Forbidden City meets Big Apple

I finally caught up with myself after spending two months in two completely contrasting cultures. As predicted, Google was blocked in China and there was no Google god to intercede on my behalf (see my blog post). That post was sent via secret email out of the country so that someone could post it for me. But after a week of juggling coursework, sightseeing and being part of a group of 30 20-somethings, I gave up on the blogosphere. Typhoons, time zones and techno-glitches also kept me from blogging, but now I’m back in full force…   

Not being able to blog was incredibly frustrating, because it had become a therapeutic habit after two months in Prague. Writing not only helped me to process new experiences, it was also a great way to update everyone at home.  Anyway, here I am back in Cape Town, finding my mojo.

There it is!

When I arrived in New York, I desperately needed something to bridge the gap between China and the US, because I was starting to wonder whether I had entered a parallel universe. A 12-hour time difference, a typhoon and over 20 hours of travelling can do that to a person! I found exactly what I was searching for at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 China: Through the Looking Glass tells the story of how the East has influenced the West, since the 16^th century, and provided inspiration for fashion designers such as Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent. At the exhibition, “high fashion is juxtaposed with Chinese costumes, paintings, porcelains, and other art, as well as films to reveal enchanting reflections of Chinese imagery.” 

Formal Robe for the Tongzhi Emperor (1862)
inspired dress (1998) by House of Dior (right)

Yves Saint Laurent & Tom Ford (2004-5)

My jet-lagged body had no problem wandering through the three floors of The Costume Institute exhibition, and for a few hours I was transported to another dimension by smells, sounds and sights. I was amazed by how much the East has actually influenced the West, from tip to toe (literally!).

When I emerged from the Met I felt a little less confused and jet-lagged and was ready to take on the Big Apple. Visiting the exhibition was a good way for me to close my China chapter and focus on New York, New York! 

The exhibition has been extended to 7 September 2015. I highly recommend it! 

Dress by Guo Pei (2007)

More about China and the US coming up! 

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Toilet

“Crouch down, keep your panties just below your knees and try to aim… like the guys do. Sometimes I like to hold onto the door if I can. It’s all about balance.”

I finally conquered the dreaded squatting toilet. I just couldn’t hold it anymore; it was right after lunch time, I had drunk far too many cups of jasmine tea and if all the other girls could do it, why not me! My friend, whose words of wisdom are above, had to guide me through it, step by step. It was a strange experience, but afterwards, I felt like I had accomplished something. Girl on a Gap 1 – Squatting Toilet 0.

When I was 2 and a half years old, my parents decided to spend 6 weeks travelling around India, with me, my grandmother and a friend of theirs. I don’t remember much, but I can imagine that it must have been a crazy, exhausting adventure.

What my mom remembers is that I flat-out refused to use the squatting toilets. Every day I would turn my nose up at the hole in the ground and wait for the “nice toilet from home” at the hotel. So, naturally, I developed a bladder of steel and still have it today. But sometimes even bladders of steel spring a leak!

I honestly did not expect there to be squatting toilets in China. It was a total surprise to me. Unfortunately, the majority of the public toilets are quite disgusting here, and it is a luxury to get toilet paper and soap (It’s the small things in life!).

I’ve learnt on this trip that when you gotta go, you gotta go, especially when you’re drinking so much water because of the heat and have 3hr long bus rides. I’ve also learnt that you should always make use of any clean toilet and not take it for granted, because you never know what the next one will be like. And, lastly, ALWAYS PACK TISSUES.

I’ll need all the toilet-training I can get for my next trip, where the organisers have referred to a Western-style toilet as “the throne”.

I’m still convinced, however, that squatting toilets should have some kind of bar to hold onto… like at the gym.  

Just Google it!

Beijing skyline

The next chapter of my journey as “Girl on a Gap” begins tomorrow in China! Although I feel as if my time at home was far too short, I am excited to explore a country that I’ve never visited before. I will be one of 28 students (from 14 nations!) on a programme about Chinese business and culture. We will visit five cities, see the main attractions (from the Great Wall in Beijing to a Panda Bear Research Facility in Chengdu), have morning lectures and be totally immersed in everything Chinese. 

I had to do a pre-departure assignment and although it took quite a bit of time, I saw the value in doing it, as I started thinking about China (its population, history, economy etc.) and comparing it to South Africa. I am most interested to learn about Chinese politics and how a communist regime has sustained itself while becoming the fastest growing economy in the world.  

Our conference call last week brought some shocking news… Google is banned in China and quite possibly Facebook too. “A whole month without Facebook?!”  I told my mom in despair. “You’ll be fine, dahling” was her unsympathetic reply.

Photo: RealcomBiz

Okay, maybe I can manage without Facebook for a month, but Google? That’s a little hard to imagine. We live in a world where information is accessible at the touch of a button and people constantly say “Just Google it”. Want to know the weather of the five cities I’m visiting? Just Google it. Want to know what plugs they use in China? Just Google it. Want to know the exchange rate? That’s right, just Google it!

We are the Google generation. We pick up our smart phones when we’re out at a restaurant and Google what we don’t know… that actress’ name we can’t remember, the score of a game we’re missing… Which is why, unfortunately, it is no surprise that there are so many articles about smart phones and stupid people.

Funnily enough, when I visited India in 2012, on a similar programme, I found out that there is even a Google God! In Thailand I discovered that there were Buddhas for every day of the week, as well as sitting, standing and reclining Buddhas. Maybe I’ll find one here to intercede on my behalf…

Giant Leshan Buddha, China

Well, zàijiàn (goodbye), my readers, I’m not sure if you’ll hear from me soon, because if you want to read my blog you’ll have to GOOGLE IT! If you’re reading this, I sent a secret email out of the country and someone posted it on my behalf...I'm not joking.