Just nailed an interview so I'm moving to China

[Tyranix95]

... Like I said, you're just a white English-talking monkey. ...

Hmm...Don't the Chinese eat Monkey Brains.

 

[Castor Troy]

Seriously, this is some fascinating stuff.
Keep us updated (no matter how minute).

Now, DON'T EMBARRASS US OUT THERE!! :P

 

[LoneSage]

ok, added some more blog posts and LOTS of pictures.

there was a smoke stack today that reminded me of level 3 of Contra III.

http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/iwazaruu/

I also discovered a basement arcade of a huge shopping complex. took two pics before I was told I can't do that. they followed me around so I was like fuck this I'mma getting out. I plan on going back and playing some games, though. they had a KOF XII (or XIII?) artwork ensemble of the cast before you descend to the arcade.

PS goddamn this city is fucking dirty

PPS speaking of arcades, everything video games said about China is true. I was talking about it in the trollbox today, but yeah...all the stereotypes of China being a shithole, like for instance Gen's stage in any of the Alphas, is true. god help me I even find myself humming the chun li tune seeing them all bike. but I like this grime, this filth. it's a different experience, that's for sure.

PPPS WHERES THE FUCKING PEANUT BUTTER

 

[Kiel]

good reads bro, keep it up

 

[subcons]

Ha. "China's doing it right." Flavored?

The food looks awesome. Do you eat at home much, or just eat out all the time?

I don't think I could take the grunge and smog. Shit would likely reak havok on my allergies. Speaking of which... I'm curious about something: if you get sick, what's the deal with medicine there? Are you covered under some program, or is it just affordable?

 

[LoneSage]

Health insurance is really cheap, I can't remember the exact number. I'm not covered yet. Before I left, I stockpiled on medicine and just brought them over here. Of course when TSA opened my case they dropped a couple of bottles...but yeah when I run out of all my pills I'll probably sign up.

I've probably ate out five times so far but only because I've been invited. I loved Chinese food back home but 'real' Chinese food is even better than I expected. The headmistress gives me a lot of food via Andy and sometimes he cooks dinner for us. When I go to the grocery store I usually buy fruits like apples and mandarin oranges, sometimes frozen dumplings.

 

[CrackerMessiah]

mandarin oranges,

They're just called "oranges" there, I think.

But yeah- the food is amazing. Apparently there are seven schools of Chinese cooking, but I didn't stay long enough to tell most of them apart. What bit of trivia I can give you, however, is that the Chinese food we have in the states is an incarnation of food brought by the first immingrants from southwest China. First meal in Shanghai, and the dishes - pending the 150-some years in between a move or million - were quite similar, but remarkably more delicious, than your standard US fare. I love me a Chinese buffet, but hot damn - in China, you don't need it.

One dish from the Beijing-area schools is chicken that is prepared to look like noodles - or "worms" as we called them. They came with little tortilla-like things to eat them with. I found a variant at the local buffet, but the excitement of finding it was dashed by the feeling after eating it. Good times.

 

[aria]

Sage, I've been enjoying your posts here as well as on your blog tremendously --Loved the photos as well. Keep it up!

 

[LoneSage]

Just some vids I recorded of the kids at school:

On top of those kinds of exercises, they also get recess - no playground because there are so many students, so they usually run around, play basketball, skip rope, whatever. Needless to say they get a lot of physical activity.

It's not just my school, either. All the public schools seem to have some kind of morning and afternoon exercise drills.

Raising the flag.

I went out on this frozen lake (South Lake; I hear it's famous) and the frozen fishermen told me I was walking on thin ice, they made the gesture with their hands.

I heard the ice cracking, too. pretty fun. never been on a frozen lake before.

No gallons of milk in China...this is it. Milk comes in these little pouches and when you get home that's when you put them in the fridge.

 

[aria]

Nice stuff, 'Sage.

BTW, the kind of kitchens you have are popular in China because, from what I understand, the food is so messy/smelly/etc that people just want to get the odor/smoke out of the house. I remember reading about Yao Ming's first house when he moved to the US: his mom came with him to make him food so they converted the pantry off of their kitchen in the McMansion they bought into a Chinese-style kitchen so she could work normally and keep the smells out of the main house.

EDIT: did you join in on the exercises, or would that be considered bad form?

 

[aria]

Not to jump your stuff, but I also liked this video you made of the old guys using whips to exercise:

 

[LoneSage]

I stand in front of them and join in. It's been a month and I still don't know them by heart! When I recorded them in the classroom, the administration thought an official was coming by to check their exercises, so they did the same routine over and over...for an hour. Pretty nuts. So I was like, fuck this I'm going back in and just chilled upstairs. Figured it was an opportune time to record the kids without coming across as a creeper.

Thing is, the official never came. The admins were demanding perfection, and really, the kids were excellent. They were all exhausted and sweaty when they came back up.

on a side note, I love it when I'm leaving, and the third graders get out of their seats and yell NOOOO and block the door and tug on my clothes. I've never felt so fulfilled, like I'm making a difference.

EDIT: Ahh yeah, forgot to embed The Whipper, too. It was weird, just walking in a park, and all of a sudden hearing some mini sonic boom. You had some guys doing tai chi, some others playing cards (really popular...I need to get a picture of old men playing cards), others dancing with their women, and then some old dudes just whipping a heavy chain. Was this close to asking if they could let me borrow it and whip.

 

[aria]

on a side note, I love it when I'm leaving, and the third graders get out of their seats and yell NOOOO and block the door and tug on my clothes. I've never felt so fulfilled, like I'm making a difference.

I bet a lot of teachers here wish that was the reaction their kids gave them

 

[SNKorSWM]

Even though they're all wearing winter gear, they're still all look pretty thin...uhh either that or I'm just accustomed to overweight schoolchildren in the US. XD

 

[LoneSage]

Don't overdo the whole big goofy white guy act. It may work here to put people at ease and make them think you are a fun guy, in China that may backfire on you big time.

After a month of being here, I can confirm my big goofy white guy act has been my greatest asset. Even with the language barrier, I'm still able to make people on the street smile and laugh. A couple brought their toddler to see me and we talked a bit this morning while I had some breakfast...this has become a common thing, a parent or grandparent will direct the kid's attention towards me, I notice it and take it from there. I have yet to discover any foreigners in my district, so seeing a white guy is a big thing for them.

Oh yeah, here's a picture of a poster that screams Master Tasuke:
http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/6802877

I kept forgetting to take a picture of it. It's right behind the TV in the living room. I have to wonder what kind of person lived here before me.

 

[LoneSage]

http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Hebei/Tangshan/blog-697637.html

Went on some field trips in the past week. That last picture's from World Park in Beijing; it was so weird and funny seeing the Twin Towers as part of the NYC replica. I know you're a wiki fiend, Bob, so if you want to use any of them to add to the World Park's wiki page, be my guest.

These kids are awesome, seriously. It was great getting to goof off with them outside of school. There were hundreds of them, and they all had cameras...you can guess what happened next. Even the teachers were acting like little girls, wanting pictures with us! Madness.

 

[ki_atsushi]

Dude, the elephant is really cool!

 

[SNKorSWM]

It's like Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom. XD

 

[Segata_Sanshiro]

Wow, Sage might not be making this up.

Have fun, bromeo.

 

[leGionellz]

Interesting and fun to read blog !

It's amazing how different the chinese culture is from the western one. I'm curious how you'll feel about living there after a few months when the novelty has worn off a bit.

Have fun there and definitly learn some han yu asap. It makes the experience so much better.

 

[LoneSage]

It's amazing how different the chinese culture is from the western one. I'm curious how you'll feel about living there after a few months when the novelty has worn off a bit.

Funny thing is, I never experienced 'culture shock', to my knowledge. 'Shock' is such a strong word, and when I saw the different customs, it's not like they blew me away - I would just think to myself, "Huh, fireworks during the day, everyday", "Hmm, nearly every bathroom is a squat toilet" or "Wow, old women dance on the sidewalk in unison almost every night". Different things, sure, but I don't believe I experienced culture shock.

Hopefully I don't become jaded. The only things I really miss from home are my cat, the nightsky (if I'm lucky I can see two or three stars and the moon!), and nearby pizza restaurants. I keep thinking to myself how there's such a huge untapped market for western styled things, like a donut shop (the pastry place here looks professional, right, but the pastries are like bread with...I dunno, should I call it icing? It's shit) and mattresses, but overall I recognize they're differences in culture, and if China were to adopt them, things wouldn't necessarily be better.

I have not seen a fat woman around my age so far. Older people who are married, yeah sure, but early-mid 20s women are all in great shape. It's given me incentive to step my game up.

 

[Blue Steel]

Give the shock some more time Sagey, it usually hits around 3~4 months. Make sure you have a good amount of supporting friends and try to talk to your family often, it helps.

The elephant looked fun, I'd be afraid of being dropped though.

I stayed in a dive hotel in Guangzhou on Thursday night (I thought I'd just be able to crash somewhere in the airport, but it turns out it's not a 24 hour airport). The airport paid for it, but I had to put up another 100RMB to get a room by myself, they wanted people to share with complete strangers. Not that the white people I was with looked shifty or anything, but I like a little privacy. It was funny when we got to the hotel and they were checking our passports. They kept asking me if it was really me because I look nothing like I do in my passport photo from 7 years ago. Oh well.

 

[Neo Alec]

Give the shock some more time Sagey, it usually hits around 3~4 months. Make sure you have a good amount of supporting friends and try to talk to your family often, it helps.

Yeah I agree. Give it some more time. Everyone experiences it differently. It's fun being in a new country for the first half year or so because everything seems to amazing. You start to notice the more subtle things the longer you stay, and then you may start to become jaded. At that point, it may be time to finish the contract and go home.

 

[superdum2]

congrats buy an ique player while your there that things so weird looking

 

[Flagshiphero]

Pretty neat read all of it! For what period are you staying? A year or you want to get settled there?