I was fortunate to win not only the Gilman Scholarship but the Go! scholarship for my summer 2015 study abroad. I am so appreciative of all the support I received from both organizations as well as my university staff to help make everything happen for me. However, when I finally got home I felt empty and depressed about leaving China. I wanted so badly to continue my adventures because not only did I feel I hadn't gotten to see everything China had to offer but I had made some deep connections with new friends that I didn't want to end. About a month after return I chose to spend my left over scholarship money on another ticket to China, but this time for a winter vacation!
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| We went to Tanzhe Temple, Beijing one day. |
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| Since all my friends and I are all college students this was the ideal place to have prayer requests and have incense burned for good studying and grades. Tanzhe temple is the oldest temple complex in the Beijing area. It was exciting because we actually got to talk to real Buddhist Monks while we were there. The temple complex is a sprawling multi-layered location with lots of viewing areas and lots of ancient history to discover and explore. |
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| Over looking the Tanzhe Temple was another temple, it was said to be the location the architect for the Forbidden City told the Emperor where the city should be. |
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| Here is the monk/architect who decided the Forbidden City location |
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| And from the top of the mountain where the statue stands you can just barely see the Forbidden City and Beijing through the heavy pollution |
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| One night we went to the Solana mall in Beijing to enjoy the "Festival of Lights" |
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| The Forbidden City as viewed from Jingshan Park |
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| The pollution was exceptionally high this day as you can clearly see behind us, we only took our breathing masks off just to take this picture. |
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| An artist rendition of a Transformer at the 798 Art District |
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| A giant concrete shark hanging next to the street in the 798 Art area |
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| Some art was on display outside of the buildings at the 798, this was a 3 dimensional train coming out of the building |
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| But, then when you can finally draw your eyes away from the mini Terra Cotta warriors and rotate 180 degrees you come face to face with REAL Terra Cotta Warriors! (at the Chinese National Museum) Magnificent!!! |
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| Chang knows how to spoil me...a hidden passion of mine is also being a numismatist! The Chinese National Museum had a special display while I was their this trip consisting of ancient coins, I was in heaven! |
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Hot pot adventures, can you guess what that is she's about to add to the pot?
Its duck intestines! Not bad tasting but a bit chewy |
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| The adventures of eating in China! I have learned (through a lot of trial and error) that you need to bite just hard enough to sink your teeth into the fish enough to get a good hold and then slide the meat off in the direction of the bones. This may seem logical but if you are not used to it, it can be a bit tricky. But, if you do it right you can enjoy the fish bone free! |
The meal pictured above was quite delicious however, even my Chinese friends became a little unnerved after watching these fish move around without their heads for about 20 minutes. I finally moved the bowl off of the table so they could all relax and then began to film. The good news is we know the food was fresh!
Many of the meals I enjoyed during my winter trip were done hotpot style. I only had the pleasure of eating this way once over the summer but this trip nearly every meal was cooked this way. Even though my friends never said it I believe it is because it was so cold not only at night but during the day and this was a wonderful way to relax and get warm.
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| An evening stroll (in freezing weather) along the promenade at the Olympic Stadium, Beijing |
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While on our promenade stroll we saw lots of entertaining people. But the funnest (I thought) were these women who were jump roping. They even had a routine they would do and were showing the crowd how to do different moves. Considering I have the dance coordination of Elaine from the tv show "Seinfeld" jumping rope like these women was simply out of the question, but they were enjoyable to watch none the less. Also it was freaking freezing I don't know how they were staying warm enough to move...yes I know they are jumping rope but it was absolutely freezing!
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| Chinese museum of Science and Technology, Beijing |
One day we went to the Science and Technology museum in Beijing which is very near the Olympic "Birds nest" Stadium. Amongst many things we got to see were real dinosaur bones! This was a first for me and a huge highlight of my trip! Unfortunately, they only had a few dinosaurs I was told I would have to travel south close to where my friends hometown was to see a larger dinosaur display...that will be on the next trip for sure! Another highlight of the museum was the IMAX theater. It was a 4D theater (or so I was told). It was a very unique screen in that it was actually the underneath side of the entire dome of the theater. I tried to get a picture of it but it was just too big for my phone to take a logical angle of. Something I found interesting was going to a movie in China about America, another experience I would strongly suggest. Its interesting to see how other cultures view us and how we are portrayed in their films.
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| I got to attend a real Chinese opera! |
Another must for anyone in China is going to the opera, I have to say just like in the US some shows are worth seeing and others are not. I am glad that I attended one and can see how with a bit more flare it could probably be pretty entertaining...unfortunately this particular opera was seriously lacking on all flare. But, I am still glad I got to attend. Just be aware that not all Chinese operas are made equal.
I have had a lot of people ask me how I manage to do so well in China while barely speaking the language. Am I uncomfortable with the language barrier? Sure a bit, it can be a little frustrating if I let it bother me. But, I have learned to adapt. I have Google translate on my phone which has gotten me out of a number of uncomfortable situations. And I have learned to be creative. The next two picture show one of my coping methods.
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| Part of the menu at Mann coffee |
If a restaurant, or in this case a coffee shop, has a menu with both English and Mandarin I will take a picture (if I cant get close enough to the menu to point) and then enlarge the picture then pointing to what I want. This technique has gotten me a LOT of coffee and noodle bowls in China.
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| Enlarged image of the above menu so I can point to something specific to buy |
Of course now I am in Mandarin language class at my state side university...and I can muddle my way through simple phrases and introductions which will help in future visits to China. I am also becoming more confident with character identification too.
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I promised one of my Chinese friends last time I was in China that I would eat this. What you are looking at is half of a fish head, brains and in the chopsticks an eyeball. all of which I ate (except for the bones but I made sure to thoroughly suck on those to get all the awesome flavor out of it). It is a common belief in China that one needs to consume a fish's brain and eyes to become smarter. One of my professors over the summer was obsessive about eating fish eyes and brains at any meal he could (and coincidentally [or not]) he is one of the smartest people I have ever met.
So, not only did I make a promise to my friend that I would eat this I figured because I am writing my Senior Thesis this quarter it couldn't hurt. Just so you know...the eye was a bit chewy, but overall not bad I will definitely eat this again. |
I knew that when I first went to China I would have to step outside of my comfort zone on more than one occasion. That's part of traveling abroad...experiencing things outside of your realm. Eating Chinese cuisine was challenging at first, but became easier when I didn't allow myself to set the same mental boundaries I had been raised to think food should have. East Asian food is MUCH different than American/European food. To truly understand a culture though you have to break past those restrictive thoughts and eat what and how the locals eat. Once you get past the mental aspects it is much easier to settle into a comfortable meal with friends and what you are eating becomes unimportant.
Now that my second journey to China is over and I am comfortably sitting at my kitchen table writing this entry I have to say I rather miss the unique flavors I had in China. I actually find the food I eat in the US now...boring. Maybe its the entertainment factor of "what AM I eating?" or the challenge of using chopsticks but dining in China I find much more enjoyable!
My second trip to China only lasted one week, (in my opinion) it was way to short of a time to be in a foreign country. But, it did temporarily satisfy my desires for Chinese cuisine, my friends company and Chinese culture for a few months. I am already thinking of when I will be able to return. I graduate in June 2016 and will be looking for an "adult" job finally. I am really hoping that I will find a job where I either travel to China on a regular basis or get to live there permanently. I am currently looking for jobs that will allow this sort of freedom and I am doing everything in my power to make my resume as appealing for a job that would provide this sort of life for me. I honestly think this is going to be the only way I will be able to deal with my desire to enjoy China at all the levels I wish to know it.
LOCATIONS VISITED
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