Jennifer Johansen Photography

Chinese New Year & Grandmas with Fireworks

2012-01-30T04:01:00.001-08:00

January, 23rd of last week was officially the 1st day of the Chinese New Year: The Year of the Dragon. For this splendid occasion, Nikolai and I decided to get the heck out of Dodge, as they say, and head to Thailand. I will post soon about our trip to the Land of Smiles, but I had to share some insight and a short story of our first exposure to the biggest celebration on the Chinese calendar.

To start off, Chinese people like fireworks.

No, I take that back. Chinese people LOVE fireworks and the New Year is a perfect time for many of them to demonstrate and express this love. Fire works were traditionally used to scare away evil spirits and to bring good luck to one and one's loved ones in the new year. There are many more traditions that come along with the new year, like lanterns, large feasts and family gatherings. If you are interested, you can go to Wikipedia to learn more about it. That is, if its English version is still up and running. ;)

Because Nikolai and I were in Thailand until the 27th, we thought we would miss much of the loud celebration and crowds. Now, the crowds we did miss. Most Chinese tend to take trains to travel home to see their families, so the airport and the metro system were not crowded at all - comparatively speaking - the day we came home. We even got a seat on the metro!

The fireworks, however, were a different story.

As I am typing this I have heard at least 4 separate, eardrum-rattling rounds of fireworks go off in 4 different locations. I think I might be a bit delusional, but I feel like each one was slightly louder than the last! Oh...make that 5 now, another one just started.

Now, my image of fireworks comes mostly from all my years of either sitting on the roof of my parents' house or along the lake in Forest Lake, Minnesota on the Fourth Of July. There would be a flash of brilliant colors in the sky, mostly in the shapes of weeping willows, and then a loud BANG! People would OooOoo and AHhhh at each explosion, eagerly anticipating the next. However, the whole thing was not over until the Grand Finale, where they would send up about 2 or 3 dozen fireworks in a matter of 15 seconds or so. Reds, whites and blues with a smattering of yellows, greens and the coveted sparkly gold ones would light up the sky like it was midday. We would then all clap and cheer and compare this year's finale to years past and wait again until the next 4th of July (or at least the State Fair) to see them again.

In China, it is about 2 weeks of constant Grand Finales, only about half of the fireworks are actually the pretty ones you can see. Most of them are just loud! Don't get me wrong, they are quite beautiful. I even remember the beautiful colors of the ones we saw on our first night back in China as I was looking out our dining room window. But now, they are just loud!

(By the way we are up to 6...and these ones are the colorful AND loud ones)

So, now for the quick story.

As I have said, Chinese people love fireworks. Young, old, men and women, they love them. I did however, happen upon the one young girl in China who might not like fireworks anymore. As Nikolai and I were taking a walk along a lake near our apartment we heard these loud POP! POP! POP! noises coming from the path in front of us. We noticed the noise was coming from a group of 3 people (a father, a 4 or 5 year old girl and what we assumed was her grandmother). POP! POP! POP! They were really loud now and sounded like those little rock pops that people would through during parades at the feet of the marching band. Strangely, it seemed as if they were coming from the ground near the feet of the little girl.

I watched for a moment to assess the situation and then I stepped back in shock. The grandmother had a pocket full of those "poppers" and was throwing them at the feet of her granddaughter. "Bu Hao! Bu Hao! Ting! Ting!", the little girl giggled/screamed. The grandmother threw in a few pump fakes and then continued to throw them, laughing as her granddaughter danced around to avoid them. She then reached in her pocket for more.

Just another day in China.

(Note: As I was typing, rounds 7, 8 & 9 of fireworks went off...oh wait...make that 10.)

A Trip to Penang, Malaysia

2011-12-31T18:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we (Myself, Nikolai and a friend, Lucien) got back from a week trip to the Island of Penang, Malaysia. We stayed in the city of Georgetown, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to what some say is the best street food in Southeast Asia.

Georgetown is a very diverse city, with many different cultural/religious groups living in close quarters to each other. Many days as we walked through the city and I was amazed at how on one street you could pass a Chinese buddhist temple, a Hindu Temple, a Baptist Church and a Mosque in about 4 city blocks. Now, this is not some splendid utopia where everyone lives in perfect harmony. But it was amazing to watch the level of religious tolerance/acceptance as people went about on their day to day lives.

As we wondered the streets of Georgetown and the jungles of the island we found ourself coming back many evenings to eat at the Red Garden. This is a hawkers place where various food stands sell their food along the outside of a sea of 100+ tables. The first night we went there, we perused through the stands to see all of our options. There was Thai food, western food, Japanese food, Vietnamese food, Malay food and much more. We all decided to skip on the Chinese food, since we get enough at home.

After much debate, I settled with some fabulous Japanese BBQ skewers of lamb, lobster and a jumbo prawn while Nikolai and Lucien continued to look. Finally, tucked away in the corner, they found what they had been looking for...Indian Curry. I would say that all in all, Nikolai and Lucien had a total of no fewer than 20 curries between the 2 of them. Butter chicken curry, chicken vindaloo, tikka masala & a Penang style curry were just a few that they sampled throughout our stay. You could say that the two of them were in food heaven!

I did thoroughly enjoy the food, as the morning street food was outstanding, with samosas, egg roti & cheese baked bread, but I found the nature on the island fascinating. We took several hikes through the jungle in both a national park and the highlands above the city. Along these hikes we saw much of the flora and fauna that made this island so important to the Malay natives and fascinating to the British that arrived here in the 1700s. From 7-foot water monitor lizards to dusky leaf monkeys to century old trees, I was in awe of the natural beauty of the island. It was quite a respite from the concrete jungle that we live in back in Foshan.

We have 8 days of work and then another almost 3 weeks of vacation where we are heading to Thailand (Chiang Mai & Koh Samui). We can hardly wait!

Clear skies, Running & Smiles

2011-12-09T20:35:00.000-08:00

The last few days here have been beautiful. At least if you are a Minnesotan living in a Sub-tropical climate. Strong winds have carried away virtually all of the air pollution and the skies are a bright and vibrant blue. With these wind has come cooler, dare I even say cold, temperatures in the upper 40s low 50s.

While weather like this makes many chinese natives run for their parkas and winter gear, it makes me throw on a pair of running shoes and head outside.

Yesterday, I did an evening run under the full moon. The crisp air had me reminiscing of fall back home. I was beginning to get sad thinking that I was going to miss my favorite season when I realized that winter here is like one long fall...BEAUTIFUL!

I knew I had to take advantage of these beautiful clear days because, as you probably know, not all days are like this here. So, this morning, I decided to take a run around the lake near our apartment.

Getting to the park is not the greatest, I have to run on sidewalks along a busy road. Granted, the sidewalks are all granite and gleaming in the sun, but this means I must pass by dozens of cars, vans and motorcycles. I don't want to paint an unfair picture of the people here, as most of them are very polite as this strange tall, blond foreigner is running down a busy chinese road. Not a sight that many see here everyday...or ever. Yet, there are always a few who will stop their car in the middle of a busy intersection to stop and look. No harm being done, just looking or rather staring.

Once I get to the park it is great! I can find anonymity amongst the quiet trails on the wooded hillside or along the lake and surrounding ponds. It is beautiful. I even caught myself stoping along the lake and thinking of how much it felt like Como Park at home. However, once I heard the chinese flute music being played on an elderly man's personal radio (yes, they are everywhere here...radios and elderly chinese men, usually together) I quickly was reminded of where I was.

On my way out of the park, I noticed a man on a motorcycle coming towards me on the path. I quickly skirted out of the way to avoid being hit, but as he passed me I noticed a young boy about the age of 6 sitting backwards on the motorcycle. His arms were crossed on the carrier on the back of the cycle and he was attempting to rest his head on his hands. His tiny legs were splayed out on either side. When he noticed me, he smiled with his head bobbing up and down with every bump on the road. I couldn't help but smile back. Perhaps stares are not all bad, when complimented with a smile, they can be quite welcoming in this strange new home of mine.

Hong Kong - Where East Meets West

2011-12-03T19:37:00.001-08:00

A few weekends ago Nikolai and I decided to take a weekend trip into Hong Kong. Since we are only a 2.5hour (plus customs) trip away I did not anticipate Hong Kong being all that much different than here in the Greater Guangzhou area. I was in for a little reverse culture shock.

We came into Hong Kong late at night, so I did not get a real chance to investigate the city of 7-million until the next morning. I did, however, get a chance to enjoy a Ben & Jerry's Phish Food Waffle ice cream cone...wow...I have missed good ice cream!

On Saturday morning we awoke to clear blue skies and slightly cooler weather (for my Minnesota friends, that means it was in the upper 70s). We started our walk down to Victoria Harbor and along the way I was stunned. People stopped at stoplights here and pedestrians ONLY used crosswalks on the main roads. There also seemed to be more Starbucks per square kilometer than anywhere I have ever seen.

As we got closer to the harbor, there was a moment when the fresh salty sea air hit my nostrils. Ah, fresh air! I even saw a few runners out along the Walk of Stars.

The harbor itself was beautiful. Truly one of the great harbors of the world. As I looked at it it was hard to imagine its shores without the glittering steel and glass skyscrapers along the sides and giant ships and ferries in its waters. We took the famous star ferry across to Hong Kong Island and spent the rest of the late morning and early afternoon walking around the streets and hills of the west end. Beautiful!

Later in the afternoon we decided to go up to Victoria Peak to see the famous high view of the harbor. Here, is where Nikolai and I realized that we were truly not in mainland China any more.

We waited in line for about 1 hour to get on the historic tram to take you to the top of the hill. At the top you will find everything from touristy nic-naks to a Bubba Gumps restaurant. However, Nikolai and I were there for the view so we quickly passed all of these attractions and headed for the observation deck.

While at the top, we walked around on our own a bit. While taking photos, I ran into a couple who was posing with Danish flags that they had draped on the ledge of the tower. I wanted to find Nikolai to show him the flags but when I did Nikolai had this strange look on his face. "What happened?" I asked. "You will never guess.", he relied.

Apparently, as he was wandering around admiring the view he came across a mainland chinese family with a 3-year old son. There was a great commotion as the small boy seemed to need to use the bathroom. Now, in mainland China, I have become almost too comfortable with seeing grandparents and parents squatting with their children and grandchildren along roads, paths and even in shopping malls to relieve themselves. But, this was Hong Kong.

That didn't matter to this family as Nikolai said they stripped the little boy of his pants and he precede to go number 2 on top of the observation deck at Victoria Peak. Seconds before he was finished, Nikolai said there was a great commotion as security guards came running over to the family and escorted them away, presumably to the nearest restroom.

As Nikolai retold the story to me we just kept on laughing. It was nice to be in a place where that was not acceptable in public anymore.

Later that evening we meet up with a college friend (Robin) who is teaching in Hong Kong and we enjoyed a great meal of Mediterranean food and a wonderful conversation about life in China. My friend mentioned that she was excited to go out for non-chinese food, as many people who come to visit them want to have chinese food. We get enough of that at home in Foshan!

The next day we spent shopping! My only mission was to find a pair of boots and Nikolai a pair of Clark's Originals. We found out quickly that mainland Chinese people come to Hong Kong to buy the real brands while Hong Kong natives will venture over the boarder into Shenzhen to buy the cheep knockoffs...so funny to see!

Over all, it was a great trip. I know there will be many times that I am craving western food, civility and the ability to speak english...it is nice to know that Hong Kong is so close!

Finding Betty

2011-11-08T02:29:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you just want brownies.

They way they taste when fresh out of the oven slightly under-baked and gooey in the center is almost indescribable.

One would think in a country the size of China it wouldn't be hard to find brownies and they would be right. However, if a brownie that tastes like chalk and sticks to the roof of your mouth sounds appealing to you you would be satisfied by the "brownies" that you can find here. I knew from my multiple attempts that I would have to make my own.

This sounds easy enough, but since most homes here in China only have stovetops you have to buy a toaster oven to make any type of baked good and, lets face it, baked goods are about all I am good at when it comes to cooking. About, two weeks ago Nikolai and I finally broke down and purchased one of these western necessities. I was thrilled at the thought of this purchase putting me one step closer to fresh brownies. Now, all I needed were the ingredients.

There is a supermarket about 5k away that has a bigger selection of western foods than other stores in the area. I knew this would be a perfect place to find all the ingredients that I needed for my brownies. Now, with that said, this store still has one aisle that is completely dedicated to noodles, another that has well over 100 different types of soy sauces and and yet another that is an odd combination of seaweed and chicken feet. Yet, I knew I saw a bag of flour - a key ingredient - there once.

As I searched the shelves for the usual ingredients (sugar, flour, cocoa, etc.) I was stunned when all of a sudden Nikolai (who was nice enough to join me on my little trip) said, " Jen, get over here." So I walked over to see what he had found.

And there they were.

Sitting on the shelf were 3 Betty Crocker brownie boxes. I could have sworn that each one was gift wrapped and had a gold bow on them. I reached down and grabbed 2 of them. "We should leave at least one for someone else.", I told Nikolai as I was trying to contain my excitement. However, that did not last long as I forced him to take a picture of me in the middle of the store. I know there are times where I really need to appreciate how wonderful my husband is, and this was one of them.

It is already 2 days latter and I have yet to open the packages. They are sitting in the top shelf in the pantry waiting for the perfect moment. Plus, I still have yet to find a brownie or cake pan in China.

I suppose if I need to I can just do what I do back home in The States, make the brownie batter and never actually make the brownies.

Bixi - breath

2011-11-04T23:16:00.000-07:00

I remember the first "real" yoga class I took at Corepower Yoga in downtown Minneapolis. The combination of relaxation with full exertion were feelings that rejuvenated me in my first class and kept me coming back time and time again.

Moving to China I was worried that I would not be able to keep practicing. I knew if I had to I could roll my mat out on the living room floor. But that type of practice is nothing like finding a great studio or outdoor space. Luckily, about 3 weeks into our time here we joined a gym that has a beautiful yoga space. I was so excited to see the giant walls of mirrors and beautifully draped cloth adorning the walls. There were even several hand painted images of Shiva in the studio. I could not wait to join a class.

I did have one concern, however, the language.

Despite this, I packed up my mat and yogitoes and ventured into a class. I had (and still have) no idea of what style of yoga I was about to do as all of the class titles and descriptions were in Chinese. But hey, this is China, and most things here are surprises for me!

I walked into the beautiful space and found a place way at the back of the room. I knew I had to position myself in a spot where I could do as much observing as possible. As class started the instructor looked around the room and greeted us. She paused for a moment to look at me. The look on her face lead me to believe that she was not quite sure what to think about having a gweilo in her class. But a slight curve of her lips and nod of her head reassured me that I was welcome here.

As in most yoga classes, we started with our eyes closed and focused on our bixi, breath. After about 5 minutes of breathing I realized that I had no idea if she had instructed us to move onto something else. I tried to discreetly open my eyes and take a peak around the room. Luckily, we had not moved on. All of a sudden I heard some words I recognized in a firm yet calm voice, "Keep your eyes closed." Oops! Busted.

Class progressed through various hip openers and typical warrior stances that I recognized, but not in any order that I had ever encountered before. It was great fun, even though I was about 2 or 3 seconds behind the entire class the whole time. I am sure I gave a few of the women in the class a great laugh as I probably looked like my head was on a swivel trying to observe through their movements what the instructor was guiding us to do.

Things were very normal and even typical of a yoga class at home...until the end.

As we laid in corpse pose I heard the instructor say something and then I heard people move. I peeked out of one eye and noticed that they were moving into a sitting position with their eyes closed. So, I followed.

Then, it happened.

The instructor gave a command and the entire class began to slap themselves. Yes, slap.

Up and down their arms, legs, shoulders and even the tops of their heads. This went on for about 2 full minutes. Apparently, this is done in traditional chinese massages and at the end of workouts to relax the muscles and help bring fresh oxygenated blood throughout the body. To me it just looked like it hurt. But, I played along so as to not bring more attention to myself than my blond hair and funny big blue eyes already did.

At the end of class, I walked over to the yoga instructor and uttered one of about 10 phrases I had mastered at the time. "Xie xie", I said. She looked back at me, smiled and said, "You are welcome."

I left class for the first time relaxed and even more eager to learn chinese.

Negotiating Foshan's Traffic: A Few Observations and Tips

2011-10-10T16:58:00.000-07:00

Over the course of the last two and a half months, Nikolai and I have been very cautious observers to Chinese traffic and its almost nonexistent laws. After many frustrating times that have eventually turned into moments of great laughter (when things are this odd you have to laugh) we wrote up a list of helpful tips for anyone who might be brave enough to drive in China.

So here they are...

1. Traffic lights are suggestions, and weak ones at that.

2. “Right of Way” is, truthfully, non-existent. “Survival of the Fittest” is a more apt term to describe intersection laws and etiquette:

http://www.china-mike.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/chinese-traffic-chaos-small.jpg

3. “Look both ways” is good advice when crossing ONE WAY streets.

4. Traffic lights out? No problem – one of Foshan’s friendly, committed traffic guards will be on hand to offer help.*

5. When operating a motor vehicle, engage the horn no less than 65% of the time.

6. Drive on the right side of the road, unless you feel like driving on the left side.

7. If you drive on the left side of the road, alert other travelers by honking your horn frequently. You should also do this when traveling on the right side of the road.

8. If you choose to drive a motorcycle or scooter, that’s great! You have access to another lane
of traffic – the sidewalk.

9. A typical Chinese motorcycle can comfortably seat8 passengers and/or 3 passengers and the carcass of a hog. For visual evidence, see the link in #13.

10. To secure your motorcycle/scooter load (bricks, slabs of granite, propane tanks, live or dead animals, a quantity of styrofoamlarge enough to fill a small barge, etc.), 2-3 feet of string will generally suffice. If you have a passenger, the string is not necessary.

11. If you don’t own a car, no problem! Build your own! A boat motor mounted on a lawnmower chassis is recommended.

12. A ride on a motorcycle/scooter can be a great way for a child to explore the world and gain kinesthetic awareness:

http://ts3.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspxq=1279112589738&id=6172bf5a2d0ecdbe8ad215ac7b1f7360

13. Faith in a higher being/the afterlife is suggested.

*Until it rains and/or they get bored/distracted

Traveling to Yangshuo

2011-09-23T02:11:00.000-07:00

Since December of 2010, when Nikolai and I decided to take teaching jobs in China, I was going through every DVD, article and book I could get my hands on to learn about what was going to be my new home. I was hungry for information.

One of the documentaries that I watched was a BBC series called Wild China. Being a nature girl at heart, the images that were cast upon my computer screen were very pleasing to the eye. Vast open landscapes, clean, clear waters & roaming forest animals allowed me to realize that there was more to China than the steel, concrete and polluted haze that we often hear about on the news.

One place that captivated me the most was an area in Guangxi province called, Yangshuo. I knew from the DVD that this place was unlike any I had ever laid eyes on or set foot in. Its vast karst peaks were draped in green bamboo and hardwood forests. Its valleys were flooded with wildlife that lived along the rivers that meandered through its valleys. The local people who live there seemed to work with the land as their ancestors had for over 1,000 years. I had to go see this place.

This last week I finally got to go.

Our trip took us to first to Guilin, which we flew to from Guangzhou, on a 50min airplane ride.
Even though Yangshuo is very close to where we are, the roads and public transportation make what should be about a 4-hour drive into 8 hours... much of which is sitting in traffic on Chinese highways and freeways. We elected to fly.

Once we got to Guilin, we had to make our way to the city center to find the public bus station.
Mind you this “small town” is a village of 1.3 million people. Here, we had to use our limited Chinese language skills and our very good charades skills to get 2 tickets for the 12:10pm bus to Yangshuo. After about 10min of animated talking to a few different people, we had our tickets and just had to wait for our bus. (Side note: If you are planning on traveling in China, go
to the bathroom BEFORE you get to a bus station. Squatter toilets, no doors, no toilet paper, no flushing …I think you get the picture).

Once on the bus I was able to start to see the beautiful landscape that I was in. I could hardly wait to start biking and climbing. We got dropped off on West Street in Yangshuo (named for all the westerners you see on it) and hailed a taxi to our guesthouse that was 5k out of town. Nikolai and I again used our almost nonexistent Chinese language and bartering skills to get a good price on a taxi (since out there they do not have meters) and made our way towards Half Moon Village.

Once at our final destination we stepped out of the car and set foot into the beautiful pomelo grove that was in front of the guesthouse. It seemed almost instantly the sweat that was on my skin ceased pooling as the temperature dropped about 10 degrees. “Welcome” said a warm voice with the familiar staccato sound of a Chinese accent, “You must be Nikolai and Jennifer.” We were given fresh fruit, which we ate ravenously, and then led to our room in the renovated barn in the back of the house. It was quiet. It was cool. It was perfect.

Over the next five days we spent our time hiking, biking, swimming and rafting through the Yangshuo countryside. We spent almost every evening on the rooftop deck of our guesthouse overlooking the lush green valleys and hills that
surrounded the little village. We indulged on authentic Italian and Chinese cuisine and had our first taste of good wine in months. (Side note #2: The Chinese are just starting to figure out what wine is. Most of it here is pretty lousy.)

One night, as Nikolai and I sat on the rooftop deck sipping Argentinean wine and eating Chinese ravioli (jiaozi or dumplings). I looked around and realized what an absolutely beautiful place I was in. I
guess China really is more than steel, concrete and pollution. It is beautiful.

Land of Fruit

2011-09-10T04:20:00.001-07:00

Ask people in Minnesota what their favorite season is and
many of them will reply, “Fall.” For some, it is the cooler temperatures and the brilliant colors of leaves; for
others it is the start of a new school year or the excitement of football
season. For me, Fall means the start of apple
season.

It pained me a little to think that I was going to be
leaving Minnesota just before my favorite time of year. I would, sadly, miss all of the Braeburns,
Firesides and Honeycrisps, the apple crisps and cider. Hoping I could find an alternative, my first
week in China I went to a market and (even though every travel book tells you
not to) bought an apple. When I got home,
I quickly peeled the “Grown in New Zealand” sticker off and, as I bit in, realized
immediately that it was not the same. As
the soft, pinkish, skin gave way to the pale inside, I quickly knew that the
apple lacked anything resembling the complex sweet, tart and sour tastes of the
apples back home.

I was bummed…

That is, until a few weeks back, when a group of coworkers
went on a bike trip north and east of Guangzhou. I fell behind the group because, as usual, I
was taking pictures. As I biked up to
them I noticed that they were picking things out of a tree hanging over the
trail. I asked my coworker, Sarah, what
they were she said, “here” and pulled a branch down for me to pick some.

I turned the strange, berry-like fruit over in my hand. It had an outer shell that felt like smooth
bark. “Can you eat these?” I
asked. “Sure”, she said. “Look.
Even the goats over there are.”
Sure enough, there was a group of goats that munching on the fruit about
10 feet off the trail.

“How?” I asked,
furrowing my brow and curling my lip with the thought of having to eat
something that looked and felt like bark.
“Here, let me show you,” she said.

I watched as she gently squeezed the “bark berry” until it
popped open. Inside, it resembled
something of a peeled grape. She popped
it in her mouth and then handed me one to try.

Once I opened it, I carefully placed it in my mouth. WOW!
The texture was like a grape but the taste was like nothing I had ever
eaten before. It was a combination of
grape, coconut and…apple. I quickly
reached up and grabbed a few more. “They
are called longyan, or dragon’s eye fruit,” another teacher told me.

After this experience, I was thrilled to find that the
market behind my school sells these.
People go out into the country and collect them and then bring them into
the city to sell, along with many other fruits, including dragon fruit,
pomegranates & pomelos.

Though longyan are nothing like the Minnesota apples I love,
they will be a great substitute while I am gone.

Peanuts & Chopsticks Photo

2011-08-24T01:53:00.000-07:00

Peanuts & Chopsticks

2011-08-24T01:21:00.000-07:00

Before coming to China I use to pride myself on my use of chopsticks in restaurants. When Nikolai would opt for the fork and spoon I would reach for the plastic or wooden utensils and dig into my pad Thai or lo mein. Since moving to China I have been very humbled by these simple
utensils.

I quickly found that my skill in chopsticks had been honed in use of noodles and I did not have the necessary expertise to transfer my skills to foods of odd shapes, sizes and textures. There have been many times where my Chinese acquaintances have laughed or giggled at me as I clumsily moved a steamed dumpling from the center of our table to my plate or mouth. I would say my success rate with dumplings is now up to about 90%! That means 1 in 10 dumplings I attempt to eat end up on the table, floor or someone else’s lap.

One of biggest challenges with chopstick has been peanuts. It is common for many of the
restaurants here in china to serve you roasted and salted peanuts as an appetizer before your meal. The first time I saw them I was SO excited! In my excitement I reached for the bowl and poured some into my hands and onto my plate. Yes, I thought, a food I can eat with my hands!

As I sat there eating one peanut after another with my fingers I began to notice the other people at the table (mostly Chinese or people who had been in China for more than a month) grab their chopsticks and take the peanuts one at a time. WHAT! I thought very loudly in my head. This cannot be!

Hoping that no one had seen me take half of the bowl by dumping it on my plate, I reached for my chopsticks. I carefully examined my grip, making sure I placed them high enough in my hands to obtain ultimate dexterity. Then I watched. I figured, perhaps this was something I could
learn by just watching.

After a good 4 minutes of observation I figured I was set. It seemed simple…go only for one peanut at a time, reach for the middle narrow part of the peanut and grip firmly. I checked my grip one more time and waited for the bowl to come my way on the turntable. As I eyed its arrival I had to time it perfectly as to not miss my opportunity. I might only have 10 seconds before the table would get moved again and my precious peanuts would be out of reach.

With a steady hand I reached in the bowl gripped firmly onto a peanut and pulled it out of the pile. Success! I began to move my chopsticks away, eyeing my prize as I watched in horror as I began to feel it slipping away. No, I thought, I have to make it to my plate. It seemed that the
next moment went on in slow motion as my hand tried to contort itself to keep a grip on its precious cargo. With fingers slowly twitching I tried with all of my might to hold on.

THUD!

It dropped to the table.

To me it seemed like a very loud noise, but everyone else kept on eating and talking. I reached for the peanut with my hand and quickly put it in my mouth. No big deal, I thought, no one was watching. I would just try again.

The second trial was just as awkward except this peanut I grabbed seemed to be slipperier as it did not last as long on my chopsticks and the peanut landed next to the bowl. The third, fourth and fifth tries I came up empty handed as the peanut fell out before I could even lift it up. Ugh! I thought I was never going to get it.

And then IT happened.

A moment I will never forget. I watched our friend Lucien reach into the bowl and slowly pull out his “prize”. The whole half of the table seemed to stop for a moment and gaze at what Lucien had done. There, sitting on the end of his chopsticks sat 3 peanuts, side by side, securely between his grip.

Lucien grinned from ear to ear as I and others gazed on in amazement. He placed the peanuts in his mouth and gave me a nod.

Perhaps someday I too will learn how to get three peanuts at once. Until then, I just want to learn
to get them to my plate.

A Typical Morning

2011-08-17T00:57:00.001-07:00

School has been in session here for about 2 weeks and I have found myself enjoying getting into my daily rituals. From greeting familiar faces on the city bus or the bakery to passing by the same pond every day, it is these daily activities that transform me from a tourist to a resident of this new country.

6:45 am – Our alarm goes off. This is quite the change from the 5:30 am wakeup call that we had back in St. Paul. Some days, we even get to sleep in until about 7:30, depending on when our first class starts.

7:15ish – We head out the door. Making our way slowly towards the elevator we usually stand in morning silence until the elevator car arrives. Once we get out the building we meander our way through our complex’s gardens. I love how there is not a straight path to any of the main entry points. Instead it was almost designed to slow you down and allow you to wake up slowly.

7:20 – We walk past butt-slappers. Yes, you read that right, butt-slappers. Sometimes they are shoulder-slappers, other times upper thigh-slappers, but often they are butt-slappers. Perhaps it is due to some belief or understanding that this increases circulation. Or, perhaps it is just to help wake them up and transition into their day. Whatever it is, everyday I see people inflicting this pain upon themselves. From young men in their 20’s to grandmothers in their 80’s, they all do this with a large smile and a ni hao!

7:25 – We leave our complex’s gates. As we step out onto the sidewalk we are usually greeted one of the many friendly security guards. They know little to no English, which is fine since I no little to no Chinese, so we great each other with a smile. If Nikolai and I are lucky, they will even hold the gate open for us as we usually struggle to find our key cards every morning.

7:30 – We get breakfast at the bakery. The first time I saw this place my eyes lit up! From cakes to muffins to egg custard tarts I thought I was in heaven. I got a mini muffin ignoring other ex-pats warnings of “the cake always looks better than it tastes.” To my disappointment, the first bite was followed by a wrinkle of the nose and choking down of something that tasted like straight corn syrup with a few blueberries in it. I have, however, learned to enjoy pastries filled with a red bean paste as well as blueberry buns.

7:35 – We walk to the bus stop. This is by far the most dangerous part of the morning as we have to cross a large parking area/walking area (yes, they are the same here in China) and a 6-lane road. I know I will have more posts about traffic control (or lack thereof) here in China but it is important to point out that this is a big part of my morning. Crossing the street here in China is a BIG event, one that has rules, that no one really follows, and a lot of loud horns. I think my favorite road crossing experience has been when a person on a moped honked at Nikolai and I to get out of the way when we were in the crosswalk (with the right of way sign on) and they were driving down the wrong side of the road, in the bikes only lane. When their horn blared I jumped back onto the curb and had to laugh. Only in China!

7:45 – We get on the bus. Back in the US, I am used to driving my car wherever and whenever I like. We (myself included) tend to think of owning a car as having freedom. Over the short time that I have been here, I have enjoyed taking the bus. Yes, you have to add on a few minutes to your commute, and yes, you have to deal with getting stared at by all the locals who cannot stop looking at your big eyes and bigger feet and how tall you are compared to them, but it sure beats trying to drive in Chinese traffic. J

7:50 – We get off at our bus stop. Yes, a 5min bus ride in which we go about 2.5 miles. I suppose when the weather is not 90 degrees before 8am, I might actually walk this, but for now I will take the bus.

7:55 – We get to the office and start the day. Sometimes, rituals like these can seem mundane. However, they can often bring comfort when life shifts drastically.

First Impressions of Our New Home

2011-08-09T07:36:00.000-07:00

As I sit here writing this, I have been in China almost 2 weeks. In that time we have really begun to settle into our new home and a routine in Foshan, China. It is hard to sit down and write about the whirlwind that has been our life these past weeks as Nik and I
have had many new experiences and seen many new things as we explored this new place.

Rather then babble about moving in and all of our day-to-day issues I am going to list all the firsts that I have experienced…

I have never…

…Been stared at so
much. First of all, I stand a good 6-inches over the height of the average woman and 3-inches over the average man here. Yet my blue eyes and blonde hair seem to be what really catch their eyes. I have had several people look like they were going to crash their bikes or mopeds as they careen their necks trying to get a closer look at “the foreigner”.

…Been poked and prodded somuch in a foot massage. Our friend Lucien, who has been here fora year already, invited us to join him at the HUGE massage place in ourapartment complex. It was a very fancy (and legitimate) place where you get rooms with 4 or 5 reclining chairs, a nice flat screen TV and food and drink to go with your massage. As the masseuse came in who was going to attempt to soften and relax my gnarled runners feet, I realized that she was fascinated by Nikolai and my features. Luckily Lucien and our other friend James both can
speak a little Mandarin and were able to help translate her furry of questions
and comments.

“Why is your hair Blonde? You have big feet. Why are you to tall? What is this
feather in your hair? How do you get your eyes to be blue? Do you put mascara
on? Why is your husband so hairy? Would your legs be as hairy as his if you let
your hair grow?”

It was a hilarious exchange of cultures as we tried to give our answers through our
“translators”. Most of the masseuses, waiters and cab drivers we come into
contact with are from parts of rural china, you know places with small towns
over only 1 or 2 million, and have never seen a real person with blonde hair
and blue eyes.

…Had so much good food. I know my first vocabulary words and phrases will revolve around how to order the great food that you can get here everyday. My favorite thus far is Cha Siu Bao
which are these sweet buns with a small amount of pork in a sweet sauce on the inside. They are everywhere! I can even get them at the seven-eleven in our complex. I know I will have many posts later about food. So I will keep this one short.

…Been thanked so much by my students. We have only had 4 official days of class with students, but already I am amazed at their excitement to learn. It is a residential school
where many of the students live there during the week and then go home on the weekends. Because of this, many students moved in a day or two before classes started and were in the classrooms catching up on their lessons with their peers. Once classes started I realized how grateful these students are to learn. “Thank you for the lessons you have taught me today, Mrs. Johansen.” Says a student each day as he leaves my class. “You are so very welcome.” I
reply knowing very well that they will be teaching me just as much in the upcoming
years.

…Been asked to be an economics teacher. I found out the day before classes started that I would be needed to fill in for the economics teacher for the first few weeks due increased demand for the class and a need to hire a new teacher to fill this spot. “Welcome to teaching I China” I heard a few teachers tell me as they offered their help and told me of their own similar experiences at some point in time. As I began to dive into the curriculum I viewed it through my
scientists lenses. Simple. I thought all economics is is ecology with money!

…Lived in a luxury high-rise apartment complex. We were lucky enough to find a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment in Lucien’s complex the day we arrived in China. The complex consists of about 2 dozen buildings, each 30 stories high with 4 to 6 apartments on each floor.
You can do the math…there are a lot of apartments. However, in these new complexes only about half of the apartments are full as the Chinese are experiencing the biggest urban migration of their history and perhaps of human history.

Living in a suburb of 6-million people I was ecstatic to be living in a complex where there are
beautiful gardens, a lake, ponds and walking/running paths everywhere. I have posted pictures here as well of our complex.

…done a yoga class in Chinese. Nikolai and I joined a gym that has a VERY western feel to it. There are aerobics, spinning and yoga classes. When I went to my first yoga class I was about the 3^rd student in the room. Before class started I went through my typical warm-up that I would do in my vinyasa classes at home. The other Chinese women who were in class were also warming up in a similar fashion.

When the teacher came in, she greeted the class and then turned to me and said in broken English, “do you just speak English?” I said “Yes, but I am also a very good observer”, pointing
to my eyes. She nodded and began.

The yoga started out more like Tai Chi with its methodical movements and hand gestures. Yet, as the class went on there were more poses that I recognized. Despite my recognition of the poses, my head felt like it was on a swivel as I tried to move with the class rather then a step behind because I did not know the words. During the class I was deeply impressed with the instructor as her hand on adjustments and guidance. They were just what I need as I struggled with understanding what she was saying.

…been to McDonald’s, Starbucks and Walmart in one day until moving to Foshan. Anyone who knows me well know that getting me into one of these places is quite the feat. Enough said.

…been the minority. Living in the US we forget that when a person walks down the street it can be difficult to know weather they are from the US or not until they speak to you or tell you. Here, however, people walking on the other side of the street a mile away know Nikolai and I are not from here. Sometimes the obviousness of our foreignness can be nice as people are VERY willing to try to speak English to us right from the start. Usually this eagerness to speak English with us is accompanied by an apology of “I sorry, I poor English.” I usually reply back.
“Do not worry, my Mandarin is MUCH worse.” This response usually gets a smile.

I know over the course of the next few months and years, being the one that stands out will get old and frustrating. Having only traveled abroad to European or Spanish Speaking countries, I have gone with the ability to communicate my wants, needs and ideas in some verbal way. However, here I have found myself resorting to hand gestures, facial expressions and my VERY limited Mandarin to order food, ask where the bathroom is and make polite conversation in an elevator.

Just the few experiences I have had in the limited time I have been here have made me think about the immigrants that I have meet back home in the US. We often times equate verbal skills with intelligence and I can only imagine the frustration of an intelligent person who has recently immigrated to the US who has not mastered the language yet. With that being said, many of the Chinese I have meet must think I am an idiot.

If you
have made it through this far of the post…I want to say thank you! I will try
to keep posting on here weekly or as my spare time allows.

Flickr Link --> http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenniferjohansenphotography/sets/72157627269270079/

Nerves and a Trip to Chi-town

2011-07-21T22:43:00.000-07:00

We are now days from our departure and the nerves and excitement are getting to me. Tonight we had dinner with some great friends whom Nikolai and I have known since college and now we won’t see them until next June. Saying goodbye to people and places that I know I will not see for almost a year has proven difficult, but what has been most difficult is explaining to people how I am feeling about the move.

Don’t get me wrong, I am giddy with excitement as I think about the students I get to teach and the amazing travels I get to take and it is hard for me not to smile as I think about all of the amazing food and sights I am going to experience over the next two years. There is so much ‘newness’ that is about to happen.

But with this ‘newness’ comes nerves. Nerves about silly things such as: will I know how to order a meal at a restaurant so that I know I am not eating sheep’s brain or pig intestine on my first meal? How long will it take me to get used to the 11hour time difference? Will I ever be able to understand Mandarin or Cantonese enough to get around on my own? Will I ever be able to run outside in China? Will the air make me sick? Will I ever get lost on the city streets? Will my visa go through? The list goes on and on.

This week, Nikolai and I had to face the last question, about our visas, head on. We found out last minute that there was mistake found on my work permit that had to be fixed. With that being said, my Chinese Work Permit did not arrive in the US until this Monday. This left us less then a week to get a temporary work visa to get us into China before we could apply for our final long term work visa. What this delay meant for us is an impromptu trip to Chicago to visit the Chinese Consulate. We booked airline tickets, a hotel and read up on how the “El” worked so we could get around on our 24hr whirlwind tour of the Windy City.

The first thing I noted about this trip was the ease of transportation in Chicago. There was NO need for us to even think about renting a car there (at least for our purposes). UNREAL! I began to realize that living in China I would have access to the same type of transportation and great bike system as well. Living without a car for the next 2 years might not be that bad.

Once we found the Chinese Consulate, we had to go through stacks of visa papers, which fit the type of employment visa we were looking for. This was harder than I had anticipated as all of the papers were in Mandarin with only a few of them translated into English. As Nikolai and I were busy filling out passport numbers and dates of entry, Nikolai leaned over towards me and said, “Look who is over there.” I looked at him perplexed as I tried to figure out who I would know sitting in the Chinese Consulate in downtown Chicago. As my eyes scanned the crowd I immediately found a face I recognized…Pin! Pin was a Chinese native who was a student at the school that I used to teach at in Minnesota. I went over to say hello to him and realized that he was just as shocked to see me as I was him. It was great to see him and make some small talk as we waited for our numbers to get called. Funny thing is, it turns out that the town we are going to teach in (Foshan, Guangdong) is about an hour from where he used to live. What a small world!

After about 30min of waiting, our number was called and we had an awkward discussion with the service lady behind the glass window. But, after several trips to the copy machine and handing over our passports we were told to return at 2pm to get our visas. We took that time to go eat some great deep-dish pizza at Pizzeria Due and visit the Apple and Nike stores on the "Magnificent Mile"…we were in that part of Chicago anyway, so why not? We came back promptly at 2pm and after another line and a hefty credit card charge we had our visas!

We checked into our hotel and then crashed on the plush beds. It felt good to just be still!

That night we went up to the North Loop off of Belmont and ate at a GREAT Mexican restaurant (on the recommendation of some adult TLC campers that come every year from Chicago). We also took a walk towards Lincoln Park and Lake Michigan. We were then treated to a Blue Man Group performance by one of the same campers. After a day of hectic traveling, applying and waiting it really was what I needed to relax and laugh.

We returned to Minneapolis today…just in time to start packing for China.

You Are Going Where?

2011-06-29T12:19:00.000-07:00

Since our trip last summer to Scandinavia, Nikolai and I have bee looking at living and teaching abroad. We had our eye on Europe, but became interested in China when a UEA graduate school friend of Nikolai’s (Lucien) started to email and instant message us about his recent move to Foshan. We started the application process in October, interviews in November and December and got the final word we both were accepted in early January. Since then, we have spent much of our time preparing for the move and telling close friends, family, coworkers and casual acquaintances about our new adventure.

I guess I really didn’t know what to expect to get as a reaction from people, but I have become increasingly more aware at how differently people have responded to the news. The vast majority of people have been very supportive and expressed their own interest in traveling and living abroad. Many people we have talked to have even told us of their own time living in a different culture and how much of an impact it had on their lives. There have been, however, a few people, mostly casual acquaintances, who have expressed a genuine fear for our safety while in China.

In one particular instance, I was talking with a young TLC camper who had come to camp several times and I have gotten to know a little over the years. When in the conversation another camper asked me about my move to China this camper stated, “Why would you want to go to that country?” I paused for a moment to gather my thoughts and responded, “Why not?”

The conversation evolved into one where he expressed his underlying fear of the country, its policies and its less then stellar humanitarian record. Taking on a more of a teacher role than a tennis instructor role I began to question, or should I say prod, his statements. Being that he was going to be a senior in High School I knew he could handle the discussion.

“I mean, they are communist.” he said.

“ Yeah, they are.” I replied.

“Doesn’t that scare you?”

“Not really. I mean, look at their current policies on business. Some might say they are becoming more capitalists then we are. Hong Kong is a perfect example of them trying it out.”

The conversation went on and on with the topics ranging from what they eat (yes, eating dog did come up in the conversation and yes, we will be in a region where that is a perfectly acceptable part of the culture) the one child law to the difficulty of both the Mandarin and Cantonese languages. Throughout the whole discussion I was amazed at how many questions/fears he actually had. “You know, Jen, I couldn’t do it, but I will pray for you when you are there.” He stated at the end. I simply replied back, “Thanks, you have know idea how much that means to me.”

I know I will have many things in China that will make me uncomfortable, homesick, confused and maybe even angry but I know there will be some incredible positive aspects to our living abroad. A part of me is excited to go as a representative of our American culture. I know that I will now be a part of a minority group and just like here in the US, people tend to judge entire groups based on the actions of a few or even one. Hopefully, Nikolai and I can use this to our advantage and help spread a positive vibe about our country and its people.

The biggest reason, however, that I am going is to become a better person with a bigger worldview. I have gotten way to comfortable and I need to be jolted a little. My entire life I have spent living within the boarders of Minnesota. Now, it is true that I have ventured out and traveled many places. But, as my world traveler husband will tell you (who has lived in both England and Denmark), “Visiting a place and living in a place are NOT the same thing.”

The Big Move

2011-06-26T17:32:00.000-07:00

As many of you may know, Nikolai (my husband) and I are in for some big changes. On July 24th we will be moving to Foshan China to teach at Nanhai International Education Center (NIEC). It was a difficult and exciting decision to make to move completely to the other side of the world and immerse ourselves into a new and very foreign culture. We are keeping this blog in hopes of keeping people informed of what we are up to as well as to keep a personal record of our experiences while living abroad. Who knows if we will even have access to it while we are over there!

Our home in China will be Foshan, Guangdong. It is in the far southeast corner of the country and located about 1.5 - 2 hours by train to Hong Kong and a bit over an hour to Macau. Foshan is a "smaller" suburb of 6 million inhabitants that is located out side of a larger more well known city of Guangzhou (formerly know as Canton) which has a population of about 10 million.

We will be keeping those interested posted as we get closer to our travels!

New Mexico Day 4

2009-04-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

New Mexico Day 3

2009-04-21T18:23:00.000-07:00

Today was our day we decided to bum around town. We took a hike to an over look of the city. It was quite the fun trek to the top as you wound your way up a set of stairs that had a time line

of the city as you went. It is hard to imagine this high desert town 600 some years ago. As the day progressed, we wound our way down to the plaza. Busy shops, all over priced and Native artisans lined the streets. I found myself drawn to the silver work of a particular man. He and his family had sold on the Plaza for 3 or 4 generations. Needless to say, his great story made me feel like buying some of his wonderful work.

For lunch, Nikolai had his 3 meal (in a row) that consisted of a burrito. He was thrilled at this idea! We did spend some time after lunch at a great geology shop called Dinosaurs and More. Yes, the science nerd in me getsecstatic when I see a shop with old fossils and older rocks. I was really excited to get a few things formy classroom. I think my best find was 300-million year old dino poo! My 8th graders are going to love that! Nik and I also took some time to quietly stroll through the halls of the Georgia O'Keefe Museum. What an amazing woman.

Our night ended with another trip to Harry's Road House and then a relaxing dip in the outdoor hot tub. We couldn't have asked for a nicer way to end the day.

New Mexico Day 2

2009-04-09T19:49:00.001-07:00

Day 2 of our adventure took us to 3 interesting places. Before we went anywhere, we enjoyed a WONDERFUL breakfast at Casa Cuma of blueberry pancakes with a berry and almond syrup. Yummmmm! After that, we were were off north of Santa Fe to Los Alamos.

Many of you may know Low Alamos as the home of the infamous Manhattan Project from the 1940s. I was impressed with the Bradbury Science Museum, in the heart of down town. Nik and I spent some time going through the museum. We both tended to focus on the History section more than the current science sections. Nik even found the picture of a father of professor of his in college who worked in Los Alamos in the 1940s in a book that cataloged all of the workers in the City. It is hard to go into detail all of the history that took place in this city and its impact on today's society. Bradbury himself seemed to struggle with his impact on the world with the creation of the atomic bomb, much like Alfred Nobel did with his invention of dynamite.

After a lunch stop at a Bagel shop we were off to Bandelier National Monument. Nik and I climbed the high alcove, up 4 ladders and what seemed to be 200 feet of elevation gain to a huge high cliff dwelling that use to house 23 homes and a kiva. I found it some what funny that the only warning they had for this climb was a sign that said (for what I can remember) "If you are afraid of heights, we do not recommend this." When I got to the alcove and sat down for a moment to look out over the canyon, I realized how old this place was. Now, I am not talking geologically old, I am talking human history old. Simply amazing that I was sitting in the same spot that people did hundreds if not thousands of years ago.

Our last stop on our drive was the Valles Caldera National Preserve. Even though the preserve itself was not open yet (due to snow). We still enjoyed the trip up into the Jemez Mountains to look at this ancient volcano. The geology teacher inside of me was fascinated with the size of the giant eruption that rocked this area millions of years ago.

When we made it back into town we decided to go out to eat where the locals go. We had talked to some people who recommended this place called Harry's Roadhouse. It took us a LONG to to figure out how to get there with the curvy roads and streets whose name change part way (don't even get me started on this one). However, when we got there, it was worth the drive!

New Mexico Day 1

2009-04-08T17:13:00.000-07:00

This past week, Nikolai and I took an extended trip to Northern New Mexico. I had only really driven through New Mexico over a decade ago, so I really had no idea what to expect. We drove in late to Santa Fe, where we were spending 3 out of 4 of our nights. The sky was black and the lights of the city were gleaming as we came into the valley of this high mountain town.

I was immediately struck by the beautiful curvy streets of this old town. However, when I was driving at night, I was a little more annoyed than please at these aesthetics. After an hour and a half of driving from the Airport in Albuquerque, we snuggled into our plush bed at Casa Cuma Bed and Breakfast, excited for the adventures of tomorrow.