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