A very interesting experience occurs as I arrive at our Emerson company tour, and it enforces the ideas that truly learning a second language involve (1. immediacy and practicality, and (2. frequent repetition; you’ll see what I mean here shortly. So our MBA tour crew, we’re kickin’ it old school in the industrial town of Suzhou (70km from Shanghai). We’re waiting for our tour to commence…people are bummed when they find out the company is not Ericcson—the telecommunications company—but Emerson (the manufacturer of…air conditioner compressors?), it’s close to 9:00am, and so far this morning, I’ve had a bottle of water, a bottle of Minute Maid juice (no pulp, just real chunks of fruit inside—problematic if you have textural problems), and a Nescafe can of espresso. So ‘natch, Mother Nature is calling. Knowing how much the Chinese are flattered that you are making attempts at one of the hardest languages tonally and grammatically I know it’s time to bust out the Chinese and ask the young lady at the front desk where the little boys’ room is: “Chin wen (excuse me/question) Tzai Nahr (Where is) Tze Tzwoh (Bathroom)?” So here’s how it went down. Follow the schematic below for a visual representation. I start at (1), approach the Front Desk. I ask her. My tones (Chinese has 4 separate tones) are getting better, as when I ask her the question, she doesn’t stare blankly back at me. I think the fact that my legs are crossed and I’m grabbing my crotch is a clue enough to her that when ya gotta go, ya gotta go. She motions to the electro-locked door (2). As I try to door, it doesn’t open. Well, Emerson isn’t electronic locks, it’s air compressors for air conditions. So I’ll forgive them. The door finally gives, and I’m staring at a plant and a couch. I look to my left, and there’s a hallway. I ask a lady there, “Chin wen, tzai nahr tze twoi?” She gestures for me to go down the hallway (3). As it’s a looong hallway (not to scale in Figure 1.1), and I’m pretty lost, plus the coffee, water, and iced coffee isn’t helping the situation. I get to Cubicle area #1 (4) and ask again, “Chin wen, tzai nahr tze twoi?” I ask like two more times, because the last thing on my mind is the tones of the Chinese language. By now, both cubicle areas are looking at me. Another gentleman directs me a across a hallway to a pair of doors (5). This is getting out of control. Really? I step through the double doors, and I’m now on the other side. (6) You know what’s on the other side of those doors? The floor to operations! Yes, that’s where they make all of the air compressors. Forklifts, Asian guys in hardhats and blue jumpsuits, looks like a scene from the Bond Film “You Only Live Twice.” Where are the sharks? With the lasers? At this point, everyone is looking at me: “Who’s this foreign clown without a hardhat, no badge, and why is he grabbing his crotch?” I can’t believe it. On the other side of the door, there’s a guy, I ask him quickly, “Chin wen, tzai nahr tze twoi?” He motions for me down a hallway, then I follow that and, once more, I ask another guy, “Chin wen, tzai nahr tze twoi?” He motions to the hallway to my left (7), where I find, finally, the tze twoi. As I enter, people are glaring at me, obviously wondering where my hardhat, jumpsuit and security clearance is. At this point, I didn’t care, I was just glad that I knew the key word for bathroom in Chinese. That, and being able to sprint in a hi-tech operations facility.
And that's exactly what I saw on Saturday morning after walking around with my friend Keigo in the business district in Tokyo. Earlier that evening, we had a big party with former students from the Economics Institute and CU Boulder--some relationships spanned over 8 years ago. We ate in a very nice restaurant in the Roppongi district, where Bush and the Emporer had dinner several years ago. We had a great time catching up, and just having fun. Next to our table was the famed go-kon (a get together for couples, kind of like Speed Date), and I was able to get a picture with that group, just to say I did. My last day in Tokyo, Sunday, I spent with a good friend Yuichi. He showed me around the Meiji Shrine, Harijuku, and Yamamoto Park.
I'm now back in Colorado, and I must say I truly miss Japan. You know how some places speak to you? They call to you? I felt Tokyo was this way. I watched Lost in Translation this morning, and I reminisced about all the things I experienced while I was in Japan: ate delicious yakatori and sushi, toured the amazing sites of Shibuya & Shinjuku, and observed the culture that is the Japanese. I could totally relate to Bob Harris' (played by Bill Murray's) series of dissonance both culturally and linguistically.
My main purpose was to see all of my former students, colleagues and friends there, and I felt such a connection with them. Several of my former students I saw in 2000 in Boulder. They were wearing t-shirts, shorts and flip-flops. On Wednesday I met them for drinks and in walked two men wearing dark blue suits. They were now the famed 'salaryman' of Japan, working for an investment company. How much people changed. And don't think they didn't think I hadn't changed. You know you need to lose some weight when seven Japanese call you some derivative of being overweight. An example, when I taught a group in the summer of 2002, they all said I looked like Tom Cruise from Cocktail. Now one of them said, pointing to my belly, "Fat Cruise." Yes, it's all in fun, I take it all in, but it's amazing to me how much time flies and we all change. Oh, and don't think I'm not writing a whole set for stand-up on this experience.
I hope to get back to Japan soon, perhaps do a USO tour or do some acting gigs out there. Who knows, maybe I can do a Suntori commercial, like Bill Murray did in Lost and Translation. If they don't mind filming a 'Fat Cruise.'
Yes, as I was walking around the Shibuyu area (the real busy downtown area from Lost in Translation), I spotted a hotel that read "Shibuya Capsule Hotel." Seinfeld fans remember the episode where Kramer hosted some Japanese businessmen in an oversized dresser. Could this be the same type of hotel they spoofed in Seinfeld where the Japanese guys stayed in the oversized dresser? The answer is Yes! For a mere 1500 yen (15 bucks)I rented a room for a few hours, got a shower and shave, and relaxed in the privacy of my own cubicle while I binged out on Japanese TV and took a nap! As well, I was able to bathe Japanese style and do the sauna. A truly relaxing experience. It's a great illustration of the Japanese efficiency! Additionally, the rooms were safe, clean, and the staff was very courteous. If you ever find yourself in Tokyo, check these capsules out. You can rent them for a few hours, or a whole night. You can also rent them at the airport here in Tokyo, something that the U.S. is trying to implement in its airports.
It's been an amazing trip here to Tokyo. I spent time yesterday at Hibiya park, smaller than NYC's Central Park, but beautiful nonetheless. I've enjoyed riding the subway, seeing salaryman and suitsu in their dark navy suits. Tuesday I ate udan noodles (don't let anyone tell you that you can't eat on the cheap in Tokyo) and sat by a couple of businessmen, they couldn't have been nicer. Also, I've reconnected with my friends from several years ago, and we went out last night at the Azabu-juban station for yakatori--grilled chicken. What I didn't know about this yakatori was that they grill everything of the chicken, including the heart, liver, and eggs still in the stomach sack (contrary to how it sounds, it was delicious! I only wish they would have served it at the beginning of the meal instead of at the end). It was truly a great night, followed up by drinks at a local bar.
Saturday I'll be going with a friend of mine to the major fish market (where they buy and sell)...he used to be a purchaser of fish several years ago and prepared a 40 lb. tuna at his wedding. I'm told this market is a sight to see, I read somewhere that some catches can fetch up to $50,000 USD. I'm guessing it's not wall-eyed trout they're hawking there.
Of all the Asian cities I've been to, Tokyo has spoken to me the most heavily. I don't know if it's the pace of life or what it is, but I've enjoyed my time immensely here, and I'll miss my friends and city when I leave.
In the meantime, there's still a lot left to do, friends to see, and sake to drink. I only hope that I can get some time to sleep, either at the hotel, on the subway, or in a little cubicle in the Shibuya area where I can watch that Seinfeld episode dubbed in Japanese.
Well, maybe not many people's dream, but it's been a dream of mine for a very long time to travel to Japan. Plans fell through in 2003 for me to come and visit the Land of the Rising Sun, but I determined to make it here. Well, now I'm here, at the Sakura Hostel on the eastern side of Tokyo at Asakusa. Which, by the way, is a great hostel, if you are planning to come to Tokyo, stay there. The three reasons why I think it's a great hostel? The first: they don't allow sleeping bags in the rooms. This is a great step against the foul and stench that travelers bring to the petri dish of disease that is international hostels. The second? I get my own room! Trust me, after a full two weeks in China with a group of diverse personalities and egos, the last thing I want is to be sharing a room with a group of Dutch college students who want to drink Satori Beer from the vending machine and rage against the defunct American system. Give me my own Santory Beer from the vending machine, and I'll be quite happy. The third is that this hostel is not only off the beaten path (read: East-side ghetto), but that they enforce the curfew and making it a peaceful hostel. Also, NO unauthorized visitors in the hostel, or the front desk will call the police. I like that! No solicitization (as in China) in the hotels, etc. It is Japanese in nature, and really a change from other travel hostels that can make the experience less reflective and more communal. In fact, let the French college students watch hours of Anime (and trust me, there are, I don't know if they are linguistics majors, animation majors, or just global nerds, but here they are) in the commons. I don't care! I'll be getting down time in my own room upstairs.
But I digress from my point of my passion to get to Japan. As many of you know, I studied foreign languages (Spanish & Russian) and then spent some time living in Russia in 1995. I went back for my MA in TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language) and then moved to Boulder, Colorado where I began teaching in Graduate Preparatory Programs with the Economics Institute. It was in these programs that I began to be exposed to the Japanese. In the summer of 2000, we had a large group and most were from Japan. They were a curious race to me, to be sure. They studied hard, and with the same determination, partied hard. We went on golf outings, ate sushi at some of the best Japanese restaurants, and attended baseball games and frequented clubs.
They were great students, really respected the profession of teaching. In the U.S., we have this notion of "Those who can do, those who can't teach (and even funnier, Those who can't teach, teach gym)." But the Japanese really made you feel like you wanted to BE a teacher, that it was a noble profession. The idea of senseii--or teacher--was not only learning lessons inside the classroom, but outside of the classroom as well, learning the subtleties of a culture or language.
So, it's great to connect with my students again, in the Roppongi district (where all the clubs are) and catch up with these guys, see what they have been doing in the time since they got their MBA's. And who knows, maybe we'll head back to my hostel for the post-party! On second thought, maybe not.
I apologize for the late blog entries, my China trip is now a fond memory and I am now in the land of the Rising Sun, Japan. And of course, here, the government does not censor the website or content, so I'll try to make up for lost time. I the title of this blog doesn't really relate to the content, just a funny story on leaving China. I had bought a gold lighter (purposefully distressed) with a communist flag and picture of Mao, when you opened it up, it played the Communist China anthem. I thought it would make a good gift, but the airport personnel confiscated it. (You can see the picture attached)...I wasn't sure if it was truly a fire hazard (they gutted the other newer lighters) or that they didn't want that lighter to leave the country. Either way, it was an interesting end to a great 2 weeks.
Here are a couple of entries from the first few days...
Sunday, May 24, 2009
I land in Beijing approximately 9:30pm. It’s been a good flight from Tokyo, although most of the passengers are wearing masks, I think Japan is extra paranoid about that. The woman I sit next to is a businesswoman, she is wearing a mask, too. Once we land in Beijing, medical personnel come on board with little phaser-like instruments, scan the forehead, and check the temperature. She was scanned three times. Sheesh. One Japanese couple was taken off the plane, I assume they had some symptoms…
It’s interesting to fly on your own to such as faraway place as China. Not a lot seems to have changed much since I was here in 2001. However, I am taken aback by the sheer modern marvel that is the Beijing Airport. Everything is new, there is a modern train to take us from the landing terminal to the baggage gate and taxi area.
I realize I am a foreigner. I stick out, and that’s okay. I’m okay with that. A man continues to approach me to solicit his services. I keep turning down his requests, but he is persistent.
I head down the elevator to catch a formal taxi. I notice too that there are not that many foreigners. It looks like a lot of Chinese people. One girl waiting for the taxi was speaking Italian on her cell phone.
I catch the taxi and give the slip of paper with the directions to the university to the cabdriver. He agrees, and we are off! However, about 400 yards from the gate, right where he picked me up, he pulls over. He doesn’t know where this is. I know this, not because he spoke English, but because he did the universal “I don’t know” shrug. Oh great, I am going to be abducted and be sold in the Chinese slave market. Probably have to sew buttons at a clothing sweatshop. Shoulda paid more attention in Home Ec in high school.
But that’s just the thing. You feel safe here in China. Really safe. I’m sure there is crime, and although I haven’t analyzed the statistics, China’s a safe country. I think one of the reasons is that if you steal, you could be put to death. There was a story one of our professors told about an American group that went to the countryside, someone couldn’t find their camera! Officials thought a farmer stole the camera, and they took him out and shot him. Later the owner of the camera found the camera, turns out they didn’t take it with them. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time! But I digress. The Chinese people (the ones that I was able to interact with anyways) were kind, helpful, generous, and had a good sense of humor. Only one person didn’t have a good sense of humor, the cleaning lady when I asked for 2 more big towels, and she brought the two clean towels and wanted the two dirty ones; I only had one. My roommate finally found his dirty one; when I gave it back to her it looked like she wanted to punch me.
Back to my taxi ride. So the Taxi driver, I call him “Joe” calls Tom, one of the other professors and directors of the program and gets directions. All is good. I try to make some basic conversation with Joe, but since I don’t know any Chinese, there is none. Seriously, the Chinese cab drivers don’t speak any English. My Chinese was worse, if that’s possible. I think I said, “Xie xie” (thank you) and then he proceeded to open up machine-gun Chinese on me. When he spoke to me, all I heard was “Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx(tones, hard stop)xxxmeigoxxxxxxx…” I was like sheesh, man! And then I was like, “Wait..he said Meigo!” that means America! And I wanted to say, “yes” but did you know that there is no real word for “yes” in Chinese? You have to say something like, “truth” or “Mao would agree with you in this instance,” or something like that. So I said to the taxidriver, “Wo (I) shir (am) Meigo-ren.” Which Meigo means beautiful and “ren” is “people.” Hey and did you also know that Meigo means beautiful? Which, really, if they call America beautiful (which, aside from ‘Jersey, it is, right?), aren’t there other countries just as deserving as that title? Like Vietnam, they have pretty jungles. Or Peru, they have beautiful ruins. But what I heard also was that the Chinese will name a country based on the Engiish sound (because that’s who exposed them to the West, right?)So Meigo sounds like “AMEriCa.” Likewise, Russia is Uuugooh (hungry). That’s fascinating, but really, isn’t that like you receiving a prize for a trait that’s out of your control?
The taxi drive to the university was a good experience. Here I was, trying to connect with Joe with my limited Chinese. Even if I saw a Chinese word in the dictionary I brought, the tones were much more difficult and you kind of have to be able to read pinyin (Romanized Chinese transliteration).
The road system is amazing. I remember it being good, but it’s GOOD. It’s new, smooth, and well-lit. The driving is very intense, though. There are multitudes of transport trucks, semis, etc. They drive very close to one another. It’s definitely China.
What I found interesting was that the Taxi Driver had to ask several people where the university was. The students, then the military/gate keepers were helpful too. If they help you, and you say to them “xie xie,” they will respond with a smile, “buh kuh che” (you’re welcome).
The campus is fairly large. It was already 11:00pm when I arrived. We are next to the cafeteria as well as an all girl’s dorm. I pay the taxi, it’s around 88 yuan (the exchange rate is 6.8:1, so just round up and divide the number by 7—like 11 bucks, so that’s not bad! Man, I blow through 40 USD going from the airport to my sisters house in Manhattan, and that’s not even that far.
I go to the front desk, I ask for a key, but butcher the word. They stare at me. The taxi driver approaches me. I have left my phrasebook in his taxi. Nice guy! So I make it to room 406 (they tell me I’ve been moved from 311 to there), Paul is there, and I’m not there, so I’m in 311. Dan opens the door, he was just about to go to sleep, but he’s affable and still fun of energy. He’s been here since Friday and is giving me the scoop on everything. He’s a personable guy, and it’s pretty funny seeing him lay down on his bed as he’s like 6’7” and the beds are only for folks maybe 5’11”. We shoot the bull for an hour, and decide to hit the hay. It’s an early morning tomorrow (Monday), we’re starting with breakfast and then a company tour. The rooms are nice, I generally don’t need much as far as room and board when I go abroad; it reminds me of the hotel we stayed in when I was in China in 2001. We have 49 Chinese Language Stations, and one English language station. But that station is pretty helpful, they have a lot of programs on housing in China and how FDI changed the Chinese landscape. I’m not that big of fan, but Dan is, so more power to him! I notice too that Chinese adverts on the television are shorter—some only last 10 second or so—and I find this interesting. Is it due to Chinese lack of attention span, or the fact that so much of the market is still command economy by the government? But I don’t have time to think about all of that—I need to get some sleep! I pop an Ambien and drift off..
Money makes the world go round.
The official currency is the yuan. But you can also call it Renimbi, or RNM. You can also use “Kwan” as in dollar. “Chen” is money. “Dwou shao chen is how much money?”
Monday, May 25, 2009
I wake to Dan’s cell phone’s alarm. It’s light out, it’s probably 7:00am. We have to be at the bus by 8:30am, but first we are going to breakfast. We’re staying at the China Ag University, it was built in 1906 during the Boxer rebellion. Princess Dowager donated the land on which the university was built.
The dorm cafeteria is right next door. We walk up 3 flights of stairs and to our left is the breakfast cafeteria. I remember food from my last stint in China. There’s a large selection of food: meats, breads, soups. I select a fried egg, bao-tze (like a biscuit with meat inside), a blini, yogurt, OJ & Water. We sit with the other students and professors. We’re the only foreigners (or non-Asians, at least) in the cafeteria.
We begin the day on the bus with Dr. Steven Thomas providing some language and culture for us. Did you know that Beijing means northern (Bei) capital (Jing)? On a side language note, Chinese reminds me of Russian or German, combining new words with existing words or phonemes. Likewise, Nanjing means southern city. Also, in terms of U.S. counterparts, Beijing is like DC, Shanghai is like NYC, and Nanjing is like Boston.
It's great to tour these companies (Asiacom, a large Telecommunications provider in China and Montrose, an American wine importer).
Impressions: I was trying to wrap my brain around this concept of JV (Joint Venture) or SOE (State Owned Enterprise--basically, the goverment owns the company and infuses it with capital, case in point, Bao Steel). People asked the questions if the government interferes with the broadcasting, do they censor. (Steve brought up the fact that he saw a Chinese program once, then an hour later, he saw the same program edited for revision/content. Interesting that they could edit so quickly on a dime.) However, she said that it all belongs to the government. If you want to do this, you need to apply to the Chinese government. The Chinese government still screens the media. (As well, in the case of the internet, the government still screens this, in the case of my Asia blog site, I am forbidden to access it, I will need to access through a proxy server.)
My question related to hiring new employees. I wanted to know how they do planning to hire new talent. But she said that the government determines that, I would assume that they would still be in charge of capacity and the forecasting. I would like to do some more research on how they are in charge of those controls. It would be nice to keep in contact with her and help to provide options for the company when they look to hire new telecommunications engineers, and hopefully they can use CU as a resource.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
The Chinese tend to call it as they see it, and our group (all Americans) have been called out. The Chinese use the word Guay—ghost or devil--to describe foreigners. Wow! Can't you be a bit more PC like the Japanese, who just use "gaijin"--foreigner?? Anyways, we'ver heard the word on different ways on different UCD students:
One guy was called "Big Guay from across the ocean (he's 6'7", blond)" no duh.
Another guy, a lot shorter was called Little Guay
Then, I swear, some kid called me Guay something something Yanni. Maybe that was Guay from across the ocean who looks like Yanni.
Anyways, these are just a few of the entries from the China trip. I'll go through my notes and post some more. As it stands, my journal (which we'll need to turn in at the end of the summer) is topping 30 pages.
All right, I'm off to bed soon, I have a busy week here in Japan, first and foremost, I'll be getting time with some of my friends from almost 10 years ago! It's going to be a great time celebrating, hanging out, and having a lot of fun. And who knows? Maybe I'll find another Mao lighter that will make it through security!
Just got an update from a friend who mentioned that I may need to change my blog to a proxy server as the government still censors information on blogs.
I most likely will have access to Facebook, so if there are any problems with the blog, I'll just post on FB.
Ok, I gotta board the plane to SF, so watch for updates!
Thanks for your interest in this Asia trip! I will be updating this blog daily, I'll include some pics and hopefully some videos along the way. I'll also be submitting some stuff up on my Facebook account, so check it out when you get a chance! Now, this is my first time blogging, bear with me, I'm sure there will be moments of stream of consciousness, a la Sylvia Plath, hopefully my head won't wind up in an oven.
So, I am headed to China (Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Quodong) from May 23 - June 10. It's a Maymester class for my MBA in International Business with the University of Colorado at Denver. This semester I took the course Ventures in China class (I would highly recommend this if you are looking to learn more about China's economy, history, business aspects, and political sphere) and was able to take advantage the study abroad Maymester course. In this trip we'll be touring joint ventures, multinationals, SOEs (state owned enterprises), as well as government facilities and of course sightseeing!
China and I go way back. (Not as way back as the Qing Dynasty, but you get my drift.) I was in China in 2001, and, although it was a good international experience, my impressions were less than stellar. This was due to several challenges I faced personally. One of the challenges I found was in the language. I enjoy languages and have a knack for mimicking them. Chinese, although grammatically not as difficult as, say Russian or Finnish, was very difficult for me in the area of tones. There are four tones in Chinese, and I felt I butchered them all. In Shanghai, for example, I asked a waitress at a restaurant for a pair of 'kuàizi' or chopsticks. Her eyes almost bugged out of her head, she had no idea what I was saying. Another time I kept mispronouncing this one Chinese girl's name, I think she just had me call her by her English name, "Britney" to avoid the constant correction. The second challenge is the aspect of 'fitting in.' In most cultures I've visited: Venezuela, Russia, Kazakhstan, even France, I tend to look like a native. People just start coming up to me and chatting it up. Not so in China, there's no way you can slip into the crowd, even wearing a pair of sunglasses. Even at my 5'9" stature, I towered over most. The last challenge was just in regards to customs and moreys, things that the Chinese accept or eschew. For example, babies and toddlers will just pee on the street. Heck, I saw a kid pee in a plant pot at the China Air kiosk. Just dropped trou and let 'er rip. You'll be walking along the street and hear someone behind you hock up a loogie and spit it out, right on the street. You turn around, and it's a 90 year old grandmother. But the Chinese hate it when you don't cover your mouth when picking your teeth. Really? But peeing in pots and hocking phlegm (loudly) in public is okay?
But now it's 2009, I'm a little older, a little wiser (hopefully), and I'm exicited to re-engage with China! I've been working on my Chinese, and I don't really care if I don't nail the tones, I'm there to have fun and really connect with the locals. I'm ready not to fit in, either way, I think I'll leave my bright orange Crocs at home so I don't get singled out by the Triads. And I'm ready to go with the flow (pardon the pun) with the cultural norms of the culture. Look for me by the pot at the China Air ticket counter!
