Wuhan and the welcoming of the weiguoren (foreigner)

Aug 19th-25th, 2010

Welcome to Wuhan, one of the three furnaces of China. Temps are reaching into mid to high 90s and I was told this is somewhat cool for the time of year… I am working (volunteering) at the Education Advancement Fund International (EAFI) for a week or so until I leave for Jishou where I will be teaching for the next 10 months.

I studied a fair amount about Chinese Culture in college and was always interested in the welcoming dinner for a foreigner, especially when it dealt with business. After the first night of work, a fellow worker, David (his real, Chinese name is Jiang Ye) said we would go eat with the boss tonight. Ms. He is a furious worker but seems quite calm; I wasn’t expecting what was just around the corner…

David, another worker affectionately named Hacker, and I arrived at a fancy restaurant to find the boss, Ms. He, her husband and 6 other people waiting for us with a grandiose assortment of food on the table. Ms. He’s husband then showed us a bottle of what looked to be very expensive imported vodka. He then pulled out a couple of bottle of a German beer and some other Chinese beer that he had brought to the restaurant. Before we began eating he also handed out cigarettes for all. I was later told they are the most famous cigarettes in China and cost around 20 dollars a pack, IN CHINA! Chinese culture is about giving the best to guests. Tradition also does not allow for “passing” on a cigarette or alcohol. Well I suppose I could have passed on the cigarettes as it is acceptable if you don’t smoke, but I thought what the hell, go for the experience of it all! Mr. He then began pouring the vodka, and when the 5 of us who were drinking had all received a small glass, he stood up and gave a short toast. One of many until the bottle was gone. In the mean time we began eating but every minute or so, it was time for another cheers, or ganbei, literally meaning “dry glass.” The beer was gone from the sack that Mr. He had transported them in, so he ordered more….and more. Everyone around the table was feeling a little warm; the conversation grew louder as did the smiles. My mom had jokingly asked me if I was an alcoholic while I was back in Bismarck before leaving for China, but in reality my hyper-socializing was merely training for this event. I mentioned it is unacceptable to refuse cigarettes or alcohol at the table, but there is more to it. These events are not held off until all the work is done, or the weekend has arrived. The night is a celebration and lasts into the evening, yet everyone is expected to be at work the next day, no matter what. I didn’t get sick, miraculously, and despite feeling a little nauseated throughout the morning, with a little green tea, I made it through the day unscathed. Success! Oh yeah, the food. Eel is amazing, save the vertebrae that you have to spit out.

The days continue to be warm and I’m inevitably coming down with a small illness, feels like a bright and sunny-colored-fever of some sort. I was sure it would come eventually, but really, this soon… This afternoon, Kate’s niece Lei Lei (Kate is the director/co-founder of EAFI, who recruited me for the teaching position) met with my colleagues for a night of sightseeing along the Yangtz River, and dinner at a small restaurant. Tomorrow, Sunday we will take the day off from work (these guys have been working 7 days week normally) to go with Lei Lei to a silent film with sound (it will be in Chinese, sans subtitles) and to go to explore the “snack street.” I am looking forward to the movie to get a break from trying to use my awful Chinese, and also to take a break from having to listen to my fellow worker David tell me everything that comes to mind as to practice his English. Example: David: Yelllow Stone Park, Me: uh, yeah? D: *Shoulder shrug* ( If I sound like a jerk, I can be, or maybe just sensitively irritable at times, but I am also tired from the transition over here. I am tired all day and awake each morning before the sun has decided to show its light, unable to fall back asleep. I am also not used sleeping on what is essentially a board with a thick sheet laid over it… David is really nice, and has taken wonderful care of me while I am here, so I should speak so poorly of him. He is a great person who only wants to be social and improve his English. Sorry, tangent end.) “Snack Street” promises to be a carnival of foods served up on a stick or on a small plate that will surely involve all parts of most any animal available. I need to learn how to say dog before we go as to not order it. I will eat most anything, chickens feet, organs whatever, but dog, nah, I’ll try to pass.

Sunday

We woke up early enough for a day off and headed out on what was to be a 2 hour journey across the Yangtze River, to Computown, six stories of anything and everything to do with electronics. We spent 2 hours trying to fix David's Blackberry, but he ended up having to be a new anyhow. (Side Note: Phones are crazy expensive in China, while plans for unlimited 3g is less than a dollar, as is caller I.D.) We then went to “snack street”(not as extravagant as I imagined it to be, like the ones in Beijing) for some meat on a stick, and then to a restaurant for lunch in classic Hubei Provincial cuisine. Again, ate way too much, but loved every second of the food. The conversation wasn’t too interesting though, well it sounded interesting, I just didn’t understand it…

After lunch we went to the Expendables, the movie. I didn’t need subtitles to know the premise as I am confident in saying all blockbuster, Hollywood films are exactly the same. I also felt like it was American propaganda as the “good guys” took care of the evil doers in classic stereotyping. The movie didn’t have previews, or credits, just a hunch, but I would guess that it could have been pirated. After the movie we met back up with David who had had to go back to Computown to get his “new” Blackberry fixed (yes, the one he just bought hours earlier). We then went to a Sichuan Hotpot (Different from the Mongolian Hotpot in Beijing as the liquid to boil the food is one side rich pork broth, the other hot chili oil and spices. Unlike in a specific Seattle restaurant where they give you only meat and cabbage, we ordered thin sliced beef, lamb and meatballs, but also, kelp, mushrooms, cabbage, potatoes, two types of tofu, noodles and some other greens I don’t know the name of. Another meal in which I should have stayed away from the spice a little and stopped eating long before the food was gone. Send more Tums!

Afterwards we walked down to the boardwalk along the river to enjoy the cool weather (very relative, ~80-85 degrees) and work off a little of the meal. Along the river is an open space where people are doing one of three things. People watching, a game where you whip what is essentially a big top to keep it spinning, or dancing to a choreographed steps blaring from the speakers. The night in Wuhan is when things come alive. During the day it’s simply too hot to do anything that isn’t essential. We also sat for a while along the river bank staring back to the other side of Wuhan (Hankou) and the wide river that we would cross later on a river boat. I feel like a poet or a philosopher when I travel. My senses are heightened and I’m constantly thinking about how people are living their lives, and how I (will) live mine. I feel like I am in a new world, and don’t quite know what will come of things, but I am beginning to think I will be fine making this my home for the next year.