Two Worlds of Beijing

(So the pictures are out of order. The ones at the top are from later in the night and the ones on the bottom are from earlier. I still haven't figured out the intricacies of blogger. )

There is a phrase on billboards everywhere in Beijing: "One World, One Dream." That's what they want everyone to believe in.  

But there are in fact, Two Worlds and Two different realities in Beijing. And I got to experience both of them in the same night. 

I was invited over by a co-worker of mine, Ella. I was taken to her house which she shares with her husband, baby girl, Sarah, and both her parents. They watch Sarah while Ella's at The Family Learning House. I was treated to my first meal with a Chinese family! I let Ella know ahead of time about my dietary restrictions of not eating meat and having the vessel in which the meat is cooked in be cleaned before cooking the next dish, etc. And she was definitely able to understand where I'm coming from as she has Buddhist/vegetarian friends. But her parents surprised me and went out of the way making a lavish spread of just veggie dishes! Wow. I ate till I was stuff: mushrooms, broccoli, bamboo shoots, chinese cabbage, bok choy, potatoes, etc. They said they spent two hours preparing the meal so I had to take a picture! It was definitely an honor to be a part of their family for one evening. Her parents asked many questions and I answered in very broken Chinese and Ella translated anything I didn't know how to say. Her daughter sat in the high chair and at 1 year old was eating all sorts of things and feeding herself. She even used one chopstick to sort of get food on it and put into her mouth. Very observant. Ella is Montessori trained and so has also trained her parents to raise Sarah differently than most Chinese would. For example, Chinese babies are carried a whole lot, are fed until they are about 3-4, and are not really allowed to be independent. Well, that's a whole other thread. I'll get to it once I get my classroom functional. 

Anyways, Ella and her family are so simple, kind, generous, and warm. I can't wait to go back again! 

Then I met Rob, a friend from Vandy, who's been living in Beijing for 6 years now. Basically from the time we graduated. I showed up at, er, the name escapes me. Below is a picture of a huge jumbotron screen hanging. So you have to crane your neck to see... but how could you miss?!?! China and most of Asia is one blinking neon sign, especially at night. I bet from space you could have seen this Coca-cola sign. We went to a party hosted by Puma for the Jamaican Olympic team. Then went to a nice lounge and I met some of his cool friends. Had a great time. Saw Beijing at night and all the building are beautiful. One of these days I'm going to go around and just take night time shots of all the skyscrapers. My time with Rob and his friends made me excited to be in such an international city. Good times are sure to come. 

So in the end, my two experiences made for a good juxtaposition of what my life will be like. What world will I live in? 

Here's a good answer from a Jamaican you might know about: 

"Man is a universe with in himself." - Bob Marley

See? It's proven, that's the Jamaican Olympic team. 

Part of the jumbotron sign. 

The star of the Jamaican team with the face paint. I think he's a track and field athlete. 

And then Sarah eating watermelon!

Sarat eating stringed potatoes. See the string hanging off her cheek?

Yum-O.