Chopsticks & Pandas

Top Notch China Market Purchase

2008-07-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

So I got these new glasses at the market yesterday, they were 10 kuai (~ US$1.28）。 The lady tried to sell them to me for 50 kuai saying that they were very fashionable, and knowing she probably wouldn't understand my response I said outloud, fashionable for who? Probably the best purchase yet.

July 12

2008-07-12T18:47:00.000-07:00

July 12, 2008

More of a reflection than a story：

Attitude; never have I truly understood the importance of this concept/ word until this trip. Never have I understood that attitude is beyond a perception one chooses to have for certain or all situations but rather attitude is an ability that we can choose to improve or deteriorate an experience. Agree or agree to disagree.
Thus far I have used my attitude “ability” to criticize and complicate many cultural experiences I’ve come across here in Shenyang. I’ve become a master at making my trifle frustrations into complicated catastrophes. I know that because of my previous attitude, like a spoiled child, I have made others quite aware of my anxieties and irritations in cultural challenges; I might as well have used a bullhorn to say “that’s weird and non-American, why can’t I just have it my way”. With this in mind my attitude, thus far, has sucked; excuse my French.
This revelation has come with a heavy dosage of humility that I’m sure will last for many hard times to come, beyond China. This revelation has also brought me to a crossroads were I must wake up in the morning and make a decision before even putting my feet to the floor; shall I use by “attitudability” to make this day one of joy and positive outlook or make what could be a day of many challenges into a day of many defeats? Thankfully God has renewed a right spirit within me, making this decision not only easier but amazingly satisfactory in understanding that a good “attitudability” will make me a stronger man the next day because I’m able to overcome the current day’s challenges with a positive outlook. Granted, many things God has graciously done within me, including this revelation, come after much doubt, hesitation, and fight on my part against his will. Beyond my unintimidating less than six-foot stature is a ferocious and nasty Brandon that would gladly choose a bad attitude and the not-so-godly ways of life. God on the other has filled me with awe, joy, excitement, and boldness to pursue this new attitude and its ability to transform my day’s adventures. All this in hopes that I’d resemble a slightly more Christ-like man the day after the current days challenges.
So, thus far my attitudability has stunk. However, from now on I hope to view China’s differences and this opportunity’s challenges as an chance to develop a new “attitudability”. So beyond eating raw chicken feet and the many prolonged frustrating conversations lost in translation each day will offer me a chance to see from God’s eyes and to continually be filled with joy over the opportunities and blessings I am given to conquer and relish. I hope this page of thoughts is an encouragement for your day’s challenges. And yes, I did create the cool word “attitudability” and plan on calling Webster and his dictionary about it when I return.

2008-07-03T08:21:00.000-07:00

The top picture is a random picture of a neighborhood and a dog with smoke stacks behind it.

The second picture was a bag of snack food Ryan bought that, as you can tell, had the worst translation/ marketing phrase on it... hahahah.

The third picture was just straight nastiness; if you can read it it says "Readymade Sea Cucumber", aka sea slug you microwave and snack on = barf attack, i have not built up the courage to try this yet.

And the fourth picture is two other weird foods. The white stuff is actually pig fat and pig skin that floated to the top of it in hot soup, was frozen and then served with soy sauce, its ok to eat. The black egg is a "preserved egg", pretty much a boiled egg they take out of the pot, put in a random drawer for a month or two, find it sometime later and eat it after its turned black.

Lastly is another neigborhood pick, not that we live in, the pollution making smoke stack is behind it.

Food update：

2008-06-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

If you had read my previous blog you would have heard that I had been purchased more silk worms to eat. So as promised, I have posted two videos on youtube that better describe this food. Make sure you watch both videos to understand what it is that I am eating and how it is eaten. Feel free to post responses to these videos as well. Enjoy.

PS- the best way to view videos of mine is to go to youtube. Type in “silk worms; its whats for dinner" and then look for my youtube username "unsperanza" at the top middle of the page. Click on my user name and it should take you to a page that has all my videos, including; the live shrimp I had to eat, the silk worms, my Shanghai dancing experience, karaoke, dumpling dinner experiences, scorpion eating and so on.

Sunday, June 29

2008-06-29T17:59:00.000-07:00

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Saturday evening I acted out of character and did something I wish I did more often, went to bed at about 9:30 PM. Not only did I feel great the next morning but I woke up at 5:50 on my own, rejuvenated and ready to start the day. Two things I realized because of waking up at 5:50 in the morning: one, the sunrise was already long gone and apparently rises at about 4:30 AM in China and two, I like the idea of waking up on my own and without the dreadful and monotonous ringing of an alarm which our ancestors have been able to do for over 4,000 years. I had my own Brandon time, was able to stretch and exercise some and read for a bit. At breakfast I was offered the options of going with Katrina and two friends shopping or shadowing Mr. Liu as he did some chores and small tasks around town; and although a large language barrier came with following Mr. Liu I chose to stick with him for my Sunday off.

We did a number of tasks including check out the furniture show rooms (as he is one of three presidents of a large furniture business here in Shenyang, take his computer to a computer shop where I taught everyone in the room numerous English words for computer parts, and carouse around a giant food market that I truly regret not having my camera for. Out of all the family members Mr. Liu has been the one whom I’ve learned the most from. He works 6-7 days a week and never once have I seen him complain or let drain any attention or enthusiasm he shows his family when he comes home. He is enthusiastically generous and compassionate to every single person he is around during the day whether it’s an old friend or total stranger. And he has never once allowed our inability to communicate more easily (or correctly pronounce my name “Bwanda”) from keeping some form of conversation going with me throughout the time I spend around him. He’s been a great 3 month substitution for what I’m spoiled with from my family back home. And funny thing is, I believe I will take more business knowledge and experience from him than I will from all that I have learned at my 6 days a week, 9 hours a day internship I have with a company he’s not involved in. If I actually had money, a house, an office, and a need for new furniture I would no doubt buy from him and recommend him to every person I knew.

Besides that, here is a little story from my fun experience at the food market. I will be as descriptive as possible in the next couple sentences but know already I can not do this place justice with mere words. Sounds, smells, textures, and so on took my 5 senses for a roller coaster in this place. From the outside this looks like a regular large 5 story building, about 15 years old, surrounded by pick-up trucks and food carts, secreting smells and liquids from drains that reek of sea sewage and week old leftovers that are now rotting after not being bought. We enter the first floor by first pushing through hanging plastic banners usually used in the doorway of a restaurant refrigerator to keep in cool air and out flies, both of which it failed to do here. The floor is a dark green panel slippery and stained from the moisture in the air and the hourly floor-wide hose downs in order to remove large chopped fish debris and other leftover matter. Suddenly we’re surrounded by hundreds of large but compact cubicles where vendors must crawl over their goods into a small one person space open in the center for just big enough for the seller to chop a still twitching eel’s head off before throwing in a plastic bag to be tossed then to the buyer. Tanks of bull frogs, turtles, eels, sting rays, minnows, baby sharks, giant catfish, tuna, spitting oysters, scrambling lobsters, flickering shrimp, 12 lb squid, squirming octopi, and human head sized jelly fish grab my attention at first. The seafood section has every type of creature that has ever touched a body of water from now back until the Jurassic period for sale at hard to beat prices. Sweaty and determined-to-bargain vendors shout at me, although I look lost in awe, in Chinese at a pace Genghis Khan couldn’t have cursed at. I pass by numerous vendors who are busy de-gutting the creatures they are about to sell who will toss any undesirable fish parts in the middle of the narrow walkways in hopes the steady stream of hose water will take it to a nearby drain. After getting lost in the action I quickly scan the aisles to find Mr. Liu again and catch up with him in the meat section. The meat section, like the seafood section offers an abundance of carnivorous meal options I never knew existed, let alone were edible. Large Mongolian men with proportionally large butcher knives hack and chop at slabs of cow, lamb, chicken, duck, dog, kitten (im just kidding, at least I don’t think I saw kitten), and other meat options to get the size each buyer desires. Cow lung, cow veins, cow tongue, cow hooves, cow stomach (4 different kinds), cow fat, cow heart, cow brain, and cow tails (the caramel filled candies) are all available as well. We continued on although I could easily sit and watch each vendor tend to their products for at least 20 minutes so as to see what I’ve truly been missing behind the glass windows at the meat section of Bi-Lo back home. Next is garden foods which of course includes insects you would find there too. I made the mistake of taking particular interest in the silk worms (of which I’ve already tried) and pointed them out to Mr. Liu because they were all squirming as if they knew they were on top of the batch and next to be chosen for human dinner. He thought I said “buy these” but really I was just commenting on how I had already eaten these and its interesting to see them alive. So he considered it a gift when he ordered a pound and a half of squirming silk worms that I would then carry until dinner time; dang it. (PS, I made a video of the little things still moving when we go to the house, I’ll post it as soon as possible). The rest of the market was just as interesting but a little more common to me as we saw hundreds of options of tea leaves, spices, homemade sauces, rice, noodles, breads, and so on that made my sense of smell go for a whirl. If I have the opportunity to go there again I won’t forget my camera that’s for sure because this was no state fair food market and I can’t describe it better otherwise. I’ll stop now considering it’s almost eleven and that’s way past my Chinese bed time. Thanks again for listening; Grace and Peace. Brandon.

Truth...

2008-06-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share my new favorite verse of strength and encouragement:

"Because the sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be dismayed. Therefore, I have set my face like stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will triumph."
-Isaiah 50:7

Feel free to spit one back at me. That's a challenge, not a suggestion.

Friday, June 27, 2008

2008-06-27T21:08:00.000-07:00

Friday, June 27, 2008

Today was very much a normal day, normal for my China experiences at least.
Ryan and I worked the typical nine hours. We were advised yesterday to dress up today, suits and tie minus the jacket because of the summer, because David (our boss) had a business man coming in from Japan to meet him at the company. Ryan and I showed up this morning looking as snazzy as we could only to find all of our colleagues at the company in street clothes, it was obvious we were part of the usual stunt. Either way, it did not phase us as we had become accustomed to it on a weekly basis at least. The business man turned out to be President of one of the top 3 largest tofu manufacturers in Japan, larger than any Chinese tofu businesses, and working on a joint venture that David would help lead. Ryan and I were instructed to learn from their business meeting that was spoken almost entirely in Japanese. The meeting was concluded with a tofu taste test which allowed me to eat enough tofu that would have sufficed for a ½ gallon of prune juice, if you catch my drift. When the meeting was over I spoke to a co-worker and someone else about their impression of the Japanese (them being Chinese) and I received ill-willed statements from both as they quickly made it evident that besides business matters they would prefer if Japanese kept their distance from them; very interesting. [Quick tangent; many Chinese still hold strong grudges against the Japanese for their invasion and control of the Chinese in the mid 1900s. And apparently many violent and gruesome control tactics were used on the Chinese to suppress any uprising that could have taken place.]
Besides this I saw a fight on the streets that deflated any preconceived beliefs that most Chinese know Kung Fu or some form of Martial Arts. Two street vendors collided on their bike/ food cart and proceeded to kick and swing metal pipes at each other until one retreated.

Tonight we had dinner with one of Mr. Liu’s business partners and his family. The family had a great sense of humor but also was a little peculiar in that…
- First, they came in shook my hand and when straight to my bedroom to look at my belongings and clothes before starting really any conversation with me.
- Secondly, they made sure I tried the most crazy of dishes at dinner so that they could see my reaction when the extremely spicy food burnt through my sinuses and I began to cry/ smile so as to not offend.
- Thirdly, they burped frequently and often in what seemed a practiced unison at the dinner table, including the mom of course.
- Fourthly, they commented on my chest hair that was showing from my unbuttoned polo shirt. Chinese have little to no hair on their body in comparison to me and say Mr. Brawny (of whom I can compare myself to only because of chest hair) so they found mine quite humorous. And what I found humorous to myself was that a word they kept repeating after pointing and talking about my chest hair was a Chinese word something like “barfning”. This doesn’t even sound like a regular Chinese word but I found it hilarious that every time they commented on my chest hair they repeated a word that sounded like the English slang word for vomit; barf. I thought it humorous, hope you do as well.
Besides this all is normal in Shenyang currently. As usual, I am working on Saturday but hope to get off early with Ryan to cruise the city some more and have a breath of American time alone. Hope you all are well, thanks for reading. I'm out.

Before you go, I recently read a parable in the gospel of Luke that is referred to as “Story of the Shrewd Manager”, Luke 16: 1- 9. I'm not sure what to exactly make of the parable and would love to hear any opinions on it; brandont.holmes@gmail.com. Grace and Peace.

2008-06-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

The first is of me and the Liu family in the park.

The second is of a boy who would only smile if I took pictures of him.

The third is Mr. Liu challenging me to a chinese board game in the park, in his pjs, fun times.

Wednesday, June 25

2008-06-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been quite regular in terms of what is acceptable and usual in China on a daily basis. I have eaten raw and still alive shrimp that were still trying to free itself from my hand before I removed it shell right as I was about to eat him. I walked through meat markets that had pounds upon pounds of every body part of the pig and cow including organs such as the lung and tongue. I've been given rice wine by host family members that I vowed never to try again for fear that my insides would melt as the lava strength of the alcohol felt as if it were an elixir with such dangerous strength it could bring a dead man back to life and a live man to death. I have tried to start conversations with locals only to find that my listening skills are about as primitive as they could be and no matter how many times I ask them to slow down because I know very little Chinese they continue in a pace that makes my head hurt.

I have begun to truly realize that living in such a different environment on the other side of the world is all about attitude. You have two choices that will give you really only two outcomes of different extremes. Either you can get frustrated at your inability to communicate effectively, the food and cultural differences, and other unfamiliar and often uncomfortable feelings and find more than anxieties than you can name for each day OR you can act with patience and openness, with a good and kind sense of humor, and realize this experience can be an opportunity you’ll rarely have ever again. I say all this with great humility because thus far I feel I have given a slight advantage to the pessimistic side of me and have realized that I could get so much more out of this if my attitude was more fully optimistic. I’ve often told Morgann “there’s no such thing as a bad day but rather a day of great challenges” and that it’s a matter of choice either to dwell and sulk or take on the opportunity to grow from the challenges. I definitely put my foot in my mouth when my own words came to mind as I reflected on all these thoughts I’m sharing with you now.

So beyond my reflections Ryan and I have been given some of our first tasks at work and so time moves a little more quickly during the day now. The weather is amazing and I couldn’t be more pleased as it is quite similar to that of Boone’s weather in the summer; upper 70s and lower 80s temperatures, cool afternoon showers throughout the week and sunshine with daily breezes that keep from stagnant city air. I bought some DVDs on the street the other day to see what the hype was all about in China and got 15 movies for 50 Yuan (50 Yuan is the equivalent to about US $7). I got movies that just came out in the states such as Kung Fu Panda, Iron Man, the new Chronicles of Narnia, and the incredible Hulk. I also bought the whole collection of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings DVDs. Of course the quality is lower than what we would buy in the US and every now and then you see a person stand up from their theatre seat and block the screen.

Lastly I will leave you all with a verse that I read recently that has really weighed on me these past two days and I hope you may find some wisdom and revelation in them as well.“Listen, and I will tell you where to get food that is good for the soul! ‘Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake. I am ready to make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the mercies and unfailing love that I promised to David. He displayed my power by being my witness and a leader among the nations…’ Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the people turn from their wicked deeds. Let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” – Isaiah 55: 2b-4,6,7

Mr. Liu a great cook, and a girl and her puppy I saw on a walk

2008-06-21T21:08:00.000-07:00

Thursday, June 19

2008-06-18T21:20:00.000-07:00

Thursday, June 19, 2008
Work this week has been quite uneventful with the exceptions of evening gatherings. On Tuesday night, David, our boss, invited us to a city 45 minutes outside of Shenyang where a major Tofu supplier of the region was operated. We toured the somewhat basic and ordinary factory before leaving to have a business dinner with the factory owner whom David wished to join in a joint venture with. Then last night Ryan and I were invited to a ballet performed by the ballet troupe we were harassed by earlier in the week. With the past behind us the ballet was interesting but not magnificent and was a cultural experience at the same time. Reason being is that the Chinese never, and I mean never, put their phones on silence nor choose not to answer them and because of this phones were ringing and conversations took place all around us during the ballet. Besides these events this week and 9 hours of work (/ actually no work) I eat sleep and try to speak Chinese to lots of cab drivers and locals who wish to learn English.
If you have read my earlier blogs you will understand that at work I have had a string of more than coincidental events that have put me in an interesting situation for my 9 hour work days. No internet, limited computer use if any, work area isolated from everyone else, hardly any tasks to complete except for business dinners in the evening, and few English speaking co-workers have made for 9 hours up to my discretion. I realized that this still could be a win situation as I was gaining cultural experience (at night at least), from a professional point of view I was adding a valuable experience to my resume for the upcoming job hunt, and best of all I had time to read some books and have some much desired and needed reflection time that has been nonexistent in the past year. Now, as usual in life, I have been faced with a really difficult choice that I face on a daily basis; either I complain about me being the only one without computer use and the massive amounts of boredom I experience all day long or I choose to discipline myself in using the time for reading, reflection, and prayer. You may say, “Brandon, the choice is obvious,” but to truly spend 9 hours in a somewhat isolated environment and put it to good use without being distracted by the complaints you could have brewing in your head is a discipline in itself. I’ve even at times figured I could try and move my plane ticket up a couple weeks since they only need me for business dinners and I miss the comforts of being back in the states. But time and time again I hear a voice, that can only be God because it’s a voice that often challenges me where I wish to not be challenged. And this voice says “Brandon, yes you could try to return home early, search for a new job, spend more money than you would in China, and miss out on some life-growing experiences, OR you could understand that the 9 hours of nothing is not a dire situation but an opportunity to spend quality time with me and my word that you would rarely have back home and discipline your quiet times so that when you return you’re better off than you were before.” And like a child I begin to pout because I know that this voice must be true and that the easy way out would be a missed opportunity that I could have used to take hold of an amazing opportunity. So after all this I’m asking for your prayers that I may use my time wisely, that I may read, pray, study, and listen to God with my 9 hours of “work” and take advantage of the opportunity he’s placed before me. And with that, I’d love to hear your prayer requests because as you know, I have plenty of time to lift up your needs and
Hope I haven't rambled on too much. Take care and thanks again for reading. Grace and Peace.
b

Monday, June 16

2008-06-16T02:28:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 16, 2008
Today was overwhelmed by one single experience of which I’ll use for this whole blog to explain.
David Huo, our boss, wished that Ryan and I travel in some charter buses with a partner company to pick up and accompany an American Ballet Troupe from Santa Jose who was touring China. We arrived at the airport in the bus and waited for about an hour and a half in the sweltering heat for the delayed plane to land and for the dancers, crew, and management to join us on the bus back to their hotel. When the large 80 person group arrived there was some slight but understandable chaos trying to account for their luggage, find each and every person to make sure none were elsewhere, and escape the heat to the air conditioned bus. Just as we were about to leave a man, who seemed to be the troupe’s head manager looked at Ryan and me with a puzzled look. He realized we were not a part of his group nor were we Chinese, as was the bus driver, translator, and even organizer. He quickly stood to his feet and approached us with extreme animosity. He began interrogating us as if we had just then committed some horrible crime; “who are you”, “what do you think you’re doing here”, “are you freeloaders trying to get on this bus I have paid for”, and etcetera. Befuddled by his nasty and attacking tone and questions Ryan and I looked at each other and tried to alleviate the situation by responding “we are intern’s who work for a partner company… we were simply told to come along and be of any help to an American group… we are just students studying abroad here.” The man who was growing more serious and furious because of our lacking ability to give full and appeasing answers then shouted, “how do I know you’re not assassins?” as he began to pick up both of our briefcases to throw them out the charter buses’ door. Once again, Ryan and I looked at each other puzzled by this man’s frantic and almost scary reactions as now more of the bus had their eyes on us. Poor Jane, our “helper” who is assistant to our boss, was frazzled and thrown off by this man who literally was about to toss our belongings and us out the door. We did not help the situation when he asked what group his troupe was working with here and we could not answer. Jane was without words by this crazy American’s words and actions, and Ryan and I honestly did not know what the company’s name was that we had been invited by to welcome our fellow Americans. Luckily I quickly pulled out a business card that I had been given by the company’s president three days before from my wallet to prove our reason for being on the bus and to show a little more evidence against the fact that we truly were not assassins waiting to kill a ballet troupe from Santa Jose on a charter bus just outside Shenyang’s airport. The man read our card and our confused and hopefully innocent looking faces and began to calm slightly saying “you don’t even know why you’re here, how I am supposed to believe you.” No doubt this guy was not even half kidding when he suspected us as endangering his group’s safety. I tried to calm the situation more and divulge more innocent-sounding information that we were students from Boone, North Carolina, only business majors interning for a consulting firm. Ryan stepped in and tactfully said that we were simply told to come with one of the translators to help other American’s get from the airport to the hotel. After letting go of our belongings he sat down, sure to not lose eye contact with us, it was obvious that he was not fully satisfied but would allow the interrogation to stop at least until we got to the hotel and he could speak with the Chinese businesses president about our business on the bus. I am not exaggerating when I say that he acted as if his life were in danger and his presence on that bus was about as dangerous as Osama Bin Laden himself was riding along as well. The bus ride to the hotel was quiet as this guy as well as a couple of other American’s from the troupe had also disrespected other welcoming guests with complaints and paranoia of other more miniscule situation that kept the tension level at high. Once back to the hotel, Ryan and I made sure to steer clear of him and the others while trying our best not to give away any more clues as to our assassin profession. Forget our excitement to speak with fellow American’s in another country, we feared this man more than any anti-American world power leader. So this is our day in a nutshell. I hope you all had a great day and were not labeled assassins by unkindly strangers as we were.
Last thought: I’ve been trying to memorize and live out the powerful Bible verse that says “seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be given to you” from the gospel of Matthew. I had a small laugh to myself when I tried to figure out what God was teaching me through this situation and this Bible verse. God works in mysterious ways and I’m hoping that soon I’ll realize the meaning behind today’s events and God’s word. Grace and Peace for sure.

Sunday, June 15

2008-06-15T18:30:00.000-07:00

Sunday, June 15
Today, being Sunday, was and is supposed to be my only day off from work in my Chinese work schedule for the week. Fortunately, Ryan’s dad (Ryan is the other App. State intern), was in town from Singapore and they both invited me to spend the day with them to enjoy a bit of Americana in Shenyang. So I took off early this morning in a cab and on my own towards downtown to meet them at his father’s hotel. The cab driver was extremely friendly and tried many times to strike up conversation in Chinese at a speaking pace faster than words could be rapped. From the few full sentences I do know I told him quite clearly that I knew little Chinese and that I didn’t understand most of what he was saying. This did not deter him and he continued to persevere with Chinese at an even quicker pace but this time aided the communication with extreme facial and hand gestures that took much of his concentration off the busy and pedestrian heavy road. By the end of a broken, elementary, and winded conversation I came to the realization that if one wishes to master any language one must strike up conversation with taxi drivers in the country of which speaks the language.
The rest of the day was filled with imperial gardens, large and crowded bargaining markets for faux name brand products and American food that we passionately sought out. No matter the dry heat and heavy crowds it was great to be out of the office enjoying the sun and a day with few constraints.
I recently read this Bible verse and have been chewing on it to more fully grasp its meaning and the action it wills us to pursue; “Give to everyone who begs from you; and of him who takes away your goods do not ask them again” Luke 6:30. Now I believe the Bible to be quite dynamic and to be understood in more than one way. So today I was tested by this verse when twice, not once, but twice, I had poor and desperate Chinese beggars grab my me and my attention with a hand open asking for my money. Does this verse I read mean to literally give them what they may need or should it be taken more theoretically and intend for me to be there when a person simply asks for physical help. I do not know the answer and would love your input and wisdom on this verse and possibly its personal meaning to yourself.
Ryan’s father, Ryan and I took a midday break in his hotel room to rest our feet for about an hour or so and decided to watch BBC news on television. While watching it we saw a special program about child labor and its horrific prevalence in India. I can’t put in to words the programs effect on my heart and conscience but will try to briefly explain what I viewed. Two boys had been part of a interview story who had worked in illegal fabric making factories in the slums of Delhi, India’s second largest city. The child labor facility was busted by a non-profit group that was enforcing government legislation that had not enforcement of anti-child labor laws otherwise. The boys were then escorted back to their villages over 300 miles away from the city back to their homes with a little cash in hand as compensation for the work they had done. However when the boys returned home the parents feel to the floor and began to sob, screaming in tears, “why have you returned to add to my burdens!” The parents had initially sent the boys off either as reparations for debt the family owed or to lessen the food or shelter burden the boys caused on the desperately poor families. Instead of rejoicing that their children had been returned to them the parents instead sobbed and whined that their burdens would only increase again with another mouth to feed. How horrible! The story went on to explain that this was the case for many Indian families, that extreme poverty and extreme hunger had hit so many Indians so hard that they considered it a strategy of survival to send away the boys who required extra food. The boys would then be put to work for 18 work days, in spaces so small it often halted their normal growth, where they would be beaten and starved if work was not done well and within strict time frames. I know God did not purpose our lives for such horrendous experiences. What will we do about it? Don’t say nothing because by saying “I don’t know” or “nothing” you forfeit all examples of compassion and sympathy you have practiced before, only doing what was convenient at that time. Not that you or I have to go and free these children and free these families in India from the burdened lives they have been born in to but we must act in a way that goes beyond tossing a homeless man on the street corner a 5 dollar bill. What success is truly a success you feel well earned if it wasn’t fought hard for? In the same token, what act of compassion is truly an act of compassion that doesn’t inconvenience us(beyond writing a monthly “feed a child” check) so as to powerfully serve someone else’s life for once. Let me know your thoughts; complaints, questions, grievances, arguments, and agreements.
Today had been a great day and ended just as well. The son, xiao zhe, and I bonded in the last couple hours of the day sharing words and adding them to our written out list of vocabulary we have slowly been growing in the past 3 days. Basic but necessary words such as, how do I say… and what is the time were written in pinyin (Chinese in roman characters), Chinese characters, and English so that we might build up our lacking vocabularies. Every day has been a learning day either through Chinese lessons, social and cultural observations, or God-inspired revelations I have benefited from this experience.
Seriously, I haven’t gotten any emails and have received few remarks/ postings about my previous wall posts. I post these blogs on both the internet and in my journal and will convenience myself by only writing in my journal if I don’t feel anyone is reading or benefiting from the blogs. I just want to hear your thoughts as you’ve heard mine on my experiences and thought processes. For me at least, I feel invigorated when the conversations I have are beyond small talk and daily news, and I’d love to have someone to converse with these deeper things about.
Thanks for listening. B

More pictures...

2008-06-13T18:08:00.001-07:00

Last night Mrs. Liu made a "special meal" for us. I thought it was little eggplant vegetables at first but then found out it wasn't at all. It turned out to be silkworm, and i think it is actually cooked in its cocoon but there was some description of it lost in translation. Anyways I ran to get my camera near the end of the meal and the family thought I had run to get sick, but I ate two to prove it hadn't made me sick but I just wanted to take a picture of it. Here it is.

Just a couple pictures

2008-06-12T20:04:00.000-07:00

Suzhou's Imperial Palace and gardens, a good natural escape from the city ruckus

Karaoke, Me and David singing Beat It by Michael Jackson, this part was a break in the song just for dancing

Chinese Kung Fu, on the lawn of Fudan University in Shanghai

The group at the Great Wall, before climbing it

CATCH UP...

2008-06-12T18:27:00.000-07:00

So here are the past couple blogs I've been meaning to post, the last three are all brand new. I'm also posting 2 pictures that I took the other day. Please catch my note on responses from June 10th. Thanks and take care.

Thursday, June 12

2008-06-12T18:26:00.002-07:00

Thursday, June 12, 2008
Today didn’t start off as smoothly as other mornings, and because I have few good English-speaking friends here to let out some anxieties I’ll share them on the blog to you all.
I have found the Chinese people fascinating, extremely hospitable, selfless and gentle however some differences in their customs and ways from American’s still create some barriers that makes some situations quite awkward and slightly frustrating; such as this morning. Katrina, the daughter of my host family, has been a lifesaver when it comes to translating for me and helping me find what I need but she also has become so attached that allowing me to practice my Chinese with others (without her interpretation) and trying doing things on my own has become difficult. Privacy and solitude are also challenges here as she and others are always wishing to come in to the room the family allows me to stay in to go through my clothes, my computer, and my belongings without forewarning or invitation. While at work, I have been generously reminded each day by my boss, the company’s president, to make him aware of any need or grievance I may have no matter the pettiness of it. With this in mind, I was the only one in the business without a working space or internet connection to do any tasks asked of me. I’ve asked numerous times politely and with great care, but as I’ve said in other blogs, deadlines and productiveness are viewed quite loosely here in China. Even at work I feel a little shorted. So far Ryan and I have been deliberately used as guest “American business persons”, asked to dress up for certain days when no one else does so as to make special appearances at meetings and job bids so as to make the business appeal more to other Chinese businessmen. [I have found that having any kind of American business connection for a Chinese business gives astronomically to its integrity and strength, especially having an American work for you]. I hope this makes sense, and it’s not that big of a deal, however I have done about 15 minutes of actual work so far each day and way more “trophy American” modeling for the boss to show other companies. So because I am without some privacy and solitude during the day, without opportunities to truly practice my Chinese more, and without actual mind-challenging work, I feel a slight case of mental atrophy that I thought would be the least of my worries during my internship in China. I say all this realizing that this experience has been wonderful and without regret, it has just become more evident to me the safety and contentment I have found in the familiarities of American living. This whining on the blog has in itself helped me realize even more so that this experience is meant to push the limits on my level of comfort, and much like any other kind of spiritual, mental or physical growth I must encounter some sort of stress or weight in order to realize my weakness and to grow to a stronger level. Maybe, hopefully, my petty whining will make each of you, as it has me, more aware of the true comforts we have in our daily lives and that it is these petty difficulties that often shape and grow our true character in the long run.
The day finished better than it had started. Mrs. Liu made me some of my so far favorite dishes for dinner before the dad took all of us to the driving range. I think the Chinese golf players at the driving range expected a little more straight and long success with the golf club from an American but I couldn’t help but continue my baseball swing from Little League and hit numerous duds. I called it an early night once I returned and went to bed expecting a good day for the next day.

Wednesday, June 11

2008-06-12T18:26:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, June 11, 2008
This morning I got up a little earlier than usual because Xiao Zhe, the son of my host family, was going early to take his driving test.
[Just a quick bit of information about cars and driving in China; in order to get your license you must pay healthy fee in order to get the right to drive and then to own your own car costs even more. If you look at buying a new VW, since those are extremely popular here, you end up paying heavy taxes and fees, probably over $10,000 more, to own it and not only that but the dealership has extremely heavy fees that they add to the sticker price because of government restrictions that try to limit the number of personal car owners. Of course a lot of this does not apply to taxi drivers I do not believe.]
We left early and among heavy traffic as about 3-4 million commuters travel into the downtown area for work each morning, six days a week at least. This car ride was different because for the first time since I’d been here I did not have Katrina, the daughter/ translator, and so I was on my own to make any conversation with my broken and elementary Chinese. The 30 minute car ride ended up being quite entertaining and I wish I could have had a video of all that went on as the father, son, and I took turns pointing at objects in and outside of the car before carefully sounding them out in our familiar languages so that the other could mimic until perfection. The mom laughed nonstop for the whole thirty minutes as the father and son could not pronounce Ls such as “good luck” or “telephone” and I could not pronounce the popular brand name tea that sounds much like an American curse word when I try to say its name. For some reason every time any Chinese tries to pronounce certain difficult words beyond their mouths physical ability I think of the movie “A Christmas Story” where the Chinese waiters serving duck on Christmas day at the restaurant try to sing “Deck the Halls” but end up signing “deck the haws wit bells of horry, far a ra ra ra ra ra ra ra”. If you haven’t seen that movie and are not laughing right now then you need to watch it.
Some observations on Chinese vs American business culture:
- Unlike Americans the Chinese do not work well under time constraints and become quite frustrated and flustered when given deadlines for projects or tasks.
- Time is viewed differently in the workplace as well. Many Chinese with white collar jobs work 6 or 7 days a week and often 9 hours a day (8:30 to 5:30). However time usage/ productivity is quite differently. What may take an American half a day to finish would take someone in China maybe 2 days. This is not a slam on Chinese intelligence or ability to work it is more that the office is built around many team oriented things as opposed to individual tasks and going undistracted and while working well under strict time constraints is not often seen in Chinese business environments.
- Cell phones at the work place are totally acceptable to Chinese. We’ve had numerous assistants to company presidents whose phones ring during a meeting or while translating for our group and they will answer it right then and there and go into conversation. I’ve yet to see one Chinese person press ignore when their phone rings.
- Lastly, the Chinese find a job for everyone and I feel as if this is a strength and weakness in the same. You will see Chinese who walk in the middle of intersections collecting trash all day long or Chinese who scrape dried gum off sidewalks; anything that needs be done has someone to do it. And although I believe this may boost economic efforts by decreasing unemployment and increasing money flow it also doesn’t reduce the stress for many to pursue higher education because of an abundance of jobs that don’t require extra training or schooling. Many Americans have become upset at the number of jobs lots to cheaper labor sources in Asia, including China, and although it is devastating to family incomes and even town economies in the long run it pushes many individuals towards higher education that would allow them a job that is specialized and can’t be more cheaply outsourced. So families that have for generations relied on coal mining, factory labor, or other similar jobs will now more often push their children to gain more education and training because the more common labor jobs have been moved overseas to places like China. Feel free to comment it’s now time for me to end the tangent.
The day ended quietly as Mrs. Liu cooked for us, I watched a movie with the two siblings and then went to bed before reading some.

Tuesday, June 10

2008-06-12T18:24:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Grace and Peace; it’s been a long weekend and a lot has gone on. I promise I am not purposefully keeping you readers out of the loop its simply that internet is not nearly as widespread as I was hoping and thinking it to be and getting internet connections at the work place has become a task in itself. So I have created a tidal wave of information and stories for you to ride for the next couple minutes.
To catch you up…
The Family:
I am living currently with a Chinese host family whose father is close friends with the boss whom I work for. They are the Liu family and include: the father whom I call Mr. Liu, Mrs. Liu, the 18 year old son Li Zhe who I call Xiao Zhe (which means little wise one, even those he’s not of typically short Chinese stature), and lastly the 19 year old daughter Si Si whom I call Katrina because that is her English-given name. Mr. Liu is one of 3 owners and operators of a well off furniture business here in Shenyang that actually does some business with some people in High Point, NC. The Liu family is much better off than your typically Chinese family. They live in a gated community with a three bedroom house, well furnished (obviously), big screen cable tv, a BMW 3-series for the mom and a Toyota Land Cruiser for the dad. And to add to the more evident signs of wealth, they have 2 children, which in China costs lots of extra taxes and fees because Chinese government still implements the 1 child rule and I’d say only the top 10-15% of China’s wealthiest can afford more than one kid and still have money left over for the luxuries this family has. Now Katrina is my translator; she has pretty strong English while the rest of the family has little to none. When Xiao Zhe (the little brother) tries to speak English or mimic my words he unknowingly puts an Italian accent on it making it quite humorous for he and I both. Then when the father tries to speak English he goes into what I would call a body shaking chuckle or guffaw of laughter that quickly takes me to the floor laughing too, he is by far the funniest Chinese person I know and competes with many of my American friends. I actually tried to teach him “bless you” after he sneezed today and after having me repeat it at least 12 times he still said “bress you”. This family has shown me the ultimate level of hospitality. Always giving me the first of everything, taking me to get a haircut and insisting on paying for it, taking me to the park to play badminton as a family, teaching me how to make dumplings, buying me $80 traditional silk pajamas, and insisting to wash all my 3 week well stunk up clothes by hand for me as opposed to paying to take them to the cleaners. They are a tight-knit family that really loves on each other and their friends and neighbors a lot. The father has put a special genuine and kind attention towards me as he has taken me to the driving range with him (golf), made fun deals with him that he will teach me dumpling making if I teach him pizza making, played card and Chinese board games with me each night, and insisted that I drive his BMW in a city of 7 million people until I give in. China holds what’s called “guanxi” in very high regard. It’s a term that means relationship or bond that the Chinese practice as if it were common law. It means that once you establish a strong relationship with them they treat you as if you were there own son, brother, or other family member just as they would hope to be treated, with no limit on the extent. So rightfully so, if their family came to America I would be expected to make them honorary guests to a full extent but not in a burdensome like manner, simply as if they were my own flesh and blood. Anyways, to move on.
Work:
Work is good. To be honest more than being a productive team member for the company I have found that Ryan and I (Ryan is the other student interning with me) have become American show-boys; unfortunately and quite oddly similar to the American term show-wife but in terms of nationality and not of beauty. Just today I was told to dress well for a business meeting I would attend with some other workers; there would be a meeting between other businesses and ours at a manufacturer who was about to hold a 70th Anniversary celebration and was letting our businesses compete for the best proposal and bid. David Huo, my boss, told me with stern words that I was to observe but not to speak at all to anyone but our company members. I discovered over the course of the meeting that I was being scouted by other firms who released I was an American who looked to be taking notes. Anyways, long story short, its apparently viewed as a strong point if you have any kind of affiliation with American businesses in China, let alone an American working for you, and having me there seemed to throw the other competing businesses for a loop; I even noticed them numerous times trying to look at my notepad so as to see what notes I was taking. If only they knew I was a 22 year old who hadn’t yet graduated college and has had little business success to speak of besides the fact that I’ve worked at Chick-fil-a and Autobell Car Wash. Other than that our day is filled with random and sometimes menial tasks such as re-translating any English written documents and brochures so as to make they have good connotation and the right grammar. However, I feel confident that more meaningful and challenging tasks will soon come once we become more acclimated with the business and its processes.
Miscellaneous:
Now I will finish with some random tid bits to finish this epic journey of a blog. Pickled chicken feet has been the most often ordered dish at many of the meals I’ve been to and as open-minded as I like to believe myself of being it’s hard for me to think that I’d put boney, cartilage heavy, dirt trotting feet in my mouth to discover some sort of delectable flavor that would have me asking for seconds; but I have. Television, internet, newspapers and other forms of media are most obviously censored from things I know American media wouldn’t hesitate to publish, especially issues such as those in Tibet currently. I have never been around more people who like to smoke cigarettes and hawk humungous and colorful pollution caused luigies (mucus wads) so often. On the other hand, rarely have I been around a more generous and openly kind to strangers people (foreigner or not). Also, I have discovered that if you are a musician or actor and your career dries up in North America, you have fresh new beginning awaiting you in Asia; hence the Kenny G. music videos and Celine Dion greatest hits advertisements everywhere including inside bathroom stalls. Lastly, and most interestingly, after numerous careful but open discussions with Chinese at work, within the family and out on the streets I have found that any and all forms of spirituality in Eastern Asia are considered ways of the past, died out along with their ancestors. Amazingly enough, out of the immense amount of western influence in Asia, Christianity is almost completely ignored from what I’ve seen, a polar opposite in terms of all other Western ideas popularized in China. Even more interestingly, spirituality and/ or religion is hardly desired as many people don’t even consider luck, fate, or destiny as I had initially believed. Then again I can kind of understand why so many Asians in Eastern China have ignored or pushed aside religion as prosperity and success has been in abundance in the past 15 years or so. And much like the American people and myself, we tend to shove any notion for God and religion out of our minds when all is good and well because we let ourselves believe that He is not needed. A thought to chew on for a while, please feel free to spit some knowledge and thoughts back at me.
PS- please remember that China’s government has censored my own viewing of my blog and so I cannot see any posts or responses from you all. HOWEVER, I would love to hear any kind of thoughts or responses by e-mail at brandont.holmes@gmail.com. ACTUALLY, I am now making it a rule that if you read my blog that you must at least once send me an e-mail telling me hello so that I am reminded of my American friends back home and I know that I am not just writing to myself all the time (even if I don’t know you that well or hardly at all). Thank you again. As Paul from Taursus would say, Grace and Peace to you all.

Update

2008-06-12T00:25:00.000-07:00

Friends and Family. I just wanted to give you a quick update. I have not forgotten about you nor the blog however I have been having trouble with internet here. My laptop picked up a nasty virus from a Chinese memory card that was used on my computer by a friend accidentally. And so I have at least 3 blogs I hope to post soon that express all that's happend while in Shenyang so far. But in order to get my blogs I've typed up I conjure up a way to get my files on a Chinese computer without adding a virus to my memory card. Anyways, all is well and please keep checking this in the near future as I hope to have new and thoroughly exlplaining details of my time in China. Grace and Peace, b.

Tuesday, May 27

2008-05-27T07:51:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, May 27
Today was our first day in China free from the burdens of the academia responsibilities of our trip to China. Yesterday we had presented our reports and findings to Sustainable Development Economists from all over 40 countries with the Fudan students and were ready to more fully dive in to Chinese culture. We arose early to take a 2 hour bus ride to Suzhou, a moderately sized city that still has maintained some of its nature better than its larger more popular counter parts. The city has been known for its gardens that were constructed under the orders of past emperors and governors as natural backgrounds to their palaces with ample acreage. On the way to the city most all the other Chinese and American students took advantage of extra sleep while Flora and I (my Fudan counterpart or partner) sat and discussed cultural topics.
Some quick background before proceeding: Flora is quite intelligent and as a student at Fudan university, the 3rd ranked university in all of China and acclaimed for having the best Business school in China, she often fills conversations with sophisticated and thought provoking discussion. She, like the other Chinese student partners, has recently given me a Chinese name to describe the characteristics she believed to be some of my most admirable, as that is still tradition for parents when naming their children. Although I would have probably chosen some slick but cheesy name like Stealth Tiger or Mighty Panda, she instead named me “he xi zhe” (pronounced hu she zuh). She gave me more credit than I ever could desire or expect with a name that means Philosopher of Philosophers, Top of the top thinkers. It was not only extremely generous but extremely flattering to receive such a name.
Now that you know that you can understand that we spoke for 2 hours straight about cultural, social, and spiritual comparisons of Chinese and American people. Our topics covered thoughts about plastic surgery, who youth “idolize”, physical and mental and spiritual strength, as well as the pursuit of spiritual understanding; small talk is unnecessary even at 8am for Flora. It was extremely interesting to me to hear many of the things Flora had to say about her views of China and her people. It was also interesting to hear her take on Christianity. We had talked religious matters before and with candor only best friends would use however I feel she continues to divulge more of her true thoughts each time religious conversation arises. This morning she acknowledged her own desire to have more spirituality in her life, valuing many characteristics that a religious life suggests, yet she also mentioned that through media reports and books she has heard more reports of offensive and aggressive Christians than of gentle and humble disciples. I thought that America and Europe were the main and possibly only places where Christianity had become passed off because of its unfortunately infamous stories from radical and often negative examples of Christians. More simply, I thought that China of all places would still be new and interested in the once prominent Western religion, however, Flora, a well educated youth had already begun to form her own view of Christianity through the bad rep the media and Christians have given it. I feel as if this topic could be a book within itself and that my thoughts are become more rambled than organized so I will continue on. To conclude on it though, Flora and I spoke further and I tried to help her understand my thoughts on her thoughts (which she wanted to make known were not concrete, just in the making). I told her that Ghandi was once quoted saying “I like your Christ, but I do not like your Christians” (or something similar to that). And that I believe this quote has some truth, even in my own faith walk. Spirituality should come from God’s lessons and our personal revelations from them and not always from inaccurate and inconsistent followers. Ok, I’m done.
We got to enjoy to extremely beautiful gardens covering hundreds of acres that consisted of ancient pagodas, Buddhist temples, beautifully aged trees and waterfalls, serene ponds decorated with flowers and lily pads, wall grazing ivy, bamboo shoots, and serenading Asian birds. These well kept natural areas were extremely humid but well shaded by an abundance of trees. Pictures from all of us, Chinese and American students, were in abundance. Its hard to believe that this quiet and serene place is one of the few places many Chinese can escape to away from the cities’ monstrosities and noise and its 2 hours away from Shanghai. I feel so fortunate to have the Blue Ridge Parkway and mountains in Boone or parks such as Freedom Park in Charlotte, such things as these are almost impossible to find in China’s large cities. As we left the second and final garden a massive thunderstorm approached the city. It was a sight in itself to see most all of the street vendors and bike commuters gather their belongings and leave so quickly in a synchronized panic towards shelter. The streets were crowded with thousands of poor Chinese scrambling on bikes and mopeds away from the clouds, lightening and rain that pursued us.
The day ended at a Dumpling restaurant near the university. As I would say to my friends, these dumplings were “the jam”, i.e. really really good. We had beef and onion dumplings, shrimp and vegetable dumplings, eggplant, jellyfish, seaweed salad, potatoes, beef, watermelon, egg and tomato soup, fried sweet potatoes and fresh cool tomatoes doused in sugar for dessert; so good and filling. We all called it a night knowing that tomorrow’s events will require more energy than today. Thanks for listening.

Tuesday, May 27

2008-05-27T07:50:00.000-07:00

Friday, May 23

2008-05-23T17:36:00.000-07:00

Friday, May 23

(written while listening to Coldplay’s “a rush of cold blood to the head” and Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” albums)

Today we left the hotel early to travel by bus 2 hours East of the city to a countryside-like area where a furniture manufacturer, Fine Furniture, had a large factory and headquarters. Riding out of the city and in to the country itself was an adventure. As we neared the edge of the hectic city we came across more and more shanty homes recklessly built beside waterways flowing with water you would only use for means of survival. The waterways were large enough for old long boats and canoes that were scattered about on the brim of the water under over hanging brush. The rural people that occupied these homes were noticeably different by their looks; deep and aged wrinkles shaped their face, a totally different pigment of skin made it obvious that their family had been in arduous outdoor labor for generations, and the thin but tone bodies shared their ability to do tasks that required strength beyond their own. Just 30 minutes outside of Shanghai’s urban streets and a whole new culture was extremely evident. Every now and then among the fields and vegetation would be a couple acres of 6 story high apartments that seemed out of place from the rest of the country side cluttered alongside with clothes lines, scrap vehicle parts and stray animals. I was told that these cluster homes were often cheaply built by new investors who wished to have closer and more compact communities of workers for labor outside the city. In my mind I envisioned these people a sad group because the majority of these rural people had once owned their own large farms and were left alone to manage their crops but had more recently been bought out, forced to live in rural ghettos and offered laborious jobs such as at the furniture factory. There were hardly any other sustainable means for supporting family members except through this new way of business that had stretched from urban China now towards the rural parts. To add to the sadness we at one point drove by a wrecked cyclist who had obviously been struck by a vehicle (as opposed to another cycle). There had been many mopeds, bikes, and carts riding right along the freeway to carry goods from one rural cluster to another and accidents were bound to happen with the speeding vehicles only 2 feet away. Yet to see this one simple man, dressed in what can be considered sack cloth, had a leg turned incorrectly and in a growing pool of blood. I can only imagine that this man would not only suffer from the pain of the injury but from the effects that would come afterwards; inability to work any physically demanding job and hence inability to sustain his family’s needs let alone his own.

I’ve spent a while describing the dreary conditions of what once was a quiet and set apart country side now disturbed by the hustle of the city now I’ll brief you on the just as sad conditions of the factory. We were there to see how new business was being done in China, but what I continued to focus on instead were the exploited resources of China by big business. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not from OSHA nor the World Health Organization (WHO) but I feel I’ve gained an ample amount of knowledge as to what qualifies as safe and humane. The factory was no death zone nor was it a slave camp of any means but it did carry an air about it that made each of us American’s cringe a couple of times. Over 700 of the 2,400 workers lived on the factory site in an old dormitory (which we did not receive a tour of). These workers worked under only minimal light, in decently but not greatly ventilated warehouses and only a handful had on face masks for the large amounts of staining fumes and dust waste from the furniture making process. Anyways, I could continue on dreary subjects but will continue on with the rest of the day.

After a long 2 hour drive back in to urban Shanghai we traveled to the “Oriental” or otherwise known as The Pearl Tower. One of the largest in the world it looks like a tall skewer with two large tomatoes spaced between. It’s a lot more fascinating than I am describing it, try looking it up on Google or Wikipedia. From the top of the tower we could see most all of Shanghai, including the route for the Olympic torch that was actually being carried through that day, but we left too early to see. Throughout the city you would see mall, skyscraper, mall, skyscraper, small shanty community, mall skyscraper, mall and another small shanty community. Among the massive amounts of wealth and new real estate were untouched poor communities of dusty alleys and crowded homes occupied I would believe by the workers who were building all the new skyscrapers and fancy roads. Once done, although quite tired from the travelling and hot temperatures we traveled north towards the hotel and university stopping at a nearby Mongolian Hot Pot Restaurant. Now to quickly descript hot pot, it is a large heated pot usually split in half with a spicy broil and a non-spicy broil filled with veggies and herbs to give the added mixes more flavor. The Mongolian wait staff brought out sweet potatoes, fresh whole trout, lamb, beef, spinach leaves, quail eggs, fish balls (dough and fish rolled into a small potato-like shape), and meat balls. It was great food that guaranteed clear sinuses afterwards. At the end of the day I most definitely lost any credit I may have, especially after my statements in the previous paragraphs, by taking advantage of the sauna and infinity pool of the 5-star hotel we’ve been privileged to stay in as a relaxing end to the not-so-arduous work.

These are my reflections and events of the day. Sorry if the length deters you from your work too long, but I believe more detail is more interesting. Also, please keep the people of Myanmar (Burma), those hit by the cyclone, and the people of the Sichuan Province (those struck most drastically by the earthquake) in your prayers, both are still suffering greatly and a second earthquake is of great possibility the news says. Talk to you in the near future. I’m out.

Wed. May 21 (days in review)

2008-05-20T23:57:00.001-07:00

It’s Wednesday, May 20th and I apologize for not being able to blog for a couple days. We are fortunate enough to be staying in a 5-star Hotel within the city and for some odd and picky reason, the hotel doesn’t include internet access without paying an extra 100 RMB (~$14 US dollars). Therefore I have decided to continue my cavalier ways and only use the internet when on campus and when I have a quick breath of free time. I am glad to say that I have been able to continue journaling my experience while in Shanghai in a journal I have. Now I could probably use a couple pages to share with you all that has happened in the past couple days since I arrived in Shanghai (as it seems it has been weeks instead of days) but I will save you and your eyesight and will only quickly review the big details.
We came to Shanghai by taking “night train” that aides the 13 hour trip by means of a private room and bed to help the hours pass more quickly. We were greeted the next morning by our Fudan University counterparts, 12 students who we have partnered with in the program whom we have become close friends with. Our days have included;
- Extremely captivating and informative lectures about Chinese markets, history, economies and relations with the US from English speaking professors from the University; lectures of information I don’t ever remembering even hearing during any of my school pre-college.
- An afternoon of bargaining at a 4 story clothing market where you can get customized suits and shirts for only 450 RMB and 80 RMB after hard bargaining of course (that is $67 for a fine quality customized suit and $11 dollars for a fitted dress shirt of your choice of cloth, jealous?)
- A night walk along “the bend”, the river that separates East and West Shanghai and has a beautiful skyline view of the new and jaw dropping skyline filled with skyscrapers and lights. I wish I could do justice in describing this city’s downtown but words lack what could inform you the wonder this city is. If anything it is almost as if it is Times Square in NYC but larger, louder and more crowded.
- We’ve also taken Tai Chi and Kung Fu lessons early in the morning on a beautiful lawn with picture perfect weather gracing our not-so graceful imitations of the Hung Fu Master’s movements. Tai Chi (what you may see elderly Chinese do in movies or in Central Park in NYC, is as relaxing for the mind and body as you could imagine).

I am almost disgusted with myself as I feel I have not even come close to accurately describing what Shanghai has given us so far, yet I will leave any missing details for the stories when I return. Tonight the students and I are being taken to one of the more popular clubs in Shanghai to experience what many Chinese love and pride themselves of, karaoke. I have already made up in my mind that Michael Jackson, KC & JoJo, as well as Celine Dion hits such as the Titanic Song will be on my list of songs sung this evening. I do not know when my next available time to write on the blog will be will in Shanghai, but hopefully soon. If not in Shanghai, I’m hoping Shenyang and Hong Kong will offer better internet access than I have experienced here to more frequently add to the blog. Take care and I hope to write again soon.

May 16: Great Wall, Bargain Mart, and Peking Duck

2008-05-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

Friday, May 16, 2008
Today has been a great adventure. Leaving early from the hotel we traveled about an hour and fifteen minutes to reach one of the larger and nicer restored areas of the Great Wall of China. Simply enough it was a great and interesting experience hiking up parts of the Great Wall with large crowds to the tops of mountains where you would then be harassed kindly by local Chinese vendors who sold everything from t-shirts to Chairman Mao quote books. There were plenty of Chinese and other visitors from across the world there taking pictures and hiking areas of the wall that you almost had to walk on all fours in order to maintain your balance in such steep parts.
When returning to the city we encountered a smog/ haze unlike anything I’d seen before. Picture taking has been quite difficult if the object is more than 2 blocks away as the dusty haze overtakes any color and vigor this city could show off. We even drove by the acclaimed “Crows Nest” built for the opening ceremony of the Olympics this summer here in Beijing, but were unable to take any pictures that would give the amazing architecture any justice because of the haze and security keeping us at a safe distance. The air pollution is a problem less easily dealt with by the government compared to any trash found in or on the streets (as you would find in NYC or LA). After all this we then traveled through the heavy traffic (taxis, buses, bikes and pedestrians) to the most awesome dumpling restaurant ever. Beef, vegetable, carrot, pork, and shrimp dumplings dipped in the perfect amount of soy sauce made for a meal that will forever change my opinion of dumplings I had previously. From lunch we took off to Hongquiao Market (pronounced: Hung chow), an indoor four story mall that was all about bargaining. Each floor was crowded with loud and persistant Chinese women who call you “good friend” and demand kindly that you try their specific product. I was hit on, grabbed, poked, questioned, slapped (kind of gently but not really) and crowded so as to stay and bargain. Most often their prices, astronomical, would have to be combated with a price at almost a 80% discount to their initial offering. They would then frown at me and say “you no gud fren” “BUT, I wheel lowa my pwice 30 RMB jus fo you”. I made some friends and some enemies as I bargained hard to get just a few things for keeps. The act of bargaining and competing for the cheapest price possible became so addicting that it was more fun simply fighting for the price than actually having the product at the end. Andrew and I had our fun by trying different accents from different nationalities to see how the Chinese women would treat us. We found that being European, particularly British, often made you a less appealing customer than an American or Canadian. They often asked us, as part of the negotiating, if we had girlfriends, how much we would pay for this back home, why we were so mean with money, and if we would buy 3 instead of one for a discount. This experience has been a great one and I can’t wait to try it again in Shanghai.
The night finished with a dinner at a famous duck restaurant. This restaurant served amazing duck that was suggested to be eaten like a fajita. The duck “carvers” also cut off duck “fat back” that was quite delicious as well as the duck’s head (minus its bill) to be eaten. Tomorrow we will spend the day at Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and then a night train (with bunk beds) taking us to Shanghai.

May 15, First Full Day

2008-05-15T08:08:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 5:00 AM pretty much wide awake and ready to go. Looking outside my hotel window seeing Beijing for the first time in daylight I am amazed at the similarities it possesses along with NYC. There are high rises, giant ads on buildings, busy streets and visibly impoverished area among the wealthy businesses. Some differences include the buildings with Oriental architecture, the amount of people on bicycles and the rooftops of many building that are crowded with pigeon and chicken coops where extra cardboard and plastic material makeup shelter for some who must work in the building below them.
Breakfast was not what I expected. I suppose being in a 5-star hotel allows you the comfort of eating more American food than you would think but for kicks Brian and I (the first of the group up and going) tried a couple of new things, although he was a lot more bold than I. There were these almost black eggs with a brown gel around them (kind of like deviled egg yet not as appetizing for sure). I stuck to tomatoes with mozzarella, rice and noodles, tea, fruit, rice pudding and some beef stuff that was unusual to my usual appetite.
We visited two businesses today; china.org and Lenovo (a major computer manufacturer that is actually headquartered in Raleigh). Both meetings went well but were not the highlights of our day. We had extra time after the meetings to walk around the city and so we did to a number of interesting spots. Out of those spots we came across a busy street that had a row of food vendors much like what we would see at a festival or carnival in a large city. There was an array of food that emitted a larger array of strong smells that either fueled your appetite or quickly ruined it. Food offered included, crab legs, large squid, shrimp, dog liver, centipedes, fish, snake, crickets, beetles, vegetables, lamb, chicken, octopus, and other often strange foods skewered and ready to be dipped in boiling oil before purchasing. WELL, me and a couple buddies came across our personal favorite that seemed to grab even the Chinese’ attention: scorpion. We HAD to get some and had a couple of choices. Either we would get 3 small ones all on one skewer or one large one. We chose to get 2 skewers and split 6 ways, all of which we made a huge deal and attracted attention among the already busy sidewalk. I was able to video tape both skewer-eatings and am hoping to post these on youtube along with a link so that you might see. Anyways, after that we returned to the hotel and headed north to a “hotpot” restaurant called the Mongolian Hot Pot Restaurant. Very much like our American fondu, we each had our own pot filled with water on our own heater that was filled with meats, vegetables, tofu, seafood and such that came from the giant lazy susan in the middle of the table. Well of course we made this an entertaining meal as well. The shrimp placed on the table were still alive and were twitching vigorously in hopes of escaping the boiling water I suppose. Not only was this in itself enough fun watching (in a way FEPA would have been deeply frustrated by) but because they kept twitching they kept escaping our chopstick grips and would end up propelling themselves to other parts of the table outside of their boil and our hotpot. Fun stuff, pretty good food, Chinese food in China continues to prove itself fairly dissimilar to that which we know in the states.
Last but not least we decided to go to a bar/ restaurant outside of our hotel before calling it a night, it was only 8:40 yet we were finally starting to feel the effects of jet lag but only lightly. The bar/ restaurant required you to descend into a “cave” that passed you by fanciful but peculiar fish as well as the entertainer whom which we found extremely good at entertaining. He was a Chinese musician with long black hair who sat upon a small stool with his electric-acoustic guitar, nothing great yet. The exciting part was that he had a tv accompany his side on stage that was a picture of the Titanic, from the movie Titanic, paused in a specific spot so as to have it disappearing in to the sunset, to help the ambiance of course. Seeing 6 Americans walk in then spurred him to change from Chinese pop songs to American classics that he had put his own twist to. Songs such as “Hotel California” and the Police’s “Roxanne” were sung with numerous mispronunciations yet were made up for in his emotion while singing to a crowd of 6 in a lonely large bar. I’m done, lots of typing and I need to head to bed before going to the Great Wall of China tomorrow morning. Take care. PS, I have found that China’s government has blocked my viewing of my own blog yet I can still post. So if you wish to reply or comment on a blog you will have to e-mail me (brandont.holmes@gmail.com). Thanks, bye.

The Flight to Beijing

2008-05-14T07:41:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, May 13/ Wednesday, May 14

(I write this while listening to The Shins’ newest album “Wincing the Night Away”)

Today, amazingly enough I feel as if my China experience first began today still in the US while on the Washington DC Dulles Airport tarmac. For some peculiar and rather frustrating reason the airline gathered us all on the plane only to wait for 3 hours for mechanics and workers to fix the broken air conditioning unit and insufficient gas. I don't have an aviation license, but I can tell you that makes for an abundance of angry Chin-glish speaking passengers who sweat as if in the tropic summer climate of Hong Kong already. However, despite the tropical conditions and anxious 747 we did have entertainment; a 23 year old loud and comedic Canadian as well as a 4-year old Chinese boy. The Canadian, Francois, sang and danced a plethora of songs from Grease Lightening and Elton John classics (all at the top of his lungs) while the Chinese boy mimicked Godzilla around the aisles. Although I haven't experienced this Chinese luxury yet, I do imagine that my yet to come domestic travel experiences on planes, trains and automobiles will be quite similar; lacking air conditioning and crowded to the extreme brim.
On the plane I started reading the book "White Man's Burden" by William Easterly. He's an economic development professor from NYU who states the world's dire need for more assistance to be given to the majority of our population who suffer from a lack of food, sanitation, education and basic freedoms. I find it quite interesting because he explains how we Westerners often speak of the tragedies of this world as if it is out of our reach or that the only possible thing we could do is to give money. Yet our country is experiencing crises of our own that disable our ability to focus on other's issues as we too have equal troubles (sarcasm laid heavily). Anywho, along with the book I chose to read the latest edition of the Economist; a weekly academic magazine covering world news that I find quite interesting yet frequently beyond my intelligence. While reading the magazine the airplane flashes up computer graphics on a screen so as to show our route to China, we are actually flying through Canada towards Alaska and the North Pole so as to skip a longer route found by following the longitudinal lines. While seeing our slow but steady progress I quickly come to realize that I will skip out on my “night”, not because I will stay up for the hours I would usually be sleeping rather I will not see nighttime as our plane is flying away from its natural turning and I will cross the Pacific Line that constitutes the next day, hence I will not see night time for 48 hours.
When we finally arrived in China we had been on the plane 18 hours and I was just then becoming nauseated by the microwave prepared plane meals. The airport was amazingly nice and there are Chinese workers everywhere; guides on the tram, workers to help with luggage, stewards to guide you to where you need to be. Although the city was overcast and we had hardly slept, it was 8 pm and we needed food. We walked to a “hot pot” restaurant and our guide ordered our two large tables about 8 different plates that gave us plenty at a cheap total price of 25 US dollars (about 175 yuan). That is my first day. The blogs probably won’t usually be this long. I’m heading to bed now. Goodnight.

Last day in the States

2008-05-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning with a note from Mom awaiting me at the bedroom door. Over 9,000 Chinese are reported dead after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the Sichuan Province (south central China). Soon after reading the note and wiping the sleep from my eyes I check the internet to see exact figures and details. Over 80% of the buildings in Chongqing (one of China's largest cities) had collapsed including a chemical plant that spilled more than 80 tons of toxic liquid ammonia that I'm sure will only add to the death toll and China's ever increasing pollution issues. Although deeply saddened to hear the devastation of the natural disaster, I'm without much emotion myself, the thought of being in China has yet to hit me and I'm about 17 hours away from entering its borders. I keep expecting something like "Christmas Eve jitters" to affect my body's adrenaline soon but I'm not sure it will until I hear foriegn phrases directed towards me from the intercom in Beijing's airport terminal. I've gotten most everything and and laid on my bed waiting to be strategically placed in to the suitcase so as to meet the more stringent airline requirements.

I'm not sure what else to mention before I take off on my biggest journey in life thus far. However I do want to express my preconceived thoughts and expectations so I can judge them upon my arrival back home:

I will learn how to sweat unlike the humid summers of the South have ever taught me how to before
Hospitality (that comes from being a foreigner and an American) will hopefully be a frequent feeling of comfort that will ease any homesickness from the States
Putting Sugar in my hot tea will rarely satisfy my craving for Woodland's Tea (backcountry restaurant in Boone)
I've heard the Chinese value friendship and relationships as highly as anything else; I can't wait to test that tale and establish life long friends in China
The cities and business culture will have a strikingly similar appearance to that which we find here in the US
I don't even know what to expect food wise, I just know I'm taking many a Pepto-Bismal tablets so that I can try it all
I'm expecting beautiful countrysides that have yet to be disturbed by the busyness of the giant metropolises
I'm hoping for great stories and deep reflections of my own character; I want to find out what spirituality means to the Chinese and what they value most in life. I want to understand if the struggles of the Chinese are that what we see in America and how people deal with those struggles. I want to be able to see life from another people's view.
I feel that you can understand a culture and its people quite readily by its youth; who they look up to, what they buy, who they admire and what they do with their free time. So I'll be interested to see the life of the Chinese students I come across, pick their brains as to their thoughts, opinions, and aspirations.

I hope this suffices for my first blog and that you continue to read in the future. Most all the time I like to write with some specific music playing in the background that I feel captures my current mood, I'll share who I'm listening to at the beginning of the blogs to come so that maybe you can listen to it as well (check out http://www.imeem.com/ to hear the songs, its free and easy to sign-up and they have yet to hassel me with ads and spam). I'm currently listening to a group called Radiohead, their album "In Rainbows". ALSO, please feel free to e-mail me or respond to the blogs, that would be much appreciated. Many blessings, as Paul would say, "grace and peace". Signing out, b.