Kayaking & Camping, Adventure China Style

This past weekend myself and a couple other English speaking expats were invited to join a group of nine children and their parents to one of the famous lakes in China. Apparently this lake is where the bottled water I drink all the time comes from. They advertise the area as: fresh, clean air, and a pure lake.  I am quickly learning for China, I suppose it is. I need to stop comparing those words to memories from Colorado and Minnesota lakes. There is no comparison. 

Take aways from the weekend:

• Camping in China is harder. After admitting that to myself I then wondered: Why do I find that surprising? I've already determined EVERY LAST THING is harder in this country.

• Being used for my English speaking ways and whiteness isn't too shabby when it gets me a free trip. I was there to help "market" the trip. The fact that I'm in China as a teacher was an even added bonus. Really, I should've asked the dude in charge to pay me...!
• Working with 3 year olds all week then kayaking/camping with 5-7 year olds on the weekend isn't too horrible....WHEN their families are in charge of them eating, sleeping, and generally staying alive. Make note: I kayaked with an adult, NOT a child.

• Their poop hole was entirely too small, especially when considering how many people were going to the bathroom in it, the distance it was from the shore of the lake, and need I remind you that the majority of our "best quality" bottled water comes from this lake? Thus, the moment it got dark, I enjoyed the freedom of nature's squatty potty not enclosed with bugs and grossness. It was grand!
• Expat trips are much different. While it may be more rugged, there's still a comfortability with it.  I enjoyed this, and I'm glad it was my first camping experience in China - with nationals. However, one could have a little cultural overload at times! I'm looking forward to the next trip with expats! 
• I don't care if the person is 5 or 50, I LOVE being a part of helping people experience new adventures in wilderness-type settings!!Even if I have to paste on my fake-but-you'll-never-know-it-smile when playing games with the kiddos.

• Seeing a group of families bonding together with their children and each other while also knowing these are the select few was priceless. While becoming more and more of a "thing", it is not the norm for people in this culture to participate in activities such as Adventure China provides.

New experiences:

• Dragging a child throwing a tantrum as several Asian moms (including hers) encircle me taking pictures of the ordeal. Notice the other child being lured forward by the fishing net over their head. Just after this photo was taken, that fishing net went over her head to, shall we say cast her forward. If the mom's were watching and taking pictures I figured I'd give them: 1. A show 2. Something to stop taking pictures of and actually help - or at least come to their child's rescue!! All this for a free trip?? It was the experience, ok?

• Being asked to hand out our eating utensils and discovering they were paper bowls and chopsticks.
• Figuring out how to eat soup with chopsticks. Just so ya'll know, my bowl was empty and I didn't spill. Thank you.
• Spreading peanut butter with chopsticks That's not entirely new; I did it on another trip a while back. The new part is realizing I wasn't being dumb doing it and that's actually what you're supposed to do!
• Finally figuring out how to get slippery little suckers like round potatoes in your mouth when using chopsticks! If you haven't figured it out, after this weekend I'm pretty much a pro at eating with chopsticks.
• Thinking I was going to be eating an asparagus and bacon dish only to realize it was dried shrimp. I went back for a second helping. I was hungry! The third helping I opted for tea as the dried shrimp became a little too lively in my stomach.

Take a guess.....

• Watching shrimp fisherman circling our little island early in the morning, throwing out bait. That was pretty cool. Sadly, my pictures of them came out blurry.

• Kayaking with a non-English speaking woman who kept stopping the kayak Every. Single. Time. I wanted her to help turn. I tried the whole patting on the shoulder thing to have her look back and see how I was doing it. Something didn't compute. Meanwhile, I learned a ton about kayaking! 

I should read up on why this sign is so popular.
I'm always told to do it. Everyone does it here. 

• Watching the multiple moms who decided in the middle of the lake was a great place to take a phone call and just stop paddling.

He's in his boat and shifted his leg onto her boat to
paddle both of them while she texted!

• Holding a screaming, naked, five year old while swimming as his dad paddled the kayak away from me. Thank goodness for the mercy of our kayaking guide to grab that child! Seriously, WHY paddle away from your petrified child EVEN if lao shi (teacher) Heather is the one holding him!?

• Waking up to the nice, serene, stillness of the lake only to be greeted with the non-ending hacking and hocking of loogies from the men waking up throughout the campsite. The other two English speaking gals and the trip leader wondered why I'd stayed in my tent so long that morning. They'd said they were about to "wake me up" so I let them think I'd been that tired and had just woken up.

• Finally, could I just say um....kayaking and camping in China?? 

Seriously, I just kept telling myself all weekend: I'm in China. I am kayaking in China with a bunch of nationals. Eating the food they eat. Failing to communicate more often than succeeding. Getting by with smiling and nodding once again. Being in God's creation - covered with a little less pollution smog than Shanghai.   Yeah, that was definitely a new experience.