Blogs from Beijing, China, Asia - page 472

ok this is the first entry. this is going to be a massive first entry because i only discovered this site a couple of days ago despite a lot of time spent at this computer on the internet. we arrived in beijing on the 2nd of feb. plane flight was great the plane was huuuuge. anyway had a slight hiccup when we arrived becuase despite the emphasis in heathrow of trying to make sure my bag wasn't left in paris which was where we changed flights...it got left in paris. it wasn't actually that bigger deal becuase on the good side i got a free shite t-shirt and a free washbag curtesy of some asian guy. nice. anyway it was also very cold when we arrived and within a couple of days it was snowing i ... read more

Since this class is about industry and spring break is coming up, I thought this would be fun. If anyone happens to go to a place where you can only purchase things through bargaining, then this blog is going to useful. I recall the time I was in China which was in 2001. Prices of everything was significantly low compared to the prices that we pay here in America, it makes me wonder after all the import/export taxes that we pay here along with government sales taxes, how much are stores really profiting from us? Meanwhile if they purchased many products from China at really low prices, they could profit by over 100%. I'm trying to remember my bargaining skills since I was last there in 2001...... Beijing, China - Bargaining Tips Bargaining is a part ... read more

School I’ve been at school for three weeks now. I get up at six to be at school by seven. I’m one of the lucky ones though, my host father drives my host sister and I to school each morning. Everyone else in my group has to get up even earlier and ride their bicycles. School starts at 7:20am. For the first ten minuets something mellow happens, I don’t really understand what it is and it is different everyday. Sometimes the students take a test for a class they miss that day. After that short bit of time we head outside for morning exercises. Now when they say morning ‘exercises’ don’t be fooled. We’re not out there doing pushups, crunches, or running laps. We’re marching. Well, not only marching, but the whole affair is defiantly militaristic. ... read more

Joda, saa neida. Jeg skrev faktisk et langt innlegg. Og brukte 45 minutter paa det. Men akkurat. Ogh da mener jeg akkurat i det jeg skulle trykke paa send-knappen, sluttet internett aa virke. Fortvilet er det rette ordet. Saa. Jeg sitter naa fortvilet i Beijing, og er ganske saa fortvilet. Jeg har hatt det bedre. Men jeg har ogsaa hatt det verre. Huff, ass. Saa fortvilet jeg er. Stakkars meg. Huff, ass. For en stakkarslig jente jeg er. Vel, vel, vel. Nok om det. Strek. Maa begynne paa nytt. Og jeg forteller deg. Dette her kommer til aa bli en stakkarslig historie om en stakkarslig, fortvilt jente i Beijing. Livet er for kjipt, kan du si. Oj. Trond Viggo Torgersen poppet innom huet mitt. Ikke hver dag han gjoer det. HAr jo vaert kjempeflink med denne ... read more

Well, we are now official Aliens of Beijing having received our 'Aliens Residence Permit' and 'Aliens Employment Permit' from the Chinese Government a few days ago. Yep, they really make you feel welcome and loved here, labelling you as Aliens. Its been just over 2 weeks, and we can confidently say that we think we really are going to like it here in Beijing. It's full of all the comforts you'd expect in a western country, except that things are one fifth of the price. Despite the language barrier, its actually not too difficult getting around - thanks to the aid of our trusty lonely planet phrase book. Through a combination of gesturing wildly, pronouncing Chinese phrases with an Australian accent and just looking plain sad and helpless, we've managed to get over most language hurdles. ... read more