--
Whitney Morgan
SIT Graduate Institute '12
wwm013@gmail.com
U.S Peace Corps
Chengdu, China
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Lilly Pad Farm and Feast
--
Whitney Morgan
SIT Graduate Institute '12
wwm013@gmail.com
U.S Peace Corps
IKEA?
There is a first for everything... and who knew that the first time I'd ever go to an IKEA would be in China?? Not me. It was like walking into a little piece of Swedish heaven, and had I a home to outfit I would have gone bonkers in that store. The best part of it all... everything is made in China. No shipping costs added, no taxes... it was unlike anything I have ever seen before. Now, unfortunately, when I go home and happen to walk into an IKEA, the chair that was RMB $69 (approximately USD $10), is probably going to be USD $30. How unfortunate.
This excursion started due to the gift a friend of mine and myself are doing for our families today - making them spaghetti for lunch. We went to the biggest supermarket I have even seen - and for those that know me well, I get incredibly overwhelmed with menus and supermarkets. Too many choices, and in this circumstance, an absurd amount of people. Not to mention the little illiteracy problem I have here in this country. We were also with my friends host brother, his wife, and their one year old son, Niu Niu (meaning... cow. they give ugly endearing nicknames to their children... it's a thing here. I dunno). So while my friend and I wanted to take off, find the things we needed, they absolutely would NOT let us out of their sites... therefore, when we thought we had lost them to cover ground, finding the foods we needed for this soon to be feast, there they were, baby and cart in tow. Again, I am a "baby panda" - and even the slightest errand to do, like buying groceries, is indeed something I cannot do, because.... wait for it... I am not Chinese. Never mind I am 23 almost 24 years old. Never mind I am training to work for the US Government in China... never mind that I am, as some would consider, an adult.
It's funny putting these tiny details into perspective. Because if I were to introduce the topic of conversation, all those things - my age, my job, my education - would be reason for me to be married right now with a baby on the way. And if they didn't feel uncomfortable saying it to me, they would probably have already brought over potential suitors to fix the "problem" of no boyfriend. My students have already tried, and thank goodness I was able to put a stop to it - but I have never been in a place where me being single and 23 is such an issue. I've tackled the food issue in the house... now having to maneuver this topic is just nearly impossible. However, there is one thing I can tell my students, my host family, and any other random person who appears to be worried about the lack of "romance" in my life. I don't have to lie about it which makes it all the better... simply put... My father told me I was not allowed to come home married. Thanks for that rule Dad - it came in handy more than I thought it would.
Aside from the IKEA excursion as well as the scary supermarket, I was able to go to an unbelievable large Lilly pad farm... they have boardwalks all around the park so you are weaving in and out of the lilly pads - it was about 5 minutes from our home, but the families assured us it was "Chinese country-side". Beautiful none-the-less.
5 days until I have my interview for potential sites... 2 weeks until I receive my site announcement. Am I ready to move to my new home and get this going? Absolutely... let's just hope it works out.
This excursion started due to the gift a friend of mine and myself are doing for our families today - making them spaghetti for lunch. We went to the biggest supermarket I have even seen - and for those that know me well, I get incredibly overwhelmed with menus and supermarkets. Too many choices, and in this circumstance, an absurd amount of people. Not to mention the little illiteracy problem I have here in this country. We were also with my friends host brother, his wife, and their one year old son, Niu Niu (meaning... cow. they give ugly endearing nicknames to their children... it's a thing here. I dunno). So while my friend and I wanted to take off, find the things we needed, they absolutely would NOT let us out of their sites... therefore, when we thought we had lost them to cover ground, finding the foods we needed for this soon to be feast, there they were, baby and cart in tow. Again, I am a "baby panda" - and even the slightest errand to do, like buying groceries, is indeed something I cannot do, because.... wait for it... I am not Chinese. Never mind I am 23 almost 24 years old. Never mind I am training to work for the US Government in China... never mind that I am, as some would consider, an adult.
It's funny putting these tiny details into perspective. Because if I were to introduce the topic of conversation, all those things - my age, my job, my education - would be reason for me to be married right now with a baby on the way. And if they didn't feel uncomfortable saying it to me, they would probably have already brought over potential suitors to fix the "problem" of no boyfriend. My students have already tried, and thank goodness I was able to put a stop to it - but I have never been in a place where me being single and 23 is such an issue. I've tackled the food issue in the house... now having to maneuver this topic is just nearly impossible. However, there is one thing I can tell my students, my host family, and any other random person who appears to be worried about the lack of "romance" in my life. I don't have to lie about it which makes it all the better... simply put... My father told me I was not allowed to come home married. Thanks for that rule Dad - it came in handy more than I thought it would.
Aside from the IKEA excursion as well as the scary supermarket, I was able to go to an unbelievable large Lilly pad farm... they have boardwalks all around the park so you are weaving in and out of the lilly pads - it was about 5 minutes from our home, but the families assured us it was "Chinese country-side". Beautiful none-the-less.
5 days until I have my interview for potential sites... 2 weeks until I receive my site announcement. Am I ready to move to my new home and get this going? Absolutely... let's just hope it works out.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Some of my favs!
Me and the girls at Leora's Birthday celebration - Expat styleeee
What better way than to spend your 24th with English rugby and soccer teams??
--
Whitney Morgan
SIT Graduate Institute '12
wwm013@gmail.com
(314) 265-3492
--
Whitney Morgan
SIT Graduate Institute '12
wwm013@gmail.com
(314) 265-3492
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Spam
So before I moved to China I always thought that my Uncle Cole was the only person alive that I knew of who enjoyed Spam... my mom told me what Spam was one day growing up and I always thought how disgusting the thought of eating it would be. I then responded with "Whoooo would eat such a thing?!" Well little did I know, that according to my mom, her brother did indeed enjoy a fried piece of spam back in the day. Therefore, forever and a day, I always, unintentionally, associated Spam with my Uncle Cole (if you're reading this Uncle Cole, very sorry... obviously I have great love and respect for you even though you were known to eat Spam). SO you may be reading this thinking why is Whitney talking about Spam?? Good question and one I wish I did not have to 1) write about or 2) dignify with an answer.
My family tried to serve me SPAM. YUP. With all the things in the world to eat, as well as their guidelines of my diet requirements in terms of meat, they thought Spam would be ok? To make them happy I took a bite of the spam and that was about as far as I could go. It was something I never wish upon anyone, so if you happen to have to eat it in your future remember to stay strong. I asked my family in Chinese (slowly but surely I am learning Chinese)... "Is this meat?" since they know to only serve me chicken... and they, I kid you not, look at each other, look at me, and both at the same time, start insisting in Chinese that it's chicken. Please remember that insisting sometimes appears to be yelling with enthusiasm so it wasn't a quiet moment at the dinner table... it was a lot of pushing plates, scooping large amounts into my own bowl, and a lot of nodding and "Ok!".
Now I accept the fact my family here looks at me like a baby panda - I have embraced it and through all the annoyances that have or will come, I keep reminding myself "Baby Panda.. I am a baby panda", but this was not a moment in which I would allow the rationalization to over come. Sometimes you just have to say "NO!". So with a million thank you's and "no really I will just eat the cucumber salad and lentil soup" they finally gave up and realized the wool would not be pulled over my eyes. I am happy to say that Spam will not be making a return appearance on our dinner table. A small triumph, but these days, with so much happening out of my control, I'll take what I can get.
Whitney 1 - Spam 0
My family tried to serve me SPAM. YUP. With all the things in the world to eat, as well as their guidelines of my diet requirements in terms of meat, they thought Spam would be ok? To make them happy I took a bite of the spam and that was about as far as I could go. It was something I never wish upon anyone, so if you happen to have to eat it in your future remember to stay strong. I asked my family in Chinese (slowly but surely I am learning Chinese)... "Is this meat?" since they know to only serve me chicken... and they, I kid you not, look at each other, look at me, and both at the same time, start insisting in Chinese that it's chicken. Please remember that insisting sometimes appears to be yelling with enthusiasm so it wasn't a quiet moment at the dinner table... it was a lot of pushing plates, scooping large amounts into my own bowl, and a lot of nodding and "Ok!".
Now I accept the fact my family here looks at me like a baby panda - I have embraced it and through all the annoyances that have or will come, I keep reminding myself "Baby Panda.. I am a baby panda", but this was not a moment in which I would allow the rationalization to over come. Sometimes you just have to say "NO!". So with a million thank you's and "no really I will just eat the cucumber salad and lentil soup" they finally gave up and realized the wool would not be pulled over my eyes. I am happy to say that Spam will not be making a return appearance on our dinner table. A small triumph, but these days, with so much happening out of my control, I'll take what I can get.
Whitney 1 - Spam 0
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Home-stay
I believe that when traveling one has to be ready for pretty much anything... that means incredibly awkward moments, a lot of sign language/charades, unidentifiable foods, as well as many other things. It is the moments that you are not prepared for that really make a long-lasting memory, and in most cases a terrific story. From my experience, home-stay experiences have provided more than enough material for a great joke, story, or unforgettable memory. And sure enough, Day 1 of the home-stay experience has done just that for me. I probably would have preferred a little more time, but hey, the sooner the better I suppose - at least the really awkward feelings have subsided and now it's all about nodding yes, smiling, saying 'ok' and praying you won't end up with a rabbit head on your dinner table that night.
There's always a first for everything - last night was definitely a first for me in just a couple ways. It was the first time a host mother has decided to walk in on me in the shower mid-shampoo to make sure my water was hot - luckily I was able to throw a towel on before I actually realized what she was trying to do. And last night was the first time a leisurely evening stroll became a half marathon with two other trainees in my group and their families. One other trainee I was with decided that if a walk that long existed, then this country was just entirely too big. A solid observation. My thought was that they would walk us around the entire campus and side streets to make us so tired that when we came home they wouldn't have to deal with us anymore... which I believe they succeeded in. The three of us were so exhausted we couldn't even bring ourselves to talk by the end of our "evening stroll".
I'm sure their intentions were good and the walk was lovely, until the mosquitos came out. But my family is nice - a young couple with no children who rent out a room to some one else. The apartment is very nice, very clean, and my room has a nice bed, as well as internet access. Pretty much everything you never expect in a PC home-stay. However, if I've learned anything, it's that the PC is not what most people assume it to be.
Today is the beginning of our official training to become a TEFL instructor as well as continuing with our Chinese language classes. This is the time where I'm told they separate the "big boys" from the "toddlers". As Denzel put it so eloquently in one of my favorite movies, "Remember the Titans", "If you survive camp, you're on the team... If you survive".
Game face time.
WM
There's always a first for everything - last night was definitely a first for me in just a couple ways. It was the first time a host mother has decided to walk in on me in the shower mid-shampoo to make sure my water was hot - luckily I was able to throw a towel on before I actually realized what she was trying to do. And last night was the first time a leisurely evening stroll became a half marathon with two other trainees in my group and their families. One other trainee I was with decided that if a walk that long existed, then this country was just entirely too big. A solid observation. My thought was that they would walk us around the entire campus and side streets to make us so tired that when we came home they wouldn't have to deal with us anymore... which I believe they succeeded in. The three of us were so exhausted we couldn't even bring ourselves to talk by the end of our "evening stroll".
I'm sure their intentions were good and the walk was lovely, until the mosquitos came out. But my family is nice - a young couple with no children who rent out a room to some one else. The apartment is very nice, very clean, and my room has a nice bed, as well as internet access. Pretty much everything you never expect in a PC home-stay. However, if I've learned anything, it's that the PC is not what most people assume it to be.
Today is the beginning of our official training to become a TEFL instructor as well as continuing with our Chinese language classes. This is the time where I'm told they separate the "big boys" from the "toddlers". As Denzel put it so eloquently in one of my favorite movies, "Remember the Titans", "If you survive camp, you're on the team... If you survive".
Game face time.
WM
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Chicken Legs
Day 1:
How many people does it take to order a Chinese dinner on your first day of training? 8
How many people does it take to order a Chinese dinner in which you have zero clue if what you ordered will actually come out? 8
How many of us knew we were ordering fried chicken legs? 0....
Day 2:
How many people does it take to go buy a cell phone? 2
How many people does it take to realize the minimart in which you're buying your phone won't accept your credit card because they don't "accept" the card? 15
Least to say it's been an incredibly interesting two days that I have enjoyed... I have regressed to age 5 due to my recent illiteracy, but hey... it's ok. I'm in China. No big deal.
We move in with our families on Monday and I'm sure that's when the real adventure will commence. Until then...
WM
How many people does it take to order a Chinese dinner on your first day of training? 8
How many people does it take to order a Chinese dinner in which you have zero clue if what you ordered will actually come out? 8
How many of us knew we were ordering fried chicken legs? 0....
Day 2:
How many people does it take to go buy a cell phone? 2
How many people does it take to realize the minimart in which you're buying your phone won't accept your credit card because they don't "accept" the card? 15
Least to say it's been an incredibly interesting two days that I have enjoyed... I have regressed to age 5 due to my recent illiteracy, but hey... it's ok. I'm in China. No big deal.
We move in with our families on Monday and I'm sure that's when the real adventure will commence. Until then...
WM
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