Jump to another continent for only a week..hmm..many wondering faces set me off for this journey which will appear to be an amazing experience in one really beautiful country…

First thing that really amazed me in Wisconsin’s Cudahy were the green and peace, prefab houses just like those from movies about the USA’s countryside, almost each one of them has the American flag in the yard…Streets are broad and clean, so different then Belgrade city centre where I lived at the time…Parking? – No problem! Long sidewalks go along the special tracks that are actually open parking spaces, like saying “ Broad enough, both for the active and passive vehicles!”

During my stay in Cudahy, Milwaukee I spent about 90 percent of time with my cousins . That would say, mostly Serbs, or Serbian mixture, with this or that national spice, one of them even Indian! Serbs met me on the Chicago airport, Serbs made Serbian cevapcici for lunch, Serbs hosted me in traditional Serbian restaurant (here, a cousin makes a recommendation for http://www.onmilwaukee.com/dining/articles/ilijasplace.html_ ) with sljivovica brandy and – Serbian dinner…That small percentage of Americans that I met, was mostly in late night hours. Many of them drunk, (“Enjoy the moment, Manyana, Manyana!”), they appeared to be really friendly and open. I remember a few times  I was new in the pub, my little brother introduces me to someone, and I got a huge hug  (I kind of understand why these two words have the same grammar root:)) and hear: “Heyyy, SWEETHEART! HONEY, how ya doing???” So I was sweet honey both to the waiter and to Mr DJ ..oh, even to the lady that charges toilet services!!!

After many coffees, beers (‘Miller light”, most frequent one) and Jägerbulls, I caught a day to visit another place called Lake Geneva. How to depict Lake Geneva? Uh…so green, so nice, so sunny, so clean, so golf, so seagulls, so fresh water, so harmony!!!!! Man, this life’s so good!

The only thing that bugged me was my un-destroyable appetite and life gourmand parole “I like macro – but also microbiotics!”. That way, resting from Chinese vegetables and light cuisine I used to have in Serbia, I basically jumped on junk food oh so many sorts…Big dilemma – where to hit? Should that be EM DI, KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Subway , Taco Bell…”Let’s eat to the beat!”

Friday and the Indian Summer Festival! Belgrade Beer fest moved to Milwaukee, I would say, beer and nice food and music all round, the only difference are those Indians walking next to you! I finally managed to caught one of them and place him next to me on the photo, which he only waited with :”Gotta a dollar for a beer?” Eh, neither these Indians are not what they used to be! Many concert stages around, among them : Harley Davidson Stage (celebrating their 105^th birthday, all together with the “WELCOME HARLEY RIDERS” boards throughout the country. Enjoyed great rock music of the Canadian band Eagle and Hawk, while they obviously enjoyed back, waving and speaking into mike” Hey Serbs over there, who took the photos!”

Another stage was completely different. The kids in warrior colors presenting their culture and heritage…And. the band “Brule”..(give me just a moment, I simply HAVE TO find some online video with their music…) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fokhTw7wrs8 Listen, enjoy and buy!!!! The only thing I really cannot  retell here is the 10 minute fireworks above the Michigan Lake…huge water surface, I caught myself mixing its photos with those of the Atlantic ocean!!! In case you want to have a bath, better prepare yourself mentally for they say the water is so cold that only “crazy and brave Mexicanos” do it, while the rest of the nation enjoys just next to it, consuming unavoidable BBQ…

The only Saturday to be spent peacefully on the trip, was reserved for the huuuge and looong Mr Chicago.

Now, there you’ll meet real crowd, but also beautiful tall architecture, latest fashion in the streets, fancy restaurants…out of which we aimed to “Hooters”, fast food of course, but the main characteristic are the waitresses’ attributes that perfect match the name of the place. To clarify that, please visit : http://www.hooters.com.

Why can’t all the nice things last forever? To experience them again, I guess…When an opportunity to see Wisconsin one more time comes, I won’t have any second thoughts!

Putian. Note it down: one word, transliterated from Chinese “Pu 莆 Tian 田”. Now, spread the world map across your bed. Take the ruler. Draw the line with the pen, left from Taiwan. There! See it? The name of this “small” 3-million people-town in south-east China is like an Abra Kah Dabra on the world map , sometimes is there, sometimes not! But it better be there if you’re just about to pack that huuuge suitcase weighing 30 kilos for the longer stay in the Far East!

Consulting the Internet pages, Lonely Planet books and “Oh, I often drop by to China” friends is naturally more than welcome. But, as you set off for this long journey to the East, better leave all you’re “I would never,ever I mean EVER, do such a thing!” oaths and principles at home! For, trust me, it’s one time in life adventure! It’s gonna take you right there at the Shanghai airport, spin you around just like that and, as you wonder “Where have I arrived, for God’s sake?” push you further. And, just like that, you are getting exactly what you’ve asked for – a lifetime EPOCHAL change!

The long distance bus is coming! Better get ready- it’s show time!

Long distance between Shanghai and Putian

Standing on a dirty road in an improvised bus station, I try to stay away from the strong sun and summarize the day events. Calling the bus driver to get the bed-seat wasn’t easy, no, no! After reassuring him that I am “for real” and this is not a joke, I had to answer some completely unnecessary questions at that moment like “Why do you want to go to Putian?”, “Why would anybody want to go to Putian after getting off the plane from Europe?” “Why do you..??”, “Why…??”, “??” and such. No choice, had to be patient and got to know my so far completely undiscovered PATIENT (oh my god!) side.
It was in the end a big question mark if I got the seat at all or not, so believing God, Heaven or anything from above would take care of me and send me somehow (like, ANYHOW!) to Putian, I stood there. On the dirty road. A Chinese kid aproaches. Smiles at me. His mom is scared, seeing me talking to her child – in Chinese. Opps! I remembered. Chinese speakers out of China were called “the devil foreigners”…Flashback. Chinese lesson at the university and a song “Not afraid of the Sky. Not afraid of the Land. But afraid of a foreign devil speaking Chinese language”. Ah, devilish me, managed somehow to convince the lady that I don’t bite little Chinese babies right before the bus got to the spot.
“Lao wai!”, “Lao wai!” “Lao waaai” like trying to make me finally understand I am an outsider in this novel (“lao” equals “old” and “wai” outside, translated – informal word for a foreigner) and literally stalking me with wide eyes open! Their surprise, curiosity and fear (don’t know who was scarred more – me or them!) were expressing non-expressed announcement: “A girl from the OUTSIDE is going to Putian. Stop. She speaks Chinese, thus there must be some devil in her. Stop. Maybe she works for Coca-Cola? Question mark. She is coming from Yugoslavia. Stop. Valter. Stop. Tito. Stop. Ok, she deserves a green mandarine. Stop. We are getiing tired of staring at her. Stop. ZZZZ…”
Finally, I got some space and with knees almost under my beard, tried to calm down and welcome this night’s ride. Looking in the dark landscape through the window, right there, almost across Taiwan, in the end of the world, so far away from my family and friends…I am finally aware that Putian is getting closer, while the bus wheels slowly approach Fujian province in this warm September night…

Finally arriving..

Buzzz! What’s that noise??? Oh, so THIS is Putian! I’m finally here! After short and everything but convenient sleep on that tiny winy bus bed, I got awaken by all this crowd suddenly rushing towards the door! Shouting in almost non- articulated dialect, they put on their shoes and jump over all those bags and suitcases and… Then come I! Laowai in the van! Taxi drivers in the number of thousands in the second occupied the bus and simply wouldn’t let me get off in peace! And foreigner has devilish dirty foreign money, but it’s MONEY! It’s like in cartoons -you could almost see dollars in their eyes! God!

But what to do? My direction aim was the place I would stay in and foreign school and I have absolutely no idea how to get there! So I grabbed the first driver and got into his car, allowing him at the same time to “rob” me – for this 5 minute ride I paid10 Chinese yuan, my God! Its almost like one euro!!! Uh, this man is expensive. Well, I know it sounds hilarious, but after a year living according to PUTIANESE PRICES, uhhh! You get the touch, trust me!

The next few hours flew like the Coyote Bird run! Meeting this teacher and that teacher, only God knows which one is Jane which one is Annie, was that the one from England? Oh, My room! Wow, MY OWN bathroom Quick shower then DUM! Sleep after almost 2 day journey! I sank into the pillow…

Welcome! Welcome!

Knock-knock! AM? PM? What…? Where…? Oh-my-God-I have slept whole day! I should meet the teachers. Getting dressed quickly and opening the door…Few foreign faces, some other laowai looking at me smiling. “You have just skipped together’s dinner. We knocked at your door but you were fast asleep”.

Shaking hands. Nice to meet them. They are happy to meet me too. Meeting room introduction I see the two PCs and can’t resist! Open my yahoo inbox and send the first email to my closest ones about the journey adventure! Wuh! Felt good, Serbian language is not dead! My English guide, later to be one of the best friends I made there, shows me the kitchen. I open the can of sardines I brought with me and have the first meal after ages. Real meal. Like, at the table.

It’s September but hot tropical air is coming through the open window. I ask what the time is and immediatelly forget the answer I got…8 PM? 9 PM? It doesn’t matter – it is so far away PM! Some Chinese girls come to meet me and show me around. After making new Chinese friends, among others our boss, I climb upstairs in the neighbourhood building to check one of the classrooms. Then I have a look at my feet! Ooops!~ I have slippers on! No matter, I see sleepers are apparently latest fashion in the school! Because of the really small but sooo itching (the smaller the more itching!) mosquito bites, it is impossible to be in the shoes all day! And its, like, 35 degrees! So I stept almost barefoot into the classroom and first thing I saw was the painting on the wall. Confucius and his saying 三人行必有我师…Flashback again. Having no idea what’s waiting for me there on the road, the Confused Me goes through Chinese grammar part I then, in 2001, and see it. And LOVE it. It was my “pushing” moto along the whole way to the Bachelor degree. And right there…to remind you, at the end of the world…when the studying journey was finally over…four years later…it was still there, reminding me…”There is always somebody who will teach you”….

Work created a man

It gets so dynamic once the planning is replaced by the real actions…That’s how it was for me in Putian as well. Therefore, get your mind busy and even in the end of the world, the obstacles would disappear in time. Speaking of which, it wasn’t so extremely smooth those first days, as I recall. First of all, I had to MAKE myself – hungry! Still recovering after those forever flights, I had troubles with my rioting stomach which wanted to remain empty (!) and, again, was expecting me to get it filled at meal time!

So the picture was: nice local restaurant, round “spinning” table and around it Australian girl 1, English girl 1, Australian girl 2, English girl 2, Australian boy, American girl, English boy and me. Laughing and joking, retelling the classroom stories…Them yes, me not, for I was still waiting for the teaching schedule to be announced…work made a man, and I grew up believing so, so as I tried to enjoy really tasty food in front of me, this huge thing grew in my troublesome stomach…this… this…”What am I doing here?”, “Who ARE these people?”, “Help! Help!”, “I want to go homeee!” stone sat there, deep in me, pressing me, pushing me to yell, to scream, because it was new. Because I was somewhere else. And because I was terrified, frightened till my bones.

However, still sitting there, on the top floor of the Putienese restaurant and smiling at the remarks about local dialect, I knew that -cross my heart, for I am a believer- I am going nowere, this is where I am staying and I am going to – have to make it…