In the Past Two Months, I've...

My dad first did not want me to go to China for a full two months. He was convinced that I would soon be bored. After all, in the past my visits had only been for a few weeks. However, I was a typical stubborn child and retorted that being in China would be less boring than being stuck at home.

In the end? Yes, there were times that I was bored. That is inevitable for any long-term trip. Non-stop action and adventure would be exhausting. Yet I also had many fun and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. In the past two months, I've...

1. Fed a cow milk at a dairy farm...

2. Watched a fiery stunt performance during my trip to the ancient Phoenix City...

3. Visited the mountains that they used for the movie Avatar...

4. Touched a tree that Mao Zedong planted as a seedling on my trip to Xi'an...

5. Eaten enough delicious mantou (steamed bread) to last me a lifetime...

So the story of how I got this particular bag of mantou is kind of embarrassing. See, everyone in China made fun of me because I preferred mantou to rice, which to them was a foreign concept. I was at dinner with a large tour group. At one restaurant the mantou was served at the meal like bread would be in the states. At the end of the meal there was still a lot of mantou left. The other diners at my table saw how much I liked the fluffy bread and insisted that I take the rest with me. This caught the notice of the other fellow travelers in our tour group at other tables, and they insisted that I also take the leftover mantou at their respective tables. I was very red-faced but, being familiar with Chinese generosity, decided that it would cause less of a scene if I just accepted the mantou quickly and gratefully.

6. Soaked my feet in snake venom after an arduous, dangerous mountain climb. Apparently it has properties that are good for you? Hey, at least I still have full use of both feet. I do have a picture but I thought I would spare you.

7. Seen the first telephone in China. It was in the Forbidden City in Beijing. I'm so glad we have sleek, convenient cellphones now!

8. Learned to write Chinese calligraphy from my grandfather. He's incredibly skilled at calligraphy.

9. Shopped at many markets for fresh, cheap produce (just be sure to wash it thoroughly!)

10. Spent precious time playing with my adorable cousins!

Oh, can't forget little Jackie! He's the only boy in our whole extended family.

I am going to miss them!

What I Will Not Miss About China

So last time I wrote about the aspects of China that I will miss. But everything has pros and cons, right? While living in China, there were definitely some things that really bothered me.

Crowds

It's no secret that there are over 1.3 billion people living in China. This creates congestion everywhere - in stores, in the streets, in schools. Buses and subways are always packed to the maximum amount of individuals possible without someone being crushed to death. At the Sam's Club in Shenzhen, on busy days sometimes there aren't enough shopping carts for all the customers. Traffic jams are a frequent and unavoidable consequence for city

dwellers and country residents alike.

Because there are so many people, each individual has to look out for himself. It is a dog-eat-dog world out there. People generally are impatient and will cut in line or push you out of the way. Most people are quite suspicious and therefore not friendly or welcoming to strangers. Both literally and metaphorically, if you let someone else get ahead, it only causes you to fall further and further behind. Of course, there are many exceptions to the rule, and once people get to know you they will treat you like family.

Environmental Degradation

I have written about China's environment before. It is hard to balance every individual's desire for a higher standard of living with the subsequent impact on the environment. My grandfather believes that right now China is just going through its development and afterwards the environment will improve. But the people and the government will never be satisfied with a set level of development. It is human nature to always want more once you have achieved your initial goal. Now your family may have a washer to do laundry, but wouldn't a dryer make life much easier as well?

In many cities that I visited, the air was heavy and the sky was smoggy and gray. There was a stunning lack of green grass and large trees. People tossed trash on the sidewalks without a second thought. Little kids relieved their bladders in the streets. Empty Styrofoam ramen noodle containers floated in rivers.

Additionally, people smoke everywhere - in cars, in restaurants, on buses and trains. Since regulations are so stringent in the U.S., it had been so long since I had actually inhaled cigarette smoke. At first I tried holding my breath every time I passed by a smoker, but I quickly realized this was probably the faster way to die, considering some of my own relatives smoked regularly.

Lack of Diversity

I have never fully appreciated how diverse the United States is, in terms of both race and culture as well as in perspectives and ideologies. Even in a relatively homogeneous place where I live (as compared to New York or Los Angeles), I can still find every single race represented, and people all along the political spectrum. It is easy for me to go to a public location and hear Chinese or Spanish spoken.

In China, outside of the more worldly cities such as Beijing, foreigners are a sight to be stared at. As soon as a foreigner walks into view, whispers commence about their hair color or their stature. It is very awkward, especially since most of the foreigners are fluent in Chinese. Some citizens are even brave enough to ask to have their picture taken with the said foreigner. Of course, though Chinese people may be one race, they can have very different appearances - short, tall, slender, pudgy, wide or narrow faced, large or small featured, etc.

Most Chinese citizens also have the same general opinions about politics and issues such as Taiwan and the U.S. This is the result of state-controlled media and education system. This reason is probably why most people do not talk of politics in everyday conversation. After all, what is the point in discussing if you already agree? I think this might start changing with the younger generation, especially with the rise in Internet usage. Though there are censors on certain websites, the government cannot possibly shield its citizens from all controversial information. We will see what will happen in the future.

What I Will Miss About China

I am finally back in the states - and it does feel really good to be here. Maybe I still was not completely adjusted to China during my two months, but I cannot see myself ever permanently living there. That being said, there are certain aspects of China and life there that I will really miss here in the United States.

Things I will miss:

Family

I have always grown up without an extended family nearby, and without knowing what I missed, it did not seem like such a big deal. Yes, we celebrated holidays with close friends instead of relatives, but I thought it just made our nuclear family closer. However, upon going back to China I realized that I really enjoyed being around my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins. I feel like your own flesh-and-blood relatives, like parents, will always love you unconditionally. In China, a lot of importance is placed on family ties. During major holidays such as the New Year, everyone, no matter where he/she currently live, tries to journey back "home" - the childhood home where he/she grew up and where the grandparents live. As my grandparents talked about the celebration in their home, I realized that my own nuclear family has been the missing piece of the united extended family for many years.

Though we do try to visit every few years, we miss a lot of important family events such as marriages, college graduations, or the birth of a child. Each time we visit, it seems as if their lives have been fast-forwarded into the future and we are only viewing snapshots in time. I have no idea when I will see them again.

Public Transportation

No one needs a car in China. There are all kinds of buses, taxis, subways for extremely low prices. I found that most buses only charged 1-2 Yuan (about 15-30 cents). Subways were around 2 Yuan. Additionally, usually schools and stores are easily within walking distance. If you are skillful and can navigate through a sea of pedestrians and cars, you can also ride a bike or motorcycle. It was so convenient and affordable to get anywhere in any city I visited.

Food

There is so much good food in China that sadly cannot be replicated here in the states. For example, right-out-of-the-ground fresh Chinese greens, fluffy white steamed bread, or salted duck eggs. Maybe I can try replicating some of the recipes? However, without the fresh ingredients, it probably will not taste the same.

Shopping

It's no secret that most everything is cheaper in China (with the exception of western brands, cars, and housing). I estimate that everyday goods are around 5 times cheaper there. It was really fun to buy things knowing that I was spending basically spare change. However, there is a hidden cost to the low prices. Who knows under what conditions and pressures laborers work under to produce massive amounts of goods?

__________

So those are some things I miss. Next I will write about what I do not miss about China.

Favorite Photos, Part II

China Pavilion at the World Expo at night

China Pavilion during the day

My cousin at her middle school

Summer Palace in Beijing

Another view of the Summer Palace

Favorite Photos, Part I

Waterfall of the Yellow River

ZhangJiaJie National Park

FengHuang Ancient City

Outskirts of FengHuang

Fire-Eater

Pond of Goldfish in Shenzhen