Fashion

I knew coming to China I would have the opportunity to discover new fashion with the open- mind of potentially bringing home some new trends. I have seen a lot of new fashion but will definitely not be bringing any of the trends home. Personally, some of the fashion in China is not my favorite. I wanted to give everyone an opportunity to see some trends and decide for themselves if they would rock these fads.

Bling is an understatement when it comes to China. They put it on EVERYTHING. I have tried to buy shirts, dresses, and boots, each time excited when I see something I may like, only to pull it completely off the rack to find fake diamonds in the shape of a heart or bear. Trying to find a plain shirt or pair of boots without it being glammed out with some sort of design made of fake, cheap studs is incredibly difficult.

Girls love to wear shorts with tights underneath. Yes, like back in the early 90's when we thought it was cool too. My personal favorite are leather shorts with some sort of colored pair of tights underneath.... The one thing I do really like is the tights here are very thick and warm but look just like normal tights. The weather here is super cold and to wear lightweight tights would be idiotic; Having warm tights that look fashionable is crucial. The only issue I face is Chinese woman have no @ss so for me to find tights that will go over these American thighs and butt is next to impossible to find.

One unisex trend that seems to be hip among the late teens and early-twenties age group are thick-framed glasses without lenses. This gives the young face a "sophisticated" but modern look that is very popular. A co-worker of mine bought in bulk and stocked up on glasses that cost about $50RMB ($8) for 3 pairs. I constantly poke fun of him saying he should at least have bought some with lenses so it doesn't seem AS stupid! He insists it makes it look younger and more hip.

A lot of younger men in China that are considered trendy are incredibly metro. The clothes are worn tight; their hair is longer that average and either poofy or slicked; and they love man purses. Some men like the skinny jean-look with chucks, very emo looking.

For the most part matching doesn't seem to be important when it comes to fashion. Patterns are acceptable to mix, as well as any color of the rainbow. I know that brown and black is now an acceptable, wonderful trend, which I dig if put together well, but the Chinese take it to a whole new level.

Most of the trends that are found in China are inspired in Korea, or so I am told. Overall, the fashion is not my cup of tea but if you find these trends awesome that's your opinion. I know I am not Miss Trend Setter back home but I seem to think of myself as somewhat fashionable. I have provided pictures so you are able to see the amazing fads here in China. Enjoy!

The link I have provided offers cartoons which are 100% accurate on shopping in Asia.

http://www.lovelovechina.com/fashion/korean-fashion-chinese-fashion/

The Spring Festival

The Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, is the biggest holiday celebrated in China. I was very unprepared for how big this celebration really is!

Here is a little background on the holiday: According to the traditional Chinese calendar, Spring Festival is celebrated around the time of Lichun, or the beginning of Spring; it follows the lunar calendar. The first three days of the lunar calendar are legal holidays where all government agencies and businesses are closed. Most Chinese celebrate by getting together with family, exchanging "lucky money", setting off fireworks, and feasting. Many grandparents, aunts, uncles, and parents will give the children money in red envelopes which is called "lucky money". The Chinese believe that if you give money to others the fortune will be returned to you later; the act of giving brings good luck.

Fireworks are a huge part of celebrating the Chinese New Year. The Chinese believe that fireworks ward off evil spirits. People will buy bundles of fireworks to set off throughout the fifteen day celebration. At midnight on New Years Eve, the entire country of China will set off a majority of the fireworks, filling the night sky with beautiful explosions. I have never see more fireworks set off at one time in my entire life. The Chinese New Year puts the American 4th of July to shame. I was visiting Beijing and went out in Sanlitun, a street lined with many bars and restaurants. At midnight my friend and I went outside to enjoy the show but realized we were surrounded by people setting off fireworks; we were stuck in the alleyway! They would light the fireworks ten feet from our feet. As they exploded, pellets would fly throughout the air followed by loud explosions that made your ears ring. It felt like a war zone! Words cannot describe the insane madness that took place; it was a crazy experience.

2012 is the Year of the Dragon. The dragon symbolizes royalty, fortune, and power. According to China Daily, this year will spike in marriages and births because of the symbolism of the dragon. The Chinese will also purchase more luxury items, such as vehicles and jewelry. I have posted the article below for more information.

My experience of the Spring Festival exceeded my expectation of celebration. I heard that stores will close and many people will be in their homes celebrating but I thought, "how deserted can a city actually be in China?". I realized the holiday is taken way more seriously than I anticipated. I traveled to Beijing to see a friend, as well as to finally see the hot spots of China. The subways were empty, the streets had no traffic, and everything was shut down. This may seem like no big deal but Beijing has approximately 20 million people, which makes it seem too eerie for them to all just "disappear". We were able to see many of the sights, such as Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall, but as for non-Westernized restaurants and shopping, they were completely shut down. A few major restaurants did stay open to host feasts for the celebration. We were able to eat lunch at a wonderful Dim Sum restaurant but the wait for a table was maddening and chaotic. We attended a temple festival where hundreds of people came to see dances, play games, and pray for the upcoming year.

The holiday was a wonderful experience. I enjoyed seeing a culture come together and celebrate with so much cheer. The Chinese are very proud and excited about the Spring Festival. I really enjoyed hearing about the different beliefs and symbolism that the Chinese New Year represents. Happy New Year to all and I hope the Year of the Dragon treats you well!

Pictures shown (top to bottom):

Chinese praying at a temple for the New Year.

Dancers performing at a festival

People waiting at the Dim Sum restaurant for a table

Chinese New Year decorations

http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2012-01/21/content_14486069.htm

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Merry Christmas to all! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday back in the states. Christmas is my favorite time of year, usually lasting the entire month of December. Not only do I enjoy getting a present or two, but I love all the events and quality time spent with people I love leading up to the big day. I never thought being away for Christmas would be as difficult as I anticipated; I also never thought being in China would shed new light on the holiday.

I have always enjoyed the traditions my friends and family have held celebrating Christmas together. I loved shopping for wonderful presents for friends and family while cheery Christmas music played throughout the mall. Being merry every weekend with a full-packed month of parties and get-together's was something I always looked forward to. Being away in China I did miss all of these, but I also had the ability to step back from the holiday craziness and see Christmas from a different point of view.

For those of you who know me well, you are aware that I have a private relationship with God. I am a Christian and pray, but do not belong to a church. I do not read the bible and my knowledge of specific stories are very vague. I am not the type that prays just when I need help; I realize how fortunate I have been in my life and thank Him often. I pray for others, talk to Him like a buddy, and speak to Him in time of need. It is not that I do not care about learning more about Christianity and practicing religion, I just have not had success in finding a church that makes me feel comfortable in how I interact with the Son, the Father, and the Holy Spirit.

The reason I am telling you this about myself is because being in China stirred religious emotions inside of me that I was not aware I had. China "celebrates" Christmas, but only in the marketing sense. Every hotel, restaurant, clothing and electronic store will blare cheesy Christmas music and have heinous, cheap decorations of Santa hung everywhere. If you think English Christmas music can drive you crazy by day 24, imagine listening to Chinese Christmas music; it will drive you to absolute insanity. The Chinese do not have Christmas trees and play "Santa" with their children, but they use Christmas as a way to get people to buy gifts for themselves and others. Every store will offer deals and host sales all because "tis the season".

Being surrounded by this mockery of Christmas seemed like a huge joke to me. I am not blaming the Chinese culture for any of this; I want to make that very clear. I understand that most Chinese do not practice Christianity so I understand why they would not practice Christmas, but to make it just about the sales is disturbing.

I know you are probably wondering, "How this is any different from the American culture?", but this year I took offense to the whole ordeal. Many Chinese want to learn and imitate American culture. My belief is they see what we do in America and "celebrate" the Christmas season. Who is to say they are not correct in what they see? The blaring music, cheesy decorations, and people going mad by filling their shopping carts to ensure a fully-stocked tree on Christmas morning. There are many people in my life that remind me what Christmas REALLY means and I want to thank you so much for keeping your faith high, not only everyday, but during the Christmas season.

I think being in China has allowed me to see the ridiculousness that American's have made Christmas out to be. We have spread the message to other cultures that Christmas is about presents and the best sales at the mall. I think we all need a reminder that it is my Man upstairs' birthday so we better give Him a good shout out. Whether you are a practicing Christian or not, don't forget to say "Happy Birthday". Whether that means going to Church or praying alone. Spend time with your loving family and friends while you have the chance and give to others in need. It is really important to recognize how lucky we all are. I know Jesus would appreciate that. Merry Christmas everyone!

Foodie Experience #1

Everyone warned me that I may starve when I come to China because the food is "terrible". Believe me, easily shedding a few pounds because of bad tasting food was something I was secretly looking forward to. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.

Urumqi, China has some of the best food in China, according not only to my taste buds, but many other people's opinions. The Xinjiang province is known for having the best fruits in all of China. Because of the cold weather now, the seasons for fruit has passed but there are still many options to choose from. The Chinese markets are filled with fresh and dried fruits and many locals pick these for their number one snack; I think this is why all of them are so skinny! The worst fruit they have, and many Chinese will agree, is called Durian. It is a spiky fruit on the outside and a white, almost peach-like texture, on the inside. You only eat the inside part of the fruit and when you bite it, it is actually very pasty. The worst part about the fruit is the smell, it is so foul. Many hotels and grocery stores won't sell the fruit because the smell is so overwhelming. I couldn't get myself to even take a bite since my sense of smell is so strong but Curtis took a nibble and said it was probably the most disgusting thing he has ever eaten.

Another local favorite is meat, specifically lamb. They cook it in multiple ways - skewers (kabobs), polo (fried rice with carrots), and soups (with many herbs and veggies). I think the soups or stew is my favorite. The meat just falls right off of the bone and the broth and herbs add amazing flavor! Once you are done ravaging the meat, you simply place the bones on the table. Table manners are pretty minimal, to our standards, in China. The louder you slurp your soup or noodle dish is how you inform the chef the food is very delicious. You place your bones on the table or in mini trash cans, if they have them available. It is also rare that you find napkins on your table, sometimes they charge you 5RMB for a pack of napkins. Elbows on the table are common and it is okay to eat off of others plates; obviously this is something I need to adjust to because my table manners are so exceptional!

One type of food that is famous in all of China is called "Hot Pot". You are given either a large pot, or your own individual pot, filled with the broth of your choice. You boil the broth and add meats, vegetables, tofu, seaweed, noodles, and anything else that may suit your pallet. The broth flavors your food while it cooks. You may make your own dipping sauce to dip before eating which adds even more flavor. So far, this is one of my favorite things to eat in China. It is also a great social dinner to have because it lasts for hours and you can drink while waiting for your food to cook. You will leave with very full and satisfied bellies! The weirdest thing I have eaten at a hot pot, or in general, was cow stomach. It was black and bumpy but the taste wasn't too bad.

Yesterday I went to a Pot Luck lunch with my school. Everyone brought their favorite food for everyone to try. I was limited to what I could bring but I found some Kraft macaroni and cheese so I made a large portion for everyone to taste. It was pretty funny seeing the table filled with authentic Chinese dishes and then a large dish of dry mac n' cheese. Ronald brought a fish, a LIVE fish, that he had to kill and cook. It was served with the head and all!! They had spicy chicken, cooked with red chilies - spicy and delicious! They had tofu rolls, black rice noodles, sweet sticky rice with raisins and walnuts, and of course fruit!

In China everything you drink is either room temperature or hot. You cannot drink the water in China so a lot of the water is boiled before serving so drinking hot water is very common. Because of all of the meats and carbs eaten in Xinjiang, they drink certain teas that will help regulate your digestive tract. The tea tastes great and definitely works. Beer is usually served room temperature, unless you ask them otherwise. Another famous alcoholic beverage is the rice wine, which I spoke about in my Gainbei post. I finally tried it and it will definitely put some hair on your chest! It is super strong and taste a lot like black licorice.

So far I have had very tasty food here in China. I hope to learn some of the recipes so I can cook for some of you when I get back. Until then you will have to live vicariously through my words and imagine the taste. Bon' Appetite!

Pictures shown above (top to bottom):

Hot Pot with spicy and mushroom broth.

Muslim New Year lunch with lamb soup at the bottom of the picture and lamb in the center with onions and yellow carrots.

Durian, the stinky fruit.

Fruit cart in the outside market.

Spa Experience #1

Two weeks after my arrival, the team traveled to another city so I decided to head to the spa to have some nice relaxing "me time". Relaxing would probably be the last word used to describe my first spa experience.

I headed to the Hot Springs Resort, which happens to be across the street from our house. It was very difficult communicating to the ladies what I wanted to have done at the spa. It took about 30 minutes just to have them figure out I wanted a massage: a simple, basic massage.

They led me into a large locker room; It had wooden lockers and seemed like a normal spa changing room. They hand-motioned for me to take off my clothes. Naturally, I stripped down to my undergarments; It became awkward when they didnt give me anything to wrap around myself. I realized that no one had anything wrapped around themselves, or kept on their garments!

Next they took me into another large room with either open showers or individual showers (with no shower curtain) and motioned for me to shower.... I tried to tell them no thank you, I am nice and clean already but they weren't havin' it! I quickly got over being completely nude in front of a large room full of woman. Please keep in mind, I am not Chinese and there are not a lot of Westerners in Urumqi so I am already a spectacle to see - imagine what they thought when they were able to see a NAKED Westerner.

They gave me a short-sleeved shirt with matching shorts, the waist line made for a Chinese woman - meaning a size 0!! They lef me into a room with about 50 Laz-E-boy type chairs and asked me sit down. My masseuse came over with a small bucket of hot water, asking me to put my feet into it. It was SO hot! I tried to keep my feet at the top to slowly ease myself into the water but she grabbed my hands and pulled me into a standing position, dunking my feet into the scolding hot bucket of water!

So the massage begins... She makes me sit in an upright position on the ottoman of the chair. She starts rubbing my upper back and shoulders. This little 105lb girl puts her entire body weight into my back. I assumed this was a deep-tissue massage, it was SO painful! She puts her fingers in between each rib, ow!!

Then I sit down in the lazy boy Chair and she starts rubbing my feet and lower legs, this was the best part of the massage. She cracked each toe and really rubbed every inch of my feet. All of a sudden she busts our these glass bulb-like things and a small flaming torch. She puts the fire in the glass bulbs and suctions them to my feet, popping them off quickly. After a few popping-of-the-bulb procedure, she puts the flame in the bulb for about 10 seconds and sticks the bulbs onto my feet and leaves them there. It was the oddest thing I have ever seen. Apparently it is suppose to suction the toxins out of your body.....

After the bulbs lost suction and fall off of my feet, she has me turn over on my stomach. She climbs on top of me and sits on my butt! She is grinding her fingers into my back, continuing the deep-tissue massage (ow!) She starts to move South on my body. Next thing I know, she is massaging my@$$! She begins smacking it, squeezing it, and jiggling it!! I was so embarrassed; this is in a room full of people!

All of a sudden she is finished. She says "okay, bye!" and leaves me there to wonder back to the naked locker room feeling bruised, beaten, and violated. So much for a relaxing day at the spa!!

Thankfully I have found another spa, without the torture!

Baby Bums

Before we left for China, Curtis warned me about the babies and their bathroom habits; A warning did not prepare me to actually seeing it with my own eyes!

My school had a marketing event at the local mall in the children's department. Halfway through the event I saw a little girl sitting in a shopping cart when I realized, she had a huge slit in the crotch-region of her pants!!! There was this little girls va-j-j hanging out like it was nothin'! I was shocked. I then realized almost every child that was squatting or sitting had a slit in their pants which would open up and expose their private areas. I had no idea why they wore these pants until I saw a man holding his daughter over a trash can; He opened her pants and she started peeing!

I asked my head teacher why they do that?! She said, "I don't know why because I think its unsanitary but a lot of children raised by their grandparents, or if their parents are more old school, they let their children pee/poop this way. It is a way of saving money on diapers and teaches the child to squat properly, like a potty training technique". Not only does the concept of peeing/pooping everywhere boggle my mind, but it seems very unsanitary to me, not only for the baby, but the environment and others. I think about all of the dirt/germs on surfaces of seats, shopping carts, and the street. When the child sits or squats their genitals are exposed, cant this cause an infection or something?? Not only does it seem dirty, their bums are probably SO COLD! It is only the beginning of winter here and everyone is already bundling up, what about those babies bums?!

I do respect cultural differences and understand that they have been doing it for years with no problem. This is a huge cultural difference that I have witnessed so far. I have had the experience of seeing many children poop/pee on the streets of China, but I still cannot get used to it. Because I will not take a picture of this experience for your viewing pleasure, I have provided a link that has a picture as well as their explanation of the crotch-less pants for children. Enjoy the link posted below!

If you ever travel to China and decide to go shopping at the market, think twice before putting your food items in the front of the cart, you may get an unwanted addition to your purchase!

http://www.travelbugjuice.com/06/world-travel/baby-butts-chinese-split-pants-phenomenon/

Ganbei

The first week I was here we were invited to a dinner with the coaching staff, GM and President of the Tigers team. They took us to this beautiful country club nearby. The neighborhood reminded me of a wealthy Californian neighborhood with massive homes on rolling hills. I almost felt back home, almost...

We are seated at a traditional Chinese table; It is a massive round table with a large lazy susan in the middle. These types of tables are very common in China. Unlike America, the Chinese order a number of dishes and everyone at the table will share each dish. You turn the lazy susan clockwise and grab the food that you want and add it to your plate. It is very impolite to turn the lay susan counter-clockwise to grab food that has already passed you; you must wait until it comes back around. I have never seen more food in my life! We had a feast!! We had everything ranging from jellyfish to wonderful meats. It was absolutely delicious!

The one thing that threw me off were the number of glasses in front of me. I had a drinking glass, a wine glass, a shot glass, and a small pouring glass. I was already intimidated by the company who invited me so I was doing everything possible not to mess up. Adrian, a Chinese translator, was seated to my right; he told me to just pay attention to everyone and to always cheers down. Down?!? We always raise our glass and say "Cheers!". In China it is important that you always cheers below the person that has invited you to dinner. It is a sign of disrespect to cheers above them; they are more important that you! I have provided a list of Chinese "rules" to Gainbei-ing, or Cheer-sing, properly:

Drinking in China – Some Rules for Ganbei-ing.

1. Rule number one has to be – don’t be tricked into drinking more than you feel comfortable with. A Chinese friend may try to drink a lot more than he is able to consume so as not to lose face in front of you. Usually (and I put emphasis on this word) they will watch you closely to begin with to determine the pace you want to set.

2. There are two main types of alcohol consumed at meals in China – Baijiu 白酒 (strong spirits often made from rice) and Pijiu 啤酒 (beer). Baijiu can be anything from 38% to 60%+ proof so it is advisable to stick to beer unless you are a strong drinker. If someone toasts you with baijiu it is very impolite for you to then drink with beer, likewise it would be strange for you to drink baijiu if someone toasts you with beer.

3. If your drinking partner who moves to clink glasses with you is superior to you in some way (be it age or position in a company etc.), it is deemed polite for you to clink his/her glass with the rim of yours below theirs.

4. Another important though often overlooked form of drinking etiquette is for you to maintain eye contact with the person you are toasting while you are drinking – though this can be slightly awkward at times.

5. After a glass has been drained Chinese people will often extend the empty glass to you so that you can see that they have in fact finished their drink.

6. Beware of people toasting you with tea and expecting you to drink alcohol – despite what many Chinese who try to convince you otherwise might say, there is no rule saying that you have to toast with anything other than what your “opponent” is drinking – except if they are very old (65+)

7. Chinese Huaquan (划拳) is a rather complicate drinking game – try to find a patient Chinese friend to take you through the rules. The term however is now used as a sort of umbrella word for all drinking games.

8. If you are seated around a large table with a Lazy Susan in the middle, it is common for you to simply tap the edge of the Lazy Susan with the bottom of your glass when toasted to avoid the difficulty of having to stretch across a wide table to clink glasses.

9. It is essential during a meal that you personally toast the person who is paying and sputter out a few words of appreciation. People will be offended if you don’t do this. The person who is paying will usually be the person who invited you out. However if in doubt, watch closely and wait until the bill is paid, it is quite acceptable for you to then toast that person.

10. If there are old people dining with you, be sure to also toast them each at least once.

Needless to say, the end of the dinner was quite a sight. Everyone had glass-after-glass of wine. I learned the hard way to only fill a sip of my glass, rather than an entire glass of wine when Ganbei-ing with the Chinese. When I return I will be sure to share this experience with you, get ready!

(Rules provided by http://www.beijingmadeeasy.com/beijing-society/chinese-drinking-rules).