Week 4- Caves and Orchards

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Greetings once again! I had a great week! Each weekday, I was in the schools testing on my experiment. We are currently working with a school called Nan Nan Primary; so far, I have tested 21 children on the task. It is really funny whenever I go there because I don't think the children have ever seen someone from America before. Every time I walk by their classrooms, they yell out, "Look! A foreigner! A foreigner!" Apparently, I am very novel to them! On Thursday, I arrived just as all the children were lined up outside doing their morning exercises. I felt bad because I think my presence completely distracted all the children from the dance routine the teacher was desperately trying to get them to do.

On Friday, Angela (my American friend from Kansas) and I decided to go to Shuāng Lóng Dòng (Double Dragon Cave). It is part of a huge system of caves up in the mountains about 10 kilometers from Jinhua. Our friend Orange said she would come along with us to help us out with translating. We hopped on a bus near Luojiatang and it took us about 30 minutes to get there. The bus ride was probably the most winding, dizzying bus ride of my life! It took us up through the mountains and never once slowed down, despite the fact that we were whipping around 90-degree angles and hairpin turns. It was not a ride you would ever want to take if you are prone to carsickness! By the time I got off, I felt like I was seeing stars. Anyway, we finally got there and we realized the park system was WAY bigger than we had imagined it to be! There was no way we were going to get to all the caves in one afternoon, so we just decided to go to the two we were most interested in.

We first went to a huge cave system that was nestled within the highest mountain. When we arrived, they said there was going to be a tour guide but that she wouldn't start the tour for another hour and that, if we wanted, we could just go through the cave on our own. We decided this would be best because the tour would probably be in Chinese anyway and we would have no idea what was going on! So, we started the descent on our own. It didn't feel like we were going that deep, but on the way back out, I thought we were never going to reach the top! The path was fairly well-lit but there were times when it was really narrow and you couldn't see where you were going very well. Every once in awhile, we would come to a giant gapping hole where you couldn't see the bottom- I wouldn't have wanted to fall down there! There were bats everywhere, which didn't really bother me much, but I could think of some of my friends back in the States who would not have enjoyed that! After about an hour of winding around tiny corridors and climbing up twisting metal staircases, we finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel (literally!). When we emerged, we were at the top of the mountain and then had to climb back down. No wonder why it felt like we were going up so many steps!

We then headed over to the most famous cave system in the region, the Double Dragon Cave and Ice Pot Cave. The Double Dragon Cave has a huge natural opening that looks like there are two dragons perged in the corners (hence the name). This cave didn't have nearly as many tiny corridors to climb through; however, in order to enter the main section of the cave, you needed to lay down in a tiny little boat and have someone pull you through to the order side. Basically, you are laying on your back in a rowboat on an underground river and the ceiling of the cave is about 6 inches above your face. Certainly not a place you would want to be in if you are claustrophobic! It was great fun, and once we got to the other side, we went down a bit farther and eventually came to the Ice Pot Cave, which has a huge underground waterfall in it. It was absolutely beautiful (see photos). After spending a bit more time in this cave, we realized that the bus we needed to catch would be leaving soon and that we had better get back above ground. We made our way back to the top, just in time to see our bus pull up to the station. Our ride back down to Jinhua was every bit as dizzying as the one up the mountain, only this time we were also stuck listening to a Chinese version of Mrs. Robinson (originally by Simon and Garfunkel) on repeat.

This morning (Saturday), my friend Clover invited me to take a bus with her to a nearby village to see the famous peach blossoms the region is known for. There were five of us who came with her- Jessica and Kathy (from China), Rose (from Cameroon), Angela (from USA), and myself. It took about 40 minutes to get there and along the way we passed a group of middle-aged men who were standing in a line doing the Macarena along the side of the road (highly entertaining!). Once we arrived, we walked along a long path that eventually took us to a small village and then to the peach orchards. It was gorgeous, and we ended up spending pretty much the entire morning and afternoon there. We had lunch at a small restaurant along the side of the road and then continued walking around some more. We were in an incredibly rural area where Clover said probably all of the residents have never seen foreigners before; thus, we were getting stared at the entire time (this also happens in Jinhua, but it was particularly obvious here!). I have long lost count of the number of people who have asked to have their picture taken with me. Rose, Angela, and I have a contest going of who has the most number of people come up to them and say hello or ask to have their picture taken. I am winning by a landslide, and we think it is because of my blond hair.

Later this afternoon, I was playing ultimate frisbee with a group of Chinese students over at the soccer stadium. I went to dive for the frisbee and completely lost my balance and did a total face-plant into the ground. At the time, I was in so much pain I was convinced I had broken my nose in the fall. Thankfully, I walked away with only a bloody lip and a major headache that I am still attempting to recover from. One of the guys in the group said that in the three years he had been playing ultimate frisbee, he had never seen anyone take such a hard fall. Sigh, it's nice to know I'm setting records over here! :S I took a time-out and then got back in the game even though I was still in major pain. My team eventually ended up winning, but by the end, I was just ready to go home and nurse my wounds!

And that leads me to the present moment! I am currently in my dorm room, doing some laundry and cleaning. To wrap this entry up, I shall take the time to answer some questions people have sent me:

Question: How are people and crowds when you're out and about?
Answer: It is crowded, all the time and at every place! The university itself is the area where you have the most free space, but when you get into the city, it is always packed. I would never want to actually drive a car here; cars, buses, scooters, bicycles, people....they all just do what they want, when they want! Crossing the road is particularly hazardous because even if people have a red light, they don't seem to pay much attention to it. Even on the sidewalks you aren't safe- people literally just drive their car up unto the sidewalk! I have a huge amount of respect for the taxi and bus drivers here because they seem to effortlessly navigate the city, despite all the hazards.

Question: Does it feel much different from Canada/USA?
Answer: Most definitely! The culture is just so incredibly different here- from the food to the way people interact to the architecture. It's a great learning experience because every day I discover something different and I have to adapt. Of course, I clearly stand out as a foreigner and this just adds to the experience because everywhere I go, people are curious about me too. There are probably around 50 foreign students on campus, most of them from African countries and Korea. Thus, on campus, I don't stand out as much. However, everywhere else, I get the stares and chorus of "hello's!"

Question: What is the best part about living in China? What is the worst part?
By far, the best part is getting to truly experience another culture and not just feel like a tourist. I love meeting new people and getting to see a part of the world that is so very different from home. People are all so friendly and helpful and they want to learn just as much about where I come from as I want to learn about where they are from. The worst part...hmmm....that would probably be the bathrooms (look up 'squat toilets' if you want to get a feel for what they are like) and the language barrier. While a good number of students at the university speak basic English, once you get outside the school, it is a whole new ballgame! I have learned a decent number of Chinese words and phrases that help me navigate, but it can be very frustrating when you are trying to communicate with someone and neither of you has any idea what is going on!

I hope all is going wonderfully at home! I think and pray about all of you often, and I must admit, I desperately miss Western food (I'm used to the Chinese food now, but I just miss typical Western-style food!). Much love to you all, and keep in touch! 😊

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Comments

[Lindsay]

Hey Linds! Awesome blog entry, such amazing pictures. I think its really awesome how up for anything you are. I know the bats and boat through a tight place would have made me a little leery! And clearly you are giving it all 100%, as evident from the frisbee incident! And woo you have survived a month and aren't going too crazy?!

[chloe]

Linds - looks like a wicked good time. The caves look awesome - though I don't think I'd ever get myself into that bloody boat! I also dig the pics of the orchard and purple blossoms. Very pretty! Glad to hear you're still having a great time, and finding ways to balance experimenting with wild adventuring. Keep the good times rolling!!