My Chinese teacher, Mrs. Ma today confirmed what my new Swedish friend Tony (with a Chinese wife from Guangzhou) said that generally, Chinese men here prefer their women dumb and pretty. As far as Beijing is concerned perhaps. Tony said his wife was the daughter of a Chinese General. In China, that means well connected. That translates to opportunities...plenty of it. So he said though she was well educated, had a good job that paid well and well traveled, she couldn't find a husband easily because men didn't value that in their wives. I guess even with all the modernization, it [View Full Entry]

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Met 2 very interesting characters at the internet café today. Keith, an American from L.A. who’d lived in China for 6 years, dressed from head to toe in traditional black chinese silk clothing, and Tony, a Swedish man who’d lived in China for 5 years and just had a 4 month old baby with his very independent un-traditional Chinese wife from Guangzhou. Earlier, I met an Australian man from Melbourne who has lived in China for 5 years. All who spoke chinese almost like locals. It was refreshing and encouraging but mostly, amusing to talk to a bunch of foreigners in [View Full Entry]

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I guess life always finds a way in balancing out. Inspite of the hot dry weather we had all last week, this weekend's cool spring-like mist was a welcomed relief. But today, it rained. No, it POURED. All day. So much that I actually wished I had a pair of wellingtons. Walking in puddles of water and squishing my way through my snickers isn't my idea of a nice morning walk. Never thought I'd ever say this (as I'm not a huge fan of rubber boots) but today I did. Unable to ride the bike to my first day of class, [View Full Entry]

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Another elevator story today. I was waiting for the elevator when I decided to strike up a conversation with this little old lady beside me. Turned out it might've not have been such a good idea. Some of the old Chinese folks have this way of talking really loudly and in a tone that sounds like they're shouting or arguing with you. To make things worse, when she heard that I was from the States, she immediately retorted, "You just came from the States? Don't you have that sickness they're all talking about? Don't you have it everywhere over there?" Embarassed [View Full Entry]

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Chinese LOVE spicy food. Not just hot but burning numb hot. Something called ‘mala tang’, names after a certain black pepper and cooked into a bloody red soup. I almost thought I was going to break out in hives and fever eating this mala tang. But why I went back again the next day, I can't explain. But then, I craved it again today but did not allow myself the luxury of doing so. Perhaps I'm getting smarter. I've also realized that far from being humid, the Beijing summer heat was dessert bone dry. Perhaps the driest heat I've ever experienced [View Full Entry]

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Sadly, more and more roads are becoming strictly 'cars only' lanes. Even on the major highways, the bicycle lanes are relegated to the side lanes, taking up only one fifth of the road width. This is something us foreigners lament about, as the Chinese are pretty happy indulging themselves in the savvy new cars. [View Full Entry]

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I went to the bank to open an account. It really makes me realize the many terminologies such as ‘wire transfer’, ‘fax machine’, ‘print document’, ‘business center’ I’ve taken for granted in the english language. Felt completely gagged and bound by my insufficient command of the language. Frustrating but lucky for me, there was ONE banker in the place that understood enough English to help me fill up the form to open an account. Once day, I WILL speak it. Also, I found it slightly comical that they wanted me to sign my name just as it looks [View Full Entry]

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Still in a semi-jet lagged state of consciousness, I woke up at 4am. Walked out to the balcony to the smell of steamed rice filling the air. Bizarre to smell that in the wee hours of the morning. Still, I couldn’t help closing my eyes and smiling from ear to ear. I love the smell of it. I think I’m going to cook rice today. Tonight for sure. Reading 'The Good Earth’ made me appreciate the smell of rice and I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. Looking 20 storeys down below at the few people crossing the streets, I thought, [View Full Entry]

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Opened my eyes this morning and thought: I’m in Beijing. Blink. Blink. If I closed my eyes, I could be right back in Chicago. Nothing felt different. But it was. I was halfway across the world from it. It was up to me. I had to make the steps to make this difference worth it. Too tired to do anything productive, let alone get something to eat, I decided I was thirsty enough to walk across the street to check out the small supermarket for something to drink. First order of the day though was to trim my nails which have [View Full Entry]

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Finally, the day arrives for my departure to Beijing. The last few weeks has been a real adventure already. I asked for one and I GOT IT. My somewhat boring, predictably comfortable life has been turned into an exhausting mad chase after time that kept eluding me up to the 11th hour of leaving. I’m at the Tokyo Narita airport, on my 4 hour transit to Beijing. So far, it’s been very uneventful. The peacefulness of it all is almost numbing. I feel nothing. No excitement, no fear, no nervousness. I’m just too exhausted right now. Can’t wait to sleep in [View Full Entry]

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