My crack-of-dawn train ride back to Beijing went smoothly, though it was a bit lonely after being surrounded by friends the past few days. I must say, though, it felt pretty good being able to travel through China on my own without problems.
Once I arrived in Beijing, I took a subway and then a bus back to my apartment, where I pretty much crashed for the rest of the day. I used that night to make a list of the things I wanted to do for my last week in Beijing. I think I have done a pretty good job so far.
On Thursday, I finally had Peking duck, Beijing’s most popular dish. Katherine called me, and we took the 701 bus to Houhai Lake to find a place with roast duck. It isn’t hard to find and it’s not too expensive. We watched the chef carve and serve the roast duck, which we then put in “pancakes,” added cucumber, scallions and hoisin (Chinese dried plum sauce), wrapped up, and gobbled down. It was DELICIOUS. I can’t believe it took me THIS long to try it.
After lunch we walked over to Nanlougu Xiang, where I immediately spotted something else on my list of things to do – cupping. You may have seen this in movies or on TV, where a Chinese masseuse lights cotton on fire, puts it in an open glass globe, and places the globe on another person’s back, forming a suction and making huge bruises. It sounds painful, and it was at first, but the Chinese believe wholeheartedly that this will eradicate any diseases within your body. I kind of just did it for the badass bruises. Later in NLGX, I finally found a stuffed panda cute enough to become mine. I had been looking for the perfect one all summer, and it took me until now to find it! The best part about it is that its head pops off and the body folds out to form a pillow. Thirteen hour plane ride companion? I think so.
The next thing on my list was to go to the Silk Market. I’ve somehow avoided this tourist trap until now, but certain people (read: my mom) want scarves from China. I didn’t think it could happen, but I actually felt guilty about my stellar bargaining this time. I even got myself a nice trench coat for 200 yuan (US$30).
With a few hours to spare before the subway shut down, I paid one last visit to Friends Café in SOHO. This time there were different episodes on, and I tried a milkshake. I noticed a portrait of the Girl With the Pearl Earring – the same as the book I was currently reading!
On Friday, I woke up early to go do something I had really been looking forward to – go to a water park! And not just any water park – the biggest one in Asia… and it was in the Olympic Watercube – how cool! The 200 yuan ticket included a self-guided tour of the aquatics facilities. It was really cool to be able to sit in the stands and imagine watching Michael Phelps winning one of his eight gold metals. The water park itself was a little bit of a letdown, but only because of the crowds. Initially I wanted to ride the biggest water slides, but those lines took over 30 minutes. After suffering through one of those lines for a 30-second ride, I took to the Lazy River. I’m not sure if Chinese people understand that a LAZY River is supposed to be relaxing, because everyone – not just kids – turned it into more of a bumper-tube course. I also went on several smaller slides and rides that were fun. In one of the lines, I met a Chinese girl named Apple (yes, like Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter) who was on vacation from her university in Hangzhou. It turns out she had seen me earlier in the day and had just now worked up the courage to talk to the mei guo ren. As the title of this blog suggests, she was a big fan of American television and recognized my name from one of her favorite shows. Her English was great, and it was fun to have a friend to spend the rest of the day with.
I had to leave the park to meet Jessie to go try on my suit that I had tailored. The pants fit perfectly, but the jacket was a little too loose, so I will be returning to pick up the finished product Sunday. Jessie also wanted to take me to a Korean place to eat, since Korean cuisine is her favorite. I thought it was good, but kind of wished we had done it barbecue style like those seated around us. Each table had a small grill in the middle where they were barbecuing meat, fish and vegetables. Instead, we had noodles, squid with rice, sushi, and ice cream.
When I got off the bus to head back to my apartment, I ran into Brian and Pang Li heading to the Beer Garden for some pijiu. I said, what the hell, and joined them. It was a fun night, mainly consisting of Brian and I trying to convince Pang Li to apply to spend a semester at UNC. He would have some guanxi with Dean Cole and I there, and I KNOW he would love it.
Showing posts with label Beijing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beijing. Show all posts
Monday, August 16, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
A picture is worth 10,000 yuan [33+Article]
Thursday was excellent because the interns were out of the office all day! We participated in a photo contest that focused on capturing Beijing through the eyes of foreigners.
I’ll let you read my story here about the event.
A few highlights from the day that are not in my article:
-I got interviewed as a participant, which was strange for me. As a journalist, I'm so comfortable interviewing people, but when I'm on the other side, I get nervous! And it was taped! Err.
-We went to an antique market, and Celine said that it was haunted. I bought a lot of souvenirs for friends and myself there, so let's hope that Chinese superstitions aren't legit!
-We ate lunch at Turpan Restaurant - some really delicious Muslim food served the Chinese way!
I’m far from a professional photographer, but I submitted some photos I took on the tour anyway. I could use a few extra yuan. Here are a few of my favorites that I took:
I’ll let you read my story here about the event.
A few highlights from the day that are not in my article:
-I got interviewed as a participant, which was strange for me. As a journalist, I'm so comfortable interviewing people, but when I'm on the other side, I get nervous! And it was taped! Err.
-We went to an antique market, and Celine said that it was haunted. I bought a lot of souvenirs for friends and myself there, so let's hope that Chinese superstitions aren't legit!
-We ate lunch at Turpan Restaurant - some really delicious Muslim food served the Chinese way!
I’m far from a professional photographer, but I submitted some photos I took on the tour anyway. I could use a few extra yuan. Here are a few of my favorites that I took:
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Duerme poco, haz muchas cosas [26-27]
This week has continued to get better and better.
Thursday night, Annie and I were invited to Keith's apartment to hang out and go to Xiu, a bar in Beijing. We tried to take a bus, but that failed epically. We were just about to give up on the night when Keith persuaded us to take a taxi.
When we got to Keith's, Tobias, Lenoir, and Keith's classmate, Conrad were already there. Tobias also brought his puppy. I wish I could remember the puppy's name, but it was the Chinese version of the quote "C'est la vie" and he was only a few months old.
We ended up just drinking pijiu and not going to Xiu. My favorite part of the night was meeting Conrad, a guy from Spain who is studying Chinese. His English was good, but I really enjoyed speaking Spanish with him. He spoke slow and clear, so it was great practice for me. Also, he had such a great outlook on living in China. He told me that while I was here, I should "duerme poco, haz muchas cosas," or "sleep little, do many things." It really made me excited to be living in China all over again.
I didn't waste any time not wasting my time in Beijing. Friday after work, Annie and I took the subway to a mall because Ithzel texted Annie about a sale at H&M. This mall was very impressive - we didn't have enough time to see everything, so we will definitely be back. I picked out a shirt I liked in a store called Me & City. When I went to ring it up, someone explained to me that the shirts were buy one, get one free. Don't see that often in nice malls in the States, eh?
Annie and I ended up getting separated, and I was on my own getting back home. It was a little freaky at first, but I was glad to know that if it happens again, I'll live.
Thursday night, Annie and I were invited to Keith's apartment to hang out and go to Xiu, a bar in Beijing. We tried to take a bus, but that failed epically. We were just about to give up on the night when Keith persuaded us to take a taxi.
When we got to Keith's, Tobias, Lenoir, and Keith's classmate, Conrad were already there. Tobias also brought his puppy. I wish I could remember the puppy's name, but it was the Chinese version of the quote "C'est la vie" and he was only a few months old.
We ended up just drinking pijiu and not going to Xiu. My favorite part of the night was meeting Conrad, a guy from Spain who is studying Chinese. His English was good, but I really enjoyed speaking Spanish with him. He spoke slow and clear, so it was great practice for me. Also, he had such a great outlook on living in China. He told me that while I was here, I should "duerme poco, haz muchas cosas," or "sleep little, do many things." It really made me excited to be living in China all over again.
I didn't waste any time not wasting my time in Beijing. Friday after work, Annie and I took the subway to a mall because Ithzel texted Annie about a sale at H&M. This mall was very impressive - we didn't have enough time to see everything, so we will definitely be back. I picked out a shirt I liked in a store called Me & City. When I went to ring it up, someone explained to me that the shirts were buy one, get one free. Don't see that often in nice malls in the States, eh?
Annie and I ended up getting separated, and I was on my own getting back home. It was a little freaky at first, but I was glad to know that if it happens again, I'll live.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Just dance, gonna be okay [Random]
People from home keep asking me how things are going over in China. I wish I could say that everything is great and I love my life here, but right now, that is not the case. Everything seems to be frustrating me. I know that lots of people go through this when they go abroad, so I'm not too concerned, and I think it will pass. And I know that there are lots of less fortunate people going through really tough things right now... but when I think of the opportunities I turned down for this internship... grr. For now, I'm going to get my frustrations out via blogger.
I work for a news website. You would think that a company whose main business element comes from computers would have a good server, internet connections, and equipment. This company does not. Most of today's relevant content comes through the internet, you don't need to be a journalism major to figure that out. Why, then, does CIIC not have proxies installed on every computer to get around censorship? Yes, we are a government-run company, but I'm sure the government has ways around the blocked sites. Otherwise, how would they know what to block? I sometimes have no access to most of my friends at home, no way to upload pictures, and no way to update this blog. Frustrating. I've had IT fix my computer more times than I can count on one hand by now for various reasons. The printer won't work, or the internet won't connect; it's always something. I still haven't found a fast way to upload pictures. So frustrating.
I'm in BEIJING, CHINA, and I'm stuck inside for eight hours a day. Today at work, I had NOTHING to work on. I could be making BANK just being a white person who speaks English in China, but I'm stuck surfing the net aimlessly for hours instead. I could be experiencing things that I might never have another chance to experience. Honestly, the only thing that is keeping me here is that they are paying for my apartment, and I will get to THAT later. Yes, they are letting me report on events around Beijing, but those are mostly on the weekends, which are my only times to travel and sightsee. And they're making me do this stupid swim competition tomorrow morning. I have to get to work almost an hour early. Am I getting paid overtime for this? Nope. Frustrating.
If I could contact only one person from home, it would be a no-brainer. I'd want to talk to my mom. She has yet to figure out Skype, and our schedules put us at a further disadvantage. It has been almost a month, and I have yet to have a conversation with my mom that lasted more than five minutes. Frustrating.
My largest purchase in China has been a gym membership. Come to find out, this gym is a miserable place. No air conditioning, no place to fill a water bottle, no toilet paper in the bathroom, no sense of sanitation, and they play the same five songs all the time. They don't even bother to fix machines that are broken for a couple of days. Frustrating AND a waste of money.
My apartment. OOOOH, my apartment. We started off by finding out that there was no gas in the apartment. Then we figured out that we can get locked IN our apartment. Then we lost all hot water. Now we have a huge puddle of water in our kitchen because the hot water heater, which was JUST fixed, has a leak. The doorbell doesn't work half the time, so I have to scream up in hopes that a roommate is home and left a window open. All of these repairs are coming out of our utilities budget, which is apparently almost depleted. I don't own a key. We share two keys between five people. The gate is locked at midnight, so we have to climb a fence to get in or risk being yelled at by our landlord for waking him up to let us in. Just damn frustrating.
There's so much more that I could rant about, but I can't even post here because of people who might be reading this. Hoping I feel better about all of this soon.
I work for a news website. You would think that a company whose main business element comes from computers would have a good server, internet connections, and equipment. This company does not. Most of today's relevant content comes through the internet, you don't need to be a journalism major to figure that out. Why, then, does CIIC not have proxies installed on every computer to get around censorship? Yes, we are a government-run company, but I'm sure the government has ways around the blocked sites. Otherwise, how would they know what to block? I sometimes have no access to most of my friends at home, no way to upload pictures, and no way to update this blog. Frustrating. I've had IT fix my computer more times than I can count on one hand by now for various reasons. The printer won't work, or the internet won't connect; it's always something. I still haven't found a fast way to upload pictures. So frustrating.
I'm in BEIJING, CHINA, and I'm stuck inside for eight hours a day. Today at work, I had NOTHING to work on. I could be making BANK just being a white person who speaks English in China, but I'm stuck surfing the net aimlessly for hours instead. I could be experiencing things that I might never have another chance to experience. Honestly, the only thing that is keeping me here is that they are paying for my apartment, and I will get to THAT later. Yes, they are letting me report on events around Beijing, but those are mostly on the weekends, which are my only times to travel and sightsee. And they're making me do this stupid swim competition tomorrow morning. I have to get to work almost an hour early. Am I getting paid overtime for this? Nope. Frustrating.
If I could contact only one person from home, it would be a no-brainer. I'd want to talk to my mom. She has yet to figure out Skype, and our schedules put us at a further disadvantage. It has been almost a month, and I have yet to have a conversation with my mom that lasted more than five minutes. Frustrating.
My largest purchase in China has been a gym membership. Come to find out, this gym is a miserable place. No air conditioning, no place to fill a water bottle, no toilet paper in the bathroom, no sense of sanitation, and they play the same five songs all the time. They don't even bother to fix machines that are broken for a couple of days. Frustrating AND a waste of money.
My apartment. OOOOH, my apartment. We started off by finding out that there was no gas in the apartment. Then we figured out that we can get locked IN our apartment. Then we lost all hot water. Now we have a huge puddle of water in our kitchen because the hot water heater, which was JUST fixed, has a leak. The doorbell doesn't work half the time, so I have to scream up in hopes that a roommate is home and left a window open. All of these repairs are coming out of our utilities budget, which is apparently almost depleted. I don't own a key. We share two keys between five people. The gate is locked at midnight, so we have to climb a fence to get in or risk being yelled at by our landlord for waking him up to let us in. Just damn frustrating.
There's so much more that I could rant about, but I can't even post here because of people who might be reading this. Hoping I feel better about all of this soon.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Gambei! Finish your glass! [Day 2]
Today was my first full day in Beijing, and I enjoyed it!
--Disclaimer: I promise I won't be writing a day-to-day "then I did this…" entry every day, but I have free time and want to remember it all later.--
I thought I had slept past noon, but it was only 8:30AM when I woke up. I met the two interns from App, PA and Annie. They showed us the way to our office where I was able to get internet for the first time, but not on my stupid CCI laptop. Had to use some sketchy file to get through to facebook, but was v. happy that I did. It was great to hear from friends from home! The office building is huge, and the floor that the UNC interns will be working on is just a huge newsroom. Can't wait to see it full tomorrow. The ASU interns will be working a floor below us with business-centric jobs. None of us really know what to expect.
We went to lunch, where I had Japanese food (don't worry, I had Chinese for dinner). Basically, we pointed to what we wanted on the menu. The crazy thing is that it was 25 yuan, which is barely over $3… and I still have a to-go box in the fridge. Next, at the market, I got some essentials, like soap and dishware.
After a coma, we took a taxi to a hutong (an old street with vendors, specialty stores, restaurants and bars) and shared some Chinese dishes at Taste. We met up with another American, Keith who has been teaching Chinese to students for a year and a half. He knew the place well and could speak Chinese. Knowing him will be helpful. We walked the streets and saw some strange things -- baby ducks for sale, Chinese people putting Lady Gaga to shame with the things they were wearing, completely public "bathrooms," etc. -- and eventually went to a rooftop bar. We were the only people there, so they treated us special. Basically, they wouldn't leave us alone and insisted we buy more beer. They even brought a TV over and tried forever to get it to the sports channel. More walking followed, complete with "lame live music," as the Lonely Planet travel guide book accurately describes, group dancing, and murky lakes.
After a quick taxi ride home, we're back and anticipating day #1 on the job.
--Disclaimer: I promise I won't be writing a day-to-day "then I did this…" entry every day, but I have free time and want to remember it all later.--
I thought I had slept past noon, but it was only 8:30AM when I woke up. I met the two interns from App, PA and Annie. They showed us the way to our office where I was able to get internet for the first time, but not on my stupid CCI laptop. Had to use some sketchy file to get through to facebook, but was v. happy that I did. It was great to hear from friends from home! The office building is huge, and the floor that the UNC interns will be working on is just a huge newsroom. Can't wait to see it full tomorrow. The ASU interns will be working a floor below us with business-centric jobs. None of us really know what to expect.
We went to lunch, where I had Japanese food (don't worry, I had Chinese for dinner). Basically, we pointed to what we wanted on the menu. The crazy thing is that it was 25 yuan, which is barely over $3… and I still have a to-go box in the fridge. Next, at the market, I got some essentials, like soap and dishware.
After a coma, we took a taxi to a hutong (an old street with vendors, specialty stores, restaurants and bars) and shared some Chinese dishes at Taste. We met up with another American, Keith who has been teaching Chinese to students for a year and a half. He knew the place well and could speak Chinese. Knowing him will be helpful. We walked the streets and saw some strange things -- baby ducks for sale, Chinese people putting Lady Gaga to shame with the things they were wearing, completely public "bathrooms," etc. -- and eventually went to a rooftop bar. We were the only people there, so they treated us special. Basically, they wouldn't leave us alone and insisted we buy more beer. They even brought a TV over and tried forever to get it to the sports channel. More walking followed, complete with "lame live music," as the Lonely Planet travel guide book accurately describes, group dancing, and murky lakes.
After a quick taxi ride home, we're back and anticipating day #1 on the job.
Nǐ hǎo! I made it! [Day 1]
I'm finally settled into my new apartment in West Beijing. It's… interesting. The door to the apartment looks like a vault at a bank, the shower is not separate from the bathroom, and my bed is as hard as a plank, but it'll do… I'm in China!
As a "novice traveler," I'm still so entertained by flying. Here are a few observations I made in my day-long journey to the other side of the world (FYI, my flight pattern was RDU>JFK>Tokyo>Beijing):
-There were birds flying around inside RDU and JFK.
-First class on international flights means basically having your own bed. I was not in first class.
-Some of the toilets in the Tokyo airport had remote controls. I did not use those.
-Some of the toilets in the Tokyo airport were a hole in the ground. I did not use those either.
I was fortunate enough to not be flying alone for most of the trip. Another intern, Courtney, had the same flights from JFK to Tokyo and Beijing. Not that navigating around the airports was difficult, but not having someone to talk to for 24 hours would be pretty dreadful.
We were picked up in the Beijing airport by Celine and our driver and given a choice of which way to drive to our new abode: the fastest and least scenic way, the way through the business district of China Avenue, or past the Olympic monuments. We chose China Avenue, and I was pleased with that choice. Celine described the city as a set of 6 Ring Roads, the sixth one being constructed currently. Our office and apartment are between the 2nd and 3rd Ring Roads.
We drove past Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the "Chinese White House," the entertainment centers, and a couple of shopping districts. It was all beautiful against the pitch black sky.
And now here we are, at our new home resting up for work on Monday. Courtney and I were the last interns to arrive, and the other interns are out right now. Three of us are from UNC, and two are from App State. Hopefully we'll be meeting them soon!
As a "novice traveler," I'm still so entertained by flying. Here are a few observations I made in my day-long journey to the other side of the world (FYI, my flight pattern was RDU>JFK>Tokyo>Beijing):
-There were birds flying around inside RDU and JFK.
-First class on international flights means basically having your own bed. I was not in first class.
-Some of the toilets in the Tokyo airport had remote controls. I did not use those.
-Some of the toilets in the Tokyo airport were a hole in the ground. I did not use those either.
I was fortunate enough to not be flying alone for most of the trip. Another intern, Courtney, had the same flights from JFK to Tokyo and Beijing. Not that navigating around the airports was difficult, but not having someone to talk to for 24 hours would be pretty dreadful.
We were picked up in the Beijing airport by Celine and our driver and given a choice of which way to drive to our new abode: the fastest and least scenic way, the way through the business district of China Avenue, or past the Olympic monuments. We chose China Avenue, and I was pleased with that choice. Celine described the city as a set of 6 Ring Roads, the sixth one being constructed currently. Our office and apartment are between the 2nd and 3rd Ring Roads.
We drove past Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the "Chinese White House," the entertainment centers, and a couple of shopping districts. It was all beautiful against the pitch black sky.
And now here we are, at our new home resting up for work on Monday. Courtney and I were the last interns to arrive, and the other interns are out right now. Three of us are from UNC, and two are from App State. Hopefully we'll be meeting them soon!
Prologue
I guess I should explain what I'm doing in Beijing.
I have an internship with the English Department of the China Internet Information Center (China.org.cn), a news and travel website. Myself and four other interns from North Carolina will be editing articles that have been translated from Chinese to English and pitching ideas and hopefully writing and publishing some of our own stories.
How did I get here? UNC hooked me up. I heard about the internship through the JOMC (UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication) News listserv, so I applied. It was supposed to only be open to reporting majors, but I e-mailed Dean Cole and asked him if I could apply because I was very interested. Needless to say, he let me apply and I had an interview with him, Dean Straughn, and Dr. Cloud. I didn't get selected.
Until I e-mailed Dean Cole and told him that I don’t like giving up so easily. I asked him if there was any way that the Center could take one more intern for the summer. Well, persistence paid off, and here I am. They allowed me to have a position if I agreed to go without a monthly stipend. Still worth it (I hope).
Brian, Courtney, and I are the third batch of interns from UNC to do this exchange. Every spring, the Center sends two staff members to Chapel Hill to learn from J-School professors and report back in the summer. They, in turn, pay to house UNC students (and I guess App State students also) for a summer internship.
It's my first time to Beijing… China… Asia. It's the longest I will have been away from North Carolina. I don’t know any Mandarin, and all I have is a Lonely Planet guide book. I'll be here until August 17. Let the adventures begin.
I have an internship with the English Department of the China Internet Information Center (China.org.cn), a news and travel website. Myself and four other interns from North Carolina will be editing articles that have been translated from Chinese to English and pitching ideas and hopefully writing and publishing some of our own stories.
How did I get here? UNC hooked me up. I heard about the internship through the JOMC (UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication) News listserv, so I applied. It was supposed to only be open to reporting majors, but I e-mailed Dean Cole and asked him if I could apply because I was very interested. Needless to say, he let me apply and I had an interview with him, Dean Straughn, and Dr. Cloud. I didn't get selected.
Until I e-mailed Dean Cole and told him that I don’t like giving up so easily. I asked him if there was any way that the Center could take one more intern for the summer. Well, persistence paid off, and here I am. They allowed me to have a position if I agreed to go without a monthly stipend. Still worth it (I hope).
Brian, Courtney, and I are the third batch of interns from UNC to do this exchange. Every spring, the Center sends two staff members to Chapel Hill to learn from J-School professors and report back in the summer. They, in turn, pay to house UNC students (and I guess App State students also) for a summer internship.
It's my first time to Beijing… China… Asia. It's the longest I will have been away from North Carolina. I don’t know any Mandarin, and all I have is a Lonely Planet guide book. I'll be here until August 17. Let the adventures begin.
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