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Published: August 7th 2008
Ah! By putting my laptop on my bed and on a suitcase - as a makeshift desk, I found a really low wireless signal! Yay!
Today has been productive. Figured out how to buy electricity at the bank, which was a relatively painless procedure. My conversation went something like this with me and the various Bank of China tellers, translated, naturally, from my baby Chinese:
me: Uh, hello. We’re guests, no electricity, have card, what to do?
BCT [smiling like she thinks it’s cute that I’m trying to speak Chinese: Oh, so you want to buy electricity?
me: um, yes?
So damn simple. I was traumatized last year when I tried to go pay the phone/internet bill at the Bank of China and was having visions of me walking out in tears. But no! So easy!
Then Ben and I went to Tiananmen Square to see Mao Zedong’s embalmed body at his mausoleum in the middle of the square, as it was “temporarily closed” all last year when I lived here. Well, guess what, it still is. So, once again, no Mao. Damnit.
Then we walked to Wangfujing because I finally found a FedEx office on
my own to send in my passport application to the Peace Corps. Load off. Got the stuff from the American Embassy like over a week ago but hadn’t found a FedEx place to mail it. Did it. Got it done. Thank god.
Afterward we walked back to Tiananmen and then went on to the Lama Temple, Yonghegong, which I believe is the largest Tibetan Temple in China outside of Tibet… not entirely sure about that, though.
So there are tourists everywhere now. Tons of foreigners around Beijing. It’s kind of nice, actually. Strange, but nice. Ben and I always smile at them - you kind of have to here as it’s so clear that you’re outsiders - foreigners here have a kind of camaraderie - like saying “Yes, we’re here, too, trying to navigate this ridiculous country and yes, everyone looks at us, too, and yes, sometimes you want to stand up and scream at everyone and be the crazy waiguoren that they all think you are - it’s okay, I’ve been there, too,” but all that really happens is a smile and head nod.
Also, everyone asks us if we’re German. And I answer that we
are Americans, but that yes, our ancestors are German. And they are. Really we’re German and Dutch from Dad’s side and Norwegian and English from Mom’s side. But for the purpose of the conversations with both Chinese and foreigners, just easier to say, “yes, we have German ancestors.” Except I forgot the word for “ancestor” so what really comes out is “women de baba de baba de baba de baba,” which translates to, “our father’s father’s father’s father,” but they get the point.
So today Ben and I are walking around Yonghegong Lama Temple and this absolute crowd - tour busses full - of Dutch people start streaming into the temple grounds. And dear god, if they don’t look like our long-lost-relatives. I annoy Ben with all of my, “I bet their name’s Baade and their grandparents knew our great grandparents,” and general comments about how we could probably get on their tour bus and go see the Holland football team with them. But seriously, tall, blonde, blue, same body build, same eyes and hair and skin tone. It was freaky cool. Ha and then we went into a shop to see what overpriced tourist stuff we could buy,
and one of our long lost relatives looked at us and I said hello… and she was like, “where are you from?” as if she expected us to be wearing and orange shirt like hers… And of course I said we are American but that our ancestors and family name are Dutch and German. And she smiled like, huh, maybe I have long lost relatives in the States…
And now it’s time to get ready for dinner!
Games start tomorrow! 08.08.2008 at 8:08pm. Fireworks at Tiananmen!
Woohoo Olympics!
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