It just needs a napping kitten! [20-22]

If one phrase describes the past weekend in Beijing, it would have to be “change of plans.” Pretty much nothing worked out the way that I had planned it, but everything worked out for the best.

It started Friday when John, a British employee in our department, invited the UNC interns to get beers after work with a few other guys. I had originally planned on rushing to the gym to work out and shower and then get ready for a night out with Annie. The beer kept flowing and the skewers of “barbecue” piled up. Before we knew it, it was already past 9 p.m. Courtney and I walked back to the house, picking up a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor) on the way. We had to convince Annie to come out with us since she had given up on us hours ago (we sometimes forget that we have cell phones since they are of little use here). Anyway, I had found a bar online earlier that was holding its opening night with free drinks and appetizers until 1 a.m. We hopped in a taxi and headed toward the Worker’s Stadium.

The bar was called George’s and it was built into the stadium. It was all black marble with small lights and candles and altogether very chic. There were a good mix of Westerners and locals there, so we felt comfortable in our little nook by the bruschetta. A bartender came up to us and said “This is an open party. Help yourself to drinks at the bar.” There were a set of signs with drinks listed on them (Johnnie Walker Black Label, passion fruit mojito, mango mash, Redbull Vodka, Bacardi and Coke, etc.) that were all free! And the food was amazing and FREE too! Satisfied, we took a taxi home, angered our landlord for getting in so late, and rested up for Saturday.

The plan for the UNC interns for Saturday was to go to Summer Palace, a picturesque Beijing tourist attraction, but Courtney and I were not in the sightseeing mood, so we spent some time in the office instead. Eventually, Annie convinced me to go on an adventure with her (she enticed me by bringing me food—she must know me pretty well already). We took the subway to Ghost Street, a street lined with the classic Chinese red paper lanterns and restaurants and shops. Lonely Planet was on our side today as I found a place called “Grandma’s Kitchen” right near the exit from the subway station. It was a cute little restaurant originally opened by an American grandmother living in Beijing. We ate on the porch/sunroom and had American favorites, including chocolate chip cookies. Ghost Street was a little disappointing after eating such delicious food and looking at the live seafood and shellfish in front of restaurants.





Next on the agenda for me was to go to Broadway Cinematheque in the MOMA North Section of China to watch a documentary and review it for China.org.cn. This was a frustrating ordeal since no one there spoke English nor did they know what I was talking about when I said the name of the film. After talking to the editor on the phone, I was left with just as little information as from before, so Courtney and I reached a compromise. I would let her cover this story (if she could figure it out), and I would cover one next weekend. Annie and I walked around MOMA for a while, finding a cute book/coffee shop and some interesting looking buildings surrounding a small lake. China.org.cn gave me a really nice camera to cover this event, so I got something out of it – really nice pictures!




Annie and I decided to take a taxi to Houhai Lake, a place we had been during my first weekend in Beijing. On the way there, we saw the hutong that Keith and Ithzel lived, so we told our driver to “ting,” and got out. We met up with our friends and saw their new apartment. It was literally right off of the busy alleyway and was actually a really cool place, despite having no bathroom and having the shower in the kitchen. They walked us to Houhai, shopping along the way. At the lake, our friends left us (they teach English to Chinese children, even on the weekends) and we found a bar to sit down in. There was a singer at this quaint place that made me change my mind about Chinese singers – they aren’t all awful. He was really good, but didn’t have a CD, unfortunately. There was another change of plans when we decided to take a 3-wheeled motor bike with a small cabin home instead of a taxi. The driver said that it would be 8 kuai, about half the price of a taxi. “OK,” we thought, “we’ll sacrifice comfort and speed for this price. Besides, it’ll be an experience!” An experience it was. We almost crashed into a car, hit severe potholes, and basically got robbed. Turns out he wanted EIGHTY kuai for the ride. We were pissed. Not only had he taken advantage of us, but we didn’t have anywhere near that much money. After plenty of yelling and exchange of bilingual profanity, we all walked away frustrated. Like I said, it was an experience.

Today, Sunday, was supposed to be our make-up trip to Summer Palace, but due to miscommunication, Courtney and I had to reschedule that again (it WILL happen next weekend, dang it!). Instead, we spent the day and reading/napping under the trees of Yuyuan Tan Park. A fair trade for a lazy Sunday, if you ask me.

You are a very bad person! [Days 14+15]

First of all, I don’t know how, but I forgot to tell my story of going to the hospital on Friday.

So, Friday after work, I went to the hospital for personal reasons. Nothing serious, no worries. It was, however, my first time out in the city on my own. Celine gave me the addresses to two hospitals with English-speaking doctors, so I pointed to the closer one when I hailed a taxi. He took me there, and I walked in with my Lonely Planet book open to the translation for "Is there a doctor here who speaks English?" Everyone I showed this to just said "No" and pointed to another person. Finally I just followed the signs to the ER. It was a really sad scene – there were ill people sitting in chairs and in cots in the middle of the room, throughout the halls, and in rooms without doors. There was no sense of privacy or, it seemed, sanitation. Finally, I found a female doctor who spoke English fairly well. She told me that this was not the right hospital for what I needed and wrote down the name of the Peking University Hospital. I took a taxi there, and it was not too much nicer. I checked in, which included no paperwork – I just told them my name, age, and paid them 6 kuai. Can you believe that? Any medical exam would only cost $1. They never checked my insurance or identification. The doctors there were very nice and helpful. I also noticed that they were all very young, and many of them were female. Their method of examination is anything but thorough, but I have no choice but to trust them.

Saturday was fun. Four of us took the subway to the Sanlitun Yashow clothing market, where I haggled like heck for some t-shirts. I was even told by one of the hecklers that I was smart and good at it. Who knows how honest that was… especially since the title of this post was said to me by another heckler.

I really love the clothing that the young Chinese men here wear, but it's all way too small for me. Especially the shoes. I'm determined to bring some home, somehow. Shopping continued when we found out that we were near an American Appearal that we had seen twice before. There were more really cool and fashion-forward stores, all of which were way over priced and non-negotiable. I definitely prefer to set my own price and will be sad when I have to pay full price for something back in the States. I couldn't resist and gave into a Big Mac and chicken nuggets from McDonalds.

I discovered a new favorite place on Sunday. Well, Brian discovered it a while ago, but now that I know about it, I'm claiming it as my own! It's Yuyuan Tan Park, and it's about a 20-minute walk from our apartment. It costs 2 kuai to get in, but is huge and so worth it (not that 2 kuai is anything more than pocket change…). There are two huge lakes, several places to eat, beautiful trees to sit under, people swimming, families camping out, and so much more. I can't wait to come back with a good book, a journal, a bathing suit, and possibly a kite and make a day of it!
We ate at "the porridge place" (as Brian and PA call it) for dinner. I somehow picked the best thing on the menu, but we all shared. That seems to be a good way to test out the selection.

Monday evening I'm going to attempt to learn some Chinese and teach some English! We’ll see how that does!