****Spoiler Alert****
This is the nice, candy coated version of my weekend in Shanghai that I wrote for class. In actuality the weekend sucked really badly. The tour guide thoroughly wasted my time and if I had know that I could leave the group and gone off on my own I would have done so in a heartbeat.
Finally! Finally in my five weeks of being in Beijing I was given the opportunity to travel for a weekend, although not on my terms, but I got to travel nonetheless. Although I have been thoroughly enjoying exploring Beijing, before I arrived in China I had planned to spend many of my weekends seeing different areas of the country but had yet to do so. Included in the program fee for the summer in Beijing are two trips- one to Shanghai and one to Xi’an. Much of the organization and implementation of this trip was not to my liking, but I will try to avoid referencing the negative experiences and focus of the things I truly enjoyed because so many of my past writings have dealt with things I have not enjoyed.
Unfortunately, the weekend started out on quite a sour note and set the mood for the weekend. Even though we were provided with railway tickets from Beijing to Shanghai, we had to find our transportation to the train station either by taxicab or subway. This is where we ran into most of our troubles. See, as we needed to leave for the train station there were not any taxicabs driving past our dormitories so someone suggested that we walk out to the main road just outside the gate to try and hail cabs and if there were no cabs we would walk to the subway station in Wudaokou, a twenty to thirty minute walk. Typically this would be a very valid suggestion except for the fact that we happened to be in the middle of a thunderstorm. As to be expected in this sort of a situation, there were no available taxis so we made the “Long March” to the Wudaokou subway station in the thunder and lightning. Just as an aside, I think that me styling my hair (blow drying or straightening) is an indicator that it will rain in Beijing because every time I have done so it has rained.
The rain was so hard that I was soaked through although I had an umbrella and was wearing a rain jacket. Even my weatherproof hiking backpack could not stand up to the conditions and all my belongings for the weekend were drenched. About halfway to Wudaokou we found an empty taxi but he would not take us the rest of the way. I’m not sure that the driver’s reasoning was but it could have been that he did not want to get the inside of his car wet, the trip was too close, or that he was hoping to go in another direction. So we continued in the direction of the subway, discouraged and angry at the person who made the decision to walk and received a text message that they had already boarded the subway without us and was on their way to the train station.
Once on the subway we had a rather uneventful trip aside from the exit we needed to get off on was closed. The rain had subsided by now and bystanders told us that the train station was not far away so we decided to walk the rest of the way. The road leading to the train station forked, and with our great luck we chose to take the wrong side of the fork, making the ten minute walk a forty minute walk. By the time we got to the train station we had eight minutes until the train departed, so we all started sprinting through the station to find our platform and train. Luckily all twenty-six of us made it onto the train without any problems and we were on our way to Shanghai. After all that excitement I was exhausted and crawled into my bunk on the cabin to get a good night’s rest.
Upon departing the train station we were met by our tour guide and bus driver for the weekend. Our first stop was to the Oriental Pearl TV Tower where we went to the 263 meter high viewing platform. Although the Oriental Pearl TV Tower is very much the icon of Shanghai’s skyline and often stunning in photographs, I found the building to be quite an eyesore. We were lucky enough to visit Shanghai on a clear day so being on the observation level provided outstanding bird’s eye views of the Pudong and Puxi districts of Shanghai.
A quick bus ride took us to The Bund on the Puxi side of the river separating the two districts. Here there were great views of the Shanghai skyline from the street level as well as vendors hawking kites, “Rolexes,” and assorted children’s toys at all the tourists. Because we were there during the day we did not get to see all the building lit up, but I have heard that the buildings at night are beautiful. From The Bund we took a short walk to a teahouse and had a viewing of a traditional tea ceremony. At the teahouse we were able to try green, jasmine, ginger, black, and lychee teas. The teahouse was immaculately decorated with elaborate tea sets, jade carvings, and water features, and the tea ceremony presented was very different from the ones I had attended while browsing tea shops in Hong Kong several years ago. Here, the teas were brewed in a glass container with the tea sitting in a strainer on top but at the shops in Hong Kong every shop owner brewed the teas in small clay teapots known as YiXing teapots for the city they come from. They were all very methodical about the process of preparing the tea, cleaning all supplies with plenty of boiling water as well as the teapot once the leaves were inserted to brew. The tea was not considered ready to drink until the water poured on the teapot had evaporated. Visiting this teahouse was the first sign that we would be visiting all the quintessential tourist stops.
From the teahouse we wandered across town to have lunch and then shopping at the Xiang Yang market. The market used to be a sprawling outdoor market peddling every knock off good one could imagine but was shut down in 2006 under pressure from the United States and many of its companies doing business with China. Intellectual-property rights are the single largest irritant in Sino-U.S. ties because 70% of all counterfeit good seized by U.S. Customs were made in China. Although the government pushed the market underground, it recently reopened inside a several story building, similar to that of Silk Street Market in Beijing. I personally had no interest in shopping and haggling with the vendors so instead I took to the streets of Shanghai and explored the surrounding neighborhood. The surroundings of Xiang Yang appeared to be very drab and plain, but after some exploration I found the hidden beauty in the residential neighborhood. Across the street were a local flower market and an outdoor grocery. Individual stalls focused on selling a specific product and very much reminded me of a Farmer’s Market in the United States.
Continuing to walk away from Xiang Yang lead me through a series of apartment buildings and local convenience shops that offered some insight into the lives of the local people. I was not surprised by the setup of the apartments, shops, and daily necessities strewn everywhere because the arrangements were similar to what is seen in Beijing, but I fell in love with the contrast of a simplistic life set against a sprawling urban jungle. The further I got from Xiang Yang the more I saw the disparity of modern comforts with bygone treasures. The most striking element of the neighborhood was a massive pagoda at its center surrounded by two rock garden fountains. Surrounding the pagoda and fountains were old buildings with the bottom floors renovated and turned into modern storefronts, hosting a KFC, McDonalds, and many clothes stores. What I had stumbled upon ended up being the Longhua Pagoda and Temple, the largest temple and active Buddhist center in Shanghai. Without my desire to wander off the beaten tourist track, I would have never known that such a unique and sprawling cultural relic was just around the corner.
From Xiang Yang the tour guide took us to Yu Yuan and Old Shanghai Road. Unfortunately because we were allotted so much time to shop at Xiang Yang, we could only view Yu Yuan and not spend any time wandering through Old Shanghai Road and the surrounding markets. I know that surrounding markets are of little historical value and are mostly all new construction but I would have much preferred spending my time exploring this area, taking in the sights and smells and enjoying a cup of tea at the Huxinting Teahouse built on stilts in the middle of a lake.
Regardless of my feelings towards the time schedule set up, I found Yu Yuan to be outstanding. The garden is of a much smaller scale then of those found in Beijing because it was privately owned as opposed to being built for the imperial court, but its small space was used to an advantage, creating many rooms with winding paths, waterways, and lush greenery with bonsai trees. I easily could have spent days wandering through the garden observing the scenery, relaxing, and thinking.
The evening ended with seeing an acrobatics show. The host of the show warned that our mouths would be wide open the entire time and did not think much about the warning. Once the show started, however I was in total awe of the stunts and contortions these people could do. My favorite acts definitely had to be the men leaping through hoops, the women spinning plates, and the motorcycle cage.
The next morning we went to a city on the outskirts of Shanghai that still lived according to old customs and ways. This old town was very quaint and was meant to be something similar to Williamsburg, VA (A city in the United States that reenacts old lifestyles), except that there were people who actually lived in the city and at the gate there was an entrance for city residents and visitors and the visitors must pay to get in. The town is centered on a canal where you could take gondola rides to see the city by water. As you cross the bridge to get to the other, more residential side of the city, sellers we offering fish to release into the water claiming that the wish will grant a wish. I was a little too skeptical to pay someone for a fish that they will turn around a recapture once I release it into the water, but plenty of people were buying them. The city streets were initially lined with tourist merchandise vendors but as you got further into the village you began to see the true way the people lived. Storefronts became fewer while homes grew in number, young children played under the supervision of old men who seemed to not even notice the passing by tourist. Although we could not enter the homes, it reminded me of what a hutong would be like in Beijing with a façade that lead to a courtyard with the homes and rooms all tucked away inside.
From the old town we drove back into Shanghai to visit the Jade Buddha Temple. Before our arrival, we were warned that the monks may be performing ceremonies and praying for the victims of the Sichuan earthquake and if so, we were not to take pictures of it. I am not sure if we witnessed the monks performing a ceremony or just a daily ritual but they were rather enthusiastic, playing drums and singing/chanting. Aside from chanting monks, the temple did offer many statues of Buddha, in jade and bronze. The first chamber we entered offer three adjacent Buddha’s which represent the Buddha in his three potential forms, past, present, and future, as well as the statue of the only female deity. The temple was home to two jade Buddha’s, one standing and one reclining. Both were beautiful jewel covered sculptures in pale green jade encased in rooms where one can donate money to the Temple and receive a small Buddha to be mounted to the wall surrounding the large Buddha in your honor. Maybe the people think that by giving money to the Temple they will looked at favorably in the eyes of Buddha when it came to the afterlife? I am not sure.
Before we had to meet for dinner and depart for the train back to Beijing, we had some free time to walk around. Nanjing Lu, the main shopping road in Shanghai was a quick cab ride away so that was where I headed. The area had several malls full of designer boutiques and merchandise selling the real versions of what was being sold in Xiang Yang. There were also many restaurants, cafes, and bars for nighttime entertainment for the many business travelers staying in the area.
Although we visited many sights of historic and cultural interest, I do think that I enjoy Beijing more as a whole. Beijing has such a great concentration of interesting sights, both new and old, that it would take a lifetime to experience it all. Shanghai is an interesting city with a booming nightlife scene, but I do not believe that I would want to live in a city that is so focused on a 9-5 business culture.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Theme of the week- studying
Hey! Sorry I haven't written in forever but honestly nothing exciting has been going on in my life. I've been studying like a mad woman for the past 3 or 4 days so that kind of puts a buzz kill on having fun. I'm going to Shanghai this weekend so that should be exciting! I'll be sure to have lots to say once I get back.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Another class essay on what I've done in Beijing
The first two weekends I have been in Beijing, the UF in Beijing office has taken us on planned excursions to the Great Wall at Badaling, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, and Temple of Heaven. This weekend we were supposed to visit Shanghai as a group as well, but due to the earthquakes in Sichuan Provence, the students from the UF in Chengdu program were relocated to Beijing and therefore delaying our trip. Because of the little short notice we received on the cancellation of the Shanghai trip, it left me without plans for the weekend. This was effectively my first weekend in Beijing without any planned trips so I decided to use it to my advantage to see Beijing on my terms.
Typically after class, I go eat lunch at one of the many cafeterias and then return to my bedroom to begin homework or studying. Because I did not have any immediate homework to be completed, instead of quickly returning home I spent time exploring areas of the Tsinghua University campus that I had yet to see. Shortly after I arrived in Beijing, I got lost on campus trying to find the classroom building. In my confusion, I walked past a beautiful flower garden and lake situated near the campus hospital. The park was not too far from the classroom building so I figured it would be a perfect way to start my weekend by relaxing and enjoying its beauty.
The colorful flowers that were in the front garden the first time I visited were no longer there, but the serenity of the water was, so I sat along the side of the lake next to a stone footbridge. The rippling water flowed alongside a tree lined pathway leading to an unknown area. I walked along the pathway, expecting to find more flower beds, bridges, and serenity, yet I encounter something I never expected to see. The walkway opened onto a wide courtyard with jubilant music and elderly men and women performing a choreographed dance. A little further into the park lead to a grassy knoll and a fountain cascading down a rock sculpture. The park was filled with grandparents and grandchildren playing, laughing, and generally having a pleasant time. I took comfort in the lush grass, sprawled out, and took a short nap. All the energy in the park inspired my creative notions, and spent the rest of my time writing, daydreaming, and doodling in my notebook.
I had previously not thought about what parents did with their children who are not yet old enough to attend school. In the United States, most children are sent to pre-school or day care while their parents are at work. Sending children to pre-school or day care offers many benefits to American parents. It not only provides care to children while their parents cannot supervise them, they toddlers are exposed to the germs and bacteria of other children which will build up their immune systems. It seems that in China, it becomes the responsibility of the grandparents to care for the young children. This seems to make much sense, considering that Eastern cultures are extremely oriented toward the family unit, often with many generations living within one house.
After my rest in the campus park, I wanted to keep with my theme of beautiful parks by joining some other students to visit the Summer Palace. Much of the Summer Palace was rebuilt by the Empress Dowager Cixi who demanded to be surrounded by beauty; she even spent the citizen’s tax dollars to build additional sites in her palace. We entered the Summer Palace with the masses of tour groups hoping to see its beauty as well. Since the Summer Palace is so large and spread out, we decided to only explore the front-hill area and come back another day to explore the rest. Immediately diverted from the path of the tour groups and found a side path to climb Longevity Hill. We followed a footpath cut through the tree-covered side of Longevity Hill. To our left were cliffs and to our right led deeper into the woods. As we made our way towards the Tower of Buddhist Incense, we saw animals, aside from the occasional pet dog, including chipmunks and several varieties of birds living in a natural environment. On Longevity Hill also was the first time I had experienced fresh air since being in Beijing. Living in the constant blanket of pollution, you take for granted how lovely a breath of fresh air is. The air was fragrant, smelling lightly of honeysuckle.
We wandered through the Tower of Buddhist Incense and then down the front of Longevity Hill, back to reality, back to the tourists. To make our way back across the Summer Palace, we took a boat ride across Kunming Lake. The ancient-style boats had large dragon heads at the bow. The ride across Kunming Lake offered gorgeous views of Longevity Hill, Gate of Dispelling Clouds, Hall of Dispelling Clouds, Hall of Moral Glory, Tower of Buddhist Incense, and Hall of the Sea of Wisdom. The boat docked close to the bronze ox that overlooks Kunming Lake. Oxen supposedly possess flood control powers so the bronze ox was placed alongside the lake in hopes of preventing floods and the destruction of the Summer Palace. Alongside the bronze ox is the Seventeen-Arch Bridge which connects to Nanhu Island. We crossed the windy bridge and explored the halls on Nanhu Island. I found it very funny to see some of the offerings people had left for the gods: Coca-Cola, Pepsi, loaves of bread, whole cakes, M&M’s, and dried fruit, all in groups of two.
The next day I went with another group of students to visit the Beijing Zoo and Aquarium. Our main goal was to visit the world class aquarium which resided within the grounds of the zoo. Ours, with probably most everyone else who enters the zoo made their first stop at the giant panda exhibit. I immediately realized that the Beijing Zoo was not maintained and designed to Western standards. The pandas, along with most other animals, are kept in small concrete enclosures with little or no greenery or other animals to interact with. At Western zoos, animals live and interact with each other (individual species) in large habitats mocking their natural one.
On our way to the aquarium, we decided to take speed boat rides that were offered along a river that bisected the zoo. I could only describe the experience as wild. This was no pleasure cruise along the river, but a hectic, rough, and most of all, fun. As the boat looped around to head back towards the dock, we saw a group of men bathing in the river. I still wonder why they were doing so because the water was filthy, which was only exacerbated by the boats making trips every couple of minutes.
We came to the zoo under the impression that admission to the aquarium was included in the ticket fare, but when we got the aquarium we were extremely mistaken. The admission price for the aquarium was not only separate, but more than I had spent on any one item thus far! There was only an hour left until the park closed so we decided that the admission was not worth it, but we would come back another day once we received our student identification cards.
Typically after class, I go eat lunch at one of the many cafeterias and then return to my bedroom to begin homework or studying. Because I did not have any immediate homework to be completed, instead of quickly returning home I spent time exploring areas of the Tsinghua University campus that I had yet to see. Shortly after I arrived in Beijing, I got lost on campus trying to find the classroom building. In my confusion, I walked past a beautiful flower garden and lake situated near the campus hospital. The park was not too far from the classroom building so I figured it would be a perfect way to start my weekend by relaxing and enjoying its beauty.
The colorful flowers that were in the front garden the first time I visited were no longer there, but the serenity of the water was, so I sat along the side of the lake next to a stone footbridge. The rippling water flowed alongside a tree lined pathway leading to an unknown area. I walked along the pathway, expecting to find more flower beds, bridges, and serenity, yet I encounter something I never expected to see. The walkway opened onto a wide courtyard with jubilant music and elderly men and women performing a choreographed dance. A little further into the park lead to a grassy knoll and a fountain cascading down a rock sculpture. The park was filled with grandparents and grandchildren playing, laughing, and generally having a pleasant time. I took comfort in the lush grass, sprawled out, and took a short nap. All the energy in the park inspired my creative notions, and spent the rest of my time writing, daydreaming, and doodling in my notebook.
I had previously not thought about what parents did with their children who are not yet old enough to attend school. In the United States, most children are sent to pre-school or day care while their parents are at work. Sending children to pre-school or day care offers many benefits to American parents. It not only provides care to children while their parents cannot supervise them, they toddlers are exposed to the germs and bacteria of other children which will build up their immune systems. It seems that in China, it becomes the responsibility of the grandparents to care for the young children. This seems to make much sense, considering that Eastern cultures are extremely oriented toward the family unit, often with many generations living within one house.
After my rest in the campus park, I wanted to keep with my theme of beautiful parks by joining some other students to visit the Summer Palace. Much of the Summer Palace was rebuilt by the Empress Dowager Cixi who demanded to be surrounded by beauty; she even spent the citizen’s tax dollars to build additional sites in her palace. We entered the Summer Palace with the masses of tour groups hoping to see its beauty as well. Since the Summer Palace is so large and spread out, we decided to only explore the front-hill area and come back another day to explore the rest. Immediately diverted from the path of the tour groups and found a side path to climb Longevity Hill. We followed a footpath cut through the tree-covered side of Longevity Hill. To our left were cliffs and to our right led deeper into the woods. As we made our way towards the Tower of Buddhist Incense, we saw animals, aside from the occasional pet dog, including chipmunks and several varieties of birds living in a natural environment. On Longevity Hill also was the first time I had experienced fresh air since being in Beijing. Living in the constant blanket of pollution, you take for granted how lovely a breath of fresh air is. The air was fragrant, smelling lightly of honeysuckle.
We wandered through the Tower of Buddhist Incense and then down the front of Longevity Hill, back to reality, back to the tourists. To make our way back across the Summer Palace, we took a boat ride across Kunming Lake. The ancient-style boats had large dragon heads at the bow. The ride across Kunming Lake offered gorgeous views of Longevity Hill, Gate of Dispelling Clouds, Hall of Dispelling Clouds, Hall of Moral Glory, Tower of Buddhist Incense, and Hall of the Sea of Wisdom. The boat docked close to the bronze ox that overlooks Kunming Lake. Oxen supposedly possess flood control powers so the bronze ox was placed alongside the lake in hopes of preventing floods and the destruction of the Summer Palace. Alongside the bronze ox is the Seventeen-Arch Bridge which connects to Nanhu Island. We crossed the windy bridge and explored the halls on Nanhu Island. I found it very funny to see some of the offerings people had left for the gods: Coca-Cola, Pepsi, loaves of bread, whole cakes, M&M’s, and dried fruit, all in groups of two.
The next day I went with another group of students to visit the Beijing Zoo and Aquarium. Our main goal was to visit the world class aquarium which resided within the grounds of the zoo. Ours, with probably most everyone else who enters the zoo made their first stop at the giant panda exhibit. I immediately realized that the Beijing Zoo was not maintained and designed to Western standards. The pandas, along with most other animals, are kept in small concrete enclosures with little or no greenery or other animals to interact with. At Western zoos, animals live and interact with each other (individual species) in large habitats mocking their natural one.
On our way to the aquarium, we decided to take speed boat rides that were offered along a river that bisected the zoo. I could only describe the experience as wild. This was no pleasure cruise along the river, but a hectic, rough, and most of all, fun. As the boat looped around to head back towards the dock, we saw a group of men bathing in the river. I still wonder why they were doing so because the water was filthy, which was only exacerbated by the boats making trips every couple of minutes.
We came to the zoo under the impression that admission to the aquarium was included in the ticket fare, but when we got the aquarium we were extremely mistaken. The admission price for the aquarium was not only separate, but more than I had spent on any one item thus far! There was only an hour left until the park closed so we decided that the admission was not worth it, but we would come back another day once we received our student identification cards.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
a culmination of everything
I have such mixed feeling about being here in Beijing sometimes. It's a combination of class, personal life here and at home, and what I am actually getting out of the experience. I don't have a knack for languages, ever since I was little and taking Spanish in elementary school. I wish that when I was growing up I was forced to learn other languages in school, not just offered one or two years and then stopping. As an American I feel like I am at such a disadvantage because all the other foreign student in Beijing (except the Americans) speak at least two language, most speaking more. I feel if I had learned other languages younger in life it would be easier to pick up Chinese. Now I am struggling with this, and often I feel like I am failing quite miserable because unlike everyone else in y class, I have to work my ass off to remember the words, characters, and their usage. And then once I've learned them I have to fight to remember them and not have them pushed out of my memory by a new set of vocabulary words. I feel like others here look down on me for not knowing as much as they do and for always needing help. And it doesn't help that our teacher speaks so little English that she usually cannot explain things to us. What I really liked about my teacher last year was that she broke things down into terms we understood, but this teacher assumes we know way more than we actually do.
I feel like this pressure is always on me because the group of students like to travel in pacts and not break up and do their own things. I want to go explore Beijing, and China, but most everyone wants to spend their days cooped up in the dorms. This is why I am so lucky to have found Dawson, one of the other students on the program. He also hates the group cliquishness but met some local students here and hangs out with them a lot. He also makes an effort to see one new part of the city each day. On Friday we went to the Summer Palace and on Monday we, along with his friend Chris, spent the afternoon at a cafe and then went to Chris's apartment to make dinner and relax while listening to good music and drinking good wine. The cafe which I have now begun frequenting is this great little place, three stories tables bathed in sunlight from the open windows, smelling of coffee, and playing great jazz in the background. I know I'm going to be spending a lot of time here. It has that indie vibe of Maude's and Cafe Gardens that I love so much. I think without meeting them I may have gone crazy. I get along with both of them so well because we are all free spirits- wanting to do things on out terms and not just because someone says so, and enjoy traveling, food, drink, all the finer things in life. We avoid the petty drama that surrounds us and prefer to be ignorant of it, only wanting to be worldly, cultured, and embracing the indie lifestyle.
I want to surround myself with people like this as much as possible because some people on this trip make me feel so unworthy of being here, and make me feel like less of a person. The culprits are the three girls Megan, Megan, and Jordan. They have become increasingly mean and exclusive in their actions towards me. They make me feel like there is something wrong with me and I suppose they talk about me behind my back. In a way I have to thank these girls for helping me reevaluate my life and explore who I really am because before I began hanging out with Dawson there seemed to be no one here who understood me. Sure, there are many people I get along with, but our relationships extend no further than having fun. I really missed my friends from home and really wanted them to be here with me. No one understands my Scrubs or How I Met Your Mother references or that I am a total ditz or that I can never tell when someone is poking fun at me and get really defensive about it. I didn't want to go home but wanted them to be in Beijing with me so we could experience this together (even the Asian-haters, I would make you come too). I am going to make a pledge to myself that the rest of the trip I am going to do as much as I can on my terms, spend it with the people I enjoy, and love every minute of being here.
I feel like this pressure is always on me because the group of students like to travel in pacts and not break up and do their own things. I want to go explore Beijing, and China, but most everyone wants to spend their days cooped up in the dorms. This is why I am so lucky to have found Dawson, one of the other students on the program. He also hates the group cliquishness but met some local students here and hangs out with them a lot. He also makes an effort to see one new part of the city each day. On Friday we went to the Summer Palace and on Monday we, along with his friend Chris, spent the afternoon at a cafe and then went to Chris's apartment to make dinner and relax while listening to good music and drinking good wine. The cafe which I have now begun frequenting is this great little place, three stories tables bathed in sunlight from the open windows, smelling of coffee, and playing great jazz in the background. I know I'm going to be spending a lot of time here. It has that indie vibe of Maude's and Cafe Gardens that I love so much. I think without meeting them I may have gone crazy. I get along with both of them so well because we are all free spirits- wanting to do things on out terms and not just because someone says so, and enjoy traveling, food, drink, all the finer things in life. We avoid the petty drama that surrounds us and prefer to be ignorant of it, only wanting to be worldly, cultured, and embracing the indie lifestyle.
I want to surround myself with people like this as much as possible because some people on this trip make me feel so unworthy of being here, and make me feel like less of a person. The culprits are the three girls Megan, Megan, and Jordan. They have become increasingly mean and exclusive in their actions towards me. They make me feel like there is something wrong with me and I suppose they talk about me behind my back. In a way I have to thank these girls for helping me reevaluate my life and explore who I really am because before I began hanging out with Dawson there seemed to be no one here who understood me. Sure, there are many people I get along with, but our relationships extend no further than having fun. I really missed my friends from home and really wanted them to be here with me. No one understands my Scrubs or How I Met Your Mother references or that I am a total ditz or that I can never tell when someone is poking fun at me and get really defensive about it. I didn't want to go home but wanted them to be in Beijing with me so we could experience this together (even the Asian-haters, I would make you come too). I am going to make a pledge to myself that the rest of the trip I am going to do as much as I can on my terms, spend it with the people I enjoy, and love every minute of being here.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Lovely, Lazy Sundays
Don't you hate those days where you just want to hang around in bed and veg out but feel bad about doing so because it is a waste of time? I do. And being here in Beijing on my "I want to do nothing" days is even harder because I am torn between staying in my room, exploring the city, and studying. I always know I need to be studying because the workload is super intense but there is so much I would rather be doing instead. Today is a really lazy Sunday because I didn't really have class on Friday (we had a test but when we were done our teacher let us go for the day instead of staying for another three hours) so I spent Friday and Saturday sightseeing. Now it's Sunday and I am a little worn out but it is a beautiful day want to just go wander around in the hutong's for a while but instead I am going to join a couple people going to study at a cafe. I know it is the more productive and smarter choice but I still feel like I have seen so little of the city in the three weeks I have been here. Then again, I still have another two months to wander and explore.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
The China's Best Yogurt?
Yesterday I found a TCBY. It was the most glorious thing I have seen since I've been here. I didn't even care that the only flavor was strawberry and they didn't have my favorite white chocolate mousse. It was delicous. Gosh I love frozen yogurt.
I think I should take a picture of me with the Chinese TCBY and send it in for the recruitment video. No matter where in the world we are, there is always an AEPhi at TCBY!
I think I should take a picture of me with the Chinese TCBY and send it in for the recruitment video. No matter where in the world we are, there is always an AEPhi at TCBY!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
This weekend's visit to Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, and Temple of Heaven
I will add pictures to this later because I haven't uploaded them to the computer yet.
This Saturday the UF in Beijing program visited Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and Temple of Heaven. This weekend’s trip was different from the one we had last weekend because the students from UF in Chengdu joined us. Because of the earthquake and the aftershocks in Sichuan Provence, the eight students were relocated for the summer to Beijing and Tsinghua University. This excursion was my first contact with these students, and I have to say it was a bit strange because after being here for two weeks, there has finally been a group dynamic developed, so to have them now joining us seemed to throw everyone for a loop. I feel for these students’s situation, however, as a whole I feel that there is little positive sentiment for them being in Beijing. Because of the increase in cost of living in Beijing versus Chengdu, the Beijing students now may not be able to visit Shanghai this upcoming weekend. On a positive note, with the arrival of the Chengdu students’ also brought our first year Chinese language teacher, Zhang laoshi.
On the bus ride to Tiananmen Square, we drove past something of great interest to me. One of the shops in the neighboring area was a knitting shop. I recently learned how to knit but did not bring any yarn or knitting needles with me on the airplane to China. Finding this shop on the side of the road was beyond exciting for me because I have been unsuccessful in finding any listing for knitting shops in Beijing online. Unfortunately, I do not know the exact location of the store, but if I had time to wander around the area one day, hopefully I could find it again.
The bus dropped us off for Tiananmen Square but there was still a five or so minute walk to get there. I really enjoyed the walk because it led us past the Former Legation Quarter. The tree lined streets and various International architectural styles of the buildings formed a stark contrast against the large stone square that is Tiananmen. I think when I go back in search of the knitting shop I will spend a good amount of time exploring the Former Legation Quarter as well. When I set sight on Tiananmen Square, I could immediately imagine the excitement and madness during the Cultural Revolution when it was so often packed with hundreds of thousands of China’s youth waving their little red books cheering in anticipation of seeing Chairman Mao.
For unexplained reasons, Tiananmen Square was blocked off to the pubic this particular morning and we were hurried along past the square and towards the Forbidden City by Chinese military officials. I knew that there is a large portrait of Chairman Mao hanging in Tiananmen Square, but I did not know that it was hanging on the entranceway, just below the emblem of China, to the Forbidden City. In my research before I came to China, I read much about the comingling of old China with new. Chairman Mao’s portrait on the entrance to the Forbidden City was a prime example of old and new China coming together.
To get into the Forbidden City, you must first walk through the Meridian Gate which has two protruding wings forming three sides of a square. The gate has five gateways and the central gateway is part of the Imperial Way. Only the Emperor was allowed to walk or ride through the Imperial Way, except for the Empress on the occasion of her wedding. Once past these gateways under chamber buildings you enter into the outer courtyard. The meticulous and detailed artwork on the buildings, from the vibrant roof tiles to the hand painted beams to the stone carvings lining the walls for good luck were outstanding. I was in awe from the very beginning. As I got further into the Forbidden City and closer to the inner courtyard, I became slightly bored with the different chambers because they all seemed to be exact replicas of each other. I do not think that the buildings being the same style is a negative thing by any means, but after spending quite some time exploring cookie cutter buildings it becomes repetitive. In the glory days of the Forbidden City during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, I can only imagine its grandeur and elegance as a sparkling example of the power of China.
The ancient Chinese were very religious and superstitious people, and many of their beliefs are reflected in the decorative aspects of the Forbidden City. All of the chambers are emblazoned with stones carved with cranes and dragons. The crane and dragon together symbolize family and bring protection to the inhabitants of the building. On the four corners of the roofs, sit eight dragons for protection and good luck because eight is a lucky number in China. Throughout the grounds of the Forbidden City there are sculptures of cranes, dragons, turtles, and lions to protect the emperor, his family, and the government officials working within the city. Within the Forbidden City, all of the building roofs are covered with yellow tiles because it is the color of the emperor; however, the library has black roof tiles because it represents water and they did not want the library and its knowledge to burn down in case of fire.
My favorite part of the Forbidden City without a doubt was the Imperial Gardens. The flawlessly maintained greenery as well as the rock gardens and pagodas were far superior to anything that I anticipated. Never in my life did I think I would consider rocks to be as beautiful as the formations, archways, and silhouettes that are in the Imperial Garden. The roughness of the rock formations were set off by lush greens, pagodas, and gazebos for relaxation and thinking. One of the most touching and romantic areas of the Imperial Garden was the trees with branches that grew intertwined. Many of the emperors with their new wives took pictures standing in front of these trees because they symbolized eternal love and ascending to the heavens together in the afterlife. Because of my love for gardens, I tried to rush through the rest of the Forbidden City in order to maximize the time I could wander around the Imperial Gardens.
As we were preparing to leave the Forbidden City and depart for lunch and the Temple of Heaven, we realized that one of our fellow classmates had not returned to our meeting spot outside the north gate. After waiting for thirty minutes and many attempts to reach him on his cell phone for which the battery had died, our program director Helen decided it would be best to have the group continue onto lunch while the assistant program director, Sarah, stayed behind to wait for him. As it turned out, he had walked to the south gate of the Forbidden City where we had entered, left the premises, and once he realized that we were supposed to meet at the northern gate, was not allowed back into the Forbidden City on the ticket he had but needed to purchase a new one. Somehow he eventually got into contact with the program directors and met back up with the group to join our sightseeing group at the Temple of Heaven.
The Temple of Heaven only added to the bliss I was in from visiting the Imperial Gardens in the Forbidden City. The Temple of Heaven is quite spread out within a large park so you can visit the main sights as well as depart from the crowds to find some peace within the lush and spacious garden. Towards the entrance to the park, there were many street musicians performing a combination of lyrical and instrumental music. For me, the relaxed and cheerful musicians set the tone for the rest of my afternoon in the Temple of Heaven. My first stop was to the Circular Altar. Growing up in South Florida, I often visited the Walt Disney World theme parks where in the China area of a park was a mock Circular Altar. I was always astounded by its beauty and when I decided I was going to study in Beijing, I knew going to visit the Temple of Heaven would be one of my first destinations.
The Circular Altar was surrounded by three buildings which had been turned into mini museums with information and models of the altar. I chose to visit these first before ascending the three levels of stairs to reach the base of the Circular Altar. After viewing the three halls and building the anticipation for seeing the Circular Altar up close, I must say I found it to be spectacular. The colors, detailing, and accents were vibrant and lively. Although it was only one structure, I liked the Circular Altar more than the whole of the Forbidden City (except for the gardens).
Since I was so blown away by the Imperial Gardens at the Forbidden City, I chose to explore the grounds and gardens of the Temple of Heaven instead of continuing my sightseeing tour to the Echo Wall. I wandered towards the rose garden and garden of one hundred flowers with few expectations except to see beautiful flowers. The rose garden had roses in every color and shade imaginable- solids, blends, and fades. And these were not small rose bushes, on average each bush was four to five feet high and several feet wide. One of the most stunning sights was the red rose bushes that were not pruned back but allowed to grow freely. The huge red flowers covered the entire bush like armor for the plant and its fragrant aroma lingered in the air.
This Saturday the UF in Beijing program visited Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and Temple of Heaven. This weekend’s trip was different from the one we had last weekend because the students from UF in Chengdu joined us. Because of the earthquake and the aftershocks in Sichuan Provence, the eight students were relocated for the summer to Beijing and Tsinghua University. This excursion was my first contact with these students, and I have to say it was a bit strange because after being here for two weeks, there has finally been a group dynamic developed, so to have them now joining us seemed to throw everyone for a loop. I feel for these students’s situation, however, as a whole I feel that there is little positive sentiment for them being in Beijing. Because of the increase in cost of living in Beijing versus Chengdu, the Beijing students now may not be able to visit Shanghai this upcoming weekend. On a positive note, with the arrival of the Chengdu students’ also brought our first year Chinese language teacher, Zhang laoshi.
On the bus ride to Tiananmen Square, we drove past something of great interest to me. One of the shops in the neighboring area was a knitting shop. I recently learned how to knit but did not bring any yarn or knitting needles with me on the airplane to China. Finding this shop on the side of the road was beyond exciting for me because I have been unsuccessful in finding any listing for knitting shops in Beijing online. Unfortunately, I do not know the exact location of the store, but if I had time to wander around the area one day, hopefully I could find it again.
The bus dropped us off for Tiananmen Square but there was still a five or so minute walk to get there. I really enjoyed the walk because it led us past the Former Legation Quarter. The tree lined streets and various International architectural styles of the buildings formed a stark contrast against the large stone square that is Tiananmen. I think when I go back in search of the knitting shop I will spend a good amount of time exploring the Former Legation Quarter as well. When I set sight on Tiananmen Square, I could immediately imagine the excitement and madness during the Cultural Revolution when it was so often packed with hundreds of thousands of China’s youth waving their little red books cheering in anticipation of seeing Chairman Mao.
For unexplained reasons, Tiananmen Square was blocked off to the pubic this particular morning and we were hurried along past the square and towards the Forbidden City by Chinese military officials. I knew that there is a large portrait of Chairman Mao hanging in Tiananmen Square, but I did not know that it was hanging on the entranceway, just below the emblem of China, to the Forbidden City. In my research before I came to China, I read much about the comingling of old China with new. Chairman Mao’s portrait on the entrance to the Forbidden City was a prime example of old and new China coming together.
To get into the Forbidden City, you must first walk through the Meridian Gate which has two protruding wings forming three sides of a square. The gate has five gateways and the central gateway is part of the Imperial Way. Only the Emperor was allowed to walk or ride through the Imperial Way, except for the Empress on the occasion of her wedding. Once past these gateways under chamber buildings you enter into the outer courtyard. The meticulous and detailed artwork on the buildings, from the vibrant roof tiles to the hand painted beams to the stone carvings lining the walls for good luck were outstanding. I was in awe from the very beginning. As I got further into the Forbidden City and closer to the inner courtyard, I became slightly bored with the different chambers because they all seemed to be exact replicas of each other. I do not think that the buildings being the same style is a negative thing by any means, but after spending quite some time exploring cookie cutter buildings it becomes repetitive. In the glory days of the Forbidden City during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, I can only imagine its grandeur and elegance as a sparkling example of the power of China.
The ancient Chinese were very religious and superstitious people, and many of their beliefs are reflected in the decorative aspects of the Forbidden City. All of the chambers are emblazoned with stones carved with cranes and dragons. The crane and dragon together symbolize family and bring protection to the inhabitants of the building. On the four corners of the roofs, sit eight dragons for protection and good luck because eight is a lucky number in China. Throughout the grounds of the Forbidden City there are sculptures of cranes, dragons, turtles, and lions to protect the emperor, his family, and the government officials working within the city. Within the Forbidden City, all of the building roofs are covered with yellow tiles because it is the color of the emperor; however, the library has black roof tiles because it represents water and they did not want the library and its knowledge to burn down in case of fire.
My favorite part of the Forbidden City without a doubt was the Imperial Gardens. The flawlessly maintained greenery as well as the rock gardens and pagodas were far superior to anything that I anticipated. Never in my life did I think I would consider rocks to be as beautiful as the formations, archways, and silhouettes that are in the Imperial Garden. The roughness of the rock formations were set off by lush greens, pagodas, and gazebos for relaxation and thinking. One of the most touching and romantic areas of the Imperial Garden was the trees with branches that grew intertwined. Many of the emperors with their new wives took pictures standing in front of these trees because they symbolized eternal love and ascending to the heavens together in the afterlife. Because of my love for gardens, I tried to rush through the rest of the Forbidden City in order to maximize the time I could wander around the Imperial Gardens.
As we were preparing to leave the Forbidden City and depart for lunch and the Temple of Heaven, we realized that one of our fellow classmates had not returned to our meeting spot outside the north gate. After waiting for thirty minutes and many attempts to reach him on his cell phone for which the battery had died, our program director Helen decided it would be best to have the group continue onto lunch while the assistant program director, Sarah, stayed behind to wait for him. As it turned out, he had walked to the south gate of the Forbidden City where we had entered, left the premises, and once he realized that we were supposed to meet at the northern gate, was not allowed back into the Forbidden City on the ticket he had but needed to purchase a new one. Somehow he eventually got into contact with the program directors and met back up with the group to join our sightseeing group at the Temple of Heaven.
The Temple of Heaven only added to the bliss I was in from visiting the Imperial Gardens in the Forbidden City. The Temple of Heaven is quite spread out within a large park so you can visit the main sights as well as depart from the crowds to find some peace within the lush and spacious garden. Towards the entrance to the park, there were many street musicians performing a combination of lyrical and instrumental music. For me, the relaxed and cheerful musicians set the tone for the rest of my afternoon in the Temple of Heaven. My first stop was to the Circular Altar. Growing up in South Florida, I often visited the Walt Disney World theme parks where in the China area of a park was a mock Circular Altar. I was always astounded by its beauty and when I decided I was going to study in Beijing, I knew going to visit the Temple of Heaven would be one of my first destinations.
The Circular Altar was surrounded by three buildings which had been turned into mini museums with information and models of the altar. I chose to visit these first before ascending the three levels of stairs to reach the base of the Circular Altar. After viewing the three halls and building the anticipation for seeing the Circular Altar up close, I must say I found it to be spectacular. The colors, detailing, and accents were vibrant and lively. Although it was only one structure, I liked the Circular Altar more than the whole of the Forbidden City (except for the gardens).
Since I was so blown away by the Imperial Gardens at the Forbidden City, I chose to explore the grounds and gardens of the Temple of Heaven instead of continuing my sightseeing tour to the Echo Wall. I wandered towards the rose garden and garden of one hundred flowers with few expectations except to see beautiful flowers. The rose garden had roses in every color and shade imaginable- solids, blends, and fades. And these were not small rose bushes, on average each bush was four to five feet high and several feet wide. One of the most stunning sights was the red rose bushes that were not pruned back but allowed to grow freely. The huge red flowers covered the entire bush like armor for the plant and its fragrant aroma lingered in the air.
impressions Great Wall for class paper
It has always been a dream of mine to visit the Great Wall of China. I imagined climbing that majestic wall would be a spiritual and enlightening experience; walking along one of the world’s oldest remaining manmade structures would ground me and help me realize what man can do. The wall, which snakes through several thousand miles of China’s countryside over deserts, mountains, and plains, is a testament to China’s ability to live in the future while embracing its history. This past Saturday, I visited the Badaling section of the Great Wall and was amazed and highly disappointed simultaneously.
Upon my arrival at the Great Wall, I did not fathom the extent to how tourist-centric it would be. Immediately upon arrival, there were shops selling everything from water and food to t-shirts to mini sculptures of the wall. As we came closer to the entrance, the stores disappeared, but not for long. After going through the turnstiles, climbers have the option of going to the left or the right. Seeing the right path densely packed with bodies made it an easy choice to go left. Taking the left-hand path meant I was climbing the harder and significantly steeper section of the wall. I am very glad that I wore sneakers and a wind jacket because the stone walkways were often slippery and the further I made it up the wall the more the wind whipped my torso.
Lining the sides of the Great Wall were vendors selling more knick-knacks then one would know what to do with. The vendors were aggressive too; the entire way up to the watchtower, I had to fend off merchants trying to sell me things. One could buy wall hangings, painted globes, chess sets, designer knockoffs, hats and t-shirts, engraved plaques, certificates, and personalized mugs stating that you had climbed the Great Wall. What bothered me the most was once I made it to the top watchtower, there was an area set aside where you could dress up like an ancient Chinese warrior and pretend to battle. Everything about this experience screamed commercial tourist trap.
After we left the Great Wall, the group all went for lunch in HaiDian District and then to Silk Street Market. The bus ride back into Beijing was absolutely breathtaking. The road wound through the mountains, rising and falling with the landscape. My only complaint about the bus ride was that the mountainous terrain caused the pressure in my ears to build up and I could not get rid of it for three days!
When Americans think of shopping for inexpensive, designer knockoff goods, they think of Chinatown in New York City. When shopping for inexpensive, designer knockoff goods in China, people think of Silk Street Market. This market is a four-story eyesore hawking every kind of imposter product you can think of. Floor one is dedicated to shoes, handbags, and accessories. Floors two and three to clothing, not limited to t-shirts, dress shirts, dresses and skirts, and suits. And floor four to appliances and electronics.
Shopping and negotiating in Silk Street Market was above and beyond my expectations after negotiating at the Great Wall. Here the sales people were rude, pushy, insulting, and most of all relatively carefree if they lose your sale because they know that there are more clueless tourists who will buy at higher prices and larger quantities. In trying the buy the same shirt in five different stalls, I was offered the opening prices anywhere between 280RMB-780RMB. I was able to negotiate each vendor down to between 50RMB and 70RMB, and eventually I purchased the top for 50RMB. I was having a difficult time staying in the market long enough to purchase my shirt but others in my group walked out of the market with armfuls of items! As a whole, they all agreed that they felt they overpaid for most of their purchases, yet they all wanted to come back later and purchase more items.
The Badaling section of the wall is the most popular section of the Great Wall because it is closest to Beijing, only about 45 minutes out of the city. If the day was not so hazy, Badaling would have offered beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. Much of this section has been restored to endure the heavy traffic it receives. Much of the Badaling wall has been rebuilt and have handrails installed. The Badaling Great Wall was promoted as a key national cultural relic and protected under the approval of the State Council in 1961. In 1988, it was enlisted in the World Cultural Heritage Directory by UNESCO. July 7, 2007 has once again witnessed the worldwide reputation that the Great Wall gained: it was listed among the New Seven Wonders of the World.
Upon my arrival at the Great Wall, I did not fathom the extent to how tourist-centric it would be. Immediately upon arrival, there were shops selling everything from water and food to t-shirts to mini sculptures of the wall. As we came closer to the entrance, the stores disappeared, but not for long. After going through the turnstiles, climbers have the option of going to the left or the right. Seeing the right path densely packed with bodies made it an easy choice to go left. Taking the left-hand path meant I was climbing the harder and significantly steeper section of the wall. I am very glad that I wore sneakers and a wind jacket because the stone walkways were often slippery and the further I made it up the wall the more the wind whipped my torso.
Lining the sides of the Great Wall were vendors selling more knick-knacks then one would know what to do with. The vendors were aggressive too; the entire way up to the watchtower, I had to fend off merchants trying to sell me things. One could buy wall hangings, painted globes, chess sets, designer knockoffs, hats and t-shirts, engraved plaques, certificates, and personalized mugs stating that you had climbed the Great Wall. What bothered me the most was once I made it to the top watchtower, there was an area set aside where you could dress up like an ancient Chinese warrior and pretend to battle. Everything about this experience screamed commercial tourist trap.
Eventually I made it to the top and kept walking to get a reprieve from the hawkers. To no one’s surprise, when I continued walking there were more stalls of good to be sold to unsuspecting tourists. Since we were making a trip to Silk Street Market after lunch, I thought it would be wise to practice bargaining while I had the opportunity. I saw just how easy it was to negotiate the price down on an item to less than a quarter of its original asking price. While just on the other side of the watchtower, another student and I were negotiating a price on a wall hanging that he liked. We got the price down quite low but then realized that he did not have enough money with him to purchase the item. We had walked back through the watchtower and started to descend the slope when the merchant started chasing after us to continue negotiations. We tried to tell him in our broken Chinese that we did not have the money he offered for him to pay for the wall hanging in U.S. dollars. The price he quoted us in U.S. dollars was more than double the negotiated price in RMB! We quickly walked away and made our way back down the Great Wall.
After we left the Great Wall, the group all went for lunch in HaiDian District and then to Silk Street Market. The bus ride back into Beijing was absolutely breathtaking. The road wound through the mountains, rising and falling with the landscape. My only complaint about the bus ride was that the mountainous terrain caused the pressure in my ears to build up and I could not get rid of it for three days!
When Americans think of shopping for inexpensive, designer knockoff goods, they think of Chinatown in New York City. When shopping for inexpensive, designer knockoff goods in China, people think of Silk Street Market. This market is a four-story eyesore hawking every kind of imposter product you can think of. Floor one is dedicated to shoes, handbags, and accessories. Floors two and three to clothing, not limited to t-shirts, dress shirts, dresses and skirts, and suits. And floor four to appliances and electronics.
Shopping and negotiating in Silk Street Market was above and beyond my expectations after negotiating at the Great Wall. Here the sales people were rude, pushy, insulting, and most of all relatively carefree if they lose your sale because they know that there are more clueless tourists who will buy at higher prices and larger quantities. In trying the buy the same shirt in five different stalls, I was offered the opening prices anywhere between 280RMB-780RMB. I was able to negotiate each vendor down to between 50RMB and 70RMB, and eventually I purchased the top for 50RMB. I was having a difficult time staying in the market long enough to purchase my shirt but others in my group walked out of the market with armfuls of items! As a whole, they all agreed that they felt they overpaid for most of their purchases, yet they all wanted to come back later and purchase more items.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
another natural disater, honestly?
I really don't think anything noteworthy has happened since I last posted. I've had a cold the last week and every time I think it's getting better, the pollution get really bad and it starts to come back. Being sick has also really limited me going out at night too because all the restaurants and bars get really smoky so I can't breathe. Damn me having limited oxygen absorption!
Yesterday the kids from the UF in Chengdu first year program moved to Beijing for the rest of the summer. Chengdu was one of the areas that was affected by the earthquake so they didn't want them living in the wreckage. Aside from having to live through the earthquake and all, they are getting an awesome deal because they can get around better because it is easier to find English speakers in Beijing and their program is more than $3000 less then the cost of the Beijing program!
With this earthquake hitting China, it is official that when my family travels we bring bad luck upon that area. Within days of us being somewhere a natural disaster seems to occur. When in NYC there was a massive northeast blackout, in Thailand there was a tsunami, in New Orleans/Billouxi there was a hurricane, and now in China there is an earthquake. Seriously, we shouldn't be allowed to leave Aventura ever again.
Tomorrow we are going to the Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City, and Tianamen Square so I will post with pictures later. I realize that I never added my personal statement on visiting the Great Wall but it was pretty negative so I wasn't sure I wanted to but now I am reconsidering it.
Yesterday the kids from the UF in Chengdu first year program moved to Beijing for the rest of the summer. Chengdu was one of the areas that was affected by the earthquake so they didn't want them living in the wreckage. Aside from having to live through the earthquake and all, they are getting an awesome deal because they can get around better because it is easier to find English speakers in Beijing and their program is more than $3000 less then the cost of the Beijing program!
With this earthquake hitting China, it is official that when my family travels we bring bad luck upon that area. Within days of us being somewhere a natural disaster seems to occur. When in NYC there was a massive northeast blackout, in Thailand there was a tsunami, in New Orleans/Billouxi there was a hurricane, and now in China there is an earthquake. Seriously, we shouldn't be allowed to leave Aventura ever again.
Tomorrow we are going to the Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City, and Tianamen Square so I will post with pictures later. I realize that I never added my personal statement on visiting the Great Wall but it was pretty negative so I wasn't sure I wanted to but now I am reconsidering it.
Friday, May 16, 2008
things are looking up
So these couple of days have been much better than my last post made my time out here to be. I'm starting to feel really comfortable with what is going on in class and understanding more of what people are saying. I also haven't needed to spend every waking hour on homework either so that has taken a lot of stress off of not being able to see the city.
Thursday was an almost perfect day. I had class in the morning with a new teacher (our class is being team taught) so it was a little different but Josh and I laughed our way through the entire thing because of all the dumb comments from the token frat boy on the trip. I had barely any homework and the weather was really nice out so I went to study and relax on the lawn next to my building with Jordan (she's a girl fyi). While we were there a random French kid sat down next to us and we were talking with him for like 45 min. It was so random and he kept making fun of Jordan because her family forever ago was from Germany. Afterwards she and I went on a walk through campus and then met up with some other kids for dinner. The place we went to had hot pots and it was so nice for a change to have fresh prepared food instead of pointing to a vat of food and having some scooped out. That night we were planning on checking out a beer garden in WuDaoKou but once we were there we couldn't find it. This is the point in the night where everything got very "typical foreign student in Beijing" so we ended up going to Lush, a bar with a mostly foreign crowd. I was relaxed and having a great time singing along to the music from the early 90's when about half our group left to go to Propaganda, a club, again with a very foreign clientele. The four of us remaining eventually decided to join them. The club itself was a lot of fun and we danced the night away.
Friday was relatively uneventful. Everyone was really tired after class so for the most part everyone went back to their rooms to do their own thing. I found a website to stream How I Met Your Mother with Chinese subtitles so I've been trying to watch the while reading the Chinese. That night we went to HouHai, a lake surrounded by restaurants and bars. When we first got there, Matt, Megan H. (of the seven girls on the trip, three of them are named Megan), and I got separated from everyone else and walked halfway around the lake looking for them. We finally found them, but I felt like I was playing the role of Mama Goose making sure all my little goslings were in line and got home safely. We had to be up the next morning to go to the Great Wall so I wanted to make sure no one was too drunk or too lost because I could imagine trying to climb the Great Wall hungover would be pretty miserable.
Saturday the program director took us to see the Great Wall and to Silk Street Market, but I'll post about that later because I need to write another 5 page paper on my experience for class. That night I was utterly exhausted and not feeling so great so I called it an early night.
This morning, the first day I didn't have to get up early since I've been here, I was woken up very early by workers repainting the walls on my hall and feeling like I've come down with a cold. It seems that a couple other kids are starting to get sick as well so I've been staying in bed, resting, and drinking lots of water and emergen-c's. The wind today has been extremely strong and I can hear it whipping against my 9th floor windows. I'm kind of glad I'm actually staying in today because I'm sure all the dust and pollution would not help me feel any better.
Until next time...
Thursday was an almost perfect day. I had class in the morning with a new teacher (our class is being team taught) so it was a little different but Josh and I laughed our way through the entire thing because of all the dumb comments from the token frat boy on the trip. I had barely any homework and the weather was really nice out so I went to study and relax on the lawn next to my building with Jordan (she's a girl fyi). While we were there a random French kid sat down next to us and we were talking with him for like 45 min. It was so random and he kept making fun of Jordan because her family forever ago was from Germany. Afterwards she and I went on a walk through campus and then met up with some other kids for dinner. The place we went to had hot pots and it was so nice for a change to have fresh prepared food instead of pointing to a vat of food and having some scooped out. That night we were planning on checking out a beer garden in WuDaoKou but once we were there we couldn't find it. This is the point in the night where everything got very "typical foreign student in Beijing" so we ended up going to Lush, a bar with a mostly foreign crowd. I was relaxed and having a great time singing along to the music from the early 90's when about half our group left to go to Propaganda, a club, again with a very foreign clientele. The four of us remaining eventually decided to join them. The club itself was a lot of fun and we danced the night away.
Friday was relatively uneventful. Everyone was really tired after class so for the most part everyone went back to their rooms to do their own thing. I found a website to stream How I Met Your Mother with Chinese subtitles so I've been trying to watch the while reading the Chinese. That night we went to HouHai, a lake surrounded by restaurants and bars. When we first got there, Matt, Megan H. (of the seven girls on the trip, three of them are named Megan), and I got separated from everyone else and walked halfway around the lake looking for them. We finally found them, but I felt like I was playing the role of Mama Goose making sure all my little goslings were in line and got home safely. We had to be up the next morning to go to the Great Wall so I wanted to make sure no one was too drunk or too lost because I could imagine trying to climb the Great Wall hungover would be pretty miserable.
Saturday the program director took us to see the Great Wall and to Silk Street Market, but I'll post about that later because I need to write another 5 page paper on my experience for class. That night I was utterly exhausted and not feeling so great so I called it an early night.
This morning, the first day I didn't have to get up early since I've been here, I was woken up very early by workers repainting the walls on my hall and feeling like I've come down with a cold. It seems that a couple other kids are starting to get sick as well so I've been staying in bed, resting, and drinking lots of water and emergen-c's. The wind today has been extremely strong and I can hear it whipping against my 9th floor windows. I'm kind of glad I'm actually staying in today because I'm sure all the dust and pollution would not help me feel any better.
Until next time...
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Because I've been so bad at posting lately
Sorry I haven't posted anything about my time in Beijing so far! For class I had to write a paper on my first impressions and experiences in Beijing so I am just going to post that. It's very stream of consciousness so please excuse anything that doesn't make total sense.
Purchasing my bicycle was my first insight into the world of heavy negotiations before any purchase. Sophia haggled with the shop owner for several minutes until we came up with my best option of renting a bicycle for three months as opposed to purchasing one. With my new bicycle, I started exploring campus some more on my own, but not for too long because we had a group dinner in WuDaoKou. WuDaoKou is the neighborhood just outside the Tsinghua University and Peking University gates filled with shops, restaurants, bars, and clubs all catering the nearby students. A classmate and I shared a taxi ride to the restaurant. We showed the cab driver where on the map where we wanted to go, but he did not know where it was so we called the program director to give the driver directions. The driver either did not understand the directions or just did not listen to them because once we got to WuDaoKou, he pulled up to another university building and said that the restaurant was close. Neither of us knew where we were, it was our first time leaving the Tsinghua University campus. Luckily, there were students from the spring semester program joining us for dinner, so when I called the program director to tell her we were lost she sent one of the American students to come find us. We were not too far away from the restaurant, but we would never have been able to find it on our own.
Due to our tardiness from getting lost, there were no more seats with our new classmates, so we sat with the spring semester students which proved to be equally helpful in becoming acclimated to Beijing. The students had just come back from spring break and some traveled to Yunnan, Guangzhou, Inner Mongolia, and even to India. Hearing all their travel stories made me very excited for the opportunity to go out with my new classmates to travel and explore the rest of China. The meal that was served was equally interesting and diverse. There seemed to be an endless number food platters streaming from the kitchen. My favorite foods were taco style Peking duck, a noodle dish, vegetables, and duck pancreas. Yes duck pancreas, along with the various other “strange” foods I ate including deer antler cartilage, cuttlefish, and cow stomach. When dinner was over, I went home and prepared for class the next day.
Even though I am in China, I did not expect my language class to be taught solely in Chinese, yet it was. The first two days of class I felt very lost and confused because not only was I adjusting to my new teacher’s style, I had to learn it with her speaking Chinese. I was also having a difficult time focusing because the language classes at the University of Florida are for one hour each day but here we are in class for three hours each day. After the first afternoon, however, the group dynamic of my classmates all seemed to come together as we sat in the courtyard between our dormitory buildings to work on the very extensive and lengthy homework together. Finally, after day three of classes, I began to feel comfortable in the classroom and I picked up on most of what the teacher was saying. Hopefully I will be able to follow along in class for the rest of the semester as my language skills progress and I become more fluent in Chinese.
My first days in Beijing...
Being an international student, my first impressions of Beijing were of the airport. After a very long and sleepless flight, I arrived at Peking International Airport with another student from the UF in Beijing summer program. The architecture of the airport struck me as unusual because I was expecting a facility with a combination of modern and ancient designs. Instead I found a modern- leaning towards futuristic building with high domed ceilings and exposed metal finishing. After clearing customs and collecting my belongings, I began to realize just how much I would need to rely on my Chinese language skills when trying to exchange monies. If the tellers at the airport who interacted with foreigners daily did not even know general English phrases, it would be difficult to find others in the country who did speak English. I was introduced to the madness of Beijing traffic on our drive from the airport to the Tsinghua University dormitories. Not being accustomed to all the honking, tailgating, and high-speed driving that are commonplace to China made me quite the nervous passenger.
Arriving at Tsinghua University did not afford me the opportunity to see any of the campus because my dormitory is on the edge of campus, just inside the gates of the school. I found the typical whitewashed apartment-style buildings to be drab and depressing, even in the darkness. This feeling of disappointment for a lack of traditional architecture in Beijing would last for another two days. My dorm room reminded me of one of the living options in the University of Florida residence halls. A small room with a single bed, desk, armoire, with an attached bathroom and shower was where I was assigned to live for the next three months. The most shocking thing about the dormitory was the bed. American mattresses are supple, plush, and spring-loaded to offer a focus on comfort while the dormitory bed was a wood plank topped with a thin pad and sheets. At first I was horrified at the thought of sleeping on a piece of wood because I have had corrective back surgery so getting comfortable and not tossing and turning in the night is often a feat. The first night I slept surprisingly well, yet I am still doubtful as to whether it was caused by my exhaustion from traveling or that I actually found the accommodations comfortable.
My first whole day in Beijing proved to be as disappointing as the previous night had been. I had arrived to the program a day early in order to have a little more time to acclimate myself to my new home. After having a late breakfast, a classmate and I began exploring the campus and went shopping for essentials that were not necessarily worth bringing from home (ex. hand soap, clothes hangers, school supplies). The campus map we received upon arrival only highlighted main roads and buildings and my classmate was hesitant to stray from the map for fear of getting lost so we only walked along a main road to another campus gate. Everything I saw on my nearly hour walk was barren, dirty, and the buildings, in modern style, seemed to be very rundown. Was the China that we learn about in America with its lush landscaping and traditional or “Old China” architecture only reserved for the touristy temples and monuments? I could not believe this was true but I had yet to be proven wrong.
That night the rest of the students arrived to Tsinghua to discover that there were not enough single rooms available in the building I was currently living in along with the other students who arrived early. With the exception of five students, all of the students were living in suites one building over. I was very confused and began to be bitter towards the program staff because they had a habit of excluding information or give misleading information. When I checked into the dormitories the front desk staff promised that all twenty-five students would be living together. We were not told that the air conditioning in the bedrooms would not be working until a government approved date. We were never told when classes would be starting, and to the surprise of many students they started two days after their arrival and one day after orientation.
With many of my experiences in Beijing being disappointing thus far, I started to become homesick. I have been away from home every summer since I was in fifth grade, and this was the first time I have genuinely felt homesick. I wanted to be living with the other students so I could be a part of the spur of the moment activities and not secluded away from them. I wanted some more time to get to know my surroundings before I had to focus most of my attention to schoolwork. And most of all I wanted to be able to speak with my friends and family from home without worrying about whether they were awake or asleep because of the time change. China was not what I expected it to be and I wanted to return home to where I felt comfortable.
My feelings toward Tsinghua University and Beijing started to change on Sunday all due to traffic congestion. When I arrived to Beijing, I was assigned a language partner, a university student to help accommodate my initial needs, purchase a bicycle, and most importantly allow me to practice speaking Chinese with a native speaker. I met my language partner, Sophia, that morning at the program orientation in the Chinese language department building. Sophia and I agreed that having a bike would be the best form of transportation to get around campus. We were to meet at the same building, a twenty minute walk from my dormitory, later that afternoon. As I was approaching the building, I received a message from Sophia that she would be half an hour late. Instead of sitting in the lobby for thirty minutes, I decided to explore the west side of campus. I was immediately taken aback by the beauty of my surroundings: trees and flowers were placed with thought and purpose, small tables tucked away for students to relax, eat, and enjoy the scenery, a park where everyone from young children to old men stood flying kites while watching a game of pickup football. I continued walking and found beautiful traditional buildings and brick buildings that are so prominent on most American universities. I eventually found a rose garden which entirely changes my belief that there was no beauty in Beijing except for in tourist areas. Winding paths cut through squares of pink, peach, and purple roses and two stone bridges crossed the tributary running through campus. In the distance, a stonewalled astronomical observatory looked down onto the garden as if it was the keeper of the garden, knowing its secrets, the tales of the lovers sitting on the benches to the side, and a guardian of the children brought by their grandparents.
Arriving at Tsinghua University did not afford me the opportunity to see any of the campus because my dormitory is on the edge of campus, just inside the gates of the school. I found the typical whitewashed apartment-style buildings to be drab and depressing, even in the darkness. This feeling of disappointment for a lack of traditional architecture in Beijing would last for another two days. My dorm room reminded me of one of the living options in the University of Florida residence halls. A small room with a single bed, desk, armoire, with an attached bathroom and shower was where I was assigned to live for the next three months. The most shocking thing about the dormitory was the bed. American mattresses are supple, plush, and spring-loaded to offer a focus on comfort while the dormitory bed was a wood plank topped with a thin pad and sheets. At first I was horrified at the thought of sleeping on a piece of wood because I have had corrective back surgery so getting comfortable and not tossing and turning in the night is often a feat. The first night I slept surprisingly well, yet I am still doubtful as to whether it was caused by my exhaustion from traveling or that I actually found the accommodations comfortable.
My first whole day in Beijing proved to be as disappointing as the previous night had been. I had arrived to the program a day early in order to have a little more time to acclimate myself to my new home. After having a late breakfast, a classmate and I began exploring the campus and went shopping for essentials that were not necessarily worth bringing from home (ex. hand soap, clothes hangers, school supplies). The campus map we received upon arrival only highlighted main roads and buildings and my classmate was hesitant to stray from the map for fear of getting lost so we only walked along a main road to another campus gate. Everything I saw on my nearly hour walk was barren, dirty, and the buildings, in modern style, seemed to be very rundown. Was the China that we learn about in America with its lush landscaping and traditional or “Old China” architecture only reserved for the touristy temples and monuments? I could not believe this was true but I had yet to be proven wrong.
That night the rest of the students arrived to Tsinghua to discover that there were not enough single rooms available in the building I was currently living in along with the other students who arrived early. With the exception of five students, all of the students were living in suites one building over. I was very confused and began to be bitter towards the program staff because they had a habit of excluding information or give misleading information. When I checked into the dormitories the front desk staff promised that all twenty-five students would be living together. We were not told that the air conditioning in the bedrooms would not be working until a government approved date. We were never told when classes would be starting, and to the surprise of many students they started two days after their arrival and one day after orientation.
With many of my experiences in Beijing being disappointing thus far, I started to become homesick. I have been away from home every summer since I was in fifth grade, and this was the first time I have genuinely felt homesick. I wanted to be living with the other students so I could be a part of the spur of the moment activities and not secluded away from them. I wanted some more time to get to know my surroundings before I had to focus most of my attention to schoolwork. And most of all I wanted to be able to speak with my friends and family from home without worrying about whether they were awake or asleep because of the time change. China was not what I expected it to be and I wanted to return home to where I felt comfortable.
My feelings toward Tsinghua University and Beijing started to change on Sunday all due to traffic congestion. When I arrived to Beijing, I was assigned a language partner, a university student to help accommodate my initial needs, purchase a bicycle, and most importantly allow me to practice speaking Chinese with a native speaker. I met my language partner, Sophia, that morning at the program orientation in the Chinese language department building. Sophia and I agreed that having a bike would be the best form of transportation to get around campus. We were to meet at the same building, a twenty minute walk from my dormitory, later that afternoon. As I was approaching the building, I received a message from Sophia that she would be half an hour late. Instead of sitting in the lobby for thirty minutes, I decided to explore the west side of campus. I was immediately taken aback by the beauty of my surroundings: trees and flowers were placed with thought and purpose, small tables tucked away for students to relax, eat, and enjoy the scenery, a park where everyone from young children to old men stood flying kites while watching a game of pickup football. I continued walking and found beautiful traditional buildings and brick buildings that are so prominent on most American universities. I eventually found a rose garden which entirely changes my belief that there was no beauty in Beijing except for in tourist areas. Winding paths cut through squares of pink, peach, and purple roses and two stone bridges crossed the tributary running through campus. In the distance, a stonewalled astronomical observatory looked down onto the garden as if it was the keeper of the garden, knowing its secrets, the tales of the lovers sitting on the benches to the side, and a guardian of the children brought by their grandparents.
Purchasing my bicycle was my first insight into the world of heavy negotiations before any purchase. Sophia haggled with the shop owner for several minutes until we came up with my best option of renting a bicycle for three months as opposed to purchasing one. With my new bicycle, I started exploring campus some more on my own, but not for too long because we had a group dinner in WuDaoKou. WuDaoKou is the neighborhood just outside the Tsinghua University and Peking University gates filled with shops, restaurants, bars, and clubs all catering the nearby students. A classmate and I shared a taxi ride to the restaurant. We showed the cab driver where on the map where we wanted to go, but he did not know where it was so we called the program director to give the driver directions. The driver either did not understand the directions or just did not listen to them because once we got to WuDaoKou, he pulled up to another university building and said that the restaurant was close. Neither of us knew where we were, it was our first time leaving the Tsinghua University campus. Luckily, there were students from the spring semester program joining us for dinner, so when I called the program director to tell her we were lost she sent one of the American students to come find us. We were not too far away from the restaurant, but we would never have been able to find it on our own.
Due to our tardiness from getting lost, there were no more seats with our new classmates, so we sat with the spring semester students which proved to be equally helpful in becoming acclimated to Beijing. The students had just come back from spring break and some traveled to Yunnan, Guangzhou, Inner Mongolia, and even to India. Hearing all their travel stories made me very excited for the opportunity to go out with my new classmates to travel and explore the rest of China. The meal that was served was equally interesting and diverse. There seemed to be an endless number food platters streaming from the kitchen. My favorite foods were taco style Peking duck, a noodle dish, vegetables, and duck pancreas. Yes duck pancreas, along with the various other “strange” foods I ate including deer antler cartilage, cuttlefish, and cow stomach. When dinner was over, I went home and prepared for class the next day.
Even though I am in China, I did not expect my language class to be taught solely in Chinese, yet it was. The first two days of class I felt very lost and confused because not only was I adjusting to my new teacher’s style, I had to learn it with her speaking Chinese. I was also having a difficult time focusing because the language classes at the University of Florida are for one hour each day but here we are in class for three hours each day. After the first afternoon, however, the group dynamic of my classmates all seemed to come together as we sat in the courtyard between our dormitory buildings to work on the very extensive and lengthy homework together. Finally, after day three of classes, I began to feel comfortable in the classroom and I picked up on most of what the teacher was saying. Hopefully I will be able to follow along in class for the rest of the semester as my language skills progress and I become more fluent in Chinese.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
I probably should have done this before I left the states
Hey Everyone!
As you should know by know, I'm spending the next three months in Beijing, China! I hope to chronicle my journey and adventures through words and pictures on this blog so I can share them with you. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or just want to say hello you can contact me via email nicole.d.horwitz@gmail.com, cellphone 13552323475 (i believe the country code is 08), landline 51775290 (again, country code must be dialed first), or facebook.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy!
-Nicole
As you should know by know, I'm spending the next three months in Beijing, China! I hope to chronicle my journey and adventures through words and pictures on this blog so I can share them with you. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or just want to say hello you can contact me via email nicole.d.horwitz@gmail.com, cellphone 13552323475 (i believe the country code is 08), landline 51775290 (again, country code must be dialed first), or facebook.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy!
-Nicole
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