Tobiah Meinzen – Valpo Voyager

Author: Tobiah Meinzen (page 1 of 2)

Heading Home Tomorrow

This time tomorrow I’ll be flying back to the United States.

Like semesters at Valpo this semester in China seems to have passed in the blink of an eye, yet held a lifetime worth of experiences. (Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration.)

I’ve spent the better part of the last two weeks reflecting on my experience here, trying to summarize what I’ve learned and how I’ve grown. I probably won’t fully understand the effect China has had on me for at least another couple months, after I’ve reacclimatized to the States. Although I recognize that culture is a powerful global force, my experiences here have continually reinforced similarities we share all across the globe. Although now I’m trying to tease apart the difference between culture and humanity, as I think I have overly amalgamated the two.

While Christmas trees and other holiday decor remains few and far between, the balmy t-shirt wearing weather is (finally) gone. The cold, grey chill of December should make the transition back to Valpo a bit less harsh.

Classes wound down without much fanfare. My Valpo class’s final was a week ago and we had a short Chinese final on Friday.

Learning Chinese, although daunting at times, was great fun. Even I made rapid progress. This was definitely the way to learn a language: living in among the language/culture, taking an intensive course load and sharing it with a dynamic group of classmates. Maybe someday I’ll return to Chinese for a couple years to gain fluency.

On Wednesday my Chinese class went out to dinner as a send-off party for myself and Professor Pati (who also studied Chinese with my class). We dined at the Vineyard, an American-style sports bar and restaurant. Our three Chinese teachers came along which was really neat. I have greatly appreciated the way the Chinese teachers interact with the international students—they treat us as adults (some of us are) which leads to some very interesting discussions and lots of laughter. (One more hilarious memory was a class where we got distracted translating epic movie phrases from English to Chinese, such as “I’ll be back!” and “You shall not pass!” which sound significantly less intimidating in Chinese.)

At the Vineyard I spent most of the evening talking about culture and politics with a Ukrainian and Pakistani. The U.S. Senate had just released its damning CIA Torture Report, so I was feeling pretty sick about America’s moral standing. Yet here I was sharing friendly conversation with a student from Pakistan—a nation that has a justifiable reason to despise our government. Now it is hard to know anyone’s true feelings on political matters, but my time in China has definitely reaffirmed the belief that although government and extremist organizations may portray the world as a violent and scary place, most people are much more interesting in being friends holding anger. (At least within the educated demographic.) Also, curiosity seems to be a universal phenomena—we all asked questions about how people think/do/view things in _________ (insert home country).

Overall it was definitely one of my favorite evenings in Hangzhou. (Even if I got into an argument with the other American in the class about U.S. military policy towards Russia. Admittedly I enjoyed the argument.)

On Thursday I attended my final Big Bang English Club. I’ve been going weekly since September and made many more Chinese friends at it than on campus. I was nicely spoiled, they treated my like a celebrity. Given the approximately 10:1 Chinese to foreigner ratio, the Chinese were very comfortable chatting which I hope gave me a bit of insight into their daily lives and opinions which I lacked living in a dorm (a homestay would’ve been much appreciated, but only so many things can be fit in 4 months).

Hefang Street

This weekend flew by with packing, an adventure downtown, miscellaneous ‘desk work,’ and good byes to my Chinese friends. Though it wasn’t without something new.

On Saturday as I was walking back to campus from last minute gift-shopping on Hefang Street. I decided to climb a bouldered ridge near West Lake to get back to campus. The bare rocks provided a 270˚ view of the city and ranged from a walking path to a 20’ vertical face I nearly got stuck climbing down the previous week. The boulders were fun to scramble across thanks to the lack of guard rails and other safety restrictions which would surely be in place if this were in the States.

From the boulders I headed into the forest as darkness was descending. The city was coming alight and plenty of Chinese had gathered on the boulders to enjoy the view. The most beautiful scene unfolded in the forest around us where hundreds of high powered flood lights illuminated the forest. The lights shown up into the leaves almost as if the stars had come down from the sky and settled amongst the trees. While I don’t want to consider the kilowatts needed to light up the hillside I found waling backing to campus through the lit-up woods to be a magical experience.

West Lake

Goodbye to Chinese friends!

Well I should probably get back to packing and cleaning!

Shanghai

December 8, 2014 / Tobiah Meinzen / 0 Comments

Last weekend our Valpo group visited Shanghai. To say our two and a half day exploration, ‘scratched the surface’ might be a bit of an exaggeration. Shanghai as the biggest city in the world (by some measurements).

I’ve gotten used to being swallowed by cities here, so Shanghai wasn’t a surprise. The hour-long high-speed train ride from Hangzhou to Shanghai never really got made it out to the countryside, we’d zip by an apartment complex at least every few minutes.

While it was a nice weekend, most of us were feeling windswept by the recent Midterms, Thanksgiving dinner, and the rapid approach of our December departure. So we weren’t quite on our sightseeing game.

Public transport is big in China. And when I say ‘big in China,’ remember that China is already huge. I wonder if one couldn’t measure a slight bit of the earth’s curvature in the train station corridors.

We used Shanghai’s extensive subway system during our stay which I quickly became a fan of. The stations can end up being the size of malls meaning paying attention to the extensive signage is crucial. Stations are everywhere and trains are regular and quick. And if I’m going to be squished (an small downside to public transit) I’d take the subway over Hangzhou’s jerky buses any day.

A bit of lunch on Friday.

Downtown Shanghai, near government buildings

Our first stop was the Shanghai History Museum which shared a lot of similarities both in layout and content to the history museum we visited in Xi’an in August. The exhibits are almost exclusively relics (either replicas or originals, it is impossible to tell), accompanied by captions. While the ornate pieces of jade, coins, weapons, jewelry, pottery and clothing are very impressive I always come away wanting more. The exhibits provide no storyline, no explanation of how the artifacts were created, and no ceremonial details.

I think China (at least the government) is eager to highlight the beauty and craftsmanship in their history. Arguably their approach to history is much the same as their approach to current government—”we will show you all the great things we’ve done but not actually tell you how our government works.”

From the museum we strolled along a broad pedestrian boulevard towards The Bund, a fancy name for the Shanghai waterfront. The strip is a commercial showcase from M&M to Apple to Forever 21 to Omega. Postmodern and classic architectural structure clash behind a smattering of giant blazing billboards. Meanwhile sly street vendors try to interest us in cheapie strap-on “roller skates,” fake Rolexes or ‘massages’—aka, prostitutes.

I actually visited the waterfront twice the first evening we were in Shanghai. The first time was before dusk so the famous city lights weren’t on—hence the return later that evening. Of course there were throngs of people, but that is almost a given in China, especially Shanghai.

The riverfront had been entirely cemented and I guessed it was high tide (and tidal). Organic flotsam and trash floated along in the grey water while two lanes of ships moved up and down the river. Using the passing 40’ shipping containers on one barge I estimated the largest ships—bulk freighters, were up to 250’ long. The bulk freighters, filled with sand or gravel, travelled upriver with the deck only a few feet above the waterline. It took a few minutes to realize that the big boats heading downstream were the same freighters as those going upstream. But being empty they rose dramatically 15-20’ feet out of the the water almost entirely exposing their bulbous bow, and making them look exponentially larger than their loaded brethren. As an engineer and Alaskan dock worker I found the watercraft particularly interesting.

Saturday morning we we visited the Yu Garden. Hundreds of years old the garden was made up of primarily water features, craggy rock formations and halls. It was pretty neat.

The rest of the day was spent exploring various touristy shopping markets. First we explored a crowded market/mall selling everything from jewelry to sportswear to Christmas decorations. We then ventured to the upscale ‘French Quarter,’ we wondered through the maze of alleys passing numerous bars and artsy shops. A much better place for window shopping in my opinion.

That evening I strolled through the neighborhood around our hotel with a few classmates. The streets of Shanghai definitely carry a different vibe than Hangzhou. The sidewalks were much emptier—fewer pedestrians, cyclists, and mopeds. It seems that Shanghai’s extensive subway system has dramatically changed transit patterns from the multi-use streets of Hangzhou. Secondly, in Hangzhou we’ve become accustom to walking in traffic—seriously the number of times I could touch the side of moving cars and buses is almost scary. In Hangzhou the drivers are great, but in Shanghai the vehicles rule the road and one better stay out of their way.

That night a thunderstorm swept through Shanghai providing an mystic touch to the sprawl outside our twelfth floor hotel room.

Sunday morning we were free to do as we pleased. I contemplated going to the east side of the river to explore the newer financial district with the big skyscrapers but instead I opted for a simpler route. I took the elevated train to the Zhongshan Park station. I had no clue what Zhongshan Park was, but I really like greenspaces so I figured it was worth the adventure. It turned out to be a lovely spacious park in a nice part of town. Children played, young couples took wedding photos, elderly gentlemen flew kites, a few countyfair-style rides had a taker or two, and old folks practiced tai-chi in the more secluded sections. I will miss the parks here, they are well maintained, landscaped and often contain a vibrant spectrum of society.

Travel back to campus ended up being more interesting than we had expected as two of us (including me) got separated from the group at one subway stop. Luckily we had phones and no trouble reaching the train station—except that the other group ended up on the opposite side of the cavernous station so we had to do a bit of extra walking.

Once we got back to Hangzhou we again split up to take a combo of metro, bus, and taxi back to campus through the rainy rush hour. The metro to taxi was the best option as the bus took forever and taxis were hard to get at the train station.

Thanksgiving

November 29, 2014 / Tobiah Meinzen / 0 Comments

On Thursday our group walked down to West Lake into the gathering dark. Our three months of Hangzhou “experience” was obvious as we sauntered between the once terrifying flurry of mopeds, bikes and pedestrians. We conversed in groups of two or three. Along the north edge of West Lake we came to our destination, the Shangri La Hotel. The imposing entrance and facade would have been suitable to greet a foreign dignitary, but we walked around the side to a nondescript entrance where we were ushered into an expansive dining room.

It was Thanksgiving, although it hardly felt like it: the leaves around had just started turning color, the crush of Christmas & Black Friday ads were absence, and we had just taken midterm exams the week prior.

The meal was satisfying and unanimously declared a success—many of my classmates were particularly appreciative of the “authentic” American dishes—the turkey, gravy and mashed potatoes. Yet pursuing the expansive buffet provided reminders that we weren’t Stateside—particularly the seafood: clams, muscles, oysters, and snails. (None of which I tried.)

And amazingly, (I’m an engineer, but) I’m learning Chinese. I can’t claim to speak or understand conversations yet, but I can form sentences, (abet with a lot of thought) and read over 200 characters. I no longer feel that if I got lost in Hangzhou I’d end up having to do an interpretive dance to communicate. My Chinese class is a blast, we are constantly cracking jokes and laughing at (and with) one another’s mistakes, from the German student who always incorporates baozi (a type of food) into his sentences to the time I misheard a question and responded in Chinese with “America is not beautiful.”

Although my days still hold enough variation to avoid monotony it is rather odd to realize that I have settled into life here, “just in time” to return home in a little over two weeks.

My room faces east, so I enjoy a few hours of sunlight to disperse morning chill. I have noodles and two fried eggs from the cafeteria downstairs every morning. On colder days I get a hot soymilk in between morning classes. Almost everyday I visit a small Halal shop just down the road from north gate for one of my meals. The food is tasty and cheap, with a variety of veggie options while an adorable toddler providing constant entertainment as she dances between the tables. Desert is either ice cream, or a Nutella ‘wrap’ (sorta like a fried crepe). I’ve also gotten in the habit of buying three oranges (although more like tangerines in taste and peel quality) a day and eating them one after another. Long walks have become my go-to activity when I don’t feel like studying or when I need a change of pace. I try to go running/walking on the hill behind campus or shoot some hoops at least every other day. Thursday evenings I got to the ‘Big Bang English Club’ which is often a highlight of the week as I learn lots about Chinese culture and am often asked to reflect even more critically on my own “American” assumptions. And so goes my life in China…

Home for now: The International Student Building

The fall leaves outside my dorm.

Big Bang English Club (I’m the tallest one.)

Uncertainty and the Unknown

November 14, 2014 / Tobiah Meinzen / 0 Comments

Being a foreigner, particularly an American, presents an interesting dichotomy when it comes to wholly understanding the lives of Hangzhou’s Chinese. On the plus side, most (English-speaking) Chinese I’ve had conversations with are greatly interested in learning about America, this has led to many dinner invitations, an occasional pick-up basketball game and my regular Thursday evening Big Bang English Club. On the flip side, I am an American, which means I’m treated like a celebrity so the belief that Chinese are the friendliest people on the planet is obviously skewed.

Also I didn’t inherit my father’s aggressive curiosity, so I have a long way to go before I am a professional asker-of-questions. While I could obviously learn more if I was more outgoing, my passivity has taken me to some very interesting topics. (Who knew wearing long johns could be such a generational controversy?) A regular at Thursday’s English club, Alan (that’s his English name), has an unparalleled (among the Chinese I’ve met) interest in politics and we’ve ended up debating obscure topics on multiple occasions. While Chinese have a decent recognition of the relationship between money and politics I’ve heard some borderline hilarious assessments of the Fed—the most common being a secret cabal puppeteering Obama and Clinton (though not Bush). This last Thursday we discussed the Free Masons—who I know very little about—except that they don’t control U.S. politics.

Even as my interactions with Chinese continue to add up I find there is more and more I don’t know. Fittingly it has become harder to summarize (or stereotype) Chinese as more and more paradoxes or outliers arise. For instance the topic of homosexuality has been brought up and calming discussed on multiple occasions (who in the US would voluntarily discuss homosexuality in a hostile environment?), yet Chinese society largely retains traditional conservative beliefs on sexuality and virginity. (When I say ‘calmly discussed’ I mean almost yelling—the density of the city means most Chinese never learned to use their ‘inside voices’ when in groups more than five. They can be very loud.)

The homosexuality topic though might also have something to do with being an American. I’m a magnet for repeated relationship and sex questions. Average American dudes are hit on by Chinese women as though we look like Ryan Reynolds or something. (He’s the most recent attractive dude, right?) It is an ego boost for sure, returning to the States will deflate us back to boring bachelorhood.

I wish we had home-stays while we were here. Back in early October I was lucky enough to spend one night at a Chinese friend’s family home in the countryside. Then again, I saw the physical house and watched the familial interactions but without understanding Chinese I left wanting to know more. Language, though is the critical element to understanding any social environment, hence my attraction to the English clubs.

While my Mandarin skills have progressed at an amazing rate, we’ve still only scratched the surface and I’m years away from conversational or discussing beliefs and values. Even if I had the technical proficiency there is an unspoken cultural language which I may never gain. I notice it even between Valpo and Eugene. When I catch up with high school friends we often exchange fewer words, yet they are loaded with ideas and meaning which simply translate with even my closest of Valpo friends. I wonder if I developed a cultural telepathy in Eugene—for eighteen years.

With a month left in my study abroad I’ve become more uncertain about who the Chinese are—but that’s only because I realize how expansive their lives, traditions, jobs, and relationships are. Maybe study abroad isn’t about gaining knowledge, but instead being humbled by the expansive unexplored cosmos of humanity.

Lena, myself & Damon at Big Bang English Club

Big Bang English Club (I think they named it after the American TV show.)

Learning Rocket Science…err, Chinese…with Speaking Teacher Alex

The almost surreal simplicity of a bamboo grove near campus.

Today’s six hour hike south of campus into forested hills and beautiful tea tree fields.

Terraced tea trees.

Explorations: Cultural & Geographic

November 1, 2014 / Tobiah Meinzen / 0 Comments

Last spring Valpo gave the current study abroad students a series of lectures about the different aspects of the study abroad experience. I remember one particular lecture which reviewed the common pattern of cultural adjustment. Unsurprisingly I didn’t adhere to the typical pattern of adjustment—I skipped “culture shock” completely. Yes, I road a ‘high’ for the first month here—but that was due to the newness and plentiful travel opportunities. Most of October was the simply rhythm of school, though without the crushing academic load of stateside classes and extra curriculars. It wasn’t until this week, possibly prompted by last weekend’s trip to Songyang, that I started to feel a little homesick. (Though I’ve missed the Pacific Northwest while at Valpo, so the feeling is nothing new.)

Browsing NationalGeographic.com and OutsideOnline.com did little alleviate my ache for the wild beauty of the Oregon coast, Holden Village, or Bristol Bay. Luckily my week ended with events that will likely become in retrospect the highlights of my study abroad experience.

On Thursday evenings I have been attending an “English club” in Hangzhou. It usually meets a bar or coffee shop across town where we chat or play games for a few hours. Last week we started with “trust falls” and other summer camp-esque activities. This week’s club was rescheduled due to Halloween, but Damen (one of the organizers) offered to meet me on campus and bring some friends. Damen (like most Chinese) has been incredibly generous, taking me (and a few other American friends) out to dinner on multiple occasions and he even suggested going camping before I leave in December. Damon’s “few friends” actually turned out to be the or so dozen Chinese who regularly attend the English club—so it might as well have been a typical Thursday night.

(A quick aside.)

For my Chinese Civilization class (taught by Professor Pati from Valpo) we are doing a collaborative project (with Chinese students from ZJUT) on Chinese perceptions of the body. One element of the project requires conducting surveys. Back in the United States collecting such information (especially when our questions include topics such as sex and virginity), is as appealing as grade-school door-to-door fundraisers. China though was totally different.

I brought my surveys to Thursday’s English club where the Chinese were more than happy to fill them out, they even asked me if I wanted them to ask others to fill them out also! I shouldn’t have been at all concerned as to whether I was breaching a taboo topic—the “discussion topic” for the evening was the whether or not prostitution should legal.

If you want to find true difference between the U.S. and China—it is this. A group of friendly acquaintances coming from various backgrounds voluntarily get together to socialize and discuss topics such as sexuality and prostitution. (We talked about homosexuality and gay marriage a few weeks back.) I believe China’s non-participatory government style and lack of a religiously conservative populace has helped foster an environment for open and thoughtful discussions on topics including race, religion, and sexuality.

Caught off guard I took a few moments to form a cohesive response (regarding prostitution). They listened attentively (I was speaking as representative of 300 million Americans) and were impressed and affirmative of my viewpoint. Though they immediately suggested a flaw with my position which required me to further elaborate. I like to believe they were somewhat surprised by my multifaceted response, though I did explain that my view wouldn’t be shared by all Americans. We proceeded to talk about prostitution in China along with examples of a regulated sex industry in places like Nevada, and the Netherlands. I was continually impressed by their thoughtfulness on topics like this one that are taboo in the States. (Although they still hold wacky views such as believing a secret cabal controls Obama (& Clinton), Ebola spread in the U.S., and U.S. involvement in the #OccupyHK protests.)

At one point during our discussion I was asked about my personal experience with one night stands. Unfortunately I couldn’t provide any salacious details on that particular subject. We even talked about how much we (Americans and Chinese) talk about sex.

But that was just one of the many topics we talked about. We also talked about Elon Musk (and his three companies), BYD, OccupyCentral, racism/discrimination, mobile operating systems, cell phone/battery radiation and even Kim Kardashian. Actually the Chinese seem to know far more about Elon Musk and Tesla Motors than the typical bunch of Americans.

I found it enlightening and incredibly fun, I haven’t found such open discussions since my time at Holden (where homogenous political and social beliefs were almost guaranteed).

It is hard not to overstate how friendly, open, and generous the Chinese are… except that I am an American. Foreigners (particularly Americans?) have somewhat celebrity status here, so it is hard to get a intimate understanding of how Chinese actually treat one another because I can only observe their interactions (and without understanding Chinese it is hard to develop a nuanced view).

Although it is still shorts and t-shirt temperatures here, Hangzhou finally got a few rainy days to end October. On Friday after class I decided to go for a walk up in the woods behind campus. Leaves covered the broken paving stones as I followed the ridge south for almost five miles. The air was pungent and (unusually) clean as low grey clouds swirled around the peaks. As I hiked south the hills spread farther and farther to the east, at some points I might as well have been in the wilderness, thickly forested hills and grey sky was all I could see. Given the gloomy weather few people were out. The occasional building and broken stonework reminded me I wasn’t in a remote mountain range, though for respite from living in a city of million this was best thing possible—an expansive area of untamed hills. Just the ‘wilderness fix’ I was needing. I descended from the ridge along a narrow dirt path through the surreal vertical lines of thousands of bamboo trees. I came out at the back of the Ling Ying Scenic area which contained various temples, shops, hotels, and tea fields. It was dark when four hours later I got back to campus. The crush of traffic and mopeds stood in sharp contrast to the quiet and empty trail I had walked along just hours earlier. It was a wonderful exploration for a west-coasty-weather day. Next time I’ll have to leave earlier so I can go even farther.

And I’ve saved the best for last—photos!

One grammatically correct sentence…pretty impressive for a class that couldn’t write five characters just 40 days ago.

At the local MerchantMart…

…poorly named chocolate…

…salad bar…

…and turtles! The lady at the sink is cutting up a live turtle…thank goodness I’m vegetarian.

Almost my entire Chinese 1-1 class went to “Grandma’s Kitchen” for dinner on Wednesday to celebrate completing the second exam.

An American, Pakistani, American (Indian-born), German, French, Bulgarian, and Yemeni walk into… No that isn’t the start a joke.

Songyang, China

October 28, 2014 / Tobiah Meinzen / 0 Comments

This weekend our class visited Songyang, a “little” town three hours (by bus) southwest of Hangzhou. Although it definitely qualified as a city (our twelfth floor hotel rooms looked over rows of apartments), we did pass through some beautiful (small) mountains and lush tea plantations surrounding Songyang.

The trip cost was subsidized by the local government which meant we foreigners were under steady document of numerous cameras for the tours. Foreign tourists = good PR.

Our Valpo/Luther cohort was joined by four nursing students from the University of Evansville (in Indiana)! They were a great group and fun to get to know over the two days.

We arrived in Songyang around lunch time on Saturday and were treated to a local family-style meal. While a few dishes were new, the preparation methods and most foods were the same as we’ve found in Hangzhou. So while it was tasty, I would have welcomed a greater change in cuisine—wok-fried foods and soups can only go so far.

Our tour started with an introduction ceremony at a historic ‘mansion.’ The housing complex/mansion had been built and owned by a rich family in Songyang during the later Imperial China dynasties. We were ushered to seats in the complex’s courtyard while various Chinese officials took turns at the microphone. Unable to understand their numerous speeches the afternoon dragged on in the hot sun. I ended up more fascinated by the scattering of professional video cameras, DSLRs, and smartphones shooting videos and taking pictures around the perimeter. There must have been dozens of devices used during the ceremony, whether they were personal or for media/publication purposes I couldn’t tell. We ended up getting “certificates” (for what? visiting?) and having a group picture taken. Josh, the best Chinese speaker in our group gave a short speech and was swarmed with cameras like he was a celebrity.

After the long welcome ceremony we were given a tour of the housing complex, with attention exclusively on the ornate wooden carvings along the walls, pillars and ceilings. Besides the carvings the house was rather empty and we weren’t given any information about the different rooms. As shown in the picture above, the Cultural Revolution had unfortunately left it’s mark here as well, defacing many of the carvings. Similarly to the temples we have visited, this house placed a heavy emphasis on nature and animal symbolism in the decorations.

The next activity was definitely my favorite of the weekend, if not my whole stay in China thus far. We were taken to the edge of Songyang and given mountain bikes—no disclaimers/waivers/redtape or helmets… There wasn’t a designated leader so the most adventurous of us quickly wound our way into the tea fields along narrow paved lanes and dirt paths following a loosely marked course.

We snaked between rows of tea tree bushes, along the edges of ponds and across wooden boardwalks while the setting sun cast yellow rays across the verdant hills. It was beautiful and exhilarating. The bikes’ brakes and gearing were iffy which combined with sudden rises and drops tested our nascent mountain biking talents. I had a blast!

Dinner was similar to lunch, although I did put my vegetarian ways on a brief hiatus to try octopus. Chewy and inky, check that off my bucket list.

After dinner one of the Chinese guys organizing the weekend’s activities invited us to play basketball. Basketball is definitely the most popular sport in China and I was eager to give my recently-revived “skills” a real test. (I’ve been shooting hoops 2-3 times a week on the Yuquan campus.) Thank goodness us Americans came in at 6’6”, 6’4”, 6’1”, and 5’11” because otherwise we would’ve been throttled. Josh held his own, while the rest of us hit bricks and rebounded all night. It was a lot of fun even if our ball skills could use some serious work.

The next morning we returned to the site of our biking excursion the previous evening. This time the streets were packed with cyclists and spectators awaiting the race start. We wandered up and down the street passing food and clothing vendors, traditional musicians and dancers practicing for the “opening ceremony” and a slaughtered cow being hacked apart on the spot.

Though as soon as we stopped to watch the opening ceremony we became a spectacle ourselves—particularly Dan, the 6’6” football player in our group. We spent a solid thirty minutes standing, smiling, and laughing as scores of locals whipped out their smartphones to take pictures with us and of us. Interest in us was universal, from grandparents to toddlers (though some were scared), heck Dan even ended up holding a baby for photos. I guess he has practice now if he ever chooses to become a politician.

A few of our group were also invited to take part in a tea ceremony/demonstration which also thoroughly bemused the locals as we fumbled our way through pouring, stirring, and whirling. As an efficiency minded engineering the whole process seemed overly complex to just prepare a cup of tea. Though I guess I prepare tea to drink it—not as a statement of class or status.

After our brief time as celebrities we were taken to another historical townsite (similar to the previous day). Here we were given a walking tour during which we were reminded to smile and face the tour guide (for the cameras).

Our last agenda item was visiting a thousand year old pagoda—which also happened to be leaning slightly (Leaning Tower of Songyang?) so we were only allowed to the third level. Once again we were the subject of numerous cameras as we posed for a group picture in front of the pagoda.

After lunch at a Mao-era restaurant where the waitresses wore green fatigues we piled into the bus to return to Hangzhou and homework. The weekend passed far too quickly, but thus is the nature of study abroad.

“Picturesque” Qiandao Lake, two hours by bus southwest of Hangzhou

Hangzhou Catholic Church

October 17, 2014 / Tobiah Meinzen / 0 Comments

This morning I attended Mass at the Hangzhou Catholic Church, a few miles from the Yuquan Campus. The Sunday Mass is entirely in Chinese, whereas the Saturday evening Mass I had attended a few weeks earlier was in English. The church building is set back a little from a commercial street, with a parking lot (only big enough for a dozen cars) in front.

When we arrived, just outside the gates separating the parking lot from the sidewalk were two beggars. In Hangzhou I’ve seen very little abject poverty (and disability), which probably has to do with Hangzhou’s wealth and possibly legal tactics which confine the poor to less visible parts of the city. Unlike the more aggressive and often able-bodied beggars I’ve encountered in Eugene or Chicago, those sitting at the church gates were clearly worn by age and physical ailments. Why were they outside this church? From our brief study of traditional Chinese beliefs it seems the virtue of charity is mostly absent. Perhaps the philanthropy of the Jesuit missionaries (and concern for the poor expressed throughout Jesus’ teachings) had some tangible influence the Chinese Christians gathered this morning. Though for myself, I quickly walked past the beggars. A guilty conscience the words of Matthew 25:41 still disturb my thoughts.

The church building and the liturgical setting are relics of an another land. The building is long and narrow, with simple white plaster on the walls and ceiling. Stain-glass windows of saints and portraits of the Passion are evenly placed along the otherwise plain walls. Their light-skinned figures (and European artistic style) seem out of place in a sanctuary filled with Chinese. I find it interesting that the such European styling remains in an institution which hasn’t been officially affiliated with the Holy See for over a half century. Although perhaps the Chinese emphasis of filial piety has helped preserve the missionary-era designs.

Besides a Chinese bible and hymnal there were no other worship aids (like a service folder or bulletin). I was impressed with the congregation’s seemingly intuitive understanding or memory of worship order, bowing, kneeling, and recitation of various prayers and chants. The service proceeded very smoothly with no obvious lapses in procedure or even a more casual time (at the beginning or end) for announcements.

Unable to understand the Chinese sermon (or anything else), I instead found the most interest in observing congregational dynamics. Overall, the similarities to Lutheran worship (that I’m most familiar with) far outweighed few differences.

Although the service (and communion) were presided over exclusively by men, the readings (and psalm?) were read by women. While it would have been nice to see greater gender equality, I’m not sure if Roman Catholicism does any better.

Communion was served without wine, whether for religious or practical reasons I don’t know. Maybe wine was reserved for the priest? When the ‘passing of the peace’ came, instead of handshakes congregants gave one another small bows with their hands clasped in prayer. Interestingly the passing of the peace was a rare instance where the American counterpart is more physically intimate. The bowing felt authentically Chinese—maybe handshakes and hugs are a western phenomena.

One thing I was not expecting was the turnout and the vocal participation of the Chinese congregants. The sanctuary was completely filled, with worshipers sitting on stools in back or even outside! While the congregation seemed skewed towards the older generation, clearly the Chinese population boom paired with governmental restriction on religious expansions (this particular church was established centuries ago) have kept the attendance up.

No offering was collected, so how the church budgets I do not know. The hymn style reminded me the simpler tonal music of Greek Orthodox worship. It seemed like nearly the entire congregation was singing, and singing unabashedly—which is a stark contrast to often quiet American congregations. In a service that seemed quite routine the strong congregational participation in music was wonderful.

The service also showed the growing divide between old ritual and modern technology. The sprinkling of baptismal water and the burning of incense had roles in the service while small video screens displayed the chancel or hymn numbers. Yet the most common distraction was the occasional beep of someone’s smartphone. While often unintentional the encroachment of technology was never the less very obvious.

The standard attire fell between the casual jeans and the formality of suits & ties, personally I thought it was a nice balance. The priest and assistants were dressed in green stoles and white albs. (According to the liturgical calendar I’m most familiar with, green is the color of Pentecost—the season we are currently in.)

In a section near the front of the sanctuary were a couple dozen congregants communicating with sign language. Accessibility for disability doesn’t seem to be as codified in Chinese society as ADA laws are in the U.S. so it was great to see two women signing the whole service. I wonder if the church’s inclusion of those with disabilities (particularly deafness perhaps) might be one historical good deed of Catholic missionaries. I know traditionally under karmic views one is directly responsible for their own physical ailments (even from birth), therefore other Chinese religious traditions may not accommodate so easily.

Though at the end of the ninety minute service it only a few differences left the Hangzhou Catholic Church feeling surprisingly similar to Lutheran services back home.

written: October 12th, 2014

Visiting Qiandao Lake during the National Holiday Break

“Picturesque” Qiandao Lake, two hours by bus southwest of Hangzhou

The view from my Chinese classroom

Mr Egg and the Chinese countryside

October 11, 2014 / Tobiah Meinzen / 0 Comments

On Thursday morning Mr. Egg invited me visit his home. Mr. Egg (that’s his self-chosen English name) is a local who teaches English at a school near Yuquan Campus. We met a couple weeks earlier as Mr. Egg organizes informal weekly “English clubs” around Hangzhou. What I thought was going to be a couple hours at Mr. Egg’s apartment turned out to be an overnight trip into the Chinese countryside and an intimate look at (one form of) Chinese lifestyle.

We used Hangzhou’s extensive bus system to get out of the city. At one point where we switched buses we met up with Mr. Egg’s girlfriend, Sue, a nurse in Hangzhou. The Hangzhou bus system operates very similarly to those in the United States, with the exception of personal space—during rush hour many buses are packed to the doors. On our hour long journey into the countryside the bus “played” leap-frog with mountain bikers and moped riders. The bus stayed on a high way intermittently broken by stop lights. Besides in Beijing I haven’t seen any roadways around Hangzhou that would qualify as interstates, so even when the roads are not crowded the traffic is slower than in the U.S.

From a countryside bus station we took a brief taxi ride to Sue’s family home. When we arrived her parents were cooking lunch in a make-shift outdoor kitchen. Behind the kitchen her family’s new home was being built. We took a brief walk along the narrow lane around the neighborhood. Almost every home had a dog (for scare off thieves Mr Egg told me) and chickens roamed freely. Ponds, small vegetable patches, crumbling brick walls, groves of bamboo were wedged between houses and small fields of tea trees.

The rural homes were actually quite surprising to me. First off they almost all lacked any sort of grassy front yard which was instead almost wholly paved over. The homes themselves were quite large (I’d estimate +1,500 sq. ft.), built on a roughly square base, two or three stories, and with rather fancy exterior decorations. I wonder if the rather opulent exteriors had to do with the notion of “face”? The homes were also built entirely of concrete—almost as if they were a mini apartment.

Sue’s family was welcoming and seemed very relaxed, unfortunately communication was limited as it had to be translated by Mr Egg. Lunch was quite a feast, which Mr Egg emphasized was natural and organic—much of the produce had been grown by the family! Interestingly both at Sue’s and at Mr Egg’s we ate at different times from the parents (and grandparents). The food was far more than we could eat (and given how it was prepared I doubted it could be easily saved for leftovers). While I prefer not to waste food, I expect that over abundance of food was a purposeful way to honor guests and show one’s “wealth.”

Although Mr Egg referred to Sue as his girlfriend, they are what we’d call engaged, (Mr Egg refers to Sue’s parents as his in-laws). I learned that they will get married next year when Sue’s family’s home is finished. According to Mr Egg their “engagement” came by visiting both sets of parents and seeking their approval. Therefore “meeting the parents” is a pretty serious affair in China. Weddings (or at least Mr Egg and Sue’s) will have no formal service but instead be comprised of fancy dinner gatherings for friends and family at both of the family’s residences. I also learned that cohabitation is not frowned upon in China.

After lunch we took a taxi to Mr Egg’s small town where his father picked us up in a new Lexus SUV. We stopped by the family bamboo mat factory to move some mats inside in case it rained. The factory was worn but well kept, reminding me of the canneries in Alaska, and a pallet of boxes stamped with ‘Made in China’ was a quick reminder of how globalized even small businesses have become.

Mr Egg’s grandparents live with his parents in a large home nestled between steep bamboo forested hills. Actually, their old home still stands next to their new one. The old one is used as a garage for laundry, moped storage, and the old fireplace-heated bathtub. The interior of the house was surprisingly empty, exposed CFL bulbs often hung from cords poking out of the peeling and dirty plaster, cooking was done between a gas stove and woodfire heated wok, while a big flat screen TV broadcast CCTV the entire time.

Between meals we were offered tea along with nuts, grapes, dates, and dragon-fruit. After a dinner with similar food to lunch we visited Mr Egg’s aunt who lived just down the road and talked with her for a while. I asked Mr Egg about the Hong Kong protests, he was aware of them and seemed passively supportive, insinuating that democracy was probable eventually in China. It makes sense I guess, while China is economically expanding most people (such as Mr Egg) have little urge to disturb the political norm.

I never got the impression that countryside life was declining (whereas American small towns often seem to be struggling)—simply the job and entertainment offerings of cities were so much larger. Mr Egg felt bored at his family home. A funeral had taken place earlier in the day and Mr Egg told me briefly about it although his vague explanation exposed the growing distance of the younger generation from the traditions of his parents.

Overall I found the trip to be fascinating, from the style of countryside homes to the interactions of multigenerational households, to the focus on food as the center of hospitality in what was otherwise a very casual setting.

written 10/5/2014

Myself, Mr Egg and Henney (from Norway)

Lunch!

Bamboo mats

Mr Egg’s family home

Outside Mr Egg’s family home

Just up the road from Mr Egg’s home

A hilltop tea tree plantation above Mr Egg’s home

Dragonfruit!

Cooking dinner!

Sunday night's English club

汉语难

October 3, 2014 / Tobiah Meinzen / 0 Comments

Happy China National Day! 65 years ago today the People’s Republic of China was founded. Think of it like 4th of July in the United States.

As a student, China National Day means I get a week off of classes. Although I just started last Tuesday, I’m not complaining.

For someone who is far from gifted when it comes to language, I’d say the Mandarin classes have started off pretty well. My class has just under twenty students, a few of the students are teachers themselves (retired, or in other subjects) and many students are in grad school or have just graduated, I’m one of the youngest. Although we haven’t had a lot of time for conversation it is really neat to be in a class with students from large swaths of the globe—though South America and Africa are notably absent (and seemingly underrepresented in the International College as a whole). The students in my class hail from Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iran, Yemen, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Scotland, and England.

The Russian and Ukrainian are pals and I haven’t got anything worse than friendly greetings from the Pakistani or Yemeni, even though the American government conducts unlawful drone strikes in their countries. It may simply be the type of people study abroad attracts, but I get the impression that we all are far more open to conversation and friendship than reflecting the fractious policies or conflicts of our respective governments.

Our class has developed a sort of bashful good humor as our three Chinese teachers frequently call on us to speak or write on the board, which we often do with great trepidation. At first I found the pace and newness of the language to be staggering but by yesterday I felt as though it had balanced out. That said, we are learning 10-15 new words daily and spend fifteen hours a week in the classroom, so it isn’t far-fetched to believe we may actually learn “a year of Chinese” in eight weeks.

The Chinese teachers also bring their own unique style to class as well. Alex, the speaking teacher, is the most casual of the three and enjoys watching movies or making fun of the Beijing accent’s excessive use of the ‘r’ sound on word endings. He also gets points in my book for the Anonymous wallpaper and Google.com bookmark on his laptop. (Although Google’s services are blocked here, the company’s name is still treated as a verb, and I haven’t heard anyone say “Baidu” or “Bing” it.) Since listening is my worst subject I’m extra luckily that the listening teacher is the nicest of the bunch. The grammar teacher, Ma Laoshi, is strict, but she is still very nice.

Although China National Holiday is one of the most popular times for locals to travel, we still decided to venture out today. (That said, we’ve all rescheduled our travel plans for the week and are staying in Hangzhou because of the steep prices and crowds.) We visited Hefang Street, just south of downtown, which is jammed with eateries and little shops selling jewelry, clothing, and other touristy nicknacks. I wasn’t in a shopping mood, I’d seen many similar items in Beijing or Xi’an. So I tried to make the best out of people watching, and ending up starring in the occasional Chinese tourist photo. Many Chinese who come to Hangzhou during this week aren’t accustom to seeing foreigners so we are get a little celebrity treatment.

At dusk I went for a run in Forest Park just behind campus. It has become my favorite almost daily getaway and takes less than thirty minutes to get to the top and back. Though haze always obscures the horizon, it is a treat to look out on a city of millions from such a forested haven. The hills stretched to the southern horizon, cradling West Lake on their eastern flank, the Xixi wetlands faded into obscurity to the southwest, an office complex covered in photovoltaics stood next to large construction project at the base of the hill while a small fireworks show burst above the apartments.

With the start of classes, the prolonged excitement and newness of China has definitely been dampened for me. Lazy afternoons of wandering around Hangzhou are now replaced by copying Chinese characters and practicing pronunciation. Also gone is the newness of the most obvious cultural differences which initially provided much to ponder and entertain. I am still trying to go to as many ‘English clubs’ as I can. They provide me the best way to interact and get to know the local Chinese—or in the case of last Sunday’s club, a German woman who’d just road tripped from L.A. to Seattle. (We got to talk about Oregon!)

And lastly, as much as I like to follow current events, I’ve spent a growing number of hours in the recent days glued to the BBC’s live coverage of the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Even though I’m hundreds of miles from Hong Kong and except between the international students not even whispers of #OccupyHK have reached me here. (The increased police presence I noticed today is most likely for the holiday and its the proliferation of tourists.) While the BBC has published reports noting Beijing’s heavy hand on the Uighur minority and violence in Xinjiang, the scale and coverage of Hong Kong’s protests has the potential to be a defining moment for years to come. I’ve found it disheartening that among my Valpo peers there is so much seeming apathy—especially when we hail from a country that is supposed to be emblematic of freedom and democracy. (Though it shouldn’t be a surprise, I’ve known about the general public’s political apathy since starting debate in high school.) While China sensors Weibo terms, blocks Instagram and publishes almost comically skewed views of the Occupy protests I’ve been thrilled by the amazing teamwork and civility of the Hong Kongers. While the BBC and western media may clearly highlight the best of the protestors, I haven’t read anything to suggest that they’ve done anything worse than protest—the economic and stability harm argument is weak. For perspective, Hangzhou, one of the nicest cities in China, often can’t keep its streets clean (even with a near army of public servants) and meanwhile the protesters collect their own recycling and trash! Being in China makes following the protests all the more exciting, especially given the entrenched stances of both sides. Two years after the violent protests of the Arab Spring it is hard not to whole-heartedly root for a group with such a strong claim to the moral high ground after Sunday’s teargassing. #UmbrellaRevolution

written on October 1st, 2014

Sunday night’s English club

The main quad of Yuquan Campus

The crowd on Hefang Street

The National Silk Museum with Zhejiang University of Technology students

A Luxurious Life!

September 22, 2014 / Tobiah Meinzen / 0 Comments

Time flies when you’re…in China…taking only two classes…eating lots of pastries…enjoying long walks…talking with locals…window shopping at ultra luxury malls…running in the rain…visiting museums and temples…reading the Analects…meeting new friends…watching movies…and having fun!

My extended and wondrous welcome to China is drawing to a close. Although we (the Valpo group) have been in Hangzhou for a month already due to scheduling differences between Valpo and Zhejiang U we haven’t started our Mandarin classes. That all changes tomorrow when we begin eight weeks of intensive study—fifteen classroom hours a week just for language and who knows how much homework.

Although I’ve been fully enjoying the luxury of open-ended exploration and long weekends it will be nice to start learning Mandarin. (“Thanks,” “Hi,” and “I want…” will only get me so far.) But my thoughts on school itself will have to wait until next week, so I’ll devote the rest of this post to a review of last week’s activities.

The quiet summer campus is gone, the number of students on campus has probably quadrupled since I arrived. From daybreak until late into the evening Chinese students steadily stream along the many roads through campus, when it rains a sea of colorful umbrellas stretch down the sidewalk. At the official “International college” welcome assembly last week we packed the auditorium with students from over one hundred nations. Wow! The assembly ended with performances of traditional music and dance of various Chinese provinces by ZJU students. The troupe’s performance was a lot of fun to watch, the performers clearly enjoyed what they were doing and they were incredibly talented.

Rainy skys have been more frequent, but the blessed cool and clean air they bring are well worth the grey drizzle. Besides, I’m from Eugene, I like the rain. After constant sweating for the first few weeks the ability to stroll around Hangzhou for hours while the air whispers of autumn is delightful.

On Saturday evening I attended Catholic Mass (in English) at a church tucked between shops and apartments near downtown. The service was very similar in liturgical order to the Lutheran services I’m familiar with. I found many of the hymn melodies hard to follow and the Priest’s message calling us to ‘evangelize’ seemed odd given Beijing’s restrictions of religion. Partitioners scattered through the narrow pews, the majority were Chinese but there was also a fair number of foreigners, especially Africans.

After the service Professor Pati, Michael and I walked the few miles back to campus. We stopped at various hole-in-the-wall bakeries and bemusedly strolled through a shopping mall filled with clothing and accessories imported from many of Europe’s finest brands. The wealth here is incredible, even if Alibaba’s IPO does create scores more millionaires in Hangzhou they already have plenty of competition to stand out among the BMWs, Benzs, Porsches, not to mention the occasional Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Tesla, or Maserati which dot the luxury mall parking lots. (Yes I’ve seen all those car brands.)

The best part of long walks though is the time they have provide to people watch. As someone who is not likely to strike-up conversation with a stranger I am more than happy to gather my experiences in a more passive manner. I’ve watched older folks practice tai chi and gather for dance groups in small parks; I’ve watched tired orange-garbed workers sweeping litter with homemade brooms; I’ve watched children enjoy snacks while riding on the back of their parents’ moped; I’ve watched young adults constantly on their phones; I’ve watched people sleep on buses with many times more passengers than seats; I’ve watched business men and women deftly negotiate thick traffic while blaring their car horns.

Also as a group we have visited the Dafo Temple in Xinchang, the Hangzhou Silk Market, the National Tea Museum, and the Zhejiang University of Technology campus. The Dafo Temple, a two hour bus ride south of Hangzhou, is set amid verdant hills. We visited on a drizzly day which added to the tranquility of the winding paths and various temples built into the hills—including the famous ‘Big Buddha’ sculpture (over 10 meters tall) which was carved out a mountainside over a millennium ago.

I picked up my textbooks today and so hopefully I am all ready for class tomorrow. Being in an international dorm, diversity is for once exists far more in actuality than in discussion—my class of sixteen has students from fifteen different countries. Should be fun!