The Old Campus

Shandong University has seven different campuses scattered across the city. Stayc teaches at the Central Campus, which is not too far from us (a 15 minute bus or bike ride), but the Old Campus is only a short walk from where we live.

 

Occasionally, we would pass the entrance gate as we walked to the bus stop or various shops in the area, but we didn't go in until a couple of weeks ago. The map indicates that there is a large green area within the campus, so naturally, we were curious.

It turned out to be a lovely little campus with tree-lined roads (with very few cars, since they didn't seem to be allowing anyone to drive onto the campus . . . maybe just officials?) and flower gardens and large green spaces and, of course, the kids' favorite . . . exercise equipment.

As a side note, the kids have been really into fitness lately--Lutece especially. She has a daily regimen of sit-ups and push-ups and deep-knee-bends. It is hilarious. She is convinced she's broken the world record for most deep-knee-bends done in one minute. She keeps asking me if we can call Guiness to let them know. Seriously. It deserves its own blog post.

The Old Campus was built in 1902, and there are some fairly old structures. The Catholic Church is one of them and it seems very out-of-place, but pretty in a non-Chinese way.

We walked around to the front to see if we could go in (on a Sunday, no less.) The gates were locked and the only people in sight were a young couple getting their pictures taken. So much for the Catholic Church in Jinan. Still, it was lovely. I've gone back with the kids once or twice when they want to go to a park-like setting, but don't want to walk the mile or so to Baihua Park. It meets our needs for green and peace.

Found in Translation

I am fascinated by Chinese characters. It is one of the things I love about being in China. Chinese writing appeals to the art-lover in me, as each character is a small picture, and writing feels like a creative process. It can be frustrating to be illiterate, but I try to look at reading as a game or a puzzle, and every week I find I can solve a little more of the puzzle.

All four of us are working on our Chinese characters . . . at varying levels. Each week, Stayc gives us a list of about eight new characters that we have to write throughout the week and also find on signs when we are out and about. In addition, I look for characters that I see often or that I especially want to know and add them to my own list. Phoenix does the same. (Stayc has a much more advanced list.)

When I take the kids to the park, I also play a little game with myself. I look for new characters and draw them into a fantastic app called Pleco. The tricky part is writing the characters with the correct stroke order.

I decided to decipher this sign a couple of weeks ago at the park. I started with the last character because it was the easiest to draw (and I see it all over the place). It means "area."

Encouraged, I then drew in the middle character. The translation came up as "land, earth, ground." Ok. Finally, I drew in the first character and it came up as "wet, damp, humid." Wet. Land. Area.

A wet-lands area!! The arrow was pointing to a wet-lands area!! How exciting! Not the wet-lands area, but the fact that I could decipher the sign.

Technology is amazing. Stayc told me that Pleco has an add-on that allows you to simply hold up your device and take a picture of any characters, signs, etc. and a translation will come up immediately. Awesome. But then where would be the fun of drawing in all the characters yourself?

We may just purchase the add-on yet.

Jinan Firsts ~ Hair Cuts

The boys' hair started getting shaggy a couple of weeks ago. The time for hair cuts had arrived. Normally, Stayc and Phoenix get their hair cut at Chez Garage, with me wielding the clippers. Haircuts are average at best and I was convinced that things could only improve here in China.

We settled on a hair salon close to our house (there were several to chose from), and Lutece and I went along for the experience (and as the official photographer). Stayc and Phoenix both had their hair washed twice (once before the haircut, and once after) and patted dry. Stayc did his best to communicate what we wanted Phoenix's hair to look like (short). I used hand motions.

The stylist got the general idea and went to work. I was a little worried that it would be too long when he started out on top with the scissors, but then he brought out the clippers to tighten up the sides. You should have seen this guy work. No doubt barbers all across the globe are equally adept at using clippers, I just haven't seen them in action.

Looking good! Phoenix even got his hair blow-dried after his second washing. He didn't have much patience for that though. He was ready to be done.

Then it was Stayc's turn. Yup, it was definitely time for a haircut. Again, we tried to explain how he wanted his hair cut . . . "Just like the little boy's." The woman sitting next to Stayc spoke a little English and translated that last bit of instruction.

They both ended up with great haircuts! China will spoil them and they will never want to go back to Chez Garage for shoddy haircuts again.  Sadly, the US just can't compete with 15 yuan per person ($2.50). It will be a tough choice.

The finished product! You can always tell where the barber shops are in China. Just look for the fancy barber poles.

p.s. Our friend Lareina was chagrined that we had paid so much for haircuts. She told me of a woman who cuts hair for 5 yuan per person (80-90 cents). I may be a bargain shopper, but I'm ok with spending $2.50 for a salon experience.

Eating Out ~ Sichuan Style

After our last experience eating at a restaurant, we knew we needed to get back on the proverbial horse (and hope we weren't eating a literal one :). Stayc had eaten with some colleagues at a Sichuan restaurant near the University and had a good experience, so yesterday the kids and I met Stayc on campus for lunch after his last class was done.

The frogs at the front of the restaurant looked so fat and juicy that we decided to be adventurous and order the frog's legs stir fry.

I'm kidding! We are not that crazy . . . yet.

Still, the frogs amused the kids while we were waiting for our food. (Also, we barely averted ordering rabbit heads for lunch. Luckily, Stayc caught the word "head" at the end. Rabbit, I can do. Rabbit heads? Not so much.)

Since Stayc had been to this restaurant previously with a native speaker, he already knew we wanted to order the sweet and sour pork with pineapple. 

It was delicious!! Oh my, very delicious! I'm sure my picture doesn't do it justice (but perhaps all you need to do is compare it to the pictures in the post linked above).

We also ordered this dish. All we knew was that the picture in the menu looked good and the waitress said it wouldn't be spicy (she indicated that the kids would like it). It turned out to be utterly scrumptious. Chunks of moist pork mixed with whole cloves of roasted garlic in a tasty sauce. Indeed, we all loved it. (I finally convinced Stayc that the garlic was not spicy at all since roasting the cloves removes all the bite, only leaving the mellow essence of garlic behind.)

 The bill, including four servings of rice and two orange drinks came to 72 yuan ($11-12). Now THAT'S what I call good Chinese food!! We will definitely be back, and if we can find some other restaurants with food (and prices) this good, we will be eating out more than once a week!

Pop-Up Public Gardens

It's fall here in Jinan, as it is, most likely, where you live too. We have noticed that gardeners at parks and public places have been changing flowers and plants to those more suitable for cooler weather.

Still, it's seems a bit fantastical to suddenly come across a garden where there wasn't one before. I mean, there wasn't even dirt here before.

A closed-eyed Lutece. Natch.

In fact, these "gardens" are simply made up of hundreds and hundreds of small potted plants. One day there's only sidewalk; the next day there is a huge flower garden. I love it! When the mums bloom, it will look really nice.

What's for Dessert

Mmmm, look at that bright yellow color. I don't even remember the last time I used margarine.

Hey, it's not just about dinner. You've got to sweeten things up a bit too.

Last Monday I was in charge of the Family Home Evening treat. The apples at the market have been so crisp and tasty lately, and with the onset of fall, I've been craving a good apple crisp. I scoured the Internet for recipes that don't use butter or an oven (neither of which I have), and I finally came across something I could work with here. I decided to splurge on the "margarine," because the thought of using peanut oil in my crisp was just depressing. (However, I just noticed the expiration date on the package of margarine and that's a little depressing too . . . still, it's margarine, not butter; how bad can it be?)

Enough cinnamon to last the year.

When we asked a kind semi-English-speaking neighbor about cinnamon a couple of weeks ago, she said we could probably buy it online (on the Chinese version of Ebay or Amazon). We didn't plan on doing it, but then she stopped by with this huge container that she had purchased for us. People can be so nice. I feel beholden to everyone.

Et voila! Apple crisp. The oat topping was a bit chewier than I would have liked (the sugar and butter carmelized). Next time, I think I'll try my hand at a softer topping or even a cake batter that I pour over the apples and then cook in the pan with the lid on. So many things to try!

I also took some over to our neighbor. I don't know what a Chinese would think of apple crisp, but it's good to try new things, neh?

Jinan Firsts ~ Eating at a Restaurant

 

Eating out at a restaurant has been an elusive experience for us. Aside from our very first day in Jinan, we have not ventured into the realm of restaurants with children. Street food, yes. Restaurants, no. So Stayc and I decided that we should start going out to eat once a week, just for the experience of eating authentic Chinese food while in China. 

 

For our first night out, we headed to a road near the Old Campus of the university that is lined with restaurants. We chose one that looked clean and had lots of patrons . . . both good signs. Ironically, because the restaurant WAS so full (these are very small spaces), they seated us upstairs in a completely private area, and aside from the waitress, we didn't see a single person during the entire meal. 

 

Ordering is always the most difficult part of the process. Even if the menu has pictures (which this one did), you're still never quite sure what you're going to get. With the help of the waitress (who spoke no English), we ordered something with "ji" (chicken) and a noodle dish with pork.

You need to look closely at the above chicken dish to fully appreciate its value.

 

The pork in the noodle dish was really just bits of bacon, and the noodles were thick and glassy, with a texture not unlike slimy worms. Texture aside, the flavor left much to be desired. I couldn't eat it.

Luckily, the kids ate some of the noodle dish without any complaints. Wow. We had also ordered rice for everyone, so they filled up on that as well.

I worked on the chicken dish (but left the head and claws for another time) and picked small bits of meat off the bones for the kids. The sauce and peppers were actually quite tasty.

I really WANT to like Chinese food. I do. We all love "American" Chinese food, which is apparently not even close to "Chinese" Chinese food. We will keep trying, but I can't make any guarantees.

Back in a FHE Groove

We keep forgetting who's in charge of what for Family Home Evening on Mondays, so I finally got around to making a new FHE chart. No brads? No problem! I used a bent paper clip to give our chart some rotating action.

It's amazing how much of life stays the same even halfway across the world.

Market Day . . . Again

Yesterday was "Market Day," but this week I had my secret weapon . . . Lareina. Mid-autumn festival is next week, and Lareina came home from school early and once again put herself at my disposal. I took her with me to the market yesterday and it was great! Now that I'm more comfortable with the market itself, I could focus a little more on the language, especially with my personal translator in tow.

I don't think I mentioned it in my last post about the market, but often after I buy something, the vendor will say something to me and wait for my response. I have absolutely no idea what they are saying, but I've always assumed it had something to do with the transaction. I worry that I didn't pay enough, or some other such issue. So stressful! This week, the vendors directed most of their comments to Lareina, and I distinctly heard her use the word "mei guo." Hey! I know that word! It means "american." When I asked Lareina about it, sure enough, people were simply asking where I was from. What a relief! And how sad! People are just making polite conversation and all I can do is gape and shrug my shoulders.

Next time someone asks me something, I am going to listen hard for the word "guo" (country) and assume they are simply asking me where I am from. I can give a simple answer to that, right? Then, when someone actually DOES tell me that I haven't paid enough money for the onions, I will smile and respond, "American!"

p.s. There was one vendor selling edamame (see above) and so I bought 2 yuan worth (35 cents). I'm so pleased that I know how to prepare fresh edamame. All those years of membership in our CSA are really paying off here in China. 

p.p.s. One vendor laughingly told Lareina that if I were Japanese, he wouldn't have sold me anything. Gulp. Not a very funny joke, since I assume he was just being truthful. I sure hope US/Chinese relations remain good!

Picture Perfect

Lutece's picture face . . .

so we can remember it . . .

and use it against her someday.

Daming Lake ~ The Wedding Edition

Is there a certain picturesque locale in your hometown where you often see couples or families posing for professional photos? After our visit to Daming Lake, I am fairly certain I have found that spot in Jinan. There were so many couples getting their wedding pictures taken that I couldn't resist taking a few photos myself.

I was fascinated by all the wedding dresses, especially the more colorful ones. There was one girl wearing a short poofy dress and a quirky little hat. She looked like a live anime character. I was so focused on the brides' dresses that at first I didn't notice the grooms' outfits. Dig the pink jacket above or the cream-colored suit below.

It feels kind-of rude to take pictures of people without their permission (although people do it ALL the time with us), so I take sneaky pictures of the kids (see below) when I'm really just photographing the people behind them.

Who cares about the kids? I want a picture of the people behind them.

Young engaged couples are cheesy all over the world, but here, the men have the suits to back it up.

Daming Lake

Jinan only has a few sites that find their way into the guide books. Daming Lake is one of the them. It is a lovely lake in the middle of the city that is connected to the natural springs for which Jinan is famous. We decided that it would be our first official "Saturday Field Trip," and two weeks ago we took the bus there.

The east end of the lake is dotted with small islands covered in lush vegetation and connected together by small bridges and walkways.

The kids love all the little paths. It makes them feel like explorers.

The western part of the lake is more expansive. You can rent tiny little motorboats that seat about six people and that you drive yourself. Definitely a must for our next visit.

We asked Lutece to take a picture of just us. She's getting better at taking pictures. Of course, there were three others that I had to dump, but at least she knows to take several pictures.

These larger boats tour the whole lake. So picturesque.

We all had a really nice time and we'll be heading back again before the weather gets too cold to really enjoy the outdoors. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the majority of the Lake was free to the public, since we had expected to pay for entrance. Peaceful AND free? We'll definitely be back!