First days in Beijing

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So I was kind of dreading to write this post, because my first days have not been the best. But I guess I will just start writing and get it off my chest.

Today is my 3rd day in Beijing and the air is still very clean. I guess it has something to with Olympics that are going on around Bird's Nest (the National Stadium of Beijing). I heard that facturies had to stop producing around the 22nd so the air would seem clean and healthy on TV. Only in China I suppose. That is one thing I love and hate about China. They just don't really care. On my cab drive to the hostel on the first day, I was stunned by the Beijing traffic. We paid the driver in advance to avoid him taking a detour for extra money. He said it woud be a 1 hour drive if the traffic was in our favor. It wasn't really.. but still we arrived at the hostel in 30 minutes. Traffic jam? no problem. Just take the emergency lane to avoid it. We even passed a police car (on the right!) and he didn't even give us a second look. Glad I survived. Also, when you try to cross the road because the traffic light is green... you're actually not safe. Busses, cars and cyclist all couldn't care less about your safety and just want to get to their destination on time. On the way to the hostel I saw a lot of girls with umbrella's, even though there is no rain. This is because their beauty ideal is to be as white as possible. While we spend money on tanning salons, they avoid tanning and envy our white skin. I suppose it's something like having curly hair but wanting straight hair and the other way around.

After arriving at our hostel (and not sleeping for two nights), we went straight to walking around in Wangfujing(a big shopping area in Beijing, where our hostel is located)and getting some food. We got some sticks with sheep meat at this place where they also sold live scorpions on a stick and fried cockroaches. Yum. Not ready for that yet. It is so hot and damp outside, I had to literally peel off my clothes in the evening. China is not at all what I pictured it would be. Even though I have studied the country and her language for two years now. I guess you just cannot prepare for some things. People are spitting on the street and looking at all foreigners like we are monkeys behind bars. Some try to secretly take selfies with us, but it is kind of obvious when they try. Some people also just come up to you and ask if they can take a picture with you ''because you're so beautiful''. Yesterday a child asked her mommy why my eyes were so big and hers were so small. The mom replied that it was because of something we Westerners eat. I wouldn't have come up with a better answer myself.

I am already growing tired of the food here. It tastes fine but it all tastes the same. I come from the country of cows and cheese..but dairy is scarce here and you pay tons of money to get something that tastes remotely like cow milk. 3 days, and already craving a chocolate sprinkled sandwich with a glass of milk. Maybe it will be like a cleanse but I can't imagine this food being very healthy. It is all dough made of tapioca flour with some oil, water and spices. You can smell the spices in the air everywhere (except when you get near slums or trashcans), maybe it's like the national smell of China.

Yesterday my stomach was rejecting the Chinese food and I decided to take it easy for a bit. I feel incredibly homesick. I want to be around the people I love. It's not that I do not like Esther and Paul, but it is hard sharing all my time with them and not be able to plan something for myself. I just want to have a room on my own and do nothing but get used to the idea of being in China. It is very overwhelming and sometimes.. it's just too much.



Will update soon.

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