1st Post from Beijing

Most amazingly, our flight from Columbus to Newark was on time and landed so that we had just enough of a layover in Jersey to change terminals, hit the bathrooms, and study some Chinese as we waited for boarding. Then we actually took off a little early, though in the long scheme of things it didn’t really matter since the flight was still ridiculously long. But it was cool to watch the map of our progress as we flew over Greenland and Mongolia. And I must say, Continental was very cool with entertainment for the flight. There were hundreds of movies on demand, TV shows, and video games. I personally watched two Chinese movies, Prince Caspian, and an episode each of 30 Rock, Scrubs, and House. In between times I slept and ate. The food was bad, as to be expected, but really not bad. It was just awful because they gave us this “dim sum” meal right before landing, and it was a rough landing. Cheng and I were both queasy peasy.

I was sad that we didn’t get to walk through the new terminal on our way to customs. Hopefully I’ll get to take a picture there on my way back. From baggage claim on, it was smooth sailing, as they say. Jimmy met Cheng as we exited, and my program was gathered there already. We parted ways and will meet up again when the cell phone gods reunite us. My program had an hour long bus ride ready for us, but actually it was cool because we drove on the fourth ring road past the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube. Yes, we took pictures. Yes, it was awesome and I want to go back there immediately to see everything up close. Preferably at night.

The rest of the bus ride was hum drum. I felt very strange looking out the windows. It was as if everything was familiar, because in my mind I remembered the tall high rises, gigantic furniture stores, and tiny store fronts as the Beijing I visited three years ago. And yet I knew it was different. There were less cars on the roads. There was Olympic propaganda and posters everywhere. There even seemed to be less people about. However, once we reached Haidian (the university district) the people appeared in full force. It was much more of a neighborhood Beijing feel than the large, abstract buildings we had been passing (also spotted: Dominos and Pizza Hut).

Once the bus dropped us off on campus (wow, I’m attending a real campus this semester with a gate and everything… weird) I found out that only myself and one other girl were in the CI Program—the rest of the 20 some people headed off to dorms about 5 mins away. But oh no, we were special, we got in a taxi and shuttled over to the East Campus dorms. I was quite amazed that 1) our taxi driver was female and 2) she didn’t mind that three of us (the RA included) were climbing into her cab for 5 minutes with 5 huge suitcases. This would never happen in NYC, I thought. (And I will always been comparing Beijing to NYC for no good reason other than I am living in both of them… they are very much not alike. You will see).

Our dorms are pretty sweet, btw. The building is actually a dorm/hotel, so the singles look kinda like small hotel rooms. And the air conditioner is awesome. The shared bathroom at the end of the hall, not so much, but hey we’re a small program so I’m hopeful that it’ll work out okay. After unpacking some of us went to a nearby convenience store to buy some things, but more of that will take place tomorrow. As in, tomorrow when I go to the bank to exchange my traveler’s checks and actually have cash. They’re keeping us on a pretty tight schedule though, so we don’t suffer much jetlag. As it is, it’s 10 PM (though my comp still says AM) and I’m just not going to sleep after… I can’t even count how many hours without a full rest. Definitely time for some much needed beauty sleep.

Technical Difficulties

I know you're all awaiting a new post with bated breath, but I'm having technical difficulties getting the Internet to work in my room, which is my laptop is that I've been drafting my posts on. So once that is up and running (if not today, maybe tomorrow) I'll have some good updates posted on the first couple days here.

Now I'm off to another fun filled, tightly scheduled day of orientation. Check back when you wake up tomorrow, I guess!

The Last Supper

Cheng doesn't want to guest blog, so I will describe everything. Also he just left to go play his video game because he won't be able to play it on the plane tomorrow. Loser.

The suitcases are all packed, my Chinese is sooo soo rusty, and I got me some traveler's checks so I am ready to go. I think. It sort of hasn't dawned on me that this is actually happening. I mean, I've said goodbye to everyone, and I've been obsessing over China all summer, but tomorrow I am actually going there. Crazy.

Being home this past week time went by very fast. (Wow, is that proper English? Sounds super strange. Anyway...). I sat by the pool, I ate a lot of food, I hung out with the peeps, I drank some wines, etc etc. And drove around, of course. The typical Ohio things. I could probably do a week more of this, and then I would start seriously questioning my life. But thankfully I have no choice but to return to my studies now. Did I mention that when I arrive, during Orientation, I have to take another placement exam?? Damn. Not prepared at all. Somehow I have to convince these people that even though I can barely hold a basic conversation in Chinese, I'm really supposed to be enrolled in Advanced II. Right.

I hope that I meet some of the kids from my program at Newark tomorrow. According to wall comments on our FB group (which I stalk, cuz I'm cool like that) a lot of us are going out on the same flight to Beijing. It'd be nice to have an excuse to get up and walk around the plane to break up the 14 hours, as long as I could go talk to somebody. Also I'm a little worried that I have no good plane reading material. But plane rides are boring, so I'll stop discussing that now. Although I will probably take some pictures of the gross plane food and talk about how disgusting it was... at some point when I have nothing else to complain about.

I'm gonna go watch the last of the Olympics that I can now. I'm sad I'll be missing the closing ceremony because if it's anything like the opening one, it would be sure to blow my mind. Hopefully I can catch it online or something after I get settled in Beijing. Ah! Settled in Beijing!

Taking Care of Business

Things accomplished so far whilst being home:
--Visited people. Had lunch with Tristan today, and that was awesome. Hope he doesn't mind that I am writing about him here on my blog. K.
--Sat by the pool and got me a little tan. Not much, but anything above glowingly pale is fine by me.
--Went to the dentist. Gotta have some gum surgery in January. Wow, can't wait.
--Started packing

So here are the things left to accomplish:
--Packing. Boo.
--Go to bank and get traveler's checks
--Go to Walmart and get random toiletries
--Take Apollo to the dog park
--Get drunk? Or at least party?
--Oh, um, study Chinese. Duh.

It's been a few days since I've actually studied Chinese. As usual when I'm home, I don't really feel like doing anything except either A) Sitting in front of the TV of B) Sitting outside with a book. Although I've been doing a lot of the former. Takes less brain power, and yeah, it's hot outside. Studying Chinese takes even more brain power; it seems like a fun idea at first but then there's just too much and I'll never be adequately prepared for arrival. In 5 DAYS. Holy crap.

Ohio Weirdness

Or, more generally, not being in NYC weirdness. The first thing I noticed that clued me in to our transmigration from the city to the country was at Arby's. Old couples! Eating Arby's after attending church on Sunday! Also I overheard some mother comment to her husband as she hoisted her little child on her hip and they left their table, "Thank Gawd for fast food." Note: they were not fat, but I still found the comment ironic.

The next revelation came at Dairy Queen. 2 dollars and some change for a shake?? Are you kidding me? Dairy Queen, where have you been all summer? Clearly you have Mister Softee beaten, but then how is he on every street corner in the city, selling dipped cones for upwards of 2.50?? Alas, I must get used to not eating ice cream or froyo everyday, since it won't be so readily available in China.

Lastly, I just drove home after dropping Cheng back off at his house. That's right, I DROVE. TO CHENG'S HOUSE. Thanks to my mad google maps skills, I have found the calculated distance to be 1.8 miles. Interestingly enough, that is the same exact distance that J and Amy's place is from my apt in the city. And I used to walk that almost everyday, there and back, no big deal. NBD. 1am on a Monday? Eh, kinda late, but there would still be people out. But here, it's like a ghost town. We were driving through eerie fog and along a dark road, and I was just waiting for some deer to jump out. WEIRD. The same distance, yet such a different scenario. What can I say about the suburbs versus the city except that... it's different.

There are more things: I just killed two bugs in my room. Gross. Glad I don't live in the basement in NY; I don't even want to think about that situation. It was only in the 80's here today and yet sitting outside in my backyard I was SO HOT. I'm pretty sure it was the same temp when we had that picnic in central park, so why was this so much worse?? Maybe that extra layer of pollution in the city actually keeps the sun from burning so badly, haha.

On an end note: Cheng and I caught up with our old fencing coach tonight. You might say she's the unwitting instrument of fate who brought us together. Actually, she pretty much is. She's also an amazing person who had the terrible terrible luck of being in an awful car accident in January. She was rear-ended and smushed between two other cars when a drunk driver rammed into her as she sat at a red light, only a block from her apartment. Even after being in a coma for two weeks, on all sorts of meds and through physical therapy, she has come out 8 months later seeming like her old self. I am just amazed, floored, flabbergasted at what she went through and how she is today. I might be a failure at fencing but I'm so so glad that I met her and that we've stayed in touch.

We ended up having a long political discussion tonight (because she's originally from the area of Russia near Georgia and has lots of thoughts on the conflict) that I won't really go into here. Suffice it to say, I've got a lot to think about in terms of my own world view, political knowledge, and how I frame my life in comparison to the movements around the world. Whew, weighty topics for sure. All I know right now is that I forgot to send in for an absentee ballot for when I'm in China so I don't think I'll be voting come November... it would be my first chance to vote in a presidential election and I'll be watching the election unfold from abroad. From former Communist China, no less. I usually have an outsider's take on politics anyway, preferring not to get involved because usually the more I know the more depressed about the entire messed up system I get. So I feel guilty for not exercising my freedom to vote, but also relieved that I won't half to pick between two candidates that I'm not totally sure about.

Wow what a long and windy post. Did you actually read all of it? I don't believe you.

Note: This should have been posted around noon

Last night, on the eve of the Olympics, I stopped by the New School to hear a lecture put on by the PEN organization. It was called "Bringing Down the Great Firewall of China" and featured several prominent contemporary writers reading the works of contemporary Chinese writers who are now in prison. I really got chills sitting there, listening to the stories of these writers whose freedom of expression has been severely curtailed by the government. I think what the PEN organization is doing (not just in China, but all around the world) is very brave and admirable. Hats off to them!

Later, in an un-China-related event, J and I watched the finale of SYTYCD. SPOILERS FOLLOW. Pretty much the best finale that show has ever had, what with all the guest performances and seeing old faces dance again. Also there was really no need to suffer through all the terrible dances this season, as they highlighted the best ones again last night. Note how Katee was in basically all of them. Ugh, Katee should have won! Not that I don't love Joshua, or Twitch, but I thought she deserved it more, since she was flawless the whole way through. But what's done is done… now we have to wait a whole year before the next season auditions. What will I do with my life??

Chances are I'll be pretty busy in China and such (to answer my own question). Let's start a countdown, shall we?

0 Days till Olympic Ceremony

6 Days till Mom and Sis arrive

7 Days till end of Work (and another paycheck, hurray!)

9 Days till I am home… oh… Ohio

16 Days till the flight leaves for Beijing (which means, coincidentally, 16 days left to review Chinese so I don't sound like a complete newb when I arrive)

I think that's it. And because you really care, plans for this afternoon/evening include: eating leftover peirogies for lunch, doing laundry, mailing a book, returning books the library, possibly napping/listening to some Chinese podcasts/reading. But most likely napping.

Mental Preparations

So I'm sort of obsessed with reading everything I can about China right now. I've been interested all summer, of course, reading memoirs and such, but lately I've been trolling the Chinese English-speaking blogs on overload. There are many more that I check daily than what I have listed on this site. It's become an OCD thing, but I'm telling myself that it's for my own good. Only a couple more weeks and I will be in Beijing, dealing with all the things I have been reading about.

It's funny but I can't remember having such enthusiasm/anxiety when I was preparing to go to London. I guess I figured, it's not that different there... we all speak English. And in truth the culture shock was not noticeable, until, of course, I returned to the States. Then it was: what are these huge cars? Why are the eggs white? Why is the American Deal or No Deal so bad? And most importantly: Why can't I drink???

China, understandably, causes more worry as I prepare to depart and leave the relative ease with which I live my everyday life here. Not to say that NYC is by any means a stress-free living environment, but at least I know that going to the bank, or buy groceries, and taking the subway is an easy affair. Most particularly because of the language thing. I've been wringing my hands the past couple years about how terrible my spoken Chinese is. Right now I'm pretty confident in my reading ability, since that's what we focused on most last semester in class (thanks, Laoshi?). But when it comes to listening comprehension, I more often than not fail. FAIL.

Anyway, from what I've been reading, apparently the Chinese language is not all that difficult to pick up when you're forced to use it. In terms of grammar I suppose it's less complicated than English; the tones are what usually trip me up, and that ties in to the vocab. Which is probably why I'm so dependent on characters: I need to be able to visualize words when I hear/speak them, so if there's a word I don't know, simply saying it slowly with the correct tones probably won't help much.

And the second concern after language difficulties: air pollution! I really, really don't want to wear a mask while I walk or bike around the city. I'm used to walking everywhere and love going to parks when I get the chance. NYC is perhaps not the cleanest city, but it's nowhere near as smoggy as Beijing or even LA. So I'll be home for a week in Ohio, sucking up as much fresh Midwestern air as possible, and then resign myself to four months of foulness, unfortunately. I'm crossing my fingers that Olympic pollution precautions will remain in effect. It seems rational to me that if you have to take measures to make air clean for world healthy standards you would want to keep it clean so that the natives can enjoy that, too. Indefinitely. But perhaps hoping for rationality is too much...

Anyway, everyone's eyes are on China now, and I will be watching closely to see how the Olympics pan out. The interesting thing will be to compare the media's coverage with the blogs' and see if they match up. Funny that I somehow trust the blogged opinions of people living in Beijing over what the NYTimes or other "reputable" sources have to say on matters. Just the crazy world we live in today, I guess.