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Published: November 4th 2018
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Rubber Ducky!
The whole table broke out into “rubber ducky, you’re the one!” when they dropped these desserts off. But then no one knew the next line so they did the “mmm mmm mmm mmm so much fun!” Except for my mom, who sang the whole song. I think the locals were confused. I've solved the Genghis Khan mystery! Today on the bus, my mom let me sit next to her (because I have all the drugs and she was still feeling a little sick), and we were talking about who my real father could be. But then, I looked at her arm, and it turns out she's the one who has the Genghis Khan roots! Either she has some Native American blood stemming from those who walked across the land bridge during the last ice age, or we're about to find out on this trip that gingers come from China. Or maybe this whole legend thing is not real. I think it's the land bridge hypothesis though.
The first village today was Karen's mom's village (not my mom, my grandmother's village on my mom's side is in Pennsylvania). We picked up the local government official and once in the village quickly found the village elder. He took us straight to her mom's old house, but we couldn't get inside. As they were sending someone off to find a ladder so they could climb up to the second story and see inside a window, someone found a back entrance and pushed the door
Dim sum some more sum!
So much dim sum! This wasn’t even all of it. 10 inches apart. A couple of us got through, before they found bolt cutters and just took the lock straight off.
Karen asked me to video tape her family going through the house, which I happily agreed to. Her mom left China at 16, and the house had fallen apart after decades of neglect. The house made me nervous because what was left of the roof was starting to fall in, and it was definitely not the most safe structure in the world. I ran out quickly to get Deet sprayed on me after mosquitos quickly found me, and while termites continued to swarm, Asian fusion isn't their preferred dish. Once back inside with my layer of Deet protection, I was exploring a dark area of the house with a flashlight when I came across an old bed with part of the roof on caved in. Underneath, I found a bunch of letters from the 1940s and 1950s. Karen was so happy to have a small piece of her mom! We collected the letters (some deteriorated on touch, but we did find a journal and some letters in fairly good condition), and she plans to return to the US
Poor Mama O
The only thing Mom could eat at lunch. She was so sad because she loves dim sum and hates juk (this rice porridge), and watching other people eat delicious food isn’t as fun as it sounds. with them and translate them to English. An exciting find!
Lunch was next, and this was by far my favorite lunch to date on this trip. We arrived to the dim sum place to find that another restaurant was having an opening ceremony complete with lion dancing and Kung Fu. It was quite the ceremony! It must have gone on for 15 minutes! Afterwards, it was time for dim sum. We had two tables, and we ordered separately. It reminded me of case studies we used to get in college, where one table gets organized quickly and efficiently, and one table disastrously cannot work together and everything falls apart. I was at the latter. We spent so much time arguing, that by the time we decided who was going to order food, the other table was already eating. Mom was still under her 24 hour rule and couldn't eat, but Dad and I easily ate for 2. Everything was so delicious! For dessert, they brought mango ducks. I think we had more fun playing with the ducks then eating.
After lunch, we went to Karen's father's village (again, my grandfather's village is in Pennsylvania). Her paternal grandfather was
This Is Delicious
This photo was taken right after I found out what was in the liquor. in hiding during the cultural revolution because he was a wealthy business man. Someone ratted him out, and her grandfather was executed in the village square. The whole village was told that no one was allowed to touch his body so that it could serve as a reminder, otherwise they'd face the death penalty. Karen's dad was already out of China at this point, and none of the villagers dared touch her grandfather's body except for one poor man, who felt he had nothing to lose and used to work for her grandfather. In the middle of the night, he retrieved the body and buried him. Karen's dad told her to find the man to thank him. Unfortunately, that man has passed away, but Karen found his wife and was able to thank her for her family's generosity towards hers. It was a moving moment. Once back on the bus, we found out that Karen's grandfather was ratted out by his own daughter, Karen's aunt! Karen has forgiven her aunt, but Karen's dad has not and still doesn't talk to his sister to this day.
Most people on this trip have family stories of hardship. It takes a lot
What Was In The Liquor
I think the English label says it all. to leave your life behind for a place you've never been to. It's been so interesting hearing everyone's family stories of how their families got to America, and what made them leave their lives behind in the first place.
Dinner was next and Mom's first meal in over 24 hours. Al, the group leader, came by with hard liquor again. When he got to our table, he poured Dad, himself, and me 2 shots. On the third shot, he casually mentioned that there were snake testicles in the liquor. I thought he was joking until I read the label. Yup, snake testicles. Al started laughing so hard. Scott, the only other person my age on the trip and who went last year as well, said that last year Al did something similar. After dinner one night, he casually told everyone that the meat was dog meat. Now I'm terrified to both drink liquor and eat meat.
The trip has been a great experience so far, but the days are definitely long. I thought I'd get to sleep a little bit more. Can't wait until it's our turn to see my grandmother's and grandfather's villages!
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