Missing the American Fall

"You are more American than McDonalds.” My friend from Mexico told me this today as we were discussing the differences between the cultures of different countries. It made me smile. For whatever reason today I was thinking about America. Topics included stuff like Thanksgiving, football, driving, steak, Medina County, trucks, farms, random. So now myself and a few other Americans are on a search for a football. Unfortunately Barack was unable to bring one over for us, its ok though, I know he’s busy. Anyway I didn’t realize that I would miss hearing about American sports, but I actually do. I guess I’m just used to hearing my friends back home talking about them and stuff. Also it is different hearing the news from your country when you’re abroad. I have noticed that now I pay closer attention to the news. I like to check out various online news sites and see what they are saying, especially the foreign stuff. Then I like to go ask my friends from different countries and hear how their country’s news companies reported the same story. It is actually pretty interesting.

Alright I have a random story, there is no transition from the last paragraph but whatever, I’m doing this Evan Vereb style. So I brought my red stapler with me. There may be a few lucky people who are reading this right now who have witnessed and maybe even used the greatness that is the Rio Red Swingline stapler, with SF 4 premium staples. Just like the one from the office. I brought out the greatness this week, cause I had some loose receipts and you got to keep your stuff together. I showed my roommate and he asked me where I got it. I told him that I got in America and that I brought it over with me. Then is dawned on me that the stapler is actually made in China, so in essence I brought it back to its home. My roommate and I found this very funny. Yes a stapler may be the last thing that anyone would bring to a foreign country, but believe it, cause that just happened. Now the Rio Red Swingline stapler has another reason to be cool and for those who get to use it, another reason to feel proud.

Ok I have a food story now. Being in Shanghai and studying at this university I have gotten the opportunity to make friends with people from all over the world. So lately I have been enjoying getting food with these people from their respective countries. For example one weekend I had Russian food with Russians, Japanese food with Japanese, Mexican with Mexicans, Italian with Italians, and of course American with Americans. This past weekend I got to enjoy some Turkish food with my roommate. The restaurant itself was very Turkish, and it was a buffet, which I am always a big fan of. The food itself was really good, not as good as Turkish food in Turkey, but for me it was pretty tasty. The food included a lot of meat, bread, and some good vegetable dishes. Also some pretty good desert as well, including a really good rice pudding called “sutlac”. The dinner was organized by the Turkish embassy so there where a whole bunch of Turkish students. They were all very friendly and I even got to see some traditional Turkish dancing. Ok, well it is about that time again, bedtime. I’ll talk to you later, bye for now.

Fall update.

It’s hard to believe that I have been in China for two months now. At first I didn’t even know if I could do it. Everything was so foreign, it seemed everyone knew Chinese, and I didn’t really know anyone. However now I can say that I feel pretty comfortable here. I have made friends, know some Chinese, and can find my way around a small part of the city. Although I do miss home now and then; the Internet and modern technology can bring America to me. The other day I watched the opening game of the World Series between the Phillies and the Yankees. It was broadcasted live, so I enjoyed the game with pancakes, bacon and eggs. However I must say it is different not being exposed American culture all the time. In fact the fall season in general has a different feel, it doesn’t really feel like fall. For example, Halloween was different, I’m used to seeing decorations, hearing people discuss their costumes and stuff. In China it was different, some people still celebrate, but it is more or less just another weekend. I was an American for Halloween, just in case you were curious. Also the weather here is a lot warmer than back home. For a while now it has been around 70 and sunny everyday, however the leaves are starting to fall and it gets dark early. Fun fact, China has only one time zone for the entire country and they don’t change the clocks for fall and spring.

All right, this particular post is being written over the course of a few days and today the weather has changed a lot. Like 20 degrees and windy a lot. Anyway, just thought I would mention that. So China. I have to say I am starting to get used to the celebrity status that I have when I travel around. There is a park across from my hotel that I like to go to for exercise. Sometimes I go with a friend, but no matter what I always get a lot of stares, especially if I’m doing any sort of exercise. I have never thought watching someone do sit-ups was very interesting, but I guess here it is. Sometimes when my friend and I are there groups of four to six people will stop and watch, take pictures, cheer us on and try to speak some Chinese to us. At first it was a little different but now I’m used to it and it is actually kinda cool. Most of the people here are very friendly and it seems they get a kick out of foreigners in their country, trying to learn their language, and enjoying the same park.

Another aspect that the locals seem to enjoy is when they see foreigners enjoying the small restaurants and street stands that are all over. One of my new favorite restaurants is just a short walk from my campus. It doesn’t have picture menu or any menu for that matter. It is actually pretty simple what they have, rice or soup. But you would be surprised how many variations of that you can get. With your rice or soup you can pick from a fridge of a whole bunch of ingredients to mix in. All raw and cooked fresh when you place your order. I normally like to get some chicken, lettuce, rice pastry, lotus root, bean sprouts, tofu, and a fried egg. It is really good mixed in with fried rice. Also it is really cheap, only around 14 kuai, which is a little over two dollars. Alright well I’m guna go to bed now, I will try not to let so much time pass before my next update. Bye for now.

Traveling China.

I’m still alive, I know I have been silent for two weeks now, but I’m still here and back in Shanghai. I have a lot of stories and pictures. October 1^st-8^th marked the celebration of China’s Birthday. So over the eight-day break I went back to Hangzhou with Ran and celebrated the holiday with his family. October 1^st was National Day; it was the PRC’s 60^th anniversary, similar to our 4^th of July. The streets, cars, and the people were decked out with Chinese flags. It was exciting seeing everyone so patriotic. On the 1^st in Beijing there was a big parade that was aired nationally. It included Chairman Hu inspecting all the units in the military, all of which were made in China, something that they were very proud of. Also in the parade were the new nukes that China has, apparently they are intercontinental. By having them China feels that they can help keep world peace. Also in the parade were floats for all the different industries, cities, and past communist leaders of China. All of the people in the parade were very organized too. They even had some of the airforce do a fly over for the parade. For the night, there was a ceremony that reminded me of the opening ceremony for the Olympics. The ceremony utilized thousands of performers signing traditional Chinese songs and dancing with immaculate precision.

Over break I was able to travel away from the city scene and see some of the Chinese countryside. One day I went to a teahouse, where they served fresh tea picked from the surrounding hills. The teahouse itself used to be an old farmhouse. I also learned that in April is when the tea farmers pick the tea. Another day I went hiking up in the mountains. At the top of the mountain were some temples and old caves. Ran said that back in the day the area was free to explore. Now though it is tourist spot and you have to pay to hike up the mountain. I saw both Buddhist and Taoist temples; it was pretty interesting to watch different people showing their respect to the deities. I also had the opportunity to check out another mountain one day. This mountain was a park so it had more trails and photo opportunities with better views. It was at one of these scenic spots that Evan Vereb provided a photo opportunity for a Chinese family. After I was done taking some pictures a member of this family asked me if it would be ok to a get a picture of me with their children. Without any hesitation from the family I was handed their infant child. They also had their two little toddlers stand next to me. So now somewhere in Mainland China there is a picture of me with some kids and a story for the family that took it. That is the second photo that someone wanted to take with me, it is different, but some people have never scene a Westerner before. I guess a photo with one is the cool thing to do. Anyway the family was very nice and even offered me some wine.

Tomorrow, October 9^th I start back up at school. I will also go to school this weekend to make up for the days off. Kinda lame, but that is how they do it in China. Also check out photobucket to see some of the photos.

Here is the link:

http://s790.photobucket.com/albums/yy190/evan_vereb/

I’ll talk to everyone soon. Bye for now.

Soup. And pictures.

Dang it, tonight I spilled a whole cup of soup on my lap. O, and it was hot soup. I thought it was rice, naturally, and the lid was stuck. Then it became unstuck and boom, hot soup. I got more soup though and told my friends that this is how we do it in America, so it’s all good. Well, it is Sunday night right now and that means it is Sunday morning in the U.S., so good morning. I still have a hard time with that, even though I have been here for about a month now. It went fast, but a lot has happened. This week I learned some Chinese, got a couple care packages from the U.S, and some backup from Kent State. I also did some laundry today, so now I’m good for the week. Which, I have been looking forward to for a few days now. Why you may ask, well it involves food and a two-for-one deal; a combination that Evan Vereb just can’t resist.

Tomorrow I’m going to this restaurant called Blue Frog. Apparently Monday’s they have a two for one deal on burgers, burgers like they have in the US of A. I’m thinking of having one with BBQ sauce, bacon, onions, whatever else sounds good. Prolly guna have to a coke too. America. I’ll try to take some cool pics. I am now officially up to speed with the rest of my family and I have a digital camera. I have some pictures here in this post to show everyone. One is of the view of Shanghai from my room, the other is also from my room, just zoomed in on Pudong. The other is of a sidewalk that is right next to the SISU guesthouse, it’s cool to see so many people traveling on bikes and scooters. The bridge looking thing is the subway. The picture of the food is from the street vendor that makes the good chicken bread-wrap things that I talked about in the last post. Another picture is from the “English Corner” class held at a local highschool every Saturday morning. I work with Ran and two other people; we break the whole class up, each take a group of students and help them learn English. The picture of the two people and myself was fun. The man on the right had never seen a westerner before; he lives in a town very far inland and away from all the major cities. The women on the left I met when I first got to SISU, she interviewed me for some research that she is doing about Chinese language schools. She used to be a teacher at SISU. Anyway, her friend was coming to Shanghai for the first time and wanted to know if she knew any Westerners. They invited me to dinner with them and also took some pictures with me. The dinner was good and they paid so it was pretty cool.

Well I’m going to get ready for bed now, class starts at 8 and I have to make sure I’m awake. Talk to you all later.

Pictures: http://s790.photobucket.com/albums/yy190/evan_vereb/

All healthy.

A week of adventures has just come to an end; I feel that a new post would be appropriate. I’m feeling pretty relaxed right now, I’m typing this and listening to some Jack Johnson, and enjoying a full stomach. I ate this good chicken-flaky pita thing. I had that and a bottle of water for 6 RMB. That is about .88 cents in USD. Food is a big deal here and you can find food pretty much everywhere, it is also pretty cheap and normally pretty tasty. I’m getting better at finding my way around and knowing where to get some good food. Also I can order and pay, speaking only a few words of Chinese…small steps.

Today was my first day of class. It was taught in English and Chinese, the teacher is Chinese, but knows some English. Even though I don’t speak Chinese I can normally understand what someone is trying to say, even if they only know a little bit of English. Evan Vereb note: When I get back to America I’m going to be a champ at charades, I get to practice everyday. Hopefully as this semester progresses I will become a little bit more talkative. Anyway here is a nice adventure that happened about a week ago.

Before I got here I had to complete a medical evaluation form that all foreigners planning to go to school in China are required to have filled out. I got a whole battery of tests including EKG, chest X-Ray, blood test, etc. Basically they just want to make sure that the foreigners coming into China aren’t diseased, understandable. Also all of the results from these tests had to be original. I brought them to the SISU verification room last week and apparently none of the tests were valid. Actually none of the foreigners’ test results were valid, the reason was that it was not from a Chinese government approved hospital, whatever I kinda saw that coming when they told us to bring 400RMB “in case of need”. So of course I had to be re-tested there, all of the foreigners did, so I waited in line until it was my turn…lame. The first part of the test was paying money, in fact that was all the lady could say in English was: “Pay money!, pay money!”. Then I got some blood taken (new needle don’t worry I checked) and was handed some papers.

The next part was downstairs. I was looking for a room when someone told me that the next part of the test was on this bus that was parked outside. It was real, this old tour bus had been converted into some mobile test hospital, complete with an extension cord coming out of the door. It was pretty funny, so then I got to go on the fun bus and proceed with a battery of tests. There wasn’t a lot of room on it, I didn’t fit on their examination table, but it didn’t matter. The first test was an ultra-sound, turns out I’m not pregnant. Next a close range eye exam, it was in Chinese though. I was handed this card and the lady said, “left, down, right, up” and pointed to some Chinese characters. Then I had to cover up an eye and read the card, written in Chinese. Looking at the card I said, “I don’t speak much Chinese…Left?” The lady: “Ok good good, normal, next test X-Ray now.” The chest X-ray was pretty standard, no lead vest though, a little radiation isn’t that bad though right? After that I got an official Chinese medical clearance stamp on this piece of paper and smiled as I got off the bus. For those of you wondering Evan Vereb is not diseased, in the USA or China. Bye for now.

In China.

An adventure would maybe be an understatement; this has so far been the craziest ride I have ever been on. Way crazier than any ride at Cedar Point. 12 days in China and I have seen, ate, smelled, heard, and learned something new like every two feet. I have officially been in Shanghai now for about 36 hours and I clearly understand why it is holds the title as the second biggest city in the world. Right now I’m listening to “My Life Be Like” by Grits and wondering if I’m the only American in this hotel. My door is open to listen for English, but that is another story for later. Anyway, to catch us all up on how I got here from there, let’s review.

On August 20, 2009 I departed from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport with a one-way ticket to Shanghai. It was a 6:40am depart time; my family and Jame were there to see me off. I’m not gunna lie, I was a little teary, this is a pretty big step for me. The thought about being that far away from everything that I’m used to is sometimes a little intimidating. Also I’m not a big fan of goodbyes. The connecting flight to Toronto was fine, although my seat was right next to the propeller, but don’t worry it just misses the window. At Toronto I got stuck in a glass room for a bit but someone came and let me out. Then I found the gate for my flight to Shanghai. The flight was 13 hours but I watched the newest Xmen movie, listened to some tunes, and enjoyed Air Canada’s inflight service.

I arrived in Shanghai at 3:20pm local time, August 21st. The time difference is exactly 12 hours behind, so that put Evan Vereb time at 3:20am. However I was not tired, I couldn’t believe that I had just arrived in China. Ran, his friend, and his Uncle met me at the airport to drive me to Hongzhou. Just leaving the airport parking garage was quite the adventure, this is also when I realized that driving in China is a thrill ride in itself. They do drive on the right side of the road here in China, but that is where the similarities end. Some differences that I noticed right away are: Kilometers, dinky scooters on the highways, and all the signs are in Chinese. This little anecdote can be a segment in itself so I can talk more about that later but for now I will continue with the review.

We all arrived at Ran’s grandparent’s house where I stayed until I came to Shanghai. After I put my luggage away I went out to dinner with Ran, his friend, and his Aunt and Uncle. We went to a nice Chinese restaurant. It was pretty interesting, all of the dishes were layed out so you could see them before you buy them. Also all of the food is very fresh, I saw the tanks myself. Also funfact about China, chopsticks are still in and the #1 choice in getting food from the plate to you mouth. The trick is using them correctly, I’m still getting used to them. If you know me you may be aware that I’m pretty passionate about food so it will get it’s own segment too.

Back at the house I was able to learn a little Chinese from Ran’s Grandma. She used to be a Chinese Language teacher for elementary students so she was able to introduce me to the Chinese phonetic alphabet. Ran’s grandpa was a Chinese history and music professor for a university, he still teaches piano for free on the weekends. Being in a city the house is more like an apartment, part of a large residential complex. In cities of China these are the popular dwellings for the people; people move in as soon as a floor is complete, even though the building is still under construction. In other words, Shanghai is a little different from Sharon Center.

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