2 Great Days in Beijing

It's been too long since I've written. But we've been settling in this week in Beijing in addition to working full-time. The children come to school starting on Wednesday and we've had workshops and I've been working furiously to turn my classroom into something that will work for me. I just have these high standards for my "prepared environment." And to some people it might seem neurotic, but finding the right baskets, the right papers, and making sure everything is polished clean and presentable is so important to me. This is really hard to do in China mostly because I don't know where to look to find things like bottlebrushes and doilies and construction paper even! It will take some time for me to get my bearings.

I have internet access but only when Chase is not on the computer since I haven't hooked up my laptop to the cable connection we have in our new apartment. Tomorrow we get a phone line, DSL internet- wireless, thank goodness, and hopefully our Satellite TV fixed.

Well, yesterday three great things happened. Chase and I walked to my work because I had to drop off something and there was a Bally's gym that we were looking into for a yearly membership. We are getting out of shape. So this has been a priority. On the way out I spotted a Jenny Lou's! This is great because the day before, we went to a Carrefour. Carrefour is this chain from France similiar to a Target. It has everything from irons, to bicycles, to groceries. I couldn't manage my way around the smells of the grocery section. Seafood was still alive, dried foods smelled putrid, and produce was limited and foreign. No wonder Chinese eat out so much. It's a chore to shop for groceries and cook at home. It was looking bleak for me ever stepping into our kitchen for the rest of the year. But Jenny Lou's is an import grocery store with real bread, salads, produce, and brands that we can recognize- Newman's Own, Barilla pasta, Betty Crocker, etc. So we (mainly, me) are so happy to reclaim the kitchen and be able to cook once in a while.

Secondly, Chase and I bought bikes. We feel like Beijing has opened up to us and it's a new playground to explore. My bike is pink with a black basket in the front and a black rear pannier. I feel like such a Beijinger. I am currently taking suggestions for the name of my bike. Chase's bike is called Gray Thunder and is a road bike that is too small for him. It's 50cm to be exact and he needs one that's 58cm. He's raised seat as far as it can go.

And lastly, the sun came out! I was so happy. Yesterday was a great day.

Today was another good day. A beautiful Sunday. Not too cold, not too hot. We got our bikes out and rode to Ritan Park. It's a beautiful 20 hectares park where in the Northeast corner is an outdoor climbing wall and bouldering area. We met some climbers and taught Fernando how to belay. Then we went to a contemporary Chinese restaurant and had some dimsum and milkshakes. What a great way to round off the day. Now we're going to watch KungFu Panda before dinner.

India and so many things

It has been many days. And this is the first one in which I have had time to check email and get on the internet. We have been so busy since the day we arrived. We literally leave the house every morning and get back at night. We have been shopping a lot for the wedding and attending wedding related events for Sam's wedding. The wedding was yesterday and was beautiful. The reception was last night and we had a lot of fun. I will post pictures when I'm sitting around the Hong Kong Airport on Sunday.

All I want to say is that I'm glad to be back in India after so long. I missed this place and there's something about it that makes me feel like I am home. The smells, food, people, chaos, all make India one of the most spiritual places on the planet for me. Bangalore has gotten so much dirtier and crowded though. I wish it didn't outgrow itself so fast. The infrastructure is so poor, for example, we sit in traffic on average for 2 hours a day. Other than that, the people and how they live admist everything really motivates me to get out of my bubble and appreciate Earth and mankind.

I don't think this is the same reaction you'll get from Chase, however. He's definitely overwhelmed at times and even though he's so easy-going and such a good traveler he's had some trouble accepting how things are in India. I don't blame him. India is a place that you have to adjust to. Life, living, everything is hard here. He's doing great though. My grandma loves him. He has even started calling her "patti" now. Which is the word for grandma in Tamil.

I wish we could have left the city. Our plans were to go to Mysore today but my grandma needs attention. Maybe some day Chase will want to come back with me and we can do some proper traveling around the country.

Gotta go. More later in Hong Kong.

India is not a geographical location, it's a stae

Suitcase Shelter

So it's been about three weeks of living out of a suitcase. And I have to do it for one more. I leave for India tomorrow and I will be there for a week with Chase, my Mom, grandma (who he's going to meet for the first time- don't laugh if you are a Veeravalli or a Ramakrishna), and a few other relatives. We are going to Sam's wedding while in Bangalore and the festivities are lasting for days. So it should be wonderful. We are also going to solidify plans for our wedding date, pick out wedding ring designs, picking a venue, etc. Yes, I know, we've been stalling on making any concrete plans but ever since we got engaged and had our engagement party, our lives have been a whirlwind of change and I haven't had a second to do any real planning.... how terribly unbridal of me. 

It's nice that my work has given me this one week off even though I just started. And I do feel really guilty for going to India ONLY because there's so much work to be done at the school. I will have to absorb all the stress of getting ready for the new year in one week instead of two when I get back. But that is why I started work a few days early, so I have my bearings in my classroom. 

I miss Lola terribly. There's a pang in my heart for her and I've only been able to start looking at her picture without crying last week. It's a deep loss. I really do feel like I'm mourning her. I know she's ok, but there's a part of me that feels how a Mother would feel giving up her unwanted child. I know it might seem silly to compare her to a human, but I feel the same emotion towards her as I do a human. She has given me so much happiness over the years and it's so much work to let go of the feeling of wanting her in Beijing with me. She's got nothing but love to give. And I love her for that.

Well, it's been nice staying at the Robarts' house. I am really grateful that I had this chance to stay somewhere while I looked around for a place to live. But I'm excited to go to India and then come back and be out of suitcases and in my own home for the next year! 

Day One of the Olympics

Fernando and I went to check out the Olympic venues and village on day one of the Olympics. Here's what we saw. It was pretty packed and if you stopped, for example, on a pedestrian bridge, the security people would wave you on. So you can imagine, it's heavily guarded and most people can't get within 200 feet of any Olympic building. There were many scalpers. The government gave as much as 75% of the tickets to Chinese and most of the tickets were through a lottery system. If you got picked in the lottery, the ticket was 10USD. Now you can imagine what a profit they are making when they are selling them for in most cases 8-10X as much! I don't know, I would like to go to at least one event. But I can't say for sure it's going to happen. And along the walkways around the venue area, there were many people capitalizing on the Olympic spirit. There were several men on bikes where people would take pictures with them like they were famous. Come to find out, they biked around the country in the name of the Olympics. Fun touristy stuff.
The funniest story comes from an American we met in the entrance of the subway. He has a grant for research on Olympic swimmers through University of Georgia. I don't know what about them he is studying, but they sent him over here paid with hotel. However because of the Chinese government's strict regulations on who gets tickets/deck passes, no one on the Olympic swimming team or University of Georgia program could get him tickets. So he's in Beijing, no ticket in, and can't interview or meet with the Olympic swimming team. So he has to either scalp tickets or do his research when he's on the flight back with them.






















The Water Cube and Bird's Nest. Check out the security gate.



















Ta hen ke ai (He's cute.)















The closest most spectators can get to the Bird's Nest is from the other side of the 4th ring road. That is, if you don't have a ticket.















The Olympic flame. Notice the gray sky. That's pretty typical for Beijing.



















This building is supposed to resemble the Olympic flame.

Pride

So everywhere you go the past couple of days, Beijing City is showing their pride. Flags are flying all along the market roads. Where the shopkeepers are wearing red. A huge sense of national pride. Along the streets, they have people at major intersections whose only job is to hand out China flag stickers. So there you have it. I got branded.

I'm going over to someone's house to watch the Opening Ceremonies. It's gonna be awesome!

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.

No more sweat!

First day of work. It is, what I expected. Too much to do. So much to do. Don't know where to start. I feel I have the courage to do this. But I hope my efforts will be a positive impact on the school. 

I spent some of the morning getting oriented and observed the summer program. It's a summer program, they do less academics, more art and fooling around. I don't really believe in summer programs. I know they say it good for children to not have a break in their learning schedule. But it's a phenomenon, even while they are supposed to be progressing, their brains have checked out. But it also could be just that if the teacher has the attitude of progression, then the children will too. Still, I require at least 6 weeks off. That was one of the major perks to choosing this field. I don't know how you 9-to-5ers do it. 

I practiced yoga this morning for the first time in forever. Wow. Moving time zones, carrying huge duffle bags filled with a year's (well, in my case, just summer and fall ya know) worth of clothes and belongings, sleeping in strange beds, stress, and travel, have all taken a toll on my body. I should have ramped up my practice and instead I said to myself, "it's ok, you're moving, you under stress, you'll be fine." I thought the positive effects of previous weeks of yoga could carry me through this time, when in fact, what was I thinking! I could have transitioned easier if I would have kept up with it all. Moral: Yoga is addictive. There are side effects if you try to quit. 

Ashley gave me John Friend's Yes and No DVD. So I'm going to try that one tomorrow. I think it will be good to practice with a video, because often when I practice, I just do what I want to do and what feels good and conveniently forget to do all the poses that I don't like. hehheeh...

So I was just climbing into bed for what was going to be another sweltering night at the Robarts' home. You see, I'm staying at the Robarts' house while they are in Canada for the summer. This is a temporary arrangement until I find an apartment in Beijing, (which is another story because all the foreigners are snatching up good apartments for the Olympics and paying up to 3x a month's rent and leaving us long term tenants with slim pickin's) and the a/c unit in their guest bedroom has not functioned. So I've been blasting the a/c from the game room and it trickles into the bedroom. Well, I just went ahead and tried it tonight as I did every night in vain and it worked! The remote decided to work. Yay, So I won't wake up in a sweat pool around my neck in the morning! 

Sweet dreams! Speaking of sweet dreams, I had a dream last night that I was running around Beijing's streets in my dark blue velvet pants sweating cuz it's so hot here (96 degrees with ... well, I just checked now at 9:30pm it's 75% humidity, so you can imagine what it's like during the day). Funny dreams. 

Oh, and I really promise I'm going to bed right now, but you have to watch this video. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWgo9ZP7g0w

Hope the link works. I'm going to go watch it again right now... and THEN go to bed. Yeah. 

Beijing

This was my welcome when I made it to the Arrivals Hall of the "Beijing Capital International Airport." 

I am sure you have seen the mascots for the Olympics. There are five children-like mascots that represent the five rings of the Olympic games. They are called the Fuwa. 

They each have a rhyming two-syllable name: Beibei the fish, JingJing the panda, Huanhuan the Olympic Flame, YingYing the Tibetan antelope, and NiNi the swallow (who I am pictured with). 

And when you string together the first words of their names you get: BeiJing Huan Ying Ni! 

"Welcome to Beijing!"

First Day in Beijing

I'm sitting in my Holiday Inn Lido room watching Memoirs of a Geisha. I left Hong Kong this morning and arrive in Beijing this afternoon. Customs was easy and the airport was relatively calm. I expected there to be long lines already. I was picked up by Jian Shi Fu, one of the drivers for the Robarts. Beijing is cleaner than I remember it. And the sun was even peeking through the clouds! So all in all, a good start. 

I stayed inside for most of the afternoon because of the Total Eclipse (which was supposed to be powerful in this part of the world). Ayurvedic/Hindu practitioners believe that the sun's rays and energy surrounding the earth is heavy and it is unsafe to be outside. So I just digested the Beijing city map more in the confines of my very humid room. 

I went to dinner around 6 and coincidentally there was an Indian restaurant within walking distance of the hotel. The restaurant manager picked up that I was Indian and we made the Indian "connection." He told me about the community and how they get together. There are about 600 of us in Beijing. Much smaller than I anticipated. I also got the 411 on how to get Indian groceries. A pretty productive night so far... 

Then was picked up by Cathy, a real estate consultant I found. She and her colleagues are two other sweet girls that live together. I saw one apartment right across the railway tracks from where I will work. Infact the skyline of SOHO is visible from the living room on the 17th floor! 

I also picked up two magazines for foreigners in Beijing. And ran into two journalists from France for the Olympics. There are already so many people here.  And I had my first experience with watching obnoxious tourists. I stepped into the hotel bar for a second before I realized I wouldn't be staying there very long due to the cigarette smoke and overheard some American tourists ordering vodka. And they were being so rude because the pub (yes, a pub by definition mostly carries beers and does not specialize in liquors) didn't care anything but Smirnoff for vodka. I quote: 

"What no, Absolute, no Grey Goose, no Ketel One???"

 And just basically making a scene because her requirements weren't met in a foreign land. 

And the poor bartenders were being kind and holding themselves together but I am sure that by the time September is over (which is how long Beijing expects the flux of tourists to be around for) they are going to be very jaded. 

I on the other hand can't wait for another fun day in the city.