A perfect evening

I have no idea where half of my group is as I just walked in and apparently they just walked out.

Annie and I had the best night ever.

Today I was in the elevator after dropping my laundry off, and a cute guy (John Paul) walks in. I asked if he was American and where he was from. (Harrisburg PA)

It turned out that he had already met a few girls from our trip. He's here to do some research for the summer-he spent a semester (year?) in China last year and is working on a project.  He told me about this "great" pizza place ( I was skeptical) and a club next door.

Our group said they were down to go.

Only Annie and I ended up going a few hours later. The pizza at the Krow's Nest was AWESOME and huge. Bigger than Cappy's slices for all you Boston folk.  pictures to follow. Annie finally got the beer she had been hankering and was thrilled thereafter.  We spoke for a few hours over pizza and beers. They even has mozzerella sticks-good to know if I spend more time in Beijing. The place is owned by a Pittsburgh man, according to John Paul.  

John Paul in truly interesting-he is going to school (Shippensburg)  for finance and something international.  He speaks Chinese much better than we do and even reads and writes!  He opened doors all night for Annie and I and was a very good guide.

Next door to dinner was Vic's-a club that I can only describe as "straight out of Entourage" .  It was the kind of place that I feel like celebrities go to so I couldn't take pictures because I would seem nerdy.  Ladies night=free entry and free drinks. We have a Chinese exam/skit in the morning so I had one Tequila Sunrise.  John Paul introduced us to his very cute female Chinese friend. We all danced with a couple of strangers. John Paul convinced me to dance on stage with him and then left me so I looked stupid alone. Whatever-I stayed up there for awhile.  

I don't know where anyone is. I just saw 3 people in the hall, everyone else is apparently out. Oh I just saw Grace and Diana wasted with some really unattractive kid who Diana keeps telling me is sexy. Oh dear, I left that situation fast. 

It was a lovely evening.  

If my life was a movie John Paul and I would be getting married one day and move to China.

But I leave Beijing Friday :( :( :( and probably won't see him again.

Except, tomorrow he is taking us to a club called Propaganda.  The irony of a club with that name in Communist China is more than I can handle.

H

Laziness=Short Update

Tuesday

We went to a migrant school for girls
Great speaker. Don't feel like elaborating.
British version of Wheels on the Bus>American version
Dumplings for dinner. Massage after already mentioned.

Farms and Rivers and Swine, Oh My

Sunday
We had to leave by 7 a.m.
It's weird that the weekdays when we wake up at 7:30 we consider it sleeping in.

We went for a 5K walk around a river. We saw where water used to be but is now dry. I didn't know there was such a water crisis. Li Yan told us that in 2 years Beijing may run out of water and that in as little as 10 years the capital may have to be moved because of that fact. That's crazy. I also found out that the Chinese River Dolphins I wrote a report on haven't been seen since 2007. So much for my grand plan to see them at the Yangtze. Connie and Dave chased sheep. Dujan complained about walking. We crossed a river of human waste.
We were promised bagels and as Jew who is used to a good bagel, I was very skeptical. We arrived at a farm and took a tour. The farm was organic. There was a giant pig named Rupert or Fe Fe (fatty in Chinese). I listened to my doctor and didn't pet him. Grace pet him. We told her she's going to get swine flu. (Swine flu has hit China and I'm sure we will now get banned from even more places.)

We walked into the alleged bagel place for lunch. All my skepticism melted. The bagel stand I had pictured in my head was a bright building where food had been laid out as if for royalty. We ate. And ate. And ate.
There were DELICIOUS bagels, pizza bagels, ham (presumably from the brothers and sisters of Rupert but it was so good I didn't feel bad), fresh salad, vegetables, INCREDIBLE mint tea, the best lemonade ever, THE BEST AND MOST FRESH glass of milk I've ever tasted, the sweetest strawberries ever, BROWNIES! (I am desperate for chocolate) and almond cookies with centers that are supposedly illegal in America. I'll get more details on this.

The woman who started the farm was raised in NY and married a Chinese man. She runs the organic farm. The bagels come from the fact that she couldn't find a good bagel in China.

We also heard a woman speak. She was an environmentalist who has published books that aren't allowed in the China.


Annie Grace and I went to the Olympic Park to see the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube. Both are must sees. I never imagined a year ago when I watched the Olympics on tv that I would soon be in China at the same spot.





After that was dinner and the aforementioned Rooster Incident. Scroll down and read that entry if you haven't


Sorry I'm so far behind!
H

Thoughts on Health and Homesickness

First off:
I am healthy
I am not homesick

Everyone else in my group seems to be ill. Tom had pneumonia and has stayed in for a few days, about three kids have gone to the doctor/hospital, people keep missing lectures, classes, and tours to sleep. Half the group seemed to be missing for today's lecture. No swine flu, thought it has made it to China, causing us to be banned from a few places we were supposed to visit.

The rapidness that this flu is spreading with is incredible. I am watching globalization occur in real time. Chris talked to us today about SARS a few years ago and how they didn't deal with it well, so they are taking precautions for swine. We heard announcements on a loud speaker today telling the students that China had been exposed. I have my mask (thanks mom).
I hope this doesn't affect my after China travel plans. If so, I can just stay in China and go hug pandas with some friends that are going, but because we came to China early enough, we can prove that we are not infected and all should be well, according to Chris.

We constantly share germs here-we always eat off lazy susans that stick our chopsticks in the same dish. My immune system is awesome, luckily, and the worst symptom I have is a dry nose and runny eyes due to the pollen. I don't want to have to visit a Chinese hospital while I am here unless it is for an educational tour. I need to sleep more-I am exhausted and exhaustion often leads to illness.
If you are a believer, feel free to send a a message up to the big man upstairs for my health. If like me you are not, just send me some tissues, nasal spray (which I can't get here!) and eye drops.




I am not homesick either. My dad was nice enough to let me see my house on video chat.

H

I <3 Exchange Rates

I just got an hour long massage for $9 US. 60 yuan for 60 minutes.
My masseuse was a blind woman and she was great. I was clenching my toes because I was in pain, but it felt fantastic.
She kept asking "Too much?"
I may have to get one more before I leave

We just saw the weirdest thing in a liquor store...

We were walking to dinner and Grace was reaching for something in the store WHICH ALSO HAD CHEESECAKE FLAVORED ICE CREAM POPS! She stepped over a bag when something inside the bag moved. Grace freaked. We peered in the bag and inside were two live roosters. We booked it, except for Joe who was intent on making his purchase. Apparently the owner's baby daughter started to cry and the owner asked Joe to watch her for a moment. Joe went behind the counter and saw a person sleeping in a crate underneath. Joe doesn't know if was a man or a woman, or a child. He said, and I quote, "All I saw was a hand a bowl cut. So I said 'fuck this' and left."

Only in China.

The West Pizza

pictures I promised:

10:40 p.m. on a Saturday

and we are all exhausted. We're going hiking on a mountain or near a river or something at 7 a.m. Today we were out at 6:30 a.m. No rest even on the weekends.

People are getting sick. Two of the guys stayed in bed all day, and a few others are coughing (SWINE FLU?!) and sleepy. Speaking of swine flu, one hotel banned us and we weren't allowed to visit a certain University because we "may have swine flu."

Yesterday we were put in groups to interact with some Chinese students. Others said the hour spent talking was awkward, but luckily I was put in a good group. We sang them American National anthem (poorly) and they sang China's. We exchanged small talk about our daily lives and I bombarded them with restaurant recommendation requests and research for my paper. We also played a hand game taught by Keith.




The afternoon was spent in "Little Korea." We went to a lecture given by a woman who started a language school. The focus was a tad unclear-it was a mix between small businesses, woman entrepreneurs, the Korean population, and the importance of Chinese. After Kristen Anne and I explored Little Korea, but by explored I mean we found cute stores and got cute dresses. I also went to my first McDonald's but like in America is only got a hot fudge sundae. There was a lot of yelling and chaos.




Dinner was an "American" dinner of Papa John's pizza and salad. The pizza was awful, cardboard, and tasteless, but I ate three slices out of desperation. One had shrimp and other unidentified objects. Chinese people put anything they want on pizza.



We went out to Hoa Hi again. This time we invited our Chinese friends and our Chinese teachers. Mine didn't come, but the other one did. We got dressed up and went back to our "regular" club. We got the VIP treatment. They put us at a big back table and served us and we danced. Again there were old Asian men there. We stayed for about an hour and then decided to move on. We stopped in a reggae club but then ended up not staying and just walking around. They went back to the club but some of us left. As life goes, we couldn't get a taxi as it started to drizzle. 30 minutes later we got one and headed back to bed.






We awoke EARLY this morning and got breakfast out. I ate another "egg in a bag" on the street and we had some more dumplings in a restaurant.
We went to go see the Mao Mausoleum today. Waiting in line was a miserable experience. We waited in a line of thousands (the amount of people there was amazing)and were pushed around for the entire hour we waited. Robin told me that the Chinese push but I had never experienced it until now. It was amazing how rude these people were and the sense of entitlement they felt to get in front of us. I learned to push back and at the end stuck my elbows out to walk through.


The mausoleum was really strange. It felt like I was going to a wake. Keep in mind that Mao has been dead 33 years. People were still buying flowers (which Anne is convinced they reuse everyday) and praying to the statue of him in the front. After waiting forever, the guards had the nerve to literally rush and push us through the mausoleum. (Probably so I couldn't study his body and see it was a fake)
All of the sudden, there was Mao..in the flesh...or so they say. Under a glass case, visible for all visitors to see, was his body under a communist flag blanket and with a glowing orange lit up heard. They turned Mao into a jack-o-latern. It was creepy seeing him lit up. Some Chinese were crying, but I was unmoved by the whole thing. Clearly I have no connection to Mao. I found it odd and a little unsettling seeing how much these people worshipped this guy. Some of us have been trying to think of a celebrity/politician that would be on the same level and have none.
Maybe Elvis? Would people come see JFK?
I don't think so.
The whole thing was like an amusement park. Waiting for an hour for a short ride that is usually overrated.
I'm glad I went though.
No pictures were allowed, sorry.

For lunch we split into groups and went to people's homes to make dumplings. I went to a lovely apartment with a welcoming family who was hysterical at my (lack of) dumpling skills. The dad really got a kick out of me and though he didn't speak English we somehow communicated enough that I knew he was telling me that I was awful. He was very funny.




I really enjoyed going into the home and seeing the real people of Beijing. It's conversations that take place over tea in someone's living room that I find interesting. They invited us to come back,and after I practice my dumpling skills I just might. I am dumpling-ed out for a few days though.

We had a guest lecturer today who I talked about in the last entry. I wish I could have paid more attention as he was interesting and honest, but I was exhausted.

We had the evening off, but no one did anything thrilling as we were exhausted. We lounged for a a few hours and had plans to go for Middle Eastern food, but then Tom mentioned pasta and I got a hankering for spaghetti. I remembered passing a restaurant called "The West" so some of us headed over.
I'll add pictures soon, but The West was hilarious. It was decorated to look like a typical college bar with sports pennants, American beer, and brick decoration. We sat on the roof with two guys from Florida we met who are studying in Shanghai. One was a sexy black man named Elijah. He gave the others girls his contact info for when we go to Shanghai because he works at clubs and can show us around town.
I had Penne Bolognese and it was so satisfying that I ordered another to go. I miss tomato sauce. They were out of bread which sucked. I also ordered milk and it came hot. It was a nice calm dinner and the first time I ordered for myself at a restaurant here.

Off to bed.
I am caught up now and not stressed.

H

I am thinking about changing the name of this blog

to "The Han(a) Dynasty"-a pun on The Han Dynasty. I am going to give it a few more days and see if I think it's still funny. I got laughs out of Anne and Dave.

I am behind again on blogging. This has become a pattern as I roll in too tired to write/remember. I can barely make it past midnight here.

Going to bed early means I usually wake up around six with no alarm. On Thursday I woke up and went for a walk around the Bamboo Park with Kristen, Alex, and Chris (our professor). Keith and Diana ran. I have said many times I don't run unless I'm being chased. We watched some elderly people who could kick my ass do Tai Chi and other fitness classes.

We also walked home and randomly saw Chris's friend on a balcony. I swear she knows everyone in Beijing.


Chinese class at 8 as per usual. I am awful. My adorable happy teacher even called me out. She said I need to study after class. The people I try to practice with on the bus and at restaurants all smile and I say I am very good. Liars. I really enjoy the class I have to say. Characters intimidate the hell out of me. I wish I spoke Chinese. My kids will. I now know all the polite things to say to start a conversation. I tried on my cab driver-he didn't want any part of my practice.
I can also count very high and say Northeastern in Chinese. My teacher likes to laugh at my pronunciation. It' okay because I love her-thought not as much as Edek who stares at her with affection and asked her to come out clubbing with us. She said yes, but couldn't make it. I got a sticker for doing a good job in Chinese the other day. It was thrilling. No sarcasm.





We had a free afternoon after a lecture, so Kristen, Diana, Anne and I went shopping at the Silk Market. It was nice to get away from the large group-not because I was sick of them, but because it gets overwhelming traveling in a pack. Joan Reil sent us to some pearl stores and when we dropped her name, they dropped the prices. We each bought a lot of stuff-I got earrings and two necklaces for under 20 US.




I had this cool thing off the street for lunch. I have no idea what it was, but I will call it "Egg is a Bag". It was basically a crepe with egg cooked on top and filled with fried dough (fried meat?) and folded. Yum.





This picture makes me laugh. You could not buy kids there.






My new favorite baby:





We had dinner at a Cultural Revolution themed restaurant. It had food and decorations from the era. We sat with people who lived through it and they told us about their experiences. It was like sitting and talking to a Holocaust survivor in a Holocaust themed restaurant. Dave called it "A Johnny Rockets with a Cultural Revolution theme". I found it so bazaar and tacky. Also, Chris kind of tried to gloss over the negatives of the CR. The woman told us that students in her school beat a teacher to death. Chris said, "Well what she means is that it was a hot day and when the kids beat her she had a heat stroke and that's why she died." Anne pointed out to me that she noticed she glossed over the deaths of Intellectuals in her lecture. Odd. Anne also said Li Yan said she was a little offended by it. I would imagine.




Anne and I got our laundry done. For both us together it was 3 dollars US. They didn't dry it so we had to hang it up in an empty room. This has become the unofficial laundry room.

We were so "heartbroken" about China not drying our laundry (there are no dryers here) that we went to bed early.

Stream of Consciousness

Before I post about the last few days, a few thoughts.

A speaker today had some final words that stuck with me. "When people know each other there is no war, there is peace."
Coming to China to learn about Asian culture and history is an unreal experience. I've read about China and have seen it on the news, but being here and seeing the things I learn about in lecture that day is incredible. Teachers of mine have said if you want to learn a language fluently, you must go live in the country in which it is spoken. I think a similar concept applies to learning about history, and especially about culture. I have met people both my age and older (like today at the home I made dumplings in, but more about that later) and I am able to ask them their opinions on issues ranging from the globalization of fast food in China (my possible research topic) to how a typical weekend night is spent. I have also been able to hear firsthand accounts from those involved in historical events such as the cultural revolution. It's going to be difficult to go back to learning history from a book now that I am in a situation where I am able to gain a more well rounded perspective.
I find that when I visit a place it becomes a part of me in the sense that I am much more interested in what is happening in the country when I go home and I will stop and read articles about the places I have been instead of skipping over them. China is constantly in the news and as Kristen said last night, we are here in a time of rapid development. It is a still developing country and we are seeing history. I can't wait to read about what is happening and be able to say "Hey I saw/heard about that when I was in China. This is what it is and this is why it is important." I feel after leaving here I will have a more concrete opinion on issues facing China, whereas when I read about them at home I have a strictly Western perspective from which to asses what I read. Chris (for future reference Professor Christine Gilmartin is our professor, but some of us call her Chris) said that she finds that the US media often demonizes China and the government. I have to admit, the Chinese (that I've met so far) seem much more content with their lives and have more freedoms than I previously thought. I still have a village and other cities to visit-so we will see if this is true.

After one week here I feel very comfortable in Beijing. I expected the culture shock much worse than I imagined. The Chinese people have been very helpful. I heard from some people that the Chinese were rude, spit, and pushed (the last two are true and I will elaborate later). I felt like a lot of the world, there would be a distaste for the West, but I find except for a few pictures taken of my fellow Caucasians and African Americans there is no harm. I am AWFUL at Chinese, but I really do want to learn. Kristen pointed out how beneficial it would be to be able to communicate with 1/6 of the world population. I could see myself hanging out in Asia for awhile-whether it be studying or living. I need a translator/boyfriend though.



Beijing is a HUGE city. I don't really understand the size of it. It's like LA that you can't walk around it b/c it's so spread out. I also don't understand the architecture. There as modern buildings that are beautiful and then random apartment buildings. It seems that there is so rhyme or reason. This is dialogue I imagine:
"Hey, I have an idea. Let's build something in that empty space."
"Okay, what?"
"How about a HUGE modern mall?"
"But isn't that a 2000 year old palace next to it? Won't that be weird?"
"No"
"Okay, let's do it!"
There is this one place we always pass in taxis that is a gorgeous modern glass building and right in front of between the sidewalk and the street is a 2 story apartment building/shanty facing the main busy road. (Think A1A for Ft. Lauderdale busy). Weird.
Is it a beautiful city? I'm still struggling with this. There are parts that are gorgeous-the Forbidden City, all the temples, the parks, modern architecture, the houtangs, etc, but also parts with u-g-l-y buildings.

ALSO the first few days I was here I was confused because the sky was clear and blue. I thought maybe people overhyped the smog.

I was wrong.

I now constantly feel dirt in my nose. I expect my snot to be black. Gross, sorry. My friends who run say they have a hard time breathing.


I am currently accepting applications for an Asian boyfriend to give me Asian babies. (Not now mom, in the future.) Keith, a Filipino guy on my trip keeps denying me. I learned yesterday in a lecture that I can't adopt till 30 and married. 30 is far, but marriage is WAY further. I am also accepting applications for a fake husband to adopt with. Pay to be determined based on if you change diapers or not. Here is a picture of Keith and my Asian baby. (If you think I'm creepy wait until you hear Dave's song called "Get in my Bag" about his "Kinderbag" for stealing children.)


The speaker today also said something funny,
"Do you know China has a great wall? Great Wall is useless."
(Referring to how the wall can't protect China from modern threats)

This was a long entry. Kudos (or in Chinese Han Hoa -very good) if you read it, but I bet you skimmed. Fair enough-this is mostly for me anyway. If you read it, 10 points for you
My next one will be about what you guys care about-what I did.

H

Even though I am halfway across the world...

I am still able to see and hear my family via iChat.

Thanks, Apple.

My favorite menu translations