lost in translation

So, did you ever consider that there are words that simply don't translate? There is no direct equivalent to communicate a concept in another language. Why is that? Probably because the word is so closely tied to that particular culture so that, outside its home culture the same idea would not make sense. Here are two examples that I use quite often:

guanxi - the idea of relationship that is extremely powerful in this culture. This type of relationship can open doors that were previously closed. When you know someone, they can override the system in your favor. Or if you don't know someone, you can kiss your chances of anything happening goodbye. Who you know, not what you know.

cha bu duo - more or less, directly translated. But it actually stands in for a variety of ideas. You can use this phrase to communicate that somethings is kinda true, or almost the right amount, or probably about fixed. In my home culture, we value truth and facts. That exactly the right amount of food is in the container and the car mechanic did exactly the work we agreed upon. Here, things are more or less. You just kinda go with the flow. Don't make a fuss. Even this definition I would say is cha bu duo right. Ha. Proving that my mind no longer functions in exclusively Western norms and standards.  

I'll keep an eye out for some more examples. 

population overload

At a "small town" train station to get back to the city. When I get back to Wisconsin, I don't what I am going to do with all that... space!

pick your own meal

We visited a seaside village and they displayed the seafood roadside- to entice you to eat at their restaurant. Then, you could pick your feast, and bargain for it. We got a fish for half price once!

just plain funny

I saw this on our boat... and it needs to publicized as much as possible. There are lots of funny translations- masquerading- as-English out there, but this one is more than just a bad translation. It's just funny. 

This sign is part four in a serious of instructions for putting on a life jacket. At the end, if you have correctly followed the pictures- then- "all right!" 

my life is a public spectacle... and heres part of the reason why

Turns out, taking pictures is a cultural value. They love a good spectacle. And they love to document it. This new information makes me feel a little bit better about life here. I'm not as weird as I thought!

We took a boat ride in a seaside town last week. It took 5 minutes until someone approached me for a picture. Then, the entire ride was one funny photo op after another. The picture is the most amazing one. Our guys decided- why not form a human pyramid? That should fulfill the desire for spectacle- worthy pictures. Please note the crowd that gathered to watch and document. We dont know half of these people.

I realized the other day, I've got more exposure than Paris Hilton. There are SO many pictures of me floating around this country. I wonder what people do with the pictures of foreigners that they take? 

this and that

Here are some gender-related customs and/ or belief systems:

- in the West, we say lady first. In the East, they say man first, teacher first, elder first. (and if there is room- ladies)

- men look better as they get older, women look worse. so women need to take care how they age

- the woman's role is to be a wife. regardless of education and background. so, don't waste your time. (as told to one of my friends by a professor during a class lecture)

- girls who believe in reincarnation will refuse to get their ears pierced because that would disqualify them for being a boy in their next life

I think there are a lot of other belief systems I could include here, but instead, I just want to retell you all exactly what I heard expressed to me. This way, I can limit my own feelings about gender in this society. 

teacher told me so

Just so that you don't think I'm some crazy foreigner who ethnocentrically judges the socialist country to be wrongly inefficient for the purpose of job creation, I wanted to share that my teacher (who is local) agrees with me.

In class we learned the word for "elevator operator." Now, don't think bellhop at a swanky hotel. There is a elevator operator in my friend's apartment complex that is, to put it gently, a rundown building that would be condemned in America. It's also ridiculous because the elevators are so small you can barely fit 8 people in there. With the elevator operator, her chair, phone, and space heater- you knock out the possibility of at least 2 people (or 1 western-sized person).

I straight out asked her why elevator operators even exist, and she blatantly said, "They need a job." And laughed. yup. laughed. I'm so on with this one.

One (job) for all, and all for one (job)

There are no parking meters here. No electronic ticket or id card scanners. Few and far between are the vending machines. Rare the metal detectors. 

Instead, I give my money to an old women who sits outside on the street. A man checks my ticket or card. Every corner has a magazine stand also stocked with beverages and snacks. Young men and women check passenger bags before boarding the subway.

Inefficient? Job creation. People need jobs. Rather than modernize, the economy needs to retain as many low-skilled jobs as possible. 

Because as a centrally planned economy, the government is directly responsible to ensure that everyone has a job. So, old women sweep the street and 3 young people will sell, rip, and check your ticket for every tourist attraction. 

A really big weird rock

Here is a fun picture. This rock randomly juts out of the mountain. 

Stop and smell the roses.

Overnight, this city blossomed. A particularly funny habit of people here is this: to stop and take pictures with the blooming trees. Look at how happy she is! Aw, spring in the city is great. And funny.  

Now, men, be aware that this botanical affection applies to both genders. I almost ran into a car while riding my bike because I did a double take on some grown (and rather tough lookin) men using their camera phones to capture trees on the side of the road. What a paradox. I hope this revelation frees you to enjoy spring wherever you are. 

On a serious note, I have learned something from this culture. I have learned the value of enjoying rest and treasuring the simple things in life. There is no shame in taking 5 minutes out of the craziness of the day to enjoy the spring flowers. 

I have a lot of clothes

 I have always had an eye towards fashion and style. In the last few weeks, though, I have been seeing clothes and fashion differently. Clothes are an easy status indicator in America. You know you think it: the in and the not in... the out, I guess. I am pretty sure there is no way I can describe this situation and still make myself look good- so here goes. 

 I have a lot of clothes. Lots. I can switch outfits and not run out for ... well longer than I will admit on this blog. This fact was never bothersome to me because the majority of people surrounding me had the same freedom of fashion. 

Today, I live in a country with a remarkable, exploding economy that has allowed people to attain comfortable living above the previous generation. Still, people earn a lot less on average here than the average American family. Therefore, I expected people here to wear the same clothes, because, well, this is still in my mind a "developing" country. Whatever that means anymore.

But I am almost ashamed to admit that I have been taken aback by my classmates' wardrobes. Oh so embarrassing to share, but I must. - My classmates generally wear the same 3 or 4 outfits to class. To wear the same thing two (or three or four or five) days in a row- totally normal. These are students from "rich" countries- Germany, UK, Finland, South Korea, Japan. 

Ok, enough musings. The fact of the matter is this: I have grown up in a country where the disposable income (money left over after major life expenses) is markably higher than every other country. Our purchasing power, as Americans, is ridiculous. I know that things are different in the US- but still, for the past 2 decades when I was alive we have been able to buy buy buy. Regardless how bad the economy gets in the US, I cannot deny the fact that I- WE- are still in the upper upper percentile of people in this world. We can afford to buy more clothes than we know what to do with. I have so much stttuuuuffffff. 

Puts my life, on this earth, right now, in perspective. 

 

All dogs... go to the mall

Dogs wear clothes here. Just thought you should know. I'm not talking the Paris Hilton hand held types. I'm saying a majority of dogs are donning some sort of fashion statement. Here, we have a lil guy with snazzy tennis shoes. Now, this sparks the question: why?

Is it just that their feet are more vulnerable that the heartier American city dogs? Or fashion at its finest? Or the city streets are so disgusting even dogs revolt to touch the filthy, excrement-ridden sidewalk? 

cutsy

"Cutsy." Posing for photos has a not so subtle "cutsy" trend. This includes curious hand gestures to elevate cute-ness for photo. I am modeling such in the picture here.

My boyfriend came to visit me, and he is modeling the Asian "handsome" pose. Yes, by simply adding a cute hand position, we are cuter in this picture. I thought it was impossible to improve, but there you go. 

Food

So, this is such a stereotypical "new food abroad" blog post, but I HAD to include this picture.

This type of food, jaozi dumplings, are quite traditional and normal. Except today- they are bright colors! They are filled with (lets see if I can remember- clockwise) meet and veggies, lotus root, shrimp and veggies, ???, and the center is cilatro and veggies. 

Be warned: they are tricky to eat. Slippery. And when you drop them, you get nice little splashes of oil/ vinegar on your clothes. We have dubbed this unfortunate and frequent occurrence as "being jaozi-ed."

Take it or leave it...

  Living in a country so unlike America (note picture at left), I pretty much stick out. And I have experienced some crazy things. 

Now, I am about 4 months from packing up and heading home to Wisconsin. But, I want to use these last few months to really enjoy East Asia- and soak up everything that I can. It's like I have a new set of eyes on the culture: I will really miss this city, even those things I previously thought were incredibly annoying. This is my list of things that I wish I could take with me when going back to the US of A. And these are the reasons... and why I will not. This is my "Take it or leave it"

1. Things are cheap here.

Take it: Clothes, food, manicure... cheap cheap. I will miss getting my nails done. This is a luxury, I will not be able to afford in America.

Leave it: You get what you pay for. If you know what I mean. 

2. Traffic laws not enforced. 

Take it: I get to swerve in and out of lanes of traffic on my bike and the cars don't even mind- they expect crazy bikers. In America, I would have a million tickets by now. 

Leave it: Pure madness. MADNESS. Every time I go anywhere, I get cut off by other people a few times. 

3. Living in a non-English speaking country

Take it: Living here, my friends and I have something like a "secret language" and no one else around us can understand us. I won't be able to talk about crazy things without worry of other people eavesdropping. 

Leave it: Do I have to explain? I can't wait for the time that I get to ask a question and then get an answer. 

4. I stick out. (blonde hair, blue eyes)

Take it: I can smile all nice and get close to whatever I want. Not exactly, but close. They love blonde Americans.

Leave it: I am excited for the day that I can eat in a restaurant and not get stared at. 

True Confession

Here is my most honest self.

The other day I was trying to buy something on the street. As I tried to communicate what I wanted with the man, I had to revert to my favorite (and most often used) phrase- "I don't understand you."

He looks at me, as if I came from another planet and said laughingly, "you don't understand me, you idiot!?!?" Ok, so the idiot part was my interpretation of his facial expression, but seriously, he could not believe that I wasn't able to communicate fluently in the language. 

I was just fuming. How dare he talk to me like that? Look, buddy, I'm sorry that I'm not fluent in your language, but before moving here I didn't even know how to say "hello." Get OVER yourself. Do you even know who you are talking to? I was a straight A student at a top university in America. I've worked on Capitol Hill, Parliament in London, written a 90 page thesis, published articles, written speeches for people of influence... People KNOW me. 

I mean, who are you? You sell FRUIT on the STREET! 

How dare you laugh at me. I'm... I'm... I'm... better than you?

There it was. Disgusting. I have no words to describe the ugliness that reared its head in my heart that day. 

Everyday I am struck with the hard reality: my resume means nothing here. I'm just a foreigner who depends on the patience of the salesman to help me make simple purchase, and honestly I'm the one who needs to get over myself.  All I can say is... how humbling.

Told you it was my most honest self.

Thank goodness...

So I was hanging out with one of my Asian friends the other day, and I was telling her about my vacation in Malaysia. She remarked, "I bet the sun was very hot. Thankfully you did not come back black. Oh, thank goodness." In her innocence and sincerity, she was expressing one of her culture's main values for beauty- fair skin. 

Meaning... My tan is gone. Tear. All that work. Haha. Oh well, this way my Asian friends won't reject me as ugly!

Bloggable

Thats my new term for things that happen in my daily life. And last night was one of those times. One of those precious, special times.

I was at one of my favorite expat havens for the best focaccia sandwiches this side of Italy, and the couple to my left caught my eye. Although at first site, they appear to be a part of an "adopt a grandparent program" what, due to the obvious age difference, they were indeed, a confirmed couple. For the entire evening they held hands without actually speaking. 

Actually, she was very proud of her boyfriend. We found out another fun fact too- it was his birthday and we were going to help her celebrate. Yup! We all sang to her ancient boyfriend who afterwards told us some myth about magpies who make a bridge once a year for lovers to meet. This was one of the most painfully awkward situations I have been FORCED into, in a long, long time. 

The thing is- it is not rare to see an old Western man dating a young college-age Asian woman. I'm not sure why this exactly happens this way- without it going the other way. I can not recall ever seeing a couple with an older female westerner and a young Asian man. Interesting, really. Must be something amazing about our western men.

One of my favorite things about living abroad is the opportunity to learn about other countries' American sentiment. So here's one indication I found in Malaysia...

On, and we were in Malaysia for the inauguration. When people found out we were American, they immediately wanted to talk about Obama. They have high hopes for him. 

A different kind of winter sport

Yup- you saw correctly. 

This is a llama pulling a sled on the ice. And a man on a ice bike. They are really quite fun! Not to mention easier for me than ice skating. 

Some of my favorite people...

I want to introduce you to some of my favorite people. They are people that I have come to care about deeply. 

A few times a month, I visit a very special foster home that cares for orphans with special needs. The home is run by women who met online and shared this passion: to care for the very least of society. So, they have dedicated their lives to rescuing these precious ones. 

They travel all around the country to different large orphanages and ask for the children in the very most difficult situations. They bring them back to their home and work to get them the necessary surgeries and find them families. 

This little boy is a very special person. He has experienced more pain in his short life than I can imagine. He never smiles, never laughs. Instead, he just sighs heavy with sadness. Each morning and each evening, the women at the orphanage have to break and reset his feet. If this did not work, he will need severe (and expensive) surgery on his legs. My heart hurt so much to see him go through that. Sometimes I doubt that my visits make any difference. But when playing with him- if we get even a little smirk, its a victory! 

Skipping ahead... the NEW YEAR

So, it has been a long while since I last posted. I blame being out of the country. But more on that later. First, I want to upload some pictures of the New Year. Its a big deal here, mostly because there are fireworks- EVERYWHERE. I felt like I lived in the middle of a warzone. My apartment was shaking from about 7:30 AM until midnight... for days. Thats right- days. 

The first picture- Notice that the fireworks are next to the window. Thats right- people set them off in the courtyard of the apartment complex. Normal everyday Joe Schmoe can buy and set up huge fireworks- the kind we would see at a community Fourth of July display. I am on the 18th floor and they are exploding at eye-level. Great view!

second- Now the scenery isn't amazing, just a man and his son participating in the festivities. However, notice the debris in the air. This is thanks to the last day of the festival. The smoke settled everywhere and made it difficult to breathe. A rare clear day turned hazy.

third - The remains in the courtyard. The apartment complexes set up these "fireworks launchpads" for residents. Yup, setting off fireworks around large buildings, pedestrians and children is encouraged.