Blogs from Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China, Asia - page 3

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Asia » China » Inner Mongolia » Hohhot May 30th 2010

Zhaohe grassland The grasslands and small villages near Hushi are somewhat notorious for being mainly tourist attractions; the road signs out there carry the famous slogan 天堂草原 - "Grassland Paradise," which seems to be partially an effort to influence visitors' perceptions: parts of the grassland were less than heavenly. But I find the following dialogue illuminating: As we sat in the yurt yesterday that was our sleeping-room, dining room and shelter from the fierce wind, my friend Lulu asked her father, "Dad, is this yurt real or fake?" - a question I had been having a hard time with myself. Lulu's dad just chuckled and asked philosophically, "What is a 'real' yurt? What is a 'fake' yurt?" So no, our yurt did not house a family that raised sheep and rode horses; but we were able ... read more
Main building with kite
Colorful doors
Setting up lunch

Asia » China » Inner Mongolia » Hohhot May 22nd 2010

Saturday: Blind Date, Daoist Temple, and Hushi's oldest mala restaurant. Sunday: Hiking near an old movie set, eating a huge, amazing lunch and almost getting drunk on baijiu (Hint: NEVER let on that you can drink when this liquor is involved. They WILL make you toast about a million times to see how far you can go). Saturday: The day kicked off with a sort of blind date arranged by my friend Lulu. Her friend (a guy) had a friend that he thought might be a good match. We set out in a taxi, Lulu giving me advice as we headed to the restaurant where we were to meet the boys. The trees are in full leaf now, and it was in the low 80's at 11am: heavenly after months of bitter cold, with a palette ... read more
The wind kicking up
Movie set
Overlooking the valley we set out from

Asia » China » Inner Mongolia » Hohhot May 20th 2010

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." That pithy, gripping line was the first thing that met my eyes as I eagerly flipped open "Pride and Prejudice" to the first chapter yesterday, with the sole purpose of hearing those very words echo in my mind. Having worn out my copy of "Atlas Shrugged" (and my patience for it); having read "The Enchanted April" too many times to count; and not wishing to return to the surprisingly dismal "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court," I set out in search of classic English literature, looking for older novels for my own edification and in the hope that the increased difficulty of the language would keep me occupied longer. I discovered that ... read more

Asia » China » Inner Mongolia » Hohhot May 13th 2010

...As documented in a poem. I know that's not everyone's cup of tea. If it is, please read on. Blue City A rolling sea of humanity Splashing color any which way The fruit stands grow bright As pineapples arrive Then the strawberries come The madcap dash of car and bike Jostling the streets The horns blare But to the right is a shaded garden With the green sound of birds among leaves Passing through alleys crowded with bric-a-brac Shoe cobblers with their tools, the date hawkers Crying the price And above you the sound of sizzling Dinner cooked with a sound like The spatter of rain Why this pungent realness? The smells stronger And the light sharper The mountains in the distance Call me to come home When I have never been farther away. -Sam ... read more

Asia » China » Inner Mongolia » Hohhot May 6th 2010

The word 说法, “shuofa,” can mean a “way of saying something.” I find it fascinating to compare how languages word similar sentiments and ideas; language and culture are part of each other, and studying a language can really give you insight into a culture’s worldview and your own. I’m working on a list comparing interesting words and expressions in English and Chinese. The list below is just a start. Any Chinese students or native speakers, please feel free to correct and/or add to the list: Same (more or less) Dark horse: “hei ma” - black/dark horse in Chinese, has the same meaning. I’m starving: “wo e si le” - I’m hungry to death/starving. Both just mean “I’m really hungry” Have a dream (i.e. ambition, plan): “you yige mengxiang” - have a dream (i.e. ambition, plan) Perfect: ... read more

Asia » China » Inner Mongolia » Hohhot May 2nd 2010

Taking some sun, eating good food and causing a stir in a small town It started with an invitation from Lulu: it's a labor holiday this weekend, and her family was geared up to get outdoors. Lulu said they were going to see the Yellow River, so of course I had to accept! There were nine of us: One grandma, one father, one mother, one aunt, four cousins, and one bewildered laowai. Kinship terms in Chinese seem to be more complicated in the wake of the "One family, one child" policy; the eldest cousin, for example, is not known as Lulu's "biaoge" (elder male cousin) but as her "gege" (elder brother). I have heard many Chinese people my age refer to their cousins in a similarly confusing manner; my theory is that either it is a ... read more
Looking at lunch - liang fen
The appetizers, including liang fen
Bandit getting ready to set sail

Asia » China » Inner Mongolia » Hohhot April 26th 2010

Children of the High Plains I spent Saturday working until 10pm and couldn't settle down to sleep until well past midnight. I had been prepared to go out with two different sets of friends on Sunday: one outing in the morning, one in the afternoon. Waking up to the sight of sodden streets after a night of rain, I declined the first outing and slept in. It's a good thing I rested up and saved my strength, because the afternoon turned out to be quite an adventure. All I knew when I woke up on Sunday was that my friend Lulu had invited me to join her family on a mini-expedition; I didn't know where we were headed. I imagined visiting temples in the city limit or something like that. At 2pm I got a phone ... read more
The Yurt
Inside the yurt
On the Road

Asia » China » Inner Mongolia » Hohhot April 19th 2010

Where does role-playing end and being begin? Working in a hotel gives you a lot of perspective about many things: the service industry, social stratification, even human nature. A hotel is is first of all its own microcosm, with secret passages and back rooms, and has complex relationships at work both within itself and with the outside world. Pull aside a curtain and you literally might find a man pulling levers (in the case of the hotel where I work, you would find the phone operator's office). I was so afraid I would get lost when I was shown the "hidden" floor where housekeeping is headquartered, and all the disperse passageways I could navigate to get there. Once I got the hotel geography down, I discovered much more difficult to navigate were hotel relationships. Relationships (the ... read more

Asia » China » Inner Mongolia » Hohhot April 19th 2010

Or: Life as a Laowai Having blonde hair sets you up for a lot of things. For one, I could tell about a hundred "dumb-blonde" jokes by the time I was ten, because my friends never tired of relaying the latest to me. One thing I didn't expect, however, (ok halfway expected) was the way it would set me apart in China, for better and for worse. I don't know where the "dumb-blonde" myth came from. All of the true blondes I have known in my life are feisty, intelligent women who go after what they want. Maybe it's because all the blonde jokes give us an "Oh, yeah?" attitude. In China, blonde (or light) hair is also all the rage, but without the "dumb-blonde" schtick. Fair skin is also hip. Sadly, there are many skin-whitening ... read more
Being a stylist's guinea pig

Asia » China » Inner Mongolia » Hohhot April 14th 2010

Hiking Near 大学城 - "College City" I took video of a brook in the valley where we were hiking, mainly because I thought the sound of the water was so lovely and I wanted to record it. Amy thought I was photographing her, so I started a mini-interview. I asked her if she was tired from hiking (this was kind of a joke, because we didn't get much mountain-climbing in that day). She then said something that I understood at the time, but now I cannot remember her answer and I can't figure out what she is saying in the video! For me context (and good sound quality) is really, really important. We started out from College City (a small "town" made up of the rural, secondary campus sites of some local universities) this past Sunday ... read more
Right before Smoky the Bear caught us hiking in prohibited territory
Second attempt of the day
Trying another hill




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