Beijing and Back

It's 10:30pm on Monday night and I should be going to bed but I know that if I don't post about our weekend, I will not get it done for another week. Not that I'm terribly busy at work (as some of you may know with my awesome half-days), but I have fine tuned the art of procrastination.

So no pics as promised from Beijing. The camera was the one thing we forgot to pack. I did pack a checked bag because I knew I would be doing a good amount of shopping and bringing home a full bag. I went to the Indian store and brought back some spices (although they confiscated the pickle I bought because I forgot and packed it in my hand luggage, arg) and dhals. So hopefully I will gain some courage in the next week and try to cook some Indian food.

So maybe a better way is to outline the weekend for you:

Friday: We were running late and trying to catch a cab during the time of day that the shift change occurs. Get this, Hangzhou has decided that shift change for cab drivers should be normal work rush hour... That is from 4-5pm. So you are out of luck if you want to go anywhere during that time and that's usually when I'm commuting. So we found a cab who was in the middle of his shift change but took pity on us foreigners. He mumbled something about how we would just have to pay 100RMB, he wasn't going to run the meter because it was shift change time, etc. I thought I understood everything until we started winding down some narrow streets just off the highway that we were supposed to be on. Finally, we get to a bridge where the driver stops gets out and starts talking to another man. Turns out we got to witness our very first Hangzhou taxi cab driver shift change because we were part of it! So, new driver gets in and settles in to his 12 hour shift and we were off to the airport.

Friday evening we got into Beijing, put our bags down at Fernando and BeiBei's apartment and headed to a late dinner at Purple Haze. We don't get good thai food in Hangzhou (a hint to our new-found Thai friends in Hangzhou, maybe they'll invite us over some time if they read this) so Purple Haze hit the spot. We couldn't finish a lot of the food which was a pity, but it was already close to 1am. We (Ben, Fernando, BeiBei included) went to a friends 30th birthday party. Yes, we are all getting older and it's right around the corner for Chase actually. Then we went to a house party in a hutong. This apartment was great, spacious, stained glass windows, etc. We met some fun french people and danced a bit.

Saturday: We woke up and got breakfast/brunch at our favorite bakery in Beijing, Comptoirs de France. They now have six locations and when were there they only had two. So I am quite amazed and happy they have grown. Our favorite location is in China Central Place. Everything about their food, service, and baked goods, is top-notch. We always come home with a treat bag of something yummy afterwards. This time it was two meringue cookies and Christmas cookies- star, tree, reindeer, and snowman. The tree and snowman went to Fernando and BeiBei in thanks for letting us stay with them this weekend. Next Chase and I went to our hair appointments. My hair had a big chunky layer in it from several years ago when I had an awful hair cut and so it was time to finally get my hair to all one length like a normal human. So it was a bit more hair than I'd like to part with but you can still call my hair "long" which is what I want. I can't wait for it to grow out more. Chase is also planning on keeping his hair long and opted to just get it trimmed and some volume taken out of the top and sides where it seems to grow the fastest. Our hair salon in Beijing gives the best head massages. They literally have you in the shampoo chair for about half an hour. Can't get that sort of treatment in the US anywhere I've seen. Other than that, we shopped for DVDs, I got Indian groceries, and we bought a couple of gifts from the market near by. We had lunch at our favorite Middle-Eastern restaurant, Turkish Mum. It was light, healthy, the hummus was so creamy, the tea flavorful, and we just had a great time relaxing. Yes, I really was in relax-mode this weekend. It was great to get out of Hangzhou.

Saturday evening, we read some books, and then made our way to have Thanksgiving Dinner at a local NY style restaurant called Chef Too. The owner is American and they even make their own ice cream. So the meal was a traditional one with all the sides and I even had some turkey to join in the spirit. We arrived late, so the staff was hurrying us through the meal, but I savored every bite.

Alright, my eyes are drooping, so I am stopping here and will recount the story of our trip after I wake up.

I just got back from trivia night at a place called Vineyard Cafe in Hangzhou. It's not the same as the one in Beijing. That Vineyard is a beautiful restaurant with a great weekend brunch in the middle of some hutongs. I hear that part of Beijing is getting totally revitalized, at least the hutongs are, and that's a good thing because then those structures are saved from demolition and just the construction of modern buildings everywhere.

So our team didn't win at trivia. We have won the last two weeks in a row and we were hoping to make it a hat trick, but lost by half a point. I wasn't quite on my game this evening. I am a bit tired, not just from work, but that after work I regulary work out and then cook dinner. There are times where I don't sit down until about 8:30 at night. So I'm usually up at 6am, so are talking regular 14 hour days.

Tomorrow, Chase and I fly to Beijing to do some shopping, visiting friends, and enjoying some time away from Hangzhou. I think it's going to be great- busy and fun. I will try and take pictures.

Mysterious Ways

This morning I woke up and had a pity party for myself. I didn't leave the apartment all day yesterday and so the lack of Vitamin D mixed with the noise of people remodeling next door and being sick this past week compounded on top of everything and I just wallowed for about three hours. Chase tried a couple of times to reassure me and I wasn't exactly consolable. I am just plain homesick. I miss my dog, friends, family, familiarity, and the comforts of American life (we are so spoiled in the USA I can't even explain).

This time of year, being away from America and family is also tough. Thanksgiving is around the corner and it is my favorite celebration of the year. The air is crisp, the seasonal food available is hearty and flavorful, and everyone comes together. Chase and I are going up to Beijing this weekend to see friends so I hope that it will cheer me up. Besides that we just have to wait less than one month before we'll be back home for a visit.

In the afternoon, our school hosted a Harvest Party at school and I think that it came together very well. All the staff was helpful and pitched in where ever help was needed. We had games and activities for the children to do and I think that the families of our school had a good time getting to meet. There was tons of food which everyone enjoyed. A couple of people in a family of vegetarians had to leave early as there was nothing for them to eat besides fruit and bread. It's hard to plan the menu when it's potluck. We tried to have a sign-up list, but in China even if someone brings a vegetable side dish it will always have chunks of meat in it. So we will have to plan that better for next time. All in all, though everyone was relaxed and seemed to enjoy our first official school event! So I think I can pat myself on the back for putting that together.

I got some good leftovers to take home for Chase and as I was walking home I noticed a young teen on the sidewalk sitting up against a gated fence to one of the apartment buildings. Chase and I have a rule that we do not donate or give to beggars who have all four limbs and who seem to have a stable mind. It sounds crude, but I believe that if they have all those necessary requirements, then they can join the work force like the rest of us and that any amount of charity will not be what brings them out of their troubles. However, this child was not begging. His arms were wrapped so tightly around his bent legs, his eyes were worried, and I could tell that he was truly lost in this world. I reached into my bag and pulled out some food I was carrying home and gave it to him. He thanked me twice looking deeply into my eyes and I felt the thankfulness from his heart as I passed by. I hope that he is ok. I hope I gave him enough food. It was a protein, so I think that it should have nourished him for at least a day and I hope that he is able to make it in this world and have a peaceful life ahead of him.

It certainly took the spotlight off my troubles of this morning. I was whining and crying and I know I have problems like everyone else, but I've got it pretty good in the end. I have people around me who love me, a way to earn a living, and hobbies and interests that I am pretty proficient at. It is just that somewhere down the line, I have forgotten how strong I am. I have forgotten me since we came to China 15 months ago and it's time to find that inner strength again. I am coming up with a plan on how to do this as I currently work full time so rededicating my efforts to my personal growth is going to take some tricky scheduling and maneuvering so stay tuned.

at home

So it's dreadfully freezing in Hangzhou today. It has been for the past few days and they are predicting snow tonight which is rare for this time of year. It's a result of the cloud seeding that was done over Beijing a few weeks ago that produced the huge snow storm they had up there. And now the weather system is still continuing to produce unseasonable snow in northern China and might reach us tonight. I read on forums that snow was up in the mountains of Zhejiang province last night, but since we are in the city, I'm not sure, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

As for the cloud-seeding, I sincerely hope that karma will get the people who tried to alter Mother Earth's path. Wait, that's wrong of me to think but I am appalled when people try to play God. I know there are people in China that need to be fed and so cloud-seeding will provide rain for crops, but maybe in places like Beijing, which are such an anomaly in why people ever decided to build a city in the middle of a desert, we shouldn't be living. But I did live there last year and loved the city so I'm sounding hypocritical but I stand by my statement.

I came home early because of all the weather change I came down with a bug. It's not horrible, but bad enough that I just want to lay down. So no yoga today which I was looking forward to. I hope Chase will make me some Chinese noodle soup. And I hope it will snow.

Being Real Americans

So the Patriots played the Colts a day or two ago. Wait, don't tell me who won because we still haven't seen the game, but this is the story of how we hoped and wanted to see the game like every good American did.

I found out about a forum where by users can post NFL games for other to download. Chase and I have tried just about every other means to watch NFL and college football online, but we have not been successful. Well, last year in Beijing, we did have pirated Satellite TV and ESPN did put some.... just some games so we had a fair amount that satiated our football needs. This year, we don't even have Chinese TV so everything we watch is a DVD from the pirated DVD place across our street or online. We have several great sites we like to use including youku.com, tudou.com, and others.

So Chase and I had the great idea to go for a workout and order in pizza and watch the game off my laptop using this new forum. A perfect date-night idea. We went to the gym first and on their pirated ESPN satellite channel (yes, even five-star gyms have to pirate their TV in China) was the broadcast of the Real Madrid v. Milan match-up and so Chase got hooked watching that. So we ended up sticking around the bar that's on the same floor as the gym and I had my pizza while Chase had a burger. So it wasn't so American after all. We tried the site when we got home but we're still stuck on this side of the world without our American football fix until we get home for the holidays.

So we'll be back in Texas for Christmas with his family and the rest of the time through New Year's in Austin. So I am looking forward to that.

Today we are going to the climbing gym this evening and Chase says I'm going to be using my harness. Haha. I don't enjoy sport climbing nearly as much as the safety of bouldering. Bouldering just makes me feel like a monkey and that's basically why I like to climb anyways.

Other than that, we 'll check out a new restaurant for dinner and come back home for early rest. I've got a scratchy throat.

Oh, and we are going to Beijing in a few weeks; the weekend after Thanksgiving to be exact. Really excited to see old friends and be back in the Jing.

Hanghzou International Marathon

Dear All,

Well, I wanted to post last weekend because Chase and I went on a long hike around the West Lake and saw some wonderful sights. We hiked around the western half and down the Su Causeway and found some interesting and beautiful spots. I took plenty of pictures but Chase has pretty much hijacked the camera and I don't have those pictures at the moment.

But I can tell you about this weekend. Our friend, Lisa, from Shanghai came on Saturday morning to stay in Hangzhou because she ran the Hangzhou 1/2 Marathon this morning. We spent most of the morning tidying up and I shopped for a few breakfast foods such as bread, honey, coffee, etc. so she could have something to eat before the run. She has run the Great Wall Marathon a couple of times as well as some other long races, so she's definitely in shape, but we just wanted to be good hosts. So when she arrived, we went to lunch and then got her registration packet. At the same time, I hoped to register, but unfortunately, it was all full or since I didn't already register online, I couldn't. I didn't understand the chinese they were speaking well enough.

So we went to an extremely long dinner at a restaurant called Valentino's last night. The food was well-prepared and I would go back, but by the time we got out, I was was falling asleep in the cab.

We woke up this morning and Chase and I decided to run the 6.8 km (mini-marathon, they called it) even though we weren't legally registered. Mind you, anything is possible in China. Sometimes you just play the "wai guo ren" card (foreigner card) and you have the rights to pretty much do anything. So we ran. Chase kept pace with me for the first 15 minutes and then took off at his speed for the rest of the 5kms or so. I had a great time running and I am proud that I didn't stop for the whole 6.8 kms. That is certainly a great accomplishment as I am not built to be a runner.

Lisa also finished the half-marathon in good time and we met up with her new guy who also lives in Shanghai. He just came in for the day. So we went to brunch. Going to brunch is a big deal in the ex-pat world of China and people make a huge fuss over it. But I'm ok with a little bit of gorging once a month especially when there's free-flow champagne (in our case, Proseco). We feasted and then took a stroll over to the banks of the West Lake before they had to catch their train back.

We hope to go to Shanghai during the Thanksgiving weekend and really eat at the Mother of all Brunches at the Westin-Shanghai. It's supposed to be intense. I can't hardly wait. We also might to go to Beijing to visit our friends there, so we'll keep you updated on what we decide to do.