Knock It Off

There has been some scepticism expressed by a few of our regular readers (all two of you) that there can not be that many onions available to the residents of Harbin. So to put your mine at ease, please accept the following photographic proof of how onions have taken over the streets of Harbin. They are peaceful for the most part as long as you don't spook them. We found that if you tip toe through the onions, you can avoid many nasty incidents. Just makes you want to cry, doesn't it?

Guchi, Tommy Hilfinger, Dioer, Channel, Nikee, Faberg, all brands that are readily available on the streets and in the markets of Harbin. Students tell time with the Bolex Oysters that can be found on many of their wrists. But if you think this kind of thing is just for those expensive name brands, think again. You can also find Mr. Kleen, Sarah Lee cakes, Crust Toothpaste and the ever popular Krapht Dinner or KaiDee as it is affectionately known as here. We want for little here in Harbin.

Thanks to the kindness of strangers Nonie and I were gifted with a voucher for one night
with breakfast at the five star Shangri La Hotel here in Harbin. We quickly booked ourselves a room for Saturday and quit living Chinese for 24 hours. No Chinese spoken here, just English! Traditional North Americanesque food (Salmon Fettucinni for Nonie and Fish and Chips for Brett)! English TV News (Sadly only BBC and CNN) and the piece de resistance HBO showing movies we had already seen. We may do this again if we find living Chinese becoming wearisome. It was a nice escape. We also enjoyed the first snow squall of Harbin winter from the comfort of our 15th floor, centrally heated suite with a fully stocked mini bar. Returning to the real world the next day, Nonie made a new friend along the way. In a city of 9,000,000 you would think ducks would have something better to do then accost people on the streets. Don't get me started on those crazy gangs of chickens.

For the last few weeks, the students have been preparing formal presentations for class. So this past week, we have been listening and listening and listening some more. With more this week. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Some have been very inventive while others culled directly from the internet. More on that another time.

Signs of Winter

Sadly, it seems our Indian Summer has drawn to a close and we are starting to see minuses showing up in the weather forecast. We don't need to read the forecast to know that winter is coming. Trucks overflowing with onions and cabbages have started to show up on every street corner and any flat surfaces along the streets and alleys are covered in these onions and cabbages. Harbiners are drying them in preparation for storage and use during the winter. When they run out of street space they squeeze the onions and cabbages into every window ledge or balcony in their apartments. Even high end condos have onions and cabbages sprouting from their windows and balconies. Strata councils in Canada would have serious reservations about this practice but not a problem in Harbin. Cabbage and onions are a staple of most dishes in North East China cuisine which is also known as Dong Bei cuisine. The cuisine has become a favorite of Nonie and mine. For more signs of winter check out our October 2008 blog. They're baaaack!

Dumplings, comfort food for those long cold winters. It is the Canadian equivalent of a hot bowl of pea soup and crackers. Tomato soup for those of you with out any french heritage. The dumplings come stuffed with every kind of filling you can imagine. From simple pork stuffing to exotic vegetable and spices. Served steaming hot from the wok to your chopsticks. Add a little vinegar and soy for flavor and you can make a meal of them. They look easy to make but beware, fold them incorrectly and you will have a wok full of broken dough and stuffing floating around in the water. A lesson I learned the hard way.

Happy Canadian thanksgiving to you all you Canadians and wanna be Canadians out there. We hosted our second almost annual Thanksgiving dessert soiree this last week. A gathering of multiple nationalities enjoyed Nonie's cookies, carrot cake, lemon loaf and homemade bruschetta. It was enjoyed by all and included an impromptu singing of O'Canada by the resident Canadians (Brett, Nonie, Armin) Sadly no turkey but the American thanksgiving is coming up and we are pretty sure we can find a turkey feed somewhere.

Nonie and I will be attending another trivia night this week to defend our title. Keep posted. We are feeling invincible.

Pedestrian Perils

The China Daily (China's only English language daily) recently reported that private car sales have been increasing by double digits annually for the last several years. We can certainly vouch for that. During our last stay, the campus was relatively clear of moving and parked vehicles. Now, you would be hard pressed to find a parking spot anywhere on campus. Off campus, it is just nuts. Pedestrian rights do not exist. You may be fooled at first by the wide hash marked cross walks, pedestrian crossing signs and the little green men signs found everywhere. But once you been grazed by a kamikaze taxi or two, you quickly realize that these pedestrian accouterments are suggestions only and not taken seriously by Harbin drivers. The only thing that will stop a vehicle (that includes police vehicles) turning left is something bigger than them coming through the intersection. Sidewalks are just an easy and quick way for motorcycles, gas and electric scooters to avoid busy intersections and traffic jams. The electric scooters or stealth scooters as I like to call them, can sneak up on you quick especially when you are a law abiding Canadian and are under the mistaken assumption that sidewalks are for pedestrians. But on the plus side, you get a great workout just walking to the market.


The past few weeks have been very nice only having to work eight of the last 15 working days. We celebrated a national holiday, 61 years of communist rule in China. Enjoyed a free meal on the provincial government and rubbed elbows with some provincial muckymucks who tried to get me drunk on Chinese shooters, a delicious alcoholic drink that can be bought in various strengths from 25 to 80% alcohol. A week after drinking the stuff, you can still burp and taste it. I was told the stuff we were knocking back was 38% and had been made special for the provincial government to serve at dinners that would be inhabited by foreigners. Left unsaid but inferred was that foreigners could not handle the good stuff. (80%) Little did they know they were dealing with a 1/4 Newfie who had just been screeched a few months before, so I could laugh at their meagre attempts to get me drunk and lose face. That and the dinner was over in less than an hour, which when you subtract the time to eat over 12 of the tastiest dishes we have had in China, did not leave a lot of time for knocking back shooters. Take that Chairman Mao. One for the Canucks. But who's counting.



We finished the week with some bowling, a pasta dinner with Janie and Justin and a brunch with a few of our fellow teachers to celebrate our last day of the National Holiday. Nonie took advantage of the time off to throw a coat of paint on our livingroom walls. Thanks to a helping hand from Janie who left each day covered in pale blue spots. Nonie had asked for white paint but I guess the paint store person thought blue would be a nicer touch. She is learning to live with it.

A little late with this blog but will catch up in the next week. Congratulations to the Warner's who successfully answered the skill testing question in the last blog. Staves is the plural of staff. Not quite grammatically correct in this context but hey, they were trying. The Warners have won an all expense trip to the wonderful Hawaiian islands which they are currently enjoying. Aloha, Warners.

I'm On Top of the World

How quickly time has flown. It seems like we just arrived and already four weeks have passed. Classes are progressing nicely. There seems to be a huge spread this year, in the individual abilities of the students we are teaching. Some have excellent skills while others in the class have almost non-existent abilities. In fact, a few students had to bring someone to translate for them as their comprehension and speaking skills are minimal. These students have not been grouped in any manner but seem to be peppered around all classes.

Our social life continues at a fast paste. Last week ended with branson organizing a bus to take a group of about 20 for a picnic on the shores of the Songhua River. The weather has taken a turn and the temperatures have dropped considerably from our first two weeks so consensus was that while it is still reasonably warm, we should have a picnic. Over night temperatures are getting down to 1 or 2 degrees. The picnic was a quiet affair on a scrappy little beach located adjacent to the bridge. The beach was occupied by some hearty entrepreneurs who had constructed a restaurant out of some old timber and canvas. The had some picnic tables set up along the edge of the river. We had brought all our own food and drink so we negotiated a fee of 100 RmB to rent some of the tables and a place to set up the barbecue. They were not to happy with us when we first arrived, but the 100 RmB seem to cheer them up.

Meat on a stick was the featured main course. Meat on stick might be an exaggeration. Fat on a stick might be a better description. It is bits of meat, interspersed with bits of fat, leaning towards more bits of fat, placed on a long wooden skewer. branson and Arseni rented the barbecue from the local Chuar (Meat on a Stick) restaurant, along with some charcoal and about 120 pre-made meats (fats) on a stick. The first few you eat are tasty but they tend to loose their appeal after two or three as you hear your arteries clogging up.

For dessert, Nonie provided some freshly baked raisin/oatmeal cookies and mini poppyseed muffins. They were well received by all, especially the Chinese attendees. Desserts in China are definitely different than what you find in North America. They lean toward cakes and cake like cookies. The cakes are usually highly decorated and look fabulous. But beyond that, it is liking eating air. They have no flavor, zero sugar and are totally disappointing to the palate. All show and no go!

Sunset over Harbin thanks to branson.

The mid-autumn fesival (moon festival) was celebrated this week and so there were no classes on Wednesday and Thursday. To celebrate, we threw the budget out the window and made our way to the Dragon Tower to get a little closer to the full moon. The tower is the Empire State Building of Harbin. It climbs 400 plus metres and provides a comanding view of Harbin. For 200 RmB or 1/25 of our month salary, we enjoyed a buffet dinner in the revolving restaraunt but due to a TV program being shot in the restaraunt, we did not revolve until later in the evening. The buffet dinner was hohum, but we did have the services of a personal fuyuan (server) who followed us around the buffet tables and then carried our plates back to the table. The buffet offerings were interspersed with special offerings direct from the kitchen to our table. Caviar, a small steak, one large prawn, salad, soup and a small chiffon style dessert. The buffet desserts were standard Chinese fare. Thankfully the view and the attentive fuyuan made up for the pedestrian food.

Skill testing questions for all readers of the Cornell's adventures. What are "staves"? The sign was found on the Dragon Tower service elevator. "Elevator for Staves Only". Send your answers to your our email address for a chance to win valuable prizes.

Weeeeeerre Baaaack

21 bum numbing hours and we arrived back in Harbin. It was de ja vu. Arriving very late in the night, we were pleasantly surprised to find Janie and Justin waiting at the arrivals gate, their huge smiles beaming at us from the other side of the windows. What a wonderful start to China part 2. The next week saw us quickly get back into the swing of life in Harbin. But no return to China would be complete without a few twists. Upon arrival we were given the keys to our apartment. Trying to enter, we were greeted by a sleepy voice from inside wondering who we were. It seems that the apartment was still occupied by a summer teacher. Happily she was leaving and we moved in a few days later. Thanks to Romain and Zouyan, who sadly returned back to France this year but left us with everything we needed to set up the apartment and quickly make it our home again. Having been here and done that, we found that we were able to get things done a little speedier then our first time as we knew where to go and who to talk to. Talking still hasn't got any easier for us. but thanks to a 8 week Mandarin course in Vancouver it is a little easier. NOT!

In China, when family, friends and just but anyone else gets together, food plays an important part in the event. The success of the event is measured by the number of food dishes that have been served to your table. We expats have taken on that tradition with great gusto and it was no surprise that our first week back in Harbin ended with a dinner. Brian, branson, Janie, Justin, Chris, Arseni, Abbas and one new colleague Steve, affectionately known as "The Snipper", another American to add to our multi-cultural group.


Work began in week 2. Happily, we found ourselves teaching the grad students again. Seven classes each, Monday to Friday, and finished by noon each day. Hello, long lunches. Even better, we can use the same curriculum that we developed previously, providing us with even more leisure time that we had last time. Two more dinners were attended. The first hosted by the Foreign Affairs department for all Foreign Experts. The dinner was held at Porters. The restaurant tries to put a British spin on their menu and service. But old habits die hard and the dinner still takes on a very Chinesey flair. The dishes are served randomly and not quite in the order you would expect. Our second dinner of the week was hosted by the Foreign Languages department to celebrate Teachers Day". and was attended by all teachers. Not a national holiday in China just yet. Many teachers receive small gifts, flowers or fruit baskets from their students. I received on small gift from one of my male students. It was nicely wrapped with a pink ribbon and blue paper covered with phrases such as "Good Luck, "Just For You" and my favourite one, "To My Lover". Not sure what my student was after but I am sure he just wanted to butter me up. We were in and out of the restaurant in just over an hour, including speeches.

Because we were out of the dinner so early, Nonie and I relented and agreed to go to the soft opening of a new club located near the campus. They were hosting a trivia night. You are now reading the blog of the newly crowned Harbin Trivia Night champions. The host was an ex-pat Newfie and he peppered his questions with Canadian content, allowing Nonie and I to be of some help to the team. At least when the questions were of things that happened pre-1990s.

Thus ended our second week. Stay tuned. Not sure whats coming up but you can be sure that there will be parties, dinners and more twists.

Congratulations, Leah and Will.

It was our great luck to meet Leah and Will, our very first morning in Harbin in 2008. We arrived from the airport to our apartment late into the night after a 24 hour marathon trip. We were requested to meet in the lobby early the next morning to deal with visa and other issues. Completely overwhelmed by jet lag, very little sleep and with great trepidation, we made our way down to the lobby and had our first glimpse (with extremely bleary eyes) of the kids who would become our friends and colleagues over the next year. Will easily stood out in the crowd. Tall lad, with the reddest hair and scruffiest beard. Leah, not so tall but with a smile that made up for her small stature. Over the next few weeks, Leah and Will along with Tom, Brian and branson were to become the mentors and guides for an old couple surviving their first few weeks in an extremely foreign country. Please take an opportunity to glance over our past blogs from September 2008 onward for those adventures.

Flash forward almost two years and once again suffering a little jet lag and in another foreign country, we are blessed with the opportunity to attend the wedding celebrations for Leah and Will. We were joined there by Brian who stopped in from France on his way home for a visit with family before returning to Harbin. Once again Leah and Will took care of us, hooking us up with family friends, Suzanne and Walt. Suzanne and Walt opened up their lovely home and hearts to us, making sure we wanted for nothing. Walt, taking a day out of his busy schedule, acting as a tour guide, transported us to the birth place of John Adams (2nd President) and John Quincy Adams (6th President) along with side trips to the battle fields of Lexington and Concorde. They made our time there even more special.

Leah and Will took time out of their hectic schedule to drop in and see us on our first evening at Suzanne and Walt's. Nonie presented them with a quilt which she had spent the last six months planning and making for them. I must say, that is one of her most brilliant ones to date.


The wedding attended by the immediate family was held on a small island located a short 100 metres (125 yards for you American readers) off the beach of Leah's family's home. The wedding party was transported to the island on a boat that Leah had built when she was a teenager. The reception/celebration attended by a hundred or so friends and family was held a few days later at the Russell home. Met both sets of parents and quickly discovered where Will got his sense of adventure/humour (humor for your American readers) and Leah got her sense of well being and that beautiful smile. The evening ended with the couple walking down a small trail, lined by family and friends holding candles, to the lake. They then cast a small raft decorated with flowers and lit with candles out into the lake. It was to represent the beginning of their journey together as man and wife. I would not want to start any rumours (rumors for you American readers) but I think it brought a tear to Brian's eye. The couple would leave a few days later to return to their home in England and another wedding party for friends and family.

Brian was delivered to the airport the next day while Nonie and I stayed an extra day exploring the little bits of Boston that we did not see in our first three days. The next day, a short 12 hour flight (acutually three flights) and 6 hour drive found us home in Penticton. Oh, by the way, with our luggage! Take that Air Canada!!!!

Harbin, here we come.

Bahston Been There

Day 2 saw us further inundated with American history. We started the day with a visit to North Boston or Little Italy as it is now known. Skinny streets with miles and miles of 200 - 300 year old brownstone houses and apartments. The area is home to the "Old North Church" which played a pivotal part in the American Revolution. Perhaps the quote "One if by land and two if by sea." rings a bell. No pun intended. It is the church where they used the bell tower in which to hang the two lanterns that told the revolutionaries that the English were coming across the Charles River to march toward Lexington and Concord. " One if by land and two if by sea" were words in the poem "Paul Revere's Ride" written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow long after the actual event. Then on to a visit and a quick tour to Paul Reveres house which is still standing in North Boston. It seems that Paul was only one of over a dozen riders who headed out to warn the Revolutionaries. Paul became the poster boy for these heroes, mostly in part because of Longfellow's poem.


Boston is an excellent walking city but at the same time has an excellent transit system and getting to the various historical sites is very easy. The Old Government House was our next stop. The building is considered the geographic centre of Boston and the "Boston Massacre" occurred just outside the front door of the building. Massacres were more compact in the Revolutionary times with only 7 people killed in this fight. The massacre was not planned by the British to occur. A small group British Regulars were surrounded by a very large and unruly crowd and only fired into the crowd when they were spooked by someone in the crowd firing a gun into the air. A while later, the newly written constitution was read from the balcony of the building to the citizens of the newly created republic.



Dropped in to Hahvard University to sign up our grandchildren. That is assuming MIT or Oxford doesn't get them first.









Day 3 started with a visit to Fenway Park, the oldest operating baseball field in the world. During our travels around Boston, we found many sites that claimed to be the first and/or oldest something in the world /North America. Boston has done a wonderful job maintaining their historic sites. We were lucky and our tour group was allowed to access the playing field and I got to touch the "Green Monster" as well as sitting in the seats at the top of it. We finished the day with a ferry ride to Salem and a visit to the Salem Witches Museum. Scary stuff.

Andover and the wedding celebrations are next on our to do list.