Entdeckungsreisen--A European Transition out of China

"The real journeys of discovery do not exist in learning new lands, rather in seeing something with new eyes."

After two years teaching English, I left China on July 6 and flew into the West.  (This option, somehow, was dramatically cheaper than flying over the Pacific.)  I planned a 3 week excursion in Europe to visit friends, eat great food, and see a new country--Italy.

I now sit back in Minnesota among the same landscape with which I grew up.  Now, both China and Europe exist to me only in my photos and memories.

That is precisely what I wish to share here.  The trip is about food and friends, right?  Let's talk cuisine!

Borscht in Moscow (flight layover)

  Mexican in Zurich: The night I arrived, my incredible and patient friend, Philipp, met me in the Zurich Airport to bring me to a Mexican restaurant all while enduring my broken German--broken not with English but with Chinese.  He and his sister, Suzy, would sit for minutes at a time as I struggled to bring my thoughts out of Chinese. Poor guy; thank goodness he's so patient.

Handmade cake under the guidance of Suzy--she's a scientist, so she's probably better with recipes and measurements than either of the finance guys in the room. Yet, when baking the cake, she revealed her philosophy as "I'm going with my gut on all of this."

Then there was cappuccino and cookies from Philipp's mother, Gaby.  Don't forget that this balcony then overlooks the herrlich black forest.  With the Schöttlers as great company and this incredible view, this place beats Paris and Venice.  I went to both on this trip; trust me.

3 years ago I promised Philipp's grandmother that I would return and have more cake. I kept my word.  For the visit, she prepared an delectable cherry cake.
German grandmothers bake great cake; thanks, Oma Otti!

Klaus and Gaby--Philipp's parents, took me into the black forest and on the hillside brought me to a restaurant that defines "Urig."  (There is no good English translation; the closest are "rustic, earthy, and quaint.")  The sign behind me reads "Drinking beer helps the rural economy."  Thus, cheers.

 From the Black Forest around Steinen, I moved to the city in which I studied abroad five years ago--Freiburg.

There was rotwurst at the Muenster Platz--the space around the Freiburg Cathedral.  Every morning there is a market.  I was a frequent visitor when studying in this city.
Note that the sausage is folded in half and it still hangs over the bun.

Flammkuchen at Schlappen--one of the best Uni bars in Freiburg. 

Paris was filled with croissants,

and lovable barrista-made artistic espressos

There were escargot

And mussels galore,

and Macaroons like the queen would eat.

Stuttgart offered Maultaschen with melted cheese.

Then came käsespätzle (one of my absolute favorites)

and Currywurst.

I found fleischkäse (which translates as Flesh Cheese, but it's just a delicious version of meatloaf)

In the oldest Weinstube of Stuttgart, there was the traditional käsespätzle with salad, pilsner, Schwäbisch waitress (who's been there likely as long as the establishment.  She was the same waitress I remember from 3 years ago.)

Then off to Crailsheim for a "gourmet" breakfast with gourmet company.  Atmosphere makes the food.

Basel offered Brezel (pretzels) for breakfast.

Then off to Venice for prosciutto e melone.

Swig it down with a litre of milk--something I hadn't had for the past year.

Next, try the pate.  I heard spreadable meat and jumped at the chance.  After a year in Germany, spreadable meat is actually one of my favorite bread toppings.

Follow this with risotto (a bit too creamy, if I may say.  Should I have opted for the pizza as my counterpart did?)

In Rome I discovered Italians prefer to drink their hummus?  This liter of ground chickpeas was somehow the right serving for these few slices of bread.  

Fortunately, the restaurant excused their mistake by providing a complimentary limoncello.

Making fresh salad requires fresh mozzarella--only available in a bag of water.

Francesca, a friend from the hostel, taught me how a real Italian cooks dinner.  That is after she laughed at me for asking, "Why does the cheese come in water?"

A Roman water fountain tradition.  Budget travelers pay attention.

Note the small hole atop the spout.  These clean water sources are available by the thousands throughout the city.

Gotta get Gnocci.

...and finish with a tiramisu.

Then in Naples, do not miss the devilishly good pizza, here, at its birthplace.

Now unbuckle the top button as that was a whirlwind of cuisine and calories.  Too delicious to forget, these flavors are what carry me through my current "healthy" diet of grilled chicken breasts, spinach leaves, and plain spaghetti. 

If anyone wonders what I saw along the trip, I reply "Google it."  The sites are stunning in person, but someone somewhere undoubtedly captured a better image than I did.  This trip was about something more. 

Bon appetit!
Rick

Sitting in Rome at the moment, I am but one week from the end of my European vacation.  I attempted to load multiple pictures to give a taste of the adventure--and it really has been a tasting adventure.  As I look through my photos I find a majority of them are of me eating something.  Yes, yes, I saw the Colosseum, but the Gelato and Espresso were incredible! 

The sweet and short is that the itinerary went/is going like this:

Zurich (Switzerland)
Steinen (Germany)
Freiburg (Where I studied in Germany)
Paris
Stuttgart (where I worked in Germany)
Basel (Switzerland)
Venice
Bergamo (also Italy)
Florence
Siena
Rome
Naples

Captions and more tales to come once stateside starting July 30; right now I've got to go make dinner with Italians!  Bon appetit!

My Chinese Experience Comes to an End

It's done. I sit with passport stamped and boarding pass in hand. After calling the country home for two tumultuous years, I now bid adieu and (after a much-anticipated jaunt around Europe) mentally prepare for the next phase.

As the last day always is, it was filled with many farewells. Then last night five former students brought me to the train station, as is custom to see a friend off. Then I slept for a mere 3 hours, poured sweat getting between the train station and airport, will stay awake for the next 20 hours to total 24, and only now at 10 am can I have my first cup of coffee. Despite this, I'm still focusing on the trauer of leaving China and the freuden of returning to Europe.

再见中国;非常感谢你让我适应和我老家很不同的一个地方，于是帮我发展自己。我从来不会忘记我在这里的经验。谢谢你中国。再见。

Later Days,
李睿

A Pleasant Conclusion to Teaching--A Return to Consulting

I have 17 days left in China.  I’ve learned thousands of Chinese characters, taught hundreds of students, seen dozens of cities, and now I have but 17 days of this experience.

Although there are still 6 days of classes, I had the following, pleasant experience that I feel nicely concludes my work.

 

The 11^th grade English teaching staff invited me to present to them on the differences I have observed between Western and Chinese classes as well as provide any suggestions I may have for improving the classroom environment.  I’d like to think of it as: I was asked to consult.  Also of note, I gave the entire presentation in Chinese.

 

I came two years ago having no real teaching education, no teaching experience, and no language knowledge.  In these two years in the job, I have invested myself in doing well by my students and by myself.  My own language abilities progressed to pass an advanced level test.  My rapport with the students developed to garner a rating of 93% extreme student satisfaction.  And my colleagues, through this invitation, expressed their respect of my work. 

 

It’s been a great two years.  Slowly onto the next phase of life.

 

Later days,
Rick

 

Real Life in China may not be for the Faint of Heart

Living in China certainly has been one of the best and most memorable experiences of my life.  Yet, the only thing predictable about it is it’s continual chaos. 

 

(Hopefully this video loads correctly.  Thanks to a certain firewall I can’t exactly upload or link to YouTube.)

Listen to the following video.  This is a regular occurrence living in China.  From the solitude of a moment erupts what any logical person would deduce is an air raid.  In reality, this social disturbance is just a neighbor’s friendly way of celebrating.  Last year I was genuinely checking the news for any attacks on China, having personally heard one too many successive bombings in my neighborhood.

 

Then, the unpredictable rears its head again when one looks at his or her work calendar.  I woke this morning anticipating three days of work and then four days off.  Ha.  Haha.  Thanks to hearing it from our students—not even a colleague—we discover that this is opposite reality.  Instead, we have two days off in the middle of the week to only return to start work on Friday and continue for 8 successive days of class. Thanks to this, we’re all sitting scared as to what will happen to our purported five days off at the month’s end. 

 

Finally, a simple trip to powder one’s nose may be hampered by running into the following situation, photographed above.  This happens to be at one of my favorite restaurants, too.  If only photos could capture smell.  Sadly, this isn’t even the worst I’ve come across in my time here.  Just imagine a multiple-day-outdoor-fried-food-festival port-a-potty…after tipping over.  That’s your average Chinese bathroom.  The best part is that at the school, the teachers’ offices are next to it.

 

Now thinking about moving to New York knowing no one and having no job or apartment lined up doesn’t scare me after China.

 

Later Days,

Rick

I'm a Quarter-Centenarian!

Woo, I'm old!  Here's to 25, the middle of the best decade of my life to date. 

To outdo my friend, Della, who gets two birthdays due to the use of the Lunar and Solar calendars, I decided to celebrate for the whole week and get 5 birthdays! 

 

There were four cakes, lots of frosting on the face, some cool presents, and―most importantly―good company.  I realized that all I really ever want for my birthday is just to relax with good company.  I don't want the responsibilities of hosting; I don't want to have to obey any uncomfortable social customs such as accepting gifts, treating people to dinner, whatever. 

The school also got me a gift―I didn't have to teach any students.  (Probably one of the best presents ever.)  Actually, students were testing, but I'd like to think it was all for me. :-D

 

Now a short guide through the photos;

Linda, our foreign teacher team leader, wanted to celebrate on Wednesday, so she and Kellen bought a quaint little teddy bear cake. 

 

For the past two weeks I've been counting down to June 1^st in my top class.  They were perpetually bewildered why I would celebrate Children's Day (June 1^st is International Children's Day in China)―I accused them of being ageist.  They didn't get the joke.  Anyway, I told them I never celebrate Children's Day, I celebrate June 1.  Not until they walked into the decorated classroom with my "Happy Birthday, Mr. Li" hanging did they realize it's my birthday.  We played games, had cake and prizes, and everyone left with a party favor.  Here you see my top class holding their party favors under a banner reading "Li Rui Happy Birthday."  (Li Rui is my Chinese name.)  The party favor was a printed and decorated photo of their English school tour―a memento of their English days in my class.

 

With my Senior 3 students, my birthday party was also their last class.  Here you see Catherine playing "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" and heading nowhere near the donkey picture. 

Then they all sang Happy Birthday in Chinese (while clapping, do we do that?  It seemed strange, but ubiquitous in China.) 

 

Finally came my real birthday party at home.  Della made her famous "Little Bucket Noodles."  Kellen brought the cake, and then we did exactly what I wanted for my birthday―hang out together, laughing, chatting, drinking, eating. 

(Why are they called "Little Bucket Noodles"?  Well, Della's Chinese name is Xiao Pei 晓培, xiao also sounds like a different character 小, which means little.  As a nickname, I pronounce Della's name with a regional dialect character adding an "r" sound to the end.  Then her name is 培儿, or per, which sounds like the way to say bucket.  Thus, the invention of "Little Bucket") 

 

Later Days,
Rick

A final Visit with a Friend...and, yeah, the Great Wall, again.

Annie and I both came to China two years ago with our company, EMW.  We met in Beijing for the orientation and were equally terrified of, yet open to, what would come.  Now, two years later we both return to our respective home countries—she with an acceptance to an elite grad school, and I with language proficiency.  We started together, stayed in contact through it all exchanging tales of our day-to-day experiences, and now we’re ending together.

 

For one last chance to meet, we traversed Chinese back to Beijing.  We went to the night markets as she pointed out things she wanted and I aggressively bargained in Chinese for each.   Then there came an entire leg of lamb—the ultimate in grilled street food.  With Annie’s ever-positive attitude and openness we befriended the owners; later we went rollerblading with passersby. 

 

The next day we visited the popular food street where I accused the food stall workers of price gouging.  We refused to buy anything and decided to go down a back alley for the real Chinese food at real prices.  Annie’s the best at finding good hole-in-the-wall restaurants.  Crossing the road into a tourist shop, the manager challenged my Chinese by having me read aloud the words on a scroll.  I said, “If I continue reading, you continue to lower the price.”  He put the scroll down.

 

Our journey took us up the Great Wall of China, above you see Annie’s first step onto the wall.  At the top we stopped to play Uno.  Next it was onto the Birds nest and Olympic park.  Finally, it all wound down as we spent the next morning visiting Jason (my friend from Zhengzhou who is in Beijing for training to go teach in the US) and to say farewell at the train station. 

 

Thank you, Annie, and good luck.

 

Later Days,

Rick

He's Back from the West and already Integrated

One of the most significant experiences I had in China was tutoring Dominick (郭维).  I was lucky enough to watch him go through an important part of his life; I watched him study 14 hours a day to become the #1 English student in Henan; I went with him to buy his first suit; and I celebrated with him when he earned a full scholarship to one of the best universities in the world (Singapore NanYang Technical University.) In December I saw him off, telling him about living abroad.

 

He's 6 months in to the experience and came back for summer break.  Now that he's back, I got to enjoy watching his reverse culture shock.  He says "excuse me" and "sorry" on the streets of China (in English).  He talks about what they do in Singapore from every minute detail to every major system.  It's wonderful.  Anyone who's talked to me within my first week of returning to the states knows that every story I have is about the country from which I just came.  While my listeners are annoyed, I loved hearing his tales.  Every detail means that he's really assimilating to the culture and building an enjoyable life.  It means he'll be happy there.  Way to go, Ghost Ninja (that was Dominick's first English name.)

 

Later Days,

Rick

I passed Level 5 Advanced Chinese Test!

It’s been 2 years of studying in a world often opposite the one in which I grew up.  Simply walking to the store or a restaurant was always accompanied by flipping through vocabulary books to cram 2,500+ Chinese characters into whatever remaining corners of my brain.  Step by step it accumulated as I prepared for the advanced Chinese Test—HSK Level 5—a level capable of reading Mandarin newspapers, watching films, and giving speeches in fluent Chinese.  On April 14 the test day arrived along with a slew of nerves.  As with any test, I left feeling relieved when it was over, but anxious as to the outcome.

One month later—today—I found the result.

 

I passed. 

60% is required, but I earned 80% with listening even surpassing 90%. 

 

Ultimately, there is no effect of this test.  It served as a means to motivate me to study.  Yes, I can officially write this on my resume.  Yet, any employer interested in my ability will most likely mandate I demonstrate it on the spot.  Only level 4 is required if I wanted to attend a Chinese university, and I passed that last year.  Either way, it does serve for a great feeling, which I will relish. 

 

Maybe one day this will be of use, and until then, I’ll keep it in my back pocket serving as simply more preparation for the right opportunity.  My high school algebra teacher, Mr. Kohler, said that luck is simply preparation meeting opportunity.  That formula holding true, one day I believe I’ll count myself “lucky.”

 

Later days,
Rick