China On Wheels

A CSC Experience in China

Sara gave our group presentation in the IBM Boulder office yesterday.

The recording of it is here -> A CSC Experience in China

chinese food

tiger leaping gorge

photos from Lijiang and hiking the Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan province -> china :: tiger leaping gorge (2011)

yellow mountain

photos from my hike up mount huangshan -> china :: huangshan (2011)

san francisco chinatown

I got to spend this week in San Francisco for work and happily roamed around Chinatown getting sesame red bean rolls and a foot massage. It all feels very cheesy and touristy here, but there were the familiar serious games of checkers and cards going on the streets, rain or shine....

faces of china

my first collection from china....photomistic.com - china 2011 :: faces of china

Everybody's Reading It

after carrying my local newspaper, The Mountain Ear, from Nederland, Colorado around in my bag for a month, I'm happy to announce that they published this photo from the Great Wall in the April 21 paper. Photo credit goes to Radha, and Rajani, Sara, and Sona are in the background.

the original

Happiness Theme and Bittersweet Goodbye

Happiness Theme

Last weekend we had more of a relaxed weekend before we leave to go to Beijing and head home.  It's amazing to me that there is so much history everywhere we go, just a stones throw away from the city we are staying in.  The history is so much more ancient than I am used to experiencing in the US.  We visited a Buddhist temple, there was a tree there that was very old and supposed to be good luck.  You could tie your wishes to the tree and it is supposed to grant your wish.  I bought a red ribbon and tied it to the tree, I think mine was the only one with English writing- I wished for a long happy life for my friends and family.  Then they had a drum that you could hit with a large suspended log, depending on how many times you hit it, it means different thing.  To stay consistent with my happiness them for the trip, I hit the drum 3 times for happiness.  \

 

We had our final presentation to our client last week, they were really surprised with all that we were able to do in such a short time period.  They wanted to know how we had accessed so much industry specific information.  I think we left them a good spot to continue the research and make decisions moving forward.  It felt good knowing that they appreciated and valued our hard work!

 

As we approached the final days, the end of the trip was definitely bittersweet.  I am really happy to coming home to family and friends, but will definitely miss my new extended family that we created with our IBM group and Lucy from ABV.  It is really great that we all had the opportunity to meet and learn from each other.  We also have commented many times on how even though we all come from different cultures, we are all very similar. 

 

As usual, I have some additional thoughts and observations while in China:

 

1)      People prefer to drink from pixie sized glasses and smaller plates.  I think this is helping with portion control, but I also can't keep track of how many glasses or plates I have had, so I am not entirely certain!

2)      Everything is negotiable, if I want a banana from a street vendor, I can bargain.  It is going to be really odd to go home and just pay the asking price.  Filippo is the master bargainer, I think he should move over to my procurement department, he is brutal!  Conversely, it will be nice to know that the price I am getting is fair instead of grossly inflated.

3)      I am seriously considering switching over from cold beverages to hot ones.  Even though there is a lot of oil in the food, my stomach hasn't felt better, I am thinking that it's the hot water… J

4)      Chinese myths:

a.       Chinese people are quite and don't use a lot of expression– actually, they are very loud and they enjoy debating back and forth for quite a bit of time and are very funny.

b.      Chinese people aren't able to feely discuss their issues- this was not the case with our client, they were able to express their weaknesses so that we could help, it was very refreshing.

c.       Direct eye contact should be avoided – I have never been stared at so much in my life, so this definitely wasn't the case.

d.      Business professional attire should be worn- work was very casual.

e.       Smoking is banned in most places – people smoke almost anywhere, even if there is a sign saying that they shouldn't.  

f.       Following the customary seating, eating, and introduction policies is mandatory- as long as you are trying to speak some words, are courteous and polite, people will be more than happy to help you and welcome you!

 

On a serious note, I think that the biggest reminder that this experience has provided me is that life is too short, you should spend it dong what you love, experiencing new things, learning from people, focusing on the positive, appreciating what we have, and celebrating our differences.  The more I am able to listen, ask questions, and truly care about others, the more I get in return!

 

Thanks for everything team, I will definitely miss Lucy's assertiveness and help, Ryan's jokes and observations, Filippo's ability to debate almost anything I say and his sense of humor, Olivia's energy and up beat spirit, Jay's advice on the best shopping and her cooking, Radha's laugh and up for anything attitude, Raj's funny comments that always make me laugh, Xu's input on his own culture and explanations, Bruno's excitement for animals and excursions, and Sona's kindred spirit for shopping and a good deal!  You guys are the best, good luck for a long and happy life in the future, I hope we meet up again.  

 

Sara

thanks!

Most of the team had a parting dinner last night in Beijing, and Sara rallied everyone to go around the table saying something about our time together here in China, like saying thanks at Thanksgiving dinner.

So Sara... I'm thankful that I traveled to the other side of the world to make a friend in my home town.

Thank you Xu for being our food interpreter and telling us all the fascinating Chinese stories of legends, beliefs, and practices.

I learned whose team to be on in badminton. Sona can compete alone against entire teams.

I think we all learned who to take with us to the market to bargain with the vendors. Filippo is ruthless.

Thanks to all the indian ladies for the wonderful healthy lunches in the corner cafe. The kitchen you brought with you from India is much appreciated.

Thank you Olivia for making sure I wasn't getting carried off to the warehouse by my local rock-paper-scissors drinking buddies in the KTV.

Bruno, I hope that some of your "instinct" will rub off on me.  I'll  be sending you my flight information for Carnival next year, and sporting the head cam.

Big thanks to Lucy for everything...for helping make the scooter happen, for slaughtering me at tennis (although, I still claim the match is not actually over yet), and arranging everything in our lives for the past month.

and last but not least, I will miss my fellow Mandarish speaker, visiting professor, personal assistant, and scooter cohort Radha. (P.S. Could you please send me your revised marketing strategy for Jianz Corporation Ltd.? My first supply will be in soon.)

Wo Xiang Ni

-Ryan

HEBUST visiting professors

Radha and I have been commuting to the university these days on the little scooter that Lucy helped me buy in a big wholesale market. 

On Friday, we gave a presentation on IBM, new technologies, and research topics to some post-graduate students.

-Ryan

weekend in Xian

2000 year old terracotta warriors.....a cycling tour around the 600 year old Xian city wall with Ethan sporting an IBM cap.......and a Tang dynasty musical about dancing concubines

HEBUST - second year students

Radha and I gave another presentation last night at the university, this time to the second year computer science students, introducing IBM and WebSphere software.Some of them wanted advice on how to get a job at IBM and we were invited to a BBQ this weekend on the Cha River.


-Ryan

the team in the IBM Shijiazhuang office

Lucy is on our blog now!

 

Lucy, our ABV contact and fearless guide.

Sara - Another week at the Client, Xi'am, and new observations

Wow, time flies when you are having fun.  I can't believe it's the third week already.  This last week, we presented our itinerary to our client and they seem pleased with our timeline.  We are working on putting together a comprehensive marketing plan.  We met with the Vice General Manager and we got some additional insight on the company.  He let us know that the company was formed by a group of investors and now each investor is a manager of each department.  It sounds like the company is growing faster than anticipated and they need to really have some management training and create a strategic direction.   In addition, they need to be able to make decisions as a team.  We were surprised that he was so open and honest with us about the weaknesses of his company.  We decided that in addition to our marketing plan we should assist the management with some training on creating a strategic direction, goal setting, motivating their people, and decision making.  An overall feeling of negativity was there, we wanted to make sure to focus on positive things that they are doing.  Our training is on Wednesday, I will report back and let you know if it sinks in or not!

This last weekend we went to Xi'an, the old capital of China.  It was very interesting because the history dates back to 1046 BC, there were 12 dynasties that ruled China from Xi'an.  We were able to go to the Terra Cotta warrior tombs, Emperor Qin had over 700,000 people over 40 years to create terra cotta warriors and horses that were buried with him to protect him in the after life. We stayed in the ancient city and took a bike ride around the top of the wall that was build to protect the city, the total length of the wall was 13 kilometers.  We were definitely worn out after our ride since it turned cold and was sprinkling a little bit.  We also enjoyed a crumbed bread lunch which you crumble your own bread in a bowl and they fill it with noodles, broth, and meat, it was well needed during the cold day. 

I managed to hurt my foot while I was here, but it has actually turned into a bit of a neat experience with Chinese medical massage.  I learned some Chinese medicine tips: 1) do not get the injured foot hot 2) if your lower back is tense you have caught a cold in your back, make sure to keep it covered.  3) always keep your feet covered 4) keep your feet covered, you can catch a cold in your feet as well. 5)don't sit in one spot for longer than 40 minutes, it tightens up your shoulders and back.  6) running is good to loosen up you shoulders. 
 

Here are some other things that I think are extremely different here:

-After March 15, the government turns off the central heating system, so it is cold in a lot of the restaurants, we are lucky to have personal heating machines in our rooms!

-The beds are very hard, I think it has to do with a belief that it is better for your back, but not good for sleeping! 

-Clearing your throat in public apparently isn't considered rude, people are doing it all the time and very loudly. 
-The lines on the road are just a guide for where you might want to drive and the horn is also a means to clear people out of your way while you are driving.  I thought I was going to die last night on our taxi ride home, we were on the freeway going against on coming traffic, our driver was flashing his lights and honking his horn to alert people to move.  We were driving on the center line on a 2 lane road for a while, with people passing on the right and left.  We were all very quite until we got into the city!  Thank God, I live to see another day! :)
-Construction and dirt is everywhere, they are growing so fast.  We witnessed a bunch of electrical lines all tied together and hanging from tree to tree and a building being torn down with very little distance from the observers, just didn't feel safe. 
-Negotiating for trinkets is FUN, we were amazed at Fillipo's ability to get the lowest price in the group, he's an inspiration. In my guidebook it says to expect to pay 60% of the cost, but I think we were getting closer to an 80% discount, maybe they were marking it up extra for the Westerners!
-Vegetarian options aren't very common, there is meat in everything. I don't think I have ever eaten so much pork.  Unfortunately/fortunately, I have discovered that I like pork.... haha!

Well back to the work, hoping for some warmer weather soon! 

Sara

HEBUST & Cloud Computing

Yesterday, Radha and I gave our second presentation at the Hebei University of Science Technology to teachers from the Information Science and Engineering department. They had asked us to present on new technologies and give them some research ideas. We presented on cloud computing, IBM's Smarter Cities initiative, and the new Watson super computer. It was very cold and cloudy yesterday from the sand storm that blew in over Shijiazhuang and Professor Kai kept making jokes about how it was good day to talk about cloud computing. 


Our student guides, Yang and Fei, are extremely nice to us, spending hours giving us Mandarin lessons at the campus coffee house called "Touch" and slipping us into a gym class to play ping pong.


Our first presentation last week was an introduction to IBM, the IBM centennial anniversary, and career opportunities to first year students. At the end of the presentation, one very enthusiastic student in the back of the room stood up and proclaimed "I WANT TO BE AN IBMER !!"  and asked how he could celebrate IBM's 100 year anniversary. 


This is us at the HEBUST entrance w/ Yang and Fei

Today's meeting at Zhongshi Testing.

Today Sara and I held a meeting with all of the Zhongshi Testing Machine
managers.
We wanted to ensure that our deliverables were in line with their
expectations.
The meeting went very well. The managers were impressed with our organization
and structure.
At the end we went lunch toghether and we ate dumplings, they were wonderful
dumplings! :-)
Filippo

The delicacy dinner and the Cha Party

(See attached file: Corner_house.jpg) Capitalizing on the limited resources
available, Jay managed to make a yummy dinner for all the 'strict' ( no
egg, no sea food) vegetarians of the China12 team in The Corner House - a
corner room (Sona's room - that we use to cook and dine) in the Motel 168.
duo xie (Many Thanks) to Jay and Sona

(See attached file: TeaParty.jpg) A tea party followed the dinner in
Rajani's room. She made the Kerala Chaya for us [ with the 'Kannan Devan'
tea leaves ;) ] xie xie Rajani!
- Posted by Radha.

Sara's additional thoughts on China, Qiao Gardens, and Pingyao

This weekend was really great because we got to learn about the history and additional customs of China.  First we visited Qiao's Garden where "Raising Red Lantern," was filmed.  I didn't realize that China used to have arranged marriages and the husband didn't know who he was marrying until the veil was lifted, also Chinese men used to have multiple wives.  The picture I have enclosed means double happiness in your marriage, I thought it was sweet.  Also children were given different toys when they were 1 year old to determine their future occupations.  We learned about the different days of the Chinese New Years, the first day is praying to the kitchen God to get good luck in your kitchen all year, I think I will start this tradition in my house. We saw a bank in Pingyao, a walled city, were they ingeniously created water marks on paper that served as receipts and created codes to withdrawal money.  We also saw many handy crafts (dried gourds for playing music, wood combs, and lacquer jewelery boxes) and typical food (flat bread, sunflower seeds, walnuts, red dates, and a sweet nut bark). 

 

Here are some other things that I think are extremely different here:

-Water and other beverages are served warm or at room temperature because it is easier for your body to digest.

-You must use chopsticks, some restaurants have knife and fork, but you have to ask for it.

-They like to put signs outside of buildings and in parks, I think it's for good luck.

-The language is very difficult because they use 4 different tones that go up, down, flat and v shape, so the same word can have 4 different meanings depending on the way it is pronounced.

-Always carry tissues with you if you are women because paper in toilets isn't always common, neither are western style toilets.

-Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are very similar, they mostly eat noodles, rice, and soup all hours of the day. You can't buy cheese that isn't processed at the grocery store. Also, wheat bread isn't available easily.

-Don't expect that what you order is going to match the picture, Filippo and I had bananas on our pizza a few days ago. :) I don't recommend this combination, especially with fish.

-Bars are not common, people go to dinner a lot, but not out for a drink typically.

-Badminton and ping pong are very popular, we rented a room and played for 2 hours, my wrist is still sore!

-Jogging isn't common, there are a few people that jog, but mostly people in the park are dancing, doing Tai Chi, or other group activities in the park.

-They don't sell t-shirts in the spring until it is warm, Filippo wanted a t-shirt and it has been impossible to find. Only long sleeved t-shirts are available.

-People are very friendly and will try to help no matter what, even if they don't understand any English. They also like to laugh a lot at us, I am not taking it personally! :)

Sona's and Jay's first picture with our client - some serious exchange of ideas with them!!

After some initial serious language challenges last week, it was wonderful to break through this week with our brilliant interpreter, Emily - a student from the Hebei Normal University - studying the course of English/Mandarin interpretation degree. We feel very happy and satisfied that our client is seeing a lot of value in the information we are providing them.

Some funny moment at City Wall.

Here below some funny moment of yesterday's trip

  

And definetely tired when we were coming back,....

- Filippo
  

some of Bruno's aliens

the Taiyuan train station didn't know what to make of us....these are head massage-scratchers sold by the village vendors

Filippo w/ fans at Qiao Garden

 

Pingyao tourist w/ Olivia and Filippo

 

 

The “Aliens”

 

It's really funny to walk in the streets and everybody looks at you like they're wondering witch kind of "beings" are they? "Are they humans?" Or… "Where is the flying source they came from?" Our conclusion is that we really are Aliens in Chinese lands… but they don't need to worry, we are peaceful and came for a good reason: the volunteerism.

 

Everywhere and the most crowded a place is, the most we are observed by "wondering faces", maybe they believe we are a soccer team or western celebrities – Ryan really looks like a Rock Star. About him, it was so funny when some young girls told they had never met a handsome guy like him... he is also famous in here and, in a few days, I believe he will provide the first autographs : ))

 

Olivia`s blond hair is also the focus of many curious faces, sometimes they look at her and talk with his partners, maybe asking if she is our leader or not (???) or, "it could be a great idea to attack her first, maybe she is the most dangerous one"….

 

As tall as Felippo is, certainly he is in charge of providing security to the weaker aliens… he also got many male fans in Quiao's garden… I think their fans just wanted to show their friends how brave they were taking a picture beside of the tallest and strongest strange.

Bruno,

red china

	red china Uploaded by photomistic on March 12, 2011 © All rights reserved

Pingyao ancient walled city

this wall is not tall enough for Filippo

Sara

Bruno

Ryan