Friday, January 15, 2010
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Jet Li, Money, and Trannies -- Shanghai
Ok, I have been really busy with school and such. Sorry I didn't write sooner. I will try to be better about updating everyone.
Well, I recently (actually about a month ago) went to Shanghai. Needless to say, it is a different world than Beijing. We got to fly out of the new terminal which was built to support the traffic for the 2008 games. It was pretty impressive:
Upon arrival in Shanghai, I got to ride the maglev. It was fast fast fast, about 430 Km/h, or 270 mph. I remember reading about this train when it was first built and thinking it was too bad I would never be able to see it. It is funny how things work out in the end, cause here I am:
The hostel where we stayed was really nice, which was a lucky break. It was right by the subway station and the people were helpful. When we arrived they were overbooked and they paid for us to stay at another, more expensive place for the first night. If you are looking to stay in Shanghai on the cheap, you should go to the Blue Mountain Youth Hostel.
The first sites that we visited were Nanjing Road and the Bund. Nanjing Road has lots of malls and shops and everything else you can imagine. It is bustling with engergy. This is a not-so-candid, "candid" picture of Reese and me walking. (Christoph is quite fond of the not-so-candid picture)
Once you reach the end of Nanjing Road, you have arrived at the Bund. The Bund is located on the opposite side of the Huangpu River from Pudong (Shanghai's financial district). The Bund was initially the Brittish section of Shanghai way back when. Here is a picture of Pudong from the Bund at night:
That night we went out and partied. Actually, we partied most every night. I don't remember what days contained what activities for that reason. I think I burned out some of those neural connections.
*** Inside joke alert ***
Christoph, you cannot fool me brother. I know we were never really on that boat. I don't care if Reese does have the ticket. This picture proves nothing:
*** Joke commenced ***
On a day that I do remember, Christoph and I went to visit the Jin Mao Tower. It was the tallest building in the world for a while but nothing lasts forever... so sad. To truly appreciate my visiting of the tower and subsequent eye contact (that's right folks, eye contact) with Jet, thats what I call him now, one must first understand the context created by the preceding events that day:
We started out from our hostel at about noon o'clock. We were running late by Christoph's standards, but he is German. This was Christoph's second trip to the tower since arriving in Shanghai. He had gone once already by himself. The first time he went, he found a restaurant that looked nice and that is where we had lunch. I didn't have any money so Chris spotted me until we could get to an ATM. The price of the meal was 400 RMB, about 60 USD per person. It was by far the most expensive meal I have had in China, but it was worth every penny. Here is another not-so-candid picture of Chris:
Eh, what the hell... here's one of me:
So, after lunch, it was time visit the tower. First, however, I had to go to the ATM and withdraw some money. Just so happens that my bank, The Bank of China has a really big branch in Shanghai's Pudong... go figure. When going to withdraw money from an ATM there is a pretty standard procedure. First, you insert your card and type your pin #. Then, you type in the amount of money, take it, and get your receipt and card. Well all of these steps were present in my transaction except for the take my money part. The machine said it gave me 2000 RMB, about 245 USD, but it did not. Here is the thought that went through my mind:
"you mother f***** ****** ****** ******************** Bank of China ********** ****** ***** ********** ****** ***** ATM"
/\ /\ /\ That's a lot of expletives /\ /\ /\
After I calmed down from the blatant ATM theft, I tried to get my money back from the teller. He told me they would call me if they found my money. Then after a ridiculous amount of argument I got to talk to a manager. She said they would call me. Finally, they put me on a phone and let me talk to a customer service representative in Beijing because, get this, the Shanghai and Beijing branches cannot communicate with each other. At one point while on the phone with the lady in Beijing, I asked to speak with her manager. She informed me that her manager was listening to our conversation and would simply repeat what she said. I told her that I didn't care and that I wanted to hear it from the managers mouth, to which she replied, "I cannot let you talk to my manager, she is in a meeting".
Now how does that work exactly? Her manager is in a meeting and listening to my conversation at the same time? In China you have to get used to this kind of thing or you will go crazy. My roommate informed me that because BOC was once a state run commie enterprise, they still have an antiquated, inefficient, bureaucratic business culture. If you are coming to China, bank with BOC at your own risk. You have been warned.
Anyway, after 2 1/2 hours of trying every method imaginable to get my money, I gave up. I was defeated. The most they would give me was a vague promise that they would return my money if they found it, and then give me a phone call. On the way out of the bank I saw this:
Thaaaaanks, now you tell me.
Anyway, now it was time to go to the Jin Mao tower, so we did.
(It's the one in front)
Here are pictures from the 88th floor of the tower:
This is looking down through the Hyatt hotel, which is where Jet was staying.
This is the Oriental Pearl TV tower. It is a waste of space if you ask me.
And a not-so-candid picture of Chris:
Oh, what's that you say Chris? Take another one? Sure thing buddy.
How silly of me to turn my camera off... of course we're not finished.
Really Chris? Another? Really?
After we left the observation deck, we decided to check out the Hyatt hotel. To get there we had to go back to the first floor, and then catch an elevator to the 87th. As we were walking towards the elevator, the door opened and off walked Jet. At first I thought it was a friend because I recognized his face, but after a second I realized where I knew him from. I didn't get a picture, so you will just have to take my word for it.
After we saw the hotel, we took the train back to the hostel. By the way, the subway in Shanghai looks something like this:
Upon Arriving at the hostel, I got a "haircut" next door. The barber made a disastrous mistake with the clippers and after he took the chunk out of my hair I told him he'd better just continue. I came out looking like this:
That night, we went to the bars again. This is where the tranny story comes in. And no, I am not talking about the tranny in your car. No, this specific tranny was of the "I was born a boy" variety. Long story short, Reese told the tranny he thought she was a man, and the tranny punched him. If you want the details, ask me in person.
Later on in the trip, Reese's dad came to visit.
Here is a picture of everyone after the girls came:
We went to see a meat market:
It was a long eventful trip, but it was, alas, time to return home to Beijing. Good old dusty, dirty, smelly Beijing. I really am starting to feel at home here.
After settling back into my school routine, I had a visitor:
Hey, it's Nini! I ate at her grandma's house and the food was delicious. Thanks Nini, tell your granny she needs to invite me over again. Also, thanks for bringing my deodorant.
Here is a picture of us in front the Bird's Nest which is the main stadium for the 2008 Olympics.
Inside:
The Japanese team won the 4 x 400 relay so this is a video of their national anthem being played to the flag raising. I don't think the predominately Chinese crowd was pleased with this.
Today was rainy, so I decided to go take some pictures of the Beijing University campus. The campus is supposedly one of the most beautiful in China, and I think it is especially nice when it's raining outside.
The library where none other than The Great Helmsman himself, Mao, once worked:
This is the building where I study:
This is The Bell, my favorite spot anywhere... ever.
Random places on campus:
Nice campus huh?
**** DISCLAIMER ****
Jet Li was not consulted prior to the publishing of this post. Jet Li firmly denies that he ever gave the author of this post permission to call him simply... "Jet". All opinions and viewpoints expressed above belong solely to the author and are not the viewpoints and opinions of the Jet Li franchise.
Well, I recently (actually about a month ago) went to Shanghai. Needless to say, it is a different world than Beijing. We got to fly out of the new terminal which was built to support the traffic for the 2008 games. It was pretty impressive:
Upon arrival in Shanghai, I got to ride the maglev. It was fast fast fast, about 430 Km/h, or 270 mph. I remember reading about this train when it was first built and thinking it was too bad I would never be able to see it. It is funny how things work out in the end, cause here I am:
The hostel where we stayed was really nice, which was a lucky break. It was right by the subway station and the people were helpful. When we arrived they were overbooked and they paid for us to stay at another, more expensive place for the first night. If you are looking to stay in Shanghai on the cheap, you should go to the Blue Mountain Youth Hostel.
The first sites that we visited were Nanjing Road and the Bund. Nanjing Road has lots of malls and shops and everything else you can imagine. It is bustling with engergy. This is a not-so-candid, "candid" picture of Reese and me walking. (Christoph is quite fond of the not-so-candid picture)
Once you reach the end of Nanjing Road, you have arrived at the Bund. The Bund is located on the opposite side of the Huangpu River from Pudong (Shanghai's financial district). The Bund was initially the Brittish section of Shanghai way back when. Here is a picture of Pudong from the Bund at night:
That night we went out and partied. Actually, we partied most every night. I don't remember what days contained what activities for that reason. I think I burned out some of those neural connections.
*** Inside joke alert ***
Christoph, you cannot fool me brother. I know we were never really on that boat. I don't care if Reese does have the ticket. This picture proves nothing:
On a day that I do remember, Christoph and I went to visit the Jin Mao Tower. It was the tallest building in the world for a while but nothing lasts forever... so sad. To truly appreciate my visiting of the tower and subsequent eye contact (that's right folks, eye contact) with Jet, thats what I call him now, one must first understand the context created by the preceding events that day:
We started out from our hostel at about noon o'clock. We were running late by Christoph's standards, but he is German. This was Christoph's second trip to the tower since arriving in Shanghai. He had gone once already by himself. The first time he went, he found a restaurant that looked nice and that is where we had lunch. I didn't have any money so Chris spotted me until we could get to an ATM. The price of the meal was 400 RMB, about 60 USD per person. It was by far the most expensive meal I have had in China, but it was worth every penny. Here is another not-so-candid picture of Chris:
"you mother f***** ****** ****** ******************** Bank of China ********** ****** ***** ********** ****** ***** ATM"
/\ /\ /\ That's a lot of expletives /\ /\ /\
After I calmed down from the blatant ATM theft, I tried to get my money back from the teller. He told me they would call me if they found my money. Then after a ridiculous amount of argument I got to talk to a manager. She said they would call me. Finally, they put me on a phone and let me talk to a customer service representative in Beijing because, get this, the Shanghai and Beijing branches cannot communicate with each other. At one point while on the phone with the lady in Beijing, I asked to speak with her manager. She informed me that her manager was listening to our conversation and would simply repeat what she said. I told her that I didn't care and that I wanted to hear it from the managers mouth, to which she replied, "I cannot let you talk to my manager, she is in a meeting".
Now how does that work exactly? Her manager is in a meeting and listening to my conversation at the same time? In China you have to get used to this kind of thing or you will go crazy. My roommate informed me that because BOC was once a state run commie enterprise, they still have an antiquated, inefficient, bureaucratic business culture. If you are coming to China, bank with BOC at your own risk. You have been warned.
Anyway, after 2 1/2 hours of trying every method imaginable to get my money, I gave up. I was defeated. The most they would give me was a vague promise that they would return my money if they found it, and then give me a phone call. On the way out of the bank I saw this:
Anyway, now it was time to go to the Jin Mao tower, so we did.
(It's the one in front)This is looking down through the Hyatt hotel, which is where Jet was staying.
After we saw the hotel, we took the train back to the hostel. By the way, the subway in Shanghai looks something like this:
Upon Arriving at the hostel, I got a "haircut" next door. The barber made a disastrous mistake with the clippers and after he took the chunk out of my hair I told him he'd better just continue. I came out looking like this:
Later on in the trip, Reese's dad came to visit.
It was a long eventful trip, but it was, alas, time to return home to Beijing. Good old dusty, dirty, smelly Beijing. I really am starting to feel at home here.
After settling back into my school routine, I had a visitor:
Here is a picture of us in front the Bird's Nest which is the main stadium for the 2008 Olympics.
Today was rainy, so I decided to go take some pictures of the Beijing University campus. The campus is supposedly one of the most beautiful in China, and I think it is especially nice when it's raining outside.
The library where none other than The Great Helmsman himself, Mao, once worked:
**** DISCLAIMER ****
Jet Li was not consulted prior to the publishing of this post. Jet Li firmly denies that he ever gave the author of this post permission to call him simply... "Jet". All opinions and viewpoints expressed above belong solely to the author and are not the viewpoints and opinions of the Jet Li franchise.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
WU MAO!
It has been a while since my last entry, and for those of you that were waiting patiently, checking facebook or my blog 3 times every hour... you can finally have some satisfaction.
Last week we got our first test scores back and I made As. Not really much more to write about in that department, just thought you might like to know.
I was not sure what I would be doing in the way of language study over the summer and I looked into a few programs. They all looked as though they would end up costing me quite a bit of money, so I decided to try my luck at finding a private tutor in my University. After putting an ad on the bbs, I think I found a good candidate. His english name is Ben, he is working on his PhD (at the Harvard of China) in linguistics including teaching Mandarin to foreigners. I will have 2 hours, 5 days a week of 1 on 1 lessons. Each week will cost 500 RMB, about 70 USD. I should be able to cover 1 semester's worth of material in 2 months. It is really amazing to think that here, I can hire a tutor with such qualifications for only $7 an hour.
Now let me tell you about "wu mao". Wu mao (or 5 mao) is a demonination of Chinese currency. It is worth 1/2 of a RMB, about 7 cents US. One day around a month ago, I decided that I needed a break from Chinese food and I headed down to the MacDonalds at the Golden Recources Shopping Center (for a brief period of time it was the biggest mall in the world). I parked my bicycle with all the others and thought nothing of it. After eating I went out to where my bicycle was located and some old lady was staring at me while I unlocked it. It was really disturbing since she wasn't saying anything. After a few moments, she said "wu mao". She was holding a wu mao note in her hand and pointing to my bicycle. I knew there was no way she thought I would sell it for 7 cents, so I figured she wanted to pay me wu mao to let her ride on the back. It is very normal for people to piggy back on bicycles in Beijing, but I declined because it was late. As I tried to take my bike away she grabed it and started yelling, "WU MAO!" Well, I thought, two can play at that game, so I started yelling back and jerked my bike really hard from her hands. I really did have to pull hard because this lady had a kung fu grip like no other (I have experienced 2 amazing kung fu grips here, I'll tell about the other one in a bit). As I rode away, she was still screaming.
A few days later, at a different shopping center, an almost identical situation materialized, except it was a different lady, and this time it was san mao (3 mao). As this lady was beginning to raise her voice, everything became clear. She was a security guard. I saw a Chinese person give her san mao and I realized she was there to guard the bikes, but not for free. Imagine the remorse I felt for the way I had acted to the first lady. Well, about two days ago I had the opportunity to right a wrong which I had unwittingly committed. I went back to the Golden Recources Shopping Center, and when I was ready to leave... guess who was waiting by my bicycle with a terrible look on her face. Go ahead, guess. Anyway, I handed her 1 RMB and told her to keep the change. I explained to her that I was paying for the last time as well as this one, and I apologized. I told her that I simply did not know what she was going on about when I first met her. She smiled and I saw tears begin to well up in her eyes. Her reply was, "mei guan xi' which means "it doesn't matter". It was a very heartwarming experience, and I actually teared up a bit myself. It can be really hard to deal with culture shock in China, but it's all worth it when things like this happen.
Aaaaaand back to the kung fu grip: The bicycle guard was the second encounter, but the first really blew my mind. I went to the Silk Market, which is basically a really big building with fake goods that are way over priced. The idea is that the fun is in the bargaining, and it really is quite fun. There are lots of stalls and all the attendants mob you to try and sell stuff. As I was walking by one stall, a tiny little girl grabbed my index finger. She did this before I could even see her. I tried to pull my finger out of her grip, but I couldn't. I am not kidding, I simply could not get free. I pulled and jerked as hard as I could, but she allowed herself to be thrown around rather than let go. I stopped jerking for fear that I would hurt the poor girl. I guess she eventually decided I was a lost cause and let go... thank god. I might still be there if she didn't. The kung fu grip is not a myth people.
Last week we got our first test scores back and I made As. Not really much more to write about in that department, just thought you might like to know.
I was not sure what I would be doing in the way of language study over the summer and I looked into a few programs. They all looked as though they would end up costing me quite a bit of money, so I decided to try my luck at finding a private tutor in my University. After putting an ad on the bbs, I think I found a good candidate. His english name is Ben, he is working on his PhD (at the Harvard of China) in linguistics including teaching Mandarin to foreigners. I will have 2 hours, 5 days a week of 1 on 1 lessons. Each week will cost 500 RMB, about 70 USD. I should be able to cover 1 semester's worth of material in 2 months. It is really amazing to think that here, I can hire a tutor with such qualifications for only $7 an hour.
Now let me tell you about "wu mao". Wu mao (or 5 mao) is a demonination of Chinese currency. It is worth 1/2 of a RMB, about 7 cents US. One day around a month ago, I decided that I needed a break from Chinese food and I headed down to the MacDonalds at the Golden Recources Shopping Center (for a brief period of time it was the biggest mall in the world). I parked my bicycle with all the others and thought nothing of it. After eating I went out to where my bicycle was located and some old lady was staring at me while I unlocked it. It was really disturbing since she wasn't saying anything. After a few moments, she said "wu mao". She was holding a wu mao note in her hand and pointing to my bicycle. I knew there was no way she thought I would sell it for 7 cents, so I figured she wanted to pay me wu mao to let her ride on the back. It is very normal for people to piggy back on bicycles in Beijing, but I declined because it was late. As I tried to take my bike away she grabed it and started yelling, "WU MAO!" Well, I thought, two can play at that game, so I started yelling back and jerked my bike really hard from her hands. I really did have to pull hard because this lady had a kung fu grip like no other (I have experienced 2 amazing kung fu grips here, I'll tell about the other one in a bit). As I rode away, she was still screaming.
A few days later, at a different shopping center, an almost identical situation materialized, except it was a different lady, and this time it was san mao (3 mao). As this lady was beginning to raise her voice, everything became clear. She was a security guard. I saw a Chinese person give her san mao and I realized she was there to guard the bikes, but not for free. Imagine the remorse I felt for the way I had acted to the first lady. Well, about two days ago I had the opportunity to right a wrong which I had unwittingly committed. I went back to the Golden Recources Shopping Center, and when I was ready to leave... guess who was waiting by my bicycle with a terrible look on her face. Go ahead, guess. Anyway, I handed her 1 RMB and told her to keep the change. I explained to her that I was paying for the last time as well as this one, and I apologized. I told her that I simply did not know what she was going on about when I first met her. She smiled and I saw tears begin to well up in her eyes. Her reply was, "mei guan xi' which means "it doesn't matter". It was a very heartwarming experience, and I actually teared up a bit myself. It can be really hard to deal with culture shock in China, but it's all worth it when things like this happen.
Aaaaaand back to the kung fu grip: The bicycle guard was the second encounter, but the first really blew my mind. I went to the Silk Market, which is basically a really big building with fake goods that are way over priced. The idea is that the fun is in the bargaining, and it really is quite fun. There are lots of stalls and all the attendants mob you to try and sell stuff. As I was walking by one stall, a tiny little girl grabbed my index finger. She did this before I could even see her. I tried to pull my finger out of her grip, but I couldn't. I am not kidding, I simply could not get free. I pulled and jerked as hard as I could, but she allowed herself to be thrown around rather than let go. I stopped jerking for fear that I would hurt the poor girl. I guess she eventually decided I was a lost cause and let go... thank god. I might still be there if she didn't. The kung fu grip is not a myth people.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Hootaaaz, and my very cool bicycle with its very cool basket
Not a lot has been going on since my last post, just some of your general run of the mill studying and partying. I have decided to try and limit myself to hanging out with foriegners only one night per week. I want to force myself to make Chinese friends. I have a few friends already. One is the security guard at my community's gate. He makes 35 RMB per day, which is less than $5. I call him Gomer Pyle because that is who he reminds me of. Every night, when I come home late, he is curled up on his desk passed out... drunk. I treated him to KFC on saturday which ended up costing twice as much as his daily salary. I am really suprised at his ability to look fasionable. With his income, I would not be able to dress well at all, but somehow he pulls it off.
Friday night was foriegner night, and this week we went to Hooters. The second you walk in, all the waitresses yell, "welcome to Hootaaaz!" It really is impossible not to chuckle just a bit when you hear it. All joking aside though, the Hooters girls probably have some of the best English of any Chinese people I have met here. The food was not great, and way overpriced. That's what you get in the states though, so it really wasnt a dissapointment.
After hooters, we all went to a bar nearby. They were playing old music and I must have heard YMCA like 5 times. We started a congo line on the dance floor. We didn't have to pay for a drink all night. Being a foreigner in China often works out well in unexpected ways. Also, if you are a lesbian in Beijing looking to find pretty girls who are as well, then this is the bar you want to visit. All the guy's in my group were just a tad bit jealous of some of these girl's partners... ok maybe a lot jealous.
Last but not least, as any man who is worth his weight in Einsteinium, I am lost without my wheels. I bought a bicycle and I ride it to school 5 days a week. It takes 40 minutes to get to class and 40 minutes to get back. I'm not talking about a leisurely commute here either. Im talking 40 minutes of hard peddling, traffic dodging, sweaty back and armpit smelling goodness. I am so fast that only the electric bikes, and cars pass me. To anyone worried about me riding a bike in the Beijing traffic I have this to say. It is safer to have a bike here than it is to walk, because if someone hits you while on your bike, it will damage thier car more. That last statement was tounge in cheek, but it is actually kind of true. The taxis stop for no man though.
Here is a pic of my bicycle:
I had the basket put on by a guy who fixes bikes on campus. My basket is cooler than most because it has a decoration:
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