Archive for May, 2009

Vacation’s almost over

May 31st, 2009 by Johanna | No Comments | Filed in China, Shenanigans

Today, being God’s day, I decided to make it a lazy Sunday. Roommate and I were feeling a little beat from all the excitement of the past week, I think. Yesterday we took another walk, this time around our neighborhood, and I discovered a nice strip of shops the next (very large) block over with a bakery and cafe that sells boba. And then there was also last night, which lasted into early this morning. It was a real shame because I finally had conquered my jet lag the day before.

The night started at about 10 p.m. when on our way out, one of the students from Penn State called to confirm our meeting time and place. They had suggested earlier the Sanlitun area, which is directly on the other side of town from where Chris and I live, also on the third ring. Neither of us had ventured out that far yet, so Matt from Penn State told us to meet them at the subway stop. He informed me that he was a tall-ish white guy, which in my mind, seemed enough for identification. Alas, when Chris and I finally got to the other side of town nearly 45 minutes after the appointed time, the subway stop was deserted and there was no tall-ish white guy named Matt from Penn State. Taking a gamble, we grabbed a taxi to the Adidas building Matt had mentioned. Sure enough, there was a street lit up by bars. After wandering up and down yelling “Matt” at every possible foreigner we passed with no luck, we plopped down at an outdoor table and ordered a couple of Tsingtaos. Chris continued to mention Matt in some nonchalant way every time a tall-ish white guy walked by. No one even paused. And then—success!

“Matt from Penn State?” we asked in a rush of excitement. Did our plan work? Was it a small world after all?

No. This Matt was from Britain.

So while we never found Matt from Penn State and his friends, we did meet some other fine Americans. There was Jeff of the FDNY, who was touring China with his father. He had brought his Chinese-English dictionary, and as we were talking, several of the bar waiters borrowed it. Every once in a while, they would snicker, and pretty soon I found out why:

“How do you say this word?” one of them asked Jeff.

“Oh. Orgasm.”

Another waiter entertained us all night with his knowledge of the differences between Western and Asian cocks, Western and Asian women’s preference of cunninlingus and nasty pick-up lines. His command of English on these topics impressed me, but then again, he did tell us he was the “motherfuck P-I-M-P.” Fo’ realz. I think he knows more Jay-Z and dirty rap lyrics than I do. Ironically, toward the end of the night, a real pimp came up to our tables. He very adamantly referred to himself as a “ladies’ manager,” though.

Sorry for the blur.

Sorry for the blur.

Time flew by. By the end of the night, we had collected a large table of Americans from all over the country, each here in Beijing for a different reason. Ryan, who now lives in Shanghai teaching English to elementary school kids, was hosting some old college friends. Some other guys, whose names I can’t really remember now, were here for a friend’s wedding. It was almost 4 a.m. by the time we left and got a taxi, and the sun started rising on the ride home.

It was a great night, but Chris and I definitely paid for it: we had 10 Tsingtaos altogether, and it left us broke. Chris had to withdraw money from the ATM to pay for the taxi. Bottled beer, like most everything else, is hella cheap here, only a few yuan. But by virtue of being at a bar frequented by foreigners at night, we had to pay 15 times that. I offered a lower amount, but no go: 45 yuan a bottle, which is even more than what they cost in the States. So be warned: Stay away from tourist-y bars in China.

Tomorrow is my last day of vacation. It’s been nearly a month since my last final exam, and I’m actually looking forward to having something to do again. I need the structure that work (or school) provides. I would be starting tomorrow, but someone on my flight just had to have the A/H1N1 virus. Chris and I were told to stay away from the office, but we were still allowed to roam the city and ride the crowded subways. Go figure.

A retraction

May 29th, 2009 by Johanna | No Comments | Filed in China, Reflections

I spoke too soon.

A blue sky over Beijing today! I noticed it when I looked out my balcony this afternoon. It was bright and sunny—beautiful! I immediately asked my roommate to go out with me. We thought we’d go fly kites over Tian’anmen Square, but apparently no one flies kites there. Still, we wandered the place amongst the thousands who were also milling around the world’s largest urban open square, all surrounded by even larger structures: Tian’anmen to the north with the palace behind it; Chang’an Jie separating them; the Great Hall of the People on the west; and the National Museum on the east.

As we continued further up Chang’an Jie, the grandeur of all the hotels and government buildings along it, designer shops and Wangfujing Dajie revealed an exciting city that no longer seemed so foreign. The buildings were modern, the sidewalks were cleaner and the landscaping was full of color—and all against a sunny blue sky. This was a Beijing I could fall in love with.

The sun eventually set, and we headed back toward the square. Everything was lit up, throwing the square into a warm glow. It was beautiful: serene and esoteric even as people continued to swarm the place and cars rushed down the street. To top it off, the National Centre for the Performing Arts added a soft colorful radiance into the scene. The rush of people and cars around me; the moon shining brightly high in the sky; and the grandeur of all that is China past and present captured in just a few blocks—I am in love.

China can’t hold me back.

May 29th, 2009 by Johanna | No Comments | Filed in Web Site Updates

After a long battle with shoddy Internet and the Chinese government, pictures are up! Many thanks to Tina and William for helping me download the programs and read through pages that I couldn’t access.

The gallery still needs a lot of work. It is far from perfect and missing many important things, but it will do for now. China’s wall is too big to overcome in half a day.

The JFK story

May 26th, 2009 by Johanna | No Comments | Filed in Stories

So airports actually don’t have all the stores you could ever possibly want or need. I learned this the hard way. There I was, in Terminal 1 at JFK (after landing at Terminal 2), settling down at my gate during a layover. Where’s a post office? Shouldn’t there be a gajillion of them scattered between the Puma and Clinique and Salvatore Ferragamo shops? In my rush to leave the country, I had forgotten to turn in my apartment keys. Naturally, I wanted to mail them back ASAP. But there is no post office. At least, not one that anyone was aware of. Finally, a food lady tells me there is one in Terminal 4. Terminal 4! I had to catch the Air Train over there, which means I would have to go through security again.

After arriving at Terminal 4, I realized I didn’t actually know where the post office was. I asked some airline guy, who didn’t know of any post office. But I’d be damned if I had wandered all the way out there for nothing! Plus I really needed to mail my keys. He sent me to Traveler’s Aid, a really dark and lonely shop in a corner of the terminal. There was an Asian guy sitting behind a glass window. Luckily, he knew where the alleged post office was! He gave me an envelope and stamp free of charge and sent me on my happy way. To make me feel better, a lady asked me at the post office if I also had some last minute mail I needed to post. Indeed I did! We both handed our mail over to the postal worker and I set off for Terminal 1 and China with a big sigh of relief.

Until I got to the security check, where the line had grown exponentially since the first time I went through.

China!

May 22nd, 2009 by Johanna | No Comments | Filed in China

Had lunch with the former J-school dean and the two visiting scholars from china.org.cn, and now I’m getting really excited—Beijing in two days! (OK, technically, it’s three because I land at 6 p.m. Monday Beijing time.) Then I went out and bought two travel guides—Frommer’s Day by Day and Lonely Planet’s Encounter. My parents have been telling me about all the stuff I need to experience (and apparently will experience if their friends get their hands on me): 北京烤鸭! 大山子花术区! Shopping galore! I’m betting that the guides will be forgotten soon, but I like having my back covered. The next two days will consist of frantic last-minute packing and familiarizing myself with the city. I’m also trying to get my photo gallery page figured out.

Just a random thought I had when I was picking out travel guides:

China’s common name, 中国 (Zhongguo), is traditionally translated as Middle Kingdom, and I wonder why. My Chinese is mediocre, but to me, the word 中 in English is more accurately translated as “center.” Translating 中国 as Center (or Central) Kingdom gives a better idea of how Chinese people view themselves. Kind of in a center-of-the-universe type of way, though not necessarily with the ego.

By the way, if you’re wondering, the Chinese up there is Beijing kao ya (Peking roast duck) and Dashanzi hua shu qu (Factory 798).

And we’re off!

May 15th, 2009 by Johanna | No Comments | Filed in Web Site Updates

After a year-long hiatus, I am back. My own Web site and this pink-ness help put the fun back into blogging. (I was on the ancient dinosaur Xanga before.) Plus this is part of a larger project of turning myself into a .com because my Facebook page really just isn’t enough for me. In all seriousness, though, besides catering to my vanity, this Web site will help me learn the ins and outs of Web-site building, market myself and provide a portal through which I can share the stuff I am doing and have done with you. Now those are some worthy causes, no?