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Editor's
Note:
I
have a big family tree to trace up here. I love this place so
much that I may have some (maybe a lot) predilection for it. I
boast to everyone how beautiful my province is but Shannon says
Xiangjiang is not clean. I am very upset with this so I put
everything she wrote on the web, even including her misspellings, as
a retaliation. I keep the password to our web site. I am sure
she will know how to please me next time, she learns quickly, hahahaha!
-Maosi Yan |
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CLUELESS IN ZUNYI
Zunyi, that little dot just to the north of Guiyang. It may be small for comparison in China but it is a very comfortable city. It is comprised of two parts, the old city and the new city. The old city is being refurbished so I tend to think that it looks newer then the new city. The old city is located on one side of the Xiang Jiang river. The Xiang Jiang river is not very clean but that does not stop many Chinese people from swimming in it daily in the summer. If swimming in the Xiang Jiang river is not your idea of fun there are many wonderful pools here in the city you may swim in during the summer. In Zunyi park there is a water park with several water slides and a wave pool. In the park there is also an amusement park and a zoo. The zoo is fairly nice. They keep it rather clean and there is a nice petting area for 1 Yuan.
If you are a shop-a-holic you can shop in the department stores here in the city or wait until evening and shop in the night market. You can buy anything from ear scoopers (little metal spoons they use to clean their ears) to the latest/ and not so latests fashions. The night market is mostly clothing and personal needs though. If you are a music buff you might want to bring your favorite CD's. The western music sceene is not very vast here in Zunyi. You can find the basic bubble-gum music that you hear on top 40 stations in the states but not much more then that. If you go to Guiyang though you can find a little larger selection but not much larger.
Don't worry about missing the latest movie releases back home. You can own or rent the latest movies as soon as they are released in the theater and sometimes even before they are released in the theater in the states. I was able to see Pear Harbor just 3 days after it came out in the movie theater back home. Don't pack your VHS movies or player though. VCD is the medium of choice for movies. VCD is like DVD but a lower quality. You can purchase movies for around 10 Yuan each. You can rent them for 3 days for 1 Yuan each. I have seen more movies here in China in one year then I have in the past 10 years. Chinese TV is just that Chinese TV. You can get the news in English on CCTV - 4 at 6:30 am, 7 pm and 10 pm but the quality of news is very fluffy and not very informative. I have been relying on the internet for my contact with the outside world.
Travel with in Zunyi is very easy. There are so many mini busses that you never have to wait more then 10 minutes for a bus going to the location you want. Sometimes though it is hard to understand what the conductors are saying so you can get a bit side tracked but for 5 Jiao if you have to take 2 busses to get where you want to you will still have some jingle in your pocket. The train station has trains that leave for Guiyang often but you can also easily get a bus to Guiyang. It is only 2 hours away and a nice escape from the small town every once in a while. Personally I find Guiyang a bit dirty and crowded but I am more of a country girl anyway.
FOOD!!!!!! You can get loads of great food here in Zunyi but you better be able to handle some chilli pepper. They really like their peppers here. You can ask for them to leave the chilli out but after time you grow to enjoy (slightly) the numb sensation you get when your mouth is on fire from chillis. In the supermarket you can find several western items. A few things you can not though are coffee (instant only), deodorant, doritos, meat and vegitables (you must go to the market to buy these). After being here so long I really don't miss any of the junk we eat for food back in America. I am certainly much healthier for living here in China. There are a few western style restaurants here, NFC (a KFC ripoff) and Dicos ( somewhere between McD's and KFC ) so when you are in need of a greasy fix you can hook yourself up.
The people here are very diverse. You will see typical Chinese people here as well as affluent Chinese people. You will experience many people of Chinese minorities here in the city selling their goods. I have also seen in this city a larger population of beggars but now that the warm weather is leaving so are they. The handicapped people in China are not taken care of as they are in western societies. You will see people with legs that don't work but are tied to their body or twisted in the wrong direction so they will be out of the way of getting around. You also see young children out selling news papers daily instead of in school. These sights can really pull at your heart. Even with all this I have not seen many people like those we would see in the streets of America. There are not many people who are off their rocker and walking the streets. I am not sure where they are because I am sure they exist. I have seen a few and they are harmless though. Mostly though the Chinese are more fascinated with you then you are with them and many days you wish you could just blend in to the wood work. I have grown to really appreciate the difficulties that famous people have in getting around. There have been times that I have not been able to move because of the crowd that gathers while you are trying to purchase things. Again, all of these people are harmless. I must keep reminding myself of how strange it must be to be in such a homogenous society and have someone come in who looks very different from them. I remember one time a Chinese friend of mine asked me if he would be gawked at in America as I am here. He was floored when I said NO because we have soo many Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, English, Jamaican, Mexican, etc. living in America. It is his shock that keeps me from making snide remarks to people who have no problem speaking about you in Chinese right in front of you as though there is no way on earth you could understand or even find this offensive if you do understand. I will say there are days I love it when it rains and I can hide under my umbrella. Most days though I just smile and reply "Ni hao" to all the "hellooooooooo's" I hear walking down the street. If you have a problem here in China the Chinese people will go out of their way to really try to help you. I will say their kindness is their most endearing quality.
So clueless?? well I am clueless anywhere but I really like being clueless here in Zunyi. The weather is great, food good and people are kind. What more could you ask for? Well..............................but do you really NEED it.
-shannon
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GUIDANCE
The culture in China is very different, and teachers and students are
very affectionate towards one another. Often students will hug and kiss you and say that they love you. Teachers here feel free to return the affection. Older students often ask for advice and invite me to visit their homes and meet their families. The students are very curious, enthusiastic, and hard working.
Chinese students are taught to memorize and repeat, so something like
writing poetry is very difficult for them. They are not used to having so much creative liberty to think and write as they pleased. I found that having activities that let them move around and interact with other students worked best.
Since the older students are used to reading and writing English, but not speaking, having
them write plays and act them out in front of the class really helps.
If you are considering coming to China, make sure you go through a legitimate
organization that has been established for a few years. Also make sure you know who is in
charge. This way if there is a problem are are sure who to address. Also, find out about your housing. Try to talk to people who have already been there. Do as much investigation as possible. Remember to be prepared for anything. You might not
necessarily know your schedule and it could change without notice. At my old school I would often find out of changes just minutes before they would happen. Never expect that they will give you lots of lead time. It's important to be flexible. If you want
something, complaining does no good. Don't make another person look bad
because you will never get what you want. Saving face is very important
in China. Go slowly, be patient, smile and operate within cultural norms.
Most of all SLOW DOWN and enjoy the scenery, people and food. Life that is slow paced can be very rewarding.
-Shannon |
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