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!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
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.
- 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.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
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
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
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