Dilemma

This is my first post in a while. There are two reasons for that: 1) everyday, there are so many new experiences I want to write about, and 2) lately, I've been busy with class, so everyday I have less time to write. It's like a catch-22.

Anyways, expect me to post something big on Friday night, Beijing time (Friday morning in the US). This weekend should be cool too: I've got plans to visit the Forbidden City and Beijing's underground city.

Hey, I haven't posted in a while because I've been very busy touring Beijing, trying all sorts of food, and going out with friends. But that's good, because I have a lot to write about. Unfortunately I don't have time to post pictures yet, because I'm in the process of memorizing about 100 new characters + words for tomorrow's 8AM class.

Cool destination #1: Jingshan Park
On Saturday morning I and a group of students went to Jingshan park. Jingshan Park is right next to the Forbidden City, and in Jingshan park there's a tall hill where you can get great views.

But the coolest part of Jingshan Park are the locals. We saw old Chinese women dancing to Eminem, costumed dancers, people doing tai-chi, and big circles of people banging drums and playing harmonicas, in remarkable consonance. The cool part is that this is part of their daily morning routine- they do it for exercise and social value.

Cool destination #2: Tiananmen Square
Obviously an important destination, this place really seems huge in real life. There are some great big temples, and some great big pictures of Mao, but you can't really get close to anything. So aside from now being able to say I've been to Tiananmen, not that cool.

Cool destination #3: Sanlitunr

Sanlitunr is Beijing's largest bar district. There must be at least 25 bars and night clubs that's a conservative estimate. Also, thanks to the value of the renminbi, drinks are very cheap. So when you add in college students, ex-pats, and fun Beijing locals, it ends up being a lot of fun.

Language Pledge and Class

The language pledge has definitely been an obstacle to communication, but it's also been a good source of fun. Everyone holds to the pledge about 99.9% of the time- at restaurants, bars, markets, everywhere. Which is good, because we're always using Chinese.

Class is probably the hardest part about this place: 4 hours of class per day, with 4-8 hours of homework afterwards. Tonight I have about 100 new words to memorize. Tomorrow is the first day of class, and I hope it goes well. I got placed into 3rd year Chinese even though I've only taken 6 months of Chinese. I owe that entirely to having great Yale teachers: thank you Zhou laoshi, Chen laoshi, Mu laoshi and Gao laoshi.

More posts and photos to come!

Just a quick post: here's a picture of my room in Beijing.

It's on the third floor of this building:

The university has invested a lot of money in improving this building, which has some good consequences and some bad consequences. The good is that my room's been recently renovated, so it's in good condition. The bad is that the renovation is still going on downstairs, and during the day, you can hear a lot of jackhammering. Which was a little disturbing during this morning's placement exam- my theory is that our head teacher ordered it to test students' focus.

Anyways, that's it for now. I'm starting to miss Yale and home, especially since I still get emails about shopping period, parties at my fraternity, and the squash team's success. Mostly I miss the people. People are awesome here too, and I'm having a good time.. I just wish I could have the best of all worlds!

Into thick air + my new shirt

Before I came to Beijing, I was anxious about the pollution. I figured that the pollution must be terrible, if: 1) the Chinese government is testing vehicle bans, 2) Olympic athletes are concerned it will affect their performance at the 2008 games, and 3) Beijing was just named the "air pollution capital of the world."

So does the air pollution live up to the hype? Yes and no. I first noticed the pollution when my flight descended into Beijing. It was probably 5,000 feet above the ground, and I felt the back of my throat get dry, and taking a deep breath was unpleasant. In retrospect, this might have been a placebo-like effect: since arriving, the pollution hasn't yet bothered my breathing. That being said, I haven't tried any strenuous outdoor activity- but I promise to as soon as the mercury rises above 0.

The pollution also varies- so far I've had two days of blue sky and three days of haziness. Here's a spectrumIn Beijing, even when looking from a tall pedestrian bridge, you can't see very far into the distance before things get blurry.

Taken at 10AM, I was playing with the exposure settings on my camera. Things don't actually look this grim. But the sun still casts a red glow through the pollution.

So I decided to do my part to combat Beijing's air pollution: I bought a shirt. It has the Olympics logo on the left breast and a tree near the waist.

My awesome climate change shirt. Al Gore loves it.

The message is subtle... but powerful.

Total eclipse of the... Big Mac?

Today's themes are music and McDonald's. You might think that McDonald's and music are pretty unrelated. Not in China.

Part one- I'm lovin' it- a little too much

I was at the gym riding the stationery bike and listening to the gym's PA blasting what sounded like Maroon 5, Nickelback, and other Top 40 pop/rock. As I was listening to a generic sounding hip/hop song, I recognized a familar refrain.

Male vocalist "I'm lovin' it."
Female chorus: "ba dum bum ba baaa!"

It was the McDonald's song! But as soon as it got my attention, the song went back to some generic rap-py verses, that had nothing to do with McDonald's. But then, it was there again! Definitely the McDonald's slogan + badabababum riff! The song went on for another 2 minutes, then transitioned directly into some Rihanna. I figured it was weird... my best guess was that the guy who wrote the McDonald's theme decided to write some lyrics and release it as a single in China. But later, I'd discover there was a more sinister explanation.

Part two: Total eclipse of the Big Mac

I love Bonnie Tyler. Actually, I don't know anything about her, but I like that song she sings called "Total Eclipse of the Heart."

So tonight at McDonald's, I was thrilled when "Total Eclipse" started playing. As I chowed down on some grilled chicken, I sang along silently. I know the words pretty well. That's in part because, of all the songs I've ever listened to, this one is the most expensive. Once, when I was driving, my friends and I were rocking out to Total Eclipse, and I got pulled over. He gave me a $200 ticket for "speeding in a community zone."

That's why I was surprised when the second verse of this song sounded completely unfamiliar The stresses on the syllables were completely different. And I clearly heard the words "big taste." What's more, I just looked up the lyrics: there's only one verse!

So it seems that McDonald's paid Bonnie Tyler to sing an additional verse to "Total Eclipse of the Heart"- about McDonald's. That also means that the "I'm lovin it" rap I heard in the gym was probably a similar ploy.

I'm not trying to call foul on McDonald's- some people scoff at subversive advertising like this, others don't mind. But it made me wonder: do Chinese people think that American rock stars sing about how much they like McDonald's?

I'm going to give McDonald's some credit for a cleverly subversive marketing ploy: the McDonald's I visited was packed with Beijingers. Then again, today McDonald's' share price dropped.

I think that in North America, corporate-branded music on the radio wouldn't sell too many burgers. Regardless, I thought the "I'm lovin' it" rap had a catchy beat, although Bonnie's new verse just couldn't compare to the rest of the song's perfection. So who knows: maybe one day, our children will turn on the radio and hear the Eagles crooning about the "Holiday Inn California." At least it's good music.

I'm freezing my 屁股 off

Today in Beijing, the weather is freezing. The last two days have been mild, and I didn't understand why the Beijingers wore such heavy winter clothes. I figured that they obviously just couldn't match my Canadian fortitude. But now I understand why they were bundled up. Today, it's -7 and windy... oh so windy.

Luckily, (or, if you're a second-grader, unluckily), I think that it rarely snows.

So I think I'll stay inside today- I'll do a spinning class at the nearby gym, and work on translating menus. Yeah, it's a pretty low-key way to spend your 3rd day in Beijing. But I think that my foreign students' program plans tours of Beijing, visits to Tiananmen, etc. Because I'm going to see all the cool sites anyways, today I don't feel the need to freeze my pigu off.

Here's a picture I took this morning:

Blue skies above intertwining buildings that are at an interesting stage of construction. They loom behind low-income housing. More posts to come on the contrasts here between prosperity and poverty.

BEIJING TRAFFIC: as American Football

To help you understand Beijing traffic, and perhaps to one day navigate its hazards, I've come up with the following analogy. I hope you find it helpful.

BEIJING TRAFFIC: as American Football

Traffic lights: BAD QUARTERBACK

Mr. Batch, milliseconds before throwing an interception. Charlie, if you're out there reading this, I'm sorry. I really am. For your career.

In Beijing, a traffic light is like a quarterback- an extremely bad one. It's so bad, none of the players listen to it. If they don't get what they want.. they'll just audible audibly and bullrush the intersection. Because of this lack of respect for Mr. QB, you find yourself in an interesting predicament.

You: RUNNING BACK (http://youtube.com/watch?v=L6CqA7hEzw8)

As soon as the quarterback huts and the light turns green, you might as well find some holes in the defense and go for the endzone. Here's what you're up against:

Buses: DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

Slow to accelerate and overweight, you can usually navigate around these guys pretty easily. They're mainly dangerous because they can block you from seeing over the line of scrimmage, sometimes allowing a strong safety to sneak up on you.

Cars: BAD CORNERBACKS

Nimble, but usually polite, a car will usually cede if you walk in front of it. Bad tacklers. Unfortunately, they can be easily confused with...

Taxis: STRONG SAFETY

These are the guys you have to really look out for- they can really lay the smack down. Quick to accelerate and extremely aggressive, they will stop at nothing to "invent" lanes to tackle you. Beijing taxis make Rodney Harrison look like Michelle Kwan. Naturally, they love to talk trash, and honk frequently.

That's it for the defense- let's look at what's protecting you from this monstrosity.

Other pedestrians: OFFENSIVE LINE

Strength in numbers, but I can't tell if these guys are for or against you. On the one hand, if you can get sandwiched between a group of 5 or 6, you're usually good. On the other hand, if you're only with 1 or 2, they can be very hesitant. This might be because they perceive themselves as running backs and you as their offensive line. Luckily, there's one last offensive player, and it's the best.

Bikes: FULLBACK

Mike Alstott- still scaring people

Hands down, your biggest asset. These guys are big, bad, and have been in the league for years. I mean it takes balls just to WALK in Beijing... to bike here is Chuck Norris ballsy. So, if you can walk quickly with a bike protecting you from those nasty strong safeties, you're all set. Touchdown.

My first full day -

Today was a really nice day in Beijing- there were a few fluffy clouds floating around a blue sky, and the temperature was . They were good conditions for my first attempts at buying breakfast, buying clothes, and dodging cars on 6 lane roads.

Baozi for breakfast?

What do people in Beijing eat for breakfast? To me, it's still a mystery. At 9am today, I wandered into a nearby xiaochi (direct translation: "little eat"). The xiaochi's eating area was a dimly lit room with two rows of 5 or 6 tables. The attendant approached me, and because I can barely read a menu, I asked for the best thing she had.

This is what I got:

Oh, the humanity! Just kidding, it actually tasted pretty good. Too bad I have no idea how to order it again.

The top thing is a meat-filled bun called baozi. It tasted pretty good, so good that I ate 10 of them before I realized I should take a picture to commemorate my first Chinese breakfast. Underneath the baozi, there is some bird's nest stuff... I don't think it was edible, but maybe I missed out on a delicacy. The bottom thing is... I have no idea what it's called, but like the baozi, it was good. Although I still have no idea whether or not this is breakfast food... or how to order it tomorrow.

Luxury

After I'd fueled up with food, I decided to go lift some weights. Problem was, the airline lost my backpack that had my workout clothes. So I decided to go to the mall and buy some new ones. The mall was is a block away from my university, and already a few people had warned me that it was expensive.

I figured it was China, everything was relatively cheap (my breakfast cost me 75 cents), nothing could be THAT expensive. I was wrong- when I got to the mall, I couldn't see anything but luxury designer stores. Great, I thought, I can get some Gucci sweatpants to go with my Prada socks and Ermenegildo Zegna wifebeater.

I ended up finding some reasonably priced Adidas stuff that has the Beijing 2008 Olympics logo on it- I think that Adidas is the official sponsor.

After I finished shopping, I found that "jet lag" is a wonderful justifier of naps.

More posts to come (maybe later tonight), where I'll talk about navigating the hazardous traffic, describe the pollution, and recount my first experience in some real Beijing slums.

In China...

I learned something interesting last night- according to the accountant with whom I ate dinner, in China it isn't manly to order cold water. According to him, you should drink near-boiling hot water instead, lest risk looking like the guy at a North American bar who orders a Smirnoff Ice.

After politely dissuading my drink preferences, this same guy also made a funny comment about the food here. After telling me he liked gambling on a trip to Niagara Falls, I said it was too bad that it's banned in China. He laughed and said "that's okay for you, because you're gambling every time you order food here!"

I thought that was pretty funny, and true. I'm going out now- to "gamble" a bit for breakfast.

I think I'm going to like it here.

The Flight

For anyone, spending more than 12 hours on a plane is daunting. My flight yesterday from Toronto to Beijing was no exception. Luckily, there were some amenities to keep me entertained- namely the in-seat personal TV touchscreens. If you've used these before, you'll know how great they are- you can choose from over 50 movies and TV shows. I watched 2 movies, a few episodes of the Office, and read books and magazines. Before I knew it the 12 hours had passed, and I was in Beijing.

The Toronto-Beijing flight takes an unusual route- instead of flying west over the Pacific Ocean or east over the Atlantic, it flies north. So I got to fly over the Northwest territories, Siberia, and even the North Pole.

Here's a picture of Siberia- you can see mountains, and a curving, frozen river:

And here's one from Northern China- I thought it was pretty how the curving rivers contrast with the straight lines that the two squarish cities at the bottom. It was also amazingly clear- this picture's from 30,000 feet.

The food

I ate my first meal in China at KFC. Kind of a cop-out, I know, but it was delicious. KFC in China is a little different from KFC in North America. In China, half of the menu advertises the usual fried chicken, but the other half advertises variations on, of all things, fried cod burgers.

After digesting the KFC, I got a little more adventurous and walked to a supermarket. Again, it was a mix of the familiar and the unfamiliar. Among the crowds of people playing bumper cars with their shopping carts, there were the usual fruit stands and aisles of packaged products. But, there were also booths where chefs cooked Chinese pastries and dumplings, and even open tanks of seafood, where I watched a crab climb out and crawl along the floor for two seconds before a watchful employee diligently scooped it back into the tank. Funnily enough, one section of the supermarket was labeled "Western goods." I'll name a few items, they had Frosted Flakes, pasta, instant oatmeal, and many others. However, even though the supermarket was crowded, this section was completely empty.

After buying some groceries, I decided to try a nearby restaurant. I had two choices for dinner- Dairy Queen, or some place that had no recognizable Western logo. This time, I was adventurous. I went inside, couldn't read most of the characters on the menu, and ordered by random pointing. What arrived at my table looked like a bowl of the orange liquid you sometimes find on the top and bottom of a very greasy pizza. Floating on the orange liquid were chunks of beef, noodles and strange vegetables that resembled eggplant/lettuce hybrids. And you know what, it wasn't the best meal of my life, but I had never eaten anything like it before, and it tasted alright. Nevertheless, just to be safe, when I got home, I did an Operation Iraqi Freedom on my indigestion and drank a preemptive shot of Pepto Bismol. After that, I felt fine.

Being a foreigner

After that, I had some time to reflect on my first day as an outsider in a foreign country. So far, everyone I've talked to has been very nice. At dinner in the Chinese restaurant, A lot of things are different here- But the thrill of having new experiences makes up for not yet feeling used to the country.

Probably the funniest part of experiencing China is being a bumbling foreigner. The so hard- although I can survive with my 3 semesters of Chinese, I'm hardly fluent. And some areas of my communication are better than others- I know a lot of vocabulary for getting to know someone, but can't really order food. And even when I manage to produce a coherent sentence, the response usually comes back at me so quickly that I can hardly understand.

Most importantly, unlike areas of Europe, where locals will speak English to you if they hear you struggling with their native language, not all Chinese will do this. They'll keep speaking Mandarin. I think it's partly because they think it's hilarious when I misspeak. I don't mind though, I feel like a North American Borat. Wo xihuan! (I like!)

The bottom line is even though it's a new place, everyone I've met, including my taxi driver, the student who gave me directions, and many waitresses and shop employees, have all been friendly and helpful. I think I'm going to like it here.

I'm here!

I'm writing this post on pure adrenaline. Since I last slept 30 hours ago, I've flown over the North Pole, arrived at my home for the next 4 months, and eaten my first real Beijing food.

Speaking of that Beijing food, right now I'm going to go have a preemptive Pepto Bismol. Then I think I'll call it a night. More updates to come tomorrow, as well as photos from 30,000 feet.