The weekend away
on Ripsnorter Chinalife (China), 13/Apr/2009 10:45, 34 days ago
Hi Folks!Welcome back to this weeks busy instalment of our life in Qingyang. Well, Monday was the last day of the Tomb-Sweeping holiday so we had a lie-in. Eventually, after a wash 'n' brush up we headed up town to the big veg market again - this time to actually buy some produce and practice our bargaining skills. The sights to be witnessed would make a 'Weights& Measures' man's hair turn blue! Steams of unidentifiable blood running across the 'paths'; raw slabs of meat languishing on tables with the stall proprieter sat beside them smoking; troughs of live fish waiting for customers to select them and be bashed on the head before having their scales removed with a wire brush (the fish, not the customers...); etc.Later in the afternoon, I arranged to visit a masseur as my lower back had been giving me some 'jip'. After a short wait I was asked to lay prostrate on the bed nearest the window, with my underwear half-way down my posterier, whilst the masseur did his thang. He palpated, rubbed and generally manipulated my lumbar region for 25 minutes. I'll tell you what, he 'ad strong 'ands and no mistake. At points I felt more pain that I'd walked in with. Anyway he was give the requisite 20 yuan and the day after I felt a whole lot better.I'm returning for another session soon so watch this space...Tuesday morning was filled with chores. Lunch was a lavish Chinese meal in a flash resaurant as it was my boss's birthday (Mr Liu). In the afternoon Tina, Emma and I visited a local school, where Jack (a teacher trained by VSO volunteers to train other Chinese teachers) works to meet some teachers I will work with and also to give a couple of classes of students the opportunity to practice their English via a Q&A session. It seemed strange being greeted and valed by raucous applause; I felt a member of Take That. It was mentioned early in the visit that we may go for noodles afterwards, not just any noodles though, Peng Yuan noodles! We did. Just along the road from the school was a noodle restaurant owned by a relative of one of the teachers at the school. So we obliged by paying a visit and having some of these 'special' noodles. An hour and 6 bowls later we left!The midweek trip for Mr Liu, Tina and myself was a visit to Qingcheng. The school is one that has a resident VSO volunteer; Jane. So, suprise, suprise, we all, including the school head and other associated dignitaries, went out to lunch. Another bountiful affair at a high class hotel it was. I had my first taste of bai jiu (lit: white alcohol) which is very akin to vodka in appearance and strength but much sweeter (and some say with a fishy taste?). The deal turned out to be 'lets's get the foreigner leathered'. Almost each one of the assembled made an occasion out of walking around the (large circular) table to toast to my future association with them/their school. The toast was preceded by Gan bei! (down in one) so despite the food I began to feel the effects. Fortunately the meal ended after my 12th so the foreigner wasn't leathered but 'on his way'. The afternoon saw us visit three local schools to check their progress etc. (Mr Liu works for the area education bureau which oversees the administration of all schools in Qingyang), so I took it easy to say the least.The next day (no I didn't have a sore head) Mr Liu had arranged a meeting which included local teachers, heads, vice principals etc. to discuss education training but I knew nothing of it until that morning and assumed there would be about six of us, not 30! That's China... Anyway, following the meeting Mr Liu took a few of us for lunch, which was nice.Sabine and I, the NVs and a select bunch of local teachers were invited to Jack's new flat for a meal. This wa a nice occasion and gave us a chance to see how the typical Chinese family lived and meet Jack's wife and son. Jack's wife is a fantastic cook but the curious thing was, she stayed in the kitchen throughout the meal, producing exquisite dishes for us all. We felt guilty but this is the Chinese way.Friday was only half-filled with work. After starting to plan the future training course then lunch we left for a weekend in Xian (the old capital of China) with Tina. After a pleasant but hair-raising at times car journey we were deposited three hours later on the pavement outside our destination: The Han Tang hostel. Once booked in the three of us took advantage of our free beer before wandering through the Muslim area only a fe minutes away. This is crammed with tiny stalls selling everything from bone hair combs through Mahjong sets to finger paintings. The streets are also lined with purveyors of traditional Chinese fast food; much tastier that Burger King.A Western breakfast was chosen by us all on the Saturday morning (eggs (with chilli), crusty bread and a 'real' coffee). This set us up for a busy day begining with a walk around part of the wall which surrounds the city (see photo). The afternoon saw us searching for 'Western' items; books, food, etc. in Wal-Mart and the English book shop following a mian tiao lunch. Late in the afternoon we met Vadna and Rita, two other VSO volunteers, at the Shuyuan hostel and swapped stories for a while. In the evening Vadna, Tina Sabine and I went for a meal to fill up and practice our food ordering capabilities. We ate well so something worked.A lie-in preceded another scrummy breakfast (and Sabine's last coffee for a while) and a second trip into the Muslim district for a gander, gifts and grub for the return journey. We said our farewells to Tina at 2.3oish and set off homeward, arriving in Xifeng at 8pm. A quick trip to the supermarket for supplies and a take-away (Chinese for a change) was all we could muster before some well-earned shuteye.Tune in next time for further tales from the unexpected...Regards Phil& Sabine