Other Shenzhen adventures

We went to the Chinese Cultural Village all day on Monday. It was SO cool and interesting to learn more about China's history and culture. I loved it!

We went on a zip line off this ledge. It was SO fun.

We were the "Mickey Mouse" of the Cultural Village. Parents would shove their kids at us to get a picture. Because we Americans have a lot to do with the Chinese culture, you know.

Before we caught our bus back to Zhongshan on Tuesday, we went shopping in the hugest market I have ever seen! Oh, how I love bargain shopping. I was feeling a little guilty because I bought a purse, knock off Tiffany's earrings, and two rings. And I still have 5 months left here in China to cave and buy more things! But all guilt was swept away when I realized that the American equivalent to the 70 yuan I spent was $10!

Chinese New Year Traditions

Red Envelopes: THe Chinese "trick or treating"

On New Years, children go to elder family members and say, "gong xi fa cai" which basically means, "Happy New Year, I wish you wealth this year." The elders will then give the child a red envelope filled with money.

Orange trees: The Chinese Christmas tree

Orange trees are a symbol of good fortune

Dragon and Lion Dances:

Dragons are believed to bring good luck, which is reflected in their qualities that include great power, dignity, fertility, and wisdom. We saw three dragon/lion dances on the streets

Firecrackers:

Yes, they are so loud that you can't even hear the dragon music. Yes, they go off ALL night. And Yes, they are still going off at night and will be going off all week. No, I am not sleeping well.

Apparently, fires everywhere in the streets and car alarms going off right and left are not concerns here.

New Years Eve

Sunday night was New Years Eve. We got back to our hostel in the evening and headed to a plaza nearby to watch fireworks. Cormick's mom was so kind and bought us sparklers and fireworks.

I feel guilty for ever being bugged that Cormick and his parents invited themselves on our trip. They were only helpful and kind to us the entire trip. They helped us purchase bus tickets, helped us find our way around a Chinese speaking city completely foreign to us, let us borrow their cell phones during the hostel mix up, took the other group out to dinner while we were at the concert in the middle of nowhere, and then bought us sparklers and gave us detailed instructions on how how to use them (maybe they didn't know that there are fireworks in the United States? Yes, Cormick's dad, I know the sparklers are intense, but I figured these things out a while ago)

I still don't know why they wanted to spend their New Years with a bunch of random Americans, but I sure am grateful that they did! I don't know how we would have survived without them!

This isn't anything new, but there were more people staring at us than at the fireworks. We have had stares before and crowds before, but this was the most INTENSE paparazzi we have ever had. They followed us wherever we went. These people might have seen white Americans before but white Americans WITH sparklers just threw them over the edge.

I think this might be my favorite picture. I had to squeeze through our crowd to get a picture of our paparazzi from the outside because it gives a much better perspective. Realize that just 20 feet from this group of people, the plaza is pretty much empty.

Guess what we were doing when all of those people were crowded around us? Purchasing cotton candy at a cotton candy stand! No wonder they closed in on us and took all those pictures and wouldn't let us out. We were doing something really cool. My new goal is to give them a real reason to stare. Any suggestions?

Church in China

We won't have guys in our group until February and until they get here, we can't take the Sacrament in Zhongshan. We have been having "church", but it is just not the same without the Sacrament. I was very grateful to be able to go to church and take the Sacrament in Shenzhen. After taking a two hour bus ride the day before, spending much more money than budgeted for unplanned hostel costs and taxi rides, and waking up at 6 so that we could make it to church by 10, we had a couple of mix ups with taxis and bus schedules Sunday morning and almost didn't make it to church on time for the Sacrament. By some miracle, we made it right on time as they stared singing the opening song, "Come, Come, Ye Saints." Did the pioneer saints realize as they crossed the plains and suffered severe trials that in less than two hundred years, a group of Latter Day Saint girls would be coming from Zhongshan to Shenzhen, CHINA so that they could attend the same church that they were members of? Did they realize how fast the Church would grow and what an impact they were making on the generations ahead of them?

I learned that there are 2,000 native Chinese Latter Day Saints who are "miracle members." They somehow find out about the Church on their own, make the journey to Hong Kong to get baptized, and then return to mainland China where they are then allowed by the government to be a member of one of the Chinese branches, which have more regulations than the Chinese international branches. Our church is in very good standing with the Chinese government because we will only go into China through the front door. I can't wait for them to completely let us in! And what a huge responsibility these "miracle members" will have when they do! The entire three hours of church was amazing and made me realize how much I take for granted a church building that is in walking distance from me. 

Our friend, Jess, is from Ireland and is also a teacher in Zhongshan. She decided to come to Shenzhen with us for the weekend and even went to church with us. It couldn't have been more perfect for her. One of the speakers talked about Magonus Succetus (St. Patrick, who she was very familiar with) and our Sunday school lesson was on the first vision. We gave her a Book of Mormon and she said that she would read it. She couldn't believe that a three-hour church meeting could go by so fast and she was very glad that she came. This is Jess and I on New Years Eve.

Oh ya. And the government also lets Chinese spouses of LDS people get baptized so maybe I WILL find my husband here... HA. 

My first Chinese concert!

So late Saturday night, we are bummed about our hostel situation, we are starving because we haven't had dinner yet, and we are in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do. We walked about two miles and much to our surprise ran into the most amazing thing ever: a free outdoor concert! When we got there it was just barely starting so we had a pretty good position in the crowd. I noticed a few things while at the concert:

1. More people were staring at us than at the performance.

2. We were not following Chinese concert etiquette. When we clapped and screamed after a song was over, we got the same reaction that we would have gotten had we clapped after a song in Sacrament meeting.

3. The singer was absolutely thrilled that Americans were at his performance. His back up singers carried him on a piece of wood off the stage and over to us so that we could touch his hands. Later, he gave Tiann a ring and he personally put it on her finger. It was hilarious!

4. I recognized one of his songs! It was the Chinese rock version of "If You're Happy and You Know it Clap Your Hands". Except I don't remember being taught as a child to do a pelvic hip thrust when I'm happy. He threw that little shocking twist in himself. Please watch and enjoy this as much as I do:

We left a little before the show was over because it was after nine and we still didn't have dinner. A backup singer ran after us when we left, gave us his number, and told us to call them in an hour when their show was over so that we could get drinks together. Well, we didn't call. We were too afraid of the pelvic hip thrust. Unintentionally getting it on video was enough for us.

We went to a restaurant and we were thrilled because they had American food! I got pizza but it tasted like quiche. But the quiche tasting pizza didn't not taste like noodles or rice so I was very happy and satisfied. 

Xin Nian Kuai Le or in other words… HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Chinese New Year was this Monday so we went to Shenzhen for a long weekend trip. We went mainly so that we could go to church (there is an international branch there) but we found that there is so much to do in Shenzhen. We LOVED it!

A little background information... Jane is a Chinese lady who owns the school that we teach at. Her friend, Cormick, is a college student from Hunan (about 6 hours away from Zhongshan) and he came to Zhongshan before the New Year to visit Jane and her family. He was then planning on going back to Hunan to be with his family for the New Year. Cormick really really wanted us to go back to Hunan with him. At first, it sounded really fun to have a guided tour of Hunan (it's where Chairman Mao grew up) but he was really persistent to the point that he was being really annoying and almost creepy. We told him that we wanted to go to Shenzhen because that is where our church was and he kept saying "Shenzhen is a very bad place to go" and "do not go there, come to Hunan with me". He told Jeanette (who can speak Mandarin) that he would even let her drive in his car to Hunan for free and that she could stay in his house. She said, "Really? For eleven girls? You have a car big enough to fit eleven girls and enough room in your house for eleven girs?" He replied, "Whaaaaa? No no no! Just for you! Just me and you!"

Obviously, Shenzhen it was. But when we got to the bus station, guess who was there?! Cormick and his parents! They said that they were going to go to Shenzhen with us for the New Year. Why they would forgo their holiday to be at home with extended family to invite themselves to hang out with a bunch of random Americans  at "a very bad place to go" is beyond me. We still can't quite figure out their motives. Cormick's parents don't even speak English. So off to Shenzhen we went, Cormick and his parents, included. Here is Cormick, Tiann, and Candace and I on the bus to Shenzhen.

We had to split into two different hostels because all hostels were booked for the New Year. Because none of us were familiar with the area, we had no idea where in the city our hostels were located when booking them. Unfortunately, my groups' hostel was in the outskirts of the city in the middle of nowhere, which was a very costly mistake: It cost us a lot to get to and from the main part of the city and it cost us a lot to get our money back so that we could join the other group who was in the city for the other two nights. Oh well. What can you do? Now we know for next time. 

A hello and goodbye to Catherine

Catherine is a teacher here in Zhongshan but was only at our school for extra holiday help. She went home today for Chinese New Year and will be going back to the school she normally teachers after the vacation. I LOVE her and am going to miss her SO much! She is so genuinely nice and I am so sad that she won't be at our school for the whole time that I am here.

My camera pooped out on me last week so I unfortunately had to buy a new one. I asked Catherine where a good place was to buy a camera here and she offered to go with me to find a camera. Our schedules didn't work out though so I got a camera without her, but she said she would take me shopping sometime instead. I told her I wanted to get some cheap "hip Chinese music" and she said that she knew just the right place: Walking Street. Some other teachers decided to come with us and it was so fun! Walking Street was so festive and decorated for the New Year.

And now I have my Chinese version of Now 21, thanks to Catherine. She picked it out herself. Cost? $1.90 American dollars. I've been listening to it ever since I bought it and it's pretty catchy.

Remember how I told said that we were a big deal? Well, these boys were following us on our way home with their phones, snapping pictures of our back sides. They finally got the courage to ask for a picture with us. I think I look more like them than Lindsey in this picture.

Getting pumped for Chinese New Year

This past Monday night we had a "hot pot" dinner at the school with the Chinese teachers for the school's Chinese New Year party.

A "hot pot" is a traditional Chinese meal in which a pot of boiling broth is in the middle of each table and a variety of raw foods are available to put into the pot to cook and eat. We boiled sea food (including octopus), dumplings, pork balls, bok choy (Chinese cabbage, my new favorite vegetable), and cow stomach (that was an accident and it was disgusting).

The food was a little too different and a little too raw looking for my taste but fun to try and definitely a crazy fun experience!

Today was the last day of teaching for us until February. Happy Chinese New Year! Today we made cookie spiders in class.

Yes, I know. It doesn't look remotely like a spider. Don't judge. We had very little to work with.

We also had to say goodbye to Kevin and Jenny today. They were just here for the winter holiday camp and are going back home. I will miss them and Kevin's Tai Chi lessons, of course. 

P.S. The cook at the school asked if I was Chinese today. That's TWO!

Sugar Cane is the Chinese Churro

Kristy is a sucker when it comes to street peddlers and beggars. There is a huge fruit stand right next to our bus stop and even though we were told not to buy anything there because we would get ripped off, Kristy buys stuff there anyways and she gives her spare change to the homeless. How could she resist this cute little man? Even if the fruit did taste like cold canned peas...

One day, a girl pulled up on a bike carrying this little boy, peanuts, and what we thought was bamboo.

Kristy said that she swore that she saw someone chomping away on bamboo at the park the other day so she decided to buy some. How could she resist this cute little face anyway?

Well, she got ripped off, of course. She meant to buy one stick but the girl cut three for her and shoved it in her hand. Then Kristy just stood there, puzzled, on the side of the street with three sticks of what looked like wood. It was hilarious.

She gave me one and we couldn't quite figure out what to do with it. If celery and wood could make babies, this would be the texture of their offspring.

So we looked around and tried to figure out how the heck to eat these things and we noticed that there were a million people watching us. We were making quite the scene and one lady was seriously pointing and laughing at us. We looked around to see if anyone else was eating it and we finally saw this man.

He bit into it, sucked out the juice, then spit the rest of it out. We copied. It actually tasted really good! Later we found out that it wasn't bamboo that we were eating, but sugar cane. Good find, Kristy! I will definitely be buying sugar cane again. And thank you for making me laugh to tears for the first time in China!

A glimpse of the kiddos themselves...

This is William. He is the Chinese version of my sister, Elizabeth. He is incredibly energetic and out of control, but that spunk is what makes me love him so much. He calls every teacher "Teacher bebe." (He completely understands that he is calling us "babies") and then he puffs out his cheeks and makes spitting noises, like so:

We got to name the kids who have never been given American names. (Their Chinese names are too crazy for us to say or even remember) I got to name two! Meet Hannah and James.

This is Belinda, the smarty pants:

Charles, definitely the baby of the group. And he SO loves me.

Becky and Ada.

"Tee Cho" Kristy 

Mandy and Tim

Are they stinkin' cute or what?! I'm in LOVE! I'm in LOVE! And I don't care who knows it!