An American in the Far East » Expatriate

Ending the Semester with a Bang!

Graham — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:16:28 +0000

The month of June is busy for us teachers. The end of classes is near, finals to be given, papers to be graded, and summer plans to be made. On top of that, we have a number of birthdays to celebrate around here. Namely, the group you see below. That’s right, it was my birthday this month too. Huzzah!

The birthday group: (left to right) Brittany, me, Kay, Elva, and Divendra

We had a big party to celebrate the large number of birthdays and also as a send-off for the foreign teachers. It was a big success with almost all of the teachers coming out to celebrate. We had plenty of delicious homemade food and some catered by local restaurants. It was a total blast and I ate almost to the point of being sick. It’s not every day we get Western food! The ones who were celebrating invited some of their students and friends to join in the fun. Brittany’s birthday was actually that day, so many of her students and friends from the museum came out. A trio of my best students, Uighurs from the Xinjiang province, came out to party with me. Very much unlike me, they don’t drink alcohol (it’s forbidden) so I was left to drink with my fellow expats. I think they enjoyed themselves regardless; they told me a few times that the party reminded them of a Uighur wedding. I’m not exactly sure if that is a good thing or not.

My Uighur students and I: (left to right) Ralph, Tommy, and Roy

The revelry continued until the older folks retired for the night. After that the younger crowd settled on making an excursion to one of the many clubs throughout Xi’an. I don’t remember the name of the place we went to but it was really nice. And, of course, really expensive. I didn’t bring my camera along, so no pictures unfortunately, but we did have a great time chatting, drinking, and enjoying the beautiful night.

The after-hours group: (top) Reto and friend, Mark, me, Andrew; (bottom) Vera, Brittany, Puii, Carolin, Divendra

We wrapped up the night with some dancing at Salsa, a popular nightclub here. I am totally done with Salsa. Never again. Never! Every time I go there, it’s about 80-90% guys. This time was no different. And the thing about nightclubs in China is that the drinks are ridiculously expensive. And to actually get them you need to get a table, which requires you spend at least 400 RMB on a bottle of liquor. Our usual modus operandi is to pregame at home with the cheap stuff, then go out to party and not spend a lot of money. Maybe it’s just me, but getting drunk and then going to a huge club sparsely populated with women is not exactly my idea of a good time. This has been my experience almost every time going to Salsa and other dance clubs in Xi’an. So yeah, I’m done with that.

Despite another lame adventure in Salsa, the night was a huge success. We had a great party with good friends and delicious food. There was cake. I made hamburgers like my Mom always makes them (which were a big hit, thanks Mom!). Drinking at the club afterward was a lot of fun as well. I’m glad we could have one last big party to end the semester and send off the people who won’t be coming back in the fall.

Expat communities seem so transient; it’s kind of a downer. People are always coming and going. You never know exactly how long people will be staying. Some stay for years, others for a single semester. It’s hard to form serious connections with these people in this environment. True, we see each other almost every day, so bonds and friendships form quickly. But whether or not they are strong enough to stand the test of time is yet to be seen (by me at least).

At some point I will leave China. Maybe I will not return. When will I leave here? I have no idea. One thing I do know is that after I spend one year teaching English here, I want to get a proper job as an engineer. I wouldn’t mind staying in China doing this. Staying in Xi’an with all of the friends I’ve made would be even better. But the most likely scenario is that I will have to return home to the US and find a job there. That’s certainly not a bad thing. But the life I’ve carved out here is a good one. The friends I’ve made are now important people in my life. I’m not looking forward to the day when I have to give that all up and move on with my life.

I’m glad I could spend one last big night with my friends to celebrate not just birthdays and the end of another semester, but the time that we’ve all spent together. I will be back next semester, but some of them will not.

To all of the great friends I’ve made this semester: I will miss you and hopefully someday I will see you again.

Going for a (Hash) Run

Graham — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:40:40 +0000

Last week Andrew and I participated in our second consecutive Hash House Harriers run here in Xi’an. Andrew took part in the Hash runs while he was living in Shanghai as a student, but for me this was only my second time. I have to say, it is a total blast. The group is self-described as “a drinking group with a running problem.” It sounds like an odd mixture, but after only my second time I am totally hooked.

The group in Xi’an meets approximately once every 2 weeks for a 1.5 to 2 kilometer run through some area of the city. Fengqing Park is free to the public so we had the chance to run through that beautiful venue this last time. Granted, there was plenty of Chinese staring at us, pointing, laughing, cheering, and encouraging us along the way. How often do Chinese get to see a group of laowais running through the park?

The quirky aspect of these Hash runs is that finding the correct path through the course is part of the challenge. 2 kilometers doesn’t sound like much, but when you are trying to find your way and end up backtracking a lot (as I did last weekend) then you will add quite a bit to the distance. Normally the course is set with small arrows on the ground. More often than I would appreciate, the arrows split off in multiple directions. Andrew and I were designated to run off in the different directions to see which was the right way. Either we would encounter an ‘X’-the wrong way-or more arrows, which would result in a resounding yell of, “On on!” It is quite a bit of fun trying to figure out which is the correct path, even when you end up taking the wrong route more often than not.

After the run, everyone grabs a beer and circles up. The head of the group, The General in this case, leads us off on our toasts. Every week there are different toasts, but we always drink to the one who took the time to set the course. This past week, Andrew and I were toasted for doing the vast majority of backtracking, which was nice. Also, people are given Hash names based on, as far as I can tell, whatever The General decides at the time. So far I have seen Foot Fetish and 69 as names given. I’m sure there will be plenty more to come.

Once the toasts are done, that’s when the real fun begins. Yes, we are all hot and sweaty and tired from the run. But we come to drink. And drink we do. Saturday ended being a very long night for Andrew and I, as well as some other members with whom we went out drinking after the festivities. Seriously, the group bills itself as a drinking group with a running problem and it is totally true. And it is loads of fun. Not to mention the great people you get to meet. Especially living as an expat, it’s nice to get out and meet a bunch of other foreigners and party with them purely on the basis that we enjoy running and drinking, one after the other. I know it sounds like a horrible mix but you get used to it and it becomes all part of the fun. On top of that, we also have some local Chinese who like to come out to join us in our running and partying. It’s a great mix of foreigners and locals; a very diverse group from all different walks of life.

Hashing started in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1938 by a group of British soldiers and expatriates whom began meeting on Mondays to go running so as to recover from drinking the previous weekend. And no, Hash does not refer to the marijuana-based drug. It refers to the particularly bad food at Selangor Club Annex where the members originally met to begin and end their runs. By 1950, the Hash House Harriers had the following constitution:

* To promote physical fitness among our members
* To get rid of weekend hangovers
* To acquire a good thirst and to satisfy it in beer
* To persuade the older members that they are not as old as they feel

The club pokes fun at itself as much as it takes itself seriously. When we all circle up, the toasts are called “down-downs” and are sometimes done on a completely made-up basis. It’s all in good fun and everyone has a great time, though one thing is for sure: drinking is not optional, it’s mandatory. For example, one odd rule is that if you wear new shoes to a Hash, you have to drink beer out of it after the run. The rules are not really enforceable but it’s all part of the spirit and the fun to comply with them, no matter how weird they may seem to be.

There are over 1900 hash groups in 1238 cities in 183 countries. Chances are there is a group near you, no matter what part of the world you are in. If you enjoy both drinking and running, and would like the opportunity to hang out with a group of people who will promote a welcoming, care-free, fun-loving environment in which to relax and socialize, I highly recommend this group. Do yourself a favor and check it out. You don’t have to run if you don’t want to, but you do have to drink!

Next hash we will be running around the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and will end with a barbecue at a member’s house. I can’t wait!

If you’re interested, you can check out this link for more information and find a city near you with a hash group.