My mom just forwarded me an e-mail from a friend who said that we shouldn’t travel to China because there is a spread of polio, a disease that causes paralysis, according to an article in BBC.  Really?  I think that saying that we shouldn’t travel to China because of a few cases of polio is a bit out of proportion. If we have been vaccinated against polio, then we should be OK, right?  Plus, it said that there were only SEVEN cases of it, and so, it’s not like as if it’s widespread where there are thousands of people with it.  Furthermore, there still have been a few cases of polio in the US. So, why should China be pitied and be looked upon down when my country has similar issues too?  What are your thoughts on this article?

Sorry that I’m ranting and thank you for listening to me, Sophia, but I hate when people find every little excuses not to travel to certain places.  Even my own country, the US, has its own problems.  People from other countries have told me that foreigners fear to travel to the US because of the violence issues, to be more specific, issues with guns.  Some say that they won’t send their students to school in the US because of the media hype depicting school shootings like ones that occurred at the Columbine High School and Virginia Tech.  People also talk about how dangerous it is to travel to Washington D.C. and Baltimore and its surrounding areas because of the high crime and shooting cases.  In reality, gun shootings are very rare, and we all go on with our lives not thinking about who can possibly shoot us.

By the way, the other day, I had a conversation with three young Chinese women in People’s Square in downtown Shanghai.  One of them said, “You can’t possibly be an American because you’re too slim!”  I told them that not all Americans are fat, and we all come in all different sizes and shapes!  Oh boy!  We have a lot of teaching to do!

So, here is the news I was talking about the other day (click here) - US is losing its competition in higher education, or in other words, university education.  More and more people are getting education in China and South Korea rather than in the States.  It appears as if they’re implying that China is catching up and moving towards to be ahead of the US in the number of students attending universities in China.  But should we also keep in mind that China has a much higher population than the US, and so the stats could be a bit off?  I know that you mentioned to me in our conversation the other day that the reasoning behind this is because more and more Chinese have been going to Hong Kong since it became part of China instead of the States as now going to Hong Kong is cheaper whereas before Hong Kong became part of China, attending university there was just as expensive as in the US.  Do you mind explaining to me in details about this case?

They’re also mentioning a very old news that we, Americans, have been hearing for the past few years, which is that the US is lagging behind many countries including China and South Korea in Math and Science.

It’s totally pathetic because receiving good quality education is critically important for the economy of the country as teachers are creating the next generation of businessmen, doctors, engineers, artists, etc.  When we have great engineers who can develop technologies for businessmen to sell to the world, money flows into the country.  Then of course having the best doctors is critically important as we want to have the best quality healthcare and not to mention, suppose if medical researchers invent a medical breakthrough?  That newly invented medical product could be sold for so much money.

Then I also want to share an article I came across in USA Today (Click Here) , one of the big newspapers in the States, speaking about many Americans moving to Asia, including China, for job opportunities as they feel that positions they are able to obtain in Asia hold higher prestige than in the US and not to mention the economy in Asia is better than in the States.  While we didn’t see any expats in Haikou, I have been seeing a large number in Shanghai, where I am now.  Shanghai is a very cosmopolitan city that really caters to the foreigners as there are Mexican restaurants, French cafes, American sports bars, Starbucks, Dairy Queen and Sushi places.  Many buildings are very westerner.  There have been times when I question myself, “Am I really in China?”

If I ever wanted custom-made clothes done in the States, well, I can dream on until I die.  That will never happen unless if I become super-rich.  That is not the case in China as an American.  My friend took me to a “tailor market” where we can pick fabrics out and have a custom-made dress, jacket, shirt, pants and anything done for a ridiculously cheap price.  I came across a Kate Spade style dress that was hanging on a wall that has a HUGE bow.  I’ve been very crazy about bows since I started watching the TV show, Glee, as one of the characters wears a lot of bows on her clothes.  Kate Spade is known for creating clothes with bows and also for being very expensive…too expensive for me to be able to afford.  I said, “This is MY dress!”  So, I went to the lady who could make this dress and had her measure me.  It will be made of wool in blue and white with bottons coming down in the middle along with two pockets and a BIG bow in the front!  I paid 50 bucks (US dollars)!  I’m so excited!  I can’t wait to see the finished result!

But, the real reason I came to this place was to get a nice real high quality silk custom-made Chinese dress called Qipao.  I scoured through hundreds of fabric at the market for the right fabric that made me say, “Ooooooo!  I gotta have that!”  I finally found the right fabric that made me drool – it’s royal blue with cherry blossom flowers.  I bargained with the sales and  ”tailor” woman until I got it down to as low as I could make it.  Remember, high quality silk dresses in the States go for hundreds to thousands of dollars.  I got it, all custom-made, for USD$100.  The woman measured me and then asked me how I want the dress to look like in terms of where it should be buttoned and whether or not if I want a zipper.  It was a totally fun experience, especially for someone who is crazy about fashion.

We will be able to see the final results of both dresses on Wednesday, the day before I head out!  These two dresses will have wonderful stories to tell for years to come.  When people ask me where I got the dress, I can tell them about the experience of choosing the fabric to being measured to deciding the placement of the buttons to negotiating.

Next time, when I come back to Shanghai, I am going to bring a picture of a Valentino dress or jacket and have it copied!  LOL!

I am writing this letter to on the plane to Shanghai with tears. Saying goodbyes is never fun. I wish that unexpected turn of events did not end our trip together sooner, but this trip won’t be the last. I know we will meet again many more times in the future. We should thank Delta Airlines for their amazing gift of $600 voucher because it will allow us to see each other again very soon. LOL. It will definitely be within the next year because the voucher expires in September 2012. So, where shall we meet next? Kunming and the Yunnan province in China? As soon as we settle in to wherever we relocate and our careers if we hopefully find them soon, we will make plans.

I would like to sincerely thank you for standing by me and holding my hand throughout the trip from translating to assisting me at the hospital to sticking up for me when people got angry at me for taking photos to providing me the most exotic lifestyle experience including delicious food, riding the three wheel taxi, and opportunities to observe people in the city. Your smile and sense of humor always brighten my day.

No matter how far apart we are, we will always be next to each other in spirit as we write letters to each other via our newly developed site. I know that from our conversations, we have so much to educate to the world, from current issues to cultural differences. I hope that by sharing our letters to each other to the world, we can help them broaden their horizons too while we continue to expand our knowledge of our very different lives.

The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway.

~Henry Boye

Once upon a time there was a woman from the US, the most powerful country today, and a woman from China, a country that is going to be powerful in this century.  The woman from China, Sophia, began her journey in London last summer by beginning to learn to speak English by taking an English as a Second Language course.  Then, the woman from the US, I, arrived in the fall, during the rainy weather, in London.

One day, these two very confused girls went to the office of their department to sort out their schedules and they so happened to be in the same space at the same moment.  Shortly after trying to put together some puzzle pieces regarding their school issues, they introduced themselves to each other.  ”Where are you from?” I asked the slender woman with beautiful long black hair.

“China,” said Sophia, “Where are you from?”

“The States,” I said.

We exchanged each other’s phone numbers and the rest became history.

She has been my cooking partner, study partner, travel partner and partner-in-crime.  While studying for our masters in anthropology, we exchanged our stories and knowledge of our own culture and home life.

We spent the year in London enjoying all the joys of baking in our kitchens.  Introducing Sophia to western cuisine, particularly desserts, such as brownies, rainbow cake, and banana bread, was truly an eye opener for her as many of them do not exist in China or are very rare.  I’ll never forget watching her eating the chocolate chip cookies and while I was talking, she said, “Sorry to interrupt, but these cookies are DELICIOUS!”  I laughed.

Sophia and I made Valentine's Day Cookies

Til this day, I am still stunned by the fact that ovens are rarely found in homes in China.  I remember when Sophia first told me about this situation, I said “WTF?!”  This was a shocking moment because I wondered how can she get to enjoy the scrumptious bites of banana bread, pumpkin cookies, blondies, Valentine’s cookies, pizza, bread, lasagna and all the dishes that are baked in an oven.  In my home in America, I normally use the oven several times throughout the week, and so it’s really an integral appliance in our family life.  However, having seen how she cooks as a Chinese without the oven, I realize that we can still enjoy wonderful food, but with just a different taste palate like stir fried vegetables and meat and hot pot, a traditional Chinese dish I newly discovered.

Friends and I gather for a hot pot.

For those who do not know what a hot pot is, it is a pot that boils water and we put all kinds of food, including meat, vegetables and fish in it and cook it.  The pot cooks the food unbelievably fast.  We also add spices to add rich taste to the food. According to Sophia, the hot pot is a core material to social gatherings among friends in China.  A hot pot is typically placed in middle of a table and friends gather around the table and take food out of the pot with chopsticks and transfer it to the plates.  While nibbling on the food from the hot pot, people chat.

“I think I should open a bakery,” Sophia giggled.

“Maybe you should?” I said.

“I’m kidding,” said Sophia.

Months passed by.  ”You know what, Rachel?,” Sophia said one day at the British Library, while we were taking bites of a very delicious blueberry cheesecake, “I thought I was joking about opening up a bakery, but I am now really serious about it.”  In the past several months, Sophia and I have been discussing her visions to open a bakery in China with a goal of opening up the Chinese to different cultures and broadening their horizons without leaving their homeland.  We will see where she will proceed next…

Then aside from learning about our day to day life of eating in our homeland, we also discussed political and economic situations and stereotypes.  This topic will follow in the next post.