June 29 Lijiang Second Narrative

Hi
Here is Kevin's most recent narrative. Enjoy!
James

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June 25, 2009

‘Hit the Ground Running!’ I believe this best describes the last few days here for me at the GYS.

On Thursday, Sam, Xuan Yang, and I traveled by taxi to Lijiang to do an interview with an agent from a Lijiang Ecotourism agency. Our goal was to find out the prices and the type of tours the local travel agency was charging around Lashihai. This provided us some key information to help us in deciding what price range we want to set as donations for possible tours, hikes, the ecology exhibition, and overnight stays here in Lashihai.

Something worth calling out was the majority of the interview was spoken in Mandarin. Xuan Yang (Mr. Chen’s son) actually was not even in the room for the first part of it. It was just us two Caucasians. I wish I could claim all of this, but Sam (the Yale University Student) had it all under control. I asked some questions, but most of the terminology that was being spoken was unfamiliar to me.

After the interview, I asked Sam how he had reached such a fluent level of Mandarin. He explained that he had studied the language for over three years, but there is some important information to note here. First is the language department at Yale University is very strict and demanding. Second is that he attended the Beijing Normal University twice each for eight weeks through a Princeton University program. He told me that when he arrived, he had to sign a contract that he would not speak any English. If he broke that agreement, he would immediately be sent home. Third, he came on his own to China for a semester to do some personal traveling. As I totaled it all together, I realized I had a great opportunity to learn from him. Since that interview, Sam had been helping me with my tones, vocabulary, and building confidence in my own language ability. J

Another large event happened shortly afterwards. Sam, Xuan Yang, and I went to a Tibetan Tea House. We ordered Yake Butter Tea with a dish of sugar. The tea was exceptionally good and sweet, so good that I drank 5 cups of it. Once the container of tea was almost empty, Sam poured the remainder into Xuan Yang’s cup. I was curious to find that he was inspecting it. He said that he thought there might be peanuts in it. Immediately he asked the waitress who responded rather quickly. She replied, ‘有花生’- it has peanuts. I was shocked because for 15 minutes of drinking tea, I had not felt any sensation in my throat of an allergic reaction. Usually, I would notice a reaction within 5 minutes or less. Sam recommended that I still go forward with the protocol and administer myself an Epipen. I injected the Epipen into my thigh, took 50mg of Benadryl, and Prednisone. I was completely drugged on steroids. The Epipen begin working immediately; my adrenaline started rushing, and I began shaking. We stayed at the Tea House for about another 50 minutes until the epinephrine worn out.

Afterwards, the adventure continued. Sam and I went to meet Jill and Brian for dinner in the Old Town of Lijiang. We had dinner at a local Western-Styled restaurant. Jill and Brian are both foreigners in Lijiang, but are conducting research projects either through Full Bright or Peace Corps. I was very interesting to talk with them and hear about their experiences so far in those programs since I am consider a similar path after graduation. Jill concluded that she would hire a Peace Corp volunteer rather than a Full Bright Scholar because of the hands on experience and connections; however, I must take everything with a grain of salt. Through the course of the evening, the Benadryl started to hit me hard. My eyelids began to feel like boulders, extremely difficult to keep open. Before I closed my eyelids, I told them what had happened a few hours ago. They were stunned that I was having dinner with them under these circumstances.

June 26, 2009

On late Friday morning, we had a local T.V station crew come to the GYS. There were three people who came. One was the interviewer, other shot the video footage, and lastly a government official. The government official asked us some questions about which university we attended and how we got connected with the Mr. Chen at the GYS. Later, I was sitting just across the table as the film crew came in and interviewed Sam entirely in Mandarin. It was quite remarkable. Soon afterwards, Mr. Chen invited them for lunch. We headed across the street to an upscale restaurant for the area of AnShang. Most of the conversation took place between Sam and the government official. I did speak up in a few cases, but I was mostly observing and listening. I was still not adjusted to the rapid-fire pass of speaking, nor was I comfortable in front of large audiences in terms of speaking another language.

June 27, 2009

On Saturday evening, after I finished cleaning the dishes, Mr. Chen asked me to come out to the garden to check out the new bathrooms that had been installed. The conversation was one of great importance. We discussed the use of biogas tanks in rural villages and whether biogas tanks are really a worthwhile investment. Although the initial costs upfront are expensive at 5,000 RMB, they last for about 25 years. That is about 200 RMB a year. I asked Mr. Chen how much it was to build this new outhouse. His response was about 7,000 RMB, but he added that he chosen one of most expensive types. This was key because currently there are thousands of biogas tanks already installed in this area by the government, but most farmers do not use them due to it being inconvenient. For example, in some cases, the outhouse and the biogas tanks are 10s of meter away, which requires someone to shovel the feces into the biogas tank. Also, many farmers are not educated on how to use them in the first place. We also discussed about deforestation and whether biogas tanks make a difference. I told him that I would like him to drive Sam and me to some of those spots because at this point I have not come across any. He remarked that farmers don’t cut timber near the roads where it is obvious, but instead go deep into the forest to collect wood. Somehow, this became a walk across the street onto a local trail into the forest. Along the beginning part of the trail, Mr. Chen showed me a small section that had eroded due to clear-cutting. As we climbed up a little further, we also discussed the logging ban of 1998 in China. He explained to me that it is illegal, but there is still a strong demand for wood products locally. Before we headed back down, I asked for us to stop and listen to the pristine stillness and the chirps of the birds. To my surprise, not only could Mr. Chen whistle, but could also get a response from the chirping birds. For a second, it felt little like harmony been the natural setting and the China.

When we returned back to the house, he showed me a stockpile of timber and branches used for home construction and burning to cook food. It is important to note that the house I am staying at is Na xi. This is a small ethnic group in China that primarily lives in Lijiang. Almost everyone who lives near Lashihai is Na xi. Beside the point, Mr. Chen bought this house several years back. The wood that I was looking at was collected before 1998, and it was quite extensive. Now I have not been to another Lashihai house to compare today’s collection, but I think this would be a worthwhile inquiry to pursue.

June 28, 2009

In the early afternoon, Sam and I went for a hike. We were looking for trails that the GYS could use for possible use for tours to learn more about the local ecology of the area and experience some amazing views of the lake. Thanks to the discussion yesterday, I found our first trail. The trail was rather muddy due to the recent thunderstorms over the last couple of days. The trail was primarily used horseback riding so there were no logs to help ease the climb. After about 20 minutes, we reached an open spot that had benches and an amazing view of Lashihai. We thought we found something very exquisite, which was currently not be utilized by YEN (Yunnan EcoNetwork). We thought if we can get a hold of an ecology handbook that would have lists of local plants, birds, and animals, then this could be something the YEN could include in its programs. The trail actually continued higher, but a large thunderstorm was upon us and the winds were picking up. We decided next time we will take an afternoon hike to find out how far the trail leads.

An hour later, the same government official showed up at the GYS. She was not alone. She brought her husband and another family. The family was local residents of Lijiang. There was the mother as well as her oldest and youngest daughter. The oldest daughter brought her boyfriend. They both had been attending a Switzerland university. The boyfriend was Suisse and could not speak a word of Mandarin, which I found ironic. We all had tea and talked about prior travels abroad. Mr. Chen gave them a tour of the ecology exhibition hall as well as the biogas tank in the garden. Sam and I offered to take the kids on a tour of Lashihai. We decided this would be a good chance to practice what I had researched in terms of geography, climate, minorities, biodiversity, and environmental issues of Lashihai. I had to do all of this on top of my head since they do not having a working printer at the GYS. It was an interesting experience. I realized I needed to practice several more time before I could confidently recite all the information. The oldest daughter knew a lot about Lashihai and had some strong opinions about the wetland reserve nearby. I remember her distinctively saying that the protection of the environment is a very difficult and sensitive issue. I must they that the youngest daughter was wonderfully curious. As we walked along the dirt path, Sam pointed out some of the animals in English. She was a quick learner.

In the late hours of the night, Mr. Chen and I drove over to CAAC. Professor Robert Efird, a Seattle University Professor in Asian Studies and Anthropology, had just arrived in Lijang and planned to stay the night at the GYS. It was pleasure to see a familiar face in this part of the world. Surprisingly, Mr. Chen and Professor Efird were good friends and had meet several year back. When I heard that he was coming, I was stunned. What are the odds that a professor from the same university would meet you in one of the remotest parts of China? I think most people at SU know his Mandarin language skills are exceptional. Well, let me tell you, it is nothing less. He is here in China this summer studying environmental education by visiting some local villages to collect research. He told me his wife and two kids are currently in Kunming and might come to visit the GYS in late July, which would be very exciting.

Over the last couple of days, I have a had a chance to meet a wide variety of people due to Mr. Chen variety of contacts international particularly here in China and the United States. One thing is for sure here my network is growing and language skills are growing.