China Things

As our time in China is wrapping up, I've been trying to write something meaningful about it. I can't seem to come up with anything that does a great job of explaining my feelings about life here. Multi-faceted, complex feelings. They're something you have to experience for yourself, and thus I'm forever grateful to all the wonderful people who've honored us with a visit while we've lived here. Friends, when you come and experience life here, you give us an invaluable gift. You affirm these complex feelings that we can't quite put into words. It's a form of validation, your observation of the things we love and appreciate, things that drive us crazy, and things that make us laugh (or cry). For those who haven't been here, the best I could come up with is a list. These are little things that might paint a more accurate picture of China through a Western expat's eyes. I hope it will invoke in you the feelings of love, admiration, hilarity, irritation, and confusion that we cycle through each day. There is so much about this country that we are ignorant to with our minimal language abilities, so much deep meaning lost. After nearly 3 years here, it still feels like I'm slowly peeling away the layers of an onion, wondering how deep the center is. There are days here where I feel comfortable and savvy, and days I still feel like a fish out of water.

Without further ado, my list of China Things:

1. Elderly people planting decorative cabbages near the sidewalk in winter, and switching them out for pansies in the spring

2. "Sleeping bag hands" on motorbike handles

3. Peeing into a bucket to pour into a pipe that drains out of Mr. Song's wine shop in the Happy Family Market, and why that feels more comfortable than using the public toilet there

4. Pee Alley: a dirty, unbearably smelly passageway between a main street here and the beach, which was the only beach access for about a year

5. Passengers entering a packed public bus through the back door and passing their 1rmb (~15 cents) fare hand-to-hand all the way from the back of the bus to the driver

6. Car accidents stopping traffic, no matter how minor

7. Elderly people gardening in public spaces and cleaning up the streets

8. Construction happening at an alarming speed

9. Only looking directly in front of you while driving

10. Everyone hating AC, cold water, and pretty much any cold thing, and believing them all to be harmful to your health, and having them tell you about it constantly

11. Random people pulling up your shirt in an elevator to see if you're wearing something underneath and talking to their friends (in front of you) about how cold you must be

12. Children being babied and getting their butts wiped and being hand-fed by adults until they are far too old for that

13. Grandparents taking care of all children

14. Weird billboards/ad posters of white people looking pensive

15. "Your sample text here"

16. Trees painted white, and being held up lovingly by wooden stilts

17. The water truck spraying the street while playing "It's a Small World"

18. The shopping mall being the place to hang out, even though everyone actually buys all their things online

19. An overabundance of employees working in consistently empty cafes/shops

20. Finding your favorite restaurant or cafe, and having it be closed down a few months later. Repeat.

21. Arriving at an airport and driving into the city and having every city look exactly the same

22. Every compliment on someone's clothing results in the response, "I got it online for ____ rmb!"

23. Nice looking fixtures in a new apartment, but installed slightly crooked or broken

24. Standing up, opening the overhead bin and trying to walk to the front door of the airplane before it even touches down

25. Being pushed and "cut in line" (quotes because this is only a hypothetical line) constantly

26. Always being a hurry to go nowhere

27. "WAIGUOREN!" and pointing

28. Being extremely modest about using a toothpick after a meal, but pooping unabashedly next to a sidewalk in broad daylight is ok

29. Drinking tea 24/7

30. Spitting, burping, other bodily functions happening loudly in public (men only)

31. Stale, rotten taxi breath

32. People working ridiculously long hours thus needing to sleep on the job

33. Little brown poodles wearing all variety of clothing

34. Phone app translation errors that result in a very, very long conversation about something simple

35. Loud wailing on the beach in the morning which must be some kind of voice exercise

36. Elderly people exercising outside before the sun comes up

37. People physically fighting at the cash register after dinner over who pays the bill

38. The fact that sea cucumbers are a delicacy

39. The security check at Metro stations that are constantly beeping but no one's actually looking in your bags/pockets

40. When you go to the doctor for a skin rash and they tell you to hang your clothes in the sun before you wear them to prevent further irritation

And some photos of fun/funny moments from the past few years:

This was actually two separate occasions (two different discarded bears)

Free pillows with your purchase of a meal

Christmas 365 days a year

I can fit here

Yes, that's real meat

"Can I have a side of onion and tomato for my burger?"

This is the dog. So many dogs like this!

Bali 2018

Oh, glorious vacation! To cure my post-holiday rut, I'm looking through the vibrant photos of the past two weeks while the aromatic scent of (our version of) Pork Rendang simmers in the crock pot. A few days ago we were sweaty and sunburned, drinking tropical fruit juice and not thinking about a thing, and now we're in our Qingdao apartment wearing long sleeves, making grocery lists heavily centered on Indonesian dishes, and preparing to go back to work. All good things must come to an end.

We had a two week holiday for Chinese New Year, and we escaped frigid Qingdao to tropical Bali. As with our trip to Vietnam last CNY, the difference in atmosphere upon arrival was dramatic - colors everywhere, relaxed smiles, less stares, vibrant greens, oranges and magentas of plants.

I must admit, I didn't know much about the culture before we went. I didn't realize the island has its own special religious spirit, different from the rest of Indonesia (which is mostly Muslim). In Bali, many of the natives practice a religious amalgamation of Hinduism, Animism, Buddhism, and ancestor worship. They believe in praying and offering to both good and evil spirits. Every day, you can see beautiful, colorful offerings left on the ground, on the stove, on the sidewalk, everywhere, which are left to appease the demons. These offerings may be made multiple times a day, and might include flowers, rice, and incense.

The most special thing we were able to witness on this trip was a real Balinese Cremation Ceremony for a local priest. We just happened to be staying at a guesthouse outside Ubud during the time of this rare ceremony, and our host family invited us to partake in his celebration of life. We arrived early to have snacks and tea with the family, then watched as the body was placed into a giant wooden bull. We then processed with the band and throngs of people to a nearby park, where the body (and bull) was ceremoniously burned. It was an incredible thing to experience, and we felt so grateful to our host family for allowing us to witness such a special moment. It's hard to explain what it was like to watch. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

This bull was constructed to hold the body, which will be inserted before burning.

On the left you can see the wrapped body, as it's elevated to be put inside the bull.

The bull has been cut open so the body can be placed inside.

The body finally drops from the burning bull into a metal container to collect the ashes, which will be scattered in a nearby river later that evening.

Before we experienced this special ceremony, we started our trip with some relaxing. Our first stop in Bali was with some friends in a beachside cottage in the south of the island, near Uluwatu, close to the beach where part of 'Eat Pray Love' was filmed. Besides my minor fear of the neighborhood monkeys, it was super relaxing, and nice to spend time with friends.

Spot the mischievous monkeys!

Our next journey was to central Bali, near Ubud, where we stayed in a beautiful Balinese wooden house with a bathroom I was ready to live in forever. Rice paddies, flowers, the sound of frogs and crickets singing you to sleep... what more could one want?? We hiked slowly through the village, then along a ridgeline into Ubud, which is such a vibrant city. We saw countless "temples" on our walk, which I later found out were just peoples' homes. Many homes there have huge courtyards filled with statues of Hindu gods, alters, and passageways - very grand, and stunningly beautiful. Moss and all kinds of tropical greenery grows into and around carved stone, blurring the line between nature- and man-made.

View from our front porch, where we had our morning coffee and breakfast.

Finally, we were off to North Bali, where we stayed in a remote cottage surrounded by rice terraces about 30 minutes away from Lovina Beach. We spent our days exploring and swimming in waterfalls, relaxing at home, swimming at the local pool, and eating a lot of dragonfruit.

Our Airbnb!

Clove tree

Did you know that this is what cacao looks like?! Chocolate is made from drying the brown pods inside these slimy white fruits. The fruit was delicious, so sweet and tart! I had no idea that's what cacao was...

On our last day in Bali, we had an entire day to explore, as our flight didn't leave until 1:30 am the next morning. We hired a driver to take his time exploring the island on a slow drive down towards the airport. First stop was the largest Buddhist temple on the island, which again incorporated elements of Hinduism. Next Brian took a dip in the Banjar hotsprings (I was too hot to go in, naturally), and we cooled off in the mountains of Munduk for one of the best meals (and freshest, coolest air) of the trip.

We stopped for a coffee tasting at the Munduk Moding Plantation.

Oh, did I mention the food yet?! I say this about every trip, but Bali has some of the most delicious food ever! Full of spices, each bite you take is so flavorful you have to close your eyes and savor it. Spice-y, but SPICY too. Food highlights of the trip included a grilled seafood dinner on Jimbaran beach at sunset (thanks, Indah!), Warung Pulau Kelapa in Ubud where we had Beef Rendang, Chicken Sate with the most delectable sauces, fresh greens from their organic garden, and homemade coconut and lime ice cream, Warung Murah in Legian (so good we had to go back for our last meal!) where they pile your plate high with a buffet of savory, melt-in-your-mouth meats, fish, and spicy veggies with sauces. Actually, there were more food highlights, but it's hard to keep track of them all. And I was too busy eating to take many photos of the food, oops!

Get thee to an Indonesian restaurant!

Jimbaran Beach sunset, where we had our grilled seafood dinner with Indah and Megan

One of many incredible meals in Ubud

I went to Bali knowing very little about it, and left totally captivated by its beauty, spirit, and warmth. Another magical place that I feel so, so fortunate to have visited. Signing off now to taste our version of pork Rendang... one more little taste of Bali.