China Reflections

I guess its got the point where people are starting to get bored of China because a whole lot of 'You know you've been in China too long when...' blog posts have appeared. My favourite one is my friends Rachel's  (http://racheljglenn.blogspot.com/2013/05/you-know-youve-been-living-in-china-too.html). Anyway I thought I should begin a list of my own of my observations of Xining.

Transport

Well what can I say, transport here in Xining seems to be a bit of a joke. I mean doesn't help that I live in the middle of no where but still its a pain in arse.

Cars- Riding in a car is pretty scary at times, especially when you are overtaking something that is overtaking something else that is overtaking something which is overtaking a bus... with cars coming in the opposite direction. It must be in the Chinese Highway Code that you must overtake anything in front of you regardless of speed. Oh and when there is a traffic jam (see my last post) drivers seem so keen to go that they will begin to queue on the wrong side of the road, eventually leading to 4 lanes of traffic heading in one direction when the road is meant for 2 lanes each going in the opposite direction to the other. It doesn't help that there are so many lorries that use my road and regularly just abandoned on the road, sometimes blocking the entire road.

Buses- There seems to be no logic in the buses here. It seems perfectly acceptable that when getting on a bus everyone should push to get on first regardless of mothers with babies in their arms or small children. They honestly just don't care. They'd punch a baby in the face if it meant getting a seat. Once you are on a bus the pushing doesn't stop, the Chinese obviously think we are simple and have missed a seat and therefore push all the way to the back to make sure. There are also times when we have gotten onto a full bus only to have them squeeze another 20 people on! Sometimes a bus is full China!!!

Taxis- Where do I begin with taxis. Taxis in China have meters just like taxis all over the world, however in China they tend to ignore the meter and charge you whatever they'd like. For a journey that would cost 30 on the meter I have paid anything from 50 to 100RMB. Taxi drivers need to realise that meters are there so you don't over charge! Its pretty simple! I mean it is hard enough to get a taxi to the complex seeing as it is so far out of town without being overcharged or worse kicked out on the way.

Walking- Pedestrians should be warned that just because a green man is showing, it does not mean the Chinese will not run you over. It seems that the only way of crossing the road safely here is to stick like clue to the nearest local. Heaven forbid a time we need to cross and we are alone...

Chinglish.

In China you will find your attention gravitating towards any English letters, well you will until you realise that the Chinese interpretation of English makes even less sense... This Chinglish, as the Chinese call it, is everywhere and will leave you more confused than you have been . 'Retrograde prohibited, slapstick!'


People...

To say I am sick of every one looking at me like I've got two heads, would be an understatement. I am sick of being a sideshow attraction for the locals. I must be in millions of photos now because Chinese people seem to be forever taking photos of me. I am sick of people asking me how much I weigh and doing impressions of me walking. I am sick of my feet causing whole groups of people to stop, stare, point and laugh. I am aware that in Xining Westerners are a novelty but seriously there is no concept of being polite here. Oh and the beggars who stalk us in the street and hit us when we refuse to give them money, just sod off.

Culture

Now I know China is very different to England, we are very aware of that. However the importance of not losing 'face' is alien to us. In England it is important to be upfront with people and honest, especially if you care for them. In China some people seem very content to just lie through their teeth so they won't lose face. Take Matthew for example, he didn't tell the schools that Alex and Siz had left!! Oh and the fact that we are expected to go to meetings with almost no notice at all! OH AND THE SPITTING. YUCK!

Language

Now I have never been very good with languages and Mandarin is so ridiculously hard. I am not picking it up as easily as Mike or Will, but then again it is not why I am here. I am here to teach not learn a new language, I guess if I pick some up then that is a bonus. However having people speaking to me in mandarin and expecting me to understand is beginning to get annoying. I do not understand what you are saying! My mandarin is limited to hello/goodbye, I'm hungry/thirsty/cold/hot/ full and 'Wǒ bù míngbái' (I don't understand). And don't get me started on the characters, I quite simply don't have a clue. We are having lessons but so far they have been limited to vocabulary, namely different types of fruit...

Food

OK well let me take you through our meals. 

Breakfast- steamed rolls, pickled vegetables and a hard boiled egg or soup. 

Lunch- Mystery meat (complete with fat, gristle and bones) or fish (with all the bones of course), pak choi, tofu and rice. 

Dinner- tomato with egg, celery dish, aubergine dish, chilli dish, sometimes burger and egg casserole dish and rice. 

Repeat. 

I AM SO SICK OF THIS FOOD. Half of the meat we are given proves inedible and the rice. I AM SICK TO DEATH OF RICE. I really miss the variety of food that we get in England. Oh and meat which doesn't have ridiculous amounts of fat, gristle and bone in it. Plus Yak is over rated. 

A life

Feels like forever since I've gone out to a bar for a drink to chill out, its not worth it when you have to deal with taxis home and they only seem to drink Baijo here... 

OK enough moaning, now to mention some of the things I love about China. 

Teaching

I came to China to teach and that is why I will stay. I love teaching here! I love my classes (especially my Tuesday and Wednesday classes)! I love the fact that I get to be the fun teacher and can allow these hard working students to let their hair down and have some fun while practicing their English. However what I love the most is the kids, they are all amazing! Each as a personality and are great fun to be around. 

Friends

Ever since Alex left I have become a lot closer to Cecilia and Mike, virtually every night we watch a movie just the three of us. We take it in turns to choose, it means I have been introduced to some films that I'd normally not watch. I look forward to our movies. I have also made a great friend in Fish, we get on really well and she is just amazing! The teachers here at the complex are really nice too! We have Hua Tin (Asian Rihanna) who always smiles and waves hello at me (today she said I was looking slimmer!). We have Gi Wen Tau, the computer guy who is always trying to help. We have Vivian who acts as our translator and someone we couldn't do without. We have Zhui Lei, who makes us laugh (his nickname among the staff is Nat San which loosely translates to brain damage...). We have Mrs Guo, Mr Qi and Mrs Li who see us as their children! 

Will keeps saying that we aren't going out and meeting new people but to be honest why would I when I have such good friends already. Anyway he only goes out because he fancies half his teachers... 

Shopping and food.

DVDs cost £1/£1.50. You can get 12 of my favourite chocolate bars for £2. Noodles out for under £1. You can get chips (well potato wedges with chilli and sesame seeds) for 50p. You can get a delicious meal for under £3. Mango slushies with real mango in it for 80p. Sandwhiches with pork inside for 50p. All of it is so delicious! 

Weather

The weather here in Xining is lovely, you're looking at about 20 degrees centigrade most days. The heat is dry and there is no humidity. It is sunny most days! The parks are the place to go when it is sunny in Xining, they are just so beautiful!

Scenery

The Complex is situated in the countryside, behind us there is a mountain with a Buddhist monastery on its summit. There are snow capped mountains in the distance and it is just beautiful around here. Plus the accommodation we are in is really nice! Though the kids that come and stay are very loud and annoying!

Elsewhere in China

Apparently Xi'an is very beautiful (I will visit before I leave if it kills me), Shanghai was brilliant and Hong Kong blew my mind. There is so much to this gargantuan country and I wish I had the time to explore more of it. 

So there are many things that I love about being here in China but there are so many things that I will not miss. Lets see how the next two months go! I am looking forward to going home but not ready to leave quite yet.