It has occurred to me that I have not done a journal-type
blogpost for a while, and as the last two weeks of my life have been somewhat
foreign (to myself as much as yourselves), I have taken it upon myself to write
out an account of what has transpired over the last 14 days.
2 weeks ago from yesterday, I boarded a plane with a few
compatriots, and we set out for the Orient. Now a grizzled veteran at this
whole “travel to China thing” (which is to say, I’ve been a grand total of
twice), I was quite comfortable with the prospect. A flight to Vancouver, then
to Beijing, then to Chongqing were in store, and, as I found that I can sleep
on a plane, the trip went rather quickly and well.
We arrived at the factory Tuesday morning. We jumped right
in, qualifying parts, updating line layouts, and getting re-acquainted with our
Chinese colleagues from Chongqing, Taiwan, and Shanghai. It was during this
trip that I found that regional accents and dialects can be so different that
initially, it was difficult for my colleagues from these different regions to
communicate with each other.
This trip, I had one of my most unique cuisine experiences.
At first, the proposition of eating grilled lamb seemed tame enough, but little
did I know…
After consuming the lamb (which turned out to be goat;
apparently, in the Chinese language there is no difference between the two
domesticated animals…) over a grill using nothing but our hands (and
occasionally a fork), we proceeded to the hot-pot portion of the meal.
Here, the items for our consumption got a little more
interesting. All the leftover items from the barbecue were thrown into the
stew, and not just the leftover meat: the skull, eyeballs, brains, heart, and
intestines all, somehow, found their way into our pot. Due to their limited
supply, I did not get an eyeball, but I did find that I can recommend both the
heart and intestines of a goat (the brain is too mushy; wouldn’t recommend that
bit…) while the flavor was somewhat bland due to the sparse flavoring in the
broth, the meal was still one to remember.
The rest of the build transpired well, finishing a half-day early. We had a final closeout dinner, where my limited skill with chopsticks was put on trial and display – I don’t think I did terribly, but you’d have to ask the eight locals that were at my table. After the food we had toasts, karaoke (which wasn’t bad, but could’ve been better; I sang the last few lines of “What a Wonderful World”…), and an introduction to Mahjongg. I am still far from actually knowing how the game works, but I have had my first lesson, and I look forward to learning more.
Such has been my two weeks; I’ve learned a few more phrases
in Mandarin, a few more foods to enjoy and stay away from, and a few more
teammates’ personalities. I am happy to be home, but I look forward to going
back as well!
Sounds awesome! :)
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