Wok buddies

This will be another post about Holly’s Hostel, the best place in Chengdu. Seriously.

We (me and 5 friends) went to a cooking course organized in the Holly’s cafe. They have a big kitchen, so they invite up to 8 people to come by and learn to cook. For $15, we learned how to make (and eat) 5 dishes: Kung pao chicken (宫保鸡丁), sweet & sour pork (糖醋里脊, link is for the Cantonese version), dumplings (饺子), fish-flavoured eggplant (魚香茄子), and mapo tofu — if Wikipedia is telling the truth, this can be translated as “Pockmarked-Face Lady’s Tofu” (麻婆豆腐). It was amazing.

Before we started, we were taken on a trip to the food market and shown which vegetables to buy. They lent us bikes and everything. Truly awesome experience. I hope somebody out there googles incredible things to do in Chengdu and comes across this post.

I forgot to take a picture of my pockmarked-face lady’s tofu (how DARE I?), but here are some others:

(Sorry for the crummy cell-phone camera quality.)

Prepped kitchen

Sweet & sour pork

Kung pao chicken

Dumplings

Fish-flavoured eggplant

Sara

I bring you: Scenic Water Drinking

There seems to be a cultural love of scenery here; or so it seems to me, the outsider. Whatever the truth of it, I thought I would try to build more scenic experiences into my life. (My students, when asked why they might want to travel, almost always reply “to look at the beautiful scenery” or “to meet beautiful girls”.)

I made it my goal to drink fluids today. I feel a cold coming on, and they say a person should drink a lot. I’m unable to measure exactly, but I estimate that I’ve drank roughly 2 liters. I think that works out to 8 cups, does it not?

I looked out for particularly scenic places to drink some water or tea, and took some photos. Here are some of the places where I imbibed today:

...by the Dairy Queen on the right. Just kidding. I didn't drink any water here. I'm a liar

...by the souvenir shop, overlooking the lotus lake

...in the bamboo walk

...in the temple garden

...beside the knobby tree

...among the meihua flowers

...at the ballet

Sara

What are you thinking about?

Last night over dinner, Hannah and I were talking, and I misinterpreted something that she said (though I didn’t know it was a misinterpretation at the time). On our walk back, and in her flat, I was mulling over how to go about explaining how it made me feel.

She looked at me and said, “What are you thinking about?”

Any other month I might have said, “Oh, nothing..”, but this month I told her. And then she invested over an hour in helping me to discover how I could explain my reaction better, and sought to understand. It was one of those questions that makes introspection both necessary and slow. She was patient and lovely. Thanks, Hannah.

Sara

Reclamation

I have been quite busy this Christmas season — the staff here have been extremely lovely and have worked very hard to help us celebrate our holiday, even though we still had to work. We’ve been feted, though, to the degree that I’ve never had quite such a Christmas.

Through it all, I lost my grip on my day-to-day: laundry, sweeping, etc.

So. On Boxing Day, my only party-free day this week, I tidied. I swept and washed the floors, including underneath the washing machine. I did two loads of laundry, cleaned the counters, did the dishes, cleaned the bathroom, and tidied up my stuff.

I feel better about life.. although it’s already starting to revert again. How quickly messiness can creep back in.

Sara

An evening of showing my fears the door

I spent my entire evening practicing conversational geography. I would like to offer some reason why conversational geography is not a cop-out, but first some definition(s):

1. Conversational geography: The negotiation of place, both specific and vague, through casual chit-chat.

Specific conversational geography is easy: all participants share knowledge of the location, and discuss. Vague conversational geography is a bit of a dance: one participant knows more about a location than another. The knowledgeable participant might be insulted, incredulous, or long-suffering. The naive participant must choose whether or not to pretend more knowledge that s/he possesses in fact.

This evening I went to a party hosted by a Swedish girl. I would like to submit that already my challenge is not a cop-out, since going to a party alone and going to a new place alone (at night by bike!) are two of my fears. Not only that: being in the presence of cool Swedish girls has intimidated me ever since one particular moment on a street in Vetlanda, Sweden when I realized that I looked incredibly shabby by comparison with the locals.

There were Swedes, Chinese, Koreans, a Russian, a German, and one other Canadian at this party. I mostly talked to the Swedes, the German, and the Canadian.

When it comes to Canada and Sweden I have a pretty good handle on geography. Specific conversational geography (SGC) abounds! The girl from Ontario and I quite easily fell into a discussion of Canadian politics (Alberta: Harper: Shared shame). The Swedes and I placed ourselves around the map of Sweden and discussed dialects and travel. It was fun. I had to think a bit about some of the places that we talked about, but I still call it SCG

The German knew about as much about Canadian cities as I know about German cities. He told me where he is from in the standard format of vague conversational geography (VCG): (i) country; (ii) area, e.g. north/south/east/west; (iii) larger city nearby; (iv) actual town name; (v) reason I might possibly have heard of it. I responded that I didn’t hear of it, and asked if it was near a city that I did know (it is on the other side of the country). We then went through the same process regarding Canada. We happily continued our conversation with a somewhat muddled idea of place, but good enough to draw on later.

I think that both forms of conversational geography are crucial. I like to know where someone is from and what language they speak before I go on to any other conversation. These, for me, are two vital anchors in my own sense of identity.. so.. there’s that. I also sometimes like pretending that I know where someone is from only to get caught. I will admit to that.

Sara

Challenging and profitable

So, I went to a Christmas party at a church that I don’t attend, with Hannah and some of our other co-workers. I’d had this challenge (Challenge #18: Talk to New People, roughly paraphrased) in the back of my head since Wednesday, when a bunch of my co-workers went out for a birthday and the only girl who wasn’t connected to us was obviously marginal to the party; even so, I didn’t talk to her. Turns out she lives in my building. I felt ashamed of this, so at the Christmas party one of the first things I did was find myself some strangers to talk to. Their names were Luke and Snow, a married couple who were fun and nice. I ended up getting some amazing English-teaching ideas from Luke.

Challenging and profitable!

Sara

Cinder-block houses lined up in a row

I feel as though making my home/life/etc more eco-friendly is a bit of a challenge here in Cathay, given that I’m only staying for just over another month. Any investment must be transient, because (1) I don’t own this apartment, and therefore can’t replace the shite windows and (2) it’s really hard to insulate cinder blocks without pissing off your landlord.

I will say that I have bought friendly lightbulbs for my lamps.

After that, it’s difficult to say. I feel like my life here is set up to be pretty eco-friendly. I bike or take the bus almost everywhere, because I don’t own a car. I live in a one-room apartment, because I can’t afford a bigger one, and because it’s what is available. I eat mostly local, because it’s what is served: my fruit, for example, comes from the back of a guy’s bike-trailer. I figure it can’t come from much farther away than he can ride. (He probably rides to the truck stop, actually.) Restaurants keep a full menu at all times, but only offer the seasonal dishes. If you order something out of season (which I have done) they will either tell you that it’s not being served, or charge you more for it. Great incentive to stick with what the locals are doing.

What can I change? I am not brave or strong enough to go vegetarian. I love kung pow chicken. I love wood-mushroom-meat-plate. I love floating-aroma-beef. I love cashew chicken. I’ve been developing a taste for cow stomach. I don’t have any Christmas bags, or any old paper at all, so I will have to purchase new paper to wrap my gifts. I don’t have babies to keep in diapers.

However: I have been doing a couple of things, both of which are minor, and both of which have been laughed at for being as minor as they are. A fair judgment, perhaps, but I am not deterred.

Our apartments here are terribly cold. I seem to have a better one that most, because it’s quite small, and because it’s in a building with other extravagant foreigners who will gladly let their heat run down the pipes in my walls or travel up through the floor to my room. So it seems, at least. I have only seen my breath in my apartment a few times; so I guess I’m doing pretty great. I also have quickly-congealing northerner blood. I reckon it’s the consistency of pudding by now. I have found myself overdressed quite often (thanks, mom and dad!)

Another northerner trait I’ve inherited: skinflintedness.

It has come to my attention that to use my air-conditioner unit to heat my home, I will pay many hundreds more per month in heating bills. In addition, the unit is so positioned that any heat will fly right out the shite window. Why bother?

Another thing I learned from my dad: Running my tap with hot water for 5 minutes is roughly equivalent to leaving an incandescent bulb on for a whole day, or something. I’m paraphrasing really poorly. I don’t actually know the facts. The crux of the matter: it takes loads of energy to make and deliver hot water to my tap. Not to mention the heating lamps in my shower: energy-devourers (which I use like a glutton).

I’ve said ‘no, thanks’ to the option of an electric blanket. Too much of a monetary investment for me, and anyway I’ve never liked them. They seem expensive, too, ecologically speaking.

SO. Two things that I am doing to heat my home. One pre-planned, one new (and extra-hilarious).

(1) I use a hot-water bottle, in a felt hot-water bottle cozy that I bought from Fibres of Life in Canada (where I used to work). I warm the foot of my bed with it as I am getting ready to sleep, and then I lay it on my torso. Delightful. The felt is such a good insulator that it’s still warm in the morning; and the cozy itself is as eco-friendly as Fibres has been able to make it so far.

In Canada, I pour the water out and then fill it with hot water from the tap. I’ve changed that: I don’t re-fill the water. I have kept the same water in this bottle for the last three weeks, and I re-boil it roughly twice a day in an electric kettle. No water-pumping costs for me!

(2) A very recent step: Any hot water that I use in my apartment (to shower, to wash my face, to wash my hands) I collect and keep in my apartment until it has cooled naturally. The radiating heat stays in my house, instead of getting lost to the walls and the rats and the roaches that I think live in the walls. Roaches for sure (who wants to make them more comfortable?)

This is very easily done — I shower with a bucket on the floor (I don’t have a tub — it would be MUCH easier with a tub). I leave my dish-water pan full on the counter. I close the sink when I run hot water and leave the water standing until it is cold.

Have I noticed a difference in the past four days? Perhaps not… but the specific heat capacity of water is rockin’ awesome, so I think it’s probably doing something. I think of it as a water-heater in my house.

So. I re-use my heat and my lame-tastic air conditioner stays off. Does this make me crazy? (I feel like it does, given that even people who consider themselves environmentalists think it’s ridiculous.)

Fun fact: My mom’s father approved of my dad when he saw my dad turn off the electric element where the coffee was boiling at exactly the right time: still hot enough to finish the coffee, but no heat was wasted.

sarajane

Carless: Awesome

I teach at the new campus of the university, but live near the old campus. This requires a roughly 40-minute bus ride every morning and afternoon. Lately I’ve been reading really good books, and I’ve been bringing them to read on the bus. It’s been glorious. However, I’ve been forgetting my book lately. Accidentally, but not unfortunately. A few recent bus rides have included really great conversations, during which I’ve gotten to know a few of my co-workers. In fact, the bus is the best place to make friends. Monday I traveled home with a co-worker who I’ve never really spoken to before, and got to know him a bit. The week before, I traveled home with another co-worker, and got to know him a bit, too. Last weekend I took the time on a day trip to ask a third co-worker to tell me more about her life, and her previous training.

I tell you, I’m enjoying being completely dependent on my bike and on the bus here. (I can take the taxi, but I don’t necessarily want to — the taxi drivers here are *crazy*. They are renowned within China for being the most crazy, actually, and make me feel very religious.) The one-person-one-car method of Canadian commuting is really unfortunate. All I can think is that I wouldn’t have ever gotten to know so many of my co-workers if we all took ourselves home in our own cars.

Public transit: community building.

sarajane

Rooftop Fries

My Chinese lesson finished today at 3:30 PM, so I was biking home around 3:45 PM. We had a rare blue-sky day, and I was biking down a small street lined with trees, and just loving the whole of life in that moment. I pulled out my phone and called my friends Hannah and Erica to see if either of them were around to go to Holly’s for some rooftop food with me. Alas, neither of them answered for various reasons; so I continued on my way home. Suddenly I stopped, realized that the day was fine and I had my Chinese books with me, and elected to go to Holly’s myself. I turned around, biked back, waltzed upstairs to find myself the only customer, and sat myself down in the gazebo on the roof.

The view from the gazebo-thingo

I pulled out my Chinese books and started to study, while I was waiting for my food to arrive,

Chinese Made Easier Book 4! (Note: Not Chinese made *easy*)

and then I indulged in the best French fries in the city, and an unbelievable mango lassi. Yes, friends, it was delicious.

The best fries in Chengdu, with a double order of ketchup.

(To be fair, by the end of the basket of fries I felt like I probably should have got something else. This is a basket of about 9 deep-fried potatoes.)

By the end of about an hour, I had enjoyed what remained of the sunlight and blue sky, I had enjoyed my favourite restaurant in the city, I had enjoyed some silence, and I had practiced some characters. Win!

sarajane

(I still haven’t settled on one way to sign these.)

This post has its roots in spontaneity

My friend hosted an impromptu Christmas slumber party this evening, which I attended. I didn’t stay overnight, because I spent the day out on a trip, and I was too tired. I came home to my lovely bed; but before I sleep in it, I give you:

#20 – Dance Party

The tasks for our slumber party included:

1. Eat chili (check)
2. Drink glögg (check)
3. Make a gingerbread house (check)
4. Paint with snow spray (check)
5. Watch a Christmas movie and sleep (I left before this part)

So, there I am, mixing up some icing sugar and egg white and I realize that I have no music. Music, at this point in the game, is a must. I have various favourite baking (in this case “baking”) soundtracks, but my all-time favourite is Burt Bacharach & Friends Gold Vol. I (trade secret). We thought Christmas music was a must, but then Brittany put on one of the best Chinese dance songs of all time. It’s a re-make (?) of that Czech (?) song that everyone loved for a while… except it has the Chinese lyrics, “When I see a cockroach, I am not scared, not scared!”

For me, these lyrics are all too apropos.

Anyhow, I hope I can upload some of these video clips… I kept ‘em short…
aaaaand that’s not allowed. Rats. The videos are amazing. You can see one of them on Facebook, until I get smarter.

Sara