Chinese BBQ

I had my first taste of Chinese BBQ a couple weeks ago. It was really quite the experience. The school I teach at is just outside the downtown part of Weifang and there are no street lights or building lights on the way to my school. Because of this, the buses stop running at about 6:30pm because it starts to get dark and no one really goes out. So I basically have no idea what the night life is like here. I was telling this to my boss, Mr. Sun (his english name is James), and he said he'd show me some of the night life of Weifang. We went out and met some of his friends (two of the three friends could speak some english).

We had dinner at a restaurant I call "The Hot Pot". For those of you who are familiar with "The Melting Pot" it is very similiar to that. They have a pot full of boiling broth or something, and they bring you your food raw. The food consisted of different kinds of seaweed (supposedly really healthy for you), cabbage, carrets, spinach, raw lamb, beef, mutton's blood (yep, I tried it...umm I don't think I was much of a fan), prawn, shrimp, and some other kinds of veggies. It was fun. About 3/4 of the way through the meal, they told me to save room for the second meal. ???? What? There is more?!? You see, the food is not just portion size, they give you the whole buffet table! James was serious! BBQ was next...well, actually, we went to an arcade and played games for an hour or so and then went for BBQ.

The pictures are of us having BBQ. They have tables and stools set up on the sidewalk. You sit down and then tell them what you want to eat. (James and his friends did all the ordering since I don't know what anyone was talking about. lol) All of the food is put on skewers and cooked over hot coals outside. We had pork, garlic (they really like garlic here!), bread, and something else. It was really good! This is where they also do the social drinking. Did I mention that they really like beer here? Well they do. Qingdao is really famous for its beer. They have a beerfest in August every year which I'm told is something to go to if you like beer. But the beer here is very diluted compared to what is found in the US...at least that's what I hear. Anyways, when you come to China, you have to try the BBQ. You'll love it!

I'm a slacker....

Hey all, I'm am quite a slacker, I know....sorry. I was trying to download pictures about my trip to Inner Mongolia last week, but the pictures weren't downloading and it kept shutting down my computer. I finally got them on my computer, but then I left for Qingdao for the weekend and didn't get my blog updated. I'm working on that now....and I'll try to be better at updating it.

You may have all heard about the earthquake in China. In case you were wondering, it wasn't where I live and I didn't feel a thing (of course, I happened to be taking a nap at the time. I was really tired and could have slept through the whole thing! haha). It has been all over the news this afternoon (a whole day after it happened..yeah, they are a little slow in responding here). It is really sad! It makes my heart hurt to see and hear of so many people killed and injured! especially children...more so since most families can only have one child. It is really sad. My boss, Mr. Sun, said that according to local fortune tellers (it would be interesting to hear what they say) the years ending in 8 are years where a lot of disasters will happen for China. It is barely May, and already there have been quite a few disasters...earthquakes...train crashes...snow...diseases...I arrived in China...etc. This poor country!

Mexican Food!

Mexican Food!!! Well, at least Chinese Mexican food. We found a Mexican Restaurant in Qingdao a few weekends ago. I ordered a burrito, rice and fruit salad. As you can see, the burrito was about the closest thing to Mexican they had. It was definitely Chinese Mexican. I sure miss Su Casa food! As I ate, I tried to pretend it was real Mexican....or at least American Mexican. It lasted for about a second...then I heard the Chinese in the background and was brought back to reality. haha. I'm soo having Mexican food when I get back to the USA! Don't get me wrong, I love Chinese food. But it is so nice to live in the USA where you can choose what type of food you want to eat. You can have Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, American, etc. Here, you have to go to the bigger cities to have something other than Chinese. I found, I'm very much a variety girl. I like to have lots of choices...especially when it comes to food!

Hospital vs Pharmacy

Can I just say, it sucks being sick? In a foreign country none-the-less. I already mentioned that you can't buy medicine at the supermarket (which is a little wierd for me), you have to go to the hospital, or (as I just found out yesterday) you have to go to a pharmacy store. So here's my adventures this past week. On Monday (after being sick all weekend), Herry, one of my students and my translater, went with me to get some medicine (I was hoping it would be to a drug store or something). Nope. It was to the hospital. There is a small hospital (or clinic I would call it) just off campus. We walk over there (in the rain) and go inside. All I see is a long empty corridor. Herry starts opening the doors to rooms as we pass looking for the doctor (there is no receptionist or anything). We find someone who shows us which room the doctor is in. We go in and there are 3 people in white coats (I'm not sure which one is the doctor and which ones are nurses) and 2 other students. I sit in a chair and they give me a thermometer to take my temperature (it goes under the armpit in case you were wondering and don't ask how I found that out). I sat there for 15 mins and the nurses/doctor talked to Herry about me and where I am from (I've learned how to say America in Chinese)...it was all in Chinese so I got nothing out of the conversation. Anyways, the doctor says my temperature is normal. And asks what's wrong ('cause I apparently don't look sick). I tell her my throat is sore, my ears are plugged, and I have a cough (I'm just looking for some cold medicine here!). She then writes down a prescription on a piece of paper and hands it to me. (By the way, she has been sitting at her desk the whole time). That's it...no 'stick-out-your-tongue and say aahhh', no earcheck, no sinus check....just 'tell-me-what's-wrong-and-I'll-give-you-some-medicine'. I take the paper around the corner and they give me the medicine. It cost me a total of 7.5 RMB (~$1). I've got three different kinds of medicine enough to last me 5 days.

Well, I wasn't getting any better, I was losing my voice and now had an eye infection. So I decided to go to the hospital again. On Thursday, I called 2 of my students to see if they would go with me to get some medicine 'cause I wasn't doing any better. Blanche & Grace went with me. They knew of a place in town that was better than the hospital. I figured why not? Anything has to be better then the hospital. We went to a drug store (yep, they do have them in Weifang). We talked...or they talked actually....to the pharmacist or drug person and told them what was wrong. The pharmacist recommended eyedrops and cold medicine...and....it is finally working! At least I'm feeling better today. Hopefully tomorrow will be even better. Moral of the story: When in China, visit the drug store rather than the hospital.

Alcohol, Tobacco, & Drugs

It has been cold, rainy, and gloomy all weekend....and I'm sick. Yuck! I know this shouldn't surprise me (being in China and all), but still... You go to the campus market and they sell alcohol, they sell tobacco, but do they sell drugs? NO! I'm feeling lousy and all I want is some cold medicine, but can I find it anywhere? Nope! Aaauuuggghhh! I just want some drugs to knock me out! ha. Welcome to China. You could be a kid and buy alcohol and tobacco (there's no age limit), but can an adult buy medicine at the store?! Nope! (sigh) I finally talked to James (he's my boss) this morning and he said he'll go with me this afternoon to a place where I can find some medicine. Until then, I've got a runny nose, clogged ears, sore throat, and infected eyes....ugghh! and I have to teach my classes this morning! I hate being sick! Oh and to top it all off, this weekend is the International Kite Festival, but we won't be going anymore because it is all muddy and it is too rainy for the kites to fly. Go figure! haha...that's life for ya.

Chinese baby & Squid-on-a-stick!

Here is a picture of a really cute Chinese baby I saw on the bus! The babies here are sooo cute and chubby! I don't think I've seen a skinny one yet (or if they are skinny, they are so bundled up that they look chubby!)! haha! It's funny how many layers of clothes little kids have on! Well, except for the bottom....but that's another story in and of itself.

Anybody interested in squid-on-a-stick?!? Yep! They sell it here just like that. If you want one, they will fry it up for you (the picture is of the unfried kind). I'm going to have to buy one just so I can take a picture to show you! haha! (I'm still debating whether I will actually eat it or not! The more I think about it and the longer I look at the picture, I'm leaning more towards NOT trying it. We'll see.) The first time I saw someone eating one of the streets, I had to do a triple take. I just couldn't believe it! Yuck! But some people really like it. In case you were wondering, they do sell normal food on the street as well. Pineapple is in season and boy is it good!! Let me know if you want me to bring home some squid-on-a-stick for you....:)

Taishan

This last weekend (5 April), I went with a bunch of friends and climbed Taishan (Mt. Tai). Did I mention, that when you climb a mountain here in China, it's not really climbing....more stair-stepping? Don't believe me?....Just look at the pictures. I'm told there are over 6,600 steps from the bottom of Taishan to the top...and I don't doubt it! I had to keep reminding myself that for every step, I had to be losing a pound! I'm sure I lost 30 lbs by the time I got to the top! haha. I don't think it happened, but at least it got me to the top! There were 9 people in the group I went with. All English speaking people! I know, hard to believe but true...they came from 5 different cities and we met up at Taishan. In case you were wondering, I met them all at church. Most of them are teaching English here. It was soooo much fun!!! I loved climbing the Mountain! I miss the mountains in Utah!
One of my students is from Tai'an (the city at the base of Taishan) and I think I will come back with her and climb the mountain when it is greener and warmer!

The first picture is of us on the train to Taishan (it was a 4 hour train ride). Jennifer, Amber and I shared a compartment with 4 other Chinese people (2 of which spoke some English). The second pic is a photograph of a map of the mountain. Just follow the yellow flags from the bottom to the top...you can try to read it, but it's all in Chinese...that's the trail to the top. The next 2 pics are actual pics taken of the mountain...as you can see, all the trees are bare and it was really cloudy so you couldn't see the trail very well. I'm in one picture with Kip (a teacher in Qingdao) and Ajay (a medical student from India). The last is a picture I took from the internet to give you an idea of what the trail to the top actually looks like. Yep! It is straight up the mountain!! Nothing like the trails back home. haha.

Mount Tai is one of the "Five Sacred Mountains of Taoism" and is said to be the most popular of the five. Its history dates back some 3,000 years. It is a very sacred temple and many people hike it for religious purposes. There are some 22 Temples along the way with many ancient writings that date back hundreds of years. As you climb, there are gates (or arches) that signify the walk to Heaven. You start at the First Gate to Heaven and walk about 3 miles to the Middle Gate of Heaven. From there, it is a climb of 2 miles and an elevation rise of about 4,500 ft (yeah, its steep!) to Heaven (or the top). I've decided climbing the stairs isn't really that bad, you've just got to pace yourself and rest... It was soooo much FUN!! (I've got to figure out how to do photoblog or something so you can see all the pics I have...if not, i'll just have to show you when I get back!).