I've Ridden the CTA at 6PM, but this is rediculous

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So Hey there folks,

Tomorrow I'm off to my internship, again. I don't think I covered much of that in my last letter. I'm interning for a Chinese advertising company called MLC. They are doing a story on Intellectual Property Rights here in China. As you can imagine, while the WTO has asked for those laws to be enforced, things are moving slowly. You might also be wondering, "Carl, given your mediocre Chinese skills, how, exactly, do you plan to hold a job in that country?" If you were to ask that, I'd say, thats a very good question.

Despite the free labor that interns provide, I have a skill worth its weight in gold out here. No, not my dashing good looks, but my English. For example, the company just changed its slogan. Don't know what the last one was, but the new one is "Only Idea Can Explore Space in No Limit." Nope, I don't know what that means either. While their English is generally very proficient, sometimes it just doesn't cut it. In the business, what I will be doing is called "polishing." I'll look at their website and their briefs, and I'll correct things that only a native would catch. While for a normal intern this would be a boring and mundane experience, given my penchant for subtlties, I think I'll have a blast.

However, the most vauable part of this internship will surely be the cultural exchange. For example, for lunch last week we went to the local cafeteria. I asked one of my coworkers to just order for me what she was having. The setup was white rice and three dishes to choose from of our choice. One of the dishes she chose was the chicken. I generally stay away from chicken as, unlike in the states, the little nuggets usually come complete with bones. So you kind of have to eat around them. This strikes me as a reason not to order chicken. But what do I know?

The place itself is located in the Chaoyang district of Beijing. This is affectionately known as Beijing's Manhatan. This means, that when I go to a from work, on the subway, it will be like any public transportation at rush hour, except multiplied times China. Last week, when I saw the train stop, it was easily packed twice what any American would consider too full to enter. But along with a fleet of Chinamen behind me, we found more space, and pushed on in. The automated doors could barely close, and I definately didn't need to find a hand hold to keep me standing. All and all, getting out of the classroom, and in with the working Chinese will prove to be enlightening for sure. One moment that stood out last week happened at lunch. After we ate, one of my male coworkers said to me (in a mix of Chinese, english, and translation help by another coworker), "do you smoke?" I said no. Then he said, "Chinese use smoking as a way of socializing." First and foremost, who comes out and says that? How do I even begin to think about, much less understand the ramifications such a statement has for their culture? I can only imagine those tidbits will keep coming, and they are really what I'm here for.

Otherwise, class is clipping along. We learn around sixty words a night, and are tested on them every morning. We have chinese class for 3 1/2 hours every day, and most of it is in six person classes. We then have one half hour class, and then anther hour with a private tutor after lunch. That combined with my daily tutoring from my homestay family makes me hopeful I'll be conversational by the end of the semester.

Funny story. Last weekend I went to the mall with my family to by clothes for my internship. I bought a Georgio Armani overcoat, complete with removable fur lining for $25. What a deal! Once we got home, all the buttons fell of. And, upon second glance, what I thought was a very cool green/brown is looking more and more like communist army suprlus. Live and learn.

More from China next week. My family is well, and I am improving. I recieved my first letter from the states last week. That means folks, bie dan xin, or, don't worry, the labels I sent out work!

Love,
Carl

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