Can you imagine not needing to bring a packet of overpriced tissue paper with you whenever you use public toilets? It's very emancipating. No wonder the price of tissue packets here in Hong Kong is higher than that of China. Another thing I noticed here is that you can hear much more English everywhere. Obviously the ex-British colony would know English even though most locals just speak Cantonese. There are more ex-pats here and also people back from studying abroad in English-speaking countries.

Bikes and trikes in Hong Kong

Not surprisingly, I have't seen anybody use bicycles as a mode of transportation here in Hong Kong. In such a small space of a city with over 6 million people, there is definitely not enough space to sequester a bike lane let alone wide enough car lanes for the dense traffic! In addition, it's more hilly here as I can see buildings perched on top of not so distant mountains from my granny's flat.

I, however, did take time to go bike riding away from the city. Chris' cousin from Sydney is teaching English here for a couple years and he lives in the New Territories, a huge part of Kowloon that is considered to be more countryside than city center. There is a section we rode on by the water, the bike path reminding me of Stanley Park's seawall and the path along the Ottawa River all at the same time. I saw less people and the whole atmosphere was so laid back, I was in heaven. We ended up doing a "Hong Kong" barbeque, we had to start a fire in an area full of tar pits just for this purpose. (Yes, Mike. Even though it took us half an hour, we ended up starting a fire since we are all university graduates. . .) We were spearing chicken wings, sausages, fish meatballs, mushrooms. We ended up biking alongside the Plover Reservoir with green space, water and mountains all in the same area. From far away we could barely see the city highrises.

Local paper features consumer research

From the South China Morning Post (main English newspaper in Hong Kong), I read an article on consumerism. By the way, I really like this newspaper and I find that I can take hours reading news that only mentions a certain country (our 11th southern province) in a couple articles. This interesting article said that people (mostly women) between the ages of 30-50 have a shop till you drop mentality because they grew up when Hong Kong was experiencing a booming economy in the 70s. This is not a positive thing right now as Hong Kong's economy has shifted into suffering mode.

After-effects of the Handover (aka. Return to the homeland)

Although I've said that China is not as bad as I might have thought it would be in terms of governing, it can not be compared to what Hong Kong has been used to in the past. Right after being returned to China, people who have immigrated for fear of a sudden change to communist dictatorship started to return to HK because things did not seem to have changed at all. However, the economy is now starting to suffer and the governing is law is starting to turn its evil head.

China had promised that there be no changes for 50 years, but with the new bill section 23, people here are getting uneasy. This article states that citizens will be punished if they express or do anything inappropriate. What does that mean? Nobody knows, because it seems that the government refuses to go into more details, causing some Hong Kongnese to erupt in demonstrations.

Recently, at a music awards ceremony, a famous HK artist from a rock band gave a small speech before accepting his award. He was concerned that musicians and artists cannot view their sentiments after this bill is implemented, that the bill would be detrimental. However, this segment of his speech was cut off in the television broadcast. (The radio captured the entire things.) In defense, the TV station programmer states that the sole reason is that the show had to be shortened and that other performer's songs have been shortened as well. Is this already the start of censorhip? Nobody can prove it for sure.

Hong Kong can do no wrong

Gasp! This is not the Hong Kong I remembered visiting last time at all. You would think that over the years, a cities can only increase in population density, in pollution and in high rises. Well, I'm not saying that all the high rises disappeared over night cuz it didn't, but where is the familiar stench of overpowering car exhaust and other idiosyncracies of air pollution? The ground seems cleaner and I haven't once stepped on a glob of spittle never mind canine stool since I arrived into the train station from my 27 hour train ride from Shanghai. There isn't quite as many people walking about on the streets at I remembered either. After the Asian crisis and the recent couple years of economic decline, people are finding less and less time for consumerism. Even the taxis on the streets are looking forlorn with the "for hire" sign illuminated eerily in red neon.

Sigh! But this is the exact reason that I am beginning to become fond of this city. The state that Hong Kong was in before these particular changes really turned me off and it gave me the big HK-repellant attitude before leaving Canada. People here refuse to bargain. I went to the hair dresser's and the guy was telling me "You don't seem like you're from overseas. You try to bargain as though you're an old house wife." Of course, he can never understand how bargaining can take you miles in China and that prices are so much lower in the mainland! When you go out to eat here, it's the equivalent to Canada. (Although I went to an all you can eat Japanese meal in Shanghai and it was $30 Cdn!).

Hong Kong $$

"Please mind the doors!" The feminine and sultry MTR station (subway) voice announces in a British accent as I wait to get into the train. The double glass doors slides open before the train doors itself opens in case any lunatics passing by might attempt to push a surprised passenger in front of an on-coming train. There is an Octopus pass that you slide at terminals before entry and it deducts the money from your card when you exit at the arrival station. The pass works for city buses, trams and even some cake shops. Some passes even come in the form of a watch. It's amazing and it's costing a fortune to. When I went on a bike ride towards the countryside, it cost me 40 odd Hong Kong dollars. One HK dollar is the equiv of $4.98 CDN. Compared to the 3 kuai Beijing subway this is definitely a huge difference!

Ads here tell me "cheap eats", a meal for $30HK! I scoff and dream of 3 course meals for 12RMB. . . Other than the buying power, I also miss speaking and practicing my Mandarin. Even though I heard a few people here and there speak Mandarin, I never have a chance to use it.

Shanghai, Shanghai

Once I stepped out into the open in Shanghai, I immediately realised "Hey, it's not -10c anymore!" The place is more humid and warmer. Except for the evenings in places where there is no heating! V. cold if without three layers of blankets. God rest the soul of one great individual who invented central heating!

Consumer's Paradise

I think I'm edging closer and closer to bigger cities, as my next stop is Hong Kong for Christmas. Shanghai is similar to the Hong Kong I saw a few years ago with people heading out leaflets of advertisement to bystanders. People in Shanghai also sell newspapers on the subway. I have to confess, this consumer fever is starting to overtake me as well and I have succumbed to new purchases which is the culture here. As they say, while in Shanghai, do as the Shanghainese do. The stereotype here is that Shanghainese are money greedy and husbands are henpecked. Interesting combination.

There are more shopping districts filled with people chattering and bustling about in mad frenzy, trying to get the best deals and toting armfuls of new puchases. It's rather exciting, I must admit. It will be worlds apart when I get back home where the land is great but people are sparse compared to crowds of people in Shanghai's city centre like cow's hair (Chinese idiom). Eating is so good too, with outdoor stalls and fresh yummy good sold by food vendors with community markets and everything so close and accessible.

Warning: Under Construction

I was told that a few years back, most of the world's construction cranes were in Shanghai and that within a span of ten years, a thousand highrises were build there. At the Bund, the seaside/harbourside, by the famous beautiful turn of the century Western buildings, you can look across the harbour at new highrises, including the world's third largest building in the world's third largest city. But the thing is, most of the new business district (Pudong) buildings are empty because the architecture is developing much faster than the development of actual companies, organizations, enterprises, etc. However, the overall architecture in Shanghai is beautiful. You can really see theFrench, English and Asian influence during the time of Concession at the beginning of the 20th Century. It was a time in history when the city was divided into sections other countries claimed, but it was also the pinnacle of Shanghai's history. The fusion cultures really gives it its characteristics.

Most local people here speak the Shanghainese dialect which I do not understand. But there are really lots of different people touring here from all over China. Mostly from the countryside, I was told. The Bund, being the biggest tourist attraction is a place where tourists who do not look Asians are often harassed by Chinese countryside tourists to have their pictures taken with them. V. interesting and I'm v. glad that I look Korean- I mean - Chinese.

Anything outside Shanghai?

Right now I am at an Internet cafe in Hangzhou, a city a couple hours train ride from Shanghai. I was in Suzhou a couple days ago. There is a saying that SuHang is like Heaven on earth. Suzhou is filled with countless man-made gardens like the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Gardens in Vancouver reminiscent of the Tang Dynasty, I think. However, I am much more in love with Hangzhou, with its West Lake, a massive lake with trees, and greenery, most nature like than anything I've experience in China so far other than the Inner Mongolia plains experience.

Guess what!!! It's raining. I'm not nuts cuz I'm happy. Beijng was too dry. I've only seem it rain twice in the 3 months was there. It's like Vancouver now. I love the smell after it stops raining. You can't smell and feel the pollution as much either.

Confessions of a BCLU Student

Good-bye Beijing! Your heavy plastic blinds that block doorways will always remind me of ice meat storage houses. But I know you can't help it: your windy and cold weather in winter and your sweltering heat and dust storms in warmer seasons might be a bit much to bear sometimes.

Language and Identity

So I have failed miserably in trying to blend in with the the rest of the 1.3 billions Chinese in this v. vast country most of the time. That being eveybody thinks I'm Korean. Darn! My undercover sister plan has been foiled. At first it was amusing, but after hearing "You're not Canadian! You look like you're Korean!" for the 342nd time, I just want to parade around the streets of Beijing with a gigantic sandwich board that reads "I am not Korean. Am Chinese-Canadian" in Hanyu.

What about my Hanyu? I think it'll take me a lifetime to master and speak Mandarin fluently and be able to use the language with its authenic nuances. Yesterday, while riding on the bus with a couple friends and chatting to them in Hanyu, this boy around 10 years old who sat diagonal in front of me turned towards his father and said "She doesn't speak well." Well! That just proves my three months language training here simply ended with an ego deflation by a little kid in a mere second. At that time, my American friend turned to him and asked if he knew English, but he just ignored her. I refused to stoop to his level to argue in my "doesn't speak well" Hanyu as I wept bitterly within.

Views

Censorship and corruption is not as prevalent as the media portrays China to be. Elliot, in reply to your question, the Internet is not as restrictive as you may think. I did try the search on Google with "democracy and China" and I was able to access pages. The media definitely paints a skewed image of this country as all you communications students should already know. I know the government is not the best compared to our first world one and horrendous things like the Tiananmen incident happen, but look what the government south of the 49 is doing.

The image of the Chinese as being weasely conniving people who cannot be trusted is not entirely true either. (although I can testify that it does exist after bargaining experiences and taxi competitions at the airport). The friends I've met here are super nice. They have huge hearts, are very giving and love cultural exchange.

Sight-seeing in the Cold

I wanted to check out the open antique market here. But poor weather has a certain effect on me that I can't quite put a finger too. To all of you who experienced the Bonhomme Festival in Quebec city, you will know what I mean. There was so much to see: antiques and trinkets regardless of how poorly, fake and factory made they were at times. But you can't even move your mouth and cheeks at you move from small stall to small stall. I think that visiting any place in the summer is best (except for over hot tropical places, like Indonesia that experiences cold temperatures of only 20-25 degrees, I've been told).

Christmas!?!

Crikey! It is that time of the year already? I do miss baking Christmas stuff and having all the yummy cookies-dessert foods. I hear you guys describing the new lines of Christmas merchandise and goods on the market and I can just imagine Vancouver now: Christmas lights, gaudy ads and cheesy music hitting up all the shopping areas in town.

I completely forgot about this festive season (I like to think about it on Dec 24/25, please) until I went past a supermarket and saw a lone Christmas tree. You see, although North America has taken advantage of the comsuer blitz of family gifts and holiday fever early, this phenomenon in China in comparison, is few and far between. It's terrible that there are more restrictions on religion in China, but the absense of the super-hyper frenzied consumer oriented holiday makes me free! They've not yet caught on entirely here in Beijing but I will find out the exact details about China as a whole in Shanghai. I suspect the consumer frenzied level will be a bit higher there. And of couse Hong Kong will be at its ultimate high as always.

Zai jian, Beijing

Will be heading off to Shanghai tomorrow and then to Hong Kong. And then? Who knows, hopefully I will not run out of funds by that time. Hong Kong will definitely be ruthless to my wallet. Am planning not to return to Beijing on this trip in China. However, will continue to send updates.

Classes end Dec. 4

I'm feeling too lazy write in this blog lately. It is possible that Beijing life is becoming too mundane for this Canuck? I promise to send updates when I go off on my journeys in a week. Before leaving the capital, I plan to visit the massage hair salon place for hair wash and massage, get cheap DVDs/CDs and books to continue studying hanyu when I get back (that is if I get motivated enough. . .)

Simatai Great Wall Pictures

Courtesy of Chikako Kobayashi

Window to da Wall
Three Posers
Lookin' Up
Mountains after mountains
Ada and Chikako
Wall and Mountain

Please let me know if the links don't work or something. I can't access geocities from here for some reason. Thanks!

Change of plans

Due to unforeseen circumstances (or foreseen. . .either one). Undecisive queen rules again! I have decided to leave Beijing. I mentioned that Ottawa and Beijing have many similarities. Another one is weather. I have done it before so why am I putting myself through with living in the cold again. Thus- I will travel south for the winter.

I'm eating too much for my own good. The food here is yummy, unhealthy and come in huge portions. Why do I like food so much? Thighs are taking on the circumfrence of redwood tree stumps. . .

Number of Bridget Jones' thoughts: approximately 33.4/day. v. bad, but thighs are probably twice hers and. . .ack!
What I miss: pho, miso gravy fries at the Naam, dim sum, sushi (why is it all food!!!), oh yeah, Garibaldi lake, snowboarding, the Chief.

Weather: windy, dry as always, leaves are falling to the ground for their lives (I've kept a couple fallen red maple leaves for momento!), cold (0 degrees)

Places I've gallavanted to recently

I went to Datong last weekend. Its around a 5.5 hour drive there, but on the way back the traffic extended the drive to 7.5 hours! Datong is an interesting place. With a history of 5000 years, it completely shames Canada's less than 200 years of history. Boy, do I feel for the Chinese youths majoring in history here! My Chinese friend who is an architecture told me that Datong boasts 70% of China's oldest building. Its famous Temple tower made it to the world's top ten great towers (others include Pisa and Eiffel) because it's an old structure (around 1000 years old), is completely made of wood and with its intricate craftmanship, uses no nails of any kind. The hanging monastary is also beautiful; built in the middle of a mountain, it was contructed by dangling workers from the top of the Heng mountain. Heng mountain is one of the five famous Dao mountains of China.

Other than being an architecture's dream come true, Shanxi (province) also has the idiosyncratic culture of drinking deadly bai jiu (Chinese vodka). I went to Datong with a group of older students (professors, doctors) from Shenzhen (city in Guangdong) and we were shown the city by the Heritage minister and his assistants. Every meal we had (except for breakfast, praise Zeus!) we had to drink a shot each time they insisted. My friend and I had an average of 6 shots at each meal which does bad for weak stomachs and livers. We soon came to the conclusion that only we, the foreign young females were given this grand honour. Chinese men indeed! Alas, the life of a lao wai is hard work. . .

Note: Bai jiu is so ingrained in the culture that it is made available in most if not all provinces of China especially in colder areas where it acts as a heating device. ex. Inner Mongolia and Xin Jiang. The interesting thing about Xing Jiang people drinking bai jiu is that most of them are Muslim and they treat bai jiu as a staple drink!

Cantonese 101!

A couple weeks ago, I called home and realized to my great horror and surprise that the words that came out from my mouth were not proper Cantonese or English, but a garbled form of a dialect that involved acrobatic tricks with Mandarin and Cantonese. As I recovered from my incoherant sobbing fit, it dawned on me that I needed to practice my Cantonese, since I've not been using it regularly. After forcing shot after shot of bai jiu into a classmate's mouth, I was finally able to successfully coerce her into introducing me to her Hong Kong neighbours.

I went with them to Simatai Great Wall last Saturday. The first time I did the Great Wall, I went to the Mutianyu site. But the scenery at Simatai is not to be rivalled. Looking at the rugged landscape and the towers that dot each rocky peak, I was mesmerised. I felt so small when I looked at the rolling hills and at the domino cascade of mountain range after mountain range.

My Epiphany

China is huge. No duh! But, even though Canada is bigger, there are only so many places inhabited by people and so many cultures, but China is different as you walk from one square meter to the next. So many dialects, so many traditions, so many accents and customs. I realised that I don't think I will be able to see the entire country and understand what life truly is like here! It's just beyond me, but meeting and speaking with Chinese who come here to study from other provinces, I'm starting to collect snapshots from various places of this country.

So what are my plans. I've decided to extend my study here in Beijing till end of January and travel a little. I know I'll be back to see other parts but now I'll take in what I can. But nothing is ever certain. With my unique personality as indecisiveness queen and life planner, I have now established a concrete plan: I am going to eat lunch soon cuz I'm hungry.

Thank you ladies and gentlemen!!!

Untitled

I'm just an undercover sister
So don't try to mess with me, mister
Just cuz my Hanyu sucks
doesn't mean you can bully Canucks

I've seen different things in Beijing
As I write this, I'm aging
Chinese eat exotic foods
depending on their different moods

Scorpion skewers and donkey meat
and oh so yummy chicken feet.
silkworms, dogs and frogs like the French
dogs and crawly things with stench.

The Chinese have their own quirks
when I find out, I'll tell you the perks
Some people here cough up and spit phlegm,
I find it hard to live like them.

When I say "ni hao", they don't reply,
Including that friendly Comrade Lai
When I am old, I'll do Tai-chi,
but meanwhile they can't censor me!

The Elderly

I went to a big Beijing park recently called Tiantan. So many older seniors go there early in the morning for their excercise and othe leisure activities such as Chinese chess, knitting and Chinese music! Oh, the music they play with the Chinese Er-hu (and some other ones I don't know the names of) are amazing. Then they sing too. Crowds gather around them, especially tourists. There is a special music called Jingju with a female vocal part and sometimes, the men sing it, because in the past they performed the music like that. I was so surprised to see so many of them congregate there as I had to pay an entrance fee. but supposedly, if they pay 50 kuai, they have access to all the parks in Beijing 365 days a year!

A Chinese friend brought me with along with her Christian group to visit a senior's home in a poor village just outside Beijing. They used a couple of old dirty rooms in the village and created living space for the 10 odd abandoned seniors in the area. They seemed to be lonely, but a couple of them are so full of vitality. This old woman told us that she takes her daily strolls every morning, even in snow and sleet. Most of them used to be farmers when they were younger.

Being A Foreign-raised Chinese in China

China is a country entirely different from North America. NA is a place made up of immigrants while in most Asian countries, most of the citizens are native. They perceive foreigners ("lao wai"s) to be homogenous too. In the Canadian government there are too few non-caucasian workers, which is why they recently implemented the equal opportunity program for employees. If you think being Asian in Canada makes it hard to find a job, try China. If you are raised abroad and want to work in English, you have it made. You look Asian, so you can't speak English properly. They want their English teachers to have blond hair and blue eyes, because those are the only people who can teach English properly. And they want Americans. Time to consider changing my citizenship. . .

Pictures from Inner Mongolia

Here is my friend Mai's photo album of our trip to Inner Mongolia. Follow this link.

Eeek! Not enough time to say more. Am learning loads about life in Beijing and will spill the next chance I have when I meet with the computer again!

Warm Inside

We've got heat! On Oct 23, 2002 a warm flood of indoor heating filled my dorm room. It was a v nice surprise after hibernating in my warm and toasty Canadian sleeping bag. Other people outside the campus are not so lucky. I guess they will have to conform with the general Chinese "heat rule".

Other weather news. I heard that during the summer, if the temperature reaches 40 degrees, people can take the day off. My classmate told me that during the past summer, the temperature shown on television stayed at 39C for several days! Slave drivin' it.

Other Fees

You have to pay some places if you park in front of a certain store. I'm talking about bike parking. People lock their bikes, not to chains or to bike locks. There are too many bikes to do that! They generally lock the round lock around the back wheel. If you think about it if its locked, the bike won't move and the quality of the bike is too cheap to pry off, say the seat or the frame. It's easier to unscrew the lock and run off with the bike.

The Chinese students on campus share 4-6 people in a room while foreigners stay with either one other roommate or by herself. Chinese students only pay 1500 yuan for a school year while foreign student pay from $3-16 USD a night. It's approximate $8.2 USD to a yuan here. $5.5 CAN to a yuan. I don't even want to start imagining how much local students pay for tuition! But each time the Chinese students want to take a shower, they pay 2 yuan! I heard that was the reason why not many Chinese students shower. . .

In terms of using the phone. I have to use a phone card each time I call out, but calling in is free. So I have to dial approximately 30 numbers before I even get to dialing the 8-11 digit local number! Those of you complaining about dialing 10-digit numbers, be ecstatic! If you live at your own place outside the dorms you get charged every out-going and in-going call. That's why people tend to SMS (instant message) each other using their cell phones. It's cheaper. But I refuse and have been able to abstain from purchasing a 1000 kuai cell.

Random Poetry

The Kung Fu movies are wrong,
So let me sing you this song,
I don't eat bamboo,
or sniff Chinese glue,
And haven't once here played ping-pong.

Just "Chill'n" in Beijing

Hey, I just found out another similarity between Beijing and Ottawa. The temperature! Of course I haven't been in Ottawa during the fall, but the temperature is already close to the frigid weather of winter in Ottawa. I sit in the classroom wearing three layers tops and two layers bottom with Thinsulator gloves, shivering. There are lots of people from Indonesia and the Philipines here and they all think I'm crazy.

You're Canadian. Why do you feel cold?

All Canadians feel cold. Its just that some are more prepared than others. (Guess which category I fit into?:)

*sigh* But it's true. Once you're away from a cold place for a while you lose the tolerance. I used to take long walks at night in shorts and tank tops in the dead of winter in Vancouver and portage through ice and sleet on my way to school. Other Vancouverites could only goggle at my courage while they weep in their thick coats, scarves, toques, and boots. PS. Americans and Australians call "toques" "beanies".

So why am I chillin' in Beijing? You see, all you privileged North American boys and girls, here in the Capital of China, universities, public housing and workplaces generally are not allowed to have heating until the middle of November! Tis true. I experience the true bliss of heat today a lunch when we dined at this fancy hotel. But needless to say, I get my fill of heat (aka. radiation) in the crowded yet "warm" computer room where computer spew fresh microchip-fibre-network air everywhere.

I hear the temperature is between 0-12 degrees here. What's it like in Vancouver?

News you get at home?

Please tell me what world news you have been getting in Canada! I heard about the bombings in the Island of Bali and in the Philippines. What is the Canadian take on this news and what do they focus on!!!

My Life In Korea

Anyong! I'm being slowly assimilated into Korean culture. Most people I meet (mostly local Beijingers) think I am Korean because I apparently look Korean. I don't get it. A few Koreans think so but most do not. It's very interesting. I asked my Korean classmate and she told me "you look 30% Korean and 70% Japanese." I went with my friend to buy a train ticket and ths man behind the counter pointed at me and said "you're Korean" I gasped in pure surprise and exclaimed "Wow! How did you guess? You are so smart!" He was v. proud of himself to say the least. Korean food is v. delicious and I'm learning important Korean words (hungry, eat, drink, beer, and of course and salient bad words) Who would have thunk I would experience Korea in China of all places!

Social Issues

Yup, I'm learning about social issues. But mostly about Korea. Korea is currently the economic mecca in Asian right now after the Asian business downspiral following 1997. Before, more Japanese could afford to come to learn Chinese in China, but now its the Koreans. Korea is now starting to open up the country to Japan. They restricted culture and products for a long time after the second world war because of war atrocities and now the impact is being felt all over. Korean and other cultures are starting to enter China as well. Korean movies is a huge market over here in Asia.

In addition to popular culture, Korea aspires to have the image of being a strong country and stresses that Koreans look beautiful as well. Thus, the infamous plastic surgery influx right after senior high school or university. Parents are known to give their children loads of cash to do the operation for widening eyes, creasing eyelids and transforming noses. My classmate told me that she knew this girl who did the operation and it looked great. She went with her principal and her 18 classmates to do the surgery and got a discounted group rate! With a more beautiful appearance, employers are most likely to hire workers. For women, especially, appearance comes before ability.

Technology

Phones, everybody has cell phones and they text message each other all the time. SMS. As for movies, there are no video tapes or beta. They're all obsolete because of the new and improved DVDs and VCDs. All pirated, I should add. They cost under $2 Canadian each. Illegal to sell but not to posess. The DVD players are souped up to be able to play all sorts of DVDS and VCD (regularly, Asian players, play Asian discs), but not these pirated ones. The discs have this tape that vendors can remove so they can also be played on any machine.

More Bargaining Antics

Guess what? I found out that you can bargain with tourist companies. We went on the Inner Mongolia tour with a whole bunch of people eating the same food and staying at the same places (a yurt one night, a 3 star hotel, the other). But people were paying different prices for it! It was ridiculous. I didn't even know I could do that. My classmate went to the same trip a month ago and she bargained, the overall price, the horse riding experience, etc. Even when the drivers asked them to pay money for gas, she bargained the gas money from $50 kuai down to $20!!! I felt v. ripped off. I'll know next time though. Only in China!

I heard that you can't bargain that much in other parts on Asia, Thailand you can a little and a little in Korea but bargaining to the extreme that you can buy a pair of shoes for 40 yuan from the starting price of 230 is ridiculous! Of course the vendors try to take advantage of you when they learn that you're a foreigner but once you start learning the ropes and knowing approximately how much things costs, you can go far, sista, oh so far.

Just Chillin- Inner Mongolia

Hello again from the land where a large bottle of draft beer costs less than a bottle of distilled water. Came back from a fun-filled 4 days in Inner Mongolia which is different from the Autonomous region of actual Mongolia. For all your Mutton and Stray Sheep lovers out there, sheep meat is a staple in that part of the county and we had it for nearly every meal everyday. Sheep hotpot, marinated sheep, fried sheep, skewered sheep, stewed sheep, sheep soup, sheep innards (bob-cued shrimp, shrimp n' potatas, shrimp bubba on a skewer. . .) No pork though cuz lots of Muslims. We also went to a few temples. Tibetan Buddhism is the main religion there.

I went with my Austalian friend, her American roommate and my LA friend I met on the plane here. I actually met a few Vancouverites on the tour and they were talking about all the nature and animals back at home I refused to talk to them on the trip because I would start missing home. My Australian friend Susan and American friend Mai and I adopted a Korean boy (Joon) and we became a family. Susan is his mom, Mai is his older sister and I'm his grandma. He just finished high school and is here in Beijing studying Chinese as well. His Chinese is better than all of ours of course

Grasslands and lov'n it

Yeah! Finally I was able to get some fresh air. Away from the city and pollution. Even though the grasslands area was freezing and all the grass have died, the sky was actually blue and millions of stars dotted the night. The cold reminded me of Ottawa minus-something wind chill. The land was relatively flat but undeveloped; the grassland (or bald land during this time of the year) stretched far out into the distance like the prairies (I've never been, but I'm using imagination). We rode on Mongolian ponies and stay in Mongolian yurts. They are like circus tents which get v. v. chilly in the eve. Good thing I have a trusty Canadian sleeping bag by my side. We had this potent 49% hard alcohol, a custom of the Mongolian people and saw a dance and musical performance. Things were a bit touristy with all the psuedo-costumes but we were braving the elements and that's all I cared about. we woke up to see the sunraise.

Although Inner Mongolia is just a 11 hour train ride from Beijing it's apparently north enough to see a special kind of sunrise (compared to Vancouver, anyway). The sun is blinding and because its so high north it pops up very quickly that is you were to turn your head for a few second you would have missed the moment.

Maltreatment of Animals

We went to the Gobi desert. We have to sit on a camel to get out far enough to see how the sand dunes and plains stretched far into the distance. NEVER RIDE CAMELS!!! We paid 60 kuai for an hour and I went on it even though I saw that they were being mistreated (But if I didn't go, I would have seen the vast landscape. . .). Never again will I go on camels that have wooden pegs pierced through their nose that are attached to ropes that the camel in front of then tug whenever they take a step. They wheeze with each step they take and are struck if they do not sit or stand up immediately.

The Mongolian ponies were also struck if they did not catch up with the rest of the group. Also, I refuse to go to the Beijing zoo even though I want to see the pandas and its supposedly a huge place. I've heard of animal confined in small small areas and monkeys that die in front of spectators, other monkeys cradle the dead one and mourn it. No workers cared or did anything.

A Note on Cabs and Transportation

There is a 2 tiered cab system here in Beijing. the 1.20 and the 1.60. 1.20 is cheaper because there is no A/C. You have to see where the antenna is located on the cab to distinguish them.

A big change happening in Beijing right now is that taxi drivers are being released from their cages. They had cages to around them to protect from violent passengers in the past but now, to have a more personable feel (probably to please foreigners in 2008), the cages are slowly being taken away.

The new line for the subway has newly opened. It's like a skytrain and I can take it directly to downtown. (I'm currently living in the psuedo boondocks now) Except I have to take three different trains. The Metro here is similar to Hong Kong except in Putonghua (Mandarin) instead of Cantonese. (OF COURSE)

My Language Update

Very frustrated at the moment. My Mandarin still sucks. I speak v. slowly and I don't completely understand what most people say to me 50% of the time. I wish I were better and that I can read lots more. *sigh*

Your Turn

What are the top news items in Canada and in Vancouver? I feel completely out of the loop. I heard that two weeks ago Wednesday, the US and England bombed Iraq. My Australian friend told me she saw it hidden between bigger articles in a Chinese paper. CRIKEY

Beijing = Ottawa

Okay, so there are no Clocktower or Rideau Canal or the famed reputation of being the 51st state, but the similarities really do exist! You see, they are both capital cities. But the real similarity are the people! Ottawa are full of co-op students who are not Ottawans and they are all very transient. Beijing is the same way! Many people come in from other cities of the country to go to university studying English and so forth. Then there are the ex-pats (foreigners, aka. lao wai) who come from abroad to study Chinese or work. For the studying types, most of them are from Korea, and then Japan and than overseas Chinese from North America and then, I've heard, non-Asian guys who want to get some. . . romantic times, shall we say.

Now for the working types, these are mostly overseas Chinese coming to the Motherland doing contract work or internships. These are the transient people I'm talking about and the community is tight. Its pretty small and people generally knows everybody else. I met a whole bunch last weekend and they are the newly graduated, don't want to get back to reality types. Why do I say that? Its because the pay is so much better than what fresh out of college employees generally get and the cost of living here in Beijing is super low! So the living is easy. People also teach English to earn extra RMBs, no challenge, not learning much from the job but you get paid $20CND/h!!! (remember you can get oily meal for $1CND)

No Grass Syndrome!

I had a panic attack last weekend. I was walking around the crowded area of Wang fu jing, a busy part of donwtown and everywhere I looked, there was concrete. I began to experience great pangs of terror that there was no grass in sight and people were and pavement were in place instead. It was very disturbing. Then I recovered and came to terms that I will live in this kind of environment for the next few months.

Food and Bargaining

All the peeps who have to been areas similar to Beijing will know what I'm talking about. All the food stalls are selling exotic foods (translation, things you usually see crawling through grasslands and mouldy walls at night on skewers). Hard shells and 6 unchewable legs? No challenge. The secret? Deep-fry 'em. I saw silkworms, grasshoppers and read somewhere that there are sparrows on skewers too if you're lucky. I didn't have the good fortune or appetite to try either. I went to have Shanghai wonton and a guy was eating donkey wontons. I refused. (Although I remember watching the graceful performance of snake slitting at Snake Alley in Taiwan a few years back and having venom/blood shooters.)

The food servings here are huge. Unfortunately, I have the mentality that I can't waste anything so I'm currently eating what can usually feed a family of five back in Canada for every meal. Am going up 5 sizes as I type. . . Note to self: Must starve for one month before returning home.

Bargaining is not new things but its gets so tiring. I mean after walking through the cheap stalls on the alleyways, I'm tempted to walk into a McDonalds and try to bargain for a $1 kuai fry. They totally try to rip foreigners off all the time. Sometimes you have to do the full walk away, hoping they will plead for you to come back and give you a better deal. You have to talk your head off trying to get a good deal and when you finally walk away with the good you always think you get get a better deal.

For example, I got a polo shirt (yes, its the pirated copy, but not as bad as DYNK). The guy always shows you his calculator. "98 kuai". I gasp and say "of course not" "What price are you willing to pay" "20" "no, i can't. 85." "no, its obviously not worth that much!" "whats the highest you'll go?" "25" "okay, 70?" "no" etc. . .etc I walk away with my 30 kuai shirt. Maybe next time I'll pay a local 5 kuai to bargain a 20 kuai shirt for me.

Washrooms and Showers

Holes in ground sometimes, have to pay to use them sometimes. My dorm has a Chinese shower, meaning the shower is cramped in the small washroom. Sprays everywhere and toilet area will dry only after many hours of bladder agony.

Next week is National Week. I get a few days off but I had classes today (Sat), tomorrow and Monday! I'm heading off to Inner Mongolia next week. Will tell more later.

Wo shi Jianadaren! (I am Canadian)

I started classes this week and I'm the only Canadian in my class. I've met three other Canadians; two only briefly. The teacher was using the phrase meaning "only second to" and was discussing the size of countries. She told the class that Russia was the largest country and the second was perhaps USA or Canada. There I was, reclined in my chair, with my MEC pants and Canadian $10 bill in my wallet, wanting to blend in so I wouldn't be called on. Once I heard what she said, I almost side-thrust kicked the American sitting quietly next to me. "Bu shi! (no, it isn't)" I retorted, I explained to her that is was quite obvious that Canada was the bigger country in my poor Mandarin. She flashed me a patient smile and told me, since I was so passionate, that I should then use the new phrase and answer her question.

Zixingche (bike)

Two days ago, I bought a bike! It was very exciting. But its new cuz everywhere I looked, nobody was selling old second-hand ones. I think people will steal it. My LA friend bought hers on the same day and it was stolen the next day! (even though she purposely dented it and painted it unaesthetic colours.) Both our bikes are new but in a shade of an unattractive camoflauge dark blue. I haven't really used it though. I just want to have a bike. It was 140RMB with no gears. Its so flat here, I'm beginning to find it hard to believe that the earth is round.

Watashi-wa Canada-jin desu. (I am Canadian)
Nanun Canada saram imida. (I am Canadian)

Yes, I'm beginning to pick up Japanese and Korean a little. People want to learn Cantonese from me. It's very amusing. I started to talk to a few Americans and found that I couldn't speak English properly as I was using 4-year-old Mandarin with my roommate and non-English speaking friends so much. I had no vocabularly anymore and it was hard speaking English again! Another thing I noticed is that I truly am an "undercover sista". People don't pay any attention to me when I'm out on the street, but when I'm with my Vancouver friend and we start speaking in English, everybody turns abruptly and stares at us! When that happens, I start to count aloud to ten in Mandarin. (I don't think that works though. . .)

Yiheyuan/Chang Cheng

Went to the Great Wall (a part of it called Mutianyu) and it was so hot that day. Quite steep, lots of stairs. But it was impressive. As most parts of the wall are closed to visitors, there are only a few sites people can actually go see. I heard there is a section that is a bit hardcore, for all those hardcore peeps out there, crumbling and difficult terrain that I aspire to visit during this stay in China.

Also went to Yi HeYuan (Summer Palace) which is huge and beautiful. Nothing like Stanley Park. All the lakes and water areas are man-made but you need to ride on slow boats to get across some areas, vast magnificent buildings, carvings. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera that day, I heard it's bikeable so I will attempt that soon with my camera next time.

Beijing Yin Yue (music)

I went to a live music show last weekend. It was a local rock/Chinese fusion all-male band: dummer, vocalist/acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, Chinese instrumentalist. The Chinese instrumentalist was playing Tibetan trumpets, pipes and other wind instruments which contrasted greatly with the rock feel. The lead singer had make-up on and wore a qipao (Chinese formal dress). His long straight hair was combed neatly and flowed past his shoulders. They sang in Chinese about political and social issues. I don't understand exactly what they were singing about though. I was told that they were singing about Bush and bin laden. I was highly impressed. The name of the group is Secondhand Rose.

This weekend is Mid-Autumn Festival. Have a great one and don't eat too many Yuebing (mooncakes)!

P.S. There are no Internet cafes (legal ones anyway) here in Beijing. There was a terrible fire back in June so I've been waiting in line at the campus computer room. Around an hour's wait but cheap 2RMB/hr.

I have arrived!

The air is not as polluted as I imagined. I'm reminded of Hong Kong and Taiwan because those are the only Asian urban centres that I've been in. The air reminds me of Hong Kong but then again, I haven't been outside the university grounds yet (other than the airport which is another story in itself).

Met 2 people my age before I took off from Vancouver. One is an SFU communications grad I recognized and another from Beijing, new graduate from Yale. SFUer is interning at this UN office and LA girl is taking Chinese language program at a nearby university. I ended up sharing a cab with her. The airport was crazy! Once we got in, these hagglers came to woo us to their taxis. One bought me a phone card which I refused, another tried pushing my cart and I also refused. I was so skeptical, but ended up going with this woman who took at to this parking lot. It was so weird. V. agressive. Cab drivers are very scary but they never seem to end up in accidents. (I had forgotten these idiosyncracies from HK and Taiwan.)

My roommate is from Korea. 90% of the residents in my building are from Korea so I know exactly what Jeanette feels like at work everyday. I like is cuz my roommate doesn't really speak English or Chinese and we are both trying to improve on Chinese to communicate with each other. We hang out with two other Korean girls and a Japanese girl who speak hanyu (Mandarin) v. well and that's what we communicate in. I have to say, the local food here is really bad. I had stomach aches after my first meal (dinner) after flying in and I could only eat a third of it. The portions are huge and the price is 4 kuai (Chinese dollar/RMB) for the dish and rice. The conversion is approximately $1CDN to $5.5 RMB. We ended up just eating Korean food yesterday. SOOper good. v. yummy.

Classes start tomorrow. Later today will take placement test. Will visit the city this weekend and also The Great Wall.

Beware the Great Fire Wall of China

Random Pre-departure Thoughts

There are 2 million people in Vancouver and 12 million in Beijing. I need my space and I never realised how lucky we are to have this choice to be with people or to be alone. I'm sure in Asia nobody has much of a choice once they step out of the house. And even in the house, they might be crammed in. Having the choice to be independent and individualistic is so decadent. Anthropologists and psychologists talk about other collectivistic cultures all the time and I'm starting to understand why they are like that. It's not necessarily all about culture, but more like they don't have a choice. Another point for population control. . .

Panic attacks: 2 (just thinking about no space)
Times checked email: Less than 20... (email server is up again)

It's actually happening. I went out buying stuff today for the extended trip and I'm actually going. Feeling a bit intimidated like before I got to Taiwan. It's another country and culture afterall. Although I was sure I would be fine before. I will be. People told me China was their hardest trip, harder than West Africa, harder than the Middle East because of the language. The written language in those places have English or French alongside and China apparently does not. I wonder how far my Chinese can take me. No biggie, other people going to Japan and France in September and they'll be fine with language.

Backpacking stores visited: 9 (v. tired, no more, please!)
Times checked email: 1 (YES!!! v. v. good!)

Question of the day

Would you date yourself if you could clone yourself (either same/opposite sex)? Would you recognize how similar you would be to this clone? Would others? V. thought-provoking indeed.

Caffeine units: 3 (now running low from morning coffee and h. kisses)
Hunger pangs: once every 6 minutes (have to fill hollow leg, meanwhile will do breathing method)
Times checked email: err. . .ummm. . . (I'll stop checking it!!! I promise.)

Happy Monday! Yes, in exactly 3 weeks from today I will be on board Air Canada sitting through a 15 hour flight. Fun? I don't know, I just hope there are no tantrum kids next to me sparring with me to go to the washroom every five minutes. I can just see it, their arms akimbo, gallavanting along the aisles and yelling "I want McDonald's NOW!!!" while I sit there, seat gripping.

My aunts are scared for me when I go away. I found out why.

"You have to be careful in China."

"I will."

"No, you can't just listen to people there. They are not trustworthy like people here."

"What? I think you're overgeneralising. I mean-"

"Don't believe things people say."

"Umm-okay."

"I'll tell you why. You're going to meet a guy there-"

"Huh?"

"-and he will want to be with you but don't, okay? Because he just wants to come to Canada."

"Oh."

Caffeine units: 0 (had rasberry herbal tea, however, am in need of coffee)
Callouses on fingers: 6 units (am forming another as i type and think of guitar)
Times checked email: too many to count (v. v. bad! control!)