Ever thought of collecting used products (bottles, cans, paper, plastics, etc?) and using the material to create new things? Sure, it happens all the time. What about used condoms? In fact, that's just what some business people in Southern China are doing.
Something like this could only happen here and now, in this country so obsessed with making profits off the smallest things, in this country populated by sneaky, cunning business people capable of squeezing a few pennies out of everything, including:
1) dead bodies--have you seen The Bodies exhibit at science museums in the states? Know where they got those bodies? The majority are from China; the government takes people who have received the death penalty, and after executing them, sells their remains.
2) placenta--in Shenzhen it is a traditional (albeit now rather underground) practice to eat placenta. They're supposed to be quite nutritious and have other mystical properties in Chinese medicine. They go for very high prices these days...quite the roaring black market trade.
3) blood--a common practice among the poor in the countryside is to sell blood to earn money, sometimes multiple times a month, to meet fees like tuition, medical bills, etc. The blood is then resold.
4) used condoms--scope out this ridiculous article for the proof.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
文化差异 Culture Gaps too Great to Bridge
I'm getting low on cash, due to my extravagant life style over here (kidding about that) so I've decided (against my will and better judgment) to take on a couple students and teach some English classes on the side to earn some money.
Why this seems like a good idea on the surface: 1) money 2) I always waste my Saturdays anyway (mostly due to having been out til 4 or 5 the previous night) so why not force myself to get out of bed and do something productive? 3) chance to get out of Wudaokou where I live and make it downtown.
Why this is, in reality, NOT a good idea:
1) I hate teaching. I am a terrible teacher. If you know me, you will know this is because I am impatient and get annoyed extremely easily. One of the things I hate most in life is dumb people. People who cannot speak my language fall into this category. (Why? Not because they're dumb; they just appear so). Further, why I would be a bad English teacher, in particular, is that I talk really fast, and like to express myself. Getting the words out as rapidly as possible is important to me.
2) I particularly hate children. They are too small, too annoying, and we come back again to the dumb people thing (they may not actually be dumb, but appear so).
3) Getting downtown (that is, anywhere that's not the isolated university district where I live) is an arduous process that normally involves the following: fighting massive crowds on the subway, where it is normally AT LEAST 90 degrees Fahrenheit; getting shoved, trampled, elbowed, jostled, grabbed, and otherwise manhandled while trying to enter or exit subway cars or transfer lines; being crushed in a subway car holding several hundred more bodies than it is designed for, thus feeling less like a sardine and more like a molecule in an aerosol can under extreme pressure; and changing subway lines at least 6 times in order to get anywhere, which normally involves mile-long walks in underground labyrinths that smell like asbestos.
4) The reason I am unproductive on Saturday is that I need a day to recover from schoolwork, speaking Chinese and wanting to have my brain explode, and being out too late and drinking too much.
Needless to say, almost as soon as I began this "teaching" process, I started to regret it. The way it's working is this: I'm using a "broker"-type lady (for lack of a better word) who will set me up with students. The students have money and will pay a pretty high hourly rate; in turn, I'll reimburse this broker lady for setting me up. Fine, sounds good, I'm in.
This past Sunday I met with the two children who will be my students. Obviously, they were dumb (why did I not predict this???). Nothing had been finalized, so we left it open ended, TBD during the week.
Tuesday rolls around. 10 am, I'm in class, and my phone rings. It's "Kelly," the broker (for edification, she's Chinese). I don't answer. It rings again. I don't answer. I get a text. "It's Kelly, please reply." I don't (I'm in class, you'll remember). She proceeds to call and text me incessantly for the next several hours. It's like, HELLO, LADY, I SEE YOUR COMMUNICATION. I WILL REPLY TO YOU AS SOON AS I AM ABLE. IN THE MEANTIME, I THANK YOU TO LEAVE ME ALONE.
I don't get a chance to call her til 4:30, by which time I have received at least 20 calls, 8 texts, an email, Skype messages, and messages from Eunjee (my roommate who also works for her) that she's looking for me. Thanks, GOT IT, you want to get in touch with me.
And it's ridiculous, too, because in the end all she wants to say is that everything's been finalized and we're meeting Sunday morning at 9:30. FINE, THAT COULDN'T HAVE WAITED TIL THIS EVENING?!??! No? Well, deal with it. It just did. You calling (did I say calling? I meant harassing) me did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to speed up the process, but did manage to make me mad.
This is standard Chinese practice. There's no voicemail, and it's perfectly fine to pester people til they get back to you. But honestly, she made me want to track her down in her posh apartment and throttle her. I was so infuriated and annoyed I wanted to walk away from the whole thing. Obviously, doing so would just be to my own disadvantage in this case, but just think about the obstacles this type of thing must raise in business world. If I were a businessman (sorry, businesswoman) this sort of thing would turn me off extremely quickly. I'd be tempted to walk away from dealing with certain people or companies if I knew that this was the type of interaction we were forever destined to have. Wow, China, get voicemail, and learn about a little thing called PERSONAL SPACE.
Why this seems like a good idea on the surface: 1) money 2) I always waste my Saturdays anyway (mostly due to having been out til 4 or 5 the previous night) so why not force myself to get out of bed and do something productive? 3) chance to get out of Wudaokou where I live and make it downtown.
Why this is, in reality, NOT a good idea:
1) I hate teaching. I am a terrible teacher. If you know me, you will know this is because I am impatient and get annoyed extremely easily. One of the things I hate most in life is dumb people. People who cannot speak my language fall into this category. (Why? Not because they're dumb; they just appear so). Further, why I would be a bad English teacher, in particular, is that I talk really fast, and like to express myself. Getting the words out as rapidly as possible is important to me.
2) I particularly hate children. They are too small, too annoying, and we come back again to the dumb people thing (they may not actually be dumb, but appear so).
3) Getting downtown (that is, anywhere that's not the isolated university district where I live) is an arduous process that normally involves the following: fighting massive crowds on the subway, where it is normally AT LEAST 90 degrees Fahrenheit; getting shoved, trampled, elbowed, jostled, grabbed, and otherwise manhandled while trying to enter or exit subway cars or transfer lines; being crushed in a subway car holding several hundred more bodies than it is designed for, thus feeling less like a sardine and more like a molecule in an aerosol can under extreme pressure; and changing subway lines at least 6 times in order to get anywhere, which normally involves mile-long walks in underground labyrinths that smell like asbestos.
4) The reason I am unproductive on Saturday is that I need a day to recover from schoolwork, speaking Chinese and wanting to have my brain explode, and being out too late and drinking too much.
Needless to say, almost as soon as I began this "teaching" process, I started to regret it. The way it's working is this: I'm using a "broker"-type lady (for lack of a better word) who will set me up with students. The students have money and will pay a pretty high hourly rate; in turn, I'll reimburse this broker lady for setting me up. Fine, sounds good, I'm in.
This past Sunday I met with the two children who will be my students. Obviously, they were dumb (why did I not predict this???). Nothing had been finalized, so we left it open ended, TBD during the week.
Tuesday rolls around. 10 am, I'm in class, and my phone rings. It's "Kelly," the broker (for edification, she's Chinese). I don't answer. It rings again. I don't answer. I get a text. "It's Kelly, please reply." I don't (I'm in class, you'll remember). She proceeds to call and text me incessantly for the next several hours. It's like, HELLO, LADY, I SEE YOUR COMMUNICATION. I WILL REPLY TO YOU AS SOON AS I AM ABLE. IN THE MEANTIME, I THANK YOU TO LEAVE ME ALONE.
I don't get a chance to call her til 4:30, by which time I have received at least 20 calls, 8 texts, an email, Skype messages, and messages from Eunjee (my roommate who also works for her) that she's looking for me. Thanks, GOT IT, you want to get in touch with me.
And it's ridiculous, too, because in the end all she wants to say is that everything's been finalized and we're meeting Sunday morning at 9:30. FINE, THAT COULDN'T HAVE WAITED TIL THIS EVENING?!??! No? Well, deal with it. It just did. You calling (did I say calling? I meant harassing) me did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to speed up the process, but did manage to make me mad.
This is standard Chinese practice. There's no voicemail, and it's perfectly fine to pester people til they get back to you. But honestly, she made me want to track her down in her posh apartment and throttle her. I was so infuriated and annoyed I wanted to walk away from the whole thing. Obviously, doing so would just be to my own disadvantage in this case, but just think about the obstacles this type of thing must raise in business world. If I were a businessman (sorry, businesswoman) this sort of thing would turn me off extremely quickly. I'd be tempted to walk away from dealing with certain people or companies if I knew that this was the type of interaction we were forever destined to have. Wow, China, get voicemail, and learn about a little thing called PERSONAL SPACE.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The Way
苦集灭道 (ku ji mie dao)
All life is suffering (suffering = 苦 ku)
The cause of suffering is desire (desire = 集 ji)
Emancipation comes only from eliminating passions (eliminate = 灭 mie)
The Way to Emancipation is the Noble Eight-fold Way (The Way = 道 dao)
put them all together to get "suffering, desire, elimination, The Way" = "苦集灭道"
Friday, February 13, 2009
High code of morality?
The way my classes work is, every night we study a bunch of words, and read and/or listen to a passage containing the words, and then the next day review those words and discuss the content of the text. In class the teacher will ask you to give an example using the desired word, or ask you a pointed question where the only answer you may give will contain that word.
For instance: today we were studying the words "to have a high code" of "morality."
The teacher asked, "What kind of person might have a high code of morality?"
So I answered (and tell me if you think this isn't reasonable): "I think that, ideally, government workers should have a high code of morality."
She looked confused, so I asked if I had said the sentence right. She said, yes, the grammar was correct, but she didn't understand what I meant. "I mean," she said, "what do government workers and morality have to do with one another? I don't think your example is very suitable."
I was speechless for a moment, but then tried to explain that in an ideal world, government workers would try to have a high code of morality because they are responsible for making their country a better place, for instance, upholding the law, implementing new programs for health, education, sanitation, safety, equality, civil rights, etc. Since they have a responsibility towards the taxpayers who, in essence, pay their salaries, and because they care about their country, it would be a good thing if they were moral people, since that would enable them to do their jobs better, make government better, and make their country a better place. No?
Even after my explanation, she didn't really get my logic. I guess here, government officials do not represent the people; they are simply appointed on basis of connections (or maybe merit, in some cases), and so they have no obligation to carry out the peoples' will or to work towards providing the people with better lives. Moreover, corruption is so rampant that maybe it never crossed this teacher's mind that a government official might have a high code of honor and morality.
Just another example of irreconcilable cultural differences.....
For instance: today we were studying the words "to have a high code" of "morality."
The teacher asked, "What kind of person might have a high code of morality?"
So I answered (and tell me if you think this isn't reasonable): "I think that, ideally, government workers should have a high code of morality."
She looked confused, so I asked if I had said the sentence right. She said, yes, the grammar was correct, but she didn't understand what I meant. "I mean," she said, "what do government workers and morality have to do with one another? I don't think your example is very suitable."
I was speechless for a moment, but then tried to explain that in an ideal world, government workers would try to have a high code of morality because they are responsible for making their country a better place, for instance, upholding the law, implementing new programs for health, education, sanitation, safety, equality, civil rights, etc. Since they have a responsibility towards the taxpayers who, in essence, pay their salaries, and because they care about their country, it would be a good thing if they were moral people, since that would enable them to do their jobs better, make government better, and make their country a better place. No?
Even after my explanation, she didn't really get my logic. I guess here, government officials do not represent the people; they are simply appointed on basis of connections (or maybe merit, in some cases), and so they have no obligation to carry out the peoples' will or to work towards providing the people with better lives. Moreover, corruption is so rampant that maybe it never crossed this teacher's mind that a government official might have a high code of honor and morality.
Just another example of irreconcilable cultural differences.....
Monday, February 9, 2009
Fireworks
Today is the last day of the Chinese New Year...it began on the new moon and since today is the full moon the celebrations are ending. Therefore, it's the last day of revelry and should be properly enjoyed. The Chinese most like to celebrate the New Year by lighting off MASSIVE quantities of fireworks. And I'm not talking firecrackers and bottle rockets here; these things are certifiable bombs. Normally (in the US), one would be required to launch these types of explosives from a barge out in the water, or at the very least in a field a good distance away from the nearest onlookers. However, in Beijing, it is common practice to light off round after round of pretty intense explosives anywhere and everywhere. For instance, a little while ago, I was in my bathroom and a firework exploded about 10 feet from my window. Safe. I can also see plenty of sky rockets and artillery shells (that's what they're really called...Wikipedia it) from my bedroom window....being launched from the street below.
So a constant barrage of fireworks has been going off incessantly since about 5:30 pm. No surprise, then, when we heard this news: a major hotel in Beijing is ablaze and probably many people have been killed. Quite naturally, of course, this is front page NY Times but China official news sources refuse to report on it at all.
So a constant barrage of fireworks has been going off incessantly since about 5:30 pm. No surprise, then, when we heard this news: a major hotel in Beijing is ablaze and probably many people have been killed. Quite naturally, of course, this is front page NY Times but China official news sources refuse to report on it at all.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Back in the land of the unfree
Wattup guys! Back in Beijing after a wonderful, very busy 3 weeks in the US of A. It turns out that China is not a very nice place, and I don't feel like I want to be here right now. The US has alot of things going for it....I'm contemplating fleeing this scene (not really, but I wish I could).
I'm quite a but plumper now than I was 3 weeks ago (this is what happens when you do nothing but dine on all the most delicious things you can get your hands on for 21 days straight) and so looking forward to my normal routine of 1) not eating much around here because things are not appetizing enough to warrant consumption except under circumstances of extreme hunger and 2) going to the gym a lot to break the incredibly monotonous and wearing daily grind of memorizing hundreds of vocab words and making sentences with them.
That's all for now...more soon, I promise!
I'm quite a but plumper now than I was 3 weeks ago (this is what happens when you do nothing but dine on all the most delicious things you can get your hands on for 21 days straight) and so looking forward to my normal routine of 1) not eating much around here because things are not appetizing enough to warrant consumption except under circumstances of extreme hunger and 2) going to the gym a lot to break the incredibly monotonous and wearing daily grind of memorizing hundreds of vocab words and making sentences with them.
That's all for now...more soon, I promise!
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