The Mid-Autumn Festival was a lot of fun! I stayed here in Qufu and the weekend was jam-packed with activities!
On Thursday, I went for a small bike ride to the mall by myself. I just wanted to see more of it and have some time to window shop. I found a couple nice shirts that were on sale, so I bought them. After that, I came back to the apartments and rested before going out with Makenzi, Shawn, and Jason. We met up with some English graduate students named Cindy, Jenny, and Nancy. All of them were very nice and very eager to speak English and help us learn a little Chinese.
On Thursday, I went for a small bike ride to the mall by myself. I just wanted to see more of it and have some time to window shop. I found a couple nice shirts that were on sale, so I bought them. After that, I came back to the apartments and rested before going out with Makenzi, Shawn, and Jason. We met up with some English graduate students named Cindy, Jenny, and Nancy. All of them were very nice and very eager to speak English and help us learn a little Chinese.
With them, we walked around downtown, into the old, walled city, and went to the Confucian gardens again.
We took "penny cabs" to the gardens. Penny cabs are just little carts stuck on the back of e-bikes. They are inexpensive and a decent way to travel around quickly without having to hail a taxi. The gardens were still beautiful, but I think they were not as nice as the first time I went. We did, however, see different parts of the gardens and different views of places I had been before.
I like this picture because you can see in the foreground a traditional building, but behind it is a new, modern hotel. Like Japan, the China has done what it can to hold on to its traditional roots, but is also moving forward into a new age.
After walking around town and through the gardens, everyone was hungry, so we decided to get some dinner. We decided on Korean barbecue.
All of the food cost each of us 25 yuan (about $3.50). We walked around afterwards to burn off some of the calories we had just consumed. Because it was the Mid-Autumn Festival and the moon was full, it was very bright out and was a pleasant evening to be out with good friends. The circle in the middle of the picture is the moon.
There are many activities for people to do here in Qufu. Every night, many women like to do social dance classes. They are almost like Chinese square dances, but with pop music. The women looked like they were having fun and it seems like a great way to do low-impact exercise. Maybe I will look into it for my exercise.
Walking back took about 30 minutes, but we got to see fireworks go up from behind a building.
Coming back onto campus, we heard some music playing and decided to investigate. Turns out some students were having a singing and dancing party. They had a PA system set up as well as a stage where people could perform songs. Most of the performances were pretty good and very exciting, notwithstanding the fact that I had no idea what they were saying.
At this point, I was exhausted and we said goodbye to the grad students. We walked to the apartments and I think all of us fell asleep the moment we each got into our beds.
At this point, I was exhausted and we said goodbye to the grad students. We walked to the apartments and I think all of us fell asleep the moment we each got into our beds.
The next day Makenzi, Shawn, Jason, and I decided to go try the KFC. We all took our e-bikes and travelled the 10 minutes there. The KFC here is different than those in the US. For one, there are burgers and other kinds of things on the menu that are not found in the US.
We walked around downtown some more and went into a small off-the-road area where there was an art store. Jason bought some supplies and we headed back to campus. As I have mentioned, the freshmen have military training and they were doing something on the field. After Jason put his purchases in his room, he and I went go check it out. All of the freshmen were on the field, just hanging out. But, in the middle of the field, there were about 30 people learning how to fold and unfold blankets. As we watched, each person unfolded the blanket, shook it out, and then proceeded to fold it up again in a very specific manner. After they were checked by the unit leaders, most of them sat around doing nothing and played on their phones.
I tried to take a panorama of the field, so the picture is very small. But all the people on the field are freshmen. I think all 4,000 of them were on the field, in their units, which I found out are done by which college they are entering.
After a while, Shawn, Nancy, Jenny, and Cindy joined us and we met up with more of their friends. We decided to go get something to drink out the east gate, so we went to get some boba tea or some milk drinks. I wanted boba, but I there was a misunderstanding and I ended up getting a milk drink. It was chocolate and tasted almost like lukewarm hot chocolate. Jason got a drink with jelly pieces in it and Nancy got a boba. We all sat in the cafe and enjoyed our drinks and the company.
After a while, Shawn, Nancy, Jenny, and Cindy joined us and we met up with more of their friends. We decided to go get something to drink out the east gate, so we went to get some boba tea or some milk drinks. I wanted boba, but I there was a misunderstanding and I ended up getting a milk drink. It was chocolate and tasted almost like lukewarm hot chocolate. Jason got a drink with jelly pieces in it and Nancy got a boba. We all sat in the cafe and enjoyed our drinks and the company.
When we returned to campus, we noticed that the freshmen were in the Confucius courtyard. We went to check it. It was a rehearsal for the performances the next day. These girls were performing a dance. I really liked their outfits and the music.
The freshmen waiting.
After a quick break at the apartment, I met up with everyone again and we went to dinner here on campus. We ate at a restaurant near the apartments in the international hall. We had málàtàng, which was where we got to pick what we wanted out of a cooler and the chef boiled it in a broth. We then got to pick out a sauce with spices and eat it.
I had no idea what I was putting in my bowl. I think there were some pork rolls, fish cakes, spinach (?), tofu, noodles, eggplant, and something like Japanese aburaage, or deep-fried soybean balls. All of it was very good and I liked it a lot. I will have to go back, since it only costs 18 yuan ($3).
This was the sauce. Again, I have no idea what it was, but I also put some spice in it, and it gave the whole bowl a nice kick. After dinner, we all came back to the apartments, since two days of many activities made all of us very tired.
I spent most of Saturday in the apartment alone. I needed some time to recuperate and to make my lesson plans for this week. Around dinner time Matt came and asked if I wanted to go get something to eat. We ended up outside the North Gate at the same place I had gone to with Micheal. This noodle bowl was what I ordered. It was cold noodles with cucumber slices, tomato, and soybeans in a sauce. I really liked it. It was 7 yuan (about $1).
Once we finished, we went back on campus and Matt went back to the apartments. I decided to check out the freshmen festival, and found that it had already started. I got there maybe a little before halfway. I was off to the side and had to stand on my tip-toes to see the stage. The performances varied from dance groups, to singing, to gymnastics, and traditional readings of Confucius. The groups that performed on stage alternated with the colleges of freshmen singing their college songs. Each college has a specific song that they sing every year and the incoming freshmen perform them.
Once we finished, we went back on campus and Matt went back to the apartments. I decided to check out the freshmen festival, and found that it had already started. I got there maybe a little before halfway. I was off to the side and had to stand on my tip-toes to see the stage. The performances varied from dance groups, to singing, to gymnastics, and traditional readings of Confucius. The groups that performed on stage alternated with the colleges of freshmen singing their college songs. Each college has a specific song that they sing every year and the incoming freshmen perform them.
After about 15 minutes of being on the side, I ran into a friend of Beatrice (one of the liaisons here). She took me to the front table and I GOT A FRONT ROW SEAT for the rest of the festival!!! I was so grateful to her! I went from this mediocre view to being able to see everything!
My view from the front row table!!!
I had so much fun at the show and I was very fortunate for running into Beatrice's friend/colleague.
Sunday came around and I had to teach classes. They went ok, but I did not get as much done as I had hoped, so I am still behind in two of my Speaking classes. Hopefully we will catch up this Friday. I got a call from Quinn, the girl Jason and I met in the Confucius courtyard, and she told me she had lunch for her and me. I met up with her after class and we sat in a nice park on campus and ate a different kind of jianbing. She had brought some of the wrappings from her hometown when she went there for the break. She bought some fillings from one of the dining halls on campus and we made our own jianbing. The filling on the left is a tofu dish and the one on the right is fried and seasoned potatoes. It was different than the ones I buy from the other vendors, but they were still very good and I think I like the wrapping that Quinn brought more than the ones from the vendors. She also had rice milk drinks for us. Mine had corn in it and was very good. We also ate peanuts (the blue and white bag at the bottom of the picture).
Sunday evening Makenzi and I went out the North Gate to get some noodles. We ran into a student who had come to my class earlier that day. His name is Peter. He joined us for dinner and it worked out ok, because he helped us order our food. My dish that I picked out is thus far my favourite. It has sweet onions, carrots, beef pieces, and bell peppers over shaved noodles. The sauce was excellent, but oily. I need to remember the name of it so I can recognize it if I see it at another restaurant.
Yesterday, Monday, passed without much excitement. In my Speaking classes, we did shopping in America, so I showed them the Mall of America and Bloomingdale's. We also did a brief culture lesson on American currency and I brought in some money. I think they liked that. We also did some role-playing with some clothes that I brought in as well. We worked on adjectives and learning about how shopping transactions usually take place in America. Here in China there is a bargaining culture, but I told them that in America there really is no bargaining culture. The only way to pay a lower price is with coupons or if there are sales and other formal discounts.
After classes, Peter called me and I ended up spending some time talking with him about various things. Although he is a Chinese language and literature major, his English is very good, and he is very interested in Western philosophy. He tried to talk about philosophy with me, but since my knowledge in that field is limited, we ended up talking about other things such as the advantages and disadvantages of American politics compared to Chinese politics. We got hungry and decided to get food at the dining hall. I got these jiaozi. The fried ones were just meat, but the others had meat and carrots in them. In total they cost 2 yuan (about 30 cents).
After classes, Peter called me and I ended up spending some time talking with him about various things. Although he is a Chinese language and literature major, his English is very good, and he is very interested in Western philosophy. He tried to talk about philosophy with me, but since my knowledge in that field is limited, we ended up talking about other things such as the advantages and disadvantages of American politics compared to Chinese politics. We got hungry and decided to get food at the dining hall. I got these jiaozi. The fried ones were just meat, but the others had meat and carrots in them. In total they cost 2 yuan (about 30 cents).
I was still hungry, but I needed to get back to finish up some lesson plans, so I bought these. They are a fried bread wrapping with tofu, green onions, other green vegetables, eggplant, potatoes, and a sauce. It was pretty good and cost 4.5 yuan (about 70 cents).
Nothing really exciting happened today. I just went to my writing class. We reviewed pre-writing, brainstorming, and making an outline. We also started to talk about narratives and what kinds of events in a life are very memorable. This evening I went shopping and picked up these Pringles. They are "Finger Licking Braised Pork Flavor." I think I liked the other ones better.
Overall, a very action-packed weekend and start to the week. Next week is National Week and I would like to go to Qingdao. Many of my juniors are from there, so I might get them to help me buy a ticket and figure out how to get around the city. Makenzi might go with me, so she and I need to start making plans. Sorry for such a long post, but hopefully the number of pictures shows just how much I have done in the past five days.