Delivery Disaster

 

  

Caught up in the craziness of National Holiday a few weeks ago, I neglected to share a story with you that was such a classic “China moment:”

Erin and I were sitting in the backseat of a taxi in Kunming, having just returned from a week in the village.  It was a rainy, dreary day; dark thunderclouds covered the sky while rain poured down.  As we were riding from the airport back to our apartment, all we could talk about was how badly we wanted western food for lunch!  After a week of village food, we were craving pizza! 

There was one major issue, however: we were too tired and it was raining too hard to go all the way to a western restaurant.  Thank goodness for delivery!!

We called a restaurant in Kunming appropriately called Lazy Bones, which specializes in delivery.  Erin and I had decided on our order: 1 personal pepperoni pizza, 1 personal barbeque chicken pizza, and 1 order of cheese garlic bread.  Delicious!  Our mouths were watering just talking about what we wanted to order.

Our craving for pizza was so overwhelming that we called Lazy Bones to place our order from the taxi.  As with all delivery orders, the Lazy Bones employee (who is Chinese and speaks a little English) began by asking my name, phone number, and address.  Once all the formalities were out of the way, he asked in broken English, “What would you like today?”  I said, “1 pepperoni pizza, 1 barbeque chicken pizza, and cheese bread.” 

He paused for a minute and explained that they did not have pepperoni pizza.  “No problem,” I replied; and we ordered a cheese pizza instead.  Then he said, “You also want buffalo chicken?” Yes, and one barbeque chicken pizza.  “I would also like an order of cheese bread.”  He said okay, no problem.

We went over the order one more time, he promised the food would be delivered within an hour, and we hung up the phone.  Erin and I could hardly contain our excitement!!  Nothing is better than pizza after a long, tiring week in the village!

Sure enough, less than an hour later, our door buzzed – the delivery man had arrived!  I swooped in, handed him cash, and practically sprinted to the kitchen table.  A bit confused, I realized there was only one large pizza box.  “Strange,” I thought.  Perhaps they had put both personal pan pizzas in the same box to conserve cardboard.  I was sure it wasn’t a problem.  Of course, the delivery man also gave us something wrapped in foil and another small plastic container.  We had more things than we had ordered, but the delivery man was long-gone at this point.  Oh well, we thought he must have given us part of someone else’s order.

Erin and I gathered around the kitchen table, ready to enjoy our feast.  We had no idea how many surprises were in store for us…  first, we opened the pizza box.  SURPRISE!  There was only one pizza!  What?!?! We ordered two pizzas, why did they only give us one cheese pizza??  Ugh, we were annoyed.

Next, we opened the plastic container…SURPRISE!  It was filled buffalo wings.  “Where did these come from?” we wondered.

Finally, we unwrapped the foil… SURPRISE!  It was a cheeseburger.  What in the world?!?  Someone must be playing a joke on us!!

Seriously, Lazy Bones delivered us 1 cheese pizza, buffalo wings, and a cheeseburger.  That is not at all what we ordered!!  We ordered 1 pepperoni pizza, 1 barbeque chicken pizza, and cheese bread.  How did this happen?? 

As we thought about it, we started to piece the puzzle together…  We received a cheese pizza because there was no pepperoni – makes sense.  We received buffalo wings because the employee thought that is what I meant when I ordered a barbeque chicken pizza.  We received a cheeseburger because the employee didn’t understand when I said cheese bread – he heard cheeseburger.

Erin and I just looked at each other and laughed.  Really China?!?  Why is everything here, even a simple task, so difficult?  You just never know what you’re going to get or how things will turn out …  

Even though our order wasn’t anywhere close to what we wanted, the food was delicious and it was our comic relief for a rainy day!

Income Gap

Gucci Store

Village home in Yunnan

An article published on MSNBC.com entitled "China's Wealth Gap Strains Social Fabric" discusses the income gap between China's urban rich and its rural impoverished population.

On the one hand, the author describes how wealthy Chinese people are purchasing designer brands (Gucci, Prada, Armani, etc) like candy.  Their buying power is tremendous, and their wealth has increased exponentially over the past ten years.  A Gucci store employee is quoted as saying that many people in their urban area will spend USD$10,000 during one shopping trip.

If the recent wealth experienced by millions of people on the east coast, urban regions isn't staggering enough, the poverty of the rural areas is even more shocking.  The author states, "for all the money flowing to China's new middle class and wealthy elite, much of the population still lives in or near poverty."  A typical rural family lives on less than $2 a day (China Data Center).  

Chinese government officials acknowledge that a huge income gap exists in the country; they have made it a point of discussion and a high priority.  But their ability to change it won't be easy.  Lu Kang, deputy director general at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of North American and Oceanic Affairs, states, "In 10 years, China will still be a developing country."  He notes that the overall standards of living in China will continue to improve (mostly in urban areas), however, he cuts right to the core of the issue as he states, "The rural areas are totally different.  That's (the income gap and rural poverty) not something we can solve in the next decade."

Forgotten and ignored, many rural villagers in Yunnan struggle daily under the constraints of poverty.  They are without drinking water, without basic knowledge of health and hygiene, without any assistance to rise above the suffocating poverty.  They can't wait a decade for help!

CWEF is working in China to serve these people - the impoverished rural poor.  By implementing fresh water systems in the villages, CWEF empowers the villagers to escape from poverty.  The number of animals villagers can raise is no longer limited to the amount of water they can carry to feed them; the women are able to work and raise the children, rather than spending 5 to 6 hours a day hauling water.  Additionally, CWEF health and hygiene training improves the quality of life and the general health in the villages.  In the same way, CWEF's community development projects (i.e. biogas projects, animal gift projects, micro-credit loans), aid and assist the people in rural Yunnan.  (For more information on CWEF's projects visit our website: www.cwef.org.hk).  These projects make a significant impact in the villages.

So regardless of the number of new designer stores built in China's cities, the buying power of its upper class, or the continuous news of China's growing economy, the facts still remain -- China faces an enormous income gap, the government's ability to change it is greatly limited, and most rural Chinese families who live on less than $2 a day need help!  The impoverished rural poor need assistance to get out of poverty, making CWEF's work here so crucial.

Access MSNBC's Article at:  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39546204/ns/business-world_business/

Glasses

The practice glasses Erin & I had to wear at the eye doctor

I recently found myself in need of new eyeglasses.  Unfortunately, my old pair was a casualty of my trip to Laos (somehow I managed to lose them on the bus).  Thankfully, glasses are extremely cheap in China, so Erin and I made a trip to the glasses store. 

While in the store, we unintentionally made a huge scene.  Not only did we each try on hundreds of pairs of frames, but we ran into major difficulties convincing the eye doctor of our prescription.  

The eye doctor was a 75-year-old man who was obviously conservative and old-school.  He wore two huge pairs of glasses that covered his entire face and had an "all-business" persona. 

First, we looked into a machine that took a digital test of our vision and printed out a little receipt that stated our prescription.  Then, to determine the prescription for our glasses, he made us put on the silly glasses we're wearing in the picture above.  He would change the number and strength of the lenses in these glasses.  We would see the "A" option and try to read the letters.  Then he would hunker over his desk and study which new lens to put into the glasses for option "B."  Eventually, he would slide an additional lens into the glasses and ask us which one was better....the problem is that he wouldn't listen!!  

When I would tell him that option "B" was the most clear, he would say, "Oh no! You will become dizzy if you have this one.  It is too strong."  I looked at my Chinese friend who was translating and said, "Please tell him that option B is the best."  We did this for LITERALLY twenty minutes.  The eye doctor repeatedly tried to convince me that I would get headaches from having glasses this strong; he kept saying that it is better to have glasses that are a little weak because otherwise your eyes will hurt.  I continued telling him that I want strong glasses; I want to be able to see everything, that's why I have glasses in the first place!  It was horrible. Eventually, I was like, "look, I'm the one who is wearing these glasses. I don't have a headache, just don't worry about it."  The eye doctor ended up saying that he didn't know if lenses could be cut as thick as I needed them to be, so maybe i should go with the weaker strength (his way of trying to convince me to side with him and not cause me to lose face by admitting I was wrong).  I was getting so frustrated, and I felt terrible because my Chinese friend was put in the middle because he was translating.

The whole situation was so confusing because, on the one hand, he is the "expert."  He prescribes glasses to people everyday, and perhaps my prescription looks clear now but it would in fact give me a headache later.  BUT he is still Chinese! And Chinese people often do things MUCH differently than we do.  They would rather have a lesser prescription than risk having a headache.  In their minds, there is no need to have perfect vision, as long as you can see good enough to read most things.  So as I was sitting there, trying to decide how much of an obstinate American I should be, I kept wondering: should I trust him because he is the expert? or should I never trust him because he is Chinese?  There are so many cultural differences that factor into decisions such as this. 

  

At this point, I looked at my friend and said, "I don't care. Just ask them to make me a new pair of glasses and don't tell me the prescription -- maybe I won't even know the difference."  .... this was my best effort at a compromise.  

And for the record, i'm very happy with my new glasses, even if getting them caused a great deal of frustration (but I still maintain that option B WAS the best option! :)

Luang Prabang, Laos

On October 1st, 1949, Chairman Mao stood at Tiananmen Square in Beijing and declared the formation of the People's Republic of China (PRC) - a communist country and government that he would lead.  To commemorate this day, China celebrates October 1st as National Day (like our 4th of July).  

The best part of National Day is a WHOLE WEEK off! All businesses close and everyone in the country celebrates the holiday, which also means that many people travel.  (over 210 MILLION people were expected to travel within China during this week -- that's equivalent to 68% of Americans all traveling at one time! Doing anything in China at this time is outrageous - buses are so crowded, you can't find a taxi, businesses aren't open, etc etc).   So.... several friends and I decided to make a short trip to Laos during our time off.

Laos (pink color on map) borders Yunnan (the green region on the map) to the south, and there are direct busses from Kunming to Luang Prabang, Laos (the second largest city in the country).  

The countries on the map are all united because of the Mekong River, which flows through Yunnan and down into Laos.  Each of these countries in the region are dependent on the river for its many resources.

My friends and I took the bus from Kunming to Luang Prabang, where we spent 5 days touring the area.  We enjoyed kayaking down the beautiful Mekong River, hiking in the jungle, swimming near the waterfalls, and experiencing many of Lao's Buddhist customs and traditions.  It was a great week of relaxation and another opportunity to explore more of Southeast Asia.

Laos is known for its traditional Buddhist culture.  Luang Prabang is filled with wats (temples); they seem to occupy literally every street corner.  And in a city of just over 66,000 people, there are over 1,000 monks.   The above picture is the entrance to one of the wats near our hostel.

One the most famous wats in the city.  The low-scooping rooflines show Buddhist architecture that is unique to Luang Prabang.

The front entrance of one of the wats  (notice the large statue of Buddha through the doorframe).

Buddhist designs stenciled onto the walls of the wat

Elephant heads carved into the outside of one of the wats

....Roll Tide!  : )

Sign for a laywer's office - isn't the Lao script beautiful?!

A monk waiting to get in his boat and row to the opposite bank of the Mekong.

A monk's robe hanging out to dry at the monastery.

Buddhist shrine

Statues and monuments like this are all over the city

Because Laos was a colony of France, there are many French influences in the country... the best one being FRENCH BREAD!  We ate french bread at least twice a day!  I would move to Laos for this sole reason, seriously.  My question is, why haven't Lao people taught the Chinese how to make bread!?!

Second best thing of Luang Prabang: fresh fruit shakes for like $0.60!  In case you were wondering, fruit shakes are a healthy addition to breakfast, lunch, AND dinner!  

Kunming Friends! Will, Erin, me, and Roldy.  On the back of a truck, on our way to kayak.

Loving life and sunshine!

Kayaking down the Mekong River

Laos is known for its natural beauty, which includes many waterfalls.  We visited two major waterfalls around Laung Prabang.  Above is Kuang Si Waterfall.

Tad Sae Waterfall.  There are many pools of water around this series of waterfalls that are great for swimming (there were even rope swings!).  Only drawback, the water was FREEZING.

Left: Getting ready to jump!  Right: So brave! (yeah right, haha) 

Hiking in the jungle, we reached the top of the waterfall, where the water sits silently.

Every morning Buddhist monks perform a ritual of walking around the city to collect alms or food for the day.  Because they don't work, the monks are dependent upon the local believers to donate their food.  Each monk carries a small pot and walks in a single file line down all of the major streets in the city; the city people wait for them to pass and put food in their bucket.

The monks walking down the street to collect alms for the day.

Women sit and donate sticky rice to each monk as they walk by.

Monks in Laos are often very young (usually ages 10 to 18).  The length of commitment for a monk can last from 3 months to multiple years, depending on the person.  These young boys will probably only be monks for a short time.  However, much respect and honor will come to the families because their young boys served as a monk and learned traditional Buddhist ways.  

Ancient caves on the Mekong River that were designated at places to worship Buddha.

Thousands of statues of Buddha in the caves

Boat ride down the Mekong River.

The type of boats used to navigate down the river, with the Lao flag.

CWEF Brings Water to Another Village

CWEF staff hard at work

Last week 25 high school students from Concordia International School Shanghai (CISS) traveled to Yunnan to implement a water project in a rural village.  We spent the week digging trenches, living amongst the villagers, and serving them. 

The water project we built will profoundly impact the villagers.  No longer will the women have to make 6 to 7 trips a day hauling water; no longer will the farmers be limited in the number of livestock they can own because they can't provide water for them all; no longer will bathing and hygiene be limited due to a lack of water.  The village now has fresh water!  In partnership with our friends at CISS, CWEF has brought a sustainable fresh water system to another rural village in Yunnan.

Cute

A home in the village

Students digging trenches for the water project

Village girl - always smiling

How the village women carried water before the CWEF water system was built: a jar is filled with water and then carried in a basket on their back.  Notice a rope is attached to the basket that applies the weight to her forehead.

Villager who helped us dig.

 

Rain rain GO AWAY!  Ready to work in the rain.

The girls SOAKED after digging in the rain

 The boys' makeshift laundry room - hanging their clothes to dry after working in the rain all morning

Elderly village women wear turbans.  I sat and "chatted" (difficult because they speak a dialect) with these women for a few minutes. They were SO adorable and kept wanting to touching my arms and my hair.  The woman who is covering her mouth in the picture kept reaching forward and pinching my cheeks.  She would pinch both of my cheeks, then lean back and giggle.  And then she would say something to her friends, and she would reach forward and touch my face again.  So sweet.

 Students with the family they interviewed

Boys observing the foreigners

 

Ready for action! Got my hat, my gloves, the first aid kit and my friendship watch.

The service team was so generous to donate books and toys to the village children. This little girl was so excited to get her very own copy of the Berenstain Bears in Chinese!

  

The villages always have beautiful scenery

High school students making balloon animals for the village children.  Such a hit!

Grandpa holding the baby and smoking his pipe.

Playing with their new balloons

 Village woman also enjoying her pipe

Service team washing dishes after dinner

 The village leader's daughter was married while we were in the village.  Presenting the bride with a gift.

Just keep digging...

Boys posing for the camera 

...and more digging

Presenting our government partners with a tie

Teaching how to tie a tie.  Priceless.

Official goodbye with our government partners