Rebecca A. Foster

An hour ago, I got a call from my boss at our University inviting me to go on a trip with his family for the weekend to another province. We leave tomorrow at noon. (This is how things happen in China: at the last minute. I have no idea if other teachers are going too, or just me. I'll find out when the car arrives.) I have two sets of plans for New Year's Eve this evening, and I'm not sure which yet I'll choose. But tomorrow I'll be leaving town, so let me tell you all now: Happy New Year!  新年快乐！ Btw,I'm still waiting for students to send me pictures they took of our night hosting the pageant. I'll post some as soon as I get them. They are in the middle of finals, so I'm not pushing for them yet. (I forgot my camera, of course.) I ended up wearing a long black fitted skirt and a "sexy" (their words) matte silver/gray top, with some fun accessories. A student loaned me a diamond hair thingy to wear my hair pulled up into in the front, then fl...

The English says 'dogmeat', but the Chinese says 'ground meat.' Not sure if it's a euphemism or a mistranslation. (And I think we'd say 'black eyed peas' but that is perhaps a regional English thing.) In any case, I didn't buy it. Random Transformers character outside a club chain called '88.' (8 is a lucky number in Chinese culture.) There was a sign next to him but all I could make out is that he was some kind of party monster from another planet who was coming here to throw the best party of all time. Might be a New Year's Eve thing. There were still too many characters I didn't know. (I hate that, but good study motivation!) Chinese grandparents are the nation's babysitters. All day long, it is common to see babies and grandparents, shooting the breeze, feeding some pigeons, etc. This picture is a little bit blurry, I know, but check out those mouse ears and stocky legs. Chinese babies are delicious little butterballs in the...

It's a phenomenon familiar to all foreigners in China: you sit down to eat at a Chinese restaurant, pick up your chopsticks, and all nearby (and sometimes farby) eyes turn to stare at you as you take your first bites. I don't really know why they are staring. Curiosity? Concern? Amusement? Boredom? It's something that is still a mystery to me. If you do manage to get food into your mouth, though, you'll be complimented on your ability to use chopsticks either by a smile and small nod of the head, or words of encouragement from those nearby. Yesterday I was having lunch with a Chinese friend and as we began to eat, I commented on the fact everyone was staring at me. "Oh yes!" she said. "And if I go to America, everyone will stare at *me* to see if I can use a knife and fork." It wasn't a question, it was a matter-of-fact truth in her mind; if the Chinese stare at foreigners, foreigners will stare at the Chinese. A few things I could have said:...

Two times in the last two days, two men I know have done the 'soccer mom stop' to me as we are standing on a curb preparing to cross the street. You know, that gesture where you throw your arm across the person's body to prevent them going any further? And both times I thought to myself, am I really being unsafe? Or are you being paranoid? The thing is, I no longer fear oncoming buses and taxis. Chinese traffic is so chaotic and void of laws, people just dart back and forth across streets at will. And I've become one of them. I'll stand on the center yellow line with buses going past on both sides of me, waiting for an empty spot to open up. I'll stare down a driver as I cross in front of him, daring him not to slow down. (In daylight only!) And so far, I've been successful. (Please don't tell my mom about this entry.) Wanting someone to be safe while crossing the street means you are a kind, thoughtful person. I appreciate where they're coming...

Hope you all had a nice Christmas; I ate lots of foods I am not used to anymore (read: dairy and processed meats and sugary treats sent by our various fams) and got a tummy ache, which made it seem like kid Christmas all over again, so that was kind of awesome. I got together with friends and bought myself some lavender/silvery eye shadow, so it was a great Christmas! And yes, I now get excited about eye shadow, it's a luxury purchase for me here. China: helping you find joy in the little things all over again. Andrew and I hosted the Christmas pageant on Wednesday night. Here is my report: -I didn't get to wear the dress! And the reason is very Chinese: they told me the shop had made a mistake and didn't reserve the dress after all, and someone else had rented it out. But I was not asked to go pick out another one instead. So I think they went over budget and no longer had the money to pay for it, but they couldn't admit that to me, it would be 'losing face...

(This has nothing to do with China. It's just random talking.) So here's the deal: I have a lot of theories. Theories are comforting to me. And because if I sit too long with out moving my hands, my brain wanders far and wide. This is also why I am not a smoker, btw. It would be waaay too easy to keep my hands moving by wrapping them around a cigarette. I'd be one of those people smoking through a hole in their throat, guaranteed. But I digress... I was talking to a friend the other day about Spiderman 2 , and realized I finally had the perfect name for a dating phenomenon I hate: Spiderman Syndrome. Because you know how Peter Parker keeps letting MJ down because he has to take care of very important Spidey Saving The Day Moments first? And she doesn't know he's Spiderman, so she thinks he just doesn't care enough about her to step up to the plate anymore, but we know he's really out saving the city from the bad guys, so we cut him some slack and inter...

My grandma is not doing well. So, I am no longer going to Bali and Beijing over my break; instead, I'll be flying back to the U.S. to spend time with her and other family. I was looking forward to these trips, but Bali and Beijing will be there for a long while. Grandma comes first. I am sure those of you reading can understand and would do the same thing. Now, a few things to share about daily life in China: 1. Street cleaning trucks in my city play "Happy Birthday" in a high-pitched tone, over and over and over. There is also a techno version of Happy Birthday they play in clubs. How "Happy Birthday" became both of these things, I have no idea, but I never want to hear "Happy Birthday" again. 2. Overheard yesterday as I was walking home: a clothing store blasting "Jingle Bells" set to a disco-esque beat, including the phrases "Jingle all the way, oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleee." Sleigh IS spelled like Leigh, I...

This list might also be applicable to others, but I can only speak for myself. 1. Never be in a hurry. 2. Understand that public services want to maximize the number of available jobs, not efficiency. 3. Hate ice water. 4. Accept parasites and bad bacteria as a consequence of eating. 5. Learn to say "ah ah ah ah" in rapidfire after someone says something to you; it's an acceptable response to almost anything, and saves you when you don't know what else to say. (It's also a more fun way to say goodbye on the phone, but then it's "ah ah ah ah ah bye ah ah ah bye bye bye ah ah bye." No, I am not exaggerating.) 6. Forget the concept 'personal space.' 7. Push back. 8. The phrase "I have something to do" is an all-purpose 'get out of anything free' card. Use it without guilt. 9. Only expect to do one extra thing per day because that one thing will take at least 4 times as long as it takes in your home country, and you'll be to...

(Click pics to enlarge) I've mentioned before, due to the number of factories in the area, there is very little natural sunlight in Chongqing. I can count on two hands the sunny days in a year. So I made my own sunshine out of paper for my living room wall. Lack of sunshine is a tough thing about living in this city, but the locals say it makes Chongqing girls the most beautiful of all Chinese girls because their skin stays very white. However, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to detox my skin of pollutants when I leave this place. Here are the other rays of sunshine in my life: all the thoughtful, funny and wonderful cards people send to me. I put every single one of them up on my wall to remind me I am not alone over here. Some of you reading this are on my wall; I was serious about how much it meant to me that you took the time and energy to send me packages and cards. Thank you. I thought you might also like to see where I sit everyday to talk to you and write th...

1. I love bananas. No really, I love them. I eat a banana every day. My family nickname is becca-banana. Nothing better than a firm, tasty banana. And nowhere have I found better bananas than in China. Who knew China could be defined by its delicious bananas? I think they must get them from somewhere nearby, because they are always perfectly ripe, never too sweet or too soft. Here is a banana I was eating yesterday. Seriously, how great is this banana? Every bite was a joy. (And yes, I am eating a banana in bed.) 2. Learning to read and write Chinese has given me newfound respect for Chinese students. I know in the West we sometimes make fun of them for being little robots and not very creative, but try learning to write from memory 10,000 Chinese characters and see how far you get! Being literate in Chinese requires immense talent in the memorization of tiny details. No wonder they are memorizing machines. My hats off to them. (It is estimated that the average college graduate knows...

That Christmas Pageant Andrew and I are hosting? Turns out it's a much bigger production than I anticipated. We'll be doing the introduction and closing, as well as making commentary between each act. Watch out, Dick Clark?? Pageant hosting in China is a really big deal, so yesterday my school took me to a dress rental shop to find a ballgown length pageant dress to wear. We found a beautiful cranberry gown that actually fit me (I am a giant here), I was shocked. And happy. I love wearing beautiful dresses! It's being held outdoors and I can't wear a coat while I'm onstage, brrr, but even so, I'm pretty excited to get to wear the dress. (And because my gown is floor-length, I'm totally going to be rocking some legwarmers. Shhh...) Definitely a new experience in my Rebecca Life Handbook. Btw, a cultural note: variety shows are extremely popular here, and the girls who host the shows on tv are known for being charming and beautiful. If you are a variety show...

I am starting to feel better, thanks for all your good wishes! I am grateful for access to medications. Too many people in the world live in places with contaminated food and water, and they don't have access to good doctors to help them. I know how privileged I am. On another note, I bought a new product last week, and here is the English description straight from the packaging; can you guess the product? "Will bath the flower to plunge bath to carry on a time ofmoistness. The coordination bathes the fluid or the scented soap, may to the bodyeach The spot carries on tries to scratch. Asks the water used with after to flush only air dries the preservation." If you guessed this product ... you were right!  Congratulations, you are now fluent in Chinglish.

Turns out my tummyache was merely the incubation period for giardia, an intestinal parasite you get from dirty water or poorly cooked food. I'll spare you the details, you can read about it here if you want , but all I have to say is thank goodness for medicine. I took a large dose this morning, and the Peace Corps doctor said I should start feeling better in three to four days, but it takes several weeks to fully recover. (And giardia sometimes relapses; the gift that keeps on giving!) When we go to our sites, we are given a bag of prescription medications to keep in our apartments. This way, we don't have to have it sent to us, we can just take it under the direction of our doctor as soon as we need it. The Peace Corps takes good care of us. I have to admit, I was pretty ticked when my symptoms got worse and I realized this wasn't just a passing tummyache. At this time of year, I really miss my dad; holidays are the hardest time to be without him. And I am so far away...

A conversation I had with a male friend here a few months ago, while we were walking down the street: Male Friend: "Sometimes, I really wish you drank alcohol." Me: "Why? So you'd have a better chance of getting in my pants?" Male Friend: "Well....yeah." His honesty was refreshing. I'm not offended by this type of honesty. What I hate is men who pretend to be interested in you as a person, but are only interested in sex. When I first met this friend, I didn't think much of it, but now he is one of my best friends here. I feel very comfortable with him, in part because of his honesty. I know there is no secret agenda I have to watch out for. (And he knows where I stand, too.) In other news, I have an old-fashioned tummy ache. (Not what the Chinese call "spicy stomach", i.e. diarrhea, which is usually what happens to us here.) I ate something that didn't agree with me, very easy to do here. Phew for my mom sending me Celesti...

A few things this week that made me laugh: 1. A random male student I know asked if he should call me 'Lady Rebecca' or 'Madam Rebecca'. I told him it was okay to call me just 'Rebecca.' But in retrospect, how fun would it be to be called 'Lady Rebecca'? I missed my big chance! (Titles are very important here. Everyone has a title, and you cannot mess them up; I'm not his teacher, so he wasn't sure what to call me.) 2. Remember last weekend I went out of town? On the long-distance bus home, T. and I were listening to Spanish music on his iPod through shared earbuds. (For those unfamiliar with Spanish music, it's very cheesy and dramatic.) He speaks Spanish fluently, but I'm only about 70% fluent in my listening skills, so at one point he began translating the song lyrics for me. Picture it: a long period of silent listening, then he suddenly starts saying things like "My heart can't live without you, our history together will...

In wintertime, these barrels of slow-roasting yams show up on street corners. (She is holding an old-fashioned weight scale in her hand, I wish I hadn't cut it out): The barrel is full of wood and some kind of clean burning briquets (is this the right word? I have no idea), and they put the yams on first thing in the morning. They slow roast all day, and are replaced as they are sold. Here's a close up: Don't they look delicious? They caramelize naturally through the slow roasting, so they are sweet and tender inside. I eat them by hand like an apple with salt, no butter. The salt offsets the caramelized yam deliciously. And here's the kicker: a small one is about 1 RMB, or about 14 cents. How great is that? Here's what it looks like inside: These are a different type of yam than the sweet potatoes available in the U.S. I think they taste better. I'll miss them.

Earlier this year I was in the airport in Guangzhou, one of the manufacturing hubs of China. I met in Irish businessman who was in town setting up a business deal for a factory to produce purified ice machines, then place the machines at markets throughout China. This sounds like a great idea, right? Go to the market, buy a bag of drinkable ice on the way out. We do it in North America all the time. But...this is China. Problems I foresee with this business: 1. People here don't like icy drinks. 2. Not only do they not like them, they think they are harmful to the stomach and spleen. I had a cold, bought some chilled (not cold!) bottled water, and a student was so adamant I should not be drinking cool water if I'm sick, I had to put it in my bag and drink it after she left. 3. Cold water here is generally full of bacteria and metals. There's a reason why boiled water is served everywhere: it's clean. According to custom, you don't take cold water from people...