Gentle Reader,
I'll now backtrack at bit to our arrival in Guiyang. You'll probably remember that I had a lapse in internet access for several days, so I am going to attempt to recapture some of the events surrounding our arrival...
We travelled from Guilin to Guiyang, via air. The flight was only about one hour. By this time, we are clearing the only Caucasions anywhere in the airport. People are always surprised, rather pleasantly, when we greet them with "Ni Hao." Many want to try their "hello" out on us, which is usually followed by friendly laughter. We were amazed that they served some food on such a short flight: chopped up vegetables with some sort of ranch dressing, some fruit, and a couple packets of mixed nuts. We were also given the English version of China Daily to read. There was a fascinating article about the preparations students go through in China in order to enter American universities, focusing on the importance of SAT scores and TOEFL.
When we arrived in Guiyang, we were greeted by Leon, the head monitor. Leon is hand-selected to have this honorable position, and he is responsible for making sure we have all the materials, etc... we need for our day to day teaching and travels around town. He has three other room monitors under him, who must report to him. I was a tad miffed at the interaction Leon had with me. Well, I was more than a tad miffed... and it was at the non-interaction. Leon clearly had no trouble locating us in the baggage area. When he approached us, he looked directly at Scott and asked if he were Scott from the Oakland University Teacher Group. Scott affirmed, and a conversation ensued regarding how we would proceed with luggage, transport, etc... All the while, Leon did not even acknowledge my presence. No eye contact, no welcome, no extention of a hand. I think this is cultural, his talking directly to another male, rather than to me, a female. My feminist blood way beginning to boil, so I finally just reached out my hand and introduced myself. This was followed by a cursory nod, lacking the conversational tone he had quickly established with Scott.
As I talked to Scott about this situation, he reminded me "not to get my panties all in a wad" over it all, as it is probably just cultural in nature. Well, my panties were already in a wad/twist, so there was no going back. However, I decided that, in choosing my battles, this wasn't one I was willing to invest time or energy on.
We continue to work with Leon, and conversation has improved between him and me. However, he defers to Scott most times, especially in regard to issues regarding technology or outlet issues. Leon's English is excellent, and he is very efficient at his job. He makes sure we have everything we need in a most timely fashion. He is also a student in Scott's high school section, so they continue to dialogue. Don't think Leon and I will become great buddies, but we now communicate with a mutual respect, of sorts. Scott and Leon continue to have their Bro-mance.
The first night at the hotel in Guiyang presented some surprises and challenges. First of all, I thought we were staying at the same hotel I had stayed in three summers ago here in Guiyang. Nope. We were now right in the heart of downtown. I thought the other hotel was the heart of Guiyang. Little did I know that I had never even been to the heart of Guiyang, which is one majorly huge city. Traffic is incredible and it is impossible to cross many of the streets. There are underground passageways for pedestrians for most of the street corners.
The heat in Guiyang that night was filled with humidity, and we had trouble getting our room air conditioner to work. Once we got it functioning, we discovered that it would kick off every couple hours during the night. A long and sweaty first night in Guiyang. Prior to trying to sleep, however, I decided I was rather hungry and wanted something to eat. It was about 11pm, so I headed out to see what kind of grub I could conjure. As I was attempting to enter the elevator, someone accidentally pressed the close door button. The door slammed into my foot, causing a torrent of blood to flow all over my Birkenstocks. Needed to get some bandages quickly, thinking I might even need stitches based on the amount of blood all over the place. I went to the lobby desk and attempted to ask for bandages. No one spoke English at the desk, unlike the hotel lobbies in Hong Kong and Guilin. So, I lifted my bloody foot out of my shoe and showed them my foot. Still no response. Realizing that I wasn't communicating, I took my spewing foot out into the streets of Guiyang and squished my way across the road.
I found a bakery sort of shop that was just about to close. Selected two bread stick kinds of items, one with chicken and curry on it and the other with bacon (for Scott, the bacon lover!). I had pretty much figured out how the currency worked and gave the clerk the total I had figured, based on the signs. However, she charged me about three times the amount. Fortunately, I was able to grab the tags that were on the bakery shelves and show her the amounts, adding them up in Arabic numerals. She wasn't trying to overcharge me; instead, she had somehow thought that I wanted several of the sandwiches that were near the register. I was pleased that I was able to rectify the money situation, using the limited Chinese I possess! Sadly, I left a trail of bloody footprints as I exited their establishment...
When I returned to the room, Scott presented me with a pair of nail clippers. He said someone from the desk had delivered them to the room. Why they thought I needed nail clippers for a very bloody foot doesn't make a lot of sense to me. When we told Bill Richardson the story, he simply replied, "Welcome to China!"
At breakfast, we met with the rest of the teaching team here in Guizhou Province. Several of them had tales to tell about cards being shoved under their doors and/or phone calls. One pair told us about a five-minute pounding on their door late at night. Apparently, there are several prostitutes in the vicinity who try to drum up some business at the various hotels. It's not unusual for them to seek customers door to door or for them to leave a somewhat allurring calling card under the doors of hotel guests. The pictures on the calling cards don't match the actual person trying to solicit. Fortunately, Scott and I were not on the receiving end of any late night door poundings or phone calls...
Oh... by the way, when I returned to the hotel after the food run, Scott tended to my bloody foot. After we thoroughly cleaned it in the bathtub, he doctored it with Neosporin and a makeshift bandage, using a small sanitary napkin to stop the blood. You never know when those things will come in handy...!
The Opening Ceremony Banquet was held the next evening. Good chance to meet both old and new friends. This program has been in operation 25 years, and everyone except Scott is a returning teacher. This says a great deal for the program, as so many people return three, four, five, etc... times. There was not the usual Moutai, which is the tastes-like-lighter-fluid alcohol, served at the meal. Apparently, the Mautai has gotten really expensive, costing about $220 dollars per bottle. They usually serve the Moutai in a thimble-like cup, and one must down it all at once, bottoms up style, shouting "Gambay!" Instead, we had a mild red wine... but the Gambay was still the custom!
Farewell for now, dear friends...
Marianne/Bai Ling
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