May 2008 Archives
100_2733.MOV
Zhong Guo Jia Yuo! Go China!
Today, the olympic torch came to Suzhou. And I, officially, have olympic fever.
However, prior to the torch arriving, both Suzhou, and I had some serious preparations to do.
Yesterday, a couch surfing friend (Jenna) came to Suzhou to surf my couch, and help me prepare for the torch to arrive. We bought stickers, flags, head bands ad tshirts. And yelled Jia yuo! jia yuo!
Zhong Guo Jia Yuo! Go China!
Today, the olympic torch came to Suzhou. And I, officially, have olympic fever.
However, prior to the torch arriving, both Suzhou, and I had some serious preparations to do.
Yesterday, a couch surfing friend (Jenna) came to Suzhou to surf my couch, and help me prepare for the torch to arrive. We bought stickers, flags, head bands ad tshirts. And yelled Jia yuo! jia yuo!Even Gina joined in to help us all get amped.
The following day (now we are back at today, sorry) Jenna and I got up painfully early, to brave the unbelievable crowds in an attempt to sneak a peek at the burning symbol of ultimate physical accomplishment.
The crowds got thicker and thicker ,and by the time we got to the street where the torch would pass us, the crowd was thousands deep and most of the good vantage points (trees) were already spoken for.
But we managed to squirm through a mob and get out on a corner. It also helps that I am at least 3 or 4 inches taller than the average person here, so I could see just fine. And for the next ten minutes or so, we joined in on some chanting of Zhong Guo (China) jia yuo (add gasoline)... Go China!
It was so fun to see all the people around me so proud and excited. And it was certainly fun for them to see a laowai (old whitey) all dressed up in 'I love China' gear and chanting with them. I think I might be on about a million Chinese people's cell phone cameras after today.
Then the police around us got even edgier, and I knew it was coming.... Zhong Guo, jia yuo...Zhong Guo, jia yuo!
More pushing, more chanting, people taking pictures galore. And there it is! the guy in the red and white surrounded by the blue-clad running guards.
Then he passed us and it was over. Just like that.
But the chanting did not stop for a while. And neither did the great high and excitement we all felt to be a part of something so rare and special!
100_2733.MOV
The following day (now we are back at today, sorry) Jenna and I got up painfully early, to brave the unbelievable crowds in an attempt to sneak a peek at the burning symbol of ultimate physical accomplishment.The crowds got thicker and thicker ,and by the time we got to the street where the torch would pass us, the crowd was thousands deep and most of the good vantage points (trees) were already spoken for.But we managed to squirm through a mob and get out on a corner. It also helps that I am at least 3 or 4 inches taller than the average person here, so I could see just fine. And for the next ten minutes or so, we joined in on some chanting of Zhong Guo (China) jia yuo (add gasoline)... Go China!It was so fun to see all the people around me so proud and excited. And it was certainly fun for them to see a laowai (old whitey) all dressed up in 'I love China' gear and chanting with them. I think I might be on about a million Chinese people's cell phone cameras after today.Then the police around us got even edgier, and I knew it was coming.... Zhong Guo, jia yuo...Zhong Guo, jia yuo!
More pushing, more chanting, people taking pictures galore. And there it is! the guy in the red and white surrounded by the blue-clad running guards.Then he passed us and it was over. Just like that. But the chanting did not stop for a while. And neither did the great high and excitement we all felt to be a part of something so rare and special!
100_2733.MOV
http://torchrelay.beijing2008.cn/en/
I received this email from my mum this morning:
"Hi Honey; Could you pls enter into your Blog about how far you are away from Chuengdu (earth quake center). And let everyone know you are okay. I got four calls yesterday and 3 already today from people concerned about you. Thnx, Mom"
Awe..... someone out there actually cares!?!?!
Yes, I am OK. In fact, no one here even felt the earthquake. It is terrible that so many people died, especially the children in the schools. However, I don't think it's as bad as the American media is so talented at dramatizing.
My classes are all raising money to send their way and all of us here are just counting our blessings.
Chengdu is at the very center of China as can be seen in this map. I am on the East Coast right between Shanghai, Hangzhou and Nanjing. It may not look very far on a map, but to get to Chengdu would be about a 18 hour train ride. As you can see from the scale on the map, it is about 1,500km from Shanghai.
If anyone out there would like to send money or clothes or food to the victims and their families, feel free to email me and I will do my best to transform your wishes into something useful.
"Hi Honey; Could you pls enter into your Blog about how far you are away from Chuengdu (earth quake center). And let everyone know you are okay. I got four calls yesterday and 3 already today from people concerned about you. Thnx, Mom"
Awe..... someone out there actually cares!?!?!
Yes, I am OK. In fact, no one here even felt the earthquake. It is terrible that so many people died, especially the children in the schools. However, I don't think it's as bad as the American media is so talented at dramatizing.
My classes are all raising money to send their way and all of us here are just counting our blessings.
Chengdu is at the very center of China as can be seen in this map. I am on the East Coast right between Shanghai, Hangzhou and Nanjing. It may not look very far on a map, but to get to Chengdu would be about a 18 hour train ride. As you can see from the scale on the map, it is about 1,500km from Shanghai.
If anyone out there would like to send money or clothes or food to the victims and their families, feel free to email me and I will do my best to transform your wishes into something useful.
Konbanwa, duo hajimamashite, desu ka? anata, sushi, sumo, konichiwa, toro, ga suki, ohaio gozaimasu, watashi, hai, asahi, ichi ban, yen, agadashi, samurai..... OSAKA!!!!
It is sad to think that after studying Japanese for two years, this is all I can come up with; however, I didn't even need that on my recent trip to Japan to meet with my favorite half-Japanese girl in the world.
Hana and I started the four day madness of drinking, dancing, and getting lost over and over with, none other than, a cheap, local beer in the airport.
I noticed a few things right off the bat in Japan (besides how beautiful Hana is;).
First off, it was so quiet. The people are more quite, the traffic is quieter, even the Chinese people around me on the plane and in the airport seemed quieter than their usual selves. Secondly, the people in Japan are very polite. This includes not staring at me constantly or pointing, spitting, etc., as well as being overly helpful and courteous.
The air is a lot cleaner and there is some easily accessible natural beauty...two things I have been craving lately. And lastly, it has what I refer to as 'old money'. This manifests itself in far too many ways for me to explain in this posting. Some key points include the buildings being modern but not new; the people being well dressed but not over the top; the general populous being more laid back and able to enjoy life; no one trying to make a quick buck or be someone they are not; with a trend towards making the world a better place, instead of making just your life better.
From the airport we headed into Osaka to Namba. An area where we explored some "alleys" of 3-4 storey buildings, lots of lights, street food, and drunk business men falling all over the place.
It turns out - to my shock and amazement - that the entire world isn't reading my blog daily. In fact, Hana didn't even know I had been to Cambodia or if my mum and dad liked China. Needless to say, we had some serious catching up to do. Hana introduced me to plum wine, which I will be forever addicted to, and then we grabbed some sake from a vending machine (I love Asia) and headed to our hostel room to do just that.
The following day, I bought possibly the greatest pair of goggles ever and we headed to Kyoto for the day.
We started at Ginkakuji Temple, one of 2000 temples in the Kyoto area.
It was beautiful and serene and, as almost all great places on earth are, full of tourists. I was one of them.
That afternoon we met up with Yuko, a friend from Canada, and shopped then ate sushi like locals.
And then bumped into some real locals.
Apparently the night life is better in Osaka than Kyoto so we took a train back to Osaka for an evening of fun. We had no plans but to dance the night away, and as luck would have it, some random guys from Tokyo helped us bump into a pub crawl.....10 bars then 10 clubs over 10 hours. We could dig it...
Although I don't remember his name, there was a point in the night where I was going to marry this guy. I think it had something to do with him getting us into this pub crawl for free. But at about 7am, when we left the bar for the train, the details of the night seem quite foggy. All that is important is we danced the night away as planned, and showed everyone what Canadian girls are made of!
For the next 10 or so hours I took no pictures and fell asleep on and off on a train, on a beach, in the grass, and on a train again. Then as I'd like to remember it, magically I felt better and we were back in Kyoto.
The last day in Kyoto was possibly the highlight. We went to an amazing Shinto Shrine and hiked up a mountain through these never-ending orange gates.
Yes, we danced a bit, drank a bit, and got lost a bit here too.
Thanks for the memories, Hanz!!!!!!
It is sad to think that after studying Japanese for two years, this is all I can come up with; however, I didn't even need that on my recent trip to Japan to meet with my favorite half-Japanese girl in the world.
Hana and I started the four day madness of drinking, dancing, and getting lost over and over with, none other than, a cheap, local beer in the airport.
I noticed a few things right off the bat in Japan (besides how beautiful Hana is;).First off, it was so quiet. The people are more quite, the traffic is quieter, even the Chinese people around me on the plane and in the airport seemed quieter than their usual selves. Secondly, the people in Japan are very polite. This includes not staring at me constantly or pointing, spitting, etc., as well as being overly helpful and courteous.
The air is a lot cleaner and there is some easily accessible natural beauty...two things I have been craving lately. And lastly, it has what I refer to as 'old money'. This manifests itself in far too many ways for me to explain in this posting. Some key points include the buildings being modern but not new; the people being well dressed but not over the top; the general populous being more laid back and able to enjoy life; no one trying to make a quick buck or be someone they are not; with a trend towards making the world a better place, instead of making just your life better.
From the airport we headed into Osaka to Namba. An area where we explored some "alleys" of 3-4 storey buildings, lots of lights, street food, and drunk business men falling all over the place.
It turns out - to my shock and amazement - that the entire world isn't reading my blog daily. In fact, Hana didn't even know I had been to Cambodia or if my mum and dad liked China. Needless to say, we had some serious catching up to do. Hana introduced me to plum wine, which I will be forever addicted to, and then we grabbed some sake from a vending machine (I love Asia) and headed to our hostel room to do just that.
The following day, I bought possibly the greatest pair of goggles ever and we headed to Kyoto for the day.
We started at Ginkakuji Temple, one of 2000 temples in the Kyoto area.
It was beautiful and serene and, as almost all great places on earth are, full of tourists. I was one of them.
That afternoon we met up with Yuko, a friend from Canada, and shopped then ate sushi like locals.
And then bumped into some real locals.Apparently the night life is better in Osaka than Kyoto so we took a train back to Osaka for an evening of fun. We had no plans but to dance the night away, and as luck would have it, some random guys from Tokyo helped us bump into a pub crawl.....10 bars then 10 clubs over 10 hours. We could dig it...
Although I don't remember his name, there was a point in the night where I was going to marry this guy. I think it had something to do with him getting us into this pub crawl for free. But at about 7am, when we left the bar for the train, the details of the night seem quite foggy. All that is important is we danced the night away as planned, and showed everyone what Canadian girls are made of!For the next 10 or so hours I took no pictures and fell asleep on and off on a train, on a beach, in the grass, and on a train again. Then as I'd like to remember it, magically I felt better and we were back in Kyoto.
The last day in Kyoto was possibly the highlight. We went to an amazing Shinto Shrine and hiked up a mountain through these never-ending orange gates.
Yes, we danced a bit, drank a bit, and got lost a bit here too.
Thanks for the memories, Hanz!!!!!!
