Day 6 Spitting Buckets

I woke with my throat very scratchy and I was afraid I was catching cold so I took a Musinex in hopes it would prevent anything from starting….probably not the best way to start the day…...  

Now let's talk about the spitting. Anybody who has been to china knows of this dreadful Chinese habit.  It's DISGUSTING.  Anywhere and everywhere it is acceptable to cough up a big one and spit it out. EWWWW.    Not just spit, but really hack up the biggest loogie and clear your throat down into your lungs.  In general, indoor people will use a trashcan or SPIT BUCKET, but outdoors or public areas- the ground is a free for all.  It is such a hard thing to ignore because some people are SOO loud when clearing their business.  After being in China for a couple of days now, I can comprehend where this comes from- the crappy air!  China has always had a bad reputation for poor air quality and we all know why…it houses all the factories that makes all of the world’s stuff.  All that crap that gets dumped in the air and then dumped in people’s lungs which leads to hacking and waking up with sore throats….no good.

Now, our day was to start in the classroom, which was good because the classroom was just a few stops from the hotel and it was chilly and spitting rain outside. Once I got off the subway with my nice warm coffee I began fighting with my shitty Chinese umbrella that I bought the day before.  The stupid thing didn't want to open and when it did it was inside out, as I was trying to turn it right side I was unknowingly dumping my coffee all down my coat and purse- nice.  Then to top it all off, I look up and everyone was gone.  I kept walking hoping I would remember or stumble across the right path to the classroom.  But not so lucky, after walking while I turned back toward the subway and found my teacher and a classmate looking for me!!  So embarrassing.   I am going to blame the musinex, which all goes back to the shitty air.

But once I made it back to the classroom, we started the day with a lecture on different market entry strategies.  Our class has 3 different professors.  One is from St. Louis and she is primarily in charge of the online portion of the class and the other two are expats living in Shanghai for about 10 years, one a lawyer and one a full time teacher.  The lawyer really made many of the lectures very interesting because he has so many real first hand experiences. One lesson was on communication pitfalls.  One funny example he gave us was when he sent his assistant out to pick up a seedless watermelon, poor girl went out bought a watermelon and picked all the seeds out by hand.  Lol.  Another communication challenge is that there is NO word in the mandarin language that means NO.  So getting a straightforward answer is really difficult. 

After our lecture we had a little time to hit up some shopping.  We went to the fake market and checked out some stalls.  There weren't too many people there so all the vendors were hawking us. 

That night we had a business dinner with a leader from GE avionics.  China is now looking to enter the aerospace market and GE aerospace is looking to supply their engines.  We had a very traditionally Chinese dinner, lots of dishes spread out on the lazy Susan.  I was exhausted from the shopping, smelt like coffee and was ready for bed so I headed back after dinner.

Day 5: Nanking, China

We were off on the fast train.  China has an amazing transportation infrastructure.  With so many millions of people, I guess China has to have efficient mass transportation.  The newest addition to this system is bullet trains, or “fast" trains.  I heard about them in the news a few months ago- and if I heard it on our American news it wasn’t for a good reason.  My teacher said they had slowed the speeds down after the accident and that they are now safe.  They travel about 195 miles an hour.  The high speed didn't feel weird; the train was nice, with comfy seats. 

Once we arrived in Nanking, we rented a bus and We headed off to our first stop- a tour of K.O. smith's factory.  The company makes water heaters and water purifies.  An interesting thing about the Chinese appliance industry is that that design and branding plays a significant role in buying decisions.  Because the homes are so small and it’s very unlikely there is a basement or garage, these appliances will sit out in the open in the kitchen or living areas so they need to look less intrusive and name brands signify status.  I couldn’t even tell you what brand my water heater is, but I do know I wouldn’t want it sitting out in my kitchen!

The factory was clean and the people looked happy.  I am sure this is the best of best factory setups in china; otherwise we probably wouldn't be invited in.  The company leaders talked about how they try to retain employees.  It's very common for companies to provide living quarters (dorms) and transportation for employees near the factory.  This company did both.  They also spoke about how they encourage employee innovation- a quality that is not common in the Chinese culture- they tend to be more group focused vs. individual creativity.  We had lunch in their cafeteria and were off to our next stop.

Although not directly business related, our next stop was at the holocaust museum to give us some Chinese history.  Many of the American students didn’t realize there was a Chinese holocaust, but the museum explains that during World War II (the peak o f Japanese imperialism) Japanese invaders raped and murdered millions of Chinese civilians and prisoners of war.  The museum exhibits were graphic and truly saddening.  To think this was only 70 years ago is mind boggling.  There were some areas that gave remembrance to foreigners living in Nanking who tried to protect civilians and bring to light many of the tragedies occurring during this time- including American missionaries Minnie Vautrin and John Magee.   I like to think something like this couldn't happen in today's world b/c of the ease of communication brought on by modern technology; I hope that if we know of something that we could stop it, but I'm sure it's never that easy.

Oh and did you know Jesus had a brother?  Yup, and he was Chinese- Hong xiuquan ! He also led the Taiping rebellion against the Qing dynasty- a civil war were about 20 million people died.  All this we learned at our next stop the imperial palace in Nanjing, a place of long history because before Beijing became china's capital, this is where the emperor resided.

The one on the left

After the long day, we took the train back and were in desperate need of food and drinks.  Our bellman named "trainee" sent us off to a random country/Irish/karaoke/brewery.  It turned out pretty good; we had bar food, sampled some of the home made beer, and were entertained by the house karaoke band.  

Day 4 Monday, School Bound

We began our class with an introduction over breakfast at the hotel.  We met the balance of our classmates, teachers, and some students from the Webster Shanghai MBA program. 

We took the subway to go visit our first business and take a tour of SAP's Shanghai’s office.  It was the same as something we would see in any office in the states- cubicles, cafe, meeting rooms, company memorabilia.  After a presentation on the company, we had lunch in their caferiteria with the employees.  I noticed that everyone working there looked soooo young.  Yes, Asians generally age well, but none of the employees looked over 35.  I asked the guy and he said yes, they were all very young b/c only the younger people have had the opportunity to study computer technology so older adults aren’t really in this field.  Our school day was completed back on campus with a lecture on Chinese history and common business practices.  It is very common for Chinese business relationship be built on a foundation of dining, heavy drinking, and late night karaoke bars.  Our instructor said this strategy was based on the belief that when drunk, people show who they really are and have a harder time hiding true intent.  The next couple of nights as I was in the lobby using Wi-Fi, I did see several Chinese businessmen stumbling in and even so wasted his two colleagues were practically carrying him to his room . 

I also found it interesting when my teacher said that many of the Chinese are still very immature when they enter the workforce.  He said that dating is not allowed in high school and very rarely in college.  WHA???   Also, most Chinese do not get their first job until after college.  So in many cases when they graduate, they have no work experience and may be preoccupied with finding a mate.  I can't even imagine-   What in the world would you do as a teenager with no boys or jobs?

After the long day of learning, a one of my classmates and I went to see the TV tower and grab a bite to eat.  The TV tower is to shanghai how the arch is to St. Louis.  It was pretty neat, all the China. All the buildings were lit up and glistened with Christmas décor-YES Christmas-LOTS of it and obviously not for religious reasons, but more as an event.  We had dinner at a Brazilian restaurant called Latino.  The weather was quite nice (especially in comparison to Beijing) so we ate outside.  When we headed back to the hotel we learned Dominic had 500 stolen out of his hotel room.  Grr, that stuff makes me so mad...It made me remember what if felt like when the housekeeper in Thailand accidentally threw my ring in the trash. Stuff like that makes it so hard to trust anybody.  

Off to Shanghai

The morning began just as cold as the night before and our room’s space heater seemed to be more like an prop.  And as unhealthily as it is, I almost would have preferred to burn some coal and ditch the space heater, BURRRRR!!  

Beijing was great, but we were ready to see what Shanghai had to offer.  Travel to Shanghai was pretty smooth.  After we got checked in, we were off to find some food (seemed to be the reoccurring mission).   The bellman pointed us in a direction and we wandered into an area with several restaurants.  We walked into one that a looked like it had good ambiance, but when we begain to approach the hostess stand they began snickering and giggling.  They pointed and said "fee~ish" then walked us over to a fish pond/aquarium and took the net to scoop a large flappy fish out if the tank and shake it towards us – knowing we would not be interested in that dining experience.  We scuffled out….Um, no thanks. 

Next door we found the Mongolian BBQ restaurant that turned out to be a great choice.  They didn't have English menus & didn't really speak English, but they seemed to know exactly what we should order.  It turned out pretty good.  The tables had little grills on it for us to cook our own food.  It was entertaining and nobody got hurt (or sick).  I am not real picky with food, but I can't eat anything that is looking at me or resembles the live animal- weird yes, but just can't do it.   So it was big steps when I had to cut a shrimp’s head off it eat it. L

The Great Wall

  Our day began at 530 am as we began with a 3 hour bus ride to Guebekou Village.  After the journey, our bus pulled over on the side over a major road and pointed down a half gravel/pavement road and said walk 10 to 15 minutes that way!  Another reason why packing is stressful- the lighter the better because now we have to lug all of our luggage down a half paved half gravel road while trying to figure out where to go.  We finally arrived at the Great Wall Box House and was greeted by our sweet host, Monica.  She had a certain happy karma around her that seemed infectious.  Once we settled, we got directions to the local village for an ATM and food stop.   

This village was VERY small and there was hardly a person in sight. It had a simple life feel to it.  Since we had been in Beijing, the sky had been grey- similar to what fog looks like and there had been a mild bonfire smell in the air.  Once in the village the bonfire smell became more potent and I realized that it was the smell of burning coal.  People here use coal to warm their homes and businesses.  This also explains why they leave their doors cracked (in the butt @ss cold), use plastic flaps or simply hang a blanket in the doorway - to avoid deadly buildup of carbon monoxide.  Twice during our time in the village we saw a truck driving through the village and heard the drivers were making announcements on a megaphone (in mandarin, of course).   Initially we joked that they were telling the villagers to hide because there were foreigners, but I realized it was the coal truck letting the people know that there was coal for sale so come and get it.

We got to a restaurant and ordered our new "go to" dish "Kung pow chicken".  The food was delicious and our sever warmed up to us after we poorly attempted to tell him the food was good. On our way out we ordered 6 beers to-go so we could each enjoy one on the wall.  It was already 1:30 when we began our journey up the wall.  The dirt path up to the wall had some steep sections, but also had some uneven stone steps.  The climb up began with a crew of 6, but within 15 minutes we lost 3 to their fear of heights. 

As we were planning this part of the trip we decided to avoid the highly populated tourist sections and go a more authentic area of the great wall.  Unlike what I had previously thought, the wall is actually broken into several sections - not one continuous wall. Several of the sections of the wall have been restored, but this section had not been- it was the real deal with missing bricks and half standing fortresses.  It is so amazing there was anything left after all these years.

So the three of us, Jana, Dominic and myself, journeyed onward. Nothing like getting to know strangers while sharing a hike on a little 'ol wall.   Once at the top, the view was breathtaking. It was fascinating how such a structure could be built so may years ago.  The pictures do not do it justice.  It really worked out that we didn't get started until the afternoon because the weather really warmed up and it became quite enjoyable. After about 3.5 hours, we were journeying down just in time to see the sun set disappear behind the mountain. 

Day 1. The circus

The morning of day 1 began well. We had toast, coffee and fruit for breakfast while Bob gave us directions on how to get to our places of interest.  The Forbidden City is a tourist must-do and I really wanted to check out Summer Palace. Now, I am an planner by nature, but I try to be more relaxed and fly by my seat kind of girl, if the plan doesn’t work out.  When traveling, I like to smash in doing as much as possible so I need to have a good idea about what there is to do.  I wasn’t sure how my ideas on what to do would mesh with the the group of strangers, but my overly independent personality makes me completely okay with going my own way if no one wanted to do what I wanted to do.   But it worked out well because Jana & I wanted to do the same things while everybody else didn’t really have much in mind for the itinerary.

Our journey to the Summer Palace took us on the subway where we began to realize the uniqueness of our group, especially to Chinese eyes.  Jana and I are white females with blonde and brown hair and blue eyes- not many blue eyes in China. Then we have the 2 St. Louis guys:  a younger  white guy experiencing his first trip out of the states-  and a black guy with awesome dreads-also his first time out of the country- and a mystery to the Chinese with his cool hair. Then there is the New York City couple who was fearful of flights, food, water, germs etc.  Once we met them I became worried about their health, turns they are very over-weight which is even more apparent in an Asian environment where the average person is probably 80-100 lbs.

Now that you have a better picture in your head, imagine the trip on the subway.  I'm sure we would have been a site in any foreign land, but China  has only been open up to foreigners over the past couple of decades.  Aside from business men and the 2008 Olympics, seeing foreigners isn't as common as one may think.  And seeing a  group like ours – I am pretty sure was a big rarity. We had eyes on us at every passing, as we walked through crowds people would whisper, point, and snap photos as soon as we passed.   It felt like we were part of the circus.  Chinese people have a long history of being xenophobic.  Although some didn't seem scared as they were curious, some just down right obvious in pointing and laughing.  I couldn't help but laugh myself....WTF did I get myself into?  I am way more of a blender and not feel comfortable sticking out.  Another one of the situations that is just  too funny to take seriously.

Now back to the summer palace... The destination itself turned out to be very beautiful. And the scenery,  aww.  I can only imagine what it would be like in the summer, as it was now 36 degrees...freaking cold.  We took a dragon boat ride on a slightly frozen lake where the ice cracks as we floated by.  Then we hiked a zillion steps to a beautiful Buddha incense mansion overlooking the whole property.  It was very pretty and had immaculate details in the architecture. The place was quite crowded with Chinese tourists and only occasionally we would pass a western traveler.  Our group was so unique and very non-incognito.  So many stares, looks and giggles.  I had a couple of Asian ladies ask to take a picture with me----it reminded me of my time in Thailand....where they really like foreigners and would commonly want to get a picture with one, as opposed to being scared or appalled by them. 

After several hours, we were pooped and hungry so we headed to Tiananmen Square, another area with lots of Chinese history. The people gathered here to protest the government and unsuccessfully fight for democracy back in 1989, the government ended up turning on the people and killings hundreds.  Now the amount of surveillance and armed guards is overwhelming.

We strolled the grounds for a bit and finally came across a restaurant.  Omg amazing food!  I had the dumplings that I had been looking forward and Jana ordered some mushroom soup that was delicious.  With full bellies and sore feet we decided to call it a day and head back for a break...my jet lag had really kicked in.  We had all discussed going to dinner, but when time came around I just felt like quitting the circus!!!!  I went to bed for the night, be had to be up by 545 am anyway for our journey to the wall.

Off to China!!

As expected the flight was long and uncomfortable.  From the states to Tokyo is a 13 hour flight followed by a brief layover then another 4 hour flight into Beijing, China.  I had a Beijing guy named prince seated 2 spots over with the middle seat empty, which was a blessing because I coulees sleep in the 2 spots.  In between naps prince gave me some Chinese advice and tips- very nice guy.

On the second flight they were playing water for elephants, a book a really enjoyed but I hadn't found the time to catch the movie- The book was based on a story of a circus elephant. But little did I know it was a foreshadowing for our first few days. 

Here I am on my way to china for a class called “Commerce in China”, a hybrid course with online work and abroad travel.  Over the past few weeks, some classmates and I planned out a pre-trip to Beijing to ultimately visit the historic great wall.  Of the 13 classmates, 5 others wanted to checkout Beijing before our class began in Shanghai.  Because it is an online class, I have not met any of the other students with the exception for a gal that works close to me, Jana.  We met briefly for lunch and wanted to get ideas for mapping out our itinerary.

We met the other 4 students in the airport- one of which I didn’t even know was coming.  After 24 hours of flights and layovers, we arrived late at night in Beijing.  I had arranged for a car to pick us up, well 5 of us.  Trying to fit 6 people into 2 cars with mounds of luggage became chaotic, but not as chaotic as our typical after school special arrival to our hostel.  The hostel is located in a historic neighborhood hutong (small alleyways). The car could not navigate the narrow streets so we had to walk down a dark Beijing alleyway at 1am with jet lagged minds fill with anxiety and need for rest.  Similar to an opening scene in an action movie, as we began walking with down the dark alley with our massive amounts of loud rolling luggage, a group of locals began following us.  The walked right up behind us with loud music, so we walked faster, then they walked faster.  As our racing minds began thinking the worse we scuffled along imagining being ideal American targets for quick robbery, but fortunately we made it to the hostel without issue.  We were warmly welcomed by our awesome host, Bob, who quickly got us in our rooms so we could pass out.

Our hostel:

Kelly's Courtyard

Next week I start a new role with as Associate Account Executive with our international division! I will be branching out from my previous positions in buying, planning, and merchandising into the sales arena.     When I saw the opening for the new position, I knew I had to go for it. The job description somehow seems to pull my education, career experience, and varied interests all together.  I love shoes, retail, fashion, travel, different cultures, international business, foreign relations, and so on.  I really love learning and being challenged so there was not much hesitation when I applied. 

My life is no stranger to change; I think I have already lived more lives than old cat.  But now that I am getting ready to start, I find myself a little nervous.     Trust me, I am very excited to begin this new path- I want this, but I am a little anxious for the change.  I guess because of all the previous change in my life I have nailed down the ability to be thrown into any situation or with any group of people and easily adapt to my environment.  So I find it odd I find myself nervous, but it guess it’s just natural.

Anyway, I can’t wait to jump in!!!  I am very lucky to have the opportunity and know it will be awesome. 

More to come...

Costa Rica!!!

Lisa and I had an awesome trip to Costa Rica!! I am so thankful I have such a dear friend that I know we will always be close and have these amazing memories together. And thank you Mr. Aguirre for sharing your timeshare- that is one great investment!

Day 1

Lisa and her family had a grueling week and I had just hoped for her to be able to get out town so that she could enjoy some travel time, but of course things aren’t ever that easy. She faced a few challenges from car problems to flight delays, but didn't let any of this bring her down. The plan for us to meet in Houston and catch a flight to San Joes, but her flight was delayed and she missed the connection. So I went on to San José to lessen the risk of losing luggage (a girl’s biggest fear) and await Lisa’s arrival in Costa Rica. Although it is awful to be in the dark airport basement, knowing a beautiful country lies up stairs, it was a edgy feeling of being in between countries-not in the US, but not through Costa Rican customs.

I have learned when it comes to travel to expect plans to change. I am a planner by nature and I love mapping out locations and researching deals, but I also can easily adapt when plans go astray. It is important to go with the flow or else you set yourself up for some uneasy emotions- now I just have to learn how to better apply this to my everyday life, right?

Once we cleared customs we figured out how to get to Jaco, about a two hour drive. May is the beginning of the Costa Rica’s “Green”, the term coined for “rainy” season. We experienced our first downpour on our journey to Jaco. The streets were full of rain and the drain ditches that run along the side of the road, appeared more like mini-creeks. The rain caused the air to be a bit chilly and made us question our packing skills: 4 swimming suits, 6 sundress, tanks, skirts, sandals…..not much for “chilly” weather. But as we’d find out later, this was the extent of the chill aside from the expected mountain air we’d experiance at the end of our trip.

Jaco, had mixed reviews. Some people said to avoid it because it was overly commercialized and dirty. Others said it was a must do while venturing out because it offers a surfer community vibe. We figured it would be a great base camp while checking out other areas of the country. Once we arrived at the hotel, we grabbed some food and caught some much needed zzzs.

Day 2

We awoke early desperately seeking coffee. Once refueled, we prepared for lovely excursion of horseback riding! After making our way down to the lobby, we met Luciano, who delivered our bummer news that there had been a little earthquake the day before (little did we know) and that the horse tour would have to be postponed. No worries, because Luciano became our number one friend and patiently went through tons of options with us to figure out what the next best fit would be…and the next thing I knew we were signed up for zip lining on the 13 lines of cables including the including the longest cable in the area of 2400 feet. Lisa is an adrenaline junkie and I am a little more of cautious adventurer- I love to try new things but I get a little anxious! Fortunately, there was a lady on the tour that was completely scared out of her mind- leaving me feeling quite gutsy. I had a nervousness just of the unknow, but she had a fear of heights and wanted to challenge herself to overcome it- pretty cool I think. She made it through about 4 lines then said DONE! After the 2nd line I had the hang of it and LOVED it. I would highly recommend everyone try it; adrenaline/anxiety/nerves whatever its called is well worth it and part of the experience- not to mention the little or no impact the tour has on the environment.

Here are some pics.