Monday, January 10, 2011

Shenyang

Post from October 7

Populations of largest cities by the administrative area populations:
Shanghai- 18.9 million
Beijing-17.5 million
Guangzhou- 15 million
Shenzhen- 13.3 million
Tianjin- 11.9 million
Chongqing- 32.4 million <-- (!!!!)

Now, to pale in comparison, the six largest cities of the United States by populations:

New York City- 8.4 million
L.A. - 3.8 million
Chicago- 2.8 million
Houston- 2.3 million
Phoenix- 2.6 million
Philadelphia- 1.5 million

can i get a whooooaaaaaa.....
we are itsy bitsy.

Now my original intent of putting the city populations up on my blog was to preface my update with these comparisons to show that I visited a HUGE city for National Holiday. And since Shenyang, the city I visited, has a population of 5 million, I thought without a doubt that it would make it on the ‘top 5 list’ for population size- not at all. and even with a ‘grace’ sixth spot, giving that city one more chance to claim some fame in my momentous post, it didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell when considering the other cities on the list.

However, it is still larger than every other city in the U.S. except NYC, so... my mind is still blown.

The reason for the travel is that we have had a couple national holidays. China just celebrated Mid-Autumn Day Festival the week prior to National Holiday week. These holidays are not always back to back, as Mid-Autumn Day follows the lunar calendar. But this year it fell right before National Day, or October one, so for the Americans, it felt like Christmas and New Years in a temperate climate. kindof. but not really at all, because, well, it's China. (shrug)

I graciously received this vacation, welcoming it with open arms and a violent night of food poisoning.

Fuuuuuun.

First I had a somewhat dormant cold for about two weeks that finally decided to show its full rage on the last day of classes. After sleeping that off and almost beating it fully, I ate some bad lettuce, and BAM got slammed with Mao's revenge on a thin layer of Chinese virus. (Can I say that?) The formidable lettuce was just a small part of a Mexican meal we made for American food night. (Yeah, I know. Just keep reading.) It was good to be with other teachers, and the food was amazing, complete with our [i]American[/i] dessert: Apple crisp.

All who ate left full and content.

But my full got fuller, my contentedness got confused, and then my fuller got painful, the painful became writhing, and the confused figured out what was happening. ...you know the movie, Alien? I felt like something was going to split open my stomach and crawl out. It truly felt like there was something in there, I didn't know what, but it had a life of its own.

My Alien struck three times... little bastard. 2:30am, 4:45am, and 8:30am. But the chaos was over almost as quickly as it began, and it didn't kill me like the actual Alien, [i]fortunately.[/i]

In fact, I was still able to travel to Shenyang less than 8 hours after the ...events... took place. But compared to the internal and sometimes external violence I experienced the night before, a short train ride to Shenyang was no. big. deal. These trains are palatial when stacked against economy class in an airplane; the ride is smooth, you have a big seat that reclines to a decent degree, and an impressive amount of leg room. Thank you, China. You're forgiven.

Upon arrival, Heidi and I were met by a senior student at Dongda. Her family was so hospitable- they picked us up, treated us to Peking duck, (I just stared longingly at the glistening slices of duck and savory plum sauce as my stomach digested plain sesame crackers and Coca Cola) and gave us their queen sized bed to sleep on for those four nights. Heidi and I were so grateful- it was better than our own living arrangements! Our student friend took us around the city, showing us Shenyang's Imperial Palace, a Korean music and dance performance- this was the most aesthetically pleasing performance that I have ever seen in my life, and probably ever will see- and last but not least, the shopping.

Now 5 million people in one city requires a large amount of franchises and shopping centers. Apparently.

AWESOME!!!

Honestly, I'm not a big shopper in the states- I'm in, I'm out, and I'm done. But since being in China, European and American clothing stores, American restaurant chains, and even American made cars, are beacons of light that give me a shameless amount of comfort and warmth. Advertisements that made me eyes roll, I now admire nostalgically. Restaurants that I avoided like the plague at home, I now visit with a sense of deep longing fulfilled. oiy... I wonder how I'll react to the U.S. when I return. I might go crazy and indulge in every little thing I see and smell...hmmm... noted for future reference: temper cravings... America probably isn't going anywhere in the near future, and neither are Starbucks and Dairy Queen...
Reconciling my own internal ethical turmoil caused by the West pouring into Chinese culture will have to go on hold for now... long live the blizzard.

Chinese hospitality blows every other type of hospitality out of the water. They dote and spoil and take care of you better than your own grandmother would. I am constantly impressed with how my students treat me, and am trying to tailor my own sense of hospitality to theirs. Chinese hospitality could be taken right out of a book that I admire with my whole heart. Amazing.

This post has gotten lengthy, so I'll wrap it up. Our hostess and her family were amazing. Our Holiday was well spent in Shenyang resting, visiting, and getting to know our student friend even better. I am no longer sick, and my cravings for a frappuccino have temporarily subsided.

Life is good. :)

No comments:

Post a Comment