Exotic, fantastic!

One thing I can't get used to is all the attention we foreigners receive. In Shanghai foreigners are a common sight but here in Ningbo we are more rare. When we arrived here we were chocked about the response from the locals. For example; Simon and I went shopping the first days here. When we entered a Jack and Jones store we thought that the staff had confused us with celebrities. In a flash of a second we were surrounded by each and every girl in the staff, 12 of them. Simon was more popular due to his height and blond hair. The girls were staring at him like being stunned. They bombed us with words we could not understand. Then they tried to rephrase again and again. When this method didn't seem to have any affect they took help from a friend who did the procedure all over again. At that time all our Chinese vocabulary was limited to "Hello" or maybe a few words more. The girls seemed to be so happy and excited to have us in the store that they refused us to leave.

Several times girls have approached us and asked for having our picture taken with them. Now this does not surprise us anymore. Sometimes we can see that they want to ask for it but don't have the courage to do it, so then we offer the service which is always received with joy and excitement. I have noticed that Chinese people, girls as boys, really want to connect with foreigners but are to shy or have no idea how to act. Mostly this is because of the language. They think that all foreigners are rich and speak perfect English. This makes them feel a bit inferior subsequent they don't dare to use the English they really do know. OK, most of them speak extremely poor English and most often none at all, but we are surprised how many  that really know a few words if we just encourage them a bit like asking for direction. Chinese people, at least in Ningbo, loves to help foreigners in need. This is one of the things I love here, and nothing seems impossible. That is another story for another time though.

If I am walking with a friend in the streets people does not express their curiosity that obvious, they just turn  their heads to look whilst passing us. If I am alone they are much more brave, especially if they are in groups. 2 weeks ago I took a walk to a shopping-center not far from here. The walk is about 20-15 minutes. At this time people on mopeds passing by have sounded their horn at me 2 times and shouting "Hello!" a couple of times. That is another thing, they assume that we all are Americans. Maybe this is not so strange. If we see an Asian back home we might assume he/she is Chinese.

Armin I and I went to Wanda Plaza a few weeks ago to shop at Walmart. For some reason 5 girls in their 20:ts followed us where ever we went, giggling and pointing. If they were trying to hide their curiosity they sure failed. Armin had enough after a while, turned around and said "What the f'***!?", subsequent the girls aborted their stalking-tour and disappeared with a distant giggle. It does not bother me that much, I think it's kind of flattering to be honest. Sure, I know that it has nothing to do with my personal skills, only that my appearance is different from a Chinese, but still. Sometimes I gets to much though. When lots of people are pointing and shouting "Hello! Hello!" it can become a bit annoying.

Especially girls looks at us with big eyes while walking the streets. You can almost see the dreams in their eyes about marrying a westerner man. A cute girl and I was entering the same store once, and when she noticed me she looked at my face totally speechless. She had probably never seen a foreigner before. I opened the door for her and made a gesture that indicated "ladies first". She did not really know what to do and her nervousness was obvious. After a few seconds she entered the store with her eyes still attached to my face but now her face had turned red. At this point I was kind of mean and gave her a smile. For a moment I really did think she was going to faint. I think that a western smile at a Chinese girl can be a potential heart-attack.

Almost every day I receive comments about my different looks. People in stores have been pulling my jacket saying "You look cool and handsome". When I bought furnitures for my balcony the sales lady said "He is very beautiful" in Chinese, thinking I wouldn't understand. A new Chinese friend told me last week that "You are the most handsome man I have ever seen". What?! How am I suppose to deal with such comments? I must admit that it is very hard not to get big-headed when hearing such compliments. I guess we appear to be unique because many people here haven't seen many or none foreigners before. But still it does miracles for your self esteem.

When I was moving to China I thought I would to be taught a lesson about how it's like to be a foreigner and being treated as an outsider. But I can assure you that it is hard to feel like an inferior when you get this kind of attention every day.

Guests of honor

There is one thing in this country I can not get used to, and that is all the attention we foreigners receive. I will write a special post just about that subject so  I will not go any further into it at the moment, but here is an example.

Today Armin told me about a photo-competition that was taking place in our campus. Since I am also interested in photographic I decided to join. A Chinese man named Kevin met us up and escorted us to the assembly room that facilitated the event. We were a bit late and the room was crowded. We could immediately feel that all eyes went from the present participant to us, even if we kept a low profile while entering the room. Kevin did not know that I was coming so he only reserved a chair for Armin, so I settled with a spot in a stair. Within a few seconds I was offered chairs from the other observers and I knew that I could not turn it down. That would be rude and would make them feel awkward. Chinese people, at least in Ningbo, values hospitality high and are extremely helpful, especially when it comes to foreigners. I took a seat between Armin and Kevin. 

The event was fully in spoken Chinese and it was difficult for us to understand, but the pictures were lovely. The photographers were very skilled, even if most of them were normal students and amateurs in the subject. We enjoyed the event and after an hour one of the arrangers approached us. He told Kevin that he is glad that we were there. They were honored and our presence was a highlight of the evening. Kevin told us that we were asked to say a few words to the audience. This gesture would complete the event, they have said. Of course, we could not deny this request, even if I felt the adrenaline flowing. I was nervous. 

In the end of the competition the hostess said something and looked in our direction. I only understand a few words, "...our friends...", and the audience suddenly bursts out in massive applauds. It was a bit embarrassing because we got more applauds than any of the competitors. Armin stood up and told them that we are honored to be there and gave his thanks to the people in the room, followed by a new wave of applauds. Now the microphone was passed over to me. I prepared a few words a earlier before and I think it sounded something like this:

"My Chinese is poor so I will take this in English. I have not understood many words that were said here tonight, but I did understand the photographs. I want to thank the photographers for the lovely art. You are an inspiration to us. Thank you!"

I do not remember if I received any applauds due to nervousness, but I was kind of satisfied with the words. I do not think many persons in the hall understood what we said. It does not matter, they were happy any way. Afterwards we could feel many people seeking eye-contact with us to show a gesture of appreciativeness.

Even though we showed up unexpectedly, we understand that we were the evenings special guests of honor.

The art of tea

Over a week ago I invited my Chinese friend Ruru for tea in my apartment. She did not class my bags of jasmine tea from Walmart as tea and I received several comments about the quality, or the lack of it. She managed to force herself to drink half a cup after adding several spoons of sugar to it. A promise was made that she would take me to a real tea-store in order to buy real tea. 

Said and done, she kept her promise. A sunny afternoon last Sunday we took a taxi down town to a district full of tea-stores. Stores and more stores, there was no end to it. Ruru had a specific shop in mind that she used to to business with and she called it "the king among tea-shops", and we went there. We were welcomed by her friend, a young girl about 25 years old who were supervising the store and we had a quick tour inside the facilities. I must say I were impressed. Not only by the amount of tea or teapots, but even the decor, lightning and mostly the knowledge of the staff. I was asked what kind of tea I wanted to buy and it was not easy to decide. How do you decide when you have 1000 different kinds to chose from? I said "Lap sang" but  it seemed like they never heard of it, or maybe I pronounced it wrong. The only other tea I could think about was jasmine tea. Of course, they had many different variations of that sort so I was back on square one.

Ruru  with a sample of jasmine tea

We could pick up some tea with the hand and smell the fragrance. If we liked it we got a cup of hot tea as sample. The preparation of the tea looked like a ritual. We sat down at a table and the girl prepared different pots of tea. Now and then she poured tea over stone figurines shaped as animals on the table. I was told that the figurines could never be sold for any money, because they are very very old and have absorbed tea for many years. Still I do not understand the purpose of it but I like and respect traditions. Tea is considered to be an art in China.

Finally I decided to buy some jasmine tea with a wonderful fragrance and some kind of black tea. Along with it I bought a tea pot which has already come in handy several times since last Sunday.

Ruru was behaving like a kid in a candy store. She made a sound of joy every time she saw a cup or teapot that she especially liked. After about 45 minutes we had to leave before we would spend to much money. I did not buy enough tea on purpose. Now I have an excuse to visit the lovely store again, and again...

Different sorts of black tea

Afternoon at Ningbo Museum

Today the class got together for the first time for a trip to the Ningbo Museum. There were people from different parts of the world, such as France, Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Japan, Korea and Sweden.

The bus took of at 14:20 and headed for the museum. We were supposed to leave at 14:00, but of course we had to wait for the Mexicans and the French. The museum was only a 3 min drive away from campus so the bus felt unnecessary.

Luckily cameras were allowed inside the museum so I could play with my friend Mr. D5000. Even flashes were allowed. The museum showed Chinese history and culture. The building itself is very impressive, but this day were under heavy rain so I did not want to risk the health of my camera for a picture.
We had a tour on 3 levels inside the museum. We saw items like ancient bamboo jeweleries, swords, cannons and pieces of old ships. Since ancient times, Ningbo has been a valuable port and still is today. They even had a section of dinosaurs which was impressive.

The tour took about 1.5 hour and afterwards we went to meet some Chinese students for introduction and some conversation. It felt weird when the students applauded while we entered the assembly hall. The conversations were a nice exchange and I met some new friends. The Chinese students seems to be very eager of making new friends, so I got a few extra numbers in my cellphone and contacts through MSN and Skype. My Guanxi is growing. It's a Chinese expression for personal network of influence.

This day has been very intense; meeting new friends and receiving a large culture injection. Even if it's Friday evening I will most probably read a book and fall asleep early. I am exhausted.

For more pictures from the museum, please follow the link to the album on Facebook.com:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=208160&id=692125169&l=cc49c600ed