Chinafabulous

A random story about Shampoo

valerie dolby — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:47:00 GMT

I went to the grocery store yesterday and stumbled upon a dilemma in the hair care aisle.

I have also used a foreign brand of shampoo while in China since my hair is so different than Asian hair. I tried to use local shampoo for a while but it just made my hair funky. There are a few brands you can buy here: Vidal Sassoon, Pantene, and Herbal Essences are the most common. At the store yesterday, I realized Pantene was the least expensive so I decided on that brand.

Here the dilemma began. Ya know how in the States there are shampoo's for all different kinds of hair types? Such as:
Curly
Fine
More Volume
Treated
Dry/damaged
long and strong

Foreign brands keep that trend when they sell their product overseas. The problem is that in China it's ALL in Chinese characters. Since it's my fourth year here, you might assume that I can read fluenty .. I'll go ahead and shoot down that assumptions. The thing is though, even if I was a wizard with Chinese characters... why would I know phrases that you would find on shampoo bottles?

So yesterday I stood in the aisle trying to decide if I wanted the green, brown, blue, black, pink, or purple bottle of Pantene ProV. I was trying to remember if I had ever seen any of those colors in the States before but I was at a loss. I figured it would be vanity to ask the nearby worker for a suggestion because I wouldn't understand what the different kinds were any (because once again, that is not a part of the language I've ever had to learn).

This is one of those random things you run into when you live non-fluenty in a foreign culture. If I am smart (or really it's just that I need to remember), I'll ask a student sometime when they are in my apartment to look at my shampoo and try to tell me what I'm currently treating my hair for.

I choose the pink one by the way.

Thai time

valerie dolby — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:28:00 GMT

I decided to go to Thailand a week before our conference this year. I had two days alone- Note to Self: that's too much time alone! I mostly slept and drank lots of Starbucks during that time. My friend Tanya met up with me after that and we had several days together to just relax and catch up. Thailand was a much needed break. It was great to be somewhere that was sunny and warm. It was about an 80 degree weather difference from school which was a bit of a shock to my body at first. I've been to Chiang Mai four times now, so I'm rather familiar with the city. It was nice to enjoy the things I like there and know what to avoid as well. One of my favorite parts is all the western food. I was able to enjoy amazing Mexican, Mediterranean, Italian, and Thai food. The smoothies are amazing as well!

I think my favorite part of that week was sitting by the pool with Tanya and catching up on life. I don't get to see my closest friends here that often because we work in different cities. It was such a blessing to have time to catch up with people. It was also nice to have time to rest after a super busy semester.

Asia is full of creepy mannequin's, but Tanya and I found THE CREEPIEST one in Chiang Mai this year!

I know...

valerie dolby — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:50:00 GMT

I might be the WORST blogger ever. I just can't seem to keep up with it. Several times I have just thought of giving up because it seems like a task I can't make time for. Lately though, I have decided I need to be better about my communication with the outside world. One of those areas is my blog... so here's to turning a new leaf!

Spring Festival was a very long break this year and a lot happened during that time. I'm going to try and recap a lot of it because it was so wonderful. I think why I've been bad at keeping a blog in the past is because I have too much to share and I can't take enough time to make that happen. So, I'm going to start today with the beginning of the festival time and try to keep these posts shorter.

Yes, this picture is of a loaf of bread in the shape of an alligator. This was wonderfully made and constructed by my beloved, Dan. Right after Christmas, Dan came to my school for a three week visit. This was a very blessed time together. It was amazing to have an extended time together because we usually just get weekends (and not as many as we'd like!). We had so much time during each day to learn about each other and interact in the small things. It was fun to learn some of each others quirks and habits. We are both so thankful for the way our relationship grew and deepened during this time. We had so much fun making meals, writing songs, drinking way too much coffee, and just talking. It was the perfect way to begin my holiday because it really felt like a celebration each day since we aren't used to getting that much time together!

Another highlight from the first few weeks was that I finally made a trek to the Registered Fellowship in our city. I've never thought about going because it's just super far away but Dan was up for some adventure. We took a combination of three buses for about an hour and a half.. got a little lost at that point... eventually found a cab that could decipher my fumbling Chinese... and in the end made it to the location. The main meetings are too early each week for me to go (the bus doesn't leave early enough to get me there since its such a long journey). It was good though to see the building and I was surprised by how big it was! I hope that is packed out every week! This is the only registered one that I know of in our small city (of 2 1/2 million people).

Recently

valerie dolby — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 11:08:00 GMT

I turned in my final grades a few weeks ago and I've been enjoying all my free time lately with Dan. We spent 3 weeks together at my school and it was fantastic. I'm in Beijing for a couple days and then I'm off to Thailand to bask in the warmth for a little while! It's surreal that it's Thailand time already and it seems as though the fall semester has flown by! I won't be around much for the next few weeks until the semester begins again in March.

Hope your new year is starting off well!

Favorite's From Finals

valerie dolby — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 06:22:00 GMT

Week one of Final exams is over.. here are some funny/interesting things my students said...

“My mother thinks that being fatter is healthy so she is so happy when I eat a lot”

“When you are dating, trust is the most important thing because you cannot be together very much. In marriage, responsibility is the most important thing.”

“If you are new at yoga, you’ll feel a lot of pain- but don’t give up!”

“Light music is my favorite because it takes me to paradise”

“The most important ingredient in marriage is harmony and being able to adjust to one another. For example, my mother cannot sleep without my father’s snoring. At first, it would make her upset but now she is adjusted and she needs it in order to sleep.”

“In the winter, people become lazy”

“Marriage is different than love. The most important thing in marriage is responsibility”

“Time is money- so I think my love language is spending time together”

“Music is indispensable to my life. My favorite kind is HipHop because this rhythm is the most beautiful. I think this kind of music expresses freedom.”

“Only a marriage of true love will last. Those of political or social advantage don’t work.”

In talking about the 5 love languages: “I don’t need my boyfriend’s sweet talk, he just needs to be sincere”

There were also some very cultural things said....

“In a marriage, you should think more about the other person than yourself. For example, in the winter you should tell him to put more clothes on.”

(They are always telling people to wear more clothes- it's a sign that you care)

“My father, brother and I have something in common- none of us use our chopsticks correctly”

“My boyfriend and I quarrel about petty things sometimes. For example, he does not like to call me because he says the radiation from the phone makes him unhealthy but I want to talk to him so we argue about this.”

“My mother is a very traditional woman”

“He is very lovely” – referring to her mother!

(They have issues with pronouns because there is just one word for both genders in Chinese. They also tend to use the word "lovely" way too much)

“My father is the best man in the world because he doesn’t drink, smoke or play cards.”

“My family is so kindhearted”

(I don't know who taught people here the word "Kindhearted" but they use it way too much)

“They fell in love at first sight, like Jack and Rose”

(Yes.. that IS a reference to Titanic... it's been years but they still love it)

“It’s a pity I have no boyfriend” “It’s a pity for me” “O that’s a pity” “That’s a pity” “What a pity” “Oh you are pitiful” “What a pity”

(I hate this phrase. It must be a direct translation that someone found one day and it spread like wildfire. The tragic thing is when I accidentally use it)

A snowy weekend...

valerie dolby — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:40:00 GMT

A week ago I was able to visit Dan for the first time. I hadn't been to Changchun before and I had no idea just how cold it would be. It was worth the cold though for the amazing amounts of SNOW I was able to enjoy!! Since I live on the coast, it doesn't snow in my city so I was very grateful to have a few days of that.

I have decided that though I hate the cold, I love the snow. There is a new Christmas song out this year about snow and I wanted to share the lyrics because it's really beautiful...

You Could've come like a mighty storm
With all the strength of a hurricane
You could've come like a forest fire
With the power of heaven in Your flame

But You came like a winter snow
Quiet and soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below

You could've swept in like a tidal wave
Or an ocean to ravish our hearts
You could have come through like a roaring flood
To wipe away the things we've scarred

But You came like a winter snow
You were quiet
You were soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below

Oh, no, Your voice wasn't in a bush burning
No, Your voice wasn't in a rushing wind
It was still
It was small
It was hidden

You came like a winter snow
Quiet and soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below

This is completely random...

valerie dolby — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:46:00 GMT

I was looking through pictures and found this from a museum I went to a few weeks ago. The room options were as follows and I stood there for a long time trying to decide how to prioritize my limited time.

Sadly I think I chose the Underground Treasure which was a let down-- all about rocks and the crust of the Earth. The real gem at the museum was this:
I would definitely like to go in that direction....

The sad fate of the Avocado

valerie dolby — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:01:00 GMT

Until recently, I thought the only thing Mexico sent to China was H1N1. Then I was in Beijing for Thanksgiving and I found an Avocado at a western import store. I was excited because it was only $2 which is extremely cheap for imported fruit. I have been talking about Avocadoes for a long time here because I'd never seen one here and I often crave it. So when I found this gem, I definitely didn't have to think twice about buying it. It was far from ripe so I brought it home and daily checked it to see when it would be ready.

Sadly.... I came home Monday from a weekend away and had missed the window of opportunity.

This was a pretty tragic discovery for me. I had been so excited and eagerly anticipating some fresh avocado and some guacamole in my life. When I came home from my weekend away, I noticed it was a little TOO soft so I decided to eat it immediately. I was able to dig out a few tasty bites that weren't rotted out but it was quite the let down. The death of a dream... It happens.

"I'm thankful for...."

valerie dolby — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:24:00 GMT

Here are some things my freshman are thankful for.....

I'm thankful for my roommates because they wake me up everyday. (my personal favorite)

I'm thankful for my eyes because they help me see the world.

I'm thankful for water because we couldn't live without water. Life comes from water and it gives us energy.

I"m thankful for the seasons. Spring gives us the feeling of happiness. Summer makes us happy. Autumn brings a large harvest. Winter supplies us a silent atmosphere and leaves us a place to think and imagine. All the seasons teach us a lot, especially the true meaning of life.

I'm thankful for trees because they can make the environment clean.

I'm thankful for your teaching because you're so beautiful and teach so well. I like the way you teach. The feeling is similar to the shiny stars in the black sky, put a bright light for me!!

Fun times in the classroom

valerie dolby — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:56:00 GMT

Recently, I taught my students a lesson on music. We talked about genre's and how different types of music make you feel differently. It was a great time and it was nice to do something a little more relaxed in the classroom. The idiom of the day was "Music to my ears" and some of the students responses went like this:

Emily: "A boy gave me a love letter to deliver to you."
Anne: "Oh that's music to my ears!"
Anne: "I heard you will get married during spring festival this year!"
Emily: "Oh really? That's music to my ears!"

(the second half was definitely a class favorite.. everyone laughed and clapped for them)

Tracy: "You're skin is so white!"
Melody: "Thanks! That's music to my ears!"

(Yes... they have a very different outlook here on paleness)

This past week, Dan was able to visit my class on Friday. My students were so excited to meet my boyfriend and to have another foreigner in the classroom. I gave the students a few minutes to ask him any questions they wanted to and here are some highlights:

Why did you come to China? (This is the most popular question of all time)
When you two met, was it love at first sight? (Yes, I taught them that phrase..way to reuse!)
What do you love about our teacher?
When will you get married?

Pretty bold, eh? One of my students also told us that they all thought we were "the perfect match."

Thanks students, you always provide entertainment and laughter!

student/teacher dynamics

valerie dolby — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:22:00 GMT

As a foreign teacher, I have a very unique relationship with my students. I am 8 years older than my freshman, but most of them are taller than me (yes, surprising perhaps since I'm living in Asia). There is a strange balance of being their friend but also being their authority as a teacher. Here are some interesting examples:

1) Today during break, my freshman girls wanted to take pictures with me using their cell phones. One girl asked me if she could kiss me on the cheek in the picture. So in my picture with her I"m smiling and she has her arms wrapped around me and she's kissing my cheek. That's not a very normal relationship.

2) There is one sophomore student that I've spent time with who is super friendly and we get along really well. When we're hanging out or having a meal together, she acts like my best friend but she still calls me "Miss Dolby."

3) Students ask me all kinds of personal questions about my life and my boyfriend. There doesn't seem to be boundaries with that even though I'm their teacher.

When I think about my own teachers in college, I never would've kissed them on the cheek, shared a casual meal together as if we were friends or asked them personal questions about their life. So you can see how it's strange to be in a foreign culture where those things are ok. What I haven't figured out yet is if these things are ok just because I'm foreign-- would students ever be like this with their Chinese teachers? My hunch is No. The craziest thing is that casual time outside of the classroom doesn't seem to take away from my authority in the classroom. When class starts, I am back to just being their teacher- their authority.

I love this dynamic. I love that I can have their respect and teach them, but also build meaningful friendships with them outside of class time.

This is something that keeps me here.

It's CHRISTMAS time!!!

valerie dolby — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:50:00 GMT

I was at Starbucks in Beijing recently and they finally have it decorated for Christmas!! This Dark Cherry Mocha definitely brought me some Joy as I sipped it on the way to the train station. I really miss coffee shops. We don't have those around my new school. It was so fun to see the holiday decorations up and feel the holiday spirit bursting around us. It's great to be here during the holiday season and share the reason to celebrate with those around us!

Campus promotions...

valerie dolby — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:38:00 GMT

My campus apparently has a new campaign against smoking. That's quite the task since it seems like 95% of men in China smoke (and more and more women seem to lately also). Here are some evidences of how the school feels:

lots of fun with the leaders...

valerie dolby — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:21:00 GMT

We had our team leader summit recently and it was definitely a needed retreat. It was great to get away with friends and encourage each other. I also had a lot of yummy western food and that was a nice treat! We had a murder mystery one night which was pretty entertaining..I'd never done that before. It was amazing to have a break from normal routines but I certainly didn't get much sleep since we stayed in a room full of girls. It also snowed on our last day in Beijing which was such a nice treat for so early in November!!

Just a little different...

valerie dolby — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:16:00 GMT

I spent more hours than anyone would want to in a Chinese hospital recently (with a teammate). I noticed something during all those hours that I hadn't been paying much attention to in the past. I did something tonight that made me laugh because I realized how American I was for doing it and how a Chinese friend would’ve shook their head at me for doing it.

In the West, we have a theory about how to deal with pain and sickness and it usually involves stifling the pain, not curing the problem. We take cough suppressant when we have a cold; we take pain reliever when we have aches. We’re not necessarily trying to fix the problem… we just want to minimize the symptoms.

Here in the East, such theories are looked down upon. You can’t go to the hospital and ask for pain meds… first they’d let you lie in a bed for a day or two in tons of pain so they can figure out what is wrong with you. When you have a cold, they give you this “tea” to drink which will cure the cold or cough. When you have a headache, you drink hot water.

Now that I think of it, anytime you saw “Eastern Medicine” doctors on Tv shows or movies they were always a little “mind over matter” and likely to give you bizarre remedies.

Tonight, I burnt my tongue on some hot Chinese food. I came back to my apartment and decided to figure out how to stop the pain of it (I don’t know how I’ve made it 26 years and I’ve never stopped to ask how to help a burnt tongue). I decided to use the wonderful wealth of knowledge on the internet. The article I chose talked all about how to “numb” the pain … not about how to lessen the burn.

In case you are wondering about some “preventative habits” you could implement in order to have overall better health, here are some traditional Chinese ideas:

1) Wear more clothes (it’s all about the layers…)

2) Drink hot water… no cold drinks

3) Have a rest

Today in a teammates class I heard a student say that “travel is good for your health” … so maybe get out and do some of that as well.

Photo updates

valerie dolby — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:47:00 GMT

I finally added pictures from Jenn and Nick's visit to China. There are 95 of them and that's barely a fraction of how many pictures we actually took! Check them out: http://photos.valeriedolby.com

The school clinic....

valerie dolby — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 06:43:00 GMT

One of the great things about working at a school here is that you can go to the school clinic and get free meds. I've been coughing for about 3 weeks now (which is ridiculous, I know), so this week I finally decided to go to the clinic. The doctor asked me lots of questions and looked at my throat then gave me lots of drugs to take. He asked random questions about my cough and my throat and then he asked where I am from. We told him the US and so then all the following questions were checking if I had the Swine. I tried my best to assure him that I did not have the Swine and I hadn't been around anyone who had (I have no interest in a trip to the hospital or quarantine). They gave me a pill I have to take-- a bottle of cough syrup that is as thick as molasses-- and a vile of something unknown (I can't seem to open it so I haven't tried that one yet). I have no idea what this medicine is specifically treating...that's life overseas! They told me I will definitely be fine once I finish the medicine.. so here's hoping!

The nature of the "To Do" lists in China...

valerie dolby — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:44:00 GMT

I can't believe it's September 1st. That's just ridiculous. I'm convinced that the older you get the more time seems to fly by. I remember being in middle school and thinking the weekend was NEVER going to arrive. Now the weeks and months just fly by. I'm starting year FOUR in Asia (which is a little shocking and unexpected still) and it seems as though I just showed up here for the first time yesterday.

Anyway, none of that is the point of this post. I want to enlighten you about "To Do" lists in China. There are a few observations I'd like to make.

Your "To Do" list never goes away. Now, I realize this is the same in the States...but the reason is different in China. In the States, you just keep adding new things each day because there is always more to do. The difference here is that you don't check things off as often so it's just the same To Do list every day. My "To Do" list is more just a general list of things that I'll eventually need to accomplish. I can't put the expectation on myself that I will accomplish too many things in one day-- that just isn't realistic. For example, my teammates went out the other day to get some cleaning supplies. Pretty simple task, right? They came back almost 4 hours later. Why? Well.. first of all, they had to walk to the grocery store and it's a bit of a hike. Second, once they were at the store they had to figure out where everything was located. To add to that, they have to look at all the stuff fifty times because nothing is in English so you have to guess what you're buying a lot of the time until you get used to stuff. The next problem came as they had to find their way home. They wanted to take a little rickshaw/tuk tuk thing home but they realized they didn't know how to say the school name or address in Chinese so they had to play charades with a driver in order to get back home. Their original "To Do" list would've included things like "1)Make a list of needed stuff 2) go to the store and buy things 3) come home and clean" ... they didn't know that it would take an entire day to accomplish all of that.

Usually I try to do two big things a day. Sometimes that doesn't even happen though. The two big things on my list today were to figure out train schedules from our local train stop and to go to the school clinic (because I have a cough that just won't go away). I haven't accomplished either of those today so they will be moved to tomorrow's To Do list. I needed a local to help me with both of those and I didn't find anyone today that could help me. I had three other things on my list today too but I didn't accomplish those either. Why? Well...

I was woken up today at 8:30 by someone banging loudly on my door. I opened the door and it was our building manager lady and two guys who had lots of wires in their hands. Apparently they were here to do something in the storage room in my bedroom. It would've been nice to know this was going to happen but I wasn't surprised that I hadn't been informed. They were done about an hour later and then they told me they were coming back this afternoon so I needed to be home. Hmm... that means that I can't go out and accomplish my errands today because I need to be home "in the afternoon" and that is a pretty vague time frame.

Another thing about "To Do" lists in China is that usually they are dependent on other people. I can't accomplish everything on my own... I usually need someone to help me get something done. If I want to make copies for class, I have to contact someone in my department and ask them to go with me because I am not supposed to do that on my own. If I need something fixed in my apartment then I have to call someone who calls someone else and eventually they might show up and fix the problem.

I guess the root of it all is the different view of time. To feel like I had a productive day, I would normally have a big list of things I got done that day. Now I'm lucky if I get one thing done each day. That takes quite the mental adjustment so that you don't get frustrated with yourself or your situation.

We made it!

valerie dolby — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:59:00 GMT

We arrived in China last Saturday and it already feels like I've been here forever. One of my bags was left behind in LAX so I wore the same two tshirts for a week.. in the summertime... that's kinda gross. Then my computer had a bit of an issue this past weekend but finally I am up and going again. Many more updates to come soon. My team is doing well in the initial transition into China. We have three more days of training left and then on Friday we all split up to go to our schools. This year is going to be quite the ride. I can't believe it's year FOUR for me here!! Who would've thought? Stay posted....

Its been forever...

valerie dolby — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 03:54:00 GMT

I’d like to offer some kind of excuse for why I can’t seem to keep up with a blog. Maybe a good enough reason is that I don’t really do it for myself—more to keep other people updated. And the last month or so I just haven’t been very good at keeping anyone updated on life here. I could also argue that my internet isn’t that great and that the place I live likes to block stuff on the internet all the time.

Now it’s already the end of June and I’m sitting on my couch in my mostly packed apartment. The last few weeks have been crazy. June showed up with 90+ degree weather and some amazingly smoggy days. It’s also been hectic to clean out my apartment and pack up my life so I can move in the fall. I’ve accumulated a lot in the last 3 years so that’s part of it. The other part is that most of my “stuff” is in Asia now, not in the States.

Recently, I was able to make a quick visit to the campus I’ll be living on next year. It was a great trip and I am really looking forward to the changes that will come next year. For the first time in my Asian life, I’ll have a “shoilet” in my apartment. (That’s what we affectionately call the Asian style bathroom). There isn’t a tub, just a shower head on the wall (so everything gets wet when you shower). I have been a little spoiled in Beijing and now I will have to buy a squeegie in order to have a dry life next year. Once I hit my campus in August, I’ll show you what life is like there.

The end of the year is always a little bittersweet. Teaching (especially teaching a foreign language overseas) can be very exhausting and by the time you hit the last month you are just ready to have a break. Things at my school this semester have been a little tension-filled as well, so I’m ready to leave that behind. There are so many other things though which are hard to say goodbye to. I love my teammates and they’ve become family to me. I know them so well and I’ve spent such an intense, intentional year with them. It’s strange to know that when I return in the fall, they will not be returning with me (although, two will still be in China so I’ll get to see them sometimes).

We fly to the States on Tuesday June 30^th and I’ll be there until August 7^th. I hope I’ll get to see some of you while I’m there for the summer!