Earlier this month, John and I hit the mountains– Huangshan to be exact. Located in the eastern province of Anhui, Huangshan (meaning Yellow Mountain) is another one of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites in China. Before climbing the mountain, John and I eased ourselves in, spending day one, whch was humid and rainy, visiting the nearby ancient villages of Xidi and Hongcun. Back in the day (about 1000 years ago), wealthy merchant families built such communities for their clans. Xidi belonged to the Hu family, Hongcun to the Wang family. Today only about 1000 people live in Xidi (not sure about Hongcun).

On day two, John and I got an early start. Headed down to the bus station to catch a ride to the main gate at the eastern steps (LP’s term– the local’s actually call it the backside of the mountain). I dunno what the deal was, but we ended up waiting for 45 minutes. Finally, the embarassed ticket booth operator hailed us a taxi and we were on our way. Good thing we didn’t walk it– the ride was far and we definitely needed to conserve energy for the hike. Admission fees, by the way, were ridiculously high: 200 yuan/person ($25 USD) and no discount even for the nearby residents! Totally sucks. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met from Anhui who have never been to Huangshan. A real shame.

Anyway, like Taishan (which we climbed last year), the paths at Huangshan are all paved with concrete steps. But before you start ragging on me, I’m telling you, the hike was a workout. And yes, I still call it a hike. We pretty much busted our asses for no reason: ascended in 2.5 hours (LP says 3). I’m a cranky be-otch when I’m hot and bothered. Poor John, I wasn’t interested in conversing. At the summit, we stayed at Xihai (East Sea) hotel. Apparently, they have foreigner and Chinese sections (discrimination). Was probably the nicest place we stayed on the trip in terms of amenities, but damn, I got no sleep. The other guests decided to hang outside til god knows when, drinking, shouting, and keeping me up. We checked out around 4am and headed out for the sunrise. Climbed Purple Clouds Peak, but the view wasn’t the best. Still cool, but not the best. From there, we hiked for hours and even climbed Huangshan’s two highest peaks– Lotus Flower Peak and Guangming Peak, 1862m and 1841m above sea level. We then trekked another few hours to the cable cars. We were sore and I needed the lift. No regrets though. The western steps are an 8-10 hour hike down the mountain. Pass!

So all the places we visited are well-known in China and worldwide. That means, there are plenty of professional pictures you can find of them online. I was all excited about our pictures, but given the zero response from my students who saw them via email, I assume they weren’t that convincing. Oh well. John and I had a good time and enjoyed the breathtaking views. Pictures (even good ones) never do a place justice. You just have to go and see the sites yourself. No way around it.

Most of you are already familiar with the story about my father warning John (back when we were dating) that I was a bossy woman: “I dunno if you know, but Vicky is very bossy…” In other words, “You’d better watch what you’re getting into: my daughter’s a real bitch.” Nice, dad. Thanks for the sales pitch.

So fast forward eight years, and this time, it’s my mom giving the glowing review. Of course, after about six days, she and I got into a tiff, so what does she do? She tells John I’m super stubborn, and then has the nerve to THANK him for being with me. What the fuck? Who’s side are they on anyway? Chinese thing, gender thing, what the hell ever. Pissed me off, man. Of course, John just laughs it off. Frickin’ goody two-shoes!

I taught this evening at SABIC– my first class since getting back to Shanghai. Was good. I delivered a presentation to demonstrate organization and the use of signpost language. Public speaking still makes me pretty nervous, so I practiced a lot. Poor John practically memorized my talk himself, having heard it so many damn times.

So class went okay. My students are the best. They’re really relaxed and low-key. Of course, every time see them, my student Lydia comments about how much weight I’ve lost. She’s the only one who’s said this. I don’t really remember how much I weighed when I first arrived in China. My guess is that I’ve maybe lost five pounds, because my clothes seem to fit a little better. Then again, after so many people commented about how I dressed like a slob, I’ve also taken more steps to look a bit more professional. I’ve realized that I was wearing my clothes too baggy, actually. So maybe since I’m wearing stuff that’s more fitted, I look skinnier. I don’t know. I don’t really have body issues, so it’s okay, but I do kinda chuckle when Lydia says I used to be chubby. I am a size L here. Oh well, what can you do. I grew up with hormones in my foods and milk. Shrug.

I spent two days this week making travel arrangements for our next trip. We’re going to Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) for a few days. Actually flying there. I got so pissed off dealing with unhelpful train ticket operators that I ended up hanging up on them and opting for flights. I really have no idea how non-speakers get this shit done. I guess they just use agents who charge pricy commission. Either that or they have thicker skin than I do. I’m a lazy ass: I’m not looking forward to climbing another frickin’ mountain, but I guess it’s good for me. I’m excited about the scenery anyway. Will take lots of pictures.

Okay, time for bed. Gotta run for cover from the quitos. The blood suckers are out again and the ones in China are super-critters. I don’t think normal mosquitos are supposed to make it up this high, but they’re here alright. Lucky for me, these ones aren’t too interested in my common Chinese blood. They go for the premium stuff: John’s white ass. Hehe.

I don’t know how long I was in the dark. Fortunately, my friend Joon shared the important news: Craigslist is now in Shanghai! Hurray! As most of you know, I used to be a total Ebay junkie back in the States. Then, a few months ago, ExpatAuction came to life (it’s just like Ebay). Initially, I was all psyched about it, but after seeing only a handful of postings (and even fewer bids), I lost interest. Luckily with Craigslist, it’s not just about items for sale. It’s like an entire community formed overnight– job ads, community events, for sale, personals, etc. It’s awesome. John and I get kicks just from reading the missed connections listings (I know, we can be so pathetic). Also, I just posted my very own for sale ad. Anyone need computer stuff? Kinda sucks that Craigslist doesn’t offer the certainty of a sale at the end of 7 days, but at least I don’t have to create seven different posts.

In other news, the family is gone. They only stayed for about two weeks, but geez, that was a long time. Things have almost returned to normal now. My classes resume this week. I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. Of course, with John always itching to travel, you never know when that next class will really be. I’m such a slacker teacher, man.

So yesterday was a gorgeous day. Despite my earlier posts dreading the onset of huang mei tian, my friend Helen informed me those days of misery are still a few weeks off. Thank goodness! Still, I was starting to think it wasn’t going to be so bad this year, especially since yesterday was so beautiful. No wonder.

I watched a Chinse movie last week without subtitles. I’m so proud. I can usually understand the overall plots– it’s only when the movies are period pieces that I get totally lost. Unfortunately, the movie “Letter from an Unknown Woman” was sort of lame. In a nutshell, it was about this woman who, from the time she was 15, is obsessed with her neighbor. The guy, a wealthy author (and lothario), actually beds her on two occasions– once when she’s in college and then several years later. In between, he meets her at various social gatherings (they run in similar circles), but he never remembers her. Ugh. Obviously, there’s more to the story, but isn’t that irritating enough? Does she really have to anonymously send him flowers every birthday and then write him a letter decades later chronicling when they met and how much she loves him?

Speaking of films, the Shanghai International Film Festival starts today. John and I might check out some foreign films. I need to practice reading English subtitles– I’m too slow a reader. 🙁 Okay, time to run.

As you know, the Gou fam is in town. Well, I was doing pretty good until yesterday: admittedly, I reach a limit after about six days. I’m sure my irritability is exacerbated by overcrowding, the bland diet, and well the usual personality tensions. My gma and mom are major home bodies, which is fine because I sort of have those tendencies too, but all of us in one apartment is getting to be a bit much. My mother is mostly over her cold, but she’s still making these nerve-grating hacking noises like she’s coughing up hairballs. Yebbie gets out of the house, but every time he comes back, he brings home way too many bags of buns, dumplings, and the like. So what if he overbuys, it’s the American way right? Well, consider this: John hasn’t gone to the gym since returning, and already he’s lost 2.5 kg on the all-bun, zongzi, eternal leftovers diet. I dunno whether my family really doesn’t want to go out for restaurant meals or if they are just sick of eating (following their 15-days of pigging out) or what. Either way, I feel like all we eat is reheated leftovers. We’re talking 6 days of the same leftovers. It never gets chucked, only consumed. Really sucks. Oh well, I’m sick of eating, so I might as well begin my detox fast. Anyone out there done that before? I’m thinking of just eating fruit/veggies for seven days.

My dad pissed me off yesterday. In the evening, we made arrangements to meet his friend Mr. Lin for the Huangpu River cruise. Meeting time was 6pm. So we leave the house early to avoid rush hour, and I tell the cabbie to take us to a nearby department store. We arrive around 4:30pm. The meeting place with Mr. Lin is about 15 minutes away. So right off the bat, my dad keeps harping on and on about how we have to hurry to meet the guy. So forget shopping. Forget a decent dinner, we get shitty noodles and fried rice and head over to the Chenyi Monument. I basically get into a fight with dad, because he’s so fucking pushy. He doesn’t even let us go into a candy store, because “we have to meet Mr. Lin”. So finally, we arrive at the place and guess what time? Five fucking fifteen. Forty-five minutes early, and to make the story even better, Mr. Lin arrives about 45 minutes late. The meeting place turns out to be a shit location, and we end up having to bust ass down the promenade to catch the ferry. So much for arriving early. At least the river cruise was nice.

I had the good fortune of experiencing racial discrimination again yesterday– yeah from my own Chinese peeps. John and I went into a 7-11 type store: John entered the store first, but I was only like 2 seconds behind him. I immediately approached the counter to pay my electric bill and the beotch of a cashier told me to wait. Why? Because John was heading towards the counter (where I already was) to make a purchase. Preferential treatment. I’m telling you: the whities got it good no matter where they go, whether they the majority or the minority. I then told her that he was with me, but it still didn’t make a difference. Still rang him up first. Fucker. She’s lucky I didn’t make a scene. Next time though, she gonna get it…

John and I returned to town on Sunday. My parents and grandparents had just concluded their 15-day tour around China, so when we arrived at our apartment, everyone was already there waiting for us. Perfect timing, eh? Just what we needed after our 13-hour flight. Oh well. Surprisingly, the family visit has gone on quite smoothly. Of course Bubbey is an excellent mediator/buffer. And well, I should give myself a pat on the back for completing Chinese Americans and their Immigrant Parents in record time. In a way, it’s comforting to know my parents aren’t the only ones with beliefs contrasting strongly with mine– all Chinese parents I suppose have these bizarre warped views on family ties, on “legitimate” professions/careers, on marriage, and so on. Still, the book was disappointing because I thought it’d give me some options on how to cope. After all, it was written by a Chinese-American psychologist… No such luck. But, as I said, we are getting along fine. For the most part, they are just recovering from their whirlwind tour: Mom got sick with a cold and Noorie’s feet got swollen and sore. Dad and Yebbie are still full of energy and stamina, but they’re pretty flexible. Yebbie still walks all over the place exploring new food stalls and bath houses (he’s addicted to massage), and dad gets sucked into watching stocks online or watching Chinese soaps/movies. I think they’re having fun.

I’m really glad I bought an air mattress when I was just in CA last month. It’s proved quite handy in housing 6 peeps in a 2 BR apartment. Chinese fams love the tight quarters, man. Okay well it’s Sunday night at 9pm now, and I’m going to bed. Seem a bit early to you? You try sleeping with my grandpa’s wall-shaking snoring all night long. Yup. And then lil’ Noor wakes up and starts clattering pots in the kitchen around 6. Poor us, I know. I can hear you playing the violin for us. 🙂

By the way, on our return to SH, I’ve noticed some buggy website shit going on again. Looks like the higher ups are testing out new censor filters or something. Sucks. If I have to move goodbers one more damn time… stay tuned.

On Memorial Day, we visited Nai’s side of the family. They live in Jiaxin, about an hour south of Shanghai. One of my mother’s cousins works for the government of Xitang, so he gave us a tour of this peaceful watertown, located just outside JiaXin.

We took a ride on one of these boats. The water appears quite clean, as it is “live” (mixes with the river). The building pictured has two corridors, one facing you and the other along the other side. Couples who want a son walk through one corridor while those who want a daughter walk through the other. John and I walked through both, hoping one would negate the other: barren womb forever, man!

The houses in Xitang are 300-400 years old. They do not contain bathrooms. Potty basins are collected twice a day and hauled off site. I didn’t ask for details.