Changsha-->Beijing-->Newark-->New Haven-->New York-->Shanghai-->Changsha

In just over a week, I managed to go half way around the globe, passing through six cities. Although I was only in transit through many of them, I haven't had much chance to breath. All the traveling has really screwed up my inner clock; I think I would be able to sleep any time during the day and it'll feel completely natural.

Anyway, everything went according to plan. Took a flight out to Beijing, had a homemade smoothie, purchased some pirated dvds, boarded flight to USA. Then, spent a day in New Haven--played with Asher (former dean's incredibly cute son) for an hour, dropped by the Foote School (right by Yale) to see the Yali delegation, saw some students. Swung by New York City--saw more friends, a health panel, spent quality time with mom and grandma, and finally, schmoozed at the Yale-China Gala.

Yale-China Gala - 100 Years of the Teaching Fellowship

Held at the Pratt House of the Council of Foreign Relations, the gala definitely lived up to its hype--lots of reminiscing and, of course, copious quantities of wine! Over a hundred former bachelors, most of the current fellows, and countless other trustees, board members, employees, supporters, family members and friends of the Yale-China Association gathered for this occasion. It was a great time, especially the opportunity to talk with some of the former fellows, whether a couple years removed or even a few decades removed. Everyone's experiences were so different, and yet, in some fundamental ways, very much alike.

Sheshan Mountain 余山

The most bizarre experience happened when I returned to China after the whirlwind trip through Northeast USA.

My friend Mike, Chacey, and I took a day to trek out to this small mountain just a short subway's ride from Shanghai. The mountain itself wasn't much, save for a lovely French catholic church at the top. The church was built in 1871, destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, and then "rehabilitated" at the close of the millennium. Besides those details, plus its exact dimensions and the materials used to construct it, there wasn't much more information about the church.


The three of us had hitched a ride to Sheshan with a few Chinese campers who eagerly invited us to spend the night with them. At first, we went to join them for their 烧烤 (shao1kao3, basically Chinese BBQ), but indecisiveness afterward resulted in missing the last subway back to the city and, having no other choice, pitching a tent with them, in the middle of a neighborhood full of beautiful but hauntingly deserted mansions (can we say housing bubble?). That's when the night became more and more strange...

Chacey and Mike, in the campers' van.

Apparently, the thirty-odd campers were strangers to each other, having met on a website and only knowing each others online identities. Whether it was an outdoors group or a singles group wasn't entirely clear to anyone in my party. After the BBQ, the group gathered around to play some games. In the first game, Dollars and Cents, guys were worth $1 and girls were worth $0.50 (Sexist? Quite.), and everyone, hands linked, would run around a circle until the leader shouts out a value ("$5.50!"). The goal is to find the necessary number of guys and girls to make that value, and people left over are eliminated. All the running and hugging and shoving made for a very exciting game overall.

At the end, for punishment, losers were dry humped. I was one of the winners. Phew...One member of my group wasn't so lucky...

The last game was even more suggestive! Simple instructions: Person A passes a napkin to Person B. The catch? You could only do it by mouth! The Person B has to rip the napkin from Person A, Person C from Person B, and so on. Of course, the napkin gets smaller and smaller as it tears. If you mess up, or if you refuse the napkin, you have to get up and do "Truth or Dare". Piggy-back rides, writing Chinese characters with one's behind, and vulgar questions. You get the idea. Again, I performed flawlessly and avoided such embarrassment. =)

The experience was definitely interesting, if not totally surreal. It was like I was back in middle school--for example, no one actually had the nerves to "kiss" another person when dared. When the napkin got too small, the receiving person always opted out, fingers crossed for a lenient dare. At the same time, there is a tinge of bravery whose nature I can't quite put my finger on. I mean, I don't think I could ever go on a camping trip with random strangers I knew only from the internet. Actually, I don't know if I could ever build a friendship solely online at all.

Our "campground." This was actually the first time I've ever camped! Strange first time...

Now, I am back in 'Sha, back to the blue uniforms, back to the classrooms, and back to teaching. Unfortunately, with the constant traveling this past week (six cities, 35 hours in the air, 15 hours on trains), I don't really feel rejuvenated. Hopefully this weekend will be nice and quiet.

Back in the U.S. of A.

Early Wednesday morning, after being in China since early June, I made my return back to the States!

These last few days have been a whirlwind of fun and stress--hiking with 30-40 students, the Moon Festival, Orange Island Music Festival, friends visiting from Shanghai, hot springs, birthdays...

I won't bore you with every detail, but here's a rundown of my birthday and the hike!

23rd Birthday
This was the first time celebrating my birthday in China (not counting when I was just a baby, of course), so I really didn't know what to expect.

Well, it was quite special.

Students brought me small gifts, from very pretty handmade cards to delicious, fruit-covered birthday cakes (four cakes total that day...). There was a surprise dinner, where everyone who had convinced me they couldn't make it (overtime at work, dinner with faculty, teaching duties, train ride to Beijing, blah blah) actually made it. There was a song, on a big stage in the middle of the busiest pedestrian street in Changsha, where the three other Yali fellows belted out song and danced. And, there was Dr. Zhivago, a beautiful turtle, about three inches long, who has a eating disorder and likes to bath in the warm sunlight (or the yellow light of my table lamp).

Thank you, everyone, for making it a day I will really remember. And thank you--Jason, Chacey, Chris--for putting everything together that day, and for making the last couple months so welcoming and reassuring.

The Hike
Buzz about the hike with Mr. C and Ms. Bryan began a week before the actual date of the event. Students running around, asking each other if they were going to go, running to me and Chacey, asking if we had finalized the date, time, and meeting location. Speculation ran wild: more than 50--no, 100! no, 200!--students were planning to join! Aiya! Fortunately, a very manageable 30-40 students actually showed up, probably due to the fact that we met very early in the morning on the day of the Moon Festival and the clouds threatened a torrential downpour. Despite the forecast, the students, Chacey and I powered up the Yuelu Mountain, the tallest peak in the city (but still only at a measly 300 meters). We sang camp songs that Chacey knew (I didn't know any, never went to camp...), ate one of my birthday cakes, and when we got to the peak, played a few glorious games of Ninja (if you don't know it, um, you're missing out).

Windy hike (Photo courtesy of Chacey)

We didn't get back from the hike until late in the afternoon (poor students, they still had homework to do). Chacey and I passed out right away, and didn't wake up until we heard the jarring sounds of fireworks, signaling the festival's end. Our attempt to salvage our own festivities were foiled when we arrived to locked gates at the Ferris wheel.

Four months is the longest single span of time I've ever spent in China, but this trip back to the U.S. still caught me slightly off guard--I hadn't expected to get to come back until next summer, at the earliest. It's rather strange: because I was mentally prepared for the latter, I hadn't allowed myself to miss anything about the U.S. I had thought that my first trip back to the U.S. would come at a time where the stress from the contradictions of Chinese society, the oppressive restrictions from the government, the pollution, the traffic, and the many other senseless aspects of living in China would outweigh the pleasures of the delicious foods, the wonderful friends, the eager students, and my fellow fellows' company. Returning home would act as a necessary therapeutic recharge. Not like this, anyhow, where I am still going strong, loving the steep learning curve, adapting to the culture, and figuring out the layout the city.

However, by no means am I complaining. It is a free trip back home. I will be able to see my mom and grandmother, along with some of my best friends from college. I will get to see Yale before the temperamental Winter wrecks havoc on Yale's beautiful courtyards. I will be able to get a haircut from Yosef at Port Authority, and afterward, schmooze with the former fellows, alumni and associates who served Yale-China through the last 100 hundred years.

The M&M Burger at Rare Steakhouse, NYC -- a wonderful welcome back!

Let the fun commence!

Right around the corner...

is the Mid-Autumn's Festival!

As gifts for this holiday, Yali Middle School was kind enough to give each of the foreign teachers:

• 2 gallons of cooking oil
• 25 lbs of rice
• 1 big box of mooncake

So now, as a household, we have 8 gallons of cooking oil, 100 lbs of rice, and 4 big boxes of mooncake (not counting the many more that will surely come from other sources).

The students tried to explain how the tradition of eating mooncake started. Of course, when first asked, they give the same explanation as they do for everything else: "It is just part of Chinese culture, and has existed throughout China's five thousand year long history."

With further prodding, there were murmurs of some woman (goddess?) on the moon and a rabbit (I think...?). Nothing I could really make sense of.

But no worries, there is always Wikipedia.

In other news, here is a video clip I took of the daily morning exercises at Yali. Some of the kids are pretty good at it, but most of them look like they are just going through the motions, wondering why they have to do such silly things.

Wandering aimlessly on a Saturday evening...

and the few photographs that resulted.

Very colorful writing on the streets of Changsha

Woman cooking off a small street only a few minutes' walk from a popular pedestrian street.

Girls reading in an ATM booth, Chris reflected in the window.

That looks like a delicious Oreo.