Our Home

So I never got around to posting pictures of our apartment in Beijing. Here are some pictures I took when I was touring around the city looking. Of course, the apartment is more decorated and lived-in now, but we still haven't bought lamps, anything for the walls, and too many accessories. Mostly it's because we are so busy. Chase and I were thinking about staying in China for Chinese New Year and I suppose that might be a good time to go around and shop.

Here's the kitchen. It's more like a kitchenette if you ask me coming from our lovely kitchen in the Paisano house in Austin. But it'll do. Towards the end is the room for the washing machine. Note: no dryers in Beijing. The air is so dry, everything is dry within in a day when you just hang it up.



The great room. We now have a rug for under the coffee table and it is usually more lit than what shows in the picture. We love our sectional couch. But in some ways it's a bit too small for Chase's legs. He usually sits on the "L" part or lays down.



Our shoe cabinet and entryway mirror.



Our dining room. Notice how the microwave is in the dining room. Not much we can do about that as there is only one outlet in the kitchen and that is for the electric water kettle. At least we don't have the problem that most Chinese apartments have where the refrigerator has to stay in the dining room!



Guest bathroom.



Guest bedroom. Since we haven't had any guests yet, we feel comfortable using this space as our bike garage and our Ayi uses it as her workspace for folding and ironing our clothes.



Our bathroom. We have a tub. That's not so common in Beijing either! Most bathrooms tend to be in the style where the tile floor just has a shower head and the water goes all over the floor. Similar to India.



Our bedroom. We really like the big window that is on the corner. You get a good view of what's happening on our street corner. Ask Chase about it sometime. He watches the people every day while he's working and has some good stories.



Here's the 3rd bedroom which is more like a storage room by American standards. But it now has a large desk and chair and bookshelf for Chase while he works. This twin bed folds up to be a little couch in the corner. So that's where I come in and chat with him when I get home from work each evening.



So I hope you have a better visual of where we live now. It's a lot of space for just two people.
And we feel very happy with our arrangement. We also live really close to amazing restaurants and shops. We we live is called the CBD- Central Business District. It's located in the ChaoYang District of Beijing which is the fastest growing and most sophisticated part of the city. Virtually all westerners live in ChaoYang and quite frankly, we haven't left ChaoYang, except to go to the airport. But even that might be located in ChaoYang. I'm not sure.

Expat Status Granted

I am officially an "expat." My work visa came today. I am a registered "alien" with the Chinese government. They now have jurisdiction over my rights. Well, actually, I'm not sure how I am protected by the US government anymore. I'm still a citizen so I suppose it shouldn't change much. 

Speaking of which Chase and I went out to the local outdoor store (www.sanfo.com/en) which is beautiful. They have everything we can need from brands like Patagonia, Nalgene, MadRock, etc. But many items are 2x as expensive. So we will wait to go back to America to get needed items like socks, water bottles, climbing ropes, down jackets, etc. And then we went to another area of town for a bite to eat at a place called Bite A Pita. So as we pulled up to "super bar street" we were both oohhing and aaaahing over a well lit 10 story building and compound. Turns out it we found the new American Embassy. And wow, is it nice. It's heavily guarded, not by actual people that we could see although I am sure they are there during daylight hours in more plain sight, but by huge walls, cameras everywhere, and lighting that leaves no room for shadows.  The American government has certainly staked out it's presence in China. 

Our food was good at the restaurant and we are just having so much fun eating in China. There are so many kinds of Chinese cuisine let alone international restaurants. We were in fact talking at dinner tonight about how we, er, mostly me, are feeling spoiled by the seemingly extravagant lifestyle we lead. I take that back. It's mostly because rent and bills are much more reasonable in China and so our income gets spent more on nice meals. And the food is great in China. 

This evening, Chase got a haircut while I got a french manicure. We ate dinner, came home, and now I've got to go prepare for more parent-teacher conferences while Chase is practicing his hanzi (chinese characters). I feel each year that talking with parents for conferences gets easier and easier as I know children as a collective whole a little better and better.

This week at the school we are preparing for Thanksgiving. And although it is not celebrated in China, the culture theme of the month at The Family Learning House is America. So we have been able to incorporate a Thanksgiving meal for all the families of the school and we are busy decorating the classroom and making placemats for the children. The dinner is on Friday and I am looking forward to meeting with the families over a meal. 

Also today, I had the "blues" over Lola. I know I shouldn't have done this but I searched some Italian Greyhound and Whippet websites. Whippets are what we feel Lola is mixed with. Her temperament, gait, build, and eating and sleeping habits are identical to the breed standard. And well, she does look like them. And I believe the other part of her has at least some Chow Chow. That you can see in her bark when you come to door. Anyways, I miss that dog so much tonight. I had a good cry about it while looking at pictures of happy Whippets and their families. I need a dog in my daily life and I can't wait for the day I can see Lola again. 

Celebrate!

Last week, I entered a contest for a Beijing expat magazine called CityWeekend. The contest prize was a dinner for four people at the Grand Hyatt Beijing (close to Tiannanmen) for a Thanksgiving dinner. It's valued at over $300USD (1780 RMB) and includes a turkey buffet with all the fixings and alcohol. And guess what?!?!? I won!!!!!


So that's where Chase and I and two other people who we haven't decided yet will be going.

Here's the URL for my answer and the contest rules, etc.

http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/beijing/events/33991/

It's the first time I've ever won a contest- raffle, prize drawing, anything!

And yes, I will make an exception and will be eating turkey that night. And Zach and Jackie, we decided that if we were still in Austin ya'll would be who we'd invite.....

Starbucks in China

When I lived in the United States, I rarely visited Starbucks. Mostly because of the ridiculous amount they would charge me for hot water and a few bits of tea dust in a pouch. I'm not a coffee drinker, so at least I didn't have the cravings for a nonfat mocha frappucino or something like that... But whenever I would go, it would be for a little indulgence and for those yummy almond toffee bars and yes, ok a grande chai tea (bag, not syrup).

Since being in Beijing Starbucks has become a portal of what life is like back home. I step into a Starbucks and I am seriously transported. I could be anywhere in one of Austin's Starbucks. The baristas all speak good English, my drink (still tea, but no chai to be found anywhere in Asia- note that it is the origin of spice, spice trade, and the like, but no chai, grrr) is made just the way I like it with a little froth of non-melamine containing milk, and the muffins are sweet and satisfying. I limit myself to once a week, because the amount I spend at Starbucks each visit is equivalent to 1/4 of the average Chinese person's monthly salary. I will double check this fact, but I feel the guilt sometimes walking down the street and seeing construction workers and street vendors looking puzzled as to how one can spend so much on a drink and a pastry.

Today after working out, I went in and the Starbucks close to my work was all decked for Christmas- wreaths in the door, pre-packaged gifts for friends, Christmas mugs, frost on the windows, and Christmas music playing. I almost called Chase to let him know! Anyways, it's not easy to get into the spirit of the holidays when nowhere else around you is decorated in that fashion. Not to say that I am into the commercial nature of the Christmas season, but the ambience is what I miss.

It just might be that Christmas music just lifts your spirit and everyone's just a tad nicer during that time of year. I'm not sure. But I know I will be going in to Starbucks next week to capture a bit of that cheer again.

Warmth

Well, I woke up this morning to find that the radiators were turned on. In China, the government turns on the gas for the radiators in all the buildings all at the same time in one day.

So even though it's been around freezing every night, we haven't had any actual heat in our house, making our tile floors freezing. Now we have hot spots on the floor as if we have heated flooring, but really it's just the radiators from the floor below us.

It's nice to have a warm house. Ah, the simple pleasures.

My sister emailed me this morning asking if Chase and I were ok. Something about an earthquake somewhere in China. Anyhow, we don't know anything about it. At least the media is not reporting it.

Now We Can Check It Off Our List

We finally made it to the Forbidden City and Tiannanmen Square. It's only in our backyard... literally, we can ride our bikes to both places. I have been sick for the last two days. I ate something bad... it seems like Chase and I exchange being sick. One of us is always under the weather since coming to China. But I pushed through because we didn't want to return to America for Christmas having not gone to these two wonderful historic sites.

We ate lunch at a rotating sushi bar, where the sushi is plated and placed on a conveyor belt and is priced by the color of the plate it's on. Chase seems to love this idea and it was "a good value" he would say.

Then we walked to the Eastern (where civilians would enter) and then Southern (where the Emperor would enter) gate of the Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum. There's an outer ring where the Emperor would give speeches, watch his armies, punish criminals, and hold festivals. There are several great halls with expansive courtyards. These are the huge buildings you see in the movies.



You can see the crowds in China. Most of them are Chinese tourists. I expected to see a lot more foreigners but I guess that might be the case in the summer time.

As you walked further through the city, the halls were smaller and more intimate. And the buildings are closer together. Even though the outer ring is magnificent, I especially enjoyed the palace where you can see where the Emperor actually lived, slept, changed clothes, etc. It really felt like a home. The inside of the all the halls house some of the original furniture and artifacts.

Finally, we made it to the Imperial Garden where the concubines were selected and the Empress spent much of her time. The Emperor would make a lot of decisions and hold meetings there as well. Let me remind you that's it's not just one Emperor who lived here but housed the royal family for 5 centuries from the Mid Ming through the Qing Dynasty. It was damaged during the revolution in 1949 until Zhou En Lai sent guards to protect it. A Starbucks opened outside the walls of the city but had to close in 2007 because the government didn't like the way it stood out from the rest of the architecture of the area.

Here's Chase and I at beautiful spot in the rock garden.



We chose the coldest day in Beijing, so far, to be out walking around for five hours or so. My toes were numb by this point. I looked up the weather this morning and it got down to 32 degrees!

Anyways, we went back through the side alleys of the city. There are so many buildings on the sides and are symetrical. It's like a maze. So it was fun to take turns, walk down alleys, and run into amazing courtyards. We would love to go back and just walk around the sides one day. Here's one such alleyway we walked down.



And here's a door I would love to make into my formal dining table. I'll explain. I would like to find an old wooden door from a palace in India or somewhere in Asia made from solid wood and put glass on the top of it and place a pedestal under to make into my formal dining table. Most Asian palace doors are so ornate with carvings, gold plated, etc. So it would be historic and rustic, just the way I would like my formal dining space to be. Anyways, it's a dream of mine in my dream home.....



As we made our way back down south, we left the gates and right onto Tiannanmen Square. We just stood around, looked at Mao's picture hung on the south wall of the Forbidden City and vowed to come back another day to spend time at the three huge museums in the vicinity.

Then we met some friends for dinner and pool. I had a great time talking with some new girls that we met, Roma (from Australia) and Beatrice (from Spain).

It's Sunday now and I am going shopping with BeiBei. Don't know what I will buy yet. Maybe a short jacket. But it will be exciting to shop with her because then I know I won't get ripped off because she's Chinese.

Go America!

Chase and I are reclaiming our faith in our country. The American people have not been duped this election and I am so excited about the future.

Barack has a inherited messed up foreign relations, two ongoing wars, and an economy in the depths.... but I love his eloquence in speech, his hope, and his determination.

Now, I feel that America has a brighter future...

This weekend

This Saturday morning I went and took a yoga class. I don't really do much of that here because I just miss Christina Sell's classes so much I think I'm in a state of mourning. I'm sure she would say not to be. But I really think my time learning yoga from her was a gift and I don't even want to replicate that here. I took what was supposed to be an advanced class and although it was moderately challenging during the standing pose sequence, I didn't really gain further insight from the teacher. Now wait a minute you say.... one should be gaining insight.... inside one's self. There is always something to learn... from within. Yes yes, I felt like there's always an opportunity for that, but what I am talking about is in techniques, adjustments, refinements... yes that it's, I didn't externally receive any refinements that made me go, "Ah-Ha."

Chase thinks I should search around the city more and I will find someone who will give me what I am searching for. He mentioned how many teachers it took me until I found Christina and so I should give it some time. Until then, I'm fine with doing a home practice. I guess, it's that I also just miss the Austin Anusara kula. I feel like I was starting to connect and make friends just before moving.

Anyways, after the class I went to a restaurant nearby and had yummy pumpkin, spinach, and mushroom risotto and drank a glass of Earl Grey. I was reading The Beijinger, a magazine for foreigners, in a tiny room where two middle aged woman were having a lavish 3 course lunch with wine. At the tail end of their meal, they started a conversation with me. It was great. I conversed in Chinese for about 15 minutes! Mostly it was me listening to them rant about China and how I should stay here longer than 3 years, maybe possibly 8. And that I should take the best elements of Chinese culture, Indian culture, and American culture and make it my own. It was a powerful, uplifting, and inspiring talk from someone who could have been my mother. We exchanged phone numbers to go have dinner sometime. Yes, I know, they are almost 30 years older than me but I instantly felt their love and warmth. It was such a great moment being in China. And yes, Chase and I are looking into a long term committment to China- it was 2 years last week, it is 3-4 years today. =) At the end of our conversation, they have me a Chinese name. I am officially: Jin Jin!!! It's a translation of the meaning of Svetha, in Chinese. So I'm officially Chinese.

So I went shopping for the first time and bought some good sweaters and 2 pairs of boots at bargain prices. And then headed home.

Saturday night we went to the Kanye West concert at the Workers Indoor Gymnasium. Kanye put on a good show but the circumstances were pretty off for us westerners. First of all, Avril Lavigne came to Beijing last weekend for the first time and the crowd rushed the stage at the end causes mass chaos. So the security and the Kanye concert was pretty rigid. They didn't fill the floor, that was only for VIP. Then the rest of the audience sat very far from the stage and I mean, you had to sit. The security guards came over and told you to sit down if you started to dance. Luckily for us foreigners, this policy was only enforced for the locals. There was an area that was cordonned off if you wanted to dance though.

After that, we went to see a dj that Chase and I like, from D.C., named Dubfire (Deep Dish). It was a good show and I danced a lot. We met a really cool guy from Monterrey, Mexico and another from Sweden. Beijing is such an international city that you are always going to meet new and interesting people.

Sunday I got a manicure and pedicure with Roslyn, a friend of mine, worked out, and watched dinner and a movie. Life's good in the Jing!