Beijing!
If you are privy to the post below this one, you know I am now situated in Beijing (and with that, goes the integrity of my [previous] blog title…). Its only been a month, but its one that will not be forgotten easily. Upon arriving, I was greeted by a mutual contact, who helped me find my internship in the first place. Honestly, without his help I would have had a month long headache. Professor Liu, is a part time teacher at 人民大学 (People’s University) and full-time saint. Like I said, he took care of me from the very beginning. He picked me up from the airport (which was only the first time we met!), let me stay in his university apartment for a week, fed me, and helped me find an apartment. So for all the self-less help, big-ups to 刘老师 (Liu Laoshi).
Looking back, it seems the first month progressed weekly, so I’ll break it down for you.
第一个星期
I arrive in Beijing, and spend most time either with Professor Liu, or checking out the sights. Living on campus is fun, since I can use their facilities, food is dirt cheap, and there are plenty of people my age around.
第二个星期
Work starts. I am working at a Chinese Management Consulting firm. I am the only foreigner, and as much as I’d like to think my Chinese has improved, its obvious I could not survive as an actual employee in a Chinese office. The language limitations strangle my opportunities for helping them out. However, I can still edit their English web page! On top of that, I can compare it to the Chinese one at the same time. So, in essence I am actually getting paid to study Chinese in an office setting! Not so bad. Also at this time, I need to start moving out into my own apartment. With the help of Professor Liu, I find a place for about $150 USD a month. Move.
第三个星期
Work continues, may it be slowly. My flatmates are two Chinese about my age.
Me at the Birthday Dinner w/ my Original Roommates
They are recent grads who are working on their own start-up company. They are super-friendly with helping me settle in, and in line with typical Chinese culture, treat me out to dinner at any chance they get. In fact, on the first night of living their, I was invited to attend one of their friends birthday parties. The birthday girl was from 新疆 (Xinjiang) and we ate Uighur food. Delicious! And what a great group of friends to fall into. Unfortunately as the week goes on, and I return to my grimy apartment day after day, I realize I have been ignoring a feeling of loneliness that I have had for a little bit now. Even with meeting hospitable and friendly Chinese people, there is still the void of relating with people from your own culture that needs a fill. So in this third week, I am starting to feel like this whole China trip has run its course. Maybe its time to head
新疆人 People from Xinjiang don't always look Chinese!
home. On top of that, I find out the desk in my room is a cockroach nest. I spend multiple nights in a row killing 10+ roaches each night… Now, I knew when I moved in, I wasn’t moving into the Belmont, Fairview, or even the Lowell Housing Authority. I draw the line when I start having phantom visions of cockroaches though. I can only react to so many black specs of dirt a day before I call it quits!
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St. Patrick Day
I will make a special entry for this day. For this is the day where everything I have told you so far, will no longer apply. I forgot to mention that besides the blatant filth of my apartment, the location was actually really cool. I would go days with being the only foreigner (which is kinda neat), lots of good Chinese food, and a 5 minute walk to one of Beijing’s worst business plans, but best pizza house… The Kros Nest! Fortunately, The Kros Nest takes its pizza seriously, and its purely American holidays even more so. They had an entire week of 10 kuai ($1.5 USD) Guinness. Amidst my loneliness on longing for familiarity (this should tell you how easy I was able to get along in Hong Kong as I spent 6 months ther and never felt this feeling so strongly… its been 1 month in Beijing) I donned my finest greens and headed over. It just so happened that it was a Tuesday, and those who know in Beijing, know that every Tuesday at 6pm SHARP the Kros Nest opens a new keg of Tsingtao, and serves it up free until its dry. Try and tell me there is no God! As I sat there eating my pizza, enjoying my Guinness and finally reading “On the Road,” I started a conversation with the table of foreigners across from me. Turns out they were a bunch of Americans taking part in their culture too. The night took off from there and ended in me waking up sleeping cabby’s for a ride home from a house party. Since then, I’ve broken into the foreigner scene here, and boy is it a good time.
第四个星期
In my fourth week, with my loneliness vanquished, I moved to a new apartment. Just a bit more each month than the previous, but no cockroaches, and… 24 hr hot water, which you would learn is not a right, but a privilege here in China. The new location is in the middle of a couple universities as well, so there is a small night life here. Needless to say, I’m no longer the token foreigner in the neighborhood. In exchange, I get convenience, western dining options, and easy subway access. Oh yea, and cleanliness!
…the present
Everything in Beijing has been worth it so far. Even the down moments. I can truly say I love it here. From what I can see, the city has a unique way of bringing people (mostly talking about foreigners here) together. It’s not uncommon to run into the same people in different places from time to time. This makes networking (the lifeblood of business in China) so intuitive.
These past two weeks have taught me that no matter how dedicated I want to be to becoming fluent in the language, I can’t ostracize the ex-pat community and expect to get along just fine. Because,hey… it feels good when you can relate.
Gone are the feelings of wishing the months would pass faster than an angry Chinese woman on a motorized three wheeler! Beijing has decided to take care of me, and I’m glad. Don’t fret though. Nothing could change how excited I am to “see the faces that remember my own.”
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