Spring Festival and Dialects

Hey Yall-

Just got back from celebrating Spring Festival (春节) (Chun Jie) (Chinese New Year) and before I go into details about the holiday, I wanted to let yall know that a big surprise was waiting for me when I got off the train in Guiyang..and that was the most beautiful weather I have experienced so far in China. Maybe it wasn't really the best weather, but after two and half months of winter, anytime you can see the sun and not have to wear winter underwear or a jacket, then you know it's going to be a good day.

Starting in November it began to get cold here..and the bad part isn't the actual cold..because it's just as cold, and colder in some places, in America...but the big difference is that in America when you go inside you get relief from the cold...but here it's still cold inside. Of the 4 regions that PC volunteers serve in, only Gansu Province volunteers have heating provided for them by the government inside..so they get warm when they go inside, but when they go outside, they have to deal with some of the coldest climates in PC China...even though the volunteer in Liupanshui (六盘水) in western Guizhou would argue that he has the coldest site..which it's probably true because when I was there in October it was cold..and I've heard now that it's an igloo..and I also heard that when he had visitors a while back, they resorted to burning books to keep warm..but apparently this only caused his apartment to smell bad and be filled with smoke.

So for the other 3 regions in China we have to find ways to stay warm..all of us have some sort of heater in our apartments that's usually provided by the school..some have the big AC units that also serve as a heater and others have space heaters..And these heaters do a pretty good job of keeping one room warm, but not all of them..so for me I have a space heater in my bedroom and at night when I sleep I stay warm..but when I go out of the bedroom to the kitchen or bathroom, especially in the morning, it's freezing..so most winter days inside my apartment are spent wearing outside clothes..usually 3-4 layers..the worst part though is my hands..

But things got better after I shared with my students my feelings about the cold, especially my hands..they could already tell this because most of the time while I was teaching..if I wasn't talking, I was usually blowing hot air into my hands because gloves and chalk do not mix. So one of my students, Honey, bought me a Christmas present and it was a gift to keep my hands warm..We don't have these things in America, so during one class we came up with an English name..in Chinese they call it a 电暖宝 (Dian Nuan Bao)..which translates literally to: "Electric warm treasure/precious." The students decided to call it an "Electric Hand Warmer." Not a sexy name, but it's more appropriate than the direct translation. And so this hand warmer is this small bag that's filled with water and you plug it into the wall and the water is heated up..and then you hold it in your hands and it keeps them warm..it works really well and it has saved my hands' life..I never used it during class, but I would heat it up right before I went to sleep and hold it while I sleep.

One last thing about the weather before I talk about what I'm actually supposed to be telling yall about..As I said, it's cold here..and the students feel it also and the first time I heard about what they have to go through during the winter..you just feel so bad for them..In their dorms there isn't any heat (and they're not allowed to use heaters) so they have to rely on these hand warmers to stay warm..and then when they want to take a shower..they told me that there's not always warm water..so they either take a cold shower or don't take one at all..And to top it off, in most dorm rooms..the students, at least at my school (the numbers change from school to school) have up to 12 people in one dorm room..The girls have it the worst because there are more girls than boys at my school..so in the freshmen girl's dorm room there are 12 people..but the boy's, because of the low numbers, have about 4 in each room..This blew my mind at first, but the students kind of like having large numbers in their rooms, at least during the winter time, because they say it keeps the room warmer.

Ok..back to the topic..Spring Festival..I spent it with my host family and their extended family..and we ended up spending it in Chongqing City, where my host mother's family lives..I got there on Spring Festival Eve..I took the overnight train from Guiyang to Chongqing, but when I got there, there was some confusion about which train station I'd be arriving at..in Guiyang, we only have one train station..so I, wrongly, assumed that Chongqing was the same..or at the very least that if there was more than one station, then I would be ending up at the main one because Guiyang is an important city..apparently not important enough..so my host family was waiting for me at 重庆北火车站 (Chongqing Bei Huo Che Zhan) (Chongqing North Train Station) while I was waiting for them at 重庆火车站, which is just Chongqing Train Station..who knew..

Waiting for them wasn't so bad, but figuring out where I was was pretty interesting..first off..my host family can't really speak English..they can say a few sentences, but overall my Chinese is better than their English..and while having a conversation with them in person isn't too difficult..the hard part is doing it by phone (not very clear)..luckily an employee of the train station saw me having a difficult time communicating with them on the phone and offered her help..she also couldn't speak English, but I asked her to tell them where I was and in the end it worked out..and the employee (唐春容) (Tang Chun Rong) was nice of enough to talk with me while I waited for them..And one part of her name, Chun, is the same Chun in Chun Jie (Spring Festival)..so maybe it was meant to be..

One interesting thing about the interaction with me and Chun Rong was the initial greeting...when she first came up to me, she said "Hello..Can I help you?" This is a common greeting that Chinese students learn in school when they learn about how to talk with foreigners..but the funny thing about it is that this is the only sentence Chun Rong can say in English..so if I hadn't been able to speak, poorly though it is, Chinese I don't know how she would have been able to help me..And I asked her about this later during our chat..and all she could do was laugh and say “我不知道” (Wo Bu Zhi Dao) (I don't know).

So after about an hour of chatting and waiting..the family showed up and then we went to their family's house..and this house, like almost all in Southwestern China, was not heated..so outside clothes were still worn inside..

Some highlights of celebrating Spring Festival...One of the best parts was definitely the food..sooo much food..and the big, important dinner was that first night I was there (New Year's Eve). This is the most important day during this holiday, so they go all out for dinner..and I was happy to get to try lots of new foods, including turtle and rabbit..the rabbit was pretty good..couldn't really tell the difference between it and chicken..but the turtle was excellent..really delicate meat and a new flavor I've never had before that can only be described as "turtle."

And along with a big dinner, especially a special one, comes the alcohol..and all the volunteers here, and when we first got here we learned about it fast, know about Chinese alcohol..the infamous 白酒 (Bai Jiu) (White Alcohol)..Now I could do a whole blog entry about the mysteries, uses, and effects of Bai Jiu, but I'll give you a few of the key points..It taste like crap..it burns, has a bad flavor, doesn't go down smooth, and the bad taste in your mouth likes to stay for a while (I just learned that the longer the taste stays in your mouth, the better the quality is-apparently)..And I think Chinese people agree with these descriptions, but still...if you go to a big dinner, you will most likely be served this tasty beverage..And you don't just drink Bai Jiu..it's much more important in Chinese culture than just drinking it..Probably even more important than drinking it is the acts leading up it..

And I'm talking about toasting..In America toasts are important..weddings, parties, etc..we use toasts, but if we don't have a toast it's not the end of the world..in China though..toasts are a vital part of their culture..it's a sign of respect when you toast someone and there is a bonding experience involved when you share a drink together that brings people closer together..so during our dinner it is important for everyone to toast each other..usually there is a big toast to start off..and later on individual toasts are done..and there is a certain order of who and when you toast..the oldest person gets toasted first and the most often..and then you work your way down the age and importance line..Foreigners are somewhat of an exception though..At previous big dinners and banquets, I've never been put ahead of the eldest and most important at the table, but depending on the person who's toasting me, I usually fall somewhere between the eldest and middle importance level on the toasting order..And when you are toasted, it is important that later on you repay their respect with a toast to them..Now foreigners can get away with not toasting because we can always play the "I'm a foreigner and don't know" card..but if you do make toasts and show respect, the other people always like you better..

Now all this toasting leads to interesting moments, and this night was no different..Grandpa, who had to be pushing 80, was a big drinker..and after about 2 hours of drinking Grandpa was feeling good..and the highlight was him saying he felt hot and trying to take off his sweatpants at the table..he got about halfway down until his family stopped him..

Oh and one piece of advice..if you're not a big drinker, but don't want to be disrespectful..when you drink it's not required to drink the whole shot in one..they will want you to, but they won't be offended if you don't (think baby sips)..and when you want to toast people, instead of toasting individually (which means more drinking), you can toast the entire table..This is perfectly acceptable and will make everyone happy and comfortable..

So now that I've probably angered my mom because I've been talking only about alcohol for a while..let me go onto some more lighthearted moments..I spent four days with the family and most of the time was spent either relaxing or going out around the city and enjoying the sites..One day we went hiking up a nearby, well-known mountain..it was a nice hike, but still cold..and another day we went to, I guess I could say amusement park...Again, eating a lot of food and enjoying family time..

And of course my favorite part was talking with my Meimei (little sister)..she is now 13 and is beginning to learn English..she can say a few sentences, but I'm not a 100% sure if she understands everything she says..She told me she has a foreign teacher, which means she goes to a good school because in this part of China a foreign teacher in middle school is not very common..And this teacher is Australian, which means a different accent and pronunciation of English words from Americans..

A big topic of students in China is the difference between American and British English (students are taught British English here)..They like to talk about the difference in the pronunciation and use of different words..One example is the word "Pardon." And now while I know some Americans say it..down in South Carolina I never heard it and if we did it was weird..we prefer "Huh!" So when students say this word, it always makes me feel like I'm late for 5 o'clock tea time. So I love to joke with my students that they need to use only American English and that British English is bad...One time though a student didn't realize it was a joke (this was near the beginning of the school year) and after class she handed me a note that read "Sir. Sorry I spoke British English today. I hope you are not mad at me. I know you are American and speak American English. Next time I will only speak American English. Please don't be mad at me." Wow..what do you even say? I didn't know if I should laugh or cry..I ended up apologizing and saying that it was only a joke..These students are too sweet and funny sometimes..After that I decided to word my meaning in a way so my students would understand me better..so now when we talk about the difference I always tell them that they should know and study both because if you speak with a foreigner, you never know where he or she is from..but American English is still better..

Back to Spring Festival..that night after dinner we all went out to enjoy another important part of Spring Festival-Fireworks!..Fireworks everywhere..I won't go into big detail about this part..if you want to see a video of this craziness..check out Phil's blog..he took video of the fireworks around his city..and what he saw is what we all saw..Now in America if we used fireworks the way Chinese people do, we'd either be arrested or end up in a hospital..I'll leave it at that..Check out the video.

Overall Spring Festival was a success..I wanted to spend it with a Chinese family and see, firsthand, what Chinese people do during the most important holiday in China..and I'm happy I was lucky enough to spend it with my host family..

After leaving the family's house I made a couple of detours as I made my way back home to Guiyang..I first went to visit Kristen and Phil in Bei Bei (北碚)..which is a district about 40 minutes by bus north of Chongqing City..I'd call it a city, but I'm thinking in terms of American cities..in China it's just a district of Chongqing City. It's a nice quiet district away from the big city..And after one night of hanging out with them, me and Kristen took a bus down to Zunyi (遵义)..At the bus station I was able to see Chun Rong, who had helped me at the train station, again and thank her properly..the bus station is next to that train station..so she was able to help us make sure we stood in the right line to buy the tickets..because at this time of the year, buying tickets to travel is a nightmare because everyone is on the move..

And after our 3 or so hour bus ride we arrived in Zunyi, which is in Guizhou and directly north of Guiyang..In Zunyi, there are 4 volunteers..2 are out Zunyi Medical College and the other 2 are at Zunyi Normal College..So seeing them was good and getting to see a new city was nice..Zunyi is not nearly as big as Guiyang, but I like the feel of it..a little more intiment..But my time there was very short..only one night because that next morning I had to catch a train back to Guiyang..And as I said before, arriving in Guiyang meant enjoying the amazing weather..

One more thing I wanted to share with everyone..and that is about the different dialects in the Chinese language..Every volunteer, during our training, learns 普通话 (Pu Tong Hua) (Common Language/Dialect), or as we call it in America, Mandarin. This dialect comes from the northeastern part of China (Beijing area) and, I know my history's not gonna be accurate, during the beginning of Mao's time as the leader of China, the Beijing dialect was made the national language..There are many different dialects in China, and at that time the government realized they needed to bring China together under one common dialect and the northeastern one was chosen..So TV, news, and schools all use Mandarin..It's taught in school and if a foreigner is learning Chinese, they are learning Mandarin.

Now I study Mandarin and everyone in China (I think at least) can understand Mandarin, but not everyone can speak it..or they can speak it, but when they are talking with people from their region or city, they will not speak it. They will speak their local dialect..And while there are some similarities between Mandarin and local dialects, some dialects differ so much from each other that it's basically a different language. And I am in the southwestern part of China, so books will call our dialect the southwestern dialect..this includes Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, and even Yunnan in some parts..but even these different provinces' dialects can differ in some ways..and within provinces, different cities' dialects can differ in small ways..whether it be pronunciation or different words..

And I know it sounds like a headache..and guess what..it is! So when I go out, I almost always speak standard Chinese (Mandarin). Every now and then I will throw in a common phrase or word in Guizhou dialect, but overall I try and speak as standard as possible..And so while they understand me for the most part, when they speak in dialect it is very difficult to understand them. It sounds much harsher, they speak a lot faster, and there are some times when you listen to it and it sounds like one long sound and you don't understand one thing the person said..But I am lucky though that I live in the capital so there are people from different regions here..and when people from different regions of China speak with each other, they must use Mandarin..so I get to hear a lot of Mandarin during the day..the place you will never hear Mandarin is in a local restaurant..if you want to improve your listening of the local dialect, go to a small hole in the wall restaurant, have a seat, open your ears, and enjoy.

Now I'm gonna give a shout out to the two volunteers who are in Bijie (毕节), which is a small city in Western Guizhou. They probably have the hardest time of any volunteers learning Mandarin because there site is arguably the most rural of the PC China sites..so Mandarin speakers basically do not exist..and they have told me stories of trying to speak Mandarin with locals and the people laughing at them and making fun of the dialect..I have not visited them yet, but I plan on making a trip there this coming semester and finding out for myself what it's like speaking Chinese there..

One of the reasons I'm going into detail about the different dialects is because of something that happened during my Spring Festival time with the family..The uncle of the family I stayed with is from Chongqing and he cannot speak Putonghua..The family says when he speaks it they cannot understand him, so when he speaks, he always speaks Chingqing hua so it is difficult to understand him..but luckily the other family memebers' Mandarin was clear and easy to understand. And one night we went out to dinner with a business partner of my host dad and their family..and everyone in this family was born and raised in Beijing, which means the language they speak with their friends and families is Mandarin..so they do not have to study the language as much when they are young and in school. It is their natural dialect.

As soon as I met them I was so excited because I had not talked with anyone from Beijing yet and the opportunity to hear the most standard of standard Chinese was a great one..and they did not let me down..the mother of that family spoke the clearest and easy to understand Chinese I have heard yet..it was like sweet music and the whole dinner I asked her questions and just enjoyed listening to hear speaking..

But while I was enjoying my time talking with them..I noticed that the uncle hadn't been talking much, which was rare because he liked talking, chatting, and having a good time..and then I remembered that he couldn't speak standard Chinese and if he spoke in dialect he would be embarrassed..because if you think about it..it would be embarrassing to not be able to speak your own National Language..So during dinner he did not talk because of the chance that the other family would think it was bad that he couldn't speak Mandarin. I am sure the family would not think this, but still the uncle didn't want to risk embarrasing himself.

And these differences in dialects is not like the different accents in America..at first I thought the differences were similar to differences in a northern and souther accent, or maybe even the differences between American and British accents..but it is much deeper than these differences..we can understand everyone in America for the most part and understanding British people is not difficult..whether this is because of having so many different nationalities represented in America or our love of movies and being able to hear different people speaking English..or just simply because there's not a big difference really and standard English isn't as important as Standard Chinese in order to communicate..but one Chinese person told me that some dialects differ so much that it could be compared to the differences in Spanish and German, or French and Italian..or any European languages really..

So back to the uncle..I felt really bad for him and you could see it in his face that he was embarrassed..And this is a big problem in China..not being able to communicate with your fellow countrymen..When people travel they rely on Mandarin to talk with others, but there are many people, especially poorer ones, that cannot speak it..

For us volunteers here..we will continue to study Mandarin, but continue to hear local dialects..There is no solution here because this part of China that we are in is where our English is needed the most..PC China does not go to the eastern or northern parts of China..they have more money in those schools so they are able to hire foreign teachers and pay them..Most schools that we are in cannot hire foreign teachers..There are some schools that other volunteers are at, especially in the big cities (Chengdu, Chongqing City), that have other foreign teachers..but most here do not have other foreign teachers, and if they do, it's very few..Here in Guiyang, of the 6 colleges/universities that we have volunteers at, 3 of them have other foreign teachers..and the best one in Guizhou, Guizhou University, only has 2 other foreign English teachers, and I think a Japanese teacher also..so foreign teachers are lacking in the Southwestern part of China.

One final thing..I wanted to share some other good news..I talked about in a previous blog about our school being observed by the Beijing Education Commision..I cannot remember or not if I told yall how it went..but we got approved..and they just put up a sign outside our gate that says we have a new name. We are no longer 贵州教育学院 (Guizhou Educational College)..We are now called 贵州师范学院 (Guizhou Shi Fan Xue Yuan) (Guizhou Normal College)..And the meaning of "师范 Shi Fan" is Normal or Teacher-Training or Pedagogical. So many of our students will, after graduating, become teachers..I like the sound of the name, but the problem is that every time I tell someone the name of our school, I have to remember to say the new name and not the old one..but really I'm still gonna have to say the old one after I say the new one so they will know what I'm talking about.

And tonight I am taking the train and heading to Yunnan Province for one week. So the next entry should be about my time spent there. Some other volunteers have been there already during this vacation and I've heard good things..

Alright..take care..be safe..and talk to you later.