The Trade So this weekend was good - I have made a trade today with my friend Ben. 

He has asked me to teach him to play guitar.  I have asked him to teach me Chinese.

We meet every night for 2-3 hours!  I am excited!! I have learned so much already!  Maybe I will be fluent when I leave (okay, doubt it but its worth a shot)
Posted by rwpridge ( Jul 15 2008, 08:45:11 AM GMT+08:00 ) Permalink Comments [2]

My Advid readers are probably shocked! (2 entries in 3 days)
If you cannot tell, I am not one that particularly cares for writting my thoughts down.  There is a lot that can be gained from keeping a journal or blogging but I typically find myself too busy to sit down and do it.  It just takes so long to write about what has been going on.  I have a free minute or two though so I will clue everyone in a bit more!

Last night Tabatha and I went into Zhenjiang with Olga to eat at Tumen.  It was our weekly trip to get some good home cooked food.  The food was delicious as always!  We had "cha shoe goo" phonetically that is which is a form of sauted tree mushrooms, corn on the cob, chicken wings, mashed potatoes, and of course rice.  I must say it was not very good for my diet though.  It is difficult to lose weight on home cooked food.  I suppose I made up for it though because I walked close to 10 miles.

I have recently decided that in an effort to be more healthy as well as to gain more of an understanding as to how the local Chinese people live, that I will walk almost everywhere I go.  The mill provides a bus, but 3 times per day I walk to work which is about 2 miles.  The miles add up quickly as you can see.  The Chinese eat so much food here when they go out or if they eat as a family, but they walk and bike everywhere so they do not gain weight.  It is a very healthy lifestyle in that respect. 

Today was one of the more exciting days since I have been here.  Not so much because of what I did but more because of who I was with.  Some new friends I have made in the Research and Development department invited me to go to Zhenjiang and sing Karoke with them.  I was very apprehensive because I did not really know them nor was their English very good. When we talk in the office we use Yahoo's Babelfish translator.  I ultimately decided to go though - you have to live every now and then right?   They showed up at my dormitory today in a white sports car.  It was apparently a treat for those riding because it was the bosses car.  I could barely fit in it but it was so fancy.  Black and red bucket seats, the works...

As we finally got to the KTV (Karoke place) I realized it was only the 4 of us.  The driver and his girlfriend and myself and the other girl.  I am still not positive but I believe it was a double date.  I told several of my friends I would not catch yellow fever while here but she was really cute...We sang for a few hours and then went out to eat.  There was so much food - close to 20 dishes for 5 of us (a friend of the boss joined).   They kept thinking something was wrong with me because I did not eat much.  But in actuality I ate so much - they just ate more.  The dinner experience was great.  Our conversation was composed of Chinglish as I will call it with all of us speaking a broken mix of English and Chinese.  It sure made for an interesting and great learning experience.

After dinner we headed back to Gold East for the night.  I believe I will rest tomorrow.  I need some sleep for a change.  Hope all is well with everyone!

Richard
Posted by rwpridge ( Jul 05 2008, 08:03:16 AM GMT+08:00 ) Permalink Comments [1]

It has been

 a long time since I have blogged.  I have recently found myself extremely busy at nights when I would normally blog and have just not had the time to devote to it L

 

Past Few Weeks

 

Ultimately though, to summarize the past few weeks: I got sick ? that?s about it.  I was miserable at work and when I?d come back to my apartment.  I was so nauseous all the time, my throat was so sore that I couldn?t swallow, and I ended up with so many ulcers in mouth.  It was very painful and for a bit I really wanted to come home.  It wasn?t so much me being sick but the healthcare here could really use much improvement.  I went to the doctor at the clinic here and told Steve what was wrong and he translated to the doctor for me.  She didn?t even look in my throat but gave me about 5 different prescription drugs: Amoxycillin and several others.  Some are not legal in the United States, one cures baldness, and one helps the ?internal fire?.  Needless to say I was not very impressed and actually a bit scared.  It is no wonder the world is breaking out with epidemics of new diseases and bacteria if substandard healthcare like this is the norm.  It was a very eye opening experience for me.  While I do not enjoying being sick I believe it was a tremendous opportunity for me to see from a first person perspective what a sick person in a country with underdeveloped healthcare systems go through for treatment. 

 

After I was feeling a little better, Tabatha and I went to Zhenjiang after our Saturday work day to have lunch with the guys (and their girlfriends) from the printing lab we have been doing some testing in.  Ben and Stella were there, as were some new friends Felix and Mr. He (pronounced Hu?h with a downward and then back up stress).  It was a good lunch with food of the Sichuan Province meaning it was very hot.  I enjoyed many things and especially liked something I thought was chicken.  After I had completely finished the dish did they inform me I was eating frog and what was currently in between my chopsticks was the frog stomach.  It was a rather interesting experience.  Also on the menu was noodles, fish, squid, octopus, beef, pork, eggplant, green beans, and to make it hot, lots and lots and lots of different kinds of peppers.  All of this food was specially seasoned to burn going down?

 

After this, Felix and Mr. He went home with their girlfriends and Tabatha, Ben, Stella, and myself went shopping for a while.  It was an exciting time because Ben was proposing to Stella and buying her an engagement ring.  It seems to be very different here in China.  In the United States it is something that is a little more private but here they wanted their friends to come and join them because it was such a happy time for them!  After going to several jewelry stores they finally found a good ring at a fair price :o)  For the rest of the afternoon we just kind of walked around, tried different local snacks and fruits (one of which made both Tabatha and I very sick upon returning home).  When we got back we relaxed and went to sleep ? I more or less just went to sleep because I was feeling bad.  Next day, got up (Tab went back to Zhenjiang for the day, I stayed in) exercised, climbed the mountain, played tennis with Steve, and waited to hear about Tab?s day!

 

 

Present

 

I think I am starting to like China more and more every day.  I think I have finally gotten used to it here.  For the first part of the summer I thought of the paper mill more as a prison than my home.  It was very difficult to talk to people and make friends.  The people at the little restaurant Tabatha and I go to are probably only so nice to us because we spend money there.  It seems to be a trend we have found?

 

More recently though, the people here have realized we are here for a while and I am starting to branch out a little more.  There is a Chinese girl here that we have met at breakfast and are now good friends.  She is 9 years old.  Her name is Yoyo and she and her sister are both very smart.  Yoyo can speak Chinese, English, and a little Japanese.  Her English is much better than any 9 year olds English in the United States.  Her sister Gigi picks up English very quickly from what Yoyo says.  Gigi is 7.  They also have a younger brother named Popo (notice a similarity in the names?).  They have started to invite us to play with them.  This has been a very good opportunity for us for many reasons.  First, the parents love us because not only are we in a way kind of baby sitting for them but we are also helping the children to practice their English.  We get lots of perks from the Parents (mostly outside food not from the mill).  It is kind of nice I must say.  Also, since they are students learning foreign languages themselves, they are very good at helping us to learn Chinese.  They can tell us which tones to use for works and also they will speak very slowly for us when they teach us something new!  They have a lot of patience for 7 and 9 year olds!

 

I have also started to make many more ?grown? up friends.  There is another man from the US that Tabatha and I have met recently who has been here for a few months now I believe.  He is a very interesting character but is kind of in the same boat we are.  He lives in Zhenjiang and has a driver take him to work an hour away everyday.  I would not like to do that ? but if that?s what he likes!  I have also made some more local friends.  Steve plays tennis so I am gradually getting better at that sport and yesterday I played basketball with a lot of the guys in my living area.  It was really a lot of fun.  Full court is a workout for a big guy like me but I held through for about 45 minutes.  I was normally the go-to guy because I was big enough to get all the rebounds and no-one could really block me.  You do have the advantage in Basketball when you are a foot taller than everyone else!  I have also gone on this crazy exercise binge to take up some of the extra time.  I was so bored at first because I was not getting out and finding things to day.  I think I will stay busy from now on with a weekly basketball game or two, lifting weights, playing tennis, and climbing that mountain.  It is also helping me to sleep so much better at night (not to mention my pants seem to be a bit loose on me now)!

 

I am really starting to enjoy myself though.  Even work has gotten so much better here at the mill.  I have a real project now which is very open ended.  More than I really expected.  When we talked with the boss for PM3, which by the way holds the record for the worlds fastest paper machine, he told us to work on ?Shives Problem, Fix?.  That is our responsibilities for the next six weeks or so and it should be really interesting.  We do not really have much guidance so we have an open door to take this project where we would like!

These past two weeks have really been a bit of a moral booster! I am enjoying myself much more than I originally was.  Granted, I have a hard time not being perfectly content just doing whatever.  Its kind of my nature I suppose but it is really nice to have something to do.  Meeting new friends is so great and more especially finally being accepted.  The life, culture, and people here are so nice.  While our cultures and customs are different, the need to need to belong is the same.  I finally feel like I belong.

 

 

Posted by rwpridge ( Jul 03 2008, 07:54:01 AM GMT+08:00 ) Permalink Comments [1]

Suzhou has been said to be heaven on earth.  I must say after this past weekend I believe that to be true.  This weekend I went with Ben as my guide to this amazing city.  Ben came and met me at my dorm housing on Saturday about noon.  He was not permited to enter because he was not a 'big boss' as everyone here at the mill says or a guest. We finally were able to get on the bus but it took a lot of work. I really do not agree with this system here with the guards and patrols at our dorm site.  Everything and everyone are separated and sorted.  You don't so much have a name but a number if you are one of the locals.  One of my co-workers earlier today described this place as a prison.  - some of the nicest people we have met that speak the best English are not permited to enter where we live...kind of a bummer but oh well :-/  Tab decribed our situation here as like a US mill with the engineers and the union - except here there is the 'big bosses' and the works but they don't really have rights. There is also this mountain where we live at, takes about 15 minutes to walk to the other side and you can climb it.  When we have asked some of the locals if they climb it for fun they all have so no it was not appropriate for them.  The President of the company climbs it every morning.  That is one of the biggest things I don't like...granted, I think I might start climbing the mountain for exercise.  It might be the Presidents mountain but I'm bigger than him...

Sorry about that tangent but it is something that has been bothering me for a while.  Suzhou was about a 2 hour bus ride and when we arrived Ben and I caught a taxi to our hotel. It was all the way across the city in a little place called Home Inn or 'hui ja' like 'Go Home'.  It was a small, yet nice place, about a 3 star hotel maybe and very cheap - 200 yuan total or about $15.  The first room they took us to had no window and was covered by a giant TV screen facing the outdoors.  It was about the size of big screen at a college or professional football game.  They made some calls when we decided we did not like this room and transfered us across the street to the same hotel but a room with a window. 

We then went out to see the first of 3 parks for the weekend.  It was called the "Humble Administrators Garden".  In China, a park is not what we think of it as in the United States.  Parks are more or less giant gardens with old attractions like old buildings and artifacts.  This was a very beautiful and eloquent park.  It was amazing.  It was not my favorite of the weekend but still fantastic!  When you arrived it appeared as if the whole place was floating on the water or in air.  The engineering structures that held up the buildings were surrounded by plants.  It was such a relaxing atmosphere.   There were giant lilly pads with large white budding waterflowers.  There were many large goldfish (so large I do not believe you can call them goldfish).  I honestly believe I saw one that weighed about 7 lbs.  There were also many levels to this park you could climb around.  Every angle you looked at the park from was a different view of the city or natural surroundings.  It was so exciting and a great start to my visit to Suzhou.

That night, after we left the park Ben and I went back to the Home Inn and rested for about a half an hour before we went out on the town.  For dinner we partook of many Suzhou snacks which consisted of cold pork bacon, cold duck with a sweet sauce, a small fried bird with feathers, feet, and the head still attached (yes Alden, feathers).  There were also these sweet egg rolls and a glass of local beer. 

We then went out and walked around the city a bit.  Downtown reminded me of a small Las Vegas.  The streets were lit up with bright lights, signs and billboards, and chanting people.  Cars were not permitted on this street save this little tolly car which kept playing Jingle Bells so it was a pedestrian friendly spot.  We took in some of the culture and then we decided to get a foot massage as I had never had one before (Brenda, they are really good here!).

I must say though, I did not know what I was getting myself into.  For 70 yuan or roughly $10, I got a pedicure and my toenails trimmed, and of course a foot massage.  The started it with a foot soak which was very difficult and the cute girls kept laughing at me because my feet were bigger than their buckets.  They didn't really know what to do.  They then started and it was very relaxing.  Later on, the massage girls left and someone brought us watermelon and tea. Ben told me that apparently we were getting a fully body massage as well and this was the interim snack.  The girls came back in and I was a bit shocked I must say.   I have determined that my massuse must have liked me because she got a bit handsy.  My butt got about the same attention that my back did.  I believe if it was a guy giving me that massage instead of a cute girl I might would have flipped out but it felt really good!  I would do it again in a heartbeat!

After it was all over with, we put our shoes back on and walked back to the hotel.  I asked Ben where I could get a massage close by...he told me Dagang.  I got excited!!!

When we got up the next morning, we went to a park called Tiger hill.  This was by far my favorite.  While it was not as beautiful as the other to parks we went to, it was all natural instead of man made.  It was nothing but God's beauty!  It lies to the west of the ancient city of Suzhou and has a histroy over over 2500 years.   It's beauty matches and surpases that of many other famous mountains and rivers. There were many attractions there but the one that sticks out the most was the great, archaic Yunyan Temple Pagoda known as the Leaning Tower of Suzhou.  It has a history of over 1000 years serving as a symbol of Suzhou.  We then saw a small pond with ducks in it called yuen-yung.  I think it roughly translates and male-female.  Ben explained that these colorfully patterned ducks were always found in pairs.  It is said that love is what keeps them alive.  If their mate dies, they will also soon die according to the legend.  After looking at the ducks and then walking around for a while, Ben informed me that we were in the middle of a tea garden.  We decided to take tea here since it was pushing close to the afternoon.  The little tea hut was a small and ornate building decorated with old chinese relics it seemed.  As we drank the tea, Ben informed me that this tea was the rarest from the garden right outside and can only be gathered 20 days of the year.  It was not bags of tea like we are used to in America, but rather green tea leaves with a strong and refreshing flavor.  We refilled our glasses several times while we relaxed, talking about history, culture, and just getting to know each other better.  The tea most assurdly got better everytime we refilled our glass.  Ben said the first filling gets the chemicales out of the leaves and the second is the most relaxing and tastes the best. After this, we decided we had seen about all there was to see there but I really would like to go back again.  It was just so beautiful. 

That afternoon we spent a while looking for a KFC or McDonalds.  We soon found one after riding around a crowed public bus for about 20 minutes.  I have never really cared for McDonalds burgers much but I must say I welcomed the Big Mac!  It was so nice and it was real beef and cheese which is so uncommon here.  It is just not something it seems the chinese eat.  It is a very vegetable heavy diet.  After lunch we decided to go to a small temple close by.  It was very interesting and as we went in Ben explained to me that there was a "big god" here, his wife, and many lesser gods that reported to the big boss.  Ben explained that people would pray to the seperate gods for luck, politics, peace, wealth, and a various assortment of other things.  As we went to the very back of the temple, there appeared to be a ceremony going on.  There were monks singing and playing instruments and people praying and watching just as we were.  Very quickly Ben told me that we needed to leave so I did, followed him out and I asked him why.  He told me that I caused a bit of a stir and everyone was looking at me because I was bigger than the statues of the gods they had there.  I believe he was joking but the ceremony litterally did kind of stop and everyone looked right at me...

We decided instead of the other temple we were going to vist maybe another garden would be good.  We ended up at the Lingering Garden which is considered my many to be one of the four most famous gardens in China.  It was constructed during the 11th year of the reign of Wanli under the Ming Dynasty (1593 AD).  While it is very small, the Lingering Garden is so stunning for its artistic way of dealing with the spaces between various architecural forms and garden courts which appear to give the garden a feeling of  depth.  It has many limestone rock that you can climb on or sit and rest on the edge of the small hill next to bamboo forest.  Ben told me that this was were the King would come to relax.  When the King came to one of his many gardens, he would be the only person there to enjoy the beauty.  It seems to me he was missing out though because it is so much more enjoyable with a friend like Ben!

After we left we decided to try and find me some traditional Chinese clothes made of the silk that is famous from Suzhou.  We tried many of the street shops and local vendors.  None of them had anything that would fit me so one of the owners of the shop who had not had much business that day decided he would take up taxi driving.  He took us first to the New Silk Road and Handicraft Co which is a Silk Factory and Museaum.  They gave us a brief tour and showed us where they made silk, how it was woven, where it came from, etc.  It was really neat.  We then went to the store they had there.  Nothing really fit so we went on to the next place which was the Silk Research Institue.  I did not think they would have anything to fit me here either as when I walked in it appeared that it was nothing but labs with people intently looking at long strands of silk fibers.  We went upstairs though to where there was a large store.  As we looked around to see nothing in my size, a large chinese man - close to my size walked out and smiled at me.  He told us he could custom make me a traditional silk shirt for 700 yuan or $100.  I quickly said tai gui le meaing too expensive and just kept looking around like I wasn't that interested.  While we looked his price went down to about 650.  When we said no again, They asked what our maximum price was. My answer was 350-400 or about $50.  They said it is too expensive and could not do it.  The shirts on the shelf were marked at 500 so that was I knew too low because it was more of a fancy department store as opposed to a street market.  However, as I was walking away and heading out the door they came and chased me down to say he would make one for 400.  He took my measurements and my address and I should be getting my shirt in the mail within the next 2 weeks or so!  I believe they are always trying to squeeze every penny out of the foreigners.  The Chinese think in general, we are very rich.  In comparison to how many of the locals live, we are - but I have been here long enough that I know when I am being ripped off.  Tabatha and I have gotten very good at bargaining!

After all of this, Ben and I got on the bus and headed home! It was a great trip and I am so glad I got to know Ben better!  Once again...American's have much to learn from Chinese hospitality.

As always,
Richard
Posted by rwpridge ( Jun 16 2008, 06:06:22 AM GMT+08:00 ) Permalink Comments [3]

So It's a little after 1 AM and I can't sleep I for some unknown reason am not feeling so hot.  My sinuses have started acting up, I can't really breathe and I believe the smog and dirty air is starting to get to me.  Its really late here right now and because of the not being able to breathe good thing, I'm fantastic.  I figured I would write and update since I haven't done that in a while.  I've been bugging some of my friends and telling them they should update but I suppose to do that I actually have to update once in a while...So! Where to begin

To catch everyone up, the past week has been relatively uneventful.  It was going to be an exciting weekend but that got nixed.  Tabatha and I were supposed to go to Hangzhou and visit our friends that were participating in study abroad there.  However, about two days before our bus was to leave for Hangzhou we were told by our boss that it was canceled due to lack of interest but we had the fantastic option of going to either Zhenjiang or Nanjing; both of which we are rather bored of :-/ We ultimately decided to go to Zhenjiang on Saturday and Nanjing on Monday to visit the zoo.

Zhenjiang was interesting and a little different that we remembered.  It was our first time in the city by ourselves (Insert scary music here).  We walked around a bit and did some shopping in the little street marts.  I bought some gifts and trinkets and Tabatha bought some clothes being the girl...Always needing clothes.  We then did lunch at KFC!  This was an amazing experience.

We walked in the door and there were about 6 registers to order at but no lines.  Instread, there was a giant mass of people just kind of huddles at the entrance to the place.  Tabatha and I were standing back looking rather confused for a bit and we tried to figure out exactly what the proper procedure was here.  After about 5 minutes we had caught that to order, you just kind of stand in this huddled mass of chinese people and 2 white folks and wait for the busy register girls (who, might I add were wearing very attractive KFC pink polos) to raise their hand signaling they could take someone new.  Upon beating out a hungry Chinese family for the next register spot, Tab and I started by asking the girl, "Engu ma?" meaning "English?".  She looked rather confused by this and handed us a menu.  We confered amongst ourselves and decided pointing might just be easier.  Tab got a fried chicken sandwich, biggie sized fries, and a drink.  I got a chicken wrap.  Upon grabbing a table which took a while considering there were over 100 people in KFC and only about 60 places to sit that we could tell (granted there were several floors to this place but we just stuck to the first floor) we began.  The fries were the first thing we went for.  It has been over a month since I have had French Fries and let me tell you they were amazing!!! I next went for my chicken wrap.  In 'Mei Guo' (the United States), these come with lettuce, tomato, and a spicy ranch dressing.  In 'Zhong Guo' (China), this wrap comes with cucumber and soy sauce.  I was in for a nasty surprise.  I'm not exactly what you would call a fan of soy sauce.  oh well.  Granted, Tab had pink chicken so it was to be expected I suppose.  We then finished it off by having ice cream sundays which were AMAZING because they were just like the ones from home with the hot fudge on top! OMGOSH they were to die for!!!

After lunch, we walked around this park for a little bit and then into some back streets.  We really didn't know where we were but figured walking to the right would get us out since we had already taken 2 right turns already.  On our way to freedom from the backstreets of China, we found this fancy barber shop - we were both really confused at this point considering the fact that we were not really in what you would call the 'busy' part of the city.  However, we went in and decided that we would try out hand at getting our hair cut in China.  I had ultimately come to the conclusion that I would just go for it, try and communicate what I want, and if I screw up the worst that can happen is I end up bald again...Tabatha had a bit more to lose as she is getting married soon so she was much more careful.  The wash, rinse, shampoo, head massage, hair cut, re-wash, rinse, shampoo, and head massage only cost about US $4.  I could have just gotten it cut for $1 but the extra stuff was um...interesting and I didn't know how to communicate I only wanted a trim.  Needless to say, Tabatha and I spent and afternoon at a hair salon.  We look sexy now...ready for our hot dates with the Chinese locals!

We then did a bit more shopping and returned home - but only after hitting up this amazing Chinese bakery!  The food there was so good and we got lots of goodies!  I was excited.  We then almost had a scare though as after we left the bus was not were it was supposed to be but it showed up and we headed back.  You never would have thought how much information pointing at things and waving your arms around frantically like a flailing monkey can get you...well, it got us back to the mill :o)

The next day, Tab and I took a break.  On Monday we were going to go to Nanjing but I was not feeling well.  I had a few days were I was kind of sick but I think I'm better now.  Tabatha ended up going to the zoo without me and she had a great time!  Check out her blog for how that went.  I hear there were bears riding bicycles there...we will probably go back just to get pictures...

We then went through a fairly dull and boring week.  We have been searching through operation manuals all week and not much was going on.  However, on Thursday things got more exciting for us!  We went to vist a friend of ours Skyler in the Research area of the plant and she offered to take us to Suzhou this weekend on an overnight trip!  As we were making our way out of her office we went into the main hallway but we couldn't really leave.  Apparently it was breaktime after lunch where everyone did exercises.  It was like a bad Richard Simmons video.  It was probably a dozen or so chinese people half heartedly kicking their legs, jumping around, and flailing their arms to a voice that was counting in Chinese with what seemed to be like encouragement to get healthy.  It was very interesting as we tried to walk through them.  They all smiled at us as we left.

That night, we got back to the dining hall and upon seeing the selection of unscaled fish, cow stomach, and this seafood gruel with octopus in it, we decided tonight would be a wonderful night to take a trip to Dagang and eat at Tumen again.  We showed up and in a second they had brought out a table and chairs for us.  They do not really speak english but we have a little card that Kirk made for us on our first visit.  We honestly just kind of point and hope all goes well.  We get something different every time so that is exciting.  This time was just amazing though.  She made us homemade southern style french fries and sausage sauted with onions.  Next she brought out a large bowl of made-from-scratch mashed potatoes with some bacon and I could not believe it - cheese on top.  We also tried some grilled mushrooms and washed it down with the 'Chinese Water'.   It was an amazing night :)  We caught a little tuk tuk back to Gold East.  Cost us about $1 and that was expensive.  They charged us more because we were foreigners however we just really wanted to get back as it was getting late so we didn't argue to much.  Tabatha was so worried on the ride back as it was this tiny 3 wheeled cart.  We all decided it best if I sat over the double wheel to ya know, balance it out. We got back safely though and went to sleep.

Tonight, Tabatha and I were told that Skyler could not go with us to Suzhou as she had work to do in Shanghai but Ben (her boyfriend) said he would come with us instead so we are still very excited.  The hospitality is again so great here.  Our new friends are dropping their plans for us and while we don't want to be a hassle, it just seems to be the way things are here.  I believe we American's could really learn alot from this culture.

Zaijian
Big Papa



Posted by rwpridge ( Jun 13 2008, 01:10:07 PM GMT+08:00 ) Permalink Comments [2]

Zhenjiang: A new perspective and Chinese Hospitality

Tabatha and I have officially been in China for 17 days now.  It is kind of 
crazy that we have been here this long.  We are excited and timid at the same 
time about the rest of the summer.  We have seen some really cool things and 
have had some great experiences thus far but we have learned that the Chinese
hospitality greatly outweighs how we treat foreigners in the United States.  

So far, we have gone out just about every weekend and Steve has come along with
us to some of the bigger cities.  We took a company bus and it was exciting
for our first few visits into the city.  However, yesterday was by far the best
day we have had since we have been in China.  I think Tab and I both would 
agree to that.  On our first day a Chinese guy about 25 years old gave us a 
presentation in English on Gold East (I think it was because he spoke the best 
English around so he ended up doing the presentation).  We later met a girl 
named Skyler who a few days later we found out was his girlfriend. Last Friday,
Ben called Tabatha and invited us to go into Zhenjiang with them on Sunday.  
Tab and I were planning on just resting and taking a break for a change as we 
work 6 days/week (it?s a bit much ? we might try and ask for 5 days instead).  
However, we really wanted to take the opportunity to interact with people 
closer to our age so we went even though we were so exhausted.  

The day for me needless to say started off bad because I did not sleep well, 
woke up late, and had to rush to breakfast.  Tab and I then walked out to meet
Ben and Skyler at the main gate to catch the bus to Zhenjiang.  We were 
slightly confused because we normally caught the bus that left from right in 
front of our dorm.  We arrived at our decided meeting point and then proceeded
to walk a little ways to a bus stop.  It was then that Tab and I realized we
were about to take the public transportation bus.  We have not really heard 
anything about these but negative comments.  

It really opened our eyes to a social system though.  There are 2 main classes 
of people at this mill ? the bosses and the workers.  The bosses take the bus 
that Tab and I have been taking out into the city, nice, cushy seats, air 
conditioned, and everyone else takes the crowded public city buses.  

When the bus arrived, Ben, Skyler, Tabatha, and I hopped on and paid of 2 
yuan ($.25) to ride to Zhenjiang about an hour and 20 minutes away by public 
transportation.  We got on at the start of the route so we had seats which we 
liked but at the same time, it was very busy and I was extremely cramped.  The 
seats were so small I felt like a sardine.  The seats were much lower to the 
ground than what I am used to in the States and were also much closer together.
I did not really fit and actually could not move once everyone was on the bus 
(granted, I don?t think anyone would really move.  It was so hot that we opened
the windows even though the smog was bad and the rancid smell of the backstreets
of China was penetrating the bus.  When we arrived in Zhenjiang we had to 
switch buses to take us to this park that Ben and Skyler told us they would 
take us to.  The bus we got on was smaller in its own sense, and bigger in 
others.  It also looked like a bus in the states that has been out of service 
for about 10 years.  The greenish blue paint was peeling off the wall, some of
the windows appeared broken, and some of the seats were leaning over from where
so much wear and tear had occurred on them.  It was my first experience on a 
double decker bus, but as everything in China is, it was a miniature double 
decker.  We quickly went up to the top floor (I think because Ben and Skyler 
have never been on the 2nd level) but at no surprise to me the ceiling was a 
mere 5 feet tall.  It was the perfect size for Tabatha and all of the Chinese 
people ? but not for this Mei guo ren (American). Wo tai da (I am too big).  

When we arrived at the park, we paid our admission fee of about $7 US and went 
in.  The first thing was saw was a giant rock face which we thought was 
beautiful.  There were some Chinese characters that I had not clue what they 
meant carved into the side.  We then caught a boat over to this island where 
the main part of the park was ? we got pushed out of the way by a 3 year old 
that wanted to look out the window.  Lesson learned: if you want something in 
China, be aggressive.  

After getting there we looked around a bit at the giant goldfish pond and some 
of the ornamental buildings and such.  We went to an old cannon fort and as 
some preserved inscriptions of old kings and such from the many early dynasties.  
We did not have a clue what they said save the few numbers Tabatha and I 
were able to recognize.  The Chinese character system is so difficult as there 
is a different character for just about every word.  To have a moderate 
vocabulary you need to know like 2000 characters.  It seems almost impossible 
to me.  

After this, we went to lunch which was good.  Tabatha really liked it because 
we had tomato rice cakes.  Ben and Skyler insisted on paying and even though 
Tabatha and I did not want them to, they did anyways.  After lunch we all went 
out on this swampy river with these rafts made of about 10 pieces of bamboo 
lashed together.  They looked like they would go under any minute.  I almost 
fell off because the seat broke while we were out there resting.  We didn?t 
paddle these rafts but took about a 20 ft piece of bamboo and pushed on the 
bottom of the river for propulsion.  It was so difficult and unstable because 
we had to stand up on them and they were only about 4 feet wide.  Finding your 
center of balance on a shaky raft and going in the direction you want to is 
very difficult. It was so cool but I got kind of messy because of the swampy 
water!  

When we got off of the rafts and went to clean up we all went into this little 
bathroom to wash our hands and such and much to our surprise there were these 
two small lobsters in the sink.  They kind of shocked Tab a little bit and she 
ran off for a minute.  I played with them until she came back, washed my hands,
and then got out of the way.  

We then followed this footpath to the top of a steep mountain.  It was a lot of 
steps yet we made it.  On the very top there was this beautiful and ornate 
looking pagoda.  We decided not to go in as they were charging so much to go 
look and we could here a crying baby coming from the top, so instead we just 
took in the view of the landscape now that we were on top of the world.  

We then hiked down the other side of the mountain and upon returning to the 
bottom came upon a Buddhist temple.  It was prayer time so the four of us 
observed what was happening.  There appeared to be about 20 Buddhist monks 
walking around the temple chanting.  It sounded very beautiful.  There were 
many people that joined in and chanted along.  It was so peaceful here.  I feel
like I saw a real part of Chinese culture.  It struck me as very odd though 
that there were not very many young people there ? everyone was fairly old 
except us.  I found it interesting when Ben told us that there are not very 
many younger people so religious in China.  It is something about the new 
generation that just does not accept the old religion as much.  I would like to
find out more about this and why this has happened.  It seems very interesting.  

We left shortly after they started burning incense and then left the park.  
Tabatha and I were exhausted but it was only 3 o?clock and there was much more 
to do and see!  We caught the bus back to the main part of Zhenjiang where we 
took a coffee break in a well-to-do coffee shop.  There was air conditioning 
and many comfy couches.  After this rest and coffee of which Ben and Skyler 
insisted on paying for, we left and went out into the local markets to try some
traditional Chinese snacks.  They had anything and everything there from fresh 
fruit to octopus tentacles.  Tab and I tried a bit of everything (save the 
octopus, maybe another day) and we just did some light shopping.  

Ben and Skyler later took us to this restaurant where we had this ?perfect soup?.
They said it was called Ten/Perfect because 10 is a perfect number and the soup
had ten different things in it.  Tabatha and I both agree that it has been the 
best thing we have eaten since we have been in China.  The noodles were amazing
and the meat was wonderful too.  I will just stick with calling it meat though 
as I am not exactly sure what it was?  

When we were done eating we walked a good distance to our bus stop and hopped 
on for the ride.  This bus was much better than the one we took in the morning.
It was double the price (US $.50) but had comfy seats and air conditioning.  
Our group got seats facing each other so we could talk on the way back.  The 
conversation was great - something that Tabatha and I have missed for a while. 
The bus dropped us off in Dagong about 8 o?clock and Ben and Skyler were trying 
to wave down a cab.  Finally Tab and I wanting to have the chance to spend more
time with them suggested that we walk back to the mill.  It is only about a 25 
minute walk.  It was nice and peaceful as there were not too many people out. 
We really enjoyed it.  

Upon our departure from Ben and Skyler, we thanked them again for taking us out
and suggested that we should play badminton against them soon.  They agreed and
we said our goodnights.  Today has really put things in perspective for me 
though.  Ben and Skyler were so nice and hospitable.  The culture here is so 
different; we are not this hospitable to foreigners in the United States.  From
my experiences, many people tend to back away in the states but here people and
friends ? even those that we believe probably can?t afford it, are always taking 
us out and paying for meals and such.  It has been driving us crazy at times 
because we know they are spending so much money on us ? but it was explained 
that it was the culture here.  When a visitor is here, the host pretty much 
pays for everything.  We have been trying to see how we can repay them.  Right 
now it is just many thank you?s and a lasting friendship.  I believe Tabatha and 
I might both adopt international friends though NC State?s International Friend 
program when we get back in the States. This trip has truly given us a new 
outlook on what it is like to be in a different country where you do not speak 
the language.  A friend is always welcome and at times, for us, it has been a 
big relief.  

Until next time,

Posted by rwpridge ( Jun 02 2008, 09:23:25 AM GMT+08:00 ) Permalink Comments [12]

um... so I am pretty sure they served pig testicles in the cafeteria tonight?


Posted by rwpridge ( May 31 2008, 08:39:45 AM GMT+08:00 ) Permalink Comments [1]

Harry Potter and The Attack of the Killer Mosquitoes Ok, so I'm not Harry Potter - but the mosquitoes fit the plot for a Harry Potter book here.  They are giant man eating bugs that will eat you alive.  I knew something had to be up when our dorm rooms here came equiped with a jumbo spray bottle of raid and a smoke away type thing.  The worst part of all is that the mosquitoes here are not even that bad yet apparently???  I was talking with some friends in the dinning hall earlier this week and they made the comment "When summer gets here in a few weeks the mosquitoes get really bad".  Now, let me break that down for you

1. 'When summer gets here...' - As if it isn't already hot enough??? It's freakin 95 degrees!!!
2. '...in a few weeks...' - ok, so a few meaning maybe 2-3?? That means 7 weeks of China summer in hot weather with...
3. '...the mosquitoes get really bad' - Like seriously, Tabatha and I are being eaten alive - so um, yeah we have started implementing new methods for exterminating.  For example, we cut off all of the lights in our rooms except for the bathroom and we leave the door cracked. We then wait and watch for the mosquitoes to go in towards the light - then we slam the door and KILL!!! (with our jumbo bottle of Raid of course).  The other alternative is my new baby pink mosquito net canopy over my bed :)

Aside from the pests, I am enjoying myself here.  I have finally started to figure out everything here.  We had a rough first two weeks adjusting, even if our stomachs have still not fully adjusted yet - maybe they will by the time we leave?  I have just gotten out of my 3rd cold shower of the week and my room is finally no longer 95 degrees since I turned on the air conditioner fan.  (so it sounds bad, but I really am enjoying myself!)

Earlier in the week here at Jin Dong (Gold East) they switched what we were doing so we have been tracing more pipelines and taking different samples.  It is kind of exciting at times, and boring at others but what time we are not hard at work during the day we are practicing our Chinese.  Tab and I have learned a few small phrases and I think I am finally getting the hang of this 4 different tones thing. (If you are confused by the last sentence, the chinese language has 4 tones and you can say the same word, in 4 different ways and it means something completely different - I know, confusing right?). 

About the most exciting thing that happened this week though was me getting my uniform.  I look all uniform now?  Tabatha is finally happy that I am not wearing normal clothes anymore because she didn't like being the only one of us that had to dress in the monkey outfit (Ok, so its not really a monkey outfit, but its so standard). 

Anyways, I am about to head to sleep - so I think this will be a short entry - I think I should probably write more than once a week?  Who knows, depends if I have the time!

Peace!
Posted by rwpridge ( May 30 2008, 09:19:19 AM GMT+08:00 ) Permalink Comments [2]

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]

First Day - Tumen Bar - Dagong Zoa an!

The past two days have really been a blur.  It is presently 6:30 in the morning here and it is the first time I have felt like blogging in the past few days.  There has been so much going on and so many things to do in a very short period of time.  It is so scheduled but after 8 at night everything closes - it seems that we have to go into town for anything to do after about 8pm. 

Our first day was rather boring because we were sitting around a lot but at the same time it was interesting.  We met a younger chinese guy who had just graduated a few years ago from college.  His American name was Ben.  He gave us presentations on Gold East for about 3 hours.  They were very informative and I am not sure I have ever seen a presentation that detailed.  I feel more knowledgeable about the process here than I have ever before at a mill.  We also talked a good bit and just shared our culture with each other.  He also told us how to say a few useful phrases in chinese (Chin Dong - Gold East).

After the presentations we went to lunch of which I did not eat very much.  We had a big breakfast so neither Tab nor I were extremely hungry (granted, the food choices were not helping to make us hungry).  I am not sure if it was the cold chicken leg or the intestines that did the trick?  I'll typically try just about anything once but after seeing the look on Tabs face when she tried the chicken I decided that was enough for me!

We then left very quickly from lunch - we get about 40 minutes to get on the bus from the mill, get to lunch, eat, and get back on the bus.  It is very systematic which slightly bothers me but maybe I will get used to it.  We got on the bus and were then taken to the main office building where they took us up into the stacks.  We were told we would not be wearing uniforms but I believe the chinese changed their mind.  Let me tell you, Tab looks great in a blue shirt and pants work jumpsuitish thing!  They are having to custom make mine as the only shirt they had that comes close to fiting me in the body is about a foot to short and looks like a belly shirt on me.  Maybe I should take it and claim i'm the next buddah....people might be rubbing my belly?  Anyways, they told me it would be about 10 days so we'll see how it turns out.

We then saw the paper machines and toured around.  It was very difficult because the men leading us around speak very poor yingwen (English).  The machines are amazing and have about 4 times the production capacity of anything I have seen in the states.  It was so cool to see a paper machine that had an average running speed of 2000 meters/min.  That is a crazy amount of paper!!!  After our tour we sat around for a while and tried to learn chinese from a phrase book we had.  At exactly 5:05 everyone filed out and went to the bus stop to head home for the day. 

After a bit of rest and relaxation, Tab and I called a meiguo ren (American) man named Kirk we met in the gym a few days ago.  He offered to take us into town and show us the ropes of how to get around and such.  We gladly took him up on this offer as we were going stir crazy within the confines of the mill.  We waited in front of the guest house for him and a driver in a little rickty car drove up -- I thought my car was bad, this thing looked like it would fall apart at any second.  Kirk spoke a few sentences in chinese to the driver and told him to take us to Tumen Bar which is a bbq restaurant (somewhat?).  When we arrived it appeared to be a very run down shackish type place.  There was a single table with no chairs and all of the meat cooking was done on a little grill out front that looked like it had been out of service for years.  There were 3 beers on the table for Kirk, Tabatha, and myself before I was able to fully take in the place and a bunch of chairs seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.  I was a bit shocked at this.  The beers I was also shocked at.  I have never been a fan of beer but it seems to be the drink of choice here in China.  I think this comes as a byproduct of the water not being particularly safe to drink.  After a while, some of the locals started coming up and sitting with us, having a drink, and it was very exciting just to hear stories of Dagong (the city where this restaurant was) and also of where these people came from and what the 'real' life was like here in China.  Granted, before we were really able to talk to them, we had to go through somewhat of an initiation and take a shot of mijiu which is a rice liquor.  It tasted awful and has to be the worst thing I have ever tasted.  After this, the locals taught us how to play a card game which I don't quite know the name of, it sounded like bu keuh - it was very interesting and is like a mix of poker and rummy.  Its very interesting!  We played for a few hours and then returned to 'Chin Dong' (Gold East) and went to sleep. 

I have so much more to talk about but as I have to be on the bus in a few minutes I better run!  Until then Zai Jian!
Posted by rwpridge ( May 20 2008, 07:18:16 PM GMT+08:00 ) Permalink Comments [4]

Nanjing...and all that jazz Ni how ma!

Upon reading my last entry, I realized that NCSU's blogging system does not allow for Chinese characters.  It simply replaces them with question marks??? Oh well!

Today was pretty crazy and I am extremely worn out.   But I figured I would blog because there isn't much else to do tonight (this morning for all of my devoted readers!)

Tabatha and I got awkoke yet again at the crack of dawn.  Our body clocks still aren't quite right as we are waking up at about 5 in the morning without alarm clocks.  It's still dark outside when we are starting to get ready for the day typcially.  I forced myself to go back to sleep for a little while today.  It is kind of difficult though because I can't say the matress is extremely comfortable.  I am getting used to it quickly but at the same time it is kind of like plywood - sooo stiff!!!

When it finally got light outside, Tab and I went and got breakfast.  We have been really excited about breakfast every morning so far.  They have the most 'American' choices.  Eggs, Toast, and Peanut Butter and Jelly have been very exciting :) Tabatha likes her dumplings but I discovered something very similar to a funnel cake today.  They have these fried dough sticks that they dip in their hot soy milk in the morning.  I put sugar on it instead and showed them what funnel cakes are like in the US.  Another good part about breakfast this morning was we met a girl in her mid 20's who spoke relatively good English!  She went to Syracuse and got a degree in Retail I believe.  We had a long conversation about many things including the paper industry.  It was interesting - Tab and I were relieved to hear someone that was speaking a language we understood though!!!

About 8 o'clock we jumped on a mill bus and went to Nanjing a little more than an hour away.  I am glad that we did this because it gave us a chance to get away from the APP/Gold East area for a little while.  Steve, one of our hosts, showed us around.  We got a little lost at times but we managed to find our way back eventually :)  We started in Nanjing by visiting the Confucious Temple (so I was told)  I never exactly figured out what specifically was the temple but there was a lot of fancy Chinese architecture.  We went to a lot of street shops and Tab bargained with the people to buy bracelets and things.  I think I'll wait a little before I go and turn into a shop-a-holic!  :-P

Maybe I should start a street shop though?  It could be a hit based on one thing that happened to me today.  It was rather funny.  There was about 10 people standing around looking at me (I've gotten that alot here considering I'm about a foot taller and 100 lbs heavier than anyone around).  Finally, one of those people came over and asked me what size shoe I wore in Chinese - Steve translated for me.  I told them a 15 USA and one of the guys looked really excited and everyone else looked kind of bumbed in that group.  They had put a pool in and were gambling on my shoe size!  Oh the joys of being an American!

We then at lunch at this place called Ma Da Niang which I think means something to the effect of Big Mama or Woman?  It was really good and we had lots of dumplings and a rather weird soup.  It had these clear noodles in it and it kind of scared me.  It took us 20 minutes to find a table here though.  According to an American Tabatha and I met yesterday, there are two things the chinese have a lot of: shopping and food.  They love to eat out.  It was so difficult to find a seat and it was so crowded.  I have never seen more people in my life.  And the crazy part was, it was all underground.  There were big malls above ground and little shops and such below ground. 

After lunch we checked out the big malls above ground.  It was really crazy to see all of the people in the malls we went in.  The first place we went into, Tab's eyes just lit up (as would any womans).  It was an endless shoe store.  I have never seen a larger one. It was as big as the mall in my hometown: Full of shoes!! OMG SHOES....SHOES....SHOES...(for those that get the reference).  We the went on and I bought a little alarm clock since I fried the one I bought the first day because I screwed up my power converter.  There is a reason I don't care for electrical engineering and physics 208 hahah. 

We then checked out another big store that had a lot of really big name designer brand stores.  I felt like I was in NY CITY.  There were stores for Gucci, Prada, Versace, Louis Vaiton (I know I butchered that name), and many many others.  It was kind of cool because I had never really been in stores like that.  Granted, they still had their American prices on it.  I don't know how the chinese can afford it?

Anyways - we looked around a bit more, got lost a few times, and found a movie theatre.  Then it was back home for a quick nap, a bit of dinner, and then some R and R!  The day has ended quite nicely though :)  Today was some sort of a holiday and they have been shoting fireworks outside of our rooms for about an hour now!  It's been real exciting.  I think it scared Tabatha at first though - she had this really worried look on her face when she came to my room asking what it was.  It did sound like guns and cannons going off after all....

Until next time...Zai Zhen!

Posted by rwpridge ( May 18 2008, 08:55:29 AM GMT+08:00 ) Permalink Comments [9]

Getting Started ?? (Thats supposed to be Hello in Chinese)

The past two days have been a whilrwind of nerveracking excitement.  Just 30 or so hours ago I was getting ready to hop on a plane to go to China.  Now I am here in Zhenjiang about 3.5 hours outside of Shanghai.

The 16 hour plane ride was not nearly as bad as many I have had in the past that are long distances.  Tabatha and I had bulkhead seating meaning there was no seat in front of us.  It was really nice because of my long legs!

When we arrived in the airport, we originally got really worried because it took forever for our luggage to come out.  Most everyone else got theirs ahead of us (granted, we were some of the first to check in at RDU so maybe our stuff got put in the back!).  Once we got our baggage there seemed to be over 1000 people trying to get out of one door at the airport.  It was a bit of a jam but Tab and I made it :)  We then met our driver whose name, from as best as we were able to understand, is Hoon. 

Then began my first experience with Chinese roads and driving.  It is really wild.  I can't believe the traffic there.  I used to think I-40 was bad but let me tell you - the Chinese roads are insane!  The speed limits and driving lanes appear to only be moderate suggestions.  Occasionally we would pass someone on our side of the road going the opposide direction - or someone randomly walking in the middle of the road with cars flying by at 120 km/h +.  The Chinese people have a very peculiar way of driving.  Tabatha and I have joked that they have 3 pedals on their cars: Acceleration, Brake, and the Horn. 

After the 3-4 hour drive from Shanghai to Zhenjiang where we are staying until the end of the summer, Tabatha and I met our hosts here, Mr. Weyrehm Wang and Steve Huang.  They greeted us and we ate our first Chinese meal in a dinning hall with them.  They had a buffet for us which they kept open for us after closing time :)  We then checked into our rooms at the guest house.  I was really impressed.  Coming over I expected a small room hoping it would be the size of my dorm room.  I was plesantly surprised when I found I had a full apartment to myself consisting of a main bedroom about twice the size of my dorm room, a moderate sized living room, plus a kitchen, and bathroom!  Tabatha and I then got a short tour around and went to sleep! :) 

We got up this morning really early.  It wasn't intentional, it just kind of happened.  Tab, I think, was a little sick and woke up about 4am.  I haven't really been sick yet and am hoping I don't.  I woke up about 5:30am when the sun started to rise.  My bed was so firm it felt like I was lying on a piece of plywood. Its a good thing I like firm matresses! :-P  I was a bit stir crazy so I decided to get settled and unpack all of my bags.  Then Tab and I went to breakfast.  It was interesting.  There were some things there I knew what they were, and items that I didn't have a clue.  I decided it was probably best not to ask and just eat.  Who knows...maybe I'll get brave by the end of the summer?  They had a small egg station and toast.  Tabatha made me try the dumplings which weren't bad, but I didn't love them as much as she did. 

After breakfast, Tab and I jumped on a bus to somewhere (I'm not really sure where - it was kind of on the other side of the mountain).  It was like the 11th anniversary of the athletic program here at Gold East and because of it there were these mini-olympics going on or something.  That is what we went to see. Steve introduced us to all of the mill presidents and such when we arrived and we sat at the front table with them :)  It was exciting for a while.  People from all of the different departments marched in what not.  It is really difficult to describe because I'm not really sure what was going on.  It reminded me a whole lot of the opening program of the olympics.  One guy was even carying a torch - granted, I don't think he lit anything with it. 

After the first main race, we left.  Our sleep schedules and the Jet Lag started catching up with us.  We ended up walking back around the mountain.  It was about 2 miles probably?  Steve kind of shocked Tabatha and I when he started humming the NC State fight song on the way back.  For a moment, I was singing it too, and then I realized I was in China and not at NCSU.  It turns out Steve, one of our hosts, was an NC State grad! 

Once we got back to our rooms - Tabatha and I ended up taking a nap (slept right through lunch!)  oh well :)

Now I am just checking my email and typing up this blog entry!  Dinner should be good since we didn't get lunch - After that I don't know what our plans for the evening may be.  There is a little gym here with some treadmills, ping pong tables, badmintton courts, a there is a Golf Driving range outside.  There are also lots of trails to go hiking on!  I'm sure we'll find something to do :)

I don't know when my next post will be since my internet appears to be flaky and my computer is giving me lots of problems.  It took me over an hour today to boot it up :-/ 

Until then,

?? (Good bye)
Posted by rwpridge ( May 17 2008, 03:02:32 AM GMT+08:00 ) Permalink Comments [5]