Wow it has been a while since I have updated this thing! I am so excited that I found a couple of hours to sit down and type to my hearts content. It's been a rough past couple of two weeks. Finance started, and though I love our professor I am really feeling the strain of taking 18 credits in 7 weeks. I will be sad to see him go but I won't be sad to have more free time to ride around on my bike and explore some more of Chengdu! I have also had my past two weekends packed full of exciting trips. I don't know if I will be able to get all the dirty details out in this blog post, but I assure you my dear readers that in due time you will know all the riveting details. Also, I mentioned the bunny Simba. Well, Shoji and I decided to let it go. It was cute, it was great, but it shit everywhere and I was tired of making hauls out to East Gate to buy it vegetables every couple of hours. Yes, I will make a horrible mother, I know. I hope it's still alive.
Oh, anyway, I wanted to take the time to say something about Japan. A lot of people keep freaking out about Japan being close to China but where I am there is absolutely no way I could feel any of the radiation. It is a horrible tragedy and I feel for the wonderful, strong people of Japan. It's no secret that I absolutely fell in love with Tokyo, so I donated a couple yen for the Japanese red cross. I encourage everyone else to do so as well. They are a wonderful people with an awesome culture, and my favorite ninja Shoji Hama comes from there. I would love to return there again someday so keep them in your thoughts, prayers, and maybe let your wallets be a little lighter for the week!
But what I really wanted to talk about was the Chinese fashion. A lot of Americans think that all Asians look the same and can't differentiate between the nationalities. Well, I Taylor Watson am here to tell you that at this point in my travels I can definitely tell the difference. More than appearance, the way they act is completely different, and more extremes are the way of dress. My god. I can't speak for all Chinese but I can say the majority of those living in Sichuan province could use a little help. A lot of help. I mean, yeah it's cold here. I'm not saying it's well lit here either but I swear these people close their eyes when they go shopping for clothes and again when they pick out their outfits. They could definitely use some Japanese influence. There are some girls who dress cute here, like our good friend Lisa. She knows exactly where to shop to find the coolest clothes and once I get done with the stress of the next two weeks I am making here take me out to find her pair of destroyed acid washed jeans and fitted metallic blazers. Oh goodness, I have been in Asia for a while haven't I? Lisa is almost perfect at English, due to the fact that she loves to hang out with the foreigners. She is dating a guy who lives in our floor. He is from somewhere in Africa. Nice guy but I can't remember his name. Maybe it's something like Chewbacca?
Lisa is also very helpful and overall just a great companion to have in China. She is funny, and like most Chinese very hospitable and go to great lengths to help you out. On Friday night, for example she took me to a salon to get my hair done because I was about to have a melt down. My hair had changed from purple, to red, to some nasty multicolored destroyed concoction. I wanted to cry. She took my to a salon at 10 PM (everything stays open late here...perfect for a night owl like me!) and we didn't get home until 1am. The salon was great, and a cut, color, and ten minute head massage came to a whopping total of 20 USD. They couldn't color it my usual dark brown so now after years of going increasingly darker my hair is all the way black. More and more asian everyday, I tell ya. The Salon was almost as hopping as the bar district that Friday night. It was full of gay Chinese men with the craziest anime haircuts prancing around and yelling. In most shops and businesses here the owners live in the back quarters with their family, so the whole family came out to see the American girl get her hair cut. I was surrounded by Grandma's, babies, and the likes. It was really cheery and upbeat and made me appreciate the warmness of the Chinese people even more.
I know I previously spoke about how small Wenjiang district is but now I take it back. Like the rest of China, there is so much more past what meets the eye. I decided to bike past East Gate a couple nights ago and see what I could find. It wasn't long before I was standing in front of a magnificent river with lights everywhere. There were teahouses on all sides and people sitting on benches enjoying themselves. I was there at night but during the day I am sure there are people outside practicing tai chi, reading the dao and overall passing down ancient Chinese wisdom from the elders. Or reflecting on the mass amount of smog everywhere.
A few weeks ago our Chinese friends Winnie, Helen and Spring took us shopping to HM as we wanted to feel good about ourselves and fit into our normal sizes, and not just barely squeezing into a China XL. I think we enjoyed it more than they did and I am sure they couldn't wrap their heads around the prices. We helped them pick out cute clothes that would flatter them in return for them being so hospitable with us all the time. I think one of the number one things I have learned in my travels abroad is the importance of friendship. The Chinese seem to have a different level of commitment with friendship than I am used to in America. Don't get me wrong, I love my friends back home. They're all awesome and I would do anything for them, as I am sure they would with me. But they don't go out of their way to buy me things and do things for me all the time. After HM we were hungry and stopped by east gate to grab some delicious street food. I mentioned to Winnie that I loved the dumplings and the next time she stopped by our dorm she brought some ones she had home made for me! When I mentioned to Helen that I really missed fruit she bought me a knife and apples so I could enjoy them. It's also great to have Chinese friends for bargaining. No matter what, the Chinese will always charge foreigners extra. When you make Chinese friends they find you discounts on everything, and I mean everything. I have found flights around Asia for as little as 50 dollars, and not to mention food and hair cuts!
This week will mark week 5 of our 8 weeks of the program. It's going by too fast and I am not too pleased about it. I don't think the rest of the group shares my same feelings as I don't think they are quite as adventurous as I am, and I don't know if they have fully embraced the culture as much as I have. I have officially been in Asia for a little over a month now, and though that doesn't seem like a long time to get the hang of most things I find myself to be pretty adaptable. I blame it on my mom (in a good way) who decided to yank my pre-teen self out of the school district I had attended my whole life and drop me in a tight nit private school. Sacred Heart turned out to be a great experience, and I made some lifelong memories and met my BFFLYYYFE there. Unfortunately she didn't always like me. Her sixth grade self reasoned that because we had the same name (ahem Taylor Wiesmann) we clearly couldn't be friends and since she was miss popular everyone else decided they really didn't want to be my friend either. Eventually everything turned out okay but the first couple months were rough for my eleven year old self and after breaking into that social circle I know feel like I can make friends anywhere and adapt to a new lifestyle. Obviously China is more extreme than this but I can still apply the same lesson.
At this point I actually crave the Chinese dishes and have gotten over the fact that I am not going to get a huge slab of meat, but rather little chunks. I have accepted it and now I am satisfied with what I have. I can't wait to bring some recipes back and cook them for my family and friends! I am sure my dad and stepdad will be digging through the dishes trying to find the meat but I am sure my mom and stepmom will love it. I have accepted that the bathrooms will be smelly and not what I am used to in the US. I actually prefer the Squatties over the westernized toilets. I mean, it is kind of gross when you think about it and the Chinese do kind of have a point. I'm not saying I don't get frustrated. The whole computer thing really tested my patience, the constantly cutting in line and pushing can be too much at times. I know it sounds dumb but the constant stream of people wanting to take my picture or speak to me in broken English can be too overwhelming. I have felt slight pangs of homesickness at times and had to fight back tears of frustration or sadness. But then something so wonderful happens that it cancels out any negative thoughts. Like the other night when I was ordering a China Pita from a street vendor. I tried to pay my three yuan but he wave it away and instead he handed me a flower. The cutest little girl I have ever seen in my life came up to me an had a small conversation with me in perfect English and offered me her apple. My Chinese friends in class are constantly giving me websites of where I can download free American movies and Music and offering to take me places and do things with me.
As I wrote in my last blog, there is just so much China to see. My plan was to stay in Asia until the middle of May, right before my 21st birthday. However, I don't think I will be satisfied with my trip if I leave then. I was toying with the idea of staying here for the summer, maybe in a city like Shanghai with a host family. I would teach them English and they would teach me Mandarin. I was very surprised this morning when I got a full blessing from my mother to do just that. I haven't completely made up my mind yet but so far I am 90% sure that that's what I want to do. If I end up doing the host program I will be here until August. I'll really miss everyone this summer but this is a great opportunity and I might not have another one like this in the future. I don't want to work or think about what I am going to have to do in the real world quite yet. I just want to travel around, learn languages, and meet people. Or maybe I just want a reason to continue this blog! perhaps my good friends would like to get a Chinese visa and join me in my travels here...? :)
I am tired and still have some more accounting to finish up so I got to wrap this up. I will try and update tomorrow about Xi'an. In other news I have a horrible toothache and I think I will need to brave a Chinese dentist. I will be sure to upload a blog about that whole experience...but I hope everyone had a fabulous spring break. I will be spending my "spring break" in Tibet with my lovely roomate Kara. We officially booked our trip and couldn't be more excited!
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