Rules of the Road

I have no documentation of the worst of the traffic because I'm usually so scared I have my eyes closed.

For the past two weeks I’ve tried to figure out how to explain the traffic here.  Sichuan University’s main campus, where I’m staying, is situated in the middle of Chengdu, a large city.  It is bounded by several major roads, and so any time I need to go to a bigger market or a restaurant or café, I have to face the traffic.  I’ve also ridden in a variety of vehicles including small cars, minivans, and taxis.  From a distance the traffic flow seems to be normal, but up close, it is more like terrifying.  On Friday I was so scared during 20 minute taxi ride out to Ikea I spent the entire ride with my eyes closed.  At one point the driver passed two cars who were in adjoining lanes, complete with lane lines, by squeezing BETWEEN the two vehicles, riding the dotted white line.  Ugh.

Finally yesterday my friend Olivia, a veteran world traveler, offered this description of the traffic phenomenon:

When you're in a car, does it feel like everyone is just trying to make space for themselves? Kinda like a swirling school of fish?

I think this is an excellent description.  Imagine a school of fish that is all clumped together swirling around, but somehow manages to move forward.  You never quite know how they figure out how they fit together, but somehow they do.  That is how it feels, especially in the middle of an intersection.  There is a kind of order that makes sense, but out of nowhere someone will back up, or go around someone else, and abruptly change direction.  Occasionally a vehicle will just decide to go against traffic.  And in the midst of all of this are a billion motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, pedi-cabs, and pedestrians of all ages and agility levels.  To add to all of this visual sensation are the endless  din of car horns going off all the time.  Drivers honk all the time – not just to jar someone in front of you to move when the light is green.  No, they honk to tell all the cars, bikes, that they are there and to watch out. 

The only rule of the road I have successfully figured out is this:  pedestrians never, never, never, never have the right of way.  Never.  At the same time, it was also described to me that everyone, drivers and pedestrians alike, has to be selfish, or they will never get anywhere.  Waiting patiently to take your turn will not pay off.  It will just leave you motionless forever. 

When I’m on my own trying to get places, my strategy has been to find some other pedestrians crossing an intersection and follow closely behind them.  I’m betting on two things:  that they are natives and understand the rules of the road that I can’t  figure out; and that if I keep just behind them if an accident happens they’ll get hit but I’ll have time to move out of the way.  Remember – the key is to be selfish and think only about your survival.  I guess I learned something.

Camping and China: Things in Common

At the Dujiangyan Irrigation System

People who have known me for a long time are well aware of my stance on camping.  I’m against it.  Totally against it.  It’s not that I don’t like nature.  I love nature.  I can spend all day outside, hiking, walking around, napping in a hammock (who’s kidding who – the nap is an important outdoor activity).  But at the end of the day, I want to go home, take a shower in my own bathroom and sleep in my own bed.  I think I came about this philosophy honestly:  when I was a kid I lived in Alaska, and that’s what we did all the time.  We did stuff outside, went to the rec areas for picnics and ran on the beach, but we always came home at night. 

This morning I was Skyping with my friend Priscilla and she asked me what I liked about China.  I thought for a minute, and then responded honestly that I have enjoyed almost everything about it.  The people I’ve met have all be wonderful and interesting, and I am enjoying seeing the sites and learning new things.  But, after over two weeks on the road, I feel about China the way I do about camping.  I’m happy to be out in it all day long, but I really wish at the end of the day I was going to my own home instead of my hotel.

Today was a good example of this.  I went on a day trip with a very nice man named Lai Wei, who will actually be coming to Arizona on this same exchange next year.  We went to see the  Dujiangyan Irrigation System, an irrigation project that was created 2300 years ago.  It was truly fascinating to hear how this engineering feat made it possible for the city of Chengdu to grow and thrive, since it provides basically all the water for this area.  Also at this site there is a beautiful bonsai garden which was so peaceful – it made me want to sit and read for a while (impossible for a variety of reasons, including it was cold and rainy) .  After a short break for lunch we headed to the Qingchen Mountain, the site of several Taoist temples.  We hiked for an hour, pretty much straight up.  Lai Wei said it was very easy, but my legs say it was a workout, and my FitBit said it was 97 flights of stairs.  We met our goal and found one of the major Taoist temples up on the hill.  We took a break and visited, and Lai Wei broke out a small pack of Chips Ahoy cookies he brought for us, which touched me.  Maybe they like Chips Ahoy in China, but I’m going to believe that he (or his wife) thought it would be nice to bring an American snack for me to enjoy.  Then we headed back down the mountain, very very carefully.

It was a good day, a day spent out appreciating nature.  I learned new things, and tried new things, and got a great workout.  And all I could think about on the very long drive back to Chengdu was this:  I really want to sleep in my bed tonight.  That doesn’t mean I won’t be happy to go out and explore again tomorrow, it just means that tonight, as tired as I am, I wish my bed was a little less hard and a little more familiar.

Fellowship and Fries

It may say "Big Mac" on the box, but it didn't say it on the menu.

Let’s get to the point:  I ate McDonalds today.   I refuse to feel guilty about it.  It’s what I wanted and what  I needed.

Backstory:  I have always thought it was ridiculous when people ate at McDonalds when they were traveling in other countries.  I don’t eat McDonalds at home, why would you want to on the road?  Well, let me tell you why:  1) it’s predictable; 2) It’s cheap; and 3) their fries are good and sometimes you need fries.   

The food here in Chengdu has been really good.  I’ve enjoyed every meal I’ve had out with my hosts, and especially have appreciated the opportunity to have them share their favorite dishes with me.  I’ve discovered, to absolute no surprise, that I love dumplings.  They have several different kinds of dumplings here, and I love them all.  But I’ve tried fish, pork, vegetables, rice, noodles, and it’s all been good.  I’ve gotten sick a couple of times after meals, but I think it’s because they use a lot of oils in the local cooking, and I’m not used to it.  But overall, I’ve loved the food.

But for the past couple of days, I’ve been craving fries.  I want the texture and the salt, and the familiarity.  I considered going to a nicer restaurant, but who knows how good their fries are but really what I wanted are plain old McDonalds fries.  So I went out and got them.  But I ended up getting so much more.

When I arrived at the counter, I was faced with a menu on the wall that had pictures, but only Chinese writing.  Thinking the easiest thing would be to order the quintessential McDonalds sandwich, whose name must be the same everywhere (ok, I forgot the whole discussion of it in Pulp Fiction – forgive me, I hated that movie), “Big Mac”.  Only they had no idea what that meant.  I kept talking in English and eventually they pulled out a card with pictures for me to point to.  I still ordered the Big Mac meal – why change course at this point.  While I was waiting the man next to me said hello – I looked up to see an American who immediately started a conversation with me.  When our food came, he invited me to sit with his family, and I eagerly agreed.  I haven’t had a conversation with a native English speaker in two weeks, so this was a treat.

I ended up talking with this family for over an hour.  William and his wife Becky came to China as missionaries, but are a bit unique.  They aren’t affiliated with any official organization, and in fact, William is a student at SCU, studying Chinese.  They’ve been here for 9 years, and have three children, with another due soon.  They also own a café that serves bagels and smoothies, which I’m going to hike to tomorrow (it’s a good 30 minute walk, so it will balance out the calories of the all carb breakfast).  Their 9 year old son was very friendly and imaginative, and I enjoyed chatting with him. William and Becky gave me some tips about local sites to see, and places to eat, but that's not what I enjoyed most about talking with them. It just felt nice to have a friendly conversation without worrying about my word choices, and to have a meal that I didn’t need to stress about using chopsticks.  When it was time to go (the 1 year old was clearly past her expiration point), I thanked them for being so generous with their time.  I would describe our conversation as good old fashioned fellowship, which may have been the last thing I expected to find at the McDonalds in Chengdu. 

Burger, fries and a side of community.  I’ll take that.

At the Movies

Movie popcorn and Coke: universal movie snacks

One of the things that has kind of surprised me while getting to know some of the librarians here at SCU, was how popular American tv shows.  They tell me they watch tv shows online, or buy DVDS (which are not produced by the studios/networks/production companies).  I’ve been asked how accurately life in the United States is portrayed by the shows.  I had to explain, more than once, that no, not everyone lives in the kind of house or subdivision as they show in Desperate Housewives, and no, teenagers aren’t all like the ones on Gossip Girl. 

It turns out that American movies are quite popular here as well.  They are shown in regular theaters (not a special “foreign film theater”), and almost always have the original English dialog, with Chinese subtitles.   Liu Liu offered to take me to the movies today, another day off, and I happily agreed.  I was curious to see what the experience was like, and how movie theaters comare with the ones at home.

First of all, the ticket window looked very similar, but I couldn’t read any of the film titles, so I couldn’t tell at first what American film was being shown.  Liu Liu then pointed to a poster with no English words on it, but clearly depicted Oz:  we were going to see “The Great and Powerful Oz”.  I had been curious about it when I saw a trailer for it a couple months ago, so I was happy.  Actually I was thrilled because it had been suggested that perhaps I’d be stuck watching that terrible Nicholas Sparks movie that was out in February.  Thankfully I was spared that. 

Similar to the new AMC theaters at the Biltmore, you get to pick out your seat when you purchase your ticket.  We chose some in the middle, and then headed to the concession stand for popcorn and a coke.  I had been told that movie theater popcorn here was the same – with butter – so imagine my surprise when it turned out to be sweet, like a cross between kettle corn and caramel corn.  Liu Liu insists that all movie popcorn here is sweet.  I kind of liked it, but I was missing the salt a little bit.

When we got settled in our seats I noticed some ads running on the screen, but couldn’t tell what they were for.  Then all of a sudden the movie started.  No previews / trailers.  I was disappointed – I was totally looking forward to what trailers looked and sounded like here.  Plus – isn’t that often the best part of the movie experience?  The seats themselves were rocking seats, very much like the standard seats at Harkins Theaters.  Also it wouldn’t be a movie outing without someone in the audience taking a call on their cell phone, and having an extensive conversation to boot.   It’s amazing how many social behaviors are universal.

The movie itself was nothing to be excited about.  But I had to try to explain the original “Wizard of Oz” movie to Liu Liu afterwards, as she has never seen it.  It was fun to try to connect the story and characters from this film with that one.  I hope she watches the original sometime : it was a much better film.

Pandas, Art and Fine Dining

I'm a little envious of these pandas' napping ability.

The last two days have been all fun, and no work.  Wednesday Liu Liu took me to the Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Park, and then yesterday she took me to meet a friend of hers who is a local artist.  Both days were wonderful in very different ways.

The Panda Park was absolutely beautiful.  I’ve been amazed at how green and lush the landscaping is here.  There were long windy shady paths that led to the different enclosures, as well as to a Swan Lake filled with carp.  I’m not sure what I expected of the pandas, but they were fun to see.  They all were napping in various positions, many high up in the trees.  I don’t understand how they got up that high, as many of the branches didn’t look to be that strong. 

The park was filled with school children visiting on a field trip.  I loved seeing their happy faces and hearing their high pitched voices.   Many of them had back packs with familiar cartoon characters (Mickey Mouse, Transformers, Cars), and some of them made a point to yell “hello” to me as I passed by.  Liu Liu kept commenting on how noisy it was, but it didn’t feel as bad as most American amusement parks.  I guess it’s normally quiet and peaceful though.  We did have a lovely picnic lunch on a park bench and wandered around for quite some time.

I also encountered the first Americans I’ve seen since I arrived, and instead of feeling a kinship, I felt embarrassed.  There were signs all over the place, in both Chinese and English, to speak quietly to not disturb the animals.  I turned a corner at one point and standing directly across one of these signs was an American couple and their child.  The mother kept yelling – loudly – at the kid, reprimanding him for some minor infraction.  Her voice sounded harsh and discordant, even among the din of the school children, and the juxtaposition with that and the sign asking for quiet was too much.  Instead of saying hello and having the conversation in English I had been craving only the day before, I walked by, not wanting to connect with them at all.

Liu Liu (left) with her friend artist Shen Yunquing

Thursday marked the beginning of a national holiday, which I believe is “Tomb Sweeping” day,  a holiday to visit the graves of deceased relatives.   Things were quiet on campus, but it did seem like many businesses were still open.  That afternoon Liu Liu picked me up and took me to visit a friend of hers, a local artist named Shen Yunqing.  I enjoy art, even though I’m not knowledgeable about it, and appreciated the opportunity to visit with an artist and ask about her work.  The studio was in an industrial neighborhood about 10km from campus, and was in a block with several other artists.  Shen has worked with many different materials, including iron, bronze and paper.  I couldn’t believe how many beautiful pieces were in her studio, on dusty shelves.  Two sets of works in particular drew me in:  one was a series she did for the Beijing Olympics depicting athletes in different activities (two of these pieces remain in Olympic Park), and another was a set of dancers.  I took a few pictures (like this one of a discus thrower), but they don’t do the work justice at all.

After the studio visit, we went to dinner at a restaurant recommended by my boss Sherrie.  It turns out Shen is a bit of a local foodie, and has connections with local restaurateurs.  I got to sit back and relax, and let Shen and Liu Liu order an amazing array of dishes.  Some were typical local specialties, and others were new to Shen and Liu Liu as well (they had never tried fennel before – I had to draw what one looks like for them).  I did at one point give up on my chopsticks – I was too hungry and darn it I wanted to eat this good food so I did make use of a fork for a while.   Imagine my surprise when the final dish of the night arrived : a small plate of oranges and grape tomatoes, accompanied by, of all things, a fork.   

Motivation

I know this is fruit and not vegetables, but I forgot to take a picture of my lunch.

If at first you don’t succeed, try try again, right?  I’ve been avoiding the hotel restaurant after my unsatisfying experience last week.  Food here is so cheap that I haven’t really cared that I could eat for free at the restaurant, plus I’ve gone out a few times with Liu Liu.  But I decided that one can live only so long on savory pastries, chips, peanut butter, ice cream and the stash of protein bars I brought with me:  I started craving produce.  First I conquered buying fruit at the market (they have weighing stations in the produce area – someone weighs it first before you take it to the check out stand), but I hadn’t figured out how to get vegetables.  I was told not to eat raw vegetables here (due to the water), so I couldn’t just buy things at the market as I’m not allowed a microwave or toaster oven in my room. 

Not too long ago I would have laughed if someone told me I would be willing to face confusion and awkwardness again in a quest for vegetables, but there you have it.  I confessed to Liu Liu that I hadn’t been eating at the restaurant because I didn’t understand how it worked (part of it you order, and part is self serve, and the menus aren’t on the table), and she felt really bad, which is why I didn’t tell her to begin with.  I couldn’t quite explain to her that’s a personality quirk of mine – I hate not knowing how things work, and it’s worse when you can’t ask anyone to explain the process.  So after our morning meeting yesterday she came back with me to the hotel, spoke with the staff and explained  the process and menu to me.  The first dishes I tried are pork with mushrooms, and a big plate of mixed vegetables.  It came with rice, and I added a soda and the entire meal only cost 32 RMB (about $5 USD). 

The meal was delicious and filling, but was very rich.  So rich, in fact, that I can’t quite imagine eating there multiple times in one day.  But I’m happy to have that as an option, and I’m sure I will be returning to sample more dishes, and to have my servings of vegetables.  But for now, I think I’ll content myself with some cheese, crackers and an orange.

Counting Steps

My FitBit readout for Monday April 1, 2013

A couple weeks before I left, my sister Aimee and I got FitBits: these small devices that measure your activities (steps, mileage, flights of stairs) each day.  The basic goal is to try to hit 10,000 steps a day, to have a decent level of activity.  What I found out in the time leading up to my departure is that even on days when I felt like I was walking around campus a lot, it was very difficult to reach 10,000 steps if I didn’t go for a hike or run.  I guess I’m much more sedentary than I thought.

Things have changed dramatically since I arrived at the Sichuan University campus.  I had forgotten what it is like to live on a campus:  you walk for transportation everywhere.   Do you need some bottled water?  You need to walk three blocks to the market.  Coffee?  Go to the south gate and find the café (15 minute walk).  WalMart? Walk out the west gate, across the flyover and down the street.  Work?  Walk to the library.  I haven’t had a “workout” since I’ve been here, yet I’ve been over 10,000 steps every single day except one. 

On Monday, I had a particularly active day, and was at 10,000 steps before dinner.  I was in my hotel room at the end of the afternoon and decided I wanted to find a western restaurant for dinner.  I wasn’t particularly craving western food, but I just wanted to order something in English – and maybe even have a banal conversation with my server.  I did some research online and found a place that seemed to be within walking distance that promised decent burgers, and seemed to be fairly well-known to local ex-pats.  I triangulated it on the map with two places I knew well (the North Gate and Pete’s Tex Mex – another western restaurant), found pictures on their Facebook page of their signage, and headed out.  I strode across campus and out the west gate with confidence, crossed the busy street on one of the “flyovers” (high pedestrian bridges), and … never found it.  I walked and walked and walked, and walked and finally gave up.  It wasn’t meant to be, at least for that night.

While I was disappointed that plan didn’t work out, I only briefly considered going to McDonalds or Hooters (can you believe that’s here?) for a burger.  But I realized that neither of those options would leave me feeling good about the night, so I implemented plan B: going to the nice supermarket Liu Liu showed me on my first day, and deciphering the dairy case for yogurt and cheese, and the produce section for fruit.  This market is at the far opposite end of the main road as where I was trying to find the restaurant, so I walked and walked and walked to get there, including through an incredibly dangerous construction site that seemed to not care one bit that pedestrians were traipsing through the area.  I finally reached the market, and finished my quest.  I even used my dictionary app on my otherwise useless iphone to ask a clerk the location of forks and spoons.  I managed the check out process fine, somehow even conveying my regret that I forgot my own bag, and headed back towards campus feeling a bit satisfied with the outcome of my evening. 

When I finally made it back to my room, I looked down at my FitBit and was astonished to see the reading:  20,000 steps.  In my bizarre quest for conversation and groceries, which were only half accomplished, I had walked the equivalent of an entire day.  What I have to say about that is:  thank God for Clark Privo shoes, because even after 20,000 steps and many many miles, my feet didn’t hurt one bit.