What's Normal? #2

Much like the Tonka truck demonstration of the previous post, the driving in China is something that becomes normal after some time in the country.

Normal #2: Driving cars like bicycles

We read a recent magazine article that said the reason the driving in China is like it is stems from the fact that China moved quickly from bicycles to cars and many people drive their car like they would a bicycle. This involves changing lanes quickly, narrowly missing other cars, lanes as merely guidelines, and others. The motorcycles here in China often are treated like bikes or even pedestrians. Often times motorcycles ignore the street lights or even drive on sidewalks honking at pedestrians walking where they belong because obviously a motorcycle has the right-of-way on the sidewalk too.

But you do get used to the cars, motorcycles, bikes, pedestrians, horse drawn carts, buses, taxies, trucks, and all other means of transportation on the road. In "China Road" by Rob Gifford, the means of transportation is compared to a food chain with the pedestrians on the bottom rising all the way to the top of the heap with the driver of a 2009 BMW 5 series or Land Rover.

Tuesday Morning Image (TMI)

Freshman students came to our apartments this weekend for a Christmas open house. Every student rotated through five different apartments hearing a different part of the Christmas story and traditions. Please remember these students and the seeds that are being planted this holiday season.

Tonka Truck Traffic Jam

I am having way too much fun playing with the Tonka truck set that Kanyon got for Christmas. The trucks make for a great demonstration of the differences between China, the USA, and our hometowns.



Exhibit #1: Traffic Jam in New York, NY

Notice how orderly all the cars are. Each car stays in its own lane and even uses blinkers on occassion to change lanes.

Exhibit #2: Traffic Jam in China

Notice the lanes have no meaning in China. Most of the traffic rules we have grown accustom to are now more like "guidelines" as Capt. Jack Sparrow would say. A person can drive their car in any manner they choose as long as you don't hit the other cars.

Exhibit #3: Traffic Jam in Garden City, TX

Notice the number of cars on the road, there's not another car for miles but somehow you find yourself stuck behind a slow moving tractor with no way around. Welcome to the middle of nowhere.

Exhibit #4: Traffic Jam in Quitaque, TX

Same as the previous jam only this time with a turkey because of the Caprock and wild animals everywhere on the roads. This would have worked better with a deer, or maybe even in Turkey, TX.

Exhibit #5: Traffic Jam coming home from a Friday Night Football Game

This one's a fun bonus traffic jam. Notice the number of cars heading in one direction and the end of the line is nowhere to be found. Yet somehow one lonely car finds itself heading in the opposite direction.

Christmas Comes Early

Christmas came early to our household via a great gift idea from my parents. Their gift allowed me to go out to get one of these:



It is funny to think that now I have two of these, one in each country I live in. We have been making non-stop coffee drinks for friends, and hopefully students in the future. It is nice to have a touch of home when you are living so far from home.

What's Normal?

When we first arrived in China three years ago, many things were a little odd or strange to us then. But now these have become normal to us probably because we've gotten used to them or see them everyday. Often times we come to like and appreciate these new "normal" things but some will always be odd even if they are "normal." Over the next couple of months we'll explore what's "normal" here in China.

Normal #1: Tang



While there is Coca-cola, Sprite, 7-up, Pepsi, and just about any fruit drink you could ever want, we prefer Tang. There is almost always a jug of chilled Tang in our frig waiting for guests or for meal time. If you ever come over, we'll poor you a glass.

Rome in China

It was Roman night at our teammates house tonight. We all dressed up in togas and lounged on the floor to enjoy the meal. No Roman Night would be complete without the most famous Roman movie of all time.



By the way neither of us had seen this movie before tonight and I still didn't get it all finished. I dropped out of the race just after the famous chariot race a good 2.5 hours into the movie. We'll have the save the rest for the next Roman night, or maybe we could watch Gladiator.

12:2 Times December 2008

Former Russian Orthodox Church, now empty with locked doors

Post Office Run

We received a package notice this week and getting the package requires a trip to the Post Office. Join us as we venture out to retrieve the package.

Step 1: Put on all the layers of clothes you own because its 3 degrees outside.

Step 2: Walk from the apartment building, cross the street, and wait for the bus 14 to stop at the bus stop. While waiting, cover your face so you don't freeze.

Step 3: Push your way onto the 14 bus when it arrives. This bus is a little more crowded than most in town. Find a spot to settle down (I mean stand) on the bus and hold on tight bracing yourself from slamming into the people around you if there's a sudden stop of lane change.

Step 4: Wait for the bus as the drive jumps out of his seat to scrape the ice off the inside of the window so he can see his mirrors. Do the same to your window if you have a seat and want to see outside.

Step 5: Wait again as the bus driver pulls the bus to the side of the road and comes to the back of the bus near where you are standing. He opens a latch in the floor and sticks his head into the hole. He them lights a rag on fire (maybe to serve as a flashlight, but no one on the bus really knows what is going on) and waves the fire-rag around as he dips his head even lower into the hole. When finished, close the latch and return to the driver's seat to continue the journey.

Step 6: While waiting at red lights, or traffic jams, rev the engine as loud as possible.

Step 7: Get off the bus still a stop from the destination because the driver yells something in Chinese and everyone else gets off the bus.

Step 8: Walk to the next bus stop, then head underground to the market. This serves several purposes. First, you can cross the street without watching for cars. Second, you can get out of the cold for a minute. And third, you can pick up some clothes, toys, or food. Head upstairs when you see an exit.

Step 9: Walk to the Post Office. Hand the package slip and your passport to the attendant. Smile when he checks the picture to make sure it's you. Write your name and passport number on the package slip as he directs you in Chinese (at least I think that's what he asked me to do).

Step 10: Get your package and return home. The trip home is smooth. The bus is not broken and you have a seat for the ride.

Step 11: Once home, de-layer all the clothes you had to wear outside and put on some inside clothes (shorts and a t-shirt). Open the package and marvel at all the powdered sugar, pudding, chocolate chips, and brown sugar.

“We must never allow the authority of books, institutions, or leaders to replace the authority of knowing the Son personally and directly. When we [do] we become unconvicted and unpersuasive travel agents handing out brochures to places we have never visited.” Brennan Manning


Kanyon giving a helping hand with assembly

Common Baby Questions

Walking around the neighborhood, riding in taxies, or on the bus, the same questions are asked of Kanyon. Here are the most common ones.

“Nan haizi nu haizi?” Is he a boy or a girl? A common question for any age. Even if the baby is wearing a clear identification such as a bow, the question might still be asked.

“Ta shi yi ge yue ma?” Roughly a question asking his age. The Chinese response is always changing because he is growing so fast.

“Ta hui zou lu ma?” Has he mastered walking? Yes, “ta hui zou lu,” Kanyon cam walk. To get started he still pulls up on anything available, but it won’t be long until he is standing without any assistance to get up.

“Ta shou zhongwen ma?” Does he speak Chinese? Kanyon “bu hui shuo,” or he has not mastered speaking yet. We often say he can’t speak Chinese or English but can say mama, dada, gegege.

Tuesday Morning Image (TMI)

Our teammate has gone to Beijing to prepare for her baby's arrival. The baby is due to arrive on December 22, 2008. Please remember her and her husband as they prepare for this next chapter in their lives.

Lunch and English Corner

I had lunch with a student today. It is the first of hopefully many times to the student cafeteria to eat, talk, and get to know the students outside of class. We talked about the getting to know you stuff about hometown foods, favorite sports teams, and the weather.

The talk turned interesting when we learned some of the Chinese traditions when it comes to food as gifts/superstition. Turns out that pig's feet are customarily given to new mothers when they are recovering with their baby. Somehow the pig's feet have good nutrition or maybe just some superstition. The mother doesn't get all the feet, because as we know the pig has four feet, so maybe we give the mother two and keep the other two for ourselves. Pig's feet are just too delicious to give them all away.

English corner is always fun to go and get the random conversations about anything. The topics today began on the Harbin Winter sports games for all university students worldwide (read China-wide, or maybe even Province-wide). We quickly ran out of a winter sports talk so we moved on to building a snow cave to survive, to backpacking, to preparing for bears, to hobbies, to student schedules, to pets, to food (snake is good, dog is bad), and then to my favorite topic model airplanes or more specifically model helicopters. He could talk for hours about this. And I even got to watch some videos of his Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift radio controlled drifting car drifting around his model helicopter. And yes a video of the helicopter flying. Not to mention the video of the student dressed in a suit ice skating. You just never know what you are getting into when you head outside in China.

Tuesday Morning Image (TMI)

The coal heating plant is important to heat every building on campus. The pile of coal is over 4 stories tall and will be consumed throughout the winter. As the temperature continues to drop (it's currently 12 F) please remember those who are working outside as they face the elements for their livelihood.