Trading in the Chopsticks for a Fork

Well I did it. I have finally made it to the end of the road. I apologize for the lengthy time span in between each post, but the my computer has been broken for a while. I can also blame my extended leave of absence on the amount of time I have spent studying Chinese characters. No matter how much Chinese I study, I still can’t communicate to cab drivers where I want to go.

I am sitting in my bedroom right now looking around at the insane amount of things I need to fit into a suitcase to fly home. Sadly, I still have to go shopping this weekend to finish buying souvenirs. It is funny how things accumulate over time, its not funny when your suitcase can only weigh 50 pounds.

Besides the looming dread of packing, I have spent a lot of time reminiscing about my time here in China. I have been able to see, smell, hear, and taste things that many will not. I plan on sharing my experiences with anyone willing to listen because an experience like this isn’t something that should be kept to oneself. No amount of pictures in the world can document the amount of rice I’ve eaten, cabs I’ve ridden in, or the friends that I have made.

When I think of China, I can only think of a challenge. China is still a developing country, and life here is challenging. It is so cliche to say how “easy” it is living in the USA and how spoiled everyone is…but its true. Things that I have seen here could never exist in the States. To know and understand it, is to actually be involved in it. I have lived here for four months and there are many things that I do not understand. I don’t understand why elders think its okay to cut in front of you at the ATM although you have been waiting there for several minutes. I don’t understand why children are walking around without diapers, as the street is filled with Range Rovers. What I do understand is that when you are visiting anywhere it is just best to just adhere to the rules and values and just be respectful because it will get you further than getting frustrated. It sickens me how much wasted time and energy I have spent on getting angry about things that I cannot control.

With all that said and done, I am so excited to get back to the United States. Although i am filled with all of this new International wisdom, I’m sill a US of A girl at heart.

Frolicking through the Avatar Hills

Ni Hao we de Pengyou! (Hello friends!)

Its a brisk Thursday afternoon here in Beijing, and I am actually having a great day. I have recently found out that my best friend from home will be visiting me in Beijing. I have been really homesick for the past few weeks and I believe her company and craziness will be exactly what I need to get through the next 5 weeks.

On Saturday my plane touched down in Beijing after spending the last week in Guilin. My trip to Guilin was one of the best experience I’ve had in a long time. It blew “The Silk Road” trip out of the water. The excursion began Saturday afternoon on a bus heading to the train station. My classmates and I were about to embark on a 23 hour train ride. I literally had panic attacks about this train ride the night before. Then the next morning I was struck with food poisoning and I wasn’t able to begin packing until 20 minutes before it was time to leave.

The train ride was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. It is sad that I have gotten used to the peculiar stench of Chinese natives that don’t have the opportunity to shower as much as the general public may hope. I spent the rest of the night and the rest of the day listening to music, playing cards, and attempting to teach the Chinese how to trick-or-treat…since it was Halloween after all.

We finally arrived in Guilin 23 hours later on Halloween, smelly and irritated but eager for the trip ahead. We piled onto a bus and were wisked to Yao hill which is one of the highest mountains in Guilin. We took a cable car up the mountain and took in the breath taking views. I would recommend “googling” Guilin’s scenery because it is very difficult to explain how beautiful the sights were. James Cameron, the director of Avatar, was inspired by Guilins sights to use for Avatar. If any of you have seen Avatar, that is really saying something. 

After the tour of the mountains, we checked into our first hotel which was actually in a real city. On the silk road we always went to hotels that were very questionable and were surrounded with fruit stands and people that have never seen foreigners. It was the night of Halloween so we went to a party, sans costumes, and ended up having a pretty decent night. We were surprised by the amount of people dressed up at the club, but then we found out that the club was actually a gay club! The boys were all confused on why none of the girls wanted to dance with them and myself and all the other girls were confused why we had a huge girl fan club. I literally had one girl that would not stop following me, definitely an interesting night.

The next day we ended up in a town called Yanshou which is very popular for backpackers. We stayed there for three days and had a lot of fun. Everyday we had a chance to participate in activities and the first day was a two hour bike ride an hour hike and then a tour of a cave. The bike ride was HORRIBLE since I was trying to be cute, so I picked out the pink bike with a basket. Little did I know that this bike was not equipped with any type of equipment that could handle the rough terrain we were riding on. Let’s just say my backside was basically bruised after that bike ride. Next was our hike which was about as hard as climbing the Great Wall, so needless to say I was exhausted when I reached the top. The view was amazing and the weather was beautiful so it was all worth it.

I figured out how to add pictures! After lunch we took a bus to visit the cave. This was literally the craziest thing I have ever done in my life. There were about 20 boys and 4 girls that did this leg of the trip. They put us on a little boat that took us into this tiny cave that was dimly lit and very scary. The boys were teasing all the girls and saying there were rats in the water and bats in the cave so my eyes were closed for most of the boat ride. At one point the boat had too much weight so the boys had to get out and push the boat. After the boat ride we had to hike in the cave for about 30 minutes wearing helmets and everything. In America we would never be able to do something like this because there is no way this little excursion was safe. One wrong turn you are plummeting to your death. At the end of the hike through the tunnel which included crawling through some holes we were greeted with an honest to God MUDBATH. It was like we all turned into 4th graders and jumped into the pool of mud. The mud was absolutely freezing but I would do it again any day. After our mud party we had to go to a spring to wash off and on our way back, I almost lost Brian. Brian failed to wear his helmet and hit is head on the top of the cave and knocked himself for a minute. We got separated from the group for a while and I really thought my life was going to end in a mudpit in Southern China. We had to get back onto the bus all muddy and I had to basically throw out the clothes that I was wearing, but it was so worth it and I will tell my children about the day I had exploring a real life cave in China. I went back to the hotel that night and passed out from the physically demanding day. The next day we did an arts and crafts day and cooking class. The arts and crafts was fun we painted fans and got to the keep them, and the cooking class was traumatizing. Our instructor brought us to the market and we witnessed any animal you can think of being tortured and killed. This included dogs. I kid you not when I say I burst into tears after I saw a cage of crying dogs in a cage that were going to be slaughtered within minutes. They were bringing in dogs in off the street to kill and eat. I literally watched them take them out the cage tie up its legs…actually Ill just stop its too gruesome to relive. On a happier note I learned how to make a lot of cool dishes in a wok including this lovely dish of kung pao chicken that took about 10 minutes to make.

The next place we went was to a village that had no heat no electricity and a whole lot of bugs. It was pretty fun hanging out with the local villagers and teaching the little kids how to use an iphone. We even taught the adults how to throw an American football, since they have never seen one before. One interesting event that occurred was seeing a full grown pig the night before and hearing him squeal while he was being killed for the bacon the next morning. I don’t remember signing up for this trip to be subjected to the killing of the innocent animals. 

The last leg of the trip was going to the famous hot springs in China. It was really fun and the water was really warm and we spent the whole entire night in the pool.

All and all Guilin was amazing and I am a little disappointed to be back in the dirty city of Beijing. Enjoy the pics! I am excited that I finally got them working.

Zai Jian!

Tales of a homesick drama queen

Ni Hao wo de pengyou!

I am finally back in action, after a very unpleasant week of not having a computer. Long story short, my computer broke and I had to go to the apple store in order to fix it. I attempted to call the apple store in order to schedule an appointment so that someone could take a look at it. I thought that I could easily call up, but obviously Steve Jobs forgot to include an option for people that speak english to be able to call the store. They didn’t even have a direct number where I could be transferred, so I had to physically go to the apple store. I walked into the store for the first time and it was actually pretty impressive. It was two levels and it was absolutely packed. People came from all over to play with all the apple electronics. As I stepped in line to make my appointment, I realized that there were not any other Chinese people in line. Most of the people were foreigners,which made sense since all of the embassies and consulates are on the same street. I made my appointment, and then went back with my computer the next day. I kid you not I was there for 3 hours. It took so long because so many people would literally interrupt my session and just throw their problem at my technician and demand that he fixes their problem. Brian was with me and after a while he started blocking people so that I could have the guy to myself. So morale of the story, the apple store may be civilized in the U.S. but don’t think for a second it can maintain the same reputation in another country. China is China no matter what you throw at it.

This day was actually monumental because I finally found, after a 3 month dry spell, a CAESAR SALAD!. Caesar salads are literally my favorite food, I could eat one everyday if I wanted. When I saw this delectable treat on the menu I almost fell out of my too-small-for-me booth! These days I am finding happiness in the smallest things.

Lately I have been so homesick it has been really depressing. Or it could be that the temperature dropped 30 degrees in one day and I have not seen the sun in two weeks. It is true that when you are surrounded by pure darkness, on top of smog, it does things to your feelings. Yesterday I was so happy watching the Celtics game (at 8 a.m.) but then suddenly I spotted a Dunkin Donuts advertisement in the background and I almost had a breakdown. Its inhumane for it to be fall and to not have had a pumpkin spice coffee or muffin yet! That same day, Brian and I were trying to master the art of riding on a bicycle and having someone sit on the back of it ( like the chinese do). This looks so easy when the Chinese do it because they weigh 55 pounds in total, Brian and I, do not. In the end, it ended up with Brian losing control and my Uggs getting caught in the spokes and the bottom of my shoes getting cut into pieces.

On Saturday I am going to southern China to a place called Guilin. It is supposed to be really nice and beautiful. It is on the same longitude as California so the weather is supposed to be really nice. Some scenes from the movie Avatar were taped in Guilin, so that explains how pretty it is. I am supposed to be going Kayaking, a tour on vespas, and taking a mudbath (pshh..if they make me). This all sounds so great, I know, but did I mention, ITS A 25 HOUR TRAIN RIDE. I barely survived the 15 hour plane ride but 25 hours on a train?? It will probably be fun since I will be surrounded by all of my friends but then 16 hours will go by and I know lines will become crossed. I also don’t believe in going to the bathroom on a train so I don’t know how its going to work.

But on a happier note, I payed $1.40 for a full meal and a drink today. Yayy me!

Zai jian!

Chinese Holiday

Happy Monday!

Well it is Monday afternoon in Beijing, I just got back from the gym, and I am feeling pretty good. This past week was the Chinese National Holiday, so I have been resting for a couple of days. During the holiday my friends and I decided to explore the lovely city that is Beijing.

One day we went to the Forbidden City and Tianneman square. Take a minute to “Wikipedia” what happened at Tianneman square if you are not aware already, because I can’t really talk about it in China. It is interesting that Tianneman is considered a huge tourist attraction, because of what happened there. But then it dawned on me, NO ONE KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED THERE. Honestly, people just go there to marvel at the beautiful architecture and gaze upon the huge picture depicting “everyone’s favorite leader,” Mao. I thought I would have the same feeling like you get when you go to a Holocaust exhibit, or Ground Zero, but nope everyone is just oblivious, as always. Another thing worth mentioning is that there were guards EVERYWHERE. It was the first time I have been really nervous in China. Guards would just randomly stop people and pour out the contents of their bag and give people a hard time. Tianneman square is no joke and we were all on our best behavior. It doesn’t take much for those security guards to throw you in the back of a paddy wagon and take you to a labor camp.

On a happier note, I have started going to the gym because eating rice and noodles everyday is not well for the body. I usually hate going to the gym, but the gym in Beijing is just so eventful every single day. Today, there a couple wearing jeans and converse on the treadmill. People don’t really wear “gym clothes” they just wear whatever it is they happen to be wearing that day. Also, China uses the metric system so I never really know how much weight I’m using, or how far I have ran.

For my marketing class, we went to a Tea House, which is a restaurant where two “tea girls” prepare specific types of tea that you can sample.  It was really cool until that night, because I could not sleep until 3 a.m. It was a Friday night, but I obviously had class the next morning because in China when you have days off, you make them up on the weekends. So although today is Monday, I feel like it is Wednesday because it is the third day in a row I have had class.

Well its time for me to start some homework, enjoy your week!

Mooncake festival: Sans mooncake

Ni Hao!

Tonight everyone around the world is getting ready to enjoy their Friday nights, well not me or anyone else in China because we are all studying for class on SATURDAY. Why do we have class on the weekends? Well in China this past week we have been celebrating a national holiday called “Mid-Autumn festival.” Since Tuesday, class has been cancelled and we have been enjoying the beautiful weather, and watching everyone enjoy this holiday.

During this holiday, the Chinese spend the nights outside with their families eating “mooncake” and talking about what they are thankful for. It is sort of like Thanksgiving, except, Thanksgiving is filled with lots of great tasting food and mooncake is NOT tasteful whatsoever. All of the Meiguo rens (American) ran out and bought this mooncake and I personally spit it out immediately. I cannot believe that the Chinese base a whole holiday around something that does not taste like cake at all. It is hard to explain what a mooncake is but it looks like a little cake that should be filled with something sweet, but I’m pretty sure mine was filled with LAMB. I don’t know when I am going to learn my lesson with trying foods in China, but I definitely learned one thing: the taste of Mooncake is unforgivable.

Anyways, having the week off was amazing, until I found out that I now have class on Saturday and Sunday to make up for what we lost. I really don’t mind since I usually don’t do much on the weekends, it is just going to be hard having class 7 days in a row.

Another thing that is interesting (crazy) about China is that the government controls the weather on holidays. I know I go on and on about the smog because it is horrible, and is slowly but surely ruining my life, but there was NONE during mid-Autumn festival. It is said that the day before the holiday the government shoots rockets up into the sky to clear the air and they  also order bunch of cars off the road so that people can enjoy the day outside. My question is…WHY CAN’T THEY DO IT ALL THE TIME?? But in China, you don’t ask questions, you just roll with it. All I know is, I’m going to be on a nebulizer as soon as I get back to “My country tis of thee..”

On the academic front, I am completely obsessed with my tutor. I literally cannot do one page of Chinese homework without her. I wish we could hang out more but she is taking 12 classes and is the busiest person I know. She helps me so much and is so sweet and she doesn’t laugh at me when I try to speak Chinese and start saying words in Spanish (embarassing). Some other Meiguo rens have been talking to their tutors about news stories and events that are happening between China and Japan or just China in general but they have no idea! I was dumbfounded at some of the things that they are forbidden to know about. I began to realize if I did not have access to American and Chinese news stories, I would have no idea what is really going on in the world. I won’t talk too much about this since whatever you say in China, definitely is not private.

Well its time for me to go to sleep and dream about Chinese Characters!

Goodnight!

All Fun and Games:Until Chinese Class

I apologize for not updating my blog sooner, but every day in China is so exhausting, I honestly do not have the energy. I have been in China for about a month and I am starting to get used to a lot of things.

I just completed my first week of classes and I am already overwhelmed. I am only taking 4 classes and one of them is martial arts and I can barely keep up with the workload. The classes are 3 hours long once a week except Chinese which I have about 3 times a week for 2 hours. Chinese is already going to be the hardest class I am going to have to ever take in my life. I did Chinese homework for 6 hours today. Chinese is so difficult because not only do you have to memorize the characters, all the letters that you learned how to pronounce in English such as “c, z, e, a, j…” are all pronounced differently. It is almost impossible to have to learn that in Chinese a “c” makes a “t” sound and a “z” makes a “j” sound.

Luckily, I have my own personal Chinese tutor who is adorable. Her English name is Echo but her Chinese name is Zhue le. Zhue le is my age and she is taking 12 classes at the school I am at. She is completely opposite of me and is terribly shy. The first time we met I took her out to lunch and when it was time to pay for the meal she was completely elated that I payed for her. She is very patient with me and laughs when I make jokes even though I know she has no idea what I am talking about half the time. She always compliments everything that I wear and asks me if I am a supermodel. This because I am a giant compared to her and my legs are too long to fit under the desks. Today, she surprised me with my favorite type of drink when we met for our tutoring session. I am thankful for every moment that I spend with her because I would not be able to get through Chinese.

Like I always say, everyday in China is an adventure. Here are some of the things I have to deal with on a daily basis:

– Toilet paper is still MIA

– There is only hot water between 6am-8am and 6pm-10pm

– My nose has been running for about 3 weeks and it will not stop, and my throat feels like I have been smoking for 12 years.

-Chinese people smoke EVERYWHERE even on trains AND in the school buildings. Whenever I come out of class, I feel like I am in a 50’s movie.

-Chinese people use umbrellas whenever the sun comes out because they are so used to the smog their eyes and skin burn from the sun.

-Forget texting while driving, texting while walking is the most dangerous thing anyone can do. Cars drive on the sidewalks, don’t pay attention to stop lights and will literally park ANYWHERE. There are no such thing as parking tickets so people literally park right next to the steps. I usually feel safer walking in the street…at least I will have more room to move out of the way.

-The Americans are still considered royalty and we get a lot of privileges. Nevertheless, cab drivers will not pick us up.

– It only cost 20 cents to take the subway and it is cleaner than any other subway that I have ever been on. The downside is, the Chinese have no belief of personal space. Imagine the most crowded day on the train, multiply times 2, then add about 20 people and that is a subway ride in China.

Oh China, I can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds!

Back in Beijing

After two weeks of touring around mainland China, I am finally back in Beijing. Although my trip was fun, I am excited to be back in the smoggy city.

During the last few weeks, I have had the opportunity to see, smell, and taste things that I know many people will never ever get the chance to do. The point of this whole trip was to take a tour of the Silk road, which is basically a long route that people would travel to trade things hundreds of years ago. This route literally starts from western China, all the way back east towards Beijing.

My journey started two weeks ago on a plane heading towards Urumchi. When I found out we were flying Air China, I took a sigh of relief because I was terrified of what type of airplane they would put us on. The flight was enjoyable but the landing was the single most terrifying even of my life. As we were landing there was no runway in sight and we literally landed on a dirt path. Finally the runway was paved but as I looked around everyone looked pale in the face.

I honestly could not even pick this place out on a map, but I do know that it was on the border of Kahzakstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and I was terrified. When I stepped of the plane everything was in Turkish writing and everyone looked like they were middle eastern. When I signed up for this trip I don’t remember saying I wanted to be dropped off next to countries that we were currently at war at, but I did my best to just take in the experience. They let us walk around this bazaar that had a lot of cheap goods for sale. I bought a piece of watermelon off the street because it seemed safe enough while all the boys bought lamb shish kabobs from this man on the street. (Guess who got sick later, and guess who did not lol). That night we hiked about two miles to this place called Heavenly lake and we slept outside underneath the stars.

The next few days went like this, we would travel all day for about five hours to about seven hours by bus. We also took three overnight trains. Some of the highlights were staying the night in the Gobi desert, and riding a camel. I also got the chance to go Tibet and literally watch monks pray in a monastery. I also got to see a museum with the Terracotta soldiers which was amazing because it was my second “wonder of the world” that I got to see. I also got the chance to stay at a village with a very small minority in China. There were a bunch of little kids that were completely obsessed with us. We brought the kids presents and you could tell they never really received gifts. I also gave some children my silly band bracelets and they loved them. I had a lot of fun at the village even though I was attacked by flies, and the bathroom looked like the bathrooms in Slumdog millionaire.

Some of the bad parts of the trip was that everyone kept getting sick. We were not even in Beijing long enough to get accustomed to the food. When we traveled around and ate there was much more bacteria in all of the food and everyone suffered. I literally had tums and pepto bismol after ever single thing I put in my mouth. Brian suffered a lot more than I did and people had to go to the hospital to be treated for food poisoning.

Well I have a lot of things to take care of and I am still trying to find a way for you all to see my pictures. Miss you and I will be updating very soon!

By the way. Everyone needs to download skype so that we can chat. Just search my name on skype and add me!

The Great Wall: not always so great

Hello again!

It is Sunday night here at about 1030 pm and I am finally getting used to things around here. On Friday we went to the Great wall of China and it was honestly the coolest thing I have ever seen. When the bus pulled up it was hard to see the wall because it was so high up in the mountains. It didn’t dawn on me that I was going to have to climb the mountain, until I was faced with miles and miles of stairs. After climbing the stairs for what seemed like eternity the group had finally made it to the top. Everyone was lightheaded from the high altitude and completely covered in sweat. I wish I could post pictures of the actual wall because the sights were amazing. It was incredible to think that I was actually standing on a piece of history that has been around for hundreds or maybe even thousands of years. I forgot about how tired I was and was able to walk the wall and take pictures and freak out over the huge bugs that were living up there. there were people staged throughout the wall selling water and snickers and even people posing for wedding photos. It was so cool to just take in all the sights. The best part was when it was time to go down there was a tobagan that you literally slide down in order to get to the bottom. It was the scariest and unsafe thing I have ever seen. It was especially unsettling that you know there is no one inspecting that thing but I could not physically walk down all those stairs. Especially since I am ridiculously clumsy and if I tripped and fell that would be catastrophic. First of all you have no idea what it really is because the guy explaining what to do speaks Chinese and all you see are pictures of the people falling over the sides and falling to there death. But after watching a couple people do it, it wasn’t so bad.

After getting to the bottom of the wall it was time to go shopping. There were a bunch of little shops that were set up along the path. This was the first time that I got to try bargaining and it may be my last. You think the Chinese people in Chinatown are aggressive? Come to China, and they look tame. They are absolutely NUTS if you happen to even look in their direction they run over to you and show you all this cheap stuff that you do not want to buy. When you ask the price of something they then give you a calculator with an inflated price and refuse to discount it. I tried walking away a couple times and then they gave would discount the price but I really didn’t want anything because it was all junk. This was a huge mistake because they literally follow you with the product and one lady literally was hitting me with this wallet trying to get me to purchase it. Poor Brian got trapped inside one of the dwellings and the lady would not let him out before he bought something. It was a total disaster, I never thought a 4ft nothing Chinese lady could be so terrifying.

So many events have happened that it is really hard to keep the days in order. Tomorrow morning I will be leaving for two weeks and traveling throughout all of China. I will be retracing the “Silk Road” and traveling all the way west and even visiting a monastery in Tibet. There will be nights where I stay in a house with nomads and even spending the night in the desert and crossing said desert ON CAMELS. Yes, Kayla will be crossing the desert via camel. I heard this trip is a lot of fun but I am really nervous about all the nature and all the bugs. I will update as soon as I get back!

First days in China!

Hello World!

I recently had to change the website that I recently set up because it is blocked in China. Hopefully this one will do the job.

Well I have officially been in China for a couple weeks and it has definitely been an experience. From the plane ride to trying to navigate the streets, it has been a struggle. There have been some bad experiences and some good ones, but I am ultimately having a good time.

Stepping off the plane into the airport I was overwhelmed by the heat, lack of visibility, and the amount of Asian people. It is unreal how many people were just running around and it was really too much to handle after I sitting on a plane for 14 hours. Chinese people do not have any personal space boundaries, they try and will fit at least 20 people in an elevator with suitcases. Poor Brian doesn’t like elevators as it is so he was definitely uncomfortable.

After the stress of the airport I got to my room (5th floor no elevators). My room is okay, Its not as bad as I thought it was going to be and it is even equipped with AC, desks, towels/sheets and even a kitchen. The only thing is there is not a door on the bathroom. And the bathroom is basically a shower with a toilet and a sink it it. When you take a shower…everything gets wet..and I mean EVERYTHING. Also, THERE IS A LACK OF TOILET PAPER. When you go out to public places you have to bring your own toilet paper because it is not free. So if you’re out and out of toilet paper..you’re screwed.

Speaking of going out…Me, Brian and a group of friends went out the very first night and it was the most fun that we have ever had. First of all Americans don’t pay a cover charge and once you enter a place you are the center of attention. It was funny to hear Justin Beiber blaring from the speakers as soon as we stepped into the club. There was lots of amazing lights and music and even bubbles that fell from the ceiling. We taught the Chinese to dance like americans and they were having a ball. It was good to know that even though there is a huge language and culture barrier, it was still easy to make friends.

The best part of the trip so far has been seeing the Great Wall of China. It is literally breathtaking. Not just because it is beautiful but you have to walk up miles and miles of stairs. I almost passed out about 4 times but I was determined to get to the top. I will talk about the Great Wall in a later post once I figure out how to post pictures. The internet is very hard to use in China because basically almost website is blocked and it is hard to share pictures over the internet.

I have been having a great time and feel as though I can get used to all the craziness that comes along with living in Beijing. The food is absolutely delicious, and most of you know that I am the pickest eater in the world. But nothing I have ever tasted will measure up to what I have tried in Beijing. The only thing downside is that I am horrible at using chopsticks so it is really hard for me to eat. I keep thinking that everyday it gets better but it has really not been working out for me. I miss you all and I will try to keep up with this thing and send pictures as much