ERA——“时空之旅”

So last Sunday I had the pleasure of seeing the Chinese Circus. The performance was called ERA. One of my friends organized the occasion and about 10 of us from school ended up going to the show.

When we arrived at the performance center, the building looked like a giant igloo, almost similar to the old center where the Philadelphia Eagles have their pre-season training. Or it looked more like taking the Epcot circular ball thing and cut it in half:

To summarize it, the performances consisted not of your regular Barnum & Bailey acts, but instead a romanticized assortment of various acrobatic, physical, throwing and bending feats. The first part of the show had a semi-transparent circular enclosure. People in costumes biked in circles around the enclosure. Some wore bicycle helmets (shock of all shocks!) and the costumes were bright and tight- very reminiscent of the 80s.

Following this was a multimedia show with the viewpoint of a man bicycling through town. He then entered the stage biking carrying a large wagon behind him. On the wagon was a giant pot, which he opened. Then four women did walking handstands out of the pot toward offstage. The man wore a black vest that was a bit too small (and showed his belly and love handles), and he wore beat up baggy pants. Then male acrobats entered from nowhere, set up rings and started to dive through the rings are regular (and irregular intervals).

Other acts included a male and female acrobatic duet where there were two ribbon-type things hanging from the ceiling. They danced together and performed amazing feats. There were also other acrobats on stilts standing on a see-saw where two/three people would jump off, land on the opposite side, and propel the person on stilts into the air. The person on stilts would then flip and land (somehow) elegantly on the ground.

Other women acrobats:

The man with the black vest and pants also did a routine where he was throwing a large heavy ming dynasty (blue and white) designed pot. He would throw it 20 feet into the air and catch it without breaking. He also used the back of his neck to catch the falling vase. The beginning of the show also had a woman throwing bowls to a man balanced on a piece of board that was on a rolling cylinder. He would then catch it, balance a bowl on his foot, throw his foot up and catch the bowl on his head. He then took two bowls (with the first bowl still on his head), balanced them on his foot, threw it up into the air, and had the two bowls land on the bowl already on his head. He did this until about 15 or so bowls were on his head, followed by a drinking glass. Then he tried (3 times, but with no success) to get a spoon to balance in the glass that was in the stack of 15+ bowls. It was crazy.

My favorite acts were by far the last performance of the first act and the last performance of the second act. The first act had this strange wheel contraption with men inside the inner wheels to propel it forward, followed by a variety of men on top of the inner wheels, walking, doing cartwheels, walking on their hands, walking blindfolded, etc. There were at least 7 times when these men almost fell. They could have seriously hurt themselves but it was mind boggling how amazing they were.

The end of the second act consisted of a metal cage and motorcycles driving inside of it, in formations, and around the cage 360 degrees (both vertically and horizontally!!) This last picture will give you a better idea:
Yes, those white and red lines are people on motorcycles driving around inside the cage. There were 6 of the motorcyclists driving in there at one point. Simply dangerous and breathtaking.

You know you're back in China when...

You know you're back in China when...
- regularly seeing people outside wearing face masks doesn't surprise you.
- seeing someone pick up a piece of trash and throw it away does surprise you.
- the number of bikes on the street equals the number of cars on the street.
- while biking, you are un-fazed by cars driving within six inches of you.
- $15 for a fake bag is considered expensive.
- the standard person walking down the street stares at you.
- constant congestion is considered normal and even expected.
- some trucks are the same size as a regular American 4-door sedan.
- adults often play at the local playground.
- fireworks can be heard at random hours, either at night or during the day.
- cooking at home can be more expensive than eating out at a restaurant (depending on where you go.)
- you can get a delicious bowl of noodles for about $0.60.

Jet lag and cloudy days

For the most part I've been working and sleeping. This is good. I'm using my first week back in China to simply re-acclimate to the routine, culture, weather, my work and people.

Unfortunately the weather here leaves something to be desired. Since arriving Sunday afternoon I have yet to see sunshine. The weather has been a combination of cold rain, gloomy and overcast. We're apparently supposed to get sunshine on Friday, but I think it's pretty pathetic to go 5 days straight without directly seeing the sun. I also did not miss the air quality. I'm considering purchasing an air filter for my home but I honestly do not know how much air filters actually help the air in your home. Does anyone know for sure?

I've started reading the newspaper on-line (shocker of all shocks!) and there is a depressing article about China's air quality. It specifically focuses on Beijing in preparation for the Olympics but environmental issues are an ongoing problem here because China constantly ignores environmental issues. The air quality on "Blue Sky days" in Beijing is still considered severely polluted by European and Untied States standards. I worry about the obvious increase in health problems for the Chinese as well because the problems are long term. While I am not criticizing China, seeing people wear face masks while biking to work or walking shows that there's an obvious problem with the air.

Anyway... I enjoyed being home. It's good to be back but I miss my family and friends.

Fresh produce

Sorry for the lack of updates: I've had plenty of observations in December but I've been home in the US for about 2 and a half weeks so I've been busy at home enjoying Mom's home cooking, the company of my family and friends, wireless internet, breathable air, and cable TV.

One of the things I do miss from China is the fresh fruit. There is this guy I'm friends with at a local fruit stand who sells the most delicious and juicy oranges. They aren't oranges because they don't have seeds, but they're too big to be clementines or mandarins, so maybe they are tangerines. Who knows! I can get about 10 of these palm sized oranges for about $1. Behind the fruit stand people play Mahjong. Although I don't know how to play (yet), four people play this game, but there are always other people watching the game in progress. When I bought some fruit from the vendor by myself one night, I asked him if I could watch him play. He was more than happy with my interest, so I told him when I return I will watch he and his friends play. I want to read the directions to mahjong so I don't feel like a total idiot. Maybe I'll even make a friend or two!

Back to fruits: I've also gotten a chance to try pomelo, which is less bitter than a grapefruit, but is about the size of my head (no joke!) It is yellow and has small clearish seeds in the middle. It peels off cleanly in sections that are about the length of your hand and the width of two or three fingers. I've also tried dragon fruit which looks as cool as it sounds. The outside is hard and bright pink. It has green spike shaped parts that look like they help you peel the fruit, but they actually aren't very sharp. Inside the fruit is actually a clear white color with lots of tiny black seeds which you eat with the fruit. It tastes sweet but it is a refreshing lightness in it's flavor. They're really fun to look at and also tasty as well.
The other type of fruit that intrigues me is called (I believe) sizi. I've tried looking it up on the internet but I've been unable to find an English name or a picture of it. The fruit looks to be the size of a tomato, but the lower part of it is squished bottom ridge. I will hopefully get a more accurate translation upon returning to China.

During the winter, pineapples and strawberries are in season in Shanghai. I'm psyched!

Also: A real update

So, after about FOUR months this place is finally starting to feel like home. I'm beginning to comfortably establish routines. The main reason why I took this job is to study Chinese, but because I had accepted the position so last minute and was thrown into the whirlwinds of work, Shanghai, living on my own and adulthood, I had really lost focus on what I want.

Earlier I had been quite lonely. Initial friendships are exciting and I love to meet new people, but new friendships never have the same steadfastness loyalty that you have with friendships that have won the test of time. To compensate the complete rush, workload, chaos and overwhelming independence I had found myself neck high in, I began to eat some comfort foods: namely ice cream and chips. This (obviously) affected my body which added to the cycle of not having that much control. In college I was working out a lot- I felt so good afterwards both mentally and physically, and I think it's important to establish healthy habits when you're young so as you get older (and your metabolism slows down) you don't have to worry much about dramatically changing your habits and lifestyle.

But finding a gym in China (and having almost no free time in the beginning of the school year) proved to be difficult. When I finally found a few gyms in the area, compared prices, and finally joined, it was equally difficult motivating myself to actually go.

On top of all of this, it seems that THE THING for foreigners to do here is to go out at night. While I enjoy bars I have always had trouble having one sleeping pattern Monday - Friday (sleeping 10pm-6:30am) and dramatically changing it Saturday and Sunday (sleeping from 1am-10 or 11am) very difficult. In addition, I usually don't feel the best the next day and I find that I waste most of the day after I go out at night. I prefer going out with people I've known for a bit longer, because if I am drinking I feel safer with people I trust. So the fact that most people were using alcohol to bond (and I thought this phase was over in college) startled me a bit. I'm not sure if I alienated myself from some people because of my unwillingness to get completely trashed, but I really dislike peer pressure of any sort. I honestly didn't deal with peer pressure in college, and that was one huge thing I loved about school. I will respect other people's decisions and they should respect mine.

The point of this entry is that I've finally turned a corner. I think it's been a combination of my Dad visiting, me settling into my apartment, starting real routines, and maybe even lighting the menorah makes this strange suburban apartment in the outskirt (almost farmlands) of Shanghai feel like home, but I'm really enjoying myself here.

This is not to say I wasn't happy before, but I know I'm happier now. On Monday I went to the gym and had a great run on the elliptical and lifted weights. I started (finally) seriously studying Chinese on Monday night. I studied 40 new vocab words. Tuesday I had people over and cooked dinner. That same day I also bought a blank notebook and started a Chinese journal. Wednesday I also worked out at the gym (cardio and weights), had a quiet meal at home, and studied Chinese also also wrote in my journal. Yesterday I had two hours of Chinese one-on-one with Stephanie (a Mandarin teacher at my school). We corrected my journal entries and worked on the new vocabulary that I had studied. Wednesday I also worked out and randomly met some friends at the local restaurant I go to where we ate together. I once again wrote in my journal and tried (in Chinese) to explain what Hanukkah is.

Today I have a relatively light day. After school I'll go work out, and this evening my friend Kelly, who also works at the school, organized a bus to see a comedy improv show. So I'll get to see that. Tomorrow night I'll hopefully do some holiday shopping, maybe play field hockey, maybe work out, and hopefully go out with my friend Jade from Wes. Sunday morning (if I get up early enough) will be dedicated to bike riding through the farmland, and I plan to just relax and straighten up later Sunday afternoon. Monday I will have people over for dinner, Tuesday I'll have Chinese class then some dinner plans, Wednesday I'll work out and most likely eat on my own, Thursday is the Winter Concert at school, and Friday is the annual SCIS Holiday Party!

I need to keep busy because that's when I'm the most productive. It may mean I'm a bit tired, but if I have too much spare time to myself I'll begin to pine for my family and friends at home. I do miss you all, but I'm finally realizing what wonderful an opportunity is for me, and the beauty of actually having a real income to spend money on yourself and people you care about.

I hope this optimism lasts for a long, long time.

A Universal Truth

It seems that no matter where you go, you almost always end up with spare socks that have no match, even if you don't have a dryer. Isn't it supposed to be the dryer that eats them and not the washing machine? Maybe they work together...

Whomping Wallets!

So! I've told you the awesome boots story. In fact, I'm wearing the boots right now. The style I've seen here is wearing cool boots over (bootleg cut) pants, or wearing stockings, shorts and boots that go together. I'm wearing the later style. I've already gotten one compliment from a student. I guess I look "cool" or something...

Upon leaving Qipu market, as I went through the exit I had opened my handbag to take out my scarf. I was only carrying one bag (with the boots in it), but I remember saying to myself, "just be careful, Amy." I did not heed my own warning. I closed my bag and walked down the steps to catch up with my friends. A beggar was heckling me (very aggressively) and I walked away from him. The next thing I know I look at my bag and it's open. I thought to myself, "Did I forget to close it? Oh no. CRAP." I checked inside and my wallet was missing.

I told my friends. They asked, "Amy are you sure?" I double-checked. Yes. Some guy who was just sitting on a parked motorcycle said he saw it happen. I asked him what the thief looked like (in Chinese) and where did he go? The guy was frustratingly apathetic, a total jerk. JiangJiang asked him in Chinese for the details, and he just said "他是一个新疆人。" (He is a XinJiang person.) Xinjiang people are a minority group from Western China.
The people from the region are predominately Muslim. They are a minority group that has had constant bouts with the Han Chinese. Usually some of the XinJiang people migrate to cities to find work, but the Chinese impression of them is that they can't be trusted. They usually have

The man on the motorcycle was most likely in on the scheme but there is no way to prove it. He told me the thief ran in one direction when he could have easily gone either way. I was so angry at the time and I still am. My friends then called the police who arrived within about 5 minutes.
Previously I have been very scared of the police because in a country where I don't really know my specific rights, I honestly just don't want any altercations with people in uniform. But I really want to give props to the Chinese government. The police officers actually responded to the call, arrived quickly, and did what they could to interview the man on the motorcycle and try to fix the incident. The motorcycle guy said the thief took the money out of the wallet and put it on a motorcycle that zoomed off. I don't believe this story because it would make sense for the thief to get away first and then inspect his spoils, not hang around the incident where the theft occurred. After all of this, the police drove us all to the police station and were very patient trying to look up my passport number (which I didn't have with me), in order to identify me. They also helped me with the police report and were incredibly kind. They said they would do what they could to help find my wallet, and hopefully someone would turn it in.

At the station, I called Natalie who was nice enough to call my dad (who answered the phone at 5:30am, already awake), to tell him to cancel my credit card and debit card. I also called my Chinese bank and changed my pin number and canceled the card.. or something. It was complicated. Jiangjiang said that if it was Xinjiang people they usually work in groups, and it was better they took my money than hurt me. One of our mutual friends (Eva) had watched a child (who was a Xinjiang person) try to steal. She told the person who was going to be stolen from, and an older (xinjiang) man went up to her, kicked her, and told her to mind her own business. Now I don't want to sound racist, but I'm just explaining things that have been told to me about this particular group of people.

After we left the station, Jiangjiang and Tianwen gave me some money so I could go home. I took a cab and spoke to the driver a bit about Xinjiang people. He didn't seem to like them either. He told me that they shouldn't be trusted. I didn't quite understand everything he was saying, but I did understand he wasn't particularly fond of them.

Sunday afternoon Jane (the LS principal) called me saying the police called her because someone had turned in the wallet. Jane was kind enough to arrange transportation for me to go into Puxi (I didn't really have enough cash to get there myself), and I got my wallet back. The policemen at this station were also very friendly, and happy I could say a few words in the Shanghai dialect. I got everything back except my transportation card (which only had 15 kuai), and I lost about 300-350 kuai (about $45-$50). It could have been worse, but not I have to deal with the debacle of getting all of my cards re-issued while abroad. Ugh.