They mean LITTER

Shoot ‘Em Up Hot Pot

On Monday night I had my first Hot Pot experience. A specialty of the region, I had managed to avoid it thus far.

As part of a somewhat dodgy contra-deal (I proof-read an English translation of the restaurant history), I was invited to the fanciest hot pot restaurant in Chongqing. I know it was a posh restaurant because the tables were not covered with the ubiquitous plastic drop sheet. Also the presence of dancing girls suggested this was not your run-of-the-mill hot pot shop.

Hot pot consists of a pot of boiling, spicy soup laid into a table and heated from below with a gas burner. Served along with a table of bits and pieces, the soup is incredibly spicy and boiling hot. When I say incredibly spicy I mean incredibly spicy. I dipped my chopsticks in this soup to taste it and that tiny amount just about blew my socks off.


Because they were in the company of a foreigner, my hosts ordered a ‘combination pot’ meaning that there was a small inner pot within the big pot. The small inner pot held the Chernobyl-grade spicy soup while the outer pot was more of a broth. Similar to a chicken soup. But made of pigeon.

The idea is to dunk the various ‘bits and pieces’ into the soup, allowing them to cook and absorb the flavour of the soup. To define ‘bits and pieces’ I will use some examples from my evening:

Tripe

Liver

Cows neck

Pigeon

Duck intestines

Fish (full fish ie. head, fins etc)

Other unidentifiable offal

Again I was fortunate that my hosts were au fait with the ways of the crazy westerners who don’t particularly like to eat offal and animal bits. There was also a small selection of vegetarian matter such cucumber, bean curd, lettuce leaves and a variety of mushrooms. I was able to pick around the vegetables and the less offensive meats and in fact some of it was quite nice. There was some filleted fish and also some small beef rissoles made with coriander that were quite tasty. I just had to do my best to ignore my fellow diners as they dunked long strands of intestine and other bits in the soup and devoured it feverishly.

The evening was a lot of fun and the food not nearly as scary as I had expected. The dancing girls and Chinese acrobats certainly helped matters. Throughout the evening a troupe of Vegas-style dancing girls sang and danced their little hearts out on the stage at the front of the restaurant. There were a number of different themes and costumes, beginning with traditional Chinese outfits and moving along the spectrum to cowgirls dancing to ‘Rawhide’ complete with fake gunshots etc. One of the more bizarre and amusing evenings of entertainment I’ve experienced.


Watermelon is traditionally served to signal the completion of the meal. Being a posh restaurant the watermelon was served with a slice of pear, some tomatoes and a stick of Wrigleys gum. Fancy!

I have a business card...

Skype Me?!

Now that I have broadband at home I have signed up to Skype.

If anyone else is hooked up to it let me know so we can chat. Send me an email and I'll reply with my username details.

If you don't have Skype maybe you should get it... check it out here.

Happy Wedding!

On my first day of work in China I was advised that one of the office staff was about to get married and that I would probably be invited to the wedding. So upon meeting Liu Li, one of the Chinese interpreters, I was only slightly surprised to be invited to her wedding on Sunday!

The invitation was a small red box adorned with an image of a boy Chinese doll and a girl Chinese doll kissing. Inside the box was a packet of cigarettes and a heap of lollies, along with a note of invitation containing all the details of the wedding. When I mentioned that I don’t smoke I was advised that whenever anyone is invited to a wedding their whole family is invited – therefore “the cigarettes are for your husband or lover and the candies are for your children”. I didn’t bother stating the obvious that I have neither a husband nor children…

The wedding was held in a large restaurant/reception centre about 20 minutes from the city centre. As our entire office was invited we all went along in a mini bus. On entering we were offered more cigarettes and lollies before being accosted for a group photo. We then signed the guest book and handed over our wedding gifts – a red envelope containing money. Sure beats 17 toasters or a Bunnings voucher!



I had been a little worried about what to wear as I thought people would probably be quite dressed up and I don’t have anything really terribly dressy with me. I settled for a denim skirt, black top and boots, way more casual than I’d ever wear to a wedding back home but the best I could do under the circumstances. It turns out I had nothing to worry about because most people were just wearing everyday clothes ie. jeans and sneakers. While the groom and best man were in nice suits and the bride in a traditional white dress, the lone bridesmaid was also in jeans!

The ceremony itself had a number of similarities and also a number of differences to a typical Western wedding. For starters the guests were seated in order of importance. With about 400 guests I was quite surprised to be on the third table from the front on the bride’s side. Work colleagues made up the first four tables; the first consisting of the bride’s Chinese work managers, the second table seated the Australian team leaders and long term staff, the third table was Australian short term advisers and the fourth table was the drivers. The family of the bride and groom were in the centre near the front and everyone else was behind us.

To start the festivities a little boy and girl walked down the ‘aisle’ (red carpet down the middle of the room between the tables) to the strains of ‘Silent Night’. They seem to have a weird obsession here with Western Christmas Carols. The street sweeper truck which goes by daily plays a medley of Christmas Carols including ‘Jingle Bells’, ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’ and 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer'. Anyway these tiny and gorgeous young kids tossed rose petals before the speakers began to blare ‘Here Comes The Bride’. The bride was escorted half-way down the aisle by her father before being met by the groom who accompanied her the remainder of the way. Along the way they were showered with rose petals, bubbles & streamers from colossal party poppers.

At the front the happy couple stood before a backdrop with a big photo of themselves in wedding gear and the words ‘Happy Wedding!’. The ceremony itself consisted of a series of speeches which was a little hard to follow partly because it was all in Chinese and partly because of the absolute bunfight as people fought their way up to the stage to take photos. Despite being seated near the front I couldn’t see a thing due to the paparazzi-like throng of photographers. There were about seven speeches including the bride’s father, Chinese boss, Australian boss, the best man and I assume the groom’s boss and others. Fortunately they were all short and sweet, no longer than about 3 minutes each. All up the ceremony took about an hour I’d say – and it finished with the groom down on bended knee placing the ring on the bride’s finger and then a kiss. The bride and groom had to continue kissing for as long as the audience continued clapping, so the clapping went for quite a while.

To finish things off the bride tossed the bouquet to a mixed group of girls & guys - I was instructed to get up there to catch it but I tried my hardest not to. A young guy was really determined to get it and he went flying across the pack to do so.

Then there was the food. During the ceremony the tables had been filled with food and on completion of the official speeches etc everyone began to eat. The food itself was interesting. Duck. Rabbit. Chicken tongue. Please refer to photo below…

The dish at the rear-left is chicken tongues.
Can you guess what the main dish is?

While we were eating, the bride and groom circulated around the room having a congratulatory toast with every table. By this stage she had changed into a traditional red Chinese dress which was really pretty. By the time they had been to every table (about 40 all up) people had started to leave. It was quite funny actually, in fact one of the main differences from any other wedding I’ve been to – as soon as they’d had enough to eat the guests just up and left. In fact the whole event was over in about 2 hours and I headed home to enjoy the remainder of the afternoon!

Home Sweet Home pt.2

Here are some pics of my new apartment... It is right in the middle of the city, about a 500m walk from the Monument that is considered the city centre. I have a flower market in a street nearby and I have also discovered a fresh food market under the building next door. I spent my first night there last night and I'm really pleased with the place.

n/b. The pics were taken before I moved all my stuff in!

I love fireworks!

Those of you who know me well will recall my love of fireworks. They are in my top three favourite things EVER. Really. Last night in Chongqing we had fireworks. Remember, if the Chinese know anything, they know fireworks.

Chongqing is currently host to the Asia-Pacific Cities Summit. I'm not too sure in regards to the details of what it's all about but the whole city has been preened and beautified in preparation for this international forum. Pots of flowers have been layed out along many of the streets, intricate displays constructed, statues polished, and government employees and many other workers have been advised to take three days off to reduce traffic congestion on the roads.

Last night to celebrate the opening of the Summit the city put on a fireworks display along the Yangtze River. At the moment I'm staying about 30 minutes from the centre of the city and I didn't expect to be able to see the fireworks. How wrong I was. Despite being so far from the action I still had a fantastic view from the 12th floor apartment I am staying in. It was the biggest pyrotechnic display I have witnessed and it went for so long that I nearly got bored. The display lasted for about 40 minutes, and was just incredible. Being so far from the city centre I only saw a small fraction of the action, apparently it was about five times larger than what I was witness to. I know this because on the bus on the way in to the office this morning the news* showed a highlights reel of the display, which also included a pyrotechnic Chinese dragon floating down the river. There was also footage of an opening ceremony of sorts yesterday with hundreds of dancers in traditional dress banging on drums and dancing about. It was pretty spectacular.

I hope there is another set of fireworks to celebrate the end of the summit tomorrow night. By then I will have moved into the new apartment and will have a bird's eye view of the Yangtze.

* How did I manage to see the Morning News while on the bus? More to follow...

Home Sweet Home!

I’ve found a home!

After a few false starts I have found a nice apartment, right in the centre of the city. It is on the 26th floor of a new apartment building, with fantastic 180 degree views across the city and over one of the rivers. Being a new building I am the first resident of this particular apartment. It is one-bedroom, fully-furnished and has all the mod-cons: fridge, microwave, HDTV, broadband internet and best of all… a WESTERN TOILET! I move in before the weekend. Photos to follow.




In other news... yesterday I went shopping to get some bits and pieces for the apartment – kitchen utensils, food etc etc. I was excited to find that I can readily get the following staples:

Tim Tams
basil pesto
stuffed olives
lasagna sheets

All very exciting. Until I got home and remembered that I have a ‘Chinese kitchen’ in the apartment ie. gas burners but no oven… kinda difficult to make lasagna without an oven eh?

In other news Absolute vodka is exactly half the price that it is back home so I’ll be stocking up on that I think.

Best Deal Ever?

More on our visit to the Silk Market in Beijing…

I decided to buy a sporty winter parka while at the Silk Market in Beijing. Having bought one similar the last time I was in China I knew the price I should expect to pay. I was slightly surprised when the opening price was 1200rmb, but I managed to bargain the girl down and was happy to pay 110rmb. But there was a catch… I had to buy her and her two mates an ice-cream each. She grabbed me by the arm and led me to the nearest ice-cream stall where I shelled out 6rmb for three red bean ice-creams. All happy and a good deal I reckon.

Chongqing at last!

After a week of relative luxury during Beijing Orientation, yesterday I finally arrived in Chongqing. It was a bit of a baptism of fire, going straight from the airport to the office for a briefing by the Deputy Team Leader and a meet and greet with the other staff – many of whom are Australian.

A quick recap of my time in Beijing –

Saturday – Arrival. Taken to Beijing Culture & Language University where we were staying – great facilities. An easy day – given our agenda for the week, tour of the campus and facilities & free time (to nap!). Welcome dinner in the evening.

Sunday – Full day of China briefings re. history, culture etc etc. That is, a full day of Powerpoint presentations. Yawn. Into San Li Tun for drinks & to watch the rugby – fortunately we arrived just as the game was finishing. Dinner at a muslim restaurant – lamb kebabs and belly dancing.

Monday – Morning: Language lessons. With no Chinese language skills at all, I was placed in what we affectionately dubbed the ‘retards group’. Afternoon: Free time. Went to Silk Market with another AYAD. This was an incredible experience. Last time I was in Beijing the Silk Market was an incredibly crowded open-air market of about three alleys. Now the Silk Market is an incredibly crowded five story shopping mecca with the same stalls but in a mall and about fifteen times the size. Also caught up with Mandy, Kate’s former colleague, for an ice-cream. A wander through Wang Fu Jing St (a pedestrian shopping mall) and past the Forbidden City proved interesting – being National Day, a public holiday, the place was PACKED and it really felt like being in a country of billions of people. Despite this it was never scary, people here obviously used to being in big crowds. Had dinner at a local restaurant where we were given a private room.

Tuesday – Full day of language lessons. That’s right – a FULL day. Was slightly hysterical by the end. Jiaozi for lunch made it bearable. Mmmm jiaozi. Cheapest meal so far – 6 RMB each (incl. drinks) = <$1. Mongolia-bound AYADs arrived. A big group trip in the evening to Houhai Lake where there is a number of cute (very touristy) bars and restaurants. Another private room.

Wednesday – Free day. Went into the city again to the Silk Market with a couple of other AYADs. Was supposed to be a quick morning trip. Arrived home six hours later. Onset of Beijing belly, less than a week after arrival.

Thursday – Morning: Australian Embassy for consular briefings, AusAID briefings and morning tea with the Ambassador and his wife. Free time in the afternoon (rest for me after all that chocolate cake with the ambassador) and then a farewell dinner.

Friday – Bright and early flight to Chongqing! I am now missing my AYAD mates who have flown off to all corners of the country. We are hoping to catch up in various places for a few long weekends here and there which would be really fun. While still suffering the effects of Beijing Belly I ventured into the city last night to catch up with my new colleagues for a drink (sprite = xuebi) at the Newcastle Arms, the local expat bar. I took the monorail into town – a hilarious experience. There is nothing orderly about it – people race on and jump onto seats, despite the fact that it was the evening and the train was pretty much empty. I was very impressed with the monorail, all the signs were in Chinese and pinyin which meant I could read them, and all the Chinese announcements were followed by English. It was surprisingly user-friendly. It also gave a good view of the city at night – this place is like Vegas, all lit up in neon. I remember hearing once that the local government encourages buildings to decorate themselves with lights. I can’t wait to take some photos.

Somewhere over China pt.2

I left Melbourne yesterday afternoon, and now about 7 gazillion hours later I am still in transit. While the lovely Singapore Airlines check-in lady allowed me to check through all 34kg of luggage, she asked me to remove something from one of my bags as it was a bit heavy. A strategically placed Evil Teddy Bear came out, much to the amusement of all. He has now been travelling in the luxury of my carry on luggage, little pink head poking out from the top. My mum pointed out the nice symmetry of this as the first time I travelled overseas (at nine-years old) I had a Pound Puppy protruding from my backpack.

The flights have been great, aside from a 4 hour layover in Singapore at around midnight. On both legs of travel I have had three seats to myself and have been able to stretch out and sleep fairly well. The inflight entertainment system is unreal, there is something like 60 movies and 220 cds to chose from. The iPod was relegated to the seat pocket for much of the time as the system allows passengers to listen to full cds, make playlists etc etc. I checked out the movie Mr & Mrs Smith, brilliant eye-candy and a suitable plane-movie. There were a bunch of other films I would have liked to have watched but I settled for an episode of Little Britain and some sleepy bo bos.

In Singapore I had a wander around, made use of the free internet facilities and eventually caught up with the other China-bound AYADs. There are 8 of us heading to China in this intake, however I’m the only one posted to Chongqing. It was great to catch up with them again after PDT and I’m sure we’re all looking forward to the next week of training in Beijing.

We have just begun our descent towards Beijing and I have been told that the computer needs to be put away. More news soon!

Somewhere Over China...

I decided to go. In fact, I've gone. This entry comes at you from 30 000 feet above sea level – in a Singapore Airlines jumbo somewhere over the middle of China.

Things have been nothing short of manic for the past few weeks. It was about eight weeks from finding out I'd been selected for the position to actual departure. During that eight weeks I spent two weeks umm-ing and ahh-ing over whether to actually accept the position and once I'd done that I spent another week in Canberra for Pre-Departure Training. It was great to meet other AYADs at PDT but it was otherwise a terrible waste of time (and Canberra is one of the less exciting places to spend time. That said I did see the Tram Restaurant, surely a highlight of our national capital). I have been jabbed by the travel doctor (five in one day! I did get some jelly beans for being so good). I have packed up and sub-let my room, I have borrowed a van to move furniture, I resigned from my job and I have said my goodbyes.

A bit about what I am doing... I have been selected as an Australian Youth Ambassador for Development, a volunteer program which sends young, skilled Australians overseas to work in the development sector. I found a job as a publicist in Chongqing, China, co-incidentally the same city my mum lived in for 2.5 years recently. It will be an interesting change of direction in my career and something which will hopefully open up new opportunities in the future. Chongqing is a big big city, one which I have visited a couple of times so I am somewhat familiar with it and have no real nerves about living there.

Once I found out I had been selected for the position it was a really tough decision to make as to whether to go. I changed my mind a number of times and eventually came to the compromise of accepting the position for a 6 month assignment rather than 12. I had been feeling ‘settled’ in Melbourne for the first time in about 5 years, in a great house with great people so that was quite hard to leave, that feeling of being located and grounded which I have once again exchanged for the excitement and adventure and challenge of living and working overseas! Of course there were other considerations, some much more important but I think the 6 month input will allow for the best of both worlds.

So here I am en route to Beijing for a week of orientation, language classes and most importantly SHOPPING. My emotions ran the full gamut on leaving Melbourne yesterday afternoon. I was incredibly sad to leave my bare room and fab housemates. Chantelle made bacon and eggs for breakfast and James paid his friendship money - a nice little goodbye present! I was also fairly excited about the next six months, all the challenges and adventures that I'm sure lay ahead.