Weather forecast

I woke up this morning to clearer skies, meaning I could actually see the apartment buildings across the street from our university. The good visibility always happens the day after a good rainstorm, and we had one yesterday. You can tell exactly how the day is going to be (usually) by looking out our window to see the apartment buildings: Smoggy? Yes, no sun to be seen today. Less smoggy? Oh it'll just be hot and humid. Clear? What?!?! (That's only happened maybe three times since I've been here.)

I know that the news reports from Beijing have said that the air quality is indeed improved (not visibly, but by scientific measurement) but I am not sure that this is the case. I personally have not noticed an improvement, except maybe in the pollution caused by the traffic reduction rule. I know that we are becoming more used to the air here, but it's still by no means vastly improved. I feel bad for the marathon runners.

The air situation was actually mentioned by two of my fellow Chinese photo volunteers. One was talking about her brother, who lives in the States, and how much 'different the environment is' there. The other said that there weren't as many birds in Beijing because of the air quality-- this is true, there are a few sparrows and that's about it, besides the caged birds that are popular pets. I was very surprised to hear the situation mentioned by any citizens here.

I'm going to go enjoy the view while I can...

Kung Fu Panda and Kong Chef's Table

The photo services crew (Val, Alysha, Chris & I) were in for a night of fun after training with our new Chinese friends. We had asked them last week about Noodle Loft-- due to our quest to visit it-- and they were so excited. Yesterday, when I arrived at work, Lake (his English name) informed me that he had eaten at the Noodle Loft the previous day and it wasn't that great. He had found another noodle place to eat instead, Master Kong Chef's Table! He also bought tickets for us to see Kung Fu Panda at the cinema.

After work, we took the subway to the restaurant where we enjoyed delicious beef and noodle dishes as well as some interesting desserts. My favorite dessert was the mango ice cream and peanut ice cream; least favorite (the Chinese love it) was a red bean and green bean iced dessert with mango and the little gelatin balls that are found in bubble tea. Interesting. The girls at our table were so cute and fun. We had a blast!

Before we left, we were given red envelopes with one yuan inside, which is a gift of good luck, according to our new friends. Red envelopes with money are traditionally given on special occasions like weddings or Chinese New Year. What a sweet gesture!

There wasn't enough time to go back to CUC before the movie so we headed there and played games in the arcade. We raced cars and tried to win a panda out of one of those elusive claw machines. Amanda, a Chinese volunteer, and I tried DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) for the first time. What a disaster. I can safely say I will never attempt a repeat performance. But at least I tried.

Kung Fu Panda was great, and I am happy to be able to have seen it while in China. It was really neat to see how many of the cultural details really are (somewhat) like the country, and I know that firsthand now. Most notably, the differences between the theater here and at home are that they serve sweetened popcorn (it was a strange sensation when my taste buds were expecting butter and salt!) and the movie sound is much quieter. The seats were really comfortable, too, but I will say that I can't wait to eat some buttered popcorn at my next viewing experience at home.

We were so thrilled to have had this experience with our photo services comrades, and they seemed equally as excited. They told us after that they would not have had dinner and a movie in the same night if it weren't for us. We felt guilty for them being so generous, but hopefully we'll have an opportunity to return the favor sometime soon. It is so fun to make new friends at work, and to learn more about Chinese culture from people our age.

It was a great ending to an interesting day. At the venue, we learned more about where we would be stationed during the events and what would be happening where. It's important for us to know where photographers can and can't go as well as who can go where (Pool photographers have the run of the house, pretty much) but more about this later. We were able to see some Chinese track cyclists practicing, which was awesome. It made me want to buy a bike when I get home, for sure, and gave us a taste of the speed we would be seeing at the Games.

Today I saw a Mao suit

Val and I had a fabulous morning at Beihai Park. We planned to get an early start, in order to check out the morning activities of the locals, and set our alarms accordingly. We rolled out of bed and out the door by 6:30, certain we were too late to get to the park in time (it took about 40 minutes by subway/taxi to get there), but we were greeted by the sight of a elderly Beijing man walking backwards past our building—a sure sign that it was exercise time.

As we walked along the streets, people were lined up at shops’ counters to get their breakfast- various meats and rolls and pastries. I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure a chicken wing is not the best way for me to start my day, so Val and I passed. KFC was open, full of hungry customers chowing down on sandwiches of all sorts. This is 7 a.m., don’t forget.

We arrived at the park and were happy to find that we didn’t miss anything. In fact, we were in the midst of entertainment wherever we went! I have to say that this was the most enjoyable morning I have spent in Beijing. We watched people practice tai chi, flag and fan dancing, tap and jazz dancing, as well as a strange exercise that involves wearing thick gloves and walking on all fours. Not sure what this accomplishes or signifies…

In addition, there were people playing all sorts of games like badminton and kicking this feathered toy, which looked so fun to try.

The park was beautiful and peaceful for the first part of the morning, until more people started to arrive. After we had our fill of the dancing and such, we found a quiet spot by a pond where others were enjoying snacks and naps to plan the rest of our day.

Next stop: the Drum and Bell Towers to the north of Beihai. We climbed the Drum Tower to see the drums being beaten, which was an even steeper climb than the Great Wall (or very close). It was a nice view—had there been no smog—followed by a short presentation of the drums sounding. All of the drums are replicas of the 24 that were beaten in Imperial times, when the civil and military leaders apparently organized their lives around the signals. There is one original drum which was very neat to see; it seemed as if it would fall apart if touched.

After the steep descent (I didn’t fall down!), we grabbed lunch at a little Chinese café near the towers. It was the first spring rolls we had seen in Beijing, and they were fantastic. So fresh and tasty! Val was pretty excited about soy sauce, which doesn’t usually come with meals anywhere here, believe it or not. Also there is no salt or pepper available (unless you’re at a Western restaurant). In addition, I enjoyed some crab dumplings which were pretty good too.

We decided to be super-touristy and take a rickshaw (bicycle with passenger seats or cargo area) around the hutong area we were in. It was fun, but our driver kept stopping at all of these doors that were significant in some way and insisted on taking our photo at each one. Of course, the accompanying signs were written in Chinese so we had no idea what we were seeing. It was on this ride that I saw an old man in a Mao suit, as in a military green, Chairman Mao Zedong, style suit. Wow. What a sight.

My guide book included an interesting walking tour of the Dashilan area, which includes some notable stores dating from the Qing era as well as some great hutong. We were headed in the right direction, but then could not find where exactly the walk started. The book does not list anything in Chinese, only English, so it was kind of difficult…okay, really difficult at times. To help you understand how the hutong system works, picture narrow alley-like streets with no comprehendible signs to indicate where you are or where you should be going. There is also no one around on many of the smaller streets, much less anyone who can speak a word I can understand.

Finally! I found a recognizable street included in the tour! Of course, it turned out to be the last street, the one we were supposed to end up on at the end. We did the logical thing and proceeded to go backward through the route in the book. It worked out great! We saw some fun shops and I bought a piece of celadon pottery to take home. The people in the shop were so nice, and then invited us to have tea. We enjoyed a traditional Chinese tea and learned a lot. The tea was so good!

Since this blog is getting pretty lengthy, I will just tell you about one other notable shop we visited. This was the Tongrentang traditional Chinese medicine company, where you can find anything from shark fins to giant mushrooms to dried lizards and sea horses (among other things I could not identify). Some of the items were very expensive, up to thousands of yuan. It was crazy! Two floors of all kinds of healing elements, and the shop was bustling with customers.

The shop was on a main street near Tiananmen Square and was being prepared for the Olympics. Flowers in planters lined the streets and some heavy-duty street construction was taking place... I wonder if they'll have it done in time?

What a day! And to top it off, I had some coffee-flavored gum that left me craving a latte, as well as some chewy strawberry candy that was like gum but meant to swallow after a little bit of chewing. One other thing you might find interesting was something our Chinese volunteer friends introduced us to, a drink that they call the ‘acid drink’, which tastes like BBQ sauce, no joke. It is refreshing to drink cold, but I won’t lie—I couldn’t finish it. It is very fun to see all of the flavors here for products that we would never consider using at home, like prawn-flavored potato chips. Oh yummy. I am going to make it a point to write more about these foods in the future.

Here’s a quick shout-out to Carah, Liz and Caitlin. Thanks for the call the other night; it was great to hear from you! I have yet to hear any Dave in Beijing, but I'll keep my ears open.

Learning, waiting, watching

We got our uniforms today! After three hours of waiting and waiting… and waiting, we finally got them from the storage area, transported them to the velodrome by bicycle – I got to drive!—and sat and organized each person’s items. This all could have taken place rather quickly, in an hour or so, but it didn’t.

I’m not sure if it’s a lack of organization or what, but it was so hard for our little group not to just take charge and distribute the items ourselves. Or at least grab our stuff and get out. It also might be that the Chinese just don’t seem to be in that big of a hurry to get things done; things just kind of happen when they happen.

This isn’t to say there is a right or wrong way of doing things; I just want to point out some differences. Yesterday we were sitting in the press conference room and four people walked in. They proceeded to care for the plants in the front of the room at the podium. There were maybe 15 medium-size pots. One man watered, one put dead leaves into a bucket which the third woman held, all while the fourth watched.

This type of group work can be found throughout Beijing, and I’m not sure what it accomplishes. It is just very different from the U.S., where we like streamlined and efficient systems to get things done. Here, not so much.

After biking to the velodrome with the boxes of clothes, I hopped off and proceeded to grab a box to take it inside. It was immediately grabbed by one of the guys with me and he said no, no that they had “many friends to help”, indicating more men on their way over. I tried again to help and they finally let me after I told them that in the U.S., women like to do the same things as guys. I picked up a box that maybe weighed 20 pounds and was told by a girl that I was “so strong!”

I’m not sure if this was just politeness or what, but it struck me as interesting. Women here are treated as equals of men (so I’ve seen on some levels at least) but with more old-fashioned chivalry, I guess you’d say, than in the States, for the most part. The guys that ride with us to and from work on the subway are always the first to grab a seat for us before themselves and let the women get in line for lunch or enter buildings first. This is not to say that our American boys are any less polite, of course…

At lunch, we learned from our Chinese friends that the soup which accompanied our meal every day was actually Green Bean Soup (no beans, though, just broth) and was good to drink in order to lower your body temperature in hot weather. Could someone please explain to me how this works?

I can without a doubt say that you learn (or at least observe) something new every day here!

Training days

Wednesday was our first day of training at the Laoshan Bicycle Cluster. We left our dorm at 7:30 a.m. for a commute by subway (we take Line 1 from one side of the city to the other) and then on foot to the venue, an hour and a half of travel total. Good times.

I will preface this by saying (if it isn't evident by the lack of detail I've given thus far) that we know very VERY little about the details of our work. It is kind of tiring to wonder day after day when you'll be given your instructions or at least know what you will be doing the next day (or any day, for that matter). But--finally!-- a call from Lisa, one of our supervisors, alerted us to report for duty.

So there we were, walking up to the brand-new Laoshan Velodrome (where track cycling events are held and we'll be spending the majority of our time), ready for duty. But first a morning pat-down by security, scanning of credentials, and a stroll through the x-ray machine. We signed in, received meal vouchers and our three bottles of water (down to 2 today) and headed to the Photo Manager's office. There are a myriad of titles and acronyms used in this place which I won't bore you with. Unless of course people want to know. Like I said earlier, I could create a dictionary of sorts for this.

Here is what we think our training schedule looks like until the Games begin:
Morning lecture
Lunch 11- noon
"Rest" until 1:30
Some kind of activity in the afternoon

I wasn't able to attend yesterday as I was still battling my mystery sickness (sorry for ignoring the blog, too) but today followed this same schedule. The lectures are from various managers and supervisors around the venue. Usually, we hear the same information at least three times. The first day we also got to tour the facilities, which was great. It is unbelievable to be behind the scenes, especially before all the commotion begins in August. Construction is basically finished, there are just minor things going in now, especially all of the computers and technology required for information storage and delivery between our venue and the MPC. (Basically, the faster the photographers from the big outlets like Reuters, Getty and AP can get their images out, the faster and more they are used/sold by news media around the world.)

We checked out the BMX track which looks insanely difficult to master at high speeds on a little bike (in my inexpert opinion). We have the great honor of seeing the first BMX Olympic competition ever which is really exciting!

The mountain bike competition will take place on Laoshan Mountain (more like a very large hill) and some of the inclines those riders have to face look terrifying. I have only seen glimpses of the course but it looks intense.

Today, the best part of work was our rest time which we spend on battery-powered scooter bikes that are amazingly fun. Basically you can pedal if you want, or use the throttle (maybe?) to use the motor (I am not very technically inclined, I apologize) and then if you pedal AND use the throttle it goes really fast. Chris and I (whose scooters were the most charged) made it up a big hill and decided we needed the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz's theme music to accompany our rides. I have a feeling we'll be using these a lot!

My roomie Val and I won't be able to sleep tonight; we are so excited about getting our uniforms tomorrow!!

Back in the game

I'm back. I apologize for the delay in posts, but I have been sick for the past few days with something that left me curled up in bed drinking Sprite, watching old Cary Grant movies, and eating meager helpings of rice and Cheerios. I don't know what it was but I'm glad it's over. Let's just say I have never wished for homemade chicken soup so much as then.

Since my last post, I have done a few things. Getting an hour-long massage that was cheaper than a grande Frappucino and muffin at Starbuck's was a highlight. Four girls and two guys decided to go, and some had already visited the massage parlor once, so they knew that the women gave a much gentler massage. There was only one female masseuse available, however, so Chris and Patrick did a rock-paper-scissors war to see who would get her.

After putting on slippers about two sizes too small with cartoon cats on them, all of us girls went into a room, donned 'pajamas', and enjoyed our massages. Kelsey, who was next to me, was getting a special treatment that sounded like she was being beaten with a wet noodle. She said it felt good, though! I enjoyed my visit thoroughly but the next day my back was slightly bruised. Well worth the pain, I thought.

Watching the pre-Olympic coverage on CCTV 5 entertained me when I wasn't sleeping the past few days. They show sporting events from past Games as well as qualifying events for this year. Sometimes they are tutorials of how individual sports work (this type of thing is also shown on the subway); my guess is to have the people of China broaden their knowledge of all the Olympic sports by Games time.

Today, we took the subway to the Pearl Market, where we bartered for pearls for ourselves as well as gifts. It was a little overwhelming for me, since I don't know anything about jewelry. The advice we did have was to bite the pearls to make sure they were real. It was a pretty fascinating place. Megan, Val, and I wanted Starbucks so we found a taxi and asked the driver to take us there before we went home. He was great! He spoke some English (which he learned by tape, he said) and helped us with a few key Chinese phrases. He waited for us to purchase our drinks then drove us home.

The drive home was much faster today, thanks to the new driving laws enforced by the government for the Olympics. It basically states that on certain weekdays, vehicles with licenses ending in odd numbers only are allowed on the road, and on the other days, only even-numbered plates are allowed. We weren't sure if this would actually work when we first heard about it, but after today I am pretty sure that it will make a difference. Not sure how well it could be enforced in Chicago, but this would do wonders for the traffic in the city!

Tonight we are going out to dinner for Alysha's birthday. Happy 22nd!

Picture of persistence

I'll start this post with a cliche which I have come to believe applies to my life in Beijing: 'Good things come to those who wait.' Yesterday was a pretty great day and included three successful cab rides-- yes, three, in one day! We went to the Beijing Zoo, anxious to see the native pandas as well as the other creatures. When we arrived, I was thrilled to find out that there was even a Penguin House!

I'll admit I was a little shocked at some of the animal enclosures. Not what I expected for the largest zoo in China, housing some of the most endangered animals in the country. I love animals, so of course I wanted to help them all. We had fried chicken for lunch, which seemed to be a popular lunch choice for a day at the zoo (a little more appetizing than cuttlefish on a stick, if you ask me). There were also these Pringle-type chips that tasted like they were basted in V-8 juice. They were okay.

The aquarium adjacent to the zoo was pretty neat; very new. There were some fish that were big enough to eat a small child. I don't know where they find these things.

Afterwards, we wanted to keep up with our lucky day and decided to visit an Olympic store. (It's a goal of Val and me's to visit all the official stores.) We met a few new friends and learned of a huge store further down the road. We decided to go for it, so Val, Kelsey and I trekked down to Wangfujing Street, where there are many large hotels and stores. And then we saw it. Amazing. The flagship store for the 2008 Beijing Olympics aka retail heaven for those of us with gifts to buy for friends and family. We spend a good two hours in the place, it was so large. Then we ate at an authentic Chinese food court downstairs which was very entertaining. Basically, you walk around (and since you're American, people all want you to buy the food from their shop-- don't ask me why) and choose what you want and pay with it using a prepaid card. When you're done, you return the card and receive a deposit and any excess yuan back. It's somewhat inefficient but I'm sure they have their reasons.

Today, we hit up a t-shirt store we'd been wanting to visit in a hutong (charming, narrow old alleyway communities) area. This street turned out to be one of my favorite places I have visited on the trip so far. It was so quaint, with fun shops and cafes to enjoy a beer and snack. We took our time checking out the shops and chatted for awhile at a little bar. I got a sweet pingpong player t-shirt.. very Beijing. I also found some pottery for my apartment, and bartered like a pro today. The strangest thing I saw: dead bugs posed as people in different sports scene. See my photo album for a soccer one.

Taking a cab back instead of the subway turned out to be very worthwhile. We saw the city all lit up, and it was a beautiful sight.

Goodnight!

From opera to Oprah

The other day we were invited by our hosts to attend a talk show taping at the CCTV headquarters. Some of us jumped at the chance to be a part of such an experience. We had no clue what we were in for, but we knew it would be entertaining for sure.

We arrived at the studio, where we had a boxed dinner served by the show's crew. The dressing rooms were not quite so glamorous as those we see on TV at home. Then we were ushered onto the set, where we had to take the labels off of our water. We were also given headsets so we could have the show translated to English.

The host of the show was very likeable and funny. He had the oldest Olympic volunteer (80 years old) on as a guest, as well as one of the managers of the BOCOG. He involved the audience (almost all Olympic volunteers) in skits to showcase what we were learning in our training, including mock interviews and interacting with fussy 'athletes'. Several members of the Purdue crew took part in that, and it was really funny.

Since there was a slight delay in everything being translated, it always felt like we were laughing later than those who could understand Chinese when there was a joke. But it was still a lot of fun. There were also two kids from a poor part of the country who were blind and deaf and wanted to help with the Paralympics, which will be held here in September. It was so touching, and it really felt like an episode of Oprah.

This feeling escalated at the end of the show, when they passed out gifts to all of us in the audience, just like the 'Favorite Things' episode. Don't get too excited -- I got a picture frame of an ancient emperor guy, not a BMW-- but it was really, really nice of them to think of us. Some people got wine bottle covers in the shape of Chinese silk dresses, and I really liked those.

Well, now I can say I've been to a Chinese talk show. Talk about a cultural experience!

Zai naili Noodle Loft?

So much for our plan. After an hour of searching-- on the correct street-- we had to give up and eat somewhere else. Val and I took the subway to Dawanglu, which is closer to downtown, and were optimistic in our search. The restaurant was located on Xidawang Lu Street, according to our handy maps. I really want to write to the editors of the guide book, and tell them this isn't working. We then walk to exactly where the restaurant should be, granted there are no numbers to identify building addresses, making this even more 'fun'. We ask some people where we can find it. The first woman shooed us away. Great, thanks. Then some men pointed us to cabs, which we considered anyway. We proceed to show them our maps and the restaurant name in Chinese. Laughter (of course) ensued, followed by one guy busting out his cell phone to bargain a price for the trip (which could not have been far, according to the book). We were desperately hungry at this point so we said yes. Then they just proceeded to talk to each other and so we left. After a little debate, we opted to go to a respectable looking restaurant we had seen up the road.

I believe the quote from Val was "We failed". And we did not give up easily let me tell you. We were really frustrated with ourselves. I'm sorry that you will see that word many times over the course of my experience here but really, that is the most applicable word. As hard as one tries to adapt to their surroundings, it is exhausting and tries your patience time and time again to get out and do some pretty simple things, like find some lunch. I am not about to eat every meal in the dining hall (yuck) just because it's the easier thing to do. I want to experience restaurants all around the city, and try different cuisine styles. It's the getting there and the finding it that is so difficult at times. We don't have a guide to say "We're going here tonight, follow me" anymore, though those three days were pretty nice. We haven't found a single person on the street who has given us correct directions (today included).

The restaurant we ended up at was pretty nice. Especially when we found that there were doors and a woman to open them for us versus the usual plastic flaps of many little cafes (and the dining halls). We found ourselves with four waiters and waitresses anxious to take our order. It was weird getting that attention. The menu had English on it, so I assume that they have some foreigners at some time or another come in to eat. One waitress could speak a little English so she was ours for the meal. She kept trying to get us to order the restaurant specialty, fish head soup, but we passed. We ordered some braised duck along with these really good soft pita type chips and rice. Oh, ox tendon is good, too, in case you run into it somewhere. We bypassed the whole pigeon in broth as well as the pig's feet but I may have to try those on another day when I'm not about to pass out from starvation and heat exhaustion (it's 94 F today).

As I looked out the window from our table, I watched a parking attendant direct someone out of their parking spot on the sidewalk. Yes, people here park their cars on the sidewalk instead of parking garages or lots. They have these moveable ramps that they just slide down to wherever the car is parked, and off it goes. There are also full lanes for bicycles and people on foot (I know some cycling friends would really appreciate this at home).

Now our stomachs are full, and though we're tired we have already made the pact that we will find this Noodle Loft. But this time we'll be taking a cab!

It's the little things

I got a warm shower last night for the first time since I've been here! It was absolutely amazing and got me thinking about how much more you appreciate simple things when you are in a foreign country.

It's true. I'm easily amused, and I'll be the first to admit it. You may have noticed the photos of penguins in my photo album, and, no, I didn't visit an iceberg somewhere in China. They are just on billboards in the subway station (don't ask me why) and I LOVE penguins. So I took their picture and it made me happy.

Another simple thing that is so great here is when you actually are able to communicate with the locals. For example, ordering food at the dining halls here on campus is so difficult because the workers don't speak any English. The other day I pointed at a bowl of noodles and the food service people started laughing. I have absolutely no idea why. So then I pointed something else and said 'one' in Chinese then back to the noodles. More laughter. It was fabulous. I didn't know what to do and as you can imagine, kind of frustrating. Many other encounters at other places have gone more smoothly, which is nice.

My roommate and I love the Fuwa and also watching CCTV 5 which is the sports channel. And every once in a while, there is a little bit in English! It's amazing.

Val and I are off to shop now. We are going to the Noodle Loft for lunch, a place where apparently the entire dish is one long noodle. Yum!

Our humble abode

I didn't live in the dormitories while at Purdue, and now is my chance to go back and experience dorm life. We are living in the International Center at the CUC. Our room is actually quite cozy, and Val and I have made some attempts to decorate with the pamphlets we get from the places we visit. That, and pictures from the magazines we brought. We are also representing for the Olympics with some patriotic paraphernalia around the room(which doubles as our attire for going to cheer on our athletes at the Games).

I am back to a twin sized bed which makes me really appreciate my new queen waiting back in Naperville. It's okay though because there are drawers underneath where I keep my clothes. I'm going to have to do laundry soon, which is a little tricky. Some people tried to use the washing machines and they don't really wring all of the water out of the clothing. Others have hand-washed their stuff, which still leaves you with some dripping water all over the room while things air dry. I think I'll put it off for another day.

The TV works, and we have tuned in to the CCTV sports channel. Right now they show old Olympic events in an attempt (we think) to help teach the people here more about all of the sports. A pretty good idea, if you ask me. Anyway, we are thoroughly entertained by that as well as the Tour de France coverage. The Chinese commercials are also pretty great. There is everything from L'Oreal to infomercials advertising these corsets that supposedly make you lose weight.

The view ranges from hazy buildings to clear buildings with sunlight reflecting on the windows, depending on the day. There is a restaurant downstairs that is pretty great (menus with pictures) and a lecture hall that has no clock. I would die in class without a clock to tick away the minutes...

I think my favorite part about the room is this fantastic 'magic box' which is basically a nightstand that has all of these switches to power everything in the room. It is phenomenal-- beats the 'Clap On Clap Off' lights any day.

Our bathroom is interesting because the shower and the toilet are together. I don't really know what better way to say it, but here's a photo. I haven't taken a warm shower since I got here, let alone hot, but I'm getting used to it. You will hear a shriek from our room every time we use the shower because it's so cold. Note the water bottles on the sink; we use those because we can't use tap water to brush our teeth. We also have to use a converter and adapter to use a blow drier. Val's straightener bit the dust because it's too high voltage for this place. Ahh I miss the simple life sometimes...

Bring on the hats

It was 106 F (cool for this time of year, apparently) today while we toured the Summer Palace and Old Summer Palace. The latter is basically ruins from the British and French troops during the Second Opium War in 1860. The Summer Palace was the getaway for the Emperor and his crew during the hot summer months. The grounds surround a beautiful lake, which we navigated via paddle boat. After several days of nothing but walking tours, it was nice to have a change.

It was on the boat that I discovered my new favorite Chinese snack: hats. Well, I don't really know what they are called but they are shaped like the round, pointed hats that you can get here and taste like a mix between Teddy Grahams and fortune cookies. Delish.

We paddled past the many halls, temples, and gardens as well as some bridges-- my favorite was the Mirrored Bridge, which is pretty steep and unique, very unlike any bridge I had ever seen/walked across before. I would definitely be okay with spending my summers hanging out here, that is for sure. I think it'd make Camp David seem a little lame, if you ask me.

One thing about the Chinese historical locations, they really get creative with the names. And by really I mean not at all. For example, the 17-Arch Bridge and the Eaves That Play Host to Clouds. And don't forget the Garden of Harmonious Interests. Gotta love literal translations haha.

Speaking of that, some of the t-shirts we've seen have been absolutely hilarious. My favorite so far is 'Put your hands up and walk slowly towards the moustache' and had a picture of a '70s police officer. These type of things are everywhere! And not just with the younger crowd but older people as well; I love it!

Something of note about the people here: they carry around Nalgene bottles full of tea instead of water. I saw a guy earlier in the week carrying a bottle full of water with something strange floating in the top and I got a little grossed out. I had no idea what it was. Now I realize what it is, and it's everywhere! I really don't understand ho w these people stay fully hydrated in the heat but I guess it works. Wonder if they drink tea while working out...?

Our run yesterday morning went well-- it was actually one of the clearest days since we'd been here. My lungs definitely felt a little strange, though. We felt like champs after that when we climbed the Great Wall at Badaling. I would have liked to visit one of the less crowded parts of the wall, but it was still an amazing experience. Some parts were so steep that my nose almost touched the steps above as I was climbing.

For those of you who have access to CCTV, check it out because our group was the one featured on today's visit (last tour day by BOCOG) and Phil and me got interviewed. It was kind of fun, but a little hard to understand some of the questions the reporter asked. They ranged from 'What is your favorite part of China?' to 'How do you feel about the French burning down these sites?' I tried to give my best, positive answers about how hospitable the Chinese had been, etc. I did make the mistake of saying that the food was one of my favorite parts (which is true-- I don't think I'll want to go back to Chinese American-style once I return!) and so they came up to my table during dinner tonight and informed me that they'd be taping me eating. Great. Thank goodness I am getting the chopsticks thing down. I can just imagine the people watching TV and laughing at my crude skills. I didn't drop a thing! Success.

Tonight was capped off by a night at the opera. We had front row seats to a show that was, well, I hate to keep saying interesting but that is the best word. At first I was afraid I would have nightmares about the people with their scarily made-up faces. I couldn't understand a thing that was going on except that they had English subtitles on screens. I could only see the top row of words, so that didn't help much. Basically, the princess got married, somebody lived and somebody died. And there was a lot of family history and three brothers. For six minutes, the princess (in the most high-pitched, loudest shriek-sing I have ever heard) said "I will marry my man". I am not exaggerating. There were a few acrobatics at the end with some fighting thrown in which was by far my favorite part.

Harry Potter and the Chocolate Factory

Where do I even begin today’s blog?

I guess I’ll start with some interesting observations about the Chinese that have been working with us since we’ve been here. Many of them choose American names because their Chinese given names are literally impossible for us to pronounce. The names they pick, however, are ones that are pretty uncommon in the States, e.g. Cindy, Henry, and Harry—these are the ones we have encountered so far. Two of our university hosts wanted the name Cindy and started arguing about who got the name. A little awkward. The Chinese pronounce Harry and Henry the same, so today we thought we would have two Harrys on the bus, however, the second Harry was as in ‘Harry Potter’. So funny.

Not only is communication difficult between ourselves and the other universities we’re with and the Chinese, but also amongst the different people of the country. There are ten different dialects in their spoken language. Very interesting.

Today was the first of our three-day sightseeing adventure courtesy of BOCOG. You won’t even believe what our first stop was: a water sewage treatment plant. Yep, and I have the pictures to prove it. It was very different from anything in the US (from what little I have seen of these type of places) in that they had incorporated little gardens and landscaping with bridges and ponds—full of clean water. They followed our group around the entire day with a video camera and photographer, and we even saw coverage on the news tonight. They want to show us all of the excellent facilities being used for the Olympics. Personally, I can’t tell the difference between a good sewage treatment plant and a bad one… They even had us sign this poster that said “Happiness” in Chinese, like we were celebrities. We were saluted by the government workers at the facilities, which felt a little awkward and unnecessary, but I guess it was their way of showing us respect.

To add to the celebrity feel, we had a police escort to the rural village which was our next destination. No joke, the closed down the interstate that we were on. I was in complete disbelief. The town we went to, Xiang Tang Cun, was dubbed ‘most beautiful town in Beijing’ in 2007 and is one of the places designated for tourist visits during the Olympics. We saw the art of calligraphy as well as a tai chi (slow martial arts) demonstration.

I am stuffed after the fantastic lunch and dinner we had today. Lunch was various chicken, beef and fish dishes with all kinds of vegetables. When they eat fish here, it is usually the whole fish, as in head, tail, eyes and all. It is good, though, especially if it has sauce, then you can’t see it so much! My favorite thing was probably the orange chicken (which tastes SOOOO much better than orange chicken from a US restaurant) and these green veggies which tasted like they’d been charcoal-grilled. Yum! Then, for dinner we had the traditional Peking duck (Peking and Beijing are interchangeable names for the city, and our guide referred to the duck as a Beijing duck). I will just stick with Peking. All of the courses of the meal involve the duck, and they use everything. My favorite way to have it was to dip a few pieces into a soy-based sauce, put them on a thin tortilla with endive and some other green that I couldn't identify, then wrap it all up using chopsticks and a spoon-- no hands allowed! It was kind of like having lobster; a lot of work for a small bit of food but well worth the effort. I had never had duck before, and this was a real treat. The skin tasted like bacon and was oh so tasty. I think I may have eaten the equivalent of a whole duck, it seemed like. I am going to sleep good tonight. Tomorrow, Traci and I are going to try for a run before we head off to the Great Wall. I am anxious to see how this will go with the air quality being so different than home.

Note: I have more thoughts about this excursion that will have to wait until after I get back to the US.

Have you seen my ping pong ball?

Today, we took the subway to the Forbidden City, where the emperors of China lived until 1924. It can most simply be described as a box within a box within a box and so on... of halls and rooms and walls and gates. Legend has it that there are 9,999.5 rooms exist within the complex. The buildings are beautiful examples of imperial architecture and thus extend horizontally rather than vertically. I could not believe the extent of this place! It really just kept going and going. We saw buildings with exquisite details. Some parts were being renovated, and other parts were more newly painted and colorful. Standing in the huge squares in between the gates, I couldn't help but imagine the original inhabitants there, working and protecting the emperor, who was apparently pretty unreachable within the compound.

The buildings were mostly made of wood, and have burned down time and time again over the centuries. There are huge copper cauldrons in the squares where water was kept to extinguish the flames. I just don't understand how they got the water out-- these things are taller than people-- and I highly doubt they had the rubber hoses that we do today.

My favorite feature was the dragon and fish carvings that were on many of the railings outside of the gates. I also liked the rooftops which had carved 'beasts' at the edges and painted eaves. The Chinese are very symmetrical in their design and that was apparent in these structures.

The Forbidden City was different from some sites because you weren't able to see very well what was inside the rooms that had displays. It was dark inside them and you could just barely peek into the windows to catch a glimpse of the ancient artifacts inside. We did get to see the ornate throne (or one of) that the emperor would sit on.

The Imperial Garden was another fantastic sight. I think I could have sat next to the koi fish pond for awhile.

We were inside the walls all day, and still did not see everything! There were many, many tourists who were all there to experience the historical site. After visiting, I am very interested in learning more about the history of China's emperors. It was an eye-opening experience into more Chinese culture, history and tradition.

Also, I am going to buy a ping pong paddle so that Lauren and I can play at the table in the recreation area on campus. It's right next to the track, soccer field, and basketball courts. There are also things that resemble playground equipment that people seem to just stretch on. Pictures to come.

Ice cream corn

We got lost again. I'm not afraid to admit it. Well, I guess you could call in lost in translation, or lack thereof. A group of us decided to find a British Football pub that was supposed to be great for dinner and a good time, but after a subway ride, repeated failed attempts to convince taxi drivers (who we can't understand and vice versa) to take us there, and walking for blocks and blocks… we opted for the nearest restaurant to where we were standing. It happened to be good ole' KFC. It was definitely different than ours…. My cod sandwich was decent and the fries were fresh.

Earlier in the day, I needed a refreshing treat and went to the little store on campus for some ice cream. And what did I find—so fitting for an Indiana girl like me – but an ice cream popsicle that had corn on the wrapper. So, I decided to go for it and I actually enjoyed it. It had a cake cone covering that was imprinted to look like a real ear of corn with kernels, with ice cream inside. It really tasted like corn and was pretty great! See, it pays to try new things.

We had a meeting with the BOGOC people today and tried on uniforms. It is still pretty unclear what those of us working as photography assistants will be doing, but at least we've got an idea of our schedule now.

Lesson of the day: if at first you don't succeed, try and try again. We'll try again tomorrow.

Blame it on the Wal-Mart

Today was an American day in Beijing. I went to Wal-Mart AND Pizza Hut. Yes, that’s right, for those of you that know me, it is going to come as a shock that I even set foot in Wally World. Although I was doing it as more of a cultural experience, to see the differences compared to the ones at home. There were major differences, let me tell you. First of all, instead of aquariums to sell pet goldfish, there were tanks of large live fish and crabs fresh for the cooking. Also, octopus and snails that were sorted through carefully by shoppers to be taken home and cooked… followed by live turtles (and I don’t think these guys were in the pet section, if you know what I mean). In the meat area, there were smoked ducks and whole chickens and sausages the size of small children. I am not exaggerating any of this. I opted to pass on the live animals and pick out some snack food (you can’t go wrong when there’s a cartoon king on the label… and yes, they do have Oreos).

Pizza Hut in China is a more upscale dining experience than in the States. I had a Beijing-esque Stuffed Crust Pizza with shrimp, (real!) crab, calamari, and pineapple. It hit the spot. I will be ready for more traditional Chinese food tomorrow, but tonight the group consensus was that our stomachs needed some home cooking. We also visited the Silk Street Market, which is a huge building full of vendors that sell everything from shoes and pearls to knockoff purses and real silk. In China, you have to barter with about everyone, and I think I did pretty well today. The vendors are very anxious for your attention and will do anything to get you to buy their goods. I got two pairs of cute shoes for 170 RMB (about $26 USD) and some other small items. The trick is to walk away after asking a price and they will come after you with a lower offer. Very fun, I thought, but tiring. Then we got lost on the way to Wal-Mart, after getting three different sets of directions. Such is life; tomorrow we are meeting with the Olympic Committee organizers to learn more about our work—I can’t wait! 30 days til Opening Ceremonies!

Photo: Andrea enjoying some cow tongue on special at Wal-Mart
Note: I stand corrected on a pronunciation in an earlier post: If you need to order something mild in Chinese, it’s boo-lah, boo-lah, not blah-blah as previously mentioned :)

Say nai lao!...(cheese)

Yesterday, our first full day in Beijing, we mastered (I'm being optimisitic here) the city subway system to Tiananmen Square. It was a great time to visit; it was relatively uncrowded, and apparently the workers have Mondays off—so we were unable to go inside some of the buildings. The subway ride was VERY crowded; on the way back we were packed in like sardines. There are also signs to ‘mind the gap’ in Chinese which I found an interesting take on the London phrase. Also, outside of the train stations, instead of parking lots for cars, there are hundreds of bikes, maybe even thousands (I apologize in advance for my poor estimation skills). We found our first Olympic gift shop… so exciting! The military/guards are very interesting as well, they walk in twos wherever they are patrolling, in unison. It is kind of a silly sight, though I’m not sure why. And even sillier… apparently over here, we are celebrity look-alikes (or something like that). As we were walking around the Square, myself and a couple of the others were asked to pose for pictures with the people. It was very interesting. I’m not sure what’s going to happen with those… like, how are they going to caption that one in the photo album? But it definitely did give us a good laugh.

A little background on Tiananmen Square: this is where, in 1919, Chinese university students protested the Versailles Treaty, which said that China should relinquish territories to Japan. It’s also the site of the 1989 democracy protests in which the government responded to unarmed citizens with tanks instead of tear gas and riot police. Surrounding the Square are the Mao Zedong Mausoleum (which we want to go back and see), two of the few remaining gates of the old wall of Beijing from the 15^th century, the Great Hall of the People (where parliament meets), and the currently renovated National Museum of China.

We had dinner at one of the dining halls on campus, where we have a dining card that can be recharged with money, and swiped for food and snacks. I am pretty sure that Traci and I had tripe (cow stomach). Oh yummy. Well, I did say I wanted to try new things… the dog stew will have to wait for another day.

Journey to the other side of the world

...via the North Pole. Yes, that's right, I flew over it on the 'short' route to China. Very white and icy, from what I could see but otherwise unremarkable, kind of like my flight. I sat next to a very nice older woman from New Jersey who had traveled the world and had great stories to tell. I also learned how to say 'not spicy' in Chinese (very useful for me with my acid reflux) -- it sounds like 'blah blah' while moving your hands in front of you. I hope this will work, we'll see. After 16 hours in the air, I finally landed at the Beijing Intl. Airport where I got my luggage and met up with Andrea, a fellow Purdue volunteer who was on my flight. We had an interesting few hours as we waited patiently for two others to arrive on different flights (which happened to be in a different terminal). Long story short, we refused to give up on them, and luckily found them and took a cab to the CUC (Communications University of China) where we will be staying for the duration of our time here. While in the cab, I remembered something that has come to mind each and every time I have traveled in a vehicle abroad: I am SO glad I will never have to drive here. Vehicles coming towards you, turning in front of you with no apparent warning, as well as people walking in front of the vehicles, not to mention a myriad of bicyclists all over the roads. We arrived safely and went to a restaurant, where we had the experience of ordering our first meal (no pictures, just Chinese symbols). We actually lucked out and got some small chicken wings on a stick, covered in an interesting glaze that made your mouth tingle. Very interesting. I went to bed and woke up at 1 a.m. (Beijing time) ready to start my day... Hopefully I'll have this jetlag thing out of my system soon.

The bed is as hard as a board, but our room is decent sized--- actually bigger than some of the dorms at Purdue. Val and I have great plans to decorate, which will be very fun. We have air conditioning, too, a welcome break from the 90 degree air outside.

I'm tired... more to come tomorrow. Goodnight!

Getting closer...

Well, I finished my last day at work. Whew. I can't believe I am almost ready to head out on this big adventure. Thoughts going through my head (at all times, even in my sleep): When am I going to pack? Yes, that's right, I'm leaving in less than 36 hours and I have thrown a couple of t-shirts into my suitcase. Also, I'm wondering what I'm going to forget. Or what I need to get or write down so I don't forget. I'm also worried that I haven't prepared enough for entering a country that's so culturally different from my own. But I usually adapt pretty well, so I hope everything will work out just fine. Oh, and I did have a dream the other night that my luggage never did catch up to me once I arrived at the airport (Never say never; it happened to me while I was in Italy!) but other than that... I'm ready to go. I've been warned and cautioned and encouraged. I have all the necessary vaccinations, medications, and enough t.p. to last quite awhile-- it is in short supply, apparently, in some places. Last night, some friends from work took me out for dinner and drinks at BDubs and I finally saw one of the Olympic commercials on ESPN... I've been living without cable/satellite since I just moved and am leaving so soon... It was SO exciting. I think it hit me right then and there. The other thing was tonight at Walgreen's when I picked up some Neosporin for the first aid kit and saw the Olympic Rings logo stating that it's the 'Official Wound Care Product' of the Games. Who knew? It's the little things in life, I guess, but I am really excited to get there!

Tomorrow's plan: laundry, packing, cleaning, last minute errands, enjoying Fourth of July festivities here in Naperville with my boyfriend (Cody), and a good American barbecue at RibFest! And while I may sound confident that this will all get done and go smoothly, guess we'll have to wait and see. Really, I just have to make it on the plane and the rest will fall into place... Eh, who am I kidding? I'm going to double-check my packing list right now.

Fashion forward?

I have been getting questions about what we'll be wearing during the Games, so here's a sneak peek. We have uniforms, designed by Adidas, which include a funny little hat and fanny pack... I wonder if we'll be required to sport the pack?! They also show shoes, so maybe we will be provided those to wear as well. I'm not quite sure how I feel about the uniforms, to be honest. It'll be interesting to see what they're like in person! Although, it'll be hot, so who knows, zip-off pants/shorts might be kind of nice...I have yet to be convinced.

Can't pass this up

I’m going to Beijing!

It’s going to be a loooong flight, but it was a much longer process to get to this point, and well worth all of the time to do it…

In September 2007, I heard about the opportunity through a professor of mine. I filled out the application, called it a ‘long shot’ and waited to see what would happen. Since I would be graduating in May, I was hesitant to apply since I was about to enter the ‘real world’. Shouldn’t I be applying for full-time jobs instead? After talking with some helpful faculty and friends, I opted to take a chance and go for it.

So glad I did! December finally came around, along with an e-mail stating that I was in a group that would advance to the next round of selections. I had made it one step further!

I held my breath, waiting to see what the next steps would be, and finally learned that members of the BOGOC (Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad)– hmm, maybe I should think about a glossary on here! – would be coming to the States in March to make the final selections.

On March 1, they administered the tests, and eighteen days later I found out I was going to the Olympics. And let me tell you, those eighteen days were pretty crazy for the fifteen of us who were waiting to hear the news.

Since then, I have been getting e-mail updates from our professor on details about the trip. I booked a flight, interviewed for full-time jobs (and accepted one-yay!), and finished up my last semester at Purdue. Since I graduated on May 10, I have found an apartment, moved away from West Lafayette and into a new city and started a new job a week there a week later. Yep, pretty stressful, but more importantly, an exciting place to be in my life.

More to come soon…