Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Today's Interview Subject in Zhuhai: Me
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
12:59 AM
While I waited for a meal at a Singaporean restaurant at a mall in Zhuhai today, three college students approached and asked if they could interview me. They were all business English majors and as part of a class project needed to interview foreigners in English. Considering all of the impromptu interviews I have conducted in China myself, I figured this could be a small way to do something more in return. As I was about to agree one of them added, "Oh, and we need to video record the interview."
In similar situations in the past students had simply requested a photo, but their teacher desired more compelling evidence. After I commented the video request was rather unusual, one student shared that all of the foreigners they previously found had refused upon learning about it. I wasn't at all surprised. And the student added that if she was similarly approached while in another country, she would respond int he same way.
Still, I decided to submit myself to their questioning. But I felt inspired to add a stipulation: the one student would lend me her hat to wear during the interview. We had a deal.
After I finished my meal, the interview was recorded on a Huawei mobile phone. The questions were light and typical, such as "What's your favorite city in China?" Soon they had sufficient material and stopped recording, though the conversation continued afterwards with me now taking the opportunity to ask a few questions. It isn't an interview I would want shared with the world, especially in video form, but I will likely survive if it isn't deleted as promised. Hopefully none of it appears out of context in a surprise China Daily piece.
The students' challenges reflects a tension in China between schools seeing value in their students speaking with fluent (or more fluent) English speakers yet seemingly not valuing it enough to invest money to make it happen more regularly in environments where "natural" opportunities are few. More thoughts on this issue another day.
And yes, I really wore the hat.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Friday, September 25, 2015
Turning Down a Shave in Zhuhai
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
11:03 PM
Since injuring my leg last week in Zhuhai, to keep the wound and bandaging dry per doctors' orders I have altered my body-cleaning methods. A high concentration of hair salons offering inexpensive "head washes" near Zhuhai's border with Macau has helped. A head wash which includes a head massage and often a shoulder & arm massage as well typically costs about U.S. $2.50 to $3.30 and lasts about 15-30 minutes. To make the most out of these difficult times, I have made the sacrifice of visiting multiple establishments to compare them, though evaluations are complicated by usual large variations of workers' skills within a single establishment.
Today I tried yet another salon. The experience reminded me of many others in China in terms of the persistent and sometimes blunt sales pitch for other services and pricier options. For enlightenment, here is a key part of the conversation I had with the hair washer, translated into English, which followed several attempts to convince me of the glories of a cleaner face:
She kept on trying until I stopped replying to her comments. After that, all was good and my hair was soon clean. As usual, at the end they seemed rather amused I didn't want my hair blowdried.
Today I tried yet another salon. The experience reminded me of many others in China in terms of the persistent and sometimes blunt sales pitch for other services and pricier options. For enlightenment, here is a key part of the conversation I had with the hair washer, translated into English, which followed several attempts to convince me of the glories of a cleaner face:
Would you like a facial?I will admit I was surprised. Other salons here didn't offer shaving.
No thanks.
Your beard is rough! How about a shave?
No thanks.
It's ugly.
Thank you.
She kept on trying until I stopped replying to her comments. After that, all was good and my hair was soon clean. As usual, at the end they seemed rather amused I didn't want my hair blowdried.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Diaper Spillage Averted in Macau
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
12:44 AM
A good save the other day in Macau by men on opposite ends of a flatbed wagon:
None of the boxes of diapers hit the ground. These diapers, which are designed to avoid another type of spillage, were apparently being delivered to locations in Macau. Given this area's close proximity to Macau's border with Zhuhai, many of the diapers are likely destined for locations in mainland China, whether as personal purchases or part of a grey market which I first looked at several years ago. During my recent time in Macau and Zhuhai, I have revisited the topic. Later, more about what I found, including how goods not only flow out of Macau through the grey market but into it as well.
None of the boxes of diapers hit the ground. These diapers, which are designed to avoid another type of spillage, were apparently being delivered to locations in Macau. Given this area's close proximity to Macau's border with Zhuhai, many of the diapers are likely destined for locations in mainland China, whether as personal purchases or part of a grey market which I first looked at several years ago. During my recent time in Macau and Zhuhai, I have revisited the topic. Later, more about what I found, including how goods not only flow out of Macau through the grey market but into it as well.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Lighting Up for the Mid-Autumn Festival at Portas do Cerco
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
12:33 AM
The above scene at Portas do Cerco shows a bit of how Macau is sprucing things up for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. I share the photo also because I will not need to cross the border between Macau and Zhuhai as much as I have been for the past several days, reflecting improved conditions regarding my recent injury. I think I will have a story about that to share soon. Whatever the case, I look forward to returning to some pieces I had hoped to post last week.
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Standing Firm at the Macau-Zhuhai Border
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
11:59 PM
Approaching Portas do Cerco, the Macau side of the immigration checkpoint on the border between Macau and Zhuhai |
Thanks to an incident earlier this week, I have been crossing the border between Macau and Zhuhai far more than I had ever expected. Many other events were unexpected as well. More soon . . .
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Fun at the Sewing Machine and an Unfortunate Encounter With Metal in Zhuhai
Posted by
Brian Glucroft
at
11:38 PM
Last night after doing my best to make the most of a buffet dinner, I saw two children outside amusing themselves around a sewing machine. Fear not, it was not an example of child labor. There are numerous people who offer inexpensive sewing services in this part of Zhuhai. They always look much older.
I share the photo in part because it reminds me of a happier period last night. Not long after seeing the children, my shin made contact with a metal object firmly connected to the ground. I wish I had noticed it earlier, because if I had I would have chosen to avoid gashing myself. Since then, life has been interesting in a number of unexpected ways, some of which I could do without. After two trips to Macau in a single day, too much blood, and too little sleep, all is now OK.
And yes, the post I keep delaying will be delayed further. Really, I have a good excuse and a story to tell as well, if I can motivate myself to relive it. In the immediate future, I simply look forward to following the doctor's orders and get some rest.
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