So, I forgot the password to this blog and it took me forever to figure out how to make the site show in English instead of Chinese. Just reset the password today!! So this post is going to be what I wanted to post the first few days. Another blog will follow soon delineating my trip through Yunnan.
1/15/09
So, I’ve officially been in China for a few minutes over twenty-four hours. I can’t believe that I’m really here. Shock, awe, and exhaustion are just a few of the things I’m feeling right now. The flight from Hartford to Chicago was pretty smooth, and the flight from Chicago to Beijing wasn’t too bad, considering it’s the longest plane ride I’ve ever been on. The four hour gap in between however, was not fun. I was extremely anxious and I had a hard time keeping myself from crying because of it. Once on the flight, though, I was just fine, emotionally at least. Lol. I never knew that sitting could be so painful. Note to self for next time – stand up more frequently or for longer periods of time. We actually flew through Canada, over the North Pole and then down through Russia to get here. We arrived in Beijing at a little past 4:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday, January fourteenth – after baggage claim and customs, we actually left the airport nearly an hour later and got on buses for the ride to TBC (the Beijing center). We had just about an hour to unpack before dinner – I was so dazed that I neglected packing and wandered down the hallway to have a look around. I ended up talking to a kid named Tim who was unpacking in his room. Then we went out into the hallway and talked to some returning students and then headed off to dinner at a nice little restaurant down the street from the university. After dinner, a few of us ended up talking in the lobby of our dorm for quite a while.
So, I’ve officially been in China for a few minutes over twenty-four hours. I can’t believe that I’m really here. Shock, awe, and exhaustion are just a few of the things I’m feeling right now. The flight from Hartford to Chicago was pretty smooth, and the flight from Chicago to Beijing wasn’t too bad, considering it’s the longest plane ride I’ve ever been on. The four hour gap in between however, was not fun. I was extremely anxious and I had a hard time keeping myself from crying because of it. Once on the flight, though, I was just fine, emotionally at least. Lol. I never knew that sitting could be so painful. Note to self for next time – stand up more frequently or for longer periods of time. We actually flew through Canada, over the North Pole and then down through Russia to get here. We arrived in Beijing at a little past 4:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday, January fourteenth – after baggage claim and customs, we actually left the airport nearly an hour later and got on buses for the ride to TBC (the Beijing center). We had just about an hour to unpack before dinner – I was so dazed that I neglected packing and wandered down the hallway to have a look around. I ended up talking to a kid named Tim who was unpacking in his room. Then we went out into the hallway and talked to some returning students and then headed off to dinner at a nice little restaurant down the street from the university. After dinner, a few of us ended up talking in the lobby of our dorm for quite a while.
Eventually, a group of four of us decided to go out and have a drink to celebrate our arrival and to help calm our nerves and make it easier to sleep. We walked a little ways down the street and found a bar called Liky 19 – after a small debate we decided that it was an acceptable choice and went in. We were the only people there and the décor was…what’s the best word to describe it? I’ll go with eclectic. It was fun to look around at everything that they had up on the walls. We ended up all getting a beer and then braving one mixed drink – should I choose to drink again while here, I’m going to stick with beer. I ordered a beverage called Snow White and I really don’t know what was in it; however the consensus was that it tasted very similar to either semen or how bleach smells. One of the other guys, Ben, got a drink that tasted kind of like Listerine, and Dan was not fond of his drink, although we couldn’t come up with a parallel taste. Mine still won the worst taste contest though.
We then came back to campus and I actually unpacked and finally got to meet my roommate, Lara. She is from Esade University in Spain. I’m really excited because we seem to get along pretty well and when she and the other Lara (also from Spain) found out that I took Spanish back in high school they really wanted me to try and speak it. If I’m really lucky and really good, maybe I could come back in May as a trilingual person.
After unpacking, I finally went to bed around 11:30 p.m. Breakfast today was from 7:15 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. so I got up at 7 to shower and settle in a little more before heading down. I actually woke up a few minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off which was a good thing because it didn’t go off at all. I’ll have to try and figure out why not. I think there might be a difference between a.m. and p.m. but I don’t know how I’d be able to tell that. I have some time though before I have to figure it out – classes don’t start until February. Being the brilliant person that I am, it took me a good five minutes to figure out how to make the shower water hot, but at least I figured it out. Lara, Lara and I headed down to breakfast around 8 and then orientation began at 9. After orientation we met our host students and went on a tour of the campus. It’s a huge campus, but then again, there are a lot of students. We ate in the cafeteria, which was really good. I had noodles with beef. I was very proud of myself for being confident enough to use chopsticks for the whole meal. Then we headed over to a bank because four of the five of us had travelers’ cheques and needed to convert some of the money. It took about an hour at the bank because we had to wait for a while before we could go to the window. I’m hoping the money will last me for a while because I will absolutely have to go back with someone who can speak Chinese or gain some level of proficiency on my own. We then went and got a drink (I got kiwi fruit juice – yummy!) and parted ways.
And now I’m back here in the room, although dinner is in ten minutes. The room itself isn’t too bad – a bit smaller than I’m used to but definitely inhabitable. Space is a little tight in the way of storing clothes and other belongings, but I think it will be manageable. We have a balcony of sorts, and our room looks out onto the basketball and volleyball courts. The bathroom's not bad, although the shower is quite different from what I’m used to – I’ll have to remember to take a picture of it. Tomorrow, we are visiting old Beijing which I’m really excited for. Saturday is just a lecture on academics and more information on our trip to the Yunnan province. Then, Sunday we are off on our trip. I think we’re gone for about two weeks. I’m really excited but a little nervous, just because English isn’t spoken there as much as it is here in the city and I know very little Chinese. It’ll definitely be an experience. Alright, five minutes until dinner, so I have to go!
And now to add on a little more, after writing this up, I laid down for a little bit and then went out with Lara, Lara, Catherine and a bunch of Chinese students to dinner. Lara and Catherine’s host student was celebrating her birthday and wanted us to come along. It was a lot of fun. I regret not bringing my camera, but Lara brought hers and got a group picture. The girls were really nice and very eager to hear about what we were going to be doing here. Plus, the food was FANTASTIC! Lara’s host student, Jane, ended up paying for it all, which was a lot so we all promised that we would take her out later on because we want to repay the favor. I think I’m really going to like being here, although this internet connection is killing me. Lol It keeps kicking me off. Just a fun little kink I’m going to have to get used to I suppose. Today should be fun too. We’re going to Tian’anmen Square and the Drum tower. Now, with any luck, I’ll be able to post this and get onto Facebook. If I’m lucky, when I get back tonight I can post again about the day. 再见！
1/16/09
Whenever I actually get the chance to post for the first time, it’s going to be gigantic. The internet and I still aren’t getting along. It almost played nice just now, but it was just teasing. It is the one thing that is really frustrating me here. Today was pretty awesome though. After fighting for a few hours this morning with the wifi, I finally went to get something to eat and ran into Martina, who happened to also be in search of food. We tried the Stadium store, but nothing looked much like breakfast food. So, we went over to the Café and got something to drink. Then we headed off campus to the bakery just down the street. We ran into Luis and picked out some tasty treats. We then headed back to campus and on the way back to the dorm, we were stopped by a woman who wanted to know if we would be willing to tutor her son and her in English. We said we would if we could and there was an exchanging of numbers. Nothing will be set up until the semester actually starts, so we’ll see what happens with that. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be able to make a little bit of money tutoring.
And now to add on a little more, after writing this up, I laid down for a little bit and then went out with Lara, Lara, Catherine and a bunch of Chinese students to dinner. Lara and Catherine’s host student was celebrating her birthday and wanted us to come along. It was a lot of fun. I regret not bringing my camera, but Lara brought hers and got a group picture. The girls were really nice and very eager to hear about what we were going to be doing here. Plus, the food was FANTASTIC! Lara’s host student, Jane, ended up paying for it all, which was a lot so we all promised that we would take her out later on because we want to repay the favor. I think I’m really going to like being here, although this internet connection is killing me. Lol It keeps kicking me off. Just a fun little kink I’m going to have to get used to I suppose. Today should be fun too. We’re going to Tian’anmen Square and the Drum tower. Now, with any luck, I’ll be able to post this and get onto Facebook. If I’m lucky, when I get back tonight I can post again about the day. 再见！
1/16/09
Whenever I actually get the chance to post for the first time, it’s going to be gigantic. The internet and I still aren’t getting along. It almost played nice just now, but it was just teasing. It is the one thing that is really frustrating me here. Today was pretty awesome though. After fighting for a few hours this morning with the wifi, I finally went to get something to eat and ran into Martina, who happened to also be in search of food. We tried the Stadium store, but nothing looked much like breakfast food. So, we went over to the Café and got something to drink. Then we headed off campus to the bakery just down the street. We ran into Luis and picked out some tasty treats. We then headed back to campus and on the way back to the dorm, we were stopped by a woman who wanted to know if we would be willing to tutor her son and her in English. We said we would if we could and there was an exchanging of numbers. Nothing will be set up until the semester actually starts, so we’ll see what happens with that. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be able to make a little bit of money tutoring.
Once back at the dorm, we decided to venture out again because neither Martina nor I have cell phones yet. One of the returning students, Connor, is trying to sell two old phones, so we’re thinking of buying them from him, but we’d still need to buy Sim cards. We didn’t have any success in finding Sim cards, but maybe tomorrow we will. And it was kind of good because we got a better sense of the campus and where things are located. Then it was back to the dorm briefly and off to Tien’anmen Square and the drum tower. It was pretty incredible and I’m really excited about the pictures I got. We actually didn’t have a whole lot of time there so I’d definitely like to go back before the end of the semester. At the drum tower we got to see a small performance, which was really fantastic. First, though, we had to climb these incredibly steep steps – it was very intense. And getting back down was a bit treacherous. But the view was well worth it. After carefully navigating back down the stairs, we took a fifteen minute walk to dinner, which was in this amazing place – I think it’s called the Hutong. There were a bunch of shops, with the center of it all being the Houhai Lake, which is pretty much frozen over right now. They had ice skating and vendors and all sorts of fun things to explore. I hope to go back at least twice, once soon to go skating and again in the spring to see what it looks like with the trees in bloom. The restaurant was good. I’m very happy to say that so far the food here seems to be agreeing with my stomach. I had my first meeting with an eastern style toilet, which, for those who are unaware, is basically a hole in the floor. I was mostly successful, although it did take me a minute or two to figure out the best squatting position. Lol I’m going to have to get used to it though. I suspect that I’ll see a lot of them on our trip to Yunnan.
I’m really tired still. I suppose I’m still adjusting to it all. For the past two nights I’ve slept for nearly seven hours exactly. I’ve woken up without an alarm, which I guess is a good thing since I still haven’t 100% figured out how to set it. Still, I’m hoping that it’s just a phase and eventually I’ll be able to sleep for longer. At least this’ll be good for getting me into the schedule of getting up early for class. I’m going to download my pictures and then maybe go to bed. It’s a little bit earlier than I’d like, but I’m feeling really wiped out right now. 再见！
1/17/09
Today was pretty awesome. I woke up before my alarm went off again today, but at least it did go off so I at least know it works. We had the academic briefing over in one of UIBE’s buildings which was a little tricky to find, but we made it on time. It was informative, but long. They talked a lot about the Yunnan trip and so I’m even more excited and nervous about it. Haha, I guess that’s the way it goes though. Apparently the temperature is really going to vary depending on where we are in the province. I think when I look back at the trip, I’m going to remember it fondly, but the actual experiencing of it may not leave me feeling so great. There’ll be a lot to adjust to very quickly and I’m not sure how that will go. I’m going to try very hard to keep an open mind and a sense of humor. I’ll probably be fine, but still, mild concern is still present.
Once the presentation was over, Tom, Luke, Luis, Nazar and I went to eat with a couple of returners at a restaurant outside of the east gate. Then we stopped by the dorm to pick up a few things and headed off to do some shopping. I can’t remember the name of the place we went to, but it was beyond words. It’s really hard to express the impressions of this place. We took the subway and navigated it successfully, which was very empowering. I definitely plan on using it as transportation in the future. Once off the subway, it did take a little to find where we were actually looking for, but we did it. We poked around in the department stores because the guys needed to get a few things before leaving for the Yunnan province. We were approached by some women who said they wanted to show us their calligraphy work. We talked to them for quite a while, but they tried to get us to go down an alleyway. It was then that we decided it was probably better to part ways. The best part of the day, by far was the stalls of food that we found. We were able to try scorpions, silkworms and snake. The scorpions were actually really good; they basically tasted like french fries but the silkworms were kind of gross. It wasn’t that they tasted that bad, but the texture was a real turn off. I personally liked the snake, but the others weren’t as big on it as I was. The guys got dumplings, which were pretty tasty too and then we pretty much all ended up getting fruit dipped in sugar.
We started to head back and on the way stopped in an alcohol and smoke show because Nazar would like to send his parents a nice bottle of something and wanted to see what they had. I ended up buying a small bottle of something because the bottle was very pretty. I thought it was 58 kuai but it was only 10, which was a pleasant surprise. It’ll be interesting to try though because it’s 65% alcohol or 130 proof. I imagine it will take quite some time to consume despite its small size. We got back on the subway and came home, running into some other TBCers who had also been where we were.
And now I’m relaxing in my room. I think I may stay in tonight, although I have said that every other night and ended up making myself a liar. Last night a group of sixteen of us went out to a local bar. We each only had one or two drinks, and just talked and played games that they happened to have at the table. I really enjoyed it. Some people decided to go to another bar, but a few of us decided to head back home because we were wiped out. I ended up getting back to the room and going to sleep around one in the morning. I think I really will try to stay in tonight though because my ankles are really swollen and I think I really need the rest. If my internet connection comes back, I’ll hopefully get this posted before it’s outdated. In the meantime, I may just lay down for a little bit because I ache quite a bit.
I’m really tired still. I suppose I’m still adjusting to it all. For the past two nights I’ve slept for nearly seven hours exactly. I’ve woken up without an alarm, which I guess is a good thing since I still haven’t 100% figured out how to set it. Still, I’m hoping that it’s just a phase and eventually I’ll be able to sleep for longer. At least this’ll be good for getting me into the schedule of getting up early for class. I’m going to download my pictures and then maybe go to bed. It’s a little bit earlier than I’d like, but I’m feeling really wiped out right now. 再见！
1/17/09
Today was pretty awesome. I woke up before my alarm went off again today, but at least it did go off so I at least know it works. We had the academic briefing over in one of UIBE’s buildings which was a little tricky to find, but we made it on time. It was informative, but long. They talked a lot about the Yunnan trip and so I’m even more excited and nervous about it. Haha, I guess that’s the way it goes though. Apparently the temperature is really going to vary depending on where we are in the province. I think when I look back at the trip, I’m going to remember it fondly, but the actual experiencing of it may not leave me feeling so great. There’ll be a lot to adjust to very quickly and I’m not sure how that will go. I’m going to try very hard to keep an open mind and a sense of humor. I’ll probably be fine, but still, mild concern is still present.
Once the presentation was over, Tom, Luke, Luis, Nazar and I went to eat with a couple of returners at a restaurant outside of the east gate. Then we stopped by the dorm to pick up a few things and headed off to do some shopping. I can’t remember the name of the place we went to, but it was beyond words. It’s really hard to express the impressions of this place. We took the subway and navigated it successfully, which was very empowering. I definitely plan on using it as transportation in the future. Once off the subway, it did take a little to find where we were actually looking for, but we did it. We poked around in the department stores because the guys needed to get a few things before leaving for the Yunnan province. We were approached by some women who said they wanted to show us their calligraphy work. We talked to them for quite a while, but they tried to get us to go down an alleyway. It was then that we decided it was probably better to part ways. The best part of the day, by far was the stalls of food that we found. We were able to try scorpions, silkworms and snake. The scorpions were actually really good; they basically tasted like french fries but the silkworms were kind of gross. It wasn’t that they tasted that bad, but the texture was a real turn off. I personally liked the snake, but the others weren’t as big on it as I was. The guys got dumplings, which were pretty tasty too and then we pretty much all ended up getting fruit dipped in sugar.
We started to head back and on the way stopped in an alcohol and smoke show because Nazar would like to send his parents a nice bottle of something and wanted to see what they had. I ended up buying a small bottle of something because the bottle was very pretty. I thought it was 58 kuai but it was only 10, which was a pleasant surprise. It’ll be interesting to try though because it’s 65% alcohol or 130 proof. I imagine it will take quite some time to consume despite its small size. We got back on the subway and came home, running into some other TBCers who had also been where we were.
And now I’m relaxing in my room. I think I may stay in tonight, although I have said that every other night and ended up making myself a liar. Last night a group of sixteen of us went out to a local bar. We each only had one or two drinks, and just talked and played games that they happened to have at the table. I really enjoyed it. Some people decided to go to another bar, but a few of us decided to head back home because we were wiped out. I ended up getting back to the room and going to sleep around one in the morning. I think I really will try to stay in tonight though because my ankles are really swollen and I think I really need the rest. If my internet connection comes back, I’ll hopefully get this posted before it’s outdated. In the meantime, I may just lay down for a little bit because I ache quite a bit.
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