A Chinese Christmas

I apologize for the lack of blog posts lately but unfortunately, my internet is really slow which makes it impossible to upload pictures and such. I decided that for Christmas, even if it takes all night, I want to update you all and let you know how Christmas was celebrated here in Qinhuangdao.

This past weekend, the foreign teachers at DongDa decided to host yet another party. This time, the theme was Christmas. We assembled a group of 30-40 students to be a part of our Christmas at DongDa show. Our show included three skits and a background choir. Our first skit was about the story of Christmas and St. Nick. Our second skit was about the story of the Nativity and the birth of Jesus for those who believe and our third skit was a Dongda rendition of "Twas the Night" written by my fellow AYC-er Will. We had some of our students rehearse for weeks to play different parts in the skit and we combined each skit with a Christmas carol sung by our choir.

As you all know, I love music so I simply couldn't resist taking a huge part in the show. I was the choir director which was super fun because I performed at Disney's Candlelight Processional in high school and I felt as though I were leading my very own Chinese Candlelight choir (and yes, the students were actually holding candles)! I even brought out the creative side and made their choir booklets by hand. Considering I am a terrible artist, I was very proud of my artwork (see pictures below). I also arranged a duet for myself and another foreign teacher here of "The Christmas Song". I will post the video below but please please bear in mind that both of our voices were very hoarse considering this was at the end of a long week of teaching. Needless to say, I lose my voice at the end of every week because apparently I talk very loudly in class.

After our skits and performances, we played two games: Reindeer Limbo and Pin the Star on the Tree. We blindfolded students, spun them around 3 times and told them to stick a huge star onto the cardboard tree we created. It was definitely a very fun and entertaining game to play and watch. After the games, we taught the students three different dances: the Cupid Shuffle, a step dance, and an Indian dance. Surprisingly, the kids caught on very quickly and did a great job during the dances. 

Finally the night ended like any Christmas party should, with Christmas Caroling around the campus dormitories. A small group went out to the teacher and student dorms and sang Christmas Carols from door to door. It was a pretty amazing way to spend Christmas week in China! Pictures and videos will be added for reference. Although I am not home this year with friends and family, I have enjoyed the warmth and love of my friends and students here in China and I am so grateful to be spending this Christmas with such amazing people~

Ready, Set...RUN!

Let’s talk traffic. Traffic lanes? What are those? Right of way?...Doesn’t exist. Traffic lights? What traffic lights?

Welcome to China.

To be fair, different areas may be completely different from the experiences I have had considering China’s vastness and cultural differences. The issues I will discuss in this piece relate specifically to my experiences in both Shanghai and Qinhuangdao which is also a city.

Having been born in New York and mostly always having lived near the city, I am used to the taxis and busy traffic life of the more metropolitan areas. What I am not used to however is the fact that pedestrians here do not have the right of way. In fact, good luck trying to figure out who does. In the streets of Shanghai it is common to witness near “death by crossing”. Pedestrians don’t matter. Cars and taxis and buses do. When crossing the street, you essentially cross one half of the street and then wait in the middle until the other half clears up, but occasionally it can be more of a 1/3^rd,  1/3^rd, 1/3^rd pattern. I found this to be one of the most frustrating things here in China. Every time I cross the street, I hold my breath and pray that I don’t get hit by a huge bus. When going out with students here in Qinhuangdao, they always hold my hand or link arms with me to help me get across and I tell them “There is only one rule: Don’t kill the teacher…or no English class next week!” Although they laugh and find it funny, it is a very real fear that I have. So what is the proper way to cross, you may ask? Just find another group of locals and cross when they do. That way, if the cars see all of you, they’ll be forced to swerve rather than hit you.

Taken from Google Images

Next traffic situation we should discuss is the idea of traffic lanes. Shanghai was quite an experience. I once had the privilege of taking a taxi from one end of Shanghai to the other early morning around 7 am. There is only one word I can think of in English to describe it: Clusterfuck. Pardon my French but seriously, it was chaos to the Nth degree. I simply could not understand why a street that was supposed to have 2 traffic lanes suddenly had 5 (one of which included the scooter/motorcycle lane). This made absolutely no sense to me. It was worse than NY… by a lot. And what happens when a scooter or motorcycle gets stuck in this kind of traffic? Why drive on the sidewalk of course! See, I told you pedestrians don’t matter. As a pedestrian in Shanghai, even walking on the sidewalk you still have to watch for scooters that decided to drive right behind you. Such a dangerous situation and they swear that they are the ones who are right. They get angry and curse at you in Chinese if you don’t move.

Taken from Google Images

As far as traffic lights are concerned, those are just decorations and extra ornamentation to make the streets look more colorful perhaps. I once exclaimed in my loudest English “That was a  traffic light, did you not notice it was red?” to the taxi driver but of course, he didn’t understand me. The number of times I’ve nearly died in a taxi? Ummm, I’ve stopped counting to be honest but yes, I’ve been in nearly 40 accidents by now and I’ve only been here for one month.

Oh and Taxis here have random shift-change times so sometimes you come out of the grocery store and instead of taking a cab, you get in this rickety, bumpy “box-on-a-bike” called a car. It charges more than a taxi and is the least comfortable ride you will ever experience.

Hospital Time: Medical Exams in China

I realize that so much has happened in the time that I have been here that I completely neglected to write about the "incredible" experience I had my first week here in Qinhuangdao at the local clinic.

Warning: this post is not for the faint of heart, the germophobe, or obsessive-compulsive clean freak!

My first week here I was taken to the local clinic to complete a medical exam. Bear in mind that I had already paid a lot of money out-of-pocket to complete the exact same exams in the US under much cleaner conditions but apparently China doesn't trust the US Medical system so....I had to do it again.

At first sight, I realized Qinhuangdao was definitely not a big city. The clinic was quite small and although I am used to going to public clinics in the States, this was unlike any I had been to. It was very dirty and I immediately got the impression that I would get sick just looking at the place. Nonetheless my friend and I walk in with our coordinator amid many awkward stares and proceed to fill out the necessary paperwork. When we first arrived, we were the only people in line.

All of a sudden, 10 minutes later, a crowd of 50 or more people began to line up behind us only it's China so it was more like they were pushing and shoving and screaming trying to form what I can only guess was a line. Many were pointing at us and laughing and talking and that is when I knew things would get very interesting. First we were escorted to a room where our EKGs would be done. There was a room for the men and a separate room for women (thank goodness). There was supposedly a curtain up to block the person being examined from view but...there were 30 or so men crowded into the one small room and they were all pushing the curtain back so they could watch the person being examined. Meanwhile they're laughing and talking so loudly. This is when my friend and I began to get nervous. We realized that there is no privacy here and we would possibly be subject to public scrutiny 1. for being foreigners and 2. because that is apparently the norm. So my poor White, Male friend had to lie down with his shirt up while a group of older Chinese men watched and pointed. I was even followed by a group of men to my exam room but the nurse covered my chest with her arms to block me from view.

Side Note about the medical beds: They were filthy and absolutely disgusting! There was no nice clean sheet pulled down on the bed after each person't exam. Instead they had raggedy old pieces of newspaper that ripped after the first two people had their exams so by the time I laid down on them, they were mostly disintegrated.

Next came the Ultrasound which was a much calmer experience although the bed was really just as dirty as the EKG one and then came the X-Ray. The X-Ray room was made completely of wood and there were 2 hazardous warning signs. We were not given any protection of any kind so the radiation hit us full on and may possibly have some lasting effect on me later on in life. YAY!!! It felt like something out of a horror movie.

Finally we had the blood test. This was the weirdest and scariest thing I have ever done. Essentially, you stand in one of four lines and wait your turn at the window. There is a person sitting behind what looks like a ticket window. You stick your arm under the window and they stick a needle into your arm. As usual, I have to draw attention to myself everywhere I go so it took a long time to try to find my veins but finally the nurse managed to find it and draw my blood. Luckily, the needles were clean because they came out of a new bag. Afterwards, we were handed little cotton balls to blot the blood until the site of the shot clotted however I found many of these cotton balls all over the floor on my way out. People though it was okay to drop them everywhere but in the garbage where they belonged and half the people leaving were still bleeding minutes later! Needless to say, I felt that the hospital was quite unsanitary and very contaminated. I spent the next 4 days lying in bed sick with a cold and malaise and I can only assume it was due to my trip to the clinic. Luckily I didn't have to go back as my results were all good. After this experience, I vowed to never ever ever go to the hospital here in Qinhuangdao unless I am absolutely dying. I would rather buy a 2 hour trip to Beijing to go to the International Hospital there.

The Chinese Perspective on Colored Folks

I have been travelling since I was a little girl and am quite used to getting noticed for my hair and skin color. Having lived overseas and integrated my school in Belgium as a child, I would say I am a veteran at confronting race issues abroad. Despite these experiences, nothing could prepare me for China.

Bear in mind that China is closed off from the rest of the world and as such, they don’t get many outside visitors. Don’t get me wrong; Shanghai is a rather international city so they are much more used to foreigners or Laowai as they call us. Hong Kong however, doesn’t count. The truth of the matter is that many Chinese have only ever seen Black people on television and as a result, their conceptions of us are quite skewed. They believe that all colored people are either basketball players or rappers/performers. Needless to say, the mere glimpse of a Black person can send a whole village of people into a frenzy.

From the moment I set foot on the ground at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, I knew I was in for quite a ride. I sensed my impending doom as I looked around realizing that out of the hundreds of people in line in front of me, I could only count 3 or 4 who looked like me. That night, I arrived at my hotel after spending 4 hours at the airport (I arrived during National Holiday so it was PACKED)! I was exhausted and just wanted to buy some noodles from the store downstairs. As I am getting ready to pay, the cashier suddenly leans out the front door and yells something to her friend down the street. Her friend proceeds to rush over to the store, sees me, and immediately walks over and begins to pull and tug at my Senegalese Twists all the while, yelling in my face in Mandarin. Welcome to China!

This is pretty much how things happen everywhere I go. My first week here, I could not handle it emotionally. There are the constant, awkward stares and the pointing. I often felt like a lion behind a cage at the zoo. Then, there was the issue of pictures. As a foreigner, you will inevitably end up in many Chinese family pictures and random photos. Depending on where you are, you will suddenly be rushed by a group of Chinese all attempting to take pictures of you on their phones (without asking mind you) and next thing you know, they are asking their friends to take pictures of them with you. You may even be handed a baby or two. That is not an exaggeration. Chinese people love a foreigner and many consider it good luck to have you hold their baby for a picture. The weird thing about being here in Qinhuangdao is that I am always asked about my hair and immediately told that I am beautiful which is a bit different from my experience in Shanghai where I felt ugly and insignificant.

Aside from the pointing and the staring and the pictures, you get the mobs that follow you around everywhere you go. Sometimes, a photo shoot can last for 20 minutes if someone doesn’t stop them. It happened to my friends and me as we were visiting The Bund in Shanghai. I was with a group from the Ameson Foundation and out of nowhere a guy approached a Black member of our group and asked him if he was “NBA”. He assumed because my friend was tall and Black, that he must be an NBA player. And so the photo shoot commenced and lasted quite a while. They seemed to especially love the Afros. I did notice that the girls with the natural hair actually did seem to generate more interest than me with my "fake" hair but that doesn't seem to matter in Qinhuangdao. Probably because they don't have much to choose from.

This was the original group of Ameson Peeps

This is after the mob got to us! Who are those random people in front? No Clue!

There will also inevitably be the questions: Is her but real? Can I touch your hair? Are her breasts enhanced or are those natural? Now I must say, hearing it all said in Chinese was probably the most intimidating part of all this because it sounds so harsh when they ask! I am currently wearing Senegalese Twists and everywhere I go, the middle-aged women especially will ask to touch my hair. It can be flattering at times but mostly it gets pretty annoying. My first week here I was so frustrated that I spent a lot of time crying and even considered returning to Europe. After the initial shock, it all seems quite silly really. You are basically their door to the outside world and as such, you must be prepared to teach them everything you can even if it is only through a picture.

Either way, I must say that if you are Black and travelling to China, you absolutely must spend some time mentally preparing yourself for the experience because I can guarantee you, it will be unlike anything you have ever experienced!

Celebrity Status Update: China Famous?!

So I totally had to share this one...
Day two of teaching and I do my usual introduction: Here are all the places I've traveled to, here is what I majored in, these are my hobbies, etc. This time however, things went a little bit differently than they had in previous classes. This is my Freshman class, my 7:00 pm - 8:50 pm class comprised of 50 or so eager beavers who are giggly and excited and talkative. When I start to write my hobbies on the board, I write the word s-i-n-g-i-n-g and immediately hear an echo of "oohh" and "aahhh" followed by the voice of one of the young males in the class who demands "teacher, sing a song". This of course is followed by thunderous applause so after a few seconds of this, I reluctantly agree and proceed to sing the main chorus of Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" and next thing you know, phones are pointed in my direction and the flashing of lights overwhelms me. 5 minutes later, I am being told to pose this way and that way and videos are being recorded; students are having their friends take pictures with me as others are posting videos of my 30 second performance on the Chinese equivalent of YouTube. Luckily, the bell rang to announce that class was to start again and I was able to usher them back into their seats. By the end of class, I had taken more than 25 photos and all of the students had asked for my phone number and my QQ id (their equivalent of Skype) and already as I type this, many of the students have added me to their QQ contact list. Not many people can say that they were celebrities abroad but I do believe this certainly qualifies. If there is one thing I truly look forward to this year, it is spending time with the amazing, sweet, and spirited students I am teaching this year. Such a different experience from the adults who make me feel like a zoo animal and glare at me (yes, one guy on the train actually scowled) for being Black. Moral of the story: don't tell Chinese kids you have a talent because they will ask you to demonstrate. They asked me to do a traditional Haitian dance as well but I told them that the dance was for another time!

This was the first time I saw the City Skyline at The Bund in Shanghai
Just added this pic because I want to perform here sometime and maybe now I can!

My First After-School Activity

After a very long day of lying in bed with a sore throat, swollen lips, and an aching body, I assumed that things could only get worse from here. I saw today as my body's way of telling me to get out of China, fast! I realized that of all the medications I brought with me, I completely forgot to bring cough/sore throat medicine (for any of you who really love me, here's your cue to prove it)! Thankfully, one of the other foreign teachers in my building brought me some natural herbal supplements that were absolutely disgusting but did the trick. Either way, I spent all of last night and today in bed so I never imagined I could end the night on such a positive note.

My University hosts a weekly after-school event called The English Corner where students meet to practice speaking and pronunciation in English along with all 5 of the foreign teachers at the school. That now includes me. I did not believe I would be able to stay the whole time but 5 minutes into the class, I forgot that I was sick and realized that I was in complete shock and awe of these students. There must have been about 55 students there and they were the most eager kids I had ever seen. They were respectful and kind and most importantly, engaged. They repeated every phrase with diligence, they remained focused throughout the hour and a half, even though it was 7 pm when we started. 

The most amazing part for me was walking around the room and listening to their responses to the discussion questions posed. Tonight's topic revolved around Beauty-inner beauty, outer beauty, definitions of beauty, etc. These students all believed that what made someone beautiful had nothing to do with physical attributes and everything to do with personality which is an interesting notion considering Asia is the hub of plastic surgery and skin whiteners. I was so impressed with not only their language skills but also with their level of thinking and I saw hope for the future of women everywhere when I listened to these kids. The best part of the night was when one girl stated: "Teacher, when I think of the word beautiful, I think of you. You are very beautiful." I nearly lost it and I had to do my best not to cry because the other girls in the class repeated the same thing to me as I walk around the room. Many of the girls wanted to have me as their new English teacher and I was absolutely overwhelmed by all the love. Before I left, 4 of the girls asked me for my phone number and promised to take me out to dinner sometime soon.

I have had a very tough time adjusting to the Chinese culture. I have felt like a zoo animal from the beginning. Knowing that many of the Chinese (as well as Japanese and Korean women) prefer lighter skin and a more European look, I came here already very self-conscious which was not at all aided by the constant pointing and ceaseless staring but tonight, I recognized that there is a group of more educated women who are starting to understand that they look gorgeous just the way they are and I now realize that I have a lot more to learn from them than they do from me.

These girls stayed after class to talk to me. It was adorableee:)