Orienting Myself in the Orient

In another life I may have been to Chengdu, or even to China for that matter. I can't shake off this feeling. Everything is new, but nothing feels strange or uncomfortable. It's not a sense of familiarity, it's something else and I wish I could put my finger on it, but I can't-- the feeling just hovers over me while I prowl the city. I walk and walk, and spot small stores that peculiarly sell one good and one good only (air conditioners, gas pumps, safes, curtains, picture frames, and on and on), a vendor who you're separated from by a window selling chicken and goose livers, and drivers ready to mow you down in the middle of the street even though the light is red. (God I hate Chinese drivers, they are their own authority and they listen and respond to absolutely no one). Nothing feels like home, but nothing seems strange or out of place either...

Maybe it's the McDonald's across the street and the pretzel Goldfish I can buy at the store around the corner that don't make me feel completely out of place. I think it has more to do with the people I'm walking amongst who seem... well, just like me. I'm witnessing recognizable motions of life among the crowds of people who are also strolling out on the street (not so much strolling as they are taking baby steps-- FACT: Chengdu people walk so slow I'm hesitant to call it walking and they would never survive the pace of NYC) . Motions of life that are so very familiar: businessmen going to work, dressed up girls meeting friends at a mall, couples sharing a waffle treat at Dairy Queen's, rowdy men drinking Tsingtsao with their shirts pulled up, restaurant owners steaming noodles outside on the sidewalk, a Chinese man in a rush shoving you out of the way while passing, and stray dogs sniffing at garbage and marking poles. I've seen scenes similar to these before in another place, at another time so even though I feel so far away from home, I don't feel entirely like an alien living in a far out planet. I'm more like a space cowgirl. I guess now I'm a space cowgirl tethered to Chengdu since Dan and I have fleshed out a temporary permanent life here. Huh? Are you still following?

We're not living in a hostel anymore after 3 months of sleeping in strange beds in rooms that had constant influxes and outflows of people who smelled differently, who snored loudly, who didn't know how to whisper at 6 AM, and who smoked cigars out on the deck every morning at 5 AM. The last hostel we stayed at was Sim's Cozy Hostel in Chengdu where there were rabbits roaming around sprawling gardens, a menu boasting homemade museli, fried yakisoba noodles, mapo tofu, and baked beans with toast and eggs, an extensive DVD collection (yes! Finding Nemo), and people from all over the world willing to hang out and hear about your adventures as well as share theirs. The world is overflowing with curiosity and those itching to munch on the grass on the other side. The grass definitely is a different green over here.

After about a week-long stint there, I'm casually writing about my experiences on my bright green couch where Dan and I are the only ones in our 2-bedroom apartment (well, okay, Doodle is here too*). The view is mediocre, but the windows provide a generous 135 degree range of vision. The shower isn't separated from the rest of the bathroom (there's just a shower head, but no tub or ledge to keep the water from seeping out to the toilet and to the sink and even out the door) which is annoying, but we have a Western toilet (try shitting in a Chinese toilet every day for a year-- good for your thigh muscles, but a little too uncomfortable for my “Western” ass). The bedrooms aren't very big, but the beds could fit 3 people easily (won't be testing that out). The apartment is just what Dan and I need, and we pounced on it once given the opportunity, especially after the 2 day apartment hunt that ended in confusion and bitterness. The Chinese rental system is completely different from the American's: in China you pay 3- or 6-month increments, or a year upfront. The commission for the apartment broker also costs the same as 1 month's rent. We only found this out at the very end of the process when we were meeting with the landlord and the apartment brokers after Dan and I had found a perfect apartment after viewing 4 the day before. Dan and I didn't have the cash to pay the landlord 6 months upfront (+security deposit+broker's commission), and unfortunately the guy would neither crack a smile nor budge from his payment plan. After that Dan and I decided to go to an apartment complex we knew our workmate lived in to talk directly to a landlord.

It worked and here we are! We had to deal and haggle with an elderly short Chinese man and a plump elderly Chinese lady whose bags were so puffy it kind of looked like the cheeks of a bullfrog when it puffs out. You're probably thinking, they're old, they probably weren't too bad to deal with, old people are usually so nice and calm. FUCK THAT. This Chinese duo was anything but calm-- they screamed and spat trying to outdo each other in voice volume while giving us information about the apartment. They kept calling us the next morning when we were supposed to move in demanding to know where we were (we were on the way, stuck in traffic). They demanded us to pay more and more money upfront, even though we would be paying them that money the next day anyway. They were fucking relentless and so loud I thought they were angry the entire time. I needed an Advil after going through all the details in the contract and signing it; my head was going to explode if I heard another loud Chinese outburst.

At the end of the day though, we now have quite the experience under our belts, and an apartment nestled in between 2 main streets. One main street, People's Road South, is filled with business buildings, couture shops, and a Starbucks whereas the other one, Keuhua Beilu, is populated by local restaurants, bars, and hot pot places. There's quite a difference between the two streets and I think it accurately highlights the direction China is heading. No one can dispute China is quite the cultural haven, you'd be blind not to see it when walking down Keuhua Beilu where you can see many hole-in-the-wall restaurants offering Sichuan's special noodle dish and smell greasy hot pot soup wafting down the street from your favorite hot pot spot. Yet when you walk to its parallel street, People's Road South, you're hard pressed to find the local flavor of Chengdu anywhere. You can find a Western sports bar called “Shamrocks”, a Starbucks, and to Dan's amazement a Western style Grandma's Kitchen (he always had raved about Grandma's Kitchen and their Chinese food so he was really disappointed to find this particular one only offered Western food), Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and skyscrapers filled with hundreds of offices and even more cubicles. You can't even smell the stench of hot pot on this street. The only thing that remains the same as Keuhua Beilu is the aggressive Chinese drivers.

China is becoming quite the consumerist nation as both the government and international businesses try to tap into such an unsaturated market (except the damn beer market-- where's my Hoegaarden?!). I mean there are so many fucking Chinese people, so much potential, so much money to be made that practically every government official and multinational corporation is wielding a giant boner at the possibilities. I think the challenge will be to balance China's distinct history and culture with this consumer culture, and to retain its original cultural uniqueness. I really hope China doesn't whore herself out completely to the sleazy capitalistic, consumerist tendencies that slowly eat away at cultural relevance. I'm hopeful because although China has already adopted free market principles, at the heart of it she holds substance and a distinct essence that set it apart from other countries. When I was in Costa Rica, for example, I didn't feel any real culture. Costa Rica at that point had become quite modernized and developed, and was in fact ashamed of its indigenous history with all its rich culture. The result was that Costa Rica lacked a certain cultural sparkle, although its beautiful nature made up for it. I wanted that living breathing thing I fondly call “CULTURE” because it arouses my senses, piques my interest and curiosity, and opens my mind's horizons. The sad thing about consumer culture is that it looks more or less like any other consumer culture in any other country. When you walk around the streets, it feels the same; they're filled with buying robots constantly wanting more, more of the most expensive, more of the newest, more of the flashiest, more, more, more. The flashing lights of Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Brooks Brothers, Tiffany & Co look the same on People's Road South as they do on Fifth Ave. I want my cramped, dirty restaurant with my fucking delicious, greasy noodles served by a sweaty Chinese man in a wife beater, please.

*I have the cutest dog now. Dan and I were walking down the street after signing our contract with the landlords and stumbled upon 2 people selling very small puppies. There was a particular one we fell in love with, and finding it very hard to walk away from her we bought it for about US $8. The puppy's name is Doodle (named after ChengDU), she's about a month old, and she's a local Sichuan breed. We absolutely love her, and I hope she's falling in love with us too.

Are We Human or Are We Dancers?

Do it in Chengdu. This is the path and motto Dan and I have chosen. After always opting for the unexpected and ditching established plans for newfound ones, I have found that taking that fork in the road you hadn't seen a couple of feet back in the road and somehow stumble upon mysteriously is more often than not rewarding and full of welcome surprises.

Being offered free room and board at the Sunshine International Youth Hostel in Sanya where we originally were staying as guests in exchange for daily English lessons was one of those forks in the road I happened upon. Deciding to stay was a pleasant walk down this forked road, my eyes constantly peeled for new sights and passerbys. After 1 month at this hostel, I can confidently say that the stroll was well worth it. I have made my very first friends in China at this hostel, both foreign and native, and I was surprised how sad I was to leave my temporary home in Sanya.

There were so many unique and silly experiences I encountered on my 1-month stay that come with traveling and random plans. If I hadn't decided to nest for a little bit at the Sunshine Hostel I wouldn't have been able to dance my ass off at the barbeque party that ended up with Jason lighting up a pyramid of mixed drinks on fire while everyone danced with glow sticks in their hands. I also wouldn't have been able to enjoy my first Chinese Valentine's Day when the hostel set up a game night for couples to play.

The first game (well, icebreaker) included a version of “Hot Potato” in which we passed around a Tigger stuffed animal until the music stopped, at which point the person holding Tigger would have to pop a balloon containing a dare written on a small slip of blue paper. I ended up piggy-backing Kevin while running in a circle, watching Mio kiss a table 5 times, smacking Lao Mu's butt (he had to go around the circle and have everyone do this to him), listening to Lao Mu sing in an admittedly very nice voice, laughing at Sylvia who had to pole dance on Kevin (everyone knew Kevin had a crush on her), and watching a guest get his head flicked by everyone in the circle. There were a couple of other games such as a version of Charades, but a verbal kind. By the very end, Dan and I, Alice and Damien, and a Chinese couple were tied to win... The winner would get a special 4-course Valentine's Day dinner (dishes that are uncommon in China-- mashed potatoes, cream of mushroom soup, black pepper chicken, vegetable salad, mango pudding with raspberry puree, veggies wrapped in bacon, and garlic bread) and lychee margaritas. They had me at mashed potatoes. The prospect of such a dinner fueled my competitiveness. For the finals, each couple had to come up with an impromptu 3 minute show whether it be dancing, singing, or whatever. It was a close match. Damien and Alice wooed the crowd with some MJ-imitation dances, juggling, and mock boxing. The Chinese couple did a martial arts skit. Dan and I took the prize though with our matching horsehair cowboy hats, the Macarena, and YES the only freeze I know how to do. The meal was fucking awesome, worth every embarrassing dance, butt-balloon maneuvering, and penguin imitation. It was all worth it for the mashed potatoes.

The days were just as much fun as the nights when we would lay out on the beach and I would attempt day by day to surf, secretly afraid a shark would chomp on my dangling legs. If I had continued any longer, I would've ended up swallowing the ocean whole in failed attempts and nosedives. I love living close to the beach where going for a quick swim in the ocean is always an option and you can feel the sun seeping through your skin, warming up your insides like a fire warms cold hands.

On our last day in Sanya, Dan and I spent the afternoon shopping for gifts for the staff and eating Korean with Damien and Alice for lunch. For dinner, we pigged out at our favorite street barbeque where they make the best grilled veggies, fish, and noodles. A meal can be as cheap as $3. Back at the hostel, some guests, staff, Jason, Dan and I started the night off with a power hour, my first successful one in China and Alice and Damien's first ever. Jason insisted Dan and I could drink beers for free all night since it was our farewell party. He even made us B-52s which were a little intimidating to drink because they were on fire and we had to use straws which went right through the flames! I could've done mine faster... Once we got through that the night ended up with dancing (of course), a Chinese game called “007”, free Sambuca shots, a late night swim/surf session in the ocean, ramen, and free dumplings. Perfect. Free dumplings or not, it wouldn't have been the same without the people that made the hostel what it was, and what it meant to me. Each staff member and guest at the hostel were always so kind (Ina made sure to give me constant medicine when I was sick), so curious (Jason always asking about the American way of saying things), so cute (Mio's way of saying “OH MY GOD”), so funny (Damien's sense of humor and his exchanges with Alice), and so damn memorable (holing up with everyone during the 5 hour blackout during the typhoon). I've had a lot of once-in-a-lifetime experiences in Sanya, the kind that make you feel alive; it was a wonderful introduction to my life here in China, and the potential of friendships and the unlimited kindness of some special Chinese.

Sitting here in Chengdu I can't help but wonder what everyone is doing back at the Sunshine hostel. Kevin is probably up for the night shift. The people in the 8 person room are probably sweating their body weight since the AC is broken. Alice and Damien are probably awake because of the snoring man in their room. At the same time I'm more than excited to start my life here in Chengdu. By life I mean my settled life. Before this I was roaming around China, exploring its nook and crannies, but now in Chengdu it's time to settle down and work out my life here. That means a job, an apartment, a cellphone, a new bank account possibly, yadda yadda.

There's one thing I've really learned from Sanya though, and traveling in general. I'm continuously reminded of this particular lesson the more I travel: you can never judge a book by its cover. People will amaze you, people will anger you, people will make you laugh or cry, and people will surprise you, but they won't be able to do any of those things if you don't give them a chance first. We've all been told this time and time again in our lives, but we're human and we forget sometimes, and we see someone and we automatically make a judgment. It's like a reflex, you can't help it. People are too complex for a quick judgment without context and conversation. We're not that simple, and because of that we deserve more. I've always been working on this, and I truly think I've gotten better, but there are times when I slip. There are specific people I think of who I know I judged too quickly in Sanya, but I'm too embarrassed to write about it here in fear they will eventually read it and figure out it's them. Once I gave them 10 minutes though, I quickly found that I was wrong about them. All I have are apologies, an apology for thinking I knew who they were and what they were about, when in reality I didn't know the first thing about them. I short-changed them. Traveling and meeting new people is quite humbling in this aspect. Like I always say, everybody's got a story.