Absence makes the heart grow fonder. I've heard this time and time again, and I didn't buy it until the past week.
Do I miss my family? Of course I do. My boyfriend? Clearly. My friends? Without a doubt. Do I long for salads without slimy vegetables, forks instead of chopsticks, toilets that don't require squatting or hovering, and a language I can understand? More than I could possibly express. However, the absence I've felt most during this entire trip is over a much more nebulous thing I never thought I'd shed tears over.
I miss my country.
The idea of a homeland is a pretty funny concept to begin with. Does where you're born really matter that much in shaping who you are? Even if you've lived there for most of your life, would you ever really feel an allegiance to that place? You can miss people and foods and languages, but is it really possible to feel a void when it comes to something as huge and vague as your homeland? Especially in America, where people still claim roots in Ireland, Hungary, Germany, Italy, Poland, etc., the concept of "homeland" is strange and fluid.
It's not that I've ever disliked America. I've always pretty much liked my country, but I've also had my fair share of gripes with it too. I was raised with an understanding that I'm lucky to live where I live and to have what I have, so it was part of how I perceived the world. I traveled to Juarez, Mexico when I was ten with a group from my church and I knew then that where I lived was something special. However... there is a bit of maturation that occurs between ten and twenty-one (in most cases, at least), and my time in China has illustrated many things for me, but the brightest illustration has been that the United States of America is a beautiful, incredible, awe-inspiring place to call home.
To clarify: I'm not saying that China is bad. I'm not even saying I've disliked my time here. I've actually really enjoyed my time here, but there are certain differences that one simply cannot ignore. It's also not that I'm judging the Chinese or saying anything about "East" versus "West," (I say this not only as a disclaimer so that Emerson professors don't get all up in arms, but also to clarify that my feelings do not stem from an understanding of "East" and "West" as legitimate defining concepts) but rather that in looking at certain basic human needs (clean water) and desires (communication, freedom), I find China to be lacking.
It's hard, too, to totally ignore what your life has been when you travel someplace new. For a while when I first arrived, I tried hard to be "unAmerican," so that the Chinese would see me as something more than my country. I didn't want them to see me as loud, obnoxious, and large. I wanted to blend in as much as possible while making them see that I was more than where I came from. After a while, I realized a few things. The first thing is that any concept of a nationality as being strictly one way is just unfair. The Chinese aren't all polite and quiet. Americans aren't all loud and obnoxious. The Irish aren't all drunkards, and the Jews aren't all cheap. So... if I happen to be loud and American, then that's what I am. After a while, I realized that I will never blend in here. It's just impossible, and maybe that's not such a bad thing. After struggling with chopsticks and stumbling for words, after being photographed and pointed at, after realizing that regardless of how well I use a Chinese fan I will always still be "foreigner," I understood something. The truth is (and maybe this is "so American") that I don't care what these people think of me. I don't want to offend anyone, and I go out of my way to ensure that doesn't happen. I'm not disregarding cultural sensitivity or awareness. Quite the opposite, I'm embracing my own cultural differences and understanding that aside from all that, it's not my job to change the way an entire country feels about my own. I do think that it's time that some dialog happened between the youth of our two countries (there are so many issues boiling beneath the skin of our two selves), but my two months here could not possibly show all of China that Americans are as human as they are. My two months here could only broaden my own understanding, as far as I know it, because their minds are their own. My mastery or ineptitude with chopsticks has nothing to do with who I am, and it certainly has nothing to do with who these people are or what their lives are like.
What I do know is this: I am more thankful for my life and where I come from than I ever thought I would be. I have watched medal ceremony after medal ceremony, and every time an American flag is raised and I hear our national anthem, I start to cry. My heart aches and swells with pride and longing for my homeland. I'm still Hungarian and Irish and a sliver of German, but my roots are buried deep, deep, deep in American soil.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
An invitation to have drinks with the BBC? Sure.
I apologize for being so flighty in my Blogging lately! I have been working every day and having very little time or energy at the end of the day. I spent the past week at the Capital Gymnasium doing flash quoting for men's and women's volleyball. My supervisors were Joy and Emma (Chinese and Italian, respectively), and I love them. I did a lot of interviewing, writing, and running to press conferences. I kept asking questions during the press conferences (ONS reporters are usually silent, apparently), and Emma giggled at me. She's a pretty tough Italian woman, and I thought she was laughing at me. I was kind of offended, but yesterday (which was my last day at the venue), she was talking to me about how much she wanted me to stay. She said that she was very impressed by the questions I was asking in the press conferences, and she said she had to chuckle to herself because of how "ballsy" it was to speak up so much. I got some good quotes from it, and I didn't realize it was gutsy, so it was really nice to get some good feedback.
I started at the Bird's Nest today, which was crazy. To see the stadium packed with people and full of athletes was really neat. There are two sections that we cover: the mixed zone (which is inside the stadium, away from the field of play, and dominated by print journalists), and the broadcast mixed zone (which is right off the field of play, still outside, and solely broadcast journalists). I ended up spending today in the broadcast mixed zone, meaning that I hopped around to anyone who was speaking English, and squeezed in behind the reporter to scribble down quotes. I spent time with NBC, the BBC, and EuroSport. I was so amazed by how friendly everyone was! I was joking around with the BBC a lot ("Let's all just split a bottle of wine and make this day go by a bit faster!") and ended up making friends with the Italian station next to us, though they didn't speak English and I clearly don't speak Italian. It was cool, and I was busy all day. The weather wasn't as brutal as I was anticipating it to be, which made being outside all day pretty bearable. I saw every track and field event today (qualifying rounds), and saw all of the athletes really close up. Tyson Gay was maybe two feet from me at one point. Amazing.
Anyway, I was up this morning at 5:00 and I'm doing it again tomorrow (after that, I'm on the evening shift, so I won't be getting home until 2:00 a.m.), so I'm going to go take a little nap! We celebrated our first day of legit work at the Bird's Nest with a trip to American Cafe (burger! milkshake!) so I am now full and sleepy. Best combination for a nap!
Keep your emails coming, I've loved getting updates!
I started at the Bird's Nest today, which was crazy. To see the stadium packed with people and full of athletes was really neat. There are two sections that we cover: the mixed zone (which is inside the stadium, away from the field of play, and dominated by print journalists), and the broadcast mixed zone (which is right off the field of play, still outside, and solely broadcast journalists). I ended up spending today in the broadcast mixed zone, meaning that I hopped around to anyone who was speaking English, and squeezed in behind the reporter to scribble down quotes. I spent time with NBC, the BBC, and EuroSport. I was so amazed by how friendly everyone was! I was joking around with the BBC a lot ("Let's all just split a bottle of wine and make this day go by a bit faster!") and ended up making friends with the Italian station next to us, though they didn't speak English and I clearly don't speak Italian. It was cool, and I was busy all day. The weather wasn't as brutal as I was anticipating it to be, which made being outside all day pretty bearable. I saw every track and field event today (qualifying rounds), and saw all of the athletes really close up. Tyson Gay was maybe two feet from me at one point. Amazing.
Anyway, I was up this morning at 5:00 and I'm doing it again tomorrow (after that, I'm on the evening shift, so I won't be getting home until 2:00 a.m.), so I'm going to go take a little nap! We celebrated our first day of legit work at the Bird's Nest with a trip to American Cafe (burger! milkshake!) so I am now full and sleepy. Best combination for a nap!
Keep your emails coming, I've loved getting updates!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Ups and Downs and Ups
Alright, since my brother is a smartypants and people have been harassing me to write more, I'm actually going to write a little bit about my day.
Today was my first full day of work. I went to Capital Gymnasium to watch volleyball preliminaries and interview athletes. It was so incredible and made me want to play volleyball again. I think I'm going to join a recreational league when I get back to Boston. There are a few that meet in Brookline, etc., so I'm thinking of getting back in the swing of things.
These women are superhuman. I know I said the same thing about track stars, but I felt it even more with the volleyball players because I have a good grasp on what they're doing. Most of these women are HUGE (6'5ish). Watching what they can do with their bodies was unbelievable. One player on Cuba's team had an intense jump serve (where the player jumps as they are serving the ball). She would toss the ball EXTREMELY high into the air (high enough that she had time take two steps back), and then glide to the ball and jump in the air to meet it. She was 6'4 or 6'5, and perfectly proportioned. Her arms and legs were insanely long and all muscle. She would hit the ball and her body would curve as she did so, so all of her force was guiding the ball to its destination. She placed her serves perfectly (right into the hole of Poland's defense), and I was awestruck. Another player on Cuba was a left side hitter, and her attacks were out of this world. I was scribbling down notes and keeping track of the sets while trying to pull my jaw up from my lap.
I felt giddy and nervous as I approached the mixed zone to interview my athletes, like an awkward high school boy about to ask the head cheerleader to prom. Hands sweaty, voice crackling, I attempted my first interview with a Polish setter I'd been watching closely. After Poland lost, I was certain the players wouldn't be happy to speak with journalists mixed zone. I cleared my throat and said her name, and she turned and greeted me with a smile. This superhuman setter, who is the definition of fierce (6'4, blonde, thin, tan, powerful) and who'd just suffered a loss in her first game at the Olympics, was happy to chat with me (lowly me!) who'd been admiring from a far. She handled herself with such grace (as did all of the athletes I encountered today) that I walked away feeling certain that she was not real.
I did a few press conferences today as well, which were quieter and not as much fun as the mixed zone. It was my first day at the Capital Gymnasium, so I was a little uncertain of where I was going when I first arrived. Once I got rolling, though, it felt great to buzz about the venue with my notebook and pen. I loved the fast-pace of getting quotes and entering them, and being briefed on the match beforehand was awesome as well. I'm excited to do it again tomorrow!
When we were waiting for the shuttle bus home, one of the girls got a text message from a friend who said that two Americans were stabbed at the Drum Tower by a Chinese man, who then killed himself. After the bustle and excitement of my day, I was taken to an extreme low that was accompanied by fear -- something I've experienced very little of since I arrived. Crysty was at the Drum Tower last night to watch the Opening Ceremony (I was perched at a little ex-pat spot called Room 101). Here's the full story from the NY Times. One American was killed and the other injured. Both were relatives of the U.S. Volleyball coach. The Chinese man then leapt to his death from the second level of the tower. The pair's Chinese tour guide was also attacked.
After such a high from last night (the buzz in this city made it feel like New Year's) and such an incredible kick-off day, I am obviously saddened by what's occurred. More than saddened, though (and maybe this makes me a bad person), I am nervous about what else might occur. According to the Times, attacks on foreigners are rare in China. I'm not going to become irrational and paranoid about my safety now, but it is definitely something to think about. It's surreal that Crysty was there a mere twelve hours before it occurred, and I am sick to my stomach over how the American coach is feeling. The women's team played this evening at Capital, but it is unclear to me whether it was the men's or women's coach whose relatives were attacked.
I will be careful. I'm refraining from judging this as anything more than a random act of violence. I do worry, however, that this isn't the last act against foreigners Beijing will see. I'm hopeful that people recognize the awesome power of what this is that we're doing here, all together, and appreciate it for what it is and what it is not.
Today was my first full day of work. I went to Capital Gymnasium to watch volleyball preliminaries and interview athletes. It was so incredible and made me want to play volleyball again. I think I'm going to join a recreational league when I get back to Boston. There are a few that meet in Brookline, etc., so I'm thinking of getting back in the swing of things.
These women are superhuman. I know I said the same thing about track stars, but I felt it even more with the volleyball players because I have a good grasp on what they're doing. Most of these women are HUGE (6'5ish). Watching what they can do with their bodies was unbelievable. One player on Cuba's team had an intense jump serve (where the player jumps as they are serving the ball). She would toss the ball EXTREMELY high into the air (high enough that she had time take two steps back), and then glide to the ball and jump in the air to meet it. She was 6'4 or 6'5, and perfectly proportioned. Her arms and legs were insanely long and all muscle. She would hit the ball and her body would curve as she did so, so all of her force was guiding the ball to its destination. She placed her serves perfectly (right into the hole of Poland's defense), and I was awestruck. Another player on Cuba was a left side hitter, and her attacks were out of this world. I was scribbling down notes and keeping track of the sets while trying to pull my jaw up from my lap.
I felt giddy and nervous as I approached the mixed zone to interview my athletes, like an awkward high school boy about to ask the head cheerleader to prom. Hands sweaty, voice crackling, I attempted my first interview with a Polish setter I'd been watching closely. After Poland lost, I was certain the players wouldn't be happy to speak with journalists mixed zone. I cleared my throat and said her name, and she turned and greeted me with a smile. This superhuman setter, who is the definition of fierce (6'4, blonde, thin, tan, powerful) and who'd just suffered a loss in her first game at the Olympics, was happy to chat with me (lowly me!) who'd been admiring from a far. She handled herself with such grace (as did all of the athletes I encountered today) that I walked away feeling certain that she was not real.
I did a few press conferences today as well, which were quieter and not as much fun as the mixed zone. It was my first day at the Capital Gymnasium, so I was a little uncertain of where I was going when I first arrived. Once I got rolling, though, it felt great to buzz about the venue with my notebook and pen. I loved the fast-pace of getting quotes and entering them, and being briefed on the match beforehand was awesome as well. I'm excited to do it again tomorrow!
When we were waiting for the shuttle bus home, one of the girls got a text message from a friend who said that two Americans were stabbed at the Drum Tower by a Chinese man, who then killed himself. After the bustle and excitement of my day, I was taken to an extreme low that was accompanied by fear -- something I've experienced very little of since I arrived. Crysty was at the Drum Tower last night to watch the Opening Ceremony (I was perched at a little ex-pat spot called Room 101). Here's the full story from the NY Times. One American was killed and the other injured. Both were relatives of the U.S. Volleyball coach. The Chinese man then leapt to his death from the second level of the tower. The pair's Chinese tour guide was also attacked.
After such a high from last night (the buzz in this city made it feel like New Year's) and such an incredible kick-off day, I am obviously saddened by what's occurred. More than saddened, though (and maybe this makes me a bad person), I am nervous about what else might occur. According to the Times, attacks on foreigners are rare in China. I'm not going to become irrational and paranoid about my safety now, but it is definitely something to think about. It's surreal that Crysty was there a mere twelve hours before it occurred, and I am sick to my stomach over how the American coach is feeling. The women's team played this evening at Capital, but it is unclear to me whether it was the men's or women's coach whose relatives were attacked.
I will be careful. I'm refraining from judging this as anything more than a random act of violence. I do worry, however, that this isn't the last act against foreigners Beijing will see. I'm hopeful that people recognize the awesome power of what this is that we're doing here, all together, and appreciate it for what it is and what it is not.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
It's a hard-knock life...
I have a really hard life.
I was called into work yesterday to watch the Opening Ceremony Dress Rehearsal from the fifth row.
That's right. I had to sit there and watch an incredible show for free in the fifth row on my day off. It's a hard job, but someone's got to do it, right?
Alright, let's be serious for a minute. I've never seen anything like what I saw last night. I was applauding and screaming like a fool the entire time, simply because I was overwhelmed by the awesomeness of it all. Amazing stunts, lights, fireworks, dances, music... It was completely ridiculous in the best possible way.
It put me in exactly the mood I've been searching for: I am exuberant. Please watch the opening ceremony on television. Without giving anything away, just know that it will blow your mind.
I was called into work yesterday to watch the Opening Ceremony Dress Rehearsal from the fifth row.
That's right. I had to sit there and watch an incredible show for free in the fifth row on my day off. It's a hard job, but someone's got to do it, right?
Alright, let's be serious for a minute. I've never seen anything like what I saw last night. I was applauding and screaming like a fool the entire time, simply because I was overwhelmed by the awesomeness of it all. Amazing stunts, lights, fireworks, dances, music... It was completely ridiculous in the best possible way.
It put me in exactly the mood I've been searching for: I am exuberant. Please watch the opening ceremony on television. Without giving anything away, just know that it will blow your mind.
Friday, August 1, 2008
I found hot wings tonight.
I've been craving buffalo wings for days.
Tonight, in a restaurant we've been to almost every other day since we arrived, we spotted what looked like buffalo wings on the menu. We took a chance and ordered them.
They were the spiciest, tastiest thing I have put in my mouth since I arrived (with the exception of the mind-blowing pork dumplings served at the same restaurant), and I was so, SO thankful. They had red and green peppers on them, and they were INCREDIBLE. Just the right kind of spicy. They left my lips tingly and my tongue numb. Perfect.
I have better things to say about today, but that's going to have to wait until I have more brain power to work with. For now, we'll just stick with four words: HOT. WINGS. IN. CHINA.
Tonight, in a restaurant we've been to almost every other day since we arrived, we spotted what looked like buffalo wings on the menu. We took a chance and ordered them.
They were the spiciest, tastiest thing I have put in my mouth since I arrived (with the exception of the mind-blowing pork dumplings served at the same restaurant), and I was so, SO thankful. They had red and green peppers on them, and they were INCREDIBLE. Just the right kind of spicy. They left my lips tingly and my tongue numb. Perfect.
I have better things to say about today, but that's going to have to wait until I have more brain power to work with. For now, we'll just stick with four words: HOT. WINGS. IN. CHINA.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Little bit of love, little bit of love
I was reminded by a few people (both here and in the States) that I am having an amazing experience and I shouldn't be boo-hooing about not experiencing what I experience every day when I'm home.
Thank you to those of you who smacked some sense into me and told me to suck it up. I needed to be slapped around a little bit, and I'm back on track.
I had my first day of work yesterday, though it was mostly team-building stuff and sport-specific training. We played games to get to know each other, and one of the games involved picking jelly beans up with chopsticks and running them across the room to deposit them in another bowl. I was nervous because I'm not the best with chopsticks, but I totally rocked at it, so maybe I'm doing better with little things like that than I thought. I am pumped for the Olympics to start. I am thrilled with what I'll be doing. I love who I'm working with. China still doesn't make sense to me, but I'm back to liking it again.
We discovered a place called "Grandma's Kitchen" that has American-style food, and we just got back from having brunch. It was fantastic and my Mexican skillet had real beef in it! Perfection.
I don't think I'm going to end up making it to Shanghai this weekend because I have to work, but maybe some other time when my schedule allows for it. Anyway, thank you to everyone who responded to my whining with either comfort or a reminder that I'M IN CHINA and should be using this experience to my advantage.
You know when things just... start to align? And your life almost immediately feels better? Well... the past two days have been that. It's like China knew that I was getting frustrated, and decided to fix itself. The weather has been so much cooler (meaning upper 80s! Woohoo!), and I'm getting more familiar with the subway. Our cab drivers have been pretty good about getting us where we need to go without almost killing us in the process. I haven't seen anyone peeing on the street, and I've had good food and company for an entire 48 hours. Thank you, universe, for reminding me how important it is to be rational and fair.
That's it... I'm off to take a quick nap before meeting up with the girls for a girls' night out at China Doll (I've rediscovered my love of dancing!). I'll be home by midnight. Lovely!
Thank you to those of you who smacked some sense into me and told me to suck it up. I needed to be slapped around a little bit, and I'm back on track.
I had my first day of work yesterday, though it was mostly team-building stuff and sport-specific training. We played games to get to know each other, and one of the games involved picking jelly beans up with chopsticks and running them across the room to deposit them in another bowl. I was nervous because I'm not the best with chopsticks, but I totally rocked at it, so maybe I'm doing better with little things like that than I thought. I am pumped for the Olympics to start. I am thrilled with what I'll be doing. I love who I'm working with. China still doesn't make sense to me, but I'm back to liking it again.
We discovered a place called "Grandma's Kitchen" that has American-style food, and we just got back from having brunch. It was fantastic and my Mexican skillet had real beef in it! Perfection.
I don't think I'm going to end up making it to Shanghai this weekend because I have to work, but maybe some other time when my schedule allows for it. Anyway, thank you to everyone who responded to my whining with either comfort or a reminder that I'M IN CHINA and should be using this experience to my advantage.
You know when things just... start to align? And your life almost immediately feels better? Well... the past two days have been that. It's like China knew that I was getting frustrated, and decided to fix itself. The weather has been so much cooler (meaning upper 80s! Woohoo!), and I'm getting more familiar with the subway. Our cab drivers have been pretty good about getting us where we need to go without almost killing us in the process. I haven't seen anyone peeing on the street, and I've had good food and company for an entire 48 hours. Thank you, universe, for reminding me how important it is to be rational and fair.
That's it... I'm off to take a quick nap before meeting up with the girls for a girls' night out at China Doll (I've rediscovered my love of dancing!). I'll be home by midnight. Lovely!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Love that Dirty Water
Alright, so... I am homesick.
I went to karaoke last night and the song "Dirty Water" came up. The music video behind it was just pictures of Boston. Copley, the Pru, Harvard Square, Storrow Drive...
And then today, Jess and I watched Good Will Hunting. Maybe it's just because of these two instances, but I am feeling pretty homesick.
It's hard to hear about things that are happening at home, because I know I'm having an amazing time and I don't wish I wasn't here, I just wish I was part of things that are happening at home. Facebook keeps me constantly updated to the goings-on of people I love, but when I'm so far from everyone and so unable to talk for real (the time difference makes real communication basically impossible), it's hard to feel in the loop.
Anyway, with everything else in life, this will go in waves. In two days I will probably be back to focusing on China and everything I'm doing here. Starting work tomorrow will definitely help. And before I know it, this trip will be halfway over and I'll be wondering where the time went.
I'm considering a trip to Shanghai this weekend. I'll keep you updated, but please return the favor... Emails and comments make me feel so much closer to you all. I'm sorry I'm not around for birthdays and parties and get-togethers and Shark Week, but I still want to know what's happening in your lives.
In other news, all I want is a fresh salad...
I went to karaoke last night and the song "Dirty Water" came up. The music video behind it was just pictures of Boston. Copley, the Pru, Harvard Square, Storrow Drive...
And then today, Jess and I watched Good Will Hunting. Maybe it's just because of these two instances, but I am feeling pretty homesick.
It's hard to hear about things that are happening at home, because I know I'm having an amazing time and I don't wish I wasn't here, I just wish I was part of things that are happening at home. Facebook keeps me constantly updated to the goings-on of people I love, but when I'm so far from everyone and so unable to talk for real (the time difference makes real communication basically impossible), it's hard to feel in the loop.
Anyway, with everything else in life, this will go in waves. In two days I will probably be back to focusing on China and everything I'm doing here. Starting work tomorrow will definitely help. And before I know it, this trip will be halfway over and I'll be wondering where the time went.
I'm considering a trip to Shanghai this weekend. I'll keep you updated, but please return the favor... Emails and comments make me feel so much closer to you all. I'm sorry I'm not around for birthdays and parties and get-togethers and Shark Week, but I still want to know what's happening in your lives.
In other news, all I want is a fresh salad...
Friday, July 25, 2008
Beijingaling Zoobaloo
I went to the Beijing Zoo today. It was a good experience, and highlighted a few things that I've been meaning to talk about. I'll start with the zoo itself and work my way up to the big stuff.
First of all, it was insanely hot today. It's the kind of hot that's just oppressive. You walk outside and feel dirty, and you're already sweating. It's very hard to feel clean, but you settle into it after a while and just accept that while showers help, they certainly don't fix the problem. After a bit of confusion and plan-changing, we settled into cabs to the zoo (because on a really hot, sweaty day, the subway is your least favorite place to be). We arrived after little to no confusion (!!) and got down to business. Fenn wanted to see bears, Andrea wanted to see lions and tigers, Jess wanted to see penguins, and I wanted to see giraffes and pandas. The panda exhibit was first (and cost extra money), and there were TONS of them. They were really adorable, and we got to see them eating. Their caretaker handed them bread and they would take it from his hands and just sit down and have a nibble. One was stretched out on his back, scratching his stomach, and munching on his baguette. It was incredible.
We then saw some really strange birds, including black chickens, which I was told to look for. I am putting pictures up on on Ofoto hopefully tonight, so be on the lookout. We then saw some pretty cool elephants, who perked up for pictures. After elephants were rhinos. They were obscene. One turned around and peed at us (thanks!), and the other was a male... who... well... showed off some pretty inappropriate limbs. It made me uncomfortable, and I don't really like rhinos so much anymore.
Then came the sad part of our visit. We saw lions and tigers (no bears, oh my), and they were treated so incredibly badly. The kings of the jungle are housed in concrete boxes with bars in China. They look malnourished and depressed, and I almost cried. They have very little room to walk around, and I couldn't take any pictures because I just thought it was so wrong. I had the same feeling that I did at the village, strangely enough. I felt that I was partially responsible for their living conditions, and I felt guilty and helpless. It was really sad, and I thought momentarily about changing my life plan and becoming a zoo keeper to improve their lives. It's hard to see something awful that you're helpless to change.
After that, we saw zebras, giraffes, and ostriches. I LOVE GIRAFFES. They are really the coolest animals that exist. The ostriches were up close and personal, and it was here that I got upset again. People were throwing trash at the ostriches to get their attention. Their pen was already pretty disgusting, and I'd been seeing litter in other animal's cages but didn't really think much about it. For some reason, I felt so incredibly angry with these people and their disregard for the animals. I know that I'm not one of those nutty animal activist people, but there IS such a thing as common decency, and it made me so sad and angry to see animals living the way they were. The camels had humps that were floppy and flat due to a lack of water. It made my heart ache and it highlighted a few feelings that I've been sensing for a while but couldn't quite pinpoint.
Before I came to China, my impressions of it were that it was a very collectivist culture, with an intense focus on community. Now that I've been here for a bit, I am unsure what to make of my experiences. They just don't seem to align with the national identity China seems to portray. Keep in mind that these observations are not to be taken to heart. I've only been here for (almost) three weeks, and my experience doesn't reflect the way the society operates as a whole, so I can't even really make generalizations. Okay, enough with the disclaimers:
Subway
I have ridden mass transit in New York, Boston, London, and Paris, and NOTHING compares to the way the subway works here. I have almost fallen several times from being pushed either in or out of the subway. Friends of mine have been elbowed in the face and squished so much that their feet no longer touch the ground. You have to be a fighter to get off at the right stop in rush hour.
Lines/Queues
Lines do not seem to matter here. It seems to me that if you are in the way of someone, whether or not you were there first, they will get you out of their way no matter what. I can't quite get up the gumption to shove my way back, or push past people in front of me, though I'm curious of how it would be received.
Taxis
If you get a taxi, get in it while it is still moving, if possible. People will take it from you, and you won't even know where they came from.
Sanitation
Okay, so I've been trying and trying to not let this one faze me. I understand that I'm coming at all of this from a "Western" perspective, so I'm trying to be fair in my perceptions. However, I can't get over this one. Children here will routinely urinate or defecate on the sidewalk. I can't even tell you how many times I have seen a child pee on the sidewalk, into dirt, IN A MALL, or into a grate. If they are even wearing pants, they will often be missing a crotch and a backside, so that the child can simply do his/her business wherever. Now, here's what I've determined regarding the disposal of bodily waste thing: maybe squat toilets are more sanitary because you aren't really touching anything (unlike on a western toilet), and your waste goes immediately away. Maybe letting your child urinate freely is better for them than having them sit in a soiled diaper. However, I saw a ten-year-old girl urinating on the sidewalk today in front of the zoo, in broad daylight, on a crowded street. This is problematic for me for a lot of reasons. The first is the obvious sanitation problem this causes for other citizens. At Emerson, a kid in Piano Row was playing a joke for a while by dropping human waste into a trash can on his floor, and they had to go through a huge process to clean it and ensure safety. The second is that it seems disrespectful to other people. The third is that it seems to indicate a lack of self-restraint or ability to put another's needs before one's own. I just don't understand it, and though I'm getting more used to it, I can't contain my disgust when I see it.
Anyway, it was a good day. These issues are minute really, and I want to emphasize that I've also met an incredible number of people who want to go out of their way to help us.
I've noticed too that when I get outside of really touristy spots, I have a much better experience. Jess and Andrea and I went to the Lama Temple the other day, and wandered around the hutongs for a while afterward. We ended up finding a really great little tea place that was tucked into an alley. It had a courtyard with calming music, and only one table. The table was glass, with turtles living in the bottom part of the table. It was really cool, and the people were unbelievably nice. It was so calming, and after the madness of the Temple (we were scolded for lighting incense in the temple... oops!), it was exactly what we needed. Afterward, we did a little shopping in a tiny store without sizes or a fitting room. I guessed on a red dress that looked vaguely my size, and paid $2 for it. I got it home and put it on, and it fit perfectly. It might be my new favorite garment. :)
Once again, this post was a jumble of things. I love it here, but it's in such a transition and I'm such an outsider that it's hard to get a grasp on what's going on.
First of all, it was insanely hot today. It's the kind of hot that's just oppressive. You walk outside and feel dirty, and you're already sweating. It's very hard to feel clean, but you settle into it after a while and just accept that while showers help, they certainly don't fix the problem. After a bit of confusion and plan-changing, we settled into cabs to the zoo (because on a really hot, sweaty day, the subway is your least favorite place to be). We arrived after little to no confusion (!!) and got down to business. Fenn wanted to see bears, Andrea wanted to see lions and tigers, Jess wanted to see penguins, and I wanted to see giraffes and pandas. The panda exhibit was first (and cost extra money), and there were TONS of them. They were really adorable, and we got to see them eating. Their caretaker handed them bread and they would take it from his hands and just sit down and have a nibble. One was stretched out on his back, scratching his stomach, and munching on his baguette. It was incredible.
We then saw some really strange birds, including black chickens, which I was told to look for. I am putting pictures up on on Ofoto hopefully tonight, so be on the lookout. We then saw some pretty cool elephants, who perked up for pictures. After elephants were rhinos. They were obscene. One turned around and peed at us (thanks!), and the other was a male... who... well... showed off some pretty inappropriate limbs. It made me uncomfortable, and I don't really like rhinos so much anymore.
Then came the sad part of our visit. We saw lions and tigers (no bears, oh my), and they were treated so incredibly badly. The kings of the jungle are housed in concrete boxes with bars in China. They look malnourished and depressed, and I almost cried. They have very little room to walk around, and I couldn't take any pictures because I just thought it was so wrong. I had the same feeling that I did at the village, strangely enough. I felt that I was partially responsible for their living conditions, and I felt guilty and helpless. It was really sad, and I thought momentarily about changing my life plan and becoming a zoo keeper to improve their lives. It's hard to see something awful that you're helpless to change.
After that, we saw zebras, giraffes, and ostriches. I LOVE GIRAFFES. They are really the coolest animals that exist. The ostriches were up close and personal, and it was here that I got upset again. People were throwing trash at the ostriches to get their attention. Their pen was already pretty disgusting, and I'd been seeing litter in other animal's cages but didn't really think much about it. For some reason, I felt so incredibly angry with these people and their disregard for the animals. I know that I'm not one of those nutty animal activist people, but there IS such a thing as common decency, and it made me so sad and angry to see animals living the way they were. The camels had humps that were floppy and flat due to a lack of water. It made my heart ache and it highlighted a few feelings that I've been sensing for a while but couldn't quite pinpoint.
Before I came to China, my impressions of it were that it was a very collectivist culture, with an intense focus on community. Now that I've been here for a bit, I am unsure what to make of my experiences. They just don't seem to align with the national identity China seems to portray. Keep in mind that these observations are not to be taken to heart. I've only been here for (almost) three weeks, and my experience doesn't reflect the way the society operates as a whole, so I can't even really make generalizations. Okay, enough with the disclaimers:
Subway
I have ridden mass transit in New York, Boston, London, and Paris, and NOTHING compares to the way the subway works here. I have almost fallen several times from being pushed either in or out of the subway. Friends of mine have been elbowed in the face and squished so much that their feet no longer touch the ground. You have to be a fighter to get off at the right stop in rush hour.
Lines/Queues
Lines do not seem to matter here. It seems to me that if you are in the way of someone, whether or not you were there first, they will get you out of their way no matter what. I can't quite get up the gumption to shove my way back, or push past people in front of me, though I'm curious of how it would be received.
Taxis
If you get a taxi, get in it while it is still moving, if possible. People will take it from you, and you won't even know where they came from.
Sanitation
Okay, so I've been trying and trying to not let this one faze me. I understand that I'm coming at all of this from a "Western" perspective, so I'm trying to be fair in my perceptions. However, I can't get over this one. Children here will routinely urinate or defecate on the sidewalk. I can't even tell you how many times I have seen a child pee on the sidewalk, into dirt, IN A MALL, or into a grate. If they are even wearing pants, they will often be missing a crotch and a backside, so that the child can simply do his/her business wherever. Now, here's what I've determined regarding the disposal of bodily waste thing: maybe squat toilets are more sanitary because you aren't really touching anything (unlike on a western toilet), and your waste goes immediately away. Maybe letting your child urinate freely is better for them than having them sit in a soiled diaper. However, I saw a ten-year-old girl urinating on the sidewalk today in front of the zoo, in broad daylight, on a crowded street. This is problematic for me for a lot of reasons. The first is the obvious sanitation problem this causes for other citizens. At Emerson, a kid in Piano Row was playing a joke for a while by dropping human waste into a trash can on his floor, and they had to go through a huge process to clean it and ensure safety. The second is that it seems disrespectful to other people. The third is that it seems to indicate a lack of self-restraint or ability to put another's needs before one's own. I just don't understand it, and though I'm getting more used to it, I can't contain my disgust when I see it.
Anyway, it was a good day. These issues are minute really, and I want to emphasize that I've also met an incredible number of people who want to go out of their way to help us.
I've noticed too that when I get outside of really touristy spots, I have a much better experience. Jess and Andrea and I went to the Lama Temple the other day, and wandered around the hutongs for a while afterward. We ended up finding a really great little tea place that was tucked into an alley. It had a courtyard with calming music, and only one table. The table was glass, with turtles living in the bottom part of the table. It was really cool, and the people were unbelievably nice. It was so calming, and after the madness of the Temple (we were scolded for lighting incense in the temple... oops!), it was exactly what we needed. Afterward, we did a little shopping in a tiny store without sizes or a fitting room. I guessed on a red dress that looked vaguely my size, and paid $2 for it. I got it home and put it on, and it fit perfectly. It might be my new favorite garment. :)
Once again, this post was a jumble of things. I love it here, but it's in such a transition and I'm such an outsider that it's hard to get a grasp on what's going on.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Chariots of Fire
Yesterday was my first day of work, meaning that I saw the Bird's Nest for the first time up close. We went inside and had an orientation to the venue, followed by a scavenger hunt.
This building (or "beauty" as our tour guide, Rock, would say) is INCREDIBLE. We literally ran wild through the venue for almost an hour in our search for the required scavenger hunt items. In an effort to save time and get to the other side of the venue, we RAN ACROSS THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD OF PLAY. Correct. I ran through the middle of the most internationally famous Olympic venue, where such incredible events as the Men's 100M will take place. As we made our sprint across, all I could hear was Vangelis' Chariots of Fire Theme Song. Despite all the frustration and confusion I've been feeling lately, that one moment made me remember why I'm here. Not to be an Olympian, of course (though that one moment felt pretty damn good), but to cover their success or their failure. It felt good, and very, very surreal.
After that, we had more training and lunch (which, for me, consisted of rice, banana, and a mysterious yogurt drink, because the meats looked a bit shady and I'm a little wary after my near-dog experience). After we finished, a few of us ended up sitting in the stands of the Bird's Nest. We witnessed a run-through of the performance for the opening ceremony. It was incredible. And I saw it for free. On a field that I'd just run across.
After that, we went to Taco Tuesdays at a cool Mexican place in San Li Tun Lu with our supervisor and some of her friends. I ended up having some great conversation with a few Brits and longed to be back in London!
That's all for now. I'm going to wander and see some Temples with Andrea & Jess today. I'll update if I go swimming in the Water Cube or some equally ridiculous thing in one of the other venues. What is my life?! Absurd.
This building (or "beauty" as our tour guide, Rock, would say) is INCREDIBLE. We literally ran wild through the venue for almost an hour in our search for the required scavenger hunt items. In an effort to save time and get to the other side of the venue, we RAN ACROSS THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD OF PLAY. Correct. I ran through the middle of the most internationally famous Olympic venue, where such incredible events as the Men's 100M will take place. As we made our sprint across, all I could hear was Vangelis' Chariots of Fire Theme Song. Despite all the frustration and confusion I've been feeling lately, that one moment made me remember why I'm here. Not to be an Olympian, of course (though that one moment felt pretty damn good), but to cover their success or their failure. It felt good, and very, very surreal.
After that, we had more training and lunch (which, for me, consisted of rice, banana, and a mysterious yogurt drink, because the meats looked a bit shady and I'm a little wary after my near-dog experience). After we finished, a few of us ended up sitting in the stands of the Bird's Nest. We witnessed a run-through of the performance for the opening ceremony. It was incredible. And I saw it for free. On a field that I'd just run across.
After that, we went to Taco Tuesdays at a cool Mexican place in San Li Tun Lu with our supervisor and some of her friends. I ended up having some great conversation with a few Brits and longed to be back in London!
That's all for now. I'm going to wander and see some Temples with Andrea & Jess today. I'll update if I go swimming in the Water Cube or some equally ridiculous thing in one of the other venues. What is my life?! Absurd.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Lost in Translation
I've been in China for two weeks, and I am noticing that the communication gap is beginning to feel much, much wider, and almost impossible to bridge. Simple things like ordering dinner and getting a taxi to take you to the right place are incredibly difficult. It's not that these things have gotten harder. It's that when I first arrived here, everything was an amusing adventure. I could laugh at myself and the situation, trusting that it would all work out well in the end. I'm starting to realize that I'm out of control here. I am surely doing my own thing, and I'm definitely deciding what I want to do and when (that will all change once the Olympics begin), but when it comes down to it, if a taxi driver takes me to the wrong campus (always a treat in the middle of the night) or to a construction site when we were intending to get to a bar (we forgot to add "Lu" to the end of San Li Tun), there's nothing much you can do about it if you don't know your surroundings well enough to give directions and don't speak the language in any understandable way.
This has all happened before. In France and Germany I began to feel very alien as I fumbled with words that had 1928396028 consonants and no vowels. But I could still guess at things. And I didn't look quite so foreign.
I stand out here. I'm tall. I'm blonde. I'm PALE. These are all things I knew about myself before I left the States, and I'm not even saying I'm bothered by it. It's just that when I'm feeling uncertain of where I am or what I'm doing, I simply can't hide in the crowd.
I may have eaten dog at a restaurant. It was supposed to be a hamburger. It wasn't.
I almost ate a scorpion on a stick, but it was still alive and squirming as I neared it so I ran in the opposite direction.
I consumed beef tongue.
I have mastered chopsticks and squat toilets.
I love it here. It's all so full of beauty and history and tradition and grace. I just wish I could meld into what this culture is (absolutely not out of dislike or hatred of my own. I love America and long for simple American things more than I ever thought possible), if for no other reason than to feel at home. It's all an adventure. I get it. I'm loving it, I just want a kitchen and fresh vegetables and a hot dog and meat I understand and a language I can speak and people who see me as more than just a tall, out of place foreigner. I feel mute and like a huge alien.
This has been a jumble of things. I apologize for the disarray. I'll keep you updated with my thoughts as they happen. Things are changing every day, but I'm still happy.
This has all happened before. In France and Germany I began to feel very alien as I fumbled with words that had 1928396028 consonants and no vowels. But I could still guess at things. And I didn't look quite so foreign.
I stand out here. I'm tall. I'm blonde. I'm PALE. These are all things I knew about myself before I left the States, and I'm not even saying I'm bothered by it. It's just that when I'm feeling uncertain of where I am or what I'm doing, I simply can't hide in the crowd.
I may have eaten dog at a restaurant. It was supposed to be a hamburger. It wasn't.
I almost ate a scorpion on a stick, but it was still alive and squirming as I neared it so I ran in the opposite direction.
I consumed beef tongue.
I have mastered chopsticks and squat toilets.
I love it here. It's all so full of beauty and history and tradition and grace. I just wish I could meld into what this culture is (absolutely not out of dislike or hatred of my own. I love America and long for simple American things more than I ever thought possible), if for no other reason than to feel at home. It's all an adventure. I get it. I'm loving it, I just want a kitchen and fresh vegetables and a hot dog and meat I understand and a language I can speak and people who see me as more than just a tall, out of place foreigner. I feel mute and like a huge alien.
This has been a jumble of things. I apologize for the disarray. I'll keep you updated with my thoughts as they happen. Things are changing every day, but I'm still happy.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
A Not-Quite Retraction and Beauty Galore
A few people have complained that it's been several days since my last post, which wasn't exactly filled with happy thoughts. I often find that I require time to think things over, but am usually too impatient to give myself said time. I want to talk about a few things that I think should be addressed.
I was talking to Crysty about the experience so far, and after scanning a few people's blogs, we came to the conclusion that we were both frustrated that people were posting things that painted a picture of China that was largely unfair and inaccurate. The tricky thing about what we're doing right now is that, whether we like it or not, our views of China are going to impact other people's views of China. You, dear reader, are subject to my own incomplete and biased perceptions, and what I say about this experience will in some way affect the way you understand China and the Chinese. After complaining about other people, I laid in bed for a while thinking about myself. I sort of went on a tirade in my last post about a feeling I was having based on an experience that I can't (and nor can anyone) ever fully understand. What I said was true in that it was the way that I felt, but I think it's only fair to this country that I've come to love to consider that there are many other ways of looking at what I experienced in that village.
Surely, as Americans, we understand the power of image and the importance of image-making. Why then does it seem that China's frame of reference is so distant from our own? I was reminded when walking through the village of a passage from Jamaica Kincaid's A Small Place, where she discusses the visit of Princess Margaret to Antigua while Kincaid was a little girl. All the buildings that the Princess would visit were stripped and rebuilt. The beach on which she sunned herself was cleaned and the locals were evacuated. The highway on which her coach traveled was paved and rebuilt, while the other highways, beaches, and buildings remained in disrepair. "Surely this is wrong," I thought, as I passed villagers who'd stopped their work to stare. Days later, I'm realizing that maybe it isn't as wrong as I thought, and who am I anyway to judge?
That said, I want to express that I have been impressed and thrilled by China and by its people. This country is a magnificent one, with people who seem genuinely interested in my well-being. It is a country of confusion right now. Torn between the past and the present, its citizens struggle with their desires in the face of tradition. Journalists walk a fine line, hoping to inform the public and remain in good standing with the party. The party itself is struggling to understand its place in a world that inevitably must change. All of this struggle, disarray, and growth is now in the international spotlight as the Olympics near. In my willingness to criticize the journalists here for what seems to be a lack of journalistic integrity, I overlooked what was lacking in my own reporting. Journalistic integrity is the responsibility to uncover the truth while considering every point of view in order to determine the most feasible option. Through my hasty denouncement of what had occurred at the village, I was doing the very thing I'm struggling to accept in China.
After a frustrating day at the village, I experienced two thrilling and positive days. It's a two-to-one ratio at this point, and I think it's important to remember that. On Saturday, we went to the Great Wall and the Ming Tombs. I have pictures up on Ofoto, so comment on this post if you haven't seen them yet and would like to. It was insanely hot and crowded, but it was an incredible experience nonetheless. The Great Wall really IS great. The sheer size of it blew my mind, and in order to climb it, you must tread up extremely steep slopes. It was fantastic. The Ming Tombs were on extremely pretty land, but the Tomb itself wasn't totally impressive. It was very cool to see an Emperor's throne, and to see the goods with which he was buried, but it was at the end of a pretty long day and most of us were tired.
Sunday was my favorite day so far. We went to the Summer Palace, the Winter Palace, and the PEKING OPERA. The Summer Palace was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Again, there are a lot of photos on Ofoto so let me know if you want access. The Palace itself is awe-inspiring, and it's right on water. We rented a boat and went out to see it from a distance. While we were on the boat, a Chinese couple asked to take a picture of me with a fan, so I posed a few times. Afterward, I wanted a photo with both of them, but the wife only wanted a picture of me with her husband. This explains my new Facebook photo. Soon a crowd had developed and other people were taking my picture. It was really funny and a great experience. Crysty and Jim and I decided to have a little photo shoot with our newly acquired props (fans and a parasol) by a river on the grounds of the Summer Palace. During this photo shoot, a few Chinese women wanted our picture also. I think it's great that they are as curious about us as we are about them. It's a humbling experience, oddly enough, because you remember that your experience is not "the norm." We had lunch at the Summer Palace and it was tasty and beautiful!
The Winter Palace is entirely ruins, because it was burned down by the Europeans. It was a cool experience, but I was shocked that they just let people walk all over the ruins. It felt awkward and wrong to just be wandering around a field with broken columns and stairs scattered about. After that, we had dinner and went to the Peking Opera. Some people fell asleep during the Opera, but I was completely riveted. It was SO beautiful. The sets were dream-worthy, and the costumes and make-up were the definition of intense. I made friends with an older Chinese couple sitting next to me, who seemed happy to see that I was enjoying it so much. The music was so different from anything I was used to hearing, and everything was incredibly stylized. It was an interesting mix of drama and dance. The women's voices were all cartoonishly high, and it was such a lovely thing to see.
On Monday, we ended up taking a trip to the U.S. Embassy and then having drinks at a hotel nearby. I had a burger there too, which was exactly what I needed. The hotel liked us so much that they invited us to a sunset champagne sipping ceremony, which was fun. Afterward, a group of us went to the Hard Rock Cafe. It was just like any other Hard Rock, minus the live music. From there we wandered down the street to an Irish pub called Durty Nellie's (yes, Durty). It was the best pub I've been to. We had drinks, played darts, played pool, had the place to ourselves, and had a dance party to the same nine Michael Jackson, U2 and Bob Dylan songs. It was a great (and strange) taste of home. I got to bed around 2:00 and woke up at 5:00 for my first day at work. :) Lovely.
Work was interesting, but we ended up not doing much of anything. The people who I'm working for don't arrive in Beijing until July 25th, so I won't be doing anything until at least then. I might take a trip to Shanghai or elsewhere. We'll see!
I did a little bit of wandering around and shopping today, and ended up buying a great dress for the equivalent of about $15. It would easily cost upwards of $60 if we were in the States. Some people are going to play ping pong now, but I think I'm going to hang out and do some reading instead. Later, we're going to a bar called "Propaganda" that is mostly an ex-pat hangout, with a 70 yuan cover charge ($10), and free drinks after that. I'm going with a large group, so don't worry about my safety. :)
That's it! What a long update! Congratulations and thank you for reading the whole thing!
More to come pending an adventure to an English bookstore and the Forbidden City tomorrow...
I was talking to Crysty about the experience so far, and after scanning a few people's blogs, we came to the conclusion that we were both frustrated that people were posting things that painted a picture of China that was largely unfair and inaccurate. The tricky thing about what we're doing right now is that, whether we like it or not, our views of China are going to impact other people's views of China. You, dear reader, are subject to my own incomplete and biased perceptions, and what I say about this experience will in some way affect the way you understand China and the Chinese. After complaining about other people, I laid in bed for a while thinking about myself. I sort of went on a tirade in my last post about a feeling I was having based on an experience that I can't (and nor can anyone) ever fully understand. What I said was true in that it was the way that I felt, but I think it's only fair to this country that I've come to love to consider that there are many other ways of looking at what I experienced in that village.
Surely, as Americans, we understand the power of image and the importance of image-making. Why then does it seem that China's frame of reference is so distant from our own? I was reminded when walking through the village of a passage from Jamaica Kincaid's A Small Place, where she discusses the visit of Princess Margaret to Antigua while Kincaid was a little girl. All the buildings that the Princess would visit were stripped and rebuilt. The beach on which she sunned herself was cleaned and the locals were evacuated. The highway on which her coach traveled was paved and rebuilt, while the other highways, beaches, and buildings remained in disrepair. "Surely this is wrong," I thought, as I passed villagers who'd stopped their work to stare. Days later, I'm realizing that maybe it isn't as wrong as I thought, and who am I anyway to judge?
That said, I want to express that I have been impressed and thrilled by China and by its people. This country is a magnificent one, with people who seem genuinely interested in my well-being. It is a country of confusion right now. Torn between the past and the present, its citizens struggle with their desires in the face of tradition. Journalists walk a fine line, hoping to inform the public and remain in good standing with the party. The party itself is struggling to understand its place in a world that inevitably must change. All of this struggle, disarray, and growth is now in the international spotlight as the Olympics near. In my willingness to criticize the journalists here for what seems to be a lack of journalistic integrity, I overlooked what was lacking in my own reporting. Journalistic integrity is the responsibility to uncover the truth while considering every point of view in order to determine the most feasible option. Through my hasty denouncement of what had occurred at the village, I was doing the very thing I'm struggling to accept in China.
After a frustrating day at the village, I experienced two thrilling and positive days. It's a two-to-one ratio at this point, and I think it's important to remember that. On Saturday, we went to the Great Wall and the Ming Tombs. I have pictures up on Ofoto, so comment on this post if you haven't seen them yet and would like to. It was insanely hot and crowded, but it was an incredible experience nonetheless. The Great Wall really IS great. The sheer size of it blew my mind, and in order to climb it, you must tread up extremely steep slopes. It was fantastic. The Ming Tombs were on extremely pretty land, but the Tomb itself wasn't totally impressive. It was very cool to see an Emperor's throne, and to see the goods with which he was buried, but it was at the end of a pretty long day and most of us were tired.
Sunday was my favorite day so far. We went to the Summer Palace, the Winter Palace, and the PEKING OPERA. The Summer Palace was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Again, there are a lot of photos on Ofoto so let me know if you want access. The Palace itself is awe-inspiring, and it's right on water. We rented a boat and went out to see it from a distance. While we were on the boat, a Chinese couple asked to take a picture of me with a fan, so I posed a few times. Afterward, I wanted a photo with both of them, but the wife only wanted a picture of me with her husband. This explains my new Facebook photo. Soon a crowd had developed and other people were taking my picture. It was really funny and a great experience. Crysty and Jim and I decided to have a little photo shoot with our newly acquired props (fans and a parasol) by a river on the grounds of the Summer Palace. During this photo shoot, a few Chinese women wanted our picture also. I think it's great that they are as curious about us as we are about them. It's a humbling experience, oddly enough, because you remember that your experience is not "the norm." We had lunch at the Summer Palace and it was tasty and beautiful!
The Winter Palace is entirely ruins, because it was burned down by the Europeans. It was a cool experience, but I was shocked that they just let people walk all over the ruins. It felt awkward and wrong to just be wandering around a field with broken columns and stairs scattered about. After that, we had dinner and went to the Peking Opera. Some people fell asleep during the Opera, but I was completely riveted. It was SO beautiful. The sets were dream-worthy, and the costumes and make-up were the definition of intense. I made friends with an older Chinese couple sitting next to me, who seemed happy to see that I was enjoying it so much. The music was so different from anything I was used to hearing, and everything was incredibly stylized. It was an interesting mix of drama and dance. The women's voices were all cartoonishly high, and it was such a lovely thing to see.
On Monday, we ended up taking a trip to the U.S. Embassy and then having drinks at a hotel nearby. I had a burger there too, which was exactly what I needed. The hotel liked us so much that they invited us to a sunset champagne sipping ceremony, which was fun. Afterward, a group of us went to the Hard Rock Cafe. It was just like any other Hard Rock, minus the live music. From there we wandered down the street to an Irish pub called Durty Nellie's (yes, Durty). It was the best pub I've been to. We had drinks, played darts, played pool, had the place to ourselves, and had a dance party to the same nine Michael Jackson, U2 and Bob Dylan songs. It was a great (and strange) taste of home. I got to bed around 2:00 and woke up at 5:00 for my first day at work. :) Lovely.
Work was interesting, but we ended up not doing much of anything. The people who I'm working for don't arrive in Beijing until July 25th, so I won't be doing anything until at least then. I might take a trip to Shanghai or elsewhere. We'll see!
I did a little bit of wandering around and shopping today, and ended up buying a great dress for the equivalent of about $15. It would easily cost upwards of $60 if we were in the States. Some people are going to play ping pong now, but I think I'm going to hang out and do some reading instead. Later, we're going to a bar called "Propaganda" that is mostly an ex-pat hangout, with a 70 yuan cover charge ($10), and free drinks after that. I'm going with a large group, so don't worry about my safety. :)
That's it! What a long update! Congratulations and thank you for reading the whole thing!
More to come pending an adventure to an English bookstore and the Forbidden City tomorrow...
Saturday, July 12, 2008
All the world's a stage...
Yesterday was the first day of our three day tour that BOCOG has so graciously arranged for us. We went to a sewage plant, a country village, and dinner at the most famous restaurant in Beijing, renowned for its Peking Duck. Yesterday was also the first time I felt frustrated, and it didn't help that we had reporters and photographers from every major Chinese newspaper and show following us all day. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, and by the end of the day, I was completely exhausted. I will upload pictures as soon as I can. I need to borrow a cable from someone in my group.
We were all quite puzzled as to why we were taken to see a sewage plant. It was an hour and a half away. It was also state of the art apparently, though I don't know much about sewage plants to begin with, so I didn't have much with which to compare it. This first stop was confusing, but alright. We signed a banner in the entryway that said something like, "We participated in making the 2008 Olympics in Beijing great." It was cool to see all of our names up there, and we signed both our English names as well as our Chinese names.
Then, we drove for another two hours to a country village. As it turns out, it was a village that is heavily subsidized by the government, and has been completely rebuilt for the Olympic games. There were signs everywhere that labeled it as part of the "Olympics Country Tour." The facilities were very nice, but it became painfully clear that it had been built almost solely for our benefit. It began to feel like we were at Disney, traveling through a world almost like ours, but completely artificial. We went at first to a beautiful temple, that seemed like it'd been around for quite some time. We found out that parts of it were 500 years old, but most of it had been reconstructed over the past two years. It was stunning, and there are plenty of pictures of it. We then visited a nursing home, where we were given a performance by nurses and administrators. The song they sang was lovely, and then they translated it. A few highlights from the song: "We are so happy here. There are no problems in our lives. The government has taken such good care of us when we got old, and we love it here. The air is so fresh, and we have the mountains behind us. Old people can be happy as they get older and older, thanks to the gracious care of the government."
I was stunned and wanted to cry. A few of the elderly people that we met seemed genuinely happy, and we had small conversations via hand gestures or a translators. The other elderly people seemed angry and sad. I suddenly felt unbelievably embarrassed, guilty, and sad. A kid from Purdue started having his picture taken with elderly people, and I wanted to shout at him and remind him that we weren't in a zoo.
I started thinking about how we got to this remote village, that definitely didn't serve as an example of what a standard village in China looks like. All of the colleges went, so we came barreling into the village with our eight coach buses and police escort, forcing locals off the roads. We passed other villages on our way, and people stood on the sides of the road, staring at us. I realized at the nursing home how much I hated what we were doing. A wash of conflicting emotions fell over me, as I thought about what these people's lives must really be like when we aren't around. Then I felt thankful for my own place in the world. Then I thought that it might be good that the government is stepping up to improve at least someone's life. Then I felt angry with the Purdue kid and everything he seemed to be conveying about Americans. I wanted these locals to know that I understood them, but the truth was that I didn't. I don't. I probably never will.
We saw a calligraphy school in the village, and it was fascinating. We saw a tai chi presentation in the courtyard, and I was starting to feel better when several students forced themselves into pictures with the tai chi presenters. They were very sweet and good-natured about the photographs, but it felt wrong. The next thing we saw topped it off.
We went inside of a villager's home. A group of over 300 students came wandering through this woman's home. We were informed that the homes cost the villagers very little, as the government pays for the rest. I felt awkward being there anyway, but when people started using the woman's bathroom as though we were in a museum or zoo, I had to leave. I went out into the courtyard and saw the woman whose home it was. Nobody had spoken to her. I walked up to her and thanked her for allowing us into her home. She nodded and asked me if I was a college student, and I told her I was. She then asked if I was American, and I said yes. She said that she thought so, because Americans have more money than the Chinese. I blushed a bit and told her she had a beautiful home, and I asked her if she liked living here. She paused for a moment and thought, and then smiled again and said, "Of course, of course. The government has been kind." It was difficult to communicate with her because of the language barrier, but I could tell that there was more stopping her from telling me what she actually thought. She seemed sad and went largely unnoticed by the foreigners that had overtaken her home. I was angry and wanted to cry.
On our way back to the city for dinner, I waved at the villagers who'd had to pull over on the road. They waved back, and I felt a tremendous loneliness and discontent. I was tired of traveling, I was tired of seeing an artificial world, and I was tired of being told that life was "good beyond comparison" because of the government.
And now, I need to go and get ready for another day of sightseeing. We'll be seeing the Great Wall today, as well as the Ming Tombs. I'll write about this tonight or tomorrow.
This experience has been great and eye-opening, and I'm not upset that I'm here. I'm glad that I'm here to see what I'm seeing, it's just difficult to swallow when you know it to not be true.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Flight of the Bumblebee
I arrived in Beijing yesterday afternoon around 2:00 P.M. (Beijing time), 2:00 A.M. (Boston time). The flight felt quicker than I'd expected, though it was definitely thirteen and a half hours long. The first word that came to mind was "elation," when nobody took the seat next to me. I spread myself out and enjoyed a cramp-free ride! Cocktails are free on international flights, and I discovered that they had tiny, adorable bottles of amaretto, so a flight attendant and I cooked up a delicious new cocktail: amaretto, orange juice, and sprite. It was a tasty accompaniment to the mysterious chicken-beef that they served us. I slept through most of the flight, waking only to eat the three strange meals (one of which was called "Noodle Service,") and to read a bit more of The Beautiful and Damned. I fell asleep for the final time and woke up when we landed in Beijing. It's a strange feeling, waking up in an entirely new place than the one in which you started.
We arrived at the dorm around 4:30, and settled into our rooms quickly. My room is apparently one of the larger ones, with a pretty atrium-type thing on the back, that overlooks the gardens and tennis courts. The shower is amazing. It's a spigot on the ceiling, and it's next to the toilet, with nothing separating the two. There's no ledge or anything, so the entire bathroom floor gets soaked when someone's showering. The water pressure is FANTASTIC (it feels like a massage), and Crysty and I discovered that the toilet is actually pretty handy when shaving. We took a tour of the campus around 5:15, and I had my first meal in China at 6:00. I'm still not entirely sure what it is that I ate, as nobody spoke English and the signs were in Chinese characters (which I know nothing about!). I had a strange grape milk bubble tea, which was tasty and not what I thought I ordered.
I'm not sure if it is so gray here due to the pollution or the fog. It's unbelievably humid, and I've come to terms with the fact that my hair will be curly the majority of time that I'm here.
We are having our first lecture on the history and customs of Beijing today, so I will update later on what I've learned! After that, we'll be having a tour of the surroundings of the college, and then I'll receive a SIM card for the cell phone I don't have yet. :)
Tomorrow is a free day, so I'm planning on going to Watsons drug store to pick up a few essentials. After that, we're going to probably disband into groups to go sightseeing at a few local interests. I'll update as soon as I have more to say!
I am thrilled to be here, and hardly slept a wink last night. I was up at 6:00 this morning, partially due to the time change, and partially due to sheer excitement. I can't wait for what happens next.
We arrived at the dorm around 4:30, and settled into our rooms quickly. My room is apparently one of the larger ones, with a pretty atrium-type thing on the back, that overlooks the gardens and tennis courts. The shower is amazing. It's a spigot on the ceiling, and it's next to the toilet, with nothing separating the two. There's no ledge or anything, so the entire bathroom floor gets soaked when someone's showering. The water pressure is FANTASTIC (it feels like a massage), and Crysty and I discovered that the toilet is actually pretty handy when shaving. We took a tour of the campus around 5:15, and I had my first meal in China at 6:00. I'm still not entirely sure what it is that I ate, as nobody spoke English and the signs were in Chinese characters (which I know nothing about!). I had a strange grape milk bubble tea, which was tasty and not what I thought I ordered.
I'm not sure if it is so gray here due to the pollution or the fog. It's unbelievably humid, and I've come to terms with the fact that my hair will be curly the majority of time that I'm here.
We are having our first lecture on the history and customs of Beijing today, so I will update later on what I've learned! After that, we'll be having a tour of the surroundings of the college, and then I'll receive a SIM card for the cell phone I don't have yet. :)
Tomorrow is a free day, so I'm planning on going to Watsons drug store to pick up a few essentials. After that, we're going to probably disband into groups to go sightseeing at a few local interests. I'll update as soon as I have more to say!
I am thrilled to be here, and hardly slept a wink last night. I was up at 6:00 this morning, partially due to the time change, and partially due to sheer excitement. I can't wait for what happens next.
Monday, July 7, 2008
I'm off to see the wizard...
Beijing, here I come!
I'll blog as soon as I'm safe and sound and settled.
I love and miss you all already, and I haven't even left yet.
I'll blog as soon as I'm safe and sound and settled.
I love and miss you all already, and I haven't even left yet.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
In true legal style, a promise and an addendum
Okay. I want to make a promise, and an addendum to that promise. The promise is that this blog will not be filled with nonsensical quizzes and my results to those quizzes. In general, I hate blogs that do that.
The addendum to that promise is that I will occasionally post quizzes that are of particular merit to me (i.e. that fantastic "Which Jane Austen Heroine Are You" quiz that I recently took on Facebook. It's like it read my mind!).
With that said, this post will be about a quiz of sorts, though I've been trying to convince myself it's worth so much more than those Cosmo quizzes about what hair color you really should be. I present a very abridged version of the Myers Briggs Personality Quiz: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp
Here's where it gets fun. Go there, and take it. Then comment on this post with what you are. It's fascinating, and way more scientific than anything Cosmo could cook up (although they did have one quiz a few years ago about which leading man you'd fall in love with, and the results were astonishing!).
For those of you who are curious, I'm an ENFP. (http://www.personalitypage.com/ENFP.html) It is crazy how much this sounds like me. A few highlights:
"Since emotional excitement is usually an important part of the ENFP's life, and because they are focused on keeping "centered", the ENFP is usually an intense individual, with highly evolved values."
... did someone say "intense"?
"Because ENFPs live in the world of exciting possibilities, the details of everyday life are seen as drudgery. They place no importance on detailed, maintenance-type tasks, and will frequently remain oblivous to these types of concerns. When they do have to perform these tasks, they do not enjoy themselves. This is a challenging area of life for most ENFPs, and can be frustrating for ENFP's family members."
... my apologies to my parents and Lucas, all of whom have discovered, much to their chagrin, that cleaning is not one of my favorite things.
"The gift of gab which they are blessed with makes it naturally easy for them to get what they want."
... apologies again, for anyone I've sweet-talked into doing things my way...
"They also tend to be procrastinators, both about meeting hard deadlines and about performing any small, uninteresting tasks that they've been assigned."
... I maintain that I do my best work under pressure.
"Most have a natural propensity for role-playing and acting."
"ENFPs sometimes can be blindsided by their secondary Feeling function. Hasty decisions based on deeply felt values may boil over with unpredictable results. More than one ENFP has abruptly quit a job in such a moment."
My mother is surely laughing at this one...
And finally... a list of famous ENFPs:
Franz Joseph Haydn
Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)
Will Rogers
Buster Keaton
Theodor "Dr." Seuss Geisel (The Cat in the Hat) <--- Interestingly enough, we also share a birthday!
Mickey Rooney
Andy Rooney
Carol Burnett
Paul Harvey
Elizabeth Montgomery (Bewitched) <--- I wanted to be her as a child.
Bill Cosby (Ghost Dad)
Dom Delouise, actor
Dave Thomas, owner of Wendy's hamburger chain
Martin Short, actor-comedian
Meg Ryan, actor (When Harry Met Sally) <--- I've been told I look like her, and order like Sally in restaurants.
Robin Williams, actor, comedian
Sandra Bullock, actor (Speed, While You Were Sleeping)
Robert Downey Jr.
Alicia Silverstone (Clueless)
Sinbad <--- This is cracking me up.
Andy Kaufman
Regis Philbin <--- This is cracking me up more.
Take it and then tell me what you are. I'm so into this.
In other news, Beijing in five days!
The addendum to that promise is that I will occasionally post quizzes that are of particular merit to me (i.e. that fantastic "Which Jane Austen Heroine Are You" quiz that I recently took on Facebook. It's like it read my mind!).
With that said, this post will be about a quiz of sorts, though I've been trying to convince myself it's worth so much more than those Cosmo quizzes about what hair color you really should be. I present a very abridged version of the Myers Briggs Personality Quiz: http://www.humanmetrics.com
Here's where it gets fun. Go there, and take it. Then comment on this post with what you are. It's fascinating, and way more scientific than anything Cosmo could cook up (although they did have one quiz a few years ago about which leading man you'd fall in love with, and the results were astonishing!).
For those of you who are curious, I'm an ENFP. (http://www.personalitypage.com/ENFP.html) It is crazy how much this sounds like me. A few highlights:
"Since emotional excitement is usually an important part of the ENFP's life, and because they are focused on keeping "centered", the ENFP is usually an intense individual, with highly evolved values."
... did someone say "intense"?
"Because ENFPs live in the world of exciting possibilities, the details of everyday life are seen as drudgery. They place no importance on detailed, maintenance-type tasks, and will frequently remain oblivous to these types of concerns. When they do have to perform these tasks, they do not enjoy themselves. This is a challenging area of life for most ENFPs, and can be frustrating for ENFP's family members."
... my apologies to my parents and Lucas, all of whom have discovered, much to their chagrin, that cleaning is not one of my favorite things.
"The gift of gab which they are blessed with makes it naturally easy for them to get what they want."
... apologies again, for anyone I've sweet-talked into doing things my way...
"They also tend to be procrastinators, both about meeting hard deadlines and about performing any small, uninteresting tasks that they've been assigned."
... I maintain that I do my best work under pressure.
"Most have a natural propensity for role-playing and acting."
"ENFPs sometimes can be blindsided by their secondary Feeling function. Hasty decisions based on deeply felt values may boil over with unpredictable results. More than one ENFP has abruptly quit a job in such a moment."
My mother is surely laughing at this one...
And finally... a list of famous ENFPs:
Franz Joseph Haydn
Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)
Will Rogers
Buster Keaton
Theodor "Dr." Seuss Geisel (The Cat in the Hat) <--- Interestingly enough, we also share a birthday!
Mickey Rooney
Andy Rooney
Carol Burnett
Paul Harvey
Elizabeth Montgomery (Bewitched) <--- I wanted to be her as a child.
Bill Cosby (Ghost Dad)
Dom Delouise, actor
Dave Thomas, owner of Wendy's hamburger chain
Martin Short, actor-comedian
Meg Ryan, actor (When Harry Met Sally) <--- I've been told I look like her, and order like Sally in restaurants.
Robin Williams, actor, comedian
Sandra Bullock, actor (Speed, While You Were Sleeping)
Robert Downey Jr.
Alicia Silverstone (Clueless)
Sinbad <--- This is cracking me up.
Andy Kaufman
Regis Philbin <--- This is cracking me up more.
Take it and then tell me what you are. I'm so into this.
In other news, Beijing in five days!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Let's get this show on the road!
Welcome to the adventures of an everyday anachronism!
The purpose of this blog is initially to stay in touch with those I love while I'm in Beijing, and beyond that, to entertain my brain (and maybe yours!) with everyday musings and events.
Here's to a bright future for us both!
The purpose of this blog is initially to stay in touch with those I love while I'm in Beijing, and beyond that, to entertain my brain (and maybe yours!) with everyday musings and events.
Here's to a bright future for us both!
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