><here></here></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE8hBVBxkGzWqcCc9ay3iePvnvBfy1GqkumK3kGMassV1IGYfTzy6JYfmqdSDZwuZ8Huh0BVI9GUKfMV-AwrThyW3v_F9-hY-egDKrcbu-gpkmOrrUVn0Q1LJAXR-QY-Ac9lVaJnmIuJBe/s1600-h/DSC_7156+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE8hBVBxkGzWqcCc9ay3iePvnvBfy1GqkumK3kGMassV1IGYfTzy6JYfmqdSDZwuZ8Huh0BVI9GUKfMV-AwrThyW3v_F9-hY-egDKrcbu-gpkmOrrUVn0Q1LJAXR-QY-Ac9lVaJnmIuJBe/s400/DSC_7156+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427747809300586338" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Ellis<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7sYg_-lJd3HW6sAdGGPGX7vT6u4YbgZya644WKqAGVTw6Sg-j8TTo2xxiOO831f8mPDxLC7u0q9sA8vX_sKiqkpE-8BFHZWqVmbK7si4-htpG9z5JISdSR3v5JgXcU2VjcymaNXyw3w8/s1600-h/DSC_7159+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7sYg_-lJd3HW6sAdGGPGX7vT6u4YbgZya644WKqAGVTw6Sg-j8TTo2xxiOO831f8mPDxLC7u0q9sA8vX_sKiqkpE-8BFHZWqVmbK7si4-htpG9z5JISdSR3v5JgXcU2VjcymaNXyw3w8/s400/DSC_7159+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427747817724900082" border="0" /></a><br />Nachos</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-vrNYSrZU1pPKWzBT36AAlb82Lf5RaRAbVv2gaTcy-FFNRCcTn1mjoYjaQkwp_Xj9KAPjDYPLA_dV4BAR1tuLpmlsA9dsll21J-OATE1bZHc4IAqeyMmXw_y4EfHvqnOAu3tudMyjM0n/s1600-h/DSC_7173+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-vrNYSrZU1pPKWzBT36AAlb82Lf5RaRAbVv2gaTcy-FFNRCcTn1mjoYjaQkwp_Xj9KAPjDYPLA_dV4BAR1tuLpmlsA9dsll21J-OATE1bZHc4IAqeyMmXw_y4EfHvqnOAu3tudMyjM0n/s400/DSC_7173+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427747837558540034" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Fried Calamari (interesting side note, and I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but the phrase "fried squid" in Chinese, 炒鱿鱼 chao you yu, is a colorful way to say in Chinese that one has been fired from his job)<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLj7zxcdGoRjkpQ3Cl3IiwJkFtQ_CjL_hE4d1ckDoS_wEaOAg3xjaapvTYZ4XWp07lJVkVDOxq8N1LECdtZ7SfjZ3b_yD20NA2lJ6r6h6KdCDnciZaE1LAos_L4ZgaLT2MF51tuXk7LvEy/s1600-h/DSC_7170+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLj7zxcdGoRjkpQ3Cl3IiwJkFtQ_CjL_hE4d1ckDoS_wEaOAg3xjaapvTYZ4XWp07lJVkVDOxq8N1LECdtZ7SfjZ3b_yD20NA2lJ6r6h6KdCDnciZaE1LAos_L4ZgaLT2MF51tuXk7LvEy/s400/DSC_7170+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427747832972919986" border="0" /></a><br />The pizza at Eudora is the best I've had in China... but it essentially is a little too heavy on<br />the grease, as you will notice in these pictures.<br /><br />As listed in the menu, the four-sausage pizza<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFR1IlhS539KqyjJJbF1ndkiR5iRif_vEkYXA097EvzE1GQbvf9rmatHXdbQosFL8ny6y8LQ9jy33L1fzWIWrovKtd20WSk3kIljH_G64hiHW_jud6TJNwrxOEVQuk30AVl7RRX77tpkD/s1600-h/DSC_7180+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFR1IlhS539KqyjJJbF1ndkiR5iRif_vEkYXA097EvzE1GQbvf9rmatHXdbQosFL8ny6y8LQ9jy33L1fzWIWrovKtd20WSk3kIljH_G64hiHW_jud6TJNwrxOEVQuk30AVl7RRX77tpkD/s400/DSC_7180+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427754083627829122" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The 4-cheese pizza. This picture really gives you a clear idea of how much grease was involved. Perhaps it was more like, "Oh waiter, I think I found some pizza swimming in my grease."<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRns2OSTkJRvSWy9-VTBCwdHcvnAysfhI3n7E7yXyp6j88brQKXGFcV2oVqOIaGfWZ2iA4TxdOf519kW8cn2cuyXd1PShbwai7HMvjbugOJLJBTkfF-HJ7NDDbR8qq0CirkyQeKYVkYMt/s1600-h/DSC_7182+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRns2OSTkJRvSWy9-VTBCwdHcvnAysfhI3n7E7yXyp6j88brQKXGFcV2oVqOIaGfWZ2iA4TxdOf519kW8cn2cuyXd1PShbwai7HMvjbugOJLJBTkfF-HJ7NDDbR8qq0CirkyQeKYVkYMt/s400/DSC_7182+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427754087902722722" border="0" /></a><br />After going for a walk to burn off some of those greasy greasy calories, we decided to add a few more and bought a half-dozen doughnuts for the next day's breakfast. Top to bottom, left to right: Coco Ring (That's "Coco" Ellis. There is no "k"), Cherry, Chocobanana, Blueberry, Strawberry, and Coffee<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqk5fI_fcakzA5flhwx_VPu2lrPqvPSdIJrojj520D5EPX5R7Uie38fDqfDUY37G4ivYfD_jeWeirkyxhtkwDlPxK2Ja_ycunVbdvrgaG2e0IugTlt-rXqDuYPwOBNUsH2uNYvDbWQQaT5/s1600-h/DSC_7197+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqk5fI_fcakzA5flhwx_VPu2lrPqvPSdIJrojj520D5EPX5R7Uie38fDqfDUY37G4ivYfD_jeWeirkyxhtkwDlPxK2Ja_ycunVbdvrgaG2e0IugTlt-rXqDuYPwOBNUsH2uNYvDbWQQaT5/s400/DSC_7197+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427754079652750850" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">On Saturday, we went to the movie theater to see "Avatar." The movie was played in English with Chinese subtitles. The only annoying parts were when the Navi were speaking their native language. There were no English subtitles in those sections, only Chinese ones. I'm not totally illiterate when it comes to Chinese characters, but it'd be safe to compare my literacy level to that of a 7 year old, both in terms of vocab recognition and reading speed. When those Navi-language-only moments would happen, I could usually catch at least 3 or 4 characters that I knew before it flashed to the next line, and it was often enough for me to understand, but that wasn't always the case. Luckily, those moments were infrequent and minimized by the fact that James Cameron's writing is fairly simple and predictable. The movie was visually stunning and brilliant, and from a design and visuals standpoint, perhaps the most impressive movie I've ever seen. From an acting standpoint, however, I found it average, and as far as the story was concerned, if you've seen Disney's "Pocahontas", you basically know the story already.<br /></div><br />After the movie we grabbed some lunch, grabbed a drink in Starbucks, took a stroll by scenic West Lake, and snapped a few pictures while we were there.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEguBFZ3cW0kCXTuXWsLwDZg5d_HQBjF0LQ6p_FNudhokGTilKHLLzRImy6up_Os58MW_UoCrEeXNIxgWKGf96cnE9od1wZCmXiGS-UaIJEu5s5Ez9PHRXv1LHQzjLUHYThzU6C0h-pud2/s1600-h/DSC_7250+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEguBFZ3cW0kCXTuXWsLwDZg5d_HQBjF0LQ6p_FNudhokGTilKHLLzRImy6up_Os58MW_UoCrEeXNIxgWKGf96cnE9od1wZCmXiGS-UaIJEu5s5Ez9PHRXv1LHQzjLUHYThzU6C0h-pud2/s400/DSC_7250+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427754074579044210" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzBWvOF3oM7j3ispesGkno249bQDUQTgOWSFim00MgLwUo6PyREqrdz9F1b2n7MNKa2RQRbJy_Voqj20AIGZsPZbWpVcIewxs0zAkBiEwNXJkgy4_cLDYthWCqUABWqtYULJwGXhCfGfB/s1600-h/DSC_7264+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzBWvOF3oM7j3ispesGkno249bQDUQTgOWSFim00MgLwUo6PyREqrdz9F1b2n7MNKa2RQRbJy_Voqj20AIGZsPZbWpVcIewxs0zAkBiEwNXJkgy4_cLDYthWCqUABWqtYULJwGXhCfGfB/s400/DSC_7264+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427754067819781378" border="0" /></a><br />This one is my favorite.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIUwYSKQcU09Hvf_8vAyu6TznMQPUR9X6mf-wEzBAFolc9iLBVvyn51s5B9PgErXBg0dXPjSi46y0tAmHY_KeBNqL4J-gA3pIZIR8IzqzOCZo8Kd6Yh1FoyqyGwZkpwDWdykZvE5Fepj_/s1600-h/DSC_7268+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIUwYSKQcU09Hvf_8vAyu6TznMQPUR9X6mf-wEzBAFolc9iLBVvyn51s5B9PgErXBg0dXPjSi46y0tAmHY_KeBNqL4J-gA3pIZIR8IzqzOCZo8Kd6Yh1FoyqyGwZkpwDWdykZvE5Fepj_/s400/DSC_7268+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427751785140185362" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After that we caught late dinner at a restaurant called "Babela's" where we had some beer-fried bananas with ice cream, test-tube cocktails, and serviceable pizza for only 19 yuan ($2.79).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPWBcfWlmm9ZOrrchbWyCRxOqcqjV63RrmMh8XG-rsKVit0PPniDipwxYTJ9rOOC4dNUTmSGaUpDlpekGVWHp-xMxtyKOuSXwinaY4IYLCfmlu0mlsBnrRXISlT3vOX48CA2ysaErgpV-W/s1600-h/DSC_7351+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPWBcfWlmm9ZOrrchbWyCRxOqcqjV63RrmMh8XG-rsKVit0PPniDipwxYTJ9rOOC4dNUTmSGaUpDlpekGVWHp-xMxtyKOuSXwinaY4IYLCfmlu0mlsBnrRXISlT3vOX48CA2ysaErgpV-W/s400/DSC_7351+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427751781831859410" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPiyqMq2eDbOPIbkC__eSlE2pyyJOgVRhfMg_yJ31JdbEAuAda0nSxZurxXkBheo8mnEPHMaw2ilSGlySpmlLLD5C2GfjQNNr67YifOrZKC-tKxjuMzKpj7NtO0Kke4CfhfX6siqBI569y/s1600-h/DSC_7355+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPiyqMq2eDbOPIbkC__eSlE2pyyJOgVRhfMg_yJ31JdbEAuAda0nSxZurxXkBheo8mnEPHMaw2ilSGlySpmlLLD5C2GfjQNNr67YifOrZKC-tKxjuMzKpj7NtO0Kke4CfhfX6siqBI569y/s400/DSC_7355+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427751775274635122" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHU93gFsEwNbw1MFdA8XGEdKJl1ZLYZNMAkzJCB6TxmupABNwW6WIsviSz30mBzaz3vXC82_xO1me1xqQ14Wtdf8EBKt_ilgwHO4NpURK4nLtjuoSB6IhqSDErpSefgR9du7F8PbBorsxJ/s1600-h/DSC_7368+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHU93gFsEwNbw1MFdA8XGEdKJl1ZLYZNMAkzJCB6TxmupABNwW6WIsviSz30mBzaz3vXC82_xO1me1xqQ14Wtdf8EBKt_ilgwHO4NpURK4nLtjuoSB6IhqSDErpSefgR9du7F8PbBorsxJ/s400/DSC_7368+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427751765326763362" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We finally ending the evening with a few beers. Wonder if these Harbin brand beers will taste any better fresh from Harbin next month?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67O3CGYohpx6q5HSIbkHu8e6PPXHuOjQ4Y7sUTcf9sLPFOuoQhD8CywkyfkGYJHQj5vWGOA52TXiXEMGau_aSlgk72h4qNe_kpZE9_KbWuPjqRKKI1CbkSO4QgYsGp_n9ltzxb8oBpgaf/s1600-h/DSC_7377+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67O3CGYohpx6q5HSIbkHu8e6PPXHuOjQ4Y7sUTcf9sLPFOuoQhD8CywkyfkGYJHQj5vWGOA52TXiXEMGau_aSlgk72h4qNe_kpZE9_KbWuPjqRKKI1CbkSO4QgYsGp_n9ltzxb8oBpgaf/s400/DSC_7377+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427751761340962162" border="0" /></a><br /></div><here><br />Well, this week Jean and I will head to Guangzhou for her visa interview at the U.S. Embassy.<br />Jean's getting fairly nervous, which is understandable, but I keep telling her that we've got nothing to worry about: Just be honest, and it'll be over before you know it, and we'll soon have a K1 (fiancee) visa in our possession.<br /><br />Before this week, I had assumed that the visa interview would take place in a room and might need 15 to 20 minutes. However, after some research, Jean found that the interviews are done in an open area, with the interview officers behind a glass window, something akin to the DMV. Further, the interviews are quite short, generally 3 to 5 minutes.<br /><br />This is a fairly significant event, so be assured that I'll be posting about this trip shortly.<br /><br />Finally, last week was my last week of classes, and I had given my students a written exam. I don't mean make fun of the students, but I have to admit some of the answers my students wrote, often intentionally on their part, gave me a chuckle.<br /><br />One of the sections of my exam compares the usage of the word "much" with "many", and the students are to write two sentences, one using "much" and one using "many." The one that made me smile was the student who wrote, "It won't take me much time to finish this test. I have many other things to do this afternoon."<br /><br />Another funny one was related to the class we had on cooking vocabulary. The question was "When you cut bread into flat pieces you _____ it." with the correct answer being "slice." I gave one student half credit for making me laugh when he wrote, "When you cut bread into flat pieces you <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">will eat</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> </span>it."<br /><br />Finally, since one of my lectures this past semester covered Christmas, I asked them a few questions about it. One of the questions was, "Where does Santa Claus live?" The vast majority of students got this one right, but I liked these answers:<br /><br />-America (had 2 students give this answer)<br /><br />-Finland (really not too far off when you think about it)<br /><br />-Florida (I guess she thought my father was Santa Claus from his picture?)<br /><br />and finally...<br /><br />-In everyone's hearts<br /><br />You gotta love it.<br /></here>T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-64114880357188392622010-01-04T23:16:00.011+08:002010-01-05T09:11:27.951+08:00The '09-'10 Holiday Season, Jingle 铃 (Jingle Ling)In case you're curious 铃 (Ling), as in the title of this post, means "bell."<br /><br />The Holiday Season has come and gone for the most part, and I hadn't yet posted anything.<br /><br />Well, I was going to post shortly after Christmas, but then it turned to New Year's, and I decided to have one combined holiday post.<br /><br />Also on the docket today, I finally got in some of the photos from my modeling. My personal opinion: I needed a haircut, and the orange striped shirt they had me wear is atrocious.<br /><br />Well, I may as well lead off with that. I already posted about the modelling, so if you hadn't read it you can check it out <a href="http://tjinchina.blogspot.com/2009/12/i-could-be-part-time-model.html">here</a>. Without further ado, here are the pics:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSeyLa7pNP7VS_DpR2P8UTxr1Btw6QKjvArnZjypgdogCKcZXGFPGyyzE2Wkj369d_UX_q9jcovTJsFpby1gVsgX55EkgwYr2qA6c9ojajho5VljTWThB_tc75ekRdsZNdus0Nk-4APwR6/s1600-h/IMG_0446.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSeyLa7pNP7VS_DpR2P8UTxr1Btw6QKjvArnZjypgdogCKcZXGFPGyyzE2Wkj369d_UX_q9jcovTJsFpby1gVsgX55EkgwYr2qA6c9ojajho5VljTWThB_tc75ekRdsZNdus0Nk-4APwR6/s400/IMG_0446.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422905208068354850" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsrTkud_IAKbmp7QtEyFxCAH6G7aZF-VMSOJIM36POTWkZyp5XDUYz33TrTdxVT4P5WS1bVYWRWHaKWLJjrMhZQN0-osrL7yHHJO5BZfc7FwZS6MT4H6NK7E-QietpFowtbIu8oAhrmjbE/s1600-h/IMG_0461.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsrTkud_IAKbmp7QtEyFxCAH6G7aZF-VMSOJIM36POTWkZyp5XDUYz33TrTdxVT4P5WS1bVYWRWHaKWLJjrMhZQN0-osrL7yHHJO5BZfc7FwZS6MT4H6NK7E-QietpFowtbIu8oAhrmjbE/s400/IMG_0461.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422905214983816962" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsX5KMrapax42JZdDyzvgKQ4OUG8GyqLMX2Si4Y5BcQ_tQ5gur5zySAkYL7FtD2dE1JVLvA96NsDtIFLAQ4HZK-TUxWITxWUBfL88DlP-xkuUAEF3dhxLIcLOO7otrIJvMgdMAO3GJ9gtN/s1600-h/IMG_0544.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsX5KMrapax42JZdDyzvgKQ4OUG8GyqLMX2Si4Y5BcQ_tQ5gur5zySAkYL7FtD2dE1JVLvA96NsDtIFLAQ4HZK-TUxWITxWUBfL88DlP-xkuUAEF3dhxLIcLOO7otrIJvMgdMAO3GJ9gtN/s400/IMG_0544.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422905218615394242" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxecghJTvqFUj9JI1Pr7emApafBd2ULAP1Ib8tz6ZXNb2ArITfyCDekZXrgNq_WgJy8bvjcxWPAqNxhLvI7Q4Tqj1UhSYWcy0tcL23lzltQwazQPuQ8U3o3BCaKeKrD4YgkdjEgIH6W0o/s1600-h/IMG_0559.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxecghJTvqFUj9JI1Pr7emApafBd2ULAP1Ib8tz6ZXNb2ArITfyCDekZXrgNq_WgJy8bvjcxWPAqNxhLvI7Q4Tqj1UhSYWcy0tcL23lzltQwazQPuQ8U3o3BCaKeKrD4YgkdjEgIH6W0o/s400/IMG_0559.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422905226826230066" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hKk8dYqfUr5qC9RsX7TlLqAm_Zdwljw4b3aYJjQY3Xb72hU-iuxA-tRLiqF-PfBTF4u3Hh_ZXBBBGbZnB2_Pf44hJzNruzBpef4BMk8a9WnyuGUsEiw8mh0HaMIkRZSx3pcPZHjjAGF9/s1600-h/IMG_0566.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hKk8dYqfUr5qC9RsX7TlLqAm_Zdwljw4b3aYJjQY3Xb72hU-iuxA-tRLiqF-PfBTF4u3Hh_ZXBBBGbZnB2_Pf44hJzNruzBpef4BMk8a9WnyuGUsEiw8mh0HaMIkRZSx3pcPZHjjAGF9/s400/IMG_0566.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422905233279311794" border="0" /></a><br />So I did actually have to work on Christmas Day, but it was just one class at 8 AM, which finished at 9:40, so the rest of my day was free, just like any Friday. Unfortunately, I couldn't spend the day with Jean since she had to work. But my foreign friends were having a Christmas party and I was invited, so that's what I did. Paul the Canadian invited several others over to his house for dinner, and he provided all the food, save for the wonderful desserts a la Ellis.<br /><br />Sorry I don't have any photos from Christmas, I didn't bring my camera and (gasp!) neither did Ellis. Paul prepared an excellent roast chicken, and after dinner, a few of us sat around and played "Truth or Drink", a slight variation on "Truth or Dare", and which was fueled on by the inexplicable enthusiasm and raunchiness of one Korean exchange student named Ding-Ding.<br /><br />The next day, Saturday the 26th, Jean came to Huzhou where we exchanged gifts. Now I had actually made an online purchase of some luggage that she had asked for, but it had not yet arrived. (On a side note, still haven't purchased y'all's gift for Jean, Mom & Dad.)<br /><br />Luckily I was not completely empty-handed in the gift department as I had furtively bought her a toy penguin I had seen her play with when we were in a supermarket one time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsK6-SkHauo6ipbLs5kSzQwLAiAiT-KLMdyRgLkBiPnJsjtf-ovLu8cT4r0JttxAV3f8AQHQBFjxT-z8zyfNF3EgirD79pZde8OzeXSNpFMI75oS9_J_n5gm0KQ69oU9ENfH8HOy-q_1rG/s1600-h/Christmas09+015.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsK6-SkHauo6ipbLs5kSzQwLAiAiT-KLMdyRgLkBiPnJsjtf-ovLu8cT4r0JttxAV3f8AQHQBFjxT-z8zyfNF3EgirD79pZde8OzeXSNpFMI75oS9_J_n5gm0KQ69oU9ENfH8HOy-q_1rG/s400/Christmas09+015.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422916146026401522" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMn6VU028_-pPXjP8qC0Jji1NL43fzX00QyllqUn6HkYdmz3kQUw4TRs5RTMiiZAyxg3x5gqa0PX4lSmMLd-PH8IgVbC5_vzx8qpKeAVgSAvZmzynAEqMm3tVrshp0_T4zA18h1NUsKE2/s1600-h/Christmas09+017.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMn6VU028_-pPXjP8qC0Jji1NL43fzX00QyllqUn6HkYdmz3kQUw4TRs5RTMiiZAyxg3x5gqa0PX4lSmMLd-PH8IgVbC5_vzx8qpKeAVgSAvZmzynAEqMm3tVrshp0_T4zA18h1NUsKE2/s400/Christmas09+017.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422916138104325810" border="0" /></a><br />Recently, Jean and Ellis have been becoming better friends (Ellis keeps joking that I had better "watch out." At least, I think she's joking... right, Ellis?). Anyhow, Jean bought a little something for Ellis, a interesting slide calendar. It's difficult to describe, but the best way I can think is to imagine a Swiss Army knife except each of the blades is a month of the calendar. Also, much larger than a Swiss Army knife.<br /><br />I mentioned to Ellis, not what Jean had gotten her, but that Jean had gotten her a little Christmas gift (as a heads up), and so Ellis also got Jean a little gift as well. It was a notepad. But not just any notepad. In its original package the notepad looks like... a package of Salmon you might buy in a grocery store. Yeah, it's definitely different, but in a good way I think. Jean mentioned she's not sure she wants to open it, because the package is all part of the presentation. I tend to agree with her.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8LN5bcN8Z8dWrow0TE8voVTWRQFNkdkinT0NFRg3ZKsvXVsa0fglANQNJbsRuu9STKJFKlIccsWW60Furn3vXEwgoej9fJEX6Dpo6C_ktD5xN4AupTj4CtdzTmzLMjQgp_-0X7k5gX1qD/s1600-h/Christmas09+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8LN5bcN8Z8dWrow0TE8voVTWRQFNkdkinT0NFRg3ZKsvXVsa0fglANQNJbsRuu9STKJFKlIccsWW60Furn3vXEwgoej9fJEX6Dpo6C_ktD5xN4AupTj4CtdzTmzLMjQgp_-0X7k5gX1qD/s400/Christmas09+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422921146494798546" border="0" /></a><br /><br />As for me, Jean got me a new electric razor, and a pretty darned spiffy one I might add too! She may have gotten the idea when I mentioned I'd had my old one since high school, about 10 years old now. The new one she got me has the swivel heads (that will pivot to the contours of the face) and can be washed under running water. I've used it several times now since Christmas and this has turned out to be a really fantastic gift! Thanks babe!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFIfMj4JH_Ig5NVhB_kmPCdrKiuxVCkN__QFxKe25QLyWkpXzvrJx4L4SJYaRsEnofA1sPJOqkjtvWFmpgkZ571OZOhmXroh4i7d8Qk8iXq6hnPcuiSDnbYAzFrkJUYEcdKNzDii54hBo/s1600-h/Christmas09+012.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFIfMj4JH_Ig5NVhB_kmPCdrKiuxVCkN__QFxKe25QLyWkpXzvrJx4L4SJYaRsEnofA1sPJOqkjtvWFmpgkZ571OZOhmXroh4i7d8Qk8iXq6hnPcuiSDnbYAzFrkJUYEcdKNzDii54hBo/s400/Christmas09+012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422921156270290066" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg273_ySLCAgD5fFpIPSTlFgO1TsWzCtaLLex6ebmc9XyYt2kEoWMEQFlXpjU97ZNrrqQTQR76gE0h_oQpUEpCkhIqyNYmLnhGzGnzcx7xTqwYJ9uEuLZzgD9FmKxP__mG4jgsrwVO_edoN/s1600-h/Christmas09+010.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg273_ySLCAgD5fFpIPSTlFgO1TsWzCtaLLex6ebmc9XyYt2kEoWMEQFlXpjU97ZNrrqQTQR76gE0h_oQpUEpCkhIqyNYmLnhGzGnzcx7xTqwYJ9uEuLZzgD9FmKxP__mG4jgsrwVO_edoN/s400/Christmas09+010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422921167207062578" border="0" /></a><br />Also pretty interesting, even though it wasn't "technically" Christmas Day, on Sunday morning December 27th (still Christmas weekend) it was snowing! Now maybe I'm just a bumpkin from the South, but consarnit, I can count the number of times I've seen snow actually falling in front of me on one hand, so when I saw this, it was pretty cool. And you could, with a reasonable stretch, even call it a Christmas snow. I took a video of it, and I've posted to YouTube <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cfIvCGFuOQ">here</a>.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5cfIvCGFuOQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5cfIvCGFuOQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5cfIvCGFuOQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5cfIvCGFuOQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Finally New Year's. Alas, once again I couldn't spend a holiday together with my sweetheart. She works for the City of Hangzhou, Shangcheng District Finance Office. And in China, if you work in a government finance office, or in any bank, you spend New Year's Eve working. It's the last day of the fiscal year, so there's many things that need to be done, and they stay at the office all night. From what Jean has told me the office leaders take everyone out to dinner, and then they go back to the office and go back to work until midnight.<br /><br />The calendar New Year's Eve is not the "big" New Year's Eve in China, so while those workers would rather not be at work, it's not the same injustice that it would seem to be back in the states. (Chinese New Year, now that's a horse of a different color.)<br /><br />So, Web English, the company I work for part-time, was putting on a show that night and they asked me if I wanted to attend. Since I had no other plans, I said, "Sure."<br /><br />The show/party began at about 7 PM and went on until about 10 o'clock. Brandon (an American teacher at web) and I had a short performance onstage, a poem recitation. We recited a short Chinese poem about the city of Huzhou.<br /><br />山从天目成群出 Shan cong tian mu, cheng qun chu<br />水傍太湖分港流 Shui bang tai hu, fen gang liu<br />行遍江南清丽地 Xing bian jiang nan, qing li di<br />人生只合住湖州 Ren sheng zhi he, zhu Huzhou<br /><br />To roughly translate (and I do mean "roughly", this is poetry after all. If any of my Chinese friends are reading this, please forgive any errors) it says that the orator has seen beautiful mountains and rivers and such scenery, but that Huzhou is the only suitable place to live.<br /><br />The students from Web also put on several different performances, and did a pretty good job at that. Here are some of the photos from the event.<br /><br />Here several of the teachers are receiving awards. Yep, that's right, I'm the only one wearing jeans at this formal event. In my defense, I didn't formally receive an invitation which formally said it was formal dress. Also, if I had, I don't have any black pants here in China.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Wpp_3zjq2MEs_rLqVhY51Q-4gokDQ-xi51wLfpV_erzyN1I8q4L87qbX2v0xj5k4H3lsTtI-I24UX92576gHFp0Sg5RqD3uR6LhECFsr5IzFYl57Pj_Vu4nyWpdpvt1nWp24PQpbgHI7/s1600-h/DSC_5948.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Wpp_3zjq2MEs_rLqVhY51Q-4gokDQ-xi51wLfpV_erzyN1I8q4L87qbX2v0xj5k4H3lsTtI-I24UX92576gHFp0Sg5RqD3uR6LhECFsr5IzFYl57Pj_Vu4nyWpdpvt1nWp24PQpbgHI7/s400/DSC_5948.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422928613510855586" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">This is me, Apple, and Brandon. Apple is the manager of the teachers, basically my boss, and, unfortunately for her, in charge of coordinating the whole event.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQMKsIWMeQymXwL7-Osu1Hk6RAOeVf-aDOdz8fY0nZ447QPdIMYzzFT2d60xQQbjHeyQxjryVLnaqDm40lxTprJgcTXP7jXHYrgTJ068i4SupMOEHlpzf9hixg9OiyFB41o87-EWSj2jc/s1600-h/DSC02836.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQMKsIWMeQymXwL7-Osu1Hk6RAOeVf-aDOdz8fY0nZ447QPdIMYzzFT2d60xQQbjHeyQxjryVLnaqDm40lxTprJgcTXP7jXHYrgTJ068i4SupMOEHlpzf9hixg9OiyFB41o87-EWSj2jc/s400/DSC02836.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422928616349794786" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Here are Brandon and I during our poetry recitation.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Zuhopk8KQZcqXNsrFk_qw9hN2c4S0AStoIN5UuFJx5cvKbVfQSOGQelYUWGqdX_usAro09n3A0CQkZOW3ko9_g3AqsaU1n7tjof5JUgD4tnKii3j8c8Kgck-HLBi60y5r2j7V2l4J-N7/s1600-h/NCZ_2871.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Zuhopk8KQZcqXNsrFk_qw9hN2c4S0AStoIN5UuFJx5cvKbVfQSOGQelYUWGqdX_usAro09n3A0CQkZOW3ko9_g3AqsaU1n7tjof5JUgD4tnKii3j8c8Kgck-HLBi60y5r2j7V2l4J-N7/s400/NCZ_2871.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422928622919845058" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">This is Steven, a Londoner, replete with thick cockney accent, one of my colleagues at web, enjoying himself to the open bar. (I gotta say, the first time I met the guy, he was tall and lanky, and reminded me of the tall, lanky henchman of Cruella deVille in "101 Dalmations." Then, lo, when he spoke, I found that his voice was every bit as cockney as I had expected.)<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Aol6vR5-eAejai6QXAisZeFLE76SQZqyZDLUkCdgBootJe7__hbRb1jfLFgzHV4gNZ-v0Sse6eSytE7moLfA02xGVPQofrq5QoRARqIaJJUxsBNvPhmhnz7gKXkzzDNQUXHpgk7V8K_Y/s1600-h/DSC_5952.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Aol6vR5-eAejai6QXAisZeFLE76SQZqyZDLUkCdgBootJe7__hbRb1jfLFgzHV4gNZ-v0Sse6eSytE7moLfA02xGVPQofrq5QoRARqIaJJUxsBNvPhmhnz7gKXkzzDNQUXHpgk7V8K_Y/s400/DSC_5952.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422930771441518834" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Here is one that the photographer snapped when I wasn't looking. Nothing special happening here, I just think it's a good picture of me, which is pretty rare, I usually hate my pictures of me.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMI3YNHkS2oAidw8_0P5xE5yTsdC5256ay-E2u7QLF0PrKsP2-xKY6lTiTu1DAuLVd4RpKlBlUhKE_wH9pdUGUwt-rMVDmVZYjaoW7I1xlS3DajrcFDHA8KSqpggTPBYtjNAv6nhx3d05/s1600-h/DSC_6015.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMI3YNHkS2oAidw8_0P5xE5yTsdC5256ay-E2u7QLF0PrKsP2-xKY6lTiTu1DAuLVd4RpKlBlUhKE_wH9pdUGUwt-rMVDmVZYjaoW7I1xlS3DajrcFDHA8KSqpggTPBYtjNAv6nhx3d05/s400/DSC_6015.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422928627396223362" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">After the party ended several of us from Web (foreign and Chinese alike) headed over to the Forest Bar (a bar in Huzhou) and met up with some of the other Huzhou foreigners already there. We then proceeded to try and catch up to them in drinking. Not long after we counted down and rang in the New Year. I then went to Hangzhou the next day to spend the New Year's Day with my girl.<br /></div></div>T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-42351516962754400652009-12-18T00:02:00.003+08:002009-12-18T00:19:34.382+08:00Family FotosSo this past week I've been explaining Christmas (as a cultural phenomenon) to the students as well as teaching them a couple of Christmas songs.<br /><br />Some of the classes have come up just short in terms of time, meaning, I finished all my material and still had about 15 minutes left.<br /><br />So I showed the students some pictures I had from Uncle Johnny's birthday party September of last year (2008).<br /><br />Two very interesting comments were made, without fail, in every class that saw the photos:<br /><br />Interesting comment #1: The students have all said that my father looks like Santa Claus.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuKT56qsEHu9VgfJsSgYGnuLpplhCF7XZKWg9bPU8s1VRqFNS4SpgC6IBjyYRX7COIU_3lZCAYKusAdKxNMbdqQWj_bksJDcLf2oSqxNNURskXwvbNsceWDO2CViR9VgUI0hwAFDEYoQ4/s1600-h/Family+09-21-08+007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuKT56qsEHu9VgfJsSgYGnuLpplhCF7XZKWg9bPU8s1VRqFNS4SpgC6IBjyYRX7COIU_3lZCAYKusAdKxNMbdqQWj_bksJDcLf2oSqxNNURskXwvbNsceWDO2CViR9VgUI0hwAFDEYoQ4/s400/Family+09-21-08+007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416240180217903874" border="0" /></a><br />Interesting comment #2, and I hope she doesn't get upset by this: The students have all said that my Italian-American (but full Italian by blood) Aunt Rosemarie looks Chinese.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4i3sfX0TFiMv1KUctC8M2DTNNjzdWlHu9e5917WeoKECE7fyfXSDPvw4QqleAdj0z40ug6xTW45POoC3C_mgC8nubCGo26ITYBc4pl1pQSaMCa7bIMM9OxGFajrur0iPM4a15asZDdV1/s1600-h/Family+09-21-08+008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4i3sfX0TFiMv1KUctC8M2DTNNjzdWlHu9e5917WeoKECE7fyfXSDPvw4QqleAdj0z40ug6xTW45POoC3C_mgC8nubCGo26ITYBc4pl1pQSaMCa7bIMM9OxGFajrur0iPM4a15asZDdV1/s400/Family+09-21-08+008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416240191315751138" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Don't shoot the messenger on this one. I can see their first point, but I don't personally see the second.T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-61237387603200856562009-12-17T23:32:00.003+08:002009-12-18T00:02:17.704+08:00What's Up DocSo for the last couple of weeks I've been kind of "phlegmy" but not coughy or feverish or really any kind of otherwise ill feeling. Then last Friday I woke up and something was wrong with my left ear. I could still hear out of it, but it was muffled, kind of like how it sounds when you've got water in your ear.<br /><br />Anyways, I figured it'd go away, but as of Tuesday it had not, so I mentioned to Laura, my boss, that I'd like to go to the hospital to get it checked out.<br /><br />For those of you thinking, "Why go to the hospital?", in China, they don't really have separate private doctors' offices, so if you're sick, even just for something minor, you go to the hospital.<br /><br />So Laura arranged for a student whose English was not too bad to accompany me to the hospital. Luckily the wait wasn't very long. Including registration and then waiting for the patients in front of me in the otolaryngology deparement I waited probably a total of 20 minutes. (By the way, that's a new word for me, the English word for the "ear, nose, and throat" division of medecine. Also by the way, the literal Chinese translation of "otolaryncology" is, word-for-word, "ear nose and throat science")<br /><br />The doctor had a look at my ear and literally 10 seconds later said (in Chinese of course) "You have a cold, and the mucus is just backed up. Once the cold goes away, so should the ear problem. <br /><br />The doctor was an older man, perhaps 60, and after saying a few other things in Chinese to the student who was with me, he then looked at me and said "Parlez vous Francais?" At first I didn't understand him because A) I was expecting to hear Chinese and so wasn't listening for French, and 2) his accent was very heavy on the Chinese. After that he again spoke and said "Je peu parle un petit peu d'Francais" I then immediately tried to search my brain for "me too" in French, but the only thing my brain could find was "Wo ye shi", which is "me too" in Chinese. Only now as I am writing this blog entry have I just remembered that "me too" in French is "moi aussi." Learning Chinese has been a challenge and an adventure, but darn it if it hasn't pushed out just about all of the quick response expressions I have ever learned if any other language, including the Spanish I studied for three years in high school. I honestly believe that if a Spanish-speaking friend of mine asked me "Hey, como estas?" I would answer "hen hao" (very well).<br /><br />The doctor then explained that he had worked for 4 years as a doctor in west Africa, in Mali, where they speak French. After that exchange he then directed the student and I to the testing room, where they just ran a couple of hearing tests (push the button when you can hear the sound), and then what seemed to be an automatic hearing test. For the automatic one he put the sensor into my ear and then the program ran played some tones at different frequencies and somehow automagically measured something about my auditory sensitivity. The doctor running the tests said that aside from the slight muting from the mucus, my hearing was fine.<br /><br />After that, I was given a prescription of a couple kinds of pills and a nasal spray for my cold. We filled it there at the hospital, and that was that.<br /><br />Just so you guys are aware, here in China, I have no health insurance. So, the doctor's visit, plus all the auditory tests, plus the medicine came to quite a total:<br /><br />167 yuan, or about $24.50<br /><br />Now the earnings in China are much lower than they are in the states. But even when you take this reduced earning power into account, this is still relatively cheap, even by Chinese standards. The way I get a "feel" for the cost of something is this: You take the price in yuan, let's call that "Y", and divide it by two, and let's call that "x". So now "Y" yuan to a Chinese would be "like" $x to an American. So in this case, 167 yuan to a Chinese person would be like $83 to an American. Certainly not something you'd like to drop everyday, but that's how much a doctor's visit PLUS medical tests PLUS medicine costs with NO insurance?<br /><br />Anyhow, as an update, that was Tuesday, two days before I am now posting and my cold still hasn't gone away. Still not serious, but still not gone.T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-50075934275501708652009-12-11T22:18:00.003+08:002009-12-11T22:46:10.708+08:00I could be a Part-Time Model**But I'll probably have to keep my normal job<br /><br />I work part-time at this place called "Web International English" here in Huzhou. It's a commercial school for learning English.<br /><br />On Monday of this week, Apple, my boss (that's her English name) said that there was an elevator company in Nanxun (pronounced Nan Schwinn, one town over, in the same county as Huzhou) that was looking for some foreigners to use in its advertisements and promotional materials, and asked if I would mind going to Nanxun to be a model for them.<br /><br />The offer, in addition to stroking my ego, paid 1000 yuan (about $140) so I figured, yeah, why not!<br /><br />On Tuesday, Apple sent me a text message asking if I had a suit, to which I replied, "Not in China." She then asked me for my size so the photographer could bring one that fit me.<br /><br />On Wednesday she asked me, "Do you have any leather or formal shoes that are not sneakers?" To which I replied, "Not in China." <br /><br />I think it's safe to say that my formal events and occasions have been few and far between during my last 14 months here. <br /><br />So today, I went with Apple to the elevator factory in Nanxun. The photographer supplied the suits (there were 2: a blue pinstriped suit, and a gray pinstriped suit), a few shirts (different elevators had different colors and different lighting some some colors were better suited than others), but no shoes. Turns out that wasn't really a big deal, they just didn't include my feet in the shots.<br /><br />Afterward, I signed a release for them to use my photos and they handed me 1000 yuan cash. As a bonus, since they had purchased those shirts just before and in my size, they let me keep them. The shirts are nothing special, not designer labels or anything, but are still nice shirts, and it was a nice little added bonus.<br /><br />Within the next couple of weeks I should get some copies of the photos taken, and I'll post them here when I do.<br /><br />On a side note, Ellis, my American co-worker at the college, went to model for this company a few weeks ago, as well as Brandon, my American co-worker at Web. Their photos came out fine, but the company wanted some more pictures and some different faces. If you want to see their photos you can catch them on Ellis's blog:<br /><br />Ellis's own photos: http://plateofwander.com/?p=3563<br /><br />The final professinal ones: http://plateofwander.com/?p=3797T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-32977735958780451062009-12-11T17:42:00.006+08:002009-12-11T22:15:45.860+08:00Thanksgiving '09So about two weeks ago Ellis (the other foreign teacher at my school, remember I am a foreigner) invited many of the Huzhou laowai (foreigners) to her apartment for a Thanksgiving dinner.<br /><br />It was a nice little affair with food (everyone brought something), conversation, and even a some guitar and singing (real guitar, not fake plastic guitar).<br /><br />I made some spaghetti to bring, and I have to say... it was REALLY good. I only used a Hunt's tomato sauce, but I also added some browned ground pork and some fennel and I let it simmer for about 4 hours. It turned out SO much better than expected. Grandma, you would be proud. I may be a particularly strict critic of my own sauce, but one nice compliment was that Ellis, a self-proclaimed "foodie", immediately asked for seconds after finishing her first helping.<br />The only thing that would've made it better is if it had been hot, I had prepared the spaghetti and the sauce, but unfortunately we began eating about 90 minutes after we arrived, so it was a little cool (The apartment is not heated).<br /><br />Now me, always forgetting to bring a camera, I didn't take any pictures, save for one here I took with my camera phone of the spaghetti.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKlhn1ZM8jSSOBTMSmwwISBRE9vaUaf1lJQ9MA0IGsVZt4RnxwjiQ6pRG1PzsLP3cruir5xApm7vDq5d17wOXxSvpP29YvSUEa_dRkBijaiNjLE9u3MWMwuf5HuNuidbWZxL1qzXrqJO_/s1600-h/moto_0019.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKlhn1ZM8jSSOBTMSmwwISBRE9vaUaf1lJQ9MA0IGsVZt4RnxwjiQ6pRG1PzsLP3cruir5xApm7vDq5d17wOXxSvpP29YvSUEa_dRkBijaiNjLE9u3MWMwuf5HuNuidbWZxL1qzXrqJO_/s400/moto_0019.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413919740869369074" border="0" /></a><br />However, Ellis, being inseparable from her camera took several pictures. I'll upload a few of them from her blog here, but she's got several others with annotations at that on her Thanksgiving blog post:<br /><br />http://plateofwander.com/?p=3744<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Jean and I arrive first<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQy2AjTiv8yvGvGLUmpTecEafcBM53DDNOTRvRg1JEAVkqzK5Np1qh8UAWPKC2mCR9plusCurVqchyphenhyphen0zBiwCngd-e1GJ7fX009R-bWXw5gqysCcHu1Fscmbm4kG1VO_NIsyUx3i8SJR-5/s1600-h/z_tj-jean1-bw.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQy2AjTiv8yvGvGLUmpTecEafcBM53DDNOTRvRg1JEAVkqzK5Np1qh8UAWPKC2mCR9plusCurVqchyphenhyphen0zBiwCngd-e1GJ7fX009R-bWXw5gqysCcHu1Fscmbm4kG1VO_NIsyUx3i8SJR-5/s400/z_tj-jean1-bw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413926470490773010" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">People Snacking<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXXXZXbBcZWILabwdl7shvdk05-N0PMCWVnTMC6kBJYDO2m7bex-CEIcmsWgKbrbHxBRP7CgaCrHfc8001R7Ph41NbDWB-FQJmF3fDMPa_DCYpLeCXmg-NbDD3UWiuJbl2lBnqVq8hhz8/s1600-h/z_snacking4..jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXXXZXbBcZWILabwdl7shvdk05-N0PMCWVnTMC6kBJYDO2m7bex-CEIcmsWgKbrbHxBRP7CgaCrHfc8001R7Ph41NbDWB-FQJmF3fDMPa_DCYpLeCXmg-NbDD3UWiuJbl2lBnqVq8hhz8/s400/z_snacking4..jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413926466964606866" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNPMJaRAklsT-kunK7HF2aN3Z1FeVt9gH7EBnQkJuKmvxrjSN1jncyus5W1YaPaTAycosghQoSk3ZKkAD4Sl-KySKXw2d8Eh0nhgcK64S0dywdd_kcaTBOggJkp7ygL6mjaGpin5M-3ns/s1600-h/z_snacking2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 275px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNPMJaRAklsT-kunK7HF2aN3Z1FeVt9gH7EBnQkJuKmvxrjSN1jncyus5W1YaPaTAycosghQoSk3ZKkAD4Sl-KySKXw2d8Eh0nhgcK64S0dywdd_kcaTBOggJkp7ygL6mjaGpin5M-3ns/s400/z_snacking2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413926459251224130" border="0" /></a><br />The Huzhou foreigners dining<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIZ59s3cW9jmq4SbAMC2eCCku3POUX67D4xK3WczZl8TQgYrRhyphenhyphenL64xreZaIjzb7wK_evCiZhmBEAOiSgL7Bh65aYn-opFyzjjk1OLzaRT0NHNr9YxrAYiMvxch2kyfqp2Yo7kVhRS_pi/s1600-h/z_dinner10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIZ59s3cW9jmq4SbAMC2eCCku3POUX67D4xK3WczZl8TQgYrRhyphenhyphenL64xreZaIjzb7wK_evCiZhmBEAOiSgL7Bh65aYn-opFyzjjk1OLzaRT0NHNr9YxrAYiMvxch2kyfqp2Yo7kVhRS_pi/s400/z_dinner10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413919761435315730" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcK9K9MsixjHA0LlVALdi3ot69tket8EWFFKqrNKLuHVs4B9sNRF_EFGB4dmAoZU7F4fAVlwFvWeqgV18NBteQDxdZlmIWINa9nDv8V1GW7zhE3tliIl-aK_3FC1ee2rDexr2-Lrq8mEF5/s1600-h/z_dinner7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 293px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcK9K9MsixjHA0LlVALdi3ot69tket8EWFFKqrNKLuHVs4B9sNRF_EFGB4dmAoZU7F4fAVlwFvWeqgV18NBteQDxdZlmIWINa9nDv8V1GW7zhE3tliIl-aK_3FC1ee2rDexr2-Lrq8mEF5/s400/z_dinner7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413919756614450818" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIj1WNlYg6xH8CwE-VmZKQrdqx6XerNT3HV1vkaGyx7bknTOziRuY12pkyJUbTWDGKv8_qxHdCIjKMWBZyQZfmXk6VqatbH_Kxv0w72EdkmNmMK8VLEkefLt863YQhl1LIIFqf3axcoasV/s1600-h/z_dinner3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIj1WNlYg6xH8CwE-VmZKQrdqx6XerNT3HV1vkaGyx7bknTOziRuY12pkyJUbTWDGKv8_qxHdCIjKMWBZyQZfmXk6VqatbH_Kxv0w72EdkmNmMK8VLEkefLt863YQhl1LIIFqf3axcoasV/s400/z_dinner3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413919753728249426" border="0" /></a><br />Englishman Jack plays the guitar<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_GSjB6fyRWzCU82sdw_8m6ulkkqJ2IMECbxSXppmdxANGYr6s46Jg0hjVRD9xRkHsBdwwEZ4CozdUZnSNU0ToUDOQJyKfCOXi7H7Aa-tqcXh_WWNGlwMAAEMkcNFUvlF6TD34JXPJX6F/s1600-h/z_jack-guitar5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_GSjB6fyRWzCU82sdw_8m6ulkkqJ2IMECbxSXppmdxANGYr6s46Jg0hjVRD9xRkHsBdwwEZ4CozdUZnSNU0ToUDOQJyKfCOXi7H7Aa-tqcXh_WWNGlwMAAEMkcNFUvlF6TD34JXPJX6F/s400/z_jack-guitar5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413926453208607970" border="0" /></a><br />Canadian Paul and I sing a song (maybe Oasis)<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyqonUYgVHs6FbfxtTpPAmCz7q0ZDCwDgq8uo30xIClm2qLcnpoep-94wUrOtCswVyORL-Enhzn84IkcV_4vKBkM1h5NeM1ZpbkwjOPQYXYcgQE7KOHL04HQ24lLErZ5QO-2ibM2oEkeNl/s1600-h/z_paul-talks2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyqonUYgVHs6FbfxtTpPAmCz7q0ZDCwDgq8uo30xIClm2qLcnpoep-94wUrOtCswVyORL-Enhzn84IkcV_4vKBkM1h5NeM1ZpbkwjOPQYXYcgQE7KOHL04HQ24lLErZ5QO-2ibM2oEkeNl/s400/z_paul-talks2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413926456629783298" border="0" /></a>T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-52757465672795264722009-11-25T15:54:00.000+08:002009-11-25T15:55:07.165+08:00New RecordRecently broke my personal record for running up the six flights of stairs to my apartment again:<br /><br />11/25/09 - 22.8 secondsT.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-90371691784294472992009-11-11T10:26:00.007+08:002009-11-25T15:58:31.549+08:00Too LongIt's been a long time since I've last posted, which is due to a combination of blogspot (the blog hosting site) being blocked in China, making it inconvenient, but not impossible, to post, and the fact that I've been a bit lazy to post. (Note, I began drafting this blog post Nov 11, but didn't post it because I didn't have the pictures. I got the pictures and published the blog post Nov 25, despite the fact that it says it was posted Nov 11.)<br /><br />So here's a quick recap on the last couple months:<br /><br />A few weeks ago I organized a Rock Band party at my place. I invited over the Huzhou laowai (foreigners) that I know, and a few of the English-speaking Chinese with whom I am friends. I made tacos (thanks to Aunt Mary for the taco seasoning), Ellis baked a delicious cake, and with plenty of beer we had a good time eating, drinking, singing, and playing faux guitar and drums. I've got a few pictures below:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRSOI5zD6ySQ4QjTunnQIEMmYEwBdgunQ0e4fH38ZXRb6XAexPfxpxzKJ8eEl_Vs9CDVa0E1MNDqb7dNYAxkVb7iES-8xF4UR4FAwAOXx2i6TlhevIF-hVBhY3yD4_U5LGlJ3Ecfplyzt/s1600/z_taco-tj-jean.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRSOI5zD6ySQ4QjTunnQIEMmYEwBdgunQ0e4fH38ZXRb6XAexPfxpxzKJ8eEl_Vs9CDVa0E1MNDqb7dNYAxkVb7iES-8xF4UR4FAwAOXx2i6TlhevIF-hVBhY3yD4_U5LGlJ3Ecfplyzt/s400/z_taco-tj-jean.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407945270592963778" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The tacos!</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-zcDgF-qwdkh-RvjfLEM4ppcsWc38kOlwPC5i4bl7uLYcOjfWVEVb4BA4z_ZeEt_1eO9mCoJZtXWqRRnK8RpcLC1iy1Gt-xf2eD-aqaSsrX9UpljcPgKNzUcJ7qDM2y4pt2PbZ2OlgQHb/s1600/z_annie-paul-jack-brandon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-zcDgF-qwdkh-RvjfLEM4ppcsWc38kOlwPC5i4bl7uLYcOjfWVEVb4BA4z_ZeEt_1eO9mCoJZtXWqRRnK8RpcLC1iy1Gt-xf2eD-aqaSsrX9UpljcPgKNzUcJ7qDM2y4pt2PbZ2OlgQHb/s400/z_annie-paul-jack-brandon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407943955509266674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">On the left, Canadian Paul and his Chinese wife Annie. In the middle, Englishman Jack, and on the right American Brandon. </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYuaSoPQ49i38I2KFjNCgfPiXFdempH2xnwJpIIG_0dbHaOjH7LoCPKhemstbWkQNvWYApUmEqFnuQkEJHmN1tIIt7Ek8902wc34VOUmVfhs3TKjKGoYotb5YrcR0D-cisDWos6FCEw_C/s1600/z_jean-guitar.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYuaSoPQ49i38I2KFjNCgfPiXFdempH2xnwJpIIG_0dbHaOjH7LoCPKhemstbWkQNvWYApUmEqFnuQkEJHmN1tIIt7Ek8902wc34VOUmVfhs3TKjKGoYotb5YrcR0D-cisDWos6FCEw_C/s400/z_jean-guitar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407943962150299058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">My beautiful girlfriend Jean</span><br /><br />And here are a few of me REALLY getting into singing "Chop Suey" by System of a Down. When its blurry, I'm jumping.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nZnd5FA4xnfYliSVefyrAz0L4zUQe4JJuWEuONJ2m2jRk-Xi4TWdwrYD3bCN-K5CJY3DcETX-BCrkAzLX7lGjI5rwvw0OD6WRHRDhJ6vnrHGrqpgn0z7GcpIRJiRtyxxocxv0QQNygtd/s1600/z_jump1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nZnd5FA4xnfYliSVefyrAz0L4zUQe4JJuWEuONJ2m2jRk-Xi4TWdwrYD3bCN-K5CJY3DcETX-BCrkAzLX7lGjI5rwvw0OD6WRHRDhJ6vnrHGrqpgn0z7GcpIRJiRtyxxocxv0QQNygtd/s400/z_jump1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407943964338519010" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-lpkNKpu30apXtnxszj3EqyOsA_Pbq7HlN_O_10Wm4rGqt9yoK7kwJJHbqX3qOcggfipYtYhdK-h7UL73Vfl5l2rBR_zUWcxldiNqgJc1E4P2RNqP8ZAiF4Fzqvax8dPeryQ_ZtyY7jj/s1600/z_jump8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-lpkNKpu30apXtnxszj3EqyOsA_Pbq7HlN_O_10Wm4rGqt9yoK7kwJJHbqX3qOcggfipYtYhdK-h7UL73Vfl5l2rBR_zUWcxldiNqgJc1E4P2RNqP8ZAiF4Fzqvax8dPeryQ_ZtyY7jj/s400/z_jump8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407943967775903602" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVLNf5jUo8aoTFZHuRVuJo69fbT3QX6520g2NuliwfH1cLK21fASjSze9n0KuGJ4FvVPOC-wnTnAOKz9MxLwAm4y6FwN1XUKRl6nZgdnZdx0VMyG7dbZ8pEaWhczAv6j4SEnGoI6u74XS/s1600/z_jump10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVLNf5jUo8aoTFZHuRVuJo69fbT3QX6520g2NuliwfH1cLK21fASjSze9n0KuGJ4FvVPOC-wnTnAOKz9MxLwAm4y6FwN1XUKRl6nZgdnZdx0VMyG7dbZ8pEaWhczAv6j4SEnGoI6u74XS/s400/z_jump10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407945267334482770" border="0" /></a>The excited, happy lad in the chair in those pictures is American Edward... a guy who I'll mention in the next blog post (tomorrow).<br /></div><br /><br />Two weekends ago while in Hangzhou, Jean and I went to a restaurant that was recommended to her by a workmate of hers. It is a western-style restaurant (read: not Chinese food) and it was purported that the pizza there was pretty good. When we went in, I noticed that the vast majority of the patrons there were indeed foreigners, something, at that point, I had not yet seen outside of Shanghai. Anyhow, Jean and I sat down at our table and ordered the fried squid, the nachos, and a pepperoni pizza.<br /><br />The appetizers came out first, and the nachos... they were not Chinese nachos, they were not some Chinese approximation of nachos, they were honest-to-goodness nachos chips topped with chili and cheese, and they were awesome. The fried squid were tasty, if perhaps a little too salty.<br /><br />On a side note, the expression "fried squid" in Chinese (pronounced chow yo yu) means "to be fired" as in, to lose one's job.<br /><br />The pizza, pictured here, looked delicious, and seemed to be brick oven baked, the way good pizza ought to be. The flavor was also quite good, better than any pizza I'd had in China thus far. But, I have to say, it may have been one of the greasiest pizzas I have ever eaten.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBe22vRVp0WrEO4nr4ktL1b8UwQdKcVuFeXtgwTtRQrS4hb83KP2cecRJo_3oGM1dQ1ooTnMPGm-Ce9irXI1Z03oSpG-DwHRtA-Lbvx1anblocYFRHKSc56kUmDIc0J1hqEJtZVoHpbNJ-/s1600/eudora_pizza.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBe22vRVp0WrEO4nr4ktL1b8UwQdKcVuFeXtgwTtRQrS4hb83KP2cecRJo_3oGM1dQ1ooTnMPGm-Ce9irXI1Z03oSpG-DwHRtA-Lbvx1anblocYFRHKSc56kUmDIc0J1hqEJtZVoHpbNJ-/s400/eudora_pizza.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407943949538399906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">The pizza would look better, but it was taken with a phone camera.</span></div><br /><br />In any case, I was impressed and I think I now have a favorite restaurant in China. I saw their breakfast menu, and I look forward to giving that a go sometime.<br /><br />That's all up to recently, but I will eventually be posting the remaineder of the summer Beijing/Xi'An trip, and also, I'm going to have a post pretty soon on some if the minor niggles about living in China (other than the aforementioned blockade of websites).T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-68176385393920191502009-09-18T00:06:00.002+08:002009-09-18T00:08:58.986+08:00Fall Semester begins, I'm clumsyI realize it's been a month now since I've last posted, and I eventually will finish posting about the Beijing/Xi'an trip, but I'm blogging again for now.<br /><br /> The new semester has begun and it's business as usual, though for the first 3 weeks I don't have my freshman classes. For whatever reason the freshmen begin 3 weeks laters, something to do with military training.<br /><br /> So this weekend is an important weekend as I will be meeting my girlfriend's mother for the first time. She lives in Harbin which, geographically, if Huzhou is like Atlanta, Harbin is like Nova Scotia. Just her mother is visiting, not her father. I'm a bit nervous, but to be honest, considering the level of my Chinese, I don't know enough to really make a fool of myself, so I don't have too much to worry about.<br /><br /> In other news, this last weekend I lost my cell phone on a bus in Hangzhou. No one stole it, I think maybe I dropped it while sitting in my seat and I didn't pay close attention. Luckily I had saved all my important phone numbers to a file a few months ago, so I didn't lose anything too important, just annoying having to spend the money on a new phone. That said, the phone I lost wasn't great, and since it had been dropped many times and soaked at least twice, sometimes it didn't work exactly as it was supposed to, so getting a new phone isn't all bad.<br /><br /> I got my new phone yesterday, and I am really pleased, it looks sexier than the previous phone, it's faster, it's more functional, and it was actually cheaper! (In case you are curious, the old phone was a Motorola ROKR E2 which I bought for 600 yuan, about $88, and the new one is a Motorola ROKR Z6 which I bought for 530 yuan, about $78.)<br /><br /> One interesting thing I discovered as I was adjusting all the settings on my new phone: I downloaded the "Opera Mini" web browser for the phone, which lets you browse web pages more efficiently than the browser that comes with the phone. Now, the way it works is, you enter an address, it goes to Opera's servers, they get the page to their servers, then compress the page, and then send it back to you. It's actually faster this way because any images and text get compressed first so instead of waiting for a 100kb page to download, now you are waiting for a 9kb page to download, and when you're talking web browsing on a non-3G network, that is a huge difference.<br /><br /> Anyways, I began to think, this whole system essentially works like a proxy, so, I wonder, let me see if I can access blocked websites in China, such as youtube, facebook, or even my blog right here. So I typed in those pages, and lo, I had access.<br /><br /> I think it's strange that if I go to a computer, I cannot access facebook or blogspot.com (without some mucking around), yet on my cell phone, I can just go right to it. Go figure.T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-80939274853503313842009-08-18T11:45:00.002+08:002009-08-18T11:54:41.341+08:00Other Huzhou LaowaiThis post isn't really a post for me. It's a link to my friend Ellis's blog.<br /><br />She has a post on an all too typical experience for her: Chinese people's fascination with foreigners.<br /><br /><a href="http://plateofwander.com/?p=2798">http://plateofwander.com/?p=2798</a><br /><br />Now, it's a very interesting read, and from what I've heard from her and others, not an atypical occurrence. But not for me.<br /><br />Now I can certainly understand that at first glance I may not get noticed as much as other foreigners, I'm neither glaringly white nor dark, my hair is black, and I'm not too tall. From behind, it might be hard to know that I'm not a Chinese.<br /><br />Once people see my face, though, they are immediately aware that I am indeed not Chinese. I get some stares, but not the way my other friends seem to. <br /><br />And as far as something like Ellis's experience at the gym, the well-meaning, yet still annoying pestering while working out... it just doesn't happen with me. The only people that talk to me at the gym are essentially one of two physical trainers that work there. One uses English, and the other uses Chinese. But even then, I wouldn't say they talk to me at length or to an annoying level, it's usually just a hello and a few words.<br /><br />I'm not complaining. I'm sure this would get old fast. But for whatever reason, even though other gym members can plainly see I'm not Chinese, I guess I just don't incite the same level of curiosity. Or maybe it's because I'm a dude.<br /><br />By the way, if you don't know, "laowai" (from the subject of this post) means foreigner.T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-70453676374041995712009-08-18T07:44:00.007+08:002009-08-18T09:44:20.854+08:00July 23, Tiananmen Square & Forbidden CityThe first morning in Beijing we got up early and headed out for Tian An Men Square via, and for the last time, the subway. When we got there, it wasn't too hot, as it had rained that morning and was still cloudy. It would rain later, so it stayed cloudy, but that did make our outing pleasantly cool. We took some pictures in the square.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">First Arrived<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGS1f9jfU3YamFZYhREIbOJ5WnllEeGiq-S77OQ27DRwkRWAz6YeseuVb5_q7C-ny1tkQkGYd2eh_sjNSEMCKP_P3_NByr7arJdB5ZohZ5F157D4e8CUg4TNWJufaR-rq4sOTatwaIgqw/s1600-h/Gwall090724b+065+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGS1f9jfU3YamFZYhREIbOJ5WnllEeGiq-S77OQ27DRwkRWAz6YeseuVb5_q7C-ny1tkQkGYd2eh_sjNSEMCKP_P3_NByr7arJdB5ZohZ5F157D4e8CUg4TNWJufaR-rq4sOTatwaIgqw/s400/Gwall090724b+065+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371092993403957170" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Facing South<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHvFWVV4o7npbqABTh9FFU79fhONFXy6NW4uB1mn0mD0l5RJn8OVd4X_xJtrylGkaGMg5stCd8GoXCTDNKPaOuPd81Q_ZRGXCSKekrK9NkDkNT7BUPCwOs8vp9o0CI-MA3AxR9CVAJW5D/s1600-h/China090723b+065+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHvFWVV4o7npbqABTh9FFU79fhONFXy6NW4uB1mn0mD0l5RJn8OVd4X_xJtrylGkaGMg5stCd8GoXCTDNKPaOuPd81Q_ZRGXCSKekrK9NkDkNT7BUPCwOs8vp9o0CI-MA3AxR9CVAJW5D/s400/China090723b+065+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371092982871858434" border="0" /></a><br />Facing North</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1wkPx5E5vfP150mp4W39WPE_sN6SxPmkWtvGl5OLzfSk1R-Mov8Bo1m0G3xs2uqW1vxQUT8f-rQOKMhFJfSSULMKv3yEnNCQ04p5OaySn-Yi1OVMJGCJbVJCkWu9yqvA9_9NE31mLQnsP/s1600-h/China090723b+063+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1wkPx5E5vfP150mp4W39WPE_sN6SxPmkWtvGl5OLzfSk1R-Mov8Bo1m0G3xs2uqW1vxQUT8f-rQOKMhFJfSSULMKv3yEnNCQ04p5OaySn-Yi1OVMJGCJbVJCkWu9yqvA9_9NE31mLQnsP/s400/China090723b+063+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371092979119048834" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Always LOTS of People Everywhere<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-rySIj4cdkUfrZ28PvKAVvw7otcO37UrCE4Jp7rEQA1yrsaqn1mq-MpZ30aCpSBvGIvpCNrgDlYyB_NSUzZxhhAti_G_OmLYdRLWPPShWgsS1L_Wl-CdY2T12lmwk3qEjNeZcxPcV5pw/s1600-h/TJCameraTrip09+%2817%29+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-rySIj4cdkUfrZ28PvKAVvw7otcO37UrCE4Jp7rEQA1yrsaqn1mq-MpZ30aCpSBvGIvpCNrgDlYyB_NSUzZxhhAti_G_OmLYdRLWPPShWgsS1L_Wl-CdY2T12lmwk3qEjNeZcxPcV5pw/s400/TJCameraTrip09+%2817%29+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371093850921577698" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFiQFMxp-rRRAh_ggJ3NGDzVXD_p3XxwXCcSqkH_xsYINRDhvfH5qAJosO0SjNxZ4qERNRUtFhJKNbInM3Lg-1hzEPxIwMYxcLpf_ZVw3hvkxsa71fjZgjr2jmJP0JwSfSeUp1sib638N/s1600-h/TJCameraTrip09+%2815%29+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFiQFMxp-rRRAh_ggJ3NGDzVXD_p3XxwXCcSqkH_xsYINRDhvfH5qAJosO0SjNxZ4qERNRUtFhJKNbInM3Lg-1hzEPxIwMYxcLpf_ZVw3hvkxsa71fjZgjr2jmJP0JwSfSeUp1sib638N/s400/TJCameraTrip09+%2815%29+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371093845467011170" border="0" /></a><br /></div>As you can tell from some of these pictures, there were always lots of people here in the square... which makes this picture Jean took when she was a little girl all the more confusing. There is literally no one else in the square (only a few across the street). I asked her about this, and she said she doesn't know why there was no one, perhaps it was very early in the morning, and perhaps it had just rained. Also, not nearly as many Chinese took touristy trips 16 years ago as they do today, as the Chinese people have more money today than in the past.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Jean, age 8, Tian An Men Square<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5WiqNwoRwtwuZyFpYi11y6JhcBUTODmjjUbEzTi2SyTng8UW833TFZyyfVqs6q3FRlVWzJo8Ps81FcvcTqhj3-9XK36_MLY3r_3IpfjMoTBHamb2T345lsk6_imBmOkUoVkctuWTje0R/s1600-h/Jean_1+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5WiqNwoRwtwuZyFpYi11y6JhcBUTODmjjUbEzTi2SyTng8UW833TFZyyfVqs6q3FRlVWzJo8Ps81FcvcTqhj3-9XK36_MLY3r_3IpfjMoTBHamb2T345lsk6_imBmOkUoVkctuWTje0R/s400/Jean_1+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371113535232762546" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8pNhsmyvSa5v3BQVvDypIPD_eEz10mOjJaVo9ydwa09loxykvfg4bO_SKuGfVGAyU0CLYrUH_Q1odpVdVoKRvCMQvRsCvTNkEgnPiYSmOuMnORtrcQ9Ig5V2T_iumvb2JGdsHGDDQ2wnm/s1600-h/Jean_1+%28Custom%29.jpg"><br /></a></div><br />Later, we decided to get in line to see Chairman Mao's body. First we went to a building across the street to put our stuff in the locker. I knew no pictures were allowed, but I didn't know cameras weren't either, so I didnt put my camera away in the storage place. In retrospect it kind of makes sense, though they don't disallow cell phones, but you do get in trouble if you try to take a picture with one. We waited in line for about an hour until we got to the entrance and the security checkpoint. Since I had my camera on me they denied me entry. What I should've done is stopped taken a deep breath and told my family, ok you guys go through, I'll see you at the exit. Instead I wasnt thinking and I just exited. After I realized what I should've done, I hoped they still would go through, so I made my way to meet them at the exit.<br /><br />20 minutes later, however, they still had not shown. I decided to wait 5 more minutes, and then if they were still a no show, I'd go to our pre-arranged "get separated" location. But just at that time, I got a phone call. Uncle Jack had borrowed one of the workers' cell phones and called me. They had been waiting at the entrance for me for the last 20 minutes. He asked if I was just going to wait for them at the exit, I said yes, and they went through, and after regrouping I apologized for making them wait there in the first place without giving them notice.<br /><br />It was all good, and we then went to go eat lunch. We just walked a short way away from Tian An Men square and saw a Chinese Fast Food place. These were NOT the kind of Chinese dishes to show off Chinese cuisine, but we needed to eat, and we didn't really know where anything else was. There could've been a great place right around the corner, or just as easily 10 blocks away.<br /><br />After that we walked back toward the forbidden city, but made a pit stop along the way. Katy and Uncle Jack needed to use the public facilities while we waited outside.<br />Uncle Jack returned first, followed shortly by Katy, who shortly began with a disgusting tirade over the state of the bathroom inside and the shortly thereafter labelled "squatty potties."<br /><br />Afterward we crossed the street toward the Forbidden City. Before we entered, Beth asked me, "If it's a forbidden city, why are they letting us inside?"<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Out in Front<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfMpkv_20zPpwZjCEvVfpKVtzU0MjOBMz7tCNNct7DbLwJccvvoRn81Zo64Kuv31P4cPiPGjzhD_kQyhg4tjkphMPz1W4Bb5A2FARmrYzjAKjhVRRIifXeTK3tUdRf_u8gohXObF_Y6Xif/s1600-h/China090723+044+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfMpkv_20zPpwZjCEvVfpKVtzU0MjOBMz7tCNNct7DbLwJccvvoRn81Zo64Kuv31P4cPiPGjzhD_kQyhg4tjkphMPz1W4Bb5A2FARmrYzjAKjhVRRIifXeTK3tUdRf_u8gohXObF_Y6Xif/s400/China090723+044+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371092966245801634" border="0" /></a><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/REelqbKKROw&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></object><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="425" height="344"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/REelqbKKROw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Courtyard Inside<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYHUcT3-yvJIXpHgSysxyMtp4EcDvm6xX-Dp-L4FZndBvjGSEMevmP3px4Usw9utjLbpBbVwURQLQ9rb40KnJK_tbNiwIqURdUnwzbeKPdF6lRe2qOy4uGySKHkOnzQEcNTpdSMq-5frP/s1600-h/China090723+053+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYHUcT3-yvJIXpHgSysxyMtp4EcDvm6xX-Dp-L4FZndBvjGSEMevmP3px4Usw9utjLbpBbVwURQLQ9rb40KnJK_tbNiwIqURdUnwzbeKPdF6lRe2qOy4uGySKHkOnzQEcNTpdSMq-5frP/s400/China090723+053+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371092971456686050" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Lion Statue Crushing a Baby Lion<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQCMbYeOSY8iqcni-leLyEQIaW4xR8USjl5JLFFQzQlJeY27upUisJMTVpFaoZ53VrUC3CF1tUxPzWjfJZCQKhDgx8n77BBJ1AY7hWKN02He4j8oNbWKAhnSMI7euMA1cvNU6DdOvhakP/s1600-h/TJCameraTrip09+%2827%29+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQCMbYeOSY8iqcni-leLyEQIaW4xR8USjl5JLFFQzQlJeY27upUisJMTVpFaoZ53VrUC3CF1tUxPzWjfJZCQKhDgx8n77BBJ1AY7hWKN02He4j8oNbWKAhnSMI7euMA1cvNU6DdOvhakP/s400/TJCameraTrip09+%2827%29+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371094408987840258" border="0" /></a>(at least that's what I say it is, but when you read<br />"crushing" you must imagine Borat saying it<br />and doing the crushing motion with his hand)<br /><br /></div>We finished the afternoon with an educational (we rented the audio tour device) stroll through the city/palace, shortly after which it began to rain. Luckily we snagged a cab back to our hotel minutes before the rain came down really hard. The driver was different than most other cab drivers I have met in China in that I could more easily understand what he was saying. His Chinese pronunciation was fairly standard, which unfortunately for my comprehension, is something that is a bit rare among taxi drivers.<br /></div>T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-29833535364932101152009-08-14T22:26:00.008+08:002009-08-14T23:43:30.109+08:00July 22, To BeijingThe next morning my family was in China, things went well enough, we ate the complimentary breakfast, which had both Western and Chinese style items, and was actually not half bad.<br /><br />Then we checked-out, loaded our stuff into the van, and headed to the Hongqiao Airport of Hangzhou. We arrived at about 9:30 which was actually PERFECT timing. The solar eclipse for that day had begun at 8:41, but that was just the starting overlap. By 9:30 things were beginning to get slightly dimmer, and by 9:35 it was beginning to look like early evening. And then at 9:41, the moon completely blocked out the sun and it was dark as night. Everyone was shouting and ooing, and I have to say, it was actually a LOT cooler than I thought it was going to be. The sky had been a bit cloudy that day, so the pictures and videos taken with my camera may not be very good, but because of the clouds, we were able to look reasonably directly at it without burning our retinas. It lasted about 5 minutes, and then there was light. And the crowd that had gathered outside the drop-off point at the terminal dispersed and went about their day.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nZUz-EjamZc&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nZUz-EjamZc&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />In case the video wasn't very clear:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwMFYESBLvEPI146taShyT-S2dbzn-G6uJAeg65E-J-_mdO-QoaVu32x153j13GqzdcL5Q077xKXDjXDCjZJ4BD3ZPgcdMNzQv4ZFurRMo-rR2b9UxGwJoZdtGgWhyphenhyphen1uE7sOnWYyDuDe92/s1600-h/13.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwMFYESBLvEPI146taShyT-S2dbzn-G6uJAeg65E-J-_mdO-QoaVu32x153j13GqzdcL5Q077xKXDjXDCjZJ4BD3ZPgcdMNzQv4ZFurRMo-rR2b9UxGwJoZdtGgWhyphenhyphen1uE7sOnWYyDuDe92/s400/13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369842397384766994" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbVckn5X1QmD8N9PGd3lhvtr8FSYeDSiIFkxDy1zabenU2dWsDSaEAC0CWGfH9RJsQbAjfQ6kGFIKQOvUuTHs-C4BHBuSnK-d0xF6sNfAGFRTilMOoWDL4vXe3IpgVS2qRkUnxct86Jg9/s1600-h/14.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbVckn5X1QmD8N9PGd3lhvtr8FSYeDSiIFkxDy1zabenU2dWsDSaEAC0CWGfH9RJsQbAjfQ6kGFIKQOvUuTHs-C4BHBuSnK-d0xF6sNfAGFRTilMOoWDL4vXe3IpgVS2qRkUnxct86Jg9/s400/14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369842411003007154" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRkJTg1Rm9M39LWd6TF1yn9_R50OzxnzXqbMJ-AlmYSK-YkbVZCn2fquLSoytrF5oqOs_4qnActNu0lWnRhoaU-BfiIoACqMoTqb1vGp-qgeR_bx9CAJqQUDxe3QueiZhamrxyqp6df83/s1600-h/15.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRkJTg1Rm9M39LWd6TF1yn9_R50OzxnzXqbMJ-AlmYSK-YkbVZCn2fquLSoytrF5oqOs_4qnActNu0lWnRhoaU-BfiIoACqMoTqb1vGp-qgeR_bx9CAJqQUDxe3QueiZhamrxyqp6df83/s400/15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369842418730577138" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH18EukoLsboLPsiGMPWql48wmry_0g6NbkaMV4eMCdyuV8ZI-lbhcR6Fs843mFUtiJNcrUoV_i5bjnkLl9njijNEIXLGud31VjqkDapxJT3SCuNTKyQb0LvW5_SCyrd10giON49cUkkhP/s1600-h/16.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH18EukoLsboLPsiGMPWql48wmry_0g6NbkaMV4eMCdyuV8ZI-lbhcR6Fs843mFUtiJNcrUoV_i5bjnkLl9njijNEIXLGud31VjqkDapxJT3SCuNTKyQb0LvW5_SCyrd10giON49cUkkhP/s400/16.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369842426653798530" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrf7jeT7alTY8hiX28xU0eg9nZlpzSxaqZKiINTPO1NtZrXe9NNUrw776Si3GKm2U86hQd_hkqy6jFTucMMszpBXEVDDK2ntEhexTWgvF7uYIUveYPwvJqiLOdFEsEvQxVVYrmVIcocDL/s1600-h/China090723b+048+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrf7jeT7alTY8hiX28xU0eg9nZlpzSxaqZKiINTPO1NtZrXe9NNUrw776Si3GKm2U86hQd_hkqy6jFTucMMszpBXEVDDK2ntEhexTWgvF7uYIUveYPwvJqiLOdFEsEvQxVVYrmVIcocDL/s400/China090723b+048+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369838144670763602" border="0" /></a>Dark out...<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1ft8BsBd2n5h-rPKcu4f1anMXIzzNO7834YHjKQyKtA5ziqvkUNxRxtxP69lK8Lo5ZZPlBTVSwcYpUPEJdWlsFFKvZZHIMYLlL4RGE7H-r_4nvUZBvLGvo8vL1nxPDwL-WK9DaRjeJs1/s1600-h/China090723b+049+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1ft8BsBd2n5h-rPKcu4f1anMXIzzNO7834YHjKQyKtA5ziqvkUNxRxtxP69lK8Lo5ZZPlBTVSwcYpUPEJdWlsFFKvZZHIMYLlL4RGE7H-r_4nvUZBvLGvo8vL1nxPDwL-WK9DaRjeJs1/s400/China090723b+049+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369842431797011506" border="0" /></a>And a few seconds later.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zi0nAVz8XooL4kwv-jMY4GgOzTyFcjhmoTdFoY_o5cRLT8k1cR61ERRmyskEdX4x6jviJJ2LortGRVsG46l-jUNUut3HoR-IWxD9h7LdtvOuMwUubUPcPpWEdwk9ZXTPcLH6vkaKV2Yn/s1600-h/TJCameraTrip09+%286%29+%28Large%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zi0nAVz8XooL4kwv-jMY4GgOzTyFcjhmoTdFoY_o5cRLT8k1cR61ERRmyskEdX4x6jviJJ2LortGRVsG46l-jUNUut3HoR-IWxD9h7LdtvOuMwUubUPcPpWEdwk9ZXTPcLH6vkaKV2Yn/s400/TJCameraTrip09+%286%29+%28Large%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369843283513096962" border="0" /></a>Lots of people taking pictures<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9-wX1w1YijAcyI7I0-dD21HtLKaWMQHBrDzn-abZABJHGcl57OqA3-l6CXwV6DiFhBBDr7dEdW0cjzIE0OhF6eIhRM7mxsLao5J0ej30LGNeX3zbXLlj1KrNEOurcJBAa7qWpeELH4ZQ/s1600-h/China090723b+053+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9-wX1w1YijAcyI7I0-dD21HtLKaWMQHBrDzn-abZABJHGcl57OqA3-l6CXwV6DiFhBBDr7dEdW0cjzIE0OhF6eIhRM7mxsLao5J0ej30LGNeX3zbXLlj1KrNEOurcJBAa7qWpeELH4ZQ/s400/China090723b+053+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369843279638403490" border="0" /></a>A couple familiar faces in this one<br /><br /><br /></div>On a side note, as a bit of a surprise, while I was at the airport, I bumped into my school's leader. He noticed me and called out to me and said Hello. Not a big deal, but China is a huge place with LOTS of people and it's always an interesting surprise for me to unexpectedly run into someone I know here. Especially when I'm not in my "hometown."<br /><br />So, we got our tickets and checked the luggage with no problems, and had about 90 minutes to kill before our flight. Our flight began boarding a bit late, about 10 minutes before the scheduled takeoff, but that can happen from time to time I suppose. The real problem was the waiting after we were already on the plane. The flight was scheduled to leave at 12:20 and land in Beijing at 2:20. We finally landed at 4:00 spending nearly 2 hours on the plane AT the gate with the AC having problems, and then another not quite 2 hours in the air. The others were rather frustrated with that flight, and they should've been especially considering they were still feeling jetlag from arriving the day before. I wasn't as frustrated as I could've been, but that's only because I have one slightly more frustrating... no, one extremely more frustrating flight experience while traveling American Airlines on one occasion... but that's a different story.<br /><br />We arrived in Beijing and hopped on a van to the hotel. Uncle Jack did a really great job selecting the hotel as it was really nice, and I'll have a video of it posted soon. Our dinner outing was delayed a bit by some heavy rain, but it didn't last for too long and we went out not long after.<br /><br />We found a Japanese restaurant not far from the hotel. The reason we went to the Japanese restaurant and not a Chinese restaurant is because the sign said (in Chinese) something that translated to unlimited Japanese buffet. When we sat down, but found that it was not actually what one would call a buffet, but WAS, after talking with the waitress at length in Chinese, an unlimited servings deal. Basically you would sit down around a hibachi grill and you just order anything and everything you'd want off the menu, then they'd bring it out and the guy would cook it right there for you. If you wanted more later, you could order more. You paid one flat fee and the food was unlimited and you did choose it yourself. It just wasn't a typical, get up grab a plate and pick stuff off a bar situation. It was really delicious though.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dvi0l2r3sIv1hsRUczE44nUbvarN6DFfa-XiFgtBXTg8z99CmiKCCJUHXu0iXFucGc39tqLV9TBAC8jlryvWxuSvg3W_NGl21ptQivE0pQvznYIKWXTOXZdVm5aKgZo56i0aRYyxXylK/s1600-h/Gwall090724b+060+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dvi0l2r3sIv1hsRUczE44nUbvarN6DFfa-XiFgtBXTg8z99CmiKCCJUHXu0iXFucGc39tqLV9TBAC8jlryvWxuSvg3W_NGl21ptQivE0pQvznYIKWXTOXZdVm5aKgZo56i0aRYyxXylK/s400/Gwall090724b+060+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369844054001629842" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HP4u5NOucWuPMvd0_dqWH6kXiAEnu8Ci5_k4zGiiMzHDCm0htbwjIIfzmucJs-I2t-3PccKxtcD7hWG4Il-XKiu6gkWqiWS4aZ4bDvsae0OUQhhdXba-mwXfyggwP4KGGz7rL80EcNO1/s1600-h/Gwall090724b+061+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HP4u5NOucWuPMvd0_dqWH6kXiAEnu8Ci5_k4zGiiMzHDCm0htbwjIIfzmucJs-I2t-3PccKxtcD7hWG4Il-XKiu6gkWqiWS4aZ4bDvsae0OUQhhdXba-mwXfyggwP4KGGz7rL80EcNO1/s400/Gwall090724b+061+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369844060389843682" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXBn_AhkQlRuhzcpvNwtc4lfHAMZH1bUyySOADKg3Zk7aBRvxBPl75lW5jzbsQ8hwvMv9tJdmPd2ed1DLbuItypDjB0ejY8JVIjAUoJp79a1TASPqRxvPvHsWSCBJzqz1P2KK3tkSLOmb/s1600-h/Gwall090724b+062+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXBn_AhkQlRuhzcpvNwtc4lfHAMZH1bUyySOADKg3Zk7aBRvxBPl75lW5jzbsQ8hwvMv9tJdmPd2ed1DLbuItypDjB0ejY8JVIjAUoJp79a1TASPqRxvPvHsWSCBJzqz1P2KK3tkSLOmb/s400/Gwall090724b+062+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369844068793206050" border="0" /></a>T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-81466703016937438362009-08-13T19:36:00.008+08:002009-08-13T20:54:03.061+08:00July 21st, A Tillman Clan Arrives in ChinaThe weekend before the travelling began I unfortunately fell a bit ill and sported a fever on Sunday while in Hangzhou visiting Jean. Luckily Jean helped take care of me and scored me some aspirin, which did help to break my fever, but unfortunately it returned, and I wasn't feeling well enough to return to Huzhou that night. Monday morning I was feeling a bit better, but not 100%, but I had to return to pack my things for the trip and get my passport so I could fly.<br /><br />Tuesday morning, July 21st, I left my house at 8:30, arrived at the Huzhou bus station at 9:10, and bought a bus ticket to Shanghai. However the next bus was to leave at 10:20, so I had to just kill some time. As soon as I sat down in the lobby, I realized that after all I had remembered to pack, I had forgotten my passport. So I rushed out, grabbed the nearest taxi, told him I was in a hurry and to go to the Huzhou Vocational and Technical College. We got there in about 15 minutes, and got to the front gate of the school. I asked the guards if they would let the taxi go inside the school because I was in a hurry and needed to fetch my passport, but they said no. The taxi driver had already said he would wait, so I told him I would run. So, I got out of the car and began sprinting the nearly half a mile back to my apartment from the front gate and up the 6 floors to my apartment. I say began sprinting because I wasn't able to spring the whole way. I definitely didn't pace myself well. Half a mile should not begin with a full-on 100% dead-out sprint. In any case I did run the whole way there, grabbed my passport, drank some MUCH needed water, shut off some lights I had forgotten to turn off when I left the first time, and ran back.<br /><br />Altogether the driver waited for me about 10 minutes, the last part of which I seriously began worrying about whether or not he had waited. If he hadn't it could be EXTREMELY difficult to find another taxi from there in a short period of time, and there wouldn't be enough time to catch another bus. Luckily he still was and upon seeing that I decided I'd give the driver a tip. This may not seem like much, but tips in China are essentially non-existent, so when a service-person we would usually tip receives one, their reponse is usually one mixed of surprise and confusion. In retrospect, I imagine he would've waited for me as I had not yet paid him when I ran to my apartment.<br /><br />Anyhow, I did finally arrive back at the bus station at 10:00, 20 minutes to spare, plenty of time before my scheduled departure. After boarding the bus, however, I began to question my timing, and soon figured that I might be late. The bus to Shanghai needed about 3 hours, but that is just to arrive at the south station. That put my arrival at 1:20pm assuming nothing went wrong along the way. My family's flight, according to the Delta website I had checked before I left, however, was to land at 1:15 . I knew that there would be a 20 minute delay for checking everyone's temperature on board (a policy China has implemented on all incoming flights from the US and Mexico due to the H1N1 flu), perhaps another 20 minutes going through customs, and then, I guessed maybe 15 minutes getting their luggage.<br /><br />But I knew that it would take be about 90 minutes to get to the international arrivals terminal once I arrived at the Shanghai South Station, meaning there could've potentially been about 30 minutes difference after their exit through the "Nothing to Declare" gate and when I would arrive, leaving them wondering where to go and having no way to contact me. I really began to stress about this, and so I called my American friend Nellie in Shanghai, to see if maybe, on the off chance that she was free, if perhaps she could do me a solid. My luck had seemingly changed as it turned out she was actually free for a few hours, wasn't too terribly far from the airport, and was willing to help me out.<br /><br />I finally arrived in Shanghai at 1pm, not 1:20 (so it's 2:40 hours, not 3), called Nellie and tried to coordinate. We then agreed that I would make my way to the non-airport side of the Maglev station. Then I'd give her a call if I had not already heard from her. If my family had arrived, she'd take them to the maglev to me; if not, I'd hop on the maglev to the airport. I got to the maglev station at about 2pm, and she said she still hadn't seen them, and that it was beginning to worry her. She said the boards show that their flight landed at 1:12pm, and that people from other flights landing about the same time had already come out. I got to the international arrivals gate at about 2:20 and saw Nellie but no Tillmans. Nellie had been free up to this point, but did have something else to do later, so she had to go, and I thanked her again for helping me out. I, however, was beginning to worry too. It had now been OVER an hour since they landed and they hadn't shown. I was nervous they'd been quarantined or something. Luckily my fears were not founded and sometime around 2:45 they finally came out. Whew! Turns out it was a combination of A) taking people's temperatures, B) Stopping to take pictures, allowing others to get in line in customs before them, insuring C) a long line at customs, and D) simply having to wait a long time for all their checked luggage.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BMaDTzse-bwabWaizlBBT5QLJfH0wLZlkKBAS7GMJNhlZf7r8jUNN2Go-NrXZClf8GthoVKa8oAXwu6w7yQTFOVvr0etnWBPLtO-TijbzLvUIFGTYGiQB6WAyQnHo7eh9UmIAk5tYn7s/s1600-h/Gwall090724b+019+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BMaDTzse-bwabWaizlBBT5QLJfH0wLZlkKBAS7GMJNhlZf7r8jUNN2Go-NrXZClf8GthoVKa8oAXwu6w7yQTFOVvr0etnWBPLtO-TijbzLvUIFGTYGiQB6WAyQnHo7eh9UmIAk5tYn7s/s400/Gwall090724b+019+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369413931302437810" border="0" /></a>Tillmans Arrive at Customs<br /></div><br />So, we began schlepping our stuff from the Shanghai airport, through the Maglev, then the #2 subway to Peoples' Square, switched to the #1 to the South Railway station, and landed a train to Hangzhou. This bit of travel is not too harrowing if you are one or two people travelling lightly. But if you are 5 people and 4 BIG pieces of luggage, it can be rather more troublesome.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rSnD_7EEDv_3H9TwhwxEFChSHveOUqFV9oOdI-_HsVEQdMkL5AId_9FZkmXzesDEdJodkXU8-Jm5uS7FL1yrQwyPa13NYwkY0UyjB11wFpDquSUWsqfS9LLn8kjaKwMCwp-LzRURgHHW/s1600-h/Gwall090724b+021+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rSnD_7EEDv_3H9TwhwxEFChSHveOUqFV9oOdI-_HsVEQdMkL5AId_9FZkmXzesDEdJodkXU8-Jm5uS7FL1yrQwyPa13NYwkY0UyjB11wFpDquSUWsqfS9LLn8kjaKwMCwp-LzRURgHHW/s400/Gwall090724b+021+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369413935808119602" border="0" /></a>On the Shanghai MagLev Train at 430 km/h<br />(That's 269 mph in, as Katy put it, "real life")<br /></div><br />Anyhow we arrived in Hangzhou, snagged a minibus (a van) to our hotel, the Best Western Premier, showered and cleaned up, and waited to meet Jean to go to dinner. She gave me a call when she arrived at our hotel and I went down first to meet her.<br /><br />I couldn't find her at first, and we were trying to figure out where the other person was. It was at the moment when we said we were both at the door that I realized that we could not possibly be at the same place. As it turns out there were TWO Best Westerns in Hangzhou, and she was not at ours. So, poor Jean had to hop ANOTHER cab to ANOTHER Best Western hotel in ANOTHER part of town that she didn't know very well. But she did finally arrive, beautiful as ever, and everyone was introduced, and we made our way to dinner. We weren't sure where to go to eat as the restaurant Jean had previously selected was convenient to the other Best Western. So we decided to take a stroll and push our luck. We shortly found a place that seemed nice and took a table.<br /><br />There was no menu, the plates and foods were either on display or on display being cooked and you could choose what you liked. Jean and I chose for our party, and chose carefully for our recently arrived and certainly tired and weary (and perhaps somewhat picky) guests. While we were waiting on the food Katy said she'd like to take a look at some of the things they had, what I had ordered. She approved of the choices, but while looking at the dishes, Katy noticed some caged chickens. Katy mentioned that she thought it was strange to have the live chickens out where the patrons could see them, as if they would point and say "Ooh! I want that one!", and that you wouldn't see that in the states. I replied, "Sure you do. Have you ever been to Red Lobster?"<br /><br />The food was good and everybody enjoyed most of it. I say most of it, because when selecting, I wasn't sure if deer was too outside the mainstream for my family, and as it turns out, it is. I ate it, but it looked better than it tasted. It was actually kind of bland.<br /><br />Anyhow, we went back to the hotel, where upon opening the mini-fridge, Katy noticed that the Red Bull cans in China are short, fat, and yellow, as opposed to the familiar, chic, tall, skinny, and grey and blue. There at the hotel, Jean helped us negotiate a better rate from the minibus for a ride to the airport the next morning, and we all took a few pictures, after which Jean went home, and we all went off to bed for an early, action-packed next day. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrRPs7K4sMZNyE6fXBDwenqHfvlW1go4qFATnf6SXPQGSlBFGkXJGK9mEkijkZExjmlEibtEbBrUKKYtb07pKK2XN3v4FFbhvH37HFUf-nF4uAUqqOGfzKAeqUsN9Q2bewYpaMhLhbvy4A/s1600-h/Gwall090724b+039+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrRPs7K4sMZNyE6fXBDwenqHfvlW1go4qFATnf6SXPQGSlBFGkXJGK9mEkijkZExjmlEibtEbBrUKKYtb07pKK2XN3v4FFbhvH37HFUf-nF4uAUqqOGfzKAeqUsN9Q2bewYpaMhLhbvy4A/s400/Gwall090724b+039+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369414173315450322" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmPCkJo9Kami6GVcFeO93Dr0Dl4n_NlkTfchm0Z8VJK0k2WKh6GYGQfd8eNwrJFgYtK9I_eS1hlTH7U76N6HFLsuSbO6w_DAujAq_vBGmxB3KvIRIk2WEXEbYITEI_buxa7wIAW2QqO6Q/s1600-h/Gwall090724b+038+%28Large%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmPCkJo9Kami6GVcFeO93Dr0Dl4n_NlkTfchm0Z8VJK0k2WKh6GYGQfd8eNwrJFgYtK9I_eS1hlTH7U76N6HFLsuSbO6w_DAujAq_vBGmxB3KvIRIk2WEXEbYITEI_buxa7wIAW2QqO6Q/s400/Gwall090724b+038+%28Large%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369414169530880194" border="0" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>Jean and the Tillmans<br /></div>T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-48481189694434896192009-08-12T18:02:00.003+08:002009-08-12T18:05:05.605+08:00Trip PostsOk, so I returned from my travelling about a week and a half ago. And I DID write a TON of stuff about the trip, but I never posted it because I wanted to be able to post it with the appropriate pictures.<br /><br />However, since then, I haven't gotten around to doing it because there are loads of pictures to sift through and choose from. As a result, I have been procrastinating doing posting the entire bit. But, beginning tomorrow, I will put posts up from each day of my travels with the corresponding date in the header. <br /><br />I'll keep doing this on a daily basis until I'm caught up, in which case I'll probably return to my weekly or so postings.T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6700458989940558134.post-27145029095435668482009-07-18T19:49:00.003+08:002009-07-21T07:15:05.063+08:00Back in the USSR, er I mean ChinaSo I've been back in China for about a week and a half now and getting back into the swing of things here.<br /><br />Last week I was working part time at a place called "WEB International English." It's basically a private school, and they have offices in cities all over China. I had been working for them part-time since last semester, but at that time, it was maybe one extra hour a week. This last week however they had me working every evening from 6-9pm straight. I have to say that's not my most preferred schedule in the world, but I also just kind of dealt with it since it was only last week, and these next 2 weeks I will be gone travelling.<br /><br />It has been fairly hot here since I arrived, and when I would go to WEB, I would ride my bicycle. But when I arrived, my shirt would be soaking wet, especially the back, so each day I brought an extra shirt for me to change into once I arrived.<br /><br />A couple interesting things have happened in the brief span since I've returned, however. Last week, on Monday I think it was, I was standing at a corner, waiting for the walk signal to light up, and these two girls came up to me and asked "Excuse me, can you tell me where Red Flag Road is?"<br /><br />Now the interesting thing about this is... In Huzhou, maybe if you're 20+ yards away you can't tell I'm not a Chinese. But if you're standing right next to me, it's pretty clear that I am a foreigner. SO, these girls NOT ONLY decided to ask a FOREIGNER for directions (why they think he would know, I have no clue), but they ALSO asked me in CHINESE! So here they are in a small (relatively) city with few foreigners, and they ask one for directions in Chinese. I really don't understand why they would have thought I could help them, let alone understand them.<br /><br />The funny thing is, I knew exactly where Red Flag Road was and pointed them in the right direction.<br /><br />The other interesting thing that had happened is this. In the US, Tampa is very well known. It's not a huge city, it's not a bedazzled city, but at least within the US, Americans all know of Tampa.<br /><br />However, not too surprisingly, I had never met a Chinese person in China who had heard of Tampa. It works the same way there. There is a city in China called Shao Xing. It's not a large city, there's nothing particularly special about it, but everyone in China has heard of it. But I had never heard of it before coming to China. So it's really just a cultural thing. (Many Chinese have heard of Orlando, but not because of Disney World... because of the Orlando Magic, they are NBA crazy out here.)<br /><br />BUT, this last week, while I was teaching at WEB, the "never met" changed to "ever met." I was teaching a small class of business intermediate students (by small I mean 2 students). One of the students was a man about age 40. In the last 5 minutes of class I asked them if they had any questions about the lesson, or since this was the first time we had met, if they had any questions about me. They asked me where I was from, and I said "America, Florida." The man then asked me, "What city in Florida?" And I said, "maybe you guys haven't heard of it but, Tampa." With a laugh he slammed his hand on the table and told me that he had actually lived in Tampa for 3 years working at a Chinese restaurant. He couldn't remember the name of the restaurant, but in any case, I've finally met a Chinese person in China who knows about Tampa.<br /><br />Ok well, I'm off now. I will now be leaving to go fetch my aunt and uncle and their two daughters from the airport, as they will be arriving in just a few hours. We're going to travel to Beijing and Xi'An, finishing the travel next Friday, the 31st. Here's hoping we have a smooth trip!T.J. Tillmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826309141923454136noreply@blogger.com2