I have ridden my bike for 500 miles in this country
I like to think of that as a positive, instead of what it has done to my lungs. Please don’t think about my [blackening] lungs too much, Lauren Friedman once fainted at the sight of a fake blackening lung. [Hi Laurie!] No really, I’m enjoying my method of transportations… its all about understanding the flow of traffic in this city. It really is the quickest way to get anywhere. I biked for 20 miles on Saturday, around the southern portion of the second ring road, along the old city moat, when I got back home my legs could feel the work out- so could my lungs! Unfortunately the supposed Mountain Biker’s Club of Beijing is currently in Triathlon season, and I just don’t run [or swim for that matter]. So I’ll continue enjoying my commute. Really to work out in this town you need to get way out of town to the mountains or join a gym [which I can’t afford].
Work, work, work. I think I might be getting paid tomorrow in a large stack of cold hard cash, what more is exciting than that? I think I might purchase a house plant. Current projects I have going are: my newsletter, so fun to write, Chris and I are organizing a Chinese NGO and international volunteers networking mixer. Our courtyard would be perfect for such an event, and there is no such event yet, so we think this could generate good contacts and getting Hui Ling into the NGO community. I’ll keep you posted!
Shout out to Ms Lindsay Shaw and Leah D, right now I’m using my roommate’s awesome computer sound system and am blasting “Sweet Child of Mine” – I’m sure my neighbors love it! They can get up and over it because right now it’s 6.30 pm and I’ve been enduring drilling and hammering starting at 8 am 7 days a week for a while now. Isn’t remodeling done yet?
I was reading an article in a ‘what’s going on in Beijing’ foreigner type magazine called “City Weekend” and they were talking about how Beijing was the cultural capital, of old and particularly recently, and now maybe it is the source of modern artsy stuff because it was the old cultural capital. I also went to a lecture on The Forbidden City [don’t know what that is? Check this site out: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing/forbidden.htm]
Where the professor giving the lecture was saying that prior to the 14th century [ok I’m guessing which century it was] said that prior to the building of the Forbidden City, Beijing was mostly army garrisons and farmland. Along came some emperor who decided that power needed to be moved to the north, and Beijing would be it. He started to construct the Forbidden City, pretty much to secure the monarchy and his power, and to make it extravagant [read: ridiculous]. It was built on a grand scale, and therefore artisans and craftsman had to be brought in from the south for periods at a time. Moving people and their families means there needs to be service people to provide for them, thus thee city was built upon their important Yangtze river craftspeople and the service people that came with. So I think it’s funny that Beijing is regarded as the ‘cultural center’, when really the culture was just imported from the middle of China.
Want to watch a great movie about China? Check these out- All are directed by the most famous director Zhang Yimo and staring the beautiful and now living in my Beijing villa Gong Li:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110081/
To Live or Huozhe
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105197/
The Story of Qiu Ju or Qiu Ju da guan si
That’s about all I have for now. I will leave you with a few funny “you know you lived in China [or Asia] when…” I’ll even give you a little insight as to why they are funny! [I’m chuckling as I read them]
When your co-workers return to the office you ask them, "have you returned to the office?" --One of the co-workers that I teach English to asked me how to translate “work’s over” I told him it was that, but that in English we don’t state the obvious like they do in Chinese. My basic conversation with my neighbors everyday is: [them] “you’re going to work!” [me] “ay!”. [I come home] [them] “you’re home from work!” [me] “ay!”.
You have no distinction between in-door voice and out-door voice. – This can make restaurants Very loud, especially when they all start drinking.
You wear your pajamas to go to the supermarket. – Matching tops and bottoms, probably with some dog print. I have a photo of this. I don’t know if they actually wear these pj’s to bed but they wear them outside with their leather shoes.
Your belt wraps around your waist twice. – This seems to be an epidemic in China, they are either making belts to big or the men buying them are too hopefully of their ability to get fat. Still an enigma to me.
You no longer wait in line, but immediately go to the head of the queue. – Lines are meaningless in China. You should see me at McDonalds. This is something I have to be culturally sensitive to when I return to the US, because although that type of proactive behavior is commended in this country, gun-toting Americans may think otherwise…
It is no longer surprising that the only decision made at a meeting is the time and venue for the next meeting. – Welcome to my world of Chinese non-profits! Hopefully we will make some forward progress soon… I have high hopes [but not too high, this Is China…]
You no longer wonder how someone making US$200 per month can drive a Mercedes.
You find it saves time to stand and retrieve your cabin baggage while the plane is still on final approach. – The Chinese in travel mode is hysterical, whether its by bus, train, or plane.
You are quite content to repeat your order six times in a restaurant that only has four items on the menu. – This is not an exaggeration. Here’s the basic ordering dialogue:
[me, pointing to item on the menu] “I want one plate of this”
[waitress] “that one?”
[me, still pointing] “yes that one.”
[waitress] “one plate of chicken with peanuts, is that right?”
[me] “yes one plate that is right”
[waitress] “ok we will bring one plate”
Then add things like- don’t add hot peppers, don’t add meat, don’t add MSG and the conversation lengthens… After you have all the dishes ordered, they repeat them back to you! So fun!
You're not surprised when three men with a ladder show up to change a light bulb. – Employment in the Great Country!
As Homer Simpson says, "its funny because its true..."
Work, work, work. I think I might be getting paid tomorrow in a large stack of cold hard cash, what more is exciting than that? I think I might purchase a house plant. Current projects I have going are: my newsletter, so fun to write, Chris and I are organizing a Chinese NGO and international volunteers networking mixer. Our courtyard would be perfect for such an event, and there is no such event yet, so we think this could generate good contacts and getting Hui Ling into the NGO community. I’ll keep you posted!
Shout out to Ms Lindsay Shaw and Leah D, right now I’m using my roommate’s awesome computer sound system and am blasting “Sweet Child of Mine” – I’m sure my neighbors love it! They can get up and over it because right now it’s 6.30 pm and I’ve been enduring drilling and hammering starting at 8 am 7 days a week for a while now. Isn’t remodeling done yet?
I was reading an article in a ‘what’s going on in Beijing’ foreigner type magazine called “City Weekend” and they were talking about how Beijing was the cultural capital, of old and particularly recently, and now maybe it is the source of modern artsy stuff because it was the old cultural capital. I also went to a lecture on The Forbidden City [don’t know what that is? Check this site out: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing/forbidden.htm]
Where the professor giving the lecture was saying that prior to the 14th century [ok I’m guessing which century it was] said that prior to the building of the Forbidden City, Beijing was mostly army garrisons and farmland. Along came some emperor who decided that power needed to be moved to the north, and Beijing would be it. He started to construct the Forbidden City, pretty much to secure the monarchy and his power, and to make it extravagant [read: ridiculous]. It was built on a grand scale, and therefore artisans and craftsman had to be brought in from the south for periods at a time. Moving people and their families means there needs to be service people to provide for them, thus thee city was built upon their important Yangtze river craftspeople and the service people that came with. So I think it’s funny that Beijing is regarded as the ‘cultural center’, when really the culture was just imported from the middle of China.
Want to watch a great movie about China? Check these out- All are directed by the most famous director Zhang Yimo and staring the beautiful and now living in my Beijing villa Gong Li:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110081/
To Live or Huozhe
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105197/
The Story of Qiu Ju or Qiu Ju da guan si
That’s about all I have for now. I will leave you with a few funny “you know you lived in China [or Asia] when…” I’ll even give you a little insight as to why they are funny! [I’m chuckling as I read them]
When your co-workers return to the office you ask them, "have you returned to the office?" --One of the co-workers that I teach English to asked me how to translate “work’s over” I told him it was that, but that in English we don’t state the obvious like they do in Chinese. My basic conversation with my neighbors everyday is: [them] “you’re going to work!” [me] “ay!”. [I come home] [them] “you’re home from work!” [me] “ay!”.
You have no distinction between in-door voice and out-door voice. – This can make restaurants Very loud, especially when they all start drinking.
You wear your pajamas to go to the supermarket. – Matching tops and bottoms, probably with some dog print. I have a photo of this. I don’t know if they actually wear these pj’s to bed but they wear them outside with their leather shoes.
Your belt wraps around your waist twice. – This seems to be an epidemic in China, they are either making belts to big or the men buying them are too hopefully of their ability to get fat. Still an enigma to me.
You no longer wait in line, but immediately go to the head of the queue. – Lines are meaningless in China. You should see me at McDonalds. This is something I have to be culturally sensitive to when I return to the US, because although that type of proactive behavior is commended in this country, gun-toting Americans may think otherwise…
It is no longer surprising that the only decision made at a meeting is the time and venue for the next meeting. – Welcome to my world of Chinese non-profits! Hopefully we will make some forward progress soon… I have high hopes [but not too high, this Is China…]
You no longer wonder how someone making US$200 per month can drive a Mercedes.
You find it saves time to stand and retrieve your cabin baggage while the plane is still on final approach. – The Chinese in travel mode is hysterical, whether its by bus, train, or plane.
You are quite content to repeat your order six times in a restaurant that only has four items on the menu. – This is not an exaggeration. Here’s the basic ordering dialogue:
[me, pointing to item on the menu] “I want one plate of this”
[waitress] “that one?”
[me, still pointing] “yes that one.”
[waitress] “one plate of chicken with peanuts, is that right?”
[me] “yes one plate that is right”
[waitress] “ok we will bring one plate”
Then add things like- don’t add hot peppers, don’t add meat, don’t add MSG and the conversation lengthens… After you have all the dishes ordered, they repeat them back to you! So fun!
You're not surprised when three men with a ladder show up to change a light bulb. – Employment in the Great Country!
As Homer Simpson says, "its funny because its true..."
posted by Claire at 6:24 AM
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