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WorkLife Travel Destination: Shanghai

Shanghai is always changing. Chances are that by the time you read this blog, many of the sites I observed and places I frequented will have experienced changes potentially involving bulldozers and wrecking balls. The sounds of construction are ubiquitous. It’s a city where you can visit your favorite noodle restaurant Monday, find it closed Tuesday and re-opened as a French delicatessen Wednesday.

Working in Shanghai

The Chinese work experience is still influenced by years spent under absolute Communism. You see this influence when a shopkeeper does not go out of his way to provide ample customer service or makes a decision to maximize profits for this individual purchase without regard to potential revenues from future purchases. You see this influence as you enter a subway station and pass through a security checkpoint with three people assigned to direct your bag toward the X-ray machine, not really caring if you choose not to do so, and two more employees sitting behind the X-ray desk but staring more intently at their cellphones than the display. You see this influence when you enter a fast food restaurant and attempt to carry your trash to the bin, but instead you are intercepted and glared at by the employee assigned to pick up trash from tables. The trash strewn throughout the restaurant necessitates that person’s job, and he doesn’t want you taking away that necessity by throwing away your own trash. Only IKEA’s cafe has attempted to buck this trend by hanging signs that cleaning up after yourself will help keep costs low. IKEA, too, however, has learned that you must adapt to Chinese culture and tolerates clientele who choose to nap on their showroom beds for an hour or two while visiting the store.

I was told that conditions were even more distinguishable before Chinese economics became driven by “two systems.” In the 1980s it was impossible to find a hotel room. A traveler would enter hotel lobby after hotel lobby being told the hotel was filled to capacity while rarely encountering a guest. Hotel owners and staff were paid the same regardless of the amount of work they performed and handed revenues over to the government; therefore, with no incentives to increase take-home pay, they simply told most potential guests that all rooms were occupied and avoided the labor required when checking someone in and cleaning his room. In this Internet age, we didn’t have trouble locating vacancies in hotels; however, upon being unable to book on a Chinese airline’s website, I contacted customer service for assistance and was told that if I continued to have trouble I should book through Orbitz or Expedia instead of the airline.

The age of Communism has brought women into an equal standing with men in the workplace. You see women doing every job that men perform, from heavy construction and roofing to office leadership. It’s ironic, in fact, that although the one-child policy has led to China having less young women than young men, I met single independent female office managers much more frequently in China than in other countries I’ve resided. One Shanghai resident, told me, “In the past in China, the woman stayed in the home and the man worked. This was due to religious beliefs. When the Communist Party came, however, and outlawed religions, they also liberated women. Everyone went to work for equal salary. Today, it’s almost impossible for a man to support his family if he only works because taxes in China are based on a single person and not on the family. So much of his salary will go to taxes as if he were single, and he will not have enough money for the family to live a good life.”

While these “Lost Women,” as single working women are known in China, are considered acceptable to younger Shanghainese who continue to marry at later ages, it is quite troublesome to older members of the family who covet relationships and family and its integral place in Chinese history. You’ll find no better place to observe this than the marriage market in People’s Square Saturday mornings. Here, parents converge and look at statistics of other singles while talking to matchmakers and excitedly calling their offspring with potential prospects. However, traditionally, a man must pay for a house and wedding expenditures before the ceremony is arranged. In Shanghai, a city more expensive than other parts of China, this brings a steep price tag of 2 Million RMB on average ($333,000 USD), equal to the salaries of 116 people in Gansu Province.

If you own a business in Shanghai, it’s also quite common to have to completely overhaul your work force following the annual Chinese New Year holiday. This is because many people who have come to the city to gain experience go home for the holiday, receive a job offer utilizing their newly obtained skills, and decide to stay home rather than return to the city of smog, high prices and homesickness. Many businesses setup a bonus scheme with payouts at this time of year, requiring the post-holiday trek back to Shanghai before an employee can receive his bonus.

Shanghai Eats

Shanghai is the first international hub I’ve lived in which I felt that I could satisfy literally any craving for any type of cuisine. Some restaurants, such as Stubb’s Bar-B-Q from Texas or my favorite American breakfast spot in Shanghai, Hillbilly Tea of Louisville, Ky., actually set up their second locations in Shanghai, and maintain only one location per hemisphere. If you’re in the mood for German, try Abbey Road. If you’re looking for a British pub to watch the Premier League game, head to The Camel. You can even find Americanized Chinese food, with the accompanying fortune cookie (yes, that’s an American invention) at the appropriately named Fortune Cookie restaurant. As in most countries outside of North America, just don’t go looking for good Mexican food.

All holidays and celebrations also come to Shanghai. We never knew that Canada had a separate Thanksgiving Day until it was celebrated in Shanghai. For our American Thanksgiving we enjoyed our turkey and dressing with a side of salsa and belly dancers at Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse.

You will find a plethora of American fast food restaurants in Shanghai, particularly those owned by YUM Brands. Our apartment was within a couple of blocks from hundreds of restaurants in Xujuahui, including Subway, Dairy Queen, Carl’s Jr., Papa John’s, McDonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut and KFC. However, despite being your favorite American brand, they may not accept your credit card as most Chinese businesses accept only cash and possibly the Chinese credit card UnionPay. This may apply even at Pizza Hut. Speaking of Pizza Hut, most Chinese people go there not to dine on pizza but to order shrimp and steak. KFC is everywhere as is its domestic Chinese rival Dico’s. In Shanghai, Uncle Fast Food is popular and Kung Fu also appears interesting, although I found neither chain appealing.

A Shanghainese style Friday night involves a trip to a restaurant, preferably Hot Pot on most occasions, followed by a trip to Karaoke Television (KTV). A Hot Pot restaurant in China is basically like what Americans know as the Melting Pot chain, except that the Chinese would be baffled by the fact that Americans see it as a premium restaurant and actually pay extra to cook their own food at the table. Choose your mushrooms and vegetables along with some beef, pork and lamb and mix it all together in the simmering pot built into your table. If you’re at a low end restaurant, skip on the lamb. It is wildly popular in China, leading to large quantities of imports from New Zealand and fakes (also known as cat) for restaurants that do not have the means to stock it.

If you’re looking for street food, be cautious but don’t pass up on the opportunity. Our friends recommend Qibao, Shanghai’s closest “water town” with plenty of street food popular with Chinese tourists.

The nightlife in Shanghai is ever changing so we won’t mention any specific clubs here. As a Westerner, however, you’ll have plenty of businesses competing for your attention as the sight of Westerners in an establishment leads to a site being tagged as high-end and desirable for many wealthy Chinese to join them. If you find a promoter to grant your entrance, you’ll therefore pay no cover charges and have a selection of free drinks. Many of these establishments take up residence at The Bund, a row of historically significant buildings established by British settlers that today has the best view of Pudong’s famous Shanghai skyline.

A foreigner in Shanghai

Anytime you leave the major city in China, prepare to face the paparazzi like a Hollywood star back home. People in rural areas have in their lives rarely seen Caucasians and in Chinese pop culture, whitened skin is seen as most beautiful. Chinese women will actually apply topical agents and makeups to permanently and temporarily whiten their skin. The same intention of ensuring their skin does not darken led to the popularity of the infamous Chinese facekini on China’s beaches. Whether they see you as beautiful or maybe as a huge freak, the Chinese people who have not often encountered foreigners will openly snap your pictures with their phones and cameras. Others will rush to you and ask for you to pose with them. Some may even throw their babies into your arms so that they can tell their son or daughter years later about the time he or she met a Westerner. Watch out, though, for the ‘xiao pi hai’ as babies are thrown in your direction. Diapers are not so common in China and this is the term that refers to Chinese toddlers who wear open seated pants that expose their bare buttocks so they’re ready to drop waste at any moment, possibly on that IKEA mattress mentioned above. The term was also used to describe Justin Bieber as he paraded through China, having his bodyguards carry him through attractions such as the Great Wall so that he was not “weakened.”

Shanghai is nice for international residents because you can find so many pieces of home, but if you’re in Shanghai for a short period of time, avoid those niceties and see something authentic. Take a walk down Beijing Lu rather than the overly touristy Nanjing Road nearby and you will have a completely different impression. Rather than being swarmed by men selling fake watches and exchanging money under familiar neon signs of businesses seen in every major city, you’ll see pajama-clad Shanghainese people going about their daily life.

Getting around Shanghai

The quickest way into town from the airport is on the Maglev train but check its location versus where you’re actually headed. Chances are you’ll still have quite a distance to go once you disembark. If you don’t have much luggage and it’s early, Chinese public transportation is excellent and it’s quite easy to navigate the metro, with plentiful English announcements and maps. Do not expect this same simplicity on public buses. Westerners will quickly find that they do not have the amount of personal space that they are accustomed to and that the pushing and shoving on to the subway is not considered rude – it’s just a part of the culture. Getting off the subway often requires pushing through a horde of oncomers of all ages who rush for available seats like Western preschoolers playing musical chairs. If you take a taxi, bring the address in Chinese text or download the translational phone app as 99 percent of taxi drivers do not speak English. Counterfeit money is also an issue, so if you are riding the taxi along an obvious tourist path (airport to hotel) watch closely for scams and do not allow your 100 RMB bill to leave your sight until you are sure it has been accepted. A taxi driver may switch your bill with a fake and then claim to have no change.

The method Westerners are generally told to avoid is driving. While we have driven in most international destinations, we did not drive in China. Taxis and drivers are cheap compared to most other destinations. Meanwhile, a Westerner is seen as likely more wealthy than the average Chinese person and many people are said to see a Westerner as the potential largest payday of their life if they happen to be “injured” by him. One Chinese man told us, “In China if an old man falls in the street, no one dares to help him because there are too many liars and extortionists who will say you caused him to fall. We have a traditional story in China about a man and a wolf. The man helps the wolf again and again but finally the wolf eats the man. This is how we feel in China, that a man who does good will often have bad done to him.” Adding to the complexity, although rarely enforced, it is officially illegal for a foreigner to use a GPS device in China.

Another health hazard that Westerners often hear is the smog. It’s not so bad in summer when the clear beautiful shots of the Pudong skyline are printed in July and August issues of periodicals around the world. In the winter months, however, when little rain and heating sources are fired up across the metro area, smog descends on the city. The rest of the world has taken their pollution problems and moved them to China through the build up of industry. Needing jobs for such a large population, China has accepted those problems with open arms as a necessary evil. When smog hit record levels this winter, China “fixed” the problem by changing the scale that measures pollution so that it doesn’t reach that height again. Beijing had another solution – destroying barbecue grills.

Shopping in Shanghai

China is not so keen on intellectual property protection and the big magnet for tourists in this regard is found at 580 Nanjing Xi Lu. Here, hawkers begin negotiations at astronomical prices, possibly higher than you could purchase the real item in some cases. As you enter, you’ll pass posters adorning the entrance referring to the Chinese government’s fight to protect intellectual property with notices that the trade is illegal. This warning is basically all that the Chinese government does to comply with international trade laws. If you do decide to venture inside and test your negotiating skills for some grey area merchandise of questionable quality, check out recent prices negotiated by other customers.

Major neighborhoods in Shanghai each contain DVD stores where the latest titles (cinema and DVD releases) can be purchased for 10 RMB or less (6 RMB = 1 USD). Ironically, the ease of piracy through P2P software has put many of these pirates-for-profit out of business in less populated neighborhoods.

For other shopping needs, Shanghai likely has a market to fit your desires. The Dong Tai Road Antiques Market is a great place to find souvenirs. “Antiques,” however, may have been made last year. Many business travelers head directly to the South Bund Fabric Market and have their dimensions measured up for a suit or dress to be prepared during the next 24-48 hours. Be ready to negotiate at either place.

Rating Shanghai

I give Shanghai an 8. What city is your “world hub” where you feel that you can find absolutely anything you desire?

-Chris

5 ways to find international jobs

Chris posts ~~a lot, almost all~~, let’s just say he’s a hard core fan of Facebook when it comes to sharing our travels. You can actually follow his page here. Whenever he posts about visiting a new place or shares a photo of one of our trips, he always seems to receive at least one or two comments in the vein of “What do you do for a living? Do you ever work? I wish I had a job where I could travel.” To answer for him, “He’s a business management trainee accepting a permanent project manager position for an international company. Yes. You can.”

How can you land an international job?

More expats than ever before are making the leap to find international jobs. From our own experiences of working abroad and meeting other working expats, here’s our list of the top five ways to go international through work.

1. Work for an MNC

To be specific, a multiple organization is defined by communications theorists Drs. James and Larissa Grunig as “an organization with subsidiaries or affiliated companies spread across the globe, several business units, or large and relatively autonomous subunits.” To be simple, a multinational corporation (MNC) is a company operating inside and outside US borders with international offices. This is the route Chris has taken. The international engineering firm he’s employed with has its headquarters in the UK with offices in more than 50 countries.

Finding employment with a MNC is the most secure way to work overseas, but understand you may need to work your way up to a transfer. Start off your search with companies that have a strong overseas presence, such as Coca-Cola or Starbucks, and research their international opportunities. Many MNCs have training programs where you can work in an international office for a limited time or do an exchange with foreign employees.

2. Create a niche business in an under-served market

Many locations abroad are ripe for services that haven’t penetrated the local market. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit and are up for the challenge, you can export your skill set to meet the international demand. With my freelance public relations firm, this is the path I’ve taken. Aubia Communications specializes in strategic communications planning for expat entrepreneurs looking to stand out in their industries and new locales.

Do some research on where your skill set is most lacking. What can you bring to the market and why is it needed there? After developing your plan to enter the market, be sure to check with the local country’s governing standards on work visas and other business startup regulations.

3. Teach

In our travels, we’ve met a ton of expat teachers. From teaching English as a Second Language to children to visiting college professors, there is always a need of teachers abroad. The most common international jobs for teachers are ESL training and international schools in larger foreign cities.

Check out the resources provided by the State Department or find a legitimate organization that specializes in placing teachers in international positions.

4. Try the simpler life

Many expats find working the here-and-there odd job, just enough to cover their travel and lodging, is the way to go. No contracts, no long-term commitments helps them to keep moving. Be warned, though, this type of working could put you in some legal trouble if you’re not on a working visa and your pay most likely comes under the table.

If you’re not afraid of some heaving lifting, a (legal and legit) offering is the World Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms where WWOOFers put in some hours in the field in exchange for a full day’s meals and accommodation.

5. Join the military or the Peace Corps

Though not as flexible as the other options, both of these government entities have the opportunity for work abroad. The US military has installations in countries throughout the world, such as Germany, Belgium and Japan, and the armed forces are frequently deployed abroad in protective and peacekeeping missions. Though a foreign station or deployment is not guaranteed, international jobs with the Department of Defense as active-duty military or civilian employee are obtainable. The Peace Corps, though not a paid international job, can teach you skills to invest in future employment. During your time abroad, your lodging, meals and medical care will be covered.

If you want to take the active-duty military route, check out overseas installations to determine the skill set the units stationed there possess, and then visit your local recruiter to discuss the opportunities for training. If you would rather go the civilian employee route for the DOD, check out postings for civil servant jobs at USAJobs. To pursue volunteer opportunities with the Peace Corps, start the application process on the organization’s website.

What international jobs interest you?

There are so many varying international jobs with extensive travel opportunities. We’ve only covered our top five ideas here, but for more check out the mastermind on the topic, Turner, and his Around the World in 80 Jobs blog where he’s worked from everything as a reality TV production assistant in Bangkok to a pizza maker in Rome. Let me know what your dream international job is in the comments, and let’s see if we can’t help you to make it a reality.

-Monica

5 ways to celebrate Mardi Gras off Bourbon Street

“How did you earn those beads? *Wink *Wink”

Ever since Chris and I returned from Mardi Gras a couple of weeks ago, we’ve been giving out strands of beads to anyone we visit. Inevitably, I always get the sly question of how I earned so many beads. With that devilish look in my eye, I coyly reveal my big secret – I put my hands in the air, t-shirt (and this year, coat) fully intact. Literally, that’s all there is to it. No flashing required (unless you want to, and we’re not judging).

The Family-Friendly Mardi Gras

For those who have never been, there is this giant misconception that you can only get beads in New Orleans if you’re some drunk party girl showing off all you’ve got or if you’re a hot guy egging on said drunk party girl to reveal the lady lumps to thousands of complete strangers and video cameras. Since returning, we’ve been told how only crazy sinners attend Mardi Gras, and we’ve been asked how church leaders could ever attend such an event but avoid the debauchery.

The truth is, Mardi Gras is so much more than what is portrayed in pop culture. It’s a celebration of tradition. We’ve seen entire families, from toddlers in strollers to grandmas in electric scooters, catching throws, or the items the parade participants throw from the floats, mainly beads. One family even told us how they come out and collect the throws of toys and other goodies for that year’s Christmas gifts. The police also strictly enforce the family areas in the city during Mardi Gras, and you will get ticketed/arrested for flashing outside the zone of pretty much anywhere except Bourbon Street.

My first Mardi Gras in 2012, I had to leave about 400 necklaces of beads in the hotel room because I didn’t have enough space for them in my luggage with all the other beads. This year, we brought back probably 500 necklaces, eight Zulu coconuts and a host of other throws. I’ve never once lifted my shirt in New Orleans.

Even though I recommend you at least walk down Bourbon Street once (that’s all I do, that’s all you need) to witness the full-on lewdness, there are so many other and better activities to take in during the Fat Tuesday celebrations.

1. Parades

From the beginning of the Mardi Gras season (typically in early February but dependent upon the Lunar calendar) to the day before Ash Wednesday, parades in and around the city are happening almost every day. Krewes, or social organizations, put on elaborate pageantry to ride through uptown, downtown, French Quarter and outlying area routes. You can download various apps to keep up with parade schedules. My top three parade recommendations are the Krewes of Zulu (gives out the most throws, especially the coveted hand-decorated coconuts), Muses (all-female Krewe known for its famous footwear throws) and Bacchus (its medallions are collector’s items and the Krewe always sports a celebrity for its monarch).

2. Mardi Gras Indians

Follow the Zulu parade on Mardi Gras day to its end at the underpass on Claiborne Avenue and wait to be even further wowed. As a nod to Native Indians, these New Orleans tribes hand-stitch their regalia to mask only three times a year: Mardi Grad day, Super Sunday and St. Joseph’s Night. The battles of the Mardi Gras Indians are some of the “prettiest” sights of Mardi Gras. Only worn once a season, the regalia of beads, gems and feathers adorn the Big Chief, Wild Man, Spy Boy, Flag Boy and now even the Big Queens as tribes face-off on the streets mainly in the Tremé neighborhood.

3. Mardi Gras Balls

If you’re fortunate enough to receive an invitation to an exclusive Krewe ball, be sure to save the invitation as some go for works of art alone. Each Krewe has its own soiree, usually the evening after its parade. These elegant affairs are the social events of the year. Think Old South debutante balls, where real-life debutantes are introduced to society. We were lucky enough to catch the grand entrance of the King and Queen of Carnival into the ball where the Courts of the Krewe of Rex and the Mistick Krewe of Comus were meeting, the highlight of Mardi Gras royalty.

4. Costumes

As I love Halloween for the time of year you can dress up as anything or anyone else you want to be, I adore Mardi Gras for the same reason. Everywhere you look, and especially on Mardi Gras day, you can find the magical, mystical, funny, satirical, cute, ugly, scary, inspiring and beautiful costumes born of creative imaginations of all people.

5. Ste. Anne’s Memorial Ceremony

If you would like to honor a loved one passed, ashes or other mementos can be spread out upon the waters of the Mississippi River as the Krewe of Ste. Anne dips and waves its ribbon-covered hula hoops over the crowd, baptizing them in the muddy water. Started in the 1980s to honor AIDS victims, the ceremony follows the end of the Krewe of Rex parade on Mardi Gras day to the river bank. I have already provided for this in my final wishes to Chris.

What is Mardi Gras?

More than screaming girls flashing for beads, more than drunk guys getting into fights, more than Hand Grenades drinks, Mardi Gras is a New Orleans tradition dating back to before the inception of the city. It’s a celebration open to all, no matter your preference of bead obtainment. As one friend and a member of the Krewe of Eve was quoted, Mardi Gras is more than a “bucket list thing.”

What would you most like to see at Mardi Gras?

-Monica

Where in the world is home?

Miles on Ponty = 8,000. Oil changes = 2. States visited = 12.

Where we’ve been

I’ve been keeping track of our lives through stats such as these since Chris and I returned to the States. I’ve been back since the first of January when I flew into New York City for my residency with Syracuse University. Chris has been back since the start of February when he flew into Jacksonville, Fla., just in time for the Super Bowl. I’m sitting in Alabama as I write this post, but I expect I will be on to another state by the time it posts.

We’ve visited friends and family in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri. We’ve been tourists in Arkansas checking out Eureka Springs, Tennessee visiting Al Green’s church, Mississippi touring the birthplace of Elvis Presley, taking photos with Superman in Illinois, and catching beads at Mardi Gras in Louisiana.

Where we’re going

All this traveling has been between Chris working distantly for the office in China and me doing my freelance jobs and schoolwork. We are waiting on work visas to get back into Switzerland where Chris has officially accepted a (more) permanent position with his company working in the nuclear platform. Though we’re not sure when the visas will come in, we expect we’ll be leaving the U.S. in mid to late spring.

While we’re in the States and since this may be the last time we get this flexibility for a long time to come, we want to squeeze in as much as we can. We want to see as many of our friends and (likable) family members as we can, and we want to see as much of home as possible.

Where is home?

Speaking of home, we’ve been asked many times now where home is. We don’t really have a concrete answer for that. Is it Alabama where Chris’ family is, Georgia where mine is, or is it Virginia where our house is? Should we say Zürich since we’re heading there? Guest books now present a 10-minute discussion for us. Sometime we even just put Ponty down, my 13-year old Pontiac Sunfire.

Does home even have to be a physical place? Are we even from just one place? I was born in Germany, then moved to Texas, and I did almost all of my schooling in Georgia until I started at SU. Chris was born and raised in Alabama, but he now has been out of the state for more than a decade. Check out this TED talk and you be the judge of where home is.

What does this mean for Working 2 Live?

In the coming weeks, we’ll be focusing on WorkLife Travel Destinations posts mixed with some event recaps and visa instructions. Until we get back into Switzerland, we most likely will be slim on cultural posts. As always, though, we would love to hear from our WorkTrotters about what you all want to read. Any ideas? Let us know in the comments.

-Monica

Tibet: The Country that Survived

Tibet: The Land that Survived — At the Drepung Monastery, monks’ hats should remind them of the chicken while their shoes remind them of the pig and their belts of the snake. The chicken = desire, pig = ignorance and snake = hatred. These are the three traits that man should be struggling to give up according to Buddhism.

Mao Zedong ultimately failed. Nowhere was that more evident than Tibet. Sure, he captured the land and people must now move from place to place only with the permission of Chinese authorities. Sure, his soldiers ruined many relics and burned irreplaceable scriptures during his most misguided period, the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Yet, despite angering and hurting the Tibetan people, he was unable to break them. While he sought to destroy a religion that he abhorred and labeled a poison, it is possible that he only made the religious fervor of the Tibetan people stronger and unwillingly allowed a previously isolated and contained religion to grow as exiles fled to India.

Our first look at Tibet

As we exited the train upon arrival in Lhasa, we were immediately stopped by a couple of police officers and directed to the side of the building where our paperwork was reviewed and we were escorted along with a few other foreigners to our respective guides. We met our guide and our driver and climbed into the 4×4 Land Cruiser that would be our mode of transportation for the next several days.

A few moments later, we were in the fairly elegant lobby of the Yak Hotel (one of the few places that we’ve stayed in either Tibet or mainland China that quickly come to mind as recommended) and began counting out our cash payment. Cash remains the order of business in China and the largest available bill is a 100 (worth about $16), so transactions like this require a lot of bills. Locals began gathering at the windows peering in to watch us count our money in Nucky Thompson -like fashion. We stopped and asked if this was ok, and we were quickly reassured by agency and hotel staff that it was no problem. Crime is a rarity in China, largely because of the historical harsh repercussions.

The culture of Tibet

The differences between the Tibetan people and the Chinese people to their east could not be more distinct. Maybe it’s the lack of electricity and modern western entertainment or maybe it’s the religious and cultural resistance to outside influence, but whatever the reason, the people of the Tibetan countryside do not desire to emulate Hollywood or any other land of the West. Men still wear traditional clothing daily, women still braid a colorful mixture of thread into their hair and all still carry prayer wheels, devices that are said to send your prayers automatically as long as they are spinning.

Our trip began and ended in Lhasa. The city is to the Tibetan Buddhist what Saudi Arabia’s Mecca is to the Muslim. At least once in a Tibetan Buddhist’s lifetime, he should make the journey to Lhasa and pay homage by walking clockwise circles around the city’s three holy sites. One tour guide stopped us to brag that he had come from the countryside to his job and had now made enough money to bring his 80-year old father on the pilgrimage to Lhasa. His father, he said, had given up on making the journey “in this lifetime” because he was so poor.

Reincarnation is central to Tibetan Buddhism and worshipers believe that they have been placed in Tibet to worship and take it easy for one life as a reward for past lives. Dogs are generally well fed and cared for as they are deemed one step from human and will likely progress to human form in the next lifetime. Tibetan Buddhists are generous, seeing the Temple as a bank where they can deposit funds for future lives.

A taste of Tibet

We happened to arrive during the Tibetan Butter Lamp Festival, an event that attracts even more religious pilgrims than usual but less in number than the swarms of Chinese military that descended nightly from buses and gave the local Dico’s (Chinese KFC equivalent) the majority of its business. American fast food restaurants have not appeared in Tibet. It’s one of the few places we’ve been with no McDonald’s and no KFC. One Tibetan man told us, “Tibetans had rather go to a hometown restaurant that is cheaper and healthier or cook their own food from the farm. If a Tibetan is seen in these fast food places, people will wonder what is wrong with him.”

We don’t really have too many food recommendations as yak meat dominates the menu in Tibet since it is the only animal plentiful enough to adequately feed the population while surviving the high elevation in both live and food forms. The yak concoctions are similar to leftover turkey recipes found in American kitchens subsequently after Thanksgiving holiday. We dined on yak curry, yak steak, fried yak (both meat and cheese), Hawaiian yak pizza (substitute yak for ham and add pineapple), yak chili, yak burgers, yak butter tea and yak meat pancakes. However, every piece of the yak is utilized, from the skulls hung above doorway entrances to thwart off evil spirits to the dried yak dung bricks that would keep us warm and toasty as we ventured into the countryside.

In a strange land

The Tibetan people stared, pointed and talked about us. Foreigners are still a spectacle. However, once they informed their friends of our presence and heads turned toward us, their glances were always accompanied by pleasant smiles. Historically, the Tibetan people did not want foreigners in their country. The 10th Panchen Lama, the top yellow sect Lama staying in the country after the Dalai Lama fled, pushed to keep trains away from Tibet until his death. We were swarmed on social media by Western political activists who object to the “Disneyfication” of Tibet by the Chinese. Still the Tibetans have come to realize that in a landlocked area surrounded by mountains and Chinese police, without navigable passageways to transport goods, the tourist is one of their greatest potential sources of income and they certainly prefer the Western tourist over the Chinese tourist.

Our guide and driver carried several permits for approximately hourly stops at Chinese checkpoints requiring them to leave the car and ensure the police that we were staying on our designated path. The checkpoint entries were marked with specific times which brought about an interesting side effect that we often had to stall for this designated time slot, giving us unscripted stops at places where locals unscreened by the government lingered. These were some of our most enjoyable stops with intriguing conversations. One man warned us, “Everyone needs to find a religion. Otherwise, you are a student of Mao Zedong. Don’t take anyone’s word for which religion is for you. You have to try them yourself but if you do not try them and search then you are with the bad people like Mao Zedong. Dalai Lama good! Mao bad!”

With the good and indifference of a lack of change over time, of course, also comes the bad. The Chinese sometimes point to the “dark side” of Tibetan culture and purported cruel regimes as evidence for why they needed change. On Tibetan farms, decisions are generally made solely based on what’s good for the farm. Thus, we learned that a rural Tibetan wedding also takes place in support of the farm. When the oldest boy is around 18, the father will look around for an acceptable wife for him and his brothers. When he finds her, he meets with her parents and once they have agreed that the family’s home is adequate, she is taken around to different members of his family to see if they approve then finally locked in a room at the new family’s house for seven days. During this time, only the oldest son can enter the room to see her and she is often crying. After the seven days, the door is unlocked, her family and the wedding ceremony will soon commence with one woman and a line of six to seven males, some as young as 8 or 9 years old. When a baby is born, the oldest son is called the father and the other boys are called uncles. Only the youngest son may go and marry later for love. All of the middle boys must share this wife and take care of the farm work. We were told that most restaurant and hotel workers in the city of Lhasa were runaway girls attempting to avoid this fate.

Our scripted stops included key monasteries holding tomb stupas for each of the 13 prior Dalai Lamas, hot springs renowned for their healing powers, and a journey higher and higher into the mountains. In addition to the gorgeous monasteries, lakes and mountains, we saw villages with no utilities and poor Tibetan mothers queuing at restaurant exits while holding plastic bags and begging for leftovers.

Chinese mainlanders generally point to all the money given to the Tibetans by the Chinese government. The Tibetans, they say, benefit from transportation, utilities and free housing brought to them by the Chinese government. When asked about the scenes of strikingly poor inhabitants and a lack of utilities, these proponents of Tibetan occupancy respond that cities must be kept to a minimum because if you give the people too much, they will rebel against you.

Ain’t no mountain high enough

“Don’t take oxygen because we’re only going to go higher and if you take it here, you’re going to need it for 24 hours a day there,” our tour guide warned us throughout the journey as we passed other Westerners returning from pharmacies with canned oxygen. We stuck with the proven antidote, Coca-Cola, to help ease the elevation-induced headaches.

Although Mount Everest Base Camp had been closed by Chinese authorities for winter weather, our night on the edge of Mount Everest proved to be memorable. In a town with no electricity or plumbing, we huddled in the hotel “restaurant,” staying warm while the stove in the center of the room burned dry bricks of yak dung. Most of us slept on sofas that lined the perimeter of the serving area rather than retreating to our unheated rooms in freezing conditions.

A once in a lifetime trip

From Mount Everest, we retraced our steps back to Lhasa and returned to our home in Mainland China, saving neighboring Nepal for another adventure. Our trip to Tibet proved worthwhile, escaping modern Western life for a few days away from the easy access of McDonald’s, KFC and high-speed Internet, away from even basic plumbing and electricity.

What is your favorite off-the-grid destination?

-Chris

WorkLife Travel Destination: Virginia Beach

Have you ever wondered what locals really think of tourists? What a tourist destination is like in the off-season? I first experienced this working in one of the, if not the, most well-known area of Hampton Roads – Virginia Beach. As a multiple award-winning beach tourist destination, this Southside locale draws about 3 million visitors each year, and, from first-hand experience, I can tell you the locals hate to love this source of economic wealth.

Favorite Virginia Beach Places

Fort Story

Now known as Joint Expeditionary Base East since the implementation of the controversial Congress-directed initiative Joint Basing, the former Army installation Fort Story is now connected to the Navy’s Little Creek Expeditionary Base to form Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story.

Working for the Army and on this base from 2007 to 2009, I was fortunate enough to have a view of the Atlantic Ocean everyday at work as the installation is located along the coast. Several tourist sites are located within the borders of Fort Story, including a commemorative cross that marks where John Smith and company first landed on their maiden voyage to the nation, the site of the city’s annual Easter Sunrise Service, and the Cape Henry Lighthouse, one of the first public projects commissioned by the U.S. government. If you visit, though, be aware Fort Story is an active military installation and you will have to undergo a vehicle inspection to obtain a visitor’s pass to the sites.

The Oceanfront

Lined with your typical ice cream parlors, souvenir shops, old-time photo booths, bicycle rentals, and other nostalgic boardwalk boutiques, the Virginia Beach Oceanfront is annually in contention for the best oceanfront and boardwalk in the nation. In the summer months, performers from barber shop quartets to magicians can be found up and down the boardwalk, and each weekend is dedicated to a festival from sandcastles to monster trucks as part of the Beach Street USA program. In the off-season, you can enjoy the solitude of a walk down the boardwalk with few other guests and stop to admire the iconic King Neptune statue and other nautical sculptures.

Mount Trashmore

Built upon layers of solid waste, hence the name, Mount Trashmore is a famous city park offering plenty of green space, recreational activities and a full-size lake. During nice weather, this is a great place to spread out a picnic and watch the many families flying kites, playing horseshoes, and walking the many trails.

Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center

Thousands of animals representing more than 300 species call the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center home. With exhibits such as Chesapeake Light Tower Aquarium where the most species of sea turtles co-habitat anywhere to the Blue Crab Corner featuring the mascot animal of the Tidwater region plus an IMAX theater and special events, the VAMSC offers an underwater adventure for all ages. Located along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, the center also has an active rescue and rehabilitation program for sea animals washed upon shore. Annually, the Stranded Response Team assists more than 100 marine animals and 300 sea turtles who are found along Virginia’s coasts.

Virginia Beach Eats

As you can imagine, with the city’s proximity to the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean, seafood, good seafood, is the staple. Most city restaurants also participate in Virginia Beach’s sustainable seafood program, developed by the VAMSC. Two award-winning restaurants that support the eco-friendly method of catching fresh fish are Catch 31 next to the oceanfront and Lynnhaven Fish House. Try one of the chef’s creative specials at the Catch, and don’t miss the popular regional favorite She-Crab Soup at the Fish House.

My absolute favorite breakfast joint ever is Citrus, a bit off the beaten path, which in Virginia Beach means not oceanside. This place has the best chocolate chip pancakes, grits and fresh-squeezed orange juice. Another unique offering is Taste Unlimited. Although this specialty store is a small chain, it originated in Virgina Beach and specializes in Virginia-grown delicacies, such as Smithfield ham and Williamsburg wine. Some of the best deli sandwiches are served fresh daily at these quaint stores.

Working in Virginia Beach

As the largest city in the Commonwealth, Virginia Beach offers an attractive set of economic resources to businesses. With above-average media household income and educational levels, the city sports a less than average unemployment rate.

For a closer look at the city’s thriving economy, we turn to native Christine Brantley, the community relations and development manager for Virginia Beach Public Library. Attending to the 10 libraries in the VBPL system, Christine travels through the city frequently. “… with every quick trip I find something scenic – from a field with deer in one section of the city to the beaches at the oceanfront or the Town Center skyline. Having lived in the DC area, where I commuted 30 miles to work and back, every day on I-95, I think Virginia Beach’s traffic is very manageable.”

Lunch hours during the work week are a treat with a wide variety of restaurants and shopping boutiques. For a great and quick lunch, Christine recommends Azar’s for terrific Mediterranean food and Bangkok Garden for wonderful Thai cuisine. Afterward, check out the shopping in Town Center or near the oceanfront.

For unwinding after work, Christine enjoys the many happy-hour spots the city has to offer. “You can find great happy hour food and drink specials at Bonefish Grill on Virginia Beach Boulevard. On a recent Tuesday night, I met my cousin at McCormick & Schmick at Town Center after work for happy hour and then we caught Fifty Shades!: The Musical at the Sandler Center.” For a typical date night, Christine suggests dinner at Croakers on Shore Drive (her favorite menu item is the She-Crab soup) followed by a show at the Funny Bone Comedy Club at Town Center.

In the summer, weekends are best spent on the beautiful beach front. Christine also recommends checking out the bike and hiking trails at the First Landing State Park. “From my perspective as a 40-something mom of a middle-schooler, Virginia Beach offers a great balance of outdoor activities, entertainment and fun, as well as lots of business and networking opportunities. I have great quality of life living and working in Virginia Beach.”

Rating Virginia Beach

I give Virginia Beach a 7+. What is your favorite beach town?

-Monica

Religion in China Part 3: Taoism/Daoism

The final religion in the three-part series is the tradition of being at harmony with your environment. Taoism, as it is historically known, started to be called Daoism in the 1950s when the Pinyin system of transcribing Chinese characters to the Latin alphabet was developed. The tradition is based on the folk culture of China, permeating today’s society.

Who was Tao/Dao?

The creation of Taoism/Daoism is attributed to Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher of the 6th Century BC. Conflicting accounts of his life place him as a real and mythical character in Chinese history. Traditionally, it is believed Tzu was an official with the royal court during the Many Dynasties period. Here he had access to ancient texts to create the Daodejing or the Bible of Taoism/Daoism.

As a demigod, Tzu is believed to come to Earth through a virgin conception, being born already an old and wise man who lived 900 years. He embodied the Tao and traveled throughout ancient Asia revealing the way to reach a state of ecstasy after he spent years leading the life of a hermit in meditation and reflection.

Though Tzu never began any schools of his own, he did have disciples that continued to hand down his teachings until the first writings about him appeared in the 1st Century BC. The oldest form of the Daodejing dates back to bamboo slips in the late 4th Century BC. Today, various sects of Taoism/Daoism have emerged in his honor.

What is Taoism/Daoism?

In Mandarin, the word”Tao” literally translates to “way.” As in Buddhism, living a life dedicated to Taoism/Daoism principles can deliver believers to a state of enlightenment. The tradition shares many other similarities to Buddhism, such as the detachment from material possessions and appreciation for what you currently have.

There are two camps of Taoism/Daoism. Some view the tradition as a religion while others prescribe to only the philosophy. The philosophy and religion emphasize living a life of harmony through the main concept of non-action or wu-wei. Compared to the nature of yielding water, wu-wei is about going with the flow, allowing the universe to be without interruption of intention or force.

Religion in China Part 3: Taosim/Daoism — A follower worships at the altar of Tzu at the Taiqing/Xiaqing Palace. As a religious symbol, believers pray to him for guidance.

Along with this uninhibited flow, naturalness is also important in Taoism/Daoism. Especially relevant in Traditional Chinese Medicine, this value is practiced through treatment and prevention that comes from Earth-derived substances and body-flow exercises. In this vein, the Yin-and-Yang concept of balance is also found in the tradition.

Known as the Three Jewels of Taoism/Daoism, the core virtues of ci or compassion, jian or moderation, and bugan wei tianxia xia or humility are expected characteristics of any follower. These virtues have affected everything in the Chinese culture from health to politics.

Taoism/Daoism in China

Taoism/Daoism was officially recognized in China during the Tang Dynasty when the royal family claimed Tzu as an ancestor. The common family name Li also traces roots back to Tzu. The philosopher has been praised by various political affiliations throughout time: Anarchists believe his writings on “rightful power” form a basis for the concept while Libertarians praise his idea of individualism in society and smaller government to create social harmony. Through its non-aggression and non-authoritative stance, Chinese revolutionists have often drawn inspiration from Taoism/Daoism.

Like the other religions in this series, Taoism/Daoism has enjoyed periods of popularity and struggled through episodes of disfavor. Schools of the religion first began to appear in the 2nd Century. In 1956, the Chinese Taoist Association was officially created. It was disbanded during the Cultural Revolution but regained official status in the 1980s. Today, the CTA is on a mission to share the principles of Taoism/Daosim with the world.

Your thoughts on Taoism/Daoism?

Though it’s difficult to pinpoint a number of followers for the religion since it is intertwined with so many other traditions, the best estimates place about 400 million people worldwide practicing some form of Taoism/Daoism. What do you think of the religion? What would you want to know more about?

-Monica

WorkLife Travel Destination: Hampton

The first city we explore in the Hampton Roads region, Hampton, Va., was my first home when I moved to the area in 2007. The city was founded by English settlers in the early 1600s and now is the oldest continuous English settlement in the U.S. With a great mix of history and contemporary fun, Hampton offers a variety of activities for all.

Favorite Hampton Places

WorkLife Travel Destination: Hampton — The Casemate Museum features the room where Confederate President Jefferson Davis was imprisoned during the Civil War. The museum offers free admission.

Fort Monroe & Casemate Museum

In the mid-1800s, the U.S. Army completed a new installation on Point Comfort where 200 years earlier the English settlers developed a strategic defense on the water of the confluence of the Elizabeth, James and Nansemond rivers. Named in honor of the president at the time, Fort Monroe played key roles in America’s defense until its closure in 2011. Surrounded by a moat, the fort was the largest stone fort ever built in the U.S. Today, the fort is registered as a National Monument opened to the public. With historical buildings throughout, you can view places such as where President Lincoln gave a speech during the Civil War and where Edgar Allan Poe stayed during his time in service stationed at the post.

Located on the fort’s ground, the Casemate Museum features relics and exhibits throughout the fort’s history inside a former series of jail cells. For free admission, you can also view where the Confederate President Jefferson Davis was imprisoned during the Civil War.

Virginia Air & Space Center and Downtown

Within the city limits, you’ll find Langley Air Force Base and NASA Langley Research Center where many aeronautical ventures take place. In support of this aviation focus, the Virginia Air & Space Center opened to the public in 1992 as the official visitor’s center for LAFB and NASA LRC. For an admission cost, you can view historic aircraft, artifacts from various missions, and participate in interactive modules, such as the Apollo 12 Command Center. With the IMAX Theater, you can also watch 3D movies that take you to outer space.

Located in central downtown, the Center is next door to the turn-of-the-century restored carousel and popular restaurants and shopping boutiques. My favorite part of downtown is the waterfront location, making it perfect for the annual Blackbeard Pirates Festival and Hampton Bay Days. You can also take boat tours from the launch at the downtown visitor’s center to Fort Wool.

Peninsula Town Center

A premier mixed-use complex, the Peninsula Town Center was opened in 2010 to become the shopping, dining and nightlife destination for the city. With department and specialty stores, casual to upscale restaurants, and plenty of entertainment venues, PTC offers something for everyone. My particular favorites were Chipotle and Cinebistro.

Buckroe Beach

With major tourist beaches in the Hampton Roads region, it’s nice to find a quieter spot at Buckroe Beach. Once part of a major amusement park and resort destination in the late 1800s, early 1900s, the Beach is now used by locals and does draw some tourism with performances at the pavilion throughout the summer. The pier is also popular with fishermen.

Sandy Bottom Nature Park

For the great outdoors, take a hike through the trails and around the lake of the Sandy Bottom Nature Park. Made from reclaimed land of a former trash dump, the Park offers educational environmental programs and wildlife exhibits.

Hampton Eats

One of my top breakfast spots in the nation is located in Hampton. Tommy’s on Mercury Boulevard was opened by Greek immigrants, and the diner offers hearty platters of grits, bacon, eggs, pancakes and more for less than $7. The line out the door each morning speaks to how good this place is. Jack’s is another diner that is a great place to get a taste of the local life, but the food is nowhere near the quality of what you’ll find at Tommy’s.

For a more unique experience, The Grey Goose is set up as a Southern tea room, featuring dishes such as Brunswick stew, seafood chowders and pulled pork sandwiches. La Bodega offers wines from the Commonwealth, microcraft beers, and specialty meat and cheeses. If you’re looking for English imports, check out the quaint Best of British shop, also in Historical Downtown Hampton.

Working in Hampton

Located in the geographic center of Hampton Roads, Hampton is an attractive option for retail and hotel businesses. With its aeronautical history, the city is rich with aerospace industry and promotes several industrial parks.

Jason Brown, an active-duty U.S. Air Force public affairs specialist at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, has been in Hampton since 2009. He says the city has recently seen a rise in economic development with booms in entertainment districts and a revitalization of downtown. He also likes the central location of the city. “As Hampton is centrally located in Hampton Roads at the southernmost tip of the Peninsula, getting to the various locales is easy — I-64 and I-664, which pass directly through the city, provide commuters the pipeline to travel easily to the Southside cities of Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, or westward toward neighboring Newport News, Yorktown, Williamsburg and Richmond.”

As Hampton Roads is notorious for its traffic jams, Jason says Hampton does a good job of handling commuter traffic loads. As the opening of the dreaded Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel is located in Hampton, the city offers primary thoroughfares to ease congestion, and it also helps these roadways are well monitored by local police.

With such a variety of activities, Jason says he doesn’t have to look far for something fun to enjoy in the city each weekend. From the quaint shops of the downtown area to the sophisticated venues in the PTC, date nights to family-friendly activities abound. Jason especially enjoys taking in special events at the iconic Hampton Coliseum, such as concerts and trade shows. “Hampton’s blend of history and modern convenience make the city an ‘up-and-comer’ among places to live and work.”

Rating Hampton

I give Hampton a 6. What is your favorite waterside festival?

-Monica

Religion in China Part 2: Buddhism

Living in China and visiting Tibet (Chris will be posting about that soon), we saw many beautiful Buddhist temples with monks in their orange robes carrying out daily duties of scroll and temple maintenance, religious ceremony and meditations, and visitor relations. Viewing the various relics and traditions, you come to realize how complex and ingrained in the Chinese culture the religion is. Buddhism, with its several branches, can be witnessed throughout Chinese society as the largest religious affiliation in the country, covering about 16 percent of the adult population.

Who was Buddha?

The name Buddha literally translates in Sanskrit to “awakened” or “enlightened one.” It generally means the first awakened person in an era. In Buddhism, the Supreme Buddha, or first awakened being of our time, is attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian scholar. Historians document his life somewhere between the 6th and 4th centuries BC.

There are accounts of his coming to Earth through a virgin birth as an already- perfect being (sound familiar? Yep, another tradition that stretches across all religions). More realistically, Gautama was born to ancient Indian royal parents in what is believed to be present-day Nepal.

After living the royal life style for almost three decades, popular belief dictates Gautama escaped from the palace in his late 20s to witness the elderly, sick and dying people of his kingdom for the first time. Moved by this display of human suffering, he began a life forsaking all worldly pleasures and committing to a strict regiment of meditation and Yoga to find enlightenment through travel and study.

No doubt you can recall a story about the Supreme Buddha sitting under the Boddhi Tree meditating for 49 days until he found enlightenment. This came during what is believed to be Gautama’s mid-30s after almost dying of starvation from his austere lifestyle. After his brush with death, the Buddha declared living in either extreme was not the right path and began practicing the Middle Way.

After his awakening, the Buddha spent the rest of his life traveling and spreading the teachings of what his enlightenment had brought him. As he traveled, he acquired many followers, the first of many Buddhist monks and nuns. He passed down his teachings orally until the first Buddhists scrolls appeared almost 400 years after his death at around 80 years old.

What is Buddhism?

Buddhism is a religious path toward enlightenment. As previously stated, there are several branches of the religion. The three main traditions, Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana, are further broken down into sub-branches of the religion. Though the traditions vary in beliefs, common concepts exist in all three.

First, reverence is paid in a god-like fashion to the Buddha. In every Buddhist temple, you will find many forms of the Buddha represented in various statues. In Tibet, the red Buddha represents wisdom whereas the gold Buddha provides protection. My personal favorite, the black evil-faced creatures are the four protectors, based on an agrarian concept representing wind, snow, rain and sun. In China, there is the reclining Buddha and Laughing Buddha. Other forms of the Buddha symbolize the past, present and future. Worshipers light incense and bow three times to the statues, asking for good fortune or wisdom.

Next, all traditions practice the Middle Way, the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. The Four Noble Truths address the main concept in Buddhism: suffering or dukka. Buddhists believe to end suffering, you must find content in what you are, what you already have, by giving up and relinquishing control. Once you are able to reach this stage, you free your mind, body and soul from all Earthly boundaries. Discovering the Truths of (1) dukkha, (2) the origin of dukkah, (3) the cessation of dukkha, and (4) the path leading to the cessation of dukkha all help you reach that level.

The Noble Eightfold Path is the way to end suffering and enter Nirvana, the highest attainment in the religion. To follow the Path, one must obtain the right (1) view, (2) aspiration, (3) speech, (4) action, (5) livelihood, (6) effort, (7) mindfulness and (8) concentration.

The Path is often represented in the Wheel of Dharma, a concept of a cosmic law and order. In the Wheel, there are six stages of the Buddhist life through reincarnation and karma. The first and lowest stage is equivalent to a idealistic hell, souls in continuous strife and struggle. The next stage is a step above hell. Creatures with thin necks and big bellies preside here, always hungry but can never get enough to eat. The third stage is a place of animals where they suffer because they can’t communicate with humans. The fourth stage is a war of fighting spirits. Next are humans who suffer trying to find enlightenment. The sixth and final stage is a dimension of super beings (think angles). Outside of the Wheel, you find Buddha and other beings who have reached enlightenment.

Finally, all the traditions believe anyone is capable of reaching enlightenment. This special place of boundlessness is not only reserved for Buddhas and their direct disciples, but anyone willing to follow the teachings and practice the lifestyle of Buddha can attain awakening.

Buddhism in China

Buddhism found its way to China from India around the 1st or 2nd Century during the Han Dynasty. By way of the Silk Road, believers entered Mongolia and began to develop Buddhist schools throughout the land. As it was culturally assimilated to the native society, Chinese Buddhism mixed in quite a bit of Taoism/Daoism beliefs to help make it understandable for the locals.

The traditions of Mahayana and Vajrayana are the most practiced in China, though even these have been adapted to fit the Chinese culture. In the Mahayana tradition, believers strive to reach enlightenment for the sake of all beings. This tradition has scriptures dating all the way back to the 1st Century BC that instruct followers in the belief of supernatural beings who embody the excellence of the Buddha. The Vajrayana traditions is mainly found in Tibet, but there are also followers on the mainland. A tantric form of Buddhism, this tradition believes some teachings can only pass from teacher to student through empowerment and not from literature.

During the Cultural Revolution, many temples and ancient relics were destroyed, and monks that defied the government were either murdered or mysteriously went missing. Though the Communist Party has relaxed its rules on religion in the country since Mao Zedong’s death in 1976, Buddhism continues to operate under government control. The Buddhism Association of China, though it offers educational resources, keeps monks and other temple leaders in check.

A resurgence in the religion has recently taken place as the Chinese government invests in the reconstruction and upkeep of temples. Though originally economic ventures in making the temples tourist attractions drove these investments, the local governments are now urging temples to return to their religions meanings as over commercialization is spreading rapidly in the country.

Your thoughts on Buddhism?

Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world today with estimates between 350 to 550 million practitioners globally. What do you think of Buddhism? What would you like to learn more about?

-Monica

WorkLife Travel Destination: Hampton Roads

Last week I returned to what Chris and I claim home: Hampton Roads, Va. We still own a house there; it was the last place we lived together before we moved overseas; and whenever we’re asked overseas where we’re from, we always say Virginia. I was in town for a week visiting old friends and co-workers, checking on our house, and hosting a professional development session for the Public Relations Society of America Hampton Roads Chapter. Being back home felt so good, especially after not visiting in the last year. On a trip to Alaska in 2011, we met an English lady in her 90s who had traveled the world and still continued to do so. She told us she loved to travel, but her favorite part was always going home. I completely understood her sentiment on this trip back to Hampton Roads.

A short history of Hampton Roads

The area, located in the extreme southeast corner of Virginia, is made up of several cities and counties. Officially, there are seven cities in two geographic locations. On the Peninsula, you have Hampton and Newport News. On the South Side, there is Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach. In the outlying areas of Hampton Roads, there is Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown making up the Colonial Triangle; Isle of Wight County including the famous hams of Smithfield; in the Middle Peninsula you’ll find Gloucester and Matthews counties; and reaching across the North Carolina state line you’ll find the popular beaches of Outer Banks.

You may think with the name “Roads” the designation refers to on-land pathways. You’d be wrong. With the Chesapeake Bay, James River, Elizabeth River and Atlantic Ocean, Hampton Roads actually refers to the many waterways in the area. As the world’s largest natural port, Hampton Roads was the ideal spot for the first settlers from England to make landfall and set up homesteads, giving the area the nickname of “Birthplace of America.” With historical figures like Pocahontas and John Smith along with key battles during the Revolutionary and Civil wars having roots in the area, Hampton Roads is widely known for its linkage to American history and brings mass amounts of tourism each year. In 2007, in honor of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, America’s first colony, the entire commonwealth (note that Virginia is classified as a commonwealth and not a state) underwent an 18-month celebration campaign, even including to this day commemorative license plates.

Hampton Roads today

As industry continued to grow in the area due to the plentiful transportation routes, Hampton Roads has become home to major companies, such as Norfolk Southern and Huntington Ingalls Industries. Centered around the natural harbor, Hampton Roads is a leader in the import/export business. With a metro population of more than 1.5 million, the area continues to grow economically with a Gross Regional Product of $84 billion plus.

Along with industry, Hampton Roads is also known for its high concentration of military. With every branch represented throughout Tidewater, almost one-fourth of all active-duty service members are stationed in the area. With events like the Virginia Beach Patriotic Festival and military appreciation days at the local sports venues, Hampton Roads is as patriotic as it gets.

Unfortunately, though, the region is notorious for its traffic. Due to the mass amount of water and nautical travel, bridges and tunnels are a mainstay of the area. With these in place, backups and accidents are all too common. The infrastructure of these dated roadways is a source of concern, and with the implementation of tolls soon to come, the woes never seem to cease.

Covering Hampton Roads

For the next several WorkLife Travel Destinations, we’ll be exploring the cities and outlying areas of Hampton Roads one by one and finding out what makes them such wonderful tourist destinations. Want to know something specific about a Tidewater city or county? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll cover it in a post.

-Monica