The single most frustrating thing about living in China is the inability to communicate. Which, I hesitantly admit, is kind of our bad considering Mandarin has nearly 2 billion speakers worldwide. However, we are trying to practice! Both by having Davi as our trusty conversation partner and also taking a course in oral Mandarin. So far, we’ve learned a lot, and we thought we would share some of our findings and frustrations with you.
Sports and Scares
Location: Jian’ou No. 1 Middle School, Fujian Province, China
We are finally healthy. Just in time for the annual school “sports meeting,” what all of our hosts call field day and a cultural festival rolled into one. Something we’ve never experienced. We threw ourselves into the activities, judging an English recitation/singing contest, watching our students run, and playing games like aeroplane chess (like ‘Sorry!’ but life-sized).
On the Bus
When we went on vacation, we took a bus to get to WuYi Mountain. This video gives you a taste of the differences between Chinese and American traffic schemes, and public transit in general. Hope it’s enjoyable. Also available on YouTube.
Dinner and a Show
Location: Jian’ou, Fujian Province, China
As you may know, this month has been a bit trying on our ability to adjust to life in China. K has been really struggling physically with illness and, more recently, dental troubles (Chinese root canal is half over!). We are confident that this is the last hurdle and that things will be blissfully uneventful for the rest of the autumn season
From the Recipe Book- Boiled Veggie Dumplings
Everyone knows that dumplings are a quintessential part of Chinese cuisine. Unfortunately, most dumplings in Southern China are filled with steamed pork or duck. However, our gracious hosts have done everything possible to make us feel at home and comfortable. For example, Davi’s mother and grandmother made two delicious varieties that were fit for herbivores.
On my birthday, Davi also taught one of the recipes to me. It’s a fantastic vegetarian dish with filling made from local ingredients! Boiled dumplings are soft and translucent, unlike panfried dumplings that have skins that are crisp on the bottom and chewy on the top. K made a pretty sweet video that demonstrates our efforts; here’s the video, and the recipe follows below.
Wuyi Mountain
Location: Wuyi Mountain, Fujian Province, China
In the midst of all of America’s crippling debt, furloughs, and government shutdowns, we’ve been sitting pretty in China. It was National Day this week, which means that the entire country has seven days to ‘play’ (in the parlance of Davi and our other Chinese friends). That means going to all of the global world heritage sites on the other side of the country that you may not have a chance to see any other time of year. It also means people. Lots of people.
Imagine the Fourth of July, and all of its inherent craziness. Binge drinking, people commuting across country to see relatives, and the like. Also imagine that America is three times larger. Finally, imagine that Americans have no concept of personal space and no restrictions as to how many people can be crammed into a bus, train, or can attend a tourist attraction at once. That was what our week was like.
To the Temple
Hey all. Hope this National Day break is finding you as well as it is us. For your viewing pleasure, I’ve put together yet another short video. This one is us driving to the top of a mountain on motorcycle with Davi’s relatives. I’m stitching together yet another thing that should hopefully be out next week, as well. Hope you’re hungry.
Hunting for chestnuts.
Here’s the first video of the series that I hope to be doing. It’s pretty short, but also really cool. Sorry about the shaky video and the in-camera audio. Also available in higher quality on Vimeo:
Home Sweet Jiā
Location: Jian’ou, Fujian Province, China
Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up this week. We have 3 days off of school! I know that will bring numerous tales to report, so we thought we would get another update out before then. Despite the fact that the harvest is coming, it feels no nearer to fall in China and we have been seeking solace in different forms to escape the heat. The eclectic lifeways we see each day has us snapping photos and taking videos faster than we can even share them with you all. This photo set was almost painful to choose; between the beauteous views from high-rise apartments and mountain tops and the colors springing from the earth and from calligraphy brushes, there was far too much to take in.
Ni Hao, Bo Yao!
Location: Fuzhou and Jian’ou, Fujian Province, China
Well, we’re settling in here. School begins tomorrow, and we’re up to our knees in lesson plans, so we thought we’d bring you a brief synopsis of what this move to the Middle Kingdom has been like thus far. We’ve seen some pretty unique, terrifying and humbling things. This place hums with people, and resonates with the sound of car horns.
himheradventure.com 