October 24 - October 26, 2010 - Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
The zoo was a lot of fun, and not quite as far out of town as we had thought. But, still pretty far by tiny, rickety bus. It would have been nice to see a panda or two, and hopefully I'll manage it before I come home. The irony that I might have a better chance of seeing a panda in an American zoo is not lost on me.
The weather is shifting again. And quickly. The fall days are already beginning to feel like winter ones, so I'll need to buy a coat. That will be this week's "big" adventure. Coat-buying! Woo. Oh, and Halloween is coming up. Not too sure how that is going to pan out. We'll see, I guess.
OK, back to class, then.
Hayden
The adventures of an American college student in China.
08 November 2010
28 October 2010
Day 64
October 23, 2010 - Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
Januar, Shelly, I succeeded in making it to the zoo, at last. How was it? Allow me to quote my tripadvisor.com review:
"The first thing we were told when we approached the ticket counter was “没有熊猫." ("No Pandas"), not really a great way to start the day. The park itself was rundown, and that's putting it nicely. You should pack a lunch: the restaurant listed on the map (Flamingo Restaurant) is an abandoned building; We ended up eating ramen noodles from a vendor in the middle of the woods. The free bus tour drives at break-neck speed through the park's wild animal sanctuary, but I imagine the car you have to pay 40RMB for goes slower, it might even stop. While visiting, we stayed for the Marine Animal Show (as it was listed on the map; it's really just a sea lion show), but found the Circus Show building to be as empty as the restaurant. We decided to leave after we spent half an hour trying to find our way to the Wild Bird Show, to no avail.
On the plus side: There was NO ONE at the park. We saw, maybe, twenty other people all day. Some of the areas we had entirely to ourselves, including the Monkey House. We spent fifteen minutes or so with a chimpanzee and her baby, watching them play without another soul in sight. You should be warned, however, the animal's environments are...less than optimal. If you're squeamish about that sort of thing, you might want to avoid the park altogether."
Eh, we had a good time, though. And, I took a ton of pictures:
And, I paid about $1 to ride a camel!
Hmm...wait. That mandrill. I guess I should have mentioned that these photos were NSFW. Oh, well. :-P
Hayden
Januar, Shelly, I succeeded in making it to the zoo, at last. How was it? Allow me to quote my tripadvisor.com review:
"The first thing we were told when we approached the ticket counter was “没有熊猫." ("No Pandas"), not really a great way to start the day. The park itself was rundown, and that's putting it nicely. You should pack a lunch: the restaurant listed on the map (Flamingo Restaurant) is an abandoned building; We ended up eating ramen noodles from a vendor in the middle of the woods. The free bus tour drives at break-neck speed through the park's wild animal sanctuary, but I imagine the car you have to pay 40RMB for goes slower, it might even stop. While visiting, we stayed for the Marine Animal Show (as it was listed on the map; it's really just a sea lion show), but found the Circus Show building to be as empty as the restaurant. We decided to leave after we spent half an hour trying to find our way to the Wild Bird Show, to no avail.
On the plus side: There was NO ONE at the park. We saw, maybe, twenty other people all day. Some of the areas we had entirely to ourselves, including the Monkey House. We spent fifteen minutes or so with a chimpanzee and her baby, watching them play without another soul in sight. You should be warned, however, the animal's environments are...less than optimal. If you're squeamish about that sort of thing, you might want to avoid the park altogether."
Eh, we had a good time, though. And, I took a ton of pictures:
And, I paid about $1 to ride a camel!
Hmm...wait. That mandrill. I guess I should have mentioned that these photos were NSFW. Oh, well. :-P
Hayden
Day 63
October 22, 2010 - Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
This week has been pretty good. Filled with a number of things to remind me of America. The trip to Metro on Wednesday allowed me to make dinner last night, provided me with some much needed chocolate, and set up this week's...
Friday Favorites:
My favorite thing this week? Well, To be honest it was:
Peanut Butter and Jelly. Very satisfying.
I know, I know. A whole country at my disposal, a million kinds of things I can't eat in America, and my favorite thing this week was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Yeah, it was. So what?
:-)
Hayden
This week has been pretty good. Filled with a number of things to remind me of America. The trip to Metro on Wednesday allowed me to make dinner last night, provided me with some much needed chocolate, and set up this week's...
Friday Favorites:
My favorite thing this week? Well, To be honest it was:
Peanut Butter and Jelly. Very satisfying.
I know, I know. A whole country at my disposal, a million kinds of things I can't eat in America, and my favorite thing this week was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Yeah, it was. So what?
:-)
Hayden
Day 62
October 21, 2010 - Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
So, yesterday's trip to the Metro resulted in the ingredients I needed to make a dinner I've been wanting to make since I got here: Spaghetti! This was the one thing I promised myself I'd find a way to make here, and I finally did.
The location for dinner was Januar and Shelly's apartment, because they have a real, actual kitchen. We needed a few items other than the food, however. They picked up a pot to cook the spaghetti in (they don't really cook, and didn't have anything large enough), and I went to find a can opener. My favorite spaghetti sauce:
Hunt's Four Cheese Spaghetti Sauce. Yeah, I know, my favorite sauce comes from a can.
The hunt for a can opener was an exhausting one. I couldn't find a proper hand can opener anywhere in the Vanguard. There was one kitchen accessory kit that had a crank opener, but it was 200RMB ($30). I finally found what was essentially a camping can opener (no crank, you just sort of wiggle it back and forth), and was on my way to their apartment. On the way, I stopped off to buy some yarn and knitting needles: I had promised Shelly I would teach her to knit.
After an hour or so of knitting practice, I set about making dinner:
Bubble, Bubble. Spaghetti is on its way!
Januar and Shelly don't cook much, so I think they took the minimal effort I had to put in to the pasta as some kind of miracle: They seemed very grateful that I was cooking for them and amazed that I knew how. The finished product:
Spaghetti! Woo-hoo!
I even found Parmesan! Awesome!
Hayden
So, yesterday's trip to the Metro resulted in the ingredients I needed to make a dinner I've been wanting to make since I got here: Spaghetti! This was the one thing I promised myself I'd find a way to make here, and I finally did.
The location for dinner was Januar and Shelly's apartment, because they have a real, actual kitchen. We needed a few items other than the food, however. They picked up a pot to cook the spaghetti in (they don't really cook, and didn't have anything large enough), and I went to find a can opener. My favorite spaghetti sauce:
Hunt's Four Cheese Spaghetti Sauce. Yeah, I know, my favorite sauce comes from a can.
The hunt for a can opener was an exhausting one. I couldn't find a proper hand can opener anywhere in the Vanguard. There was one kitchen accessory kit that had a crank opener, but it was 200RMB ($30). I finally found what was essentially a camping can opener (no crank, you just sort of wiggle it back and forth), and was on my way to their apartment. On the way, I stopped off to buy some yarn and knitting needles: I had promised Shelly I would teach her to knit.
After an hour or so of knitting practice, I set about making dinner:
Bubble, Bubble. Spaghetti is on its way!
Januar and Shelly don't cook much, so I think they took the minimal effort I had to put in to the pasta as some kind of miracle: They seemed very grateful that I was cooking for them and amazed that I knew how. The finished product:
Spaghetti! Woo-hoo!
I even found Parmesan! Awesome!
Hayden
Day 61
October 20, 2010 - Xi'an, Shaanxi Provence, China
Januar, Shelly, Sanket, and I took a trip to a little place called Metro after class today. Metro is sort of Chinese foreign-goods superstore. We all had to get papers from the Foreign Student Office to even be allowed to enter the Metro. Apparently, it's kind of a big deal.
Metro. As the sign says.
The interior is something like a Wal-Mart: One side is clothes and home goods, the other food. I say Wal-Mart and not, like, Super Target on purpose:
Metro Interior. Looks like Wal-Mart to me.
Even the color scheme (blue and yellow) reminds me of Wal-Mart (or Ikea, I guess, but the store is no Ikea). Anyway, we walked in, registered (as you must), and were met by...Halloween.
Halloween Costumes. Beautiful, just beautiful.
If you ask anyone about Metro, you're likely to hear that the store is expensive. Now, I've learned to be relativistic about "expensive." I mean, sure, dinner at the Cafe might cost 25RMB, which is a lot in China, but that's only $3.45. What's funny is that when people say Metro is expensive, they're right.
Examples:
Three-Ring Binder? That thing is more than $7.00.
What? Who would pay that for evaporated milk? And no, it isn't actually panda milk. (a side note, I think that price is for a case of, like, 12 cans, not just a single can. But, that's still ridiculous).
Coffee Maker? The first coffee maker I found in China, and it's almost $2000? Gah!
And The Winner Is... The $3200 cognac. Won't find that at Wal-Mart.
Still amongst the luxury items, there was also the familiar:
Miracle Whip. Despite its presence, I had to explain what it was to my friends.
Not Just Regular Bacon! Elaborate Bacon! Not sure what that means, exactly, but if this is the crappy, soggy, flavorless bacon they put on everything "American" here, I'll pass.
Crabs. Yeah, I know, they're just crabs, but we're nowhere near the ocean. This is first sea life I've seen in two months.
PB Und J. These babies came home with me.
I picked up a few items: The peanut butter, the jelly, some chocolate (Ritter Sport!), and some stuff to make dinner for Januar and Shelly...tomorrow!
Hayden
Januar, Shelly, Sanket, and I took a trip to a little place called Metro after class today. Metro is sort of Chinese foreign-goods superstore. We all had to get papers from the Foreign Student Office to even be allowed to enter the Metro. Apparently, it's kind of a big deal.
Metro. As the sign says.
The interior is something like a Wal-Mart: One side is clothes and home goods, the other food. I say Wal-Mart and not, like, Super Target on purpose:
Metro Interior. Looks like Wal-Mart to me.
Even the color scheme (blue and yellow) reminds me of Wal-Mart (or Ikea, I guess, but the store is no Ikea). Anyway, we walked in, registered (as you must), and were met by...Halloween.
Halloween Costumes. Beautiful, just beautiful.
If you ask anyone about Metro, you're likely to hear that the store is expensive. Now, I've learned to be relativistic about "expensive." I mean, sure, dinner at the Cafe might cost 25RMB, which is a lot in China, but that's only $3.45. What's funny is that when people say Metro is expensive, they're right.
Examples:
Three-Ring Binder? That thing is more than $7.00.
What? Who would pay that for evaporated milk? And no, it isn't actually panda milk. (a side note, I think that price is for a case of, like, 12 cans, not just a single can. But, that's still ridiculous).
Coffee Maker? The first coffee maker I found in China, and it's almost $2000? Gah!
And The Winner Is... The $3200 cognac. Won't find that at Wal-Mart.
Still amongst the luxury items, there was also the familiar:
Miracle Whip. Despite its presence, I had to explain what it was to my friends.
Not Just Regular Bacon! Elaborate Bacon! Not sure what that means, exactly, but if this is the crappy, soggy, flavorless bacon they put on everything "American" here, I'll pass.
Crabs. Yeah, I know, they're just crabs, but we're nowhere near the ocean. This is first sea life I've seen in two months.
PB Und J. These babies came home with me.
I picked up a few items: The peanut butter, the jelly, some chocolate (Ritter Sport!), and some stuff to make dinner for Januar and Shelly...tomorrow!
Hayden
Day 59 - Day 60
October 18 - October 19, 2010 - Xi'an, Shaanxi Provence, China
The weather is shifting. I have to wear a hoodie everyday now. I've been working on a scarf, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. I guess we'll see how that comes out.
Every class is essentially a forward march through the content of our books, in order. The classes are really very basic and, on a lot of days, pretty boring. Four straight hours every morning can really wear on you. Even with the ten minute breaks every 50 minutes. I do feel like I'm learning some, though, don't get me wrong. My conversation skills have improved, even if I still have trouble just listening and interpreting. My reading and writing is still excellent, and only getting better. Whenever my classmate Sanket gets a text message in Chinese, he hands the phone to me and asks me to translate, and whenever a teacher makes a point of something in class she uses me as the barometer for understanding: If I get it, I can explain it to the other English speakers.
I'm surprised at just how fast the time goes. Before I know it, it's Saturday. And that's every week. And it's been nearly two months now (tomorrow, officially). I have decided, due to the advise of my adviser to stay one semester instead of two. Like a number of other things, I was a bit misinformed about the length of the semesters before I left America. If I were to stay for a full Chinese school year, I would not return home until the end of July, just in time to start the fall 2011 semester in America. Now, that means I would be missing out on the Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 semesters, as planned, as well as the Summer A, B, and C 2011 semesters. This would, according to a little thing called math, put me way behind on my schedule to graduate. That, along with a number of other factors, have weighed heavily on my decision. So, come January, I'll be back in the states. That makes tomorrow, essentially, the half-way point.
Hayden
The weather is shifting. I have to wear a hoodie everyday now. I've been working on a scarf, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. I guess we'll see how that comes out.
Every class is essentially a forward march through the content of our books, in order. The classes are really very basic and, on a lot of days, pretty boring. Four straight hours every morning can really wear on you. Even with the ten minute breaks every 50 minutes. I do feel like I'm learning some, though, don't get me wrong. My conversation skills have improved, even if I still have trouble just listening and interpreting. My reading and writing is still excellent, and only getting better. Whenever my classmate Sanket gets a text message in Chinese, he hands the phone to me and asks me to translate, and whenever a teacher makes a point of something in class she uses me as the barometer for understanding: If I get it, I can explain it to the other English speakers.
I'm surprised at just how fast the time goes. Before I know it, it's Saturday. And that's every week. And it's been nearly two months now (tomorrow, officially). I have decided, due to the advise of my adviser to stay one semester instead of two. Like a number of other things, I was a bit misinformed about the length of the semesters before I left America. If I were to stay for a full Chinese school year, I would not return home until the end of July, just in time to start the fall 2011 semester in America. Now, that means I would be missing out on the Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 semesters, as planned, as well as the Summer A, B, and C 2011 semesters. This would, according to a little thing called math, put me way behind on my schedule to graduate. That, along with a number of other factors, have weighed heavily on my decision. So, come January, I'll be back in the states. That makes tomorrow, essentially, the half-way point.
Hayden
Day 58
October 17, 2010 - Xi'an, Shaanxi Provence, China
Ok, so I went to a museum yesterday. And, I have been trying, repeatedly, to go to another museum I saw here in town. I decided to make today the day that I actually went. I got up early ( I had gone to bed really early: The other museum wore me out), did a load of laundry, then headed out to find breakfast along the way:
Noodle Bowl. With cilantro, a winter herb in China.
On my way to the ATM, I saw a sign at the smoothie shop I don't really frequent:
Mango-Pumpkin Milk Shake. Hmm...why not?
Someday, I will find a way to explain to people that "milkshake" implies not simply milk but, in fact, ice cream. But, besides that, and the fact that I don't actually like mango, the shake was delicious. Pumpkin, as it turns out, is a good match for mango. You should try it at home.
I took bus 603 all by myself toward City Center, and even got off at the right stop. The giant building I believed was the Shaanxi Provence Art Museum...
...turned out to be the Xi'an Public Library. Hmm. Go figure, a giant library. The staircase was even marked with one of these:
The Thinker. Or, a reasonable facsimile.
Apparently, you can get books from a vending machine here:
Book Machine. Maybe we have them in the US, too, but I've never seen one.
Anyway, I walked around to the back of the library and found the museum.
Shaanxi Provence Art Museum. Looked bigger from the bus.
The museum turned out to be a bit of a bust, even though the admission was less than $2. Most of the work looked like this:
Shaanxi Artwork. An example of the art at the museum.
That is, nearly 90% of the work in the museum looked exactly like that. You can imagine I didn't take many pictures of this exhibit. I did, however, take a close-up:
Close-Up. There, now just imagine that 120 times.
There were a few other pieces. There was a lower floor that I could see had sculptures, but the stairwell was blocked, so I couldn't go down there. I also wandered into a room with some absolutely exquisite historical pieces. As I entered, a guard asked me from across the room "你做什么？“ ("What are you doing?") to which I replied "我想看一下。" ("I want to look (a little)."). His response? "你不可以。" ("You can't."). So, no sculpture, no historical pieces, and 120 paintings of the same basic thing. Spectacular.
Well, there was one saving grace. A room off of the main lobby had about a dozen pieces by an artist other than the main exhibit. These pieces were varied and, actually interesting.
And that was about it. There, I saved you $2. And, well, a $1000 plane ticket.
On the walk home, I saw this gentleman:
Sidewalk Art. This just re-enforces my belief that the best art in Xi'an is all outside...
Hayden
Ok, so I went to a museum yesterday. And, I have been trying, repeatedly, to go to another museum I saw here in town. I decided to make today the day that I actually went. I got up early ( I had gone to bed really early: The other museum wore me out), did a load of laundry, then headed out to find breakfast along the way:
Noodle Bowl. With cilantro, a winter herb in China.
On my way to the ATM, I saw a sign at the smoothie shop I don't really frequent:
Mango-Pumpkin Milk Shake. Hmm...why not?
Someday, I will find a way to explain to people that "milkshake" implies not simply milk but, in fact, ice cream. But, besides that, and the fact that I don't actually like mango, the shake was delicious. Pumpkin, as it turns out, is a good match for mango. You should try it at home.
I took bus 603 all by myself toward City Center, and even got off at the right stop. The giant building I believed was the Shaanxi Provence Art Museum...
...turned out to be the Xi'an Public Library. Hmm. Go figure, a giant library. The staircase was even marked with one of these:
The Thinker. Or, a reasonable facsimile.
Apparently, you can get books from a vending machine here:
Book Machine. Maybe we have them in the US, too, but I've never seen one.
Anyway, I walked around to the back of the library and found the museum.
Shaanxi Provence Art Museum. Looked bigger from the bus.
The museum turned out to be a bit of a bust, even though the admission was less than $2. Most of the work looked like this:
Shaanxi Artwork. An example of the art at the museum.
That is, nearly 90% of the work in the museum looked exactly like that. You can imagine I didn't take many pictures of this exhibit. I did, however, take a close-up:
Close-Up. There, now just imagine that 120 times.
There were a few other pieces. There was a lower floor that I could see had sculptures, but the stairwell was blocked, so I couldn't go down there. I also wandered into a room with some absolutely exquisite historical pieces. As I entered, a guard asked me from across the room "你做什么？“ ("What are you doing?") to which I replied "我想看一下。" ("I want to look (a little)."). His response? "你不可以。" ("You can't."). So, no sculpture, no historical pieces, and 120 paintings of the same basic thing. Spectacular.
Well, there was one saving grace. A room off of the main lobby had about a dozen pieces by an artist other than the main exhibit. These pieces were varied and, actually interesting.
And that was about it. There, I saved you $2. And, well, a $1000 plane ticket.
On the walk home, I saw this gentleman:
Sidewalk Art. This just re-enforces my belief that the best art in Xi'an is all outside...
Hayden
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