Blogs from Inner Mongolia, China, Asia
Chuzu qiche: The Chinese Taxi Experience
Published: April 22nd 2012Asia » China » Inner Mongolia » Hohhot
April 22nd 2012
My reflections on China usually have to do with people I knew or things I saw, and most of those memories come from the perspective of standing at attention in a hotel lobby. Working for 13 months in a hotel, the landscape of my memory is filled with rooms, halls, passages, elevators. But in telling stories of my time in China, I notice that a pattern emerges: many interesting experiences took place in or while hailing a taxi. Hailing a taxi in Hohhot, under normal conditions, was not hard. As a "convenience"-oriented American, one of my guilty indulgences was taking a taxi when I needed to go downtown, rather than taking the bus (even though the bus would have saved me a lot of money). There were some practical reasons for this. As a blonde-haired laowai, ... read more
February 23rd 2012
Nei Mongol We had an entire week off the first week of October for National Day. China’s equivalent to July 4th. 8 of the 10 teachers including myself traveled to Inner Mongolia; a present day Chinese province but historically Mongolia. The Mongolian heritage had not been lost. Every sign was in Mongolian and pictures of Genghis Khan filled every family restaurant and convenient store. The food was a carnivores dream. Any and every kind meat seasoned over open flames. One teacher ordered leg of lamb and literally got the whole leg, picture a 5 lb. 18 inch chicken wing. We stayed at a hostel filled with all sorts of international kids; German, Polish, Dutch, French, Spanish, English, and Swiss. Most were exchange students traveling during the break from school. While I’m not hip to sharing a ... read more
March 13th 2011
''Johan Lao shi, you are ugly!'' Something I had to hear often during my two years and three months teaching English in the north of China. This phrase was very popular with my young students, kids aged 6 to 10. It didn't bother me the slightest though, in fact, I liked it! Grammatically correct, and it proved they had remembered at least one of the adjectives I had taught them. The fact that the unit which included this particular adjective was about pet animals and not about people proved they were able to use the learned vocabulary in a broader spectrum of language than I had taught them. Other adjectives or nouns popular with the kids to describe me were 'fat', 'monster', 'gorilla' and the less frequent 'Johan is a girl!'. Teaching in China really is ... read more
March 6th 2011
Here's just a small blog on my experiences with food living in Inner Mongolia province. I have included a short but useful list of words and phrases in Pinyin, photos of take away food we ate on the job and some interesting facts; WORD & PHRASES LIST *Jiao Zi (Dumplings) *Da bao (Take away) *Mantou (Steamed bread) *Bu hao chi (Not good to eat) *Zhe ge cai you rou ma? (Does this dish have meat?) *Pi jiu (beer ) *Wo chi bao la / Wo he duo la (I am full / I am drunk) *Kuai can (fast food) *Wo xi huan la de (I like it spicy) Did you know ... ... that the amount of bamboo chopsticks used in China is immens... read more
One final blog on Baotou, city of Deer;
Published: February 27th 2011Asia » China » Inner Mongolia » Baotou
February 27th 2011
Remember the news reports on rare earth exports from China at the end of 2010? Most of this rare earth is from the city of Baotou, Inner Mongolia province. (or in fact, from the huge Bayan Obo mine north of the city. Famed for its natural resources and minerals, the city of Baotou was built by the Russians first, later by the Chinese. It is one of China's great industrial cities, mainly thanks to iron ore and coal. To the south lies Ordos, the 6th richest city in China. The people from this small city have suddenly turned rich, sold out by the government for the land rich with coal. Another big income is the Kashmir trade. Baotou is divided in 3 large districts and a few smaller ones. From west to east lies; Kunqu, with ... read more
#126 Teaching at Taizhou Teachers College, China (Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Xinjiang & South Korea; Summer Travels 2010)
Published: November 16th 2010Asia » China » Inner Mongolia » Chifeng
November 20th 2010
It has been months since my last TravelBlog entry, and for that I must apologize to all of you. My personal time this semester has been limited by the work with so many eager Chinese students, all wishing to spend extra time with me to practice their spoken English. But it is work and an experience I truly enjoy. My association and the interaction with my lovely students make me feel, that I can still make a difference to someone in my life. My travels in China fill my heart with adventure, joy and excitement, but the association with my college and my students at Taizhou Teachers College provide the energy, fuel and satisfaction for my soul. But sadly, the slow, limited and not so reliable computer-speed I am experiencing has been the more irritating problem ... read more
October 28th 2010
Om 07.10 h vertrok de trein uit Ulaan Baatar en we zouden met een hele groep naar het station gebracht worden om 06.00 h. Vond dit wel vrij vroeg en wist nog van de aankomst, dat er op dat tijdstip nauwelijks verkeer was en dat het niet langer dan 10 min. rijden zou zijn. Op het moment dat ik de centrale ruimte instapte om 06.02 h (toegegeven iets te laat), helemaal niemand! Hmm... Hosteleigenaar opgezocht en hij zei dat de chauffeur na 10 min. terug zou zijn. Ok... Geloofde dit niet helemaal en ging maar een beetje ontbijt maken. Na 25 min. nog geen chauffeur en begon de optie te overwegen om maar met een taxi te gaan. Hosteleigenaar me gerust stellen, maar was niet echt nodig en gevraagd of hij een taxi wilde bellen. Hij ... read more
October 16th 2010
What should I expect? The accounts all differ. Some new American fellow-expat friends, who have lived and worked overseas for many years, tell me to expect to get bitten by the travel bug very soon after returning home. To find dating more difficult than before, because my perspective and lifestyle are very different from what they used to be. To discover that I have changed in ways I don't even suspect yet. From my Chinese friends who live Stateside, however, I have heard that living abroad for several years is bittersweet, for the simple fact that home will always be home. One craves foods that are not to be found without some difficulty, one misses family; and these dear friends have been away from their families for years, while as for me, it has only been ... read more
October 1st 2010
Right, so Inner Mongolia I don't feel the need to say much about other than it was amazing.I went on an epic run while we were there. Long story short I wanted to climb this mountain which didn't look to be that far away, but it was. After running in and around the hills, and a brutal climb I returned three and a half hours later refreshed. The view was incredible. We slept in a tent that night which was rather cold, but we survived. We only made a short trip there but came back with some great stories and brilliant pictures. Now enjoy the many many pictures. ... read more
September 29th 2010
A Morning of Celebrity Lately, I have been in the stage where I'm so caught up with getting ready to come home that I haven't been going out as much on social visits. But last weekend I had the unique opportunity of being involved in a "Question and Answer" session hosted by my friend Lulu and attended by her classmates, who are all studying English as part of their major. I felt a little anxious about it until the night before; then Lulu texted me with the topics and possible questions I was supposed to "lecture" on: they were not weighty, and I could just kind of outline answers in my mind before I went to sleep. Sunday was the day of the event; Lulu's campus is outside the city, so at 8:30am she picked me ... read more
