The frog debacle

For those of you worried about how the Finners is doing here, this will not be reassuring. That's all the disclaimer you're getting.

Apparently frogs can create a certain chemical so that, if a predator picks them up in its jaws, there will be an incredibly bitter taste that will encourage the predator to drop the frog forthwith. The bitter taste can also spark certain reactions, such as foaming at the mouth, seizures, vomiting, etc.

I think you know where I'm going with this.

Our apartment complex has a pretty large courtyard, which isn't so much open green space as a cool little nature-trail sort of thing, with one or two paths and a handful of man-made ponds [which I'm sure will be an excellent breeding location for mosquitoes when it gets warmer] and some decks with tables and chairs. It's nice because it feels like we're taking Fin for a walk when we take him to the bathroom, even though we're not leaving the complex. With all the water, however, there are more lifeforms than the two-legged and canine variety walking around--or, in the case of frogs, hopping.

I've never actually seen a frog outside, but then Sam's always the one who takes Fin out when it's dark, so that's probably why. Fin, for all the intelligence he inherited from his poodle mother, is pretty oblivious a lot of the time, so even though Sam's seen a lot of frogs, two Sundays ago was the first time Fin discovered one.

I was upstairs in the bathroom, brushing my teeth, when I heard Sam rush into the apartment and then start begging Fin to drink some water. I finished what I was doing and went to the downstairs bathroom, where Sam had the detachable shower hose down and trickling invitingly to Fin [for some reason, Fin loves drinking from faucets, even though he really shouldn't here, since the water isn't particularly safe]. And there was my husband, almost in tears, and my puppy, foaming at the mouth.

This photo is from August; he's much, much fluffier now.

This was, naturally, a bit alarming. I asked what was going on, and Sam said Fin had seen a frog and he hadn't seen anything wrong with letting him go investigate. Then Fin licked the frog--a nice, warm little hello--and apparently then foam began pouring from his mouth. Like so:

What was really alarming was that Sam was trying to pry Fin's jaws apart to force his mouth open, so we could wash it out, and he couldn't. I think we were both thinking lockjaw for a minute and that our remaining time with our puppy would be short, but then Sam held Fin still and I worked on his jaws, and we got them open. Then, thoroughly soaking the dog, himself, and the bathroom, Sam spent the next length of time washing out Fin's mouth. And while Sam was rinsing Fin's mouth, I hopped on the computer and tried to find out if our dog was dying.

Turns out, no, it's pretty normal, insofar as frogs are concerned. And luckily Fin only foamed at the mouth and vomited up all his dinner. I really don't know what I would have done if he'd started seizuring. I didn't know what I was going to do if he was dying, anyway, since I don't think we'd be able to find a taxi willing to accommodate our foaming-at-the-mouth dog, or if we did that we'd understand a word the vet said.

So rather than go to bed, as had been the plan, I continued to reassure myself that our dog was most likely going to survive and Sam, since he and Fin were both wet through anyway, gave Fin a bath. We started to feel better about the whole thing once Fin got out of the bath and tried doing his rabbit run [tried because all the flooring downstairs is tile, making it almost impossible for him to gain purchase when he's not wet and makes for a pretty funny show when he is] and then instigated several sessions of steal-the-slipper-so-you-chase-me and I-have-my-rope-and-I-know-you-really-want-it. We figured if he was that eager to play, he was going to be ok. Then again, he could be on the edge of death and still be dying to play, so who knows.

Hopefully that's the end of his adventures with frogs. But, as my mom reminded me, it took my dog growing up getting sprayed twice by a skunk before she learned to avoid them, so we might not be so lucky to get away with one experience. At least next time we won't have to panic so much.

In which I describe our Valentine's Day

So I've always been of the opinion that Valentine's Day is a contrived holiday cooked up by Hallmark and chocolate companies to boost after-Christmas sales. I mean, come on, it's named after some saint that apparently no one knows anything about other than his birth- and death-day. [I'd always been of that opinion, and Wikipedia has just confirmed it. How's that for research? This is why I write fantasy; very little research involved.]

I'd always assumed America was the epicenter of the Valentine's festivities, with small shout-outs from Europe and perhaps Central and South America. Oh boy was I wrong. I think China is the actual Valentine's Day epicenter. It is a big deal here, let me tell you, only it's a bit different, because it's strictly a holiday for lovers. I remember I'd always get a little something from my parents for Valentine's Day growing up, but that's not how the Chinese roll. Valentine's Day is to celebrate romantic love, nothing more.

There are guys selling flowers in the street, bouquets so big it's a struggle for one man to carry them. That's not even an exaggeration. Sam got me a handful of roses--one is midnight blue and glittery, by the way, which is pretty awesome--and the guy selling them asked, "Are these for your girlfriend?" Sam said no, for his wife. The seller looked at him like he was crazy and demanded, "And you only got her five?" Probably thinks we're having marital difficulties or that ours is a marriage of convenience rather than love. Then again, Sam is pretty sure he got charged the meiguo ren price, so what he paid might have been equivalent to the bushels. Who can tell.

Oh, and sugar cane. Long sticks of sugar cane between three and five feet tall. I'm not sure what happens to the sugar cane after it's purchased, but apparently that says love just as much as flowers and chocolate. And the traffic was insane--much, much worse than it usually is. Because, naturally, everyone was out celebrating Valentine's Day. The holiday I'd always assumed was pretend and scorned outside of the U.S.

Anyway, Sam and I usually don't do anything for Valentine's Day, due to me preferring to celebrate our love on non-traditional days [Anyone can remember to make an anniversary special; how about a random, unimportant day when you're not expecting it? But that's a whole different blog post.] But this year we decided to go out to dinner [which might have something to do with how I haven't managed to gain any weight and the medical officer here is a little concerned], to a new Italian restaurant we've heard good things about. I know, we're in China and we're eating at an Italian restaurant? Save the lectures.

Sam reserved us a table, but there was so much traffic that we were late for our reservation--and apparently it was quite a table, because they called and told us if we weren't there in ten minutes, they would have to give our table away. We found out why. There were normal booths and tables, but in the center of the room were the prime tables--plush armchairs, a little beeper thing you could press for when you wanted service, etc. The armchairs were phenomenal. And so was the food. I'm pretty sure it was good-good, too, and not just Chengdu-good [again, another blog post right there], since we haven't been here long enough to forget how it should taste.

Ok, so on to the absurdities. There were a lot. We walked up to the doors, which are glass, and the first things we saw are these heart-shaped wreaths of fake roses, bubblegum pink or perhaps a shade or two lighter. Inside there were heart-shaped balloons the same color all over a stage, though at the time we didn't realize it was a stage--foreshadowing right there. However, the rest of the decorations were firmly Christmas. There was a big Santa in the corner when we walked in, as tall as me, and smaller ones outside on the windows, garlands with beads and little signs that said "Merry Christmas," gold balls that looked suspiciously like ornaments and large snowflakes hanging from the ceiling . . . Apparently Christmas is forever here, unlike in Narnia, where it's always winter, never Christmas.

We weren't left with menus when we were shown to our table, which I thought was maybe a Chinese thing since Sam says eating out at restaurants in China usually takes about twice as long as eating out at restaurants in the States, but I think they just forgot about us. Their reaction when we eventually paged them and asked for menus sort of gave that away. But around this time one of the waitresses had one of those gigantic bouquets of flowers in her arms--literally, almost as big as she was--and she was hiding behind a column to surprise a guy that was there with, I would assume, his girlfriend. She was on the phone, however, for so long that he actually stole it from her, all while the poor little waitress is struggling under this gigantic load. Eventually she took it back out of the main room to await a signal.

Around this time we also noticed this guy walking around--a Chinese guy--in, I kid you not, a cowboy hat, plaid shirt, leather vest, and jeans. And his hair was to his shoulders and wavy. I didn't look at his feet to see if he was wearing cowboy boots, but it's a definite possibility. It was the most bizarre outfit--particularly for his nationality and where we were. Here is my representation:

Well, once we placed our orders the background music stopped, to be replaced with an Austrian waltz. At a deafening decibel. And lo and behold, Mr. Cowboy got up on stage, grabbed a mic, and began a gorgeous operatic performance. I knew karaoke was huge here, but this wasn't particularly what I had envisioned.

As a reminder, we're in China, at an Italian restaurant, he's dressed like a legit cowboy, and he's singing an Austrian opera. This is the kind of stuff you just can't make up.

It was so loud that Sam gave up our prime seating--and those wonderful armchairs--for the very back of the restaurant. From there the singing was magnificent and at the sort of noise level that made enjoying it possible. I think he was serenading the recipient of the flowers, and the occasion was her birthday. But did he stop at one song? Oh no, not at all. He sang the whole time we were there [and we were there about two hours--again, the Chinese are very laid-back when it comes to meals], at times joined by a woman who also had a very, very beautiful voice. Opera, the whole time. Sam and I are still flabbergasted.

On the way home, though, we saw floating lanterns! We saw two from way far away on the actual night for floating lanterns, but last night we crossed the bridge everyone was sending them off from, so we saw a whole bunch! Tiny points of light way up high in the sky, just taking off, in between . . . They were very, very pretty. I personally think the Chinese should limit the fireworks to one night and do floating lanterns the other nights. Just my opinion.

So, happy Valentine's Day. I dare anyone to beat it.

More Chinese Culture

“The Lantern Festival (元宵节Yuánxiāojié) is a Chinese festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunar year in the Chinese calendar. It officially ends the Chinese New year. (February 6th this year). The
Lantern Festival is a very sacred, happy, and joyful festival. During the Lantern Festival, Chinese families get together to eat Yuánxiāo 元宵 or Tāngyuán 汤圆, a sweet rice dumpling soup, enjoying watching informal lantern parades, guessing lantern riddles, which often contain messages of good fortune, family reunion, abundant harvest, prosperity and love. In ancient times, the lanterns were fairly simple, for only the emperor and noblemen had large ornate ones; in modern times, lanterns have been embellished with many complex designs. The brightest lanterns were symbolic of good luck and hope” (From the Language Training Center in Beijing)

We saw a few of the floating lanterns. It wasn't quite like on the movie Tangled, but it was still really cool.

Chinese New Year

Sam and I got to China just in time to witness the party: Chinese New Year. He stole my thunder and wrote about it before I did, but since I have neglected this blog so shamefully the past several months, I can't really mind much.

New Year is sort of extreme here. People here say it's like Christmas for the U.S., but I've found that to be something of a drastic understatement. Fireworks every night for two weeks, with occasional bursts during the day, is a bit more celebration than we put into Christmas.

That sort of gives the wrong impression, like it's a Fourth of July show every night and all day for two weeks, since it starts gradually. At first it's just intermittent crashes and booms and pops at sporadic times during the day and evening. Most of the time we couldn't see them but could hear them. Fin got to the point where he just slept through it, except for the occasional bark to show his displeasure.

Then New Year's Eve happened--Sunday night.

Oh boy did we see those. And hear them. Sam posted a video he took of the fireworks show our complex did [we think it was our complex, but it's hard to be sure since there's a fireworks stand on every corner in the city], which took place in the courtyard literally right below us. The thirteenth floor is pretty much the best place to watch fireworks, since at that height most of them are eye-level. We have fireworks remnants on our porch from how close the explosions were to us. It was pretty fantastic--like our own personal show. I felt a little guilty I hadn't paid to see it, since it was that spectacular. Left all the Fourth of July shows I've seen way behind. Anyway, that started at 11:30 and went for at least an hour, though by the end we were keeping Fin company in his bunker so I'm not sure when they stopped.

And those weren't all. There were at least two or three shows just as fantastic as ours that we could see, plus some people shooting fireworks off their balconies, plus a whole lot more we could hear but couldn't see. I've never been in a war zone and don't want to trivialize that sort of experience at all, but it literally felt like we were being thoroughly shelled--only it was very pretty to watch.

As I said, Fin was ok with the fireworks prior to and since Sunday [yes, people are still doing fireworks and, though the scale is not quite as great, the ones we've seen still go on for some duration and are very impressive], but he met his Waterloo on Sunday night--particularly with the fireworks show our apartments did. I think it was a combination of what must be deafening noise for him as well as bright colors quite literally close enough to touch. He had a little breakdown, poor guy. It started with him being in the room with us while we watched, barking, and degenerated to whimpering and whining and ended with him in the bathroom across the hall, whimpering and breathing heavily. He started off with just the bathroom but eventually fled to the shower, which I guess was about as cave-like a place as he could find. I christened it his bunker.

Once Sam and I were done with the show--and it went on a good half hour or so after we were--we joined Fin in the bathroom and shut the door. Having the door shut helped a lot to calm him down, so he wasn't whimpering or panting any more. And then, heartless owners that we are, we saw his confined to a small space as an opportunity to brush him without him being able to squirm away. Which we did. Mercilessly.

Eventually the really close fireworks show ended, though we could still hear a lot going on elsewhere, and we went to bed. Fin was very leery of going back into the bedroom and determined to keep watch on the fireworks while we slept to ease his mind. Apparently.

He's resting his head on a small ledge and is out cold.

But are fireworks the be-all-end-all of New Year? No, indeed. It is apparently traditional to have chicken for the New Year's meal (I think?), so about a week prior to the great celebration we could hear roosters crowing both in the early morning and throughout the day. I think people kept them on their porch prior to mealtime. And a few must have been spared, the-president-pardoning-a-turkey-on-Thanksgiving style, because we can still hear them cock-a-doodle-doing every so often.

Also, the decorations are breathtaking. Red lanterns, Chinese dragons, rabbits, etc. We haven't really taken many pictures since getting here, so I guess you'll just have to imagine them. And  you spend New Year's with your family, and a lot of people's families are out in the country, so the city was dead on Sunday and Monday, and relatively quite Saturday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. There was no traffic, taxis were practically racing to get to you first, and the stores were quiet. Huge transformation.

I guess I can sum it up by saying that next year we'll be taking some vacation time elsewhere.

We're not in [fill in the blank] anymore.

For all of you in the States, I would like to point out that what you're reading right now is from the future. You may think it's Thursday night, but I'm writing this from Friday afternoon. How's that for mind blowing? Sam and I are not only globe trotters [though I don't recall any trotting specifically to get here] but time travelers. I'll sign autographs on request.

We have been in China approximately two and a half weeks, two of which were spent getting over jet lag. It's no joke to wake up at 4:00am ready to start the day or be ready for bed at about 6:00pm. It's like my first trimester all over again--the 6:00pm going-to-bed part, anyway; certainly not the ready-to-start-the-day at any time whatsoever part. And, not even kidding, I think there have been fireworks of some kind at some point of the day and evening for the last two weeks. The Chinese idea of celebration has made me slightly ashamed of our own in America. Why resign yourself to only one day to celebrate important things when you can stretch it out to two or three weeks? I'm thinking Thanksgiving in particular could really benefit from that mentality.

So, China. I thought it might be entertaining to write down some of my first impressions, though I really ought to have done it two weeks ago when they were really fresh. I think I've lost some of my shell-shocked reaction as I've gotten used to things.

Driving

Driving is an art here, with no particular rules or expectations. We won't get our car until sometime in March, which I think is a good thing. I don't think we would be brave enough to try driving on our own until then, anyway.

• Taxis. As we currently have no car of our own, we are at the mercy of taxis to get around (unless a friend very graciously offers to drive us home or pick us up, naturally). I think there are about a million taxis here. That seems like a big number until you realize there are 14 million people in the city, and almost every single one of them is willing to shell out for a taxi when it's cold outside (which has been nearly every day we've been here). This adds to the excitement of going anywhere. Additional excitement can be found in telling the taxi driver where you want to go in your best Chinese and having him look at you blankly, obviously understanding nothing of what you said. All part of the adventure.
• Bicycles and scooters. You may have heard that bicycling traffic in China is high. I feel like any rumors you've heard are grossly understated. Whereas in America bikes are largely at the mercy of drivers, the opposite appears to be true here. If a few hundred bikes are determined to go across the intersection even though you have a green light, who are you to say no? I remember the first time being outside during the day and being overwhelmed at the sheer number of bikes and scooters and how the cars really had no choice but the bow to their will. It's phenomenal.
•  Variation. As far as traffic in the road goes, as long as it has wheels, it's legit on the road. This includes cars, bikes, scooters, rickshaws, wheelchairs, etc. The large roads through the city have wide bike lanes, protected by metal barriers, which are equally anything goes. If you're cycling east but on the westbound side of the road, no matter--just hop in the closest bike lane and be careful not to crash into oncoming traffic. They also double as turning lanes for cars, usually taxis, even if the turn isn't for another half mile or so. And if you're tired of the segregation of the bike lane, feel free to join normal traffic. This applies to all wheeled modes of transportation, as listed previously.
• Pedestrians. Where in America, pedestrians look before crossing the street, this is something of a hazard in China. If you, as the pedestrian, make eye contact with the driver, you are giving him permission to go, rather than the other way around. Therefore crossing the street requires a bit of out-of-the-corner-of-your-eye watching to make sure you're not going to be hit but otherwise a blustering show of fearlessness as you step into traffic. Also, crosswalks are optional. If you want to cross diagonally, go for it. Cars will, for the most part, stop for you. If only one side of the street is clear, cross it and wait on the double yellow lines for the other side to be clear. Certainly no one's going to stop for you, so you take your journeying in your own hands and be forceful about it. Talk about self-empowerment.
• Rules. Driving rules are more like guidelines, or perhaps the tools of lesser mortals. Red lights are optional. If you see a gap, especially if you are a taxi, you take it. Cutting others off is a matter of course and nothing to get upset about. Merging requires only an inch of space between cars, and even the inch is not required. Distinguished lanes are also optional. You can be in the right lane, the left lane, between the two, the bike lane, or even the oncoming traffic lane, and it's all perfectly legit. The only hard-and-fast rule seems to be "Don't get hit and don't hit anyone." As long as you follow that, most things seem perfectly appropriate.
• Honking. As you might imagine, there is quite a bit of honking that goes on. However, it has a rather different feel to it. Where people in the States honk to show their displeasure, in China it's a matter of courtesy. A "hey I'm coming up behind you and am about to cut you off" or a "I'm flying past this entrance, make sure you look before merging" or "you're stopped in the middle of the street and I'm going around you" or "hey cyclist, I'm turning right and will be close enough to clip you, so be aware." Honking, I believe, takes the place of traditional driving rules in trying to ensure public safety. And it's always a little honk--a "hello, I'm here, please watch out" sort of honk--rather than the lay-it-on-you-there's-no-way-you-can-miss-that-I'm-put-out sort of honk Americans seem to prefer. As I'm not even sure where the horn is on our car, I foresee difficulties in driving should I ever feel so brave.

All right, this is getting long. I guess I'll split things up so this doesn't end up being a book all by itself. I'm pretty sure there was more I planned to write about driving, but it's gone now. Luckily we're here for two years, so there's a chance I'll have more to say about it later.

New Beginnings And Grand Adventures

We've moved to China. We're pretty excited about it and settling into our new home. Today is Chinese New Year's Day. Last night was New Year's Eve. The Chinese invented fireworks, so you can bet they do it right. :)

Here is a little bit about the Chinese New Year this year, which is the year of the dragon. I got this from my second-cousin's blog, who is also living in China right now:

The Year of the Dragon starts on January 23rd this year 2012.

The Chinese dragons are described as supernatural creatures that can control water-related weather phenomena such as rainfall, hurricanes, and floods. There many such descriptions in Chinese myth and folklore. Thus in old times during drought and flooding, it was customary for Chinese to go to temples dedicated to the 'Dragon King' to offer sacrifices or to pray for rain, or the cessation of it.

In China today, dragons have become an auspicious symbol signifying success and happiness.

A Chinese dragon is typically a combination of 9 different animals. For example, the horns of a stag, the claws of an eagle, and the 117 scales that cover the body are that of the carp. Chinese dragons are invariably accompanied by thunder, rain, cloud, or water in the paintings, drawings, or displays.

The dragon is the fifth sign of the Chinese Zodiac and represents luck. The year of the dragon comes every 12 years and is most welcomed by the Chinese people. According to Feng Shui masters the year 2012 will be the year of the water dragon. The element of water represents wealth in Feng Shui. Therefore it is really good news for people who have encountered financial difficulties during the last few years. It takes a cycle of 60 years for the next Water Dragon Year to come again. It is truly a year to cherish, and we should all make the most of it.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year the family gets together to celebrate the holiday just like Americans would gather together for Thanksgiving or Christmas. The reunion dinner or Nian ye fan will include some traditional foods, hanging red symbols on doors and windows, and lighting of fireworks to scare away evil.

The Fu character is pasted on the front door of homes around China for the Chinese New Year. The Fu character means happiness, and you want your year to be full of happiness so you put it on your door to keep happiness in and any bad luck out. With many of the holiday celebrations in China, similar sounds will dictate what you eat or give to help symbolize the meaning of the holiday. TouFu in America or DouFu here in China has the same Fu sound as the happiness so they will eat DouFu to symbolize happiness.

Niángāo is a new year cake made from steamed glutinous rice; Nian is the word for year and gao is the word for cake, or the word can mean high/above average. Eating Niángāo symbolizes a better year than the past years.

Yú is the word for fish, which has the same sound as Yú, which means to have surplus/extra. The Chinese will have fish at their dinner to acknowledge the surplus they have at the close of the year and the surplus they hope to have in the next year.

Jiǎozi or dumplings are shaped like ancient gold ingots. The Jiǎozi are usually eaten around 11:00pm on Lunar Eve. Sometimes families will put a coin in one of the Jiǎozi and the person that gets that one will have a very fortunate year.

Before dinner the family will light Biān Pào; these are strings of loud fireworks to scare away the evil ghosts. At the turn of the New Year the family will light Yānhuā or the flower fireworks like the ones we are used to seeing in America to start the Spring Festival.

So Holly and I are celebrating the new year right now. We're pretty excited about it since our baby will be a dragon baby. Which is pretty much the coolest thing ever.

In which I tell the future and don't even know it

So I've spent the day going through my email and clearing out the messages and chats and things I don't want cluttering things up, and I came across this bit of fortune telling. It was just after Sam was offered his job last December, and we were telling friends the good news. As we are preparing right now to leave for China, my last comment struck me as particularly prophetic.

me: so . . .

Sam got an offer yesterday.

friend: OOOOH

and?

me: chances are high that we'll accept :)

we're getting pretty excited about it.

and . . . we're again thinking puppy thoughts, haha

friend: haha, perhaps moving in March AND a puppy

you are so daring

me: I know, right?

all we need is to throw a baby in the mix and we'll be nice and overwhelmed.

Overwhelmed indeed, though Fin isn't quite a puppy anymore.

And speaking of Fin, here's a cute picture of him to end things with: