Winter Scenes from Longsha Park

Sarah and I decided to walk around Longsha Park last week to look at the snow. It was pretty treacherous since everything had pretty much frozen over. I thought we would be more inconspicuous in our winter clothes, but everyone still spotted us, and took more pictures than usual.

A temple Sarah and I stumbled upon:

Nothing stops the Chinese! Still working out despite the snow:

The Bathhouse and Massages

On Saturday night one of my favorite students, Lyra, and her mother invited me out for dinner with them. They said they would take me to the best BBQ place in Qiqihar so I was very excited about that. We headed there after class and naturally there was a big fuss about a foreigner being there. The owner, Mary, came and sat with us for most of dinner. It was a little strange at times because I had no idea what was acceptable or custom when going out with your student and her mother. They offered me something to drink and I didn't know what to order. Eventually they brought me jinjiu (a type of liquor here) and pepsi. Lyra's mother and friend were cheers-ing me all night, trying to get me drunk! They kept telling me to eat and drink more, until eventually I had to tell them "我吃饱了!" (I'm full!). The food really was delicious. The good thing was, because I didn't want to be rude, and because Lyra could only translate so much and I could only understand so much, I kind of just tried everything and didn't think about what everything was. From what I gathered I ate some chicken legs and cow spine, but I had to say no to the chicken heads.

Lyra and I eating some barbecue:

We were at dinner for several hours and I was able to use quite a bit of my Chinese. I think Lyra was quite impressed at how much I knew! She hadn't expected I spoke so much since I try to only speak in English with her in class. Her mother was very kind and said how if I ever needed anything I could ask her since my family was so far away. They already want to take me out for my birthday! I sense the beginning of a 关系. So they mentioned how her mother is the 'bosses' at a bathhouse and so we could go get a massage. I said sure thinking we would go in a week or so, but they wanted me to go tonight and then to sleep at the bathhouse. And, because I'm in China and would likely never get an opportunity like that again, I said sure!

So before I knew it we had stopped by Aoqi so I could gather my things (Lyra insisted on coming up to my room with me) then we were on our way to the bathhouse! I had thought we were just going to get massages, but first we went to a room so we could change (in front of each other) into these robe things. Then we went across the hall to this shower room where we had to shower in front of each other. I didn't even let myself think about the situation ethnocentrically. I really had to look at it from their point of view, where this wasn't a weird or uncomfortable situation at all, but rather they were showing me a great kindness by bringing me there. So I have now officially showered with a student...

After showering we went upstairs to have a massage. All of the people on staff (which was a lot for 10pm on a Saturday night!) have pictures on the wall with an assigned number. You basically choose your masseuse by choosing a number. Lyra and her mother were kind enough to give me masseuse 88, a very lucky number in China. So all there of us were massaged in the same room. I've only had one massage in my life before, but I imagine this massage was very different from other ones. It was painful. She did this weird fast hand rubbing thing that made me feel like my back was on fire. And she pushed so hard! I swear I have bruises on my back. I didn't want to be rude though so grimaced to myself in that face hole thing they have in massage tables.

Where you pick your masseuse:

It was pretty funny because they were all talking to each other in Chinese the whole time and I could understand a lot of the conversation. However they didn't know that so I got to hear everything they were saying about me (including how white my skin is). When they were massaging my feet the masseuse saw my tattoo (for those of you who don't know I have the tiniest silhouette of a bird on my ankle). Of course tattoos are pretty much a taboo in China. They think it usually means you're a bad person if you have one. They all gathered around to look at it and I could just see their opinions of me quickly changing. I had to explain that tattoos are pretty normal in the US and that my brother, sister and even my mother all have ones. It was funny for me because half the time I forget that I even have a tattoo so I didn't even think of it coming up as an issue. I think they were more interested than judging though.

So after that painful experience, which I hope feels worth it in the morning, we went to bed. Usually I don't sleep very well when other people are in the room, but I did much better than usual and slept through most of the night. In the morning Lyra and her mum took me to eat some 包子, which were delicious, but not exactly my idea of a breakfast food! I also ate this corn porridge and tried some bean rice porridge and pumpkin rice porridge (which was yummy!). I made a little joke because to say I'm full in Chinese is 'wo chi bao le' so I turned that into 'wo chi bao zi.' The mum laughed so I think it made sense!

It has been a very interesting 12+ hours but one that I'm sure I will never forget!

Snow, Taxis, and Tutoring

The past week has been relatively uneventful with only some small things happening. There was a two day snow storm which was pretty cool. It was nice because I wasn't teaching those days so got to stay inside and keep warm. The funniest part was seeing the clean up after. Instead of using snow plows the Chinese take advantage of their huge abundance of manpower and actually shovel the streets and sidewalks. At first it didn't really hit me as that crazy, maybe I've been in China too long, but once you think about all the streets that required it then it's pretty hilarious.

Snow as seen from my window:

The roads were a little sketchy there before the clean-up. Surprisingly most of the drivers did actually slow down and didn't continue to barrel down the roads with no regard for speed limit. The sidewalks continue to be treacherous. I completely slipped over on the way to RT Mart, much to the amusement of staring locals. I'm sure they thought it was hilarious seeing this 'waiguoren' fall on her butt. I mean, I was laughing too. The sidewalks were already pretty dangerous due to their shoddy construction, but now you really need to pay attention. You can almost do a shuffle across the road sometimes because it's still so icy. You don't even need to pick your feet up, it's actually safer that way.

Sarah in the snow:

One annoying thing that has started to occur with the new snow is annoying taxi drivers. Twice now I have gotten into a taxi that has stopped to let other people in also. If they're going in the same direction the driver will stop and bring them along also. I guess it makes sense, but it can be quite annoying if you're in a rush. On my way to my first tutoring session I didn't realize getting a taxi in the snow would be so hard. I was running late and eventually a driver stopped and let me in, even though there was a woman already in there. First we went and dropped her off, then we headed to my destination, and picked up another person. I just don't understand. Of course, being a 'waiguoren' (foreigner) we always have the same conversation and every time a new person gets in the taxi they stare at me and ask me how much money I make (which is not considered a rude question here).  One driver tried to not use the meter and charge me 10 kuai (instead of the usual 7 kuai). His excuse, "because it's snowing." Needless to say, I did not take that taxi.

Snowmen everywhere!:

As I briefly mentioned, I started going to see a Chinese tutor that Robin uses. I am planning on going twice a week and each session is an hour. It's a little annoying that the tutors office is so far, you have to take a taxi. But it has been so nice to use my Chinese again! You just forget it if you don't use it. I've been using an old business textbook to do some studying but it's definitely not the same. 

Sarah and I went to walk in the park yesterday since my afternoon class was cancelled. We went around 3pm and the sun was already starting to set which is crazy! It gets dark so early here. The park looked beautiful in the snow. Somehow the branches seem to hold the snow for much longer here. The Chinese were still all out doing their exercise. As were the animals at the zoo, which was just depressing. They must be freezing! I hadn't really walked through it before but it was pretty sad. 

Aoqi Frustrations

The living situation here is starting to get on my nerves. And just because I can I'm going to make a list of the things that annoy me:

- People using my things in the fridge. Somebody used all my milk. Not just some of it, but all of it. It shouldn't be a big deal but it's the principle of the matter that really annoys me. They have also been using my butter, which is almost impossible to find here!

- Listening to people fighting and  to TV shows and music past midnight. The walls here are really thin. When people fight or watch TV shows and listen to music, I can hear everything. Even when they Skype I can hear it. It's very annoying, especially when you're trying to sleep because you have a long day of classes the next day. And no, I don't really want to hear you singing Adele day after day.

-Walking down the hall in a towel to use the shower, in front of the other foreign teachers. I don't want to do that. And I'd rather not have a conversation with someone every time I go to the bathroom also, while we're on that topic.

-When the cold water in the shower runs out. Ummm not fun, even in the U.S.

-A dirty kitchen after Jerra and I spent 2+ hours cleaning it with our own cleaning supplies.  Clean up after yourselves! We're all adults. 

-Please close the door when you're peeing. We aren't all guys, and we definitely are not good friends. I don't want to see that stuff. There are certain things that you should just do, closing a door when you pee is one of them.

-People smoking in the hallway when I'm drying my clothes. The whole purpose of cleaning my clothes is for them to smell good, not for them to smell like smoke. Also if you sound like you're coughing up a lung shouldn't you stop smoking?

-A stinky hallway. The people upstairs are drying cabbage. A very Chinese thing to do. And it stinks. Literally stinks. I really wish I didn't have to smell that every time I come back from class.

-Don't send students upstairs to knock on my door if they come early to class. I will come downstairs when I'm ready. I'm perfectly capable of telling the time. And just because the students are early doesn't mean I need to be. According to my clock I still have 10 minutes. 

So there are some pet peeves of mine at the moment. Definitely some things I am NOT going to miss about Aoqi. 

Another Email from a Student

A student emailed me back with the following response. I just love her eagerness!

Hi Laura
Thank you for you corrected my mistakes!

    I wanted to share my change with you. In this pass month ,I like living along gradually,just only one having dinner ,walking,reading and shopping.My roommates said I will feel lonely.but in my mind,I enjoied this feeling because it was quiet and made me free to do anything.

   After the school every evening,I had a walk in the road,crossed the tree ,listened to the leaves` voice by the wind.Sometimes,I stopped to listen to my favourite songs from the school broadcast.Besidas,I felt homesick when I reading a moving arctical.I missed my home,no body knew how much I hoped tomorrow is winter holiday so I can get home as soon as possible.I often saw the moon  and wished my relatives and friends have a long life so as to share the beauty of this graceful moonlight ,even though miles apart.
   In China ,moon is stand for reunion,so when you miss home,you can say to him what you think.
   Beautiful Miss,how can I have a meeting with you!

The Greasy Hair Battle and Politics

Ever since moving to China I have had the biggest issue finding a good shampoo and conditioner. Those of you that know me well know I'm not really a shampoo snob. Just give me any store bought shampoo and that should work fine. In China, though, every shampoo and conditioner somehow leaves a bunch of grease at the top of my head. It's like I have a helmet of gel that will not go away, no matter how many times I wash my hair. After trying three different kinds of shampoo I gave up and tried dish soap. It did the trick and my hair has never looked better since being here. So now I can officially say I am washing my hair with Chinese dish soap.

My 'shampoo':

For my university classes this week I taught politics. I thought it would be appropriate with the re-election of Obama (wooo!) and the start of the transfer of power from Hu Jintao to Xi Jingping as President. The transfer is set to be officially completed in March 2013 and is the first in a decade. One thing that really surprised me was how little the country seemed to care about this takeover. I guess some of the lack of enthusiasm could be attributed to having a non-voting system. The people are less emotionally invested in the politicians. However, from talking to a couple of my students and my Chinese friend Rose, they essentially do not feel connected to everything that is happening in Beijing. People in China like to celebrate, fireworks go off outside my room almost weekly (although that's decreasing with the approach of winter). I thought there would be mass firework displays throughout the city marking his transfer, but alas, no.

Another thing I've noticed is the Chinese are extremely nationalistic. Extremely. You would not want to be Japanese in China right now. Even all of the Japanese made cars are covered in pro-China stickers. Restaurants and stores have big anti-Japan stickers plastered on their doors. It's really crazy how almost everyone jumps on board. So many of my students mention how they hate Japan, at which point I abruptly change the topic. Yet at the same time, this criticism and hatred is all focused outside of the country. None of it is focused on the issues within the country. The Chinese just don't do it, and they very few who do tend to remain quiet about it (or become dissidents of the Chinese government). It's just such a different concept from the US, where everyone openly disagrees with the government. And it's one thing to hear about these cultural differences, but another to actually see them.

This contrasts to another point I read in some other article (I've been reading a lot of articles lately). It was discussing how a lot of the world (or America) is worried about China taking over as the kind of leader of the world. It discussed how throughout history, despite China's vast power, its focus has almost always been inwards. In colonial times it had the power to colonize abroad, but due to various factors, it didn't. One of these reasons, it argued, is due to the Chinese mindset. Its focus is within the country, not on expanding its power outwards. This is in stark opposition to the people, who focus their nationalism outwards, not inwards.

In class I mentioned how one of the issues in the election was gay marriage, something that is just not accepted in China. Rose mentioned how there are a few gay people on campus, but not many as it generally is not accepted here. Most gay Chinese head to the bigger cities of Beijing and Shanghai. I read an interesting article that mentioned how some individuals will marry a person of the opposite sex to have the facade of a marriage and then continue relationships with same-sex individuals. I didn't ask my students if they thought gay-marriage was an acceptable idea. I felt that would be a little too heavy for an English speaking class! Some of the other issues I mentioned were abortion, foreign policy, healthcare, and illegal immigration. I think the students really found it interesting to hear about some of the topics people in the US found important.

Stephen's 30th Birthday

On Saturday we went to celebrate Stephen's 30th birthday at a bar called Beijing Love Story, formerly known as Banana Bar. Scott, Jerra, Sarah and I took a cab there since we had no idea where it was, but it turned out to only be a five-minute walk from our place. Oops.

The party was a pretty amusing event. Stephen, a future politician in the making, invited tons of his Chinese friends and students. He has been in Qiqihar for several years and is dating a Chinese girl, Bonnie, who is also a student at the university. There were live singers and musical performances on the stage. The music was so loud you could hardly think. Stephen stood up and made a speech and was presented with a bouquet of alcohol. Such a great idea! Bonnie had put together a slideshow full of pictures of them together. It was really cute to watch.

Taking pictures of people taking pictures:

One issue I have in China is with their pastries and cakes. They always look so good and delicious, but more often than not they are pretty revolting. Following suit, Stephen had two massive cakes. They both looked scrumptious, only until you bit into them and discovered it was layered with a weird pineapple tasting paste. On top were all these chunks of candied fruit that did not taste good. Needless to say, I stuck to the icing.

Speech with some cakes and a bouquet of alcohol:

Stephen had also invested in a giant box of fireworks. Unlike the fireworks in the US, these ones looked a little like shoeboxes. The guys working at the bar set them off using their cigarettes. Very safe. We were all standing less than 50 yards away watching all of this. Also very safe. Gotta love the safety regulations in China.

Some super safe fireworks:

The rest of the night was a fun mix of dancing and singing. Sarah and I tried to sing 'Call Me Maybe' on stage, expecting the version with the lyrics. Once we heard it was only the music, we promptly forgot all of the words. Oh well! Deb serenaded Stephen with her version of 'Happy Birthday Mr. Hunter.' And Bonnie sang him a Chinese song. We all danced to copious amounts of 'Gangnam Style,' a huge hit here in China. All of my students know the song and the accompanying dance moves. Whenever I mention it they promptly start calling on one of their classmates to stand up and do the dance. It's all good fun!

We stayed at Stephen's party until shortly after midnight, so we could ring in his actual birthday, then we walked on home to get a nights rest before our morning classes!

I have internet again!

So after four days of not internet (which is a surprisingly long time) I now have internet again! My time cut off from the real world was quite relaxing. I watched almost both seasons of Downtown Abbey, my new favorite show (probably because it reminds me of my Mum). I also did several chapters of my chinese textbook and started a new book.

Several interesting things happened in the past week. The first being Halloween. For Halloween in Qiqihar almost all of the foreigners ate dinner together at a pizza place. It was a really fun dinner and all of the waitresses kept taking pictures of us, they were absolutely loving it. Halloween isn't really celebrated at all in China so they were so confused about our weird costumes. We were impressed that there was even a Halloween area of goods at RT Mart (it consisted of overpriced masks and plastic jack-o-lanterns).

All the waitresses and their friends taking pictures with me:

I dressed up as a hipster Pikachu. Basically they sell these full body suits, or onesies, here as PJs since it gets so cold. I bought a Pikachu one and some red frameless glasses. Soooo many people in China love the frameless glasses. It's hilarious. They sell them almost everywhere. I tried to get mine for cheaper since the lenses were scratched but instead of changing them or giving me a lower price, the man just popped them out and gave them to me. I figured when in Asia go all out, and they worked surprisingly well with my costume!

Our gang- ninja Sarah, me, medusa Robin, cow Jerra, and dinosaur Scott:

So after dinner we went to the Mini酒吧 where they had a costume contest at 11pm. It was probably the most disorganized thing ever. The club was full of Russians, Chinese, and our motley crew. The voting was based on cheers and it came down to a Russian guy who looked like he was trying to be the joker form batman, and Deb, who was dressed as a belly dancer. Unfortunately since we were outnumbered, the Russians won the free bottle of tequila. I left around 12am since I had a full day of Qida classes the next day.

The disorganized Halloween contest at Mini:

The second major thing that happened this week was a fire in Aoqi. On Friday morning I was heading to the high school and saw some black marks on the floor, wondering what they were. Apparently on Thursday night a light on the fourth floor caught fire and was smoking all over. Of course, since we work and live at Aoqi, we were all oblivious to the chaos going on two floors down. Luckily someone noticed and put the fire out, but it's really scary to think what could have happened.

The best part is apparently the smoke detector's batteries were running low, so instead of changing the batteries (that would cost too much money), they just took the batteries out. That's why none of us had any clue there was a fire in the building. What a smart idea! Ummm no.

Also now there are notices all over the building that we're not allowed to use electric blankets during the winter. Clearly the fire was the teachers' fault and not due to shoddy Chinese building... Got to love Aoqi.

So that's what has happened in the past week in my eventful life. Tonight we're going out to celebrate Stephen's 30th birthday. Should be lots of fun!

Dinner and Chinese Superstitions

On Wednesday night Sarah, Robin and I went to the soupy noodle place near our school. They make these great beef noodles, despite only having about 4 pieces of beef in them. We were sitting there enjoying ourselves when the Chinese men at another table came over to sit with us when we were paying. He refused to let us pay and payed for our meal. He wanted us to have a drink with them, which we would have done. However he didn't order anything and then kept touching Robins face and passing her an empty Pepsi bottle. It was confusing and he was drunk. Eventually, once we realized nothing was really happening, we explained we had to teach tomorrow so needed to go home and sleep. He then proceeded to accuse Sarah of not being an English teacher. Don't know where he got that idea. Anyway, it was nice to have our meal paid for, the after meal drinks were just a little confusing!

In my classes at the University this week I taught Halloween and beliefs. One of the vocabulary words was superstition so I explained some Western superstitions to them, such as having a black cat cross in front of you, having bad luck for seven years if you break a mirror, seeing the bride before the wedding etc. They then told me about some of their superstitions which I thought were interesting so I'll share them:

-If you dream of a fish it is supposed to mean you will have good fortune and be rich.

-If you see an owl at night it means somebody has died and it is considered bad luck.

-At weddings the drains are covered with red cloth so it will be a good marriage.

-You must never eat onions and garlic together.

-A person born in the year of the dog must not marry a person born in the year of the chicken because dogs eat chickens. (There are some other combinations that I can't think of right now).

-You mustn't get married in your animal year. So since I am year of the horse I mustn't get married in a horse year.

-Its bad to point your chopsticks up because people think they look like graves if you do that.

An Email from a Student

One day I was teaching class at the university and noticed someone standing outside of the classroom watching. It's not unusual for people walking by to look in fast. They see a foreign teacher and are like 'wowwwwww.' What was unusual was how long this girl was standing there. I thought for a moment she was a university professor judging my class. I managed not to get too flustered and to continue on teaching (it was the lesson where I brought in a bunch of my clothes to teach clothing, the students loved it and thought it was hilarious that the teacher had brought in her clothes).

It turns out the girl was another university student who has always dreamed of having a foreign teacher but has never had one. She came up to me after class was done and talked to me for a while. I gave her my email, like I do to most of my students, and thought nothing of it.

A week later, after the National Holiday I received the following email from her. I thought it was so sweet of her, not to mention quite funny, so thought I would share it!

"Dear teacher

    Hello,nice to meet you .Do you remember me ?Zoe!Today,i brought a letter to go to listen your lesson(the letter for you ),but so sad ,the teacher wasn't you.I ran to the library and send you this e-mail.

    That day I passed by you class inadvertently and I was absorbed in  your voice .so i have a look,oh,a beautiful foreign teacher, which is my night and day dream .At the first time ,i decided to stand out of the door in order to listen your lesson.I found your lesson was very interesting because everyone was happy to pay attention to your charming voice.

   At that time,i told myself that i must caught this opportunity to introduce myself in English and hold to make friends with you.But when i talked with you face to face ,i felt excited and not quiet result in i forgot how to express what i want to say .However ,making friends with you is really my honor!

   I have some happiness memory in this National vacation,so i want to share with you .During my vacation ,i was going to my friend's home.Wow,that is a quiet beautiful small country.Not only can i see the sun rise and down,dut also can breath the clean air ,listen the voice of the birds and smell fiowers fragrance.My friend's families were very easy-going.They made much tasty food for me and treated me as a member in their family,so i was moved by what they did!In a morning ,i rode a bike in the road and enjoyed the warm snushine.Suddently,many sheep appealled in front of my eyes and  made me surprised.Ha,ha,ha!

  I really felt happy because i can share my experience and feeling with you in English.Yeah,welcome to Guangdong!Wish you safety and happiness!

  love

zoe"

Teaching High School

Since one of the old university teachers is back from holiday all our schedules were moved around. Mervin, who has been teaching his own university classes, is now teaching most of my old university classes. And Charles, who is back from a month-long holiday, is now teaching some of Mervin's old classes and his own. Naturally none of it makes too much sense. So as of now I am only teaching one class at the university. Who knows what will happen next week. I didn't even have a chance to give my students my QQ number!

Instead of teaching university I was assigned to teach at two high schools with Sarah and Lissette. The schools are known as 'factory' schools here at Aoqi. I have no idea why that is since the name of the schools have nothing to do with factories. They are notorious for having big classes and bad students, leading to a great attitude to walk in with.

I was pleasantly surprised with Factory No. 2, where I taught four classes in the morning. The classes are only 40 minutes, which is nothing compared to the 95 minute university classes I'm used to. Aoqi provided us with a module to teach, but naturally they failed to send copies to the school in time so none of the students had them. I ended up using some of my university lesson plans and teaching sports using charades and doing some tongue twisters. They love tongue twisters here and applaud whenever you say one really fast. The whole lesson is just so different from the Chinese way of teaching so the students seem to have a great time.

Factory No. 2 and some students:

In the afternoon I taught five classes at Factory No. 1. It was more of the same thing, but these students actually had the modules. It turns out they were pretty boring so I didn't do most of it and opted for some hangman instead. The students at this school were much more boisterous and noisy. My throat is hurting from talking so loudly!

Some students in a class at Factory No. 1:

I'm pretty exhausted from teaching nine classes but I wanted to share some of the highlights from the day:

-In my one all-girls class we sang the first verse of Taylor Swift's 'Love Story' together.

-Singing 'Baby' by Justin Bieber to the class since I agreed to sing a song if they did. They did.

-Trying to teach the macarena when they asked me to dance.

-Listening to students sing some Linkin Park and Adele.

-Receiving hugs from lots of my students after a class.

-Deflecting questions about China versus Japan. I didn't really feel like getting into that.

-Posing for numerous photos with students.

-When walking down the hallways I was stared at like crazy. I actually felt like a celebrity or like Waldo in Where's Waldo.

-I was called out numerous times for writing with my left hand. Apparently that is not cool here. I only had one student in a class of 70 who was left-handed and he's the only other person I've met in China so far who writes with his left hand.

-A student gave me a bunch of mini notecards with pictures of the American flag and British flag as a present. So sweet!

Zhalong Nature Reserve

On Monday all the foreign teachers from Aoqi, and Jennifer and Michael from Harbin, took a trip to 扎龙自然保护区, or Zhalong Nature Reserve, for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The foreign teachers and Bill in our little van:

The Nature Reserve was founded in 2011 and is basically 2100 square kilometers of wetlands. It is apparently the home of 260 bird species (though we only saw about four).The most famous of the birds are the rare cranes, including four on the endangered list: the red-crowned crane, the white-naped crane, the Siberian crane, and the hooded crane (thank you Lonely Planet).

Bill by the welcome sign (his family owns the hotel by the park):

The park is about 30 minutes away from where we are so the school had rented a bus to take us. Unfortunately we were a little late and missed the flying of the birds at 11am. Basically they let the cranes fly out of their cage at 11am so everyone can take pictures. We were still able to see the cranes hanging out in the water. It was really nice just to be outside and be in the country. It made you realize how dirty the city we're living in is.

The famous red-crowned cranes:

I did have to laugh because the park was founded in 2011 but it was already falling apart. The pavement was cracked everywhere. That's Chinese construction for you. We have a theory that everything is built badly so the people have more jobs since they need to rebuild everything all the time.

So many people there:

We walked around for about an hour and observed lots of Chinese throwing trash into the water (at a wetland preservation) or poking their water bottles into the birds cages so the birds would peck at them and they could get better pictures. It was really sad seeing that. The amount of respect animals receive here is horrendous. I haven't even dared to walk around the zoo in Longsha Park.

Some great Chinglish:

Cutest little girl ever. She also had a  twin sister dressed identically:

In front of the cranes:

We soon headed off back to Qiqihar for a delicious meal at this BBQ place. It was all you could eat for up to two hours and you cook the food in front of you. They had some delicious peking duck, Taiwan pancakes, and these sticky rice ice cream things that reminded me of Mochi Balls.

The American table and Bill:

Overall it was a very fun day since we were able to go and do something different than we normally do. The park was a little disappointing but I enjoyed getting out of the city and enjoying some fresh air. And yes, the air actually is pretty fresh up here in the North.

Coffee with MK

On Sunday Sarah and I went to meet one of my university students, MK, for coffee. I thought it would be a little weird meeting a student outside of the classroom but apparently thats not considered weird here. MK and I arranged this all over QQ (the Chinese equivalent of Facebook) so I felt very Chinese indeed.

We met MK at the university and walked quite a while to this little coffee shop. Sarah and I both love our coffee so were super excited that this was basically a real coffee shop. It had music playing, games, and actual coffee drinks. I ordered an iced caramel macchiato. It was good, pretty sweet, but yummy. Of course, there were some major differences when compared to a US coffee shop. They somehow made the drinks behind this tiny counter. I have no idea how they had enough space there to keep all the ingredients. There was also a collection of Western alcohol for some reason. Don't really know what that was doing in a coffee shop.

Sarah and MK:

On the way to the coffee shop:

The lady was super nice and gave us some free moon cake. I've received so many moon cakes from students in the past days. Some of them are pretty good, the others are just... not. Luckily the ones the lady gave us were good, so I didn't have to pretend to like them. MK also bought us some 'char' since Sarah hadn't tried it before. 'Chuar' is basically a skewer with a really good piece of fat in the middle.

We played the 'Funny Game' where you basically stab plastic swords into a barrel until this pirate shoots out. It was pretty alarming the first time that happened. We talked a little but MK's English is pretty limited and so is my Chinese. After drinking our coffee MK took us to this stationary store since Sarah wanted to find some postcards to brighten up her room. I finally bought a keychain for the key I keep losing.

Playing the crazy pirate game:

Hanging out with MK was fun and unexpected! He said he'll help us buy a cell phone later on in the week so I hope so. He's a Qiqihar native so knows all the places to go.

Weekend 4: A Walk in the Park

On Friday night we went out to celebrate Werner's 35th birthday. We went to a 'Western' restaurant called the High Life, which is the closest thing you'll get to any Western food here. I ordered a steak and fries. My steak was ordered medium but looked a little more on the rare side. It was a fun dinner and we met another American who just got to town, Brandon. He's teaching at another school and it was his first time meeting our eclectic group.

After dinner we went to Mini Club of course. No one was really in the mood to go out so we soon left, but not before we took a few photos!

Scott, Sarah, and Jerra outside of Mini Club:

Some random pictures of Qiqihar. Including the jiao zi place we love to eat at. 

Some performers outside of RT Mart for the Mid-Autumn Festival:

On Saturday Scott, Jerra, Sarah and I went for a walk in Longsha Park, which is right by our school. It was a beautiful day and was really nice to get outside. We broke down and payed 20 kuai to go on this mini-race track thing. It was pretty ridiculous and all these Chinese people were staring at the weird four foreigners riding around on these mini cars.

Jerra riding in her car:

Sarah in hers:

We then just walked around in a big circle 'island hopping' as I like to call it since the lake has a bunch of little islands that are connected by bridges. We stopped at the playground for a bit. Playground is a little but of an understatement since most of the playgrounds here are for adults and old people. They are filled with work out equipment, which I think is a fantastic idea. We didn't do much else so I'll let the pictures do the explaining.

Testing out the workout equipment in the park:

Where paths lead in China...:

Some great Chinglish:

Posing under some giant mushrooms:

Mahjong outside of the temple: