Mountain Climbing, Dumpling Confection, and a Whole Lotta Holiday Spirit

Though one might think that, after such a colorful excursion to Beijing, settling back into everyday life might be a bit humdrum, I’ve managed to keep the sparks flying here in Jinan.

Monday and Tuesday consisted mainly of shopping for a variety of items, from expensive electronics to Christmas decorations. The former I did not partake in, but am sorely tempted by the astounding, and certainly humbling, quality of photos taken by Andy’s new SLR camera.

  In the later activity I undoubtedly played a part. I had been a bit worried about Christmas in China; would I be able to find decorations? Would anyone in this strange secular country acknowledge the arrival of my favorite holiday? Would any of the western teachers even care?

The answers to these questions pleasantly surprised me, Christmas Lover Extraordinaire. Even in Jinan, there are a few Christmas displays up already, and plenty of Christmas goods available at the local Wal-Mart (yes, we have one of those, too!). Many of the western teachers are quite excited about the coming of this holiday as well. I bought some lights, wall decorations, garlands, and even a small tree. My apartment looks so homey! It’s a small comfort to sit on my sofa, watching the string of tiny tree lights flash warm colors on the generic white walls; halfway around the world, I feel close to my family, but removed all the same.

Wednesday, Andy, Rob, Chloe, Kat, and I headed to Tai Shan Mountain, the most sacred mountain in all of China. Not only is it sacred, but is renown for it’s stunning sunrise. Though there is a bus and cable car combo that is available to take you up the mountain, Andy, Rob and I decided to brave the steep and notoriously grueling hike up the 7,000 some steps. This first half was just a teaser compared to the second half, which looked uncannily similar to Frodo, Sam, and Gollum’s trek up to Cirith Ungl to face the terrifying Shelob (yes,  I publicly embrace my geekdom). We climbed for about 4 hours, watching passing vendors from the top of the mountain, who carried goods on either side of a long pole set across their shoulders. Some of them were quite old; I can’t even imagine making that hike everyday, down and up again, let alone carrying such a load on my back and being 3 times as old.

We reached the top shortly after sundown, and checked into a hostel. And, in what seemed like seconds, we were up and out again at 5am, ready for the sunrise. It was absolutely freezing, the temperature sitting somewhere around –20 degrees Celcius. The relentless biting cold was neither unfamiliar nor unbearable; numerous winters in Chicago had prepared me well for this moment.

We rented coats: long, green, communist looking coats that were so insulating that it felt like walking in a button-down sleeping bag (with Marxist leanings, of course). Looking out over the landscape, wrapped in multiple layers, we watched the sunrise over the valley below. Absolutely beautiful, and totally worth every physical challenge it took to experience.

Friday, I took another sort of adventure, this time into the home of a Chinese family. I had been invited over for lunch and a beginning lesson on the culinary art of Chinese dumplings. I was enthusiastically accepted into their home. The old woman, mother of Lois, the adult student who invited me, showed me how to cut the vegetables and what to add to the mixture. We mixed and chopped, and then prepared the dough. Her husband joined in too, taking the dough balls and, using a rolling pin,  flattened them into small circles, with a raised middle section. I tried and failed miserably at this several times, to the cheery amusement of the women.

Then, with a very narrow spatula, we patted the filling inside the flat dough circle, and pressed it closed with our thumbs. The amount of filling one can fit into a dumpling is symbolic to how skilled one is, and I, with my slightly competitive nature, took this as a challenge. I was a tad overzealous in my attempt to be skilled, resulting in several obese and unsealable dumplings.  We switched fillings half way through, from a pork vegetable mixture to one consisting mainly of finely chopped leek. The family and I laughed a lot together, both at my gastronomic inadequacy and in conversation about my thoughts on China and theirs on the Western world. We were a very jolly party: mom, dad, Lois, little Judy and Susan, and I.

Along with dumplings, dumpling soup (the broth of the broiled dumplings), and green tea, I was also given fried lotus root with a meat filling, all of which were delicious. The family seemed concerned that I was unable to finish a portion that was at least three times as big as my normal sized meal, and sent me home with a small cooler filled with dumplings and friend lotus root. It was such an awesome cultural experience! I’ve been given an open invitiation to return whenever they make dumplings, and I think I may take them up on that.

This weekend is Exam Week at Aston Schools. Being a substitute, I have to be at the school as a contingency in case some one is ill or, say, falls down the stairs and breaks a rib. Basically, I will be sitting in the teacher’s lounge, free to do what I please for the entire day. Not a bad deal. I have lots of little things to catch up on, expecially before I leave for my vacation on Monday. I will be heading to the city of Xi’an for four days with a friend, named Stephanie. It’s sure to be a lot of sightseeing (Terracotta Warriors, here I come!), shopping, and girl time. Though I feel like I have overused the phrase to the point of it loosing meaning, I am really very excited for this coming week!