"People Are Strange..."

Strange feelings seem to take over while trying to survive the slump that happens when living in a new country.  The feelings stuck for weeks and I felt as though I was on an emotional roller coaster.  I've been here three months and I spent a third of my time here feeling...hateful.

In the beginning, things were exciting and fabulous. I didn't seem to mind...

...eating pig feet sandwiches by mistake.
...having to rely on my Chinese friends to take me to a doctor or book a train or call about fixing my shitty, broken toilet because I felt helpless not knowing the language.

...the constant stares and random photographs taken of me while just walking to work or buying groceries.
...seeing babies wearing split pants and doing their business anywhere and everywhere.
....seeing how nobody uses their headlights at night when scooting and feeling out of place wearing a helmet.

....teaching in an environment where another teaching philosophy applies.
...the expectation of just following directions or rules and not questioning authority.
...realizing having a voice doesn't mean you should use it.


 Life was great!

 ***********************************************************************
 
Until it wasn't!  I didn't think it would ever happen here, but hate set in like a smoggy, suffocating blanket.  Why was everything so horribly strange?

 

I hated hearing the symphony of spit.  I hated the smells of stinky tofu and mutton.  I hated the curious stares and innocent questions about my personal life.  I hated the policies in place at my school.  I hated what seemed to be the lack of COMMON SENS----


Then realization set in.  Common to who?

I'm the stranger.  I'm the strange one!!  Just ask.....HIM!

Sometimes it just takes something you overlooked in a photo to snap you back to reality.


Thanks for reading!

Tastes of Kāifēng 开封

A day trip to ancient Kāifēng a few weeks ago with Louis and Ashley on a well deserved day off from work.  Kāifēng is pretty rad.

Rad facts learned from Lonely Planet China and other random guide books:

• A gated city known as one of the Seven Ancient Capitals of China, dating back to 364 BCE.

• Parts of the city, which were inhabited by the Song Dynasty, lie buried nine metres below ground level because of centuries of flooding.  Construction of buildings requiring deep foundations are prohibited today, for fear of destroying historical artifacts.

• Although having been conquered and named numerous times in its past, Kāifēng came to be after the conquest of the Qing Dynasty, the last imperial dynasty of China.

• Kāifēng has a deep rooted history in Judaism as it was the first city in China where Jewish merchants had settled. The Kāifēng Torah dates back to about 1643.

• Today, Kāifēng is comprised of mostly Christian and Muslim Hui communities, with only a small number of people claiming Jewish dissent.

I was thinking temples, synagogues, churches and mosques. AWESOME! Diverse religious communities  = beautiful and unique architecture.  Maybe.  Bliss.  An hour and two hundred kuài later, we arrived in Kāifēng via taxi and had forgotten about all the rad facts we had read.  Instead, we choose to eat our way from one market to the next, following the smells of kebabs and chou ganzi (stinky tofu) through the maze of merchants, construction and debris, trying to find the next best taste.

A tour around town....but dumplings first.

The markets.

Found kimbap!!  In China, we cover it in mayo, ketchup and PB.

For my friends in construction :D  You'd love these sites.

Kilometres of markets.  Stuff, stuff, and stuff.

Kebab and beverage break.

Sugar cane juice.  Not so yummy. 

kebabs. nang bread. sesame seed cakes. marinated tofu. kimbap. dumplings. sugar-coated berries. mutton in flat bread. noodle/mystery meat soups. soy frozen yogurt.

Yup.  Ashley and Louie ate all of that.  Not me.  I would never do that ;)

The tastes of Kāifēng 开封 was amazing!  But beware of food coma.  I slept for most of the cab ride back. HA!

Thanks for reading :)

Next blog:  Exposing my love/hate relationship of living and working abroad.  It's one hell of a roller coaster ride.

Me, Myself and Hong Kong (2)

Day two brought me to Lantau island in hopes for a clear day to see the world's largest seated bronze Buddha statue, Tian Tan.

As I floated across the harbour on the first ferry, it would seem mother nature had other plans as it was looking quite drab and dreary.  Hoping for different conditions on top of the mountain, I decided to continue on, umbrella in hand.

The bus ride to the top was a little frightening as the driver insisted on taking the winding road, which was under construction, at very high speeds. I was actually feeling ill on the way up and I rarely suffer from motion sickness.  I closed my eyes to ease some tension, but my imagination was running wild by this point.  All I could envision was the bus skidding off the road into the depths of the ravine towards the rocky landscape below, exploding on...  

Finally, the bus slowed.  I was in Ngong Ping village and soon forgot about my fiery end.


With Buddha in sight, I began my climb up the steep staircase.  I was looking up at the most beautiful statue I had ever seen, feeling very small and humbled.

A beautiful memento and a means to cool off. Loving this fan!

It was time to leave and I couldn't help but feel a little sad.  Walking down the stairs, I looked back every few feet, taking in the many last looks.  Here was one of them.

 

*****************************

Later that day, after I had picked up my visa, I found myself reliving the moments on my camera at a restaurant I did not imagine I would be eating at in Hong Kong.

Of all the culinary goodness to choose from I found myself at McDonald's. They were advertising the McCurry sandwich and I was intrigued.  It was kinda tasty but I couldn't help feeling guilty eating beef after such an inspiring morning with Buddha. 

Not feeling guilty enough, I followed dinner with drinks in Lan Kwai Fong, a popular bar district in Central, HK.

Canadian on tap and hockey on the tube, I enjoyed a game and a few pints with some pretty rad expats.

GO LEAFS GO!

** It has come to my attention that since writing this the Leafs lost in game seven against Boston :( Better luck next year. 

That said, I feel Boston could use the win. Don't you?**

In Disbe-leaf

Me, Myself and Hong Kong

I found myself in Hong Kong for a three day holiday at the end of April, all expenses paid!!  Yup, had to get my visa sorted and that's where I was sent.  In total, I spent about forty minutes at the visa office, which meant I had lots of free time for strolling the city.

As I looked over the city, sipping a much needed glass of red, I anticipated what the next three days would bring.  One thing I was sure of was that my clothing would be baby boogie free for a few days ...and I raised my glass to that.

Slightly buzzed, I sped through customs, exchanged some cash for HK dollars and found myself zipping across the city on the express train towards the visa office.  Following the flow of people, I surfaced the station and this was my first view of Wan Chai district.

I had to be at the visa office by two o'clock and I had vague directions of exactly where it was, but luckily, I stumbled upon it thirty minutes later being one of the first people in line.  Off to a great start!  Twenty minutes later, application was completed and submitted.  Now I could search for my hostel.  Map in hand, I went on my way.

Next stop: Causeway Bay, shopping mecca!  This was where my hostel was located.  It took about an hour of solid looking, but I finally found it located above one of many high end shops.  Imagine an obscure looking gold door located between shops, with no signage stating entry would lead to a place of sleep and free coffee.

I dropped off my luggage, took a phone shot of the obscure door because I knew I would have issues finding it later and set out with my lonely planet guide to Hong Kong, hoping to find Peak Tram, Central.

Following the signs around Central, I found the tram without issue and was heading up Victoria peak on a very clear day.  I was too late in finding a seat and had to stand the entire way up, which was awkward for the most part as it is a very steep climb, but I was so excited taking in my sideways view of the city that my safety seemed trivial at the time.

A late afternoon view.  I was lucky it was such a clear day.

The ride back down was even more exciting as you descend backwards the entire route.  I was reminded of a similar experience I had with my friend, Breanna, descending a very steep hill backwards in a tractor while touring a jungle in Costa Rica.  I giggled the entire way down imagining Breanna's reaction had she been along for this ride.

Next, I was en route to Star Ferry port making my way across Victoria harbour to Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade in hopes to find the Temple Street Night Market, taking pictures of Central along the way.

Hong Kong is terribly easy to navigate thanks to an incredible public transportation system and the fact that most people speak English.  Signage and maps were posted everywhere, pointing the way towards major tourist sites and different transportation hubs.  I feel I had the city figured out by the end of my first day, which was very comforting.

The ferry ride across the harbour was very peaceful and it was nice to finally breathe in what seemed to be fresh air compared to that of Zhengzhou's smoggy air.

The view from East Promenade of the Star Ferry, looking across to Central.  Dreamy.

Kowloon district is pretty unique is its population comprises of Chinese, Filipinos, Africans, Indians and Europeans, which is evident in the charm of its diverse neighborhoods and the goods that can be found at its markets.  I enjoyed my evening travels of Kowloon, discovering various markets down little alleyways and eating my way from one market to the next.

Temple Street  Market is a large bizarre where you can find anything and everything from designer bags to sex toys.  I was in heaven :D  I also stumbled upon the famous Jade Market.

 

Sensory overload?  Yes.  But I felt strangely peaceful wandering through blocks of markets listening to vendors shouting their prices, finding my way through the maze of people and goods.

It was an incredible afternoon and evening which I hope to be reminded of for years to come...with help of this beautiful painting of Central, HK, which I bought at Temple Street Market.

Day two to follow :)

Thanks for reading!!