This week we hopefully made our last pilgrimage to Shanghai to get our alien papers in order. Part of the process is to put down all our names in Chinese as well. It was a fun experience to pick names for our family and our assistant Daisy giggled non stop when we explained our "real" names to her and the meanings in French, German and so on.
In China people are referred to by their surname and their first name. Last name first, first name last. In other words, "Bruce Lee" is actually "Lee Bruce". Daisy's "real" name is Xiang (surname) Bin (first name). The other day I wrote an email to someone saying that if my mail is not clear, they can contact my assistant "Bin Xiang". She then got a call from the person I sent the email to and enquired amusedly to speak to the "refrigerator" and whether the "refrigerator" can supply him with more info...Daisy was not impressed.
Our Chinese surname is "Ma". Trying to translate "Koekemoer" proved to be impossible, so we did not even tried to complicate a very complicated matter further...The complicated part is to try to marry the phonetic sound of our Western names with some kind of a traditional Chinese name that also depicts something of the appearance/character of the person. Easier said than done!
"Ma" (alongside Lee and Chen) is quite a common surname in China and literally means "horse". So our first names were settled as follows:
Rihann - "Liang" (meaning "bright"). So I am now a "bright horse" or it may apparently also refer to a famous Chinese painter.
Irene - "Rui jie". Meaning "auspicious fast". Irene is a "fast/victorious, auspicious horse". Clearly Daisy likes her new boss...
Fleur - "Xin yi" is a "happy, happy horse". The Chinese name for a flower is "hua" and Daisy almost fell off her chair when we suggested Ma Hua for Fleur. She refused to put Fleur's name down as 'Horse flower".
Renee - "Yan ya" is quite aptly an "Elegant and beautiful horse".
The flip side of the coin is that it is also common for Chinese people to give themselves a Western name. It appears that the better the understanding of the English language the more plausible the name. Our assistant Daisy said she dabbled with names such as "Fairy, Kiddie or Angel" for herself, before settling on "Daisy".
The best Chinese/Western name we encountered thus far is a girl who took us on a guided tour of the Humble administrator's garden. The name that appeared on her business card was "Swallow Senator". I am not sure what on earth she was thinking! Maybe some American statesman had something to do with it...
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Painting the dragon's eye
This week we attended a factory opening in Suzhou. What a grand affair! We arrived on a red carpet and were escorted by pretty Chinese girls to a table where we had to sign our names and receive a welcome gift.
A band of drummers were playing very loudly in the background, while a red and green dragon were dancing. After we were shown around the factory, several speeches were made and a giant ribbon was cut. While the ribbon was being cut and all the dignitories stood on the podium we were treated to a spectacular daylight firework show on the theme music of the Cowboy series "The High Chaparal". VERY loud fire crackers went off and in stead of the normal little explosions of light against a black sky, the tiny "sparks" were done with confetti.
Irene helping to cut the ribbon
After all of this, the partners of the new factory were given a paint brush and the red and green dragons kneeled in front of them to have their eye balls painted. The symbolism behind it is very interesting. The ceremony is called "hua long dian jing". The story goes that there was a brilliant painter who painted two dragons. After he finished his work of art people noticed that he left out the eyes of the dragons. Asking him why he did not paint the eyes, the reply came that the dragons would then be perfect and that they would fly off the picture and into the sky.
With openings of factories or with graduation ceremonies it is custom to "paint the dragon's eye balls". The "artist" paints the last detail that will make his/her venture perfect and the venture will form thereon go from strength to strengh.
Here is a little video insert of the painting of the dragon's eyeballs:
Hijacking Chinese style
Given the fact that I come from the hijacking capital of the world, I was quite unnerved to see the word "hijacking" in a Chinese newspaper.
On closer inspection it was quite an interesting article, given my own experience of "hijacking". It appeared that it was rather more of a hostage situation and not a "hijacking" as we know it in SA. Another interesting thing was the positioning of the negotiator on the left (in black gloves), clearly relaxed and pointing out the errors of the young man's ways and with a mere finger pointed at him and not a gun! In another picture the victim was even showed making phone calls with the knife against her throat.
On closer inspection it was quite an interesting article, given my own experience of "hijacking". It appeared that it was rather more of a hostage situation and not a "hijacking" as we know it in SA. Another interesting thing was the positioning of the negotiator on the left (in black gloves), clearly relaxed and pointing out the errors of the young man's ways and with a mere finger pointed at him and not a gun! In another picture the victim was even showed making phone calls with the knife against her throat.
A police negotiator (L) talks with a hijacker, surnamed Zhang, as he holds a woman hostage in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong province, Tuesday April 21, 2009. Zhang demanded 20,000 yuan ($2,940) in ransom to allegedly pay for his mother's surgery bill. After a 90-minute roadside standoff, police overwhelmed Zhang. The hostage, surnamed Kuang, was unharmed. Further investigation is underway.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
China ER
The past week saw a couple of brushes with the Chinese health system. Firstly, Irene's lower back pulled in a very painful spasm, that rendered her frozen on the spot, when pulling her jeans on…yes, I was surprised too...The incident occurred at a critical moment – in between me serving porridge and getting Fleur ready for her first school day! Irene could not be moved so while she lay on the floor, I had to serve breakfast and drop Fleur off at school...A couple of days prior to the incident, we met a friendly Dutch girl who happened to be a nurse and studied Chinese medicine in Suzhou. It also so happened that we exchanged phone numbers with her. Serenda was extremely helpful and guided us through the whole process of navigating through the Chinese health system to a point where we could obtain some help for Irene. She accompanied us to the Cowloon (pronounced Chow-long) hospital, where we paid about R12 to be registered on the hospital's system and to see an emergency doctor. The emergency doctor advised to come back the following day to the acupuncture ward. Apparently he had seen worse cases and did not look too worried about Irene. After a painful night and the smell of Tiger Balm in our noses we were shown the following day to the VIP ward, where most Westerners (referred to as laowai) go for treatment. As you probably guessed this is also more expensive. They are however very efficient and professional and in no time Irene had someone applying acupuncture needles to her back and she started her treatment. After three acupuncture sessions she is definitely better and taking it easier.
Two days after the "ugly incident with the jeans" with Irene's back still quite sore, we went to Shanghai for our Chinese medical tests. Apparently you cannot convert or submit your home country's tests for accreditation. It is not accepted in China. You're not allowed to eat for twelve hours before tests but on your arrival you are given a number and then you have to wait with other aliens with very low blood sugar levels to go through the battery of tests. The room is cramped with a huge fish tank in the middle of the waiting room. Probably to calm the highly strung, irritated and nervous bunch of aliens. Here you have to fill out more forms and wait. When they call your number you receive a gown and are then shunted from one doctor to the next. I will not go into all the details of the range of probes we were subjected to, but suffice it to say that it was thoroughly done and with amazing speed. Each test is conducted by a different doctor and I could not help to laugh when one doctor started pressing my nose from side to side. "Why are you doing this?" I asked. "To see if it was broken". I did not try to press the matter at this stage but it appears that guys with broken noses will probably be marked as potential "threats to the public order". When they submitted me to a ultrasound, I could not even get a smile from the doctor examining me when I said that I was not aware of the fact that I was pregnant. Well so be it, they have to one hundred percent sure that they do not let foreigners into the country that may disrupt the good order!
The results of the probes will be sent to us/made public on Tuesday next week…Thereafter we need to submit the test together with more documents to the authorities in Shanghai to confirm our work permits. This has to be done within a month so we're felling a slight bit of pressure in that regard. Our D-day is the 2nd of May.
All the best for the next week!
Two days after the "ugly incident with the jeans" with Irene's back still quite sore, we went to Shanghai for our Chinese medical tests. Apparently you cannot convert or submit your home country's tests for accreditation. It is not accepted in China. You're not allowed to eat for twelve hours before tests but on your arrival you are given a number and then you have to wait with other aliens with very low blood sugar levels to go through the battery of tests. The room is cramped with a huge fish tank in the middle of the waiting room. Probably to calm the highly strung, irritated and nervous bunch of aliens. Here you have to fill out more forms and wait. When they call your number you receive a gown and are then shunted from one doctor to the next. I will not go into all the details of the range of probes we were subjected to, but suffice it to say that it was thoroughly done and with amazing speed. Each test is conducted by a different doctor and I could not help to laugh when one doctor started pressing my nose from side to side. "Why are you doing this?" I asked. "To see if it was broken". I did not try to press the matter at this stage but it appears that guys with broken noses will probably be marked as potential "threats to the public order". When they submitted me to a ultrasound, I could not even get a smile from the doctor examining me when I said that I was not aware of the fact that I was pregnant. Well so be it, they have to one hundred percent sure that they do not let foreigners into the country that may disrupt the good order!
The results of the probes will be sent to us/made public on Tuesday next week…Thereafter we need to submit the test together with more documents to the authorities in Shanghai to confirm our work permits. This has to be done within a month so we're felling a slight bit of pressure in that regard. Our D-day is the 2nd of May.
All the best for the next week!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
"It's life Jim but not as we know it"
I'm finding that I have a light bout of "writer's blight"...it's like "writer's block" but the effects can range from "light" to "shrivel up and die" proportions...(for a moment I thought I was Woody Allen)
Anyway, before the writer's blight take a turn for the worse here goes...The car finding expedition has finally took a turn for calmer waters! We decided to rent a car for a month and try out a driver before we commit to a long term lease or buy a car. In China it is common to enter into a two year lease agreement on a car together with a driver. They assign three drivers to each car so you get these guys on a rotation basis. The rental companies have obviously done their math and the cost of renting a car for two years will work out approximately the same as buying the car and paying it off (for them...) over two years. The appealing thing however, is that you do not have the added responsibilities of insurance, services (they don't have maintenance plans in China) and licensing fees. As for the driver you pay his salary directly to him. He works from 8 to 5 and does a lot of "waiting'. We enquired how to deal with this problem, because if he is not driving (which will not be all that much, especially in the beginning) he will be "waiting" quite a lot of the time. The answer is pretty much that " he is a driver it is his duty, he must wait until you tell him to take you anywhere". You also pay him an allowance for meals, a small cell phone allowance and if you want him to work on weekends and over time you pay extra for that too. Oh and if the guy knows two words of English you pay extra for that too! You probably wondered about the largesse of employing a driver when he'll be sitting around a lot, waiting). Let's just say it has to do with a South African GPS that doesn't work, a driver's test and written and practical exam before one has a converted Chinese license, weird unwritten traffic rules, millions of drivers and cyclists and billions of Chinese characters...
We have also appointed an assistant who starts working for us in a week's time. This was quite an interesting experience...You literally have "labour markets" here. It's such a novelty! When you decide to recruit, you send your requirements to the management of the labour market. They post it on a website where job seekers can look at what employers have available. On "market day" all the employers and job seekers convene in a huge four storey building. There is a giant scroll at the entrance that lists all the jobs and at which booths the employers are seated. There are literally thousands of people. The employers get issued with a box that has instant coffee in and tea. You are assigned to a booth and then the interviews begin. People line up and you literally see a person per minute! There are thousands of job seekers that are very willing, very keen and very able to work. For our position of personal assistant, all the applicants had university degrees. It is really quite emotional to see how willing these people are to work and the sacrifices they are willing to make to be able to be employed.
Anyway, before the writer's blight take a turn for the worse here goes...The car finding expedition has finally took a turn for calmer waters! We decided to rent a car for a month and try out a driver before we commit to a long term lease or buy a car. In China it is common to enter into a two year lease agreement on a car together with a driver. They assign three drivers to each car so you get these guys on a rotation basis. The rental companies have obviously done their math and the cost of renting a car for two years will work out approximately the same as buying the car and paying it off (for them...) over two years. The appealing thing however, is that you do not have the added responsibilities of insurance, services (they don't have maintenance plans in China) and licensing fees. As for the driver you pay his salary directly to him. He works from 8 to 5 and does a lot of "waiting'. We enquired how to deal with this problem, because if he is not driving (which will not be all that much, especially in the beginning) he will be "waiting" quite a lot of the time. The answer is pretty much that " he is a driver it is his duty, he must wait until you tell him to take you anywhere". You also pay him an allowance for meals, a small cell phone allowance and if you want him to work on weekends and over time you pay extra for that too. Oh and if the guy knows two words of English you pay extra for that too! You probably wondered about the largesse of employing a driver when he'll be sitting around a lot, waiting). Let's just say it has to do with a South African GPS that doesn't work, a driver's test and written and practical exam before one has a converted Chinese license, weird unwritten traffic rules, millions of drivers and cyclists and billions of Chinese characters...
We have also appointed an assistant who starts working for us in a week's time. This was quite an interesting experience...You literally have "labour markets" here. It's such a novelty! When you decide to recruit, you send your requirements to the management of the labour market. They post it on a website where job seekers can look at what employers have available. On "market day" all the employers and job seekers convene in a huge four storey building. There is a giant scroll at the entrance that lists all the jobs and at which booths the employers are seated. There are literally thousands of people. The employers get issued with a box that has instant coffee in and tea. You are assigned to a booth and then the interviews begin. People line up and you literally see a person per minute! There are thousands of job seekers that are very willing, very keen and very able to work. For our position of personal assistant, all the applicants had university degrees. It is really quite emotional to see how willing these people are to work and the sacrifices they are willing to make to be able to be employed.
Job seekers at the job market
Interview with a future employer
The last member of our "early infrastructural staff" is the ayi (domestic). We have an interview with an ayi today so will give an update on this matter soon!
The weather has been very nice the past Easter weekend with nice sunshine for three consecutive days! Yesterday was misty and raining. When the mists descend on Suzhou it is quite heavy and enveloping...not something that we are used to. On the topic of "weather"...I briefly touched on a kite flying expedition some time ago...Kite flying is a BIG past time in Suzhou and whenever the weather permits and there's wind, people head outdoors to fly their kites. There is a really beautiful walk outside our apartment through a park with many camphor trees that opens in a huge open square next to lake Jinji where people fly their kites. Not sure who's having the most fun...kids or adults!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
A grand day out
On Sunday the mists lifted, the sun came out and we headed outdoors.
We ended up in a beautiful park where hundreds of people were flying kites. What novelty! We bought each of the kids a kite (ZAR50) and soon we were all maneuvering our kites in a bright(ish) sky.
After our kite running expedition we headed to a new shopping centre and ate pizza of all things at a Pizza Hut! Times square is brand new and modern with a good range of shops with all the well known brands and a very nice amusement park for the kids with a dinosaur theme. Several lifelike dino's stand around for the kids' entertainment.
The girls are getting quite adept at using the chopsticks and they are both very interested in the variety of foods and are becoming quite adventurous little eaters. Eating in China is a fun and social event. It is even better if you have your own private dining room and hostess. The host or most important person at the table get the best seat, directly opposite the door. He then summon the "fu-yen" and orders from the menu. The idea is to order several dishes that the host believes his party will like. A good host will order the dishes in several tiers. The first volley of dishes normally consists of light and cold dishes. Typical appetizers. These dishes can sometimes be slightly sweet. A recent discovery for me is a plate with steamed chestnuts and jojoba berries...very good. My Western palate finds it hard to order wine with the food. The tastes differ very much from one another so it is difficult to select the traditional white and red to accompany the food. So far I find a light beer is the best companion to a Chinese meal.
The second couple of dishes are more substantial and typically includes a whole fresh steamed fish, duck and pork or beef or other seafood (crabs, snails, shrimps, prawns). With these dishes you can expect a good variety of leafy vegetables and also maybe a mushroom dish. The variety and the tastes of mushrooms are fantastic! The host may at this point order some more "second tier" dishes. Dessert is not as we know it...a plate of fresh fruit is dessert but it is a refreshing end to a meal.
The highlight of the evening was when our hosts took us for an after dinner massage...kids and all!
The massage is a fun affair and literally the whole family can join. Depending on the size of the party you are ushered into a room with enough beds for everyone. You are served green tea in a glass with an orange. When everyone is comfortable, the masseuses enter and start massaging everyone in unison starting with the feet. It is a very fun and social experience. The kids enjoyed it hugely and they were spellbound for the whole two hours. If you want your kids to relax take them to a massage!
We ended up in a beautiful park where hundreds of people were flying kites. What novelty! We bought each of the kids a kite (ZAR50) and soon we were all maneuvering our kites in a bright(ish) sky.
After our kite running expedition we headed to a new shopping centre and ate pizza of all things at a Pizza Hut! Times square is brand new and modern with a good range of shops with all the well known brands and a very nice amusement park for the kids with a dinosaur theme. Several lifelike dino's stand around for the kids' entertainment.
The girls are getting quite adept at using the chopsticks and they are both very interested in the variety of foods and are becoming quite adventurous little eaters. Eating in China is a fun and social event. It is even better if you have your own private dining room and hostess. The host or most important person at the table get the best seat, directly opposite the door. He then summon the "fu-yen" and orders from the menu. The idea is to order several dishes that the host believes his party will like. A good host will order the dishes in several tiers. The first volley of dishes normally consists of light and cold dishes. Typical appetizers. These dishes can sometimes be slightly sweet. A recent discovery for me is a plate with steamed chestnuts and jojoba berries...very good. My Western palate finds it hard to order wine with the food. The tastes differ very much from one another so it is difficult to select the traditional white and red to accompany the food. So far I find a light beer is the best companion to a Chinese meal.
The second couple of dishes are more substantial and typically includes a whole fresh steamed fish, duck and pork or beef or other seafood (crabs, snails, shrimps, prawns). With these dishes you can expect a good variety of leafy vegetables and also maybe a mushroom dish. The variety and the tastes of mushrooms are fantastic! The host may at this point order some more "second tier" dishes. Dessert is not as we know it...a plate of fresh fruit is dessert but it is a refreshing end to a meal.
The highlight of the evening was when our hosts took us for an after dinner massage...kids and all!
The massage is a fun affair and literally the whole family can join. Depending on the size of the party you are ushered into a room with enough beds for everyone. You are served green tea in a glass with an orange. When everyone is comfortable, the masseuses enter and start massaging everyone in unison starting with the feet. It is a very fun and social experience. The kids enjoyed it hugely and they were spellbound for the whole two hours. If you want your kids to relax take them to a massage!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Almost a legal alien
After a rather soft landing in Hong Kong we arrived in Suzhou.
We really feel like space travellers because of the absolute assault on one's senses...Almost everything is different - sounds, smells, trees, cars, people, buildings. We also realize what it must feel like to be illiterate...
As many space travellers before us, the first major mission was to get ourselves "connected" and to establish contact with our mother ship. This was not done without a few technical "glitches". We marched to an outlet of "China mobile" as we were told that it is the most reliable network, wide coverage etc. Irene took the first step but her phone was incompatible with the card so I landed up with the sim and lo and behold my Blackberry"s approval ratings hit an all time high! A cool thing is that in China you can choose your own number. It is important to choose a "good" or "lucky" number preferable not containing the letter"4". Four is considered unlucky and you will also find no hotel or apartment with a 4th floor or a room with a four in it. 3G (they will go straight to 5G) is not very well developed in China and apparently we have to wait another month before we can obtain 3G compatibility with our phones.
Something that also posed quite a challenge in the first couple of days was to get a cable with which to connect the computer to the power supply...A search for "adapter plug" aroused some surprised looks and gestures...Lastly we took the cable to a computer store"downtown" with the help of our housing agent. In the same store we could source a cable for RMB480 (ZAR600) and at a different counter in the same store one for RMB20...There's some free market enterprise for you!
Yesterday we found an apartment and will be moving there in about three weeks...
Wherever we go people literally stop and and stare at our kids (both girls with blonde hair) and will comment and say "piao liang" which means 'beautiful"All the stares are a bit unnerving at first but you get used to it after about a day and just smile back. I know how Paris Hilton or Britney Spears' father must feel like! I heard before that Chinese people are very concerned about children and their welfare...Murphy would have it that in Suzhou's relatively cold weather (ranges between 6 and 12 degrees), Renee refuses to wear a jersey and constantly says "ek kry warm"...The whole range of threats, promises, alternatives and asking nicely cannot get her to wear a jersey (oh and no socks)...So it happened that especially when she is with me, a fairly large group of normally elderly ladies would gather and scold me (in Chinese of course) for apparently being such a useless excuse for a father to let his beautiful blond daughter walk around without a jacket...Hey and we are trying to attract as little attention as possible!
The reason why I called this blog "Almost a legal alien" is that the red tape is still not done...On Tuesday we are travelling to Shanghai to complete the last leg in the process of being formally called "alien" by presenting ourselves at the relevant government office and having some kind of an interview and a medical test. We also found out seventy two hours after our arrival that we had to report to the local police within twenty four hours...Luckily because we live in a hotel, this was taken care of on our behalf (and without our knowledge).
This whole weekend and Monday the Chinese have a public holiday what they call "tomb sweeping". It is quite a novel way of families getting together and visiting relatives graves and commemorating their dead ones.
Next mission to find a car and a driver...watch this space...
We really feel like space travellers because of the absolute assault on one's senses...Almost everything is different - sounds, smells, trees, cars, people, buildings. We also realize what it must feel like to be illiterate...
As many space travellers before us, the first major mission was to get ourselves "connected" and to establish contact with our mother ship. This was not done without a few technical "glitches". We marched to an outlet of "China mobile" as we were told that it is the most reliable network, wide coverage etc. Irene took the first step but her phone was incompatible with the card so I landed up with the sim and lo and behold my Blackberry"s approval ratings hit an all time high! A cool thing is that in China you can choose your own number. It is important to choose a "good" or "lucky" number preferable not containing the letter"4". Four is considered unlucky and you will also find no hotel or apartment with a 4th floor or a room with a four in it. 3G (they will go straight to 5G) is not very well developed in China and apparently we have to wait another month before we can obtain 3G compatibility with our phones.
Something that also posed quite a challenge in the first couple of days was to get a cable with which to connect the computer to the power supply...A search for "adapter plug" aroused some surprised looks and gestures...Lastly we took the cable to a computer store"downtown" with the help of our housing agent. In the same store we could source a cable for RMB480 (ZAR600) and at a different counter in the same store one for RMB20...There's some free market enterprise for you!
Yesterday we found an apartment and will be moving there in about three weeks...
Wherever we go people literally stop and and stare at our kids (both girls with blonde hair) and will comment and say "piao liang" which means 'beautiful"All the stares are a bit unnerving at first but you get used to it after about a day and just smile back. I know how Paris Hilton or Britney Spears' father must feel like! I heard before that Chinese people are very concerned about children and their welfare...Murphy would have it that in Suzhou's relatively cold weather (ranges between 6 and 12 degrees), Renee refuses to wear a jersey and constantly says "ek kry warm"...The whole range of threats, promises, alternatives and asking nicely cannot get her to wear a jersey (oh and no socks)...So it happened that especially when she is with me, a fairly large group of normally elderly ladies would gather and scold me (in Chinese of course) for apparently being such a useless excuse for a father to let his beautiful blond daughter walk around without a jacket...Hey and we are trying to attract as little attention as possible!
The reason why I called this blog "Almost a legal alien" is that the red tape is still not done...On Tuesday we are travelling to Shanghai to complete the last leg in the process of being formally called "alien" by presenting ourselves at the relevant government office and having some kind of an interview and a medical test. We also found out seventy two hours after our arrival that we had to report to the local police within twenty four hours...Luckily because we live in a hotel, this was taken care of on our behalf (and without our knowledge).
This whole weekend and Monday the Chinese have a public holiday what they call "tomb sweeping". It is quite a novel way of families getting together and visiting relatives graves and commemorating their dead ones.
Next mission to find a car and a driver...watch this space...
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