My Viewpoint About Chinese Information

 My Viewpoint About Chinese Information

An Essay from One of My Chinese Students

SIAS University

Henan Province, China

Spring 2012

In the spring of 2012, I taught leadership skills to college women in China.  We often had conversations about research, facts, opinions, access to information and government interference.  My students were often defensive and in denial of any government interference.  Even after I complained about my own government, they never surrendered any loyalty to the Chinese government. After much discussion, I challenged one student to write her views and I promised to publish it on my blog, completely unedited it.  Here it is:

A few days ago, one of my foreign friends said, why couldn't you get into some of international websites, why couldn't you see what happened in the world? Because your government want you to be stupid and keep from the information.

I disagree. I believe most of the foreigners hold the view like what my foreign friends take. But I do not agree.

Yes, in a way, I admit Chinese government block some information whatever it is about, I'm also curious about what they are. However, I understand some of doings of our government and I support. 

Forbidding some information is for the steady of our country and guaranteeing China's long-term stability. And now, not every Chinese could understand English( western culture and language,etc) well, most of couldn't master the foreign language. On this occasion, how could a Chinese tell what is true or not? Also, they may misunderstand what you American or European want to express( perhaps your expression is right and it's also the truth).

Moreover, we could know what our government blocked if we want, only by some little technology. Anyway, we are not idiots.

Besides, as a Chinese citizen, I want you to know that Chinese people could get most of the news from the world, we know what happened everyday in the world, we care about our countryself and the world. I take stock in that we will know more and more with our country's progress until all of. Do not criticize Chinese government, and we won't criticize American government, every government is not perfect, but every government does things for their own country.

Last but not least, we are developing. Please cut down the confrontation, stand on global partnership, fight for the human beings all over the world together.

Susanna Ma

In China

5.1.2012

Student Health Clinic

Student Health Clinic

Sias University

Henan Province, China

Spring 2012

I had to go to the student health clinic which is two small rooms right next to the noodle shop.  I just knew I had a sinus infection and I needed an antibiotic but I was alone and didn’t know how I was going to get what I wanted.  I walked in to a waiting room but no one was there.  So I found a woman slouched over a chair. She seemed to be napping.  She looked like the cleaning woman so I was not too optimistic that she would know any English.  And I was right. 

When I began to speak to her, she just laughed in my face.  I stood at the doorway, somewhat perplexed.  

And then a college student and her mother approached me.  “Hello,” she said.  “Do you need help?”  

“Yes, I need some help with translating, if I am not too much of a bother.”  “No, it will be my honor to help you.” 

So the young woman and her mother walked me back in to the clinic and began speaking to what I thought was the wash woman. This woman was the doctor.  Another doctor came in and he decided to attend to me.  He took my pulse and checked my breathing.  And my new college student friend asked me all about my phlegm and sneezing and aches and pains.  And as she interpreted for the doctor and me, the other doctor and the mother added their two cents.  

The mother thought I would feel better if I had a scarf around my neck.  She then proceeded to get up from her seat and zip up my coat.  The two doctors confirmed about something.  And then the one doctor told the young woman, "Tell her we will use Chinese ways.  The hot water will help her.”  Well, I was certainly hoping for a little bit more than that.  He then told her that I was sick.  I had an acute respiratory infection and a fever.  So he order three boxes of medicine and gave me my bill:  $5 for everything.  And a cup of coffee in Beijing cost $6.

Happy National Coming Out Day.

Happy National Coming Out Day.

A facebook Conversation with a Former Student

OCTOBER 11, 2020

I was the principal when Joel was in high school.

HER POST: I am a trans woman.

The path to this declaration has been very complicated for me, as it is for many trans-identified people. I’m 37 years old and I’m publicly putting forth those words for the first time, though it has been my lived reality for my entire life....

Later on, in middle school, I became the only out “gay” person I knew of. And as a consequence of the reception that I got, my once exuberant personality morphed into a shield of silence. My survival instinct kicked in and I retreated into my own head. My grades plummeted. No one at school talked to me. No one at church wanted me there. The few that did had no way of sharing my experience. So I was alone. In high school, my life became fairly turbulent, as I was undeniably queer in a strict Christian household and in a school system that was unprepared to protect me. I was verbally harassed daily, sent death threats, and physically attacked too many time to count.....

....In my senior year of high school, I met Ian, who has been my love and support for 20 years now. We built our relationship in relative secrecy for 6 of those years before I worked up the courage to come out for a second time and tell my parents about him. And tell them that we were leaving for California. I wasn’t hiding or apologizing anymore.

My response to Joel's post:  Joel, it was hard to read your post today. It broke my heart and I apologize for anything I did or didn't do to keep you safe in high school. 

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• Joel King

  Bridget E Kelly

   it certainly wasn’t my intention to make you feel badly. Things were very different 20 years ago than they are today. These kinds of conversations were not being had. Despite the resistance I faced, I was so grateful to have had the leadership of strong and brilliant women like you, 

  Chris Belton

  , 

  Amalfi Ramirez Finnerty

  , 

  Daphne Longo-Okcuoglu

  , Linda Ardao, and others. If anything, I’d like to remind you of what you DID do for me. You led by example and did your very best for me and all of your students. Thank you. 

  

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• Chris Belton

  Joel King

   thank you for persevering and staying true to yourself. Thank you for leaning on us each in turn - even as we stumbled and learned. Thank you for being an example of how to become your true self with grace, strength and dignity. 

  

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2015 Brewery of the Year

 2015 Brewery of the Year

In My Humble Opinion

I love to go to a small craft brewery and try as many of their beers as I can.  This year, I got to several breweries and each of them had something great to offer but one brewery really stood out from the others.

 I visited:

• 16 Miles- DE
• Cannonball Creek Brewing Company- CO
• DuClay’s- MD
• Gordon Biersch Brewing Company- CA
• Iron Hill- DE
• Left Handed Brewery- CO
• McKenzie’s- DE
• Mountain Toad Brewery- CO
• Ocean City Brewery- MD
• Oskar Blues – CO
• Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery- CA
• Speak Easy – CA
• Tired Hands- PA


When I was in Colorado, I spent the afternoon at the Left Handed Brewery.  I was with my friend who is a shameless Coors Lite drinker.  But I convinced her to try a few different beers.  The beer man heard our conversation and came over and joined us.  I loved this because I always want to talk to other beer people about beer.

He had three different milk porters on tap: a regular porter, a nitro and a cask style porter.  He explained the difference to us and then he gave us a sample of all three of these beers and then we just sat for another hour or so and talked to him and everyone else who came in after that.  The beer was great.  The conversation was fun and the whole experience was enjoyable.

 Left Handed Brewery wins my 2015 Brewery of the Year Award.

Olivia's Childhood

 When I was teaching in China, I often asked my students to write their stories. They all had a story and I just couldn't get enough of them.  They spoke so casually of hardships and resiliency. I loved hearing their stories.

Olivia's Childhood

written by Mimi (Olivia) Lui

Spring 2012

 My birthday is August tenth in 1993, for my family, it was not really happy thing that I was coming. Cause you know, August is such busy season that nobody took care of my mother and me, every people went the farm to cut the wheat, so I was a shoulder at that time.  What was worse as you know the government carried out The Family Planning Policy strictly, so my grandparents wanted to gift me for other family, where is so far from my hometown. But my parents insist to binging me up, so I am so thinking them.  Cause I am the third child in my family, so I was punishmented more money than my brother, it was about 500 Yuan. Of course, my poor family had not so much money, then my parent just lend my relationships. Unlucky, my neighbor was lead two sheep and a trike by the government that was really hardship time for us.

 When I was 10 years old, my little sister was born out, then the government carried out one-child policy, but my family have four children, it is a big family. So my father decided hide my sister's identity, that is to say, she would not sign up on our book of registered permanent, but the truth will come out. Anyway the government knew my sister at her two month. They always knocked our door, and asked a lot of money, we had no money but some furniture, so they moved some away to their place, but my father disagree that.  And we would give sister to other family who had no child. They gave us a couple of days. So my father sent my mother and sister to my aunt's family, then three months later, my mother and sister back.  And the government came again, there was no way to avoid cause they would like take my father to jail. You know, if my father was taken to jail, our family could not keep going. So my father gave them all of money about 2000 Yuan and several bags of wheat, and they back and never return.

Even though I have a poor childhood, but I felt very warm and happiness, my parents love us, and we love them too.

EDITED by me

My birthday is August 10 1993.  For my family, it was not really happy thing that I was coming. Because you know, August is such busy season.  No one could take care of my mother and me because everyone worked on the farm to cut the wheat, so I was a burden at that time.  What was worse as you know the government carried out The Family Planning Policy strictly.  So my grandparents wanted to give me to other family, who lived so far from my hometown. But my parents insisted on bringing me up, so I am so thankful to them. Because I am the third child in my family, I was fined more money than my older brother. it was about 500 Yuan ($90). Of course, my poor family had not so much money, then my parent just borrowed from my relationships. Unlucky, my neighbor was lead two sheep and a truck by the government that was really hardship time for us.

When I was 10 years old, my little sister was born. Then the government carried out one-child policy, but my family have four children, it is a big family. So my father decided hide my sister's identity, that is to say, she would not be registered on our book of registered permanent, but the truth will come out. Anyway the government knew of my sister when she was two months old. They  knocked on  our door, and asked for a lot of money.  We had no money but some furniture, so they took some of our furniture away to their place, but my father disagree with that.  So a neighbor asked if we would give my sister to other family who had no child. They gave us a couple of days to decide. So my father sent my mother and sister to my aunt's family, then three months late, my mother and sister came back.  And the government came again.  There was no way to avoid them because they wanted to take my father to jail. You know, if my father was taken to jail, our family could not keep going. So my father gave them all of his money, about 2000 Yuan (about $300USA) and several bags of wheat. And they left and never return.

Even though I have a poor childhood, but I felt very warm and happiness, my parents love us, and we love them too.
  

  
>

A Thanksgiving Greeting From Nadia

A Thanksgiving Greeting From Nadia

My Former Student

SIAS University

Henan Province

November 2012

 Dear Bridget 

Happy Thanksgiving day !!! 

Have not seen  you for long time.  How are you recently ? These days is American traditional festival---THANKSGIVING DAY. I believe you must have a wonderful day.In this meaningful time, I send my sincere blessings to you . 

Cheer!!!

Nadia

Pumpkin Ale

 

Pumpkin Ale- The BEER pleasure of FALL

Around this time of year, people start to perk up with the first gentle, subtle breeze of autumn.  They become excited about the prospect of football games, marching bands, beautiful fall foliage and other sights and smells of autumn.  All of those things are nice but they aren’t what warm my heart to this time of year.  I love the fall for one reason and one reason only: PUMPKIN BEER.  I love pumpkin beers and I just love the day when I realize for the first time in months that pumpkin beer is on the shelves.  When I see those little pumpkin heads, I just want to do a little dance, a little pumpkin beer jig right in the aisle. I get so happy that I snatch up about five different kinds and invite guests over immediately and have a taste test, that day.  I have to discover immediate who is making the best batch this year and then I have to snatch up a 12 pack and sit back and enjoy my beer.  I just love the fall. 

Here are some of my favorite pumpkin beers:

·        Harpoon UFO Pumpkin Ale

·        Shipyard Pumpkin Ale

·        Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale

·        Saranac Pumpkin Ale- this beer is sold in growlers

And I am looking forward to trying Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale.*

Here is my 2012 selection of pumpkin ales:

·        Sam Adams(MA)  Harvest Pumpkin Ale- yup

·        Uinta Brewing Co (UT)- Punk’N- yup

·        Buffallo Bills Brewery (CA) – Pumpkin Ale- nope

·        Harpoon (MA) Pumpkin UFO- Unfiltered Offerings- its ok

·        Evolution Brewery  (MD)- Jacques All Lantern Pumkin Ale- yup; my favorite this year

·        Shock Top (MO)- Pumpkin Wheat- nope

* I tried it and loved it. Get it if you can.

Olivia's Grandmother Died

 Olivia's Grandmother

Sias University
Henan, China
Fall 2013


I just heard from Olivia, one of my former students in China. Olivia's grandmother died last week.  As usually, she did not go home to the funeral because the expense is too much.  So instead, she stayed alone in her college dorm, in her sorrow.  Several of us from the USA called her or wrote to her.  This is her email response.


Dear all,
> I am so grateful that can got your encouraging email, about my
> great grandma's death. When I got the bad news two days ago, I could
> not help my tears, I know that will happen when my aunt told me
> ,mygradma did not eat anything, she was just laying in the bed and
> peaceful...but I never it happened so fast that I thought, I was
> planning to back home ,and visit her , but it will be never happen. we
> were so close when I was a little girl, she lived in my house so many
> years...however , I got your email , I felt much better , you are not
> just consider mt a lot ,and my family members also, that's really
> touch my soul. Thank you very much ,thank you very much.
>
> Love you all,
>
> Olivia
> --
>
>

HIMALAYAN RED

 

Sherpa Brewery
Himalayan Red
Katmandu, Nepal

2017

We split this pint amongst four of us and I couldn't even finish my glass.  The beer was fruity but too sweet and without enough beer flavor to satisfy me.  So this beer will not be tried again.

Speakeasy Brewery

Speakeasy Brewery

California

April 2015

Someone suggested I try this place while I am here in San Francisco.  I mentioned this suggestion to someone else and he commented, "Well, you better like hoppy beers if you go there."  so this was a great recommendation for me.  And I loved this place. The atmosphere is like an old speakeasy.  The beer selection is plentiful.  There are 6 or 7 different IPAs to try.  But my favorites were the milk stout and the coffee porter.  The wait staff are friendly and eager to talk to you about their wonderful beers.