tehHunterKlie

Liudong Zhongguo A from Hunter Klie on Vimeo.

Global Ambassadors 2013 Spring Break in China from Hunter Klie on Vimeo.

The Missouri State University Global Ambassadors spent their spring break holiday visiting three beautiful Chinese cities: Qingdao, Dalian, and Beijing. The Ambassadors began by touring the city of Qingdao, sitting in on Chinese class at Qingdao University, visiting a local Chinese family, sampling local cuisine, and meeting Missouri State University students. Next was Dalian, where the group met MSU-LNU Liaison David Hamilton who led the tour of the city and campus. The Ambassadors then met two Chinese students who will attend Missouri State in the fall, West Plains MSU students interning at Liaoning Normal University, and an MSU student studying Mandarin at Liaoning Normal. Finally, the Global Ambassadors made their way to Beijing. In the Chinese capital, they toured the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Tian’anmen Square, and a host of other must-see sites in China.

The tour was a great success thanks to Missouri State University’s support.

This video was directed and edited by Hunter Klie, Graduate Assistant to the Office of China Programs at Missouri State University.

Jaeger, essen Jaeger Schnitzel, trinken Jaegermeister. At Bierstube German Restaurant in Tsingtau.
(Jaeger means Hunter.)

Another day in Qingdao.

Drink Deep.

The other day, a particularly hot day here in Beijing, as I parked my bicycle in front of our apartment complex, I saw the lady pictured above rummaging through the garbage and recycling bins without gloves. If you’ve lived in China, you know that (1) that’s gross and (2) she’s searching for either plastic or glass bottles. I looked at her bag and saw she was looking for plastic. Some people take these to a recycling center for remuneration. They don’t earn much, but for those who can afford no other means of income, it’s a way to get some cash.

I happened to have a large 1.5L bottle of water in my bicycle basket that I had nearly finished, so I unscrewed the cap and took a huge swig to try and finish it off. There was too much left to drink it in a gulp so I just screwed the cap back on and called out, “阿姨，你在找瓶子吗？” She was, in fact, looking for bottles as I asked her, and she reached out to me to add my bottle to her collection for recycling. “谢谢，谢谢。谢谢，谢谢，先生，谢谢！” She repeated, thanking me over and over and calling me sir.

I told her it was no problem and that I was finished anyway. I locked up my bike and turned to head up the apartment stairs. She started walking off, and as she hobbled along I heard her twist off the cap and toss it to the ground. Before I reached the door, I noticed a sound was missing. She didn’t dump my water out.

I froze and turned around, grabbing my phone knowing what I was about to see. There she was lugging around, in her left hand, a bag of other people’s plastic bottles that she had discovered in filthy garbage bins on the street. In her right hand she held up to her lips my 1.5L bottle which held only a few centimeters of water in it.

And she drank it slowly.

This is a mix of photos from the museum we visited.

Here in Beijing, unless you stay in your house all day you can’t help but find your nose assaulted daily by a host of different scents. I can only post photos, text, and videos on my blog, which is really a shame because so much of the experience in China comes from the sense of smell.

Many foreigners complain of the stink of Chinese streets, but to leave out the good smells would be an injustice to the great variety of fragrance and fetor here. Here are some photos of the scents I come across daily between the apartment and my classroom. Each photo has a caption.

We visited a history museum in Inner Mongolia. Here are two photos from the Communist propaganda room. 

Notice the joy on the painted faces as they approach the mannequins’ campsite where the soldier is being outfitted into uniform. Also note the round grenade over there by the metal bowl on the ground.

Here’s my little brother, Shuaishuai. He’s watching TV and enjoying my fun facial hair.

(Source: vimeo.com)

Post for Mandarin Nerds. If you don’t care for long posts about difficult languages, feel free to skip! :)

So my full English name is Hunter Douglas Klie. My first name comes from my father’s mother’s mother’s surname. Edith Hunter lived to be over 100 years old. Her surname is my first name. My father’s first name is Douglas Klie Jr. and his father is Douglas Klie Sr.

When I came to Qingdao back in 2010, I did not have a Chinese name. When my teachers were testing my Mandarin level, they asked me for my Chinese name and when I replied that I had none, they quickly gave me the following name:

亨特 Hēngtè

The Hēng character means prosperous, and the tè character means special, unique, distinguished. Unfortunately, when one looks up the first name Hunter in the dictionary one finds that the Chinese name of Hēngtè is anything but unique—it’s a prescribed transliteration.

I had that name for a few years and wanted to come up with a new one the whole time but couldn’t think of a better name to give myself. When I arrived here for the CLS program in Beijing, one of our instructors (a Shandongren like myself) took an interest in me, and she offered to help me change my name when I expressed dissatisfaction with the name I had used for so long. I gave her my first, middle, and last name and she came up with this new Chinese name:

柯厚德 Kē Hòudé

Now let me take a moment to explain. The Kē is the surname despite being the first in the sequence—Chinese put the family surname at the beginning. Notice that it starts with the letter ‘K’. The next two characters, Hòu and dé each start with ‘H’ and ‘D’. This ‘K.H.D.’ and ‘H.D.K.’ similarity is pretty cool, and it incorporates different aspects of my actual name. But that’s not why I prefer this name to the old one. This name has a meaning.

柯 Kē

My teacher told me to associate this Kē character with the title of a famous Chinese story called 南柯一梦, (Nánkēyīmèng) or Dreams of Grandeur. I haven’t read it yet, but I certainly plan to.

厚德 Hòudé

My first name is actually part of an idiom commonly known by all Chinese people. It refers to this phrase: 自强不息，厚德载物。

Succinctly translated, it can be stated as: “Self-discipline and Social Commitment.”

Below is not a translation, but more of a poetic explanation:
A wise man—a scholar—must work diligently and without resting. His ethical and moral standards much be thick as winter snow, and he must bear the burdens of social responsibility with him always.

厚 Hòu means thick, deep or profound, kind, and generous.
德 dé means virtue, goodness, morality, kindness, and character.

I love my new name.
－柯厚德

Great Wall at Jinshanling 金山岭。

At Panjiayuan Market, you can find cheap, old antiques like these lying around all over the place. You can also buy phonographs there.

Several of us went to the Bridge café to study for Monday’s classes. Essay time!

These advertisements are plastered all over the cafeteria here at Beijing Language University. I’ve transcribed it below, because it’s so funny.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Are you looking for a job, a BF or GF, a Chinese or English tutor,a language partner…?

If you are from Euro-America or your English is very good,Please tell me! We can fulfill everything that you want. If you are interested, feel free to get in contact with us! We are waiting 4 u 2 join us!

♥ Do you need a Part-time job?

[English tutor, matchmaker, translator, editor, manager, singer, dancer, model, actor…]

♥ Are you looking for a GF or BF?

Don’t wait for love to find you! You’d better looking 4 your true love and act now. Success will not wait. If you delay, you’ll miss the chance and lost the love forever!!

Why not act now and join us? Join now to find your true love! ♪

Love is just like food and water. You need it. I need it. Everyone needs it. What are you waiting for? Find her, date her, and be with her tonight! ♪

I just study MBA and have a part-time job in the Euro-American Matchmaking Service. If you need a BF or a GF, you can tell me. I will introduce a handsome boy or beautiful girl to you. If you are my student or good friend, it’s free! ♪

♥ Are you looking for a Chinese tutor?

Do you want to pass the exam? Do you want to improve your Chinese quickly and have a good holiday? Do you want to choose a handsome boy with most experience to teach you Chinese? Do you like to study a pure Chinese accent? Please choose me!!! You can give me a chance to teach you. I’ll change your life. I do not only teach you the Language, but also can tell you how to study the language. I will give you the best techniques and teach you pure Chinese.

✭✭✭✭✭ 50 RMB/hr 80 RMB/2hr 100 RMB/3 hr 120 RMB/4hr ✭✭✭✭✭♪

Let me help you to realize all your dreams! I’ll be your best matchmaker, Chinese tutor, and friend forever! Try me once, love me forever! What are you looking for?I was born to help you!♪

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥