Updates Galore!
Trip Start
Jun 18, 2008
1
21
46
Trip End
Sep 04, 2008
Beijing,
China
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Adam and I moved from the apartment with no electricity to another place. The company we work for is in a transition period with their participants because some just left and new ones have yet to arrive. So, there was a vacant apartment for us to move into temporarily, and now we are straddling two apartments while we wait to figure out where the best place is for us to live for the remainder of our time in Beijing. The good news is we have lights and A/C. Even the inconveniences and incidentals like not knowing how to pay for utilities are reminders of how different of a place China is from America.
One benefit to moving to this new apartment is it's much bigger. Way too big for Adam and I alone, but we actually have two guests right now, and they each have their own room! It's fun having friends stay with us because it keeps us busy and in good company. I get in the touristy spirit all over again and have the desire to travel and continue trying new things. For example, we felt obligated to take our friends to dinner at a Beijing Duck restaurant. The one we found was actually very good and it definitely changed my opinion of duck for the better because this duck was prepared in a way that was less crispy, less fatty.
Also, everytime we have a new visitor, we have to take them to our favorite fabulously gay tailor named Sunny. He wears tight True Religion jeans sans underwear and fitted pink polo shirts. We are now peng you, or friends, and so everyone we bring gets the friends discount at a rate of 700 RMB per suit. Can you imagine paying $100 for a custom-made suit? It really is a bit intoxicating how cheap it is. I find myself lying in bed trying to fall asleep designing dresses and coats I want Sunny (and his sewing slaves) to make for me. I already had a shirt dress made that I'll be able to wear to work. I picked out the fabric and specified how I want the buttons, belt and length to look. I'm very happy with the dress, so now I want to go crazy with more dresses. But at the top of my Sunny Wish List is a cashmere-wool blend winter white coat.
So, as the Olympics are approaching, there is definitely a noticeable hype that gets louder and louder. More police patrols. More high school and college-age volunteers. All over the city there are little volunteer booths set up, and I can't walk by without them calling out to me, "Hello!" as they practice their English. Adam and I really want to get tickets to see an Olympics event. While I want to see gymnastics and he wants to see boxing, I think we could compromise on something like volleyball. I would most like to see track & field but those are the most popular, i.e. expensive, tickets. I don't think that any of the events are sold out, but the tickets (I am told) are only available for people with Beijing residence cards. Adam's told me not to expect China to permit scalping, but we're still going to wait last-minute for a good deal.
I think it will be really interesting to consider the world's impression of China once the Olympics have finished. I attended a panel discussion arranged by the study abroad program of which Adam is an alum. I was surprised to hear the Chinese people's rhetoric matches what the government is saying. People are excited for the world to see how China has developed and how far it has come. Chinese want to show the world their culture and have their debut as a modern country on the world stage. The panelits' credulity was admirable in a way as it contrasts with American cynicism but it's also dumbfounding to hear how earnestly they believe what's good for China is good for the Chinese on an individual level. As Americans we know that China has poured money into Olympics preparartions, and inflation for the Chinese is a definite side effect. But the Olympics, for China, have come to represent so much more than a global athletics event. I hope China does well, a lot of people are depending upon it.
When you're living abroad, you become very good at making fast friends. I've met so many people in the last five weeks who I've had fun with-- not so much getting to know-- you just like having other people around to share in the experience. I also have my first Chinese friend, another teacher at the school who's from outside Hong Kong so her English is almost fluent. We swap information about our cultures and she's a good source of information on things I've been curious about but don't know who to ask (or if it's ok to ask). For instance, I suffered from acne for a long time as a teenager and have noticed that many Chinese people have bad skin. I asked her about this when she was complaining about a pimple. She said that no one here is ashamed of having acne. Only if they have scarring or pockmarked skin is it considered an embarrassment. In America, one pimple for a teenager can be enough to want to hide in bed. Anyway, I'm hoping that my new Chinese friend will want to go shopping with me, too!
To wrap up, I'm pretty content with things. At least once a day I feel homesick for someone, some food, some comfort. But I can already tell what a profoundly different world view I have after being here for only a short time.
