Being Deported?

When our school got our resident permits for us, they were unable to get ones that lasted the entire length of our contract (June 30th, 2010), so our visas only last until the 26th of June. So, I like to say that we are being deported (it's so much more exciting so say that you were deported. It would be a great conversation starter). Matt doesn't like this. Our conversations on the topic usually go something like this

Me (to a third party when asked when we will be returning to the US): Well, we are being deported on the 26th of June.

Matt: No, we aren't

Me: Why?

Matt: Because they aren't sending us home.

Me: Our visas expire, that sounds like being sent home to me. 

Matt: but they aren't 'sending' us home (like, paying for it and escorting us out of the country)

Me: Yes, but we are being kicked out against our will, I think that counts

Matt: (silence)

We have had this conversation many times, so eventually Matt gives up the will to argue anymore. 

I think we are being deported. What say you? 

Christmas via Skype

I wasn't super excited for Christmas this year, just because I was afraid of being terribly homesick... but it was EXCELLENT! We had asked our families before if they would set up a webcam where they would be opening presents, so that we could 'be there' during the festivities. It was so much fun! Not only did we forget for a little while that we were thousands of miles away, BUT we could also toggle back and forth between both of our families. It was awesome, even though we had to wait all day for our families to wake up and then we stayed up until 2 talking (gotta love the time difference).

Huzzah for technology. I had an awesome Christmas!

Here are what those screenshots are all about:

1. Waiting on the stairs for mom and dad to wake up with the Carters

2. Walking into the living room (again with the Carters). Thanks for holding us Russell!

3. Opening presents with the Carters

4. Scott keeping us entertained during a present lull

5. Our stockings! 

6. Christmas at the Williams 

the Craniums

Get ready for another wonderful update on the Cranium family. Annie's getting ready to send out her Christmas cards! Sadly, she rejected the family picture I made for her last year... too bad. Apparently I was off on the demographics of the family. 

And I was three (and a half) children late on making this wedding announcement for Starlla and Kash.

We sure like these people

Here is our 'group'. Matt and I live alone in our city, but we live close enough to all of these folks to get together on the weekends for church and stuff. It has been really awesome getting to know them this semester, and it's amazing how close you can get to people when you are the only English speakers around. 

We're really sad that most of them are leaving at the end of the month (since they are only here for a semester). And then it will be me, Matt, three other teachers for a couple months until a new semester starts and we get a new group of friends! It's weird to think that the first semester is almost over! 

We'll miss you guys!

Thanksgiving for reals

So, going out to Dico's was what we did on Thanksgiving day, but for our actual Thanksgiving celebration we all gathered together in our friends' city for a real Chinese feast. Introducing: Hot Pot. We had Hot Pot in Beijing the first meal we were here and I wasn't too sold on the idea, but this time it was much better (the sauce makes a world of difference). 

Basically, hot pot works by having your own little pot of boiling water (fueled by it's own small fire) and you put in whatever meats or veggies you want and wait for them to cook. Then you pull them out, dip them in some sauce and eat them. It's pretty fun, and kinda reminds me of doing racqulette. 

I think I would like it more if I could figure out how to pull sliced potatoes out of the bottom of the pot with chopsticks. 

We had a fun Thanksgiving. 

Turkey Ball

Since we were not able to find a football anywhere, we decided that our Thanksgiving sports would be ping-pong ball and basketball (and yes, I meant ping-pong ball). It was really fun!

Attempt #1

I cooked for the first time the other day! I was pretty proud of myself... which is sad, since making dinner isn't something I considered a big deal in America, but when I am cooking here everything is just twice as hard, at least.

I made 'tudou si' (Silk Potatoes) and 'si ji dou' with 'ji rou' (four season beans with chicken). I think it was pretty good for my first try.

I think I will give you instructions on how to cook your own, and since I want you to have an authentic Chinese experience, I will tell you exactly how I made it.

1. Ask Mr. Beard how to say 'green beans' to purchase them at the store. 

2. Wait forty minutes until he is finished giving you other instructions. 

3. Walk to the supermarket.

4. Proceed to the produce isle, fight off the store ladies who will try to tell you what to purchase (even though they have no idea)

5. Locate garlic, Chinese onions, peppers, green beans and potatoes. Then have the helper ladies measure and price them. Whatever you do, DO NOT walk away from the produce section without having your vegetables priced and labeled. You will have about twenty Chinese women yelling after you. 

6. Wander around until you locate where they have the salt, MSG and chicken bouillon 'pellets'. Since you can't read the labels, make the best guess you can towards which bag is salt, and which is some other white powdery substance. Then grab some MSG (it will be kinda like salt, but longer crystals) and the bag with the cartoon chicken head on it. 

7. When you go to the checkout line, stand as close to the person in front of you as you can. Otherwise, you will be there forever while Chinese people dart in front of you.

8. Go home and make sure that all of the dishes you plan on using have been either washed in boiled water, or are completely dry, since the tap water isn't safe to consume.

9. Heat up some oil (previously purchased, luckily) and throw in your potatoes (mine where previously sliced, lucky me). Then, use a ladle to stir them around every once in awhile.

10. While they are cooking, open your bags of salt, msg and chicken stuff. If you forgot to purchase scissors, cut them open with a can opener, or a butcher knife, whichever you prefer. Both are equally as ill suited for the job.

11. Cut up some peppers (no use washing them first, that just adds more germs) and mince some garlic. 

12. Add to your potatoes a little bit of peppers, two cloves of garlic, some salt, some MSG and some chicken powder. Don't ask me how much, because they do not even sell measuring devices in this country. 

13. Pour potatoes onto previously sterilized plate.

14. Repeat all steps for green beans with chicken, except put the chicken in first, then the green beans later... if you didn't already know that. Make sure to not put too much salt in this mixture due to the hideous hole you have in your salt bag (that was my pit fall).

15. Eat with chopsticks. 

Now, for those of you that judged me for not trying to cook until now, just know that you can do all this, or you can pay a dollar to have someone else do it for you a little ways down the street (plus, free rice and the ambiance of a Chinese hole in the wall) 

Of Toilets, Rats and Ripoffs.

I am trying to be better about posting everyday... and since we don't do anything exciting everyday, I will post about a previous experience I had. (And get a few more pictures of Fenghuang in)

*Warning, this post is about Chinese Bathrooms. Be Prepared.* 

So Matt and I had just finished our glorious trip to Fenghuang and we were in a bus station (notorious for their hideously gross bathrooms) and I just had to go. I have never had a fear of public bathroom going until I met my first public bathroom in China (that one had piles of #2 on the ground, apparently squatting isn't too accurate). Anyways, that just tells you how much of an emergency it was that I needed to go that I was willing to use a bus station bathroom. I had to search around for a bit until I found the bathroom, and then there was a woman blocking the door. No free toilet for me! I had to go get some money from Matt, and when I got back, the lady was smacking something off the wall, out of my sight and a second later a rat runs away from said wall. Right through the middle of the waiting room of the bus station. 'Weird' I thought, as I handed the lady my money. I proceeded into the bathroom to find that the stalls did not have doors on them. 'Hmm, interesting' I thought. I went into the last stall, and saw the trench they call a toilet. 'Wonderful' I thought, and just as I was about to squat over said trench, a rat runs right underneath me through the toilet. 

I think my first week here, this would have been a 'calling it quits' moment. Now, being a 3 month veteran, I just shrug, take care of my business and think of what a great story this will be. 

Okay folks, what is your best public bathroom story?

The View Saves the Day

Our hostel in Fenghuang was basically the shadiest place we have stayed in so far. It had horrible insulation (most of China does, but this room really took the cake) and we were freezing! Ah, that was a funny night, shivering in bed next to Matt while we were serenaded to sleep by all the drunken karaoke singers from across the river. We laughed really hard. Really, not being sarcastic here people. It was one of those moments where it was just terrible enough to laugh, but not terrible enough that you would cry. 

The picture above was the view looking right out of our window... pretty sweet eh?

Fenghuang

Fenghuang is a really cool old river town in our province. It's really small, and a lot of it is falling apart (part of the reason Lonely Planet recommends it; go see it before it crumbles away). But it was a really cool weekend trip. 

Pictures from Fenghuang

I have piles of pictures, and really nothing to say to go with them... I will say however, that it was BEAUTIFUL there. 

If I just knew what to do with them,

I would buy piles of Miao (Chinese minority group) crafts. Aren't those pillow cases (the piles of folded cloth) pretty? I also love the belt type things (hanging on the wall next to the purses)... but I know I couldn't pull it off. Too bad, I love all the colorfulness. 

Thanksgiving Dinner

Well, it's been three years since Matt and I have had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner... but I had definitely never had fast food on Thanksgiving before. I've also never had Thanksgiving without my family before. I've also never had to work on Thanksgiving. I've also never been in China on Thanksgiving before.

Basically... it was a year of firsts for me.