The Last Two Weeks



New Years day I said goodbye to my two dear friends at the Guangzhou airport. We had finally reached the time where we would all go our separate ways. Celine, my French friend, was going to Thailand. Suzanne, my Dutch friend, was traveling solo to various places in China. I could finally feel that my semester in China had almost come to an end.

That day I flew to Qingdao. I was in Qingdao traveling by myself for almost two days. I went to an amazing aquarium called 青岛海底世界 (Qingdao hai di shijie) Qingdao Underwater World. Below are some pictures from the aquarium. Traveling by myself in Qingdao really gave me a sense of independence and pride because amazingly during these days I did not encounter any problems.

 The people of Qingdao are very kind. When I didn’t know where I wanted to go in Qingdao, I could simply ask anyone and they would advise me on places I should visit in the city.  I only encountered one thing which I found strange in Qingdao. Some taxi’s will run the meter and only pick up one passenger but I encountered two or more taxis that would pick up three different passengers with three different destinations at the same time. After two days I picked up one of my friends from the bus station in Qingdao. We visited with her aunt and uncle for a few days. I remember we had an amazing dinner at their house with fresh seafood! At my hometown there is almost no seafood so during my time in China I have really learned to appreciate fresh seafood.

A few days later I traveled to my friend’s home in Lai Zhou （莱州）. Lai Zhou is a small town, speaking in terms of size compared to many cities in China. Everywhere I went the people who lived in Lai Zhou would stare at me. There were many times when I heard people whisper “外国人” (foreigner) or “俄罗斯人”（Russian）. (I don’t know why but everyone always assumed I was Russian!)  I spent my last few days in China at her home. Her family welcomed me with open arms. I truly felt like I was a part of her family. Her mother was always feeding us. I really believe it is the custom in china, to constantly feed your guests until they are so full they cannot eat any more. I would wake up in the morning and her mom would serve breakfast. After breakfast she would give us fruit and sun flower seeds; then comes lunch and the same snacks after lunch…etc.  I noticed in my friend’s house, like many other houses in the Shandong province of China, they used solar energy. I found it very efficient and actually cheaper. Shandong Province is one of the top provinces in china that uses solar energy.

After my week in Lai Zhou I took a bus from Lai Zhou to Shanghai. I was on this bus for 12 hours. This was a really fun experience. When I got on the bus I realized there were not any chairs there were only beds. My bed was a top bunk in the middle of the bus. On this bed I felt like I was on the deck of a swaying ship. I could feel the bus’s every movement! I think this was the best way to end my semester in China.

My Favorite Dishes

I believe that the food of a country is a gateway to understanding the culture of that country. So here are a few recipes of a few of my favorite dishes in China.

Scrambled Eggs and Tomatoes
xi hong shi ji dan（西红柿鸡蛋）

Ingredients （配料）:
2 to 3 medium sized tomatoes
salt
2 tea spoons of vinegar
1 tea spoon of soy sauce
cooking oil
1 tea spoon of chicken bullion
3 eggs

Instructions (做法)：First lightly scrabble the eggs in a pan by themselves. Then in another pan use oil to cook the tomatoes. The same pan with the tomatoes add salt, vinegar, and soy sauce to taste. Add the eggs to the tomatoes then cook for 3 to 5 minutes.

Black Mushrooms fried with cucumber
Mu er chao huang gua（木耳炒黄瓜）

Ingredients （配料）：
2 medium cucumbers
Black Mushrooms (edible tree fungus) (木耳)
1 to 2 hot green peppers
Garlic
Soy Sauce
Salt
(oyster sauce)
cooking oil
(with this recipe you can add a scrambled egg)

Instructions (做法) ：First put the black mushrooms in water about an hour to two hours before cooking and leave them until they are soft.  Place some oil in the pan. Then  cook the cucumbers, garlic, and green peppers . Add soy sauce, salt, and oyster sauce to taste. When the cucumbers and green peppers are a little cooked add the black mushrooms and cook  them together for 5 minutes.

Sour and spicy sliced potatoes
 (suan la tu dou si)酸辣土豆丝

Ingredients （配料）:
cooking oil
salt
vinegar
garlic
1 to 2 spicy green peppers
2 medium sized potatoes

Instructions (做法) ：First slice the potatoes into very thin pieces. Slice the hot green peppers as thin at the potatoes.  Secondly cook the garlic and peppers together. When the peppers are a little cooked add the sliced potatoes and cook together for around 10 minutes. Add vinegar and salt to your taste.

Tomato and Beef
(xi hongs hi niu rou）西红柿牛肉:

Ingredients (配料)：
500 grams of beef
2 medium sized tomatoes
soy sauce
cumin
ginger
cooking oil

Instructions (做法) ：First cut the beef into thin squares. Before cooking let the beef soak in a bowl with a lot of soy sauce, a little cumin and ginger for 10 minutes.  Peel the tomatoes and cut them into slices.  Then fry the beef for three minutes. After three minutes add the tomatoes and fry them together for one minute. Put a lid on the pan and let the tomato and beef mixture simmer on high heat for 10 minutes. Then lower the temperature and let simmer for another 20 minutes.  ( If you prefer your beef rare let it simmer for only 15 minutes, for medium-well 20 minutes, for well-done follow the standard directions above.)

Part 2: Places to Visit in Guangzhou



I was in Guangzhou for a week but I felt that a week was too long. For anyone traveling to Guangzhou I only recommend to stay there about three days.

陈家祠(chen jia ci) The Chen Clan’s Estate

白云山(bai yun shan) White Cloud Mountain

While I was resting on the steps on the mountain a group of college students asked if they could have picture with me. They were surprised I could speak enough mandarin Chinese that I could have conversation with them. It was a lot of fun just to sit and talk with them on the mountain. 

南越王 (Nan Yue Wang) The Tomb of King Nan Yue
The tomb covers an area of 1,4000 sq. m. This museum is well known for its well-preserved tomb and funerary antiquity from the Han Dynasty, as well as its elegant and grand architecture from the Lingnan (south of the Nanling Mountain) area. Hidden 20 meters (65.6 feet) underground, the tomb is made up of 750 huge stones with colorful murals. The tomb was discovered in 1983 and the museum opened in 1988. Found in the tomb with the king was more than 15 sacrifices. Four of those sacrifices were his concubines. In this museum you can see the original tomb, and the remains of the kings.

Two Buddhist Temples

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.” ~Buddha

My favorite part about Guangzhou was the Buddhist temples. These temples provided a calm serene atmosphere, a complete contrast to the bustling city.

 

Part 1: Saying Goodbye and Traveling to Guangzhou

“Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to g et it right!” ~Oprah Winfrey

When the semester ended I said goodbye to my home in Jinan and traveled with two of my friends to Guangzhou for about a week. Leaving Jinan was very hard for me and my friends. In the short span of one semester we had really formed a family. We all left Jinan with tears in our eyes and the intention of one day returning.

 Guangzhou is located in the south of china, in the Guangdong region where the local language is Cantonese (广东话).  Traveling from Guangzhou to Jinan is like traveling from one country to another. The south of china is very different from the north, not only in the aspect of food but also in culture and language.  (I guess China is like America in this aspect!)

The first shock between Jinan and Guangzhou was the weather! It was so hot in Guangzhou, it felt like spring. There were lush green plants everywhere! Also in Guangzhou, I didn’t have any negative experiences. The people were always kind and helpful a lot like in the Shandong province. I was often confused on whether I should speak English or mandarin Chinese to the people in Guangzhou. I did not want to appear rude, because their mother language is Cantonese, but they all can speak mandarin Chinese. I advise anyone traveling to Guangzhou to brush up on some Cantonese just to show respect.  

Living Arrangements

While I was in Guangzhou I stayed in a hostel for the first time. I would recommend this to everyone traveling. The hostel was actually better than any hotel I have ever stayed in. Hotels are a nice luxury, but being surrounded by other travelers is a priceless experience. You can  learn so much from the other guests. The hostel normally has  important information about the city like where to go and how to get there. One day my friends and I wanted to go to Baiyun Shan (白云山) and the hostel had a folder of local tourist places and instructions on how to get there. The instructions were in Chinese, so if you can’t read Chinese that is  a different problem! Our hostel even had wifi.  I recommend that if you stay in a hostel to bring your own towels, and a lock for your locker. These are pictures of our hostel.

Food

The north of China is known for its bread, so in many restaurants and many street vendors sale various kinds of bread. I remember my first week in Jinan I really wanted rice but it was so hard to find! You have to ask for rice, but in the south of china many people prefer rice. They believe a meal is incomplete without rice. China has many famously known styles of food, and Guangdong is one of these well known styles. In the south the food tends to be sweeter and less salty than the north. I also felt that the food in the south has a lighter flavor compared to the north.  The pictures below show some of the food that I tried in Guangzhou. In one of the pictures there is rice porridge which is eaten all throughout china. Rice porridge is similar to our oatmeal, except with rice. There is a picture of boiled chicken that I ate at one restaurant on New Years Eve night. The head of the chicken was put in the bowl with it. This may seem alarming to many American’s but in China it is very common. If the dish has the head of the chicken in it, it shows that this chicken was prepared fresh for you.  I had a similar encounter in Jinan as well, but this dish had a lamb’s head in it. One tip to anyone traveling in China is to always wash your dishes at the restaurant. When you sit down at a restaurant there is a tea pot. You should use the tea to clean your chopsticks, cups, and plates. It is very common. The staff will even put a bowl on the table for you to put the used tea in.

Views of the City