A Few Realities of China

Today, I'm bringing you a list of things you should know if you ever plan to live in China.  Or at least Kunming.

Bathrooms

Okay, I feel like I'm totally cheating by putting bathrooms first on this list.  This is what you expected to read in a post about realities in China.  Bathroom stuff.  Sorry I couldn't break the mold on this one, but for westerners it really is something you need to be prepared to encounter.

Bathroom sinks at Yunnan University international dorms.

Squat toilents are very much a part of every day life in China, and I'd have to say - just get used to it. 

For a place with such a huge population, unless the bathroom has frequent cleaning, you will be 100% glad for the sanitation that comes with the squat toilet - the sanitation of touching absolutely nothing.

They really aren't that bad once you overcome the initial awkwardness - it just might be a good idea to read up on techniques prior to your trip.  You think I'm kidding about researching how to use them, but the conversations I had with the other western friends during the first week in China was like this: "Which direction are you supposed to face?"  

Here are a few general rules for squat toilets.

• Carry hand sanitizer.  Most public restrooms either don't have sinks or don't have soap.
• Carry your own toilet paper with you - and get your wad of paper out prior to entering the stall.  You don't want to balance and jumble around for your toilet paper in a tiny stall with all your stuff.  
• NEVER put paper in the toilet.  There will always be trashcans in each stall for this purpose, because the plumbing cannot handle the paper.  
• ALWAYS roll your pants up before even walking in the bathroom.
• Keep some change - public restrooms usually cost somewhere between a few jiao and a few yuan.

A trough style toilet - these are common in some of the older public restrooms, bus stops, train stations, roadside, etc.  This particular one was, however, in the international student dorms at Yunnan University.  Sometimes these older styles will also not have doors.

Even my apartment had a squat toilet and an older style bathroom - meaning the toilet was also the drain for the shower.  It was weird at first that there was not a designated shower area, nor a normal toilet but it quickly became normal.  However, if you're willing to pay a little more for an apartment or move further from the city center, you can find much nicer places with more western furnishings.

Squat toilet in my apartment in China..

Laundry

My Chinese professor at OU liked to go on a lot of tangents during class by telling us stories about Chinese culture.  Her tangents were always really funny, and I'll always remember some of them.  One day, she wanted to prepare the whole class for daily life if we ever decided to study abroad in China.

And now, I'll quote to the best of my memory...because it was just funny.

"So if you want to go to China, you have washer?  Sure, most of China have a washer.  If you want to go to China, you have dryer?  Hahahaha, no! China no have dryer!  So if you do laundry, it will take several days, yes, so you must be prepared and do laundry before you run out of clothes!"

And that's basically how laundry day in China went.

Depending on the thickness of the material and humidity that week, it could take clothes between one day to three days to dry.  During the winter, towels and jeans never seemed to completely dry after being washed.

Oh, and your clothes will also smell like air pollution.

Food

 Bucket 'O' Feathers right outside the restaurant door?  Yep, that used to be on your dinner.

It's okay, it happens all around the world - you just don't always get the educational experience that comes with it.

  

Shopping

Some forms of shopping in China are really cool.  Many vendors sell products on the sidewalks, or in carts that the push up and down the streets.

This is a photo of a pet fish cart.  She was selling all kinds of fish, and she walks around and maybe you decide to buy her fish, and you pay her on the spot and get your fish on the spot.  Always remember to bargain with these types of street vendors!

Then, you have supermarkets.

While Wal-Mart is available in China, I think most people who've lived in China would suggest that Carrefour is a MUCH better option as far as supermarkets go.  They are just as widespread as Wal-Mart, if not more, and as far as food selection went I thought they had better products.

See a Chinese Carrefour below.

Carrefour is pronounced Jiā lè fú in Chinese.

Some cities will also have a store with more imports and western delicacies called Metro.  As with most imports, the price will stay true to the lack of ability to purchase such products otherwise.

Weather

Okay, this one is purely talking about Yunnan.  I don't know about other areas in China if what is said about the weather and how the weather is actually is true.

If you haven't heard, Kunming is called the City of Eternal Spring.

Its true - things stay green year round and you'll probably never encounter snow there.  But it DOESN'T mean that you won't freeze your butt off!

Most people are really confused that I laugh when I hear "City of Eternal Spring."  Sure, for the first several months, the weather in Kunming was wonderful!  It wasn't super hot, and not cold...yet.  While I was there in November, December and January, Kunming consistently stayed around the mid-30s (Fahrenheit). 

What they don't tell you when they talk about the City of Eternal Spring is that since they think it is Spring year round that that also means that building don't have insulation.  I lived in a solid concrete apartment with windows that didn't even seal all the outside air out.  There was literally an draft all the time.

So when I was up doing homework, no matter what time of day nor what building I went to, I was freezing.  My hands were so cold that I bought the red fingertip-less gloves so I could still write.  Oh, and don't laugh at my Where's Waldo jacket with sleeves too short for me.

My suggestion for anyone traveling to a new place - even if you research the weather, it might not be like what you expect with differences in humidity, winds, buildings, and altitude.  Just pack what you need to be prepared to make do with both hot and COLD weather.

Visit to Shi Lin

So it has officially been about two years since I first left to study in China for six months...I can't believe it has been so long ago!  In hindsight, I realized I could have been a bit more extensive about my time in China in my blog posts - and I also realized I didn't show ANY pictures of Yunnan's most famous tourist attraction - the Stone Forest, or shilin.  

One day, I took a bus with 5 of my classmates to visit the famous mountainous forest.  We'd already been in Kunming for about two months, so our Chinese was doable...and our classmate's Chinese was much better than the rest of us, so we had no issues getting there on our own. 

We hopped a bus that would take us there - a little more than two hours away from the city.

The ride there was really pretty, with lots of foggy mountains, some hillside farms, and just pure greenery everywhere.

We ate some noodles just before entering the park at a nearby restaurant, then went to buy our tickets.

What really amazed me was how sudden these types of formations were.  It was just normal mountains, and BAM - you have these crazy jagged rocky places that shoot up into the sky.  It literally looks like giants were using rocks as domino blocks and set them up in some crazy pattern.

Another thing that threw me off guard was that they had written in the rocks.  I haven't been really to that many United States national parks, but I'd always thought they were supposed to seem untouched by people.  This was definitely not the case, as there were sidewalks, stairs, and phrases carved into the rocks all over the place.

Most people were hiring tour guides to take them to the famous places in the park, but most of the people in our group were adventurous, so we decided to go through the stone forest on our own.  

If you've never been to China, there's one thing you should know.  There are A LOT of people.  All the time.  Even here, where the tour guides were taking people it was a solid wall/glob/mass of humans standing toe to toe.  (That was the main reason we didn't want a tour guide).  We had a really fun and adventurous time exploring all the crevices in the stone forest...and I'm not sure if we ever saw the places you're "supposed" to see when you visit a landmark - but I think what we experienced here was better than seeing any specific landmarks.  

The pagoda below was one such landmark.  

It just amazes me that this is even possible in nature.  It looks crazy.

See the globs of people at the pagoda?  Yeah.  That's why we're taking the picture OF them, not with them. 

Yunnan is considered to always be spring-like.  This was during October, but the flowers look like May.

Spider and his web.

A little snail.

We found several of these areas where there were little beds and tables.  We thought it was a bit odd...perhaps they allow camping at the forest?  I'm not sure, but if they don't then I'm all out of reasons for explaining the bed.

The table and bed.

Stairs, Stairs, everywhere!

Climbing up so we can see the top of the forest. 

The view from the highest point!  Amazing.
The reason they call this the "Stone Forest" is because the rocks resemble a forest of trees - how they are so thin and project up toward the sky the way they do.  It was really an odd and amazing land form to see.

Panorama of the Stone Forest.

Right before we left, we took a small break at the entrance lake.

Like my Chinese pose? ;)

Shi Lin was a really beautiful place.  I really thought it was hyped up from how much I'd heard about it, but after finally going I had a really great experience.  My advice to anyone who plans to go is:  don't go with the tour guide...there are much more pleasant adventures!

When we got back to the bus stop, we had difficulty finding a legitimate taxi.  My suggestion is to plan to get back before dark (not sure if that would help) or to expect to take an illegal taxi.

Migrant Hearts

 

Its hard for me to be still.  Ever.  If I sit, I wiggle.  If I'm in one town too long, that means it is time for a road trip.  I have a travel bug, or maybe a 'need for something new and changing' bug.  Sometimes it is like the whole world could be home.  But even when I'm in a new home, I find a fond remembrance and sometimes a longing for one of my past homes.

These were the kids I had the honor to substitute teach English to a few times.  The craziness of this picture accurately captures how much fun these kids were...ESPECIALLY when the camera came out.  THIS is what I miss.

  Recently, I have begun to really miss my China home.  It was sometimes hard to miss...because in America I have my fiancé, my family, a comfortable house, a car to drive and a life where grocery store trips take merely 30 minutes instead of 2 hours.  American life is good.  It is what I've always known, and I am blessed to have been born into this country.  The reasons I am realizing that I miss about my China home are not conveniences, but perhaps that every single day was a day to learn so much new, make a new friend, learn something new about an old one, and to establish some lifelong friendships.  Those days were days you learn to see the good in people, and the ability to love a culture that is not within understanding as an outsider.  

  I often have fun telling people about my life in China.  It is fun to tell them how my apartment bathroom was so old fashioned and ghetto that I had to explain to Chinese friends how to use it.  Its fun to explain how in many ways I miss some of the things other Americans find backward and below quality of life, for example squatty potties.  Most people just cannot imagine using one, and would prefer to hold it until they can walk to the next Five Star hotel.  I sometimes wish America had them.  Or how I took the bus or walked everywhere.  Or how there was a guard outside my apartment complex, and that I could only get in the gate between certain times of the day.  The differences that are often the hardest to get used to can turn into memories you love.

This is one of the gate guards outside my apartment.  I first thought he was mean and hated us, but on Christmas eve, my roommate and I bought him a hot coffee since it was so cold, and realized that he just sounded rough, and that really he had a good heart.  Or maybe scrooge's heart grew three-times-bigger.  Its funny how you don't talk to these people a whole lot, but once you get used to seeing them EVERY single time you leave your apartment and come back, they are people who stick in your mind and appreciate.

  This woman is someone I think of every day.  She actively seeks the Lord in everything she does, and every opportunity to her is a moment to share Christ.  She is an amazing sister in Him, and I pray I will meet her again one day.  She is very inspiring, I hope I may have the braveness, dedication and wisdom that she has one day.

 These two are also a blessing to call friends.  The guy on the right is my classmate from Korea, and the girl on the left is his girlfriend.  They were so much fun, and always so much help.  We enjoyed holding dinner parties with each other, going on walks through Kunming together, and meeting for coffee.  When my roommate was gone, they made sure to check in on me to make sure I was safe on several occasions, and had me over for dinner when I was going to be alone for my birthday.  They are such a sweet couple...I severely need to practice Chinese so I do not forget how to communicate with them!

  All in all, to my heart, PEOPLE are home to this migrant heart.  There are so many people in which my heart holds dear throughout this small world...if only it were a little smaller.  While I know right now Oklahoma is my home, its hard not to feel a little homesick when you leave or send little bits of your heart with people all over the world.  This is me hoping for many opportunities to travel again in my future and make some 'heart' visits.  

That's my thoughts for tonight, dear Coffee Readers...until next time.

Coffee pic of today is.... me with a cup of GoMax Coffee...if you ever visit Kunming, China and you're a big coffee drinker, GoMax has pretty awesome (and cheap) coffee.  (Thanks to my Korean classmates for introducing me to this place!)

Also, if you visit Yunnan, go to a restaurant and order the Yunnan Coffee 云南咖啡...it is AMAZING.  Wonderful coffee.  Get it.

Kindergarten Romance

  I just tonight remembered a video I took while still in Kunming.  Here's the back story.  Every day during class, we could hear little kids singing songs in the nearby park.  My friend and I intended to skip one day just to go watch them, and never did until a few days before leaving.  It was really fun.  We had been hearing them practicing the songs all semester, so we almost knew them by heart by the time we went to watch.

On the day I went to see them, I took a lot of pictures and videos, because they were so adorable.  When the young grade (I'm going to guess Kindergarten) was finished with their songs, they had to go sit at the side and watch the other class do their dances.  They could not sit still if their lives depended on it, and to have two foreigners (外国人）to wave at, talk to, and laugh at...it just made them funnier.

Side note:  If you aren't familiar with China, it is one of the most ethnically homogeneous countries in the world.  That being said, most Chinese look Chinese.  Even among China's own ethnic groups, their appearance is still similar to that of the Han Chinese - as to not cause much shock or being used to ethnically diverse people.  So as a white person that doesn't have black hair and brown eyes, you often attract a lot of attention whether you want to or not.  Especially among children, who might not have seen as many foreigners before and are quite intrigued.

This is a picture of the older group practicing their dance.  Cute, right?

These are some of the younger kiddos who are supposed to be sitting down waiting.  These three happened to be the mischievous funny ones...and I'd have to say sitting wasn't an easily attainable task for them.

These mischievous ones brought on this cute video.

I call it "Kindergarten Romance."

(I wanted to show this one while I was still in China, but my internet was too slow to upload.  Enjoy!)

  Ok,  REALLY cute, right!?  I'm just going to say that I'm happy I captured that cuteness, and somehow perfectly timed that I took the video when the little boy kissed the little girl.  And seriously, their dance music in the background was like perfectly timed with what they were doing...it just makes it even funnier.  I love how they rest their heads together at the end!  

On that note, Chinese kids are really adorable...well, all kids are, but China will hold a special place in my heart for sure!

The Kunming Experience: Final Week

This week concludes my study abroad experience in China.  I leave Kunming next Friday, putting me on a 35 hour traveling spree.  Then, I can eat steak, Mexican food, and not have to think about how to say something before I go to a restaurant! After I get over jet lag, I'll be hijacking my boyfriend from the rest of  society...forever.  No more of this:  :)  I can't wait to see him for the first time in five and a half months!  (I miss my parents...and kitties too, of course!)

...and hopefully I'll stealing my mom's sewing machine.  :P  All this Pinterest inspired creativity that cannot go anywhere because I have no supplies being abroad.  Oh, and I forgot to mention how I will take 3 hour hot showers multiple times daily to make up for all these cold showers here in Kunming.  I also hope to refrain from using a stove top for at least a month, to make up for 5 months with no oven.

Ok, so...enough dreaming of a week from now.  I do have big list of things to do this week.  First of all, celebrate my birthday for three days straight!  I'll be 22, and I'll get to eat Korean traditional birthday soup (seaweed soup), then on my actual birthday talk to my boyfriend all day, then the day after my birthday eat lunch with a friend!  I also need to buy some more souvenirs.  After that, I need to pack my existing suitcase, see how much stuff I still need to pack that doesn't fit, and go buy another suitcase.  I suppose all my stuff will be going home soiled since my washer decided to quit two weeks before I leave.  Then, of course, when your clothes have lost their shape to this extent because they hang dry instead of shrinking in the dryer, there's really no point in even taking them home. 

When the washer does this to your floor every time you use it.....there's no more using it.

  I'll have to be sure to eat the following before leaving:
Korean triangle kimchi snack things

Korean Topokki

Jiaozi

Er Kuai (rice tortilla with a warm, sweet peanut sauce inside.)

Candied Fruit Skewer

I guess for the rest of the week besides that crazy list, I will continue to do silly things like this and color them with my crayons (which WILL be going in my carry on.)

So that's most of my bucket list for this week, then I'll be back to Oklahoma, taking classes, reading books, and the occasional road trip or craft project.  With Pinterest around, hopefully there will be more interesting things happening around my corner of the world! 

I'll end on this note: (maybe I'm hungry too?)