Rebecca A. Foster

It was Dragon Boat Festival here this week, so I had a few days off from school. (Most Chinese holidays last a minimum of three days. I know!) To celebrate, we climbed a mountain just outside of town, then took a very scary ski-lift type contraption back down to the bottom. Inside the little two-person car was one of the best Chinglish signs* I've seen yet: "No Smoking or Gambolling or Swagging." Swagging?  Did they mean swinging? Snogging? Swapping? I really want to know what they meant! Also, who gambles whilst going down a mountain inside a tiny tram car? The mysteries of China are never-ending. *dead camera batteries, so no pic. Argh!

One of the "culture shock" moments I experience here is the different approach to planning between Chinese and western culture. In western culture, many of us like to have an advance detailed plan, know when things will start, when they will end, and what's expected of us. Chinese culture doesn't use this type of planning. (In fact, it's nearly impossible to buy an event book or planner here.) Here are a few examples of the differences in planning that I have experienced, or that friends here have shared with me: 1. Two western teachers are teaching two different sections of the same course. They are instructed to each submit a final exam to the department for approval. After submitting the exams, they are told that they must administer identical exams to all classes. This information was not given to them during the semester, nor prior to the instructions to write the exams. They must redo the exam. 2. A westerner accepts an invitation to dinner with a Chines...

This has nothing to do with China, but I always wonder how my brain can be such a partier when I'm asleep, yet so practical when I'm awake. What's up with that, brain? I had a dream last night I was in a romantic relationship with a guy that in real life I've had exactly one conversation with and didn't feel any sort of romantic feelings for. He's cute, fun, blah blah blah but decidedly unremarkable to me. He just didn't push any of my buttons. Or so I thought. Evidently my subconscious thinks we are MFEO. Why does my brain conjure up romantic feelings for someone I don't think about in my waking life, and bypass men I actually DO pine over? How about a nice romantic dream with one of them, brain? Is that too much to ask? And isn't it a little scary that our brains can so perfectly replicate feelings of romance and longing for someone we have no conscious feelings for? Are feelings even real? I also think it's weird when I dream that I'm ...

So, the toe thongs reminded me of other new-to-me products I have used here and really liked. (And I forgot to explain something about the toe thongs: people here rarely go sockless, so the toe thongs are a way to wear socks even if you are wearing slingbacks/pumps, etc. I get comments from my Chinese tutor all the time about my habit of not wearing socks, she thinks it isn't healthy.) Sweetened condensed milk in a tube, not a can. It's so convenient! Made by Nestle, and comes in flavors like strawberry and chocolate. The regular flavor is really good in hot drinks. A little goes a long way. Plug-in insect repellent. It's made by Raid. It's like a Glade Plug-In, but instead of fragrance it releases unscented mosquito repellent. Most windows here don't seal shut, so mosquitoes get in quite easily. The little jar of liquid is replaceable; they cost about $1.00 and last about a month. If the voltage weren't wrong, I'd bring a supply back to the U.S. You c...

I don't know the Chinese name for these, but I call them toe thongs. Your toes go in the fabric sling, and the thong-y part goes around your heel. They're meant to be worn with slingbacks/pumps. They cracked me up so much when I saw them, I had to try them out. The thong part cut into my heel uncomfortably, but this is probably because my shoe size is 4 sizes bigger than the average Chinese woman's. Here's what Andrew and I had for lunch today, Big Plate Chicken, a Chinese Muslim dish. (The Muslim foods here are some of my favorites.) After we ate the veggies and chicken, we added freshly made noodles to finish off the broth. On the far right side, there's a chicken foot. Andrew taunted me with it, he picked it up and made it 'talk' to me. They seem to be all bone and skin and gristle, ick. However, the last time we ordered this dish there was a chicken's head, beak and all. I guess feet are not so bad in comparison. I think of both of them like basil ...

People often ask what the easiest and most difficult things are about living in China. Here's one difficult thing I've been struggling with: body image. The Peace Corps tells us before we arrive that some female volunteers develop or notice more intense body image issues while serving in China. When I read that, I thought, "What wimps! Who cares?" I understand it now. I've walked into dress shops and been told nothing would fit me and I should leave. I've had a sales person remove clothing from the rack to prevent me from trying it on. These things I could deal with because I knew they were cultural and weren't intended as a personal attack. But when what you see all day long are very small, slender women, you start to accept their image as the norm. And then you see yourself in the mirror, and wow, you do NOT look like that. And in your home culture, being bigger is a very bad thing. So what do you do? It's not realistic I'm ever going to be as sl...

I like text messaging a lot more than sending emails because texts have no subject line. Subject lines are awkward. Do we walk up to someone and announce what we are going to talk about? No. Email fail. "If you think he's a good guy, you might be wrong, but if you think he's a bad guy, you're definitely right." A quotation by Diane Farr. I now totally believe this. Instincts ftw! I'm craving corn dogs with mustard. One thing I've learned about myself from living in China: I have very low food standards. Forget laughter, a good kiss is the best medicine.

A popular snack here I cannot get behind: pickled chicken feet. The claws are still on them! I have issues eating animal fingernails, so sue me. You see kids here all the time gnawing on these things like beef jerky. One time I was sitting next to someone on the bus eating them. Blech. Today was the first time I've touched one. I think it might be the last time, too. But I brought a package of these home in January to show my family and Mishka ate one! And she is the least adventurous eater in our family, so she wins.

So for the past three days I've been trying to make boiled eggs. All you have to do is boil them for 12 minutes or so, right? (Actually, maybe it's ten, I can never remember.) So anyway: Day 1: I forget about the eggs and all the water boils out and they burn to the bottom of the pan. Oops. Back to the market. Day 2: I managed to not burn them but left them on the counter to cool and forgot about them, so they sat out all night. Oops. Back to the market. Day 3: I decide to boil them in my rice cooker so they won't burn again, and also use the handy-dandy timer my friend Paul bought me because I was always forgetting about food and burning things. I was chatting with a friend online and heard the timer go off but thought, "I'll go get the eggs as soon as I finish this thought." An HOUR later I remembered the eggs. Oops. Can you eat eggs that have been boiling for an hour? Maybe. But I also forgot and left them out overnight again. (But they didn't burn!...

I went a-wandering today and came across a small shop selling "hip hop" fashion (their words, not mine). A few of the items for sale: An Obama 'Hope' belt buckle: $100 bill belt buckles: And of course, the Yankees: You could also buy a Mao bags, Che Guevera bags, big fake diamond earring studs and fake gold rings with "50 Cent" printed on them. And this Paul Frank monkey, wearing a military uniform and waving a flag: I really want to go back and buy something from this store, just for the fact it exists in China. While wandering I also found these fake eyelashes with little diamond studs at the lashline: A very productive day!

One of my students today asked me if all American men have hairy nipples. Phew I am here to share American culture!  I just didn't realize sometimes the culture would be about hairy nipples. My students are very curious about sexual things, but there is no sex ed here, and no one talks about sex openly. Hence the "tragedy" of the cancellation of Love Land, a sex theme park that was being built in my city. A bunch of news outlets reported on it over the weekend, and due to the publicity, it's now been torn down by government officials. You can read more about it, and see pictures, here. Drat! I was really looking forward to the photo ops! Also, I wonder who's taking home that giant statue??

My first week in China, I was trying to buy something in a store that required a membership card; I didn't have a card, so the cashier reached into the purse of another shopper, pulled out a membership card and swiped it. I was surprised that the shopper made no protest to a stranger reaching into her purse and pulling out a personal item. Welcome to privacy, Chinese style. Mandarin does have a word for 'private,' but their word has a very different connotation than ours. Here are some of the ideas expressed with the word 'private' in Mandarin: Bootlegging Unlicensed prostitute Selfish ideas, interests and desires Illicit love Embezzle Smuggle Personal grudge As you can see, not a very positive connotation. The ideas of private space, time, things etc. we have in Western culture do not really exist here. What this means for a Westerner in China: people will rummage through your shopping basket to see what you're buying, they'll open your purse for you if you...

Just a quick note: I posted a new video on youtube of photos I've taken in China. You can see it here .

Before I came to China, I didn't know there was an etiquette to eating rice. Here's what I've learned: 1. Rice is considered a cheap filler food, sort of the culinary equivalent of Saltine crackers. If you have high quality, filling food, there is no need for rice. Most small restaurants that serve cheaper food will give you rice to eat with your meal at no extra charge if you ask for it, but they usually don't bring it to you automatically. Because these restaurants are the social equivalent of fast food, it's no big deal to ask for some rice. 2. At banquets and nicer restaurants, they'll offer you rice at the end of your meal if you're still hungry. If you're paying for your own meal, it's okay to have some with no second thoughts. If someone has hosted you, it could be considered rude to ask for rice, because it means your host did not buy enough good food for you. It depends on your relationship with the person whether you should ask for rice. So...

The lady on the bus next to me is clipping her finger nails and they are scattering all around me. This is brought to you via live bus news from my cell phone. Perhaps i will make this a new blog feature!

Two fun rice facts: 1. Mickey Mouse is known here as 'Rice Mouse.' 2. Things here aren't cream-colored, they're rice-colored. (Since they don't have cream here, makes sense.) More about the culture of rice here soon.

The English majors asked me to do a lecture last night on American Fashion. Around 300 kids showed up, a nice crowd. I had put together a slide show and some videos about designers, popular brands and stores, and general differences between American and Chinese fashion. When I showed this picture, a big loud "ahhh" went up in the room, it cracked me up! Yes girls, men in boxer briefs are hot!  Also, I'm pretty sure this is how my students are going to remember me now, that American teacher who showed them a picture of a guy in his underwear. Oh well.  Two other pictures they really liked: What can I say? My students have good taste! What I had for lunch today: greens in garlic sauce, hot pickled peppers and pork (I ate all those peppers and left the pork behind!), beef and potatoes in red sauce, and dry fried shredded potatoes. YUM. We couldn't eat it all, but bites from each plate was a delicious lunch. Tomorrow (Saturday) there is a big ceremony at my school, and a ...

Here's a shot of my cute little fridge. Everything on it I brought from America, except the basket. It's in my living room, the kitchen is too small. I think it's pretty common here to keep your fridge in the living room, though. The inside of my fridge. The top shelf is full of yogurt, drinks, soy sauce and bread. And that's lettuce in the yellow plastic bag and a head of cabbage on the second shelf. (And a dishrag because I spilled something.) There are no preservatives in bread here so it gets moldy within 3 days unless you keep it in the fridge. And a shot of my pantry. Some of this stuff I brought with me from America, but most of it is from here. There you have it. This is how I eat at home. Very different than my fridge/pantry in America, that's for sure!  But I am glad to have a fridge at all. It's a blessing here.

Doll Techno asked about pics of me in dresses. So, here are pictures of some of my favorites through the ages: Me in kindergarten. I remember loving this dress, I wore it all the time. My 1950's retro cocktail dress. My work dinner with Will, he snapped this on our way out. My Naughty Nurse Halloween dress. I can still fit in this dress, but it's a bit tight now. Must run everyday again! (And stop eating rice and oily Chinese food, of course.) Everyone needs the perfect LBD, right? In this case, B = blue satin. It's my Proenza Schouler for Target dress and I lurrvve it. So comfy. (Sorry for the bad shot, it's a camera phone picture.) This is my favorite everyday outfit. I brought this denim skirt to China and I wear it all the time. This was at the Austin City Limits Music Festival with Will and it was 108 that day, hence the look of pain on my face. Ah, Texas summers! (It was the last weekend of September, but that...

(*Post title comes from the musical  The Flower Drum Song .  You can watch it here.) One thing I love about China: women often wear skirts and dresses, and generally dress more formally than in the U.S.  I love wearing dresses and skirts , so I fit in well here in this respect. Our Peace Corps packing list said to bring lots of pants (which is ridiculous advice for China, it's freaking hot here!), but luckily I packed a lot of skirts as well. (Overall our packing list pretty much sucked, but that is another story.) Women will even wear high heels when exercising, believe it or not. It floors me to see a woman on the track in dress shoes! Ouch! I don't know how they stand it. People here are very humble and don't worry about matching their clothes to each other, or to their shoes. It's very liberating!  You can wear whatever you want and no one blinks an eye. I've put on some pretty awful outfits and I loved that I didn't feel self-conscious in them. I'v...

I probably wouldn't be in China if it weren't for the support of my mom. Not only is she taking care of my car and all my belongings, making it possible for me to be here, but she sends me the little things that make life a little more enjoyable (pepper grinder, cherry limeade, yoga pants, magazines, masa flour for tortillas, books etc.).  Here's a picture of us taken when she was about 25: My cheeks and legs haven't changed much, I still have chubby cheeks and frogger legs, but I'm also still super cute in pink knee high socks! Some advice my mom has given me over the years: 1. Never wear a flannel nightgown to bed. Wear lingerie or nothing at all. Nightgowns are frumpy and unsexy. (I was 13 and at the mall with my mom and commented on a nightgown in a store window we passed. I was mortified at the time.)  2. If you drink through a straw, place it in the corner of your mouth and don't purse your lips. Putting it in the middle of your lips and pursing causes wri...

I learned something heartbreaking today: John Krasinski can't dance! Para nada!  In this week's episode of The Office , he looked like an awkward 12 year old boy. So sad. And true story: I've never met a man who was a bad dancer who was also a good kisser. Bad dancer = bad LOTS of things. Busy Bee Suzy asked me about English names for Chinese students.  All English majors choose an English name to use throughout their college career, and even many non-English majors do too. Their Chinese teachers make them choose, this isn't a foreign teacher thing. They often choose random words instead of traditional names, so I have students named Sin, Xanadu, Sunfree, Seabird, Jelly, Apple, Little Mosquito, Devil, Stone, Hip, etc. Some of them will choose a more traditional name if they plan on working with foreigners. For example, the secretary of our Foreign Affairs Office goes by Cassie and her Chinese family name when she deals with foreigners; her email address reflects both ...

1.We watched this movie last weekend on DVD (yay, piracy!). The story was so-so, but the arms were fantastic! I had forgotten how much I like big arms, but it all came rushing back to me. People sometimes ask me what I miss about my home culture; here's a new thing to add to the list: BIG ARMS. (And Nacho Cheese Doritos. We talked about them while watching the movie, now I can't stop thinking about them.) 2. Not sure if it's the clothes, the cool dance moves, or the surprise twist ending, but this video cracks me up every time I see it: 3. My body has apparently given up on sleeping. I wake up around 3 or 4 AM and can't get back to sleep. This morning it was 5 AM, yay for extra sleep!  But still far short of what I think is good for me. Anyone have any drug-free insomnia cures? Happy Friday everyone!

Bunnies and hamsters and turtles, oh my! The stairs at my neighborhood metro station, painted as an ad for Mountain Dew. Grrr... (see post below) Two of my cutie-pie students, Sabrina and Vivian. (They choose their own English names.) I love my students, they are the light of my life here. I'll probably never have kids of my own, so I'm sure I'll never know how it feels to be a parent, but I feel very protective of my students. I think I'm going to worry and wonder about and wish good things for them all the rest of my life. (And I can actually read all those characters on the wall behind them. Can you believe it?  It still shocks me I can speak and read any Chinese at all.)

'Diet Coke' in Mandarin roughly translates as 'Healthy Happy, Delicious Can Make You Happy.'  Nice work, translator/PR/Marketing people!  I totally agree. 'Diet Pepsi' translates as 'Light Happy, 100 Things Make You Happy.' Eh, not as clever, in my opinion. And I don't like Pepsi, so there's that. This is an old picture. It is currently almost impossible to find Diet Coke in my city. The store that carried it is now stocking Mountain Dew (new in Mainland China) in its place. Mountain Dew instead of Diet Coke? *cries*

Cell phone service in China is a dream come true. So easy!  So cheap!  I have a hard time believing cell phone service in America/Canada needs to be as expensive and complicated as it is. Here you simply buy a cell phone (in Mandarin: 'hand machine'), any brand, any model. Then, visit a mobile company kiosk to buy a SIM card. (I use China Mobile.) The SIM card costs about $7.00 and includes your phone number and about 2 months worth of service. You pop it into your phone, and you're done. If you want a new phone, you just put your SIM card into your new phone. No hassle, no contracts, no going to the cell phone store to have it changed for you. I dread going back to America and dealing with locked phones. My monthly cell phone charge is about $3.00. This week I added internet access to my cell phone; it costs 70 cents a month. 70 cents! Suck it, Verizon. P.S., I did the shopping activity again today with a different class. One of the groups raised their hand and said ...

All that's missing is a bedazzled denim jacket and big bangs.

Today I did a mock shopping activity with my students. I gave them a Target weekly ad and a stack of American play money, along with instructions to work in pairs to "buy" things together from the ad and see who could come the closest to spending all their money without going over. But as I walked around checking their progress, I noticed a couple of pairs with money sitting unused on the desk. They were still talking about the items, but not "buying" any. I asked them why, and they said, "We already bought some stuff, we don't anything else."  What? Shopping at Target and buying only what you need?  Huh. Never occurred to me. I mean, give me $1,000 and a Target, I'm done in 15 minutes flat. I have to work to spend less than $50 everytime I walk through the doors. But here? You buy what you need and save the rest. It's just one example of the mistakes I make assuming my students are going to react the way Western students would react. Some ...

I was unprepared for the amount of panties I see everyday in China. I don't mind panties, I think they are quite cute, but I'm used to them being a private or semi-private thing. Not so here. It's one of the lovely paradoxes of China that this quite socially conservative culture displays its undergarments so freely. (It is also possible to buy panties on the street like you would a baseball hat or purse.) It's popular to say that in China there is no sense of privacy, but I didn't understand all the ways in which this concept manifests itself here. Publicly hanging up your underwear is one such way. A bit of backstory: clothes dryers aren't used here, you have to hang your wash to dry. Most people choose outside drying and many apartments have special bars outside the windows on which to hang laundry. Those that don't have them make their own drying lines (pictured above). As a result, you constantly see cute, fancy panties hanging in windows and outside d...

Last night I said to my friend, "Tell me how much money that cost for me to give you." HUH? We both started cracking up, because a weird phenomenon happens to all of us here: you forget how to speak English like a native speaker, even though you've been doing it all your life. I think it's because most of us spend days and days not speaking to other native English speakers, and we develop our own slow, simple dialect of English to use for our students. Combine these two things, and voila, we sound like idiots. (What I was trying to say is, 'How much do I owe you?') I was not able to get the pictures I wanted of the panty flags yesterday due to the rain, but I will try again later today. In the meantime, I wish you happy every day! (A favorite Chinglish phrase of ours.)  (The post title is from the movie The Sure Thing , with John Cusack . The full quotation is "You're failing English? That's your mother tongue and stuff!")