Harbin

Harbin

Harbin

A warm hello to everyone at home! I know it has been FOREVER since I last posted (I am going to blame it on having too many fun things to do/see in China). I apologize for the delay in my posts.  I will try to have my blog completely updated before I arrive back in the US..what a daunting task! Continuing on to more interesting topics….

During the second part of my fall break, I decided to brave the cold and visit 哈尔滨 Harbin, the capital city of the northeastern province of the Heilongjiang Province.  The city is particularly interesting because of its strong Russian influence (it is not far from the Russian-Chinese border).  

We arrived in Harbin in the late morning on Thursday and immediately went in search of food.  We eventually decided to eat at a nearby hotpot restaurant.  Eating hotpot proved to be a group effort- we were all seated at a table with a large pot of hot water on it.   We ordered vegetables, lamb, beef, and noodles, all of which arrived uncooked at our table.  After spices were added to the boiling water, we used our chopsticks to add ingredients.  Eventually, the pot was filled with a stew-like mixture that proved to be both hearty and warming- a combination that perfectly offset the crisp weather in Harbin. 

The food in Harbin was unique because it was a fusion of Chinese and Russian cuisine.  Unlike Shanghanese food, which features meats, fish, and vegetables cooked in sweet sauces, Harbin specializes in yeast bread and hearty meat dishes.  My favorite thing about Harbin was the plethora of delicious street food that was sold throughout the city.. Every night, my friends and I would walk along the pedestrian street 中央大街 to find street food. We ate rice bowls, Harbin sausage, skewers, pulled pork sandwiches, sweet bread, vegetable soup, egg pancakes, and quail eggs- all for under 5 yuan each! After individually exploring the options offered by various street vendors, we would meet at an outdoor picnic area to eat our dinner and drink bottles of famous Harbin beer.  

Harbin is also famous for its uniquely delicious ice cream.  It is served on a stick, similar to a popsicle, and comes in various flavors.  I had heard that Harbin ice cream was infamous, so I was determined to eat as much ice cream as possible despite the cold weather (no surprise there).  Each of the nights, my friends and I tried a new flavor- first vanilla, then coffee, and finally cookies and cream (our unanimous favorite).  

We spent our first full day in Harbin wandering through various neighborhoods and taking in the sights. We visited the beautiful Saint Sophia Cathedral in the Daoli district.  The cathedral, which was formerly a Russian Orthodox church, is now a museum displaying the history of Harbin’s development.  It was amazing to see religious symbols in a Chinese city- China is generally a secular nation where religion is practiced in private, if at all.  

In the afternoon, we explored the streets around Harbin’s riverfront.  The riverfront was hosting a wide array of outdoor markets which we were able to explore- live animal markets, puppy markets, street food vendors, and traditional clothing shops.  We ended our relaxing day by getting extremely inexpensive massages at a massage parlor near our hostel.  

On our final day in Harbin, we went to a tiger reserve.  Unlike zoos and animal reserves in the United States, this tiger park (in typical Chinese fashion) definitely did not cater to wholesome family fun.  When entering the park, we were given the option of purchasing live animals (prices ranged from 60 RMB for a chicken to 2000 RMB for a cow).  We were then ushered into a small bus protected by a cage and driven into the reserve, where we watched as live chickens were thrown from a parked car and promptly devoured by a group of twenty ravenous tigers.  After seeing tigers regurgitate chicken feathers and lick blood off of their lips, we proceeded on to other parts of the reserve where we saw more tigers, ligers, lions, and panthers.  

One of the interesting things that we noticed about Harbin was the noticeably friendly demeanor of the local people.  Our group attracted particular interest- not only are 外国人 sightings less common in Harbin, but our group is also racially diverse.  We were constantly bombarded with questions such as “你们是什么国家人？“. Locals were very friendly and helpful (although their Harbin accent made communication in Mandarin very difficult), and we all felt very welcome within the city.  

Harbin was one of my favorite places that I have visited in China because it is a city with such unique history and culture.  The city’s fusion of Russian and Chinese influence, visible religious structures and symbols, comfortingly delicious cuisine, and extremely friendly people made it a vastly different environment compared to modernized Shanghai.  

These past three weeks have been so exciting, I have so much to post about! I am going to break it up into two blog posts so that it will be more manageable to read/write.

The day before I left for my trip, I joined my host family in attending their classmate’s daughter’s wedding. I found the wedding to be very demonstrative of what I have observed about Chinese culture. One thing that I observed about Chinese weddings is that they are very elaborate. We started our afternoon by taking a cab over to a beautiful park near the outskirts of Shanghai. The park was hosting many weddings that day, so wedding cars were lined up in the parking lot and on the roads around the park. Many of the wedding cars were very luxurious- the park was surrounded by lines of Mercedes, Porsches, and Audis that were beautifully decorated with bows, flowers, and in some cases, stuffed animals.

Wedding Car

The wedding ceremony was held outside on the banks of a gorgeous lake in the middle of the park. We gathered under tents while the bride and groom exchanged their vows. The wedding ceremony was surprisingly similar to me- the procession even featured choreography from the famous YouTube danced-themed procession! After they were married, the bride and the groom performed a dance together which was a bizarre mix of classic wedding dance and hip hop.

Wedding Ceremony

Host Mom and I

The reception hall had dozens of tables covered with food and liquor. My host dad encouraged me to eat and drink more throughout the night while my host mom made sure that my food was properly cut/peeled. They have really become my parents-away-from-home. At the end of the night, I joined my table in sharing a final 干杯 (cheers) with the bride and groom. The wedding definitely demonstrated to me that while the traditions at Chinese weddings may be different than Western weddings, the sentiment is still the same: celebrating a happy occasion with friends and family.

Reception Dinner

The day after the wedding, I arrived in Beijing with two of my CIEE friends, Amay and Nate. Our hostel was located near Xidan, which is a convenient section of Beijing that is minutes away from Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and a beautiful pedestrian walkway. We immediately discovered that the top floor of our hostel had a bar with cheap pints, American breakfast (the meal that I miss most!), and a pool table. Needless to say, this became one of our favorite places to relax at the end of our busy days in Beijing.

We decided to begin our sightseeing early on Monday morning with Tiananmen Square. As soon as we stepped outside, it became apparent that “we weren’t in Shanghai anymore”. Not only did the Beijing accent (described by my friend Elizabeth as “drunken pirate Chinese”) make understanding Chinese impossible, but the overcrowded streets and unfamiliar street food also made looking for breakfast impossible. Therefore, we eventually gave up our search for street food and I ate my first meal at McDonald’s since arriving in China :(

Unfortunately, our weeklong break coincided with the Chinese National Day, which meant that Chinese tourists were arriving in Beijing in droves. While waiting at the security checkpoint at Tiananmen Square, I participated (unwillingly) in my first stampede. Thanks to some help from my friends, we all eventually made it inside the square. Tiananmen Square was definitely impressive. The enormous public square was filled with people taking photos, Chinese children waving flags, and vendors selling trinkets.

Tiananmen Square

After seeing Tiananmen Square, we walked over to the Forbidden City (now called the Palace Museum). The Forbidden City was absolutely breathtaking. The enormous compound contained hundreds of buildings and gorgeous gardens. Despite being built about 600 years ago, the architecture was in astoundingly pristine condition, as were the vivid colors and decorations adorning the buildings.

The highlight of my trip to Beijing was my visit to the Great Wall. My friends and I wanted to experience the Great Wall in a less-touristy way, so we decided to book tickets through our hostel for a tour bus that would take us to a semi-restored section of the Great Wall called Mutianyu. We arrived at Mutianyu by 10:30AM and immediately bought tickets to for the chairlift that would take us to the Great Wall. We immediately began making our way up and down steep flights of stairs along the wall as we walked towards the unrestored portion of the wall. I had no idea that the stairs on the wall would be as steep as they were- it was definitely a workout having to climb such steep stairs.

Chairlift to the Great Wall

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Nate and Amay on the Great Wall

We were eventually able to reach the unrestored section of the wall, which was definitely more than worth the climb.  We hiked through brush and ruins for about 30 minutes until we reached an old tower (named “Tower 1”). We stopped briefly to take pictures and collect small keepsakes.  The view from the tower was unbelievable- from where we stood, we could see both restored and unrestored sections of the Great Wall winding around the enormous mountains.  I was in awe for the entire three hours that I spent there.  

Arriving at the unrestored tower

Transportation from the Great Wall was also an adventure.  We decided to buy tickets for the toboggen that transports tourists from the Great Wall down to the parking lot.  However, the line was too long for us to ride the slide, so we were only able to watch other visitors slide down the toboggen as we rode down on the chairlift.  

Toboggen Ride

Not only was the sightseeing in Beijing an experience but Beijing cuisine proved to be another medium of exploration. On Tuesday night, we decided to explore the famed Beijing night market.  The market features strange, often repulsive, creatures that are available for consumption to brave (or stupid) visitors.  My friends and I joined this brave/stupid population when we sampled fried starfish, scorpions, and frog. The night market also offered snake, tarantula, lizard, cicada, cockroach, and larvae.  As we ordered our fried scorpions, we watched as live scorpions squirmed on skewers waiting to be served.  

Live Scorpions

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Eating the scorpion (Tim, I told you I would!)

Not only did I eat my most bizarre meal in Beijing, but I also had my most delicious Chinese one.  On Wednesday night, my friends and I splurged and bought ourselves a succulent dinner of 北京烤鸭 (Beijing Roast Duck).  The restaurant was located on a beautiful pedestrian street located about five minutes from our hostel.  The duck was served with scallions, a delicious sauce, and small tortilla-like pancakes.  To eat the duck, we dipped the meat into the sauce and wrapped it along with the scallions in the pancake.  We sat in silence as we devoured the pieces of duck that seemed to melt in my mouth…definitely the deepest food-coma I have ever experienced.

Pedestrian walkway in Beijing

Roast Duck

The Beijing portion of my vacation was definitely a non-stop whirlwind of sightseeing, interesting/delicious meals, and cheap pints.  I will post about the Harbin portion of my trip in the next few days.

Hi everyone! It’s been awhile since I last posted…life in Shanghai moves so quickly that “down-time” doesn’t seem to exist (at least for me).  The highlight of this past week was my Mom’s arrival in Shanghai! Her week in Shanghai was a whirlwind of restaurants, shopping, walking tours, and happy hours.  When she arrived in Shanghai on the 24th, my host father and I met her at her hotel and took her back to my homestay.  She was able to meet my host parents and host sister for dinner at a nearby restaurant, where she presented them with gifts (a cigar for my host dad, St. Christopher necklaces for my host mom and sister).  After (attempting) to sleep off the jet-leg, my mom and I did a walking tour of People’s Square and the pedestrian walkway on Nanjing Road.  

Barbarosa’s, People’s Park

Mom on 南京西路 (Nanjing Road)

This was not our favorite place…although the areas are beautiful, their draw as tourist destinations also brings with it large amount of beggars, pick-pockets, and scam artists.  However, we did manage to relax and drink some Stellas (3 for RMB 70) on Nanjing Road! 

While I was in class, my mom definitely did a fair share of exploring.  She sat in the parks in the afternoons and read her book.  Many times, she was approached by Chinese people wanting to sit and practice their English with her.  I was very impressed to hear that she participated in a few conversations with people- what a great way to experience Chinese people and to learn about their culture! She also ventured into ritzy Xintiandi, which is a gorgeous part of the city (very similar to Brooklyn Heights) which is filled with high-end restaurants, cafes, and bars.  We also spent a long of time in 静安寺 (Jing’an Temple), which is a great area of Shanghai for dinner and drinks- the Buddhist temple juxtaposed with shops, bars, and skyscrapers makes the neighborhood extremely unique.

Bar TMSK, Xintiandi

Jing’an Temple

After my classes ended each day, I met my mom for drinks and dinner in the evening, which was a great break from the stresses of full-time language and cultural immersion.  We found a delicious restaurant in Xintiandi that served delicious xiaolongbao (similar to a dumpling but filled with pork and soup).  Xiaolongbao quickly became my mom’s favorite part of Chinese cuisine- we ate it three out of her seven nights in Shanghai. We were also able to find a California Pizza Kitchen in the French Concession (unfortunately, the menu was extremely different from the menu in the US).

CPK in French Concession

On her last day in Shanghai, we spent the day shopping.  We started out by heading over to the French Concession, which has a beautiful assortment of shops located in alleyways away from the usual bustle of Shanghai.  We bought beautiful scarves, hand-embroidered items, and jewelry for a very reasonable price (under $50).  After that, we ventured over to the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum so that my mom could find a black purse.  We were able to bargain the price of two bags to half of the asking price (I am unfortunately still new to the world of bargaining so I was not as successful as some of my other classmates).  

Shopping in the French Concession

The day’s purchases

We spent her last night in Shanghai doing a walking tour of the “Bund” aka the famous skyline in Shanghai. This was my first time seeing the Bund, so I was very excited to share that experience with my mom.  

The Bund

Although I am sad that my mom is leaving Shanghai, I am looking forward to this weekend’s festivities.  On Saturday, I will be accompanying my host family to a Chinese wedding.  I am sure that it will be extremely interesting and a lot of fun.  On Sunday, I will be leaving for the first of my excursions with my friends.  We will be visiting Beijing for four days before flying to Harbin (a small city on the Chinese-Russian border).  I am very excited to visit the Great Wall, test my courage at the Beijing night market (fried scorpions!), and taste the famous Harbin beer/vodka/ice cream.  I will post about it when I get back!

Hi everyone! I hope everyone in the US is doing well! I apologize for neglecting my blog…I have been so busy that I have hardly had time to sleep (which actually seems to be pretty characteristic of life in Shanghai).

So far, I love everything about Shanghai! I have never been so busy, nor have I had this much fun, in my entire life.  I guess I will start with an overview of my most recent sightseeing experiences.  I recently went with my program to see an acrobatic show in the city.  The acrobatic show was absolutely amazing- except for one act where an acrobat accidentally dropped a flaming torch right into the middle of the section where we were seated! It seems like everything is a bit crazier in Shanghai- from the nightlife, to the entertainment, to the shopping centers.  That is one of the things that I love about China- everything is surprisingly quirky and I often find myself saying “Is everyone here out of their mind?”.  

Shopping here is definitely a different experience from shopping in the states.  In many of the shops here, buyers are able to ‘bargain’ for the items that they want to buy.  It is definitely a skill that I am working on improving, and it is a great way to practice conversing in Chinese! My friend Elizabeth is an expert bargainer- she has been able to get items down from 300RMB to 55RMB! Apparently, the trick is to act uninterested in the product and offer an absurdly low price.  I have had two shopping experiences here- one of which was at the City God Temple of Shanghai, which is an enormous shopping area that is surrounded by beautiful gardens and religious temples.  I not only had my first bargaining experience there, but I also was able to watch my friends light incense and pray for good fortune on the steps of a beautiful temple.   

I recently went shopping with some of my friends at the Shanghai Museum of Science and Technology.  We took the Metro there, which is extremely inexpensive and reminds me of a much cleaner, but just as crowded, version of New York City subways. Underneath the museum, there are hundreds of small shops where buyers and sellers aggressively, and I mean AGGRESSIVELY, bargain for items.  There were fake designer clothes, purses, fake software, and other items.  After shopping at the museum, my friends Elizabeth, Alex, and I took the Metro to a famous pedestrian-only street (thank god) called Nanjing Road.  

 南京路 （Nanjing Road）

Instead of eating at a tourist-y restaurant, we ventured into windy back-alleys around Nanjing Road in search of dinner.  In the process of looking for a place to eat, we passed through a farmers market/live animal market.  There were live fish, squid, ducks, chickens, and tons of vegetables everywhere.  It was one of the most amazing things that I have done in Shanghai because for the first time, I felt like I was seeing a little piece of the “real” China.  We eventually found a noodle restaurant that couldn’t have been bigger than my freshman dorm room. The noodles (面）were made from scratch and they were absolutely delicious (and only 7RMB, which is approximately $1).

 牛肉面 (Beef Noodles)

In addition to amazing food and shopping, Shanghai nightlife is even more amazing than I could have imagined.  The cosmopolitan areas of Shanghai (The Bund, French Concession) have endless strips filled with bars and clubs and karaoke (KTV). Every night that we have gone out has been an adventure.  I usually go out with my two friends Alex and Elizabeth, along with a handful of homestay boys who are living in the same apartment complex as I am living in. Most nights, we start our night at an “ex-pat” bar in the Jing’an Temple district called Windows Too, where bottles of Coors Light are 15RMB (approximately $2.50) and pitchers of Tiger are 60RMB ($10).  After that, our nights usually consist of club-hopping and meet-and-greets with groups of other foreign students.  One of my favorite nights so far was one Wednesday night when Alex, Elizabeth and I went to Zapatas which is a bar in the French Concession (free margaritas for ladies on Wednesdays).  When we walked in, I was shocked to find three Chinese women dancing on the bar in booty shorts and tiny tank tops that said “我爱Tequila”, or I love Tequila.  Chinese women are usually very reserved, so it was definitely shocking to see them dressed in that way.  That night, we met a group of five Swedish exchange students (the blonde hair was definitely a tip-off).  Usually, our nights have consisted of al-night dance parties with no cover charge, drinking cheap beer (3 bottles for 3RMB, or $0.50) on raised walls around the city, and constant laughter with my new friends.

 Zapatas Mexican Cantina

My communication with my host family is starting to become marginally better.  We have dinner together every night (my host mom makes AMAZING food) and they leave breakfast out for me before they go to work- usually chocolate milk and a hard-boiled egg. Last weekend was the Mid-Autumn Festival in China, so my host family took my to visit their grandfather in the Pudong area of Shanghai. Their grandfather is 90 years old! It was so interesting meeting him and the rest of their extended family.  I went out to dinner with their relatives (who all told me to call them “auntie” or “uncle”).  They all encouraged me to 喝啤酒 and eat more food.  In this respect, Chinese culture is very similar to American culture- Chinese people fully enjoy good food and good company.  So far, I am so happy that I chose homestay for my experience in Shanghai.

My classes thus far have been difficult.  I am taking three classes- Modern Chinese History, China’s International Relations, and a Chinese language class.  During my time here, I will also be interning at an international company.  My Chinese language class is intensive- it meets every day for two hours.  We are learning approximately 100-120 characters per week and I have about four hours of homework per night.  My internship interview process has been going well- I have interviewed at three companies so far and have three more interviews left.  I have been offered an internship at Active Kidz Shanghai, which is a nonprofit organization that provides sports leagues for the children of “ex-pats” in Shanghai.  I am also in the process of screening for an internship at an international marketing research company.  I really hope that I am offered a position at this company because I would be getting first-hand experience at writing research proposals and making presentations.

The only bad experience that I have had so far happened yesterday.  After meeting with my Chinese tutor, I was not paying attention and accidentally walked into a wall (I know…only me) in the international dormitory.  My nose made a cracking sound and immediately started bleeding/looked crooked.  My program asked one of my friends and one of the Chinese tutors to accompany me to a Western-style hospital across the city.  Luckily, after some examination, it was determined that my nose was not broken- just severely bruised with some broken blood vessels. It was a very stressful (and embarrassing) experience but thankfully everything worked out for the best.  

I’m sorry that I don’t have more pictures to post yet- cameras here are very expensive so I am going to wait for my mom to bring me a camera during her trip to Shanghai next week.  I am very excited to see my mom again and to show her what I have seen of Shanghai. I know she is going to love it just as much as I do.

Hi everyone! I arrived in Shanghai on Sunday afternoon and since then it has been a non-stop whirlwind of orientations and meetings.  I arrived at Pudong Airport on Sunday afternoon and was driven by my host father to his apartment which is very close to the East China Normal University campus.  When I arrived at the apartment I ate dinner with my host father, mother, and sister (who is only a few years older than me).  The food was delicious- fried pork, chicken with nuts, and vegetables.  

The most exciting, yet intimidating, part of my experience thus far has been my communication with my host family.  My host family does not speak any English, which means that my only communication with them must be in Chinese (or hand gestures when necessary).  Although this living situation is challenging, my host family has been patient with me and I feel that I have already learned so much during my short time here.  I can’t wait to see how my understanding of the Chinese language will improve by the end of the semester.

My family’s apartment is very warm and homey- there is a foyer, kitchen, dining room, living room, bathroom, and three bedrooms.  I have my own room in the apartment which has been wonderful thus far.  I will include pictures in my next post, as I still need to buy a new camera here.

Today I had orientation through my study abroad program, which was very interesting.  American kids were led around the Putuo district in groups by Chinese students at the university.  My group took a bus to a local mall for lunch.  The mall had six floors and was filled with American shops.  We ate at a “汤面饭馆” (noodle restaurant) where I had amazing vegetable noodles in broth with oolong tea.  Afterwards I was invited, along with the other home-stay students, to have a “欢迎晚饭“ （welcome dinner）at a local restaurant.  There I got to talk with other home-stay students and try a sampling of Chiense cuisine.  After dinner, I went out to an American bar with other home-stay students in Shanghai, which was incredible.  I could not believe that I was sitting in the heart of Shanghai!

My one concern thus far is the traffic in Shanghai.  There are so many cars on the road and it seems as though no one follows the rules of the road.  Cars also don’t stop for pedestrians at intersections, whether the “walk” symbol is on or not.  I hope that I can learn to manage walking to campus every day without getting hurt. 

So far everything is going well and I hope that my adjustment to Chinese language and culture continues to progress well. From what I have seen so far, 我爱上海！