First Taste of Mainland - Guangzhou

Expectations for my first trip to mainland china were not high. My ideas of China were filled with overcrowded, polluted streets and rude, pushy people trying to sell you anything at any price...Almost all of my ideas of mainland were smashed with my trip to Guangzhou. My first amazement was traveling along the organized, American like highway system. For some reason, thinking of mainland I imagined poorly maintained roads, almost like dirt roads in the countryside. As our super aggressive bus driver incessantly honked and weaved his way through traffic, I was amazed to see true country side, filled with farms and mountains as far as the eye could see. Being in Macau\HK, open space is a refreshing sight from the never ending concrete jungle. To be somewhere where all you can see is green is such a treat. Traveling on the highway was a distant memory from America that came to life while in China. For five months, I have not once travelled along an actual freeway, so being on that bus to Guangzhou was completely surreal and reminded me of home. I never quite realized how much time we spend in our cars till I came to China. I could easily say that I spend 20% of life in my car driving in America. Now living in the small town of Macau, a distance of more than 20 minutes on the bus seems incredibly far away. This is amazing considering that I would commute to Cupertino from SF on a daily basis without even thinking about it. Cars on the 'proper' side of the road

So my first impression of Guangzhou was the sheer size of the city. Probably 2-3 times the size of entire country of Macau, the city has a similar skyline of HK with towering skyscrapers dotting the sky. The massive streets, with four lanes for each direction, was absolutely daunting at first when the widest street in Macau is two lanes. Despite the obvious signs of industrialism, there remained pockets of piece and quiet in the city. Our hotel was located on Shaiman Island, which despite the name is actually not an island but just a small neighborhood in the heart of the city. Its a former British Colonial outpost. Many of the buildings have maintained their historical charm. The quiet, tree lined streets were another refreshing change from the incessant hoards of tourists you must maneuver through down every Macau street. Another pleasant surprise is the cleanliness of the streets, which I attribute to the obvious prosperity of Guangzhou. I would say Guangzhou is even cleanlier than Hong Kong and Macau.

Shaiman Island- former bristish outpost

We did get to visit a few 'historical' sites. Many of the buildings I thought would be dated much older were actually just a hundred years old or less. I think coming to China I vaguely knew about the Cultural Revolution. Being in Guangzhou, I was in awe of the modernity of the entire city despite the thousands of years of Chinese history. As I visited from temple to temple, there were virtually no remants of anything prior to the 20th century. Mao's purging of all historical artifacts and monuments was his attempt to destroy the 'old way of thinking'. I never quite understood the impact of the 'revolution' till this trip. Thousands of years of history destroyed in a few years because of one man. It makes me soooo sad to think of all that was lost because of Mao.

Chen Clan Ancestral Hall

Narrow, high walled alleys reminiscent of ancient China
Pagoda from the Guangxi Temple

On a brighter note, Guangzhou's food is beyond amazing. The quality, diversity and cheap price make for an unbelievable dining experience. Eating at a four storied dim sum restaurant was just the tip of the iceberg for Guangzhou's varied dining options. Dim sum, which originates from Guangdong province, is not just a meal, its a way of life....

Outside the most AMAZING dim sum restaurant

One of Tat's favorite snacks from childhood

Welcome to the 25 Club!

The whole gang at Yuzu

Turning 25 overseas was quite a surreal experience. As they pulled out the birthday cake at the restaurant, I looked around to see all my Fulbright and UMAC friends surrounding me. It was strange to think just one year ago I had no idea who these people were and now they are singing happy birthday to me. All the familiar faces from home are absent on my one special day of the year, but now I have my new friends to celebrate with. From the very first week of orientation, I soon realized that our group of Macau Fulbrighters was an amazing group of people. We were all intelligent and accomplished, yet down to earth and easy to talk to. I find that combination to be a bit rare these days, when everyone is so quick to spout out their arrary of knowledge to any random stranger they are trying to impress. I've been meaning to write this entry about my friends and collegues here in Macau...so here you go:)

L to R: Henry, Tom, Laura, Julianne, Erica, Paige, Denny; on the bottom: Eugenia and Carlos

Tom, baba, bingo-la

Macau Polytech Fulbrighters (minus me and paige)- Erica, Paige, me, Julianne, Laura

L to R: Melody, Brooke, me

Macau University of Science and Technology Fulbrighters - Molly and me

Of course, most of my daily interactions are with my UMAC Fulbrighters. Denny is probably the closest person I have out of the bunch. As usual, I draw myself to the nearest Chinese American boy:P From the very first most we met on the airplane, we found that we had sooo much in common. His drive and passion to advocate for the Asian American population are similar to my own dreams. It was comforting to find somebody who is just as passionate as myself. What I love about denny is that he is always willing to go deep and ask himself the hard questions about life and society. What's even better is that he's not always serious and he loves to tell stories and have a great time. Denny for his age is definitely wise beyond his years.

Paige is probably one of the sweetest girls I've met. She's truly a genuine person. Though she does have her ditzy moments, she bright and fun loving. She is incredibly easy going and can just go with the flow. Her past experiences in China have allowed her to easily adapt to Macau. She has an open mind about being abroad.

And then there's Jessica. As a group, we have had issues dealing with Jessica. She is sweet at times but tends to keep a facade to mask her selfish somewhat abrasive personality. She has on several occasions left us with more work on our plate. She never goes to field trips on the weekends cause she's always in HK partying in LKF. She never goes to class cause she is too busy doing a whole bunch of nothing. Though she has already been reprimanded for her lack of work, she still has a negative attitude. She constantly complains about the little work she has, which is barely anything to do. I've learned to block out her negativity but its still annoying. I've definitely had to bite my tongue on several occasions to avoid butting heads with her. In the end, she's not going to change and she's never going to be a team player. Outside of this one sore spot on the ELC team, everyone I work with is a dream.

Bingo, my bestest friend at UMAC! I love Bingo for his sense of humor, his fun loving nature, his open mind, his willingness to learn and absorb everything about American culture. I love Bingo! He's probably one of the most genuine people I've ever met in my life. I think its incredibly refreshing to find somebody so real. There is something almost naive about his character - like a small child. He cares about people with his whole heart. He's not trying to pretend to be somebody he's not. He doesn't hold back. He is bingo and you love him for who he is.

Of course there are so many people at UMAC to mention them all. I am so grateful on how quickly we were able to develop a community at the university. Being on actual campus, you can develop actual relationships as oppose to a commuter school. As I talk about the friendships that I've formed here, I have a deep sense of gratitude. Prior to coming here, I was so worried about the people that I was going to spend one year with. I didn't know if were going to clash, if they were going to be so different we couldn't find common ground. What has happened is that Fulbright has selected people that exude the same personality traits, thus why we all get along so well. We have similar goals and values.

I'm still grappling with the idea of being 25. I ask myself what I've done since graduating from Davis and do feel like I've done a lot, but still I feel I have so much to do. I feel that the quarter century mark is a special birthday because now you move into the mid 20s column. You are no longer in your crazy young 20s where partying and drinking are synonymous with daily life. Now I feel I've reached a point where its time to think about the future...granted with my personality I've been thinking about the future since I was 13 years old. Now its real...now is the age you need to start legitimately thinking about the next step...whatever that actually is. I wonder back when I was 18 years old...25 seemed so far away. Seemed like I could never get that old, like I could never grow up. But here I am...all 'grown up' living abroad. What does grown up even mean? Does it mean having responsibility? Does it mean being financially independent? Does it mean being married and having a family? I guess its up to you to define when you are ready to grow up...the thing is that nobody can stop time. You will always get older but you may not necessarily ever grow up. I can't wait for the next 25 years of my life:)

Singapore - Clean, Green, and just like America

Singapore skyline from the Esplanade

Singapore's very first impression was the immense similarity to America. As we drove from the airport on a wide, open highway, we listened to the english radio station, read the english street signs, and looked at the vast lawns of the modern high rise condos. Often comparisons are made between Singapore and HK, but truly there are many more differences than similarities. They are both very highly developed countries with strong economies and a thriving expat community. In addition, there is quite a bit of foreign capital in both places. Besides those similarities, Singapore shares much more in common with America. The organization of Singapore is very clear and they didn't just throw up buildings anywhere like how they did in Macau. They purposely preserved the greenery native to Singapore and thus maintaining it's somewhat tropical feel. With the hot and humid weather and lush greenery, Singapore feels very very similar to Florida with of course a bunch of Asian people. The prevalence of English is absolutely astonishing. Probably the same amount of English is used in Singapore as is used in the Bay Area. Needless to say with countless similarities, there is virtually no culture shock when travelling to Singapore. It's like a watered down, sugar coated version of a real Asian experience.

Thian Hock Keng Temple in Chinatown

Sri Mariamman (Hindi) Temple

Buildings in Little India from the British Colonization of Singapore
Beautifully restored details on a British colonial building

Wondering the street markets of Little India

What is striking about this small country is the amazing Asian diversity, which brings back feelings of home and the bay area. There are Chinese, Indians, Filipinos, Malays, Vietnamese, and many other Asian groups and ex-pats. The diversity of the country is reflected on the number of national languages - English, Chinese, Malay, and Hindi. I found the ethnic diversity to be refreshing from all Chinese people in Macau. On the other hand, with this great diversity I had trouble identifying what a true Singaporean experience is like because the societal culture isn't readily apparent; similar to how the Bay Area is a melting pot of cultures from the around the world. Sometimes with all the cultural confusion, you end up just having a very westernized/american experience, which for me was slightly annoying. I don't want to experience something american when I'm in Asia. I want something that is different and a new cultural experience...in singapore its just so damn hard to figure out what the culture is...at least in HK you can still get a pretty authentic chinese experience despite all the westernization and modernity. You know that chinese culture is the culture of their society. So this leaves the question does ethnic diversity lead to no 'real' cultural viewpoint and thus leaving the society to break off into their own specific ethnicities to find what they are looking for; maybe their looking for their heritage or a piece of their homeland or culture of which to belong that reflects who they are...which then poses another question does cultural diversity within a country actually encourage more ethnic segregation???

The one thing that clearly separates Singapore from America is the social repression of its people. America thrives on the freedom of its people. Singapore is infamous for its strict government policies. The country has stripped their people of many social freedoms that many Americans take for granted. The complete lack of freedom of speech is quite shocking. The government has a straggle hold on any anti-government sentiments. Many of the newspapers are garnered towards a pro government stance. My friend from grad school, who was born and raised in Singapore, greatly misses the the freedom of speech she had while studying in the states; the freedom to be who you are without fear of governmental reprecussions.

In addition, the countless rules were incredibly annoying. Stuffing coffees and snacks into our bags on the subway, carefully crossing the street in the crosswalk, secretly chewing gum...all of this done so we wouldn't get caught by the police and be fined some absurd fine. By the end of the four days, I was sick of all the rules and I already felt suffocated. I feel that the government has carefully planned every single thing about this country to make it soooo organized and orderly...it just leaves no room to breathe. I believe the most amazing thing is that everyone just conforms to all these rules without question...in reality though singapore is a parliamentary government it's restrictions on its own people are more severe than communist china.

I do feel the BEST part about singapore is how incredibly nice and helpful the people are to tourists. The prevalence of English makes it quite easy to ask directions. On several occasions on the bus, the bus driver would guide me to get off at the right stop. Several locals helped me order my food at the hawker centres, which are open air food courts. Though the city does have quite a bit of hustle and bustle, people still take the time to be polite, which is great for lost tourists:) Their mannerisms are very similar to American sytle etiquette, which is quite a refreshing change from the pushy people of HK and Macau. As a whole, Singporean people are probably one of the nicest people I've met.

Learning to share a classroom

As I continue my work at UMAC, sometimes I try to gain some sort of perspective from my classrooms. I feel that I learn so much for my students. Probably more than I actually am teaching them. The style of teaching for these classes is a bit more relaxed and less structured than I am used to. At first I thought it was style of the courses here, but I realized it just Zoe's teaching style. She purposely makes the class less structured so the students are not babied as much. I feel that this style is definitely great to help improve their own independence and personal motivation, but I do think its a bit much for the students to handle on their own as freshman. Especially in China, the school system is very structured and students are held to high expectations. Whereas, in our English classes I'm not sure what the expectations are. I feel that it is difficult to teach a class if as a teacher you are not even clear what kinds of skills and information you should be disseminating to the students. Luckily, Zoe's style is very 'go with the flow' so she doesn't feel the stress of the situation.

I do sometimes feel that this kind of class structure is a bit disorganized and students are sometimes scrambling to understand what is expected of them in the classroom. I think it may be hard for students that are less motivated to find purpose in this class because the expectations for them are not very clear and straightforward. Of course, those students who are already overachievers will succeed in any classroom environment.

I believe this is one of the cons of team teaching a class. You don't have the power to structure the class exactly the way you would like to and in turn you are subject to follow the lead teacher's structure. I do think that the ideas for the classes are clearly aligned in Zoe's mind but I don't know if that information is actually given to the students. She often gets frustrated with the students when they are unable to follow her directions for tests and assignments, but I don't think its the students fault. I never blame the students. Even though they should ask more questions to clarify something, their past teachers probably discouraged any kind of questions, so I'm not surprised if they are struggling to gain the courage to speak. I think its still a very scary thing to raise your hand and ask a question. I think its the teacher's first job to make sure the assignment or test questions are as clear as possible. I don't think you are babying the students when you are clearly explaining a major project through a handout. If you want something done a specific way, you need to explain that way to the students. They just won't magically be able to read your mind and produce a piece of work exactly the way you want it without you ever telling them.

As I finished grading papers this week, I was comparing their current work to their first diagnostic test and I've not really seen any improvement. I see the same verb errors and punctuation errors. My biggest fear is these students leave this class with no new skills and they still write the same way. I don't think the class really focuses on writing so its difficult for them to improve if they don't know how. Zoe doesn't like to focus on writing because it is a lot of grading and is boring to teach. Though it is not the most exciting topic, it is so vital for these students to know how to write. Every single assessment in their whole life will be written. They have to know how to express their thoughts in writing.

I've gained much from the students as well. They have taught me how to be flexible. You often plan out an elaborate lesson plan but you may only get to the first quarter of it because the students don't necessarily respond to how you want them to the material. Learning to change your plans instantly is part of being a teacher. I've learned how to excite a class and get them willing to discuss various topics in class. I think the reticence the students is probably one of the toughest battles in the classroom, but slowly but surely they are breaking out of their shell.

One China??

Cherry and Hattie, two Mainland students, BBQing it up

One of our main duties as ETAs is to go on weekend field trips with the students. Ever since we have started work, we have not had one weekend free:( Kinda sad but it has been fun getting to interact with my students outside of the classroom. It becomes clear the social and cultural dynamics between the students when they are socializing outside of class. Students from the mainland only interact with each other, as do the students from Macau are isolated to themselves. The class is a microcosm of the greater Macau society. At my BBQ, today the students were clearly divided to two distinct groups - one Macau group speaking Cantonese and one Mainland group speaking Mandarin. Nobody really talked about the division but it was definitely there and you could almost feel it.

As I spend more time here, I feel that the division between the two Chinese groups is a very clear and distinct divide that is hardly crossed. Those from HK and Macau often speak Mandarin and Cantonese but make a definite effort not to speak Mandarin to interact with the Mainland students. I find it disheartening to know that the students choose not to speak and socialize with the Mainlanders, even though they can. They speak Cantonese as a method to exclude those students from mainland. Making it clear to them, they are not from the mainland.

Macau Students, Billy and Max

From those I've spoken to from HK and Macau, there are strong feelings of superiority to those from the mainland. I'm not sure where this superiority feeling comes from. I'm assuming that their colonization period makes them different from those from mainland. In addition, HK and Macau's economy has been well established prior to the sudden surge in economic growth in Mainland. In addition, the communism in China is another point in which the HK people discourage; often saying that the mainland's government is 'corrupt' and 'evil', and the source of shady business. HK's resistance to celebrating People's Republic of China Day just shows how they do not want to glorify the communist government. The poor dress and rude mannerisms of the mainlanders is often noted. After the turnover back to China, HK and Macau had a flood of mainlanders looking for work, but they were definitely not welcomed with open arms. Though HK and Macau has returned back to China, there is lack of national unity among the people - we are all Chinese but we are not all the same.

Speaking to my mainland students, they too feel that they are a bit discriminated against here in Macau and Hong Kong. They are well aware of the social biases of the HK and Macau people. Their use of Mandarin as their distinguishing feature of being mainland. The divide between the Macau people and mainlanders is a bit better here because of the large influx of mainland gamblers, but still there are negative preconceptions of mainlanders. These disapproving feelings may be why the Mainland China people always stick together. I wonder with time, will there be greater integration among the two groups? What must be changed in order for that to take place? A change of attitude, preconceptions, beliefs, etc...

UMAC Class Picture at BBQ - Coloane Island, Macau

Korean girls are too hot...but froyo is sexier!

B-Boy Culture of Korea -
Tat and I watched an amazing show, The Ballerina who fell in love with a b-boy. Of course, our initial interest for this show was sparked by our Korean b-boy movie from the Asian American Film Festival. We became fascinated how the American b-boy culture because integrated into the Korean young society, so we wanted to see it first hand. It was an amazing to see all the amazing power moves from their team of b-boys. They were incredibly strong to hold some of the their crazy moves. Also they also had a team of hip hop dancers which were amazing. They could pop and lock like nobody's business.




The Korean hip hop culture is very interesting and contrasts to the rest of society. Much of the fashion in Korea is very fashion forward and trendy, whereas the hip hop fashion is very American. As well, the lifestyle of a b-boy does not reflect the academic and competitive culture ingrained by many Korean families...I wonder who brought hip hop and b-boying to korea and made it mainstream?

DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) -
When traveling around Seoul, you often forget just how close you are to North Korea. The North Korean border is a mere 1 hour drive from Seoul. The division between the two countries if very real. The contrast in the lives between North and South Koreans is drastically different. In North Korea, one of the poorest countries in the world, many of their people are starving to death, homes are heated with wood and coal, and men and women serve a minimum of 7 years in the army. Whereas in South Korea, people are scrambling to get the latest $500 cell phone, buy the trendiest clothes, and compete with their classmates for the top grades in the class. It's amazing that these two countries can be so close to each other but so different....It's crazy that Communism can still survive in today's global economy. How can North Korea continue being closed off from the world...the truth is - its people are barely subsisting through their daily lives while their army makes million dollar nuclear weapons...all for what?

North Korea !!!

We took an organized tour to the DMZ, which is the 2km wide border between North and South Korea. The chain link fence with barb wire and the heavily armed South Korean soldiers is an eery to experience up close and personal. We visited a tunnel the South Koreans found in the 1970s. The tunnel was secretly dug up by the North Koreans to invade South Korea. Just 20 years after the Korean War, this tunnel could have led to another attack of North Korea on Seoul. The tunnel was initially designed to allow 35000 soldiers to pass within an hour for a surprise attack on the capital city, instead now this tunnel is used to shuttle hundreds of tourists every day.



We saw several young men working at the DMZ, fulfilling their 2 year compulsory military duty. Though some feel that they are wasting their time in the army, the presence of north Korea is a ubiquitous part of life...the men must do this for their country and their people's freedom, but I still think it is a great sacrifice the men must make. I wonder if the compulsory military service reflects on the infamous Korean male persona...How would American men cope with compulsory military duty???



'Hot' Korean girls-
On another note, Korean women are a breed of their own. Many of my friends feel that Korean women's features are the most beautiful, so I was excited to see the real deal here in Seoul. (side note: Korean girls are nowhere near as skinny as HK girls, so I actually feel normal sized here instead of intensely obese in Macau/HK. ) Korean women REALLY care about how they look. Some serious time has been spent on make up and outfits on a daily basis. Almost all Korean women wear make up of some sort...it looks like they aren't wearing makeup but there is usually some kind of foundation on their face to make it seem so perfect. In addition, Koreans dress to the nines wherever they go...if they are going clubbing or just going to the market, they are wearing a cute, trendy outfit with heels. We are amazed to see those girls working it out in those heels all day long. I'm tired from shopping around in my flip flops for a day, so those girls have some serious skill walking all day in their 4 inch stiletto heels.

The reason for my quotation around the word 'hot' is because of the prevalence of plastic surgery in Korea. Though their faces are super cute, its really not natural beauty and often is altered by make up and surgery. Yuna, my former FLEX coworker, gave me the skinny on plastic surgery. When applying for jobs, all persons must attach a recent photo of themselves to the application. Employers are not just looking for well qualified employees, they also want somebody who is pleasing to the eye. Therefore, Korean women have a lot of pressure to better their looks not only for personal reasons, but also for employment reasons. She said some 70% of Korean girls get some form of plastic surgery - eye (the most common), nose, lips, breasts, etc. She said you can even alter your voice...reason being employers do not want to hire women with squeaky voices to answer their phones. I find it very disheartening how a culture can place so much pressure on a woman's looks. I feel for those who maybe do NOT fit into the mold of the ultra feminine, stylish woman....where do those women belong in Korea? I wonder what kinds of effects this has on the self esteem of women in Korea...where natural beauty is merely rejected...artificial enhancements are a normal way of life...

Korea - Day 1

When arriving to any new country, your initial impressions are of the airport. The Seoul Incheon airport is amazingly clean and modern. It's sad that the most standout aspect was the crazy high tech toilets that have a plastic lining on the seat and rotates when you are done using it...sooo crazy! I've only see that in Japan before. After going through customs, we saw a swarm of girls gathered around an exit door. Curious to see what the commotion was about, we quickly walked to the scene to find a huge crowd of young women taking pictures and screaming at a Korean boy band. I pushed my way to the front to find the reason for all the commotion....an incredibly well dressed Korean pop star (I have no idea who it is though). He was tall and slim with a fedora hat and aviator glasses. It's amazing how quickly I reverted back to bopper mode and I pushed my way through the throngs of girls and bodyguards to get within 3 feet of this k-star, while of course screaming the entire time like a 16 year old girl...lol. I really wish I actually knew who he was cause it would've made the experience that much better. After that initial excitement, we boarded onto our airport bus and headed into Seoul. I think that we have been staying in Macau for too long because the hour and half long bus ride made Korea seem incredibly large and daunting.

After checking in, we explored the Myeong dong district. This neighborhood is in Central Seoul near the financial district and city hall. The area is famous for trendy shopping and restaurants. The nightlife is amazing in this district. Even at midnight on Weds, the streets are still crawling with people. Many of the karaoke spots and bars are in this area. Most people out and about at this hour were businessmen and women coming from their work at many of the large Korean corporations. Still wearing their suits, they head to the nearest BBQ joint and drink it up. While eating our dinner, the table next to us sat three well dressed business women. I'm not sure just how long they have been eating there, but they had 6 bottles of soju on their table and we're continuing to order more. This made me think about the American and Korean perceptions of alcohol and drinking. In Korea, it seems that drinking (even excessively) is just part of everyday life. It is culturally accepted amongst all ages - not just the young club-going types. Drinking and eating out go hand and hand - almost to the point where it is expected you have the capacity to drink heavily and still hold your own. In contrast, the American drinking culture is looked down upon and often seen as an immoral activity. With an older drinking age, teenagers perceive alcohol as a forbidden drink and thus placing a different type of cultural perception on drinking. Making alcohol inaccessible to younger people, teenagers become obsessed with drinking it because of its association with being rebellious. In turn, drinking excessively is usually only associated with young people or alcoholics. Three women and six bottles of soju would be a rare site in America.

This is what happens when you can't read the menu...

On our first day in Seoul, Tat and I visited Gyeongbokgung, Seoul's grandest palace. We were impressed by the palace grounds. Though original palace was destroyed by the Japanese in the 1500s, the palace was restored to its original grandeur in the 1800s. Korean palaces are similar to the architecture of Japanese and Chinese monuments, but the main distinguishing feature is the vivid colors used to paint under the eaves of the roofs. The ceilings inside the palaces are also carved and colored.





The changing of the guard ceremony was also a great insight into traditional Korean culture. The elaborate ceremony comprised of about forty guards and a traditional Korean band.






Our tour of the palace grounds was enlivened by the hundreds of school children there on that day. Thursday must have been a field trip day for Seoul because there were hundreds upon hundreds of school children - ranging from preschool to high school. It was interesting to see how in another country and with a foreign language you can still see the same interactions with children. It's safe to say that no matter where you are in the world...kids will be kids. You can easily distinguish the cool crowds, the nerdy students, the teacher's pet even when you can't understand a word they are saying.



After the palace, we explored the Insadong district - famous for its art galleries and traditional Korean restaurants and tea shops. We ate lunch at an amazing restaurant that was restored in its original state. The neighborhood was incredibly cute, but a bit touristy and overpriced.

Needless to say, my journey to Korea was slightly food motivated. Today I was reunited with Froyo not just once, but twice:P