"BIG IDEAS," or broad concepts, come to me quickly. What I lack in my writing sometimes is follow through, because my imagination has already moved on to the next broad concept! For example, I think to myself, "Wouldn't it be fun to write a story about the gaurds at the DMZ?" But, the next day, I consider, "Wouldn't it be neat to try to capture my small city from the point of view of a mail order bride from Vietnam?" And then I think, "Shouldn't I finish that story I started last year about a fifty-year old divorced ESL teacher?" In the meantime, I've thought a lot, but not written very much. My hobby is supposedly writing, an action verb. What I need to do is put that verb into action more!
So, this past month, I had so much time off that I decided I had NO excuses. My turtle was fed. My recycling was taken downstairs. My sweaters were washed. It was too gray, windy, and cold to go hiking. And so I wrote. And edited. And mentally insulted myself for the generally low quality writing (and horrendous spelling) apparent in my stories. And then, after a while, I ignored my inner critic and wrote some more stories.
So, I am happy to say, I have a few not-horrible stories to show for myself after all my time off this month. They might not be good per se, but they're not horrible. Now comes the really scary part-I've started sharing them with a few of my well-read friends to get helpful feedback. Luckily, I know some former English major or journalist types with editing experience. Hopefully they can help me whip these stories into shape. If I can get some decent drafts of the stories I am going to enter them in a few fiction contests in the States. Contests that, I most likely, will not win. But if I don't enter them, I will DEFINITELY not win them. So, I have to give it a shot. Between big ideas.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Heaven is a Free, Multi-lingual Bookstore
Damn, do I love books. Love them. Love how they look, love the new paper smell, love all the delicious uncertainty of a novel's first sentence. So, I am going to try to note a writer or poet I'm reading once a month....
And this month, Susan Choi has won me over. I loved her multi-layered story American Woman, even though I hadn't heard much about it. In fact, I was only two the year most of the events framing the book took place (1974). In the book, Indiana born Choi tells the story of earnest Japanese-American anti-war activist Jenny Shimadada. But you don't need to be a fan of the nineteen seventies to want to know this woman and all her secrets. She weaves in and out of different worlds, nations, and "isms," always an outsider. There is a sudden, tense plot twist about the Patty Hearst kidnapping case, but in the end it's about this fascinatingly flawed, American character.
You've probably heard of Choi's first novel. She seems better known for that well reviewed story, The Foreign Student. I just started it and I am already taken in by the description of the Korean Father cleaning his books with a feather duster! :)
You can read Susan Choi's bio and find her book reviews via her publisher, HarperCollins.
I hope you are also having a winter full of good reads! I give away most of the books I acquire here, there's no space for them and it's fun to share. Hopefully by keeping a record I'll remember to promote a few good reads to my pals back home.
And this month, Susan Choi has won me over. I loved her multi-layered story American Woman, even though I hadn't heard much about it. In fact, I was only two the year most of the events framing the book took place (1974). In the book, Indiana born Choi tells the story of earnest Japanese-American anti-war activist Jenny Shimadada. But you don't need to be a fan of the nineteen seventies to want to know this woman and all her secrets. She weaves in and out of different worlds, nations, and "isms," always an outsider. There is a sudden, tense plot twist about the Patty Hearst kidnapping case, but in the end it's about this fascinatingly flawed, American character.
You've probably heard of Choi's first novel. She seems better known for that well reviewed story, The Foreign Student. I just started it and I am already taken in by the description of the Korean Father cleaning his books with a feather duster! :)
You can read Susan Choi's bio and find her book reviews via her publisher, HarperCollins.
I hope you are also having a winter full of good reads! I give away most of the books I acquire here, there's no space for them and it's fun to share. Hopefully by keeping a record I'll remember to promote a few good reads to my pals back home.
Wellbeing
Wellbeing is a single buzzword. What is it is a buzzword for? Here it is a buzzword (or, it might be a "portmanteau," the new word I learned recently when consulting dictionary.com, but I'm not sure it qualifies!)in Korea. The concept of wellbeing is used to advertise everything from teas to yoga centers to cafes to cosmetics to sports. As I have mentioned, in the last three months I have had some adventures in healthcare here. I am not the healthiest gal and I have had my regular, on-going issues, like my regular thyroid blood-tests crop up. I grit my teeth and smile at the scam the doctors here have pulled on the populace: one must apparently see the doctors EVERY time one needs a renewal prescription, even for something small like thyroid pills....
Wellbeing for people here is also complicated by the pollution issue. The winds blow down from China! A lot of people here get recurring breathing problems from the pollution. With me, it is has been intensified allergies, sinus infections and ear infections. I often got ear infections as a child, and they have returned since I moved here. The traditional diet here IS very healthy though, and it is my own choice (and perhaps stubborness) that I don't eat more Korean food! In my defense, I do eat a lot of the yummy mushrooms!
I have been anxious recently (Who? Me, anxious? Never! :)) about the return of my oavarian cyst issue. But, on the upside, I finally saw really good doctor at Severance Hospital yesterday. The cross town trek was worth the long subway rides to meet a quality, FEMALE, gyn. doctor. Ok, Ok, no one likes to read about GYN issues, I know. But a good doctor is hard to find in any country! Also she's a doctor who isn't test happy, always looking to do one more test to charge on the National insurance. I am tempted to go on the Dave's ESL Korea board and sing her praises, only sometimes some of the posts on Dave's ESL Korea annoy me! So, if anyone reading this is looking for a skilled doctor with perfect English, book an appointment with Dr. Kwon at The Severance Hospital International Clinic. She's wonderful!
Wellbeing is still on my mind, today, Sunday because I feel like I am again getting an ear infection.I am also dizzy and gave a bit of the flu. I shouldbn't have stayed out so late on my wild friends' birthday! :) On the up side, it was an excuse to snuggle with Steve and watch THE WIRE! (I'm obsessed).
So, I am still learning how to keep myself healthy here.
Maybe there's something to all those kimchi health claims?
Maybe.
Can I stand the stuff? Unfortunatley, no. :)
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Visiting The "Embroidery Of the Ocean"
My boyfriend and I hopped a bus down to the port of Mokpo in Western Korea for the holiday weekend. We hoped to hike and explore the Western islands a bit. Because he is thoughtful, my boyfriend downloaded several episodes of my currrent obsession, HBO's "The Wire" to watch on our bus rides. (Beyond the fact that it is in English, hooray,the contrast between the gritty realism of "The Wire" and the games shows, talent contests, and melodramtic evening soap operas on Korean TV make it seem like a miracle in broadcasting! Plus, Lester Freamon just rocks!) We arrived in Mokpo and easily caught the local bus to our harbor-side motel. The older woman working at the many fish markets and restaurants all smiled up as Steve, tall and pale, walked past. Skate fish is the local speciality. Ew! Dried skate carcasses and skate skins, in the process of drying, surrounded us on all sides. Marine product twon, as one street billed itself, smelled suspiciously of fish guts! Can you say pungent?!
On Lunar New Year day, we hiked Yudal mountain. It is a Korean tradition to awake very early and climb the mountain in the dark to see the first sunrise of the new year from the summit (or some pragmatists, and drunks, just stay up all night drinking soju, and use the climb to sober up! :) ).
As we hiked that afternoon, we reached a lovely view of the bay beyond. Many mountains in Korea offer outside gyms, and this time we actually stopped to try a few of the excercise machines. We reached a rocky peak and saw the carvings of Buddha in the mountain side. Smart officials hung lights below the carvings and imposing peak, to give the mountain a special glow in the night sky. We also found a pretty botanical garden with winding paths of various types of matked plants. There were two latge green houses, public, open and ungaurded. That would never last in the USA-sadly-a pretty greenhouse left open for families to enjoy would surely be vandalised! One greenhouse boasted many orchid plants, a local specialty. In the springtime they will look gorgeous.
The next day we took the ferry out to the island of Heuksando to explorea and hike. At least, we thought we we'd boarded a ferry, when actually we'd stepped onto the HMS Vommit! At first I was very proud, thinking my Coastie father would be excited by all the nautocal terms I was exchanging with my beau, the naval afficianado. I even learned the "Six Degrees of Freedon" pitch, roll, etc....But pitch was the on ethat stuck in my head. Why, you ask? Because, boy, did that ferry start to pitch one we hit opne water. The boat shifted in a crazy-up-down cycle-updown-updown-and we were among the many to fall vistime to the vertical motion. The ride bore a strange resemblance to the pie-eating contest scene in the film Stand By Me.
After we landed, and eventually recovered, we did take a nice hike up a peak on the a spur branching off to one side of the island. I let Steve, with his boyscout skills, leadthe way and just enjoyed the sunshine and the views of the rocky coast. We did veer of course at one point and met up with some mellow cows, but they didn't mind us so we didn't mind them! Later, as we'd lost some time,we took a taxi to a stone pagoda promoted in the tourist materials. Near it there was a small stone peak adorned with some arrangements of shamanist stones. We climbed to the top and saw striking views of the other side of the island. Unfortunatley, they had piped in a looped CD playing the folk song "Heuksando Lady" over and over gain. While certainly appropriate for the location, the song grates on you after a while! I prefer to enjoy my nature without the soundtrack, thanks! By that point we didn't really have time to take a tour of some of the isalnds other scenic spots before sundown, but that was ok by me. The tours were expensive and I prefer not to be rushed from sight to sight and told where to take pictures! Saturday night on the island was quiet except for the one Hoff, whioch reminded me a bit of Cape Ann, Mass. bars. There were a few nice groups in there behaving fine, but there was also a young guy, dressed in casual clothes, looking of the right age and behvaior to be a local fisherman. He drank so much soju he couldn't find the stairs to go outside and throw up! Maybe a sleepy fishing town in the winter is a sleepy fishing town in the winter, no matter where you are! :)
The next day we returned to the mainland via the scary ferry. Luckily we'd taken some medicine and prepared. The trip was much better, a sleepy one, on allergy medicine! :) After a filling lunch we visited the National Maritime Museum of Korea.
(www.seamuse.go.kr). It was interesting to see the example of the Goreyo ship, found off Wando. This Wando Ship is one of the oldest Korean ships ever found. Traditional ceramics and ancient artifacts like bone dice were found on board. The shipwreck of a large Chinese trading ship was also particulary impressive. It is dubbed the Shinan ship due to the location of it's wreck. They even found a crate of black pepper on board that was mostly intact. It is a small museum but worth a visit. Steve and I were a big hit there and many people said hellow. One man stopped me to ask me several questions about myself and "your husband" (meaning Steve), and what we thought about Mokpo and Korean ships. he was very friendly in his own exceedingly direct way. In general, I found Mokpo and the islands a nice change of pace.
The bus ride home at the end of a holiday weekend wasn't as as I'd feared. Seoul traffic didn't live up to the hype, for once. Plus Steve and I were happy and did get to share one more episode of my favorite tv show on his Ipod.
I returned home to a bit of a problem, though. The electric lock on my door finally died. It has been sticking on and off for a month now, but when I told my rental office staff it was broken they just said it needed new batteries on the isnide of the lock. So, I bought all new batteries, and it still stuck, and STILL they said, "batteries" as ifd the silly foreign girl just didn't understand. Well, finally it stuck so hard the building door man couldn't open it after many tries, and we were forced to bring in a locksmith. I almost feel vindicated, I tried and tried to tell them it was broken. I almost feel vindicated. Then I feel concerned. The next question is: who is going to PAY THE BILL for the expensive new lock-me or the school?
We shall see...
p.s.-To check out my obsession, The Wire, check HBO show times or go to http://www.hbo.com/thewire.
On Lunar New Year day, we hiked Yudal mountain. It is a Korean tradition to awake very early and climb the mountain in the dark to see the first sunrise of the new year from the summit (or some pragmatists, and drunks, just stay up all night drinking soju, and use the climb to sober up! :) ).
As we hiked that afternoon, we reached a lovely view of the bay beyond. Many mountains in Korea offer outside gyms, and this time we actually stopped to try a few of the excercise machines. We reached a rocky peak and saw the carvings of Buddha in the mountain side. Smart officials hung lights below the carvings and imposing peak, to give the mountain a special glow in the night sky. We also found a pretty botanical garden with winding paths of various types of matked plants. There were two latge green houses, public, open and ungaurded. That would never last in the USA-sadly-a pretty greenhouse left open for families to enjoy would surely be vandalised! One greenhouse boasted many orchid plants, a local specialty. In the springtime they will look gorgeous.
The next day we took the ferry out to the island of Heuksando to explorea and hike. At least, we thought we we'd boarded a ferry, when actually we'd stepped onto the HMS Vommit! At first I was very proud, thinking my Coastie father would be excited by all the nautocal terms I was exchanging with my beau, the naval afficianado. I even learned the "Six Degrees of Freedon" pitch, roll, etc....But pitch was the on ethat stuck in my head. Why, you ask? Because, boy, did that ferry start to pitch one we hit opne water. The boat shifted in a crazy-up-down cycle-updown-updown-and we were among the many to fall vistime to the vertical motion. The ride bore a strange resemblance to the pie-eating contest scene in the film Stand By Me.
After we landed, and eventually recovered, we did take a nice hike up a peak on the a spur branching off to one side of the island. I let Steve, with his boyscout skills, leadthe way and just enjoyed the sunshine and the views of the rocky coast. We did veer of course at one point and met up with some mellow cows, but they didn't mind us so we didn't mind them! Later, as we'd lost some time,we took a taxi to a stone pagoda promoted in the tourist materials. Near it there was a small stone peak adorned with some arrangements of shamanist stones. We climbed to the top and saw striking views of the other side of the island. Unfortunatley, they had piped in a looped CD playing the folk song "Heuksando Lady" over and over gain. While certainly appropriate for the location, the song grates on you after a while! I prefer to enjoy my nature without the soundtrack, thanks! By that point we didn't really have time to take a tour of some of the isalnds other scenic spots before sundown, but that was ok by me. The tours were expensive and I prefer not to be rushed from sight to sight and told where to take pictures! Saturday night on the island was quiet except for the one Hoff, whioch reminded me a bit of Cape Ann, Mass. bars. There were a few nice groups in there behaving fine, but there was also a young guy, dressed in casual clothes, looking of the right age and behvaior to be a local fisherman. He drank so much soju he couldn't find the stairs to go outside and throw up! Maybe a sleepy fishing town in the winter is a sleepy fishing town in the winter, no matter where you are! :)
The next day we returned to the mainland via the scary ferry. Luckily we'd taken some medicine and prepared. The trip was much better, a sleepy one, on allergy medicine! :) After a filling lunch we visited the National Maritime Museum of Korea.
(www.seamuse.go.kr). It was interesting to see the example of the Goreyo ship, found off Wando. This Wando Ship is one of the oldest Korean ships ever found. Traditional ceramics and ancient artifacts like bone dice were found on board. The shipwreck of a large Chinese trading ship was also particulary impressive. It is dubbed the Shinan ship due to the location of it's wreck. They even found a crate of black pepper on board that was mostly intact. It is a small museum but worth a visit. Steve and I were a big hit there and many people said hellow. One man stopped me to ask me several questions about myself and "your husband" (meaning Steve), and what we thought about Mokpo and Korean ships. he was very friendly in his own exceedingly direct way. In general, I found Mokpo and the islands a nice change of pace.
The bus ride home at the end of a holiday weekend wasn't as as I'd feared. Seoul traffic didn't live up to the hype, for once. Plus Steve and I were happy and did get to share one more episode of my favorite tv show on his Ipod.
I returned home to a bit of a problem, though. The electric lock on my door finally died. It has been sticking on and off for a month now, but when I told my rental office staff it was broken they just said it needed new batteries on the isnide of the lock. So, I bought all new batteries, and it still stuck, and STILL they said, "batteries" as ifd the silly foreign girl just didn't understand. Well, finally it stuck so hard the building door man couldn't open it after many tries, and we were forced to bring in a locksmith. I almost feel vindicated, I tried and tried to tell them it was broken. I almost feel vindicated. Then I feel concerned. The next question is: who is going to PAY THE BILL for the expensive new lock-me or the school?
We shall see...
p.s.-To check out my obsession, The Wire, check HBO show times or go to http://www.hbo.com/thewire.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Unique Ex-pat Humor
If you enjoy a little silly adult humor, with a splice of odd, Asian cable tv footage thrown in... check out
YouTube.com: LastCallFilms - Mo Mang II.
Keith and co. are quite funny. In their own way. :)
YouTube.com: LastCallFilms - Mo Mang II.
Keith and co. are quite funny. In their own way. :)
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Blogs I Eat Up Like Pocorn
1. I Should Be Writing on murlafferty.com-We all should be writing. Amen.
2. KuwaitingforGodot.com-Jessica is hilarious!
3. For the factually inclined-Stevadoo'sblog here at blogspot. Ignore any girlfriend in nightgown videos-revenge is a dish best served cold. :)
4. And, for more views on Korea, some well informed ideas on Asian politics, and Korean vocabulary words of the day (as well as a few suave white guys waxing poetic on the msyteries of Korean women), select from the robust list at:
The Korean Blog List -- http://www.koreanbloglist.com.
2. KuwaitingforGodot.com-Jessica is hilarious!
3. For the factually inclined-Stevadoo'sblog here at blogspot. Ignore any girlfriend in nightgown videos-revenge is a dish best served cold. :)
4. And, for more views on Korea, some well informed ideas on Asian politics, and Korean vocabulary words of the day (as well as a few suave white guys waxing poetic on the msyteries of Korean women), select from the robust list at:
The Korean Blog List -- http://www.koreanbloglist.com.
Chinese Women's Stories
So many images, smells, and sounds arrested and beguiled me on our trip through China. There are some final sights and sounds I would like to record. But, in the end, it may be the stories I saw and heard of Chinese women that I will remember the most vividly.
At the Temple of Heaven, my favorite tourist site in Beijing, I walked through rows of tranquil trees many Chinese women were never permitted to see. There, before those holy altars, where the past emporers prayed for good harvests, a feeling of peace pervades. Seen from the air, the atlars or temple buildings in the park are round and their bases are square. The construction was based upon the ancient Chinese belief that Heaven is round and the Earth is square. We visited the temple on a sunny day before the crowds. We stood on the 5 meter high round altar, which was originally constructed in 1530 (and later rebuilt) in white marble in three tiers. The acoustics of the circular structure causes one's voice to carry. A fellow visitor (from India) told me that wishes whispered from the very center of circle are more likely to come true-so I took my turn standing in the center and wishing. My wish? I can't tell! :) Just past the altar there stands a curved "echo wall;" it is known for it's accoustic properties. I stood at one side of the wall and softly said hellow to my boyfriend, and he could hear me loud and clear several feet away at the edge of the curved wall! The most picturesque structure on the site would have to be the hall of Prayers for Good Harvests. Gorgeous, the temple hall stands a top a three tiered marble terrace and boasts a triple-eaved umbrella roof. Four central pillars inside symbolize the four seasons. Twelve others form a ring around the outside. They curiosuly support the ceiling without nails or cement (For further comment upon this point, see the Lonely Planet Beijing City Guide). Although the common Chinese woman was not allowed into that building for year upon years, it still stands out in my memory.
At the tail end of our trip, we were fortunate to travel to Xi'an to see the impressive Terra Cotta warriors from the Qin Dynasty. They were certainly worth the trip. Whether built out of ambition or narcissism, the thousands of tall, detailed ceramic soldiers, some holding actual functional weapons, comprised just one part of the mausoleum of Emporer Qin Shihuang. Several sites we saw in China claimed to be the 8th wonder of the world. Apparently, there is no verification process, no researching by earstwhile geeks from Wikipedia, needed to make this claim. However, of the "wonders" we saw, the huge historical and archeological significance of the Terra Cotta Warriors led me to see them as the most wonderful. For some good photos and more factual information on our trip to Xi'an consult Steveadoo's blog on blogger.
My mind was intruiged by the terra Cotta Warriors. But then I couldn't breathe! The pollution caught up with us there. A stroll outside of more than twenty minutes would aggravate my allergies. The brownish gray air would, after a while, cause my eyes to start watering and my nose to feel stuffy. Do children in Xi'an color the sky in their drawings with gray and brown crayons? Imagine growing up in a city with so much air pollution that foul smelling air is the only air that you've ever known!
As we prepared to leave China, two women's stories stuck in my mind. One is a famous and tragic story, one is a quiet anecdote with a happy ending. Nestled deep inside the Forbidden city is a simple hole in the ground known as Concubine Zhen's well. Women go there and leave flowers. Zhen fe Jing was imprisioned by the formidable Cixi, and later thrown down this lonely well for refusing to give up her loyalty to her ousted emporer (he started the "100 days reform" movement and payed for it with his freedom, obviously the reform movement did not go well-it only lasted 100 days!). Later Zhen's sister built her a small shrine near the well. Visitors still value Concubine Zhen's well as a symbol of this woman's love, loyalty, and determination. For more facts on the sad tale of Concubine Zhen, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Concubine_Zhen.
Another story, less famous, reminded me how lucky I am to be a modern American woman. Our guide, B., did a great job taking us to important sites, providing historical background, and helping us find more authentic local dumpling houses to enjoy. As the days went by, we also got to know him and he started to explain his life and the lives of his friends and neighbors. He and my boyfriend Steve got to be friends. Steve is a mellow guy and it seems that everyone likes Steve! :) When I asked about family life in Beijing, he told us a story about a neighbor of his who jumped through many hoops to make a decision I could easily decide to make. The family had one child, our guide explained, but then the woman became pregnant again. The woman wanted a second child, a sibling for her child, very badly. It was a very stressful situation for the family due to the one-child policy in over-populated China. However, our guide's neighbor was lucky because she had attended elementary school with a boy who grew up to be a local government official. The neighbor woman and her husband went to see the local government official (with a gift) to renew old ties. Later her husband took the official out for dinner a few times and convinced the official to write a letter to the local hospital condoning the woman's wish to carry (and not terminate) her second pregnancy. The hospital agreed to treat the woman and deliver her baby. The woman's husband had to go to a government office with a letter of support from the local official, and later had to pay a large fine for having a second child. However, with the support of the local government official, the family encountered no further problems. They had a beautiful second daughter who grew to become an honors student. The neighbor woman had been lucky.
My guide took no sides, did not tell the story to criticize his government, but rather related the story in a matter of fact manner. I can't verify that it's 100% true. But the details really struck me. The discsussion around freedom of Choice in America sometimes gets narrowed in the media to the freedom to decide NOT have a child, when certainly the freedom to elect to HAVE a child is just as important. Over population remains a valid issue, and I am not going to argue here that anyone needs to have large families. (I, myself, have been thinking I'd someday like to adopt a baby who's already on the planet.) But I feel very glad to live in a country where the government can't dicate to me the size of any family I might elect to build.
At the Temple of Heaven, my favorite tourist site in Beijing, I walked through rows of tranquil trees many Chinese women were never permitted to see. There, before those holy altars, where the past emporers prayed for good harvests, a feeling of peace pervades. Seen from the air, the atlars or temple buildings in the park are round and their bases are square. The construction was based upon the ancient Chinese belief that Heaven is round and the Earth is square. We visited the temple on a sunny day before the crowds. We stood on the 5 meter high round altar, which was originally constructed in 1530 (and later rebuilt) in white marble in three tiers. The acoustics of the circular structure causes one's voice to carry. A fellow visitor (from India) told me that wishes whispered from the very center of circle are more likely to come true-so I took my turn standing in the center and wishing. My wish? I can't tell! :) Just past the altar there stands a curved "echo wall;" it is known for it's accoustic properties. I stood at one side of the wall and softly said hellow to my boyfriend, and he could hear me loud and clear several feet away at the edge of the curved wall! The most picturesque structure on the site would have to be the hall of Prayers for Good Harvests. Gorgeous, the temple hall stands a top a three tiered marble terrace and boasts a triple-eaved umbrella roof. Four central pillars inside symbolize the four seasons. Twelve others form a ring around the outside. They curiosuly support the ceiling without nails or cement (For further comment upon this point, see the Lonely Planet Beijing City Guide). Although the common Chinese woman was not allowed into that building for year upon years, it still stands out in my memory.
At the tail end of our trip, we were fortunate to travel to Xi'an to see the impressive Terra Cotta warriors from the Qin Dynasty. They were certainly worth the trip. Whether built out of ambition or narcissism, the thousands of tall, detailed ceramic soldiers, some holding actual functional weapons, comprised just one part of the mausoleum of Emporer Qin Shihuang. Several sites we saw in China claimed to be the 8th wonder of the world. Apparently, there is no verification process, no researching by earstwhile geeks from Wikipedia, needed to make this claim. However, of the "wonders" we saw, the huge historical and archeological significance of the Terra Cotta Warriors led me to see them as the most wonderful. For some good photos and more factual information on our trip to Xi'an consult Steveadoo's blog on blogger.
My mind was intruiged by the terra Cotta Warriors. But then I couldn't breathe! The pollution caught up with us there. A stroll outside of more than twenty minutes would aggravate my allergies. The brownish gray air would, after a while, cause my eyes to start watering and my nose to feel stuffy. Do children in Xi'an color the sky in their drawings with gray and brown crayons? Imagine growing up in a city with so much air pollution that foul smelling air is the only air that you've ever known!
As we prepared to leave China, two women's stories stuck in my mind. One is a famous and tragic story, one is a quiet anecdote with a happy ending. Nestled deep inside the Forbidden city is a simple hole in the ground known as Concubine Zhen's well. Women go there and leave flowers. Zhen fe Jing was imprisioned by the formidable Cixi, and later thrown down this lonely well for refusing to give up her loyalty to her ousted emporer (he started the "100 days reform" movement and payed for it with his freedom, obviously the reform movement did not go well-it only lasted 100 days!). Later Zhen's sister built her a small shrine near the well. Visitors still value Concubine Zhen's well as a symbol of this woman's love, loyalty, and determination. For more facts on the sad tale of Concubine Zhen, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Concubine_Zhen.
Another story, less famous, reminded me how lucky I am to be a modern American woman. Our guide, B., did a great job taking us to important sites, providing historical background, and helping us find more authentic local dumpling houses to enjoy. As the days went by, we also got to know him and he started to explain his life and the lives of his friends and neighbors. He and my boyfriend Steve got to be friends. Steve is a mellow guy and it seems that everyone likes Steve! :) When I asked about family life in Beijing, he told us a story about a neighbor of his who jumped through many hoops to make a decision I could easily decide to make. The family had one child, our guide explained, but then the woman became pregnant again. The woman wanted a second child, a sibling for her child, very badly. It was a very stressful situation for the family due to the one-child policy in over-populated China. However, our guide's neighbor was lucky because she had attended elementary school with a boy who grew up to be a local government official. The neighbor woman and her husband went to see the local government official (with a gift) to renew old ties. Later her husband took the official out for dinner a few times and convinced the official to write a letter to the local hospital condoning the woman's wish to carry (and not terminate) her second pregnancy. The hospital agreed to treat the woman and deliver her baby. The woman's husband had to go to a government office with a letter of support from the local official, and later had to pay a large fine for having a second child. However, with the support of the local government official, the family encountered no further problems. They had a beautiful second daughter who grew to become an honors student. The neighbor woman had been lucky.
My guide took no sides, did not tell the story to criticize his government, but rather related the story in a matter of fact manner. I can't verify that it's 100% true. But the details really struck me. The discsussion around freedom of Choice in America sometimes gets narrowed in the media to the freedom to decide NOT have a child, when certainly the freedom to elect to HAVE a child is just as important. Over population remains a valid issue, and I am not going to argue here that anyone needs to have large families. (I, myself, have been thinking I'd someday like to adopt a baby who's already on the planet.) But I feel very glad to live in a country where the government can't dicate to me the size of any family I might elect to build.
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