Spring Festival 1: TJ - Harbin

We had the whole month of January off work and so it was finally time to do some proper exploring.  Our first destination was Harbin (Ha'erbin 哈尔滨), a city situated in the north east of China, close(ish) to the borders of Russia and North Korea.  Harbin is famous for its annual ice festival (and bitterly cold winters).

We arrived at 11pm after a nine hour bullet train journey, and the cold (-20°C) night air hit us like a slap in the face.  We jumped in a taxi to our hostel where we were told that Hostelworld had overbooked the accommodation and there were no rooms available.  It was midnight, we were in the coldest city on earth (not actually), and it was peak tourist season.  I was nervous.  Eventually they offered us one night in a dorm and two nights in some tents.  On confirmation that the tents were indoors, we accepted.

On our first day we walked along the old street and visited the ice 'fun park' which is built on top of the frozen Songhua River.  Along the street there are many ice sculptures which light up at night.  At the fun park there were ice slides, skating rinks and a whole lot more.

In the afternoon we had a quick look at St. Sofia's Church, the largest Eastern Orthodox Church in the Far East, before heading to the Harbin ice bar for a beer.  I don't know what I was expecting but it was super cold in the ice bar.  To warm ourselves up we went for a great meal at a nearby Russian restaurant.  There is a big Russian influence in Harbin due to its close proximity to the border.  We were even approached by Russian tourists who then spoke to us in their mother tongue which was fun.  I guess I could be Russian.

The second day was all about the Ice Festival.  Not really too much I can say about this place other than that it was very beautiful and extremely cold!  Everything you can see in the pictures (pretty much) is made out of blocks of ice.  Lights are placed inside the ice to give them that magical glowing quality.  Anyway, less chat, more photos.  Oh and look out for Sarah getting clobbered on the ice slide.

On our last day we explored the city a bit more, walked across the frozen river and had a quick skate on the ice rink before jumping on an overnight sleeper train that would take us back to Tianjin.  There we would drop off our bulky clothes before heading south.  Next stop, Nanjing.

Christmas in China: The Build Up

Christmas is not an official holiday in China but this does not stop the Chinese getting into the Christmas spirit.  Department stores are decorated with Christmas trees and play horrendously catchy festive muzak.  Isetan (perhaps the Selfridges of Tianjin) even had Santa Claus running around the store being chased by a group of Chinese girls in elf costumes.  Quite a sight but unfortunately not one that we caught on camera. 

 We decided to give our students as much a taste of Christmas as possible and so we:

• sang Christmas songs
• watched Raymond Briggs' Father Christmas
• watched Mr Bean's Christmas
• talked about what we are going to ask Santa for this year (Sarah = a puppy, me = an iPad)
• designed Christmas cards (see Spider-Man riding Rudolph below)
• showed the students some Christmas decorations
• took a class Christmas photo

The students absolutely LOVE Mr Bean.  We'll almost certainly see his beautiful face again in class next year.  This despite the fact that he offers absolutely nothing to students who are trying to learn English . . .

Christmas is all about being with the people you love and so I'm really really going to miss being with my family at home.  Mum's amazing food, dad's incredible decorations, Amber's ridiculous over excitement.  Then there's the rest of the family coming over and drinking/eating too much.  It's an absolute nightmare but it's my favourite time of the year and I will miss you all very much!

Christmas 2010 in Somerset.  I'll miss you all, you little douche bags.

But don't worry, I won't be crying into my noodles this Christmas.  The ELAs of Tianjin and Beijing are coming together to celebrate the festive period, Chinese style.  The plan is to head to Beijing tomorrow (Christmas Eve), take over a hostel near Tiananmen Square and eat, drink and be merry.  Secret Santa, mulled wine, Christmas films and party games are all on the agenda so it should be brilliant.  I'll write about what we got up to next week.

So the only thing left to say is Merry Christmas to you all!  I hope you have a lovely time.

Lots of Christmas love,

Jake
x x x

Culture Shock

During our induction week we were told that moving to a new country, particularly one that has a very different culture (like China), would probably lead to us experiencing Culture Shock.

Culture Shock is "the anxiety, feelings of frustration, alienation and anger that may occur when a person is emplaced in a new culture" (thanks Wikipedia).

Supposedly there are four phases you go through:

1. Honeymoon Phase - Wow, China is so wonderfully different and interesting.  Look how the Chinese drivers constantly use their horns.  Marvellous stuff!
2. Negotiation Phase - Wow, China is so different, it makes me feel anxious.  Why do the drivers make so much noise all the time!?
3. Adjustment Phase - I have a routine and a normal life.  The drivers make a lot of noise because that's normal here.
4. Mastery Phase - I can fully participate in the Chinese lifestyle and culture.  When I cycle around the city I carry a foghorn.

Two weeks ago Sarah and I definitely hit the Negotiation Phase.  Common emotions include frustration, anger and the feeling that locals are being purposefully offensive towards you.  We definitely had a bit of that.

Our students were playing up in class, locals seemed to be spitting and staring more than ever and even the food wasn't tasting so good (I think the canteen staff were having a bad week).  The man who yells outside our window everyday at 8.30am was yelling louder and earlier than usual, cars were cutting us up as we cycled around and it seemed that there was twice as much smog as normal.

But we fought through the frustration and the anger, and we're stronger for it.  So rather than always focusing on why it is difficult or strange to live here, I thought that I would talk about why I like living in China:

1)   People are genuinely interested to meet you because you are a foreigner.  You are almost treated like a celebrity as you not only get constant attention, but also special treatment.  We were invited to the wedding of a teacher at our school (who we had never spoken to before) and were given front row seats and gifts.  He told us afterwards that he was honoured to have had us there!

2)   In China I have a skill that is in great demand.  There are so many job opportunities for English speakers out here.  After job hunting in England, it's a nice change to feel wanted.

3)   No matter where I am or what time of day, I have always felt safe in China.  Obviously crime is an issue here as it is in every other city around the world, but we haven't seen any trouble as yet.

4)   Having a receding hairline is a blessing here as it makes one look older and therefore wiser.  Our mentor, who has a wonderful head of hair, said he was jealous of my 'look'.  Best day ever.

5)   Also hair related, when I get my haircut I am treated with dignity.  At home they get the clippers out and it's all over in five minutes.  It's like they're mowing the lawn.  Here I get my hair washed, head massaged and hair cut with care.  All for just £2.50.

6)   I can walk around wearing whatever I like.  You see all sorts of crazy outfits here.  T-shirts with nonsensical (and sometimes downright inappropriate) English slogans are popular too.

7)   Growing a moustache for Movember hasn't been nearly as much an issue as it was last year.  Back then I thought everyone was staring at me (they weren't), whereas now I know that everyone is staring at me, but not just because of the 'tache.

8)   I can shout ridiculous things in public without consequence.  Nobody will understand me. 

9)   The food is cheap and usually delicious.  You just need to avoid the dishes that include things like chicken heads or feet.  I'm a big fan of the street stalls.

 10)   I can get the latest films in high quality for just £1.  Sorry Hollywood.

So there you go, my Top 10 for living in China.

Oh and any last minute Movember donations are welcome!

Holidayed in Jixian County

This is a super late post but you'll get over it.  Oh and it's crazy long.  Oops.

Every year on October 1, China celebrates the founding of the People's Republic with a public holiday called National Day.  This day somehow leads to everyone having a whole week off work and therefore gave us our first opportunity to travel.

After contemplating going to Shanghai, Qingdao and Hong Kong, we settled on a trip to the countryside north of Tianjin and an area called Jixian County.  I think the main selling point was that the train only cost £1.30 each way (a return trip to Shanghai can cost up to £100) but the promise of clean air, beautiful natural scenery and a chance to get out of the city all contributed to the decision.

When we arrived at Jixian Station we were mobbed by locals offering transportation and accommodation.  Needless to say I was one step ahead of them all and had booked a hotel in town for a couple of nights at a very reasonable price.

The hotel was a complete dive and I don't want to talk about it.

During our short stay in town we visited the Dule Temple where we found "the oldest multi-storey timber-structured pavilion in China".  I would go as far as to say that it was one of the most impressive multi-storied wooden structures that I have ever seen. 

Only partial sarcasm intended as the pavilion was built over 1,000 years ago and has survived around 28 earthquakes.  So it is a bit of a dude.

Inside the pavilion there is a huge statue of the goddess Avalokitesvara with her 11 Buddha heads.  Standing at over 16 meters tall, it is one of the biggest coloured clay sculptures in China.  It really is massive.

Big sculpture

Two days later we met up with some of our fellow Tianjiners and this time did the right thing and jumped into a taxi that took us to a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere (but near to the mountains).

Children running away from me near our remote farmhouse.

The farmhouse was quite pleasant with nice food and a rooftop you could chillax on, although we couldn't help but get the feeling that the owners were trying to squeeze us for as much cash as possible.  Oh and every morning we were woken at around 5 or 6 by the cleaners.  Sometimes because they were shouting, other times because they were listening to their radio (volume up to 11).

Good grub

 On the first afternoon we walked up "the first mountain to the east of Beijing".  It was very busy on the trail but it was nice to get some exercise in and the views along the way were definitely worth the effort.

Halfway up the mountain there is an endless flight of steps that everyone (those who did not take the cable car up) must conquer to reach the top.  The staircase reminded me of the slinky scene from ,one of the best movies of all time, Ace Ventura II - When Nature Calls.

They won't be smiling in about 30 minutes

There was no way to walk back down the mountain, which is absolutely ridiculous, so we had to pay for a cable car ride.  It was terrifying.

It looks tranquil, but those cars were making all kinds of noises.

The next day we made our way to the Huangyaguan Pass which is a section of the Great Wall in Jixian County.  The traffic was absolutely horrendous but again our efforts were rewarded as we pretty much had the wall to ourselves (unlike when we went in Beijing where it was RAMMED).

I would have called it "the Amazingly Great Wall".

Incidentally this is the stretch of the Great Wall where they hold a marathon every year.  I might get involved . . .

Culture Shock:  regardless of whether you are on holiday or not, in a city or the middle of nowhere, in a country of 1.3 billion people, there is always someone who is happy to wake you up before 6:00am.
Farmhouse Cost:  £10 a night which included breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Not too shabby but there are even cheaper options.
Dialogue Used:  "HEY CLEANING LADY. . .SHUT UP!"

Explored Tianjin and got tested

Tianjin is pretty big.  Luckily for us we seem to be slap bang in the middle so everything is within cycling distance.  All we needed were some bikes so we headed to Chinese Tesco to get some.  Supermarkets sell all sorts here.

As well as bikes we've bought a kettle, a toaster and some pillows.  We had been given pillows but they were like bean bags.  Uncomfortable bean bags.  The toaster was a tad expensive but totally worth it to get a taste of home.  Peanut butter on toast is an absolute dream after a month of rice.

On our first touristy expedition, a group of us visited the Tianjin TV Tower which is the fourth tallest TV Tower in the world .  Luckily we went on a clear day so the views were pretty spectacular.  The tower is to the south of the city and the view below looks north towards the centre.

We also checked out the Water Park where we hired a couple of boats and floated around for a while.  It was nice to visit an area that had some green (and blue).  As you can see from the photo above, most of the city is pretty grey.  Joining us in the boat are fellow ELAs Mike and Jay.

Our first day in school involved getting up early to watch the School Opening and Raising the Flag Ceremony which kicked off at 0730.  The ceremony is attended by all 3000 students who march and maneuver themselves around the sports field with military precision.

Once everyone was in place, a man started screaming into a microphone until it was time to sing the school song and the national anthem.  Finally, the flag was raised and then everyone marched off to their lessons.  It was a bit of a special start to the day.

And the morning wasn't over yet, next up was our 'Medical Test'.  Skin was prodded, blood was taken, urine was given and all in rooms along a corridor that anyone could just look / walk into.  There were pee cups and bloodied cotton buds lying on the floor by bins and I'm pretty sure the chest x-ray process wasn't taken as seriously as it should have been.  I think we passed though.  Luckily for you I didn't take any photos.

Culture shock:  A lot of people stare at us for an uncomfortable length of time.  Some riding by on mopeds will put their lives at risk just to get a good look.
Toaster Cost:  £20! - Totally worth it with peanut butter (£1.50) or butter (£1) and jam (£1.50) involved.  Oh and bread (£0.50) obvs.
Dialogue used: Duo shao qian? Tai gui le!  (How much?  Too expensive!)