First Week, Ganbei, and Zhenjiang
Ni hao!

I am now sitting in my room listening to "Let it be" from the movie Across the Universe.  Of course, many of you that are reading know it is a famous Beattles song, but I particularly like this one from the movie.  The words kind of help me to survive China in a way.  There are so many great things but at the same time it has been very difficult adjusting.  For those that are reading Tabatha's blog, her entry 'Americans' kind of explains why. 

This first week has been very dynamic as far as what we have been doing.  It has been slightly frustrating, confusing, busy, stressful, and painstaking here at the mill.  It is very structured which is not me at all.  However, at the same time it has been very interesting to see the cultural differences as compared to the States.  I sometimes can't believe the things I see - the state of living here - how cheap or how expensive some things are.  It really shocks me some of the things I am seeing here and sometimes I wonder what I could do to help?  Maybe I will find a way before I leave!

To start though, for the most part - the first few days here at jin dong (Gold East) they didn't really have us doing a lot.  It was almost as if they did not trust us.  For example: We were supposed to be taking samples from all over the mill, collecting flow data, doing Ash tests, and other things of the like.  It was not very fun for the first two days though because someone else took the samples, we took them to the lab, and a chinese lab technician guy ran our tests.  Finally Tab, being the inpatient one of our duo almost snapped on the little chinese guy that isn't much bigger than she is (the chinese are very small people!) and basically told him that we could do the tests and that we were fine.  He didn't really ask too many questions after that and I think he thought it best he stay out of Tab's way.  I just kind of stood behind her and looked intimidating :-[ grrr! 

After those first days of talking with Mr. Wang about us being slightly dissatisfied with our projects and such things got better and he gave us something that will be impossible for us to do but at the same time rather cool!  We are supposed to trace out the entire mill and make a giant flow sheet.  Honestly it is more busy work it seems but it is also very exciting because this is one of the newest paper machines in the world and because of it, all of the technology and equiptment has a capacity that I have never seen before.  One of the three machines here produces 4 times the amount of paper the mill I worked at last summer produced (and they had two machines!)

On a different note, Tab and I have finally gotten the hang of catching the buses.  It took as all week and we now have private escorts to take us to and from the buses.  They must really thing Mei Guo's (Americans) are stupid because our boss meets us every day at 4 and gets of the bus with us and he hops off at his office.  I can't help it though - the drivers are crazy, and the bus schedule is even crazier.  Tab was so made the other day I think she almost was crying because we got on the wrong bus and almost ended up in Zhenjiang an hour away but luckly, me being awesome with directions got off the bus.  Ok - not really, a chinese guy that gave us a tour earlier in the week was like 'What are you doing on this bus???' That clue given, we got off and walked the 10 mins back to our dorms!

We also have finally figured out about the nightlife here - well at jin dong it doesn't really exist.  They have a gym with 3 badmitton courts and a few ping pong tables.  We watched them play badmitton one night and it was pretty crazy - it is sooo serious.  They will never let Tab and I play with them in a serious game, granted I am kind of afraid to - they smack the crap out of the little birdie thing.  I have honestly never seen people more exhausted after any sport (far less badmitton).  Its pretty crazy.  When I got bored of watching all of the workers playing I decided to try my hand a ping pong - I am pretty good here in the states but its like the chinese national sport so I got my butt handed to me on a platter.  It was bad - he beat me like 21-3.  Most of the chinese people there said he wasn't even that good (lol).  Made me feel even better about my Ping Pong abilities!

Another aspect of nightlife deals more with the business side of things.  We were supposed to go out with about 4 guys to a BBQ restaraunt (or at least what they call BBQ) for dinner Friday night.  When we were waiting for our car one of my bosses Mr. Chu, a very pronounced man, invited us to dinner with him to join his party instead - I get this feeling when I am around him that he is very likable and well respected.  Naturally, the rest of our party decided to join considering he would be covering the bill and it was a much nicer place to eat.  When we arrived I felt like I had just made a huge mistake.  I read earlier that day in my chinse Travel-Wise book that Kirk gave me -- "When out to dinner or attending company parties or business dinners - especially if men are in the majority - the Chinese consume large quantities of beer and alcohol".  I knew I was in trouble quickly because as the foreigner everyone wanted to toast to me and ganbei or bottoms up.  My boss actually came up and had the table I was sitting at (about 10 people) all toast to me in a row (one by one).  Considering the fact that I don't care for alcohol that much that often and far less beer,  I drank much more than I wanted to and hope I do not have to do that again the rest of the time I am here.  Especially considering the part that complicates it where I have to work on Saturday's after they go out - not fun - but oh well - I guess its a part of the culture here and you should experience it at least once?  What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger!

Today Tab and I took the company bus with Steve into Zhenjiang (pronounced Gin-Johng).  It was so exciting.  We walked around for a while and Steve was just showing us around so that we would know where to go next time we came into the city.  I am glad he has been coming with us.  Tab and I both spent too much money today though! We shopped around a little in a big mall type store and then we took these 3-wheel bicycle taxis up the road to these underground market type places.  Tab and Steve took one and I took another one.  My driver kept saying - Mei Guo tai da which translates "American too big".  I don't think he knew I understood yi dian dian "a little" chinese.  When we left I told him goodbye from the big american and he got this stunned look on his face because I knew what he was saying.  The Chinese can be so funny sometimes - granted I am the largest person any of them have ever seen before more than likely. 

Once we got out of the taxi's we went into a department store first.  There was one that had a "Fresh Market" and let me tell you - it was fresh - I mean, as in not dead yet.  Tab and I first noticed when one of the Fish almost jumped out of its tank.  It was a big sucker too!  We took pictures of these tanks and people around them - it was obvious we were foreigners as we were taking pictures inside a grocery store but we wanted to have this to show people b/c it was CRAZY!  I then looked to the left and there were these giant frogs about the size of a grapefruit.  They kind of freaked Tab out a little and then we saw the turtles!  One was trying to make its escape, real ugly one - he didn't make it out of his tank, but he did make it into a different tank where the turtles where half the price.  One lucky customer will be having high class turtle tonight for half the price! 

After we got done with this amazing adventure - we walked around a little bit and then Steve took us into this back alley and into a movie shop.  We have made a few friends over here Vivian and Olga who are Taiwanese and Russian respectively.  They are about 27 years old or so and we have been hanging out with them.  They told us to ask steve to take us to this movie shop we went to - Anyways, Tab and I each got close to 40 DVD's each for about 265 yuan which is about 38 bucks.  It was crazy!!!  We think we got a steal of a deal :)  They quality isn't like amazing but it isn't bad either.  Vivian let us borrow some of here movies so we had been watching them before we bought all of these.  I think Tab and I will miss Vivian and Olga as they are going to Germany on a business trip for a few weeks!  Hopefully they will get back soon and we will have some people to talk to again as they speak decent English.  They are also very patient in helping us learn chinese! :-D

Anyways, I think Tab and I are about to watch a movie.  I need to make sure she is ok though - she just got back from the hospital which I hear consists of a rusty stool and some cotton swabs.  She kind of cut the end of her finger off at dinner with a fruit pealer!  I think she will be ok though - I don't believe she had to get stiches! 

Until next time - Zai Jian


Posted by rwpridge ( May 25 2008, 07:12:34 AM GMT+08:00 ) Permalink Comments [2]