The Return

Loyal followers, fans, and the like,

I'm back after a long blog hiatus. I won't tell you what happened during the intermission, because it stresses me out to think about all the things I could say, but welcome back to my life.

I leave for Yunnan (province in Southern China) on Friday for two weeks with my best friend Rebekah. I am beyond excited. Words cannot express. If you're bored, look up the following places and imagine me in them: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri la, Tiger Leaping Gorge, and Yuanyang. We'll be backpacking and taking buses around the province. It's going to be an adventure and I'm sooooooooooooooooooo excited! I have an intense backpack and some sweet waterproof hiking boots, so I'm pretty much set. Rebekah wants to sneak into Laos too, but I'm not sure it's worth it. I want to thoroughly explore Laos and Cambodia on another trip.

I just got a new teaching job which I'll write more about another time, but I'm looking forward to a change when I return to work August 23rd. Life has been good this summer - I had best friends and family come visit, and it was wonderful! It was also really sad to tell them bye, and I'm still recovering.

Another comment about my weight today. My Chinese teacher asked me if she was a little fatter. I said no, of course. Then I felt like it was my turn to ask if I was a little fatter, too. I had several motives behind this question: 1) it was awkward and I felt like I was supposed to ask. 2) I'm actually a little thinner than I was a few months ago, so I was secretly hoping for a complement. And what did I get? Yeah, you're a little fatter then when I first met you. Fail. I'll never be as thin or pretty as she first thought I was. My teacher also recently told me I looked tired. I told her it was because I wasn't wearing makeup, and since my skin is fair I tend to have dark circles under my eyes. She responded by telling me I should wear makeup. She has also told me stories about how the teachers talked about a dress I wore one day and how beautiful it was, and now how I wear shorts and sandals. Can I do anything right???

Then, as I was walking down the street tonight, a Chinese guy says "好瘦" which means "how/so/very skinny." I heard this, processed it, realized he was talking to me, then turned around to look at him and got confirmation. Weird. Make up your mind, China.

Happy Children's Day?

We celebrated Children's Day today at school - yipee. This consisted of the children going outside to watch an hour and a half of stupid peformances put on by the teachers and their mothers. I can't quite explain what this spectacle is like - I've already seen it several times, and it's quite annoying. These adults put on full body costumes and act with pre-recorded skits that are played deafeningly loudly over the speakers. They also talk in the most annoying cutesy Asian voice EVER. Why they like this voice is beyond me, but apparently it's very good.

That was kind of a cynical start to this entry. The performances today were kind of fun because I basically just played with/distracted the kids during the performance. I had my favorite little (and fat) tyke sitting on my lap for awhile at one point. His name is Genre, and he's 3. Then he got too heavy so I had to get up. Also some older kids, about 5 or 6, told me they had never eaten American food. I said really? Have you ever been to McDonald's? KFG? Eaten pizza? They said yes. I said then you've eaten American food! One very cute boy told me - no! This was Chinese food! His Chinese teachers and I set him straight.

During my last class someone came to observe. During the class one of the students told me I was "hen bang" - very good/cool - an obvious ego-booster. After the class the lady told me I was great and all the teachers/administrators liked me a lot, so that was encouraging. I have been a bad influence on the kids this week, I think. I am teaching them fruit, and I ask them how to eat each fruit. We act out how to eat it, and then at the end I throw the imaginary peel behind me. Some of the kids tell me that is not okay and I should put it in the trash. I want to tell them to teach their parents this lesson! Chinese people litter like crazy. But some of them think it's really funny and love to throw their imaginary peel on the ground.

I am going to Yunnan province in August with my friend Rebekah! I am beyond excited. It is in southern China and borders Myanmar (Burma), Laos, and Vietnam. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world with mountains, rivers, lakes, flora, fauna, and all kinds of Chinese ethnic minorities, so it's very diverse. I think we are going to backpack for 1.5-2 weeks, so it's going to be a pretty intense trip. I've already been researching and planning for hours.

Tomorrow we are having a Lost finale party at my friend's apartment. Even though the episode aired almost a week ago, we wanted to make the finale special, and it's too hard to meet during the week, so about 6 of us have held off watching until tomorrow. We are each dressing up like a character and bringing food they might have eaten on the island. I am obviously dressing up as Claire, because I am blond and do an amazing "WHO TOOK MY BAYBYYYY?" impression.

And finally... I have really been missing my friends lately! Family, I miss you a little, but I get to skype with you a lot so it's okay. So, friends, save up and come visit me because I miss you! I am just realizing that it's strange leaving college where you are constantly surrounded by people your age who like to do the same things as you, and now I'm in an enormous city and that is not always the case.

Family, I have a special note for you:
1. My birthday is coming up (t minus one week exactly). Whoever sends me a package will be my favorite.
2. Mom is currently winning the prize for best family member, because we talk a lot. Elisabeth and Bobby, you do pretty well too, but Dad and Margaret...
3. Dad if you send me money I will forgive you. (just kiddingggggg)
4. Margaret you are currently winning the award for the worst sibling. You never call me. If I could rank the best siblings in order, you would get 5th - Austin AND Socks would beat you, because I probably talk to them more than you. Actually, you send me music so that bumps you up a few points. You also called me an hour ago accidentally right before school started. I was trying to eavesdrop and listen to what you were saying but I didn't get any juicy info.
5. JK, girl, see you soon!!!!!!!!!!!!

A VERY fun weekend

Greetings from the motherland!

Last weekend was super fun. I planned a fun outing. Well, first I went to the Chinese hospital and my nice doctor gave me a free x-ray of my elbow. It's not fractured! Yipee! But I still have to wear the sling for awhile, and I can't straighten my arm. It feels better and I can move it more, but not totally.

Then, I went farrrrr away to the west side of town to try and find an animal market that I'd read about with birds, insects, reptiles, and other pets. Since my iphone got stolen, my ability to get around the city has relied more on asking people how to get places. So I got off at the subway station and after asking about 50 people, finally found my way to this market. I was so proud and felt very independent. The market wasn't super exciting, but I was glad to go because it had been something I wanted to do. There were the usual pets - birds, cats, dogs, guinea pigs, hamsters, iguanas, other lizards, snakes, turtles, rabbits, etc... and then there were the Chinese pets: crickets, pigs, some sort of squirrel, and other small animals that I don't know. One bird spoke Chinese to me so I talked to him for awhile.

Then I met up with friends at a park called Beihai Park, it's north of the Forbidden City. We found a spot on the grass in the shade and had wine, brie, grapes, strawberries, and bread. It was so nice and relaxing! It was very Chinese though - we didn't have a knife for the bread or cheese, and we used our water bottles for the wine. Some Chinese kids and their parents came to talk to us because we were a group of foreigners. Every so often an old man would start whipping the air violently loud. TIC: this is China.

Then we went to Wangfujing - a very touristy street. We ate at McDonald's and waited until it got dark. I tried to get everyone to play "would you rather," but when I asked them would you rather have no nose and slits in your face for nostrils, or legs that were one foot long, they didn't want to play. So once it was dark we started walking down this street. The street is full of souvenirs and food. The main reason people go here is for the crazy snacks of bugs and sea creatures. We ate the following: scorpions, grasshoppers, seahorses, and starfish. The scorpions were pretty tasty, but the rest I didn't care for so much. It was SO fun to walk around, eat weird things, and take silly pictures. Then we went to an arcade which was okay but by this time my feet were starting to hurt and my bag was getting super heavy.

THEN, - yes, this day was never-ending, we went to Nanluoguxiang. Nanluoguxiang is a really fun street in an hold hutong (alley) neighborhood that is now full of shops and bars. We sat outside at the Guitar Bar with music and hung out. I got home at 1:30 am. It was a very successful day.

On Sunday I went to a friend's apartment for dinner. There is a chef in Beijing named Chef Wang - he comes to people's apartments every night and cooks for them whatever they want and you pay him - but it's an extremely good price. He is booked a year in advance. It was my first experience with him and it was really fun!

A friend from home, two years younger, Tommy Obenchain, is arriving in Beijing tonight! I'm going to see him on Friday and Saturday and I'm really, really looking forward to seeing someone from home!

Peace out, homies.

Things I Love Part I

Things I love about China:
- The other night when I walked out of the subway I heard some music and saw people dancing. When I got closer, I saw that a bunch of old couples had brought a boom box and were all dancing! It was so cute! I couldn't stop smiling all the way home.
- That people are giving up their seats on the subway and bus for me to sit since I'm wearing a sling. It might become my permanent sling when I'm using public transportation.

Things I don't love about China:
- How OBSESSED they are with weight/being skinny/looks. It is not considered rude here to tell someone they are fat, or have gotten fatter. Anyone can ask anyone their age. Looks are important, and I just found out that the reason I rarely see gray hair here is because even the old people dye their hair black! However, most girls don't wear makeup and dress lame (blog about Chinese style on the way...). The reason I don't love this about China is because yesterday, one of the Chinese teachers told me right before my class that I was fatter than when I first started teaching. I responded with "oh..." and a mental note to never eat again.

Bad/Lazy Helen

I have been a bad blogger this past month - well, really, more than a month. I'm sure a lot has happened, but of course I can't remember it all.

It has finally warmed up some here! We've had some beautiful days where I've actually seen the blue sky! This was the longest winter in Beijing in a really long time, so everyone is really happy that the weather is nicer now. Beijing is actually kind of pretty sometimes - they have planted flowers that make me happy, and all of the cherry blossoms are really beautiful! It's fun to see more people spending time outside - vendors selling fruit, ice cream, flowers, etc.

However, there are some drawbacks to spring in Beijing. Some days there are WILD amounts of pollen flying around the air. It's kind of crazy - I see all of this stuff flying through the air, and I try to swat it away from me but you can't get away from it. I'm sure I've eaten a good amount of it somehow. I know it cannot be good for people with bad allergies, but thankfully I've felt pretty well lately.

I had been running a lot the past month, which felt really great. My dad always told me that running gives you energy, and through all my years of running I never believed him until now. For some reason I've felt great running in Beijing, I've been motivated to do it, and I've run longer than I have in awhile. I feel so capable when I run and just really happy. The runner's high is not a myth. BUT... I haven't been able to run for about 10 days because I injured my elbow. I was wearing new platform wedges - to translate that for the males reading this blog, it means really, really high shoes. I fell, tore ligaments in my elbow, and possibly slightly fractured it. So, it's been in a sling for awhile - and not a good sling, a ghetto sling. Basically just a scarf-type thing. Sadly I haven't been able to run, and it's severely limited what I can do/how easy it is to get around. On the up side, I've learned how to say in Chinese that I injured my elbow because I fell. It's feeling better, but definitely not healed yet.

I will conclude this entry by writing what I wanted to write a few weeks ago but was too lazy to do... This came after a series of events that caused me to feel very strongly. It goes something like this:

Dear China,

Sometimes you/your people are TOO public. I know there are a ton of people who live here, but seriously, get a grip. I have three bones to pick with you:

1. I do not need to see couples fighting in the street. Take it indoors. I don't want to hear a guy and girl SCREAMING at each other as I'm walking past. It makes me feel quite uncomfortable. I don't want to see the girl walking away and the guy chasing her, begging for her to talk to him. I don't want to see the girl and guy hitting each other. I don't think anyone wants to see this. Keep your private lives private.

2. I definitely do not need to see you and your children peeing on the street. In the middle of winter, I don't want to see a (probably drunk) man, in the middle of the night, peeing right onto a street as I'm walking past. If you must forgo the toilet, at least pee in the alley! I don't want to see your child's butt crack through his split pants all over the city, and I also don't want to see your child peeing on the street in the middle of the afternoon as thousands of people walk past. Like I said - please use a toilet, or at least the alley.

3. I absolutely, absolutely, absolutely do not need to see the chef of the restaurant in which I'm eating smoking as he comes in and out of the kitchen, and SPITTING on the floor of the restaurant. This does not encourage me about the sanitary conditions in which my food is being cooked. If you must spit on the floor, don't hock a loogey (sp??) - do it quietly.

Yours truly,
Helen

Cultural and International Helen

Happy late Easter and Happy late Tomb Sweeping Day! (Almost) everyone had last Monday off for Tomb Sweeping Day. The Chinese are supposed to go to their ancestors' graves, honor them, and burn paper money for their ancestors' after lives. Here's one problem I haven't solved, though - these days almost all Chinese people are cremated because they don't have room to bury them in the city, so do they just go to their urns? I don't know. Anyway, most people were just out and about in the city so everything was CROWDED! Rebekah, her mom, and I went to the Zoo market together to buy clothes. It was FUn, of course. Then we went across the street to the Beijing Zoo. I didn't really expect much, but it was actually still a little disappointing. First of all, the animals have some pretty bad living conditions - tiny dirty cages. The animals actually stared at us, just like the rest of the Chinese population, and we got philosophical and talked about how we are kind of animals in the zoo here in Beijing. I'll post some funny pictures of the zoo later.

Last Friday night I went to dinner with my Chinese class - my French classmate, his Chinese girlfriend, my Chinese teacher, and my Italian classmate who paid for everything (NIIIIIIICE). We got Italian food and drank red wine, it was delightful. My Chinese teacher is always "jianfei" - trying to lose weight, so she doesn't eat dinner. Like EVER. This was the most she'd eaten at dinner in five years. She didn't like the food very much, so I tried to make her feel more comfortable and tell her we didn't care if she ate it or liked it - I always feel pressure from the Chinese so I thought I'd be kind and not return that particular favor. She also hated the wine - she doesn't drink. Nonetheless, we had a great time! We sat at dinner for 4 hours and talked (my teacher and I talked almost totally in Chinese, which was fun). We bonded and she told me about her sort of boyfriend who lives in Chengdu. She told me it was her secret - "zhe shi wo de mimi / 这是我的秘密“, so I told her it was now my secret too.

On Saturday Sheila and I went to a market that has e-v-e-r-y-thing. We did a little decorating for our apartment, which still needs some work, but now has some artwork on the walls. Saturday night I went to KTV (Chinese karoke) with some friends. It was SO fun! I really missed some of my American friends, though, because some of the people I went with weren't into my pop and rap music. They didn't know most of the songs I chose, which was wildly disappointing. I still had a great time and performed quite a bit. I didn't even need to look at the words, no surprise there.

Sunday/Easter was great. It was a beautiful, warm day here! After church and lunch I went on a run - my first run in Beijing! I wore shorts, a t-shirt, and took my ipod, and the Chinese looked at me like I was crazy. I think it was a combination of my shorts, my whiteness/blond hair, and the fact that I was running outside for exercise. It felt good, and I ran again on Tuesday, and I'm running again this afternoon (Friday). Hopefully this is the start of a new habit. Post-run on Sunday I went to a friend's house where a bunch of us ordered some amazing Korean fried chicken, then went to the West side (Wudaokou) for an open mic night at a bar. Some of our friends beat boxed which was really fun! I spent time with a girl on Sunday and Tuesday from Hong Kong who is a senior marketing exec for Disney Asia. She is awesome, and now I have a friend in HK! She told me I could hang out with her when I went back and we talked about meeting up somewhere around China sometime. Plus, she works in TV - my dream. She's going to L.A. in May for a bunch of stuff and will be at the finale for LOST! She gets to handle the stars! AHHH!!!

I wasn't home at night one night this week. Tuesday I went to Rebekah's house for dinner and a movie. Wednesday night I went to the Rwandan Embassy for a memorial for the 16th anniversary of the Tutsi genocide which was really cool, then I had Chinese class. Last night, Thursday, I went to a concert that my good friend and concert pianist, Michelle, was performing at. It has been a fun and busy week, so I'm ready to relax this weekend!

Miss you all!

Adventures in Potty Training

Reader beware: Some graphic humor lies in the post below. Be prepared for bodily functions, etc.

Today was just any normal day at school... or so I thought. I taught an older class of 5-6 year olds, then I taught a younger class of 4-5 year olds. The Chinese teacher who sits in the class with me left, and a little girl went to the bathroom. As I'm teaching, a little girl comes out of the bathroom with her pants down. She starts speaking to me in Chinese. I'm not sure what she's saying because I don't often talk about going to the bathroom in Chinese. She starts pointing to her bare butt. I start getting the feeling that she expects me to wipe her butt. Hah, nice try little girl, that is not my job. I start frantically looking around the room for the Chinese teacher who is nowhere to be found. I try to motion to her to go back into the bathroom - the whole class is watching her do this, by the way. She does not listen. I try to tell her, again, to go back into the bathroom - she's exposing herself! Then she turns around, puts her hands on her butt cheeks and spreads them, as if to say - this is where you need to wipe! I lost it at this point. This was an unreal moment. At this point I walk her back into the bathroom and we waited a few seconds for the Chinese teacher. Classic.

I thought my run-ins with little children and going to the bathroom were over after this. It got even better. As I was walking out of school at about 4:20, there were a bunch of different classes playing on the playground. I look over, and one little boy - probably 3 or 4, is letting it ALL hang out. Not only are his pants around his ankles, but he is peeing. He stands there for a solid 20 seconds before the Chinese teachers notice him, and I of course have stopped and am staring and laughing and enjoying myself. He was just wiggling around, peeing, in the middle of the playground with kids running all around. Wonderful.

China is Funny

Hellooooooo! This is my fifth, and it's going well!

Here is a short list of some of my favorite names of my students:
Train
Xena
Yvnne
Sheep
Hans
Golynn
Jeck
Car
Bird
Kayeyn
Rater
Yoyo
Genre
Rieson
Nava
Pure
Banana
Danton
Hemy

I've tried to tell some of their teachers that these names are not okay, but I don't know if they'll listen. It's hard for me to keep a straight face when I call on Sheep, Car, Bird, Genre, Pure, and Banana. They are all too cute for words, and I've posted some pictures of them on facebook if you want to see. Their favorite game that I've taught them is "Helen says" - cleverly changed from "Simon says". They get so excited when we play and it's fun to trick them. Some of them are too smart.

I haven't blogged in awhile so I have a lot of ground to cover, but I can't remember everything I wanted to say... typical. A couple weeks ago I ate pig's throat with my Chinese friend from W&L. We met for lunch one day, and of course he took me to eat hot pot (I have very bad memories of eating hot pot in the past). I told him to order, but I didn't want anything weird - no weird parts of the animal. All of it was pretty disgusting, but when he dumped something in and I asked what it was he told me pig's throat. He obviously didn't think I would think that was weird. I tried it, much to my dismay, and it was DISGUSTING. Crunchy and chewy and so strange. Yuck. Never again.

I have a cold for the millionth time since I've been here. The Chinese people tell me it's because the weather is changing so much. It hasn't been warm at all really, I still wear my down coat most days. We had a sand storm a couple weekends ago - I woke up on Saturday morning and the sky was a wild color of yellow and orange. Lovely.

Last weekend I went to a Chinese wedding! My best friend Rebekah knows a Chinese guy from inner Mongolia (the Chinese province) who has a big community of inner Mongolian friends. We went to dinner with them one night, and the engaged couple invited us to their wedding. So, we went, and I ended up being some sort of flower girl. Me and another Chinese girl stood and threw flower petals while the bride and groom walked up the aisle. It was funny. I couldn't understand much of what they said during the ceremony. There was basically a Chinese emcee who was talking WAY too loud - lots about happiness, money, good fortune, etc. Then all the groom's friends, most of whom are singers for the army, entertained everyone. Rebekah and I skipped out on the rest of the day's activities...

I think I get next Monday off work for some holiday, so that's exciting. Sheila, my roommate, and I really need to finish setting up our apartment. We still haven't decorated much and the walls are bare and depressing. I'm really enjoying living with her. She's started hanging out with my friends - she knew most of them before but didn't hang out with them much, but she likes them a lot so that has been fun. Last Friday I went to a clothing market with four of my Chinese co-workers - it was a blast! I was arm-in-arm with them all afternoon. However, at this market they don't let you try anything on. It was scary to buy things without trying them on! You should all come visit me because things here are SO cheap. Not great quality, but still...

Please keep me in your prayers! Pray that the Lord will reveal to me what I should be doing here, but that I will also live day to day and not worry about the future. Miss you all!

Teacher Helen

This is my second week of teaching! I'm writing this entry in a break between classes.

My first week was good! I have to be at school at 8:15 every morning, which means I wake up at 6:45 and leave my house by 7:20. My commute is about 45-50 minutes - walking some, taking the subway, and taking the bus. I have three classes a day for one hour each, but I only teach half a class at a time. So in the morning I half a class (about 15 kids) for thirty minutes, then the other half for thirty minutes. I have two hours of class in the morning and then a four hour break from 11am-3pm. I do different things during my break. They provide lunch (Chinese food...) every day, but I usually don't eat much of it - I can't! Today we have rice, vegetables (baby bok choi with tree ear fungus), a belt-like seaweed, and pork (with the hide and fat still attached). They give HUGE portions, so today I said I only want "yi dian dian dian de" - a little, little, little! The chef said - are you on a diet? I said no! I only eat a little. But the truth is I can't stomach this stuff. I'm going to need to find another snack today. Also during my break I hang out with my Chinese co-workers and Western co-workers. The other English teachers are Ronda, a 40+ American woman who is a great teacher, has lived here for 13 years, and has worked at this school a few years, and Anna, mid to late 20s from Iceland! They are great. We go shopping some days and run errands together. Some days I'm tired so I just sit and play on my computer, but hopefully I'll start making use of my time and studying or tutoring or something.

Then in the afternoon I teach one more hour and get home around 5pm. So, I basically only teach three hours a day, but it's still pretty exhausting! My students are ages 2-6. They're SOOO cute! The little ones are REALLY little. I speak mostly Chinese with them. The older ones are pretty smart! They hang all over me and are amazed by my blond hair and blue eyes! I like my school a lot, it's a great school - it's called Beijing Normal University Branch Kindergarten. Last week some of the teachers asked to take pictures with me which was funny. Of course we did the peace sign in our pictures. I'm enjoying teaching and learning a lot. Some days are frustrating - Mondays, the beginning of the week, aren't great because I'm still working out the kinks of my lesson. Some people tell me I look like a Barbie (because of my hair and eyes) and some call me "foreign doll" ("yang wawa").

Last Friday night Rebekah and I went with her Chinese friend, Xin, to the market. I got a bag to carry to school and put my stuff in, and she got some fake Uggs (the Chinese call them U-G-G). Xin is from inner Mongolia and studied in Canada for a long time so his English is great. After the market he took us to a dinner with 10 of his friends at a nice Chinese restaurant. We had a private room, and it was quite an experience. Rebekah and I had our first experience with "baijiu" - literally means white liquor, but I think they translate it as rice wine. It's much stronger than Western liquor like vodka, and it tastes VERY bad. All of the people there were from inner Mongolia - some are successful businessmen, and some are singers. One is a pop singer and the other three sing in the army. We ate and they toasted a LOT. The Chinese really like to toast each other for several reasons - they believe if you drink and get drunk together you are closer friends, and they are challenging/testing each other. The toasted each other to welcome each other back from vacations, congratulate people on getting engaged, and who knows what else - I couldn't understand most of it. They toasted us, too, to welcome us into their community. Rebekah and I drank our orange juice most of the time, so no harm was done.

I threw a birthday party for my bestest friend Rebekah on Saturday night at our friends Daryl, Patrick, and Ben's house (we went to Hong Kong with them). They have a great, big, nice apartment and we cooked Italian food! It was so fun. Yesterday, Sunday, I went to the Next church again and ate Malaysian food after with friends. My friend Michelle, the concert pianist, brought two Chinese friends. After lunch the four of us hung out all day! They are so fun and we had a great time, they're super cool.

That's all for now! I'm going to meet a friend for bubble tea. I had two big classes of milk tea for lunch yesterday and was shaking soon thereafter because of all of the caffeine... I need to lay off the naicha (milk tea).

Hong Kong Helen

Greetings all. I've had a super fun last two weeks! I left two Saturdays ago, the 13th, for Hong Kong with about 9 other people. We took a 22-hour train ride down, and it was SO fun. My best friend, Rebekah, and I went with a group of girls and guys who go to a church called Next together. We had gotten to know a few of the people before, but not very well. They range in age from 23-35? 40? I'm not sure really, but most of them are a good 7 years older than me. We had some awesome, fun conversations on the train and saw a lot of fireworks since it was New Year's Eve. We arrived the next day and it was semi-warm...

Alas, the warm weather left. It ended up being cloudy, foggy, cold, windy, and damp the rest of the week. Boo. But we still had a great time. No beach time like we planned, and I didn't bring any warm clothes so I had to buy a fleece down there. We stayed on a small fishing island called Cheung Chau. It was a 30-minute ferry ride from the big Hong Kong island.

Things we did on Cheung Chau:
We explored the island a lot - walked around the little streets, window shopped, etc. We are a lot of meals and drank a lot of milk/bubble tea, which I am absolutely OBSESSED with now. I found a place nearby in Beijing and got two big cups of dongde zhenzhu naicha (ice milk bubble tea). I went on a hike one day with three of the guys which was a blast. I spent almost no time in our flat because it wasn't warm (no heat) and we were out doing things! I took some photographs, and we did group devotions every day which were great. I got to know the people on the trip really well and I like them all so much. I slept in a small bed every night with Rebekah and I slept really well - a HUGE blessing! The first night we got some red wine and brought it back to our flat, and as I was taking my first sip it spilled ALL over me - on my one jacket and my nice jeans. I tried to wash them as best I could that night and hung them to dry inside... They still weren't dry 6 days later when we left. That's how humid and wet it was - and our flat was right on the ocean. p.s. there are no cars on cheung chau!

Things we did in Hong Kong:
We went on a group hike to Jardine's Point which has a beautiful view of the city. Hong Kong is a beautiful city with mountains, the water, clean streets, and fresh air! The opposite of dry Beijing. I got some visa stuff taken care of at the HK visa office. I went alone two mornings on the ferry from Cheung Chau to HK, and I got seasick and threw up the first morning on the ferry. It was awful but a funny story. We also ate lots of meals in Hong Kong, drank bubble tea (duh), walked around, took buses and subways, saw a New Year's fireworks show on the harbor, walked around, shopped, went to lots of tourist areas, etc...

I really like the city of Hong Kong. It's very diverse - you see people from all over the world there. Many people speak English, which is good, but on the other hand many don't speak Mandarin. Lame. It's a big city but is green, by the water, and has mountains behind it. I'd love to go back when it's warmer and play on the beach some! I probably had the most fun getting to know my new friends. Some of them are extremely smart and know so much about so much. They were so interesting to talk to. They are also very knowledgeable about life and living in China, and I'm grateful to have older, more experienced friends. They challenged me a lot and probably got to know me too well. Either they are very perceptive or I'm wildly transparent, because they pointed out almost immediately that I speak bluntly and say what other people want to say but don't. I was glad they still liked me after they knew that, though. We played some silly games, especially deal breaker. I obviously introduced this game to everyone, and I also had the most deal breakers. Shocking.

I've been home for a few days, and have had some interesting experiences since then. Monday morning I went to a Chinese hospital to get a "physical examination" for teaching. It was chaos. Crying babies all over the place (after getting their blood drawn in a hallway, which I did, too). So my "body exam" consisted of getting my blood drawn, a chest x-ray (that my Chinese companion first translated as "sculptured breast), someone listening to my heartbeat, and... well... something I'm not going to post on my blog. I felt a bit violated when they ordered me to pull my pants down, let's just leave it at that. The whole experience was kind of funny, and I get my results back on Thursday - I hope I passed!

I felt very capable today. It's a little warmer, so I wore a dress today. It felt good. I also went to the police station alone to register since I was home from Hong Kong. I found it on my own and communicated in Chinese! Also encouraging. I got some groceries from a Chinese supermarket - I need to learn to cook. And then I went to Rebekah's house for a long time. We hung out, watched LOST, and ate meatball subs with her family. Her family has been SO sweet to me, welcomed me into their family and said they're going to adopt me! It's great to spend time with an American family. Then Rebekah and I went to get our hair washed. This was VERY fun. It costs 20 RMB (about $3), and it includes them shampooing your hair and rubbing your head, neck, back, arms, and hands. Soooooo cheap and it felt sooooo good. I have a feeling this may become a regular activity for me...

I'm feeling great after my Hong Kong trip and am just trying to prepare to start work! Getting errands done this week and relaxing. Friday night I'm going to a new friend's house who went to Hong Kong. Her name is Michelle and she's from New Mexico. She's an ABC (American-born Chinese) and has family in Hong Kong. I'm not exactly sure how old she is - around 30? She has a PhD in piano and is a concert pianist here - wow! She wants to play duets with me! She eats gluten-free (yay, Mom!) and lives one stop away from me on the subway. She's going to have Rebekah, me, and someone else over and make burgers for us (her family is in the restaurant business I think), and then teach us to play mahjong. I have also promised to say the Lord's Prayer in Chinese because my new friend Gordon (my age and a Princeton graduate, mind you) and I memorized it on the train ride back. I need to practice...

I'll try to post a few pictures soon, and I've posted a bunch on facebook!

Officially a Beijinger

To start, let me respond to some comments... Dai yuehan, 跟什么老师谈谈吗？我跟他们没将一将。And Katie, no, Sheila and I don't speak in Chinese together... yet... I told her I'm going to make her do that with me soon.

I can't remember what I wrote last, but the last week has had some really hard days! Some great things too, but definitely my toughest moments. A new friend helped me move to my new apartment last Friday, but it ended up not being such a good idea because I had no mattress pad (mattresses in China are HARD!), no heat, no food/water/toilet paper, no internet, and I was all alone! I slept about 4 hours that night. The next few days Sheila and I moved in more, set up our heat, water, internet, etc., and today I am a little more moved in. I still haven't done any decorating in my room and need a few things, but I'm mostly unpacked - yay! I also had some phone problems this weekend, which was a pain.

Saturday night I went to a joint birthday party for three new friends at a nice apartment. People from the west side and east side were there, which is rare, so I met a lot of new fun friends! I also ate 2 pieces of carrot cake - yummmmmm. Something about China I don't like - very few apartments have dryers, ovens, dishwashers, or disposals. So, eating a baked good was a real treat. Also, most Chinese apartments don't have actual showers - I will post a picture of this later, but there is no distinction between the bathroom - toilet, sink - and the shower. Our showerhead is on the wall with no walls around it. We do have a curtain though, which helps. So, after you shower you have to clean the water up that has gotten all over the rest of the bathroom - it's very fun.

I officially have a job! I signed a contract yesterday to teach at a Chinese kindergarten for a year. No penalty if I break the contract though, thankfully. I'm relieved to have finally decided what I'm going to be doing here, but now I have to get my work visa and a physical from a hospital (that should be VERY interesting). Chinese kids are so adorable, and I'm excited to get to play with them. I like them much more than American kids, thankfully. My job doesn't start until March 1st because all of the schools have a long break for the Chinese New Year/Spring Festival.

Speaking of, I'm going to Hong Kong, specifically Cheung Chau, for the new year! I'm going with a group of 9-11 new friends from the 13th-20th. We are taking a train both ways, so it will be a casual 22-24 hour train ride. It's going to be much warmer than it is here - like in the 60s and 70s. The island we're going to is more undeveloped, so hopefully I'll get to see some of Hong Kong but also sit on the beach, hike, and jump in the water! It will be a great time to get to know some of these people better, too. I'm only thinking about what I will wear and what I should pack for the trip, but I have no idea what my first China trip will be like. Lots of fun I hope!

Every day when things happen to me I think, oh, that's funny, I should write it in my blog, but then I forget or I don't have enough energy to blog. Last night I got propositioned on the subway to teach some guys English. It was strange, the guy gave me his card and tried to get my number but I refused him. People stare at me and talk about me with NO shame. I hear so many people, especially kids, saying "waiguoren" (foreigner). People wave at me, say "hello!", and stare on a regular basis. I don't know if I'll get used to that, but most of the time it makes me smile. My Chinese teacher thinks I look like Meg Ryan??? Some people have said they didn't think I was American because I'm not very tall.

Shoot I can't think of any good stories to tell. Maybe later...

Some pics

Longdong isn't too bad

你们好！Nimen hao! I'm sitting in a coffee shop called Tous Les Jours with a friend in the west side of Beijing, Wudaokou. It's a student area with lots of universities, coffee shops, etc. I'm doing great!

I have Chinese class at a language school on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7-9pm. I have 2 classmates - an Italian guy and a French guy... very interesting. The class is too easy for me so I feel very smart. It's good for me to review words and grammar I've forgotten, and some of the vocab words are new so that's good. Chinese class is me in my element - If I could make a career out of attending Chinese class I would rock at it.

I have some interviews/teaching demos for teaching jobs coming up. Some for kindergartners, one for adults. Should be interesting. I'm not excited about doing the demos, but I'm ready to have a job! The kids teaching jobs won't start until March 1st because Chinese New Year (Spring Festival, chunjie) is coming up and people get a long break. Sooo, I'd have a month to hang out, maybe travel a little?!? I need to find some friends to travel with.

The apartment search is ongoing. I love Sheila, the girl I'm going to live with, but so far we haven't found a place we are "manyi" (satisfied) with. People post apartments on this website that look nice and are reasonably priced, but they don't actually exist which is disappointing. We're going to keep looking. The other night we met some real estate guys, who we thought were picking us up in a car, but they showed up with electric bikes. A minute later I'm on the back of a bike, holding on to a Chinese man for dear life as he swerves through cars down the busy streets. I took a picture of it that I'll try to post later. It was fun and crazy!

I'm pretty sure I'm going to run the Great Wall half marathon in May. Ahh!!!! It's going to be impossible, but It also looks incredible and I feel like it's something I have to do. I'm going to try and start training in February. Anyone want to come run it with me?

That's all for now!

I'm a back!

Hello all! Sorry it's taken me so long to write my first update - I know you have all been checking my blog regularly. It's Monday afternoon, and I've been in Beijing almost two weeks. My dad left on Friday, and I had a great time with him!

My dad and I were very active and busy. We went to the Great Wall, Tian'anmen square, Forbidden City, Olympic park, and saw a lot of the city. It was great to have him here to figure out where everything was, how to use the subway/buses - even though he knew nothing and I pretty much taught him everything he knows. It is so cold here and we wore long underwear, many layers, hats, gloves, etc. every day. I've met a lot of great people and am excited about getting more involved in the community here and forming relationships with these people.

I've been sick for a few days, which isn't fun, but I'm surviving - luckily I brought a first aid kit that I've taken advantage of. I'm planning on living with a 25-year-old girl from Rwanda who works for the Rwandan embassy here. She's lived in Beijing for a long time, and we've started looking for apartments. I hope something works out soon! Right now I'm living with a wonderful couple, but this expat community is more for families and it's outside the city. I want to live on the east side, and it's a bit of a trek to get into town, so I can't really start my life there yet.

My Chinese is BAD! I start language classes tonight, but either I am really unprepared for speaking here or I'm really rusty. Hopefully the latter. People speak so fast and speak the Beijing dialect - they leave out words, combine words, and add a lovely "arrrr" sound to the end of a lot of words. It will take some getting used to, practice, and study to really be able to communicate.

Some days have been great and exciting, and some days have been really hard. I'm glad I'm here, but moving to a foreign country is really tough. I'm not sure how I want to spend my next few weeks/months and am really trying to figure that out. The culture shock has been overwhelming at times, so I'm really looking to make some good foreign friends who can help me and relate to what I'm going through. Like I said, I've already met some people that I really like, now I just have to take the time to get to know them.

The food... hm... I've had a few dishes that I've liked, but for the most part my stomach is not happy with Chinese flavors. When you eat a meal with Chinese people they want you to eat some nasty stuff, they order a TON of food, and they want you to eat all of it and enjoy it. Thankfully Beijing is a very international city with lots of different kinds of food. The other night a Chinese person I was with ordered fish, so of course the waiter brought out the live fish in a plastic container to show us it was fresh - lovely. I love seeing my live food before it's killed and cooked.

Thank you all for your love, support, and prayers! Please keep praying for my living situation, relationships, job, and language. I'll write again soon!

T minus one week

I'm leaving in a week! Jan. 12 I head to Beijing with my dad, and we arrive the afternoon of the 13th. I'm staying with a wonderful American couple until I find a job and place to live (roommate, hopefully). It's going to be FREEZING so I'm trying to pack lots of warm clothes, but will also need clothes for the warmer months to come. I'll write more once I arrive!