Where is Roberg?

If you find a website to share with everyone, write a comment below with the site and then I’ll transfer it to here.

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For those of you who are not familiar with Donors Choose, it is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing schools with materials and resources they need through small individual donations.  As part of the program, teachers submit proposals for materials they need in their classrooms.  If the proposal is approved by Donors Choose staff, it is posted and people have the opportunity to fund proposals they think are the most worthwhile.  Once the funds are raised, Donors Choose purchases the materials, sends them to the teacher, and sends information for the teacher to have their class write thank you notes to the individuals who donated.  It’s a fantastic organization that allows small donors to make a big impact in local schools.

I have joined Donors Choose at the beginning of the year and submitted a proposal for 2 webcams so that I could have web chats with the students here in the United States while I traveled overseas.  It was a huge success!   Now I need your help to be able to share my experiences now that I’m here at home.

I have over 1,000 digital pictures that I took while I was overseas, but I have no way to project them.  Although Coxsackie-Athens High School has come a long way with technology in the past 10 years I’ve been teaching, I do not have an LCD projector with which to share pictures, PowerPoint presentations, and Google Earth activities meant to expand their horizons.

Now you can help.  With a small donation, you could help me bring my experiences alive in my classroom this year.

Thanks for all of your support this year, and thanks for any donation you can make.

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When I originally put Qingdao on my itinerary, there was one real draw. It had been a German colony during the Age of Imperialism in China and represented one of the best examples of foreign influence during the tumultuous time when the last Chinese Dynasty was crumbling under the pressure of internal divisions, foreign pressures, and corruption. Two of the things that stand out most among the German legacy are the beer and the architecture.

(For those who may question the decision to discuss the topic of a beer brewery on a website meant for students, I would like to admit that I’ve given it quite a bit of thought. In my opinion as an educator, we cannot ignore the realities of the world, especially when the realities hold such important historic lessons and provide such a terrific window into the history of cultural diffusion (the exchange of ideas and technology between people). The reality is that beer was a part of life, and still is in many countries. By examining the history and experiences of the people in the city of Qingdao and their brewery, we can learn a lot about Chinese interaction with the Western world.)

Before I visited, I had heard that the Germans who occupied Qingdao were a bit homesick, so they decided to build a brewery to help them feel a bit more at home. They also built a church and homes that represented German styles of the time, and imported much about their way of life. Visiting Qingdao would be a great opportunity to see physical remnants of a time when European powers were attempting to carve up China into their own “spheres of influence”.

After a few days in town exploring the beaches, pier, and architecture, I decided to go on the tour of the brewery, where I really saw how the history of the brewery reflected the overall history of the region. Originally built in 1903 with all of the modern equipment of the time and guided the brewery’s operation by the strict Reinheitsgebot (German Beer Purity Law), the brewery was both a terrific example of modern engineering and cultural imperialism. It was also a sign that the Germans planned to take advantage of a weak Chinese dynasty and stay around for a while. The result was Tsingtao (the name of the beer is spelled differently than the modern city name because of different transliteration systems), the most famous beer in China.
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First, let me apologize for not writing more while I’ve been in China.  I’ve been thinking about you all very much and have wanted to write, but it is difficult to write without having access to the blog.  It is much easier to write to you all when I can see the blog myself and know how it looks and imagine my audience a bit more. 

 

For those of you who are wondering, the reason I can’t see my page is because the Chinese government has some web pages blocked, especially web pages that do not have some sort of central control.  For example, a blog is a form of website that can be updated by any individual at any time, without having to run it by anyone.  Opinions can be openly expressed, and facts do not have to be confirmed.  For the Chinese government, this is a problem because they want to control some of the information that their people have access to.  Unlike the United States, the Chinese government tries to control and limit opinions much more.

 

With that said, we should give an enormous ”thank you” to Mrs. R and Ms. Conrad who have been pain stakingly transposing my text and photos from e-mail to this blog.  Hopefully when I get home, I’ll be able to put a few more things up on my own, if Mr. Roberg doesn’t hog the computer as usual.  (Just because he has fingers and thumbs, typing is easier for him - I’m getting better, even though it’s quite a site to see my hopping around the keyboard to type! )

 

Food and Culture in China

The food here has been interesting!  Before I came to China, I was wondering if the food would be similar to the food at the Chinese place in Coxsackie.  The answer is “sort of”.  When we have eaten at the hostels (which are hotels for young people and students - I usually have to talk to the staff to convince them to let the old guy stay because he’s with me), the food is fairly similar.  I think they put a western twist on the food to make their guests feel less homesick.

 

In the picture, you can see a typical place setting in a Chinese restaurant.  As you can tell, it comes in comes pre-wrapped in plastic.  I’m not sure why, but it probably is because they don’t want it to get dirty on the shelf, or they send out their dishes to be washed and they come back clean and wrapped so that they don’t get dirty during transportation.

 

plastic wrapped place setting

 

When we’ve gone out to restaurants, we’ve found that the food is more unique.  One of the biggest things for me to adjust to has been the use of chopsticks.  Mr. Roberg was pretty good at them already because he was in Japan, but for me it took some getting used to.  I have to use two paws at once, and at times I just give up and lick it out of the bowl, which is OK here because Chinese do not find it rude if you bring the bowl up to your face and slurp some of the contents.  Noodles are very popular here and they always come in a type of soup or broth.  Sometimes the noodles are made from rice and are like really fat spaghetti.

 

FK with chopsticks and bowl of noodles

 

Food on a stick

The Chinese also seem to like any type of food on a stick, especially when it is street food.  In the last restaurant we went to in Qingdao, Mr. Roberg ordered pork kabobs and they came out on metal skewers.  He thought that the meat would come out in a pita like all of the other kabobs he’s ordered all over the world, but not in China.  That didn’t stop him from enjoying them though - he couldn’t stop raving about them, so I ordered some for myself and I had to agree:  they were delicious!

 

pork skewers

 

We have also seen what looks like hot dogs on a stick and we finally tried corn on a stick, which was simply grilled a little bit.  I’m not sure if they put anything on it, but it had a bit of a caramelized taste and it was very filling.  We are going to try to get some more pictures, but we have seen scorpions, squid, and other types of meat on a stick too.  Check back to see what we found.

 

 

Chi-nglish:  Entertaining translations from Chinese to English

One of the most fun things to do while we’ve been here in China is to find all of the funny signs that have unique translations from Chinese into English - something that visitors to China affectionately call Chi-nglish.

 

“beware of hill”

 

See if you can guess what this one sign is describing:

 

See the bottom to find the answer.

 

 

Chinese Pride

One thing I’ve also noticed is that the Chinese have a lot of pride in their country, especially with the Olympics coming up.  Here are a few advertisements that show their pride, and something about their culture.

 

(PICTURES ARE ON THEIR WAY)

In these two pictures, you can see images that are specifically Chinese and inspire pride in their country.  In the first one, a lion is rising out of a strong mail athlete.  The lion is a traditional symbol of males in China, and a symbol of strength.  In the second one, you see a phoenix, a legendary bird that rises out of its own ashes after it has burned brightly during life, rising out of a female gymnast.  The phoenix represents women in China, and it represents resilience (being able to endure) and rebirth. 

 

In these next two pictures, you can see the Chinese values in hard work being supported by the community.  Whereas individual achievement is the ultimate goal in the United States, China has always seen cooperation as a group or community as more important than an individual.  Here, you can see that they believe the athletes would not be able to achieve what they will this summer without the help of their country.

 

 

Those are just a few of my favorite things I’ve noticed so far.  I don’t know if I’ll be able to add more before Mr. Roberg and I come home in 4 days, but I’ll try.

 

I hope everyone is happy and healthy and I look forward to seeing you all when I get home.

 

Flat Kat

 

Here’s the answer to the picture riddle above:  They wanted Mr. Roberg to “Step Forward for Civilization”… toward a urinal in the men’s room

 

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Peking Duck or KFC?
I am not much of a food connoisseur and rarely care what I eat, but being in a different country is, well, different.  One of the things I always try to do is go to an “authentic” restaurant in each country I visit (instead of normal street food or food cooked by the hostel I’m staying at) to try the local cuisine.  Tonight, I decided to head to a restaurant that was recommended by two separate travel books with a friend I met today.  His travel book said that the restaurant had some of the best Peking Duck in Beijing for under $15, so off we went in search of “real” Chinese food in Beijing.

After a 15 minute subway ride, we hopped into a taxi and called the restaurant so that they could give our driver directions.  Twenty minutes of slow moving traffic later, we arrived to find a very nice restaurant with fairly well-dressed and wealthy-looking clientele.  I had a bad feeling about this, so suggested we look at a menu first.  As the hostess led us further into the restaurant we saw high ceilings, chandeliers, and big tables with lots of Chinese patrons, which was a good sign about the food, but a bad sign about the price.  When the waitress brought out the menu, it was over an inch thick!  As we flipped through, we saw all kinds of gourmet meals:  the kind that barely fill the plate, taste out of this world, and empty your wallet all at the same time.

After browsing, we asked about the Peking duck.  The waitress proceeded to turn the page to that showed a beautiful platter of finely carved Peking Duck.  Below was the price of 210 yuan, which calculates to $28.  Considering that the average meal in an average restaurant cost at most 50 yuan ($8) and my average train ticket for an eight hour trip including a bed for the night has cost about 140 yuan ($20) , it was immediate sticker shock.

We decided to give up and try to find a cheaper alternative closer to the hostel.  On the way back, however, I started to think about it.  If I was out to a really nice dinner and ordered a steak, I probably would pay $20.  Was it really that much more expensive to pay $28 for what was reputed to be the best Peking Duck in the whole city?  Did I just give up on a great experience because I had become accustomed to Chinese prices for everything (40 cents for a ride on a subway, 15 cents for a bus ride, 25 cents for a bottle of water and 50 cents for a soda) instead of seeing it as a terrific opportunity that might cost a little more?

I started to regret the decision a little bit.  But I couldn’t bring myself to admit that I was wrong and convince my friend to go back.  Instead, I decided that I had to have another great experience to replace the one I had missed.  As we emerged from the subway, the answer struck me like a sign from heaven.

Well, it wasn’t exactly from heaven… it was more like a sign from a bespeckled  old man from Kentucky with a funny little beard.  I had seen KFC all over China, and had long ago decided that I would make a pilgrimage there before I left, since it’s the most common fast food restaurant in the country, often with multiple locations within a mile of the city center.  As I emerged from the subway tunnel, the white and red sign with the picture of the benevolent colonel seemed to beckon to me.

When I explained to my friend what I had in mind, he admitted with a heavy guilt that is sounded really good, but that he was going to head back to the hostel.  I was going to have to substitute Peking Duck with KFC chicken all on my own.

As I entered the gleaming, spacious KFC, I scanned the menu for the familiar offerings.  I was slightly surprised to find that there were no wings, thighs, and chicken breasts to be seen.  There were pictures that looked like fried chicken on rolls and other unfamiliar choices.  And then I saw it… the Seven Shrimp Burger!  Now this was a local specialty that I had to try.

I ordered a #5 meal (which looked like a chicken on a bun, fries, and soda) to accompany my Seven Shrimp Burger and paid a total of 39.5 yuan ($5.50).  As I bit into the “chicken” on a bun, I found that it wasn’t chicken at all - at least as far as I could tell.  As I looked at the inside of the fried exterior, I saw a kernel of corn, a piece of carrot, and some white gelatinous material that didn’t taste like anything I knew, though it didn’t taste bad.  Finishing the unknown sandwich, I finally decided that I was ready to try the Seven Shrimp Burger.

Unsure of what to think about eating shrimp in a KFC (do the Chinese know that KFC stands for Kentucky Fried Chicken, and if so, would most of them even know where Kentucky is?), I bit into the Seven Shrimp Burger with the bravery borne of eating many meals made of unknown ingredients.  The first impression was not too bad, though the bun and the fried outer coating overwhelmed the taste of what was contained within.  The second and third bites were much more revealing, and I was pleasantly surprised.  The shrimp was tasty and had a normal texture - not too rubbery but not too liquidy either (I know liquidy isn’t a word, but it fits - I guess I could never be a professional food critic).  As I looked at the shrimp within, they even looked ‘normal’.

As I enjoyed the sandwich, I thought about the irony of sitting in a Beijing KFC eating a shrimp burger after having given up on the best Peking Duck in Beijing.  What kind of choice had I made?!  The answer was …

the kind of choice that makes a good story.   If there’s anything I’ve learned from traveling and making “tough” choices, it’s that some of the worst choices and awkward situations turn out to make some of the best stories for later on.  So don’t be afraid to splurge on the Peking Duck during a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Beijing… but if you choose not to, I’m sure there is a KFC right around the corner.

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#1  The Hair Cuts
One of the things you may have noticed about me from my pictures or knowing me is that I like to keep my hair short.  It’s not that I’m bald, I just don’t want to “do a comb-over”.  Additional benefits include using at least 10 minutes a day more usefully than most people (neither having to shampoo or comb a mangy mop of hair) and saving at least $100 per year by using my own set of clippers for my haircuts.  It even makes me look tougher because people think I might have been in the military at one time. :)  As you can tell, I’ve spent quite a bit of time rationalizing my almost hairless pate.

A problem arises, though, when I am away from home for more than a couple weeks, because the hair grows out and I feel like I’m wearing a fro that Bill Walton would have been proud of in the 70s.  After two weeks, the two dozen hairs that I still have near the top of my forehead sprout up like lonely strands of grass in a drought-ridden field and I feel an immediate need to buzz them off.  The problem is that I have decided not to carry around two more pounds of weight in my backpack by bringing my clippers along on any of the trips (you’d be surprised how weight adds up and how carrying around 50 pounds in a backpack can quickly wear you down).  So, in each country I’ve had to find a place to get my hair cut while overseas.

In India, I found a barber to do it for 30 rupees (about 75 cents).  Unfortunately, the power was out at the time, so I tried to convince him to let me borrow the clippers so that I could bring them back to my hotel, buzz my hair, and bring them back in no time flat.  Something, however, got lost in translation, so he started walking with me to the hotel.  Apparently, he was willing to do a haircut house call, especially since his power was out.  On the way, he doubled his price, which I thought was only fair for the extra trip (plus the fact that another barber had quoted me 100 rupees, so I was still getting quite a deal).  After making short work of my long mane, he left me to sweep up the bountiful remnants off of my hotel room floor.

In Israel, as with everything else, finding a barber was even easier, and a lot more expensive.  This time, I was in the Old City of Jerusalem, and I decided to ask a local Arab to do his magic.  When I asked him the price before getting started, he said “As you wish”.  Pressing him a number of times to mention a price, he refused, and went on to explain that I could give him one shekel (less than 20 cents) or 100 shekels;  payment would be “as you wish”. As he buzzed along, I could tell that he was a professional.  When he brought out the straight knife, I am a bit ashamed to say that I tensed up slightly, but of course with no good reason.  Straightening my sideburns and cleaning up the stray hairs on the back of my neck, he was done in no time.  If I recall, I paid him 40 shekels…  as I wished.

So it came to China.  I had to find a place, and as I walked down the street in Beijing I stopped in one hip looking salon to ask how much a haircut would be.  A young guy with a full head of hair dyed, combed, and styled just enough so that it looked like he just rolled out of bed said 30 yuan ($4.50).  Not bad, I thought, but moved on to see what another said.  The next salon had a darker and edgier style, but quoted me the same price.  As I moved toward the door, the price dropped to 20 yuan ($3), so I stepped back in.

The guy who was to work on me had a long black mane of hair that reminded me of Flock of Seagulls (an 80s band), and had his button down black shirt buttoned only with the middle two buttons, exposing his fake diamond belly button ring.  As he looked around for the right attachment for the buzzers, I tried to explain that I didn’t need any attachment.  The clippers along would suffice.

As he started to cut, he used the comb in a very professional way to try to feather my hair up away from my ear.  Stopping him once again, I explained that all I needed was a straightforward buzz - get rid of it all.  In shock and dismay, he replied in surprisingly good English, “Why?!  Don’t you like hair?”.

I said, “Sure I like hair, I’m just not that good at growing it.”

Unsure of the meaning of my joke, he went back to work with abandon.  He buzzed and scraped diligently, making sure that no strand of hair stood uncut.  He, too, was a professional who took pride in his work.  After attacking my fro with willful abandon, he brought out the straight knife like his Arab counterpart to straighten my sideburns and rid my neck of unwanted stragglers (I can only assume that the Indian barber had forgotten his blade in his shop).  Surveying the battlefield with a pride of a victorious commander, he wiped down my head and neck with a towel and took off the cover that had protected my clothing from the tiny follicle refugees that had been expunged from my head.   After a quick picture with him, I paid the 20 yuan and gave a 10 yuan tip.

Each haircut revealed a little bit about the culture I was in and the people who took pride in their work.  And I felt normal all over again.

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The reality is, though, that traveling isn’t always the glamorous set of mistakes and mishaps that I make it out to be. Many times, things run smoothly and I have a few relatively normal days in a row. Though it makes for a more boring blog entry, it’s nice for me sometimes you know!

After smiling for the camera and saying goodbye, I always wonder what they are going to do with the picture. Do they show their friends and family the picture of themselves with the big bald American? Do they post it on a website to brag that they’ve seen a Westerner? Or do they think that standing next to me makes them look a lot better in comparison? I know I’m not the most handsome, but come on!! (Actually, I’ll come back to the “handsome” thing later)

I experienced the same phenomenon in Japan when I was in college. I still occasionally wonder if the people in Japan have a picture of themselves with me back when I grew my hair long. If so, I’ll have to track them down to get a copy so that I can prove to you all that I can grow hair… it may not look good, but I can grow it…

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For my train trip to Xian, I reserved a “soft sleeper”, which is one of four soft beds in a “private” compartment. I shared the room with three Chinese business men who spoke very little English. Needless to say, we smiled a lot, but didn’t say much. The best thing about taking sleeper trains is that you don’t “waste” your time traveling during the day. Going to bed at 10:30, I was woken by the attendant at 5:00 so I could prepare to get off at Xian. Thirty minutes later, I emerged from the Xian train station bright and early to find a sleepy city that hadn’t seemed to be away yet.

Instead of taking a taxi which would have cost 10 yuan ($1.50), I decided to take an auto rickshaw (the same type that had been such an experience in India). The driver was obviously poor and illiterate, so I figured I was helping him instead of giving a taxi driver the business. After a slow, excruciating ride, he wanted to charge me 30 yuan! I gave him 25 and chalked it up to a bit of charity.

After finding my hostel, I explored the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower, which are located at the center of the old city. Built only a few centuries ago (if it hasn’t been around for 800 or 1000 years, it’s not considered old here), the bell was rang out to signify dawn and the drums were played at dusk, indicating the start and end of the day.

Islam in China
Even better than the Drum and Bell Towers, though, was my visit to the Muslim Quarter of Xian. Yeah, you read that right, the Muslim Quarter. Because Xian was at the beginning of the fabled Silk Road (or end depending on your viewpoint), it had a lot of contact with Muslim merchants, and consequently Islam spread into China.

*Historical Side Note* For those of you who are a bit rusty on your Silk Road history, the Silk Road was the trade route that extended through Central Asia and connected China with the Middle East and Europe. Although it was eventually called the “Silk” Road, many other goods such as Chinese porcelain, tea, and other valuable goods were exchanged for various goods from the Middle East and Europe. Most merchants did not travel the whole, perilous route, but instead went back and forth along a section of the route and traded the goods with other merchants who traveled different sections. Of course the price of the goods would increase with every exchange, so that by the end of the route, the silks and other merchandise would be much more expensive. However, for wealthy Arabs and European noblemen who were able to pay the higher prices, the silks and other exotic goods were worth having.

The Great Mosque and the Muslim population of Xian are striking reminders of the contact that China had with central Asia, and it is one of the few examples of foreign ideas influencing this otherwise isolated civilization. It was also fascinating to see the mosque because it had no resemblance to any mosque I’d ever seen before, instead looking like any other ancient Chinese temple. The worshipers and the inside, however, definitely had a Muslim look about them.

While I was there, I heard the Muslim call to prayer, which sounded similar to the call I’d heard in Turkey and India. However, when I ran into a person who was staying at my hostel immediately afterward, who speaks Arabic, he said that it was difficult for him to understand what was being said. They were definitely speaking Arabic, but with a thick Chinese accent!

It was quite an introduction to the ancient capital of China.

The Terracotta Warriors: the Main Attraction

For anyone who comes to Xian, the Terracotta Warriors are one of the main attractions. As usual, the World Heritage Tour website is a great way to check them out. As usual, Wikipedia’s entry on the Terracotta Warriors has a fairly good page of descriptions with Creative Commons pictures that can be used for non-commercial use without violating copyright law.

A quick overview: If you are too lazy to click on the links above, I’ll give you a short background of the site, though I HIGHLY recommend checking out the sites above.

The warriors were found accidentally in 1974 by some Chinese farmers who were digging a well. Since their discovery, thousands of warrior sculptures have been uncovered. Each statue is unique, and no two faces are the same! The warriors were created during the reign of the first Chinese emperor to unite China, named Shi Huangdi and were placed in his tomb to act as his guardians and army in the afterlife. Shi Huangdi was also the first Chinese leader to begin construction of the Great Wall of China. Although he was a brutal ruler, he holds a special place in Chinese history as the first emperor and builder. Shortly after his death, his empire fell apart and a raging army sacked his tomb, destroying many of the terracotta warriors. What we see left over today are the remnants of his tomb and the impressive army of warriors that were made so that he could continue his rule after death.

During my trip to see the warriors, it was obvious why they are such a popular attraction. Housed on a campus that looks like it could be an evil lair in the next Austin Powers movie, the warriors are displayed in their original pits where a visitor can appreciate the massive undertaking while a few have been displayed in glass casings that allow the visitor to see them in a more up close and personal way. You can literally feel the history under your feet as you gaze down into the enormous pits or face to face as you examine them up close. It is overwhelming to imagine how much time, effort, and how many resources it took to create such an elaborate tomb. It is also exciting to ponder how many more treasures are buried round the world that will eventually be found. We are still finding evidence that will improve our understanding of history.

Of course, they are boring unless you have a little fun too! Even though it cost 10 yuan, I had to have my picture taken as a terracotta warrior and goofed around with a fake terracotta warrior outside of one of the shops! It was a great place to visit, and I hope that you all have the opportunity some day. Until then, check out the World Heritage Tour website and take a look around for yourself.

I’m off to explore more of Xian. I’ll check in soon with more stories, and hopefully more goofy pictures!

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With such a long history, China is a country that has experienced many extremes: long periods of peace interrupted by brutal civil wars or foreign invasion, enlightened or megalomaniac rulers, national unity or regional independence. China is a nation were people from different regions cannot understand each other’s spoken word, but everyone uses and understands the same writing system.

With that background, Nanjing was an interesting city to visit. Historically, it had been the capital of China three different times, and had been a center of trade and culture throughout it’s history.

The Trip from Shanghai to Nanjing
One the best introductions to China beyond Shanghai was the train trip to Nanjing. Riding on a brand new train and sitting in a window seat, I saw factories, massive apartment buildings under construction, small mining towns, average Chinese taking a break from their work or biking on a small rural road, and hundreds of farm fields, some with workers in traditional Chinese hats (the kind that look like big, wide ice cream cones flipped over on their heads). What struck me was that China is very much a mixture of past and present, like every country I’ve visited. But even more, China is much further ahead than I thought.

Often described as a “developing country”, the China I’ve seen seems ready to take on the term “developed country”. The main thing standing in it’s way is its massive size, and the fact that their per capita GDP (the average annual salary of a Chinese citizen) is less than $5,000 per year. There is no doubt in my mind, though, that China is further ahead than many other developing countries, including India. It has been attempting to modernize for almost 100 years now, and even though there were periods of serious regression (going backwards), they are clearly going full speed ahead.

Nanjing
Built along the Yangtze River, there were many bridges over waterways in the city. As usual, the city developed here because of the access to fresh water.

Nanjing was an interesting city with a lot to see. One of my favorite attractions was Fuzi Temple (or the Temple of Confucius). Although he was a philosopher, and never claimed to be divine, Confucius has been worshiped in China for centuries. His teachings were the basis of Chinese government and have become ingrained not only in Chinese culture, but most East Asian cultures. The temple itself is a good example of traditional Chinese architecture. Known as a pagoda, the curved ceiling is one of the most recognizable features around the world.

Overall, I spent 3 days in Nanjing, and spent most of my time visiting historical sites and museums. But I won’t overwhelm you with those stories. There are better stories to be told about my next city: Xian.

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